(TNS)  Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, top aide Rich Baird and his health director Nick Lyon have been told they will face criminal charges resulting from the Flint water crisis, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.Former Flint Public Works director Howard Croft also expects to be charged again, his lawyer Jamie White confirmed Tuesday. White said he was informed Monday about the development.Up to 10 individuals, including members of Snyder's executive office, are set to be formally indicted as soon as Thursday after Attorney General Dana Nessel's office launched a new investigation in 2019, the source confirmed.The Flint water scandal contaminated the African American majority city's drinking water with lead and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires disease in 2014-15 while Snyder was governor. The looming charges likely mean the state's former top officeholder will face a high stakes legal battle over his administration's handling of the scandal.could not discern what kind of charges would be brought against Snyder, Lyon, Baird and Croft.Its an ongoing investigation," Attorney General's office spokeswoman Courtney Covington said Tuesday. "The team is working diligently, though and we do hope to have an announcement on the status of that investigation soon.Snyder approved putting the city of Flint into state emergency management and was responsible for the state's response to the lead contamination. Baird oversaw Flint's recovery effort, Lyon handled the state's responses to the city's public health problems and Croft was responsible for dealing with the city's water problems.Brian Lennon, an attorney who represents Snyder, said it's "outrageous to think any criminal charges would be filed against" the former two-term governor."Coming from an administration that claims to be above partisan politics, it is deeply disappointing to see pure political motivation driving charging decisions," Lennon added.The disaster thrust Flint into the national spotlight and resulted in congressional hearings in 2016 where Democratic members of the U.S. House oversight committee demanded that Snyder resign. He apologized for the crisis but didn't leave office until his term ended at the end of 2018.Bacteria in the water also was blamed for an outbreak of Legionnaires disease, a form of pneumonia that accounted for more than 90 cases in Genesee County, including 12 deaths.The outbreak was announced by Snyder and Lyon, director of Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services, at a hastily called January 2016 press conference in Detroit. Lyon conceded he knew that cases were being reported months earlier.Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy have been leading the attorney general's office's new investigation, while Nessel has focused on Flint-related civil litigation, including a more than $640 million settlement that is awaiting court approval.Snyders urban aide, Harvey Hollins, told a court in October 2017 that he had informed the GOP governor about the Flint area Legionnaires disease outbreak in December 2015, contradicting Snyders testimony to Congress that he first learned of it in January 2016. Hollins did not say what he specifically told Snyder about the Legionnaires cases.Hollins testimony came during a preliminary exam for Lyon and was in response to questions by then-Special Prosecutor Todd Flood, who was fired after Nessel took office.When Flood asked if he was telling the truth, Hollins said: I took an oath.The Flint civil litigation settlement releases from civil liability Snyder and all state employees who were subjects of the civil suits.Flood had argued in court that Lyon had a "duty" to warn the public about the Legionnaires' outbreak in 2015. Lyon's defense lawyers countered that he ran Michigan's largest agency at 14,000 employees and relied on the expertise of department employees  none of whom recommended issuing a public warning.first reported the expected Flint water charges against Snyder and Lyon.Baird could not be reached for comment, but his attorney Randall Levine confirmed Tuesday that his client had been informed that he will be "facing charges."The expected charges stemmed "from his work helping to restore safe drinking water for all residents and faith in the community where he grew up," Levine said in a statement."Flint is where he was born and raised in a single-parent, blue-collar home," the lawyer said about Baird. "He is not a person of privilege as his mother was a waitress and a factory worker. Today, he still has family living in Flint."A law firm representing Lyon said Tuesday that if there's any truth to the reports that Lyon might be charged with criminal offenses, it would be "an absolute travesty of justice.""During the investigation we offered to meet with the Attorney Generals representatives, but our offers were rebuffed," the statement from the law offices of Willey & Chamberlain said. "Recently, we have asked for copies of any so-called charges, and we have been refused."It appears that the attorney general is more interested in creating a misleading narrative, seeking publicity and trial by ambush, than in seeking the truth."Croft was originally charged in December 2016 with 20-year felonies for involuntary manslaughter, false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses over bonding for a new regional water pipeline project that led to the Flint River switch. The charges were dropped as part of the new probe by Nessel's team."After more than two years of litigation, we failed to see a credible piece of evidence as it pertained to Mr. Croft," White said in a statement. "Most troubling is the process, or lack of due process, the prosecutors chose to pursue in this second prosecution.""We are informed and believe a one-man grand jury was used to authorize these charges. If that was the case, a one-man grand jury is a rarely used dinosaur that has a built-in prejudice as it pertains to an individuals ability to receive a fair trial. Implementing this secretive and prejudicial process is very concerning at this point in time."Croft, a former union electrician, was brought in to run Flint's public works department in 2011 by state-appointed emergency manager Michael Brown. He served until 2015, when he was replaced by former Mayor Karen Weaver shortly after her election.Weaver, who was in office from 2015 to 2019, couldn't contain her excitement Tuesday when told about the charges being brought against Snyder and others."I'm so happy," Weaver said"It's just wonderful. It's finally here. It's hitting me right now," said Weaver, who has been pressing for Snyder to be charged for years. "It's about time. All evidence pointed to him that he knew, that he knew what was going on. It was a cover-up for 18 long months that something was going on with Flint and the water."Weaver said she was pleased to hear that charges are also coming against Baird and others "because you cannot do that by yourself.""Now I hope that they are convicted," she said. "That's what's needs to happen next because people in Flint have been damaged. People in Flint have lost lives at their hands."Snyder, a Republican who has been out of office for two years, was governor when state-appointed managers in Flint switched the citys water to the Flint River in 2014 while a new regional authority pipeline was being built to Lake Huron. But the acidic river water leached lead from the city's old pipes because it was not properly treated, a decision that a Snyder-appointed independent commission blamed for the lead contamination.The state didn't acknowledge the lead contamination until late September 2015 and the following month reconnected Flint's water supply to Detroit's regional water system. Snyder asked then-President Barack Obama for a disaster declaration, which Obama rejected because he said it was a manmade event. But the Democratic president approved emergency aid.Art Woodson, a Flint activist who attended prior court hearings for Lyon and other state officials previously charged in the water crisis case, said he is especially pleased that people who weren't previously charged like Snyder and Baird are now going to be indicted."It makes me feel that Attorney General Nessel was about her word," Woodson said of the charges. "This is one elected official that told me that she was going to hold people accountable that needs to be charged. And she owned up to her word."He cautioned that getting convictions is another issue, but "the point of it is, they are getting ready to bring out everything that (Snyder) and his co-conspirators did to where we can make the decision if he's guilty or not."U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint Township, said what happened in Flint is a "terrible tragedy.""Justice for Flint families comes in many forms, including holding state officials accountable for what they did to Flint," Kildee said. "While I never prejudge the outcome of any criminal charges, I support the Flint water crisis investigation following the facts, wherever they may lead. No one is above the law."In 2018, Lyon was ordered to trial on involuntary manslaughter charges after a special prosecutor appointed by Republican then-Attorney General Bill Schuette accused him and Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells of failing to inform the public in a timely manner about the outbreak. Wells also was set to stand trial.But by June 2019, the entire Flint water investigation was turned upside down. Prosecutors working under a new attorney general, Nessel, dismissed the cases against Lyon and Wells as well as charges against six more people and said the probe would start anew.Lyon was the highest-ranking state official to be charged during Schuette's investigation with Wells the next highest. In December 2018, the state's health department created a nearly $180,000-a-year civil service "advisory physician" job for Wells.Seven original defendants reached plea deals with Flood that avoided potential jail or prison time and resulted in charges being dismissed.Theres been outside speculation that a grand jury had been convened to hear evidence for months. On Oct. 13, Dave Murray, one of Snyder's former spokesmen, spent at least two and a half hours inside the Genesee County Courthouse.With Murray was attorney Douglas Van Essen, who said he could reveal no details about why the two were in Flint on that day, "other than he is Dave Murray and we're here."
A man was arrested Sunday after he allegedly used a fake ID to try to withdraw money from a Metuchen bank for a second time, authorities said.

Robert Nuccio, 52, of Allentown was charged with two counts of identity theft, two counts of forgery, two counts of false government documents, one count of theft by deception, one count of attempted theft by deception, one count of resisting arrest and one count of hindering apprehension, according to a joint release from the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office and the Metuchen Police.

Nuccio went to a TD Bank in Metuchen on Jan. 9 and withdrew $13,000 after he showed a fake drivers license with another persons ID, police said.

The next day, he returned to the bank and attempted to withdraw another $7,500 by using a fake drivers license but was arrested after a brief chase as soon as he exited the building, the office said.

It was unclear if Nuccio knew the person whose ID he allegedly stole to withdraw the funds or if he used the same fake license during both visits to the bank. A spokesman for the Middlesex County Prosecutors Office could not immediately be reached for comment Tuesday evening.

Nuccio was taken to Middlesex County Jail where he was held while he awaited his detention hearing in Middlesex County Superior Court, officials said.

Anyone with information about the thefts was asked to call Detective James Keane IV of the Metuchen Police Department at 732-632-8561.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.

Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers likely. Low 58F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As Ira Clair, Esq. retires after a 41-year career practicing law, Clair & Gjertsen, Esqs. welcomes Wendy Marie Weathers, Esq. as partner. The firm will now be known as Clair Gjertsen & Weathers PLLC.

Gary Gjertsen, Esq. who worked with Clair since they formed the practice in 1992, said: "It's been the opportunity of a lifetime to work with Ira to build a first-class law practice. His outstanding work and legacy are an inspiration to the firm, clients and legal community. We are proud to continue the firm's culture of innovation and collaboration as we partner with Wendy."

Prior to joining the firm, Weathers was senior managing attorney at Cabanillas & Associates, P.C. in charge of the Litigation and Consumer Bankruptcy Departments. She brings more than 20 years of experience representing both institutional lenders and borrowers in all aspects of the mortgage banking industry and residential foreclosures. Weathers currently serves as the President of the Westchester County Bar Association.

"Starting as adversaries over 20 years ago, Ira became a cherished mentor and confidant whose guidance continues for me today," Weathers said. "I am thrilled to join this firm that shares the same core qualities that I do - we are passionate about our clients and committed to providing direction with creativity, integrity and compassion."

Additionally, Mary Aufrecht, Erin K. Flynn and Brett M. Milchman have been promoted from associates to partners in the firm. Aufrecht has been with the firm for eight years and Flynn and Milchman have been with the firm for almost three years each. The three attorneys together are the engine that keeps the firm running.

"We are delighted to welcome Wendy, whose depth of knowledge in bankruptcy matters and impressive track record is widely recognized. Wendy is not only a fervent advocate of her clients, she is also extremely committed to the legal community," Gjertsen said. "Wendy, Mary, Erin and Brett will play a pivotal role as we evolve the firm."

Clair Gjersten & Weathers PLLC is located at 4 New King Street, Suite 140 in White Plains, New York. For more information, please visit www.cgwesq.com or call (914) 472-6202.

ABOUT CLAIR GJERTSEN & WEATHERS PLLC

Clair Gjertsen & Weathers PLLC is a prominent defense firm headquartered in White Plains, New York. Practice areas include real estate, bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, landlord-tenant disputes, wills & estates and civil litigation. The firm represents individuals and businesses in the New York metro area, Long Island, Hudson Valley and Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Media Contact:

Abby Elyssa

[email protected]

Co-Communications

SOURCE Clair Gjertsen & Weathers PLLC

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A WA Police spokesman admitted the situation that arose on January 8 was not ideal and said officers felt for those affected by border changes, particularly those travelling for compassionate reasons. "We understand the situation with food and water took time to resolve, as did some other aspects of their arrival and testing, and we have learned from that, and will look to enhance the contingency planning for such short notice border changes in the future," he said. "Balancing the broader public safety needs with individual circumstances can be challenging, and it may not always be possible to be as flexible as we might otherwise want to be." But Ms Reeder's situation is far from an isolated case. Mr McGowan's ad-hoc border decisions, retrospective imposition of quarantine rules, and tangled web of COVID bureaucracy have caused heartache for dozens of Australian families.

Melbourne couple Lauran and Anthony Black landed in Perth for a five-day holiday on December 30 after what had been a long and tiring year in Victoria filled with hospital admissions for their 13-year-old daughter Georgia. The trip was a reward for the teen, who had spent four months in a psychiatric hospital in Melbourne. But barely 24 hours after landing in Perth, their plans were thrown into disarray after a growing COVID-19 cluster in Victoria shut WA's border with the state overnight. Mr Black was sitting by the pool at Crown Towers when he received a call from the hotel's management telling him he must find a suitable hotel for a 14-day quarantine. They quickly booked flights home for the next day for $1400, but their plans were upended once again when the clock hit midnight.

"Both my husband and I got a text from the WA Police advising us that we were now under quarantine rules and that we had to now self-isolate," Ms Black said. "At the bottom, it said if you break the law you get a $50,000 fine or 12 months in jail." Anthony and Lauran Black with daughters Zoe, 12, and Georgia, 13. The couple called the government's COVID helpline, and after a 2-hour wait were told they could not leave WA until they completed 14 days of isolation; nine more days than they had planned and packed for. The family cancelled their flights and checked into Fraser Suites, but as soon as the doors closed Georgia's mental health started to spiral.

The Blacks claim they called authorities about 40 times pleading for help and were given just as many conflicting responses about whether or not they were allowed to return home. "There were no support services other than there was a medical line, but WA Health was shut down until January 4," Ms Black said. "We needed urgent help." After three nerve-racking days in isolation, the Blacks were allowed to leave quarantine to fly home after notifying WA Police of their travel plans. I have absolutely no doubt that if we had spent another 48 hours in quarantine it was a life-and-death situation. Anthony Black They landed in Melbourne on January 3 but Ms Black said Georgia still hadn't recovered from the experience and hadn't been able to sleep since returning to their Balwyn North home.

"We are $6000 out of pocket now for this whole debacle, plus the emotional turmoil that's put us all through, particularly our daughter," she said. Loading A frustrated Mr Black said WA's quarantine system completely lacked empathy, and failed to cater to people suffering from serious mental health conditions and poor health. "I have absolutely no doubt that if we had spent another 48 hours in quarantine it was a life-and-death situation," he said. Opposition Leader Zak Kirkup called for a more compassionate approach where patients affected by serious mental health conditions could appeal to the Chief Health Officer for special arrangements.

Sharing her symptoms. Joy-Anna Duggar revealed that she and her husband, Austin Forsyth, battled the coronavirus while she was pregnant last year.

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Yes, Austin and I both tested positive for COVID last year, the Counting On star, 23, recently wrote on her Instagram Story. I was still pregnant with Evelyn. We both had body aches, slight fever and lost our taste and smell.

Courtesy of TLCs Counting On

The 19 Kids and Counting alum added that she and the professional pilot, 27, thankfully  recovered quickly.

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The reality star announced in March 2020 that she was expecting her and Forsyths second child. (The TLC personalities previously welcomed their son, Gideon, in February 2018.)

Yes  its true! @austin4site and I are PREGNANT again! she captioned her Instagram reveal at the time. Its been quite the crazy journey these last few months, but we are so thankful that mom and baby are healthy!

Evelyn arrived five months later. To say my heart is full is an understatement, the pair told Us Weekly in an August 2020 statement. We have been dreaming of this day and are so happy to announce that our baby girl arrived August 21st at 2:12 p.m. weighing 8 pounds, 5 ounces and is 19.5 inches long! She has the best personality, is easy going and loves to be held! She has her nights and days mixed up, but honestly, I love it! Getting to spend that quiet, quality time with her through the night has been SO special!

The couple chose the name Evelyn because its perfect and elegant, Duggar added via Instagram at the time. We had a hard time deciding but after a few days finally settled on Evy Mae and we think it fits her perfectly!

Read article

The following month, Duggar denied that she was pregnant with baby No. 3 after posting a family photo with her stomach covered. I have a 9-week-old, she clapped back in Instagram comments in October 2020.

Duggar also defended her parenting skills when trolls criticized the way she held her baby girl in the same shot. When a hater commented that she looked fixing to drop her infant, Duggar replied, Haha! Thank you for your concern! I was holding Evy and then Gideon was trying to hold my hand! I wasnt about to drop her tho!

She and Forsyth tied the knot in May 2017 in Arkansas, two months after their engagement.




Haiti - Earthquake 2010 : Message from the Ambassador of Haiti in Washington D.C.





Message from Ambassador Bocchit Edmond on the occasion of the 11th commemoration of the earthquake of January 12, 2010.



"In the name of the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti in the United States of America, I salute the memory of the hundreds of thousands of people who perished in the earthquake of January 12, 2010, which devastated large portions of the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Eleven years later, we are still saddened by their disappearance. On this day of commemoration of the earthquake, we, at the Embassy, therefore, join all of our fellow Haitians who share the sentiments of remembrance, of tolerance and forgiveness, as we meditate on our losses while urging Haitians to reconcile, to make peace, and to create the necessary conditions for the Republic of Haiti that is better governed, more prosperous, with more solidarity among Haitians, and more resilient to the vagaries of climate change and natural disasters.



Like their Excellencies Jovenel Moise, President of the Republic ofHaiti and Head of State, and Joseph Iouthe, Prime Minister, Head of Government, we, at the Embassy urge all our compatriots, wherever they may be in the world, to unite so that national reconstruction can finally materialize. I, the Ambassador together with the staff of the Embassy and Consulates of Haiti in the United States of America, believe that the best way to honor the memory of our loved ones is for ail of us to facilitate the advent of a united motherland where ail its daughters and sons would work tirelessly for the advent of concord, reconciliation, and peace.



May this 11th commemoration of the earthquake foster national awareness among all Haitians as well as their offsprings, wherever they are in the world so that our dear Haiti can recover its greatness and its splendor on a national terri tory where all can live the good life. This involves dialogue, harmony, understanding, and the desire to create conditions to promote direct investments by the Haitian private sector, by compatriots in the diaspora and by foreigners alike, to create jobs and to enable the State to have more resources to provide more basic services to the population.



Long live in Haiti! "



HL/ HaitiLibre



















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PARIS  Not even the coronavirus can get in the way of intrepid Belgian reporter and comic book legend Tintin.

Comic book lovers and tourists alike can catch a socially distanced glimpse of a Tintin drawing by Herge in Paris before it goes under the hammer Thursday, estimated to sell between 2 and 3 million euros and possibly break the record for the most expensive comic book art in history.

The 1936 work in Chinese ink, gouache and watercolor, was destined as a cover for The Blue Lotus, the fifth volume of the Belgian journalists adventures. But it never sat on any book store shelves because it was rejected for being too expensive to reproduce on a wide scale  a victim of its own rare craftsmanship.

They had to do a four color process printing, with an additional color. (But the publisher) thought that the comic albums were already expensive. Reproducing this cover art would increase the production costs, said comics expert Eric Leroy at Art Curial auction house by the Champs-Elysees avenue.

As the name Blue Lotus suggests, the art work places Tintin in Asia. A huge red dragon appears on a black background by the Belgian reporters petrified face. It is a prized addition to the universe of Tintin, the subject of recent shows in London and Barcelona, a 2011 Hollywood adaptation, a videogame and an app.

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In Blue Lotus, Tintin travels to China during the 1931 Japanese invasion to investigate and expose  along with his dog Snowy  Japanese spy networks, drug-smuggling rings and other crimes.

But the huge interest in this work has raised a host of questions among French media regarding the works provenance  whether it was a gift to the son of Tintins printer or a drawing simply never returned to the artist.

There is no question, however, of its authenticity. On Thursday, Herge, whose real name was Georges Remi, could break the record for the most expensive piece of comic book art at 2.6 million euros that was previously set by himself.

We set the previous record for the Pages de Garde in 2014 ..it would be fair for this piece to break this record. Herge had done only five comic covers using this technique of direct color so its very rare, Leroy said.
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Financial Literacy Group LLC, is on a mission to help America close its wealth gap. Working with employers, we provide financial wellness solutions that level the financial literacy playing field between working class adults and financial institutions. We teach people who live on Main Street, how to manage their finances like people who work on Wall Street; one individual, one family or one small business owner at a time.
Last month the White Township Planning Board voted to amend its zoning master plan  a significant change for a small town with a lot of area. The master plan was essentially unchanged since 1999, but changes in the economy, environment, markets, infrastructure, and state and federal regulations had made the old one obsolete.

This updating was greeted with glee by residents of the township and neighboring communities, as an overdue improvement to return control of their future to the community. Dozens of citizens demonstrated, attended endless meetings, Zoomed like crazy, raised donations and worked the internet. They proved that active citizens can force creative change.

Change has arrived in Warren County. The question is, is the county ready for it? The Warren County Commissioners are considering regional planning. There is growing agreement that the county is better positioned to meet modern challenges than 22 small communities. Regional planning, regional resources, and especially regional clout with the Highlands Council and state and federal lawmakers will shift control of the countys future away from corporations and speculators and back to citizens.

Warren County may serve as an example for all of New Jersey. Our states tradition of development based on our position in the middle of a megalopolis is being challenged in the COVID-19 era. Our present laws point us to an ever increasingly dense future. These laws are not based on planning but the false premise that development lowers property taxes.

The this is the way weve always done it haphazard attitude of the old days is not the way forward. Improvement, not development, is the right attitude. This new kind of planning, as anticipated by the towns and county, is the way forward.

Gayle Howard

Belvidere
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Investigators in Indonesia are seeking to uncover why a Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the sea shortly after taking off on Jan. 9. The incident involving a Boeing 737-500 came more than two years after a Lion Air plane went down in the country resulting in 189 deaths.

What happened to the plane?

The Sriwijaya Air jet crashed into the Java Sea minutes after it took off from Indonesias capital, Jakarta, on Jan. 9. It was carrying 62 people, including 10 children, on a domestic flight to Pontianak, a city on Indonesias Borneo island.

The plane departed at 2:36 p.m. and climbed to a maximum altitude of 10,900 feet about four minutes later before beginning a steep descent, according to aviation data provider Flightradar24. It went missing at 2:40 p.m.

Divers and search crew located debris from the plane and human remains around an area known as the Thousand Islands, to the north of Jakarta. There were no survivors.

Why did the plane crash?

Investigators are counting on the so-called black boxes of the Boeing 737-500 to help piece together what happened in the moments before the crash and determine why SJ182 went down. One black boxthe flight-data recorderhas been pulled out of the sea.

What is known is that the plane made an unexpected turn in the northwest direction shortly after takeoff, prompting air-traffic controllers to ask the pilots why they were headed that way. Seconds later, the aircraft disappeared from the radar. Investigators are hoping to understand what caused the plane to change direction.

Another question investigators are looking at is if weather played a role in the accident. The flight was delayed that afternoon because of bad weather. There was no distress call before the plane went down, an investigator said.

What do we know about the plane?

The jet that crashed was a 26-year-old Boeing 737-500 that Sriwijaya Air said was in good condition before the flight. The aircraft didnt fly for nearly nine months last year as air travel was severely reduced because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it was inspected and declared airworthy before resuming flying operations on Dec. 19, authorities said. It conducted 132 flights after resuming operations, according to Flightradar24.

Sriwijaya Air began operating the aircraft in 2012. Before that, the plane was flown by United Airlines, according to Flightradar24. Boeing first delivered the plane in 1994 to Continental Airlines, which was later acquired by Chicago-based United Airlines Holdings Inc.

Was it the same model that crashed in Indonesia in 2018?

The aircraft that crashed in 2018, also in the Java Sea, was a different model, a Boeing 737 MAX, the newest version of the companys single-aisle jet, and was operated by a different Indonesian airline, Lion Air. That Boeing model was involved in two crashesthe 2018 Indonesia crash and a second in Ethiopia in 2019that together resulted in the deaths of 346 people, leading regulators to ground the MAX fleet nearly two years ago. U.S. aviation regulators in November cleared the 737 MAX to fly again with passengers after approving a number of safety fixes.

The Boeing 737-500, involved in the recent crash in Indonesia, is a much older model belonging to the Classic series. Boeing rolled out the last Classic from its production line in 1999. A relatively small number of 737-500s remain in operation around the world.

How is the 737-500 aircraft different from the 737 Max?

The two models are different in many ways, but the most important difference is that the 737-500 doesnt have the flight-control system that was largely blamed for the two 737 MAX crashes. Boeing has since added safeguards to the MAX system, known as MCAS, to help keep pilots in control, and has updated related pilot training and manuals.

What is Indonesias air safety record?

Indonesia has a history of air safety problems, though it has improved its standing in recent years. U.S. and European regulators at various times have restricted flights of carriers based in the country. Regulators cited, among other issues, lax government oversight, inadequate pilot training and maintenance lapses.

But Indonesias safety record and the view of foreign regulators have improved in recent years. In 2016, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration upgraded Indonesias status to the highest ranking under the agencys international safety-assessment program. Two years later, the European Union lifted all flight restrictions on Indonesian carriers. In 2019, Indonesia had an accident rate below the global average, according to International Civil Aviation Organization statistics.

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

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Call for Welsh Government & Council to step in and provide temporary bus services to industrial estate and hospital

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Jan 13th, 2021

A councillor has called on Welsh Government and the council to work together to create a temporary service to plug the gap after Arriva suspended local bus services last night.

Last night Arriva announced, after some confusing communication, that they were introducing a firebreak at the local depot due to around 30 drivers testing positive, and over 25 shielding. Due to that all but five local services were suspended, with the lack of service to the main industrial estate being one service that appears to have caused most issue on social media.

The suspension is set to last 10-14 days, and currently there is no indication of any alternative provision.

In the wake of the cancellation Plaid Cymrus Councillor Carrie Harper has made a plea for essential services to the industrial estate and hospital to be maintained.





She said: Councillors were informed at 7pm last night that Arriva services were suspended on all but a few routes. That leaves key workers, including hospital staff, as well as those who have to attend hospital with very little alternative.

As this firebreak at Wrexham depot is likely to last at least 10 days, Im calling on the Welsh Government and Wrexham Council to work together to provide an alternative temporary service with another bus company.

A shuttle service to the industrial estate and to the hospital from King Street is a bare minimum to ensure that workers and hospital staff can get to work safely. The timing of this announcement is very unfortunate, to say the least, but hopefully some services to these key destinations can be reinstated quickly.
Ohio governor signs telemedicine abortion ban into law

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Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has signed a bill into law requiring that abortion-inducing drugs be taken in the presence of a physician, thus banning the practice of telemedicine abortions.

Also known as Senate Bill 260 and sponsored by State Senator Steve Huffman, DeWine signed the proposed legislation into law on Saturday, along with a host of other bills.

No physician shall personally furnish or otherwise provide an abortion-inducing drug to a pregnant woman unless the physician is physically present at the location where the initial dose of the drug or regimen of drugs is consumed at the time the initial dose is consumed, stated Gonidakis.

Planned Parenthoods use of telemedicine to dispense abortion-inducing drugs cuts their own costs at the expense of basic health and safety standards. Patient safety shouldnt have a price tag. Women deserve better.

In a medical abortion, women are given two drugs: mifepristone (also known as Mifeprex or RU-486), which works by works by blocking the effects of the natural pregnancy hormone progesterone, and misoprostol, which induces contractions and a miscarriage.

Even before the pandemic, pro-choice activists had been pushing for it to be legal for medical professionals to administer such drugs remotely, such as via an internet livestream.

Last July, a federal judge suspended a Food & Drug Administration rule requiring women to see a doctor before abortion-inducing drugs are dispensed to them to have an at-home abortion.

U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang argued in his decision that the in-person requirement presented a substantial obstacle to women seeking an abortion.

Particularly in light of the limited timeframe during which a medication abortion or any abortion must occur, such infringement on the right to an abortion would constitute irreparable harm, wrote Chuang.

By causing certain patients to decide between forgoing or substantially delaying abortion care, or risking exposure to COVID-19 for themselves, their children, and family members, the In-Person Requirements present a serious burden to many abortion patients.

Pro-life activists and other have argued that taking the drugs remotely is dangerous, since doing so involves an absence of medical professionals nearby to help with any complications.

According to the FDAs website, 24 women have died from using Mifeprex from when it was approved in 2000 until Dec. 31, 2018, as well as several cases of severe systemic infection (also called sepsis), including some that were fatal.

The FDA added that these adverse events cannot with certainty be causally attributed to mifepristone because of concurrent use of other drugs, other medical or surgical treatments, co-existing medical conditions, and information gaps about patient health status and clinical management of the patient.
U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill said Wednesday that she is asking for an investigation into her allegations that members of Congress led reconnaissance tours of the Capitol a day before violent supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the building.

Were requesting an investigation right now with certain agencies, Sherrill, D-11th Dist., said at the Capitol.

In a letter sent Wednesday to the Capitol Police and acting sergeants at arms for the House and Senate, Sherrill and 33 other lawmakers said they noted extremely high number of outside groups in the Capitol complex on Jan. 5, which they said was unusual because access had been restricted since public tours ended in March of last year due to the pandemic.

The letter said the visitors appeared to be associated with the rally at the White House the following day and seemed to have an unusually detailed knowledge of the layout of the Capitol complex.

Sherrill said on a Facebook Live event Tuesday evening that some of the lawmakers who supported Trumps efforts to overturn Joe Bidens election had conducted tours of the Capitol a day before the insurrection.

We cant have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the elections results, Sherrill said. Im going to see they are held accountable, and if necessary, ensure that they dont serve in Congress.

Sherrill, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, and a member of the House Armed Services Committee, did not identify anyone by name and did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday from NJ Advance Media.

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, told reporters at the Capitol: Ive heard a couple but Im gonna wait to make sure we get verification. I dont want to throw any member under the bus.

Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-9th Dist., who has called for sanctions against the GOP lawmakers who tried to overturn the election, said if any members of Congress actively participated in planning the attack, that is treason.

Nobody knows Jersey politics like NJ.com. Add your email now and dont miss a story.



A majority of House Republicans, including 2nd District Rep. Jeff Van Drew, voted to overturn the certified election results that showed Biden winning. Earlier, Van Drew joined a majority of his conference and asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Bidens victory and give the presidency to Trump.

Five people died in the melee, including U.S. Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick, a South River native.

Trump had urged his supporters to march on the Capitol during a speech in which he exhorted them to fight like hell and if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

Besides Sherrill, the New Jerseyans on the letter were Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., Frank Pallone Jr., D-6th Dist., Tom Malinowski, D-7th Dist., Albio Sires, D-8th Dist., Bill Pascrell Jr., D-9th Dist., and Donald Payne Jr., D-10th Dist.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- A decade ago, after hackers were caught infiltrating natural gas pipeline operations and an al-Qaeda video emerged calling for an electronic jihad on U.S. infrastructure, then-Senator Joseph Lieberman tried to sound the alarm.The system is blinking red, Lieberman warned his Senate colleagues during debate on the threat in 2012. Privately owned and operated cyber infrastructure can well be, and probably some day will be, the target of an enemy attack.Led by the Connecticut independent and one-time vice presidential candidate, lawmakers sought to require energy companies to strengthen computer security. But the effort withered under fierce lobbying by oil companies and other corporate interests that succeeded in killing the legislation. That left in place a system of voluntary guidelines that failed to stop last months ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline Co., which paralyzed a major artery for fuel along the East Coast.Its really a lost opportunity, said Lieberman, now senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. The attack on the Colonial Pipeline might not have happened if we passed the legislation.Now, in response to the attack, the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to jettison the voluntary approach and impose cybersecurity requirements on pipelines, according to a person familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified before a formal announcement.That would be a defeat for oil companies and pipeline operators that for more than a decade have successfully fought off federal standards to thwart cyberattacks from legislation or regulatory agencies. Unlike power plants, U.S. pipelines are not required to follow any federal cybersecurity mandates, even though Homeland Security was given the authority to impose them when it was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.The Transportation Security Administration, the DHS agency in charge of protecting the nations pipelines, will issue a directive this week requiring pipeline companies to report cyber incidents, according to the person familiar with the plans. Additional requirements for safeguarding facilities and responding to attacks are set to be advanced in coming weeks, the Washington Post reported.The Biden administration is taking further action to better secure our nations critical infrastructure, DHS said in a statement on Tuesday. We will release additional details in the days ahead.Until now, the TSA had resisted using its authority to mandate cyberprotection measures.My belief was we could get quicker and better security through working with the industry instead of regulating them because regulations set minimum security standards and industry in many cases was doing more than that, said Jack Fox, who served as the agencys manager of pipeline security before retiring in 2016.Liebermans bill would have imposed cybersecurity performance requirements on privately owned critical infrastructure -- and slap fines on companies that fell short. The rules would have been applied to more than pipelines: sectors where a hostile take-down of computer systems could lead to mass casualties, the collapse of financial markets or the disruption of energy and water supplies, were to be included.Even a watered-down version of the bill failed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster.Pipeline CompaniesFor Lieberman, the failure still stings.We would sort of ask ourselves who is driving this aggressive opposition and the answer we were getting was the energy companies and the pipeline companies, he said.Every major U.S. oil company -- including Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips -- lobbied on the legislation, alongside some refiners and at least one pipeline operator. Colonial didnt lobby on the measure in 2012, according to disclosure forms it filed with Congress. However, groups it belonged to did, including the American Petroleum Institute, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines and the Chamber of Commerce -- a political titan that reported spending $103.9 million influencing government policies in 2012.The Chamber opposed the legislation at the time, calling it an overly broad, heavy-handed approach to regulation that threatened to create an adversarial relationship between the government and private industry instead of fostering collaboration against cyberattacks. The group backed an alternative approach focused on greater sharing of threat information, a stance it continues to endorse today.We support a public-private collaboration that strengthens our cybersecurity in all sectors, including pipelines, to benefit all Americans, said Matthew Eggers, vice president of cybersecurity policy for the Chamber.Cybersecurity experts and government officials have cautioned for years about the consequences of a pipeline hack, including in 2019 when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a report warning a cyberattack could disrupt a pipeline for days to weeks.Nevertheless, there was widespread business opposition to the Lieberman bill, with almost every affected industry, from financial services to communications, getting involved to warn the proposed cybersecurity mandates would insert the heavy hand of government into corporate affairs.But proponents warned that mandates were essential to ensure there were sufficient safeguards amid a barrage of ever-more sophisticated attacks on private companies running power plants, dams and other critical infrastructure.al-Qaeda VideoWeeks after the bills introduction, the Department of Homeland Security warned hackers had spent months trying to infiltrate computer systems for a number of natural gas pipeline operators. ABC News reported the FBI had obtained an al-Qaeda video calling for electronic jihad against U.S. critical infrastructure. And computer security firm McAfee Corp. warned of coordinated, ongoing cyberattacks on global energy companies in 2011.The hacking episodes foreshadowed how alluring fuel delivery systems are to cyber-criminals, like the Russia-linked group that used DarkSide ransomware to hold Colonials computer systems hostage around May 7. The company was forced to shut down its roughly 5,500-mile-long (8,851-kilometers-long) pipeline system, which provides about 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast, spurring outages at filling stations and the payment of a $5 million ransom before service resumed five days later.Its not clear whether mandates would have thwarted the attack, and investigations are still underway. Colonial has pledged to review any proposal that takes lessons learned from this event that strengthens or hardens our infrastructure.Oil and pipeline trade groups steadfastly insist now is not the time for prescriptive federal mandates.Any discussion of regulation is premature until we have a full understanding of the details surrounding the Colonial attack, said Suzanne Lemieux, APIs manager of operations security and emergency response. But we are committed to continuing our robust coordination with all levels of government.The trade association added in a statement it was generally aligned with the Chamber on the issue in 2012 and cautioned against a prescriptive one-size-fits all regulatory approach that it said would be counterproductive.John Stoody, a spokesman for the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, whose members include Colonial Pipeline, said We want TSA to get right anything they plan to do.For example, an overly broad reporting requirement could overwhelm TSA with hundreds of thousands of cyberattack reports every day that would not do anyone any good, he said.PartnershipChevron said in an emailed statement that federal regulation should take a risk-based approach that gives companies flexibility to defend against threats. And Exxon noted that the rapid evolution of cyber threats means any formal and prescriptive cybersecurity requirements for the industry are often outdated upon completion.The Transportation Security Administration has long taken a similar approach. A branch manager in the agencys office of surface operations last year boasted it involves very few regulations and a cooperative approach to industry adoption of security measure, according to a presentation archived on the agencys website.The TSA opted not to regulate the pipeline sector because it felt a partnership with industry was more efficient, said Fox, the retired TSA manager of pipeline security.A regulation takes months or years to change, Fox said in a phone interview. With this partnership we could make a phone call and say we need you to do such and such and it would be reacted to the next day.Republican FilibusterFox said he didnt think the Lieberman bill would have prevented the Colonial cyberattack.You can regulate whatever you like, Fox said. We have regulations on speed limits and gun control and all kinds of things so if you regulate something it does not means its not going to happen.Ultimately in 2012, Lieberman and Collins watered down their bill in a desperate bid to win over Republicans to get it passed. They dropped mandates and fines in favor of a measure that would create only optional requirements.But even the pared-back bill wasnt enough. Continued concerns about liability and privacy haunted the legislation, and the Chamber opposed the new version too. It was twice defeated by a Republican-led filibuster, ultimately falling nine votes shy of the 60 needed to cut off debate in November 2012.Amy Myers Jaffe, a Tufts University professor and author of Energys Digital Future, said the Colonial cyberattack may be the pipeline industrys Macondo moment.Thats a reference to the Gulf of Mexico oil well that blew out in 2010, killing 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.An overly cozy relationship between federal regulators and oil companies was blamed for contributing to the disaster, Jaffe said. Its shocking to me to think that an industry that likes to brag about its safety records would ever have lobbied against having government-run standards that are mandatory for cyber-security in vital energy infrastructure.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2021 Bloomberg L.P.
SALEM, Ore.  Members of the Oregon National Guard are now deployed at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem, aiding with an effort to speed up COVID-19 vaccinations that is likely to expand to other sites around the state over the next several months.

Guardsmen joined Salem Health staff at the fairgrounds on Tuesday, charged with assisting in vaccine distribution. The initial effort involves more that 40 medical personnel from the Guard.

Salem Health began the mass vaccination effort just over a week prior. Since January 7, the National Guard reports that just over 8,500 vaccinations were administered  jumping to more than 10,000 after Guardsmen arrived.

Salem Health Hospitals and Clinics led the push to establish a vaccine distribution site after realizing that they would not be able to vaccinate enough people under the former, internal system. The State Fairgrounds site is the first of its kind in the state.

We are the only mass vaccination clinic set up, said Cheryl Nester Wolfe, President and CEO of the medical provider. We have somewhere around 50,000 people to vaccinate in Marion County alone.

Wolfe and her team chose the Oregon State Fairgrounds due to current busing route access, the central location for Marion County residents, the large building and plentiful parking. It was also established as an alternative hospital location in March of 2020 when the state's COVID-19 response got underway.

Amie Wittenberg, Director of the Emergency Department, Trauma and Psychiatric Services at Salem Hospital and the Operations Section Chief for the vaccination response, brought her team to the site in order to set up safety and health protocols once the plan was in place.

Once we heard the site location was confirmed, we came down to the building to see what tools we had, said Wittenberg. We started dreaming up our plan starting with the essentials: screening to ensure COVID safety measures were in place, a registration area, a vaccination prep station, a vaccination station, and finally, a process to identify post vaccination monitoring.

Salem Health staff working on vaccinations at the Fairgrounds are still juggling their hospital jobs in addition, and the Guard's presence has helped to take on some of the workload. Governor Kate Brown announced the activation of Guard resources on January 8, and it came as a relief for Salem Health.

We need Guardsmen to help with giving vaccinations, we need help with security and parking, we need everything, said Wolfe. When I heard the Governor announce the Guard was coming to help, it was just a blessing.

Guardsmen arrived at the Fairgrounds on the morning of January 12. By noon, they were ready to begin preparing and giving vaccinations, processing individuals on the electronic medical record system, monitoring the post vaccination area, monitoring controlled entry and exit points, and assisting with vehicle and foot traffic control.

When we heard there was a potential to partner with the Guard and to actually work together its a once in a life time opportunity, said Wittenberg. Since February, we have worked and served at all different levels. Its been a lot. To have the Guards partnership, you cant put a price on it.

The Oregon National Guard has been helping with PPE distribution in the state's pandemic response since March of 2020.
Foo Fighters have teamed up with Vans to release their own pair of shoes to mark their 25th anniversary.

The design of the shoe follows the classic vans hi-top design, with the bands iconic logo printed in white on the side, and their name printed in red on the back.
Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- A decade ago, after hackers were caught infiltrating natural gas pipeline operations and an al-Qaeda video emerged calling for an electronic jihad on U.S. infrastructure, then-Senator Joseph Lieberman tried to sound the alarm.The system is blinking red, Lieberman warned his Senate colleagues during debate on the threat in 2012. Privately owned and operated cyber infrastructure can well be, and probably some day will be, the target of an enemy attack.Led by the Connecticut independent and one-time vice presidential candidate, lawmakers sought to require energy companies to strengthen computer security. But the effort withered under fierce lobbying by oil companies and other corporate interests that succeeded in killing the legislation. That left in place a system of voluntary guidelines that failed to stop last months ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline Co., which paralyzed a major artery for fuel along the East Coast.Its really a lost opportunity, said Lieberman, now senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. The attack on the Colonial Pipeline might not have happened if we passed the legislation.Now, in response to the attack, the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to jettison the voluntary approach and impose cybersecurity requirements on pipelines, according to a person familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified before a formal announcement.That would be a defeat for oil companies and pipeline operators that for more than a decade have successfully fought off federal standards to thwart cyberattacks from legislation or regulatory agencies. Unlike power plants, U.S. pipelines are not required to follow any federal cybersecurity mandates, even though Homeland Security was given the authority to impose them when it was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.The Transportation Security Administration, the DHS agency in charge of protecting the nations pipelines, will issue a directive this week requiring pipeline companies to report cyber incidents, according to the person familiar with the plans. Additional requirements for safeguarding facilities and responding to attacks are set to be advanced in coming weeks, the Washington Post reported.The Biden administration is taking further action to better secure our nations critical infrastructure, DHS said in a statement on Tuesday. We will release additional details in the days ahead.Until now, the TSA had resisted using its authority to mandate cyberprotection measures.My belief was we could get quicker and better security through working with the industry instead of regulating them because regulations set minimum security standards and industry in many cases was doing more than that, said Jack Fox, who served as the agencys manager of pipeline security before retiring in 2016.Liebermans bill would have imposed cybersecurity performance requirements on privately owned critical infrastructure -- and slap fines on companies that fell short. The rules would have been applied to more than pipelines: sectors where a hostile take-down of computer systems could lead to mass casualties, the collapse of financial markets or the disruption of energy and water supplies, were to be included.Even a watered-down version of the bill failed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster.Pipeline CompaniesFor Lieberman, the failure still stings.We would sort of ask ourselves who is driving this aggressive opposition and the answer we were getting was the energy companies and the pipeline companies, he said.Every major U.S. oil company -- including Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips -- lobbied on the legislation, alongside some refiners and at least one pipeline operator. Colonial didnt lobby on the measure in 2012, according to disclosure forms it filed with Congress. However, groups it belonged to did, including the American Petroleum Institute, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines and the Chamber of Commerce -- a political titan that reported spending $103.9 million influencing government policies in 2012.The Chamber opposed the legislation at the time, calling it an overly broad, heavy-handed approach to regulation that threatened to create an adversarial relationship between the government and private industry instead of fostering collaboration against cyberattacks. The group backed an alternative approach focused on greater sharing of threat information, a stance it continues to endorse today.We support a public-private collaboration that strengthens our cybersecurity in all sectors, including pipelines, to benefit all Americans, said Matthew Eggers, vice president of cybersecurity policy for the Chamber.Cybersecurity experts and government officials have cautioned for years about the consequences of a pipeline hack, including in 2019 when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a report warning a cyberattack could disrupt a pipeline for days to weeks.Nevertheless, there was widespread business opposition to the Lieberman bill, with almost every affected industry, from financial services to communications, getting involved to warn the proposed cybersecurity mandates would insert the heavy hand of government into corporate affairs.But proponents warned that mandates were essential to ensure there were sufficient safeguards amid a barrage of ever-more sophisticated attacks on private companies running power plants, dams and other critical infrastructure.al-Qaeda VideoWeeks after the bills introduction, the Department of Homeland Security warned hackers had spent months trying to infiltrate computer systems for a number of natural gas pipeline operators. ABC News reported the FBI had obtained an al-Qaeda video calling for electronic jihad against U.S. critical infrastructure. And computer security firm McAfee Corp. warned of coordinated, ongoing cyberattacks on global energy companies in 2011.The hacking episodes foreshadowed how alluring fuel delivery systems are to cyber-criminals, like the Russia-linked group that used DarkSide ransomware to hold Colonials computer systems hostage around May 7. The company was forced to shut down its roughly 5,500-mile-long (8,851-kilometers-long) pipeline system, which provides about 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast, spurring outages at filling stations and the payment of a $5 million ransom before service resumed five days later.Its not clear whether mandates would have thwarted the attack, and investigations are still underway. Colonial has pledged to review any proposal that takes lessons learned from this event that strengthens or hardens our infrastructure.Oil and pipeline trade groups steadfastly insist now is not the time for prescriptive federal mandates.Any discussion of regulation is premature until we have a full understanding of the details surrounding the Colonial attack, said Suzanne Lemieux, APIs manager of operations security and emergency response. But we are committed to continuing our robust coordination with all levels of government.The trade association added in a statement it was generally aligned with the Chamber on the issue in 2012 and cautioned against a prescriptive one-size-fits all regulatory approach that it said would be counterproductive.John Stoody, a spokesman for the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, whose members include Colonial Pipeline, said We want TSA to get right anything they plan to do.For example, an overly broad reporting requirement could overwhelm TSA with hundreds of thousands of cyberattack reports every day that would not do anyone any good, he said.PartnershipChevron said in an emailed statement that federal regulation should take a risk-based approach that gives companies flexibility to defend against threats. And Exxon noted that the rapid evolution of cyber threats means any formal and prescriptive cybersecurity requirements for the industry are often outdated upon completion.The Transportation Security Administration has long taken a similar approach. A branch manager in the agencys office of surface operations last year boasted it involves very few regulations and a cooperative approach to industry adoption of security measure, according to a presentation archived on the agencys website.The TSA opted not to regulate the pipeline sector because it felt a partnership with industry was more efficient, said Fox, the retired TSA manager of pipeline security.A regulation takes months or years to change, Fox said in a phone interview. With this partnership we could make a phone call and say we need you to do such and such and it would be reacted to the next day.Republican FilibusterFox said he didnt think the Lieberman bill would have prevented the Colonial cyberattack.You can regulate whatever you like, Fox said. We have regulations on speed limits and gun control and all kinds of things so if you regulate something it does not means its not going to happen.Ultimately in 2012, Lieberman and Collins watered down their bill in a desperate bid to win over Republicans to get it passed. They dropped mandates and fines in favor of a measure that would create only optional requirements.But even the pared-back bill wasnt enough. Continued concerns about liability and privacy haunted the legislation, and the Chamber opposed the new version too. It was twice defeated by a Republican-led filibuster, ultimately falling nine votes shy of the 60 needed to cut off debate in November 2012.Amy Myers Jaffe, a Tufts University professor and author of Energys Digital Future, said the Colonial cyberattack may be the pipeline industrys Macondo moment.Thats a reference to the Gulf of Mexico oil well that blew out in 2010, killing 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.An overly cozy relationship between federal regulators and oil companies was blamed for contributing to the disaster, Jaffe said. Its shocking to me to think that an industry that likes to brag about its safety records would ever have lobbied against having government-run standards that are mandatory for cyber-security in vital energy infrastructure.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Jeffree Star has made it clear that he has nothing to do with Kanye West after ridiculous rumors about the pair circulated on social media last week.

But that doesn't mean the makeup guru isn't getting attention from the Yeezus artist's rap peers.

Though Jeffree, 35, laughed off the lurid lies about West, 43, once more on Twitter Wednesday, he revealed how a 'wild' amount of other rappers have slid into his DMs.

Popular: Jeffree Star again denied any involvement with Kanye West on Wednesday but did dish that a 'wild' amount of other rappers have slid into his DMs

Dishing: Though the makeup mogul, 35, laughed off the lurid lies about West, 43, he had other gossip to share

'I'm definitely NOT sleeping with Kanye,' he reiterated. 'But the amount of rappers in my DM's is wilddddd b****.'

Then Star said he was off, adding: 'Time to make a hit song in bed.'

Last week rumors that the husband of Kim Kardashian was sleeping with the veteran social media personality emerged after a TikToker said she had info about West and his relationship with a 'very famous male beauty guru.'

Neither Jeffree nor any other makeup pros were mentioned.

Star quickly set the record straight, taking to his beloved YouTube last Thursday to call the unfounded gossip 'weird' and 'stupid' while adding that the pair 'never hung out.'

In the clip, titled Addressing The Kanye Situation, the cosmetics guru said: 'I'm single ... I'm not sleeping with anyone.'

Other things on his mind: The rumors came amid reports his marriage with Kim Kardashian is over. He's seen in 2019 above

Clarification: Jeffree was quick to set the record straight after completely unfounded rumors about a relationship with Kanye found their way onto the internet last week

'This is so weird  this is so stupid. Let me just say this one time  I like very tall men.'

Star continued: 'Me and Kanye have never hung out, and this whole thing is really funny. I get why people are really laughing about this. In an old song of mine from 2009 called B**** Please, I say a line about Kanye.

'But it was very like Eminem. I mentioned like 50 celebrities.'

The makeup artist captioned the clip, 'Hi 2021, lets relax. Addressing this Kanye West and Jeffree Star situation and the truth about why I moved to the state of Wyoming.'

A source close to the Kardashian family said to E! News that 'there is absolutely no truth to Jeffree and Kanye rumors.'

Ridiculous: Star said in the clip, 'Im single ... Im not sleeping with anyone. This is so weird  this is so stupid'

Holy moly: Star he had a little fun with the fiction, taking to Instagram last weekend to share an ultra-glam selfie which he captioned: 'Ready for Sunday Service'

Still, Star had a little fun with the fiction taking to Instagram last weekend to share an ultra-glam selfie which he captioned: 'Ready for Sunday Service.'

Meanwhile, Kanye's relationship with Kim is still said to be on the rocks, with many insiders claiming divorce is imminent.

A family insider for the weekly said: 'Kim and Kanye's marriage is beyond repair.

'Kim is over Kanye's chaos, and at this point she just wants to focus on the kids and her own life.'

End of the road: A Kardashian family insider said 'Kim and Kanye's marriage is beyond repair' at this point. They're seen i n 2015 above

Kim and Kanye married in Florence, Italy, back in May 2014 and share daughters North, seven, Chicago, two, and sons Saint five, and Psalm, one.

The divorce reports follow a rocky year which saw the couple pictured in tearful 'crisis talks' after the rapper's series of explosive Twitter posts in the grips of a bipolar episode during a bizarre presidential run.

A source for People said: 'If I had to say the final straw, I believe it was a combination of the Presidential run and his Twitter rants.

'It created havoc at home. And though Kim is well aware of his issues, and tried to help him, she realized it was futile.'


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The House of Representatives is all set to vote on articles of impeachment against President on Wednesday, thus opening the possibility of him becoming the only president in American history to be impeached twice.

The article of impeachment charges Trump with a count of 'incitement of insurrection' for his actions on January 6, when he delivered a speech inciting his supporters to lay siege to the Capitol, an action that temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes and resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including an officer of the Capitol Police.

On Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named the Managers of the impeachment trial of Trump. The Lead Manager is Congressman Jamie Raskin, who is the main author of the articles of impeachment.

The other managers are congresswomen Diana DeGette, Stacey Plaskett and Madeleine Dean and congressmen David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu and Joe Neguse.

It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the President's impeachment and removal. They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution. Our Managers will honour their duty to defend democracy 'For The People' with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency, Pelosi said.

The move came after the House passed a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip Trump of his duties. Pence in a letter to Pelosi, a top Democratic leader, declined to do so.

Earlier, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler released a majority staff report for the impeachment of Trump. The 50-page report made a strong case to impeach the Republican president.

In the words of Vice President Pence, the 'Presidency belongs to the American people, and to them alone.' President Trump has falsely asserted he won the 2020 presidential election and repeatedly sought to overturn the results of the election. As his efforts failed again and again, President Trump continued a parallel course of conduct that foreseeably resulted in the imminent lawless actions of his supporters, who attacked the Capitol and the Congress, the report said.

This course of conduct, viewed within the context of his past actions and other attempts to subvert the presidential election, demonstrate that President Trump remains a clear and present danger to the Constitution and our democracy, the report alleged.

The House must reject this outrageous attempt to overturn the election and this incitement of violence by a sitting president against his own government.

"President Trump committed a high Crime and Misdemeanor against the Nation by inciting an insurrection at the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election. The facts establish that he is unfit to remain in office a single day longer and warrant the immediate impeachment of President Trump, the report said.

In Texas, where he was travelling, Trump said that the impeachment 'hoax' is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of the country. It is causing tremendous anger and division and pain -- far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time, Trump said.

Former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, who defended Trump a year ago in the Senate trial after the House impeached him, decried the latest impeachment move.

It comes within core political speech. And to impeach a president for having exercised his First Amendment rights would be so dangerous to the Constitution. It would lie around like a loaded weapon ready to be used by either party against the other party, Dershowitz told Fox news in an interview.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives on December 18, 2019 had approved the articles of impeachment against Trump, charging him of pressuring Ukraine to smear Joe Biden, using nearly USD 400 million in military aid as leverage.

However, the Republican-controlled Senate in February 2020 acquitted him of the two charges -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Impeachment is about preserving the Nation from a threat to the constitutional order, not imposing punishment. Nowhere did the Framers suggest that a President must be allowed to remain in office if his abuses involved speech that would otherwise be shielded from criminal regulation by the First Amendment, said the House Judiciary majority report released on Tuesday.

This would be a strange and irrational limitation: Presidents would be free to openly advocate the overthrow of the United States government, or the adoption of fascism, and Congress would be powerless to remove them on that basis, it said.

Moreover, given that many prior impeachable offenses have involved at least some conduct that might rank as protected speech, applying a rigid First Amendment rule in this field would risk obfuscating Presidential conductwhether involving speech or notthat menaces the American democratic system, said the report.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Birmingham man died Tuesday, one day after he was wounded in a Bessemer shooting.

The Jefferson County Coroners Office on Wednesday identified the victim as Zachery B. Brown Jr. He was 67.

The shooting happened at 6:30 p.m. Monday in the 2800 block of 12th Avenue North in Bessemer. He was taken to UAB Hospital in Birmingham where he was pronounced dead at 4:18 p.m. Tuesday.

Lt. Christian Clemons said the victim was in a car and had just left a convenience store when he was shot. A passerby called 911 after noticing Browns car roll into a ditch. No one is in custody.

Brown is Bessemers first slaying of this year. The city finished 2020 with 18 homicides. In all of Jefferson County there have been six homicides in 2021, including the one in Bessemer.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Bessemer Police Department at 205-425-2411, the tip line at 205-428-3541 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Spectacular. Thats the word Paul Osaki uses to describe mature cherry blossom trees in full flower. They light up the sky.

So when a vandal destroyed two of the three cherry blossom trees outside the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, methodically returning over three nights to snap every single branch, it felt personal to the centers executive director.

First, Osaki was angry. Then, the more he thought about the violence of the act and the destruction of a beautiful, living symbol of San Franciscos Japantown, he felt sad and disturbed.

I considered it kind of an assault or an attack on our cultural heritage, Osaki said, adding that the trees were significant not just to the center, but to the Japanese culture. Cherry blossoms are synonymous with the Japanese culture.

Now, they also represent solidarity. News outlets including The Chronicle picked up the story, and a Facebook note posted by the center about the vandalism received a flood of support. When the nonprofit started a GoFundMe campaign last week that promised the cherry blossom trees will bloom again, donations poured in.

Over the first four days, the crowdfunding effort received close to $30,000 in contributions, dwarfing its $5,000 goal. Other donors have reached out separately, offering to replace the trees, including one $10,000 gift before the campaign went online. More than 500 people have contributed, some from far beyond the borders of Japantown and San Francisco.

These are people who dont know who we are, they dont know the organization, they probably have never come by, Osaki said. They just saw this story and felt compelled to want to help. Were just overwhelmed with the support.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

There are other cherry blossom trees throughout Japantown  a third tree in front of the cultural center and others along Post Street and in Peace Plaza  but the two targeted were special.

They were planted to commemorate a visit to the center by the emperor and empress of Japan in 1994, only the second time the monarchy had visited the United States. They were also the first cherry blossom trees to be planted in Japantown after the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency tore through the neighborhood in the late 1950s and 60s.

When I was growing up, most of Japantown was dirt lots, like whole blocks, with chain-link fences around it, Osaki said. Redevelopment also took out whatever plants or trees were planted by the first generation of Japanese.

It took 17 months of planning and construction to get the pair of cherry blossom trees planted outside the center, where Osaki said they fit in with the buildings facade and had grown to 12 or 15 feet tall over 20-plus years. A third tree in front of the center was similarly damaged two years ago.

The community response to the trees destruction has been a bright spot during a tough year. In March, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center shut down with the rest of the city, and it has yet to reopen; its income from activities and events has vanished as the pandemic continues. Throughout the neighborhood, small businesses are struggling to stay afloat.

Its been incredibly difficult. Most of Japantowns restaurants and stores rely an awful lot on tourism dollars, Osaki said. For the last 10 months, tourists have been largely absent.

Paul Chinn / The Chronicle 2017

The cultural center has been using grant money to help small businesses, but its nothing compared to what they need, Osaki said. He knew of several that had already closed and others that are teetering on the edge. A lot are in jeopardy because of the rent they owe, he said.

Losing even a portion of the mom-and-pop ramen spots and gift shops that draw Bay Area residents and out-of-town visitors to Japantown could have a reverberating effect on the historic area.

Were a small community, Osaki said. Even if you lose 15 or 20 businesses, its going to have a huge impact on Japantown.

Over the summer, the center created a program called Picnic in the Plaza, with tables and canopies and socially distanced seating for 200, an effort to revitalize the dining scene and draw customers back to the neighborhood.

Open on Saturdays and Sundays, the area drew 30,000 people before shutting down in November, Osaki said. It brought life back to Japantown. You started to see people come by.

Now, hes looking to the cherry blossom trees as a symbol of hope for the future. Although Osaki doesnt yet know how much it will cost to tear up the sidewalk and remove the damaged trunks, using the money from the GoFundMe campaign and other contributions, he hopes to have new trees planted by spring so they can bloom along with the rest of the neighborhoods cherry blossoms.

In addition to replacing the pair that was vandalized, Osaki would like to add a fourth tree outside the cultural center along with some kind of decorative barrier to protect the trees from future damage.

Having that finished  all the trees up and some kind of design that creatively brings it all together  would really help commemorate this outpouring of support that weve gotten from all over the place, Osaki said. Thats something we want to always remember. That will be part of the story of the Japanese Cultural and Community Center.

Sarah Feldberg is The San Francisco Chronicle Culture Desk Editor. Email: sarah.feldberg@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sarahfeldberg
The six members of the Joint Budget Committee have a large task ahead of them in the 2021 session: how to convince the other 94 members of the legislature to just say no.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) is searched by U.S. Capitol Police after setting off the metal detector outside the doors to the House of Representatives Chamber in Washington on Jan. 12, 2021. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

House Installs Metal Detectors to Screen Lawmakers After Capitol Breach

U.S. House of Representatives lawmakers will now be screened by newly installed metal detectors when entering the House chamber in the Capitol, the acting House sergeant-at-arms said in a memo to lawmakers on Jan. 12.

Timothy Blodgett said that the security policy shift will apply to everyone seeking to enter the House chamber and that it will go into effect immediately.

To ensure compliance with Capitol Police Board regulations concerning firearms and incendiary devices, as well as to provide a safe and secure environment in which to conduct legislative business, effective immediately, all persons, including Members, are required [to] undergo security screening when entering the House chamber, Blodgett wrote.

The memo said magnetometers are being placed at selected entrances to the chamber. It also reminded lawmakers that firearms are restricted to their offices, pursuant to a 1967 regulation.

Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber, Blodgett added.

Lawmakers had previously been able to bypass security screening stations at most entrances to the House chamber.

Beginning 6 p.m. Tuesday, the new screening process will also apply to journalists who enter the chamber. It will remain in effect every day the House is in session for the foreseeable future.

The new security measure comes less than a week after the breach of the U.S. Capitol building, which disrupted debates in both the House and Senate as lawmakers were forced to shelter in place while police and security attempted to seize back control.

Some critics have said President Donald Trump, during a lunchtime Jan. 6 rally near the Capitol, incited violencedespite the president saying that the protesters should protest peacefully and patriotically.

Acts of violence and lawlessness transpired as some rioters and protesters decided to unlawfully enter the Capitol building as the majority of Trump supporters rallied outside.

Following the outbreak of violence, Trump took to Twitter to call on protesters to go home in peace. He denounced the violence as a heinous attack that defiled the seat of American democracy on Jan. 7.

This new requirement is being imposed on everyone entering the House Chamber, including members of the House, a notice to journalists who use the House Daily Press Gallery said. We understand this is being done at the request of the lawmakers themselves to ensure their safety after last Wednesdays attack.

Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has called on the Department of Homeland Security to increase security measures ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration on Jan. 20. She has also urged Americans to avoid the city during the inauguration.

The National Guard confirmed Monday that up to 15,000 troops will be authorized to be deployed around the nations capital ahead of inauguration day.
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA), the only accrediting body for small-animal hospitals in the US and Canada, and Digital Empathy, a fast-growing veterinary marketing agency, today announced a Preferred Business Provider relationship.

Digital Empathy CEO Robert Sanchez said, "Six years ago, we set out with a dream to fundamentally change the way veterinary practices market to pet owners. We had a belief that the best industry in the world deserved the best marketing, and a vision to not only help veterinary practices growbut to help them create trusting relationships with their clients through authentic digital storytelling, leading to happier teams and healthier pets."

"We are thrilled to be working with the incredible team at AAHA. The significance of being chosen as the only marketing company to be recommended by AAHA to member hospitals is not lost on us. AAHA-accredited practices believe in setting a higher standard to build truly exceptional hospitals. With our services, their websites and marketing can tell their stories of what makes them such special practices. These stories build trust and resonate with potential clients. In so many ways, this is a game changer."

"AAHA chose Digital Empathy as a Preferred Business Provider for their demonstrated expertise in providing marketing services and website design specific to veterinarians," said Nathan Chambers, AAHA's strategic business manager. "Digital Empathy's mission to help veterinary practices grow in sustainable ways aligns well with AAHA's mission to maintain the highest standards of excellence in veterinary care."

Digital Empathy is offering special perks to AAHA members, including:

Discounted pricing on Digital Empathy's marketing suite

Exclusive products and services for AAHA members

About Digital Empathy

Digital Empathy provides a marketing suite that helps veterinary practices stand out, attract clients, and thrive. Digital Empathy's unique story-driven approach has quickly upended the veterinary website and marketing industry. As an AAHA Preferred Business Provider and the definitive expert on building new client relationships, Digital Empathy helps practices stand out, build their team, and thrive.

About AAHA

The American Animal Hospital Association is the only organization that accredits companion animal practices throughout the United States and Canada according to high standards of veterinary care. AAHA-accredited hospitals are recognized among the finest in the industry and are consistently at the forefront of advanced veterinary medicine. Pet owners look for AAHA-accredited hospitals because they value their pet's health and trust the consistent, expert care provided by the entire healthcare team. For more information about AAHA, visit aaha.org .

Press Contacts

Robert Sanchez, Co-Founder and CEO

Digital Empathy

858-914-4840

[email protected]

Nathan Chambers, MBA, Strategic Business Manager

AAHA

303-335-6371

[email protected]

SOURCE Digital Empathy
(Newser)  A 1931 mural created by Mexican painter Diego Rivera at the San Francisco Art Institute was supposed to be sold off to knock off much of the school's debt, a decision that outraged many in the local community. "The Making of a Fresco Showing the Building of a City," described by the New York Times as a "fresco within a fresco," is one of a trio of Rivera's frescoes in San Francisco; it's widely considered a big part of the city's history. Now, however, the proposal to sell has hit a major roadblock: On Tuesday, the city's 11-person Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to start landmark-status proceedings on the fresco, which would protect it from a sale. Now, only the city's Historic Preservation Commission can give the OK to remove the art. "There's a lot of money in this town," says Aaron Peskin, a board member who's pushing to protect the mural. "There are better ways to get out of their mess than a harebrained scheme of selling." More on the unfolding controversy:

In the red: The Times notes that SFAI's debt issues, which amount to nearly $20 million, have come about due to a dip in enrollment and too many high-priced expansions. The University of California Board of Regents scooped up SFAI's debt in October, and if the institute can't buy its property back in six years' time, U of C gets to keep the property.

story continues below

Famous possible buyers: None other than Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas had been floated by Pam Rorke Levy, chair of the Art Institute's board, as someone interested in the mural for LA's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, per the NYT. A second possibility: the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which would reportedly leave the mural on campus as annexed space. However, an SFMOMA rep says that right now there are "no plans" for it to purchase or endow the piece.

None other than Star Wars filmmaker George Lucas had been floated by Pam Rorke Levy, chair of the Art Institute's board, as someone interested in the mural for LA's Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, per the NYT. A second possibility: the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, which would reportedly leave the mural on campus as annexed space. However, an SFMOMA rep says that right now there are "no plans" for it to purchase or endow the piece. Backlash: A "crime against art and the city's heritage" and "heresy" is how Peskin describes the proposal to Mission Local, while a local workers union asserts to Hyperallergic that the mural "is not a commodity," but "an artwork, given by a Mexican artist to a predominately white-serving school, that serves ... as a focal point for complex and ongoing negotiations between artists and art institutions around issues of race, class, access, and labor."

A "crime against art and the city's heritage" and "heresy" is how Peskin describes the proposal to Mission Local, while a local workers union asserts to Hyperallergic that the mural "is not a commodity," but "an artwork, given by a Mexican artist to a predominately white-serving school, that serves ... as a focal point for complex and ongoing negotiations between artists and art institutions around issues of race, class, access, and labor." Pushback from the board: Shielding the mural via landmark status when it doesn't even seem to have an interested buyer "would deprive SFAI of its primary and most valuable asset," Levy argues. She notes that the school is hoping to keep the mural where it is, with contributed funds from a generous patron "that would enable us to preserve, protect, and present the mural to the public."

Shielding the mural via landmark status when it doesn't even seem to have an interested buyer "would deprive SFAI of its primary and most valuable asset," Levy argues. She notes that the school is hoping to keep the mural where it is, with contributed funds from a generous patron "that would enable us to preserve, protect, and present the mural to the public." How would you even move a $50 million fresco? With much difficulty, an art conservator tells the Los Angeles Times. The process could take up to two years at an expense of between $1.5 million and $2 million. More here on how it could be done.

With much difficulty, an art conservator tells the Los Angeles Times. The process could take up to two years at an expense of between $1.5 million and $2 million. More here on how it could be done. A closer look. Check out some of the mural's sections in this short video.

(Read more murals stories.)
The Rangers have signed catcher Drew Butera to a minor league deal, USA Todays Bob Nightengale reports (via Twitter). The contract includes an invitation to the Rangers big league Spring Training camp. Butera will be paid $1MM in guaranteed money if he makes the MLB roster, with up to $500K more available in incentives.

Butera has played for five different clubs over his 11-year career in the bigs, most playing for the Rockies for much of the last two-plus seasons. Long considered a solid defender and game-caller, Butera has used this skillset to keep finding Major League work, as he has hit only .198/.255/.294 over 1437 career plate appearances.

Rangers GM Chris Young knows Butera well, as the two played together with the Royals from 2015-17. Butera will provide Texas with some veteran depth as the Rangers currently have two inexperienced backstops (Jose Trevino and Aramis Garcia) lined up as their top two catching options. The Rangers were known to have interest in Jason Castro earlier this winter, so a bigger-name catching addition beyond just Buters might still be in the offing.
The premiers of Queensland and New South Wales have shrugged off calls for a nationally consistent strategy to deal with the pandemic, agreeing it is up to individual states and territories to determine their responses.

States and territories have competing definitions of what constitutes a hotspot or high-risk area and there is a lack of agreement about how states should respond to neighbouring outbreaks.

Annastacia Palaszczuk and Gladys Berejiklian believe states should be able to determine their own strategies to deal with COVID-19. Credit:Christopher Pearce and Getty.

Variation in rules between jurisdictions has led to mass confusion about what permits people need to travel interstate and whether or not they would be allowed in.

Queensland requires people who have been in New South Wales in the preceding 14 days to fill out a border pass.
The U.S. House prepared to vote on a history-making second impeachment of Donald Trump as lawmakers seethed over his role inciting last week's mob attack on the Capitol and the president's once-firm control over the Republican party began to break down.

Trump's impeachment appeared inevitable in a vote Democrats anticipated would come Wednesday, with the resolution's sponsors claiming broad support from Democrats and public backing from several Republicans, including Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House GOP leader and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

The House is set to begin debate shortly after 9 a.m., with the vote on the impeachment resolution expected by mid-to-late afternoon, according to House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern. Under rules in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, members will vote in staggered groups on the House floor, and some by proxy, concluding before 5 p.m.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said late Tuesday that the impeachment article would be quickly sent to the Senate, which would then hold a trial, instead of holding it back until after the start of President-elect Joe Biden's tenure.

"The timing was thrust upon us by the actions of the president of the United States. The fact that he is leaving should not divert us from holding accountable behavior which many of us believe is treasonous behavior and criminal behavior," Hoyer said on MSNBC.

The timing could complicate Biden's efforts to get Cabinet officials approved by the Senate since lawmakers would be occupied by an impeachment trial.

But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has raised the possibility of invoking a 2004 emergency session law to convene a trial this week, although such a move would require the consent of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Regardless of whether he is convicted in the Senate, a second impeachment would further stain a presidency that has culminated in a frightening assault on the storied center of the American democracy. It also opened fissures in the Republican Party that portends a power struggle over its future.

The New York Times reported that McConnell has told associates he is privately pleased with the impeachment, calculating that it will make it easier to purge the party of Trump's influence.

Numerous Republicans, however, argued that impeaching Trump would only worsen divisions in the country.

Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who was elected in November, said impeachment "throws gasoline on the fire."

"Both parties need to take a time out and take a deep breath" Mace told reporters at the Capitol. "We need to have a peaceful transition of power and start over."

Mace was not among the 138 Republicans who voted on Jan. 6 to reject Biden's Electoral College win in at least one state even after the mob seeking to overturn the election had stormed the building. Many of them also made pleas for unity.

Much of the corporate establishment that has long financed the Republican Party has been repulsed by the insurrection. Over the weekend, blue-chip companies began a torrent of announcements that they would at least temporarily cut off contributions to lawmakers who joined Trump in false claims of electoral fraud and the attempt to block results of the Nov. 3 election.

If McConnell does not agree to a faster timeframe, the soonest any trial could begin is Jan. 20, Inauguration Day.

Legal scholars are divided on whether Trump can be tried once he leaves office. Even so, prospects for a conviction remained uncertain. With a two-thirds vote required, at least 17 Republicans would have to break with Trump, who still has a fervent following among GOP voters.

Trump could be legally barred from holding federal office again if found guilty. He also faces potential criminal and civil legal jeopardy for encouraging supporters before the Jan. 6 riot in which five people died and many were injured.

Lawmakers returned to Washington for the impeachment with rising anxieties over their security as right-wing activists mobilized on the internet for potential new attacks. Officials sent out a reminder Tuesday that lawmakers could be reimbursed for purchasing bulletproof vests. National Guard troops in combat fatigues stood along a newly erected 7-foot non-scalable metal fence encircling the Capitol.

While the smashed windows, broken furniture and other physical damage has mostly been repaired or removed, psychological wounds are still raw among lawmakers, their staffs and Capitol Police. One police officer on duty during the riot died by suicide over the weekend. Lawmakers have fresh memories of sheltering in locked committee rooms and basement bunkers for hours while waiting for help.

The scale of violence has grown clearer as the criminal investigation proceeds, with law enforcement officials at a press conference Tuesday describing periods of hand-to-hand combat with police and organized gangs assaulting media. "People are going to be shocked with some of the egregious conduct that happened within the capitol," the District of Columbia's acting U.S. attorney, Michael Sherwin, said, citing video and witness statements not yet made public.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said during an Instagram Live on Tuesday night that she thought she was going to die as the mob roamed the Capitol. "I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive -- and not just in a general sense, but also in a very, very specific sense," she said.

Trump showed no contrition on the eve of the impeachment vote, telling reporters as he left the White House Tuesday for a trip to Texas that he had done nothing wrong and his rhetoric at a rally before the riot in which he egged on his supporters to the Capitol was "totally appropriate." Instead, he condemned Democrats for an impeachment prosecution that he said is causing "tremendous anger."

Vice President Mike Pence Tuesday evening rejected an ultimatum from the House to join with a cabinet majority to remove Trump from office under a provision in the U.S. Constitution for unseating a president no longer capable of serving. A House resolution passed Tuesday night demanded the step in order to stave off impeachment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then appointed nine Democratic lawmakers led by Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland as managers of the impeachment prosecution.

The move to punish Trump has been swift, with the impeachment vote coming just one week after the riot and a sharp contrast with his last impeachment, over threats to withhold U.S. support for Ukraine unless its government agreed to demands to open an investigation to tarnish Bidenat Joe Biden.

No House Republicans voted to impeach Trump in 2019 and he was acquitted by the Senate in 2020. In addition to Cheney, four other Republican House members -- John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, also said Tuesday that they would back impeachment this time. More are likely to follow.

Trump would become the only president twice impeached by the House. Only two predecessors, Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, have been impeached and both were acquitted. Richard Nixon resigned rather than face certain impeachment and conviction in the Senate over the Watergate scandal.
An asylum seeker living at Britain's first migrant camp claims conditions are 'unbearable', with a 'lack of privacy' and 34 people sharing one shower.

Napier Barracks, near Folkestone, in Kent, is being used by the Home Office to house asylum seekers including people who have crossed the Channel in small boats.

There have been reports of suicide attempts at the military facility and yesterday, around 40 residents gathered outside the barbed wire-topped fence chanting 'freedom' and waving banners.

Hunger strikers demanded 'basic human rights' and a move to 'safe' accommodation, with one migrant admitting that he feared catching Covid-19

Several dozen people stood outside the gates of the military facility to demonstrate over conditions inside and social distancing concerns

Handout photo issued by Care4Calais of asylum seekers conducting a sleep out overnight

Many are on hunger strike and sleeping outside despite the cold nights in protest at conditions in the camp.

One resident who has been living at the barracks since September complained of a lack of privacy and said they struggle to sleep.

They said: 'I am protesting because the conditions here are not good. Thirty-four of us share one shower and one toilet.

'There is no privacy. At night no one can sleep because there is too much noise. The situation is unbearable. You cannot settle and there is no peace and quiet.'

The resident said they are also worried about coronavirus because of the cramped conditions.

There have been reports of suicide attempts within the Ministry of Defence-owned army barracks, where asylum seekers have been held for months

Many migrants gathered outside the barbed wire-topped fence at Napier Barracks in Folkestone at around 1pm chanting 'freedom!' and waving banners

One man attempted to take his own life on Friday as he was 'unable to cope with the conditions there any more', according to migrant charity Care4Calais

They added: 'It's a military set-up here, it's like being in prison. You can't do anything without someone knowing, everything you do is watched.

'I don't feel safe here, I'm really struggling mentally, the thoughts I'm having are very hard.

'Being here brings up bad memories, particularly at night. I am suffering from nightmares of my memories.

'I'm not getting any sleep, three or four hours, maybe, each night. I am tired.'

Napier Barracks is one of two Ministry of Defence sites being used to house asylum seekers.

They were loaned to the Home Office as the department struggled to house the thousands of people who crossed the English Channel in small boats last year.

Napier Barracks was designated to house about 400 asylum seekers, more than any other Home Office 'initial accommodation site'.

Chris Philp, Immigration Compliance Minister, said:

'The Government takes the wellbeing of asylum seekers extremely seriously. We provide asylum seekers with safe, warm, Covid secure suitable accommodation where they receive three meals a day whilst their claims are being processed.

'They are not detained and are free to come and go in line with Covid-19 restrictions. We have a robust complaints process where the people who we support or people representing them can raise concerns if they are not rectified through the 24/7 helpline run by Migrant Help.

'Those at Napier have generally come from France by small boat. This journey is not only dangerous but unnecessary  France is a safe country with a well-functioning asylum system. Migrants should not make this journey in the first place.'
The order of the Supreme Court on Tuesday staying the implementation of the three recently passed laws to regulate farming in India and the formation of a four-member committee to study them is perplexing, to say the least. The court issued the order while hearing petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the laws.

While the court is very well within its rights to stay the operation of a law suspecting it to be ultra vires on the Constitution, it defies logic when it appoints a committee to study an aspect of the law other than legal. It must be reiterated that the highest court of the land has not been called upon to adjudicate on the impact of a government action borne out of a government policy; it has been asked strictly to subject that action to judicial review and see if it meets the constitutional and legal requirements.

The courts move is worrisome on many counts even when one does not count the selective activism it demonstrates. One, by appointing a committee on a government action, and saying it will issue an order based on the report of that committee, the court is seeking to have a say on government policy. It was only recently that another bench of the same court, in its judgment on petitions against the Central Vista project, made it clear that the court does not have the wherewithal to sit in judgment on a government policy and that the Parliament is the right forum to debate it. Now, the court has, instead of performing its job as the interpreter of the Constitution, chosen to be a mediator and influencer on government policy. This is a dangerous proposition, as it goes against the spirit of the Constitution, which is clear on the separation of powers.

The same logic applies to the farmers, too. They have no compulsion to go by the court even if it finds the laws are beneficial to them. They can continue with their agitation and the Chief Justice of India, who heads the bench, has repeatedly clarified that the farmers have every right to hold peaceful protests. On the other hand, the court can hardly order scrapping of the laws even if it finds them to be detrimental to the interests of farmers. That people who are sympathetic to the farmers cause have already come out arguing that all the members in the panel have supported the three laws in varying degrees poses another question mark on its legitimacy.

The farmers grouse is simple  the government is trying to withdraw from supporting the farming sector and is handing it over to the private corporates. They see a policy in it and oppose it.

The government can either convince them that they are indeed in their interest or convince itself that they are not so, and repeal them. Either way, it should be a political decision. The farmers know it well, and hence they insist that they were not raising a legal question. The apex court must see their logic, instead of ordering them to cooperate with the committee it has appointed.
Large restaurants providing prepared meals to supermarkets for sale is causing the Government some concern as it says this is adding to additional customer traffic at those supermarkets, as it wants less movement of people during the State of Emergency.
The six-acre site is located 400m from the Spencer Dock Luas stop in Dublin.

One of the country's best-known house builders, Glenveagh, has put an estimated price tag of 33.4m on 71 apartments it is planning to sell to Dublin City Council for social housing.

This follows Glenveagh lodging fast-track Strategic Housing Development (SHD) plans to An Bord Pleanala for 702 build-to-rent units at Castleforbes Business Park at Sheriff Street and East Road, Dublin 1.

The development on the six-acre site, located 400m from the Spencer Dock Luas stop, is to comprise nine apartment blocks ranging from one storey to 18 storeys in height.

As part of its Part V social housing obligations, Glenveagh is planning to sell six three-bed apartments at an indicative cost of 791,531 each to the City Council as part of the proposed 33.4m deal.

The builder is also planning to sell 14 two-bed apartments to the council at a cost of 641,899 each and 41 one-bed apartments at a cost of 408,074 each.

Glenveagh is also planning to sell 10 studio apartments to the council at a cost of 297,323 each.

In a letter to the City Council, director at Glenveagh Living Ltd, Wesley Rothwell, said that the contents of the letter are purely indicative and are intended to provide a reasonable estimate of the costs and values of the units based on construction costs prevailing at the time of the application.

Mr Rothwell said that the ultimate Part V agreement is dependent on the final grant of permission and the site value at the time of planning permission.

In a letter to Glenveaghs consultants, Brady Shipman Martin, the City Council said that its preferred option is to acquire units on site.

The overall apartment plan is to be made up of 406 one-bed units, 100 studios, 169 two-bed units, 15 three-bed units, eight two-bed duplex units and four live-work duplex units.

The planning report lodged with the application says the vision for the proposed site is to transform an under-utilised brownfield site through a major urban regeneration project, by consolidating the various areas which meet at this confluence point.

The planning application is the final of three applications Glenveagh has for the overall site.

The planning report said: This new urban quarter will combine living, employment, public realm, and a significant cultural offering in a diversified model of housing supply, new adaptable employment, and community use opportunities.

The tallest building will reach 206ft in height and the planning report states that the proposed tall building would be considered a local landmark.

Third parties seeking to make submissions on the application have until January 19 to do so.

The appeals board is due to make a decision on the application in April.

January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - The Telegraph - Like him or not, this censorship of Donald Trump has set a terrifying precedent



Twitter's reasoning means there is simply no end to what could be censored - and the ramifications of this are global



By Fraser Myers Big tech has crossed the Rubicon. Facebook has suspended the sitting president of the United States, and Twitter has banned him permanently.

You don't have to like Donald Trump to find this terrifying. You can be appalled by his campaign of lies against the result of a free and fair election. And you can be horrified by the storming of the Capitol carried out in his name. But you should be alarmed by the precedent this sets. If the tech monopolies can deny a platform to the leader of the free world, then they can deny a voice to anyone.

Twitter's reasoning for the ban sets the tone for more censorship to come. It cites two tweets which broke its rules. One in which Trump says he will not attend the inauguration of Joe Biden and another in which he says "American patriots" will have a "GIANT VOICE" in the future.

The tweets are in the style we've come to expect from Trump. Neither incites violence directly, but in Twitter's view, they present a "risk" of incitement, because it fears they might be interpreted as an incitement to violence. "The president's statements can be mobilised by different audiences, including to incite violence," it says.

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There is simply no end to what could be censored following this chilling logic. It used to be the Trumpist QAnon conspiracy theorists who searched for hidden messages in Trump's every utterance - now Twitter has turned this approach into its official policy.

The ramifications of this are global. Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has warned that Trump's permanent suspension will be exploited by the enemies of free speech. Whenever an autocrat wants to silence someone, he will say censorship is perfectly normal, even in liberal democracies, pointing to the example of Twitter banning Trump, the president of the United States.

Big Tech censorship has not stopped at Trump. It has digitally deplatformed those who have amplified his (false) claims of election fraud, too. In nine days' time, with the inauguration of Joe Biden, Donald Trump's party becomes the opposition. Will more politicians, activists and members of the public who question the legitimacy of the new administration meet a similar fate?

One of the more tedious arguments which is used to downplay the significance of tech censorship is that Facebook and Twitter are private companies. They can set whatever rules they please. If you don't like their approach to free speech you can set up your own platform. But the fate of the alternative social-media company Parler - which Google and Apple have threatened with removal from their app stores, and Amazon has removed from its web-hosting service - shows there is no way around the tech monopolies.

The fact is that social media have become the 21st century's public square. To be denied a voice on these platforms is to be a digital unperson. When the mega-corporations of Silicon Valley pick and choose which voices can be heard, they are no longer neutral platforms. Rather, they are exercising an extraordinary power over our democracy. Their decisions are opaque and unaccountable, and yet are extraordinarily consequential.

The censorship of Trump is just the beginning.
Ukrainian farmers to be brought closer to EU standards

The bill provides for improving the quality of planting material.

Reporting by UNIAN

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Source: Reuters

Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has cut more than half of the workforce at its North American unit, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing legal tussle.

The sources did not give a figure for the number of jobs lost at the business, which had over 500 employees in early 2020, according to its website.

However, one of the sources said "hundreds of workers" had been laid off since mid-2020 as part of a restructuring, and that the cuts were as high as two-thirds of Mahindra Automotive North America's (MANA) total staffing.

Positions include engineers and manufacturing jobs at its plant in Detroit that produces the off-road vehicle Roxor, as well as sales executives.

The cuts come as Mahindra reviews its businesses in a drive to conserve capital and retain only those that make money or have the potential to be profitable.

MANA said in a statement it had furloughed some staff and laid off others due to the pandemic and an International Trade Commission lawsuit which led to an August "cease and desist" order for the Roxor business. It did not provide figures.

Mahindra and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) are in a protracted legal battle over an intellectual property infringement case which has prevented the Indian automaker from selling its Roxor vehicle in the United States.

"This forced us to halt production and furlough our manufacturing team and some additional people across several functions, including the Roxor sales team," the company said.

However, last month, the company won a favourable ruling in its lawsuit against FCA, paving the way for it to begin selling the Roxor again.

It now expects to recall a large group of employees, it said in the statement.

As part of its review which began last year, Mahindra has pulled the plug on its US electric scooter business GenZe; it is in talks to sell its stake in South Korean automaker Ssangyong Motor; and it has called off a joint venture with Ford Motor Co.

Mahindra's shares have surged over 60 percent since it announced the review in June last year, valuing the company at over $12.6 billion.

The automaker plans to focus on manufacturing large sport-utility vehicles and electric models for its core India market, where it has lost ground to competitors such as Tata Motors and Kia Motors.
The first consignment of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin landed at Delhi airport via Air India flight AI559 from Hyderabad on Wednesday morning. Bharat Biotech aims to dispatch around 55 lakh vaccines to 11 states in the initial phase, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Chennai and Jaipur.

The government on Monday had placed orders in advanced commitments for over 6 crore doses of COVID vaccine from SII and Bharat Biotech for inoculating 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase of the vaccination drive scheduled to start from January 16.

Together, these many vaccines will cost Rs 1,300 crore to the Centre. Bharat Biotech will dispatch 55 lakh vaccines, which are expected to cost around Rs 162 crore, including GST. Similarly, the Centre will buy 1.1 crore doses of vaccines from Serum Institute initially and 4.5 crore more by April. The entire package will cost around Rs 1,100 crore, PTI reported citing sources. The HLL Lifecare Limited, a public sector undertaking, issued the supply order on behalf of the Union Health Ministry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already said that the Centre will bear the cost of vaccinating nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers in phase 1 vaccination. During his interaction with chief ministers of different states, he said public representatives, including politicians, should not be part of the initial vaccination exercise.

Describing it as the world's biggest vaccination exercise, PM Modi said India aims to vaccinate around 30 crore people in the next few months, which is way bigger than around 2.5 crore people vaccinated collectively in around 50 countries so far.

He said the two already approved vaccines in India -- Serum's Covishield and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin -- are the most cost-effective, and that they have been developed as per the country's needs. Meanwhile, over 56 lakh of the total 11 crore Covishield doses have been dispatched to as many as 13 cities across India amid tight security on Tuesday.

Also read: First Covishield consignment leaves Serum Institute's Pune facility ahead of Jan 16 rollout

Also read: Covishield to cost Rs 200 a vial; Serum Institute receives purchase order from government
ROSEBURG, Ore.  A new organization has been formed in Douglas County that openly goes against Gov. Kate Brown and the decisions shes made during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to their website, the members of Citizens Against Tyranny believe that Brown is infringing on business owners and other organizations' rights with the coronavirus-related restrictions she has put in place.

If someone reports a business to the Oregon Occupational Safety & Health Administration or other state agencies for violating COVID-19 protocols, Citizens Against Tyranny leaders said they will ban that person from the businesses and organizations that support the group. They said it is punishment for supporting the governors decisions.

When the website went live in December, leaders published a list of people that have reported violations to OSHA in the past few months. The website said these names were found through public record requests. There were two names on the website before the list was removed last week.

KEZI 9 News spoke to one of the people listed. She wanted to stay anonymous, but she said they were both angry they were being targeted by the group. She said they didnt feel like they did anything wrong.

Theyre talking about peoples freedom and constitutional rights, and then if you legally report someone who is violated public health, you dont have the freedom of speech to do that, she said.

The group has support from Republican State Sen. Dallas Heard of Myrtle Creek. He spoke about his support at an open meeting the group held last Friday, according to a Facebook Livestream.

However, the woman KEZI talked to said she didnt feel like Heard should be involved with the group.

I dont think that anyone should do that, but especially not an elected official, she said.

In a statement on Facebook. State Rep. Gary Leif of Roseburg said he was distressed by the emerging news regarding the actions of Senator Dallas Heard and his possible connection to the Citizens Against Tyranny. He said their responsibility is to represent all the people in their elected area and they have the duty to uphold the Constitution.

In a statement, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners said they do not support Citizens Against Tyranny and what they stand for. They said they do not believe it is right to ban certain people from businesses, especially those who are struggling during the pandemic. READ THE FULL STATEMENT.

KEZI 9 News reached out to leaders of Citizens Against Tyranny, but they did not get back to us. We also reached out to Heard multiple times, but he did not respond.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The U.S. Air Force has chosen Huntsville, Alabama, over five other cities, including Albuquerque, to locate the new U.S. Space Command.

Acting Air Force Undersecretary Shon J. Manasco told Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., in a phone call Wednesday morning about the decision.

Albuquerque was one of six sites in the running for the Space Command, which also included cities in Nebraska, Colorado, Texas and Florida.

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In an official announcement Wednesday afternoon, the Air Force said Huntsville compared more favorably against the other states in providing a large qualified workforce, high-quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity and low initial recurring costs. Alabama also offered a facility to support the Space Command headquarters at no cost while a permanent facility is constructed.

After speaking with Manasco, however, Heinrich said he was very disturbed by the Air Force process that culminated in choosing Alabama, which he said seemed like it was rushed to reach a final decision before President Donald Trump leaves office next week.

Im utterly disappointed with this process, Heinrich told the Journal. I dont think it (Huntsville) was a logical place to choose for the Space Command. It seems clear to me that this was the least deliberative Air Force basing decision Ive been a part of.

Heinrich and the entire New Mexico congressional delegation have lobbied to locate the Space Command in Albuquerque after Mayor Tim Kellers administration entered the competitive bidding process last spring to land the new base of operations here with backing from Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham.

When the Trump administration announced its criteria for the new home of U.S. Space Command, it promised a comprehensive and transparent screening process, Sen. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., said in a statement. Todays selection raises questions about the integrity of that process, questions I intend to bring up with the incoming administration. New Mexico offered an unparalleled package: A vibrant space industry, key military installations, two national labs, protected airspace, and a highly-qualified workforce. The Air Force owes the residents of New Mexico and other finalist cities a full and detailed accounting of how it reached its decision.

Background

The Space Command is separate from the new U.S. Space Force, which Trump authorized in December 2019 as the sixth branch of the U.S. military. The Space Command is a unified combatant command that will oversee all military space operations, whether thats deterring aggression or defeating adversaries in an attack.

The bidding process started with 50 locations in 26 states under consideration. The Air Force narrowed that last summer to 31 locations, including Albuquerque, which was then selected as one of six finalists in November.

Rushed decision?

But Heinrich said the Air Force appeared to truncate the decision-making process in the past six weeks.

In just one month and a half, it went from feeling like a methodical, typical Air Force decision to suddenly a very rushed process to get to a decision before the end of the current administration, Heinrich said.

Air Force officials held an online meeting with city and state representatives Dec. 20 to discuss Albuquerques proposal. A group of officials from the Air Force Strategic Basing Office last Thursday had an on-site tour of Kirtland Air Force Base, where the Space Command would be located if it came to New Mexico.

That seems extremely rushed to have an on-site visit last Thursday and on (the following) Wednesday call me with a decision already made, Heinrich said. Thats very concerning.

Appeal possible

Heinrich said his staff will dig through the process documentation to review how the decision was made. If the evidence doesnt justify the site selection, he will urge President-elect Joe Bidens administration, which takes office next week, to reevaluate the Air Force process and decision.

It all needs to be completely transparent, Heinrich said.  If the facts that led to the conclusion of this process are more political than deliberative, then maybe it would be appropriate to reopen it. I cant promise that, but if the Air Force doesnt have the documentation to support its decision, then I would urge the new administration to reevaluate it.

Sherman McCorkle, the founder of the Kirtland Partnership Committee, which assisted in Albuquerques efforts to lure the command center to New Mexico, said he still thinks that Kirtland met the criteria better than the other finalists.

I think the exercise in and of itself was worthwhile for the fact that it educated people in the Pentagon and elected officials about the attributes of Kirtland Air Force Base, McCorkle said. There could be opportunities in the future where we could use this work for leverage for future opportunities. What those future opportunities might be, Im not sure.

In a statement, Mayor Keller called the decision politically motivated and said the city would join the states congressional delegation and ask the incoming administration to reevaluate the decision.

Gov. Lujan Grisham will also support those efforts.

This represented an enormous potential opportunity for our state, and Im certainly disappointed with the decision, Lujan Grisham told the Journal in an email. I would like a complete assessment from federal decision-makers about why New Mexico, with all of the incredible resources we bring to the table, was not chosen, and I look forward to working with our congressional delegation to explore whether and to what degree we can still secure significant Space Command assets for New Mexico.

State and local governments and educational (SLED) institutions face many of the same security challenges as other organizations, but often with less man power and budget, and more regulations that must be closely followed. For example, a local government may have a small seven-person team maintaining and managing network security and access to critical resources for thousands of users across an entire county. Or a public college in a hurricane-prone region must ensure business continuity for 11 campuses with limited resources.

Unlike their commercial counterparts, security leaders in SLED organizations do not have the latitude to break down departmental silos or move operations to more favorable locations. They must secure whatever data, applications, and user groups exist in their organization, while adhering to budget and regulatory constraints.

Operational efficiency is key for the continued success of SLED organizations. Here, we will outline three ways in which the Fabric Management Center enhances the value of the Fortinet Security Fabric for SLED customers.

Centralized Management

While organizations and networks can scale rapidly, network and security operations teams often struggle to keep up. This is especially true in SLED organizations. For example, when the local government in Salt Lake County, Utah scaled its FortiGate footprint from twelve firewalls to 55 individual FortiGate NGFWs, security leaders realized the need for greater visibility and centralized control. FortiManager, the automation-driven centralized management component of the Fabric Management Center, was the perfect way to simplify network operations across all 55 firewalls.

As Salt Lake Countys information security analyst explains, It definitely is a huge advantage being able to centrally manage the devicesit saves time to where you have redundancies. You only have to manage it once instead of 55 times. If I had to go change a policy stack on ten firewalls, that is an hour and a half, [but with FortiManager] thats five minutes.

Central Log Management and Analytics

Logs are an important source of truth for root-cause analysis, for operational issues, threat analysis, and for compliance reporting and audits. Small security teams can quickly become overloaded with data from various logs gathered from security devices and third party sources. The FortiAnalyzer component of the Fabric Management Center aggregates these logs and readily scales to support long-term or large-volume log retention requirements.

Log storage was an important factor for St. Petersburg College, which serves more than 30,000 students at 11 locations along the central Florida coast. Its FortiGate-VM firewalls, deployed in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, are configured to block any suspicious content requests. FortiGate automatically blocks the content at the network edge and sends the associated logs to FortiAnalyzer. Then, analysts will review the security logs and flag false positives as exceptions to the default-deny policy. To support this process and enable forensic investigation and external audit responses, the college has chosen to retain logs for five years.

According to St. Petersburg CTO David Creamer, consolidating log collection into a single tool and interface has been a huge asset. My team simply would not be able to gather and analyze log data in the same way without the FortiAnalyzer user interface, he notes.

Now, St. Petersburgs team is able to rapidly inspect alerts on a daily basis, manage exceptions to their security policies, and quickly generate reports based upon collected data. These capabilities reduce the log analysis time and allow the team to generate reports more quickly than their previous solution.

Analysis speed is another important benefit of the Fabric Management Center. For example, at Westminster School in Marion, Australia, a student had been accused of posting inappropriate comments on a website. Former Westminster Director of ICT Services Keith Rutherford remembers: Within two minutes, we got into [FortiAnalyzer], we found out exactly what he was doing at the time the post was made, and we proved without any doubt that it was not him.

Fabric Automation

Due to a shortage of security analysts and administrators, SLED organizations are looking for ways to automate and orchestrate workflows and enforce security policies consistently. Reaching across on-premises and multi-cloud environments, the Fabric Management Center provides automation and orchestration capabilities via connectors, automation hooks, and real-time alerts.

St. Petersburg College is leveraging the automation capabilities in the Fabric Management Center to feed security logs from the content access requests to FortiAnalyzer. On the other hand, Westminster School has set up an automated process that enables teachers to control access to certain websites during their classes, without having to log an ICT help desk call. They also leveraged the automated functionality and industry-leading continuous risk assessment features to achieve a more intelligent system that is constantly updating upon, and evaluating, the Schools network practices.

Tailoring the Fabric Management Center to the Organizations Needs

By delivering enhanced visibility and insights across the entire architecture, the Fabric Management Center can help you uncover numerous opportunities to simplify your operations and improve efficiencies. Whether you need to economically deploy security at scale, expertly manage your architecture with minimal staff, or be ready to respond quickly to regulatory or internal audits, Fortinet can help you tailor the Fabric Management Center to your organizations needs.

Learn more about how Fortinets Fabric Management Center enables enterprise-class automation capabilities while helping network leaders realize industry-leading benefits like improved efficiency, reduced risk, and decreased TCO.
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Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 86F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. S winds shifting to ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
In a few days the nation will mark the 176th anniversary of the first arrival of immigrants from India on May 30, 1845. They would come every year up to 1917, except for a short break between 1848 and 1851, transforming the local society.

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She's no stranger to flaunting her incredible figure on social media.

But Love Island star Edyn Mackney caused quite a stir with one of her racy snaps on Wednesday, as she posed with her pert derriere on full display while watching TV in her lounge.

While the 23-year-old was met with an abundance of compliments about her svelte frame, some critics weren't too happy with the image in question - with one asking 'why would you post this?' in front of Edyn's thousands of followers.

Too hot to handle! Love Island star Edyn Mackney caused quite a stir with her saucy snaps on Wednesday, as she posed in nothing but a T-shirt while lying on her rug - with her pert derriere on full display

After another follower liked the negative comment, the critic then branded the post 'trashy', adding: 'Your self esteem must be through the floor if you find you need to post pictures like this.'

But Edyn was quick to take the high road with the comments - responding: 'Yep 100% me loving my own body is 100% normal and I will show it off all I want! Have a good day Queen.'

Edyn's face wasn't visible in the snap, only her epic physique and never-ending pins.

Popular: Edyn found fame on the 2018 premiere season of Love Island Australia

Not happy: One critic slammed the photo - but Edyn was quick to respond in defence of the cheeky shot

She captioned the snap with: 'John Wick & I having a moment,' referring to the Keanu Reeves movie which was playing on-screen.

The sultry blonde found fame on the 2018 premiere season of Love Island Australia.

In May, she joined subscription-based website OnlyFans, where she sells raunchy photos and videos of herself for a monthly fee on $14.95 per month.

Making money: In May, she joined subscription-based website OnlyFans, where she sells raunchy photos and videos of herself for a monthly fee on $14.95 per month

Content on the site can range from something as innocent as a suggestive selfie all the way to hardcore pornography.

She's not the only former Love Island Australia star on the platform, with season two's Vanessa Sierra also joining last year.

'I'm not scared to make moves and always jump on social media platforms before the crowd,' Vanessa previously explained to Daily Mail Australia.
More than 21million Covid jabs are on British soil, the Daily Mail can reveal today.

It means there are enough doses to hit the target of injecting all over-70s, care home residents and health staff by February 15.

Not all the vaccine consignments have passed regulatory checks  and many are yet to be put into vials. But the fact so many logistical hurdles have been jumped is a major victory in the fight against coronavirus.

Boris Johnson tonight pledged a 'big, big stream of vaccines' would arrive over the coming weeks. Three million have already been given out.

Resident Kate Stewart receives an injection of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine from Dr Jess Harvey at the Lady Forester Community nursing home in Wenlock, Shropshire

People queue outside the mass NHS Covid-19 vaccine centre that has been set up at the Millennium Point centre in Birmingham

From today, jabs will be available at high street chemists, with 200 stores offering them within two weeks. A string of 24/7 inoculation centres is also being set up, initially for health and care staff. The vaccine figures came on the worst day of the pandemic so far, with another 1,564 lives lost.

The UK has now suffered more than 100,000 deaths involving Covid-19.

Mr Johnson yesterday admitted he was 'concerned' about a new Brazilian strain of the virus  with ministers likely to ban all travel to and from the country today following criticism that border checks have been too lax. In other developments:

The Prime Minister admitted there was a 'very substantial' risk the NHS will run out of intensive care beds;

Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, warned of high death numbers for some weeks;

However he said the lockdown appeared to be working, with infections 'flattening off at least in some places';

The NHS announced an ambitious target to vaccinate care home residents by January 24;

A study said surviving coronavirus gave as much protection against future infection as vaccination;

Asda announced that a store in Birmingham would become a mass vaccination centre by next month;

A trial of a new treatment for Covid-19 began in the UK;

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson suggested teenagers whose GCSE and A-levels were scrapped may still sit exams of some sort;

Neither he nor the Prime Minister were able to guarantee that schools would reopen after half term;

Family doctors were told to stop routine appointments and help only patients facing medical emergencies during the vaccine rollout.

Mavis, 87, is pushed by her daughter out of the Covid-19 vaccination centre at ExCel London, home to the London Nightingale Hospital, in London

Around 2.6million people have received at least one dose of Covid vaccine across the UK so far, with just four and a half weeks remaining for the Government to hit its target of reaching the 15million most vulnerable.

Nearly 208,000 received their first dose on Tuesday, according to figures published last night  up from 145,000 the day before.

How doses add up Pfizer has delivered at least 5m doses AstraZeneca 1m already released to the NHS 3m in vials awaiting batch approval by the MHRA 15m ready to be put in vials TOTAL at least 24m  of which 3m doses have already been given out leaving 21m Advertisement

AstraZeneca, the firm which helped develop the Oxford University vaccine, yesterday revealed it is to double the number of vaccines released to the NHS by next week, with production to then be ramped up to two million doses a week.

The firm is understood to have enough vaccine for 19million doses already in the country, of which 1.1million have already been provided. At least another three million are in vials, awaiting batch approval by regulators. 'In excess' of one million of these are expected to be released next week.

Another 15million doses are at factories in Oxford, Staffordshire and Wrexham, waiting to be put in vials.

Pfizer is understood to have delivered at least five million doses.

It means enough doses for 24million vaccines have been provided so far  of which 3million have already been given out.

AstraZeneca is expected to provide a total of 40million by the end of March, by which time Moderna  a third firm with an approved vaccine and a deal with the UK  will start to provide the first of 17million doses.

Batch approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency remains a key hurdle  with only two consignments of the Oxford vaccine released for use so far. But officials are confident that issue will be resolved soon.

Above, Boris Johnson pictured today

A Government spokesman said: 'The UK has already vaccinated more people than any other country in Europe, and we are mobilising government, the NHS and our armed forces as part of a massive national effort. Our vaccine supply and scheduled deliveries will fully support the vaccination of the top four [priority] groups by February 15.'

Mr Johnson said: 'We have a big, big stream of vaccines coming down the track but there is also a programme to accelerate the delivery of the Oxford vaccine, the remaining Pfizer vaccine is being brought forward, the Moderna vaccine as well.'
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 86F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. S winds shifting to ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
More than half the clinicians surveyed at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre reported burnout and high levels of distress according to a series of studies published today in the Canadian Medical Association Journal Open (CMAJ-OPEN). In these studies carried out before the COVID-19 pandemic, 78% of nurses, 73% of allied health staff and 65% of physicians described experiencing burnout.

In my 35 years as a physician I have never seen a more serious issue for clinicians than burnout." Dr. Barry Rubin, Lead Author, Chair and Medical Director, the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, UHN

Completed in 2019, the study used the Well-Being Index, a survey tool developed by the Mayo Clinic, a globally recognized academic medical center. 414 physicians, nurses and allied health staff answered a series of questions about the level of stress they experienced in the previous month.

The index measured fatigue, depression, burnout, anxiety or stress, mental and physical quality of life, work-life integration, meaning in work and distress.

The study also evaluated the respondent's perception of the adequacy of staffing levels, and of fair treatment in the workplace. The results were then compared to outcomes for corresponding healthcare professionals at academic health science centers in the United States.

Main findings and impact:

78% of nurses, 73% of allied health staff and 65% of physicians described burnout in the month prior to when the survey was administered.

79% of nurses, 56% of allied health staff and 55% of physicians had high levels of distress.

Lower levels of distress among all clinicians were associated with a perception of fair treatment at work and a perception of adequate staffing levels.

The impact of burnout on clinicians can include extreme fatigue, professional dissatisfaction, job turnover, decreased quality of life, and thoughts of suicide.

"Burnout also has a negative impact on the care we provide," says Dr. Rubin. "It is associated with an increased incidence of medical errors, serious safety events, readmission to hospital, worse patient outcomes and in some situations even increased patient mortality. Clinician burnout is a public health crisis that we must address now."

The findings of these studies are the first step in acknowledging the existence, depth, and degree of distress and burnout among clinicians at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre.

"Our next steps will be to meet with nurses, doctors and allied health staff, so that we can understand the key drivers of burnout in the PMCC and develop targeted intervention strategies," says Dr. Rubin. "It is critical we address these issues and work together to bring about much-needed change. Healthcare workers give their all to care for others, it is time they are cared for too."

These studies were funded by the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre Innovation Fund.
Now we think this is exactly what more ISP's should be doing.

A North Idaho Internet provider blocked access to Twitter and Facebook at its customers requests.

According to emails sent to customers over the weekend, Your T1 WIFIwhich provides services in the Spokane and northern Idaho areassaid it received phone calls from customers after those websites moved to block certain types of content and suspended accounts associated with President Donald Trump.

It has come to our attention that Twitter and Facebook are engaged in censorship of our customers and information, an email to Your T1 WIFI customers said.

We have the past couple days been fielding calls from customers voicing the concern that they do not want these sites allowed to be displayed on their internet feedand that they do not want their children to go to these sites, the email added. They could do this themselves but some do not have the technical knowledge to do so and it would be very tiresome for us to do it for them and it would be expensive to visit each customer that wants this done.

Bret Fink, the owner of Your T1 WiFi, told Newsweek that the emails are authentic. Customers had requested that Twitter and Facebook become inaccessible in their households, Fink said.

Fink clarified to KREM that people who did not request the block will still be able to access the websites.

Weve had customers asked to be blocked by it. That is what the email was about, so no we are not blocking anybody, only the ones that have asked for it, Fink said, according to the station.

The company also said that it doesnt agree with Facebook, Twitter, Google, and other tech companies engaging in censorship.

Our company does not believe a website or social networking site has the authority to censor what you see and post and hide information from you, stop you from seeing what your friends and family are posting, the email from Your T1 WIFI said, adding: We also dont condone what Google, Amazon, Twitter, Facebook, and Apple are doing  to Parler by trying to strong arm them into submission.

A representative with Idahos state attorney generals office said it doesnt have the jurisdiction to enforce any laws, including net neutrality laws, in the matter.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) warned of unchecked power being wielded on behalf of tech companies after Facebook and Twitter suspended Trump.
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Scientists made an alarming COVID-19 discovery. They claimed that they found an "escape mutant" in a new variant of the novel coronavirus first identified in South Africa.

The new South African coronavirus variant has no spread to 12 countries. According to CNN's latest report, the researchers said that the new mutation E484K can reduce the current COVID-19 vaccines' efficacy.

Penny Moore, South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases' associate professor, said that the newly found mutation is very alarming.

"We fear this mutation might have an impact, and what we don't know is the extent of the impact," she added via CNN World.

What is COVID-19 escape mutant E484K?

Moore explained that the new mutation is called escape mutant because it has the ability to dodge or escape the vaccine's antibodies.

On the other hand, Alex Signal, a virologist at the Africa Health Research Institute said that she is currently worried about the new mutation.

Also Read: China Requires ALL Beijing Residents to Get COVID-19 Tests; ALL Villages on Lockdown Until They Receive Negative Results

Although this is the case, Moore, Signal, and other researchers involved in the new study explained that they still need to complete their laboratory work to confirm that vaccines are really less effective against the new COVID-19 variant.

However, the scientists said that the vaccines will not be useless against the new mutation. What they are trying to reiterate is the new variant's ability to decrease the vaccine's efficacy.

They said that the escape mutant E484K could indicate that COVID-19 is showing its ability to change its structure. The researchers also warned that there could be more problematic mutations in the following months or years.

"This virus may be taking the first steps down a fairly lengthy road towards vaccine resistance," said Andrew Ward, a Scripps Research's structural virologist in La Jolla, California.

A vaccine that works against the new variants?

According to Healthline's latest report, researchers released new evidence that the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine could be effective against the new variants found in the United Kingdom and South Africa. They explained that the new COVID-19 variants contain the N501Y mutation, which is within the medicine's spike protein.

The vaccine's developers added that their product was found effective against the new mutation. The results were shown by scientists from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and Pfizer.

For more news updates about COVID-19's new variants and coronavirus vaccines, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: WHO Claims No COVID-19 Herd Immunity This 2021; Here's What It Suggests You Should Do

This article is owned by TechTimes.

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Cary Waxler, a longtime social studies teacher at Barrington High School, said that when events unfolded at the Capitol, I immediately started getting emails from my former students, telling me how good it felt that they were able to put the events at the Capitol in an historical context because of things we talked about when they were in my U.S. history class.
A Boston resident in his 60s who was beaten close to death in his home on Dec. 24 died Tuesday from the wounds he suffered in the vicious Christmas Eve attack.

Twenty-three-year-old Wyse Richardson, the man authorities said is responsible for the killing of 66-year-old Bruce Rose, was arraigned four days after the attack in the Roxbury division of Boston Municipal Court on charges of assault and battery on a person over 60 and aggravated burglary.

At the time, Judge Debra Delvecchio ordered Richardson to undergo an evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital.

Now in the wake of Roses death, prosecutors expect to arraign Richardson on new, more serious charges, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollinss office said in a statement.

Mr. Richardson is accused of a violent attack that robbed Mr. Rose of his life. He will be held accountable for the harm he is alleged to have inflicted, Rollins noted.

Richardson is accused of breaking into a Pompeii Street apartment building around 11 p.m. on Dec. 24 and severely beating Rose while ransacking the 66-year-old mans Roxbury home, according to the statement from the prosecutors office.

Rose suffered serious head trauma and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died Tuesday, the district attorneys office said.

My office is here to provide Mr. Roses loved ones with the support they need as the case against the man accused of killing Mr. Rose moves forward, Rollins said. The Victim Witness Advocates assigned to my Homicide Unit are available to connect family members and others impacted by Mr. Roses death with the services and resources they may need to cope with their grief and begin the long process of healing.

The case against Richardson is scheduled to return to court Jan. 15. Prosecutors expect the defendant will be arraigned on new charges during that appearance.

Related Content: A fatal stabbing of a 28-year-old man, a near-death beating of a senior citizen: 2 men charged in separate Christmas Eve attacks in Boston, DA says

(ANSA) - MILAN, JAN 13 - Italian police on Tuesday night broke up an illegal party on the Milanese 'movida' nightlife scene.

Some 30 people were fined for breaching anti-COVID norms at the Superlove Club in the northern city.

The attendees, aged 19 to 41, were all dancing to a DJ without facemasks on, police said.

As well as five Italians, there were people from France, Bulgaria, Albania and Greece, police said.

All have been identified and fined.

Italy has been cracking down on 'movida' COVID breaches across the country.

There have been recent incidents in Rome, Naples, Bologna, Turin and other large cities. (ANSA).


Good morning,

Please find below the press release issued today.

Best regards,

Florence Lievre

Global PR Manager | Group Marketing & Communications

Capgemini Group | Paris

Tel.: +33 1 47 54 50 71

Email : florence.lievre@capgemini.com

_____________________

Press Relations:

Sam Connatty

Tel.: +44 370 904 3601

Email: sam.connatty@capgemini.com

Capgemini announces leadership appointments

Paris, January 13 2021 - Capgemini today confirmed a number of Group leadership appointments that combine its global strengths and talent, effective January 1, 2021.

Three leaders named as CEOs of strategic business units

In Europe, Michael Schulte, previously Managing Director of Capgemini in Germany, is now CEO of the Northern Europe Strategic Business Unit. Jerome Simeon, previously Managing Director of Capgemini in France, is CEO of the Southern Europe Strategic Business Unit. Both Michael and Jerome join the Group Executive Board.

Olaf Pietschner, formerly Managing Director of Capgemini in Australia & New Zealand, becomes CEO of the Asia Pacific Strategic Business Unit. Olaf joins the Group Executive Committee.

Seasoned Altran leaders augment Capgemini's Group Executive Committee

William Roze, formerly Executive Vice-President in charge of Europe at Altran, is now CEO of Capgemini's Engineering and R&D business line. Pascal Brier, previously Executive Vice-President at Altran responsible for its Strategy, Technology & Innovation, is appointed Group Chief Innovation Officer. Both William and Pascal join the Group Executive Committee.

Finally, Jeroen Versteeg, previously Deputy CEO of Capgemini's Europe Strategic Business Unit, becomes the global Chief Sales Officer for the Group and joins the Group Executive Committee.

"I am delighted to welcome such strong and talented executives from across the Group to our leadership team. The appointment of two former Altran leaders to the Group Executive Committee is a further example of the continuation of the smooth integration process that has been well underway since its acquisition last year," comments Aiman Ezzat, CEO of the Capgemini Group. "Each of the newly appointed executives, announced today, brings to their position a series of outstanding achievements and a depth of experience from which our clients, team members and the Group as whole will benefit greatly."

*



* *

APPENDIX

Executive Biographies

Michael Schulte

CEO of the Northern Europe Strategic Business Unit

Group Executive Board Member

Michael was Managing Director of Capgemini's Business Unit in Germany between July 2018 and December 2020, after having led the Application Services business in Germany since 2013.

Michael has held a variety of leadership positions at Capgemini in both Germany and the US especially within the strategy and transformation consulting practice of the Group. He joined Capgemini in 1993 through Gemini Consulting, which is today known as Capgemini Invent.

Michael studied mechanical engineering at the Bochum Ruhr-University (Germany) as well as at the A&M University in Texas (US), and subsequently completed his doctorate in the field of production engineering at the University of Saarland (Germany).

Jerome Simeon

CEO of the Southern Europe Strategic Business Unit

Group Executive Board Member

From July 2018 Jerome was Managing Director of Capgemini in France, at which point he also joined the Group Executive Committee.

From July 2014, he was CEO of Application Services in France after serving as Commercial Director (from June 2012 to June 2014).

Prior to this, from 2007 to 2010, he held commercial positions in Capgemini's Telecom & Media business, after managing the development and sales for the Property & Services Europe sector of BT Global Services for two years.

Jerome joined Capgemini in 1998, after eight years with the group Generale des Eaux / Vivendi. For both companies, he contributed to the international development of the Energy & Utilities sector, leading sales and management of major business transformation programs and information systems.

Jerome graduated from Toulouse Business School (1986-1989).

Olaf Pietschner

CEO of the Asia Pacific Strategic Business Unit

Member of the Group Executive Committee

Up until December 2020, Olaf was the CEO and Managing Director for Capgemini in Australia and New Zealand. He joined the Capgemini Group in 2017 as Chief Operating Officer in Australia and New Zealand. In this role, he led the market unit's transformation and growth and was responsible for driving customer success, value, and innovation.

Olaf is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion. In 2020, Capgemini in Australia and New Zealand was recognized as one of the best employers for LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) inclusion and a Gold Employer for its efforts at the Australian LGBTQ Inclusion Awards.

Olaf has over 25 years of experience in consulting and digital transformation, including executive roles at Origin Energy, News Limited, and Deloitte in Australia.

Olaf holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Verwaltungs und Wirtschaftsakademie in Bochum, Germany, and has completed an Executive Leadership Program with the MIT Sloan School of Management.

William Roze

CEO of the Engineering and R&D Global Business Line

Member of the Group Executive Committee

Prior to becoming CEO of the Engineering and R&D Global Business Line at Capgemini, William was a member of the Altran's Group Executive Committee from 2015 and Executive Vice-President in charge of Europe.

In 2018, William was appointed Executive Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer for Europe at Altran. Between 2014-2018 he was Altran's Chief Executive Officer for France.

William was in charge of regions operations and became Chief Operating Officer for Altran France in 2012, when he drove the continuous evolution of Altran towards a homogeneous organization, after having prepared the merging of local entities in 2006.

William joined the Altran group in 2001 in Toulouse and managed the French subsidiary. During this time, he developed Altran's activities in Aeronautics, Space and Defense and helped in launching Altran's first ER&D programs.

William Roze is a graduate of INSEEC Bordeaux; the Fordham University in New York; and Paris-Dauphine University with a third cycle degree.

Pascal Brier

Group Chief Innovation Officer

Member of the Group Executive Committee

Pascal joined the Altran Group as a member of the Executive Committee in 2005. From September 2018 Pascal was Executive Vice-President of the Altran group, in charge of Strategy, Technology & Innovation, based in the Silicon Valley. In this position, he was driving Group Strategy, Portfolio, Marketing, Service lines and setting up the Research & Innovation roadmap, as well as managing the group's high value activities (Altran NextCore).

Prior to this, Pascal held various leadership positions at Altran including Executive Vice-President, Global Accounts and Business Development.

Pascal began his career at NCR before joining the AT&T group as Multimedia Director for Southern Europe. He then joined Microsoft where he held a number of leadership positions among which Chief Marketing Officer in France and later Business & Marketing Officer.

Pascal Brier is a graduate of EDHEC Business School and alumni of the year 2017.

Jeroen Versteeg

Group Chief Sales Officer

Member of the Group Executive Committee

Prior to becoming the Group's Chief Sales Officer, Jeroen was Deputy CEO of Capgemini's Europe Strategic Business Unit for 2 and a half years.

Before this, in 2012, Jeroen was appointed CEO of Capgemini's Application Services in Benelux.

Jeroen started his career with the Capgemini Group in 1997 at Sogeti where he held several leadership positions, including CEO for Sogeti Central Europe (in charge of UK, Ireland and the Netherlands).

Jeroen brings his passion for technology and how it leads to social, cultural and economic change, to clients. As a former member of the Social Economic Council in the Netherlands, he actively participated in the public debate about the future of technology.

Jeroen holds a MBA (University of Groningen) and a BSc in Computer Science (Saxion University of Applied Sciences).

Note to editors:

High-resolution photography of all appointees is available on request.

About Capgemini

Capgemini is a global leader in consulting, digital transformation, technology, and engineering services. The Group is at the forefront of innovation to address the entire breadth of clients' opportunities in the evolving world of cloud, digital and platforms. Building on its strong 50-year heritage and deep industry-specific expertise, Capgemini enables organizations to realize their business ambitions through an array of services from strategy to operations. A responsible and multicultural company of 265,000 people in nearly 50 countries, Capgemini's purpose is to unleash human energy through technology for an inclusive and sustainable future. With Altran, the Group reported 2019 combined global revenues of 17 billion.

Visit us at www.capgemini.com .

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MARIGOT:--- The first doses of Pfizers covid-19 vaccine arrive in Saint-Martin late Tuesday afternoon. The first injections will start Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Bethany Home (Ehpad, accommodation facility for dependent elderly people) and at 2 p.m. at the Louis-Constant Fleming hospital, announced the regional health agency and the management of the hospital.

The vaccination campaign will take place in three stages. First of all, nursing home residents as well as nursing staff (nursing home, hospital, and liberal) over the age of 50 and/or with co-morbidities will be vaccinated. This first phase should last a few days. This will target vulnerable groups over the age of 75 and gradually over 65, as well as caregivers. Finally, the campaign will be open to all other audiences. As in metropolitan France, only people who have requested it will be vaccinated. Note that residents of the Dutch side will be directed to the authorities of Sint Maarten who are to start the campaign by early February.
[January 13, 2021] InterVenn Receives Foundational Patent, CLIA Lab Certification to Develop Clinical Glycoproteomics Solutions

InterVenn Biosciences, the leader in glycoproteomics, today announced the accomplishment of multiple milestones in advancing the world's first glycoproteomics-based LDT(Lab-Developed Test). The company's first diagnostic product, a noninvasive liquid biopsy test for ovarian cancer, will have final data from its initial clinical trial, V.O.C.A.L., in the first half of 2021; and InterVenn's on-site laboratory has recently received CLIA certification to make its tests available to the medical community. Of note, InterVenn has recently been issued a key patent covering its core foundational technology IP on artificial intelligence and machine learning for the identification and use of glycopeptides as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment monitoring. The company is also working to develop a test predicting response to immuno-oncology therapies. Results from three separate studies indicate that the company's liquid biopsy assay platform is uniquely capable of successfully predicting patient response across the class of checkpoint inhibitors, outperforming all other currently available predictive tests. "Checkpoint inhibitors are extremely powerful and highly effective cancer drugs, but only 20 to 30 percent of cancer patients ultimately respond to them. Currently, there is no effective way to predict likely responders, which results in many patients suffering from serious side effects while deriving no benefit, and an increasingly unsustainable burden of healthcare expenditures," said Klaus Lindpaintner, MD, Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Medical Officer of InterVenn. "There is a tremendous need to develop a solution with real clinical utility. We're highly encouraged by our early results and feel extremely bullish about scaling up these studies, expanding them to explore additional indications and drug molecules, and bringing a clinical test to patients as quickly as possible."



In the course of planned 2021 studies, InterVenn will continue to engage in a range of partnerships to develop predictive and companion diagnostic claims. InterVenn has established additional collaborations with leading U.S. and international oncology centers, including Omico, a nationwide network of research and treatment centers in Australia, to further explore the predictive power of blood-based glycoproteomic signatures. InterVenn also recently became a member of the Mayo Clinic Innovation Exchange. "We've been engaged in a range of pilot studies with a number of partners across a spectrum of applications, and we continue to see extremely impressive results differentiating clinical phenotypes based on glycoproteomic profiles, giving us the confidence to accept unknown, blinded samples from collaborators -- and being able to correctly identify the signatures each and every time," said Aldo Carrascoso, Chief Executive Officer of InterVenn. "Together with our partners, we continue to be impressed and inspired by how powerfully glycoproteomics recognizes and distinguishes health, disease, drug response, and other phenotypes."

Bolstered by emerging data, InterVenn is planning a platform challenge to be announced in time for the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) meeting. Researchers may apply to InterVenn and have their samples analyzed by InterVenn's glycoproteomics platform. Full details on how applicants may gain access to this program will be announced in the coming weeks leading up to the AACR annual meeting. To find out more about InterVenn Biosciences and how the company is leveraging artificial intelligence and mass spectrometry to the transformation of medical technology, visit https://intervenn.com. For all general and media inquiries about InterVenn Biosciences, please contact Andrea Vuturo at press@venn.bio. About InterVenn Biosciences InterVenn Biosciences utilizes a proprietary glycoproteomic biomarker discovery and interrogation platform based on artificial-intelligence-empowered mass spectrometry for next-gen precision medicine. The company is working on developing novel predictive tests in a range of indications, including ovarian, pancreatic, liver, prostate, lung, kidney and other cancers, as well as on tests for treatment response prediction and monitoring of treatment efficacy, and disease progression. For more information about InterVenn Biosciences, please visit the company's website. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005212/en/

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Kazakhstan is India's biggest economic partner in Central Asia and a crucial strategic partner. In an interview with IANS, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India, Yerlan Alimbayev, explains the significance of the recently-held parliamentary elections and Image Source: IANS News

Kazakhstan is India's biggest economic partner in Central Asia and a crucial strategic partner. In an interview with IANS, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India, Yerlan Alimbayev, explains the significance of the recently-held parliamentary elections and Image Source: IANS News

Kazakhstan is India's biggest economic partner in Central Asia and a crucial strategic partner. In an interview with IANS, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India, Yerlan Alimbayev, explains the significance of the recently-held parliamentary elections and Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Jan 13 : Kazakhstan is India's biggest economic partner in Central Asia and a crucial strategic partner. In an interview with IANS, Kazakhstan's Ambassador to India, Yerlan Alimbayev, explains the significance of the recently-held parliamentary elections and political reforms in his country and how it will strengthen the bilateral relationship with India.

Here are the excerpts: Q: There was a lot of attention on Kazakhstan's parliamentary elections. How were the national polls in Kazakhstan different this time? A: On 10th of January 2021 we've held parliamentary elections to the Majilis (Lower house of the Parliament). These elections were pretty vanguard not only for Kazakhstan but, I would say, the entire Commonwealth of Independent States region. First of all, the Parliamentary elections were held in the era of global COVID-19 pandemic. Despite that, the whole election process took place in line with public safety measures, such as mask wearing, social distancing, protective personal equipment etc.

Another important thing is that the polls were the first parliamentary elections since President Tokayev succeeded Nursultan Nazarbayev, who resigned in March 2019. The systemic and political reforms that President Tokayev's administration has introduced since he stepped into the presidential office in June 2019, were given a chance to flourish in the major elections.

The reforms include a 30 per cent quota for women and youth in the party list, the welcoming of a culture of opinion and opposition, and the formation of a parliamentary opposition institute. The last elections for the Majilis were in March 2016.

My sincere gratitude to the Indian election observers who were represented as a part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization team and Indian Embassy in Nur-Sultan, who also visited some polling stations as observers.

Given that Kazakhstan and India are strategic partners, I truly believe that further evolutionary democratisation processes will strengthen our bonds even closer. The renewed composition of the Kazakh parliament will focus on quality legislative support for social and economic reforms in the country.

Q: How has the relationship between India and Kazakhstan evolved since 1992? A: India has historic relations with Central Asia and Kazakhstan holds a special place in the region. Our bilateral relations are growing and expanding every year. Diplomatic relations were officially established in 1992. In 29 years, the President of Kazakhstan visited India five times and Indian Prime Ministers visited Kazakhstan five times. Leaders of our countries meet on annual basis, including multilateral platforms like UN and SCO.

Relations between India and Kazakhstan have exhibited considerable dynamism and momentum over this period. India was one of the first countries to recognise Kazakhstan as a free, sovereign state after the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991.

First President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev chose India to be the first foreign country for a state visit in February, 1992 after the independence. This decision demonstrated the deep respect and admiration in which Nazarbayev and the Kazakh people hold India as a country endowed with a glorious past, having a vibrant present and blessed with a bright future. This visit was followed by a regular exchange of visits and meetings at the highest political level as well as at ministerial and official levels.

In 2009, cooperation between our countries was brought to a higher level by signing the Declaration on Strategic Partnership. At present we are working on arranging the first state visit of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in 2021 as soon as the situation with the pandemic stabilises.

Currently, Kazakhstan is India's main trade partner in Central Asia. The bilateral trade turnover exceeds the total trade turnover of India with the rest of the states of the region and equals to $2.3 billion as of 11 months of 2020.

However, the full potential of this partnership has not been realised. The reasons are internal, regional as well as international. An exciting window of opportunity beckons the two countries to take the partnership to a qualitatively newer and higher level. There is a need for the governments, corporates, business representatives, academia, civil society and the common people of Kazakhstan and India to actively play their roles in order to achieve the full potential in cooperation between our countries.

Both Kazakhstan and India stand today at the threshold of what promises to be a new, more dynamic and vibrant phase in their relations.

Q: Indian exports to Kazakhstan have remained lower than Kazakhstan's exports to India. Which are the areas in which this trade deficit can improve? A: Kazakhstan is India's main economic partner in Central Asia. As a result of the work carried out by our countries, the trade turnover in January-November 2020 reached $2.3 billion. The main export goods from Kazakhstan to India are: crude oil, uranium, silver, ferroalloys, hydrogen, inert gases and other non-metals, asbestos, steel, titanium and other metals. In turn, India exports to Kazakhstan medicines, refractory ceramic building materials, telephone sets, equipment for sorting and grinding soil, tea, medical devices and devices, vaccines, blood serums, nitrogen heterocyclic compounds.

We have six Joint Working Groups in the economic areas: on trade and economic cooperation, textile industry, IT, military-technical cooperation, science & technology, transport and logistics. We also have the Kazakhstan-India Business Council which serves as a great instrument for cooperation. We are working on institutionalisation of cooperation in space and medico-pharmaceutical spheres as well.

There is a need to implement joint national and regional projects with India in the field of medicine, pharmaceuticals, new technologies and finance using the capabilities of the International Technology Park of IT Startups 'Astana Hub' and the Astana International Financial Center. One of the measures to balance the trade deficit is the signing of a Free Trade Agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Union and its member states. At the moment the document is under consideration by the parties.

In general, it is expected that the future agreement will cover such issues as rules for determining the country of origin of goods, measures to protect the internal market, technical barriers to trade, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, customs procedures and trade facilitation, intellectual property, competition, public procurement, e-commerce, and sectoral cooperation. These measures will increase mutual trade in many sectors of the economy, as well as balance the trade deficit caused by India's imports of oil and petroleum products from Kazakhstan.

Q: India and Kazakhstan have been talking about a defence deal. What's the status on our defence cooperation? A: An indicator of high cooperation in the military-technical sphere between Kazakhstan and India is the implementation of joint peacekeeping activities within the framework of the UN Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL). In August 2020, the fourth rotation of the Kazakhstan peacekeeping contingent as part of Indbat took place. Currently, the Indian side has confirmed the extension of the fifth rotation of the Kazakhstan peacekeeping unit (February-August 2021).

At the same time, there is a high potential for further increasing cooperation between our countries in the military-technical field. On an ongoing basis, the leadership of the defence departments of Kazakhstan and India, as well as leading military-industrial companies, take part in military exhibitions of both countries. In particular, 'Kadex-2018', 'AeroIndia-2019', and 'DefExpo-2020'.

Q: How crucial is Iran's Chabahar port for strengthening of trade relations of Kazakhstan and India? A: Central Asia is a unique region connecting all four parts of the Eurasian continent. Since ancient times, this region has provided the shortest route between Europe and Asia. Today, the Central Asian territory has become an important link in the land corridor connecting the East (China) and the West (Europe) due to the railway crossings opened through the Dostyk and Khorgos stations, the Khorgos Dry Port, as well as the expansion of Aktau and Kuryk ports.

The next stage in the transit potential development of Central Asia should be the formation of the Central-Asian transport and transit economic corridor 'North-South' through the territory of Kazakhstan to connect Central and South Asia with the richest regions of Europe, the Urals, Siberia and the Far East. It so happened that almost all available transport corridors have a strongly marked geopolitical effect.

Kazakhstan, like other Central Asian countries, is a continental-landlocked country that does not have access to the seas and seaports. And this is an obstacle in mutual trade between Kazakhstan and India, creates difficulties for our economy, especially in terms of cargo transportation of goods.

It is cheaper to deliver products to their destination by sea than by land transport. In this context, the project being implemented in Chabahar presents favourable prospects. Many business representatives of Kazakhstan had to abandon the supply of products and raw materials from India only because of the lack of cheap and optimal delivery routes.

In this regard, the Kazakh side offered India services for the organisation of a multimodal logistics service from Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries through Iran to India with optimal delivery times. Proposals were also presented to conduct a joint study on the development of the Central Asian transport and transit economic Corridor 'North-South'.

We hope that in the near future all relevant issues will be resolved and we will all witness the implementation of this project, which will certainly lead to the strengthening of trade and economic ties between Kazakhstan and India.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  All travelers traveling to the United States via plane must show a negative coronavirus (COVID-19) test result prior to boarding, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Tuesday.

With the U.S. already in surge status, the testing requirement for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public, the CDC said in a statement.

Travelers must get a viral test three days prior to their flight to the U.S. and provide proof of a negative result  either a paper or electronic copy  to the airline prior to boarding.

People who had contracted the coronavirus must provide proper documentation that they have recovered from it prior to boarding, the CDC added.

In the case of missing testing documentation, the airline can deny boarding.

The policy will be in effect beginning Jan. 16.

Testing does not eliminate all risk, says CDC Director Robert R. Redfield. But, when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier and more responsible, by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations.
Americas institutions are using the invasion of the Capitol building by a relatively small number of extremists as a pretext for carrying out a purge of conservatives that they have long desired. The barons of the social media world are leading the charge, but others are following.

The latest conservative victim of the purge is Rep. Elise Stefanik, a member of Congress. Harvard has removed her from the Kennedy Schools Senior Advisory Committee. The Kennedy School is Harvards public policy institute.

The decision to sack Stefanik was made by Doug Elmendorf, dean of the Kennedy School, along with Mark Gearan, the schools director. Elmendorf was a high level official in the Clinton administration, working under Janet Yellen, Joe Bidens selection for Secretary of the Treasury. Gearan served also served in the Clinton administration and was a high level staffer on Clintons 1992 campaign and Mike Dukakis campaign in 1988.

Harvard couldnt remove Stefanik based on anything inappropriate she said about the rioting at the Capitol. So instead it seized on her statements regarding voter fraud in the presidential election.

In defense of his decision, Elmendorf stated that Elise has made public assertions about voter fraud in Novembers presidential election that have no basis in evidence. He also claimed that she has made public statements about court actions related to the election that are incorrect. Elmendorf didnt identify the assertions to which he was referring.

Has Elmendorf listened to, or reviewed the transcripts, of the various hearings on voter fraud that have been held since the election? If not, I dont see how he can say there is no basis in evidence for Stefaniks claims about voter fraud. If so, he should know that there is an evidentiary basis for claiming voter fraud.

I doubt that Elmendorf is familiar with the record. I think hes simply parroting the Democrats refrain.

As to incorrect statements about court actions, again, I dont know what Elmendorf is referring to. Ive seen incorrect statements by Democrats and media outlets about court cases  for example, statements that certain courts found no merit in fraud claims, whereas, in fact, these courts dismissed the claims for technical reasons.

Does Harvard now intend to fact check all public utterances by members of its boards and remove any member who might have mischaracterized something? Of course not. This is a pretext for punishing a prominent conservative member of Congress and leading supporter of President Trump.

Elmendorf denied that his decision has anything to do with politics:

[Stefaniks] assertions and statements do not reflect policy disagreements but bear on the foundations of the electoral process through which this countrys leaders are chosen.

Here again, Elmendorf is echoing the Democrats line.

In reality, the fairness and integrity of the electoral process is an area of policy disagreement  one of the most important areas, given its foundational nature. Stefanik believes, as many do, that the policies used to conduct this years election were a recipe for fraud and, in fact, produced a considerable amount of it.

By sacking Stefanik, Elmendorf is saying that this issue, so critical to our democracy, is off-the-table for discussion as far as Harvard is concerned.

Do our elites believe that the purge of conservatives they are conducting will have a calming or healing effect on America? No, they dont believe this, and obviously it wont. They believe they can get away with the purge and that it will enhance the power of the political side they favor.

Thats what this is about.

UPDATE by JOHN: A friend who is a Harvard alum emailed Elmendorf:

Dean Elmendorf, Harvard itself ranks the United States last among developed nations in electoral integrity, yet if someone, including Representative Stefanik, might discuss Harvards own work they are barred from working in connection with Harvard. I expect this kind of hypocrisy from low-level rank partisans, but not an institution of higher learning. https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/the-year-in-elections-2017 Joe Biden could easily unite this nation by following the post-2000 Carter / Baker report and embracing the Florida election integrity changes outlined recently by Governor Jeb Bush. It is incumbent upon leaders in our society to embrace constructive dialogue and not retreat to their partisan comfort zones.

Actually, this kind of hypocrisy is typical of institution[s] of higher learning, nearly all of which, including Harvard, are rank partisans, but the point is still an excellent one.
The account of the Kazakh human rights group was blocked after 9 January. As it gets ready to enter the Chinese market, Facebook seems to be censoring what might upset Beijing. The human rights group has more than 30,000 videos of Kazakhs speaking about their missing relatives.

Almaty (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Facebook has removed the account of a Kazakh human rights group that exposed Chinas repression against Kazakhs and Uyghurs in its forced labour camp in Xinjiang, this according to the groups founder Serikzhan Bilash.

For years, the Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights group has provided information about the situation of Kazakhs in China, including interviews, videos, and press releases.

He says that Facebook blocked the group's account on Monday. In fact, its last post is dated 9 January, last Saturday. On average, one or two news items were posted every day.

Bilash said the group's account was blocked after they posted five videos and some articles. He asked the social networking service for explanations, but none have been given.

According to several observers, Facebook is about to enter the Chinese market. In order to be accepted by Chinese authorities, it is censoring information about forced labour camps in Xinjiang.

Although the United Nations have slammed the camps, the Chinese government insists that they are only educational facilities to train Uyghurs and upgrade their professional skills.

In recent years, Bilash's group has collected eyewitness accounts about Chinese concentration camps in Xinjiang, which are said to be holding up to a million Uighurs and members of other Muslim minorities.

Atajurt Kazakh Human Rights archive is impressive: over 30,000 videos of Kazakhs speaking about missing relatives, with content translated into English, German, Turkish, French, Russian, Chinese, and Arabic.
Hoping to catch up to a surge in demand for the speedy delivery of goods in the pandemic, airports are building new hubs for air cargo carriers.

Since the pandemic started nearly a year ago, 15,000 fewer people arrive and depart daily from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, known as CVG. But its four runways handle a record amount of air cargo  nearly 4,000 tons a day. A new construction project there will become the center of Amazon Airs national air transport network, writes Keith Schneider for The New York Times.

The new facility, under construction on a 640-acre site along the airports southern boundary, is scheduled to open in the fall. It will feature a 798,000-square-foot sorting center, seven-level parking structure and acres of freshly poured concrete to accommodate 20 aircraft.

The Egyptian government said on Tuesday that there is no change in the exam system for higher education students, confirming that the system will still rely on written tests to be performed in person rather than the submission of research papers as was circulated on social media and some websites lately.

In a statement, the cabinets media center denied rumors of plans to merge the first and second semesters after confirming with the the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research that no new decisions or proposals were made regarding the current exams system for universities and academic institutions.

Exams for the first semester for all stages of university education nationwide will be held after 20 February, which marks the end of the mid-year vacation.

After the postponement of the exams till after the vacation due to coronavirus concerns, the education process has continued since 2 January through e-learning platforms available at all governmental and private universities and higher institutes.

The mid-year vacation is scheduled to start on Saturday 16 January.

All oral and practical exams for all stages of university education and postgraduate studies in all public and private universities as well as higher institutes have been postponed until after the end of the mid-year vacation.

All activities, conferences, and festivals held in educational entities have been halted until the end of the vacation, according to the ministrys statement.

On 31 December, Egypt announced the cancelation of mandatory attendance in classrooms and the postponment of first semester exams in schools and universities till after the mid-year vacation in an attempt to mitigate the impact of the second wave of the coronavirus.

Ten days earlier, the Ministry of Education made the attendance of students in classrooms optional.

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed the release of a civil rights activist, Segun Oladunni, who was arrested and paraded among nine other suspected internet fraudsters.

EFCCs spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed this to PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday night, in reaction to a claim by a civil right group, the Joint Action Front (JAF) that the EFCC illegally detained its member, Mr Oladunni, refusing him bail despite fulfilling the necessary conditions.

Mr Oladunni, a member of JAF, was arrested on Monday by operatives of the anti-graft agency in his home with other co-tenants in the Alagbado area of Lagos State.

The commission said the arrest was carried out following credible intelligence received by the commission about their alleged criminal activities.

The EFCC said the items recovered from the suspects at the point of arrest included cars, mobile phones, laptops, passports, a digital video recorder and a cheque-book.

In reaction, JAF in a statement issued by its executive secretary, Abiodun Aremu, accused the EFCC operatives of maliciously parading Mr Oladunni illegally and labelling him as a fraudster without carrying thorough investigation.

The group also accused the commission of refusing to grant Mr Oladunni bail after finding nothing incriminating against him despite checking his bank accounts and (he) fulfilling all necessary bail conditions yesterday (Monday) morning.

The commission, however, dismissed the allegations saying, There are standard operating procedures in cybercrime investigation by the Commission and we strive to adhere to it at all times.

Mr Uwujaren could not immediately confirm if Mr Oladunni had been released on bail, at the time of the first report, but later called back to confirm the release of the activist.

He (Mr Oladunni) has been released on bail to go home, he said Tuesday night.

He added that the investigation that led to his arrest is still ongoing.
THIS PRESS RELEASE SHOULD NOT BE PUBLISHED OR DISTRIBUTED, EITHER DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, CANADA, JAPAN OR AUSTRALIA

This acquisition would allow the Company to strengthen its position and generate positive operating cash flow 1 by 2022 Expansion of complementary product ranges Broadening of the international sales coverage Extension of the range distributed in the United States



by 2022 A convertible bond line has been agreed with Nice Green for a maximum of 5 million, enabling the financing of this acquisition and the new entity's activity in 2021 and 2022

Regulatory News:

IMPLANET (Paris:ALIMP) (Euronext Growth: ALIMP, FR0013470168, eligible for PEA-PME equity savings plans), a medical technology company specializing in vertebral and knee-surgery implants, today announces that it has finalized an exclusive negotiation agreement with a view to acquiring a company specialized in designing, manufacturing and selling implants for spine surgery2

This acquisition, which is subject to the approval of the Company's shareholders at its next Shareholders' Meeting, would allow Implanet to expand its portfolio of proprietary products and generate marketing, organizational and production synergies with significant impact on the new entity's results.

Ludovic Lastennet, CEO of Implanet, says: "This strategic acquisition project marks a major milestone in Implanet's development. It reflects our ambition of becoming a benchmark player while contributing to a consolidation of European companies capable of innovating and delivering new products on the increasingly competitive and regulated spine surgery market. As well as accelerating our growth, this acquisition would result in substantial commercial, technological and economic synergies. In order to finance this acquisition project and accelerate our development, we are putting in place a 5 million bond financing line

A specialist in the development of implants for spine surgery

Specialized in designing, manufacturing and selling implants for spine surgery, the company that is the target of this acquisition project possesses an extensive range of proprietary products distributed directly in France and indirectly in the rest of the world, and generated revenue of approximately 4 million in 2019. The company's entire product range has CE marking through to 2024 and recently received a 510(k) clearance from FDA.

An acquisition project to generate value-creating synergies

The integration of this new product range within Implanet's JAZZ platform would contribute to the creation of a comprehensive and innovative range of spine surgery products and to maintaining Implanet's position as an independent leader inband implants.

This operation materializes the two companies' shared desire to achieve critical size in order to benefit from savings of scale, continue growth and increase margins. The target company's experienced management team, acknowledged in its market, shares the same values as Implanet and will be a shareholder in the new entity.

Planned terms and conditions of the acquisition

This acquisition project, which should be finalized at the end of April 2021, will be paid for in cash and Implanet shares. Its implementation will be subject to the usual conditions precedent, notably regarding the undertaking of financial and regulatory audits. To this effect, Implanet will hold a General Meeting.

The Company will provide more detailed information on the terms and conditions of the acquisition at a later date.

Financing

This acquisition and the financing of the Company's activity will be funded by a financing line comprising of 5 million in bonds convertible into shares. A portion of these funds will also be used to finance the new entity's operating cash requirements through 2021 and 2022, before reaching positive cash flow at the end of 2022.

Legal framework of the bond financing

Acting on powers delegated by the Extraordinary Shareholders' Meeting of April 7, 2020 in accordance with resolution 163, the Company's Board of Directors, at its meeting of January 13, 2021, decided to put in place a new financing line for a maximum of 5 million via the issuance of 500 convertible bonds (the "Bonds"). This line, ensured by Nice Green SA, a private company under Swiss law that specializes in providing financing solutions suited to listed companies, will enable to Company to finance the acquisition project and the new entity's operating cash requirements through 2021 and 2022.

In accordance with the terms of the agreement, Nice Green, as a specialized investor, has pledged except in the event of default for the usual reasons4 for a period of 20 months, to subscribe a maximum number of 500 Bonds with a nominal value of 10,000 each. This new bond line comes on top of the 0.9 million remaining balance on the previous convertible bond financing program concluded with Nice Green in February 2020, which will continue until it expires.

The investor's policy is to not integrate the governance of the companies in which it invests, and therefore it does not intend to ask for representation within Implanet's governance. Furthermore, the investor does not intend to remain a long-term Implanet shareholder and intends to rapidly divest shares resulting from the conversion of the bonds on the market.

Pursuant to the provision of the general regulations of the AMF French stock market authority, this operation has not been and will not be subject to a prospectus requiring an AMF visa.

The implementation of bond financing does not significantly modify the Company's liquidity risks as described in Chapter 4, "Risk Factors" of the Company's 2017 Reference Document filed with the AMF on 16 April 2018 under reference number D.18-0337, as well as in the annual financial report of December 31, 2019 and the half-year financial report of June 30, 2020.

The Company draws attention to the risks specific to the Company and its business indicated in Chapter 4, "Risk Factors", of its 2017 Reference Document filed with the AMF on April 16, 2018 under reference number D.18-0337, as well as in the annual financial report of December 31, 2019 and the half-yearly financial report of June 30, 2020.

Main characteristics of the convertible bonds and impact of the issuance on the Company's shareholders' equity and share capital

See the Appendix to this press release.

Upcoming financial event:

- 2020 annual revenue, Tuesday January 19, 2021 after market close

About Implanet

Founded in 2007, Implanet is a medical technology company that manufactures high-quality implants for orthopedic surgery. Its activity revolves around two product ranges, the latest generation JAZZ implant, designed to improve the treatment of spinal pathologies requiring vertebral fusion surgery, and the MADISON implant designed for first-line prosthetic knee surgery. Implanet's tried-and-tested orthopedic platform is based on product traceability. Protected by four families of international patents, JAZZ and MADISON have obtained 510(k) regulatory clearance from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States, the CE mark as well as the ANVISA authorization in Brazil. Implanet employs 36 staff and recorded 2019 sales of 7.4 million. For further information, please visit www.implanet.com. Based near Bordeaux in France, Implanet established a US subsidiary in Boston in 2013. Implanet is listed on Euronext Growth market in Paris.

The Company would like to remind that the table for monitoring the equity line (OCA, OCAPI, BSA) and the number of shares outstanding, is available on its website: http://www.implanet-invest.com/suivi-des-actions-80

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements concerning Implanet and its activities. Such forward looking statements are based on assumptions that Implanet considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that the anticipated events contained in such forwardlooking statements will occur. Forward- looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties including the risks set forth in the registration document of Implanet registered by the French Financial Markets Authority (Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) on April 16, 2018 under number D.18-0337, as well as in the annual financial report of December 31, 2019 and the half-yearly financial report of June 30, 2020 and available on the Company's website (www.implanet-invest.com), and to the development of economic situation, financial markets, and the markets in which Implanet operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this release are also subject to risks unknown to Implanet or that Implanet does not consider material at this time. The realization of all or part of these risks could lead to actual results, financial conditions, performances or achievements by Implanet that differ significantly from the results, financial conditions, performances or achievements expressed in such forward-looking statements. This press release and the information it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or to subscribe for, or a solicitation of an order to purchase or subscribe for Implanet shares in any country.

Appendix: Main characteristics of the convertible bonds and impact of the issuance on the Company's shareholders' equity and share capital

The convertible bonds have a nominal value of 10,000 each and are subscribed to at 98% of this nominal value. They bear no interest and will have a maturity of 12 months from their issuance. Except in the event of default5, any Bonds that reach maturity unconverted will be converted.

The Bonds will be numbered from 1 to 500 and will have to be issued and subscribed to by Nice Green, subject to certain conditions6, in accordance with the following schedule:

Periods of 21 trading days Bonds Total amount over

the period Period 17 from Feb. 1, 2021 (included) to

April 30, 2021 (included) 1 to 160 1,600,000 Period 2 161 to 180 200,000 Period 3 181 to 200 200,000 Period 4 201 to 220 200,000 Period 5 221 to 240 200,000 Period 6 241 to 260 200,000 Period 7 261 to 280 200,000 Period 8 281 to 300 200,000 Period 9 301 to 320 200,000 Period 10 321 to 340 200,000 Period 11 341 to 360 200,000 Period 12 361 to 380 200,000 Period 13 381 to 400 200,000 Period 14 401 to 400 200,000 Period 15 421 to 440 200,000 Period 16 441 to 460 200,000 Period 17 461 to 480 200,000 Period 18 481 to 500 200,000

The Bonds may be converted into Implanet shares at any time at their holder's discretion according to a conversion ratio determined by the following formula:

N Vn P

"N" corresponding to the number of new Implanet ordinary shares to be issued upon conversion of one Bond;

"Vn" corresponding to the amount of debt represented by the Bond (nominal value of one convertible bond);

"P" corresponding to 92% of the lowest daily volume-weighted average price of an Implanet share ("VWAP" as published by Bloomberg) over the eight (8) trading days immediately preceding the date on which the request is received to convert the Bond in question, it being specified that the trading days during which the Bond bearer sells Implanet shares will be excluded. P may not be lower than the nominal value of an Implanet share, currently 0.10, nor than the minimum issue price provided for by resolution 16 of the Shareholders' Meeting (i.e. 75% of the average VWAP over the five (5) trading days immediately preceding its setting).

The convertible bonds, which will be divestible under certain conditions, will not be the subject of a request for admission to trading on the Euronext Growth market in Paris and will therefore not be listed.

New shares resulting from the conversion of the Bonds

The new shares issued upon conversion of the convertible bonds will carry immediate and current dividend rights ("jouissance courante"). They will carry the same rights as those attached to the Company's ordinary shares and will be admitted for trading on the Euronext Growth market in Paris under the same listing line (ISIN: FR0013470168). These issues will be the subject of publications on Implanet's Investor website ("Donnees Boursieres" "Suivi des actions" section of the French version of the site).

Impact of the convertible bond issue on the Company's shareholders' equity and share capital

For guidance purposes, the impact of the issuance of all the 500 convertible bonds would be as follows (based on the lowest of the eight (8) volume-weighted average Implanet share prices prior to January 13, 2021, i.e. 1.1184:

Impact of the issue on equity per share (based on consolidated shareholders' equity (Group share) as indicated in the Company's half-yearly accounts to June 30, 2020, adjusted for the capital increases implemented between July 1, 2020 and today (*) and excluding interim losses, and on a share capital of 5,351,545 shares to date taking into account the capital increase resulting from the conversion of bonds convertible into shares recorded by the Board of Directors at its meetings of September 9, 2020 and December 23, 2020 but not taking into account the deduction of treasury shares):

Equity per share

(in euros) Undiluted basis Diluted basis(1) Before the issue 0.51 1.02 After the issuance of a maximum of 4,859,558

new shares to be issued within the framework

of the conversion of the 500 convertible bonds 0.75 1.02

Adjusted shareholders' equity of 2,705,989.

(1) Assuming the exercise of all share subscription warrants, 'BSPCE' stock options for employees, stock options and bonds convertible into shares in circulation, whether exercisable or not, i.e. 1,819,588 'BSPCE' stock options for employees, 163,500 stock options, 4,673,465 share subscription warrants and 150 bonds convertible into shares whose exercise would result in the creation of 2,669,852 new shares. This dilution does not presuppose either the final number of shares to be issued or their issuance price, which will be set depending on the share price, according to the terms described above.

Impact of the issue on the interest of a shareholder currently holding 1% of the Company's share capital:

Shareholder's holding (as a %) Undiluted basis Diluted basis(2) Before the issue 1 0.667 After the issuance of a maximum of 4,859,558

new shares to be issued within the framework

of the conversion of the 500 convertible bonds 0.524 0.415

(2) Assuming the exercise of all share subscription warrants, 'BSPCE' stock options for employees, stock options and bonds convertible into shares in circulation, whether exercisable or not, i.e. 1,819,588 'BSPCE' stock options for employees, 163,500 stock options, 4,673,465 share subscription warrants and 150 bonds convertible into shares whose exercise would result in the creation of 2,669,852 new shares. This dilution does not presuppose either the final number of shares to be issued or their issuance price, which will be set depending on the share price, according to the terms described above.

1 Corresponding to the self-financing capacity, more or less the working capital requirement.

2 The name of the company is still confidential at this time

3 Immediate or future capital increase via the issuance of ordinary shares and/or any securities giving access to the Company's equity capital with pre-emptive rights waived in favor of companies or investment funds, shareholders in the Company or not, or banking institutions that habitually grant loans, that could notably, without limitation, take the form of bonds with or without securities giving access to the Company's equity capital, to companies that have yet to break even.

4 See the Appendix to this press release.

5 Cases of default include, in particular non-payment of amounts due under the financing when due, failure by the Company to meet its commitments which have not been remedied within 10 calendar days, delisting or suspension of the listing of Euronext Growth shares (unless listing is transferred to Euronext Paris), refusal to certify the financial statements by the statutory auditors (unless remedied within 30 business days), the occurrence of a material adverse event or any event adversely affecting the Company's ability to perform its obligations, the occurrence of a change of control, the occurrence of insolvency proceedings, the suspension, interruption by the Company of its activities on a voluntary basis or the sale or transfer of its main assets (except for fair consideration or at market conditions), the condemnation of the Company.

6 The conditions include notably compliance by the Company with its commitments, the maintenance of representations and warranties, the absence of a material adverse event, the absence of a commitment entered into by the company that could lead to a change of control, and the absence of the occurrence of an event of default that has not been remedied.

7 It being specified that a minimum of 50 convertible bonds will have to be subscribed to by no later than April 7, 2021.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005670/en/

Contacts:

IMPLANET

Ludovic Lastennet, CEO

David Dieumegard, CFO

Tel.: +33 (0)5 57 99 55 55

investors@Implanet.com

NewCap

Investor Relations

Mathilde Bohin

Nicolas Fossiez

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Implanet@newcap.eu

NewCap

Media Relations

Nicolas Merigeau

Tel.: +33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

Implanet@newcap.eu
Questo comunicato e stato pubblicato piu di 3 mesi fa. Le informazioni su questa pagina potrebbero non essere attendibili.

The global Electric submersible pump (ESP) market is estimated to generate nearly US$ 82 Mn in 2020, expanding steadily to reach a valuation of US$ 13 Bn by the end of the forecast period.

A sizeable demand pull from key end-use industries and well-established markets is poised to generate a steady growth curve during the assessment period. Over time, Electric submersible pump (ESP) have found extensive applications for industrial de-watering. This has catapulted the demand for continuous-duty motors, having cycles exceeding 20 minutes.

The need to access potable water for municipal purposes has also accelerated Electric submersible pump (ESP) demand. By 2025, it is predicted that nearly a quarter of the global population will experience water scarcity, mostly attributed to injudicious usage. Therefore, water management systems incorporating Industry 4.0 have become important to ensure zero wastage. Technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics and the internet of things are being incorporated into Electric submersible pump (ESP) to track domestic and commercial water usage.

The coronavirus pandemic has dented short-term growth prospects for the market. As countries reel under the economic downturn induced by the closure of business operations, end-use industries have experienced significant downsizing of their operations. Consequently, there has been a decline in cash inflow, reducing the demand for Electric submersible pump (ESP). However, vendors are exploiting this hiatus to strengthen their existing portfolios by incorporating technological and mechanical advancements and develop better quality pumps.

For more insights into the Market, request a sample of this report@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-817

"As the global outreach of Electric submersible pump (ESP) deepens over time, market players are increasingly resorting to online marketing in order to broaden their customer base. Additionally, vendors are rolling out several incentives in the form of price reduction and after-sales service, heightening growth prospects for the future," infers an FMI analyst.

Key Takeaways from FMI's Electric submersible pump (ESP) Market Study

Electric submersible pump (ESP) market shall expand at a 5% CAGR during the 2020-2030 forecast period

Industrial sector shall account for 3/4 th of new Electric submersible pump (ESP) demand by 2030

US, Japan and China collectively account for 30% of Electric submersible pump (ESP) sales, attributed to heavy industrialization in these countries

Smart Electric submersible pump (ESP) providing real-time data and predictive maintenance are gaining immense traction

Borewell Electric submersible pump (ESP) shall remain highly preferred, capturing 50% of the revenue share

Emphasis on wastewater treatment and sustainable sewage infrastructure renders Asia-Pacific a lucrative market for submersible pump manufacturers

Electric submersible pump (ESP) Market- Key Trends

Submersible water pumps equipped with sensors and visualization tools are becoming mainstream. These pumps enable engineers to maintain better records of the water systems. This helps reduce wastage, enhances system efficiency and improves quality

The oil & gas industry is increasingly adopting Electric submersible pump (ESP) as they are highly effective in extracting liquids from wells with low bottomhole pressure. The industry is leveraging IoT to increase operational output.

Heavy usage of corrosive chemicals in the paper pulping and wastewater management segments may not bode well for the pumps used, increasing chances of wear and tear and increase maintenance costs.

Operations beyond the Best Efficiency Point (BEP) range of 30% can cause significant damage to the pump due to cavitation, thus limiting their uptake in industrial sectors.

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Electric submersible pump (ESP) Market- Region-wise Analysis

East Asia shall spearhead the regional landscape of Electric submersible pump (ESP), with China contributing the maximum revenue due to it being a manufacturing hub

High domestic consumption of industrial and municipal grade Electric submersible pump (ESP) is accelerating production in the Chinese market

Significant investments in waste water treatment plants to address water scarcity characterizes the Chinese market landscape. For instance, the Bailonggang waste water treatment plant is Asia's largest water treatment facility, possessing a catchment area spanning over 270 kilometers

More than 33% of waste water produced by Shanghai is treated in this plant everyday

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Electric submersible pump (ESP) Market- Competitive Landscape

The Electric submersible pump (ESP) market players are leveraging Industry 4.0 in order to provide technologically advanced Electric submersible pump (ESP) to end-users. For instance, Grundfolds has partnered with Telenor Connexion and Ericsson to devise a cutting edge IoT Platform to manage water infrastructures across the world.

Players also resort to offering inexpensive solutions, smart technologies and customized offerings. Examples of this approach are of Hydroo Pump Industries which offers IE-3 certified user-friendly, robust and reliable Electric submersible pump (ESP) for irrigation, wastewater treatment, and HVAC & building services. Similarly, Xylem Inc., an American company, offers the Flygt Concertor smart wastewater pumping system to reduce water sanitation and servicing expenses.

Electric submersible pump (ESP) Market Taxonomy

Product Type

Non Clog Electric submersible pump (ESP)

Open Well Electric submersible pump (ESP)

Bore Well Electric submersible pump (ESP)

Head Type

Below 50 meters

50-100 meters

Above 100 meters

Application

Agriculture

Industrial Oil & Gas Firefighting Mining Construction Other

Municipal

Water Supply & Distribution

Wastewater Management

Region/Country

North America

U.S

Canada

Latin America

Brazil

Mexico

Rest of Latin America

Europe

Nordic countries

U.K

Germany

France

Russia

Rest of Europe

South Asia & the Pacific

India

ASEAN

Oceania

Rest of South Asia & the Pacific

East Asia

China

Japan

South Korea

Middle East & Africa

GCC

Southern Africa

Turkey

Rest of MEA

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Know more about FMI's Electric submersible pump (ESP) Market Study

Electric submersible pump (ESP) market, a new study from Future Market Insights, opines on the study of Electric submersible pump (ESP) market dynamics from 2015 - 2019 and presents demand projections from 2020 - 2030 bringing to the fore the prominent drivers, restraints and opportunities lying in store for the industry. The market has been segmented in detail, elucidating on the revenue prospects and market share across seven prominent regions.

Explore Extensive Coverage on FMI's Industrial Automation & Equipment Landscape

Centrifugal Pumps Market: FMI's centrifugal pumps market study provides a comprehensive bird's-eye view on the key dynamics impacting market growth for the 2020-2030 assessment period. It brings to fore insights that can help stakeholders identify the opportunities and challenges across key regions.

Water Treatment Market: Glean vital information about the water treatment market growth prospects across key regions in FMI's extensive coverage in its research report for the upcoming forecast decade.

Sea Water Injection Pumps Market: FMI's report studies the sea water injection pumps market based on horsepower, application and end-user across seven major regions, bringing to fore insights that can help stakeholders identify opportunities as well as challenges associated with the growth of the market.

About Future Market Insights (FMI)

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMI's latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and take critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition.

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Roseburg, OR (97470)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 66F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 43F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 76F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 44F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
ONE MORE WARM "FALL LIKE" DAY

Wednesday begins with some clouds across the area, but clouds clear somewhat in the afternoon as temps rise very comfortably into the mid-40s. This is around 20 degrees above the average for this time of year. A fantastic day to get outdoors, especially considering the weather that's on it's way...

A WINTRY MIX FOR THURSDAY MORNING

The weather begins as a cold front moves across our area early Thursday morning with scattered rain/snow/ice all a possibility as temps meander around 32 degrees. There is a potential for some slick spots Thursday morning, especially if precipitation is more so ice and snow. This line of scattered precipitation slowly moves towards the Mississippi River by noon as it cools entirely into snow.

More sporadic snow showers are possible throughout the rest of the day Thursday. It does look like there will be some sort of break in the precip at some point Thursday afternoon or evening.

SNOW CONTINUES FRIDAY

Snow will continue to fall throughout the day Friday as the low pressure center of the storm hangs out somewhere nearby. How much snow we see is dependent on exactly where the center ends up. As of Wednesday morning, it seems the center ends up near La Crosse, Wisconsin. This would push some heavier snowfall totals above 6 inches and strong winds into areas along and west of I-35 like Albert Lea, Forest City, and Owatonna. Keep in mind, any change in where this center ends up will change snowfall amounts. A center setting up slightly further to the east, say near Madison, Wisconsin, would push totals and winds up. Whereas a center overhead our area decreases the severity of both.

For now, 4-6" seems like a good bet by early Saturday morning when snow ends, with 1-2" being the absolute lower bound of possible scenarios for most of us. We can generally expect more snow further west and north. This puts Owatonna at more of a risk than Charles City.

Taking a look at computer models. There is decent agreement for a large swath of totals above 6 inches somewhere in Minnesota. High -resolution models, which work a bit differently, will begin to run far enough out to lend us a new picture of the storm by late Wednesday.

(This hi-res model does not yet go far enough out to paint a decent picture)
Harrisburg Mayor Eric Papenfuse issued an executive order Tuesday for all municipal employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine in a reasonable amount of time.

The order states that all management and non-management employees must get their vaccines in accordance with Pennsylvanias phased schedule.

Its crucial that all City staff become vaccinated for COVID-19, Papenfuse said in a statement. We need to do whatever is possible to curb the spread of the virus, and the vaccine is the best protection against this disease.

You can read the full executive order below:

Read more on PennLive:
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-12 20:34:47|Editor: huaxia

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COPENHAGEN, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A new strategy may have been the determining factor behind increased sales and lower expenses as Denmark's high-end electronics company Bang & Olufsen (B&O) achieve a second-quarter (Q2) profit of 12 million Danish Kroner (about 1.96 million U.S. dollars), according to the company's interim financial report for Q2 of 2020/21 released on Tuesday.

"In general, we are satisfied with the results in the second quarter. As communicated in our announcement in December 2020, we delivered positive EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxation) as well as a double-digit year-on-year growth for Q2 in a row," said the company's CEO Kristian Tear in the report.

B&O's financial accounts for Q2 begin in September to November each year.

In April 2020, Tear launched a new strategy to make B&O profitable, after a series of poor results since 2018, by primarily focusing on eight countries: Denmark, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Spain, China and South Korea.

"The results were primarily driven by strong execution on our strategic priorities, successful product launches and greater customer demand for home products," said the CEO.

Further highlights of the interim report were a year-on-year increase of almost 11 percent in the sale of TVs, sound systems, speakers and headphones, free cash flow exceeding 100 million Danish kroner and EBIT rise by 25 million Danish kroner.

In addition, a reduction in expenses, which saw the company reduce staffing from 895 to 858 in the year of 2020, also contributed to the improved results. (1 U.S. dollar = 6.12 Danish Kroner) Enditem

Ipsos Names Philippines Country Manager

Ipsos has appointed Vicky Abad as Country Manager for the Philippines, replacing Marie Lee, who retired in December 2020 having led the business there for the past eight years.



Abad (pictured) joins with more than 30 years of market research industry experience. Most recently, she served as Chief Client Officer of Kantar Insights Philippines, before which she held leadership positions at Millward Brown, WorldPanel, TNS, Added Value and Nielsen Retail (then Dealer Pulse) in the Philippines, as well as Nielsen China. In addition, she has twelve years' client-side experience working at San Miguel Food Group and Splash Manufacturing Corporation, where she held leadership roles across marketing research and information services, corporate planning and new product development.



Suresh Ramalingam, CEO for South East Asia, comments: 'I am delighted to welcome Vicky to lead an important market for Ipsos. She is an effective business and people leader, and we look forward to continuing the business momentum we've been experiencing in the Philippines over the past year. I am positive that our level of client engagement and partnership will grow further together with our new services and capabilities'.



In her new role, Abad takes over from Lee, who joined in 2013 from TNS, where she held senior positions in the Philippines, Thailand and the US.



Web site: www.ipsos.com .




Mumbai hospital conducts 192 deliveries of COVID-19 +ve women

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

Mumbai, Jan 13: Doctors of Mumbai's Sir Jamshedji Jeejeebhoy (JJ) Hospital have conducted 192 successful deliveries of COVID-19 positive women, amid the pandemic.

None of the patients or newborn has died and all are in stable conditions

Head of the hospital's Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department Dr Rajshree Katke said, "We decided to set up a makeshift ward for such women where they can be taken care of."

Most of the time, the patients reach the hospital at the final stage of the maternity. Therefore, by the time their reports were out, they would have delivered the baby normally or by C-section.

Dr Katke said they feel proud in helping those pregnant women who were turned away by most of the hospitals in the city fearing they will contract infections.

"Since the outbreak of the pandemic, many hospitals had shut their maternity wards stating the pregnant women will contract infections due to which they all were running from pillar to post to get admitted. Most of the time pregnant women were referred to JJ hospital at their final stage of maternity following which we decided to set up a makeshift ward for such women where they can be taken care off," she said.

"We had no choice but to save the life of mother and child by taking pre-convention and risk," said the doctor.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

All patients were shifted to Cama Albless or St George hospitals after their deliveries were done.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 10:06 [IST]
[January 13, 2021] Numerator Reports Amazon and Insurance Industry Lead Ad Spend For African American / Hispanic Media and Ads With Diverse Talent

CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Numerator , a data and tech company serving the market research industry, has released three reports quantifying brand spend in Black / African American media, Hispanic media and in ads with Black / African American talent. Analysis indicates that the insurance sector leads in spend in all three areas. Amazon is the only company to make the top five of all three lists, although Geico follows closely. Numerator People Insights data, collected through MicroSurveys in Numerator's consumer app, shows that Black / African American consumers are not only more likely to be aware of a brand's values, they are also more likely to say a brand's values are important when making a purchase. And while 16% of all consumers say a brand's commitment to diversity, equality, and social justice is important when they make a purchase decision, that number is nearly double for Black / African American consumers (31%).









All Asian Black /

African American Hispanic / Latino White /

Caucasian Other A brand's values are important when I make a purchase 17.9% 18.3% 21.9% 17.8% 17.1% 21.2% I'm extremely or very aware of the corporate values behind the products I purchase 28.3% 31.2% 38.1% 37.2% 24.5% 33.4% A brand's commitment to diversity, equality & social justice is important to me when choosing a product or service 16.1% 15.8% 31.1% 18.1% 12.9% 18.1%

This analysis captures media spend across 24 paid media channels for the 12 months ending 11/30/20. Key findings of the detailed charts include: General Insurance, Automotive and Telecom are the largest spenders in Black / African American and Hispanic media-- with the three industries representing 81% of the top 15 brands' ad spend in Black / African American media and representing $6.7B in ad spend.

in ad spend. Spend in Hispanic media is dominated by the insurance sector with 68% of top 15 brands' spend, and the rest fragmented across another nine industries.

While Insurance is also the leader in ad spend with Black / African American talent at 19% of the Top 30, CPG brands and retailers each come in at 13% of the top 30 with brands like Gillette, Dove and Bounty and Amazon, Target and Walmart. Insurance Insurance companies represent 41% of ad spend by the top 15 advertisers in Black / African American media and 68% in Hispanic Media.

Insurance is the largest industry investing in ad spend with Black / African American talent as well, with 19% of total ad spend with Black / African American talent.

Geico is the largest spender in both Black / African American and Hispanic Media. Among insurance companies, State Farm spends the most on ads with Black / African American talent. Automotive Automotive companies are the next most aggressive investors in diverse media among the top 15, coming in #2 in Black / African American media spend at 17% and #3 in Hispanic media spend at 5%.

Toyota, Chevrolet and Hyundai are among the top 15 in Black / African American media while Hyundai and Nissan invest in Hispanic media.

and are among the top 15 in Black / African American media while and invest in Hispanic media. Hyundai, Subaru, Lincoln and Kia are all in the top 30 brands placing ad dollars into ads with Black / African American talent. Telecom Comcast, T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon all make the top 15 list for ad spend in Black / African American media -- while no Telecom companies make the top 15 for Hispanic Media.

all make the top 15 list for ad spend in Black / African American media -- while no Telecom companies make the top 15 for Hispanic Media. AT&T has the single largest ad spend on Black / African American talent ads of any advertiser across all industries. Methodology:

Black / African American Media: This tracking universe represents the Black / African American focused U.S. media and markets that Numerator monitors and is a subset of our General Media tracking universe. Numerator monitors advertising spend for 184 Black / African American media outlets across TV networks, radio stations, newspapers, and magazines. Hispanic Media: This tracking universe represents the Spanish language and Hispanic focused U.S. media and markets that Numerator monitors. Numerator monitors advertising spend for more than 300 Spanish language and Hispanic focused media outlets across TV networks, radio stations, newspapers, and magazines. Diverse Talent: Identifies advertisements that feature Black / African American actors or other talent. About Numerator

Numerator is a data and tech company serving the market research space. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Numerator has more than 2,000 employees worldwide. The company blends proprietary data with advanced technology to create unique insights for the market research industry that has been slow to change. The majority of Fortune 100 companies are Numerator clients. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/numerator-reports-amazon-and-insurance-industry-lead-ad-spend-for-african-american--hispanic-media-and-ads-with-diverse-talent-301207762.html SOURCE Numerator

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Firstpost caught up with Andrea Jeremiah and Malavika Mohanan on their experience of being part of Tamil cinema's first major theatrical release in 2021, working with Kollywood's new-gen filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj, and sharing the screen with Thalapathy Vijay for the first time.

The excitement surrounding the release of Thalapathy Vijays Master directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj is at an all-time high in Tamil cinema. It is the first big Indian film to have a tentpole pan-Indian release in theatres after the pandemic altered the dynamics of the movie business in the last few months, necessitating a paradigm shift in the industry. Apart from the Tamil original version, Master will have Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam dubbed versions as well. The team has been earnestly promoting the film over the past week or so across all platforms. Vijay Sethupathi, Malavika Mohanan, and Andrea Jeremiah are the other big noteworthy names in the ensemble cast.

Andrea, who is generally known to be elusive when it comes to her media interactions, opened up about her role in Master. About her restrained choices of films and how she came on board for a star-driven vehicle in Master, Andrea said, "Thats not entirely true. Aayirathil Oruvan was a commercial film, as was Aranmanai. Vada Chennai was an intelligently made film, but a commercial one nonetheless."

She further added: "For a while, yes, I wasnt really a part of these so-called mass films. But thats more because I have been labelled as someone who doesnt do commercial films. The truth is, any film that runs well at the box-office is commercial. In todays world, the lines have been blurred. And as an artist, my only prerogative is to do good work, to constantly challenge myself in every film that I do. And by those standards, Master fit the bill for me." On the other hand, Master marks Malavika Mohanan's sophomore project in Tamil after Superstar Rajinikanth's Petta, where she appeared briefly in the flashback portion alongside Sasikumar. Malavika plays a college lecturer in the film, which is jointly produced by Lalit Kumar's Seven Screen Studio and Xavier Britto's XB Film Creators. Malavika candidly admits that she has only a small role in Master which is widely being touted as this big showdown and shootout between Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi.

In a group interaction, Malavika said, "I shot for the film in New Delhi, Shimoga, and Chennai. By the end of the first schedule in Delhi, Vijay sir slowly started opening up to me and we became good friends by the end of the film. He's largely a reserved person, but. Lokesh's team was really energetic & happening, as all of them are youngsters and we had great fun shooting for the film."

Andrea, who is well-known for her substantial roles in films such as Taramani and Vada Chennai, had made it clear at some Kollywood events that she deserves better films. Did Master fit the bill? She said, "I think all women in the industry deserve better roles. And Im happy to say that things are changing, and really fast as well. The typical heroine is also changing and thats a relief. I guess todays audience wants to see real women represented on screen. When Lokesh met me, the first thing he said was that he knew the role was too small for me but he felt I was the right person for it. And I have learned over the years that if an actor can keep aside their ego and see a role for what it is, theres a lot more variety to choose from."

Andrea added, "The audience remembers moments, not entire films. Sometimes its not the screen-time that matters, its the moments an actor gets onscreen. Lokesh offered me such a moment in the pre-climax of the film. And sharing screen space with a huge star like Vijay is something my fans are bound to enjoy. So I decided to take the plunge."

Meanwhile, Malavika's portions in the film are said to be lightweight and breezy going by the promos released so far. "I'm glad that my romantic song 'Andha Kanna Paathaaka' has become this huge chartbuster even before the film's release. I also got to be a part of two very intense sequences in the film. I believe that even a role with small screen time can leave an impact on the audiences. The screen time doesn't matter if the role excites me as an actor. We are all eagerly anticipating the release of the film; in fact, some of my friends in Bollywood like Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani are also closely watching the release of Master as its the first big film to come out in Indian theatres post the pandemic."

Talking about her working experience with Lokesh, Andrea said, "I have been lucky to work with some of the finest directors in South India. Lokesh definitely has what it takes, that clarity of vision & focus that is the mark of any good film-maker. Im excited to see where his career will take him."Malavika has now started shooting for her next film with Dhanush (D43) in Chennai while she's also been very busy promoting Master in Mumbai amidst the mainstream Bollywood media. Asked about working with Vijay for the first time, Malavika said, "He is a perfect gentleman. The way he treats his co-artists on the set was very sweet. He makes everyone comfortable and was encouraging as well."

Master releases worldwide on 13 January for the extended Pongal weekend holidays.
A Lancaster man was sentenced to up to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to a May 2019 shooting, prosecutors said.

Jason Garcia, 41, recently admitted to shooting someone in the leg May 4, 2019, on the 100 block of North Duke Street, according to a news release from the Lancaster County District Attorneys Office.

Surveillance cameras captured Garcia getting out of a gray Nissan and confronting two people. As they walked away, Garcia pulled a gun from his waistband and shot one in the leg, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said the person who was shot suffered serious injuries that required extensive treatment and hospitalization.

Garcia was sentenced to between 5 1/2 and 12 years in prison. His guilty plea in response to charges of aggravated assault and carrying a firearm without a license.

READ MORE: Mom, grandma charged in 1-month-olds drug-related death in Harrisburg

Harrisburg police charge teen in death of 50-year-old man outside convenience store
Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday indirectly slammed both China and Pakistan on terrorism during his address at the UNSC meeting. Asking UNSC members to not make false distinctions of "good terrorists" and "bad terrorists", he said that the countries that cover up for such countries are as culpable.

Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday indirectly slammed both China and Pakistan on terrorism during his address at the UNSC meeting. Asking UNSC members to not make false distinctions of good terrorists and bad terrorists, he said that the countries that cover up for such countries are as culpable.

In his indirect reference, EAM Jaishankar also hit out at China and Pakistan for slowing the process of identifying terrorist individuals and entities. He pointed out that they have also been unable to stop terror funding in the states.

Also read: Amid Bird Flu scare across India, China imposes ban on poultry import from European nations

Also read: Ahead of 1st phase of vaccine rollout from January 16th, Covid-19 vaccines shipped to several states

All the members of the UN Security Council will speak on the 20 years of adoption of the resolution 1373. Indias External Affairs Minister Dr Jaishankar will also take part in this open debate today. The meeting will be held virtually via video conferencing, it will start at around 7 p.m. IST or 8.30 a.m. EST (New York time)

Resolution 1373 was adopted by the UN Security Council on September 28, 2001, after the 9/11 terror attacks in New York. Resolution 1373 is a counter-terrorism measure that calls on the United Nations member states to execute steps to prevent terrorism at home and around the world.

Also read: Farmer protests: SC stays 3 farm laws, to set up committee after review

Fr Michael Commane: "I can well imagine it's a lonely ministry being a bishop. Dealing with priests can't be the easiest of jobs!"

Diarmuid Martin is about to hand over his episcopal baton to his successor Dermot Farrell, though of course, he remains an archbishop.

Readers of this column, who attend Mass, will be aware that in the Eucharistic Prayer the priest prays for the pope and the bishop of the diocese. It is a long and wholesome tradition that the assembled people pray for their bishop and the pope.

It's a lovely reminder of the unity of the community and it is also a prayer of hope that in spite of all our differences we are in unity with our bishop and pope. No, not that we are nodding the head in subservient obedience, rather that the unity of people, with their bishop and pope help us on our pilgrimage or journey, that ultimately leads us to God.

So for example at Mass in the Catholic Diocese of Ferns people pray for their bishop Denis, in Kerry they pray for Raymond and in the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin people pray for their archbishop Diarmuid.

A new man, Dermot Farrell has been appointed to Dublin. So once he's installed as archbishop we'll be moving from Diarmuid to Dermot.

In his 16 years as archbishop in Dublin Diarmuid Martin made it a priority of his ministry to clean up the long sad legacy of clerical child sex abuse in the diocese. It was by no means an easy job. He was a most competent church leader, who also performed well on radio and television and had no problem answering difficult questions, honestly.

Over the last 10 years or so I have met Diarmuid Martin a number of times. On every occasion I found the man interesting and engaging. Maybe because both of us have an interest in things German made it easier for us to converse.

On one visit when I thought I might get 15 minutes of his time, we spent an hour chatting. And on another occasion, when I called on him for advice I found him most helpful and indeed decisive.

At least from my perspective I got the impression that he had an inspiring and forward-looking understanding of the role of the church in the world in which we live.

I can well imagine it's a lonely ministry being a bishop. Dealing with priests can't be the easiest of jobs!

That reminds me of hearing a story about a well-known priest in Dublin, who having fallen out with Diarmuid Martin, never again mentioned his name at Mass.

And no doubt Diarmuid Martin was not everyone's favourite person, certainly not the priest who stopped mentioning his name at Mass. But from my own personal experience I found him a fine man and he was certainly always polite and kind to me. I never had any inhibition telling him exactly what I thought and I felt he appreciated that.

I wish him every joy and happiness on his new journey. Diarmuid, thank you for your listening ear and kindness.

And thank you too for your leadership as archbishop during often difficult times.
Representative image

The Narcotics Control Bureau on January 12 arrested Ramkumar Tiwari, one of the owners of the famous 'Muchhad Paanwala' shop in Mumbai, in connection with a drugs case, an NCB official said.

The paan shop, located at Kemps Corner in south Mumbai, is famous as it is frequented by celebrities.

Tiwari was apprehended by a team of the NCB after questioning, the official said.

His name cropped up during an investigation into a drugs case in which three persons, including a British national, were arrested with 200 kg of drugs from Khar and Bandra areas here on Saturday, he said.

The drugs included ganja, imported contraband like 'OG Kush' (a strain of cannabis indica), and curated marijuana, some of which had been sourced from the US, the official said.

Tiwari was summoned by the NCB for questioning on January 11 and his statement was recorded, he said.

Following the questioning, he was placed under arrest on January 12, the official said, adding that further probe into the case is on.

The NCB on January 9 arrested three persons, including a British national, for allegedly supplying imported varieties of ganja in the metropolis.

One of those arrested is a suspect in the drugs case being probed after the death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput in June 2020.

Tiwari was produced before a magistrate's court later in the day and remanded in 14-day judicial custody as the NCB didn't press for his custody, a lawyer said.

His bail plea is likely to be heard on January 13.
Deir ez-Zor continues to be plagued by assassinations, with the most recent attacks killing seven in a single day reports Baladi News.

Assassinations have increased recently in the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir ez-Zor, and the Islamic State (ISIS), over which the SDF declared victory when they took control of the town of al-Baghouz in March 2019. Public field executions and beheadings have occurred in some cases as well as demands for people to pay zakat (alms-giving) and punishing those who refuse to do so.

This has been taking place despite the increase in SDF campaigns, which they have been launching alone or alongside the International Coalition forces, which are supposed to limit the activities of ISIS or other groups that carry out operations for the benefit of the regime or Iran.

On Monday, the assassinations reached their climax, when unknown assailants assassinated seven people in three separate attacks. Three people were killed in al-Busayrah, namely Ahmad Alwan (known as Abu Saleh) who is a former leader of the Free Syrian Army, his son, Saleh, and his nephew, Maaraj Ahmad. Three people were killed by unknown persons in Hawaij Thiban. They are Hajj Atliosh al-Lafi, one of the dignitaries of the al-Akidat tribe, his son, Mahmoud, and a guest in their house. A seventh person was killed in the city of al-Shuhail.

Journalist Firas Allawi, Editor-in-Chief of Al-Sharq News, said that the escalation of assassinations is due to the United States preoccupation with the elections, and thus its neglect of the situation in Syria, which has caused an increase in the lack of security in the areas under its control.

Allawi added, speaking to Baladi News, that the second reason is the unwillingness of the SDF to control the security situation and take advantage of it in one way or another, to weaken the centers of competing forces, such as tribal forces, explaining that most of the assassinations target tribal leaders or former leaders of the Free Syrian Army.

He pointed out that ISIS is still active, but decisions are not centralized, so the organization does not claim the operations carried out by elements, which take place in the framework of settling scores or retaliation, in addition to the presence of regime cells that can sometimes be partially responsible [for the attacks/assassinations].

Regarding the reason for the failure of the SDF to curb the assassinations, Allawi said that the SDFs security operations do not target the cells responsible for the assassinations, but rather target activists and those who oppose the SDF, a point that was echoed by the journalist Ibrahim al-Khalil.

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 dramatic global shift to remote working during COVID-19 lockdowns has underscored an urgent need for greater protections for homeworkers, many of whom are paid far less than those employed outside the home, the United Nations said on Wednesday.

About 7.9% of workers  260 million people  were home-based before the pandemic, but this figure has more than doubled, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Homeworkers have been invisible for too long. But the explosion in homeworking during the pandemic has highlighted the poor working conditions experienced by millions worldwide, ILO economist Janine Berg told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Homeworkers earn on average 13% less than non-homeworkers in Britain, 22% less in the United States, 25% less in South Africa and about 50% less in Argentina, India and Mexico, the ILO said in a report.

The U.N. agency looked at challenges faced by industrial homeworkers producing goods such as clothing, electronics and handicrafts, white-collar teleworkers and the growing numbers doing service jobs via digital labor platforms.

These jobs, where workers are paid by the task, include processing insurance claims, online content moderation, copy-editing and annotating data for artificial intelligence systems.

Homeworkers do not have the same level of social protection as people working outside the home, and are less likely to be part of a trade union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the ILO said.

They face greater health and safety risks especially when handling tools or chemicals like glues, and have less access to training than other workers, which can affect career prospects.

Berg, the reports co-author, said a key issue was the classification of many homeworkers as independent contractors, putting them outside the scope of most labor laws.

The ILO called on governments to extend labor and social security legislation to homeworkers in the informal economy.

It also highlighted particular challenges around employment protections for digital platform workers, who are spread around the world and may work in a different country to the online platform and the client.

Many earn less than the minimum wage and if their work is rejected they have no independent arbiter.

The report recommended using data generated by their work to monitor working conditions.

Berg predicted advances in technology and the COVID-19 pandemic would lead to a permanent increase in people working from home using the internet, email and videoconferencing.

Its not necessarily a bad thing  some people really like it. But its about being aware of the potential risks, she said. The pandemic has added urgency to these issues.

One concern for teleworkers is that employers could gradually replace staff working from home with contractors, possibly from countries where labor is cheaper.

Another issue is the blurring between work and personal time. France, Chile, Belgium, Ecuador and Italy have introduced rules allowing workers the right to disconnect and ensure bosses respect boundaries between work and private life.

(Reporting by Emma Batha @emmabatha; Editing by Katy Migiro.)

Topics COVID-19

Columbia, MO (65201)

Today

Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 86F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 49F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
ASICS, an acronym for the Latin phrase Anima Sana In Corpore Sano or a Sound Mind in a Sound Body, has always believed in the positive impact of sport on the mind. ASICS' founder, Kihachiro Onitsuka, saw that sport had the ability to bring hope and lift spirits throughout Japan in the 1940s. Today, ASICS' founding philosophy is perhaps more relevant than ever before, which is why the company is returning to its roots and putting Sound Mind, Sound Body at the core of its business.

Moving Minds Through Research and Innovation

In 2021, ASICS will undertake a landmark research project into the positive impact of sport on mental wellbeing. The research project will use cutting-edge biometric technology to capture the true impact of sport on the minds of thousands of participants around the world.

Ahead of the research project's full roll-out, ASICS has also conducted an initial feasibility study involving a group of elite athletes  including British Olympic runner and European Triathlon Champion Beth Potter  and everyday athletes as a basis for comparison.

Moving Minds Measured

Overseen by Dr. Brendon Stubbs, a leading exercise and mental health researcher based at King's College London, the study measured a series of brain pathways known to influence the emotional and cognitive elements of mental wellbeing. It found that after a short amount of physical activity, the everyday athletes experienced an overall emotional uplift, including up to a 29% improvement in their ability to cope with stress and up to an 18% increase in their relaxation levels. They also reported a significant drop in negative emotions like frustration and were up to 28% less prone to making rash decisions and react negatively to challenges or disruption.

When it comes to the brain pathways associated with cognitive performance, the everyday athletes again demonstrated a significant uplift after a brief amount of sport. This included up to a 26% increase in brain processing speed, up to a 21% improvement in memory and as much as a 58% reduction in their levels of cognitive stress, some of the symptoms of which are anxiety, forgetfulness and disorganization.

Interestingly, both the emotional and cognitive uplifts were greater among the everyday athletes than among the elite athletes.

Following this initial feasibility study, ASICS is continuing to conduct the experiment with both everyday and elite athletes. The findings of this research project will be used to develop future innovations that unlock the mental benefits of sport and exercise for athletes of all levels.

Move with the Sun at Sunrise to Spread Positivity

Starting today, ASICS is coming together with its athletes - including Sara Hall, Deena Kastor and Taliyah Brooks - to issue an open invitation to people around the world to join their mission and uplift the world. Using sunrise as a symbol of hope, ASICS is encouraging people everywhere to kick start the New Year by moving at sunrise to spread positivity and raise awareness. Starting today, hundreds of ASICS athletes, ambassadors and employees will move at sunrise. To get involved:

Get up, get out and move at sunrise by going for a run, walk, or taking part in any sport or activity

Take your sunrise selfie and upload to Instagram, Facebook or Twitter with #SoundMindSoundBody and @ASICS (Instagram and Facebook) or @ASICSAmericas (Twitter)

Take part in the Move with the Sun at Sunrise Challenge using the ASICS Runkeeper app

Nominate up to three others to do the same and continue spreading the word

Dr. Stubbs says: "It is impossible to overstate just how significant the impact sport and exercise have on our mind. It's absolutely vital that people regularly move their body to experience those all-important cognitive and emotional benefits for themselves. Never has there been a more important time to become active and experience the mental health benefits sport and movement bring."

"We know the COVID-19 pandemic has put even more pressure on the wellbeing of millions of people," said Yasuhito Hirota, President & Chief Operating Officer of ASICS. "We also know and believe that sport and movement can lift spirits and help people feel better. For us, 2021 is about unlocking the unique power of sport to uplift our minds. That starts with encouraging people everywhere to move with us at Sunrise and will continue throughout the year as we demonstrate our commitments to our founding Sound Mind, Sound Body philosophy."

Get Involved

For more information or to take part, visit ASICS.com and follow @ASICS (Instagram and Facebook) or @ASICSAmericas (Twitter).

MEDIA ASSETS

Campaign Website: https://www.asics.com/us/en-us/mk/soundmindsoundbody

Image and Video available including:

ASICS Elite Athlete Video and Experiment Data

- Product Images

- Sound Mind, Sound Body Launch Film

- Research Info

ABOUT THE RESEARCH

ASICS is undertaking a live experiment to advance its understanding of sport's impact on the mind. Developed in collaboration with neuroinformatic company EMOTIV, and leading exercise and mental health researcher Dr Brendon Stubbs, the experiment employs Advance EEG technology to chart the difference in an individual's cognitive and emotional reactions pre- and post- exercise across six primary metrics - interest, excitement, frustration, relaxation, cognitive stress and focus.

On completion of the experiment, an individual's neurobiological data is interpreted through validated machine learning algorithms to produce a summary report and series of mind map visuals, detailing in an objective way the positive impact of exercise on their cognitive and emotional brain pathway responses.

Taking place between December 1, 2020 and January 7, 2021, the experiment has been conducted on an initial research group of seven people. This group includes three elite athletes and a control group of four non-elite athletes.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419206/ASICS.jpg

SOURCE ASICS

Related Links

https://www.asics.com


New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday arrested two Delhi Police Head Constables and two others in two separate cases of alleged bribery, officials said.

A CBI official said that in the first case, Ajeet Sharma, posted as Head Constable at Connaught Place Police Station, and two private persons named Rakesh Gupta and Lala were arrested while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000.

The official said that a case was registered on a complaint alleging that the accused demanded a bribe from the complainant to run his shop by the road side in Connaught Place.

"CBI laid a trap and caught a private person while accepting bribe of Rs 25,000 on behalf of Sharma from the complainant," the official said.

The official said that the arrested accused were produced before a court and sent to judicial custody.

The official said that in the another case, the agency arrested Head Constable Sanjiv Kumar posted at Bhajanpura Police Station for demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.

The official said that it has been alleged that he has demanded a bribe from the complainant for promising favour to him in a case of theft registered against him in the police station.

He was also sent to judicial custody by the court.
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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When some Democrats were pushing for US President Donald Trumps impeachment in early 2019, it took about five months for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to back the idea. This time, it only took a day. Trump did not explicitly instruct his supporters at the Save America rally on January 6 to sack the Capitol, but Pelosi was shocked by the violent imagery he used to urge supporters to "stop the steal" as Congress met to ratify the election of his successor, President-elect Joe Biden. She came out strongly the next day in support of Trumps removal  either by his own cabinet or by Congress, if necessary. Several people involved in the rally had been seen searching for her and Vice-President Mike Pence as they roamed the corridors, and some had ransacked her office, posing for photos at her desk. Now Pelosi has driven the push for an accelerated impeachment process, determined to hold the President accountable for the deadly riot that left five dead  the first occupation of the Capitol since the British army burned it to the ground in 1814. Already, the House has voted to impeach Trump but what happens next? What is the point given he is about to leave office? And what is the likelihood of him being convicted? A demonstrator unleashes a smoke grenade in front of the US Capitol building on January 6. Credit:Bloomberg

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What happens next? Now that the House has voted 232-197 to impeach, the article of impeachment and the evidence will be sent to the Senate for debate, trial and a vote. But even though the Democrats will have control of the Senate from January 20, the law requires two-thirds of the senators to vote for a conviction for the judgment to stand. Otherwise, Trump is acquitted. However, he will still have the dishonourable distinction of being the only president to be impeached twice. Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson were both impeached but acquitted by the Senate. It is still not known when the Senate will begin the impeachment trial, but Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has ruled out an early return, and said the focus this week should be "on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden administration". The Senate is next in session on January 19, the day before Inauguration Day. What is Trump being impeached for exactly? In the four-page Democrat-drawn article of impeachment, Trump faces a single charge, "incitement of insurrection".

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"President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government," reads the bill. "He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office." The bill draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden, which have been rejected in more than 50 court cases, appeals and Supreme Court dismissals. The impeachment legislation also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to "find" him more votes, as well as his White House rally before the attack on the Capitol, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters to "fight like hell" and march to the building. The bill concludes that Trump should be barred from holding public office ever again: "Donald John Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honour, trust, or profit under the United States." It goes on to note that, because of the language in the US Constitution's 14th Amendment, which bars any American who has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the US from holding office, Trump should not just be removed, but completely disallowed from seeking public office ever again. That would mean he could not run for president in 2024, something he has often hinted at. This could require a second vote to disqualify him from running, if he is first convicted in the impeachment trial. The day after rioters entered the Capitol building, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls for the removal of President Trump from office, either by invocation of the 25th Amendment or by impeachment. Credit:Getty Images What did he do, specifically?

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He lied about the election result  a lot. Since election night, Trump has falsely asserted that the presidential election was rigged to hand victory to Democrat candidate Joe Biden, insisting in speeches, tweets and court documents that votes were flipped from him to Biden, that Trump votes were ditched and that Biden votes were supplemented with phoney ballots cast in the names of the dead or those who voted twice under different identities. None of these claims has been upheld, and even Trump's own attorney-general, William Barr, who has since left his job, concluded in December that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Trump also pressured a state official to find extra votes. At the beginning of January, The Washington Post released tapes of the President unsuccessfully pressuring Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to find 11,780 votes for him  enough to change the result in that swing state. Trump pleaded and threatened Raffensperger to alter the results: "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." In making this call, Trump may have violated a federal law that makes it a crime to solicit the counting of ballots "known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held". There's a Georgia state law that prohibits election fraud, too. But to convict at state or federal level, prosecutors would have to establish that Trump did not genuinely believe the election was rigged. And Trump inspired a violent mob to invade the Capitol. On January 6, he definitely inspired a crowd of supporters to rally, to head towards the Capitol and to "stop the steal". Before Trump arrived at the rally, Vice-President Mike Pence had already told him that he was not going to interfere with the certification of the Electoral College votes that would give the presidency to Biden. So Trump told his supporters to "fight much harder" for the victory he wanted.

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"And Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a sad day for our country. Because you're sworn to uphold our Constitution." He urged his supporters to go to the Capitol with him. "We are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we are probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them  because you will never take back our country with weakness." Loading Earlier, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani spoke of "trial by combat" to ensure Trump stayed in the White House, while his son, Donald Trump jnr, warned Republicans who did not back the challenges of the Electoral College votes: "Were coming for you. One of those Republicans, Wyoming representative Liz Cheney, part of the Republican leadership team in the House, was in no doubt that Trump had incited rebellion and she was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him. "Theres no question the President formed the mob," the eldest daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney told Fox News. "The President incited the mob. The President addressed the mob. He lit the flame."

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - ViacomCBS Inc. (VIACA, VIAC) and Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (SBGI) said Wednesday they have entered into multi-year agreements across 13 CBS network affiliations for Sinclair stations. The agreement consists of renewals for thirteen CBS affiliates. These include four top-50 market affiliates - WKRC in Cincinnati, Ohio; WPEC in West Palm Beach, Florida; WWMT in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and WHP in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Combined, the 13 markets reach about 5 percent of the U.S. audience serving nearly six million television households. ViacomCBS noted that Sinclair, one of the largest operators of CBS affiliates, reaches 8 percent of the U.S. and serves 10 million households spanning 23 markets. Sinclair's CBS affiliates will remain locally available to subscribers of CBS All Access, ViacomCBS' digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Rasheen Imtiaz, M.D.

U.S. Dermatology Partners is pleased to welcome Board-Certified Dermatologist Rasheen Imtiaz, MD, to the Baytown, Texas office

Dr. Rasheen Imtiaz graduated summa cum laude from the University of Houston, where she majored in biology and minored in chemistry. She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, TX. Dr. Imtiaz initially completed a residency in internal medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. She served as a hospitalist before heading to Oklahoma City to complete a dermatology residency at Oklahoma University Health Science Center.

Dr. Imtiaz enjoys all aspects of general medical dermatology. She believes that skin conditions can often significantly impact a patients quality of life and is committed to her patients well-being.

Dr. Imtiaz enjoys spending time with her husband and their daughter, who keeps her very busy outside of work. She also loves spending time with extended family and traveling.

Dr. Imtiaz is excited to return home to the Houston area and care for patients in our Houston Clear Lake and Baytown offices, where she practices general dermatology and treats patients of all ages.

About U.S. Dermatology Partners

As one of the largest physician-owned dermatology practices in the country, U.S. Dermatology Partners patients not only have access to general medical, surgical, and cosmetic skin treatments through its coordinated care network, but also benefit from the practices strong dermatology subspecialty thought leaders and medical advisory board. To be the best partners to its patients, U.S. Dermatology Partners is fervently focused on providing the highest level of patient-first care, and its team, therefore, includes recognized national leaders in areas such as clinical research, psoriasis, and Mohs Surgery. To learn more, visit usdermatologypartners.com.
Malawis transport minister and another senior cabinet member died from Covid-19 on Tuesday, the government said.

Sidik Mia, 56, tested positive late last week and was isolating at home with mild symptoms. The minister, who was also vice president of the ruling Malawi Congress Party, passed away Tuesday morning.

Local government minister Lingson Belekanyama also succumbed to the disease after a two-week illness. President Lazarus Chakwera is deeply saddened by the demise of two senior cabinet ministers today, a statement said.

Malawi is facing a resurgence in coronavirus infections, with around 30 per cent of confirmed cases registered in the past two weeks alone. To date, the southern African country has recorded just over 9,000 cases and 235 deaths.

Orishabunmis nephew Chakwera has blamed the spike on decreased vigilance during the festive season. We are paying the price because many of us are back to the old ways of not wearing masks, the president said in an address to the nation on Sunday.

When I say many of us, I am including myself and all of us who are working in government, he added. It (coronavirus) has now infected all sectors of society, including members of parliament, members of cabinet, members of the media, and members of the clergy.

Malawis government was barred from implementing a lockdown last year after a high court ruled the restrictions would unfairly impact the poorest and most vulnerable members of society. There are currently no limits on movement or gatherings. Face masks are encouraged but not mandatory. [AFP]
An Taoiseach Micheal Martin has on behalf of the Government, the State and its citizens, apologisd for the profound generational wrong visited upon Irish mothers and their children who ended up in a Mother and Baby Home or a County Home.

Also read: Order that ran Castlepollard mother and baby home issues apology

Speaking the Dail this lunch time An Taoiseach said;

It is the duty of a republic to be willing to hold itself to account. To be willing to confront hard truths  and accept parts of our history which are deeply uncomfortable.

This detailed and highly painful report is a moment for us as a society to recognise a profound failure of empathy, understanding and basic humanity over a very lengthy period.

Its production has been possible because of the depth of courage shown by all those who shared their personal experiences with the Commission.

The report gives survivors what they have been denied for so long: their voice, their individuality, their right to be acknowledged.

Before going into detail about the report it is important to say that it would not have been possible without the steady determination of the former residents, their advocates and researchers who campaigned with them.

I particularly want to acknowledge the critical part played by Catherine Corless whose work at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home site led directly to the establishment of the Commission.

On behalf of the government I want to thank the three Commissioners  the Chair, Judge Yvonne Murphy, Professor Mary Daly, and Dr William Duncan - and their team.

Their Report reveals the dominant role of the churches and their moral code and lays bare the failures of the State.

They have produced the definitive account of how this country responded to the particular needs of single women and their children at a time when they most needed support and protection.

This should have been forthcoming from the fathers of their children, their family and friends, their community and their State, but so often it was not.

The often painful and distressing testimony of many survivors is presented in detail in the report of the confidential committee prepared by the Commission.

Reading the Commissions findings and the report of the confidential committee the most striking thing is the shame felt by women who became pregnant outside of marriage and the stigma that was so cruelly attached to their children.

Testimonies from the women speak of the pressure to make sure that no one in their locality would find out about their pregnancy.

One speaks of not being allowed to return to school after becoming pregnant because it would bring shame on the school.

Extracts from witness accounts shine a light on the attitudes that women encountered:

I was treated like a second class citizen by my family, society had an obsession with hiding everything

Nobody will want you now said the mother of a witness, 14-years old when it was discovered that she was pregnant.

Get her put away! were the words of a father of a 19-year old when told of her pregnancy.

In the earlier decades covered by the report, witness testimony describes how a dearth of sex education often left young women confused and unaware of how and why they had even become pregnant. Some of these pregnancies were as a result of rape and/or incest.

Children born outside of marriage were stigmatised and were treated as outcasts in school and in wider society. Some children who were subsequently boarded-out experienced heartbreaking exploitation, neglect and abuse within the families and communities in which they were placed. This was unforgiveable.

The sense of abandonment felt by many of these children is palpable in the witness accounts. The circumstances of their birth, the arrangements for their early care, the stigma they experienced and the continuing lack of birth information, is a terrible burden in their lives.

Many women, children and fathers left these shores to escape this unfair judgement and life-long prejudice and because they thought it was the only way to protect their families reputations.

While many have built good lives for themselves, many did not overcome the impact which these formative experiences had on their lives and may have suffered and struggled with many serious personal problems.

One of the clearest messages of the testimonies in this report is how this treatment of women and children is something which was the direct result of how the State, and how we as a society acted.

The Report presents us with profound questions.

We embraced a perverse religious morality and control, judgementalism and moral certainty, but shunned our daughters.

We honoured piety, but failed to show even basic kindness to those who needed it most.

We had a completely warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy, and young mothers and their sons and daughters were forced to pay a terrible price for that dysfunction.

To confront the dark and shameful reality which is detailed in this report we must acknowledge it as part of our national history.

And for the women and children who were treated so cruelly we must do what we can, to show our deep remorse, understanding and support.

And so, on behalf of the Government, the State and its citizens, I apologise for the profound generational wrong visited upon Irish mothers and their children who ended up in a Mother and Baby Home or a County Home.

As the Commission says plainly - they should not have been there.

I apologise for the shame and stigma which they were subjected to and which, for some, remains a burden to this day.

In apologising, I want to emphasise that each of you were in an institution because of the wrongs of others. Each of you is blameless, each of you did nothing wrong and has nothing to be ashamed of.

Each of you deserved so much better.

The lack of respect for your fundamental dignity and rights as mothers and children who spent time in these institutions is humbly acknowledged and deeply regretted.

The Irish State, as the main funding authority for the majority of these institutions, had the ultimate ability to exert control over these institutions, in addition to its duty of care to protect citizens with a robust regulatory and inspection regime.

This authority was not exerted and the States duty of care was not upheld.

The State failed you, the mothers and children in these homes.

The report brings a considerable amount of previously unknown information into the public domain.

It has exposed the truth, once hidden, to reveal significant failures of the State, the Churches and of society.

Women were admitted to mother and baby homes and county homes because no supports were forthcoming from any other quarter.

They were forced to leave home, and seek a place where they could stay without having to pay.

Many were destitute.

In the personal testimonies of how many women ended up in these institutions, the Priest, the Doctor and the Nun loom large.

The sense of oppression, even at this distance, is overwhelming.

Women, terrified by the consequences of their pregnancy becoming known to their family and neighbours entered mother and baby homes to protect their secret.

And the pressure to maintain this secret added insult to injury and was a large part of the mothers trauma.

Conditions in the homes varied. Before the 1960s living conditions in many private Irish households were generally poor. In the congregated settings of Mother and Baby Homes poor sanitary conditions had much more serious consequences for disease and infection control.

County homes as well as Kilrush and Tuam are identified as having appalling conditions. Conditions in other mother and baby homes were better and improved over time.

Many of the women suffered emotional abuse and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks from the religious, with little kindness shown, especially when giving birth.

The overall picture is of a hard, cold and uncaring environment.

One of the most disquieting features of the report is that up until 1960 mother and baby homes appear to have significantly reduced the prospects of survival of children.

The death rate among infants in mother and baby homes was almost twice that of the national average for children born outside of marriage. A total of about 9,000 children died in the institutions under investigation - about 15% of all the children who were in their care.

It is deeply distressing to note that the very high mortality rates were known to local and national authorities at the time and were recorded in official publications.

However, there is little or no evidence of State intervention in response to these chilling statistics. In fact, a number of reports actually identifying the problems were not acted on.

I know it will be a disappointment that the report does not answer all the deeply personal questions on the burial arrangements for many of the children who died in these institutions  in many cases the burial location remains unknown.

There are no records for a number of the large institutions where significant numbers of infants are known to have died  including Tuam, Bessborough, Castlepollard and Sean Ross. While this is difficult, options for dignified remembrance and memorialisation will be implemented where this is not already the case.

While women may not have been strictly legally forced to enter these homes, the fact is that most had no alternative, especially those who did not have the support of their family or independent financial means.

Overall, the Commission concludes that Ireland was a cold and harsh environment for the majority of its residents during the earlier half of the period under investigation.

It was especially cold and harsh for women. All women suffered serious discrimination. Women who gave birth outside marriage were subject to particularly harsh treatment.

Emerging from the survivor stories are the horrific accounts of rape, either perpetrated within families or by someone within a womans community. This led ultimately to entry into a Mother and Baby Home where the woman bore a social stigma but there was no accountability for the men responsible, and the agencies of the State showed little or no interest in addressing these crimes.

The Commission acknowledges the additional impact which a lack of knowledge and understanding had on the treatment and outcomes of mothers and children with different racial and cultural heritage, those who faced mental health challenges, or those with physical and intellectual disabilities.

Such discriminatory attitudes exacerbated the shame and stigma felt by some of our most vulnerable citizens, especially where opportunities for non-institutional placement of children were restricted by an unjust belief that they were unsuitable for placement with families.

While context is essential to our proper understanding of this chapter of our history, it does not lessen what happened or diminish the responsibility of Church and State for the failures laid bare in what we have learned.

For much of the period covered by the Commission, women as a group and regardless of age or class were systematically discriminated against in relation to employment, family law, and social welfare, solely because of their gender.

Children were similarly unequal, and none more so than those who were cruelly labelled illegitimate.

I share deeply the Commissions unequivocal view, that the existence of the status of illegitimacy until 1987 in this country was an egregious breach of human rights. This was a huge injustice and blighted the lives of many.

It is a sad truth that the history of human kind, even to today, has largely been defined by a failure to acknowledge and vindicate the rights and status of women and the labelling of those who failed to conform to social norms.

We cannot account for what happened elsewhere, but we can and must do so for what happened in our country.

Response of the Government

An apology on its own is not enough.

We, collectively in this House, will be judged by our actions. Actions always speak louder than words.

The Government accepts and will respond to all of the recommendations made by the Commission, and this response will centre on four pillars of Recognition, Remembrance, Records and Restorative Recognition.

Recognition begins with this apology and will be followed by commitments to national and local memorialisation and commemoration.

The views and wishes of former residents will be paramount and all commemoration will be led by them.

A broad suite of memorialisation, educational and research commitments will support national reflection and enduring remembrance. Future generations will learn of Mother and Baby Homes and of the experiences of former residents, particularly as told through their own words.

With regard to records, the Government is committed to introducing information and tracing legislation as a priority.

Access to ones own identity is a basic right.

We will also be advancing a range of related actions to support access to personal information and to ensure appropriate and sensitive archiving of institutional records.

Finally, turning to Restorative Recognition.

Similar to the Magdalenes, an enhanced medical card will be given to former residents of a Mother and Baby Home or County Home.

This is in addition to counselling, which is immediately available to all former residents, and patient liaison support services, which will be available to all former residents.

The Government will also design a scheme of Restorative Recognition for former residents and an Interdepartmental Group will report back to Government on this as soon as possible.

All of these commitments will be advanced in a survivor-centred manner, with ongoing communication and engagement as plans are developed and implemented.

Learning from our Past as we Face our Future

As a nation, it is important to understand and accept the failings of our past; important but not sufficient. We must also learn from them.

We have adopted national and international laws which oblige us to follow a different, more humane and right-based approach.

There is in place and being further developed a wide range of social services completely absent for much of our history.

Under Minister OGorman, we have a Government Department dedicated to children, to equality and to working across Government and society to promote and uphold the rights of all people.

The Citizens Assembly is examining further measures to address structural inequalities in relation to gender. It is looking in particular at how we can support and respond to the needs of those with caring responsibilities.

Through our laws and policies, our systems, structures and services, our actions and our words, we must always seek to create a more just society, grounded in respect, diversity, tolerance and equality.

Continued investment in education, especially for those at the margins and the most vulnerable, is the surest way of making sure that we do not repeat the past.

Similarly, we must learn the lesson that institutionalisation, creates power structures and abuses of power and must never again be an option for our country.

Throughout this report former residents talk of a feeling of shame for the situation they found themselves in.

The shame was not theirs  it was ours.

It was our shame that we did not show them the respect and compassion which we as a country owed them.

It remains our shame.

I want to reassure survivors, their families and the country, that this Government is determined to act on all the recommendations of the Report and to deliver the legislative change necessary to at least start to heal the wounds that endure.
More help is on the way. At long last, the government passed a Covid relief bill at the end of 2020. [CHANTING] And if you werent paying attention, you might think it solved the eviction crisis. It is a welcome sigh of relief for millions. Money is also earmarked for renters. Lawmakers include a measure to extend the moratorium on evictions. But this bill was never a long-term fix. Republicans fought to make the bill smaller for so long it just kicked the can down the road  by just 30 days to be exact. And now Democrats have control of Congress, and they have until the end of January to fix it. If they dont, millions of people around the country will go through something like this. Maricopa County constable. Open the door, please. Here are two people who embody a new class of Americans, people who have worked hard, pay their bills and had good jobs, but suffered a small setback. [MUSIC PLAYING] Back in February of 2020, I never would have predicted this. And because the Senate took eight months to deliver what was meant to be an emergency relief package, the help they needed wasnt there. So their lives suddenly unraveled. Take Melissa. She worked in government contracting until May, when Covid shut down the industry. Since then, shes worked a part-time gig in the local grocery store. I used to earn $120,000 a year, and now Im earning $12,000 a year. She owes seven months of back rent. I cant explain it. If theres any word beyond nightmare that you could imagine, thats it. The relief bill contains a one-time stimulus check of $600. It is like spitting in the ocean. Thats not going to do anything for me to alleviate my situation that Im in right now. She needs to find $10,000 by the end of January to save her home. Its completely impossible, like completely, completely impossible. A larger check would definitely help, but the real solution is rental assistance. Families get to keep their homes, and landlords get their rent, both of which will help keep the economy afloat. But when the federal government gave rent relief money back in March, they didnt have a plan for how the states should give it out. That meant it was delivered very late and via a system thats virtually impossible to navigate, especially if youre busy working 60 hours a week and two health care jobs, like Lina. I called around. I tried. I fill out applications, and either I exceed the income, or, you know, they run out of funds. So its like, how do you get ahold of the rental assistance when you need it? Lina fell behind on rent after she got Covid and had to take time off work. Her back rent due is now $3,500. Everything had a late fee to it, you know? And so its like you trying to pay it, but you keep getting knocked down with the fees that theyre adding onto it. And thats why a small problem becomes a big one thats hard to fix, because like a lot of people, Lina falls into an impossible middle ground. She earns too much to qualify for most rental assistance but too little to repay her debt. The clock is ticking for Lina and Melissa and millions like them. They need to pay their back rent by the end of January because the ban on evictions is ending, and the rent relief promised in the latest bill hasnt reached them. The thought of losing this place makes me feel sad and, you know, like I failed. But these women are not failures or victims of bad luck. Theyve been let down by a Republican-led Senate who prioritized political posturing over real solutions. Its cruel. I dont know if I can work enough hours. I wake up in the middle of the night in complete drenched sweat and terror. And now the government has just days to make immediate relief available to save their homes and millions of others. [MUSIC PLAYING]
SACRAMENTO  Gov. Gavin Newsom used his emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic to extend the confirmation deadlines for three politically connected appointees to the state board that licenses and regulates doctors, allowing them to continue serving on the board without legislative approval.

In delaying their confirmations beyond the one-year limit set by California law, the governor ignored objections from a watchdog group that two of the appointees were inappropriate choices as regulators because they formerly led the California Medical Association, the states largest lobbying group for doctors.

The appointees are Asif Mahmood, a Los Angeles County doctor who shared campaign consultants with Newsom when they both ran for statewide office in 2018, and Richard Thorp and Dev GnanaDev, past presidents of the California Medical Association. The organization has longstanding ties to the governor, who dined with its chief executive and top lobbyist at the French Laundry in November.

Newsom appointed or reappointed the three members to the Medical Board of California in June and July of 2019. Ordinarily, they would have to have been confirmed by the state Senate by last summer to retain the positions.

But at the end of August, as the legislative session drew to a close without any of them receiving a hearing, Newsoms issued an executive order moving the confirmation deadline to April 1, 2021. This could ultimately allow Mahmood, Thorp and GnanaDev to serve on the board for nearly two years after their appointments without legislative consideration. The 15 members of the medical board serve four-year terms and receive $100 per day for attending meetings.

The pandemic disrupted typical legislative operations and calendars including the Senate confirmation process for governors appointees, Jesse Melgar, a spokesperson for Newsom, said in a statement. The Senate Rules Committee worked to move governors appointees forward during this difficult time but were unable to get to everyone.

He added, We anticipate the appointees referenced will participate in a confirmation hearing ahead of the April 1 deadline.

According to the Senate Rules Committee, eight gubernatorial appointees with confirmation deadlines in 2020 remained unconfirmed at the end of legislative session and had their deadlines extended to 2021 by executive order. Aside from the three medical board appointees, the five others all had confirmation deadlines that fell between October and December, while the Senate was out of session.

Melgar did not respond to questions about whether Mahmood, Thorp and GnanaDev were treated differently because of their political connections.

Mahmood was appointed to the medical board about a year after losing a primary for California insurance commissioner. Several of the consultants on his campaign also worked on Newsoms 2018 race for governor.

Thorp was president of the California Medical Association in 2013 and 2014, and GnanaDev held the position in 2008 and 2009. Several Newsom advisers also have worked as political consultants and lobbyists for the organization over the years, including Jason Kinney, whose birthday Newsom celebrated at the French Laundry, and Jim DeBoo, who recently joined the governors office as executive secretary.

Mahmood, Thorp and GnanaDev were originally to go before the Senate Rules Committee in March, shortly before the pandemic interrupted the legislative session. If approved by the committee, an appointee moves to the full Senate for confirmation.

On March 6, five days before the scheduled hearing, the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog wrote to the Senate leader and the governors office objecting to Thorps and GnanaDevs appointments. Consumer Watchdog has been locked in a long-running battle with doctors over the monetary limit for medical malpractice settlements.

Allison Zaucha / Special to The Chronicle

Tammy Smick, a member of Consumer Watchdogs board, said filling the positions with former presidents of the California Medical Association would be contrary to the state boards oversight mission and urged the Senate to reject their appointments.

Smick said in an interview that people who have led a lobbying group for doctors cant be trusted to protect patients interest.

She pointed to her experience with the medical board over the death of her son Alex. Smick said he became addicted to prescription opioids while recovering from a back injury and died after being given a new regimen of medications during his first night in a hospital detox ward.

The Medical Board of California staff recommended that the supervising doctor of the detox ward have his license suspended or revoked for overprescribing and negligence, Smick said. But ultimately, the board settled with the doctor, giving him only a public reprimand.

The governor needs to be appointing members who are going to protect us as health care consumers and not appointing members who are going to protect dangerous doctors, Smick said.

Allison Zaucha / Special to The Chronicle

Although Consumer Watchdog opposed GnanaDev, who was first appointed to the medical board by then-Gov. Jerry Brown in 2011, Smick said its main objection was to Thorp. He led the California Medical Association during its 2014 fight against a failed ballot initiative sponsored by Consumer Watchdog that would have raised the cap for medical malpractice damages. Smick said the group had no concerns about Mahmood.

The Senate hearings for all three have yet to be rescheduled. Melgar, the spokesperson for Newsom, said the governors office did not ask the Senate to pull the confirmation hearings last March and does not decide when his appointees are scheduled to be heard.

Newsom issued two executive orders last year, in May and June, that included blanket extensions of 90 days to gubernatorial appointment deadlines. This gave the Senate more time to confirm his appointees after multiple unanticipated recesses because of the coronavirus delayed legislative business. In the final months of the session, the Senate rushed to consider dozens of appointees, ultimately confirming 185 for the year.

Then, on Aug. 24, a week before the Legislature adjourned until January, Newsom issued another order extending the deadline for appointees to the Medical Board of California until April 1. By that time, Mahmood, Thorp and GnanaDev had all already been serving on the board for more than a year.

Following an inquiry from The Chronicle, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins said the Rules Committee planned to consider the medical board appointees at a hearing Feb. 3. She said the Senate and the governors office had agreed to delay the confirmation given the coronavirus pandemic and the medical communitys role in the response.

These types of hearings take time, and it is not uncommon for postponements to allow for deeper consideration, Atkins, a San Diego Democrat, said in a statement. With lives and livelihoods on the line  people literally going without paychecks and at risk of losing their homes  we had to prioritize passing legislation and a budget that would help as many Californians as possible, while holding off on things that could wait.

Smick, the board member for Consumer Watchdog, said she has been frustrated waiting the past 10 months to make her case to the Senate. She said the delayed confirmation hearing is emblematic of the struggle to get the state to hold doctors accountable for harming patients.

You just get the door slammed in your face time after time, she said. Then they can do what they want, but at least we need to be heard.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
The Samsung Galaxy A32 5G will go official any moment now, and while we wait for its announcement, the smartphone has bagged certification from Thailand's NBTC, confirming its release in the South-East Asian country.

The listing on Thai regulator's website doesn't detail the specs of the Galaxy A32 5G (SM-A326B/DS), but thanks to Geekbench, we know it will boot to Android 11 and come with Dimensity 720 SoC and 4GB RAM.



Samsung Galaxy A32 5G certified by NBTC

We've also seen colorful renders of the Galaxy A32 5G, which revealed the smartphone will pack a waterdrop notch display and a quad camera. The screen is rumored to have a diagonal of 6.5", and the camera system is said to consist of a 48MP primary unit joined by an ultrawide, macro, and depth modules.

The battery capacity of the Galaxy A32 5G is unknown, but FCC revealed the smartphone will come with a 15W charger and have an NFC chip onboard. The rest of the highlights of the Galaxy A32 5G include a side-mounted fingerprint reader, 3.5mm headphone jack, and USB-C port.

Via

(CNN)  We're looking at a second impeachment of President Donald Trump. The process will be different this time, both for the lawmakers sitting in judgment of Trump and for the man himself. One thing we know: He'll stay in office and likely finish out his term, because it takes a Senate conviction to remove him.

Get the latest impeachment coverage here.

One big change. Here's a New York Times report that suggests Mitch McConnell, who protected Trump from impeachment in the Senate last time, is "happy" about it now.

More from CNN's Manu Raju, Phil Mattingly, Jim Acosta and Kaitlan Collins: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has indicated that he believes that impeaching President Donald Trump will make it easier to get rid of the President and Trumpism from the Republican Party, according to a source with knowledge of the matter.

Another person with direct knowledge told CNN there's a reason McConnell has been silent on impeachment as other Republicans have pushed back: he's furious about last week's attack on the US Capitol by the President's supporters, even more so that Trump has shown no contrition. His silence has been deliberate as he leaves open the option of supporting impeachment.

Caveat. Let's see if McConnell votes to punish Trump in a trial. That's the real test.

How bizarre is this? For context, CNN's Stephen Collinson writes, "It took 200 years for the country to rack up its first two presidential impeachments. Trump's malfeasance has led the country down that awful, divisive path twice in just more than a year." (Reminder: Those first two were for Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton.)

What's changed?

The House timeline then:

86 days separated Trump's phone call to Ukraine's President and his impeachment by Democrats in December of 2019. There was a closed-door investigation, a public inquiry and a written report.

The House timeline now:

7 days separate Trump's incitement of the mob that stormed the Capitol and his likely impeachment Wednesday. There's no need for a drawn-out investigation. Trump did what he did live on TV. And then the riot happened.

The House votes then:

Back then the party circled around its President, who was up for reelection and had a year left in office.

The House votes now:

House GOP leaders are treating the vote as a matter of conscience, as Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican, put it. Cheney said late Tuesday that she will vote to impeach. Her statement is here. It's possible 10 or more Republicans could join Democrats and vote for impeachment.

Related: CNN's Chris Cillizza writes that Liz Cheney has become the conscience of the House GOP.

What will happen after Wednesday?

After he's impeached, Trump will face a Senate trial, though it's not clear how quickly that will move along. But while the Ukraine trial was an all-consuming affair, now Democrats want to split the days, hoping to conduct a trial part of the day and work on business  confirming Biden Cabinet members and addressing Covid during the other part.

The consequences now. The biggest difference this time is it will be a trial of a former president and if he's convicted, additional Senate votes could bar him from office in the future and end his post-presidential perks.

Utah's Sen. Mitt Romney was pilloried by fellow Republicans for standing up against Trump in his Ukraine impeachment trial. He could have company this year, when the Senate holds its trial.

Read more about the process and how this accelerated one will set its own special precedent.

What's Trump say? The President asserted in Alamo, Texas, at an event to commemorate his effort to build a border wall that this new impeachment is connected to the old one:

"The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain, far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the U.S.A., especially at this tender time."

So that's not going to quiet any of the unrest.

What is the GOP penance? Trump bears responsibility for the riot, but it's clearly evolved beyond him. And GOP leaders like McConnell may be looking to purge the GOP of him. But that effort will have to be followed by action, after the GOP spent more than four years enabling Trump in pursuit of his loyal base.

What might have been: Imagine if McConnell had been crosswise to Trump's efforts to block Biden before the election rather than waiting for Trump to deny the election. One wonders how things might look now.

Bottom line: We're still going to be talking about Trump for a while after he leaves office January 20. The result might be some punishment for his lies and actions, but further focus on Trump will come much to the disappointment of Joe Biden, who would very much like to move on.

Impeachment is the political world reckoning. There's also a reckoning in the business world. How long will pro-Trump GOP lawmakers be in the corporate penalty box? CNN's Matt Egan writes that corporate America  Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Facebook, Microsoft -- is suspending political donations. Airbnb, Amazon, Verizon and CNN owner AT&T won't support the Republicans who tried to overturn Biden's victory. But in this show of severing ties to the fringe of the GOP, the true test will come when Biden sets his sights on corporate tax rates. Read more.

Trump's bottom line. His personal banker (Signature Bank) and his biggest lender (Deutsche Bank) are both severing ties. Read more.

New warnings and old warnings

The grassroots militia movement beneath Trump, which Republicans often tap into, appears to be entrenched and frighteningly beyond anyone's control.

Unheeded warnings about Capitol siege. The FBI's Norfolk, Virginia, office warned of a violent "war" at the US Capitol in an internal report issued a day before last week's deadly invasion, but it wasn't acted on urgently enough to prevent the domestic terrorist attack, The Washington Post reported Tuesday. Read more.

Fabulist iconography. Check out this photo story about the strange symbols of the rioters, which included Viking hats, invented country flags, warped Confederate symbols, Nazi jokes and more. This is an entire subworld speaking its own language.

Warnings about armed protests in state capitols. Here's the FBI bulletin about armed protesters targeting state capitols during inauguration week.

New warnings about armed patriots." Pennsylvania's Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb told CNN's "New Day" on Tuesday that lawmakers had been warned about a plan by extremists to encircle the seat of Congress, as well as more threats against legislators. "They were talking about 4,000 armed 'patriots' to surround the Capitol and prevent any Democrat from going in," Lamb said.

Who's in charge? With acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf's resignation, the US has relatively new people in charge at Defense, Justice and Homeland Security. CNN's Priscilla Alvarez and Geneva Sands report on how Wolf's departure comes just ahead of the inauguration, which the Department of Homeland Security and the Secret Service oversee.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Trump's second impeachment still won't remove him from office."

Large restaurants providing prepared meals to supermarkets for sale is causing the Government some concern as it says this is adding to additional customer traffic at those supermarkets, as it wants less movement of people during the State of Emergency.
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PHOENIX  A Maricopa County Sheriffs detention officer has been accused of molesting a child over a four-year span, authorities said Tuesday.

They said Chad Swiman has been arrested on suspicion of three counts of molestation of a child and three counts of sexual conduct with a minor.

He is accused of crimes between 2009 and 2013, but sheriffs officials said related court records are sealed.

His bond has been set at $150,000 and it was unclear Tuesday if Swiman has a lawyer yet for his case.

Sheriffs officials said Swiman has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

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BRUSSELS  For Europes populists, the electoral defeat of President Trump, who has been a symbol of success and a strong supporter, was bad enough. But his refusal to accept defeat and the violence that followed appears to have damaged the prospects of similarly minded leaders across the continent.

What happened in the Capitol following the defeat of Donald Trump is a bad omen for the populists, said Dominique Moisi, a senior analyst at the Paris-based Institut Montaigne. It says two things: If you elect them, they dont leave power easily, and if you elect them, look at what they can do in calling for popular anger.

The long day of rioting, violence and death as Mr. Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol has presented a clear warning to countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland about underestimating the force of populist anger and the prevalence of conspiracy theories aimed at democratic governments.

Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels, said the unrest showed how the populist playbook was founded on us versus them and leads to violence.
DODGE COUNTY, Minn. - Governor Tim Walz will be coming to southeast Minnesota on Wednesday to help bring a sense of peace during all this.

A week ago was the historic day when thousands of pro-Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. Governor Walz wants to take time to reflect and remind Minnesotans who they are. He announced a three day tour to American history monuments around the state this week. The first stop was Monday at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul. He spoke about the bravery and courage Minnesotans have shown overtime. "When I hear people say they wanna take back their country, let's make sure we know what they're talking about," explained Governor Walz. "Make sure we know which country they're talking about, making sure which history they're talking about and the ones that we all share. There's so much to be proud of in this state."

Governor Walz said reflecting on the sacrifices Minnesotans have made and going back to the roots of the state will help us move forward with a peaceful transition of power next week. "Democracy is not a given. A lot of folks have tried it and a lot of folks have failed," he explained. "It's going to take all of us at this time to figure out and reflect. I'm not asking people to move on because I for one am not ready to move on from seeing the U.S. flag ripped off the Capitol and replaced by someone with a man's name on it. That's not who we are."

Governor Walz will be in Wasioja Historic District Wednesday afternoon at 2. An exact location has not been announced yet, but stick with KIMT News 3 both on the air and online throughout the day for more about his visit. On Thursday, he'll be heading to Duluth to visit the Soldiers and Sailors Monument.
A dead nurse has been registered as a frontline worker who will receive a shot of the Covid vaccine in the first phase of inoculation in Uttar Pradesh in Ayodhya.

The list, which has been prepared by the state Health Department for Ayodhya's Dufferin Hospital has several shortcomings. Among other names, the list mentions the names of three nurses, one of whom is dead, the other one has retired and the third nurse has resigned. All of them are part of the list of the persons who will get the vaccine.

ANI

Probe ordered on 'faulty' vaccine list

UP Health minister Jai Pratap Singh has now ordered a probe in the matter and assured that action will be taken against the responsible officials. According to the local officials, the names were mistakenly included in the list, which was prepared three months ago and was yet to be updated.

Essential workers in Uttar Pradesh will be vaccinated at 852 centres across the state on January 16, when the national COVID vaccination drive begins. On Monday, a second dry run for COVID-19 vaccination was conducted at 1,500 centres in Uttar Pradesh.

The much-awaited COVID-19 vaccination drive will start from January 16, the central government said on Saturday.

Reuters

3 crore frontline workers on priority

In order of priority, an estimated 3 crores healthcare and frontline workers will be administered the covid-19 vaccines, followed by those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities numbering around 27 crores, the government said.

The decision came post a detailed review meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, wherein it was decided that in view of the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu, etc., the COVID-19 vaccination can be started from 16th January 2021.

AFP

About the two vaccines in India

India has recently granted emergency authorisation to two coronavirus vaccines  Covishield by Serum Institute of India and Covaxin by Bharat Biotech. Covishield is a a 'virus-vectored' vaccine that uses a weakened version of a chimpanzee common coldvirus that encodes instructions for making proteins from the novel coronavirus to generate an immune response and prevent infection. Researchers claim the vaccine protected against disease in 62% of those given two full doses and in 90% of those initially given a half dose.

ANI

Covaxin has been derived from a strain of the novel coronavirus isolated by the National Institute of Virology in Pune. Bharat Biotech developed an inactivated" vaccine at its high-containment facility at Genome Valley in Hyderabad.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers likely. Low 58F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-09 01:03:13|Editor: huaxia

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BUCHAREST, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian Health Ministry on Friday reported the country's first case of the new coronavirus strain, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom (UK) last month.

One of the COVID-19 strains sequenced at Romania's Matei Bals National Institute for Infectious Diseases matches the high transmissibility variant identified in the UK, the ministry said, adding that the patient is in a "very good" clinical condition in isolation at home.

According to Catalin Apostolescu, spokesman of the Matei Bals Institute, the 27-year-old female patient, who had no recent overseas travel record, presented herself on Jan. 3 with minimal symptoms.

The sequencing process was required after suspicious mutations were observed on the PCR test, Apostolescu was quoted by local media as saying. Contact tracing is ongoing.

"If the information provided by the patient is valid, it means that the virus is already circulating in Romania. ... We can expect an increase in the number of cases," Apostolescu told local B1 TV station.

On Friday, Romania reported 4,841 new coronavirus cases and 96 fatalities in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of confirmed cases and deaths to 663,799 and 16,506, respectively.

Romania had launched its vaccination campaign at the end of 2020, with priority given to frontline medical workers.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in Romania and some other countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 235 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 63 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, Britain and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization on Jan. 6. Enditem
Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:29 am

Thurston County reported 52 new COVID-19 cases and no new deaths on Tuesday.

The added cases bring the county's totals to 5,508 cases and 58 deaths. In all, 325 people have been hospitalized at some point in their illness and 4,687 have recovered or are recovering, according to data from Thurston County Public Health and Social Services. There are four ongoing outbreaks in congregate care settings.

The county has had a test positivity rate of 9.3% in the past week, the data show.

County data also shows that last week logged the second highest number of cases, with 452 cases. The highest weekly case total remains the week of Dec. 7 when 485 cases were reported.

The county is closely monitoring case numbers and hospital capacity in the three weeks after the holidays, said Health Officer Dr. Dimyana Abdelmalek during a board of county commissioners meeting Tuesday. She said the data the county sees in these weeks will inform her decision on whether to recommend in-person learning for elementary and middle school students.

"At this time, however, I'm recommending that our school districts prepare for a likely return to in-person learning for elementary and middle school students within that time frame," Abdelmalek said. "I did want to stress to everyone that it's not a matter of if our schools reopen for in-person learning opportunities, It's when and at what transmission rate as we've joined counties throughout the state in operationalizing the governor's new guidance for spring 2021."

Abdelmalek said at a later Board of Health meeting Tuesday that the county can expect an update on her recommendation for schools the week of Jan. 21.

Vaccines

Regarding COVID-19 vaccines, the health providers in Thurston County are still making their way through the first phase of people eligible for the vaccine. Department director Schelli Slaughter said the county does not have an update on the number of doses that have been administered in Thurston County because the state Department of Health has yet to share that data.

Slaughter said last week that health care providers had administered 1,116 of the 4,375 doses of COVID-19 vaccine the state allocated to the county as of Dec. 27.

Abdelmalek said the county expects the state to release an online website soon that will tell people what phase in the vaccination plan they are in.

For now, the public health department is primarily working to provide information and ensure equitable access to the vaccine. She said the department has plans to offer vaccines at stationary and mobile sites when it starts mass vaccinations in early February.

In the region

 Pierce County announced 143 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and five new deaths. Pierce County now has a total of 28,725 confirmed cases and 339 deaths. Over the past two weeks, Pierce County has reported 4,005 cases, an average of 286.1 per day.

 Lewis County reported 16 new cases and no new deaths on Tuesday. The county now has a total of 2,466 COVID-19 cases with 30 deaths.

 Mason County reported seven new cases Tuesday. The county has now had 1,427 COVID-19 cases with 16 deaths.

 Grays Harbor County's website now embeds the state DOH's data dashboard, which shows that the county has 2,605 confirmed and probable cases as of Sunday with 27 total deaths.

 Pacific County, now part of the Healthy Washington region with Thurston County, reported no new cases of COVID-19 on Monday. The county's total case count remains at 616 and six deaths, with 22 cases currently active. The current case rate per 100,000 over 14 days is 120.1.

Across the state, nation and world

The state Department of Health had reported a total of 278,544 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday, with 3,789 deaths.

In the U.S., 22.8 million cases and more than 380,000 deaths had been reported as of Tuesday, Johns Hopkins University data show.

Globally, over 91.5 million cases had been reported and 1.96 million people had died as of Tuesday, the data show.

___

(c)2021 The Olympian (Olympia, Wash.)

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Any attempt by U.S. shale and other oil producers to boost output this year will backfire and lead to lower prices, according to the energy minister of the United Arab Emirates.

Oil prices have surged in the past two months with the development of coronavirus vaccines. They jumped again last week when Saudi Arabia said it would unilaterally cut crude output by 1 million barrels a day in February and March, a move the kingdom described as a gift to other producers.

Thats led the International Energy Agency to state that shale firms -- whose output plunged last year when the virus spread and demand for energy crashed -- would again be profitable.

POLITICS: Oil companies halt political giving after Capitol riot

With demand still fragile, they are wise not to jump the gun and overproduce during the recovery year, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei said in an interview on Tuesday before a forum run by Dubai-based consultancy Gulf Intelligence. They need to be careful not to flood the market.

OPEC Cuts

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and partners such as Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+, agreed to cut output by almost 10 million barrels a day in April. Their efforts and a rapid improvement in energy demand in China and India buoyed oil prices.

Brent crude has risen about 9% this year and traded near $57 a barrel on Wednesday. But its still down more than 10% from pre-pandemic levels and below what most major exporters need to balance their budgets.

Shale companies need to confident that prices will stay above $45 a barrel before they ramp up output, Mele Kyari, the managing director of Nigerias state oil company, said in a separate interview.

Non-shale producers have plenty of spare capacity that can be easily kicked in to the market, he said. If that happens you lose money. Nobody wants to lose money, so they will be very cautious.

U.S. crude stockpiles climbed with the onset of the virus and as economic activity plunged. Though they fell from a peak of 541 million barrels in June to 485 million on Jan. 1, theyre still up 12% from a year ago. The IEA sees the global glut enduring for the rest of 2021.

Its not going to be easy to just go and build production, seeing the inventory levels where they are today, Mazrouei said.

Shale companies in the U.S. pumped about 8.1 million barrels daily in January. That compares with 9.3 million in March 2020.

FUEL FIX: Get our energy news in your inbox.

At a virtual meeting last week, OPEC+ agreed to keep production in February and March unchanged for all 23 members bar Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kazakhstan. The latter two will increase output by 75,000 barrels a day. The UAE pumped 2.5 million barrels daily in December, making it OPECs biggest producer after Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

The Saudis decision to cut production for two months comes amid renewed lockdowns in Europe and Asia and a spike in U.S. cases. Those have forced OPEC+ to slow the pace at which it eases last years curbs.

Global demand wont return to pre-pandemic levels until the end of 2021 or early 2022, Mazrouei said. When that happens, Mazrouei said hes confident OPEC+ countries can regain any market share theyll lose to others by curtailing output.

We are the lowest-cost producers as OPEC countries, he said.

Abu Dhabi plans to expand production capacity to 5 million barrels a day by 2030 from 4.2 million now and to start trading its Murban crude on an exchange this quarter, in an attempt to make it a benchmark for Middle Eastern oil. Those moves will enable us to compete and will enable us to put those volumes because they will be needed, Mazrouei said.

In the more immediate term, the markets ability to absorb the return of the Saudi barrels in April will depend on whether vaccination roll-outs in major economies are successful, Mazrouei said.

If that happens and we see a demand recovery, then I think the market can absorb it, he said.

No Division

Mazrouei said OPEC+ remained united, despite the alliance coming under strain as its members finances deteriorate. Iraq, Nigeria and Angola have come under fire from the Saudis for breaching their quotas. UAE officials privately questioned the benefits of OPEC membership in November, after Riyadh criticized Abu Dhabi for briefly pumping above its cap.

The minister said the UAE was committed to OPEC and that the wider grouping would continue working to balance supply and demand.

This is not a temporary relationship, Mazrouei said of OPEC+. This is hopefully a permanent relationship.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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New Delhi, Jan 13 : As the government gears up for the Covid vaccination drive targeting health care and frontline workers, the Congress has cautioned the government that since the 'Covaxin' vaccine has not completed phase-3 trials, it should not be rolled out as Indians are not "guinea pigs".

Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "The government should not roll out vaccines till their efficacy is completely established and mandatory phase-3 trials are over, as Indians are not 'guinea pigs'." His objections are over 'Covaxin' which has been approved for emergency use but has not completed phase-3 trials to prove its reliability. The Congress leader said that the government is not giving a choice to the people.

Tewari tweeted: "Till yesterday NDA/BJP claimed Covaxin has been cleared for emergency use. Today by not allowing recipients to pick vaccine of his choice is NDA/BJP making guinea pigs out of Indians @drharshvardhan. Is roll out THE REAL Phase-3 Trial of Covaxin?" The first consignment of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin landed in Delhi from Hyderabad on Wednesday. Bharat Biotech aims to dispatch around 55 lakh vaccines to 11 cities in the initial phase, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Chennai and Jaipur.

In Delhi, the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) would receive 20,000 doses of Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine from a consignment which landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Wednesday morning, officials told IANS.

The RGSSH has already received 2.64 lakh doses of the 'Covishield' vaccine on Tuesday. The hospital has received 22 boxes consisting of 26,400 vials of 'Covishield', the Covid vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Shortly after the election, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent much of the country spiraling by saying his department was preparing for a smooth transition to a second Trump administration. Pompeo may have been joking, and it doesnt appear that that second term is going to happen. Instead, the secretary of states tenure came to an ignominious end this week when Luxembourgs foreign minister and several top EU officials declined to meet with him, prompting Pompeo to cancel a planned trip to Europe.

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But Pompeo, Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, and the rest of the Trump foreign policy team have been busy in recent weeks, seemingly trying to cram a full four-year terms worth of foreign policy actions into the two-month transition period.

Here are a few of the most significant actions theyve taken since learning they lost the election:

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Nov. 10: The administration formally notifies Congress of a planned $23 billion arms sale to the United Arab Emirates, including F-35 stealth fighters. The deal, which came after the UAE normalized relations with Israel, survived a Senate challenge in December.

Nov. 12: Trump issues an executive order barring Americans from investing in companies linked to the Chinese military, one of a number of new sanctions on China that provoked retaliation from Beijing against U.S. firms this week.

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Nov. 16: The Pentagon announces plans to cut the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan from 4,500 to 2,500, as well as a more modest troop reduction for Iraq. The administration is reportedly pressing ahead with the withdrawal in defiance of a law recently passed by Congress that bars a drawdown below 4,000 troops until the Defense Department completes an assessment of the risks and impacts of the withdrawal.

Nov. 18: The U.S. announces sweeping new sanctions targeting Iran as well as a foundation tied to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The sanctions appear to be part of the Trump administrations plan to ramp up its maximum pressure campaign against Iran in order to make it harder for Biden to return to the 2015 nuclear deal. Even more sanctions were added this week.

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Nov. 19: Pompeo becomes the first U.S. secretary of state to visit the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. In 2019, the Trump administration broke with most of the international community and decades of precedent by recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the territory, which was captured from Syria in 1967.

Dec. 10: The U.S. recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, again defying most of the international community and international law, in exchange for Morocco normalizing relations with Israel.

Dec. 14: The State Department removes Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, in exchange for that country improving relations with Israel. Sudan, which once harbored Osama bin Laden, had been on the list since 1993, though is not believed to have supported terrorism recently.

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Jan. 9: The U.S. eases restrictions on how its diplomats and officials can interact with Taiwan, which the U.S. does not formally recognize in accordance with the long-standing One China policy. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft was due to make a high-profile visit to the country this week until it was canceled after Pompeos Luxembourg snub.

Jan. 10: The State Department announces it is designating Yemens Iran-aligned Houthi rebels as a foreign terrorist organization. Aid groups fear that the blacklisting of the group, which controls Yemens capital and much of its territory, could hinder efforts to deliver humanitarian aid in the midst of the worlds worst ongoing famine.

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Jan. 11: The administration announces it is returning Cuba to the list of state sponsors of terrorism. Cuba had previously been on the list for its support of left-wing rebel movements in Latin America, but was removed in 2015 as part of the Obama administrations efforts to normalize diplomatic relations with the island.

Most of these moves were likely in the works or at least under consideration before the election. And its not unheard-of for presidents to make major precedent-setting foreign policy moves during transition periods. Bill Clinton signed the treaty establishing the International Criminal Court during his lame-duck period, a controversial agreement that has still never been ratified by Congress. George W. Bush signed an agreement with Iraq that effectively locked incoming President Barack Obama into a slower troop withdrawal timeline than the one he had campaigned on.

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Still, its unusual for an outgoing administration to go full YOLO on foreign policy in its final months to quite this extent. Pompeo, who likely has future political plans of his own, seems to be working to burnish his legacy. He has been conspicuously silent on the chaos in Washington in recent weeks, while unleashing an endless stream of swagger and boasting on his Twitter account, culminating in a demand for a Nobel Peace Prize this week.

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The Trump teams last-ditch blitz also seems designed to create faits accomplis that will limit the ability of the Biden administration to undo Trumps legacy. Will it work? In some cases, perhaps. Whether the U.S. will actually be able to return to the Iran deal in anything resembling its original form is still an open question. And it will be politically awkward, at least, for Biden to reverse the Trump positions on Western Sahara and the Golan Heights.

But for the most part, these are moves that can be reversed by the Biden administration if it wants to. The long-term damage this kind of partisan grandstanding and flip-flopping does to U.S. credibility is a bigger concern.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling on President-elect Joe Biden to reinforce the commitment of the United States to human rights after four years of shirking it during Donald Trumps presidency, and to join broad coalitions that have emerged to stand up to "powerful actors" such as Russia and China that have been undermining the global human rights system.

Trump was a disaster for human rights both at home and abroad, HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth wrote in an introduction to the New York-based watchdogs annual report on human rights published on January 13.

[Trump] cozied up to one friendly autocrat after another at the expense of their abused populations..."

According to Roth, the outgoing president flouted legal obligations that allow people fearing for their lives to seek refuge, ripped migrant children from their parents, empowered white supremacists, acted to undermine the democratic process, and fomented hatred against racial and religious minorities, among other things.

Trump also cozied up to one friendly autocrat after another at the expense of their abused populations, promoted the sale of weapons to governments implicated in war crimes, and attacked or withdrew from key international initiatives to defend human rights, promote international justice, advance public health, and forestall climate change.

This destructive combination eroded the credibility of the U.S. government when it spoke out against abuses in other countries, Roth said, adding: Condemnations of Venezuela, Cuba, or Iran rang hollow when parallel praise was bestowed on Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, or Israel.

But as the Trump administration largely abandoned the protection of human rights abroad and powerful actors such as China, Russia, and Egypt sought to undermine the global human rights system, other governments stepped forward to its defense, he said.

Subscribe To RFE/RL's Watchdog Report Watchdog is our curated digest of human rights, media freedom, and democracy developments from RFE/RL's vast broadcast region. In your in-box every Thursday. Subscribe here.

After Bidens inauguration on January 20, the U.S. government should seek to join, not supplant these collective efforts by a range of Western countries, Latin American democracies, and a growing number of Muslim-majority states.

Biden should also seek to reframe the U.S. publics appreciation of human rights so the U.S. commitment becomes entrenched in a way that is not so easily reversed by his successors.

China

According to HRWs annual World Report 2021, which summarizes last years human rights situation in nearly 100 countries and territories worldwide, the Chinese governments authoritarianism was on full display in 2020.

Repression deepened across the country, with the government imposing a draconian national-security law in Hong Kong and arbitrarily detaining Muslims in the northwestern Xinjiang region on the basis of their identity, while others are subjected to forced labor, mass surveillance, and political indoctrination.

Russia

In Russia, HRW said the authorities used the coronavirus pandemic as a pretextto restrict human rights in many areas, and to introduce new restrictions, especially over privacy rights.

Following a controversial referendum on constitutional changes, a crackdown was launched on dissenting voices, with new, politically motivated prosecutions and raids on the homes and offices of political and civic activists and organizations.

Belarus

The situation wasn't much better in neighboring Belarus, where HRW said thousands were arbitrarily detained and hundreds were subjected to torture and other ill-treatment as strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka faced an unprecedented wave of protests following a contested presidential election in August.

"In many cases they detained, beat, fined, or deported journalists who covered the protests and stripped them of their accreditation," HRW said. "They temporarily blocked dozens of websites and, during several days, severely restricted access to the Internet."

Ukraine

According to the watchdog, the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine continued to take a high toll on civilians, from threatening their physical safety to limiting access to food, medicines, adequate housing, and schools.

Travel restrictions imposed by Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian authorities in response to the coronavirus pandemic exacerbated hardship for civilians and drove them deeper into poverty.

Balkans

In the Balkan region, HRW said serious human rights concerns remained in Bosnia-Herzegovina over ethnic divisions, discrimination, and the rights of minorities and asylum seekers, while pressure on media professionals continued.

There was limited improvement in protections of human rights in Serbia, where journalists faced threats, violence, and intimidation, and those responsible are rarely held to account.

On Kosovo, HRW cited continued tensions between ethnic Albanians and Serbs and threats and intimidation against journalists, while prosecutions of crimes against journalists have been slow.

Hungary

Elsewhere in Europe, the government in EU member Hungary continued its attacks on rule of law and democratic institutions and interfered with independent media and academia, launched an assault on members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, and undermined womens rights.

Iran

HRW said Iranian authorities continued to crack down on dissent, including through excessive and lethal force against protesters and reported abuse and torture in detention, while U.S. sanctions impacted Iranians access to essential medicines and harmed their right to health.

Pakistan

In neighboring Pakistan, the government harassed and at times prosecuted human rights defenders, lawyers, and journalists for criticizing government officials and policies, while also cracking down on members and supporters of opposition political parties.

Meanwhile, attacks by Islamist militants targeting law enforcement officials and religious minorities killed dozens of people.

Afghanistan

HRW noted that fighting between Afghan government forces, the Taliban, and other armed groups caused nearly 6,000 civilian casualties in the first nine months of the year.

The Afghan government failed to prosecute senior officials responsible for sexual assault, torture, and killing civilians, while threats to journalists by both the Taliban and government officials continued.

South Caucasus

In the South Caucasus, six weeks of fighting over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region dominated events in both Azerbaijan and Armenia.

HRW said all parties to the conflict committed violations of international humanitarian law, including by using banned cluster munitions.

Central Asia

In Central Asia, critics of the Kazakh government faced harassment and prosecution, and free speech was suppressed.

Kyrgyz authorities misused lockdown measures imposed in response to the coronavirus epidemic to obstruct the work of journalists and lawyers, and parliament advanced several problematic draft laws including an overly broad law penalizing manipulation of information.

Tajik authorities continued to jail government critics, including opposition activists and journalists, for lengthy prison terms on politically motivated grounds.

The government also severely restricted freedom of expression, association, assembly, and religion, including through heavy censorship of the Internet.

Uzbekistans political system remained largely authoritarian with thousands of people -- mainly peaceful religious believers -- being kept behind bars on false charges.

Citing reports of torture and ill-treatment in prisons, HRW said journalists and activists were persecuted, independent rights groups were denied registration, and forced labor was not eliminated.

Turkmenistan experienced cascading social and economic crises as the government recklessly denied and mismanaged the COVID-19 epidemic in the country, leading to severe shortages of affordable food.

Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch, attends an interview with Reuters in Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Denis Balibouse/Reuters)

Human Rights Watch Slams Chinas Appalling Year of Violations

China had an appalling year for human rights in 2020, a leading advocacy group said on Wednesday, with a clampdown on dissent in Hong Kong, repression of Muslim Uyghurs, and the silencing of people reporting on the coronavirus outbreak.

A Chinese court last month handed down a four-year jail term to a citizen-journalist who reported from Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus before it spread across the globe, while others who did the same have disappeared.

To crack down on whistleblowers and citizen-journalists at this particular moment  helps highlight to the rest of the world what the consequences of violations inside China can be, Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), said after the release of the groups World Report 2021.

HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth told Reuters Television in Geneva that China remained the biggest threat to global human rights and that Chinese leader Xi Jinping had embarked on the most intense repression in the country since the Tiananmen Square Massacre in 1989.

China last year introduced a national security law in the former British colony of Hong Kong, under which 53 pro-democracy activists were arrested in dawn raids last week, while the persecution of Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in the restive far-western region of Xinjiang has drawn international backlash.

Richardson, speaking at a webinar, compared the Uyghurs plight to that of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar but noted a much weaker international response.

She also said it was problematic that the European Union, after a year in which China publicly shred its human rights commitments, agreed on an investment pact with Beijing, only setting out vague expectations that China will consider abiding by higher standards on forced labor and other issues.

But she noted more governments were coming together to criticize the Chinese regime.

Putting a dent in the Chinese governments sense of impunity for serious human rights violations is a real priority, we think, for governments and for institutions like the UN, she said.

By Tom Daly
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- A local blood bank is seeking donors as the need for blood continues. Versiti Blood Center is hosting a blood drive at the new West Lafayette City Hall building on Thursday, Jan. 14.

A Versiti blood bank vehicle will be parked outside the new Margerum building from 9:15 to 11:30 a.m. Organizers are hoping for a decent turnout as Covid-19 has only amplified the importance of donating.

Five-hundred and fifty blood donations are needed per day to help patients just in Indiana. Versiti's blood donations go to more than 80 hospitals across the state, including right here in Tippecanoe County.

Anyone with good health ages 16 or older can participate. People who have recovered from Covid-19 are especially encouraged to donate. This blood has shown proof in helping improve symptoms in those hospitalized with Covid.

Versiti leader Kelli Cornelius said one person has the power to save at least three lives.

"When you donate whole blood, you're saving three lives, there's potential for your red cells to go to one patient, your plasma to go to another, and your platelets to go to another patient," said Cornelius.

She said this pandemic has only amplified the need for blood giving.

"People are still getting in car accidents, people still have cancer, people still have organ transplants and things like that, that are happening and all of those things require blood transfusions, so the need for blood does not go away just because there's a pandemic," said Cornelius.

Versiti will be administering free Covid-19 antibody tests to those who donate. Results take about four weeks to receive. These tests can typically cost anywhere from $40 to $50.

They're asking people to register before showing up in order to maintain social-distancing and reduce wait time. Click here to register.

Versiti will also be heading to 3rd Street in downtown Lafayette later that afternoon. They'll be there from 1 to 4 p.m.





"The most recent indicators of economic activity confirm our conviction on this rapid recovery of the Peruvian economy," he said.





The government official noted that these results come thanks to the fiscal policy measures adopted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) and the monetary policy actions taken by the Central Reserve Bank (BCR) to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.





"These policies allowed the productive apparatus to remain almost intact during the pandemic; in such a way that companies were prepared when the economic reopening began, and that is how the Peruvian economy's rapid recovery is explained," he remarked.





"In such a way that a 10% recovery in GDP is expected for this year, which will be followed by interesting growth rates," he added.





Additionally, Mendoza estimated improvements in the performance of private and public investment for this year.





Private investment an aspect that is of particular concern to this ministry (MEF), especially after a 20% drop in 2020 is expected to recover by 17% this year," the Cabinet member reported.





He went on to say that public investment which at some point within last year fell 70% has already seen an increase in the last three months. In addition, it has registered a double-digit growth in the last months of 2020.





Remarks were made during his participation in the "2021 reactivation measures, including generation of employment and opportunities for Peruvians" session at the Annual Conference of Executives (CADE-Executives).





(END) MDV/RMB/MVB

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Saunders said Dunkins interest in the partnership reflects the trend of people wanting healthier options and the logistical challenges of selling fresh food. Farmers Fridge, which has been growing fast since it was founded in 2013, now has the distribution system, name recognition and economies of scale to offer a low enough price to make it an appealing supplier, Saunders said.
Lockheed Martin Corp. Will Pay $700,000 in Back Wages After DOL Investigation

Lockheed Martin Corp. was found guilty of race-based discrimination during the hiring process for positions in their RMS Engineering and Technology Unit.

The Department of Labor entered into an Early Resolution Conciliation Agreement with Lockheed Martin Corp.s RMS Engineering and Technology Unit to resolve hiring discrimination allegations.

The Departments Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) found that from Jan. 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018, Lockheed Martin discriminated Asian, African American and Hispanic applicants for positions such as software engineer associate and systems engineer staff. The company agreed to pay $700,000 in back wages and interest to 616 affected applicants. They have also agreed to hire 34 of those applicants.

This agreement will prevent systemic hiring discrimination practices from recurring at Lockheed Martins RMS Engineering & Technology Unit, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs Regional Director Michele Hodge. Companies that accept federal contracts must monitor their hiring processes to ensure applicants are not rejected based on unlawful practices.

According to the OFCCP, Lockheed Martin violated Executive Order 11246, which prohibits race-based discrimination in hiring by federal contractors. The company did not admit liability despite entering into the agreement.

For more information, visit dol.gov.
Sao Paulo: It's the news Indonesian President Joko Widodo probably didn't want to hear when he lined up on Wednesday to be the first person to receive the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine kicking off a massive immunisation program.

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech was just 50.4 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic infections in a Brazilian trial, researchers said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) barely enough for regulatory approval and well below the rate announced last week.

The latest results are a major disappointment for Brazil, as the Chinese vaccine is one of two that the federal government has lined up to begin immunisation during the second wave of the world's second-deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.

Workers wearing protective gear bury the casket of a COVID-19 victim in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday. The country has lost more than 200,000 people to the new coronavirus. Credit:Bloomberg

Several scientists and observers blasted the Butantan biomedical centre for releasing partial data just days ago that generated unrealistic expectations. The confusion may add to scepticism in Brazil about the Chinese vaccine, which President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised, questioning its "origins".
Hume said that Republicans not only see political opportunity but are 'furious'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is said to be 'pleased' with impeaching

While another GOP heavyweight, Liz Cheney, called Capitol riot 'insurrection'

Hume agreed with Carlson that the direct effect of impeaching was pointless - Trump will be out of office in a week - but said there was political impetus

GOP doesn't want Trump 'hanging around' until election in 2024, Hume said

Brit Hume has told Tucker Carlson that 'radioactive' Donald Trump cost the GOP the Georgia run-offs by spouting 'utter balderdash' about election rigging.

But the Fox News veteran last night said that impeaching Trump was 'overkill' and pointless at this stage - Joe Biden will be inaugurated in a week.

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It comes amid reports that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will vote to convict the president and is 'pleased' with Nancy Pelosi's impeachment trial and the chance to purge the MAGA wing of the party.

Another GOP heavyweight, Liz Cheney, the House's third-ranking Republican, is also going to convict, calling last week's deadly riot on Capitol Hill an 'insurrection.'

'What's the point of this?' Carlson asked Hume.

The Fox News analyst replied that the Republican party didn't want 'radioactive' Trump to be 'hanging around' and possibly even running at the next general election in 2024.

U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Harlingen, Texas, Tuesday

And, Hume added, Trump's voters 'are furious with him.'

'They believe in their bones that he cost them the two special elections in the state of Georgia, which they manifestly should not have lost,' Hume said.

'Both candidates were ahead and didn't quite get enough to avoid a runoff and then they lost in the runoff. A lot of Republicans stayed home, offended by Trump.

'So that's the reason Republicans are turning away from him. They think he's bad news politically.'

Carlson replied that he can 'certainly understand why they're mad at him,' but that he still couldn't see the point of impeaching him.

The Fox anchor also told his colleague that if Republicans impeached Trump they would drive a wedge between their voters.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his support for impeachment, The New York Times reported Tuesday evening

'If you want to make certain that a lot of your voters are reading off somebody else's script you'd impeach him wouldn't you?' Carlson said.

Hume appeared to agree - at least in the sense of the immediate effect of impeaching Trump - although he seemed less keen to admit the president wielded much power.

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'It would be pretty hard to revive his fortunes politically at this time,' Hume said.

He also described how it was relatively straightforward to make the case for impeachment - certainly it is less complex than the attempt for the Ukraine phone call which was slapped down by the Senate last year.

Hume said: 'All of that stuff he said for weeks on end after the election, that he won it in a landslide and that was all stolen from him, and that Mike Pence had the authority, which he most certainly did not, of reversing the results of the last minute last week.

'That was utter balderdash and he fed it into the veins of his supporters, and one could make a pretty good case that that's part of what got them into a fever that led to last week's events.'

Rep. Jamie Raskin (left), who penned the 25th Amendment resolution the House voted in favor of Tuesday night speaks with Rep Liz Cheney (right), who didn't vote in favor of the resolution but has said she supports the president's impeachment

The House last night passed a resolution which urged Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment to oust Trump - despite the vice president already writing to tell Pelosi he wouldn't.

Debate over the resolution was intense after lawmakers returned the Capitol for the first time since the siege.

Today, House Democrats will start to make their case for impeaching Trump - their colossal majority will make it easy to vote through but it will the more hotly contested Senate.

The Senate's Republican leader McConnell is said to be angry with Trump and is keen to overthrow his dominance in the GOP.

'The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution,' a McConnell source said last night.

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In the House, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a top Trump ally, scrambled to suggest a lighter censure instead, but that option crumbled.

So far, Republican Reps. John Katko of New York, a former federal prosecutor; Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran; Fred Upton of Michigan; and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state announced they, too, would join Cheney to vote to impeach.

Despite the Republican leadership allowing its members a conscience vote - it's far from clear there would then be the two-thirds vote in the evenly divided Senate needed to convict and remove Trump.

The impeachment bill draws from Trump's own claims about his election defeat to Biden.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was informed by Vice President Mike Pence that he would not invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office as the House was taking its first vote Tuesday night on a resolution that urges him to do so

Vice President Mike Pence released the letter he had sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the House was taking its first vote on the resolution that pressures him to invoke the 25th Amendment

Vice President Mike Pence sent a letter Tuesday night to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he would not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from power with eight days left in the Trump-Pence administration

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Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

Like the resolution to invoke the 25th Amendment, the impeachment bill also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to 'find' him more votes and his White House rally rant to 'fight like hell' by heading to the Capitol.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent.

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In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.

(HealthDay)Most folks infected with COVID-19 will only have mild or moderate illnessbut that means they'll still be stuck at home and feeling really lousy.

What's the best way to cope?

In many ways, you want to behave as you would if you were suffering from a cold or the flu, said infectious disease expert Dr. Aaron Glatt.

"The general good advice we give to people is eat well, make sure you drink enough, make sure you get enough rest, don't overexert yourself," said Glatt, chairman of the department of medicine and hospital epidemiologist at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, N.Y.

"Sometimes patients do a little bit more than they can, and I don't want to say it exacerbates things, but it exacerbates things," he continued. "It makes them much more tired and much more fatigued and it can be sometimes like a domino effect."

Difficulty breathing is the most troubling symptom related to COVID-19, so you might want to order a home pulse oxygen monitor ("oximeter") to keep track of your blood oxygen levels, suggested Dr. Teresa Murray Amato, chairwoman of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in Queens, N.Y.

Fingertip monitors can be purchased online for about $20.

Blood oxygen levels "below 90 warrant at least a call to your doctor and, if persistent, a visit to your local emergency department," Amato said.

Glatt said that those struggling to breathe "should take deep breaths consciously, trying to blow in, blow out, without getting crazy about it. Don't get yourself winded from doing it."

The United Kingdom's National Health Service (NHS) says keeping your room cool can help ease feelings of breathlessness, either by turning down your heat or opening a window.

Breathing tips from the NHS also include:

Breathing slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth, with lips pursed as though you're blowing out a candle.

Sitting upright in a chair, with relaxed shoulders.

Leaning forward slightly, supporting yourself with your hands on your knees or some other stable object.

Home COVID-19 sufferers also might consider sleeping on their stomachs or their sides, Glatt said.

"You're opening up different parts of your lungs and you're able to aerate better, breathe better. You want to make sure your oxygen saturation is good," he said.

COVID-19 sufferers with a cough should avoid lying on their back, according to the NHS. Instead, they should lie on their side or sit upright.

On that note, people getting bedrest who start struggling for breath might want to get up a few times per hour to move around and shake things loose, Amato said.

Over-the-counter cough suppressants aren't much good against the dry COVID-19 cough. You might find better relief from remedies that keep the throat moist, like drinking hot tea with honey or sucking on a cough drop, according to the AARP.

People with mild or moderate COVID-19 can experience gastrointestinal issues like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, so it's important to stay hydrated, Amato and Glatt said.

"It's almost impossible to hurt yourself by drinking water. You'd have to drink gallons and gallons and gallons. You can't drink too much, most of the time," Glatt said.

If your urine is light yellow or clear, you're getting enough water, the NHS says.

Headaches, body aches and fevers are other common symptoms, and it's OK to treat those with ibuprofen (such as Advil or Motrin), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol), or a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), the experts said.

"Make sure to speak with your doctor before taking, as some people, such as people with liver issues," may need to avoid certain over-the-counter pain remedies, Amato said.

You also should make sure you stay in touch with your doctor, either by phone or video, Amato and Glatt said.

Your doctor can recommend prescription or over-the-counter remedies for aches, fever and cough, they said.

People in the early stages of COVID-19 might also want to talk with their doctor about receiving intravenous monoclonal antibody treatment, particularly if they're in a high-risk group, the doctors added.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

More information: The AARP has more about The AARP has more about treating coronavirus symptoms at home

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 58F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 49F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
[January 13, 2021] The XD Agency Growing in 2021 with Two Strategic Hires

The XD Agency has recently hired two senior staffers amidst changing marketplace demands to support the agency's growing digital experience portfolio. The XD Agency has been involved with several major digital experiences in 2020 including Cisco (News - Alert) Live, which was awarded Best Virtual Event by Event Marketer. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005758/en/ The XD Agency New Hires: L-R Megan Ferrara and Ben Shlansky (Photo: Business Wire) "While digital events have supercharged the demand for innovative ways to connect with audiences, it has also been the catalyst for a more integrated approach to experiential programs," said SVP of Client Development Matt Schrader. "As in-person experiences came to a screeching halt, we were able to weather the storm with our clients and are now in the fortunate position to grow our offering with these new talented hires." Director of Integrated Strategy Ben Shlansky, and Senior Account Director Megan Ferrara, both joined inDecember. Shlansky will lead the effort to support clients on acquisition marketing efforts and strategic research needs. Ben will also be leading XDA's long-term efforts to improve the sustainability of experiential programs. Ferrara will support The XD Agency's rich roster of technology clients, including RingCentral (News - Alert) and Cloudinary, and will tap her network of luxury brands for new opportunities.



Shlansky is an accomplished strategist with global experience in big data analytics, AI and sustainability. Ben has a 10+ year history of successful collaboration with corporate clients, public utilities, government agencies and non-profit organizations. Ben's consultative approach to experiential strategy highlights client initiatives in new and compelling ways ensuring projects strategically and creatively exceed goals and bolster brand impressions. Shlansky joins SVP of Integrated Strategy Andres Toro in the quest to bring strategic insights, performance marketing and measurement to experiential programs. Ferrara is a powerhouse in the global experience design industry hailing from Jack Morton and Imagination. Megan has over 15 years of experience; spearheading award-winning strategic campaigns and experiential programs within the tech, luxury and automotive industries. She is an advocate for global brand development and has a passion for innovative storytelling. Ferrara's charge is to continue the steady growth in XDA's San Francisco office.

"There's no doubt that the pandemic has been challenging for our industry, but the silver lining is that we've deepened our client relationships by engaging with strategic direction and integrated marketing...both of which may not have happened pre-COVID," notes Schrader. The XD Agency continues on its growth trajectory in Q1 with open positions in strategy, creative and production. ABOUT THE XD AGENCY The XD Agency (xdagency.com) is an award-winning creative agency designing experiences for bold brands with teams strategically placed across the US with hubs in New York, Atlanta, and San Francisco. Founded more than 20 years ago, XDA is a leader in the experience design space focused on transforming brand stories into shared experiences that deliver meaning, build community and spark action. XDA's mission: to be the creative agency bold brands can't live without, which comes with a promise of fearless creative, boundary-pushing problem solving, and strategic partnership that delivers remarkable business value. Current clients include Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, LEGO, Accenture, Cisco Live, Dell (News - Alert) , Bank of America, and Fiserv, among others. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005758/en/

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Chinese and Hong Kong authorities accuse Washington of a double standard. Protesters in the former British colony, however, want more democracy, as did those in Tiananmen. Young Taiwanese fought for the sovereignty of their country. The Republic of China in 1913 is a precedent. The democratic system saved the United States.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Hong Kongs Chief Executive Carrie Lam yesterday defended the recent mass arrests involving numerous pro-democracy figures.

Regarding the protests in Hong Kong of the past 18 months, she criticised the double standard of governments like that of the United States.

Lam used the attack against the Capitol in Washington, on 6 January, by supporters of President Trump, to attack the US government.

When the same things seemed to happen in their own country, they immediately took a very different approach to condemn the violence and some said that this was verging on sedition in American society, she said.

In mainland China, the authorities and media also slammed the West for double standards, noting that pro-Trump protesters are labelled terrorists, whilst Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters are seen as freedom fighters.

In Hong Kong, anti-establishment activists and analysts have replied that what happened in Washington is not comparable to the protests by a pro-democracy, citizen-led movement; the two situations must be put in the right context.

The protesters stormed Hong Kongs Legislative Council (LegCo) two years ago to stop the adoption of an extradition law that was undemocratic.

They did not want to overturn a democratic vote deemed free and fair by election officials and the courts, and by the overwhelming majority of civil society.

The difference between the two cases is that Hong Kong's institutions  LegCo and government  are only semi-democratic, and are not representative of the entire local population, which is not the case in the United States.

The occupation of the Taiwan Parliament in 2014 was also compared to the events on Capitol Hill.

Young Taiwanese from the Sunflower Movement raided the assembly to block the approval of a trade agreement with China pushed by the government, then led by the pro-Beijing Kuomintang.

For the protesters, the deal endangered the island's de facto sovereignty, accelerating a possible reunification with the motherland, a position shared by the majority of the Taiwanese population.

Starting from a point of view opposite to that of Beijing, some Chinese dissidents in the US have found similarities between the siege on Capitol Hill and the pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square in 1989.

They are pro-Trump and appreciate his harsh policy towards Communist China. For them, the attackers were engaged in a political struggle like the Chinese students 30 years ago.

For other Tiananmen veterans, the parallel is inappropriate: in 1989 young Chinese protesters demanded democratic rights such as voting rights; in the US, this already exists.

In an editorial in the Apple Daily, Lam Hoi points out that the comparison is more fitting with Chinas presidential elections of 1913. At the time, Yuan Shikai mobilised his supporters to besiege Parliament to be elected president. Yuan succeeded; Trump failed.

Despite the growing political polarisation in the United States, the country has solid democratic institutions that prevented the subversion of the established order.

According to an Ipsos poll, 70 per cent of Americans condemn the attack on Congress and 74 per cent demand that the attackers go to jail.

(Reuters photo)
KYIV, Ukraine, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - The court case of TIU Canada against the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant (NFZ) for illegal disconnection goes to trial today in the Kyiv Commercial Court (at 44B Bohdana Khmelnytskoho street). The 10.5 MW solar station was disconnected from the electricity grid by NFZ on March 2, 2020, despite the fact that under Ukrainian law, only electricity producers may authorize a disconnection from the electricity grid. TIU Canada is seeking an immediate reconnection to the electricity grid and plans to hold the NFZ and its shareholders fully accountable under the law. The main shareholders of the Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant are Igor Kolomoyskyi, Gennadiy Bogolyubov, and Viktor Pinchuk. Today's hearing is the first trial date in the case (#910/3844/20) from the conclusion of preliminary hearings last month.

The Nikopol solar station owned by TIU Canada is on land leased long term from the city of Nikopol. The solar plant connects to a substation on the grounds of the NFZ. On December 23, 2019, TIU Canada received a letter from the General Director of the NFZ, that they would be disconnecting the TIU Canada connection to grids via the substation on the grounds of the NFZ in order to make 'repairs.' The NFZ stated that they would begin the repairs after February 29, 2020, and TIU Canada immediately contacted the NFZ to seek solutions to avoid any disconnection. However, despite multiple discussions, the NFZ management and shareholders proceeded with disconnecting TIU Canada from the substation on the morning of March 2, 2020. This illegal disconnection has caused more than 1.5 million Euros of damage to TIU Canada already and increases daily.

The case is viewed as a test of the Zelensky's administration's commitment to protecting foreign investors. It should be noted that on July 3, 2019, while speaking to the Economic Club of Canada, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the work of TIU Canada at the Toronto Ukraine Reforms Conference. He said, "We think about the future, that is why green energy will be one of the key sectors of our economy during the upcoming years. I know that we have here Canadian company TIU that already successfully works in this area. We are grateful to them for this - please, follow their example".

TIU Canada is owned by the Calgary based Refraction Asset Management, has been working in Ukraine since 2016, and is a leading solar energy producer. The company commissioned a 10  megawatt solar energy plant in Nikopol, Ukraine, in January 2018, and an 11-megawatt solar station in the Mykolayiv region in April 2019. An additional 33 megawatts of solar electricity production have been commissioned in the Odesa region, for a total of 54 megawatts nationwide. TIU Canada has invested more than $65 million in Ukrainian solar energy over the last four years and was the first investor in Ukraine under the Canadian Ukrainian Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA).

TIU Canada directly and through its subcontractors employs more than 30 people in Ukraine whose jobs are now threatened by this illegal disconnection.

SOURCE TIU Canada

Related Links

https://tiucanada.com/


Commissioner Dan Ryan said Wednesday that his home has been vandalized seven times since late October, when the North Portland dwelling he shares with his fiance was first targeted by protesters who wanted him to support cutting millions of dollars from the citys police budget.

The latest episode occurred early Sunday, Ryan told The Oregonian/OregonLive in a statement.

I ask those who seek my attention on city business to schedule time with me and my team. We welcome scheduled meetings, during working hours, to hear inclusive perspectives on the complex challenges facing our city, he said. Acts of vandalism to my home, in the veil of darkness, will not allow me to actively and compassionately listen to you.

The Portland Police Bureau did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Ryan joined the City Council in August and was viewed as likely to provide a crucial third vote on a measure pushed by Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty to slash the police bureaus budget  previously cut by more than $15 million in June  by an additional $18 million.

His decision against the Nov. 5 effort outraged a number of progressives and police reform advocates, some of whom marched to his home that evening and damaged the property. Others subsequently began organizing what they say will be a recall campaign against him this summer.

Ryans remarks about the ongoing vandalism come as Portland elected officials continue to be confronted  and sometimes threatened and intimidated  by members of the public who oppose their politics or the positions they take on issues.

Hardesty, the first Black woman elected to serve on the Portland City Council and outspoken police critic, has said shes received death threats to her home and that a staff member discovered that a bullet struck the window in Hardestys City Hall office in October.

Last week, a group of left-wing activists raucously accosted Mayor Ted Wheeler while he was dining in Northwest Portland. A member of the group started swatting at Wheeler and made physical contact with him, according to the mayors spokesman Jim Middaugh.

Demonstrators demanding Wheelers resignation during the height of Portlands 2020 racial justice protests smashed windows and set fires inside his condo building, prompting the mayor to move.

Other political figures in the city have also been recent targets.

The lawyer for the Portland Police Association, Anil Karia, said his Northeast Portland office was vandalized with graffiti and broken windows Monday evening.

And on Tuesday night, the eve of the citys resumption of police union contract talks, people showed up outside Karias home and harassed him and his family, he said.

People went onto Karias porch, banged on windows and tore off an exterior camera about 11:30 p.m, union representatives said.

I found that personally reprehensible, and if you sense a touch of anger in my voice, thats what youre getting, Karia said.

He said the harassment at his home was an effort to intimidate me, my family and my kids. Karia added that people also smashed out windows at his office and scrawled graffiti on the buildings exterior over the summer.

Ryan said it adds stress to an already stressful time for public officials to be targeted at home and late at night.

We are collectively experiencing one of the most challenging chapters in our citys history, he said. Like everyone committed to service at this time, I need the ability to rest and restore in my down time to be effective and at my best in this role.

The Oregonian/OregonLives Maxine Bernstein contributed to this report.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Chandigarh: Farmers in Punjab on Wednesday burnt copies of the Centre's three new farm laws at several places on the festival of Lohri as a mark of protest against the legislations.

Protesting farmers owing allegiance to different farm bodies held protest at many places in the state and burnt copies of new agriculture laws.

Farmers' protest

Farmers also shouted slogans against the BJP-led Centre and slammed the government for not acceding to their demands. They demanded that the new farms laws should be repealed.

Farmers including women under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee held a protest at Pandherkalan village in Amritsar.

We burnt the copies of the farm laws as a mark of protest against these legislations, said committee's general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher in Amritsar.

Farmers' unions

Similar protests are also being held at other places in Amritsar. Until the Centre accepts all the demands of farmers, our agitation will continue, said Pandher.

We will not accept these farm laws as they are not in the interest of the farming community and the government should repeal these legislations, said a protester.

Farmers also burnt copies of the new farm laws at many places including Hoshiarpur, Sangrur and Kapurthala in the state.
QINGDAO, China, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SOS Limited (NYSE: SOS) (the "Company" or "SOS") today announced its crypto mining plan. SOS plans to invest heavily in the crypto mining business to take advantage of the growing investors' realization of the values and potentials of the crypto assets.

Dr. Huazhong (Eric) Yan, Vice President of Operation who spearheads the Company's planned cryptocurrencies security and insurance operation will also be responsible for the crypto mining business. The Company plans to have him lead a team to come up with a detailed plan of setting up a series of cloud crypto mining sites in the regions where energy costs are much lower and clean energy resources much more, such as Sichuan, Gan su, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, etc. Initially, SOS anticipates focusing on the mining of the key mainstream cryptocurrencies, such as BTC, etc. If that venture develops as planned, we plan to expand mining further to the full coverage of all of mainstream cryptocurrencies. In addition, SOS also plans to provide a variety of cloud based crypto mining services, such as SOS self-mining, miner trusteeship, cryptocurrency-related DeFi, security and insurance services for cryptocurrencies, etc.

SOS Chairman Yandai Wang commented, "We expect that SOS's planned cloud based crypto mining and crypto currency security and insurance operation spearheaded by Dr. Yan, will become one of key growth drive of SOS."

About SOS Limited

SOS Limited, through its operating subsidiary, SOS Information Technology Co., Ltd. ("SOS") is a high-technology company providing a wide range of services to its corporate and individual members, including marketing data, technology and solutions for emergency rescue services. SOS transforms digital technology into data-driven operations through the research and development of big data, cloud computing, Internet of Things, blockchain and artificial intelligence.

We have created a SOS cloud emergency rescue service software as a service (SaaS) platform with three major product categories: basic cloud, cooperative cloud, and information. This system provides innovative marketing solutions to clients such as insurance companies, financial institutions, medical institutions, healthcare providers, auto manufacturers, security providers, senior living assistance providers, and other service providers in the emergency rescue services industry.

SOS has obtained a national high-tech enterprise certification and the title of "big data star enterprise," awarded by Gui'an New District Government. Staying on the forefront of digital technology innovation, the Company has registered 32 software copyrights and 2 patents. For more information, please visit: http://www.sosyun.com/

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "expect," "estimate," "plan," "outlook," and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking statements include timing of the proposed transaction; the business plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of the parties;, SOS's estimated and future results of operations, business strategies, competitive position, industry environment and potential growth opportunities market acceptance of our products; the ultimate impact of the current Coronavirus pandemic, or any other health epidemic, on our business, our research programs, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole; our intellectual property; our reliance on third party organizations; our anticipated financial and operating results, including anticipated sources of revenues; our assumptions regarding the size of the available market, benefits of our product offering, product pricing, timing of product launches; management's expectation with respect to future acquisitions; statements regarding our goals, intentions, plans and expectations, including the introduction of new products and markets; and our cash needs and financing plans and etc. These forward-looking statements reflect the current analysis of existing information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. As a result, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. SOS may not realize its expectations, and its beliefs may not prove correct. Due to known and unknown risks, our actual results may differ materially from our expectations or projections. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact our expectations and projections can be found in our periodic filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019. SOS's SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. SOS disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE SOS Limited

Related Links

http://www.sosyun.com/


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NEW YORK (AP)  The PGA canceled its tournament at his golf course. Banks say they wont lend to him anymore. New York City is looking to end his contract to operate the Central Park skating rink.

Hits to President Donald Trumps business empire since the deadly riots at the U.S. Capitol are part of a liberal cancel culture, his son, Eric, told The Associated Press on Tuesday, saying his father will leave the presidency with a powerful brand backed by millions of voters who will follow him to the ends of the Earth.

We live in the age of cancel culture, but this isnt something that started this week. It is something that they have been doing to us and others for years, said Trump, who along with his brother, Donald Jr., have been running the family company since their father took office four years ago. If you disagree with them, if they dont like you, they try and cancel you.

The remarks in an extended interview to the AP come amid an extraordinary backlash against the Trump Organization after thousands of the presidents supporters stormed the Capitol last week in a violent riot seeking to keep lawmakers from confirming Joe Bidens presidential election victory.

Amid accusations Trump incited the mob, the PGA of America voted to strip its namesake championship from Trumps Bedminister, New Jersey, golf course next year, a British golf organization said the British Open will not be played at a Trump property in the foreseeable future, the e-commerce company Shopify stopped helping run the online Trump Store, and New York City announced it was looking to cancel contracts with Trump for skating rinks and a golf course in the Bronx.

The president incited a rebellion against the United States government, a clearly unconstitutional act, Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio said. Thats unforgivable.

And potentially most troubling of all, several banks, including one of his biggest lenders, Deutsche Bank, have reportedly said they would no longer lend to Trumps company, raising the prospect that the president may have to dig into his own pockets to pay off his loans if he cant refinance.

We witnessed the president of the United States encouraging the rioters and refraining from calling in the National Guard to protect the Congress in its performance of duty, said one bank that cut ties, New Yorks Signature Bank, once so close to Trump it put his daughter Ivanka on its board.

Eric Trump seemed unruffled but combative as he spoke by phone from his office in Trump Tower. He dismissed the hits as no big threat to a company that has minimal debt $400 million against billions in assets  and can always tap its vast real estate holdings for cash, not to mention the allegiance of those sticking by the president.

You have a man who would get followed to the ends of the Earth by a hundred million Americans, Eric Trump said. He created the greatest political movement in American history and his opportunities are endless.

That upbeat assessment notwithstanding, the limited data available for his private company suggest the Trump Organizations golf properties, as well as other parts of his businesses, may be struggling.

Its two Scottish golf courses have been losing money for years, it had to furlough more than 1,000 workers last year due to the coronavirus, prices of condos in Trump residential buildings have fallen sharply and the company has been unsuccessful in its plans to sell one of its most celebrated properties, the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C.

One person who does business with members at Trumps golf club in Bedminster said several members are thinking of freezing their membership after the Capitol riots, and that getting new members to join will be difficult.

They dont want to be publicly shamed for being a member of his golf club, said the person, who requested anonymity because he doesnt want to lose his clients business. Do you think a guy who works for a financial firm or a drug company wants to see his picture in the paper?

Along with his father, Eric Trump spoke to the crowd on Jan. 6 before many of them rushed to the Capitol, pushed over barriers, attacked police, vandalized the building and left five people dead.

Have some backbone. Show some fight. Learn from Donald Trump, Eric Trump said before urging them to march on the Capitol."

President Trump said Tuesday during a visit to the border wall in Texas that he bore no responsibility for fomenting the insurrection and warned that efforts to impeach him over his comments threatened only to further divide the country, which is very dangerous.

Asked directly in his interview if he felt his father incited the crowd, Eric Trump paused and then the line went dead.
PFAS investigation in Pellston completes second round of samples

Officials discovered polyfluoroalkyls in Pellston residential water sources in late 2019. The airport is believed to be the source of the substances.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
For the second straight year, Moodys Analytics has been named Data Provider of the Year at the Regulation Asia Awards for Excellence.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112006146/en/

Several of our data solutions contributed to this win. While all of these solutions enable our customers to make better decisions, each solution has its own use cases and serves distinct segments.

CreditEdge: Measure the credit risk of portfolios of listed firms and sovereigns. The Moodys Analytics CreditEdge solution helps organizations to assess the risk of default and credit deterioration consistently across public entities, sovereigns, and bonds from around the world. It combines our EDF (Expected Default Frequency) model with industry-leading analytics to provide early warning on listed exposures before losses occur.

Data Alliance: Contribute credit risk data and receive benchmarking data and analytical tools in return. Data Alliance is one of the world's largest collections of private credit risk data with more than 100 million financial statements representing 20 million firms and many asset classes. Data Alliance members can benchmark their internal portfolios against peers, to understand where risk in their portfolio is concentrated.

Orbis: The leading entity data solution. Orbis covers nearly 400 million entities across the globe. It also enables examination of an increasingly wide range of entitieswith financial data, M&A deal information, adverse media, and moreand makes clear how different entities are linked to each other.

Structured Finance Portal: Access the right structured finance information, quickly and flexibly. Our Structured Finance Portal uses Moodys Analytics technology infrastructure to deliver unmatched data and analytics for all structured asset classes. Its flexible delivery enables customers to access data in whatever way works best for them, helping them find better structured investments, faster and more cost-effectively.

The enormous breadth and depth of our data sets us apart from other vendors, said Wael Jadallah, Managing Director at Moodys Analytics. When we connect these award-winning data solutions, our customers risk analysis is enhanced and new risk assessment possibilities are created. Were honored to again win this award from Regulation Asia, and that our customers are relying on Moodys Analytics data resources to help them make better, faster decisions during this challenging time.

Learn more about the Regulation Asia Awards for Excellence, where Moodys Analytics also won Best Solution in Capital & Liquidity Modelling.

These wins adds to the industry recognition earned by Moodys Analytics, which includes a three-peat for Credit Data Provider of the Year at the Risk Technology Awards last June.

About Moodys Analytics

Moodys Analytics provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to help business leaders make better, faster decisions. Our deep risk expertise, expansive information resources, and innovative application of technology help our clients confidently navigate an evolving marketplace. We are known for our industry-leading and award-winning solutions, made up of research, data, software, and professional services, assembled to deliver a seamless customer experience. We create confidence in thousands of organizations worldwide, with our commitment to excellence, open mindset approach, and focus on meeting customer needs. For more information about Moodys Analytics, visit our website or connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Moody's Analytics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Moody's Corporation (NYSE: MCO). Moodys Corporation reported revenue of $4.8 billion in 2019, employs approximately 11,400 people worldwide and maintains a presence in more than 40 countries.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112006146/en/
New York, Jan 13 : Alarmed by a sluggish coronavirus vaccine rollout, US health agencies announced a string of changes to expand supply, loosen eligibility guidelines and open more locations for people to get shots in arms as the pandemic continues to rage.

As of January 11, the US government had distributed about 27.7 million doses but only a little over 9 million have got their first shots, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracker.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said the federal government will now base each state's vaccine supply pipeline on the success rate of administering shots that have already been sent.

"If you are not using vaccines that you have the right to, then we should be rebalancing to states that are using that vaccine," Azar said at a news conference.

"This next phase reflects the urgency of the situation," said Azar. "Every vaccine dose sitting in a warehouse rather than going into an arm could mean one more death that could have been avoided." Azar said the government will no longer hold back the second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, which was the protocol to begin with. Also, states are being urged to vaccinate cohorts who come lower down in the initial priority list recommended by the CDC.

The new approach aligns with President elect Joe Biden's plan to release most of the available vaccine doses so that a greater share of the population can be protected.

The US leads the world in coronavirus caseload and deaths. More than 22 million have been infected, more than 380,000 have been killed by the virus that first exploded across the world more than a year ago, from Wuhan, China.
One day before a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, a Democratic lawmaker says she saw colleagues leading groups on "reconnaissance" tours of the building.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., made the startling claim in a Facebook Live broadcast on Tuesday night where she took aim at Republicans for inciting the pro-Trump mob that vandalized the Capitol and attacked police officers.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, described seeing "members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5 for reconnaissance for the next day."

"I'm going see that they're held accountable," Sherrill added.

Sherrill did not specifically identify which lawmakers she saw leading groups through the Capitol. Her office did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post late on Tuesday. The FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police also did not immediately respond to messages about whether the agencies are investigating the claim.

Sherrill aired her claims the same night that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she feared GOP colleagues who were sympathetic to the rioters might give her up to the mob. Critics have also taken aim at one freshman GOP representative who tweeted out the location of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during the chaos.

Several Capitol police officers have also been suspended and more than a dozen others are being investigated for suspected ties to rioters or for showing inappropriate support for last week's attempted insurrection.

Sherrill, a second-term lawmaker who represents northern New Jersey, spent nearly 10 years on active duty as a helicopter pilot flying missions across Europe and the Middle East.

On Tuesday, she took to Facebook Live to give her account of the Capitol attack, which left one police officer dead and more than 50 injured. One rioter was fatally shot by U.S. Capitol police and three died of medical emergencies.

That afternoon, Sherrill recounted, she learned from messages on her phone that Vice President Mike Pence had been escorted to safety. Shortly after that, she said, Pelosi was rushed to a secure location.

"We attempted to continue the debate," Sherrill said. "That became impossible as crowds gathered and started banging on the doors, so we were told to get out the gas masks in case we had to egress."

Soon, Sherrill and her colleagues crouched on the floor for safety. She watched as some lawmakers called relatives "afraid that would be the last call that they ever made." Sherrill said she called her husband to let him know she would soon walk to a safe room.

"We were worried that at every corner we would find the mob," Sherrill said, referencing the evacuation.

Sherrill accused President Donald Trump of inciting the attack to "ensure that we could not have a peaceful transfer of power." She also pointed a finger at GOP lawmakers who "abetted" Trump, and "those members of Congress who incited the violent crowd, those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy."

Sherrill, who voted in favor of a resolution on Tuesday urging Pence to remove Trump through the 25th Amendment, vowed to hold accountable Republicans who backed the president's false election fraud claims.

"We can't have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the election results," she said.
When the Second Karabakh War broke out on September 27 last year, the leaders of Armenia and the puppet regime in occupied Karabakh announced that military operations would be conducted until the complete destruction of the enemy - that is, Azerbaijan. These slogans were consistent with the prevailing opinion in the Armenian society that in the event of a resumption of hostilities, Armenian tanks would end up in Baku. They ended up there, but as war trophies of the Azerbaijani army - and the fact that this happened is partly due to the traditions of myth-making, rooted in the Armenian political and intellectual elite.

Armenian myths helped Azerbaijan to win the Second Karabakh War, but the problem remains - the myths continue to penetrate the masses against the background of a deep political and economic crisis in Armenia. These myths have deep historical roots, they do not allow Armenia to leave the parallel world and start developing good-neighborly relations in the region.

Let us remember how the Armenians in Armenia itself and in the diaspora reacted to the events of the Second Karabakh War. They refused to believe the information about territorial losses, and the offensive of the "Azeris", as they pejoratively began to call the people with whom they had lived in peace for centuries, were ridiculed on social networks. And here one should not blame the military censorship of the "democrat" Nikol Pashinyan. If he were a true democrat, he would try to change the ultra-nationalist narrative in Armenian society, and not follow the channel of territorial expansion, referring to the ancient king Tigran II. Diaspora Armenians echoed the tales of the military department. In the age of the Internet, it is easy to check how much the official propaganda corresponds to reality, but the Armenians were indoctrinated with the myth of their invincibility.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan was slowly but surely returning its lands. Russian military "experts", who were skeptical about the capabilities of the "undisciplined" Azerbaijani army, also made a significant contribution to Armenian mythology. Western experts were also not up to par, saying that Azerbaijan was not successful in the blitzkrieg.

As a result, in 44 days, Azerbaijan practically defeated the Armenian army and liberated a significant part of its occupied territories. Only on November 10, the Armenian society learned that Armenia had lost a significant part of Karabakh - the modern myth-making came at a cost to the Armenian side.

The creation of myths caused damage not only to the Armenian society, but also to the South Caucasus region as a whole. If we discard propaganda and analyze the history of the conflict, then the reasons for the "Armenian tragedy" will be revealed, as the American expert Joshua Kuchera dubbed the current state of Armenian society, which passes off the wishful thinking.

Former adviser to Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Zhirayr Liparitan recently noted that the Armenians both in Armenia itself and in the diaspora have created a desired, but far from reality, world. It seemed to them that war was fun. This myth was created by false conclusions about the results of the first war in Karabakh in 1992-1994, when Armenian nationalists managed to occupy not only Nagorno-Karabakh, but also seven regions around it.

The conflict began in autumn 1987 - winter 1988, and Armenian nationalists were well prepared for it. In the first year, they managed to evict the Azerbaijani population from Armenia and transfer all political and military actions to the territory of Azerbaijan. The collapse of the USSR in December 1991 was accompanied by leapfrog and a frequent change of power in Azerbaijan. Against this background, the Armenian armed groups managed to capture Nagorno-Karabakh and seven regions.

In these operations, they were greatly assisted by the former Soviet military - this is not spoken about openly, but now and then the memories of former "veterans" of the war come up. Incidentally, they sometimes provided "assistance" to the Azerbaijani side, as in the summer of 1992, but these were short-term operations. In the winter of 1993-1994, Azerbaijan launched a counterattack and managed to liberate the city of Horadiz, but things did not go further - the former Soviet military intervened on the side of Armenia, and the Russian "peacekeeper and mediator" Vladimir Kazimirov, in private conversations with officials in Azerbaijan, threatened them with the loss of Ganja - the second largest city in the country.

Thus, the success of the Armenian army was due to two factors: the strife in Azerbaijan and the assistance of the former Soviet military, especially from April 1993 to May 1994. It is also worth noting here that in Azerbaijan, failures at the front became public almost immediately (with the exception of the massacre in Khojaly, which, incidentally, cost President Ayaz Mutallibov the presidency / 1991-1992 /).

In general, people in Azerbaijan are still inclined, in my opinion, to excessive self-criticism, despite the existing stereotypes regarding Azerbaijan as a "country without alternative thinking" - this opinion is especially widespread among Western experts. Although it may be, this tradition of a certain nihilism helps Azerbaijanis to realistically assess their capabilities and, ultimately, achieve success.

The propaganda skillfully developed by Armenian nationalists since 1988 to gain support from the Western and Russian political establishment, intellectuals and media representatives has led to a political and military disaster in Armenia itself. The myth of the first Christian state, whose people had been under the yoke of Muslims for centuries and which "qualitatively" surpassed the "wild hordes of Turkic nomads" lulled ordinary people. Meanwhile, field commanders Robert Kocharian and Serzh Sargsyan, who later became presidents of Armenia, profited from the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis, and then plundered Armenia itself.

However, an even greater tragedy for Armenia may happen if its political approach does not change after November 10, 2020. Social networks are full of xenophobic attacks against Azerbaijanis, slogans of revenge are heard in the streets, while politicians who are responsible for the economic stagnation, demographic crisis and military defeat continue to play a significant role in the country's political arena.

Arman Grigoryan, a lecturer at Lehigh University in the United States, notes that national myths dominate the Armenian media so strongly that reasonable voices are practically not heard. One of the enduring myths is the "Armenian question" - the creation of a state within the borders of "Great Armenia". This myth seriously undermines the normal development of the country. It is also significant that the Armenian diaspora abroad also remains a radical force that impedes the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The history of the "Armenian question" also highlights the role of empires in stirring up ethnic confrontation between Armenians and Turks. At the end of the 19th century, during the heyday of nationalism, when the Armenians, like many other peoples, developed ideas about an independent state, the Western powers began to promote the issue of the Armenian territories in the Ottoman Empire. They in every possible way encouraged centrifugal forces there in order to get their hands on its territory, which ultimately happened. True, after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France forgot about the "Armenian question" for a long time. At the same time, Armenian nationalist organizations pondered the self-determination of Armenians in both the Ottoman and Russian empires. At the beginning of the 19th century, during the offensive in the South Caucasus, the Armenians provided some assistance to the Russian troops. After the seizure of the region, the Russian administration carried out a massive resettlement of Armenians to the territory of modern Armenia - then it was the Erivan Khanate, inhabited mainly by Azerbaijanis. On these lands, the Russians created an Armenian province in 1828, which they liquidated twenty years later, fearing the growth of nationalist sentiments among the Armenians. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian administration implemented a series of measures against the Armenian Church and temporarily closed Armenian schools.

A series of tragedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries left an imprint on the Armenian-Turkish relations. The propaganda of Armenian nationalists, supported by Russian and Western intellectual elites, has created an atmosphere of hatred and completely falsified the history of Armenian-Turkish coexistence. As the Armenian historian Philip Ekozyants notes, the Armenians have perverted and forgotten their 400-year history as part of the Ottoman Empire, where the authorities called them "milleti sadig" - a faithful people. In his words, the Armenian-Turkish relations were a history of joint creation. The fact that Armenians and Azerbaijanis are still arguing about the culinary or musical heritage testifies to the deep interpenetration of cultures. But now the whole history of Armenians is presented in Armenia as a process of survival under the yoke of "genocidal Turks". This myth about age-old oppression, which is especially popular among the Armenian diaspora, is supported by some Russian and Western intellectual circles, depriving, figuratively speaking, Armenia of its geography. This myth has been beneficial in geopolitical games in the Middle East and Caucasus.

Let us recall that when Armenia became an independent state after the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1918, the nationalists, led by the radical Dashnaktsutyun party, unleashed a war with Azerbaijan and Georgia. As a result, all three young republics fell victim to the Bolshevik expansion, and the communists recreated the borders of the former Russian Empire in the Caucasus. The confrontation between the USSR and Turkey (a NATO member) contributed to the fact that the Soviet authorities further fueled anti-Turkish sentiments led by Armenian nationalist historians. Armenian, and after them Western historians like to talk about Stalin's gift to Azerbaijan in the form of "Karabakh autonomy", which, as noted by the Armenian scientist Arsen Saparov, does not correspond to reality. At the same time, Armenian historians keep silent about the fact that Armenia in 1921 received Syunik (or Zangezur), which the Azerbaijanis consider their historical lands.

The success of Armenia in 1988-1994 created another myth - the Republic of Armenia, starting from 1918, recreates the borders of "Great Armenia". The territory of Armenia has been increasing since 1918, and control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven occupied territories around it, which were subordinate to Yerevan, about which the European Court of Human Rights ruled, created another myth of successful expansion.

During his tenure as President, Serzh Sargsyan even began to talk about the possibility of further expansion in Turkey. Speaking to the youth in 2011, he noted the task of the new generation - to seize "Western Armenia", that is, the territory in the East of Anatolia. In August 2020, Nikol Pashinyan also spoke about the need to restore the "historical territories" laid down by Armenia under the Sevres Treaty of 1920, which, as you know, did not come into force. All the same far-sighted Zhirayr Liparitan on September 9, 2020, a few weeks before the Second Karabakh war, warned the Armenian leadership that with such careless statements they actually officially put forward the territorial claims of Turkey.

It is not surprising that Turkey strongly supported Azerbaijan in the recent war. However, another propaganda myth about crowds of jihadists fighting for Azerbaijan, a theme that has been present in the Armenian narrative since the First Karabakh War, makes it difficult to soberly assess the reasons for Armenia's defeat in the Second Karabakh War. For example, the Azerbaijani army received a significant number of Turkish drones, but many more were Israeli. Azerbaijani special forces almost hand-to-hand defeated the enemy in the battle for Shusha ... Of course, it is much more convenient to find another reason for Azerbaijan's victory than to recognize the superiority of its military machine. The myths that Armenian propagandists create for the Western and Russian media (and they, in turn, play along with them for various reasons) create another trap for the Armenian society and state.

All peoples have myths and specific historical narratives. All governments are involved in propaganda. But, alas, in Armenia and the diaspora, these myths led to extreme hatred of neighbors, arrogance and hypertrophied xenophobia. Last but not least, this led Armenia to the actual loss of political and economic independence and, as a result, a devastating defeat in the 44-day war. Millions of dollars of the Armenian diaspora aimed at strengthening illegal settlements in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and many other projects were ultimately wasted. Thousands of lives have been lost, mostly of young people. At the same time, as noted by the Armenian jurist Georgy Vanyan, neither the children of the president, nor the prime minister, nor anyone else from the elite of Armenia or the diaspora fought in Karabakh.

So far, the modern political discourse in the Armenian society and diaspora has not changed. Nationalists dream of revenge and continue to talk about the "status" of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has not yet realized that the international community has not accepted its territorial claims, and its allies are strictly pursuing only their own interests.
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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size When some Democrats were pushing for US President Donald Trumps impeachment in early 2019, it took about five months for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to back the idea. This time, it only took a day. Trump did not explicitly instruct his supporters at the Save America rally on January 6 to sack the Capitol, but Pelosi was shocked by the violent imagery he used to urge supporters to "stop the steal" as Congress met to ratify the election of his successor, President-elect Joe Biden. She came out strongly the next day in support of Trumps removal  either by his own cabinet or by Congress, if necessary. Several people involved in the rally had been seen searching for her and Vice-President Mike Pence as they roamed the corridors, and some had ransacked her office, posing for photos at her desk. Now Pelosi has driven the push for an accelerated impeachment process, determined to hold the President accountable for the deadly riot that left five dead  the first occupation of the Capitol since the British army burned it to the ground in 1814. Already, the House has voted to impeach Trump but what happens next? What is the point given he is about to leave office? And what is the likelihood of him being convicted? A demonstrator unleashes a smoke grenade in front of the US Capitol building on January 6. Credit:Bloomberg

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What happens next? Now that the House has voted 232-197 to impeach, the article of impeachment and the evidence will be sent to the Senate for debate, trial and a vote. But even though the Democrats will have control of the Senate from January 20, the law requires two-thirds of the senators to vote for a conviction for the judgment to stand. Otherwise, Trump is acquitted. However, he will still have the dishonourable distinction of being the only president to be impeached twice. Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson were both impeached but acquitted by the Senate. It is still not known when the Senate will begin the impeachment trial, but Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has ruled out an early return, and said the focus this week should be "on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden administration". The Senate is next in session on January 19, the day before Inauguration Day. What is Trump being impeached for exactly? In the four-page Democrat-drawn article of impeachment, Trump faces a single charge, "incitement of insurrection".

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"President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government," reads the bill. "He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office." The bill draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden, which have been rejected in more than 50 court cases, appeals and Supreme Court dismissals. The impeachment legislation also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to "find" him more votes, as well as his White House rally before the attack on the Capitol, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters to "fight like hell" and march to the building. The bill concludes that Trump should be barred from holding public office ever again: "Donald John Trump thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honour, trust, or profit under the United States." It goes on to note that, because of the language in the US Constitution's 14th Amendment, which bars any American who has "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the US from holding office, Trump should not just be removed, but completely disallowed from seeking public office ever again. That would mean he could not run for president in 2024, something he has often hinted at. This could require a second vote to disqualify him from running, if he is first convicted in the impeachment trial. The day after rioters entered the Capitol building, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi calls for the removal of President Trump from office, either by invocation of the 25th Amendment or by impeachment. Credit:Getty Images What did he do, specifically?

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He lied about the election result  a lot. Since election night, Trump has falsely asserted that the presidential election was rigged to hand victory to Democrat candidate Joe Biden, insisting in speeches, tweets and court documents that votes were flipped from him to Biden, that Trump votes were ditched and that Biden votes were supplemented with phoney ballots cast in the names of the dead or those who voted twice under different identities. None of these claims has been upheld, and even Trump's own attorney-general, William Barr, who has since left his job, concluded in December that there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud that would change the outcome of the 2020 presidential election. Trump also pressured a state official to find extra votes. At the beginning of January, The Washington Post released tapes of the President unsuccessfully pressuring Georgia's Republican Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, to find 11,780 votes for him  enough to change the result in that swing state. Trump pleaded and threatened Raffensperger to alter the results: "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." In making this call, Trump may have violated a federal law that makes it a crime to solicit the counting of ballots "known to be materially false, fictitious, or fraudulent under the laws of the State in which the election is held". There's a Georgia state law that prohibits election fraud, too. But to convict at state or federal level, prosecutors would have to establish that Trump did not genuinely believe the election was rigged. And Trump inspired a violent mob to invade the Capitol. On January 6, he definitely inspired a crowd of supporters to rally, to head towards the Capitol and to "stop the steal". Before Trump arrived at the rally, Vice-President Mike Pence had already told him that he was not going to interfere with the certification of the Electoral College votes that would give the presidency to Biden. So Trump told his supporters to "fight much harder" for the victory he wanted.

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"And Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us, and if he doesn't, that will be a sad day for our country. Because you're sworn to uphold our Constitution." He urged his supporters to go to the Capitol with him. "We are going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we are probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them  because you will never take back our country with weakness." Loading Earlier, his lawyer Rudy Giuliani spoke of "trial by combat" to ensure Trump stayed in the White House, while his son, Donald Trump jnr, warned Republicans who did not back the challenges of the Electoral College votes: "Were coming for you. One of those Republicans, Wyoming representative Liz Cheney, part of the Republican leadership team in the House, was in no doubt that Trump had incited rebellion and she was one of the 10 Republicans who voted to impeach him. "Theres no question the President formed the mob," the eldest daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney told Fox News. "The President incited the mob. The President addressed the mob. He lit the flame."

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Coosa County is one of eight counties in Alabama without a hospital and the only one without a public health department  leaving it with no outlets to distribute vaccines for COVID-19.

State officials began distributing 500 doses to county health departments last week. But Coosa County didnt receive any, said Sheldon Hutcherson, director of the countys emergency management. A list of vaccine distribution sites published by the Alabama Department of Public Health didnt include any locations in Coosa County.

Im worried were being overlooked because we dont have a health department, Hutcherson said.

The Coosa County health department closed in 2016, a victim of budget cuts, according to The Anniston Star. A year later, a nurse practitioner closed the only medical clinic in Rockford, the county seat.

That left the town without any medical services for adults until Accordia Health opened in November 2019. Another small clinic operates in Goodwater in the northeastern corner of the county. Coosa County, which has about 10,000 residents, has a single pediatrician and one dentist.

Coosa County sits about an hour south of Birmingham in one of the most rural pockets of the state. Rockford, located near the center of Coosa County, has fewer than 500 residents. Goodwater has about 1,400.

John Burke spent many of his summers in Coosa County when he was growing up, helping his grandparents work land that had been in the family since the 1820s. Several years ago, he decided to move from Birmingham to Coosa County to start a business.

He launched Coosa Fancy Heritage Farm last year, a small operation focused on heirloom vegetables and pasture-raised pork. Many of his neighbors raise timber or keep land for hunting, paying little in the way of property taxes.

There really are no businesses, Burke said. The land here is really cheap, but you dont get any infrastructure.

Coosa County is one of the least-populated counties in Alabama, and it has been shrinking for decades. Although it is the only county in the state without a health department, many other small counties have offices that only operate part time.

Health officials have expressed concern about vaccine rollout in rural Alabama since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized the Pfizer vaccine in mid-December. Initial shipments of that vaccine went to hospitals with ultracold storage, bypassing many of the smaller facilities across the state. Authorization of the Moderna vaccine, which does not have the same temperature requirements, opened distribution to more sites.

Relying on the local health department wont work in Coosa County and may be difficult in other rural counties. Officials told Hutcherson that Coosa Countys vaccines would be distributed by the neighboring Tallapoosa County Health Department, but he said hes concerned about getting those doses to the people who need them.

Dr. Karen Landers, area health officer for the Alabama Department of Public Health, said the agency is still working on a plan for Coosa County.

Coosa County is covered by the East Central District counties as that county does not have a local health department, Landers said. The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is enrolling private providers in Coosa County to address local needs.

Rural counties already have lower rates of vaccination than urban areas. Residents struggle with lack of access to transportation and few healthcare providers.

Coosa County has not been hit as hard by COVID-19 as other rural areas, but the number of new cases has jumped in recent weeks. After months of averaging one or two new cases a day, the county now averages more than four. The county has had 591 cases and 11 deaths from the virus, according to state data.

Burke said most people in the southern part of Coosa County travel to Alexander City to get healthcare and people in the north go to Sylacauga. Both towns are about 20 to 30 miles away from most parts of Coosa County. Its not a huge burden for him, but many residents are older and poorer and may have trouble traveling several miles for care.

There are a lot of older people in poor health here who would benefit from access to the vaccine, Burke said. Unfortunately, because healthcare access is so limited most dont even attempt to seek it out. Also, there are many in the county who believe COVID is a hoax or at least not as serious as presented by the media.

Coosa County officials have tried to find ways to generate more tax revenue for the county, according to The Anniston Star. Its school system and sheriffs office have also struggled with low funding over the years.

Burke said the county used to have more medical providers, but over the years, many have closed.

I dont think that this is necessarily a failing of Coosa County, he said. This is about the business of healthcare and healthcare pulling out of rural areas like this.

Updated at 9:23 a.m. on Jan. 13 to correct the number of dentists in Coosa County
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We're hearing from a Scottsboro woman who watched as law enforcement surrounded her neighbor's home while a shooting suspect was inside.

"My first thought when I looked outside was, this seems like a movie," explained Emilia Class.

She watched early Tuesday morning as law enforcement surrounded her neighbor's home in what police describe as a barricade situation.

It happened after a shooting at the Zaxby's on John T. Reid Parkway around 9:30 Monday night. Police say a former employee shot the manager multiple times, and then ran to a mobile home on Veterans Drive.

"This is crazy. This is a nice area. This is not something I'd ever expect to be around here," said Class.

WAAY 31 saw investigators inside the mobile home for hours after the discovery of a body in the burned debris. Police say the victim who was shot at the restaurant was taken to the hospital in critical condition. We're working the learn the name of the victim and the suspect.

A Zaxby's spokesperson says the location where the shooting happened was closed all day Tuesday because of the shooting. They added that they are working with law enforcement and are "Saddened by the incident and will be praying for a speedy recovery."
NEFT service will not be available for 14 hours on May 23: Here's why

RBI forms panel to suggest measures for promoting digital lending

India

oi-Deepika S

Mumbai, Jan 13: Amid rising incidents of harassments relating to online lending, the Reserve Bank on Wednesday constituted a working group to suggest regulatory measures to promote orderly growth of digital lending.

The RBI said that the recent spurt and popularity of online lending platforms/mobile lending apps has raised certain serious concerns which have wider systemic implications.

"Against this backdrop, a Working Group (WG) is being set up to study all aspects of digital lending activities in the regulated financial sector as well as by unregulated players so that an appropriate regulatory approach can be put in place," the central bank said.

The working group, chaired by RBI Executive Director Jayant Kumar Dash, will consist of both internal and external members, and submit its report within three months.

The internal other members are, Ajay Kumar Choudhary (CGM-in-Charge, Department of Supervision, RBI), P Vasudevan (CGM, Department of Payment and Settlement Systems) and Manoranjan Mishra (CGM, Department of Regulation). The external members are Vikram Mehta(Co-founder, Monexo Fintech) and Rahul Sasi(Cyber Security Expert and Founder of CloudSEK).

Digital lending has the potential to make access to financial products and services more fair, efficient and inclusive. From a peripheral supporting role a few years ago, FinTech led innovation is now at the core of the design, pricing and delivery of financial products and services.

"While penetration of digital methods in the financial sector is a welcome development, the benefits and certain downside risks are often interwoven in such endeavours," the RBI said.

A balanced approach needs to be followed so that the regulatory framework supports innovation while ensuring data security, privacy, confidentiality and consumer protection, it said while setting up the panel.

As per the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the WG, it has been asked evaluate digital lending activities and assess the penetration and standards of outsourced digital lending activities in RBI regulated entities, and "identify risks posed by unregulated digital lending to financial stability, regulated entities and consumers".

The panel has also been asked to suggest regulatory changes, if any, to promote orderly growth of digital lending. It has to recommend measures for expansion of specific regulatory or statutory perimeter and suggest the role of various regulatory and government agencies.

The panel would also be recommending a robust fair practices code for digital lending players and suggesting measures for enhanced consumer protection.

Last month, the Reserve Bank had cautioned the public not to fall prey to the growing number of unauthorised digital lending platforms and mobile apps.

"There have been reports about individuals/small businesses falling prey to growing number of unauthorised digital lending platforms/mobile apps on promises of getting loans in quick and hassle-free manner," it had said.

These reports, it said, also refer to excessive rates of interest and additional hidden charges being demanded from borrowers; adoption of unacceptable and high-handed recovery methods; and misuse of agreements to access data on the mobile phones of the borrowers.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 19:05 [IST]
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There was panic in the Goda area in Beitbridges Ward 5 when some villagers mistook two cheetahs for lions.

Since 7am, most villagers in the area located some 26 km along the Beitbridge- Masvingo highway had stopped all farming activities and locked children in their houses. The news about lions being spotted in the area spread like veld fire.

Scores of villages gathered in one of the maize fields to have a glimpse of the supposed wild cats. The nerves where only calmed when Zimbabwe National Parks rangers arrived around 10am.

We have done our investigations. These are cheetahs which have been killing goats and sheep in most villages in Beitbridge East,  said the Wildlife officer in charge of Beitbridge Mr Bonizi Manuwere as he addressed the villagers.

He said they had called back up from their counterparts from Bubye Valley Conservancy (BVC) to sedate the cats.

However, they managed to capture one of the cheetahs while the other escaped towards Three Way Safaris. According to Mr Manuwere, the officials have been receiving a lot of reports on problem animals from rural communities around the district.

He said the two cheetahs had so far killed 13 goats and four sheep in Beitbridge East since the beginning of this month.

We encourage people to report any problem animals to our offices so that we may assist them professionally, said Mr Manuwere.

One of the villagers, Miss Agness Sibata said she nearly passed out when she saw the two animals while strapping her baby on the back. Agnes Sibata who nearly passed out while carrying her 18-month-old baby after coming too close to the wild cats.





We were going to the family field when we saw these animals. Although we had no clear view we assumed they were lions. I was in the company of two other minor children aged six years and carrying my baby on the back who is 18 months old, she said.

The woman said she then informed some village elders who then called the Civil Protection Unit. Mr Manatsa Kwinika said they were only calmed by the arrival of the Zimparks authorities on the ground.

Mr Manatsa Kwinika who called the Civil Protection Unit. We have heard many stories about lions straying from nearby conservancies and when heard about the strange animals we tracked the spoor and assumed they were baby lions, said Mr Kwinika.

He said they were worried the animals could attack people in their homes of fields. He added that the villagers had gathered at the scene to closely monitor the predators while awaiting help from authorities.

Mahuhushe areas acting village head , Ms Fortune Sibanda said they had sent word to all homesteads for parents to lock their kids in their homes and to be vigilant until the wild animals had been captured.

We sent alert messages around the communities in this area through the local District Rapid Response committee. We are glad we got a swift response from the national parks authorities, she said.

Hyenas, lions, buffaloes and elephants have become a perennial head ache for most villagers living in rural Beitbridge.

The worst affected are those living closer to national parks and safaris in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. Herald

KYODO NEWS - Jan 13, 2021 - 23:53 | All, Coronavirus, Japan

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Wednesday declared a state of emergency in seven additional prefectures, including Osaka and Aichi, expanding the measure as Japan's cumulative total of coronavirus cases topped 300,000 amid a recent spike in infections.

Including the Tokyo metropolitan area, which came under a state of emergency last week, a total of 11 prefectures covering more than half of the country's population and around 60 percent of its economy will remain under the measure through Feb. 7.

People are being asked to stay home and restaurants to close by 8 p.m., while firms are encouraged to have employees work from home or stagger their shifts.

Suga called the move necessary to prevent outbreaks in urban areas from spreading to other parts of the country and asked for the public's cooperation.

"We will take every measure to protect people's lives and livelihoods," he said at a press conference.

The five other prefectures to be covered by the state of emergency are Tochigi to the north of Tokyo, Gifu in central Japan, Hyogo and Kyoto in the west, and Fukuoka to the southwest.

Related coverage:

Major events related to coronavirus and Japan

While the country has seen a rapid increase in the number of infections since the cumulative total surpassed 200,000 in late December, Yasutoshi Nishimura, minister in charge of Japan's coronavirus response, expressed reluctance to expand the emergency nationwide.

"We have to carefully think whether we should subject areas to it that have kept the number of infections low," he said at a House of Representatives committee meeting.

Health minister Norihisa Tamura told an expert panel meeting that Japan continues to be in a "very serious situation" in terms of infections and urged the public to avoid risky behavior, including dining in large groups.

Suga said Japan will take additional measures at the border to prevent imported infections, with the entry of all nonresident foreign nationals to be suspended while the state of emergency is in place.

The government last month halted new entries worldwide, but business travelers and students from Taiwan and 10 Asian countries -- Brunei, Cambodia, China, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam -- had been exempt.

Unlike hard lockdowns some other countries have imposed, residents of the areas under the state of emergency are only asked to refrain from nonessential outings, and there is no punishment for those who fail to comply.

Schools will remain open, and university entrance exams set to begin later this week will go ahead.

Just days earlier, Suga said the situation in Osaka and Aichi, both of which have seen a sharp rise in infections this month, did not warrant a state of emergency.

But the prime minister faced mounting criticism that the government was falling behind the curve in dealing with the surge, which experts warned had put the health care system on the brink of collapse.

On Wednesday, opposition lawmakers bashed the expansion of the state of emergency as coming too late, with Yukio Edano, leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, saying Suga only acted after being urged by governors.

"This amounts to the government abandoning its responsibilities," Edano told reporters.

A Kyodo News survey conducted over the weekend showed the approval rate for Suga's Cabinet at 41.3 percent, down 9 percentage points from December, with more than two-thirds of respondents dissatisfied with the government's pandemic response.

Osaka, which appeared to be containing the spread of the virus at the end of 2020, reported more than 3,800 new cases in the week through Monday. Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures have also reported record-high daily figures.

The occupancy rate of hospital beds for severe cases in Osaka has been hovering around 70 percent since December, with the prefecture logging a record 171 such patients earlier this month.

Aichi had 49 serious cases with overall COVID-19 hospitalizations at a record 696 as of Monday.

Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures requested Saturday to be included in the state of emergency while Tochigi, Gifu and Aichi prefectures did so Tuesday. Fukuoka has not made such a request.

Nishimura told a lower house committee the government's decision to declare a state of emergency is not based solely on requests from governors but on whether enough hospital beds are available for COVID-19 patients.

The declaration gives local authorities legal grounds to urge people to stay home as much as possible and place restrictions on the use of facilities. It also gives them the right to "name and shame" eateries that do not comply with calls to shorten operating hours.

A state of emergency was previously declared in Tokyo, Chiba, Saitama, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hyogo and Fukuoka prefectures in early April during Japan's first wave of infections and was expanded nationwide later that month.

It was lifted in steps in May as the increase in coronavirus infections slowed.
HK detainees' lawyer forcibly dragged into hearing

HK detainees' lawyer forcibly dragged into hearing

Vicky Wong reports

A mainland lawyer hired by family members of the 12 Hongkongers captured in mainland waters by the Guangdong coast guard last year was forcibly dragged into a hearing on Wednesday to decide whether he should be stripped of his licence.



Lu Siwei is accused by Sichuan authorities of repeatedly making inappropriate remarks on the internet, seriously damaging the image of the legal sector, and having an adverse impact on society.



As he and his two legal representatives arrived at the Chengdu Justice Bureau on Wednesday morning, they were surrouded by around a dozen people, who dragged Lu into the venue.



Others, including a number of human rights lawyers and supporters who wanted to attend the hearing, were taken away by police.



Lu complained on Tuesday that he was being harassed by officials, saying two cars suddenly drove up and blocked his way when he was about to leave home.



Besides Lu, another mainland lawyer who was hired to represent the 12 Hong Kong detainees, Ren Quanniu, is to face a similar hearing on Thursday.



The families of the 12 Hongkongers have condemned what they said was clear oppression by the mainland authorities, alleging that the action against the lawyers is retribution for their attempted involvement in the detainees' case.



The Hongkongers were never represented by these lawyers, and were instead assigned lawyers by the mainland authorities.



In December, 10 of the 12 were jailed for between seven months and three years for illegally crossing into mainland waters during an apparent bid to flee to Taiwan. The youngest two members of the group were brought back to Hong Kong.
Troubled Russian refinery seeks for bankruptcy of its former heads gas company

 Moskva news agency, Sergey Kiselev

11:58 13/01/2021

MOSCOW, January 13 (RAPSI)  Troubled Russias Antipinsky refinery has lodged an application seeking to declare New Stream oil and gas company chaired by the former co-owner of the refinery bankrupt, according to court records.

In late December, the Supreme Court of Russia has refused to overturn a ruling declaring board chairman of New Stream oil and gas company and former co-owner of troubled Antipinsky refinery Dmitry Mazurov charged with embezzling 4 billion rubles (about $55 million at the current exchange rate) insolvent, according to court records.

In mid-June, the Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals declared Mazurov bankrupt. The ruling was delivered upon an application filed by Persit Services Inc. Its 2.08-billion-ruble claim was included in Mazurovs creditor demands list.

In late April, the Moscow Commercial Court received an application from Sberbank against the debtor. The loan organization seeks to add a debt of Mazurov estimated at more than 128 billion rubles ($1.7 billion) to the creditors list.

Earlier, Promsvyazbank filed a claim to include in a creditors list a 22 billion-ruble (about $295 million) debt of Mazurov. In March, Absolut Bank and Credit Europe Bank lodged applications demanding 3.3 billion and 854 million rubles respectively from Mazurov. In February, Sberbank Capital filed a similar application demanding 28.45 billion rubles (about $450 million) from Mazurov.

On January 29, the court ruled to initiate the debt restructuring process with respect to Mazurov in favor of Persit Services Inc., which had the respective petition.

Earlier, the Moscow City Court upheld detention of Mazurov in a 1.8-billion-ruble (about 28 million) embezzlement case.

The businessman was arrested on July 13, 2019, on suspicion of embezzling 1.8 billion rubles (nearly $30 million) from Russias Sberbank through default on a loan given to one of his companies.

A felony complaint was filed by Sberbank and Antipinsky refinery, in construction of which Mazurov was involved in 2004  2019.

Mazurov pleads not guilty.

Antipinsky is a private, not a state-run refinery which capacity exceeds 9 million tonnes per year. The refinery occupies its rightful place among the largest players of the Russian oil refining industry, forming the Urals and West-Siberian oil refinery market, and is known abroad, the companys official website says.

In December 2019, the enterprise was declared bankrupt.

Available freshwater is on track to decline sharply across two-thirds of Earth's land surface toward the end of the century mostly due to climate change, with the number of people exposed to extreme drought doubling, researchers have reported.

Even under a scenario of moderate decline in greenhouse gas emissions, land area scorched by extreme to exceptional drought conditions increases from three to seven percent, while the population at risk jumps from 230 million to about 500 million, they reported Monday in Nature Climate Change.

Projected shortfalls of water were "especially alarming" in Amazon River basin, Australia, southern Africa, the Mediterranean region, and parts of the United States, lead author Yadu Pokhrel of Michigan State University told AFP.

Globally, one in 12 people could face severe water shortages every year by 2100, compared to an average of about one in 33 at the end of the 20th century.

"These declines in water storage and increases in future droughts are primarily driven by climate change, not land-water management activities such as irrigation and groundwater pumping," Pokhrel said.

Humanity has been stalked by the deadly spectre of drought long before carbon emissions from burning fossil fuel caused global warming.

But observational data on Earth and from satellites has left no doubt that climate change is boosting their duration and intensity.

The possible consequences came sharply into view when reservoirs supplying Cape Town, South Africa -- a city of 3.7 million -- ran dry in early 2018 after a multi-year drought, giving rise to the term "Day Zero" when water runs out.

Global warming to date -- just over one degree Celsius since the mid-19th century -- enhances the likelihood of such droughts around Cape Town by a factor of three, earlier research has shown.

- GRACE satellite data -

Allowing temperatures to increase another degree to 2C above pre-industrial levels would triple the risk again.

Mexico City is currently facing a water crisis, and California has been coping with a lack of rain for most of the last decade.

"There are growing concerns that many regions of the world will face water crises like these in the coming decades," Pokhrel and colleague Farshid Felfelani said in a commentary published in The Conversation.

Pokhrel and an international team of two dozen hydrologists and engineers calculated for the first time the future impact of climate change on so-called terrestrial water storage (TWS), which is the total of all water stored or available on land.

"There are growing concerns that many regions of the world will face water crises like these in the coming decades," said Michigan State University researcher Yadu Pokhrel /  AFP/File

Earlier projections of drought and changes in water availability have been based mostly on river flows, and only provide a partial picture.

"Understanding the risks ahead requires looking at the entire landscape of terrestrial water storage -- not just rivers, but also water stored in soils, groundwater, snowpack, forest canopies, wetlands, lakes and reservoirs," Pokhrel explained.

The researchers used a basket of hydrological models along with terrestrial water storage data from NASA's twin Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellites, which operated for 15 years up to 2017.

To assess the impact of climate change, the scientists ran the data through two climate scenarios from the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

One assumes that humanity ratchets down CO2 and methane emissions enough to cap global warming below two degrees Celsius, in line with the 2015 Paris Agreement. The other assumes a slower reduction in carbon pollution.

Under the first, more optimistic scenario, moderate to severe droughts increase to mid-century and then stabilise. Very extreme water-shortage droughts, however, continue to escalate in frequency.

Under the second scenario, known as RCP6.0, "people living under extreme and exceptional droughts could more than double by 2100, increasing from three percent in the recent past to eight percent," said Pokhrel.
Three months have passed since Ruby Tuesday Matthews was infamously branded 'entitled' for holding up a Jetstar flight to eat a plate of oysters.

But the Byron Bay influencer, 27, says she's struggling to move past the saga, as she's still receiving 'scummy comments' from social media trolls to this day.

As reported by Perth Now, the mother-of-two admitted that she now deletes snarky comments about the oystergate scandal on a daily basis.

'Every day deleting scummy messages from hateful people': Ruby Tuesday Matthews, 27, (pictured) has admitted she is still deleting hurtful messages about last October's 'oystergate' scandal on a daily basis

'Still going. Every day deleting scummy messages from hateful people,' she wrote on Instagram recently.

However, Ruby appears to be fighting a losing battle, as a plethora of negative comments are still visible on her Instagram page.

On Tuesday, the model uploaded a photo of herself posing at the gym, but it wasn't long before trolls swamped the post with unkind comments.

Vitriol: On Tuesday, the model uploaded a photo of herself posing at the gym, but it wasn't long before trolls swamped the post with unkind comments

'Gotta work off them oysters': Ruby once again received an onslaught of comments referring to the 'oystergate' saga on Tuesday

'Gotta work off them oysters,' one user commented.

'How were the oysters? Glad you could enjoy them while you ruined everyone else's day,' another wrote.

Ruby was due to fly from Byron Bay to Sydney on a 5pm flight in October last year, but a technical issue caused the plane, flight JQ461, to be delayed.

Fine dining: Ruby made headlines in October when she delayed a Jetstar flight because she was busy eating oysters at a restaurant outside the terminal

'Flight delayed f**k my life': While most other travellers remained at the terminal and purchased food from the cafe at the airport, Ruby and her travel companion decided to leave the terminal to grab a bite to eat instead

The budget airline asked travellers to stay put while waiting for an engineer, and told passengers the new departure time would likely be about 7.30pm.

But Ruby and her travel companion left the airport to grab a bite to eat at a beachside restaurant, leaving passengers waiting on the tarmac for 30 minutes for the pair to return.

Ruby was heckled by passengers when she eventually boarded the plane. She later slammed the airline upon her arrival in Sydney for allowing her to be 'bullied'.

What went down: Ruby was heckled by passengers when she eventually boarded the plane. She later slammed the airline upon her arrival in Sydney for allowing her to be 'bullied'

Jetstar released a statement saying they had 'kept customers informed' throughout the delay, and asked them 'not to leave the airport should the flight be able to get away ahead of the revised time'.

But Ruby claimed there were a number of other passengers who left the airport and arrived after the rescheduled departure time.

'It's just crazy now,' she said following the airline's response.

'This is so minor this s**t. I actually think it's a joke and it's annoying that it has to waste so much of my time.

'Jetstar made a complete joke of themselves. They let that harassment happen.'
Welcome back to Tech Chronicle. If you subscribe to this fine newsletter, it will give me life.

Since President Trumps loss at the polls in November, Ive been thinking about how to write about his Twitter account. The online megaphone the San Francisco company handed him seemed to define, and sometimes consume, his presidency. It certainly had a life of its own.

Facebook may have played a bigger role in helping him win the 2016 election, but it was Twitter that got his pronouncements instantly on cable news, so he could watch the world change as he typed.

J. David Ake / Associated Press 2019

I had lively debates with Demian Bulwa, our director of news, about how to cover it. Was @realDonaldTrump really over? Yes, Trump lost some followers after election day. But as he used the account to baselessly question the validity of the election and perhaps lay the groundwork for a 2024 rerun, it seemed too early to declare it over.

Then came last week, when the president egged on a hostile mob that proceeded to invade and vandalize the Capitol. After years of coddling Trump as a world leader, Twitter decided its policies against inciting violence applied to him after all. And the account was gone, with the press of a button Friday.

It really seemed dead, no Lazarus act in sight. So I wrote an obituary for it.

Nick Otto / Special to The Chronicle

Some things died with it, including Silicon Valleys long-standing claim to neutrality. Social media companies have realized, somewhat painfully, that allowing speech without consequences doesnt result in free speech; it results in some people being bullied into silence. (Trump thrived on such behavior.)

But we all should be rightly uneasy about Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey being the arbiters of speech. Angela Merkel, the chancellor of Germany, viewed Twitters permanent suspension of Trumps account as problematic, according to a spokesperson, pointing out that governments, not corporations, ought to be making such decisions.

The public spectacle of @realDonaldTrump was one of its defining features. But the next incarnation of a digital demagogue may not emerge in public view. The Twitter accounts death may just prompt a move to more hidden means of communication. Already, downloads of encrypted messaging apps like Signal and Telegram are surging.

Disturbingly, both Dorsey and Zuckerberg have also discussed more tightly encrypted and ephemeral versions of their services. The Capitol rioters left traces of their activity all over Facebook and Instagram, making police investigators work easy. The next surge of violence may come from a part of the internet thats outside of anyones sight.

 Owen Thomas, othomas@sfchronicle.com

Quote of the week

The only algorithm we have for catching words is for pornography and nudity and things like that.  Parler CEO John Matze to Kara Swisher on the right-wing social networks weak moderation

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

Coming up

Netflix reports earnings Tuesday. Expect to hear more about the streaming services 2021 slate of movies, which includes more releases than Disney and Warner Bros. put together.

What Im reading

Timothy McLaughlin on why Facebooks misadventures abroad should have served as a warning about unrest at home. (The Atlantic)

Carolyn Said on the latest challenge to Proposition 22. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Dell Cameron and Dhruv Mehrotra on what leaked Parler data revealed about the Capitol siege. (Gizmodo)

Tech Chronicle is a weekly newsletter from Owen Thomas, The Chronicles business editor, and the rest of the tech team. Follow along on Twitter: @techchronicle and Instagram: @techchronicle
DUBLIN, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Defense Electronics Market Analysis by Domain (Air, Maritime, Land, Space, Services), Application, Region and Country (2020 Edition): Market Insights, COVID-19 Impact, Competition and Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This report presents the analysis of the Global Defense Electronics Market for the historical period of 2015-2019 and the forecast period of 2020-2025.

The Global Defense Electronics Market valued at USD 111.18 Billion in the year 2019, has been witnessing lucrative growth owing to stringent regulatory standards, supportive government policies on nation's security policies and also rising government spending in research and development activities which is likely to propel the market growth.



The Asia-Pacific defense market is highly fragmented, with the presence of many suppliers who provide various types of equipment, like training systems, C4ISR systems, smart weapons, unmanned systems, and missile defense systems. The majority of the arms and ammunition are imported from the United States and Russia, and some smaller countries import from China.



The Land Communications Electronic Warfare systems shall evolve to deal with all modern signals in order to intercept, locate and monitor enemy emitters. Some systems can also jam or deceive the enemy communications if necessary and can be done with deployable & mobile communications Electronic Support Measures (ESM) and Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) units. It benefits in Electronic Attack solution with communication jammers in order to degrade, deceive and neutralize enemy's combat capability and in Communication ESM solution for interception and location.



The rising military expenditure and geopolitical tension among the countries are some of the major market trends fueling the demand for defense system market. Most of the countries are now focusing on procuring anti-aircraft systems and missile defense systems to increase their border protection and be prepared for tackling the increasing nuclear threats across the globe. The market is shifting towards the adoption of modern active electronically scanned array radars which is driving the market growth. With evolving electronic and cyber battlefields, the demand for next generation radar is increasing.



Scope of the Report

The report analyses the Defense Electronics Market by Domain (Air, Maritime, Land, Space, Services)

The report analyses the Defense Electronics Market by Application (Acoustic, Avionics, C2/Bm, Communication, Optronics, Radar, EW)

The Defense Electronics Market has been analysed By Region (Americas, Europe , Asia Pacific , MEA) and By Country ( United States , Canada , Mexico , Brazil , Germany , France , Italy , China , Japan , India )

, , MEA) and By Country ( , , , , , , , , , ) The key insights of the report have been presented through the attractiveness of the market has been presented by region, domain, application. Also, the major opportunities, trends, drivers and challenges of the industry has been analysed in the report

The report tracks competitive developments, strategies, mergers and acquisitions and new product development. The companies analysed in the report include Hensoldt AG, General Dynamics, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Leonardo Spa, Rheinmetall AG, SAAB, KHI

Key Topics Covered:



1. Report Scope and Methodology

1.1 Scope of the Report

1.2 Research Methodology

1.3 Executive Summary



2. Strategic Recommendations



3. Defense Electronics Market: Product Overview



4. Defense Electronics Market: Sizing and Forecast

4.1 Market Size, By Value, Year 2015-2019

4.2 Market Size, By Value, Year 2020-2025

4.3 Impact of COVID-19 on Global Defense Electronics Market

4.4 Global Economic & Industrial Outlook



5. Defense Electronics Market Segmentation, By Domain (Value)

5.1 Global Defense Electronics Market: Segment Analysis

5.2 Competitive Scenario of Global Defense Electronics Market: By Domain (2019 & 2025)

5.3 By Air - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

5.4 By Maritime - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

5.5 By Land - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

5.6 By Space - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

5.7 By Services - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)



6. Defense Electronics Market Segmentation, By Application (Value)

6.1 Global Defense Electronics Market: Segment Analysis

6.2 Competitive Scenario of Global Defense Electronics Market: By Application (2019 & 2025)

6.3 By Acoustics - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

6.4 By Avionics - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

6.5 By C2/BM - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

6.6 By Communication - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

6.7 By Optronics - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

6.8 By Radar - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

6.9 By EW - Market Size and Forecast (2015-2025)



7. Global Defense Electronics Market: Regional Analysis

7.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Defense Electronics Market: By Region (2019 & 2025)



8. Americas Defense Electronics Market: An Analysis

8.1 Americas Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

8.2 Americas Economic and industrial Statistics

8.3 Americas Defense Electronics Market - Prominent Companies

8.4 Market Segmentation By Domain (Air, Maritime, Land, Space, Services)

8.5 Market Segmentation By Application (Acoustic, Avionics, C2/BM, Communication, Optronics, Radar, EW)

8.6 Americas Defense Electronics Market: Country Analysis

8.7 Market Opportunity Chart of Americas Defense Electronics Market - By Country, By Value (Year-2025)

8.8 Competitive Scenario of Americas Defense Electronics: By Country (2019 & 2025)

8.9 United States Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

8.10 United States Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application (2015-2025)

8.11 United States Economic and Industrial Statistics

8.12 Canada Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

8.13 Canada Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application (2015-2025)

8.14 Canada Economic and Industrial Statistics

8.15 Mexico Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

8.16 Mexico Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application (2015-2025)

8.17 Mexico Economic and Industrial Statistics

8.18 Brazil Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

8.19 Brazil Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application (2015-2025)

8.20 Brazil Economic and Industrial Statistics



9. Europe Defense Electronics Market: An Analysis

9.1 Europe Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

9.2 Europe Economic and industrial Statistics

9.3 Europe Defense Electronics Market - Prominent Companies

9.4 Market Segmentation By Domain (Air, Maritime, Land, Space, Services)

9.5 Market Segmentation By Application (Acoustic, Avionics, C2/BM, Communication, Optronics, Radar, EW)

9.6 Europe Defense Electronics Market: Country Analysis

9.7 Market Opportunity Chart of Europe Defense Electronics Market - By Country, By Value (Year-2025)

9.8 Competitive Scenario of Europe Defense Electronics: By Country (2019 & 2025)

9.9 Germany Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

9.10 Germany Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application r(2015-2025)

9.11 Germany Economic and Industrial Statistics

9.12 France Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

9.13 France Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, BY Application (2015-2025)

9.14 France Economic and Industrial Statistics

9.15 Italy Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

9.16 Italy Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, BY Application (2015-2025)

9.17 Italy Economic and Industrial Statistics



10. Asia Pacific Defense Electronics Market: An Analysis

10.1 APAC Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

10.2 APAC Economic and industrial Statistics

10.3 APAC Defense Electronics Market - Prominent Companies

10.4 Market Segmentation By Domain (Air, Maritime, Land, Space, Services)

10.5 Market Segmentation By Application (Acoustic, Avionics, C2/BM, Communication, Optronics, Radar, EW)

10.6 APAC Defense Electronics Market: Country Analysis

10.7 Market Opportunity Chart of APAC Defense Electronics Market - By Country, By Value (Year-2025)

10.8 Competitive Scenario of APAC Defense Electronics: By Country (2019 & 2025)

10.9 China Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

10.10 China Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application (2015-2025)

10.11 China Economic and Industrial Statistics

10.12 Japan Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

10.13 Japan Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application (2015-2025)

10.14 Japan Economic and Industrial Statistics

10.15 India Defense Electronics Market: Size and Forecast (2015-2025)

10.16 India Defense Electronics Market Segmentation By Domain, By Application (2015-2025)

10.17 India Economic and Industrial Statistics



11. Global Defense Electronics Market Dynamics

11.1 Global Defense Electronics Market Drivers

11.2 Global Defense Electronics Market Restraints

11.3 Global Defense Electronics Market Trends



12. Market Attractiveness

12.1 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Defense Electronics Market - By Domain (Year 2025)

12.2 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Defense Electronics Market - By Application (Year 2025)

12.3 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Defense Electronics Market - By Region (Year 2025)



13. Competitive Landscape

13.1 Market Share of Leading Aerospace and Defense Companies



14. Company Profiles (Business Description, Financial Analysis, Business Strategy)

14.1 Hensoldt AG

14.2 General Dynamics

14.3 Boeing

14.4 Lockheed Martin

14.5 Raytheon

14.6 Northrop Grumman

14.7 Leonardo S.p.A.

14.8 Rheinmetall AG

14.9 SAAB

14.10 Kawasaki Heavy Industries

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/erj5km

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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SOURCE Research and Markets

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State Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, one of New Jerseys most influential lawmakers and the highest-ranking woman in the state Legislature, announced Wednesday she will retire after a nearly 30-year career in Trenton when her term ends.

The 85-year-old Bergen County Democrat  a veteran progressive and self-proclaimed feisty Jewish grandmother who has sponsored substantial laws on everything from gun control and transportation to womens rights and preventing sexual harassment and assault  said she wont run for re-election in November but will finish her fourth full term in the Senate, which ends in January 2022.

Weinberg made the announcement during a sometimes teary Zoom news conference attended by friends, advocates, and fellow state leaders.

Maybe this is a bit more than were used to for what is a fairly simple statement, she said. But then again, this is a very unusual time. And Ive never been a standard politician.

Asked why shes retiring, Weinberg said: This is the time that felt right to me.

Ive told people that I feel overwhelmed, she added. I feel emotional. But I dont feel conflicted about my decision. This is my time. Ive served for long years. And its time to move on to do the things that I enjoy doing, to have more time for my family.

A towering presence even at 5-foot-2, Weinberg is as prominent and outspoken as she is revered  adept at both policy and politics.

She unsuccessfully ran for lieutenant governor as the running mate of Gov. Jon Corzine in 2008, co-chaired the special committee investigating the Bridgegate scandal that engulfed Gov. Chris Christies office in 2014, and most recently co-chaired the panel that investigated how Gov. Phil Murphys inner circle responded to Katie Brennans rape allegations.

Murphy on Wednesday called Weinberg a singular voice in the Statehouse, championing progressive actions and a strong advocate and an equally tough adversary.

She and I spoke today, the governor said during his latest coronavirus briefing in Trenton. I told her I love her. She said, Even if Im nagging you? I said I love you no matter what. And I did say this to her: I think shes got a case to be made as the most consequential legislator in the history of our state.

Weinberg, a Teaneck resident who represents North Jerseys 37th legislative district, said she still has numerous priorities to work on over the next year  including transparency, NJ Transit, and health care. She also plans to remain working on a special committee she formed to examine sexism and misogyny in New Jersey politics.

Now Im not sitting here performing my own eulogy, Weinberg, sporting her well-known quick wit, said Wednesday. Dont think Im either becoming complacent or compliant.

Weinberg started her career as a local activist when she attended a Teaneck council meetings decades ago to ask officials to plant more trees along the towns Cedar Lane. She later served as assistant administrator of Bergen County from 1975-85 and was elected to Teanecks council in 1990.

In 1992, Weinberg joined the Legislature when she was chosen to fill a vacant state Assembly seat. She moved up to the state Senate in 2005 despite a lengthy political war with Joe Ferriero, the Bergen County Democratic powerbroker who would later serve time in person on corruption charges. In 2012, she became the Senate majority leader, the chambers second-most powerful position.

Weinberg was a key leader in the fight to legalize same-sex marriage in New Jersey. The movement failed, but a court ruling ultimately allowed gay weddings in the state to begin in 2013.

She also sponsored laws banning smoking at indoor places in New Jersey, lowering the legal alcohol blood level for drivers to 0.08, requiring equal pay and paid sick leave, and strengthening anti-bullying protections in New Jersey. And she has been a steadfast proponent of improving NJ Transit for commuters and providing more access to open public records to make government more transparent.

In 2009, Weinberg vied to become the first lieutenant governor in state history as Corzines running mate as he ran for re-election. But the ticket lost to Christie and his running mate, Kim Guadagno.

That wasnt her last brush with Christie. In 2011, the famously brash governor was facing criticism over an allys pension, and he noted Weinberg was also starting to take a pension after losing her life savings in Bernard Madoffs Ponzi scheme.

I mean, can you guys please take the bat out on her for once? Christie told the media at a news conference.

The comments led to a backlash, with multiple lawmakers calling on Christie to apologize.

Considering Ive devoted my entire legislative career to fighting for the rights of women, including battered women, I think his words continue to show the level of insensitivity and poor judgment that the governor has demonstrated on womens issues since getting elected, Weinberg responded.

Then, in 2013, after a series of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge were closed for five days in Fort Lee, Weinbergs interest in the matter helped unearth the Bridgegate scandal that hounded Christie. She later led the high-profile legislative committee that examined what happened.

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, called Weinberg the lioness of the Senate and the conscience of the Legislature, saying her retirement will be a profound loss for the chamber.

She is fearless in speaking her mind and standing up for her beliefs, and she is selfless in fighting for the needs of others, especially those who face disadvantages or experience hardship, Sweeney added.

State Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex  a possible candidate to succeed Weinberg as Senate majority leader  called her a beacon of light, a warrior for women, a tremendous public servant.

Republicans also voiced their respect. State Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Passaic, said Weinbergs retirement is truly a loss for both our institution and the people of New Jersey she has honorably served for three decades.

Weinbergs two Democratic district mates, Assembly members Gordon Johnson and Valerie Vainieri Huttle, are both expected to seek her now-open Senate seat in Novembers elections. Vanieri Huttle announced her candidacy Wednesday in a statement praising Weinberg, whom she replaced in the Assembly.

I am proud to have worked alongside Senator Weinberg to advance a progressive agenda, she said. With much more work still remaining to help advance true equality for women, I believe the 37th legislative district would be best served by someone with her same level of passion and commitment to this cause.

Politico New Jersey was the first to report about Weinbergs retirement.

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.
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New Delhi: Stand-up comedian Daniel Fernandes came under fire after he posted an act on late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput. In the video, shared on the internet on Monday (January 11), the comic talked about the media's obsession with the actors death and arrest of his girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty in a drug case related to his death. The comic issued an apology on Tuesday (January 12).

Soon after he faced backlash, Daniel apologised via an Instagram post. He wrote, My recent stand-up video appears to have offended a lot of fans of the late Sushant Singh Rajput, many of who have pointed out an apology is in order and I agree!

As a comedian, my only intention is always only to entertain you and make you laugh, but sometimes in that endeavour, it is possible that I might evoke an unfavourable response. That being said, I would like to address my mistake. Towards the end of this bit, I said that Rhea has been acquitted of her charges. That is factually incorrect. She has been released on bail. For some weird reason, I used the word 'acquitted' by mistake in the Pune show. It is definitely not how I have written or performed it elsewhere. I take that back and apologize to anyone whose feelings may have been hurt, he added.

I stand by everything else I said, Daniel signed off.

This is what the comic posted:

After the video went viral, Sushants fans had created a furore on social media demanding to report the video.

This is how some of the users reacted to Daniels apology:

Ohhh the man who made fun of our Sushant. And putted Stand Up comedy "Sushant Singh Rajput " This man Daniel Fernandes had apolized. Did he really feeling sorry.Did this man deleted this video from his YouTube.And Apolized in Instagram#PrioritizeSSRJustice pic.twitter.com/noBUITnfyo  Navya (@NavyaMukhi2) January 12, 2021

I am NOT accepting this clever apology by Daniel Fernandes, because...

1. You don't speak ill about a dead person who can't defend himself.

2. You don't target a family who are in the dark about how they lost a loved one.

3. You can't berate people for not writing correct English pic.twitter.com/wC3LCocXBj  Soumyadipta (@Soumyadipta) January 12, 2021

So now #DanielFernandes wants to get viral on the name of SSR. #PrioritizeSSRJustice  Soulhealer (@myownhealer) January 12, 2021

Sushant Singh Rajput died on June 14, 2020 at his Mumbai residence. Rhea was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) in a drug case in early September and released a month later. Besides NCB, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) are also investigating the circumstances around the actors death.

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TN elections 2021: Rahul Gandhi to witness Jallikattu tomorrow

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Chennai, Jan 13: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi would visit Tamil Nadu on January 14, the Pongal day and witness a bull-taming event, ''Jallikattu,'' the party's state president K S Alagiri said here on Tuesday.

Gandhi would lend his moral support to farmers protesting against the new farm laws across the country by witnessing the sport at Avaniapuram in Madurai district, he told reporters here.

"The bull is a symbol of farmers and part of their lives," the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president said. His visit is to "honour the farmers and the valorous Tamil culture on the day of harvest festival and he will not engage in election campaign on that day," he said. Assembly elections are due during April-May in the state.

Tamil Nadu govt grants permission to hold Jallikattu event, with certain restrictions

"The general public should gather in large numbers for the event." Billing Gandhi's event as ''Rahulin Tamil Vanakkam,'' he said it was also intended to dislodge the ''inept'' AIADMK regime, ''subservient'' to the Centre. Only Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his party the AIADMK supported the Central government''s three farm laws and no other political party favoured it, he claimed. Gandhi is scheduled to arrive at Madurai by 11 am on Pongal day and would be spending about four hours in the temple town.

Though there are no other scheduled events like interaction with farmers, such programmes might take place if the leader so desired, Alagiri said. Gandhi also has no plans to visit the alliance party DMK's president M K Stalin or other leaders, he said. During his visit to western Tamil Nadu, likely towards the month end, Gandhi could meet allies, he said adding his party senior leader had a plan to campaign extensively in Tamil Nadu.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

Priyanka Gandhi would also be invited to the state in the run up to the polls, he said. To a question, he mocked at the AIADMK alliance in Tamil Nadu and alleged the partners in the ruling party led combine could not even agree upon the Chief Ministerial candidate. The BJP, after maintaining for some time that NDA would announce the CM candidate said on Monday that the AIADMK, the ''major'' partner would decide it. The TNCC chief said his party stood behind DMK chief M K Stalin and he is the CM candidate of the alliance. Harmony prevailed in the DMK camp and it was absent in the AIADMK combine, he claimed ruling out scope for discord between Congress and DMK in seat sharing for the Assembly polls.
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WESTPORT, Conn., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Balance Point Capital ("Balance Point"), in conjunction with its affiliated funds, Balance Point Capital Partners III, L.P, Balance Point Capital Partners IV, L.P, and Balance Point Capital Partners V, L.P., is pleased to announce its investment in Eventus WholeHealth ("Eventus" or the "Company"), a portfolio company of Enhanced Healthcare Partners ("EHP"), a healthcare-focused private equity firm based in New York, NY. Continuing with its position as a leading provider of flexible capital to the lower middle market, Balance Point arranged debt financing to support the Company's acquisition of Doctors Making Housecalls ("DMHC") while retiring existing debt and providing significant available capital for future growth investments.

Founded in 2014, Eventus provides integrated primary care, mental health, chronic care management and other medical services to residents and patients of assisted living and skilled nursing facilities across five states in the Southeast and Midwest. Eventus' team of primary care physicians, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, psychotherapists, podiatrists and support staff provide collaborative interdisciplinary care across a wide range of specialties to patients in more than 625 facilities.

Founded in 2002, Doctors Making Housecalls is a multi-specialty group of 130 physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners making 160,000 visits annually to homes, assisted living communities and businesses throughout North Carolina. The merged multi-specialty group practice will have a total of over 650 clinicians and employees providing integrated primary care, specialty care, and behavioral health services to more than 42,000 patients living in over 1,000 long-term care facilities and at home, making the Company the largest healthcare provider to senior residents of assisted living facilities in North Carolina.

"Eventus has demonstrated an ability to offer high quality care to patients that benefits the entire healthcare ecosystem. The acquisition of Doctors Making Housecalls creates a preeminent healthcare service provider in the Southeast with a depth and breadth of services to treat patients across the continuum of care," said Balance Point Capital Partner, Justin Kaplan.

Dr. Grace Terrell, Eventus' CEO said, "We are excited to be working with Balance Point on this transaction. Their knowledge of our business and capital flexibility will provide the support necessary to execute on our growth objectives."

Matt Thompson, General Partner at EHP added, "Enhanced is pleased to have worked with Balance Point on optimizing Eventus' capital structure to support the Company for its next phase of growth. Balance Point's flexibility and ability to work quickly proved critical in this transaction."

About Balance Point Capital

Balance Point Capital is an alternative investment manager focused on the lower middle market. With approximately $1.4 billion in assets under management as of November 2020, Balance Point invests debt and equity capital in select lower middle market companies across a variety of investment vehicles. We take a long-term, partnership approach to investing and are committed to building lasting relationships with our partners, management teams and intermediaries.

Balance Point Capital Advisors, LLC (referred to herein as Balance Point Capital) is a registered investment advisor. Further information is available at www.balancepointcapital.com.

Contact

Justin Kaplan

(203) 652-8264

[email protected]

SOURCE Balance Point Capital

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Plans to impeach President Donald Trump from office are gathering pace with the House of Representatives warning he is a threat to US democracy  and pressing Vice President Mike Pence to act.

Mr Trump faces a single charge  incitement of insurrection  after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution the House will begin debating today.

At the same time, the FBI warned ominously of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration on January 20. In a dark foreshadowing, the Washington Monument was closed to the public amid the threats of disruption. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf abruptly resigned.

Read More

Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare Mr Trump is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting the mob that violently ransacked the Capitol last Wednesday.

President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government, reads the four-page impeachment bill.

He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is summoning members of Congress back to Washington for votes  and Democrats arent the only ones who say Mr Trump needs to go.

Republican senators Pat Toomey and Lisa Murkowski called for Mr Trump to go away as soon as possible.

Liz Cheney encouraged her Republican colleagues in the House to vote your conscience. She has spoken critically of Mr Trumps actions but has not said publicly how she will vote.

Pending impeachment, Democrats also called on Mr Pence and the cabinet to invoke their constitutional authority under the 25th Amendment to remove Mr Trump from office before inauguration day.

Ms Pelosi said Mr Pence will have 24 hours to respond. Next would be the impeachment proceedings.

The vice-president has given no indication he is ready to invoke the 25th Amendment.

He met Mr Trump late on Monday for the first time since the Capitol attack, a senior administration official said.

Mr Trump and Mr Pence had a good conversation in the Oval Office discussing the week ahead and they pledged to continue working for the remainder of their terms.

No member of the Cabinet has publicly called for Mr Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment.

As security tightened, Mr Biden said he was not afraid of taking the oath of office outside, as is traditionally done at the Capitols west steps, one of the areas where people stormed the building.

As for the rioters, Mr Biden said, It is critically important that therell be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable.

Mr Biden said he has had conversations with senators ahead of a possible impeachment trial, which some have worried would cloud the opening days of his administration.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was exploring ways to immediately convene the Senate for the trial as soon as the House acts, though Republican leader Mitch McConnell would need to agree.

The president-elect suggested splitting the Senates time, perhaps go a half day on dealing with impeachment, a half day on getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package for more Covid relief.

As Congress briefly resumed on Monday, an uneasiness swept government. More politicians tested positive for Covid-19 after sheltering during the siege.

New security officials were installed after the Capitol police chief and others were sacked. Some Republicans, including Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, faced a public backlash for their efforts on the day of the riot for trying to overturn Mr Bidens election.
ANN ARBOR, MI  A man accused of sexually assaulting a child inside an Ann Arbor middle school more than a year ago and still awaiting trial will have a new attorney representing him soon.

Washtenaw County Trial Judge Patrick Conlin granted a request by Johnathan James Green for a new attorney on Monday, Jan. 11, after his prior attorney, Stuart Collis, stated in court there had been a breakdown in their attorney-client relationship and he could no longer assist Green.

Green, appearing before the court from the Washtenaw County Jail via Zoom, briefly went on a rant about his legal defense, accusing the court of plotting against him, leading Conlin to grant the change of attorney request with no additional questions.

Green, 45, of Ann Arbor, is charged with one felony count each of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 13, second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a minor under 13, unlawful imprisonment and accosting a child for immoral purposes.

Man accused of sexually assaulting child inside Ann Arbor middle school heads to trial

He is accused of allegedly coercing a young girl to come with him to a secluded part of Scarlett Middle School on Sept. 9, 2019, where he then sexually assaulted her, Ann Arbor police previously said. At the time of the incident, the school was open for its first Parent Teacher Student Organization meeting of the year, according to the Ann Arbor Public Schools website.

MLive/The Ann Arbor News does not identify victims of sexual assault.

The girl was with a younger friend showing him around the school when Green followed them into the building, according to witness testimony for Greens preliminary examination in November 2019.

Green was bound over for trial along with an additional felony charge of child sexually abusive material commercial activity being handled as a separate case.

Green is scheduled for a final pretrial hearing on March 1, followed by a jury trial scheduled for May 3, pending ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

He remains lodged in the Washtenaw County Jail without bond. First-degree criminal sexual conduct is punishable by up to life in prison.

More from The Ann Arbor News:

$1.1-million conservation easement purchase finalized in Ann Arbor Township

Passenger killed, driver seriously injured after crashing into trees near Ann Arbor

Task force will examine public safety practices at University of Michigan


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Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology president Stephen Turner told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday the AstraZeneca vaccine was "not one that I would be deploying widely" because it had a lower efficacy rate than other options. Professor Turner leads a microbiology laboratory at Monash University. Professor Kelly said the government was talking to Pfizer about securing more doses, as the company announced a deal to provide an extra 12 million doses to Malaysia and ramp up production to 2 billion doses this calendar year, with 600 million going to the European Union and at least 200 million to the United States. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "We posed the question to them: how much vaccine could you give us in the first half of 2021 and they gave us an answer, and then we negotiated on the price," Professor Kelly said. "And that answer was 10 million. And we are continuing and having many, many conversations with them.

"At the moment, that's what it is, and, frankly, there are other countries in the world that need it more than we do right now." Asked about the Moderna vaccine, Professor Kelly said "it takes two parties to sign" and the company had to agree to supply doses, something that was still in negotiation. Asked whether pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson was unwilling to supply any of its vaccine to Australia, he said "there were issues that we were not able to agree on" but he could not comment further because the talks were confidential. Interim results for the AstraZeneca project, published in The Lancet last month, said "vaccine efficacy was 62.1 per cent" for participants who received two standard doses and "efficacy was 90.0 per cent" for participants who accidentally received a low dose followed by a standard dose. The latest clinical trials showed 94.1 per cent efficacy for Moderna and 95.0 per cent for Pfizer, which is co-developed with German company BioNTech.

Loading While the contrasting efficacy rates shows how each candidate prevents symptomatic COVID-19, the detailed results also showed the AstraZeneca vaccine appeared to be completely effective in preventing people falling seriously ill or dying. "In terms of preventing death, it works 100 per cent of the time. In terms of preventing severe illness, it works 100 per cent of the time," Professor Kelly said. "That's exactly the same as Pfizer on that interim information." There are no questions about the safety of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine.

Extraordinary internal and external pressure was brought to bear on the two leading scientific groups that questioned the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday. Through the course of Wednesday, both the Australasian Virology Society and the Australian Society for Immunology formally recanted their positions and fell in line behind the government's strategy. Dr Karen Price, president of the Royal Australian College of GPs, whose members will be key in distributing the vaccine, also backed the government. "I personally won't have any problem if I receive an AstraZeneca vaccine  I am confident it's going to do its public health job," she said. Other scientists remained unconvinced.

"There is a strong argument for vaccinating as soon as possible the at-risk population with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, and holding off for the rest of the population until more doses of it are available," said Professor Adrian Esterman, chair of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia. Loading Monash University adjunct lecturer Michelle Ananda-Rajah also questioned whether the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca was high enough given the interim results. "There's obviously surging demand for this vaccine and I just wonder whether Australia can try a little bit harder to get us the best vaccines," Dr Ananda-Rajah told Sky News. In an important statement on their overall strategy, federal officials acknowledged that herd immunity - establishing enough vaccine coverage to force COVID-19 out of circulation - was not a short-term goal.

AstraZeneca's vaccine was unlikely to get us to herd immunity, confirmed Professor Allen Cheng, co-chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, on Twitter. But because experts are still unsure which, if any, vaccines will prevent transmission of the virus, the government is focussing solely on protecting life. Clinical evidence suggests both Pfizer and AstraZeneca do that very well. Loading If more effective vaccines become available, or Australia can secure more Pfizer or Moderna, the government believes it is possible to inject people who have been immunised with a different vaccine, increasing their immunity. Australia does not currently use so-called 'mixed schedules', but health authorities say there is trial evidence showing such a strategy can work.
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[January 13, 2021] Critical Process Systems Group Acquires Nuance Systems

Critical Process Systems Group ("CPS"), a portfolio company of Wynnchurch Capital, L.P. ("Wynnchurch"), announced the acquisition of Nuance (News - Alert) Systems ("NSI" or the "Company"). NSI is a leading supplier of complex, ultra-high purity gas and chemical delivery systems and sensing technologies to advanced applications within the semiconductor and solar industries. NSI (News - Alert) designs and produces mission-critical ampoules, liquid level sensors, integrated systems, as well as provides repair services. Bill Kimmerle and Kyle Kimmerle, co-owners of NSI, will continue to serve as CEO and President of NSI, respectively. Dmitry Shashkov, PhD, CEO of CPS, said, "I am excited to welcome NSI into CPS. NSI is a rare business that combines the speed and agility of an entrepreneurial startup with solid manufacturing processes, mature quality systems, and ardent customer support that one would expect to find in much larger organizations. NSI's strengths are very similar and complimentary to our own. Our team is looking forward to working with NSI and helping them grow and serve their customers even better in the future." Bill Kimmerle, PhD, CEO of NSI, said, "This is the right step at this stage in NSI's evolution. NSI, its customers and its employees will benefit from the extensive resources provided by CPS." Kyle Kimmerle, President of NSI, added, "This partnership will accelerate NSI's growth trajectory and enhance support to its customers' ever-evolving technology needs." Brian Crumbaugh, Partner at Wynnchurch, said, "In line with our original investment thesis for the platform, the acquisition of NSI expands CPS's capablities, customer diversification, and geographic reach. We believe that the addition of NSI further bolsters CPS's position as a leading supplier of mission-critical systems."



About Nuance Systems: Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Portland, Oregon, NSI is a leading supplier of complex, ultra-high purity gas and chemical delivery systems and sensing technologies to advanced applications within the semiconductor and solar industries. For more information, please visit: https://www.nsi-mfg.com.

About Critical Process Systems Group: Critical Process Systems Group, headquartered in Boise, Idaho, is a leading provider of mission-critical solutions for highly demanding industries and applications. The company provides a broad range of products & services including corrosive fume exhaust ducts and air flow control devices, high purity process utility modules, biopharmaceutical processing equipment, and liquid, chemical, and gas storage, blending, and delivery control products, as well as process and mechanical engineering services and project management. For more information, please visit: https://www.cpsgrp.com. About Wynnchurch Capital: Wynnchurch Capital, L.P., headquartered in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, with an office in California and an affiliate in Canada, was founded in 1999, and is a leading middle-market private equity investment firm. Wynnchurch's strategy is to partner with middle market companies in the United States and Canada that possess the potential for substantial growth and profit improvement. Wynnchurch manages a number of private equity funds with $4.2 billion of committed capital under management and specializes in recapitalizations, growth capital, management buyouts, corporate carve-outs and restructurings. For more information, please visit: https://www.wynnchurch.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005079/en/

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ONE of the bright rays in these dark days is seeing and hearing the excitement, gratitude and immense relief of healthcare workers as they receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine.

Twitter is full of selfies of hospital staff proudly receiving their dose and friends of mine said it gave them a big hopeful boost as they head into a nail-biting few weeks when the healthcare system and workers will be stretched to the max coping with the spike in Covid-19 cases.

It is only right that the people who put themselves in the firing line treating this virus are the people to receive the immunological armoury to protect them from infection. But I cant wait for my appointment for vaccination and I particularly cant wait till my granny gets hers.

When I recently heard there were Covid cases within her, previously untouched, residential home, my heart dropped. She is due to receive her vaccination on January 15 and I hope the wave of infection can be kept at bay long enough for her to receive the vaccine and the hope of some kind of normal life.

She is a very frail 92-year-old with dementia who wishes this Covid thing would go away, the lonely life she has led with scant visitors the past year is desperately sad.

Residents of long-term care facilities are at greatest risk of severe illness and death. In Ireland, in the first wave of Covid-19, 56% of deaths occurred in this setting and more than 30% of cases were in healthcare workers. Vaccinating those two groups is a clear priority, but who gets jabbed next?

A friend of mine contacted the GP of her 87-year old-mother, enquiring about future vaccination timelines and was told the GP practice had no information about when or how vaccination will happen.

The 87-year-old living in the highly infected county of Monaghan will keep cocooning and praying and hoping her vaccination will come before she contracts the virus.

According to Irelands Covid-19 Vaccine Implementation Plan, adults aged 70 and older will be next in line. Starting with the oldest and working down. Good news for the Monaghan granny, even though the timing and location of when this will happen is yet to be determined.

The plan identifies 15 population groups and ranks them according to priority and provides the rationale behind the ranking. Adults aged 18-64 with chronic medical conditions such as heart, respiratory, liver and kidney disease as well as diabetes, obesity and immunosuppression due to disease or treatment are seventh in line to be vaccinated.

Adults living or working in crowded accommodation where self-isolation and social distancing is difficult to maintain are high are ninth.

Those who are essential to education and who face disease exposure  primary and second level school staff, special needs assistants, childcare workers, maintenance workers, school bus drivers etc, are 11th on the list.

Mass vaccination roll-out is not a simple task. Deciding who gets vaccinated first is just one small job in the big logistical effort required.

That these vaccines require ultra cold storage is one factor, as is supply of vaccine from manufacturers, availability of workforce, provision of technology to administer and monitor the roll-out, and the huge communications effort required to inform the public about the vaccines and assure them of their safety.

Asking questions about vaccines is a good thing, getting answers from unqualified, non-medical personnel on a Facebook group or Twitter echo chamber, instead of the dedicated immunisation experts, is not.

This mass vaccination effort is being replicated around the world. Israel has stormed ahead of lackadaisical countries, with more than 10% of the population already vaccinated. Securing big vaccine supplies early and 300 vaccination centres working 24-7 have made a big impact.

Israel is still in the midst of a third strict lockdown but is hoping to have a huge proportion of the population vaccinated by March, with a resumption of some kind of normal life soon after.

With concerted and dedicated effort, the course of history can be changed. In New York in 1947, a case of smallpox imported by a businessman returning from Mexico sparked a small outbreak that spurred city health commissioner Dr Israel Weinstein to vaccinate the whole city. Volunteer vaccinators, as well as health care professionals, gave as many as eight doses a minute and vaccinated five million New Yorkers in two weeks. The smallpox outbreak was snuffed out with 12 infections and two deaths.

Without decisive and quick action, the alternative history of New York City could be profoundly different.

Its unfair to compare post-war America with 21st century Ireland but a speedy and dogged roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination will save lots of lives and lots of money. We cant afford to be leisurely about it.

Before 2020, did any of us give much thought to the privilege of living in a vaccinated world?

Living a life free of the fear of contagious diseases like polio, TB and cholera. The multitude consequences of a rampant infectious disease have been laid bare the past year.

However, for all the success of vaccines, which save up to two million lives every single year, smallpox is the only infectious disease that has been officially eradicated.

Humans will be living with Covid-19 for a long time to come but vaccination remains one of the most powerful tools we have at fighting it.

That is why a slow or faltering vaccination campaign is not an option. Real urgency is required.

For all its failings, the Irish healthcare system is bursting with able and competent people, the government should enable and support them to lead the vaccination effort so that this difficult January will be our last strict lockdown.
Lockdown restrictions in England will remain in place for as long as they are necessary, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said, as he suggested there are no current plans to tighten existing rules.

Mr Hancock urged people not to take the mickey out of the restrictions, but said it was impossible to know when they could be eased.

We will keep the restrictions in place not a moment longer than they are necessary, but we will keep them in place as long as they are necessary, he told Sky News.

These measures that we have got in place that we hope to be able to lift  and we should be able to lift, when we have been able to protect through vaccination those who are vulnerable  right now, the vaccination is not in a position to do that.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Hancock said the current rules were always under review but what really matters now is the degree to which everybody follows the existing rules.

He added: Of course you can always make changes at the margin, but we brought in a very significant restriction, the stay at home measures It is possible then to make further restrictions, but what Id say is that the most important thing is compliance with the existing measures, thats the thing that is going to make the difference.

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Asked if he would specifically change the rule on people meeting one other person outside, he said: We always keep these things under review, but youve got to balance the downsides.

He said the rule on exercising with one other person is clear, but he was very reluctant to remove this rule because for some people, such as those living alone, it is an absolute lifeline.

Mr Hancock added that when two people meet for socially distanced exercise, the likelihood of spread from people who are following that rule is very, very small.

But he said some were clearly stretching that rule, adding: People should not take the mickey out of the rules and they shouldnt stretch the rules, people should respect the rules, because theyre there for a reason and thats to keep everybody safe.

Asked if the UK has now hit the peak of this wave, as some data may suggest, Mr Hancock said: Well, I want it to be.

Expand Close Members of the public arrive to receive their injection of a Covid-19 vaccine at the NHS vaccine centre in Newcastle (Owen Humphreys/PA) PA / Facebook

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But again, that comes down to the behaviour of everyone.

Together we can make this the peak if enough people follow the rules, which are incredibly clear.

Pressed again on if this was the peak, he said: Well we dont know, we published the data every day. I hope that it is.

Mr Hancock said sending patients to hotels was a further back-up plan for some step-down patients, but its not something we are actively putting in place.

And he said the NHS was ready to vaccinate people 24 hours a day, seven days a week if necessary.

Were absolutely up for doing that if it helps to speed up the vaccination programme, he said.

I cant see that being the major factor, because most people want to get vaccinated in the daytime, and also most people who are doing the vaccinations want to give them in the daytime, but there may be circumstances in which that would help.

And were absolutely up for that.

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Mr Hancock said the Government currently had as much supply of vaccines as we were expecting, and manufacturing by Pfizer and AstraZeneca is on track.

NHS officials have stressed that vaccines are currently being sent to those sites that can vaccinate as many people as possible, with more sites being sent jabs as the supply increases.

The NHS has also denied a report in the Telegraph that suggested the vaccine rollout was being paused in some areas to allow other parts of the country to catch up.

Earlier, Dr Daisy Fancourt, from University College Londons Institute of Epidemiology and Health, who has carried out a study on lockdown compliance, said people were following the rules in the vast majority of cases.

We found that compliance has been improving month on month, and week on week, and actually its now back to the same levels that it was last May, so whilst we hear the stories of rule-breakers, actually the majority of the population are really playing their part at the moment, she told BBC Breakfast.

She said rule flouting such as holding house parties was only being done by a very, very tiny percentage of people.

What were seeing a bit more of is people bending these rules, so perhaps looking for loopholes, or slightly pushing the boundaries of the rules.

Dr Fancourt said the rule that people are breaking most is meeting up with more people than they are allowed to outdoors.

Whilst the roll-out of the COVID vaccine is proceeding well, it's vital everybody follows the rules.



We must control this virus to reduce the very significant pressures on our NHS.



Stay at home. Protect the NHS. Save lives. pic.twitter.com/aiDfkkGTgl  Matt Hancock (@MattHancock) January 12, 2021

She told BBC Breakfast: I think people are thinking theyve got that added protection from being outside with increased air and ventilation, which of course is true to a certain extent, but actually I think now were looking at this new virus, weve got to be particularly cautious on this.

Were finding this across all age groups, so its not like theres one particular group that are most likely to break this rule, but I think its one that people, if theyre looking to improve their own behaviours at the moment, its a really good one to try and tighten up on.

Later on Wednesday, the Prime Minister will be grilled by senior MPs on the liaison committee after facing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi and health bosses crucial to the jabs programme are also being questioned by the Commons Science and Technology committee.

With rolling out the vaccines key to easing lockdowns, the latest Government figures showed 2,431,648 in the UK have received a first dose.

As of Tuesday, a further 1,243 people in the UK had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, with a further 45,533 cases being confirmed by labs.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government is considering further Covid-19 restrictions as the death toll from the virus passed 5,000.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will outline any changes to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

In Northern Ireland, chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride has said the current lockdown is likely to last beyond February 6.

Pragya Thakur issues second apology in Lok Sabha, says she didnt call Godse a deshbhakt

Hindu Mahasabha closes study centre named for Godse

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Gwalior, Jan 13: The Hindu Mahasabha closed a study centre named for Nathuram Godse following an intervention by the district administration.

The "Gyanshaala" or study centre, opened at the Mahasabha''s office in Daulatganj area here two days ago, had created controversy as it was named for Godse, Mahatma Gandhi''s assassin.

Additional District Magistrate Kishore Kanyal said that after learning about the study centre, preventive orders under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure were imposed in Daulatganj area.

To spread awareness on patriotism, Hindu Mahasabha opens 'gyanshala' for Nathuram Godse

Such orders are issued to prevent anything that may lead to breach of peace.

"We discussed the issue with Mahasabha office-bearers and told them they should not do anything that can disturb the peace. They promised not to break the law and said they would close the centre," Kanyal told reporters.

Mahasabha''s national vice president Jaiveer Bhardwaj said the study centre will be closed but the organization will continue to organize inspirational programs about patriots.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

The objective of setting up a Gyanshaala was fulfilled as people became "aware", he added.

On Sunday, Bharadwaj had said the Nathuram Godse Gyanshaala will educate the young generation about various aspects of Partition as well as the lives of national leaders like Guru Gobind Singh, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Maharana Pratap.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 8:56 [IST]
A horde of people gathered outside City Hall in Worcester on Tuesday evening as blue lights flashed from police cruisers and hip hop music rumbled throughout Main Street.

Each person held either a picture of rapper Joyner Lucas to get signed or a cell phone set to camera mode in preparation to capture a glimpse of the Worcester native.

There he is! someone shouted within the crowd as the silence of anticipation escalated to cheers of excitement.

Soon Lucas climbed atop his vehicle - that mimicked a tank with 4-foot wheels more than a car - to make a speech to everyone who gathered to see him.

All these people outside, they come from where I come from, Lucas said. To see them look up to someone like me, its a blessing. What I see when I look at them, I see greatness too.

Rapper Joyner Lucas, received the key to the city of Worcester from Mayor Joseph Petty and other city officials on Tuesday.

Lucas was one of four people who received keys to the city on Tuesday from Mayor Joseph Petty. Frank Rivera, a clothing designer, George Annan, a photographer, and Che Anderson, the citys deputy cultural development officer, also received the honor from Petty.

The theme of the awards tied to the citys blooming cultural scene.

Petty lauded Lucas for his past albums ADHD and Evolution, and his dedication to shining a spotlight on the issues facing Black Americans.

Just as your birth and upbringing has influenced your work, so too does your success positively reflect on us all, Petty said.

Crowd forms outside city hall as Joyner Lucas receives key to the city of Worcester. Posted by MassLive Worcester on Tuesday, January 12, 2021

In 2020, Lucas track ISIS, featuring Logic, went platinum while two other tracks went gold, according to RIAA.

2021 is going to be a different level, Lucas said. 2020 was a magic year. I bought my first mansion, I went triple platinum. I sold millions of records. I got to collaborate with some of my favorite artists and I got to help people.

As Lucas stood in the mayors office of the fourth floor of City Hall, surrounding by city councilors and family, he said he hoped to act as inspiration for the hundreds waiting outside for him.

Rapper Joyner Lucas, received the key to the city of Worcester from Mayor Joseph Petty and other city officials on Tuesday.

Growing up in Worcester, Lucas said he didnt always receive the encouragement from adults to pursue his dream of becoming a hip hop artist. Hes proof that someone from Worcester can make it.

You never know what they can become, Lucas said. The only thing I can say is, we should enable people to do what they love to do and not limit people to what we think they should do.

Lucas lingered in City Hall to snap photos with councilors and other city officials, ensuring everyone who wanted a picture got one.

Rapper Joyner Lucas, received the key to the city of Worcester from Mayor Joseph Petty and other city officials on Tuesday.

Outside, he sat inside his mini-monster truck signing dozens of autographs for at least 15 minutes. Teenagers and young children sprinted out of the mass of people screaming in joy after the rapper inked random items like a single boot or a student ID.

In a night dedicated to Lucas, the event is one many in younger generations wont soon forget either.

Against all odds I was able to break through, Lucas said. And inspire so many people. So I think that the new generation, they should enable people who have dreams.

The rapper, whose full name is Gary Maurice Lucas Jr., was born in Worcester in 1988. He grew up in the city and attended South High Community School. The city of Worcester serves as the backdrop for several of Lucas music videos.

NAIROBI, Kenya  President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda has blocked Facebook from operating in his country, just days after the social media company removed fake accounts linked to his government ahead of a hotly contested general election set to take place on Thursday.

In a televised address late on Tuesday night, Mr. Museveni accused Facebook of arrogance and said he had instructed his government to close the platform, along with other social media outlets, although Facebook was the only one he named.

That social channel you are talking about, if it is going to operate in Uganda, it should be used equitably by everybody who has to use it, Mr. Museveni said. We cannot tolerate this arrogance of anybody coming to decide for us who is good and who is bad, he added.

The ban on Facebook comes at the end of an election period that has been dogged by a crackdown on the political opposition, harassment of journalists and nationwide protests that have led to at least 54 deaths and hundreds of arrests, according to officials.
Former Hillsong pastor Carl Lentz was seen in public for the first time since he started his rehabilitation, a report says.

Carl Lentz has just been spotted for the first time since his 30-day rehabilitation. The former Hillsong pastor was seen with his wife Laura approaching Target Redondo Beach for an early morning errand, the Daily Mail reported.

Reports described the former celebrity pastor to be a little worse for wear walking arm to arm with his Australian wife. Lentz wore his hair long after spending both Christmas and New Year under a program for depression, anxiety, and pastoral burnout rehabilitation.

Laura, on the other hand, was seen wearing her wedding ring while crossing the street alongside her husband. The wife and their three children reportedly showed constant support to the ousted pastor throughout his stay at rehab.

Early in December, Carl entered an outpatient facility for depression, anxiety, and pastoral burnout. The center advised him to undergo a 30-day treatment program to treat mental health issues that allegedly came after being involved in a huge outrage.

"He wants to be better for his family and is dedicated to doing the work," a source told the Daily Mail. "His family is supporting him and hopes their privacy will be respected on this journey," reports added.

On Nov. 4, Brian Houston, Hillsong founder announced that the megachurch fired the former celebrity pastor. Houston said they had to make the decision due to the alleged leadership issues, breach of trust as well as moral failures.

Houston commended the good heart that the couple had for the people and added that they do not despise the good works that the Lentzes contributed to the ministry.

"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," Houston said. 'In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here," the leader added, Daily Mail UK reported.

At the time, Carl posted a lengthy social media update thanking everyone for their trust and shared how the ministry impacted his life so much. He later apologized to everyone and to his wife admitting that he had been an unfaithful husband.

Days after the announcement, reports revealed audio of Houston addressing people in church leadership about deeper reasons for Lentz's termination. He told the top donors and church leaders that the ousted pastor had more than one affair

Although Carl did not specify the unfaithfulness to his marriage that he mentioned in his Instagram post, an Egyptian-Palestinian woman came out claiming that she had a five-month-long affair with the ousted pastor. Ranin Karim, a 34-year old jewelry designer, said she tried to end their affair several times but Carl kept coming back. The story finally ended when Laura found out and the pastor himself decided that he had to go.

The outrage hurt the couple's connection with Justin Bieber and his wife Hailey. Carl baptized Justin in Tyson Chandler's bathtub.

After the news broke out, the Biebers unfollowed the couple on Instagram. Justin Bieber recently said that he belongs to Churchome and not to Hillsong.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 22:24:11|Editor: huaxia

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JAKARTA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The number of casualties in the landslides hitting Indonesia's West Java province over the weekend climbed to 21 on Wednesday, while 19 others still remain missing, an official said.

A total of 25 persons survived the natural disaster which struck Cihanjuan village in Sumedang district, Seni Wulandari, a press officer at the Provincial Search and Rescue Agency told Xinhua.

"The rescue team found five bodies today (Wednesday), bringing the total to 21," she said.

Despite downpours, heavy machinery equipment continued removing the soils which cover the impacted area, Wulandari said.

As many as 18 people suffered injuries, according to Budi Budiman, head of the Emergency Unit of the Provincial Disaster Management Agency. Enditem


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The US House of Representatives will reconvene Wednesday to vote to impeach President Donald Trump over charges of inciting violence at the Capitol.



As Democrats hold a majority in the House, Trump is likely to become the first U.S. president to be impeached twice. He was impeached by the House in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.



Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday named nine Democrats as managers of the impeachment trial.



Five Republican lawmakers, including top-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney, announced they would vote to impeach Trump. 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' according to the Wyoming representative.



She was referring to Trump followers' failed violent attempt to block the Congress from certifying Joe Biden's election victory on January 6, which resulted in the death of five people. Several properties of the Congress were damaged and a laptop of House Speaker was stolen in the rampage at the Capitol.



Tuesday night, the House approved a resolution by 223-205 votes calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to help remove the President through the 25th Amendment, but Pence has already said that he did not prefer invoking the constitutional option.



In a letter to Nancy Pelosi ahead of the vote, Pence wrote, 'With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution.'



Even if the impeachment move is passed in The House, it will not be an easy task in the Senate, where a two-thirds majority would be needed to convict Trump.



The Democrats need the support of at least 17 Republican senators to reach that target in the 100 member Upper House.



The New York Times reported that 20 Republican Senators were in favor of convicting Trump.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a condition caused by the weakening of the heart muscle, affecting the ventricles (chambers in the heart that push blood around the body as it contracts). If allowed to progress unchecked, DCM can lead to heart failure and death, especially in children.

The only cure, at present, is a heart transplant, which comes with its own challenges: long waiting times to secure a suitable donor heart, the possibility of organ rejection, long hospitalizations and recovery times, among others.

In recent decades, stem cells have become the cornerstone of regenerative medicine, allowing medical professionals to treat damaged organs and reverse the course of several diseases that were previously deemed irrevocable.

Scientists have turned to "cardiosphere-derived cells" (CDCs), a type of cardiac stem cells known to have beneficial effects in adults suffering from specific heart conditions. By developing ("differentiating") into heart tissue, CDCs can reverse the damage inflicted by diseases. However, little is known about their safety and therapeutic benefit in children.

To address this problem, Professor Hidemasa Oh led an interdepartmental team of scientists at Okayama University, Japan, to launching the first steps to assess this therapy in children suffering from DCM. In a study published in Science Translational Medicine, the team not only showed the effectiveness of CDCs in replenishing damaged tissues in DCM but also revealed how this happens.

Prof Oh explains the motivation, "I have been working on cardiac regeneration therapy since 2001. In this study, my team and I assessed the safety and efficacy of using CDCs to treat DCM in children ."

The first step of any trial when testing a new drug or therapy is to use animal models who react similarly to humans, which shows us whether the treatment is safe and has the intended effect. Thus, to begin with, the researchers tested this method in pigs, inducing cardiac symptoms similar to DCM and treating them with different doses of CDCs or a placebo.

In those given the stem cell treatment, the scientists noticed quick improvements in cardiac function. The heart muscle thickened, allowing more blood to be pumped around the body. This effectively reversed the damage induced in the pigs' hearts, an encouraging result leading them to progress to small, controlled human trials.

Their phase 1 trial involved five young patients suffering from DCM. The scientists now had a better idea of the suitable dose of CDCs to give their young patients, thanks to the pre-clinical trials in animals. One year after injection, the patients showed no sign of severe side effects from the treatment, but most importantly, there were encouraging signs of improved heart function.

The authors are cautious: based on the small population size of their study, they cannot establish a strong conclusion. However, they are satisfied that CDC treatment appears sufficiently safe and effective to progress to a larger clinical trial.

We intend to move these results into a randomized phase 2 trial to obtain a pharmaceutical approval of this therapy in Japan." Hidemasa Oh, Professor, Okayama University, Japan

Another important finding was the mechanism through which CDCs actually lead to improved cardiac function. Indeed, their analyses revealed that transplanted cells secrete small vesicles called "exosomes," which are enriched with proteins called "microRNAs" that initiate a whole cascade of molecular interactions.

These microRNA-enriched exosomes have two effects. First, it blocks the damage-inducing cells from causing further harm to the heart tissue. Secondly, it induces the differentiation of stem cells into fully functioning cardiac cells ("cardiomyocytes"), starting the regenerative process. This generates hope that injecting these exosomes alone might be enough to reverse this type of heart damage in patients, bypassing the need for CDCs in the first place.

Looking back on their research, the scientists are hopeful that a phase 2 trial will confirm their suspicions, and what this could mean for future patients. Prospective transplant patients sometimes wait for years for a donor heart to become available. This type of therapy could allow them to live relatively normal lives, and even prevent the need for a transplant altogether for patients who have not yet reached such a critical stage.

From the sweet and innocent Raj in DDLJ to playing the smart and witty titular character in Badshah, SRK has succeeded in charming us with everything he does! Over the years he has made fans across age groups fall in love over and over again with his mesmerizing appeal. With almost 100 films to his name  Shahrukh Khan has had a glorious career doing all kinds of roles including that of the hero, the villain, the comedian and also some impressive cameos. This January, Sony MAX2 calls for a celebration to help all SRK and Bollywood lovers cherish some of his iconic characters!

Badshah

Badshah revolves around the adventures of a man who gets mistaken, as both a murderer and a spy. And then trouble ensues as he finds himself stuck in the middle of a complicated situation, as a rich businessman plans to assassinate the chief minister. SRK rose to fame after playing Badshah in this film and ever since then he is known as the Badshah of Bollywood.

Watch Badshah on 14th Jan at 7 PM, only on Sony MAX2.

Hum Tumhare Hai Sanam

The story revolves around the lives of a happily married couple whose lives turn upside down with an entry of the wifes old friend. This results in the development of misunderstandings with the husband (SRK) deciding to leave his wife. Hum Tumhare Hai Sanam is a heart-touching movie as it takes you through an emotional roller coaster of love, hatred, and jealousy also featuring Salman Khan, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

Watch Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam on 15th Jan at 7 PM, only on Sony MAX2.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Shah Rukh Khan plays the role of a very simple man Surinder, who upon getting married to Taani, a vivacious young woman, realizes that she is indifferent towards him. He decides to change this by going through a complete makeover and participating in the same dance competition to befriend her. Soon, she falls in love with him without realizing it was her husband all along, underneath the disguise. This film is a parade of comedy, mixed with drama and romance.

Watch Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi on 25th Jan at 7 PM, only on Sony MAX2

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

All this classic fairy-tale romance needs is its abbreviation, to bring back the fondest of memories of a whole generation. DDLJ is a story about the immortal characters, Raj and Simran who meet on a Europe trip and fall in love. Soon after, Raj is made aware of the fact that Simrans father has promised her hand in marriage to his friends son. Raj then sets out to India on a mission to win her and her father over, while giving the audience a reason to believe in romance and love!

Watch DDLJ on 29th Jan at 7 PM, only on Sony MAX2.
Master

Director: Lokesh Kangaraj

Cast: Vijay, Vijay Sethupathi, Malavika Mohanan, Arjun Das, Andrea Jeremiah, Shanthanu Bhagyaraj

Catching a mass entertainer on a Pongal morning at the theatre is an experience by itself. The wolf whistles for the hero entry, the fanatic applause which is followed by punch dialogues and collective glee as the hero makes mincemeat of an array of villains make the Pongal movie experience immensely fun. Master is a film tailored for such a community experience.

Vijays fans are in for a treat as the actor brings all his signature moves to the yard. Writer-director Lokesh Kangarajs fans will, however, be disappointed. After making a mark with Managaram and Kaithi, this is Kangarajs weakest film yet. It has all the trappings of a mass entertainer, and as a result, the film as a whole suffers.

Read: Stills from Master

Thematically its interesting as its about reformation, the state of juvenile homes and prisons. But what could have been a much better film is reduced to a star vehicle.

Vijay plays professor JD and is a strangely revered alcoholic. Hes barely functional but students and teachers cover up for him and worship him at every step. This much-revered alcoholic goes to reform a juvenile home.

The film serves as a vessel for Vijays many messages to his fans. From his opinion on entering politics to why college elections prep the first time voters for participating in democracy to the dangers of addiction, the actor has some heavy preaching messages for his devoted fans.

By referencing Ajiths Aaluma Doluma and Suryas Varanam Aayiram Vijay also subtly tells his fans to lay off the star wars they indulge in. These are honourable messages and intentions, but that alone does not a good film make.

Read: Master Movie Twitter Review: Fans Shower Love on Vijays Entertainer, Declare it Blockbuster

Also, its worth mentioning that the word government is censored in the dialogue the government doesnt listen to its people. Whether its self-censorship for full occupancy or mandated, its a puzzling move.

Vijay Sethupathi sinks his teeth into the role of a formidable adversary and steals the show as long as he is allowed to. Its a predictable climax and you can guess who comes out on top.

Malvika Mohanan who plays the female lead has hardly any screen time. Some of the kids at the juvenile home have more to do in the film than her. She adequately looks up to the hero which is the role shes meant to play.

Andrea Jeremiah has a blink and miss role which minimally redeems itself in the climax, but the rest of the cast such as Ramya Subramaniam, Sriman and Nassar are wasted in this star vehicle.

Anirudh Ravichanders foot-tapping music is the legacy Master will leave behind. Its possible for a film to entertain without being good, Master is an example.

Rating: 2.5/5
The head of one of Boeing's biggest customers, Dubai's Emirates, wants the planemaker to demonstrate fundamental changes after producing a flawed 737 MAX jet and has urged it to recognise "culpability and accountability" from the very top.

Influential Emirates President Tim Clark said a crisis over crashes of its 737 MAX had damaged the air travel industry as a whole, but he was confident the redesigned jet was safe.

"Boeing need to take a good hard look at themselves; I'm sure they have," Clark told Reuters. "But they have to (show) evidence to people like the airline community, the travelling public, that they have made the changes that are required of them in a transparent manner," he said, suggesting a shift of emphasis on financial matters.

"That (can) only be done at board level and executed ... at senior level," Clark said. "I believe they still have work to do in Boeing to get themselves sorted out ... There is a top-down culpability and accountability and they need to recognise that."

TOLEDO, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a move to bolster its growth strategy and strengthen the brand following a record-breaking year, Marco's Pizza announces the promotion of President & Chief Operating Officer Tony Libardi, to Co-CEO & President effective Dec. 28, 2020. In preparation for a long-term transition of leadership, Libardi joins forces with Jack Butorac who has been Chief Executive Officer since 2004. Together, their deeply rooted passion and understanding of leadership and innovation allows Marco's to seamlessly deliver results, profitability and growth for its franchisees and other stakeholders.

Libardi provides a strong resume of accomplishments since joining the brand from Burger King in 2014 boosting same store sales growth, doubling store count and driving profitability for franchisees. With 30-years' experience in restaurant operations, Libardi put Marco's in a position to accelerate growth by moving to a single point-of-sale system, instituting operational standards, launching Marco's first national advertising program, and strengthening its digital sales by introducing enhanced online ordering, a mobile app, and embracing third-party delivery services. This solid foundation matched with his focus on performance and enhanced communications with his leadership team and the field, enabled him to lead the Marco's Pizza team to achieve a record-setting year in 2020, despite the challenges brought on by the pandemic.

Libardi led the Marco's team to achieve historic record-breaking sales, pilot new innovations, sign 114 new store commitments, and open more than 70 new locations, including the brand's milestone 1,000th store  all while supporting communities nationwide via its 'You can Count on Marco's Pizza' commitment.

"To say Tony is deserving of this promotion would be an understatement," said Butorac, now Chairman & Co-CEO at Marco's. "Under Tony's leadership, Marco's evolved into a performance-driven culture that revolves around putting 'People First.' Marco's has doubled in size with a tremendous group of franchise partners. We are very proud of the dedication, commitment and the overall impact he's had on this brand. I'm confident Tony will be a driving force behind the continued success of Marco's as we head into a new era as a 1,000-plus unit national brand."

The brand's impressive expansion has earned multiple awards wins, including being ranked No. 2 in the Pizza Category on Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 and nabbing the No. 2 spot again on Entrepreneur's List of Top Franchises to Buy in 2020. Marco's has set aggressive expansion goals to nearly double new store commitments in 2021 as it seeks single and multi-unit operators throughout the United States and internationally.

"It has been an honor to be part of the tremendous growth of this brand," said Libardi. "The success we've seen is a collective effort of our incredible executive leadership team, our committed Support Center, and all our franchisees and team members at the store level who deliver on our brand promise each and every day. I am humbled to step into this new role and drive our brand's stellar reputation forward as we catapult Marco's into the national spotlight."

Libardi's hard work, dedication, and commitment to Marco's has not gone unnoticed. His efforts have been instrumental in setting the business foundation for the Marco's of the future, as he sets his eyes on the next 1,000 stores. By focusing on People, Business and Community Health, Marco's has been able to pivot and quickly change its policies, operations and marketing to align with its future path.

The pandemic accelerated several innovations and pilot programs including piloting ghost kitchens in several strategic markets, rapid expansion of third-party delivery, new contact-free delivery and curbside pickup options and testing of robotic kitchen innovations that improve efficiencies without compromising pizza quality or craftmanship. Marco's is committed to the future and beyond as the company continues to push forward with new openings and signed agreements during the COVID era.

As the only national pizza franchise founded by a native Italian, Marco's has carved out a niche in the industry for authentic Italian quality pizza. The brand is known for its fresh dough made in-store daily, three signature cheeses that are fresh, never-frozen, and its original sauce recipe from founder Pasquale Giammarco.

Opening a new store every three and a half days on average, the Top 50% of its franchised stores generated $918,047 AUV for 2019*. For more information on Marco's Pizza franchise opportunities, visit www.marcosfranchising.com or call 866-731-8209.

ABOUT MARCO'S PIZZA

Marco's Pizza is America's Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco's Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza companies in the United States. Marco's was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale ("Pat") Giammarco and thrives by making authentic Italian quality pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate over 1,000 stores in 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco's Pizza was ranked No. 2 in the Pizza category on Entrepreneur Magazine's 2020 "Franchise 500" ranking, and No. 6 in the Largest Pizza Chain category on Restaurant Business' 2020 "Top 500 Chains" ranking. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 4 in Forbes 2019 "Best Franchises to Buy" Small/Medium Investment and ranking five consecutive years on Nation's Restaurant News' prestigious "Top 200" ranking.

*Based on the Average Unit Volume of the top 50% of our Franchised Stores for fiscal year 2019. Based on fiscal year 2019, 127 of 291 Franchised Stores in the category (38%) met or exceeded this average. This information appears in Item 19 of our 2020 FDD  please refer to our FDD for complete information on financial performance. Results may differ. There is no assurance that any franchisee will perform as well.

SOURCE Marco's Pizza

Related Links

http://www.marcosfranchising.com


A man wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus wheels a suitcase across a pedestrian bridge in Beijing (Maek Schiefelbein/AP)

China is concentrating its pandemic prevention efforts in the rural areas as officials urge people to not travel home for the Lunar New Year festival while the country combats its most serious latest outbreak of Covid-19.

Authorities said on Wednesday local clinics and hospitals in villages need to strengthen their vigilance for any new Covid-19 cases, and local governments must take responsibility at every level, from county to town to village.

The government is bracing for the worlds largest annual migration in which hundreds of millions travel home for Lunar New Year break in February, many of them workers from cities going back to their home villages.

In the period leading up to Lunar New Year, we urge the public that those who do not need to travel, should not travel, and if one must travel, please observe all travel information and try to stagger travel to off-peak times, Wang Bin, an official with the National Health Commission, told a news conference.

And to do personal protective measures and avoid crowded places with lots of people.

Expand Close A woman carries a child wearing a face mask to protect against the spread of the coronavirus as they walk across an intersection in Beijing (Mark Schiefelbein/AP) / Facebook

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Meanwhile, millions of people are lining up in freezing temperatures to receive a second round of coronavirus tests in a city south of Beijing that is at the heart of the latest outbreak.

The health commission on Wednesday announced another 90 confirmed cases in Hebei province, whose capital Shijiazhuang has accounted for the vast majority of the recent surge.

Another 16 cases were reported in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang and one in the northern province of Shanxi.

China had largely contained domestic spread but frigid winter temperatures have brought new outbreaks, even as China pushes to vaccinate 50 million people by mid-February.

The Hebei outbreak is of particular concern because of the provinces close proximity to Beijing.

Expand Close Locals line up for vaccinations in Beijing (Ng Han Guan/AP) / Facebook

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Travel to and from three cities, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang, has been suspended and residents of some communities have been told to stay home for the next week.

All of Shijiazhuangs roughly 10 million people have been ordered to undergo a second round of testing as authorities seek to isolate the sources of infection, some of which have been tentatively linked to wedding gatherings.

Similar measures have been ordered around the country, particularly in Wuhan where 11 million people were placed under lockdown for 76 days last winter during the early days of the pandemic.

The increased numbers come as World Health Organisation experts prepare to fly on Thursday to Wuhan at the start of their investigation into the origins of the pandemic.

Chinese officials said they would cooperate closely with the WHO in the investigation following rare criticism of the WHO head that Beijing was dragging its feet in issuing the necessary permissions.

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China has strictly controlled all research into the origins of the coronavirus and have used state media to promote theories that the virus may have actually been brought to China from outside.

On December 15, China started a mass vaccination campaign for select groups.

Health workers have given over 10 million doses of one of the domestically produced Covid-19 vaccines, officials said.

Currently, China has only approved one vaccine for general use in populations aged 18-59  an inactivated virus shot from state-owned Sinopharm.

It has also approved three vaccines for emergency use, including two from Sinopharm and one from Sinovac, a private company.

Sinovacs chief executive announced at the same news conference that they have supplied more than seven million doses to provinces across the country.

Its vaccine has not yet been sent to regulators for final market approval.


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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Mr. Kim appears willing to negotiate with President-elect Joseph R. Bidens incoming administration, but unlikely to seek talks on scrapping his nuclear weapons program. It is more likely that he will propose the kind of nuclear arms control negotiations the United States had with the former Soviet Union.

In his lengthy policy review to the congress over the weekend, Mr. Kim called North Korea a responsible nuclear weapons state that would not use its arsenal unless it was first threatened with a nuclear weapon. Mr. Kim said he never precludes diplomacy but would use his growing nuclear force as powerful leverage that guarantees its success.

Mr. Kim said his goal in negotiating with Washington was a withdrawal of its hostile policy toward the North, including an end to sanctions and to joint military exercises with South Korea, as well as other alliance activities around the Korean Peninsula. But Seoul and Washington say their military exercises are compelled by the Norths growing nuclear and missile threat.

The North will continue its hard-line policy, will not denuclearize, will talk to the U.S. but on what Kim Jong-un perceives as an equal footing as a nuclear power, David Maxwell, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said in an email.

Its unclear whether and how fast North Korea can achieve the arms buildup goals set by Mr. Kim. But his raising of the stakes reflects the hard realities he faces as the countrys supreme leader.

For the decade he has been in power, Mr. Kim has had little besides his nuclear arsenal to use as leverage in negotiations with Washington and to show strength to his people.
As per analysts, a third stimulus check could happen as two Democrats in Georgia's Senate runoff elections won.

Third stimulus checks might happen after the Georgia elections

If it happens, the government will provide Americans again with the crucial financial support they need amid the ongoing pandemic.

Households receive $600 stimulus payments this month, directed by the recent stimulus bill. However, the amount was criticized by some Republicans and Democrats as too little for struggling families. This might change soon, though.

Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff defeated the incumbent Republican senators, David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, during the Georgia runoff elections, per CBS News.

The outcome will be a 50-50 between Senate Republicans and Democrats, giving Vice President Kamala Harris the power to break the vote. Therefore, the passage of another stimulus bill will be easier. President-elect Joe Biden previously expressed his support for the third round of stimulus checks, as per political and financial analysts.

Now, are lawmakers willing to push for $2,000 or $1,400 stimulus payments? Biden tweeted on January 10 that the second round of stimulus checks worth $600 for each eligible individual is "not enough when choosing between putting food on the table or paying rent." He added that Americans need $2,000 stimulus checks.

In a report after the Georgia elections, Ed Mills, an analyst with investment bank Raymond James, said, "We expect growing anticipation that Democrats will pursue additional stimulus, with a $2,000 check as a leading item."

Read also: Second Stimulus Checks: IRS Starts Sending Payment, Here's When You will Receive Yours

The stimulus payment would be higher than the second round

According to CNET, a $2,000 stimulus check would bring a higher total than the $ 600-second stimulus check, with everything being equal. However, there will be some changes significantly with the qualifications for those who might also get a bigger payment.

More people qualify as a dependent

The dependents will be based on the definition of the future stimulus package. A dependent with the first and second checks is any child aged 16 or younger. But Democrats' proposals expanded the definition to include anyone who can claim on your tax returns, like children above 16 years old and children under your care.

There is a chance that the eligibility for dependents will be changed since the total stimulus bill would be raised as Democrats will soon take control of Congress.

If a third stimulus bill is passed, that will bring $500 or $600 per person you support based on the first and second checks. But it is not clear if there would be a change in the number of dependents you could claim.

Read also: Will You Receive Your Stimulus Check Before or After the Deadline? Here's What You Should Know

Child dependents

The White House's October proposal offering to keep the same age restriction for children could double the payout up to $1,000. Therefore, your third stimulus check could be $500 per dependent, much more than the first check and $400 larger than the second round of stimulus payment.

You may also see $500, $600, or more than $1,000 if you have adopted a new child. It will depend on the stipulated amount in the next bill. The third stimulus check is more likely to use the figures from your 2020 taxes.

Change in employment status

You could have a lower adjusted gross income if you became unemployed in 2020 or your wage dropped. Gross income is used to determine the payment you should receive. For instance, a third stimulus check could give you a full payment if you are not employed or if you got a partial settlement with the first or second round of payment.

Got married

Various reasons could affect your third stimulus payment, including filing for spouse's status, and a change in marital status would give you a more extensive stimulus check. If you are single before, you got $1,200 at the first stimulus payment. However, being married would qualify you to receive up to $2,400 since the IRS uses a combined household income to determine the total stimulus money.

Therefore, if the third stimulus check came with $2,000 to each eligible individual, you could double it to $4,000. Filing jointly with your spouse with income below the threshold could qualify you for the stimulus check total.

According to Today, married couples who filed jointly and have an adjusted gross income of $150,000 or less would qualify for the full stimulus payment. On the other hand, a married couple who filed jointly with $174,000 or more earnings would not be eligible.

Read also: Stimulus Checks Mistakenly Sent to the Wrong Place. Why Are You Not Getting Yours?

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 11:16:20|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's final trip abroad to Europe was cancelled on Tuesday with multiple reports saying European officials declined to meet the outgoing U.S. top diplomat.

State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a Tuesday statement that Pompeo's trip was cancelled due to the transition with the incoming Joe Biden administration.

"We are expecting shortly a plan from the incoming administration identifying the career officials who will remain in positions of responsibility on an acting basis until the Senate confirmation process is complete for incoming officials. As a result, we are cancelling all planned travel this week, including the Secretary's trip to Europe," said the statement.

The State Department Monday announced Pompeo's visit to Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to media reports, Pompeo originally planned to visit Luxembourg and Belgium. Reuters said that officials in Luxembourg "showed reluctance to grant him appointments," and Pompeo's stop in Brussels would not involve any meeting with the European Union or any public events at NATO.

CNN later confirmed that officials in Luxembourg cancelled planned meetings with Pompeo, citing sources from the State Department.

Luxembourg Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean Asselborn last week fiercely condemned U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with local media after pro-Trump protestors stormed the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Biden's victory on Wednesday.

Leaders and senior officials worldwide have all expressed shock at the violent protests. Enditem
EDWARDSVILLE  If the city council approves, Edwardsvilles public works department will gain 1.3 miles of responsibility when it comes to ownership, maintenance and snow removal.

The citys public services committee unanimously voted in favor of an ordinance Tuesday that would transfer a section of Governors Parkway, between Routes 157 and 159 (Plum Street), to the city. This includes the section that passes in front of what will become TheCENTER, the citys planned ice rink, track and teen center.

The Madison County Highway Department has been working with other municipalities across the county to transfer county highways that fall within municipal boundaries, said Public Works Director Eric Williams. This is one of the ones weve been working for several years and through two prior county engineers, Mayor Hal Patton and the Kurt Prenzler, chairman of the Madison County Board.

Williams said this is but one phase of this transfer; another one involves Glen Carbon accepting Governors Parkway between 159 and Troy Road, on the north side of what will become Orchard Town Center.

Madison County has committed to make some pavement repairs at the bike trail crossings, where there are some bumps that need to be addressed. He added that work would be accomplished via a separate contract.

Alderman SJ Morrison noted that this included more than the roadway; it includes the right-of-way on both sides. Williams verified that, adding that for the most part, the right-of-way is 300 feet wide.

Currently, the city mows this portion of Governors Parkway, so we already provide some maintenance assistance to the county on this. This would put all pavement repairs in the future with the city.

Alderman Craig Louer asked what the advantages were to the city owning this stretch versus the county.

One benefit is we are looking at shared-use paths along the shoulder and this would give us complete control over that, Williams replied, said Williams. We do not have to go through the county for approval.

Access control along this segment of the road will not change, so no entrances or exits will be added. Morrison asked if there are other examples of county-owned or maintained roads within city limits. Williams said there are:

 Governors Parkway from Troy Road eastbound alternates between incorporated and unincorporated

 A portion of Staunton Road off of Route 143

 Sliver of New Poag Road

 Sliver of Pin Oak Road

However, Center Grove Road is probably the best historical example.

Originally, Center Grove Road was the countys road. They improved it, maintained it for a few years then turned it over to the city, Williams said, noting all that happened decades ago.

The ordinance will go to the administrative and community service (ACS) committee for approval Thursday, followed by the city council on Jan. 19 for a final vote.

In other action, the committee unanimously voted in favor of the following items:

 A resolution from the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for $1.2 million in Motor Fuel Tax (MFT) funds for street and alley maintenance in the city. Some of these funds will be used to reimburse the citys general fund for labor and equipment expenses related to these repairs

The next ACS meeting will be Jan. 26 at 5 p.m. at city hall, 118 Hillsboro Ave., or via virtual Zoom.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
Far from stirring up controversy, his paintings were coveted by the establishment. The second version of The Massacre of the Innocents was made for a grand official residence, the Prinsenhof. Another Prinsenhof commission resulted in The Marriage of Peleus and Thetis (1592-3), a mythological scene that covered an entire wall. These were the most prestigious assignments in the city, garnered by an artist not yet 30.

Even more intriguing than the support of the civil authorities is the early patronage of Jacob Rauwaert, a rich Amsterdam collector and dealer more than thirty years Corneliss senior, who had apprenticed with Maarten van Heemskerck, an originator of Knollenstil, before redirecting his energies from making art to buying and selling it. Rauwaert provided the financial underpinnings for the group of Italian-influenced artists that was later termed the Haarlem Academy. The eldest of the three artists at its core was Karel van Mander, a painter who came from Flanders in 1583, having previously spent three years in Rome. He made his mark in Haarlem as a critic and theorist. Goltzius, a draftsman of genius, won fame through his engravings. Cornelis was the ambitious and productive young painter with a gloriously theatrical bent.

Image Cornelis Cornelisz van Haarlems Two Male Nudes (circa 1590) at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Credit... The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.

In addition to The Fall of Lucifer, which, considering the execution time required, was probably commissioned, Rauwaert owned at least 15 paintings by Cornelis, including two other major canvases: Two Followers of Cadmus Devoured by a Dragon (1588) and Hercules and Achelous (1590). The Dragon  which occasioned a magnificent engraving based on its design by Goltzius, his first collaboration with Cornelis, dedicated to their patron  portrays the dreadful beast sinking its teeth into the face of one chap and its claws into the meaty, decapitated body of another. It doesnt look like hes being devoured, said Aaron Hyman, assistant professor of art history at Johns Hopkins University, when I remarked on the paintings sadistic relish. Its more like hes being tortured. In Rauwaerts third important Cornelis painting, Hercules and Achelous, the hero is seen grasping the horn of a river god that has taken the form of a bull.

These large paintings would have been displayed in the reception rooms of Rauwaerts grand Amsterdam house. What did visitors think about all these lovingly limned male limbs? Probably nothing at all. Like the art historians who followed them centuries later, they would have remarked only on the thematic content. When the American art historian Julie L. McGee published a pioneering biography of Cornelis in 1975, she saw in The Massacre of the Innocents simply the theme of religious persecution, timely for Protestant resistors (Cornelis himself was raised Catholic) to Spanish rule. Pieter Van Thiel, in the compendious Cornelis catalogue raisonne that was his life achievement, ignores any homoerotic content in the oeuvre and writes, risibly, that a tepid late painting provided evidence that he possessed more libido than he usually showed. A more recent article by Lisa Rosenthal, an associate professor of art history at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, analyzed The Marriage of Peleus and Thetis of 1592-3 as a commentary on civic virtue. In the four centuries since Corneliss death, only Hyman, in a 2016 essay, has addressed the randy elephant in the room.
Like tickets to Glastonbury, registration opened on the dot of 1000 UTC January 12 for this summer's Rolex Fastnet Race and speedily sold out.

Within an hour, an unprecedented 400 boats had entered the Royal Ocean Racing Club's flagship event, which this year will follow a route finishing for the first time in France.Bow to bow, this line-up represents almost 5km of yacht, confirming the Rolex Fastnet Race's position as by far the world's largest and most popular offshore yacht race."It seems that everyone is looking forward positively to a future of sailing without COVID-19 hanging over their heads as once again we have a 'sell-out' Rolex Fastnet Race," said RORC CEO Eddie Warden Owen."Also the message must have got through that we have more places available with our move of the finish to Cherbourg, because we had the usual early rush for places, but it seemed more orderly than in the past, with more than 400 boats registering in less than an hour."Add to this the non-IRC fleets like the IMOCA and Class40, plus the usual mixture of multihulls makes the tally around 500 boats whose crews want to experience the challenge of the Rolex Fastnet Race. It is very exciting for our sport."The first entry, which managed to sign up in a finger-flying sub-two second time after registration opened, was Eva Herman's J/122 Juliett Romeo from the Netherlands. The first British entry followed after 26 seconds in Katherine Cope's Sun Fast 3200 Purple Mist. The first French entry was 30 seconds into the process in Christian Maby's Sun Fast 3300 3 Spoutnik with, just a split second later, Conor Dillon's Dehler 34 Big Deal, the first entry from Ireland, and Tomasz Nagas' Fast Forward first from the USA.Within three minutes, more than 200 entries had signed on before the system became overloaded. Once it had sorted itself out, the tally was up to 370 within thirty minutes.The registration was for the Rolex Fastnet Race's IRC fleet, in which boats compete for the prestigious Fastnet Challenge Cup for the race's overall winner under corrected time. It does not include professional French classes such as the IMOCAs and Class40s, plus the multihull fleet which is once again expected to include several Ultime maxi trimarans. With at least 100 more boats expected from classes such as these, the total number of boats due to set sail from the Solent on Sunday, 8 August looks set to exceed 500.At the time of writing yachts were entered from 25 nations, the majority coming from the UK with large turn-outs also from France and the Netherlands, both with entry numbers substantially increased compared to 2019. Entries from further afield included four from Russia, two from Japan and Australia, from one both China and New Zealand."I'm delighted by the strong interest that we've had from teams around the world," said RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone. "With the race finishing in Cherbourg we were anticipating strong interest from French sailors and have received a record number of French IRC entries, which will be boosted by the non-IRC classes that are strong in France."French boats have won three of the last four Rolex Fastnet Races outright and the skippers from these will all return: Alexis Loisin (2013) aboard the JPK 10.30 Leon, Gery Trentesaux (2015) aboard Antoine Carpentier's Class40 Courrier Redman and Didier Gaudoux (2017) aboard his JND39 Lann Ael 2.The average size of entry at present stands at 12.48m, lengths spanning Australian Peter Harburg's 30.46m Black Jack (which won Rolex Sydney Hobart line honours in 2009 as Alfa Romeo II and was first monohull home in the 2013 Rolex Fastnet Race as Esimit Europa II), to the smallest - David O'Shea's Hustler SJ30 Freedom at 9m.As usual the fleet ranges from the ultra modern to classics. Among the former is George David's Rambler 88, monohull line honours winner in the last two races and current holder of the monohull record to the Fastnet Rock. Among the latter is one the top maxis of the 1960s - the 78ft yawl Stormvogel, originally owned by Kees Bruynzeel that won Fastnet line honours in 1961 and subsequently repeating this in most of the top ocean races across the planet. From a decade later is Eric Tabarly's Pen Duick VI, the maxi yacht which France's most famous sailor raced with a crew of 12 in the first Whitbread Round the World Race and who then, incredibly, sailed solo across the north Atlantic to victory in the 1976 Observer Singlehanded Transatlantic Race.Whilst the 2021 Rolex Fastnet Race is at record levels, RORC Racing Manager Chris Stone stresses that those keen to participate should still apply as there will always be an opportunity to enter the race as people's circumstances change.For more information, go to: https://www.rolexfastnetrace.com
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A person was killed in a fiery, wrong-way car crash on Interstate 195 in Massachusetts early Wednesday, authorities said.

The fatal collision was reported in the westbound lanes of I-195 in Somerset around 3:45 a.m., according to a statement from Massachusetts State Police.

A 2006 Volvo XC90 was heading east on the west side of the interstate when it hit a 2017 Nissan Sentra around mile marker 9.6, the statement said.

The Nissan was traveling in the correct direction when it was struck head-on and burst into flames, law enforcement noted.

The cars driver and sole occupant, a 21-year-old Portsmouth, Rhode Island man, was found dead in the vehicle, according to state police. His name was not immediately released Wednesday morning.

The alleged wrong-way driver, a 50-year-old Bristol, Rhode Island man, was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence with serious injuries. He was the only person in the Volvo, authorities said.

Traffic lanes in the area of the crash were closed for roughly 5 hours to make way for the rescue response and investigation, according to officials.

The facts and circumstances surrounding the crash, including why the driver of the Volvo was going the wrong way down the highway, are being investigated, state police said.
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Clumio announced that the companys secure backup as a service for the enterprise has achieved the ISO 27701:2019 Privacy Information Management System (PIMS) certification.

ISO 27701 is widely considered to be the first internationally recognized privacy certification standard that parallels the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) personal data collection, processing, and protection requirements. This latest privacy certification underscores the companys commitment to proactive compliance, with Clumio completing five major privacy/security compliance programs in its first 18 months. One of the companys prime competitive differentiators: Clumios cloud-native architecture has allowed the company to bake security capabilities into its Software as a Service (SaaS) platform.

While some companies are cobbling together compliance solutions, Clumio has made it a mission from day one to take a holistic and proactive approach to compliance, said Glenn Mulvaney, vice president of cloud operations and security, Clumio. We began our ISO compliance work before we even had a public product, and have worked to stay one step ahead of our audit requirements, compliance reports, and certifications. We started with the correct compliance controls long before we entered the public market, meaning we didnt have to undo poor practices when it came to our product, our employees, and our processes. We built our platform and our organization to conform to key industry privacy and security standards from the start.

Clumio was born in the public cloud, leveraging the most modern cloud capabilities  including more than 10 major AWS services  to ensure it meets and exceeds the backup, privacy, and security requirements of todays most demanding enterprises. Clumio recognizes that compliance and security are not interchangeable. As a result, information security best practices are built into the product architecture. Clumios authentic SaaS backup protects workloads such as VMware / VMware Cloud on AWS, Amazon Web Services (EC2/RDS/EBS), and Microsoft M365. As a SaaS platform, Clumio has built upon AWS physical and environmental compliance controls. Companies that use Clumio can be assured that their compliance requirements for data protection are satisfied.

Although there is no official GDPR checklist or certification, Clumios platform is built on ISO information security and privacy management system standards that also align with GDPR. This privacy-related certification confirms that Clumios product offerings contain processes and operations that have been validated through independent testing and support compliance with privacy laws and legislation, including GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 08:39:28|Editor: huaxia

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Security personnel and working staff gather at the broken main entrance of New Zealand Parliament at Beehive, Wellington, New Zealand, Jan. 13, 2021. The New Zealand police arrested a 31-year-old man after he launched an axe attack on the Parliament Wednesday morning. The motivation for the attack is not clear, and the man was charged with intentional damage and possession of an offensive weapon, local media reported. (Photo by Meng Tao/Xinhua)

WELLINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand police arrested a 31-year-old man after he launched an axe attack on the Parliament Wednesday morning.

The man is expected to appear at Wellington District Court later on Wednesday.

Police were alarmed early in the morning after the man was seen with the axe before the Parliament. He smashed five glass panels at the main entrance.

Workers were seen cleaning up the glass debris at the entrance, according to the local media.

The motivation for the attack is not clear, and the man was charged with intentional damage and possession of an offensive weapon, local media reported.

The man did not try to enter the Parliament, according to the police. Enditem
Cuba is convinced that U.S. President-elect Joe Biden does not believe the Caribbean island nation sponsors terrorism, a senior Cuban diplomat said Tuesday, a day after the outgoing U.S. administration returned Cuba to a terrorism list.

We are convinced that President Biden and his team know perfectly and recognize that Cuba is not and has not been a sponsor of terrorism, Carlos Fernandez de Cossio, director general of the United States department in Cuba's Foreign Ministry, told a small group of journalists.

And we trust that this truth will have a certain influence on the government team that enters next January 20, he said.

The Trump administration on Monday re-designated Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, hitting the country with new sanctions that could hamstring Bidens promise to renew relations with the communist-governed island.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the step, citing Cubas continued harboring of U.S. fugitives, its refusal to extradite a coterie of Colombian guerrilla commanders and its support for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.

The Cuban government believes Trump is seeking last-minute political gain with a move favored by Cuban exiles in Florida.

Removing Cuba from the terrorism list had been one of former President Barack Obamas main foreign policy achievements as he sought better relations with the island, an effort endorsed by Biden as his vice president. Ties had been essentially frozen after Fidel Castro took power in 1959.

Trump took a tough line on Havana and reinstituted many of the sanctions that the Obama administration had eased or lifted after the restoration of full diplomatic relations in 2015.

(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)
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.
CHARLESTON, S.C., Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the International African American Museum announced a $1.7 million product donation from Sony Corporation of America (SCA), on behalf of Sony Corporation and its U.S. affiliates. The Museum is scheduled to open in 2022 at the former Gadsden's Wharf in Charleston, SC. Historians estimate nearly half of all African captives brought to America arrived in Charleston, most of them at Gadsden's Wharf.

"One silver lining of the pandemic is that museums have been challenged to re-imagine the visitor experience," said Dr. Elijah Heyward III, Chief Operating Officer of the Museum. "Not only will we create more virtual options to learn and inspire, but we will also make use of the extraordinary new technology so generously contributed by Sony inside the Museum. When our doors open in 2022, visitors will experience the journey of African Americans in a way that has never been seen or felt before. Thanks to Sony, the International African American Museum will be a showcase for a new generation of visitor experiences."

The donation, which is being made through Sony's Global Social Justice Fund, will be used to outfit the Atlantic Worlds Gallery  a centerpiece of the Museum  and to support additional environments throughout the space. The Gallery, which is the largest in the Museum, is especially impactful as its windows look out onto the path that the slave ships took to arrive at the Wharf.

"Diversity is built into Sony's DNA," said Mark Khalil, President of Sony Corporation of America. "It is one of our company's values, and this donation translates that vision into action. We are thrilled with this partnership and look forward to working with the Museum on this incredible project."

"This donation is part of Sony's ongoing commitment to social justice and diversity," said Karen Kelso, Senior Director, Corporate Social Responsibility, SCA. "This new museum promises to educate millions of people as to the atrocities endured by Africans in this country."

The International African American Museum will feature a number of state-of-the-art Sony products, including North America's first public deployment of the new Crystal LED display series, in a 32-foot wide, 7-foot high configuration; 3LCD and SXRD laser projectors; 4K HDR professional BRAVIA displays; and wireless microphones.

"We are pleased to be working with the International African American Museum to bring their vision of education and inclusiveness to light," said Mike Fasulo, President and COO, Sony Electronics, Inc. "These innovative products are the pinnacle of acuity and resolution, helping to create fully immersive exhibits that bring important history to life for millions of museum visitors."

About the International African American Museum

The International African American Museum strives to foster empathy and understanding, empowering visitors with the knowledge of the past. The journey will challenge, illuminate, inspire and ultimately, will move people to action. The Museum's exhibitions will share untold stories using classic techniques as well as new approaches driven by innovation, technology and digital interactivity. Themes will include connections across the African diaspora, the spread of African American culture and influence, and the movements for justice and equality. The Center for Family History will enable visitors to trace their genealogy, while changing exhibitions and special events will keep the Museum energized. Educational programs will provide life-long learning opportunities for visitors both young and old.

The International African American Museum will open early 2022. For more information, visit our website at www.iaamuseum.org or connect with us on social media @iaamuseum on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Sony Corporation of America

Sony Corporation of America, located in New York, NY, is the U.S. headquarters of Sony Corporation, based in Tokyo, Japan. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC., Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Sony Music Entertainment and Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $76.67 billion USD for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020 and employs approximately 114,400.

SOURCE Sony Corporation of America
State Sen. Luis Sepulveda, a Democrat from the Bronx, turned himself into the New York City Police Department Tuesday morning after being charged with strangling his wife.

That was first reported by News 12 reporter Jessica Cunnington.

Sepulvedas lawyer, Marvin Ray Raskin, said in an emailed statement the true history of the relationship needs to be understood and that the facts that present themselves will clear his name.

"Mr. Sepulveda has been the victim of recurring physical violence by his estranged spouse for approximately nine years, a situation he has endured because of the young child they share together, Raskin said. This false accusation is a calculated attempt by a disgruntled party to leverage a divorce settlement from a case she filed in Florida this past November.

Still, state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins took swift action. We learned of this disturbing incident this morning, she said in an emailed statement. I am immediately removing Senator Sepulveda as chair of his committee and from all his committee assignments. I take these allegations extremely seriously and will be monitoring this situation closely.

Sepulveda has just been reappointed as chair of the Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee. He was first elected to the Senate in 2018 to represent part of the South Bronx and East Bronx. Hed previously served in the Assembly since 2013.

Sepulveda is also a candidate for Bronx borough president, and he has been planning to run in the June 2021 Democratic primary. An opponent in the race, Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez, called on him to resign from the Senate and drop out of the race for borough president. In an emailed statement, state Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt also called for Sepulvedas resignation if these allegations are true.

In 2010, Senators voted to expel former state Sen. Hiram Monserrate following his conviction on misdemeanor assault charges.

Details about the recent complaint filed against Sepulveda were not immediately available. In 2015, Sepulvedas estranged wife sought an order of protection against him after a heated argument. Sepulveda confirmed the facts, but his wife told the Daily News that he had never been abusive to her in any way.

Last year, Sepulvedas brother, who is serving a life sentence in prison on drug charge convictions, sent all of his fellow Senators a rambling 13-page letter accusing him of crimes ranging from drug smuggling to child molestation. Sepulveda completely denied any of the allegations and called the letter an extortion attempt. There have been no reports of any investigation arising from the letter.
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Created by Nadia Tabbara and directed by Mazen Fayad, Awake (2019, 16X45') is about a young woman, Dana (Flavia Bechara), who wakes up from a coma after twelve years, unable to speak or interact with others. With the help of her family, including sisters Lama (Stephanie Atallah) and Jinane (Ruba Zaarour), she slowly comes to grips with what happened to her, and how social media has taken over the world. She realizes that she has woken up to a new world and a new, vibrant Beirut where everyone she's loved is different, and family secrets and lies begin to reveal themselves.

"Awake is a great opportunity for MHz Choice to showcase the best of TV content emerging from Lebanon," says Lance Schwulst, MHz Networks' VP of Content Strategy. "It's excellent storytelling that's set in one of the world's greatest cities. It's a perfect mix for our audience."

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2021

MOVIE OF THE WEEK - JUST LIKE HOME | FILM & PICTURE | NEW EPISODE| FRANCE

A French and Turkish family's cohabitation agreement goes on longer than either family had anticipated.

AWAKE | VIDEOPLUGGER | NEW EPISODE| LEBANON

A young woman awakes after a twelve-year coma to a world she hardly recognizes.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2021

MOVIE OF THE WEEK - LOVE NATURALLY, PART 1 | FILM & PICTURE | NEW EPISODE| FRANCE

A Parisian businesswoman travels to rural France for a wedding and falls in love with Luc, a single father and farmer.

MAFIOSA: SEASON 4 | MEDIAWA |NEW SEASON| FRANCE

A gripping drama about the inner workings of a notorious mob clan after its patriarch dies and his young niece takes over as heir to the family business.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2021

MOVIE OF THE WEEK - LOVE NATURALLY, PART 2 | FILM & PICTURE | NEW EPISODE| FRANCE

City girl Lili and country boy Luc struggle to keep their marriage afloat.

TATORT BOROWKSI: SEASON 5 | STUDIO HAMBURG |NEW SEASON| GERMANY

Detective Klaus Borowski is a quixotic, social disaster who manages to offend everyone while solving crimes in the port city of Kiel.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021

MOVIE OF THE WEEK - GOODBYE AND SEE YOU SOON | FILM & PICTURE | NEW EPISODE| FRANCE

Sixty-something Henri meets fifty-something Lila, and sparks fly - until they both must reconcile their very different lives and backgrounds.

MURDER IN: SEASON 7 | MEDIAWAN/NEWEN DISTRIBUTION |NEW SEASON| FRANCE

A gorgeous collection of mysteries, each one set in a different, picturesque region of France. Enjoy French towns and areas you may never have seen before!

About MHz Networks

MHz Networks offers viewers access to a library of the best television mysteries, dramas, comedies and documentaries subtitled in English through its subscription streaming service, MHz Choice. Select MHz Networks content is also available on DVD and on its free ad-supported service MHz Now available on Samsung TV Plus.

New MHz Choice customers receive a free 7-Day Trial. For more information, go to mhzchoice.com

SOURCE MHz Networks

Related Links

http://www.mhznetworks.org


Penn State University will require COVID-19 testing for anyone who has to return to any of its campuses for the spring 2021 term, according to a statement released Tuesday.

The spring 2021 term will begin remotely, and students who live off-campus are being asked to postpone their return to the campus community unless it is necessary for work, academic-program-specific reasons or other important circumstances, the university said.

All students who have to return before February 15, or who have remained in the community of their campuses over winter break will be required to order and complete a free COVID-19 test before they arrive.

The university broke the plan for returning to campus down into five steps, which can be seen in full on the university website.

According to the list, students will receive self-test kits at no cost, so the university can have a test result on file for every student within 72 hours of their intended return to campus.

Students with a positive test on file for the university within the last 90 days do not need to complete the testing, the university said.

Students will have to figure out their intended arrival date and count backward to complete each step by the universitys timeline.

The steps include using the Know Your Status portal to record the test process so the university can also track the progress.

The university recommends requesting the at-home test at least 14 days before the planned return, which can be done through the universitys COVID-19 website. The test involves being on a Zoom call with the facility processing the test.

The university also suggests that during the time between the test being sent back and the arrival on campus, extra care should be taken to limit interactions with others.

Students will receive their test results within 72 hours, the university said. Anyone who tests positive should isolate at home and not return to campus. Contact tracers from Penn State will reach out with guidance.

Those who test negative should continue to limit interactions with anyone outside their household and take precautions when returning to campus, the university said.

Before returning to campus, the university is asking that students self-quarantine for at least 7 days before arrival, and comply with travel requirements.

Any students with questions can contact the universitys COVID-19 Response Center at 814-865-2121, with specific questions.

Read more on PennLive:

Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Iceland, Co-Op, Marks have written to Michael Gove

Depleted shelves have been seen in supermarkets in the early days of new year

Trade from Britain has been affected while firms adjust to the new requirements

The UK's supermarkets have told Government urgent intervention is needed to prevent more disruption to Northern Ireland's food supplies.

Chief executives of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Iceland, Co-Op and Marks & Spencer have written to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.

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Depleted shelves have been seen in several supermarkets in the early days of the new year as trade from Britain has been affected while firms adjust to new requirements on moving produce across the Irish Sea.

Export health certificates are required for animal-based food products moving from Britain into Northern Ireland as a result of the region remaining in the EU's single market for goods.

With Northern Ireland also applying EU customs rules at its ports, customs declarations are needed on products being shipped in from the rest of the UK.

The UK's supermarkets have told Government urgent intervention is needed to prevent more disruption to Northern Ireland 's food supplies. Pictured: Depleted shelves in a Sainsbury's store at the Forestside shopping centre in Belfast yesterday

Firms are having to adjust to new requirements on moving produce across the Irish Sea. Pictured: Fruit shelves in a Sainsbury's store in Bangor, Co Down

Northern Ireland is following some of the EU's rules to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. It is part of the protocol which the UK agreed with Europe. Pictured: Flower buckets were left empty

A Sainsbury's spokesman said, 'A small number of our products are temporarily unavailable for our customers in Northern Ireland while border arrangements are confirmed.' Pictured: Sainsbury's store in Bangor, Co Down

A Government spokesman said: 'A new dedicated team in Government has already been set up and will be working with supermarkets, the food industry and the Northern Ireland Executive to develop ways to streamline the movement of goods in accordance with the protocol.'

Northern Ireland is following some of the EU's rules to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. It is part of the protocol which the UK agreed with Europe.

The Government added: 'The grace period for supermarkets and their suppliers is working well, goods continue to flow effectively between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and we are working intensively with industry as new requirements come in.'

Hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries back to Northern Ireland after outbound deliveries, an industry spokesman has said.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said, 'A small number of our products are temporarily unavailable for our customers in Northern Ireland while border arrangements are confirmed.

'We were prepared for this and so our customers will find a wide range of alternative products in our stores in the meantime and we are working hard to get back to our full, usual range soon.'

This Sainsbury's store in Belfast, pictured yesterday, is among those facing supply chain issues

Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Tesco have all faced supply issues after the new customs paperwork came in following the transition period ending on January 1.

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Fresh fruit, vegetables and chilled meat are among the products most affected as many food suppliers face delays on getting goods into Northern Ireland.

Seamus Leheny, boss of industry body Logistics NI, told how hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries to Northern Ireland.

He said exports of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain are doing well, but less is coming back across the Irish Sea as suppliers face new customs demands.

Seamus Leheny, of Logistics NI, said hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries to Northern Ireland

There is a varied picture at shops in Northern Ireland, with empty shelves evident in some parts of some supermarkets in Belfast - while others appear well stocked.

The extra red tape is part of the Northern Ireland protocol, which was agreed by the UK and European Union two years ago to avoid a hard border with Ireland.

It means Northern Ireland continues to have EU internal market and customs rules to ensure trade over the land border with the Republic can continue without issues.

Glyn Roberts, chief of industry group Retail NI, sad that a 'huge amount of Brexit bureaucracy' had caused major supply chain problems.

He told the Financial Times: 'I think at the end of the day it will collapse into place but these next few months are going to be critical.

'Ultimately this is not the wonderful land of milk and honey promised by the people who campaigned for Brexit but we've got to make the best out of a bad situation.'

M&S has taken 5 per cent of its range off shelves in Northern Ireland temporarily and the retailer has said it is now looking at sourcing more products locally.

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Sainsbury is now stocking some Spar-branded food sourced locally for continuity of supply and said 'a small number' of products were temporarily unavailable.

Tesco admitted it has seen a 'short delay' on some products but is 'working with suppliers to get these back on the shelves as quickly as possible'.

Depleted shelves at the Marks and Spencer store in Donegall Place in Belfast, seen yesterday

Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, told the FT that 'all retailers' were under pressure to some extent after the new system came in.

Emily Waterworth, investment manager at Brewin Dolphin's office in Northern Ireland, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'My personal experience is very limited. There has been definitely in my local shop been a bit of a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables.

'The amount of red tape and bureaucracy that has come in, not surprisingly, but unfortunately not well enough trialled in advance for supermarkets to be able to have everything set up seamlessly come January 1 has inevitably led to some things falling by the wayside.

Click here to resize this module

'I think it's important though  the director of the retail consortium here did keep it in perspective. It's a few hundred items that haven't been available  a large supermarket having maybe 40,000 items.

'So yes there have been some, to me, inevitable problems - but hopefully it's not something that we should be worrying about overly in the near future here.'

Speaking about the problems with empty lorries, First Minister Arlene Foster described it as 'entirely unacceptable that these issues continue to persist'.

Aodhan Connolly, of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said 'all retailers' were under pressure after the new system came in

'They have to be dealt with urgently, my colleagues at Westminster will be raising some of those issues this week and I'll continue to have those conversations with Michael Gove.

'We're asking for solutions to what are real meaningful problems affecting our haulage industry, affecting our car dealers, affecting people receiving parcels or rather not receiving parcels. All of those issues have to be dealt with.'

Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs has urged other parties to back a recall motion for the Assembly to sit this week to discuss the matter, calling for urgent modifications to help businesses and consumers.

More than 100 haulage firms operate across the Irish Sea, ranging from large operators to smaller family run businesses.

Mr Leheny said one told him they had spent 24,000 bringing empty lorries from Great Britain due to less produce being transported to Northern Ireland.

'Exports are doing well. NI produce is hitting the shelves of supermarkets across GB,' he said.

This Marks and Spencer store in Belfast, pictured yesterday, has suffered from stock issues

'However that's creating a problem because hundreds of lorries are leaving NI every day for England, but because the suppliers in GB have these formalities to comply with to send their goods to Northern Ireland, a lot of them have either suspended or are delaying loads.

'So then they are having to ship loads back to Northern Ireland empty at their own expense, that's a terrible hit for any haulier, it's burning money, because there are driver wages, fuel and ferry costs.

'One haulier last week told me they spent 24,000 shipping empty trailers back to Northern Ireland, trailers that would normally be coming back laden. A hauliers business model is based on having a full load going out and full load coming back.'

Retailers are faced with more paperwork and checks following the end of the Brexit transition period.

'The work of a haulier is to have the right data in the right format at the right time, and a lot of the time, that isn't happening so it means loads can't leave GB and are delayed,' he said.

'The suppliers to Northern Ireland really need to get on top of this quickly. Some hauliers are managing better than others, a lot of that comes down to either their own preparation or the commodities and who the shippers are. Some commodities are more complicated to move than others.'

Empty freezer shelves at the Abbeycentre Tesco in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast, last Friday

Mr Leheny said work is ongoing to reduce the burden but said ultimately grace periods need to be extended and longer term solutions found.

He has called for action from the special joint committee of UK and EU officials which oversee the Northern Ireland Protocol.

'We need to see that committee take some pragmatic solutions, some could be short term, but it would alleviate pressures for industry and give us the breathing space to look at more long term solutions, but we need time to develop those,' he said.

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'What is unique about Northern Ireland is that our high street is comprised of the same retailers as across the rest of the UK and that is why the nature of our supply chain is very unique, entering the single market. We're the only part of the EU single market which is part o the UK high street and that has to be recognised.'
New Delhi: The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday (January 13) procurement of 83 Tejas aircraft at a cost of about Rs 48,000 crore from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The deal is considered to be the biggest ever in the indigenous military aviation sector.

In a series of tweets, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirming the development said, "The CCS chaired by PM Sh @narendramodi today approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about 48000 Crores to strengthen IAFs fleet of homegrown fighter jet LCA-Tejas. This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing."

"The LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50% in Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60%," said the Defence Minister.

In another tweet, Singh said, "The HAL has already set-up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions. Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF."

"The decision taken today will considerably expand the current LCA ecosystem and help in creating new job opportunities. HAL follows a system integrator model in LCA Mk1A program and acts as an umbrella organisation, fostering manufacturing & design capabilities in pvt industry," the Defence Minister said.

Rajnath Singh further added, "The LCA-Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem. I thank Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi for this historic decision taken by the CCS today."

The LCA-Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem. I thank the Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi for this historic decision taken by the CCS today.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 13, 2021

The approval is in addition to an earlier deal to purchase 40 of the combat aircraft. The indigenously-made jets are set to join the Indian Air Force fleet over the course of the next six to seven years.

Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A variant is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft.

This aircraft is equipped with critical operational capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force, IAF.

It is the first Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category procurement of combat aircrafts with an indigenous content of 50% which will progressively reach 60% by the end of the programme.
The Oregon Republican lawmaker who generated local and national headlines for letting armed right-wing protesters into the state Capitol last month issued a lengthy public statement Tuesday night in which he blamed House Speaker Tina Kotek for publicly describing his actions and said it triggered a wave of hate-filled and profanity laced attacks on his family.

Nearman, who is among the subjects under investigation by the Oregon State Police for the Capitol breach, did not explain why he let demonstrators into the building as he exited on the morning of the Dec. 21 special session while his colleagues were engaged in floor debate.

He also did not apologize. At least two men have been arrested in connection with the Capitol breach that morning, including one accused of dousing police with pepper spray.

Nearman made at least two incorrect claims. He said, without citing any evidence, that Kotek possessed Capitol surveillance video showing Nearman exiting the building for 16 days by the time she told reporters in a Jan. 7 press briefing that Nearman let demonstrators into the building. The Oregonian/OregonLive obtained a copy of the videos through a public records request to lawyers who work for the entire Legislature.

On Tuesday night, Koteks spokesperson Danny Moran said Kotek never possessed the video but rather it was confirmed to her by OSP that he was in the video. Moran did not know when Kotek learned of the video from Oregon State Police.

Nearman also described a 2015 event at the Capitol that does not appear to have occurred. I was able to handle the hundreds of public union protestors who waged a physical attack on the House chamber in 2015, as the House held a floor session, Nearman wrote.

Reporters who were covering the Capitol do not recall such an event. Instead, there were chants and calls to action in the galleries above the House and Senate floors by protesters on racial justice and economic issues in 2016 that prompted Senate President Peter Courtney to say the Capitol needed to improve security. Those same protesters, who were specifically calling for renter protections and a $15/hour minimum wage, pounded on the walls of the House chamber, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported at the time.

The Oregonian/OregonLive emailed questions about the discrepancies to Nearmans chief of staff, Becky Mitts, but did not immediately receive a response Tuesday night.

Here is Nearmans full statement:

On January 7, Senate President Peter Courtney and House Speaker Tina Kotek put out a statement on Capitol operations for the upcoming session. One of the priorities listed in the statement was Safety  for the public, building employees, legislators and their staff. During their press conference, Speaker Kotek told the press that I did open a door to allow demonstrators into the building. For the last few days, I and my family have been subjected to criticism, attacks at my home and threats via email, social media and phone. Many of these messages have been hate-filled and profanity laced.

After several terms in the legislature, Ive grown thick skin -- and while nobody likes to be called names and described in profane language -- I can handle it as part of the job that I do, just as I was able to handle the hundreds of public union protestors who waged a physical attack on the House chamber in 2015, as the House held a floor session.

As the Speaker pretends to know my motivations, I will guess at some of hers. The fact that she was in possession of a video for sixteen days, and only chose to reveal the video and implicate me on the day after an ugly mob descended on the Capitol in Washington, DC, tells me that her motivations are about politics and not about safety. The timing of the release is not lost on my wife, who has also had to endure a share of attacks.

I hope for due process, and not the mob justice to which Speaker Kotek is subjecting me. I also hope for a similar outcome enjoyed by her staffer, who was arrested in September for a class-A misdemeanor for interfering with a peace officer, never charged and kept her job. The District Attorney, Mike Schmidt, who never charged the Speakers staffer for her participation in the Portland riots, was endorsed by Speaker Kotek. So much for a commitment to public safety.

I dont condone violence nor participate in it. I do think that when Article IV, Section 14 of the Oregon Constitution says that the legislative proceedings shall be open, it means open, and as anyone who has spent the last nine months staring at a screen doing virtual meetings will tell you, its not the same thing as being open.

Where is the media and why arent they asking the tough questions of the Speaker? For instance, When did you acquire the video?, Why did you wait 16 days until January 7 to release the video?, Did it occur to you that releasing that video on the day after the unrest in Washington, DC, that there might be a safety impact to Rep. Nearman?, How do you know what Rep. Nearmans intent was?, Is it hypocritical of you to employ a person who is accused of directly interfering with a police officer, while calling out Rep. Nearman for walking out a door?, and When you publicly implicate Rep. Nearman, do you think that impacts his due process and ability to get a fair outcome? Questions like these would expose the political nature of what is really going on.

I implore the Capitol leadership to open the building to the public as required by the Oregon Constitution.

-- Hillary Borrud; hborrud@oregonian.com; @hborrud
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Polycarp Zongo, a pastor at COCIN Wild Life Park Jos, Plateau State, was supposed to join Christians across the globe to celebrate Christmas and the new year, thanking God for witnessing the end of 2020, but that did not happen.

Mr Zongo celebrated these two festivals in captivity.

He, alongside two women, were abducted by the Boko Haram terrorists on October 19, 2020.

In a viral video released by the sect two weeks after the kidnap, the pastor explained how he and the two unnamed women were kidnapped while travelling from Jos to Gombe State.

According to him, he was heading to a church conference when their vehicle was stopped by the terrorists.

On Monday, 19 October 2020, I was traveling to Gombe for a church conference when we encountered the caliphates armed men who captured me along the way; and right now Im with them, Pastor Zongo said in Hausa, seeking the help of Governor Simon Lalong, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and others.

He stated that the two women are with him as well.

They too, captured two Christian women who are also here with me. Im appealing that you all do all that is possible to secure our release from captivity.

Nearly three months after the incident, Mr Zongo is yet to regain freedom nor has anything been heard of his whereabouts.

Trauma

When contacted on Sunday, his wife, Kaneng, who sounded devastated refused to speak to our correspondent, citing ill health.

Im not feeling well for now. Ive been down. I can not speak on this for now, she said via telephone.

PREMIUM TIMES recalls that the COCIN president, Dachollom Datiri, in one of the churchs meetings, said the church would not be able to afford the ransom being demanded by the terrorists, describing it as huge.

Very sadly, Rev Polycarp Zongo is right now into his fifth week in the hands of Khalifa troops. This has caused us so much trauma and distress and it is hard to imagine what is happening to him or what is going on in his mind, Mr Datiri said but did not disclose the amount demanded.

He said that the federal government and the Nigerian Army have failed to address the precarious security challenges orchestrated by bandits and Boko Haram in the North-east.

Entreaties

Meanwhile, the Director-General, Centre for Justice on Religion and Ethnicity in Nigeria, Kallamu Dikwa, has demanded the release of Mr Zongo.

He said he became aware of the incident on October 24 when a member of a Non-Governmental Organisation drew his attention to it.

Abubakar Mohammed Sani, a board member of Kalthum Foundation, called me on my mobile phone informing me of a video clip on Rev. Zongo who was abducted by a terrorist group, Mr Dikwa told The Guardian newspapers.

Other groups such as Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the Christian Lawyers Fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON) have also demanded his release, charging the government to intensify efforts in tackling insecurity in Nigeria.

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Meanwhile, on Sunday, during the Armed Forces Remembrance Day church service at COCIN Headquarters in Jos, the state Governor, Simon Lalong, said the government is working to ensure Mr Zongos freedom.

On the issue of our brother Rev. Polycarp Zongo who has been in captivity for months now, I want us to keep hope alive and never give up. The State and Federal Government is working with the Church to ensure that he regains his freedom. We cannot disclose everything here, but I urge you not to cease praying for him and all others who are in captivity, he said.

The spokesperson of the police in Gombe State, Mary Malum, could not provide any update on the efforts to secure the clergymans release when PREMIUM TIMES reached out on Sunday.

But, Mrs Malum promised to update this newspaper when she is furnished with details.

Terrorism, banditry and kidnapping for ransom have become Nigerias major security challenges in recent years with thousands of lives lost to several violent attacks.
With ever-worsening climate change, there is a growing need for technologies that can capture and use up the atmospheric CO 2 (carbon dioxide) and reduce our carbon footprint. Within the realm of renewable energy, CO 2 -based e-fuels have emerged as a promising technology that attempts to convert atmospheric CO 2 into clean fuels. The process involves production of synthetic gas or syngas (a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide (CO)). With the help of the reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction, CO 2 is broken down into the CO necessary for syngas. While promising in its conversion efficiency, the RWGS reaction requires incredibly high temperatures (>700C) to proceed, while also generating unwanted byproducts.

To tackle these problems, scientists developed a modified chemical-looping version of the RWGS reaction that converts CO 2 to CO in a two-step method. First, a metal oxide, used as an oxygen storage material, is reduced by hydrogen. Subsequently, it is re-oxidized by CO 2 , yielding CO. This method is free of undesirable byproducts, makes gas separation simpler, and can be made feasible at lower temperatures depending on the oxide chosen. Consequently, scientists have been looking for oxide materials that exhibit high oxidation-reduction rates without requiring high temperatures.

In a recent study published in Chemical Science, scientists from Waseda University and ENEOS Corporation in Japan have revealed that a novel indium oxide modified with copper (Cu--In 2 O 3 ) exhibits a record-breaking CO 2 conversion rate of 10 mmolh-1g-1 at relatively modest temperatures (400-500C), making it a frontrunner among oxygen storage materials required for low-temperature CO 2 conversion. To better understand this behavior, the team investigated the structural properties of Cu-In oxide along with the kinetics involved in the chemical-looping RWGS reaction.

The scientists carried out X-ray-based analyses and found that the sample initially contained a parent material, Cu2In 2 O 5 , which was first reduced by hydrogen to form a Cu-In alloy and indium oxide (In 2 O 3 ) and then oxidized by CO 2 to yield Cu--In 2 O 3 and CO. X-ray data further revealed that it underwent oxidation and reduction during the reaction, providing the key clue to scientists. "The X-ray measurements made it clear that the chemically looped RWGS reaction is based on the reduction and oxidation of Indium which leads to the formation and oxidation of the Cu-In alloy," explains Professor Yasushi Sekine of Waseda University, who led the study.

The kinetics investigations provided further insights into the reaction. The reduction step revealed that Cu was responsible for the reduction of indium oxide at low temperatures, while the oxidation step showed that the Cu-In alloy surface preserved a highly reduced state while its bulk got oxidized. This allowed the oxidation to happen twice as quickly as that of other oxides. The team attributed this peculiar oxidation behavior to a rapid migration of negatively charged oxygen ions from the Cu-In alloy surface to its bulk, which assisted in the preferential bulk oxidation.

The results have, quite expectedly, excited scientists about the future prospects of copper-indium oxides. "Given the current situation with carbon emission and global warming, a high-performance carbon dioxide conversion process is greatly desired. Although the chemically looped RWGS reaction works well with many oxide materials, our novel Cu-In-oxide here shows a remarkably higher performance than any of them. We hope that this will contribute significantly to reducing our carbon footprint and driving humankind towards a more sustainable future", concludes Sekine.

###

Reference

Authors: Jun-Ichiro Makiura (1), Takuma Higo (1), Yutaro Kurosawa (1), Kota Murakami (1), Shuhei Ogo (1), Hideaki Tsuneki (1), Yasushi Hashimoto (1), Yasushi Sato (2), and Yasushi Sekine (1)

Title of original paper: Fast oxygen ion migration in Cu--In--oxide bulk and its utilization for effective CO 2 conversion at lower temperature

Journal: Chemical Science

DOI: 10.1039/d0sc05340f

Affiliations:

(1) Department of Applied Chemistry, Waseda University

(2) ENEOS

About Waseda University
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Evolent Health, Inc. (NYSE: EVH) (the "Company" or "Evolent"), a health care company that delivers proven clinical and administrative solutions to payers and providers, today announced that it has entered a definitive agreement with Bright Health Management, Inc. ("Bright HealthCare"), a nationally recognized health plan owned by Bright Health, to acquire True Health New Mexico, Inc. ("TRUE"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Evolent Health. The existing services contract between True Health New Mexico and Evolent will be maintained and as such, Evolent will continue to provide health plan administrative and clinical program support to True Health New Mexico.

"We are proud of what we have built together with the team at True Health New Mexico," said Evolent Health Chief Executive Officer Seth Blackley. "We are excited for the path forward for True Health New Mexico as it comes together with Bright HealthCare, a leading national high-growth integrated health plan. For Evolent, this transaction demonstrates our continued execution against our previously stated capital allocation framework and affirms our focus on creating shareholder value through strong organic revenue growth and robust margin expansion in our core services business."

"We are exceptionally grateful to our partners at Evolent for their founding of and ongoing support of True Health New Mexico," said Dr. Mark Epstein, President and CEO of True Health New Mexico. "We at TRUE are also impassioned to build upon our exceptional story of growth and improving affordability and the quality of care for the people of New Mexico as we transition to working with our new partners at Bright HealthCare."

Once complete, current employees and leadership of True Health New Mexico will join the Bright HealthCare team and continue to lead local market operations, ensuring continuity for members, providers and distribution partners. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close during the first half of 2021.

Forward Looking Statements: Cautionary Language

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended (the "PSLRA"), including, but not limited to statements that Evolent will continue to provide health plan administrative and clinical program support to True Health New Mexico, that our current employees and leadership of True Health New Mexico are expected to join the Bright HealthCare team and will continue to lead local market operations, ensuring continuity for members, providers and distribution partners, and regarding the expected timing of closing. The Company claims the protection afforded by the safe harbor for forward-looking statements provided by the PSLRA. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contained in these forward-looking statements. The factors that could cause future events or results to vary from the forward-looking statements contained herein include, without limitation, (a) the possibility that the closing may be delayed or may not occur and (b) receipt of required governmental approvals and the satisfaction of other conditions to closing. In addition, please refer to the periodic reports that the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K and the risk factors noted therein. Such periodic filings by the Company identify and address other important factors that could cause future events or results to vary from the forward-looking statements set forth in this Current Report on Form 8-K. In addition, the Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date hereof.

About Evolent Health

Evolent Health (NYSE: EVH) delivers proven clinical and administrative solutions that improve whole-person health while making health care simpler and more affordable. Our solutions encompass total cost of care management, specialty care management, and administrative simplification. Evolent serves a national base of leading payers and providers, is the first company to receive the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Population Health Program Accreditation, and is consistently recognized as a top place to work in health care nationally. Learn more about how Evolent is changing the way health care is delivered by visiting evolenthealth.com.

Media Contacts:

Chelsea Griffin

Investor Relations

919.817.8045

[email protected]

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Media Relations

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SOURCE Evolent Health

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David Lester Ross, of Pittsfield, is shown during his video arraignment from DC Superior Court last week after his arrest near the Capitol. His shirt bears the symbol III%, which represents the anti-government militia group known as Three Percenters.

Fully half of the COVID-19 cases diagnosed in active-duty military personnel through the end of fiscal 2020 were among those working in the repair, engineering, communications and intelligence fields, a new report shows.

Results were nearly identical among the Reserve component and National Guard, with the same occupations combining to make up 46% of cases, according to the Defense Department's December edition of the Medical Surveillance Monthly Report

According to the report, of the 29,970 COVID-19 cases recorded among active-duty personnel through Sept. 30, 2020, 28% were among those in the repair or engineering fields, while 22% occurred in the intelligence or communications specialties.

Read Next: More Democrats Say They Will Vote 'No' on Austin Pick for SecDef

About 20% of cases had no determination of military occupational specialties, while nearly 14% were "combat-specific." More than 9% of all cases were health care personnel.

For the Reserves and National Guard, which had 2,498 cases in that timeframe, the repair and engineering military occupational specialties accounted for 23.3% of cases, while communications and intel made up 22.9%. The occupations of roughly 30% were unknown, while 8.1% of cases were in health care and 7.3% were in combat-specific specialties.

A researcher with the Army Public Health Center said they could not explain why those job fields made up the bulk of the cases, and declined to speculate.

Jobs such as repair, maintenance and engineering require on-site work without much opportunity for telework, while military intelligence and some communications jobs must be done in offices, often in secure environments.

Ralph Stidham, an epidemiologist with the U.S. Army Public Health Command Central Region, added, however, that the data shows that everyone in the military health system needs to "do our part to decrease the spread of transmission of COVID."

"We need to do our part -- obviously, the CDC recommendations for physical distancing, wearing face coverings, quarantining when necessary and exercising proper hand hygiene so we can keep hospital beds open" for those beneficiaries with severe cases or other conditions, Stidham said.

The researchers analyzed the medical records of 53,048 patients in the military health system with confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19. Of those, more than half, or 56%, were on active duty, 19% were dependent family members, 12.8% were recruits, 5.8% were retirees and 4.7% were Reserve or Guard members.

Among the active-duty troops, the most commonly diagnosed were young, non-Hispanic White males, which "follows the expected distribution" of the services, according to the report. The bulk of the active-duty cases were in the Army -- the largest service, making up more than one-third of all active-duty personnel. Next was the Navy, followed by the Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

Cases among military dependents occurred most commonly in female spouses. Among retirees, older males had the bulk of cases.

In terms of geographic region, cases were highest among each population in the South, which had 62% of all active-duty, 64% of all recruit, 64% of all National Guard, 68% of all dependent and 73% of all retiree cases.

Early in the pandemic, some Southern states were slow to embrace mask mandates and eschewed lockdowns, facilitating the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. States like Florida and Georgia -- homes to numerous military installations and retiree populations -- still don't require mask-wearing in public spaces, although some local jurisdictions have instituted them.

According to the report, more than one-third of the military beneficiary COVID-19 cases were diagnosed with one or more health conditions that put them at higher risk for more severe symptoms. The top concurrent condition in service members was being overweight, followed by cardiovascular disease; for dependents and retirees, they were cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders.

Of the 1,803 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in the military health system, 34% were retirees, according to the report. But given that more than 3,000 retirees contracted COVID and less than 650 were hospitalized, Stidham said the researchers thought the number was surprisingly low.

Stidham said the "healthy soldier effect," which denotes the idea that military populations are likely to be healthier and more fit than the general population, may have played a role in the relatively low number of hospitalizations and deaths for all populations during the study period.

"We were expecting the largest number of hospitalized patients to be among our retirees, but in our analysis, it was about 20.2% [of retiree cases]," he said. "Maybe the healthy soldier effect for the seniors -- maybe they've always been in relatively good shape."

After Sept. 30, COVID cases in the U.S. military have risen significantly, as have deaths. As of Jan. 11, more than 189,000 persons affiliated with the Defense Department have been diagnosed with COVID-19, including 120,106 military personnel and 19,772 family members.

More than 206 have died, including 15 service members, nine dependents, 137 civilian employees and 45 defense contractors.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Illinois VA Head Quits in Wake of Outbreak at Homes
Relocation will cost at least 25k, but is not clear where statue will be moved to

Councillors in Exeter, Devon, have since voted in favour of the report's findings

n equality impact assessment was also undertaken as part of the council review

Councillors have voted to move the statue of a British war hero after officials said it 'impacts anybody who does not define themselves in binary gender terms'.

A council review into the continued appropriateness of the Grade 11 listed bronze statue, which depicts General Sir Redvers Buller, in Exeter, Devon, recommended it was relocated due to the army general's connection to the British Empire.

The statue triggered public debate following the Black Lives Matter protests partly due to references to colonial campaigns on its plinth, which bears the words 'he saved Natal', that 'sought to advance British imperialist interests in other countries'.

An equality impact assessment undertaken for the review also found the statue would impact anybody who 'does not define themselves in binary gender terms'.

Councillors in Exeter voted in favour of the report's findings. It has been estimated that relocation from outside Exeter College will cost a minimum of 25,000.

A council review into the continued appropriateness of the Grade 11 listed bronze statue (pictured left), which depicts General Sir Redvers Buller (right), in Exeter, Devon, recommended it was relocated due to the army general's connection to the British Empire

The 1905 Buller statue depicts General Buller astride his favourite horse, Biffen, with the words 'he saved Natal' on its plinth as a reference to his actions in South Africa.

The review previously stated: 'The General Buller statue represents the patriarchal structures of empire and colonialism which impact negatively on women and anyone who does not define themselves in binary gender terms.

'The consultation will need to ensure that the views of women, transgender and non-binary people are captured and given due weight.'

The University of Exeter's Dr Todd Gray described General Buller as 'a very straightforward wealthy elite empire man'.

The University of Exeter's Dr Todd Gray said the army general (pictured above) distinguished himself during the Boer War in the 1880s, before his competence as a leader was criticised

It comes after statues and their role in public life were thrown into the spotlight amid the global Black Lives Matter movement (pictured above: protests in London in June 2020)

Who was General Sir Redvers Buller? General Redvers Buller, born in 1839 near Crediton, in Devon, purchased a commission in the British Army in 1858. He has been criticised for his ruthless defeat of the Zulu people while serving as commander of the mounted infantry of the northern British column in 1879 during the Second Zulu War. But he won the Victoria Cross by rescuing two fellow officers during a pitched battle in what is now modern day South Africa. He was later appointed head of the British forces sent to South Africa during the Second Boer War, presiding over Black Week in which it was defeated three times by the Boers with nearly 3,000 men killed, wounded and captured. Upon his return from South Africa, the British Army requested he resign, in part as a scapegoat for the failures of the military command. Despite this General Buller was awarded the freedom of Exeter and presented with a jewelled sword by the County of Devon. A bronze statue depicting him astride his favourite horse was erected St David's Church in Exeter, Devon, in 1905. Unusually the statue, paid for by public subscription, was unveiled while he was still alive. The local newspaper said he was rumoured to have been involved in the introduction of concentration camps in the Boer War but historians have disputed the accuracy of these claims. Advertisement

He said the army general distinguished himself during the Boer War in the 1880s, before his competence as a leader was criticised.

Dr Gray said: 'It's part of that public humiliation, of him being thrown out of the army, that produces this statue which is one of the most iconic in the South West.

'It is a tremendous statue.'

He added that the 'triumphant' nature and prominence of the statue outside Exeter College 'annoys some people'.

The review said: 'The current location is inappropriate because it is outside an educational establishment which includes young people from diverse backgrounds.'

An Exeter City Council spokesman said: 'The Buller statue has become a cause of some public debate not only because of the man it portrays, but also because of the names carved on the plinth of colonial campaigns which sought to advance British imperialist interests in other countries.

'The statue and plinth are Grade II listed, and as such any relocation or changes made to it require formal listed building consent.'

It is not clear where the statue will be moved, although his descendant Henry Parker said the council was welcome to move the statue to the grounds of Downes House, the family's country estate near Crediton.

General Redvers Buller, born in 1839 near Crediton, Devon, purchased a commission in the British Army in 1858.

He has been criticised for his ruthless defeat of the Zulu people while serving as commander of the mounted infantry of the northern British column in 1879 during the Second Zulu War.

He won the Victoria Cross by rescuing two fellow officers during a pitched battle in what is now modern day South Africa.

He was later appointed head of the British forces sent to South Africa during the Second Boer War, presiding over Black Week in which it was defeated three times by the Boers with nearly 3,000 men killed, wounded and captured.

Upon his return from South Africa, the British Army requested he resign, in part as a scapegoat for the failures of the military command.

Despite this General Buller was awarded the freedom of Exeter and presented with a jewelled sword by the County of Devon.
EBRD and UNWTO to boost recovery of the tourism sector in Egypt

Institutions to work with Egypts international cooperation and tourism ministries

Actions include review of safety and hygiene protocols, tourism revival advice and training

The Covid-19 pandemic has placed acute strain on global tourism. To boost the recovery of the sector, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), joined forces in June to support countries that are among the most dependent on tourism for jobs and economic growth.

Their global technical assistance package builds on measures already taken by the EBRD under its crisis Solidarity Package to support existing clients in their handling of the losses caused by Covid-19 lockdowns. The aim now is to expand on that client-level support package with country-level technical assistance to facilitate the fast and sustainable recovery of tourism. On 12 January 2021, Egypt signed a national package geared to its own needs.

Egypts Ministries of International Cooperation, and Tourism and Antiquities have engaged with UNWTO and the EBRD to ensure their national priorities are addressed. Assistance in Egypt will include training in impact analysis, measurement and monitoring of Covid-19 impacts in the tourism sector; the development of tourism recovery incentive programmes; reviews of the effectiveness of operational protocols on safety, hygiene and security activity; work on building the resilience of tourism enterprises as they adapt to the Covid-19 reality, including the required safety and hygiene protocols, by developing tailor-made training programmes; as well as institutional strengthening to better coordinate the recovery and further growth of Egypts tourism.

Over the past three years, Egypt has turned around the sharp drop in tourist arrivals that followed the Arab uprising of 2011. After numbers fell from 14 million visitors in 2010 to a low of 5.3 million in 2016, the trend reversed. Numbers have since climbed to 8.3 million visitors in 2017, nearly 11.3 million in 2018 and 13.1 million in 2019. However the impact of the Covid-19 crisis has reversed this trend and is stalling the tourism sector in the country.

The Technical Cooperation Package, 90 per cent funded by the EBRD and 10 per cent by the UNWTO, will be delivered by August 2021.

Similar support is currently ongoing or envisaged for a number of other countries with economies that are highly dependent on tourism, including Jordan, Morocco, Greece, Croatia, Tunisia, Turkey, Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon, Montenegro and Uzbekistan.

The joint EBRD-UNWTO response was designed in line with the three pillars of UNWTOs Tourism Recovery Technical Assistance Package: economic recovery, institutional strengthening and building resilience, as well as marketing and promotion.

The UNWTO and the EBRD are longstanding partners, having signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in 2015, which they renewed in 2019.

The EBRD is committing all of its activity in 2020-21 to helping its regions counter the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with investment expected to reach up to 21 billion.
WASHINGTON  One week ago, Representative Madeleine Dean, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was among the lawmakers who hid on the floor of the House gallery, donning an emergency hood as tear gas was fired in the Rotunda and protesters threatened to break into the chamber.

Ms. Dean, nearly two weeks into her second term, is now one of the impeachment managers Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California has designated to present the case for removing President Trump from office on the grounds that he committed high crimes and misdemeanors.

The president and many in this chamber have shamelessly peddled dangerous untruths about this election  despite the warnings of where these lies would lead, Ms. Dean said on the House floor before voting to impeach Mr. Trump. Last Wednesday, those lies and dangers found themselves inside this Capitol. This hateful rhetoric is another virus  it is time to remove its host.

In the Democratic caucus, she was an early advocate of pursuing an impeachment inquiry against the president just over a year ago, and showed little hesitation in endorsing a second impeachment.
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Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly has been slapped down for advocating alternative cures for COVID-19 in a warning from the nation's top medical officer that there is no evidence to show the treatments work.

After days of growing debate over the backbencher's claims, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the latest medical studies had not found drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were useful in preventing or treating COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has rejected claims by Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly that drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were useful in preventing or treating COVID-19. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Professor Kelly was reluctant to criticise the backbencher by name, other than to say they were not related, but he rejected Mr Kelly's key claims for coronavirus cures as well as his complaints about rules that require people to wear masks.

The Liberal backbencher, who represents the seat of Hughes in south-western Sydney, has repeatedly challenged government policy in dozens of Facebook posts supporting alternative treatments for the coronavirus.
Pyongyang, Jan 13 : The 8th congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of North Korea concluded here on Tuesday, the country's official media outlet reported on Wednesday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the re-elected general secretary of the WPK, concluded the congress with a speech, the official Korean Central News Agency (KNCA) reported.

In his speech, Kim clarified the main idea and spirit of the congress and stressed the need for the whole party to deeply cherish and uphold the ideas of "believing in people as in Heaven", "single-minded unity" and "self-reliance", Xinhua news agency reported citing the KCNA.

Kim said the party's eighth congress "brought up the immediate plan of struggle for opening up a period of fresh upsurge, a period of great changes in the revolution and construction" and important issues arising from the party's development, said the report.

The congress unanimously adopted the resolution to thoroughly carry out the tasks set forth in the report on the work of the 7th Central Committee of the WPK, it said.

The eight-day congress put forth a new five-year economic development plan and its new policy on military affairs and foreign relations, according to the report.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text

Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Anyone caught not wearing a mask at airports in Western Australia will now cop a fine of up to $50,000 as part of drastic measures to stop a mutant strain of Covid from reaching the state.

Last week state and territory leaders agreed to enforce mandatory masks on all flights across Australia.

WA Premier Mark McGowan further tightened measures for his state, announcing masks must be worn not only on planes, but inside every airport across WA.

Anyone caught not wearing a mask at airports in Western Australia will now cop a $50,000 fine

The new measures were introduced to stop the spread of a mutant strain of Covid which plunged the UK into a third lockdown

WA Premier Mark McGowan further tightened measures for the state, announcing masks must be worn not only on planes, but inside every airport across WA

The new measures were introduced to stop the spread of a mutant strain of Covid which plunged the UK into a third lockdown.

A cleaner at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane tested positive to the highly-contagious strain of the virus last week.

Despite the risk of fines coming into effect on Wednesday, dozens of passengers not were seen inside Perth Airport without masks on, The West Australian reports.

The new rules apply to anyone over the age of 12, although people are allowed to take their masks off to eat, drink or take medication as long as they are sitting down.

Masks don't have to be worn when interacting with someone who is deaf or 'where visibility of mouth is essential for communication.'

People who work alone in offices, or are sole occupants of vehicles within airports are also exempt.

Meanwhile, WA Health Minister Roger Cook has defended the state's Covid rules after a Queensland woman was denied the chance to see her dying mother in Perth because of restrictions that came into effect while she was mid-air.

WA on Friday reintroduced a hard border for all of Queensland after a highly contagious UK coronavirus strain was detected in Greater Brisbane.

All passengers arriving on flights from Queensland before the midnight deadline were required to enter 14 days of self-isolation.

Sydney radio station 2GB has reported that one passenger, a woman identified as Jackie, had made an emergency flight from Brisbane to Perth that day to visit her dying mother.

The restrictions came into effect during Jackie's flight and she was held in a room at Perth Airport, reportedly without food or water, for seven hours upon landing.

The new rules apply to anyone over the age of 12, although people are allowed to take their masks off to eat, drink or take medication as long as they are sitting down

Masks don't have to be worn when interacting with someone who is deaf or 'where visibility of mouth is essential for communication'

Her mother died during that time.

Health Minister Roger Cook described it as a very sad story, adding that he had been briefed by WA Police who said they had not been aware of Jackie's situation.

'The situation in Queensland was we had a potential outbreak of the new UK strain of the disease, we didn't know how that was going to behave,' he told Perth radio 6PR on Wednesday.

'We needed to move quickly and decisively, and we've done this on a number of occasions in order to make sure that we get on top of any potential risks to Western Australia from the disease.

'We obviously regret any inconvenience, or in this case the distressing situation that Jackie finds herself in.'
A health-care worker at a COVID-19 unit that used to be an orthopedic surgery unit at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg on Dec. 8, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Mikaela MacKenzie)

Provinces Catch Up on Cancelled Surgeries, but Long Waits Persist

Many surgeries cancelled by lockdowns last spring have since taken place, but experts say even the best-performing provinces still struggle with chronically long wait times.

In British Columbia, about 30,000 procedures were cancelled or never scheduled during the two-month shutdown last spring. The province recently reported that as of Nov. 12, 2020, surgeries had been completed for 90 percent of patients whose operations had been postponed. Although a wait list of 88,401 still remained, it was 4 percent less than the same period in 2019.

Surgical capacity continues to increase across health authorities as a result of extending weekday and weekend operating room hours to improve operating room efficiency and contracting private surgical centres, the health ministrys progress report stated.

Bacchus Barua, who co-authored the Fraser Institutes 2020 wait times report, told The Epoch Times that B.C.s efforts are incredibly commendable but wait times remain a big concern.

Whats unfortunate is that just in order to get through that backlog  we have to run our health-care system on overdrive, which really makes us foster concern with regards to what would it actually take to get wait times down.

According to the report, the wait time from referral by a general practitioner (GP) to treatment by a specialist averaged 9.3 weeks in 1993, 20.9 weeks in 2019, and a record 22.6 weeks in 2020.

COVID has definitely challenged the system, Barua said. However, the situation didnt look very different in terms of the average wait times for elective surgeries just a year before.

Saskatchewan caught up on its wait list cancellations by the end of November. Barua said the province went from having the highest wait times to having the lowest wait times three years ago.

[Saskatchewan] created partnerships with third-party private clinics to deliver a certain set of surgeries, and in doing so could dramatically expand capacity. And, interestingly, those clinics were actually delivering services at a lower cost per procedure than the public clinics as well, he explained.

The second thing it did was that it started a pooled resource [where patients were] matched with the physician with the shortest wait times.

Nova Scotia, where GP-to-treatment wait times jumped to 43.8 weeks in 2020, had caught up on nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of postponed surgeries as of Oct. 19. Of that wait time, 30.1 weeks accounted for the wait time between consultation with the specialist and ultimate treatment by that specialist.

A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in November 2020 estimated that the surgery backlog in Ontario between mid-March and mid-June was 148,364 and that it would take 84 weeks to clear. The Epoch Times requested an update from the Ontario Ministry of Health but none was received before publication.

A report by the University Health Network, which encompasses several Toronto hospitals, estimated that 30 to 35 patients may have died while waiting for cardiac surgery between March 15 and the end of May 2020.

The problem is not new. SecondStreet.org, a group that works to explore how government policies impact Canadians, conducted a study which found that 1,480 patients in Canada died while waiting for surgery during the 201819 fiscal year. According to its policy brief, that figure is incomplete because its from health facilities that serve approximately 14.6 million Canadians, or less than half the country

SecondStreet President Colin Craig told The Epoch Times that wait times can cause suffering.

Weve talked to patients who have described basically getting depression because theyve had to take a year of their life and sit on the sidelines and struggle with pain, struggle with mobility, struggle with other health ramifications from waiting so long. So theres just a lot of pretty sad stories out there.

SecondStreets investigation found that many jurisdictions dont seem to know how many people are dying while on wait lists in their health-care systems. The policy brief recommended that health authorities report such numbers annually and that governments allow private health-care options in order to increase patient choice.

We have fewer doctors per capita than other countries that have both public and private systems; we have fewer hospital beds  so the government rations the amount of health care that people receive, Craig said.

You hear people saying, oh well, in Canada the system is free. But its like the Soviet bread line joke: The bread is free, you just have to wait all day in line to get it.

According to Barua, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Australia, the Netherlands, and Germany have universal health care and spend similar amounts as Canada. They all have more resources, they all have remarkably shorter wait times, and they tend to do three things differently.

The differences, he says, are that these countries view private care positively as a partner in health-care delivery, they require patients in most circumstances to share some of the cost of services, and they fund hospitals based on the services they delivernot based on global budgets where every patient becomes a drain on the budget.

One of the positive things about the current pandemic is this is giving us a little bit more of a global outlook, Barua said. My hope is that we also learn about what are the other things that these countries do  [and] work towards a better normal, rather than returning to the old normal.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  A City Council panel discussed protests and policing demonstrations for more than two hours Wednesday with Clevelands police chief and public safety director, but the potential for trouble occurring on Jan. 20 was barely mentioned.

The only reference came when Councilman Mike Polensek offered the two public safety officials his unsolicited advice about what to tell anyone contemplating protests of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration.

Whether it be today in the city of Cleveland or leading up to Jan. 20, our message should be clear: Anyone coming into this town to protest, welcome, Polensek said. But if you come into this town to violate our constitutional rights, to violate city property, to destroy, to loot or whatever  you will be held accountable.

Wednesdays meeting of the Public Safety Committee was called to review Clevelands assessment of how police responded May 30 when a peaceful demonstration over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police devolved into rioting.

But the FBI has warned it expects armed protests across the country leading up to Bidens inauguration, prompting states to tightening security in their capitals. Police in Columbus are preparing for armed protests expected Sunday at the Statehouse.

The FBI also warned groups may storm state, federal and local courthouses and government offices if President Donald Trump is removed.

The council committee met with Police Chief Calvin Williams, Public Safety Director Karrie Howard, Black Lives Matter Cleveland organizer Kareem Henton and Julian Khan, a community activist who was a legal observer downtown on May 30.

Councilman Blaine Griffin, who chairs the committee, said the session was needed to fully understand what happened May 30, especially following violence Jan. 6 in Washington when supporters of Trump rushed the Capitol building as Congress met to count electoral votes that confirmed Biden election victory.

Williams and Howard discussed changes the police department will implement as it deploys officers for future protests. Some of those lessons were put into play when Cleveland hosted the first presidential debate in September.

But beyond that, the focus was on May 30 and how what began as a peaceful protest by thousands of people at the Free Stamp in Willard Park ended with rioting at the Justice Center and other parts of downtown.

To have an honest discussion on what happened on May 30, there has to be fault accepted on both sides, Williams said.

Polensek also noted the presence of people who intended to cause trouble. While the right to protest must be protected, he said, there must be a strong response against lawless behavior.

This element came in to disrupt and this element came in to cause violence, Polensek said. They need to be dealt with, whether its thugs and terrorists in Washington, D.C., whether they be wherever, we as a country need to collectively join together and say were not going to tolerate that.

More from Cleveland City Hall

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Say it aint so, John McClane.

Maybe Bruce Willis is Unbreakable, but the rest of us? Not so much.

PageSix reports that the actor was asked to leave a Rite Aid in Los Angeles Monday after refusing to wear a mask.

A source told the outlet that people in the store noticed that Willis wasnt wearing a mask and he left without finishing his shopping. Willis was photographed in the Rite Aid wearing a bandana around his neck (but not pulled over his nose and mouth).

It was an error in judgment, Willis told People. Be safe out there everyone and lets continue to mask up.

Los Angeles County is approaching one million cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 12,300 people have died of COVID-19 there.

Willis, 65, was born in Germany and grew up in Carneys Point in Salem County. The alum of Penns Grove High School later worked at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant in Lower Alloways Creek and DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, Pennsville. The future action hero studied drama at Montclair State University before moving to New York.

The two-time Emmy winner got his start on Moonlighting in the 80s before starring in the Die Hard movies, Pulp Fiction, The Fifth Element, Look Whos Talking, 12 Monkeys  which centers around a deadly virus  The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Glass.

On social media, people criticized and roasted Willis for the maskless shopping trip, often with a Die Hard theme. There were also a fair few jokes.

Die Hard: With A Ventilator https://t.co/6idF6cIoa5  Daniel Kibblesmith (@kibblesmith) January 12, 2021

bruce willis refusing to wear a mask is a CHRISTMAS MOVIE  blaire erskine (@blaireerskine) January 12, 2021

surely the negative press cant have been worth just pulling the bandana over his nose for a minute???? https://t.co/RApll4nRBD  Olivia Messer  (@OliviaMesser) January 12, 2021

Just like his recent movies, Bruce Willis only appeared in this Rite-Aid for about 10 minutes. https://t.co/lbtoU8NWSu  Noel Murray (@NoelMu) January 12, 2021

thank god Bruce Willis has made enough movies whose titles we can now use for silly jokes... Die Hard, Mortal Thoughts, Death Wish... pic.twitter.com/HgvdKCmGEV  Njuska (@njuskat) January 12, 2021

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter.
Some of the worlds biggest banks are urging a US judge not to immediately terminate Libor after a group of borrowers filed suit claiming the benchmark was the work of a price-fixing cartel."

Defendants in the case, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Credit Suisse Group AG and Deutsche Bank AG, said in a November filing that an injunction abruptly ending the London interbank offered rate would wreak havoc on financial markets and undermine years of work reforming the reference rate. The plaintiffs, which include 27 consumer borrowers and credit card users, are also seeking monetary damages.

Attorneys not involved in the case say the chances of an injunction are slim. Yet it underscores the risks and legal costs for banks that continue to prop up Libor, which still underpins hundreds of trillions of dollars of financial assets around the world. It also highlights the fragility of the discredited benchmark, which in theory could be halted by a single court decision.

You have to take it seriously because it would be a catastrophe if it was granted," said Anne Beaumont, a partner at law firm Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman LLP. Theyre likely going to continue to get sued like this as long as its there."

A San Francisco judge has said he will render a decision on the injunction without a hearing. The judge is scheduled Thursday to hear a request by the banks to transfer the case to Manhattan federal court.

Libor is derived from a daily survey of bankers who estimate how much they would charge each other to borrow. Its used to help determine the cost of borrowing around the world, from student loans and mortgages to interest-rate swaps and collateralized loan obligations.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, regulators discovered that lenders had been manipulating the rates to their advantage, resulting in billions of dollars of fines.

For over three years, policy makers around the globe have been developing new benchmarks to replace Libor by the end of 2021. In November, officials proposed an extension for some dollar Libor tenors until mid-2023, to help firms cope with the transition process.

If the benchmark were to be immediately switched off, many derivatives contracts already contain contractual fallback language that would enable them to transition to an alternative rate, according to Y. Daphne Coelho-Adam, a counsel at Seward & Kissel LLP who is not involved in the case. But hundreds of billions of dollars of bonds, loans and securitizations lack a clear replacement rate and could pose a threat to financial stability.

Defendants in the case also include UBS Group AG, Citigroup Inc., HSBC Holdings Plc and ICE Benchmark Administration Ltd., which oversees the rate.

Price fixing

It must be stopped one way or another or neutralized because its an illegal price-fixing agreement," Joseph Alioto, an attorney at Alioto Law Firm representing the plaintiffs, said in an interview. Banks argue that the sky is falling and all kinds of economic havoc will take place. In the United States that doesnt matter," he said. If youre fixing prices you cant do it, regardless of the consequences or the business excuse."

The plaintiffs want Libor to be either prohibited or set at zero with borrowers repaying capital but not interest.

The banks said in filing that none of the plaintiffs have shown that they ever paid interest based on Libor, adding that the suit is built on baseless theories of antitrust liability." Regulators have warned that even a temporary disturbance of Libor could devastate financial markets, the banks attorneys said.

Plaintiffs allege that the highly regulated process of setting a benchmark that is a fundamental part of the global economy is a per se antitrust violation," the banks said. But legitimate cooperative activities, even those involving competitors, often benefit competition."

Organizations including the International Swaps and Derivatives Association and the US Chamber of Commerce are supporting the banks. In a separate filing, they argue that without mechanisms to determine future borrowing costs, parties would spend substantial resources" negotiating price schedules, and could be forced to use fixed rates.

Attorneys for the banks didnt respond to emailed requests for comment.

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The first U.S. president to be impeached twice

The House of Representatives set itself on a course to impeach President Trump on Wednesday for a historic second time. A vote was underway to charge him for inciting an insurrection after his supporters stormed the Capitol last week. Follow our live updates, and our vote tracker.

A small but growing number of Republicans said they supported the effort. In 2019, not a single Republican voted in favor of impeachment. Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a Republican, said there had never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States. Heres a guide to what we know.

Whats next: No president has ever been impeached twice or in his waning days in office, and none have ever been convicted. Our reporters map out the next steps in the process.

After the Capitol attack: Law enforcement authorities have warned of threats of violence ahead of Joe Bidens presidential inauguration on Jan. 20. National Guard troops will be sent to Washington. Airbnb took a drastic step, canceling all of its reservations in the Washington area and blocking new ones in response to pleas for people not to attend.
The Peralta Community College District is hitting the brakes on two of the four security firms it recently hired as part of its new, $6.2 million community-based security plan.

Concerns have been raised about qualifications for two of the vendors, Community Ready Corps and Zulu (Community) Protection Services, which have won preliminary contracts with the district to provide safety patrols, the district said in a Jan. 7 release.

The district has also hired a consultant to evaluate the two companies readiness to do the job  they were scheduled to start patrolling the districts campuses on Jan. 1.

CRC and Zulu came under scrutiny when Peraltas student newspaper, the Citizen, ran a series of reports questioning the two companies credentials.

Judging from the districts release, the student reporters were right.

PCCD (Peralta Community College District) is evaluating concerns and issues raised about these two providers and have hired a respected security consultant, Knowledge Saves Lives, to evaluate and review the two (companies) qualifications, experience, regulatory compliance, structure and make a recommendation to the district, the release stated.

One concern raised by the student newspaper was that neither CRC nor Zulu had a state Private Patrol Operator license.

District spokesman Mark Johnson said both CRC and Zulu are working on obtaining the PPO license, which is the main requirement for patrolling.

The credentialing process is now under way. We will evaluate the CRC and Zulu bids after the district has more background information to review, Johnson said.

He said the cost of the outside evaluation has yet to be finalized.

The contract for Community Ready Corps is for $2.1 million for the year. The contract for Zulu is for $2.6 million for the year. Neither company is being paid.

Security for the districts four campuses in Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda and the administration complex in Oakland will be handled by Marina Security Services and A1 Protective Services, which are already under contract.

The new security plan was at the center of the debate over how to reimagine campus policing. The goal is to prevent potential conflicts by replacing Alameda County Sheriffs deputies with unarmed patrols.

The new $6.2 million plan is $2.4 million more than the former contract with the Sheriffs Department.

Despite concerns raised by the student newspaper, the board of trustees voted to approve the contracts for CRC and Zulu.

Board President Cindy Napoli-Abella Reiss, however, recused herself from the vote on the CRC contract because she donated money to Affect Real Change, the nonprofit that operates the security service, and to the campaign of its former CEO, Carroll Fife, who was recently elected to the Oakland City Council.

Super sites spin: The San Francisco 49ers have offered Levis Stadium and its parking lot to Santa Clara officials as a possible vaccination site. The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority is considering offering its parking lot to local hospitals.

Given the urgent need to vaccinate as many people as possible as soon as possible, I would recommend that we act proactively with medical providers, Coliseum Executive Director Henry L. Gardner said.

San Francisco is looking at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and other publicly controlled locations as vaccination sites.

The San Francisco Giants Oracle Park is also under consideration.

But for all the attention on the proposed super sites, officials say finding space to administer the vaccines is the easiest part of what has become an increasingly complex problem of how to get the vaccine into peoples arms.

For starters, sometimes the state, counties and large health care providers who administer the vaccines dont know how much vaccine, or what kind of vaccine, they will be receiving from the federal government until the day before it arrives.

The next challenge will be setting up vaccination sites and the data systems that can track thousands of vaccinations a day.

The system will need to log the type of vaccine being administered and follow-up appointments for second shots, then share the information among a number of state, county and private health care providers software programs.

Giving the shots is also complicated. People are not going to just drive up, roll up their sleeve, get a shot and drive off. Those being inoculated need to be observed for 15 minutes to make sure they dont have a negative reaction to the shot.

As San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Tuesday, its going to take all hands on deck to set up sites and at the same time get the vaccine to underserved communities.

In the meantime, counties are under a lot of pressure to show that they are doing something, even if its just announcing the big vaccination sites.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel  and there is a light  but its going to take a lot of sacrifice to get there, Breed said during an online news conference.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Phil Matier appears Sundays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KGO-TV morning and evening news and can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call 415-777-8815, or email pmatier@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @philmatier
After Belarus (slightly) updated its official crest, we had a look at some other former Soviet emblems, before and after independence.

Uzbek S.S.R. All Soviet emblems were required to feature the hammer and sickle, sheaves of wheat, a rising sun, and the red star of communism. The Marxist phrase Workers of the world, unite! was also mandatory. The Uzbek crest sported a flowering sprig of cotton and the words "Uz. SSR," an abbreviation of "Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic."

Uzbekistan Independent Uzbekistan's emblem features the mythical Simurgh bird in front of a lush Uzbek landscape cut through by Central Asia's Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers. The winged Simurgh is a popular character of Persian folklore that is also depicted on Iranian currency. At the top of the emblem is the crescent of Islam.

Armenian S.S.R. The Soviet-era Armenian emblem featured the twin peaks of Mount Ararat, which has lain inside the border of Turkey since 1921 but can be seen rising majestically above Armenias capital, Yerevan, on clear days. The plump bunch of grapes is a nod to the countrys viticultural heritage, which dates back some 6,000 years.

Armenia The current emblem stars a watchful eagle and lion, which are symbols of Armenias pre-Christian empire. On the shield are the coats of arms of four ancient Armenian dynasties. In the center of the shield, Noah's Ark is depicted teetering on the summit of Mount Ararat. According to the Old Testament, the ark came to rest atop Ararat after the great flood subsided.

Byelorussian S.S.R. The blue flowers of the flax plant (right) and pink clovers decorate the Soviet-era emblem. Belarus has a long tradition of linen production that is made from flax fibers.

Belarus In the (recently subtly modified) emblem, the communist hammer and sickle has been replaced with a map of Belarus, but the communist star remains. Belarus is the only fully recognized former Soviet country to retain the red star in its national emblem. It is believed red stars became associated with communist dictatorship as a result of a 1908 science fiction novel called Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star), about a socialist utopia on Mars.

Latvian S.S.R. The strip of Baltic sea featured on the Latvian emblem created a symbolic dilemma when coupled with the socialist "sunrise" required in all Soviet emblems. Latvia's coastline faces west, meaning only sunsets are visible over the Baltic Sea. The design blunder inevitably led to jokes about the decline of socialism in Europe. The Latvian words at the bottom of the emblem mean "Latvian S.S.R."

Latvia Independent Latvias three historical regions are represented by stars at the top of the country's coat of arms. A lion and griffin symbolize other areas of the country, while the rising sun (with no Baltic Sea in sight) represents freedom. Oak leaves, which are a symbol of the country, decorate the bottom of the coat of arms.

Ukrainian S.S.R. The emblem is dominated by sheaves of wheat, in reference to Ukraine's agricultural reputation as the "breadbasket" of the Soviet Union.

Ukraine The coat of arms is based on a trident, which was a symbol of Volodymyr the Great, the ruler of Kievan Rus. In late 2020, a contest was held to create a more elaborate Ukrainian emblem with the trident as its centerpiece. The winning design proved to be an unpopular choice. One critic noted, "The time when [approving a greater national emblem] could be done painlessly is over." An updated emblem will be voted on by Ukraines parliament in 2021 but is widely expected to be rejected by lawmakers.

Tajik S.S.R. The Soviet emblem featured here was used in the 1930s before being replaced by a more generic version. As well as focusing on Tajikistans landscape, hydropower stations, and agriculture, the emblem features a cluster of silkworm cocoons (beneath the hammer and sickle) in reference to the once-famous luxury fabric production of Tajikistan's Silk Road cities.
Dustin John Higg's federal execution is stopped on Friday, a federal judge's stay of execution. COVID-19 concerns have saved the inmate as he is one of those to be executed before January 20.

He is included as one of the last to be executed in the outgoing administration after the Department of Justice reinstated federal execution.

According to Judge Tanya S. Chutkan, the pandemic is why Higgs, 48, and Cory Johnson, 52, are infected with the coronavirus. Higgs is from Laurel, and Johnson is from Richmond, Virginia, reported The Baltimore Sun.

Lawyers of both inmates argue that lung damage from COVID exposure will put them at risk of suffering from fluid in the lungs or edema. If killed with a lethal injection, the edema will be painful before the drug kills them.

Further arguing that the sentenced men will suffer excruciating pain during the lethal injection. Adding it violates constitutional protection from cruel and unusual punishments that violates their rights.

Chutkan said both Higgs and Johnson would suffer a sensation that is like drowning to waterboarding. The judge granted a delay of the death sentences to March 16.

Having the stay of executions granted to Johnson and Higgs defers their scheduled appointment with a lethal injection. Their cases can be heard after the January 20 turnover of the administration and rumors of the abolishment of the death penalty.

But the judge's stay of execution may not be the last word. Last November, she gave the injunction to delay the death sentence of Orlando Hall. It did not last, and the Supreme court, with the dissent of Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan (liberals), allow the continuation of the execution on that night. The federal execution of Dustin John Higgs, which is compounded by COVID-19, should be considered.

Also read: Prisoners to Be Executed According to a New Rule: Either Through Gas or Firing Squad

The Justice Department filed a notice on Tuesday evening that will appeal that Chutkan's ruling is overturned.

On Tuesday night, the last appeal made to stop the death sentence failed, and the Supreme Court gave the go signal for Lisa Montgomery's execution, 52. She passed at 1:31 a.m. on early Wednesday morning with a lethal injection at the Terre Haute, Indiana, prison.

The case is in Maryland; Higgs got convicted for killing three women in 1996 at Prince George's County. He was tried in a federal court, not in state court. He committed the crimes in U.S.-owned land (government), the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center.

According to the victim's families, his death sentence is right. Later the victim's family cannot be reached for comment on his execution.

Higgs and Johnson were judged guilty for the deaths of seven people in Virginia, part of the group scheduled for executions. There has been no execution in 17-years, but the current administration revived capital punishment. About ten were executed in 2020, with the final three scheduled before January 20.

Shawn Nolan said that his client "Higgs" got the coronavirus because of the "super-spreader executions" Terre Haute Penitentiary, Indiana. He added that his client is sick with the COVID-19, with pre-existing health issues.

He added that the federal execution of Dustin John Higgs needs reviewing because of the circumstances. It is the incoming president Joe Biden who sponsor the 1994 Crime Bill that enabled the executions.

Related article: Brandon Bernard Executed for the Murders of Todd and Stacie Bagley in 1999

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New Delhi, Jan 13 : In a major action, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday arrested Trinamool Congress's (TMC) former Rajya Sabha member K.D. Singh in connection with a money laundering case, officials said. The TMC maintained that the party has not been in contact with Singh for a long time.

An ED official related to the probe requesting anonymity told IANS, "The agency has arrested Singh in connection with the money laundering probe under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)." The official said that he will be produced in a court later in the day.

Singh was a Rajya Sabha member of the Trinamool Congress from 2014.

The TMC leaders said that they had no contact with Singh for a long time.

Speaking to the media, Kunal Ghose spokesperson of the TMC said, "Singh was brought to the party by Mukul Roy and he was made a Rajya Sabha member. And now the party has no connection with Singh for a long time." The arrest is being seen as a major action ahead of the Assembly elections in the state scheduled later this year.

In September 2019, the ED had carried out searches at the premises of Singh in a money laundering probe related to Alchemist Infra Realty LLC in Rs 1,900 crore money laundering case.

The ED had registered a case of money laundering against Alchemist Infra Realty LLC, a firm related to Singh and others, on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on March 18, 2016.

In January 2019, the ED attached properties to the tune of Rs 239 crore of the group.

The ED investigations revealed that funds mobilised by the Alchemist Infra Realty Ltd. from various investors were never utilized for the purpose for which they were collected. The funds were transferred to the bank accounts of other group companies which were mainly paper companies from where they were systematically siphoned off by the accused and used to purchase properties at various locations in the country, the ED official had said early this year.

Singh had resigned as Chairman of the Alchemist Group in 2012.

In August 2019, Singh was also questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Narada sting operation case.

In 2016, Mathew Samuel, the Editor and Managing Director of Narada news portal, had broadcast a sting video just before the West Bengal Assembly elections.

In the video, a number of TMC leaders, including MPs and Ministers, were allegedly seen taking money on camera. The ED has recorded statements of several TMC leaders in the Narada Sting case also.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro will play an important role in a group overseeing the impeachment of President Donald Trump in the waning days of his presidency.

House lawmakers are set to vote on the article of impeachment around 2 p.m. local time Wednesday. If impeached, it would be the second time Trump faces possible removal during his one-term presidency. No other U.S. president has been impeached twice.

The San Antonio Democrat and eight others were named as impeachment managers by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday evening. The group is moving quickly to impeach Trump, who is charged with "incitement of insurrection." The impeachment article says Trump's Jan. 6 speech, in which he told supporters to "fight like hell, and if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore," incited the violence at the U.S. Capitol shortly after, which killed five.

RELATED: Texas representatives live tweet from the Capitol as protesters storm the building

It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the Presidents impeachment and removal," Pelosi said of the impeachment managers. "They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution. Our Managers will honor their duty to defend democracy For The People with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency.

Castro called Trump's actions an "unconscionable act of insurrection" in his statement on Tuesday.

"To protect the American people and as a consequence for these deadly actions, President Donald J. Trump must be removed from office immediately and prevented from ever occupying the presidency again, he said. The responsibility to serve as an impeachment manager is a solemn duty  one that arises from my oath to protect the Constitution and safeguard our democracy for future generations.

The team is led by Congressman Jamie Raskin includes U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette and Joe Neguse of Colorado; David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Eric Swalwell and Ted Lieu of California; Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands; and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye

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By Prossy Kisakye

Presidential candidates have poked holes in the afro Barometer poll findings which indicated that most Ugandans are voting incumbent president in Thursday polls.

While Releasing the 2020/21 survey findings in Kampala yesterday, Francis Kibirige a lead researcher said out of the 84% respondents, 53% indicated that they would vote for Yoweri Museveni and his NRM Party on Thursday.

National Unity Platform presidential candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi came second with 18 % of the vote from the respondents while the rest of the candidates shared the 5%, as 22% of the respondents did not disclose their choice of candidate.

Now the Alliance for National Transformation, Mugisha Muntu revealed that he cant suspend the findings but he cant rely on it as well until tomorrow when Ugandans will decide their next president

Independent John Katumba said that he cant react so much about the findings until he identifies the funder.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Dombo, the director of communication NRM concurs with the findings basing on their commitment in votes search however he disagrees with the 53% percent of voters saying Ugandans ready to vote for Museveni are higher than that
Washington [US], January 12 (ANI): Tech company Sony's new line of Bravia XR television sets will allow customers to watch and stream movies at some of the highest quality available in the consumer market through its new Bravia Core platform, according to the company.

As reported by The Verge, Bravia XR owners will be able to choose from a number of Sony Pictures titles and watch them using Sony's 'Pure Stream' technology, which achieves 'near-lossless' ultra-high-definition, Blu-ray disc quality, according to Sony.

Pure Stream also allows for streaming of up to 80 megabits per second. To compare, most streaming services recommend maintaining an internet speed between 15 and 25 megabits per second to achieve proper 4K Ultra HD streaming quality. If Sony's numbers are accurate, that's better than a lot of the competition.

The platform comes preloaded on all new Bravia XR models (MASTER Series Z9J 8K LED, MASTER Series A90J and A80J OLED, and X95J and X90J 4K LED) and effectively uses a voucher system.

Depending on the model that a person purchases, they are given a number of credits. Those credits can be cashed in for a number of new titles. It is unclear if people can keep those titles after they are purchased with the credits, but The Verge has reached out to Sony for more information.

As per The Verge, on the streaming front, Sony's website states that customers can stream a number of titles "anytime and as many times as you like, in up to 4K HDR quality," but there are limits to this, too.

According to the site, time periods for streaming availability are depending on the Bravia XR model purchased.

Bravia Core is not going to replace Netflix, but it seems like it was specifically designed to show customers the ultimate capabilities of their new TV set.

Kind of like when you buy a TV with true 4K HDR capabilities, and you play the best 4K YouTube channels to try to see the difference between your new set and that old clunker you just tossed. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Coca-Cola plans to replace its existing distribution center in Panama City with an $8 million facility by the end of the year.

According to a Tuesday press release, the new 24,000 square-foot facility will be built in Cedar Grove Commerce Park and will replace the companys building at 6130 Bayline Drive that was damaged by Hurricane Michael more than two years ago.

Once built, the new facility will house a sales and distribution center, warehouse, fleet maintenance operation and administration offices. All existing 80 employees will be transferred to the new site once it is open and fully operational.

The new facility will serve Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gulf, Liberty and Washington Counties and will distribute close to 3 million cases of beverages annually.

When Panama City became a part of the UNITED family in 2017, we made a commitment to employ, serve, refresh and invest in the Emerald Coast area, said Bo Taylor, Vice President of Coca-Cola UNITEDs Central Region, which includes the Florida Panhandle. Following Hurricane Michael, which devastated this community and caused severe damage to our existing facility, we moved quickly to assess opportunities for making a positive, long-term impact for our associates, our customers, our consumers and this community.

While Coca-Cola has been distributed throughout the area for more than a century, Birmingham, Alabama-based Coca-Cola UNITED, acquired the Panama City distribution territory in 2017.

This location, with access to Highway 231 and Highway 98, brings us closer to our customers and will provide a more efficient and pleasant working environment for our associates, said Paul Corbin, Coca-Cola UNITEDs Panama City Sales Center Manager. I am honored to lead our team of highly-motivated associates who are committed to our customers and our communities throughout the Emerald Coast.

Dan Velazquez, senior vice president of Commercial Real Estate for The St. Joe Company, said the company was thrilled to welcome Coca-Cola to Cedar Grove Commerce Park.

The commerce park has received significant interest over the past few years and we are thrilled to see a prominent operator come into this location, he said.

___

(c)2021 The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.)

Visit The News Herald (Panama City, Fla.) at www.newsherald.com

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A row has broken out over delays in offering the Covid-19 vaccine to GPs who are in the frontline of patient care as thousands of people test positive for the virus.

Worried GPs have warned they have been overlooked for access to the Covid-19 vaccine despite being at risk of contracting the virus.

It comes as a key tool in the HSE's Covid-19 vaccine plan has suffered a setback after a new online system to allow GPs to register to get the jab for themselves failed to get up and running yesterday.

Members of the public will be asked to use the same portal in a number of months when there is more vaccines for the wider population.

The plan was to launch the portal first for GPs most of whom are still without the first dose of the vaccine despite working in the frontline.

However, the failure of the portal to materialise has left family doctors angry and frustrated.

Drogheda GP Dr Ruairi Hanley said: "GPs and practice nurses must be immunised as soon as possible.

Millions

"This is not just for their sake and the sake of their patients but also because in a matter of weeks the AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive and GPs will be expected to immunise millions of people.

"How can they do that if many of them become infected?

The first people you should vaccinate are the vaccinators.

"It is a basic principle that the HSE is apparently struggling to grasp."

"Some GPs have managed to get vaccinated thanks to the generosity of local hospitals on an ad hoc basis.

"Basically they had some spare vaccines.

"Local GPs took some initiative and they got sorted out. Well done to all involved."

But while most welcome it, this spontaneous, haphazard approach is clearly not a coordinated plan.

"Other GPs in other parts of the country are still waiting for clarity as are their nurses.

"All hospitals should immediately be given the necessary supplies to vaccinate all GPs and their nurses in their respective areas as a matter of urgency."

There is also frustration at claims that some HSE backroom staff and retired doctors have received the vaccine in advance of frontline health workers.

Asked if backroom health staff and retired medics were vaccinated before frontline workers the HSE said it has no specific accounts of deviation from a reasonable approach to prioritisation.

But if any specific incidents of inappropriate prioritisation for vaccine are identified this will be addressed.

"The HSE is considering developing principles to guide prioritisation for the healthcare worker vaccination programmes," said a spokeswoman.

"These principles will form the basis for detailed guidance.

Exposure

"Broadly speaking the principles will be that priority is based on the exposure risk in the context of the work done by the healthcare worker and will not be based on grade or work location."
MASON CITY, Iowa - Congresswoman Ashley Hinson is worried not enough of the COVID-19 vaccine is making it to rural areas. Now she's speaking out for more equitable distribution from the feds.

Representative Hinson, along with Democratic Representative Cindy Axne drafted a bipartisan letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention along with the Department of Health and Human Services, asking for better access to the vaccine in rural areas.

In the letter, the lawmakers point out the administration is relying on large health care systems in mostly larger cities to get the vaccine distributed and that process is slowing the vaccine from making it to rural areas.

The letter also says Congress is open to supporting any effort to make the distribution more equal.

Congresswoman Hinson tells KIMT News 3 government also needs to streamline the process.

"Obviously we need to get the red tape out of the way and make sure our community providers can actually have the resources necessary to administer this vaccine. The special freezers that it takes to store this vaccine cost upwards of $15,000 a piece. So, they need extra help and resources from the federal government," she said.

Hinson also says she plans on getting the vaccine when it becomes available.


Cloud platform integrates social services data across departments

Thousands of caseworkers at Marylands Department of Human Services (DHS) are using a single cloud-based platform to eliminate silos and better serve beneficiaries of child, juvenile and adult assistance.

Child, Juvenile and Adult Management Services (CJAMS) is part of the states Total Human-services Integrated Network (MD THINK), the countrys first cloud-based shared services platform for health and human services. MD THINK provides a holistic view of residents receiving benefits from multiple agencies, including Marylands Health Department, Juvenile Services Department and the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange.

Our goal is to reduce redundant data entry, but you will be able to maintain the same level of data integrity, said DHS CTO Subramanian Muniasamy. Previously, caseworkers processing child welfare, Office of Licensing and Monitoring, and Juvenile Services applications had to log into three separate systems -- the Maryland Children's Electronic Social Services Information Exchange, Citrix and the Automated Statewide System of Information Support Tools -- with three different logins. Now they will have one permissions-based login that will enable them to see all the information relevant to them in one place.

Built on the Amazon Web Services cloud, MD THINK is like an airport and CJAMS an airline, Muniasamy said. Caseworkers enter it through one security channel and can then navigate to the services they need, such as Medicaid, food stamps and child support. They all share common amenities such as a shared data repository.

Some of the fundamental information like demographics, income information -- once you enter [them], they will become available for other systems to view and pull, he said.

DHS ran a pilot test of CJAMS in October 2019 in Washington County before deploying it in Anne Arundel County in January 2020. One challenge to a larger initial rollout was getting support for the system from the directors of the local social service departments in each of the states 23 counties and the city of Baltimore.

To build and deploy these applications is a major challenge because every county director has to be convinced that this system really works for them, that all their caseworkers will be able to seamlessly process the cases through this system so that there is no delay, Muniasamy said. We are dealing with peoples lives, childrens lives. If the system is not working, its not really going to help them out.

The coronavirus pandemic helped accelerate directors faith in CJAMS, he said, as they watched caseworkers in Washington and Anne Arundel counties use laptops and Apple iPads to collect data in real time, even by phone, without going into the field, which supported social distancing. In April, the department did an all-remote launch of CJAMS with 226 child welfare workers in four counties: in Allegany, Carroll, Frederick and Garrett. Officials used the system from laptops and iPads to complete work, meet via Cisco Webex and get help from online support teams, according to a letter from Lourdes Padilla, DHS secretary.

The success in these counties has garnered support for CJAMS from others, Muniasamy said.

A major benefit of CJAMS is saving time, he said. Before, caseworkers went into the field, recorded data with pen and paper and returned to an office to enter the information into multiple systems. Now, they can enter the data immediately and its updated in the shared data repository.

Although DHS has not yet analyzed cost savings, the department is seeing reduced costs in operations and maintenance, he said, because agencies no longer have to build and maintain their own applications. Additionally, as new regulations or applications arise, CJAMS makes it easier to implement them enterprisewide.

MD THINK and CJAMS make security a priority. The larger platform complies with federal requirements such as the Federal Information Security Management Act and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Additionally, all data is encrypted in transit and at rest.

CJAMS is a work in progress. Rather than calling it a minimum viable product, we call this a reasonable viable product, Muniasamy said. The reason is that the word minimum is confusing to people. They worry, Im not going to get all the features for what I was doing.

I would say that all of the features and functions of what they are doing in their real day-to-day activities -- everything is already built, he added, with nice-to-have features coming down the pike.

Those will be implemented as they become available because DHS uses an integrated DevOps pipeline. Thats part of what allowed the department to complete this complex project in just 27 months, Muniasamy said.
An Australian man accused of running $220million illegal dark web marketplace

The man was arrested at the German border and the website was shut down

Investigation followed discovery of an illegal data centre in former NATO bunker

An Australian man is accused of running a $220million illegal darkweb marketplace which has been called the biggest in the world and 'eBay for criminals'.

A joint investigation by Australian Federal Police, Scotland Yard, the FBI, Europol, and German authorities, among others, led to the arrest of the Queensland man, 34, as he tried to cross the Danish border into Germany this week.

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The man, known only as Julian K, is the alleged operator of DarkMarket and has been detained by German investigators.

A screenshot of the illegal website allegedly run by the Australian man which displays drugs for sale (pictured)

DarkMarket was shut down on Monday and its servers, located in Ukraine and Moldova, were taken off the internet, prosecutors in the city of Koblenz said.

'Until its closure, DarkMarket was probably the largest marketplace worldwide on the darknet, with almost 500,000 users and more than 2400 sellers,' prosecutors said.

More than 320,000 transactions were conducted via the website including the sale of drugs, counterfeit money, stolen or falsified credit cards, anonymous SIM cards and malware.

Click here to resize this module

The transactions were reportedly worth a total of 4,650 bitcoin and 12,800 monero - two cryptocurrencies - for an equivalent sum of more than $221million.

The servers will be forensically examined by authorities to uncover information about the website's operations and criminal network.

The accused man has already fronted a German court and been denied bail - to be transferred to a German prison in the next few days.

He has reportedly refused to speak to investigators or court officials.

German prosecutors said the man was trying to flee Denmark into Germany when arrested and was travelling through Europe either on holiday or conducting business for the illegal website.

They said the investigation around DarkMarket originated after the discovery of a data processing centre run by organised criminals in a 5,000sqm former NATO bunker in south-west Germany.

The data facility hosted illegal websites, which included DarkMarket temporarily, and was shut down in 2019.

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The darkweb was originally developed for the United States military but has been overrun by criminals because they can conceal their identity on the platform.
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As the Trump administration sought to drive Venezuela's autocratic Nicolas Maduro from power, activist Jorge Barragan embraced the effort as the good and moral crusade of the world's greatest democracy.

Then came the siege on the U.S. Capitol.

The 22-year-old student activist watched "in shock" from his hometown in western Venezuela last week as a mob inspired by President Donald Trump invaded Congress to attempt to overturn an election loss. Barragan could not pull away from the YouTube images showing the pro-Trump marauders acting very much like Maduro's colectivos - the extraofficial thugs that keep opponents in check and a dictator in charge.

"Our main ally in the fight for democracy has tumbled," Barragan said. "What does that mean for us?"

The insurrection at the Capitol is threatening America's historical role promoting democracy around the world. The spectacle of Trump rallying supporters to march on the Capitol over baseless claims of election fraud as lawmakers certified President-elect Joe Biden's victory has provided a propaganda coup for Washington's enemies, undermined pro-democracy movements worldwide and offered a model for would-be autocrats.

Four years of Trump had already dimmed the United States' democratic bona fides. The 45th president embraced right-wing nationalists who flouted the rule of law, while backing a handful of pro-democracy movements that served expedient political purposes. A chorus of "no" went up against Venezuela, Cuba and Iran. But from Egypt to Honduras to Saudi Arabia to North Korea, Trump signaled tolerance for human rights abuses and offered authoritarians a new gift to dismiss accountability by popularizing the term "fake news." When asked in September about the alleged Russian poisoning of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Trump essentially demurred.

Now, the international implications of the events in Washington last week - and its racial undertones that led the Times of India to dub its pro-Trump participants the "Coup Klux Clan" - are expected to reverberate far beyond Biden's inauguration.

Washington Post photo by Michael Robinson Chavez.

"I think we will get through this, but our credibility as an example of governance is pretty seriously tarnished," said Ian Kelly, the U.S. ambassador to Georgia from 2015 to 2018. "Let's not forget that Trump had many enablers, and they're still there. . . . This president has reduced the coin of our realm."

The State Department said the events of Jan. 6, showed "once again that there is a right way and a wrong way for the citizens of a democracy to express themselves," but did "not in any way diminish the power of our democratic history and the principles that we strive toward."

"Our democracy has been tested in the past, and it will be tested in the future," the department said in a statement to The Washington Post. "These experiences make us stronger as we work to perfect our union and our democracy. That we are tested, however, should never cause anyone - allies, friends, or foes - to doubt the strength of America's democratic institutions or our people."

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Analysts now warn of a herculean task ahead for Biden. Global inequality, historic migration and deep polarization have driven satisfaction with democracy to disturbing lows. Biden could be weakened by the millions of Trump voters who still say his victory was illegitimate, giving adversaries such as Russia's Vladimir Putin an opening to assail his mandate on the world stage. Meanwhile, any attempt to preach the rule of law to Brazil's Jair Bolsonaro, Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan or Hungary's Viktor Orban could draw calls to get his own house in order first.

U.S. democracy promotion abroad has long faced accusations of hypocrisy. During the Cold War, Washington routinely coddled strongmen who pledged to oppose communism. Yet last week's siege is likely to amplify accusations of a double standard, haunting U.S. diplomats and human rights activists as they press for the rule of law abroad.

"A lot depends on what happens next," said Jo-Marie Burt, an associate professor of political science at George Mason University. "If you're going to allow impunity [in the United States], then that hurts the American experiment. Without accountability at home, we're going down a path of saying, you know, stuff happens."

In Israel, some observers fear the Trump model of insurrection fueled by baseless conspiracy theories could push the country's own volatile politics toward a dangerous tipping point.

In a country bitterly split by an ideological divide that has paralyzed the government for more than two years, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has emulated Trump, railing against "fake news" and decrying a "witch hunt" by prosecutors and courts trying him on corruption charges.

Netanyahu, a close Trump ally, waited a day after news organizations called Biden's election victory to congratulate him and lagged behind other Israeli politicians in condemning the riot at the Capitol last week.

"The reason what happened at the Capitol can happen here is because we already have all the same ingredients," Yaakov Katz, editor in chief of the Jerusalem Post, wrote in a commentary. "That is what happens when democracy - its values and its institutions - are consistently and systematically attacked, eroded and dismantled. Violence is a potential next step."

Mideast adversaries such as Iran have seized on the chaos at the Capitol as evidence U.S. democracy is deeply flawed. Allies such as the Gulf Arab monarchies will miss Trump, who declined to criticize their human rights abuses. Though they will seek close ties with a Biden administration, they now have a new argument with which to dismiss U.S. advice on democracy.

"It's clear your democracy is in shambles so please don't come over here and lecture us," said Abdulkhaleq Abdulla, a political science professor in Dubai.

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko moved swiftly to spin last Wednesday's events to his advantage. Lukashenko, in power since 1994, claimed a landslide victory for a sixth term last year in an election denounced by the United States and other countries as fraudulent. The country has been rocked since then by mass protests calling for his resignation.

"I warned you: It's bad when they walk down the street," Lukashenko said after the Capitol siege. "It's even worse when they walk into the courtyards. It will be unbearable when they come to your apartments."

Marina El Fadel, a 37-year-old protester who was stunned by the mob in Washington, sought to distance it from the peaceful demonstrations in Minsk.

"I had no illusions about Trump and his policies, so the storming of the Capitol did not affect my attitude on America as a democracy," she said. "It is a pity for the people who suffer because of the wrong policy of their president. That's where we're similar."

In China, the Capitol siege has provided a boost to the ruling Communist Party, which has long warned citizens that democracy is a recipe for chaos.

"Chinese state media is already proclaiming the riots in Washington as the failure of democracy," said Deng Yuwen, a former editor of a party newspaper. "This is a huge help to the Communist Party's legitimacy."

State media concluded that U.S. democracy was "bankrupt" and "an embarrassment." The People's Daily, the official mouthpiece of the Chinese Communist Party, ridiculed what it described as America's false sense of superiority amid years of attempting to export the model.

"The gunshots at the U.S. Capitol make clear that the bitter fruit of 'democracy' must be swallowed by the one who sowed it," the newspaper said. "Whether it is bitter or sweet, they will know."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying likened the mob in Washington to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong, which Beijing routinely described as "rioters." Hua said she had "made a note" of the words U.S. officials and media used to describe the Capitol siege.

"They all condemned it as 'a violent incident' and the people involved as 'rioters,' 'extremists' and 'thugs' who brought "disgrace,' " Hua said. Yet the protesters in Hong Kong were "democratic heroes."

"What's the reason for such a stark difference in the choice of words?" she said. "Everyone needs to seriously think about it and do some soul-searching."

Indeed, analysts say the attempted insurrection has reduced Washington's moral authority to back pro-democracy movements from Hong Kong to Caracas, Venezuela - some of which enjoyed the strong support of Republicans.

Two of the Hong Kong activists' greatest advocates were Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo. Both men traveled to Hong Kong at the height of the protests to advocate democracy and became leading voices for sanctions against Chinese officials and allies in Hong Kong. Their votes last week against certifying Biden's win, and Hawley's raised fist to the demonstrators outside the Capitol before they entered, have provided Beijing with an opening to rail against U.S. hypocrisy.

"Aligning with some of these folks is going to be a lot more contentious moving forward," said historian Jeffrey Ngo, a pro-democracy activist who has spent significant time lobbying Washington for support.

Cruz's office said the senator had merely called for "electoral integrity and democratic credibility."

"No one outside of the Establishment media and some Democrats believes that undermined America's credibility on deliberation, elections, and democracy," the office said in a statement. Hawley's office did not respond to a request for comment.

"The Trump years have made it difficult for pro-democracy activists to create alliances because people look to the president, and no matter who he is, he has tremendous power," Ngo said. "After this week, it has become even more difficult."

The Trump administration this week added Cuba to the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism. In the Cuban and Venezuelan exile communities of South Florida, Trump's actions last week deepened the divide between conservatives - some of whom held rallies in favor of Trump's efforts to overturn the election - and liberals, who argued that they echoed the abuses that they or their families had fled.

Trump "ceded moral authority to speak on domestic matters in another country, and that's what's so dangerous," said Ana Sofia Pelaez, co-founder of the Miami Freedom Project. "We lose our own voice for democracy when we don't value [it] in our own country."

In Venezuela, one of the few countries targeted by the Trump administration for human rights abuses, the events of last week provided the authoritarian government with a rare gift.

"This is just another symptom of the terminal stage of imperialism led from Washington," Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza told The Post. He said the United States "never had" the moral authority to criticize Venezuela because "they are a corporate plutocracy represented in two elite parties, working with lobbies. Nothing is further from a democracy than that."

Barragan, the student activist, watched the events unfold in Washington with mounting despair.

The United States was "the country with the most solid institutions in the world, and the first to turn to Venezuela and give a boost to our political actions," he said.

But watching the mob attack the Capitol, he said, "made everything more difficult for us. . . . Our main ally, as we see, has many problems."

In Hungary, where Orban has used his decade in office to wipe away checks and balances restraining his power, Bernadett Szel was glued to the television.

"I couldn't sleep," said Szel, a lawmaker who ran against Orban in 2018. She called it a warning to opposition politicians in Hungary.

"This is frightening for us to see these kinds of populists, how far they go. They will dare to do anything to hold on to power," she said.

But when Trump leaves office, Szel said, it could be an important signal to other troubled democracies around the world. His departure will be "a reinforcement for all of us," she said. "It can happen that populists can come, but also they can go."

- - -

Faiola reported from Miami, Mahtani from Hong Kong and Khurshudyan from Moscow. The Washington Post's Steve Hendrix in Jerusalem; Liz Sly in London; Michael Birnbaum in Riga, Latvia; Sudarsan Raghavan in Cairo; Ana Vanessa Herrero in Caracas, Venezuela; Loveday Morris in Berlin; Lily Kuo in Taipei and Robyn Dixon in Moscow contributed to this report.
[January 13, 2021] Fujian Ishine Cosmetics Launches More than 20 New Products during Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week

HONG KONG, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Makeup manufacturer Fujian Ishine Cosmetics introduced its latest makeup offerings during the Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week, which included lip gloss, lipsticks, eye shadows and eyeliners.



Founded in 2008, the company is IS022716 and GMPC certified and located in Nanping City, Fujian, China. Its businesses involve sourcing, product development, consulting, design, production and marketing. Within the last 13 years, it has worked with more than 100 brands all over the world.

Its range of products includes lip gloss, lipstick, lip balm, eye shadow, highlighter, contour powder, blush, eyeliner, mascara, nail polish and so on. With its R&D department located in Shanghai, Ishine Cosmetics is able to stay on top of the latest beauty trends, concepts and events, giving them an added edge when it comes to discussing with their clients about new product developments. The company's manufacturing facility spans over 30 acres and has over 300 skilled workers. It is equipped with modern production plants and first-class machinery. The staff are highly trained to provide reliable and professional services. Any inquiries about Fujian Ishine Cosmetics, please contact: Airy Lee

Owner

Tel: 0086-186 5799 2699 / 0086-599-326 8888

Email: airylee@ishinecosmetics.com

Website: www.globalsources.com/ishine.co About Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week The first-ever edition of Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week has concluded successfully, creating copious business opportunities for the world's companies and operators looking for new business solutions in the Asia-Pacific region. 652 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions took part in the event. 8,953 visitors from 115 countries and regions registered on the platform in order to virtually network, learn about current and upcoming trends. Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week offered a vital virtual business arena for the whole beauty industry while we are all waiting to meet again in Hong Kong in November 2021 for Cosmoprof Asia. Stay tuned for updates! SOURCE Cosmoprof Asia

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Defence Research and Development Organisation(DRDO) today said that it has developed the country's first indigenous machine pistol ASMI.

The pistol which is developed by DRDO along with the help of Indian Army is set to replace the 9mm pistols in the defence forces. It was displayed at an event of the Indian Army.

View Full Image ASMI Pistol

In a statement issued by the DRDO it said," The machine pistol can fire at a range of 100 metres and is in the class of the Uzi series guns of Israel. The prototype has fired over 300 rounds in the last four months of its development."

In another development, Retractable landing gear systems for unmanned aerial vehicles, indigenously built by the Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment here, a unit of the DRDO, were handed over to the Navy on Sunday.

The CVRDE, engaged in design and development of armoured vehicles and combat systems, said it designed and built the three tonne Retractable Landing Gear Systems for TAPAS Unmanned Aerial Vehicle and a one tonne landing gear system to the SWiFT UAV under the Centre's 'Atmanirbhar' programme.

The gear systems were developed at CVRDE facility in suburban Avadi, a press release said.

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) Chairman G Satheesh Reddy, speaking on the occasion, said it was an important achievement and extended his congratulations to the CVRDE.

The filters, also designed and developed at CVRDE, were manufactured with support from industries under the Centre's 'Make in India' initiative while the funding was from the DRDO and the Navy, the release said.

Later, Reddy reviewed the various projects of CVRDE and appreciated the efforts the establishment for the progress achieved, the release added.

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One mutation, known as E484K, which emerged initially in South Africa and has also been discovered in Brazil and Japan, has raised alarm among researchers

As the British coronavirus variant occupies countries' pandemic plans due to its increased transmissibility, other mutations to the SARS-CoV-2 are provoking concern among scientists who are scrambling to work out if they will still respond to vaccines.

In particular, one mutation, known as E484K, detected initially in South Africa and on subsequent variants in Brazil and Japan, has raised alarm among researchers.

Ravi Gupta, professor of microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said it is this mutationand not the much-covered British variantthat is "the most worrying of all".

Although research into the new variant is limited, a Brazilian study this month looked at a patient who had recovered from COVID-19 only to become reinfected with the new, mutated strain.

The paper has yet to be peer-reviewed, but the authors found that the E484K mutation could be "associated with escape from neutralising antibodies"meaning it could bypass the body's natural defence memory that bestows immunity.

As countries accelerate their vaccination programmes, there is concern that the new mutation may render certain vaccines less effective.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, for example, use mRNA technology to deliver instructions to the body to produce a harmless coronavirus spike protein, which the immune system then learns to kill in anticipation of a genuine infection.

With E484K, as with the British variant, the mutation occurs on the virus' spike protein, which allows it to bind more easily with human cell receptors, potentially heightening its infectiousness.

Gupta said the mutation "could be the start of problems for spike vaccines".

"They should all be effective at the moment but we worry about further mutations occurring on top of these ones," he told AFP.

'Bypass current protection'

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said last week that their vaccine was effective against the N501Y mutation found on the British virus variant, known as B117.

Francois Balloux, professor of Computational Systems Biology and Director of University College London's Genetics Institute, said it was unlikely that the South African variant had mutated sufficiently to "bypass the protection provided by current vaccines".

But, he warned: "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," Balloux said.

There have been several mutations to the novel coronavirus since it emerged in late 2019, and most have had a negligible effect on its transmissibility or severity.

But the British variant has shown in several studies to be up to 70 percent more infectious than normal virus strains.

And the South African variant appears to be more effective at avoiding the body's natural response.

New vaccines?

One pre-print study in December concluded that the two new variants show that SARS-CoV-2 "has the potential to escape an effective immune response".

Researchers studied what happened to the virus when it was left in contact with plasma taken from a patient who had recovered from COVID-19.

Within three months, the virus had taken on several mutations, including E484K.

The authors suggested that "vaccines and antibodies able to control emerging variants should be developed."

Lead researcher Rino Rappuoli, an immunologist at pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, told AFP that the current spike protein mutations should not pose a problem for existing vaccines, however.

And even if the virus mutates to better evade immune response, vaccines should bestow at least some level of effective immunity.

"Even if you lower the efficacy, there would normally still be some neutralisation of the virus," Vincent Enouf, from Paris's Pasteur Institute, told AFP.

To be on the safe side, Gupta advocated an accelerated vaccination programme, bestowing as much immunity as current vaccines can deliver "as fast as possible all over the world."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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Christians can get so worked up over politics that they can sometimes blow their witness.

Sadly, this is something we see more frequently on social media. It seems like no matter what your political views are, someone will be offended or will publicly attack you over your support of a candidate they feel is dangerous to the American way of life.

A big reason for Americans' aggressive behavior is because their views run deep into what is referred to as "identity politics." Politics is no longer about aligning with a specific political party. Nowadays, people's political views are intertwined with their religion, race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and social or economic status.

If left to its own devices, identity politics can bring out the worst in people. That's why Christians shouldn't rush to placate political labels at church. It can send the wrong message and cause a rift with other church members.

Without question, the American church is at a crossroads between faith and politics, which is very disturbing.

So then, what can you do to overcome this contention and bring some clarity and unity back into the Christian community?

Well, for one thing, when you're knee-deep in a discussion about politics, don't let secondary issues impede your progress in finding common ground. It's possible for Christians to have thoughtful debates over politics without biting each other's heads off.

To avoid letting a conversation surrounding politics from getting too heated, follow these three steps:

Step number one, be cordial. Peter wisely states, "Show proper respect to everyone" (1 Pet. 2:17). It's okay to critique the other person's political views as long as you don't turn into a disrespectful critic of their political party. Avoid getting defensive and cutting the other person off. Your ultimate objective is not to prove the other person wrong but to improve the relationship. No progress can occur if you're not willing to show respect and listen to the other person.

Step number two, be biblical. Much of the time, political conversations consist of citing a political pundit to back up an opinion. You might be right positionally, but make sure your argument is based primarily on biblical truths rather than from sources that feed your ideological position. As a follower of Jesus Christ, make sure politics do not overshadow the gospel and doctrinal truths. In so doing, you will keep the main thing the main thing and find more important areas of agreement.

Step number three, be reasonable. If you love people and good ideas, you will spend adequate time sharpening your arguments and learning from others. As you debate with someone who holds to a dramatically different political opinion, you will want to be clear and logical when presenting your positions; while, at the same time, remaining teachable (see Phil. 4:5; Js. 3:7).

No matter how intense a political debate may get within the four walls of the church, make it your goal never to let politics ruin your relationships with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

By applying these three steps, you are sure to have friendly interactions with those who don't share your political views.

Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:31 am

Flooding, strong winds and at least one landslide in the region are causing several road closures and power outages.

Lewis County Emergency Management said Wednesday morning that the biggest flood concern is the Cowlitz River at Randle as well as the Chehalis River near Doty, although earlier predictions of river levels seemed to have overestimated how high levels would get. As of Wednesday morning, according to the countys river gauges, the Cowlitz River is in phase 4, a category conferring major road closures and residential flooding. The Newaukum River near Chehalis is in phase 2.

Forty-nine mile per hour winds late Tuesday night downed trees and branches and led to 2,000 Centralia customers losing power, although by morning most power had been restored.

We have a good tree-trimming program, but that 49 miles per hour exceeds our threshold of when were going to start having problems no matter what, City Light General Manager M.L. Norton said Wednesday.

As of Wednesday morning, there were still several outages across the county.

Wednesday morning at around 1 a.m., the Washington State Department of Transportation had to clear debris blocking Interstate 5 southbound near Exit 59. Last weeks flooding led to a minor landslide in Napavine on Rush Road within city limits, which got bigger this week, closing part of the road, according to Emergency Management. The county continues to warn that saturated land could lead to mudslides and landslides even after the threat of flooding subsides.

As of Wednesday morning, the National Weather Services flood warning for the region is still in effect. River levels are expected to crest Wednesday afternoon  the Cowlitz River at around 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.  although some are already receding. According to the National Weather Service, the region saw the bulk of the rain Monday and Tuesday, with lower regions receiving 2-3 inches and higher terrain receiving up to 5.24 inches. Wednesday is supposed to have only light showers, with a dry period opening up Thursday. Thursday night into Friday will see another wet period, although precipitation levels are predicted to be minimal, with no major flooding threats.

The County reactivated its Emergency Operations center Tuesday morning, triggering a reopening of the sandbag station at the Law and Justice Center in Chehalis from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and sand has been refilled in Centralia at the corner of West Maple and North Pearl streets.

Emergency Management is encouraging residents to sign up for Lewis County Alert here: https://lewiscountywa.gov/departments/emergency-management/lewis-county-alert/

Road closures throughout the county can be monitored here: https://roads.lewiscountywa.gov/

Information on power outages can be found here: http://outagemaps.lcpud.org:8089/OMSWebMap/OMSWebMap.htm?clientKey=undefined

Residents can monitor local levels at rivers.lewiscountywa.gov and at https://bit.ly/38TE2bz.
This winters ice fishing season is underway in many parts of Upstate New York  particularly in the North Country and in the higher altitude and shallower waterways in other parts of the state.

Some impressive catches have already been reported. And once temperatures drop and safe ice forms in more areas, more are expected.

Casey Weissmuller, of Holland Patent, caught this impressive pike on Delta Lake in Oneida County that he said measured around 50 inches. He didn't have a measuring device or scale readily available and measured it using the length of his buddy's boots. He caught it using a tip up and live shiner as bait. Read more about this: https://trib.al/JZjAB0f

It should also be noted that the statewide, New York State Winter Classic fishing tournament kicked off Jan. 1 and continues until Feb. 28. Fish any state waterway using any legal method (open water, ice fishing, stream and river fishing, etc.) for seven different categories of fish.

The tournament offers more than $23,000 in cash and prizes for the biggest fish caught during the two-month competition, along with weekly and monthly prizes for fish landed in each category. There are more than 60-plus, official weigh-in stations across the state. The entry fee is $25. See the tournament website for more.

Finally, New York has a state-wide Free Fishing weekend set for Feb. 13-14. Anyone can fish the fresh waters of New York State and no fishing license is required. See the DEC website for more.

Rob Caruana, of Auburn, N.Y. caught this 38-inch tiger muskie Sunday on Otisco Lake on a tip-up using a pike minnow as bait.

Thomas Bannister with a nice pair of crappie he caught fishing through the ice on Bear Lake. Bear Lake is located north of the Village of Stockton, in north-central Chautauqua County.

SEND US YOUR ICE FISHING PHOTOS

The photos in this gallery were submitted by Upstate anglers. More will be added as the come in.

Photos and information about the catch should be sent to outdoors writer David Figura at dfigura@NYup.com. Angler who caught the fish must be in the photo. Include the full name of the angler, where he or she lives, when and where the fish was caught  and on what.

A happy Ashley Hunter, of Syracuse, holds a 37-inch northern pike she caught Jan. 19 through the ice on Black Lake. She caught it using a tip-up and a minnow as bait. She said the ice was 7 inches thick where she was fishing.

Brad Battease, of Whitehall, N.Y. landed his impressive, 15 1/2 inch crappie on Jan. 15 while ice fishing on Lake Champlain. It's his person best crappie, he said. He said the ice where he was fishing was 7 inches thick and that he caught it using a pink Rapalla Ripping Rap.

Kevin Bartz, of Varysburg, N.Y.. holds up a 36 3/4-inch northern pike he caught through the ice on Java Lake in Wyoming County on Jan. 17. He said he caught it using a pike chub and that it weighed 11.25 pounds. "It was a tough one to get thru the hole. Took some time," he said.

Brandon Reese, of Port Leyden, N.Y., caught his impressive, 40-inch northern pike through the ice in a lake near Old Forge. He said it weighed 19.98 pounds and that he caught it using a using a medium sucker.

Maysan LaPointe, of Putnam Station, N.Y., holds up a 38-inch northern pike he caught using a tip up and live shiner on Lake Champlain.

Maysan LaPointe offers a different view of how big his 38-inch northern pike was that he caught on Lake Champlain.

Austin Jesmain, right, of Stillwater, N.Y., caught this 41-inch northern pike through the ice on Lake Champlain last weekend. He used a pike shiner on a tip up. His girlfriend, Brianne Bogue, is also pictured.

Charles McClellan, 14, of Liverpool, caught this plump sunfish ( pumpkinseed?) recently on Big Bay on Oneida Lake using a White North jig tipped with a mousie.

Connor Cleveland, of Corinth, N.Y. in Saratoga County with a 10-pound, Atlantic salmon he caught through the ice recently on an Adirondack lake he didn't want to disclose.

Jacqueline McManus, of Mexico, N.Y., holds up a nice walleye she caught through the ice on Oneida Lake on a Jigging Rap.

Al Beaudoin, a fishing guide from Saranac Lake, caught and released this huge, largemouth bass through the ice on an undisclosed waterway in Essex County. His wife said he caught on live bait while fishing for crappie -- and that the ice he was fishing on was about 6 inches thick.

A happy Josh Longfritz, of Johnstown, surrounded by his buddies, holds up a 40-inch, 17-pound pike he caught on Jan. 5 through the ice on Great Sacandaga Lake using a medium-sized shiner as bait.

Frank Enos, of Rome, N.Y. with a crappie (his personal best, he said) that he caught ice fishing on Delta Lake on Oneida County. He wrote: "Caught it on a ice rod and minnow. There was about 5 inches of ice. Got it right before dark."

Morgan Wilson, of Wells, N.Y. holds up a 41 1/4-inch northern pike she caught ice fishing on Great Sacandaga Lake -- her first pike ever. She used a medium shiner as bait.. The fish weighed 20 pounds, she said.

Dan Graziano, of Clifton Park, N.Y., caught this 30-inch, tiger muskie through the ice this past weekend on Lake Durant in the Adirondacks. He used a medium-sized shiner as bait, he said. As for the thickness of the ice, he added, "pretty solid 4-5 inches. It's a shallow lake. They freeze first."

Stu Gallagher of Liverpool, N.Y. landed this impressive northern pike while ice fishing recently on the St. Lawrence River. He wrote: "It was caught on 4-pound test line with a small jigging spoon. We were after perch but the northern was a welcome surprise. I didnt measure it before releasing it back to the river, but we estimated it to be around 40 inches."

Dan Willmart holds up a 40-inch tiger muskie he caught Dec. 28 on Payne Lake in Jefferson County in the Adirondacks.. He said it weighed 18 pounds. He caught it using a 6-inch, live shiner as bait.

Garvin Carney holds up a northern pike he caught through the ice on an undisclosed waterway last weekend in Argyle, N.Y. in Washington County. He and his brother, Hayden, both landed nice northerns. Garvin wrote: "One was caught on a large sucker the other was caught on a large shiner. We didnt get length or weight on either fish."

Matthew Baldwin caught this 37-inch northern pike on Great Sacandaga Lake on a medium shiner. He said it weighed 15 pounds.

Herschel Ivy, of Utica, holds up a largemouth bass he caught through the ice and released on the Eaton Reservoir in Madison County.

Jarid Empie, of Johnstown, N.Y., caught this 23-inch lake trout on an unnamed Adirondack waterway in Fulton County on Jan. 6 using a small sucker as bait.

Racheal Fonseca, of Wantage, N.J., with a pickerel she caught on a frozen lake in Sullivan County. It was her first time ever ice fishing.

Heather Lindsay. of Rockland County, holds up a pickerel she caught through the ice on a Sullivan County lake recently.

James Peterson, Sr., of Gloversville, holds a 24-inch landlocked salmon he caught through the ice on an undisclosed lake in Hamilton County. He said he caught it on a hunt, a live bait fish.

Jim Boyce, of Massena, had a good time recently ice fishing on an undisclosed waterway in St. Lawrence County. He said he caught four landlocked salmon, a brown trout and a couple of nice-sized perch.

MORE UPSTATE NY OUTDOORS

Meet Ada Ladd, who fell through the ice and kept fishing, and shot himself in the foot and kept hunting

Ice fishing 101 in Upstate NY: The basics for having a safe good time and catching fish

Getting outdoors: Upstate NY outdoors writer finally ventures out on ice, catches a few small ones

Angler alert: The DECs new categorization of streams and how theyll be stocked

What you need to know about the DECs proposed statewide, catch and release trout fishing season
Riz Ahmed, who won the award for Sound of Metal, quoted 'tremendous actor' Irrfan Khan while accepting his prize.

British-Pakistani actor Riz Ahmed paid tributes to his "inspiration" Irrfan Khan in his acceptance speech for the best actor honour at the Gotham Awards 2021.

The 30th annual Gotham Awards was a "virtual-hybrid" event, held in New York on Monday night.

Ahmed, 38, won the award for director Darius Marder's acclaimed drama Sound of Metal, which features him as a drummer who begins to lose his hearing.

During his virtual acceptance speech, the actor said 2020 was the year of a "lot of loss" and quoted Khan's words, which he "always thinks of."

"I want to mention Irrfan Khan, another great, tremendous actor who we lost last year. Who's words ring in my ears right now, which I always think of: "Surrender to the dance of uncertainty"," Ahmed, who is billed to be a frontrunner in best male actor categories this award season, said.

Khan, who straddled both Indian and international cinema with equal elan, died in April 2020, following a two-year-long battle with a rare form of cancer.

Ahmed, who won a lead acting Emmy Award for HBO limited series The Night Of, had previously named Khan, along with late American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, as his inspirations in life.

In his speech, Ahmed also mentioned Boseman, who was nominated for his swansong Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

He said the Black Panther star led a life of great example and dignity. Boseman, 43, died August, 2020, following a four-year-long private battle with colon cancer.

"It has been a crazy year for all of us. There's been a lot of loss, a lot of time to reflect. The one thing we learnt was that we don't get anywhere on our own. Our well being is dependent on each other. I feel the same way as an actor. Creativity isn't a solo sport.

"In that spirit, I want to thank all the other nominees for their work and inspiration, in particular Chadwick Boseman. I found his work to be truly inspiring, the way he conducted himself, with such dignity and humanity, to be an example for all of us," he added.

During the awards, Boseman was posthumously honoured with the Gotham Awards' Film Tribute prize.

The actor's widow Taylor Simone Ledward gave an emotional speech as she opened up about his death for the first time.

"He was the most honest person I ever met, because he didnt just stop at speaking the truth: he actively searched for it in himself and those around him and in the moment.

"The truth can be a very easy thing for the self to avoid, but if one does not live in truth then its impossible to live in line with the divine purpose for your life. And so it became how he lived his life, day in and out. Imperfect and determined," Ledward said.

She said Boseman was a gifted actor as he used to live "many lives within his concentrated one".

"He developed his understanding of what it meant to be the none, the one, and the all. A vessel to be poured into and out of, he said. He harnessed the power of letting go and letting Gods love shine through... (He) was not merely telling a story or reading lines on a page, but modelling a path to true fulfilment," Ledward added.

Filmmaker Chloe Zhao's drama Nomadland, a critical favourite, bagged two honours in best feature and the audience award categories at the ceremony.

Nicole Beharie, 36, was adjudged as the best actress for her work in Channing Godfrey Peoples' drama Miss Juneteenth.

HBO's superhero show Watchmen and drama I May Destroy You bagged the Breakthrough Series - Long Format and Short Format award, respectively.

Spanish drama Identifying Features, directed by Fernanda Valadez, won the best international feature honour.

Credit: Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

An expansion of parental benefits in Quebec 15 years ago revolutionized the province's labour forcethe intended outcomebut it also saved some marriages, a Western study has found.

Using Statistics Canada data, sociology professor Rachel Margolis and her collaborators discovered that the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan led to a 6 percent decrease in separation and divorce among heterosexual couples in the five years following its implementation in 2006. The study is published in Journal of Marriage and Family.

The ground-breaking QPIP 2006 aimed to increase gender equality in the labour force and at home by reserving some benefits for the non-birth parent, a policy that became known as the "daddy quota." Overall payments for new parents were also increased.

QPIP contributed to Quebec having one of the highest rates of female labour force participation in the worldabout 85 percentand a large number of those working women are mothers with young children. A spinoff benefit was the ever-increasing number of fathers spending more time caring for their children.

"Policies that encourage both mother and father to take time off work to parent when a child is born helps each parent develop competence and confidence in caretaking," said Margolis, a demographer and sociologist who studies family dynamics. "That can have long-run effects on family relationships."

The transition to parenthood is often very stressful, especially among egalitarian couples who end up taking on traditional gender roles after a birth, she said. "The policy made it easier for couples to share parenting more equally, which improved their relationship and made them far less likely to break up."

Quebec's policy is the most progressive in Canada. Some European countries, such as Sweden, Norway and Iceland, have been offering markedly more gender-equal parental benefits for years, and those policies have led to more equal sharing of child care and housework.

In 2019, the Canadian government tweaked its parental benefit policy, including one element of QPIP but not all. Now, there are an extra four weeks of parental benefits if both parents are using them.

"Hopefully, in the future, we will see more parents sharing leave in the rest of Canada," said Margolis, who collaborated on the study with economics professors Anders Holm and Nirav Mehta from Western and Youjin Choi, a Western Ph.D. alumna who works at Statistics Canada.

Explore further Same-sex male couples losing out on paid parental leave

More information: Rachel Margolis et al. The Effect of Expanded Parental Benefits on Union Dissolution, Journal of Marriage and Family (2020). Journal information: Journal of Marriage and Family Rachel Margolis et al. The Effect of Expanded Parental Benefits on Union Dissolution,(2020). DOI: 10.1111/jomf.12718

SYUNIK, Armenia -- The ruined buildings are easy to miss if youre not looking for them.

Degraded and dismantled, the slight remains of perhaps a dozen houses are clustered tightly between the river and the highway, about 10 kilometers south of the city of Goris, in southern Armenia.



But this is not Armenia. This is the village of Eyvazli, in Azerbaijan. And while there's not much of it left, it now sits at the heart of the latest tensions between the two historical rivals and the uncertainties of the new border demarcation process here.



The southern Armenian province of Syunik, which hosts Goris, forms a tendril of land stretching down from central Armenia to border Iran. On both sides, it is flanked by Azerbaijan -- the Azerbaijani exclave of Naxcivan to the west and the Azerbaijani provinces (rayons) of Qubadli and Zangilan to the east.



For the past 27 years, the latter border did not exist in reality. Qubadli and Zangilan were captured by Karabakh Armenian forces in 1993 and administered by Stepanakert until three months ago, when Azerbaijani forces retook them during a sweeping offensive.



A Russia-brokered cease-fire ended 44 days of fresh fighting in the long-simmering war over Azerbaijan's territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions on November 10, enshrining Azerbaijani control over the two. Now, for the first time since the border between then-Soviet Armenia and Azerbaijan was drawn nearly a century ago, it is being officially demarcated.



A glance at the map makes the problem immediately evident.

The border -- which was never meant to be international, but merely a near-meaningless divider between two Soviet provinces -- zigzags haphazardly, cutting through settlements and key roads. The most important road in southern Armenia -- the highway between Syuniks two largest cities of Goris and Kapan -- repeatedly crosses the official border, including at Eyvazli.



The unclear position of the actual border has already led to problems since the cease-fire cemented Azerbaijani control over much of the territory it lost nearly three decades ago, as local Armenian and Azerbaijani forces come face-to-face.



On December 13, reports emerged of a shoot-out between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops in a village near Syunik's provincial capital, Kapan.



Speaking to RFE/RL the next day, Kapan's mayor describes the incident as Armenian "defenders" merely firing into the air to warn off several dozen approaching Azerbaijani soldiers.



"[The Azerbaijanis] didn't shoot back," Mayor Gevorg Parsian says.



Parsian's city is itself affected by the border issue, lying within sight of the newly manned Azerbaijani border.



The last neighborhood of Kapan is less than 1 kilometer from the border, Parsian says. We already feel under threat because of this.

Kapans airport is even closer. Disused since Soviet times, it has repeatedly been rumored to be reopening. The landing strip has clearly been repaved recently, and the terminal building is also freshly built.



Barely 100 meters separates the tarmac from the river that marks the border.



The Azerbaijanis are already there, on the other side of the river, Parsian says. The new airport should be a major asset for Kapan, but it hardly feels safe now.



The new frontier especially concerns residents here, given Kapans history. Over the course of 1992, during the first years of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the city was repeatedly shelled by Azerbaijani forces across the border.

Fallout from the border issue and the discomfiting truce that capped the recent fighting have turned Syunik -- or at least its mayors -- into staunch critics of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.



The mayors of Syuniks five largest settlements -- Kapan, Goris, Sisian, Meghri, and Kajaran -- have all called for Pashinians resignation. During a planned visit to Syunik on December 21, local residents blocked the roads, forcing the prime minister's entourage back to Yerevan.



Parsian, who has been one of Pashinians most strident critics, pins the blame for the recent defeat on the Armenian leader, who took power after leading street protests that fueled a "velvet revolution" in 2018.



The war is connected with [Pashinians] failed policies -- specifically, his foreign policy, Parsian says, adding, "The support we have from the government [on the border issue] is also not enough."



Their disappointment has led Kapan and other communities to seek the help of another protector: Russia.



In late November, Moscow announced that in addition to some 2,000 Russian troops already policing the cease-fire, it was sending 188 border guards to Armenia to help secure that countrys southeast border. Some of them are already on the ground around the Kapan-Goris highway.



We are in contact with the Russians," Parsian says. "They have promised us to maintain security."

Meanwhile, in another of Syunik's villages, the border situation is equally tense and the direct effects of the recent fighting are still being felt.



Seventy-three-year-old Zaven, who asks that his last name not be published, points to a destroyed shed next to his house in Davit Bek.*



It is about 5 kilometers as the crow flies from the Azerbaijani town of Qubadli (Kubatli in Armenian), near the mutual border.



"They fired a shell that landed right here," he says of his property coming under Azerbaijani artillery fire. "Many other houses in the village were also hit."



A detachment of Armenian Army troops is present in the village, billeted in a house in its center. They arrived in early December, after having fought on the front lines in Cebrayil/Jrakan.



"The enemy is about a kilometer and a half from here, an Armenian soldier, speaking on condition of anonymity, says as he gestures toward several small tents across a field that marks the border with Azerbaijan.



Unlike Syuniks mayors, these men have no harsh words for the prime minister.



"This deal saved our friends," the unit commander says when asked about the cease-fire agreement. We fought the war in order for our people to live. Thank God, most of them still do."



While major combat is over -- at least for a while -- the border demarcation has led to further losses and more uncertainty.



On January 4, a dozen homes in the village of Shurnukh, about 10 kilometers northwest of Davit Bek, were handed over after being found to lie on the Azerbaijani side of the newly defined border.



But not before they were set alight in scenes reminiscent of evacuations in Kelbacar/Karvachar and other parts of Nagorno-Karabakh that were ceded by other ethnic Armenians more than a month earlier.



For Mayor Parsian, the newly arriving Azerbaijanis on the border are an ominous sign, even if Russian border guards will also be coming.



"The war in the 1990s started because we were living too close to each other, he says. "There were kidnappings, raids -- thats how it all started. If [Azerbaijanis] are again right next to us, I fear the situation will be repeated."

*CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Zaven by another name.
ARCHIVED - Spain extends ban on non-Spanish residents entering Spain from UK until 2nd February



Spains borders are open to European Union and Schengen-area countries

Only British nationals with residency in Spain or Spansih nationals returning home to Spain will be admitted.



The Spanish Government has announced that the ban on travellers from the UK entering Spain will continue until the 2nd February unless proof of full residency in Spain can be provided.



This is due to the high number of coronavirus cases in the UK and fears that the so-called British variant ( the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant) could increase the number of cases in Spain due to its highly contagious nature.



The Spanish Ministries of Transport and Health are both supporting the ban, which applies to ports and airports. Only vessels and aircraft transporting Spanish nationals returning to Spain or Andorra or international residents with full Spanish residency will be permitted to enter.

As of 12th January 2020 around 70 cases of the British variant had been detected in Spain, although the true number of cases is expected to be considerably higher.

If you are resident in Spain, you should carry your residence document (the green paper EU residence certificate or the new TIE), as well as your valid passport when you travel. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that whilst these restrictions are in place only those residents who can prove their status as residents through the green paper EU residence certificate or the TIE card may enter Spain.

IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT to ensure that you carry documentation proving your residency as there have been cases of travellers being refused entry and sent back to the UK for not supplying the correct documentation.

Travellers arriving from the United Kingdom are not required to self-isolate on arrival in Spain. However, from the 23 rdNovember, there are some requirements for testing on arrival for those travelling by air and sea. Spot checks may be carried out on arrival to confirm travellers have undergone a COVID-19 PCR, TMA or LAMP test and have tested negative. A minimum fine of 3000 may be issued to anyone who does not comply.

This requirement applies to all passengers arriving in Spain by air or sea, regardless of your residency status in Spain and the length of time you intend on staying. Property owners in Spain are subject to this requirement.

If you are travelling by air or sea to Spain, you must declare on the mandatory Health Control Form listed below, that you have undertaken a PCR, TMA or LAMP test within no more than 72 hours prior to arrival, have tested negative for COVID-19, and can show on request evidence certifying your results.

The document you provide must be the original, be written in Spanish or English, may be submitted in paper or electronic format and must contain the following information:

 name of passenger

 passport number or ID card number (the number provided must match the one provided on the Health Control Form)

 test date

 name and contact details of the testing centre

 testing method applied (ie PCR)

 test results

You can do this on the Spain Travel Health website or downloadable app. On completion, you will be issued a personal and non-transferable QR code which you must show (electronically or hardcopy) at airport health controls on arrival. Anyone who has not completed this form electronically via the Spain Travel Health website or app, may submit it in paper format prior to boarding.

 temperature check

 undergo a visual health assessment

Anyone who presents symptoms or fails to meet one of the above requirements will be required to undergo a test on arrival and will be obliged to observe the COVID-19 protocols in place as determined by the local authorities of your destination in Spain.

Passengers may also be contacted and required to undertake a PCR, TMA or LAMP test at any point up to 48 hours after their arrival in Spain.

You should not use the NHS testing service to get a test in order to facilitate your travel to another country. You should arrange to take a private test and should confirm with the testing facility the type of tests available prior to booking an appointment.

Overland travellers to Spain are exempt from the above-mentioned entry requirements, and are therefore not currently required to present a PCR, TMA or LAMP test or Health Control Form on entry by road or rail, however, this is dependent on travel through France.

Check travel information from the British Consulate if planning to travel by road through France.




A New Zealander who was an English teacher was found dead in a tenanted house in Vietnam on Tuesday, according to local authorities.

The body of the New Zealander was discovered in the house the teacher rented in Ca Mau Province, located in the southern region, officials said on Wednesday.

The foreigner taught English at a language center in Ward 9, Ca Mau City, which is the provincial capital, an official said, adding the person registered their residency in Ward 4 in 2019.

The language centers representatives on Tuesday afternoon reported to Ward 4 police that they had been unable to contact the New Zealander teacher many times.

Police officers came to the teachers tenanted house in Ward 4 later the same day, only to see its doors locked.

They went on to break the doors open and found the person dead inside.

The death has been reported to higher authorities and the New Zealand Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City for joint handling.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Israel approves 800 new homes in West Bank as Biden prepares to take office

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Over a week before a regime change in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved plans to construct hundreds of homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Netanyahus announcement came in the way of a Facebook post in which he stated that 800 new apartments will be built in Judea and Samaria.

We are here to stay, Netanyahu wrote, according to an English translation. Continuing to build the land of Israel!

The prime ministers announcement was criticized by Knesset opposition leader Yair Lapid, who called the approval an irresponsible step.

The [Joe] Biden administration has not yet taken office and the government is already leading us into an unnecessary confrontation, Lapid tweeted. The national interest must also be maintained during elections. A sane government does not start an unnecessary battle with a new American president.

Israel took control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem in the 1967 Six-Day War. Although the area has been controlled by Israel for over 50 years, the territory has never been annexed by Israel. Palestinians have argued that Jewish settlements in the region violate international law.

Sovereignty over the area has long been debated in the international community with many international actors opposing Israels plans to annex the region.

The Palestinian presidency condemned the new settlements in a statement released by the Palestine News Agency calling the new settlements illegal, a violation of international law and a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions.

Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh argued that Netanyahu is trying to make these types of decisions before Trump leaves office. The spokesperson asserted that all settlements are illegal and in violation of international law and UN Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2334.

The approval to build more housing units in the West Bank on land that Palestinians have claimed to be part of a future state comes as U.S. President-elect Biden has been a critic of Jewish settlement expansion in the past.

Meanwhile, the administration of outgoing President Donald Trump had been more supportive of Jewish expansion and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo became the first U.S. diplomat to visit an Israeli settlement in the West Bank. The Trump administration also took historic steps in its approach to Israel, as it moved the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Throughout his long political career, Biden has positioned himself as a supporter of Israel but has also opposed Jewish development in the West Bank, leaving some to wonder how the Israel-U.S. relationship will change under the Biden administration.

The Trump administration published a peace plan last year that the president hailed as a deal of the century that would have enabled Israel to annex up to 30% of the West Bank.

However, annexation plans were suspended in exchange for the United Arab Emirates agreeing to normalize economic ties with Israel, a deal praised by Biden who claimed it only happened thanks to efforts of multiple [U.S.] administrations. In the last year, several Arab countries have normalized ties with Israel.

When Biden served as vice president during the Obama administration, he butted heads with Netanyahu over settlements. In 2010, Biden spoke out against a Jewish settlement plan in East Jerusalem and accused the Israeli government of undermining the trust needed to pursue peace efforts.

In 2015, the State Department under the Obama administration gave U.S. taxpayer money to the OneVoice Movement to campaign against Netanyahu during the Israeli election.

Netanyahus announcement on Monday comes as he looks to bolster support ahead of the upcoming March election in which he faces a challenge from one of his former supporters and cabinet secretaries, Gideon Saar, a nationalist who left the Likud Party and formed his own party in December called the New Hope Party.

As reported by the Jerusalem Post, the announcement came after Saar sent Netanyahu a letter calling for the authorization.

For more than 20 years, the Israeli government has not completed the regulation procedures for dozens of communities in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, Saar stated. I call on you to rise above the disputes and regulate the status of these communities once and for all.

Israels desire to claim sovereignty over areas of the West Bank, which is home to millions of Palestinians and hundreds of thousands of Jewish settlers, has also been criticized by the World Evangelical Alliance.

The zionist organization International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem argued last year that Israel already held a legitimate historic right and claim to Judea/Samaria even before it came into possession of these areas in an act of self-defense in 1967.
Eric Bunch has been one of the most sympathetic white dude voices to the Black Lives Matter movement on the council and he even aligned himself with anti-police protesters campaign out on the city hall steps last year.

And while he hasn't really done much to address rising crime in his own district . . .

TODAY COUNCIL DUDE ERIC BUNCH DENOUNCES THE KCPD CHIEF AND CLEARLY WANTS THE TOP COP OUT!!!



Credit where it's due, it's a bold move that also has the benefit of distracting from worsening budget and infrastructure problems by foisting blame for a deteriorating municipal crisis on law enforcement.

Check-it . . .



KMBC: Councilman calls for resignation of KCPD Chief over slow body cam, safety reform rollouts

Deets . . .

Kansas City, Missouri, City Councilman Eric Bunch took aim at Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith in a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon, ultimately calling for Smiths resignation.



Bunch cited the fact that Kansas City police still dont have functioning body cameras as one reason for his suggested resignation.



Bunch also alleged Smith has done virtually nothing to implement Mayor Quinton Lucass public safety reform initiatives in a response to updates from Tuesdays KCPD Board of Police Commissioners meeting in which Smith said body cameras are still being looked at.

You decide . . .



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WASHINGTON: A week after President Donald Trump`s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, the House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday as lawmakers considered impeaching him for his role in an assault on American democracy that stunned the nation and left five dead.

At least five Republicans have said they would join Democrats in voting for an article of impeachment - a formal charge - of inciting an insurrection just seven days before he is due to leave the office and President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. If the House approves it, Trump would become the first president impeached twice.

House impeachment of Donald Trump would not immediately remove him from office but would set up a trial in the Republican-controlled Senate. It remained unclear whether such a trial would take place in time to expel Trump from office. As lawmakers debated the matter, National Guard troops and police were stationed around the Capitol to provide security.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat, said Democrats intended to send the impeachment charge, once approved, to the Senate "as soon as possible," and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named nine impeachment managers who would present the House`s case during a Senate trial.

The extraordinary swiftness with which Democrats were moving reflects the ongoing danger that Trump poses to national security, according to top Democrats. It also increases pressure on Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate leader, to consider holding an immediate trial.

McConnell has said no trial could begin until the chamber returns from its recess on Jan. 19. But Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is set to become the majority leader after two newly elected Democratic senators from Georgia are seated and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in later this month, told reporters the Senate could be recalled to handle the matter if McConnell agrees.

`CRIME SCENE`

Washington is on high alert after the January 6 riot, with a week to go in Trump`s term. Thousands of National Guard troops were to be on hand and some service members wearing fatigues, with weapons at hand, could be seen sleeping inside the Capitol building on Wednesday ahead of the session.

The House convened just after 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) in the same chamber where lawmakers hid under chairs last Wednesday as rioters clashed with police in the halls of the Capitol.

"We are debating this historic measure at an actual crime scene," Democratic Representative Jim McGovern said as the session opened. "This was a well-organized attack on our country that was incited by Donald Trump."

House Republicans who opposed the impeachment drive argued Democrats were going too far, as Trump was on the verge of leaving office, and argued for the creation of a commission to study the events surrounding the siege.

"Instead of moving forward as a unifying force, the majority in the House is choosing to divide us further," Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole said on the floor. Cole was one of 139 House Republicans who voted against certifying the Nov. 3 presidential election results on Wednesday, hours after the violence, after Trump made false claims of widespread voting fraud.

Republican Representative Jason Smith accused Democrats of acting recklessly and urged the House not to impeach Trump in order to help "heal the nation."

Democrats moved forward on an impeachment vote after Vice President Mike Pence rejected an effort to persuade him to invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove Trump.

As the House prepared for the impeachment vote, there were signs Trump`s hold on the Republican Party was beginning to ebb. At least five House Republicans, including Liz Cheney, a member of her party`s leadership team, said they would vote for his second impeachment - a prospect no president before Trump has faced.

"There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said in a statement.

Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack" on the Capitol, she said.

Republicans Jaime Herrera Beutler, John Katko, Adam Kinzinger and Fred Upton also said they supported impeachment.

In a break from standard procedure, Republican leaders in the House have refrained from urging their members to vote against impeaching Trump, saying it was a matter of individual conscience.

The New York Times reported that McConnell was said to be pleased about the impeachment push, another sign Trump`s party is looking to move on from him after the attack on Congress.

The House previously voted to impeach Trump in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemming from his request that Ukraine investigate Biden and his son Hunter ahead of the election, as Democrats accused him of soliciting foreign interference to smear a domestic political rival. The Republican-led Senate in February 2020 voted to keep Trump in office.

The article of impeachment accused Trump of "incitement of insurrection," saying he provoked violence against the U.S. government in a speech to thousands of supporters near the White House shortly before the Capitol siege. The article also cited Trump`s Jan. 2 phone call asking a Georgia official to "find" votes to overturn Biden`s victory in the state.

`TOTALLY APPROPRIATE`

In his first public appearance since last Wednesday`s riot, Trump showed no contrition on Tuesday for his speech shortly before the siege.

"What I said was totally appropriate," Trump told reporters.

At a meeting to set the rules for Wednesday`s impeachment vote, Democratic Representative David Cicilline, who helped craft the impeachment measure, said it had the support of 217 lawmakers - enough to impeach Trump.

A two-thirds majority of the Senate is needed to convict Trump, meaning at least 17 Republicans in the 100-member chamber would have to vote for conviction.

Democrats could also use an impeachment trial to push through a vote blocking Trump from running for office again.

Only a simple Senate majority is needed to disqualify Trump from future office, but there is disagreement among legal experts as to whether an impeachment conviction is needed before a disqualification vote.

A different part of the Constitution, the 14th Amendment, also provides a procedure for disqualifying Trump from future office with a simple majority of both chambers.
The latest instalment from Normal People author Sally Rooney will be published later this year - and it promises to be an equally racy read.

The Irish author's follow-up to Conversations With Friends and Normal People, called Beautiful World, Where Are You, is set to be released on September 7.

The book, announced by Rooney's British publisher Faber on Tuesday, follows novelist Alice and her best friend Eileen, who are both in their twenties.

Alice meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks to travel to Rome with her. Meanwhile Eileen, reeling from a break-up, resumes flirting with childhood friend Simon.

The latest instalment from Normal People author Sally Rooney, pictured, will be published later this year, it has been revealed

The publisher synopsis states: 'Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon are still young  but life is catching up with them. They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart.

'They have sex, they worry about sex, they worry about their friendships and the world they live in. Are they standing in the last lighted room before the darkness, bearing witness to something? Will they find a way to believe in a beautiful world?'

Alex Bowler, the publisher at Faber who acquired the novel, dubbed it 'a book of friendship and sex, art and faith, power and love', reports the Guardian.

'It absorbs you once again in the inner lives of characters with brilliant minds and aching hearts, while marking the next creative leap from a singular writer,' he went on.

The Irish author's follow-up to Normal People and Conversations With Friends, called Beautiful World, Where Are You, is set to be released on September 7, publisher Faber announced on Tuesday

'The book scintillates with intelligence, empathy and, yes, beauty.'

Similar to Normal People and Conversations With Friends, Alice and Eileen's friendship plays out largely via email, with the pair exchanging messages about 'art, friendship, the world around them and the complicated love affairs unfolding in their own lives... They say they want to see each other again soon. But what will happen when they do?'

Kate Skipper, chief operating officer at Waterstones, said Rooney's latest novel is 'set to be the most eagerly anticipated book of the autumn, for readers and booksellers alike'.

'I cannot wait to read Beautiful World, Where Are You, to immerse myself in the new characters and world that Sally has created with her rare talent,' she said.

'The prospect of Sally's third novel being published later this year is a truly delicious one. What a welcome treat for 2021!'

Normal People starring Daisy Edgar Jones and Paul Mescal became the most watched show on BBC Three ever last year

Faber will publish the book, which is available to pre-order now, in hardback and produce two special editions which will be exclusive to Waterstones and independent bookshops. The US publisher is Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Rooney, 29, penned her 2017 debut novel Conversations With Friends, which follows two college students Frances and Bobbi and the strange, unexpected connection they forge with married couple Melissa and Nick, while studying for her master's degree in American literature at Trinity College in Dublin.

She released coming-of-age tale Normal People in 2018, which won the Costa Book Award - of which she was the youngest ever winner - and Irish Novel of the Year, to name a few accolades.

Normal People, left, is the second novel by author Sally Rooney after 2017's Conversations with Friends, pictured right

Within weeks of its publication plans were announced for a BBC adaptation. Normal People starring Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal subsequently became the most watched show on BBC Three ever last year.

It also rocketed the book to top of the bestseller lists in both Ireland and the UK, more than two years after it was published.

In June last year it was announced the BBC and Hulu have teamed up again to adapt Conversations With Friends into a 12-part series of half hour episodes.

It will be helmed by Irish director Lenny Abrahamson, who also directed Normal People. Normal People writer Alice Birch, who is also a story editor on HBO drama Succession, will be lead writer for the adaptation.

Normal People is available to stream on Stan in Australia
(Newser)  Fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is threatening a companys controversial plans to retrieve and exhibit the radio that had broadcast distress calls from the sinking Titanic, according to a court filing made by the firm. RMS Titanic Inc. said Monday that its revenues plummeted after coronavirus restrictions closed its exhibits of Titanic artifacts, causing the firm to seek funding through its parent company. Some of the exhibitions, which are scattered across the country, are still closed; others that have reopened are seeing limited attendance, per the AP. The companys update, filed with a US District Court in Norfolk, was made in the midst of an ongoing court battle with the US over whether the expedition is legal. Lawyers for the US government have argued that the company must seek the government's permission to remove the radio because the sunken vessel is a recognized memorial to the roughly 1,500 people who died.

story continues below

A federal admiralty judge in Norfolk had approved the planned expedition in May. But the approval was conditioned on the firm, which owns the salvage rights and oversees a collection of items recovered from the wreck as the court-recognized steward of the artifacts, submitting a plan detailing costs and funding for the operation and conservation of the recovered equipment. RMS Titanic said in Monday's filing that it's still trying to finalize that plan despite missing a Jan. 10 deadline. The company said it hopes to submit a plan by Jan. 29. But if it's unable to, the firm said it would withdraw its original motion seeking the court's permission to retrieve the radio. The US government's effort to stop the expedition is pending in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. But the companys funding woes appear to pose a more immediate threat. (RMS Titanic suggests the radio could soon be irretrievable.)
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Dr. Kenneth Brent Olsen is a clinical psychologist practicing in California. He has been active in the Libertarian Party since 1996 when he ran for Salt Lake County Commissioner in Utah. To contact Dr. Olsen, please email him at vicechair@ca.lp.org.
This March 20, 2018, file photo shows the YouTube app on an iPad in Baltimore. YouTube said it would be suspending U.S. President Donald Trump's channel for at least a week amid concerns around "ongoing potential for violence," making it the latest platform to limit the president's online activities. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

YouTube has suspended U.S. President Donald Trump's channel for at least a week amid concerns over "ongoing potential for violence," making it the latest platform to limit the president's online activities.

The Google-owned platform said it removed content that was uploaded on January 12 from the Donald J. Trump channel for inciting violence, although it was not immediately clear which videos in question were in violation.

"After careful review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J. Trump channel and issued a strike for violating our policies for inciting violence," a YouTube spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Under the suspension, Trump's channel is temporarily prevented from uploading new videos or live streams for at least seven days, although the channel remains live, YouTube said.

Comments would be indefinitely disabled on the channel, YouTube said. Under YouTube's policies, a second strike would result in a two-week suspension, while a third strike would get the account banned permanently.

The move to curtail Trump's social media activity comes after a mob of his supporters, urged on by his rhetoric, stormed the Capitol last week to try to stop Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Biden's win.

In this Thursday, June 18, 2020 file photo, President Donald Trump looks at his phone during a roundtable with governors on the reopening of America's small businesses, in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington. Though stripped of his Twitter account for inciting rebellion, President Donald Trump does have alternative options of much smaller reach. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

The logo of the social media platform Parler is displayed in Berlin, Jan. 10, 2021. In the background on a screen is the platform's website. The conservative-friendly social network Parler was booted off the internet Monday, Jan. 11, over ties to last week's siege on the U.S. Capitol, but not before hackers made off with an archive of its posts, including any that might have helped organize or document the riot. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP)

The website of the social media platform Parler is displayed in Berlin, Jan. 10, 2021. The platform's logo is on a screen in the background. The conservative-friendly social network Parler was booted off the internet Monday, Jan. 11, over ties to last week's siege on the U.S. Capitol, but not before hackers made off with an archive of its posts, including any that might have helped organize or document the riot. (Christophe Gateau/dpa via AP)

Tech companies have moved to suspend Trump's online postings, with Facebook and Instagram suspending Trump at least until the end of his term and Twitter permanently banning his account. Other sites, including Reddit and Snapchat have also banned Trump. Online shopping platform Shopify has pulled Trump stores off its platform.

Companies like Apple and Google have also moved to ban Parler, a social networking site popular among Trump supporters, from their app stores. Parler's site also went offline this week after Amazon ceased to provide hosting services to the company.

"A minimum of seven days is an important and necessary first step by YouTube, and we hope they will make it permanent," said Jim Styer, CEO of media rating firm Common Sense Media.

"While it is disappointing that it took a Trump-incited attack on our Capitol to get here, it appears that all the major platforms are finally beginning to step up and take this important issue seriously and that policymakers and the public are committed to holding them accountable," he said.

Explore further Amazon pushes Parler offline after Capitol attack

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
BENZIE AND LEELNAU COUNTIES - The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department are reporting four new cases of COVID-19 reported in Benzie County and eleven new cases of COVID-19 in Leelanau County.

Today, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services announced an extension to their Emergency Order Gatherings and Face Mask Order. This order takes effect on Jan. 16 at 12:01am and expires on Jan. 31 , 11:59pm. Here is a graphic showing what is and isn't open.

Residents are asked to continue to wash their hands, properly wear a mask, maintain a safe distance, and avoid large indoor gatherings. The health department wants residents to be reminded that testing is still available in our Leelanau Office; no symptoms or doctors order is necessary to make an appointment to be tested. Testing sites are available throughout the region. To avoid duplication, people are urged to use the pre-registration/sign up survey form once.

As of today, over 5,000 survey responses have been submitted using the online form, signifying their interest in receiving the vaccine. The health department is excited to know that area residents are ready to be vaccinated. However, local vaccine supply does not currently meet the demand.

We are pleased to see the interest from our community to receive the vaccination, said Health Officer Lisa Peacock. We are trying to create as many access points as possible  through health department clinics, hospitals within our region, physician offices, pharmacies, and more  and we ask for patience from the public as we work to safely assure the vaccine is administered. We want residents to know that after completing our online form we have their information, that they are on our list to be scheduled into a future clinic, and that we are working as quickly as possible to give them that dosage in their arm!

As of 4 p.m., the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department is reporting:

 Total COVID-19 cases in the following counties: Benzie 749, Leelanau 731

 Active COVID-19 cases in the following counties: Benzie 146, Leelanau 167

 Recovered COVID-19 cases in the following counties: Benzie 575, Leelanau 555

 Confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the following counties: Benzie  28, Leelanau 9

 Hospitalized: 100 total; 4 current

The State of Michigan has reported 528,306 cases and 13,533 deaths.
Boris Johnson has stood by his claim that outgoing US president Donald Trump deserved to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

The prime minister was questioned about his comments from 2018 at meeting of parliament's liaison committee on Wednesday.

It comes as politicians who sided with Mr Trump face questions after he tried to overturn the result of the US election and his supporters stormed the US capitol.

Asked about his praise for Mr Trump and suggestion that he should be rewarded for his work in office, Mr Johnson said: "I am in favour of the prime minister of the UK having the best possible relationship with the president of the United States and I had an excellent conversation very recently with president-elect Joe Biden."

In 2018 while he was foreign secretary Mr Johnson gave an interview in which he praised Mr Trump's work on the issues of North Korea and the Iran nuclear deal.

If Trump can fix North Korea and the Iran nuclear deal then I dont see why hes any less of a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize than Barack Obama, he told Sky News.

Mr Johnson went on to say: "I don't see why he's any less of a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize than Barack Obama who got it before he even did anything."

The prime minister and Mr Trump regularly exchange compliments during the pair's overlapping tenure, with Mr Trump said Mr Johnson was "doing very well".

That comment came hours after the UK Supreme Court ruled that Mr Johnson's then suspension of parliament had been unlawful.

But last week Mr Johnson condemned the "disgraceful scenes" at the US capitol.

The next day the prime minister went on to say it was "completely wrong" to cast doubt on the US election and encourage supporters to storm the seat of government.

This article was amended on January 27, 2021, to include more details about Mr Johnsons original comment in 2018.
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Taoiseach Micheal Martin has apologised on behalf of the State to the victims of the Mother and Baby Homes.

Mothers did nothing wrong and have nothing to be ashamed of, Mr Martin told TDs in the National Convention Centre.

The treatment of women and children is something which was the direct result of how the State, and we as a society acted, he said.

The report presents us with profound questions. We embraced a perverse religious morality and control, judgmentalism and moral certainty, but shunned our daughters.

We honoured piety, but failed to show even basic kindness to those who needed it most.

Read More

We had a completely warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy, and young mothers and their sons and daughters were forced to pay a terrible price for that dysfunction.

To confront the dark and shameful reality which is detailed in this report we must acknowledge it as part of our national history. he told Deputies.

And for the women and children who were treated so cruelly we must do what we can, to show our deep remorse, understanding and support.

He then declared: On behalf of the Government, the State and its citizens, I apologise for the profound generational wrong visited upon Irish mothers and their children who ended up in a Mother and Baby Home or a County Home.

As the Commission says plainly: they should not have been there.

I apologise for the shame and stigma which they were subjected to and which, for some, remains a burden to this day.

In apologising, I want to emphasise that each of you were in an institution because of the wrongs of others. Each of you is blameless, each of you did nothing wrong and has nothing to be ashamed of.

Each of you deserved so much better.

The lack of respect for the fundamental dignity and rights as mothers and children who spent time in these institutions is humbly acknowledged and deeply regretted, he said.

The Irish State, as the main funding authority for the majority of these institutions, had the ultimate ability to exert control over these institutions, in addition to its duty of care to protect citizens with a robust regulatory and inspection regime, Mr Martin added.

This authority was not exerted and the States duty of care was not upheld.

Read More

The State failed you, the mothers and children in these homes.

This detailed and highly painful report is a moment for us as a society to recognise a profound failure of empathy, understanding and basic humanity over a very lengthy period.

The report gave survivors what they have been denied for so long: their voice, their individuality, their right to be acknowledged, he said, paying tribute to the steady determination of the former residents, researchers and campaigners.

Throughout this report former residents talk of a feeling of shame for the situation they found themselves in, Mr Martin noted.

The shame was not theirs  it was ours, he said.

It was our shame that we did not show them the respect and compassion which we as a country owed them. It remains our shame.

I want to reassure survivors, their families and the country, that this Government is determined to act on all the recommendations of the report and to deliver the legislative change necessary to at least start to heal the wounds that endure.

Thiruvananathapuram, Jan 13 : A consignment of nearly 3 lakh doses of coronavirus vaccine as part of the first batch arrived in Kerala on Wednesday, officials said.

As many as 2,99,500 doses were flown by GoAir flight to Nedumbassery airport at Kochi, as part of 4,33,500 doses proposed to be sent to Kerala in the first batch. The second consignment of 1,34,000 doses will reach Thiruvananathapuram on Wednesday evening.

As many as 1,19,500 doses will be transported to Kozhikode from Kochi for distribution in north Kerala.

The vaccine doses will be stored at facilities created at Thiruvananathapuram, Kozhikode and Kochi, before they are transported to other districts in Kerala through refrigerated vans.

Storage facilities have also been created in all districts, from where the vaccine doses will be ferried to 133 centres across Kerala where the vaccination drive is proposed to be taken up.

Health Minister KK Shailaja told the media that the state was ready for the vaccination drive.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
On Wednesday, President Klaus Iohannis signed a decree for the decoration of outgoing US ambassador to Romania Adrian Zuckerman.

According to the Presidential Administration, as a sign of "high appreciation for the entire activity carried out during his term in Romania, as well as for the substantial involvement in the development and deepening of the strategic partnership between Romania and the United States of America," the chief of state awarded the US ambassador Steaua Romaniei (Romania's Star) in rank of Grand Cross.
San Francisco City Administrator Naomi Kelly, the citys highest-ranking nonelected official, will resign Feb. 1, she told Mayor London Breed on Tuesday, weeks after federal prosecutors implicated her husband in an expanding City Hall corruption scandal.

Kelly started a six-week leave of absence last month to focus on her family after prosecutors charged her husband, former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission chief Harlan Kelly, with accepting bribes from a contractor.

Prosecutors have not charged Naomi Kelly with a crime. The criminal complaint against her husband alleges she attended a 2016 family vacation that federal investigators believe was intended as a bribe for Harlan Kelly.

In a letter Tuesday to Breed, Naomi Kelly said she was stepping down in light of the recent allegations, based on the false statements of an admitted liar.

The statement is a reference to Walter Wong, a construction company executive and permit consultant who has pleaded guilty to his role in a pay-to-play scheme and has since implicated Harlan Kelly, according to federal investigators.

Naomi Kelly said she was deeply saddened to resign while her office leads the citys logistical response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, I know that this is the right decision for San Francisco, for my family, and especially for my two children who have been devastated by these allegations, she wrote.

First appointed in 2012 by then-Mayor Ed Lee, Naomi Kelly will become the fifth city department head to step down or resign amid an expanding City Hall corruption scandal.

Naomi Kelly oversees 25 departments, approximately 2,700 employees and an annual budget of nearly $750 million.

In her letter, she listed her accomplishments, recalling how she climbed the ranks from legislative analyst to city administrator and became the first African American and first woman to serve in the role.

Without specifically addressing her husbands case, Naomi Kelly suggested in her letter that she would deny any wrongdoing.

Public service is ... a sacred trust and a sacred task, a profound responsibility, she said. And make no mistake, I have held up my end of this covenant.

Harlan Kellys attorney has denied the allegations and vowed to take the case to trial.

Officials with Breeds office did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday evening.

Deputy City Administrator Ken Bukowski assumed the role as acting city administrator last month when Naomi Kelly took leave and will continue to head the department. Breed will later nominate a successor, who will then need to be confirmed by the Board of Supervisors.

Naomi Kelly is the latest person to fall in a multipronged bribery scheme that was first made public last year with the arrest of former San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. Nuru, who resigned in February, was charged with fraud in connection with an alleged attempt to bribe an airport commissioner.

The case touched off what has since been a dizzying web of allegations involving top-ranking city officials and contractors bidding for lucrative city work.

Harlan Kelly resigned as the general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission in November after the FBI raided his and Naomi Kellys home, and prosecutors charged him with accepting bribes.

Along with the Kellys and Nuru, the scandal has also prompted the departures of Tom Hui, former Department of Building Inspection director accused of accepting gifts and meals from Wong, and Sandra Zuniga, former Fix-It director charged with money laundering.

The case against Harlan Kelly centered around Wong, a construction company executive and permit consultant who ran or controlled multiple entities doing business with San Francisco.

Officials said Wong paid for an expensive family vacation to Hong Kong for the Kellys in 2016, a tab that included jewelry, meals, plane tickets and hotel rooms. At the same time, Wong was seeking a multimillion-dollar contract from the PUC to renovate city streetlights.

While prosecutors did not level allegations against Naomi Kelly in the complaint against her husband, officials suggested that she may have misled investigators who interviewed her about the trip.

Naomi Kelly told FBI agents that she paid Wong a lot of money for the trip, a claim not backed up by the Kellys bank records, the complaint states.

Harlan Kelly had also tapped Wong for renovation work on the couples Inner Sunset property. Brian Getz, Harlan Kellys attorney, previously told The Chronicle that his client paid fair market value for this work  if anything, he may have been overcharged by Mr. Wongs firm.

Wong has been cooperating with the federal government and has since pleaded guilty to conspiracies to commit honest services fraud and money laundering.

Harlan Kelly is free on a $200,000 bond while awaiting trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 2.

Megan Cassidy and Dominic Fracassa are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com; dfracassa@sfchronicle.com
An urgent search is underway for NSW residents who stayed at a Brisbane hotel linked to a concerning Covid cluster.

NSW Heath are desperately trying to track down returned travellers who spent their 14-day mandatory quarantine at the Hotel Grand Chancellor and have since headed back over the border.

The scramble comes as the hotel was shut for deep cleaning after six people - four quarantining guests, a cleaner and her partner - contracted the highly contagious UK strain of coronavirus.

Anyone in NSW who had been at the hotel since December 30, either as a returned traveller or staff, must get tested and isolate for 14 days after they were last there.

Health authorities in Victoria have issued the same alert while also applying it to anyone who has arrived in the state from the Greater Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan and Ipswich local government areas since December 30.

NSW Health are urging any residents in their state who have been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane (pictured) to get tested and self-isolate for 14-days

NSW Health said residents must stay in isolation for the full two weeks regardless of their test results.

'NSW Health also requests these people to telephone 1300 066 055 for further advice,' NSW Health said in a statement.

'The Queensland Government has notified NSW Health there were NSW people staying at the hotel who have since returned to NSW.

'NSW Health is working with Queensland Health to identify these people so our contact tracers can provide public health advice and updated information as it becomes available.'

Victorian health authorities are also imploring released travellers from the hotel to self-isolate and get tested.

Late on Wednesday, Victoria's health department told anyone in Victoria who has completed mandatory hotel quarantine at the hotel since December 30 to get tested and quarantine at home until they receive a negative result.

They should contact its coronavirus hotline immediately.

'The Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Greater Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan, Ipswich will continue to remain in the in the red zone and travel to Victoria will not be permitted without an exemption, exception or permitted worker permit,' Victoria's Department of Health and Human services added in a statement.

Six people at the hotel - four quarantining guests, a cleaner and her partner - contracted the highly contagious UK strain of coronavirus. Pictured, a hotel guest is seen on a balcony at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane on Wednesday

NSW Health are urging residents who have even the mildest of symptoms to get tested. Pictured, commuters are seen wearing masks at a Sydney train station earlier this month

'Anyone who has arrived into Victoria from one of these LGA since 30 December must get tested and quarantine at home until they receive a negative result.'

Travel from the other 'red zone', Greater Sydney, also remains banned, with the state government defending its tough border restrictions.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she held grave concerns about the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster.

Almost 130 returned travellers quarantined in the hotel will be transferred to alternative accommodation after two guests staying on the same floor mysteriously caught the virus strain.

Some 226 employees who have worked at the hotel since December 30 must also be quarantined and tested.

An additional 250 guests who have left quarantine since December 30 and remain in Queensland are being contacted as they must undergo another 14 days of hotel quarantine.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she held grave concerns about the Hotel Grand Chancellor (pictured) cluster, which has grown to six cases of the highly-contagious UK virus strain

'We now are concerned about this cluster,' Ms Palaszczuk said on Wednesday, apologising to those affected but stressing it was necessary.

'What we are dealing with here is something that we've never had to deal with before.'

'This is a new highly infectious strain. We do not want to see this getting out into the community and that's why we have taken these precautionary steps today in the interests of the public safety.'
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Guwahati, Jan 13 : The Assam government has constituted a five-member committee for initiating immediate and proactive steps to identify the intermediaries, facilitators and collaborators of illegal migrants from across the international border into the state and initiate legal action to bring them to justice, officials said here on Wednesday.

The Special Director-General of Police (Border) Mukesh Agrawal confirmed the setting up of the panel on Tuesday following a discussion with the state Chief Secretary Jishnu Barua on January 11.

Agrawal, a senior IPS officer, in his notification, said : "The committee has been constituted to take immediate and proactive steps to identify the intermediaries, facilitators, collaborators facilitating the infiltrations of illegal migrants from across the international border into Assam and initiate legal action to bring them to justice.

"According to a senior official of the Border Wing under the Home Department, the panel headed by IPS officer Subhrajyoti Borah, the commandant of the 7th Assam Police Battalion based in western Assam's Kokrajhar district, would strengthen the existing mechanism of dealing with illegal migrations, which is always a key issue in Assam.

Agrawal's notification, available with IANS, said that the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Border), the Superintendents of Police (Border) of all districts, Superintendent of Railway Police (Border) and other concerned officials would take legal action in their respective jurisdictions on the recommendation of the five-member team.

It said : "They would also render necessary assistance to the committee in performing its task including utilisation of border staff of the districts as and when required by the committee." The Deputy Inspector of Police (Ranges) would supervise the progress of the work of the committee and follow-up action being taken in their respective ranges.

"The Guwahati-based Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police for the Bodoland Territorial Region would also oversee the progress of the work of the panel.

The constitution of the panel has assumed significance ahead of the Assam Assembly elections as the issue of illegal infiltrations, or "illegal migrants from Bangladesh" have always been a major poll issue for most political parties in the northeastern state.

Assam will likely go to polls in April-May along with West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Meanwhile, to strengthen the security related infrastructures along the state borders, the Assam government has recently sanctioned Rs 100 crore and decided to further tighten the vigil along the frontiers.

An official said that in line with the MOITRI scheme for the modernisation of police stations, Assam government is all set to launch a scheme for the infrastructural development of the Border Outposts (BOPs).

He said that in the first phase of the scheme, 50 BOPs would be upgraded and an amount to the tune of around Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the purpose. Subsequently, other BOPs of the state would be covered under the scheme.

"The sealing of the India-Bangladesh border is the topmost priority for making Assam free from illegal migrants from across the international border and for this purpose the border is being fenced by physical and non-physical barriers," the official said.

The 263km India-Bangladesh international border along Assam is being guarded by the Border Security Force (BSF) while the 267 km Indo-Bhutan international border is manned by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB).

A second line of defence is being provided by the Assam Police.Besides, Assam shares 2616.1 km inter-state borders with six northeastern states, excluding Sikkim.

The Assam Police Border Organisation was set up in 1962 as a unit of the State police's Special Branch. However, it began functioning independently in 1974.Presently, the border wing is manned by 4,037 personnel of different ranks, of which 3,153 are sanctioned by the Centre under the Prevention of Infiltration of Foreigners scheme while 884 are sanctioned by the state government
Patna, Jan 13 : A 40-year-old Indigo Airlines station manager, Rupesh Kumar Singh, was allegedly shot dead by criminals near the Shastri Nagar police station area of state capital Patna. The police has formed a team to nab the killers.

A police official on Wednesday said Singh was entering his Kusumvila apartment in Punaichak on Tuesday night when the criminals fired at him. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment where the doctors declared him brought dead.

According to the state police, the CCTV of the apartment was not working at the time of the incident. Rupesh was hit by six bullets.

Patna Superintendent of Police (SP) Upendra Sharma said the reason behind the murder is not clear yet. A special investigation team has been formed to probe the incident.

No arrests have been made in the case so far. The body of Rupesh has been sent to his native village in Saran district.

Inspector General of Police, Patna region, Sanjay Singh, also said that a special investigation team has been formed to arrest the culprits. The police is also checking the CCTVs installed near the incident site.
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National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Wednesday, upon reaching Afghanistan's capital Kabul, met the top Afghan leadership and discussed issues of strategic mutual interest as well as on 'synchronising' efforts to combat terrorism. The NSA, who has travelled to Kabul on a two-day unannounced visit, is leading a high-level delegation. Doval called on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday morning.

"Both sides discussed counter-terrorism cooperation and efforts for building regional consensus on supporting peace in Afghanistan," said a brief statement issued by the Arg, the Presidential Palace.

President Ghani while speaking with Doval said that the Afghan security forces are the righteous pillars of Afghanistans stability and are fighting in the front lines against regional and global terrorism.

"Afghanistan and India in joint efforts with NATO and the United States will be able to succeed in the fight against terrorism," President Ghani was quoted as saying during the meeting with Doval.

During his visit to Kabul, Doval also met his Afghan counterpart Hamdullah Mohib. The two held extensive conversations on issues of strategic mutual interest, including synchronising efforts to combat terrorism and build peace.

NSA @hmohib hosted his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and his high-level delegation from Delhi for a two-day visit in Kabul. The two sides held extensive conversations on issues of strategic mutual interest, including on synchronizing efforts to combat terrorism and build peace. pic.twitter.com/rpZIdHfMUb  Office of the National Security Council (@NSCAfghan) January 13, 2021

READ | Afghanistan's Tahir Qadiry Hails Emergency Use Of Vaccine Covishield

READ | Taliban 'Governor' For Afghanistan's Faryab & 6 Other Terrorists Die As Own Bomb Explodes

Doval meets Abdullah Abdullah

Doval also met Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, and discussed the peace process, just as the second round of talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban began on January 5. Doval discussed the role of India in establishing peace in Afghanistan.

The influential Afghan leader who helms the peace talks had visited India in October which was his first visit after the formation of a new government in Afghanistan. He had visited when peace talks were underway between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha to negotiate a peace deal in a bid to return stability in the war-ravaged country.

The Afghan Taliban peace talks comprised the first-ever initiative of official talks between the two warring sides i.e. Taliban and Afghanistan Government, which began in September 2020 in the Gulf state of Qatar, to discuss peace in the region. The insurgent group Taliban had until then refused to sit for talks, accusing the Afghanistan government of being 'weak and a puppet of the United States'. The first round of peace talks has however resulted in a stalemate.

READ | Afghanistan Calls Out Pakistan On Taliban Presence, Says 'it Will Challenge Peace'

READ | Afghanistan-Ireland ODI Series Rescheduled For January 21
Oregon college agrees to revise free speech policies, pay $25K after pro-life group sues

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Oregons Chemeketa Community College has settled a federal lawsuit with a pro-life student group by agreeing to pay $25,000 to cover the cost of legal fees and end a policy confining free speech to a small area of campus.

The Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal group representing the Chemeketa Students for Life, announced the settlement last Friday.

Before the settlement, which is dated Nov. 10, the college limited outdoor free speech in two small areas of campus. According to the legal group, the tax-payer funded schools policies restricted the free speech rights of students to just 1.5% of the schools 100-acre campus.

Under the policy, students were required to give the institution two weeks notice before speaking in the allotted areas. The school could also halt a free speech activity after hearing what the events are about.

According to the lawsuit, the policy prevented students from engaging in informal conversations about their pro-life beliefs as the opportunities arise in the outdoor areas of the Colleges campus.

The only permit students need to speak on campus is the First Amendment, said ADF Legal Counsel Michael Ross in a statement. Chemeketa Community Colleges previous policy placed a restriction on these fundamental freedoms by confining students to so-called speech zones and requiring reservations weeks in advance. Thankfully, Chemeketa has agreed to revise these unconstitutional policies and help ensure that all students can engage in free expression on campus.

This is not the first time the institution has altered its free speech policies when faced with legal action.

In 2012, the college revised its policies after ADF pressured the school in response to pro-life students being prevented from handing out pamphlets outside of a six-foot table used as a free speech zone.

According to the November settlement, the school was forced to revise its free speech guidelines within 14 days of the settlement.

Students now can need to fill out a form to host an indoor free speech event or an outdoor speech event larger than 400 people. They are guaranteed the right to two days for indoor activism in each term with additional dates being subject to availability.

However, students still cannot draw on sidewalks with chalk.

Across the United States, colleges have become the subject of First Amendment legal battles.

A recent study from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education found that 88% of college campuses restrict free speech in some way. A study from 2016 found that Democrats outnumber Republicans at universities 11.5 to one. As of 2019, at least 17 U.S. states have laws to protect freedom of speech on campus, according to Inside Higher Ed.

Across the nation, we are seeing incredible opposition to the pro-life speech of our student leaders and volunteers as they speak for the defenseless and educate their fellow students on abortion, said Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins in a statement.

But the law and the Constitution are clear on the matter: Public schools cannot silence pro-life groups or force them to self-censor. We are thankful that Chemeketa Community College clarified that Students for Life  and all students  can participate in the open exchange of ideas and ensure that the entire college community is a free speech zone for pro-life students and their peers.

Although the agreement between the school and Students for Life ends the legal conflict, it does not conclusively decide the legal question.

This Agreement in no way shall be construed as an admission by Defendants that they acted wrongfully toward or failed to act lawfully with regard to Plaintiffs, the settlement reads.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a progressive civil rights organization, has also criticized free speech zones.

While it may sound like these zones are designed to promote speech, they actually do the opposite by confining political expression to designated areas, often in out-of-the-way locations on campus, ACLU staff attorneys Emerson Sykes and Vera Eidelman wrote in a 2019 post on the ACLU website.

In 2019, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to withhold federal research grants to colleges and universities that have policies that are hostile to free speech. Last September, the Department of Education issued a final rule following Trump's order.


The finding from a genetic analysis of tumors treated with Duke's poliovirus therapy suggests a predictive biomarker for survival

DURHAM, N.C. - Glioblastoma brain tumors are especially perplexing. Inevitably lethal, the tumors occasionally respond to new immunotherapies after they've grown back, enabling up to 20% of patients to live well beyond predicted survival times.

What causes this effect has long been the pursuit of researchers hoping to harness immunotherapies to extend more lives.

New insights from a team led by Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center provide potential answers. The team found that recurring glioblastoma tumors with very few mutations are far more vulnerable to immunotherapies than similar tumors with an abundance of mutations.

The finding, appearing online Jan. 13 in the journal Nature Communications, could serve as a predictive biomarker to help clinicians target immunotherapies to those tumors most likely to respond. It could also potentially lead to new approaches that create the conditions necessary for immunotherapies to be more effective.

"It's been frustrating that glioblastoma is incurable and we've had limited progress improving survival despite many promising approaches," said senior author David Ashley, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the departments of Neurosurgery, Medicine, Pediatrics and Pathology at Duke University School of Medicine.

"We've had some success with several different immunotherapies, including the poliovirus therapy developed at Duke," Ashley said. "And while it's encouraging that a subset of patients who do well when the therapies are used to treat recurrent tumors, about 80% of patients still die."

Ashley and colleagues performed genomic analyses of recurrent glioblastoma tumors from patients treated at Duke with the poliovirus therapy as well as others who received so-called checkpoint inhibitors, a form of therapy that releases the immune system to attack tumors.

In both treatment groups, patients with recurrent glioblastomas whose tumors had few mutations survived longer than the patients with highly mutated tumors. This was only true, however, for patients with recurrent tumors, not for patients with newly diagnosed disease who had not yet received treatment.

"This suggests that chemotherapy, which is the standard of care for newly diagnosed glioblastoma, might be altering the inflammatory response in these tumors," Ashley said, adding that chemotherapy could be serving an important role as a primer to trigger an evolution of the inflammation process in recurrent tumors.

Ashley said the finding in glioblastoma could also be relevant to other types of tumors, including kidney and pancreatic cancers, which have similarly shown a correlation between low tumor mutations and improved response to immunotherapies.

###

In addition to Ashley, study authors include Matthias Gromeier, Michael C. Brown, Gao Zhang, Xiang Lin, Yeqing Chen, Zhi Wei, Nike Beaubier, Hai Yan, Yiping He, Annick Desjardins, James E. Herndon II, Frederick S. Varn, Roel G. Verhaak, Junfei Zhao, Dani P. Bolognesi, Allan H. Friedman, Henry S. Friedman, Frances McSherry, Andrea M. Muscat, Eric S. Lipp, Smita K. Nair, Mustafa Khasraw, Katherine B. Peters, Dina Randazzo, John H. Sampson, Roger E. McLendon and Darell D. Bigner.

The study received support from The Brain Tumor Research Charity, Jewish Communal Fund, Circle of Service Foundation, Uncle Kory Foundation, Department of Defense (W81XWH-16-1-0354) and the National Institutes of Health (R35CA197264, P01CA154291, P50CA190991, R01NS108773, R01NS099463, R21NS112899, P01CA225622, F32CA224593). Support was also received through the Angels Among Us fundraising event and a gift from the Asness Family.

Authors Gromeier, Brown, Desjardins, Bolognesi, Henry Friedman, Nair, Sampson, Bigner and Ashley own intellectual property related to the poliovirus therapy, which has been licensed to Istari Oncology, Inc. Gromeier, Desjardins, Bolognesi, Allan Friedman, Henry Friedman and Bigner hold equity in Istari Oncology, Inc. Additional disclosures are provided in the published study.
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - The acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya, Stephanie Williams, Wednesday called on parties of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) to jointly help resolve the deadlock over the mechanisms for choosing the executive authority
IT was known as the graveyard for police vehicles.

But it has been about two years since the Vehicle Management Corporation of T&T (VMCOTT) has actually serviced a police vehicle.

Natasha Prince, the State companys chief executive since 2018, told Express Business last week that the TTPS just stopped sending their vehicles to service and no reason was given.
Image Source: Reuters

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) on Tuesday has issued show cause notice to Amazon India. According to sources, "the intelligence wing of government has alleged that the company has to pay Rs 175 crore to the government."

"As per the show cause notice, DGGI claims that its investigation found calculation errors made by Amazon India. Amazon India initially had paid higher GST but rather than claiming refund, the company took wrong input tax credit (ITC) to settle the excess GST paid," sources privy to the developments told CNBC-TV18.

"However, noting that it was a due that government had to pay, DGGI is not contesting the excess amount, rather the interest due on wrongfully claiming ITC is what has been demanded from Amazon India. This amounts to Rs 175 crore," sources in the know told CNBC-TV18.

DGGI has sent showcause notice to the Bengaluru office of Amazon India in this regard, asking them to explain and pay up the genuine dues.

"DGGI is yet to hear back from Amazon the the notice," source close to the development said.

Meanwhile, CNBC-TV18 has reached out to Amazon India and is awaiting a response from the company.

It is important to note that a nation-wide drive has been initiated by the GST intelligence wing to plug tax leakages.

There are over 340 million Christians worldwide who experience a high level of persecution and discrimination because of their faith, one in eight.

This is what Porte Aperte writes in the last report.

"Christians killed for reasons linked to faith are growing by 60%, with Nigeria still a land of massacres", specifies the organization, which points out that among the top 10 countries with the most killing of Christians there are 8 African nations.

For Open Doors, moreover, "it is clear how Covid-19 has aggravated the vulnerabilities of Christian minorities, adding further discrimination and pressure".

In the Report it is estimated that in the last year 4,761 Christians were killed (on average 13 every day), 4,488 churches and connected buildings attacked or closed (12 every day), Christians arrested without trial and incarcerated 4,277 (11 every day) , 1,710 Christians kidnapped (on average 4 per day). "The persecution of Christians is increasing in absolute terms and Covid - declares Cristian Nani, director of Porte Aperte / Open Doors - has emphasized discrimination. Therefore, one of the most impressive persecutions ever experienced in this land is still growing. For many persecuted Christians. , the lockdown due to the pandemic meant being closed at home with one's persecutor. The family that does not accept the Christian's faith is often one of the immediate sources of persecution.

Among the countries most at risk for Christians are: North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, India.

(Unioneonline / vl)
Vote Percentage of Parties in Puducherry2021: How did the parties fare

Ahead of assembly polls 2021, Election Commission discusses requirement of central forces

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Election Commission has discussed with Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla the availability and requirement of central security forces for the upcoming assembly elections in five states/Union territory.

According to reports, the meeting held at Nirvachan Sadan, the EC headquarters, was "primarily to discuss requirement vis-a-vis availability of central armed police forces (CAPFs), and related matters, for the upcoming Assembly Elections to the States of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, and the Union Territory of Puducherry."

Coronavirus cases: India records 15,968 new COVID cases, 202 deaths in last 24 hours

The terms of the legislative assemblies of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala and Puducherry are coming to an end on different dates in May and June this year. The assembly elections are likely to take place sometime in April-May.

Keeping social distancing norms in mind due to coronavirus outbreak, the Commission is expected to increase the number of polling stations in these states to restrict the number of voters per polling station.

Covid Vaccine Rollout: States across India receive first consignments of 'Covishield'

In the recently-held Bihar polls, the number of voters per polling station was reduced from 1,200 to 1,000, resulting in creation of additional polling stations.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

More polling stations would mean deployment of additional election staff and security personnel.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 11:20 [IST]
This is the heart-stopping moment an 87-year-old man was rescued after falling asleep at the wheel and veering off the road into a river 25 feet below him.

A police officer and a passerby jumped down into the river to help the man, who was screaming and trapped inside his car, in a river in Danielson, Connecticut, on January 9.

A dam operator upstream was able to restrict the flow of the river to help lower the water level, according to local reports.

The police officer then tried to calm the man down while waiting for the fire department to arrive to cut the roof off the car.

This is the heart-stopping moment an 87-year-old man was rescued after falling asleep at the wheel and veering off the road into a river 25 feet below him

Once the man was freed he was airlifted to hospital to be treated for injuries and hypothermia.

Witness Dennis Durand, who filmed the footage at around midday, was driving through his neighborhood when he heard a loud crash.

He assumed one of the vehicles behind him had hit the guardrail and was shocked to see what had happened.

His footage shows the officer and passerby remaining on top of the car and communicating with the driver that more help is on the way.

More authorities arrived and were able to cut the cars roof off, extract the man, and transport him to a local hospital to be treated for hypothermia and other injuries, according to the Danielson Fire Department.

The fire department posted about the incident on Facebook and said: 'A single vehicle motor vehicle accident, car into the River at Main St and Water St came in just after 11:15am.

'Crews from Danielson and South Killingly along with the QV South Dive Team perform a Technical River rescue that also required victim extrication.

The police officer then tried to calm the man down while waiting for the fire department to arrive to cut the roof off the car

'After cutting the roof free from the vehicle, technical rescue team members were able to package the patient to be hoisted from the river by stokes basket.

'The occupant of the submerged vehicle was flown by Lifestar for injuries and hypothermia.'

Mr Durand posted the footage to Facebook alongside the caption: 'I was there when this happened yesterday it was a car two cars behind me. I jumped out of my car to see the driver behind me yelling that someone had went over in a car.

'A bystander was the first one who went down to the driver in the water it was amazing to see someone risk their own life to try and save another.

'Within a few mins the first officer showed up on scene . Im not sure the name of the officer but he didnt hesitate for one second...I was able to get this video and wanted to share it to show how amazing these two are.

'Almost daily you see negativity all around us. To get to witness this was something Ill remember forever.

'I wanna give a big thanks to the officer who didnt hesitate for a second to save this man's life you two did everything right ...  I pray and hope the older gentleman is ok and doing well this morning. Ty for all the first responders as well for the amazing job they also do everyday!!!'
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Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- A decade ago, after hackers were caught infiltrating natural gas pipeline operations and an al-Qaeda video emerged calling for an electronic jihad on U.S. infrastructure, then-Senator Joseph Lieberman tried to sound the alarm.The system is blinking red, Lieberman warned his Senate colleagues during debate on the threat in 2012. Privately owned and operated cyber infrastructure can well be, and probably some day will be, the target of an enemy attack.Led by the Connecticut independent and one-time vice presidential candidate, lawmakers sought to require energy companies to strengthen computer security. But the effort withered under fierce lobbying by oil companies and other corporate interests that succeeded in killing the legislation. That left in place a system of voluntary guidelines that failed to stop last months ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline Co., which paralyzed a major artery for fuel along the East Coast.Its really a lost opportunity, said Lieberman, now senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. The attack on the Colonial Pipeline might not have happened if we passed the legislation.Now, in response to the attack, the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to jettison the voluntary approach and impose cybersecurity requirements on pipelines, according to a person familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified before a formal announcement.That would be a defeat for oil companies and pipeline operators that for more than a decade have successfully fought off federal standards to thwart cyberattacks from legislation or regulatory agencies. Unlike power plants, U.S. pipelines are not required to follow any federal cybersecurity mandates, even though Homeland Security was given the authority to impose them when it was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.The Transportation Security Administration, the DHS agency in charge of protecting the nations pipelines, will issue a directive this week requiring pipeline companies to report cyber incidents, according to the person familiar with the plans. Additional requirements for safeguarding facilities and responding to attacks are set to be advanced in coming weeks, the Washington Post reported.The Biden administration is taking further action to better secure our nations critical infrastructure, DHS said in a statement on Tuesday. We will release additional details in the days ahead.Until now, the TSA had resisted using its authority to mandate cyberprotection measures.My belief was we could get quicker and better security through working with the industry instead of regulating them because regulations set minimum security standards and industry in many cases was doing more than that, said Jack Fox, who served as the agencys manager of pipeline security before retiring in 2016.Liebermans bill would have imposed cybersecurity performance requirements on privately owned critical infrastructure -- and slap fines on companies that fell short. The rules would have been applied to more than pipelines: sectors where a hostile take-down of computer systems could lead to mass casualties, the collapse of financial markets or the disruption of energy and water supplies, were to be included.Even a watered-down version of the bill failed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster.Pipeline CompaniesFor Lieberman, the failure still stings.We would sort of ask ourselves who is driving this aggressive opposition and the answer we were getting was the energy companies and the pipeline companies, he said.Every major U.S. oil company -- including Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips -- lobbied on the legislation, alongside some refiners and at least one pipeline operator. Colonial didnt lobby on the measure in 2012, according to disclosure forms it filed with Congress. However, groups it belonged to did, including the American Petroleum Institute, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines and the Chamber of Commerce -- a political titan that reported spending $103.9 million influencing government policies in 2012.The Chamber opposed the legislation at the time, calling it an overly broad, heavy-handed approach to regulation that threatened to create an adversarial relationship between the government and private industry instead of fostering collaboration against cyberattacks. The group backed an alternative approach focused on greater sharing of threat information, a stance it continues to endorse today.We support a public-private collaboration that strengthens our cybersecurity in all sectors, including pipelines, to benefit all Americans, said Matthew Eggers, vice president of cybersecurity policy for the Chamber.Cybersecurity experts and government officials have cautioned for years about the consequences of a pipeline hack, including in 2019 when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a report warning a cyberattack could disrupt a pipeline for days to weeks.Nevertheless, there was widespread business opposition to the Lieberman bill, with almost every affected industry, from financial services to communications, getting involved to warn the proposed cybersecurity mandates would insert the heavy hand of government into corporate affairs.But proponents warned that mandates were essential to ensure there were sufficient safeguards amid a barrage of ever-more sophisticated attacks on private companies running power plants, dams and other critical infrastructure.al-Qaeda VideoWeeks after the bills introduction, the Department of Homeland Security warned hackers had spent months trying to infiltrate computer systems for a number of natural gas pipeline operators. ABC News reported the FBI had obtained an al-Qaeda video calling for electronic jihad against U.S. critical infrastructure. And computer security firm McAfee Corp. warned of coordinated, ongoing cyberattacks on global energy companies in 2011.The hacking episodes foreshadowed how alluring fuel delivery systems are to cyber-criminals, like the Russia-linked group that used DarkSide ransomware to hold Colonials computer systems hostage around May 7. The company was forced to shut down its roughly 5,500-mile-long (8,851-kilometers-long) pipeline system, which provides about 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast, spurring outages at filling stations and the payment of a $5 million ransom before service resumed five days later.Its not clear whether mandates would have thwarted the attack, and investigations are still underway. Colonial has pledged to review any proposal that takes lessons learned from this event that strengthens or hardens our infrastructure.Oil and pipeline trade groups steadfastly insist now is not the time for prescriptive federal mandates.Any discussion of regulation is premature until we have a full understanding of the details surrounding the Colonial attack, said Suzanne Lemieux, APIs manager of operations security and emergency response. But we are committed to continuing our robust coordination with all levels of government.The trade association added in a statement it was generally aligned with the Chamber on the issue in 2012 and cautioned against a prescriptive one-size-fits all regulatory approach that it said would be counterproductive.John Stoody, a spokesman for the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, whose members include Colonial Pipeline, said We want TSA to get right anything they plan to do.For example, an overly broad reporting requirement could overwhelm TSA with hundreds of thousands of cyberattack reports every day that would not do anyone any good, he said.PartnershipChevron said in an emailed statement that federal regulation should take a risk-based approach that gives companies flexibility to defend against threats. And Exxon noted that the rapid evolution of cyber threats means any formal and prescriptive cybersecurity requirements for the industry are often outdated upon completion.The Transportation Security Administration has long taken a similar approach. A branch manager in the agencys office of surface operations last year boasted it involves very few regulations and a cooperative approach to industry adoption of security measure, according to a presentation archived on the agencys website.The TSA opted not to regulate the pipeline sector because it felt a partnership with industry was more efficient, said Fox, the retired TSA manager of pipeline security.A regulation takes months or years to change, Fox said in a phone interview. With this partnership we could make a phone call and say we need you to do such and such and it would be reacted to the next day.Republican FilibusterFox said he didnt think the Lieberman bill would have prevented the Colonial cyberattack.You can regulate whatever you like, Fox said. We have regulations on speed limits and gun control and all kinds of things so if you regulate something it does not means its not going to happen.Ultimately in 2012, Lieberman and Collins watered down their bill in a desperate bid to win over Republicans to get it passed. They dropped mandates and fines in favor of a measure that would create only optional requirements.But even the pared-back bill wasnt enough. Continued concerns about liability and privacy haunted the legislation, and the Chamber opposed the new version too. It was twice defeated by a Republican-led filibuster, ultimately falling nine votes shy of the 60 needed to cut off debate in November 2012.Amy Myers Jaffe, a Tufts University professor and author of Energys Digital Future, said the Colonial cyberattack may be the pipeline industrys Macondo moment.Thats a reference to the Gulf of Mexico oil well that blew out in 2010, killing 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.An overly cozy relationship between federal regulators and oil companies was blamed for contributing to the disaster, Jaffe said. Its shocking to me to think that an industry that likes to brag about its safety records would ever have lobbied against having government-run standards that are mandatory for cyber-security in vital energy infrastructure.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2021 Bloomberg L.P.
The Saudi cabinet, chaired by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Prime Minister, today (January 13) welcomed the announcement by HRH Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince regarding the launch of The Line city project citing it as an unprecedented example of developing a world-class future city living in harmony with nature.

Prince Mohammed, who is the Chairman of the Neom Company Board of Directors, had two days back unveiled The Line, a 170-km belt of hyper-connected future communities, without cars and roads and built around nature.

The ambitious project will create an innovative civilizational environment with its societies being run through artificial intelligence, empowering humans, preserving the environment and providing a balanced life between innovative-based business environment and an exceptional life quality that enhances economic diversity through creating 380,000 job opportunities and adding SR180 billion ($48 billion) to the gross domestic product by 2030.

The virtual session of the cabinet emphasized the need to permit citizens to travel abroad and backed the lifting of the ban on international flights and the opening of its land, sea and aerial borders starting from March 31 complying to all Covid-19 precautionary measures.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
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Over 30,000 candidates that sat for the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) in 2020, were involved in one examination malpractice or the other, the National Examination Council (NECO) said.

The council announced the release of the results at its headquarters in Minna, Niger State, on Wednesday.

The Registrar of the council, Godswill Obioma, said it was a defining moment for the council, given the challenging circumstances in which the examinations were conducted last year.

He also spoke about the challenges faced by the council during the conduct of the exam, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic to the EndSARS protest staged nationwide.

Gentlemen of the Press, my dear colleagues, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to inform you that despite the challenges of 2020, which affected the conduct of the 2020 SSCE (Internal) and our set targets, the Council has successfully concluded all the processes leading to the release of the results of the 2020 SSCE (Internal). The results are being released timeously after the last paper was written on the 28th November, 2020. This, no doubt is a big achievement, he said.

Candidates can now access their results on NECO website: www.neco.gov.ng using their examination registration numbers.

Breakdown

According to the council, a total of 1.22 million (1,221,447) people registered for the examination. These include 665,830 males and 555,617 females.

However, 1.21 million (1,209,992)  659,796 males representing 54.53 per cent and 550,126 females representing 45.46 per cent  actually wrote the exams.

It added that the number of candidates with Special Needs was 160.

The council also stated that the number of candidates who made credit and above in English Language is 973,331 representing 82.68 per cent while 1,060,100 made credit and above in Mathematics, representing 90.08 per cent of the candidates who sat for the examination.

Further breakdown showed that the number of candidates who made five Credits and above including English Language and Mathematics is 894,101, representing 73.89 per cent.

When compared to 2019 June/July SSCE figures of 829,787, there is an increase of 2.3 percentage points, the council added.

More over, the number of candidates who made five Credits and above irrespective of English Language and Mathematics is 1,112,041 representing 91.91 per cent. When compared to 2019 June/July SSCE figures of 1,042,989, there is an increase of 2.01 per cent.

On irregularities, the number of candidates involved in various forms of malpractice in 2020 is 33,470 representing 2.61 per cent, whereas 40,630 representing 3.53 per cent of cases were recorded in 2019.

The council announced that owing to its zero-tolerance stance against malpractices, 11 schools  four in Adamawa, two in Kaduna, two in Katsina, two in Niger, one in Taraba and one in the FCT  have been recommended for de-recognition for two years for their involvement in mass cheating/whole school cases.

Also, twenty-four (24) Supervisors were blacklisted for various offences ranging from poor supervision, Aiding and Abetting, Connivance with non-candidates to write answer on chalkboard and so on.
WASHINGTON  For Vice President Mike Pence, the moment of truth had arrived. After three years and 11 months of navigating the treacherous waters of President Donald Trumps ego, after all the tongue-biting, pride-swallowing moments where he employed strategic silence or florid flattery to stay in his boss good graces, there he was being cursed by the president.

Trump was enraged that Pence was refusing to try to overturn the election. In a series of meetings, the president had pressed relentlessly, alternately cajoling and browbeating him. Finally, just before Pence headed to the Capitol to oversee the electoral vote count last Wednesday, Trump called the vice presidents residence to push one last time.

You can either go down in history as a patriot, Trump told him, according to two people briefed on the conversation, or you can go down in history as a pussy.

The blowup between the nations two highest elected officials then played out in dramatic fashion as the president publicly excoriated the vice president at an incendiary rally and sent agitated supporters to the Capitol, where they stormed the building  some of them chanting Hang Mike Pence.

Evacuated to the basement, Pence huddled for hours while Trump tweeted out an attack on him rather than call to check on his safety.

It was an extraordinary rupture of a partnership that had survived too many challenges to count.

The loyal lieutenant who had almost never diverged from the president, who had finessed every other possible fracture, finally came to a decision point he could not avoid. He would uphold the election despite the president and despite the mob. And he would pay the price with the political base he once hoped to harness for his own run for the White House.

Pence had a choice between his constitutional duty and his political future, and he did the right thing, said John Yoo, a legal scholar consulted by Pences office. I think he was the man of the hour in many ways  for both Democrats and Republicans. He did his duty even though he must have known, when he did it, that that probably meant he could never become president.

Former Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona, one of Trumps most outspoken Republican critics and a longtime friend of Pence before they drifted apart over the president, said he was relieved the vice president had finally taken a stand.

There were many points where I wished he would have separated, spoke out, but Im glad he did it when he did, Flake said. I wish he would have done it earlier, but Im sure grateful he did it now. And I knew he would.

Not everyone gave Pence much credit, arguing that he should hardly be lionized for following the Constitution and maintaining that his deference to the president for nearly four years enabled Trumps assault on democracy in the first place.

Im glad he didnt break the law, but its kind of hard to call somebody courageous for choosing not to help overthrow our democratic system of government, said Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J. Hes got to understand that the man hes been working for and defending loyally is almost single-handedly responsible for creating a movement in this country that wants to hang Mike Pence.

The rift between Trump and Pence has dominated their final days in office  not least because the vice president has the power under the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office with support of the Cabinet. The House voted largely along party lines Tuesday demanding that Pence take such action or else it would impeach Trump.

Pence sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi late Tuesday refusing to act. But Trump was nervous enough about it that he finally broke five days of the cold shoulder to invite his vice president to the Oval Office on Monday night to smooth over their split. The official description of the hourlong conversation was good; the unofficial description was nonsubstantive and stilted.

The clash is the third time in 20 years that a departing president and vice president came to conflict in their last days. After Vice President Al Gore lost his presidential campaign in 2000, he had a bitter fight with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office over who was to blame.

Eight years later, just days before leaving office, Vice President Dick Cheney castigated President George W. Bush for refusing to pardon I. Lewis Libby Jr., the vice presidents former chief of staff, for perjury in the CIA leak case.

Trump came into office with no real understanding of how his predecessors had handled relationships with their running mates. In the early days, when it became clear that there would be no organizational chart or formal decision-making process, Pence made himself a regular presence in the Oval Office, simply showing up with no agenda, often walking into a policy discussion for which he had received no briefing materials.

He arrived in the West Wing each morning, received an update about when the president was coming down from the residence and then simply stationed himself in the Oval Office for most of the day. He was almost never formally invited to anything and his name was rarely on official meeting manifests. But he was almost always around.

Calm and unflappable, Pence took on the role of confidant for Cabinet secretaries and other officials fearing Trumps ire, advising how to broach uncomfortable topics with the president without triggering him.

Not angering Trump was a key objective of his, observed David J. Shulkin, the former secretary of Veterans Affairs. He tried very hard to straddle a very tough line.

But that meant Pences own views were often opaque.

Were the policies and the statements being put out, were they ones that he completely agreed with? Shulkin asked. Or was it his strategy that it is better to be in the room, it is better to be a trusted party to help moderate some of those strategies and the way to do that is not to publicly disagree? I think that was a really hard one to figure out, exactly where he stood.

Pence ultimately discovered that loyalty to Trump only matters until it does not. Tension between the two had grown in recent months as the president railed privately about Pence. The vice presidents allies believed Trump was stirred up in part by Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, who told him that Pence aides were leaking to reporters. That helped create a toxic atmosphere between the two offices even before Election Day.

When Trumps efforts to overturn the election results were rejected at every turn by state officials and judges, Trump was told, incorrectly, that the vice president could stop the final validation of the election of President-elect Joe Biden in his role as president of the Senate presiding over the Electoral College count.

Pences counsel, Greg Jacob, researched the matter and concluded the vice president had no such authority. Prodded by Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, two of his lawyers, Trump kept pressing.

Pences office solicited more constitutional opinions, including from Yoo, a prominent conservative at the University of California at Berkeley who served in Bushs administration.

In the Oval Office last week, the day before the vote, Trump pushed Pence in a string of encounters, including one meeting that lasted at least an hour. John Eastman, a conservative constitutional scholar at Chapman University, was in the office and argued to Pence that he did have the power to act.

The next morning, hours before the vote, Richard Cullen, Pences personal lawyer, called J. Michael Luttig, a former appeals court judge revered by conservatives  and for whom Eastman had once clerked. Luttig agreed to quickly write up his opinion that the vice president had no power to change the outcome, then posted it on Twitter.

Within minutes, Pences staff incorporated Luttigs reasoning, citing him by name, into a letter announcing the vice presidents decision not to try to block electors. Reached on Tuesday, Luttig said it was the highest honor of my life to play a role in preserving the Constitution.

After the angry call cursing Pence, Trump riled up supporters at the rally against his own vice president, saying, I hope he doesnt listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that hes listening to.

He set Mike Pence up that day by putting it on his shoulders, said Ryan Streeter, an adviser to Pence when he was the governor of Indiana. Thats a pretty unprecedented thing in American politics. For a president to throw his own vice president under the bus like that and to encourage his supporters to take him on is something just unconscionable in my mind.

Pence was already in his motorcade to the Capitol by that point. When the mob burst into the building, Secret Service agents evacuated him and his wife and children, first to his office off the floor and later to the basement. His agents urged him to leave the building, but he refused to abandon the Capitol. From there, he spoke with congressional leaders, the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff  but not the president.

A Republican senator later said he had never seen Pence so angry, feeling betrayed by a president for whom he had done so much. To Trump, one adviser said, the vice president had entered Sessions territory, referring to Jeff Sessions, the attorney general who was tortured by the president before being fired. (A vice president cannot be dismissed by a president.)

On Thursday, the day after the siege, Pence stayed away from the White House, avoiding Trump. The next day, he went in, but spent most of the day at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door, where he held a farewell party for his staff.

But aides said Pence did not want to become a long-term nemesis of a vindictive president, and by Monday he was back in the West Wing.

Unlike Trump, Pence plans to attend Bidens inauguration, then expects to divide time between Washington and Indiana, possibly starting a leadership political committee, writing a book and campaigning for congressional Republicans.

But no matter what comes next, he will always be remembered for one moment.

Were very lucky that the vice president isnt a maniac, said Joe Grogan, Trumps domestic policy adviser until last year. In many ways, I think it vindicates the decision of Mike Pence to hang in there this long.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Press Release

January 12, 2021 DELA ROSA MOVES TO INSTITUTIONALIZE THE ANTI-DRUG ABUSE COUNCIL (ADAC) IN EVERY COMMUNITY Senator Ronald 'Bato' Dela Rosa is pushing to institutionalize an anti-drug abuse council (ADAC) in every part of the country to sustain the Duterte administration's war against illegal drugs and ensure a safer and more secured future for every Filipino. In his Senate Bill No. 1952 or "An Act Institutionalizing Anti-Drug Abuse Councils in Provinces, Cities, Municipalities, and Barangays, Appropriating Funds Therefor, and For Other Purposes," Dela Rosa said it is high time for a measure that will ensure the involvement of every sector of the society in clearing all the local government units of all forms of illegal substance. "In view of the continuous efforts of the Duterte administration, active and unified involvement of various government and non-government agencies is necessary to sustain and ensure that all local government units will be free from illegal drug activities, one of the major problems of the country," Dela Rosa said. "Our proposed measure seeks to institutionalize the Anti-Drug Abuse Council (ADAC) which will act as the main implementing organs for the prevention, rehabilitation and monitoring of drug dependency cases," he added. Dela Rosa, who chairs the Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, also noted that such approach was proven effective in some cities in the past. "This was effectively implemented in Davao City during the mayoralty of President Duterte. Similarly, Senate President Vicente Sotto III also founded the Quezon City Anti-Drug Abuse Advisory Council when he was still the Vice Mayor of the said city," Dela Rosa cited as an example. The Minadanaoan senator and former Chief of the Davao City Police Office further said that the experiences of his city as well as that of Quezon City are proof of the effectivity of having a dedicated council that gives priority to anti-illegal drugs programs to win the drug war. "This measure, once passed, will also aid the government in attaining a drug-free Philippines by the year 2022," Dela Rosa said. Records from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency revealed that there are still 15,388 barangays that are affected by illegal drugs. Such number represent 36.6 percent of the total 42,045 barangays in the country. Since the war against drugs was launched, a total of 18,582 barangays have been cleared from the illegal drugs covering the period of July 1, 2016 to May 31 31, 2020.

AB InBev Vietnam and SAB Beer are pooling their capabilities for the next stage of development

In 2016, after the deal of the century between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, Anheuser-Busch InBev became the largest beer producer in the world, owning 8 out of the 10 top beer brands worldwide.

In Vietnam, with the approval of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and AB InBev Asia B.V. (the Netherlands) who is the concurrent owner and sole investor of both AB InBev Vietnam and SAB Beer Vietnam, the merger of the two companies has come into effect. From January 2021, SAB Beer Vietnam ceases its existence and AB InBev Vietnam will inherit all legal rights and benefits as well as take full responsibility for the contracts and property obligations of SAB Beer Vietnam.

In terms of personnel, all SAB Beer employees will become Anheuser-Busch InBev Vietnam employees, with the same working position as well as unchanged legal rights and benefits of the employees. Anheuser-Busch InBev Vietnam will be responsible for inheriting all rights and obligations arising from and/or related to the labour contract that SAB Beer signed previously with the employees.

Truong Van Toan, head of Legal, Corporate Affairs and Communications Southeast Asia stated: SAB merging with AB InBev Vietnam to become a single company  Anheuser-Busch InBev Vietnam is truly a memorable mark for all employees. The new company will obtain the scale, facilities, and resources to operate with higher productivity and improve competitiveness and quality in the Vietnamese market.

Thus, besides the first Brewery in VSIP Binh Duong which is one of the 55 most advanced factories in the world producing the global brand Budweiser and the international brand Beck's, My Phuoc Brewery of Anheuser-Busch InBev Vietnam will continue brewing Hoegaarden beer as well as other beer brands to export to the Japanese market and Southeast Asia.

In addition, AB InBev believes that this merger in Vietnam will be appropriate for the new scale of development, taking advantage of maximum resources to increase production capacity as well as simplify resources in supply chain, logistics, and most importantly, market expansion.

Anheuser-Busch InBev Vietnam has a long-term commitment in Vietnam. From Vietnam, Anheuser-Busch InBev wishes to continue the journey of spreading the dream of "Bringing people together for a better world", which it has been nurturing for centuries, to all over Southeast Asia.
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Stacker examined historical documents, newspaper articles, government records, and other accounts to trace a history of the Democratic Party from 1931 until today.
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(TNS)  Hackers used a malware attack to infiltrate Delaware County's servers in the fall, and then held employees' personal data for ransom, ultimately costing the county $25,000 in ransom to restore access to the data, according to county officials.The attack was first reported Nov. 24, when county officials said the computer network had been compromised by a hack affecting everything but emergency dispatch and the then-ongoing certification of votes in the presidential election.But in a presentation late Wednesday at county council's meeting, chief information officer Frank Bilotta revealed the scope of the attack. Hackers  whom Bilotta did not identify  first infiltrated the network through a phishing email opened by a county employee in September.Over the next few weeks, he said, the hackers used their access to the system to identify and steal sensitive data. On Nov. 23, they activated a form of ransomware that locked the county's IT staff out of the network, and demanded money with the threat of releasing the stolen information.The county contacted the company through which it holds cybersecurity insurance, as well as the FBI, and both began an investigation, Bilotta said. The investigation is ongoing, he said, and that limited the amount of detail the county could share. It was unclear whether the hack was a foreign or domestic threat.Eventually, the county agreed to pay the hackers $25,000, which was covered by the deductible on its insurance policy. The county was then given a code that allowed it to have control of the system again, and a list of files that had been stolen by the hackers.Council President Brian Zidek said at Wednesday's meeting the decision to pay the ransom was not made lightly, but was ultimately necessary as the county neared the end of the year."We had to balance [making the payment] with the costs to the county if we didn't pay the ransom, and those costs would've been high for manpower and womanpower and downtime for all of the departments," he said. "It's tough to measure the economic consequence to that, but I know it would've been a more profoundly disturbing incident if we hadn't taken the actions we had taken."Councilmember Christine Reuther echoed those comments, saying that paying the ransom and restoring access to the system allowed the county to avoid missing a payroll cycle for its employees, and ensured that it could pay all of its vendors, who were struggling financially due to COVID-19 restrictions, on time."To put their cash flow at risk, to put payroll at risk, to put other things at risk, it really wasn't an option and it was also a decision we didn't make in a vacuum," Reuther said.In the coming weeks, county officials are working to upgrade the network's security software, which they noted was inadequate, and better staff the county's IT department.Robert D'Ovidio, a professor of criminology and justice studies at Drexel University and a cybersecurity expert, said ransom payments such as the one made by the county are becoming more common as organized hackers increasingly target large organizations and businesses.He said the $25,000 paid in this instance was "getting off cheap, especially for a government entity.""There is honor among thieves, so when you pay, they're giving the decryption keys," he said. "They're living up to their end of the deal, because if they don't, at the next attack, they're not going to get the payday. The company is going to say, 'You know what, it's not worth the risk.'"

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reviewed cooperation frameworks between Egypt and the German shipbuilding company Lurssen, as he met on Wednesday with the companys CEO Peter Lurssen, presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

Lurssen has extensive experience in building naval vessels, from boats to corvettes, frigates and warships, Radi said.

El-Sisi and Lurssen discussed cooperation in the field of building ships of various models and the transfer of technology in this field in cooperation with the Egyptian Navys arsenals and the companies of the Marine Industries and Services Organisation.

They also discussed training Egyptian crews and efforts to improve the capabilities of the Egyptian cadres in accordance with international standards and quality requirements.

El-Sisi hailed Egypts cooperation with the German company, praising it for its good reputation in shipbuilding.

Lurssen referred to the promising opportunities of direct investment in Egypt, especially in light of the Egyptian governments efforts to develop the countrys infrastructure.

The meeting was also attended by Commander of the Navy Lieutenant General Ahmed Khaled, Presidential Advisor for Financial Affairs Major General Mohamed Amin, head of the Armed Forces Financial Affairs Authority Major General Ahmed Al-Shazly, Assistant Commander of the Navy for Technical Affairs Rear Admiral Hossam El-Deen Qutb, and Head of the Navys Armament Division Rear Admiral Mohamed Ibrahim.

This is El-Sisis second official meeting with Lurssen, as he met in Cairo with the German businessman in August last year.

Following the first meeting, the presidential spokesman said Lurssen owns eight shipyards around the world and had recently signed a deal to manufacture destroyers for the German Navy with a cargo hold of 11,000 tonnes.

Short link:


The programs will be streamed on a fixed schedule during the first week (January 1824). The bulk of the films will then move to a video library (January 2531), where viewers will be able to watch them on demand.

On February 1, this set-up will be replaced by Best Austrian Animations brand-new online database  the culmination of years of archiving. Ultimately, every film ever shown at the festival since 2013 will have an entry containing information, visuals, and in some cases the entire film. The database will be aimed at researchers, curators, and anyone else with an interest in contemporary Austrian animation; one of its main purposes will be to help Austrian filmmakers find international distribution for their works.

Ahead of the event, we spoke to Renoldner, the festivals founder and a renowned filmmaker in his own right (his short Dont Know What recently qualified for the Oscars). He told us that the online editions format  free and accessible in all territories  was settled on after consultations with all the filmmakers. Also, he adds, since this festival is also intended to promote the [database], we thought with free access we reach a larger audience.

Having studied other online festivals, Renoldner and his colleagues decided against webinars and Zoom Q&As. We discussed [and concluded] that many people, ourselves included, are tired of online meetings of all kinds, he says. All of us attended some filmmaker meetings at online festivals, and we were not convinced that we have to offer that option as well. Instead, the event will feature video statements pre-recorded by the filmmakers, as well as a text-based group chat feature.

Last April, Renoldner told us that he thought the amount of travel generated by the pre-pandemic festival circuit was placing a burden on the planet. That said, he hopes to restore his festivals real-life edition as soon as the pandemic allows, as there is no substitute for in-person networking and socializing.

But he adds: Of course this online edition opens new perspectives. For the first time, a huge number of Austrian animated films are presented internationally, and we will certainly analyze the outcome of our initiative. It is thinkable to continue something like that, but then I would rather have a smaller selection of films in a payable on-demand version. He notes that this kind of hybrid approach takes time to prepare, and would thus require a bigger budget going forward.

For more information on the festival and its programs, head to its website.

Image at top: Sigmund Hutters music video for Rakisquads Karantina
(Newser)  Ireland has assessed the harm done by its Catholic Church-run homes for unmarried mothers over most of the 20th century and attempted to fix responsibility. About 9,000 children died in the homes, twice the nation's infant mortality rate, according to a government report released Tuesday. Their mothers were subjected to physical and emotional abuse. "It appears that there was little kindness shown to them and this was particularly the case when they were giving birth," the report says. The death toll among children amounts to 15% of those who were born or lived in the 18 Irish institutions investigated, NBC reports. "We did this to ourselves, we treated women exceptionally badly," Prime Minister Micheal Martin said. "One hard truth in all of this, is that all of society was complicit in it." After the five-year investigation, and its almost 3,000-page report, Martin said Ireland must "face up to the full truth of our past."

story continues below

The government helped fund the homes, which served as adoption agencies, sending many of the children to families in the US. About 57,000 children and 56,000 women lived in the homes in the years covered by the investigation, with the numbers peaking in the 1960s and early '70s. The last of the homes closed in 1998, per ABC. Before 1960, the report said, the homes did not try to save the lives of children of unmarried women. The report gave no one reason for the high mortality rate. An order that ran three of the homes issued a statement saying, "It is a matter of great sorrow to us that babies died while under our care." The report attributed principal responsibility for the way unmarried mothers were treated to their families. But the government and churches share blame, it said. "There is no evidence of public concern being expressed about conditions in mother and baby homes or about the appalling mortality among the children born in these homes," the report said, "even though many of the facts were in the public domain." (Some children were told their adoptive parents were their birth parents.)
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Worried microfinance institutions (MFIs) have initiated dialogues with the Assam State government, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the central government with respect to a recent state law. The law was enacted by the Assam government to control the operations of the microlenders following reports of coercive lending practices.

Certain provisions of the law, called The Assam Microfinance Institutions (Regulation of Moneylending) Bill, 2020, have put MFIs operating in the state in a tough spot. These include mandatory registration of MFIs within 30 days, collection of dues only at gram panchayat offices or at designated public places, among others.

Adding to their woes, ahead of assembly elections, local politicians have started promising loan waiver for women MFI borrowers. P Satish, executive director of Sa-Dhan, one of the prominent industry bodies of MFIs, said the organization has started dialogues with all stakeholders including the state and the regulator on the crisis.

Sa-Dhan has 225 members of which 160 are MFIs. Their total loan portfolio is around Rs 1,00,000 crores as of 30 September

However, Satish denied reports that Sa-Dhan is mulling to move the Supreme Court against the state law.

We are not planning to move SC on the issue. Moving the SC is not on our agenda. Even in AP case we did not approach the SC, said Satish. We are talking to the state government to understand how they plan to go ahead. The law shouldnt come as a hurdle to MFI operations, Satish said.

MFIN, another leading industry association, too denied any plans to move to Supreme Court as of now. "There is no thought on this at this stage. We are talking to all stakeholders to understand this issue and find a way ahead," said MFIN CEO Alok Misra.

A similar industry crisis had happened in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in 2010 when the state enacted a similar law. Following this, the RBI brought in new regulations to govern the sector.

Also, Sa-Dhan has moved to RBI to highlight the regulatory issues in the Assam MFI Bill, Satish said. NBFC-MFIs operations are already covered under RBI Act. In that sense, to what extent a state can intervene in RBIs turf needs to be ascertained, Satish said, adding, we are drawing their attention to this issue.

Microfinance Institutions Network (MFIn), another leading industry body, was not immediately available for comments. Assam is one of the prominent microlending markets in the North East part of the country.

A double whammy

More than the law itself, the promise of loan waiver of borrowers will likely do a bigger damage to the industry, according to industry officials. Both Congress and BJP politicians have made poll promises on loan waiver.

Past experience has shown that the moment politicians promise waiver, even honest borrowers stop repayments to their lenders resulting in total collapse of credit culture in that geography. During the 2010 Andhra Pradesh crisis too, banks and MFIs had seen a big spike in their bad loan levels after politicians gave a call to borrowers not to pay back to their lenders.

The AP Microfinance Bill which had imposed similar restrictions on operations of MFIs, especially with respect to collection of dues, had unleashed a crisis in the sector. This subsequently forced a significant number of MFIs to shut down or move out of the state.

What does the Assam law says?

The Assam MFI Bill has some elements that remind the draconian provisions of the controversial Andhra Pradesh Microfinance Bill. For instance, the Assam Bill stipulates that all MFIs in Assam need to apply for registration before the local authority within 30 days from the date of commencement of the Act. This registration is valid for a period of two years.

Secondly, according to the Act, all schedules of loan repayment shall be made by the borrower at the office of the Gram Panchayat or at a public place designated by the Deputy Commissioners.

Third, partners, directors, and employees of organisations engaged in coercive lending practices will be subjected to up to three years of imprisonment and Rs 1,00,000 fine.

Fourth, no MFI should extend a further loan to a borrower where s/he has an outstanding loan from a bank unless the MFI gets a prior approval.

Fifth, a borrower cannot be a member of more than one Self-Help Group (SHG) or Joint Liability Group (JLG) and not more than two MFIs can lend to the same borrower.

What lies ahead?

The two big problematic clauses in the Assam Bill are the rules that say MFIs can collect dues only at Gram panchayat offices or designated public places. Secondly, the requirement to get the registration done within 30 days could also create problems for many MFIs as the process can take a longer timeframe, Satish said.

If the state government implements the law strictly, it can lead to a crisis situation in the states microfinance sector much like the AP law. This can impact not just MFI but banks as well which operate in the microcredit segment Banks will be more worried about the loan waiver talks rather than the law itself. This is because banks do not come under the Act but the loan waiver calls can hurt them for sure,  Satish said.

According to Macquarie, the Bill will have a medium to potentially long-term impact on the growth of Bandhan Bank in the state since its business is concentrated in the region. Shares of Bandhan Bank were trading nearly 3 percent down at Rs 380.15 a piece on the BSE.
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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Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan has posted the following on his Facebook page:

"In January 1990, the Armenian population in the capital of Azerbaijan Baku has been subjected to a systematic and mass pogrom.

The massacres in Kirovabad, Sumgait and Baku became a part of the Azerbaijani state Armenophobia and policy of ethnic cleansing. This anti-Armenian policy continued also during the Second Artsakh War, accompanied by numerous terrible crimes committed against the peaceful population of Artsakh.

Regardless of this most complicated situation and received blows, the Armenians around the world are determined to continue living and creating in their homeland and suspending all threats of committing genocide against the Armenian people. In our homeland, there is no alternative than to take into consideration the right to our living, cannot simply exist.

More accurate, than William Saroyan has formulated, I believe is not possible to say:

I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose history is ended, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, whose literature is unread, whose music is unheard, whose prayers are no longer uttered.

Go ahead, destroy this race. Let us say that it is again 1915. There is war in the world. Destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them from their homes into the desert. Let them have neither bread nor water. Burn their houses and their churches. See if they will not live again. See if they will not laugh again. See if the race will not live again when two of them meet in a beer parlor, twenty years after, and laugh, and speak in their tongue. Go ahead, see if you can do anything about it. See if you can stop them from mocking the big ideas of the world, you sons of bitches, a couple of Armenians talking in the world, go ahead and try to destroy them.
(TNS)  San Francisco, Calif.,'s office market had its weakest year in at least three decades in 2020, with the coronavirus pandemic bringing business expansion to a near standstill.New leasing activity plunged 71 percent from 2019, according to real estate brokerage Cushman & Wakefield. At 2.2 million square feet, down from 7.7 million, it is the lowest level on record dating to the 1990s.The pandemic destroyed a nearly decade-long real estate boom, forcing most office workers to stay home and emptying once-bustling downtown streets. Many companies such as Twitter and Dropbox sought to downsize through sublease listings, which now account for more than half of the 16.7 percent vacancy rate, the highest level since 2005, according to Cushman & Wakefield.Almost no new large leases were completed in 2020. The largest was signed by Vir, a biotech company researching COVID-19, which took 133,896 square feet at Dropbox's 1800 Owens St. headquarters in Mission Bay. The artificial intelligence nonprofit OpenAI expanded to 96,000 square feet at 575 Florida St. "It just was a very difficult year, with everything frozen in place," said Robert Sammons, Cushman & Wakefield senior director of Bay Area research.Office projects under construction, which in recent years were often fully leased before completed, saw no leases signed last year.Brookfield Properties' partially built office tower at the 5M project and its Pier 70 development are still seeking tenants. Brookfield is partnering with Hearst Corp., owner of, on the 5M project. Brookfield declined to comment.Oceanwide Center, planned to be San Francisco's second tallest tower, suspended construction and failed to sell to investment firm Hony Capital after months of delays, according to a public filing last week from Chinese owner Oceanwide Holdings.A slew of new offices planned in the central South of Market area have yet to move forward, with Pinterest canceling a 490,000-square-foot lease in one of them. Owner Alexandria Real Estate Equities said the project, 88 Bluxome, could potentially be build as lab space for biotech tenants, which is one of the few positive sectors in the economy.Sammons said it would be a logical change, because the projects are not far from Mission Bay, the city's hub for life sciences.Despite devastation in much of the economy, venture capital in San Francisco set an annual record of $27.2 billion last year, according to research firm PitchBook, a sign of resiliency for the tech sector. PitchBook said initial public offerings in the Bay Area also set a record with 67, led by Airbnb, which saw its business falter and then recover during the pandemic.But it's unclear whether new funding will translate directly to office demand as it has in the past, said Alexander Quinn, director of research for Northern California at JLL, a real estate brokerage."We're in such an unusual time. Until we have any semblance of control of the coronavirus, we're going to be struggling, especially in the office market," he said.Major tech employers including Salesforce, Uber and Facebook don't plan to have office workers return until at least the summer. Google has pushed back the return until September, and could have workers at the office only three days a week, which could further hurt local retail and restaurant spending and transit fare collection.At the same time, Google is still pursuing major expansion plans in San Jose, as well as Sunnyvale and Mountain View. It signed a relatively small lease of 42,000 square feet last year in San Francisco."The big tech players will be interesting to watch, to see what they do in the city and what they do in the rest of the Bay Area," Sammons said. "They certainly haven't given up on the Bay Area."Office rents dropped 9.6 percent over the past year to $75.11 per square foot annually, according to Cushman & Wakefield, and apartment rents plunged by more than 24 percent, according to Zumper. That discount could entice some companies to expand and residents to stay or move back eventually, Sammons said.He expects the market to recover by 2022, and it could happen sooner if there is additional federal stimulus for cities and states, and if there is a successful vaccine distribution. The first step will be for nonessential office workers to return, a time frame that is unclear after San Francisco indefinitely extended its stay-at-home orders last week."There are a lot of unknowns. It's in a wait-and-see mode," Sammons said.
Rotunda Rumblings

Senioritis: Gov. Mike DeWine said local agencies and providers will be in charge of crafting and rolling out the next phase of the coronavirus vaccine, which includes people 80 and older, Seth Richardson reports. DeWine said there wont be a central sign-up or tracking method for who has the vaccine and when, so those eligible are going to have to stay up to date with their individual providers and make their own scheduling arrangements.

Getting quizzed: The Ohio Education Association is asking about a state school board members organizing of a busload of people who traveled to Washington D.C. as part of the protest that preceded the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump. The OEA asked Kirsten Hill for answers about her intent in arranging and attending the January 6 event that in itself was an assault on the democratic principles of our nation, even before turning violent, Emily Bamforth reports. Hill told the Elyria Chronicle Telegram no one in her group entered the Capitol.

Signs of a breakup: Some Ohio Republicans are showing signs of breaking with Trump since last weeks events at the U.S. Capitol. As Andrew Tobias reports, Ohio GOP Chairman Jane Timken in her weekly email on Sunday didnt mention the president by name, and the state party also has removed his image from the front of their website. Others, including DeWine, Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Rep. Steve Stivers to varying degrees have criticized Trump for playing a role in inciting the angry mob in Washington, D.C. last week.

Portman gets tough: Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman came out with his strongest statement yet in the aftermath of the Capitol riots. As Sabrina Eaton reports, Portman called on Trump to address the nation and explicitly urge his supporters to remain peaceful and refrain from violence. If our nation experiences additional violence and destruction at the hands of his supporters in Washington DC and state capitols around the country, and he does not directly and unambiguously speak out now when threats are known, he will bear responsibility.

Take it back: Democrats on the House Rules Committee challenged Republican Rep. Jim Jordan Tuesday to make a statement saying the election wasnt stolen from Trump. The heated discussion occurred as the committee considered whether Trump should be removed via the 25th Amendment. Eaton has details of the clash.

On guard: DeWine announced Tuesday hes moving to deploy 580 members of the Ohio National Guard within Ohio and to Washington, D.C. ahead of planned pro-Trump protests and the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. As Jeremy Pelzer reports, the governor also said hes talked with state legislative leaders about taking additional steps to protect the Ohio Statehouse, though he didnt provide details.

Who is the target of the law? The Ohio Supreme Court heard 80 minutes of oral arguments Tuesday in the case of a Butler County school district that doesnt think armed teachers and staff are included in a law specifying the type of training school police and security officers must have to carry guns in school zones. Laura Hancock writes that justices engaged in a lively banter with attorneys.

100 more deaths: Hancock reports that the Ohio coronavirus death toll is now 9,802, and 792,938 total cases have been reported. There were just 17,421 vaccine doses reported to have been given Tuesday, below the record of 29,028 on Friday.

Musical chairs: Summit County Councilwoman Liz Walters received some big backing in her bid to become the next chair of the Ohio Democratic Party, Richardson reports. Both Sen. Sherrod Brown and influential labor leader Joe Rugola announced they were backing Walters, with Rugola  who controls a significant bloc of votes  saying he was confident Walters had enough backers to win the Thursday election.

Bank on it: U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown vowed Tuesday to shift the focus of the U.S. Senates banking committee he will head to focus more on helping workers and their families. Eaton has details on the plans Brown laid out.

Blast from the past: John Boehner, the former Republican Congressman from Ohio and U.S. House speaker, said Monday that Trump should consider resigning, according to the Associated Press. Heres the president of the United States, in my view, inciting a riot ... and the Capitol being threatened, Boehner said. Its time for Donald Trump to consider resigning his post. He has violated his oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

Five questions

Five questions for state Rep. Monique Smith, a Democrat who was elected to represent Clevelands west side suburbs in the November election. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

What issues do you plan to focus on in the legislature?

I really was truly driven by two major trends that I saw happening. One is the GOP majority loosening gun restrictions progressively and consistently every single year. As a parent I feel genuinely concerned for the safety of Ohioans.

Also, with access to health care, the restrictions that the GOP majority have been putting on womens access to full health care is extremely dangerous and frightening to me, and I know for sure that Ohio women will be harmed by those laws. But of course were also facing the economic crisis, and because I came from a background as a city councilwoman, I really love working on everyday issues that are just about helping government to run effectively and efficiently, that arent big culture issues or some of the big headline issues.

How do you expect to make an impact as a member of the minority party?

Of the three main issues I mentioned to you I think going in reverse order is going to be how Im able to have the most impact, by working on those bread-and butter issues on effective and efficient government. Trying to find all the opportunities where constituents of every background and of any kind of district are simply struggling to be able to get the support they need from government, and then being able to collaborate with folks across the aisle to solve those problems.

Why do you think your race was the only Democratic legislative flip in Ohio?

There really was something going on with suburban voters in Ohio and across the country. I just wanted to reflect my district. If youre a mom and you know that your kids are learning to hide under desks and throw shoes at an active shooter, that moves you, and I ignored people who said that kind of stuff doesnt matter to mothers in my area or even men in my area.

You were featured in an Atlantic article titled Revenge of the Wine Moms. What do you think about the wine mom thing?

I hate that headline. I hate that term with every bit of my being. There have been so many conversations about that. And Ive told people were not using that term. We dont relate to that term. It doesnt reflect us. I loved the content of that story, because it showed the part about me and my political friends. Thats real, which is that there are women in the suburbs who were never politically active for their entire adult lives until Trump got elected, and that woke them up and motivated them to start working back in 2016. And they did real, authentic work and became skilled political organizers over the past four years. I wish thats what people would come away with instead of the image of women with a glass of wine in their hands just talking about problems and not taking action.

Whats something you like to do in your free time?

Well because I have a family I dont really have free time, so just spending time with them is really a lot of what I do. But I grew up in a family that loved the arts and danced and sang and so I do things like that with my kids. Honestly, we have living room dance parties and I actually dont have a ton of hobbies, but we try to get to the theater when the theaters open, and do things like that.

Birthdays

State Sen. Nathan Manning

Salmon P. Chase, Ohios 23rd governor, U.S. treasury secretary, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1808-1873)

Straight from the Source

My question was very simple. I mean, I am asking you to make a statement that the election was not stolen, that Joe Biden won fair and square, and you know one of the ways to promote healing is for you to say yes and to put that in your Twitter account so that all these people who bought into a lie will start hearing from some of the people that were pushing this.

-Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, pressing Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio without success to acknowledge that the presidential election was not stolen.

Capitol Letter is a daily briefing providing succinct, timely information for those who care deeply about the decisions made by state government. If you do not already subscribe, you can sign up here to get Capitol Letter in your email box each weekday for free.
Aircraft bombed a number of locations in eastern Syria in the early hours of the morning Wednesday in what appears to be Israels most extensive string of airstrikes against Iran-linked targets in years.

The death toll of the strikes was not immediately clear. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights assessed that 57 people were killed, most of them Iran-backed militia fighters as well as 14 Syrian government forces.

Bombs reportedly landed inside the city of Deir ez-Zor, and were reported nearby in the area of the Deir ez-Zor Airport, long home to a Syrian military garrison.

The Syrian state-run SANA news agency said strikes also landed near the towns of Mayadeen and Abu Kamal, areas in which Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has maintained a presence. Abu Kamal is very close to the Iraq border near a main crossing point for Iran-backed forces into Syria.

A senior US intelligence official told The Associated Press that the strikes targeted warehouses used to stage Iranian weapons in Syria. So far, no reports have emerged of strikes hitting the T-4 air base, a longtime hub for Iranian hardware.

In a rare public acknowledgement, the official said that the strikes were carried out using intelligence provided by the United States and that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the matter with Israels intelligence chief Yossi Cohen at the Cafe Milano restaurant in Washington on Monday.

Al-Monitor previously reported that the United States has been providing intelligence to support Israels air campaign in Syria, and that the al-Tanf garrison in the Homs desert has played a role in that cooperation. Former US envoy for Syria James Jeffrey later took credit for helping initiate that cooperation at the request of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

President Donald Trump reportedly granted Pompeo near carte blanche to strike at Iran in the final days of his presidency. It was not clear as of Wednesday morning if any Iranian personnel had been killed in the strikes, something US defense officials have sought to avoid in the past.

Despite some optimistic statements by State Department officials, the United States appears no closer to its stated goal of forcing Iran to withdraw its proxies from Syria.

Still, Jeffrey recently said the United States has succeeded in preventing Iran from establishing forward positions in Syria that could be used to strike Israel with long-range weapons. His successor, Joel Rayburn, also expressed confidence in the successes of Israels air campaign during testimony to Congress last month.
The 700,000 people who live in New Yorks 22nd Congressional District should prepare to be without a representative in Washington for the foreseeable future as an epic battle unfolds for the undecided House election.

The post-election dispute between Anthony Brindisi and Claudia Tenney is likely to go on for months, history suggests, involving legal appeals in multiple courts and high-powered lawyers arguing over the fate of more than 2,000 disputed ballots.

The battle could also move to a new frontier, with the House of Representatives ordering a full hand recount of all 318,000 ballots cast in the election.

Two months after the Nov. 3 election, the House seat is the only one out of 435 where the winner has not been decided.

The initial court battle

For now, the fate of the 22nd District seat is in the hands of state Supreme Court Justice Scott J. DelConte in Oswego County. Delconte is not expected to rule on the validity of the disputed ballots for at least another week. He has been hearing the case since the day after the election.

Tenneys lawyers gave the first hint of the long fight ahead on Friday. A legal notice from her campaign preserved her right to appeal one of DelContes earliest rulings in the case. The appeal would be heard by the state Appellate Divisions Fourth Department in Rochester.

Tenney, a Republican from New Hartford, has a 29-vote lead as she seeks to win back the House seat that she lost two years ago to Brindisi, a Utica Democrat.

But that vote margin is likely to change when DelConte issues his final ruling, prompting the losing candidate to appeal to New Yorks Appellate Division. The appeal would start a new weeks-long legal battle.

The appeal

Jarret Berg, a New York election lawyer and former clerk to an Appellate Division judge in Brooklyn, said the case will likely narrow on appeal. Lawyers for the candidates will have to focus on a few core issues of the dispute. They will have to base their appeals on matters where they think DelConte got it wrong, Berg said.

You cant just appeal a decision because you dont like it, Berg said. You have to point to a perceived error of law made by the judge. Theyre going to be limited from an appeal standpoint.

For example, either candidate could claim the judge made an error with his rulings to count or not count specific categories of disputed ballots, said Berg who advocates for changes to expand New York states voting rights laws.

Berg said he expects any election case to be expedited if it proceeds to the Appellate Division, where a panel of judges often takes months to decide a case.

Lawyers for both candidates would submit legal briefs and make oral arguments in court, but no new evidence could be presented nor would witnesses be called to testify. Those matters have to be handled at the state Supreme Court level.

Berg said its possible that the Appellate judges could send the case back to state Supreme Court to correct errors before the case is resolved.

After a panel of judges issues the Appellate Division ruling, either candidate could appeal that decision to New York states highest court, the Court of Appeals.

U.S. Supreme Court unlikely to hear case

The case is not expected to find its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Marc Elias, a 1990 graduate of Hamilton College in Oneida County and a New York native, is one of Brindisis attorneys. Elias, who heads the political law practice at the firm Perkins Coie, served as general counsel of two Democratic presidential campaigns, for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and John Kerry in 2004.

He has represented clients in about two dozen House elections that were resolved in the courts.

All of those cases were ultimately handled in state courts. Elias said he does not know of any congressional election that was taken up for review by the U.S. Supreme Court, the nations highest court.

Congressional elections are handled at the state and local level.

The U.S. Supreme Court would likely hear a case only if a question of federal law involving an election would need to be settled, Elias said.

Berg, the New York election lawyer who has followed the 22nd Congressional District election, said no issues regarding federal election laws have been raised to date in the court case.

This is not a federal matter, Berg said. The federal courts dont sit in judgment of a state court unless they feel a state court has misinterpreted a matter of federal law.

A different option

At any step of the legal process, the courts could order the eight counties in the 22nd District to go ahead and submit the certified, final election results to the New York Board of Elections.

But once the state certifies the election results, the battle still might not be over.

The Federal Contested Elections Act allows the losing candidate to forego legal appeals and ask the House of Representatives to conduct an independent recount of all votes cast in the election.

The federal law gives a losing congressional candidate up to 30 days after a state certifies an election to request a House recount that would take at least two weeks to complete.

Such House-administered recounts are rare. The House has been asked to intervene in 107 disputed elections from 1933 through 2010, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan arm of Congress.

In one of the most extraordinary House recount cases, Rep. Frank McCloskey, an Indiana Democrat, was declared the winner by four votes over his Republican opponent, Richard McIntyre, in the 1984 election. It was one of the closest congressional elections in U.S. history.

Indiana election officials had declared McIntyre the winner, but the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives refused to seat him after tabulation errors were discovered.

The House ordered a recount by independent federal auditors from what was then the U.S. General Accounting Office.

The GAO determined McCloskey won, and he was sworn into office on May 1, 1985, four months into the new session. It was the last time a House recount overturned a states certified election results.

Brindisis, Tenneys place in history

When either Brindisi or Tenney eventually takes office, they are unlikely to make history.

Even the Indiana House seat that remained vacant for four months until McCloskey was declared the winner was far from the record for a vacancy.

The 4th Congressional District seat in Massachusetts remained unfilled for the entire 31st Congress from 1849 to 1851 because of an undecided election, according to the House historians office.

In the Massachusetts case, authorities held 12 run-off elections over two years, but no candidate emerged with the required majority of the vote. It wasnt until the next general election that Benjamin Thompson was elected and seated as a House member for that district on May 26, 1851.

Such close elections with razor-thin margins are still extremely rare in the 435-member House.

One tight race occurred in Central New York in 2010, when Ann Marie Buerkle unseated Rep. Dan Maffei by 648 votes. No recounts were ordered in that election, which was decided by an absentee ballot count.

Over a little more than a century, only four House elections have been decided by 20 votes or less.

In 1910, Charles B. Smith won New Yorks 36th Congressional District in Buffalo by one vote, according to the House historian. McCloskeys election in Indiana and George C. Scotts 1918 win in Iowas 11th Congressional District were decided by four votes.

Alphonse Roy won New Hampshires 1st Congressional District by 20 votes in 1937.

Remarkably, the 2020 election may add two more to the list  the election between Brindisi and Tenney, and the House race between Democrat Rita Hart and Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa.

In the Iowa election, state officials certified Miller-Meeks as the winner by six votes after a recount.

Hart has decided to bypass legal appeals, and instead asked the House of Representatives to conduct a recount. Hart maintains that 22 ballots in her favor were unlawfully excluded from the Iowa recount. She is represented by Elias.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to provisionally seat Miller-Meeks at the start of the new Congress on Jan. 3, pending a decision on Harts request.

Neither Brindisi nor Tenney could be seated because New York has not certified the election winner, leaving a district that stretches from Lake Ontario to the Pennsylvania border without a representative in Congress.

The legal battle ahead

Lawyers for Brindisi and Tenney declined to discuss their legal strategies or whether their campaigns would seek a full manual hand count of all ballots cast in the election.

Elias told syracuse.com that a final resolution to the election is likely weeks away. He said its too early to speculate on the next steps or whether Brindisi will file an appeal of DelContes final order in state Supreme Court.

Tenneys attorneys may have tipped their hand on Friday by filing a legal notice preserving her right to appeal an early ruling by Judge DelConte on Dec. 8.

In that ruling, DelConte denied Tenneys request to immediately certify her as the winner of the election by 12 votes, stopping the court-ordered review of disputed ballots.

The filing by our team simply preserves our right to appeal in the future before the statutory deadline, said Sean Kennedy, speaking for Tenney. Its a routine procedural safeguard.

MORE ON THE NY-22 ELECTION

700 votes were tossed in Oneida County. Officials ignored state law in latest mess up

Oneida County botched 2,400 voter signups, preventing their votes in Brindisi-Tenney race

At least 63 voters who did everything right could see votes nixed in Brindisi-Tenney race

Court case to decide winner in NY-22 House race to take at least another week

Trump refers to Brindisi-Tenney House race as he pushes baseless voter fraud claims

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
Because drip is eternal, a teenage boy faked his own kidnapping and demanded ransom money from his family to buy new clothes.

The 14-year-old Form Three student from Tharaka Nithi County staged the abduction on Tuesday, January 5, as he returned back to school.

On arrival in Nkubu town, the teenager chose a quiet spot and called his brother informing him that two bodaboda riders were holding him hostage inside Mount Kenya Forest. He said the supposed abductors were demanding Sh20,000 ransom to release him, failure to which, they would kill him.

Shocked by the information, the brother reported the matter at Tunyai Police Post, prompting county criminal Investigations Officer Betty Chepngeno to spring into action in search of the boy.

After an unsuccessful days search, the officer sought reinforcement from the regional headquarters and later from Nairob. The search ended Saturday midday when the boy was found on the streets of Nkubu town.

Ms Chepngeno said they suspected foul play and sent the boy Sh1,500 on M-Pesa through his brother. Unaware that it was a trap, the boy transferred the money to his M-Shwari account and then withdrew Sh1,400 that he used to buy a pair of jeans.

We were able to locate the boy after he withdrew Sh1,400 from an M-Pesa agent, the officer said.

Upon interrogation, the boy admitted to plotting his abduction to get money for new clothes. He said he has been envying his friends who have nice clothes.

The boy explained that he spent the first night in a lodging and paid Sh300. On the second and third night, he sought accommodation from unknown people and spent the fourth night in a house under construction.

Police in consultation with the Meru School principal and his parents agreed that the boy should not be charged in court but be counselled and taken to school.

I have agreed with the boy that my office will buy him all the clothes and shoes that he wanted to buy so that he can look good like his friends and concentrate on his education, Me Chepngeno said.
The Rouge River and its tributaries flow approximately 570 miles through Wayne, Washtenaw, and Oakland Counties and drains approximately 466 square miles of Southeast Michigan. The Rouge River has four branches (Main, Upper, Middle, and Lower). The Main Branch Rouge River originates in Rochester Hills and flows in a south/southeast direction. The Upper, Middle, and Lower Rouge Rivers originate near West Bloomfield Township, the City of Wixom, and Superior Township. The Upper, Middle, and Lower Rouge River meet with the Main Branch Rouge River near Redford Township, Dearborn Heights, and Dearborn, respectively. From Dearborn, the Main Branch Rouge River flows east/southeast through a heavily industrialized area before entering the Detroit River near Delray.

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) first analyzed per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in surface water in 2001 when 21 streams, including the Rouge River, were sampled for perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). The study found varying levels of PFOA and PFOS in the Rouge River. At that time, there were no water quality standards for these compounds in surface water, however, the concentrations measured in 2001 do not exceed the surface water quality standards for PFOS or PFOA that exist today.

As a part of routine monitoring, EGLEs Fish Contaminant Monitoring Program collected fish from the Rouge River in October 2019. Fish were collected from the Rouge River downstream of the confluence with the Lower Rouge River and from the Newburgh Lake impoundment of the Middle Branch of the Rouge River. These samples were processed as fillets and analyzed for PFAS as well as other contaminants. Results are discussed below.

Surface water from the river near its confluence with the Detroit River was sampled for PFAS again in November 2019 after the Wyandotte Municipal Services drinking water plant returned an abnormally high detection of PFOS and perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS) in raw and finished water samples in August 2019. PFOS and PFOA concentrations in these surface water samples were below three parts per trillion (ppt). For reference, concentrations of PFOS and PFOA less than two ppt are considered background levels in surface water.
CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brennan Investment Group, a private real estate investment firm that acquires, develops, and operates industrial facilities throughout the United States, has purchased approximately 24.80 acres of land at Jonesboro Road in Jonesboro, Georgia. The site is strategically located in the Airport/North Clayton submarket of the Atlanta MSA with convenient access to I-75, I-285, and the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The 25-acre site, named Jonesboro Logistics Center, will be comprised of three industrial buildings. Buildings one and two will feature a rear-load design with a shared truck court. Each building will total approximately 50,500 square feet, with the ability to accommodate up to four tenants each. Building three will total approximately 200,000 square feet with a front-load design to accommodate up to two tenants. Construction is scheduled to begin in the first quarter of 2021 with completion targeted for the end of 2021.

"Atlanta is a market that continues to demonstrate strong fundamentals for industrial development opportunities," said Mike Martin, Senior Vice President at Brennan Investment Group. "The Atlanta MSA reported over 18 million square feet of positive net absorption last year with a vacancy rate of 5.6%."

Nick Peacher of Stream Realty Partners represented Brennan in this transaction.

About Brennan Investment Group

Brennan Investment Group, a Chicago-based private real estate investment firm, acquires, develops, and operates industrial properties in select major metropolitan markets throughout the United States. Since 2010, Brennan Investment Group has acquired over $4 billion in industrial real estate. The company's current portfolio spans 30 states and encompasses 45 million square feet.

Brennan Investment Group co-invests with private and institutional capital to achieve outstanding risk-adjusted returns. The firm's management team is among the most accomplished in its industry, having invested in over 4,000 properties covering more than 60 cities throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.

For more information on Brennan Investment Group, go to brennanllc.com.

Contact:

Anna Mandarino

(847) 443-2716

[email protected]

SOURCE Brennan Investment Group

Related Links

http://brennanllc.com


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 12) - President Rodrigo Duterte's administration had 13.47 billion worth of confidential, intelligence, and extraordinary expenses in 2019, the Commission on Audit said in its annual financial report.

State auditors noted that this is 2.03 billion higher than the 11.4 billion spent in 2018.

COA said intelligence expenses accounted for 6.12 billion, the extraordinary and miscellaneous expenses reached 4.8 billion, while confidential expenses accounted for 2.57 billion.

The report also showed that Congress (3.98 billion), the Department of National Defense (3.09 billion), and the Office of the President (2.41 billion) are the top three highest spenders for confidential, intelligence, and extraordinary expenses in 2019.

The other agencies that spent for confidential, intelligence, and extraordinary expenses as well are the following:

.Department of Interior and Local Government (1.79 billion)

.Other Executive offices (752.7 million)

.Department of Information and Communication Technology (307.3 million)

.Department of Justice (279.08 million)

.The Judiciary (268.5 million)

.Department of Finance (90 million)

.Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (82.6 million)

In his veto message for this year's budget, Duterte refused to disclose to Congress how intelligence funds will be spent.

"I am duty bound to protect national security and maintain public safety, as well as ensure peace and order at all times," Duterte said. "Hence, all activities involving gathering that have a direct impact on national security and public safety shall be reported directly to me."

The president said reports on intelligence funds are confidential or classified information.
The House of Representatives is preparing deductions of GOP lawmakers' pay if they refuse to wear masks.

Legislation to fine lawmakers who refuse to wear masks

Legislators will face fines proposed by the House of Democrats for those who will refuse to wear masks after three House members who talked with maskless fellow lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 during last week's Capitol riots.

The NY Post reported that a senior House Democratic aide confirmed the fines to take effect on Tuesday night as part of legislation urging Vice President Mike Pence to remove Trump through the 25th Amendment.

A source revealed that the resolution rule would include language implementing fine system for non-compliance with the mask requirement on the House floor.

For the first offense, the fine will be $500 and $2,500 for the second offense. GOP lawmakers' pay deduction will come from Member pay.

"Separately, the House Office Building Commission will be immediately considering the implementation of a similar fine system for non-compliance in the House Office Buildings and house side of the U.S. Capitol Building," the House aide said.

Representatives Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) tested positive for COVID-19 after they took shelter from a mob of Trump supporters in the U.S. Capitol. Allegedly, in the close quarters, some Republicans refused to wear masks.

On Tuesday, the House installed metal detectors through the area where lawmakers will have to pass, as legislative business resumes. Some Republicans said they would want to carry guns in Congress, as per N.Y. Post.

Read also: Washington DC Airports Tighten Security Following Suggestions to Ban Rioters From Flying

Three lawmakers possibly got COVID-19 in the protective isolation

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urged the wearing of masks on the floor, but some House Republicans occasionally disregarded this rule, as per CNN.

On Monday, Coleman tweeted, saying that the Wednesday events, including sheltering with several colleagues who refused to wear masks, made her decide to take a test, which later revealed a positive result.

The congresswoman believes she was exposed during the Capitol building's protective isolation, which resulted from insurrectionist riots, a statement from Coleman's office said.

Multiple outlets reported that several members within the area ignored mask-wearing instructions.

Early Tuesday morning, Jayapal tweeted that she also tested positive for coronavirus after being "locked down in a secured room at the Capitol where some Republicans refused to wear masks and mocked colleagues and staff for offering them one."

Read also: Virginia Town Suspends Officers for Attending Events that Lead to Capitol Riot

Six lawmakers captured refusing masks during Capitol insurrection

Previously, CNN reported six Republicans were caught on video while refusing masks offered by their colleagues during the Capitol insurrection. Coleman was in the same room in the secure location with the six Republicans who refused to wear masks. An aide told CNN.

On Tuesday, Democratic representatives Anthony Brown and Debbie Dingell proposed a bill that imposes a $1,000 fine on any GOP lawmakers who will decline wearing masks on Capitol grounds.

Capitol staff and lawmakers received a memo on Sunday from the attending physician warning them of possible COVID-19 exposure after lawmakers were forced to gather near each other during the Capitol breach.

Dr. Brian P. Monahan, the Capitol attending physician, instructed lawmakers and staff to monitor potential COVID-19 symptoms and be tested for the virus as a precaution.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Psychic Source, the online psychic and love tarot readings platform, have announced all new customers can get a free trial reading for the first few minutes before paying for a full service.

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SOURCE Psychic Source
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By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS

Associated Press

SPOKANE  After yet another year of catastrophic wildfires in Washington state, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz is once again proposing that the state create a dedicated fund to prevent and fight the fires.

A similar attempt to use a surtax on home insurance premiums to raise money to fight wildfires failed in the state Legislature last year. This time Franz is proposing to work with legislators to identify the funding source.





. . .
Americans Trust Their Employers, Distrust Media and Government, Survey Says

'Rampant infodemic is fueling widespread mistrust of societal leaders'

Americans trust their employers far more than the business and NGO community more generally, while distrusting both government and media, according to a new study.

Institutional confidence among Americans is highly localized, according to an annual survey (pdf) released Jan. 13 by public relations firm Edelman, which shows that 72 percent of U.S. respondents believe their employer is a mainstay of trust.

Trust has gone local, Edelman CEO Richard Edelman said in a statement. The COVID-19 pandemic, with more than 1.9 million lives lost and joblessness equivalent to the Great Depression, has accelerated the erosion of trust.

Americans expressed neutral levels of trust in business (54 percent) and NGOs (50 percent), while distrusting the media (45 percent) and government (42 percent), the survey showed. A score between 50 and 59 percent reflects a neutral level of trust, while a score below 49 percent shows distrust, according to survey methodology. Scores above 60 percent reflect positive levels of trust.

Business is the only institution people trust globally (61 percent), with neutral levels of trust in NGOs (57 percent), government (53 percent), and media (51 percent.)

Business has emerged as the last institution standing, the only one rated as both competent and ethical and 50 points ahead of government on competence and approaching NGOs on ethics, Edelman said.

Meanwhile, trust in all news sources has hit record lows, fueling mistrust of societal leaders.

This is the era of information bankruptcy, Edelman said. Media sources are seen as politicized and biased. The result is a lack of quality information and increased divisiveness.

Fifty-seven percent of Americans find the political and ideological polarization so extreme that they believe the U.S. is in the midst of a cold civil war.

Most people responding to the survey think that government leaders (57 percent), business leaders (56 percent), and journalists (59 percent) are intentionally trying to mislead people by saying things they know are false.

The pandemic and infodemic are two strands of a Rambo DNA, inextricably linked in their destructive force, Edelman said. Government and media, the usual sources of quality information in a crisis, have both failed to meet the test.

Americans see a crisis in societal leadership on a number of fronts, the survey shows, with employer CEOs the only ones trusted by both Biden and Trump voters. Of the people who said they voted for President-elect Joe Biden, 68 percent said they trust their workplace leadership; among those who voted for President Donald Trump, this figure stood at 61 percent.

Theres active distrust in government leaders among both groups of voters, with 45 percent of Biden supporters and just 28 percent of Trump voters saying they have confidence in elected officials. There is also mistrust in business leaders, with just 41 percent of Biden backers and 35 percent of Trump supporters saying they trust business CEOs.

This is truly a run on the bank of trust, Edelman said of the findings.
Catholic school discriminated against white student accused of racism, lawsuit claims

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A lawsuit is accusing a Catholic school in Missouri of subjecting an 18-year-old student to relentless verbal ridicule after an African American classmate falsely accused her of racism.

Villa Duchesne, a K-12 private school in Frontenac, along with faculty members are listed as defendants in the lawsuit filed in St. Louis County court last week. The complaint relates to the alleged treatment of an unnamed student recognized in the lawsuit as Daughter Doe.

In the lawsuit, attorneys for the plaintiffs family allege that the school engaged in an overt and intentional racial discrimination against white students and even encouraged and facilitated race-based aggression against Doe that was promulgated by African American fellow students.

[T]hrough the use of coercion, intimidation, and threats, the lawsuit alleges that faculty and administrators tried to force Doe to adopt or espouse the political philosophies of Critical Race Theory.

The girls lawyer, Mark McCloskey, told The Christian Post that Doe was accused in October by an African American student [identified as A.S.] of standing up and saying in a class session on social justice work that black lives dont matter.

McCloskey contends that the class was recorded on Zoom and the girl never said that phrase. According to the lawsuit, teacher Theresa Wiss watched the classroom the entire time.

In the real world, this class was recorded, McCloskey said. The recording shows that the alleged statement was never made. The teacher who was there knows that the statement was never made, but nonetheless, on Oct. 13 called my client to the principals office.

After A.S.'s accusation, the lawsuit states that Doe's house was vandalized and that she was threatened by her classmates. Additionally, the lawsuit alleges that the student was accused by other students of being a racist and a Trump supporter.

The lawsuit states that in the Oct. 13 meeting, Principal Jeannie Steenberge and Wiss let A.S. shout at Doe and point a finger in her face.

A.S. allegedly called Doe a liar and denied that she had ever made statements about her.

The lawsuit contends that A.S. contradicted herself and later admitted she had told people the girl had said: black lives do not matter.

The African American student also said Doe was a racist, was the biggest known racist in the school, was in love with Trump and everyone knows that all Trump supporters are racist.

That legal filing claims that Wiss told Doe she should expect to be treated as a racist because of a pro-police Thin Blue Line sticker she put on her laptop. Wiss misidentified it as a Blue Lives Matter sticker.

You need to realize that having a Blue Lives Matter flag is racist and that it was made to crush the BLM movement, said Wiss, according to the lawsuit. Simply having that sticker, you should expect to be treated like a racist.

The Thin Blue Line has been a symbol of the sacrifice and service of police since long before Black Lives Matter began. However, combining the symbol with the American flag in support of police only began in 2014.

School leaders Steenberge, Dean of Student Excellence Mesho Morrow and Dean Emily Kaplan called Doe back to another meeting on Oct. 23.

They didnt allow her to bring her cell phone into the room. McCloskey contends that Morrow told Doe during the meeting to lie about her experience and to say that she was no longer concerned about the bullying, vandalism and threats she had received from other students.

Morrow, an African American who is allegedly a supporter of the Black Lives Movement, is alleged to have tried to convince Doe to state that it is her father who had put her up to cause trouble.

As my client continued to refuse to agree with these falsehoods, the Dean of Student Excellence kept getting louder and louder and louder and doing these karate-chopping motions with her hands toward my clients face, McCloskey argues. That same meeting the Principal Steenberge told our client, Were all racists, were white.

Doe asked to leave and the staff wouldnt let her, according to the lawsuit. The student also allegedly asked to call her parents and a lawyer but the teachers again would not let her.

The lawsuit accuses Kaplan of typing notes on the meeting. However, Kaplan contends that she was not making a transcript of the discussion but working on another matter.

Before and after both meetings, A.S. continued to threaten Doe, according to the court filing.

The student was alleged to have said that she would throw hands on this b**** and that Im sick of that racist b****  we need to end her.

I know that the African American student involved has publicly said, and I think directly to my client, that she can do whatever she wants and wont be punished because shes black, McCloskey alleged to CP. I think that has been an ongoing situation at the school. On Oct. 23, [Morrow] told my client that the African American girl would not be punished for anything.

Villa Duchesnes school policy considers lying, bigotry and internet abuse serious violations of community standards, said McCloskey, who accused the African American student of making a false claim based on racial hatred.

Why is the school being so reluctant to admit that the African American student is a liar and why are they continuing to try and intimidate or force my client into agreeing with Critical Race Theory and apologize for something that didnt happen? he asked. Thats why amongst other things this lawsuit got filed. My client continues to this day to get harassed about it.

Teachers at Villa Duchesne often display shirts, posters and web posts that support Black Lives Matter, the attorney continued.

"The Black Lives Matter Movement is about as anti-Catholic a movement as you could possibly imagine," McCloskey asserted.

Doe has been socially ostracized and threatened online, McCloskey stressed. A private Facebook page for school alumni have made insulting and defamatory content about her, he added.

Officials from Villa Duchesne have yet to respond to The Christian Posts request for comment on the lawsuit.

But a spokesperson for the school told St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the school will not address the matter publicly.

A wave of cases like Does steals justice from many students across the country, McCloskey. warned.

Another St. Louis Catholic school attempted to include a provision in its rulebook that would allow students to be punished for unintentionally offending others with a "microaggression," the lawyer warned.

There seems to have been this invisible hand that has walked across the country this year, causing many of the Catholic schools and all the public schools, I think, to adopt an active program of trying to create or adopt Critical Race Theory, he said. All this is of very recent origin and its not isolated to a single school.

McCloskey, who mostly handles injury cases and occasional civil rights cases, said that a week ago, he was settling a lawsuit about police brutality for an African American man. McCloskey and his wife also made headlines last July when they were seen brandishing guns outside their home when Black Lives Matter protesters marched by.
DUBLIN, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Cashew Kernel Market - Forecasts from 2020 to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global cashew kernel market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.27% over the forecast period to reach a market size of US$6.932 billion in 2025 from US$5.394 billion in 2019.

The USA (152591 tons), Germany (47646 tons), Netherlands (45889 tons), United Arab Emirates (21482 tons), United Kingdom (20917 tons) were among the top importing countries of the world based on the Import quantity of shelled cashew nuts imported as of 2018. However, these figures are relatively lower than what was registered against each of the importing nations in 2017 mentioned above, Viz. the USA registered an import of 153448 tons and Germany registered an import of 53922 tons [Source: USDA].

According to Ministerie van Landbouw, Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit which is the Dutch Ministry responsible for agricultural policy, animal welfare, fisheries, food policy, food safety, forestry and natural conservation, prices of cashew nuts collapsed in 2018 resulting in the decrease in import value. Imports of cashew nuts reportedly reached a zenith during 2017 but with supply outperforming demand to a certain extent and sales from 2017 stock being enough to meet demand in the forts half of 2018 collectively led to the drop in import value. Nevertheless, in Europe Germany is the largest European importer and market of cashew nuts.

The Netherlands is also the leading European re-exporter with cashew nuts, among others being the top re-exported products. In Italy, the production of pesto requires the consumption of pine nuts to be substituted by comparatively cheaper alternatives and cashew nuts is one of them. In view of above, and based on the increasing consumer inclination to consume healthy food the European cashew kernel market is expected to be driven by robust growth. Moreover, the use of cashew nuts as snacks, in breakfast cereals and for production of various functional food is expected to further bolster the cashew kernel market.

Several government policies and international initiative are expected to drive the cashew kernel market around the world during the forecast period. For instance, the policies laid out by West African nations like that of the elaborate cashew sector intervention policies that have been put in place by Cote d'Ivoire. That is in 2015 the country has reportedly introduced an export tax of FCFA 30 per kg of raw cashew nuts (RCN) and since 2016 the industries engaged in local processing have been supported by subsidies derived from the funds from this tax, at the rate of FCFA 400 per kg of exported raw cashew kernel (RCK). This is an addition to the existing export levies i.e. FCFA 10 per kg of RCN to support critical functions pertaining to the sector. In 2017, Benin too had reportedly put an export tax of FCFA 10 per kg of RCN. Other policies that are conducive to local cashew processing in the west African nations includes an indicative minimum price for RCN at the start of the buying season which reportedly sets the bar for influence selling and buying behaviour.

Policies pertaining to government investment promotion which can reportedly include tax-free industrial areas as exemplified by 'points francs industriels' in Benin, tax exemptions for the first years of operations, which vary from 5 to 8 years by country, leasing of land in dedicated industrial zones, and including access to utilities as it is the case in Cote d'Ivoire. Moreover, export tax exemptions for RCKs are also favourable to the growth of the market. Benin and Cote d'Ivoire also have import tax exemptions on cashew nut processing machinery. Exporters in Cote d'Ivoire have an obligation to reserve at least 15% of their RCN volumes. A guarantee fund facilitated by the government to help processing units access crop finance, which Cote d'Ivoire backs up bank loans of eligible processing units for up to 25% of the total.

In Cote d'Ivoire a subsidy of FCFA 400 per kg of RCK exported is applicable, which in 2017 was initially equivalent to 10% of RCN value and later increased to 20% at FCFA 400 per kg in 2018, resulting for sharp drops in RCN market price. Besides, in February 2020, it was announced that the USDA's Food For Progress (FFPr) Regional Cashew Value Chain Project would be rolling out a $38 million project that is envisaged for six-years, in Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, The Gambia, which will reportedly enhance the regional cashew value chain to strengthen the processed cashew trade in local and international markets. The project is also called the Linking Infrastructure, Finance, and Farms to Cashews (LIFFT-Cashew) which is expected to facilitate the processing of cashew nuts in greater quantity since only 5-6% of the cashew nuts are processed locally. This project is expected to pave the way for more investments, and foster market-led development apart from the regional integration of cashew sector that will partly contribute to cashew kernel market growth in the next few years [ Source: the U.S. Embassy in The Gambia].

Recent developments in Asia too are expected to augment the growth of global cashew kernel market. For instance, in Vietnam, MARD (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) had issued a list of 13 national product which acknowledge cashew among others. With preferential support measures which are offered under the decree 57/2018/ND-CP, cashew among others will be eligible for the same. The decree is related to incentive policies which are intended to encourage investments from enterprises aimed at agriculture, among others. The preferential measures include support for investments in facilities and equipment for processing or preserving agricultural products, support for the transfer, and the application of high-technology in agriculture, preferential credit, market development, and promotion activities, and exemptions from or reductions in land or water surface rents, among others.

The policy inurement put in place by the Vietnamese government which appropriate to cashew nuts is the implicit taxing of producers of such export commodities. This results in the receipt of prices that are relatively lower than the global prices which in turn reportedly leads to the total market price support (MPS) becoming equal to the sum of positive and negative support. On the other hand, in August 2020, it was reported that the Agriculture Minister of Kerala, India reportedly inaugurated a mobile exhibition unit and marketing of new processed products of cashew. This initiative is a part of strengthening the extension activities of the Kerala Agricultural University, which included the marketing of new nutrient fortified value-added products of sprouted cashew nuts developed by the university. Moreover, Cambodia's Industrial Development Policy 2015 - 2025 envisions promoting the export of processed agricultural products to reach 12% of all exports by 2025.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction

1.1. Market Definition

1.2. Market Segmentation

2. Research Methodology

2.1. Research Data

2.2. Assumptions

3. Executive Summary

3.1. Research Highlights

4. Market Dynamics

4.1. Market Drivers

4.2. Market Restraints

4.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

4.3.1. Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.3.2. Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.3.3. Threat of New Entrants

4.3.4. Threat of Substitutes

4.3.5. Competitive Rivalry in the Industry

4.4. Industry Value Chain Analysis

5. Cashew Kernel Market Analysis, By Form

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Whole

5.3. Brokens

5.3.1. Butts

5.3.2. Pieces

5.3.3. Splits

6. Cashew Kernel Market Analysis, By Cultivation Type

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Organic

6.3. Conventional

7. Cashew Kernel Market Analysis, By Processed Types

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Raw

7.3. Dried

7.4. Flavoured

7.5. Others

8. Cashew Kernel Market Analysis, By Packaging Type

8.1. Introduction

8.2. Bags

8.3. Boxes

8.4. Cartons

8.5. Others

9. Cashew Kernel Market Analysis, By Shell

9.1. Introduction

9.2. In-shell

9.3. Shelled

10. Cashew Kernel Market Analysis, By Distribution Channel

10.1. Online

10.2. Offline

11. Cashew Kernel Market Analysis, By Geography

11.1. Introduction

11.2. North America

11.3. South America

11.4. Europe

11.5. Middle East and Africa

11.6. Asia Pacific

12. Competitive Environment and Analysis

12.1. Major Players and Strategy Analysis

12.2. Emerging Players and Market Lucrativeness

12.3. Mergers, Acquisitions, Agreements, and Collaborations

12.4. Vendor Competitiveness Matrix

13. Company Profiles

13.1. AVC Nuts

13.2. NUTSCO (Usibras)

13.3. Cashew Group

13.4. KardiaNuts

13.5. A.M.A. Gesellschaft fur Food Be- und Verarbeitung mbH

13.6. Prime Nuts FZE

13.7. Afokantan Benin Cashew

13.8. Bismi Cashew Company

13.9. Vietnam Cashew Co

For more information about this report visit

https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8d4ikp

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

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Research and Markets

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The VCCI published its report on The flow of business regulations in Vietnam 2020"

According to the VCCI report, in 2020, the Vietnamese government approved 17 laws, 158 decrees, 39 decisions, and 310 circulars. In comparison with previous years, the number of regulations was quite similar, signifying unabated law-making gusto, but the number of guiding circulars dropped significantly, reflecting improvements in the mapping out and drafting of core policies.

That is in line with the governments requirement of administrative reform through cutting the number of legal documents applicable to businesses, said the VCCI's chairman Vu Tien Loc. Law-making has focused on the level of the National Assembly instead of ministries as previously.

The ministries have issued 95 documents to specify and implement laws and decisions to ease the difficulties of businesses and also support them in stabilising the manufacturing activities over the COVID-19 lockdown.

Vietnam is ranked 49th in the global innovation ecosystem. Last year, the government also established the Task Force to inspect and cut the inappropriate regulations.

2020 also recorded the elimination of seven conditional business lines. 55 per cent of business recommendations were included in law making one one shape or another, up 10 per cent on-year.

Despite the improvements, there are still some shortages. Specifically, the current laws do not follow the constant changes in the local economy, such as digital transformation.

Loc said, The interruption of the previous laws have directly affected the local investment and business climate, and also reflected the inadequacies in building conditions for entering the market and legal frameworks for the digital economy.

As a result, it is necessary to keep up reforms so that the country can soon be listed among the top regional countries with the best business environments.

In its report, the VCCI spent a chapter on the general legal framework. Accordingly, plenty of regulations on licensing activities on cyberspace are still inadequate, especially those related to intellectual property that has yet to be transparent.

According to Nguyen Duc Minh from the VCCIs Legal Department, it is necessary to renew old mindsets in developing policies for businesses in the sector. The change should take place as soon as possible to have suitable policies to support them effectively.

The VCCI has been working with many businesses to identity their problems then send recommendations to the government.
Roderic O'Gorman, Minister of State at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, holds a briefing on the publication of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission report at Government Buildings. Photo: Julien Behal Photography

We should never be ashamed of our tears, we are told. But in the case of the Mother and Baby Homes Commissions report, we might be justifiably mortified for the ones that were never shed.

For the babies who were never mourned, and the institutions, State, and society, which pulled the blinds down and built the walls of silence and secrecy to shut mother and infant out.

Some perverse sense of righteousness, which always trumped basic decency or common humanity, was unleashed to destroy thousands of lives. Mothers were forever separated from their babies because of a tyranny of heartless decorum.

It made for a very cold emotional landscape in an avowedly Christian country.

The sweeping tragedy of loss and trauma laid bare in this report is shattering.

Read More

So many lives irredeemably broken with the compliance of Church, State and an indifferent society.

The fact the mothers and their children were still frozen out when it came to accessing their past  or trying to reconnect with those stolen from them  decades later, meant the anguish was perpetuated by the State.

For so many of the mothers, this report will have been too late. For others it will have been too little.

The only memories of their children will have been the distant footfalls or fading smiles, kept alive in their hearts. The stories of scarring deprivation, where infant mortality was on such a scale that it was almost treated as routine, will take some time to digest. But this must not be seized upon as another ritual opportunity to use the present as a stick to beat the past, while nothing changes. We dont need another moment of mass emoting, after which nothing happens.

The commissions recommendations must be met. Our Ireland of two faces must be scrutinised in all its ugliness. Another official Sorry will not suffice. We saw before that, when there was to be compensation and restitution, it came with terms and conditions: gagging clauses and humiliating cross-questioning. Compassion does not work that way.

These mothers and babies were failed most profoundly by those who should have protected them.

Just as we saw in the devastating abuse inquiries.

After an agonising birth, one mother was offered this by way of sympathy: Thatll teach you after the sins you have committed. Superficially there was piety and probity. Behind that facade there was monstrous cruelty. Hypersensitive to judgment, society was impervious to moral responsibility.

Our most vulnerable were shamefully betrayed.

As Majella Moynihan, a former garda who has written about her experience of being disciplined after she became pregnant while in the force in 1984, told RTE: I dont even think an apology is good enough for those women.

She appealed to the Government to locate the bodies of the children who died. Find the babies, find the bodies of children who were thrown aside, like dirt. It shouldnt be too much to ask of a truly contrite State.
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(Newser)  It's the biggest Mafia trial Italy has seen in decadeswith the added challenge of COVID-19 precautions. The "maxi-trial" of hundreds of members of the 'Ndrangheta crime syndicate began Wednesday in a fortified 1,000-capacity courtroom in Calabria, the heart of the group's territory, the Guardian reports. Many of the 355 defendants will attend via videolink from prisons, while others will be in cages, wearing masks and sitting 6 feet apart. Most of the defendants were arrested in raids in December 2019 following a years-long investigation of the syndicate, which became the dominant organized crime group in Italy after the decline of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra. The last Mafia trial on this scale involved 475 Cosa Nostra defendants and lasted from 1986 to 1992. More:

The defendants. The investigation targeted the Mancuso crime family. Its alleged boss, 66-year-old Luigi Mancuso, is the highest-profile defendant, the BBC reports. Others include allegedly corrupt police officers and government officials, along with mobsters with nicknames like "Wolf," "Fatty," and "Blondie." Another 92 defendants will be tried in a fast-tracked trial starting later this month. Most were arrested in Italy, though some were picked up in raids in countries including Germany and Switzerland.

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The charges . The charges, some of which date back to the '90s, include murder, extortion, usury, money laundering, drug trafficking, and corruption, as well as membership of the crime syndicate, the New York Times reports. Investigators say the group used its massive revenues from cocaine trafficking to snap up hotels, restaurants, and other businesses across Italy.

. The charges, some of which date back to the '90s, include murder, extortion, usury, money laundering, drug trafficking, and corruption, as well as membership of the crime syndicate, the New York Times reports. Investigators say the group used its massive revenues from cocaine trafficking to snap up hotels, restaurants, and other businesses across Italy. Code of silence broken . Like other Mafia groups, the 'Ndrangheta relied heavily on family ties and a "code of silence," but the more than 900 witnesses that will be called include people who have decided to testify against relatives, as well as citizens who have decide to testify despite fears of retaliation, the AP reports. "We have been seeing a spike in complaints by businessmen, bullied citizens, victims of usury, people who for years have been under the pall of the 'Ndrangheta," says prosecutor Nicola Gratteri.

. Like other Mafia groups, the 'Ndrangheta relied heavily on family ties and a "code of silence," but the more than 900 witnesses that will be called include people who have decided to testify against relatives, as well as citizens who have decide to testify despite fears of retaliation, the AP reports. "We have been seeing a spike in complaints by businessmen, bullied citizens, victims of usury, people who for years have been under the pall of the 'Ndrangheta," says prosecutor Nicola Gratteri. The world's richest organized crime group . Gratteri says the 'Ndrangheta is the world's richest crime group and is organized like a large company, Deutsche Welle reports. "I have to start with the idea that there's an organization, as in a business, as in a large multinational, with a boss and then down, like a pyramid, to all the other members," he says. Investigators say the group's reach extended across Europe and it also had bases in Australia, the Americas, and Africa. A 2013 study concluded the group's financial power exceeded that of Deutsche Bank and McDonalds combined.

. Gratteri says the 'Ndrangheta is the world's richest crime group and is organized like a large company, Deutsche Welle reports. "I have to start with the idea that there's an organization, as in a business, as in a large multinational, with a boss and then down, like a pyramid, to all the other members," he says. Investigators say the group's reach extended across Europe and it also had bases in Australia, the Americas, and Africa. A 2013 study concluded the group's financial power exceeded that of Deutsche Bank and McDonalds combined. " One for the history books ." "Expectations are high, and its obvious that the Italian authorities hope it will be a milestone in the struggle against the Ndrangheta," Antonio Nicaso, an expert on the group, tells the Guardian. "What is certain is that this trial will be one for the history books on organized crime," he says. "With these proceedings, Italy will finally have the opportunity to reveal to the world the secrets of the Ndrangheta, which over the years has grown silently and in the shadows."

." "Expectations are high, and its obvious that the Italian authorities hope it will be a milestone in the struggle against the Ndrangheta," Antonio Nicaso, an expert on the group, tells the Guardian. "What is certain is that this trial will be one for the history books on organized crime," he says. "With these proceedings, Italy will finally have the opportunity to reveal to the world the secrets of the Ndrangheta, which over the years has grown silently and in the shadows." Inside the courtroom. The courtroom, inside a converted call center in an industrial park, is so vast that video screens have been fixed to the ceiling to allow people to view the proceedings, the AP reports. When the trial opened Wednesday, the first three hours were taken up with the reading of the names of the defendants and their lawyers. The trial is expected to last at least a year.

(Read more 'Ndrangheta stories.)
Whether you supported Biden or Trump for president, the events at the Capitol on January 6th should shake you up. I am a Biden supporter, but sympathize with the disappointment that Trump supporters must feel over the last several months. But an attack on Congress doing its time-honored job is totally outside the bounds of our democratic system.

Peaceful protests, asking for recounts, being skeptical of results is everyone's right in a democracy. But storming the Capitol to disrupt a legal process is not. It threatens the very foundation that allows you to be a Trump supporter and me to be a Biden supporter. We live in a democracy and we abide by rules and procedures, regardless of the outcome.

After feeling shocked by the attack on Congress, I found myself conflicted. Should bad actors be punished? Will calls for impeachment make Trump a martyr in the eyes of extremists? Will punishments simply fan flames of further violence? I felt doubtful of the best course.

Then I read The Citizen's editorial "Remove Trump - and his congressional co-conspirators." It is so strongly worded, it took me aback. Yet it is persuasive. I have changed my view of what must happen next, based on reading this. Leaders who do not adhere to our democratic systems and procedures must be removed.
The report, the culmination of a six-year investigation, detailed some 9,000 deaths of children at 14 of the countrys so-called mother and baby homes and four county homes over several decades, a mortality rate far higher than the rest of the population. The institutions, where unmarried women and girls were sent to give birth in secrecy and were pressured to give their children up for adoption, were also responsible for unethical vaccine trials and traumatic emotional abuse, the report found.

Dear Annie: My youngest daughter, Marta, is beautiful and caring but intellectually challenged. I have always encouraged all my kids to do what makes them happy, and she is no different. A couple of years ago, she met a wonderful man through mutual friends, Brian. After dating for almost a year, they married last fall. We could not ask for anyone more caring and giving. Brian makes Marta his first priority as a spouse, partner and friend in his life.

The reason Im writing: My second-youngest daughter, Elle, who is 27, is getting married this fall and wants to invite Marta but not Brian.

Elle and her fiance would have preferred to skip this whole ordeal altogether and just get married at the courthouse. But they are doing the wedding his parents want (spending money that is supposed to be saved for a down payment on a house, but I digress). Elle has been really stressed out about it from the outset.

They said that they are only inviting people they talk to regularly and that Brian isnt someone they talk to regularly.

Brian and Marta were already saving up money for both of them to go. Additionally, Marta is not capable of getting there herself because of her aforementioned disability. I said all this to Elle, but she still said Brian cant come. I said, Then maybe we wont come, either, because its not fair that youre treating your sister this way. Now Elle is not talking to me or Marta and blocked my number and my messages online.

Am I wrong here? I do understand that they havent wanted the wedding from the beginning. But now that theyre having one, I think it would be wrong to exclude her brother-in-law. Family is family, whether you talk every day or not. -- Wedding Woes

Dear Wedding Woes: Youre not wrong, but you cant force them to do whats right. Though it does strike me as odd to exclude a brother-in-law, this isnt my wedding -- and its not yours, either. If Elle and her fiance dont want to invite Brian, thats their mistake to make.

Were I to squint hard to try to see a halfway decent rationale for their actions, I suppose I might focus on the fact that they didnt want a ceremony or reception to begin with. They may not see this as a big deal or understand how hurtful such a snub can be. As for how they expect Marta to get there when she needs Brians assistance while traveling -- well, I have no idea what theyre thinking. You and Marta might contact airlines to see what assistance is available for travelers with disabilities, if shed still like to go. But it would be perfectly OK for her to stay home, too. That would be the bride and grooms fault and, most of all, their loss.

Annie Lane writes the Dear Annie advice column.

Dear Annie: In this day and age, when one has to be constantly aware of scams, I find it terribly annoying to receive phone calls from people who do not identify themselves when they call. Often when my wife and I get phone calls from fundraising groups or even from doctors offices and the like, they ask for my wife or me immediately, without first identifying themselves. Whats the deal? -- Whos Calling

Dear Whos Calling: If I had to hazard a guess, Id say the decline of phone etiquette corresponded with the rise of cellphones and, specifically, texting. I completely agree that its impolite not to identify yourself when someone answers your phone call. It seems a lot of people never learned that or else have forgotten. Im printing this as a reminder.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. To find out more about Annie Lane and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2018 CREATORS.COM

Read more advice:

Ask Amy: Separated soulmates are eager to connect

Dear Annie: Looking to hop off the hamster wheel

Dear Abby: Children cut off stepmother with dads power of attorney
Ministra Mazzetti: Nuestro deseo es tener una vacuna universal, de aplicacion voluntaria y gratuita. La vacunacion es la mejor estrategia costo-beneficio para reducir o desaparecer enfermedades.
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology announced on Wednesday that it had sold $100 million in university revenue bonds.

The money is being used for the construction of its new health science and advanced manufacturing educational facility at Third and Chestnut streets in Harrisburg.

The bonds were issued through the Dauphin County General Authority and marketed and sold by RBC Capital markets. The school said that buyers of the new tax-exempt bonds are global sophisticated investment firms.

This sale demonstrates the confidence of smart institutional investors in Harrisburg Universitys fiscal stability, and in the future of health care and advanced manufacturing as economic drivers in the central Pennsylvania region, Eric Darr, president of Harrisburg University said in a press release.

The new 11-story health science and advanced manufacturing educational facility is slated to open in 2023 and will accommodate at least 1,000 additional students. When completed, the facility will have nearly 170,000 square feet of finished educational space and 40,000 square feet of unfinished shell space. The facility will have student service offices and spaces, advanced manufacturing educational and experiential learning spaces, health sciences educational and experiential spaces, interactive media educational and production spaces as well as general purpose education offices and facilities.

When plans for the health science and advanced manufacturing educational facility were first unveiled it was expected to be 36 stories. It was later downsized to 17 stories but when funding for the project was stalled, the school decided to forgo plans for a hotel and restaurant and decided to forge ahead with the 11-story tower. The project is expected to support more than 150 construction jobs over the next two years. The Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., based in Baltimore, is the construction manager for the project, and Stantec, based in Butler County is the architect and engineer.

This is positive economic news for central Pennsylvania, Darr said. HU was founded to prepare people for family-sustaining careers in technology and science fields. The bond sale is a major step forward in meeting that mission. This investment represents confidence not just in Harrisburg University but in the city and the regions future.

You can follow Daniel Urie on twitter @DanielUrie2018 and you can like him on Facebook.
Water supplies in the Greater Dublin Area are under strain following a spate of burst pipes caused by the recent freezing temperatures.

Irish Water has appealed to householders and business owners in the region to check for leaks on their properties and is urging people to conserve water.

The utility was responding to 50 burst water mains around the country yesterday, following on from dozens of similar incidents since the start of this week.

Investigations into leaks suspected to be caused by burst mains were also taking place at dozens of other locations.

Strains

Thousands of homes and premises have suffered outages, although supply strain is so far only a concern in the Greater Dublin Area.

Demand for water was already at an all-time high for the winter in the region before Christmas, but pressure on the supply has increased further in recent days in what is a familiar fallout from periods of sub-zero temperatures.

Freezing water expands and strains the pipes until they rupture.

The problem is most severe in older, weakened pipes but modern pipes can burst, particularly where they are laid in shallow ground.

The closure of business premises because of Covid-19 restrictions has also left many buildings unheated for prolonged periods, which is adding to the problem.

Tom Cuddy, Irish Water's head of operations, said all known leaks were being fixed but he asked the public to identify trouble spots.

"We are appealing to homes, businesses and those responsible for unoccupied buildings to check for leaks, whilst adhering to current public health regulations and advice, and to turn off water where it's not needed," he said.

Owen Wilson learns reality may not be as real as he once thought in the new trailer for Amazon Studios' Bliss.

Wilson stars as Greg, a downtrodden man who just lost his job and his wife, who meets the mysterious Isabel (Salma Hayek).

She manages to convince him that what he thinks is the 'real world' is actually a simulation, as he begins to learn amazing new things about the world(s) around him.

Really real: Owen Wilson learns reality may not be as real as he once thought in the new trailer for Amazon Studios' Bliss

Isabel: Wilson stars as Greg, a downtrodden man who just lost his job and his wife, who meets the mysterious Isabel (Salma Hayek)

The trailer opens with Greg in his office, working on an intricate drawing, which he says is, 'a picture in my head of a place' though he 'doesn't know if it's real.

The pencil drawings then transform to real life, with Greg enjoying a meal with Isabel, before he meets her, adding the 'feeling is real.'

He's jarred back to reality by a phone call from his daughter Emily (Nesta Cooper), who wants to know if he'll be there for her graduation.

Drawing: The trailer opens with Greg in his office, working on an intricate drawing, which he says is, 'a picture in my head of a place' though he 'doesn't know if it's real

Real: The pencil drawings then transform to real life, with Greg enjoying a meal with Isabel, before he meets her, adding the 'feeling is real'

Greg is then told by a co-worker that, 'the big boss wants to see you,' which seemingly leads to his termination.

He rushes into a sparsely-populated bar and orders a neat whiskey, when he hears Isabel say, 'You're real.'

She then proceeds to show him 'something really cool' as she flicks her hand and makes a tray of dishes fly out of a young man's grasp.

Co-worker: Greg is then told by a co-worker that, 'the big boss wants to see you,' which seemingly leads to his termination

Real: He rushes into a sparsely-populated bar and orders a neat whiskey, when he hears Isabel say, 'You're real'

Really cool: She then proceeds to show him 'something really cool' as she flicks her hand and makes a tray of dishes fly out of a young man's grasp

Isabel tells Greg that all of these people 'are not real' and this whole world is a simulation as she takes him into the 'real world,' known as Bliss.

She shows him around this immaculate world which Greg tells Isabel, 'is overwhelming.'

A demonstration reveals that Isabel pioneered, 'brain box simulations,' which is described as, 'an ugly, simulated world to generate appreciation for the real world.'

Bliss: Isabel tells Greg that all of these people 'are not real' and this whole world is a simulation as she takes him into the 'real world,' known as Bliss

Overwhelming: She shows him around this immaculate world which Greg tells Isabel, 'is overwhelming'

Brain box: A demonstration reveals that Isabel pioneered, 'brain box simulations,' which is described as, 'an ugly, simulated world to generate appreciation for the real world'

He asks Isabel why he doesn't remember any of this, and she tells him, 'Don't worry about it,' as one event from both worlds mirrors each other.

Isabel tells him that 'ignorance is bliss but I say you have to experience the good to appreciate the bad.'

Greg also runs into Bill Nye, who tells him that he's heard there were 'problems' with some of Isabel's research, while back in the 'real world' Greg runs into his daughter, telling her it's been a crazy few days... though she says she graduated two weeks ago.

Don't worry: He asks Isabel why he doesn't remember any of this, and she tells him, 'Don't worry about it,' as one event from both worlds mirrors each other

Problems: Greg also runs into Bill Nye, who tells him that he's heard there were 'problems' with some of Isabel's research, while back in the 'real world' Greg runs into his daughter, telling her it's been a crazy few days... though she says she graduated two weeks ago

The trailer winds down with various shots from both worlds, with Isabel telling Greg that his daughter is not real, but he knows she 'feels real.'

The trailer winds down with a number of shots as his daughter tells Greg he is going to have to 'choose between these two worlds,' as Isabel says it's 'amazing how humans can get used to something spectacular' as the trailer comes to an end.

Bliss, written and directed by Mike Cahill (Another Earth), will be released on Amazon Prime Video February 5.

Feels real: The trailer winds down with various shots from both worlds, with Isabel telling Greg that his daughter is not real, but he knows she 'feels real'

Spectacular: The trailer winds down with a number of shots as his daughter tells Greg he is going to have to 'choose between these two worlds,' as Isabel says it's 'amazing how humans can get used to something spectacular' as the trailer comes to an end
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 20:34:40|Editor: huaxia

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China's Huawei Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou leaves her residence for the extradition hearing in Vancouver, Canada, Jan. 20, 2020. (Photo by Harrison Ha/Xinhua)

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China once again urged the Canadian side to immediately release Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou so that she can return to China safely at an early date, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Wednesday.



Zhao made the remarks at a daily news briefing in response to a relevant question, urging the U.S. side to immediately withdraw the arrest warrant and extradition request for Meng.

"Those who have caused problems should be the ones to solve problems," said Zhao, adding that it is the Canadian side who should figure out the solutions.

Meng was arrested in 2018 at Vancouver International Airport at the request of the United States. 

ROME, JAN 13 - Premier Giuseppe Conte's government remains on the brink of crisis even though his cabinet on Tuesday approved its Recovery Plan, which had been a source of tension within the executive for weeks. Ex-premier Matteo Renzi's Italia Viva (IV) party is close to pulling its support for the coalition government and triggering the crisis. IV's two cabinet members, Agriculture Minister Teresa Bellanova and Family and Equal Opportunities Minister Elena Bonetti, abstained when cabinet voted on the plan on how to spend the over 200 billion euros Italy is set to get from the EU's COVID-19 Recovery Fund. Renzi is set to give a press conference later on Wednesday. Renzi had blasted the Recovery Plan as lacking ambition. IV has also complained about the government's failure to take cash from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) to invest in the national health system, which has been pushed to the limit by the coronavirus emergency. The biggest party in the coalition, the 5-Star Movement (M5S), is against taking money from the EU's bailout fund out of fears it would come with strings attached further down the line. It is uncertain what an eventual government crisis would lead to. There is speculation Conte could resign and form what would be his third government after a cabinet reshuffle, with the premier being flanked by deputy premiers from the parties supporting the executive. But this executive may not have enough parliamentary support without IV, especially in the Senate. Conte's first government, which lasted from June 2018 until August 2019, was backed by the M5S and Matteo Salvini's right-wing League party. The current government is supported by the left-wing LeU group and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), in addition to IV and the M5S. It is possible that early elections will be necessary. Conte would find it "impossible" to form a new executive with Renzi's IV party if it causes a "government crisis in the full swing of a pandemic" premier's office sources said Tuesday. (ANSA).
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2021

New Fascism Descends on AmericaWorld Cooperation, or War, Facing Mankind

Jan. 12 , 2021 (EIRNS)On Monday, Jan. 11, the Democrats introduced articles of impeachment, declaring that it is an impeachable offense to have challenged the vote fraud in the Nov. 3 election. They intend to vote it up, essentially without debate, on Jan. 13. They also introduced a bill to remove from Congress every Republican who challenged the vote fraud, based on the 14th Amendment, which was designed to prevent Confederate leaders who had fought in the insurrection against the Union from becoming Congressmen. Get it? Challenging vote fraud is the same as waging a four-year bloody war against the Union in support of slavery and free trade. Meanwhile, the Democrats, and many Republicans, and of course the media, cheer on the fact that all major social media have denied access to the President of the United States, essentially silencing the President from his 73 million supporters. The First Amendments guarantee of free speech in America, and the Constitution as a whole, are being shredded.

The world is shocked. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told the world that America is losing its freedom, that a new Holy Inquisition is coming into being which is a danger to the entire world. Similar sentiments are coming from every part of the globe.

At the same time, the bankers in the City of London and Wall Street are implementing the Great Reset, the regime change of the world financial system (as former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney called it) into a post-industrial enforcement arm of the Green New Deal, denying credit to all fossil fuels, to most industry, and to modern high-technology agriculture. It is a system which can sustain at most 1-2 billion people. Do its sponsors know that? It is their intent. As Prince Philip famously said: Human population growth is probably the single most serious long-term threat to survival. Were in for a major disaster if it isnt curbednot just for the natural world, but for the human world. The more people there are, the more resources theyll consume, the more pollution theyll create, the more fighting they will do. We have no option. If it isnt controlled voluntarily, it will be controlled involuntarily by an increase in disease, starvation and war.

Trumps unacceptable dedication to progress, the oligarchy would like to think, has been crushed, as the Green New Deal is about to take over the United States under the senile Joe Biden. They are taking no chances, however, and have thus ripped up the Constitution in order to silence the President and all who support him.

There is another danger facing these genocidalists, perhaps an even greater threat: China. Not only has China become the first nation in history to eliminate abject poverty, through mass infrastructure development and universal scientific and cultural education, but they are taking that methodonce known as the American System to the rest of the world, through the New Silk Road, the Belt and Road Initiative. Nations across the developing sector, and even in Europe, have ridiculed madman Mike Pompeos effort to unite the world against China as a threat to our way of life and the rule of law. The Asian nations united with China last November to create a fair trade system called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). The EU in December signed a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, to expand mutual trade and investment with China. African and South American nations look to China for the real development aid they have been denied under IMF-World Bank austerity dictates.

The Anglo-American oligarchy is not pleased. With Pompeo as their leading hitman, they are willing to risk war with China, even nuclear war, to crush the Belt and Road. Not only has Pompeo directed the imposition of expansive sanctions on Chinese companies and individualssanctions which are doing more damage to American firms than to those in Chinabut he has now declared war on the One China policy, which has been the basis for peace and collaboration over these past 50 years. By lifting all special conditions for U.S. relations with Taiwan, essentially treating Taiwan as an independent nation, rather than honoring the One Country, Two Systems policy which has maintained peace and prosperity in the region, Pompeo is threatening one of Chinas core interests, its sovereignty. As you will see below, the Chinese will not shy away from the danger of war if their sovereignty is challenged.

One must keep in mind what Bertrand Russell said, which stands, still today, as the ideological foundation of the Empire. To deal with the overpopulation problem, the good Lord said: War has hitherto been disappointing in this respect, but perhaps bacteriological war may prove more effective. If a Black Death could be spread throughout the world once in every generation survivors could procreate freely without making the world too full. Of course, with the advent of nuclear weapons, Lord Russell became more confident that war could kill enough people to solve the problem, advocating that the U.S. launch a nuclear war on Russia before they could build their own bomb.

The resolution to this existential crisis exists. The pandemic has threatened the lives of millions, not only death by the virus, but death by starvation. Never has the world been more in need of international cooperation to meet a crisis facing the entire world. Helga Zepp-LaRouche has initiated such cooperation, based on addressing the desperate health crisis facing all nations, rich and poor, due to the breakdown of public health in the advanced sector over the past decades through privatization, and the denial of public health facilities to large parts of Africa and Asia through IMF conditionalities. No nation alone can solve this crisis. Rather than war and the new fascism now threatening the United States, we call on President Donald Trump to use his last days in the White House to call Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, and other nations of good will, to join forces with the U.S. in a global campaign to build modern health facilities in every nation on Earth. We call on each of you to join Zepp-LaRouches Committee for the Coincidence of Opposites, to address this health and food crisis as the starting point for a new paradigm for mankind.
An influential Afghan Shi'ite leader is visiting Pakistan, where members of the minority sect are still reeling from the brutal killing of 11 Shi'ite coal miners, nine of whom were Afghan immigrants, earlier this month.

The miners, who were abducted and killed by militants from the Islamic State group in southwestern Balochistan Province, were members of the Hazara minority. They were buried on January 9, following a week of protests in Pakistan that sought to highlight the community's plight.

The visiting Afghan leader, Karim Khalili, is also an ethnic Hazara. Members of the mostly Shi'ite community live in both Pakistan and Afghanistan and have suffered persecution from the majority Sunni Muslims in both countries.

The Sunni militant Islamic State group, which is headquartered in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar Province bordering Pakistan, as well as Pakistani Sunni militant groups have repeatedly targeted Shi'a.

Khalili's visit is seen as part of an effort to repair the troubled relations between the two neighboring countries in parallel with the peace talks under way in Qatar between the Afghan government negotiators and the Taliban. The warring sides are trying to find a political roadmap that would bring an end to decades of war in Afghanistan.

Khalili's visit is part of Pakistans policy to reach out to political leadership in Afghanistan to forge common understanding on the Afghan peace process," Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The Shi'ite leader, who was a vice-president under Afghan ex-President Hamid Karzais government, is also to meet with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Khan travelled to Afghanistan late last year, while several senior Afghan leaders, including the head of the countrys reconciliation council Abdullah Abdullah, came to Islamabad in recent months in an effort to reset a relationship that has been marked by deep mistrust and relentless accusations that the other was supporting insurgent enemies.

Kabul accuses Islamabad of harboring the Taliban and seeking to wield influence over Afghanistan as part of a defense strategy against archrival India. Pakistan and India, two nuclear-armed neighbors, have fought three wars since gaining independence from Britain.

Meanwhile, Islamabad accuses Kabul of providing safe haven to separatists in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, as well as working with India to destabilize Pakistan.

Stakes are high for the region as the United States proceeds to reduce its troop levels in Afghanistan -- expected to go down to just 2,500 this month, with the remainder scheduled to leave by April along with other NATO service members -- in line with a U.S.-Taliban agreement signed last February.

President-elect Joe Biden has expressed support for a small contingent of U.S. intelligence troops in Afghanistan to hunt down and monitor terrorist groups, but the incoming administration's plans have not been made public.

Violence, meanwhile, has continued unabated across war-weary Afghanistan. After 20 years and billions of dollars spent in the country, a U.N. statement on January 11 warned that nearly half of all Afghans will need humanitarian aid just to survive this year -- something the world body blamed on the ongoing conflict, natural disasters, chronic poverty and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many Afghans also blame runaway government corruption and lawlessness for the dire economy.

The U.N and its humanitarian partners will seek $1.3 billion to provide life-saving aid this year, according U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who added that money is needed to help 16 million Afghans. That's up from last year, when an estimated 2.3 million Afghans needed life-saving assistance.

Its a huge increase in people who need aid, Dujarric said.
Housebuilder Persimmon said it sold almost a third more homes in the second half of 2020 compared with a year earlier as the Governments stamp duty holiday boosted demand.

Weekly sales were 39% up year-on-year, the company revealed on Wednesday, but this was not enough to offset the major hit that sales took in the first half of the year.

Total revenue dropped nearly 9%, from 3.65 billion to 3.33 billion, between 2019 and last year, Persimmon said, and the number of homes it built fell from 15,855 to 13,575.

Against the backdrop of the unprecedented challenges of 2020, Persimmon produced a robust performance for the year, as we continued to deliver the new homes the country needs, said chief executive Dean Finch.

The groups strong second half completions were supported by its advanced build coming into the year, an agile and effective response to the Covid-19 pandemic and resilient customer demand.

Despite what analysts said was a fairly unsurprising update from Persimmon, its shares had dropped by 4.5% a couple of hours after markets opened in London.

The slide probably reflects investors concerns over the current state of the pandemic and how it could impact near-term demand, the fast-approaching expiry of the Governments stamp duty holiday and  just as importantly  the valuation of the stock, said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

Persimmon echoed some of Mr Moulds words, saying it is mindful of the potential impact of an end to the stamp duty holiday.

The business said tighter pandemic restrictions mean uncertainties remain about the impact Covid-19 will have on business. In particular, Persimmon said unemployment levels and consumer confidence could change.

Persimmon said it had claimed no support from Government Covid-19 relief schemes, and has no plan to do so.

Recent events have served to further demonstrate the continuing near-term uncertainties arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, said Mr Finch.

However, we believe that the longer term fundamentals of the UK housing market remain resilient and I am confident Persimmon will continue to deliver superior long-term value for all of its stakeholders.
A 45-year-old woman has died after being swept off the rocks at a popular beach in Victoria, while five other swimmers were rescued.

Victoria Police believes a 13-year-old girl, 19-year-old and a 47-year-old woman were swept off the dangerous rocks at Bushrangers Bay at the base of the Mornington Peninsula, south of Melbourne, around 3:30pm on Wednesday.

Emergency personnel (pictured) were called to Bushrangers Bay after a woman drowned on Monday afternoon

A woman drowned after being swept off the rocks at Bushrangers bay, south of Melbourne (Pictured: Bushrangers Bay)

Two men aged 48 and 24 entered the water in a brave effort to save the group while a Westpac rescue helicopter, Air Ambulance, Police Air Wing and the Water Police were all dispatched to the scene.

Police said that all involved were recovered from the water, including the deceased woman.

Emergency personnel dispatched to the scene included a Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Air Ambulance (pictured), Police Air Wing and the Water Police

The condition of the four people taken to hospital for treatment is unknown and police will prepare a report for the Coroner.

In a separate incident, an 80-year-old man has died after drowning at Rye front beach in south Melbourne at around 4pm Monday afternoon.

The man was unable to be revived when personnel arrived at Tootgarook on Pt Nepean Road, 25 minutes from Bushrangers Bay.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 21:45:09|Editor: huaxia

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KATHMANDU, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The winter coupled with the drought for the last few months has triggered wildfires in different parts of Nepal along the Himalayan range.

The forest fire in Annapurna Conservation Area in Manang district that started on Nov. 26 is yet to put out. The fire in the bushes in the district's Tachai area has destroyed hundreds of hectares of the forest in the mountainous region.

"At least 700 hectares of the area has been destroyed in the wildfire," Bishnu Lamichhane, chief district officer in Manang, told Xinhua. "Our attempt to extinguish the fire has failed."

The wildfire has spread in the area along the Marsyangdi and Dudh Khola rivers. Lamichhane said they have prepared fire lines by removing the vegetation and dried leaves which can catch fire in efforts to stop the further spread of the wildfire.

"We are waiting for the weather's mercy," he said. "The fire would end if there's rainfall or snowfall."

Not only in Manang, hundreds of hectares of the forest in Kalinchowk in Taplejung district were destroyed in fire last month. The local administration used a helicopter to disperse water in order to bring the wildfire there under control.

The fire in Gatlang area in Rasuwa district in the Langtang conservation area has also destroyed the vegetation in a large scale. Similarly, a forest area in Kaski near the Machhapuchhre mountain range too saw a huge forest fire recently.

Government officials said forest fires are often seen in the winter and dry season in Nepal, which cause huge loss of flora and fauna along with human lives and their property.

"We don't have equipment and resources to douse the forest fires," Prakash Lamsal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Forests and Environment, said. "All we have to depend on is the rain or snowfall for it." Enditem

Under pressure from federal officials, Gov. Kate Brown announced Tuesday that shell allow all Oregonians 65 and older to be eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations starting Jan. 23 -- at least a month earlier than expected.

On her own accord, Brown also said she would allow childcare, preschool and K-12 school employees to start receiving vaccinations the same day, triggering what will be an unprecedented wave of people seeking vaccinations in a state that has struggled to administer shots quickly.

Browns decision to expand vaccinations to older Oregonians came in response to urging from U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, who earlier in the day said all states should start vaccinating Americans who are 65 or older and people with underlying conditions that put them at higher risk for serious complications from COVID-19.

Azar said the federal government would no longer hold onto second doses of the vaccines before shipping them out -- and that would free up more doses to send to states to vaccinate this new group of vulnerable Americans.

While this is an unexpected change in course from the federal government, receiving more vaccines is welcome news for states  and Oregon is ready to devote all resources necessary to ramp up distribution with our health care partners, Brown said in a statement Tuesday evening announcing the eligibility change.

Plans are already underway, she added, to ensure Oregon seniors and educators have ready access to a vaccine. Brown doesnt plan to prioritize Oregonians with underlying conditions at this time.

The abrupt shift from Brown follows other states that already had outlined plans to inoculate seniors, and it comes without any clear expectation about precisely how many more vaccine doses Oregon will receive from the federal government in coming weeks. A spokesman for Brown said he didnt know how many additional doses would arrive in Oregon, which previously expected just over 1.1 million from December through February, setting up the potential for widespread demand but inadequate vaccine volume.

Oregon got off to a sluggish start since beginning to vaccinate Oregonians last month. The state has limited eligibility to an estimated 500,000 Oregonians as part of Phase 1a, which mostly encompasses healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities but includes others, including jail and prison employees and veterinary care workers.

Brown and officials for the Oregon Health Authority as recently as Friday resisted the idea of allowing seniors to be vaccinated before late next month, saying teachers and school staff would be prioritized next, with other recommendations to be made by an advisory committee.

Brown changed course Tuesday but offered no specifics on where Oregonians who soon will be eligible can go to get inoculated. State leaders are still working on a system for getting the information out. Brown expects to provide more details Friday.

If you are an Oregonian who is newly eligible for vaccination, I am asking for your patience, Brown said. Please, do not call your doctors office or health care provider with questions about when you can be vaccinated. Todays news arrived with no advance notice from the federal government. Oregon health care providers are working as fast as humanly possible to shift their vaccine distribution plans to meet this sudden change in national guidance.

For now, Brown doesnt plan to heed the federal guidance and prioritize Oregonians with underlying conditions, a population estimated at 1.6 million.

At this point, there are not nearly enough vaccines available for that large a number of people, a spokesman, Charles Boyle, said in an email to The Oregonian/OregonLive. But we will be working with stakeholders to develop outreach and distribution plans so that we will be ready to begin vaccinating Oregonians with underlying health conditions as more vaccines become available.

To be sure, the newly expanded guidelines will significantly increase the number of residents who are eligible for vaccinations. The governors office estimates there are 100,000 childcare, preschool and K-12 workers in the state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 768,000 people age 65 or older in Oregon. At most, about 21,000 of them already were eligible as part of Phase 1a because they live in longterm care facilities.

That means starting Jan. 23, close to 850,000 additional Oregonians will become eligible for COVID-19 immunizations.

And that will put enormous strain on an already overtaxed vaccination system. According to the state, 115,060 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have made it into the arms of residents, out of 321,425 doses that the CDC says have been shipped to Oregon so far. About 36% of the available stock has been used -- a significant improvement from the 25% that had been used about a week ago.

Oregons initial rollout has been plagued with ineffective planning since nurses began receiving shots Dec. 16, but state officials say reforms are underway. Over the past week, an average of 7,600 doses have been administered each day. The governor has set a goal of 12,000 per day by next week but acknowledged that the pace would need to accelerate considerably in future weeks.

Patrick Allen, the Oregon Health Authority director, has said at 12,000 daily shots a day it would take well into 2022 to inoculate 70% of the states population -- about 3 million people -- with the two-dose regimen of the vaccines. Seventy percent is the minimum some public health experts say is necessary to reach herd immunity, which is the point the virus is seriously hindered from easily spreading throughout the community.

Elderly residents are at highest risk for death for COVID-19 or life-altering and lasting effects. More than 80% of Americans whove died are age 65 or older, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the past week, 85% of the 110 Oregonians with the disease whose deaths have been reported were age 65 or older.

The Oregon Education Association, the union representing 44,000 educators, wasnt pushing the governor to prioritize educators before seniors, said union president John Larson. He said seniors are at higher risk of dying than the overall educator population. He also said even if all school employees are vaccinated, he doesnt believe classrooms should open because students wont be. The vaccines havent been approved for children younger than 16 and they could bring the virus home to their families, he said.

Putting students and staff safety at risk so people can be back in-person is simply irresponsible, Larson said.

The only educators Larson said he thinks should be vaccinated now are those whove already been pushed back into their classrooms in a select number of school districts.

Tuesdays news that Brown will soon open up vaccinations to seniors was celebrated with cheers by many older Oregonians.

Portland resident Mike Sisavic, 82, said he and his wife, who is 80, have been eagerly awaiting access to the vaccine. It had been tough to watch and wait -- with no information about when their turn in line would come.

Sisavic said although they are both in good health and quite active, they half-jokingly pondered the possibility of temporarily moving into a senior living facility so theyd qualify for the vaccine in Phase 1a. Sisavic also said when he found out the staff of his physical therapist and the clinic staff working the phones were going to be vaccinated soon, I said, How about you hire me for a few hours? 

He said advice offered by the governor and Oregon Health Authority leaders as recently as last week -- that seniors hang tight and stay home for an undetermined amount of time until their turns arrived -- didnt seem practical. Although Sisavic and his wife take precautions, they still could be exposed to the virus, he said. Hes on a softball team. His wife plays tennis regularly. When restaurants were open, theyd patronize them. Now they do takeout.

Were living as well as we can, Sisavic said.

Coronavirus in Oregon: Latest news | Live map tracker |Text alerts | Newsletter

-- Aimee Green; agreen@oregonian.com; @o_aimee
OTTAWA  Manitoba MP Jim Carr says he will have more time to advocate for residents of the Prairies after he was reappointed to the federal cabinet Tuesday, this time without being accountable for a specific department.

OTTAWA  Manitoba MP Jim Carr says he will have more time to advocate for residents of the Prairies after he was reappointed to the federal cabinet Tuesday, this time without being accountable for a specific department.

"It's an opportunity for me to roam around the West, and make sure my colleagues in Ottawa hear very clearly what's on our minds out here," Carr told the Free Press.

Daniel Crump / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Carr swore his oath in a morning Zoom call with Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette, where he was formally presented as "minister without portfolio."

He spoke following the cabinet swearing-in ceremony, which was held via videoconference.

Beyond a pay boost and job perks, Carr says having a second minister from Winnipeg will help the Liberals better understand how western Canadians are faring during the pandemic.

Ever since the Liberals were virtually wiped out between Vancouver and Winnipeg in 2019, Carr has helped Prime Minister Trudeau shape Ottawa's regional response to business needs and social issues.

Carr to try smoothing out vaccine stumbles OTTAWA  Federal Minister Jim Carr said hell do whatever he can to help the Prairies get a smooth rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, chalking up criticism to miscommunication. click to read more All three Prairie premiers have pushed back on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for chiding provinces for not quickly using all doses theyve received. Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister and his peers have argued it would be easier to get out doses if Ottawa gave clearer timelines and large enough shipments that meant scarce doses didnt have to be meticulously allocated. Some premiers say they would have preferred to buy doses directly from manufactures. Meanwhile, Indigenous leaders say provinces arent letting them help decide which of their citizens get prioritized. If there are problems in communication; if messages aren't getting through, it's part of my role to ensure that is dealt with, Carr said. I'll help wherever I can. Where there's another voice that's needed; if there is another relationship to be developed  it's my role  to make sure that the federal voice is heard. and that the provincial opinions are listened to. Dylan Robertson Close

Carr swore his oath in a morning Zoom call with Gov.-Gen. Julie Payette, where he was formally presented as "minister without portfolio, to be styled "special representative for the Prairies."

He's held that role without being a minister since November 2019 in which he touched base with reeves, professors, provincial governments and industry leaders. He also sat in on occasional meetings of a confidential steering committee of ministers, dubbed "agenda, results and communication."

Now, Carr will attend weekly cabinet meetings, and he expects to be part of more ministerial committees.

"My work will be similar, but I'll have an opportunity to be more involved directly with cabinet colleagues," he said.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Carr will attend weekly cabinet meetings, and he expects to be part of more ministerial committees.

Carr will support the other federal minister from Winnipeg, St. Boniface-St. Vital MP Dan Vandal, who remains in charge of relations with the Pallister government  though the Prime Ministers Office has largely overtaken that role.

Pallister welcomed Carr's new role, telling reporters "I wish him all the best, as I have several times in the past."

As minister, Carr will receive $87,200 in addition to the basic MP salary of $182,600, as well as a car, driver and a car allowance.

In the past, Carr served as a minister, first overseeing pipelines and then non-U.S. trade deals. He stepped back in fall 2019 after being diagnosed with blood cancer.

Effective regional ministers can be worth more than a dozen MPs even, just because they're at the centre of the action."  University of Manitoba Professor Emeritus Paul Thomas

The MP for Winnipeg South Centre appeared healthy after months of struggling to regain weight following cancer treatments.

He laughed at the idea that not being in charge of a department would be a letdown.

"Without having a department that reports directly to me gives me more time to get out and listen to people, and talk to people and have a better understanding of what's motivating Prairie folk these days. So I'm not in the least discouraged," he said.

Paul Thomas, a professor emeritus of the University of Manitoba, said Carr has a point, because regional representation often comes down to who has the ear of the prime minister.

"Effective regional ministers can be worth more than a dozen MPs even, just because they're at the centre of the action," said Thomas, a longtime political observer.

"That's his full-time occupation now, and he doesn't get deflected by What appointments have to be made within my department of government, and all the other things that take up a lot of day-to-day time of ministers."

Tuesdays cabinet shuffle came after a minister, Navdeep Bains, said he wouldn't seek another term in office, while Liberal party officials have been told to prepare for an election, adding to widespread speculation there will be a vote in the spring.

Carr said showing results is key to the Liberals winning over Alberta and Saskatchewan voters, who kicked out all Liberal MPs in fall 2019.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang Winnipeg Conservative MP Raquel Dancho said shes thrilled Carr is well, but argued his re-entry to cabinet suggests Vandal hasn't adequately represented Manitoba.

Winnipeg Conservative MP Raquel Dancho said shes thrilled Carr is well, but argued his re-entry to cabinet suggests Vandal hasn't adequately represented Manitoba.

"It's an admission that Liberal representation at the cabinet table of Manitoba clearly wasn't adequate," said the MP for Kildonan-St. Paul.

She argued the vaccine rollout and projects such as the North End sewage treatment plant would otherwise have gone smoother.

"We could have had shovels in the ground months ago if we could just have all three levels of government working together a bit more in sync," Dancho said.

"With two at the table now, there should be no excuse."

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca
Actress Drew Barrymore and singer Carrie Underwood each donated $5,000 to Lurie Childrens Hospital after being inspired by 7-year-old Chicago girl Hayley Orlinsky, who has raised more than $27,000 for the hospital by selling homemade bracelets. The bracelets will be included in swag bags for the upcoming Grammy Awards, Hayley said. Barrymore interviewed Hayley via Zoom on Tuesdays episode of The Drew Barrymore Show before surprising her with a virtual visit from Underwood, one of her favorite singers. The Drew Barrymore Show airs at 2 p.m. weekdays on WBBM-Ch. 2.
Astra set to replace BVRAAMs, to be tested from Tejas

Landmark deal: India clears purchase of 83 advanced Tejas jets for IAF

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Cabinet Committee on Security on Wednesday gave a green light to the purchase of 83 Light Combat Aircraft Tejas from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The deal, worth Rs 48,000 crore, will be the biggest ever in the indigenous military aviation sector.

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the development, saying "the CCS chaired by the PM today approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about Rs 48,000 crore to strengthen IAF's fleet of homegrown fighter jet 'LCA-Tejas'. This deal will be a game-changer for self-reliance in Indian defence manufacturing."

The defence minister said Tejas is going to be the backbone of the fighter fleet of the Indian Air Force in years to come. Around three years back, the IAF had issued an initial tender for procurement of 83 Tejas aircraft, a four-and-half generation combat jet.

"LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50 percent in Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60 percent,' Singh said.

The defence minister said that aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has already set up second-line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru divisions.

"Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF," he said.

Singh said the Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant, self-sustaining one.

"I thank the Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi for this historic decision taken by the CCS today, " the defence minister said.

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Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
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Home > 2021 > Aligarh and Womens education: a brief overview | Ishrat Mushtaq and Sajad (...)

by Ishrat Mushtaq and Sajad Hassan Khan *

Womens education in nineteenth-century India was no easy task. In the case of Muslim women, the task was even more difficult due to their triply marginal identity: as colonial subjects, as women, and as Muslims. Not only did the custom of purdah added to their seclusion from the social and cultural changes, their men hated everything about the western cultural influence (being displaced as rulers by the British). As a result, the middle class (the initiators of reform) was to develop late among the Indian Muslims than their Hindu counterparts. Nevertheless, by the late nineteenth century, a middle-class among the Indian Muslims was fledging. For this, no institution of the nineteenth-century can be given more commendation than Aligarh Muslim University.

Formed in 1920, the Aligarh Muslim University just completed its hundred years as a modern residential university. There has been a perception that the Aligarh Movement, for whatever reasons, neglected the issue of modern education to Muslim women. But there is more to this argument, some things to be explored, some to be re-interpreted.

This article, therefore, attempts to trace the genesis and trajectory of womens educational reform in Aligarh through the profile of a woman reformer - Waheed Jahan (1886-1939), wife of Shaikh Abdullah (1874-1965), and the co-founder of Aligarhs first girls school. Waheed Jahan was a pioneer of Muslim womens education at Aligarh in the early twentieth century. Her role in ending the relative isolation of Indian Muslim women, while at the same time preserving the Muslim identity of the community, is worthwhile to recall. Her biography was published in Urdu by her husband in 1954. [1]

The educational reforms among Indian women were mostly started by men. Such men started with writings advocating womens education. In this regard, among Muslims, Nazir Ahmad (1833-1912) published his novel, Mirat-ul-Arus, in 1869; Altaf Hussain Hali (1837-1914) published Majlis-un-Nissa, in 1874. Soon, magazines and journals followed, like the Tahzib un-Niswan by Sayyid Mumtaz Ali (1860-1935), the Khatoon by Shaikh Abdullah and Waheed Jahan, and the Ismat by Rashid-ul- Khairi (1868-1936). Gail Minault regards these as The Big Three. [2] Apart from literary activism, others tried more practical measures, like opening schools for Muslim girls.

As the movement intensified, so did the opposition against it. In such an atmosphere, even the talk of womens education by a woman herself was quite a chivalry.

Yet, unexpectedly, there were women who defied the odds and broke the ground. Rashid-un-Nissa of Patna, became the first Muslim woman to write an Urdu novel, Islah-un-Nissa in 1881 (published in 1894), when writing was a distant dream for Muslim women. Rokeya Sakhawat Husain (1880-1932), a widow herself, pioneered Muslim womens education in Bengal. Muhammadi Begam (1878-1908) edited one of the leading ladies home journals, Tahzib-un-Niswan. One such icon of womens education at Aligarh was Waheed Jahan.

Papa Mian (Sheikh Abdullah, 1864-1965) and Waheed Jahan Begum (1886-1939)

Waheed was born in 1886 in a landholding family in Delhi. Her father Mirza Ibrahim Beg was of Mughal ancestry, serving as a minor municipal official in Delhi. [3] Her only brother, Bashir Mirza went to the Mohammadan Anglo-Oriental College (MAO Colege), Aligarh, where he befriended Shaikh Abdulla (a Kashmiri convert to Islam, named Thakur Das before conversion).

As was the custom, Waheed received no formal schooling. She learnt Urdu and Persian from her father and arithmetic and elementary English from a visiting English tutoress. [4]

Ismat Chughtai, in her autobiography, Kagazi hai Pairahan, records, how Waheed Jahan, before her marriage, had dreamt of establishing a school for the girls. She would gather the servants children and teach them, and soon the rudimentary school became popular among her neighbours. [5] It is noteworthy that, at a time when others (mostly men) were still imagining a school for girls (that too only in their writings), Waheed, in her own limited capacity, was practically making a difference.

In 1902, Waheed married Shaikh Abdullah - a lawyer at Aligarh, and an ardent supporter of womens education since his school days. Following the marriage to a woman with some education, he began to consider concrete ways to promote Muslim womens education. [6] The Mohammadan Education Conference (MEC, founded at Aligarh by Sir Syed Ahmad in 1886) had established a Womens Education Section (WES) in 1896 to start a Normal School for girls and to train female (zenana) teachers. In 1902, Shaikh became the secretary of WES, which by then had merely achieved anything beyond discussions and debates around womens education.

Luckily, Waheeds marriage to a reformist like Abdullah helped her materialize her dream. To champion womens education, they started an Urdu monthly, the Khatoon, in 1904 with Waheed Jahan as editor. Begum Sultan Jahan (1858-1930) of Bhopal, Binnat Nazir-al-Baqir, Suharwardiya Begum, and Binnat Nasiruddin Haider were some important female contributors to the journal.

The paucity of funds made it impossible to start a Normal School. Waheed Jahan advised her husband to start a primary school for the elite (Sharif) girls. In 1904, the Mohammadan Educational Conference passed a resolution to start a girls school in Aligarh. Waheed proved to be an efficient manager and fund-raiser for the cause.

Her capacities as a fund-raiser and organizer were displayed in 1905, when she organized a meeting of Muslim women in Aligarh, with participants from far corners of Lahore and Bombay. Judging from the context of the time when purdah among Muslims was so harsh, even the idea of organizing such an event was quite revolutionary.

Aware of women education in Turkey and Egypt and its benefits to society, she tried to convince other women; she said:

When women meet among themselves, there will be more solidarity. . . Now there is a division between educated and uneducated women. Uneducated women, who do not go out, think that respectability is confined to the four walls of their houses. They think that people who live beyond those walls are not respectable and not worthy of meeting. But God has ordained education for both men and women, so that such useless ideas can be dispensed with. . . [7]

The meeting was a success, the exhibition of womens craft secured good funds; finally, the women passed a resolution favouring a girls school in Aligarh. [8]

In October 1906, Aligarh Zenana Madrasa (girls school) opened its doors, and seventeen students were enrolled. Urdu, arithmetic, needlework, and the Quran formed the curriculum. Leaving her own children in servants care, Waheed took the responsibility of supervising the school. Within six months, the number of students increased to fifty-six. Waheeds efforts secured the school a cumulative grant of Rs. 15,000 and a monthly grant of Rs. 250. By 1909, the school taught 100 students and shifted to a larger building. [9]

The opposition to girls school took new forms. One amusing story is recorded in Shaikh Abdullahs Urdu memoir (1969), Mushahedaat o Taaassuraat. [10] Maintaining purdah, the girls were carried in daulis (curtained carriages) to school, and some street urchins started harassing the school going girls by lifting the curtains of their daulis. The mischief only stopped when Shaikh gave one of the miscreants a good thrashing. In another incident, Shaikh confronted a tehsildar who had accused the school of making the girls insolent.

When the Abdullahs proposed a girls boarding school, it invited opposition from elite corners. The European principal of MAO College, W.A.J Archbold; Ziauddun Ahmad (1873-1947); and Viqar-ul-Mulk (1841-1917) opposed vehemently.

The couple, however, succeeded in 1914, witnessing the transformation of the school into a boarding school. The same year saw the culmination of Muslim womens activism by the foundation of Anjuman-i-Khavatin-i-Islam (AKI) at the same venue. Begum Sultan Jahan (1858-1930) of Bhopal graced the foundational ceremony of the boarding school, felicitating Waheed; she urged other women to follow her example. Fyzee sisters, Abru Begum, Begum Shafi, and Begum Shah Nawaz were the other dignitaries.

The Begum was already active in various social and educational reform projects. She served as the first chancellor of AMU from 1920 until her death in 1930. Having a woman as the first chancellor was indeed a historic feat.

Only nine girls became the residents, most of them from Waheeds own family. By the end of the year, the enrollment rose up to twenty-five. This was the result of what the historian Gail Minault calls as Abdullahs portrayal of girls school as an extension of girls families and also of their own. [11] To make the school successful, Waheed used to invite the parents of girls to Aligarh, for a few days stay in the hostel, to convince them that the conditions there were safe enough to let their daughters stay, records Sheikh Abdullah, in his Mushahedaat o Taaassuraat. She supervised all- housekeeping, laundry, shopping, and even tasted each dish cooked for the girls.

It could be said that Waheed Jahan acted as a foster mother to these girls, counselling, nursing, and treating them as a part of her own extended family. They called each other as Apa (sister), Shaikh Abdullah as Papa Mian, and Waheed Jahan as Ala Bi. This created a sense of sisterhood among the girls.

This familial system of ethos still remains unique to the Aligarh Womens College.

The boarding school project contained other complex problems, such as maintaining proper purdah. Both Shaikh and Waheed agreed that the purdah practiced in the Sharif society was more restrictive than purdah sanctioned by the Sharia (Islamic Law). But to secure social acceptance for their school, they chose to go with strict purdah, building fortress-like walls to fend off the male gaze, students mails were scrutinized, and only close relatives were allowed inside.

This accommodation of purdah within the gamut of their reformist agenda, to gain social acceptance, was indeed very astute of the Abdullahs. Thus, Waheed Jahan succeeded in preserving both the elite and the "Muslim" identity of herself and her community while simultaneously breaking the relative isolation of Indian Muslim women. The girls school became an intermediate college in 1925 and started degree classes in 1937 (with 250 students). Waheed passed away in 1939, only after seeing her school becoming a degree college.

The relation between education and social change is complex, varying from culture to culture and among different classes in the same culture.

True, that Aligarh movement was late to include womens education in its fold. Even the school founded by the Abdullahs did not fulfil all its expectations - their choosing an exclusively elite (Sharif) clientele limited the impact of their reforms.

But their efforts indeed bore fruits; the educational reforms for Muslim women at Aligarh contributed to many social developments. After the formation of AKI in 1914, the number of meetings and associations (for women-only) increased rapidly in the 1930s. The growth in the number of educated women created a market for new publications for and by women.

The Aligarh Womens College produced many women of substance, who made sure to shine above and beyond purdah, some figuratively and others literally. These ladies excelled in various fields, from teaching to medicine to writing.

Rashid Jahan (via Wikipedia)

Rashid Jahan, Waheed Jahans daughter, became a successful physician, a radical writer, and a staunch communist. Her short stories in Angare (1932) became the opening salvo of the Urdu Progressive Writers Movement (1936). Rakhshanda Jalil, in her biographical work on Rashid, A Rebel and her Cause: The Life and Work of Rashid Jahan, writes that Angaree was a "document of disquiet"; a self-conscious attempt "to shock people out of their inertia, to show how hypocrisy and sexual oppression had so crept in everyday life". Rashid became an inspiration for a generation of women writers such as Ismat Chughtai, Attia Hosain, Sadia Begum Sohravi, and Razia Sajjad Zaheer, among others.

Like all other reform movements of that time period, the Aligarh movement had its limitations too. For a start, it did prioritize mens education over womens, for various reasons (a story that needs to be told elsewhere), but by the early twentieth century, things were changing. The Aligarh movement not only took up the cause of womens education actively, but it also let women (Like Wahid Jahan) be a part of the process.

(Author: Ishrat Mushtaq, PhD Candidate, Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University and Sajad Hassan Khan, PhD. Candidate, Centre of Advanced Study in History, Aligarh Muslim University)
Barn destroyed by Wednesday morning fire

Fire destroyed a barn about five miles southeast of Watertown Wednesday, according to a report from Watertown Fire Rescue.
Scottsboro police say one man is dead after he apparently shot a manager at a Zaxbys Monday night.

The incident happened at approximately 9:35 p.m. Scottsboro police say the manager of the restaurant at 24729 John T. Reid Pkwy., was shot after going to the back door to talk to a former employee.

The manager, whose name was not released, was hit at least once after the shooter fired several rounds.

The assailant then fled the scene. The victim was taken to a local hospital and is listed in critical condition, police said.

Acting on information, officers went to a residence in the 1700 block of Veterans Drive. Police say a barricaded situation developed as officers arrived. Shortly after, the residence caught fire.

Scottsboro Fire extinguished the blaze. A subsequent search revealed the body of a man inside. The remains have been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Science for an autopsy.

Madison County Sheriffs Office is assisting with the investigation, along with the Alabama State Fire Marshals Office on the cause of the fire.

A spokesperson for Sandra Kay Foods, Inc., Zaxbys company, confirmed the shooting occurred.

The employee suffered injuries and is currently being treated in the hospital, the statement said. At this time, ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our team members and cooperating fully with law enforcement are our top priorities. As a result, Zaxbys will be closed today, January 12. We are truly saddened by this incident and will be praying for a speedy recovery.
Farmers also shouted slogans against the BJP-led Centre and slammed the government for not acceding to their demands. They demanded that the new farms laws should be repealed

On Wednesday, farmers burnt copies of the three contentious farm laws as a mark of protest.

This, as the government expressed hope that talks with far=mers would continue despite the obvious differences between the protesting agrarians and the Centre.

In another related development, the ruling BJP tried to iron out alleged differences with its Haryana ally Jannayak Janata Party regarding the farmers protest.

Farmers burn copies of law

Farmers in Punjab burnt copies of the Centre's three new farm laws at several places on the festival of Lohri as a mark of protest against the legislations.

The harvest festival of Lohri is celebrated in Punjab, Haryana and other parts of north India. Bonfires are an important part of the festivities.

Protesting farmers owing allegiance to different farm bodies held protest at many places in the state and burnt copies of new agriculture laws.

Farmers also shouted slogans against the BJP-led Centre and slammed the government for not acceding to their demands. They demanded that the new farms laws should be repealed.

Farmers including women under the banner of Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee held a protest at Pandherkalan village in Amritsar. Similar protests are also being held at other places in Amritsar.

Our agitation will continue until the Centre accepts all the demands of farmers, said the committee's general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher.

We will not accept these farm laws as they are not in the interest of the farming community and the government should repeal these legislations, said a protester.

Farmers also burnt copies of the new farm laws at many places including Hoshiarpur, Sangrur and Kapurthala in the state.

'Govt in favour of continuing talks'

The government is in favour of continuing talks with protesting farmer groups as it believes a solution can be found only through dialogue, Minister of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala said on Wednesday.

Eight rounds of negotiations so far between the government and a representative-group of thousands of farmers protesting against three farm laws have failed to resolve the crisis.

"Talks must continue. It is only through dialogue, a way forward can be found," Rupala told PTI.

He was responding to a query whether the government talks with protesting farmers' leaders on 15 January will be held as scheduled in the wake of the Supreme Court setting up of a committee to resolve the crisis.

On Tuesday, Kailash Choudhary, who is also Minister of State for Agriculture, said the government was willing to go ahead with the meeting and it was for the farmer groups to decide what they want.

Farmers, who have been camping at the Delhi borders, are demanding a repeal of the farm laws and a legal guarantee to the minimum support price for crops.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday had stayed the implementation of controversial new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a 4-member committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders.

Day after meeting Amit Shah, Dushyant Chautala meets Modi

Facing heat over the ongoing six-week-long farmers' agitation, Haryana's deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala met Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, possibly to discuss issues related to the protest.

Chautala is the leader of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which is an alliance partner in the BJP-led government in Haryana.

A section of JJP MLAs is believed to have been facing pressure from the agitating farmers.

Chautala, along with Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, met Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday.

After an hour-long meeting with Shah, both Khattar and Chautala said they have discussed the prevailing law and order situation in the state. "There is no threat to the Haryana government and it will last its full five year term," Chautala had said.

With inputs from PTI

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WASHINGTON  The Trump administration on Wednesday announced a ban on imports of cotton and tomatoes from the Xinjiang area of China, as well as all products made with those materials, citing human rights violations and the widespread use of forced labor in the region.

The measure could have sweeping implications for makers of apparel and food products, many of whom have sought to distance themselves from atrocities in Xinjiang but have struggled to ensure their supply chains are free of all raw materials from the region. The area is a major source of cotton, coal, chemicals, sugar, tomatoes and polysilicon, a component in solar panels, that are then fed into factories around China and the world.

The ban allows customs officials to stop imports that they suspect are made with raw materials from Xinjiang, regardless of whether they travel into the United States directly from China or through another country.

China has carried out a vast crackdown on predominantly Muslim minority groups in the far west Xinjiang region, including detaining a million or more Uighurs, Kazakhs and other groups in camps and closely surveilling the rest of the population, human rights groups say.
Saudi-based Emaar, The Economic City (Emaar EC) - the master developer of the kingdom's largest privately-funded new city, King Abdullah Economic City - has appointed Ahmed Yousef Boshnak as the company's new managing director.

A real estate consortium, Emaar EC develops properties for multiple use or other developments, including infrastructure facilities. It also markets, plots, and sells properties.

In its filing to Saudi bourse Tadawul, Emaar EC said the decision was taken at its Board of Directors meeting held yesterday (January 12).

The appointment is for a period of 6 months that can be extended for a similar period, it added.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  President Donald Trump will be out of office in a week.

But Democrats and some Republicans, horrified by the deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters last week, want Trump out now, now, now.

They couldnt get Vice President Mike Pence to do their work for them by invoking the 25th Amendment. So Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has launched a new impeachment effort.

U.S. Capitol Police push back demonstrators who were trying to enter the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)AP

And GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is said to be amenable to seeing Trump impeached. But it was also announced that McConnell wouldnt be calling the Senate back early to hold a trial.

Trump would be the first president in American history impeached twice. None have been convicted in the Senate.

But impeachment and conviction arent the endgame here. That would carry as much weight as double secret probation did in Animal House.

Those opposed to Trump want a second Senate vote, allowed under the Constitution, that would prohibit Trump from running again in 2024.

That would solve everybodys problems.

Dems wouldnt have to worry about Trump again upsetting their business-as-usual applecart. And insider Republicans wont have to watch as Trump continues to co-opt their disenchanted supporters and push them ever closer to the Whig-occupied dustbin of history.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP

You know what that could amount to? Voter disenfranchisement. It could deprive Trump supporters of the opportunity to vote for him again. Maybe someone will launch a voting rights lawsuit. Theyll probably be accused of sedition if they do.

Even better, some Dems seem to think that impeachment can go forward even after Trump is out of office.

It would be one of the most elastic readings of the Constitution ever. Whenever the GOP has control of both houses of Congress again, can they retroactively impeach former President Barack Obama for Fast and Furious and Benghazi?

Careful the Pandoras boxes you open.

Theres no defending Trump here. He brought this on himself by refusing to concede the election to Joe Biden after all Trumps legal challenges were exhausted.

And Trumps incendiary words at a rally before the Capitol storming helped light the fuse for the chaos. Trump knows the power of words.

That being said, I cant cheer for the fossilized status quo thats about to descend again on Washington. And I cant see how leftist Democrats can either.

Biden is the epitome of insider, Beltway corporatism. Even his nickname, Amtrak Joe, is Washington corporatist.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Del., Friday, Jan. 8, 2021, to announce key administration posts. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP

This is what Bernie Sanders and his socialist supporters have fought for over the last four years? This is what Antifa and Black Lives Matter have marched for? So that old, rich and mostly white Capitol Hill lifers can get even richer?

And am I supposed to cheer as the Justice Department is loosed on the Trump family in perpetuity while at the same time shielding my eyes from the million-dollar windfalls that Russia and China have bestowed on the president-elects son, Hunter Biden?

Nope, nothing to see there!

And how sickening is the Dems spider embrace of Moscow Mitch McConnell, whom Pelosi and the rest branded as a fellow Russia colluder of Trumps? Its almost as big a turnaround as the bouquets that Dems have thrown at the Bush and McCain families these last few years.

And its revolting to see McConnell and other Republicans allow Pelosi and the Dems to do what they themselves never had the guts to do: Move against Trump.

And now, after benefiting from Trump fighting for the issues that make the yokels back home happy, McConnell and others scrape the president off their shoes and rush back to trough with their Beltway Uniparty collaborators, the Democrats.

After violent protesters loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol today, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, joins other senators as they return to the House chamber to continue the joint session of the House and Senate and count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)AP

Do they even know that theyre jumping from a sinking ship to a lifeboat with a gaping hole in it?

This is all the very same fat-and-happy, pay-to-play, inside-the-Beltway wheeling and dealing that lit the populist fires in this country in the first place. Its why we saw a Tea Party on the GOP side. Its why weve seen the rise of Sanders and socialism.

Nate Cooper of Grand Rapids gathers with others to brainstorm ideas on how to start the process of occupying Grand Rapids Saturday, Oct. 8, at Calder Plaza in Grand Rapids. The Occupy Wall Street movement is starting to pop up in cities across the U.S. (Katie Green/The Grand Rapids Press)THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

Its why we saw Trump elected in the first place. Trump isnt the cause of populist rage. Hes the result. Do the Dems not see the increasing numbers of African-Americans, Hispanics and Asians that voted for Trump two months ago?

If Pelosi and McConnell think that its all going to go away just because Trump leaves town, theyve got another thing coming.

The barbarians are at everybodys gates.

(This item was updated after reports that GOP Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not call the Senate back into session early in order to hold an impeachment trial.)
Authors: Galina Platonova and Valery Zakharov, Ultra C

In the previous articles published on May 11 and July 15, 2020 in the Expert Reports Column, the methods of growing laboratory diamonds were discussed as well as the production companies (upstream), their moving through a diamond pipeline, cutting&polishing and diamond manufacturing (midstream).

Today, the most anticipated and most interesting topic in the entire cycle of the publications, perhaps, is the market, product promotion to the end consumer (downstream).

The focus is on the changing consumer preferences, product positioning, pricing, marketing and advertising.

The experts from the Ultra C company tell what global changes are taking place in the most conservative and traditional diamond market under the influence of the disruptive technology.

* The downstream sector is about promotion of a product in the market to the end customer.

A bit of history

(Navigator of Jewellery Trade) - The De Beers success story is impressive. The discovery of a 21-carat diamond in the Orange River Valley in the 1860s attracted treasure seekers from around the world. Cecil Rhodes who supplied equipment to the artisan diamond miners got a share in the diamond mines. In 1883, he founded the De Beers company. In 1902, when Cecil Rhodes died, De Beers controlled 95% of the worlds diamond production.

The creation of the global monopoly was completed by Ernest Oppenheimer. In 1926, he joined the De Beers board of directors, and a year later, he became its chairman. With the Oppenheimers participation, De Beers became the largest both in the diamond mining and in the polished diamond manufacturing. It is this company that turned a polished diamond into a symbol of love and eternity in the world. It is unique that the marketing campaign began in the period of recession, stockpiling and declining diamond prices.

De Beers decided that good advertising would help slightly transform the demand. The choice fell on N. W. Ayer, one of the oldest advertising firms in the country founded back in 1869. To achieve the goal, they chose a win-win strategy and associated diamond rings with the engagement tradition.

N. W. Ayer identified the target group for the advertising campaign - those were young and wealthy men on the verge of marriage. They should have to associate the diamond ring with a romantic gift to a fiancee. Moreover, the size of the stone should be proportional to the depth of their feelings declared! The same idea was supposed to be instilled in young girls.

By 1941, over just three years of the campaign, the diamond purchases in the United States had grown by 55%. And finally, in 1947, N. W. Ayer copywriter Mary Frances Gerety coined the tagline A diamond is forever for an ad depicting a couple in love in the moonlight. In 2000, the slogan was voted as the best advertising slogan of the 20th century by the Advertising Age magazine. It is still used by De Beers. And among other things, it says that polished diamonds will never lose their value.

The myths that created the diamond industry

Why is it necessary to make a retrospective journey into the history, which everyone knows? Just to remember what were the three pillars the diamond market stood on in the pre-tech times. Myth 1: A diamond is rare. Myth 2: Diamonds have an investment value. Myth 3: The symbolic value of a diamond as the token of love and eternity.

Myth 1. The rarity of diamonds. Is one of the most abundant elements in nature - carbon - rare? By the way, graphite and anthracite are also carbon. Now lets imagine that about 120 mn carats of gem-quality diamonds are mined annually. The stones may be not of the top quality but promising to become polished diamonds. But this product is not used as food, does not corrode, does not burn in engines. It accumulates. And here, we come to Myth 2.

Myth 2. The investment attractiveness. A flawless investment. Its like any car bought yesterday at a prestigious car showroom, today is minus 30% to its selling price, so is a polished diamond purchased in a jewellery store. It is not possible to sell it at the purchase price. You can make money on todays acquisition in 20 years only if you have a truly unique stone in terms of its colour and quality, and, of course, its size also matters.

Myth 3. The symbolic value of a diamond as the token of love and eternity. This last myth is the real achievement of the most successful and expensive advertising campaign of the 20th century (today, the average annual budget is about $200 mn per year). This unique position of the polished diamonds among other gemstones greatly stimulated the development of technologies for the production of lab-grown stones because the market of expanding consumption looked very attractive. And this myth that is of great importance needs to be preserved and supported by the polished - lab-grown or mined - diamonds suppliers.

The emerging new players on the market

Who was the first to offer gem quality lab-grown diamonds to the market? Those were tech companies that, on the one hand, had the diamond growing technology and, on the other hand, they had no idea or understanding of the diamond market and had no experience in working with diamantaires. Rough diamonds are still the main product of the lab-grown diamond producers. The New Diamond Technology Company was one of the first to stop selling the rough diamonds in order to avoid competition with their own goods in the large diamond niche. Some companies have followed the companys example, especially those with a size/quality advantage over the mass market. Other lab-diamond growers either keep a certain proportion of cut/rough stones, or remain on the rough diamond market. The reasons are clear - its difficult to enter the polished diamond market and it is necessary to maintain a certain level of the companys revenue. Rough diamonds are definitely more liquid.

The companies buying rough stones and manufacturing polished diamonds have appeared in the supply chain. And, as mentioned earlier, the Indian companies have chosen to form a full cycle - from the lab-grown diamond production to the polished diamond and even jewellery manufacture.

What was the market like when the laboratory-grown diamonds emerged?

Figure 1. The growing consumer awareness about the laboratory-grown polished diamonds





Source: MVI Research Studies: 20102019

The market was definitely not ready to accept the new product. Less than 10% of the respondents in 2010 knew about the lab-grown polished diamonds. First of all, there was not enough information since no funds were invested in this product promotion. Along with this, there were cases of unscrupulous mixing of lab-grown diamonds into small-sized categories with an attempt to pass off the lab-grown stones as natural ones. All this negatively affected the attitude towards the laboratory diamonds as a whole. As a result, there was a growing demand for detectors, and the role of expert assessments, international and national gemological laboratories increased. The lab-grown diamond image suffered from the greed of those who cheated the consumers to get their additional profit taking advantage of the imperfect detection methods and low awareness of buyers. All this is the result of the collision of a high-tech product with the world of mined diamonds.

On the other hand, the lab-grown diamonds had to face the simulants. Moissanite - sometimes mistakenly or sometimes on purpose - are called lab-grown diamonds to give them a precious image. And the lab-grown diamonds are sometimes called simulants, fake. Not only incompetent consumers call them this way but also the professionals. Therefore, the time has come for the lab-grown diamonds to become a standalone product. Undoubtedly, as a disruptive technology, the LGDs (lab-grown diamonds) fully used the established diamond traditions in the market such as the 4C grading system, certification using these parameters, and the Rapaport Diamond Report for pricing. Nevertheless, the issue of the self-identification was on the agenda.

In 2018, an ad hoc working group was set up under the CIBJO (World Jewellery Confederation), which later became a full-fledged Committee for the development of the recommendations on the lab-grown diamonds for their inclusion in the Blue Book. The development of the terminology for the lab-grown diamonds, recommendations for using and positioning the lab-grown diamonds, standards of working with them is underway. The Ultra C Company initiated the creation of this committee. Its founder, ex-president of ALROSA Andrey ZHARKOV, is one of the leaders of the committee chaired by De Beers representative Wesley HUNT.

The CIBJOs recommendations should help shape the market for the lab-grown stones as a standalone product category. The jewellery companies working with these stones will receive a guideline on how to describe the product, how to present it to the consumers, how certificates should be drawn up, and much more. The CIBJO and IGDA (International Grown Diamond Association) made it clear that the producers do not want to be subject to claims made by deceived buyers. Their task is to sell their goods providing the buyers with the most transparent information about what they are buying, and to win the buyers loyalty.

Diamond is the diamond

There is every reason to believe that the demand for the lab-grown diamonds will keep on growing. Lets refer to one of the latest studies of MVI Marketing, a U.S.-based consulting company pulbished in 2019. The survey involved 1,154 respondents (50% were from the United States and 50% - from Canada), they were the millennials aged 21-36 (50% were men and 50% - women).

Figure 2. Willingness to purchase engagement rings with lab-grown diamonds





Source: MVI Research Studies May 2016 and July 2019

What is the motivation?

74% say they will prefer the lab-grown diamonds because I can get a larger diamond for the same money I would spend on a natural diamond.

70% say they will prefer a high-tech product because they dont like the environmental impact of the mining companies.

68% will prefer the lab-grown diamonds because they dislike the use of the child labour.

Such statements are reflected in the ways used by the suppliers of lab-grown diamonds while dealing with the final buyers - they call the LGDs eco-diamonds, green diamonds, non-conflict ones. In contrast, those who prefer natural diamonds (naturalists) call the lab-grown diamonds fake ones since they have no history of several billion years and they were baked in a reactor during two weeks. How can they be compared with the mined diamonds? Can a technology product have an eternal value?!

We see how - in an attempt to convince a potential buyer of their product superiority - the sellers offer to choose between a bad stone and a fake one. Unfortunately, all of the above can be painful for polished diamonds in general, regardless of their origin.

At the beginning of the article, we said that the symbolic value of polished diamonds is unique and should be carefully maintained by all the participants in the diamond market - both those preferring the natural diamonds and those preferring the lab-grown diamonds being the product of technology. An important step in this direction was taken by the US Federal Trade Commission that declared in July 2018 that Diamond is the diamond regardless of its origin.

Pricing

The monopolistic market, which became the oligopolistic one with the entry of some new players into the market, such as ALROSA and Rio Tinto, made it possible to effectively control the price growth. To date, the influence of the lab-grown diamonds on the price level is not so great; in the first article (No. 3, 2020 Navigator of the Jewellery Trade) we discussed the market volume and estimated that of rough diamonds at 7.5 mn carats in 2019. But within the next 5 years, with a multiple increase in the output, we will undoubtedly see the effect of the technology on the price. And not only on the high-tech product price, but also on the natural diamond price, especially in the highly competitive size and colour categories.

The Rapaport Diamond Report is used to determine the price of the lab-grown diamonds. The expression How much from Rapa? became a usual one. This means either a percentage of the price, for example, 20% of the price from the Table, or a discount minus 80% in this case. Everyone criticizes this system, but continues to use it. The argument is convincing There are no other systems.

If you need to make sure that the offered price is really the market one, you can look at various websites for the price of a similar polished diamond. The most popular is Brilliant Earth (www.brilliantearth.com) offering a huge choice, any fancy shapes, many colours. The downside is a rather large range of prices for the stones having similar characteristics. Apparently, this is due to the fact that the goods come from different sellers and each has his own pricing idea. As for the plus point, you can see the minimum/maximum bid price for similar goods. There are other websites such as James Allen (www.jamesallen.com) or Mia Donna (www.miadonna.com). Of course, this is just an example of sources of the pricing information.

A much more complex issue is the pricing of the lab-grown coloured diamonds. The comparison with the natural ones is not objective as the rarity and uniqueness are valued in the natural stones. Some suppliers determine the price of yellow, pink, blue lab-grown diamonds based on the price of colourless stones adding a premium for colour. Of course, the purchase price is always a matter of bargaining and the sellers ability to convince the buyer that he or she is purchasing a unique piece.

Who is working successfully with the lab-grown diamonds today?

The lab-grown diamonds are present in the diamond jewellery market and fashion jewellery market categories. Here are some examples of jewellery brands that successfully launched jewellery collections.

1. The brands of the lab-grown diamonds in the fashion jewellery market

The De Beers Group (www.debeers.com) has started selling its own lab-grown diamond jewellery line under the Lightbox brand. The Lightbox collection is aimed at young buyers and offers simple designs of earrings and pendants with lab-grown diamonds in several shapes and colours in sizes up to 1 carat and it is positioned as fashion jewellery. The trend has gained great popularity.





Atelier Swarovski, Austria (www.atelierswarovski.com), offered bright collections with lab-grown diamonds - Diama and Penelope Cruz. The Swarovski laboratory diamonds are produced at the independent factories in Switzerland, India, America and China. The colour range is much larger than that of the lab-grown Lightbox Jewelry diamonds. Each of the Swarovski fancy coloured diamonds is available in sizes from 0.25 to 1.50 carats, and the diamonds of some colours are up to 2.50 carats. The colour is achieved by the standard processing methods such as irradiation and annealing, and the stones over 0.70 carats are IGI certified. At the same time, Swarovski relies on dividing the market and the company wants to create both luxury jewellery and more affordable one in line with the brands commitment to affordable jewellery.





2. The brands of the lab-grown diamonds in the diamond jewellery market

The laboratory diamonds are an excellent material not only for the fashion jewellery market, but also for the traditional diamond jewellery market.

Courbet, Paris (www.en.courbet.com) offers a wide range of goods ranging from the traditional engagement rings to contemporary designer jewellery pieces.

Little Switzerland, Caribbean, Puerto Rico, Florida (www.littleswitzerland.com) launched the Engrace Diamonds and Nuri & Ash brands. The lab-grown diamonds are sold both loose and in ready-made jewellery pieces. They are available in a variety of colours including white, pink, blue, orange and olive green. According to a representative of Little Switzerland, the diamonds are grown in the United States. The diamonds used in the 14- and 18-karat gold jewellery pieces are laser-marked and certified by an international laboratory.





Michael Hill, Australia (www.michaelhill.com) currently having more than 300 stores in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and Canada, presents the jewellery with lab-grown Fenix diamonds.

Signet Jewelers, USA (www.signetjewelers.com), one of the major retailers in the United States, launched its collections with the lab-grown diamonds. The collections are available on Jared, Zales, James Allen, and Kay marketplaces. Signet Jewelers, in our opinion, will play a very important role as the companys goods will gain a growing recognition.

Among the pioneers in the luxury segment is Shiphra, Switzerland (www.shiphrajewelry.com). It entered the market successfully with its large and coloured stones, as well as designer jewellery studded with calibrated fancy-cut diamonds.

The example of these pioneer companies (however, we have presented a far from complete list) is impressive and inspiring, is not it?

Conclusion

The three articles offered helped the reader make a journey along the chain from the LGD production to the jewellery collections.

We really hope that we could draw your attention to a unique high-tech product, expand your understanding of it, give more knowledge and arouse your interest in it.

The MVI Marketing research says that the product awareness is growing exponentially but end-users still require more educational programmes. 15% of the respondents said that they would make a purchase if the information about the lab-grown diamonds being similar to the natural ones was brought to them by the jeweller whom they trusted.

The market for the lab-grown diamonds is growing, their quality is improving, the range of colours is expanding, and calibrated fancy-shaped stones are being produced now - everything is done to attract the attention of the jewellers to the possibilities of the high-tech product.

The article was prepared by the experts from Ultra C (ultrac.ru).

Israel: cases down after first dose of Pfizer vaccine, study By 33% for those over 60 starting on 13th day

(ANSAmed) - TEL AVIV, JANUARY 13 - A research in Israel on the results obtained after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine is encouraging, according to the newspaper Yediot Ahronot. The daily reported about the research conducted by the country's main welfare agency Clalit on 200,000 people aged over 60 who received the first dose.



Compared with another 200,000 people who were not vaccinated, over an initial period of 12 days the two groups showed the same characteristics. But starting on the 13th day onwards the number of new infections among those who received the first shot dropped by 33% compared to the other group. The first inoculation appeared to have reduced the risk of contagion in that age group, according to preliminary data, the newspaper said.



The research will continue over the next weeks among those who have in the meantime received the second dose, which according to Pfizer is the key one for immunization. (ANSAmed).




Development of the city of Yaounde, Cameroon, from 1984 to 2016. Credit: Public thesis defense of Armel Kemajou

For his thesis project at EPFL, Armel Kemajou studied the peri-urban areas of Lome, Togo, and Yaounde, Cameroon, where populations are expected to double in 20 years. He observed construction strategies that reflected coherent individual and collective approaches to planning, although they lay outside existing legal frameworks. Kemajou gives proposals for incorporating such an approach to construction, parting ways with urban planning patterned on European cities, which is unsuitable for these countries.

Africa's increasingly urban populations are expected to double by 2050. This is leading to cities' exponential growth, something that is exceptionally difficult for many countries to manage. Most of these urban areas, such as the sprawling city of Lagos in Nigeria, are so vast that their boundaries are hard to identify. Africa's new cities are being built in peri-urban areas that are able to absorb population growth. However, few countries have urban planning strategies that address this reality. Taken aback by how little these areas have been studied, Kemajoua Ph.D. in architecture studentdecided to focus his thesis on them, and more specifically on the cities of Lome in Togo and Yaounde in Cameroon. On 8 December, Kemajou defended his thesis, carried at EPFL as part of the Urban and Regional Planning Community (CEAT), under the supervision of Jerome Chenal. We sat down with Kemajou to talk about his work.

When studying the outlying areas of Lome and Yaounde, you found that a harmonious urban fabric existed, albeit one that has developed outside of legal frameworks.

There is a considerable gap between designed citiesas established in legislation and by urban planning policiesand a "lived" city that was built up by its residents day after day. This large disconnect means that there is no oversight regarding what is being builtand that's mainly because existing urban planning instruments and legislation are basically holdovers from the colonial era, which, until now, were modeled on urban practices from Europe. But European cities are constructed differently, and their technical, human and financial resources are totally different. This means that these instruments are not realistic for Africa and thus inapplicable. The reality on the ground is more local and more socially complex than in Europe, and this needs to be taken into account.

Are you saying that current urban planning strategies won't be able to meet the needs of a population that will double in 20 years?

In Yaounde, the city's circumference has tripled over the last three decades. In Lome, it has increased by a factor of 4.5. It's clear that the resources to halt this urbanization are lacking, so a line must be drawn under what has been done. City officials can't act as if everything that has been created by existing residents doesn't exist. More robust and scalable plans that address this rapid urban expansion are needed.

A residence in the Nkozoa neighborhood in Yaounde. Credit: Armel Kemajou

So city officials should factor in building methods that residents have already been using?

Yes, exactly. There is a collective intelligence underlying how a city is constructed. For my thesis, we interviewed about a hundred residents of Lome and Yaounde. We wanted to find out what kind of strategies they used to achieve home ownership, and how these strategies interconnect. We found an underlying wisdom and intelligent choices. When you come in with rigid assessment methods, you get the impression that it's all very informal, place-specific and even incomprehensible. But underneath there are very clear rationales.

You're saying that the built environment in these two cities' peri-urban areas is not informal?

Absolutely not. Very few people we spoke with moved to the outskirts out of frustration, or because they had no other choice. These are people who think things through, who make plans and carry them out. This produces something that urban theorists are not accustomed to, but it is nevertheless a valid way of constructing a city. Besides, if most of a city is "informal," how do we determine what constitutes the "real" city? If we want to design an efficient model that is in line with reality on the ground, we should take as our starting point what the majority of people are actually doing.

Therefore, the new cities that are being designed and built on urban outskirts are the result of local construction strategies?

They're the result of collective thinking, of know-how that people draw on to construct their own living space, one that suits their needs. They build their space on the scale of a home, but they also know how to make it part of their district, in association with their neighborsan area where families can thrive, with collective social facilities, markets, children's playgrounds, and so on. All of this takes place outside of any urban planning framework, because that framework can't keep pace with these collective strategies.

Spatial development of Lome, Togo. Sources of basic data :SDAU Grand Lome, Africapolis. Credit: Armel Kemajou

But without a comprehensive approach to urban planning, won't the limits of this strategy eventually become clear, given Togo and Cameroon's rapid population growth?

In my thesis, I don't advocate a laissez-faire approachthat would end in chaos. But the way urban construction is being addressed today is also not the right one. I recommend a collective urban planning method, one that can establish a dialogue among local governments, city planners, and the hundreds of thousands of "individual urban developers." It's at the intersection of these two ways of thinking that we will find the most appropriate form of urban planning. You can't force people to adhere to a 1960s urban planning model that hasn't changed since independence.

Your interdisciplinary work lies at the crossroads of urban planning, social science and economics. It also includes research in law and engineering. How did you carry out your study?

To take an example, let's say you want to study Geneva. All you need to do is submit a request to the canton and you have all the data you need in digital format. But when it comes to the very local reality of these two cities in Africa, where there is a dearth of basic data, we had to be creative in our methodology. Central to the study was a qualitative analysis of those hundred or so interviews we conducted with city residents, which we cross-referenced with more rigorous methods. To understand how people get around, we attached GPS devices to about fifty motorized cabs that serve the peri-urban areas. By combining this travel data with the interviews, we were able to measure the impact of transportation methods on the development of outlying areas. We rounded this out with interviews with experts, cartographic analyses of land values, and finally an assessment of the existing legal framework.

Could your thesis findings be immediately implemented by Togolese and Cameroonian city officials?

Studies like this one are, in my view, essential to achieving effective urban planning. I'm very happy that colleagues who are employed by these two cities attended my online defense. I was able to immediately share my recommendations with them. I will make my thesis findings available and I hope that they will eventually translate into policies consistent with my recommendations.

The four years I spent on my thesis were not long enough for me to address all the issues I wanted to investigate. But it gave me some good ideas for postdoctoral work, for honing my skills with professors in major institutions, and for being able, in the medium term, to place this knowledge at the service of municipalities in Cameroon and Togo. It would be pointless if this information were to remain only in European libraries.

Explore further Study maps urban-rural catchment areas and points to ways to optimize policy and planning coordination for agriculture

More information: Armel Kemajou. Understanding the construction of urban peripheries in Lome and Yaounde.
Some North Alabamians were outraged by Rep. Mo Brooks' statements at the D.C. Capitol riots, which included telling people to stop at the Capitol.

On Tuesday, the NAACP went so far as to call for his resignation.

Rep. Mo Brooks has been serving Alabama's 5th Congressional District for a decade.

North Alabama NAACP chapters are calling for his resignation after his remarks at last week's Capitol riots.

"Mo Brooks as a representative of Alabama, you represent me and I'm totally disappointed in your actions," said Rodney Gordon.

Gordon is the President of the Decatur/Morgan NAACP. He is one of the people who asked for Brooks' resignation because of comments he said at the Washington D.C. riots.

"You made us a shamble of the Preamble," said Gordon.

"Resign immediately, because of your selfish disregard for your constituents. The 5th District and the citizens of this country, we stand with the Alabama NAACP state conference and calling on your resignation," said Wilbert Woodruff, President of the Limestone County NAACP.

Woodruff says Brooks' time as representative for the 5th District is up, and if he does not resign, Woodruff says they will vote him out.

"We will follow the suggestion of our Governor, Kay Ivey, and vote you out," said Woodruff.

And Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle says words matter.

"I would say words have meaning. When you say words, those words have meaning and the meaning of those words can call people to action, and you need to be very careful," said Mayor Battle.

We did reach out to Rep. Mo Brooks for comment, but he did not return our calls or emails. He did release a blanket statement to the public, though.

In his statement, he says, 'I will never apologize for fighting to win our causes for the ballot box. This is the American way!'

The NAACP wants him to resign immediately. Members say Brooks' time is up, and that if he does not resign, they will vote him out of office in 2022.

"We have lost faith and trust in him as a congressman. If he does not resign, we call on Congress to act, to expel him," said Benard Simelton, President of the Alabama NAACP.

Rep. Brooks' term does not end until January of 2023.
TikTok is introducing a raft of updates to improve the privacy and safeguarding of children on the platform.

Users under the age of 16 will now have their accounts set to private by default, which means the only people who can view their content are approved followers.

Strangers will also be prevented from commenting on videos made by under-16s, meaning minors will have just two options - allowing comments from friends only, or turning of comments entirely.

Children's charity NSPCC has praised the package of updates, which are designed to protect young and vulnerable users on the app.

The changes will be enforced today to all of TikTok's users around the world.

Scroll down for video

Users under the age of 16 have their accounts set to private by default and this setting means the only people who can view their content are pre-approved followers (stock)

In further updates, TikTok said it was making changes to the 'duet' and 'stitch' function on the app for under-16s.

These TikTok features allow users to take videos which are already on the site and incorporate them into their own content. Stitch weaves a five-second clip into the start of a new video and duet plays both the old and new video side-by-side.

But as part of the new package of changes, the wider TikTok community will be unable to duet or stitch videos from under-16s.

Users aged 16 and 17 will also see a change to their stitch and duet functions, as the default setting will be changed from everyone to just friends.

TikTok is also removing the ability for users to download the videos of under-16s.

Alexandra Evans, TikTok's head of child safety in Europe, said the changes were 'groundbreaking'.

'They build on previous changes we've made to promote minor safety, including restricting direct messaging and hosting live streams to accounts 16 and over and enabling parents and caregivers to set guardrails for their teen's TikTok account through our Family Pairing feature,' she said.

'We know there is no finish line when it comes to minor safety, and that is why we are continuously evolving our policies and investing in our technology and human moderation teams so that TikTok remains a safe place for all our users to express their creativity.'

The video app has become increasingly popular in recent years, particularly among younger mobile users, but TikTok has come under pressure to improve its security settings and processes around young people.

The comments section of videos made by under-16s is also receiving a privacy-focused update which will prevent strangers from commenting, with the only available options being allowing comments from friends, or from no one (stock)

TikTok received a $5.7 million fine from US authorities in 2019 to settle charges that it illegally collected personal information from children.

The Federal Trade Commission said at the time the penalty by the social network was the largest ever in a children's privacy investigation.

'The operators of Musical.ly - now known as TikTok - knew many children were using the app, but they still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other personal information from users under the age of 13,' said FTC chairman Joe Simons in February 2019..

'This record penalty should be a reminder to all online services and websites that target children: We take enforcement of COPPA very seriously, and we will not tolerate companies that flagrantly ignore the law.'

TikTok's updates also come ahead of the anticipated introduction of Online Harms legislation, which is expected to be brought before Parliament this year.

This will place greater emphasis on social media firms to comply with a duty of care to their users.

Online safety groups have praised the social media site for its actions.

Andy Burrows, head of child safety online policy at the NSPCC, said: 'This is a bold package of measures by TikTok and a hugely welcome step that will reduce opportunities for groomers to contact children.

'It comes as abusers are taking advantage of the pandemic to target children spending more time online and we urge other platforms to be similarly proactive rather than wait for regulation to come into effect.

'The full benefits of these changes will be felt when age assurance measures are put in place in September when the Age Appropriate Design Code comes into force.'
On the eve of World War II, a self-taught English archaeologist, working at the behest of a Suffolk widow with a curiosity about what lay beneath several earthen mounds on her property, made what is considered to be one of the more significant discoveries in British archaeology.

That may be the summary description of the plot of "The Dig" - or at least the historical facts on which the film, and its source material, a 2007 novel by John Preston - is based. But it doesn't begin to describe what this poetic little film is really about, or what it manages to say about the human condition. Gradually, and with the methodical patience of someone unearthing buried treasure with a tiny brush, "The Dig" reveals itself to be a story of love and estrangement, of things lost and longed for, of life and death - of what lasts and what doesn't.

Directed by actor/filmmaker Simon Stone, from a richly allusive screenplay by Moira Buffini ("Tamara Drewe"), "The Dig" begins in a straightforward manner: Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) has just engaged the services of Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes), a local man who hides his sharp archaeological instincts behind his job description: "excavator" - a designation he has chosen for himself that, like the film itself, engages in misdirection.

Soon Basil's discovery - that Edith's estate is a burial ground of sorts - is laid bare, and the film proceeds with the standard fare of so many prestige British dramas. The coming war threatens the project, along with inclement weather and academic snobbery, personified by a pompous archaeologist from the British Museum (Ken Stott), who attempts to bigfoot Brown, commandeering his work site and dismissing his expertise, when word of the dig leaks out.

But slowly, slyly, the film deepens, becoming so much more than a period drama with pretty costumes, plummy accents and petty melodramas. In a sense, the tale of Brown's work - while momentous both historically and personally, as a tale of stolen credit - is, like what has been dug up in the dirt, merely a vessel for larger meaning.

Subplots involving Edith's health, her worries for her cousin (Johnny Flynn), who is about to go off to battle, and the unhealthy marriage of a couple hired to work on the dig (Lily James and Ben Chaplin) enrich the sidelines of the story. What might have been mere embellishments, meant to juice up a dusty narrative, are, in the hands of Buffini and Stone, by the end of the film, the whole point.

And what is that point?

On the most superficial level, it's that archaeology - even when the practice is explicitly being undertaken in a place where a corpse has been lain - isn't about the dead, but the living. "The Dig" is about the yearning, so human and, yes, so elusive and so futile, to fix the past so that it can be preserved.

Of course, it can't, in any literal sense. Even the bits of iron, bronze and gold that get saved in museums won't last forever, any more than the people who made them, or the emotions we feel, and sometimes fail to show, for a loved one.

Brown's dig dispelled myths about the "Dark Ages," but "The Dig" explodes another greater and more haunting illusion, with grace and at times exquisite sadness: that we are anything more than ghosts.

- - -

Three and one-half stars. Rated PG-13. Available Jan. 29 on Netflix. Contains brief sensuality and partial nudity. 112 minutes.

Ratings Guide: Four stars masterpiece, three stars very good, two stars OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time.
A single father-of-two has been left homeless and jobless in the UK thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic as he works endlessly to secure a flight home to Australia.

Scott Walker, originally from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, had been working overseas for years when he won a custody battle in September to bring his 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son back to Australia.

But the family have been repeatedly rejected from repatriation flights and are currently stranded in coronavirus-riddled London - and he has revealed the Australian government has been of no help.

To make matters worse, Mr Walker lost his job in the midst of the pandemic and the family were forced to stay with friends because he couldn't afford rent.

Mr Walker was so desperate to get home that he even considered spending $50,000 on an economy flight for him and his two kids.

Scott Walker, originally from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, is currently stranded in the UK with his 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son (pictured)

'It's been endless for months  literally every day I am on the phone to probably every airline on the planet that flies from the UK to anyway that might hop me home,' he told the ABC.

The stress took such a toll that his children became physically sick.

He said he applied for a repatriation flight within hours of them being offered but was denied.

When he registered for assistance from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs, he said he was let down again.

'The flight assistance was giving me the general public number for Emirates (Airlines) and telling me to contact family and friends for help. That was their help,' Mr Walker said.

Mr Walker said his children were so stressed about being stranded in the UK that they had fallen physically ill

Mr Walker has set up a place to live, work and a school for his kids once they finally return to Australia.

The family now have plans to fly to Singapore and then to Perth on Saturday.

However, NSW, Queensland and WA have halved the cap on international arrivals and Singapore has suspended many flights from the UK - leaving Mr Walker doubtful they will be allowed to leave.

'There are people who are in dire situations where they are jobless, homeless and they just need to come home to friends and family and be looked after by a government that is supposed to look after its citizens,' Mr Walker said.

It was announced last week that caps would be placed on the arrivals until mid-February in attempts to stop the spread of a highly contagious UK strain of the virus.

All international arrivals will need to supply a negative test before flying.

A spokesperson for DFAT told Daily Mail Australia their priority was helping Australians overseas.

'Over 440,000 Australians have returned to Australia since the Government recommended that people reconsider the need to travel abroad,' they said.

'Since March, DFAT has helped over 38,800 Australians return on over 500 flights including over 12,500 people on 90 Government facilitated flights. In the six weeks prior to Christmas, DFAT made over 50,000 offers of places on flights to Australians registered overseas.

'Around 37,000 people are currently registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade as being overseas and wanting to return. This number changes regularly according to peoples circumstances.

'Further facilitated flights to support the return of vulnerable Australians overseas are planned for the coming weeks from the United Kingdom, India, United States and other countries.'
Fabian Cruz Roman, left, and Andres Nunez Rodriguez Jr. were taken into custody without incident Tuesday in the San Diego area, sheriff's officials said. (Merced County Sheriff's Office)

Two inmates who used a homemade rope to escape from a jail in Central California were apprehended in San Diego County, while three of the six escapees remain at large, authorities said Wednesday.

Six men escaped from the Merced County jail shortly before midnight Sunday, the Merced County Sheriffs Office said in a news release on Facebook. The inmates were able to get to the roof of the facility in downtown Merced and then used the rope to scale the side of the building.

Two of the men  Fabian Cruz Roman, 22, of Los Banos in Merced County; and Andres Nunez Rodriguez Jr., 21, of Planada in Merced County  were taken into custody without incident in the San Diego area about 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, sheriffs officials said.

Earlier in the day, Edgar Eduardo Ventura, 22, of Portland, Ore., was apprehended in the Firebaugh area, roughly 40 miles west of Fresno, Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said.

"We've been nonstop 24 hours a day since this escape was discovered and it will continue to be nonstop until all six are in custody," Warnke said.

Roman was originally jailed on suspicion of murder and Rodriguez on suspicion of attempted murder, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

The pair were being transported back to the Merced County Sheriffs Office. Ventura was originally arrested on suspicion of being a felon in possession of a firearm, participation in a criminal street gang and violation of probation. He was transported back to the Merced County Sheriffs Office on Tuesday afternoon after he was taken into custody around 3:15 p.m.

The outstanding fugitives were identified as Jorge Barron, 20, of Atwater in Merced County; Gabriel Francis Coronado, 19, of Atwater; and Manuel Allen Leon, 21, of Vallejo in Solano County, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

The trio is considered armed and dangerous, and anyone who spots them is asked not to approach them and immediately call 911, officials said.

A tip line has been set up by the U.S. Marshals Service, and a reward of up to $5,000 for each inmate recaptured is being offered for information leading to the apprehension of the men.

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Information can be provided to authorities by calling (877) 926-8332 or by visiting the U.S. Marshals Service website at www.usmarshals.gov. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Times staff writer Doug Smith, City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
COLONIE - Albany International Airport says the federal government has "taken added protective measures" at the airport in the wake of the Jan. 6 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. while warning passengers they could face jail time or heavy fines for creating a "safety risk" on flights.

Airport officials said the Federal Aviation Administration has issued a warning to travelers they could face not only jail time but also a fine up to $35,000 for disrupting flights. The airport said the airlines are also working with the FAA to tighten security.
Net bookings at Hostelworld fell by between 78pc-80pc last year when compared to 2019, as the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on the travel industry.

The company is currently in negotiations to agree a new 30m debt facility.

The overall figure for net booking of 20pc  22pc when compared to 2019 is in line with guidance issued last October, according to a trading update from the group.

The online booking platform said the trading deterioration it had experienced since the end of August continued throughout the rest of 2020, with minimal booking demand and average booking value contraction primarily due to bed price deflation.

At the end of last year the group's net cash position stood at 18.2m, down from 29.4m at June 30, with current liabilities of 20.7m.

Cash liabilities due in the first half of this year are expected to be in the range of 6.5m - 7m. The company said its quarter four 2020 monthly operating cash outflow of 1.7m remains in line with expectations.

The Dublin-list group said that while the positive news around a Covid-19 vaccine is welcomed, the timing of the recovery remains uncertain. As a result, while Hostelworld continues to actively assess its cost base, the board is actively evaluating both debt and equity options, to secure the group's long-term financial position.

The company says it is now in negotiations with a short-list of selected lenders in relation to a new 30m debt facility.

The proposed facility is expected to have a contractual maturity of five years, at a cost in the low to mid-teens, with other conditions, including a minimum liquidity covenant, security and warrants provisions, in line with current market practice for facilities of this nature.

Hostelworld said there is no guarantee it will agree the terms of the debt facility, however, in advance of borrowing under the potential facility, it will be required to obtain shareholder approval to amend the borrowing limit contained within the company's Articles of Association.

Gary Morrison, CEO of Hostelworld, said: "Covid-19 has had a prolonged and significant impact on our business and the entire global travel industry. We have taken swift action to protect the business and improve the core platform to position the business well for when demand returns.

Given the prolonged nature of the restrictions, we are now actively assessing ways to strengthen our balance sheet.

Mr Morrison added that both he and the board remain confident that the group's enhanced service offering, and competitive positioning will provide a strong platform to deliver growth when normal travel patterns resume, delivering long-term future upside for our shareholders."

Hostelworld says it has continued to release significant enhancements to strengthen its core platform to enhance its service offering and competitiveness when normal travel patterns resume.
Ahead of the first phase of the Covid-19 vaccination drive scheduled to start from 16 January, vaccine transportation has started from Pune to 13 locations across the country, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Tuesday.

In a series of tweets, the Minister said 56.5 lakh doses of vaccines are being transported to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh, from Pune.

"Civil aviation sector launches yet another momentous mission. Vaccine movement starts. First two flights operated by SpiceJet and GoAir from Pune to Delhi and Chennai have taken off," he tweeted.

"Today Air India, SpiceJet, GoAir and IndiGo will operate nine flights from Pune with 56.5 lakh doses to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh," Puri added.

The consignment for Mumbai will be going by road, according to PTI. Trucks belonging to Kool-ex Cold Chain Ltd are being used to ferry the vaccine stocks. The trucks carried 478 boxes of the vaccines and each box weighs 32 kg.

The first flight carrying Covishield vaccine, has already reached Delhi, Gujarat, Chennai and Kolkata.

Serum Institute of India (SII) has received a purchase order from the Government of India for 11 million doses of Covishield vaccine, which would be available at the price of 200 per dose, SII officials had said on Monday.

"This is a historical moment that vaccine is being dispatched from our factory. Our main challenge is to make it available to everyone in the country. It is our challenge for 2021, let us see how it happens," Adar Poonawalla, chief executive officer, Serum Institute of India told ANI in an interview.

"We have given a special price of 200 for the first 100 million doses only to the Government of India on their request, because we want to support common man, vulnerable, poor and healthcare workers. After that, we will be selling it at 1,000 in private markets," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said around 3 crore healthcare workers and frontline workers will be vaccinated in the first phase of vaccination. "In the second phase, those above 50 years and those under 50 years with co-morbid conditions will be vaccinated," he added.

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YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian held a phone conversation with the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov on January 13, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia.

In the context of the meeting of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow on January 11, the Ministers discussed issues of regional security and stability. Minister Aivazian emphasized the full and immediate implementation of the obligation on the repatriation of the prisoners of war, captives and other detained persons enshrined in the statement of November 9, 2020.

During the conversation the sides also touched upon the agenda of Armenian-Russian allied relations.
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One of the two parts of a mega irrigation system in southern Vietnam's Mekong Delta will start operation next month in Kien Giang Province.

Construction of the system worth VND3.3 trillion ($142.17 million) started in November 2019, with two parts on the Cai Lon and Cai Be rivers, both originating in Hau Giang and passing through Kien Giang before meeting the sea.

The part on Cai Be River will enter operation in mid-February. It spans 85 meters wide with two compartments.

Work on an irrigation project on the Cai Be River, southern Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Linh Hoang.

The entire irrigation system, invested by funds raised through government bonds, is expected to irrigate 384,000 hectares of land, of which 350,000 hectares are for agriculture and aquaculture, in Kien Giang, Hau Giang, Ca Mau and Bac Lieu provinces of the delta.

The part on Cai Lon River is bigger, stretching 455 meters in width and boasting 11 compartments. It is scheduled to be completed in June, four months prior to schedule.

Both parts have locks of 15 meters in width each, aside from sewers, valves and hydraulic cylinders that make it the largest irrigation system ever in the region, which has for decades functioned as the nations agriculture and aquaculture hub.

The system further includes bridges and embankments that connect with national highways.

It would combine with a coastal dam in the region to combat climate change, rising sea levels and flooding, as well as help develop infrastructure for road transport.

Part of an irrigation project on the Cai Lon River, southern Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Linh Hoang.

According to the Irrigation Work Investment and Construction Management Board No.10 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, which oversees the project, it normally takes 40-48 months to complete an irrigation system of such scale but due to the urgency of protecting the region from drought and salinity, which has grown worse in recent years, progress has been sped up to just 20-24 months.

During the last dry season, which normally lasts from November to April in southern Vietnam, saline levels of up to six grams per liter were found in some areas. Salinity of one to four grams was found 50 kilometers (31 miles) upstream on average, and up to 130 kilometers, in all tributaries of The Mekong. Salinity above one gram is considered unpalatable and levels of above two are unsafe for most crops.

The provinces of Ben Tre, Tien Giang, Long An, Kien Giang, Ca Mau and Soc Trang to declare an emergency after drought and saltwater damaged around 43,000 hectares (166 acres) of paddy and caused 80,000 families to suffer water shortage.

The government has since given them and two other provinces VND530 billion ($22.77 million) to deal with drought and salinity.
Editors note: Dr. Matthew Go is a forensic anthropologist currently working at the U.S. Department of Defense agency tasked with identifying and repatriating the remains of all missing military personnel from past armed conflicts. His scholarly focus has been developing both the research and professional practice of forensic anthropology in the Philippines as a means to improve the outcomes of medicolegal death investigations. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his.

Death does not bring peace for many in the Philippines. Recent controversies surrounding the cause and manner of death of flight attendant Christine Dacera are reminiscent of similar procedural and analytical failures in the handling of the Kian Delos Santos slay, Dengvaxia autopsies, and the cremation of inmate Jaybee Sebastian, to cite only a few examples of high-profile cases. The blunders of these cases are pathognomonic, or specifically indicative, of a larger affliction in the Philippine medicolegal death investigation system; namely, blatant conflicts of interest, a lack of clear jurisdictional boundaries, misrepresentation of forensic examiner qualifications, and weak legislative backing.

Medicolegal death investigation (MLDI) is a fact-finding process whereby the who, when, where, and what questions surrounding any violent, suspicious, unexplained, unexpected, unnatural, or unattended death are answered. Who died, when did the death occur, where did it happened, and what were the cause, manner, and circumstances surrounding the death? Accurate answers to these questions are vital to ensuring public health and safety. While any finding may be presented as evidence in civil or criminal proceedings, the purpose of MLDIs is not to determine civil or criminal liability. That is the domain of the courts and judges. MLDI is also separate from criminal investigation  the domain of law enforcement  whose purpose is to determine if a crime has been committed and obtain evidence to identify the persons responsible for the crime.

The Philippines employs a police-led MLDI system, whereby the police initiate, lead, and define the scope of both the criminal investigation and death investigation. In this set-up, the fine line that separates the two can easily be blurred. While it is not uncommon to find both these investigation services under the umbrella of a single state agency, the Philippine situation has often posed a gross conflict of interest in many instances. Most notably relating to the war on drugs, police officers are accused of leading many extrajudicial killings while also wielding the nearly exclusive power to investigate themselves. Witness tampering, planted evidence, and inconsistent forensic reports are just some of the indicators this conflict has laid bare.

Related to conflicts of interest, the jurisdictional boundaries of who is in charge over a case are also unclear. The Philippine National Police (PNP), with its large workforce and wide geographic spread, conducts the majority of day-to-day MLDIs in the country, while the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) under the Department of Justice (DOJ) takes on high-profile cases as it sees fit. However, it is unclear what high-profile even means, and how a case is determined to be as such. The boundary has never been clearly drawn except in the context of mass fatality incidents. Likewise, the Public Attorneys Office, also under the DOJ, has established its own forensic laboratory and taken upon itself to conduct its own MLDIs as it sees fit. Furthermore, the Commission on Human Rights is constitutionally mandated to investigate abuses of power by the state and has its own small contingent of medicolegal officers, but has faced economic censorship and strong stonewalling when attempting to address state-sanctioned violence. The result is often a chaotic power grab and insular operation that produces opaque, questionable science and mistrust among the general public in these institutions.

Proper MLDI requires a science-first, multidisciplinary approach that employs a cadre of vetted, qualified, and impartial experts and focuses on fact-finding surrounding the death event. Currently, initial employment as a medicolegal officer in the Philippines only requires passing the general physician licensure exam. Once hired, they are internally trained in MLDI, including conducting autopsies and collecting biological samples. However, autopsy is a complex procedure that requires years of formalized study and training. Autopsies and the conclusions drawn thereof should only be conducted by a pathologist that is board-certified by an accredited specialty board (such as the Philippine Society of Pathologists) after completing a multi-year residency in the subspecialties of anatomical and clinical pathology and passing diplomate examination. Ideally, board-certified pathologists also undergo at least one additional year of fellowship in forensic pathology before they can claim to be a forensic pathologist, although the Philippines has no such formal fellowship program currently.

The blunders in recent high-profile cases are pathognomonic, or specifically indicative, of a larger affliction in the Philippine medicolegal death investigation system; namely, blatant conflicts of interest, a lack of clear jurisdictional boundaries, misrepresentation of forensic examiner qualifications, and weak legislative backing.

Just as a general practitioner or internist or surgeon cannot and should not perform the procedures done by a forensic pathologist, the forensic pathologist must rely on the expertise of other allied forensic science practitioners. Forensic anthropologists (experts on the human skeleton and archaeological recovery), odontologists (experts on dental examination and bite marks), toxicologists (experts on the detection of alcohol, drugs, poisons, and other chemicals in biological fluids and tissues), geneticists (experts on extracting and analyzing DNA), and entomologists (experts on carrion insects), to name a few other specialists, work in concert with the forensic pathologist in answering the who, when, where, and what of a case and have undergone their own extensive educational, training, and certification requirements. In the Philippines, the number of individuals misrepresenting themselves as subject matter experts far outnumbers the individuals that are true qualified experts in their field.

The basis for our current MLDI system is rooted in a Marcos-era presidential decree  the 1975 Code on Sanitation  that has only been sparsely clarified by Department of Health memoranda and administrative orders in 1996, 2010, and 2020. Proposed bills in the Legislature to improve the system include two different mandatory autopsy bills that clarify instances in which an autopsy is required, a bill that requires the collection of information about the decedent to include photographs, fingerprints, dental impressions, and DNA samples prior to any cremation, a bill that requires local health officers to undergo training in disaster victim identification, and a bill that establishes a national Forensic Science Institute within the University of the Philippines, but all of these have been stalled for years. Likewise, the Judiciary must demand the prosecution to present physical evidence and expert opinion over eyewitness accounts, a stark departure from the current situation where upwards of 90% of cases in the country are tried solely on witness testimony.

Death investigation professionals in our country do essential work, and to the best of their abilities. This is not a criticism of individuals, but rather of a larger, complex system. Botched death investigations that reach the level of public ire like that of Christine Dacera, Kian Delos Santos, and so many others can be described as a comedy of errors: a series of events made ridiculous by bungling and incompetence. Except, there is nothing amusing about the consequences of our broken system: disjointed and prolonged grief of family members, impunity and lack of accountability of perpetrators, or continued danger to public health and safety. One can only wonder how many other cases are mishandled in a similar vein, yet fail to reach media sensationalism and are thus left unscrutinized. Truly, a complete dismantling of the current PNP/NBI-directed MLDI system must be done in favor of an autonomous, apolitical, and well-funded government agency that is clearly separate from, but cooperates with, law enforcement whose sole purpose is to produce high quality, independent, accurate, timely, and complete information regarding all qualifying deaths in the country.
"Rachael understands the importance of what it means to be a relationship-driven bank and how we can work with our clients to empower them," said Tony Amador, leader of KeyBank's Consumer Healthcare and Alternative Channel. "She's going to bring that vision and skill set to Key4Women as we grow this network and find new ways to help women-owned businesses during these challenging times."

Sampson's experience has prepared her for the challenges women business owners are facing with the pandemic. Key4Women's Confidence Survey finds the pandemic has created an incredible amount of strain for women business owners. In two years, the survey has found a 22% drop among respondents who say they are confident in their personal finances and in the future, along with a 23% drop among those owners regarding the confidence in the financial health of their business. One in three women now have low optimism they will achieve their business goals in the next year.

"Key4Women is an avenue of growth and advice for so many women business owners and leaders. As a relationship-based bank, we want to be a partner in helping our clients use every tool possible, while knowing exactly what best fits their business and goals," said Sampson, who has nearly 20 years of banking experience, ranging from commercial banking to loan operations management, compliance and credit.

Spurred by research and insights that women-owned businesses had characteristics and challenges unique from their male counterparts, especially relative to accessing capital and using credit, Key4Women launched in 2005. The complimentary program provides women business owners and leaders with committed advisors to help guide them on their financial journeys, networking events and educational opportunities, research and resources, and access to capital.

"When I joined KeyBank 15 years ago, Key4Women was less than a year old. While the complimentary program has grown exponentially, helping to generate more than $12 billion in loans granted to women-owned business since then, our goal remains consistentto advocate, connect and empower women-owned businesses and leaders so they can thrive. I know we can keep that momentum going, no matter what we face," said Sampson.

Sampson holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Thomas More University and is a Master of Business Administration candidate from the University of Cincinnati.

About KeyCorp

KeyCorp's (NYSE: KEY) roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $170.5 billion at September 30, 2020.

Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of more than 1,000 branches and approximately 1,400 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC. CFMA#200112-938324

SOURCE KeyCorp
As the government gears up for the Covid vaccination drive targeting health care and frontline workers, the Congress has cautioned the government that since the 'Covaxin' vaccine has not completed phase-3 trials, it should not be rolled out as Indians are not "guinea pigs".

Congress leader Manish Tewari said, "The government should not roll out vaccines till their efficacy is completely established and mandatory phase-3 trials are over, as Indians are not 'guinea pigs'."

His objections are over 'Covaxin' which has been approved for emergency use but has not completed phase-3 trials to prove its reliability. The Congress leader said that the government is not giving a choice to the people.

Tewari tweeted: "Till yesterday NDA/BJP claimed Covaxin has been cleared for emergency use. Today by not allowing recipients to pick vaccine of his choice is NDA/BJP making guinea pigs out of Indians @drharshvardhan. Is roll out THE REAL Phase-3 Trial of Covaxin?"

The first consignment of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin landed in Delhi from Hyderabad on Wednesday. Bharat Biotech aims to dispatch around 55 lakh vaccines to 11 cities in the initial phase, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Chennai and Jaipur.

In Delhi, the Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) would receive 20,000 doses of Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine from a consignment which landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Wednesday morning, officials told IANS.

The RGSSH has already received 2.64 lakh doses of the 'Covishield' vaccine on Tuesday. The hospital has received 22 boxes consisting of 26,400 vials of 'Covishield', the Covid vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

(Newser)  The unexplained crash of Sriwijaya Air Flight 182 in Indonesia has raised concerns for other planes around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. Though the 26-year-old Boeing 737-500 had been cleared to flywith a certificate of airworthiness valid until Dec. 17, 2021, per the New York Timesthe plane had sat unused in a hangar from March to December, when it was brought back into service. From Dec. 19, the plane flew 132 times, including four times on Saturday, per the Times. Its fifth flight of the day ended in the Java Sea, along with 62 lives. Noting this "mothballing" may have been a factor in the crash, which occurred during heavy rain, the Times suggests there could be trouble ahead for other airlines forced to sideline planes as a result of coronavirus restrictions and reduced air travel.

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"While out of service for nine or 10 months, they need to be kept operating, otherwise they deteriorate," Hugh Ritchie, CEO of Australian air safety consulting firm Aviation Analysts International, tells the outlet. He argues something similar occurs with pilots who don't fly regularly. The pilot commanding Flight 182, Capt. Afwan, had spent much of 2020 in a flight simulator, per the Times. It's too soon to say whether a problem with the plane or pilot contributed to Saturday's crash. The plane's flight data recorder was recovered Tuesday, but the cockpit voice recorder, which separated from its underwater acoustic beacon, has yet to be found, per NBC News. A remotely operated underwater vehicle was searching Wednesday as human searchers were called out of the water due to poor weather conditions, per the Jakarta Post. (Read more plane crash stories.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 05:26:23|Editor: huaxia

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A woman wearing a face mask pushes a baby stroller as she walks on a street in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Jan. 12, 2021. The conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada are worsening. As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been 673,375 COVID-19 cases and 17,186 deaths in Canada, according to CTV. Tuesday morning, Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, issued a stay-at-home order beginning on Jan. 14 and has immediately declared a second state of emergency. The stay-at-home order will remain in effect for at least 28 days. Unless an outing is considered essential, Ontario residents are being ordered to stay home at all hours. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)



OTTAWA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Tuesday to extend the agreement on the Canada-U.S. border closure to non-essential travel against the COVID-19 spread another month to Feb. 21.

Trudeau said today's "important decision" was taken to keep citizens on both sides of the cross-border safe as COVID-19 cases continue to climb in both Canada and the United States.

"Our focus since the start of this pandemic has been protecting you and your family. Whether by procuring vaccines or by bringing in strict travel and border measures, our priority is your safety," Trudeau said.

The agreement against the COVID-19 spread between the countries was first imposed last March and has been renewed every month since, with the current extension set to expire on Jan. 21.

The agreement restricts crossing to commercial traffic, those returning to their home country, and other essential travel. It bars anyone from traveling between the two countries for things like tourism or shopping.

Travelers who are allowed into Canada are required to quarantine for 14 days or face serious penalties.

The conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada are worsening. As of Tuesday afternoon, there have been 673,375 COVID-19 cases and 17,186 deaths in Canada, according to CTV.

Tuesday morning, Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, issued a stay-at-home order beginning on Jan. 14 and has immediately declared a second state of emergency.

The new stay-at-home order, which will go into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Thursday, will require everyone to remain at home, with the exception of essential purposes, such as going to the grocery store, pharmacy, accessing health-care services, exercising, or essential work.

The stay-at-home order will remain in effect for at least 28 days. Unless an outing is considered essential, Ontario residents are being ordered to stay home at all hours.

Last Saturday, Quebec, another populous province in the country, imposed a four-week curfew to stem the spread of COVID-19. The people in Quebec will have to stay home between 8 pm and 5 am unless they work in essential businesses. Those who break the curfew rule could be subject to fines of up to 6,000 Canadian dollars (about 4,700 U.S. dollars). Enditem
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian President Joko Widodo received the first shot of a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine Wednesday after the government authorized it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccinate millions of people across the vast archipelago in one of the worlds most populous countries.

Health workers check the boxes containing coronavirus vaccines developed by China's Sinovac Biotech as they arrived in Bali, Indonesia on Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Firdia Lisnawati)

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesian President Joko Widodo received the first shot of a Chinese-made coronavirus vaccine Wednesday after the government authorized it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccinate millions of people across the vast archipelago in one of the worlds most populous countries.

Indonesias vaccination program is the first large-scale use outside of China of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine. It poses massive challenges in a country whose thousands of islands stretch across an area about as wide as the continental United States and where transportation and infrastructure are limited in many places. Health officials have also noted it will be difficult to keep the vaccine at the required 3646 degrees Fahrenheit (about 2-8 degrees Celsius) to maintain its safety and effectiveness.

After President Widodo, top military, police and medical officials also received shots, as did the secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the clerical body that last week ruled the vaccine was halal, or acceptable for use under Islamic law.

A health care worker, businesspeople and a social media influencer also got the vaccine to encourage others to follow suit once it is available to them. Officials have said they will prioritize health care workers, civil servants and other at-risk populations, and the two-dose vaccine will be free for all Indonesian citizens.

We need to do the vaccination to stop the chain spread of COVID-19 and give health protection to us and the safety to all Indonesian people. It will also help accelerate economic improvement, Widodo said.

In this image made from a video released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo, center, prepare to receive a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

While the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been greeted with much fanfare in the West, its relatively high price and requirement for ultra-cold storage mean that other shots, like Chinese, Russian and the AstraZeneca vaccines, are more likely to be distributed to much of the developing world, even as experts have said more data needs to be shared about the Chinese and Russian products.

Indonesia plans to vaccinate two-thirds of its population of about 270 million people  or just over 180 million people. That means it needs about 427 million shots, given the estimate that 15% may be wasted, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said.

This vaccine is the instrument we can use to protect us. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, our neighbour, Indonesian people and the human civilization, Sadikin said on Wednesday.

In this photo released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo prepares to receive a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. Writings on the banner in the background read "Vaccina, Safe and Halal." (Agus SupartoIndonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

He noted that given Indonesia's enormous population  the world's fourth largest  its vaccination program is key to worldwide efforts to protect enough people so that the global community reaches herd immunity.

But he cautioned that great obstacles remain.

We know that the cold-chain distribution is not complete. This is the obstacle, Sadikin said this week. We are worried.

Workers carry boxes containing a COVID-19 vaccine to be distributed to medical facilities around the province in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)

The rollout comes as Indonesia registered the daily record in COVID-19 infections and fatalities on Wednesday, with 11,278 new cases and 306 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours. The country has recorded more than 858,000 infections and over 24,900 deaths.

Some scientists warn that not enough data has been published about the effectiveness or safety of the Sinovac vaccine  and there is uncertainty over just how protective it is. It has yet to be tested in tens of thousands of people in the kind of rigorous study considered necessary before being licensed for wide use.

Researchers in Brazil last week had pegged the vaccine as 78% effective at protecting against symptomatic illness  but this week, after a closer look at mild cases, they announced data showing overall, effectiveness is just over 50%.

In this photo released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace, workers unload a container containing experimental coronavirus vaccines made by the Chinese company Sinovac from the cargo bay of a Garuda Indonesia plane at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan, 12, 2021. Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority has green-lighted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd., with vaccinations of high-risk groups expected to start later this week. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

Theres no doubt about the new calculations, said Dr. Denise Garrett of the Sabin Vaccine Institute, who is watching the Brazilian data. That means if you vaccinate 100 people, 50 will be protected against the virus and 50 wont.

But she called it meaningful that those who fall ill despite vaccination should still be less likely to suffer serious symptoms.

Researchers in Turkey and Indonesia had announced the vaccine was more effective, but those studies were far too small to be conclusive, and scientists had been watching Brazils study of approximately 12,500 volunteers in hopes of more clarity. Global health authorities have said any vaccine that is at least 50% effective would be useful.

Besides Indonesia, China and Bolivia have granted conditional use authorization for the Sinovac vaccine. Several other countries have purchase agreements for millions of doses, including the Philippines, Singapore and Ukraine.

Chinese health officials have said that some 9 million vaccine doses have been administered in China, though the number of people who received the Sinovac shot itself has not been disclosed. China has several vaccines in development.

Indonesia received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccines on Dec. 6 and began distributing the doses around the country while awaiting emergency use authorization. It was cleared for that use based on clinical trial data and after the Indonesian Ulema Council declared the vaccine halal.

Associated Press writer Mauricio Savarese contributed to this report from Sao Paulo.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., was the surprise first choice for U.S. Space Commands new headquarters.

Wednesdays announcement was largely unexpected as many analysts and cities viewed Colorado Springs as the top contender. Colorado Springs is home to Space Command's temporary headquarters and was its former headquarters from 1985 to 2002.

"It certainly looks like a politically motivated decision," Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an email. "I dont see how it is in the best interests of tax payers to move the headquarters, build new facilities, and relocate all of these people. Moving the headquarters does nothing to help our national security."

More: Houston not a finalist for the U.S. Space Command headquarters, but San Antonio made the cut

Harrison noted that Colorado voted for President-elect Joe Biden and Alabama voted for President Donald Trump. Rushing to make this announcement before Trump leaves office makes the headquarters selection look political, Harrison said.

Space Command directs military forces as they move beyond the purview of gravity: operating and protecting satellites and working to deter conflict in space.

It is different from the U.S. Space Force, which became the sixth branch of the military on Dec. 20, 2019. Space Force is a military service such as the Army, Navy and Air Force. Military services are responsible for training people and providing equipment.

Military services assign forces to a combatant command, such as Africa Command and Cyber Command, that is responsible for commanding and controlling those forces during military operations. So Space Command is responsible for commanding Americas military space forces. Space Command was originally established in 1985 and then rolled into another command in 2002. It was reactived by Trumps Administration.

Houston was among the many cities that bid for the Space Command headquarters. It was not a finalist, but San Antonio did make the short list.

The Department of the Air Force, which led the site selection process, said that Huntsville provides "a large, qualified workforce, quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity, and low initial and recurring costs."

The Armys Redstone Arsenal offered a facility to support the headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent facility is being built, according to a news release. Huntsville is also home to NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center.

The Department of the Air Force anticipates making a final decision for the location of U.S. Space Command headquarters in spring 2023, pending the results from a required environmental impact analysis.

It listed reasonable alternative locations as: Albuquerque, N.M., Bellevue, Neb., Cape Canaveral, Fla., Colorado Springs, Colo., and San Antonio, Texas.

Related: Members of U.S. Space Force to be called Guardians

Sen. Richard Shelby, a Republican from Alabama, praised the decision as "a true testament to all that Alabama has to offer."

"I am thrilled that the Air Force has chosen Redstone and look forward to the vast economic impact this will have on Alabama and the benefits this will bring to the Air Force, Shelby said in a statement.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis was less pleased. He released a statement with Lt. Gov. Dianne Primavera that called the decision "misguided" and pledged to work with Colorado's federal delegation "to restore integrity to the process as it unfolds."

"Reports that the in-depth military process found Colorado Springs to be the best location for military readiness and cost and recommended Colorado to the President only to be overruled for politically motivated reasons are deeply concerning," the statement said. "This move threatens jobs, could cause serious economic damage, and upend the lives of hundreds of military and civilian families that were counting on U.S Space Command staying at home in Colorado Springs as well as harm military readiness."

Colorado Springs remains the provisional Space Command headquarters until its permanent location is ready.

Eugene, Ore.  Toots is a soft-coated Wheaten terrier mix looking for an active household.

This large, sweet dog will need a family that will make sure she gets some obedience training and has plenty of enrichment activities.

Toots could go to a family with children ages 10 and older.

She likes other dogs, but would do best with a dog that matches her in size and energy. She is likely to be too much for cats.

Toots is 2-years-old and weighs about 55 pounds. She arrived at Greenhill Humane Society as an owner surrender on Jan. 10. Her fee is $250, which helps pay for shelter expenses such as vaccinations, microchip identification, spaying or neutering, a certificate for a free veterinary exam, post-adoption support and more.

Toots was Tuesdays Pet of the Week on KEZI 9 News. Every Tuesday, KEZI showcases a homeless pet on the Midday newscast at 11 a.m. and again at 4 p.m.

If you are interested in Toots or the other animals at Greenhill Humane Society, click here.

Greenhill Humane Society is located at 88530 Green Hill Road and is open daily by appointment only from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Its phone number is 541-689-1503. Adoptions are also currently by appointment only.

To ensure a good match is made, potential adopters must go to the animal shelter in person to meet with the animal and kennel staff. All family members should be present to ensure the animal is compatible with everyone in the household.

To watch a video of Toots click here.
Googles philanthropic arm plans to spend nearly $250,000 to cover application fees for immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as children who are seeking protection from deportation under an Obama-era program.

Google.org announced Wednesday it would donate the money to the nonprofit United We Dream. The funds will benefit about 500 individuals who qualify under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA program beneficiaries are often informally called Dreamers.

The support for the program could bring renewed attention to the immigrants plight as change in the White House and Congress renews hopes that hostile policies under the Trump administration could soon be reversed.

Kent Walker, a top legal executive at the Mountain View company, wrote in a blog post that the donation would allow more applicants to enter the program and gain legal protection as it faces a renewed legal threat brought by Texas and other states on constitutional grounds.

That case is before federal Judge Andrew Hanen. He previously struck down another Obama-era program designed to protect parents of Americans residing in the U.S. without permission. He indicated he believes DACA violates the law in the past, although he declined to strike it down altogether.

Any decision Hanen makes at the district court level could be appealed to a higher circuit court and potentially return to the Supreme Court, where it would face longer odds with more conservatives now on the bench.

We believe its important that Dreamers have a chance to apply for protection under the program so that they can safeguard their status in the United States, Walker wrote. But in the middle of a global pandemic that has led to economic hardship, especially for the many immigrants playing essential roles on the front lines, there is concern that many Dreamers cannot afford to pay the application fee.

The program has already survived a legal challenge at the Supreme Court after Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal wing of the court in ruling against the Trump administrations efforts to wind down the program.

The Department of Homeland Security then issued a memo saying it would not accept new applications and would limit protections for recipients to one year from two.

A federal judge struck that down on a technicality, finding that the acting head of the government agency had not been properly appointed to the role.

Googles move to support individuals potentially hurt by Trump administration policies comes as tech companies large and small have taken action against the president and some of his supporters. Googles YouTube suspended Trumps YouTube channel Tuesday, following moves by Facebook and Twitter to limit his postings in the wake of last weeks violent invasion of the Capitol.

Walker portrayed this effort as separate from those actions, saying Google also employs people protected under the DACA program and has signed on to friend-of-the-court briefs in the past defending it when it has come under fire.

Other tech companies have spoken out in defense of the program in the past. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg called on Congress to find a permanent solution for Dreamers and for people to call their representatives to press them on the issue.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

Dozens of tech companies also signed on in support of a lawsuit brought by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to save the program.

Google and its employees have previously donated more than $1 million to support Dreamers and other immigration programs in the U.S., Walker said.

Google.org and Google employees have contributed more than $35 million in total to support causes supporting refugees and immigrants in the U.S. and abroad, according to Walkers post.

President-elect Joe Biden has expressed full-throated support for DACA, saying over the summer that Dreamers are Americans and promising to push for legislation protecting them and their families, many of whom are in the U.S. legally.

Almost 700,000 people were enrolled in the program as of 2017, with more having received protection since it was established in 2012.

Chase DiFeliciantonio is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: chase.difeliciantonio@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ChaseDiFelice

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (3rd, R) and Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung (3rd, L) attend an inauguration ceremony for the anti-fake news website

Besides, a hotline 18008108, which will receive complaints about fake news, was also introduced at the ceremony.

Luu Dinh Phuc, head of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, said that the anti-fake news website functions as a portal for receiving complaints about fake news and verifying them and as an official portal publicizing fake news by labeling it as fake news, misinformation or disinformation.

When individuals or organizations call on 18008108 to complain about fake news, the Vietel switchboard will give guidelines to the callers.

The launch of the website is aimed at warning residents against sharing fake news or disinformation on social media.

The website http://tingia.gov.vn/ features four main columnsreceiving complaints, publicizing fake news, listing fake news and news.

Also, the launch of the anti-fake news website is expected to contribute to spreading the truth, said Phuc. SGT
The Defense Department has dropped a plan to expand military exchange shopping privileges to its civilian employees.

An official with the DoD's Office of Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Non-appropriated Fund Policy said in October that the Pentagon planned to expand shopping eligibility to 575,000 employees who don't already have access to the stores.

But a Pentagon official confirmed Wednesday that the plan has been scuttled.

Read Next: Rocket City Picked as Home of New Space Command Headquarters

"The DOD is not pursuing military exchange access for DOD civilian employees at this time," said DoD spokeswoman Lisa Lawrence.

The decision reversal was first reported Monday by Karen Jowers of Military Times.

Addressing the virtual American Logistics Association conference on Oct. 22, Berry Patrick, an official with the Pentagon's MWR and NAF Policy Office, said the policy change was in the works and awaiting approval by the DoD.

The benefit would have given shopping privileges at military exchanges to civilian DoD employees and those who work in non-appropriated funds jobs, according to Patrick. He added that the extension of benefits to this group could increase sales at exchanges by $287 million a year -- income that would increase the amount of funds supporting the military services' MWR programs by $48 million.

During the pandemic, the DoD gave base commanders temporary authority to extend commissary and exchange privileges to civilians and contract employees who were considered mission critical.

Implementation varied from base to base, with "some commanders giving the privileges and others not," according to Patrick, but there was enough interest to conclude that DoD civilians would embrace the benefit.

About 221,000 DoD civilians already have exchange shopping privileges by belonging to another eligible beneficiary category, such as being a military retiree or family member.

The effort to extend shopping to all civilian employees had been in the works for three years.

Lawrence did not give a reason for the change.

The American Federation of Government Employees -- the largest union representing federal employees -- declined to comment on the decision.

American Logistics Association President Steve Rossetti said DoD civilians should be allowed to shop at exchange stores, but he went a step further, saying they also should be able to buy groceries at commissaries.

That benefit expansion has not been entertained publicly by the DoD.

"Civilians work side-by-side with their military counterparts, making huge contributions in service to the nation," Rossetti said. "Nearly 300,000 of the 800,000 or so DoD civilian workers already have the benefits by virtue of their military affiliation ... and, overseas, civilians are authorized to patronize the stores."

Rossetti said increasing patronage would help bolster MWR programs hard hit by the pandemic, noting that a COVID-19 relief bill passed by the House of Representatives included $1.4 billion for non-appropriated fund facilities and programs.

That bill did not become law.

The Pentagon did shift $200 million from the first coronavirus relief package to exchange and MWR programs that saw financial losses as a result of state and local restrictions and lockdowns.

Rossetti noted that the Department of Homeland Security gives civilian employees access to Coast Guard exchanges.

"The stores have sufficient capacity and would provide a great convenience and source of vital products for these DoD civilians, especially critical during the pandemic," he said.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime.

Related: Commissaries Increase Revenue Slightly in 2020 Despite Pandemic
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A Kansas woman was executed Wednesday for strangling an expectant mother in Missouri and cutting the baby from her womb, the first time in nearly seven decades that the U.S. government has put to death a female inmate.

Lisa Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the 11th prisoner executed at the facility since July when President Donald Trump, an ardent supporter of capital punishment, resumed federal executions following 17 years without one.

As a curtain was raised in the execution chamber, Montgomery looked momentarily bewildered as she glanced at journalists peering at her from behind thick glass. A woman standing over her shoulder leaned over, gently removed Montgomerys face mask and asked if she had any last words.

No, Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice. She said nothing else.

One of Montgomerys lawyers, Amy Harwell, expressed surprise that Montgomerys spiritual adviser wasnt inside the chamber. An official told her Montgomery didnt want the spiritual adviser there.

I insisted that she did  as I was present when (the spiritual adviser) discussed with her his plan to sing Jesus Loves You to her while the chemicals flowed, Harwell said.

Harwell said that since Montgomery was still alive and the spiritual adviser still in the building, it should have been easy to arrange for him to enter. But the guard said it was too late to arrange.

Asked about Harwells account, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons said the spiritual adviser was afforded an opportunity to be inside the chamber.

Montgomery tapped her fingers nervously for several seconds  a heart-shaped tattoo on her thumb  showed no signs of distress, and quickly closed her eyes. As the lethal injection began, Montgomery kept licking her lips and gasped briefly as pentobarbital, the lethal drug, entered her body through IVs on both arms. A few minutes later, her midsection throbbed for a moment, but quickly stopped.

Montgomery lay on a gurney in the pale-green execution chamber, her glasses on and her grayish brown hair spilling over a green medical pillow. At 1:30 a.m., an official in black gloves with a stethoscope walked into the room, listened to her heart and chest, then walked out. She was pronounced dead a minute later.

The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight, another Montgomery lawyer, Kelley Henry, said. Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.

The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman, Henry added. Lisa Montgomerys execution was far from justice.

The family of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, the 23-year-old Montgomery killed in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004, declined to comment on the execution, prisons officials said.

Her execution came after hours of legal wrangling before the Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to move forward. Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next weeks inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.

In a separate ruling Tuesday, which the government can still seek to overturn, another federal judge halted the scheduled executions later this week of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs after both tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

The mens attorneys argued lung damage caused by the coronavirus made it more likely that the lethal injection would cause them severe pain. If they arent executed before Biden becomes president, they may never be put to death.

Montgomery used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.

An appeals court granted Montgomery a stay Tuesday, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judges ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldnt comprehend she would be put to death. But both appeals were lifted, allowing the execution to go forward.

As the only woman on federal death row, Montgomery had been held in a prison in Texas and was brought to Terre Haute on Monday night.

Montgomerys legal team says she suffered sexual torture for years, including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Henry balked at that idea, citing brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness. She said the issue at the core of legal arguments was not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasped why she was to be executed.

According to her lawyers, Montgomery suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. At around the time of the killing, they say she had a rare condition called pseudocyesis in which a womans false belief she is pregnant triggers hormonal and physical changes as if she were actually pregnant.

Montgomery also experienced delusions and hallucinations, believing God spoke with her through connect-the-dot puzzles, defense experts said.

Details of the crime at times left jurors in tears during her trial.

Prosecutors told the jury Montgomery drove about 170 miles (274 kilometers) from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett. She strangled Stinnett, performed a crude cesarean and fled with the baby.

Prosecutors said Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband from Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a birthing center.

Montgomery was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasnt spoken publicly about the tragedy.

Prosecutors said the motive was that Montgomerys ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed, in collaboration with researchers in Germany and the U.S., new small antibodies, also known as nanobodies, which prevent the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus from entering human cells. The research study, published in Science, shows that a combined nanobody had a particularly good effect - even if the virus mutated. According to the researchers, the nanobodies have the potential to be developed into a treatment for COVID-19.

Specific proteins, spike proteins, on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus help the virus infect host cells. Therefore, antibodies that block the spike proteins and prevent them from binding to the cell can be a way to stop infection.

From the perspective of potential therapeutic interventions, small fragments of antibodies, referred to as single-domain antibodies (sdAb) or nanobodies, may be a better alternative than regular antibodies. That is because nanobodies are significantly smaller. They are therefore able to bind to the virus in more places than regular antibodies. Nanobodies also have greater stability and are easier to produce cost-effectively on a large scale.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet are now publishing, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany and the Scripps Research Institute in California, a study describing new nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

What is uniquely special here is that we have stitched together nanobodies that bind to two different places on the spike protein of the virus. This combination variant binds better than individual nanobodies and is exceptionally effective in blocking the virus' ability to spread between human cells in cell culture." Martin Hallberg, Researcher, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet

Martin Hallberg is one of the research study's corresponding authors.

Additionally, the combined nano-antibodies worked even when tested on a virus variant that mutates extremely quickly.

"This means that the risk is very small that the virus would become resistant to these combined nanobodies," notes Martin Hallberg.

To generate the nanobodies, alpacas and llamas - animals whose immune systems naturally produce both antibodies and nanobodies - were vaccinated with the spike protein of the coronavirus. Among the nanobodies generated by the animals, the researchers selected the best binders. Among these, four were identified as showing an exceptional ability to block the virus' ability to spread among human cultured cells.

The research group at Karolinska Institutet then used electron cryomicroscopy (cryo-EM) to study in detail how the various nanobodies bind to the virus' spike protein. Thanks to their structural knowledge, they were able to propose suitable protein links to bind different nanobodies together into combinations relevant for research, as well as provide a possible explanation for the mechanism of how the antibodies neutralise the virus.

"My 'favourite' is the nanobody from the llama," Martin Hallberg says. "It binds directly over the surface where the virus binds the host cell receptor ACE2, and the nanobody also shares a large majority of the amino acids critical for binding with ACE2. What this means is that the virus will have an extremely difficult time mutating extensively on that surface and at the same time being able to bind ACE2. A variant where this llama antibody is linked to one of the antibodies from alpaca was a fox trap that the virus never managed to get out of in our experiments."

The researchers now hope that their nanobodies will be able to be developed into a drug treatment as a complement to a vaccination against COVID-19.

"It possibly could be used clinically for those already ill, or for prevention for individuals who for one reason or another cannot be vaccinated, or who have a weakened immune system, and therefore may not form a sufficiently strong immune response after a vaccination," explains Martin Hallberg.

Dioscure Therapeutics, a spin-off company from the University of Bonn, will be conducting further testing of the nanobodies in clinical trials. The researchers at Karolinska Institutet will make attempts to improve the binding further by changing individual building blocks in the nanobodies.

The research was funded by the Swedish Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, as well as by research funders in Germany and the U.S.

The researchers behind the research study have filed patent applications associated with the nanobodies. Two of the researchers are also co-founders and shareholders in the company Dioscure Therapeutics, which will be commercialising the antibodies. Two of the researchers have connections with each other, as co-founders, consultants and shareholders in the IFM Therapeutics company.
Nearly 5,000 people died in Afghanistan last year due to respiratory and heart diseases considered to have been caused by air pollution, according to the Afghan Health Ministry.

Ministry figures show that some 10 percent of those deaths were reported in the capital, Kabul, dpa reported.

The head of Wazir Akbar Khan hospital, Dr. Abdullah Ahmadi, told the German news agency that an average of 20 patients with respiratory diseases visit the hospital every day.

Most of these problems are because of air pollution, he said.

An official at the National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA) said excessive use of coal during winter, old vehicles that produce large quantities of smoke, and unpaved roads were the main reasons for increasing air pollution.

The problem is also exacerbated by electricity shortages, high petrol prices, and low-quality fuel.

Air pollution is a global problem that kills an estimated 7 million people globally every year, according to the World Health Organization.

Based on reporting by dpa




As the country gears up for mega Covid-19 vaccination drive slated to start from 16 January, the Union Health Ministry on Tuesday gave a detailed clarification on the Indian prices of the two Covid-19 vaccines approved for emergency use authorization.

In a press briefing today, the health ministry cleared the doubts about the amount and price of procurement of the vaccine doses from Serum Institute for its locally produced Oxford Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield' and Bharat Biotech's indigenously manufactured 'Covaxin.'

Amid several speculations on the prices and doses in the market, the ministry clarified the following:

Bharat Biotech's Covaxain:

-The government is sourcing a total of 55 lakh doses from Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech's Covaxin vaccine.

-Out of these doses, Bharat Biotech has said that it will supply 16.5 lakh doses free of cost. "BBIL will provide 16.50 lakh doses of Covaxin free of cost to the Central govt as a special gesture," said Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.

-For the remaining 38.50 lakh doses, Bharat Biotech is charging the government 295/dose, the health ministry further said.

-However, considering that the total procurement is of 55 lakh doses, the price comes down to 206 per dose, the ministry further said.

Serum's Covishield:

-The health ministry today said that 110 lakh (or 1.1 crore) doses of COVISHIELD vaccine are being procured from SII at the cost of Rs. 200/ dose (excluding taxes).

-Earlier in an ANI interview, Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla said that his company proposes to sell Covishield doses at 1,000 in the private market."In the private market, for those who want to purchase the vaccine, the price would be 1,000."

-However, he also added that the Indian government has not given permission for the company to sell in the private market yet.

India has recently approved two COVID-19 vaccines -- Oxford's Covishield, manufactured by the Serum Institute of India (SII) in the country, and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin -- for restricted emergency use.

In the press briefing today, the government reiterated that both the vaccines (Covishield & Covaxin) have been authorized for emergency use and "there should be no doubt about their safety."

Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog stressed, "They have been tested on thousands of people & side-effects are negligible. There is no risk of any significance."

Meanwhile, Serum Institute began to dispatch its locally produced Oxford Covid-19 vaccine 'Covishield' across the country in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The first consignment containing vials of the Covishield vaccine was dispatched from the Serum Institute of India in Delhi in the early hours of Tuesday, four days ahead of the launch of the nationwide vaccination drive.

A SpiceJet aircraft carrying the vaccines landed at the Delhi airport around 10 am.

Amid tight security, three trucks carrying the very first consignment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine left for Pune airport to be flown to 13 locations across the country today.





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One day before a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, a Democratic lawmaker says she saw colleagues leading groups on reconnaissance tours of the building.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., made the startling claim in a Facebook Live broadcast on Tuesday night where she took aim at Republicans for inciting the pro-Trump mob that vandalized the Capitol and attacked police officers.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, described seeing members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5 for reconnaissance for the next day.

Im going see that theyre held accountable, Sherrill added.

Sherrill did not specifically identify which lawmakers she saw leading groups through the Capitol. Her office did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post late on Tuesday. The FBI and the U.S. Capitol Police also did not immediately respond to messages about whether the agencies are investigating the claim.

Sherrill aired her claims the same night that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., said she feared GOP colleagues who were sympathetic to the rioters might give her up to the mob. Critics have also taken aim at one freshman GOP representative who tweeted out the location of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during the chaos.

Several Capitol police officers have also been suspended and more than a dozen others are being investigated for suspected ties to rioters or for showing inappropriate support for last weeks attempted insurrection.

Sherrill, a second-term lawmaker who represents northern New Jersey, spent nearly 10 years on active duty as a helicopter pilot flying missions across Europe and the Middle East.

On Tuesday, she took to Facebook Live to give her account of the Capitol attack, which left one police officer dead and more than 50 injured. One rioter was fatally shot by U.S. Capitol police and three died of medical emergencies.

That afternoon, Sherrill recounted, she learned from messages on her phone that Vice President Mike Pence had been escorted to safety. Shortly after that, she said, Pelosi was rushed to a secure location.

We attempted to continue the debate, Sherrill said. That became impossible as crowds gathered and started banging on the doors, so we were told to get out the gas masks in case we had to egress.

 READ MORE: Trumps Republican wall eroding ahead of impeachment vote

Soon, Sherrill and her colleagues crouched on the floor for safety. She watched as some lawmakers called relatives afraid that would be the last call that they ever made. Sherrill said she called her husband to let him know she would soon walk to a safe room.

We were worried that at every corner we would find the mob, Sherrill said, referencing the evacuation.

Sherrill accused President Donald Trump of inciting the attack to ensure that we could not have a peaceful transfer of power. She also pointed a finger at GOP lawmakers who abetted Trump, and those members of Congress who incited the violent crowd, those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy.

Sherrill, who voted in favor of a resolution on Tuesday urging Pence to remove Trump through the 25th Amendment, vowed to hold accountable Republicans who backed the presidents false election fraud claims.

We cant have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the election results, she said.
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The Gujarat Authority for Advance Rulings (GAAR) has held that an employee exiting a company without completing their notice period would be liable to pay 18 percent goods and services tax (GST) on the recovery of the pay.

This was in a case pertaining to an Ahmedabad-based export company Amneal Pharmaceuticals that sought advance ruling on the issue of exit from their job without serving the three-month notice period.

However, industry experts have said that while this shows that notice pay is not GST exempt, the payment of this tax would differ based on the employment terms and interpretations by the tax authorities.

MS Mani, Senior Director, Deloitte India told Moneycontrol explained that on which transaction goods and services tax is applicable cannot be certified in the GST law because there are far too many transactions all over a country. GST law provides general guidance.

Advance Ruling authorities interpret that law in a specific situation. In this case, they have interpreted it to say that since serving the notice period was a service, the notice pay of the employee should be attracting GST, Mani added.

What is to be noted is that this was a ruling in a specific case and may not the same for all incidents where a corporate employee misses out on serving the notice period.

So even while GST is applicable, depending on the employment contract and terms set by individual companies, a decision will be taken.

Delhi-based HR consultant Nishant Tiwari who works with companies on developing employment contracts said that it is ideal for employees and employers to sit across and discuss all matters including GST.

"If GST is applicable, then the employee must be informed in advance of the consequences of not serving the notice period. At the end, if the employer is bearing the 18 percent GST, it will be recovered from the employee," he added.

For example, if the notice period pay is Rs 2 lakh, then the 18 percent GST would mean an additional burden of Rs 36,000. This would be recovered from the employee when they skip the notice period since it amounts to a person promising 'a service' and not offering it.

So employees must be doubly-sure about the payment terms and sign the offer letter only after careful verification. This will help avoid penalty payments on account of GST.

What about food served in the office canteen?

There is also a rising debate about whether GST will be applicable on corporate services like canteen food served to employees on a cost.

Mani said that in another recent decision, it was decided by GAAR that the employer is liable to pay GST on canteen food served to its staff for which the latter pays a charge.

The GST on canteen food is set at 5 percent. This would mean that this tax payable by the employer to the GST authorities will be recovered from the staff in the form of higher prices.

According to Section 46 of the Factories Act, 1948, any factory employing more than 250 workers is required to provide a canteen facility to its employees.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

As schools prepare to re-open to all pupils in February, experts warn that UK government plans for mass testing risks spreading COVID-19 more widely.

Writing in The BMJ, Professor Jon Deeks and colleagues at the Royal Statistical Society argue that using the INNOVA rapid lateral flow tests to manage classroom outbreaks, without isolating close contacts, risks increasing disease spread and causing further disruption to children's education.

Before Christmas, schools limited pupil mixing and activities, and isolated pupil groups at home once a COVID-19 case was identified, they explain. This year the government is relying on the INNOVA rapid lateral flow tests to mass screen staff and pupils, and test close contacts of confirmed COVID cases.

Under this "serial-testing" strategy, close contacts remain in school, are tested daily for seven days, and are only sent home if they test positive.

But scientists are concerned that negative Innova results are too inaccurate to rule out COVID, warn Deeks and colleagues. For example, the MHRA authorisation for INNOVA excludes using negative results to "enable activity", and the Chief Medical Officer, World Health Organization, Royal College of Pathologists, SAGE, and others have likewise advised caution.

"There is a real risk that the serial-testing strategy of contacts may increase rather than decrease COVID cases in schools," they warn.

They point out that in six studies of people with symptoms, INNOVA identified 58 to 96% of cases compared with the "gold standard" PCR test, and test performance declined when not done by experts, as will happen in schools.

But pupils tested in schools will not have symptoms and three studies in symptomless people show the test performing worse, they add.

While mass testing with INNOVA will detect some of these cases, it will miss many, and falsely reassure those testing negative if they are not properly informed of the test's limitations, they argue.

They warn that if any of the pupils who test negative are infected, they risk becoming infectious and spreading the virus before testing positive and isolating, and that any clinically vulnerable pupils or staff in the class will be put at particularly high risk.

"This proposed strategy is, in effect, using negative INNOVA results to enable pupils to remain in school contrary to the MHRA restriction and scientific advice," they write.

They call for rigorous evaluation of the new strategy compared with other testing options, such as the use of PCR test-to-release after 5 days (as required for travellers), to check whether each strategy's benefits outweigh its harm, particularly with the increased transmission risk of the new variant.

They acknowledge that home isolation has a hard impact on children, families, and teachers, but say "if INNOVA testing in schools risks spreading the disease more widely, it may lead to even more disruption to education and put many more people at risk."

Explore further UK government must urgently rethink lateral flow test roll out, warn experts

More information: Opinion: Covid-19 INNOVA testing in schools: don't just test, evaluate, Opinion: Covid-19 INNOVA testing in schools: don't just test, evaluate, blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2021/01/12/c  t-just-test-evaluate
As Pennsylvania continues distributing the coronavirus vaccines and many wait to get their shots, some remain skeptical about the vaccines.

Indeed, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said even some health care workers and nursing home staff have resisted getting the vaccine. Health care officials acknowledge skepticism of vaccines among members of minority groups, who recall the history of Black patients being treated unethically by doctors in research trials.

Health care officials say the vaccines are key to getting back to a normal life. Here are some answers to common questions and concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines. Some are geared to skeptics about safety and others address concerns of those worried about being passed over in getting the vaccine.

Are the COVID-19 vaccines safe?

Yes. Health officials stress both COVID-19 vaccines approved by the federal government are safe for adults. Some side effects may feel like flu-like symptoms but typically subside in a day or so, experts say.

Serious side effects are extraordinarily rare, said Dr. Cynthia Chuang, chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. There were only 21 people with allergic reactions among the first 2 million to receive the vaccine, Chuang said Tuesday.

The vaccines have not yet been approved for children. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is approved for teens starting at age 16, but the Moderna vaccine is only cleared for those 18 and over.

Do the vaccines work?

They appear to be very effective. The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has been shown to be 95% effective, while the Moderna vaccine has been 94% effective in research trials.

Those numbers are truly impressive, Chuang said. By contrast, the flu vaccines are typically 40-60% effective.

The vaccine doesnt necessarily prevent people from getting COVID-19 but they do appear to be very effective in protecting people from more serious complications from the virus.

Each vial contains five doses of the vaccine. UPMC frontline workers receive the first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at UPMC Pinnacle Harrisburg hospital, December 18, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Can I get COVID-19 from the vaccines?

No. The vaccines do not use the live virus that causes COVID-19, the federal government and health experts say. The vaccine cannot infect you with COVID-19,

How much were the vaccines tested?

The vaccines were tested widely before being approved by federal regulators.

These clinical trials included people of all ages and racial backgrounds, Chuang said.

Even though the vaccines were approved quickly compared to many other therapies regulated by the government, the development of the vaccines was based on years of research, experts say.

Ive had COVID-19; do I need the vaccines?

Researchers and health officials say even those who have been infected should get the COVID-19 vaccines. Experts say its unclear how long immunity lasts after infection. As Johns Hopkins infectious disease specialist Dr. Amesh Adalja told the Associated Press, even if youve had the virus, Yes, you need to get vaccinated.

Im pregnant. Are the COVID-19 vaccines safe for me?

The federal government is recommending pregnant women should get the vaccine. The Pennsylvania Department of Health also advises women who are expecting to get the vaccine. In the states rollout plan, pregnant women are in Phase 1C, along with those 65-74 and many essential workers.

There isnt a great deal of data on the safety of the vaccines with pregnant women, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says on its website. But the CDC also notes there is evidence pregnant women could be susceptible to more severe symptoms from the virus itself, although the overall risk is low. More than 55,000 pregnant women nationwide have been infected, the CDC reports.

If youre expecting, talk with your doctor about the vaccines, experts say.

Residents at Juniper Village at Chatham receive their first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.Juniper Village is an assisted living facility. Monday, January, 11, 2021 Patti Sapone | NJ Advance Media

Could the COVID-19 vaccines affect my DNA?

No. Scientists say the vaccines dont alter the DNA, the molecules carrying our genetic code.

Researchers say the material in the vaccines dont enter the nucleus of your cells, the home of the DNA. The COVID-19 vaccines contain messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA. These vaccines spur the body to develop proteins that help the bodys immune system spring into action. They help the body fight off COVID-19. But the vaccines dont mess with your DNA.

Are people in Pennsylvania jumping the line to get the vaccines?

There has been no evidence of that, Levine said. As the vaccine rollout progresses, state officials will be watching to make sure people arent nudging those who are more vulnerable from getting the vaccines.

Are vaccines being wasted in Pennsylvania?

There is no evidence of vaccines spoiling or being discarded in Pennsylvania, Levine said.

The vaccine rollout began with health care workers at hospitals. Vaccines then were distributed to skilled care nursing homes. Vaccines will be going to other long-term care facilities, such as assisted living centers and personal care homes.

In some areas of Pennsylvania, Levine said hospitals have vaccinated all their key personnel and have begun giving shots to the next groups scheduled to get the vaccines, including first responders and school staff. Levine has said she wholeheartedly endorses that approach.

Please, give the vaccine, Levine said in a news conference Tuesday. We dont want any vaccine to go to waste.

Are rural areas being neglected in getting the vaccines?

The vaccine is rolling out across Pennsylvanias rural counties, Levine said. Some areas didnt get the vaccine in the first week it was available because some rural hospitals didnt have the equipment to keep the Pfizer vaccine in deep cold storage. Those hospitals had to get the Moderna vaccine, which dont require a deep freeze, Levine said.

Can the vaccines work as tracking devices?

There is no rumored vaccine microchip that can track people or gather personal information, as the Mayo Clinic notes in a feature aimed at busting myths of the vaccine.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

More from PennLive

US shifts to speed COVID-19 vaccinations; wont hold back 2nd doses

All Pa. counties show substantial spread of COVID-19 for 5th week; positive test rate drops again
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is urging his followers to pivot away from Twitter and Facebook after the popular social networks banished U.S. President Donald Trump from their platforms.

The far-right president on Tuesday invited his 6.6 million Twitter followers to subscribe to his channel on the messaging app Telegram Messenger LLP, a competitor to Facebooks WhatsApp Inc.

Bolsonaro, who models his presidency on Trumps, has found great success in leveraging social media networks by offering regular tweets and streaming live videos on Facebook to his fans. His encouragement of a shift away from those outlets presents a significant change that echoes a shift occurring in the U.S., where thousands of far-right users are being purged from the sites and regrouping in lesser-known networks like Telegram and Parler.

On Saturday, in a post on Instagram, Bolsonaro invited people to join Parler only hours before it was pulled from app stores and Amazon.com Inc. shut off its web services. The app had only been downloaded about half a million times in Brazil as of Monday, according to the mobile-app intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

Bolsonaros son, Eduardo, a senator, later changed his Twitter profile picture to an image of Trump and claimed that Parler was a victim of the Big Tech cartel."

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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Prosecutors arrested Mr. Lee in August on charges that he and other church officials had obstructed the governments efforts to fight the epidemic by not fully disclosing the number of worshipers and their gathering places. Mr. Lee was also accused of embezzling 5.6 billion won, or $5.1 million, from church funds to build a luxurious peace palace north of Seoul, the capital, and of holding unauthorized religious events at public facilities. Prosecutors had sought a five-year prison term.

Mr. Lees church  which he says has 245,000 followers in South Korea and abroad  has faced intense criticism at home, and he apologized to South Koreans in March over the number of cases tied to it. But the church has dismissed claims that its actions contributed to the spread of the virus, as well as accusations from parents that Mr. Lee is a religious con artist whose church has lured and brainwashed their children with its unorthodox teachings.

At the peak of the outbreak spreading from the church, South Korea reported as many as 900 new cases a day. But that outbreak has been eclipsed by a new wave of infections that began spreading mainly through the populous Seoul metropolitan area in November. The country, which has a population of about 50 million people, reported a record 1,240 new cases on Christmas Day.

Mr. Lee, who was released on bail in November, denied all charges against him during the trial. In an earlier statement, his church said Mr. Lee never intended to hamper the governments efforts to control the epidemic, and had urged church members to cooperate with the health authorities.

On Wednesday, a judge in the district court of Suwon, south of Seoul, ruled that a failure to provide a full list of worshipers and church facilities did not amount to impeding the governments disease-control efforts.
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THE Government has announced the reintroduction of the US$75 a month Covid-19 allowance for all civil servants, while pensioners will get US$30.

President Mnangagwas administration introduced the adjustment last year to cushion civil servants and the latest relief will also be extended to contract workers and aides of the visually-impaired.

The US dollar component allowance will be paid in the local currency equivalent at the prevailing formal market rate.

The latest cost of living salary adjustment by the Government will be paid into the bank accounts of public servants starting this month, while aides of the visually-impaired will get theirs backdated to June 1, 2020.

The old allowance was converted to salaries. The adjustments are interim steps taken by the Government to cushion its employees during ongoing disruptions caused by Covid-19.

Public Service Commission (PSC) Secretary Ambassador Jonathan Wutawunashe announced the news in a statement yesterday.

He said in September last year the Government had extended payment of Covid-19 allowances up to December, but said the relief measure was returning.

In light of the surge in Covid-19 cases in Zimbabwe, Government has, with effect from January 2021, further extended payment of Covid-19 allowances to members of the Public Service, pensioners, contract workers in various line ministries and aides of the visually-impaired, reads part of the statement.

Members of the Public Service, including contract workers and aides of the visually-impaired will be paid the local currency (ZW$) equivalent of US$75, while pensioners will get the local currency (ZW$) equivalent of US$30.

Payment will be made in ZW$ at the prevailing auction rate on the date of payment. Payment of the (ZW$) equivalent of US$75 to contract workers and aides of the visually-impaired will be back dated to 1 June 2020, said Ambassador Wutawunashe.

He said the allowance will be extended indefinitely depending on the availability of funds and the duration of the pandemic.

The respiratory illness is unyielding, having infected over 20 000 people in Zimbabwe, and its introduction is likely to motivate frontline workers who have led the countrys response with patriotism.

The duration of this extension will be guided by the status of the pandemic as well as budgetary capacity, said Ambassador Wutawunashe.

For frontline workers, the Government has made several commitments which include taking care of those infected in the line of duty.

The families of those who die after testing positive will be looked after, on top of getting the normal benefits associated with their service, their families are now entitled to a full years salary. Herald

Standardbred Canada (SC) and Equine Guelph (EG) are pleased to announce an online educational program for SC members. A free offering of Equine Guelphs online short course will be the highlight of the new partnership in the winter of 2021. This one-time offer to enroll in the Racehorse Respiratory Health course (valued at $95) is available to the first 150 SC members that are in good standing to register into the course.

The free two-week online Racehorse Respiratory Health course will be offered from March 22 - April 2. Respected experts from the racing industry include course instructor, Dr. Melissa McKee from Ontario, and guest expert, Dr. Patty Hogan from New Jersey.

The new Standardbred Canada-Equine Guelph partnership will also provide a discount on all future courses for its members to receive online industry training on The Horse Portal. The discount offers all SC members including trainers, grooms, owners and drivers, 15% off short online courses that aim to give their racehorses a competitive edge.

Standardbred Canadas ongoing focus to equine welfare is tremendously important to our association and the over 6,000 members and tens of thousands of horses that are registered, says Dan Gall, president and CEO of SC. The work that Equine Guelph does to support and promote horse welfare is not only innovative but EG is also recognized as a leading institution around the world. We are honoured and thrilled to be an ongoing partner and supporter of Equine Guelph's initiatives and the work that they do for our industry.

Equine Guelph has been a pioneer and global leader in online education for equine professionals since its inception in 2003. The Horse Portal was launched in 2017 and became a national success, partnering with 10 English-speaking provincial equestrian federations across Canada. It is a partnership platform for the equine community, available to everyone in the equine industry. The Horse Portal has quickly grown to include youth organizations, international safety associations, and horse racing partners including Ontario Racing, Horse Racing Alberta and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (2019-20 Online Training Pilot Project). Standardbred Canada members will be able to access their page for information on the free Racehorse Respiratory Health course and 15% course discount at TheHorsePortal.ca/SC.

Upcoming online short courses include:

Equine First Aid: Jan. 25 - Feb. 1

Gut Health & Colic Prevention: Feb. 8  Feb. 19

Fire & Emergency Preparedness: Mar. 8  Mar. 15

Racehorse Respiratory Health: Mar. 22  Apr. 2 (free)

Sickness Prevention in Horses (TBA)

Horse Behaviour & Safety (TBA)

Horse Care and Welfare (TBA)

Lameness/Injury Prevention and Care (TBA)

Standardbred Canada and Equine Guelph look forward to working together to further strengthen the unity of the harness racing community and help their members deliver the best possible care for their horses.

Through The Horse Portal, horse caregivers can access common sense, practical training that can be used on a daily basis, says Gayle Ecker, director of Equine Guelph. Equine Guelph is pleased to partner with Standardbred Canada, bringing racehorse owners and caregivers together to learn about optimizing equine health and performance as a community. A healthy horse is a top performer.

For those who have never taken an online course before, no prior online learning experience required. For people busy with their racehorses, the course format is flexible with 24/7 access available. Registration for SC members is now open at TheHorsePortal.ca/SC.
A COVID-19 patient died in Argentina on Monday after a judge ordered a private clinic to administer chlorine dioxide to the patient.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other involved agencies cautioned that chlorine dioxide, which is usually used as a powerful disinfectant, can be hazardous to human health if used, according to a CBS News report.

Oscar Garcia Rua's family has successfully sued the clinic. The family's attorney said on Tuesday that they do not believe he died of his COVID-19 infection or of exposure to the chlorine dioxide.

Rua's family believed that he died out of a bacterial infection and plans to sue the clinic, Sanatorio Otamendi y Miroli S.A., again, according to a Breitbart News report.

Garcia Rua's wife was reported to had been gravely ill in the same clinic with COVID-19. Doctors then recommended the use of chloride dioxide with inhalable ibuprofen, which is a painkiller and anti-inflammatory.

The doctor in question recommended the experimental treatment. However, the clinic and Argentina's public health authorities do not permit the use of bleach in this case.

Garcia Rua's wife earlier died on Jan. 6.

A day after his wife died, Garcia Rua was then admitted by his stepchild, Jose Maria Lorenzo, according to Argentina newspaper La Nacion.

The clinic stated that Garcia Rua doed within 24 hours of receiving the chlorine chemical intravenously, after experiencing a deterioration of his ability to breathe.

"The doctor treating him suggested chlorine dioxide and the inhalable ibuprofen and Otamendi denied the treatment. Before that, we presented a cause [to the court] and the court ruled on it," the family's doctor, Martin Sarubbi was quoted on a report.

Sarubbi added that the clinic kept diluting the treatment, saying that health authorities discourage the use of bleach but do not prohibit it.

The family doctor further said that the man died because of an infection acquired at the hospital and because of the delay in treatment.

Related story: Florida Men Arrested in Colombia for Selling Bleach as COVID-19 Cure

Judge Granting the Use of Bleach

A judge allowed the request on the same day and ordered the Otamendi y Miroli clinic in Buenos Aires to administer the substance as prescribed by the patient's doctor.

The clinic unsuccessfully appealed against the ruling and have the man the substance, noting that it would not bear responsibility for any negative outcome.

Dr Omar Sued, president of the Argentine Society of Infectology said that for a judge to decide that a doctor has to use a substance, which does not possess any scientific evidence, is really worrying.

Sued added that it is not the decision of a judge to use a medication he does not know to a patient, saying that it is not his role, according to the Strait Times report.

Chlorine Against COVID-19

The U.S. FDA has warned against the use of chloride dioxide products against COVID-19 cases. The agency stated that the products can jeopardize a person's heart, adding that there has been no proven effectiveness of it against COVID-19.

The FDA said that bleach is also known to cause respiratory and liver failure among other adverse effects.

Several health agencies have issued their warnings against the use of chlorine dioxide to treat COVID-19. These agencies include the Pan American Health Organization, and National Administration of Drugs, Foods and Medical Devices.

The Argentine Society of Infectology has also cautioned about its use.

Related story: Trump Clarifies Dialogue Regarding Disinfectants







A local court on Wednesday acquitted the leader of a minor religious sect of charges of obstructing the government's response to COVID-19 during an outbreak at his church last year.







Lee Man-hee, the 89-year-old founder of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was indicted in August on charges of misleading health authorities on the size and locations of the church's gatherings in February, which were blamed for a massive spike in coronavirus cases in the country.







Prosecutors sought a five-year prison sentence and a 3 million won (US$2,738) fine for Lee, saying he mocked the government's authority and obstructed its efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19.







Lee has denied the charges against him. (Yonhap)


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Lewis' debut self-help book. Encouraging, positive, and cleverly packaged investment advice.Kirkus Reviews

During the pandemic onset, countless Americans have been glued to their mobile banking apps, awaiting a stimulus check deposit. Now, some are constantly checking newsfeeds for updates on if for certain there will be a next paymentand if so, will it be greater than the prior two? For author Michael Lewis, self-assessment is the stimulus check the world needs to desire.

A bank account only grows in value when one deposits money into it, and such is the case when people invest in themselves. Even so, its intimidating to spend money without any guarantee that anything will be given in return. The knowledge of that risk may create such anxiety that leads people to avoid investing altogether. But if no effort is devoted to investing now, reaping any rewards down the line will be impossible. The decision to invest in ones self follows the same principle. Success is not guaranteed, but one cannot grow as a person and increase their chances of succeeding in life unless they are willing to make an effort first.

Lewis masterfully explains the importance of this fresh concept in his innovative self-help book, Bank on Self-Investment: Belief DepositedTriumph Withdrawn, A Stimulus Check for Ones Self. In Lewis judgment, the global economy can be strongly rebuilt if each person focuses on constructing their personal economyand this can only be actualized by means of fervent self-investment.

Lewis explains that self-investment involves developing good habits and a positive, achievement-oriented attitude, cultivating positive traits, gaining clarity on each personal goal, and improving each step of the way to increase the likelihood of future success.

The use of a financial analogy sets this self-help debut apart.Kirkus Reviews

In Bank on Self-Investment, Lewis inventively uses investment terms and jargon to create a useful financial analogy for readers to understand his approach to personal investment through goal-setting, self-reflection, and examination, identifying resources, developing assets, and more, in order to enjoy the dividends ones effort brings them later in life. Through sections using financial terms including depositing belief, withdrawing triumph, overdrafting on your potential, and acquiring developmental dividends, Lewis skillfully imparts personal anecdotes, useful doctrines, insightful points, and an actionable exercise to create a uniquely engaging and fascinating guide to acquiring lucidity on ones goals and self-worth.

The book is not merely a well-executed analogy; it is also filled with sensible, practical counsel.Kirkus Reviews

Bank on Self-Investment teaches readers about why now is the right time to start investing in themselves, what it means to deposit positive qualities, like belief and hard work, and what one can gain by doing so; how anyone can make an incredible amount of progress toward their goals by developing their skills and taking their future seriously. Essentially, Lewis claims that without self-investment, people generally run the risk of failing to improve their life, leading to missed opportunities and regrets, or worsea lack of motivation to chase their dreams.

A supremely enjoyable, manageable, and practical book, Bank on Self-Investment wisely shows that a person is like a bank account: One has to make the initial investmentand the sooner, the better. The earlier you start investing in yourself, the more you will acquire developmental dividends, the more time your investment will have to generate interest, and the more life-changing your results will be, Lewis said. In todays volatile economy and uncertain future, its more important than ever to conduct individualized stimulus checks and recognize the value of envisioning ourselves as investment accounts. This book provides the tools to accomplish that. Lewis book is available for purchase on Amazon and on his website.

Michael D. Lewis is an entrepreneur and cultural enthusiast from Jamaica who obtained a Master of Arts degree in Cultural Studies from The University of West Indies, Mona. He has striven for academic and extracurricular excellence throughout his life, always desiring to make the most of his education and talents and truly living out his books premise. Michael is a recipient of the Jamaica Prime Ministers National Youth Award for Excellence and is a Greenheart Ambassador Scholar. He is a current student at the College of the Albemarle in North Carolina, where he serves as a member of the National Society of Leadership and Successthe nations largest leadership honor society. This is Michaels debut non-fiction published work.
Geneva, Jan 12: The World Health Organization (WHO) wants to speed up rolling out safe and effective Covid-19 vaccines and their equitable allocation across the world, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"A year on, there have been almost 2 million deaths from Covid-19 and while we are hopeful about the safe and effective vaccines that are being rolled out, we want to see this sped up and vaccines allocated equitably in the coming weeks," Xinhua news agency quoted the WHO chief as saying at a virtual briefing on Monday. COVID-19 Vaccination in India: Airlines to Transport 56.5 Lakh Doses Today to Cities Across the Country.

Tedros said he plans to call on all countries next week to fulfil their pledges to COVAX, an international initiative co-led by WHO and partners to ensure equitable global access to Covid-19 vaccines.

"I call for a collective commitment so that within the next 100 days, vaccination for health workers and those at high-risk in all countries are underway.

"As I have said before and will say again, saving lives, livelihoods and economies depend on a global agreement to avoid vaccine nationalism," he added.

Meanwhile, Tedros urged vaccine manufacturers from around the world to move swiftly to provide the necessary data which will allow the organization to consider them for emergency use listings.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorised coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 235 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 63 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, the UK and the US, according to the WHO.

Tedros' remarks come as the overall global coronavirus caseload has topped 90.8 million, while the deaths have surged to more than 1.94 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.

In its latest update on Tuesday morning, the University's Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) revealed that the current global caseload and death toll stood at 90,872,905 and 1,943,943, respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 12, 2021 12:14 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
At a rally at the Ellipse here on Jan. 6, President Trump urged supporters to march to the Capitol as he repeated his false claims of voter fraud and called on Vice President Mike Pence, who would preside over a joint session of Congress certifying President-elect Joe Bidens Electoral College victory, to step in and reject the election results.

Soon after, some Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. House Democrats article of impeachment alleges that Mr. Trump willfully made statements that, in context, encouragedand foreseeably resulted inlawless action at the Capitol, such as: if you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore. " Mr. Trump has denied there was anything improper about his remarks and has called Democrats effort to impeach him a witch hunt."

Here are excerpts from Mr. Trumps remarks on Jan. 6, based on the transcript from CQ Roll Call:

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All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by a bold and radical left Democrats which is what they are doing and stolen by the fake news media. That is what they have done and what they are doing. We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesnt happen. You dont concede when theres theft involved. Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore, and that is what this is all about. And to use a favorite term that all of you people really came up with, we will stop the steal.

I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election....

States want to re-vote, the states got defrauded. They were given false information, they voted on it. Now they want to recertify; they want it back. All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to recertify, and we become president, and you are the happiest people....

For years, Democrats have gotten away with election fraud and weak Republicans. And thats what they are. Theres so many weak Republicans....

Dont forget, when Romney got beatRomney. Did you see hisI wonder if he enjoyed his flight in last night.

We dont have a free and fair press. Our media is not free, its not fair. It suppresses thought. It suppresses speech, and its become the enemy of the people. Its become the enemy of the people. Its aits the biggest problem we have in this country. No third world countries would even attempt to do what we caught them doing.

Republicans are constantly fighting like a boxer with his hands tied behind his back. Its like a boxer. And we want to be so nice. We want to be so respectful of everybody, including bad people. And were going to have to fight much harder. And Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us. And if he doesnt, that will be a sad day for our country because youre sworn to uphold our Constitution....

Now it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, were going to walk down and Ill be there with you. Were going to walk downwere going to walk down. Anyone you want, but I think right here, were going to walk down to the Capitol

And were going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women and were probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them....

Because youll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong....

I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. Today, we will see whether Republicans stand strong for integrity of our elections. But whether or not they stand strong for our country, our country. Our country has been under siege for a long time. Far longer than this four year period.

Today, we see a very important event, though, because right over there, right there, we see the event thats going to take place and Im going to be watching because history is going to be made. Were going to see whether or not we have great and courageous leaders or whether or not we have leaders that should be ashamed of themselves throughout history, throughout eternity. Theyll be ashamed....

And, you know what? If they do the wrong thing, we should never, ever forget that they did. Never forget.

I want to thank the more than 140 members of the House. Those are warriors. Theyre over there working like youve never seen before, studying, talking, actually going all the way back studying the roots of the Constitution because they know we have the right to send a bad vote that was illegally gotten....

The radical left knows exactly what they were doing. They are ruthless and its time that somebody did something about it. And Mike Pence, I hope youre going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. And if youre not, Im going to be very disappointed in you. I will tell you right now. Im not hearing good stories.

So, I mean, I could go on and on about this fraud that took place in every state and all of these legislators want this back. I dont want to do it to you because I love you and its freezing out here. But, I could just go on forever. I can tell you thisso, when you hearwhen you hear, While there is no evidence to prove any wrongdoing, this is the most fraudulent thing anybodysthis is a criminal enterprise. This is a criminal enterprise andand the press will say, and Im sure they wont put any of that on there because thats no good, and did you ever see while there is no evidence to back President Trumps assertionI could go on for another hour reading this stuff to you and telling you about it....

We must stop the steal, and then we must ensure that such outrageous election fraud never happens again, can never be allowed to happen again, but we are going forward; we will take care of it going forward. We have got to take care of going back....

Together we will drain the Washington swamp, and we will clean up the corruption in our nations Capitol. We have done a big job on it, but you think its easy; its a dirty business. Its a dirty business. We have a lot of bad people out there. Despite everything we have been through looking out all over this country and seeing fantastic crowds, although this I think is our all-time record....

As this enormous crowd shows, we have truth and justice on our side. We have a deep and enduring love for America in our hearts. We love our country. We have overwhelming pride in this great country. We have it deep in our souls. Together we are determined to defend and preserve government of the people, by the people, and for the people....

Our brightest days are before us. Our greatest achievements still wait. I think one of our great achievements will be election security because nobody until I came along had any idea how corrupt our elections were, and again most people would stand there at 9 oclock in the evening and say I want to thank you very much, and they go off to some other life, but I said something is wrong here, something is really wrong, cant have happened and we fight, we fight like hell, and if you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore....

So we are going towe are going to walk down Pennsylvania Avenue, I love Pennsylvania Avenue, and we are going to the Capitol, and we are going to try and givethe Democrats are hopeless, they are never voting for anything, not even one vote, but we are going to trygive our Republicans, the weak ones because the strong ones dont need any of our help, were trygoing to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country. So lets walk down Pennsylvania Avenue."

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

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Americans watched in horror a week ago as the heart of our government, a beacon of democracy around the world, became a crime scene.

President Trumps prodding of a volatile crowd to march on Congress and stop the steal of a victory that was never his was the climax of his weeks-long effort to overturn an election his own Department of Homeland Security called the most secure in American history.

The presidents actions amounted to sedition. In the days that followed, he took no responsibility for Wednesdays deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol, which killed five, including a police officer, and on Tuesday he told reporters in Texas that his speech before the march was totally appropriate.

Everybody to a T thought it was totally appropriate, he said.

Exit delusion. Enter reality, where support grew for Trumps impeachment, even drawing the endorsement of the No. 3 Republican in the House: Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution, Cheney said in a statement, which accused Trump of summoning the mob and lighting the flame of this attack.

Everything that followed was his doing, Cheney wrote, including Trumps refusal to intervene as soon as his supporters became violent.

Shes right. Trump made a choice: to put his own political ambitions before his country.

Now we have a choice as Americans: hold our breath and hope for the best until Inauguration Day. Or take action to protect the country against the threat Trump poses now, and in the future.

We choose action. Immediate removal and impeachment are the only responses.

Last week, having concluded that Trump poses an ongoing threat to Americas safety and democracy, this editorial board called on Vice President Pence and Trumps Cabinet to consider invoking the 25th Amendment to strip the president of his powers.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has demanded they remove Trump, or else shell move forward with a second impeachment of the president as soon as Wednesday evening.

Its a grave step, and unprecedented, but Pelosi has grasped that failing to act would be a dereliction of duty, a breach of the rule of law and an invitation to more violence in service to sedition and insurrection. Its not just the results of this election but of all those to come and the crucial democratic doctrine of the peaceful transfer of power that are at stake.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Trump is a threat; the Cabinet should consider the 25th Amendment to remove him

Late Tuesday, news broke that Pence, in a letter to Pelosi, rejected her call for the 25th Amendment, saying it would set a dangerous precedent.

Given that development, the U.S. House of Representatives should move forward with a vote on an article of impeachment and the U.S. Senate must be prepared to hold a speedy trial if charges are forwarded. Late Tuesday, the New York Times reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has privately expressed relief that the House is moving forward with impeachment, believing that Trump has committed impeachable offenses.

Some have raised fears that impeachment could further divide America, and perhaps prompt more violence. We believe those fears are overshadowed by the fact that real and serious crimes were committed. Suggestions that Trumps misdeeds should be put aside because he will be out of office in a week miss the point that a society built on laws cannot survive if justice is meted out only when it is convenient.

Trumps culpability in sparking the riot that forced members of Congress, their staffs and others to shelter in fear for their lives is obvious.

We will not take it anymore, Trump told a crowd of thousands at the Save America March just before he urged them to go to the Capitol to interrupt Congress as it met to accept the election results favoring President-Elect Joe Biden.

Although he said the protesters should peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard, the bulk of his speech was filled with vitriol and bogus references to voting fraud and theft and exhortations to fight without backing down.

We fight like hell, he told them, and if you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore.

Before urging them toward Capitol Hill, he warned: youll never take back our country with weakness.

Those words are even worse in the context of Trumps years-long attacks on the electoral system, Congress, the media, his own Justice Department and political institutions.

A man who prides himself on his ability to read a crowd had to know the reaction he was prompting.

Members of his Cabinet, loyal supporters in Congress and longtime business partners have criticized or cut ties with him over his actions leading up to the Capitol riot. Only the members of the sycophant caucus and those cynically hoping to co-opt his voter base in 2024 are still willing to publicly defend him.

An impeachment vote and trial will give Republicans a chance to show how much they really care about the rule of law, the Constitution and democracy beyond their campaign-trail rhetoric and political ads.

There really is no choice. Congress must hold the president accountable. If he is not removed or does not resign, impeachment is the only option.
Vans invites all public and private high school students to take part in its shoe design competition  Vans Custom Culture 2021.

Students can showcase their creativity and artistic abilities by submitting an unique digital shoe design for a chance to win a grand prize of $50,000 for their high schools art program.

Four runner up schools will each receive $15,000 and the top five schools will receive an artist mentorship lesson from one of Vans 10 art ambassadors, including Todd Francis, Camilo Medina, Noah Humes, O.J. Hays, Sydney James and Jay Howell (of Sanjay and Craig and Bobs Burgers fame.)

Vans Custom Culture returns for its 12th installment in 2021. According to Footwear News, there were two top winners last year: Strawberry Mansion High School of Philadelphia and George Washington High School of San Francisco. Runner ups were from Louisiana, Idaho, New York and Ohio.

To reflect the state of the world, the company has announced this years new topics will be Hometown Pride and Head in the Clouds. Students submissions should highlight the special qualities of their schools locations, visions for the future and their local communities, and designs that represent their schools culture.

Vans has partnered with Yoobi, Americans for the Arts and Journeys to supply students and schools with resources and scholarship opportunities.

Online registration at the Vans Custom Culture website will close Jan. 29. Digital submissions of designs are accepted Feb. 1-19. The complete schedule, including the dates of the public voting among the top 50, can be found on the website.

As an added bonus to challenge and encourage students to think critically about the environment, Vans will offer a $500 gift card for art supplies to the best designs that can be made out of sustainable materials, and will donate $500 per school to an environmental organization to help promote and encourage investment in sustainability.

Americans for the Arts will also award to one student of each of the top five winning schools a scholarship to help further their education.

The top five finalists will be announced in May, followed soon after by the announcement of the grand-prize winning school via an online livestream event.

To learn more about Vans Custom Culture 2021 and register your school, head to the website. Also, watch some how-to lessons from Vans art ambassadors on Vans YouTube Channel.
Li Zhanshu, chairman of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, presides over the 81st meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the 13th NPC Standing Committee at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

The Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) will convene its 25th session from Jan. 20 to 22 in Beijing.

The decision was made on Tuesday at a meeting of the Council of Chairpersons of the NPC Standing Committee, which was presided over by Li Zhanshu, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee.

The chairpersons' meeting suggested that the upcoming session review draft revisions to the law on animal epidemic prevention and the administrative penalty law, as well as a draft coast guard law.

The session is also expected to deliberate proposals on various subjects, including reviewing a draft law on legal aid, amending the education law and reviewing a draft decision on setting up a financial court in Beijing.
TalentQuest, a leading provider of talent management and learning solutions, announces that they have entered into a strategic partnership to transform research and publications from Dr. Jagdish N. Sheth to microlearning modules. Dr. Sheth is an internationally recognized author and scholar in consumer psychology, relationship marketing, competitive strategy, and geopolitical analysis.

Dr. Sheth expressed his enthusiasm in the partnership by stating: TalentQuest connects learning to talent management in a compelling and innovative way that is deeply rooted in behavioral science. Through this partnership, I wish to expand the reach of my research to develop high performing leaders who will lead and build successful organizations.

Organizations have undergone unprecedented disruption in a very short period of time. It has never been more critical that leaders quickly acquire the knowledge and strategies to remain competitive and keep up with the monumental challenges they are experiencing.

We are honored to be associated with Dr. Sheth, a brilliant scholar and author of over 30 books on marketing, competitive strategy, and leadership. said Dr. Frank Merritt, CEO at TalentQuest. Every TalentQuest client will, undoubtedly, benefit from his deep and profound wisdom. We look forward to sharing his body of work.

TalentQuests award-winning eLearning utilizes the most up-to-date technology and learning principles. Those elements will be applied to deliver Dr. Sheths research in a way that primes the learner for behavior change. Delivered in 15 minutes or less, the microlearning modules will allow business leaders and marketing professionals to expand their knowledge and strategies anywhere, anytime. Additional resources like case studies and podcasts will provide deeper dives on a wide variety of topic areas such as branding, geopolitics, globalization, and consumer behavior.

To learn more about TalentQuests creative and compelling eLearning offerings that help all learners acquire the skills that drive personal and business success, visit: https://www.talentquest.com/library/

About Dr. Jagdish Sheth

Jagdish N. Sheth is the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Business at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He is globally known for his scholarly contributions in consumer behavior, relationship marketing, competitive strategy, and geopolitical analysis. Professor Sheth has over 50 years of combined experience in teaching and research at the University of Southern California, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Columbia University, MIT, and Emory University.

https://www.jagsheth.com/

About TalentQuest

TalentQuest helps clients unleash the power of their people. Fueled by behavioral science, our innovative Talent Management and Learning solutions enable organizations to shift from a one-size-fits-all to an individualized approach to selecting, managing, developing, and retaining their people. Finally, a Talent Management and Learning solution that understands people.

http://www.talentquest.com
The Army's most senior enlisted leader said Tuesday that the congressionally mandated independent review of the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT, will be complete by the end of this year.

Army leaders have agreed to the review of the service's replacement for the Army Physical Fitness Test, or APFT, as directed by the Fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, but are still allowing units to take the more challenging fitness assessment since scores do not count against soldiers until March 2022.

Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston said Tuesday that he is supportive of lawmakers' concerns that the new ACFT needs further study to determine its impact on certain groups.

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"We got the panel together," Grinston said at an Association of the United States Army event, adding that the service is scheduled to meet with the panel for the first time in March.

"We've got three touch points ... throughout the year, and then a final report in December of 2021, so we are doing what they have said to do," he said.

Grinston did not give further details on the independent review panel.

The Army authorized all soldiers in the active-duty, National Guard and Reserve force to begin taking the ACFT, a six-event assessment designed to replace the three-event Army Physical Fitness Test, on Oct. 1, 2020.

Then in mid-October, Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., raised concerns about whether the test was fair to both men and women, and whether it sets unrealistic requirements for those serving in fields with few physical demands, such as medical personnel, judge advocates or cyber specialists.

The Service Women's Action Network, or SWAN, in mid-November said it is unclear whether the ACFT, which was designed to be gender-neutral, is fair to female soldiers, arguing that fewer than 50% of women passed the ACFT in the third quarter of 2020, partly due to the methodology the Army used to standardize the test, called the Baseline Soldier Physical Readiness Requirements Study. The average study participant was a 24-year-old male. In addition, the study, which the Army claims is 80% predictive, included only 16 women, all volunteers with an average age of 23, SWAN leaders said.

Congress directed that the independent study examine whether the ACFT would "adversely impact members of the Army stationed or deployed to climates or areas with conditions that make prohibitive the conduct of outdoor physical training on a frequent or sustained basis," according to the legislation. The review should also evaluate whether the ACFT would "affect recruitment and retention in critical support military occupational specialties of the Army, such as medical personnel," it states.

Grinston said he is sure that the ACFT will evolve as a result of the independent review, just as the APFT did over time.

"The ACFT has evolved; that's why we called it 2.0," he said.

Since the new test's Oct. 1 launch, soldiers have been taking a slightly altered "ACFT 2.0," which still consists of six events: the maximum deadlift; standing power throw; hand-release push-ups; spring, drag and carry; leg tuck; and two-mile run. But the Army has added an alternative plank event for soldiers who struggle to perform the minimum requirement of one leg tuck.

The plank event -- which requires soldiers to perform the exercise for a minimum of two minutes -- is intended as a temporary bridging exercise to build core strength, Army officials have said.

"The APFT evolved over time, and the ACFT is going to evolve over time," Grinston said, adding that he is confident that the Army is already benefiting from the new test.

"We have reports from basic training and [advanced individual training] that started doing the ACFT that this is improving our fitness. We are seeing less musculoskeletal injuries, and that is our goal ... to make our Army stronger and have less injuries."

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Army Plans to Continue ACFT for Now Despite Congressional Order to Halt Testing
Before the momentous events of last week  before Democratic underdogs Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff swept both Georgia runoffs, dispatching two incumbent Republicans and delivering the U.S. Senate to Democrats for the first time since 2015; before Donald Trump incited a violent mob of MAGA zealots to besiege the U.S. Capitol, finally compelling scores of Republican officials to repudiate a president theyd spent years enabling  President-elect Joe Biden seemed destined, whether by choice or necessity, to settle for incremental change.

Before last week, outgoing GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was on track to continue controlling the Senate  to torpedo Bidens Cabinet picks, to ignore Bidens Supreme Court nominees, to block Bidens bills from ever coming up for a vote on the floor. And before last week, soon-to-be-former President Trump was on track to continue controlling the GOP  to rile his base, to hold politicians hostage, to delegitimize his successor one inflammatory tweet at a time.

Joe Biden speaks to the press after receiving his second dose of a COVID-19 vaccination on Monday in Newark, Del. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

But McConnell lost those powers last Tuesday night in Georgia. And Trump may have lost his the next day on Capitol Hill.

Now Biden has a chance to capitalize.

Soon he will enter office with Democratic majorities in both the Senate and the House  albeit by the slimmest of margins. Twitter, meanwhile, has permanently banned Trump, and other social media behemoths may follow. In a matter of days, the former president could find himself puttering around Mar-a-Lago as a deplatformed pariah, sapped of his online sway while the GOP scrambles to redefine itself as something other than the party of Trump.

How should Biden react? Does he double down on his promise of bipartisanship, betting the moment has finally come for the kind of across-the-aisle cooperation that eluded his old boss Barack Obama? Or does he do everything in his power to actually enact the progressive agenda he ran on  reaching out to moderates in the other party at first, but when that (all but inevitably) fails, using his congressional majorities to muscle through as many reforms as possible before the very real risk of losing seats in the 2022 midterms threatens to close his window of opportunity?

In his first remarks on the Georgia results, Biden seemed to suggest that he could do both. Georgias voters delivered a resounding message yesterday: They want action on the crises we face and they want it right now, he said last week. On COVID-19, on economic relief, on climate, on racial justice, on voting rights and so much more.

But while Georgias voters ... want us to move, they also want us to move together, Biden added, saying he was just as determined today as I was yesterday to try to work with people in both parties  at the federal, state and local levels  to get big things done for our nation.

Pro-Trump supporters riot at the Capitol on Wednesday. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Asked last Friday whether the assault on the Capitol would make that job easier or harder, Biden didnt hesitate. I think it makes my job easier, quite frankly, he said. A number of my Republican colleagues, former colleagues, [have] called me to say they are as outraged and embarrassed and disappointed and mortified by the presidents conduct as I am and as the Democrats are. He went on to praise Utah Sen. Mitt Romney as a man of enormous integrity and to say he was so proud of McConnell for speaking up on the Senate floor, claiming that there are so many more Republicans like them.

Others ... should be ashamed of themselves, Biden concluded. But they make up a minority of the Republican Party.

Some Republicans have echoed Bidens hopeful tone. Rep. Tom Reed of New York, who has emerged as a leader of moderate House Republicans, told the New York Times Thursday that the party needs to stop worrying about base politics as much and start "standing up to that base. He predicted that a sizable number of Republicans would pursue compromise legislation with Biden on issues such as climate change in order to achieve something.

Yet sooner or later, Bidens optimistic vision of a nation ready to turn the page toward unity  and the willingness of Republicans like Reed to compromise  will collide with the harsh realities of partisan politics. Its one thing for McConnell  who was just reelected to the Senate for another six years  to accuse Trump of pushing our democracy to the brink of a death spiral. Its one thing for his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, to resign from the Trump administration at the 11th hour, along with several others. And its one thing for former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a Trump friend and adviser, to argue that Republicans must separate message from messenger because I dont think the messenger  meaning Trump  can recover.

But abandoning Trump isnt the same as embracing Biden. Just hours after Wednesdays riot, 147 House and Senate Republicans still voted to overturn the results of the 2020 election; a snap YouGov poll initially found that a plurality of GOP voters (45 percent) approved of the attack on Capitol Hill (though that number declined in subsequent surveys). Whatever becomes of the 45th president, Republican politicians determined to regain control of Congress in 2022 will have little incentive to further alienate their pro-Trump base by rewarding Biden  an illegitimate president in the eyes of those same voters  with bipartisan achievements.

In a sign of things to come, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, perhaps the leading barometer of raw GOP ambition, is already accusing Biden of breaking his bipartisan promises for noting that police responded a lot more violently to last summers Black Lives Matter activists than to Wednesdays mostly white rioters.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., during the Senate debate to ratify the 2020 presidential election on Jan. 6. (Congress.gov via Getty Images)

Biden has a historic opportunity to unify America behind the sentiment that our political divisions have gone too far, Rubio tweeted. But instead he decided to promote the lefts efforts to use this terrible national tragedy to try and crush conservatives or anyone not anti-Trump enough.

Republicans will need an enemy to run against, and that enemy will ultimately be Biden, not Trump. If House Democrats follow through on their threats and try to impeach Trump again, the right will immediately pivot to blaming the new president for dividing the country  even though they were ones who fostered the stolen election delusions that led to the deadly assault on the Capitol.

No wonder Biden sounded lukewarm when asked Friday whether he supports the idea. "If we were six months out, we should be doing everything to get him out of office  impeaching him again, trying to invoke the 25th Amendment, whatever it took," he said. "But I am focused now on us taking control as president and vice president on the 20th and to get our agenda moving as quickly as we can."

Biden has been likewise noncommittal on calls from his party to prosecute Trump, saying he will leave those decisions to his attorney general. Yet if Trump takes the unprecedented step of pardoning himself before absconding for Florida, Bidens Justice Department will almost certainly feel obliged to challenge the constitutionality of the scheme by seeking an indictment  another move that could end Bidens bipartisan honeymoon before it begins.

At the same time, progressives in Bidens own party are already balking at the moderate makeup of his Cabinet, his cautious attitude toward Congress and his courtship of so-called Never Trump Republicans.

So whats Bidens game plan? How can he realize the new possibilities of his presidency without abandoning his hope to unify the country?

Some constraints will be clear from the start. While Biden can no longer completely blame McConnell for tying his hands, he still doesnt have the power to go as big as many Democrats had once hoped, or as some still do. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has seen her margin shrink to 11 seats, which will limit her ability to push the envelope. And with just 51 votes in the Senate, counting Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as the tie-breaker, a single Democratic defection there is enough to defeat a bill, which means Bidens agenda can only be as ambitious as his own partys moderates allow.

In a statement issued Wednesday, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin called on both parties to meet in the middle  a not-so-subtle reminder of his sudden centrality.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Now more than ever, we must enter a new era of bipartisanship in Washington, Manchin declared. With tight margins in the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans are faced with a decision to either work together to put the priorities of our nation before partisan politics or double down on the dysfunctional tribalism.

Yet McConnells forces can still filibuster almost any Senate legislation that fails to attract a supermajority of 60 votes. So unless one of Bidens legislative proposals passes muster with every single Senate Democrat and 10 Republicans, its probably DOA. Few if any big-ticket items will clear both of those bars.

Even the sort of small-d democratic reforms that Senate Democrats could theoretically make with just 51 votes  enlarging the Supreme Court to dilute the power of the conservative bloc, or scuttling the Senate filibuster that stalls much progressive legislation  arent possible right now. Manchin and Arizonas Krysten Sinema oppose both ideas, and other red- or purple-state Democrats dont seem keen, either. This includes Jon Ossoff, who has come out against expanding the court. (Manchin did say on Sunday that he will consider the pros and cons of statehood for the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, which if enacted could pad Democrats majority in the Senate.)

But while 51 votes may not be as good as 60, its a lot better than 49.

A few moves are mapped out already. Biden has long pledged to reverse Trumps executive orders on day one regardless of who controls the Senate. Expect Biden to keep that promise and work to repair Americas tattered relationship with European allies by rejoining the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accord. He will also reverse Trumps travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries. By the same token, a Democratic Congress can use the Congressional Review Act (just like Republicans did after Obama) to effectively repeal every agency rule issued by the Trump administration within the last six to seven months  no filibusters allowed.

A simple Democratic majority will suffice to confirm all of Bidens Cabinet picks  even his controversial choice for director of the Office of Management and Budget, Neera Tanden, whom Republicans previously threatened to oppose. Less time fighting partisan battles over appointments means more time to focus on solving problems.

Similarly, McConnell eliminated the last remnants of the judicial filibuster years ago, so Biden will be able to fill court vacancies without a single Republican vote, including any that arise on the Supreme Court. And he wont have to kowtow to McConnell when choosing his nominees, so those nominees can presumably be more progressive. Biden waited until after the Georgia runoffs, for instance, to reveal that he planned to tap Merrick Garland as attorney general  presumably because a Democratic Senate will give him a free hand to choose a replacement for Garland as the chief judge on the United States Court of Appeals in the District of Columbia, the most important judicial seat next to the Supreme Court.

Federal Judge Merrick Garland delivers remarks after being nominated by Biden to be U.S. attorney general. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

But the events of last week could have the greatest impact on Bidens legislative agenda, and his most consequential decision will come immediately: How to handle COVID-19 relief?

With the economy sputtering and cases rising again to record levels, the crisis could give Biden an opportunity to answer the call for national healing and notch a bipartisan victory right out of the gate. In December, President Trumps 11th-hour demand for $2,000 stimulus checks  an idea first floated by liberal lawmakers last spring  inspired a half-dozen Republican senators, including possible 2024 GOP presidential candidates Rubio and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., to endorse the idea. When House Democrats quickly passed a stand-alone bill that would deliver $2,000 checks to millions of Americans, more than two dozen House Republicans signed on.

Yet McConnell refused to bring it up for a vote in the Senate.

With Democratic leader Chuck Schumer in charge of the Senate, Biden can finally get a vote on that bill  which is exactly what he has vowed to do.

"If you send Jon and the reverend to Washington, those $2,000 checks are going out the door, restoring hope and decency and honor to so many people struggling right now," Biden said in Georgia. Their election will put an end to the block in Washington.

Right now, its unclear what form relief legislation will take. On Friday, Biden said he would be proposing the $2,000 checks as part of an entire package along with unemployment insurance, being able to continue with rent forbearance, a whole range of issues. The price tag of this package, he confirmed, will be in the trillions of dollars. Others have floated the idea of a second stand-alone bill designed to authorize the onetime payments.

Republicans would have a hard time opposing such a popular measure. According to a Data for Progress poll released in late December, more than three-quarters of likely voters (78 percent) either strongly or somewhat support a coronavirus relief payment of $2,000; a subsequent survey by the same firm showed that a wide majority of Americans (62 percent) blamed Republicans for the failure to include such checks in the stopgap relief package passed last month. (The final checks were slashed to $600  half the size of the initial relief payments sent out last spring.)

For Biden, putting $2,000 checks first  especially on their own  would accomplish one of two things. Either he gets the bipartisan moment he craves, assuming he can convince Manchin, who has already expressed doubts, to get on board  or he shows that despite his best efforts, Republicans arent going to work with him no matter what.

RN Delana Asaro pre-draws doses in a separate room to save time at the pods at Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Mass. (Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

It could be a win-win. If Republicans cooperate, Biden could test them with other popular proposals. One idea would be more money for COVID-19 vaccination: Biden has already said hes gonna need [Congresss] help in making sure that we establish thousands of federally run and federally supported community vaccination centers of various sizes across the country, and Jeff Zients, the president-elects choice for White House coordinator of the pandemic response, told the Washington Post he is optimistic that Congress will approve significantly more funding for vaccination. (On Friday, the Washington Post reported that Biden would include billions of dollars to improve vaccine distribution in his initial multi-trillion-dollar relief proposal.)

Another idea would be doubling the minimum wage to $15 an hour. That bill is written and has already passed the House, so reviving it would be quick and easy. More than two-thirds of Americans support the measure, according to multiplepolls. And parallel ballot initiatives have recently passed in states as varied as Arkansas, Missouri, Colorado and Maine. On Friday, Biden said he hoped that Democratic control of the House and Senate would raise the odds of prompt action on the issue.

The flip side of this strategy, however, is that whenever Republicans balk, Biden can say he tried  and then claim he has no choice but to move forward and pass his agenda without their support.

Despite the legislative filibuster, 51 votes do, in fact, give him that kind of leverage. How? A once-a-year parliamentary process known as budget reconciliation. The rules of reconciliation are labyrinthine, but basically it allows a simple, 51-vote majority to bypass the filibuster and advance major legislation with only 20 hours of debate  provided the legislation itself is directly related to spending and/or revenue.

Since its first use in 1980, the Senate has used reconciliation to pass everything from the Trump and Bush tax cuts to COBRA health insurance protections to Bill Clintons welfare-reform program and balanced-budget deal. Its also how Trump and the GOP tried to repeal the Affordable Care Act (which only passed in the first place because Democrats had 60 votes in the Senate).

Could Biden squeeze into a single, filibuster-proof legislative package large portions of his so-called Build Back Better agenda  an FDR-inspired recovery plan designed to put millions of Americans back to work in manufacturing, infrastructure and clean energy while also closing the racial wealth gap, implementing new family leave protections and creating a Public Health Jobs Corps? Yes, experts say, as long as Democrats choose to be as creative and audacious as Republicans have been about stretching the boundaries of reconciliation to encompass their ambitions.

Then-candidate Joe Biden speaking on his economic recovery plan for working families on July 21. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Any elements of Bidens COVID-19 relief package that lack bipartisan support, such as bailouts for small businesses and state and local governments, could fit the bill; so could cash for further public health interventions. According to one analysis by Vox, Biden could probably pass many of his economic priorities through reconciliation as well: a new universal child allowance to help parents and slash child poverty; a fully funded rental housing voucher program; an expansion of Obamacare to cover millions more and make coverage more generous; a climate plan that centers investments in clean energy, rather than taxes on dirty energy; a huge increase in funding to low-income school districts. And through reconciliation Biden could also offset the massive cost of these projects by imposing an expiration date on the tax cuts that passed under Trump and largely benefited wealthy Americans  say, in two years, once the economy has recovered.

With Democrats in charge of Congress and the White House, progressives will demand they do all of this and more. But will Biden go that big? When asked if the incoming president is planning to use budget reconciliation as a bargaining chip, the Biden transition team declined to comment.

Their reluctance is understandable. Reconciliation was never meant as a way to force gigantic reforms through Congress with the minimum number of votes, and trying to do just that could trigger even more backlash  from moderates as well as conservatives  than eliminating the legislative filibuster, which has already been twisted beyond all recognition. Then again, progressives may argue, McConnell has never been shy about bending Senate rules for partisan advantage, so why should Biden unilaterally disarm at a moment when Americans are desperate for help  and when helping them may represent the surest and simplest path to future electoral success?

If Biden refuses to maximize his impact through reconciliation, his presidency could still be consequential  if ultimately circumscribed by both McConnells maneuvering and the demands of moderate Democrats (Manchin, Sinema) and Republicans (Romney, Maines Susan Collins, Alaskas Lisa Murkowski). It might look, in fact, a lot like Obamas final years in office. Repealing Trumps hundreds of actions on immigration. Renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal. Continuing tariffs on Chinese exports that are popular with both parties.

Beyond reconciliation, the best Biden could expect from Congress would be some incremental bills that chip away at big problems, along with proposals that address less controversial issues such as higher-education reform. Simplifying the child tax allowance  and making sure the poorest families can get access to it  may get a look. (A bill along those lines was co-sponsored by Romney and Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., and both Rubio and Mike Lee, R-Utah, have also worked on the issue.) And some sort of renewed, stand-alone infrastructure plan  Biden floated a $2 trillion plan during the campaign  could also attract bipartisan support, according to Manchin.

Sending checks to people that basically already have a check  we have done an awful lot of that, [and] it's time now to target where the money goes, he said Sunday. If you want to spend $2 trillion, $3 trillion, invest it in infrastructure.  Theres a lot we can do to put people back to work."

Donald Trump exhorting supporters near the White House on Wednesday. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Yet even if Trump is ostracized, polarization is unlikely to fade anytime soon. Republicans may attempt to put the Trump era behind them; Biden is sure to emphasize civility, decency and compromise.

But there is no guarantee that any of this good feeling will last, let alone translate into sweeping bipartisan legislation. More than anything else, it is the cold, hard math of Warnock and Ossoffs wins in Georgia that has the potential to transform Bidens presidency. But first Biden must decide if he really wants to be transformative.

With additional reporting by Brittany Shepherd.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
RPM Foundation Joins Forces with The Great Race

The Great Race is a timed, controlled-speed, endurance rally based on precision driving and navigational skills in classic, antique, and vintage automobiles covering exciting routes like the historic Route 66. Their student division, known as the X-Cup, is designed for High School, Technical School, College and qualified Youth Group Teams to compete in this special Division of the Great Race.

TACOMA, Wash., Jan. 11, 2021; The RPM Foundation, a member of Americas Automotive Trust, is proud to announce that they have joined forces with The Great Race. RPM will work with the Great Race to administer their X-Cup Grants, Scott Henderson X-Cup Scholarship Awards, and the new X-Cup Team Choice Award.

X-Cup has provided the youth of America the opportunity to learn first-hand about vintage vehicles and to travel to every corner of the United States and parts of Canada while involved in friendly competition, Great Race Director Jeff Stumb said. We are proud to join forces with RPM to make the program even better and to reach new groups of young people giving them the chance to earn scholarships and to broaden their horizons by traveling to new places in old cars.

The RPM Foundation is honored to be a part of the Great Race, says RPM Interim Director Nick Ellis. The X-Cup Divisions goal of introducing young people to the precision, ingenuity, and teamwork necessary to compete in this vintage car rally fits in perfectly with RPMs goal of identifying and inspiring the next generation of restoration professionals.

Funding possibilities and awards for X-Cup participants are:

X-Cup Grants: Each qualified X-Cup Team will be given a $1000 debit card at the starting line in San Antonio. This may be used to cover fuel, food and other necessary X-Cup Team expenses.

Each qualified X-Cup Team will be given a $1000 debit card at the starting line in San Antonio. This may be used to cover fuel, food and other necessary X-Cup Team expenses. Scott Henderson X-Cup Scholarship Awards: Qualified Team members are eligible for advanced automotive education scholarships.

Qualified Team members are eligible for advanced automotive education scholarships. Team Choice Award: NEW for 2021, at the conclusion of Great Race each X-Cup Team will vote for their choice of one qualified X-Cup Team which best exemplifies the student spirit of X-Cup and qualities of sportsmanship it represents. The winning Teams Institution will be awarded a cash grant to help further their automotive programs.

The 2021 Great Race route begins in San Antonio, Texas and follows a 2,000-mile route through Missouri, Kentucky, West Virginia, and North Carolina before finishing in Greenville, South Carolina, where the RPM Foundation will be on hand to announce the X-Cup Division Winners, Scholarship Awards, and Team Choice award.

To find out more about the X-Cup, visit: https://www.greatrace.com/x-cup.

About The RPM Foundation:

The RPM Foundation, the nonprofit automotive trades advocate which promotes Restoration, Preservation and Mentorship in the collector car hobby, understands that young people find different paths to their first exposure to classic vehicles. However, once that enthusiastic ember is lit it needs to be attentively nurtured to ensure the future passion for collector cars. In this case, it means partnering with youth programs like The Great Race X-Cup Division to give young people their first taste of a cross-country rally in a collector vehicle.

To read more about RPM and find out how you can help mentor the next generation of automotive and marine restoration artisans and craftspeople, visit: https://rpm.foundation/.

Follow on Social at:

https://www.facebook.com/TheRPMFoundation

https://twitter.com/RPM_Foundation

https://www.linkedin.com/company/RPM-Foundation
Nick Jonas is reportedly in talks to play Frankie Valli in a streaming version of the 'Jersey Boys' musical.

The actor, 28, will portray the Four Seasons frontman in the new take of the Tony Award-winning show, which is set to land at a streaming service in a project akin to Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton on Disney+.

According to Deadline, the event is set to be produced by Graham King  who worked on Bohemian Rhapsody  and original Broadway producers the Dodgers alongside Valli and Bob Gaudio.

New role: Nick Jonas is reportedly in talks to play Frankie Valli in a streaming version of the 'Jersey Boys' musical (pictured in February 2020)

Nick will sing the hits that took the Four Seasons to the top of the charts in the 1960s.

His previous movie credits include Goat, Midway and alongside Dwayne Johnson in the Jumanji series.

The Scream Queens star has also been tapped to star in action movie The Blacksmith opposite Laurence Fishburne.

Nick will play Blacksmith Wes Loomis, a weapons expert in the intelligence community who has to go on the run after his lab is destroyed and his colleagues are murdered.

Project: The actor, 28, looks set to play the Four Seasons frontman in the new take of the Tony Award-winning show, which is set to land at a streaming service (Frankie pictured in 2020

Wes flees with brilliant CIA analyst Noelle Hazlitt and the pair look for his mentor, Mather (Fishburne) to guide them to survival.

The project is based on the 2011 graphic novel by Malik Evans and Richard Sparkman and has been adapted for the big-screen by Ben Ripley.

The film is being produced and financed by AGC Studios, with Stuart Ford and Linda McDonough executive producing for the company.

Ford hopes that the movie could be the start of a new action franchise.

Character: Nick will sing the hits that took the Four Seasons to the top of the charts in the 1960s (pictured in November 2019)

He said: 'The Blacksmith provides a fresh, highly contemporary new take on the espionage game and it's exciting to pair an exhilarating young talent like Nick with seasoned heavyweights such as Pierre and Laurence.

'We'll soon be announcing an equally outstanding young female actor to play across from Nick and then we will have all the ingredients for a major new film franchise built around a very modern breed of action hero.'

Elsewhere, Nick is also set to make a cameo appearance in his wife Priyanka Chopra's new film Tet For You.

The star was seen filming his scene for the romantic comedy alongside Priyanka in a cab in London in early December.
Stunning new photos by The Associated Press and Getty Images show hundreds of National Guard troops filling the U.S. Capitol as the House votes on President Donald Trumps possible second impeachment Wednesday.

NBC reports the National Guard was called in to protect the Capitol after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building, leading to five deaths and dozens of injuries. The attack overwhelmed U.S. Capitol Police as Congress gathered to confirm President-elect Joe Bidens win in the Electoral College, and the addition of uniformed military aims to prevent a second attempt as the House of Representatives votes to impeach Trump for inciting the insurrection.

According to the Associated Press, the District of Columbia National Guard said it was authorized Tuesday night to arm troops assigned to security duty on the U.S. Capitol grounds. Images taken Wednesday morning showed some Guardsmen sleeping on the floor in shifts, and another group getting a tour of the Rotunda from Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., an Army veteran who lost both legs in Afghanistan.

Additional security measures in Washington, D.C., include a new metal detector installed outside the House chamber. U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, who owns a gun-themed restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, caused a minor incident Tuesday night as she objected to the magnetometer and reportedly refused to turn over her bag; members of Congress are allowed to carry guns elsewhere in the Capitol complex, but not on the House and Senate floors.

Authorities are concerned about threats of violence at the Capitol and elsewhere.

ABC reports there are currently 6,600 members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., with thousands more coming. A Defense official said up to 20,000 Guardsmen will be part of inauguration security for Biden on Jan. 20, and most will arrive by this weekend.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Ananya Panday kicked in the New Year festivities in Maldives and has been sharing several drool-worthy pictures of her vacation on Instagram. On Tuesday, Ananya shared a throwback picture of her Maldives vacay. Lets take a look at Ananya Pandays Maldives vacation throwback photos.

Ananyas throwback to her Maldives vacation

Ananya Panday recently took to her Instagram handle and shared throwback pictures of her fun time spent during the Maldives vacation. She shared two pictures of herself in which she can be seen enjoying the sunset wearing a blue and orange floral beach attire. In the caption, she asked her fans whether it was too early to post a throwback.

All the fans have been thrilled to see Ananya Pandays travel photos when she went to the Maldives and as the actor posted pictures yet again, they were all delighted to see them. Many of them took to Ananya Pandays Instagram post and mentioned how beautiful she looked in the pictures while many others expressed their love for her by dropping heart and heart-eyed emojis in the comments. Some of them also added fire emojis. Have a look at Ananya Pandays Instagram post and see how the fans reacted to her throwback photos.

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Ananya Panday's travel photos

As Ananya Panday spent the New Year 2021 in the Maldives, she sent loads of New Year wishes to her fans from the destination. She was seen in a stunning dress with a sunset glow and paired it with a beautiful shell necklace. She wished all her fans and thanked the year 2020 for the lessons and love loaded with gratitude, love, prosperity and peace. She then wished good health, happiness and good vibes to all her fans. All her fans loved her wishes and even reacted to them by wishing her in return. Many of her celebrity peers also wished her a happy new year on her Instagram post.

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People who have received the Covid-19 vaccine have been warned by Northern Irelands top medic that its not party time.

Even if you have received your jab, you must stick to the strict lockdown rules, Chief Medical Officer Dr Michael McBride urged.

Please do not assume its party time, its not, he said.

Dr McBride said there is no evidence to prove people who have had the jab cannot pass the virus on to others.

He added that expectations that restrictions will be lifted on February 6  when a review is planned  are optimistic in the extreme.

Meanwhile, Arlene Foster has slammed selfish business owners who insist employees to go to work when they could be working from home.

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The First Minister said: Thats quite a selfish spirit I have to say, and its not going to help us to beat the virus and keep people safe.

Elsewhere, health bosses here said they had no plans to delay giving the vaccine to people who have already had the virus. They were speaking after officials in the Republic said vaccination of people who have already had Covid-19 may be delayed there.
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Two siblings are currently calling on their brother to resign his membership of the American Congress or get expelled.

The lawmaker, Paul Gosar, a Republican, representing the 4th District of Arizona, reportedly supported the invasion of the Capitol Building last Wednesday by rioters believed to be supporters of President Donald Trump.

The rioters had besieged the Capitol in order to prevent congressional certification of the election of Joe Biden as the President-elect of the United States of America.

In the ensuing violence that trailed the invasion, five people lost their lives, including a police operative.

For his inability to forestall the attack, the local police chief in the Capitol area of Washington DC has resigned from his position.

Call

However, speaking to Alisyn Camerota of Cable News Network on Wednesday, the siblings  Tim and Jennifer Gosar  individually and collectively called on their brother to resign as a congressman for his alleged role in the crisis.

His brother, Tim, said the congressman peddles in propaganda, rumor and lies consistently to the American people while Jennifer, who said her brothers time is up, insisted the congressman must resign or be expelled from the Congress.

The siblings said their lawmaker brothers far-right extremist views were a such of concern to them and that such could injure American democracy.

They said the best they could do in the circumstance is to call for his resignation or expulsion from Congress, as the case may be.

Not the first time

The siblings have a record of calling on voters to reject their brother at the polls for what they call his extremist views.

They appeared in an advert for his Democratic challenger in 2018 whom he defeated and equally campaigned for his opponent in the 2020 congressional elections.

Paul Gosar, a former dentist, who has spent over a decade in the Congress, is said to be one of three GOP Congressmen who were in touch with the leader of the Stop the Steal group that planned the invasion of the Capitol on Wednesday.

The other two Republican lawmakers alleged involved in the riot are: Andy Biggs (R-Arizona) and Mo Brooks(R-Alabama).
Elisank79/iStockBy LUIS MARTINEZ, ABC News

(WASHINGTON) -- The military services are looking into whether any active-duty military personnel may have participated in the assault on the U.S. Capitol last week.

The events at the Capitol prompted the Joint Chiefs of Staff to issue an internal memo to all service members condemning the riot, confirming that Joe Biden will be the next commander-in-chief and noting that any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is "against the law."



Fort Bragg officials are reviewing an Army officer's claims that she only participated in the rally prior to the violence at the Capitol building and are also trying to determine if other base personnel joined her as part of a group that came to Washington, said a defense official. The psychological operations officer has acknowledged leading a group of 100 North Carolina residents to the rally.



U.S. military personnel are allowed to participate in political events as long as they do so on their own time and are not in military uniform.



A service member's participation in the rally or march that preceded the assault on the U.S. Capitol would fall into that category. However, the military services will look at whether any military personnel played a role in the security breach at the Capitol building and any of the violent events, which could result in disciplinary action.



Several individuals arrested at the Capitol were veterans who had once served in the military, but an ABC News review of records shows none of them are currently serving in the military.



The violence prompted America's top military leaders to issue an internal memo reminding troops that they are sworn to protect the Constitution and that on Jan. 20, Biden will become the next commander-in-chief.



"The violent riot in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 was a direct assault on the U.S. Capitol building, and our Constitutional process," said the memo, signed by all the members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.



"We witnessed actions inside the Capitol building that were inconsistent with the rule of law," the memo added. "The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection."



"We support and defend the Constitution," it said. "Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law," it continued.



On Monday, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D- Ill., sent a letter to acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller requesting that Defense Department's criminal investigative organizations work with the FBI and Capitol Police to investigate current and retired military who may have participated in the assault. And if any service members did participate in the events at the Capitol, she urged Miller "to take appropriate action to hold individuals accountable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice."



"Upholding good order and discipline demands that the U.S. Armed Forces root out extremists that infiltrate the military and threaten our national security," wrote Duckworth.



Jonathan Hoffman, the Pentagon's top spokesman, said on Monday that the Pentagon's stance has always been to not tolerate extremists in the ranks.



"Any effort, any opportunity we have to identify individuals that have extremist behavior issues, tendencies they will be addressed," said Hoffman. "They will be referred to appropriate authorities for addressing that."



Contacted by ABC News, the four military services said they were already cooperating with law enforcement or preparing to do so to determine if any of their service members were at the Capitol.



"NCIS (Naval Criminal Investigative Service) is coordinating closely with our federal law enforcement partners to determine if any DON-affiliated personnel participated in criminal activity at the Capitol Jan. 6, 2021," said a statement provided to ABC News by the Navy and the Marine Corps.



The Air Force said its Office of Special Investigations is "ready to assist civilian law enforcement in any investigations into suspected violators of the law."



"There is no place for extremism in our ranks. If we find case of extremism we will investigate each case and hold people appropriately accountable," said an Army official.



At Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the Army has confirmed that it is reviewing Capt. Emily Rainey's participation at the rally at the Ellipse.



"Our command is aware of Capt. Emily Rainey's presence at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and is currently investigating to determine the facts as to her exact involvement," said Maj. Dan Lessard, a spokesperson for 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne).



"It is unclear if she violated any laws or regulations, as the DoD encourages members of the Armed Forces to carry out the obligation of citizenship, so long as their actions are in keeping with DoD policy and do not impair the good order and discipline of the service," said Lessard.



The investigation will determine whether further actions by the command are warranted.



The Army is reviewing whether any of the other people in Rainey's group were also active-duty personnel stationed at the base, said a defense official.



Meanwhile, concerns about the possibility that military service members may have participated in the violence has led to an extraordinary outreach to veterans made by Capitol Hill officials.



Prominent veterans have been asked to issue statements that would dissuade service members from participating in protests surrounding the upcoming presidential inauguration.



"As members of the military, we fought to defend our constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech. But the attack against the U.S. Capitol on January 6th was not about free speech, it was an insurrection," Mick Mulroy and Eric Oehlerich said in a joint statement. Mulroy, a retired Marine, and Oehlerich, a retired Navy SEAL, are both ABC News contributors.



"Any military member who participated violated their oath to defend the United States' Constitution -- against all enemies, foreign and domestic," they wrote.



"As veterans, we must unite around the values and the principles for which our nation stands," the statement continued. "Together, we must condemn those who have violated their oath to defend our nation. While we may have political disagreements, we must defend our democracy."



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.




Haiti - Health : Haiti will receive a free vaccine against Covid-19





Haiti will receive a vaccine against Covid-19 free of charge from the World Health Organization (WHO), announced Jose Luis Soto, Director of Communications at the Embassy of Haiti in the Dominican Republic.



Soto explained that Haiti had been selected on the basis of economic criteria and difficulties of access and alongside 8 other Latin American countries : Bolivia, Dominica, the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent, El Salvador , Grenada, Guyana, Honduras and Nicaragua.



Recall that on January 8 the Dominican President Luis Abinader had indicated during a lunch with the directors of the media that all foreigners in an irregular migratory situation who are on the Dominican territory will not be vaccinated against the Covid-19 with doses of vaccines purchased by the Dominican Government. Abinader said that for all those affected who are illegally in the country, the World Health Organization will have to provide vaccines at its expense.



The Ambassador of Haiti in the Dominican Republic, Smith Agustin refused to comment on the decision of the Dominican Government not to vaccinate Haitians and other foreigners in an irregular migratory situation...



S/ HaitiLibre


















The leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland has apologised after an investigation found an 'appalling level of infant mortality' in the Republic's mother-and-baby homes.

Established in the 19th and 20th centuries, the institutions housed women and girls who became pregnant outside marriage.

About 9,000 children died in the 18 institutions under investigation, including two in Donegal.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the report, which can be read in full here, described a 'dark, difficult and shameful chapter' of Irish history.

"As a nation we must face up to the full truth of our past," he said.

In a statement tonight, Archbishop Eamon Martin, leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, said he accepted that the church was 'clearly part of that culture in which people were frequently stigmatized, judged and rejected'.

For that, and for the long-lasting hurt and emotional distress that has resulted, I unreservedly apologise to the survivors and to all those who are personally impacted by the realities it uncovers, said the Derry man.

Mindful of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which calls us to protect life and dignity and to treat everyone  especially little children and all who are vulnerable  with love, compassion and mercy, I believe the Church must continue to acknowledge before the Lord and before others its part in sustaining what the Report describes as a harsh  cold and uncaring atmosphere.

Although it may be distressing, it is important that all of us spend time in the coming days reflecting on this Report which touches on the personal story and experience of many families in Ireland.

The Commissions Report helps to further open to the light what was for many years a hidden part of our shared history and it exposes the culture of isolation, secrecy and social ostracizing which faced unmarried mothers and their children in this country.

Archbishop Martin asked those in positions of leadership in the Catholic Church to study the report carefully and especially to spend time reflecting on the courageous testimonies of the witnesses to the Commission.

Together we must ask How could this happen? We must identify, accept and respond to the broader issues which the Report raises about our past, present and future.

Above all we must continue to find ways of reaching out to those whose personal testimonies are central to this Report.

They have shown determination in bringing to light this dark chapter in the life of Church and society.

We owe it to them to take time to study and reflect on the findings and recommendations of the Report, and commit to doing what we can to help and support them.

The Report makes it clear that many are still learning about their personal stories and searching for family members.

The rights of all survivors to access personal information about themselves should be fully respected and I again urge the State to ensure that any remaining obstacles to information and tracing should be overcome.

The Commission believes that there may be people with further information about burial places who have not come forward.

I appeal to anyone who can help to do so. All burial grounds should be identified and appropriately marked so that the deceased and their families will be recognized and never be forgotten.

Archbishop Martin said that the report spoke not only to the past, but 'will also have lessons for today and for future generations'.

As Church, State and wider society we must ensure together that, in the Ireland of today, all children and their mothers feel wanted, welcomed and loved.

We must also continue to ask ourselves where people today might feel similarly rejected, abandoned, forgotten or pushed to the margins.

This report will stir many emotions as it further uncovers disturbing and painful truths about our past.
Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times file

As Laredo continues to see difficulty during the pandemic, UISD provided its COVID-19 update for the first week of January and the winter break.

As for UISD, the district received 799 student intake reports in these past two weeks, indicating 24 positive cases for both on-campus students and those involved in extracurriculars. With the vast majority of the UISD student population remote, the district stated that there were 245 positive case reports.
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(Newser)  French authorities are racing to find Diary Sow, a Senegalese student missing in Paris who is considered "the pride of a whole nation." Senegal President Macky Sall recently bestowed that compliment on Sow, a published author, whose name "is practically synonymous with achievement" in her home country, per the Washington Post. Named Senegal's best student, Sow scored back-to-back wins in national high-school competitions involving science and literature questions in 2018 and 2019 before moving to France to attend the prestigious preparatory school Lycee Louis-le-Grand, reports the New York Times. Hoping to pursue a career in engineering, the second-year student reportedly never missed a lecture. But when the new term began on Jan. 4, the 20-year-old was nowhere to be found.

story continues below

An uncle in Senegal says Sow's family last heard from her on Jan. 2, per the Times. The Senegalese Consulate notes Sow was last known to be at her studio apartment in the 13th arrondissement of Paris. However, it's unclear if that information is based on a keycard swipe or an actual sighting. Senegal's president has sent investigators to France to help with the search, which at least 200 members of Paris' Senegalese community are participating in. They've been calling hospitals, passing out flyers, and spreading the hashtag #RetrouvonsDiarySow (Let's Find Diary Sow) on social media. "This has devastated everyone," Mame Coumba Diouf Sagna, a former teacher who edited drafts of Sow's 2020 novel, tells the Post. "She is the inspiration of so many." (Read more missing person stories.)
Simpsonville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to hire Central Interiors Inc. to transform a disused school building in the city's downtown into an arts center.

The city awarded the New York-based company a roughly $1.7 million contract to overhaul the building's auditorium, lobby and exterior. The company, which has an office in Myrtle Beach, submitted the lowest of the eight bids the city received for the project, about $500,000 less than the original estimated cost of the renovation.

"I'm very pleased with the amount for this construction," Councilman Lou Hutchings said before voting on the contract.

City Administrator Diana Gracely said the figure does not cover the price of new seating in the auditorium, the fees the city paid for designs, or required special materials inspections.

The project is still pending approval from the state Department of Commerce, but Gracely told council on Tuesday the agency has 30 days to review the project and she is hopeful they will give the green light before then.

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"I'm hoping they'll do that a little quicker but that's not been the case with all the other things we've had to go through on this project," she said.

The building sits in downtown Simpsonville and once housed Simpsonville Elementary School, which closed in 2002. In 2019, Simpsonville received a $500,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission for the renovation and City Council hired an architecture firm to create the design.

Gracely said requirements that came with the federal funding and stipulations from State Department of Archives and History have delayed progress, but work will likely begin soon.
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.

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.
Albany, N.Y.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo today announced nearly $5 million in new scholarships for low-income New Yorkers.

The money will allow recipients to to attend credential programs in high-demand industries, according to Cuomos office.

Cuomo announced the new scholarships as part of his State of the State address. He did not offer any further details on on the plan.

Cuomo also said 16 employers have promised to reform employee recruitment, investment and promotion policies to ensure more equitable workforces. The employers include: IBM, Chobani, Con Edison, Google, JPMorgan Chase, Mastercard, AIG, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Montefiore, Globalfoundries, TEKsystems, Loretto, Cognizant, Clarkson University, Berkeley College and Athenex.

The state is aiming to triple the number of companies that have made the pledge in the next year.

The companies involved have promised to do at least two of the following: Invest in workforce retraining; create apprenticeship opportunities for underrepresented populations; provide additional supports for low-income trainees in the form of child care or transportation subsidies; remove high school or postsecondary degree requirements for new hires; scale relationships with existing workforce development partners to provide adequate time off for interviews and professional development opportunities, and develop new relationships with New York state providers serving underserved communities.

Cuomo also said the State University of New York will expand its free online training center. The center allows New Yorkers to enroll in certification programs for jobs in high-demand industries.

The expansion will allow people enroll in additional certification programs in fields like health care information technology and advanced manufacturing, according to Cuomos office.

Cuomo plans to expand a tax credit aimed at getting businesses to train employees and interns as well. The move will help employees who are furloughed or out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It will also help provide internships.

Today was the second day of Cuomos State of the State address, which he began delivering Monday at the state Capitol in Albany. Instead of a one-day affair, Cuomo is giving a series of speeches on multiple topics over several days.

READ MORE:

Cuomo wants to mandate $15 a month high-speed internet

Cuomo pushes testing to reopen arts, businesses: We cannot wait

Contact Kevin Tampone anytime: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 315-282-8598
New Delhi: The Border Security Force (BSF) has detected a tunnel along the International Border in Hiranagar sector of Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir.

The tunnel was detected by BSF troops in Bobiyaan village during an operation this morning in Samba district of Jammu division on Wednesday (January 13, 2021).

The tunnel has been constructed from across the border in Pakistan to facilitate infiltration bid of terrorists into the Indian side.

The tunnel originating from Pakistan was dug for nearly 100 meters inside the Indian territory, offcials said.

Senior BSF personnel and police officers have reached the spot.

Earlier, in November 2020 too the BSF troopers had discovered an underground tunnel on the international border at Regal area of J&K`s Samba district.

The 150-feet long underground tunnel was discovered by a patrol party and was allegedly used by four JeM terrorists who had been killed in an encounter near the Jammu-Srinagar national highway toll earlier that day.

(This is a developing story, further details are awaited)

Live TV
The hero Capitol cop who led MAGA mob rioters away from the Senate has said he now fears he has become a target for right-wing extremists but has vowed he would 'do the same thing again'.

Friends and coworkers of Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman, 40, have spoken out to praise his ability to 'think on [his] feet' and reveal that he humbly told them he was just doing his job to 'protect and serve' as he faced off with the rioters alone inside the US Capitol.

Goodman has been hailed a hero for his part in protecting lawmakers from the violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol last Wednesday in a riot that left five - including a cop - dead.

Footage shows the black cop single-handedly leading the mob of largely white men, including white supremacists and Proud Boys, in the direction away from the Senate doors moments before they were locked.

The hero Capitol cop who led MAGA mob rioters away from the Senate has said he now fears he has become a target for right-wing extremists but has vowed he would 'do the same thing again'. Pictured Eugene Goodman leading rioters away from the Senate

Goodman (circled) has been hailed a hero for his part in protecting lawmakers from the violent pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol last Wednesday. Footage shows the black cop single-handedly leading the mob, including white supremacists and Proud Boys, in the direction away from the Senate doors moments before they were locked

Goodman's friends who have spoken with him in the days after the riot, including two fellow officers and a former colleague, told the Washington Post he is now fearful he will be a target for far-right extremists in the wake of his heroic actions.

They said Goodman, who has not spoken out since the incident and is described as private and reserved, is finding the limelight 'a little scary'.

'He said he'd do the same thing again. He's not looking for any accolades,' an anonymous friend and fellow Capitol cop told the Post.

'But the attention is a little scary for him.'

Goodman has reportedly downplayed his label as a hero telling his colleagues he was just doing his job after footage of the incident was circulated worldwide.

'My job is to protect and serve,' he reportedly told them.

'And on that day, I was protecting.'

But his colleague credited his actions, which is thought to have happened while the Senate doors were still unlocked, with ensuring the lawmakers were able to flee to safety before the mob broke into the chamber.

'He was diverting people from getting on the Senate floor and getting hostages. It was the smartest thing that he could have ever done,' his colleague said.

'I don't know that many people who can think on their feet like that... His quick thinking enabled those Senators to get to safety.'

Another friend said Goodman's 'quick thinking' in what was a moment of national crisis comes from his military background.

Goodman (far right) during his time in the military. Goodman's 'quick thinking' in what was a moment of national crisis comes from his military background, a friend said

'I've always said, if bullets start ripping through, I'm finding Goodman,' said Terry, who didn't share his last name with the Post for fear of a backlash by extremists.

'He's been in hostile fire fights, so he knows how to keep his head.'

Goodman, from Southeast Washington, served in the US Army from 2002 to 2006.

He was deployed to Iraq as part of the 101st Airborne Division and was awarded a combat infantryman badge.

Terry told the Post Goodman has often struggled as a black cop, telling him he is 'too black for the badge, but too blue for the brothers.'

Tensions between law enforcement and black communities reached a head in 2020 in the wake of the Memorial Day 'murder' of George Floyd at the hands of a white cop and a greater spotlight on multiple cop killings of black people across America.

Numerous public figures - including President-elect Joe Biden - have pointed to the stark difference in treatment of the white mob last week compared to the treatment of Black Lives Matter supporters in the streets of DC last year.

Many have said that, had Wednesday's mob been largely black, cops would have used greater force and discharged their firearms more readily.

Meanwhile, Goodman's heroic actions as a lone black cop against a white angry mob comes as it has now emerged that among the rioters were several white supremacists, members of hate group the Proud Boys and people waving Confederate flags.

Kirk D. Burkhalter, a professor at New York Law School and a former New York City police officer, told the Post this makes Goodman's actions all the more worthy of praise.

Burkhalter said it usually 'doesn't end up well for the black folks' when white people with Confederate flags are following them.

The professor also said, having analyzed the video of the encounter, it is clear Goodman helped to prevent a 'tremendous tragedy' and a higher death toll.

'These folks had zip ties. It's not unreasonable to say that they were ready to take hostages,' he said.

Doug Jensen was arrested on Saturday, having led the mob against Eugene Goodman. He appeared in the federal courthouse in Des Moines via Zoom from Polk County Jail Tuesday where he was indicted on six federal charges

A rioter holding a Confederate flag. Kirk D. Burkhalter, a professor and former cop, said it usually 'doesn't end up well for the black folks' when white people with Confederate flags follow them as he praised the black cop

'Officer Goodman really helped to avoid a tremendous tragedy.'

He said Goodman took three key tactical actions during the 85-second standoff all at the same time.

The cop led the rioters away from the Senate, coordinated for backup on the second-floor landing and exercised restraint, he said.

At one point, Goodman is seen gently pushing the man leading the mob, Doug Jensen, 41, of Des Moines, Iowa, with his baton as Jensen looks toward the unlocked Senate doors.

This appears to cause Jensen to follow him instead of head to the doors where lawmakers were at risk of attack.

'In pushing him, the lead rioter, he's attempting to get him to follow along,' Burkhalter said.

'He's trying to bait them.'

Neither Goodman, who was named by his colleagues and friends, nor the police force have spoken out about his actions that day.

Goodman was hailed a hero after the footage, filmed by Huffington Post reporter Igor Bobic, circulated showing him trying to fend off the mob led.

Armed only with a baton, Goodman is seen alone facing off with dozens of rioters headed up by Jensen, who was wearing a QAnon hoodie and shouting.

Goodman backs away from the mob then lightly pushes Jensen, who then follows him up the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, the cop is seen glancing left to where the doors lead straight to the Senate.

At that moment, 2:15pm, according to a detailed analysis by The Washington Post, the Senate doors were unlocked as security tried frantically to protect the Senators inside.

Jensen then looks in the same direction toward the doors. At this point, Goodman shoved Jensen with his baton and started heading in the opposite direction to the Senate.

He heads up another flight of stairs with the mob following him - leading them to where a group of fellow officers are waiting.

One minute after the incident, the Senate door was locked.

Police try to hold back protesters pushing into a doorway at the Capitol last Wednesday

A noose is seen on makeshift gallows as supporters of President Trump stormed on the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday

People are calling for Goodman to be awarded with the Medal of Valor or Medal of Honor for his actions

It's unclear if Goodman knew the door was unlocked at the time but his actions stopped the mob from getting into the Senate floor while the lawmakers were there, allowing crucial moments for them to be evacuated.

Calls are mounting for Goodman to be awarded the Medal of Valor or Medal of Honor for his actions.

Jaime Harrison, former candidate for the Senate representing South Carolina, said Goodman single-handedly 'saved our Republic'.

'The word hero does not appropriately describe officer Eugene Goodman,' he said.

'His judgment & heroism may have saved our Republic.

One USCPD officer, Brian Sicknick, died after being hit in the head with a fire extinguisher that was hurled at police during the riot

'I hope consider him for the Congressional Medal of Honor. It is the least we can do.'

Ben Crump, the civil rights attorney who has represented the families of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery and others tweeted calling for him to be commended for his actions.

'Eugene Goodman deserves the Medal of Valor!' he said.

'He could have stepped aside and let Trump insurgents get to the Senate chamber while Senators were still there.

'Instead, this heroic officer got them to follow him the other direction, giving lawmakers time to escape!'

Jensen was arrested on Saturday for his part in the riot.

He appeared in the federal courthouse in Des Moines via Zoom from Polk County Jail Tuesday where he was indicted on six federal charges.

These are: knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, disrupting the orderly conduct of government business, violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, obstructing a law enforcement officer during a civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers or employees.

His next court hearing is scheduled for January 19.

More than 80 people have been arrested so far over last week's riot but authorities are still asking for help in identifying dozens of those involved, including a man wanted in connection to the murder of Capitol cop Brian Sicknick.

Sicknick died after being hit in the head with a fire extinguisher that was hurled at police during the riot.
Last weeks storming of the Capitol building in Washington DC by protesters contesting the results of the US presidential race was indefensible, but the attempt of the Democratic Party and its supporters to take advantage of the incident to settle scores with outgoing US president Donald Trump under the pretense of defending democracy is the type of hypocrisy usually practised by demagogues on both the right and left.

The victim will be democracy itself, with which Democratic Party supporters falsely commiserate.



At its core, democracy is founded on two key principles: freedom of expression and the rule of law. What the Democrats in the US have done is to void democracy as a concept of all its content. They have supported blocking Trumps social media accounts and removing apps used by millions under the pretext of their being used to incite violence. This is a form of collective punishment exercised by the most despotic regimes. They have also called for Trumps immediate removal from power, impeaching him without waiting for the results of the investigation into the riot.



These are all clear violations of the rule of law, which prohibits the hurling of accusations without evidence or investigation. How have the Democrats taken this path that contradicts the principles of democracy?



First, Trump did not tweet a single message inciting his supporters to storm the US Congress. In fact, he clearly said in an address to those same supporters shortly before the riot that he supported peaceful protests against the election results in an election that he lost.

Therefore, holding him responsible for the attack on Congress is contrived, and it distorts his words, which were that he doubted the integrity of the elections, in order to prove that he incited the attack. This is an unobjective conclusion, especially since those who raided Capitol Hill were only a few hundred out of the hundreds of thousands who heeded Trumps call to protest against the election results. The majority of these people did not participate in the attack.



Democratic Party supporters earlier protested against the outcome of the 2016 US presidential elections and demonstrated against the results in several states. Some clashes occurred during protests in Oakland, California, where some demonstrators broke the windows of shops and clashed with riot police who responded with tear gas.

The protests were led by supporters of former Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who repeatedly said she doubted the results of the elections she lost, saying there had been Russian interference in them in favour of Trump.



Her claims could not be construed as an incitement to attack state institutions, however, and by the same token Trumps claims of fraudulent elections in 2020 cannot be construed as the reason for storming Congress by some protesters.



An even more blatant violation of the rule of law by the Democrats came in statements by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has manipulated the emotions of the US public. She did not call for an investigation to find out the identities of those who raided the Capitol building or their ideology, amid suspicions that the rioters were from both the radical right and the radical left. Instead, Pelosi told the public she has asked the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley to remove the nuclear briefcase from Trumps reach to prevent him from using it to launch a war overseas that would pose an imminent threat to the countrys security.



In fact, she discussed nuclear codes and launch protocols not the nuclear briefcase itself, which makes this point moot. Perhaps Pelosi does not understand the meaning of nuclear briefcase and thought that this term means an actual briefcase that only one person controls.

Perhaps she does not realise that nuclear briefcase and nuclear button are just expressions and that the US president, even as commander in chief, cannot simply open the briefcase and tamper with it any time he pleases. Pressing the nuclear button comes at the end of a complex technical protocol in which the president plays a secondary role, while the actual decision is taken by military strategists.



Pelosis statements thus violate the rule of law and disrespect the US public. She incited a state institution (the military) to block the president from exercising his symbolic, not actual, role. If Pelosis ignorance about how the nuclear briefcase works in the US is true, then this is understandable. However, for her to claim that she wants to protect democracy and the rights and security of US citizens by preventing Trump from using his powers is a clear indication of the kind of disinformation and deception of the US public that the Democrats have been propagating.



Pelosi knows full well that it is impossible for Trump to unilaterally decide to press the nuclear button, and she thus used the same populist rhetoric that she has accused Trump and his supporters of using in an attempt to intimidate and deceive the US public.



Violating the rule of law and the correct judicial process for crimes such as storming a federal institution is not the only principle that the Democrats have sacrificed in their pursuit of Trump with a view to taking revenge on him. The second victim of these actions is an even more important concept of democracy  namely, the freedom of expression.



Not only did administrators at social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter block or delete Trumps accounts, but they also went after other outlets such as Parler, which is similar to these platforms but has greater freedoms and 3.6 million users in the US.

This app was removed from Apples AppStore under the pretext that it hosts content that incites violence. Did the administrators concerned check that all 3.6 million users of the app have been inciting violence before they remove it? Maybe hundreds or even thousands of Parler users incite violence, but why punish all of them for the actions of a tiny minority?



Is this not a blatant example of the kind of collective punishment used by despotic regimes? If the reason for blocking these accounts and apps was allegedly because they incite violence and under the pretext of protecting democracy in the US, why have these same administrators of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram turned a blind eye to similar calls flooding millions of accounts on these platforms around the world and especially in the Middle East? Why were these accounts not blocked, since they threaten democracy and the security and stability of societies that are under fierce terrorist attack by Political Islam and extremist left-wing groups?



What has been happening in the US, led by the Democrats, has nothing to do with real democracy. The storming of the Capitol is merely an indication that the US and much of the rest of the world are now in the throes of a populist war of left and right in which all means of destroying the concept of democracy are in play under the pretext of defending freedoms or the security of the homeland.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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[January 13, 2021] Chalo, India's Leading Public Transport Technology Company, Raises USD 7 Million

- Aims to Digitise India's Public Transport Sector MUMBAI, India, Jan. 13, 2021 /CNW/ -- Chalo, India's leading public transport technology company, today announced that it has raised USD 7 million in its latest round of funding. This round includes Chalo's existing investors Raine Ventures, the early-stage fund managed by The Raine Group, USA, Neeraj Arora (former Chief Business Officer, WhatsApp) and Amit Singhal (former Senior Vice President and Head of Google Search, Google). The new round of funding also saw participation from the family offices of Saket Burman of Dabur, Tarun Sawhney of Triveni Group, among others. With this latest round of funding, Chalo has raised a total of USD 30 Million till date. Mohit Dubey, CEO, halo, said, "In India, and in many developing countries, buses are non-discretionary. As soon as cities were unlocked, we saw millions of commuters returning to buses. Buses are not just the most affordable means to commute, they are fundamental for the cities' economy and revival. Chalo digitises these buses and makes them safe and reliable - with live tracking and contactless digital payment. We are building a unique company to improve experience in stage-carriage buses using a full tech stack. We are fortunate to have amazing investors who have partnered with us to build a better public transport solution for cities in India. We will soon be doing this in international cites as well."



Today, Chalo is present in 30 cities and provides solutions for consumers as well as for bus operators. The Chalo App offers live bus tracking showing live arrival times of the buses and a live passenger indicator that shows how crowded the bus is in real-time. Bus passengers can also buy mobile tickets and bus passes on the Chalo App, or choose to scan QR codes in buses to pay digitally for their bus ticket. For those who are not comfortable using their mobile phones for payments, Chalo offers the Chalo Card  an NFC touch-to-pay smartcard which can store a pre-paid wallet and travel passes.

The funds raised will be utilised for expanding Chalo's network into multiple cities as well as to increase the penetration of digital tickets technology in its existing cities. With the enhanced focus on safety post COVID-19, Chalo has seen an increased demand for its products and services. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/chalo-indias-leading-public-transport-technology-company-raises-usd-7-million-301207137.html SOURCE Chalo

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Tamil Nadu CM Edappadi K Palaniswami in his assembly constituency of Edappadi (Image courtesy: @CMOTamilNadu)

Every year, Pongal, a four-day harvest festival, is celebrated in Tamil Nadu with traditional fervour and cultural pride. Though the unseasonal rains in January and the economic slide due to COVID-19 has dampened the festival spirit, political parties are livening up the festival mood by playing a blend of welfare politics and the Tamil cultural card together.

The Dravidian parties which opposed most of what prevailed in Tamil society at the beginning of the 20th century, embraced Pongal as a symbol of Tamil culture and deftly blended their ideas of secularism, equality, glorification of labour and Tamil identity, besides utilising this popular festival as a connect between the rising movement and common man. Besides propagating it as the cultural festival of Tamils, they also made efforts to declare it as the Tamil New Year day.

Being an election year, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government under Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is making the best use of Pongal and announced a cash gift of Rs 2,500 along with one kilogram each of rice and sugar, 20 gram packets of dry grapes, cashewnuts, cardamom, a sugarcane stem and other commodities to cook Pongal, which is also the name of a dish of rice mixed with sugar, milk and sugar, prepared on the first day of Pongal celebrations. The cash and gift bag will be distributed to around 20 million family card holders in Tamil Nadu through the PDS outlets.

The AIADMK is often accused of bringing down the significance of Pongal which was declared as Tamil New Year by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government under (late) M Karunanidhi in 2008. The DMKs allegation is based on former Chief Minister (late) J Jayalalithaas move in 2011 to shift Tamil New Year to April 14.

In a bid to come out with a strong rebuttal to the DMKs claim of being the sole guardian of Tamil culture, this time the AIADMK government also declared Thai Poosam, a prominent festival celebrated in temples of Lord Muruga, as a public holiday.

Lord Muruga is considered as a Tamil deity as most of the classical literature of the Sangam age (between 4,000 BC and 100 AD) describes him as a hero warrior who rode on an elephant named Pinimugam and vanquished the demon Padmasura. Thai Poosam is the full moon day in the month of Thai and is said to be the birthday of Lord Muruga, or the day on which a sacred javelin was given to him fight the demon.

The ruling AIADMK, which wants to make the best use of its freebies, has entrusted the task of distributing tokens for the scheme with the local AIADMK functionaries. The tokens for the scheme also contain pictures of the Chief Minister and AIADMKs tri-colour flag. Images of Palaniswami are also found on the gift bags and banners showing the ruling party symbol Two Leaves, which are displayed in front of most PDS outlets.

Surprised by the AIADMKs deft use of Pongal festival, the DMK is caught in a bind as it cannot oppose both the moves which have found good support among the people. However, DMK leader MK Stalin demanded that AIADMK double the cash and provide Rs 5,000 to the people in these difficult economic times.

Not to fall behind the Dravidian parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) too has joined the festival politics by arranging Pongal celebrations in its state headquarters. Prior to this the saffron party has not celebrated Pongal in its party office. It used to give importance to Vijaya Dasami, Ganesh Chaturthi and Diwali earlier. Another change this time is that the BJP is calling the festival Pongal other than Magara Sankaranthi. BJP President JP Nadda is also expected to join the Pongal celebrations in Tamil Nadu.

Palaniswami, who is addressing election rallies across Tamil Nadu, conveys his Pongal greetings at every venue and does not forget to mention his governments Pongal gift scheme. Stalin, is trying to deflect peoples attention from the scheme by levelling serious corruption charges, and recalling the AIADMK governments subservient attitude to the BJP at the Centre. He is also listing instances of Palaniswami sacrificing the welfare and self-respect of Tamils.

For now, the people of Tamil Nadu are preparing to celebrate Pongal; this summer it will be seen which party celebrates after the assembly elections.
Georgia has provided a new tool to find COVID-19 vaccine providers as the state commences the next phase of its distribution plan.

The Georgia Department of Public Health declared on Sunday that the agency had initiated its own "COVID vaccine locator" to enable users to find their communities' vaccine providers.

Georgia DPH Launches COVID Vaccine Locator

The state commenced its phase 1A+ of vaccine dissemination on Monday. Inoculations are available to healthcare workers, long-term care facilities staff and residents, law enforcement, fire department personnel, and adults aged 65 and older and their caregivers.

The Georgia DPH is establishing a COVID-19 vaccine locator on the DPH website.

The tool enables users to search by county for a community vaccine provider. It provides the location and contact information for the provider.

The tool does not aid users in scheduling vaccines. Both county health departments and private providers are indicated by the tool.

According to officials, "Additional locations statewide will be added when providers are ready to safely administer vaccine, and as vaccine supply allows," reported WGAU.

All health departments and most other providers necessitate appointments for the recipient of the vaccine. Due to the limited vaccine supply, providers may not be able to provide immediate appointments.

Georgia's worst-in-the-country status for the novel coronavirus vaccination rate is reportedly a glaring hole in the state's combat against the respiratory illness.

A number of hospital officials are pointing to the inconvenience of inputting data into the state vaccination registry about shots that have been administered. Governor Brian Kemp has talked about a "significant underreporting'' of the number of vaccinations that have been carried out.

Also Read: Connecticut Reaches Milestone of Completing First Series of COVID-19 Vaccinations in Nursing Homes

The tool is in line with the hopes of increasing access in Georgia that has administered the least vaccines per capita.

Several providers are still immunizing their own staffs and patients. They are not open to the public for inoculation yet.

According to a DPH representative, "As both Pfizer and Moderna are able to ramp up production of vaccine in the coming weeks, supply should better meet demand for each phase of allocation and administration. Until that time, providers and the public are urged to be patient as we work together to get vaccine distributed in the most efficient and equitable way possible," reported WRDW.

The process of administering the coronavirus vaccine is more complex than other common vaccines, including the flu vaccine. It requires providers to have more resources accessible, including an area where vaccine receivers could be overseen for 15 minutes following their inoculation.

Many providers with the vaccine are still immunizing their own patients and staff and are not open to the public for inoculation yet.

Supply is required to meet demand as the production of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines ramps up in the following weeks.

According to officials, "Until that time, providers and the public are urged to be patient as we work together to get vaccine distributed in the most efficient and equitable way possible," reported WSB-TV.

Related Article: Bar Owners Sue Arkansas Over COVID-19 Curfew Reportedly Taking Their Livelihoods

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MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to the Ontario governments announcement of a new state of emergency and additional lockdown measures, Locals 175 & 633 of the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) calls on the government and employers to take urgent action to provide more support to workers.



The modelling released today paints a grim picture, said Shawn Haggerty, President of UFCW Local 175, which represents more than 70,000 unionized workers in Ontario. Everyone is exhausted by the pandemic, but none more than the workers who are on the frontlines every day. We want to see real action from the government to support these workers through legislated paid sick days and pandemic pay, access to testing and vaccines, and we want to see employers step up in terms of permanent pay improvements as well.

The unions membership has worked on the frontlines throughout the pandemic; performing key work to keep the people of Ontario healthy, safe and fed. This includes workers in health care, retail grocery and pharmacy, meat processing, food production, manufacturing, emergency services and more.

The union supports the additional measures announced by the province to limit the spread of COVID-19. In particular, the union welcomes the enhanced enforcement powers being given to police, bylaw officers and Ministry of Labour inspectors, including the ability to issue fines for non-compliance.

Our Members go to work in stressful and uncertain conditions every day. They deserve protection and they deserve more consideration from our government and employers for their tireless work throughout this pandemic, said Haggerty. We will continue to advocate at all levels of government and with employers directly to implement further measures to protect and provide for workers.

UFCW Locals 175 & 633 represents more than 70,000 working people across all sectors of the Ontario economy including health care, retail grocery and pharmacy, meat processing, food production, manufacturing, emergency services and more.

For more information contact:

Tim Deelstra, Engagement & Media Relations Strategist

UFCW Locals 175 & 633

226-750-4366 or media@ufcw175.com
Within the past fortnight, China has taken two steps that undermine the ability of the incoming Biden administration to build a western alliance to contain Chinas growing and increasingly aggressive global assertiveness.

On the final day of 2020, China signed an investment pact with the European Union despite pleas from Biden advisers to hold off until the new administration had an opportunity to talk through the common concerns of the US and Europe about Chinas economic policies and practices.

Then, at the weekend, China announced a response to the myriad of sanctions the Trump administration has imposed on its companies and individuals, unveiling a new set of rules that purport to counter foreign laws that "unjustly prohibit or restrict" Chinese companies or individuals from undertaking their normal business.

President Xi Jinping's government has moved to undermine Joe Biden's chances of building a western alliance. Credit:Getty Images

Chinese companies or individuals suffering losses because of foreign sanctions, or a third partys compliance with those sanctions, will be able to sue for damages in Chinas courts.
New Delhi: Just two days after a study centre or 'Gyanshala' named after Nathuram Godse had been opened in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, the district administration intervened in the matter and closed the centre.

The district administration fearing a law and order situation, decided to impose a section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in Daulatganj area.

Additional District Magistrate Kishore Kanyal told PTI that the orders were issued after learning about the study centre.

"We discussed the issue with Mahasabha office-bearers and told them they should not do anything that can disturb the peace. They promised not to break the law and said they would close the centre," Kanyal told reporters.

All the literature, posters, banners and other materials from the study centre was seized.

The "Gyanshaala" or study centre had created controversy as it was named for Godse, Mahatma Gandhi's assassin.

Meanwhile, the Congress has demanded strict action. Congress spokesperson Abbas Hafeez termed the incident as "very unfortunate" said, "It is very unfortunate. The man who killed Gandhi, if people are worshiping him then they are encouraging violence. These people should be identified and strict action should be taken against them," he told ANI.

Though the BJP has distanced itself from the matter and assured that the state government will take strict action in the case.

The library called 'Godse Gyanshala', was opened by the Hindu Mahasabha with the intention of 'educating' the young generation about various aspects of Partition.

On Sunday, Mahasabha's national vice president Jaiveer Bhardwaj said that the 'Gyanshaala' will educate the new generation about various aspects of the 1947 Partition and about the lives of national leaders like Guru Gobind Singh, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Maharana Pratap.

It may be recalled that earlier in 2017, the Hindu Mahasabha had installed a statue of Godse and were going to organise prayer meetings there. Teh statue was subsequently removed and a case was filed against the members of the outfit. This time, however, no case has been registered.
WASHINGTON - It has been less than two weeks since Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., said he would object to Congress accepting the results of the 2020 election, setting the stage for an unprecedented attempt to overturn a presidential election. At the time, Hawley's move was widely understood for what it was: an attempt to ingratiate himself with President Donald Trump's devoted base by pursuing a doomed cause that had been rejected dozens of times by courts. But however craven, it also was generally viewed as shrewd politics. Hawley is an ambitious potential 2024 presidential candidate, after all, and Trump commands devotion among the most animated portions of the GOP base.

Today, though, that calculus has shifted significantly. And now some top Republicans have set about an extraordinary effort to shift it even further away from Trump.

For years, Trump has commanded fealty among his party. Fearful of a presidential tweet or a primary challenge - or worse - congressional Republicans have danced around addressing Trump's worst impulses. The few who have deigned to criticize him forcefully often found themselves without a political base and bowed out of office. The party has occasionally rebuked him en masse, but generally on niche issues, including foreign policy, that wouldn't necessarily animate such a backlash.

But we saw something different Tuesday: the emergence of what appears to be a genuine political effort to move the party beyond Trump and Trumpism. An attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week, which even some top allies have attached to his rhetoric about a "stolen" election, has infused some Republicans with heretofore-unseen moral indignation and desire to turn the page.

Three House Republicans of varying stripes were the first to signal that Democrats' looming impeachment this week would be a bipartisan affair. Rep. John Katko of New York comes from a difficult Upstate New York district. Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois has been a frequent and increasingly vocal Trump critic. Likewise Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who injected some political heft into the effort as the No. 3-ranking House Republican.

Cheney's decision was the biggest of those three, by virtue of her stature in the party and the fact that she comes from one of the most pro-Trump seats from the 2020 election. Wyoming gave Trump more than 70 percent of its vote just two months ago.

The number of GOP impeachment supporters in the House is still small - and seems likely to remain so - but what matters is the Senate, where their votes would be required and where members are more apt to take principled stands.

That's why Cheney's announcement wasn't the most significant development Tuesday night. That distinction would belong to the signals emanating from the office of the top Republican in the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

The Washington Post has confirmed that McConnell believes Trump probably committed impeachable offenses with his conduct before the siege of the Capitol. Mind you, McConnell hasn't committed to voting against Trump, but the fact that he's even considering it sent shock waves through Washington.

McConnell's move could be understood a number of ways, including as a genuine matter of conviction. He played along for a time, but McConnell went out front among congressional Republicans in declaring the presidential election over, so it's not like he's a newcomer to denouncing Trump's effort to overturn the election.

But even if that's the case - and whatever you think of McConnell - he's a skilled political operator. It's difficult to view this as anything other than a calculated threat. Trump is staring down the barrel of becoming the first president in history to be impeached twice, and McConnell's reported posture indicates he could also be the first to actually suffer a conviction vote in the Senate. That could mean an early removal from office or some kind of post-presidential sanction, but either way it would be a historic black mark on Trump's legacy. McConnell seems to be leaving it up to Trump to decide whether he wants to go through all of that.

Whether that's because McConnell truly intends to bring his party along with such an effort and try to get 67 votes in the Senate remains to be seen. Perhaps he's truly hedging his bets. Perhaps he's wielding this to prevent Trump from doing something even more drastic in his final days in office. We still don't have McConnell on the record, so we're left to read between the lines.

But it's clearly a power play. Reports indicate McConnell views this as a chance to move the party beyond Trump and the long shadow he could cast over it in the years to come. But Trump could just as easily try to call a bluff.

From there, the question would be who actually holds the cards. The fealty Republicans have shown Trump is no coincidence; it's because he has reinvented his adoptive party. Any attempt to push him aside could just as well be met with a backlash. And even if his loyalists wind up being outnumbered, it could splinter the party. The fact that McConnell would even dip his toe in this water with an incoming 50-to-50 Senate that could just as well turn back Republican in 2022 (midterms are usually unkind to the incumbent president's party) is something.

Polling currently suggests Trump's support has taken a hit in recent days, with both Quinnipiac University and Marist College showing his approval rating dropping into the 70s among Republicans. That's significant, but it means a huge majority of the party is still onboard.

At the same time, 60% of all Americans in the Quinnipiac poll said Trump was undermining democracy, and majorities held him responsible for what happened last week at the Capitol and said he should either resign or be removed from office. So whatever the intraparty politics, he appears to be exiting office as an even bigger liability than he was for a party that lost all the presidency, the House and the Senate on his watch - the first time that has happened since 1932.

Much remains to play out in the hours and days ahead, but the bet being placed by the likes of Cheney and McConnell (or at least in McConnell's case, threatened) is certainly a significant one. If Trump bucks and fights, they could find themselves marginalized and their party divided. Trump could even use it to reassert his control of the party.

It's also a bet that would have seemed pretty unthinkable just a couple of weeks ago, when you would have said Hawley was the one with a big future in the party and Cheney could be squandering hers. But things do change, and we're about to find out who truly has sway moving forward.
Lockdown is creating an 'unprecedented' mental illness pandemic with a surge in calls to helplines, experts have warned.

Mental health charity Mind's daily website views rose from 9,580 on January 4 to 14,167 after the announcement of a third lockdown in the UK last week.

Two former health secretaries also spoke out about the crisis, as Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, told the Telegraph: 'There is a mental health crisis and people are crying out for support.'

Jeremy Hunt MP said there was a risk isolation could become a 'tipping point' leading to an 'epidemic' of mental illness.

Two former health secretaries also spoke out about the crisis, as Andy Burnham (right), the Greater Manchester mayor, said: 'There is a mental health crisis and people are crying out for support'. Left, Jeremy Hunt MP said there was a risk isolation could become a 'tipping point'

Mind's chief executive Paul Farmer said: 'It's no understatement to say that the nation is facing a mental health pandemic.'

And YoungMinds' parents helpline has been receiving calls about anxiety, depression and self-harm, according to its chief executive Emma Thomas.

During his coronavirus news briefing on January 5, the Prime Minister said approximately 12billion had been spent on NHS mental health care, with around another 19-20million contributed towards mental health charities.

But Ms Thomas told MailOnline: 'The pandemic is deepening the crisis in young people's mental health and there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the impact could be significant and long-term.

'Young people tell us that they've struggled to cope with the changes and loss of coping mechanisms brought on by the pandemic, with many experiencing social isolation, anxiety, and fears around their future.

A survey from Mind revealed young people were more affected by loneliness during lockdown

'Many lost access to mental health support during the first lockdown, while others chose not to look for help at a time when the NHS was under so much pressure.

Mind's CEO Paul Farmer has stressed the importance of greater support over winter

'With the pandemic continuing through the winter and another lockdown confirmed, it's likely that more young people may struggle to cope.

'If you're struggling to cope, you are not alone and however you are feeling right now is valid. It's important to reach out for help  whether that's to friends, family, a doctor, a counsellor, a teacher or a helpline. It's also a good idea to take the pressure off as much as possible, and do things that you enjoy or which help you relax if you can.'

Rosie Weatherley, Information Content Manager at Mind, said people should try and focus on creating coping mechanisms.

She told MailOnline: 'Its ok to feel overwhelmed or upset about everything happening right now. Many of us hoped 2021 would be better than last year, but things will still be difficult for the first few months at least.

'The vaccination offers hope, but not immediately, so try to accept your feelings, create positive coping mechanisms, and focus on the fact that it wont be like this forever.

'Lockdowns are necessary to protect people from this devastating pandemic, but restrictions do present additional challenges to our mental health.

'Not being able to socialise in person affects our ability to stay connected to our support networks and maintain our relationships in the usual ways, and can increase feelings of loneliness.

'Some of us may find that our usual coping techniques for improving our wellbeing are no longer available to us, for example going to the gym. Having choices taken away from us about how we spend our time can affect our mental health.

Mind calls for cross-party mental health help as lockdown starts Rosie Weatherley, Information Content Manager at Mind said: 'Its essential that mental health support is available to anyone in need, which means proper investment in mental health services  from early intervention and prevention, right through to the crisis care someone receives when theyre at their most unwell. 'The earlier people receive support for their mental health, the more likely they are to benefit from treatment. As we enter another national lockdown similar to the one in March, its that crucial well-resourced, timely mental health treatment is available for those who need it  particularly those with serious mental health problems. 'Services must continue to adapt to make sure nobody falls through the gaps, such as offering digital or over the phone support, if face-to-face services close again. The NHS has a responsibility to communicate how people can access help during lockdown, to prevent another unprecedented surge in crisis referrals. 'But its not just about healthcare, the Government must also recognise the impact that social factors  such as debt, employment status and housing quality - can have on our mental health. These must be addressed as part of a cross-Government approach to protecting and improving the mental health of the nation. This is more important than ever as we find ourselves in another economic recession, with many more people facing these types of issues and potentially needing support from the benefits system.' Advertisement

'Feeling stuck or trapped, with few options, can leave us feeling frustrated, bored, and like we dont have control over our lives.

'But there are lots of things you can do to look after yourself, and ways of taking back some control, in some small ways.

'There are lots of self-care techniques that can help improve your wellbeing.

'Regular exercise, ideally outdoors in nature, can make a huge difference to both our physical and mental health.

'Although we might not be able to see loved ones face-to-face, connect with others via text, phone, email or video call as often as you can.

'Most importantly, if you find yourself struggling, know that you are not alone.

'Whatever your particular experience is, remember that support is available, and youre not wasting anyones time asking for help.

'Dont wait until it feels unbearable to ask for some help.

'Contact your GP in the first instance - many are offering virtual or phone check ups.

'If you dont feel willing and able to speak to a doctor, confide in someone else who you trust.'

During this evening's press conference, Hannah from Northamptonshire asked Mr Johnson: 'My question is how are you supporting people with severe mental health issues?

'For example, my mum suffers from schizophrenia and doesn't understand the pandemic circumstances. How would you help someone like her?'

He replied: 'Thank you very much for your question and obviously I am very sorry for the extra anxiety that the pandemic is causing people such as your mum and people with mental health conditions.

'I totally understand why people are concerned. We've put a huge amount obviously into NHS mental health care, I think it's about another 12billion or so.

'But directly during the pandemic what we're doing now Hannah is trying to support some of the wonderful mental health care charities that reach out and help people like your mum. I think we've put about 19million or 20million into that.

'That's what we're doing at the moment but clearly the best thing for your mother and everybody is that we get through this as fast as possible.'

Professor Ellen Townsend, of the Self-Harm Research Group at the University of Nottingham, flagged the impact the lockdown would have on people.

She said: 'We know that suicide ideation increased in young people in the first UK lockdown. There was a worrying signal that suicides in young people increased during the first lockdown.

'We know that loneliness, social isolation, mental health issues have soared in young people.'

Elizabeth O'Shea, child behaviour expert, warned MailOnline there were struggles ahead for young people and their parents in the third lockdown.

She said: 'The pandemic has created a mental health ticking time bomb.

'The biggest issue is the mental health impact, I think what we know in the parenting industry is that we are going to be experiencing three main problems: depression, anxiety and OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

'Those are going to be the three main mental health issues as a result of because the children have been locked down in a such a long time in child's life.

Dead student was stressed about Covid Finn Kitson, 19 The son of a Cambridge academic died at his hall of residence after suffering 'severe anxiety' in lockdown. Finn Kitson, 19, was found dead at Manchester University's Fallowfield campus after a spike in Covid-19 cases among students in the city. Officials said the tragedy on October 8 was not virus related but his father, Michael Kitson, said this was untrue. The Cambridge economist added: 'If you lock down young people with little support, then you should expect that they suffer severe anxiety.' Mr Kitson also expressed his concern 'for all the young people who are suffering so much stress at this time'. Finn's mother, Jane Denney, said: 'Our beautiful, brilliant and lovely son Finn has passed away. We are devastated beyond belief.' Advertisement

'It can feel overwhelming that it is happening again so for me it's, how do parents cope, how do they deal with the anxieties, how do they deal with schoolwork again? What do they need to do?

'It's very important to build things into family life to help them cope. Exercise is vital, getting outdoors is vital. Getting the children as much involved with their friends as they can, Zoom calls or Skype calls.

It comes just weeks after charities warned two thirds of young people were experiencing a decline in mental health with figures worsening 'across the spectrum,' as calls to a suicide helpline rose by almost a third during the most recent lockdown.

A survey of 16,000 locked-down members of the public by Mind discovered half of adults felt their wellbeing had worsened during 2020, with many experiencing mental health problems for the first time.

Samaritans had had more than a million conversations with Brits since lockdown began in March, while Papyrus, a suicide helpline for under 35s, recorded a spike in conversations when stricter measures returned in November.

Papyrus UK runs a Hopeline for young people aged under 35 who are experiencing suicidal thoughts.

The charity says nine out of 10 of its calls have referenced lockdown measures, while there was a 27 per cent rise in the number of contacts within the first week of the November lockdown.

Ged Flynn, Chief Executive of PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide, said: 'There is concern in the charity that there will be a longer-term problem of emotional distress post-lockdown.

'I fear that a whole generation of young people may feel the impact of the current crisis for a good while yet.

'We are already taking high volumes of calls, texts and emails from young people every day with thoughts of suicide or from those who fear for somebody in their family or place of work who may have. Call rates are now increasing.'

At the start of the outbreak, Mind, Samaritans, Shout, Hospice UK and The Royal Foundation created Our Frontline - a dedicated helpline for workers who were out during lockdown.

Since then it has held more than 2,200 conversations with health, social care, emergency service and other key workers.
HANGZHOU, China, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoymiles Power Electronics Inc. ("Hoymiles"), a leading microinverter manufacturer, has recently unveiled the all-new S-Miles Cloud Platform for real-time visualized monitoring of solar power generating equipment. Key field equipment can be connected to the S-Miles Cloud Platform. With the IoT-supported data collection devices, the platform can track the output effectiveness of arrays, provide status updates on individual modules, and notify of any malfunctions.

"Our new and improved version of the monitoring platform is in line with Hoymiles' mission to make electric energy 'smarter', improve cloud data processing capabilities and extend the data response time of edge computing gateways. Through providing a broad array of smart monitoring, operations-based, and maintenance functionality, we can provide more value for our customers, and that's our main focus," said Zhao Yi, Deputy General Manager and R&D Center Director of Hoymiles.

Accessible as a mobile app or via a web browser, the S-Miles Cloud Platform offers a powerful and easy-to-use portal to effectively maintain solar power stations. Through the user-friendly installation process, integrating the Platform into an existing array can be quick and simple. The newly upgraded platform features a clean and simple dashboard interface which was designed with end-users in mind to allow for clearer visual data displays and additional options for in-depth analysis. The upgrade also includes a real-time progress tracking feature for hardware updates, which displays a progress bar and provides detailed explanations of any errors that occur.

Supporting the improved end-user display is an optimized technical structure that collects, analyzes and distributes data. The upgraded S-Miles Cloud Platform now can offer synchronized data analysis, and in being a cloud-based application, data processing is completed through parallel computing architecture which allows for optimal usage of all CPUs within the cluster and supports an open application programming interface for cross-platform communications, data sharing, and remote operation via TCP socket connection. The Platform is also compatible with Hoymiles' newest and most advanced hardware offerings of the DTU-Pro, DTU-Lite and new Sub-1G version microinverters.

Through the standardization of data across a power station, operators can make more accurate data-driven decisions regarding onsite operations that enable optimized energy output. The new S-Miles Cloud Platform not only provides accurate and timely status reports but also includes new indicators to display self-generated energy inputs and output for the solar station, to more clearly map overall power generation status.



About Hoymiles

Founded in 2012, Hoymiles is one of the leading microinverter manufacturers providing MLPE (Module-Level Power Electronics) solutions for solar investors and end-users. Hoymiles' microinverters (4 in 1 unit & 2 in 1 unit) are recognized for their technology, ranking as the top microinverter globally through CEC weighted efficiency test by CSA Group for three consecutive years. Currently, Hoymiles' microinverters are used in generous commercial and domestic rooftop installations in various countries and regions including America, Europe and Asia.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419721/S_miles_Cloud.jpg
Lisa Montgomery, who was convicted of killing a pregnant woman and cutting the baby from her womb in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004, was executed Tuesday in Terre Haute, Ind.
Survivors of mother and baby and county homes are blameless and did nothing wrong, the Taoiseach has told the Dail in a formal State apology.

Mothers did nothing wrong and have nothing to be ashamed of, Mr Martin told TDs in the National Convention Centre.

The treatment of women and children is something which was the direct result of how the State, and we as a society acted, he said.

The report presents us with profound questions. We embraced a perverse religious morality and control, judgmentalism and moral certainty, but shunned our daughters.

We honoured piety, but failed to show even basic kindness to those who needed it most.

Read More

We had a completely warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy, and young mothers and their sons and daughters were forced to pay a terrible price for that dysfunction.

To confront the dark and shameful reality which is detailed in this report we must acknowledge it as part of our national history. he told Deputies.

And for the women and children who were treated so cruelly we must do what we can, to show our deep remorse, understanding and support.

He then declared: On behalf of the Government, the State and its citizens, I apologise for the profound generational wrong visited upon Irish mothers and their children who ended up in a Mother and Baby Home or a County Home.

As the Commission says plainly: they should not have been there.

I apologise for the shame and stigma which they were subjected to and which, for some, remains a burden to this day.

In apologising, I want to emphasise that each of you were in an institution because of the wrongs of others. Each of you is blameless, each of you did nothing wrong and has nothing to be ashamed of.

Each of you deserved so much better.

The lack of respect for the fundamental dignity and rights as mothers and children who spent time in these institutions is humbly acknowledged and deeply regretted, he said.

The Irish State, as the main funding authority for the majority of these institutions, had the ultimate ability to exert control over these institutions, in addition to its duty of care to protect citizens with a robust regulatory and inspection regime, Mr Martin added.

This authority was not exerted and the States duty of care was not upheld.

The State failed you, the mothers and children in these homes.

This detailed and highly painful report is a moment for us as a society to recognise a profound failure of empathy, understanding and basic humanity over a very lengthy period.

The report gave survivors what they have been denied for so long: their voice, their individuality, their right to be acknowledged, he said, paying tribute to the steady determination of the former residents, researchers and campaigners.

Throughout this report former residents talk of a feeling of shame for the situation they found themselves in, Mr Martin noted.

The shame was not theirs  it was ours, he said.

It was our shame that we did not show them the respect and compassion which we as a country owed them. It remains our shame.

I want to reassure survivors, their families and the country, that this Government is determined to act on all the recommendations of the report and to deliver the legislative change necessary to at least start to heal the wounds that endure.

He said a critical part had been played by Catherine Corless whose work at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home site led directly to the establishment of the Commission.

Support and protection for the mothers should have been forthcoming from the fathers of the children, their family and friends, community and State, the Taoiseach said, but it was not.

The most striking thing is the shame felt by women who became pregnant outside of marriage and the stigma that was so cruelly attached to their children.

One speaks of not being allowed to return to school after becoming pregnant because it would bring shame on the school.

He quoted extracts from witness accounts 

I was treated like a second class citizen by my family, society had an obsession with hiding everything.

Nobody will want you now said the mother of a witness, 14-years old when it was discovered that she was pregnant.

Get her put away! were the words of a father of a 19-year old when told of her pregnancy.

A dearth of sex education often left young women confused and unaware of how and why they had even become pregnant, Mr Martin remarked, adding: Some of these pregnancies were as a result of rape and/or incest.

Children born outside of marriage were stigmatised and treated as outcasts in school and in wider society.

Some children who were subsequently boarded-out experienced heartbreaking exploitation, neglect and abuse within the families and communities in which they were placed. This was unforgivable.

The sense of abandonment felt by many of these children is palpable in the witness accounts, he added, and it had become a terrible burden in their lives.

Many women, children and fathers left these shores to escape this unfair judgement and life-long prejudice and because they thought it was the only way to protect their families reputations.

Many did not overcome the impact which these formative experiences had on their lives, and suffered and struggled with serious personal problems.

The report had brought previously unknown information into the public domain and exposed the truth, he said. It had revealed significant failures of the State, the Churches and of society.

The Taoiseach said women were admitted to mother and baby homes and county homes because no supports were forthcoming from any other quarter.

They were forced to leave home, and seek a place where they could stay without having to pay. Many were destitute.

Women, terrified by the consequences of their pregnancy becoming known to their family and neighbours entered mother and baby homes to protect their secret.

The pressure to maintain this secret added insult to injury and was a large part of the mothers trauma.

But many women suffered emotional abuse in the homes too, and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks from the religious, with little kindness shown, especially when giving birth.

The overall picture is of a hard, cold and uncaring environment, he said.

One of the most disquieting features of the report is that up until 1960 mother and baby homes appear to have significantly reduced the prospects of survival of children.

The death rate among infants in mother and baby homes was almost twice that of the national average for children born outside of marriage. A total of about 9,000 children died in the institutions under investigation - about 15% of all the children who were in their care.

It is deeply distressing to note that the very high mortality rates were known to local and national authorities at the time and were recorded in official publications, he said  with little or no evidence of State intervention in response to these chilling statistics.

Mr Martin said he know it would be a disappointment that the report does not answer all questions on the burial of children who died in these institutions, with many locations remaining unknown.

But he said options for dignified remembrance and memorialisation will now be implemented.

Overall, the Commission concludes that Ireland was a cold and harsh environment for the majority of its residents during the earlier half of the period under investigation.

It was especially cold and harsh for women. All women suffered serious discrimination. Women who gave birth outside marriage were subject to particularly harsh treatment.

The Taoiseach acknowledged: An apology on its own is not enough. We, collectively in this House, will be judged by our actions. Actions always speak louder than words.

And he pledged: The Government accepts and will respond to all of the recommendations made by the Commission.

More to follow

A 42-year-old airport manager with IndiGo airline was shot dead in Patna by unidentified gunmen. IndiGo airport manager Rupesh Kumar was on his way from the airport to his home when a group of bikers opened fire on him.

According to a report in India Today, the gunmen shot Kumar outside his colony's gate and fled the scene. The incident took place at Kusum Vilas Apartments in Patna's Punaichak area at around 7 pm on Tuesday.

Kumar was taken to a nearby hospital immediately by the police but he died on the way. Kumar had reportedly returned from a family vacation in Goa one day before his death.

IndiGo confirmed the incident and wrote, "Extremely saddened by the demise of our Patna airport manager. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. We are in contact with his family and providing them with our full support while cooperating with the relevant authorities in the ongoing investigation".

The murder of the IndiGo airport manager has now taken a political turn.

Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav slammed ruling party's Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said that government in Bihar is now in the "hands of criminals".

Yadav said that Kumar was killed by state-protected criminals.

"State-protected criminals killed airport manager Rupesh Kumar Singh in Patna outside his residence. He was affable and friendly. I am deeply saddened by his untimely death. May his soul rest in peace," Tejashwi Yadav wrote on Twitter.

"Now criminals are running the government in Bihar," he added.

Jan Adhikar Party chief Pappu Yadav said that it has become clear that criminals are disciples of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and JDU.

On the other hand, BJP MP Vivek Thakur also raised questions over the incident. He said that it was a matter of grave concern that a common man like Rupesh Kumar had been murdered.

Also read: Vaccine for dead people? UP officials register names of deceased for COVID-19 vaccination drive

Also read: No option to choose preferred coronavirus vaccine, says Health Ministry
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

Statements by the Spokesperson

The European Union deeply regrets the execution at a federal level in the United States of the first woman in almost seven decades. The EU had called for clemency to be granted to Lisa Montgomery taking into consideration international law and internationally accepted minimum standards that should be respected regarding people with mental disorders.

Since the resumption of the federal death penalty in July 2020, after a 17-year hiatus, we have witnessed a high number of executions. The EU stands firmly and unequivocally by the victims of crime and their families and effectively prosecutes criminals in its territory. But capital punishment is incompatible with human dignity and the right to life, constitutes an inhuman and degrading treatment, and does not have any proven deterrent effect. Miscarriages of justice, inevitable in any judicial system, are irreversible. The EU calls on the US administration to reverse its decision to carry out the remaining federal-level executions during the last days of the current administration.

These executions contradict the growing momentum towards the abolition of the death penalty worldwide, as reflected by the recent adoption of the 8th Resolution calling for a "Moratorium on the use of death penalty" at the UN General Assembly on 16 December. The high number of federal executions also contradict the trend among individual States within the US, which performed the fewest executions in 37 years in 2020.

The European Union is strongly and unequivocally opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and will spare no effort to work towards its abolition worldwide in line with the new EU Action Plan for Human Rights and Democracy for 2020-2024.

See the release online here.

Infographic: Why and How the EU Opposes the Death Penalty

SOURCE Delegation of the European Union to the United States

Related Links

eeas.europa.eu


WASHINGTON - Kojo Nnamdi, a fixture on Washington's radio airwaves and an influential factor in the region's politics, will retire from his daily program on WAMU-FM, the public station announced Wednesday.

Nnamdi, 76, will continue to host his Friday program about local politics, "The Politics Hour" and irregular "Kojo in the Community" special live panel programs, but will step down from daily broadcasts in April.

The announcement ends Nnamdi's 23-year run as the host of a noontime program that explored innumerable topics - transportation, education, gentrification, racial relations, architecture, food and culture - and almost all from a local perspective.

In a medium that tends to prize conflict and confrontation, Nnamdi conducted interviews with newsmakers and ordinary people with a calm and assured manner, his voice inflected with the rhythms of his native country, Guyana.

The station said Nnamdi's Monday-Thursday slot would be temporarily filled by "The Takeaway," a syndicated newsmagazine program produced in New York. His weekly politics program, co-hosted with Tom Sherwood, a former WRC and Washington Post journalist, will continue to air on Fridays.

A daily local program that would permanently replace Nnamdi's program is under development, WAMU said.

Nnamdi's semi-retirement is another major change for WAMU, one of the largest and most popular public radio stations in the country. Veteran host Diane Rehm ended her WAMU-produced and nationally syndicated interview program in 2016. Her replacement, Joshua Johnson, left for an anchor job at MSNBC in late 2019 after just under three years on the air. The station's general manager, J.J. Yore, who had overseen a dramatic increase in WAMU's revenue and membership roles, left in July amid staff complaints over his handling of sexual harassment and racial equity complaints.

Like public and commercial radio stations across the country, WAMU, which is owned by American University in Washington, has been hurt by the loss of listeners and sponsorship revenue during the pandemic. As a cost-cutting measure, it declined to renew contracts for 13 employees at the end of 2020. The station said the staff of Nnamdi's program would be laid off as well.

Born Rex Orville Montague Paul, Nnamdi changed his name in 1971, adopting the first name of Nigerian President Nnamdi Azikwe along with Kojo, which means "born on Monday" in the African Christian tradition, according to the WAMU-owned news site, DCist. He moved to Washington in 1969 after attending Montreal's McGill University and briefly becoming involved in the Black Power movement, including a short affiliation with the militant Black Panthers in New York.

He joined Howard University's WHUR-FM in 1973, serving as a news editor and then as news director. In 1985, he became the host of "Evening Exchange," a public-affairs program on the university's TV station.

Nnamdi replaced Derek McGinty in 1998 as the host of WAMU's daily talk program, renamed "The Kojo Nnamdi Show" in 2002. It focused almost exclusively on local issues, with a special emphasis on the region's changing character, including D.C.'s gradual transition from a Black-majority city to one more racially mixed. His program, especially the Friday politics show, became a must-stop for current and aspiring local and state officials, from D.C. Council members to governors.

"I think that people having a sense of place and a sense of ownership of place is very important, and I think we've contributed towards having people in this region feel like 'this is mine, this is ours,' " he told DCist.

"It's going to take a long time before the kind of reconciliation that we're talking about takes place, and that reconciliation is going to have to take place at several levels," he added. "Radio stations such as ours and a talk show such as mine can at the very least get people talking who would not normally be talking with one another."

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser on Wednesday praised Nnamdi's interviewing style. "His questions are insightful and they are direct," she said, "and they get to the bottom of the issue in a way that has not only informed but entertained his listeners for many many years."

Sherwood, who has co-hosted with Nnamdi on his Friday program for 12 years, said in an email that Nnamdi and his producers "have made more sense of the metropolitan Washington area than most any other electronic media. He connects with his audiences in substance and style," both on the radio and in person via his "Kojo in Your Community" appearances.

"My one complaint," joked Sherwood, "is that Kojo with his NPR approach is too polite and lets some windbag guests on 'The Politics Hour' ramble on way too long. Of course, that's why I am there - to intervene."

Nnamdi told DCist that he plans to travel once the pandemic subsides. He is also writing a memoir.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Tuesday called the Supreme Courts order of staying the implementation of three new farm laws till further notice a "resounding moral defeat" for the BJP-led government at the Centre.

Badal made the statement in a tweet, hours after the top court expressed concern over "lives and property of people affected" and slammed the Centre for not being able to resolve an agitation that has rumbled on for several weeks.

Todays Supreme Court order on farmers' issue is a resounding moral defeat of BJP govt at the Centre.But @Akali_Dal_ has grave concerns over reports that GoI is pushing in mercenaries among agitating farmers to incite violence & defame the most honourable & civilised struggle.1/4 Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 12, 2021

However, he also raised concerned over the SCs setting up of a committee of agricultural experts -- all of who have supported the farm laws publicly -- to resolve the logjam between the government and farmers.

The committee formed by SC, comprising supporters of #AntiFarmerActs, is a joke & unacceptable. It exposes the nexus between Punjab CM @capt_amarinder & BJP-led Centre. @Akali_Dal_ also objects to GoI allegations in SC that Khalistani elements have infiltrated the protest. 2/4 Sukhbir Singh Badal (@officeofssbadal) January 12, 2021

The SAD held its core committee meeting, led by Badal in the wake of the apex court order.

On Tuesday, The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the three controversial farm laws which are at the centre of the farmers agitation and said a four-member committee would be formed to take over negotiations to end the crisis. The committee has been directed to submit its recommendations within two months from first sitting.

Pramod Joshi, Ashok Gulati, Anil Ghanwat and Bhupinder Singh Mann were among those named to the panel.

The Supreme Court earlier said it was trying to solve the problem in the best way and had the power to suspend the laws for the moment.

"These are matters of life and death. We are concerned with laws. We are concerned with lives and property of people affected by the agitation. We are trying to solve the problem in the best way. One of the powers we have is to suspend the legislation," the Chief Justice said.

"We want to solve the problem and that's why we are making the committee. Give the names to us, we will decide," he added.

The top court also issued notice to farmers' unions on a Delhi Police plea to stop a tractor rally during the January 26 Republic Day parade.

During the hearing, the attorney general alleged the presence of Khalistani support for the farmers protests and presented the court with news clippings. The CJI said, If there is an infiltration by a banned organization, and somebody is making an allegation here on record, you have to confirm it. You file an affidavit by tomorrow.

The solicitor general said in court that the farmers were being misled. Farmers are being misled. Misgivings are being spread about the law. The law protects the farmer adequately, he said.

On Monday, the Supreme Court pulled up the Centre for its handling of the farmers protest and indicated that it may go to the extent of staying the implementation of the contentious farm laws.

"We are extremely disappointed with the negotiation process," the court said, adding, We don't want to make any stray observations on your negotiations but we are extremely disappointed with the process.

The apex court was hearing a clutch of pleas challenging the new farm laws as well as the ones raising issues related to the ongoing agitation at Delhi borders.

This is a very delicate situation, the bench said, adding, There is not a single petition before us which says that these farm laws are beneficial. We are not experts on economy; you tell us whether government is going to put on hold farm laws or we will do this, the bench said. We are sorry to say that Centre has not been able to solve the problem and the farmers agitation.
Republican Rep Adam Kinzinger is predicting more Republicans will join him in voting to impeach President Donald Trump. The House is set to vote Wednesday afternoon on impeaching Trump for a second time, accusing him of rallying a violent mob of supporters to attack the US Capitol last week. If that isn't an impeachable offense, Kinzinger said, I don't know what is. Several other Republicans are backing impeachment, including No 3 GOP leader Liz Cheney. This is one of these moments that transcends politics, the Illinois lawmaker told ...
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Gardai expect to make a number of new arrests, including of suspects who are currently serving jail sentences, in the coming months in relation to the murder of a teenager whose dismembered body parts were found in two locations in Dublin on this week last year.

The development comes as it has emerged that a suspect in the gruesome murder of the youth has recently relocated to the capitals north inner city from his Drogheda home which has been attacked by rivals.

The home of the man who was badly damaged in a petrol bomb attack when he was arrested last month by officers probing the shocking murder.

Two men have already been charged in connection with the murder of the 17-year-old who cannot be currently named for legal reasons.

There will be more arrests in this investigation and the expectation is that suspects will be brought out of prison. This remains a massive investigation and more charges are expected, a senior source said.

The chief suspect in the case was notorious north Dublin gangster Robbie Lawlor who was shot dead in Belfast last April.

Meanwhile senior sources say gardai continue to closely monitor the activities of criminals involved in the deadly Drogheda feud which has claimed four lives, with officers having major success against the feuding gangs over the past year.

Officers received intelligence that a 22-year-old criminal who is a key player in the so-called Anti-Maguire faction in the feud was due to fly home from his Mexican hideaway over the Christmas period but he never arrived back into the country.

An alert was put in place but there was no sighting of him. He was probably best advised as he would be arrested on sight as there are outstanding warrants out for him, the source said.

He fled Ireland with his 25-year-old gang boss brother almost a year ago in the chaotic aftermath of the brutal murder of the teenager but neither man is a suspect in that case.

They are mortal enemies of the gang led by paralyzed gang boss Owen Maguire who was left with life-altering injuries after being shot multiple times by Robbie Lawlor in 2018.

Since last Januarys murder gardai have continued with a major clampdown on the feuding gangs with 1.2m worth of drugs and 1.5m in cash seized in Co Louth in the past year with 200 people arrested for drug dealing.

In Drogheda alone, 95 drug dealing suspects were arrested and over 500,000 worth of drugs were seized in the Co Louth town under Operation Stratus.

Gardai keep on plugging away at these gangs and seizures are being made every week, the senior source.

It is not always seizures that get national headlines but they are often very significant on a local level. For example in the most recent surveillance operation, 2,500 in cash was seized at a house in Dunleer on Tuesday and this would be typical of what is constantly going on.

Every day gardai are attempting to chip away at the gangs  out of the 95 drug dealing arrests in Drogheda the past year it seems pretty much an arrest ratio of 50/50 between both factions, the source added.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Amazon.com has alleged that Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group is misleading Indian regulators and the general public by mischaracterizing" a Delhi high court order on their dispute over Futures 25,000 crore deal with Reliance Industries Ltd.

The US e-commerce company made the claim on Monday while requesting the high court to review its 21 December order and stop hearing the lawsuit filed by Future Group against Amazon.

On 21 December, the Delhi high court ordered against Future Groups suit by allowing Amazon to approach any regulator regarding the RIL-Future deal.

Future Retail Ltd has been mischaracterizing certain prima facie observations in the impugned order in an attempt to mislead the statutory regulators/authorities as well as the general public," Amazon said in its application to the court.

Amazon also asked the court to stay further proceedings in the matter.

On 29 August, Future Group announced that RIL has entered into an agreement with Future Retail Ltd and other Future Group firms to buy the latters retail, wholesale, logistics and warehouse assets for 24,713 crore.

Amazon challenged this at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) on 5 October, stating that since Future Group did not take Amazons consent before forging an alliance with RIL, it breached contractual agreements that were made with Amazon in August 2019, when Future Coupons Pvt. Ltd (FCPL, a promoter of FRL) sold a 49% stake to Amazon.

On 25 October, the SIAC restrained Future Group from taking any steps to sell assets or forge any deal with RIL.

Amazon on Monday claimed that just two days after the court passed its order, on 23 December, FRL issued letters to exchanges and Sebi, submitting a purported summary of the order stating that the entire legal basis of the EA (emergency arbitrator, that is SIAC) order stands vitiated".

This was patently incorrect as nowhere in the impugned order did the learned single judge make any observation on the merits of the EA order," said Amazon.

"In fact, the court on 21 December found that neither the merits of the EA order nor its legality was an issue in the suit that was filed by Future Group to restrain Amazon from interfering in the RIL-Future deal or approaching any regulator in this regard," said Amazon.

However, on account of several extraneous observations, FRL continues to misrepresent the true effect of the learned single judges directions to the statutory authorities," said Amazon.

On 31 December, FRL wrote another letter to Sebi alleging that the substratum of the EA order stood invalidated by the impugned order of the court.

Amazon stated that FRL too agreed to participate in the arbitration proceedings and therefore it is entitled to take appropriate recourse against the EA order as per SIAC rules and the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. In fact, the arbitral tribunal has already been constituted," said Amazon.

Amazon, in its appeal, said the court should rectify its 21 December order and specifically direct Future Group and Amazon to pursue the case at SIAC since the court itself has upheld the interim order of SIACs emergency arbitrator to be valid and binding.

In a separate application, Amazon, citing Section 8 of the Arbitration Act, has asked the court to stop hearing on the matter for the time being and avoid intervening in the Amazon-Future dispute until the time SIAC passes its final judgment.

Amazon said since the SIAC is already in the process of hearing the case and has formed an arbitral tribunal to pass the final judgment, the Delhi high court should dismiss Future Groups suit against Amazon and stay further proceedings. It said the 21 December order made observations that are contradictory in nature and hence the order should be reviewed.

The arbitration proceedings were initiated on account of disputes that have arisen between the parties in connection with the shareholders agreement dated 22 August 2019, the share subscription agreement dated 12 August 2019 and another shareholders agreement dated 22 August 2019.

The arbitration agreement is an integral part of the agreements and constitutes the chosen mode of dispute resolution between the parties under the aegis of the SIAC.

Amazon told the Delhi high court to dismiss Future Groups suit and ask both parties to act as per SIACs directions since Section 8 of Indias own Arbitration Act states that any judicial authority (in this case Delhi high court) before which an action is brought in a matter relating to an arbitration agreement, is compelled to refer the parties to arbitration (in this case SIAC) only, irrespective of any judgment, decree or order of the Supreme Court or any other court.

The learned single judge erroneously observed the suit to be maintainable, contrary to Section 5 and Section 8 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996; and while declining to interfere with the merits of the EA order and upholding its legal validity, the learned single judge made certain prima facie observations on the very same issues which were adjudicated in the EA order," said Amazon, adding that these observations (made by the Delhi court) are being relied upon by FRL to mount a collateral challenge to the EA order, which is contrary to the observations contained in the initial part of the high courts order.

Amazon also said that the courts observations in the order are contrary to settled law that a suit seeking prayers against the initiation/continuation of arbitration proceedings is not maintainable.

By observing the suit to be maintainable, the learned single judge ignored the salutary principles of non-interference with arbitration proceedings, enshrined in Section 5 read with Section 8 of the A&C Act," said Amazon.

The observations in the courts order suffers from nonapplication of mind the judge gravely erred by not rendering a finding on the existence of a jurisdictional fact, despite the invocation of the arbitration agreement by the appellant (Amazon) in the oral arguments and the written submissions placed before the judge. In the absence of a finding on this jurisdictional fact, the judge could not have proceeded any further in the suit. The Judge failed to dismiss the Suit and refer parties to arbitration despite the existence of a valid and operative arbitration agreement which had not been challenged," says Amazons appeal, which will come up for hearing on Wednesday.

By ignoring the settled position of law, the judge has passed observations on matters which are within the sole remit of the arbitration proceedings.

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[January 13, 2021] Castle Hall Issues ESG Due Diligence White Paper for Investors, Highlighting ESG Lessons From 2020

Castle Hall, the Due Diligence Company, today issued a new white paper outlining lessons from 2020 across the landscape of ESG investing. The stresses on health and equality created by Covid-19 were just one catalyst for unprecedented attention from investors to environmental, social and governance issues in the past year. As a result, effective ESG due diligence has become much more important at every stage in the institutional investment decision making process. The paper highlights five core topics across the ESG landscape in 2020: A turning point for diversity and inclusion in asset management Asset manager behaviour and reputational due diligence Fighting greenwashing Convergence (News - Alert) in sustainability reporting (rationalising the "alphabet soup") Is ESG investing just about making more money - or does "on the ground" impact matter too? A clear statement of the changing sentiments around ESG came from Carlos Joly, fellow of the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainability Leadership and chair of the expert group that drafted the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investing (the "UNPRI"). In a December 2020 interview with Investments and Pensions Europe magazine, Dr Joly noted "unless investors walk the walk, it's pretty clear they've signed up to UNPRI only because the ESG halo helps gather more assets and make more money". He added: "the UNPRI is right to get real and dismiss those who sign up under false pretences - good riddance to hypocrisy." Chris Addy, Castle Hall's Chief xecutive Officer, commented "there have been many changes in ESG due diligence since we first began our ESG work five years ago. We are seeing the next generation of ESG oversight from institutional asset owners, as ESG moves beyond manager self-reporting to more detailed diligence procedures."



Castle Hall works with institutional investors to support their ESG due diligence programs, at the level of the investment decision making process ("RIS", or Responsible Investment Strategy) and the management company itself ("RIM", or Responsible Investment Manager). Castle Hall also completes Reputational Due Diligence ("RDD") on asset management companies and related corporate executives, drawing on more than 30,000 legal and regulatory databases and global media sources. "Castle Hall helps investors build a more meaningful picture of ESG practices when hiring external asset managers," said Mr. Addy. "Is there actual evidence of inclusion of ESG factors when investment decisions are made - or is ESG just a greenwashed marketing veneer? And when hiring the management company, what is the firm's status in terms of enhancing employee diversity and inclusion, how does the firm seek to improve its environmental performance, and are there any lawsuits related to workplace misbehaviour such as sexual harassment?"

Castle Hall's white paper can be downloaded from esgdiligence.com, Castle Hall's dedicated ESG website. About Castle Hall Castle Hall Diligence helps investors worldwide manage the operational, ESG, cyber and investment risks of asset managers. Castle Hall's core competitive advantage is DiligenceHub, the firm's proprietary online diligence platform, which has helped clients review diligence across several thousand fund entities. More information is available at www.castlehalldiligence.com and www.esgdiligence.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005648/en/

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Supreme Court orders Nevada gov. to respond to challenge over states worship restrictions Supreme Court orders Nev. gov. to address worship restrictions

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The United States Supreme Court has ordered the governor of Nevada to respond to a lawsuit from a church alleging that the states restrictions on in-person worship services violate their constitutional rights.

According to the courts order, one of many handed down on Monday, The respondents are directed to file a response to the petition on or before noon, Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Petitioner may file a reply brief on or before noon, Thursday January 21, 2021.

The Lyon County-based Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley has been engaged in a lengthy legal battle with Gov. Steve Sisolak, D-Nev., Attorney General Aaron Ford, and Lyon County Sheriff Frank Hunewill over worship restrictions imposed in the state as a result of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The most recent development in the case came in December, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down restrictions that prevented the church from holding in-person worship services with more than 50 people in attendance.

The appellate court cited the Supreme Court decision in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, which struck down worship restrictions in New York state, in its reasoning. The Ninth Circuits ruling reversed a lower court decision upholding the restrictions. As a result of the ruling, the church could hold in-person worship at 25% capacity.

Following the Ninth Circuits decision, attorneys for the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has represented the church throughout its legal battles, filed a brief with the Supreme Court, which Sisolak and the other respondents have been asked to respond to. The attorneys praised the appellate court for doing a commendable job applying Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo but argued that this Courts review is still needed.

After concluding that the Nevada governor treats places of worship less favorably than many secular entities, the court of appeals granted a preliminary injunction allowing Calvary Chapel to meet at a 25% capacity limit, the same as casinos, museums, and some others in the governors most recent order  That was error, the attorneys said.

The brief argued that instead, the Ninth Circuit should have required that Calvary Chapel be treated no less well than businesses Nevada considers essential, which do not have capacity limits other than the effective limit caused by adhering to social distancing guidelines.

With no record evidence that places of worship are greater sources of COVID-19 spread than are manufacturing facilities and professional offices, the governor treated places of worship less favorably and without trying less restrictive rules. That violates the Constitution.

Over the summer, Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley unsuccessfully petitioned the Supreme Court to invalidate the worship restrictions. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 against the church. The makeup of the court has changed in that time, with Amy Coney Barrett replacing the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of the five justices who voted to deny Calvary Chapel Dayton Valleys request to lift Nevadas worship restrictions.

Barrett was part of the majority in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo, which was handed down in November. Since the four remaining justices who voted to uphold the states worship restrictions also sided with the state of Nevada against Calvary Chapel Dayton Valley along with Ginsburg, Barretts appointment made all the difference in the outcome of the case.

Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo is one of several occasions in recent months where the Supreme Court has sided with churches as they seek to challenge worship restrictions in their respective states. Last month, the court ordered a lower court to rehear a lawsuit brought by Harvest Rock Church and others against Californias worship restrictions in light of its decision in Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo.

Later in December, the Supreme Court sided with churches in Colorado and New Jersey as they sought relief from their respective states worship restrictions. In addition to spurring a multitude of lawsuits, worship restrictions on indoor church services imposed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic have led to a new outdoor church movement called Let Us Worship, spearheaded by worship artist Sean Feucht.
An evangelical prophet received death threats following his apology for his "wrong prophecy" about President Donald Trump.

The Christian Post reported that prophet Jeremiah Johnson is now receiving death threats following his apology to his followers regarding his "inaccurate" prophesy that Trump would win a second term as president of the United States.

"Over the last 72 hours, I have received multiple death threats and thousands upon thousands of emails from Christians saying the nastiest and most vulgar things I have ever heard toward my family and ministry," Johnson shared.

According to the report, Johnson released his official statement last Sunday saying that the recent death threats toward him showed that "parts of the prophetic/charismatic movement are far SICKER than I could have ever dreamed of" seeing that most of the threats he has received are from fellow Christians as well.

In the same statement, he called out Christians for their seeming idolatry of the outgoing president.

"I truthfully never realized how absolutely triggered and ballistic thousands and thousands of saints get about Donald Trump. It's terrifying! It's full of idolatry! If I helped to prop up this ideology concerning him, I will need to repent again and stir up even more hell," Johnson shared.

The prophet was referring to the riot incident in Capitol Hill where five people died - an unarmed woman shot by police, three from medical emergencies and a police officer who sustained various injuries while responding to the riots. The riot happened while lawmakers were processing the electoral certification to confirm the presidency of Joe Biden.

The leader of Jeremiah Johnson Ministries painstakingly shared how we was called "a coward, sellout, a traitor to the Holy Spirit, and cussed out at least 500 times."

What happened has cost his ministry to lose partners almost every hour and is still counting.

The prophet shared his heartache and wonder "at the barrage of continued conspiracy theories" sent his way in "pure hatred."

Johnson apologized for causing believers to doubt the voice of God adding that "God Himself is NOT a liar and His written Word should always be the foundation and source of our lives as Christians."

In his apology, Johnson said that he wants to "repent for inaccurately prophesying" but he also refused to put the blame on the saints because they did not pray enough. The prophet added that he was "beyond relieved that President Trump was only an assignment for a season and never a mandate."

Despite what had happened, the evangelical prophet emphasized that revival has never been dependent on who sits in the White House, but rather the One who sits on the Throne of Heaven.

Following his apology, Johnson promised to be more committed to the gospel and to continue preaching the Cross and the resurrection power of Christ.

"By God's grace I will walk in a greater measure of humility and repentance than ever before. I will learn from my mistakes and seek correction from Godly leaders always."

Read Johnson's entire statement below:
One month before the riot at the Capitol, more than 60 Republican state lawmakers from Pennsylvania signed onto a letter urging the states congressional delegation to object to results of the presidential election. Across the border in Maryland, a Republican state legislator helped organize buses to take people to the protest that preceded the riot. A West Virginia lawmaker went even further, donning a helmet as he filmed himself rushing the Capitol.

As the Republican Party begins to reckon with the fallout from the deadly insurrection, its being forced to confront a disquieting truth: the lie that ultimately led to the violence  that the election was stolen from President Donald Trump  drew far-reaching support from the partys governing class at every level, extending far beyond Congress and reaching deep into Americas statehouses.

Lawmakers from more than a dozen states attended the Jan. 6 rally, while scores more cheered on the Stop the Steal movement from afar. And in the days since the insurrection, these Republicans continued to question the election while giving air to debunked claims that antifa or other leftist agitators  not pro-Trump rioters  were primarily responsible for the destruction that followed.

I wouldnt trust a word that comes out of the FBIs mouth at this point, Mark Finchem, a Republican state representative from Arizona, said when asked about an FBI briefing of House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy that suggested no reason to believe antifa was involved.

Like many other Republican state lawmakers elected by pro-Trump Republicans who remain distrustful of the election, Finchem, who attended the rally but did not storm the building, said his job is to represent his constituents, and if that means I need to fight off the establishment types, Im good with that.

One week after the deadly insurrection and the certification of Joe Bidens victory, institutionalist Republicans are desperate to move the party past the events of last week. But in statehouses across the country, the prospect of a clean break has never seemed more remote.

Story continues

In Nevada, newly elected Assemblywoman Annie Black, facing calls to resign after attending the rally preceding the riot, told her supporters, Im not going anywhere, defending her attendance at an event she said was marred by some fringe elements. In Florida, state Rep. Anthony Sabatini on Tuesday was tweeting lists of Republicans WITH courage and those without, the latter group including Republican Sens. Mitt Romney and Lisa Murkowski, who have been critical of Trump. He called Rep. Liz Cheney, the Wyoming Republican who plans to support Trumps impeachment, a national security threat.

Pat Garofalo, a Republican state representative from Minnesota, said that in the riot last week there was a political epiphany for most Republicans that this is over, this is ridiculous  this is banana republic s---, we dont do that.

But even if no one is standing up and saying that this was justified, as Garofalo said, the idea that Trump had been robbed of the election was not far from home. Several of his colleagues had participated in a reportedly peaceful Storm the Capitol rally in Minnesota the same day the national Capitol was desecrated.

For Republicans involved in promoting Trumps claims about election fraud, the recriminations have been swift. Major corporate donors have announced they will withhold contributions from Republican lawmakers who objected to certifying the Electoral College votes last week. Facebook and Instagram permanently banned a top organizer of the Stop the Steal protest on Capitol Hill. One Republican group pledged to raise $50 million to help Republican lawmakers fend off potential primary challenges if they vote to impeach Trump, and as many as 10 Republican House members are reportedly considering doing just that.

But Trumpism was never primarily a feature of Washington, as state lawmakers who are attuned to their GOP constituencies know. A large majority of Republicans said after the election that they did not think it was free or fair, and fewer than one in five Republicans said after the riot last week that Trump should resign.

The physical violence represented a fringe element of the party. But the reason that Republicans were in Washington  loyalty to Trump, frustration with the election  is a fairly mainstream GOP position in many places. And so, too, is disbelief in the partys culpability.

I dont know that widespread means its a majority opinion or a prevailing opinion, but there are certainly a significant number of Republicans who have fallen for the myth that this was some a

antifa-instigated event, which it was not, said Ron Nehring, a former California Republican Party chairman who served as Sen. Ted Cruzs spokesman in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Nehring compared the moment for Republicans to one confronting the GOP in the 1960s, when William F. Buckley helped distance the party from racists and kooks. Today, the same must be done again with adherents of QAnon and the Proud Boys and similar groups, Nehring said.

Lamenting that not enough Republican leaders have made clear that, No, the election in fact was not stolen,' he said, Ive spent 32 years in the Republican Party, and Im not going to allow it to be defined by a bunch of racists and lunatics just because they put on a MAGA hat.

There have been sanctions for elected officials present at the Capitol as the mob breached the building. Del. Derrick Evans, the West Virginia lawmaker who entered the Capitol, faces criminal charges and resigned. Maryland Del. Daniel L. Cox, who helped organize buses to the rally and who called Vice President Mike Pence a traitor, was rebuked by the states Republican governor, Larry Hogan. And Democrats in states across the country have appealed for Republicans who participated in any part of the rally to leave office, as well.

But Republicans are largely more accommodating of their ranks. In Arizona, Finchem said hes been getting encouraging emails from around the country. He and other lawmakers who attended the rally are finding support in their own caucuses, as well.

In Alaska, where a Republican state lawmaker, David Eastman, has come under scrutiny for attending the rally and promoting claims about antifa, longtime state Sen. John Coghill regretted that rhetoric in American politics had reached a point where people are accusing each other of inciting a riot.

Like other Republicans, Coghill places blame for what he called a revved up political climate on Democrats as well as Republicans. Despite courts finding no evidence of widespread fraud, he said that in the absence of a more rigorous examination of the vote, conspiracy theories, accusations, they can run rampant.

Coghill, whose father was a signer of the state Constitution and who will leave the Senate next week after 22 years in elected office, said, I think theres enough blame to go on both sides.

In the Republican Partys base in the states, that view appears likely to have more currency than any interest in rooting out.

In Maryland, Del. Neil Parrott, called it very unfortunate that his colleague, Cox, was facing criticism for attending the rally.

The vast majority of people were simply there to support fair elections, said Parrott, who traveled to Pennsylvania to observe ballot counting after the election. They had no idea that some people were going to try to take over the rally and make it violent.

Parrott said that party infighting is not going to help us now and that, instead, its time for Republicans to get back to the basics, like why do we care about less government, lower taxes, giving power back to the people.

Likening the political options available to Republicans to sports, he said, Sometimes your plays get too complicated, you need to go back to the basics.

Matt Dixon contributed to this report.
An Illinois man has been charged by federal authorities with threatening to commit violence at the upcoming presidential inauguration, including making a threat to an unnamed U.S. House member from New Jersey, the U.S. Attorneys Office of Northern Illinois said Tuesday.

Louis Capriotti, 45, of Chicago Heights, Ill., is charged with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce after he allegedly called the New Jersey lawmaker on Dec. 29, saying we will kill any motherf---ing Democrat that steps on the motherf---ing lawn of the White House, according to the criminal complaint.

He said if people expect President-elect Joe Biden to be able to put his hand on the Bible during his inauguration and then walk into the White House, theyre sadly f---ing mistaken.

Capriotti allegedly closed his voicemail to the unnamed New Jersey lawmaker by saying he would like to put one in, a former N.J. governor, according to the complaint. Former Gov. Chris Christie is not named in the complaint, but he confirmed to NorthJersey.com that he was the target of the threat.

Law enforcement kept me and my family appropriately aware of the threat and we are relieved that Mr. Capriotti is now in custody, Christie said in a statement to the website.

Authorities said Capriotti, who allegedly described himself in the voicemail as a nine-year Marine, active duty, has a history of leaving profane voicemails for members of Congress.

Since 2017, Capriotti has allegedly left multiple members of Congress profane and threatening messages on their voicemails, according to the complaint. In these messages, he allegedly said that he had killed terrorists in past wars and would continue to do so. He allegedly called a U.S. House member from Pennsylvania a terrorist and told the lawmaker to choke in hell, according to the complaint.

Capriotti later told FBI agents that he never served in the military, according to the complaint.

During a February 2020 interview with federal authorities, Capriotti told FBI agents agents that he was just f---ing with them (the Members of Congress), and that he didnt mean any ill will.

Capriotti, who was arrested at near his Illinois home Tuesday, did not have an attorney listed as of Tuesday. He faces up to five years in federal prison.

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This post is part of Outward, Slates home for coverage of LGBTQ life, thought, and culture. Read more here.

As the new year dawns, gay male social media is embroiled in a state of self-described civil war. The cause? Densely packed circuit parties, sometimes with hundreds of attendees, being held in tropical destinations during a deadly pandemic. The conflict between critics and defenders of these events has snowballed into a swirl of Twitter brawls, Instagram vigilantism, influencer doxing, and questions about the limits of shared identity. At its core is a disagreement over the value of intracommunity callouts and criticism, which some call shaming and which others view as accountability. But if we want a workable means of actually encouraging safer behavior and reducing harm, were going to need a different type of conversation.

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For the uninitiated, circuit parties are large dance events predominantly thrown by and for gay men, typically associated with muscled and shirtless bodies, pounding music, drugs, and sex. These parties grew from the disco culture of the 1970s and 80s, as those who loved them would travel the circuit of fabulous global destinations to participate. Stereotypes abound about the predominantly white and affluent men known to frequent circuit parties (often referred to as circuit queens), as well as the arguably shallow and exclusionary culture they bolster. But, as many scholars and activists have countered, these events hold an important place in gay history by providing a unique space for joy, community, sexual liberation, and even fundraising for causes like HIV/AIDS or LGBTQ youth homelessness. As such, circuit parties exemplify some of the best and worst dimensions of gay culture, all under the same disco ball.

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The management of pleasure and risk during COVID has been an ongoing point of tension within the gay community. (See: the Fourth of July, when videos of crowded beaches on New Yorks Fire Island began to circulate.) But the conflict between gay men who continue to socialize in large groups and those who judge them reached a fever pitch this past December, when social media posts showed bars and parties in Miami and Fort Lauderdale full of unmasked patrons. Responses begged people to stay home on New Yearsor at the very least not travelfearing a euphoric night out might help fuel a new wave of infections in the weeks to come, much like a wedding in Maine did this past August. Then, earlier this month, many reacted in horror as word of circuit-style parties in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and neighboring regions trickled onto social media, showing hundreds of gay men dancing together, as though COVID would be kept out by the bouncers.

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The gay internet has been ablaze ever since. Many online commentators rejoiced when footage was released showing Brazilian authorities shutting down a party of thousands of maskless men in Rio de Janeiro. The schadenfreude only intensified when a party boat carrying 60 people capsized in Mexico. (Fortunately, only egos were hurt.) Social media accounts dedicated to exposing gay partiers have been sprouting up daily, the most notorious of which, @GaysOverCOVID, recently surpassed 100,000 followers and was included in a Good Morning America segment on COVID vigilantes. These accounts and their allies have dedicated themselves to outing partygoers, often revealing their personal names and workplaces or using smartphone location data to sleuth out their attendance. The fact that some of the partiers appear to be physicians, nurses, or other essential workers has only encouraged this sort of online activism. Asked to explain his motivations, the anonymous curator of @GaysOverCOVID told the journalists Alex Hawgood and Taylor Lorenz, I just want people to stay home and if we can save one life then I feel good.  We have to live more empathetic lives. Pointing out that the account only shares content already posted publicly to social media, he added, People say this is a shaming profile, but [the partiers] have no shame in what theyre doing.

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While some partiers simply dont care about the criticism and surveillance, others have pushed back, arguing that this public shaming is unjustified and does nothing to reduce harm. One group, organized under the hashtag #GaysOverKarens, even offered a $500 bounty for any information on the identity of the owner of @GaysOverCOVID, claiming the account is making the community as divisive as ever. Seeing how they like to put everybody under pressure, lets see how they feel like now that the target is on them, a member of the group wrote on Facebook. Party defenders invoke a right to consent to participate in these spaces, to act according to the survival of the fittest, and, if nothing else, to try to experience a modicum of joy during a year rife with misery and boredom. Some partiers simply call the detractors ugly and jealous.

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This conflict, of course, is not unique to the gay community; wealthy people of all stripes are continuing to travel and party. But it hits a nerve among gay folks because of the communitys particular relationship to pleasure and risk, a relationship forged especially through the AIDS crisis. As such, the circuit party civil war presents a prime opportunity to consider: How do we strive to have pleasurable lives in a pandemic while still reducing harm?

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As a public health and HIV researcher, and as a gay man who loves nightlife, I have been preoccupied with these tensions. Ill grant that its extremely difficult to find any sort of redeeming dimension to the pandemic partying. We have all made sacrifices; we are all bored and lonely; we all miss our lives. Predominantly white, wealthy gay men traveling to Mexicoone of the countries most burdened by COVIDto party during the height of the pandemic is callous disregard at best and colonialism at worst. (As many activists have pointed out, the white, wealthy partygoers have the resources and privilege to be insulated from harm, while poor individuals and people of color bear the disproportionate burden of the pandemic.) From this perspective, drawing attention to dangerous behavior isnt pious shaming. Its holding people rightfully accountable for the consequences of their actions.

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White, wealthy partygoers have the resources to be insulated from harm, while poor individuals and people of color bear the disproportionate burden of the pandemic.

But thats not the end of the story. The current dialogue is depicting two different and yet similarly caricatured camps: On one side, we have irredeemably selfish partiers who are supposedly motivated by nothing more than their toxic, trauma-induced attachments to sex and drugs. On the other, we have the Good Gays, who have nothing better to do but sit in their apartments all day and attack complete strangers online under the delusion that this will make an impact.

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I believe the conversation can, and must, be deepened. Binaries are seldom helpful, and the one that is emerging here is obfuscating the reality that we all live complex lives. We are at a critical moment in establishing what a sustainable approach to pleasure looks like, as pandemic fatigue intensifies and COVID deaths soar higher than ever. Although many like to imagine that the vaccines will be a panacea, the more likely reality is that inequitable access will increase disparities between those with more privilege and those with less. Dialogue that pushes us to sort people into one of two polarized camps is not going to help us reduce harm or lead pleasurable livesboth of which are important as the second wave stretches on and we each find ourselves in our own unique set of circumstances.

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So what can we do instead? First, we need to reckon with the uncomfortable reality that, even with a raging pandemic, there will be people who want to dance and socialize. I am not saying this is ideal or aligned with public health guidelines. I am not saying this is good. I am merely saying this has been empirically demonstrated. If we take as a starting place that there will be people who do this, we can begin to seriously consider how to reduce the harm of their actions, both to themselves and the others they put at risk.

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Perhaps we can engage promoters to collaborate for on-site testing or have an anonymous notification system where attendees can inform an event coordinator if they later test positive for COVID, much like many departments of health have for STIs. Perhaps organizers can exclusively host events outdoors or set the expectation of communal one-week party breaks, where attendees isolate afterward and rely on one another for social support while on the bench. Approaches like these are, of course, not the same as just not throwing a dance party. But, as harm-reductionist approaches to HIV and substance use have shown, interventions that are collaboratively generated with a community are more likely to generate buy-in and real results.

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Second, we need to continue questioning the difference between community accountability and shaming. Public health and behavioral science researchmuch of it grounded in working with communities affected by HIV, substance use, and stigmahas conclusively demonstrated that shaming is an ineffective and unsustainable means of changing behavior on a population level. Indeed, it tends to make people less accessible to intervention by pushing them further into secrecy. Publicly decrying individuals is cathartichell, it is even understandable after all the devastation weve been throughand it may stop some people from exposing others, but it will not completely solve the problem. The most effective interventions are those that occur upstream, like preventing venues from being allowed to host large events at all. Additionally, behavior surveillance often hits unintended targets: Last week, one of the whistleblower Instagram accounts for a major U.S. city exposed a series of peoples party behavior, followed by a post publicly exposing someones HIV statusan unconscionable violation of privacy.

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Third, even in the most shocking of circumstances, partiers are not caricatures we can just write off as dumb or bad; they are motivated, in part, by the universal and human desires to be social and seek pleasure. The more we are able to be in touch with this reality, the more we will be able to devise an approach that also serves the rest of usthose of us who may not be at a circuit party but who have also, at times, chosen to accept some level of risk to do something meaningful to us. While the ardent partiers and those at home may look at each others choices with confusion or anger, the resulting dialogue needs to acknowledge that fun and safety are not all-or-nothing propositions.

A world with zero parties is probably not going to happen. (After all, if it didnt happen now, when would it?) But the more harm-reduction options that are available, accessible, and normalized, the easier it will be for those choosing to partake to make safer choices. Establishing improved, more conscientious social lives during this pandemic is only going to be imaginable if our conversation accounts for this unruly reality. Thus far, the circuit civil war has not.
Michael Knight and Kitt are an '80s duo that every South African knows and loves. But what if Kitt was no longer in America? What if he had a new owner and a new best friend? Chicken Licken, together with their brand and communications agency, Joe Public United, reimagined this classic in a South African context to create a new off-the-wall film: "Nyathi Rider". The seamless connection with Knight Rider introduces South Africans to not just the new Super Slider but a new rider, Michael Nyathi.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 01:58:34|Editor: huaxia

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ISLAMABAD, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan held their second trilateral meeting here on Wednesday, expressing their determination to deepen cooperation in various fields.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov attended the meeting. The 1st meeting was held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2017.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, the foreign ministers said they explored possibilities of deepening trilateral cooperation in all areas of common interest, including peace and security, trade and investment, science and technology, education and cultural cooperation.

Qureshi said they also exchanged views on enhancing cooperation in the field of energy, environment and people to people contacts. He said special emphasis was made on increasing parliamentary and media exchanges among the three countries for better understanding and harmony.

Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu said on the occasion that the current trade volume between Pakistan and Turkey is much below the real potential of the two countries and this volume needs to be enhanced.

"Over 100 Turkish companies are currently working in Pakistan in diverse fields and we are encouraging more companies to come and invest in Pakistan," Cavusoglu said.

According to the Foreign Ministry of Pakistan, the meeting concluded with the signing of the Islamabad Declaration by the three foreign ministers.

The ministers discussed the far-reaching implications for economic growth and public health due to the COVID-19 pandemic, agreed to exchange information, research, expertise and best practices, and called for enhanced international cooperation and solidarity to effectively and comprehensibly addressing the challenge, the declaration said. Enditem
Gov. Phil Murphy plans to discuss the coronavirus pandemic and expanding the eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to those 65 and older at a Wednesday afternoon press conference.

The 1 p.m. briefing at the Trenton War Memorials George Washington Ballroom will be steamed lived on the governors YouTube.com channel.

State Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli, Dr. Eddy Bresnitz and State Police Superintendent Colonel Pat Callahan will join the governor.

There were 3,726 patients in the states 71 hospitals as of 10 p.m. Tuesday, a slight uptick from the 3,703 in the previous 24-hour period, according to a Wednesday morning update on the Department of Healths COVID-19 dashboard. Officials said 648 were receiving critical care and 452 were on ventilators.

The number of people hospitalized in the state has been relatively flat for more than a month and the state has not approached even the dire moderate model produced by health officials in December.

That December model said New Jersey would hit between 6,300 and 9,100 daily positive tests and between 5,700 and 7,100 patients hospitalized over the next two months.

Murphy on Tuesday disclosed 4,219 more COVID-19 cases and 108 additional deaths. More than 20,000 in New Jersey have died of virus-related cased in the past 10 months. At least 537,115 have tested positive in the state.

Meanwhile, there have been 243,734 vaccinations administered  219,126 first doses and 24,532 second doses.

Before traveling to Trenton, Murphy made morning television appearances on New Yorks PIX-11 and on Squawk Box on CNBC and discussed the vaccine eligibility expansion. He said the change would likely occur within days and more details would be revealed at the afternoon briefing.

A 9:30 a.m. he was scheduled to tour a county vaccination site at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus. Persichilli, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco, Bergen County Board of Commissioners Chairman Steve Tanelli, and Bergen New Bridge Medical Center President and CEO Deborah Visconi were to accompany the governor.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report. 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.

Kang Byung-won, president of Live, speaks after receiving the grand prize for the musical "Marie Curie" at the fifth Korea Musical Awards held at Blue Square in central Seoul, Monday. / Courtesy of Korea Musical Awards



By Kwon Mee-yoo



"Marie Curie," a musical focusing on the female scientist's achievements and her solidarity with her friend Anne, bagged five trophies at the fifth Korea Musical Awards held at Blue Square in central Seoul, Monday.



"Marie Curie" won the grand prize, awarded to the best Korean musical performed in a theater with more than 400 seats, as well as best director, best script, and best music prizes. The musical's producer Kang Byung-won of Live Corp. received the best producer award.



"Marie Curie" centers on the scientist's discovery of the new elements polonium and radium and their benefits in the form of cancer treatment, as well as the side effects of radioactive poisoning. The big win scored by the Korean musical reflects the increasing popularity of stories about women.



Director Kim Tae-hyung said Marie Curie was a great scientist who was a two-time Nobel laureate, but also a woman and a poor immigrant who suffered discrimination and prejudice.



"Still, Marie Curie fought against the prejudices faced by women and immigrants, while devoting her life to science. We have to try to understand the fear, as discrimination and hatred come from ignorance," Kim said.



Playwright Chun Se-eun noted that what Marie Curie discovered is related to human values.



"I realized the true meaning of human values after the show hit the stage. I found out there are people like Marie Curie among our crew and audience members," Chun said.



Kang of Live Corp. produced other musicals last year, including "City of Light" which shed light on the people who took part in the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement. He also produced "Fan Letter."



Kang thanked the cast and crew of "Marie Curie" as well as audience members who remained loyal patrons even during the pandemic.



Meanwhile, actress Ok Joo-hyun, who played Marie Curie in the musical and was nominated for the best actress award, sang the song "Another Name" from the musical during the award ceremony.





Winners of the fifth Korea Musical Awards pose for a photo during the award ceremony held at Blue Square in central Seoul, Monday. Clockwise from top left are best actress winner Kim Soo-ha, best actor winner Kang Pil-suk, best supporting actor winner Seo Kyung-su and best supporting actress Lee Bomsori. / Courtesy of Korea Musical Awards
As Connecticut restaurants and other businesses cash in checks for up to $20,000 from the state, Gov. Ned Lamonts economic development chief said Tuesday he expects the newest federal infusion to result in as much as $3.5 billion in assistance for companies able to obtain it.

On Monday, the U.S. Department of the Treasury reopened the Paycheck Protection Program for new applications, offering loans that can be forgiven if companies do not furlough employees. After large banks dominated PPPs initial round last year  leading many small business owners to complain of getting shut out out of the money  smaller community lending institutions were given first crack at taking applications on Monday.

More than 64,000 Connecticut businesses were approved for $6.7 billion under the program last year, amounting to just over $100,000 each or roughly $10,000 for each job saved under the program.

With banks swamped last spring with applications that delayed disbursement of PPP funding, the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development created a bridge loan program to provide immediate assistance. DECD Commissioner David Lehman said Tuesday Connecticut should be in line for as much as $3.5 billion if businesses actively seek funding under PPP.

With federal funding last year from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, DECD created a $50 million program to award $5,000 grants to small businesses. That was followed by a $35 million program freeing up grants between $10,000 and $20,000 for hospitality industry businesses; and a $9 million grant program supporting nonprofits.

Speaking Tuesday on a Zoom conference, Lamont and Lehman said they see the PPP program as the best bridge for assistance to get businesses through the next few months, until COVID-19 vaccines become available more broadly and the return of warmer weather provides a boost for restaurants that are able to generate additional revenue through expanded dining outdoors. Lamont did not rule out the possibility of additional state aid for businesses, but suggested he wanted to see the impact of the newest PPP round of funding before determining any steps.

Were trying to do everything we can to keep the restaurants and (other) businesses open, Lamont said Tuesday. This 60-to-90 day period is really key to make sure your businesses stay in business, to get to that warmer day.

State Sen. Joan Hartley, D-Waterbury, and Rep. Caroline Simmons, D-Stamford, are chairs of the Commerce Committee in the Connecticut General Assembly, which has been assigned an early piece of legislation to grow the economy by supporting diverse economic opportunities, worker protections and small business revitalization, with no further details available immediately on Tuesday.

On the Zoom call Tuesday, a Hartford apparel store owner spoke through tears in describing her relief at receiving news she had qualified for state aid, and in describing the impact of office closures on downtown Hartford businesses.

Im not sure if anyone realizes whats happening in downtown Hartford  our state capital right now is totally crumbling and is devastated, said Jody Morneault, owner of Morneaults Stackpole Moore Tryon. We are literally living on savings and credit cards  and I dont want to close my store.

Dan Meiser, chair of the Connecticut Restaurant Association, said he has experienced two sides of the pandemic in the five businesses he runs in Stonington and its tourist village of Mystic.

Two of my restaurants, Oyster Club and Engine Room, those are your more-traditional, sit-down restaurants  those were the hardest hit, Meiser said. The flip side of that is we also have two casual, to-go concepts with Grass & Bone  which is a butcher shop and a market  and Nanas (Bakery and Pizza), which quite frankly have thrived in this environment of ... takeout and delivery.

Meiser said Oyster Club received a state grant, and that he can only hope business will rebound for the rest come April when the newest round of PPP funding runs its course.

Were really hoping, especially as we go into the spring and summer, that were going to see a pop, a boomerang effect, ... of people that have been isolated and quarantined at home this past year who really want to get out and get back involved with their communities and support their local economies, Meiser said. For us, this bridge grant program was critical (and) I know it was critical for so many other restaurants ... throughout the state, coupled with the second round of PPP.

Other options might include easing regulations to help businesses in the short-term and support for businesses launching new operations as a result of the pandemic, according to David Lewis, CEO of the Norwalk-based human resources consulting and training firm OperationsInc and a board member of the Connecticut Business & Industry Association. Lewis added commercial real estate property owners are on the short-list of those needing assistance.

Landlords are getting their clocks cleaned, Lewis stated Tuesday in an email. If a business [tenant] is otherwise healthy then they should be paying rent. Eviction moratoriums aside, landlords need some love from the state and need to be shown the light at the end of the tunnel. You must pair up some of the ... initiatives with ways to help get cash flowing to landlords again, especially those that own retail spaces.

Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 14)  President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday defended the national government's preference for China-made COVID-19 vaccines for the country's vaccination program.

The President explained the vaccines produced by Chinese firms such as Sinovac are as good as those made by American and European pharmaceutical companies.

"Hindi nagkulang ang Chinese. Hindi sila nagkulang sa utak. Bright itong mga Instik at they would not venture kung hindi sapat, it is not safe, sure, and secure," Duterte said during the weekly briefing of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

[Translation: The Chinese did not fail (in producing the vaccine). They are not stupid. The Chinese are bright and they would not venture (into vaccine production) if they know those will not be safe, sure, and secure.]

Duterte made the declaration despite the report of the Butantan Institute and the Government of Sao Paulo in Brazil published on Wednesday, which showed the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine only achieved a 50.38% overall efficacy rate in their clinical study.

While the number meets the threshold required by global regulators for approval, it falls far below the 78% figure announced by Brazilian scientists last week.

Duterte expressed his confidence with vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on the country's direction towards vaccinating its most vulnerable sectors during this pandemic.

"Ako, kung ano ang piliin ni Secretary Galvez would bind me. Parang ako na rin ang bumili ng bakuna," said Duterte.

[Translation: Whatever Secretary Galvez chooses would bind me. It's like I'm the one who bought the vaccine.]

Malacanang on Tuesday confirmed the first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines that will arrive in the country on February will be given to healthcare workers fighting COVID-19. The initial batch of 50,000 doses will come from Sinovac.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque even made a controversial remark, saying Filipinos cannot be "picky" once a vaccine becomes available for rollout in the country.

Last in line

Duterte also said he and other government officials will be the last one to be vaccinated, maintaining that frontline workers and the poor will be prioritized.

"Huli na kami. Kung may maiwan para sa amin, kay Bong [Go], kay Secretary [Delfin] Lorenzana, kung may maiwan, edi para sa tin. Unahin natin sila," said Duterte.

[Translation: We will be the last one. If there will be left for us, for Bong, for Secretary Lorenzana, then we will have them. Let's prioritize them.]

Among those who will be prioritized to get shots are healthcare workers, teachers, social workers, other essential workers outside the health and education sector, overseas workers, and uniformed personnel.

"Wala naman itong diskriminasyon, ang hinabol lang natin dito ay sino yung vulnerable, nutrition-wise, di masyado yung pagkain, walang vitamins, sila yung matamaan if the pandemic will remain as it is," said Duterte. "But anyway, all will have their vaccines, I assure you."

[Translation: There's no discrimination here, we are looking after the vulnerable, nutrition-wise, those who do not eat enough, do not have vitamins, they are the ones who will easily be infected if the pandemic will remain as it is. But anyway, all will have their vaccines, I assure you."

Last December, Malacanang said Duterte is willing to go first in line for a COVID-19 vaccine once approved by the Food and Drug Administration for emergency use.

It can also be recalled that Senator Bong Go dared Galvez and Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to be among the first ones to be inoculated once vaccines are available to prove their safety.
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The US House of Representatives is expected to impeach President Donald Trump as soon as Wednesday, accusing him of inciting insurrection ahead of last weeks storming of the Capitol.

The following is a primer on what a second impeachment proceeding of Trump would look like and how lawmakers could block Trump from running for president in 2024.

How does impeachment work?

A misconception about impeachment is that it refers to the removal of a president from office. In fact, impeachment refers only to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, bringing charges that a president engaged in high crimes or misdemeanors.

If a simple majority of the Houses 435 members approves bringing charges, known as articles of impeachment, the process moves to the Senate, the upper chamber, which holds a trial. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and remove a president.

House Democrats have accused Trump of inciting the lawless action that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Trump on Tuesday told reporters that his speech to protesters before the Capitol was stormed was totally appropriate.

When will the Senate hold a trial?

The top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell, has said that because the Senate is in recess, the earliest a trial could begin is Jan. 20, the day of Bidens inauguration ceremony. To start sooner, all 100 senators would need to vote in favor of doing so.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is exploring using emergency authority to reconvene the Senate before then, a senior Democratic aide said on Monday. Such a move would require McConnells approval.

Impeachment experts said the Senate is free to set its own rules and could hold a trial in a single day if it wanted to.

Why have an impeachment trial if Trump is already gone?

Impeachment could be used to remove Trump from office and to disqualify him from holding political office in the future.

Two historical precedents, both involving federal judges, make clear that the Senate could also vote to disqualify the president from holding office in the future, with only a simple majority needed.

Paul Campos, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Colorado, said that even if the Senate does not convict the president, senators could hold a second, separate vote to prevent him from future office.

That would mean Democrats, who will take control of the Senate later in January, could bar Trump from running for president in 2024 even without the support of Republican senators.

Trump could, however, try to challenge such a determination in court, Campos said. The Supreme Court in 1992 said it would not second-guess the Senates decisions about how to handle impeachment proceedings.

The Senate has great latitude in deciding how it wants to conduct a trial, Campos said.

Other legal experts, however, said the Senate could only prevent Trump from holding office if it first votes to convict him in the impeachment trial.

Lawmakers could also declare that Trump engaged in insurrection or rebellion under the 14th Amendment to prevent him from running again. This would require a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Two-thirds of each chamber can subsequently vote to lift the ban.

Has a U.S. president ever been impeached twice?

No, but legal experts said it is clearly constitutional for Congress to do so.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over his dealings with Ukraine about political rival Joe Biden, now the president-elect. Trump was acquitted by the Republican-led Senate in February 2020.
Two Virginia police officers have been arrested after taking a selfie during the Capitol riot and then allegedly boasting about their actions on Facebook.

Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker, of the Rocky Mount Police Department, were charged Wednesday with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

They had already been placed on leave after going to the deadly riot and posing in front of a statue of John Stark, a general during the American Revolution.

In a screenshot of a Facebook post that was circulating on social media, Robertson allegedly wrote, 'CNN and the Left are just mad because we actually attacked the government who is the problem and not some random small business.

'The right IN ONE DAY took the f***ing U.S. Capitol. Keep poking us.'

Sgt Robertson had told The Roanoke Times that he and officer Fracker, who were both off-duty, did nothing illegal in Washington on January 6, when a mob of supporters of President Donald Trump stormed into the Capitol after Trump repeated bogus claims of election fraud at a rally near the White House.

The Army veteran is said to have posted he was 'f***ing PROUD' of the selfie.

Thomas Robertson and Jacob Fracker, of the Rocky Mount Police Department, were charged Wednesday with knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Fracker in a now deleted post is said to have written: 'Lol to anyone who's possibly concerned about the picture of me going around... Sorry I hate freedom? Sorry I fought hard for it and lost friends for it?

'Not like I did anything illegal, WAY too much to lose to go there but, ya'll do what you feel you need to lol.

'I can protest for what I believe in and still support your protest fro [sic] what you believe in. Just saying..after all, I fought for the right to do it'

Five people were killed, including a Capitol Police officer and a Trump supporter.

Army vet Robertson is said to have posted he was 'f***ing PROUD' of the selfie

Fracker in a now deleted post is said to have written: 'Lol to anyone who's possibly concerned about the picture of me going around... Sorry I hate freedom?'

Robertson said he does not support the violence that happened inside the Capitol. 'Absolutely not,' he said. 'For it to go like that is absolutely ridiculous.'

Robertson said he and Fracker went into the building at about 2 p.m. or 3 p.m.

'We were escorted in by the Capitol Police, shown around and told, `As long as you stay here, youre fine.' They stayed in cordoned areas, he said.

Robertson said he and Fracker were not aware at the time that the rally had turned violent.

'The Capitol building is as big as our town,' he said. 'Where I was at there was no violence. There was no fighting with police officers. The door was wide open and police officers were actually handing bottles of water out to people that came in.'

Robertson, pictured on the day said he and Fracker went into the building at about 2 or 3pm

Riot police push back a crowd of supporters of US President Donald Trump after they stormed the Capitol building on January 6

Supporters loyal to President Donald Trump clash with authorities before successfully breaching the Capitol building during a riot on the grounds last Wednesday

He told ABC13: 'There was absolutely no indication that we were anything but welcome to check out certain places. We did not participate in any violence or property damage.'

On Sunday, the Rocky Mount Police Department said it notified federal authorities that two of its off-duty officers were present at an 'event' in Washington on January 6.

'The Town of Rocky Mount fully supports all lawful expressions of freedom of speech and assembly by its employees but does not condone the unlawful acts that occurred that day,' a town statement said.

They said Wednesday: 'Two Rocky Mount Police Department officers were charged by federal authorities with misdemeanors stemming from their presence at an event in Washington, D.C. on January 6, 2021.

'The Towns review of this matter is ongoing and the officers remain on administrative leave.'

Two Capitol cops are suspended and 17 are under investigation for conduct during invasion - including one who took selfies and another who put on a MAGA hat and took rioters around Capitol

Two officers with the Capitol Police have been suspended, a congressman said on Monday, as it emerged a total of 17 Capitol Police officers are being investigated.

One was suspended for taking a selfie with a rioter. Another was suspended for putting on a MAGA hat and acting as a 'guide' for rioters around the Capitol.

The selfie moment was captured by journalist Timothy Burke, and posted to Twitter in a tweet now retweeted 233,000 times, and 'liked' 220,000 times.

News of their suspension was confirmed by Tim Ryan, an Ohio representative who chairs a House panel probing last week's events.

Ryan had said an officer had been arrested but a spokesperson for the congressman later said that was not the case. Ryan also said interim Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman is taking 'aggressive action' to see if there was any internal 'help' by officers in the Capitol chaos.

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A Capitol Police officer who posed for a selfie with a rioter (above) has been suspended

Instead of repelling the intruders from the building, the officer hung out with them

'I know there were two people suspended,' he said on Monday, in a press conference giving an update on progress in his inquiry.

'One was the selfie officer and another was an officer who put a MAGA hat on and started directing some people around.'

Neither officer has been named.

A photograph taken by @Report4America's Chris Jones showed a Capitol Police officer in a MAGA hat, holding a megaphone and addressing the mob.

Jones reported that the officer put on the hat in an attempt to get the attention of the rioters, and distract the crowd surging toward an open door of the building.

As the officer waded into the frenzied group, he became surrounded, giving other police officers the chance to shut the doors behind him, Jones told Military.com.

The actions of some of the officers during the insurrection sparked fury, with Joe Biden among those noting that if the rioters had been with Black Lives Matter they would have received very different treatment.

The chief of the Capitol Police resigned after the building was invaded for the first time since 1814, and the Sergeants-at-Arms of both the House and Senate were forced to quit.

Others have been praised for their actions, including Eugene Goodman, who averted a possible disaster by distracting the frenzied mob and provoking them to follow him away from the unlocked Senate chamber door.

In a different incident from the riot, Capitol cop Eugene Goodman is seen running away from the mob, leading them from the Senate. He is being hailed as a hero

One member of the Capitol Police, Brian Sicknick, 42, died on Thursday after he was hit with a fire extinguisher during the riot.

The family of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick (pictured) released a heartbreaking statement remembering him as a 'lovely, humble soul' on Monday

Another who was on duty on Wednesday, Howard Liebengood, died by suicide on Saturday.

Four rioters died - one Californian woman, Ashli Babbitt, shot dead by Capitol Police; and three others who died during medical emergencies.

'You can peacefully protest, you can have your opinion, you can scream from the rooftop about your opinion, but you can't impede the process, the constitutional process that we have been following in this country for over 200 years,' Ryan said.

'They were illegal acts and those people should have been immediately arrested.'

He condemned Donald Trump for his unwillingness to concede and for continuing to claim that the election was fraudulent.

He also questioned security at the Capitol.

The mob overran the Capitol Police shortly after Trump urged them to 'fight' on his behalf

Prosecutors say charges are just beginning amid a massive operation to punish those involved

Doug Jensen from Iowa, in a QAnon hoodie, was arrested on Saturday after his role in the riots

'There were clearly enormous strategic and planning failures by the Capitol police, by the Sergeant At Arms, and anybody else who was a part of coordinating this effort,' he said.

'I think it's pretty clear that

'They were illegal acts and those people should have been immediately arrested,' said Ryan.

He went on to condemn President Trump for his unwillingness to concede and continuous claims that the election was fraudulent. He also questioned security at the Capitol.

'There were clearly enormous strategic and planning failures by the Capitol police, by the Sergeant At Arms, and anybody else who was a part of coordinating this effort,' he said.

'I think it's pretty clear that there's going to be a number of people without employment very very soon.'

THE RIOTERS AND THEIR CHARGES SO FAR Hundreds remain unaccounted for and not everyone who has been arrested has been named. These are some of the most prominent who have been named and shamed. Richard Barnett, 60 Charged for breaking into Pelosi's office. The self-proclaimed White Nationalist boasted about it afterwards. He even left a threatening note on Pelosi's desk which read 'we will not back down'. Barnett, 60, left the Capitol unstopped. He was eventually arrested in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he is from. Jake Angeli Chansley aka QAnon Shaman, 33 Jacob Angeli Chansley was arrested on Saturday in connection with the riot. He was one of the stand-outs from the insurrection because of his outlandish outfit. He has been charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. Adam Johnson, 36 Adam Johnson, 36, was arrested by federal marshals in Florida on Friday and is currently being held at the Pinellas County Jail, according to arrest records. Lonnie Coffman, 70 Charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and carrying without a license. He had 11 Molotov cocktails in his truck, two handguns, and an M4 Carbine assault rifle. Bradley Rukstales, 52 CEO of a Illinois-based data analytics firm. Rukstales has been charged with entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct. He said entering the Capitol was the worst decision of his life, and has been fired from his job. Mark Leffingwell - Entering a restricted building, punching a cop Christopher Alberts - Carrying a 9mm gun Joshua Pruitt- Entering restricted building Matthew Council - entering restricted building, disorderly conduct Cindy Fitchett - entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct, violent entry Michael Curzio - entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct Douglas Sweet - entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct Terry Brown - entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct Thomas Gallagher - entering a restricted building, disorderly conduct Advertisement

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Madeleine Stowe stays young looking even though she is heading toward retirement age.

On Monday the 62-year-old Revenge actress made a rare sighting in Los Angeles as she proved she still has a youthful face and slender figure.

The star - who is best known for her films The Last Of The Mohicans (1992), 12 Monkeys (1995) and The General's Daughter (1999) - was dressed casually as she took her lap dog out.

Still a beauty: Madeleine Stowe made a rare sighting in Los Angeles on Monday as she proven she still has a youthful face and slender figure

The Hollywood staple, who is married to 64-year-old Private Practice veteran Brian Benben, wore a light gray military style coat with red piping and bronze buttons for her casual outing.

Underneath was a blue-and-white plaid button down shirt.

The cover girl also had on torn and frayed boyfriend jeans that covered her pinup figure.

And the silver screen staple added comfortable looking brown boots that were faded at the toe.

Winter attire: The Hollywood staple, who is married to 64-year-old Private Practice veteran Brian Benben, wore a light gray military style coat with red piping and bronze buttons for her casual outing

Her long hair was worn down in soft waves and she had minimal makeup on as she was seen outside her gray car.

Stowe and Benben met on the set of NBC's The Gangster Chronicles and married in 1982. They share a daughter May who was born in 2006.

Most recently, Stowe appeared in the Netflix series Soundtrack as Margot Weston while Benben was last seen on Bravo's Imposters that ran for two seasons in 2017 and 2018.

In 2018 she talked to Gulf News about how movies in Hollywood have changed since the 1990s when she was at the top of her career.

A youthful glow: Her long hair was worn down in soft waves and she had minimal makeup on as she was seen outside her gray car

'They don't make [movies] like Last of the Mohicans or 12 Monkeys [anymore],' said the star.

'You know, the films that were made for budgets anywhere between 35 million and 80 million dollars, they don't do that.

'They do the 200 million or they do everything under 15, and so all actors now are moving into television,' she said, calling it an 'interesting adventure.'

One of Hollywood prettiest actresses: Here Stowe was glamorous at the premiere of Snatch at the Directors Guild in LA in 2001

And she touched on the MeToo movement.

'I have to tell you funny story. I have never had a #MeToo moment in the industry. I was one of the really lucky ones. But apparently, it was rampant, so much so that I was sort of shocked,' said Stowe.

She worked in the films Playing by Heart (1998) and Imposter (2001) that were overseen by convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein.

A classic: The 1992 film The Last Of The Mohicans, with, from left, Stowe, Johdi May, Steven Waddington and Daniel Day-Lewis

Her early work: In the 1978 film The Nativity with John Shea as Joseph and Madeleine as Mary

'I had dealings with Harvey Weinstein and never had a problem, because he was always trying to convince me to do a movie, so it's always the balance of power, and I didn't want to do them,' said Stowe.

'And he would end up talking me into it. But I never had anyone being anything other than courteous. And if you were right for a project, you were right, if you weren't  to me, it was very transactional... But it's women who don't have the power to speak up, who have to deal with a lot of harassment in the workplace that it's a real cause for concern. And it's really important that the experience of actresses during the #MeToo movement do not overshadow what real women are going through,' Stowe added.
Persatuan Insurans Am Malaysia (PIAM) has provided assurance that claims incurred during the Emergency Proclamation period will be paid as normal. This is in response to Malaysia being declared under a state of national emergency until 1 August to battle the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

PIAM wishes to assure all general insurance policyholders that claims incurred during the Emergency Proclamation period will be paid according to their policy terms and conditions, the general insurance association of Malaysia said in a statement.

PIAM advised all policyholders, including both businesses and individuals, to obtain more information from their respective insurance companies on the matter.

In a separate announcement, PIAM also stated that its members would be expediting insurance claims for flood victims who had purchased flood cover as part of their general insurance policy. PIAM member companies will process all flood claims so long as flood is an insured peril, regardless of whether a state of emergency is declared or not, the statement read.

PIAM member companies are committed to expediting the flood claims by reaching out to claimants and preparing to waive claim forms or supporting documents for shorter turnaround times. Insurance companies are also prepared to offer special waivers for proof of reinstatement policies, allow application of average on policies that are underinsured, and grant waivers on excess applicable on personal line policies, it said.

All the same, policyholders are advised to check with their insurance companies for more detailed clarification on relief measures or waivers that are in place. Moreover, coverage for flood-related loss or damage is usually purchased as an extension since it is typically excluded from standard motor and fire policies. Therefore, policyholders are advised to check their policies to determine whether or not they are covered for floods.

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The Global Fund has signed $8.54 billion worth of grants for lifesaving programmes to reduce the burden of HIV, tuberculosis and malaria in the world.

The Global Fund, in a statement published on its website on Tuesday, said it signed 157 grants for a total of $8.54 billion for lifesaving programmes to strengthen health systems globally.

This is the highest amount of grants ever signed in a single year by the Global Fund, it said. The implementation will begin in January.

Global Fund

The Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is an innovative international financing mechanism established by the United Nations in 2002, with its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

It is a pool where countries, public and private institutions donate money for disbursement according to HIV, TB and malaria needs of countries.

From 2001 through 2016, the largest contributor by far was the United States, followed by France, UK, Germany, and Japan.

Programmes are implemented by in-country partners such as ministries of health, while the Global Fund secretariat, whose staff only have an office in Geneva, monitors the programmes.

Implementation is overseen by Country Coordinating Mechanisms (CCM) and units that need to include, according to Global Fund requirements, a broad spectrum of representatives from government, NGOs, faith-based organisations, the private sector, and people living with the diseases.

The process

According to the statement, the Fund has a total of $12.71 billion available in funding allocations for the three-year funding cycle that runs from 2020-2022.

Of these funds, it had planned for US$8.9 billion in grants to be approved in 2020, with the remaining funds scheduled for later start dates.

However, the secretariat accelerated its grant-making efforts and exceeded the original target, approving $9.2 billion of funding in 2020.

As of 31 December 2020, US$8.54 of the approved grants had been signed and begin implementation this month; two countries were still in the process of signing the remaining finalized grants worth US$660 million, it said.

Donald Kaberuka, Global Fund Board Chair said even in the midst of a global pandemic, the Global Fund partnership supported countries to develop grants more quickly and effectively than ever before.

Mr Kaberuka said a record-breaking 67 per cent of grants for the 2020-2022 funding cycle have now been signed, compared to 50 per cent of grants signed at the same time in the last funding cycle.

In comparison, at the same time in the 2017-2019 funding cycle, the Global Fund had signed US$5.2 billion in grants out of a US$10.3 billion funding allocation.

This is representing a remarkable increase in performance, he said.

According to the global fund, an additional $980 million was approved to 106 low- and middle-income countries and 14 multicountry programmes to respond to COVID-19 in 2020.

It estimated that it needs a further $5 billion on top of its core funding to support countries in responding to the pandemic by reinforcing national COVID-19 responses; mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on lifesaving HIV, TB and malaria programmes; and making urgent improvements to health and community systems.

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Exceptional

The Executive Director of the Fund, Peter Sands, described the development as an exceptional one.

He said the grants will help more than 100 countries to fight these diseases that kill millions of people yearly.

This is an exceptional achievement that will help more than 100 countries continue the critical fight against HIV, TB and malaria  epidemics that kill more than 2.3 million people every year, he said

Mr Sands said the COVID-19 pandemic has overwhelmed health systems around the world, making it important to ensure countries have the resources they need to fight HIV, TB and malaria.

He said the resources will also contribute to strengthening the systems for health needed to respond to all four diseases, including COVID-19.

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.
[January 13, 2021] Former Siemens and Adobe Sales Leader Aubrey Williams Joins MadCap Software as Vice President of Sales

San Diego, CA, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MadCap Software, Inc., the leader in multi-channel content authoring, today announced the addition of Aubrey Williams as vice president of sales. Aubrey joins the company from Siemens Corporation where he most recently served as global director of inside sales. He brings more than 20 years of experience in growing sales teams and revenues at leading technology firms, including a decade at Adobe Inc. Today, more than 20,000 organizations worldwide rely on MadCap Softwares on-premises and cloud-based solutions to create, review and deliver modern self-support websites, training content, learning and development programs, technical documentation, and knowledge management centers. In 2020, MadCap Software continued to see strong, rapid adoption of its solutions, in particular MadCap Central and the MadCap Authoring and Management System (AMS). This was led by companies increasingly seeing the benefits of a hybrid on-premises and cloud-based solution to optimize collaboration, streamline and maximize content re-use across their organizations, and enhance their content with real data and usage analytics. As vice president of sales, Aubrey will play a strategic role in building on this success by accelerating global adoption and expanding revenues and margins. Additionally, his experience in leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) sales initiatives at Siemens and Adobe will be instrumental in building a world-class sales culture that supports customers expanding use of MadCap Softwares solutions. As we move into our next stage of growth, a top priority is to stay true to our mission of creating a superior exprience for both our customers and the dedicated professionals on our team who support them, said Anthony Olivier, MadCap Software founder and CEO. With his knowledge of our industry, passion for the business, and extensive experience in successfully building sales teams, Aubrey will play a central role in helping us to achieve our goals. We are thrilled to have him join the team.



For years, I have been impressed by the MadCap Software teams innovation and commitment to quality software and support, said Aubrey Williams MadCap Software vice president of sales. There is also a great culture and sense of camaraderie that Im excited to be a part of in driving the expansion of our sales and making a direct positive impact to MadCaps revenue through our customers successes. About Aubrey Williams

For more than two decades, Aubrey has focused on creating, operating, and growing inside sales teams at leading technology companies. Most recently, as global director of inside sales at Siemens, he created the SaaS subscription renewal program from the ground up, and developed and maintained global processes to support account development, demand development, and inside sales teams. Prior to Siemens, Aubrey was director of inside sales at Sound Technologies where he led the inside sales and warranty sales teams.

Previously, as the inside sales manager  Americas SMB at Adobe Inc., Aubrey led the groups triple-digit growth in revenues from 2006 to 2015. He also launched a new inside sales team to capitalize on the Americas small and medium business segment, and he transformed the inside sales organization to support Adobes Creative Cloud SaaS transition. Before joining Adobe, Aubrey held sales management positions at T-Mobile and Western Wireless. About MadCap Software

MadCap Software, Inc. is a trusted resource for the thousands of companies around the globe that rely on its solutions for single-source multi-channel authoring and publishing, multimedia, and translation management. Whether delivering technical, policy, medical, marketing, business, or human resources content, MadCaps products are used to create corporate intranets, Help systems, policy and procedure manuals, video tutorials, knowledge bases, eBooks, user guides, and more to any format, including high-end print, online, desktop or mobile. MadCap services include product training, consulting services, translation and localization, and an advanced developer certification program. Headquartered in San Diego, California, with offices in Austin, Texas, MadCap Software is home to some of the most experienced software architects and product experts in the content development industry. Learn more about MadCap Software at www.madcapsoftware.com. MadCap Software, MadCap Authoring and Management System, MadCap Flare, MadCap Central, MadCap Capture, and the MadCap Software logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of MadCap Software, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other marks are the properties of their respective owners.

Rebecca Hurst Kinetic.PR for MadCap Software rebecca@kineticprllc.com 650-679-9282

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The agency on Tuesday arrested Ramkumar Tiwari, one of the owners of the famous 'Muchhad Paanwala' shop in Mumbai, which is frequented by celebrities, in connection with the same case

Mumbai: Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law Sameer Khan was summoned by the Narcotics Control Bureau in connection with a drugs case on Wednesday, an official said.

Khan was seen entering the NCB's office at Ballard Estate in South Mumbai around 10 am.

He was summoned by the agency after it found an alleged online transaction of Rs 20,000 between him and one of the accused in a drugs case, in which British national Karan Sajnani and two others were arrested with 200 kg of drugs last week, sources said. The NCB wants to record Khan's statement over this transaction, they said.

The agency on Tuesday arrested Ramkumar Tiwari, one of the owners of the famous 'Muchhad Paanwala' shop in Mumbai, which is frequented by celebrities, in connection with the same case.

Last week, the NCB arrested three persons, including British national Sajnani, with 200 kg of drugs from Khar and Bandra areas in Mumbai, an official earlier said.

The drugs included ganja, imported contraband like 'OG Kush' (a strain of cannabis indica), and curated marijuana, some of which had been sourced from the US, he said.

IT was known as the graveyard for police vehicles.

But it has been about two years since the Vehicle Management Corporation of T&T (VMCOTT) has actually serviced a police vehicle.

Natasha Prince, the State companys chief executive since 2018, told Express Business last week that the TTPS just stopped sending their vehicles to service and no reason was given.
NEW HAVEN  The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven is launching a $26 million funding effort to address fundamental challenges to peoples lives involving COVID-19 and racial inequalities in the area.

The funding program, called Stepping Forward, will include both a major increase over the next three years in The Foundations grantmaking and other current spending as well as new money for endowed funds, officials said.

The Foundation anticipates Stepping Forward will increase its spending in 2021 through 2023 by $15 million over current levels and will add $11 million to its permanent endowment to create three new permanent funds. Foundation CEO William Ginsberg said the organization already has commitments of $6 million toward that $11 million goal.

There really is no precedent for this in our 93-year history, Ginsberg said. We have watched the way that COVID-19 has devastated the communities that we serve. The racially disparate impacts of COVID, together with brutal incidents of anti-Black violence this past year, have unleashed powerful new energy for advancing racial equity here in Greater New Haven as elsewhere.

Flemming Norcott Jr., chairman of the Foundations board of directors and a retired Connecticut Supreme Court justice, said the organization is well-postured to meet this financial commitment.

These are extraordinary times and I challenge anyone to say this is not the right thing to do, Norcott said. The COVID situation has brought into clear focus the vast amount of need out there.

The Foundations assets were valued at more than $720 million at the end of 2020. Taking advantage of historically low interest rates, the organization is borrowing against a portion of its endowment to fund the $15 million increase in giving, according to Ginsberg, who described taking out the loan as financially advantageous.

The challenges of 2020 have shown us that old ways of doing things are not adequate, he said.

New grant-making priorities will include:

Grants for immediate COVID relief.

Grant and leadership development support for nonprofits led by people of color.

Grants to those working, advocating and organizing to change racially inequitable systems in health, education, employment, housing and civic participation.

Arts grants that advance racial equity and community healing from COVID.

Both Ginsberg and Norcott noted financial inequities between the majority of Connecticut school districts and those in urban and very rural areas.

These things are going to have a continuing impact for years to come, Ginsberg said. You have school districts that are funded at 99.9 percent and you have other districts where that is generally not true.

Because of these inequities, Norcott said, inner cities and communities of color will fall further back.

In New Haven last year, the Foundation supported Chromebook purchases to aid students participating in distance learning, where there was a shortage, and also supported the creation of learning hubs around the city  places where students could have access to high-speed internet for remote learning, as well as food and academic help and supervision so parents and other caregivers could continue to go to work during the pandemic.

Ginsberg said nonprofits across the country have been worried about what he termed giving fatigue from donors.

Our community is a very generous community that has a deep concern about COVID impact, he said. They see this a moment we might make a real difference and they have sense that people have a need that is urgent.

Dont forget the stock market is at an all-time high despite all that has happened, so donors have resources, he said.

The Foundation for Greater New Haven in Connecticut is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the U.S. It was established in 1928 as the permanent charitable endowment for New Haven as well as Ansonia, Bethany, Branford, Cheshire, Derby, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, Oxford, Seymour, Shelton, Wallingford, West Haven and Woodbridge.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com
Defiant: US President Donald Trump during his visit to the border wall, in Alamo, Texas, yesterday.

President Donald Trump walks down the steps before a speech near a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall on Tuesday

Donald Trump has dismissed suggestions he was personally responsible for the mob that stormed the US Capitol last week, arguing yesterday that his incendiary speech to supporters hours earlier had been totally appropriate.

In his first public appearance since the violence in Washington DC, the US president branded new attempts to impeach him absolutely ridiculous and a continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.

Critics condemned his refusal to accept any blame, with Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader, saying the president in denying his role was deploying a pathological technique used by the worst of dictators.

Attempting to hang on in office for one more week before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, Mr Trump yesterday visited a section of US-Mexico border fencing in Texas in a trip designed to underscore his achievements in the White House.

As far as this is concerned, we want no violence. Never violence. We want absolutely no violence, Mr Trump said as he stopped to deliver a statement to reporters waiting at the White House as he left for Texas. He accused Democratic congressional leaders of causing tremendous danger to our country.

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Later, when boarding a plane at Joint Base Andrews, Mr Trump was asked what his personal responsibility was for the clashes at the Capitol. He expressed no regrets in his response.

So if you read my speech... its been analysed and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate.

During his speech later at the border, Mr Trump warned that the new impeachment drive was very dangerous for the US especially at this tender time.

In an apparent attempt to distance himself from the attacks on police by the pro-Trump mob last Wednesday, Mr Trump claimed support for law enforcement was the foundation of the Maga agenda, in reference to his 2016 election campaign slogan, Make America Great Again.

Mr Trump also warned Democrats against their drive to have him removed via the 25th Amendment.

The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but it will come back to haunt Joe Biden. Be careful what you wish for, he said.

Read More

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
US Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will not use emergency powers to immediately reconvene the chamber this week as the House moves forward with its vote on President Donald Trump's impeachment, his spokesman said in a post on Twitter on Wednesday.

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on impeaching Trump following last week's riot in the US Capitol, and House Democratic leaders have said they could send it to the Senate as soon as this week.

Short link:


Congressional Democrats are moving to impeach President Donald Trump and then go a step further: To ban him from running for office again. That penalty has never been imposed on an American president, but other countries have done it. From Peru to Brazil, from Italy to Israel, leaders who have been found guilty of wrongdoing have been suspended from electoral politics for years or even permanently.

How has that worked out?

In some cases, the politicians' careers have been damaged or ruined. In others, although the leaders weren't allowed to run again, their allies and political movements have survived and even flourished.

In Peru, for example, lawmakers in 2001 barred President Alberto Fujimori from holding office for a decade, following his ouster in a corruption scandal. But his daughter Keiko, boosted by his supporters, nearly won the presidency in 2011 and 2016. Argentine President Juan Peron was overthrown in a coup in 1955 and banned from running again. He not only returned to the country's highest office in 1973, but his movement became a mainstay of Argentine politics - current President Alberto Fernandez is a Peronista.

In some instances in Latin America, Harvard political scientist Steven Levitzky said, imposing "legitimate bans on major populist figures for anti-democratic behavior didn't work well. They were very destabilizing."

That's because those leaders portrayed themselves as martyrs and maintained a significant level of popularity, said Levitzky, co-author of "How Democracies Die." Many people supported the politicians, but were unable to vote for them.

And yet, allowing leaders who commit abuses to run again is also problematic, Levitzky said. He said Trump's efforts to overturn presidential election results amounted to "stabbing at the heart of democracy."

"If he's allowed to run, the system has to essentially condone his behavior," Levitzky said. (Trump has called the impeachment effort "a witch hunt.")

Here are some world leaders who have been banned from returning to office, and the fallout:

- Fernando Collor de Mello, president of Brazil 1990-92

Two years into his presidency, Collor de Mello was impeached on corruption charges and barred from running for office for eight years. But his political career wasn't over: He was elected to the Senate in 2006, and reelected in 2014. Another Brazilian ex-president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was leading in the polls for another term in 2018 when he was banned by an electoral court because he had been found guilty of corruption. That cleared the way for the election of former fringe politician Jair Bolsonaro. Lula is appealing his convictions and remains one of Brazil's most popular politicians.

- Alberto Fujimori, president of Peru 1990-2000

Lawmakers declared the conservative populist "morally unfit" amid a corruption scandal and removed him from the presidency in 2000. He was subsequently banned from public office. His daughter Keiko took up his political mantle - called Fujimorismo - benefiting from the support her father retained among poor Peruvians. She rose to lead the right-wing Popular Force party in Congress and finished second in the presidential races in 2011 and 2016. Alberto Fujimori is serving a 25-year prison sentence for corruption and human rights violations. Keiko Fujimori is under investigation for alleged money laundering - she says she's innocent - but could compete in April's presidential election.

- Efrain Rios Montt, president of Guatemala 1982-83

The general took power in a 1982 coup and was deposed by the military a year later. A 1985 constitutional reform banned former coup leaders and their close relatives from running for president. Still, the ex-dictator ran for president in 2003, arguing that the provision didn't apply to him. He won just 11 percent of the vote, but went on to serve in Congress from 2004 to 2012. In 2013, after losing his congressional seat and therefore his immunity from prosecution, he was convicted of genocide for the brutal massacre of Mayan citizens during the country's civil war. The sentence was overturned and he was being tried again when he died in 2018. Rios Montt's daughter Zury was a leading far-right presidential candidate in 2019 but was disqualified under the constitutional ban.

- Ehud Olmert, prime minister of Israel 2006-09

After leaving office, Olmert was convicted of bribery, fraud, obstruction of justice and breach of trust, and served 16 months in prison. Israeli law bans people convicted of crimes of "moral turpitude" from running for the Knesset for seven years from their release from prison. After Olmert completed his sentence in 2017, he sought to clear his name. Though his reputation was tarnished, Olmert did not lose followers as such because, the Israeli parliamentary system revolves more around parties than individual leaders.

- Silvio Berlusconi, prime minister of Italy 1994-95, 2001-06, 2008-11

The media mogul and center-right politician served as Italy's prime minister for more than nine years between 1994 and 2011. In 2013, he was convicted of tax fraud; he subsequently was expelled from the Senate and banned from holding political office for six years. He remained influential through his media holdings and his leadership of the Forza Italia party. An Italian court lifted the political ban in 2018, a year early, citing "good conduct." While Berlusconi's party has declined in popularity, he won a seat in the European Parliament in 2019.
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

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His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

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Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

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Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

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Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

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NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

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Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

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Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

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Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

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Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

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World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

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MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

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Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

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Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

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January 13, 2021 / 10:57 PM IST

reached 1,01,29,111. As many as 202 deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,51,529. According to the Ministry of Health, India has 2,14,507 active COVID-19 cases currently. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research ( ICMR ), a total of 18,34,89,114 samples were tested for COVID-19 up to January 12 including 8,36,227 samples tested yesterday. With 729 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths being reported on Tuesday, Chhattisgarh's caseload rose to 2,90,813 and the death toll to 3,517, a health official said. The COVID-19 recovery rate in West Bengal rose to 96.91 per cent on Tuesday after 879 more people were discharged from various hospitals in the state, the health department said. The toll increased to 9,975 after 18 fatalities were registered in Bengal, the department said in its bulletin. Globally, more than 9.15 crore people have been infected by the coronavirus and 19.59 lakh have died so far. Many countries have granted emergency use authorization for COVID-19 vaccines and have started the process of vaccinating healthcare workers and high-risk groups. India's regulator has granted restricted emergency use approval for two vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin.

: Today is the 295th day since India implemented a nationwide lockdown to help curb the novel coronavirus pandemic. India added 15,968 new cases to its COVID-19 tally in the last 24 hours taking the total cases to 1,04,95,147, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday. With 17,817 more discharges, the cumulative recoveries
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Chennai, Jan 13 : Creation of a Ministry of Possibilities, incentivising industries to be set up in backward areas, holding of quarterly summit of government-industry-academia-civil society as the think-tank headed by the Chief Minister are part of the seven-point agenda of the Kamal Haasan promoted Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party for the industry, that was announced on Wednesday.

According to MNM, if it comes to power in Tamil Nadu it would set up a Ministry of Possibilities to cater to Science and Technology, Start-ups and Innovation, to give a fillip to industrial revolution 4.0.

The party also said its government shall establish a Government-Industry-Academia-Civil Society quarterly summit to act as a Think Tank headed by the Chief Minister.

In order to reverse migration from rural areas to urban areas, the MNM government would incentivise big industries to set up their back offices in less developed regions leading to creation of job opportunities there.

The other agendas include: encouraging micro, medium and small enterprises, organising the unorganised labour, setting up of Skill Development Super Parks in each district and introduction of a new timeline-based business facilitation model that will ensure strict compliance, from proposal to approval.

The party had earlier announced its seven-point economic and environment agenda.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
LONDON  Loaded with tons of live crab, lobster and prawns, the trucks headed south from the Scottish town of Oban had to reach their destination in Spain within 72 hours to be sure the cargo would survive the trip.

But with Britain operating new post-Brexit trading rules, a journey that used to be routine is now a high-stakes gamble for the exporter Paul Knight, managing director of PDK Shellfish.

It is like roulette, said Mr. Knight, as he waved off two giant trucks, adding that though he spent tens of thousands of pounds on Brexit preparations he remained terrified that holdups in French ports could cause a large part of his shipment to perish.

We are as Brexit-ready as we can be and we are still staring failure in the face, he said.

I am exhausted, the pressure is so intense  it is like being on a knife edge, he added.
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The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed some upgrades to Winnipegs south end sewage treatment plant, which could also affect the projects $335.6-million price tag.

The COVID-19 pandemic has delayed some upgrades to Winnipegs south end sewage treatment plant, which could also affect the projects $335.6-million price tag.

A city report notes work on the plants headworks facility, and an interim step to reduce phosphorus in its effluent, were delayed due to a variety of changes required by the pandemic.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Moira Geer, director of the city's water and waste department.

"The impact of COVID is that we had some schedule delays because we had travel restrictions. We have contractors and consultants that work out-of-province, so that was an impact  (Were also seeing a) general slowdown in work by cohorting our staff onsite on the project to make sure that we dont have the interaction and that were protecting our essential services workers," said Moira Geer, director of the water and waste department, following Tuesdays water and waste committee meeting.

Geer noted staff interactions are limited, in part, to ensure essential water and sewer services can continue.

She said the pandemic also lengthened the time it took to deliver some equipment that had to be shipped from other provinces or countries.

Water and waste officials still expect the overall project will be completed by Dec. 31. The upgrades will expand the plants treatment capacity and reduce the algae-promoting nutrients in its effluent.

"Were working hard to meet that deadline and thats what our current schedule is," said Geoffrey Patton, the water and waste departments manager of engineering services.

Patton said its not apparent how the pandemic changes might affect the cost.

"There will be cost implications but were still in the middle of a pandemic. We dont know. We are working on this right now and any change in the currently approved budget will come forward to council," he said.

The city had hoped to take interim steps last year to reduce algae-promoting phosphorus in the effluent released by the plant, which winds up in waterways. That work has not yet occurred.

Meanwhile, the city warned it could face delays on $1.8 billion in upgrades to its north end sewage plant, if it doesnt receive Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program funding for the projects first two phases by March 31.

Geer said the city hopes to award a headworks facilities design build contract by that point.

Coun. Brian Mayes, chairman of the water and waste committee, said he is concerned about the delays.

"Its a risk. Who knows when COVIDs going to be done? (It) has certainly complicated a number of our projects," he said.

Mayes stressed he is confident all three levels of government are committed to ensuring the north end plant upgrades will progress soon.

"I think theres a lot of goodwill from the province and the feds to get this thing going," he said.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: joyanne_pursaga

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This article was written for Fethiye Times by Sian Midgley

If you follow some of the Fethiye based Facebook groups the name Virginia Howes may have seeped in to your consciousness.

Virginia is on a mission to clean up Fethiye and over the last few months has been working with local volunteers and the Fethiye Belediyesi to do just that, following years of clearing her local area in Faralya  a job that is now done by a local paid for individual.

This isnt the first time Virginia has got her teeth into something though so sit yourself down with a cuppa while I tell you more.

Who Is Virginia Howes?

Virginia hails from Kent in the UK and after having four children, and an epiphany whilst slogging through a pile of ironing, decided to train as a midwife. In 2003, following a number of years in the NHS, she set up the Kent Midwifery Practice with her friend, Kay. Plus she was on the board of Independent Midwives UK and became a vocal campaigner for them.

The Maternity Days

The Maternity Days

Virginia also invented the Howes Birth Mirror which is now used worldwide. And because she had a bit of spare time she also wrote a bestselling book called The Babys Coming.

Promoting Her Book

After many years of visiting their second home in Faralya for holidays, Virginia and her husband, Sean, now split their time equally between Turkey and the UK.

Obviously retirement doesnt sit well with Virginia though, she wasnt going to sit back with a glass of wine and just watch the world go by  oh no, she needed to keep busy and give something back to the community and this brings us to where we are now.

The Mission Begins

Virginia organises regular clean ups throughout the area. The Belediye send out a number of helpers each time but Virginia is campaigning for a more permanent and effective solution.

One of her ideas is to ask hotels/beach clubs to take ownership of their local area, within a 2km radius, and fine them if these areas arent kept clean.

The Problem

However, one of the biggest problems is rubbish left at local beauty spots and picnic areas such as around the Fethiye peninsula and Kidrak beach. Virginia is proposing that CCTV cameras are installed in these areas to record vehicle registration numbers of the biggest culprits, along with prominent signage. She would also like to see the Zabita get involved in issuing on the spot fines and talking to picnickers about these problems.

Highlighting The Problem

Just last week Virginia had a meeting with the Belediye cleaning department where these issues were raised. Also attending were representatives from the Zabita, 7 local Muhtars and a local councillor. Everyone present was incredibly receptive and pledged to do what they can, thanking Virginia for speaking up on a subject that was proving to be a national embarrassment. One of the Muhtars even stepped forward and offered up his boat to help remove the bags collected during clean ups on coastal hillsides.

However, it is a different department who are responsible for the beaches, forests etc so the next step is to set up a meeting with the Kaymakam (Governor).

When I had a chat with Virginia she said People keep saying they need to be educated and it starts in school; well that may be true but there are many years to wait for the kids to grow up and our planet needs help now! Money talks and so do fines!

Get Involved

If youd like to get involved in the clean ups or add your voice to Virginias you can get in touch with her via the Keep Fethiye Clean Facebook page.

Volunteers and the Belediye Working Together

As a footnote: on a very recent clean up they found a message in a bottle. The message was in Greek so may have travelled some distance. There was also a phone number. Hopefully they will make contact and maybe they can tell the person not to drop bottles in the sea
Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:17 am

A federal grand jury has indicted a former member of the Washington National Guard on felony charges, alleging he broke into the U.S. Capitol with the insurrectionist mob last week and repeatedly punched a federal police officer.

Mark Jefferson Leffingwell, 51, of Seattle, was arrested last Wednesday inside the Capitol, and on Monday became one of the first people indicted after last week's deadly siege by supporters of President Donald Trump intent on disrupting Congress' certification of Joe Biden's election as president.

Leffingwell was charged in a criminal complaint last week with counts of assaulting a federal officer, entering or remaining in a restricted building and disorderly conduct. The indictment, handed up Monday, adds four additional charges, including a second assault count, violent entry into a Capitol building, being involved in an act of violence in a Capitol building, and felony civil disobedience, which carries a prison term of up to five years.

Leffingwell served in the Washington National Guard from 2005 to 2009 and deployed with the 81st Brigade to Iraq, a spokesperson for the Washington Military Department confirmed Tuesday. He was honorably discharged in 2009, she said.

Shortly after noon Tuesday, no one answered the door at Leffingwell's modest, light gray house about a mile north of Seattle's Wedgwood Elementary School, where an American flag fluttered at half-staff. The home's blinds were drawn and a holiday wreath still hung on the front door.

A short time later, a bespectacled man with tightly cropped gray hair holding a manila file folder told a reporter from the home's gravel driveway that Leffingwell wasn't there. "None of your business," the man responded, when asked when Leffingwell might be back.

Leffingwell was released on his personal recognizance to a third-party custodian  his wife  and is required to call into pretrial services on a weekly basis pending trial, according to a message conveyed by a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington.

Leffingwell's attorney did not respond to requests for comment.

According to a statement of facts filed in federal court last week, Capitol Police Officer Daniel Amendola said he and other officers were attempting to form a barrier to prevent the mob from further entering the Capitol last Wednesday afternoon when he encountered Leffingwell, who tried to push past him.

"When he was deterred from advancing further into the building, Leffingwell punched me repeatedly with a closed fist. I was struck in the helmet that I was wearing and in the chest," Amendola wrote. He and other officers were able to subdue and arrest Leffingwell.

"While in custody, but prior to being advised of his Miranda, Leffingwell spontaneously ... apologized to me for striking me," the complaint says.

Leffingwell is among multiple military veterans and service members reportedly under investigation for their roles in the Capitol insurrection, which left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer.

"At this point  the (Washington) National Guard is not looking into whether current/previous Guardsmen attended the events in D.C.," a spokesperson said Tuesday.

According to news reports, some veterans and active-duty members potentially could face military prosecutions for involvement in the deadly siege and at least two national veterans groups have announced they would purge any member found guilty in the attack on the Capitol.

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The transmissibility of the novel coronavirus, called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is high, while most infections appear to be very mild or asymptomatic. This has led to a pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) that has currently claimed over 1.96 million lives within one year. Scientists have come up with many vaccines at varying points of development. However, new variants of the virus continue to emerge, some of which are alleged to be even more transmissible or may possibly evade neutralization by the antibodies induced by newly approved vaccines.

One such strain is the South African 501.V2 and UK B1.1.7 strains, which have been isolated from many countries and seem to spread faster than the ancestral strain. A preprint that recently appeared on the bioRxiv* server reports the computational structure of this strain and the possible effect of the mutations on infectivity and neutralization.

The aim of the study

SARS-CoV-2 depends on its trimeric spike glycoprotein to achieve infection. The spike monomer is composed of two subunits, S1 and S2, with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) being located on the former. This region recognizes and binds to the host cell receptor, the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). The S2 subunit mediates cell fusion and the internalization of the virus, after two cleavage steps catalyzed by host proteases, which cause a substantial change in protein conformation.

Most monoclonal antibodies and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 at present are directed against the spike RBD. However, the UK variant has eight mutations in the spike, while the 501.V2 has three, both including N501Y in the RBD. The current study aims to understand the effect of the three mutations in the latter strain on RBD-ACE2 binding and neutralization by monoclonal antibodies targeting the spike. The researchers used molecular modeling and simulations to understand the structure of the mutant spike protein.

N501Y increases ACE2 binding affinity

The researchers found that the N501 residue forms two hydrogen bonds with two ACE2 residues that stabilize the RBD-ACE2 complex. When mutated to 501Y, three additional bonds are formed with residues like Y41 and K353, which increase the affinity. These residues have been established to be crucial to ACE2 binding with the SARS-CoV spike. Thus, the mutation is expected to enhance ACE2 affinity and thus promote transmission.

Change in interactions with ACE2 between wt RBD and Southern African variant 501.V2. (A) position of the three amino acids (K417, N501 and E584) at the interface with human ACE2 in the WT RBD; (B) comparison of the interactions of N501 (top) with those of the variant with single substitution N501Y (bottom). The latter enables a tighter contact result-ing in higher binding affinity compared to WT. (C) Same as B for the triple mutant K417N, D501Y and E484K. Two salt bridges originally present in the wt (top) are broken (bottom), suggesting a compensating effect by the substitutions E484K and K417N, countering N501Y.

K417N and E484K reduce binding affinity

However, the accompanying K417N and E484K mutations in the South African strain provide a counterpoise to the spike's increased affinity due to the N501Y mutation. They prevent the formation of two salt bridges that help to form and stabilize the RBD-ACE2 complex. This reduces ACE2 binding affinity. Thus, this strain is less infectious and less rapidly spreading than the UK strain. This is even though both share the latter substitution.

Disruption of salt bridges formed by K417 may weaken the association of C105 and REGN10933 with the South African var-iant 501.v2, compared to their interaction with the wt S. The panels compare the interactions of the mAbs C105 (A-B) and REGN10933 (C-D) with the wt RBD (A and C) and the South African mutant (B and D). A central salt bridge with C105 (K417-E99/E96) and another with REGN10933 (K417-D31) are lost due to the substitution K417N. A new cation- interaction with K31 is formed upon N501Y mutation in D, which may compensate to restore the binding of REGN10933. N501Y makes no interfacial contacts, and E484K undergoes rear-rangements to alleviate the effect of charge change. The net effect due to those changes in interfacial interactions is a weakening in binding affinity by 0.40.2 kcal/mol.

Neutralizing antibodies mostly unaffected by triple mutation

Secondly, the researchers demonstrated that five of the eleven monoclonal antibodies that were structurally analyzed for binding to the mutant and ancestral strains do not have significant contacts at the mutation sites. Alternatively, they show additional interactions at such sites that compensate for any lack of affinity. This suggests that with most antibodies, including one of the two Regeneron monoclonals in their antibody cocktail, they continue to be at least as effective against the mutant strains as against the wildtype virus. With two others, namely, with the monoclonal antibodies B38 and 2-4, efficacy is increased up to twofold, as new favorable interactions occur between the residues.

With others like C105 and H11-14, the perturbed interactions at the binding interface due to the mutations K417N and/or E484K are too significant to be completely reversed by conformational rearrangement. For instance, with the former, the network of interactions that is formed via the K147 residue is abolished by the mutation at this site. However, new interactions is formed at this site and by 501Y, with other residues, but overall, binding affinity is reduced.

Weaker positive interactions, or even repulsions at some sites, are also observed with three other antibodies, including the other Regeneron antibody. This indicates that this variant could have a 2-4 weaker affinity for binding by these antibodies and thus escape neutralization.

The researchers also found that both N501 and K417 play an essential part in the dynamics of the RBD-ACE2 complex, as mechanical hinge centers or as regulatory sites.

What are the implications?

The study made use of already accumulated structural data on various ACE2-RBD or spike RBD-antibody complexes to predict the effects of various substitutions and deletions on binding affinity. They conclude, Despite the stronger binding to ACE2 caused by the substitution N501Y, the South African 501.V2 variant that has undergone two additional mutations (K417N and E484K) is unlikely to exhibit an increased infectivity and likely transmissibility.

When it comes to antibody escape, the effects were mixed. Either combinations of antibodies that target distinct non-overlapping epitopes or use different neutralization mechanisms should be developed to prevent mutational escape. In view of the availability of mutational maps, it is necessary to develop monoclonal antibodies that have binding sites with high resistance to viral escape. This could mean positioning epitopes outside the RBD or using epitopes shared by both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 since these do not typically tolerate mutation. The researchers say they recently identified such an antibody targeting the putative SARS-CoV-2 spike superantigenic-like motif. This is the antibody 6D3, which not only blocks the S1/S2 cleavage site, but also blocks the superantigenic site that may cause severe systemic inflammation in advanced COVID-19.

The study brings out the utility of computational predictions, which can be tested to understand the dose of an antibody required to overcome such mutations. With both therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and new viral variants being on the rise, this type of in silico assisted genomic/molecular surveillance may provide feedback for accelerating the design of experimental studies in response to the pandemic.

*Important Notice

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Heartland Veterinary Partners ("Heartland" or "the Company"), a leading veterinary support organization in the Mid-American and Southern U.S. markets, announced today it has named Greg DeAtkine as the company's CEO, effective immediately. He succeeds interim CEO Tim Martin, who will return to his role as Executive Chairman. Heartland is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management.

Headquartered in Chicago, Heartland partners with nearly 350 veterinarians. The Company is focused on providing high-quality general veterinary services to companion animals and has an exceptional reputation within the industry due to its veterinarian-centric mission, vision, and values.

"We welcome Greg to Heartland," said Kevin Blank, Gryphon Operating Partner to Gryphon's Healthcare Group. "His deep understanding of medical practices and his track record of building leading multi-site healthcare services businesses make him a great choice to head the Company. We know he will hit the ground running and provide steady guidance as we continue to pursue innovative growth strategies."

Mr. DeAtkine is a longtime leader in the physician network arena, with more than 20 years of experience in physician management services. Before joining Heartland, he was President and Chief Executive Officer at Platinum Dermatology Partners, where he successfully oversaw significant growth and expansion of the company's market presence in Texas and Arizona. Prior to that, he served as Chief Operating Officer at U.S. Anesthesia Partners, where he helped grow the company from a single practice of 400 people to a network of more than 2,000 providers and 1,000 operations staff. Earlier in his career, Mr. DeAtkine served as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Marketing for McKesson Specialty Health, and was a Senior Vice President for regional operations at its predecessor, The US Oncology Network. He holds a B.S. in biology and chemistry and an M.B.A., both from the University of Houston.

Luke Schroeder, Gryphon Deal Partner and Co-Head of Gryphon's Healthcare Group, continued, "Even before the onset of COVID-19, we were seeing solid growth in American pet ownership and pet care. As working from home has increased and travel has plummeted, those trends have continued. We believe more spending on high-quality preventative care and medical treatment for animals will continue to drive the veterinary care industry and we look forward to having Greg at the helm."

Mr. DeAtkine commented, "I am thrilled to be working with the Heartland and Gryphon teams. I am impressed with the expansion the Company has achieved to date, all while adhering to its veterinarian-centric mission and values, and I look forward to driving additional growth at the Company."

About Heartland Veterinary Partners

Heartland Veterinary Partners is one of the highest quality and fastest growing veterinary support organizations in the United States, partnering with nearly 350 veterinarians in Mid-American and Southern markets. Heartland's footprint continues to rapidly expand through the successful execution of veterinary practice acquisitions and partnerships with independent practicing veterinarians focused on delivering general veterinary services to companion animals. For more information, please visit www.heartlandvetpartners.com.

About Gryphon Investors

Based in San Francisco, Gryphon Investors (www.gryphoninvestors.com) is a leading private equity firm focused on profitably growing and competitively enhancing middle-market companies in partnership with experienced management. The firm has managed over $5.0 billion of equity investments and capital since 1997. Gryphon targets making equity investments of $50 million to $300 million in portfolio companies with enterprise values ranging from approximately $100 million to $600 million. Gryphon prioritizes investment opportunities where it can form strong partnerships with owners and executives to build leading companies, utilizing Gryphon's capital, specialized professional resources, and operational expertise.

Contact:

Lambert & Co.

Caroline Luz

203-656-2829

[email protected]

or

Jennifer Hurson

845-507-0571

[email protected]

SOURCE Heartland Veterinary Partners

Related Links

http://www.heartlandvetpartners.com



The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
IONIQ 5's distinctive and innovative design provides a unique experience that can only be enjoyed in dedicated BEVs, suggesting a fundamental shift in design approach.

IONIQ 5's signature design elements include Parametric Pixels, the smallest unit of digital imaging, as well as its eco-friendly Color Material Finish (CMF) direction that connects the analogue with digital emotions, showcasing the IONIQ brand's timeless design value.

IONIQ 5's front end is adorned with arrays of pixel-inspired lights suggestive of the digital technology within. IONIQ 5 is also the first Hyundai vehicle to feature a clamshell hood that spans the entire width of the car, thus minimizing panel gaps and creating a clean and high-tech overall look.

Aero-optimized wheels further echo the Parametric Pixel design theme, offered in a super-sized 20-inch diameter, the largest rims ever fitted to a Hyundai EV. These complete IONIQ 5's perfected proportions, optimized for Hyundai's new signature dedicated EV architecture.

"IONIQ 5 presents an all-new customer experience through innovative EV design that is evocative of the icon that established Hyundai's design DNA," said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. "Beginning with IONIQ 5, our dedicated BEV lineup brand will redefine the relationship between people and their cars, establishing a new standard against which all BEV design experiences will be measured."

Hyundai Motor has also released four teaser videos to spark curiosity about the new model, each presenting viewers with a sneak peek at IONIQ 5's core technologies, raising expectations for the company's dedicated BEV lineup brand and its first entry.

Three 'Ultimate Camping' videos show a camper using various electrical appliances powered by IONIQ 5's Vehicle to Load (V2L) technology that functions as a general power supply (110/220V). In each video, the camper is seen using IONIQ 5's 3.5KW of V2L-supplied power to roast a turkey in a large oven, listen to music on high-end audio speakers, and exercise on a treadmillall at a camping site.

The '5 Min Challenge' video highlights IONIQ 5's ultra-fast charging capability that enables it to drive more than 100km with only a 5-minute charge (WLTP Standard). To showcase this extraordinary performance, a movie trailer-style challenge was set up featuring IONIQ 5 and three devicesa smartphone, laptop and action camerathat were each charged for 5 minutes and competed to be the last to survive.

Beginning with these videos, Hyundai Motor plans to release even more engaging content that highlights the enhanced lifestyle that new IONIQ 5 customers will experience.

IONIQ 5 will debut on a virtual world premiere event in February 2021.

* Teaser Videos:

IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser)  Scene 1. Cooking: Link IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser)  Scene 2. Sound: Link IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser)  Scene 3. Running: Link IONIQ 5: 5 Min Challenge  Trailer: Link

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com

SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company
2. The mass vaccination campaign in the U.S. is off to a terrible start. The Trump administration promised that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by Jan. 1. Instead, fewer than three million were  and only about nine million have now had their shots.

The Deep South has the countrys lowest vaccination rates. But this isnt just a Republican failure: California, Virginia and some other Democratic-run states have also been slow. (Heres data for every state.)

Vaccinations will probably accelerate in coming weeks, especially because President-elect Joe Biden and his team seem much more focused on the problem than President Trump. Goldman Sachs forecasts that about one quarter of Americans will have received their first shot by April 1, half by June 1 and three quarters by mid-autumn. The coming vaccination speedup is the one piece of good news right now.

3. Things are likely to get worse before they get better. The virus is spreading so rapidly that hospitals are struggling to keep up. About 130,000 Americans are hospitalized with Covid symptoms, more than double the number two months ago. The strain on hospitals raises the possibility that many patients will not receive the best available treatments.

Los Angeles has recently had to ration oxygen. And Esteban Trejo, an executive at a company in El Paso, Texas, that provides oxygen to temporary hospitals, told Kaiser Health News, Its been nuts, absolutely nuts.
New Zealand waters provide an important migratory route for the biggest animal to ever exist, the Antarctic blue whale, according to a new study.

Hydrophones, or underwater microphones, anchored at the bottom of the ocean around central New Zealand recorded the whales low-frequency calls, which are loud enough to be heard across hundreds of kilometers, to monitor their locations.

The giant creatures travelled a route that runs through the South Taranaki Bight, an area off the west coast of the North Island and above the South Island, the study showed.

Antarctic blue whale detections were greatest in the South Taranaki Bight during winter, when the whales were northbound, heading for warmer waters to breed, before peaking again in spring, when the whales were returning to the Antarctic to feed, the research showed.

Antarctic blue whales were also detected to a lesser extent off the east coast of central New Zealand, offshore from Kaikoura and the Wairarapa.

The study has just been published in the journal Frontiers of Marine Science, it is a joint effort by the University of Auckland and the National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research, with collaborators from Texas A&M University and acoustic monitoring firm JASCO Applied Sciences.

This research shows that New Zealand waters provide an important habitat for these incredible creatures, says Dr Victoria Warren from the Institute of Marine Science.

These animals are critically endangered, and we need to do everything we can to protect them.

Antarctic blue whales reach up to 30 meters in length and 200 tons in weight, with hearts the size of small cars. They are bigger than the biggest dinosaurs ever were, but hunted to the brink of extinction last century. The United Nations estimated a population of 3,000 in 2018  compared with a peak of as many as 200,000 whales prior to commercial whaling.

The acoustic data pointed to the possibility that Antarctic blue whales may breed in New Zealand waters, since their calls were heard during the breeding season of September and October, but the evidence wasnt conclusive.

New Zealanders may on rare occasion spot an Antarctic blue whale, but the creatures are notoriously difficult to distinguish  visually, at least  from the somewhat smaller, but still huge, pygmy blue whales.

To get a clearer picture of the habits of both types of blue whale, scientists eavesdropped via microphones deployed at depths ranging from 100 to 1,500 metres. While identifying the sub-species visually can be difficult, its straightforward via sound.

The data revealed that pygmy blue whales seem to congregate in the South Taranaki Bight, especially between March and May, which supports other research findings and highlights that this area is very important for both types of blue whale.

Underwater microphones were deployed in 2016 at four locations around central New Zealand -- the South Taranaki Bight, Cook Strait, and off the coasts of Kaikoura and Wairarapa  and in 2017 at three of those locations.

Over 106.5 days, a total of 20,751 blue whale calls were detected, with both of the sub-species turning up at all of the locations.

``This research really illustrated the value of long-term deployments of underwater microphones, for monitoring rare and hard-to-observe animals such as large migratory whales, says associate professor Rochelle Constantine, one of the co-authors of the paper.
The virtual meeting between the foreign and irrigation ministers of Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan on Sunday, the second in less than a week, failed to move forward negotiations on the filling and operating the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).A statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry identified differences over how to resume the talks and procedural aspects related to the negotiating process as the cause of the impasse. Sudan, the statement added, had insisted on delegating AU appointed experts to suggest possible solutions to the outstanding points of difference.We cannot continue this vicious cycle of round talks indefinitely, Sudanese Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Yasser Abbas told the Sudanese media.Both Addis Ababa and Cairo have reservations over the Sudanese approach. The AU experts are not necessarily specialists in the technical and engineering aspects that relate to water resource management and the operation of dams noted the Foreign Ministry statement.Ethiopia said that Sudan had rejected proposals put forward by South Africa to meet separately with AU experts.Sudan has made an expanded role for the AU and enhanced terms of reference for experts a prerequisite to agreeing to a new round of talks, and has threatened to boycott meetings until Egypt and Ethiopia comply.William Davison, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, believes that the parties should stick with the AU-mediated talks while giving its experts more room to facilitate an agreement.Given the failure over many years to reach a tripartite agreement, an increased role for AU experts in producing a compromise text to be negotiated over by the parties seems like the best way forward, he said.In an ideal water-sharing negotiation, neutral experts should have a bigger say, said Ashok Swain, professor of peace and conflict research at Uppsala University, Sweden.The GERD dispute is very complicated, notes Swain. In taking an independent stand and insisting on changing the methodology of the negotiations Khartoum is trying to find its rightful place in talks that have been primarily dominated by Egypt and Ethiopia.The way negotiations have been moving for several months now leaves Swain with little hope that in their current form they will result in an agreement. Both intra-basin politics, and uncertainties at the regional and international levels are responsible for this, he adds.Given there are six months to go before Ethiopia can embark on a second filling of the reservoir, Swain believes it is probably better to hold until the change of AU presidency and the inauguration of the Biden administration before resuming talks.In addition to insisting on a wider role for AU experts, Khartoum also objected to the letter Ethiopia sent the AU last week saying it would resume filling the reservoir in July with 13.5 million cubic metres of water, whether an agreement is reached or not.Sudan skipped a meeting in last weeks round of talks to protest against the absence of a response to its demand of bilateral meetings between AU experts and each of the three countries representatives separately to identify points of differences ahead of the resumption of trilateral meetings.Abbas Sharaki, professor of geology and water resources at Cairo University, argues that now the AU-mediated talks, which were supposed to last for few weeks, have been dragging for seven months, a major shake-up is needed.Egypt  together with Sudan  should present a joint memo to the UN Security Council. That memo should include details about all the negotiations phases, including the AU-mediated talks, he said.South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor is due to present a report on the latest round of talks to South Africas president in order to determine the next steps.The AU-mediated talks that started in July have been observed by representatives from the EU, the US, the AU, as well as legal and technical experts.In November Sudan withdrew from the talks called by South Africa, the current chairman of the African Union, claiming the current negotiating approach rendered talks useless. Sudans absence in November resulted in a six-week halt in negotiations.The talks resumed last week with a six-party ministerial meeting which was supposed to be followed by trilateral technical talks to reach a legally binding agreement.The dam, 15km from the Ethiopian border with Sudan, has been a source of contention between the three countries since construction began in 2011. The first filling of the dams reservoir took place last summer despite the absence of a binding agreement, a move that angered Cairo and Khartoum, both of whom saw it as a violation of the Declaration of Principles (DoP) signed in Sudan in March 2015. The DoP states that the three countries must first agree on guidelines and rules for the operating processes of the dam before filling the reservoir can commence.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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Mode has earned a silver Best in Biz award for Best New Enterprise Product, a gold IT World Award for Best Business Intelligence Analytics Solution, and eight Winter 2021 G2 Awards. With Helix, Mode customers can make decisions faster, regardless of the complexity of the problem at hand," said Benn Stancil, Co-founder and President, Mode Analytics. "Data scientists no longer have to choose between shipping fast, one-off answers and building dashboards for broader coverage.

Mode Analytics, the most comprehensive platform for collaborative Business Intelligence and Interactive Data Science, today announced that its responsive data engine, Helix, has received a Silver Best in Biz Award for Best New Enterprise Product of 2020.

Best in Biz Awards is the only business awards program judged by a whos who of prominent reporters and editors from the most respected top-tier publications, including Associated Press, Businessweek, CNET, Consumer Affairs, Fast Company, Financial Times, Inc., Forbes, Fortune, Network World, PC Magazine, Reuters, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Wired and more. Past winners in Best in Biz Awards span the spectrum, from blue-chip companies that form the bedrock of the world economy through mom-and-pop shops and Shark Tank sensations to some of todays most innovative start-ups.

We are honored by this independent recognition of Helix, said Benn Stancil, Co-founder and President, Mode Analytics. With Helix, Mode customers can make decisions faster, regardless of the complexity of the problem at hand. Data scientists no longer have to choose between shipping fast, one-off answers and building dashboards for broader coverage.

Mode Analytics combines the best elements of Business Intelligence (BI), Data Science (DS) and Machine Learning (ML) to empower data teams to answer impactful questions and collaborate on analysis across a range of business functions. The Mode platform enables data teams to visualize, analyze and share data in a powerful end-to-end workflow. In Q419, Mode Analytics introduced Helix, the worlds first instant, responsive data engine. By combining the workflows of BI and DS, Helix fundamentally changes how companies explore and extend analysis.

In addition to the Best in Biz Award, Modes Helix Engine earned a Gold Award for Best Business Intelligence Analytics Solution" in 2020. Mode is also the recipient of eight Winter 2021 G2 Leader Awards, with the highest Implementation Index score in the Embedded Business Intelligence and Analytics Platform categories, ranked by customer satisfaction (based on user reviews and social data) and market presence (based on market share, seller size, and social impact).

Mode has added a number of new features and functionality designed to enhance collaboration and scalability:



Calculated Fields. This feature improves workflow, extends analysis, and enables faster exploration of data by applying additional logic to existing fields.

Explorations. This feature allows collaboration between data analysts and domain experts for better analysis. Code-free visualizations enable analysts and end users to create relevant, specific visualizations, and save them to share with colleagues.

Python Edge. A new alternative production environment where Mode Notebooks users can interact with updated versions of supported Python libraries, while still delivering fast, quality insights to business teams.

Scalability Enhancements. These new features include more efficient admin workflows with OKTA SCIM integration, increased control over data source access with updated Connection permissions, and better data discovery with Discovery API.

For more information about Mode Analytics, please visit https://mode.com/.

About Mode Analytics

Modes advanced analytics platform was designed by data experts for data experts. It allows data scientists and analysts to visualize, analyze, and share data in a powerful end-to-end workflow that covers everything from the exploration stages to a final, shareable product. Unlike traditional business intelligence tools that produce static dashboards and reports, Mode brings the best of BI and data science into a single platform, offering the best way to empower everyone at your organization to use data to make high quality, high velocity decisions. Mode also supports the analytics community with free learning resources such as SQL School, open source SQL queries, and free tools for anyone analyzing public data. To start a free trial or learn more, visit https://www.mode.com.
As the British coronavirus variant occupies countries' pandemic plans due to its increased transmissibility, other mutations to the Sars-CoV-2 are provoking concern among scientists who are scrambling to work out if they will still respond to vaccines.

In particular, one mutation, known as E484K, detected initially in South Africa and on subsequent variants in Brazil and Japan, has raised alarm among researchers.

Ravi Gupta, professor of microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said it is this mutation -- and not the much-covered British variant -- that is "the most worrying of all".

Although research into the new variant is limited, a Brazilian study this month looked at a patient who had recovered from Covid-19 only to become reinfected with the new, mutated strain.

The paper has yet to be peer-reviewed, but the authors found that the E484K mutation could be "associated with escape from neutralising antibodies" -- meaning it could bypass the body's natural defence memory that bestows immunity.

As countries accelerate their vaccination programmes, there is concern that the new mutation may render certain vaccines less effective.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, for example, use mRNA technology to deliver instructions to the body to produce a harmless coronavirus spike protein, which the immune system then learns to kill in anticipation of a genuine infection.

With E484K, as with the British variant, the mutation occurs on the virus' spike protein, which allows it to bind more easily with human cell receptors, potentially heightening its infectiousness.

Gupta said the mutation "could be the start of problems for spike vaccines".

"They should all be effective at the moment but we worry about further mutations occurring on top of these ones," he told AFP.

- 'Bypass current protection' -

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said last week that their vaccine was effective against the N501Y mutation found on the British virus variant, known as B117.

Francois Balloux, professor of Computational Systems Biology and Director of University College London's Genetics Institute, said it was unlikely that the South African variant had mutated sufficiently to "bypass the protection provided by current vaccines".

But, he warned: "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," Balloux said.

There have been several mutations to the novel coronavirus since it emerged in late 2019, and most have had a negligible effect on its transmissibility or severity.

But the British variant has shown in several studies to be up to 70 percent more infectious than normal virus strains.

And the South African variant appears to be more effective at avoiding the body's natural response.

- New vaccines? -

One pre-print study in December concluded that the two new variants show that Sars-CoV-2 "has the potential to escape an effective immune response".

Researchers studied what happened to the virus when it was left in contact with plasma taken from a patient who had recovered from Covid-19.

Within three months, the virus had taken on several mutations, including E484K.

The authors suggested that "vaccines and antibodies able to control emerging variants should be developed."

Lead researcher Rino Rappuoli, an immunologist at pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, told AFP that the current spike protein mutations should not pose a problem for existing vaccines, however.

And even if the virus mutates to better evade immune response, vaccines should bestow at least some level of effective immunity.

"Even if you lower the efficacy, there would normally still be some neutralisation of the virus," Vincent Enouf, from Paris's Pasteur Institute, told AFP.

To be on the safe side, Gupta advocated an accelerated vaccination programme, bestowing as much immunity as current vaccines can deliver "as fast as possible all over the world."

Paris: When Diary Sow was crowned Senegal's best student, after coming first in national high school competitions in 2018 and 2019, much of the country became enamoured with the young woman, a brilliant pupil from a modest background with an exemplary work ethic who excelled in science and literature.

Sow was awarded a merit scholarship by Senegalese authorities and enrolled at one of France's most prestigious schools in Paris. She even published her own novel. Well-wishers in Senegal saw her as destined for greatness.

Senegalese star student and author Diary Sow is missing in Paris. Credit:Screengrab/TV5

Sow, now 20, was reported missing this month, and there has been an outpouring of concern in Senegal and in France, where prosecutors have opened an investigation. The Senegalese diaspora in France has also swung into action in hopes of finding her.

"She symbolises hope," said Fatou Bintou Sanoho, a board member at the Federation of Senegalese Students and Interns in France.
WASHINGTON - The push for an unprecedented second impeachment of President Donald Trump took a dramatic bipartisan turn Tuesday, as several senior House Republicans joined the Democratic effort to remove Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week and the White House braced for more defections.

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking House Republican, and Rep. John Katko of New York, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, both publicly held Trump responsible for last Wednesday's violence. They were joined by Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an outspoken critic of Trump's efforts to question the November election, and Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., a respected veteran dealmaker.

"The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," Cheney said in a statement, adding, "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

Said Katko, "To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequences is a direct threat to the future of our democracy."

Kinzinger added, "If these actions . . . are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?"

A senior administration official said the White House expects at least a dozen Republicans to support impeachment in the likely House vote Wednesday. The White House is rudderless, unwilling or unable to mount any defense other than saying that Trump will already be leaving next week, two administration officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal dynamics.

Trump, banned from Twitter, for the first time lacks the ability to aim angry tweets at those who oppose him, and White House officials conceded that he has few ways to stem the tide. He has asked Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to urge fellow Republicans to oppose impeachment, an official said. Top House GOP leaders have announced their opposition to impeachment but have not given their members an alternative way to register disapproval of Trump or the assault.

While emotions rose on the House floor, tensions flared outside the chamber. Pelosi on Tuesday imposed new public safety measures on House members, including metal detectors outside the chamber.

That infuriated some Republicans. Several loudly protested to police officers, reporters and Democrats, and others were seen pushing past the metal detectors. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a freshman gun rights activist, refused to allow Capitol police to inspect her bag.

The Republican statements supporting impeachment - which came after Trump delivered remarks earlier Tuesday expressing no regret for his actions - represented a watershed moment. They signaled high-level GOP concern about the roles of Trump and other party leaders in spreading conspiracy theories about the election, and reflected how much the political landscape has shifted since Trump was acquitted in his first impeachment trial last February.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been telling associates since the attack that Trump probably committed impeachable offenses, as first reported by the New York Times. McConnell, a close adviser said, has not decided how he will vote on impeachment and wants to hear the case first.

McConnell has not returned Trump's calls in weeks and remains livid with him, and he will not pressure his colleagues to oppose or support convicting the president. "He's not going to whip the vote," said the adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

A McConnell spokesman declined to comment.

The White House Counsel's Office has not drawn up a plan for combating the impeachment effort, an administration official said, and its legislative affairs team is not reaching out to lawmakers, unlike during Trump's first impeachment.

Multiple Democratic aides said they expected the full House to vote on impeachment no later than Wednesday night - one week after the shocking Capitol invasion and one week before Trump is set to leave office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., signaled confidence that the impeachment resolution would pass by naming nine "managers" Tuesday night to act as prosecutors for the Senate trial, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

House members took a preliminary step toward impeachment Tuesday evening, approving a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to use their powers under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump immediately. In a letter to Pelosi late Tuesday, Pence wrote that such an action would not be "in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution."

The resolution passed anyway, 223 to 205, with Kinzinger the only Republican supporting it. Katko was among those who opted not to support it in light of Pence's letter, calling it "merely a symbolic gesture."

Pelosi had indicated that if Pence did not act, she would move immediately to impeach the president.

No House Republicans joined the Democrats in December 2019 when they impeached Trump for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, but the Capitol attack has shaken the Republican ranks.

The formal debate over sanctioning Trump began Tuesday morning when the House Rules Committee readied the 25th Amendment resolution for the House floor. The mood of the debate went from somber to angry, as lawmakers sparred about Trump's culpability - and one another's - for last Wednesday's events.

"Rushing this resolution to the floor will do nothing to unify or heal the country," said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. "These actions, again, will only continue to divide the nation."

In response, Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., accused Jordan and others of having "given oxygen to the president's conspiracy theories" and said appeals to civility were coming too late.

"We all want healing, but in order to get to healing, we need truth and we need accountability," McGovern said.

Trump on Tuesday denied responsibility for last week's riot. "Many people are saying what I said was totally appropriate," he said.

At a rally that day, Trump urged his followers to head for the Capitol and "fight much harder" to prevent Biden's victory from being certified in Congress. "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore," he said.

On Tuesday, Trump suggested that proceeding with impeachment might spark additional violence: "I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger. I want no violence."

The sole impeachment article charges Trump with "incitement of insurrection," and several GOP lawmakers were openly mulling whether to support it.

Cheney has not explicitly recruited other Republicans to join her call for impeachment, but she has signaled her disapproval of Trump's conduct and served as a sounding board for other concerned Republicans. On a Monday conference call, she told colleagues she considered impeachment a "vote of conscience."

She announced her intention to vote to impeach Trump a day in advance of the vote as an encouragement to wavering members, multiple Republicans said.

Meanwhile, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., the two House members who outrank Cheney in the Republican hierarchy, have steadfastly opposed impeachment, putting them on the other side of the divide over Trump that is beginning to cleave the GOP.

Six moderate Republicans, led by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Tom Reed, R-N.Y., introduced a censure resolution Tuesday accusing Trump of trying to "unlawfully overturn" the election - a measure that many GOP lawmakers privately signaled they would be willing to rally around.

But the top leaders did not openly endorse it, including McCarthy, who acknowledged Trump's culpability for the riot in a Monday evening conference call with his colleagues. They appear to have calculated that any break with Trump would further upend their party.

The rift is roiling the GOP leadership ranks barely two months after unexpected gains in the November elections had McCarthy predicting he would be claiming the speaker's gavel after the 2022 midterms.

Now it's unclear whether he can keep his conference united, while for Cheney, the fallout may be more immediate, since pro-Trump lawmakers demanded her resignation as Republican conference chair within hours after her announcement on impeachment.

"She should not be serving this conference," said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., chairman of the Trump loyalist House Freedom Caucus.

House members debating Tuesday's resolution provided something of a preview of Wednesday's likely debate on impeachment.

Jordan, who promulgated conspiracy theories about election fraud and attended a "Stop the Steal" rally after the election, accused Democrats of a "double standard" since they had raised objections to the electoral votes of previous Republican presidents, including Trump and George W. Bush.

Democrats noted that in those cases, the losing candidate had long since conceded and many lawmakers who protested made clear that they accepted the election results, while at no point encouraging violence.

Raskin cited liberals' reaction to Trump's election, including a massive Women's March on Washington.

"What did the Democrats do? They put on pink winter hats, marched peacefully with a million people, joined Planned Parenthood, worked with their churches to try to reform America," Raskin said. "Nobody was out there agitating for a violent armed insurrection against the government."

Another Democrat, Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, pleaded with Jordan to acknowledge that the election was not stolen and that Biden had won.

"Yes, he's going to be president," Jordan said, but added, "There are serious problems with this election that deserve an investigation."

The sparring came as Democrats debated how to structure their next steps after impeachment passes the House. The Senate is not scheduled to return to regular business until Jan. 19, a day before Biden's inauguration, meaning there would be virtually no chance of conducting a Senate trial and ousting Trump from office prematurely.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on McConnell to join him in invoking a provision that allows the Senate to convene early in cases of emergency, if both party leaders call for it.

"This is a time of emergency," Schumer said. "We could come back ASAP and vote to convict Donald Trump and get him out of office now, before any further damage is done."

Asked whether the House could delay transmission of the impeachment resolution, allowing the Senate to confirm at least some of Biden's Cabinet nominees before plunging into an impeachment trial, Pelosi declined to comment Tuesday.

Democrats have also discussed the potential for "bifurcating" Senate business so that the chamber could, for example, approve nominees in the morning and hold a trial in the afternoon. But there is no modern precedent for doing that, and it would require cooperation from Republicans that they may be unlikely to grant.

- - -

The Washington Post's Erica Werner contributed to this report.


Social studies teachers across the United States are changing their plans for lessons this week. They want to help young people make sense of the news about the violence in Washington.

Fighting apathy about politics

Karley Reising is a social studies teacher at Robert E. Fitch High School in Groton, Connecticut. "In almost every single one of my classes, the students brought it up before I even could," she said. And she added, "my seniors were really struggling with what this meant about the future of our country in a way that was pretty heartbreaking."

Reising and others said they talked about the importance of being involved with the process of government. They wanted to lead students away from the idea that there must be violence to end a political fight.

Michael Neagle teaches at Lowell High School in Massachusetts. After finishing his class on Thursday, January 7, he said it was one of the most important days he had as a teacher. He wants his students to be active in civic life. "We don't want kids to tune out and just say, 'Well, this is how it is. Nobody gets along. Politics.' That voter apathy is so dangerous," he said.

Teaching with morning newspapers

South St. Paul, Minnesota, teacher Mark Westpfahl showed the morning newspapers to his sixth-grade students learning online. His school is near the place where George Floyd died. His students asked questions about the police response that will carry into later lessons. He planned to talk in future classes about how the two events can be compared to each other. "What was the response like? What was the media presence like?" he said.

Parents are watching

As Westpfahl taught his 10- and 11-year-old students on a video conference, three or four parents appeared without speaking. He wondered about their thoughts.

Many teachers working online record their lessons so parents can study them with their students at home. One Washington, D.C. area teacher heard that some of her students had parents in the National Guard group working at the Capitol on Wednesday. This made her think carefully about the feelings of her students and their parents.

In Alabama, 10th grade teacher Blake Busbin said he, too, thought about how students and the community would respond to his actions and words. He said he chooses his words very carefully.

Busbin is a teacher at Auburn High School. He made a point to let students watch the unrest on TV. He was a high school senior on September 11, 2001 when terrorists attacked the United States with hijacked passenger jets. At that time, the school chief did not permit television in school. Busbin felt he lost an opportunity to watch history in the making.

Careful thought and writing

The day after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, he woke early and gathered 25 photographs. He showed each one for 10 to 15 seconds without saying anything, then asked students to write poems. He wanted students to first think quietly about what happened.

The students did not write their names on the poems, and they did not read them in class. Busbin said they helped him understand students' thoughts and guide his future teaching. The poems, he said, show a desire for a more harmonious government, a more cooperative approach and a belief that things can get better.

In David McMullen's classroom at Great Path Academy in Manchester, Connecticut, students argued about the identity of the attackers.

He asked his students to write their thoughts about the event for future historians. "I tell my students, they are the future's primary sources," he said.

Hopeful note for involvement

Teachers usually stay away from voicing their opinions, or if they do talk about them, identify them as their own opinions.

Reising said the conversation among her students was difficult because many have never met face to face. She tried, however, to end the discussion on a hopeful note. As young adults, she sees her students as citizens who can be active in government without using violence.



Conor Murphy teaches at West Genesee High School in Camillus, New York. He remembered the 9/11 attacks, when he was in an American history class and watched the second plane hit the World Trade Center in New York.

He said it was important to help students understand the historical importance of such an event. A year ago, he had a similar job teaching participation in government during President Donald Trump's impeachment trial in Congress.

"But," he said, "I've never really had to teach anything quite so, in my opinion, profound."

Im Jill Robbins.

Michael Melia and Carolyn Thompson wrote this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor.

Quiz - Teachers Help Students Understand Violence at US Capitol Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

_____________________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

kids  n. young people or children

tune out  phrasal verb. to stop caring

apathy  n. the state of not caring about something

response  n. something that is done as a reaction to something else

make a point v. to place importance on something so it receives attention

harmonious adj. not experiencing disagreement or fighting

primary source  n. a document or story created at the time of an historic event

participation n. being involved with others in doing something

profound  adj. difficult to understand or requiring deep thought or wisdom

How do you think teachers should lead discussion of the insurrection? We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.

For Teachers

Common Sense Media offers these resources to help teachers talk with students about the violence at the Capitol.

The Center for Civic Education has this collection of ideas for teaching about the peaceful transition of power.

Facing History offers these teaching ideas.
A Capitol Police officer stands with members of the National Guard behind a crowd control fence surrounding Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Man From Georgia Arrested After Entering US Capitol Killed Himself

A man who was arrested after entering the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 in Washington was found dead in Georgia several days later.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner said an autopsy performed on Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, showed he died on Jan. 9 from a gunshot wound to the chest. The manner of death, according to the autopsy, was suicide.

According to arrest records, Georgia was booked by Washington police officers for a curfew violation and unlawful entry on Jan. 6, after dozens of protesters breached the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress.

A court filing from prosecutors said that Georgia without lawful authority, did enter and attempt to enter certain public property, that is, the United States Capitol Ground, against the will of the United States Capitol Police. Georgia and other men ignored warnings about dispersing and going inside when they were spotted later Wednesday outside in violation of Mayor Muriel Bowsers curfew, according to another filing.

Georgia pleaded not guilty to the charges on Jan. 7. He was released pending a trial. His court-appointed attorney filed an initial discovery motion the following day, asking for the names and contact information of any witnesses. Such witnesses will likely have some information that is either directly exculpatory for my client or diminishes the witnesses own credibility and reliability, she wrote. She also asked for records concerning 911 calls and similar recordings in connection with the Capitol attack and Georgias arrest, as well as photographs from the alleged crime scene.

A group of protesters enter the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, on Jan. 6, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

The attorney didnt respond to a request for comment.

According to documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Georgias wife called 911 on Jan. 9. She told authorities that there was blood everywhere and his body was in the basement in the home at which they live. Police officers described the family as extremely distressed in a police report.

Unlawful entry is a misdemeanor that carries a jail term of up to 6 months and a possible fine. A curfew violation brings a fine of up to $500 or community service.

Steven DAntuono, the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office of the FBI, told reporters on Tuesday that the agency has opened over 160 case files in its probe of the Capitol breach, and thats just the tip of the iceberg.

Even if youve left D.C., agents from our local field offices will be knocking on your door if we find out that you were part of the criminal activity at the Capitol, he said. But before we do this, this is your opportunity to come forward, as several individuals who were involved in Wednesdays riots have done, to volunteer about their participation.

Disappointing five other finalists that included the Alamo Cityhe Air Force said Wednesday that Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala. will be the new home of the U.S. Space Command, pending a final analysis.

San Antonio and Colorado Springs, Colo., were considered two of the top candidates to serve as the new headquarters after the Pentagon whittled down a list of 50 cities around the country competing for Space Command to just six.

The command has been provisionally headquartered in Colorado Springs since its inception.

Huntsville compared more favorably than the other candidates based on the analysis, Air Force spokesman Ann Stefanek said.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and other local leaders met Dec. 21 with a Pentagon site selection team that was expected to decide on one of the six cities. Other locations were Patrick AFB near Cocoa Beach, Fla.; Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, N.M.; Offutt AFB in Omaha, Neb.; and Redstone Army Airfield in Huntsville, Ala.

Nirenberg issued a statement Wednesday saying San Antonio was honored to be among the finalists for the headquarters, and added, The process enabled us to highlight our many assets and attributes, including our cybersecurity, medical and training missions, as well as Port San Antonio, which ensured that we remain on the Pentagons short list as a welcoming, well-positioned home for our existing military missions as well as future missions.

We will be continuing the conversations with military leaders and our local partners working toward future opportunities.

That Huntsville was the winner surprised a number of people, one of them Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.

I thought that if it was going anywhere it would come here. But I thought it would stay in Colorado, he said.

Richard Perez, president and CEO of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, said Huntsville was something of a dark horse candidate and noted that conventional wisdom had Colorado Springs as the likely winner.

We thought the No. 1 spot, the place to beat, was in Colorado, he said. We thought that thats where pulling them out of there and folks have been living there and have their families, we thought that would be the hard one to beat.

But I would agree that Huntsville is a bit of a surprise, although, on reflection, theyve got the U.S. space and rocket center there. So there is, certainly, some synergy to what Space Command brings to the table and all the training that theyre doing and that sort of thing, he said.

The Air Force said it conducted virtual and on-site visits to assess to determine which of the finalists would be best suited to host Space Command.

The command will remain in Colorado Springs until Huntsville is able to support the mission. The Air Force said it is likely to make a final decision for locating the headquarters in spring 2023, pending the results from a required environmental impact analysis.

An Air Force statement said, Huntsville compared favorably across more of these factors than any other community, providing a large, qualified workforce, quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity, and low initial and recurring costs. Additionally, Redstone Arsenal offered a facility to support the headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent facility is being constructed.

A Pentagon team had already visited San Antonio as well as Colorado Springs, where Peterson AFB was thought by some familiar with the competition to have the inside track, though Nirenberg pushed back hard on that idea.

Its certainly true the command is presently in Colorado and that the (Air Force) Academy is in Colorado. But look, the future of cyberspace in the military is right here in San Antonio, the mayor said at the time.

The center of military medicine is here in San Antonio, he continued. The birthplace of human beings in flight and in space is here in San Antonio, Military City, U.S.A., and all of the intangibles that belong to a community that embraces our national defense apparatus is here in San Antonio.

On ExpressNews.com: Pentagon puts San Antonio on short list in race for Space Command headquarters

Space Command was established as the 11th combat command in August 2019 and currently has around 1,400 military and civilian personnel. It operates just like the Central Command, a unified command with forces from the various military branches oversaw wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The difference is that its domain is space.

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., said Wednesday that Redstone Arsenals selection is a testament to our excellent quality of life, low cost of living, high-quality local school systems, skilled workforce, Redstones geographical space for new facilities, and existing wealth of national security expertise.

However, he also cautioned that the Pentagons announcement is akin to a business acquisitions Letter of Intent, pending the outcome of the environmental analysis.

While Secretary of the Air Force Barrett emphasized to me that her location decision was based solely on merit and the interests of national security, it is unknown whether her merit-based decision will hold up and be respected by the Biden/Harris Administration and Congress, Brooks said.

Asked if politics might have driven the decision, Wolff recalled the intervention of Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., when plans called for sending some people quarantined for coronavirus last March at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland to Alabama.

They were going to send some of the people that were coming here, they were going to put them in Alabama, and  Shelbys the one that said, Nope, theyre not coming here. So yeah, hes got a lot of power, but I have no idea what goes into the decision, Wolff said. You never know, you never know, unless youre in on the inner circle.

Space Command is separate from U.S. Space Force, also established last year as a new branch of the military. Space Force will organize, train and equip troops the Pentagon calls space professionals, and is headquartered at the Pentagon with the other major military branches.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio mayor to discuss Space Force, military medicine in Pentagon visit

City leaders had touted several sites here for Space Command, among them JBSA-Lackland and the former Brooks AFB, now a commercial development, before the Pentagon put the Port on its short list. The National Security Agency also has a large facility here.

San Antonios advantage was the citys ability to provide a facility at commercial speed and commercial prices, rather than relying on military construction funding approved by Congress, said Jim Perschbach, CEO of Port San Antonio.

Nirenberg had stressed San Antonios historic role in the manned space program as one reason why it has a good shot at the command, saying he thought the militarys future was in the Alamo City.

sigc@express-news.net


WASHINGTON: President Donald Trumps iron grip on his party showed further signs of weakening on Tuesday as at least three Republicans, including a member of the House leadership, said they would vote to impeach him after his supporters stormed the Capitol.

Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House of Representatives, said: There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," as the Democratic-led chamber moved forward on a path to remove Trump from office.

Trump summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack" on the Capitol last Wednesday, Cheney, the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, said in a statement, adding: I will vote to impeach the president."

Two other Republican House members, John Katko and Adam Kinzinger, said they would also vote for the historic second impeachment of the Republican president, who leaves office in just eight days.

Their announcements came as Republican leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday refrained from urging their members to vote against impeaching Trump, saying it was a matter of individual conscience after his supporters ransacked the Capitol.

The House plans to vote as soon as Wednesday on an article of impeachment charging Trump with inciting insurrection unless he resigns or Vice President Mike Pence moves to oust him under a provision in the U.S. Constitution.

The House was set to vote on Tuesday on a separate non-binding resolution that would call on Pence to utilize the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove Trump, a procedure that has never been attempted in U.S. history.

The New York Times reported that the Republican majority leader of the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell, was said to be pleased about the Democratic impeachment push, suggesting Trumps party was looking to move on from him after last weeks stunning attack on Congress.

McConnell believes the impeachment effort will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, the Times said.

Making his first public appearance since last Wednesdays riot, Trump showed no contrition for remarks he made to supporters at a rally before they stormed the seat of Congress and also lambasted Democrats for pushing ahead with a drive to impeach him for an unprecedented second time.

What I said was totally appropriate," Trump told reporters as he left for a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border wall near Alamo, Texas, his first public foray since the assault on the Capitol. I want no violence."

PARTISAN FIGHT

In a debate ahead of the House vote on the 25th Amendment resolution, Democrats pushed Republican lawmakers to disavow Trumps false allegation that Democratic President-elect Joe Bidens victory in the Nov. 3 election was illegitimate - the claim that enraged Trumps supporters and prompted the violence in Washington that killed five including a police officer.

Republicans refused to concede the point and said their unsuccessful effort last week to challenge the results of the election was justified.

The resolution calls on Pence to invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, a never-before used power that allows a majority of the Cabinet to strip the president of power if he or she is deemed unable to discharge the offices duties.

Pence advisers say he is opposed to the idea, and Trump told reporters in Texas he was not worried about the prospect.

With only eight days left in Trumps term, chances the Democratic push will result in his removal before Biden takes office on Jan. 20 appear remote. But Democrats say Trumps actions demand a response.

Our nation, our democracy and our freedom cannot risk another day of the Trump presidency," said Representative Jim McGovern, the chairman of the House Rules Committee.

Democrats could also use an impeachment trial to push through a vote blocking Trump from running for office again.

If Trump is impeached by the House, he would have a trial in the Senate to determine his guilt. A two-thirds majority of the Senate is needed to convict him, meaning at least 17 Republicans in the 50-50 chamber would have to vote for conviction.

But only a simple majority is needed to disqualify Trump from future office. There is disagreement among legal experts as to whether conviction is necessary for disqualification. A different part of the Constitution, the 14th Amendment, also provides a procedure for disqualifying Trump from future office with a simple majority of both chambers.

Trump has said he plans to run again in 2024.

At a Rules Committee session setting the timeline and procedures for Tuesdays debate, lawmakers previewed the potentially emotional battle over the resolution with angry exchanges over Republican efforts to cast doubt on Bidens sweeping election win.

McGovern challenged Republican Representative Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally who received a Presidential Medal of Freedom from the president on Monday, to declare that Biden won fair and square and the election was not stolen."

Jordan refused to utter those words and defended his challenges to the Electoral College result, saying: I followed the process the Constitution prescribes" when there are concerns over a states election results.

I am stunned that after all that has happened we cannot get a definitive answer," McGovern responded as the two lawmakers sparred and talked over each other.

If Trump has not stepped down and Pence has not taken action by Wednesday, Democratic leaders plan to bring impeachment to the House floor.

McConnell has said no trial could begin until the chamber returns from its recess on Jan. 19.

But Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is set to become the majority leader after two Democrats from Georgia are seated and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in, told reporters the Senate could be recalled to handle the matter.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
The second round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans returns with a specific goal of helping minority-owned businesses and lower-income areas.

Following criticism from the first round that the loans assisted few minority-owned businesses, the new round of funding includes over $280 billion targeted for those needing it most.

AMAZON DETHRONES HEB: Amazon dethrones H-E-B as nation's top grocer, according to new data from shopping report

"The $284 billion allocated gives those that werent approved for the first iteration another chance to apply and allows businesses that have exhausted previous PPP money and have been significantly impacted by the pandemic to apply for a second draw," CNBC's Carmen Reinicke writes.

According to the Houston Chronicle's R.A. Schuetz, this time the program is working with community institutions, "which tend to have stronger relationships with minority communities."

Run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), the forgivable loan program established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) has assisted small business owners such as Alan Bergeronwho owns two Shipley Do-Nuts franchisesa chance to stay afloat during the pandemic.

Bergeron credits the PPP loan with helping him keep his business open, per Schuetz.

"My stores became a ghost town, Bergeron told Schuetz To be able to get a lifeline was crucial I was able to keep people employed.

This is the lifeline restaurants needed at a critical juncture in our long-term road to recovery, Emily Williams Knight, chief executive of the Texas Restaurant Association, told Schuetz.

The funding, which is part of the $284 billion relief bill signed into law last month by President Trump, is available to businesses with 500 or fewer employees. These businesses are eligible for first-time loans of up to $10 million, according to Schuetz.

"The new law also allows some businesses to apply for a second loan. To qualify, businesses must have spent all of their first loan, have less than 300 employees and prove that they lost 25% or more of revenue in any quarter in 2020 either on a quarterly or annual basis," according to Reinicke.

Megan Gorman, an attorney and managing partner at Chequers Financial Management in San Francisco stressed how important it is to work with a tax professional regarding the PPP loans, per Reinicke.

They need to see this as were on the Titanic and this is the life boat that will help your business survive, said Gorman.

Further guidance for submitting applications is pending from the SBA.
- Increase in automation in the automotive sector, rise in safety, accuracy, and productivity, and lowered labor cost in organizations drive the growth of the global automotive robotics market.

PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research recently published a report, titled, "Automotive Robotics Market by Component (Controller, Robotic arm, End effector, Sensors, Drive, and Others), Type (Articulated, Cylindrical SCARA, Cartesian, and Others), and Application (Welding, Painting, Cutting, Material Handling, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027". As per the report, the global automotive robotics industry generated $6.63 billion in 2019, and is expected to reach $13.60 billion by 2027, witnessing a CAGR of 12.8% from 2020 to 2027.

Download Report Sample (339 Pages PDF with Insights, Charts, Tables, Figures) at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/9046

Major determinants of the market

Rise in automation in the automotive industry, surge in need for accuracy, safety, and productivity, and reduction in labor cost in organizations drive the growth of the global automotive robotics market. However, high cost of industrial robots hampers the market growth. On the contrary, emergence of industry 4.0 is projected to create lucrative opportunities for the market players in the future.

Covid-19 scenario:

The Covid-19 outbreak has affected the manufacturing processes as governments declared complete lockdown across the countries to curb the spread of the infection.

The prolonged lockdown disrupted the supply chain, resulting in the loss of demand for automotive robotics.

However, the demand for automotive robotics is expected to increase post-pandemic as the automotive industry, one of the major end-users of industrial robotics, is on its way to get back on track.

As robots could help in boosting production while complying with social distancing norms, the demand for automotive robotics is expected to increase post-pandemic.

Get detailed COVID-19 impact analysis on the Automotive Robotics Market Request Here!

The robotic arm segment dominated the market

By component, the robotic arm segment held the lion's share in 2019, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global automotive robotics market, as robotic arms can be programmed to move in a very precise manner repeatedly with a high level of reliability and accuracy. However, the drive segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 23.5% during the forecast period, due to increase ig automotive production with rise in sales in the automotive industry over the years.

The painting segment to manifest the highest CAGR through 2027

By application, the painting segment is estimated to register the highest CAGR of 20.8% from 2020 to 2027, due to fast operations, good quality, and cost-efficiency in working units offered by robots. However, the material handling segment held the largest share in 2019, contributing to nearly half of the global automotive robotics market, owing to remarkable precision and highly accurate link-and-gear combinations.

Interested to Procure The Data? Inquire here at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/9046

LAMEA, followed by North America, to portray the highest CAGR by 2027

By region, the market across LAMEA, followed by North America, is expected to register the highest CAGR of 22.0% during the forecast period, due to incorporation of new automobile production plants with installed advanced industrial robots. However, the global automotive robotics market across Asia-Pacific dominated in 2019, accounting for more than two-thirds of the market share, owing to rise in demand for automobiles in this region and robots are helpful tools to increase the production rate to meet the demand.

Major market players

ABB

DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED

Comau

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.

FANUC CORPORATION

NACHI-FUJIKOSHI CORP.

KUKA AG

Seiko Epson Corporation

Rockwell Automation, Inc.

YASKAWA ELECTRIC CORPORATION

Schedule a FREE Consultation Call with Our Analysts/Industry Experts to Find Solution for Your Business at https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/connect-to-analyst/9046

Similar Reports We Have on Robotics Technology:

Autonomous Last Mile Delivery Market by Application (Logistics, Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals, Food & Beverages Retail, and Others), Solution (Hardware, Software, and Service), Range (Short Range (<20 km) and Long Range (>20 km)), and Vehicle Type (Aerial Delivery Drones, Ground Delivery Vehicles, and Self-driving Trucks & Bus): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021-2030.

Drone Package Delivery Market by Duration (Long Duration (>30 Minutes) and Short Duration (<30 Minutes)), Package Size (< 2 Kilograms, 2 - 5 Kilograms and > 5 Kilograms), Range (Long Range (>25 Kilometers) and Short Range (<25 Kilometers)), and Solution (Service, Software, Platform and Infrastructure): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027.

Drone Service Market by Type (Drone Platform Services, Drone Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) Services, Drone Training & Education Services), Duration of Service (Short Duration Services and Long Duration Services), Application (Aerial Photography & Remote Sensing, Data Acquisition & Analytics, Mapping & Surveying, Modelling, Disaster Risk Management & Mitigation, Inspection & Environmental Monitoring, and Others), Industry (Infrastructure, Agriculture, Logistics, Media & Entertainment, Oil & Gas, Utility & Power, Security, Search & Rescue, Mining, Scientific Research, Insurance, and Others), Solution (Enterprise and Point): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027.

Aerospace Robotics Market by Type (Articulated, Cartesian, Cylindrical, Spherical, SCARA, and Parallel), Technology (Traditional, Collaborative), Application (Drilling, Welding, Painting, Inspection) - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2014-2022.

Space Robotics Market by Solution (Products and Services), Application (Deep Space, Near Space and Ground), End User (Government and Commercial): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2020-2027.

About Allied Market Research

Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP, based in Portland, Oregon. AMR provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain.

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(Natural News) Banning President Donald Trump from social media while silencing his supporters who dare to object is simply not enough to stop violence and hate from spreading on the internet, according to Mozilla, the company behind the Firefox browser.

In an announcement, Mozilla expressed urgent plans to start filtering out disinformation at the browser level before it even has the chance to show up in an internet search or on a website.

Rehashing the same scripted lies about the siege and take-over in Washington, D.C., that resulted in a handful of people gaining access to the Capitol building on Jan. 6, Mozilla says every tool in the arsenal needs to be deployed to prevent white supremacy from being reinforce[d] online.

 as reprehensible as the actions of Donald Trump are, the rampant use of the internet to foment violence and hate, and reinforce white supremacy is about more than any one personality, wrote Mozillas Mitchell Baker.

Donald Trump is certainly not the first politician to exploit the architecture of the internet in this way, and he wont be the last. We need solutions that dont start after untold damage has been done.

Describing those who challenge fraudulent elections as engaging in dangerous dynamics, Baker says there is an urgent need to do more than just the temporary silencing or permanent removal of bad actors from social media platforms.

Mozilla, Firefox want to control everything youre allowed to access and share online

In order to prevent conservatives from ever again having the opportunity to make their voices heard about anything, Mozilla wants to uncover who is paying for advertisements on non-left websites, as well as how much they are paying.

Figuring out who is being targeted with these ads is also important, Mozilla says, as they, too, need to be silenced and prevented from accessing anything other than mainstream media content and information from approved politicians like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Mozilla is further taking aim at platform algorithms to ensure that only politically correct content is amplified, especially to the people who need to be indoctrinated the most.

By default, all of the latest Firefox updates will also include tools that are designed to amplify factual voices over disinformation. These factual voices include fake news outlets like The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Finally, Mozilla wants to collaborate with independent researchers for the purpose of conducting in-depth studies into the ways that Facebook and Twitter impact people throughout society. This, the company says, will help in determining what we can do to improve things.

These are actions the platforms can and should commit to today, Baker concludes.

The answer is not to do away with the internet, but to build a better one that can withstand and gird against these types of challenges. This is how we can begin to do that.

Time to uninstall Firefox

Similar in nature to Microsofts NewsGuard plug-in, which tags all mainstream news outlets as verified and everything else as fake, Mozilla wants Firefox to become yet another information gatekeeper in the web of deep state control over the world.

Needless to say, it is probably a good time to uninstall Firefox and never look back. The browser used to be somewhat trustworthy, but now it is just another cog in the wheel of new world order control over speech, not to mention an affront to the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Brave is better by every metric, wrote one Twitter commenter, referring to the popular Brave browser.

More of the latest news about Big Tech censorship can be found at Censorship.news.

Sources for this article include:

Twitter.com

Mozilla.org

NaturalNews.com

Brave.com
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She is currently writing a book about textile artisans.

The Associated Press reports in Michigan plans to charge ex-Gov. Snyder in Flint water probe that former Michigan Rick Snyder will later be criminally charged for actions related to the Flint water crisis.

The AP report is sparse on key details, as are all the follow-on reports I have seen.

I turn to the Detroit News account, Michigan plans to charge ex-Gov. Snyder in Flint water probe, the most comprehensive I have seen so far:

Former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, top aide Rich Baird and former health director Nick Lyon have been told they will face criminal charges resulting from Flints water crisis, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. Former Flint Public Works director Howard Croft also expects to be charged again, his lawyer, Jamie White, confirmed Tuesday. White said he was informed Monday about the development. Up to 10 individuals, including members of Snyders executive office, are set to be formally indicted as soon as Thursday after Attorney General Dana Nessels office launched a new investigation in 2019, the source confirmed to The Detroit News. The Flint water scandal contaminated the African American-majority citys drinking water with lead and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires disease in 2014-15 while Snyder was governor. The looming charges likely mean the states former top officeholder will face a high stakes legal battle over his administrations handling of the scandal.

The money question: what charges will be brought against Snyder and his aides? No one seems to know. (Or those that do are not saying.)

From the Detroit News:

The News could not discern what kind of charges would be brought against Snyder, Lyon, Baird and Croft. Its an ongoing investigation, Attorney Generals office spokeswoman Courtney Covington said Tuesday. The team is working diligently, though and we do hope to have an announcement on the status of that investigation soon. Snyder approved putting the city of Flint into state emergency management and was responsible for the states response to the lead contamination. Baird oversaw Flints recovery effort, Lyon handled the states responses to the citys public health problems and Croft was responsible for dealing with the citys water problems.

Still others are asking that question. From the AP account:

LeeAnne Walters, a mother of four who is credited with exposing the lead contamination, said she wants details about the charges. The very fact that people are being held accountable is an amazing feat, Walters said. But when peoples lives have been lost and children have been severely hurt, it doesnt seem like enough.

Spin and Jubilation

Snyders team is  unsurprisingly -already spinning the pending indictments as motivated by mere partisan politics.

Of course they are! But does that make them any less legitimate?

Again from the Detroit News:

Brian Lennon, an attorney who represents Snyder, said its outrageous to think any criminal charges would be filed against the former two-term Republican governor. Coming from an administration that claims to be above partisan politics, it is deeply disappointing to see pure political motivation driving charging decisions, Lennon added.

Miracle dictu, will some public officials finally be held accountable for their Flint misdeeds?

Criminal charges are the only avenue still open to Michigan to hold these officials accountable  as an earlier $640 million settlement of civil charges against state officials, currently agreed but awaiting court approval  released them from all civil liability.

And a lengthy section in which the Detroit News allowed the lawyers for those expected to be accused to sputter on about how outrageous these indictments are, the paper then turned over the floor to Former Flint mayor, Karen Weaver express her pleasure at the state of affairs:

Weaver, who was in office from 2015 to 2019, couldnt contain her excitement Tuesday when told about the expected charges being brought against Snyder and others. Its just wonderful. Its finally here. Its hitting me right now, said Weaver, who has been pressing for Snyder to be charged for years. Its about time. All evidence pointed to him that he knew, that he knew what was going on. It was a cover-up for 18 long months that something was going on with Flint and the water. Weaver, a Democrat, said she was pleased to hear that charges are also coming against Baird and others because you cannot do that by yourself. Now I hope that they are convicted, she said. Thats whats needs to happen next because people in Flint have been damaged. People in Flint have lost lives at their hands. Snyder, a Republican who has been out of office for two years, was governor when state-appointed managers in Flint switched the citys water to the Flint River in 2014 while a new regional authority pipeline was being built to Lake Huron. But the acidic river water leached lead from the citys old pipes because it was not properly treated, a decision that a Snyder-appointed independent commission blamed for the lead contamination.

Given the lack of details on exactly what criminal charges Snyder and the others face, I think Ill stop here, to revisit the topic later. But the news we have so far looks promising.
Over the past few days, Israeli security agencies have been warning about escalating tensions in the West Bank. They fear that violent demonstrations and attacks on Palestinian property registered ever since the death of Ahuvia Sandak on Dec. 21 could continue and even spread.

More so, according to data published on Jan. 9, December 2020 was the most nationalist-violent month since the beginning of 2017. Israeli security agencies registered 41 "price tag" incidents, which is the name used for vengeance crimes carried out by Israeli extremists against Palestinians and against Palestinian buildings and property. Most of these December attacks were the throwing of stones and rocks at Palestinians in the West Bank, with seven people in total injured. A report by the Yesh Din Volunteers for Human Rights nonprofit organization on Jan. 1 said the group had recorded 25 attacks against Palestinians and their property since Sandak was killed  in other words, 25 incidents in ten days.

As aforementioned, the increase of violence by settlers and far-right activists is linked to the death of 16-year-old Sandak last month. He was killed when the car he was sitting in collided with a police car and then overturned. It happened during a car chase as police officers tried to detain five settlers  Hilltop Youth  suspected of throwing stones at Palestinians. Police said the driver lost control of the vehicle.

In contrast, settlers are claiming a police car ramming the vehicle caused the crash. The family of Sandak had petitioned the court for the incident to be investigated. They blame the police for the death of their son and also claim that the officers on the scene prevented rescue forces from reacting promptly. The Jerusalem Shalom Court received the petition, and a judge is expected to start examining it today.

The incident generated protests across Israel. Thousands of right-wing activists demonstrated against the police, demanding that the investigation of the incident be entrusted to an exterior, independent body. Many of these demonstrations were violent, with police arresting dozens of people for disturbing public order. On Dec. 29, for instance, police arrested 14 people in Jerusalem after demonstrators blocked traffic, caused damage to infrastructure and burned garbage bins. On Jan. 10, activists organized protests at several highway intersections, setting up makeshift barriers and blocking traffic. They also organized demonstrations in dozens of locations including in Haifa, Jerusalem and the Etzion settlement bloc. Reportedly, hundreds of people participated in these Jan. 10 protests. At least 10 of them were detained by the police.

The series of violent protests on Jan. 10 included also another serious incident in which settler Yehuda Shimon allegedly attacked the commander of the Golani Brigades Reconnaissance Battalion, Ayoub Kayuf. It happed outside the Kedumim West Bank settlement. Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi sharply condemned the incident. A statement issued on his behalf read, The chief of staff determined that harming IDF soldiers  who serve day and night to defend citizens of the state  by settlers, who are protected by [troops], is unacceptable behavior that we must reject and vigorously fight against while, in addition, bringing to justice those involved.

Kochavi was warning the Hilltop Youth against attacking IDF soldiers. But the young settlers have been doing more than just demonstrating. We have already mentioned the report on the increase of nationalist attacks during December 2020. It now seems that January could be no less violent. Reports about a demonstration that took place Jan. 1 in Jerusalem revealed that some of the demonstrators there threw rocks and other objects toward a vehicle driven by Arabs in the city and even tried to open the cars door to attack the vehicles occupants. On Jan. 11, Yesh Din reported on dozens of settlers who gathered at a junction not far from Nablus. According to Yesh Din, the settlers threw stones at a Palestinian car and broke its front window. The Palestinian driver was injured and transferred to the Nablus hospital.
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
Drivers are able to find out more details about the customer cash promotion on Gale Toyotas website

Gale Toyota is offering a customer cash back deal on select Toyota vehicle models for a limited time only. The customer cash back deal ends on Feb 1, 2021, and this deal can only be found at your local Gale Toyota dealership.

The customer cash back deal has been broken up into two different segments, one segment where potential customers can get $1,000 cash back on select Toyota models and another segment where customers can get $1,500 cash back on Toyota models. The models available for the $1,000 cash back deal is the 2021 Toyota Highlander, 2021 Toyota Rav4, 2021 Toyota Corolla, 2021 Toyota Corolla Hatchback and the 2021 Toyota Camry. The models available for the $1,500 cash back option are the 2021 Toyota Prius AWD, 2021 Corolla Hybrid and the 2021 Camry Hybrid models.

This cash back deal is only valid at your local Gale Toyota dealership, and it is worth noting that no actual cash will be handed to the customer. The idea behind the cash back is simply that the potential driver who chooses to buy one of these vehicles will get either $1,000 or $1,500 off their purchase, and the cash back payments can only happen during a vehicle transaction.

If interested in seeing what other specials are available at Gale Toyota, or if potential customers need more information about this cash back promotion, they can find out more by visiting Gale Toyotas website at https://www.galetoyota.com/ or by calling the sales department at 860-269-3608.
Harmful medical practices, like inappropriate prescribing of opioids and racial and income-based discrimination in clinical settings, can vary across medical practices and individuals.

Patients may find that even common primary care health services, like getting chest x-rays or a referral to a heart or lung specialist, can differ widely depending on your doctor or clinic location.

These variations in medical practice can have serious consequences for the quality, equity, and cost of one's health care; however, it's unclear whether these disparities can be attributed to individual differences, from one doctor to another or to changes in your doctor's individual practice over time, perhaps in response to shifts in clinical guidelines or advancements in diagnostic technologists.

Is it person-to-person variation or variation over time? A group of Israeli researchers sought to answer this question in a retrospective cohort study using a decade of data from the largest health care provider in southern Israel.

This study shows variations between physicians' practice patterns to be significantly more pronounced than variations within an individual physician's practice patterns over a decade. Researchers assessed the medical practice patterns of 251 primary care physicians, including their rates of imaging tests, cardiac tests, laboratory tests, and specialist visits.

After adjusting for different patient and clinic characteristics, practice pattern variations remain high, while individual physicians' patterns over time appear stable. The authors propose that medical practitioners' personal behavioral characteristics might help explain variations across practice patterns.




Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) are expected to start their search for the beginnings of the new coronavirus when they arrive in China this week.

Chinas National Health Commission made the announcement in a one-sentence statement Monday. The experts will arrive on Thursday and meet with Chinese officials. No additional details were made available.

It remains unclear whether the experts will travel to the central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first found in late 2019.

Negotiations for the visit have taken a long time. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed concern last week over delays.



He said members of the international scientific team had already left their home countries. The trip was part of an agreement between the WHO and the Chinese government.

Earlier, a United Nations spokesperson told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is fully supportive of Dr. Tedros and WHOs efforts to get a team in there.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said China had approved the visit after talks between the two sides. He called it a chance to exchange opinions with Chinese scientists and medical experts on scientific cooperation on the tracing of the origin of the new coronavirus. Zhao suggested that the origin would likely involve multiple countries and localities.

Chinas government has controlled all research into the origins of the virus in the country, an Associated Press investigation found. State-operated media have spread theories that suggest the virus could have started outside of China.

An AP investigation found that Chinas government is handing out hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid to scientists researching the virus origins in southern China. But it is watching their findings, and it ordered that the publication of any information or research be approved by a new committee supervised by Chinas Cabinet. The AP found through internal documents that the research is under direct orders from President Xi Jinping.

The culture of secrecy is believed to have delayed warnings about the pandemic. It blocked the sharing of information with the WHO and slowed early efforts at testing. Reports say WHO officials felt frustration over not getting the information they needed to fight the spread of the deadly virus.

Australia and other countries have called for an investigation into the origins of the virus. That call has been met with anger from China.

The virus origins have caused much speculation. Much of it centered on the likelihood that it was carried by bats and passed to humans through an intermediary animal. It is thought the animal was sold as food or medicine in traditional Chinese markets.

China has largely limited new cases, but said Monday that tests show 103 people have been infected with the coronavirus in Hebei province, bordering Beijing.

That outbreak comes as officials are trying to limit the spread of the virus during next months Lunar New Year holiday. Officials have called on citizens not to travel, ordered schools to close one week early and carried out many tests.

China has recorded more than 87,536 total cases of the virus. Hospitals are currently treating hundreds of people for COVID-19, while about 506 other people have been separated from others. Those 506 are under observation after tests showed them to have the virus with no signs of sickness, officials said.

The Hebei outbreak has raised concern because the province surrounds Beijing. People in parts of the province are having their movements restricted and travel has been largely cut off. Those entering Beijing have to show proof of employment as well as proof that they do not have the virus.

Im Mario Ritter Jr.

Mario Ritter Jr. adapted this AP report for VOA Learning English. Susan Shand was the editor.

________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

trace v. to find out where something started

origin n. the point or place where something begins

multiple -adj. more than one, many

internal adj. existing within an organization such as a company or government

frustration n. a feeling of anger or unhappiness that results from being unable to do something or being blocked from doing it

speculation n. ideas or guesses about something that is not known

intermediary n. a person who works with both sides in an argument, a go-between taking something from one side to another

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From midnight on Wednesday South Australia will open its border to regional New South Wales following on from a similar easing of border restrictions in Victoria.

Rules will not change for Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane areas despite only a handful of locally acquired cases reported in each city in recent days.

Premier Daniel Andrews previously declared on Monday Victoria's borders will reopen to regional NSW, while announcing a new traffic light system aimed to keep Victoria safe when travellers cross the border.

South Australia will reopen their border to regional NSW from midnight on Wednesday following a similar decision in Victoria. Pictured: A Victoria Police officer gestures to colleagues at a border checkpoint

A drive-through testing centre in Victoria Park, Adelaide recently. South Australia has 12 active Covid cases who are all in hotel quarantine

NSW reported one local coronavirus case on Wednesday linked to the Berala bottle shop cluster in Sydney.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announced on Wednesday afternoon the easing of restrictions for those NSW residents in regional areas.

'We will be opening up for people coming in from regional NSW outside the high community transmission zones of Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast, and the Blue Mountains,' Mr Marshall said.

'The only requirement is that you are tested [for Covid] on day one, day five, and day twelve,' he said.

Dr Nicola Spurrier (left) and premier Steven Marshall (right) speaking at a press conference on Wednesday announcing the easing of border restrictions

Residents from Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane would still be required to quarantine for 14 days upon travelling to South Australia.

SA reported two new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, both men in their 30s who recently returned from overseas.

There are now 12 active infections in South Australia, all returned travellers in quarantine.

In Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called for a review of the hotel quarantine system after six people were confirmed to have caught the UK strain of Covid.

The cases were four people in quarantine at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, a hotel cleaner, and her partner.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it was crucial everyone linked to the hotel isolate over the next 14-days.

'If we find out what's happened on that floor seven and that's a reason for how it's moved, transmitted, then that might change but at this point in time it's 14 days because I don't know how that transmission has occurred,' she said.

The premier said the state will pay the bill for the existing 129 guests, who restart the entire quarantine period on Wednesday.

'It's going to be very tough on these particular guests that they now have to do an additional 14 days, however, it is necessary,' she said.

Under Victoria's eased border rules, anyone wanting to enter the state must apply for a permit which will be coloured red, orange or green, based on the Covid risk in the area they've arriving from.

Anyone wanting to cross the Victoria border from 6pm Monday must have a permit or be fined $5,000 (pictured: Melbourne locals in St Kilda recently)

This applies to every arrival in the state, even those from Covid-safe states and territories which have experienced no virus outbreaks in months.

Victoria has gone one week without a locally acquired coronavirus case after the New South Wales outbreak jumped the border.

Meanwhile Tasmania is standing firm with their border restrictions for Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane areas.

'Don't come to Tasmania, that's effectively what a high-risk classification is,' Premier Peter Gutwein said on Wednesday.

'Given the circumstances around the UK strain ... we are going to leave our settings in place as they currently stand.'

No one is allowed to enter Tasmania from Greater Brisbane unless they have special permission as an essential traveller.

Tasmania has forced all arrivals from Greater Brisbane since January 8 to quarantine.

Tasmania will maintain a medium risk declaration for Greater Sydney, meaning all arrivals have to quarantine for two weeks.

Six members of a team manning Post 457 at the Xin Cai Border Guard Station in Meo Vac District in the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang discuss their task before they start a night patrol. Northern Vietnam, including Ha Giang, has suffered a week of cold snap caused by a strong cold front that has sent temperatures plunging below zero and covered the region in snow.

Border guards have a busy time ahead of them since a large of number of Vietnamese working in neighboring China would seek to return home for the Lunar New Year, or Tet, in mid-February. Many would try to go through unmanned paths and trails to avoid being caught and sent to quarantine camps.
(Newser)  After hours of legal back-and-forth, Lisa Montgomery was executed early Wednesday at a federal prison complex in Indiana. The Kansas 52-year-old is the first female put to death in the US since 1953, the AP reports. An appeals court had granted a stay of execution for Montgomery on Tuesday, but ultimately the Supreme Court cleared the way for the lethal injection. Montgomery killed pregnant 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in 2004 and cut the baby girl, who survived, out of her womb. Her lawyers had long argued she was mentally ill and had suffered years of torture and sexual abuse, and one of them called out President Trump, a big death penalty supporter who resumed federal executions after a 17-year hiatus, in her statement.

story continues below

"The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight," her statement reads. "Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame. The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman. Lisa Montgomerys execution was far from justice." Eleven federal prisoners have been executed since July; the last two who were scheduled to be executed before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to halt federal executions once more, had a stay issued Tuesday because both are recovering from COVID-19, CNN reports. Montgomery had no final words. As for the baby, the Sun reports Victoria Jo Stinnett is now 16 and has largely remained out of the public eye. (Read more Lisa Montgomery stories.)
Sony's electric vehicle, Vision-S

Sony's electric vehicle Vision-S has been put on public roads for testing, the Japanese tech giant announced at an event. Sony said that testing for the prototype vehicle began last month in Austria, as the company now looks to improve its safety.

The development of the prototype vehicle has reached 'the next stage' and Sony plans on carrying out tests in other regions as well, reported CNBC.

Vision-S, a four-seater car, is powered by two 200 kilowatt motors  located at its front and rear. It weighs 5,180 pounds or 2,350 kilograms. The vehicle uses 40 sensors to monitor safety and undertake a range of tasks such as autonomous parking.

Although only a prototype vehicle, Sony has partnered with some significant players including vehicle manufacturer Magna Steyr. In a video published by Sony on January 11, Frank Klein, the president of Magna Steyr, described the Vision-S as just the starting point of our joint cooperation", reported CNBC.

Given that Sony is not very well known for making cars, it will be interesting to see how plans for the Vision-S pan out in the future. Especially at a time when market leader Elon Musk's Tesla delivered 4,99,550 vehicles in 2020.
New Jersey Waives High School Graduation Tests, Teacher Evaluations Amid Pandemic

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced on Monday that high school seniors across the state dont have to pass the usual exit tests in order to graduate this year, and teachers will not be judged based on their students performance. He cited the ongoing CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic as the reason.

Murphy said at a press news conference that he will sign an executive order waiving the graduation assessment test requirement for the class of 2021, as long as they meet all other credit curriculum standards and attendance benchmarks. Typically under state rules, 12th graders must pass standardized tests in math and English, and those who fail the tests must submit a portfolio of their work for the state to review.

Given the unique challenges our students and educators are facing, we simply have to all reach the conclusion that this is not a normal or regular school year, Murphy said. We have to be more flexible and more understanding.

In the same vein, teachers this year will also not be rated on student test scores or other academic measures. Instead, the sole measure of the teacher effectiveness will be classroom observations.

We cannot adequately evaluate educator performance based on student growth objectives when remote learning has thrown so much uncertainty into the mix, Murphy said, adding that the evaluation change can help substitute teachers earn tenure or keep their jobs amid a statewide teacher shortage.

New Jersey students are still going to take the federally mandated standardized tests this spring, unless the U.S. Department of Education says otherwise, according to Angelica Allen-McMillan, New Jerseys acting commissioner of education. Federal K-12 education law requires states to test all students for English language arts, math, and science every year from grades three through eight, and once in high school.

Then-Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in March 2020 granted waivers to all 50 states, excusing them from testing requirements. In September, however, DeVos indicated that states shouldnt expect another nationwide waiver for the school year 2020-21.

We are planning to continue with our scheduled administration this spring as our federal guidelines mandate that we administer the New Jersey student learning assessment, Allen-McMillan said at the press conference. If there is a change with the incoming administration, we will weigh all of our options at that time.

Murphys new executive order marks the second time New Jersey eased the rules around high school graduation requirement and teacher evaluations since the CCP virus outbreak. Last spring, also through an executive order, Murphy allowed high school seniors who had not passed the exit tests to graduate without submitting their portfolios. A rule requiring three observations for non-tenured teachers has also been dropped.
On January 10, the popular mayor of the eastern Siberian city of Yakutsk, Sardana Avksentyeva, wrote on social media that she was submitting her resignation because my family is seriously worried about my health.

I have to admit that I can no longer work 24/365, she wrote. Tomorrow I am checking into the hospital and soon I will have an operation.

She ended her message by saying: I beg you not to dramatize the situation. There are no irreplaceable people, and the history of Yakutsk is measured in centuries. Remain a thoughtful, independent, and kind city. I am proud of you.

The same day, Avksentyevas spokesman, Aleksei Tolstyakov, told journalists that the mayor was under no pressure to step aside.

I want to emphasize that this decision was made without the involvement of outside parties and no one exerted any pressure on the citys leader, he said.

Immediately, however, many observers commented with their suspicions that Avksentyeva had been forced out.

I know exactly the real reason why you are leaving, one person commented on Avksentyevas post. It is completely logical that health problems have emerged. You were driven out, subject to threats and constantly confronted with obstacles about which only you know everything. Our thieving authorities cannot stand to be near an honest and principled mayor who was working for the benefit of the people.

Business journalist Maksim Tovkailo told RFE/RL he believes political pressure played a role in Avksentyevas decision.

I think that fatigue from fighting simply to work and fatigue from the pressure were the main reasons why she is resigning, he said. Whatever health reasons there may be were simply an excuse.

Yakutsk is a city of some 310,000 people in eastern Siberia that's almost 5,000 kilometers east of Moscow and is the capital of the diamond-producing Sakha Republic. Avksentyeva's resignation comes in the context of preparations for the election of Russias lower parliament house, the State Duma, which must be held by mid-September of this year.

President Vladimir Putins personal popularity rating is in decline and the ruling United Russia party is widely reviled around the country. So Kremlin political strategists are reportedly preparing the ground for a tough campaign against an anti-Putin opposition that has been energized by relative successes in local elections the last three years.

Opposition figures who won local government offices in those elections in St. Petersburg and other cities have reported that pro-Kremlin officials have opened criminal investigations and otherwise harassed them as they tried to carry out their new jobs.

Last July, the popular governor of the Khabarovsk region, Sergei Furgal of the Liberal-Democratic Party of Russia, was arrested on charges stemming from a spate of murders dating back to 2004-05. The region has seen continuous protests since then, as Furgals supporters allege he is being persecuted for soundly thrashing the United Russia incumbent in a runoff election in 2018.

In August, prominent opposition leader Aleksei Navalny fell violently ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow. Compelling evidence indicates that he was poisoned by Federal Security Service (FSB) operatives using a Novichok-type nerve agent, and his supporters say he was targeted for his anti-Putin political activity. The Kremlin has said it was not involved in the incident, but has refused to cooperate with international investigators or to open a criminal probe in Russia.

If you know any principled politicians, officials, or government managerswho are trying to work properly and who are not being undercut, please tell me in the comments below, Tovkailo wrote on Facebook on January 11.

It is important for Putin, particularly now, ahead of the federal elections, to show that he controls the entire country, even the most protest-prone regions, said Moscow-based political analyst Aleksandr Kynev.

Circumstantially at least, Avksentyeva seems to fit into this pattern. The first female mayor in the history of the city, she was elected in September 2018 with a plurality of 39.9 percent. Her main rival was the city councils chairman, Aleksandr Savvinov of United Russia. From 2007 until 2012, Avksentyeva, 50, served as the citys deputy mayor.

She quickly attracted the publics attention by getting rid of a city-owned fleet of cars in Moscow that was used by officials visiting the capital. The cost-saving measure was so popular that she soon announced a program of using taxis for official trips around the city, with the intention of getting rid of city halls automobile fleet in Yakutsk as well.

In November 2020, Avksentyeva announced plans to auction off the city governments large downtown administrative building and move the government to cheaper facilities elsewhere in the city.

Bureaucrats, she wrote on social media at the time, dont need to sit in a pricy building in the very center of the city.

She attached to her post a photograph of herself as a small child in the 1970s working on a voluntary Saturday work shift on the construction of the Yakutsk city administration building.

Her main attribute was her openness to local citizens, her accessibility, Kynev added.

Avksentyeva was also distinguished by the fact that there was no portrait of Putin in her office. In its place, she demonstratively hung a photograph of a traditional celebration by native Yakut people.

She was also one of the only politicians in Russia who spoke up publicly in defense of Aleksandr Gabyshev, a Yakut shaman who has made several attempts to march to Moscow to drive President Vladimir Putin out of the Kremlin.

In June, she denounced Gabyshevs forced confinement in a psychiatric hospital as selective punishment.

Around the same time, she publicly voted against a Kremlin-drafted raft of constitutional amendments that, among other things, made it legally possible for Putin to seek two additional presidential terms and potentially remain in the Kremlin until 2036. The amendments also abolished direct elections for city mayors such as the one Avksentyeva won in 2018.

She took to social media in August to complain about increasingly frequent disinformation attacks against her and the unprecedented lies that have flooded out about me since the vote on the constitution.

I wouldnt be surprised if some criminal case is opened soon, she wrote.

I think they would have forgiven her somehow for supporting the shaman, political commentator Nikolai Podosokorsky wrote on Facebook on January 11, but voting against lifetime rule for Putin was critically important. Another prominent politician who voted against the amendments, Federation Council member Vycheslav Markhayev, lost his post last September.

I wish her health and a successful surgery, he concluded. I think she did a lot under the current circumstances. It is wonderful that there were such people among Russias mayors. It is a shame that she has turned out to be the last free mayor in Putins Russia.

The Yakutsk city legislature is expected to officially accept Avksentyevas resignation on January 14.

Written by RFE/RL senior correspondent Robert Coalson based on reporting by correspondent Maria Chernova of the Siberia Desk of RFE/RLs Russian Service
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  Some lawmakers and economists agreed in a House hearing that it is high time for a legislative measure to lift the "restrictive" economic provisions of the Constitution, but for others, the country is just not ready for another "Cha-cha" in the middle of the pandemic.

During the first day of deliberations of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments on Resolution of Both Houses 2, congressmen and resource persons were split over its aim to ease limits on foreign ownership of lands, educational institutions, public utilities, and mass media firms.

The measure filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco includes the phrase "unless otherwise provided by the law" to certain provisions on national patrimony and economy, education, science and technology, arts, culture and sports, and general provisions of the charter.

According to panel chair Alfredo Garbin of AKO-Bicol Party-list, the measure "will improve the investment climate and generate much needed investments and jobs to counteract the economic contraction caused by the pandemic."

For former National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Ernesto Pernia, while the economy has been "clobbered by the pandemic," its recovery needs to be accelerated. He added that the Philippines needs to compete with its ASEAN neighbors.

"We really cannot be competitive with our ASEAN neighbors, much less in the global economy, if we do not open the economy. That is why easing or lifting the provisions on foreign participation in the constitution is critical," he said.

For UP School of Economics Professor Emeritus Raul Fabella, the country should also focus on investing in itself, before opening the economy to others.

"If we are not investing more of ourselves, I don't see why foreign investors will do so," he said. However, he noted that citizenship is not a condition to whoever can make the economy flourish.

Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya also said 1,489 mayors across the country have expressed their support for "surgical" amendments to the constitution. These local executives, who are members of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, crafted a resolution to show their support, he added.

Some 555,610 signatures of Filipinos who support the same purpose were also submitted by Malaya to the House panel. He said these were collected from 72 of 81 provinces across the country through roadshows.

"If not because of the pandemic, I think we would have reached more than a million signatures," he noted. "Considering the number of signatures that we have secured given the limited time before the pandemic, I think there is strong public support for the surgical amendments."

But for IBON Executive Director Rosario Guzman, instead of an economic Cha-cha, the government should instead create a more aggressive fiscal stimulus to address its current economic problems, as "vastly growing foreign investment has not been contributing to the country's economic progress" even before the pandemic hit.

RBH 2 seeks to amend the Constitution by exercising the powers of Congress as a constituent assembly. The measure cited Article 17, Section 1 of the 1987 Constitution, which states that any amendment to the charter may be proposed by Congress upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members.

Velasco said the House and Senate can tackle the proposed amendments separately in the exercise of their constituent functions.
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Liver transplant priority in the U.S. goes to the sickest patients, which fails to consider other important factors, including how long patients are likely to survive post-transplant.

Researchers with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine are collaborating with faculty at the University of Pennsylvania to develop a risk score that more comprehensively prioritizes liver cancer patients for transplantation.

Their paper documenting the development and validation of the LiTES-HCC score to predict post-transplant survival for hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, patients was published in the highly respected peer-reviewed Journal of Hepatology.

The authors looked retrospectively at national registry data of more than 6,500 adult deceased donor liver transplant recipients and found the 11 variables selected for their scoring system resulted in patient prioritization based on predicted survival and survival benefit, according to the study's lead author, David Goldberg, M.D., MSCE, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Digestive Health and Liver Diseases at the Miller School.

Dr. Goldberg is principal investigator for an ongoing National Institutes of Health grant aimed at redefining liver transplantation prioritization in the U.S.

"There are basically two large subsets of patients awaiting liver transplantation: those who have cirrhosis and complications from that, and then about 20% to 25% of transplants are for people who have liver cancer, which is a known complication of cirrhosis," Dr. Goldberg said. "Cirrhosis is the primary risk factor for developing liver cancer. When it is caught early enough and hasn't gotten too big, transplantation is the best treatment."

Since the early 2000s, patients who meet certain criteria based on tumor number and size get points or priority on the wait list for liver transplant.

"Livers are in short supply for transplantation. We have over 15,000 people waiting for livers," said Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., Ph.D., vice provost for global initiatives and co-director of the Healthcare Transformation Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, who also served as co-author and co-investigator in the study. "As we know, in these circumstances who gets priority is really a life and death matter. We have shown that there are better ways to allocate livers saving more lives."

"For example, you could have a 75-year-old with diabetes, high blood pressure and kidney disease who has a 5 cm tumor have the same priority as someone who is 50, who has autoimmune liver disease and cancer and no other problem, even though the 50-year-old's expected survival is quite different," Dr. Goldberg said.

Researchers have developed other scores attempting to predict who will have better survival, but those scores have focused on tumor characteristics, including tumor size, number of tumors and blood biomarkers, and not on other health problems, such as diabetes or heart disease.

"Ours is the first validated score to predict survival after transplant for people with liver cancer that accounts for both their cancer-related factors but also non-cancer-related factors," Dr. Goldberg said.

Improving on the current system is important because there is a dramatic shortage of organs for transplantation, including livers.

The NIH grant has three aims: The first is the post-transplant research in this paper. Another journal has accepted Dr. Goldberg and colleagues' paper looking at using the score to predict survival in people without liver cancer. And now the researchers are developing a model to predict survival without a transplant.

"The broader goal of our work is to change liver transplant prioritization not just based on survival with the transplant but survival without the transplant. So, if someone is expected to live eight years with the transplant and four years without it, that is vastly different than someone who lives six years with a transplant and three months without," Dr. Goldberg said. "Ultimately, we will put this all together to determine who benefits most from a liver transplantation in order to redefine how we prioritize people for transplantation in the U.S. and maybe the world."

Explore further Expert alert: Five things to know about being a living liver donor

More information: David Goldberg et al. Predicting survival after liver transplantation in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma using the LiTES-HCC score. Journal of Hepatology. Published:January 12, 2021 DOI: Published:January 12, 2021 DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2020.12.021
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

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The Muslim televangelist preached creationism and conservative values while scantily clad women, whom he called 'kittens', would danced around him to upbeat music in the TV studio

Istanbul: A Turkish court on Monday sentenced a Muslim televangelist who surrounded himself with scantily clad women he called "kittens" to more than 1,000 years in jail for sex crimes.

Adnan Oktar preached creationism and conservative values while women in revealing outfits  many of whom appeared to have had plastic surgery  danced around him to upbeat music in the TV studio.

The bearded 64-year-old was detained in 2018 along with more than 200 other suspects as part of a crackdown on his group by the financial crimes unit of the Istanbul police.

He was sentenced to 1,075 years for crimes including sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud, and attempted political and military espionage, the private NTV broadcaster reported.

The court also sentenced two executives in Oktar's organisation, Tarkan Yavas, and Oktar Babuna, to 211 and 186 years, respectively.

The official Anadolu news agency reported that Oktar was additionally found guilty of aiding a group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen that Turkey blames for staging a failed coup attempt in 2016.

He has denied links to Gulen and has called suggestions that he led a sex cult an "urban myth".

Some 236 defendants faced charges, 78 of whom were held in custody pending trial, Anadolu reported.

Most of the suspects have maintained their innocence since the first court hearing in September 2019.

'Overflowing of love'

During the trial, which was followed closely by Turkish media for months, the court heard lurid and harrowing details of sex crimes.

Oktar told the presiding judge in December that he had close to 1,000 girlfriends.

"There is an overflowing of love in my heart for women. Love is a human quality. It is a quality of a Muslim," he said in another hearing in October.

He added on a separate occasion: "I am extraordinarily potent."

Oktar first came to public attention in the 1990s when he was the leader of a sect that was caught up in multiple sex scandals.

His online A9 television channel began broadcasting in 2011, drawing denunciations from Turkey's religious leaders.

The channel, which was often fined by Turkey's media watchdog RTUK, was seized by the state and shut down in the wake of the police crackdown on Oktar's group.

One of the women at his trial, identified only as CC, told the court that Oktar had repeatedly sexually abused her and other women.

Some of the women he had raped were forced to take contraceptive pills, CC told the court, adding that she herself had joined when she was 17 years old.

Asked about 69,000 contraception pills found in his home by the police, Oktar said they were used to treat skin disorders and menstrual irregularities.

Turkish authorities demolished Oktar's villa on the Asian side of Istanbul  which he also used for his TV studio  and confiscated all his property in 2018.

Oktar rejects the Darwinian theory of evolution and has written a 770-page book called "The Atlas of Creation" under the pen name, Harun Yahya.
In a major success for the security forces, the Border Security Force (BSF) on Wednesday morning, unearthed a Pakistani conspiracy to push terrorists into the Indian soil by using a tunnel. Sources in the BSF told Republic Media Network that the terror tunnel is about 115 metres long which started from the Shakar Ghar area of Pakistan and had an opening to the Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan's attempt foiled

Pakistan's plan was to push in terrorists into the Indian side through this tunnel as there are five launch pads of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in the area opposite to Jammu's Samba and Kathua district of the international border and there are a huge number of terrorists in these launch pads.

BSF has also found sandbags of Pakistans marking from this terror tunnel. A senior official of the BSF told Republic Media network that sandbags which were used to build the tunnel have marking of Karachi which shows that it is Pakistan which is behind this plan to push terrorists into Indian territory. Senior officials of the Jammu and Kashmir police along with the top officials of the border security force also rushed to the spot.

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This is the second terror tunnel through which Pakistan has tried to push terrorists in the last two months. Earlier, a terror tunnel was found in Regal area of Samba district along the international border on November 22, 2020, three days after the Nagrota encounter in which four Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorists were killed by security forces in joint operation.

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NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Great Foundation, a non-profit organization redefining what's possible and improving the world through action, and Instrument, a design agency built for change, today announced The Festival of Urgent Reinventions , a free, two-day event to question and reimagine how we can use our skills to build a more accessible and equitable future. Part conference, part competition  the virtual event takes place February 4 - 5 and is designed as a forum where ideas will be shared, community will come together, and solutions will be invented and developed in response to the world's most urgent and systemic issues.

The Festival of Urgent Reinventions is a combination of inspiration from a lineup of prominent change makers, and actionable briefs that intersect health, economy, society, and technology. These briefings will take the form of a live talk, and be supported with a set of downloadable resources. Event participants - thinkers, creators, artists, and innovators - will have 48 hours to invent, imagine, and ideate a solution aimed to solve the world's most urgent problems. Four winning participants will receive a cash prize of $10,000, as well as opportunities and support to make their winning ideas into world-changing realities. If winners are involved with non-profit organizations or student groups, additional $5,000 grants will be made to those initiatives.

"This past year showed us what's possible when we put our minds together - that the digital realm can be a space dedicated to community and progress, and that we all have the skills and tools needed to ideate, create and implement solutions to build a better world," said Andrew Trousdale, of The Great Foundation. "That's exactly why we started The Festival of Urgent Reinventions - to create a space for all of us to come together to reimagine how we can use our skills to build a more accessible, equitable future."

Keynotes and topics include:

How can we make education more available and accessible to anyone in a post-covid world?, led by Gitanjali Rao , an American inventor, author, scientist, and STEM promoter. She won the Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge in 2017, was recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, and was named TIME's Kid of the Year in 2020 for her innovations

led by , an American inventor, author, scientist, and STEM promoter. She won the Discovery Education Young Scientist Challenge in 2017, was recognized on Forbes 30 Under 30, and was named TIME's Kid of the Year in 2020 for her innovations How can we make health and wellness practices more accessible to underserved communities around you? , led by Nicola Cordoza , an award-winning serial social entrepreneur, investor, author and public speaker making wellness accessible for everyone

, led by , an award-winning serial social entrepreneur, investor, author and public speaker making wellness accessible for everyone How can we provide underrepresented and disadvantaged groups in your community more access to professional opportunities? , led by Alex Stephany , a sharing economy expert and founder of Beam, a platform and support network that crowdfunds new career opportunities for homeless men and women

, led by , a sharing economy expert and founder of Beam, a platform and support network that crowdfunds new career opportunities for homeless men and women How Can We Eliminate Waste and Tackle Plastic Pollution on our Collective Earth, led by Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez , an architect, inventor, and co-founder of Notpla, a London -based startup with the goal of making packaging disappear

"We are at the edge of a new decade staring down a global pandemic, rising unemployment, hunger, raging wildfires, a social justice emergency, and new problems that grow out of our broken systems every day," said Jack De Caluwe, Creative Director at Instrument. "The Festival or Urgent Reinventions is a forum to reward creativity and dream up ways that will make the next 10 years of life on this earth, a decade worth living."

The Festival of Urgent Reinventions is free and open to all by RSVP - no invention or engineering experience required, and ideas of all kinds will be accepted and considered. To learn more and register, visit https://www.thefour.live/ .

About The Great Foundation:

Launched in 2015, The Great Foundation is a non-profit organization made up of a group of like-minded New Yorkers. Their goal is to awaken people to redefine what's possible in the world by creating a positive, conscious, and community-focused environment.

The Great Foundation believes in order to ignite positive change on a global scale, they must inspire individuals to view their world from the perspective of solutions, not problems, with the effect that they will inspire those around them to redefine what is possible as well.

The Great Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3).

About Instrument:

Instrument is a digital product and brand experience innovation company with offices in Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York. This dynamic group of creative technologists uses the power of design and technology to be agents of change for their ambitious clients. Instrument exists to help organizations look ahead, bringing concepts to life and building systems that shape the future. With broad capabilities and a deep pool of talent in the areas of Strategy, Design, Development and Content Creation, Instrument builds modern experiences for brands with purpose.

Launched in 2006 by Justin Lewis, JD Hooge and Vince LaVecchia, Instrument is a purpose-driven company on a mission to enrich human lives through design and technology. For more information, visit instrument.com.

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Reuters

The House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump on Wednesday for the "incitement of insurrection" in the wake of last week's deadly Capitol siege.

During the House debate, Democrats argued Trump must be held accountable for provoking the violent mob, while Republicans called for "unity and healing" and defended the president's rhetoric and election lies.

Trump is the first president in American history to be impeached twice. His impeachment is also the most bipartisan in US history.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The House of Representatives on Wednesday impeached President Donald Trump for the second time after he incited a deadly riot at the US Capitol that resulted in five deaths and multiple injuries.

Trump, who has just a week left in his term, is now the first US president to have been impeached twice. He is facing an unprecedented level of legal and political risk after he whipped thousands of his supporters into a frenzy at a January 6 rally and then urged them to march to the Capitol to stop Congress from formalizing President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election.

The pro-Trump mob went on to lay siege to the Capitol, swarming the building, ransacking offices, stealing and vandalizing property, and trying to hunt down Vice President Mike Pence and other lawmakers.

In the wake of the failed insurrection, a slew of Republicans finally broke ranks with the president as congressional Democrats called for his impeachment.

Watch the proceedings below:

Ten House Republicans voted to impeach Trump

Republican Conference Chairman Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY). (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

The House voted 232-197 to impeach the president. With 10 House GOP members siding with their Democratic colleagues, this was the most bipartisan impeachment vote in US history.

Here are those Republican lawmakers:

New York Rep. John Katko

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney

Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger

Michigan Rep. Fred Upton

Washington Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler

Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse

Ohio Rep. Anthony Gonzalez

Michigan Rep. Peter Meijer

South Carolina Rep. Tom Rice

California Rep. David Valadao

In closing remarks, Republicans reiterated calls for unity and healing while Democrats demanded accountability

Story continues

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. PBS/YouTube

Minority Whip Steve Scalise called for both parties to condemn violence.

"I've seen the dark evil of political violence firsthand, and it needs to stop," said Scalise, who was shot during a congressional baseball practice in 2017. "I oppose this rushed impeachment, brought forward without a single hearing. And, by the way, the Senate will not even take this up until President Trump is out of office. So let's keep that in mind  it will only serve to further divide a nation that is calling out for healing."

Democratic House leaders, meanwhile, argued that their colleagues across the aisle were shirking responsibility.

"We ask ourselves, what do we do? What is our responsibility? What should we say?" Hoyer said. "In light of only the Civil War as an analogy, it is the first and only physical presence other than the 9/11 attack on this nation, which came from abroad and had a plane aimed at our Capitol dome. This attack was not from abroad, it was, as Liz Cheney said, summoned, assembled, and inflamed by the president of the United States of America."

Hoyer added: "We do this today not for politics. We don't need this for politics. Georgia showed that."

Democratic Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher accused Republicans of 'gaslighting'

Rep. Lizzie Pannill Fletcher. C-SPAN

"I rise today in support of the article of impeachment and in opposition to the gaslighting that is masquerading as debate in this chamber today," Pannill Fletcher, a Texas Democrat, said. "I was in this chamber when the president assembled and unleashed a mob to attack the United State Capitol and the United States Congress, the elected representatives of the people. By doing so, he incited an insurrection against our representative democracy itself. If that is not an impeachable offense, then what is?"

'Blood is on this house' and 'we must do something about it,' said Democratic Rep. Terri Sewell

Rep. Terri Sewell. Brendan Smialowski/AFP

Sewell, a Democratic lawmaker from Alabama, delivered an impassioned call for accountability after personally enduring the riot.

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GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa lashed out at Democrats, the 'left-wing media,' and 'big tech'

Rep. Doug LaMalfa. C-SPAN

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the second annual impeachment show extravaganza, brought to you by the censors in left-wing media, the fact-check ministers of shutdown and big tech, and the Democrat Party," the California Republican said.

Democratic Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon said she can't 'take seriously' GOP calls for 'unity' without Trump being held responsible for his actions

Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon Andrew Harrer/Getty Images

"I, too, urge my colleagues to unite, but to unite in love of country and to hold this president accountable," Scanlon said. "What unites our country is respect for the rule of law. Without accountability for those who would shatter the rule of law by overturning a presidential election, we cannot take seriously the cries of being a united people."

The House Speaker's podium, which was stolen by pro-Trump rioters on January 6, was carried back into the Capitol and set up for Pelosi to use on Wednesday

A pro-Trump rioter carries away Pelosi's lectern during the violent siege of the Capitol on January 6. Win McNamee/Getty Images

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Democratic Rep. Donald Norcross rebuked Republicans for refusing to seek accountability for the deadly insurrection

NJ Rep. Donald Norcross. C-SPAN

Rep. Donald Norcross, a New Jersey Democrat, condemned Republicans for calling for "unity and healing," rather than holding the president accountable for the deadly results of his incitement.

"A police officer was killed and what I hear is 'time to heal.' He's not even buried yet," Norcross said. "No one is above the law, not the president if he has four years or four days. We must do the right thing for all Americans because he must be held accountable."

QAnon-supporting Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed she's being censored as she slammed Democrats for allegedly supporting violence

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Newly sworn-in Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a far-right Georgia Republican, accused Democrats of encouraging violence in a fiery speech from the House floor during which she wore a mask reading, "CENSORED."

"Democrats' impeachment of President Trump today has now set the standard that they should be removed for their support of violence against the American people," she said.

Freshman Democratic Rep. Cori Bush made a fiery speech calling to impeach the 'white supremacist in chief'

Rep. Cori Bush. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Freshman Democratic congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri gave an impassioned speech calling to impeach Trump, who she referred to as "the white supremacist in chief."

"If we fail to remove a white supremacist president who incited a white supremacist insurrection, it's communities like Missouri's First District that suffer the most," Bush said, referring to the district she represents.

She continued: "The 117th Congress must understand that we have a mandate to legislate in defense of Black lives. The first step in that process is to root out white supremacy starting with impeaching the white supremacist in chief."

Republican Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler: 'My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision'

Rep. Jaime Herrera-Beutler. C-SPAN

Republican congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state made a highly-anticipated floor speech announcing that she would vote to impeach Trump.

"I am not afraid of losing my job, but I am afraid that my country will fail. I'm afraid patriots in this country have died in vain. I'm afraid injustice will prevail," Herrera Beutler said.

"But truth sets us free from fear," she added. "It has no shadows where darkness can hide. My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision. I'm not choosing a side, I'm choosing truth. It's the only way to defeat fear."

Democrats in the chamber broke into applause after Herrera Beutler finished speaking. She is one of 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach the president.

House minority leader Kevin McCarthy: 'The President bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters'

Kevin McCarthy C-SPAN

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy gave one of his sharpest condemnations of Trump yet when he spoke on the House floor.

"The President bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters," McCarthy said. "He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding."

The California Republican went on to shoot down conspiracy theories that antifa agitators infiltrated the pro-Trump demonstrations to spark violence.

"Some say the riots were caused by antifa. There is absolutely no evidence of that," McCarthy said. "And conservatives should be the first to say so."

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Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz's speech went off the rails as he ranted about the 'Biden crime family'

Matt Gaetz. C-SPAN

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, another one of Trump's most stalwart defenders in Congress, gave a meandering and off-topic floor speech in which he complained about the so-called Biden crime family.

Fact check: No one in the Biden family has been charged with a crime, though the president-elect's son, Hunter, is under criminal investigation over his financial activities.

Gaetz went on to congratulate Trump for pointing out "unconstitutional behavior, voting irregularities, concerns over tabulations, dead people voting," and other purported issues with the 2020 election.

Fact check: The 2020 election was the safest and most secure in US history. The vast majority of concerns raised about voting irregularities and election fraud have come from Republicans themselves and have been thrown out by courts across the country, including the Supreme Court. There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or irregularities in the election, and every state has certified its results, the Electoral College cast its votes, and Biden's victory has been formalized as of last week.

Gaetz also compared when pro-Trump insurrectionists "tore through" the Capitol to when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "tore through" Trump's State of the Union speech.

Fact check: Pelosi's decision to tear up Trump's speech did not result in anyone dying, any theft, or destruction to property other than the speech.

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McConnell's aide confirmed he will not have the Senate reconvene to hold an earlier impeachment trial

House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will not bring back the Senate early to kick off an impeachment trial, his press secretary confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

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That means a Senate trial would not start until after Biden takes office, at the earliest.

Rep. Cedric Richmond said some Republicans are 'co-conspirators' in the insurrection and urged them to 'man up, woman up' and defend the Constitution

Rep. Cedric Richmond. C-SPAN

In his last floor speech before he leaves Congress to join the Biden administration, Democratic Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana said Trump "put the domestic terrorists on notice by saying, 'Stand back and stand by.'"

Richmond was alluding to Trump's response when he was asked during a presidential debate last year to condemn white supremacists for their role in trying to incite violent riots during the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer.

"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Trump said, referring to the far-right neo-fascist group that supports him. "But I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem."

Speaking on Wednesday, Richmond said that Trump "summoned" extremists to Washington, DC, "directed them to march on the Capitol, and then he sat back and watched the insurrection."

"Some of my colleagues, some of which may well be co-conspirators, in their latest attempt to placate and please this unfit president, suggest that we shouldn't punish Trump for his actions in order to unify the country," Richmond continued. "That is the climax of foolishness. Stand up, man up, woman up, and defend this Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic, including Donald J. Trump."

Republicans embarked on a misleading crusade against 'cancel culture'

Jim Jordan. C-SPAN

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan spent most of his time decrying "cancel culture."

"The double standard has to stop, and frankly the attack on the First Amendment has to stop," Jordan said. "Do you have a functioning First Amendment when the cancel culture only allows one side to talk? When you can't even have a debate in this country ... it needs to stop, because if it continues, it won't just be Republicans who get canceled, it won't just be the president of the United States, the cancel culture will come for us all."

GOP Rep. Tom McClintock of California echoed Jordan, saying, "If we impeached every politician who gave a fiery speech to a crowd of partisans, this Capitol would be deserted ... suppressing free speech is not the answer."

He continued to say that the president "simply told the crowd" at his rally "to protest peacefully and patriotically, and the vast majority of them did."

Fact check: At the January 6 rally, the president called on his supporters "to fight" and march to the Capitol, adding, "You'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong."

It's also unclear what Jordan was referring to when he said the president had been "canceled," given that Trump has full access to the podium at the White House briefing room and a press corps dedicated to reporting what he says to the public.

Republicans repeatedly claimed that social media companies want to "cancel" them in the wake of the Capitol siege, pointing to Twitter's decision to permanently ban Trump from its platform, and Facebook and Instagram's decision to block him from posting until at least the inauguration.

Twitter did not ban Trump to "cancel" him. In a statement announcing its decision, the company said it suspended the president because his supporters were actively using his tweets to plan domestic terrorist attacks on the US Capitol and state capitols across the country.

The far-right app Parler was also booted from the Apple and Google app stores and Amazon's web hosting service after the companies determined that violent extremists, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists were using Parler to plan more armed insurrections.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi teared up while recounting the 'day of fire' when Trump supporters besieged the Capitol

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. C-SPAN

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took the floor around 12:30 p.m. ET and delivered a passionate plea for lawmakers to hold the president accountable.

The California Democrat's voice appeared to shake as she recalled the "day of fire" on which Trump supporters besieged the US Capitol last week.

"Those insurrectionists were not patriots," she said. "They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed. They were domestic terrorists and justice must prevail."

Pelosi then turned her attention to Trump, saying the mob was "sent here by the president with words such as a cry to, 'Fight like hell.'"

"Words matter," she said. "Truth matters. Accountability matters."

As the House debated impeachment, CNN reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell 'hates' Trump

President Donald Trump and House Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in the Oval Office. JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

The top Senate Republican has grown more and more furious with the president in the days since the Capitol siege. That anger was compounded because many Republicans believe Trump played a central role in costing the GOP its majority in the Senate and paving the way for a Democratic-controlled legislative and executive branch.

On Tuesday evening, The New York Times reported that McConnell believes Trump committed multiple impeachable offenses and is "pleased" at the prospect of his impeachment. Axios later reported that the Kentucky Republican is inclined to vote to convict Trump following a Senate trial. If McConnell does vote to convict, it would be a remarkable ending to the two men's relationship after years of moving in lockstep with one another.

Last week, as Congress convened to finalize Biden's victory in the November general election, McConnell sharply condemned Trump's efforts to overturn the results and said his own vote to certify the results was the most important one he had ever cast in 36 years of public service.

The House began voting on rules surrounding the article of impeachment

After initial statements were made, the House moved to vote on the rules surrounding the article of impeachment.

Once the rule was passed, the House moved on to two hours of debate over the article, with a final vote coming around 4:30 p.m. ET.

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern: 'If this isn't an impeachable offense, I don't know what the hell is'

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern. PBS/YouTube

Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern responded to Republican claims that Democrats objected to finalizing Trump's victory in 2017 just as GOP lawmakers objected to finalizing Biden's this year.

Democrats objected "as a protest vote" in 2017, McGovern said, adding that Democrats all accepted Trump's victory the day after the election, and that then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton conceded the day after as well.

"None of us pushed conspiracy theories ... that somehow the president won in a landslide," McGovern said, referring to Trump's lie that he defeated Biden in the 2020 election.

"The bottom line is this: this Capitol was stormed. People died because of the big lies that were being told by this president and by too many people on the other side of the aisle," he said. "Enough. It was unforgivable. Unconscionable. And coming up on this floor and talking about whataboutism and trying to make these false equivalencies, give me a break."

He continued: "The president instigated an attempted coup in this country. People died. Everybody should be outraged, whether you're a Democrat or a Republican. If this is not an impeachable offense, I don't know what the hell is."

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan spouted a fountain of lies and misinformation about the election

Rep. Jim Jordan. Leah Millis/Reuters

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who has long been one of Trump's staunchest congressional allies and recently received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, used his time to call Democrats out for what he said was hypocrisy given that they objected to counting electoral votes in January 2017, as Congress was set to finalize Trump's victory of Hillary Clinton.

Jordan then went on to parrot Trump's lies and misinformation about the 2020 election in Pennsylvania.

Among other things, he claimed the state's Supreme Court "unilaterally extended the election to Friday," that the secretary of state "unilaterally changed the rules, went around the legislature in an unconstitutional fashion," that "county clerks in some counties, and you can imagine which counties they were, let people fix their ballots against the law, cure their mail-in ballots in direct violation of the law," and more.

Fact check: None of these claims are true. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court did not extend the date of the general election, it extended the deadline by which mail-in ballots could be received provided that they were postmarked by Election Day. The secretary of state also did not "unilaterally" change the rules surrounding election administration in Pennsylvania, as multiple judges ruled.

And Jordan's claim that country clerks allowed people to cure their ballots "in direct violation of the law" also holds no water because it is perfectly legal to "cure" ballots in Pennsylvania.

Freshman GOP congresswoman quoted Martin Luther King Jr. before equating the violent insurrection with Black Lives Matter protests

Mace was recently sworn in for her first term after winning a congressional race in South Carolina with Trump's endorsement. But she has sharply criticized the president in recent days over his role in inciting the deadly insurrection.

Mace said Wednesday that while the House has "every right" to impeach the president, she believed the way this impeachment was proceeding raised "questions about the constitutionality of this process."

She continued: "I believe we need to hold the president accountable. I also believe that we need to hold accountable every single person, even members of Congress, if they contributed to the violence that transpired here."

Mace then quoted Martin Luther King Jr. before attempting to draw an equivalence between the violent attempted coup at the Capitol last week and the anti-racism demonstrations that swept the country last year after the police killing of George Floyd.

"If we're serious about healing the divisions in this country, Republicans and Democrats need to acknowledge that this is not the first day of violence," she said. "Our words have consequences ... there is violence on both sides of the aisle."

Fact check: The overwhelming majority  93%, according to one report  of Black Lives Matter protests in 2020 were peaceful. And while a small minority of protesters engaged in rioting and looting, both rioters and thousands of peaceful protesters were met in many cases with a hyper-aggressive police response.

In perhaps the most notorious example, Secret Service and law enforcement authorities were seen using tear gas and pepper spray on peaceful protesters in Washington, DC, to clear the way for a presidential photo op.

But last week, the pro-Trump mob laid siege to the Capitol building as Congress attempted to ratify the presidential election. This was a direct attack on democracy but Republican lawmakers tried to conflate looting and skirmishes with police at social justice protests and a coordinated, violent attack instigated by the president.

At the siege, one Capitol Police officer was seen taking selfies with violent pro-Trump insurrectionists, while another was seen directing them around the Capitol as they swarmed the building. Additional reporting since the riot revealed that many members of the mob itself were active law enforcement officers and ex-military personnel.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer lashed out at Jim Jordan for being 'Trump-like' and denying reality

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. PBS/YouTube

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer gave a fiery speech on the floor in which he highlighted the statements from three out of the six Republican lawmakers  Reps. John Katko, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger  who came out in favor of impeachment before the proceedings kicked off.

And then Hoyer turned his sights to Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a longtime conservative and one of Trump's most loyal attack dogs on Capitol Hill.

"I see that the gentleman from Ohio is on the floor," Hoyer said. "He likes to say that we Democrats were elected and the first thing we wanted to do was impeach this president. And he's shaking his head in agreement because like the president of the United States, he denies the facts. Trump-like. Fake news."

The Maryland lawmaker went on to point out that in 2017, 2018, and early 2019, Democrats repeatedly voted to table motions to impeach the president. He said that even though some Democrats shared the view that Trump was dangerous, they were not confident that a solid case could be made.

"There was no rush to judgment," Hoyer said.

"The reason I rise today ... is to recognize the contributions that Al Green of Texas has made to getting us to this place," he said, referring to the Democratic lawmaker who brought forward multiple impeachment resolutions that were tabled before Trump was first impeached in late 2019.

"Is there little time left? Yes. But it is never too late to do the right thing," Hoyer said.

Republicans call for unity while Democrats call for accountability

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sanitizes the gavel after Vice President Mike Pence walked off the dais during a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images

After the House convened on Wednesday, a theme immediately emerged: Republicans argued against impeachment, saying it would be too "divisive" and that the country needed "unity." And Democrats demanded accountability.

"We need to recognize we are following a flawed process," said GOP Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma. "We need to recognize that while the House may be done with this matter after today's vote, it will not be done for the country, it will not be done for the Senate, and it will not be done for the incoming Biden administration. The House's action today will only extend the division longer than necessary."

Democrats struck a different chord, with Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts saying in his floor speech, "Every moment Donald Trump is in the White House, our nation and our freedom is in danger. He must be held to account for the attack on our Capitol that he organized and he incited."

"The damage this building sustained can be repaired," he added, "but if we don't hold Donald Trump accountable, the damage done to our nation could be irreversible."

National Guard troops were seen sleeping in the halls of the Capitol as the House convened

Members of the National Guard walk through the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 13, 2021, ahead of an expected House vote impeaching US President Donald Trump. Getty Images

As the government grapples with the chaos that gripped the Capitol last week, thousands of National Guard troops were deployed to Washington, DC, to protect the Capitol and President-elect Joe Biden leading up to Inauguration Day.

On Wednesday, as the House convened to consider impeaching the president and as violent Trump supporters continue threatening lawmakers online, photos posted online showed scores of troops sleeping in the hallways of the Capitol.

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Pence refused to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office

Vice President Mike Pence. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The House passed a resolution late Tuesday calling on Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove the president from office. The resolution said that if Pence did not act within 24 hours, the House would move forward with impeachment.

Pence sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the resolution was passed indicating that he would not take that drastic step because he believed it would be unconstitutional and divisive.

The FBI and DOJ are focusing on 'significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy' after the riot

Rioters clash with police using big ladder trying to enter Capitol building through the front doors. Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images

FBI and Justice Department officials said Tuesday that the "scope and scale" of criminal conduct they're investigating from the rioters is "unprecedented."

The acting US attorney in Washington, DC, said investigators are focusing on "significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy" in the wake of the siege.

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Jim Allister has challenged the First and Deputy First Ministers to explain why almost 40 Assembly questions he submitted to them in the last year remain unanswered.

According to Stormont procedure, MLAs should expect an answer to their questions within 10 days. A priority question could be dealt with in less than five days.

However, dozens of questions submitted by the TUV leader have been ignored by Arlene Foster and Michelle ONeill.

Some of the answers the North Antrim MLA is still waiting on centre around the attendance of the Deputy First Minister at the funeral of leading republican Bobby Storey last June.

He asked whether Ms ONeill, in respect of the coronavirus restrictions in place at the time, followed the rule of law, what her official duties were for the day of Mr Storeys funeral and whether she and her party colleague, Junior Minister Declan Kearney, travelled to and from the funeral in an official Executive car.

Mr Allister should have received his reply to these questions by July 21 last year, but these and other questions he submitted on a range of other topics  such as the amount the Executive Office spent on Irish language material over the past three years and updates on the Troubles Pension  remain unanswered.

Mr Allister has even submitted follow-up questions, asking when his questions will be answered, but these too have been ignored.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Mr Allister said he is not alone in waiting for answers.

He said: I have heard many other MLAs complaining that they havent had questions answered and I have seen questions from them asking why their questions not been answered.

Some of the questions I submitted date back to last February but my understanding is that when a question goes in, the relevant civil servant will compose an answer and that answer will then be put on the ministers desk for signature.

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From what I am told, the problem is not the Civil Service  the answers are being drafted but the Ministers arent signing them off.

I have a sheaf of questions to Robin Swann unanswered with queries mostly related to Covid, but most of the Departments are the same. The Departments for Infrastructure and Justice are best at responding but the rest are very tardy indeed.

However, on Wednesday night Mr Allister said that, having raised concerns this week, answers to several questions submitted in April had suddenly been issued.

The Executive Office was asked about the non-responses to Mr Allisters questions.

However, no one responded to our queries.

No response: Some of the still unanswered questions from Jim Allister in 2020

February 27: How much has the Commission on Flags, Identity, Culture and Tradition cost to date, and what is the breakdown of payments to each member?

March 13: What steps have been agreed to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland?

March 20: How is Northern Ireland represented on the Covenant Reference Group and what share of funding has Northern Ireland obtained from the Covenant Fund?

March 30: What steps have been agreed to mark the centenary of Northern Ireland? How many staff are employed in the Executive Office?

March 30: What is the agreed advice to a company which could operate with safe distancing but chooses to close, in terms of that companys eligibility to participate in the Governments 80% support scheme?

May 6: Have complaints been received by the Executive Office and the office of the Interim Advocate in respect of the conduct of the Interim Advocate for Victims/Survivors of Historical Institutional Abuse, and how many of these complaints have been resolved?

May 26: When will 14 previous specified questions be answered?

June 3: Given the lack of definition of premises in Regulation 2 of The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 3) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020, can clarification be provided as to whether drive-in church services can be held at premises other than the premises of the church organising the event?

June 4: Will there be an update on the Troubles Pension and which department will have oversight of the pension?

June 10: Do the First and deputy First Ministers support the proposed steps to implement the EU Withdrawal Agreement Protocol at the ports of Northern Ireland?

June 10: What is the First and deputy First Ministers assessment of the economic impact of the proposed steps to implement the EU Withdrawal Agreement Protocol at the ports of Northern Ireland?

June 10: Why has a department not yet been nominated to handle administration of the Troubles-related incident Victims Payment Scheme?

June 10: What issues are delaying the Troubles-related incident Victims Payment Scheme?

June 17: Outline when childcare facilities will reopen and explain why this was left out of the Coronavirus  Executive Approach to Decision-Making document?

June 24: List the dates on which the Party Leaders Forum has met since January 11, 2020.

July 1: How much has the First Ministers department spent on producing material in Irish in each of the last three years?

July 1: On weddings, will the First and deputy First Minister ensure any limitation on the number of attendees is not arbitrarily fixed but linked to the capacity of the venue to facilitate social distancing?

July 6: Was the deputy First Minister conveyed to the funeral of Bobby Storey on June 30, 2020 in an official Executive car?

July 21: List the official duties of the deputy First Minister on June 30, 2020.

July 21: In regard to Regulations 5, 6 and 6A of The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020, what is their assessment of whether the deputy First Minister, in attending the funeral of Bobby Storey on June 30, 2020, was supporting the rule of law unequivocally in word and deed, as required by her pledge of office.

July 24: In regard to The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Amendment No. 9) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 being made at 9.30pm on June 29, 2020, how was Belfast City Council able to send an email to funeral directors before 9.30pm on June 29, 2020 containing the upgrade to 30 at outdoor gatherings, and what investigation has been launched into potential leaking of official information?

July 27: Was Junior Minister Kearney conveyed to the funeral of Bobby Storey on June 30, 2020 in an official Executive car?

August 11: What are the agreed terms of reference for the Joint Board established under New Decade, New Approach?

September 3: What views have been expressed by the First and deputy First Ministers to the Chinese authorities about Chinas legislation in Hong Kong?

September 10: Why, and on what basis, was the Assembly told on July 28, 2020 by junior Minister Kearney that the Minister for Infrastructure could not exercise powers relating to planning, arising from the enactment of The Executive Committee Functions Bill, until the Ministerial Code was amended; and is that still the position of the Executive Office?

September 14: Given the guide on good practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (CPA) discourages automatic reappointments, will a publicly advertised competition be held to appoint the CPA upon the imminent expiry of the term of office of the current incumbent?

September 22: Detail what ministerial directions have been issued since January 2020.

September 24: When will a previous specified question will be answered?

September 29: When will a previous specified question be answered?

September 30: When will a previous specified question be answered?

September 30: How is Ballymena to be defined in relation to the recent restrictions the First and deputy First Minister announced?

September 30: What is the underlying data for Ballymena and BT43 which is relied upon to justify the most recent restrictions which they announced?

September 30: How was the data relied upon to justify the recent restrictions announced for Ballymena refined to distinguish between parts of the town and communities within the same?

September 30: In what circumstances can a Minister use an official ministerial car when not on ministerial duties; and was the deputy First Minister conveyed to Dublin for a party political meeting on September 24, 2020 by ministerial car?

October 6: When will a previous specified question will be answered?

October 6: When will a previous specified question will be answered?

October 6: When will a previous specified question will be answered?

November 4: What process or mechanism exists within the First and deputy First Ministers department whereby a written record is kept of any lobbying of the Minister or special adviser in relation to departmental functions, policies or proposals?

November 10: Under what statutory provision has a special adviser been appointed to assist junior Minister Kearney?

November 18: What is the current breakdown on the basis of gender and community background in respect of Judicial Officers, as defined by the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission?

November 20: What is the cost to date of providing English sign language translation and Irish sign language translation at the regular Covid-19 press conferences?

November 27: Detail the annual financial contribution of Northern Ireland to the costs of the North South Ministerial Council and its secretariat; and the British Irish Council and its secretariat.

December 1: Can youth and community centres remain open or are they required to close as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions?

December 23: When will compliance take place with paragraph 3.3 of The Guidance for Ministers in the Exercise of their Official Responsibilities with regard to the publication of performance statistics for each of the departments in answering Assembly Written Questions?
Kuwait government ministers submitted their resignation en masse to Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah on Tuesday, the government communications office said, after lawmakers submitted a motion asking to question the premier.

Sheikh Sabah must submit the government's resignation to the OPEC member state's ruler, Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah, for approval.
Victoria's public health authorities are working to reduce the number of people caught by the state's travel bans as Premier Daniel Andrews says he understands the anxiety of those stuck interstate.

Victoria has designated large areas of NSW as "red zones" under its traffic light permit system, banning people there from returning while the NSW outbreak persists.

Mr Andrews said that numerous factors including viral shedding in wastewater, positive tests among close contacts and case numbers would play a role in deciding whether to change a particular red zone to "amber" and allowing people to travel back to Victoria.

"I understand its not easy," Mr Andrews said.
A senior NHS doctor nicknamed 'The Creep' by colleagues has been struck off after groping the breasts, thighs and bottoms of female medics as they worked beside him.

Dr Mahendar Katarapu, 39, was said to have deliberately got close to victims when he should have been caring for patients at the Princess Royal Hospital in Shrewsbury, Staffs.

Some of the women were initially reluctant to report Katarapu who worked as a specialist registrar in General and Acute Medicine.

But he was sacked from the hospital after an inquiry began and a total six victims came forward.

One of the woman claimed Katarapu would wait outside a staff kitchen for her to go so he could hound her whilst another suffered panic attacks due to his advances and was later diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, Katarapu, who qualified in India, was found guilty of sexually motivated conduct towards five women and aggressive behaviour towards a sixth after being branded a 'sexual menace' by the General Medical Council.

Dr Mahendar Katarapu, 39, was said to have deliberately got close to victims when he should have been caring for patients at the Princess Royal Hospital in Shrewsbury, Staffs, pictured

In 2018 he faced a crown court trial charged with sexual assault on four of the women but was cleared by a jury.

The incidents took place between August 2016 and February 2017 shortly after Katarapu, from Shrewsbury, joined the hospital staff on a year long contract.

A female Cardiac Physiologist at the hospital known as Ms A said the doctor touched her right breast with his left hand as she leaned over to reach the printer in an office.

He also stood in 'close proximity' to Ms A whilst she was sitting down, preventing her from standing up and dropped his shoulder to make contact with her arm as she walked past him.

In another incident he repeatedly bumped into her arm on a corridor and was said by a colleague to have been 'visibly shaken, flustered and upset.'

A healthcare assistant known as Ms B said Katarapu would deliberately walk in 'close proximity' to her and whenever she held a door open for him he would lift his arm so his elbow would brush against her breast.

She said whilst in the sluice room on Ward 7 he barged directly into the right side of Ms B's body, put his hand on her left wrist and ran it up her forearm, to her elbow.

He also tried to grope her breasts in front of a patient whilst she was helping him insert a cannula and later pressed the palm of his hand against bottom as he left a back office.

A third woman Ms D who worked as a physician associate said Katarapu placed his right hand onto her left thigh when he sat down next to her in a staff room.

In a separate incident he leant his body against her so it was 'almost across her' and then stood up when she tried to leave before leaning his chest and groin area against the front of her body.

A coronary care sister known as Ms E said Katarapu would 'watch' the staff kitchen between Ward 6 and Ward 7 and waited for her to go inside before brushing himself against her. She said he touched her hand as she was opening a cupboard to reach for a bottle of milk.

At the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester, pictured, Katarapu, who qualified in India, was found guilty of sexually motivated conduct towards five women and aggressive behaviour towards a sixth after being branded a 'sexual menace' by the General Medical Council

A trainee GP known as Ms F said Katarapu leaned over her whilst she was sitting in a chair in an office, put his hands either side of her arms and then rested them on the desk, causing her to 'feel trapped.' She said he put his face close to hers before firmly squeezing her shoulders.

Katarapu was suspended in February 2017 then sacked for gross misconduct the following July. He was found not guilty of wrongdoing at Shrewsbury Crown Court in January but was referred to the GMC. He denied molesting the women and initially claimed he was mistaken for another Asian doctor.

Nick Walker counsel for the GMC told the hearing: 'Dr Katarapu is a sexual menace who preyed on women, intimidated staff members, was blatant in his conduct and showed a total disregard and lack of respect to women and those predominantly in a junior position to him.

'He had only been employed at the hospital for six months but during this time, he embarked on a course of serious misconduct, aggression, arrogance and intimidatory behaviour towards these women. He had a cavalier approach to what he was doing.'

In erasing his name from the doctor's register MPTS chairman Mrs Nessa Sharkett said: 'Dr Katarapu targeted female members of staff and adopted a course of conduct in which he appeared to seek control over them whilst also attempting to make physical contact albeit in a seemingly clumsy or covert manner.

'Over time, his confidence in his behaviour appeared to increase and his physical contact became more focused and deliberate. His conduct was directed exclusively towards female colleagues, all of whom were in a junior position to him.

'It was unwanted, inappropriate and intimidatory conduct that increased in seriousness over time and which impacted negatively on all the individuals concerned.

'By his actions and his failure to work collaboratively with these colleagues he created an environment of fear and discomfort to the extent that some of those concerned felt the need to modify their behaviour to avoid him.'

Katarapu did not attend the hearing.
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - A classmate of Bobbie Jo Stinnett reached out to us at News 10 advocating for Lisa Montgomery to face the death penalty.

Stinnett was murdered by Lisa Montgomery in her Missouri home back in 2004 which is why Montgomery is facing federal execution.

The high school classmate declined an interview but told us Montgomery deserves the death penalty for what she did and the pain it caused.

Lisa Montgomerys sister Diane Mattingly recently spoke to KCTV in Kansas City. She says shes pleading for President Trump to understand that her sister is mentally ill and would be better off to spend life in prison.

She is broken. She has mental illness. She has been sexually abused her whole life, Mattingly explained, Please commute this to life. Thats what Im asking as a sister. Im begging you as a sister to commute it to life.

Montgomery is one of just 55 women on death row in the county. If this execution does take place, she will be the first female federal inmate in almost 70 years to be executed by the federal government.

Former Chinese journalist and renowned critic of internet censorship Zhang Jialong was sentenced to 18 months in prison on January 8 for his remarks on social media that were allegedly aimed at "spreading false information and provoking trouble". The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the assault on freedom of speech and calls on Chinese authorities to overturn the verdict and release Zhang immediately.

The 32-year-old former journalist with Caijing, a Beijing-based magazine, and Tencent 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 government.

Zhang was jailed for 18 months, his wife Shao Yuan said after being notified by Zhangs lawyer on January 8.

Zhang was arrested at his residence in Guiyang, Guizho Province on August 12, 2019 and has been held in police custody ever since. The authorities later accused him of spreading false information defaming the Chinese Communist Party on Twitter.

His Twitter posts related to human rights issues and internet freedoms in China.

Zhang has been detained since August and is therefore expected to be released on February 12. Nevertheless, Zhang reportedly vowed to appeal against the ruling.

Zhang has been targeted by the Chinese authorities for several years. In February 2014, he made headlines after asking the then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to help tear down this great firewall that blocks the Internet during their meeting in Beijing.

He later published an op-ed in the global magazine Foreign Policy, calling on the U.S. government to deny visas to those involved in building and maintaining the Chinese great firewall of censorship. He was subsequently fired from Tencent.

IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger said: We call on Chinese authorities to stop this smear campaign against Zhang Jialong immediately, overturn a verdict based on unwarranted charges and release him immediately.

Download the Traditional Chinese Translation here
Emotions right now in this country are high and Democrats have been having an absolute meltdown over the protest at the U.S capitol last week. I am not giving a pass to the people who stormed into the Capitol. That should have never happened. Violence has no place in our political system. This year we have seen political violence not only condoned but encouraged by the leftists in the media and government. Those same people are now eager to blame Republicans. This perfectly highlights the mind-blowing hypocrisy of the left. We live in a country with two sets of rules and a clear double standard in a system owned by the left.

Biden used this event not to unify, but to further push a racial divide through the heart of our country. He claimed that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting at the Capitol on Jan. 6, they would have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol. He is not wrong that they treated both sides differently, but this narrative is malarkey. One side has a history of peacefully protesting. The other side has a history of horrific violence and caused billions of dollars in damages. His statement also assumes that Capitol Hill police are a white supremacist group, which they are not.

Six months ago, Black Lives Matter and Antifa were terrorizing cities, assaulting local citizens and burning businesses to the ground. While this was happening, Democrats and their media minions were either silent or defended them. To them, violence is always acceptable when it serves their cause. They are the thugs. They are the wolves in sheeps clothing.

The immediate response to all this has been a digital coup against a sitting president, claiming he is dangerous and incited this riot, as he called for peace. All while completely ignoring those who promoted riots and destruction propelled by juvenile Marxist misfits.

Biden did not even address the fact that Capitol Police shot and killed an unarmed woman, Ashli Babbitt, who was among the protesters inside the Capitol Building. She was not attacking an officer or engaging in violence. She was climbing through a broken door. Her life mattered. Officer Brian Sicknicks life mattered. No life is greater than another and no loss of life is any less horrific than another. Our media selectively shares clips and photos to manipulate peoples perspectives and keep us divided.

Now is not the time to pick a side. Now is a time for discernment of the facts. Its time to analyze both sides of the political spectrum and consider the plights of each. We cannot allow both ends of the political spectrum to divide us and pull us from the middle. Black, white, brown, red or blue, were all equally American and we must find a common ground to converse our differences of opinion. There are people out there who want us divided, but we cant let them win.

(Jonathan Mezzacappa is a Richmond resident.)
POW Nation - When Will The U.S. Free Itself From War?

By William Astore

anuary 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - POWs Never Have A Nice Day. That sentiment was captured on a button a friend of mine wore for our fourth grade class photo in 1972. That prisoners of war could never have such a day was reinforced by the sad face on that button. Soon after, American POWs would indeed be released by their North Vietnamese captors as the American war in Vietnam ended. They came home the next year to a much-hyped heroes welcome orchestrated by the administration of President Richard Nixon, but the government would never actually retire its POW/MIA (missing-in-action) flags. Today, almost half a century later, they continue to fly at federal installations, including the U.S. Capitol as it was breached and briefly besieged last week by a mob incited by this countrys lame-duck president, ostensibly to honor all U.S. veterans who were either POWs or never returned because their bodies were never recovered.

Remembering the sacrifices of our veterans is fitting and proper; its why we set aside Memorial Day in May and Veterans Day in November. In thinking about those POWs and the dark legacy of this countrys conflicts since World War II, however, Ive come to a realization. In the ensuing years, we Americans have all, in some sense, become prisoners of war. Were all part of a culture that continues to esteem war, embrace militarism, and devote more than half of federal discretionary spending to wars, weaponry, and the militarization of American culture. We live in a country that leads the world in the export of murderous munitions to the grimmest, most violent hotspots on the planet, enabling, for example, a genocidal conflict in Yemen, among other conflicts.

True, in a draft-less country, few enough Americans actually don a military uniform these days. As 2021 begins, most of us have never carried a military identification card that mentions the Geneva Convention on the proper and legal treatment of POWs, as I did when I wore a uniform long ago. So, when I say that all Americans are essentially POWs, Im obviously using that acronym not in a legal or formal way, but in the colloquial sense of being captured by some phenomenon, held by it, subjected to it in a fashion that tends to restrict, if not eliminate, freedom of thought and action and so compromises this countrys belief in sacred individual liberties. In this colloquial sense, it seems to me that all Americans have in some fashion become prisoners of war, even those few prisoners among us who have worked so bravely and tirelessly to resist the phenomenon.

Ask yourself this question: During a deadly pandemic, as the American death toll approaches 400,000 while still accelerating, what unites our representatives in Congress? What is the only act that draws wide and fervent bipartisan support, not to speak of a unique override of a Trump presidential veto in these last four years? It certainly isnt providing health care for all or giving struggling families checks for $2,000 to ensure that food will be on American tables or that millions of us wont be evicted from our homes in the middle of a pandemic. No, what unites our representatives is funding the military-industrial complex to the tune of $740.5 billion in fiscal year 2021 (though the real amount spent on what passes for national security each year regularly exceeds a trillion dollars). Still, that figure of $740.5 billion in itself is already higher than the combined military spending of the next 10 countries, including Russia and China as well as U.S. allies like France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

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Not only that, but Congress added language to the latest defense bill that effectively blocked efforts by President Trump before he leaves office on January 20th to mandate the withdrawal of all troops from Afghanistan (and some troops from Germany). Though its doubtful he would have accomplished such goals anyway, given his irresolute nature, that Congress worked to block him tells you what you need to know about our representatives and their allegiance to the war complex.

That said, an irresolute Trump administration has been most resolute in just one area: selling advanced weaponry overseas. Its been rushing to export American-made bombs, missiles, and jets to the Middle East before turning over government efforts to shill for Americas merchants of death to President Joe Biden and his crew of deskbound warriors.

Speaking of Biden, that he selected retired General Lloyd Austin III to be his secretary of defense sends the strongest possible signal of his own allegiance to the primacy of militarism and war in American culture. After all, upon retiring, General Austin promptly cashed in by joining the board of directors of United Technologies from which he received $1.4 million in stock and other compensation before it merged with giant weapons-maker Raytheon and he ended up on the board of that company. (He holds roughly $500,000 in Raytheon stock, a nice supplement to his six-figure yearly military pension.)

How better than selecting him as SecDef to ensure that the military and the industrial remain wedded in that famed complex? Americas secretary of defense is, of course, supposed to be a civilian, someone who can exercise strong and independent oversight over Americas ever-growing war complex, not a lifelong military officer and general to boot, as well as an obvious war profiteer.

War Is Peace

As Quincy Institute President Andrew Bacevich so aptly put it, many Americans have made their peace with endless war. Within Americas war culture, peace activists like Medea Benjamin and organizations like Veterans for Peace are seen as not just radical, but genuinely aberrant. Meanwhile, an unquestioning acceptance of the fact that this country is now eternally at war across significant parts of the planet is considered normal, even respectable. Certainly, not something to put real time or thought into considering.

As a result, warmongers like former Trump National Security Advisor John Bolton are touted in some quarters as hard-headed realists. In seeing the world as a hostile place that Americans need to (but somehow, almost 20 years later, cant) dominate means their heads are screwed on straight, unlike those screwy thinkers who advocate for peace. But as Dorothy Day, the Catholic peace activist, once said: Our problems stem from our acceptance of this filthy, rotten system.

That Americans mostly refuse to see permanent war as filthy and rotten, or to think much about it or the defense budget that goes with it showcases the triumph of a broader war culture here. Whereas this countrys profligate and prodigal military complex has given us stunning failure after stunning failure overseas (just consider all those disastrous efforts to win hearts and minds from Vietnam to Afghanistan to Iraq and on and on), it has proved stunningly successful in winning  or at least taming  hearts and minds in the homeland. How else to explain the way those trillion-dollar-plus national security budgets are routinely rubber-stamped by Congress with hardly a murmur of protest?

In the twenty-first century, Americans are suffering a form of cognitive capture in which war has become the new normal. As an astute reader at my blog, Bracing Views, put it: Our desire to live without war is held in a stockade, and every day that we wake up and walk out into the yard that understanding is being broken down by the powerful monied elites.

In Americas collective stockade of the mind, activism for peace is an aberration, while acceptance of the war state is second nature. Small wonder that Bidens proposed cabinet and administration features so many neocon-style policymakers who made their peace with war, whether in Iraq and Afghanistan or Libya and Syria (Antony Blinken as secretary of state; Jake Sullivan as national security advisor; retired general Lloyd Austin as secretary of defense; and Avril Haines as director of national intelligence). Bidens hawkish picks avidly place their faith in U.S. military power. And they will be advising a new president, who once supported war in Iraq himself and talks not of reducing defense spending but of boosting it.

Perhaps youve noticed, in fact, how every president from George W. Bush in 2001 on has been proud to pose at some point as a wartime president. Perhaps youve noticed as well that this country cant or wont close Gitmo, the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, flooded with prisoners from the global war on terror beginning late in 2001, men who will likely be imprisoned until death does us part.

Perhaps this is why the U.S. government tortured some folks, as President Obama put it in 2014, and abused Iraqi prisoners at Abu Ghraib in Iraq. (Avril Haines, Bidens proposed national intelligence director, once helped suppress evidence of just such abuse and torture.) Perhaps this is why every president starting with George W. Bush has unapologetically smited evildoers around the world via robotic assassin drones. (Remember, the drone assassination of Iranian Major General Qasem Suleimani at Baghdad International Airport by one Donald J. Trump?) Perhaps this is also why U.S. bombing never seems to stop and those wars never end, even when a president comes into office promising that they will. After all, its so empowering to be a wartime president!

In his novel 1984, George Orwell put it simply enough when he coined the slogan war is peace for his fictional dystopian society. Randolph Bourne put it no less simply when, during World War I, he explained that war is the health of the state. Rosa Brooks, who worked at the Pentagon, put it bluntly when she titled her 2016 book How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything. What we have in America today is warfare as welfare, a form of man-made disaster capitalism, profitable for a few at the expense of the many.

Say it again: We are all POWs now.

The Time I Met a Real POW

In the early 1990s, when I was a young captain in the U.S. Air Force, I served as an escort officer for Brigadier General Robinson Risner. Its not too much to say that Risner is held in awe in the Air Force. A skilled fighter pilot and Korean War ace, he was a colonel and on the cover of Time magazine in 1965, just as the Vietnam War was ramping up, after which he was shot down and became a POW. He later wrote The Passing of the Night, a harrowing account of the seven years he spent as a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton, the sardonic name American POWs gave North Vietnams Hoa Lo Prison.

What sustained Risner through torture and those years of captivity was his Christian faith and patriotism. I vividly recall a talk he gave at the Air Force Academy about his experiences and how that faith of his had sustained him. Ive never heard a more vivid evocation of the spirit of duty, honor, and country sustained by faith in a higher power. I was proud to have a photo taken with General Risner, as we stood next to the trophy named after him and annually awarded to the top graduate of the Air Forces Weapons School, the AFs Top Gun, so to speak.

Risner was gracious and compelling, and I was humbled to meet a POW whod endured and overcome as much as he had. Yet, back then (to be honest), I never gave a thought to his actions as a fighter pilot leading bombing missions during Operation Rolling Thunder in Vietnam. Since the U.S. government had chosen not to officially declare war against North Vietnam, whether his missions were even legal should have been open to question. Lacking such an official declaration, one could argue that Risner and U.S. POWs like him did not enjoy the legal protections of the Geneva Convention. Using American terminology today, Risner might then have been termed an enemy combatant to be held indefinitely, as the U.S. today holds captives at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, POWs who have little hope of ever being released.

To your average American captured by U.S. war culture, objections here are easy. Of course, Risners bombing missions were legal. Of course, he deserved to be recognized as a POW and treated decently. America never goes to war without righteous cause, in this case the containment of Communism by any means short of nuclear weapons. The North Vietnamese saw it differently, however, perhaps because it was they who were being bludgeoned and flattened by U.S. military power.

My point is neither to praise Risner nor to bury him. Rather, its to bury war and the culture that breeds and then feeds on it. The more Americans facilitate war (largely by ignoring it and so giving it our tacit approval), the more Washington funds it, the more other people die because of our wars and our weaponry, the more this country becomes a POW nation writ large.

My Friends Button Again

Remember my friends button, the one that insisted POWs never have a nice day? As a POW nation writ large, it should apply to all of us. America wont have a nice day again until it extricates itself from war in all its manifestations. There will be no nice day until Congress stops funding munitions makers and starts seeking peace and helping the sick and poor. There will be no nice day until Americans hate war with all the passion now saved for patriotic flag waving. There will be no nice day until presidents bless peacemakers instead of beseeching God to protect the troops.

So, the next time you see a POW/MIA flag outside a federal building, dont dismiss it as a relic of Americas past. Think about its meaning and relevance in an era of constant global warfare and colossal military spending. Then, if you dare, ask yourself if you, too, are a POW of sorts  not in the strictly legal sense that applies to formal militaries in declared wars, but in the sense of this country being captured by war in all its death, destruction, and despair. And then ask yourself, what does America have to do, collectively, to break out of the POW camp in which its imprisoned itself?

Upon that question hinges the future of the American republic.

William Astore, a retired lieutenant colonel (USAF) and professor of history, is a TomDispatch regular and a senior fellow at the Eisenhower Media Network (EMN), an organization of critical veteran military and national security professionals. His personal blog is Bracing Views.

Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Books, John Feffers new dystopian novel Frostlands (the second in the Splinterlands series), Beverly Gologorskys novel Every Body Has a Story, and Tom Engelhardts A Nation Unmade by War, as well as Alfred McCoys In the Shadows of the American Century: The Rise and Decline of U.S. Global Power and John Dowers The Violent American Century: War and Terror Since World War II.

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By Kim Hyun-bin





LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-yeol
Customs officials have denied goods are being held up at ports by post-Brexit red tape and blamed companies for failing to fill in paperwork correctly.

Revenue says that 76pc of goods were getting cleared within 30 minutes of ships arriving to Dublin Port on Tuesday morning, and that freight traffic is at record lows for this time of year.

We have processed thousands of declarations, said Tom Talbot, head of operations for customs at Dublin Port. On Sunday, we had 40 trucks parked up in a port that has a normal traffic of 1.1 million freight vehicles through it."

But one industry source says that drivers are being held up for hours or even days in Dublin Port over customs formalities, a situation that is being compounded by Covid-19 restrictions.

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And Logistics UK, which represents UK drivers, retailers and manufacturers, says consignments of different goods that are grouped together in the same container are facing particular problems crossing the Irish Sea.



The head of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Eugene Drennan, says most of the delays are down to cumbersome IT systems and new rules that were not tried and tested in time.



The biggest flaw in it all is that the Irish system does not talk to the English system, Mr Drennan told the Irish Independent. There might be no problem now because there are no goods. But its on the way.



Food exporters need to send documents separately to Revenue, the Department of Agriculture and the HSE in order to clear all health and safety checks. They also need to notify Revenue 24 hours in advance of turning up at the port.



Revenue says around 30pc of goods have faced delays over the last two weeks because importers and exporters  not hauliers  failed to prepare for Brexit.



One driver turned up for health and safety clearance on Saturday with no paperwork, and had to wait 36 hours until a customs agent was available to provide it.



That driver, its not fair on him to be turning up trying to justify to us whats in [his consignment], said Deirdre OBrien, a principal environmental health officer with the HSE.



Sinn Feins foreign affairs spokesperson, John Brady, said there was confusion and pending mayhem at Irish and British ports.



For 30 years, we have enjoyed the free movement of goods, now we have customs officers not quite sure how they should be handled, Mr Brady said.



If the congestion and confusion is not addressed, we will be running into supply chain difficulties very quickly here, in a matter of weeks at most.



Mr Drennan has called for a temporary opt-out from EU rules  even for a couple of weeks  while they are trialled and phased in.



Legally, we cant do that, said Mr Talbot We talk about being guardians of what comes on to the market, from a product safety, from a food safety point of view.

We want the EU to look on us and say there are no issues in Ireland and we have no worries about Ireland.

Read More




Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 00:58:07|Editor: huaxia

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LONDON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Another 1,564 have died within 28 days of a positive test, the highest daily increase since the pandemic began in the country, according to official figures released Wednesday.

The total number of the coronavirus-related deaths in Britain now stands at 84,767, the data showed.

The previous highest daily rise of the coronavirus-related deaths was 1,325, which reported on Jan. 8.

Another 47,525 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,211,576, the figures showed.

London had the most reported deaths at 202. London mayor Sadiq Khan has confirmed that the British capital's total number of coronavirus deaths has topped 10,000.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Wednesday that there was a "very substantial" risk of intensive care capacity in hospitals being "overtopped".

The situation was "very, very tough" in the National Health Service (NHS) and the staff were under "colossal" pressure, Johnson told the Commons Liaison Committee.

The prime minister once again appealed to the public to follow lockdown rules which require Britons to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the pandemic began in the country.

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. Enditem
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Parler CEO John Matze is lashing out at 'evil' liberal politicians like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for encouraging the ban against his app that was dropped by Apple, Google and Amazon this weekend in the wake of last week's Capitol siege.

Parler was thrown into the spotlight following the January 6 riot where a Trump-inspired mob stormed the Capitol building to protest the certification of the presidential election and five people were left dead.

It was later revealed that people who joined the protest had mobilized on the platform and over the weekend Apple, GooglePlay and Amazon Web Services cut Parler from their services for allowing messages to be shared inciting violence even after Wednesday's Capitol attack.

Matze says pulling his app is unconstitutional.

'I think its sick. Thats not what the Constitution said. Thats not what the Constitution stands for, banning 10-plus million U.S. voters from the internet, barring people from free speech,' he said to Fox News.

'When people do things like that, it shows that they dont understand the meaning of the Constitution or this country and what it stands for,' he added.

Parler CEO John Matze (left) is defending his social media app after liberal Congress members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (right) demanded the platform be censored and removed from app stores. AOC pictured right during an Instagram live Tuesday evening

'I think its sick. Thats not what the Constitution said. Thats not what the Constitution stands for, banning 10-plus million U.S. voters from the internet, barring people from free speech, Matze said on the removal of his app from Apple, Google and Amazon

Politicians like Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have been vocal in condemning Parler.

On January 8 Ocasio-Cortez tweeted screenshots of violent conversations on the app in which Trump supporters discuss carrying weapons, threaten violence, and discuss doxxing and murdering police officers.

She demanded Apple and GooglePlay pull the app from their stores for the hate speech allowed on the platform and the companies did over the weekend.

Parler went offline shortly after 3am EST Monday after Amazon booted the platform off its web hosting service, effectively shutting the site down. Parler hit back with a lawsuit the same day.

Parler is now seeking a temporary restraining order to keep Amazon Web Services from blackballing Parler. The platform further accuses Amazon Web Services of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act.

On January 8 AOC demanded Apple and Google hold Parler accountable for allowing messages including hate speech and inciting violence to be posted on the app even after the January 6 riot at the Capitol

Soon after both Apple and Google removed Parler from its services

Matze says he feels that tech giants are now bowing to liberals critical of right-wing sympathizers on social media.

'Frankly, I would call it evil, because my definition of evil is "forcing your will upon others." If you dont like what I have to say, you can disagree with me, but you cannot take vindictive action against me without being evil,' he added.

While Parler itself is a non-partisan company, it has become a place of refuge for Trump supporters and QAnon conspiracy theorists kicked off Facebook and Twitter.

The app is popular among political conservatives and became the most downloaded app the weekend of November 8  when the election was called for Biden, and has been criticized for allowing hateful, violent speech to run free on the app.

Matze says he won't give up on Parler and the app will return in the future with a few necessary tweaks to allow for a safe environment while advocating for free speech and respecting the privacy of users.

A view of flash bangs being used to disperse the swathes of Trump supporters to rioted at the Capitol on January 6 to protest the certification of the presidential election

Chaos at the Capitol: A view of Pro-Trump protesters storming the capitol building on Wednesday after Trump urged his followers to oppose Congress' certification of the election results

He says it's not just his company that has suffered in the wake of the protests, but he's received multiple death threats in the past week.

'There is a group called UGNazi that is targeting me, Matze said.

The hacker group has already released many of his passwords and personal information on the internet.

'They published my street address, they threatened to come through my front door,' Matze said.

Now hes gone into hiding with his family and is unsure when hell return home.

'If I was at home right now I think my stress levels would have been like three times higherat least there is that saving grace,' he said.
It happened in a hurry. The left is, apparently, attempting to impose the complete destruction of First Amendment rights of roughly half of America's citizens. In cases large and small, massive multinational corporations with no particular allegiance to the United States are colluding with members of the media and Democratic politicians to permanently silence dissent and cement their own power.

To wit: LeeAnn Miller founded PatrioticMe, an online retailer that sells patriotic clothing items, in September of last year. The business advertised on Facebook and was quite successful from the outset. She donates a portion of every sale to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a charity founded to honor the sacrifice of New York City firefighter Stephen Siller, who gave his life to save others as a first responder on Sept. 11, 2001. But on Nov. 4, 2020, the day after the presidential election, she received an email from the Facebook Ads Team informing her that her advertisements did not comply with Facebook's advertising policies or other standards. The subject line of the email stated: "Ad Account Disabled for Policy Violation." She was stunned.

She assumed that the advertisements were disabled in error, so she immediately contacted Facebook and requested a review of her account. She received a second email saying virtually the same thing. After two more requests for a review or explanation, the Facebook Ads Team sent Miller a final notice on Nov. 24 telling her that her restricted account would not be re-enabled. Miller says that she was never able to speak with a live human being. Facebook's decision has resulted in PatrioticMe losing 94% of its traffic. She believes that her ad account was disabled simply because of her products' patriotic message.

To wit: Frankfurt-based Deutsche Bank and New Yorkbased Signature Bank have both reportedly cut ties with President Trump and will no longer do business with him in the aftermath of the recent Capitol siege, according to the New York Times. Not only did Signature Bank apparently close all accounts connected with President Trump, but it called for his resignation. That's the proper role of a financial institution, no?

To wit: Juliette Kayyem, a lecturer at Harvard University and former member of the Obama administration's Homeland Security Advisory Council, recently appeared on a CNN panel with Jim Sciutto and Poppy Harlow, during which she said, "Trump is the spiritual, but I will also say operational leader of this domestic terrorism effort. He tells them where to go. He tells them what to do. He tells them why they're angry." She also called for the "complete isolation" of Trump. A supposedly respected talking head calls the president of the United States "the spiritual and operational leader of a domestic terrorism effort"?

Memo to Kayyem: Trump doesn't tell his supporters "why they're angry." If you want to know why they are angry, look in the mirror.

To wit: House Democrats introduced impeachment articles against Trump just a few days from when he will be leaving the White House anyway. You know, for purposes of "unity and healing."

To wit: Republican former congressman Ron Paul was locked out of his Facebook account by the social media giant on Monday after he dared to share a column blasting Big Tech for silencing Americans and accusing social media platforms of engaging in a coordinated effort to stifle the speech of those with whom they disagree. Paul tweeted, "With no explanation other than 'repeatedly going against our community standards,' @Facebook has blocked me from managing my page. Never have we received notice of violating community standards in the past and nowhere is the offending post identified."

He added, "The only thing we posted to Facebook today was my weekly 'Texas Straight Talk' column, which I have published every week since 1976."

Yes, but it's not 1976 anymore, Ron.

It is 1984.

Image credit: Pixabay public domain.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI  The city of Grand Rapids is hosting a public hearing Tuesday night on proposed tax exemptions for a new corporate headquarters that generic pharmaceutical manufacturer Perrigo plans to open along the Medical Mile.

The tax exemptions are valued at $4.1 million over 12 years.

Perrigo announced its plans for its new North American corporate headquarters in October. It would be located in the top three floors of a yet-to-be constructed 10-story building adjacent to Michigan State Universitys Grand Rapids Research Center, 400 Monroe Ave. NW.

Over the 12-year incentive agreement, we estimate that the company may realize up to $4.1M savings on an estimated $11.4M of property taxes due for this performance-based incentive over the term of the lease, city Economic Development Director Jeremiah Gracia said in an email.

Perrigo, whose U.S. operations are based in Allegan, has previously said it expects the new headquarters to open in 2022.

The company has signed a 15-year lease for the top three floors of the yet-to-be constructed 10-story building. Perrigo says its new headquarters will cost $34.5 million, according to a city memo. Its being built by Health Innovation Partners, a joint venture between Grand Rapids-based Rockford Construction, MB Real Estate, Walsh Construction/Walsh Investors.

Perrigo says it expects to have 150 employees working in the building two years after it opens. One hundred of those employees already work for Perrigo, while the remaining 50 are expected to be new hires, a city memo says.

Gracia said the tax exemptions were needed to lure Perrigo to Grand Rapids.

This was about making sure that as they did their national search that the Grand Rapids market was able to be competitive with those other markets that they were assessing, he said.

In addition to the city incentives, Perrigo has received a $2 million business development grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The grant will be awarded to the company in increments over a three-year period if it creates 170 new jobs in Michigan.

Perrigo has over 11,000 workers globally and employs about 4,000 people in Allegan and Ottawa counties. It manufacturers generic pharmaceuticals and self-care products, and has $4.8 billion in annual sales, according to a memo from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

These are performance-based incentives, Gracia said. This is not a blank check for the company to do what they wish. There are commitments that we are both making to each other and we will monitor those closely.

Gracia said the citys agreement with Perrigo requires the company to have the 150 employees in place at the new headquarters two years after construction is completed. He said the citys goal is to help Perrigo meet that requirement. But if the company fails to do so, the incentive agreement could be terminated or clawed back.

At 149, were not coming to be punitive, he said, providing an example of what approach the city would take if Perrigo brought 149 of the agreed upon 150 employees to its Grand Rapids headquarters by the two-year deadline. But at 75 (employees), we would definitely have to revisit it.

If the incentives are approved by the city, they would go to the state for final approval, Gracia said.

Officials with Perrigo could not be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.

The digital meeting, which starts at 7 p.m., can be accessed by clicking here.

Read more:

Former Gov. Rick Snyder to be charged with crime in Flint water crisis, AP reports

Wear a damn mask, Dingell says, proposing $1,000 fines for Congress members

Grand Rapids to give tax exemptions for 6 affordable, low-income housing developments
New Delhi, Jan 13 : A Delhi court on Wednesday sent former Trinamool Congress (TMC) lawmaker K.D. Singh to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) till January 16.

The agency's special public prosecutor N.K. Matta informed the court that Singh was not cooperating in the investigation and was evasive. He also informed the court that Singh's statements during the questioning were contradictory.

Matta further told the court that two letters of rogatory have been sent to two countries seeking assistance in the case and their replies are awaited. The ED prosecuor also informed the court that the bank accout statement clearly shows that funds were diverted to his own companies.

Singh was arrested earlier in the day in connection with a money laundering case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Singh was a Rajya Sabha member of the Trinamool Congress from 2014. His term got over in April last year. The Trinamool leaders have claimed that they had no contact with Singh for a long time.

The arrest is being seen as a major action ahead of the Assembly elections in Bengal scheduled later this year.

In September 2019, the ED had carried out searches at the premises of Singh in a money laundering probe related to the Alchemist Infra Realty LLC in the Rs 1,900 crore money laundering case.

The ED had registered a case of money laundering against Alchemist Infra Realty LLC, a firm related to Singh and others, on the basis of a prosecution complaint filed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on March 18, 2016.

In January 2019, the ED had attached properties to the tune of Rs 239 crore of the group.

The ED investigations revealed that funds mobilised by the Alchemist Infra Realty Limited from various investors were never utilised for the purpose for which they were collected.

The funds were transferred to the bank accounts of other group companies which were mainly paper companies from where they were systematically siphoned off by the accused and were used to purchase properties at various locations in the country, as ED official had said earlier this month.

Singh had resigned as the Chairman of Alchemist Group in 2012. In August 2019, Singh was also questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the Narada sting operation case.

Bermuda Consults Industry On New Conduct Of Business Regime

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

13 January 2021

The Bermuda Monetary Authority on December 15, 2020, released a new consultation paper on its proposal for a conduct of business regulatory regime to better protect retail investors.

Bermuda's financial services regulator had discussed potentially introducing a conduct of business oversight regime in August 2020. At that time, the BMA released a discussion paper on the topic.

The paper noted international work in this area, including by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO), which has been endorsed by the G-20 and OECD. The paper said that Bermuda will look at the model in place in Ireland, where the Central Bank of Ireland has responsibility for both prudential regulation and conduct of business and consumer protection concerns for multiple sectors including banking, insurance and securities.

The newly released consultation paper says the principles of good conduct of business would be centered on the following expectations  a firm must:

ensure fair and equitable treatment of its customers;

have continuing regard for the interests of its customers in the conduct of its business;

ensure that communications with customers are fair, clear and not misleading;

ensure the protection of the customer's assets against loss, fraud and misuse;

handle complaints and errors in a manner that is fair and expedient; and

ensure that, when dealing with retail customers, it ensures individuals are aware of their responsibilities within the business relationship and have access to appropriate financial educational resources.

Feedback is being invited on the proposed regime until February 15, 2021.
LONDON - In a signal moment, to mark Ireland's "dark, difficult and shameful" treatment of unmarried women and their babies over the 20th century, the republic's prime minister, Micheal Martin, rose in the Parliament in Dublin on Wednesday and formally apologized for the state's complicity in "a profound failure of empathy, understanding and basic humanity."

Martin spoke after the long-awaited release of a 3,000-page report from the Commission on Mother and Baby Homes, which investigated conditions for the 56,000 unmarried mothers and 57,000 children who passed through the system - at 18 homes run by the state and by Catholic charities - from 1920 until 1998, when the last facility was shuttered.

The unmarried mothers, often destitute, desperate and young, with nowhere else to turn, sought last-ditch refuge in the homes or were shoved into them, having been cast out by their families.

Infant mortality at the institutions was in many years double the national average. Some 9,000 infants died - 15% of all those who were born in the system - a statistic the investigators call "appalling."

Most of the babies who survived were offered up for adoption, often without full consent by the mothers.

Martin said: "We treated women exceptionally badly. We treated children exceptionally badly."

The Irish leader said his society had suffered from a "warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy," with a "very striking absence of kindness."

"We honored piety but failed to show even basic kindness to those who needed it most," he said.

New details of what happened to the women and their babies still have the ability to shock - though testimonies, novels, films and news reports have told of the homes for years.

The release of the report has dominated the conversation in Ireland, even as the country faces the world's highest rate of coronavirus infections.

The Irish Times called the findings a condemnation of Irish society in past days, "its rigid rules and conventions about sexual matters, its savage intolerance, its harsh judgmentalism, its un-Christian cruelty."

The impetus for the report came from the discovery of infant remains at the Bon Secours Sisters home in Tuam, western Ireland. Dogged historians discovered death certificates for almost 800 infants at the home, but could not find burial records, until the grim excavations began.

While much blame has been directed at the Catholic Church and its religious orders, the report stresses that the some of the homes with the most wretched conditions were operated by the local health authorities.

In his remarks in Parliament, Martin highlighted extracts:

"I was treated like a second-class citizen by my family. Society had an obsession with hiding everything," said one witness.

"Nobody will want you now," said the mother of a witness, pregnant at 14.

"Get her put away!" were the words of a father of a 19-year old when told of her pregnancy.

Survivors of the homes have been telling their stories on Irish television, too.

Terri Harrison went to London when she discovered she was pregnant, only to be tracked down by a priest and nuns, who brought her back to Ireland and placed her in a mother and baby home.

It was 1973, and Harrison was 18 at the time.

"They dehumanized and distanced us but kept reminding us how dirty and filthy we were," she said.

Her son was put in a locked nursery, and she was only allowed to see him at feeding times. And then one day her son was gone.

"I fed him at 6 a.m. That was the first feed on the Saturday morning. He would have been five weeks old. I went up, and his cot was empty," she said.

Harrison said, "They threatened me with the high courts. They were going to ring my father in his place of work. They were going to put me in the national newspapers, and under no circumstances would I ever be allowed to take my son back because he was happy with his Mommy and Daddy."

She said, "I couldn't fight them, I didn't have the tools."

The authors of the report note that the experience of women and children in the 1920s was vastly different than in the 1990s. In the early years, Ireland was an impoverished country, among the poorest in Europe, and life was hard for many, and the homes for unmarried mothers were run like workhouses. In later years, there was schooling, counseling, and more services.

But the report notes that for the unmarried mothers, Ireland wasn't just poor, but "a cold harsh environment."

The investigation found that greatest number of admissions was in the 1960s and early 1970s: "The proportion of Irish unmarried mothers who were admitted to mother and baby homes or county homes in the twentieth century was probably the highest in the world."

The report makes for hard reading: "Many of the women did suffer emotional abuse and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks. It appears that there was little kindness shown to them and this was particularly the case when they were giving birth."

The Sisters of Bon Secours, a Catholic religious order, which ran the mother-and-baby-home in Tuam, offered its "profound apologies" in a statement on Wednesday.

The order wrote, "We were part of the system in which they suffered hardship, loneliness and terrible hurt. We acknowledge in particular that infants and children who died at the Home were buried in a disrespectful and unacceptable way. For all that, we are deeply sorry."

Colm O'Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said the report "absolutely validates" the testimony of many survivors and victims over the years who talked about forced labor, appalling acts of abuse and forced adoptions.

"Adoption without freedom of consent is not consensual adoption. I don't know how else it can possibly be described," he told The Washington Post.

"These should have been the safest places for children to be born; instead, they were the most dangerous places," he said.

O'Gorman said that while the church had apologized, "we've yet to see the church fully acknowledge the degree to which it created and enforced the culture," rather than saying it was merely "part of a culture."

He said it was a mistake to focus "on the role of society, as opposed to the role of the Catholic Church and of the state. As if somehow people were free to oppose that dogma and norms of the time . ... The reality is that up until relatively recently, Ireland was effectively a theocracy."

In Ireland, the once dominant Catholic Church shared power with the government, overseeing daily lives, running schools, hospitals, nursing homes, social welfare and poverty programs. But in recent years, the Irish have steadily rejected directives from the church, overturning constitutional prohibitions against divorce, birth control, same-sex marriage and abortion.

"If the church is to be fully honest, it needs to acknowledge that it wasn't simply somehow an equal partner in all of this," O'Gorman said, but rather "it directed and dominated a culture that stigmatized women, that violated the rights of women and children, that brutalized people in this country and hundreds of thousands of women in particular."

The Irish prime minister vowed to act on all the recommendations of the report, including a restorative justice program, and to deliver the legislative change necessary to "at least start to heal the wounds that endure."

- - -

The Washington Post's Amanda Ferguson in Belfast contributed to this report.
Clearcover, the smarter car insurance choice, has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees Choice Award in the U.S. small and medium company category, recognizing the Best Places to Work in 2021. The Employees Choice Award, now in its 13th year, is based solely on the input of employees, who elect to provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer on Glassdoor, the worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies.

Were thrilled to be recognized by Glassdoor as one of the best places to work in 2021, said Kyle Nakatsuji, CEO and co-founder of Clearcover. Im incredibly proud of the strong culture weve built here and how we continue to become a better company every day. Were excited to enter this new year with this prestigious recognition and look forward to the future.

COVID-19 is in the drivers seat and every employer has been impacted. This years winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, theyll rise to the challenge to support their people, said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritized the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this years outstanding Employees Choice Award winners.

On Glassdoor, current and former employees voluntarily and anonymously share insights and opinions about their work environments by sharing a company review, designed to capture a genuine and authentic inside look at what a specific job may be like at a particular company. When sharing a company review on Glassdoor, employees are asked to rate their satisfaction with the company overall, and key workplace factors like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management and work/life balance. In addition, employees are asked to describe the best reasons to work at their companies as well as any downsides.

Glassdoors Best Places to Work were determined using company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between October 22, 2019 and October 19, 2020. To be considered for the U.S. small and medium company category, a company must have had fewer than 1,000 employees and have received at least 30 ratings across each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) from U.S.-based employees during the period of eligibility. The final list is compiled using Glassdoors proprietary algorithm, led by its Economic Research Team, and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews. Complete awards methodology can be found here: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/index.htm

For the complete list of the Glassdoor Best Places to Work winners in 2021, please visit: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Best-Small-and-Medium-Companies-to-Work-For-LST_KQ0,43.htm

About Clearcover

Clearcover is the smarter car insurance choice, offering better coverage for less money. Clearcovers customer-first, service-focused model powered by advanced technology delivers a convenient, reliable, and affordable experience. Built for todays driver, Clearcover takes the guesswork out of car insurance, making it easy to save money, get insured, and get serviced on the go. Learn more at https://clearcover.com/ and keep in touch at @clearcover or visit https://www.facebook.com/Clearcoverinc/.

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people everywhere to find a job and company they love. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than 1.3 million companies located in more than 190 countries. For more information, visit glassdoor.com.

Copyright  2008-2020, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.
Wheatland, N.Y. -- A 31-year-old Syracuse man was arrested Sunday and accused of having a stolen pistol and drugs, according to the New York State Police.

Jaron O. Flagg was charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, state police said.

Flagg was pulled over Sunday at 10:10 a.m. on the Thruway, according to police. Troopers searched the car and found 14 grams of cocaine, 1.5 grams of ecstasy and an FNH 9mm pistol with a 10 round magazine, according to police. The magazine had eight rounds in it, police said.

Flagg was arraigned in Town of Chili Court and is being held at the Monroe County Jail without bail because of a prior felony conviction, according to police.

In 2016, Flagg was sentenced in Syracuse to up to four years in state prison for fourth-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, according to state records. He was released on parole in December 2019.

In 2008, Flagg was sentenced in Syracuse to up to three years in state prison for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to state records. He was arrested when officers found a loaded 380-caliber semiautomatic handgun after a police chase that ended when the car he was in crashed, according to Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard archives.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
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One of the most common street-food dishes in Vietnam is Banh mi which basically means bread but also refers to some of the country`s delicious baguette sandwiches.

You could find Banh mi wherever you go and every seller would somehow use different ingredients from others.

One of the most common street-food dishes in Vietnam is Banh mi.

The mixed flavor between continents, regions

In Vietnam you see carts on the side of the road hawking Banh mi - each seller will have his own variant of the snack. It represents the unique fusion that takes place in Vietnam between Asian flavours (coriander, pickles, chili, fish sauce) and the French colonials who taught the locals how to bake baguettes, and introduced things like pate.

With many foreigner, it is the coriander that makes a banh mi sandwich taste so unique. This Vietnamese ingredient rarely occur in sandwich of western world. Mixed with the meat, and pickles, and fresh ingredients, all bundled up in a chunk of baguette that has a crispy outside and a soft, pillowy inner, it makes a pretty satisfying dishes.

The traditional Banh mi has pate, cilantro and ham, while the other variants have roast pork and grilled chicken. And Banh mi own numerous version for respective regions. Banh Mi Que is a narrower sandwich with just liver pate and cilantro, derived from Hai Phong  a northen province of Vietnam. While, Hoi An City is famous for special Banh mi with deep flavor sauce and variety of input.

From family brand to chain of store

The queue in front of Madame Phuong  a street mall selling Banh mi at Hoi An, becomes a familiar scene. Families with young children, couples and twenty-something backpackers crane their necks in anticipation as they edge closer to what they all have separately searched out to find: the best pork roll in Vietnam.

One particular banh mi created by Madame Phuong and her family has been made famous by celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, who sampled the sandwich some years back. Banh Mi Phuong has been lined up eight-deep ever since and one bite tells you why. There are actually two locations of Banh Mi Phuong, one at 2B Phan Chau Trinh and another in the central food market.

However, attractiveness of Vietnamese Banh mi not just only found in famous family store. In Hanoi, there are numerous brands with chain of store selling these cuisine, such as Banh mi Hoi an, Banh mi Minh Nhat, Bami King In Vietnamese daily life, Banh mi can be a light snack for breakfast, a small lunch and a dinner for someone in hurry; a familiar part of Vietnam culinary picture. Hanoitimes

Tu Anh

Banh mi spreads the love during difficult times Bread rolls, or banh mi, are a familiar dish among Vietnamese people and also one of the different types of street food foreign visitors love.
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Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that New York City is on track to run out of COVID-19 vaccines next week, as he begged the federal government to send more doses and announced the Big Apple is on target to reach its goal of one million shots in arms by the end of the month.

Speaking at his daily press briefing, de Blasio said Wednesday he has 'no patience' for the federal government and the vaccine manufacturers for the slow rollout of shots and demanded the Trump administration releases the second doses currently being held back from states.

The mayor revealed that the New York Yankees has followed the Mets in agreeing to work with the city to turn its stadium into a 24/7 mass vaccination site, while new round the clock sites are springing up across the five boroughs.

Another 28,599 doses were administered to New Yorkers Tuesday, taking the total number of shots in arms to 267,923, with 237,991 people having got the first dose and 29,932 the second, the city's health department data shows Wednesday.

With an estimated population of 8.34 million according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau, this means just around 2.85 percent of New York City residents have been given the first dose almost exactly one month since the vaccine was given to the first American back on December 14.

Statewide, 3.42 percent of the population have been vaccinated with at least the first dose, Bloomberg data shows, with Governor Andrew Cuomo reporting that 665,172 doses had been administered by 3 p.m. Tuesday.

While the state and the city has ramped up vaccinations in the last couple of days, following the expansion of eligibility - first to those aged 75 and over and then to those aged 65 and over and the immunocompromised - pressure is building to up the pace of rollout.

New York City has received 793,675 doses from the federal government to date, meaning only around a third - 33.7 percent - of doses have been given to New Yorkers with the remaining two-thirds still sitting waiting to be used.

Similarly, the state has administered just 41 percent of its available 1.62 million doses so far, according to Bloomberg.

Though New York state is doing better than the national average of 35.9 percent of the population, the slow rollout comes as the statewide positivity rate reached 7.4 percent and another 165 people died.

Fears over the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the UK are also increasing, with two New York City residents confirmed to have contracted the strain Wednesday.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that New York City is on track to run out of COVID-19 vaccines next week, as he begged the federal government to send more doses and announced the Big Apple is on target to reach its goal of one million shots in arms by the end of the month

Despite doses sitting unused in the city, de Blasio insisted Wednesday that the rollout is accelerating and the city will hit its target for doses administered this week.

'We're speeding up the pace of giving the vaccines all the time,' he said.

De Blasio blamed a holdup in getting shots in arms on the federal government saying the city is now ramping up appointments with 24/7 vaccination sites but the supply isn't going to keep up.

'The key thing here is we need more vaccine,' he said.

'As we have set up the system and finally won the battle for the freedom to vaccinate New Yorkers the inevitable has happened.

'Tens of thousands of folks have come forward wanting the vaccine - rightly - and we're going to provide it to them over the next few weeks and then we're going to run out of the vaccine.'

New York City will run out of doses as soon as next week if the city continues accelerating the rollout and the government continues with its current supply, he said.

'I confirmed with our healthcare team yesterday that even with normal supplies that we expect to have delivered next week we will run out of vaccines at some point next week unless we get a major new resupply because so many New Yorkers want the vaccine and we have the ability to give it to them,' he said.

'What do we need? The federal government, the state government and the manufacturers to step up and give us more supply immediately.'

De Blasio hit out at the current administration for holding back the second dose of the vaccine.

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine require two doses taken 21 and 28 days apart respectively.

However, the vaccine also offers some protection after just the first dose and some countries such as the UK are focusing on getting as many people the first dose as possible - whereas the US is holding onto the second dose.

'Now look, one question here - and this is the place again where President-elect Biden has been a strong voice and I thank him - he is pushing hard on the current administration to release more vaccines,' de Blasio said.

'He is calling for the release of the vaccine that was held back for the second doses. I want to affirm President-elect Biden he's right.

'All doses being held back by the federal government need to be released now, right now. We can use them right now.'

He continued: 'The same doses can be used for the first dose or a second. It doesn't matter but holding back vaccines when we have tens of thousands of New Yorkers ready to be given the vaccine now makes no sense at all.

'So I'm calling on the federal government to release everything you can... we need it and we need to speed up this system going forward as we are going to continue to build.'

The mayor revealed that the New York Yankees has followed the Mets in agreeing to work with the city to turn its stadium into a 24/7 mass vaccination site. Pictured the Yankee stadium

New round the clock sites are springing up across the five boroughs. The Mets Citi Field is being turned into a 24/7 site

Who can get vaccinated under the current Phase 1B? Individuals 65 and older

Immunocompromised people

First responders

Public safety officers

Teachers and other school staff

In-person college instructors

Childcare workers

Grocery store workers

Transit workers

Individuals living and working in homeless shelters

Corrections officers Advertisement

The Big Apple has a goal to administer 175,000 doses this week and one million doses in total by the end of January.

De Blasio said the city is on target to reach those goals.

'Our goal of 175,000 doses this week - we're going to hit that goal,' he said.

'And then we're going to have a higher goal next week and a higher goal the week after that. We won't be able to meet those goals if we don't have the vaccines.'

De Blasio hit out at the federal government and the vaccine companies saying: 'I have no patience for the federal government and the manufacturers.

'We need them to deliver a lot more. We need a lot more quickly as we can use it right now.'

Several 24/7 vaccination sites are being set up across the city with de Blasio announcing that the Yankees stadium in the Bronx is the latest confirmed site - one day after the Mets revealed a site will open at its Citi Field facility.

'Thanks to the New York Mets for stepping up,' said de Blasio.

'We've heard back from the New York Yankees and we welcome them into the fold too.

'And we're working with them now to work out a plan to use their stadium too.'

A 24/7 site opened at 125 Worth Street in Lower Manhattan Tuesday and the 24/7 Gotham Health at the Vanderbilt clinic in Staten Island opened Wednesday.

On Saturday, NYC Health and Hospitals Corona in Queens will also shift to a 24/7 operation.

De Blasio said vaccine appointments are filling up fast in the city and they are adding new appointments all the time as these facilities are set up.

The phone reservation system will go to 24/7 at the weekend to make it easier for eligible people to make appointments.

This comes after the city came under fire for its cumbersome online appointment system which left hundreds of appointments unfilled as elderly residents struggled to navigate the website and its 51-question form.

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer criticized the online system Sunday saying seniors were 'bewildered' by the system meaning they were missing valuable opportunities to get their hands on a shot.

People line up for doses in Queens. Another 28,599 doses were administered to New Yorkers Tuesday, taking the total number of shots in arms to 267,923, with 237,991 people having got the first dose and 29,932 the second, the city's health department data shows Wednesday

New Yorkers at the new 24/7 site at 125 Worth Street in Lower Manhattan. Around 2.85 percent of New York City residents have been given the first dose almost exactly one month since the vaccine was given to the first American back on December 14

The city responded by creating an option for people to call 311 for an appointment,

But this system was also racked with flaws as people were on hold for almost half an hour on the line.

De Blasio said the city is waiting for guidance from the state over vaccinating immunocompromised people after the group was added to the current rollout phase Tuesday.

On Monday, Cuomo bowed to pressure to add people aged 75 and older to the current phase - phase 1B - of the vaccine rollout after previously insisting the elderly come after healthcare workers.

Phase 1B includes residents over the age of 75, teachers, transit workers and police, in addition to healthcare workers who were covered in Phase 1A.

The new phase also broadened the types of healthcare workers that can receive the vaccine to include anyone who interacts with the public, such as licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, dentists and podiatrists.

On Tuesday, the CDC then recommended expanding eligibility to people aged 65 and over, as well as people who are immunocompromised - a recommendation Cuomo took on.

Cuomo said the expansion means seven million New Yorkers are now eligible for the vaccine but the state is still only receiving 300,000 doses each week.

The governor also blasted the federal government's allocation of the vaccine, saying that with the expanded eligibility, people can now expect to wait a staggering six months for a shot.

'At our current rate of supply, it will take close to six months to vaccinate everyone who's currently eligible,' Cuomo said Tuesday.

'Is that helpful? I don't think so. I don't think this creates national confidence. I think it creates national frustration.'

The pressure to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible comes as the US continues to record more strains of the more contagious variant of the virus.

De Blasio announced Wednesday that two New York City residents - one in Manhattan and one in Queens - have tested positive for the new strain, taking the state's number up to 12.

One of the individuals had recently traveled to the UK sparking de Blasio to once again call for a complete travel ban from the UK.

'Although I appreciate the federal government is finally acting to restrict who can get on an internal flight and require them to have a negative coronavirus test, that's not good enough,' he said.

'There should be an immediate travel ban from the United Kingdom to the United States.

'Here's proof positive: Someone who was in the UK has brought the variant back here.'

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that, on January 26, it began requiring all international travelers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before entering the U.S.

This is in addition to the Trump administration's policy, which barred travelers from entering if they have been in the UK within the last 14 days.

However, US citizens or people with travel exemptions have still been able to enter the US directly from the UK.

Statewide, 8,929 people are hospitalized with the virus, with 1,501 in the ICU and 924 intubated.

Another 14,577 infections and 165 deaths were recorded Tuesday.

In total, 1.16 million have been infected and almost 40,000 have died since the pandemic began.
Pfizer Inc . and federal health officials are investigating the death of a health-care worker 16 days after the person received the first dose of the companys Covid-19 vaccine.

So far, the evidence doesnt suggest a connection, Pfizer said in a statement on Tuesday. The Florida-based physician developed a rare disorder called severe thrombocytopenia that decreases the bodys ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

Pfizer cited its clinical trials and data gathered since the vaccine was authorized in the US in reporting its initial conclusion that the evidence doesnt suggest a causal association to the shot it developed with Germanys BioNTech SE. Meanwhile, the x said it is aware of the death, and will evaluate the situation as more information becomes available," according to spokesman Tom Skinner.

To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in individuals receiving our vaccine," Pfizer said in its statement. It is important to note that serious adverse events, including deaths that are unrelated to the vaccine, are unfortunately likely to occur at a similar rate as they would in the general population."

Pfizers shares were down 2% to $37.03 at 3:14 pm in New York trading on a day when the company also said its 2021 adjusted earnings would be between $3 and $3.10 per share, less than what analysts were expecting.

The New York Times first reported news of the death of Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynecologist located in Miami Beach. The Times cited a Facebook post written on Jan. 5 by his wife, Heidi Neckelmann, who said Michael had died from a brain hemorrhage.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was authorized for emergency use in the US on Dec. 14, with health-care workers and those in long-term care facilities the first in line to get the shot. Thus far, 9.27 million shots have been administered of this vaccine and a second authorized vaccine developed by Moderna Inc., according to a state-by-state tally by Bloomberg and data from the CDC.

The CDC, along with the US Food and Drug Administration and other federal agencies, regularly review Covid-19 vaccine safety monitoring data and share their findings with a group of vaccine safety experts, who provide independent guidance to the federal officials, according to the CDCs Skinner.

Our thoughts are with the family during this heartbreaking time," Skinner said.

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IT was known as the graveyard for police vehicles.

But it has been about two years since the Vehicle Management Corporation of T&T (VMCOTT) has actually serviced a police vehicle.

Natasha Prince, the State companys chief executive since 2018, told Express Business last week that the TTPS just stopped sending their vehicles to service and no reason was given.
Attorney General William Tong has directed staff to look into accusations that a Department of Corrections officer posted an offensive meme on his social media account.

Tongs announcement comes days after the Connecticut Chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations called for the termination of officer Anthony Marlak, a 12-year employee who has worked at Cheshire and Newtowns Garner correctional institutes, in a letter sent to Department of Correction Commissioner Angel Quiros on Friday.

CAIR-CT claims Marlak posted a meme on a Facebook account, under the pseudonym Anthony David, depicting five men hanging from a rope by their necks with the caption Islamic Wind Chimes and a comment reading: Think I found the best meme on the planet!

Officer Marlaks posting is blatantly bigoted and is actually a violation of the Departments social media policy because it undermines public confidence in the DOCs commitment to racial equality and religious tolerance, said Farhan Memon, chairman of CAIR-CT, in the letter.

Elizabeth Benton, director of communications for the Attorney Generals Office, said CAIR-CTs accusations prompted their office to take closer look at the Department of Corrections handling of the incident.

A day earlier, the Department of Corrections said it would re-examine the case following their decision last year, after a Muslim colleague brought the meme to their attention, that Marlaks post did not warrant further investigation.

Karen Martucci, the departments director of external affairs, said Monday that the Department of Correction would review the case to determine appropriate action.

As a State Agency, the Department of Correction does not condone discrimination against  or hatred directed towards  individuals or groups based on their religion, race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex, Martucci said.

Marlak claimed the meme was doctored, according to a Department of Correction report. However, the same report notes that Marlak provided no evidence to back up the claim.
A drug dealer has been bashed so badly in a Canberra jail it left her with a broken nose and black eyes, a court has been told.

Hayley Louise Wood, 29, was emotional during the hearing at the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday, which she attended with a swollen face.

Defence lawyer Tim Sharman said Wood, who funded her lavish lifestyle through drug trafficking, should be released from jail.

Drug dealer Hayley Wood (pictured) was bashed in jail and attended court with a swollen face

Her father Peter told the court how upset he was when he found out his daughter was a drug dealer, the Canberra Star reported.

'I was a bit shocked at the nature of the charges, I wasn't entirely shocked that she was in trouble,' said Mr Wood.

Woods was convicted of drink driving and fined on Tuesday and also pleaded guilty to drug trafficking, possession of two tasers and possession of tainted cash.

A friend of Woods died on her floor after overdosing on drugs, the court heard.

The Canberra woman (pictured) has pleaded guilty to drug trafficking among other charges

Prosecutor Elizabeth Wren brought up the death while arguing for a jail sentence.

'What is concerning is that such a significant event did not cause her to cease her behaviour and reflect on her offending,' Ms Wren said.

Police found $16,565 in cash at Woods' home, and she paid for her black Mercedes Benz in cash.

The court heard police found what appeared to be a Snapchat picture on Ms Woods phone boasting, 'I'm a dealer now, made 4k profit today, moving 6k of product.'

Magistrate James Stewart said Woods' crimes 'screamed out' for jail time.

Woods will be further sentenced later this month.
Should Luxembourgish volunteers, who fought in the Spanish Civil War, be honoured at the "Gelle Fra", the Golden Lady?

These young men fought with the Republicans against the nationalist troops of General Francisco Franco. The Committee for the Commemoration of World War II was recently asked to give its opinion on whether or not these volunteers should be honoured at Luxembourg City's "Gelle Fra" monument. In the end, drawing up this assessment proved to be rather difficult.

The discussion arose following an enquiry by the association "Amis des Brigades Internationales-Luxembourg" (Friends of the International Brigades-Luxembourg). The latter had contacted the Prime Minister in late 2018 to ask whether it would be possible to add a plaque for the Luxembourgish volunteers in Spain to the Monument of Remembrance, more commonly known by the nickname "Gelle Fra", or Golden Lady.

Due to the enquiry remaining unanswered, MPs Mars di Bartolomeo and Dan Biancalana from the Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP) decided to bring it up again in a recent parliamentary question. Prime Minister Xavier Bettel then forwarded the question to the Committee for the Commemoration of World War II.

The Committee's president, Claude Wolf, stated that they asked their members whether the International Brigades should be honoured with a plaque or not. While a majority of members stated that they were in favour of the idea, albeit with a few caveats, a still substantial minority rejected the idea altogether.

The Committee for the Commemoration of World War II was only recently founded and represents the victims of the Shoa, the members of the resistance, and those recruited by force into the Nazi army. The latter represent those that were against this new plaque at the "Gelle Fra" from the beginning.

Members of the Committee's executive then tried to find a compromise and in the end the association's official opinion stated that while it was against a new plaque at the "Gelle Fra", the members of the International Brigades should still be honoured, but in a different way.

Wolf stressed that the Committee's respect for the merits and courage of the 102 young men was immense, especially considering that some of them were very young. As such, they should definitely be honoured, but maybe in a more modern way than simply putting up a plaque on a monument commemorating World War II.

In its official opinion, the Committee makes a number of suggestions, for instance to organise the next National Commemoration Day specifically around the International Brigades. One thing that Wolf regrets, however, is that there was not enough time to inform all of the association's members about the final version of its official opinion on the matter.

Wolf admitted that the executive was under a lot of pressure, including from itself. According to her, three people drew up the entire document within a week.

She also regrets that the matter is now being discussed in public, criticising the fact that internal data was leaked.

However, Wolf stressed, the Committee's major goal still remained to organise commemoration alongside one another and not against each other. One of the most important missions being to raise awareness of the topics among young people.
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A 150-m tunnel constructed along the International Border (IB) to facilitate infiltration of terrorists into from Pakistan was detected by Border Security Force (BSF) personnel in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district on Wednesday, officials said.

This is the third tunnel unearthed by alert border guards along the IB in the twin districts of Samba and Kathua in Jammu region over the past six months and ninth in the past decade.

"A nearly 150-m-long tunnel was detected by a patrol party during an anti-tunnelling operation in Bobiyaan village of Hirnagar sector this morning," Inspector General of BSF, Jammu frontier, N S Jamwal told reporters at the scene. He along with other senior officers rushed to Bobiyaan soon after the detection of the tunnel.

"The opposite of this side is Pakistan's Shakergarh which is notorious for having launch pads and bases of terrorists. We have inputs available with us as a result of that we are sensitive to whatever is happening here," the officer said, assuring that all necessary measures are in place to counter Pakistani designs.

He said sand bags with Pakistani markings are evidence of the hand of Pakistani establishment in the construction of this tunnel, which is identical to the previously detected tunnels having a depth of 25 to 30 metre with two to three feet diameter.

Asked whether this tunnel was recently dug or it's an old one, the officer said it is a matter of investigation.

However, he said some of the sand bags recovered from the tunnel have 2016-17 year of manufacture which suggest that it is an old tunnel.

"We were searching for this tunnel for a long time and its detection was the effort of the anti-tunnelling operation which is underway all along the IB. Whether any infiltration had taken place through this tunnel in the past can be said after completion of our investigation," he said.

Jamwal, however, said the BSF is sure that no infiltration had taken place through this tunnel in the recent past.

"We are undertaking some development works here and have strengthened the security in view of the anti-tunnelling drive, he said.

Referring to the killing of two Pakistani infiltrators in Surankote area of Poonch district and an encounter in Srinagar last month, the IG said Pakistan is always looking for an opportunity to push terrorists into Jammu Kashmir, whether it is through Line of Control (LoC) or IB.

"They are continuing with the attempts but we are fully alert to the situation. Our alertness resulted in detection of underground tunnels and shooting down of a Hexa-copter loaded with a huge cache of arms and ammunition," he said, adding the border protection grid comprising army, BSF and police are working jointly to scuttle Pakistan's attempts to push terrorists and weapons into this side.

Last year, the BSF detected two such tunnels in Samba district on August 28 and November 22 following successful infiltration by two groups of terrorists who were subsequently neutralised in separate encounters along Jammu-Srinagar highway while they were enroute to Kashmir in trucks.

While three Pakistani terrorists affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were eliminated in a gunfight in Nagrota area near Jammu after they were intercepted aboard a Kashmir-bound truck in January last year, another group of Pakistani terrorists armed with weapons and a large quantity of grenades were killed at the same spot on November 19.

Investigations suggested both the groups infiltrated into this side through underground tunnels.

Meanwhile, Pakistani Rangers violated ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing on forward posts and villages in the Border Outpost area of Gurnam in Hiranagar sector, the officials said.

The firing from across the border started around 10 pm Tuesday, prompting strong and effective retaliation by the BSF, they said, adding the cross-border firing between the two sides continued till 2.25 am Wednesday but there was no report of any damage on Indian side.



(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.)

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Its only fairly recently that the mainstream art world, which likes to think of itself as progressive, has fully begun to embrace the idea that Black art matters. Even a few decades ago, if you were an African-American artist, you could realistically expect to find your work excluded from major  i.e. white-run  museums. For you, the marketing machinery that makes careers didnt exist. Galleries werent showing you. Collectors werent buying you. Critics werent looking your way.

The same art world is now in catch-up mode, discovering Black talent that has always been there and acknowledging rich histories hitherto ignored. High on the list of current retrospective excavations is Working Together: The Photographers of the Kamoinge Workshop, a traveling exhibition beautiful to contemplate in every way, at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Almost eighty of the 3,156 mothers who were resident at some stage in a mother and baby home at Dunboyne Castle in Meath gave Kildare addresses, according to a report on the home in the Commission on Mother and Baby Homes.

The report, which focuses a lot on the financial discussions between the order which ran the home and Meath County Council (MCC) said MCC had a major role in the running and financing of the home which was open from 1955 to 1991.

Around 600 of the mothers were from Dublin and about 320 from Cork. Meath women accounted for over 240 of the residents.

Operated by the Roman Catholic Good Shepherd Sisters, it was generally known as Dunboyne mother and baby home. Now a hotel, it was a thirteen minute drive or a 25 minute cycle from Leixlip in north Kildare.

At another mother and babies home in Castlepollard, Westmeath, , 4,936 had lived in it at some stage between 1950 and 1969 and just under 120 were registered with Kildare addresses.

Elsewhere, at the Magdalen Asylum, there were 1,416 residents over the years from 1921-1994 and just over 30 were from Kildare.

There were 1,582 women in the Bethany home in Dublin over a period from 1922 to 1971 and around 85 (3.5% of the total) had Kildare addresses

Regarding nearby Dunboyne, the Commission said it has received very few complaints about the conditions or the physical treatment of the mothers there. All the evidence seen by the Commission and the evidence of the vast majority of former residents who spoke to the Commission suggests that Dunboyne provided comfortable, warm accommodation and the residents were well looked after physically. The younger residents were provided with educational opportunities from the 1980s. There are a number of letters in the Dunboyne institutional files from former residents expressing gratitude for the kindness shown to them.

But there was a complaint over an adoption.

In January 1952, the Department of Health issued a circular to each city and county manager and each public assistance authority, to create mother and baby homes for mothers.

Six county councils - Cavan, Longford, Louth, Meath, Monaghan and Westmeath - got together to try to establish a mother and baby home for their area. MCC took the lead and bought it. The Good Shepherd Sisters took possession on June 1, 1955.

On October 11 1955, the first women and babies arrived.

The home records are now in the possession of the Child and Family Agency (Tusla). In some cases, information about the putative father is included and names are given in 437 cases - 13.85% of the total admissions.

The chapter contains a lot of financial information and that the Meath county manager and the chief officer in the health and assistance sections of MCC visited on Christmas Day 1955.

In June 1956, Meath County Council told the Good Shepherd Sisters that it had been decided the previous April not to admit mothers from outside the region unless the numbers should drop below 75% occupancy which would be about 15 adults and 15 children.
Trump has shown no trace of contrition. On Tuesday, in his first public appearance since the siege of the Capitol, he told reporters that his remarks to supporters at a rally that day  in which he exhorted them to go to the Capitol and fight so Republicans would reject the election results  had been totally appropriate. It was the specter of his impeachment, he said, that was causing tremendous anger. But with Twitter having suspended his account for good, Trump no longer has his favorite weapon to train on lawmakers who cross him, which could curtail the blowback they face for voting against him.

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The ministry plans to start mass vaccination in February.

Ukrainian Health Minister Maksym Stepanov has said the ministry plans to strike new deals soon for the supply of vaccines against COVID-19.

"We believe we will start mass vaccination in February. We expect to conclude contracts with other manufacturers in the next few days, there are technical arrangements now," he said at a briefing on Wednesday, an UNIAN correspondent reports.

Read also WHO says rich countries have majority of COVID-19 vaccine supply Vaccines for Ukraine: Background

In March, the first batch with 8 million doses of the vaccine is expected to be shipped to Ukraine under the COVAX Facility. These doses are enough to vaccinate 4 million people as two jabs per person are required. Medics, senior citizens, and seriously ill patients will get vaccinated first.

On December 24, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said that his ministry was working out a plan to increase the vaccine quota as part of the COVAX global initiative from 8 million to 16 million doses.

On December 22, Ukraine's Health Ministry approved a plan for vaccination of the population against COVID-19. The goal of this plan is to vaccinate at least 50% of the population of Ukraine (20 million people) in 2021-2022.

On December 30, the Ukrainian Health Ministry signed a contract for the supply of China's Sinovac Biotech COVID-19 vaccine to Ukraine. The purchase provides for 1,913,316 doses at UAH 504 (US$18) per dose. China plans to obtain permission to use the vaccine inside the country and abroad in January next year, and the vaccine will also be submitted for retraining to the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2021.

The contract for supplies to the territory of Ukraine has been signed with Lekhim JSC, which, according to official confirmations from Sinovac Biotech, is the only authorized representative of the vaccine manufacturer in Ukraine.

Under the terms of the contract, the first batch of 700,000 doses will be delivered to Ukraine within 30 days after official registration in China, or by one of the competent authorities of the United States, Great Britain, the Swiss Confederation, Japan, Australia, Canada, Israel, India, Mexico, Brazil, or under a centralized procedure by the competent authority of the European Union.

On January 6, some 13 countries of the European Union called on the European Commission to provide access to COVID-19 vaccines for the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries, including Ukraine.

Reporting by UNIAN
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LITTLE ROCK, Ark.  One of four Texas men accused in the thefts of more than $14,000 from ATM machines in Central Arkansas has pleaded guilty to federal charges before U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller.

James Darron Miller Jr. appeared Friday morning by video-conference from the West Tennessee Detention Center in Mason, Tenn., to plead guilty to two charges of transporting $5,000 or more in stolen money and conspiracy to transport $5,000 in stolen money, according to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Miller was arrested on Jan. 16 with three other Dallas residents after a federal grand jury indicted the four of them, alleging they drove to Oklahoma and Arkansas to break into automated teller machines in Walmart stores.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bart Dickinson said Miller, along with his three co-defendants, broke into a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Conway and using yellow pry bars, broke into an ATM and took $7,520 from it. A surveillance camera at a nearby school showed a dark, late model SUV parked nearby.

Ten days later, the four men broke into a Shell Superstop in Benton, removed the ATM from the store and broke into the stores safe as well, Dickson said.

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Video surveillance from various stores in the vicinity showed a dark, late model SUV around the store at the time of the burglary, Dickinson said, adding that the video showed four men exiting the vehicle before the burglary and being picked up again afterward.

Miller is being housed in the West Tennessee Detention Center until his case is resolved in federal court, as are his three co-defendants.

Upon sentencing, Miller could receive a maximum of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine on each of the two stolen money transport charges. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum jail term of five years and up to a $250,000 fine.

Russell Moore: 'If I were a member of Congress, I would vote to impeach' President Trump

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Influential Southern Baptist leader Russell Moore issued a blistering criticism of President Donald Trump and the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week and said that if he were a member of Congress, he would vote to impeach the president.

This is not about politics. This is about our country, about the rule of law and about the sanctity of human life, Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, wrote in a Jan. 11 op-ed posted on his website.

The president invited mobs to Washington  promising a 'wild' time  and told them to march to the Capitol, he continued. Despite the fact that there was not one thing that Vice President [Mike] Pence could have lawfully done, the president called him a coward, and whipped up crowds against him who, many of them, then chanted Hang Mike Pence! while constructing gallows on the Capitol grounds.

"An American flag was thrown down and replaced with a Trump flag, while another insurrectionist paraded a Confederate flag through the Capitol. Police officers were attacked. Congressional leaders hid while the doors buckled from mobs seeking to attack them. People are dead. The Capitol is ransacked. Administration officials are resigning in protest.

To those defending Trumps behavior or changing the subject to a private platform removing an account inciting violence as Orwellian, Moore asked, where, at long last, is your limit?

Moore stressed that the country must turn to our Constitution, to the founding principles of this nation, in order to address this.

The Southern Baptist leader said he understands his stance might cost him his job, but admitted its a risk hes willing to take. In 2017, more than 100 Southern Baptist churches displeased with Moore's posturing during the 2016 presidential election threatened to withhold funding from the denomination.

I dont speak for anyone else, only myself. But you deserve to hear from me what I honestly think. If I were the president, I would resign, he wrote. If I were the vice president, I would assemble the cabinet in accordance with the 25th Amendment. If I were a member of Congress, I would vote to impeach. And if I were a United States senator, I would vote to convict. And I would be willing, if necessary, to lose my seat to do so. As a matter of fact, I am willing, if necessary, to lose this seat.

Again, I might be wrong. But, if so, propose what can be done to make sure that justice is done and that this never happens to our country again.

Moore joins a chorus of pastors, influential church leaders, and Christian artists who have condemned the violence in Washington last week. However, few have weighed in on a possible second impeachment of the president.

In a recent appearance on CBN, the Rev. Franklin Graham forcefully spoke against those who broke into the Capitol building, calling them thugs who broke the law.

However, Graham called the move to impeach the president a "waste of time" and warned it will only heighten political tensions.

"On one hand they talk about unity and bringing the country together but yet you've tried to impeach the president a second time," he said.

"They're just putting fuel on the fire with this impeachment and it's going to make the people on the right even more, I think, frantic and I think this is a big mistake."
More questions and concerns are being raised about the snail's-pace rollout of Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccination effort as appointments at Winnipeg's "super site" injection clinic fell behind Tuesday morning.

More questions and concerns are being raised about the snail's-pace rollout of Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccination effort as appointments at Winnipeg's "super site" injection clinic fell behind Tuesday morning.

Premier Brian Pallister, claiming again that every Manitoban could receive the vaccine by the end of March if the province had adequate supply, told a news conference Tuesday morning that he hoped the media wouldn't focus "on every hiccup" in the rollout.

"Give us a break," he said, adding that things are just getting ramped up.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister: "Give us a break."

A source with information about the operations of the large vaccination clinic inside the RBC Convention Centre said only eight people were administering injections Tuesday morning  the facility has 30 stations  and appointments were falling behind schedule.

"People need their vaccine and were just going way too slow," the source said, speaking to the Free Press on the condition of anonymity.

"Were just coming out of our second wave, which was really difficult, and I dont understand why were not ready to go full-throttle, at least at this super centre. If we only have one place that its being given, it should be fully staffed and ready to go."

A provincial spokesperson said two people scheduled to administer vaccinations called in sick and technical issues caused delays during the morning. By the afternoon the clinic was considered fully staffed with 14 people doing the injections, trying to complete the 964 appointments.

Were just coming out of our second wave, which was really difficult, and I dont understand why were not ready to go fullthrottle, at least at this super centre. If we only have one place that its being given, it should be fully staffed and ready to go."

Dr. Joss Reimer, a member of the province's COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Task Force, could not say how many appointments have been booked this week or state the maximum daily output at the convention centre, but noted clinics are staffed based on the number of appointments booked and availability of vaccine.

Pallister offered several explanations as to why Manitoba currently lags behind most other provinces in administering federally delivered vaccine doses, not all of which were backed by provincial staff.

The premier again argued that Manitoba is a far more challenging province to immunize than tiny Prince Edward Island, although Alberta, Quebec, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan are also among provinces that have been more efficient at getting needles in arms. He also reiterated that Manitoba made a bigger effort than other provinces to consult with Indigenous people before delivering doses to First Nations.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS The Convention Centre in Winnipeg, the location of Manitoba's vaccination "super site".

And he said that Manitoba, unlike other provinces, was holding back significant supplies to ensure it could provide the required second dose to all who've received their initial shot.

That contradicted a policy change Pallister, himself, announced Dec. 30, when he said the province would begin holding back fewer doses for booster shots than originally planned.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Dr. Joss Reimer, medical lead of immunization.

Reimer said Tuesday that officials are "trying to use all of the vaccine that we have available" and "are not reserving any of it for second doses at this time."

She did say, however, that some supplies were being held back to ensure available stock for other clinics, such as a second super site that opens Monday inside Brandon's Keystone Centre.

A third large site is expected to open next month in Thompson.

Pallister continued to express frustration with Ottawa's slow deliveries of vaccine doses.

"We're only going to get enough in Manitoba for about one per cent of the population by the end of this month (and) approximately two per cent by the end of February."  Premier Brian Pallister on delivery of the vaccine doses

"We're only going to get enough in Manitoba for about one per cent of the population by the end of this month (and) approximately two per cent by the end of February," he said.

For the second straight week, the vaccine task force wouldn't say how many people the province needs to administer injections in the coming weeks or how many have been trained and employed thus far, although the premier admitted at one point Tuesday that hiring remains "an ongoing challenge."

Pfizer vaccines given to personal care home residents Dr. Joss Reimer, a member of the provincial COVID-19 vaccine task force, said 120 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were given to residents of personal care homes in Winnipeg on Monday. Pfizer-BioNTech has recommended against moving their product, which must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, out of clinic sites, but has provided some guidance on how to do so safely, Reimer said. click to read more Dr. Joss Reimer, a member of the provincial COVID-19 vaccine task force, said 120 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were given to residents of personal care homes in Winnipeg on Monday. Pfizer-BioNTech has recommended against moving their product, which must be stored at ultra-cold temperatures, out of clinic sites, but has provided some guidance on how to do so safely, Reimer said. So we are exploring some limited ways that we might be able to move Pfizer to various sites. For example we did use Pfizer in some of our Winnipeg personal care homes, but have not at this point moved it outside of the urban environment, she said. We will continue to work with Pfizer to establish the best possible processes to provide a high quality vaccine should we move it outside of our super centres. Close

Meanwhile, the province continues to search for a full-time provincial director of COVID-19 immunization. Pallister said although the job hasn't been filled, planning work has been underway for months. The government has explained that hiring a co-ordinator now is part of an effort to return some health officials to their former roles.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said it is "demonstrably false" for the premier to say that all Manitobans could be immunized by the end of March.

"We're hearing time and time again about major issues that people have when they try and call in to book an appointment, people who should qualify (to receive the vaccine) still waiting on hold for hours and hours or being turned away entirely," the opposition leader said, referring to health-care workers.

Reimer said the COVID-19 immunization clinic at the convention centre was on track to exhaust its current supply of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine this week and said the clinic was operating smoothly with just under 1,000 doses given daily.

She couldnt say what percentage of eligible health-care workers had received the vaccine.

Meanwhile, a pool of about 600 eligible staffers, including people who can inject the vaccine, are on standby and waiting to be assigned shifts at the clinic, according to an email sent to the casual staffers by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and obtained by the Free Press.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/JOHN WOODS The COVID-19 vaccination site at the Convention Centre had only eight people administering injections Tuesday morning  the facility has 30 stations.

"If you have not received an email from me yet, you were not granted shifts for the upcoming week," says the email, sent last Friday.

"I understand some of you are disappointed by receiving very few if not any shifts but please keep in mind, this is a casual position and there are approximately 600 people that have submitted availability."

Reimer said the province has received more applications for positions in the clinics than are currently available and added the province is hiring 50 per cent more staff than required in the event additional vaccine doses arrive.

"We are planning to expand those clinics, were planning to open new super centres, and so we will be needing more people in the days coming," she said.

"We really encourage people to continue to apply, because we will be continually hiring new individuals in the days and weeks to come."

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca

Danielle Da Silva

Reporter Danielle Da Silva is a general assignment reporter. Read full biography
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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The novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is the pathogen responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Approximately 20-55% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients are reported to have deranged hemostatic laboratory parameters, which suggests coagulopathy.

These anomalies include slightly prolonged prothrombin time (PT), higher D-dimer concentration, mild thrombocytopenia, and, in advanced stages, decreased fibrinogen. Studies suggest that elevated D-dimer concentration is linked to poor clinical outcomes, such as the need for intensive care or even death. Available data show that COVID-19 is characterized by a pro-thrombotic state driven by massive thromboinflammation, possibly arising from diseased lung endothelial cells.

A better understanding of COVID-19-related coagulopathy is crucial for health care practitioners in order to mitigate the risk of thrombosis and bleeding by tweaking treatment options.

Transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, isolated from a patient. Image captured and color-enhanced at the NIAID Integrated Research Facility (IRF) in Fort Detrick, Maryland. Credit: NIAID

Systematic review of the link between hemostatic parameters and poor COVID-19 outcomes

Recently, a team of researchers from Canada and the USA systematically demonstrated the link between hemostatic lab parameters and key clinical outcomes among adult COVID-19 patients. They analyzed hemostatic parameters such as PT and D-dimer concentration in COVID-19 patients and their association with important clinical outcomes such as bleeding, thrombosis, severe disease, and death. The study is published on the preprint server, medRxiv*.

The team performed a systematic review of observational studies, randomized clinical trials, and case series published in PubMed (Medline), CENTRAL, and EMBASE between December 1, 2019, and March 25, 2020. Studies on adult COVID-19 patients that reported at least one hemostatic lab parameter were included in the analysis.

Elevated D-dimer concentration is the strongest predictor of adverse clinical outcomes

The researchers extracted data from 57 studies, including more than 12,000 patients that satisfied their inclusion criteria. 45% of the patients in the studies were women, and the average age of patients was 52 years. Of the studies included in the review, 92.7% (N=38/41) of studies reported an average platelet count greater than 150 x 109/L, 68.2% (N=15/22) of studies reported an average PT of 11 - 14 s, 55% (N=11/20) of studies reported an average activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) in the range of

25 - 35 s, and 34.4% (N=11/32) of studies reported a D-dimer concentration above the upper limit of normal (ULN).

Eight studies, including 7 cohorts and 1 case series, reported hemostatic lab values for survivors vs. non-survivors. D-dimer concentrations were reported in 4 studies among non-survivors, and all of them reported an average D-dimer level above the ULN.

Based on the findings, the researchers concluded that most hospitalized COVID-19 patients had a normal platelet count, PT and aPTT values in the upper reference interval, and increased D-dimer concentrations. However, there was no explanation for how these hemostatic parameters were linked to poor outcomes. D-dimer elevation seemed to be the strongest predictor of poor clinical outcomes.

It has been hypothesized that COVID-19 associated coagulopathy is driven by pulmonary vascular endotheliopathy, which may contribute to the risk of thromboembolism and death in hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Findings could help physicians triage severe COVID-19 patients with coagulopathy

The authors believe that these results offer a framework to guide HCPs caring for COVID-19 patients. The results agree with data from hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Wuhan, China, which showed that patients in need of critical care had a median D-dimer concentration of 2.4 mg/L compared to 0.5 mg/L in those who did not require critical care.

Similarly, a New York study reported that 4-times higher D-dimer concentration was associated with about 5-fold higher odds of severe disease compared to a normal D-dimer concentration.

This information can help physicians triage severe COVID-19 patients with coagulopathy and support the recommendation for close monitoring of COVID-19 in-patients with elevated D-dimer concentrations. According to the authors, more studies are essential to confirm this correlation between hemostatic parameters and the risk of adverse clinical outcomes such as bleeding and thrombosis.

This information will help frontline health practitioners use hemostatic laboratory parameters for prognostication as well as the triage of patients to the appropriate disposition, which is particularly crucial during a pandemic if resources become depleted.

*Important Notice

medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

You can't get a tattoo because of COVID-19 restrictions, but you can now get them removed.

You can't get a tattoo because of COVID-19 restrictions, but you can now get them removed.

You can also now get other aesthetic, or cosmetic, non-medical procedures done, including Botox shots, tummy tucks, breast enhancement and lip enhancements.

Under changes posted on the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba website late last week, doctors who provide care that is not medically indicated, including aesthetic services and procedures, are able to begin doing so again, starting Jan. 8.

It means a clinic such as Dr. Earl Minuk's on Grosvenor Avenue can reopen for the first time in weeks, while others, such as Skinwise on Taylor Avenue or Derm Centre on Grant Avenue, can again begin procedures on the cosmetic side.

College registrar Dr. Anna Ziomek said Tuesday the decision was made by the governing body in November  not the province under code red  to shut down such procedures when the numbers of Manitobans testing positive for the coronavirus started to increase "at an alarming rate, with an unknown plateau, and an unknown degree of anticipated stress to the medical system, ICUs, hospitals, physicians, other health-care providers and staff."

College of Physicians and Surgeons of Manitoba registrar Dr. Anna Ziomek says the decision to cancel non-medical procedures was made by the governing body in November when the numbers of Manitobans testing positive for the coronavirus started to increase (Trevor Hagan / Winnipeg Free Press files)

"(The college) considered it necessary for the medical profession to support code red with the closing of services that are done by physicians for reasons that are not medically necessary, such as aesthetic services. This was not required under the public health directives, but was considered to be the responsible thing to do," she said.

Now that COVID numbers are dropping and stresses to the medical system can be anticipated, the college believes it can relax such restrictions and allow aesthetic services and procedures to reopen, Ziomek said.

Cosmetic surgeons and clinics are still being warned to consider the risks and benefits of the various procedures before going ahead, including whether it is worth the possibility of a patient potentially being exposed to COVID-19 and whether scarce resources, such as acute care, would be needed if the procedure has complications, she said.

These types of procedures are all performed in private clinics, not in hospitals, and patients pay for them out of their own pocket, Ziomek said.

"It does not have an impact on elective surgeries and medical procedures that are insured services by the health-care system that are medically required, whether provided in public or private facilities."

A spokeswoman for the provincial government said it has no comment because public health was not involved in the college's decision and the province never stopped aesthetic services as part of its code-red restrictions.

"The contradictions in policy is stark... even a procedure like acupuncture is similar, too, with needles and being close for long sessions, and it is allowed and we aren't." Rich Handford, Manitoba Body Art Association

That still doesn't make tattoo artist Rich Handford any happier. Tattoo parlours have been forced by the province to shutter since October, as well as last spring for weeks, under pandemic restrictions.

"How ironic," said Handford, who owns Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg and is co-chairman of the Manitoba Body Art Association, when he heard such procedures can restart.

"The contradictions in policy is stark... even a procedure like acupuncture is similar, too, with needles and being close for long sessions, and it is allowed and we aren't."

The association is continuing to ask the province for permission to reopen, Handford said.

JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Getting a tattoo and acupuncture are similar in that they both involve needles and being close to another person, says Rich Handford who owns Kapala Tattoo in Winnipeg and is co-chairman of the Manitoba Body Art Association. (John Woods / Winnipeg Free Press files)

Dr. Victoria Taraska of the Derm Centre said during the weeks of code red the aesthetics side of the clinic was shuttered but the medical dermatology side remained open.

"We are rehiring our staff that were laid off and assessing our current clinic needs," Taraska said.

"We have not fully decided what services we will offer, as we are reviewing all safety concerns first to keep staff and patients safe... There is an overwhelming desire from patients to return safely and we are not rushing to open fully, just safely, and not contribute to the spread of COVID."

All services might not be available at this time, she said.

"Everyone will have to be patient."

All in-person care is to follow current provincial rules, including using personal protective equipment, social distancing, mask wearing and capacity limits.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

The dire wolf, an animal many people know from its fictional incarnation in Game of Thrones was a heavy-boned, powerful predator that roamed North America up to about 11,000 years ago, or perhaps even later, preying on large animals like extinct horses, bison, sloths and even mammoths.

While it was nowhere near as big as its television version, the dire wolf was about 20 percent larger on average than the gray wolf, and it was long considered a sister species, Canis dirus rather than Canis lupus.

But an international team of scientists reported Wednesday in the journal Nature that the first sequencing of the dire wolf genome showed an unexpectedly large genetic separation between the two species, big enough that the dire wolf is not just a separate species but a separate genus. They resurrected an old name, Aenocyon, for the genus, first suggested in 1918 by John Merriam, a paleontologist, but soon discarded. The dire wolf is the sole species in the genus.

The last common ancestor of the gray wolf and the dire wolf was about 5.7 million years ago, the researchers reported. And another surprise was that the dire wolf didnt seem to interbreed with other species  as dogs, wolves, coyotes and other canids do. In evolutionary terms, it met a lonely end.
Bus manufacturer Solaris has joined the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, an initiative led by the European Commission. The aim of the Alliance is to scale-up, by 2030, the production and deployment of hydrogen as a fuel produced by means of low-emission technologies and renewable energy sources.





The European Clean Hydrogen Alliance is one of the many measures being taken by the European Union to bolster its position as a world leader in the production and deployment of hydrogen in industry and the energy grid. It is also one of a host of actions intended to support the EUs goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.

Solaris unveiled its first buses to use hydrogen in 2014. Since then, hydrogen buses and trolleybuses produced by Solaris have been sold to operators in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Latvia. In the weeks to come, more European towns and cities wish to test Solaris Urbino hydrogen buses.

Hydrogen-fueled e-buses allow us to create a complementary emission-free bus portfolio thanks to which Solaris is ready for todays challenges and the diverse needs of customers as regards the range, flexibility and operability of vehicles. We believe that the development of all e-mobility branchesbe they battery buses, trolleybuses or hydrogen-fueled vehiclesshould proceed in synergy, and that this process is part and parcel of ensuring the sustainable transport of the future. Therefore, hydrogen buses from Solaris do not constitute competition for our battery buses or models in the Trollino series. Quite the opposite: these technologies complement each other perfectly and they all benefit from the technological progress of electric drivelines and their components. Petros Spinaris, member of the Management Board of Solaris for Sales, Marketing and Customer Service

As part of the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, Solaris has been invited to participate in a mobility roundtable. In collaboration with other organisations promoting the deployment of hydrogen as an energy source, the manufacturer will seek to develop optimal solutions regarding the EUs energy transition to a climate-neutral economy.
Washington: On the eve of his likely impeachment, US President Donald Trump has denied responsibility for the storming of Congress by a mob of his supporters, and warned of "tremendous anger" across the country. Although Trump also urged "peace and calm" during a visit to his US-Mexico border wall in Alamo, Texas, his overall message was of defiance and refusal to take the blame.

Free speech is under assault in the United States like never before, outgoing President Donald Trump said as almost all major social media outlets moved to block him following the breach of the Capitol Hill by his supporters.

In his first public speech on Tuesday after the January 6 storming of the US Capitol, Trump, in a Texas border town, addressed for the first time several issues, including impeachment proceedings against him, last week's incident itself and the call to invoke the 25th Amendment to the US Constitution wherein he can be removed by his cabinet members.

"Free speech is under assault like never before. The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration. As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for," Trump said in his remarks at a border wall in Texas.

"The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division, and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time," he said.

Referring to last week's events, Trump said millions of Americans watched on as a mob stormed the Capitol and trashed the halls of the government. "I have consistently said throughout my administration, we believe in respecting America's history and traditions, not tearing them down. We believe in the rule of law, not in violence or rioting," he said.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it a very difficult year and a difficult election for the US, Trump said.

"Now is the time for our nation to heal, and it is time for peace and for calm, respect for law enforcement and the great people within law enforcement. So many are here is the foundation of the MAGA agenda and we are a nation of law, and we are a nation of order," the President said.

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By Yu Sui

The progress of China-Russia relationship features political mutual trust, economic complementarity, cultural exchanges, military interaction and diplomatic consultation since the two countries forged the strategic partnership of coordination. In 2020, the bilateral relationship faced particular challenges from the raging COVID-19 pandemic and the politicization of the pandemic in international relations, and the Trump administrations maniac disruption of international order. Yet, it withstood the severe test and presented a new outlook with new development.

Political mutual trust is the fundamental element for China-Russia relations. As the leaders of the two countries put it, the mutual support and help between China and Russia in the toughest moment of the COVID-19 pandemic has added new strategic connotations to bilateral ties in the new era. There is no restricted area or upper limit to the bilateral cooperation.

Economic complementarity underpins bilateral ties. The China-Russia trade exhibited strong resilience despite the severe shocks to the global industry and supply chains imposed by the COVID-19 outbreak. In the first nine months of 2020, the bilateral trade volume of agricultural and industrial products increased 9% from the same period of the previous year to reach US$3.8 billion. Chinese export of medical apparatus, textile materials, electronics, and electric appliances to Russia all reported two-digit growth in the first half of the year. At the same time, its import of Russian energy, minerals, and agricultural products kept growing, including the first batch of Russian beef. The Bely Rast Terminal Logistics Center, the first of its kind co-built by China and Russia, was officially put into operation at the end of July last year. Moreover, the two sides are also implementing a batch of large-scale cooperative projects in energy and other economic fields.

Cultural exchanges serve as the bond binding the two countries. There are 48,000 Chinese students studying in Russia and more than 20,000 Russian students studying in China, and another 35,000 citizens of both countries participating in various short-term educational programs. Russia's traditional national event "Art Night" was held online in early November 2020, and China will showcase its cultural charm via online exhibitions in many regions.

Military interaction is one of the factors that guarantee China-Russia relations. Chinese and Russian militaries have held regular joint exercises and exchanged experience in military development. President Putin stressed that Beijing and Moscow had reached a high level of coordination on military technologies.

The two countries signed a protocol on the extension of the agreement between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Government of the Russian Federation on notifications of launches of ballistic missiles and space missile carriers for ten years. This demonstrated the high level and special nature of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination in the new era and their resolve to preserve global strategic stability jointly.

Diplomatic consultation is the approach. In the face of the rampant pandemic and the complicated international environment, China and Russia are enjoying all-round bilateral cooperation and closer coordination on international affairs. Their coordinated synergy has taken significant effects in such multilateral areas as the UN, SCO, BRICS, and G20.

It is worth special attention that as the two countries worked together to fight the coronavirus in the past year, Russia, with solemn statements and concrete actions, resolutely rejected the Trump administration's attempts to drive a wedge between China and Russia and piece together an anti-China alliance.

Moscow was opposed to Trump's scapegoating of China on the virus. President Putin articulated that there's no evidence to support the claim that the virus originated in China, and Russian media published articles comparing the pandemic situation in China, the US, and Europe and praising and supporting China's anti-epidemic prevention and control.

In response to Trump's attempt to bring China into the negotiation on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), Putin said if the US wanted to include China in the treaty for security's sake, it should not forget the UK and France also possess nuclear weapons.

Regarding the US' intention of withdrawing from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty), the Russian Foreign Ministry responded that Russia would react immediately if the US deployed nuclear or conventional missiles in the Asia Pacific and other regions.

With regard to Pompeo's clamoring for an anti-China alliance, the spokesperson of the Russian side repeatedly stated that such an attempt is aimed at sowing discord between China and Russia, and that China is Russias partner and the two countries have developed an extraordinary partnership.

The enhancement of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination under new circumstances is rooted in the consensus on peace, development, and win-win cooperation, and based on the implementation of the "Shanghai Spirit" that advocates mutual trust, mutual benefit, equality, consultation, respect for diversity of civilizations, and pursuit of common development.

There is vast room for China-Russia cooperation, which is a great boon to the two countries and their peoples.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Jan. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Dongqiang)

NAY PYI TAW, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Myanmar's Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services Min Aung Hlaing agreed here on Tuesday to accelerate the construction of the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) to boost bilateral ties.

During the meeting, Wang said the main purpose of his trip is to communicate with Myanmar on implementing the results of Chinese President Xi Jinping's historic state visit last year when the two countries agreed to build the China-Myanmar community with a shared future, and exchange views on developing bilateral ties in the next stage.

As reflected by the China-Myanmar community with a shared future, China will continue to back Myanmar in safeguarding its sovereignty, national dignity and legitimate rights, supporting the country in pursuing a development path suited to its own national conditions and the Myanmar army in playing an active role in the process of the country's development transition.

China has agreed with Myanmar in principle on implementing the action plan of building the China-Myanmar community with a shared future, hoping the Myanmar army can make new contributions to the common goal of the two countries, Wang noted.

China decided to provide assistance of vaccines and medical supplies to help Myanmar fight the COVID-19 pandemic, and encouraged Chinese enterprises to carry out further vaccine cooperation with Myanmar, said Wang.

As a signature project of the China-Myanmar community with a shared future, China hopes the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor will be fully implemented after the new government is formed to help Myanmar to develop and revitalize, believing the army will also offer support, said Wang.

For his part, Min Aung Hlaing said Myanmar is glad to witness China's rising international status and influence, and will firmly enhance its all-round cooperation with China and support China's stance on its issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Thanking China for its assistance in combating the pandemic, the top military official said the Myanmar army supports the two countries in conquering the influence of the pandemic and accelerating the construction of the CMEC.

He said Myanmar is willing to play an active role in deepening the friendly cooperation with China and communicate with China on maintaining national stability, promoting economic development and social unity.
President Donald Trump traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Tuesday and recited a bunch of old claims about immigrants and crime that we've long rated false or misleading.

For example, Trump repeated the explosive but unproven claim that terrorists from the Middle East have been apprehended at the southern border.

The Trump administration first made this assertion in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections - but it never offered any proof or identified a single terrorist. State Department reports say terrorists have not been found at the southern border in recent years.

Here's a roundup of some of Trump's false or misleading claims from his remarks in Alamo, Texas, one of his final events in office. Our practice is not to award Pinocchios when we round up multiple claims, but Trump as usual butchered the facts with his spin about immigrants, ending his term as it began. Imagine a bunch of bouncing Pinocchios as you read through his spin.

- - -

"When I took office, we inherited a broken, dysfunctional and open border. Everybody was pouring in. . . . We reformed our immigration system and achieved the most secure southern border in U.S. history. It is at a level that it's never been before."

This is mostly wrong. The Trump administration built hundreds of miles of fortified fencing along the border and clamped down on asylum requests and legal migration. But hundreds of thousands of migrants already were being apprehended under the Obama administration in the years before Trump took office.

After an initial decline in the yearly totals of unauthorized migrants detained at the southern border, the number of such apprehensions spiked in 2019, so Trump's claim to having the "most secure southern border in U.S. history" is dubious at best.

Unauthorized migration "had been generally declining" from 2000 to 2017, according to a report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. But then it jumped.

"After reaching an all-time peak of 1,643,679 in FY2000, apprehensions fell to a 45-year low of 303,916 in FY2017," the report notes. "In FY2018 apprehensions increased to 396,579, and in FY2019 they more than doubled to 851,508."

- - -

"We've arrested nearly 500,000 illegal aliens with criminal records, some with very serious criminal records of the type you don't want to know about, like murder."

It's unclear where Trump is getting this figure. For fiscal 2020, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported 103,603 administrative arrests, down 28% from 2019. That's far from half a million. ICE added that 90% of the administrative arrests involved people with a prior conviction, and the agency said it contributed to 4,360 criminal arrests in 2020.

Trump often suggests, as in these remarks, that everyone arrested by ICE has committed a violent crime, "like murder," but many have only immigration or nonviolent offenses on their records.

- - -

"One of the biggest loopholes we closed was asylum fraud under the old broken system. If you merely requested asylum, you were released into the country. The most ridiculous thing anyone's ever seen. And we were taking in some people that you didn't want to have in your country. We instituted a series of historic policy changes to shut down asylum fraud, and that's what we did."

Wrong on multiple levels. Trump sharply curtailed the U.S. asylum system, lowering caps on yearly admissions. Before his changes, it was not enough merely to request asylum to enter the country, as Trump claimed. Applicants had to undergo an interview with immigration officials and show a "credible fear" of persecution or torture in their home country.

Trump's strict new asylum rules were set to take effect Monday, but they were blocked by a federal judge in San Francisco.

- - -

"Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, under these critical asylum cooperation agreements, the burden of illegal immigration is now shared all across the region. Now, when an illegal immigrant is arrested at our border, they can be sent to a neighboring country instead of into a U.S. community. Before my getting here, countries wouldn't accept them. They would say, no, no, no. . . . They said they won't take them back. They came. They may be murderers, they may be cartel heads. They may be some really vicious people. The countries didn't want them back. And I stopped all payments to those countries. I stopped everything going to those countries. And after we stopped for about a month, you remember after we stopped for about a month, they called. They said we'd love to have them back."

Trump often fabricates conversations in which he stuns various heads of state with his knowledge or negotiating skills and they bend to his will.

His claim that El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras "wouldn't accept" deportees prior to the Trump administration's regional asylum negotiations, which date to 2018, is flat-out false. The three countries accepted hundreds of thousands of returnees from the United States every year, both before and during Trump's term, official statistics show.

- - -

"We also have, and we had, but we have them all the time, we have terrorists from the Middle East coming into our country through the southern border. That was before what you see right here [gestures at border wall], because it was easier to come into our country through the southern border than it was through airports or any other means. . . . These are people from some very seriously dangerous places in the Middle East. And the numbers are far greater than anybody would understand."

The Trump administration first asserted this in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections, offering a range of misleading statistics to buttress the claim that terrorists from the Middle East were filtering through the U.S.-Mexico border. But administration officials never offered any proof or identified a single terrorist.

In reports issued during the Trump administration, the State Department said that there was "no credible evidence indicating that international terrorist groups have established bases in Mexico, worked with Mexican drug cartels, or sent operatives via Mexico into the United States" and that "there have been no cases of terrorist groups exploiting these gaps to move operations through the region."

[January 12, 2021] Malaysia Airlines Launches New Online Shopping Platform by Enrich, Powered by RebateMango

SINGAPORE, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Malaysia Airlines' frequent flyer programme, Enrich is pleased to announce the launch of Enrich's new online shopping platform called Enrich Shoppe. Powered by RebateMango, Enrich Shoppe provides a fun, easy and quick way for Enrich members in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines to earn Enrich Miles for purchases from over 500 famous e-commerce brands such as Tumi, Sephora, Michael Kors, Watsons, JD Sports, Uniqlo, Cotton On, and many more. This partnership adds significant value and provides convenience for Enrich members to instantly earn up to 10X Enrich Miles earned for every USD1 spent on Enrich Shoppe. These acquired Enrich Miles can be utilized to redeem for flights, hotel stays via Enrich Hotels and Temptations' inflight duty-free products, as well as a variety of lifestyle vouchers, exclusive dining vouchers or add more comfort to their next travel by redeeming them for seat upgrades and Golden Lounge Access. Malaysia Airlines' Group Chief Marketing and Customer Experience Officer Lau Yin May said, "Online shopping has become the better alternative these days, especially now in light of the current restrictions and the second phase of the movement control order in Malaysia, hence we embarked on this collaboration with RebateMango to meet customers' preferences. This partnership is a great opportunity for customers to enjoy a safe and seamless shopping experience with their favourite brands from the comfort of home and to be rewarded with Enrich Miles for the four (4) million Enrich members whenthey shop with Enrich Shoppe. As we continue to provide more options and flexibility to earn Enrich Miles, we believe this latest addition will be rewarding for our members. If you are not a member yet, sign up as Enrich member now which is absolutely free of charge to start enjoying many exclusive benefits by Enrich!".



Paul Koh, the co-founder of RebateMango, said: 'Once again, we are able to integrate a valuable partner in the rewards space and enhance their offering to members in a cost-effective and non-tech-heavy way. We are delighted to launch with Malaysia Airlines and look forward to their members being able to earn more Enrich Miles whenever they shop online!'. RebateMango has already seen success in its standalone B2C platform, which is currently live in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Philippines, with plans to expand further. Members of the RebateMango platform can choose from a choice of rewards such as cashback, air miles and points from some of the most popular brands. This reward choice is unique and is a significant differentiator to other platforms in this region.

The integration that RebateMango offers to partners does not only provide them with scale in-retailer offerings but also significant cost-savings in human resources to manage an online shopping platform. A key value proposition of RebateMango's Retailer API is the B2C platform that RebateMango already runs. This sets them apart from other loyalty providers who may not provide primary customer service support, retailer offers management or transactional rewards calculations. The integration is extremely simple, and the solution also allows the partner to focus on what really matters, which is ancillary revenue. To celebrate the launch, Enrich members may look forward to earning Double Enrich Miles from 8 January to 28 February 2021. Members can start shopping from their preferred online stores at Enrich Shoppe via www.malaysiaairlines.com/enrichshoppe and then log in to their Enrich account to get automatically rewarded. About Enrich Enrich, the frequent flyer programme of Malaysia Airlines brings you a world of privileges, lifestyle rewards, and priority service. Earn Enrich Miles when you fly with Malaysia Airlines, oneworld member airlines and Enrich partner airlines. You can also earn Enrich Miles on your bank credit card points conversion, hotel stays, tour bookings, car rental, fuel purchase, dining and retail spend with a host of lifestyle partners. Redeem Enrich Miles for flights, seat upgrades, in-flight duty free, Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge access, hotel stays, dining, loyalty points swap, shopping e-vouchers and many more. With Enrich Hotels, select from an extensive list of over 400,000 hotel properties worldwide ranging from boutique hotels to international resorts that suit every need and preferences. Enjoy rewarding travel and lifestyle experiences as you unlock more benefits each time you move up the next Enrich Elite tier. Be recognised across all Oneworld member airlines with your coveted Oneworld status. Visit malaysiaairlines.com and sign up with Enrich to enjoy a world of rewards today. About RebateMango: RebateMango.com is an online rewards digital platform that allows users to choose their preferred rewards such as cashback, air miles or loyalty points whenever they shop online on over 500 popular retailers. The company was founded in May 2017 and is now present in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines with a membership base of over 1.5million users. RebateMango has more than 15 loyalty rewards on their platform and partners with all the state airlines in the markets they are in. Starting off as a B2C platform, RebateMango now also offers B2B solutions which provide scale and help drive ancillary revenues. SOURCE RebateMango

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Flowers and photos of Jung-in, a 16-month-old baby girl who died after being abused by her adoptive mother, are placed near the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office in southern Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap



South Korean prosecutors demanded Wednesday that the adoptive mother who is blamed for the death of a 16-month-old baby girl stand trial on a murder charge.



On the first day of the high-profile case at the Seoul Southern District Court, prosecutors added a murder charge against the adoptive mother, surnamed Jang. She was previously indicted on charges including child abuse resulting in death. The adoptive father was charged with child abuse and neglect.



Prosecutors, however, reevaluated the cause of her death with forensic experts after suspicions arose that Jang might have had an intention to kill the baby, or at least might have been aware that the girl could die from the suspected beatings and other abusive behaviors.



If convicted, Jang is subject to a maximum sentence of life imprisonment or heavier.



At the trial, Jang's lawyer denied the accusation that his client intentionally harmed the baby while acknowledging that there were times when she acted violently against her, such as "dropping," "pushing" and "shaking" her, which resulted in bone fractures.



"There might be a causal relation between the faults and the death, but it is not true that the defendant used force on purpose to cause the victim to die," the lawyer said.



The toddler, named Jung-in, was adopted in February and died in October of severe abdominal injuries and internal bleeding that were caused by "strong external force." Her adoptive mother insisted the baby sustained the injuries because she accidentally dropped her.

An investigative report aired earlier this month has become a catalyst for a renewed focus on her case and how no one proactively intervened to prevent the tragedy despite a series of glaring warning signs.



The nation's police chief apologized last week over the agency's botched initial response and inadequate investigation, even though it received three reports about suspected abuse in the span of five months.



The case has unleashed nationwide grief and anger over child abuse. Hundreds of people have sent petitions to the court to demand justice for the girl. The trial was aired live in two additional rooms at the court, as more people wanted to attend the trial than the courtroom's gallery could house.



Outside the court, protesters were seen holding signs demanding the death penalty for Jang, next to a row of funeral wreaths made of white and yellow flowers to mourn the tragic loss of the child. One message said, "Sorry to notice too late, love you." (Yonhap)




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WASHINGTON  Federal law enforcement officials vowed on Tuesday to accelerate a nationwide manhunt for hundreds of people who committed serious crimes during last weeks assault on the Capitol, even as new evidence surfaced that the F.B.I., police and White House were warned of potential violence that day.

Michael R. Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney in Washington, called the investigation into the attack on the Capitol unmatched in scope and said it had already resulted in more than 170 cases involving 100,000 digital tips. He pledged that prosecutors could file charges of seditious conspiracy, murder and other serious felonies in the weeks ahead.

The Capitol grounds outside and inside are essentially a crime scene, Mr. Sherwin said during a news conference in Washington, adding that we have literally thousands of potential witnesses around the country.

His remarks came as evidence mounted that before the grim events at the Capitol  in which lawmakers and others hid from an angry, surging mob and five people died in the riot and nearby tumult  top officials in government had reason to be deeply concerned about the possibility of violence. The indications included a pair of F.B.I. reports that warned of war and blowing up a building at a Midwest statehouse, and a White House meeting where President Trump and top military officials discussed deploying the National Guard.
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 58F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 49F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Government-Backed Loans of 250,000 to 5 Million available to support recovery for eligible small businesses in the UK

LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Brydg today announced that it has been accredited as a new lender for the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) by the British Business Bank.

Delivered through British Business Bank accredited lenders, CBILS is designed to support the continued provision of finance to UK smaller businesses (SMEs) during the Covid-19 outbreak. The scheme enables lenders to provide facilities of up to 5m to smaller businesses across the UK who are experiencing lost or deferred revenues, leading to disruptions to their cashflow.

The accreditation means Brydg can begin lending under the CBILS programme to businesses with immediate effect. Within the scheme, Brydg will be able to support companies in the real estate industry with loans of between 250,000 and 5 million. The first 12 months of interest may be borne by H.M. Government as a Business Interruption Payment.

Brydg's real estate lending marketplace has already facilitated nearly 1 billion in property-backed loans since inception. The real estate sector is an integral part of the UK economy that contributes 180 billion annually to the United Kingdom GDP and represents 18% of all UK SMEs. This sector is serviced by almost 15,000 mortgage brokers which require advanced technologies in order to better service their clients, especially in a post-Covid environment. Brydg's sophisticated financing platform enables them to service the CRE sector and to automate significant tasks in the financing process. This allows Brydg to provide scalable solution to brokers and investors to complete deals more rapidly.

Daniel Bendavid, Director of Brydg added, "At Brydg, we are uniquely positioned to fund deals at scale with our experienced team, long-standing broker relationships, and advanced technology which streamline the real estate financing process. We're excited to be working with the British Business Bank to provide rapid relief and support businesses in the UK in these challenging times."

Find high-res files, additional visual assets, brand kit, and more from our media library: https://www.brydg.com/newsroom

Learn More About Brydg:

Website: http://brydg.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Brydgcom

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/brydg/about/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/brydg/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brydg_/

About Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS)

The Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) is managed by the British Business Bank on behalf of, and with the financial backing of the Department of Business, Energy and industrial Strategy.

About Brydg

Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Mayfair, London, the Brydg group of companies is the most advanced real estate lending experience available for institutional investors and loan originators.

Brydg believes the world of lending is broken and is on a mission is to help people unlock the value of tomorrow in their assets of today. This means providing credit in order to realise pro?ts of potential through a sophisticated and proprietary, AI assisted underwriting approach, which is formed through decades of lending experience coupled with advanced technologies and data science.

In this pursuit, Brydg has originated over 1 billion of loans funded and has built a trusted and coveted reputation amongst family offices, institutional investors, debt advisors, and real estate developers.

Brydg's team is the quintessential fusion of real estate and credit veterans coupled with serial innovators and quantum technologist. Together, they are capital futurists with an ethos of innovation, speed, transparency, and risk management.

Brydg Capital Limited is authorised and regulated as a credit broker by the FCA.

Visit brydg.com for more information.
 Close Trump says impeachment moves causing anger, but 'I want no violence'

President Donald Trumps approval rating has plummeted to an all-time low as the US leader prepares to exit the White House.

In the wake of the deadly Capitol riots on 6 January, the president has seen his approval rating dive, with the change in perception being largely among Republicans.

The worst polling came from Pew Research Center, which found Mr Trumps disapproval rating to be at 68 per cent, with his approval rating falling to 29 per cent, the lowest yet, in a poll of 5,360 adults conducted between 8-12 January.

The findings come as states across the US brace for the possibility of inauguration week violence as President-Elect Joe Biden prepares to take office on Wednesday. Small armed groups appeared at statehouses on Sunday, but the size of the gatherings appeared dwarfed by the security presence.

On Sunday, former FBI director James Comey warned of the very serious risk of violence breaking out around the inauguration following deadly riots at the US Capitol last week.

An influencer has posted an emotional video explaining how he has been left 'unable to sleep at night' and 'crying most days' after having 20,000-worth of personal belongings stolen.

Carmie Sellitto, 22, uploaded a video to YouTube claiming the items were stolen after he left them in a backpack in his housemate Millie's car while they visited their mutual friend Ben's house in London.

The bag allegedly contained belongings including a Rolex his father saved up to buy him for his 21st birthday, as well as his laptop, camera and beard trimmer, along with his wallet and house keys.

However, he said he didn't know if he would go to the police, saying: 'I feel like the person who took my stuff clearly needed it more than me,' he said. 'Actually that's not the case because they stole my camera and my laptop and that's how I work.

'The only things I had left were my PS4 and my iPhone luckily - because if I didn't have any of those things, Oh my f***** God, I would've jumped in front of the next moving train.'

Followers rushed to symapthis with Carmie, although some questioned his story, asking why he would leave so many valuable unattended, and pointing out that he doesn't have a beart.

Carmie Sellitto, 22, from Hampshire, who boasts over 687,000 subscribers on YouTube, has told how 20, 000-worth of his belongings were stolen after he left them in a parked car. Pictured: Carmie with girlfriend, Kate Elisabeth

Followers sympathised with Carmie, but some were cynical and claimed that his story about the robbery did not add up

Carmie explained the theft happened when he was driving around with Millie and they decided to park up and visit their friend Ben - who is allowed a social bubble because he lives alone.

Carmie, who had been inside the house for less than two hours when his bag was stolen, said: 'We went to Ben Morrisey's place for around an hour-and-a-half. We were literally just chilling in his place and having fun, literally just relaxing and catching up and then we decided to go back home.

'It was like 5pm and it had just got dark. I had all my stuff in my backpack. I don't know why but when I'm travelling I like to have my stuff with me.'

Carmie, who told his subscribers that he will be taking a break from YouTube, explained that when they walked out of Ben's house they discovered his backpack was missing and panicked.

Carmie (pictured) said his backpack containing 20,000-worth of belongings was stolen from his friend Millie's car

He began listing the eye-watering value of the belongings that had been taken and said: 'Number one, my designer bag which was like 850. The things I have in that bag, like I don't wear a lot of designer clothes.

'But designer items, I tend to spend money on that because I know it will be better in the long run. When you spend your money on things that will be beneficial in the future instead of clothes, it makes sense.

'Anyway, I had my wash bag stolen, which had my beard trimmer, my shaver...I couldn't shave my beard. Today is the first day that I could shave my beard because I had to buy one off Amazon.

'I couldn't even use my own card because my wallet got stolen as well. I had two wallets in that bag with my ID, with my home address and all of that stuff.

He continued: 'I had my car keys taken, my laptop, my camera and this is where it gets bad. I had my 21st birthday present that my dad spent so long saving up for- he basically bought me a Rolex watch.'

Carmie revealed the watch was worth an estimated 13,000 - adding that he's struggling with the feeling of losing a gift that costs so much.

He continued: 'The fact that I had to ring my dad and the first thing I said to my dad is: "I need some help on whether to call the police or not."'

'My dad goes "What's up, what have you done?" I told him everything and then I had to tell him about the watch that I had got stolen.

'My dad was genuinely so upset and my heart kind of breaks a bit. I can't believe this is kind of my fault.'

Carmie (pictured) revealed his friends had to convince him to contact the police to report the theft - adding that they didn't give him much advice about what to say

Carmie added the person who stole the items would've been filmed on the camera in Millie's car, but he's unsure if he will be 'pressing charges'.

He explained that when his trainers were stolen as a child, his father taught him whoever took the item probably needed it more.

He went on to say his friends had to convince him to call the police, however they were reluctant to give him advice about what to say because they were arguing among themselves about their food order.

'The priorities of these people - I have no chill,' he said. 'And then it gets worse. I wake up the next morning and I tell my sister about it. My sister handles all my stuff, so you can call her like a personal assistant.

Carmie said he received a phone call from someone pretending to work for HSBC after his wallet was stolen. Pictured: Carmie with YouTuber Millie

'She cancelled my card which was with TSB. I'm not sure how much of this I can say because I don't want to leak my stuff.

'But I have another card for HSBC and I get a call from HSBC the next morning and this guy starts being really sketch on the phone. The number he called me on was also very sketch and he was basically asking for loads of my details.'

Carmie said he became aware the call was fraudulent after realising the person called him by his full name, which would only be known by someone who has his card.

He revealed the person on the phone began asking for his full address as his sister urged him not to give any more information.

The YouTuber claimed the person used a recording from HSBC's phone line to make their voicemail seem legitimate.

Carmie explained he and his household are fearful that the thief may try to gain entrance to their home. Pictured: Carmie with girlfriend Kate Elisabeth

He added that they now don't feel safe in their house and it's not the first time strangers have tried to come to their home.

'I wanted to go back to my family home but then lockdown hit, so I'm literally stuck here,' he explained. I wouldn't want to leave Millie and Spencer alone here, knowing someone could be potentially coming to my house to steal more of my items.

'I can't physically explain how I feel, I haven't been able to sleep at night and I've been crying most days. I'm not even the type of person to cry.

'I don't know what to do anymore, I'm probably not going to be able to make YouTube videos for the time being because I don't have a laptop, camera or SD Card.

'Oh. And they also stole my SD Card which had around 264 GB of content of me and my friends.'
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 23:27:31|Editor: huaxia

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NEW YORK, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Former U.S. treasury secretary Jacob J. Lew has been named chair of the board of directors of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations (NCUSCR), according to a recent NCUSCR release.

The NCUSCR, a non-profit organization, has been at the forefront of promoting understanding and cooperation between the United States and China for decades since the area of "Ping-Pong Diplomacy" in the 1970s.

Lew is the 10th NCUSCR chair, the fourth former U.S. cabinet member and the second former U.S. treasury secretary to helm the New York-based committee.

According to the release, Lew believes "sound and productive Sino-American relations serve vital American and world interests."

"The manner in which America and China conduct their security, economic, and political relationships in the coming years will have a profound impact on the policy dynamics of the entire global community," Lew was quoted as saying in the release.

"By educating leaders and creating opportunities for dialogue, the National Committee will play an important role in helping the two countries navigate this critical period in their relationship," he added.

Lew, born on Aug. 29, 1955, is an American attorney and politician who served as the 76th U.S. Secretary of the Treasury from 2013 to 2017.

As a Democrat, he also served as the 25th White House Chief of Staff and Director of the Office of Management and Budget in both of the Bill Clinton Administration and the Barak Obama Administration.

After 19 years serving as chair, Lew's predecessor Carla Hills will become honorary chair and remain on the board, the release said. Enditem
Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted Wednesday post-Brexit trade between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland was flowing "smoothly", despite hauliers warning the province's supply chain was on the brink of collapse.

Johnson conceded there were some "teething problems" with implementing new checks in trade to and from England, Scotland and Wales, and Northern Ireland.

But he added: "The situation in Northern Ireland is that trade is flowing smoothly, and exporters are benefiting from the unfettered access between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI)."

"I believe that things are flowing so smoothly from GB to NI... that many hauliers are now using that route rather than the Holyhead-Dublin route," he added, referring to the shipping route from mainland Britain to EU member Ireland.

Britain formally left the European Union single market and customs union late on December 31, when an 11-month transition period ended.

Despite agreeing a free trade deal with the bloc on Christmas Eve, a host of new checks and UK regulations came into effect.

Although fears of gridlock at British ports have so far not been realised, the new regime has adversely affected the flow of freight into Northern Ireland, according to those involved.

Special arrangements have effectively kept the UK province largely aligned to EU rules, to prevent the re-emergence of a hard border with Ireland.

An open border was a key plank of the 1998 peace deal which ended 30 years of violence over British rule in Northern Ireland.

But the move requires special checks on goods arriving in Northern Ireland from mainland Britain in case of the risk of them heading across the border into Ireland.

Johnson's comments to the heads of parliament's select committees that these checks have been implemented smoothly sat in stark contrast to those of traders and business operators this week.

John Martin, Road Haulage Association (RHA) policy manager for Northern Ireland, said supermarkets were "experiencing considerable difficulties" stocking shelves since the Brexit transition period ended.

"Some companies have decided to put on hold supplying Northern Ireland because of the uncertainty or because of the delays," he told AFP on Monday.

Even with freight volumes running at "30 to 40 percent of normal volume" owing to coronavirus restrictions, new systems are struggling to cope with the new processes required to deliver produce from mainland Britain, Martin said.

"The thing is literally within days of falling apart," he added.

jj/phz/wai

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

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Former prime minister Paul Keating has hit out at a federal government proposal to allow workers to put some of their superannuation into their take-home pay, lashing the idea as "ideological" and driven by "zealot" backbenchers.

The plan is one of several options in the early stages of discussion in the Morrison government and has not gone to cabinet. It could allow workers to choose whether to take additional payments over the 9.5 per cent guarantee as extra income rather than a superannuation contribution.

Former prime minister Paul Keating said the 'opt-in' super model being considered by the government has been "prompted by zealots in its back bench". Credit:Peter Braig

The super guarantee is currently set to rise to 12 per cent in 2025, rising 0.5 percentage points a year from July. Multiple government sources said the new scheme would either keep the current rate, or let one rise go through to 10 per cent as mandatory contributions while the remaining amount up to 12 per cent would be optional.

Mr Keating, the architect of the nation's superannuation system, has now criticised the idea as "designed only to break the principle of 'universality' in the retirement system" with the Liberals trying to "poke a hole in super".
Cell C has started the process of migrating customers to its roaming partners cellphone tower infrastructure as it prepares to switch off its own radio access network.

The mobile operator is sending customers an SMS asking them to turn on Data Roaming manually on their devices to ensure their mobile data connection remains active.

The SMS, which is being sent to Cell Cs contract and broadband customers, reads as follows:

Experiencing a disruption to your data connectivity? Please activate Data Roaming manually and restart your device. We apologise for any inconvenience. Go to https://bit.ly/3qKgY6W or call 084 135.

In a statement available at the provided link, the operator explained what the migration process will entail.

From mid-December [2020], our contract and broadband customers will be enabled to roam on a partner network, Cell C stated.

This change will be beneficial to our customers and ensure a connectivity experience that delivers both quality and value.

According to the operator, customers will be migrated in stages, and it anticipated the transition to be complete by early February 2021.

Customers will be alerted via SMS communication when their service will be enabled.

Cell C emphasised that the change will not result in any additional charges and that the existing terms and conditions of packages will remain in place.

Network shutting down

Cell C previously told MyBroadband it was in the process of moving entirely onto MTNs network, which would result in the company switching off its radio access network.

This infrastructure sharing strategy will help Cell C to cut down on network investments and still get the benefit from an excellent service through MTN.

This forms part of a broader turnaround strategy to get the company out of deep financial trouble.

With Cell Cs liabilities and debts exceeding its assets and its inability to meet its debt obligations on time, the company is insolvent.

Its financial situation is so dire that the auditors of Cell Cs largest shareholder, Blue Label Telecoms, have not classified Cell C as a going concern for a while.

The company also lost its position as the third-largest mobile operator in South Africa to Telkom in 2020.

Cell C CEO Douglas Craigie Stevenson previously told MyBroadband some of the companys radio network equipment will be sold, which will generate money for the company.

In addition, certain rented components of its radio network will be given back to the companies it leases it from.

As Cell C deconstructs its network over the transition period, traffic will be moved from our physical radio network to the virtual radio network provisioned for us by MTN, he said.

How to turn on Data Roaming

Customers who use Android devices or routers are required to manually activate data roaming and restart their device to minimise interruptions in data connectivity, Cell C said.

To find out how to activate Data Roaming on your particular smartphone, tablet or router, visit this link and select your device at the bottom of the page.

Users of Apple devices will have their data roaming activated automatically, Cell C noted.

Comment from Cell C

Cell C is making progress with the implementation of its network strategy as part of its turnaround strategy, aimed at improving overall operational efficiency and adopting an operating model to partner with the best-of-breed on both infrastructure and services, the company told MyBroadband.

The migration process has started with contract and broadband customers and is due to be completed in the next two months. The phased transition of prepaid customers will be confirmed in due course.

Cell Cs network strategy will enable the company to provide network services to customers via roaming agreements with partner networks while continuing to offer a full Cell C customer experience, Cell C said.

Network roaming agreements are being implemented over three years during which time Cell C will transition customers from its own network onto partner networks, and decommission its own towers in the phased process.

Cell C said this roaming model will improve its overall network connectivity and provide Cell C customers with a better customer experience.

Our strategic vision is to differentiate ourselves by focusing on innovative products and services without being owners of capital-intensive infrastructure. This creates more flexibility and capacity to deliver the right quality of service to our current and future customers, said Cell C CEO Douglas Craigie Stevenson.

Cell C is pioneering the evolution of the MNO space in South Africa by becoming a significant wholesale buyer of network capacity and infrastructure services. It is a win-win as the individual operators deliver segmental expertise to the benefit of everyone in the industry.

While this network transition will be beneficial in the long run, Cell C said the last thing it wants is to disrupt connectivity.

It is therefore asking contract and broadband customers to activate Data Roaming manually on their phones settings. If customers have a router they will need to do this via their PC. Apple device Data Roaming will be activated automatically.

Cell C will send customers three SMSs prior to the changeover taking place. It is important not to ignore these, the operator said.

Now read: The best and worst mobile networks in South Africa
On January 13, India's active caseload fell to 2.14 lakh, which is the lowest after 197 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the vaccine costs for the state would be borne by the state government if Centre decides to levy a charge.
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Mario Merz

On long-term view. Dia Beacon, 3 Beekman Street, Beacon, N.Y.; 845-440-0100, diaart.org.

Mario Merzs sculptural installations look a bit different from some of the austere Minimalist and land art works that form the core of Dia Beacons collection. For one thing, Merzs sculptures use organic materials like fresh fruit, vegetables and twigs rather than the industrial materials like steel. The Merz show, however, artfully connects key 20th-century European movements with American ones, showing how his ideas often overlapped with some of Dias long-term stalwarts.

Merz (1925-2003), an Italian artist, started drawing in 1945 while imprisoned for his activities with an antifascist group. In the late 60s, he became involved with Arte Povera (literally, poor art), which championed the use of everyday materials. You can see that in his sculptures using twigs, hay and string. Merz was also interested in ancient and elemental forms like tables and igloos, as well as the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number equals the sum of the two preceding it.

An early igloo, Is Space Bent or Straight? (1973) at Dia:Beacon is made of glass propped around a metal armature and has a typewriter with an ad hoc poem sitting in it. Later, larger igloos like 8, 5, 3, from 1985, include piles of twigs and neon words. Tavola a spirale (Spiral Table) (1982) serves as a kind of Fibonacci-inspired banquet with fruit and vegetables displayed alongside a small beeswax violin sculpted by Merzs wife, the artist Marisa Merz.
But opponents of the amendment said it would threaten judges ability to render statewide decisions without influence, because they would be beholden to a regional constituency and to lawmakers who could draw them out of a district if they dont like a judges ruling. Lawmakers could also gerrymander the districts to ensure the judges they want are elected.
Caroline Quentin has claimed fans 'not liking her licking a black man' was the reason behind backlash over her controversial Strictly Cha-Cha with Johannes Radebe.

The actress, 60, and pro Johannes, 33, ignited social media opinion with the kooky gesture in November, with Caroline revealing Johannes had said: 'People don't like that you licked a black man' as he looked at Twitter.

The pair ultimately landed in the dance-off with Maisie Smith and Gorka Marquez before being dumped from the competition.

Moment: Moment: Caroline Quentin has claimed fans 'not liking her licking a black man' was the reason behind backlash over her controversial Strictly Cha-Cha with Johannes Radebe

The Men Behaving Badly star said it 'never occurred to her' the dance would ignite controversy, telling the Guardian: 'Not until Johannes came off, because hes always looking at Twitter, and he went: Oh God... 'People dont like the fact you licked me. I said: Why not? He said: You licked a black man.

'I said: "Do you think its that, Jo?" He said: "Im sure it is." I said: "F***, thats depressing." And the word came down: "People have been upset by you licking him."'

Caroline added the gesture was 'consensual licking' and that Johannes was 'completely complicit', before adding: 'It was meant to be funny. So get a sense of humour or f*** off. One or the other. I dont care.'

Caroline also took a swipe at the ballroom show, saying while it was a 'well-oiled machine' she felt it could become 'insensitive' to individuals.

Reaction: The actress, 60, and pro Johannes, 33, divided social media opinion with the kooky gesture during the Cha Cha in November, with Caroline revealing Johannes had said: 'People don't like that you licked a black man' as he looked at Twitter

In November Caroline seemed to be in her element during the 'Blackpool' special of the show, throwing herself into the fun-filled routine in which she and her cat are saved by the South African choreographer.

Just as she was performing some intricate moves, the star leant forward and got a taste of her partner's bicep, before moving seamlessly into her next step.

Watching at home, Strictly fans were shocked by what they saw and rushed to Twitter to comment on the cheeky moment.

'Let's face it, we'd all lick Johannes if we had the chance' commented one viewer.

While a second asked: 'Is that the first ever choreography in Strictly history that involved a celeb trying to lick their partner?'

Hitting back: Caroline added the gesture was 'consensual licking' and that Johannes was 'completely complicit', before adding: 'It was meant to be funny. So get a sense of humour or f*** off'

'What a fun routine. In fairness I'd lick Johannes too' joked a third.

'Did Caroline just lick Johannes mid-routine ????? Mood' asked a fourth.

A disbelieving fifth watcher said: 'Did Caroline just lick Johannes's arm?? Or did I imagine that??'

While another didn't agree with her actions, remarking: 'So why is it okay for Caroline Quentin to lick (and the rest) Johannes, a younger male professional? Imagine if it was the other way round? Would judges be reacting the same if Bill did that with Oti?'

And it wasn't just viewers at home who noticed Caroline's cheeky move as the judges did too.

Head judge Shirley started praising Caroline's routine, remarking on her 'beautiful posture', before she suddenly turned her attention to the lick.

I'd do it again! Caroline later defended the gesture during an appearance with her dance partner It Takes Two

Pointing to the dance floor, she asked: 'Were you licking his arm then?'

With host Tess Daly confirming: 'She licked his arm!'

Responding to their remarks, Caroline said: 'I was licking his arm for the nation, I'd like to say' as Johannes giggled behind her.

Finishing off her critique, Shirley then added: 'What a really really good try, well done, very good. Very entertaining.'

Guest judge Anton Du Beke quipped: 'She didn't need rescuing - she seemed to be having a marvellous time!'

He added that the performance was 'tremendous' and hailed it as Caroline's best dance so far.

You go girl! Caroline seemed to be in her element during the 'Blackpool' special of the show, throwing herself into the fun-filled routine in which she and her cat are saved by the South African choreographer

Reaction: Watching at home, Strictly fans were shocked by what they saw and rushed to Twitter to comment on the cheeky moment

However, Craig Revel Horwood wasn't so impressed by Caroline's use of tongue in the performance as he scolded: 'I think Johannes is the one in need of saving. We could have done without the tongue action!

'I felt like I was watching an episode of Are You Being Served darling!'

But he did then add of the actual dance: 'I loved it  cheeky, cheesy, all the things I love and Shirley loves, it seems too!'

The pair bagged a trio of 8s but still landed in the bottom two alongside Maisie Smith, and were sent home.

Appearing on It Takes Two days after their elimination, Caroline staunchly defended the gesture.

The actress was unapologetic as she took to the sofa after the pair's controversial Cha Cha routine, declaring she'd 'do it again tomorrow.'

She said: 'I don't think I have made a secret of the fact that I am quite fond of Johannes.

'It was really nice to do a dance where I was allowed to express my absolute adoration. We didn't actually practice it in the rehearsal.

'It came out during the dress run, and it was given the stamp of approval by people who know about that sort of thing.'

'I'd do it again tomorrow, I am entirely unapologetic about it.'


Charleston City Council unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday condemning those "who seek to divide our community and incite hatred" and called on the state to pass a hate crimes law.

We dont have a perfect union, but we are working towards a more perfect union," said Councilman Keith Waring.

The resolution was introduced by Robert Mitchell, who has served on City Council since 1998. He introduced it prior to the assault on the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob on Jan. 6 but after the December protest in Charleston that attracted the right-wing hate group Proud Boys.

The December protest criticized the city's handling of the looting on King Street in May and a city tax increase, but participants also displayed "white power" hand signs.

Charleston City Councilman Harry Griffin's initial support of the December protest  he later denounced the Proud Boys  resulted in a petition demanding his resignation, his removal from a council committee and development of a still-pending code of conduct for council members.

Mitchell said his resolution has nothing to do with Griffin.

Its not pertaining to him at all," he said.

Rather, Mitchell said that he participated in the civil rights struggle and the hospital workers' strike in Charleston in the 1960s, and in some ways things seem worse now.

"When I was 14 and I was demonstrating with Martin Luther King, we had White water fountains and Black water fountains," he said. We came so far ahead, but now we are going backwards."

Mitchell's original version of the anti-hate resolution adopted Tuesday specifically mentioned "white nationalism, white supremacy, neo-nazism" while the final version did not.

Prior to the council meeting, he said some council members had questioned why only white hate groups were specifically mentioned. At the meeting, Mitchell said the final version of the resolution made clear that it applied to any group or individual.

The original version was titled: "Resolution condemning white nationalism, white supremacy, neo-nazism, and any other groups and individuals who seek to divide our community and incite hatred."

The revised version read: "Resolution condemning any groups and individuals who seek to divide our community and incite hatred."

Councilwoman Carol Jackson said she preferred the original version.

For me, the taking out the calling out of white nationalism, white supremacy, neo-nazism, somehow does not get our point across," she said.

Mayor John Tecklenburg, citing the city's apology for slavery, hate crimes ordinance and other previous measures, said the resolution reinforces the city's rejection of hate.

This is not new for our city," he said. "We reject violence, we reject hatred, we have learned the lesson that love is greater than hatred.

Charleston's resolution has no force of law, unlike the city's existing hate crimes ordinance or a proposed South Carolina hate crimes law state lawmakers will consider this year. Georgia passed such a law in 2020, and South Carolina  one of just three states without a hate crimes law  has been urged to do the same by the S.C. Chamber of Commerce, 9th Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson of Charleston, and others.

That legislation would enhance penalties for crimes committed against victims intentionally selected because of characteristics such as race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, or physical or mental disability.

Charleston's resolution calls on the state to "immediately enact" the hate crimes legislation, which Gov. Henry McMaster has not supported. If South Carolina adopts the hate crimes law, Arkansas and Wyoming would be the only states without one.
MIDDLETOWN  The city has instituted a process by which municipal personnel will be appraised on their duties on a regular basis, a review Mayor Ben Florsheim predicts could take close to a year because it will include 600 employees.

A review process was established during the last administration, but had not been implemented when he took office, Florsheim said. He said he preferred to wait until he had been in the job for a year before reviews were conducted.

It was not something we were comfortable doing right out of the gate because we were new, he said. They had a template for what it would look like, but it had never gone into effect.

Department heads will be done first, according to the mayor.

The issue has been pushed for some time by many longtime council members, including the late council majority leader Thomas Serra, Florsheim said. It was something close to his heart.

Its not about an I gotcha moment, said Common Councilor Ed McKeon, who has been among those who have called for the reviews to be implemented. Such reviews give management documentation to use in the case of an advancement request, for new directors to know their employees strengths, and how they do their jobs well, he said.

The Middletown Board of Education already has an assessment policy for teachers, McKeon said. Most nonprofits, municipal governments and other entities already have a system of reviews in place, he said. Its always been totally strange to me that the city didnt have them.

Its going to be beneficial for everybody. Its something that was talked about by many mayoral and council candidates during last years campaign, Florsheim said. You hear about accountability and want to make sure employees are performing at their best.

Its a very odd and unusual situation for any organization not to have some sort of annual review of employee performance, McKeon said. It is one of those things where anyone you tell theyre not doing evaluations at City Hall would say what? People are shocked.

The administration may not necessarily hear about the above-and-beyond stuff, happening every day by municipal employees unless they notice it, Florsheim said.

McKeon said he suspects a few people might not welcome the new program, but thats like anything where there is change. People are going to get used to it, and understand that its not a bad thing. It will work to your advantage if youre doing a great job, he said.

The mayor is also considering another change to city functioning, this time in the Planning, Conservation and Development office, by splitting it into two units: land use and zoning, and economic and community development, he said.

In the legacy of that department, there was a period of time leading up to when I came into office where there was a lot of turnover in the town planner role, which caused a lack of continuity, Florsheim said.

The separate functions of the office can sometimes be at odds with one another, McKeon said. When youre pushing for development, sometimes the temptation is to leave planning and conservation to the side, whereas, when you have departments that will step up and advocate for those things, its a great thing.
Dallas, Texas--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Alternet Systems, Inc. (OTC Pink: ALYI), an electric vehicle innovation company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, recently announced taking pre-orders for the first 200 Retro ReVolt Electric Motorcycles. Today the company indicated that almost all of the pre-orders have been allocated and that the pre-order opportunity will soon close.





ReVolt Electric Motorcycle

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1184/71938_2a1a976b94f99923_001full.jpg

https://www.revoltmotorbikes.com/preorder-1

The ALYI Retro ReVolt Electric Motorcycle is built on a BMW R71 clone frame. The Retro ReVolt has been designed for ALYI by MODUS. The exclusive first 200 Retro ReVolt Electric Motorcycles will come with a plate bearing the MODUS signature and the number of the bike.

Over 1,400 people have signed up to express their interest in purchasing a Retro ReVolt Electric Motorcycle. These 1,400 people will have first priority in staking a place on the pre-order list for the first 200 Retro ReVolt Electric Motorcycles.

Go to the following link to get on the pre-order list:

https://www.revoltmotorbikes.com/preorder-1

Your place on the list will be emailed to you within one week. Entries after the first 200 will be put on a waitlist.

Those that signed up on the "interest" list in advance will be given priority on the pre-order list.

Within the next thirty days, those on the pre-order list will be required to make a $500 initial payment. When the Retro ReVolt Electric Motorcycle goes into production, a $6,000 deposit will be required. When the Retro ReVolt Electric Motorcycle is ready to ship, a final payment of $6,000 will be required.

To learn more about the Retro Revolt Electric Motorcycle built on a clone BMW R71 frame, visit www.revoltmotorbikes.com.

For more information and to stay up to date on ALYI's overall latest developments, please visit www.alternetsystemsinc.com.

Disclaimer/Safe Harbor: This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act. The statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events that involve risks and uncertainties. Among others, these risks include the expectation that any of the companies mentioned herein will achieve significant sales, the failure to meet schedule or performance requirements of the companies' contracts, the companies' liquidity position, the companies' ability to obtain new contracts, the emergence of competitors with greater financial resources and the impact of competitive pricing. In the light of these uncertainties, the forward-looking events referred to in this release might not occur.

Alternet Systems, Inc. Contact:

Randell Torno

info@lithiumip.com

+1-800-713-0297

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71938
Editors note: Daniels death occurred two days before the death of his brother, David. Read about the life of David Mercaldo here.

They gathered in private homes, an American Legion post, and even the basement of a bank. For 16 new Staten Islanders back in 1965, prayer, not the meeting place, mattered most.

They would become the first congregants of todays Gateway Church in Richmond Valley, inspired by a charismatic young minister destined to be a force in the boroughs spiritual community.

The Rev. Dr. Daniel Mercaldo, 81, Gateways founder and senior pastor for more than five decades who dedicated his life to helping others navigate challenges and celebrate successes, died Jan. 7 in NCH Baker Hospital, Naples, Fla.

The cause of death was complications from coronavirus (COVID-19), according to his family. His wife of 62 years, Evangeline Mercaldo, was also stricken with COVID-19 but is recovering at home in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Pastor Mercaldo died just two days before his brother, David.

The Rev. Mercaldo and wife Evangeline.

Admitted to the same hospital when they fell ill right before Christmas, the pastor and his wife communicated by FaceTime from separate rooms across the hall. When the pastors condition worsened, his wife and daughter were allowed to gather at his bedside to pray and comfort him with a favorite song, Well Done.

I am at peace because I know people around the world were praying for him, Mrs. Mercaldo said. I accept that it was Gods time to take him. We are experiencing incredible peace and joy because we know he is with God.

Still, the pastors wife is shocked by how quickly the virus took hold.

Two-and-a-half weeks ago, he was riding his bike around our community, she said between quiet sobs.

Church members past and present flooded social media with condolences and expressions of gratitude for their pastors impact.

I remember my first interaction with Rev. Dr. Daniel in March 2013, Sunil George posted on Facebook. After the sermon, he just walked toward me and gave a firm handshake and met my family knowing that we were visiting the church for the first time. Mark of a great leader, great teacher and preacher. We will miss him.

My family is close to the Lord because of his ministry, added Sal Scannella. Well done, Pastor Dan.

Rev Mercaldo plays ping pong with a refugee youth prior to an afternoon service.

CALLED BY A MIRACLE

Born in Brooklyn on Aug. 9, 1939 to Isaac and Rose (Giangola) Mercaldo, young Daniel was called into the ministry when he experienced a miracle at the age of 12.

I was left to die, crippled with polio during the great epidemic that hit New York City around that time, he shared in a 2014 interview. The doctor told my parents that if God didnt intervene, I would be dead by sunrise.

All I can remember that night was promising God that if I lived until the next day, I would become a minister, he continued. My pastor and church family prayed through the night, and when I awakened the next morning, God had graciously and completely healed me. I knew that I was called by God to serve Him and His Church in the ministry. I have never doubted that calling.

The future pastor graduated from Jamaica High School in Queens, earned a bachelors degree in religious education from the former Central Bible College in Springfield, Mo., and was ordained an interdenominational minister in 1963. He later received an honorary doctorate from Southern California Seminary in El Cajon, Calif.

He met the former Evangeline Ruth Spencer when they were college co-eds  she was 18, he was 19  and they were married on Aug. 16, 1958. They raised a son, Timothy James, and a daughter, Deborah Rose, while living in Westerleigh, Richmond and Parlin, N.J. The Mercaldos moved to Bonita Springs in July 2019.

The Reverend Daniel Mercaldo stands with his wife, Evangeline, in front of Gateway Cathedral's new Family Life Center in Richmond Valley. (Staten Island Advance)Staten Island Advance

A CHURCH RISES IN OAKWOOD

A visionary, Pastor Mercaldo took notice of new communities springing up across the Island in the mid-1960s, especially on the South Shore.

When I started Gateway, the Verrazzano Bridge had just opened and people began to flood into Staten Island, he recalled in an interview. It seemed at that time that there was a hunger for change in their lives that involved their relationship with God and the Church.

Eager to establish a permanent home for his growing congregation, Pastor Mercaldo purchased a 1.2-acre lot in Oakwood in 1967 and erected Gateway Cathedral.

Young couples, many from Brooklyn, were ready to begin a new life in their new community, the pastor explained. One by one, and couple by couple, they began to visit our new church on Clarke Avenue, and God began to bring a deep spiritual awakening in their lives. Our church exploded with growth as people experienced God in a new and exciting way in their lives, marriages and families.

Within a decade, the congregation had outgrown its 200-seat church center. A larger worship center with capacity for 400 was completed on the Oakwood site in 1978 but it, too, was soon inadequate.

The Rev. Daniel Mercaldo of Gateway Cathedral gives his sermon during mass. (SI ADVANCE/JIN LEE) Staten Island Advance

In 1989, the church purchased its current 17-acre wooded site in Richmond Valley, in the shadow of the Outerbridge Crossing. Four years later, a Family Life Center with seating for 800 opened on the grounds, and a school, Gateway Academy, was added in 2003. The Oakwood location is now a New York Public Library.

Ongoing expansion was a priority under the pastors leadership. A chapel and an atrium are currently under construction, and the master plan includes the addition of a 1,500-seat worship center.

Pastor Mercaldo stepped down from his role in 2015, later coming out of retirement to serve as interim pastor until the Rev. Dr. Michael Luciano was elected senior pastor in January 2020.

Willie Alfonso, the chaplain of the New York and Staten Island Yankees, New York Yankees' closer Mariano Rivera, and Rev. Mercaldo.(Staten Island Advance)staten island advance

PART OF THE COMMUNITY

As a church leader, Pastor Mercaldo spearheaded relief efforts during tragedies that impacted the congregation and the community.

In the months following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Gateways pastoral staff clocked more than 2,000 hours counseling rescue workers at ground zero and at the Fresh Kills recovery site.

After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, church buildings were turned into distribution hubs for food and cleanup supplies. Gateway also housed hundreds of volunteer relief workers who traveled from evangelical churches across the country. A Gateway relief fund generated needed resources for families impacted by the storm.

Gateway is a church driven by compassion for people, Pastor Mercaldo once summarized.

Presenter Dr. Larry Arann and Rev. Mercaldo at the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce Louis R. Miller awards in 2015. (Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel) Staff-Shot

For his leadership role in a non-profit organization, the pastor was honored in November 2014 with the Louis R. Miller Business Leadership Award, co-sponsored by the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce and the Staten Island Advance.

Pastor Mercaldo served on the board of administration with the National Association of Evangelicals for more than 40 years, was a founding member of Concerts of Prayer, Greater New York, and president of the Ministerios Missionarios Correll for more than 30 years.

He also served on the Anti-Bias Task Force for several Staten Island borough presidents, and was a founding member of the Pregnancy Care Center of New York, the Staten Island Association of Evangelicals, and the churchs Gateway Academy.

Family was a centerpiece in his life. Active on Facebook, Pastor Mercaldo posted a heartfelt tribute to his wife, Evangeline, affectionately called Vangie, on her birthday in December:

Some men are blessed by the woman they married. I am blessed and blessed again and again. When I think of the over 62 years of family and ministry we have shared, she has been my steady, faithful and loving partner through it all. The depth of her beauty and grace bring her praise by all who know her. As another birthday comes and goes by, our family and church rise up to bless her. She is the wife of my youth, and I love and cherish her today more than ever.

Rev. Mercaldo and Vito Fossella when he was in Congress.

CONDOLENCES

The Rev. Terry Troia, president and CEO of Project Hospitality: What most moved me about the person of Daniel Mercaldo was a deep joy from within that came from an intimate, trustful, loving relationship with his Lord. He was the kind of person who would engage you in friendship and dialogue, no matter your belief. A person who held high the sanctity of all human life, he savored the moment of conversation, to look into a persons eyes, to find the path to a persons heart and to rest with God there. I treasured that pastoral relationship with him. We didnt agree on a lot of things. But that didnt matter. The respect, the openness to relationship mattered. And love had the final word.

The Rev. Dr. Michael Luciano, current senior pastor of Gateway Church, on gcny.org: The personal impact of Pastor Mercaldos life and ministry for me and my family is hard to fully express in mere words. My life was changed for eternity through this messenger of God, when he led me to the Lord as a 9-year-old boy at our old church building on Clarke Ave. Pastors encouragement and prayers for me both behind the scenes and in public have meant so much to me these first 11 months as senior pastor, and Ill miss his texts, phone calls and encouraging notes that he would share.

Vera Kaiser, on Facebook: I am so appreciative for having known Pastor Mercaldo and for his vision, commitment and dedication to the church and Gateway Academy. He brought so many people to the Lord and I have no doubt that he is rejoicing with our Lord and Savior at this very moment. I pray that God comforts his family in the days ahead.

Greg Smith, on Facebook: He leaves behind a spiritual legacy for the countless souls he won for Christ. Our loss is heavens gain.

Dina Stagnitta Iannelli, on Facebook: Forever grateful for the impact he had on me and my family. Salvation for me, my husband, children and generations to come were a credit to Pastor Mercaldo and our strong foundation as new believers. He made it his business to love and know personally each person in church. He surely is getting his mansion and crowns in eternity right now.

At a Crisis Pregnancy Center of New York annual spring gala, the "Images of Life," in the Renaissance, Grant City. From the left, then-Deputy Borough President Daniel Donovan, the Rev. Daniel Mercaldo and the Rev. Kevin Rhodes, as well as the Rev. John Gueli. STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE

SURVIVORS AND ARRANGEMENTS

In addition to his wife, Evangeline, Pastor Mercaldo is survived by a daughter, Deborah Toderic (Liviu); a son, the Rev. Timothy Mercaldo (AnnMarie),a sister, Mary Hudson (David), and two brothers, Stephen Mercaldo (Florence) and Andrew Mercaldo (Betty).

He was predeceased by a brother, James Mercaldo. Another brother, David Mercaldo, died just two days after the pastor, on Jan. 9.

The family includes grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. on Jan. 24 at Covenant Church of Naples (Fla). Because of the ongoing public health crisis, a celebration of Pastor Mercaldos life will be held at a later date at Gateway Church, Richmond Valley.

Arrangements, which include private cremation, are being handled by Shikanys Bonita Funeral Home in Bonita Springs. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Gateway Church general fund at www.gcny.org/give, or to the Daniel Mercaldo Memorial Fund at legacyimperative.org, an online initiative the pastor supported.

Legacy Imperative wishes to honor its esteemed board member, Dr. Daniel Mercaldo, with this memorial fund to help recruit and mobilize 10 million grandparents to evangelize and disciple their grandchildren, the organization said in a statement.
British actor Riz Ahmed won the Best Actor Award at Gotham Independent Film Awards and in his acceptance speech, he mentioned Irrfan Khan, one of Indias finest actors who passed away last year.

Riz mentioned Irrfan and the latters lesson to his sons  surrender to the dance of uncertainty after winning the award for his 2019 film Sound of Metal. The 38-year-old actor further said that it feels like a wobbly time and that if we wobble together, we might find each other dancing.

At the Gotham Awards, as Riz Ahmed accepted Best Actor for Sound of Metal, he quoted Irrfan Khan, "who we lost this year, his words: 'surrender to the dance of uncertainty.' It feels like a wobbly time. If we can wobble together we may find each other dancing."  Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) January 12, 2021

This is not the first time that Riz has expressed his admiration for Irrfan. In November 2020, the actor had said that he is inspired by both, Irrfan and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

When the Indian star passed away on April 29, Riz had tweeted that although he never met him, the actor was an inspiration and a hero to him and millions of others.

Rest in peace one of the greatest actors of our time, Irrfan Khan. I never met him but he was an inspiration and a hero to me and millions of others. His work was consistently transcendent, he was a guiding light for so many of us. pic.twitter.com/BwobeLvNLn  Riz Ahmed (@rizwanahmed) April 29, 2020

Riz is known for his Emmy-winning show The Night Of and films like Nightcrawler, The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Mogul Mowgli.His 2019 film Sound of Metal, for which Riz won the Gotham Award, was directed by Darius Marder. The movie was received well by critics and Riz was praised for his performance.

The actor belongs to a British-Pakistani family and started his career in the year 2006. Riz is also a rapper and his song Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) won an MTV Video Music Award.

There are many accolades attached to the name of this actor. He is the first Asian to win the prestigious Emmy award for acting. With this award, he also became the first Muslim to win an Emmy in the category of acting.

Riz has surprised his fans recently after announcing that the actor has got married. He revealed the news on the podcast Groundnut with Louis Theroux.

Although he shared this news, Riz is tight-lipped about his wife. The actor said that he doesn't think his personal life is relevant so he doesnt delve into the details about the same.

When Trump made a last desperate attempt to steal the presidency, to reject the will of the people by encouraging insurrection, he became the first president to incite an attempted overthrow of the institutions he is sworn to protect, Garcia said in a speech on the House floor. That is a horrifying first and his actions necessitate another: He should be the first president impeached and removed from office in the history of our country. I vote to impeach him once again.
Twitters decision to kick US President Donald Trump permanently off its platform due to the risk of further incitement of violence following earlier similar moves by Facebook and Instagram has set off a free-speech firestorm.

On the facts, Twitter had a strong case. The violence and desecration at the Capitol on January 6 had not been seen since the British burnt down the White House in 1812.

Silenced: US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP

Trump had stirred his supporters into a fury with incendiary remarks beforehand, urging them to stop the steal under way as Congress was ceremonially counting President-elect Joe Bidens win.

Trump urged his supporters to fight much harder, warning them that youll never take back our country with weakness ... you have to show strength, and telling them if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.
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New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday said pollution-free water forms a basic right under the constitutional framework as it took suo moto cognisance of the issue of contamination of rivers by sewage effluents.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, said: "We deem it appropriate at this stage to start with the issue of contamination of river Yamuna." The observation from the top court came on a plea by the Delhi Jal Board citing increased ammonia levels in Yamuna due to discharge of pollutants. The bench, also comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian, said the plea highlights an issue of great significance and consequence not only for general public but all living beings dependent upon open surface water.

The court said the right to clean environment and further, pollution free water has been protected under the broad rubric of the right to life guaranteed under Article 21.

"Open surface water resources including rivers are lifeline of human civilisation. In olden days, almost all the human settlements were at the bank of some river. Every civilisation including ours, has shown great amount of gratitude to these life creating resources," it noted.

It observed that one of the major causes of water pollution is discharge of non-treated/partially treated municipal waste including sewage effluent of cities into rivers. "Such discharge of human sewage and other pollutants results into deterioration in chemical, physical and biological properties of water. All these processes lead to degradation of natural environment," it said.

The top court added that deterioration of quality of fresh water has a direct corelation with the quality of public health and polluted water is a major cause of variety of diseases and discomforts. It said that the mandate of law is clear as far as setting up of sewage treatment plants and stoppage of sewage effluents in surface water, but it is often found that either the sewage is not treated through a plant before being discharged or the treatment plants are not functional.

The top court issued notice to Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. "Notice shall also be issued to Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India and the Central Pollution Control Board in addition," said the top court order and appointed senior advocate Meenakshi Arora as amicus curiae in the matter.

The top court directed the CPCB to submit a report identifying municipalities along the river Yamuna, which have not installed total treatment plants for sewage as per the requirement or have gaps in ensuring that the sewage is not discharged untreated into the river.

The top court has listed the matter for further hearing on January 19.

The DJB had plead the top court, citing its inability to supply water to all areas of Delhi due to the high ammonia level in the river, which enters into it from the water coming from the Haryana side.

Arora, representing the DJB, contended before the top court that the sewage treatment plant in Haryana was not working properly. She said this has led to a high ammonia level in the water, making it unfit for drinking. She also emphasised that the pollutants released into the water are the major issue.




Vice President Mike Pence The stage has been set for the second impeachment of US President Donald Trump after Pence ' title=' Vice President Mike Pence '>Vice President Mike Pence refused take over as president by ousting him in what would amount to a constitutionally sanctioned coup and the House of Representatives passed a resolution demanding him to act. Pence, who met Trump on Tuesday, wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he will not accept her request to remove Trump through a constitutional move, flouting her 24-hour notice for him to comply or have Trump impeached. The House is expected to take up the impeachment of Trump on Wednesday as Pence and the cabinet are unlikely to abide by its resolution and agree to act under the 25th Amendment to the Constitution that empowers him and a majority to shunt Trump out of the White House by declaring him "unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office". Trump, meanwhile, was unrepentant for the storming of the Capitol by his backers that he is accused of inciting and told reporters, "This impeachment is causing tremendous anger, and you're doing it, and it's really a terrible thing that they are doing." The draft of the impeachment of Trump has the single charge of "inciting violence against the government of the United States" for his role in the storming of the Capitol by his supporters, who overcame the security and muscled themselves into the Senate chamber, from where Pence had to be taken away by security to a safe zone, and into the office Pelosi. Trump telling his supporters "we fight, we fight like hell" before asking them to go to Congress is cited as words of incitement. Trump had asserted that the election was a fraud sent his supporters over the Capitol last Wednesday while Congress was in the process of ratifying the electoral college votes electing Biden after his legal challenges had failed. Five people, including a police officer died in the rioting. Support for Trump appears to be eroding in his party with The New York Times reporting that Republican leader in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, is "pleased" about the impeachment according to unnamed sources "familiar with his thinking". The newspaper said that according to the sources he believed that the measure would exorcise him from the Republican Party, but there was no clear indication if he would actually support it when it reaches the Senate. He will control the Senate till January 20, when Vice President-elect Kamala Harris becomes it presiding officer with a casting and the two newly elected Republicans have taken their seats in a body that will be evenly divided between the two parties. Despite the word having a menacing ring to it, an impeachment is only the framing of charges of by the House for a judicial-style trial in the Senate with the Senators acting as jurors. A two-thirds majority of the Senate -- 67 members -- will have to vote to convict. Trump's impeachment failed in 2019 in the Republican-controlled Senate. Seventeen Republicans will have to switch sides and vote to convict him, which seems unlikely as of now although some are likely to back it. The House vote on the resolution asking Pence to "to declare President Donald J. Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as acting President" passed with 220 votes, with only one Republican joining the Democrats, and 205 Republicans voting against it. But Politico, an outlet with deep Congressional coverage, reported that at least 12 Republicans were expected to vote for impeachment when it comes up on Wednesday. According to reports, many more are willing to support a censure of Trump, which Pelosi has ruled out. Biden, who seemed to have had reservations about an impeachment trial in the Senate interfering with confirmation of members of his cabinet and other key officials, seems to be veering around to the idea of holding it. He said that that it was possible for the Senate to try Trump and also to carry on with other business by dividing its time each day. The House voted the resolution after Pence wrote to Pelosi in reply to her demands, "I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation." "I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment," he said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning about violence breaking out across the nation next Wednesday when Biden and Harris will be sworn-in and take over the nation's leadership. It said that it had information that extremist groups were planning armed protests from the weekend through Wednesday. It added that they also planned to attack government offices around the country if Trump were removed through the 25th Amendment. About 15,000 armed National Guard troops are to be deployed around Washington to ward off possible attacks.





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i-payout is the worlds leading provider of customized SaaS software for global disbursements and related, payment management solutions. In pursuit of one of its missions  the delivery of highly effective and individualized Compliance and Client Support services  the Company has added two accomplished professionals to its managerial staff that oversee the Operations and Compliance departments.

I am pleased to announce that the capabilities of our Operations department and Compliance department have been significantly enhanced with the addition of exceptional, new leadership, said Eddie Gonzalez, i-payouts President and C.E.O. Dailenys Garcia takes the reins in Operations as department V.P. and Yizrel Melendez is now heading-up our Compliance department in her managerial role. Both women have accomplished a great deal as they progressed in their careers to these new positions of responsibility.

Dailenys Garcia: Vice President  Operations. Ms. Garcia, a 5-year veteran at i-payout, has moved up through the company and with each move she effectively managed increased responsibilities. Most recently Dailenys served as Customer Support Manager where she guided our 24/7 Customer Support Center. Customer Support Representatives provide assistance to the users of i-payout global payments system. A great many of those system users are located around the world. And because of that the Companys Customer Service Reps provide that support in the native languages of 60 different countries. One of Dailenys accomplishments was the establishment of challenging Key Performance Indicators that focus on shortening the already rapid time-to-resolution of help requests. Dailenys effectively managed processes and staff to ensure that those KPIs were met and exceeded.

Dailenys versatility will serve her well as she guides the multi-faceted responsibilities of the Operations department. As a result of leading the Customer Service department, she fully understands what it takes to fulfill our customers needs. Going forward, she will help shape the work flows in Operations to further elevate our ability to meet the needs of our clients and work effectively with external partners. She guides a team of Client Support Specialists in the Operations department who are personally assigned to individual clients. They, proactively, reach out to their assigned clients to help them get the maximum benefits from our software.

Yizrel Melendez: Department Manager  Compliance. Ms. Melendez comes to i-payout after serving with distinction at Citi Bank for just under 4 years. Prior to that she worked in the Compliance department at Bank of America for 7 years during her 10 year tenure with them. As a Lead Analyst at Citi, Yizrel focused on high-risk international clients and jurisdictions - ensuring that all profiles where complying with Bank Secrecy Act, U.S., Patriot Act, KYC and Anti-Money-Laundering laws in the United States. Yizrel developed training materials at Citi for the AML Compliance unit to ensure that evaluations and investigations were carried using the appropriate, mandated procedures and documentations as required by jurisdictions around the world.

About i-payout

i-payout is the worlds leading financial software company providing a custom platform that facilities global payments. It serves multi-national clients in over 180 countries. System users have over 40 ways to make payments, worldwide. In addition to payment disbursal and related payment management services, the Companys suite of solutions covers regulatory compliance, fraud/data security, escheatment services as well as the identification of year-end taxes due, as required by country and regional jurisdictions.

With its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida i-payout, now in its 15th year of operation, is recognized for its highly adaptable software platform. It enables the Company to fully customize payment solutions to the specific needs of each client and shape its processes to solve problems unique to each client. i-payout supports a diverse group of verticals including gig networks, insurance companies, eSports, royalties, marketplaces, clinical trials, direct sellers, and more.

The Company was founded in 2007 by Edwin Gonzalez, President & C.E.O. Mr. Gonzalez has held leadership roles within the financial software industry for over 20 years. At i-payout, he collaborates with a highly accomplished group of fintech professionals. Many of which have decades of experience in the fintech space.

For further information visit http://i-payout.com

For inquiries write to media@i-payout.com or call (866) 218-4668 Ext 8013

Nakheel Malls, the retail arm of Dubai master developer Nakheel, has launched its data transformation initiative as part of a customer-centric strategy to benefit retailers and customers across all its assets.

Using machine learning algorithms and AI-enabled data products, the fully governed, advanced platform provides key insights to more than 3,000 tenants by studying retail habits, purchases and experiences of over 90 million customers.

The latest technology includes a state-of-the-art data lake that is constructed from a unique governance system. The five-year project plan aims to introduce retailers to new solutions to deliver tangible financial value, generate insights and support on building a solid data infrastructure for the entity.

Omar Khoory, Chief Hospitality and Assets Officer, Nakheel Malls, said: "In todays digital era, it is more critical than ever to provide relevant data analytics to assist retailers and enhance our offerings to consumers."

"We are proud to partner with Artefact in this digital transformation and to embark on a realistic, empathic journey that will enable us to further understand our customers needs and provide our retail partners with in-depth analytics to support their business growth," stated Khoory.

As part of this digital growth strategy, Nakheel Malls recently introduced dragonmart.ae, an e-commerce platform that provides shoppers the ability to sort and discover over 35,000 products found at Dragon Mart across 11 high-level categories within the comfort of their homes.

Dr Oday Salim, Data Manager, Nakheel Malls, said: "With the rapid development of data technology, Nakheel Malls identified the need to adopt the latest advanced solutions to achieve our customer-centric strategy."

"Our cutting-edge analytics program has helped us to navigate the shift in customer expectations and needs as a result of the pandemic, and has fostered a change in company culture, making us more data driven," noted Dr Salim.

"New use cases are being tested and integrated into retail operations leading to both machine learning and AI in a five-year plan," he added.

Rahul Arya, the Managing Partner, Artefact Middle East, Africa, said: "Recent events have accelerated data transformation within the Middle Easts fast-paced retail sector."

"This data platform has enabled Nakheel Malls to respond quickly to the changing environment with a robust data strategy and advanced data use cases that enable the group to respond to customers across any time zone, location or device, and deliver outstanding customer experiences," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Covina, CA, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The market is driven by the increasing use of cell separation in cancer research. In addition, the rising focus on personalized medicine is anticipated to further boost the growth of the cell separation market. The increasing use of cell separation in cancer research will be one of the major drivers in the global market.



The global blood cell separation market is estimated to be US$ 28.4 billion by 2029 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 17.2%.

The report "Global Blood Cell Separation Market, By Product (Consumables, and Instruments), By Cell Type (Human, and Animal), By Technique (Centrifugation, Surface Marker, and Filtration), By End-Users (Research Laboratories & Institutes, Biotechnology & Biopharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals & Diagnostics Laboratories, and Cell Banks), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa) - Trends, Analysis and Forecast till 2029.

Request a Free Sample Copy of this Business Intelligence Report @ https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-sample/4561

Key Highlights:

In November 2020, MicroMedicine Inc a life sciences technology company launched its patented automated, microfluidics based technology at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer meeting.

In May 2019, Akadeum Life Sciences launched seven new products at Immunology 2019 Conference in San Diego based on microbubble technology, which uses buoyancy to gently separate cells of interest within the tube.

Analyst View:

Increasing government funding for cell based research

Researchers utilize isolated cells to understand their biology and develop new cell therapies and other cell-based treatments. Various government bodies across the globe have increased their support for the growth of such research activities, owing to its importance. In addition, NIH funding for the development of cell therapies has increased significantly over the last few years. This, in turn, is stimulating the demand for equipment, media, reagents, and accessories used in cell isolation research. Advanced cell isolation products deliver improved separation of biological molecules including proteins, nucleic acids, chromatin, and protein complexes for subsequent analysis. Thus, the demand for these products is mounting, which is expected to support the cell isolation/cell separation market growth during the forecast period.

Growing cell separation technique industry

Increasing demand for personalized medicine is another major factor propelling the industry growth. Personalized medicine is a type of medical therapy in which the treatment is customized for an individual patient. The cell separation techniques can be used in personalized medicine for early detection of disease, selection of appropriate treatment, and determining the prognosis of the therapy.

Browse 60 market data tables* and 35 figures* through 140 slides and in-depth TOC on Global Blood Cell Separation Market, By Product (Consumables, and Instruments), By Cell Type (Human, and Animal), By Technique (Centrifugation, Surface Marker, and Filtration), By End-Users (Research Laboratories & Institutes, Biotechnology & Biopharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals & Diagnostics Laboratories, and Cell Banks), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa) - Trends, Analysis and Forecast till 2029

Ask for a Discount on the Current Pricing @ https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-discount/4561

Key Market Insights from the report:

The global blood cell separation market is estimated to be US$ 28.4 billion by 2029 and is anticipated to register a CAGR of 17.2%. The market report has been segmented on the basis of product, cell type, technique, end-user and region.

Depending upon product, the consumables segment is projected to grow at highest CAGR over the forecast period. Rising investment in research & development by biotechnology and biopharmaceutical companies is a key factor boosting the segment growth.

In terms of cell type, human type segment is reported to have a major revenue share of the cell isolation market. The growing focus on cancer & human stem cell research; and wide application of isolated human cells in research, biopharmaceuticals development, and clinical trials are the major factors contributing to its highest share.

By technique, the target market is segmented into centrifugation, surface marker, and filtration. The centrifugation segment accounted for the largest share of the market, mainly due to the extensive application of this technique by research laboratories, academic institutes, biotechnology & biopharmaceutical companies, and cell banks.

On the basis of end-users this market is segmented into Research Laboratories & Institutes, Biotechnology & Biopharmaceutical Companies, Hospitals & Diagnostics Laboratories, and Cell Banks The research laboratories and institutes dominated the market in 2018 due to increased cancer and stem cells research. Also, the support of government for cell-based research propels the segment growth.

By region, North America dominated the market globally in 2018. The well-developed research infrastructure and the presence of global biotechnology companies in North America have fueled the regional market. Moreover, the presence of advanced technology and large focus on drug discovery in this region drives the sector growth.

To know the upcoming trends and insights prevalent in this market, click the link below:

https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Global-Blood-Cell-Separation-Market-4561

Competitive Landscape:

The prominent player operating in the global blood cell separation market includes Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc, Merck KGaA, BD Biosciences, Beckman Coulter Inc., Terumo BCT, GE Healthcare, STEMCELL Technologies Inc., and Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc.

The market provides detailed information regarding the industrial base, productivity, strengths, manufacturers, and recent trends which will help companies enlarge the businesses and promote financial growth. Furthermore, the report exhibits dynamic factors including segments, sub-segments, regional marketplaces, competition, dominant key players, and market forecasts. In addition, the market includes recent collaborations, mergers, acquisitions, and partnerships along with regulatory frameworks across different regions impacting the market trajectory. Recent technological advances and innovations influencing the global market are included in the report.

About Prophecy Market Insights

Prophecy Market Insights is specialized market research, analytics, marketing/business strategy, and solutions that offers strategic and tactical support to clients for making well-informed business decisions and to identify and achieve high-value opportunities in the target business area. We also help our clients to address business challenges and provide the best possible solutions to overcome them and transform their business.

Some Important Points Answered in this Market Report Are Given Below:

Explains an overview of the product portfolio, including product development, planning, and positioning

Explains details about key operational strategies with a focus on R&D strategies, corporate structure, localization strategies, production capabilities, and financial performance of various companies.

Detailed analysis of the market revenue over the forecasted period.

Examining various outlooks of the market with the help of Porters five forces analysis, PEST & SWOT Analysis.

Study on the segments that are anticipated to dominate the market.

Study on the regional analysis that is expected to register the highest growth over the forecast period

Key Topics Covered

Introduction

Study Deliverables

Study Assumptions

Scope of the Study

Research Methodology Executive Summary

Opportunity Map Analysis

Market at Glance

Market Share (%) and BPS Analysis, by Region

Competitive Landscape

Heat Map Analysis

Market Presence and Specificity Analysis

Finance: Deutsche Bank is one of the defendants in the Libor price-fixing case

Some of the worlds biggest banks are urging a US judge not to immediately terminate Libor after a group of borrowers filed suit claiming the benchmark was the work of a price-fixing cartel.

Defendants in the case, including JPMorgan Chase, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank, said in a November filing that an injunction abruptly ending the London interbank offered rate would wreak havoc on financial markets and undermine years of work reforming the reference rate.

The plaintiffs, which include 27 consumer borrowers and credit card users, are also seeking monetary damages.

Attorneys not involved in the case say the chances of an injunction are slim. Yet it underscores the risks and legal costs for banks that continue to prop up Libor, which still underpins hundreds of trillions of dollars of financial assets around the world. It also highlights the fragility of the discredited benchmark, which in theory could be halted by a single court decision.

Read More

You have to take it seriously because it would be a catastrophe if it was granted, said Anne Beaumont, a partner at law firm Friedman Kaplan Seiler & Adelman. Theyre likely going to continue to get sued like this as long as its there.

A San Francisco judge has said he will render a decision on the injunction without a hearing. The judge is scheduled for Thursday to hear a request by the banks to transfer the case to Manhattan federal court.

Libor is derived from a daily survey of bankers who estimate how much they would charge each other to borrow. Its used to help determine the cost of borrowing around the world, from student loans and mortgages to interest-rate swaps and collateralized loan obligations.

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, regulators discovered that lenders had been manipulating the rates to their advantage, resulting in billions of dollars of fines.

For over three years, policy makers around the globe have been developing new benchmarks to replace Libor by the end of 2021. In November, officials proposed an extension for some dollar Libor tenors until mid-2023, to help firms cope with the transition process.

If the benchmark were to be immediately switched off, many derivatives contracts already contain contractual fallback language that would enable them to transition to an alternative rate, according to Y. Daphne Coelho-Adam, a counsel at Seward & Kissel LLP who is not involved in the case.

But hundreds of billions of dollars of bonds, loans and securitisations lack a clear replacement rate and could pose a threat to financial stability.

Defendants in the case also include UBS Group, Citigroup, HSBC, and ICE Benchmark Administration, which oversees the rate.

The plaintiffs want Libor to be either prohibited or set at zero with borrowers repaying capital but not interest.

The banks said none of the plaintiffs have shown that they paid interest based on Libor.


Lohri is being celebrated today and Bollywood actors have gotten into throwback mode to recall their memories of the winter festival. It is a folk festival celebrated in north India, marking the end of the winter solstice. Actresses Kangana Ranaut, Taapsee Pannu and other Bollywood stars have taken to social media to wish fans.

Kangana recalled her childhood memories of celebrating Lohri, singing folk songs and collecting money and sweets in the neighbourhood. Sharing a few photos from her childhood, the actress tweeted, "In Himachal we have a tradition of singing Lohri, when I was small, children made groups and sang Lohri in neighbourhoods and collected money/sweets, children in villages and joint families have much more fun than city kids in nuclear families, anyway #HappyLohri2021."

In Himachal we have a tradition of singing Lohri, when I was small, children made groups and sang Lohri in neighbourhoods and collected money/sweets, children in villages and joint families have much more fun than city kids in nuclear families, anyway #HappyLohri2021 pic.twitter.com/McsJP65zyw Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) January 13, 2021

Taapsee shared a picture of herself sitting near a bonfire and captioned it "Happy Lohri", with the popular track 'Sundar Mundriye' as a background score for her picture.

Read: Happy Lohri 2021: Here's Your Definite Playlist for the Festival

Actress-turned-politician Urmila Matondkar posted her wishes with a special prayer for the farmers protesting against the new agriculture reforms.

   #      #HappyLohri2021 And a special thought n prayers for all the #Farmers n their families and some of them who have lost their lives during d protest.  # #Lohri2021 #lohriwishes Urmila Matondkar (@UrmilaMatondkar) January 13, 2021

Amitabh Bachchan too tweeted his wishes on Lohri.

T 3782 - Happy Lohri .. prosperity and peace ..  pic.twitter.com/KEGpau2DKO Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan) January 13, 2021

Karan Johar hoped that the festival will bring in some much-needed positivity.

#happylohri to one and all....may this festival ring in the positivity and light we all need .... pic.twitter.com/SVHsAkIeaQ Karan Johar (@karanjohar) January 13, 2021

Here's hoping you all have a safe and happy Lohri this year.
As a businesswoman, I feel compelled to support the next generation of female leaders and thats what this scholarship is all about, said Renee Parsons, Co-Founder of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation and President and Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley (BGCAZ) has presented its fourth annual Renee Parsons Girls Leadership Award. Driven by businesswoman and philanthropist, Renee Parsons, the award honors girls who have demonstrated three fundamental leadership qualities  collaboration, assertiveness and empathy  and awards the recipient up to $80,000 of scholarship funding over four years and a new laptop.

As a businesswoman, I feel compelled to support the next generation of female leaders and thats what this scholarship is all about, said Renee Parsons, Co-Founder of The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation and President and Executive Creative Director of PXG Apparel. Its about encouraging young women to be fearless and confident. Education is a powerful tool that breaks down barriers and gives youth the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Formally presented via a Zoom call with Parsons, the announcement came as a surprise to the 2020 award winner, Kaiah James. James believed the call marked the final stage of the interview process but after a few standard questions, Parsons delivered the news that James had been selected as this years recipient. The full announcement can be viewed here.

This award sparks generational forward movement and legacy, said Eric and Shannon James, Kaiahs parents. It has been instilled in us that the next generation should strive to do better than the last, and with this scholarship, Kaiah will be able to do just that. Its given her the ability to enter the workforce with financial freedom and get that head start that many African American children unfortunately dont have.

While many of the Foundations grants support a broad range of youth and underserved adults, Parsons is personally invested in providing motivated girls with the resources to become happy, thriving and successful women. Inspired by the list of applicants and her personal conversation with James, Parsons decided to offer a second BGCAZ girls leadership scholarship this year - the Renee Parsons Excellence Award  to Amaya Jones. This award presents the recipient up to $40,000 of scholarship funding over four years and a new laptop.

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation is a longtime supporter of BGCAZ. Over the years, the Foundation has given a combined $8+ million to the organization, including numerous Youth of the Year scholarships, live auction items and other donations.

BGCAZ provides educational and recreational programming designed to help youth reach their full potential as productive members of society. A large focus is placed on academic achievement, personal development and leadership, resulting in higher than average graduation rates among Club members. To learn more about BGCAZ, and its impact on the community, please visit bgcaz.org.

About Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Valley offers affordable after-school and summer programs for 16,000+ young people in grades K-12. At Clubs across the Valley, BGCAZ provides award-winning programs designed to change the lives of young people. For over 70 years, BGCAZ has been creating equity and opportunity for youth through academic, social, and workforce opportunities. We help young people make healthy decisions and focus on social and emotional development to build resilient young adults. Most importantly, we work to develop strong character and leadership skills by creating positive connections to caring adults and their community. For more information: visit bgcaz.org.

About The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation

The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers support to nonprofit organizations successfully working to empower, educate, nurture and nourish people during what is often the darkest time of their lives. Founded in 2012 by philanthropists and business leaders Bob and Renee Parsons to provide hope and life-changing assistance to the countrys most vulnerable populations, The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation offers critical funding at critical times to those in need. The Foundations giving is driven by the core belief that all people  regardless of race, religion, roots, economic status, sexual orientation or gender identity  deserve access to quality healthcare, education and a safe place to call home. Follow @WeDealInHope on social media or visit TBRPF.org, to learn more about partner organizations and the important work being done in the community.

Media Contact: Kaitlyn Kor | kkor@bigyam.com | 480-410-6077

The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Promoting patriotic traditions and positive human values, Vietnam Buddhism has made many contributions to society in different fields, said Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, head of the Department of Buddhist Affairs  Government Committee for Religious Affairs.

The Buddhism in Southern Region of Vietnam: Establishment and Development Conference was organised on Sunday by the Vietnam Buddhist University in co-operation with HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities. VNS Photo Gia Loc

Buddhism had encouraged solidarity among the people and developed ethical and humane values, Nguyen said.

Buddhism is exemplary and has been a pioneer in campaigns to encourage people to build a new life and carry out patriotic emulation movements and poverty reduction programmes to contribute to economic and social stability and ensure social order and safety, thereby helping the Southern region to become more modern and civilized, and Vietnam to be a rich and beautiful country, he added.

Dr Tran Duc Cuong, chairman of Vietnam Association of Historical Sciences, said: Buddhism entered Vietnam more than 2,000 years ago. Buddhism has become an indispensable part of Vietnamese culture. The profound human values together with the cultural values of Buddhism have continued to affect the ideology and lifestyle of the people. It encourages people to build and protect the good traditions of the Vietnamese. It promotes people, guides goodness, and builds a peaceful society.

"It maintains and promotes traditions, national solidarity and community harmony," Cuong said, adding that through social activities, along with many other religions, Vietnamese Buddhism has strengthened solidarity between religion and life among all classes of people, contributing to educating and promoting the community spirit and collective strength.

In modern society, when ethnic and religious conflicts take place in many countries in the world, the philosophy and practice of the model of a harmonious and solidarity community of Vietnam Buddhism is a positive example because it wants to direct people to a good life filled with love, peace and friendship, and cooperation for mutual development, he said.

The Most Venerable Thich Tri Quang, first deputy supreme patriarch of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha, rector of Vietnam Buddhist University, said: Right from the establishment of the Southern land, Buddhism was present in the spiritual life of residents there, co-working closely in reclaiming, building, and creating hamlets, and contributing an important part in the development of a beautiful and rich land with the high potential and a diverse spiritual life.

Buddhism in the Southern region contributed to the fight against invading enemies, protecting the independence and freedom of the Vietnamese nation, Quang said. "Buddhism in the South not only became a factor constituting the cultural foundation and people, but also contributed to the creation of the cultural identity and value system of the land and people of the South.

Currently, the Southern region is undergoing a renovation process in the context of globalisation with the explosive development of science - technology and economic institutions, according to Quang.

These trends present the Southern region with many opportunities for breakthrough development, but also pose many serious challenges.

It is the risk of breaking and losing cultural identity in international integration and pushing a large part of people to be hurt by their own loneliness. The duality of the globalisation process is inevitable and requires that we pay more attention to happiness, culture and people as the foundation of all perspectives, the socio-economic development strategy and plan of the Southern region, he added.

Vietnam Buddhist University signs an agreement with the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities to co-operate in training, researching and publishing reference books in Buddhism. VNS Photo Gia Loc

Ambassador from Sri Lanka to Vietnam Prasanna Gamage said: Vietnam was, and still is, a profoundly Buddhist country. The Sangha are very involved in the community, and temples often run schools, orphanages, medical clinics, and homes for the disabled. Lay people play an important role in religious life.

The Buddhas message of equality, for todays divided world, is more important than ever. This world is replete with poverty, discontent and suffering. The loving kindness, non-violence and peaceful existence that the Buddha taught are fundamentally relevant. Let us take it upon ourselves to bring such practices back to life.

The Buddhism in Southern Region of Vietnam: Establishment and Development Conference was held by the Vietnam Buddhist University in co-operation with the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

At the conference, the two universities signed an agreement to co-operate in training, researching and publishing reference books in Buddhism. VNS

[January 13, 2021] FINBOA Offers Free Cloud-Based SBA PPP Application Solution to Help Lenders Automate Processing for Round Three of PPP Loans

FINBOA, a leading innovator in digital automation and regulatory compliance for financial institutions, announced today that it is offering an SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan Application Solution free to community banks and credit unions for 90 days or until Round Three of PPP funding is exhausted. The recently enacted Consolidation Protection Act, 2021 includes $284 billion in available Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding to help businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic meet operational costs and remain viable. This third-round of funding gives any businesses who received funding in an earlier round an opportunity to seek additional funds, and businesses who did not receive funding earlier another chance to apply. The latest round of funding extends PPP through March 31, 2021 or until all funds are depleted. FINBOA built a digital solution for the intake and processing of SBA PPP Loans on their extensible, Workplace Platform. Financal institutions can sign-up with FINBOA and get setup quickly and easily at no cost with free solution use while PPP Round Three funding is available. The FINBOA PPP Application Solution allows financial institutions to take PPP applications digitally from their customers in a safe and efficient manner. The cloud-based solution offers secure, encrypted transmission of relevant documents, accepts digital signatures with a legal consent form and consolidates all forms in one convenient location.



"As a small business, we wanted to do our part to help other small businesses get the funding they need," said Raj Singal, VP of FINBOA. "Community banks and credit unions act as the intermediaries in this effort to provide PPP funding to small businesses nationwide. We realized our software can help these financial institutions manage the paperwork deluge as they continue to help their customers and communities cope with the impacts of the pandemic." About FINBOA

FINBOA is a leading innovator in back-office automation for financial institutions. Leveraging more than 25 years of experience, FINBOA has created solutions to reduce compliance cost and reputational risk by bringing together digital transformation, regulatory compliance, robotic process automation and customer experience. Headquartered in Houston, FINBOA partners with financial institutions across the U.S. to achieve targeted business outcomes and peace of mind. To learn more about FINBOA, please visit www.finboa.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005573/en/

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Among the insurrectionist mob that attempted an overthrow of the U.S. government on Wednesday was Richard Bigo Barnett, a 60-year-old Donald Trump supporter whod traveled to D.C. from Arkansas for the rally-turned-riot. He soon became one of the attacks most recognizable faces: After the rioters broke windows, beat down doors, and assaulted law enforcement officers to get into the Capitol, Barnett installed himself behind a desk in the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. There, he rested his foot on the desk and gleefully posed for photos.

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What else did Barnett do during the Capitol siege? I wrote [Pelosi] a nasty noteNancy, Bigo was here you bitch, the note saidand scratched my balls, he told a New York Times reporter.

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Much has been written, accurately, about the overwhelming whiteness of the crowd that stormed the Capitol last Wednesday. The politics of whiteness both fueled the movement to overturn the results of the presidential election and allowed its adherents to succeed in their mission to seize the center of U.S. government. But the Capitol riot was also a predictable outcome of a political movement that feeds male rage, with conspiracy theories, narratives of victimhood, and frenzied calls to arms. In addition to the five deaths and plans for further violence that came terrifyingly close to reaching fruition, there were also participants who fought through lines of Capitol Police officers and committed multiple federal crimes for the pleasure of touching their testicles in a nonpublic space usually occupied by a woman they hate.

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The line between sedition and gender-based violence blurred as men targeted Pelosi for what some intended to be a fatal assault. Cleveland Grover Meredith Jr., a man who drove to D.C. from Colorado with multiple firearms, sent a text on Wednesday that read, headed to DC with a shit ton of 5.56 armor piercing ammo. On Thursday, he texted, Thinking about heading over to Pelosi CUNTs speech and putting a bullet in her noggin on Live TV, and, later, Im gonna run that CUNT Pelosi over while she chews on her gums.  Dead Bitch Walking.

Missives like Merediths clarify the latent danger in some of the riots more prankish elements. According to one member of Congress, the womens restroom near the Speakers Lobby was totally trashed with tampons thrown all over after the rioters were removed from the building. Every photograph of the damage they caused, every video clip of their assaults on police officers, and every contemporaneous social media post calling for the lynching of Trumps political opponents leaves a trace of carnage that could have been. If these terrorists showed no compunction about beating armed law enforcement agents on federal propertyand killing oneto gain entrance to the Capitol, one can only imagine what they would have done if theyd entered Pelosis office, or the womens restroom, and found someone there.

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Wednesdays siege loudly named and further entrenched the Republican Party as the party of white supremacy and male entitlement. It was performed on behalf of Trump, who rose to power on a wave of anger at women and people of color in positions of authority. It was organized by the Proud Boys, a male chauvinist extremist group with white nationalist ties. There were plenty of women there, including two of the insurrectionists who died during the riot, and women have been essential promoters of the QAnon conspiracy theory that droveor provided an excuse formany people who invaded the Capitol last week. But the women who were there were invested in promoting a specific vision of male power, as embodied by the Proud Boys mission to venerate the housewife. Their movement glorifies concrete displays of masculine domination, such as street brawls and over-the-top weaponry, but it also rests on rhetoric that shows deference to patriarchal control. After the president was stripped of his social media platforms, diminishing his ability to incite mass violence, Trumps national press secretary appeared on Fox News on Monday to dub his boss the most masculine person, I think, to ever hold the White House.

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That reverence for authoritarian masculinity is a hallmark of the Christian nationalism that exploded into violence last week. Its a force that has been propagating in abortion politics for decades. So it was no surprise to see several known abortion-clinic harassers in the crowds storming the Capitol. Derrick Evans, who resigned from his position as a West Virginia state legislator after being charged with illegally entering the Capitol, has held regular protests outside a health center in West Virginia. After one employee told a court that Evans had harassed her, threatened her, followed her around, and spoke on video about having a concealed firearm on his person, she was granted a permanent restraining order against Evans, which he violated. Reporters at Rewire News Group also confirmed the presence and involvement of dozens of other well-known anti-abortion terrorists and protesters, including John Brockhoeft, who was convicted in the 1980s for bombing one abortion clinic and planning an attack at another.

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Some on the right would hold that the violent tactics of abortion-clinic harassers is motivated by, and limited to, a medical procedure they call genocide. But the Christian rights fixation on abortionto the exclusion of all other putative Christian valuesas a justification for elevating destructive, cruel, and anti-democratic leaders has always been a sham. Abortion access has merely provided the simplest means for right-wing politicians to activate violent anger at womens increasing social and political power. Now, the calls for political violence are getting more explicit: In addition to claims that liberals are murdering babies, Republicans are revving up their base with allegations that Democrats are running a global pedophilia ring and the presidential election was stolen by urban Black voters in swing states. What are followers of the most masculine president in U.S. history to do but take up arms and prove their own strength?

BRUSSELS  For Europes populists, the electoral defeat of President Trump, who has been a symbol of success and a strong supporter, was bad enough. But his refusal to accept defeat and the violence that followed appears to have damaged the prospects of similarly minded leaders across the continent.

What happened in the Capitol following the defeat of Donald Trump is a bad omen for the populists, said Dominique Moisi, a senior analyst at the Paris-based Institut Montaigne. It says two things: If you elect them, they dont leave power easily, and if you elect them, look at what they can do in calling for popular anger.

The long day of rioting, violence and death as Mr. Trumps supporters stormed the Capitol has presented a clear warning to countries such as France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland about underestimating the force of populist anger and the prevalence of conspiracy theories aimed at democratic governments.

Heather Grabbe, director of the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels, said the unrest showed how the populist playbook was founded on us versus them and leads to violence.
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The coronavirus pandemic is still affecting Los Angeles in a frightening way: The city is on the threshold of having 1 out of 10 residents test positive for COVID, and on average, one virus-positive patient is dying there every 10 to 15 minutes. Dr. Clayton Kazan has seen the viruss effect up close, through his ER shifts, when he treats patients who may be unlikely to live, and his work with the L.A. County Fire Department, where he tracks how firefighters and EMTs may be a part of community spread. Despite witnessing these tragedies firsthand, Kazan hasnt given up hope. Back in March, Kazan helped increase the L.A. Countys testing capacity from a few hundred people a day to more than 10,000 a day, and he may get tapped again to help the entire region get immunized. I spoke with Kazan on Wednesdays episode of What Next to get a personal view of L.A.s COVID crisis. Our conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity.

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Mary Harris: The hard thing about this moment is that so many of these coronavirus deaths should have been preventable, but by the time you reach patients in the ER, they are not. And hospitals are reportedly out of capacity.

Dr. Clayton Kazan: They say the ICU capacity is zero. Its not zero. Its actually a large negative number. Zero percent capacity doesnt account for the fact that Ive got, across our system, hundreds and hundreds of patients waiting for ICU beds. And sometimes the only way an ICU bed comes available is if the patient in there dies.

Many L.A. hospitals are on diversion. What does that mean?

Ambulance diversion means that the hospital makes a request that they not receive ambulance patients for usually for an hour. Its actually been increased now to the point that when we decide a patient needs to go to the hospital, we take a look at which hospitals in our area are on diversion. If theres one thats not, we will divert the patient to that hospital. But often what were seeing right now is that every hospital in the area is on diversion, and they kind of have to take our patients nonetheless.

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How does that go?

Not always very well. Sometimes we show up and the doctors will come out and theyll look at us with sad eyes, sigh, and then go to work. Sometimes when theyre particularly in a moment of exasperation, they look at us then look away and go back to work, and our patients get ignored for extended periods of time because they just dont have the capacity mentally or institutionally. Were finding thats increasingly the case.

So your patients are on a stretcher maybe in a hallway or outside? Where do they even go?

Depending on the hospital, sometimes in the hallway, sometimes outside, sometimes sitting in the ambulance for hours.

Were working on some strategies right now, including one we launched last week and applied couple of times. Its kind of an ambulance consolidation, to have one ambulance crew watch multiple patients so the other ambulances can go back into service. Thats based on federal law: When a patient arrives at the hospital, the patient belongs to the hospital, even if the hospital doesnt accept them. But ultimately we end up providing care for the patients and keeping an eye on them, trying to put as many ambulances back in service as we can and then trying to alert the hospital if anybody begins to deteriorate, which does happen at any given time across our system. We could easily have 100 ambulances waiting outside. But with this new plan, were going to be consolidating them in tents. When you have patients in the back of an ambulance, you cant have one crew watching multiple ambulances. But if you put them in an area where the crew can easily see all of them, its much, much easier to accomplish.

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Last week, L.A. got a lot of attention because of new directives that seemed to limit the kind of care emergency workers could give. EMTs were being told to save oxygen for the most severe patients, to avoid running out. And they were also being reminded not to bring patients in cardiac arrest to the hospital if they had a low likelihood of resuscitation. Youve said these rules are actually best practices, not necessarily rationing of care. And because the countrys in the middle of emergency, things are going to look different for a little while.

Part of it is we have to shift our mindset. If a plane crashes or theres a mass shooting, the standard of care immediately changes. You just train up whom you have. You find volunteers. You have to train laypeople to do things like put a tourniquet on or monitor patients. In those circumstances, that goes on without question. But in this type of environment where you have this slow-rolling, severe disaster, theres been a hesitancy to do that. People tend to try to manage things within their normal operating procedures, only just stretching it and stretching it and stretching it rather than changing and getting into a disaster mindset.

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When you get into a disaster mindset, its all about triage. Once we get caregivers to think with that mindset, then our ambulances turn around faster and they get it. Sometimes we just have to walk at patients and say, this person can go to the lobby, but that one should be on a heart monitor. Its just hard in practice to do it.

Are you thinking you may be working with health institutions to give vaccinations, make sure its all going the way it needs to?

I know that the city fire department for L.A. is being tasked with helping to launch a massive vaccine site, and were anticipating that were going to be asked to help ramp up this effort across the county. We dont know for sure. We just know that we have been hearing from our public health colleagues that theyre having trouble getting Phase 1A complete. I think that theyre going to be looking at us as an army that they can put to the task to get it done.

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I look at it as we need to get this done because this is how we really turn the corner. In terms of our number of people out sick with COVID, we have trended right along with the surge in the county. Our positivity rate went way up. We got our vaccine first allotted to us on Dec. 23, and we had our first mass vaccination the next day. We gave I think 1,320 vaccines on day one, and were at about 2,900 or so right now.

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Did your firefighters universally take the vaccine, or did you have to convince anyone?

We did social media, we did departmental advisories, we did videos, we went out to fire stations, we did a live Q&A, and we published that Q&A so everyone could read it. With that, we have gotten to right around between 70 and 75 percent adoption, which is right on par with the higher-performing health care institutions. And I think there are still some in that 25 to 30 percent whom it will be possible to convince, but there are some who are going to refuse and we have to just keep trying.

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Do you go to them and have one-on-one conversations?

In our department, when we did the mass vaccination sites, one thing Im convinced we did right is we didnt let anybody refuse it remotely. Everybody had to come in to one of the sites to refuse. Ill use an example of an outpost near my house that has a three-person station, a fire engine, and thats it. If one of the people is, say, a probationary new firefighter and his captain is an older captain, it is entirely possible that that captain will have very strong feelings against the vaccine, and it be very easy to fall into groupthink and end up just declining. So we have rotated our apparatus around the county to ensure every person has an opportunity to come in, accept or decline for themselves, and have their questions answered.

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On the path to writing his Ph.D. dissertation, Lucio Milanese made a discoveryone that refocused his research, and will now likely dominate his thesis.

Milanese studies plasma, a gas-like flow of ions and electrons that comprises 99 percent of the visible universe, including the Earth's ionosphere, interstellar space, the solar wind, and the environment of stars. Plasmas, like other fluids, are often found in a turbulent state characterized by chaotic, unpredictable motion, providing multiple challenges to researchers who seek to understand the cosmic universe or hope to harness burning plasmas for fusion energy.

Milanese is interested in what physicist Richard Feynman called "the most important unsolved problem of classical physics"turbulence. In this case, the focus is plasma turbulence, its nature and structure.

"Say you stir a cup of tea with a spoon: You are creating a vortex, a whirlpool, at the scale of the cup. This large-scale vortex eventually gets broken up into smaller vortices, which shear into yet smaller and smaller structures. Eventually this cascade will generate small enough structures that they will dissipate and the energy will turn into heat."

In a paper recently published in Physics Review Letters, Milanese offers a newly discovered mechanism called "dynamic phase alignment" to uncover how turbulence transfers energy from large scales to smaller scales. Milanese, a nuclear science and engineering Ph.D. candidate at the Plasma Science and Fusion Center, calls the discovery a "building block of a general theory of turbulence."

"Turbulence is complex and chaotic, but it is not completely lawless: the overall dynamics must obey some constraints," says Milanese. "One universal mechanical constraint is that energy must be conserved. In the systems we study, there also exists a topological constraint: the total amount of helicitythe degree to which vortices twist and spiralis conserved."

Milanese explains that both of these conservation statements apply at all physical scales except the smallest ones, where dissipation can no longer be ignored.

"For the types of systems that are modeled by the equations that we considerand there are many if we were to develop a model of turbulence that considers only the conservation of energy, we would inevitably end up violating the constraint on helicity conservation. We were able to resolve this apparent contradiction by uncovering the new mechanism of dynamic phase alignment."

Milanese is thus offering an explanation for a generally observed phenomenon he calls "the joint cascade of energy and helicity." This kind of cascading pattern is observed in the plasma systems Milanese has been studying, like the ionosphere, the solar wind, and the solar corona.

Milanese observes that just as a spoon brings energy and helicity to a cup of tea, the movement of plasma on the surface of the sun "injects" these quantities into the solar wind and the sun's corona. Once that happens and the cascade begins, the energy and helicity are conserved until the turbulent vortices dissipate.

In the plasma systems Milanese explored, the amount of helicity (twistedness) is determined by how closely correlated the fluctuations of magnetic and electric fields are. At large scales, when a significant amount of helicity is present in the system, it is statistically likely that if the electric potentialthe voltageis large, the local magnetic potential fluctuation will be large as well. As large-scale structures break into smaller-scale structures, this changes progressively, and it becomes more and more likely that if the electric potential is locally large, the magnetic potential fluctuation will be small, close to zero (and vice versa).

"We found that as large-scale structures break into smaller scale structures, the magnetic and electric potential fluctuations become progressively more correlated. This is a remarkable example of how turbulent plasmas can self-organize to respect mechanical and topological constraints."

Discovery of this dynamic phase alignment provides a new lens through which to view other turbulent systems. Milanese and his colleagues found that the model equations they adopted to describe plasmas are mathematically identical to those describing the dynamics of rapidly rotating, non-ionized fluid flows, such as hurricanes and tornadoes.

The discovery of this new paradigm is built on a theoretical framework developed by his advisor, Professor Nuno Loureiro, and Loureiro's collaborator Professor Stanislav Boldyrev of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, to describe the dynamics of plasmas made of electrons and positronsthe antiparticles of electrons. Milanese started working with Maximilian Daschner, an exchange student from ETH Zurich, to probe the validity of this theoretical framework via numerical simulations.

"It was a nice numerical project for a UROP" says Milanese. "We thought we would be done in six months and publish a paper. But then, two years later, we were still looking at interesting results."

Christopher Chen, Ernest Rutherford Fellow at the School of Physics and Astronomy, Queen Mary University of London, and an expert in observations of turbulence in the solar wind, comments on the significance of the discovery.

"Understanding plasma turbulence is a key part of solving some of the longstanding questions in plasma astrophysics, such as how the solar corona is heated, how the solar wind is generated, how strong magnetic fields in the universe are created, and how energetic particles are accelerated. The results of this paper are important, since they provide a new understanding of the key universal processes operating in such plasmas. The paper is also significant and timely since it makes predictions that we can test with the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter spacecraft, which are currently on their way to study the sun close up."

Closer to home, the work is relevant to upcoming experiments at the Institute for Plasma Physics in Germany. These experiments will trap significant numbers of electrons and positrons in a magnetic cage, allowing researchers to study the properties of such a system, although at temperatures much lower than what is usually observed in astrophysical settings. Milanese expects the system to be turbulent and believes that it could be potentially used as a laboratory test bed for his ideas.

Milanese observes that further study of dynamic phase alignment has become the bulk of his dissertation. He is currently working to extend the applicability of this work to include a much broader range of fluids than the types of plasma and rapidly rotating fluids he has already explored.

He will soon be broadening his perspective as well. Next year he will find himself at Tsinghua University in China as part of the Schwarzman Scholar's class of 2022. This one-year, fully funded master's program in foreign affairs will offer him opportunities in public policy, economics, business, and international relations. Milanese is looking forward to exploring the business and policy side of creating a global fusion energy industryone dependent on building an advanced understanding of turbulence in plasmas, which has been his primary focus.

Explore further Theoretical analysis uncovers new mechanisms in plasma turbulence

More information: Lucio M. Milanese et al. Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfven Turbulence, Physical Review Letters (2020). Journal information: Physical Review Letters Lucio M. Milanese et al. Dynamic Phase Alignment in Inertial Alfven Turbulence,(2020). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.125.265101

This story is republished courtesy of MIT News (web.mit.edu/newsoffice/), a popular site that covers news about MIT research, innovation and teaching.
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2021) President Donald Trump has ordered the US military to build a transportable demonstration small nuclear reactor of potential use in space travel, the White House announced in a statement on Tuesday.

"At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense will establish and implement a plan to demonstrate the energy flexibility and cost effectiveness of a small modular reactor at a domestic military installation, and will pilot a transportable small modular reactor for a mission other than naval propulsion for the first time in half a century," the statement said.

Trump issued an Executive Order to promote the development of small modular reactors for national defense and space exploration, the White House said.

The move will revitalize the US nuclear energy sector and reinvigorate its space exploration program, it added.

"The sustainable exploration of the Moon, Mars, and other locations will be enhanced by small modular reactors deployed from Earth for operations across the solar system. NASA [National Aeronautics and Space Administration] will explore the use of nuclear energy systems for human and robotic exploration missions through 2040," the statement said.

Small modular reactors also have the potential to enhance energy flexibility and energy security at domestic military installations in remote locations and are essential to deep space exploration, where solar power is not practical, the White House added.

President Donald Trump at the Stop the Steal rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Jenny Jing/The Epoch Times)

GOP Representative: Trumps Words Dont Meet the Definition of Incitement

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) said Wednesday that he opposes the push to impeach President Donald Trump, arguing Trumps words did not incite protesters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Reschenthaler told colleagues on the House floor in Washington that hes deeply troubled by the Capitol breach and wants those responsible to be brought to justice.

But he opposes the impeachment effort, noting just one week remains in Trumps term. The impeachment, he said, will no doubt further divide an already fractured nation.

Im also very concerned by the charge against the president of incitement of insurrection. At his rally, President Trump urged attendees to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. There was no mention of violence, let alone calls to action, Reschenthaler said.

The Pennsylvanian said he had prosecuted terrorists while in the U.S. Navy.

Look at the criminal code. President Trumps words would not even meet the definition of incitement under criminal statutes, he said.

The House was debating an article of impeachment on Wednesday. Democrats and a handful of Republicans appeared poised to impeach Trump for a second time, despite staunch pushback from many in the GOP. The resolution says Trump willfully made statements that, in context, encouragedand foreseeably resulted inlawless action at the Capitol.

The only statement mentioned in the resolution quotes Trump as saying, If you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

Trump during the Jan. 6 speech told supporters that he actually won the election and said election fraud took place in key swing states. He called on supporters to walk down to the Capitol and cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women.

Trump told reporters this week that his speech was totally appropriate.

While Republicans argued Trump did not incite the crowd, Democrats said he did.

I rise today to urge the impeachment of Donald Trump because the attack on the Capitol and the Congress was the single most depraved betrayal of the U.S. Constitution ever committed by a president, Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.) said.

The traitorous incitement of an insurrection demands not just impeachment but removal from office immediately.


The UKs decision to opt out of the EU vaccination scheme has led to it administering more Covid jabs than the rest of Europe combined, MPs have heard.

Figures show the UK is fourth in the world for the number of vaccines administered so far at 4.19 per 100 people, behind Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

This compares to 0.21 per 100 people in France, 0.82 in Germany, with Denmark the closest EU nation at 2.02.

Former vaccines tsar Kate Bingham told MPs that the decision to go it alone meant we were now in an advanced position compared to other countries.

She told the Commons public accounts committee that EU rules would have meant an end to the negotiations already under way with AstraZeneca.

Mrs Bingham, former chairman of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, said: We felt the conditions were too tight and that we would actually be able to act more quickly if we did it independently.

In July, officials chose not to join the EU vaccine scheme as it meant having no say on decisions including pricing or which manufacturers to negotiate with.

Former vaccines tsar Kate Bingham, pictured at the start of the vaccine trial, told MPs the decision to go it alone meant the UK is in an advanced position compared to other countries

Britain has so far agreed supply deals for seven different vaccines, totalling 367million doses, for at least 3.7billion.

The EUs vaccine rollout has been hindered by supply chain issues, after purchasing 300million doses of the Pfizer vaccine.

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At least 20 doctors have been infected with COVID-19 at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), an official has said.

The President of UITH chapter of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Badmus Habeeb, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Ilorin.

He said that members of the association were battling with the pandemic based on available resources.

About 20 of our members have been infected with the virus in the past two to three weeks.

I must reiterate that this is not the best of times for us, our families and the affected patients, he said.

Mr Habeeb, however, said that the discovery of COVID-19 vaccine has brought hope and relief to the people.

There is a poor resource setting in the country, where basic necessities to make the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines easy and possible, are not readily available.

So it, therefore, seems we may never be able to get the vaccine anytime soon.

Based on available evidence, COVID-19 vaccine is effective, and there is no reason why Nigerians should not follow the guide of scientific evidence, especially with proper information, he said.

He advised the government to provide necessary resources and incentives to health workers across the country to help curb its spread.

The public should adhere strictly to COVID-19 protocols as announced by NCDC, he said.

(NAN)
It was a video clip that captured not only the terror of the day, but the values at stake: a lone Black police officer in the marble halls of the U.S. Capitol building, facing down a mob of mostly White rioters who had stormed in bearing Confederate flags, weapons and vows to reclaim a lost election.

The footage captured by HuffPost political reporter Igor Bobic has gone viral in the past week, spurring people across the world to hail the officer as a hero. The U.S. Capitol Police has not publicly identified him, but three of his friends told The Washington Post that the officer is Eugene Goodman of Maryland, confirming what journalists at CNN and elsewhere have reported.

For 85 tense seconds, Goodman tries to hold back dozens of rioters, twice retreating up a flight of stairs. Police experts say he wasnt fleeing, but luring the mob away from the Senate chambers, where lawmakers were sheltering and armed officers  including one with a semiautomatic weapon  were securing the doors.

His actions likely preempted what could have been a violent confrontation, Kirk D. Burkhalter, a professor at New York Law School and a former New York City police officer, said in an interview.

The toll from the Jan. 6 attack  five deaths, including a Capitol Police officer, a protester shot by police and three who died of medical emergencies  could have been far higher if Goodman had made different choices, said Burkhalter, who reviewed the video at The Washington Post's request.

"These folks had zip ties," he said, referencing images of the rioters holding zip-tie handcuffs that have emerged since the attack. "It's not unreasonable to say that they were ready to take hostages  Officer Goodman really helped to avoid a tremendous tragedy."

Friends who have talked to Goodman since the riots, including two fellow officers and a former colleague, said he has been ambivalent about the limelight. Generally private and reserved, the Washington D.C. native has started to worry about becoming a potential target of far-right extremist groups that have vowed to return to D.C. this weekend and for next week's inauguration.

"He said he'd do the same thing again. He's not looking for any accolades," said one friend, a Capitol Police officer who asked not to be named because he had not been authorized to speak on the issue. "But the attention is a little scary for him."

Neither Goodman nor a Capitol Police spokeswoman responded to requests for an interview.

Goodman, 40, grew up in Southeast Washington and served in the Army from 2002 to 2006, deploying with the 101st Airborne Division to Iraq for a year, said Cynthia Smith, a service spokeswoman. His awards include a combat infantryman badge, indicating he was in ground combat.

Those who know Goodman said his decision to lead the rioters away instead of directly engaging them reflects his military experience.

"He was diverting people from getting on the Senate floor and getting hostages. It was the smartest thing that he could have ever done," his colleague said. "I don't know that many people who can think on their feet like that  His quick thinking enabled those Senators to get to safety."

 READ MORE: A Stop the Steal organizer, now banned by Twitter, said three GOP lawmakers helped plan his Washington rally

A close friend of Goodman's, who asked to be identified by his first name, Terry, out of fear of being targeted by far-right extremists, said the officer has a reputation for being a calm leader during emergencies.

"I've always said, if bullets start ripping through, I'm finding Goodman," said the friend, who has spoken to Goodman several times since the incident. "He's been in hostile fire fights, so he knows how to keep his head."

Burkhalter, the New York professor, said Goodman appears in the video to be doing three tactical things simultaneously: leading rioters away from the Senate chambers, coordinating for backup on the second-floor landing, and exercising extreme restraint in order to prevent injury or loss of life.

In the first part of the video, when Goodman retreats up a flight of stairs, he only briefly turns his back to the rioters, Burkhalter notes. Most of the time, he's backing away with his eyes toward the mob, suggesting that he is not running away from them but attempting to lead them somewhere. When Goodman reaches the second-floor landing, he glances to his left, where the entrance to the Senate chambers are located.

At this point, he makes a risky decision, Burkhalter said. He opens his collapsible baton  which had fallen on the floor earlier  and lightly pushes the man leading the mob of rioters, later identified as Doug Jensen from Des Moines. Jensen briefly looks to the left, then follows Goodman, who is walking away from the Senate chambers and toward backup.

In pushing him, the lead rioter, hes attempting to get him to follow along, Burkhalter said. Hes trying to bait them.

Bobic, the reporter who filmed the video, said he realized days after the attack that the Senate doors were sealed just minutes before Goodman had lured the rioters away. If they had just gone right instead of left, Bobic said in an interview, the intruders may have reached the lawmakers.

Keith Taylor, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and another former New York City police officer who reviewed the video, said Goodman showed significant situational awareness. Even as he spoke and beckoned to the rioters, he was communicating with coworkers through a radio attached to his uniform, Taylor said, giving them updates on where he was and where he was headed.

By the end of the video, he appears to have led the rioters to another area, where several other officers were prepared for a standoff. The mob can be heard yelling at Goodman and the other officers and calling them "traitors."

Goodman's restraint is also notable, Burkhalter said, given the intruders had broken into the Capitol building, were predominantly White and bore symbols of the Confederacy. Many have since been identified as members of white-nationalist organizations and militant right-wing organizations, such as the Proud Boys.

Usually, Burkhalter said, when Black people are being stalked by White people with Confederate flags, it "doesn't end up well for the Black folks."

Terry, who is White, said he and Goodman have talked about race, and about the conflicts Goodman feels as a Black law enforcement officer. "For him, it's always like, 'I'm too Black for the badge, but too blue for the brothers,' " Terry said.

The video has drawn waves of praise for Goodman online. Ben Crump, the attorney for George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, tweeted that Goodman should be awarded the Public Safety Officer Medal of Valor. Sen. Robert Casey Jr., D-Pa., said Congress "owes him a debt of gratitude." And former Senate candidate Jaime Harrison, who challenged Sen. Lindsey Graham, R, in South Carolina, declared that Goodman's "judgment & heroism may have saved our Republic."

Bobic said that if he gets to meet Goodman, he'd like to convey the hundreds of thousands of messages he has received from people worldwide about the video. But he'd also like to thank him personally for protecting him.

"If he wasn't there," Bobic said, "I would have ran flat-footed into the mob."

Goodman's attitude toward his job has remained the same despite his newfound fame, his friends said, adding that during the attack he was focused on defusing the threat to lawmakers, not his own safety.

"My job is to protect and serve," he told coworkers after the video of him went viral. "And on that day, I was protecting."

The Washington Posts Dan Lamothe and Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.



By Cho Byung-jae





On Jan. 20, Joseph Biden will be sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America. However, thinking of the enormous tasks ahead, it is difficult for me to simply congratulate the new administration on taking office.



Top priorities of the new administration will be controlling COVID-19, which is taking away thousands of lives every day, and normalizing the economy. Along with that is the task of alleviating the divisions in American society and healing the wounds of last November's election. While Biden won a historic number of 81 million votes, 74 million others who chanted "make America great again" chose Trump. Moreover, midterm elections are approaching in just two years.



Although domestic affairs demand the immediate attention of the new administration, issues of foreign policy cannot be left waiting for too long. The U.S. and the world have undergone much change over the past several years. Also, the liberal international order of the past 70 years is no longer taken for granted. The U.S., formerly set on serving the public good, is now perceived to be a country that prioritizes its own interests. Biden has pledged to change this perception as the world watches what next steps the U.S. will take.



The world abounds with challenges, but it is Asia that will determine the success and failure of the Biden administration's foreign policy. The whole region awaits to see how the U.S. defines and implements its policy in the region.



On the occasion of his phone conversations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, President-elect Biden emphasized cooperation for a "secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific," which appears to be the signature phrase of his Asia policy.



I welcome Biden's choice of language, which appears to embrace the geographic scope of Trump's "Indo-Pacific Strategy" rather than a return to Obama's "pivot to Asia." This is a reasonable decision. Abruptly terminating a policy that has been advocated over the years would undermine the consistency of U.S. diplomacy. In diplomacy, a lack of consistency means a loss of trust.



Meanwhile, it is notable that Biden chose to describe the Indo-Pacific region as "secure and prosperous." In my view, "free and open" lay at the heart of Trump's Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) policy. This is why FOIP was often perceived as a strategy to contain China.



As Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong once said, countries in the region do not want to be forced to choose between the U.S. and China. ASEAN, India, Australia and even non-Asian countries such as France and Germany have called for "inclusivity" in Indo-Pacific cooperation.



The new administration now has the task of strengthening two important foreign policy pillars in the region: security and prosperity.



Firstly, the U.S. needs to reaffirm its commitment to security in Asia. It has become clear that President Trump's "America first" was not an appropriate blueprint for U.S. foreign policy. Trump's transactional approach toward alliances, and hints at the possibility of a unilateral withdrawal, have raised doubts about U.S. security commitments to Asia.



If the U.S. needs to readjust its forward deployment in the region, I would suggest it refer to the successful roadmap of the 1989 "East Asia Strategic Initiative (EASI)," which was put together with a bipartisan mandate from Congress and after close consultations with allies in the region.



Secondly, the U.S. will need to reinforce its current Indo-Pacific strategy on the economic front. The Obama administration's push for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as part of the broader "pivot to Asia" policy was a sound judgment. President Trump's withdrawal from the partnership was a huge misstep. It may not be politically feasible for the U.S. to rejoin the TPP immediately, but there is no question that this region needs a high-level framework for an inclusive economic partnership.



If the U.S. emphasizes economy and trade in its efforts to build a "rules-based international order," it will be easier to gain positive responses from allies and partners alike. What the U.S. should focus on is not "decoupling," but sharpening its own competitive edge. Building a competitive economy will pave the way for more job creations in the U.S., which will be one of the top priorities of the new administration.



We, in the region, are noticing that President-elect Biden is organizing his administration around a team of experts who know how to get things done. The appointment of Lloyd Austin, who, in Biden's own words, "understands that the military is only one instrument of [our] national security," is a good example.



With that said, hopeful that the next four years will be far better than the past four years, I sincerely congratulate the upcoming inauguration of the new administration in the United States.



Cho Byung-jae (bjcho81@gmail.com) is the secretary-general of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) and also a visiting professor emeritus at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies of Kyungnam University. Cho was a career diplomat and his last position at the Foreign Ministry was the chancellor of the Korean National Diplomatic Academy.


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Market Reports on Saudi Arabia Provides the Trending Market Research Report on Saudi Arabia Telecom ICT Infrastructure Market, By Component (Hardware, Software, Services), By Deployment Mode (Cloud v/s On-Premises), By Network Type (Fixed v/s Wireless), By End User (Telecom Service Providers, Enterprises, Government, Others), By Region, Forecast & Opportunities, 2025 under Telecom category. The Saudi Arabia Telecom ICT Infrastructure 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.

Saudi Arabia Telecom Ict Infrastructure Market was valued USD 1510.3 Million in 2019 and is forecast to grow at 5.74% until 2025 to reach USD 1879.35 Million in the next five years. Growing popularity of smart devices coupled with increasing broadband & mobile penetration are driving the telecom ICT infrastructure market of Saudi Arabia.

The growing Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend is also resulting in demand for improving telecom connectivity across various enterprises. It offers flexibility for employees in working from home, client location or in transit thereby propelling the market during the forecast period. The launch of 5G is a major factor bolstering the growth of market. The supportive government initiatives for commercialization of 5G network are propelling the market. Furthermore, upgradation of existing telecom infrastructure by the telecom service providers in the country is further spurring the market growth. The telecom service providers are extending their network coverage and are offering more efficient and cost effective services. The flourishing connected devices market is also positively impacting the growth of market. Also, increasing cellular internet penetration coupled with the growing adoption of cloud is anticipated to fuel the market through 2025. However, increasing rate of cybercrime over the wireless telecom network can hamper the growth of market during forecast period.

Request a free sample copy of Saudi Arabia Telecom ICT Infrastructure Market Report @ http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/sample/reports/2088759

The Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market is segmented based on component, deployment mode, network type, end user, company and region. Based on component, the market can be categorized into hardware, software and service. The service component can be further bifurcated into professional and managed. The professional services component segment is expected to dominate the market during the forecast period since these are the most preferred type of services which form the backbone of the telecom infrastructure.

Major players operating in the Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market include ZTE Corporation, Ciena Corporation, Cisco Systems, Inc, CommScope, Inc, Fortinet, Inc, Fujitsu Ltd, Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd, Juniper Networks Inc and others. The companies are developing advanced technologies and launching new services in order to stay competitive in the market. Other competitive strategies include mergers & acquisitions and new service developments.

Years considered for this report:

Historical Years: 2015-2018

Base Year: 2019

Estimated Year: 2020

Forecast Period: 20212025

Objective of the Study:

 To analyze and forecast the market size of Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market.

 To classify and forecast Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market based on component, deployment mode, network type, end user, company and regional distribution.

 To identify drivers and challenges for Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market.

 To examine competitive developments such as expansions, new product launches, mergers & acquisitions, etc., in Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market.

 To identify and analyze the profile of leading players operating in Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market.

Our Research performed both primary as well as exhaustive secondary research for this study. Initially, Our Research sourced a list of service providers across the globe. Subsequently, Our Research conducted primary research surveys with the identified companies. While interviewing, the respondents were also enquired about their competitors. Through this technique, Our Research could include the service providers which could not be identified due to the limitations of secondary research. Our Research analyzed the services, distribution channels and presence of all major players across the globe.

Our Research calculated the market size of Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market using a bottom-up approach, wherein data for various end-user segments was recorded and forecast for the future years. Our Research sourced these values from the industry experts and company representatives and externally validated through analyzing historical data of these product types and applications for getting an appropriate, overall market size. Various secondary sources such as company websites, news articles, press releases, company annual reports, investor presentations and financial reports were also studied by Our Research.

Key Target Audience:

 Telecom ICT infrastructure service providers, vendors and other stakeholders

 Government bodies such as regulating authorities and policy makers

 Organizations, forums and alliances related to telecom ICT infrastructure

 Market research and consulting firms

The study is useful in providing answers to several critical questions that are important for the industry stakeholders such as service providers and partners, end users, etc., besides allowing them in strategizing investments and capitalizing on market opportunities.

Report Scope:

In this report, Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market has been segmented into following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

 Market, By Component:

Hardware

Networking Equipment

Transmitting Device

End Point Device

Software

Operations Support Software

Business Support Software

Network Management Software

Others

Service

Professional

Managed

 Market, By Deployment Mode:

Cloud

On-Premises

 Market, By Network Type:

Fixed

Wireless

 Market, By End User:

Telecom Service Providers

Enterprises

Government

Others

 Market, By Region:

Western Region

Central Region

Eastern Region

Rest of Saudi Arabia

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Saudi Arabia telecom ICT infrastructure market.

Available Customizations:

With the given market data, Our Research offers customizations according to a company's specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

Company Information

 Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

Browse our full report with Table of Contents: http://www.marketreportsonsaudiarabia.com/marketreports/saudi-arabia-telecom-ict-infrastructure-market-by-component-hardware-software-services-by-deployment-mode-cloud -v / 2088759

About Us

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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Frost in Mu Cang Chai district of Yen Bai province (Photo by Mu Cang Chai Color)

Since January 8, the temperature of the northern mountainous provinces dropped low, and many places are blanketed in snow, such as Sapa (Lao Cai), Mau Son (Lang Son), Mu Cang Chai (Yen Bai), and Binh Lieu (Quang Ninh), creating a new attraction for travellers who like to explore and adventure. As soon as pictures of snow and ice went viral on social networks, many tourists decided to brave the below 0 degrees Celsius temperatures to have a picnic and shoot photoes.

From 10pm on January 10 in many localities in Y Ty commune, Lao Cai province such as Phin Ho, Ngai Che, Phan Can Su, trees, mountains, and houses were blanketed in white snow (Photo by Thinh Dao)

At 7 am on January 11, the Sapa meteorological station recorded temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius, with light snow and frost appearing between Ton station and the top of Fansipan. Snow began to fall at 12 pm on the same day (Photo by Thinh Dao)

This is the first recorded snowfall in Lao Cai since the beginning of winter (Photo by Thinh Dao)

Nguyen Hong Son, a visitor from Hanoi, said he had planned to go to Mau Son peak early to be able to record the rare appearance of snow in Vietnam. Son shared that he likes adventure and travel, so he is very excited to take the trip to challenge himself against the harsh weather.

Travel businesses take advantage of this opportunity to sell unique tours. Tran Dang An, director of Halo Travel, said that for many years, dense ice and snow have appeared in Quang Ninh. From a tourism perspective, this is an interesting natural phenomenon, creating curiosity for visitors.

In Yen Bai, frost covered the vegetation at the top of Khau Pha pass from January 9. This is one of the four highest peaks in Vietnam and is also a famous paragliding destination with its own annual paragliding festival (Photo by Thinh Dao)

Luong Duy Doanh, director of Five Star Travel, which organises many adventure tours, said that ice and snow have a buoyant effect on tourism.

Photo by Thinh Dao

Doanh added that the company has asked tour guides to regularly track the weather situation, remind visitors to prepare warm clothing, and warn tourists in bad health condition not to risk the trip.
Owning up. Bruce Willis expressed regret after being asked to leave a drugstore in Los Angles for not wearing a face mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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It was an error in judgment, the Die Hard star, 65, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Wednesday, January 13. Be safe out there everyone, and lets continue to mask up.

Willis came under fire after he was spotted shopping in a Rite Aid on Monday, January 11, without a protective face covering. Page Six published photos of him wearing a black leather jacket, a striped shirt, jeans, a baseball cap and a loose scarf around his neck in the store. The New York Post column later reported that he had been asked to leave and complied without making a purchase.

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The novel coronavirus has ravaged L.A. in recent weeks, making it the epicenter of the global crisis. Health officials said in a press release on Monday that an average of 10 people in the county test positive for the deadly virus every minute.

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Willis spent the early weeks of the pandemic quarantined in Idaho with his ex-wife, Demi Moore, and their three daughters, Rumer, 32, Scout, 29, and Tallulah, 26. His second wife, Emma Heming, meanwhile, stayed at the couples home in L.A. with their two daughters, Mabel, 8, and Evelyn, 6.

Scout explained in April 2020 that Heming, 42, and the actors youngest children were supposed to join Moore, 58, and his eldest daughters in Idaho, but Evelyn found a needle at a park and accidentally poked her foot with it, so she had to seek medical attention near home instead.

My stepmom had to be in L.A. waiting to, like, get the results for taking her to the doctor, Scout said on the Dopey podcast at the time. My dad came up here early, and then travel got crazy and my stepmom stayed in L.A. with my little sisters.

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Willis ultimately reunited with Heming, Mabel and Evelyn in May 2020. Shortly after he arrived home, the Malta-born model shared a photo of herself riding an ATV with her husband and their youngest daughter.

The Golden Globe nominee was married to Moore from November 1987 to October 2000. After a brief engagement to Brooke Burns, he wed Heming in March 2009. The Ghost star, who detailed her divorce from Willis in her memoir, Inside Out, attended her ex-husband and Hemings vow renewal in March 2019.

Given the constantly evolving nature of COVID-19, Us Weekly wants our readers to have access to the most accurate resources. For the most up-to-date coronavirus information, guidance, and support, consult the CDC, WHO, and information from local public health officials. If youre experiencing coronavirus symptoms, call your primary care provider for medical advice.
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Jordan launched a Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday, beginning with jabs for healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60

Amman, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jan, 2021 ) :Jordan launched a Covid-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday, beginning with jabs for healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60.

The kingdom said on Saturday that it had granted an "emergency licence" for the use of China's Sinopharm vaccine, the second vaccine it approved after the US-German Pfizer-BioNTech.

The first injections were given at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, after the authorities designated 29 vaccination centres across Jordan, including seven in the capital Amman.

Wael Hayajneh, head of the epidemics and communicable diseases deaprtment at the health ministry, said Jordan was among the "first 40 countries to be vaccinated" against the novel coronavirus.

"I advise everyone to take the vaccine as it is the only trusted solution to end the coronavirus," Doctor Etimad al-Khawaja told AFP after getting a shot.

"The health situation in Jordan will not get better unless we all get vaccinated." The government says its priority is to give the vaccines -- which are free for Jordanians and foreign residents -- to about a quarter of the country's 10 million inhabitants.

Health Minister Natheer Obeidat expressed hope that everyone would register and get innoculated.

"The vaccination process... targets the elderly, people with chronic diseases, and medical staff in the first stage, but our overall goal is to reach and vaccinate the largest number of citizens" possible, he told state television.

Jordan has recorded 310,000 cases of Covid-19 infection and more than 4,000 deaths. It has detected five cases of a more contagious variant first detected in England.
M ike Pence has ruled out using the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office following the US Capitol riot.

With the House of Representatives on the cusp of an impeachment of Mr Trump, Vice President Mr Pence encouraged Congress to avoid actions to further divide and inflame the passions of the moment.

Mr Trump earlier refused to take any responsibility for the US Capitol riot, in which his supporters smashed into the building, and said his speech for the mob was totally appropriate.

In a letter to House speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr Pence said the mechanism should not be used as a means of punishment or usurpation and reserved for cases of medical or mental incapacitation. The focus instead should be on smoothing the transition to President-elect Joe Bidens administration, he said.

Pro-Trump supporters storm US Capitol 1 /43 Pro-Trump supporters storm US Capitol U.S. Capitol Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Police officers use pepper spray on pro-Trump protesters during the clashes REUTERS U.S. Capitol Police hold protesters at gun-point near the House Chamber inside the U.S. Capitol AP An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington REUTERS A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber Getty Images Smoke fills the walkway outside the Senate Chamber as supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers inside the Capitol AP A supporter of US President Donald Trump struggles with a riot policeman after the protester pushed a line of police outside the Capitol building AFP via Getty Images People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol AP Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier AP Supporters of President Donald Trump puts water in his eyes after U.S. Capitol Police deployed a chemical agent outside of the U.S. Capitol AP Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, AP Police keep a watch on demonstrators who tried to break through a police barrier AP Donald Trump President Donald Trump speaks at a rally AP With the Washington Monument in the background, people attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump near the White House AP Demonstrators break TV equipment outside the the U.S. Capitol AP Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, REUTERS Police confront supporters of President Donald Trump as they demonstrate on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defenses, in Washington REUTERS Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump clash with police officers in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington REUTERS Law enforcement officers push back against supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump attempting to enter U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress REUTERS Protesters clash with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress REUTERS Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol AP U.S. President-elect Joe Biden clasps his hands in prayer as he speaks about the violent protests in and around the U.S. Capitol in Washington REUTERS A supporter of President Donald Trump carries a Confederate battle flag on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defences in Washington, REUTERS Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump cover their faces to protect from tear gas during a clash with police officers in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington REUTERS Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they push barricades to storm the US Capitol AFP via Getty Images A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask as he protests after storming the US Capitol AFP via Getty Images Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol AFP via Getty Images Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Vice President Mike Pence talk before a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington AP The House Chamber is empty after a hasty evacuation as protesters tried to break into the chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington AP Damage is visible in the hallways in the early morning hours after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington AP Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images Tear gas is released into a crowd of protesters during clashes with Capitol police at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building REUTERS Congress staffers hold up their hands while Capitol Police Swat teams check everyone in the room as they secure the floor of Trump suporters in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask and holds a bust of him after he and hundreds of others stormed stormed the Capitol building AFP via Getty Images Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images A pro-Trump protester carries the lectern of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi through the Roturnda of the U.S. Capitol Building after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building Getty Images Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda AFP via Getty Images A pro-Trump mob gathers inside the Senate chamber in the U.S. Capitol after groups stormed the building Getty Images Police with guns drawn stand near a barricaded door as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Members of the Oath Keepers are seen among supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress REUTERS Getty Images

Ms Pelosi has called on Mr Pence to secure the majority of the Cabinet and vote to declare Mr Trump unfit to serve. This came less than a week after the president fomented the violent insurrection at the Capitol.

Ms Pelosi has said if Mr Pence rejects use of the 25th Amendment, the House will move to impeach him. Already, at least three Republicans have said they would vote for that.

The presidents comments appeared to encourage the protesters to march on the Capitol building, and he praised them while they were still carrying out the assault.

People thought that what I said was totally appropriate, Mr Trump said during his first appearance in public since the Capitol siege last week.

Donald Trump points to a member of the audience after speaking near a section of the US-Mexico border wal / AP

Mr Trump brushed off Democratic calls on his Cabinet to declare him unfit from office and remove him from power using the 25th Amendment.

The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration, President Trump said. As the expression goes, be careful of what you wish for.

His remarks came during a visit to the site of the 450th mile of the border wall his administration is building.

The rampage through the halls of Congress sent lawmakers of both parties and President Trumps own vice president into hiding, as crowds called for Mike Pences lynching for his role overseeing the vote count.

The scene also undermined the hallmark of the republic  the peaceful transition of power. At least five people died, including one Capitol Police officer.

In the days leading up to the January 6 certification vote, President Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington DC.

He promised a wild rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administrations findings to the contrary.

Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd on the Ellipse, Mr Trump encouraged supporters to fight like hell.

He suggested that Republican lawmakers would need more courage not to step up and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office.

He also suggested he would join them in marching on the Capitol.

As President Trump wrapped up, thousands of his supporters were already heading to the Capitol, where lawmakers convened to count the electoral votes.

As rioters were still in the building and lawmakers sheltered in secure locations, President Trump, at the urging of aides who were shocked by the violence, released a video seemingly excusing the events, saying of the rioters: We love you. Youre very special. Go home.

Speaking on Tuesday, President Trump said the real problem was not his rhetoric, but the rhetoric that Democrats used to describe Black Lives Matter protests and violence in Seattle and Portland this summer,

Everybody to the T thought it was totally appropriate, President Trump said of his own comments.
(CNN) -- Two US Capitol Police officers were suspended and up to 15 more are under investigation for their behavior during last week's assault on the Capitol, and federal agents will look at whether current and former law enforcement officers played a role in the riot.

One of the Capitol police officers took a selfie with someone who was part of the mob that overtook the Capitol and the other wore a "Make America Great Again" hat and started directing people around the building, according to Rep. Tim Ryan, an Ohio Democrat. He didn't disclose how many other officers were under investigation but confirmed it was between 10 and 15, and didn't say what they were being scrutinized for except that it was their behavior during the riot.

Ryan added that one individual had been arrested, but he did not know if that person was a police officer or part of the National Guard. He said more details on the arrest would come later.

The federal investigative interest is a priority and a part of the broader investigation into the mob at the Capitol, sources said. The investigation into insurrectionist ties to law enforcement is a priority because the skills that officers are trained to use during their duties could be useful to an extremist mob, authorities say. This includes clearing rooms, taking custody of people, securing areas and handling firearms.

Democratic members of the House have also raised questions about potential sympathies for the attackers among the ranks of US Capitol Police. That agency hasn't responded to CNN's request for comment.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, is among those who have others questions about whether some Capitol Police officers aided the protesters and were complicit in Wednesday's insurrection. Clyburn, for instance, said it was fishy that the rioters knew the location of lawmakers' offices.

Early videos -- one showing a Trump supporter taking a selfie with a police officer near an entrance to the Capitol and another appearing to show police letting protesters into the building -- went viral on social media.

The second video was later found to have been taken an hour after the Capitol had been breached.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, a California Democrat who chairs one of the House committees that oversee Capitol Police, said there would be an investigation into those videos.

"A number of social media have indicated concerns about individual officers who, you know, if you look at the video, may have taken selfies with these seditionists or even let them in," Lofgren said. "We need to thoroughly investigate that, but I also know there were many officers who responded with tremendous bravery. Many officers were injured protecting the Capitol and we do thank them for their patriotism in protecting this temple of democracy."

Investigations across the country

At least seven officers in five other departments across the country have come under internal investigations as their presence in Washington during the assault comes to light through social media or other means.

One officer in New York, one in Philadelphia, two in Seattle, two in Virginia and one in Texas are under investigation by their departments for potential rules violations. Additionally, some departments have been contacted by the FBI as part of their criminal investigation into the overrunning of the Capitol.

The number may grow as investigators and the public sift through social media and lodge allegations that officers may have been involved in the siege.

Police departments have said their investigation will hinge on what type of involvement officers are found to had with last week's assault.

"There's a big difference between walking down Pennsylvania Avenue and expressing yourself and going into a building where rioters pushed police and hit police and pushed them out of the way to get in," said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum.

"That will be the question. They just came and they marched, versus did they go inside the building and become part of a (riot)."

No law enforcement member has been charged with a crime.

More than 70 million people voted for Trump in the 2020 election and he often touted police as strong supporters. An on-duty officer was killed in last week's assault and dozens of others were injured. The Fraternal Order of Police, which supported Trump in both the 2016 and 2020 elections, released a statement calling on him to denounce those who attacked the Capitol and urging everyone to "reject the use of violence and to obey the orders of law enforcement."

The FBI is investigating the attack on the Capitol and members of Congress have promised investigations. A spokeswoman for the Capitol Police has not responded to requests for comment.

Wexler said almost every police department has a "conduct unbecoming" section of its rulebook that could be used to discipline officers for their conduct Wednesday. Officers can exercise their First Amendment rights but need to preserve credibility so they can testify, he said.

"Being a police officer really is different from other positions in that credibility is very important in terms of testifying in cases," he said. "Your activity outside when you're a police officer becomes relevant to testifying. ... That worries police chiefs. That's why you have internal affairs investigations opened up when you have reason to believe officers were involved."

"I think it's worth investigating. It's totally worth investigating," Wexler said. "You have a police officer who died as a result of these rioters. You have enormous concerns about safety, about police officers working the event."

Wexler said investigators have will to determine whether they were just attending a rally or if they gained access to the Capitol with the mob seeking to overturn the election.

"Did they use the fact they were police officers to gain access in some way? That would be highly problematic. Did they go into the building and follow others who broke into the building? That would be highly problematic and could cost them their job," Wexler said.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire

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Photo: The Canadian Press Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, returns to B.C. Supreme Court after a break from a hearing, in Vancouver, on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. Meng, who is free on bail while fighting extradition to the U.S., is seeking to have the terms of her release conditions changed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Lawyers for Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou have asked British Columbia's Supreme Court to ease her bail conditions as she fights extradition to the United States.

Her husband, Liu Xiaozong, testified Tuesday that he believes Meng is at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 because of her proximity to members of her private security detail whenever she leaves home.

He said his wife is a survivor of thyroid cancer and has hypertension. He told the court their children are also afraid of being publicly identified during visits to Vancouver due to the presence of private security.

Meng, Huawei's chief financial officer, was released on bail shortly after she was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver's airport by Canadian officials acting on a U.S. warrant.

Meng's lawyers want her to be allowed to leave the couple's Vancouver home without the security detail from Lions Gate Risk Management outside the hours of her curfew, which runs between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. She also wears an electronic monitoring device and is limited to visiting certain parts of Vancouver.

"We're not seeking to vary the physical and electronic surveillance of her residence, but allowing her to leave without having to be in a vehicle with Lions Gate and wherever she goes, followed by several Lions Gate personnel," said William Smart, a member of her defence team.

The court heard Tuesday that Liu has been in Vancouver since October, while their children joined them in December with plans to return to Hong Kong next month.

Speaking English and aided by an interpreter, Liu said he has seen people taking photos of his wife "many times" during outings.

Under cross-examination by John Gibb-Carsley, a lawyer for Canada's attorney general, Liu agreed he's able to spend time with his wife at home within curfew hours. He also agreed that Meng can still go out to restaurants, shop and socialize outside her curfew hours in the geographic area approved by the court.

Gibb-Carsley questioned Liu about the public health protocols he followed after travelling to Vancouver in October, suggesting that if Liu truly had a concern that (Meng) was at a higher risk of COVID-19, he wouldnt have self-isolated at their home upon his arrival.

Liu disagreed and said Meng didnt want him to quarantine at a hotel.

Gibb-Carsley also asked about a photograph of Meng in a group of people outside the B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver in May around the time a decision was expected on whether the extradition case would proceed.

Liu told the court he counted 11 people in the photo, some of whom he recognized as members of Mengs team in Vancouver.

He agreed with Gibb-Carsley that while the pandemic was present in B.C. at the time the photo was taken, the people in the photo were not wearing face masks or practising physical distancing.

Gibb-Carsley asked if Liu was aware that arrangements were made to take Meng back to China if the court ruled in her favour at the time with a plane chartered from China Southern Airlines.

Yes, said Liu.

The president of Lions Gate Risk Management, Doug Maynard, testified Tuesday he is regularly briefed by staff assigned to Meng, who is responsible for paying for the security detail.

Questioned by Gibb-Carsley, Maynard told the court his staff observed Meng dining at restaurants in groups of 10 or more people last month.

"That would appear to be not consistent with, I would say, good strategies for mitigating the spread of COVID," he said, pointing to B.C. public health rules that prohibit gatherings between people from different households.

Maynard said the company has implemented health and safety protocols, including frequent sanitization of the vehicle Meng travels in and daily temperature checks for members of her security detail.

The company was made aware early in the pandemic that Meng had "underlying health issues," said Maynard, though he didn't have details.

He said they perform their highest level of COVID protocol wherever their staff are in her presence.

A Lions Gate employee who remains in the security team's "control van" outside Meng's home tested positive for COVID-19 while on leave and did not return to work until a medical professional signed off, he said.

Maynard told the court that the primary risk when Meng was first released on bail in December 2018 was that she might try to flee. Other considerations included her extraction from Canada, as well as threats of extortion or harm to Meng.

Asked if those concerns still exist from his perspective, Maynard said I believe they do."

Meng is facing extradition to the United States on fraud charges, which both she and Huawei deny. U.S. officials allege she misrepresented the company's business dealings in Iran, putting HSBC bank at risk of violating American sanctions against that country.

Meng's lawyers are fighting her extradition on a number of fronts, including arguing that she was subjected to abuse of process during her arrest and should be freed.

In addition to arguing that Meng's arrest was unlawful, they also allege that U.S. authorities misrepresented their case against her to Canada, and that Meng was used as a political pawn by U.S. President Donald Trump.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  When Kent Innovation High School opened its doors in 2011, school leaders had set out to offer students an instructional model gaining in popularity - project-based learning.

The high school, which serves students from districts throughout Kent County, embraced a teaching approach where students learned by actively engaging in real-word projects. They gained knowledge and skills by working collaboratively to investigate and respond to a question, problem, or challenge.

In the decade since the schools opening, educators countywide have been influenced by its curriculum, implementing similar programs in their own districts.

Now, 10 years after it launched, the school is preparing to close its doors for good. But the emerging instructional strategy first launched at Kent Innovation High has made a lasting impact on schools across the region and will likely stick around long after its closure.

The Grand Rapids school, located at 1655 E Beltline Ave. NE, is slated to close once its current tenth grade class graduates. The KISD school board voted in May not to accept any ninth graders this school year as part of a transition plan to gradually phase out the school in the next three years because of declining enrollment.

RELATED: School board approves closing Kent County high school

Enrollment at the school has seen a steady decline over the past seven years, currently at 168 students for grades 10-12. While the school was built for 400 students, enrollment has been below 300 since the 2014-15 school year.

Part of the reason enrollment has declined at Kent Innovation is because the schools once unique curriculum has been implemented in neighboring school districts in recent years. Kent ISD has 20 school districts.

Weve had many of our member districts (within KISD) come in to observe Kent Innovation High to determine how they might apply that type of instruction in their own districts, Kent ISD Interim Superintendent Ron Koehler said.

Theyve since integrated project-based programming as an option for students perhaps to a traditional math class or government class.

Project-based learning has become popular in some of the largest Kent County school districts, including Forest Hills, Rockford, Grand Rapids, and Caledonia.

One example is the gone boarding course launched at Forest Hills Eastern High School in 2013, where students gain experience in surf boarding, long boarding, snowboarding and paddle boarding.

Students develop a number of skills through the boarding project, including designing and building the boards themselves, learning to use the boards, and marketing ideas to field executives.

Rockford launched its Creative Teaching and Learning Center the 2019-20 school year. The space was carefully designed to facilitate interactions between teams of students to promote a more cooperative and collaborative learning.

The idea is, how can we engage a student more directly in their educational opportunities and make them more exciting and interesting than, you know, sitting in a desk all pointed at the teacher, lectures and tests, Koehler said.

But it isnt a bad thing that Kent Innovation High School is closing because other school districts have implemented the same curriculum, Koehler explained. In fact, thats what school leaders had set out to do in the first place with its creation.

Its good news that we actually accomplished what we set out to do in terms of spreading that type of learning throughout the region, he said.

The school was largely created in response to the statewide standardization of curriculum a decade ago, geared toward preparing students for college. But school leaders at the time worried of alienating students who wouldnt be able to learn with that curriculum, Koehler said.

We were looking for what would engage them in greater rigor and make learning more relevant to them, he said. This was an opportunity for students to come in and have their core content at all four high school grades in a hands-on learning environment where their projects encompassed the content expectations.

The innovative curriculum was a huge success for students, and school leaders from across the region and state came to observe Kent Innovation Highs practices, Koehler said.

In 2012, the school was named a National Demonstration Site by California-based New Tech Network, welcoming teachers from around the country to learn about the fundamentals of the school.

But Kent Innovations success was a double-edged sword. As more schools implemented project-based learning, fewer students came to Kent Innovation.

Once students had many of those opportunities in their home school, most students were reluctant to leave their school for a smaller program on a remote campus, which requires transportation or their own ability to get back and forth, Koehler said.

Kent ISD administrators eventually decided to cut back on recruitment efforts, resulting in even fewer new students at the school.

We decided to stop, you know, sending packets of information to families across the ISD and encouraging them to enroll, and instead well work with individual districts on implementing curriculum, Koehler said.

So, all of those forces led to a decline, such that we can no longer support financially the full program for such a small number of students.

Kent Innovation pushed innovative practices that were replicated within local school districts.

We know there are students who benefit from (project-based learning), Koehler said. And we wouldnt have that at our schools today without the experience and the knowledge that was accumulated at (Kent) Innovation High, which prompted principals and superintendents to say, We need to do that here.

More on MLive:

Jenison Superintendent Tom TenBrink is retiring after 34 years with the school district

Enrollment decline in Saline schools caused by COVID 19, progressive curriculum, officials say

Grand Rapids, Muskegon school leaders applaud governors calls for in-person learning
A delivery driver was killed Sunday night when a load of construction materials fell on him at a Home Depot store in Florida, police said.

News outlets report that a load of drywall struck 47-year-old Cyrenus Leroy Amon around 7:30 p.m. at a Home Depot store in St. Petersburg.

Amon worked for United States Gypsum Co., St. Petersburg police spokeswoman Yolanda Fernandez told news outlets.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the incident, she said.

Were deeply saddened by this tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the family and loved ones, Home Depot said in a statement. We immediately contacted the proper authorities and are working with them on their investigation.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 23:38:43|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations will partner with Kenya to study the East Africa nation's rising water levels in lakes, a UN official said on Wednesday.

Walid Badawi, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative in Kenya, said in Nairobi that Lakes Baringo, Naivasha and parts of Lake Victoria have in recent times experienced a dangerous increase of water levels which have submerged homes and destroyed livelihoods.

"As UNDP, we are working with key stakeholders, under the leadership of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to understand the underlying causes for these water level rises and to put in place measures to mitigate these impacts and to prevent a future reoccurrence of these man-made pressures on the environment," Badawi said during the launch of the Human Development Report 2020: the next frontier: Human Development and the Anthropocene.

Badawi said that Africa's largest inland body of water, Lake Victoria, which is shared by Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, hit the highest level ever recorded in mid-May 2020, submerging parts of towns and whole villages on its banks.

He observed that the UNDP and Kenya's Ministry of Environment and Forestry, is finalizing a comprehensive report assessing the causes and the impacts of these lake level rises that will soon be launched.

Badawi said that though humanity has achieved incredible progress, we have taken the earth for granted as a result, our planet and societies are flashing red.

"Our actions are driving not just climate change and biodiversity collapse, but ocean acidification, air and water pollution and land degradation. We are destabilizing the very systems upon which we rely on for survival at unprecedented speed and scale as witnessed through numerous incidents," he added. Enditem
The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs - Dubai (GDRFADubai) and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) have announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement.

The agreement aims to enhance cooperation and promote online services and platforms designed to facilitate processes for the issuance of residency permits for various investor programmes and special visas. These include the Distinguished Guests and the Virtual Working programmes, "Golden Visas" for investors and retirement visa for retirees.

The agreement will enhance cooperation and communication between the two entities and pave the way for the exchange of expertise, experiences, studies, creative and innovative ideas and field visits, which contribute to Dubais development and help better serve residents and visitors.

GDRFA-Dubai and Dubai Tourism will also collaborate in organising training programmes and developing new proposals, as well as coordinating across related initiatives and their attendance at events and conferences within and outside the UAE.

The agreement is in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to position Dubai as a safe and stable international investment destination and the preferred destination for tourism and residency.

It also builds on collaboration and efforts to achieve sustainable development promote happiness and high quality of life, and safeguard the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

The agreement was signed by Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director-General, GDRFA - Dubai, and Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism). The signing ceremony was held at the head office of GDRFA-Dubai on January 12 and was attended by officials from both government bodies.

Major General Al Marri said: "We are committed to strengthening and consolidating cooperation between various government and private sectors in the UAE in general and Dubai in particular, as well as exchange experiences to facilitate procedures for residency permits for different categories of people."

Helal Almarri commented: "Our agreement with GDRFA-Dubai will boost recently launched development strategies inspired by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to position Dubai as the preferred destination for global travellers and foreigners seeking residency."

"As we continuously strive to innovate in showcasing the city as a must-visit destination, spurred on by new trends in global travel and the significant shift that we are now seeing in the way people choose to work, our partnership with GDRFA will help further enhance the initiatives launched by Dubai Tourism including the Retire in Dubai and Virtual Working programmes aimed at reinforcing Dubais status as the lifestyle and tourism destination of choice and the leading hub for remote work, entrepreneurship and investment."

The partnership agreement will facilitate the issuance of residency permits for investors, entrepreneurs, and retirees, along with other relevant processes, such as application assessment procedures and the issuance of special entry permits to those who are eligible to obtain an investor residency permit. GDRFA-Dubai and Dubai Tourism will collaborate on online services, providing useful links to various services. - TradeArabia News Service
Phuket quarantine guests allowed to roam hotel areas

PHUKET: People arriving in Phuket placed under a mandatory 14-day quarantine are allowed to roam the hotel where they are staying, and are not confined to their room, the Phuket health chief has confirmed.

COVID-19Coronavirushealth

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 13 January 2021, 12:57PM

Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong at the Phuket Communicable Disease Committee meeting at Phuket Provincial Hall yesterday (Jan 12). Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

However, there will be harsh penalties for any people under quarantine found outside their hotel area, Dr Thanit Sermkaew, Chief of the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO), told The Phuket News today (Jan 13).

Under the provincial order issued by Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew last Saturday (Jan 9), all people arriving in Phuket from the highest-risk provinces must quarantine for 14 days at an Alternative State Quarantine (ASQ) hotel or other appropriate venue after arriving in Phuket.



The only exception are those who are exiting a 14-day quarantine in Bangkok after testing negative for the virus. All such people must travel directly to Phuket immediately after being released from quarantine in Bangkok.

Under the provincial order, all people arriving from Samut Sakhon, Chonburi, Rayong, Chanthaburi or Trat must be quarantined for 14 days at an ASQ after arriving Phuket and must undergo swab tests.

People arriving from the provinces of Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi or Nakhon Pathom, from Nong Khaem District, Bang Phlat District, Bang Khae District, Bang Khun or Thian District in Bangkok, must also observe a 14-day quarantine after arriving in Phuket.

Phuket residents returning home from a red zone area may serve their quarantine at home, but must not leave their property for the quarantine period.

For people observing their quarantine at an ASQ, Dr Thanit said, It would be great if visitors from the red zone areas stay in their hotels [or homes], so we are asking for their cooperation. They do not need to stay only in their room. They are able to do activities within the hotel, such as having meals, swimming, yoga and other activities.

"Please do not go outside the hotel. That would be a good preventative measure in Phuket province," he added.

Dr Thanit pointed out that there are harsh penalties for people caught breaking the COVID-19 requirements, which includes being caught outside the quarantine area while still under quarantine.

Failure to comply with the COVID-19 order issued last Saturday may be punished under Section 51 of Disease Control Act 2015, which incurs a fine of up to B20,000, or under Section 52 of the act, which invokes a penalty of up to one year imprisonment or a fine of up to B100,000 or both, the order noted.

Those found breaching the order will also be charged under Section 18 of the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situations B.E. 2548 (2005), which invokes a penalty of up to two years imprisonment or up to B40,000 or both, the order warned.

The confirmation that people under quarantine in Phuket were allowed outside their rooms follows Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong request the people under quarantine do not leave the hotel grounds.

Right now Phuket is free from COVID-19 infected people, so our plan is to work with hotel management teams and other relevant people in the private sector to safely re-open to receive visitors from various areas, including the red, orange and yellow zones, he said.

Phuket officials have asked for the cooperation from operators to record the travel moments of guests before they arrived at the hotel and to request that their guests stay within the hotel area only, not to go outside of the hotel area, he added.

V/Gov Pichet also repeated the explanation that Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) will be responsible for ensuring that new arrivals in their respective areas comply with COVID-19 requirements.

V/Gov Pichet also warned that any persons found not complying with COVID-19 orders faced legal action.

If they fail to follow the law, they will be charged, he said.

The reason is that Phuket officials have issued provincial regulations for many sectors in order to take care of guests and make sure they [the guests] follow the provincial orders. All this is for the best preparation measures for the prevention of and to control the spread of COVID-19, V/Gov Pichet added.

Hopefully, many sectors will give good cooperation to keep Phuket free from COVID-19 together. The current Phuket order will remain in effect until Jan 31, he said.
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Rep. Jim Jordan, one of President Trumps most outspoken allies in Congress, dodged questions from a Democratic colleague on Tuesday who pressed him to state unequivocally that the 2020 presidential election was not stolen, and that President-elect Joe Biden defeated President Trump fair and square.

Im asking you to make a statement that the election was not stolen, House Rules Committee Chair Jim McGovern D-Mass., told Jordan, an Ohio Republican, in a session held video conference. That Joe Biden and Kamal Harris won fair and square. Thats the question.

No, the question you asked me was, Is Joe Biden, the vice president, president-elect? And I said yes, of course he is, Jordan responded.

McGovern was not satisfied with that answer. Just repeating the question, so Joe Biden won fair and square?

He won the election because how the process works is the last chance to object is January 6 and thats Jordan said before being interrupted by McGovern.

If we want to talk about healing, we have to talk about truth, McGovern said. And if we want to talk about healing, we also have to deal with the issue of accountability.

House Democrats are preparing to vote on Wednesday on impeaching Trump on a charge of incitement of insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 siege on the U.S. Capitol. Jordan and other Republicans call the move divisive.

I do not see how that unifies the country, Jordan said in a Sunday interview with Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. I hope what happens is what Senator Graham said Friday night when he asked Vice President Joe Biden, President elect Joe Biden, to give a speech to the country and say we should not be pursuing this impeachment, we should not be pursuing the this 25th Amendment.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) wears a protective mask during a Rules Committee meeting at the U.S. Capitol on January 12, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

Yet for Democrats the linkage between unsubstantiated voter fraud claims and the insurrection at the Capitol is clear and warrants action.

On Wednesday, the President incited a deadly insurrection against America that targeted the very heart of our Democracy, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a Monday statement. The President represents an imminent threat to our Constitution, our Country and the American people, and he must be removed from office immediately.

But as McGoverns line of questioning to Jordan shows, a core issue for Democrats is whether Trumps disproven claims of voter fraud, and the willingness of Republican lawmakers to spread them, will continue to go unchallenged.

It was Trump who exhorted his supporters to attend the Jan. 6 Stop the Steal rally, based on the flawed premise that massive voter fraud had robbed him of victory. For weeks Trump promoted every wild and unfounded claim he could find to help explain his defeat in both the popular vote and in the Electoral College, and Republicans like Jordan helped propagate that message even before Election Day.

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Since the election, Trumps legal team and its allies have lost 64 court cases in an attempt to overturn the results. Recounts in Wisconsin and Georgia failed to change the outcome in those states, and the argument from Trumps supporters shifted from alleged irregularities to assertions that in view of the pandemic some states had loosened absentee and vote-by-mail regulations without passing the changes through their legislatures. Even so, election officials in every state, including the ones where Trump has contested the results, have stepped forward to report there is simply no evidence of voter fraud.

After Trump directed his supporters to march to the U.S. Capitol to protest the Congressional joint session to count the Electoral College votes submitted and certified by all the states, a mob stormed the building. Five people were killed and dozens of police officers were injured in the melee.

Yet even after the violence stoked by weeks of election fraud claims unfolded, Jordan and 138 of his House Republican colleagues cast votes to block the certification.

President Donald Trump's supporters push back a police car while gathering outside the Capitol Building. (Photo by Probal Rashid/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Outside of Washington, the consequences for members are mounting. Companies including Marriott, AT&T, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Comcast, Best Buy, Amazon and Verizon (the parent company of Yahoo News) have announced they will suspend campaign donations to candidates who contested the Electoral College certification. Others, such as Facebook, JPMorgan Chase, BP and Goldman Sachs said they have paused donations to political action committees in general.

On Tuesday, Harvard Universitys Institute of Politics asked Rep. Elaine Stefanik to step down from its advisory committee because she made public assertions about voter fraud in Novembers presidential election that have no basis in evidence."

A day earlier, citing their votes to challenge the certification of Bidens win, Hallmark Cards asked Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Roger Marshall of Kansas to return donations its employees had made to the two politicians through its political action committee over the past two years, the Kansas City Star reported.

Hallmark believes the peaceful transition of power is part of the bedrock of our democratic system, and we abhor violence of any kind, Hallmark spokeswoman JiaoJiao Shen said in a statement. The recent actions of Senators Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall do not reflect our companys values. As a result, HALLPAC requested Sens. Hawley and Marshall to return all HALLPAC campaign contributions.

Not every Republican who voted along with Jordan is standing by the decision to try to keep Trump in power. North Carolina freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn said this week that he regretted his.

"Once you start floating this idea of election fraud and people outright stealing an election and cheating, that has only one outcome, Cawthorn said in an interview with WTVD-TV news. The party as a whole should have been much more wise about their choice of words.

But one prominent Republican hasnt backed away from Jordan: President Trump, who on Tuesday awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in recognition of his role in confronting the impeachment witch hunt. (That was President Trumps earlier impeachment, in 2019.) In a departure from previous practice, the ceremony was closed to the media.

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company

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KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CYDERES, the Security-as-a-Service division of Fishtech Group and a Top 25 MSSP, today announced a partnership with SOC Prime, the leader in Continuous Security Intelligence, to bring SOC Prime detection content to all CYDERES managed security customers. Through the partnership, CYDERES customers benefit immediately from the SOC Prime Threat Detection Marketplace, the largest SaaS threat detection content platform in the world used by more than 12,000 security practitioners from 6,000-plus companies.

CYDERES analysts and developers will now be able to assemble customized content based on each client's uniquely generated threat profile from a growing library of over 85,000 queries, rules, parsers, machine learning models, SOC ready dashboards, and more content items. By increasing the availability and quality of threat detection content, CYDERES will be able to offer clients improved MTTR to new exploits and vulnerabilities, further reducing risk and ensuring the safety of their customers' data and systems. Benefits from this partnership include:

High-fidelity threat detections through CYDERES Cloud Native Analytics Platform (CNAP) and Managed Detection + Response (MDR) services

Collaboration and response to new and emerging threats in real time

Tight correlation and mapping to the MITRE ATT&CK() framework

Integration with Chronicle Security and other SIEM platforms along with other telemetry platforms (EDR and NTA solutions like CrowdStrike and Corelight)

The combined strength of a global community of threat researchers and SOC Prime's own threat detection expertise keeps SOC and Cyber Response teams continuously abreast of the ever emerging and evolving threats that assault us every day. With a focus on the tools, techniques, and practices of the malicious adversary, TDM detection content is not solely reliant upon simple alerts and indicators and is very effective at finding evidence and identifying advanced attacks across a wide range of SIEM and analytics platforms. In the toolkit of the skilled practitioners at CYDERES, efficiency and efficacy of the threat hunt is significantly improved. With immediate access to all of SOC Primes premium content, CYDERES clients can now expect even higher levels of security detection and response.

"This partnership enables CYDERES CNAP to provide advanced detection content without increasing our human capital, helping us deliver on the vision of "legendary service at a fair price" that's been so instrumental in helping us disrupt the legacy MSSP industry. More importantly, with this incredible baseline of rules, we can repurpose our detection engineering team on creating highly customized content to optimize security protection for each of our clients," said Eric Foster, Co-Founder and President of CYDERES.

"We are delighted to add CYDERES to our fast-expanding family of MDR and MSSP partners. Our vision at SOC Prime is to be the global content platform for all SOC teams and we can't fulfill this without their help. CYDERES has been making waves in MDR for several years offering a fresh and innovative engagement and service and we look forward to growing with them," said Allen Male, Global Head of Partnerships at SOC Prime.

CYDERES customers will start to see the SOC Prime content available and in action immediately with broader customization through 2021. For those customers with SOC's and enterprise SIEM's outside of the managed services from CYDERES, they can license SOC Prime Threat Detection Marketplace with an add-on subscription through Fishtech.

About SOC Prime Threat Detection Marketplace

SOC Prime Threat Detection Marketplace is the leading SaaS platform for SOC content, containing over 85,000 detection and response algorithms aligned to the MITRE ATT&CK() framework and compatible with 20+ most popular SIEM, EDR, and NTDR security solutions. With Threat Detection Marketplace, organizations can automatically keep their threat detection capabilities up to date for critical vulnerabilities and exploits, APT, cybercrime, the most common enterprise software, as well as IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS.

About CYDERES and Fishtech

Fishtech Group is the leading current generation security-as-a-service solutions provider for enabling secure and successful business transformation.

Born in the cloud, Fishtech Group includes the 24-7 Cyber Defense and Response division CYDERES and security analytics firm Haystax in Mclean, VA.

SOURCE Fishtech Group
Yet another tower deal has been announced  one of the biggest yet, comprising sites in Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina along with Germany and Spain.

American Tower Corporation has announced that it has entered into definitive agreements under which it will acquire multinational telecommunications company Telefonicas subsidiary Telxius Towers, a global telecommunications infrastructure company.

The deal comprises approximately 30,722 existing communications sites in Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina, Germany and Spain. The total consideration for the transaction is said to be approximately 7.7 billion (or $9.4 billion).

American Tower says it expects to spend approximately $500 million to construct a committed pipeline of approximately 3,300 new sites in Germany and Brazil through 2025.

As well as the boost the deal will give to its European business, American Tower has noted that the agreement is complementary for its Latin American portfolio and positions it to drive strong long-term organic growth across both regions while augmenting its new build programmes and enhancing its relationships with key tenants.

American Tower is a leading independent owner, operator and developer of multitenant communications real estate with a portfolio of over 183,000 communications sites.

Telefonica has also welcomed the deal. The President of Telefonica, Jose Maria Alvarez-Pallete, said: "This is a deal that makes strategic sense within our roadmap. American Towers was our second supplier after Telxius. He added: After this great operation we will continue to focus on our most ambitious objectives: the integration of O2 with Virgin in the United Kingdom, the purchase of Oi mobile in Brazil and the reduction of debt.

The company added that American Tower will now become Telefonica's leading supplier in both Europe and Latin America and maintains its status as a partner in strategic projects in Brazil, Argentina and Colombia.
The death has occurred of Thomas (Tom) Clerkin

Killeaney, Kilcloon, Meath / Kildare

Peacefully at Connolly Hospital, Blanchardstown.Tom, predeceased by his brother Michael, sisters Maureen and Anne.Deeply regretted by his wife Betty, brothers James,Tony and Brendan, sisters Betty, Carmel and Olive. Sadly missed by his sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, grand-nephews and grand-nieces, relatives and friends

May He Rest In Peace

Due to government advice regarding public gatherings a private funeral Mass will take place for family in the Church of the Assumption,Batterstown on Thursday 14th at 11:00am with burial in the adjoining cemetery.Those who would have liked to attend, but due to current restrictions cannot, please leave a personal message for the Clerkin family in the 'Condolences' section below.Tom's funeral cortege will travel from Killeaney via Kilcloon to Batterstown. Friends and neighbours are very welcome to line that route in a safe and socially distanced manner as a mark of respect.

Tom's funeral Mass will be available to view on https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP9r-TImpfda1JjNI_pni-A/featured

Family flowers only please, donations if desired to St Vincent de Paul.



The death has occurred of Seamus Jacob

Allenwood South, Allenwood, Kildare

Suddenly at his home. Sadly missed by his loving brother Joe, sister Kitty, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives, neighbours and friends.

May Seamus Rest in Peace

In line with Government advice regarding public gatherings, a private family funeral will take place. Removal on Thursday morning to arrive at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Allenwood for Requiem Mass at 11 o'clock. Burial afterwards in Allen 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 page below. Mass will be live-streamed on the Allen Parish Facebook page.



The death has occurred of Luigi MARSELLA

Kilwarden, Castlewarden, Kildare / Rathcoole, Dublin

Marsella (Kilwarden and formerly of Marsellas Take Away, Rathcoole)  Jan 11, 2021, (peacefully), surrounded by his loving family, at Naas General Hospital, Luigi, beloved husband of Maria and dear father of Angelo, Lucia, Rosa and Rito and Anna; Sadly missed by his loving wife, sons, daughters, brother Glorio, sister Gwen, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, seventeen grandchildren, great-granddaughter, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

Due to current Government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a Private Funeral will take place. Those who would like to join the Private Funeral Service remotely by webcam can do so by clicking on

https://churchmedia.tv/iframe/451238459f00d6df79461ae81b55c2b87f7c2b66

on Thursday at 10am. Luigis Funeral Cortege will pass Marsellas Take Away in Main Street, Rathcoole at approximately 11.15am. Those who wish to line the route my do so while observing social distancing guidelines. 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 below or light a candle in memory of Luigi.



The death has occurred of Barbara RUTH (nee Clews)

Celbridge, Kildare

Ruth (nee Clews) (Celbridge and formerly of Birmingham)  Jan 11, 2021, (peacefully), surrounded by her loving family at Naas General Hospital, Barbara, beloved mother of Lorraine, Pearl, John (Deceased), Frances, Dolores, Shirley, Robbie (Deceased), Amanda, Karen and James and loving partner of Bill; Sadly missed by her loving son, daughters, partner, sister Margaret, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, brother-in-law Frank, sister-in-law Dolly, grandchildren, great grandchildren, nephews, nieces, relatives and friends.

Due to current Government guidelines regarding public gatherings, a Private Funeral will take place. Those who would like to pay their respects may do so by lining the route while observing social distancing guidelines on Thursday at approximately 2.50pm as Barbara makes her way from her home to Mount Jerome Crematorium or by joining the private funeral service remotely by webcam by clicking on www.vimeo.com/event/139693 at 3.45pm. 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 the page. Family flowers only please. Donations, if desired, to The Irish Cancer Society.



The death has occurred of Thomas (Tom) Sheils

Glenmaroon Rd., Palmerstown, Dublin / Kildare

Sheils, Thomas (Tom), Glenmaroon Rd., Palmerstown, Dublin, January 11th 2021, peacefully in the loving care of the staff of Maynooth Community Care Unit, beloved husband of the late Elizabeth and grandfather of the late Luke. Deeply regretted by his loving children Deirdre, Cormac, Ronan, Eoghan and Keelin, sons-in-law Keith and Darren, daughters-in-law Jane, Caroline and Aylin, grandchildren Matthew, Isabelle, David, Christopher, Samuel, Harry, Leo, Will, Ella, Louie, Fianna and Saoirse, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.

Rest In Peace

Due to current government guidelines, a private family funeral will take place for Thomas in Rathcoffey Church, Co. Kildare on Thursday (January 14th) at 10.30am. Those who would have liked to attend the funeral but cannot due to the current restrictions, please leave a personal message for the family in the condolence section below.

Thomas' Funeral Cortege will be passing his residence in Glenmaroon Rd., Palmerstown at approx 12:20pm en route to Palmerstown Cemetery. Those who would like to line the route may do so in a safe and socially distanced manner.
A farmer picking cotton in a field in Hami, in the northwestern Xinjiang region of China, on Oct. 14, 2018. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

US Bans All Cotton, Tomato Products From Xinjiang in Crackdown on Forced Labor

The United States announced on Jan. 13 it will ban all imports of cotton and tomato products from Chinas Xinjiang region, in the widest action yet to crack down on the use of forced labor of Uyghur Muslims.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at all U.S. ports of entry will be required to detain cotton and tomato products grown or produced in Xinjiang, including apparel, textiles, tomato seeds, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce, CBP said in a statement.

The order came amid intensifying scrutiny on Beijings forced labor practices targeting the regimes Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities. A recent report found that in 2018, at least 570,000 Uyghurs were forced to pick cotton in the region.

The region supplies about 20 percent of the worlds cotton, so the order could have major impacts on the global fashion industry and its supply chains.

CBP will not tolerate the Chinese governments exploitation of modern slavery to import goods into the United States below fair market value, said Acting CBP Commissioner Mark A. Morgan. Imports made on the cheap by using forced labor hurt American businesses that respect human rights and also expose unsuspecting consumers to unethical purchases.

CBP said the order was issued based on information that reasonably indicates the use of detainee or prison labor and situations of forced labor.

More than 1 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been detained in hundreds of internment camps. Survivors of the camps recount being tortured and forced to undergo political indoctrination.

We demand the Chinese close their camps and stop their human rights violations, Acting Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli said in a statement.

More than 100 camps in the region contain factory facilities where detainees are forced to work, according to a recent Buzzfeed investigation.

Researchers last year found that tens of thousands of Uyghurs have been transferred to work at factories across China in conditions suggestive of forced labor. Those facilities manufactured goods for 83 global brands.

The Trump administration has already blocked imports from several individual companies linked to forced labor in Xinjiang, targeting goods including apparel, cotton, and hair products.

Canada and the British government both recently said they too would take steps to stop goods tainted by forced labor from entering their countries.

Last year, the United States sanctioned several Chinese officials and a paramilitary group over their roles in overseeing abuses in Xinjiang. Dozens of Chinese entities and companies also have been blacklisted from doing business with U.S. firms.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

MIAMI, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrating 37 years of dance, art and culture, Momentum Dance Company and its Founder & Artistic Director Delma Iles, announce a magical series of children's programming January through May 2021. The imaginative performances bring 10 different award-winning programs to life for the community's children, all free of charge thanks to The Miami-Dade Pandemic Assistance Program, with funding provided by the federal CARES Act. Fellow organizations that made the inspirational children's programming possible include the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs Council and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners.

The ten children's programs explore the tales of Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel, Alice in Wonderland and so many more well-known adventures and stories. All available via Momentum Dance Company's Facebook page, the wildly popular tales are performed with vibrant colors and awe-inspiring dance sequences with two performances per month through May. The artistic experiences are meant to be enjoyed by the entire family, especially children ages 3-10, as they spend this time living, learning and continuing to stay safe and healthy together. See below for the calendar of programming.

"We are incredibly grateful for the funding made possible by the CARES Act and our Miami-Dade counterparts who appreciate the value in bringing inspiration and the arts to South Florida's children," says Iles. "For 37 years, we've helped children explore the world through song and dance; today, parents and even grandparents join in on the educational experience that explores a new cultural element for children and shows them that anything is possible."

All performances are free admission on the Facebook page, Momentum Dance Company. They include:

January 16 at 11:00 a.m.

The Magic Toy Shop. A little old Toymaker has a shop full of fabulous toys for children. When Greta's mother brings her to the shop to select a birthday gift, she has great difficulty deciding. She finally selects the Toy Soldier and the Toymaker promises to deliver the gift to her house. Greta and her mother leave, but, remembering all of the wonderful toys, Greta sneaks back into the shop at night. There she sees the Toymaker magically bring the toys to life. Not only the Toy Soldier, but also two Scottish Dancers, a Clown doll, and a Ballerina doll perform exciting dances at the behest of the Toymaker. Then they all dance together in a lively finale. Just as dawn is breaking, Greta's Mother runs into the shop to see the last of the magical festivities!

January 30 at 11:00 a.m.

*These two short performances will air together as one program.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears . This fun-filled children's classic tells the story of spoiled Goldilocks and how the three bears teach her a lesson after she disrupts their charming home. The story, featuring colorful costumes and upbeat, character-oriented dance movement, is told through dance, music and narration. Goldilocks transforms from a spoiled brat into a delightful young lady after her encounter with the three bears.



. This fun-filled children's classic tells the story of spoiled Goldilocks and how the three bears teach her a lesson after she disrupts their charming home. The story, featuring colorful costumes and upbeat, character-oriented dance movement, is told through dance, music and narration. Goldilocks transforms from a spoiled brat into a delightful young lady after her encounter with the three bears. Red Riding Hood . Little Red Riding Hood learns not to talk to strangers, and gets a big scare! The children's classic story is told through music, narration and dance. Colorful costumes, comic characterizations and exciting dance sequences add to the familiar story.

February 13 at 11:00 a.m.

Hansel and Gretel. Momentum uses excerpts from Humperdinck's famous opera music to create just the right scary feeling. The Wicked Witch lures children to her candy-covered gingerbread house with the evil intention of eating them! Brave and clever Gretel saves her brother from a terrible fate! The cast includes Father and Mother as well as the Angel that protects children and the Witch's evil helper, the Crow.

February 27 at 11:00 a.m.

Carnival of the Animals. Momentum's Dancers bring Camille Saint-Saens dazzling and clever score to life, creating movement vignettes for each of Saint-Saens animals: the prancing Lion, the lugubrious Tortoise, a pair of whimsical Elephants, a school of fish in an Aquarium, the shy Cuckoo, gliding and graceful (until they get on land) Swans, and a Grand Finale. Each segment features fabulous costumes by Marilyn Skow , unique dance movement, and lots of fun!

March 13 at 11:00 a.m.

The Tiger and the Brahmin. This popular fable from India tells the story of a trusting Brahmin who finds his kindness to a Tiger betrayed when the Tiger wants to eat him! The Brahmin seeks help from the Elephant and the Water Buffalo, but the clever Jackal outwits the Tiger and saves the Brahmin. This production features authentic Bollywood dance as well as traditional mudras (hand gestures from Indian classical dance that tell the story) and beautiful colorful costumes from India !

March 27 at 11:00 a.m.

Alice in Wonderland. Young Alice falls down the rabbit hole and meets some unusual characters on her wild trip. She encounters a nervous White Rabbit, is mystified by a strange Caterpillar, takes part in the Mad Hatter's Tea Party , and is pursued by the vicious Red Queen who is aided by a Deck of Cards. Just as things get completely out of hand, she wakes up to find that it was only a dream. Each character portrait is complete with unique and individual movement and colorful costumes as delightful and imaginative staging brings this classic story to life.

April 10 at 11:00 a.m.

Mark Twain's Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. Beloved American author Mark Twain's hilarious classic short story comes to life through dance. Smiley, the gambler, bets his frog can out-jump any frog in Calaveras County; but the mysterious stranger has something up his sleeve! The story is told through Mark Twain's prose, bluegrass and country music, colorful costumes and high-jumping dance movement. A must-see for students studying American literature!

April 24 at 11:00 a.m.

Peter and the Wolf. Momentum Dance Company delights young audiences with a perennial children's favorite! This classic folk tale with music by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev is the most popular children's work the company has ever offered. Kids join clever Peter and his friends the Bird and the Duck as they work together to outwit and capture the fierce Wolf. Other characters include grumpy Grandfather and the ridiculous Hunters. Each character is represented by a different instrument of the orchestra and a unique way of moving. Comedy, drama, suspense and excitement make this work a must-see experience.

May 8 at 11:00 a.m.

Insects. This performance features dance sequences inspired by poems for children about bugs selected from Barry Louis Polisar's book Insect Soup. Kids meet the Dung Beetle, the Praying Mantis, the Cicada, the Flea, and more. Each insect has a unique, and crazy way of moving as it goes about the business of its daily life  eating, sleeping, walking, flying, and dancing. Insects dance to an original jazzy score and wear crazy colorful costumes by Marilyn Skow .

May 22 at 11:00 a.m.

Fish Tales. This exciting and colorful environmentally conscious work tells the story of marine life on Florida's coral reefs and their beautiful, but fragile environment. Meet Madame Manatee and Senora Stingray as they lead the underwater inhabitants (peppermint stripe shrimp, parrotfish, jellyfish, grouper, and more) in cleaning up their neglected reef. This program is fun and empowering as the characters send a message of personal responsibility for conservation. Colorful, imaginative costumes and an original Caribbean style musical score make Fish Tales a must see!

Momentum Dance Company's 2021 Children's Programming is sponsored in part by The National Endowment for the Arts, the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Arts Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Board of County Commissioners, the City of Coral Gables and the Coral Gables Cultural Arts Council, the City of Miami Beach and the Miami Beach Cultural Arts Council, Citizens Interested in Arts, and the Thoressen Foundation.

For more information about Momentum Dance Company, follow them on Facebook.

About Momentum Dance Company

Founded in 1982 by classically trained and respected dancer Delma Iles, Momentum Dance Company is one of the oldest and most established professional contemporary dance companies in the Southeastern U.S. The company exists for the purpose of creating, performing and producing dance works, particularly those by Florida artists, emphasizing the creation of new works, but from a classic and historic viewpoint. The company's purpose is to develop and educate the audience about dance in Florida, the Southeastern region and across the nation with emphasis on modern dance forms. The company also prides itself on its commitment to educating and training students for the purposes of professional careers as well as for personal development and enjoyment. For more information about Momentum Dance Company, visit them on Facebook.

Media Contacts

Tyler Sminkey | Tel: +1 786-390-8510 | [email protected]

Jessica Wade Pfeffer | Tel: +1 305-804-8424 | [email protected]

SOURCE Momentum Dance Company
He was crowned the winner of the 2020 series of Great British Bake Off in November.

And Peter Sawkins has revealed the challenge of keeping his win a secret, after filming wrapped months before the finale of the Channel 4 show actually aired.

Making an appearance on Wednesday's Lorraine, Peter, who is Bake Off's youngest ever winner at 20, admitted he relished teasing his flatmates as to his fate in the competition.

Keeping schtum: He was crowned the winner of the 2020 series of Great British Bake Off in November. And Peter Sawkins has revealed the challenge of keeping his win a secret

Peter is an accounting and finance student at the University of Edinburgh and lives with three housemates in the city.

He explained to Lorraine that as per the rules of the show he had to keep his win secret until the final aired in November, after shooting the series over the summer.

'I kept it schtum I kept it quiet, I think two of my flatmates, we decided to keep it a secret from them, so it was quite fun torturing them and watching them cower on the sofa seeing if I'm going to stay in or get kicked out,' he laughed.

And as for the big final, there was plenty of celebrations when his pals eventually discovered he had won.

Winner: Making an appearance on Wednesday's Lorraine, Peter, who is Bake Off's youngest ever winner at 20, admitted he relished teasing his flatmates as to his fate in the competition

'I watched it with them it was just a huge celebration, they didn't know right until the end, it was just big cheers up in the flats I think we disturbed the flats above and below us,' he said.

Peter has also made friends for life in his GBBO co-stars, revealing the group, who lived together in a covid-secure bubble during filming, still speak all the time.

'We've got the baking bubble Whatsapp group, we're staying in touch all the contestants .'

Champ: Peter beat Laura Adlington and Dave Friday in the tense finale, and didn't tell his uni flatmates he had won before they sat down together to watch the final

'We had a Zoom last week it is really nice to keep up with each other, we just became such great friends while we were there it was so nice to stay in touch with these friends we've got.'

Peter was also asked by Lorraine about his technique of 'listening' to his cakes while on the show.

'You've got to use all your senses when you're in the kitchen,' he explained. 'It was a technique I picked up from series three of the show, you can tell if it's the moist the cake if you listen to it.'

Secret: 'I kept it schtum I kept it quiet... so it was quite fun torturing them and watching them cower on the sofa seeing if I'm going to stay in or get kicked out,' he laughed

As for his post-GBBO plans, Peter says his concentrating on his degree, which is continuing online during the pandemic, and hoping for more success with his baking in the future.

'I'm just seeing what comes of it, I'm trying to do as much of this as I can while keeping up my studies at the same time, and I'm doing things like Lorraine!' he gushed.

The Great British Bake Off 2020 finale garnered the show's largest ever audience since its move from BBC to Channel 4 in 2017.

The official Twitter account for the show shared details of the numbers on the big night, including that peak viewing numbers were 10.4million, an average of 9.2million people tuned in and 63.5% of the share was young viewers.
SCRANTON, Pa. -- In the downtown here, if you pass Courthouse Square on Adams Avenue, then merge onto Washington Avenue, youll eventually enter Green Ridge, a neighborhood seemingly preserved in 50s-era America. Its a Norman Rockwell kind of scene, Sarah Piccini, assistant director of the Lackawanna Historical Society, told me.

Indeed, stately old residences line this leafy stretch of North Washington Avenue, where Scranton Loves Joe signs adorn lawns and a large, ornamental donkey  clearly a tribute to the Democratic Party  commands the front porch of a Colonial revival home. There isnt any doubt about the politics of this section, where President-elect Joe Biden spent his early youth. Where Biden grew up in Green Ridge, Irish-Catholic Democrat was one conjoined word, said Austin Burke, former president of the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce. Even today, that political, if not tribal, allegiance remains intact  especially with a native son about to ascend to the White House.

Next Wednesday, Biden will become the 46th U.S. president amid nightmarish conditions, including a pandemic, economic devastation, rising urban crime, and cultural upheaval. Matters only worsened last week when a violent mob stormed the U.S. Capitol not long after President Trumps divisive rally  the culmination of post-election disgruntlement. The nations chaotic state is the ultimate test for Biden, who, for decades, has presented himself as a loyal Democrat but also a unifying, centrist figure.

Bidens persona is doubtless shaped by his Scranton roots, which he proudly referenced even before the 2020 campaign. Its important to understand how the former vice president is a product of the Electric City, where politics remains something of a local industry. Biden has been shaped for years as a creature of Washington, but before that he was a creature of Scranton, said Christopher Borick, a native of nearby Throop and director of Muhlenberg Colleges Institute of Public Opinion.

Though Biden lived in Scranton only until age 10, the citys political and cultural past is encoded in his DNA. Tim Hinton, a Scranton attorney and distant relative, noted that the president-elect has deep, widespread roots [among] very prominent people who did a lot to shape Scranton and help build up the city, whether designing roads, inspecting mines, or serving in the state Senate.

Indeed, Bidens maternal great-great-grandfather, Patrick Blewitt, left Irelands County Mayo 170 years ago this month and settled with his parents in Scranton, then a center for iron and railroads. By that point, the community of 1,000  nestled in the Lackawanna Valley wilderness  was transitioning into an industrial empire fueled by the areas anthracite coal mines. During this period, Patrick, who became a local engineer, planned many of Scrantons streets as the region experienced explosive population growth driven, in large part, by Irish immigration.

By 1880, when Scrantons population reached 45,000  at one point, it was among Americas fastest-growing cities  the Irish had diluted the political influence of Welsh Methodist Republicans, who often worked as mine superintendents. Bidens maternal great-grandfather, Edward F. Blewitt, was among those Irish Catholics who ascended the citys Democratic hierarchy. Blewitt  Scrantons city engineer under Mayor Terence Powderly, later head of the Knights of Labor  served in the Pennsylvania state Senate from 1907 to 1910. He was also a founder of what became Scrantons chapter of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, which became a local political force.

When Blewitt died in 1926, The Scranton Republican recognized the Green Ridge residents over 40 years in local politics. Blewitt, the paper reported, made friends easily and had the faculty of keeping them. This also applied to the opposing political party: Although a Democrat, Blewitt became a warm personal friend of the late United States Senator Boies Penrose, a powerful Philadelphia Republican who controlled state politics. Meantime, The Scranton Times described Blewitt as a Democrat of the old school.  He had endeared himself to a legion of acquaintances and friends here by reason of his many sterling qualities.

Scrantons pervasive Irish-Catholic Democratic culture, which dictated Blewitts career, only intensified after his death. The Irish always controlled the city, noted Michael DeMichele, a retired University of Scranton historian who, for decades, taught a regional ethnic studies course. A native of Scrantons South Side, DeMichele recounted working in playgrounds when City Hall was controlled by James Hanlon, who served as mayor from 1946 to 1962. During that period, Irish political leaders ran ethnically diverse tickets to maintain control in the melting-pot city. People used to vote the straight ticket for Democrats, noted DeMichele.

Biden was born into this world in 1942, not long after Scrantons population peaked at 143,000. At that point, the Irish elite dominated Green Ridge, designed as one of Scrantons earliest suburban neighborhoods. In those early years, Bidens family lived with his maternal grandparents in a three-story home, situated at the end of North Washington Avenue near Marywood University, then a Catholic womens college. Even then, Green Ridge was a dramatic contrast from Scrantons West Side or Minooka, both working-class Irish strongholds. Green Ridge was always seen as the way up, said Borick. And as an Irish Catholic, being a lawyer or a politician was a vocation and path forward.

Of course, other Scrantonians, including the non-Irish, followed this vocation before Biden. In the summer of 1964, prior to Bidens senior year at the University of Delaware, William Scranton  the citys patrician namesake, a liberal Republican and Pennsylvanias then-governor  made a last-minute effort to secure the GOP nomination from Barry Goldwater, Arizonas conservative U.S. senator. At the time, Bob Casey Sr., father of current U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, was Scrantons state senator. In 1986, Casey Sr., a Green Ridge resident, defeated William Scrantons son, Bill, in what was considered a gubernatorial upset.

By St. Patricks Day 1973, Biden, who followed his great-grandfathers political path, was Americas youngest U.S. senator, representing Delaware. On that day, not long after the tragic death of his wife and daughter, Biden spoke at the annual dinner hosted by the local Friendly Sons, which Blewitt helped form. Among the attendees was Eugene Peters, who served as Republican mayor from 1970 to 1978. The son of Lebanese immigrants and a lifelong resident of Scrantons Hyde Park, Peters vividly recalled Bidens remarks. I said he could be president someday, Peters told me.

Now, almost 48 years later, Biden will fulfill that role. Of course, Scranton, like the nation, has profoundly changed since 1973. New immigrant groups, including Nepali-Bhutanese and Hispanics, reside in neighborhoods such as South Side. Nearly half of Scrantons ethnic Catholic parishes, moreover, have closed or consolidated since the late 2000s  a trend likely accelerated by abuse scandals in the Scranton Diocese, which figured prominently in a 2018 Pennsylvania grand jury report. Meantime, City Hall is confronting Scrantons economic challenges. The current mayor, Paige Cognetti  an Oregon native and Obama administration alum  won election as an independent in 2019, not long after the preceding Democratic mayor resigned on federal public-corruption charges.

The Democratic Party, too, no longer wields the regional influence that it enjoyed during Bidens youth or, decades later, the Obama era. In fact, though Scranton remains Democratic  every city precinct favored Biden in November  northeastern Pennsylvania is beginning to trend Republican. In 2016, the anthracite coal region  particularly neighboring Luzerne County  played a pivotal role in Trumps statewide victory. That year, Trump lost Lackawanna County by about 3,500 votes to Hillary Clinton, whose father, a Republican, grew up in Scranton. It was an unthinkable scenario for Democrats, once a driving force behind the regions labor movement.

In 2020, Biden won Lackawanna by nearly 10,000 votes. If you had told me years ago that Biden, or anybody from Scranton, was running for president, I would think hed get 80% of the vote in Lackawanna, noted Borick.

Though Lackawanna is Pennsylvanias second most Democratic county, Republicans have continued to make voter registration gains. According to Lance Stange, a Scranton native and Lackawannas GOP chairman, the countys Republican Party has grown by 11% since 2016, while Democrats registration decreased by about 6%. Republicans have gained ground in approximately 75% of Lackawanna Countys municipalities, including Scranton, said Stange. The Democrats are really only growing in the wealthiest areas of Lackawanna County. This is part of a wider trend throughout the coal region, where many longtime Democrats flocked to the GOP during Trumps presidency. It remains unclear, though, if they will continue to favor Republicans  or just stay home  in future elections.

Amid the regions shifting politics, Green Ridge remains frozen in time. Austin Burke, now a local artist, recounted how a former chamber chairman, after spending over a year in the Abingtons  a prosperous suburban area  returned to Green Ridge. He moved back to be among his own, said Burke, who noted how the children of current residents look to buy neighborhood homes.

One afternoon last week, a trio of children  after passing a state historical marker for the late Casey Sr.  ascended a hill off North Washington Avenue to Hanks Hoagies, a luncheonette where a life-size cutout figure of Biden greets customers. A few blocks away, a St. Bernard rested on a porch as people walked by. The neighborhood was calm, even idyllic, and a parallel universe compared to the national state of affairs.

It remains to be seen how Biden  a native of this culture  can serve as a calming, if transitional, force during this dark time, which is partly fueled by extremist forces in both political parties. I feel very confident about Biden, said Peters, the former GOP mayor who worked with a Democratic City Council. I tried to serve all the people  thats my philosophy in government  and I believe Biden will have a similar approach.
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Delhi reels under shivering cold wave, dense fog; Air quality dips to 'very poor'

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

New Delhi, Jan 13: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said that the national capital recorded 4.6 degrees Celsius and 3.2 degrees Celsius respectively at Palam and Safdarjung. Dense fog enveloped the city, resulting in very low visibility in several areas. Owing to this, the Delhi Airport initiated low visibility procedures.

Taking to Twitter, the Delhi Airport said, "Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are currently normal. For further assistance, please get in touch with the airline concerned. Any inconvenience is deeply regretted."

Meanwhile, the air quality in the national capital too took a plunge and was reported 'very poor' by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

Covid Vaccine Rollout: States across India receive first consignments of 'Covishield'

The weather department on Tuesday issued an orange alert for the northern plains, which are also forecast to witness foggy conditions. A large part of the country is set to face intense cold conditions over the next few days, it said.

In the South, meanwhile, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is very likely over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry and Karaikal over the next two-three days, the India Meteorological Department said in a bulletin.

Muslims who do not believe in COVID-19 vaccines, should go to Pakistan: Uttar Pradesh MLA sparks row

It said the minimum temperatures are very likely to fall by 2-5 degrees Celsius over most parts of East India, Central India over the next two-three days, while the spell of intense cold can extend beyond that in the Northwest part of the country.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

With temperatures falling, an orange alert was issued by the IMD for the northern plains with a forecast of a cold wave for the next four days. A similar alert has been sounded for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with a forecast of heavy rains.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 10:14 [IST]
Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales said Wednesday that his office will not re-present the case of Marquise Jones to a new grand jury, nearly seven years after Jones was shot and killed by an off-duty San Antonio police officer.

It was the latest development in the controversial case that has raised questions about police misconduct and evidence tampering. Repeatedly, Jones death has been cited by police reform activists as an example of the need for change.

In consideration of all available evidence, we believe that additional prosecution is not feasible at this time, three top officials, including Gonzales, wrote in a 10-page memo about their decision. It would not be appropriate for this case to be re-presented to a grand jury without sufficient evidence to overcome a self-defense claim.

The announcement Wednesday comes four months after Gonzales assigned two top prosecutors in his office to re-examine all available evidence after receiving additional information about the shooting from Jones family.

Gonzales has not elaborated what that information was.

Jones, a 23 year-old father of one, was killed Feb. 28, 2014, at the Chachos and Chaluccis on Perrin Beitel Road after Officer Robert Encina, who was working as an off-duty security guard, shot Jones in the back as he ran from the scene of a fender bender. He was a passenger in a car that hit another car in the drive-thru lane.

On ExpressNews.com: What did witnesses say? An overview of the Marquise Jones case

Encina, a six-year veteran of the SAPD at the time of the shooting, said that Jones brandished a gun as he ran, making Encina fear for his life.

Several witnesses challenged the police account that Jones had a gun  initially, only one witness corroborated Encinas story.

Jones family said Jones ran from the car because he was on probation and was nervous about getting in trouble. They have long maintained that the gun was planted near his body in a cover-up by the police department  a claim city officials have denied.

The police departments internal investigation of the shooting found Encina was justified in using force. In December 2015, then District Attorney Nico LaHood presented the case to a grand jury, which declined to indict Encina.

In 2017, Encina also was cleared of any wrongdoing by a federal jury in a wrongful-death civil lawsuit filed by Jones family. A federal judge later denied a request for a new trial.

Both the criminal case and the civil lawsuit hinged on whether Jones had a handgun and pointed it at Encina. But that handgun wasnt actually tested for fingerprints until January 2016  a month after the case was presented to the grand jury.

On ExpressNews.com: Outside review of SAPD investigation finds no wrongdoing

Detective Randall Hines, the lead homicide detective on the case, said the handgun wasnt tested initially because it was in poor condition and its not standard practice to run prints at a crime lab. Studies show the probability of obtaining a usable print on a handgun ranges from 5 percent to 10 percent.

According to Police Chief William McManus, detectives decided to test the handgun in 2016 after a meeting with the local chapter of the NAACP, during which some people questioned why detectives did not attempt to obtain fingerprints on the gun.

Debbie Bush, Jones aunt, said at the time that the way detectives handled the evidence was one example of how the case was botched.

City officials hired an outside law firm in 2017 to review how detectives handled evidence in the case. The firm found there was no indication of misconduct, tampering or wrongdoing.

On ExpressNews.com: Floyds death renews outrage over killings of two black men in San Antonio

Still, Jones family have remained vocal advocates for police reform over the last seven years.

Last year, after the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis reignited calls for police reform, the family urged the District Attorneys Office to reopen the case.

Gonzales initially said that he had personally reviewed Jones case  in addition to other high-profile killings by local police officers  and there was no new evidence to warrant reopening the case at the time. That led to calls by dozens of Black Lives Matter activists for him to be voted out of office.

Gonzales changed course in September, saying that his office would re-examine the case after receiving the additional information from Jones family.

Daryl Harris, the new head of the new Civil Rights Division, and Jamissa Jarmon, chief of the Misdemeanor Division, conducted the review.

eeaton@express-news.net
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Uganda: Muslim mob kills former imam who converted to Christianity

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A mob of Muslim extremists in Uganda killed 41-year-old Yusuf Kintu, a former imam, a week after he converted to Christianity, according to International Christian Concern.

Kintu had engaged in several conversations about faith with Pastor Andrew Nyanma of the Full Gospel Church in Dolwe, Uganda, and after hearing the Gospel decided to become a Christian, Nyanma told ICC.

We had been talking on several occasions but he was so argumentative when we touched on matters related to faith," Nyanma added. "He was a brilliant Muslim imam but also respected other peoples faith. On this day, he was calm and receptive. He gave me ... time to explain to him why Christ is the only way to the Father. He repented of his sins and committed to following Christ.

In Islam, imams lead the daily prayers at mosques, preach, lead worship and often help lead their community. Islamic scholars disagree on whether the teachings of the Islamic prophet Muhammad support the death penalty for those who leave Islam, so-called "apostates."

Before he decided to follow Jesus, Kintu lived with his wife in a house close to his mosque. Three days after he became a Christian, his wife divorced him and left with two of their young children. She returned to her fathers home in Ugandas Bugiri District, leaving him behind with his oldest son and daughter, Abudkriim and Sauda, ICC reported.

Kintus conversion enraged his community. Local Muslims formed a mob and beat him until he fell unconscious. His son and daughter couldnt help him.

He was left on the ground until the next morning, when Nyanma arrived and took him to the hospital where he later died.

Persecution has become more common recently among Muslim majority communities in Uganda, ICC reported. Most of the country's population is Christian and some 13.7% of Ugandans are Muslim. The countrys Constitution also supports freedom of religion and conversion.

Each person shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and manifest such practice which shall include the right to belong to and participate in the practices of any religious body or organization in a manner consistent with this Constitution, it reads.

Eastern Uganda holds the countrys largest Muslim population, and Christian persecution there has been on the rise and some have been attacked for saying Jesus is the son of God.

On Dec. 27, a mob of Muslims beat a pastor and his wife after another imam put his faith in Christ, Morningstar News reported.

Many new Christians suffer at the hands of their families and former friends due to conversion, ICC reported. Yusuf is one of the few who [was] actually killed, but many suffer loss of livelihoods, family, homes, and property. Please pray for Yusufs family and those that attacked him. Pray that his witness might soften the hearts of those who hated him in the end.


By Benjamin Jumbe

President Museveni has confirmed Governments shutdown of social media platforms like Facebook ahead of Thursdays poll.

Addressing the nation last evening, Museveni said he directed the shut down after Facebook blocked accounts of NRM message Senders.

He described this as arrogance which could not be tolerated maintaining that if the platform is to operate in Uganda, it should be enjoyed equitably by all.

On Monday Facebook however said it closed social media pages of the NRM bloggers because it found them seeking to manipulate public debate ahead of election

President Museveni has also rallied all Ugandans of voting age to turn up in big numbers tomorrow and exercise their constitutional right to vote.

This comes just hours to the general polls where Ugandans will be voting for president, directly elected Mp and district woman representatives.

Addressing the Nation last evening, Museveni further used the opportunity to reechoe his caution against vote rigging, violence and intimidation.

Museveni also asked the electoral commission not to allow voting at polling stations where the Biometric Voter Verification machine is not used.

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WASHINGTON  In the days following a violent attack on the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, Democrats have increasingly called for repercussions against members of Congress who backed his efforts to overturn the results of the November election.

Most of the partisan ire has focused on the more than 140 Republicans who voted against certifying President-elect Joe Bidens victory.

Those included a number of Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers, including Scott Perry, Dan Msuser, Lloyd Smucker, Fred Keller, John Joyce, Guy Reschenthaler, Glenn Thompson and Mike Kelly.

They have violated the 14th Amendment, freshman Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said on Twitter, pushing to expel lawmakers who voted against certification. We cant have unity without accountability.

However, the primary tool Democrats have discussed  a clause of the post-Civil War 14th Amendment  may not provide the outlet theyre looking for.

The third clause of the 14th Amendment provides Congress with the power to exclude representatives who shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof.

Simply voting against certification of the Electoral College doesnt meet that bar, according to Indiana University Law School professor Gerard Magliocca.

My view is the members who voted against the certification didnt do anything unlawful or unconstitutional, Magliocca said. People might not like it, and they can be criticized for doing that, but I dont see it as grounds for an exclusion or an expulsion.

However, if lawmakers participated in the rally before the attack on the Capitol or communicated with the rioters, that would change the calculus, he said.

Assessing a representatives actions outside the vote becomes more nuanced, said University of Pennsylvania law professor Kenneth Roosevelt. There may be a difference between a lawmaker tweeting specific information that potentially puts another member in danger and Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., raising a fist in support of the crowd.

The question then is: Did they cross the line in terms of participating? Roosevelt said. Someone who tweets out the location of the Speaker of the House is arguably participating. Someone who raises a fist in support of the protesters is not participating.

Magliocca also pointed out that Congress has never tried to use the 14th Amendment to expel a member, and one who is excluded under that amendment could have a case in court. The Supreme Court has not ruled on the constitutionality of an exclusion under the amendment, or on the interaction with Congress separate power to expel a member through a two-thirds vote.

Congress has never expelled a member and then excluded that person under the third clause of the 14th Amendment, uses of which has mainly been limited to denying former members of the Confederacy seats in Congress after the Civil War. In 1898, Congress passed a statute ending the exclusion of members for that purpose.

Congress last used the 14th Amendment to exclude a member in 1919 and 1920, when the House refused to seat Victor Berger for his opposition to American involvement in World War I. A socialist, Berger was convicted under the Espionage Act before the Supreme Court overturned the conviction.

After his exclusion, Berger eventually won the seat again and the House allowed him to serve. Berger eventually served three terms.

--

Michael Macagnone of CQ-Roll Call wrote this story.

(c)2021 CQ Roll Call

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
New Delhi, Jan 13 : Both India and the United Arab Emirates will soon start exchanging experience and research focused on climatic information services and tropical cyclone forecasting to avoid damage to public infrastructure due to tsunami activity in the Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday gave its approval to a memorandum of understanding on Scientific and Technical Cooperation between National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), UAE and India's Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Weather services make critical contributions in enhancing efficiency of weather dependent sectors of economy and in managing risk in weather-dependent economic sectors such as agriculture, transport, and water which underpin the economic growth in the region.

The MoU provides for sharing of knowledge, data and operational products for meteorological, seismological and oceanic services, such as radar, satellite, tide gauges, seismic and meteorological stations.

Both the countries will exchange experience of their scientists, research scholars and specialists for the purpose of research, training, and consultation focused on climatic information services.

India and UAE will also share experience on satellite data utilisation for tropical cyclones forecasting, and exchange scientific and technical information related to common interest activities.

Both the parties will deploy meteorological observation networks on mutual agreement over ocean waters and cooperate in sharing inputs on development of special capacities of tsunami model researches for faster and more reliable forecasts.

Tsunamis propagate through the Oman Sea and Arabian Sea and affect the coastal areas of India and northeast of UAE. The two countries will support the Tsunami Early Warning Centre (TEWC) in the form of forecast modelling software, specifically designed to support the tsunami forecasting operations.

They will share the real-time seismic data of some of seismic stations situated in south and west of India and north of the UAE for monitoring the seismic activities which may generate tsunamis in Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman.

India and UAE will also share study of seismic activities having the potential to generate tsunami waves in Arabian Sea and Oman Sea, and cooperate in early warnings of sand and dust storms through the exchange of knowledge.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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More than two million Michigan residents are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine program.

But individuals are scrambling for information about how and when they can get their shots, and health-care providers readily admit the hasty expansion of the program -- which was announced last week -- has made for a messy and piecemeal rollout.

Its early on and there are so many questions, said Heidi Britton, CEO of Northwest Michigan Health Services, a nonprofit based in Traverse City. Were all receiving them from our friends and our family and our patients.

Below is what you need to know.

Who is eligible now?

Any Michigan resident age 65 and older.

Teachers for preschoolers through grade 12.

Police officers, first responders, jail and prison staff.

Childcare providers.

Frontline state and federal workers.

Health-care providers and support staff who interact with the public.

Residents and staff at long-term care facilities.

Note the list does not include essential workers such as retail and food-service employees or people under age 65 who have a pre-existing condition.

How can individuals get the vaccine?

The vaccine program is being overseen by local health departments, which means the process will vary from county to county.

That said, in most areas, local health departments and hospitals are scheduling vaccination clinics for senior citizens and others who are eligible. Some communities may hold special clinics specifically for teachers and/or first responders.

Long-term care residents and staff will get their vaccines through a federal program in which CVS or Walgreens are holding vaccination clinics at each facility.

How can people find out specific details for their community?

Teachers, police officers and other essential workers should check with their employer on whether specific vaccination clinic is being scheduled for their workplace or how the vaccine will be distributed to essential workers in that county.

Senior citizens are urged to check the home pages of their local health department as well as their local hospital system for details on how and when appointments will be available. Checking those pages daily is advised.

Some health departments and hospitals are asking eligible people to fill out out an online form so individuals can be contacted when appointments are available. Once that form is filled out, people should check their email daily for an invitation to schedule an appointment.

Seniors also should be checking their emails for a potential email from their local hospitals, a number of which are using their databases to identify patients who are 65 and older to send out appointment invitations.

Child-care providers who are self-employed should follow the same route as senior citizens, and seek to obtain a vaccination appointment through their local health department or hospital.

For now, vaccine clinics are by appointment only

Dont show up at a vaccine site without an appointment and dont bother searching for a walk-in clinic in Michigan, at least for now, health officials say. For a number of reasons, providers say the COVID-19 vaccine clinics will be done by appointment only.

One reason is the need to maintain social distancing and minimize the number of people at the vaccination site at any one time.

Another factor: COVID-19 vaccines have very specific storage and handling requirements, and providers need to know exactly how many doses they need to prepare each day.

It could take weeks to get an appointment

With well over two million Michigan residents now eligible for the vaccine, demand is far outstripping supply.

Unfortunately, there is simply not enough vaccine available to Michigan to be able to vaccinate everyone who is eligible at this time, MDHHS spokeswoman Lynn Sutfin said.

Subtracting vaccine doses already administered and those allocated to the vaccination program for long-term care residents and staff, Michigan had a little less than 300,000 vaccine doses available as of Monday.

Moreover, Michigan gets its vaccine doses from the federal government, and its unclear from week to week how much the state will receive for distribution to hospitals, local health departments and other health-care providers.

That uncertainty means those administering the vaccine are reluctant to schedule appointments too far in advance. For instance, Elmouchi said that Spectrum Health has scheduled 11,000 appointments this week but are awaiting to see how much vaccine they will receive for next week before opening up that schedule for appointments.

The situation is the same in the Traverse City area.

We do ask if youre eligible now, you can fill out an appointment request, said Wendy Hirschenberger, head of the Grand Traverse County Health Department. We will contact you when those appointments are available. We will have a scheduling tool; thats how were working it. But it could be weeks or longer (to get an appointment) depending on how big these groups are and how fast the vaccine comes in. So we do ask that people be cognizant and aware of that and have some patience.

Try to avoid calling or emailing local hospitals and/or health departments

Local health officials say they are being inundated with phone calls and emails from people wanting information, to the point where its overloading their staffs.

Were posting information on our website, and we do encourage people to frequently look there, Hirschenberger said. Were asking that people reserve our phone and our email capacity for those who cant easily access the online information.

The same thing is true at Munson Healthcare, said Dianne Michalek, communications director for the hospital system, which serves the Traverse City area.

A lot of our switchboards and clinics are getting inundated with phone calls and questions, Michalek said. Its gotten to a point where we cant answer everyones individual questions.

People who do have individual questions are advised to call 211.

Employers can require the vaccine, but most are not

In theory, employers could mandate the vaccine. But because the vaccines were approved by the Federal Drug Administration for emergency use, few if any are mandating the shots.

Read more on MLive:

What worked in 2020 and what needs work in 2021 for 12 Michigan schools

2020 was Michigans deadliest year on record, and COVID-19 was the No. 3 killer

For Michiganders newly eligible for vaccine, excitement is high but details are few

For weeks, Wendy Lincicome has been asking the same question. She asks it on the phone. She asks it in emails to state officials. She cares for an epileptic blind man with cerebral palsy 24 hours a day, and when he is asleep, she types her question into Google.

"When will people with disabilities get the coronavirus vaccine?"

Tens of thousands of Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities - who are two to three times more likely to die of covid-19 - are waiting for an answer.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that health-care personnel and residents of long-term-care facilities should be first in line, in phase "1a." Disability advocates think that guidance should be interpreted to include all people with disabilities who receive long-term care, whether in large institutions, smaller group homes or in settings like Lincicome's, who is paid to live with a North Carolina man who has round-the-clock needs.

But as guidance from the federal government has been translated into vaccine distribution plans made by states, those with disabilities have been downgraded to lower priority status.

Washington D.C. as well as Maryland, Alabama and many other states are leaving people with disabilities who live in large institutions and group homes out of their Phase 1a plans, instead moving them to 1b or 1c. In Indiana and Rhode Island, group homes have been pushed to Phase 2, with the likelihood that vaccinations are months away.

And most states make no mention of disabilities in their vaccine plans, leaving people like Lincicome panicking and confused about how long they and those for whom they care will have to wait.

She is terrified that the man who relies on her, 33-year-old Sloan Meek, could end up as another case of a disabled person being allegedly discriminated against in a hospital after falling ill with covid-19, which is caused by the novel coronavirus. Without her help, or the help of a computer, Meek is extremely limited in what he can communicate to medical professionals.

photo for The Washington Post by Amanda Voisard.

"They don't look at Sloan and see what I see," Lincicome said. "They don't see the guy who just recorded an album or has an annual Christmas carol concert. They see a wheelchair, and somebody who is laying in their bed all day."

By North Carolina guidelines, Meek may not qualify for the vaccine until Phase 2, because he doesn't live in a home with other individuals with disabilities. If Meek lived in Tennessee, according to its state plan, he'd be a part of the very first wave of vaccinations because of the level of care he receives. And though some state plans would count Lincicome - a caregiver known as a "direct support professional" - as a health-care provider to be provided for in Phase 1a, most have no public plans for caregivers in her role.

The lack of consistency is the result of a lack of guidance from the CDC. Other than acknowledging that those with Down syndrome should be prioritized along with people with high-risk medical conditions, federal recommendations for vaccine rollout make no explicit mention of any other disabilities.

A CDC spokesman said states could request that intermediate-care facilities, the large, often government-run institutions for the disabled, receive vaccinations through the same pharmacy partnership program as nursing homes. Decades of reform efforts have closed many of those institutions, moving people with disabilities into small group homes or other living situations integrated into their communities. But despite an estimated 70,000 people living in group homes, the CDC recommendations do not include them, leaving states to decide where in line those residents, and their caregivers, should fall.

Now, as those people and their advocates try to parse what their states have decided, they say they are experiencing an unwanted deja vu. Throughout the pandemic, they have felt repeatedly sidelined by federal policymakers and state health departments.

German Parodi, a co-director of an organization focused on natural disaster response, hosts a daily phone call for people with disabilities and the agencies that support them. Parodi, who is quadriplegic, has listened as a vulnerable population has been made more vulnerable with each new challenge: disability care workers passed over for protective equipment, testing sites inaccessible to wheelchairs, funding cuts to in-home care programs, and now, trouble getting vaccines.

"For our marginalized community, it feels like fighting against Goliath," Parodi said.

The most recent blow in that battle: Despite months of desperate pleas, Congress did not include additional funding for community-based disability services across the country. And adults with disabilities who qualify as dependents on their parents' taxes will not receive stimulus checks.

"When we are left out of relief packages like this, Congress is telling us they don't care whether we live or die," said Julia Bascom, executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

Bascom and other advocates have been stymied even in their efforts to get the federal government simply to count the number of covid-19 outbreaks in facilities for disabled people in the same way they are counted in nursing homes.

Researchers such as Scott Landes of Syracuse University have tried to fill the void, studying what little state-level data is available to learn how covid-19 is affecting the disabled community. Landes knew before he looked at a single number that the circumstances were stacked against those with disabilities: An abundance of preexisting conditions. Communal living. Close contact with caregivers who are so low-paid they must work multiple jobs.

But the results were even worse than he expected, with data showing that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are at least two or three times as likely to die if they contract the virus and even more at risk if they receive intensive nursing care. He hoped those numbers would be enough to push the government to track outbreaks in institutions and group homes. Lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., pushed, too. But nothing changed.

"To me, it's unconscionable. We know this is a vulnerable health population. We can show they're not doing well. I just cannot fathom why states are being allowed to not report," Landes said. If states had a greater focus on the pandemic's impact on the disabled, he said, "vaccination prioritization would be much clearer. You would have the evidence to tell you what needs to be done."

Advocates calling governors and legislators trying to get clarity on vaccination rollout plans are also asking about direct-service professionals, the caregivers like Lincicome. The majority of "DSPs," as they're known in the disabled community, are women of color, and many are immigrant women.

As the Justice Department has pushed to close large institutions for disabled people, and instead encourage them to live in group homes or in their own homes within communities, these caregivers have become more and more essential.

They bathe and clothe their clients, administer medication and manage feeding tubes, lift in and out of wheelchairs, and monitor oxygen levels and vital signs. But unlike health-care workers with higher levels of certifications, they are typically paid close to minimum wage. Lincicome, 48, works 18 or more hours to earn $142 per day. Many caregivers depend on multiple jobs in multiple group homes to survive, increasing the coronavirus risk for themselves and those for whom they care.

But most state plans do not say whether the caregivers are counted as health-care workers or at what stage they will be vaccinated. Donna Martin of the nonprofit ANCOR has been trying since November to decipher what each state's plan means. As of Jan. 8, she could confirm only that 15 states had some kind of plan for caregivers to be vaccinated.

"There is a large sector [of the disabled community] that depends on DSPs for 24 hours a day support," Martin said. "That is as essential to them as someone who shows up in the ER and needs a nurse or doctor in that moment."

Until Lincicome and Meek get their shots, she said they'll continue to live the way they have for nine months. Because she's trying to limit the number of people to whom he's exposed, she rarely gets a break, sometimes sleeping just three hours per night. Three air purifiers she bought for their living room and bedrooms hum alongside the David Bowie Pandora station he likes to play. She does not go to the grocery store, the pharmacy or anywhere else she might have even a small chance of becoming infected. She doesn't see her own family members.

They stay inside and read about hospitalization rates rising. Meek, she said, definitely understands what the pandemic is all about. She knows because sometimes when she talks about it, he begins to make a deep, loud noise that is his version of a scream.

"How much more can we retreat?" she asks the advocates and doctors from whom she has tried to get answers about vaccines. "We feel like prisoners in our own home."

Last week, she attended a webinar with the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities. She prepared to ask her question once again. But before she typed, she could see there were dozens of other people on the call, all seeking the same answers.
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SANTA FE  An economic council that includes business and labor leaders is recommending New Mexico dedicate about $215 million in bonding capacity this year to expanding broadband internet service, revise its liquor laws and boost other economic aid to businesses.

The policy initiatives are part of a 31-page report aimed at helping New Mexico recover from the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It was developed by the Economic Recovery Council, established by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham earlier this year.

Christina Campos, a Santa Rosa hospital executive who also owns two restaurants, said the recommendations include a mix of short- and long-term steps to help the economy.

ADVERTISEMENTSkip



................................................................

This doesnt answer all the needs, Campos, chairwoman of the council, said in an interview. But this is our first, best shot.

The council, she said, considered input from a variety of industries as it worked on the recommendations. The ideas include:

 Dedicating 50% of the states severance tax bonding capacity this year to broadband projects, a move that would make about $215 million available for that purpose. The council also suggested creation of a new body that would oversee investments in critical infrastructure, backed by 25% of the severance tax bond program in future years.

 Adding $100 million in funding to the states Job Training Incentive Program and expanding eligibility to hospitality and leisure businesses.

 Revising a loan program for small businesses to make it more flexible and accessible and authorizing an extra $100 million to help small companies with rent and mortgage payments as they reopen and rehire employees.

 Supporting the Lujan Grisham administrations request for $25 million to promote tourism.

 Amending liquor laws to allow takeout or delivery with meal orders from restaurants, in addition to allowing a delivery option for businesses that focus on package sales.

The report also includes an economic damage assessment, noting that the state had lost about 65,500 jobs during the pandemic, as of November, with especially severe losses in leisure and hospitality.

New Mexico legislators are set to begin a 60-day legislative session next week. High-ranking lawmakers have said a pandemic relief package is among the early priorities.
(Alliance News) - The following is a round-up of updates by London-listed companies, issued on Wednesday and not separately reported by Alliance News:







SkinBioTherapeutics PLC - life science company focused on skin health - Subsidiary AxisBiotix Ltd starts enrolment for its food supplement consumer study. The study will start in February and is targeting 200 applicants. "Further to research exploring the relationship between the gut and the skin and the scientific evidence pointing to a link between gut dysfunction, stress-induced alterations to the gut microbiome and skin inflammation, the company has been working with Winclove Probiotics BV for the development of a blend of bacterial strains as a food supplement," company says.







Alien Metals Ltd - minerals exploration and development company - Notes, since executing the earn-in agreement with Capstone Mining Corp over its Donovan 2 copper-gold project in Mexico, Capstone has completed its initial 2020 obligation of exploration expenditures and will advance to the next phase of the agreement. "Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, Capstone can acquire a 65% interest in Donovan 2 through committed expenditure and cash payments totalling about USD3.9million. Capstone can move to an 80% interest in the project through free-carrying Alien to completion of a prefeasibility study," Alien says. Capstone have indicated that they have planned an initial 2,500 metre drilling program as part of their required USD450,000 expenditure commitment for 2021.







Power Metal Resources PLC - AIM-listed metal exploration and development company - Notes working capital position at January 12 was about GBP2.7 million including sterling, US dollars, Australian dollars and Canadian dollars and the current value of the company's listed investments. Has no debt. Expects exploration and corporate spending for the period to March 31 is currently estimated at about GBP600,000 and as a result following the completion of the period to March 31 the company expects to still hold a robust working capital position. "Given the extent of our activities I would like shareholders to also know that your company is in a strong financial position and is well funded to complete all its currently planned exploration work, including drilling programmes underway at present," Chief Executive Paul Johnson says.







Dekel Agri-Vision PLC - West Africa-focused agriculture company - Confirms, following significant advances made in 2020, is preparing for the Round Table for Sustainable Palm Oil certification process, it has now engaged Proforest to undertake the final RSPO pre-audit of the company's 100%-owned palm oil project at Ayenouan. "As part of the pre-audit, Proforest will undertake a review of Dekel's programmes and management systems and assess the processes and procedures put in place by the company to manage environmental and social risks and impacts. The Proforest team will also look to identify opportunities for value addition through the adoption of environmental and social improvements and initiatives. This will allow any final recommendations ahead of the formal RSPO audit process which the company expects to undertake later this year," Dekel adds.







Induction Healthcare Group PLC - London-based healthcare technology company - Signs contract with the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. Induction Zesty, a provider of patient portals to NHS Hospitals, delivers the My RFL Care patient portal as the first phase of an ambitious roadmap for RFL's digital patient services in the next two years. The My RFL Care portal launched in August 2020 and has had "significant traction" with over 50,000 patients registering and using the service in the first few months, Induction says. It expects 250,000 patients to adopt the service in the first year. Joint Chief Executive James Balmain adds: "Partnering with Royal Free London, one of the largest and most respected hospitals in the UK, is an important milestone for Induction Zesty. In just a few months, tens of thousands of patients have successfully registered and used the platform. We look forward to supporting the Royal Free London in delivering further enhanced functionality for their patient portal over the coming months."







Sunrise Resources PLC - miner focused on operations in Nevada, US and Western Australia - Says mining of 500 tonne pozzolan sample at CS Pozzolan-Perlite project in Nevada completes on schedule in collaboration with large cement and ready-mix company and delivered to CRMC for processing and use in commercial concrete trials. Mining of additional 200 tonne perlite sample completed and delivered to processing site. Also notes nine claims staked in Walker Lane mineral belt in same area as 1.8 million ounce past producing Denton-Rawhide gold-silver mine at Sundance gold project in Nevada. Finally, completes Aboriginal Heritage survey at Baker's gold project in Western Australia. Executive Chair Patrick Cheetham says: "We have hit the ground running in 2021 with work continuing across our project portfolio. We anticipate a high level of activity now that our CS project is permitted for production and as we continue the exploration of our precious metals projects in Nevada and Australia. The assay results from drilling at our Clayton silver-gold project in Nevada are now keenly awaited."







Jangada Mines PLC - mineral resource miner focused on Brazil - Says 18% investee ValOre reports encouraging ore sorting potential for Pedra Branca PGE project in northeastern Brazil. Results from the ore sorting program, which used a set of 100 re-assayed and catalogued 5-cm samples of historical NQ drill core from the Esbarro PGE deposit, demonstrated distinct density responses for mineralised rock types, as well as barren granites and gneisses, company says.







Uru Metals Ltd - exploration and development - Sells Zebediela nickel project in South Africa to Blue Rhino Capital Corp. Uru will receive 41.0 million shares in Blue Rhino, which will represent 80% of the company's issued share capital, and a 2.5% royalty for the project, where an additional 2% can be bought for USD3.0 million.







By Paul McGowan; paulmcgowan@alliancenews.com

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
As the US House begins impeachment proceedings, its important to remember that impeachment is simply a fancy term for indictment. Theres no trial involved, and only the prosecutor (in this case Nancy Pelosis team) can provide evidence.

No rebuttal or defense is permitted. Grand juries typically vote to indict in 99.5 % of cases, and there can be no doubt that the House will vote to indict. They dont care that there will be no trial because Trumps term will be over before that trial can begin. Therefore, the impeachment is a pure fraud -- an exercise in raw political power, a logical next step in the 5 year-long effort to get rid of the president by any means possible.

Regardless of your position on Trumps culpability in the capitol riot, we all should be angry that the House is wasting valuable time on this embarrassing charade that will accomplish nothing, instead of doing their job focusing on Covid-19, North Koreas threats, Irans threats and transition issues. The riots were terrible, and cannot be defended. But as the saying goes, There is nothing so bad that people cannot make it even worse.

R. Patrick Henry, Jr., East Longmeadow
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Deep within a South Los Angeles hospital, a row of elderly Hispanic men lay hooked up to ventilatorstheir bodies resting in induced comaswhile nurses clad in spacesuit-style respirators checked their patients' bleeping monitors in the otherwise eerie silence.

The intensive care unit in one of the city's poorest districts is well-accustomed to death, but with Los Angeles now at the heart of the United States's COVID-19 pandemic, medics say they have never seen anything on this scale.

"It's hard. We're human, and we're trying our best," said nurse Vanessa Arias. "But we've seen so much death during the past few weeks."

Barely moments earlier, she had informed another tearful family that their mother had just passed.

"We're in the midst of the eye of the storm," she said.

Martin Luther King Jr Community Hospital, sandwiched between the neighborhoods of Watts and Compton, is stretched far beyond capacity by an unrelenting influx of coronavirus patients.

When AFP visited this week, it had converted a chapel and former gift shop into overflow and examination rooms, created new makeshift ICU beds in the post-surgery ward, and built field hospital tents outside its front entrance.

The 131-bed hospital had 215 patients, the majority with COVID. National Guard medics had just arrived to ease the strain on overwhelmed doctors and nurses.

"If Los Angeles is the epicenter of the world, this community is the epicenter of COVID in Los Angeles," said hospital CEO Elaine Batchlor.

Surrounding neighborhoods are overwhelmingly Hispanic and Blacktwo demographics hit hardest by the virus.

The US has had more coronavirus cases and deaths than any other country in the world. On Thursday, it set a new record of nearly 4,000 COVID deaths in one day, bringing the country's overall total to more than 364,000.

The country's confirmed number of infections was 21.5 million.

At the MLK hospital, many of the patients are essential workers, highly exposed at jobs in grocery stores and public transport, and living in crowded homes where isolating is near-impossible.

Even before COVID, the community suffered from epidemic levels of preventable and chronic disease, including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and sepsis.

"We're seeing whole families, groups of them, getting sick at the same time," said Arias, who like many MLK staff is herself Hispanic and grew up locally.

"I could have been one of these people... It's very unfortunate to see people that look like you die."

'Worst I've been to'

The infection numbers affecting Los Angeles since November have been staggering, even after 10 long months of pandemic in the nation's second largest city.

A record 8,000 county residents are currently hospitalized with COVID. Around one in 12 have already been infected, and one in five of those tested recently are positive. More than 11,000 have died.

"I was also in New York when it was really bad. But this has probably been the worst I've been to," said Taylor Reed, a 24-year-old traveling nurse, who also worked in Washington, DC and Minnesota last year.

California was initially praised for its handling of the pandemic in the spring, but skyrocketing cases have sent most of the state back under "stay-at-home" orders.

Ambulance workers have been told to stop transporting some patients with extremely low survival chances.

California hospitals were this week ordered to postpone non-urgent surgeries and to accept COVID-19 patients from elsewhere in the hard-hit state if they have space.

Still reeling from a spike caused by Thanksgiving gatherings that spread infections, state public health chiefs expect the Christmas coronavirus "surge upon a surge" to peak in the next two weeks.

'Under this pressure'

According to Batchlor, MLK's disadvantaged location gives it one key strength.

Accustomed to operating a "very, very busy emergency department" in normal times, the gleaming new facility's staff are extremely well-practiced at rapidly processing patients.

Most have now received at least one dose of the new Pfizer vaccine.

But Batchlor still fears for her dedicated employees, who are stretched thinner than ever as more patients continue to arrive.

"When I talk to our doctors and nurses working in our intensive care unit, they continue to assure me that they're on top of it," she said.

"But I'm worried about how long they've been in this situation and under this pressure."

For Arias, keeping each patient's family members "in the loop" despite near-daily deaths helps to "makes me always feel fulfilled."

But shortly before AFP's visit, she called the relatives of an elderly Hispanic lady who was rapidly deteriorating.

"As soon as I thought she was going to expire, I called them to rush over here," said Arias, hopeful they might arrive in time to say goodbye.

"Unfortunately, they didn't."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Today, there is outright hostility among members of Congress, emotions that will be hard to contain even as Mr. Biden plans an inauguration with the theme of America United  an admirable goal, but one that seems difficult if not impossible to attain at the moment.

Democrats say a considerable number of their Republican colleagues, by whipping up Mr. Trumps supporters and their own with weeks of baseless claims about election fraud, are accomplices to the president in inciting the attack on the Capitol. The assault put at risk the safety of lawmakers, law enforcement, staff workers and members of the news media while undermining the most basic tenets of American democracy. Now, Democratic lawmakers are reporting testing positive for the coronavirus after being isolated in secure rooms with Republicans who refused to wear masks, adding to their fury.

They are particularly incensed that the same Republican lawmakers who refused to recognize Mr. Bidens election and fueled the divisions over the result are now pleading for Democrats to drop their push to impeach Mr. Trump and punish complicit Republicans, in a belated appeal for national unity.

They dont want unity. They want absolution, said Representative Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, still angry at the Republican challenge to his states vote count. They want us to forgive them for their crimes and cowardice that have occurred under Donald Trump. They would rather feed that monster than defend the Constitution of the United States and our democracy.

Mr. Gallego, who said he would lead a natural resources subcommittee, said he and other Democrats were exploring ways to marginalize Republicans who did not recognize the consequences of their actions should Congress not take steps to try to oust those who were most outspoken against counting the electoral ballots for Mr. Biden.

I am contemplating not allowing any Republican bills to go to the floor if you are one of the people who voted to not recognize the votes of Arizona, said Mr. Gallego, who said he had routinely advanced Republican bills in the past. I dont know if I can look at any of these members in the same way unless there is some good level of contrition.

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Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has bragged about her desire to carry her glock pistol into the Capitol, got into a standoff with Capitol Hill police and wouldn't let them search her bag after she set off the security alarm on Tuesday night before she entered the House floor

Republican House members are raging about the newly-installed metal detector they need to pass to get onto the chamber floor after being warned not to bring firearms with them when they come to vote.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has bragged about her desire to carry her glock pistol into the Capitol, got into a standoff with police and wouldn't let them search her bag after she set off the security alarm.

Boebert, who supports QAnon theories and made a name for herself carrying her fire arm on the campaign trail, walked through the screening process with her bag, which set off the magnetometer. She refused to hand the bag over to be searched.

Capitol Police eventually let her in the House chamber and it appears her bag was not searched before they did so.

'I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex,' Boebert tweeted after the incident. 'Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week  its just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.'

Congresswoman Debbie Lasko tweeted: For members of Congress to enter the floor of the U.S. House, we now have to go through intense security measures, on top of the security we already go through. These new provisions include searches and being wanded like criminals. We now live in Pelosis communist America!

Speaker Pelosi went through the metal detectors when she entered the House floor. She, too, set them off but stopped for Capitol Police to wand her.

The new security procedures were announced Tuesday, coming after last week's riot on Capitol Hill that left five people dead and a trail of destruction through the building, including smashed windows, torn papers, and broken furniture.

'Effective immediately, all persons, including Members, are required undergo security screening when entering the House Chamber,' acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett wrote Tuesday in a memo to lawmakers obtained by DailyMail.com.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi went through the metal detectors when she entered the House floor

Speaker Pelosi stopped for Capitol Police to wand her

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene set off the detectors when she went through them Tuesday night and had to get wanded by U.S. Capitol Police

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene takes off her shoes as part of the screening process

Lawmakers were reminded that firearms are not permitted on the House floor but face masks are required to be worn.

Security will remove those who do not comply.

'Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber,' Blodgett wrote. 'Members not wearing a mask will not be admitted to the Floor and Members who fail to wear a mask will be removed from the Floor.'

But many Republicans revolted against the new security measures as long lines of lawmakers waited to go through the screening so they could vote, causing delays for them to get onto the House floor.

Before Tuesday, lawmakers were allowed to skip security lines going into and out of the Capitol complex. They were able to walk around the mags simply by wearing the gold circular lapel pin that identified them as a member of Congress.

Three Republican lawmakers argued with Capitol Police about the issue.

'This is bull****,' Rep. Rodney Davis told the officers as he was checked. He also complained to House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, calling the new system 'horse****', that valuable resources were being diverted and the Republicans weren't consulted on the matter.

Rep. Markwayne Mullin said police 'can't stop me' from going through them.

And Rep. Steve Womack yelled at officers as he went through the magnetometer: 'You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of.'

He said it is going to create chaos during votes with members steaming through.

'Get back,' he told them. 'Don't touch me.'

Other Republicans, about a dozen, simply walked around the metal detectors, refusing to go through them.

Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert just walked around the magnetometer and went onto the House floor.

'You can't stop me; I'm on my way to a vote,' he said as he bypassed police.

Congressman Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the House, said the situation is 'untenable' because it 'impedes the ability of members to come and vote.'

'This is our job,' he said.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene set off the detectors when she went through them Tuesday night and had to go through additional screening.

Greene, who supports QAnon conspiracy theories, had to take off her shoes and was at the magnetometer for about two minutes total to get wanded by an officer.

Greene, who has objected to wearing a face mask in the past, was wearing one Tuesday night. It read Molon labe, which means 'come and take them' and is an ancient Greek expression that is a classical expression of defiance.

She praised the police officers and yelled at the reporters covering Tuesday night's vote.

'Y'all are the best, y'all are great - all the media and all the liars and them, they're not great,' she said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has objected to wearing a face mask in the past, was wearing one Tuesday night. It read Molon labe, which means 'come and take them' and is an ancient Greek expression that is a classical expression of defiance

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, goes through a new metal detector as he walks to the floor of the House of Representatives

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, took the House floor during Tuesday night's debate, to complain about the metal detectors

There were long lines of lawmakers to get through security and onto the House floor

Additionally, lawmakers will face fines for not complying with the face mask rule if legislation on the matter is approved in Tuesday night's vote.

When the House votes later Tuesday on the rule for a resolution to encourage Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office, it will include language to impose fines on lawmakers who don't wear masks on the House floor.

The fines include: $500 for the first offense and $2,500 for the second office.

The fines will be deducted directly from the lawmaker's paycheck, which is distributed by the House.

The legislation is expected to pass - although Pence is not expected to use the 25th amendment to remove Trump from office so House Democrats will hold a vote on impeaching the president on Wednesday afternoon.

At least three Democrats have tested positive for COVID after huddling in a small, poorly ventilated room with Republicans who refused to wear face masks last Wednesday, when Capitol Police put lawmakers on lock down for their safety.

Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider on Tuesday announced he had COVID and blamed Republicans for infecting himself and fellow Democratic Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Bonnie Watson Coleman, a 75-year-old cancer survivor.

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, took the House floor during Tuesday night's debate, to complain about the metal detectors that lawmakers now have to walk through and the fines for not wearing a face mask.

Jordan, wearing a mask that covered his mouth but not his nose, called it part of the 'cancel culture mob out there.'

'I do not know where this ends,' he said.

Ahead of Tuesday's vote series, workers were seen installing the metal detectors outside the entrances to the House floor in the inner sanctum of the Capitol building. Wednesday's MAGA mob didn't penetrate the chamber but lawmakers fled for their lives as the insurgents banged at the doors, held off by stacks of furniture and U.S. Capitol Police, who had their guns drawn.

It's all part of the security crackdown taking place after last week's riot and ahead of January 20th - the day President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take the oath of office.

The changes are visible. Street closures have been put into affect around the Capitol Hill complex. And a ring of steel - a seven foot high anti-climbing fence - circles the Capitol itself. And at least 10,000 National Guard troops arrived in Washington D.C. - taking up positions in and around the Capitol - with more expected in the next week.

The House, being opened into session by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is voting on a rule that will fine members of Congress for not wearing masks

Works on Capitol Hill installed the new magnetometer ahead of votes in the House of Representatives on Tuesday

All lawmakers must go through the magnetometer and be checked by U.S. Capitol Police before they can enter the House floor

The metal detector is part of the new security crack down in the Capitol; lawmakers were also reminded they cannot bring fire arms to the House floor

President-elect Biden said on Monday that he wasn't afraid of holding his inauguration ceremony outside even though the pro-Trump mob swarmed the stands built for his inauguration.

'I'm not afraid of taking the oath outside,' he said.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, in one of his last acts before he resigned on Tuesday, gave the federal government an additional week to get the security crackdown in place.

'I have instructed the U.S. Secret Service to begin the National Special Security Event operations for the 2021 Inauguration effective Wednesday, January 13 instead of January 19. Our federal, state, and local partners will continue to coordinate their plans and position resources for this important event,' he announced.

A National Special Security Event means that multiple federal agencies are involved. The United States Secret Service serves as the lead agency, coordinating with local police, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Additionally, the Washington Monument, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Washington D.C., has been closed.

A crowd control fence was put up around Capitol Hill, reaching seven feet high

Members of the New York National Guard form up on the East Front of the Capitol as at least 10,000 troops are deployed in Washington D.C.

U.S. National Guard members walk among the columns of the crypt beneath the U.S. Capitol rotunda

President-elect Joe Biden said he is not worried about holding his inauguration ceremony outside

Biden indicated Friday he was glad President Trump wasn't coming to his inauguration.

'One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on. It's a good thing him not showing up,' Biden said at a press conference about the president's snub.

Trump announced Friday that he will be a no-show Biden's inauguration ceremony, a break with historical tradition.

'To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,' he declared the morning after he finally acknowledged publicly he will not have a second term in the White House.

There have been reports that Vice President Mike Pence will attend to show his support for a peaceful transfer of power.

Biden said of Pence: 'He's welcome. I'd be honored to have him.'

The last president not to attend his successor's swearing-in was President Andrew Johnson in 1869 - who had also been impeached. Both John Adams and John Quincy Adams snubbed their successors too.

The Biden team has announced a scaled back inauguration ceremony, with the theme of 'America United.' The traditional parade will now be a virtual event and a limited number of tickets will be given out for the ceremony.

The Biden team has encouraged supporters to stay home and celebrate there.

Additionally, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday asked all Americans to stay away from the inauguration. She had already extended the city's 6 p.m. curfew through Inauguration Day.

Pictured is Maplewood Junior/Senior High School. Both Maplewood buildings are set to receive renovations after the PENNCREST School District voted to approve them in November. The cost of that project could increase due to a couple townships that have not yet opted in to allow local inspectors for the projects.
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Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect.

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Commuters pictured travelling through London during rush hour this morning without wearing face masks

It comes just hours after Home Secretary Priti Patel backed a tougher police approach to lockdown rules

Some people don't have to wear mask if they have valid exemption such as it causing them severe distress

But concerns are mounting that others are simply breaking the law because they don't want to wear one

Where do you have to wear a face covering in England under law? Here is a list of where face masks must be worn in England. Some of the venues are closed under law: public transport (aeroplanes, trains, trams and buses)

taxis and private hire vehicles

transport hubs (airports, rail and tram stations and terminals, maritime ports and terminals, bus and coach stations and terminals)

shops and supermarkets (places which offer goods or services for retail sale or hire)

shopping centres (malls and indoor markets)

auction houses

premises providing hospitality (bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes), except when seated at a table to eat or drink (see exemptions)

post offices, banks, building societies, high-street solicitors and accountants, credit unions, short-term loan providers, savings clubs and money service businesses

estate and lettings agents

theatres

premises providing personal care and beauty treatments (hair salons, barbers, nail salons, massage centres, tattoo and piercing parlours)

premises providing veterinary services

visitor attractions and entertainment venues (museums, galleries, cinemas, theatres, concert halls, cultural and heritage sites, aquariums, indoor zoos and visitor farms, bingo halls, amusement arcades, adventure activity centres, indoor sports stadiums, funfairs, theme parks, casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, indoor play areas including soft-play areas)

libraries and public reading rooms

places of worship

funeral service providers (funeral homes, crematoria and burial ground chapels)

community centres, youth centres and social clubs

exhibition halls and conference centres

public areas in hotels and hostels

storage and distribution facilities

Shoppers and commuters travelling through London during rush hour this morning have been pictured not wearing face masks hours after the Home Secretary backed a tougher police approach to lockdown rules.

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Priti Patel said a minority of the public are 'putting the health of the nation at risk', adding that officers are moving more quickly to issuing fines where people are clearly breaching coronavirus regulations.

Some people don't have to wear a mask if they have a valid exemption, such as it causing them severe distress or because of a physical or mental illness, impairment or disability  and they do not have to carry proof.

But concerns are mounting that others are simply breaking the law because they don't want to wear one  and Ms Patel revealed that nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices have been issued in the UK since March.

National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt warned those caught not wearing a mask on a bus or train 'can expect a fine' unless they are exempt - and police would no longer 'waste time' trying to reason with people such as those who disagree with the rules.

He said: 'Not wearing a face covering on a bus or a train is dangerous. It risks the lives of other travellers including those critical workers who must continue to use public transport to do their important work.'

A string of supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons have now pledged to get tougher with customers who refuse to wear face coverings by denying them entry to their stores.

Britain's most senior police officer, Dame Cressida Dick, said Metropolitan Police officers would be prepared to assist shop staff if customers became 'obstructive and aggressive' when told they must wear a face covering.

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One incident this morning at a Morrisons store in Peckham, South East London, saw a construction worker clash with a store security guard when he was refused entry to the store for not wearing a mask.

The shopper angrily told the guard that he did not have to wear because he had a medical condition. But the guard said he was not wearing a certificate exempting him around his neck and refused to allow him in.

During the stand-off, the shopper pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, insisting it was a Government-issued exemption certificate. After examining it, the guard told the man that as he was not wearing it around his neck, he would not be allowed into the store.

The disgruntled construction worker, who was trying to buy some breakfast, told MailOnline: 'It's quite ridiculous. How am I supposed to wear this certificate around my neck every time I go into a shop?

'I've never had this problem before but clearly the supermarkets are getting a lot tougher about imposing the mask rule. I've got a medical reason for not wearing a mask and always make sure that I carry my exemption certificate with me.

Some commuters don't wear face masks on the Jubilee line in London today. It is not known whether they have an exemption

Two passengers sit on a London Overground train today while not wearing face masks. Some passengers have an exemption

A commuter on a Jubilee line train this morning. Some people don't have to wear a mask if they have a valid exemption

One woman sits on a London Overground train today with a mask pulled down. It is not known if the other woman is exempt

Commuters wearing face masks wait for an Overground train this morning at Canada Water station in East London

A woman goes to board a London Overground train this morning as the third lockdown continues for England

A London commuter is pictured not wearing a face mask on the Jubilee line today. It is not known if he has an exemption

A busy Circle or District line train on the London Underground this morning while stopped at Victoria station

'Now I have to have it on full public display around my neck and to be honest, I'm not happy about that because I want to keep my medical issues confidential.'

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The security guard told MailOnline: 'We get people trying all kinds of tricks to explain why they are not wearing a mask. I've had to confront dozens of people so far and they come out with some many different excuses.

Speaker advises MPs to wear masks 'wherever possible' in the Commons MPs have been advised to wear face masks 'wherever possible' in the House of Commons chamber. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle suggested yesterday that the exception should be when MPs are called to speak. People on the parliamentary estate have been encouraged to wear masks in recent months, although the Speaker's words go a step further in pressing MPs to wear a face covering in the chamber. The number of MPs on the floor of the House has been limited to 50 during the Covid-19 pandemic, with others contributing virtually via Zoom. Opening business, Sir Lindsay told the Commons: 'Can I just say to members, wherever possible please try and wear masks all the time, apart from obviously when we're speaking. So please bear that in mind.' Most MPs could be seen wearing masks during housing, communities and local government questions.

'An exemption certificate has to be worn around your neck. You can't just pull it out of your pocket or show a copy of it on your mobile to me. If customers don't have a mask or proof for why they are exempt from wearing one, they will not be getting in.'

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Speaking about enforcement, Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh told talkRADIO this morning: 'There are areas that are difficult for us. For instance, the wearing of masks and the people with exemption. I have asked over and over again for the onus of exemption to be on the individual.

'I know I've been criticised on social media etc. All I'm asking for is the fact that we carry on with the prosecution, and then you have an opportunity to show your exemption after.

'So you're not challenged in the street, you're not embarrassed, you're put on offer, you're not made to feel belittled or anything like that - you have an opportunity after. That hasn't been done. So it makes it far more difficult for my colleagues to act upon where they are.'

Mr Marsh continued: 'Supermarket individuals can't enforce law. It's down to the police. It's private property and they have the right to refuse whoever they want. But that is wholly unfair and there are people who do have very legitimate reasons why they can't wear one.

'But if we make the onus very much on the individual, people would think twice, and I would suggest, God forbid, that the only people then not wearing them are the individuals who do have an exemption, and that's absolutely fine because further down the road we can deal with it.'

In Wales, some supermarkets have been increasing measures to prevent the sale of non-essential retail in their stores, with goods in some aisles now wrapped up in plastic sheets to stop them being accessing.

Mr Hewitt said that more officers will be out on dedicated patrols to deal with rule breakers, while Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has also spoken to councils about enforcing the regulations.

Latest figures showed that as of yesterday, a further 1,243 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, which brings the UK total to 81,960.

A security guard watches as a shopper leaves a Morrisons supermarket in Peckham, South East London, without a face mask this morning. It is not known if they have an exemption, or had just taken off their mask after leaving the store

A security guard challenges a man for not wearing a mask at Morrisons in Peckham, South East London, this morning

The shopper angrily told the guard in Morrisons today that he did not have to wear because he had a medical condition

Security check to see if people are wearing face masks at Morrisons in Peckham, South East London, this morning

A security guard on patrol outside the Morrisons supermarket in Peckham, South East London, this morning

A security guard on the door at Morrisons in Leeds watches customers arrive today to ensure they are wearing masks

A customer at a Morrisons store in Leeds has his mask pulled down while shopping in the supermarket this morning

A supermarket worker walks through a Morrisons store in the Harehills area of Leeds with a mask pulled down today

A security guard checks shoppers are wearing masks at the Morrisons supermarket in Harehills, Leeds, this morning

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 99,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

The Government also said that, as of 9am yesterday, there had been a further 45,533 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,118,518.

Mr Hewitt told a briefing yesterday that officers will not 'linger' trying to encourage the public to obey lockdown rules. He said: 'It is very clear that we are now at the most dangerous stage of the pandemic.

'There is a real and present risk that our health service could be overwhelmed and people - our friends and family - could die needlessly from this virus. So, we must all play a part in stopping that from happening.

Security guards check if people are wearing masks before they enter a Sainsbury's in Dulwich, South London, this morning

Security monitor shoppers arriving at Sainsbury's in Dulwich, South London, this morning to check they are wearing masks

Security guard check if people are wearing face masks as they arrive at Sainsbury's in Dulwich, South London, this morning

The man and woman still went into the Sainsbury's store in Cheltenham together today and later left with their shopping

People go shopping inside a Sainsbury's supermarket in South London today as they wear face masks around the store

Shoppers wear face masks as they leave a Tesco Extra store in Cradley Heath, Dudley, this afternoon

A shopper leaves a Tesco Extra store in Cradley Heath, Dudley, today. It is not known whether he has an exemption to wearing a face mask, or removed it after walking through the exit

'Ten months on, the rules are clear and I urge everyone to abide by them. With a virus spreading so rapidly through contact with others we should all be asking ourselves whether our reason to leave home is truly essential. Those personal decisions are critical.'

He gave examples of recent breaches including a boat party in Hertfordshire with more than 40 people who had each paid 30 each for a ticket, and a minibus full of people from different households travelling from Cheltenham into Wales for a walk.

Earlier, crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said officers would be adopting a new 'high-profile' approach to enforcing the rules that could include stopping members of the public to ask why they are not at home.

Dame Cressida also warned that officers in London will move swiftly to fine people who blatantly ignore the regulations.

Commuters sit and stand on board a Jubilee line train this morning as they travel through London

Commuters wear face coverings while travelling on the Jubilee line through the capital this morning

Passengers stand and sit as they travel on the Jubilee line through London on their commute this morning

Tube passengers stand on board a Jubilee line train travelling through London this morning

A man travels on the London Underground's Jubilee line this morning while wearing a face mask pulled below his nose

Commuters wait for the doors to close on board a Jubilee line this morning as the third lockdown continues

Commuters travel on an escalator at a London Underground station this morning as they continue to travel to work

Morning traffic coming into London over the Marylebone flyover in London today during England's third national lockdown

Traffic comes into London over the Marylebone flyover as England's third coronavirus national lockdown continues

The 18 London bus travels into Central London this morning over the Marylebone flyover during the third national lockdown

Their comments came amid confusion over the distance that members of the public are allowed to travel to exercise, with the Prime Minister sparking debate after going for a bike ride seven miles from Downing Street.

Police pull over two cars driving badly in Brighton to find nine occupants had driven from London Police pulled over two cars driving badly in Brighton to find the nine occupants had driven down there from London, breaching coronavirus rules. Every member of the group was handed a fixed penalty notice. Sussex Police stopped the cars as there were concerns for how they were being driven in the early hours of Sunday morning. Officers found the group had come from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton that weekend. One resident, who saw the nine rulebreakers being stopped and fined, described it as a 'national disgrace'. He said: 'Over 1000 people died yesterday and these filth didn't have a mask between them. 'It's a national disgrace, and the fine is clearly no deterrent whatsoever. It was freezing cold, driving conditions terrible, and I felt somewhat frustrated that our police have to put themselves at risk due to this dreadful behaviour when they have so much else to be getting on with.' The current fine for breaching lockdown rules is 200 but police have been told to get tougher on rule breakers, as more people continue to flout the rules. A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'Sussex Police attended Holland Road, Brighton, in the early hours of Sunday following concerns for how two vehicles were being driven. 'Officers engaged with the nine occupants in the vehicles and established the group were from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton without a reasonable excuse. Each of the occupants received a fixed penalty notice.'

During the briefing Ms Patel herself incorrectly referred to 'outdoor recreation' being allowed under the rules, apparently having meant to say exercise.

Leaders of police groups called on the Government to clarify the 'incredibly vague' rules, which saw two women incorrectly fined for driving five miles from their Derbyshire homes to meet for a walk.

But Mr Hewitt rejected setting a specific distance that members of the public should be able to travel by law, because it would be too difficult to prove if they had broken the rules.

This came as:

The latest health service figures showed 2,347,461 people in Great Britain have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Government faced calls to urgently roll out its national free school meal voucher scheme after one mother posted an image of a 30 parcel estimated to contain just more than 5 worth of food.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that more than 40,000 extra deaths have taken place in private homes in England and Wales since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson told MPs the peak demand on the health service may not be reached until early to mid-February.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said ministers will consider whether key workers such as police, teachers and essential shop staff should be prioritised once the most vulnerable have received the coronavirus vaccine.

Police leaders are pushing for frontline officers to get the vaccine after the highest priority groups have received their jabs.

Meanwhile, police pulled over two cars driving badly in Brighton to find the nine occupants had driven down there from London, breaching coronavirus rules. Every member of the group was handed a fixed penalty notice.

Sussex Police stopped the cars as there were concerns for how they were being driven in the early hours of Sunday morning. Officers found the group had come from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton that weekend.

One resident, who saw the nine rule breakers being stopped and fined, described it as a 'national disgrace'. He said: 'Over 1000 people died yesterday and these filth didn't have a mask between them.

'It's a national disgrace, and the fine is clearly no deterrent whatsoever. It was freezing cold, driving conditions terrible, and I felt somewhat frustrated that our police have to put themselves at risk due to this dreadful behaviour when they have so much else to be getting on with.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel

National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt

The current fine for breaching lockdown rules is 200 but police have been told to get tougher on rulebreakers, as more people continue to flout the rules.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'Sussex Police attended Holland Road, Brighton, in the early hours of Sunday following concerns for how two vehicles were being driven.

'Officers engaged with the nine occupants in the vehicles and established the group were from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton without a reasonable excuse. Each of the occupants received a fixed penalty notice.'

Across England and Wales, 32,329 fixed penalty notices have been recorded being given out between Friday, March 27, and Monday, December 21.

Data published by the National Police Chiefs' Council shows Northumbria Police have issued the most, with 3,034, followed by Greater Manchester Police at 2,183.

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The Metropolitan Police in London have issued the third most fines for breaking Covid restrictions, at 1,761. There were 892 in Sussex.
FCW Insider: Jan. 13

The departing chief of the Federal Acquisition Service, Julie Dunne, talks to FCW about recent initiatives.

A top counterintelligence official today said the number of known federal agencies affected by the SolarWinds hack will likely to continue to rise beyond initial estimates.

With the Senate Armed Services Committee prepping to hear the nomination of retired Army General Lloyd Austin to serve as secretary of defense, some lawmakers are concerned about preserving civilian control of the U.S. military.

Quick Hits

*** Many corporate political donors and political action committees are pausing political donations in response to the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6. In some instances, PACs and corporations are ceasing all funding activity and in other cases, donations are being frozen for lawmakers who voted in the House or Senate to object to certifying the results of the presidential election.

Washington Technology reported on Tuesday that government contractors including Leidos, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Technologies are adding their names to the list of companies that are taking part in the political donation pause

The big question with regard to corporate funding is whether the freeze is sustained or if there is a long term impact on the fundraising ability of those 140-plus Republican members of Congress who backed any of the motions challenging the electors submitted by Pennsylvania and Arizona.

"The dirty little secret is that there isn't a lot of PAC spending right now. In an ordinary situation, after a presidential cycle, PACs would be reevaluating their goals and priorities," one lobbyist told FCW. "I'd wait and see who is still withholding political giving  and from whom -- in the second and third quarters, when money starts to move in advance of the 2022 midterms. That is how I'd measure the impact of what happened."

*** The Department of Homeland Security made a spate of awards to AT&T in the governmentwide $50 billion Enterprise Infrastructure Solutions Contract over the past week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement made an EIS award to AT&T with a ceiling value of $173 million on Jan. 5. AT&T also won a $133 million-ceiling award from the DHS Management Directorate. AT&T nabbed a $32.6 million EIS task order for the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer and a $43.4 million task order from the DHS Office of the Secretary.
As word of Mr. Adelsons death spread on Tuesday, there was an outpouring of sympathy from Republicans and conservative leaders across the country and in Israel, where the Adelsons were instrumental in bolstering the right-wing government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Mr. Trump called Mr. Adelson a great man. Senator Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri, described Mr. Adelson as a force of nature. Senator Rick Scott of Florida said the businessman would forever be remembered as a leader who dedicated his life to the betterment of his country, the nation of Israel and the world.

While Mr. Adelsons political giving was directed at Republican candidates, one prominent Democrat, former Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, praised his hand in transforming Las Vegas into the iconic destination it is today.

Dr. Adelson, who was born in Tel Aviv and was the driving force behind the familys involvement in conservative Israeli politics, is expected to remain active as the publisher of the free daily newspaper Israel Hayom.

Susie Gelman, a liberal Jewish philanthropist who heads the board of the Israel Policy Forum and worked with the Adelsons for years in support of Birthright Israel, said she did not expect that Mr. Adelsons death would result in any great changes in any of the Adelsons spheres of influence in Israel. My sense is that they were very much a team, Ms. Gelman said. They seemed very much aligned in their political views.

In Israel, people active in causes the Adelsons have aided said that Ms. Adelson was even more fervid in her views than her husband.

The Adelsons were arguably the most instrumental backers of Mr. Netanyahu through their establishment and operation of Israel Hayom, which they set up in 2007. Known widely as Bibiton  a portmanteau of Mr. Netanyahus nickname, Bibi, and the Hebrew for newspaper, iton  the newspaper gave such favorable coverage to Mr. Netanyahu that it was as if he were editing it himself.
Tuesday afternoon the Mobile County Health Department opened a fast lane for vaccinations for clergy, partly under the view that in some cases they face a level of exposure similar to health-care workers and first responders.

As MCHD livestreamed the process, The Rev. David Frazier of Revelation Baptist Church and moderator of the Mobile Baptist Sunlight District Association, was the first to take a seat for his first dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Bert Eichold II, narrating the event, said that pastoral leaders were individuals who were actually going into the hospital to provide spiritual support and care for their parishioners and sometimes for strangers. And like healthcare workers, frontline workers, they need to be protected from COVID-19.

Other motivations also were at play. After receiving their shots, Frazier and others said they wanted to lead by example to help overcome vaccine fears in their communities.

Why are we here, someone may ask? Frazier said in the MCHD video. We are here to encourage those citizens who are out there skeptical, who maybe have some doubt that it is safe for you to take this shot, that the benefits far outweigh the risks, and we want you to get in line when it is your time.

The Rev. Joseph Lafitte II of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Citronelle, said vaccination presented an opportunity for everyone to carry out our duty to humanity.

This virus has certainly broken down the tribalism that exists in our country, said Lafitte. It puts all of us on the same platform. All of us are in need of this vaccine. As a leader I want to take away the stigmatism that exists around this vaccine, especially for the African-American community.

MCHD officials asked media not to disclose the facility where the shots were given, because it isnt open to the general public yet. However, Eichold said that he expects Mobile County to move partly to Phase 1B of the vaccine dissemination plan on Saturday, offering shots to people 75 and over.

Thus far the state has focused on getting the vaccine to frontline health care workers and nursing home residents, collectively classed as 1A recipents. But there has been some variation from county to county, with limited availability for senior citizens classed in group 1B.

Details on that development will be published in the next few days, Eichold said. He said he expects the state will go fully into phase 1B next week, offering vaccinations to people 65 and over.

In the meantime, he said, the Alabama Department of Public Health had given guidance that religious leaders could be considered for inclusion under Phase 1A. That applies statewide, Eichold said, but Tuesdays event in Mobile was the first example of it as far as he knew.

Frazier and MCHD officials said that the Mobile Baptist Sunlight District Association and the county health department had an established track record of working together on community health issues, and that factored into Tuesdays action. Stephanie Crawford, the MCHDs executive director of prevention and wellness, said that the opportunity remained open to clergy of other faiths. She expects other churches to take part in the days ahead, she said.

This is kind of what we call a soft opening for us to learn the logistics, said Eichold.
Ski slopes, restaurants and hotels in Poland's tourist-reliant mountainous south have announced they will defy anti-virus restrictions and reopen Monday, as small business owners nationwide grow increasingly weary of lockdown.

Around 200 entrepreneurs have joined the so-called 'Highlanders' Veto' movement, whose leader Sebastian Piton announced the disobedience campaign while clad in the traditional outfit of the Tatra mountains.

But the Polish government said opening businesses now would 'radically increase' the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the country.

'The entrepreneurs are this determined because they realise they won't survive another month - so they have no choice,' said Piton, who has described coronavirus as a 'minor, pleasant illness'.

Around 200 hundred entrepreneurs have joined the so-called 'Highlanders' Veto' movement, whose leader Sebastian Piton announced the disobedience campaign while clad in the traditional outfit of the Tatra mountains. Pictured: Polish highlanders hold a press conference

Ski slopes, restaurants and hotels in Poland's tourist-reliant mountainous south have announced they will defy anti-virus restrictions and reopen Monday

'This is our last chance to veto this government policy, which is ruining us,' he told the Polish news agency PAP.

Piton added: 'We will end this madness... which wants to destroy Poland and Polishness, destroy the middle class, small and medium-sized enterprises and kill several hundred people a day.'

On Monday, Poland's government extended most of the anti-virus restrictions through the end of the month, requiring ski slopes, gyms and hotels to remain closed to the general public and restaurants to only do takeaway service.

The government also announced it would offer 1 billion zloty (196 million) to struggling businesses in Poland's mountain areas, but the highlanders responded that it was not enough, with Piton calling the help 'scraps'.

The highlanders are not the only ones losing patience with the government's response to the pandemic, with many small business owners nationwide taking to social media to announce they are opening back up.

The Twitter account @OtwieraMY ('WE are opening) has been posting the names and addresses of bars, restaurants, ice rinks and other places choosing to defy the Covid closures.

On Monday, Poland's government extended most of the anti-virus restrictions through the end of the month, requiring ski slopes, gyms and hotels to remain closed to the general public and restaurants to only do takeaway service. Pictured: Tourists in the Tatra Mountains on 27 December 2020

'I understand the emotions, the situation in this sector is difficult,' Polish government spokesman Piotr Muller told public broadcaster Polskie Radio Program 1 on Tuesday.

'But opening now... would radically increase the number of cases and, unfortunately, deaths.'

Members of Poland's tourist and hotel industry have also filed a lawsuit over the restrictions, demanding compensation from the treasury.

The fitness sector is also planning to sue, and an association of retailers has threatened to do so as well.

Poland's Finance Minister Tadeusz Koscinski said today he hopes some of the restrictions will be lifted in a few weeks.

'I hope that in two to three weeks the restrictions will be a little smaller, the vaccine will work,' Koscinski told Money.pl.

'Some restrictions will remain for quite a long time, but I think that 80 per cent of these restrictions will start to disappear at the turn of the first and second quarter,' he said.

Daily Covid-19 case numbers have stabilised in Poland after surging to 25,611 in November last year. But the number of cases are still high - 9,319 positive test results were recorded yesterday.

The discovery of new variants and rising case numbers in other European countries raise the risk of a possible third wave, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said on Monday.
From a lowdown on Wanda and Vision's comic book vs on-screen depiction, to where and when to watch the show, here's all you need to know about WandaVision.

Slated to stream from 15 January on Disney+ Hotstar Premium, WandaVision is the first project from Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to come out since the record-breaking success of Avengers: Endgame in 2019. Captain Marvel and Black Widow writer Jac Schaeffer has penned the show.

Ahead of its premiere on 15 January, here's all you need to know about the upcoming show, described by the makers as a "mash-up, marrying epic superhero action with small-town sitcom silliness."

Premise

WandaVision follows Scarlett Witch and the android living in the idyllic town of Westview, while trying to keep their powers under wraps. Not much else is known about the show.

Cast

WandaVision marks the return of Elisabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch aka Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany's super-powered android Vision. Kat Dennings will reprise her role of Darcy Lewis, tech-savvy assistant to scientist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) from the Thor movies and Randall Park will return as Jimmy Woo, the FBI agent in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Kathryn Hahn is the new addition to the cast and plays Agnes, Wanda and Vision's "nosy neighbour."

Episodes

The show will run for nine episodes, making it one of the longer shows to be rolled out by Disney. The only other show that is longer (10 episodes) is What If?, an alt-history take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On the other hand, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki are six-episodes-long each.

What to expect

According to Indiewire, WandaVision has been regarded as an amalgamation of both classic sitcoms as well as a conventional Marvel Cinematic Universe project. Speaking to EW, Schaeffer described it as a "love letter to the golden age of television."

Where and when to watch

The first two episodes will release on Friday, 15 January on Disney+ Hotstar Premium in India. The subsequent episodes will debut weekly, every Friday. According to NDTV Gadgets, all of the episodes will drop at around 1:30 pm IST.

WandaVision and Marvel Phase IV

Avengers: Endgame marked an epochal moment in the history of MCU. It was the final send-off to the Avengers franchise, the culmination of 21 films spanning over a decade. In a post-Avengers: Endgame world, Phase IV will witness some of the characters who are 'supposedly dead' making their comeback on the small screen. The first show from Phase IV will be WandaVision. However, the series was never intended to kick off this new era of the MCU. Both Black Widow and Eternals were supposed to hit the big screens in 2020, and Disney was supposed to debut The Falcon and the Winter Soldier before WandaVision. But because of the pandemic, and the consequent shuttering of theatres and shutting down of production, WandaVision, which was closest to completion, was tasked with inaugurating Phase IV, reports EW.

Wanda and Vision  comics versus on-screen versions

In the comics, Wanda Maximoff is a mutant and the daughter of Magneto. Wanda made her film debut during the mid-credit sequence in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, before making an appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron. The film showed Wanda gaining her powers through Hydras experiments. No mention of mutants or Magneto or her connection to him is made in the movie(s).

On the other hand, Vision was created by Ultron using Wonder Man's brain patterns as a mass-controlling synthezoid that could infiltrate the Avengers. Vision's on-screen counterpart is a combination of Tony Starks J.A.R.V.I.S., the Mind Stone and a vibranium body that Ultron intended to use for himself.

In the film versions, Wanda and Vision would meet secretly and date until Thanos ripped the Mind Stone from Vision's forehead, killing him. While Wanda returned in Endgame to avenge Vision's death, Vision did not return even after Thanos' snap was reversed.

According to Fandom, since Shuri was already working on Vision before he went to Wakanda to take Thanos down, there's a possibility that she may have backed up Vision's consciousness and brought him back later.




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The Honduras ambassador to the United States and Former Coordinator of Honduras Government Security Cabinet, Luis Suazo, stated that "this finding reveals a significative reduction in the last 6 years of drug traffic passing through the Honduran territory when compared to the 2013 INCSR report which indicated that as much as 87 percent of all cocaine smuggling flights departing South America first land in Honduras".

Suazo said that this significant reduction in the transit of drugs through the country is the result of the campaign battle that President Hernandez has led since he was leader of the National Congress, when he approved the constitutional reform that allowed the extradition of drug lords.

When asked about the accusations of some drug traffickers that alleged the Honduran president and state security forces are linked to drug trafficking, Suazo answered that these are baseless allegations, in retaliation for all the money that these criminals have lost as a result of the fight against organized crime during the Hernandez Administration.

"The facts and results of Honduras against drug trafficking under the leadership of President Hernandez demonstrate there is no support for criminals in the face of such clear actions achieved by his government". Suazo added that there is no evidence by the U.S. courts of justice, and that it is merely the words of confessed criminals.

On top of the reduction in the passage of drugs through the country, there are 24 Hondurans who have been captured by Honduran Armed Forces and the Honduran National Police and extradited to the United States to face a legal process. Suazo declared that in the face of this demonstration of political will from Honduras' government, many other criminals have chosen to negotiate an agreement with U.S. courts of justice to reduce their sentences.

"In order to reduce their sentences, they have made a series of unsubstantiated statements with no evidence other than their word," Suazo said. "These accusations are allegations of declared drug traffickers and confessed murderers, which fly in the face of the actions that Honduras has taken in the fight against drug trafficking under the leadership of President Hernandez and that no country in the world has achieved in such short time".

"There are men and women of the Armed Forces and the National Police who have fought this battle, who risked their lives, who have sacrificed much; 87 of them lost their lives in this war and it seems to me that it is not worthy to validate these baseless accusations," the ambassador said.

"The Government of Honduras continues to take actions to improve the countrys overall security situation and to make effective use of its reformed Honduran National Police (HNP) and civilian-military task force to reduce criminal activity and dismantle drug trafficking and criminal street gang. The political will of the Honduran government to combat drug trafficking in coordination with U.S. law enforcement agencies continues, but significant challenges to success remains" cited the 2020 report of INCSR.

Sources:



SOURCE Government of Honduras
JACKSON, MI  A Jackson politician is calling on the citys Republican representative to support President Donald Trumps second impeachment.

Jackson Mayor Derek Dobies said U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, should put country over party as Trump is responsible for inciting the violent mob that swarmed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, resulting in at least five deaths, vandalization of the federal building and more.

But Walberg has stated publicly that he plans to vote against impeachment. Hearings began in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday morning, Jan. 13.

Years of misinformation and disinformation culminated in the incitement of insurrection last week that is an absolute dereliction of duty by the president and his political co-conspirators, Dobies said in a statement Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Congressman Walberg must put country over party by taking a bipartisan vote to impeach President Trump. To fail to do so at this critical moment in our nations history  after an event that damaged our nations reputation, threatened our democratic institutions and led to property damage and the unfortunate loss of life  is inherently unconscionable and a profile in cowardice.

Related: What to watch as House moves to impeach Trump for 2nd time: Live video

The House plans to vote on the impeachment measure Wednesday after Vice President Mike Pences refusal to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office. In a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Pence urged Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment.

Last week, Walberg called for full accountability for the pro-Trump supporters who mobbed the Capitol and delayed a vote to formalize President-elect Joe Bidens electoral victory. But he said nothing of whether Trump himself played a role in inciting the mob.

Walberg, who represents Michigans 7th Congressional District, also joined two other Michigan lawmakers in objecting the certification of electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Congress ultimately certified Bidens victory early on Jan. 7.

Related: U.S. Rep. Walberg clings to his objection even after Capitol riot

Walberg has stated publicly that he plans to vote against the impeachment and views it as politically motivated by the opposition. He told WJR-AM (760) on Monday, Jan. 11, that the effort is being just done out of bitterness by a speaker who wants to extract one last pound of flesh, the Detroit News reported.

Walberg and his office did not respond to requests for further comment by the time of publication.

Michigan Republican representative Fred Upton of St. Joseph has said he will support an impeachment vote. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, has said he is strongly considering impeachment.

MORE ON MLIVE:

Congressman Upton will vote to impeach Trump for inciting Capitol riots

Michigan Democrats support Trumps removal as House moves to start impeachment

Why Michigans senior residents are struggling to schedule COVID-19 vaccines
Zoe Saldana was spotted on the set of a currently undisclosed David O. Russell film on Tuesday afternoon in the Saugus neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California.

The actress, 42, was joined by fellow Hollywood heavyweights Christian Bale, 46, and John David Washington, 36.

Zoe strutted around the bustling set in a noticeably retro get-up, which suggests the upcoming film may take place in the 1940s or early 1950s.

New project: Zoe Saldana was spotted on the set of a currently undisclosed David O. Russell film on Tuesday afternoon in the Saugus neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California

Saldana's shoulder-length brunette tresses were styled into an Ida Lupino inspired that featured voluminous finger wave bangs that swooped across her forehead.

Although she kept the majority of her face concealed behind a mask, the Guardians Of The Galaxy star rocked a bold brow and a flattering cateye flick.

As for her costume, Zoe appeared to be wearing a navy blue shift dress with three-quarter sleeves and a zipper up the front.

To complete the look, Saldana's vintage dress was layered over an ivory button up shirt.

All star cast: The actress, 42, was joined by fellow Hollywood heavyweights Christian Bale, 46, and John David Washington, 36

Suave: John David Washington emerged from his trailer looking suave in a black suit jacket with matching trousers

Meanwhile, Christian Bale appeared to be getting into character as he paraded around set in an eyebrow raising ensemble.

The Academy Award winner looked disheveled in a pair of white undergarments, an pink oversized dress shirt, and a green patterned skinny tie.

Due to his lack of trousers, Bale had his socks and sock suspenders on full display as he made his way towards the film's crew in a pair of brown dress shoes.

Top secret: Unfortunately for movie buffs, the title and premise for the upcoming David O. Russell project have remained completely under wraps; David pictured in 2018

John David Washington emerged from his trailer looking suave in a black suit jacket with matching trousers.

Resting underneath his jacket was a black vest and a crisp white dress shirt that had a striped tie secured under its collar.

Just like his co-stars, the son of Denzel Washington made sure to don a face mask as he made his way to a from the day's various shooting locations.

Notable names: Last February, it was announced that David had signed on to make another film at New Regency that would star Christian Bale, John David Washington, and two-time Oscar nominee Margot Robbie

Unfortunately for movie buffs, the title and premise for the upcoming David O. Russell project have remained completely under wraps.

Last February, it was announced that David had signed on to make another film at New Regency that would star Christian Bale, John David Washington, and two-time Oscar nominee Margot Robbie.

There was no mention of Saldana's involvement in the project, which is entirely based off a script written by Russell, according to Variety.

Featured act: Russell's latest project will mark the director's third film with Christian Bale, whom he worked with on 2010's The Fighter and the 2013 era flick American Hustle

This will be David's first directorial film since 2015's Joy, which reunited Silver Linings Playbook stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. It also earned Lawrence a Best Actress nomination at the 2016 Academy Awards.

Russell's latest project will mark the director's third film with Christian Bale, whom he worked with on 2010's The Fighter and the 2013 era flick American Hustle.

Bale's powerful portrayal of the addiction-plagued Dicky Ward earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor at the 2011 Academy Awards.
Enough extra heat was absorbed by the world's seas last year to boil some 1.3 billion kettles, continuing a trend of increasing ocean temperatures, a study has found.

Researchers from China said that a 'severe risk' is posed to humanity by the rising temperatures, which continue despite the COVID-related dip in emissions last year.

The ocean, they explained, acts as a buffer to global warming, soaking up more than 90 per cent of the extra heat generated by the phenomenon.

However, the effects of ocean warming will bring more natural catastrophes  such as the wildfires that raged in Australia and the Amazon in 2020, the team warned.

Enough extra heat was absorbed by the world's seas last year to boil some 1.3 billion kettles, continuing a trend of increasing ocean temperatures, a study has found. Pictured: 'Arctic sea smoke' seen near Qingdao, China last week  a product of cold air passing over warmer water

In the new study, researchers noted the highest ocean temperatures recorded in 65 years as taken from surface level down to a depth of 1.24 miles (2 kilometres).

The team have urged policymakers to consider the lasting damage that warmer oceans can cause as we try to reduce the impacts of climate change.

'Why is the ocean not boiling? Because the ocean is vast,' said paper author and climate scientist Lijing Cheng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

'We can imagine how much energy the ocean can absorb and contain and when it's released slowly, how big the impact is.'

'Warmer oceans and a warmer atmosphere also promote more intense rainfalls in all storms, and especially hurricanes, increasing the risk of flooding,' Professor Cheng said, noting the wildfires that struck Australia, the US and the Amazon last year.

'Extreme fires like those witnessed in 2020 will become even more common in the future. Warmer oceans also make storms more powerful, particularly typhoons and hurricanes,' he continued.

Professor Cheng and colleagues determined that the upper 1.24 miles (2 kilometres) of the world's oceans absorbed 20 more Zettajoules than they did in 2019.

This amount of heat could boil 1.3 billion 2.6-pint (1.5-litre) -kettles, they said.

Chinese experts said that a 'severe risk' is posed to humanity by the rising temperatures , which continue despite the COVID-related dip in emissions last year. Pictured, the difference in 'ocean heat content' between 2020 and the 19812010 baseline (top) and 2019 (bottom)

Experts have warned that we must act now  as the ocean's delayed response to global warming means changes will last for several decades.

'Over 90 per cent of the excess heat due to global warming is absorbed by the oceans, so ocean warming is a direct indicator of global warming,' explained Professor Cheng, who is affiliated with the Center for Ocean Mega-Science.

'The warming we have measured paints a picture of long-term global warming.'

'However, due to the ocean's delayed response to global warming, the trends of ocean change will persist at least for several decades.'

'So societies need to adapt to the now unavoidable consequences of our unabated warming.'

'But there is still time to take action and reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.'

The ocean acts as a buffer to global warming, soaking up more than 90 per cent of the extra heat generated by the phenomenon. Pictured, the changing global ocean heat content from 19602020, as expressed relative to the the 19812010 baseline

Alongside analysing ocean temperatures, the the researchers also examined ocean salinity measurements taken down to a depth of 1.24 miles (2 kilometres), as recorded in the so-called World Ocean Database.

They found that the upper layers of the oceans are warming faster than their deeper counterparts  with knock-on effects that could damage marine ecosystems.

'The fresh gets fresher, the salty gets saltier,' said Professor Cheng.

'The ocean takes a large amount of global warming heat, buffering global warming.'

'However the associated ocean changes also pose a severe risk to human and natural systems.'

In the new study, researchers noted the highest ocean temperatures recorded in 65 years as taken from surface level down to a depth of 1.24 miles (2 kilometres). Pictured, the changing global ocean heat content for different upper ocean layers from 19602020, as expressed relative to the the 19812010 baseline

With their initial study complete, the team will continue to monitor ocean temperatures and the impacts warming has on other oceanic characteristics, such as salinity and stratification.

'As more countries pledge to achieve "carbon neutrality" or "zero carbon" in the coming decades, special attention should be paid to the ocean,' Professor Cheng suggested.

'Any activities or agreements to address global warming must be coupled with the understanding that the ocean has already absorbed an immense amount of heat.'

The world's seas, he added, 'will continue to absorb excess energy in the Earth's system until atmospheric carbon levels are significantly lowered.'

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences.
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LISLE, Ill., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) plans to sell its Melrose Park, Illinois facility to a developer who has an actionable plan to redevelop the parcel into a state-of-the-art industrial business park. Navistar estimates that half of the facility's current workforce will be transferred to other facilities. The company expects to cease operations at the Melrose Park campus by November 2021.

The property sale is part of Navistar's continued adaptation to rapid changes in the industry, as well as its own operations. Engine manufacturing is no longer present at the facility, and Navistar's need for engine testing has significantly decreased due to reductions in the company's manufacturing of engines and the trucking industry's increasing interest in alternative fuel drivetrains.

"Given changes at Navistar and in the industry, it no longer makes sense to maintain a facility of that size," said Phil Christman, president of operations for Navistar. "Further investment in the Melrose Park property would divert substantial resources away from investments in new technologies and products. While this decision is difficult, it is necessary to best position Navistar for the future and to unlock economic growth for the Melrose Park community."

Navistar believes that the site's comprehensive redevelopment will more than double property tax revenue for local governments from current levels, and that the redeveloped site will lead to substantially more local jobs than Navistar's current operations provide.

"The hardest decision we can make is to part with dedicated colleagues at a property that has been integral to our company's history," said Persio Lisboa, Navistar president and CEO. "We're confident the sale of the Melrose Park property will spur a sizeable reinvestment in the community, resulting in new jobs and economic opportunity."

The company will take an approximate $85 million charge as a result of the exit from the facility, including approximately $40 million of cash-related charges.

Navistar expects the sale agreement and subsequent divesture of the Melrose Park property to be completed by the end of 2021.

About Navistar

Navistar International Corporation (NYSE: NAV) is a holding company whose subsidiaries and affiliates produce International brand commercial trucks, proprietary diesel engines, and IC Bus brand school and commercial buses. An affiliate also provides truck and diesel engine service parts. Another affiliate offers financing services. Additional information is available at www.Navistar.com.

All marks are trademarks of their respective owners.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information provided and statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended ("Securities Act"), Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended ("Exchange Act"), and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements only speak as of the date of this press release and Navistar International Corporation assumes no obligation to update the information included in this press release. Such forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of our business strategy. These statements often include words such as believe, expect, anticipate, intend, plan, estimate, or similar expressions. These statements are not guarantees of performance or results and they involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. For a further description of these factors, see the risk factors set forth in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2020. Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, there are many factors that could affect our actual financial results or results of operations and could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. All future written and oral forward-looking statements by us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to above. Except for our ongoing obligations to disclose material information as required by the federal securities laws, we do not have any obligations or intention to release publicly any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances in the future or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

SOURCE Navistar International Corporation

Related Links

http://www.navistar.com


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HOUSTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ENGIE North America today announced it has added nearly 2 GW of renewable energy to the U.S. in 2020, as part of ENGIE's commitment to deliver 9 GW of renewable energy capacity globally between 2019 and 2021. These new clean energy capacities will offset nearly 2.1 million metric tons of carbon and bring ENGIE's renewables capacity to more than 3 GW in North America  enough to power 1.3 million homes.

The six grid-scale wind projects and two grid-scale solar projects contributed to the company's record pace of renewable energy development and construction. These projects are located in Texas, Kansas, South Dakota and Oklahoma. With the completion of these projects, adding 1.4 GW of wind and 0.4 GW of solar, and other projects in the U.S. and Canada, ENGIE now has more than 3 GW of renewable generation capacity in North America developed over the past two years.

"This was a historic year of construction for ENGIE North America," said Gwenaelle Avice-Huet, Executive Vice President responsible for the ENGIE Renewables' business line and CEO of ENGIE North America. "The rapid growth of our renewable energy footprint in the United States demonstrates ENGIE's commitment to achieving a carbon-neutral future. With more than 10 GW of additional renewable energy projects currently underway in North America, we are just getting started in delivering on our mission to connect society and companies to clean, affordable, innovative, and resilient energy generation and the infrastructure to support it."

Globally in 2020, ENGIE commissioned 3 GW of new renewable capacity, bringing its total portfolio to 31 GW of gross renewable energy capacity  consisting of hydroelectric (~57%) as well as wind and solar (~43%). Renewables account for 30% of ENGIE's gross power generation capacity worldwide (101 GW).

The projects developed and built by ENGIE North America in 2020 in the US include:

Wind Projects:

East Fork, 196 MW, Thomas County , Kansas

, Kansas Las Lomas, 202 MW, Starr and Zapata Counties, Texas

and Counties, Texas Jumbo Hill , 161 MW, Andrews County, Texas

, 161 MW, Triple H, 250 MW, Hyde County , South Dakota

, South Dakota King Plains, 248 MW, Garfield & Noble Counties, Oklahoma

Prairie Hill , 300 MW, Limestone and McLennan Counties, Texas

Solar Projects:

Anson , 200 MW, Jones County, Texas

, 200 MW, Long Draw, 225 MW, Borden County, Texas

These projects contributed more than 3,000 construction jobs across 8 counties and 100 well-paying jobs in rural communities throughout the heartland in the United States.

The renewable energy resources of these projects have been contracted with several iconic companies in the retail, food and beverage, technology and educational sectors.

About ENGIE North America

ENGIE North America Inc. offers a range of capabilities in the United States and Canada to help customers decarbonize, decentralize and digitalize their operations. These include comprehensive services to help customers run their facilities more efficiently and optimize energy and other resource use and expense; clean power generation; energy storage; and retail energy supply that includes renewable, demand response, and on-bill financing options. Nearly 100% of the company's power generation portfolio is low carbon or renewable. Globally, ENGIE S.A. relies on their key businesses (gas, renewable energy, services) to offer competitive solutions to customers. With 170,000 employees, customers, partners and stakeholders, we are a community of Imaginative Builders, committed every day to more harmonious progress. For more information on ENGIE North America, please visit our LinkedIn page or Twitter feed, www.engie-na.com and www.engie.com.



ENGIE North America Media Contact:

Sandrine Deparis, [email protected] , (202) 855 3705

SOURCE ENGIE North America

Related Links

www.engie-na.com



China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

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Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

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Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

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Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

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Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

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Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

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Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

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Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

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Mitch McConnell told his Republican colleagues he has not yet made a final decision as to whether he will vote to impeach President Donald Trump, according to reports, shortly after the Senate majority leader rejected a bid to enact an emergency session and conduct a full trial before the transition of power.

The news comes as House lawmakers impeached the president for a second time during his tenure in the White House for inciting deadly riots which attacked the Capitol building last week.

Mr McConnell reportedly expressed his satisfaction with the House impeaching Mr Trump, according to the New York Times, telling his advisers the move would help rid the GOP of the outgoing president.

But his refusal to convene an emergency session clears the way for Mr Trump to remain in office until President-elect Joe Biden can be sworn in on Inauguration Day.

In the reported statement, Mr McConnell did not appear to support the presidents impeachment as much as some Democrats may have hoped, saying: "I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate."

Follow The Independents live coverage and analysis here.

Still, the statement appeared to indicate the Republican leader could turn on the president in one of his final votes during the Trump era.

Vice President Mike Pence had previously rejected calls from Democratic leaders and even some Republicans on Capitol Hill to enact the 25th Amendment, through which a majority of the Cabinet can vote to remove the president from office.

Those Democrats cited the presidents ability to further sow discord and potentially promote violence ahead of the transition of power.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democrats had hoped Mr McConnell would agree to reconvene the Senate Friday for an impeachment trial following the reports of his approval for the House procedures.

After the House approved a resolution urging Mr Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment, Ms Pelosi officially opened up debates on Wednesday and said: Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed. They were domestic terrorists. And justice must prevail.

Mr Trump can still face an impeachment trial when the Senate convenes under President-elect Joe Bidens incoming administration.

Democrats would require at least 17 Republicans to join them in their vote for a conviction, which could bar Mr Trump from ever holding public office again, as well as running for president in 2024.

Ten Republicans supported the second impeachment of the president after House GOP chair Liz Cheney broke the dam with a stinging rebuke of Mr Trumps conduct.

"The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President," she said. "The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not."
SJP Collection CEO Sarah Jessica Parker hand-delivered shopping bags and personally attended to customers inside her boutique in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday afternoon.

Ironically, the West 54th Street flagship location used to be Manolo Blahnik's boutique until closing in 2019.

The Ohio-born 55-year-old made sure to rep her seven-year-old accessories brand by wearing the $425 'Celine' Mary Janes with a grey top and sweatpants over white leggings.

Special delivery! SJP Collection CEO Sarah Jessica Parker hand-delivered shopping bags and personally attended to customers inside her boutique in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday

As with everyone inside the store, Sarah protected herself and others from the coronavirus by wearing a black cloth mask held on with her Pretty Connected mask chain.

COVID-19 is spiking nationwide with a reported 1.16M confirmed cases in New York state (499K in NYC) leading to over 39K deaths.

As usual, Parker rocked her signature kohl-rimmed eyes and middle-parted ombre waves for her day at the 'office.'

Earlier on Tuesday, the Divorce producer-star held a design meeting with her team to brainstorm colors and styles for the SS/21 collection where she reached out to fans for suggestions.

May I help you? Ironically, the West 54th Street flagship location used to be Manolo Blahnik's boutique until closing in 2019

Casual: The Ohio-born 55-year-old made sure to rep her seven-year-old accessories brand by wearing the $425 'Celine' Mary Janes with a grey top and sweatpants over white leggings

Mandatory: As with everyone inside the store, Sarah protected herself and others from the coronavirus by wearing a black cloth mask

Grim: COVID-19 is spiking nationwide with a reported 1.16M confirmed cases in New York state (499K in NYC) leading to over 39K deaths

'We want to hear from you!' Sarah captioned her 10-minute video.

'What colors do you love? Any ideas? Requests? Wildest dreams or feverish wishes? Send them our way! Comment below or on our Instagram Stories.

'We're so grateful, as always, to have each and every one of you in our #SJPCollection family and can't wait to hear what you think!'

Parker then headed home to her $2.99M Charles Street townhouse in West Village while sporting the $196 black Samsonite x SJP 'Carried Away Convertible' backpack.

Boss lady: As usual, Parker rocked her signature kohl-rimmed eyes and middle-parted ombre waves for her day at the 'office'

'We want to hear from you!' Earlier on Tuesday, the Divorce producer-star held a design meeting with her team to brainstorm colors and styles for the SS/21 collection where she reached out to fans for suggestions

Big Apple streets: Parker then headed home to her $2.99M Charles Street townhouse in West Village while sporting the $196 black Samsonite x SJP 'Carried Away Convertible' backpack

Hard day's work: The four-time Golden Globe winner put on her Ray-Ban shades, large headphones, and bundled up for winter in a black puffer coat

The four-time Golden Globe winner put on her Ray-Ban shades, large headphones, and bundled up for winter in a black puffer coat.

It was Sarah's first public sighting since announcing HBO Max's 10-episode limited series And Just Like That..., which will be a continuation of Sex and the City.

Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis will earn '$1M per episode' to produce and reprise their SATC roles in the reboot, which goes into production in 'late spring' - according to Variety.

There is no denying the original HBO series - which aired for six seasons spanning 1998-2004 - based on Candace Bushnell's 1997 book was iconic albeit a whitewashed version of Manhattan.

'I couldn't help but wonder... where are they now?' It was Sarah's first public sighting since announcing HBO Max's 10-episode limited series And Just Like That..., which will be a continuation of Sex and the City

'#SATCNextChapter': Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis will earn '$1M per episode' to produce and reprise their SATC roles in the reboot, which goes into production in 'late spring'

Time capsule: There is no denying the original HBO series - which aired for six seasons spanning 1998-2004 - based on Candace Bushnell's 1997 book was iconic albeit a whitewashed version of Manhattan (pictured in 1998)

Excitement for AJLT might have fans forgetting just how dismally bad the films Sex and the City: The Movie and Sex and the City 2 were in 2008 and 2010.

The CW also aired a forgettable, eighties-set spin-off The Carrie Diaries starring AnnaSophia Robb from 2013-2014.

Producers arguably betrayed their audience by anticlimactically marrying off their symbol of the strong single woman - Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) - to her toxic ex Mr. Big (Chris Noth).

And by replacing the hilarious Kim Cattrall, they risk making the same mistake The Golden Girls producers made by continuing on without Bea Arthur in The Golden Palace, which was canceled by CBS after one season in 1993.

Dried up ideas? Excitement for AJLT might have fans forgetting just how dismally bad the films Sex and the City: The Movie and Sex and the City 2 (pictured) were in 2008 and 2010

Bad idea: Producers arguably betrayed their audience by anticlimactically marrying off their symbol of the strong single woman - Carrie Bradshaw (Parker) - to her toxic ex Mr. Big (Chris Noth)

The state of California lifted the stay-at-home order in the greater Sacramento region effective today, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday.

"So California remains in its most intense surge to date, but there are some good things to report," Newsom said in a video posted on Twitter. "We're starting to see some stabilization both in ICUs as well as stabilization in our positivity rate. We're also starting to see the rate of growth for hospitalizations beginning to decline. So much so that today, effective immediately, we're pulling the Sacramento region out of the stay-at-home order."

This means all counties in this region move back into the color-coded tier system outlined in the Blueprint for a Safer Economy.

"They will be in the old blueprint in the purple tier," Newsom said.

The counties impacted by the order being lifted include Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado, Sierra, Nevada, Butte, Plumas, Colusa, Yolo, Alpine, Amador, Yuba and Sutter.

In the purple tier, many business sectors are allowed to reopen, including for outdoor dining.

Multiple counties within the region issued press releases announcing ahead of the governor's Tuesday evening announcement, stating that four-week projections for intensive care unit bed capacity exceed 15%. Butte and Yuba counties said their jurisdictions have exited the order and are now in the purple tier.

The blueprint is the color-coded tier system that dictates restrictions in counties where the more strict stay-at-home order is not in effect.

Newsom introduced the stay-at-home order in December to prevent local health systems from collapsing under the weight of skyrocketing COVID-19 caseloads.

It divided the state into five broad regions, restricting a region when intensive care unit bed capacity falls below 15%. The order requires most businesses, except essential services and retail, to close. Residents in regions under the order are asked to stay at home except for work, shopping or other essential activities, such as going to the doctor's office.

With the order lifted in the greater Sacramento region, only the Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Joaquin regions remain under the stay-at-home order. The Northern California region isn't under the order and its counties are required to abide by the color-coded tier system.

The state's top health official, Dr. Mark Ghaly, said in a press briefing Tuesday that the state was working on re-calculating four-week projections for ICU bed capacity and would release new information today or Wednesday. Ghaly didn't say whether the order would be lifted in any regions.

While California has experienced a dire surge since the Thanksgiving holiday, the state's Health and Human Services secretary said there were signs the pandemic was easing slightly.

Ghaly noted that at the start of January, state hospitals were admitting on average 3,500 new COVID-19 patients a day. That number has come down to 2,500 new daily patients in recent days.

Ghaly called this data point the "biggest signal that things are starting to flatten and improve."

The California Department of Public Health and the Sacramento Department of Public Health didn't respond to an immediate request for comment.
Californians age 65 and older can start getting vaccinated right away after the state on Wednesday agreed to a major expansion to its coronavirus immunization efforts, partly in hopes of quelling a raging surge that continues to squeeze hospitals.

The announcement came on the heels of federal guidance Tuesday that states make vaccine doses available to a wide swath of older adults, who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill, needing hospitalization and intensive care, and dying.

But while some Bay Area counties began immunizing the new group immediately, other counties and health care providers said they will not be able to implement the new guidance until they receive more vaccine doses.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has come under political pressure to speed up the states lagging vaccination efforts, which have been mired in part by complicated rules about who will be eligible to get the next doses, and when. Opening up vaccines to a large population of people who are easily identified at least simplifies things, public health experts said.

The need to get more people vaccinated is urgent: Though hospital and intensive care numbers have stabilized somewhat in California over the past week, many counties are still carrying an enormous patient load, and deaths from COVID-19 are climbing. More than 450 Californians are dying every day from COVID-19.

Immunizing older adults wont have an immediate impact on the surge, but it could help alleviate some of that pressure within a few weeks, public health officials said.

The vast majority of patients that are being hospitalized are older persons, and also the ICU admissions and the deaths are happening with older persons, Dr. Tomas Aragon, the state health officer and director of the California Department of Public Health, said during a vaccine advisory committee meeting that was called last-minute Tuesday evening. The way that were going to impact the surge is by prioritizing the older age groups.

Dropping the age to 65-plus, down from the 75-plus it had been previously, adds 3 million Californians to the 8.5 million already eligible to be vaccinated in the next group, known as tier one of Phase 1b. This group continues to include essential workers such as teachers and grocery store workers.

This was the right thing to do, said Dr. Robert Wachter, chair of the UCSF Department of Medicine. The states earlier plans to offer the next round of vaccines to more narrowly defined groups based on risk of exposure and serious illness was understandable but overly complicated, he said.

We tried to be very elegant and targeted in our choice of prioritized groups. And in doing so we created something thats just too complicated to work in a situation like this, he said. It was well meaning. But at the end of the day, the most important question is how do we get vaccine into arms as quickly as possible, and with particular focus on those at greatest risk of getting sick and dying.

Now, Wachter added, the state faces a new dilemma: a very, very large group of eligible people who are going to be clamoring for their vaccines.

California has fallen behind almost every other state in its pace of vaccinations, ranking 44th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia as of Wednesday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. California has administered 2,256 doses of vaccine per 100,000 people, while states leading the effort have vaccinated more than twice that.

Political appeals to improve the situation are mounting on Newsom, who on Tuesday promised to vaccinate an additional 1 million Californians over the following days.

On Wednesday, at least 47 state lawmakers signed a letter asking the governor to provide a reliable forecast of how many doses California can expect in the next month, along with weekly updates. They also called on Newsom to expand the pool of people able to provide vaccinations and to reassure counties that the state would reimburse them for immunization expenses.

We are all aware of the limited number of vaccines that have been made available to the states, they wrote. But a plan for a more effective and efficient rollout is needed.

It is unclear how the newly expanded eligibility will play out across the state, where there is great variation in how much progress individual hospitals and nursing homes are making with vaccinations.

San Francisco on Wednesday began vaccinating people 65 and older who are in the county health system that serves people who are uninsured, on Medicaid or on the city health care plan.

Not every county in California is ready to start offering vaccines to the expanded group, as many are still working their way through the first phase of health care providers and staff and residents of long-term care facilities. But some counties say they are close to finishing up the first phase and are eager to offer vaccines to more residents.

The state said it will launch next week an online and phone system where residents can check if they are eligible for vaccines and, if they are not yet eligible, register for an email or text notification when they are. The system will help counties and cities run mass vaccination events, the state health department said.

Santa Clara County health officials said Wednesday that they would begin immunizing people age 75 and older immediately, but would have to delay offering doses to those age 65 to 74 until they get more vaccine supply from the state. People who are at least 75 can get more information and schedule an appointment to get vaccinated at SCCFreeVax.org.

Dr. Jeff Smith, the Santa Clara County executive, told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the county had asked the state for 100,000 more doses and was told they would only receive 6,000.

Thats not going to be enough, Smith said. Our real limiting step at this point is access to the vaccine.

San Mateo County is still focusing on vaccinating health care workers and residents and staff at long-term care facilities. Most county residents will get vaccinated by their primary care provider, officials said.

When will I get my vaccine? Thats a situation thats evolving minute by minute, day by day, Dr. Anand Chabra, San Mateo County Health section chief of mass vaccination, said Wednesday during a vaccine update. We expect that vaccines will primarily be (received) from your primary care provider, particularly if you belong to a large health system like Kaiser, Sutter or someone connected with a hospital system.

Other Bay Area counties, including San Francisco and Contra Costa, similarly say they will rely on the large providers like Kaiser and Sutter to vaccinate most of their residents, and that county clinics or hospitals will vaccinate the remaining population who are uninsured.

Until there is official guidance from (the state) and we have capacity to expand vaccination to this significantly larger population, Sutter Health will continue to prioritize community 1a and those 75+ due to their significantly higher risk, said Sutter spokeswoman Monique Binkley Smith. The health system plans to start vaccinating patients 75 and older this week.

Kaiser did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday about how the new state guidelines will impact their plans to notify and vaccinate their patients who are 65 or older. Kaiser has said it will notify its members by email, conversations with physicians and other modes of communication.

While waiting for public health authorities and large providers to push more vaccines to vulnerable populations, some doctors have started making aggressive efforts to push out doses.

Dr. Rebecca Parish, who runs a private practice called Comprehensive Wellness in Walnut Creek, became so frustrated with the slow rollout of vaccines that she decided to work with local nonprofits to set up a drive-through vaccination site this weekend.

She said patients have called her in frustration about the lack of information and the difficulty getting access to vaccine. One 83-year-old woman was in tears, unable to navigate Rite-Aids online registration and unable to reach anyone at the store, she said.

Parish said local politicians are disengaged and dont understand how lack of vaccine availability is affecting people.

Theyre not feeling the urgency were feeling in health care, she said, adding that with 3,000 people dying a day, in the United States, sitting on vaccines was unconscionable.

She said more than 100 volunteers will be on hand to help seniors with appointments to get vaccinated Saturday and Sunday. Nonprofits Lamorinda Village and Lamorinda Spirit Van are pre-registering people 75 and older for the Pfizer shots. She said she expects the event to administer the 500 doses shes getting from the county health department over two days, at which point, shell ask for more doses.

San Francisco Chronicle staff writers Emily Fancher and Trisha Thadani contributed to this report.

Erin Allday and Catherine Ho are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: eallday@sfchronicle.com, cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @erinallday, @Cat_Ho
SIENA, Italy, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Philogen S.p.A., a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on antibody-based therapeutics, is pleased to announce that 50% of the expected events for the primary outcome analysis of the PIVOTAL study were reached in December 2020. In this phase III clinical trial, the effect of Nidlegy is evaluated in melanoma patients with locally advanced, fully resectable metastatic cancer, and at the time of the second interim analysis, had already recruited 149 out of the anticipated 214 patients (one additional patient was enrolled recently). As a consequence, the second interim data analysis foreseen by the clinical protocol was carried out and submitted to the Data and Safety Monitoring Board of the study for their consideration. On Dec. 22, 2020, the DSMB met to review the data and issued to the company a recommendation to continue with the study and patient accrual as detailed by the clinical protocol.

PIVOTAL is a phase III, international, multi-center, randomized, comparator-controlled, parallel-group study evaluating the efficacy and safety of intratumoral injections of Nidlegy as a neoadjuvant, followed by standard-of-care treatment (surgery + approved adjuvants), as opposed to standard-of-care treatment alone, in melanoma patients with locally advanced, fully resectable cutaneous, sub-cutaneous, or nodal metastases, accessible to intratumoral injection. A first interim analysis at 25% of the expected events and 82 enrolled patients had already been carried out in March 2019.

The primary endpoint of the trial comprises the assessment of Recurrence-Free Survival at one year after randomization. Secondary endpoints include Overall Survival, Local Recurrence-Free Survival and Distant Metastasis-Free Survival, as well as Safety.

The study is expected to include 214 patients across more than 20 centers (currently 18 centers) in four different EU countries (France, Germany, Italy, Poland).

Dario Neri, Chief Executive Officer of Philogen, commented, "We are extremely pleased to record the PIVOTAL study DSMB's recommendation to carry on with the study as originally planned. This reinforces the confidence in our strategy to bring Nidlegy to the market as a new therapeutic opportunity for melanoma patients."

About Philogen

Philogen is a Swiss-Italian clinical-stage company engaged in the discovery and development of novel pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products. Philogen's strategy is to deliver bioactive agents, for example cytokines or drugs, to the site of disease using antibodies and other ligands that specifically and efficiently target stromal antigens. This technology has generated a strong proprietary pipeline of clinical-stage products and preclinical compounds in an array of disease indications. Philogen is headquartered in Siena, Italy, and has research activities at its subsidiary company Philochem in Zurich, Switzerland. Philogen is independently owned and has signed agreements with several major pharmaceutical companies. For more information, please visit www.philogen.com and www.philochem.com.

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Christian Lizak

+41 (0) 43 544 88 00

[email protected]

Related Images

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SOURCE Philogen S.p.A.

Related Links

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A sixth Republican revealed he would vote to impeach President Donald Trump, but the president's Senate trial won't start until after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in.

Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington said Wednesday afternoon that he would vote yes on impeachment.

'Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option,' Newhouse said.

'A vote against impeachment is a vote to validate this unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation's capital,' Newhouse said in a statement. 'It is also a vote to condone President Trump's inaction. He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed.'

IMPEACHMENT TIMETABLE Wednesday afternoon: House passed single Article What happens next? Nancy Pelosi decides when to transmit Article to Senate. When she does, it must begin trial on the next sitting day and sit six days a week until it concludes Tuesday January 19: Earliest date Mitch McConnell has said Senate can begin considering Article. Senate procedures may mean trial will not begin until the following day at 1pm Wednesday January 20, noon: Trump leaves office What happens next? If a trial is under way, it can continue. Most legal experts say if it has not begun, it can, but there is a minority who say impeachment cannot continue if the president is not in office Advertisement

'Our country needed a leader and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office,' Newhouse added. His remarks were applauded on the House floor.

Earlier, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's spokesman confirmed that McConnell informed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that he wouldn't bring the Senate back before January 19, the day before Biden's inauguration.

The revelation came after the House cleared procedural hurdles and debate started leading up to an expected Wednesday afternoon impeachment vote.

Overall, six Republicans are expected to join the Democrats in voting to impeach Trump for a second time over his role in 'inciting an insurrection,' just one week after the MAGA mob stormed Capitol Hill.

The White House put out a statement from Trump, trying to quell future violence as the House debated.

'In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You,' the president's statemet said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump a 'clear and present danger,' as Democrats said they were standing in a 'crime scene' and Trump needed to pay a price for a campaign of 'lies and conspiracy theories,' which had fomented violence.

Trump's Republican allies did not defend Trump's behavior, but instead pitched censuring the president or launching a 9/11-style commission, more fitting punishments they argued for someone who was already leaving office.

Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, went as far to say Trump's conduct was impeachable, but wouldn't vote for the article, calling it 'flawed.'

The Republican revolt was led by Rep. Liz Cheney, the number three in the caucus, who issued a fiery denunciation of Trump when she announced her vote, saying he 'lit the flame on insurrection.'

Members of the House walked into the chamber past rows of National Guard members sleeping holding their rifles, while outside thousands of troops surrounded the building, the first time troops have been stationed in it since the Civil War.

In the Senate, which will have to hold a trial of Trump in the wake of the vote as soon as it receives the article, McConnell is said to be leaning 'more than 50/50' towards convicting Trump, to 'purge' the party of him.

McConnell confirmed that reporting by leaving the door open to convict.

'While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,' read a memo McConnell sent to his GOP Senate colleagues.

How many other Republicans are on board is unknown, with only Sen. Mitt Romney certain so far to back impeachment, while on Wednesday Sen. Lindsey Graham accused McConnell of risking more violence by backing impeachment.

In the first procedural vote of the day in the House, Democrats voted en masse 221 to 205 against a Republican effort to install a commission.

A second procedural hurdle was also passed with only Democratic votes.

Rep. Tom Cole, the first GOP lawmaker to speak, argued against a hasty impeachment vote 'not because of the president's inappropriate and reckless words are deserving of defense but because the presidency itself demands due process.' Cole had himself voted to overturn the election results.

Republicans also warned impeaching Trump for a second time would only make partisan hostilities worse.

'This is a reckless impeachment,' complained Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri. 'This will only bring up the hate and fire more than ever before.'

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona charged Democrats with wanting 'complete destruction of your nemesis.'

'Instead of stopping the Trump train, his movement will go stronger, for you would have made him a martyr,' Biggs warned.

Democrats described the terror of last week's attack.

'We are debating this resolution at an actual crime scene and we wouldnt be here if not for the president of the United States,' said Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat.

'People were sending text messages to their loved ones, telling them they loved them. They thought they were saying goodbye,' he added.

The House of Representatives began debating impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time Wednesday morning - which marks a historic first

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened Wednesday afternoon's session and said President Donald Trump represented a 'clear and present danger'

Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state, became the sixth GOP member to say he would vote to impeach President Donald Trump

'We are debating this resolution at an actual crime scene and we wouldnt be here if not for the president of the United States,' said Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern

The House's No. 3 Democrat, Rep. Jim Clyburn, walks into the Capitol Building surrounded by members of the National Guard

Armed National Guard troops are seen outside the U.S. Capitol Building as members inside debate impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time in 13 months

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, a top Trump ally, speaks on the House floor Wednesday as impeachment proceedings began

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED 'YES' ON IMPEACHMENT Liz Cheney - Wyoming. Republican royalty and House Number 3 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.' Adam Kinzinger - Illinois. Outspoken Trump critic and Air Force veteran 'If these actions are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?' John Katko - New York. Holds swing district and co-chairs moderate group 'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy.' Fred Upton - Michigan. 14-term rep who co-chairs moderate group 'It is time to say: Enough is enough.' Jaime Herrera Beutler - Washington Five-term rep in deep blue state 'The President of the United States incited a riot. That riot led to five deaths.' Dan Newhouse - Washington One of only two GOP reps from state 'Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republican is not an option.' Peter Meijer - Michigan Holds Gerald Ford's seat 'There was no such courage from our President who betrayed and misled millions.' Tom Rice - South Carolina Voted to overturn election results 'I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. This utter failure is inexcusable.' Anthony Gonzalez - Ohio 'The President of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties.' Former NFL starting wide receiver David Valadao - California 'His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. Its time to put country over politics.' Reclaimed district from Dems in 2020 Advertisement

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the House's lead impeachment manager, referred to the rioters as a 'bloodthirsty mob.'

'They wounded dozens of people, hospitalizing dozens of people,' he said. 'They may have been hunting for Pence and Pelosi to stage their coup, but every one of us in this room right now, could have died.'

Rep. Joaquin Castro echoed Raskin's description.

'Let me ask you a question? What do you think they would have done if they had gotten in? What do you think they would have done to you? And who do you think sent them here?' he asked his fellow members. 'The most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office.'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, speaking to an InstagramLive audience Tuesday night since she was proxy voting, said, 'I can tell you that I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die.'

'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,' the high-profile progressive lawmaker said.

On the floor Wednesday, the Democrats pointed to the Republicans' high-profile defection: the No. 3 House Republican, Cheney.

Cheney, the Republican Conference Chair, laced into Trump in her statement, saying he 'lit the flame' of insurrection - and Democrats repeated her words back to the Republicans.

'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' she said.

The decision to back impeachment by Cheney, a member of Republican royalty as the daughter of Dick Cheney, and seen as a future contender for the party's House leadership and the Speaker's chair, means that impeachment would be bipartisan.

On the floor Wednesday, Democrats pointed to Cheney's statement as evidence they were in the right.

The Democrats' No. 2, Rep. Steny Hoyer, recited Cheney's words during his turn to speak.

'That is not some irresponsible new member of Congress of the United States,' Hoyer said. 'This is the daughter of the former Republican whip and former vice president of the United States of America.'

'She knows of which she speaks,' Hoyer argued.

Reps. Jim Jordan and Paul Gosar, two of Trump's top GOP House allies, were pushing to have Cheney removed from her leadership position.

JIM JORDAN SAYS DEMOCRATS WANT TO 'CANCEL' THE PRESIDENT

Jordan gave two fiery floor speeches Wednesday.

He yelled '19 minutes!' into the microphone Wednesday afternoon, charging Democrats with waiting just 19 minutes into the Trump administration to start their impeachment hunt.

He said Democrats were pursuing removal again because of 'politics and the fact that they want to, they want to cancel the president.'

'This is about getting the president of the United States,' Jordan said.

'They spied on his campaign before he was elected, 19 minutes into his presidency they started the impeachment push, three year Mueller investigation, 19 lawyers, 40 agents, 500 witnesses, 2,500 subpoenas, $40 million to find nothing,' Jordan went on.

The Ohio Republican said impeachment 'round one' was based on information from a 'biased' whistleblower.

'Now it's impeachment round two,' he said. 'It's always been about getting the president, no matter what. It's an obsession, an obsession that's now broadened. It's not just about impeachment anymore it's about canceling ... canceling the president,' Jordan argued.

'IT BREAKS MY HEART' SAYS HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI

Pelosi, who opened the formal impeachment articles debate, said she wasn't pursuing the measure with glee.

'It gives me no pleasure to say this, it breaks my heart. It should break your heart. It should break all of our hearts,' the top Democrat said.

Pelosi encouraged the Senate to act, calling the president a 'clear and present danger.'

'I believe the president must be convicted by the Senate, a constitutional remedy that will ensure that the republic will be safe from this man, that was so resolutely determined to tear down the things that we hold dear, and hold us together,' she said.

She also slammed those who engaged in the riot.

'Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed. They were domestic terrorists and justice must prevail,' the House speaker said.

TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS ANTIFA NOT RESPONSIBLE

Pelosi's Republican counterpart, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, let other, more pro-Trump members speak before he took a turn on the floor, where he cleared up some right-wing misinformation.

'Some say the riots were caused by Antifa,' McCarthy said. 'There is absolutely no evidence of that. And conservatives should be the first to say so,' he advised.

McCarthy said he planned to vote no on impeachment because it was too hasty.

'I believe impeaching the president in such a short timeframe would be a mistake,' McCarthy argued. 'No investigations have been completed. No hearings have been held.'

'Whats more, the Senate has confirmed that no trial will begin until after President-Elect Biden is sworn in,' McCarthy added, a nod to the breaking McConnell news.

TRUMP'S TOP ALLIES POINT FINGERS BACK AT DEMOCRATS

Most of the Republicans lining up to speak were Trump hard-liners - and pointed to what they considered to be Democratic hypocrisy.

'The left in America has incited far more political violence than the right for months. Our cities burned police stations burned or businesses were shattered. And they said nothing,' Rep. Matt Gaetz yelled.

'Well they lit actual flames. Actual fires,' Gaetz exclaimed.

That comment cued boos from the Democratic side.

Rep. Ken Buck compared the capitol assault to Trump administration officials being harassed at restaurants.

'The press secretary Sarah Sanders was kicked out of a restaurant for being a Trump employee, the DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen harassed at her home,' Buck said on the floor.

Nielsen was confronted by a crowd at a D.C. restaurant over the Trump administration's child separation policy.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has openly supported the QAnon conspiracy theory, called for 'accountability on the left.'

'After encouraging and normalizing violence,' she said.

'I call bull crap when I hear the Democrats demanding unity. Sadly they are only unified in hate,' she blasted.

the other 'QAnon congresswoman,' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green gave her floor remarks wearing a 'CENSORED' mask.

Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican, used a dramatic pause to make his point.

'Has any one of those individuals who brought violence on this capitol been brought here to answer whether they did that because of our president?' Mast asked.

He stood unanswered for 30 seconds until his time elapsed. 'It appears I will receive no answer,' he said.

(SOME) REPUBLICANS REVOLT

Joining Cheney in voting for the Democratic-prepared article of impeachment will be Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, John Katko of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington and Newhouse of Washington.

'My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision,' Herrera Beutler said during her floor speech. 'I am not choosing a side I am choosing, it's the only way to defeat fear.'

The White House was bracing for more.

Cheney's decision came minutes after McConnell was revealed to believe that Trump had committed impeachable offenses.

The New York Times' bombshell was still echoing in Washington D.C. when the House started its 25th Amendment debate - and as it dragged to a close Tuesday night, Axios reported that McConnell was leaning towards a vote to convict the president and was 'more than 50/50' on it.

Cheney was seen speaking to Raskin on Tuesday night as he led the Democrats arguing for a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment removing Trump from power.

The House passed it late Tuesday despite Pence sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he'll refuse.

Hundreds of National Guard troops wer sleeping on the stone floor of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning as security in Washington intensified a week out from Joe Biden's inauguration

The troops could be seen spreading out inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning

The troops cradled their weapons and huddled together as they slept inside the Capitol on Wednesday

In a vote that wrapped up around 11.30pm Tuesday, the House voted 223-205 to approve the resolution, which can't actually force the vice president's hand.

'I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution,' Pence said in his letter to Pelosi, refusing to pull the trigger on the 25th.

'Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation,' Pence added.

Pence's letter came as the House was holding procedural votes on the resolution.

No Republicans joined on until the final vote - with Rep. Adam Kinzinger joining Democrats in the push to have Pence to use the 25th.

Trump ultra-loyalist Jim Jordan says he will try to oust Liz Cheney from her position as party's House number three in revenge for voting to impeach president Jim Jordan said he wanted Republicans to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position over her push to impeach President Donald Trump. 'I think she's, I think she's totally wrong,' Jordan said. 'The conference should have a second vote on that,' the Ohio Republican told reporters, saying he believed lawmakers should get a say on removing Cheney from her No. 3 position. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, another top Trump ally, was circulating a petition to GOP members pushing for Cheney's removal, C-SPAN and CNN reported. The House Republican caucus held leadership elections for the 117th Congress on November 17, two weeks after Election Day. Cheney, again, was selected to be the Republican Conference chairman, and ran for the position unopposed. On Tuesday she announced she would side the the Democratic majority and vote to impeach Trump for 'incitement of insurrection.' In an explosive statement, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney laced into Trump saying he 'lit the flame' of insurrection. 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' Cheney said. Four other GOP House members have said they will vote for Trump's impeachment: Reps. Adam Kinzinger, Fred Upton, John Katko and Jaime Herrera Beutler. Speaking to Capitol Hill reporters, Jordan was unsure if there was a mechanism to push a member out of leadership. 'I don't know about that - it's just where I'm at,' he told the press. When asked if the conservative Freedom Caucus, of which Jordan is a leader, was supportive of pushing Cheney out, Jordan replied sarcastically, 'What do you think?' 'You know the answer. You know the answer to that question,' he went on. 'Of course.' Jordan was also asked if Republicans had a 'cohesive leaderhip team' with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Cheney appearing to be in direct conflict. 'Leader McCarthy and whip Scalise have done a great job,' Jordan answered. Rep. Steve Scalise is the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives. Jordan was recently given a Presidential Medal of Freedom behind closed doors by Trump. Both voted to overturn the election. Advertisement

Bipartisan and united: Jamie Raskin, the House Democrat who led the successful demand for a resolution telling Mike Pence to remove Donald Trump, held talks with Liz Cheney, the House Republican number three after she said she would vote for impeachment

The House voted 223 to 205 in favor of a resolution that urges Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office after he incited Wednesday's Capitol Hill riot. GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger voted alongside Democrats

U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Harlingen, Texas, Tuesday

READ THE FULL ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT Advertisement

'THE PRESIDENT LIT THE FLAME.' GOP NO.3 LIZ CHENEY'S STATEMENT IN FULL On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic. Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. I will vote to impeach the President. Advertisement

That set the scene for an impeachment debate and vote Wednesday entirely different from the first impeachment vote on October 31, 2019.

Then the only non-Democratic vote was from Justin Amash, who was essentially forced out of the Republican party before he even cast it.

But after a day in which they feared for their lives, the mood in Congress had changed rapidly.

Tuesday's debate saw pro-Trump Republicans line up to back him - but party moderates conspicuously silent, and the Minority leader and his deputy Steve Scalise silent.

The resolution blamed Trump for the violent MAGA mob that broke into Capitol Hill Wednesday, laying out how he 'broadly encouraged' his supporters to come to Washington on January 6, saying that the day would be 'wild.'

'Donald Trump has demonstrated repeatedly, continuously, and spectacularly his absolute inability to discharge the most basic and fundamental powers and duties of his office, including most recently the duty to respect the legitimate results of the Presidential election, the duty to respect the peaceful transfer of democratic power under the Constitution, the duty to participate in legally defined transition activities, the duty to protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States, including the counting of Electoral College votes by Congress, the duty to protect the people of the United States and their elected representatives against domestic insurrection, mob rule, and seditious violence, and generally the duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed,' the resolution says.

Despite being targets in the violent incident, House Republicans lined up against passing the resolution.

Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma, called the resolution 'an attempt to pressure the vice president into performing a duty he clearly does not believe is necessary at this time.'

As exasperated Rep. Pat Fallon, a new GOP lawmaker from Texas, said Trump held a 'permitted, legal and peaceful rally,' refusing to blame him for the group of Trump supporters who mobbed the Capitol.

Jordan, the Ohio Republican who recently was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump, lambasted the effort - and also the new fines for not wearing masks in the House chamber and the metal detectors that were installed Tuesday outside the doors of the House floor.

In his letter to Pelosi, Pence argued that the 25th Amendment was supposed to address 'incapacity or disability.'

The vice president pointed to the Democrats own effort to create a 25th Amendment Commission, which said a president's fitness must be determined by 'science and facts' and '[v]ery respectful of not making a judgment on the basis of a comment or behavior we don't like, but based on a medical decision.'

Pence also pledged that the administration's energy was dedicated to 'ensuring an orderly transition.'

The vice president repeated an argument being pushed by a number of Capitol Hill Republicans - that pursuing removal of Trump would only make things worse.

'I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment,' Pence said. 'Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inauguration President-elect Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was informed by Vice President Mike Pence that he would not invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office as the House was taking its first vote Tuesday night on a resolution that urges him to do so

The House of Representatives voted late into the night Wednesday on a resolution that encourages Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from power

Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, criticized the Democrats' effort to have Vice President Mike Pence utilize the 25th Amendment. He also complained about the House's new fines for lawmakers who don't wear masks - and the metal detectors outside the House chamber

During Tuesday night's debate of the 25th Amendment resolution, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also announced her impeachment managers, saying Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland would be leading the charge. Raskin tragically lost his son to suicide just days ago

Rep. Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who recently was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump, lambasted the effort

HOW TRUMP'S SECOND IMPEACHMENT WILL UNFOLD The House is expected to impeach President Donald Trump for his encouragement of supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol, a vote that would make him the first American president to be impeached twice. While the previous three impeachments - those of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Trump - took months before a final vote, including investigations and hearings, this time it will have only taken a week. After the rioting at the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said 'we must take action,' and Democrats - and some Republicans - share her view ahead of Wednesday's vote. For now, the Republican-led Senate is not expected to hold a trial and vote on whether to convict Trump before Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as president Jan. 20. Still, Democrats feel that action by the House would send an important message to the country. A look at what will happen as the House moves closer to impeaching Trump in his last week in office: THE BASICS OF IMPEACHMENT: In normal order, there would be an impeachment investigation and the evidence would be sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which would hold hearings, draft articles and send them to the full House. That's what happened in 2019, when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. It took three months. This time, with so few days to act - and a feeling among Democrats that there is little need to investigate what happened, since most members of Congress heard Trump speak to his supporters and were in the Capitol when the mob broke in - impeachment is going straight to the House floor for a vote, which would come as soon as Wednesday. Once the House votes to impeach, the articles and evidence would be sent to the Senate, where a trial would be held and there would be final votes to convict or acquit. That's what the Senate did in early February of last year after Trump was impeached the first time. THE ARTICLES Democrats will begin debate Wednesday on a single impeachment charge: 'incitement of insurrection.' 'President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,' reads the four-page impeachment article, which was introduced by Democratic Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland. 'He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,' it reads. The article says the behavior is consistent with Trump's prior efforts to 'subvert and obstruct' the results of the election and references his recent call with the Georgia secretary of state, in which he said he wanted him to find him more votes after losing the state to Biden. Trump has falsely claimed there was widespread fraud in the election, and the baseless claims have been repeatedly echoed by congressional Republicans and the insurgents who descended on the Capitol. Just before the riots, Trump spoke to the supporters near the White House and encouraged them to 'fight like hell.' As the protesters broke in, both chambers were debating GOP challenges to the electoral vote count in Arizona as part of the process for certifying Biden's election win. REPUBLICAN SUPPORT On Tuesday, five Republicans said they would support impeachment. No Republicans supported Trump's first impeachment in 2019. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the House and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said she would vote to impeach Trump because 'there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.' Cheney said Trump 'summoned' the mob that attacked the Capitol last week, 'assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.' New York Rep. John Katko was the first Republican to say he'd vote to impeach. A former federal prosecutor, he said he did not make the decision lightly. 'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,' Katko said. 'I cannot sit by without taking action.' Also saying they would vote for impeachment were Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington. SENDING TO THE SENATE Once the House passes the articles, Pelosi can decide when she sends them to the Senate. Under the current schedule, the Senate is not set to resume full sessions until Jan. 19, which is the day before Biden's inauguration. Some Democrats suggested Pelosi might wait to send the articles and allow Biden to begin his term without impeachment hanging over him. But many other Democrats have urged Pelosi to move immediately. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who will be in charge once Biden is sworn in, suggested in a letter to colleagues Tuesday the chamber might divide its time between confirming Biden's nominees, approving COVID relief and conducting the trial. If the trial isn't held until Trump is already out of office, it could still have the effect of preventing him from running for president again. Biden has said it's important to ensure that the 'folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable.' SENATE POLITICS It's unlikely, for now, that enough Republicans would vote to convict, since two-thirds of the Senate is needed. Yet some Republicans have told Trump to resign, including Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and few are defending him. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse has said he would take a look at what the House approves, but stopped short of committing to support it. Other Republicans have said that impeachment would be divisive. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, long a key ally of the president, has been critical of his behavior in inciting the riots but said impeachment 'will do far more harm than good.' Only one Republican voted to convict Trump last year  Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. WHAT IMPEACHMENT WOULD MEAN Democrats say they have to move forward, even if the Senate doesn't convict. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted on Friday that some people might ask why they would try to impeach a president with only a few days left in office. 'The answer: Precedent,' he said. 'It must be made clear that no president, now or in the future, can lead an insurrection against the U.S. government.' Advertisement

In the hours after the riot, Pence did his Constitutional duty and certified President-elect Joe Biden, something he had been pressured by Trump not to do.

'You can either go down in history as a patriot,' Trump had told Pence by phone before he headed to the Capitol Wednesday, according to The New York Times. 'Or you can go down in history as a p****.'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his support for impeachment, The New York Times reported Tuesday evening

Pence was inside when the violent mobbed attacked, with some Trump supporters calling out, 'Hang Mike Pence.'

The Times reported that Trump had invited Pence to the Oval Office Monday night to try to smooth things over in the run-up to the House's 25th Amendment vote.

The official description of the meeting was 'good,' according to the newspaper.

Unofficially sources called it 'nonsubstantive' and 'stilted.'

Tuesday night's vote on the 25th Amendment is considered the appetizer for Wednesday's main course: the House pursuing impeachment again.

Nowhere in his letter did Pence say he objected to that move.

Shortly after Pence sent out his letter, Pelosi sent out the names of impeachment managers.

She picked Rep. Jamie Raskin, who introduced the 25th Amendment resolution, as the head manager.

'I think every member of this body should be able to agree that this president is not meeting the most minimal duties of office,' Raskin argued Tuesday night.

Raskin also warned his fellow lawmakers that Trump could pardon the Capitol Hill attackers during his waning days.

Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, recently lost his son.

Additionally, Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette, David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Stacey Plaskett, Joe Neguse and Madeleine Dean were also chosen.

Earlier Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his support for the impeachment effort that includes an article charging the president with 'incitement of insurrection.'

The view of the GOP powerbroker emerged shortly before Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of the House GOP leadership, announced that she would vote for impeaching President Trump.

'On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic,' wrote Cheney, the daughter of the former vice president.

'Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' she continued.

'I will vote to impeach the President,' Cheney concluded.

Neither Cheney nor McConnell backed Democrats impeachment effort a year ago.

McConnell worked successfully to scuttle the impeachment effort during a trial last year on different charges.

His current view follows reports that McConnell never wants to speak to Trump again after the Capitol riots that had Trump supporters invading the Capitol, trashing leadership offices, and endangering the lives of lawmakers.

McConnell backs the effort because it will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, the New York Times reports.

One feature of impeachment  which can grind the Senate to a halt and lead to furious partisan arguments  is that it allows lawmakers to vote to prohibit the person being impeached from ever holding public office with the U.S. government.

Trump may run for president in 2024, and many of his potential rivals happen to hold Senate seats.

McConnell has made clear in private discussions that 'now is the moment to move on the weakened lame duck, whom he blames for Republicans losing the Senate,' according to the report.

Trump ignored McConnell's advice and launched his election challenge despite two run-off elections in Georgia which the GOP lost  stripping the party of its majority.

A source told CNN McConnell 'hates' Trump and is 'furious' with him after the Capitol riots.

The siege left five people dead, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was based on the Senate side.

McConnell's wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, quit the Trump cabinet after the riots, which included an angry mob getting blocked steps from the door to the Senate chamber that McConnell uses when he normally strolls from his leadership office.

It was not immediately clear how McConnell might vote on impeachment.

McConnell's view emerged as Trump, rather than express contrition, called impeachment a 'hoax' and a 'witch hunt,' and defended his pre-riot comments that Democrats have already said was incitement. Trump called his speech minutes before the siege 'totally appropriate.'

Cheney's statement denouncing the president comes after Trump told supporters they need to 'get rid' of people like her.

'We got to get rid of the weak Congresspeople, the ones that aren't any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world. We got to get rid of them,' Trump said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised her, amid speculation numerous House Republicans might follow her lead.

'Good for her for honoring her oath of us. Would that more Republicans would honor their oaths of office,' Pelosi said.

GOP Rep. John Katko also announced he would back impeachment Tuesday night.

'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,' Katko said in a statement, Syracuse.com reported. 'For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this president,' he said.

During floor debate, Katko said he wasn't supporting the 25th Amendment resolution because it was 'non-binding,' calling it 'merely a symbolic gesture.'

Katko confirmed his plans to vote for impeachment.

Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton also told Forbes he would vote to impeach.

As midnight approached, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler also said she was a yes.

Convicting Trump on an impeachment article requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate, where Republicans hold 50 votes  a high bar to meet.

Assuming passage in the House, it has not been determined when Democratic leaders will transmit the impeachment article, or when the Senate might take it up.

A McConnell memo that emerged over the weekend cited scheduling challenges for impeachment  a trial might not even begin until after Jan. 19th, since the Senate is not in session.

President-elect Joe Biden said Monday there was the possibility of dual-tracking an impeachment and Senate session that would be needed to get his cabinet confirmed.

Biden phoned McConnell on Monday, according to the Times on the subject of a trial, and McConnell said he would consult the Senate parliamentarian and get back.

There are Senate rules and precedents governing impeachment, but leaders also might be able to negotiate a way to handle it, with the possibility of a special impeachment committee taking up some of the burden.

Trump has continued his usual pattern of lashing out at political adversaries when under attack.

'Free speech is under assault like never before. The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden Administration. As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for,' Trump said Tuesday, before lawmakers cast their votes Tuesday night.

Post-riot accounts from last Wednesday reveal that not only did President Trump egg on supporters who wreaked havoc in the Capitol  but he was glued to the television as the events unfolded, incapable of responding to desperate pleas to use influence to stop it and enjoying seeing it unfold.

There were two major areas where the president fell dramatically short of what was being asked of him: using his personal popularity with his followers to urge them to vacate the Capitol immediately; and using the vast powers of his office to try to speed a federal response.

But when key current and former aides and family members tried to reach him, he was 'busy enjoying the spectacle,' according to a Washington Post account.

What Trump told supporters before they ransacked the Capitol in 'totally appropriate' speech

We're going to have to fight much harder 'Republicans are constantly fighting like a boxer with his hands tied behind his back. It's like a boxer. And we want to be so nice. We want to be so respectful of everybody, including bad people. And we're going to have to fight much harder.' We're going to walk down to the Capitol 'We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. 'Get tougher' / You are allowed to go by very different rules 'The Republicans have to get tougher. Youre not going to have a Republican Party if you dont get tougher. They want to play so straight. They want to play so serious. The United States, the Constitution doesnt allow me to send them back to the states. Well, I would say yes, it does, because the Constitution says you have to protect our country, and you have to protect our Constitution, and you cant vote on fraud, and fraud breaks up everything, doesnt it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do, and I hope he doesnt listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that hes listening toWhen you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do, and I hope he doesn't listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that he's listening to.' Takes 'more courage not to step up' 'I also want to thank our 13 most courageous members of the U.S. Senate ... I actually think, though, it takes, again, more courage not to step up, and I think a lot of those people are going to find that out. And you better start looking at your leadership, because your leadership has led you down the tubes.' Never concede 'We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough.' On 'fake news' and 'Big tech' 'They rigged an election, they rigged it like they have never rigged an election before.' 'All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by bold and radical left Democrats, which is what they are doing, and stolen by the fake news media. That is what they have done and what they are doing. We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesnt happen. You dont concede when theres theft involved.' 'We will not take it anymore' 'Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore, and that is what this is all about.' And to use a favorite term that all of you people really came up with, we will stop the steal.'

Denied Biden's vote count 'He had 80 million computer votes. Its a disgrace. Theres never been anything like that. You can take Third World countries, just take a look, take Third World countries, their elections are more honest than what we have been going through in this country. Its a disgrace. Its a disgrace. Even when you look at last night, they were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off with boxes, and nobody knows what the hell is going on. Theres never been anything like this. We will not let them silence your voices. Were not going to let it happen.' [Note: Biden got more than 81 million votes; Trump rounded up his own total to 75 million.] Call for military and law enforcement to join 'And I would love to have, if those tens of thousands of people would be allowed, the military, the Secret Service and we want to thank you  and the police and law enforcement  great, youre doing a great job. But I would love it if they could be allowed to come up with us. Is that possible? Can you just let them, please?' Pressure on Mike Pence: Says it takes 'courage' to do nothing 'I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election ... All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to re-certify, and we become president, and you are the happiest people.' 'And I actually, I just spoke to Mike. I said, Mike, that doesnt take courage, what takes courage is to do nothing. That takes courage, and then we are stuck with a president who lost the election by a lot, and we have to live with that for four more years. Were just not going to let that happen.' Won't stand for Biden win 'We want to go back, and we want to get this right, because were going to have somebody in there that should not be in there, and our country will be destroyed. And were not going to stand for that.' 'You're not the people that tore down our nation' 'If this happened to the Democrats, thered be hell all over the country going on. Thered be hell all over the country. But just remember this, youre stronger, youre smarter. Youve got more going than anybody, and they try and demean everybody having to do with us, and youre the real people. Youre the people that built this nation. Youre not the people that tore down our nation.' March peacefully ... we will see whether Republicans stand strong 'I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. Today, we will see whether Republicans stand strong for the integrity of our elections. But whether or not they stand strong for our country  our country, our country has been under siege for a long time. Far longer than this four-year period' 'Ashamed ... throughout eternity' 'Today, we see a very important event, though, because right over there, right there, we see the event thats going to take place, and Im going to be watching because history is going to be made. Were going to see whether or not we have great and courageous leaders or whether or not we have leaders that should be ashamed of themselves throughout history, throughout eternity. Theyll be ashamed. And you know what? If they do the wrong thing, we should never, ever forget that they did. Never forget.' Calls Republicans who voted not to count certified votes 'warriors' 'I want to thank the more than 140 members of the House. Those are warriors.15 Theyre over there working like youve never seen before, studying, talking, actually going all the way back studying the roots of the Constitution because they know we have the right to send a bad vote that was illegally gotten.' Biden will be 'illegitimate' 'But think of this: If you dont do that, that means you will have a president of the United States for four years with his wonderful son, you will have a president who lost all of these states, or you will have a president, to put it another way, who was voted on by a bunch of stupid people who lost all of these states. You will have an illegitimate president. That is what you will have, and we cant let that happen.' Call to 'do something' about radical left 'The radical left knows exactly what they were doing. They are ruthless, and its time that somebody did something about it. And Mike Pence, I hope youre going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. (APPLAUSE) And if youre not, Im going to be very disappointed in you. I will tell you right now. Im not hearing good stories.' Election was 'stolen' 'Make no mistake, this election was stolen from you, from me, and from the country, and not a single swing state has conducted a comprehensive audit to remove the illegal ballots. This should absolutely occur in every single contested state before the election is certified.' Alleges 'criminal enterprise' 'So, when you hear  when you hear, While there is no evidence to prove any wrongdoing, this is the most fraudulent thing anybodys  this is a criminal enterprise. This is a criminal enterprise.' Fight like hell

'And again, most people would stand there at 9 oclock in the evening and say, I want to thank you very much, and they go off to some other life. But I said something is wrong here, something is really wrong, cant have happened, and we fight. We fight like hell, and if you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore.' Advertisement

As the historic mob invasion of the U.S. seat of legislative government unfolded, a variety of people with influence over Trump sought to get to him to urge action.

The routes they took were typical of the loosely organized web of influence within the Trump White House.

Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham  who only after the riot firmly declared Joe Biden the winner of the election  reached out to the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump.

'It took him a while to appreciate the gravity of the situation,' Graham told the Post. 'The president saw these people as his allies in his journey and sympathetic to the idea that the election was stolen,' Graham said of the rioters who took the Capitol.

House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who Trump believes is so much under his wing that he has publicly called him 'My Kevin,' was pleading for action.

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Protesters attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation's capital during a joint session Congress to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. One Capitol Police officer died in the action

Police officers in riot gear line up as protesters gather on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. It took hours to regain control of the building

McCarthy phoned Trump directly to try to plead for assistance  but also called the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, who was returning form a trip to the Middle East.

Former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, who doesn't even work for Trump anymore, tried to get through to him to urge action.

She phoned an aide she knew was in close proximity to Trump.

The office of the Mayor of Washington, desperate to get more National Guard forces amid logistical and jurisdictional hurdles, also reached out to Conway.

Chief of staff Mark Meadows urged Trump to speak out after an aide told him: 'They are going to kill people,' in reference to the rioters.

A primary area of the pleas related to something Trump was capable of doing on his own without engaging with the bureaucracy: issuing simple Twitter or video pleas for protesters to get out of the Capitol.

The appeals he finally made either lacked a direct call to fall back, or sprinkled in approving language even as the riot that would become deadly unfolded.

At 2:30 pm, about half an hour after the Capitol breach, Trump told his supporters to 'Please support our Capitol Police' and to 'Stay peaceful!'

His next message was more explicit, writing 'No violence!'  but claimed 'WE are the Party of Law & Order.'

After he finally put out a video at about 4 pm, Trump finally told his backers to 'go home.' But he also called them 'very special,' called the election 'fraudulent,' and said: 'You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home, and go home in peace.'

Trump himself had egged on his supporters with demands that they 'fight,' calling the election fraudulent, and putting pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, whose only role was ceremonial and involved opening and reading from envelopes containing electoral votes.

Trump was glued to the television as the storming of the Capitol was broadcast.

Prior reporting has revealed that the Washington D.C. government had requested a National Guard presence, but Guard were assigned to traffic and other assistance and weren't issued ammo or riot gear.

The now resigned chief of Capitol Police says he wanted more Guard support in advance of Wednesday but had been told by superiors to ask for it informally. The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, says there were delays getting approval to send Guard forces from the Pentagon.

But it wasn't mere distraction that kept Trump from springing into action. It's not atht he was too busy because he was so consumed, which he was,' the New York Times reported.

'He was pleased because it was people fighting on his behalf. He was pleased because he liked the scene. And he was pleased because it was delaying the certification of the Electoral College vote,' the New York Times reported. 'He knew what was happening... He just didn't want to do anything.'

Although McCarthy told colleagues on a call Monday Trump had accepted 'some responsibility' for the riot, on Tuesday the president was back to his defiant posture familiar from impeachment and the Russia probe.

Trump said a second impeachment Democrats are lining up is a 'continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.'

House Democrat accuses Republican lawmakers of leading MAGA rioters on Capitol 'reconnaissance' before riot as Stop the Steal organizer revealed to have boasted of help from three GOP congressmen

Rep. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday she saw lawmakers giving tours she perceived to be 'a reconnaissance to groups Tuesday, January 5

A Democratic representative revealed Tuesday she witnessed members of Congress leading 'reconnaissance' tours through the Capitol the day before the mob stormed the building  as more details emerged over the attack indicating three Republican lawmakers may have helped protesters get inside.

Mikie Sherrill, who represents New Jersey's 11th district, said during a Facebook Live video Tuesday night that she wants members of Congress who 'abetted' President Donald Trump and the violent crowd who descended on the Capitol to be held accountable and prevented from running for office in the future.

'We can't have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the elections results,' Sherrill said of her colleagues she claims assisted Trump in inciting a crowd to storm the Capitol last Wednesday, January 6.

'Not only do I intend to see that the president is removed and never runs for office again and doesn't have access to classified material,' she continued in her straight-to-camera remarks.

'I also intend to see that those members of Congress who abetted him; those members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5  a reconnaissance for the next day; those members of Congress that incited this violent crowd; those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy  I'm going to see they are held accountable, and if necessary, ensure that they don't serve in Congress.'

At the same time, new revelations are surfacing that a pro-Trump activist, Ali Alexander, claimed he was assisted by three GOP representatives to help organize the January 6 assault on the Capitol to disrupt the election certification.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live video Tuesday night that she feared for her life during the riots, specifically expressing her concerns that some GOP lawmakers would give away her location to the mob.

Sherrill's comments come as pro-Trump activist Ali Alexander revealed in a video on Periscope that three GOP lawmakers helped in organizing the disruption of Congress certifying the election for Joe Biden on January 6

In the video, Alexander said Representatives Paul Gosar (center), Andy Biggs (left) and Mo Brooks (right) were planning something big. 'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,' Alexander said

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn walks past members of the National Guard Wednesday morning as they try to get some sleep inside the U.S. Capitol

'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive, and not just in a general sense but also in a very, very specific sense,' the progressive lawmaker said during the hour-long live stream.

She called the close encounter 'traumatizing' and claimed her 'near assassination' is 'not an exaggeration'.

'There were QAnon and white supremacist sympathizers, and frankly white supremacist members of Congress, in that extraction point who I have felt would disclose my location and would create opportunities to allow me to be hurt, kidnapped, etc.,' Ocasio-Cortez said.

She did not name any of the lawmakers she felt could have jeopardized her situation.

It is now known that Alexander told his followers on Periscope late last month that Republican Representatives Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona and Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama were planning something big.

Alexander helped organize one of the demonstrations that converged on the Capitol lawn Wednesday  since then, his Facebook and Twitter accounts have been locked and he is banned from the social media platforms.

He said in a since-deleted video: 'I want to let you guys know how we're responding because I was the person who came up with the January 6 idea with Congressman Gosar, Congressman Mo Brooks and then Congressman Andy Biggs.'

All three lawmakers are hard-line Trump supporters.

'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting so that who we couldn't lobby, we could change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body hearing our loud roar from outside,' Alexander detailed.

In the video to Periscope, he said the purpose of the rally was 'to build momentum and pressure' on the day Congress moved to certify the election for Joe Biden. He also vowed that his group 'Stop the Steal' would find rooms in the nation's capital if hotels shut down in the midst of the unrest.

Alexander, pictured here with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones during a demonstration in Georgia in November, helped organize the 'Stop the Steal' protesters who gathered near the Capitol before the chaos broke out last Wednesday

WHO IS ALI ALEXANDER? Ali Abdul-Razaq Ali, 35, is a far-right activist who who goes by Ali Alexander. He identifies as black and Arab, according to Politico. He helped organize 'Stop the Steal' movement, which oppose Joe Biden's election win and is pushing to prove that President Donald Trump won reelection on November 3. Ali also takes responsibility for organizing the January 6 rally that convened outside the Capitol before it was stormed by thousands of pro-Trump protesters. He said in a live-streamed video that GOP Representatives Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Mo Brooks assisted with the effort to disrupt the join session of Congress moving to certify the Electoral College results for Biden. 'I want to let you guys know how we're responding because I was the person who came up with the January 6 idea with Congressman Gosar, Congressman Mo Brooks and then Congressman Andy Biggs,' Ali said in the now-deleted video. 'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting so that who we couldn't lobby, we could change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body hearing our loud roar from outside,' he continued. Alexander, pictured here with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones during a demonstration in Georgia in November, helped organize the 'Stop the Steal' protesters who gathered near the Capitol before the chaos broke out last Wednesday Ali Alexander pleaded guilty to two separate felony charges in 2007 and 2008 in Forth Worth Texas The activist runs with with Trump's circle. In the summer of 2019 he gathered at the White House for the president's 'social media summit' to bash platforms for their supposed anti-conservative and anti-Trump bias. This week, following reports of his involvement in the storming of the Capitol, Ali was banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and his accounts were removed. Ali Abdul-Razaq Ali, 35, who goes by Ali Alexander, is a far-right activist from Fort Worth, Texas Ali raised questions during the Democratic primary race over then-candidate Kamal Harris's 'black-ness', sparking speculation he was waging a 'birther'-like campaign against her. The now vice president-elect is half Indian and half Jamaican. 'Kamala Harris is implying she is descended from American Black Slaves,' he wrote on Twitter in June 2019. 'She's not. She comes from Jamaican Slave Owners. That's fine. She's not an American Black. Period.' Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. retweeted and then deleted the post, asking if it was true, and helping it go viral. Ali resides in Forth Worth, Texas. In 2007 he pleaded guilty to felony property theft in the Lone Star state and the next year also pleaded guilty to to a credit card abuse felony  also in Texas. Advertisement

Alexander did not specifically call for violence and instead claimed the left is 'trying to push us to war.'

Biggs' office sent out a statement claiming the congressman has not met or spoken with Alexander.

Biggs' office responded to CNN, claiming he has not met or spoken with Alexander.

'Congressman Biggs is not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point -- let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest,' the representative's spokesperson said.

'He did not have any contact with protestors or rioters, nor did he ever encourage or foster the rally or protests,' they continued. 'He was focused on his research and arguments to work within the confines of the law and established precedent to restore integrity to our elections, and to ensure that all Americans -- regardless of party affiliation -- can again have complete trust in our elections systems.'

Biggs, Gosar and Brooks all came under fire after going forward with objecting to the election results even after the violent Capitol riot forced them to evacuate the chamber and delayed proceedings for hours.

Sherrill, in her thirteen-and-a-half minute video posted to Facebook Tuesday, did not reveal which lawmakers she saw showing constituents around the Capitol last week  but she did make the shocking claim that the January 5 tours were part of some effort to get protesters familiar with the building before storming it the next day.

While some GOP lawmakers have come under fire for inciting the riots  whether directly or indirectly  or standing idly by as they unfolded, this is the most serious charge yet against sitting members of Congress regarding the unprecedented attack last week.

The six-hour riot resulted in hundreds of injuries and five deaths, including one Capitol Police officer and a female Trump supporter.

The House voted Tuesday evening on a non-binding resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to get Trump out of office now. The vote passed 223-205, with Sherrill voting in favor of it, even though Pence notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier Tuesday that he would not comply with the measure.

With the 25th Amendment off the table, and no hope of Trump resigning before his last seven days are up, House Democrats are likely to move forward Wednesday on impeaching the president for the second time.

Sherrill said in her video that she intends to support the effort.

She also voiced the sharp divide, which is widening in Congress, claiming those who do not agree with Democratic ideals of democracy are 'now on different sides of this line.'
The Philippine National Police has released nine officers who had been in custody for their alleged involvement in the killing of four army intelligence specialists in the troubled south last June, officials said on Tuesday.

The officers, who were dismissed from the service on Jan. 1, were freed because they could not be held any longer after a court failed to issue arrest warrants for them, PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Ildebrandi Usana told reporters.

They were released from the control of the Philippine National Police. They are no longer police personnel following their dismissal from the service which is immediately executory. We presume they are back with their families, Usana said.

He did not say when the nine were freed, but on Monday local media widely quoted Gen. Debold Sinas, the chief of national police, as saying sometime last week. Sinas said the nine were freed on a technicality and could not be kept in jail until a court issued warrants for them.

The nine policemen had been arrested in connection with the killings of two army officers and two enlisted men with the 11th Infantry Division, who were on a mission to track down militant bomb makers on southern Jolo Island last year.

On Tuesday, military chief Gen. Gilbert Gapay said he was extremely disappointed with the release of the nine policemen.

It is only unfortunate that despite the filing online of a multiple murder case before the Regional Trial Court in Jolo on 4 January 2021, no Warrants of Arrest have been issued by the court, Gapay said.

We assure our personnel and the relatives of the slain soldiers that the AFP [Armed Forces of the Philippines] will continue with our persistent coordination with relevant government agencies for the issuance of the said warrants, Gapay said.

Once issued, we will help in the immediate and unimpeded service of said warrants to the named police personnel.

The four soldiers had been traveling in a vehicle which the Jolo police force flagged down. Based on an initial investigation, the soldiers had clearly identified themselves but were still allegedly gunned down by the cops.

The slain soldiers were on a mission to track down Mundi Sawadjaan, an operative identified as a key planner of suicide bombings that killed 23 people at a church in Jolo in January 2019. He is believed to be a nephew of Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, the top leader of the Philippine branch of the extremist group known as Islamic State (IS).

The local police had called the soldiers killings a misencounter, but Gapay, who was the army chief at the time of the killings, had said the soldiers were murdered as he called for the police personnel involved to be prosecuted.

Lockdown delay

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, said that he had appealed to the PNP to hold the nine men in custody for a longer time, but his request was ignored.

The nine police officers were released from custody despite requests by the DOJ [Department of Justice] to the PNP to hold them a while until the arrest warrants were issued, Guevarra said.

He said prosecutors had filed the criminal information against the officers last week. The court was expected to immediately issue warrants for their arrest but apparently failed to do so [because of] the current lockdown in Jolo, Guevarra said.

Court operations in the Sulu archipelago  which includes Jolo Island  have been affected due to the pandemic-related lockdown, said Honey Delgado, spokeswoman of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

Drieza Lininding, chairman of the Moro Consensus Group, said Muslim groups in the south were disappointed by the police action, and called it unfair to the families of those slain.

Four souls were lost. They sacrificed. There should be a fair trial, Lininding told BenarNews.

Jeoffrey Maitem contributed reporting from southern Cotabato City.

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 12)  Some senators criticized Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque's remark that Filipinos cannot afford to be "picky" with the COVID-19 vaccine brand that they will receive from the government.

During the Senate hearing on the national COVID-19 vaccination plan on Monday, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri described Roque's pronouncement as unfair.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros also questioned why Filipinos can't choose a COVID-19 vaccine brand when President Rodrigo Duterte himself is choosing between the vaccines made in China and Russia.

"It seems the message the Palace is sending to us is 'conform or get COVID-19'. Malacanang must put an end to its threatening statements and stop ramming vaccine preferences down the public's throat," said Hontiveros.

Sen. Franklin Drilon stressed Roque's statement will trigger "such aversion to vaccination" which will not be good in the country's vaccination program, while Sen. Kiko Pangilinan noted that Roque's insensitive comment "aggravates the already tenuous public mood against vaccination as a whole."

In a separate interview with CNN Philippines on Wednesday, Pangilinan said that such remarks do not help in assuring Filipinos of vaccines safety, noting that the public has the right to choose which product they would use in the future.

I think they should be able to [choose a vaccine], up to a certain extent, they have the right, Pangilinan told The Source.

So dapat ayusin nila yung kanilang communications, dahil hindi nakakatulong yung ganoong klaseng take it or leave it, bahala kayo, dahil libre. It doesnt help, unfortunately, he added.

[Translation: They should fix their communications, because this type of take it or leave it remark wont help.]

Sen. Leila de Lima, in a statement she issued from jail in Camp Crame, insisted the Filipinos are not asking for too much, but their right to choose must be respected so they would know the side effects of such immunizations. She added that even Davao City, the hometown of Duterte, did not procure the China-made Sinovac vaccine which the national government said will be the first to be administered to priority sectors by February.

"Do we have to blame our countrymen who are having second thoughts on getting inoculated with vaccine made from China? Certainly not when news reports keep surfacing about the adverse effects of some vaccines," said de Lima in the written statement.

Instead of endorsing one COVID-19 vaccine brand, Sen. Panfilo Lacson urged the national government to prioritize high efficacy vaccines. He explained this will help build Filipinos' confidence in getting vaccinated.

"Cockiness has no place in a pandemic situation. Certainly this is not a smart information campaign to promote mass vaccination," said Lacson.

Sen. Joel Villanueva shared Lacson's sentiment on raising public confidence to get vaccinated amid the recent survey where nearly half of Filipinos are apprehensive.

"Our government should be working on building confidence in the vaccine program, instead on toying around with their announcements at the risk of increasing people's aversion to the vaccine. Likewise, regulations are instituted precisely to protect the lives of our people," said Villanueva.

In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Tuesday, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the national government must ensure there is enough supply of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines that should be administered immediately to priority sectors such as medical frontliners.

Gatchalian also declared he is okay to receive any COVID-19 vaccine brand as long as it passes Philippine Food and Drug Administration standards.

"As long as it is approved by FDA and passed their standards, I'm okay to be inoculated with any brand," he said.

Roque said in a briefing Monday that Filipinos will not be forced to get vaccinated against the COVID-19, but they cannot be "picky" once doses become available in the country.

Numerous local government units have announced they already secured deals to acquire hundreds of thousands of vaccine doses for their constituents. Majority of the local chief executives said they have sealed tripartite agreements with the national government for doses of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines, which has an efficacy rate of up to 90% for those who received a half dose followed by a full dose.

READ: LIST: Local governments secure vaccine doses in advance
Putin Brokers Peace Through Economic Development with Both Caucasus Leaders in Moscow

Jan. 12 , 2021 (EIRNS)Meeting together in Moscow with both Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev and Armenias Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian President Vladimir Putin has brokered a peace through economic development that aims to consolidate the gains achieved by a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. TASS observed that this was were Putins first international meeting of 2021 and his first in-person meeting with foreign leaders in two months.

We were able to come to an agreement ... on the development of the situation in the region, Putin told reporters after four the hours of talks among the three leaders. Putin said:

I mean concrete steps to build economic ties and develop infrastructure projects. For this purpose, a working group will be created which will be headed by the vice-premiers of three governmentsAzerbaijan, Armenia and Russia. In the near future, they will create working expert subgroups, [and] present concrete plans for the development of transport infrastructure and the regions economy. I am confident that the implementation of these agreements will benefit both the Armenian and Azerbaijani people and, without any doubt, will benefit the region as a whole.

Putin also said that the ceasefire agreement signed on Nov. 9-10, 2020 is being fulfilled with Russian peacekeepers carrying out their designated responsibilities.

For his part Aliyev said,

I also share your opinion that this meeting was very important for ensuring the further sustainable and safe development of our region. The statement that was signed today reflects our intentions, because one of the items in the statement following the cessation of hostilities was on the unblocking of transport connections, he said, referring to removing all the previous obstacles that hindered transportation connections. This is an important area that will help us achieve the dynamics to resume the regions development and enhance security, and the opening of transport links meets the interests of the people of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia and our other neighbors. I am sure that the neighboring countries will also join our efforts to resume transport corridors and develop a diverse network of transport arteries in our region,

he said.

Aliyev continued: All this creates the confidence that, as President Putin said, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will remain in the past and that we must think about the future  how to live next to each other, how to strive for unblocking transport arteries and enhancing regional stability and security in the future.

For his part, Pashinyan said the joint declaration was very important for the development of Nagorno-Karabakh, the status of which is still under negotiations within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group.

I can say that the Statement we signed today is very important indeed. I will say that the implementation of the agreements in this Statement could change the economic profile of our region and that the economic changes could produce even more reliable security guarantees. We will certainly work constructively to this end, but, as I said, unfortunately, it is impossible to resolve all the problems at one meeting,

he declared.

The transcript of the three leaders remarks to the media is posted to the Kremlin website.

Furthermore, the agreement can further enhance the International North South Transportation Corridor, which is being developed among Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and India, beginning in St. Petersburg and ends in Mumbai, passing through the North and South Caucasus.
Many decades ago, Swamy, who worked at the Air India counter in Mumbai, was asked by a friend who worked in Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for a favour. The international managing director (MD) of the company was visiting Bombay and the local MD thought he would make a great impression if he was welcomed on the tarmac, soon after arrival. A VIP welcome!

It was a time when such welcomes were possible, at the airport. Swamy managed to organise this. All went well.

When the group was leaving the airport, the local MD thanked Swamy for the trouble he had takenand added If I can help you in any way anytime, do let me know.

Swamy took the cue. Before Mr John could forget him, Swamy phoned him up the following week and asked to see him for just half an hour.

Yes, he was looking for a sales job. He was tired of being at the airport counter, most nights of the week. John saw that Swamy could make a good salesman and sent him to the sales director, and after a few more interviews, Swamy was hired.

Swamy did so well in his job that he rose to be the India sales manager in a period of just 10 years. A chance encounter had changed the course of his lifeand he never looked back. By the time he died, he was considered a highly successful man.

The international CEO (chief executive officer) of a Swiss company was visiting India. He wanted to buy some CDs of Indian classical music to take home. He was recommended Rhythm Houseso he found time to get there and make his purchases. He was so impressed with the salesman attending to him  with his knowledge and his convincing abilitythat he bought much more than he had intended to.

When leaving the shop, he half-jokingly told the salesman that if he ever needed a job in the future, to let him know. The salesman had been to college but had left it before graduation. But he took this invitation seriously and sent his curriculum vitae (CV) to the customer, who had given him his visiting card. And it worked. Mr Broz had found a slot for him in the sales department of the Indian company.

And salesman Sunil did so well at his job that with many promotions he was finally transferred to the headquarters in Switzerland, where he continued working well and hard, till he came close to the top!

Chance encounters can also result in long lasting friendships. A long time ago, I took an overnight train from Lucknow to Delhifar more convenient than taking a flight. I was sharing a coupee with an elderly Sikh gentleman. After the goodbyes to our sales team, who had come to see me off, I went to the coupee and began an interesting conversation with my train companionfrom 9pm when the train started, to 1am, when we finally said goodnight.

I worked for a pharma company at that time and I happened to find out that my train companion was a member of parliament (MP), and also the chairman of Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL), a government company.

We had something in common  the industry!

Mr Singh invited me to dinner the following evening at this home, because it so happened that he was entertaining and one of the guests was the then minister for chemicals. He thought it would help me to meet the minister socially, since he was in charge of the industry I worked in.

Some years later, Mr Singh was appointed governor of Rajasthanand he kindly invited me and my wife to be his guests for a few days at Raj Bhavan  an invitation I readily acceptedsince I had never stayed in a Raj Bhavan (RB) before (and since). I enjoyed the experience of staying at the Marwar suite at the RB.

Yes  not all chance encounters end with the beginning of new careers. They may also create nice and warm connectionswhich mature into long lasting friendships, sometimes for life!

In 2020, we have come to a stage where we can create chance encounters. Young people (and even old) find life partners on the Internet. They create long-term friendships on the Internet. They find jobs through Linked-In, or even business collaborations or partners or funding for startups through the network. There is Facebook, and LinkedIn; Instagram and Twitter, and a whole lot of platforms that one can use, where the spectrum is so wide, it is unimaginable.

We no longer wait for chances. We now create chances. But we must not lose the ability to also identify 'old world chances'. And to take advantage of an opportunity when it comes to us on a platter!
Page Content

A pending federal rule would make it easier for employers to classify workers as independent contractors rather than employees, but California businesses still must follow the state's more stringent test.

"Misclassifying independent contractors remains one of the bigger risks facing California employers," said Walter Stella, an attorney with Cozen O'Connor in San Francisco. "A misclassified independent contractor is just an employee by another name," he explained.

Krista Mitzel, an attorney with The Mitzel Group in San Francisco, suggested that businesses review and update their independent-contractor agreements. In addition to worker-classification rules, evolving arbitration and commercial laws may impact such agreements, she said.

Keeping Up with Changes

California's classification laws continue to change. AB 5 took effect on Jan. 1, 2020, codifying a three-pronged "ABC" test to determine worker classification and rendering most workers employees.

The distinction is significant. Employees are entitled to minimum wage, overtime pay and other benefits. Independent contractors are not entitled to such benefits, but they generally have more flexibility to set their own schedules and work for multiple companies.

Certain professionals are exempt from AB 5, and a long-standing multifactor analysis is used to determine their employment status, which primarily focuses on who exerts control over their work.

Furthermore, voters in the state approved Proposition 22 on Nov. 3, 2020, allowing gig-economy companies to classify app-based ride-hailing and delivery drivers as independent contractors if certain criteria are met.

"Everything is still in flux," Mitzel observed. "We have AB 5. We have Prop 22. And we are still looking at how that is going to change the analysis."

She noted that some grocery retailers started outsourcing their delivery services to app-based companies in light of Proposition 22. Other companies have decided that transitioning independent contractors to employees will improve loyalty and retention.

"There isn't one right or wrong way," Mitzel said. Businesses have to analyze the costs and risks associated with making classification decisions, she noted.

Interplay with Federal Law

Under California's ABC test, all three of the following factors must be met for a worker to be properly classified as an independent contractor:

The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of the work and in fact.

The worker performs tasks that are outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business.

The worker is customarily engaged in an independently established trade, occupation or business of the same nature as the work performed for the hiring entity.

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently issued a final rule under the Fair Labor Standards Act that was slated to take effect on March 8. President Joe Biden's administration, however, asked federal agencies to freeze pending regulations to give new leaders time to review them.

The DOL's pending rule significantly differs from California's law. The rule applies an economic-reality test and primarily considers the nature and degree of control over the work and the worker's opportunity for profit or loss based on initiative and investment. Three other factors may serve as guideposts in determining employment status:

The amount of skill required for the work.

The degree of permanence of the working relationship between the worker and the potential employer.

Whether the work is part of an integrated unit of production (or the individual works under circumstances analogous to a production line).

Kartikey Pradhan, an attorney with Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck in San Francisco, noted that Biden's administration may take additional steps at the federal level to make it more difficult for businesses to classify workers as independent contractors. Biden supports a nationwide ABC test, according to his website.

Employers should note that the DOL's rules do not replace state laws on employment classification. "While the department appreciates the desire to achieve uniformity across the various state and federal laws which may govern work arrangements, requests to modify definitions and tests under different laws are outside the scope of this rulemaking," according to the final rule.

Mitzel said the DOL's rules may give multistate employers some peace of mind regarding workers in other jurisdictions and may be helpful guidance if there is a dispute about which state's law applies.

Exceptions to California's Rule



The ABC test applies to the California Labor Code, the Unemployment Insurance Code and the Industrial Welfare Commission wage orders, unless another definition of "employee" is provided.

Some jobs were carved out of AB 5 from the start, and many freelance journalists, musicians, translators and other workers in California can operate as independent contractors under an amendment, AB 2257, that Gov. Gavin Newsom signed in September 2020.

"Any company that [uses] contractors to provide services should, in consultation with legal counsel if possible, review AB 2257 closely to assess whether such workers qualify as independent contractors," said Matthew Costello, an attorney with Haynes and Boone in Costa Mesa, Calif.

[Need help with legal questions? Check out the new SHRM LegalNetwork.]

He noted that AB 2257 doesn't address the concerns from a number of industry groups, including those in the franchising and trucking industries, that lobbied for exemptions from AB 5.

Stella expects lobbying efforts and legal challenges to continue because AB 5 remains unpopular with many businesses. However, he doesn't think California's ABC test will be replaced anytime soon. "At most, we may see additional exceptions to the law enacted next year."

Proposition 22

California voters approved Proposition 22, which was supported by prominent ride-hailing and food delivery services. A "yes" vote on the ballot measure meant that app-based drivers could continue to be classified as independent contractors. The measure also requires covered companies to provide drivers with certain benefits and develop anti-discrimination and sexual-harassment policies.

Costello said voter approval of Proposition 22 may spark more meaningful policy discussions about maintaining the benefits that many workers have through their independent-contractor status, while still finding ways to protect workers from being improperly classified as a way to deny them overtime pay and employment protections.

"In the years ahead, Prop 22 may prove to be the beginning of a shift away from the traditional 'either/or' dichotomy of an independent-contractor/employee model," Stella noted. "While people may argue about where the line should be drawn, this middle-ground approach may be the approach of the future for the gig economy."


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Updated at 1:39 p.m.

The House of Representatives has impeached President Trump for the second time in 13 months -- which would make him the only president to receive the rebuke twice.

During the last House vote, in December 2019, all Republicans opposed the move, arguing that the effort was politically driven. But on Wednesday, some GOP lawmakers joined Democrats in pointing the finger at the president for using rhetoric that helped spark a violent insurrection at the Capitol a week ago that left at least five dead.

The next step in the process is transmitting the article of impeachment to the Senate, then preparation for a Senate trial. But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will not consent to bringing the Senate back earlier than Jan. 19, the day before Joe Biden's inauguration.

That tight timeline makes in nearly impossible for the Senate to convict and remove Trump from office before a new president is sworn in. Regardless, a Senate trial is expected.

The impeachment resolution on the House floor Wednesday consisted of an article citing "incitement of insurrection."

The resolution states: "President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States."

The House Judiciary Committee released a report Tuesday evening that lays out the events of the stunning siege at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and the argument that the president posed an "imminent threat" and that "his continued presence in office is a clear and present danger to the United States."

It concluded: "The facts establish that he is unfit to remain in office a single day longer, and warrant the immediate impeachment of President Trump."

Previously

The House of Representatives is on track to impeach President Trump for the second time in 13 months -- which would make him as the only president to receive the rebuke twice.

This time, though, impeachment could be bipartisan. Republicans all opposed the House vote in December 2019, arguing that it was politically driven. But now some GOP lawmakers are joining Democrats in pointing the finger at the president for using rhetoric that helped spark a violent insurrection at the Capitol last Wednesday that left at least five dead.

The impeachment resolution on the House floor Wednesday includes one article, citing "incitement of insurrection," will be debated on the House floor. Sponsors of the resolution maintain they have the votes already to pass it.

The resolution states: "President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States."

The House Judiciary committee released a report Tuesday evening that lays out the events of the stunning siege at the Capitol on Jan. 6 and the argument that the president posed an "imminent threat" and that "his continued presence in office is a clear and present danger to the United States."

It concluded: "The facts establish that he is unfit to remain in office a single day longer, and warrant the immediate impeachment of President Trump."

According to the planned schedule, the House is expected to approve the resolution in the afternoon. Almost every member of the House Democratic caucus has co-sponsored the resolution.

President Trump on Tuesday criticized the effort to impeach him for a second time, defending the speech he made last week to his supporters where he urged them to go to the Capitol where Congress was certifying that Joe Biden had won the election. A violent mob then stormed the building, forcing Vice President Pence, lawmakers and staff to seek shelter.

The president, pressed by reporters traveling with him on a trip to Alamo, Texas, what his role and responsibility was for the violence, insisted he was not to blame.

"They've analyzed my speech and my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody to the T thought it was totally appropriate," Trump said. But his speech has been condemned widely, including by Republicans, for setting off the riot.

WATCH THE DEBATE LIVE



How The Process Will Work And What To Look For

Rule debate and vote setting parameters: The House will convene at 9 a.m. ET on Wednesday. After some housekeeping, lawmakers will begin debating the rule that establishes that there will be two hours of debate the impeachment resolution. After the House debates that rule, they vote on it -- and possibly another procedural vote. Those are expected to pass mostly along party lines.

Debate on article of impeachment: The House will begin debate on the resolution, with the two hours divided equally between Republicans and Democrats. A lawmaker from each party manages debate, calling on members to speak and designating a set amount for each speech. The searing stories from some lawmakers who feared for their lives during last week's insurrection could make for an emotional day.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., announced a group of nine Democrats who will serve as impeachment managers: Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland will be "lead manager"; he worked as a constitutional professor before running for Congress. The other eight have legal backgrounds as litigators or prosecutors -- Reps. Diana DeGette of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Eric Swalwell of California, Ted Lieu of California, delegate Stacey Plaskett from the Virgin Islands, Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado and Rep. Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

It's unclear who will lead the debate for the Republicans since the leadership is split on impeachment. But strong Trump allies like Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan; Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs; and Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon follower, were among those defending the president's actions during Tuesday's debate on the resolution on the 25th Amendment.

Republican split: Wyoming GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House GOP leader, announced Tuesday she would vote yes, and her public break with the president -- which came with a scathing statement blaming him directly for the riot -- could give cover to those considering backing the resolution.

"There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," Cheney said.

Last week a majority of the House GOP conference backed up the president and voted for objections to two states' electoral results -- just hours after the attack. But as the details emerge about how pro-Trump extremists arrested in recent days cited the president as inspiring their actions, the number of Republicans willing to rebuke him is expected to grow. So far the number announcing they will vote yes is in the single digits.

Vote amid pandemic and new security and rules: After last week's attack the top security official in the House is now requiring all lawmakers and staff to be screened before they enter the House chamber. Magnetometers are set up at the main entrances and some GOP members complained about them or walked around them onto the floor Tuesday evening, disregarding the new security measures.

Members were reminded that House guidelines require any members with licensed firearms are restricted to keeping them in their offices. New fines were instituted for those who decline to wear masks.

Votes, which typically last 15 minutes, are now extended because social distancing guidelines in place now require lawmakers to stagger voting in groups to cut down on too many people congregating on the floor.

Senate trial timing: It's unclear how quickly Pelosi will transmit the impeachment resolution to the Senate after it passes the House. The Senate is not scheduled to be in session until Jan. 19, the day before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. The incoming Senate majority leader, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, is exploring an effort to use emergency powers to call the Senate back before the 19th, but the current majority leader, Sen. Mitch McConnell, would need to agree.

Biden allies have openly worried that starting out his term with an impeachment trial would hamper the new administration from getting its early priorities through like Congress, like another coronavirus relief package. For his part, Biden said he is consulting with senators and the parliamentarian about setting up a schedule that would devote half of the day to the impeachment trial and half to confirming his Cabinet nominees and considering legislation.

Once the two Democrats elected in the Jan. 5 runoff elections are certified and they are sworn in, Democrats will gain control of the chamber, as the Senate will be evenly split 50-50, with the incoming vice president breaking the tie to give her party the majority. Leaders will have to draft an impeachment resolution to set the rules for how a trial would work.

NPR White House editor Roberta Rampton contributed to this story

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - The NZ dollar strengthened against its major rivals in the Asian session on Wednesday, as the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and the prospect of additional U.S. fiscal stimulus raised hopes of economic recovery.



Investors bet that a Democratic controlled U.S. Senate would pursue larger relief measures to support the virus-hit economy.



Recent comments from Federal Reserve officials diminished worries about the tapering on purchases of government and mortgage-backed securities.



On Tuesday, St. Louis President James Bullard and Boston Fed chief Eric Rosengren said that the central bank is in no rush to start winding down its bond-buying programme in the wake of the economic fallout from the virus.



Oil prices rose amid a weak dollar and as API data showed a larger-than-expected decline in U.S. crude inventories last week.



Investors focus on developments in Washington, where Democrats will vote later today to impeach President Donald Trump over protests in the U.S. Capitol.



The kiwi climbed to 1.0737 versus the aussie, after falling to 1.0761 at 7:30 pm ET. If the kiwi continues its rise, 1.04 is possibly seen as its next resistance level.



The kiwi spiked up to a 2-day high of 1.6873 against the euro and a 5-day high of 0.7240 against the greenback from Tuesday's closing values of 1.6892 and 0.7212, respectively. The next possible resistance for the kiwi is seen around 1.66 against the euro and 0.70 against the greenback.



The NZ currency reached as high as 75.02 against the yen, compared to yesterday's close of 74.84. If the kiwi continues its rise, 76.00 is possibly seen as its next resistance level.



Looking ahead, Eurozone industrial production for November is due in the European session.



U.S. CPI and monthly budget statement for December, as well as Fed Beige book report are scheduled for release in the New York session.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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A 18-year veteran of the Houston Police Department was relieved of duty Wednesday and could likely face federal charges for participating in the Capitol takeover, Chief Art Acevedo said.

The officer, Tam Pham, was placed on administrative leave Wednesday and is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing Friday with the chief  though Acevedo expressed doubt that the officer will attend. He is expected to resign on Thursday, a police union leader said.

The Westside patrol officer was off-duty at the time and seen wearing a mask and holding a Trump flag at the Capitol, Acevedo said. When reached by phone, Pham expressed exasperated regret about attending the riots and contends he was there to observe.

I shouldnt have done it, Pham told the Houston Chronicle. I was there to take pictures.

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Details of what Pham did inside the Capitol were not known. He declined to confirm or deny Acevedos accusation that he entered the building.

A lot of stuff happened that day, Pham continued. I wasnt in the right mind.

The announcement that an HPD officer may have had a role in the Jan. 6 insurrection comes as police agencies across the country started scrutinizing their rosters for signs that their sworn law men attended the deadly riots that left five people dead  including a Capitol police officer. Federal charges have been lodged against two Rocky Mount, Va., police officers who were photographed among the mob who breached the Capitol building.

Officers in Seattle, Las Vegas and Maryland are also under investigation.

The violent siege forced lawmakers into hiding during an Electoral College tally to certify President-elect Joe Biden as the next commander-in-chief.

Acevedo said he received a complaint Sunday from a community member and then saw Facebook photos of the officer at the Capitol building. He then contacted the FBI about the officer.

He got into the Capitol, Acevedo said. Im highly confident he will face federal charges.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY: Stay informed with accurate reporting you can trust on HoustonChronicle.com

Acevedo disclosed the accusation against Pham, but did not identify him, at a news conference outlining the departments response to any demonstrations that could happen during or before the presidential inauguration. He said the officer was under review when asked whether he had relayed possible threats aimed at communities outside Houston to federal investigators.

The chief also said that authorities are keeping tabs on social media but no threats to Houston have yet been found. He said an FBI assessment has indicated a rise in domestic threats nationwide in the past year or so. Those threats, he said, stem from right-wing extremists and that it culminated in the takeover.

Our region is a hot bed for militia-type groups and for hate groups, the chief said, speaking of the federal intelligence.

Earlier this week, the FBI warned law enforcement agencies across the country about possible armed protests that could take place at state capitols starting this weekend  ahead of the inauguration, according to a memo obtained by ABC News. The warning was reportedly based on intelligence gathered from social media and other sources.

Officers in Houston  outside of those in undercover operations  will be required to wear their uniforms at all times starting 6 a.m. Friday, Acevedo said. The modified tactical alert, he said, will continue through the inauguration  or after, as needed. Officers will not be allowed to take vacation days during that time.

Acevedo said he believes Pham  who had no known disciplinary issues  traveled to Washington alone.

I cant tell you the anger I feel at the thought of a police officer and other police officers thinking they get to go storm the Capitol, the chief continued.

Doug Griffith, head of the Houston Police Officers Union, said the officer is expected to resign Thursday and that he most recently worked Westside patrol.

"I'm very disappointed, Griffith said. If the allegations are true, he deserves to be penalized just like any other person would be. It's a crime. It was a crime to enter the Capitol  he needs to face punishment for that."

Acevedo continued to say he was aware of a lot of folks who went to Washington D.C. from Houston.

The Chronicle has identified at least 20 people from the Houston area who have publicly disclosed on social media as having attended the riots  though it was not known if they entered the building.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick would not comment on any investigation or potential charges against anyone who may be suspected of participating in the Capitol riot.

He said U.S. Attorneys nationwide were on a call earlier Wednesday to coordinate with the Justice Department on these cases. The chief prosecutors will work with local FBI offices, he continued. The cases, he said, will be investigated and prosecuted out of Washington D.C.

We would be in a support position to handle local arrests, appearances before a magistrate and execution of any search warrants or arrest warrants, he continued.

Patrick said he was not yet aware of anyone being prosecuted in their local jurisdictions in connection to the Capitol insurrection.

As of Tuesday, federal charges have been filed against at least 27 people in connection to the siege, according to a George Washington University review of the cases. About 27 more were charged through Washington authorities.

St. John Barned-Smith and Gabrielle Banks contributed to this report.
Netflix's seductive and scandalous period drama Bridgerton has taken fans by storm since its release on December 25.

But it's not just the bodice-ripping action that has caught viewers' attention, as many are also intrigued by the show's extravagant fashion and jewellery.

Daily Mail Australia can reveal the estimated value of several items of jewellery featured in the series, including the infamous diamond necklace given to Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) by Prince Friedrich (Freddie Stroma).

Revealed: How much the extravagant jewellery in Netflix's Bridgerton costs in real life - including the diamond necklace (pictured) given to Daphne by Prince Friedrich

The cast, including the ambitious Bridgerton and Featherington families, the Queen and Lady Danbury, were all adorned with diamonds, rubies, pearls and emeralds - but how much would they fetch in the real world?

According to experts at Steven Stone in a report by OnBuy.com, some of the jewellery in Bridgerton would be worth up to $12.2million.

The UK-based jeweller estimated that with at least five diamonds of approximately 10ct each used in Daphne's large white gold necklace, it would be worth $6.1million.

Her gold pear-shape diamond necklace worn in previous episodes would likely retail for $1million.

Fit for a princess! A British jeweller estimated that with at least five diamonds of approximately 10ct each used in Daphne's large white gold necklace, it would be worth $6.1million

Stunning! Marina Thompsons (Ruby Barker) diamond necklace, which she wore to one of the many balls on the show, would cost $2.6million

Demure: A gold turquoise butterfly necklace worn by Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) would likely fetch $43,000 in the real world

Marina Thompsons (Ruby Barker) diamond necklace, which she wore to one of the many balls on the show, would cost $2.6million.

A gold turquoise butterfly necklace worn by Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) would likely fetch $43,000 in the real world.

One exquisite look by Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) was estimated to be worth an incredible $13.9million.

In one episode, she wore a white gold diamond tiara estimated to be worth more than $8.7million with 100ct of diamonds, and a white gold marquise diamond necklace estimated to be $5.2million.

Breathtaking! One exquisite look by Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) was estimated to be worth an incredible $13.9million

The most expensive item would be a set of gold and ruby earrings worn by Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), worth an estimated $12.2million in the real world

It's unclear if the extravagant jewellery worn on Bridgerton was genuine.

The show's costume designer, Ellen Mirojnick, told IndieWire her team of more than 230 people consisted of 'cutters, a corset maker, an embellishment department, shoe makers, jewellery makers, and hatters'.

Showing her worth: The most expensive item would be a set of gold and ruby earrings worn by Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), worth an estimated $12.2million in the real world

No expense was spared in the wardrobe department, however, as the large team handmade most of the 7,500-plus costumes used.

Ms Mirojnick told Harper's Bazaar: '[The stars] wore a different dress to every ball, aside from the amount of dresses that would take place from morning 'til dinner.'

Netflix hasn't announced a season two for Bridgerton, but all signs point to a renewal.

Given how many books are in the series by American romance novelist Julia Quinn, the drama could run for a total of eight seasons.

Bridgerton season one is available to stream now on Netflix
Netflix unveiled their massive 2021 slate of movies on Tuesday, comprised of 70 original movies, including a first look at what may be their biggest of the year, Don't Look Up.

The streaming service unveiled a sneak peek at their film slate with footage from several of their new projects, which ends with the first look at Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio in Don't Look Up.

The project is still filming, under the guidance of writer-director Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short), though Netflix has not revealed when they're aiming to release this.

Biggest movie: Netflix unveiled their massive 2021 slate of movies on Tuesday, comprised of 70 original movies, including a first look at what may be their biggest of the year, Don't Look Up

Filming: The project is still filming, under the guidance of writer-director Adam McKay (Vice, The Big Short), though Netflix has not revealed when they're aiming to release this

The brief clip (which begins at the 2:14 mark of the video above) showcase JLaw's character Kate Dibiasky and Leonardo DiCaprio's Dr. Randall Mindy.

They're both seen standing at the edge of an empty cargo plane, holding their own roller bags as the bay doors begin to open.

Mindy, sporting jet black hair and beard with wire-rimmed glasses, shoots a nervous glance towards Dibasky, a redhead with a nose piercing, who looks calm as can be.

Kate and Randall: The brief clip (which begins at the 2:14 mark of the video above) showcase JLaw's character Kate Dibiasky and Leonardo DiCaprio's Dr. Randall Mindy

The sneak peek ends with both characters walking off of the plane, which will likely be the last sneak peek we'll see for quite some time.

The story follows Dibiasky and Mindy, described as, 'two low-level astronomers' who are tasked with embarking on a 'giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth.'

While we only see Lawrence and DiCaprio in the brief footage, they lead an ensemble cast filled with talent.

Here we come: The sneak peek ends with both characters walking off of the plane, which will likely be the last sneak peek we'll see for quite some time

Astronomers: The story follows Dibiasky and Mindy, described as, 'two low-level astronomers' who are tasked with embarking on a 'giant media tour to warn mankind of an approaching comet that will destroy planet Earth'

Don't Look Up also stars Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Timothee Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi.

Adam McKay directs from his own original screenplay, while also producing alongside Kevin J. Messick.

Both DiCaprio and Lawrence have recently been spotted filming the movie in Boston, returning after the holiday break.

Cast: Don't Look Up also stars Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Timothee Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi

Filming: Both DiCaprio and Lawrence have recently been spotted filming the movie in Boston, returning after the holiday break

Lawrence will next be seen in Red, White and Water, alongside Samira Wiley and Brian Tyree Henry, which is in post-production.

She is also slated to reunite with director Adam McKay in Bad Blood, playing Elizabeth Holmes, the biotech entrepreneur who built her company on lies and went from becoming the youngest female billionaire to losing it all.

DiCaprio has a number of projects in the works, including The Black Hand and Killers Of the Flower Moon with director Martin Scorsese.
Nearly seven years after the Flint water crisis began, key players in the catastrophe are expected to be criminally charged in Michigan.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday afternoon that former Gov. Rick Snyder and others have been told they are being charged with crimes related to the water crisis.

Heres who they are and the roles they played:

Gov. Rick Snyder takes his seat before a hearing about the Flint water crisis in front of the U.S. House Committee on Government Oversight and Reform at the Rayburn House Office Building on Thursday, March 17, 2016 in Washington D.C. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | MLive.com

Rick Snyder, 62, served two terms as the governor of Michigan from 2011 until 2019.

The water crisis became Snyders most crushing failure and he apologized for it, but the governor was not among 15 state and city employees who were initially charged by former Attorney General Bill Schuette with crimes related to Flint water.

Snyders attorney said Tuesday, Jan. 12, that current prosecutors have refused to share information about charges against him, calling their actions a public relations smear campaign.

Snyder, a Republican, played multiple roles in the water crisis.

He appointed a series of emergency financial managers to run Flint city government before and during the water crisis, and those managers made decisions that resulted in the citys water source being switched to the Flint River in April 2014.

Designed as a short-term, cost-cutting measure, the switch instead caused elevated levels of bacteria, lead and chlorination byproducts in tap water, and when residents complained about the smell and taste of their water, emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose refused to switch back to pre-treated Lake Huron water supplied by the city of Detroit.

As governor, Snyder also appointed the directors of the state Department of Environmental Quality and the Department of Health and Human Services. Employees of both departments were charged by Schuette and former water prosecutor Todd Flood with crimes related to Flint water.

The former governor was briefed in spring 2014 on the plan to change Flints water source, and conversations within his office intensified in fall 2014 when Snyder was briefed about two boil water advisories in Flint due to fecal coliform bacteria, as well as complaints about the waters color, odor and taste.

In October 2014, General Motors announced Flint River water was too corrosive to use in its manufacturing, and top legal aides to Snyder suggested that Flint be switched back to Detroit water -- something that didnt happen until a year later.

Snyder eventually apologized for state governments role in the resulting emergency, but he has denied prior allegations that he was warned about risks related to the crisis and failed to act until it was brought to light publicly.

Rich Baird, senior adviser to Gov. Rick Snyder, speaks with attorneys and others during a recess on Wednesday, July 25, 2018 during the preliminary examination of Nick Lyon, Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services director, in Genesee District Court in downtown Flint. Genesee District Judge David Goggins set the decision for Aug. 20 after hearing from both Flood and Bursch and deciding not to grant a motion to strike the testimony of a cardiologist who tied the deaths of two Genesee County men during the water crisis to Legionnaires' disease outbreaks here. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake MayJake May

Rich Baird is a Flint native who worked as a top aide to Snyder during his administration.

Baird was also never among the state and local officials initially charged with Flint water crimes by Schuette.

The former senior advisor to the governor was required to give sworn testimony to prosecutors in response to an investigative subpoena and had his state-owned mobile devices and other electronic data seized in connection with the investigation in 2019.

Randall Levine, who has represented Baird during the investigation, said in April that his client did everything in his power to help fix problems in Flint, but has been unfairly vilified by the media.

In a statement Tuesday, Levine said his client has been told he will be charged for crimes related to the water crisis.

At this time, we have not been made aware of what the charges are, or how they are related to (Bairds) position with former Michigan Governor Rick Snyders administration, the statement says.

Baird, who grew up in Flint, became a familiar face in the city as state officials were forced to deal with the water emergency here.

In an email response to questions from MLive-The Flint Journal in 2016, he said he was always told Flints water problems were the result of an inordinate number of water main breaks which resulted in discolored water and over (or under) chlorination which contributed to the smell.

Every time I asked, the response was that the water meets the range established for drinking standards and the problems were being addressed, the email said.

Nick Lyon, the former director of Michigan's Department of Health and Human Services, listens during a hearing on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Genesee County Circuit Court in downtown Flint, over a request for Genesee Circuit Court Judge Joseph J. Farah to delay issuing his opinion in the criminal case against Lyon. (Jake May | MLive.com) Jake May | MLive.comThe Flint Journal

Nick Lyon worked as the director of the Department of Health and Human Services in Snyders administration.

Lyon was a member of Snyders cabinet and was bound over by Genesee District Court Judge David Goggins to stand trial on two counts of involuntary manslaughter, willful neglect of duty and misconduct in office.

But the charges brought by Schuette and Flood were among those dismissed in 2019 by Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who was appointed by Attorney General Dana Nessel to lead the Flint water investigation.

Hammoud said the original investigation was flawed and would be restarted.

John Truscott, a spokesman for Lyon, said he could not comment on whether prosecutors have told attorneys for Lyon that he will be re-charged, but said they have every reason to believe this is likely to happen.

A statement from Lyons attorneys Tuesday says if there is any truth to the reports that Mr. Lyon may be charged with criminal offenses, it would be an absolute travesty of justice. The original charges filed in June 2017 were politically motivated and meritless, and after two years of baseless claims and personal attacks they were dismissed.

During his preliminary examination, a Wayne State University researcher and professor testified that Lyon told him during a 2016 meeting about Flint water, We cant save everyone, everyone has to die of something ... or something similar to that.

A deputy director at MDHHS who was in the same meeting in which the remark was allegedly made later contradicted that testimony.

Officials at MDHHS were aware of outbreaks of Legionnaires disease in the Flint area during the water crisis as well as suspicions they were related to river water but never warned the public until January 2016, the same month the water crisis was recognized as a federal public health emergency.

Howard Croft, director of public works, listens during a news conference on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2015 at City Hall in Flint. Flint's city officials have hired Veolia Water North America as a water consultant to aid in improving Flint water quality issues, paying $40,000 to the company that will make recommendations in two weeks. (Jake May | MLive.com)Jake May | MLive.com

Howard Croft was appointed by former Flint emergency manager Michael Brown to lead Flints Public Works Department and served in that role from 2011 until November of 2015.

As director of the department, Croft had responsibility for oversight of parks and recreation, street maintenance, water and sewer, garbage collection, planning, fleet management, and economic development for the city.

Prosecutors charged and later dismissed counts of involuntary manslaughter, false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses against Croft, who routinely defended the quality and safety of Flint water, even as testing showed its quality was diminishing due to problems including low residual chlorine.

Jamie White, the attorney representing Croft, confirmed Tuesday that he was told by prosecutors that Croft will be charged a second time, but said he has not been told what the new charges facing his client will be.

After more than two years of litigation, we failed to see a credible piece of evidence as it pertained to Mr. Croft. Most troubling is the process, or lack of due process, the prosecutors chose to pursue in this second prosecution, White said in a written statement.

Former Flint Mayor Dayne Walling told a Genesee District Court Judge in 2018 that he became increasingly concerned that Croft wasnt qualified to deal with water problems that had already begun to snowball in early 2015.

It was obvious to me that this was the greatest public works challenge the city was facing (and) that was not something Howard Croft had prior experience in, Walling said then.

Because of the states emergency manager law, Walling had no authority to replace Croft.

MLive reporter John Tunison contributed to this report.

More on MLive:

Snyder attorney calls charges a smear campaign

Former Gov. Rick Snyder to be charged with crime in Flint water crisis, AP reports

Flint residents hopeful water crisis charges against Snyder, other officials will bring justice

As Flint was slowly poisoned, Snyders inner circle failed to act

Top aide to former Gov. Rick Snyder calls for end to Flint water criminal investigation

A history of Flints emergency managers
It is worth recalling that 2019 was a year marked by domestic politics, reforms and broad caution about the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Experts and observers on all sides avoided rushing to quick judgements about whether the so-called Velvet Revolution that overtook Armenia in 2018 would eventually lead to a peaceful resolution in Karabakh (see EDM, January 27, 2020). But those trends quickly started to reverse at the start of last year, The Jamestown Foundation reports in its article Year 2020 in Review: Azerbaijan Faces the Pandemic and a Victorious War in Karabakh.

While patiently waiting for the domestic dynamics of Armenian politics to reach their logical conclusion and for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to finally clarify his position on Karabakh, the Azerbaijani leadership began 2020 by continuing to concentrate on affairs at home. On February 9, 2020, Azerbaijan held snap elections after the national parliament was dissolved in December 2019. The election campaign notably coincided with the earliest outbreaks of COVID-19 worldwide. The government commenced evaluating the possible threats and countermeasures to the growing health crisis even as early as January of 2020 (Nk.gov.az, January 28, 2020). And three weeks after the elections, on February 27, the authorities established an Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers to coordinate Azerbaijans various state institutions and agencies in combating the novel coronavirus; Prime Minister Ali Asadov has been heading this body ever since (see EDM, April 16, 2020). Early adopted measures, such as launching modular hospitals (Azertag.az, June 9, 2020), enabled Azerbaijan to control the pace of the spread of the coronavirus enough so as not to overwhelm the national healthcare systemeven during active phases of military operations later in the year. At the same time, the government attempted to continue the pace of reforms launched in 2019. New faces, schooled in the West, were brought in to the highest positions in the government, including Emin Amrullayev, a graduate of Columbia University, who was appointed minister of education on July 27, 2020 (Oxu.az, July, 27, 2020).

On the foreign policy front, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenias Prime Minister Pashinian met on stage, on February 15, during the 56th Munich Security Conference, and publicly sparred over the way forward on the Karabakh conflict (Azernews, February 15, 2020). Their debatewhich followed months of sharpening rhetoric on both sides, including Pashinians aggressive declaration in August of 2019 that Artsakh [Karabakh] is Armenia. Period (Asbarez, August 5, 2019)demonstrated that the two conflicting parties remained far from a common understanding regarding how to secure a peaceful resolution. And as an Armenian commentator Akop Badalyan pointed out, the Munich meeting confirmed that the Pashinian government had abandoned the agreed-to Madrid Principles, which dictated the outlines of a possible settlement (Azatutyun.am, February 17, 2020; see EDM, November 25, 2020).

The first full year (2019) of Pashinians prime ministership actually saw a dramatic decline in the number of clashes along the frontline (Kavkazsky Uzel, December 28, 2019) as well as an exchange of visiting journalists from both countries (Eurasianet.org, November, 27, 2019). And even days before the outbreak of the Second Karabakh War (September 27November 9, 2020), the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan reportedly launched a direct backchannel for talks without Russian involvement (Aqreqator.az, September 26, 2020). However, none of those positive tendencies were enough to create the necessary background for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

Hawkish elements prevailed in the Pashinian government (see EDM, May 2, 2019), and the fragile negotiations (see EDM, April 1, 2019) were torpedoed, in part, by antagonistic statements of Armenian officials and other provocative actions. Prime Minister Pashinian recently confessed that the strategy of previous governments had been to instill Azerbaijanis with false hopes that negotiations would ultimately enable Azerbaijan to regain some of its occupied territories But as the Armenian leader noted, he specifically and intentionally departed from that strategy, believing that it was unproductive (News.am, January 4, 2021).

After Munich, came a series of increasingly confrontational moves in 2020. Amidst the pandemic, presidential (March 31 and April 14) and parliamentary elections were held in the occupied territories, and on May 21, an inauguration ceremony was organized in Shusha, Karabakh, with Pashinians participation (Azertag.az, May 20, 2020; Top-center.org, May 22, 2020; Euneighbours.eu, May 31, 2020). The photos and video of the event, combined with the anouncement that the separatist legislature would supposedly be moved to Shusha, an unparalleled cultural and religious citadel of Azerbaijanis, triggered outrage and anger among the Azerbaijani public (Fedai.az, May 11, 2020; Modern.az, May 22, 2020). Further raising the temperature, on June 2020, Armenians announced the start of construction of a new (third) highway to the occupied territories (Modern.az, June 6, 2020; Europarl.eu, June 10, 2020).

Finally, tensions exploded that summer. Between July 12 and 16, Azerbaijani and Armenian military forces clashednot along the line of contact in Karabakh but over the official state border between two countries, in Tovuz (see EDM, July 14, 2020). During the cross-border battles, a well-known and respected general, Polad Hashimov was killed. On July 14, his funeral sparked anger and mass protest, with tens of thousands of people flooding the streets of Baku and demanding that the Azerbaijani government launch a war for the liberation of the occupied territories from Armenia (Kavkazsky Uzel, July 15, 2020). The following week (July 23), Prime Minister Pashinian put forward his so-called seven demands for returning to the negotiating table (Turan.az, July, 24, 2020). And on August 21, Prime Minister Pashinian, in his Security Council speech, presented the Tovuz fighting as victorious for allegedly having put an end to the attempts and intentions of Azerbaijan to resolve the conflict militarily (YouTube, August 21, 2020). For many Azerbaijanis, the fighting in Tovuz was the final straw. Even Armenias second president, Robert Kocharian, opined in an interview late last year that Pashinians confrontational deterrence strategy had given Azerbaijan the legitimate right to respond and made war inevitable (RIA Novosti, December 4, 2020).

Finally, on September 27, when the Karabakh ceasefire was breached again, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a counter-offensive operation against Armenian military units stationed in the occupied territories (The London Post, September 29, 2020; see EDM, October 19, 2020). The war lasted 44 days, leaving thousands dead, and was finally halted by the Russian-brokered ceasefire deal on November 10. Armenia capitulated (see EDM, January 6, 2021), and Azerbaijan celebrated the victory, declaring that the conflict had finally been resolved. Right after the recapture of its southwestern territories and the onset of demarcation of the internationally recognized state borders, Azerbaijan announced resettlement plans for these areas. After 27 years, Azerbaijans internally displaced persons (IDP) would be returning to their homes under the auspices of the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, according to the trilateral ceasefire agreement.

While for most of the nations of the world 2020 will go down in history for the challenges they experienced stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, for Azerbaijan the previous year was the most dynamic and remarkable since independence in 1991. And the importance and consequences of the past years events will reverberate not just for Azerbaijan but also the future geopolitics of the region. The war and economic problems associated with the coronavirus crisis certainly tested the sustainability and resilience of Azerbaijans political system. Yet as President Aliyev noted recently, during 2020 Azerbaijani GDP declined by only 4 percent, while the non-oil sector actually increased by 11 percent; even the value of revenues to the State Oil Fund increased by 0.5 percent despite huge costs associated with social expenditures for pandemic mitigation and the war (YouTube, January 7, 2021). On November 15, 2020, the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) started commercial operations; and in December, for the first time in history, Azerbaijani natural gas reached the European market via the 3,500-kilometer Southern Gas Corridor, of which TAP is the final leg (Azernews.az, December 31, 2020).

The end of the Second Karabakh War has also opened up new infrastructure opportunities for the South Caucasus. According to the trilateral ceasefire agreement, all economic and transport links between Azerbaijan and Armenia and in the region shall be unblocked after having sat unused for 30 years. Since the conclusion of the fighting, Azerbaijani and regional officials, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, have offered an alternative future for the South Caucasus and even invited Armenia to join regional projects from which it had been isolated for decades. Prospects thus exist going forward that if Yerevan acquiesces to such entreaties, the former belligerents can win the peace together (Brussels Morning, January 5, 2021).
SHYMKENT, Kazakhstan -- A court in Kazakhstan's southern city of Shymkent has decided to continue behind closed doors a trial concerning a series of deadly ammunition warehouse blasts in 2019. It cited classified materials in the case for doing so.



The chairman of the Shymkent Garrison military court, Berik Karim, told RFE/RL on January 13 that several video materials presented at the trial, which started last June, show sites that are classified and therefore the legal process was ordered to continue in camera.



Sixteen Kazakh military officers and Defense Ministry officials went on trial on June 11 over blasts that claimed four lives and injured dozens of residents in the town of Arys, 67 kilometers west of Shymkent, the third-largest city in the Central Asian nation.



The charges against the defendants include negligence and violating safety regulations while storing arms and ammunition.



Some 35,000 residents of the town fled their homes for Shymkent and nearby towns, returning days later after authorities lifted a state of emergency.

Kazakh officials said that 85 percent of the town's buildings, mainly private houses, had been damaged by heavy smoke, shock waves, and flying debris from the blasts.



The government has promised to rebuild the houses, but many residents have complained that rebuilding efforts have been too slow.



After the blasts, hundreds of people rallied in Shymkent and blocked a major road demanding to be relocated permanently because they were afraid to go back as the June blasts were just the latest in a series of explosions to hit the depot since 2009.

WASHINGTON  Barely a month into a mass vaccination campaign to stop the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration unexpectedly shifted gears Tuesday to speed the delivery of shots. The move came after widespread concern over a slow start even as coronavirus cases and deaths reach alarming new highs.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced a series of major changes to increase supply of vaccines and expand the age groups eligible as well as locations where people can get shots.

One change will have some teeth to it. Azar said going forward the federal government will base each state's allocation of vaccines partly on how successful states have been in administering those already provided.

"If you are not using vaccines that you have the right to, then we should be rebalancing to states that are using that vaccine," Azar said at news conference. That won't happen overnight, not until officials try to sort out whether lags in reporting could be the reason for what appears to be subpar performance.

Azar also said the government will stop holding back the required second doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, practically doubling supply. Both those shots require two doses to achieve optimum protection.

Additionally, Washington is urging states to immediately start vaccinating other groups lower down the priority scale, including people age 65 and older and younger people with certain health problems.

The move to increase the supply of vaccines better aligns the outgoing administration with the new Biden-Harris team. On Friday, President-elect Joe Biden said he will rapidly release most available vaccine doses to protect more people. He said he supported immediately releasing vaccines that health authorities were holding back out of caution, to guarantee they would be available for people needing their second dose.

"This next phase reflects the urgency of the situation," said Azar. "Every vaccine dose sitting in a warehouse rather than going into an arm could mean one more death that could have been avoided."

Initially the government had been holding back second doses as a safety precaution against potential shortfalls in production. Now, officials say they are confident the needed supply will be there. And people needing a second dose will have priority.

"This is not a supply issue at this moment in time," Vice President Mike Pence told governors on a White House call. A recording was provided to The Associated Press.

Azar also gave states the green light to designate more places where people can get shots. Those locations can include tens of thousands of pharmacies, federally supported community health centers that serve low-income communities, and mass vaccination sites already being set up in some states.

The flurry of changes raised questions for some local officials, still trying to get their vaccination campaigns into full swing.

As of Monday morning, the government had distributed about 27.7 million doses to states, U.S. territories and major cities. But only about 9.3 million people had received their first shot, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's online tracker. That means only about 34 percent of the available vaccines had been administered.

Initially, the shots were going to health care workers and nursing home residents. Those 75 and older were next in line. But problems arose even in vaccinating that limited pool of people. Some hospital and nursing home workers have been hesitant to get the vaccine. Scheduling issues created delays in getting shots to nursing homes.

Some states, including Arizona, have or are planning to open up mass vaccination centers, aiming to inoculate thousands of people a day in a single location. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis opened up vaccinations to people 65 and older. In other states, local health authorities have started asking residents 65 and older to register, in anticipation the vaccination campaign would be expanded.

Although Azar said the shift in strategy was a natural evolution of the Trump administration's efforts, as recently as Friday he had raised questions about whether Biden's call to accelerate supplies was prudent.

On Tuesday, he also sought to deflect blame to the states for the slow uptake of vaccines. Azar said some states are being "overly prescriptive and trying to micromanage every single dose of vaccine," leading to bottlenecks.

Azar also criticized what he called "the hospitalization of vaccine distribution," saying "we have too much vaccine sitting in freezers in hospitals."

State and local officials are sure to point out that it was the federal government that recommended putting health care workers at the front of the vaccination line.

The Trump administration directed a crash effort to develop, manufacture and deliver vaccines, hoping to avoid a repeat of earlier debacles with coronavirus testing. Dubbed "Operation Warp Speed," it has produced two highly effective vaccines, with more on the way.

Each state has its own plan for who should be vaccinated, based on CDC recommendations that gave first priority to health care workers and nursing home residents. Some critics say the administration's planning should have extended into helping states administer the shots after they were delivered. Congress has recently approved more than $8 billion for that.

The slow pace of the vaccine rollout has frustrated many Americans at a time when the coronavirus death toll has continued to rise. More than 376,000 people in the U.S. have died, according to the Johns Hopkins database.

Azar said the pace of vaccinations has picked up, on track to reach 1 million daily within a couple of weeks. But the American Hospital Association estimates 1.8 million vaccinations a day are needed, seven days a week, to achieve widespread immunity by the middle of this year. Biden has set a goal of 100 million shots administered in his first 100 days.

Local public health officials were surprised by Tuesday's announcement and scrambling to figure out how to implement the changes, said Adriane Casalotti of NACCHO, the National Association of County and City Health Officials.

"All levels of the governmental public health system really need to be on the same page. Surprises don't benefit anyone," she said.

Letting more groups in line "all of a sudden makes a lot more people potentially eligible and certainly interested and we need to have the systems in place to get them the vaccine," Casalotti added.

But there was an urgency to the statements from administration officials.

"We're in a race against this virus and quite frankly, we're behind," U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams told "Fox & Friends."

Biden is expected to give a speech Thursday outlining his plan to speed vaccines to more people in the first part of his administration. His transition team has vowed to release as many vaccine doses as possible, rather than continuing what had been the Trump administration policy of holding back millions of doses to ensure there would be enough supply to allow those getting the first shot to get a second one.

Azar said they'll brief the Biden transition team on the changes, but didn't seek their blessing.

___

AP writers Candice Choi in New York, Carole Feldman in Washington, and Michelle R. Smith in Providence, R.I., contributed.


Paducah Couple Faces Numerous Drug, Gun Charges

By West Kentucky Star Staff

MCCRACKEN COUNTY - A Paducah couple is facing numerous drug and gun charges following a drug investigation on Tuesday.McCracken County Sheriff's Detectives arrested 45-year-old David Martin Jr. during a drug investigation on the parking lot of an apartment complex located on South 9th St. in Paducah.During the investigation, detectives searched Martin and his vehicle where they reportedly found crystal meth, marijuana, Hydrocodone, Valium, Suboxone, drug paraphernalia, and more than $4,700 in cash.Detectives obtained and executed search warrants at Martin's apartment and storage units.More drugs and drug paraphernalia were allegedly found inside Martin's apartment. Martin's girlfriend, 45-year-old Crystal Wring, was present during the search of the apartment and was also arrested.During a search of Martin's storage units on Benton Road, detectives say they seized seven handguns, three rifles, and a shortgun. Martin is a convicted felon and is not allowed to legally possess firearms.Detectives also reportedly found an additional $17,000 in cash which they suspect to be proceeds of illegal drugs concealed in one of the storage units.Martin is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, possession of Hydrocodone, possession of Valium, possession of Suboxone, illegal possession of a legend drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a handgun by a felon, possession of a firearm by a felon, and failure to notify address change to the department of transportation.Wring is charged with possession of methamphetamine, possession of Hydrocodone, possession of Valium, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The chief minister also said that parents of children abducted in Madhya Pradesh will soon be able to track the progress of the case including the status of the investigation by police

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said that the minimum age of marriage for women should be raised from the current 18 years to 21 years.

I am of the view that minimum age for marriage for girls should be 21 years and there should be a healthy debate on the matter, Chouhan was quoted as saying by News18.

He made these remarks during an event in Bhopal on 11 January while inaugurating a fortnight-long awareness programme for crimes against women called Samman

As per The Indian Express, Chouhans statement came months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the nation on the 74th Independence Day, had stated that the Central government has constituted a committee formed by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development to look into the minimum marriageable age for women.

The chief minister also said that parents of children abducted in Madhya Pradesh will soon be able to track the progress of the case including the status of the investigation by police.

He said that due to the efforts of the police, various crimes against women have come down by 15 to 50 percent in Madhya Pradesh in the last eight months.

He said the state government has decided that parents of an abducted child will get an "Adhikar Patra" or authority letter, containing the information about the action taken by the police towards tracing the child.

"The Adhikar Patra will have information about the course of the action (in a case of abduction) by the police and the timeframe. As per this arrangement, the family of the kidnapped child will get to discuss the case with the police station in-charge concerned every 15 days. The sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) concerned will review the case diary every 30 days," the chief minister said.

It will be ensured that the action is taken as per the approved checklist, Chouhan said.

He said superintendents of police (SPs) and other senior officials will review the cases of abducted girls.

"Cases of abducted girls will be studied to check such crimes in Madhya Pradesh. The state government is committed to reuniting the abducted or missing children to their families," the chief minister said.

With inputs from PTI
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A team of researchers with members affiliated with multiple institutions in Australia and China has found evidence that genetic studies of alcohol drinking could be tainted by people under study who misreport their behavior. In their paper published in the journal Nature Communications, the group describes using statistical analysis on information in the UK Biobank to study the problem.

Alcohol consumption is considered by most medical professionals to be either harmless if conducted responsibly or problematic if carried to excess. Excess drinking has been blamed for bringing on or worsening a wide variety of health conditions. As part of the study of the impact of alcohol on drinkers, researchers have looked for genetic clues that could lead to some people being more at danger from its use than others. But now, it seems that some such studies may have been faulty due to misreported answers given by people asked about their drinking habits who were included in the UK Biobank.

The UK Biobank is a medical databaseit holds medical data and lifestyle information for 500,00 volunteers who agreed to be questioned and tested periodically over their lifetime. Information has been added to the database regularly since 2006. Information in the databases is available to a wide variety of researchers, including those conducting research on the impact of alcohol consumption.

In this new effort, the researchers suggest that such studies might be tainted or biased due to misreporting by volunteers participating in the Biobank effort. They suggest many of the volunteers underreport their drinking or neglect to mention that their drinking habits have changed over time or due to personal events. The researchers suggest such erroneous reporting may have led researchers to make false assumptions regarding the degree to which alcohol consumption leads to some ailments, such as diabetes or hypertension. To find out if that might be the case, they used statistical analysis techniques to study data in the Biobank that allowed them to compare health correlations between false reports and reports with the false information removed.

The researchers found that removal of the false information reduced negative correlations between alcohol consumption and several diseases, including anemia, hypertension and diabetes type IIin many cases, to near zero. They even found some evidence that suggested drinking alcohol improved some conditions such as cardiovascular disease. They suggest that more care is required when using self-reporting by volunteers in research efforts.

Explore further Different behaviors could reduce death and health risks in regular alcohol drinkers

More information: Angli Xue et al. Genome-wide analyses of behavioural traits are subject to bias by misreports and longitudinal changes, Nature Communications (2021). Journal information: Nature Communications Angli Xue et al. Genome-wide analyses of behavioural traits are subject to bias by misreports and longitudinal changes,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20237-6

 2021 Science X Network

A 76-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man were found unresponsive on the floor of a second-floor apartment bedroom, according to police. Emergency crews were called to the apartment in the 6700 block of West Belmont Avenue in the Schorsch Village neighborhood just after 1 a.m. Wednesday.
Republic Day 2021: Interesting, unknown facts that every Indian must know

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 13: Republic Day has been celebrated every year in India on January 26, since 1950 to honour the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect.

Interesting facts and unknown facts :

January 26, 1930 was earlier celebrated as India's Independence Day or Purna Swaraj Day. It's the day India decided to fight for complete freedom.

The first Republic Day was celebrated on January 26, 1950, three years after we got independence.

The first R-Day parade at Rajpath was held in 1955.

There are two copies of the Indian Constitution, one in English and one in Hindi. Both copies of the Constitution of India are handwritten which were signed by 308 Assembly members on January 24, 1950.

The Indian Constitution is the longest one to be written in the world. It has 444 articles divided into 22 parts and 12 schedules. Recently, 118 amendments were added to the Constitution.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad was sworn in as the first President of India on January 26, 1950, at 10:24 am.

Republic Day is a 3-day affair which ends on 29th January with the Beating Retreat Ceremony.

Republic Day is a 3-day affair which ends on 29th January with the Beating Retreat Ceremony. The Indian Air Force came into existence as an independent body on Republic Day. Prior to this, the Air Force was a controlled body.

On the eve of Republic Day, the country is addressed by the President of India.

Awards such as the Kirti Chakra, Padma Awards, and Bharat Ratna are announced on the eve of Republic Day. These awards are then given out on Republic Day.

During the Republic Day Parade, a Christian hymn, 'Abide With Me' is played as the concluding piece of the Beating Retreat ceremony on January 29 every year at Vijay Chowk, since 1950. The hymn was a favorite of Mahatma Gandhi.

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 14)  President Rodrigo Duterte voiced out his concern over the detection of the new COVID-19 variant from the United Kingdom in the country.

May bagong monster na naman. And I pray to God really na sana ay hindi ito more dangerous, more toxic than the original COVID (variant), the President said during the weekly Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases meeting on Wednesday night.

[Translation: Theres a new monster again. And I pray to God really that this will not be more dangerous and more toxic than the original COVID-19 variant.]

Duterte appealed to government authorities to find the people who had contact with the patient detected with the B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant to control the spread of the new variant in the country.

Its important to find out who are the people they talked to when they arrived here. Thats very important, whoever they are. So they will be traced and found and be examined for their own good, he said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III told the President during the meeting the victim is a 29-year-old real estate agent from Barangay Kamuning, Quezon City.

The Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Genome Center (PGC) confirmed on Wednesday night the man, who returned home from Dubai last January 7, yielded positive genome sequencing results of the UK COVID-19 variant.

He was tested for COVID-19 and was quarantined in a hotel upon arrival, the DOH said. After testing positive for the virus a day after, he was referred to an isolation facility in Quezon City, while his samples were sent to PGC for whole genome sequencing. He also underwent an x-ray examination and was found to have pneumonia.

The DOH added the patient was with his girlfriend during the trip, but she tested negative for COVID-19 upon arrival. She is currently under strict quarantine and monitoring.

Contact tracing was immediately done by authorities and initially identified contacts are now under strict home quarantine, where none of them are exhibiting symptoms. Those aboard Emirates Flight No. EK 332 are advised by the DOH to get in touch with their barangay health emergency response teams.

Medical expert Dra. Lulu Bravo explained the UK variant is not as deadly as the old COVID-19 variants but is "highly more transmissible" according to initial scientific studies.

DOH spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said the agency is also monitoring global developments on three other reported COVID-19 variants, including the ones found in South Africa and Sabah, and another supposedly detected in Nigeria.

To date, the country has recorded 492,700 cases, which include 9,699 deaths and 458,523 recoveries.
The first consignment of Covishield vaccines left for Delhi on January 12, four days ahead of the nationwide inoculation drive launch.

The government has committed to buy from the Serum Institute further 4.5 crore doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, at a price of Rs 200 per shot plus applicable taxes by April, in addition to a firm order given to the company for 1.1 crore doses.

Fights have started ferrying the vaccines to different cities from Pune from Tuesday morning.

According to thepurchase orderplaced on Monday, each dose of the vaccine has been priced at Rs 200 and with GST of Rs 10, it would cost Rs 210.

The HLL Lifecare Limited, a public sector undertaking, issued the supply orders on behalf of the Union Health Ministry on Monday.

The first order of 1.1 crore doses of Covishield will be worth Rs 231 crore, while the total amount including the commitment for 4.5 crore doses will amount to an estimated Rs 1,176 crore at current rates, according to sources.

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

"It is further informed that there is a commitment to purchase further 450 lakh doses from Serum Institute of India Pvt Limited, a manufacturer (through subsidiary Serum Institute of Life Sciences Pvt Limited) at Rs 200 per dose plus GST if applicable by April 2021," the letter of comfort signed by Prakash Kumar Singh, Additional Director, Government and Regulatory Affairs at Serum Institute of India (SII) and R S Manku, Vice President (Govt Business) stated.

"This is in continuation to the supply order dated January 11 for supply of 1.1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine as approved by DCGI vide permission dated January 3 for restricted use in emergency situation," it stated.

The government on Monday also placed an order to Bharat Biotech for 55 lakh doses of indigenously developed Covaxin costing Rs 162 crore.

India had recently approved two vaccines, Oxford's Covishield manufactured by SII in the country and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, for restricted emergency use.

The country will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccine Operational Guidelines, the shots will be offered first to an estimated one crore healthcare workers, and around two crore frontline workers, and then to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age with associated comorbidities based on evolving pandemic situation.
CANTON, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- TimkenSteel Corp. (NYSE: TMST), a leader in customized alloy steel products and services, today announced it will increase base pricing on all special bar quality (SBQ) products by $40 per ton. This increase is applicable to orders not already covered by pricing agreements and is effective for shipments beginning March 1, 2021. All surcharge mechanisms remain in effect.

About TimkenSteel Corporation

TimkenSteel (NYSE: TMST) manufactures high-performance carbon and alloy steel products in Canton, OH serving demanding applications in automotive, energy and a variety of industrial end markets. The company is a premier U.S. producer of alloy steel bars (up to 16 inches in diameter), seamless mechanical tubing and precision components. In the business of making high-quality steel primarily from recycled materials for more than 100 years, TimkenSteel's proven expertise contributes to the performance of our customers' products. The company employs approximately 2,055 people and had sales of $1.2 billion in 2019. For more information, please visit us at www.timkensteel.com.

SOURCE TimkenSteel Corp.

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Joseph Magnacca has spent the past three decades leading major retailers, mostly in the beauty and wellness categories. Tweet this

As President of Walgreens Co., he championed the chain's groundbreaking "Well Experience" model. His track record for innovation also spans tenure as CEO and Director of Massage Envy, President of Duane Reade, where he launched the award-winning Look Boutique beauty retail concept, as well as holding board seats for Sally Beauty and American Apparel. Additionally, Magnacca also served as the CEO of RadioShack.

"There is massive opportunity in reimagining the wellness category using the emerging benefits that Next Frontier has to offer," says Magnacca. "I'm thrilled to lend my insights and experience to Next Frontier as we continue to develop brands that both educate and deliver on cutting edge consumer experiences."

As a member of Next Frontier's Board of Directors, Magnacca will focus on applying his retail expertise to a global distribution strategy and implementation, as well as advising on brand acquisition and development efforts.

"By appointing Mr. Magnacca this is a steadfast testament to our commitment in continuing to expand a world-class leadership team," says Jason Roth, Co-Board Member of Next Frontier. "Joseph adds an unprecedented level of experience to our mission, as only a handful of individuals can match his industry knowledge."

About Next Frontier Brands

Next Frontier Brands is an international provider of fast-moving consumer goods dedicated to bringing premier beverage and hemp-based wellness brands to consumers globally. The company currently houses [12] brands with over [150] product SKUs for international distribution, and is actively acquiring and brands. Next Frontier Brands is headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, with additional offices in London and New Zealand.

SOURCE Next Frontier Brands

Related Links

http://nextfrontierbrands.com


Bob Daemmrich/Daemmrich/CapitolPressPhoto/Pool

In the middle of a pandemic and tense transition of presidential power, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott made a promise to keep to-go sales of alcohol in the state during his opening remarks to the house on Tuesday, the first day of the 2021 legislative session.

Abbott signed a waiver March 18 allowing restaurants to offer alcoholic beverages with food purchases, including beer, wine and mixed drinks. In an April tweet, Abbott hinted at making the option, which was started as way to keep businesses afloat during early pandemic-era shutdowns, permanent.

Consider the damage thats been done permanently in the minds of those who experienced it and our image around the world and the damage it did to our democracy, he said.
STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The agreement reflects both companies' ambition to be leaders within their core businesses, which also means consolidating the markets.

"We're honored to welcome associates and customers from NetNordic to our business," says Mattias Ohde, CEO Soluno Sweden. "It's a fantastic opportunity to leverage the skills and talents of this team, honor their legacy, and strengthen our footprint."

Soluno will leverage NetNordic's excellent cross-border expertise to its increasingly international customer base and benefit from the senior experience in sales, support, and product.

"It is a natural move for both companies," says Fredrik Rosman, CEO NetNordic Sweden AB. "NetNordic's ambition is to be a market leader within the business areas in which we are active. The UCaaS market is getting consolidated, and the opportunity for a leading role is limited. Soluno is a market leader in Cloud Telephony, and we believe that Soluno is a great owner long term for this division, for both customers and employees."

Both companies assure the customers that nothing will change in the short term and that Soluno will communicate any future changes with good foresight.

"Soluno's growth and innovation strategy includes both organic growth and an M&A strategy. The consolidation pace has accelerated fast during the last couple of years, and we are likely to see most of the smaller providers getting acquired by the leading 20 in Europe," says Mattias Ohde, CEO of Soluno Sweden.

Download a free copy of the top 20 leaders in UCaaS by Frost & Sullivan in the 2020 UCaaS Frost Radar report here.

For more information, contact details:

Christian Hed, CMO Soluno, +46(0)8-562 696 03, Christian.hed@soluno.com

About Soluno

Soluno is one of the leading UCaaS providers in Europe with +200.000 users in the cloud. Driving the future of Business Communications by offering a mobile-first concept through wholesale partners in Europe.

For more information about Soluno, visit www.soluno.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

About NetNordic

NetNordic is a Nordic system integrator, specialized in the area of network, security, data center and business communication. NetNordic deliver customer specialized solutions and services. We always strive to be our customers' "Best Companion", we want to help our customers with their digital enablement through design, delivery and management of next generation services and solutions. NetNordic is headquartered in Oslo. NetNordic had approximately 1.8 billion NOK revenue (pro forma) in 2019. The company has approximately 460 employees, and our solutions are distributed through subsidiaries in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Majority shareholder in NetNordic is Norvestor. Read more at www.netnordic.com

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1418061/netnordic_Logo.jpg
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Charlottesville, Va., Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) is excited to welcome several new additions to the areas robust tourism portfolio. Highlights of whats new for 2021 in Charlottesville & Albemarle County include the following:

Dairy Market  Now Open

Located in the historic Monticello Dairy Building in downtown Charlottesville, Dairy Market officially opened its doors in December of 2020 and is Central Virginias first food hall. At capacity, Dairy Market will have up to 18 merchant stalls featuring an array of diverse culinary options including Angelics Kitchen, Moo Thru, Manila Street and Take It Away. In addition to the food merchants, Dairy Market will be anchored by Starr Hill Brewery, one of the Charlottesville areas most iconic craft breweries. Click here for more details about Dairy Market and its food merchants.





Located in the historic Monticello Dairy Building in downtown Charlottesville, Dairy Market officially opened its doors in December of 2020 and is Central Virginias first food hall. At capacity, Dairy Market will have up to 18 merchant stalls featuring an array of diverse culinary options including Angelics Kitchen, Moo Thru, Manila Street and Take It Away. In addition to the food merchants, Dairy Market will be anchored by Starr Hill Brewery, one of the Charlottesville areas most iconic craft breweries. Click here for more details about Dairy Market and its food merchants. Reopening of Keswick Hall  Spring 2021

Keswick Hall, located in the pastoral countryside of Albemarle County, has been undergoing a transformative remodeling and expansion process for several years. The results of these renovations will be revealed during a grand reopening in the spring of 2021 and include an additional 42 suites, a new spa & wellness center and reimagined resort grounds. The resort has also partnered with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who will serve up his finest world-renowned culinary offerings. The restaurant will source ingredients from local family-owned food suppliers in addition to implementing sustainable practices. To learn more about the renovations at Keswick Hall, click here.





Keswick Hall, located in the pastoral countryside of Albemarle County, has been undergoing a transformative remodeling and expansion process for several years. The results of these renovations will be revealed during a grand reopening in the spring of 2021 and include an additional 42 suites, a new spa & wellness center and reimagined resort grounds. The resort has also partnered with Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten who will serve up his finest world-renowned culinary offerings. The restaurant will source ingredients from local family-owned food suppliers in addition to implementing sustainable practices. To learn more about the renovations at Keswick Hall, click here. The Ridley  Spring 2021

The Ridley restaurant will be a top destination for upscale-casual dining and fresh seafood offerings in Charlottesville. Located within The Draftsman hotel (an Autograph Collection property), The Ridley will combine convenience and accessibility with an unparalleled dining experience. As one of Charlottesvilles Black-owned restaurants, the concept pays homage to Dr. Walter N. Ridley, the first Black student to receive a graduate degree from the University of Virginia. The team responsible for Charlottesvilles new restaurant concept is headed up by Warren Thompson, UVA alumnus and CEO/founder of Thompson Hospitality, and his long-time business partner, Ron Jordan, CEO of Jordan Hospitality Group. The menu will include offerings such as soft shell crab, fried lobster tails, branzino, and red snapper. Click here for more information about The Ridley.





The Ridley restaurant will be a top destination for upscale-casual dining and fresh seafood offerings in Charlottesville. Located within The Draftsman hotel (an Autograph Collection property), The Ridley will combine convenience and accessibility with an unparalleled dining experience. As one of Charlottesvilles Black-owned restaurants, the concept pays homage to Dr. Walter N. Ridley, the first Black student to receive a graduate degree from the University of Virginia. The team responsible for Charlottesvilles new restaurant concept is headed up by Warren Thompson, UVA alumnus and CEO/founder of Thompson Hospitality, and his long-time business partner, Ron Jordan, CEO of Jordan Hospitality Group. The menu will include offerings such as soft shell crab, fried lobster tails, branzino, and red snapper. Click here for more information about The Ridley. Broadcloth Restaurant at The Wool Factory  Opening in 2021

Broadcloth will open its doors in 2021, becoming the signature restaurant at The Wool Factory  a distinctive food and beverage destination which opened in 2020, located in the historic Woolen Mills neighborhood of Charlottesville. Designed to make guests feel as though theyve been welcomed into Executive Chef Tucker Yoders home, the space will feature an intimate dining room, cocktail bar, a private dining room for up to 18 people and a chefs table for four in the kitchen. Broadcloths menu will be built around Chef Yoders strong relationships with local farmers and purveyors. Click here for more information about Broadcloth and The Wool Factory.





Broadcloth will open its doors in 2021, becoming the signature restaurant at The Wool Factory  a distinctive food and beverage destination which opened in 2020, located in the historic Woolen Mills neighborhood of Charlottesville. Designed to make guests feel as though theyve been welcomed into Executive Chef Tucker Yoders home, the space will feature an intimate dining room, cocktail bar, a private dining room for up to 18 people and a chefs table for four in the kitchen. Broadcloths menu will be built around Chef Yoders strong relationships with local farmers and purveyors. Click here for more information about Broadcloth and The Wool Factory. James Monroes Highland Offers New Behind the Scenes Tour  January 2021

James Monroes Highland will reopen with public tours (by reservation only) starting on January 15. For the remainder of January and February 2021, Highland will be offering tours of the historic site for groups of up to six people from the same household or pod. Tours will include an introduction to the site and early previews of new exhibits in the 1818 Presidential Guesthouse. These new exhibits are scheduled to open in the spring of 2021 and will focus on the stories of Highlands free and enslaved residents and the propertys time and place in U.S. history. Click here for more information about James Monroes Highland.





James Monroes Highland will reopen with public tours (by reservation only) starting on January 15. For the remainder of January and February 2021, Highland will be offering tours of the historic site for groups of up to six people from the same household or pod. Tours will include an introduction to the site and early previews of new exhibits in the 1818 Presidential Guesthouse. These new exhibits are scheduled to open in the spring of 2021 and will focus on the stories of Highlands free and enslaved residents and the propertys time and place in U.S. history. Click here for more information about James Monroes Highland. CACVB Mobile Visitor Centers  Winter 2021

The CACVB will shift its model of offering visitor services by introducing two mobile visitor centers  one of which will be dedicated to visitor services in Albemarle County, with the other dedicated to the City of Charlottesville. The mobile visitor centers will replace the traditional brick and mortar visitor centers that have most recently been in the Transit Center on the Downtown Mall and the historic train depot in Crozet. The two mobile visitor centers will run on a predictable weekly schedule with flexibility to provide on-site visitor services for popular events. This more responsive and agile model will allow the CACVB to operate remotely in multiple locations and provide more equitable coverage in both jurisdictions. Click here for more information about the CACVBs mobile visitor centers.

A selection of photos is available for download by clicking here. Continue to check our media releases page throughout the year for the latest offerings from Charlottesville & Albemarle County.

About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) welcomes thousands of visitors to the region each year from all over the world who are seeking a variety of unique experiences in history, food, wine, spirits and adventure. The CACVB serves as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, and assists tour operators, meeting planners, and other groups in planning visits to the destination. The CACVBs mission is to enhance the economic prosperity of the people of the City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the area as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets.

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EDISON, NJ., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- When individuals are coping day-to-day with challenging health situations, planning for future care and making decisions takes additional encouragement and support. When that supportive intervention comes, it is consistently empowering. To improve the experience for its most vulnerable members, Florida Blue has partnered with Vital Decisions for unbiased telehealth outreach and support.

Vital Decisions

For more than a decade, Vital Decisions' behavioral health specialists have helped people with advanced illness, and their families, to think through, communicate and document their preferences to ensure their care is always aligned with their wishes - now and in the future as medical circumstances change.

Florida Blue has expanded its services with Vital Decisions' to offer the Living Well program to its Medicare Advantage population. Through a series of phone or video-conference sessions, Vital Decisions Specialists help individuals facing serious illness to be prepared and take control of their health care decisions.

Those with a serious illness often feel overwhelmed by fear, anxiety and grief as their illness progresses. They worry about burdening loved ones, have concerns about differences between their wishes and family wishes, and may not have adequate communication of their care preferences with their doctors and caregivers. They are uncertain about how to manage changes in health and feel a lack of control. Living Well Specialists help these individuals and their families to overcome these concerns.

The goals of the Living Well program are to (1) engage individuals in advance care planning discussions, (2) help individuals to formulate and communicate their quality of life priorities, goals of care, and preferences that impact medical decision making with family members and doctors, and (3) ensure that health care choices reflect not only current priorities, but also shifts in priorities and goals that may occur as an individual's illness progresses.

"These important conversations often happen too late, or not at all. It is extremely important that we provide individuals and their caregivers with the space and the support they need to have these delicate yet difficult conversations around what type of care they want and what type of care they do not want. We know that when these conversations take place immense gratitude and relief replace worry and anxiety. Florida Blue is a clear example of a health plan that is making patient-centric care a priority," said Leah Puccio, Vital Decisions' CEO. "Our Living Well program fits nicely into Florida Blue's innovative and robust care-support ecosystem."

As part of this program, Vital Decisions also educates Florida Blue Medicare members on the hospice, palliative care and case management services available to them and assists them in accessing these services. Additionally, individuals have access to Vital Decisions' secure, online advance care planning platform, My Living Voice, where they can select a healthcare proxy and complete, store and share an Advance Directive.

About Vital Decisions

Headquartered in Edison, NJ, Vital Decisions ensures that the care of individuals with serious illness or in a medical crisis aligns with their values and wishes. Enabled by behavioral science methodologies, proprietary analytics and clinical experts, Vital Decisions provides collaborative decision making and advance care planning support for all members of a population through a suite of telehealth and digital solutions. The services help individuals and their families think through, communicate, and document their preferences to ensure their care is aligned with their wishes - now and in the future as their medical situation changes. Vital Decisions' solutions include personalized discussions with highly trained clinical Specialists, education and referrals to palliative care, hospice and other available services, and online tools to document and share advance care preferences. These result in improved quality and high satisfaction among individuals, their families and their doctors. For more information visit www.vitaldecisions.net.

SOURCE Vital Decisions

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(Natural News) After the white nationalist riots in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and others renewed their demands for the suppression of conservative speech on social media. After Trumps supporters breached the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Big Tech companies clamped down on President Donald Trump and many of his supporters. Incoming President Joe Biden has said he plans to pass a law against domestic terrorism.

(Article by Tyler Oneil republished from PJMedia.com)

While conservatives rightly denounced the violence this week, this response bodes ill for conservative speech not just on social media, but in the public square and even in private organizations.

In the aftermath of the Capitol riots, Twitter suspended President Donald Trumps account for the first time and Facebook permanently banned the president. After Trump deleted the tweets Twitter had flagged and had his account restored, Twitter proceeded to ban him entirely on Friday, and then it banned the official President of the United States (POTUS) account.

Facebook throttled the great Rush Limbaugh, notifying him that his Page has reduced distribution and other restrictions because of repeated sharing of false news. Limbaugh left Twitter in protest after the platform banned Trump. Apple and Google attacked Parler, claiming that the new haven for conservatives had allowed people to plan the violence of the Capitol riots on its platform.

House Democrats filed articles of impeachment that explicitly blame President Trump for the Capitol riots, even though he never told his supporters to invade the Capitol. While the presidents exaggerated rhetoric inflamed the rioters, Democrats repeatedly did the same thing this summer. Before and after Black Lives Matter protests devolved into destructive and deadly riots, Democratic officials repeatedly claimed America suffers from systemic racism and institutionalized white supremacy.

Big Tech did not remove House Speaker Nancy Pelosis accounts when she called for uprisings against the Trump administration. Facebook and Twitter did not target Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when she claimed that allegedly marginalized groups have no choice but to riot. These platforms did not act against Kamala Harris when she said the riots should not stop.

This week, Joe Biden condemned the Capitol rioters, saying, What we witnessed yesterday was not dissent, it was not disorder, it was not protest. It was chaos. They werent protesters, dont dare call them protesters. They were a riotous mob, insurrectionists, domestic terrorists. Its that basic, its that simple.

Yet he refused to speak in those terms when Black Lives Matter and antifa militants were throwing Molotov cocktails at federal buildings, setting up autonomous zones, and burning down cities. Instead, he condemned Trump for holding up a Bible at a church  without mentioning the fact that that very church had been set on fire the night before.

Despite this hypocrisy, Bidens speech on Thursday proved instructive. Biden used the Capitol riots to condemn Trumps entire presidency, accusing Trump of having unleashed an all-out assault on our institutions of our democracy from the outset. Biden twisted Trumps actions into an attack on democracy. He claimed Trumps originalist judges were a ploy to undermine impartial justice  when they were truly the exact opposite. Biden claimed Trumps complaints about the Obama administration spying on his campaign were merely an attack on Americas intelligence services. Biden said Trumps complaints about media bias constituted an attack on the free press, when the Obama administration actually attacked the free press.

Despite the fact that leftist violence has wracked American cities for years (remember Ferguson and the shooting of police officers in Dallas in 2016?), Biden seized on the Capitol riots as evidence that everything the Right had been saying the past four years was a blatant and destructive lie.

This reminded me of the Southern Poverty Law Center, a once-noble civil rights organization that has become a far-left smear factory. The SPLC weaponizes its history suing white supremacists and the Ku Klux Klan into bankruptcy and monitoring them through its Klanwatch program to silence conservative thought. It brands mainstream conservative organizations hate groups, listing them along with the KKK on a hate map. This hate map inspired a deranged man to target the Family Research Council (FRC) for a mass shooting in 2012.

The Trump administration has worked with conservative organizations the SPLC falsely smears as hate groups, and the SPLC has made hay of this fact. Its latest hate group report  published last March  mentioned Trump no fewer than 66 times. Yet the SPLC carried water for antifa during the riots this summer.

The SPLC has repeatedly pressured Big Tech to clamp down on conservative hate groups, suggesting this is the right way to fight white supremacist terrorism. Amazon has excluded mainstream conservative Christian nonprofits from its charity program, Amazon Smile.

After Charlottesville, the SPLC raked in cash with big donations from Apple and JPMorgan. CNN even shared the SPLC hate map on its website and Twitter account, effectively endorsing the false accusations.

Not surprisingly, the SPLC has already seized the moment after the Capitol riots.

One of the powerful lessons we must take away from this weeks coup attempt by President Trump and his supporters is that 2021 is not a time for half measures in the fight against hate and extremism, Margaret Huang, the SPLCs president and CEO, said in a statement on Friday. This violence is bolstered by the infrastructure of white nationalist movements that the Southern Poverty Law Center has been tracking and fighting for decades.

She warned that the Capitol riots will become a recruitment tool for white nationalist movements and hate groups. She claimed that the violence in Washington was predictable and preventable, citing the SPLCs list of hate groups  specifically the increase in the number of white nationalist hate groups. (Since the SPLC does not explain how large specific hate groups are, the number of such groups is arguably meaningless. Some hate groups consist of merely one person.)

Prominent leftists are likely to celebrate the SPLC as the harbinger of this violence, and the SPLC does do some important work monitoring white nationalists. Unfortunately, the group also smears conservative and Christian groups because they defend biblical sexuality, oppose illegal immigration, and warn about the threat of radical Islamist terrorism. Even fellow liberals have condemned the SPLCs anti-LGBT hate group accusation against Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative Christian law firm that has won multiple Supreme Court cases.

The SPLC also has skeletons in its closet. In 2019, the SPLC fired its co-founder, had its president step down, and had a prominent member of the board distance herself. The scandal broke out due to accusations of (decades-old) racial discrimination and sexual harassment. Amid the scandal, former employees came forward to expose the con of exaggerating hate to bilk donors.

Despite all this, the SPLC still enjoys considerable sway among Big Tech, corporate America, the legacy media, and the Democratic Party. When Attorney General Dana Nessel (D-Mich.) announced a new hate crimes unit, she specifically cited the SPLCs list of hate groups in the state. Kamala Harris, soon to become vice president, has repeatedly cited the SPLC in attacking Trumps judicial and administration nominees.

This makes it all the more ominous that Biden has said he plans to prioritize passing a law against domestic terrorism. Domestic terrorism is indeed a serious problem in America, but Bidens egregious and blatant double standard on the Capitol riots and antifa, along with his partys growing alliance with the SPLC, suggests he may use such a law to silence conservative dissent while going soft on far-left rioters.

Conservative Christians should pay close attention to this threat. Biden, like the SPLC, has long championed LGBT activism, and in 2018 at an LGBT activist group, he attacked people who have tried to define family in the U.S. as the dregs of society. At the CNN LGBT town hall in October 2019, Biden called for a kind of terror watchlist to monitor organizations that oppose same-sex marriage and transgender identity. Biden firmly supports the Equality Act, which would outlaw discrimination against LGBT people. While Americans do not support discrimination, laws like this have been weaponized to punish Christians for refusing to celebrate same-sex weddings.

Buckle up, conservatives. The Biden administration represents a serious threat to conservative thought in the public square, and now Democrats have both houses of Congress to ram their agenda through.

Read more at: PJMedia.com and Suppressed.news.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called for an immediate overhaul of Australia's quarantine system as a highly contagious UK virus variant cluster grows inside a Brisbane hotel.

Six cases of the mutant strain of COVID-19 have been linked back to one floor of the quarantine hotel in Brisbane's CBD and authorities do not know how it has spread across rooms.

Ms Palaszczuk said the risk surrounding the new cluster has "really stepped up to that next level" because the variant, known as B.1.1.7 or 501Y.V1, is more contagious.

Ambulances at the ready to transport hotel quarantine guests from the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane on Wednesday. Credit:Matt Dennien

"We're learning more and more about this virus every day and it is a completely new strain, so it is highly infectious and I just think everybody in Australia needs to be aware that things are not as normal as they were under COVID," she said.
Lead author Dr Taras Oleksyk in his laboratory at Oakland University, Rochester, MI. Credit: Oakland University

Today, the largest study of genetic diversity in Ukraine was published in the open science journal GigaScience. The project was an international effort, bringing together researchers in Ukraine, the US and China and is the first fruits of this collaboration to set up a new Central Europe Center for Genomic Research in Ukraine. Led by researchers at Uzhhorod National University and Oakland University in the US, the work provides genetic understanding of the historic and pre-historic migration settlements in one of the key intersections of human trade and migration between the Eurasian peoples as well as the identification of genetic variants of medical interest in the Ukrainian population that differ from other European populations.

Two decades ago, after the publication of the draft of the human genome, one of the largest exploration projects in the genomics era began: The Human Genome Diversity Project (HGDP). This is an enormous international effort to map the entire pattern of human genetic variation across the world. To build this map, there have been numerous global surveys of individual genomes in a variety of geographic regions and populations, but crucial gaps still remain. One of the most notable is in Eastern-Europe and the Eurasian steppes.

Central to this is Ukraine, which is the largest country located fully in Europe. It is made up of a population formed via millennia of migration. This territory served as a key prehistoric and historic crossroads for the spread of humans across Europe and into Asia. Migration events here included modern human expansion into Neanderthal territory, the movement of nomads and early farmers just starting to domesticate plants and animals, the great human migrations during the Middle Ages, and the trade exchange routes of the Silk Road.

Lead investigator, Taras Oleksyk at Oakland University, says: "Our study shows there is significant genetic diversity in Ukraine, a country that had not been prioritized in genome surveys. We found more than 13 million genetic variants among the DNA samplesnearly 500,000 of which were previously undocumented."

These variants, commonly known as mutations, are the result of evolutionary and demographic factors that have shaped Ukrainians' genetic makeup throughout history.

Oleksyk explains: "As humans moved across the world over millennia, they gained genetic mutations, often due to adaptation to their specific environments. These mutations have been passed down through generations, so when we look at genomes of Ukrainians and other populations, what we see is a reflection of their unique evolutionary histories."

The survey is an important part of understanding human diversity, as it shows the extensive breadth of genetic diversity in Ukrainea nation that was once thought to lack genetic relevance.

Oleksyk highlights this, saying their study shows that "Ukraine accounts for roughly a quarter of the genetic variation documented in Europe. It's a part of the world that cannot be ignored in future genetic and biomedical studies."

Investigation of genetic diversity, in addition to providing insight into human history, also plays an important role in identifying medically relevant mutations that differ between populations. In this study, the researchers looked for variants in the Ukraine population whose prevalence differed significantly compared to other European genome sequences openly available through the HGDP.

In particular, the study identified medically relevant mutations whose prevalence in the Ukrainian genomes differed significantly compared to other European genome sequences that are all openly available as part of the HGDP and 1000 genomes project. Some of the mutations identified have been linked to conditions such as breast cancer, autism and Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA), a rare inherited eye disease.

Compared to the other Europeans, the Ukrainians in the study had far fewer carriers of a mutation linked to breast cancer and LCA. However, they more often held a mutation associated with autism. Another mutation, known to inhibit a drug used to treat bone disorders, was less prevalent in the Ukrainians compared to the other Europeans. These findings contribute to a growing body of knowledge that could revolutionize modern medicine and provide more informed assessment of the medical requirements and resources needed in different areas, populations and peoples.

"With a deeper understanding of how mutations factor into disease, doctors can tailor treatments to people's genetic profile," said Oleksyk. "That's why it's important to have detailed descriptions of the world's genomes. This knowledge could profoundly impact human health, and even save lives."

In addition, Ukraine survey identified mutations that were prevalent in disease-associated genes, but whose precise effect is unknown. These mutations could be prime candidates for future research.

With these data now available, in addition to the findings in this work, researchers around the world can now access these data to carry out their own studies in areas from human biology and medicine to unraveling human history and prehistory.

Explore further New mammal reference genome helps ID genetic variants for human health

Provided by GigaScience
"Our next decade will be marked by increased business expansion and portfolio diversification. While continuing to achieve best-in-class CDMO services and become a champion in the biosimilars business, we will also lay the groundwork for novel drug development, to ultimately become a full-service biopharmaceutical company," said John Rim, CEO of Samsung Biologics on Wednesday in his presentation at the Main Track of the conference, held virtually this year due to COVID-19.

To support the company's long-term vision, Samsung Biologics announced plans to secure manufacturing facilities overseas in addition to outlining its global CDO R&D Center in multiple locations. Rim noted that product diversification from mAb/fusion protein manufacturing to encompass future modalities such as vaccines and cell-gene therapies are also being studied, and the company is further venturing into new business models for its growth roadmap.

Samsung Biologics signaled a strong year in 2020, signing over $1.7 billion in CMO contracts  a record-breaking figure  and opening the company's first overseas CDO R&D center in San Francisco. The company also proactively developed multiple new platforms such as virtual exhibition hall and live-streaming tour technologies to enhance virtual connectivity with global clients and regulatory agencies by offering convenience and agility amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rim announced the company's primary focus for the current year will be to accelerate Plant 4 construction to meet global demand, and secure early contract lock-ins for the aforementioned "Super Plant" as all other plants are expected to be near-full utilization in 2021.

"The strategic investments and portfolio diversification outlined today signify the momentum in our business, as well as lay the foundation for the long-term growth opportunity ahead of us," Rim added. "We will look beyond the next decade and evolve as the global top-tier biopharmaceutical company by securing future growth engines with continued investment and expansion in capacity, portfolio, and global footprint."

About Samsung Biologics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Biologics (KRX: 207940.KS) is a fully integrated CDMO offering state-of-the-art contract development, manufacturing, and laboratory testing services. With proven regulatory approvals, the largest capacity, and the fastest throughput, Samsung Biologics is an award-winning partner of choice and is uniquely able to support the development and manufacturing of biologics products at every stage of the process while meeting the evolving needs of biopharmaceutical companies worldwide. For more information, visit www.samsungbiologics.com.

Media Contact

Claire Kim

[email protected]

SOURCE Samsung Biologics

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(Newser)  A man who was photographed wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt during the US Capitol riot last week was arrested Wednesday in Virginia, authorities said. Robert Keith Packer, 56, was arrested in Newport News, where he lives. He was charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, and knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, the AP reports. A law enforcement official said Packer is the man who is seen in a photo inside the Capitol wearing a sweatshirt with the name of the Nazi extermination camp where about 1.1 million people were killed during World War II.

story continues below

The sweatshirt also contained the phrase, "Work brings freedom," a translation of "Arbeit macht frei," the German phrase that appeared on the camps entrance. The photo of the man in the sweatshirt caused an uproar on social media. During a virtual hearing held Wednesday through a federal court in Norfolk, a federal prosecutor said the government would not be seeking detention for Packer. A federal judge said Packer would be released promptly on a personal recognizance bond. One of the conditions of his release includes barring Packer from visiting Washington unless its for a court appearance. His case and others are being prosecuted out of a federal court in the District of Columbia. (The FBI says hundreds more people will be charged for their role in the Capitol riot.)
The Army released the identity of a soldier who died Monday in a noncombat-related accident in Kuwait.

Staff Sgt. Anthony Bermudez, 28, was killed in an accident involving a non-tactical vehicle at approximately 8 a.m. during a routine troop movement near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, according to a news release from the Army's 1st Theater Sustainment Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, which is responsible for providing logistical support to U.S. military forces in the Central Command region.

The accident, which is under investigation, injured two other soldiers, who were not identified in the release. One of the soldiers was a passenger in Bermudez's vehicle and was first transported to Al Jahra Hospital in Kuwait. The soldier was later flown by helicopter to the U.S. military hospital in Kuwait and was listed in stable condition as of Tuesday, according to the release.

Read Next: Half of Military COVID-19 Cases Hit These 4 Job Fields, New Report Finds

The other injured soldier, the vehicle's driver, was transported to the U.S. military hospital in Kuwait and discharged Tuesday, the release states.

The Army did not release any further details about the accident. The other soldiers were not named in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and privacy concerns.

Bermudez was a small-arms and artillery repair specialist assigned to Area Support Group-Kuwait, according to the release. Originally from Dallas, he enlisted in 2011 and attended basic combat training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, beginning in October 2011, followed by advanced individual training at Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Bermudez arrived in Kuwait in June 2020. It was his first overseas assignment, according to the release. He was serving a 12-month permanent change of station to the Area Support Group, which falls under the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Col. Armando Hernandez, spokesman for U.S. Army Central, told Military.com.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of Staff Sgt. Bermudez," Lt. Col. Randy McClendon, commander of the Base Support Battalion-Kuwait, said in the release. "Anthony was a vital asset to our team, a dedicated professional, and his service will not be forgotten."

Bermudez's awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal (third award), National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (second award), Parachute Badge and Expert Qualification Badge for the M4 carbine.

-- Matthew Cox can be released at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: US Soldier Killed, 2 Others Injured in Vehicle Accident in Kuwait
SEATTLE - A hate-filled rant on Parler about a Michelle Obama video that criticized Donald Trump's record as president - repeatedly referring to the former first lady by the n-word - prompted Amazon to send a note in the fall to the social media company's chief policy officer.

"Does Parler consider this type of content to violate your policies? If so, what actions does Parler plan to take and in what timeframe?" an Amazon executive wrote to Parler's Amy Peikoff on Nov. 17.

Two days later, Peikoff replied that the post, "as hateful as it is," isn't a violation of Parler's terms of service, according to filings in a lawsuit that seeks to reverse Amazon's decision over the weekend to suspend the social network as a customer of its cloud-computing service, effectively silencing it.

The ability of companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Google to control what people see online is so potent, it is the subject of antitrust hearings. YouTube suspended President Trump from uploading new videos to his official account for at least a week late Tuesday. But the decision by Amazon to push Parler off its dominant cloud-computing service illustrates just how powerful its content-moderation capabilities are as well.

(Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday issued formal legal demands to Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google and Twitter, aiming to investigate their' recent moves to ban President Trump and shut down the alternative social-network Parler.

In the aftermath of the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, all five companies have announced a wave of an enforcement actions to stop Trump and his supporters from inciting further violence. But Paxton blasted Silicon Valley instead for silencing conservatives - and in the process has sought to compel them to turn over documents about their content-management practices.

"The seemingly coordinated de-platforming of the President of the United States and several leading voices not only chills free speech, it wholly silences those whose speech and political beliefs do not align with leaders of Big Tech companies," Paxton said in a statement Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the White House Twitter account shared a video statement from Trump in which he jabbed at the "unprecedented assault on free speech we have seen in recent days."

But the companies that provide the technical infrastructure that powers websites and services where people express opinions have vast power as well, though they rarely use it. They include little-known companies that register website domains for customers; so-called content delivery networks, which can boost the speed at which webpages load; and Internet service providers, which connect homes and businesses to the Web.

"We've been too narrow in thinking about speech on the Internet being about social media," said Margaret O'Mara, a history professor at the University of Washington and the author of "The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America," a chronicle of the tech industry.

Customer service company Zendesk and security firm Okta also dropped Parler as a customer, furthering its tumble off the Web.

"The last five days have been a demonstration of these companies' remarkable market power," O'Mara said.

The move from Paxton, the recent target of a whistleblower complaint and fraud investigation, comes months after the Texas attorney general huddled with Trump at a private White House meeting about allegations anti-conservative bias on social-media sites. The president specifically pressed Republican officials to use their investigative powers to probe censorship charges, the Post reported at the time.

There are few companies that have more power on the Web than Amazon. Its Amazon Web Services is the dominant provider of cloud infrastructure services, which let customers rent data storage and processing capabilities over the Web instead of running their own data centers. AWS, which competes against Microsoft and Google, held 45 percent of the global market in 2019, according to the market research firm Gartner.

But Amazon hasn't often proactively policed the content of customers - which include Airbnb, Yelp and Netflix, among others. Rather, its Trust & Safety team, which has fewer than 100 workers, acts only on complaints received.

In its reply to Parler's suit, Amazon said it received reports in mid-November that the social network was "hosting content threatening violence." Amazon's filing included emails its executives sent to Peikoff with dozens of examples of Parler users calling for violence, including killing Democrats, Republicans who haven't supported Trump's efforts to overturn the November election, members of the Black Lives Matter and antifa movements, professional athletes, tech executives, and even the police.

(Amazon redacted the names of its executives to protect their safety after "significant and repeated threats of physical violence against AWS, its facilities and its employees" when it suspended Parler, according to a legal filing.)

Parler took down all of the offensive content Amazon brought to its attention, the company claims in its filing.

"AWS knew its allegations contained in the letter it leaked to the press that Parler was not able to find and remove content that encouraged violence was false - because over the last few days Parler had removed everything AWS had brought to its attention and more," Parler's suit claims.

The small company accused Amazon of making it a "pariah," and alleged that some of the same language contained in the posts was also available on Twitter.

Twitter, like Facebook, employs a small army of content moderators, paired with artificial intelligence technology, to seek out and remove posts that violate its terms of service. By contrast, Parler relied largely on a system of volunteer jurors to remove content deemed offensive.

According to its filing, Amazon deemed that approach insufficient, and a breech of the acceptable use policy for its customers that bars content that, among other restrictions, "may be harmful to others." Parler's chief executive told Amazon executives during a phone call this month that the company "had a backlog of 26,000 reports of content that violated its community standards and remained on its service," the filing alleges.

Rebuilding its service, which also suffered blows when Apple and Google removed Parler from their app stores, will take significant time to work properly with another hosting service, the company claims in its suit. It accused Amazon of conspiring with Twitter to take the smaller competitor offline just as it was significantly gaining users in the wake of Twitter permanently banning Trump.

"Worse than the timing is the result - Parler has tried to find alternative companies to host it and they have fallen through," Parler claims in its filing. "It has no other options. Without AWS, Parler is finished as it has no way to get online."
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Coronavirus deaths in the US hit another one-day high of more than 4300 with the country's attention focused largely on the fallout from the deadly uprising at the Capitol.

The nation's overall death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II, or about 407,000. Confirmed infections have topped 22.8 million.

Workers put bodies into a refrigerated trailer at the offices of the Los Angeles County Coroner this month. Credit:ABC7 Los Angeles via AP

With the country simultaneously facing a political crisis and on edge over threats of more violence from far-right extremists, the US recorded 4327 deaths on Tuesday by Johns Hopkins' count. Arizona and California have been among the hardest-hit states.

The daily figure is subject to revision, but deaths have been rising sharply over the past 2 months, and the country is now in the most lethal phase of the outbreak yet, even as the vaccine is being rolled out. New cases are running at nearly a quarter of a million per day on average.
The U.S. source said the State Department is expected to issue a report by Thursday or Friday on companies it believes are helping the Russia-to-Germany pipeline.

The U.S. State Department this month told European companies which it suspects are helping to build Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that they face the risk of sanctions as the outgoing Trump administration prepares a final round of punitive measures against the project, two sources said on Tuesday.

"We are trying to inform companies of the risk and urge them to pull out before it's too late," a U.S. government source said on condition of anonymity, Reuters reported.

The U.S. source said the State Department is expected to issue a report by Thursday or Friday on companies it believes are helping the Russia-to-Germany pipeline. Companies that could be in the report include ones providing insurance, helping to lay the undersea pipeline, or verify the project's construction equipment, the source said.

The companies could be at risk of U.S. sanctions under existing law if they do not stop work.

Read alsoFund created in Germany to support Nord Stream 2 completionZurich Insurance Group could be listed in the report, the source said. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nord Stream 2 did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The US$11 billion pipeline, one of Russia's most important projects in Europe, has sparked tensions between Washington and Moscow.

The Trump administration opposes Nord Stream 2, which would deprive Ukraine of lucrative transit fees, saying it would increase Russia's economic and political leverage over Europe. The administration has also pushed exports of U.S. liquefied natural gas to Europe, a fuel that competes with pipelined gas from Russia.

Nord Stream 2: Background

The Nord Stream 2 project envisages the construction and operation of two gas pipeline branches with a total throughput capacity of 55 billion cubic meters of natural gas per year from the coast of Russia through the Baltic Sea to Germany. It should connect Russia's Ust-Lug and Germany's Greifswald. This new pipeline bypassing Ukraine is to be built next to the existing Nord Stream 1 pipeline.

The construction of the pipeline was expected to be completed before the end of 2019.

The pipeline will be 1,220 km long. The project is being implemented by Russia's Gazprom in alliance with European companies  ENGIE, OMV, Royal Dutch Shell, Uniper, and Wintershall. Ukraine stands against the construction of Nord Stream 2 as it will most likely lose its status of a gas transit country, while its potential revenue losses are estimated at US$3 billion annually. The project is also highly criticized by the U.S., Poland, and the Baltic States.

According to media reports, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden intends to do his best to prevent the construction of Nord Stream 2.

On November 4, 2020, the media reported that Congress wants to expand sanctions against Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream.

On December 4, 2020, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he doubted that the U.S. position on Nord Stream 2 would change after Joe Biden's inauguration.

On December 6, 2020, United States Charge d'Affaires to Germany Robin Quinville called on the EU and Germany to declare a moratorium on the construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

On December 9, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the 2021 NDAA with expanded restrictions against the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Reporting by UNIAN
Australian cheese brand Coon was officially rebranded as 'Cheer' this week, following years of controversy about the name's historical use as a racist slur.

But not everyone is enthusiastic about the 86-year-old brand's new name.

The hosts of Channel Seven breakfast show Sunrise agreed on Wednesday they weren't sold on the name Cheer - mainly because of its confusing pronunciation.

Nothing to cheer about? The hosts of Channel Seven's Sunrise agreed on Wednesday they weren't sold on Coon cheese being renamed 'Cheer'. Pictured (L-R): Edwina Bartholomew, Natalie Barr, Matt Doran and Mark Beretta

'I support the renaming, but not sure about "Cheer". What do you think? Do you like it?' co-anchor Matt Doran asked his colleagues.

'Initially I was like "eh", but they had to do something,' newsreader Natalie Barr said.

'And they were under a lot of pressure with that name,' she added. 'I know it was the founder's name, but they had to do something and they came up with that. So be open minded.'

'The jury's out!' said Matt.

New name, same slice: Australian cheese brand Coon was officially rebranded as 'Cheer' this week, following years of controversy about the name's historical use as a racist slur

Edwina Bartholomew noted that many Australians can't agree on how to pronounce the word 'cheer' - meaning 'thank you' or said when celebrating before drinking.

She observed that 'cheer' is widely used in some parts of the country, while it's more common to say 'cheers' with an 's' in other regions.

'You say it differently,' she told Natalie, who hails from Bunbury, Western Australia.

Divided: Edwina Bartholomew noted that 'cheer' (meaning 'thank you' or said when celebrating before drinking) is widely used in some parts of the country, while it's more common to say 'cheers' with an 's' in other regions

Natalie confirmed she does indeed say 'cheer', which prompted Matt to say: 'It sounds like chia pudding!'

Edwina added: 'You say it with two syllables.'

'Is it a Western Australian thing?' Natalia asked, to which Matt replied: 'I think so.'

Big decision: Speaking to Sunrise later on Wednesday's show, Lino Saputo, the CEO of Coon's Canadian parent company Saputo, said he saw 'no harm' in changing the brand's name

Speaking to Sunrise later on Wednesday's show, Lino Saputo, the CEO of Coon's Canadian parent company Saputo, said he saw 'no harm' in changing the brand's name.

'Coon is a brand that was known and I would say loved by some in Australia,' Mr Saputo told Natalie.

'But it was important for us to understand that name did not please other consumers and created a connotation that was not favourable,' he explained.

Rebrand: The decision to rebrand Coon cheese (pictured) follows a long-running campaign by activists who claimed the name had racist connotations

'We decided to embark on this journey to rename that brand and come up with something that we thought would resonate well with all consumers without exclusion.'

Aboriginal activists, including academic and former diplomat Dr Stephen Hagan, have spent the past two decades lobbying to have the brand name changed as the word 'coon' is a slur against people of colour.

The much-loved dairy product got its original name from American pioneering cheese processor Edward William Coon, who died in 1934.

He patented a 'ripening process' that was used to manufacture the original product in the 1920s.

The rebranded Cheer Cheese will appear on supermarket shelves from July.
BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OrthoBethesda, a premier provider of orthopedic services in the greater Washington, DC region, today announced the appointment of Emil Engels, MD to the newly-created position of Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Engels will oversee all operations of OrthoBethesda's orthopedic centers in Bethesda and Arlington.

Dr. Engels joins OrthoBethesda with over 20 years' experience in all facets of leading teams of clinical and business professionals while focusing on quality outcomes, labor efficiencies, supply chain management, volume growth drivers, and revenue cycle optimization. Prior to joining OrthoBethesda, Dr. Engels served with Mednax, Inc., a national health solutions partner, most recently as President, Northeast Market where he managed 12 practices with 800 providers across four states. Prior to that, he was a Division Medical Officer with Mednax, Inc. He has worked as a consultant in the healthcare space, was a Partner with Fairfax Anesthesiology Associates from 1999 to 2019, and has served on the Board of Directors for the American Society of Anesthesiologists. Dr. Engels attended medical school at Yale, trained at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (Harvard Medical School), and earned an MBA from the Haslam School of Business at the University of Tennessee. He has received numerous awards and honors and has frequently published articles since 1994, primarily on anesthesiology related topics.

Commenting on his new position, Dr. Engels, said, "I have known and respected the highly-skilled and talented team of physicians at OrthoBethesda and greatly admire what they have achieved. I share their commitment to providing outstanding patient care and I look forward to working with them as we make further investments that will expand patient access to our exceptional orthopedic care. We see significant opportunities ahead to provide patients with the quality orthopedic care and support they deserve to obtain excellent outcomes. This is an exciting time to be joining this superb team."

Dr. Sridhar M. Durbhakula, Co-Chair of OrthoBethesda's clinical governance committee, said, "We are proud that OrthoBethesda has established a prominent presence in the dynamic orthopedic community in the greater mid-Atlantic region as a result of the talented physicians who practice at our centers. Emil has the unique combination of medical qualifications and extraordinary leadership ability that will help all of us as we expand the practice."

Dr. Christopher J. Cannova, Co-Chair of OrthoBethesda's clinical governance committee, said, "All of us welcome Emil to OrthoBethesda and we look forward to benefiting from his years of experience as both a medical professional and executive who has overseen the growth and development of multiple practice groups across a broad region. Emil is an experienced, successful healthcare executive who shares our values and dedication to improving patient outcomes. We are delighted to have him join our team."

George Parry, Partner at Atlantic Street Capital, which invested in OrthoBethesda in 2018, said, "We invested in OrthoBethesda in partnership with the orthopedic surgeons to help them expand the excellent care they provide to a more robust and expanded geography and population. As they continue to deliver cutting-edge techniques, it is important to have a strong CEO and Emil is the right results-oriented, high-integrity professional to provide that leadership. His excellent track record of improving service levels and enhancing patient outcomes will be critical as we grow this esteemed medical practice and accelerate benefits to patients."

Founded in 1965, OrthoBethesda is a leading provider of comprehensive musculoskeletal care to patients in the greater Washington, DC market. OrthoBethesda employs board-certified orthopedic surgeons with specializations across the spectrum of musculoskeletal care. Known for its quality care, the centers have done an outstanding job implementing enhanced practices and procedures during the Coronavirus pandemic. For more information, visit www.orthobethesda.com.

Contact: Chris Tofalli

Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC

914-834-4334

SOURCE OrthoBethesda
UPDATE: 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 - Peter Rasmussen of Gridley has been located safe and is heading home, according to the Butte County Sheriff's Office.

---

GRIDLEY, Calif. - The Butte County Sheriffs Office is searching for Peter Rasmussen, age 67, of Gridley.

He left his home in Gridley Tuesday afternoon for a day trip to the Feather Falls or Berry Creek area.

Wednesday morning, January 13, his family contacted the Sheriffs Office to report him missing. They say he never returned home.

Rasmussen was driving a silver 2000 Nissan Frontier truck, California license plate number 7F78344. Deputies and detectives are currently conducting searches of the Berry Creek and Feather Falls area.

The Sheriffs Office is asking anyone with information to contact detectives at 530-538-7671, or 530-538-7322.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. House pressed swiftly forward Tuesday toward impeachment or other steps to forcibly remove President Donald Trump from office, even as Trump blamed Democratic foes and not himself for last week's deadly attack on the Capitol.

He targeted the lawmakers who are pushing for his ouster, saying that it's "a really terrible thing that they're doing."

"To continue on this path, I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger," he said. He accepted no blame for the Capitol attack and said, "I want no violence."

The defeated president, in his first remarks to reporters since last week's violence, showed no remorse for firing up the crowd ahead of the the deadly invasion with comments that now are part of the impeachment charge of inciting insurrection.

The president spoke as he left for Texas to survey the border wall with Mexico, taking no questions, after the most serious and deadly domestic incursion at the Capitol in the nation's history.

Impeachment ahead, the House on Tuesday will first try to convince the vice president and Cabinet to act even more quickly to remove Trump from office, warning he is a threat to democracy in the remaining days of his presidency.

House lawmakers are reconvening at the Capitol for the first time since the deadly pro-Trump riot to approve a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to declare the president unable to serve. Pence is not expected to take any such action. The House would next move swiftly to impeach Trump.

"We have to be very tough and very strong right now in defending the Constitution and democracy," said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., an author of both pieces of legislation, in an interview.

Trump faces a single charge  "incitement of insurrection"  in the impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday, a week before Democrat Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated, Jan. 20.

The unprecedented events, which could make Trump the first U.S. president to be twice impeached, are unfolding in a nation bracing for more unrest. The FBI has warned ominously of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of Biden's inauguration. In a dark foreshadowing, the Washington Monument was closed to the public and the inauguration ceremony on the west steps of the Capitol will be off limits to the public.

It all added up to stunning final moments for Trump's presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that violently ransacked the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot a woman during the violence. Three others died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

Late Monday, the entire Congressional Hispanic Caucus, all 34 members, unanimously agreed to support impeachment, calling for Trump's immediate removal.

"It is clear that every moment Trump remains in office, America is at risk," said a statement from the caucus, led by Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Ca. It said Trump "must be held accountable" for his actions.

Democrats aren't the only ones who say Trump needs to go.

Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., spoke to House GOP colleagues late Monday of the significance of the vote, and encouraged them to consider it a "vote of conscience," according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private call. She has spoken critically of Trump's actions but has not said publicly how she will vote.

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to "go away as soon as possible."

Pence and Trump met late Monday for the first time since the Capitol attack, and had a "good conversation" pledging to continue working for the remainder of their terms, said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting.

Pence has given no indication he would proceed with invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. No member of the Cabinet has publicly called for Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment process.

As security tightened, Biden said Monday he was "not afraid" of taking the oath of office outside at the Capitol.

As for the rioters, Biden said, "It is critically important that there'll be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable."

Biden said he's had conversations with senators ahead of a possible impeachment trial, which some have worried would cloud the opening days of his administration.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was exploring ways to immediately convene the Senate for the trial as soon as the House acts, though Republican leader Mitch McConnell would need to agree. The president-elect suggested splitting the Senate's time, perhaps "go a half day on dealing with impeachment, a half day on getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package" for more COVID relief.

As Congress resumes, an uneasiness swept government. Another lawmaker, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., announced Tuesday she had tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering during the siege.

Many lawmakers may choose to vote by proxy rather than come to Washington, a process that was put in place last year to limit the health risks of travel.

House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has discouraged GOP lawmakers from using the proxy option. But during a call with them he loosened his strict opposition for this week's votes, according to a Republican granted anonymity to discuss the private call.

Among Trump's closest allies in Congress, McCarthy said in a letter to colleagues that "impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together."

He said he would review possible censure of the president. But House Republicans are split and a few may vote to impeach.

Democrats say they have the votes for impeachment. The impeachment bill from Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California, Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden.

Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

The impeachment legislation also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to "find" him more votes, as well as his White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters last Wednesday to "fight like hell" and march to the building.

The mob overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalizing Biden's victory over Trump in the Electoral College.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, Democrats and others argue he must be prevented from holding future public office.

There is precedent for pursuing impeachment after an official leaves office. In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.

___

Barrow reported from Wilmington, Delaware. Associated Press writers Alan Fram, Jill Colvin, Ellen Knickmeyer, Tom Beaumont and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

MPs have passed a bill that aims to increase the period set for a foreign worker to spend with an employer, from one year to three years, as a precondition for the right to move to another employer.

MP Dr Sawsan Kamal expressed her rejection on the proposal, saying: The extension of the period of compulsion is a step backwards and a violation of human rights represented in the free movement of the worker. It is a clear return to the sponsorship system that we have gone beyond by looking at the workers rights and not violating them.

The bill aims to amend Paragraph (a) of Article (25) of Law No. (19) of 2006 regarding the regulation of the labour market and its amendments and the corrective measures for the residency of tens of thousands of workers.

Dr Kamal said it was inconsistent with the International Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, as well as the principles of the International Labour Organization.

These international conventions and principles do not allow restricting the freedom of the worker to move from one job to another, said Dr Kamal said. We are proud in the Kingdom of Bahrain that we are the first Gulf country to abolish the sponsorship system by issuing Law No. 19 of 2006. Some of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries followed us.

Deputy MP Falah Hashem confirmed that the work permit for the worker is two years while the proposal exceeds the first work contract. This proposal contradicts international agreements signed by Bahrain, Deputy MP Hashem said, indicating that it will again open the door for the implementation of the sponsorship system.

One of the sponsors of the proposal, MP Mamdouh Al Saleh, said that it would secure practical stability for employers and the survival of their workers, pointing out that international organisations close their eyes to European countries and are biased against the Gulf states.

This law will also protect the rights of the Bahraini employers, he said.
Tu Jinge and Yu Huihui, graduates from Nankai University in China, have dedicated themselves to revitalizing traditional techniques in making porcelain leaf cup, a traditional craft originated in Jian, east Chinas Jiangxi province.

Tu Jinge (left) talks with a craftsman about technological process of making porcelain leaf cups. (Photo/Courtesy of Tu Jinge)

As an unique invention of Jizhou Kiln, a famous porcelain kiln in ancient China, the porcelain leaf cup making techniques featuring the integration of a whole tree leaf into porcelain ware, have a history of over 1,200 years and have been included into China's national list for intangible cultural heritage.

Tu first met porcelain leaf cups in 2016, when she was a postgraduate student of the College of Tourism and Service Management of Nankai University.

She was deeply impressed by the craft, thinking that it was indescribably wonderful that after being burned in the kiln, natural leaves emerged unscathed and integrated into the porcelains.

The post-90s postgraduate student then became enchanted by the intangible cultural heritage.

In the same year, Tu and her friend Yu Huihui took a trip to the ruins of the ancient Jizhou Kiln located in Yonghe township, Ji'an county, Jian city of Jiangxi province, trying to learn more about the techniques behind the special leaf cups.

During the trip, they came across Wen Qiu, a post-80s craftsman engaging in making porcelain leaf cups, and learned that the craft was facing gloomy development prospects due to unstable output and quality, as well as a lack of marketing channels.

Such marvelous works of art and exquisite craftsmanship deserve to be seen by more people, thought Tu, who decided to make efforts and help promote the intangible cultural heritage.

The main reason why intangible cultural heritage seems far away for ordinary people is that the design of relevant products doesn't suit the market, they thought.

"We hope to innovate designs and then sell the products through e-commerce platforms," Yu said.

They encouraged Wen, who is skilled at developing colors of glaze, to create new types of glaze and helped him select pigments for the new glaze.

Finally, they decided on an ultramarine glaze. Developed from natural lapis lazuli, the glaze is safe and environment-friendly, and will never fade.

Tu Jinge promotes porcelain leaf cups via livestreaming. (Photo/Courtesy of Tu Jinge)

To promote porcelain leaf cups made with the new glaze, they helped make the copy for advertisement and learned photography to better present the products in photos.

One week after the new leaf cup was launched on an e-commerce platform, the sales volume of the product reached 200,000, bringing Wen an income of more than what he earned in the previous three years, while attracting more craftsmen who came to seek cooperation.

Innovation has been a never-ending topic for Tu and Yu in reviving the traditional techniques.

They discovered that some locals use leaves from bodhi trees to make leaf cups, which they believed to be of more artistic value compared with mulberry leaves, main materials for craftsmen for over a thousand years.

Their idea of making porcelain leaf cups with leaves of bodhi trees aroused concerns among craftsmen in their team.

Leaves of bodhi trees are thicker than mulberry leaves, which makes the porcelain firing more difficult than it already is, according to craftsmen, who told Yu and Tu that the township where their workshop is located doesn't grow bodhi trees.

However, Tu and Yu didn't give up. They went to collect leaves of bodhi trees from various areas, and finally concluded from observation that the leaves from Zhangzhou, southeast China's Fujian province, are their best choice for making leaf cups.

When encountering technical problems in firing porcelains, they sought help from experts of Nankai University.

After several months' experiment, they eventually succeeded in making leaf cups with the leaves of bodhi trees.

To facilitate the sales of their products, Tu started to host live-streaming shows.

"Although we may not have many viewers sometimes, we still promote our products passionately in front of the camera as we have faith in leaf cups," Tu noted.

Once a customer bought over 100 leaf cups after learning about the product via a live-streaming show hosted by Tu, she recalled.

The elaborately-decorated leaf cups have conveyed the splendid tea culture and art of China.

"By encouraging local craftsmen to exhibit their products at cultural activities, we hope to build a stronger and more famous brand for the special ware from Jizhou Kiln," Yu pointed out.

In 2019, when Nankai University celebrated its centenary, Tu and Yu designed a special leaf cup featuring ginkgo leaf from the university, thus opening up the market for customized designs.

Photo shows a porcelain leaf cup. (Photo/Courtesy of Tu Jinge)

In the past three years, they have hosted over 800 live-streaming shows and sold porcelain leaf cups worth over 3.5 million yuan ($540,000).

Together with 18 inheritors of the craft, they have engaged in innovation and increased the number of the types of leaves used in the product from one to eight, and the colors of glaze from one to 16. Meanwhile, they have developed 27 shapes and over 1,000 different designs for leaf cups.

After their graduation in 2019, Tu and Yu continued to promote the intangible cultural heritage.

Last year, they participated in the 6th China International College Students' "Internet+" Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and won a silver award in the final of the competition.

Intangible cultural heritage enjoys a huge market and infinite possibilities, Tu said.
UK Government hasn't released full guidance on which Covid tests it will accept

Those arriving must take test up to 72 hours before leaving country of departure

But there is still confusion over which tests will be accepted om 4am this Friday

Britons will need to present proof of a negative test result to carrier on boarding

** Are you a British tourist abroad, trying to work out what test you need? Please email: tips@dailymail.com **

Ministers faced fury today as travellers are left in limbo with the new rules on coronavirus tests before arriving in the UK still not published - less than 48 hours to go until the system comes into force.

From 4am on Friday those arriving by boat, train or plane - including UK nationals - must have tested negative in the previous 72 hours.

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But despite Transport Secretary Grant Shapps promising more detailed guidance the UK Government has not yet confirmed what type of Covid-19 tests they will accept.

A written statement from ministers yesterday merely referred to how lateral flow tests might be allowed 'in some cases'.

Travel experts slammed the situation as 'horrendous' and accused the government of 'policy on the hoof'.

Lateral flow tests are cheaper and give results in 30 minutes, while the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are more difficult to obtain in many countries and can take up to three days to identify positive cases.

The confusion has left many Britons scrambling to get back to the UK before the new requirements come into force, while Tory MPs have criticised the delays in clarifying the details.

From 4am on Friday those arriving by boat, train or plane - including UK nationals - must have tested negative in the previous 72 hours. Pictured, Heathrow Airport

Despite Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) promising more detailed guidance, the UK Government has not yet confirmed what type of Covid-19 tests they will accept

Kathrin Schuler, of London, pictured with partner Roger Kuhn, is stranded in the Maldives having already spent 14 days in isolation after getting infected with Covid-19 on a diving safari

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Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, chair of the Airport Operators Association, said: Its horrendous. We need to support those travellers who are facing the issue of needing to get home.

Theyve got to have a better grace period for all of this.

The industry wants to deliver the safest way to get home, but it needs that guidance and the detail in good time.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: There is not enough clarity around the type of tests allowed, leaving consumers panicking about whether they will be let into the country without a fine, because they have the wrong documentation.

Policy on the hoof never works.

And Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, in a letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps, raised concerns.

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He wrote: Whilst I welcome the requirement for passengers to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before travel, there are no details yet of the type/standard of test.

Mr Khan said he believes the measures also do not go far enough, warning some travellers may be willing to risk a 500 fine.

Yesterday it emerged airlines as well as travellers could be fined if passengers are allowed to board without a test which meets certain standards.

But due to the delayed publication these standards remained unclear, including measures as part of the check-in process.

How to get a Covid test in five of the most popular destinations with UK tourists SPAIN Spain has banned British tourists from flying there but those already in the country can fly back home. If they test positive they will have to quarantine at their hotel or holiday accommodation for 14 days. The country has embarked on a large increase in its PRC and antigen testing, which now stand at 180,000 a week. A (Transcription-Mediated Amplification (TMA) test takes two hours to show results and costs about 60  compared to 100 for a PCR. FRANCE France banned British tourists on December 20 following the emergency of the new strain of coronavirus. French citizens and truck drivers can enter but only with a negative PCR test from the last 72 hours. People in France can search through a map at sante.gouv.fr site to find a test centre near them, including whether they offer PCR or antigen tests. The tests cost 54 but are reimbursed for those on the French health system. ITALY Entry into Italy is only allowed for residents or those with 'absolute necessity', declared in writing. The country offers PCR tests (called 'un tampone' in Italian, or a 'swab') and antigen tests (called 'tampone rapido' in Italian, or a 'fast swab'). Italy is thought to have encouraged Britain to adopt the rapid tests after becoming the first country to hugely invest in them last year. Those looking to get an urgent PCR test can call the 1500 number for help and the tests are free because they are considered emergency procedures. USA British nationals cannot enter the US if they have been in the UK, Ireland, Schengen zone, Iran, Brazil or China within the previous 14 days The test of choice in the US is a PCR, which can be turned around in 12 hours - although there are concerns that these are not accurate enough. There are calls for more rapid antigen tests, which can be turned around in 15 minutes and cost $5 each, compared to PCRs which are about $100 each. IRELAND Anyone arriving in Ireland from Great Britain must have a negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to arrival. In Ireland, normal tests are carried out at drive-in centres and take 15 minutes, while private tests are also available. One firm offers a PCR test costing 129 with results in up to two working days, while a LAMP test costs up to 199 for a five-hour turnaround. In Northern Ireland, there is a walk-in testing facility at Belfast International Airport providing 99 PCR tests - with results available the following day. MALDIVES Resorts in the Maldives can arrange for guests to have a PCR test for a fee, but this costs up to $150. People are advised to book it at least four days before departure, although this would then be out of date by the time they arrive back in the UK. Visitors can also have a antigen test called a BinaxNOW Ag Card which can deliver results within 15 minutes.

Kathrin Schuler, a software engineer for Google in London, is among the Britons abroad facing a race to get home before rules requiring international travellers to test negative for coronavirus prior to arriving in England come into force.

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Ms Schuler had travelled to the Maldives before tier four restrictions began in the UK. But due to a positive Covid-19 case on a diving safari, the group all got infected with Covid-19 and had to spend a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a government facility.

Resorts in the Maldives arrange for guests to have a PCR test for a fee, but this costs up to $150 - and people are advised to book it at least four days before departure, although this would then be out of date by the time they arrive back in the UK.

Visitors can also have a lateral flow test called an Ag Card which can deliver results within 15 minutes, but it is not clear if this would be accepted by UK authorities.

Ms Schuler, who is originally from Switzerland but now lives in Canary Wharf, told MailOnline: 'After completing our 14 days, in line with Maldivian restrictions, we will be allowed to leave and go home.

'However, it is very unlikely that we will test negative in a new PCR test since Covid-19 cases can test positive for a long time despite no longer being infectious.

'There is no guidance published yet if our quarantine release paper will be enough to get us home - it is, for example to get back into Dubai, after testing positive so currently, it looks like we will be stuck indefinitely, or until all of us test negative.

'We are weighing our options. The statutory instrument has not been published yet so we are hoping there will be something in the fine print to allow people who have tested positive and have completed their mandatory quarantine back into the country without a negative PCR test.

'If that is not the case we are, for better or for worse stuck here until we test negative, which can be months in the worst case. We have reached out to the Department for Transport in the UK but have not heard back as of yet.'

She said one option she was considering was flying to another European country that does not currently require a negative test or lets people in with quarantine letters  and stay there until she tests negative.

Ms Schuler added: 'This could be an option, considering it might be cheaper than the Maldives and have better infrastructure.

'However, none of us have packed any warm clothes, plus we would then be subject to that country's regulations/border closures/quarantine measures/etc.'

Personal trainers Max Price and Kiera Afton said they discovered they would face 10-day self-isolation after friends in the UK texted them shortly before leaving Dubai.

Arriving at Heathrow Terminal 5 on a British Airways flight the couple said they would be inconvenienced by having to stay home or risk being fined.

Kiera said:' We do most of our work online, but it means we can't go out and it just makes things difficult.

'We have been following all the news and we expected the PCR test rule to come in sometime. We knew about the self-isolation and when we laned the crew mentioned it to all the flight.'

Her partner Max added:' This does make things difficult for us, but we just have to get on with it.'

The couple, from Doncaster, south Yorkshire, had considered taking part in the test to release scheme but were too tired after an eight-hour flight to queue up for a swab test on the ground floor of Terminal 5.

Under the scheme travellers who test negative after five days can end the self-isolation.

'We went to Dubai as the gyms are still open and means we could train. I do competitions and it meant I could continue with my training.' said Kiera.

Two police officers who were also on the afternoon flight from Dubai said they faced losing 10 days pay due to the imposed self-isolation rule.

The WPC, who asked not to be named, said when they left for their six-day break in the UAE they had been cleared by their bosses as the country was on the safe list drawn up by the Government.

Now it has been taken off the air corridor list they will have to self-isolate and face having to take unpaid leave.

'It is pretty rough and is going to impact us,' said the policewoman.

'We will do the test to release scheme, but even that means taking 5 days off. I am hoping our bosses will be sympathetic.'

Other passengers said they had paid 100 for a PCR test before leaving Dubai and were disappointed to learn it did not exclude them from having to self-isolate for 10 days.

'I did the test for my own assurance,' said a woman who gave her name as Jennifer.

'Dubai was very safe and everyone complied with wearing masks. I felt very safe over there but not so much here. There were no checks. No one asked to see my locator form and I thought there would at least be someone taking temperatures. '

Not all the travellers on the BA flight planned to self-isolate.

One Spanish man insisted he was exempt from the ruling as he had not been in Dubai for more than a week.

He insisted that the rules imposed by the Government did not apply and he had no intention of self-isolating.

'I am exempt. I do not have to do any self-isolation, ' he said.

The visitor was met by a taxi driver and refused to reveal his destination or name as he left the Terminal.

An afternoon flight operated by Emirates to Terminal Two was cancelled due to lack of booked passengers.

One MP complained today that it was 'taking an extremely long time to pin down something that a lot of other countries have been doing for many months now'.

Britons will need to present proof of a negative test result to their carrier on boarding while the UK Border Force will conduct spot checks on arrivals.

Conservative MP Henry Smith, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on aviation, said he welcomed the test requirement for every passenger coming into the UK, pointing out that he had suggested it in the Commons as long ago as last January.

But the MP, whose constituency includes Gatwick Airport, told MailOnline: 'It has been a long time in the gestation and it is not completely clear as to how it all works.

'It does seem to be taking an extremely long time to pin down something that a lot of other countries have been doing for many months now.

'This shouldn't take as long as it has. All of this is complex, but it is relatively straightforward in terms of asking people to take certain types of test. I don't see what the delay is in terms of being clear about that is.'

How rapid lateral flow tests are different to lab-based PCR swabs Lateral flow tests are an alternative to the gold standard PCR test - known scientifically as polymerase chain reaction testing - which is more expensive and more labour-intensive but more accurate. PCR tests also use a swab but this is then processed using high-tech laboratory equipment to analyse the genetic sequence of the sample to see if any of it matches the genes of coronavirus. This is a much more long-winded and expensive process, involving multiple types of trained staff, and the analysis process can take hours, with the whole process from swab to someone receiving their result taking days. It is significantly more accurate, however. In ideal conditions the tests are almost 100 per cent accurate at spotting the virus, although this may be more like 70 per cent in the real world.

The latest guidance released by the Department for Transport yesterday stated: 'We will establish the standards that tests must meet in regulations.

'This will include that the test must be of a diagnostic-standard test such as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and could in some cases include LAMP and lateral flow tests within set limits.

'We will provide clear guidance and advice to passengers regarding testing standards and capacity.'

New arrivals who flout the rules will face a minimum 500 fine, while the operator who transported them will also be fined.

Passengers will still have to quarantine for 10 days regardless of their test results, transport minister Robert Courts said in a statement.

British nationals attempting to return home who test positive must not travel and must follow the local guidance in their host country, and contact the nearest consulate if they need support.

'If a passenger arrives in England without a pre-departure negative test result they will be fined,' Mr Courts said.

'We will amend the International Travel Regulations so that fines, starting at 500, can be levied on non-compliant passengers.'

Travellers must take an internationally approved test, and Mr Courts said guidance on what was acceptable would be made available to passengers and carriers.

'We will keep test standards and innovative testing technologies under review,' he said.

The new rules apply to almost every country in the world, including those on England's travel corridor list, and further compliance checks are due to be conducted by Border Force staff.

Passengers travelling to England from other UK countries, as well as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, will not be covered by the new regulations.

Children under 11 travelling from any country are also exempt from pre-departure testing.

The DfT said there would also be a limited number of exemptions for people like hauliers, air, international rail and maritime crew to allow the free flow of freight.

Travellers from three overseas territories - St Helena, Ascension Island and the Falklands - will be exempt due to lack of testing infrastructure.

Passengers from Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Barbados will be exempt until 4am on January 21, again due to lack of testing infrastructure in those countries.

The international arrivals board at London Heathrow Airport's Terminal Two this morning

Mr Courts said: 'Measures are likely to be in place until the end of the current lockdown, although a review will take place before the end of that period.'

He added: 'With the addition of pre-departure testing requirements, our already robust system to protect against imported cases of coronavirus is further strengthened and will provide the greatest overall protection against the risk of transmission during travel to England and after arrival.'

Other countries in the UK are expected to announce their own plans for pre-arrival testing in the coming days.

Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham and lead of the Cochrane Review of Covid-19 diagnostic tests, told Sky News the messaging about the lateral flow tests has 'not been done well'.

Which countries are exceptions to the negative test rule? Travellers from three overseas territories - St Helena, Ascension Island and the Falklands - will be exempt due to lack of testing infrastructure. Passengers from Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Barbados will be exempt until 4am on January 21, again due to lack of testing infrastructure in those countries.

He said: 'Just before Christmas schools were given a template letter, which had the wording in it, and it went to parents saying 'This test is as good at detecting cases as the PCR'.

'Now, frankly, that is completely incorrect, and that is the sort of wrong messaging which we have to make sure the Government doesn't continue to put forward.

'This weekend the Business Minister was quoted as saying 'This will make workplaces completely safe'. It's not the right way to tell people about this.'

He added: 'I think there's an anxiety that if we tell people the truth as to how bad this test is people won't bother getting it.

'But we have to do the truth - we can't tell people that the test is better than it is.'

In Britain, the country's most senior police officer has warned coronavirus rule-breakers they are 'increasingly likely' to face fines as forces move 'more quickly' to enforce lockdown restrictions.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said it was 'preposterous' that anyone could be unaware of the need to follow the stringent measures designed to curb Covid-19 cases.

Writing in The Times, she said: 'It is preposterous to me that anyone could be unaware of our duty to do all we can to stop the spread of the virus.

Passengers arrive at London Heathrow Airport this morning on international flights into the UK

'We have been clear that those who breach Covid-19 legislation are increasingly likely to face fines.'

Biostatistics expert criticises messaging on lateral flow tests Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham and lead of the Cochrane Review of Covid-19 diagnostic tests, told Sky News the messaging about the lateral flow tests has 'not been done well'. He said: 'Just before Christmas schools were given a template letter, which had the wording in it, and it went to parents saying 'This test is as good at detecting cases as the PCR'. 'Now, frankly, that is completely incorrect, and that is the sort of wrong messaging which we have to make sure the Government doesn't continue to put forward. 'This weekend the Business Minister was quoted as saying 'This will make workplaces completely safe'. It's not the right way to tell people about this.' He added: 'I think there's an anxiety that if we tell people the truth as to how bad this test is people won't bother getting it. But we have to do the truth - we can't tell people that the test is better than it is.'

However, her comments came as law enforcement sources told the Guardian that police officers would not enforce mask-wearing in supermarkets - despite a Government crackdown on compliance.

Supermarket chain Morrisons said yesterday that customers who refuse to wear a mask without a medical exemption will be told to leave stores, while Sainsbury's also said its security staff would 'challenge' shoppers who were not wearing masks or entering stores in groups.

Meanwhile, ministers are reported to be mulling over introducing tougher measures in England, with the wearing of face masks outdoors and banning exercise with people not in their household bubble said to be under consideration.

Tory former health minister Steve Brine led calls for an end to non-essential takeaway sales, including coffee, telling BBC Two's Newsnight: 'There are so many things that we are doing, which are allowed in the rules... but I just don't think they are wise right now.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned on Monday that the NHS is under 'very significant pressure' and told the public to reduce all social contact that is 'not absolutely strictly necessary' in a bid to cut cases.

His warning came as NHS England data showed there were 32,070 Covid-19 patients in English hospitals as of 8am on Monday. The figure is up 20 per cent compared to last week, and up 81 per cent since Christmas Day.

A further 529 people died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 81,960 - though separate figures show there have now been 97,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

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** Are you a British tourist abroad, trying to work out what test you need? Please email: tips@dailymail.com **
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to boost his country's nuclear arsenal in his closing address to a top ruling party meeting just days before Joe Biden takes office as US president.

Kim is looking to grab the attention of the incoming Biden administration, with his country more isolated than ever after closing its borders to protect itself against the coronavirus pandemic.

A nuclear summit between Kim and outgoing US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February 2019 broke down over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.

The official Korean Central News Agency said Kim called for maximum military power and greater nuclear war deterrence as the Eighth Party Congress came to a close after eight days of policy discussions.

'While strengthening our nuclear war deterrent, we need to do everything in order to build the most powerful military,' KCNA cited him as telling the Workers' Party congress.

Earlier in the eight-day congress - twice as long as the previous meeting in 2016 - Kim called the US 'the fundamental obstacle to the development of our revolution and our foremost principal enemy'.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to boost his country's nuclear arsenal in his closing address to a top ruling party meeting just days before Joe Biden takes office as US president

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un receives applause during the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits visits Kumsusan Palace of Sun in Pyongyang

US President-elect Joe Biden speaks at The Queen theater in Wilmington, Delaware

'The real intention of its policy toward the DPRK will never change, whoever comes into power,' he added, without mentioning Biden by name.

Kim and Trump had a tumultuous relationship, first engaging in mutual insults and threats of war, before an extraordinary diplomatic bromance featuring headline-grabbing summits and declarations of love by the US president.

The change of leadership in Washington presents a challenge for Pyongyang, with Biden characterised Kim as a 'thug' during the presidential debates, while North Korea has previously called Biden a 'rabid dog' that 'must be beaten to death with a stick'.

Kim said last week he would expand military capabilities to better defend the country and called for 'placing state defence capabilities on a much higher level'.

The North had completed plans for a nuclear-powered submarine and offered a shopping list of weapons goals, including hypersonic gliding warheads, military reconnaissance satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles, the leader said.

North Korea's weapons programmes have made rapid progress under Kim, including by far its most powerful nuclear blast to date and missiles capable of reaching the entire continental United States, at a cost of increasingly stringent international sanctions.

At a military parade in October, it showed off a huge new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that analysts said was the largest road-mobile, liquid-fuelled missile in the world.

Kim told the party congress last week that his five-year economic plan had failed to meet its goals, blaming international sanctions as well as unanticipated crises including the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters.

Separately, Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister and a member of the party Central Committee, criticised South Korea's military for monitoring a parade in Pyongyang.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks during the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang, North Korea, in this photo supplied by North Korea's Central News Agency

The official KCNA said Kim called for maximum military power and greater nuclear war deterrence as the Eighth Party Congress came to a close after eight days of policy discussions

Kim Jong Un speaks during the 8th Congress of the Workers' Party in Pyongyang

Kim told the party congress last week that his five-year economic plan had failed to meet its goals, blaming international sanctions as well as unanticipated crises including the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters

The move was an expression of the South's 'hostile approach' towards the North, she said in a separate statement carried by KCNA.

South Korea's military said on Monday it had detected signs that North Korea held a night time military parade on Sunday for its ruling Worker's Party congress.

The congress is the top ruling party gathering, a grand political set-piece that reinforces the regime's authority and can serve as a platform for announcements of policy shifts or elite personnel changes.

At the gathering, Kim was named the party General Secretary, a title previously reserved for his father and predecessor Kim Jong Il, in what analysts said was a move to reinforce his authority.

The North's economy is struggling in the face of its self-imposed coronavirus blockade, mismanagement and sanctions, and Kim repeatedly admitted at the meeting that mistakes had been made.

'Almost all sectors fell a long way short of the set objectives' in the country's previous economic plan, he said earlier.

Kim and Trump had a tumultuous relationship, first engaging in mutual insults and threats of war, before an extraordinary diplomatic bromance featuring headline-grabbing summits and declarations of love by the US president

KCNA reported that the congress will be followed on Sunday by a meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly, the North's rubber-stamp legislature.

And Kim's influential sister Kim Yo Jong indicated that a military parade had been scheduled to accompany the congress.

In a statement carried by KCNA, she derided the 'idiot' authorities in Seoul after the South's joint chiefs of staff said it had detected signs of a possible military parade in Pyongyang at the weekend.

The declaration was 'senseless' and a demonstration of a 'hostile attitude' by the South, she added.

'We are only holding a military parade in the capital city, not military exercises targeting anybody nor launch of anything.'

Kim Yo Jong had appeared to suffer a demotion at the party congress, not appearing on the lists of those appointed to the party central committee, after previously being an alternate member.

But the issuing of a statement in her own name is an indication she remains a key player in the North's diplomacy, having been behind its destruction of a liaison office on its side of the border last year.

The South's President Moon Jae-in brokered the talks process between Kim and Trump, since that process became deadlocked, the North has repeatedly said it has no interest in talking to Seoul.

In his New Year address on Monday, Moon declared: 'Our determination to meet at any time and any place and talk even in a contact-free manner remains unchanged.'
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Wivenhoe Dam reached its highest-ever level on January 11, 2011  a day like no other for the main supplier of Brisbane's drinking water. On that fateful day, Seqwater, the manager of Wivenhoe and Somerset dams, was urgently juggling the rate of dam water releases to prevent a major flooding problem for Ipswich and Brisbane. Water being released from Wivenhoe Dam on January 11, 2011. The dam reached its highest-ever level on this day. Credit:Photo by Neville Marsh, Seqwater, held by the State Library of Queensland. Wivenhoe Dam on January 11, 2021. Credit:Tony Moore Seqwater believed water was entering Wivenhoe Dam faster than it could be safely released and the integrity of the dam was seriously questioned. A day earlier, water was being released at a rate of 2044 cubic metres of water per second from the five huge gates, according to the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry. However, despite this, the dam reached 191 per cent of its water storage the next day  that is, 91 per cent of the flood storage capacity over the top of the 100 per cent water storage capacity.

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The dam engineers were trying to balance the need to keep the Fernvale and Mount Crosby Weir bridges open and steadily increase the dam releases to protect the dam, the exhaustive 2011-12 Flood Inquiry was told. Their decisions also triggered the long-running successful Supreme Court class action by 6800 Brisbane and Ipswich flood victims, which is currently the subject of an appeal. A decade later, Wivenhoe Dam was at 37.8 per cent capacity. It had received just 57.1 millimetres in the past week. The dam's level has fallen by 0.8 per cent in the past week and on Wednesday had 440,688 megalitres in its drinking water storage, below where the flood storage capacity even began. What a difference a decade makes. Wivenhoe Dam can no longer store water at more than 75 per cent capacity if the Bureau of Meteorology believes a very wet season is approaching. That was a very early recommendation of Justice Catherine Homes' Queensland Flood Commission of Inquiry released on March 16, 2012.

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In 2011, the dam's management team faced the scenario of the dam receiving twice the volume of water received during south-east Queensland's 1974 floods. "On the morning of Tuesday 11 January 2011, water levels in Wivenhoe Dam began rising rapidly in response to very heavy localised rainfall on and close to the Wivenhoe Dam lake area," the Seqwater report of March 2011 says. Wivenhoe Dam in 2011. Credit:Sky news One of Wivenhoe Dam's five outflow gates on January 11, 2021, 10 years after the 2011 January floods. Credit:Tony Moore "The volume of total inflow into Wivenhoe Dam during the Event was 2,650,000 megalitres. "This volume is almost double [190 per cent] the comparable volume of inflow from the January 1974 flood event, and comparable with the flood of 1893." Overall there were two massive inflows to Wivenhoe Dam  30 hours apart  close to January 11, the report says.

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Loading "The inflow into Wivenhoe Dam during the event was characterised by two distinct flood peaks, with each peak separated by about 30 hours," it says. In the aftermath, Justice Holmes found "even a large dam such as Wivenhoe has a limited flood mitigation capacity when the volume of water entering it is significantly larger than its storage capacity". "Its flood-mitigation effect for Brisbane was further limited by the fact that floodwaters from other parts of the Brisbane River catchment entered the river downstream of the dam, through the Bremer River and the Lockyer Creek. "The flooding in Brisbane and Ipswich could have been reduced to some degree had the dam had its capacity reduced to 75 per cent prior to the December rains, but to appreciate what the magnitude of the rain would be and that it would fall in the dam area would have required a more than human capacity of prediction." Seqwater declined to comment. Wivenhoe's dam engineers were cleared in 2012.

Scientists in Brazil have downgraded the efficacy of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine that they hailed as a major triumph last week, diminishing hopes for a shot that could be quickly produced and easily distributed to help the developing world.

Officials at the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo said on Tuesday that a trial conducted in Brazil showed that the CoronaVac vaccine, made by the Beijing-based company Sinovac, had an efficacy rate just over 50 percent. That rate, slightly above the benchmark that the World Health Organization has said would make a vaccine effective for general use, was far below the 78 percent level announced last week.

The implications could be significant for a vaccine that is crucial to Chinas global health diplomacy. At least 10 countries have ordered more than 380 million doses of CoronaVac, though regulatory agencies have yet to fully approve it.

A senior official in Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China that had already ordered CoronaVac, said on Wednesday that an advisory panel would strictly review the vaccine based on clinical trial data before it was rolled out there.

The domestic hospitality industry, which has been severely affected by the COVID-19 related disruptions, is likely to witness a decline of over 65 per cent in 2020-21, according to a report. However, there might be a recovery in demand in the later part of financial year 2021-22 as vaccine rollouts gains traction, it said.

In a report, rating agency Icra said it expects the industry to contract 65 per cent in the financial year 2021, with massive operating and net losses, wiping out the cumulative profits of the four past years. However, a sharp demand recovery is possible in the later part of the financial year 2021-22, as vaccine rollouts gain traction.

Much though will be contingent upon the spread of the pandemic and success of vaccination efforts, the report said. The situation is still evolving, with numerous headwinds as seen with the restart of crowd control and lockdowns, increasing India's COVID cases and globally over the last few weeks, the report added.

The domestic hospitality industry has been one of the worst-hit sectors, severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, which restricted mobility and hotel occupancies in all the major markets, the Icra report stated. Icra research observed that pan-India occupancy hit an all-time low of 18-20 per cent in eight months of the financial year 2021, down from 64-65 per cent in the previous year.

The average room rates (ARR)s was at Rs 3,400-3,500 per night, a discount of 35-40 per cent, while the RevPAR declined by about 80 per cent during the period under consideration. Although some sequential improvement has been witnessed since September 2020, recovery is slow and arduous, punctuated by setbacks, it said, adding that this will culminate in a weak financial year 2021.

"We expect FY21 RevPAR to decline by 70-75 per cent pan-India and close at Rs 900-1,000 per night. It will continue to be impacted by the lockdown, travel restrictions because of the virus spread. "FY22 will see the industry witnessing over 120 per cent growth in revenues and operating margins clawing up to 13-15 per cent supported by pick-up in revenues and some continued benefits of the large-scale cost rationalisation measures undertaken during the pandemic, particularly in staffing," Icra VP and Sector Head Pavethra Ponniah said.

However, to put these growth numbers in perspective, the optically high growth numbers for financial year 2021-22 will only place the industry on a recovery path to pre-COVID levels in 2-3 years, she said. Icra expects the recovery to pre-COVID levels in financial year 2023-financial year 2024, she added. Since October 2020, there has been a sequential improvement in occupancy across all the key markets driven by improvement in leisure travel, the report noted.

Pent up leisure demand and the diversion of outbound leisure travel to domestic tourism have been positive for markets like Goa, wedding markets such as Jaipur and Udaipur, driveable leisure destinations such as Coorg Ooty in the South and parts of Rajasthan, it said.

This apart staycation or workcations and social MICE filled some rooms, it added. With closed international borders, foreign tourist arrivals are likely to stay muted well into 2021; the report pointed out that in comparison, domestic tourism will recover faster, aided by the diversion of outbound leisure travel to domestic tourism.

Nevertheless, the absence of corporate travel and big-box MICE events will cap recovery for most of the hotels in large cities, it opined. Hotels have enforced sharp cost control in financial year 2021, including a 39 per cent reduction in employees' costs during H1 financial year 21, letting go of contract employees, enforced pay cuts, and mandatory leave encashments.

Overall costs shrank by 54 per cent, while revenues fell by 80 per cent in H1 financial year 2021, it stated, adding that interest costs, however, stayed mostly sticky. In H2 financial year 2021, the industry will witness a sequential growth in revenues while staying profoundly negative at over 60 per cent of previous year levels, the report added.

Also read: Four more COVID-19 vaccines on cards in India, check prices here
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[January 13, 2021] Rice and Lissette Families Double Utz Stock Donation to the Rice Family Foundation, Bringing Contribution to Hanover, PA Community to $20 Million

After announcing their intent to make a donation of $10 Million of Utz stock to the Rice Family Foundation early last fall, the Rice and Lissette families - part of the third and fourth generations of the Utz family legacy - are now doubling their contribution. This contribution of $20 million in Utz shares will allow the foundation to increase its annual giving by approximately 5 times, aiding local organizations supporting the education, health and general well-being of residents of Hanover and the broader central Pennsylvania community. "We can think of no better way to celebrate Utz's 100th year in the snack business than by giving back to the community that has been a partner in Utz's success for the last century," said Mike and Jane Rice, founders of The Rice Family Foundation. "Through this contribution, the foundation will be able to greatly increase its support to organizations in the Hanover and broader central Pennsylvania area, allowing us to continue our work of aiding community organizations but with a much greater annual impact." "As we look to the next 100 years of Utz growth, we know Hanover will continue to play an active role in our success," said Dylan Lissette, Chief Executive Officer of Utz Brands, Inc. "My wife Stacie and I are proud to be able to give back to a community that has been such an important part of our lives, and we are grateful to te many local organizations that are dedicated to improving and enriching the lives of our neighbors. As we look to the future, our family will continue to keep its focus on our community and the organizations and initiatives that make it a such a wonderful home".



Formed in 2017 through a contribution from Mike and Jane Rice, The Rice Family Foundation makes grants to organizations in the area that dedicate their resources to fostering a better community. In 2020, the Foundation awarded grants to 34 Hanover-area nonprofits that provide services ranging from behavioral health and wellness care to youth organizations and service providers for survivors of domestic violence. For more information, or to apply for a 2021 grant, visit The Rice Family Foundation website at www.thericefamilyfoundation.com, or contact: ricefamilyfoundation@gmail.com. About The Rice Family Foundation

The Rice Family Foundation, located in Hanover, Pennsylvania, funds eligible local area non-profits who are focused on education, health and the well-being of families in the greater Hanover, Pennsylvania area. The Foundation, a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization, provides financial grants directly to eligible organizations. For more information, visit The Rice Family Foundation website at: www.thericefamilyfoundation.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005574/en/

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South Carolina's coronavirus case and death numbers returned to their usual range on Wednesday, but the state's public health agency said numbers are still missing.

An internal systems error has affected the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control for three days, according to the agency's website, leading to daily data releases that don't show the true scope of new cases and deaths.

The Palmetto State had averaged over 3,000 new cases and 30 deaths per day in January until the systems issue began. Wednesday's data, which showed over 4,600 new cases and 42 deaths, still doesn't show the full breadth of the pandemic, officials said.

Statewide numbers

New cases reported: 4,673, which is 2,859 percent higher than the 158 tallied on March 31, the day Gov. Henry McMaster ordered nonessential businesses to close.

Total cases in S.C.: 332,990, plus 32,388 probable cases

New deaths reported: 42

Total deaths in S.C.: 5,402 confirmed, 509 probable

Total tests in S.C.: 4,119,470

Hospitalized patients: 2,466

Percent of positive tests, seven-day average: 29.8 percent. Five percent of tests or fewer returning positive results is a good sign the virus' spread is slowing, researchers say.

Hardest-hit areas

According to data from DHEC, the top counties for new coronavirus cases reported Wednesday were Greenville, 782, and Lexington and York, which each had 303.

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What about tri-county?

Charleston County reported 178 new cases, Berkeley had 84 and Dorchester logged 124.

Deaths

Twelve of the 42 new deaths reported Wednesday were patients aged 35 to 64, and the rest were 65 and older.

They lived in Aiken, Anderson, Beaufort, Charleston, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Colleton, Fairfield, Florence, Georgetown, Greenville, Lancaster, Lexington, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Spartanburg and Union counties.

Hospitalizations

Of the 2,466 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday, 475 were in intensive care and 277 were on ventilators. The average ICU occupancy of the state's hospitals was 85 percent.

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.

The Medical University of South Carolina said it plans to offer rapid testing in the Charleston International Airport's daily parking garage from 2:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Friday.

Go to scdhec.gov/findatest to find a testing site in your area.
Military Chief Hadi Tjahjono (C) examines debris as Soerjanto Tjahjono (back-R), head of National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT), Bagus Puruhito (L), head of National Search and Rescue and Budi Karya Sumadi, (1st-L with red vest), Transport Misister, as they examine debris of Sriwijaya Air flight SJ182 Boeing 737-500 which crahed on January 9, at Tanjung Priok port in Jakarta on January 12, 2020. (ADEK BERRY / AFP)

Divers just off the coast of the capital Jakarta hauled the jet's flight data recorder to the surface Tuesday, with the hunt now focused on finding its cockpit voice recorder on the wreckage-littered seabed.

The devices could supply critical clues as to why the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 plunged about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) in less than a minute before slamming into the Java Sea Saturday.

"The search continues today and we're hoping for a good result," Rasman MS, head of the search and rescue agency's crash operations, told reporters.

Black box data includes the speed, altitude and direction of the plane as well as flight crew conversations, and helps explain nearly 90 percent of all crashes, according to aviation experts.

So far authorities have been unable to explain why the 26-year-old plane crashed just four minutes after takeoff.

The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said it was sending investigators to Jakarta along with personnel from Boeing, the US Federal Aviation Administration and GE Aviation, which makes jet engines and other plane parts.

"(The) team has expertise in operations, human performance, airplane structures & systems," the NTSB tweeted.

More than 3,000 personnel are taking part in the recovery effort, assisted by dozens of boats and helicopters flying over small islands off the capital's coast, and a remotely operated vehicle to assist the divers.

"This operation is not over yet," Indonesia's military chief Hadi Tjahjanto said late Tuesday.

"We'll keep searching for the victims and all the remaining parts of the fuselage, which we will try to retrieve."

- Misinformation -

Three more victims have been identified by matching fingerprints on file to body parts retrieved from the murky depths, authorities said Wednesday, including a 50-year-old female passenger and a 38-year-old off duty pilot.

The first victim, a flight attendant, was also identified through his fingerprints.

There were 10 children among the passengers on the half-full plane, which had experienced pilots at the controls as it left Jakarta bound for Pontianak city on Borneo island on a 90-minute flight.

Scores of body bags filled with human remains were being taken to a police morgue where forensic investigators hope to identify victims by matching fingerprints or DNA with relatives.

Authorities have so far said that the crew did not declare an emergency or report technical problems with the plane before its dive, and that the 737 was likely intact when it hit the water -- citing a relatively small area where the wreckage was scattered.

The crash probe was likely to take months, but a preliminary report was expected in 30 days.

Aviation analysts said flight-tracking data showed the plane sharply deviated from its intended course before it went into a steep dive, with bad weather, pilot error or mechanical failure among the potential factors.

The accident has spawned some misinformation online with a pair of pictures claiming that they show a baby who survived the weekend crash. The images actually show an infant rescued from a fatal 2018 boat disaster.

- Safety problems -

Sriwijaya Air, which flies to destinations in Indonesia and across Southeast Asia, has had safety incidents including runway overruns.

But it has not had a fatal crash since starting operations in 2003.

Its CEO has said the jet, which was previously flown by US-based Continental Airlines and United Airlines, was in fit condition.

Indonesia's fast-growing aviation sector has long been plagued by safety concerns, and its airlines were once banned from US and European airspace.

In October 2018, 189 people were killed when a Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX jet crashed near Jakarta.

That accident -- and another in Ethiopia -- led to the grounding of the 737 MAX worldwide over a faulty anti-stall system.

The 737 that went down Saturday was first produced decades ago and was not a MAX variant.
The head of the Catholic church in Ireland has apologised to the survivors of the mother and baby homes.

Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said the church was clearly part of a culture in which people were frequently stigmatised, judged and rejected.

He added: 'For that, and for the long-lasting hurt and emotional distress that has resulted, I unreservedly apologise to the survivors and to all those who are personally impacted by the realities it uncovers.'

Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said the church was clearly part of a culture in which people were frequently stigmatised, judged and rejected. File image of the Archbishop above

Ireland's senior cleric said the church should acknowledge sustaining what the commission of investigation report described as a harsh, cold and uncaring atmosphere.

He said: 'The commission's report helps to further open to the light what was for many years a hidden part of our shared history and it exposes the culture of isolation, secrecy and social ostracising which faced 'unmarried mothers' and their children in this country. '

He said witnesses had given courageous testimony.

'We must identify, accept and respond to the broader issues which the report raises about our past, present and future.

'Above all we must continue to find ways of reaching out to those whose personal testimonies are central to this report.

'They have shown determination in bringing to light this dark chapter in the life of church and society.

A mother and daughter pay their respects today at a memorial for the mothers and daughters of Tuam, Co. Galway

'We owe it to them to take time to study and reflect on the findings and recommendations of the report, and commit to doing what we can to help and support them.'

He said the rights of all survivors to access personal information about themselves should be fully respected and again urged the State to ensure that any remaining obstacles to information and tracing should be overcome.

'The commission believes that there may be people with further information about burial places who have not come forward. I appeal to anyone who can help to do so,' he said.

'All burial grounds should be identified and appropriately marked so that the deceased and their families will be recognised and never be forgotten.'

He said this report will stir many emotions as it further uncovers disturbing and painful truths about the past.

'I commend those who have fought to have this story told and I thank those who have already been supporting survivors through various organisations and providing a platform for their voices to be heard,' he said.
Tiffany Trump is looking for a property in Miami's South Beach as she makes plans to join her family in Florida after her father's presidency comes to an end.

The 27-year-old and her billionaire heir boyfriend Michael Boulos have been staying at the swanky Setai Hotel in the glamorous neighborhood, but she is on the hunt for a place to call her own.

'She has been in Miami looking at properties,' a source close to Tiffany told DailyMail.com. 'She was staying at the Setai Hotel while she was viewing different options.'

Settling down: Tiffany Trump is reportedly looking for property to buy in Miami, Florida. The First Daughter celebrated her 27th birthday in Miami in October (pictured)

Getting serious: The First Daughter has been living with her boyfriend Michael Boulos, 23, (right) at the swanky Setai Hotel in Miami's glamorous South Beach neighborhood

Rooms at the hotel start at $800 per night and go up to $2,150, which is likely no problem for Michael, who is the heir to the multi-billion dollar Nigerian conglomerate Boulos Enterprises.

The couple has been together for two years, and he appears to be close with both sides of her family.

Tiffany, President Donald Trump's only child with his second wife Marla Maples, graduated from Georgetown Law School in May, but she has yet to take the bar exam, which she needs to pass to officially become a lawyer.

'She hasnt decided on her next career move,' a source told Page Six. 'She truly thought her father would win a second term and shed continue as part of the First Family. She became more involved with the family and politics during his last campaign.'

It seems Tiffany has already made a home for herself in Miami, where she was spotted at Joia Beach on Saturday, according to the publication.

She was said to be wearing an oversized sun hat and sitting at a more isolated table in the restaurant as she dined with a large group of friends with her Secret Service agents in tow.

Staying close to dad: President Trump and his wife Melania are planning to retire at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, after they leave White House life behind in January.

Same plan? Tiffany's sister Ivanka Trump is believed to be moving to Miami with her husband Jared Kushner and their three kids

Speculation: Ivanka, 39, and Jared, 40, reportedly purchased a $31 million plot of land on Miami's 'Billionaire Bunker'

In October, Tiffany rang in her 27th birthday in Miami and visited Papi Steak in South Beach, where co-owner David Einhorn presented her with an enormous three-tiered cake decorated with nearly a dozen photos taken from her Instagram account.

The following night, Tiffany toasted her big day at Swan Miami, where she sipped on a green cocktail to match her dress and enjoyed a sweet dessert feast.

When she wasn't living it up, she was campaigning for her father across the Sunshine State, though the family's efforts weren't enough to win him a second term.

President Trump and his wife Melania are planning to retire at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, after they leave White House life behind in January.

The glitzy town is only a little over an hour north of Miami, where Tiffany's sister Ivanka Trump has already purchased land to build a property.

Speculation has been swirling that Ivanka will run for the U.S. Senate in Florida in 2022 after it was revealed that she and her husband Jared Kushner reportedly bought a $31 million plot of land on Miami's 'Billionaire Bunker.'

Waiting game: Tiffany, who celebrated New Year's Eve at Mar-a-Lago, has yet to take the bar exam since graduating from Geogetown Law School in May

Flashback: Tiffany, pictured in 2018, has an apartment in New York City, where she lived before moving to Washington, D.C. for law school

With mom: Tiffany visited a ski resort with her mother Marla Maples (center, right) over the holidays. She'll be leaving her mom behind in New York if she moves to Miami full-time

The land is nestled in Indian Creek, a highly exclusive neighborhood that touts beautiful waterfront homes and tons of privacy.

The island, found off the coast of Miami, got the nickname 'Billionaire Bunker' because of the high-profile residents that have settled onto the island, including model Adriana Lima and billionaire businessman Carl Icahn of New York City.

Many believe that Ivanka and Jared will no longer be welcome in the same elite social circles they once ran in before her father became president  with her close friend Georgina Bloomberg admitting that it would be 'difficult' for the couple to return to Manhattan life.

'I think right now itll be a bit difficult for them coming back, because obviously this is something that is still very fresh and stoking everybodys fire,' she told the Daily Beast in November.

Georgina hopes that in the future people 'will hopefully welcome them back'  however, many reports have suggested that Ivanka and Jared may well be 'shunned' by the high-powered New Yorkers they once called friends.

Tiffany, who has an apartment in New York near her mother Marla, may have similar reservations about returning to the Big Apple, where she lived before she moved to Washington, D.C. to attend law school and be closer to her father.
Memorial Day programs

Memorial Day programs are happening in and around Aberdeen. Here are the details.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Salt Lake City, Utah--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Gaensel Energy, Inc., (OTC Pink: GEGR) ("Gaensel" or the "Company"), a diversified holding company with assets in Software/Gaming and VR, Health and Wellness, CRM & Data, as well as General Contracting and Patented Building supplies, is pleased to announce acquisition of Premier Italian Coffee brand, Officina della Cialda (https://officinadellacialda.it/), well known for its suite of unique flavors and aromas for coffee & tea connoisseurs around the world with 35 brick and mortar locations in Italy.



Officina della Cialda

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Officina della Cialda 2



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Raffaella Moretti, President of Officina della Cialda has decades of experience in the coffee and specialty beverage industry. She reports that in only 4 years of activity, Officina della Cialda has gone from tens of thousands of USD, to nearly ~ $3,500,000 USD in 2020.

In 2019 the Company acquired a B2B web portal waffles (www.caffecenter.it) with sales to over 1200 retail customers in Italy alone. In addition, online sales continue to enjoy robust growth from caffecenter.it and https://officinadellacialda.it/.

Officina della Cialda Coffee and Tea selections are available in capsules, waffles, beans and ground in a wide array of flavors, aromas and packaging/delivery systems such as the liquid soluble capsule which adds innovation to the booming single-serve packaging concept.







Officina della Cialda Coffee and Tea Selections



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

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Each of the 35 stores in Italy are either designed to cater to the true connoisseur with a retail concept that allows a coffee or tea to be specially tailored to each unique visitor by finding the perfect combination of unique flavor, refined aroma and delivery system, to create a one-of-a-kind experience and remarkable satisfaction. As well, the stores feature self-serve point-of-sale coffee machines for consumers on the go.





Officina della Cialda Products



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The global specialty coffee market was valued at a revenue of USD 35.9 billion in 2018. The market is further expected to grow and reach USD 83.6 billion in revenue by the year 2025. The quality of coffee beans depends on optimized protocols of culture, collection of ripe berries and removal by dry or wet processes of external fruit layers and reduction of humidity. There has been a gradual shift of customer preference for soft drinks to coffee drinks.

Europe is the world's largest coffee manufacturer. Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the United Kingdom are the leading European coffee clients. Market revenue is projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.3% and market volume is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.3% over the foreseeable future.

The need to brew coffee increases, as are baristas, coffee chains and shops, to implement state-of - the-art products that can deliver high-grade finished products and save both money and time.

About Gaensel Energy:

Gaensel Energy, Inc., (OTC Pink: GEGR) is a diversified holding company actively engaged in driving shareholder value through acquisitions and partnerships focused on opportunities in the Energy, Manufacturing, Software, and Technology markets.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws. Words such as "expect," "estimate," "project," "budget," "forecast," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "may," "will," "could," "should," "believes," "predicts," "potential," "continue" and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the actual results to differ materially from the expected results and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. These forward-looking statements and factors that may cause such differences include, without limitation inability to enter into a definitive agreement with respect to the proposed transaction or to complete the transactions contemplated by the non-binding term sheet, matters discovered by the parties as they complete their respective due diligence investigation of the other. Other factors include the possibility that the proposed transaction does not close, including due to the failure to receive required security holder approvals, or the failure of other closing conditions. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.

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J.R. Romano, chairman of the Republican state central committee, resigned Tuesday evening, months before his term was set to expire.

He announced the decision in an email to the 72 committee members.

After much personal reflection I am officially resigning my chairmanship, the email read. This decision is whats best for the organization to move forward.

Romano did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment Tuesday evening and did not say in the email why he was leaving the post, a full-time job.

It is time for a new voice to be heard from the Connecticut Republicans. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to lead the Party. Thank you, he said in the email.

Romano made in the range in of $80,000 a year, an amount that depended on fundraising or election targets.

Connecticut Republicans overwhelmingly reelected Romano to a third term as chairman of the state party in 2019, over two opponents.

Some members of the party urged him to resign last August after the arrest of a candidate for Congress in the 2nd district. Thomas Gilmer was charged in an alleged domestic assault immediately before the Aug. 11 primary, and Romano was criticized because he knew of the allegations in the spring.

Party leaders including then-Rep. Themis Klarides, who was the state House Republican leader, said he should step aside over the incident but Romano held his position, saying he had acted correctly.

In October he announced he would not seek another term as chairman. This had nothing to do with the 2nd Congressional District, he told Hearst Connecticut Media at the time, noting he had told others before that controversy that he would not seek a fourth term.

Republicans lost seats in both the state House and Senate in the November election, and were not close in any of the five races for Congress.

Four of the states most prominent Republicans all said Tuesday they did not know why Romano chose to resign.

All I can say is that I appreciate anyone who steps into the fray to do any of these jobs, Klarides said. They are not easy.

Romano, hard-nosed and quick-thinking, has been a solid supporter of President Donald Trump, arguing even in recent days that election fraud might have been rampant. During the lead-up to the November presidential election, he sent an email to party members asking for volunteers to watch for voter fraud, Hearst Connecticut Media reported.

Being a Republican in Connecticut is never easy, said Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford. He put his heart and soul in the job. And its not an easy job. Its a lot of sacrifice. We wish him well in all his endeavors.

The resignation comes as Democrats in Congress have introduced articles of impeachment against Trump for a second time.

Two ranking Republicans Tuesday night said they didnt think the Trump impeachment and Romanos resignation were related.

I dont really see a connection between the two, said Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, the House GOP leader.

If youre not going to complete another term, I think it makes more sense to do it at the beginning of the legislative session, he added, calling the timing of Romanos decision appropriate.

He said he had known Romano for a long time but had not yet spoken to him since the announcement. I certainly wish him well in his future endeavors, Candelora said.

John Frey, a member of the Republican National Committee and former state representative from Ridgefields 111th district, also said he believed Romanos resignation was unrelated to events in Washington.

First of all J.R. isnt the type of person to be intimidated out of something, said Frey. Also thats Washington, this is Connecticut.

He said he has known Romano for around 20 years.

He breathes, lives this stuff, I mean hes a good guy, and I certainly wish him the best, Frey said.

Staff writer Ken Dixon contributed reporting.
Bengaluru, Jan 13 : Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday said that he has forwarded seven legislators' names to Governor Vajubhai Vala, including that of four-time MLA and sugar baron Murugesh Nirani, and six-time MLA from Sullia constituency S. Angara.

During his short interaction with media prior to attending the state Cabinet meeting here, Yediyurappa said that he had sent seven names - Umesh Katti, Aravind Limbavali, M.T.B. Nagaraj, R. Shankar, C.P. Yogeshwara, Murugesh Nirani and S. Angara - who will be administered the oath of secrecy by the Governor at 3:50 p.m. in Raj Bhavan.

According to the sources, Katti had been picked up by the party leaders under Lingayat quota, Limbavali had been rewarded for his planning and execution in toppling the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, C.P. Yogeshwara too got his berth as a reward for working in tandem with Yediyurappa and his team to topple the Congress-JD(S) coalition government in Karnataka.

Nagaraj and Shankar who had defected along with 17 legislators in 2019, were almost certain to make it to Cabinet. Shankar had not only defected but also allowed the ruling BJP to field its candidate from Ranebennur seat which he had won as an independent in 2018.

Sources added that Nagaraj who is billed as Karnataka's richest politician, was rewarded the berth despite his defeat in the bypolls that took place after he defected from the Congress.

He was defeated by BJP MP B.N. Bacche Gowda's son, Sharat Bacche Gowda, as an independent. Bacche Gowda and Nagaraj are from traditional rival political families who do not leave any stone unturned to retain their stranglehold on Hosakote Assembly constituency and they have been acrimoniously fighting polls against each other for several decades now.

In a real sense, four-time legislator and former industries minister Nirani, a sugar baron and industrialist from Bagalkot district and six-time BJP legislator and Sangh Parivar loyalist S. Angara have emerged as dark horses, belying all speculation that had been doing the rounds for months.

According to sources, this time Sangh leaders from the coastal region had strongly recommended Angara's case and as a result of this he was selected.
The rise in Covid cases has been "twice as bad as the worst-case projections," Tanaiste Leo Varadkar told a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting today.

The rise in cases, the meeting heard, had arisen from a combination of factors including house gatherings, hospitality settings, the UK variant, travel around the country, mixing of homes over Christmas, international travel with people not isolating for 14 days, and illegal gatherings.

Sources said that the Tanaiste said that the fact that travellers could fly into Belfast without a negative PCR test and travel across the border represented a "back door" into Ireland.

Mr Varadkar said the situation in hospitals was going to be "very difficult" for the next few weeks due to the high case numbers.

He said that between 50,000 and 55,000 people will be vaccinated this week and the aim was to complete vaccinations in nursing homes next Sunday.

However, Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is understood to have raised concern about the vaccination programme's communications.

Mr Harris told the meeting that the public felt "in the dark" on the issue. MEP Frances Fitzgerald is said to have questioned the leadership of the vaccination programme, while the meeting was told that private businesses could be contacted for assistance with logistics.

Junior health minister Frank Feighan told the meeting that over 2,000 people have now completed a training programme for delivering the vaccine.
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Katy Perry has a special Instagram post dedicated to her beau Orlando Bloom on his 44th birthday. The American pop star posted a series of pictures with the British actor in her latest Instagram post.

The pictures captured some of the fun and happy moments the couple has shared together, from travelling to Egypt to brushing their teeth together. Captioning the post, Katy wished happiest 44th birthday to her love and a brilliant father of their daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. She called Orlando a shimmering mirror that sees and reflects to her what she cannot yet see. The 36-year-old songwriter thanked Orlando for always going back down to the mat with her and never tapping out. She wrote that she is glad to find her moon to its sun.

Katy and Orlando have been dating since 2016 and on August 27, 2020 the couple welcomed their first child together. Announcing the news, the couple, who happen to be UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, said in a joint statement that they are floating with love and wonder from the safe and healthy arrival of their daughter.

The couple first met at the Golden Globe Awards party in 2016 and started seeing each other. Three years later, on February 14, 2019, Katy posted a picture with Orlando showing off her engagement ring that was in the shape of a daisy flower. Captioning the picture Katy wrote, "full bloom."

Orlando also has a nine-year-old son named Flynn with his former wife and Australian model, Miranda Kerr. Orlando and Miranda were married for three years from 2010 to 2013.

In an interview to Hello magazine, The Pirates of the Caribbean star expressed that his son could not be more excited to be getting a little sister and he already has two brothers from Miranda's second marriage. Orlando said even though the circumstances are definitely unusual, it is a wonderful time for the family.

Also see: Happy Birthday Liam Hemsworth! Drool Over These Photos of the Aussie Hunk
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Tunisia Tuesday announced a four-day general lockdown starting from Thursday as authorities move to curb alarming covid-19 contaminations.

The measure includes a nationwide curfew from 4pm to 6am, suspension of school classes until January 24, ban on all cultural events. Restaurants and cafes ordered not to provide seats for their clients.

The move comes a few days after President Kais Saied lambasted the government over handling of the pandemic despites several measures put in place to stem contaminations.

The North African country registered Sunday 3,074 new cases bringing the infection toll to 162,350. 69 fatalities were also registered  5,284 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic in February.

Saied also instructed the government to begin talks with Russia for the acquisition of Moscow-backed Sputnik V covid-19 vaccine.

Faouzi Mehdi, minister of health is expected to have talks with Russian envoy to North Africa in connection with the acquisition of the Russian vaccine financed by the Russian investment fund.

Sputnik V is considered more than 95 per cent efficient on the 42nd day after the injection on condition that the patient has received the second dose.

Russia was the first country in the world to have announced in August the discovery of a vaccine for the respiratory disease. Tunisia has also signed up for vaccines from Pfizer and BioNTech laboratories.
Boris Johnson has been warned he is on a fresh collision course with Joe Biden, after threatening to break another Brexit agreement.

The prime minister vowed to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol if it was necessary to stop supermarkets running short of food  attacking absurd bureaucracy.

But Simon Hoare, a Conservative MP said: It would do huge damage to the Good Friday Agreement....and damage the relationship between our country and the US.

Mr Johnson attacked the rules he agreed  as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, in 2019  as he was warned the situation in Northern Ireland shops is set to worsen.

A three month grace period, freeing food importers from the need to obtain export health certificates, will expire at the end of March.

The prime minister was asked to guarantee the grace period would be extended  but instead turned on the impact of the Protocol he signed.

I can certainly guarantee that, if there are serious problems in supplying supermarkets in Northern Ireland  because of some piece of bureaucracy thats misapplied  then we will simply exercise Article 16 of the Protocol, he said.

It is absurd that there should be such difficulties.

Only last weekend, the government signalled it was unlikely to bow to pressure from the Democratic Unionist Party to invoke Article 16  threatening trade with the Irish Republic.

But many supermarkets in Northern Ireland have been hit by rows of empty shelves because of unworkable post-Brexit border arrangements  even before they fully come into effect.

The bosses of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Iceland, Co-op and Marks and Spencer have protested to Michael Gove, Cabinet Office minister overseeing the Protocol.

The Protocol is viewed by the EU, and Washington, as vital to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, preserving the peace sealed by the Good Friday Agreement.

It means Northern Ireland remains part of EU single market and customs unions rules, requiring substantial paperwork to ship goods from Great Britain, particularly products of animal origin.

The controversy threatens to revive the furore over the Internal Market Bill, which would have overridden the withdrawal deal on the customs checks required on goods crossing the Irish Sea.

The president-elect spoke out, warning it would kill Londons dream of a US-UK trade deal  before Mr Johnson backed down in December.

Giving evidence to the Commons liaison committee, the prime minister insisted Irish Sea trade was going far better than some people had perhaps expected, things are much smoother.

He said the problems are by and large small, soluble questions which one-by-one we are addressing  but Hilary Benn, the Labour chair of the Commons Brexit committee warned that was before the checks mushroomed, after March.
(Alliance News) - President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday nominated former ambassador Samantha Power, a forceful advocate of humanitarian diplomacy, to lead US foreign aid and elevated the position's role.

Power, if confirmed as administrator of the US Agency for International Development, would sit on the National Security Council along with John Kerry, the former secretary of state tapped as climate envoy a for the first time giving such prominence to the two issues.A

"Samantha Power is a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity a challenging and rallying the international community to stand up for the dignity and humanity of all people, Biden said in a statement.

"As USAID administrator, Ambassador Power will be a powerful force for lifting up the vulnerable, ushering in a new era of human progress and development and advancing American interests globally, he added.

Power would be the best-known figure ever to lead USAID, a new indication that Biden plans to put a focus on overseas assistance, which Secretary of State-nominee Antony Blinken has said will be "at the center of our foreign policy."

A former war correspondent born in Ireland, Power won the Pulitzer Prize for her 2002 book 'A Problem from Hell' in which she critiques the US reluctance to label and prevent genocide around the world.

Power, 50, was an early supporter of Barack Obama who in his second term as president made her US ambassador to the United Nations.

In a memoir published in 2019 entitled 'The Education of an Idealist', Power described the struggles to fit her vision into the reality of governance, including her unsuccessful push for more action on Syria by Obama, who feared stronger US intervention would become a quagmire.

At USAID, Power will face an early test in seeing how US assistance can bridge inequalities that have been aggravated by the Covid-19 crisis, which the World Bank has estimated could plunge up to 115 million people worldwide into extreme poverty.

Outgoing President Donald Trump has been a staunch critic of foreign aid, saying the US should focus on itself, although bipartisan coalitions in Congress have rejected his more drastic proposals of cuts.

The Trump administration has largely seen aid through the prism of competition with China and other powers, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo boasting that the US is "the most generous nation in the history of the world."

Power would succeed acting USAID chief John Barsa, a Trump advisor who has raised controversy for installing outspoken conservatives and demanding the United Nations remove references to "reproductive health."

source: AFP

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Hyundai India has exported the first batch of 125 vehicles to Nepal through Indian railways. Using this eco-friendly mode of export, the company aims to reduce its carbon footprint by 20,260 tons with this scheme.

The first batch of vehicles boarded the train from the Walajabad Railway Hub near the Irungattukkottai-based production facility outside Chennai. The train will transport the consignment to Nautanwa near the border town of Sonauli from where the last leg of delivery will be implemented through roadways. This ecological initiative is expected to reduce the overall export time from eight days to five days.

Commenting on this latest initiative in the field of Outbound Logistics, Mr Ganesh Mani S, Director-Production, Hyundai Motor India Ltd said, Hyundai is committed to eco-friendly initiatives. As a progressive OEM, all our production processes follow Green practices for conservation of natural resources. The zero-wastage of water and using over 70 per cent of renewable energy in the HMI plant has set a benchmark in the industry. To further enhance our initiatives following global direction of Progress For Humanity, we have commenced our first-ever eco-friendly Exports operations through Railways by dispatching 125 cars in 25 rakes in this first consignment to Nepal, reducing Carbon footprint by 20,260 tons.

The brand states that over 14 per cent of export is conducted by the rail route instead of the road. At the same time, Hyundai also undertakes transport of its vehicles across the country using waterways. The car manufacturer also crossed the 30-lakh export milestone in January 2020.

Hyundai Creta  10.00 Lakh Onwards

Hyundai | Creta | Hyundai Creta
ITTA BENA, Miss. (AP)  Kevion Stewart scored 19 points, Kenny Strawbridge had 11 points and 11 rebounds and Alabama State beat Mississippi Valley State 64-51 on Tuesday night.

Brandon Battle added nine rebounds and DJ Jackson had six rebounds for Alabama State (1-3, 1-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference).

Caleb Hunter scored a season-high 22 points and had seven rebounds for the Delta Devils (0-10, 0-2). Terry Collins added 12 points and Treylan Smith had six rebounds.

___

For more AP college basketball coverage: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://twitter.com/AP_Top25

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This was generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
ANN ARBOR, MI - Ann Arbor Public Schools is targeting bringing students back for in-person classes in a hybrid format in early March, pending significant progress in the vaccination of school personnel and a reduction in the overall level of community COVID-19 infections.

Superintendent Jeanice Swift has laid out a tentative return to the classroom, with stage 1 taking place in early March, although a specific date was not given. AAPS has been offering online-only instruction since March 2020.

Specific dates for a return to in-person classes will be recommended by Swift, approved by the school board and confirmed with staff parents and the community at least two weeks prior to the return of students at each stage for those who choose the in-school hybrid learning option, according to the plan..

Stage 1 would include students in pre-kindergarten, young fives and kindergarten who have chosen the hybrid in-person learning model, as well as students with high-level specialized learning needs. Also included are small groups of middle and high school students most in-need of in-person classes.

Stages 2 through 4 would occur in approximately one-week intervals, Swift said, with stage 2 including first- and second-grade students who chose a hybrid learning model.

Stage 3, which is targeted to begin one week after stage 2, would include third- through fifth-grade students.

Stage 4 is tentatively slated to begin after spring break, with the transitioning of middle and high school students to a hybrid format. More precise timelines for the transition of middle and high school students, by grade level, will be shared in February, Swift said.

The transition to in-school learning timelines are subject to adjustment, depending on significant progress in the school personnel vaccination process, ongoing monitoring of district and community COVID-19 infection numbers and monitoring of any factors that would inhibit a safe and healthy reopening of schools, Swift said.

As an Ann Arbor Public Schools community, we have come a long way in this COVID crisis, Swift said. While the public health concern continues, the arrival of the COVID vaccine and a potential in-school antigen testing program represent significant progress on the horizon.

Our goal remains to offer students the opportunity to begin an in-school hybrid learning model as soon as possible in the safest way possible. Through this next phase, health and safety will continue as our top priority. We respect that wide differences of opinion exist across the spectrum on issues surrounding the timing of a safe transition for staff and students; our transition plan allows for parent choice.

Swift sent a message to families on Friday, Jan. 8 outlining the districts ongoing work in preparing its buildings for reopening after Gov. Gretchen Whitmers announcement that day that she wants to see K-12 schools resume in-person learning March 1.

Swift highlighted the districts recent coordination with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services in a pilot COVID-19 antigen testing process that is currently being used by high school athletes.

The focus of the pilot is to assess a testing protocol that can be used to ensure a safe and confident reopening of K-12 schools, Swift said, giving the district another health and safety tool at its disposal.

READ MORE:

Ann Arbor schools taking definitive, positive steps toward in-person learning, superintendent says

More than 120 physicians join push for in-person classes in Ann Arbor Public Schools

Political pressure wont drive Ann Arbor schools to return to classroom, board says

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday asked the University of California Board of Regents to slow down its approval of a 2 million-square-foot expansion of UCSFs Parnassus campus.

In a 10-1 vote the board requested that the regents delay its vote until March. The regents, the board that controls the UC system, is scheduled to consider approvals during its Jan. 19 through Jan. 21 meeting.

We are asking for a reasonable, two-month pause on a proposed plan to add 2 million gross square feet to the Parnassus campus, which will no doubt have citywide impacts for decades to come, said Supervisor Dean Preston, who represents the area and authored the resolution.

Preston said the public needs more time to understand the implications of this project and to make sure that the necessary community benefits  particularly commitments to affordable housing, transportation and labor  are included in the agreement.

In a statement later Tuesday, UCSF rejected the request, saying that pushing back approvals would only delay building the critical health care infrastructure San Francisco needs today.

In a year when the pandemic has revealed the vulnerability of health care and hospital capacity in San Francisco, we cannot afford to delay this important project any longer, the university said in a statement to The Chronicle. Every year, UCSF turns away up to 3,000 patients because of a lack of capacity. We must immediately begin the 10-year process of replacing our aging and outdated hospital now to meet the states 2030 seismic deadline or create needless bureaucratic complexity and higher costs.

UCSF said it had held 28 community meetings over two years, working with neighbors to develop a 30-year plan to modernize our campus that addresses our hospitals current lack of capacity.

As a state agency, UCSF does not require city approvals for land use or development decisions, but did spend several months negotiating a memorandum of understanding with Mayor London Breeds office. As part of those negotiations the medical school and hospital agreed to increase the amount of housing in the plan from about 750 to 1,263 units and make about 40% of them available at below market rates. In addition, UCSF agreed to invest $20 million in transportation improvements.

While some critics of the project welcomed the changes, others continue to maintain that the project is out of scale with the neighborhood. Some opponents of the development said the housing should be sped up to be completed when the new hospital and research facility is done, rather than over the 30-year span of the plan.

Preston argued delaying approvals would not impact the timeline for the project to be shovel-ready.

The negotiations are heading in the right direction, but are not there yet, Preston said. I hope the regents will heed our call for more time to get this right.

A spokesman for Breed also said the requested delay was unwarranted.

This is a good project that has gone through extensive community process over two years, and we dont need to delay it any longer, spokesman Jeff Cretan said. The housing, transportation and workforce investments that are part of the package the mayor worked to secure for the city will be a significant benefit for the community.

J.K. Dineen is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jdineen@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @sfjkdineen
Behind the first pylon of the Karnak Temple stands a collection of 48 ram-headed sphinxes carved in sandstone waiting for admirers.

After 12 months of restoration work, 29 of them have now regained something of their original look.



Mustafa Waziri, secretary-general of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), described the project as the biggest in five decades, adding that the restoration work had started in December 2019 shortly after the relocation of four of the sphinxes to Cairos Tahrir Square as part of government efforts to develop it.



During the transfer, the restorers had realised that the ram-headed sphinxes were not in good condition and were suffering from deterioration. Studies revealed that some parts had been lost, probably owing to faulty restoration work carried out during the 1970s during the installation of the sound and light system at the Karnak Temple.



The restorers at that time had used the wrong materials and had installed the sphinxes on top of mounts made of cement, mud bricks, pebbles, and rubble, which had negatively impacted the statues because they had caused the absorption of subterranean water into the original sandstone bases of the sphinxes, turning them into sand.



Some sphinxes had crumbled as a result, and some had lost some of their parts. Fungi and weeds had also grown among them.



In order to restore the sphinxes, a project had been launched in December 2019, Waziri said, with the first phase being inaugurated with the completion of the restoration of 29 ram-headed sphinxes on the southern side. Work was continuing to restore the 19 statues on the northern side.



Head of restoration at the Karnak Temple Saadi Zaki, who led the restoration team, told Al-Ahram Weekly that before starting the restoration work, each statue had been scientifically examined and documented to define its condition and the extent of any deterioration.



All the sphinxes were removed for mechanical cleaning, consolidation, and restoration using internationally approved restoration materials. New mounts were fabricated to install the sphinxes and return them to their original location.



The statues were discovered between 1895 and 1942 by French and Egyptian Egyptologists, according to Egyptologist Salah Al-Maseikh. They were originally located before the temples second pylon, but during the reign of king Taharqa (690-664 BCE), they were removed to their current location, giving space for the king to build his own temple within the open court.



At the Valley of the Kings on the west bank of the Nile at Luxor the tomb of king Ramses I (KV16), founder of the 19th Dynasty, has also been reopened to the public following restoration.



The walls and inscriptions of the tomb were cleaned of bird deposits and soot and the colours strengthened.



The tomb was discovered in 1817 by the Italian explorer Giovanni Belzoni. It is 29 metres long and consists of a short corridor that ends in a burial chamber containing a granite sarcophagus.



It has magnificent wall decorations depicting scenes from the Book of the Gates. The burial chamber has distinguished scenes showing the boat of the sun god being dragged by four figures and others representing the king kneeling before the spirits of the gods Pe and Nekhen.



Ramses I was not born royal. He was a deputy of the army during the reign of king Horemheb, when he was called Paramessu. As Horemheb was childless, Paramessu was appointed as his successor, ascending the throne as Ramses I and founding the 19th Dynasty.



His mummy is on display in the Hall of the Glory of Thebes in the Luxor Museum.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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WASHINGTON, DC  Ten Republicans broke ranks with their party Wednesday and voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time for inciting the deadly Capitol insurrection last week. The final vote was 232-197 in favor of impeaching Trump  a stunning indictment for a sitting president with only seven days left in his presidency, but who House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ominously warned "is a clear and present danger to the nation we all love."

With the most bipartisan vote on impeachment in U.S. history, Trump's legacy is sealed as the only U.S. president to be impeached twice. But the vast majority of House Republicans voted against impeaching him, a signal Trump's aggressive brand of populism has a home in the GOP.

Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking member of the House Republican leadership, led the Republican defections, saying Tuesday that Trump's actions led to death and destruction in the most sacred space in our republic.

Also voting with the Democrats were Republican Reps. Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan, Dan Newhouse of Washington, Peter Meijer of Michigan, Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, David Valadao of California and Tom Rice of South Carolina.

The majority of House Republicans remained loyal to Trump, and they argued Wednesday impeachment would further incite the president's extremist supporters. Trump, ensconsed at the White House and watching the proceedings TV, issued a statement urging "NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind" to disrupt Biden's ascension to the White House. But he took no responsibility for the siege that resulted in five deaths  including the beating death of a Capitol Police officer, multiple arrests and a sprawling FBI investigation.



A nervous nation watched history as it unfolded in the House, where representatives voting to impeach Trump said they were further pushed to urgency by intelligence briefings suggesting extremists loyal to Trump are threatening Biden's inauguration next week.

Story continues

Trump did not acknowledge his second impeachment in a video statement released early Wednesday evening, but in a dramatic shift called on his supporters to remain peaceful amid concerns about additional violence before Biden is sworn in.

I want to be very clear: I unequivocally condemn the violence that we saw last week, he said, adding that like all of you I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity and that no true supporter of his could ever endorse political violence.



Some 20,000 National Guard troops  more than are deployed to Afghanistan  have been deployed to protect America's dome of democracy, and the FBI has warned armed protests are likely at some or all of the 50 statehouses around the country ahead of Inauguration Day.



Read more from Patch editors on efforts to fortify statehouses across America and prepare for violence: Arizona | Colorado | Illinois | Michigan | Minnesota | Ohio | Washington

Trump also said that he had directed federal agencies to use all necessary resources to maintain order in Washington, D.C. over the next week.

In the face of the accusations against him and with the FBI warning of more violence, Trump erlier said, That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.



Intelligence shows as many as 10,000 Trump supporters have active plans to form a perimeter around the Capitol, the White House and the Supreme Court as Biden takes the oath. Chatter about continued violence that surfaced on an encrypted communications app Telegram also includes an assassination plot, according to intelligence reports.

The FBI was alerted by a group that monitors the Dubai-based messaging service Telegraph when chatter increased about extremist protests that could escalate into violence before, on and after Inauguration Day. Information shared on the app included instructions on making, concealing and using homemade guns and bombs, NBC News reported.



Content on white supremacy has been freely shared for months on the app, NBC reported, but chatter picked up significantly after the Capitol siege.

Chris Sampson, chief of research at the Terror Asymmetrics Project on Strategy, Tactics and Radical Ideologies, a defense research institute, said his group monitors the channel and alerted the FBI.

When they start calling for assassinations, when they start calling for action versus sharing information, we flag them a little higher," Sampson said.

Trump Will Serve Out His Term

Regardless of the vote to impeach the 45th president, who has spent four years bending Washington to his will, Trump will be allowed to finish out his term.



Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocked a quick impeachment trial in the Senate, saying "there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial" could end in the week remaining before Biden is sworn in. Instead, he will let New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who will become the Senate majority leader when Democrats gain control of the chamber on Jan. 19, manage the trial.

McConnell said Wednesday he hasnt decided how he will vote in a Senate trial. While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote, and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate, he said in a statement.

McConnell is furious with Trump for his continued false claims of a stolen election and has called Trump loyalists who stormed the Capitol unhinged. But for him to vote to convict Trump would be an extraordinary turn for the Republican leader who has spent the last four years defending and protecting the president.

Associates of McConnell told The New York Times the Kentucky Republican believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and is pleased the Democrats moved to impeach him on a single charge of incitement of insurrection. The Times story said McConnell believes impeachment is the best way to purge Trumpism from the Republican Party.

If the 50 Senate Democrats and independents caucusing with them vote to convict Trump, 17 Republicans would have to break from their party. McConnells increasingly chilly view of Trump could make it easier for Republicans to turn against him, but Trump's remarks Wednesday condemning the violence could increase his chances of surviving a Senate trial.

A vote in the Senate to convict Trump of the charges would give the chamber the option under the Constitution to forbid him from seeking federal office again and strip him of perks afforded former presidents.



Cheney, the Wyoming representative who is the daughter for former Vice President Dick Cheney, said the case against Trump was clear.



"There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," Cheney said in a statement Tuesday.



In his Jan. 6 address to tens of thousands of his supporters, some of whom split off to break into the Capitol, Trump singled out Cheney, saying, "We got to get rid of the weak congresspeople, the ones that arent any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world.



There is no question that the president formed the mob, the president incited the mob, the president addressed the mob, Cheney told Fox News as she sheltered in a secure location inside the Capitol. "He lit the flame."

Who Knew What When?

The deadly Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol by Trump extremists wasnt a spontaneous show of support for the defeated president, according to an FBI bulletin circulated internally the day before warning that extremists were planning to travel to the nations capital, attack Congress and engage in war.



The bulletin directly contradicts previous reports by the Justice Department and FBI, both of which claimed intelligence did not show any looming threats of violence as a joint session of Congress met in what is typically a routine proceeding in the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next.

The Washington Post, which obtained the bulletin issued internally by the FBIs field office in Norfolk, Virginia, said it described the sharing of maps of the Capitols tunnels, discussed rallying points to meet up to travel to Washington and called for violence, including an online thread that urged the defeated presidents supporters to be ready to fight.

Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers being spilled, the thread continued, making references to the Black Lives Matter movement and using a slur to describe antifa, a loosely organized movement denouncing racism and fascism.

Get violent, supporters were prodded in the thread, according to the FBI memo. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.

Steven Sund, the departing chief of the Capitol Police force, told The Washington Post he made six requests for backup before and during the attack on the Capitol and repeatedly asked the sergeants at arms of the House and Senate for permission to request help from the National Guard.

In an afternoon call with Pentagon officials, Lt. Gen. Walter E. Piatt, the director of the Army staff, agreed to deploy the military but said he didnt like the visual of the National Guard standing a police line with the Capitol in the background.

Military troops werent deployed until after 3 p.m. and didnt arrive at the Capitol until about 5:40 p.m. By that time, the violence had mostly ended.

Many of the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 were armed as if in preparation for war. Five people died in the violence  a Capitol Police officer who was fatally injured by the rioters, a protester who was shot by police, and three others who died as a result of what D.C. police called "medical emergencies."

Hang Mike Pence! chanted some of the rioters, unhappy with the vice president after he said he lacked the constitutional authority to do as Trump asked and set aside the election results.

Lawmakers briefed by the FBI about last weeks Capitol siege said they are gravely concerned about the threat of further violence. Five Democrats heading House subcommittees said in a statement that it is clear that more must be done to preempt, penetrate and prevent deadly and seditious assaults by domestic violent extremists in the days to come.

The FBI said its investigation into the insurrection is unprecedented, so far including 170 open cases that could result in sedition, felony murder and conspiracy charges against hundreds of persons. The lawmakers briefed on what was known ahead of the attack said they were assured by the FBI that every individual associated with this act  both those who made it inside the Capitol and those who entered restricted areas outside  will be prosecuted.

Dozens of people have already been charged in the deadly Capitol riot, but U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said Tuesday this is only the beginning of a sweeping probe to bring to justice those attempting to overthrow or defeat the government.

Were going to focus on the most significant charges as a deterrent because, regardless if it was just a trespass in the Capitol or if someone planted a pipe bomb, you will be charged and you will be found, he said.

The Justice Department has created a specialized strike force to examine the possibility of sedition charges. Officials said they were using some of the same techniques in the riot probe as they use in international counterterrorism investigations, examining the money flow and movement of defendants leading up to the breach.

Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, told reporters Tuesday the assault on the Capitol was domestic terrorism and those involved should be prosecuted to the full extent of federal law. He also said participants should also be placed on the federal no-fly list as insurrectionists.

The outgoing 45th president made his first public remarks after the Capitol siege Tuesday as he left on a defiantly symbolic trip to a Texas border town  the Alamo  named after the 13-day siege at a San Antonio mission where a small group of Texan independence fighters fended off Mexican forces.

Trump took no responsibility for the attack on the Capitol, instead blaming congressional Democrats seeking his early removal from office for causing unrest.

Its causing tremendous danger to our country, Trump said, and its causing tremendous anger.

Trump, who did not take questions, said remarks he made at a rally Jan. 6  cited in the four-page impeachment bill the House is expected to vote on Wednesday  were totally appropriate and did not incite those who split off from the crowd of tens of thousands of supporters to storm the Capitol.

Speaking for more than an hour, Trump urged his supporters at the rally to march peacefully to the Capitol, but also encouraged them to fight like hell. He also suggested Republican lawmakers who hadnt committed to contesting the Electoral College votes that made Biden the 2020 presidential election winner would need more courage to step up. Trump also said he would join the protesters in their march, though he then returned to the White House.

Even as he maintained Tuesday he wants absolutely no violence, Trump warned those pushing for his removal to be careful what you wish for.

The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration, he said.

The House had asked Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke their constitutional authority under the 25th Amendment and declare him unfit to finish out his term. But Pence sent a letter to Pelosi on Tuesday evening saying that so removing the president from office is not in the best interests of the country.



Schumer labeled Trump's comments "a pathological technique ... used by the worst dictators the globe as ever seen, and said Trump "should not hold office one day longer."

Related from Patch editors:



Related from The Associated Press:

The Associated Press contributed reporting. This is a developing story. Stay on Patch and refresh your browser for the latest news.

This article originally appeared on the Across America Patch
Election 2020 is over, but the legal battles surrounding the parliamentary election have just begun. The two major political parties  the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)  have crossed swords in courtrooms across the country in a bid to increase their seats in Parliament.



So far, 16 parliamentary election petitions have been filed at various High courts  eight against elected NPP MPs and eight against NDC MPs.



The NDC constituencies in dispute are Buem, Kintampo North, Savelugu, Pusiga, Jomoro, Assin North, Banda and Krachi West.



With regard to the NPP, the seats in contention are Techiman South, Hohoe, Tano South, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Essikado Ketan, Tema West, Zabzugu and Sefwi Wiawso.



Twelve of the petitions  Techiman South, Savelugu, Pusiga, Banda, Jomoro, Krachi West, Tano South, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Essikado Ketan, Tema West, Zabzugu and Sefwi Wiawso  are on alleged electoral malpractices.



Two  Kintampo North and Assin North  relate to the eligibility of the elected MPs, while the remaining two  Hohoe and Buem  have to do with a decision by the Electoral Commission (EC) not to allow the people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) to vote in the parliamentary election.



The Daily Graphic has obtained six of the petitions  Kintampo North, Techiman South, Hohoe, Buem, Savelugu and Assin North.



Kintampo North



The NDC MP for Kintampo North, Mr Joseph Kwame Kumah, secured 33,460 votes to defeat the NPP candidate, Mr Michael Sarkodie Baffoe, who got 16,499 votes.



In a petition filed at the Sunyani High Court on January 11, 2021, Mr Baffoe contended that Mr Kumah was not eligible to be MP.



He accused the MP of being part of the Ghost name scandal that rocked the National Service Scheme (NSS) in 2015.



According to the petitioner, Mr Kumah was a District Director of the NSS in Nanumba North who was sacked after allegedly defrauding the state of GH95,413.20 as part of the Ghost name scandal.



The petitioner further contended that as a result of the scandal, in 2015 a committee of enquiry found Mr Kumah incompetent to hold public office.



It was the case of Mr Baffoe that the adverse findings by the committee had not been set aside by any court and, therefore, Mr Kumah was not eligible to be a legislator, as stipulated in Article 94 (2) (d) of the 1992 Constitution.



Also, he argued that as a result of the adverse findings, Mr Kumah was barred for 10 years from becoming an MP, as stipulated in Article 94 (5) of the Constitution.



The net effect of the second respondent (Mr Kumah) filing and contesting the parliamentary election when he was not disqualified by the supreme law of Ghana is that he was not a candidate at all, and by virtue of that his election is null and void and of no effect, Mr Baffoe argued.



The NPP candidate, therefore, wants the court to declare Mr Kumah as not the validly elected MP for Kintampo North by virtue of his alleged ineligibility.



Techiman South



The petition challenging the election of the NPP MP for Techiman South, Mr Martin Kwaku Adjei-Mensah Korsah, was filed by the NDC candidate for the constituency, Mr Christopher Beyere Baasongti, at the Wenchi High Court.



Mr Baasongti argued that per the votes counted at all the polling stations in Techiman South, he (Baasongti) should have been declared the MP-elect.



That per the pink sheets the petitioner got from his polling agents at each of the 267 polling stations, the petitioner (Baasongti) garnered 50,306 votes in the parliamentary election, while the first respondent (Korsah) got 50,013 votes, he argued.



The NDC candidate contended that apart from getting the highest number of votes, there was no collation of the results, as required by Regulation 43 of the Public Elections Regulations, 2020 (C.I. 127), but the ECs returning officer ended up declaring Mr Korsah the winner.



Up to the date of the filling of the instant election petition, neither the petitioner nor any of his representatives has been invited by the second respondent (EC) or its agents for the collation of the parliamentary results of the Techiman South Constituency, Mr Baasongti argued.



Among other reliefs, the petitioner is seeking an order from the court directed at the EC to collate the results of all the polling stations in Techiman South and also for the EC to publicly declare him as the winner of the 2020 parliamentary election in the constituency.



Hohoe/Buem



Hohoe is in the Volta Region and Buem is in the Oti Region, but the petitions challenging the parliamentary election in the two constituencies are intrinsically linked.



This is also against the backdrop that the elected MP for Hohoe is NPPs Mr John-Peter Amewu, while that for Buem is the NDCs Mr Kofi Adams.



The common theme running through the two petitions has to do with the decision of the EC not to allow the people of SALL, which used to be part of the Hohoe Constituency but is now in the Oti Region, to vote in the 2020 parliamentary election.



The petition challenging Mr Amewus election was filed at the Ho High Court by five persons, who include the NDC candidate for Hohoe, Prof. Margaret Kweku.



It was the case of the applicants that Prof. Kweku had strong support from the SALL areas and, therefore, the decision by the EC not to allow the people of SALL to vote was taken in bad faith.



The said decision of first respondent (EC), which was implemented in the conduct of the parliamentary election on December 7, 2020, was designed to be to the benefit of the 2nd respondent (Amewu), who has his stronghold in other areas of the constituency, the petition stated.



Among other reliefs, the petitioners want the court to set aside the results of the Hohoe parliamentary election and order the EC to conduct another election to include the people of SALL.



With regard to the petition against Mr Adams, the 13 petitioners, who are also from the SALL area, argued that SALL should have been part of Buem and, therefore, the ECs decision not to allow the people of SALL to vote in the parliamentary election rendered the parliamentary election in Buem null and void.



They are, therefore, seeking a declaration from the court cancelling the parliamentary election in Buem and an order directed at the EC to conduct another election, which should include the people of SALL.



Savelugu



The Savelugu election petition was filed by the NPP candidate, Mr Muhammed Abdul-Samed Gunu, against the NDC MP for the constituency, Mr Abdulai Jacob Iddriss, and the EC.



Mr Gunu garnered 19,478 votes, while Mr Iddriss got 19,577.



The petitioner argued that the election was marred by gross and widespread electoral malpractices, such as over-voting and ballot stuffing.



The results, as declared and recorded by the first respondent (EC), contained widespread incidents where total votes cast at several polling stations exceeded the total number of ballots issued to voters at the polling stations, he said.



It is the contention of the NPP candidate that had it not been for the alleged malpractices, he would have won the election.



He is, therefore, seeking an order from the Tamale High Court that Mr Iddriss is not the validly elected MP for Savelugu, and that he (Mr Gunu) is rather the validly elected MP.



Assin North



In Assin North, the NDC MP, Mr James Gyakye Quayson, polled 17,498 votes, against 14,793 by the NPPs Ms Abena Durowaa Mensah.



On December 30, 2020, Mr Michael Ankomah-Nimfah, a resident of Assin Bereku in the Assin North Constituency, filed the petition at the Cape Coast High Court.



He contended that Mr Quayson was not eligible to be an MP on the basis that at the time he filed his nomination to contest as a parliamentary candidate, he was still a citizen of Canada.



Such an act, he argued, was against the express provision of Article 94 (2) (a) of the 1992 Constitution and Section 9(2) of the Representation of the People Act 1992 (PNDCL 284).



Among other reliefs, the petitioner is seeking an order restraining Mr Quayson from holding himself as the MP-elect for Assin North and another order cancelling the parliamentary election that took place in Assin North on December 7, 2020.





Source: graphiconline.com









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WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Coalfire Federal, a leading cybersecurity services provider to the federal government and Defense Industrial Base (DIB), today announced it has been approved as a Registered Provider Organization (RPO) by the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Accreditation Body (CMMC-AB).

The CMMC framework is a set of mandatory cybersecurity requirements that all contractors within the DoD supply chain will be required to implement and, beginning this year, to have verified by an independent CMMC Third Party Assessment Organization (C3PAO). CMMC was created to address the ongoing theft and unauthorized access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) by foreign adversaries through the enforcement of good cyber hygiene and best practices.

"RPOs will play a critical role within the CMMC ecosystem," said Coalfire Federal President Bill Malone. "The DoD estimates that over 300,000 organizations across the DIB will be required to implement CMMC to improve the operational readiness and security posture of the supply chain. CMMC requirements are exacting, and many organizations, especially small to medium sized business, lack the internal resources, cybersecurity expertise, and understanding of the framework necessary to implement them successfully. That's where Coalfire Federal comes in."

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Coalfire Federal is a U.S. company with offices in Virginia, and Maryland. Our company has nearly 20 years' experience providing cybersecurity services to a wide range of government and commercial organizations enabling and protecting their mission-specific cyber objectives. Coalfire Federal is the leading FedRAMP 3PAO and offers a full spectrum of cybersecurity risk management and compliance services. For more information about Coalfire Federal and CMMC, contact us at [email protected] or visit: www.coalfirefederal.com .

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Los Angeles: Veteran action star Chuck Norris has denied that he was part of the mob that attacked the Capitol Hill last week. The 80-year-old actors name was trending through Tuesday after a picture was uploaded to Twitter, showing aDonald Trumpsupporter next to a man with a likeness to Norris, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Norris, however, denied that he was the man in the photo, asserting that he is not a person who will break the law.

I recently learned there was a Chuck Norris lookalike at the DC Capitol riots. It wasnt me and I wasnt there. There is no room for violence of any kind in our society. I am and always will be for Law and Order," he tweeted. A spokesperson for the actor also denied that Norris was part of the mob that attacked the Capitol Hill, insisting that the action hero was actually thousands of miles away from Washington DC.

This is not Chuck Norris and is a wannabe lookalike, although Chuck is much more handsome. Chuck remains on his ranch in Texas where he has been with his family," the representative said in a statement. Last week, the Trump supporters clashed with police at the Capitol, where members of the Congress were going through the process of counting and certifying the Electoral College votes.

The violent attack resulted in at least five deaths and interrupting a constitutional process to affirm President-elect Joe Bidens victory in the election.

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
Eighteen sheep have been killed in a 'shocking' suspected dog attack in North Yorkshire just days after similar horrific incidents across the UK.

A loose dog is believed to have attacked and killed the sheep in a field near Northallerton sometime between Friday 8 January and the following day.

The sheep were in a field between Warlaby and Ainderby Steeple, which has a public footpath running through it.

Police warning posters are being posted in the area where the attacks took place.

The news comes after an out-of-control dog attacked and killed a heavily pregnant Highland cow on Saturday 9 January.

The four-year-old heifer, named Lexi, was due to give birth to her first calf on 28 January.

Farms across the country have recently experienced similar attacks. On Christmas Eve, an out-of-control dog killed 30 sheep on a farm in Cheshire.

And in a separate incident last month, a loose dog massacred 46 sheep in Suffolk.

According to figures released by NFU Mutual, livestock worrying cost farmers across the UK 1.2 million in 2019.

"Dog walkers are urged to follow police advice to keep their pets and livestock safe," a North Yorkshire Police spokesperson said.

"When walking dogs in fields containing sheep it is vital that you keep dogs on leads at all times.

"Loose dogs, regardless of how well behaved they would normally be, can get into the thrill of the chase and become uncontrollable very quickly."

Anyone who has information about this incident are being asked to ring North Yorkshire Police on 101 and quote reference number 12210011661.
Republicans Condemn Democratic Leaders for Unneeded Metal Detectors Blocking House Chamber Access

Democratic leaders unilaterally authorized the installation of metal detectors by the U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) to block access to the floor of the House of Representatives, according to Republicans, who have strongly criticized the move.

This is political correctness run amok, Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) said in a statement emailed to reporters late on Jan. 12. The threat is outside, not inside. Every resource used inside is one that cant be used outside.

Davis, who is the ranking Republican member of the House Committee on Administration that has oversight authority for the USCP, remains concerned that many chamber security changes are being made at the direction of the majority, rather than in response to any real security concern, according to the statement.

The statement also described a security briefing provided on Jan. 12 by House Sergeant-at-Arms Tim Blodgett, Acting U.S. Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman, and Acting U.S. Capitol Police Assistant Chief Sean Gallagher.

During the briefing, House Republicans were told the metal detectors were being installed, as well as other enhanced security measures being initiated, as a result of demonstrators forcibly breaching the Capitol building during a Jan. 6 protest.

Demonstrators entered the Senate and House chambers, damaged historic property, and, at one point, all but overwhelmed the USCP officers guarding the Capitol. Five deaths are being attributed by officials as a result of the riot, including that of USCP Officer Brian Sicknick and protestor Ashli Babbitt, a 14-year Air Force veteran who was shot by an officer. Demonstrators were seen sitting in the Speakers Chair after the chamber was evacuated by members.

The installation of the detectors prompted outrage among a number of House Republicans, including Davis, who reportedly shouted at House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Youre taking valuable resources completely away from where it needs to be, and you guys did it without any consultation with the minority.

Other House Republicans expressed similar anger on Jan. 12, including newly elected Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.).

I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex, she wrote on Twitter. Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last weekits just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.

In another tweet, Boebert said, The fact is my concealed carry permit was issued by the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police. Boebert is a vocal defender of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to keep and bear arms.

Boebert declared shortly after her election that she planned to carry a firearm whenever she is in the nations capital, including on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol and in the House chamber.

The installation of the detectors seemed at least partially aimed to prevent Boebert from being armed while performing her duties in the House chamber, as Blodgett told members that failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber.

Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) called the installation of the metal detectors unconstitutional based on Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution. This should not stand. @GOPLeader with House Republicans must formally protest.

The detectors are set up at some, but not all, of the entrances to the House chamber.

Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) wrote on Twitter that, for members of Congress to enter the floor of the U.S. House, we now have to go through intense security measures, on top of the security we already go through. These new provisions include searches and being wanded like criminals. We now live in Pelosis communist America!

Lesko also wrote that in this Democrat-controlled House, members of Congress are being fined for not wearing masks on the House floor, even when speaking and more than six feet away from anyone. Its $500 for the first offense and $2500 for the second offense. This is outrageous!

The strengthened requirement regarding the wearing of masks was included in the security briefing described in the statement made available to journalists on Jan. 12.

Since the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol building by protesters, four House members have tested positive for COVID-19. Three of the four are Democrats, who blamed Republicans for not wearing masks while sheltering in place with other legislators as authorities dealt with protesters.

Meanwhile, on Jan. 3, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) was present in the House chamber to vote to reelect Nancy Pelosi as speaker, before completing the recommended quarantine period after a positive COVID-19 test.

Contact Mark Tapscott at Mark.Tapscott@epochtimes.com
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2021) Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal have discussed the economic cooperation and trade among their respective states, the Ukrainian government said on Tuesday.

Sandu arrived in Kiev for an official visit earlier in the day.

"The Prime Minister noted that Ukraine is ready to resume the activities of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation as soon as possible," the Ukrainian government said in a press release.

Shmyhal was further quoted as saying that Ukraine and Moldova should "intensify the process of preparation for the signing of the Protocol on Amendments to the Free Trade Agreement," specifically with regard to the origin of goods in line with the Euro-Mediterranean convention, adding that Kiev expects the talks to begin as soon as possible.

"Denys Shmyhal accentuated that Ukraine and Moldova have a joint trade turnover and business projects that need to be supported and developed. In particular, by launching new projects, including in the energy sector," the press release read.

The Ukrainian official linked the energy cooperation to shared European integration aspirations.

The energy cooperation is also a topic that Sandu discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier in the day. Zelenskyy said following the talks that Ukraine would allow Moldova to store more gas in its storage facilities, while Moldova will allow the transit of EU gas via its territory to Ukraine.
The new Legion 5 Pro features a new display, CPUs and GPUs. The gaming laptop now offers a 16:10 and 16-inch IPS display with a native QHD resolution, a 165 Hz refresh rate and 3 ms response times. Additionally, AMD Ryzen 5000 APUs and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 series GPUs now power the Legion 5 Pro, which will be available from March for 1,399 and up.

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The latest Legion 5 Pro is here, and it will offer an enticing set of components. Lenovo has upgraded the Legion 5 Pro to the latest AMD Ryzen 5000 series and to NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 30 GPUs, which should pack a punch. According to Lenovo, the new Legion 5 Pro will be configurable with up to Ryzen 7 APUs, but it has not stated which ones it plans to offer. Similarly, the manufacturer is quiet on what GPUs will power the new version of the Legion 5 Pro.

However, it has confirmed that the Legion 5 Pro will have a 16-inch display, seemingly the one with which it has also equipped the new Legion 7. The IPS panel operates natively at 2,560 x 1,600 pixels thanks to its 16:10 aspect ratio, and offers a 165 Hz refresh rate with as low as 3 ms response times. Additionally, the 16-inch display peaks at 500 nits, is VESA DisplayHDR 400 certified, supports Dolby Vision, NVIDIA G-Sync and covers 100% of the sRGB colour space.

The new Legion 5 Pro will be available in Storm Grey and Stingray White, along with white, blue and 4-zone RGB backlit keyboards. All SKUs will measure 356 x 264.2 x 21.7 mm and 26.85 mm at its thickest point, although only some models will weigh its target weight of 2.45 kg. Lenovo has distributed ports across the left, right and rear of the chassis, but it will only offer the Legion 5 Pro with up to 16 GB of RAM.
As the nation struggles to scale up its COVID-19 immunization rollout, another vaccine in the works could soon help bridge the gap.

The two vaccines available now  one by Pfizer/BioNTech and another by Moderna  require two doses: a priming shot and then a booster three or four weeks later, depending on which companys injection you get.

But another vaccine on the horizon  developed by Johnson & Johnson  would require only a single dose. It could be a game-changer for distribution, which continues to drag in New Jersey and beyond.

The vaccine is still in development, but the New Brunswick-based company is expected to release the findings of its Phase 3 clinical trial  known as Ensemble  later this month, the company says.

We hope to have that information very soon, Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky said Monday at J.P. Morgans annual health care conference.

The company aims to meet the necessary benchmarks by as early as Jan. 21, according to reports. Johnson & Johnson did not respond to a request for comment regarding its timeline.

We need to ensure all aspects of our COVID-19 vaccine development program meet our safety and quality standards, and that all of our manufacturing and distribution processes comply with all applicable regulations, said Dr. Mathai Mammen, global head for Janssen Research & Development at Johnson & Johnson, in a statement on the companys website.

He added, This includes our raw materials and other components; procedures; manufacturing facilities; testing laboratories, including equipment and analytical methods; shipping and routes; and shelf life and stability.

Once the clinical trial data is ready, Johnson & Johnson will likely take the same step as Pfizer and Moderna and apply for an emergency use authorization with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Its unclear how long it will take before people can receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine once its approved.

What is clear is that the additional doses would greatly boost distribution in the U.S. and around the globe.

Weve committed to not-for-profit pricing during the pandemic period if we are granted EUA (or its equivalent) in any region of the world, Mammen said in the statement. We want to bring an affordable vaccine to the public, with the goal of providing 1 billion doses in 2021 and more after that.

New Jersey has administered 264,681 Pfizer and Moderna vaccine doses so far  including 236,503 first-dose shots and 28,045 boosters, according to the state dashboard. New Jersey has received 654,900 doses to date, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In August, Johnson & Johnson entered into an agreement with the federal government to deliver 100 million doses after it received approval or Emergency Use Authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The vaccine  developed by the companys Belgian division, Janssen Pharmaceutica  differs from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which use mRNA technology.

Unlike mRNA vaccines, which use messenger RNA to create a protein that prompts an immune response in the body, our investigational COVID-19 vaccine uses an adenovirus  a type of virus that causes the common cold  that has been made unable to replicate, Mammen said in the online statement. The adenovirus carries a gene from the coronavirus into human cells, which then produce the coronavirus spike protein, but not the coronavirus itself. This spike protein is what primes the immune system to fight off a subsequent infection by the virus.

The University of Oxford and AstraZeneca used a similar method to develop its vaccine in the United Kingdom.

Like Oxford/AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnsons vaccine also doesnt require ultra-cold storage like Pfizers version does.

The vaccine technology weve used can remain stable for two years at -4 F, and at least three months at 35 [to] 46 F, which is about the temperature of your home refrigerator, Mammen said in the statement.

Many experts believe vaccines like the Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca doses can be more rapidly scaled up and more easily delivered, as they dont require special freezers.

Johnson & Johnson has full enrollment in its Phase 3 trial with 45,000 participants.

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Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com.
Crowds of people line up outside an electronics store in Toronto on Nov. 22, 2020. New polling from Leger and the Association of Canadian Studies suggests some Canadians feel their mental health has declined as the pandemic has rolled on, with the impacts potentially striking women and visible minorities more than others. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)

Pandemic Worsening Mental Health for Women More Than Men, Poll Suggests

OTTAWAAisha Addo was having a talk just the other day with a close friend about how they were faring as the pandemic stretched into 2021.

She said her friend spoke candidly about feeling like she was falling into a state of depression and being unable to pull herself out of it.

Were all experiencing the same thingssome people more intensely than others, said Addo, who founded the non-profit Power To Girls Foundation.

New polling from Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies suggests some Canadians feel their mental health has declined as the pandemic has rolled on, with the impacts potentially striking women, single parents, the unemployed, relatively recent immigrants and racialized people more than others.

The survey shows female respondents were more likely than men to report their mental health as bad or very bad across a range of age groups, but especially between the ages of 18 and 34 years old.

Rates of worsening mental health were also high for single parents in the survey, with 40 percent describing their mental health as bad or very bad.

Tanya Hayles, founder of the global group Black Moms Connection, said many parents are feeling stretched by having to work from home while overseeing virtual learning.

This pandemic has adversely affected women more than men and its women who are leaving the workforce altogether to make sure that their children have what they need, she said.

If youre a single parent, there are no breaks.

Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies, said mental health might worsen with new lockdowns and restrictions as people lose the outlet of visiting friends and family. Some respondents in the survey said they did that over the holidays.

Its a very significant challenge for governments that are introducing lockdowns and curfews to not see the mental health side of this crisis get exacerbated, Jedwab said.

The online survey was conducted Jan. 2-3 with 1,523 respondents. It cant be assigned a margin of error because web panels are not considered random samples of the population.

The results mirror findings from earlier on in the pandemic when women reported feeling more worried than men about COVID-19 as they began taking on added care duties for children and aging parents, and lost their jobs at a faster rate than men, said Andrea Gunraj, vice-president of public engagement at the Canadian Womens Foundation.

Another factor at play is the increased risk for gender-based violence that predominantly targets women, she said.

This picture of increased violence, and increased stresses in caregiving and housework, that intersects with the economic stresses that women uniquely have been facing, Gunraj said.

It tells a certain picture about womens mental health right now.

The polling analysis also looked at results for immigrants and some racialized communities, which came through reviewing six surveys by Leger involving over 9,000 respondents between Oct. 29, 2020, and Jan. 3, 2021. It too cannot be assigned a margin of error as a web-based survey.

The data suggests that 25 percent of people who have lived in Canada for less than five years reported their mental health was bad or very bad, while 19 percent of respondents who were born in Canada reported the same.

Nearly 27 percent of respondents who identified as South Asian reported their mental health being at that level, while 20 percent of those who identified as Black and about 18 percent of those who identified as Chinese reported the same.

Even before the pandemic, there was a lack of mental health resources for minority communities, Addo said. Many relied on their community for mental health support, which has disappeared with public health requests to avoid visiting friends and family, she said.

Accessing other resources is also difficult for vulnerable populations, particularly those with children learning remotely and maybe only one computer at home, Addo said.

Addo suggested governments create a mental health fund or program to ensure people who need it have someone to speak with.

The moment that people are left to their own devices and are left to their own thoughts, its easy to fall into depression, its easy to become more anxious, and its easy to feel more lonely, she said.

By Jordan Press
GARRYOWEN pensioner Noel Hannan is pictured giving half of his Christmas bonus to protesting Debenhams workers before the festive season last month.

Mr Hannan said he made the gesture to support the retail workers on the picket, having personal experience of being made redundant in the past.

They are as strong now as they were nine months ago, said Mr Hannan, who called for the Government to ensure a fair redundancy for the workers.

More than 110 workers in Limerick lost their jobs just before Easter when Debenhams British arm pulled support for its Irish business, with liquidators appointed to the company a short time later.

Face masks were removed for a short time while the photograph was being taken.
The US House is expected to impeach President Donald Trump for his encouragement of supporters who stormed the US Capitol last week. This vote would make him the first American president to be impeached twice.

While the previous three impeachments -- of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Trump -- had taken months before a final vote, including investigations and hearings, this time it will have taken only a week. After the rioting at the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said "we must take action," and Democrats, and some Republicans, share her view ahead of the vote.

Follow Donald Trump Impeachment LIVE Updates

For now, the Republican-led Senate is not expected to hold a trial and vote on whether to convict Trump before Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as president on January 20. Still, Democrats feel that action by the House would send an important message to the country.

In normal order, there would be an impeachment investigation and the evidence would be sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which would hold hearings, draft articles and send them to the full House. That's what happened in 2019, when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. It took three months.

READ | Trump to Face 'Historic' Impeachment Vote With Few Republicans Against Him as Pence Says No to Removal

This time, with so few days to act, and a feeling among Democrats that there is little need to investigate what happened since most members of Congress heard Trump speak to his supporters and were in the Capitol when the mob broke in, impeachment is going straight to the House floor for a vote, which would come as soon as Wednesday.

Once the House votes to impeach, the articles and evidence would be sent to the Senate, where a trial would be held and there would be final votes to convict or acquit. That's what the Senate did in early February last year after Trump was impeached the first time.

Democrats will debate on a single impeachment charge: "incitement of insurrection."

Trump has claimed there was widespread fraud in the election, and the claims have been repeatedly echoed by congressional Republicans and the insurgents who descended on the Capitol. Just before the riots, Trump spoke to the supporters near the White House and encouraged them to "fight like hell."

ALSO READ | 'Divided Republicans, Saving America': All You Need to Know About US House Vote on Trump's Impeachment

As the protesters broke in, both chambers were debating GOP challenges to the electoral vote count in Arizona as part of the process for certifying Biden's election win.

On Tuesday, five Republicans said they would support impeachment. No Republican supported Trump's first impeachment in 2019.

Republican Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No 3 Republican in the House and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said she would vote to impeach Trump because "there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

Cheney said Trump "summoned" the mob that attacked the Capitol last week, "assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack."

Once the House passes the articles, Pelosi can decide when she sends them to the Senate. Under the current schedule, the Senate is not set to resume full sessions until January 19, which is the day before Biden's inauguration.

If the trial isn't held until Trump is already out of office, it could still have the effect of preventing him from running for president again.
Kenyan hitmaker Otile Brown has opened his 2021 music account with yet another collaborative project with a foreign music act.

The Mombasa-raised Bongo Flava sensation has teamed up with Tanzanias Ali Kiba to release, In Love. The collab follows a successful 2020 for Otile Brown who dropped his debut studio album dubbed Just In Love which featured several acts from the East African region.

Produced by Vicky Pon dis, In Love is a continuation of Browns attempt to expand his musical reach beyond the Kenyan borders.

As the title suggests, In Love is a love song in which Otile Brown and Ali Kiba sing about falling in love.

The video is directed by Hanscana from Dar Es Salaam.

The collab is proving to be a hit with the fans, with close to 140k views in just 4 hours after it premiered on YouTube Tuesday.

Watch the video below. Rating 7/10.
Cognizant Buys Australian Analytics Firm Servian

IT and business process consultancy Cognizant has acquired Sydney, Australia-based enterprise data and analytics consulting firm Servian. Terms were not disclosed.



Servian, which also has offices in Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart, as well as in India, the UK and New Zealand, offers digital transformation services using analytics, AI, experience design and a range of other digital services and technologies to develop clients' own data assets.



Following the acquisition, Servian's more than 500 technology and consulting professionals, led by founder and CEO Tony Nicol (pictured) and based primarily in Australia and New Zealand, will join Cognizant, doubling the size of the latter's Cloud and Data team in ANZ. According to Cognizant, the deal will help clients move to the cloud, build digital products and services, unlock value from data, and modernize enterprise applications.



Nicol comments: 'Enabling clients to leverage their data assets for accelerating business transformation and driving competitive advantage is at the heart of our success. With Cognizant's deep industry expertise and global scale, we will be able to apply our strengths in strategic advisory, engineering delivery, and managed services across an even broader spectrum of challenges and opportunities presented by the digital economy'.



Web sites: www.cognizant.com and www.servian.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.
India's vaccination programme is set to begin from January 16 (Representative Image)

Maharashtra goverment has so far received 9.83 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines out of the total requirement of 17.5 lakh for inoculation in the first phase, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday.

The state has received only 9.63 vials of Covishield vaccine from the Serum Institute of India and merely 20,000 vials from the Bharat Biotech of its indigenously-made vaccine, Tope told reporters.

"We have to give the doses twice to a person in a gap of four weeks, hence 55 per cent of the around eight lakh registered health workers will undergo vaccination as of now," he said.

"The need of vials for Maharashtra is 17.50 lakh for the first phase. We need slightly more vials because 10 per cent wastage is expected. But, we have received 9.63 lakh vials from the Serum Institute of India," he said.

Besides, the state has received 20,000 vials of the Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, he 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

Tope also informed that the Centre has asked the state to reduce the number of inoculation centers from 511 to 350, saying the government should focus on other emergencies also.

"If we go ahead with 350 centres and 100 people are inoculated at each centre, the state will be able to vaccinate 35,000 health workers on the first day of the vaccination on January 16," he said.

Maharashtra on Tuesday reported 2,936 new COVID-19 cases, taking the tally of infections to 19,74,488.

The cumulative COVID-19 death toll in the state has reached 50,151, as per official figures.
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A four-year-old girl has been rushed to hospital with serious head injuries after being hit by a car.

The girl was thought to have been walking with her grandmother when she was struck down on Charlestown Road in Blackley, Manchester, yesterday afternoon.

The air ambulance was called and the road has been closed in both directions between the junctions with Grange Park Road and Booth Hall Road.

Police and paramedics rushed to the scene at around 2.30pm after the girl suffered from serious head injuries.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said a vehicle and a pedestrian had collided.

The girl was thought to have been walking with her grandmother when she was struck down on Charlestown Road in Blackley, Manchester, yesterday afternoon

One onlooker said: 'There was a little girl in the road, she was crying. There was a woman with her who looked like her grandma, who was on the phone.

'The police came quickly and there was a rapid response unit. It was shocking, there was a man in a van who was helping too. The driver of the car stopped as well.'

A spokesman for North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) said the girl was taken to hospital by road ambulance. A helicopter was seen landing in nearby Boggart Hole Clough.

The air ambulance was called and the road has been closed in both directions between the junctions with Grange Park Road and Booth Hall Road

They added: 'We received a call 14:31 and have mobilised an ambulance, response car and air ambulance to the scene.

'We've taken a four year-old girl to hospital with serious head injuries.'

A GMP spokeswoman said: 'At around 2.40pm on Tuesday 12 January 2020, police were called to a report of a collision on Charlestown Road, Blackley.

'Officers attended and established that a vehicle and a pedestrian had collided.'

The force are asking for anyone who witnessed the collision to come forward.

'Anyone with information should contact police quoting 1531 of 12/01/21 or the independent charity - Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.'
[January 13, 2021] Governor Chris Christie Joins the Legalweek(year) Virtual Series Keynote Line-Up

NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ALM is pleased to announce the addition of Governor Chris Christie, 55th Governor of the State of New Jersey, author, and Senior Legal and Political Commentator for ABC News, to its slate of renowned legal speakers from across the political spectrum during the Legalweek(year) virtual series line-up. From February 2-4, 2021, 10,000+ legal professionals will gather online for Legalweek(year), the first in a series of five innovative virtual legal events that tackle the changing legal landscape and provide actionable insights to help legal leaders restructure, rebuild and reinvigorate today's law firms and legal departments. The Legalweek(year) virtual series serves as an anchor for the legal community during this unprecedented time. Governor Christie's keynote session will be closing out the February series on Thursday, February 4th at 9:30 AM EST. Through the lens of a leader at the state and national level, Governor Christie will discuss the current political climate, the upcoming administration, and how to navigate the myriad of challenges that face America in 2021. "ALM is excited to welcome Governor Christie to the Legalweek(year) keynote line up as he concludes the first virtual series program within this year's Legalweek(year) virtual experience. Governor Christie joins an impressive speaker lineup across five virtual series that are packed with top legal professionals from the most groundbreaking corporate legal departments, law firms and legal technology enterprises" said Mark Fried, Chief Financial Officer and President, Events at ALM Media. Governor Christie joins Day One's keynote speaker Stacy Abrams, who will discuss her unique perspective of the current political landscape and what can be expected for the rest of 2021, as well as Day Two's keynotespeaker, Joshua Walker, author of "On Legal AI" and co-founder of CodeX, who will discuss the future of legal services.



Also joining Governor Christie, Ms. Abrams, and Mr. Walker on the Legalweek(year) speaker faculty will be legal experts including: Rajan Gupta, Head of Global Legal Technology, Facebook, Andrew Amoranto, Senior Paralegal Manager, Litigation, Twitter, Sara Lockman, Senior Director, eDiscovery and Information Governance, Walmart, Dennis Garcia, Assistant General Counsel, Microsoft, John Wilson, Chief Information Security Officer, HaystackID, Vicki Peyton, Contracts Manager, Arena Pharmaceuticals, Vedika Mehera, Innovation Advisor, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, Deborah Solmor, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, TCS Education System, Richard Robinson, Director of Legal Operations & Litigation Support, Toyota, Stephanie Lamoureaux, Legal Operations Lead, Square, Linda Johnson, Lead eDiscovery & Information Protection Manager, GSK, Allison Stanton, Director & Associate General Counsel, eDiscovery and Information Governance, Facebook, Toby Stinson, Manager, Law Data & Applications, Chevron, Susan Cone Kilgore, Attorney Advisor, U.S. Department of the Army, Heather McClow, Legal Operations Manager, Lowe's Companies, Jennifer Hope Bernstein, Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Dawson Horn, Associate General Counsel, AIG, Ameen Haddad, Assistant General Counsel, Technology, Intellectual Property & Cloud Computing, Oracle, Graham Rollins, Discovery Counsel, Capital One, Stacey Blaustein, Counsel, Corporate Litigation, IBM, Jenya Moshkovich, Assistant General Counsel, Genentech and many others.

ALM's Global Newsroom and ALM Intelligence analysts will also join the speaker line-up to offer attendees unique insights, driven by their deep engagement in the industry. For more information, including the full agenda, speaker list and to register for the Legalweek(year) virtual series, please visit: http://legalweekshow.com/ or follow @Legalweekshow and engage with #Legalweek21 and #Legalweekyear for updates. About ALM

ALM, an information and intelligence company, provides customers with critical news, data, analysis, marketing solutions and events to successfully manage the business of business. ALM serves a community of over 6 million business professionals seeking to discover, connect and compete in highly complex industries. Please visit www.alm.com for more information, and visit www.alm.com/events/ to learn about our upcoming events. Please follow us on Twitter at @ALMMedia . ALM Media Contact:

Abbegayle Morrow

amorrow@alm.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/governor-chris-christie-joins-the-legalweekyear-virtual-series-keynote-line-up-301207689.html SOURCE ALM

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[January 13, 2021] Lipari Foods, an H.I.G. Capital Portfolio Company, Completes Acquisition of Tut's International

H.I.G. Capital ("H.I.G."), a leading global alternative investment firm with $43 billion of equity capital under management, is pleased to announce that its portfolio company, Lipari Foods ("Lipari" or the "Company"), a leading distributor, manufacturer, and importer of perimeter-of-the-store, specialty, and branded food products, has acquired the assets of Tut's International Export & Import Co., Inc. ("Tut's International" or "Tut's"). Located in Dearborn, MI, Tut's International has been importing and distributing high-quality Middle Eastern and Eastern European foods in North America for nearly 50 years. The company imports more than 4,000 products from approximately 80 countries, proudly serving over 3,000 grocery retail customers. Tut's International offers multiple brands including Dobrova, Shahia, and Lebanon Valley across a broad product portfolio including olive oils, pickles, rice, pasta, canned goods, and meat, fish, and dairy products. "Tut's International is a trusted leader in the Middle Eastern and Eastern European specialty food category and we are excited to add their expertise to the Lipari platform," commented Thom Lipari, President and CEO of Lipari Foods. "Acquiring Tut's strengthens our strategic position as one of the premier 'perimeter-of-the-store' and specialty grocery distributors in the U.S. We look forward to partnering with the Tut's team to continue growing our international specialty division." "We are pleased to have supported Lipari's acquisition of Tut's International," added Justin Reyna, Managing Director at H.I.G. "This investment fits squarely in our strategy of acquiring unique and compementary food distribution businesses in existing and adjacent markets with significant value creation opportunities."



Tut's International is the third add-on acquisition that Lipari has completed since H.I.G. acquired the Company in January 2019 and is part of a broader M&A-oriented growth strategy. About Tut's International

Tut's International is regarded as one of the oldest and most reputable importers of quality Middle Eastern and Eastern European Foods in North America. For nearly 50 years, the company has been importing more than 4,000 items from approximately 80 countries. Servicing everything from national supermarket chains to ethnic grocery retailers and everything in between, Tut's continues to be at the leading edge of market development and modern mass market development in the food industry.

About Lipari Foods

Jim Lipari, who began his career delivering BBQ sauce from the back of his Buick station wagon, founded Lipari Foods in 1963. Today Lipari Foods is a leading independent "perimeter-of-the-store" distributor in the Midwest and beyond, delivering a wide range of high-quality deli, bakery, dairy, specialty retail, seafood, packaging, confections, and organic food and beverage products to over 13,000 retail locations across 48 states. Over the years, Lipari Foods has also made substantial investments in its manufacturing and importing capabilities, which both support the distribution operation. Since that first employee in 1963, Lipari Foods has grown to 1,900 associates while its product offering of one BBQ sauce has grown to more than 25,000 items. About H.I.G. Capital

H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with $43 billion of equity capital under management.* Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach. Since its founding in 1993, H.I.G. has invested in and managed more than 300 companies worldwide. The firm's current portfolio includes more than 100 companies with combined sales in excess of $30 billion. For more information, please refer to the H.I.G. website at www.higcapital.com. * Based on total capital commitments managed by H.I.G. Capital and affiliates. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005019/en/

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An iconic photo of a raised fist taken moments before a historic siege of the Capitol has garnered widespread condemnation against Missouri Senator Josh Hawley. Among Democratic Party dominated Kansas City activist leadership, the rebuke is nearly unanimous.



OR, at the risk of being crude . . .

MISSOURI MAGA FISTING TRIGGERS DELUGE OF KANSAS CITY BACKLASH!!!

Whilst locals get worked up over the second impeachment debate against Prez Trump underway right now . . . Activists like Justice Horn & Our Revolution KC have directed their political ire against a target that's closer to home.



Today the outrage will mobilize at the offices of the Missouri Senator that might or might not be empty.

Check-it. . .



A Funeral for Democracy: Kansas City

Deets . . .



This Wednesday at 4p.m. Missourians across the state will come together for simultaneous demonstrations at Senator Josh Hawley's local offices to demand he step down, or implore the Senate to expel him.

A somber, bipartisan coalition of Dems, progressives, lifelong Republicans, veterans, faith communities, representing all Missourians have drawn a line in the sand and said enough is enough. Hawley has committed acts of Treason and Sedition and must be removed.



JOIN US IN KANSAS CITY:

400 E. 9th Street

Kansas City, MO 64106



Developing . . .
(Newser)  "It is not the best vaccine in the world." So said a Brazilian microbiologist of a vaccine created by China that the developing world had held high hopes on. Scientists with the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo on Tuesday said late-stage trials established the efficacy rate of the CoronaVac vaccine made by Sinovac of Beijing is 50.38%, reports CNN. That doesn't mean it's unusable, as it meets the WHO's minimum requirements, but that it would take longer for a country to achieve herd immunity. And it dims the hopes developing countries had for the vaccine, which doesn't require the extreme cold storage that Pfizer and Moderna's versions, which have a roughly 95% efficacy rate, do. Context from the Wall Street Journal: "From Latin America to Africa and Asia, many developing countries have pinned their hopes on CoronaVac and other Chinese vaccine candidates as richer nations snap up inoculations developed in the West."

story continues below

The New York Times reports that the technology that underpins the CoronaVac vaccine could be to blame. Sinovac used a legacy approach in which the virus is treated with chemicals that weaken or kill it; the vaccine is made up of the virus that results from the process and should cause the body to produce antibodies. The Times explains the rub: "But the process of killing the virus can weaken a vaccine's potency, resulting in an immune response that could be shorter or less effective." The Journal reports on another thorn in the news: Results released last week from the Butantan Institute put the efficacy rate at 78%. But Brazilian scientistsbothered by delays and a perceived lack of transparency about the datakept pressing the company, which on Tuesday said the 78% figure didn't include those who experienced "very mild" cases that required no treatment. Reuters reports Brazil has signed off on a deal to buy up to 100 million doses of the vaccine. (Read more coronavirus vaccine stories.)
ROME, JAN 13 - Ten managers of Italian aerospace giant Leonardo have been placed under investigation on suspicion of corruption. Leonardo is an injured party in the case. Police have seized documents at Leonardo's HQ in Rome and at its plant at Pomigliano d'Arco near Naples. Police said the probe was into money laundering, fiscal crimes and private corruption. Some 14 individuals have been placed under investigation, police said. Three companies are also implicated. Among the latter are Google Ireland and Google Payments. The latter are accused of enabling the transfer of the alleged proceeds of tax fraud and hampering the identification of their provenance. The companies involve deny the accusations. Leonardo S.p.A., formerly Leonardo-Finmeccanica and Finmeccanica, is an Italian multinational company specialising in aerospace, defence and security. Headquartered in Rome, the company has 180 sites worldwide. It is the eighth largest defence contractor in the world based on 2018 revenues. The company is partially owned by the Italian government through the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which holds 30.2% of the company's shares and is its largest shareholder. (ANSA).
Large organisations are looking for ways to view, manage, combine and use all air quality data collected in a more comprehensive way. Visualizing and using data within processes is a core strength of the Planon software.

AurAir, a Dutch designer and manufacturer of smart indoor air quality monitoring products, and Planon a recognized global leader in Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS), are happy to announce their formal partnership.

What does the partnership entail

The goal for both parties is to offer a complete solution to better monitor and manage the indoor air quality in large organizations. The partnership entails a technical integration allowing the AurAir quality measurement data to directly be loaded into the Planon software, in which the data can be displayed, combined and used in real-time in the Planon Space & Workplace Management solution.

Why is this partnership important

AurAir air quality monitors measure Carbon Dioxide, temperature and humidity, the three most important factors for personal health and well-being. AurAir also measures air pressure and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) for a complete indication of overall air quality where needed. Business has grown steady this year. Many of our new customers are larger organisations, buying 100 or more meters.

These large organisations are looking for ways to view, manage, combine and use all the air quality data collected in a more comprehensive way. Visualizing and using data within processes is a core strength of the Planon software. Together with Planon we can offer a comprehensive way to manage indoor air quality in buildings. Better indoor air quality helps to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but it also prevents a number of common physical complaints and can enhance worker productivity with an estimated 11%.

About AurAir

AurAir is a Dutch designer and manufacturer of innovative indoor air quality monitoring products. Our mission is to improve the health and wellness of people by helping them to control the air quality 24/7 in every indoor space where they live, learn and work, our products are designed to make professional Indoor Air Quality Monitoring accessible for everybody spending time indoor in this world. AurAir was founded in 2019 in The Netherlands. AurAir products have an open design and are built for integration.

About Planon

With over 35 years of experience, Planon is the leading global provider of innovative software, proven best practices and professional services that help building owners and occupiers, commercial service providers, and financial controllers to streamline business processes for buildings, assets, workplaces and people. Independent market research and consulting firms have consistently rated Planon as a global leader in the market. Planon has implemented its comprehensive solutions for over 2,500 clients, supported by offices and partners around the world.

About CES

CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the most influential tech event in the world. Last year CES-2020 had 175.000 visitors and 4.500 exhibitors from 160 countries. Normally held in Las Vegas, this years CES is a virtual event due to Covid-19. AurAir has been selected for the Dutch startup mission in 2020 and 2021.

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For more information about AurAir please visit http://www.aurair.eu

For more information about Planon please visit http://www.planonsoftware.com

For more information about this announcement please contact:




Panaji: Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik, who is currently under treatment at Goa Medical college after meeting with an accident, has been taken off from ventilator support and shifted to high flow nasal oxygen.

According to Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, a three-member team of AIIMS, Delhi, GMC doctors re-assessed Naik`s health condition this morning.

Sawant said the health of the North Goa MP has improved significantly and he will be minutely monitored by GMC doctors during the next 24 hours.

"We are very satisfied with his (Naik`s) breathing, blood pressure, and other health parameters. We have seen him and advised him how to take him off the ventilator tomorrow," Dr Rajeshwari, head of the AIIMS team said after evaluating Naik`s health.

The AIIMS team also comprised Dr SB Gaikwad, HOD, Neuro-Radiology and Dr Dalim Kr Baidya, Additional Professor of Anesthesiology.

Naik, Union Minister of State for Defence, had met with an accident near a village in Ankola Taluk of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka on Monday.

Naik along with his wife and personal assistant were on their way to Gokarna from Yellapur. His wife Vijaya Naik and the personal assistant died in the accident.

Live TV
[January 13, 2021] Mississippi Teachers Named to Curriculum Associates' 2021 Class of Extraordinary Educators

NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates has named three Mississippi teachers  Jamie Cooper of Singing River Academy in Gautier, Eris Knott of Woodley Elementary in Hattiesburg, and Wayne Ulrich of Long Beach Middle School in Long Beach  to its 2021 class of Extraordinary Educators, an annual program that celebrates and connects exemplar teachers from around the country. Cooper, Knott, and Ulrich are among 44 teachers from 26 states and Washington, DC chosen for this honor that recognizes educators who exhibit best-in-class use of i-Ready and/or Ready, illustrate growth and achievement via formal assessments, demonstrate innovation and engagement practices for students, are evangelists for high standards and student achievement, and have been teaching for at least two years. "It goes without saying that this has been an unprecedented school year that has challenged educators, students, and families alike," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "However, this group of Extraordinary Educators  like so many other educators across the country  has more than risen to the occasion. We are proud to recognize Jamie, Eris, and Wayne for their hard work, dedication, and innovative best practices that ontinue to positively impact the students they serve."



This year's Extraordinary Educators, who were chosen from among hundreds of nominations, will have access to a network of peers from around the country to collaborate, connect, and learn from throughout the year, as well as receive unique professional development opportunities from Curriculum Associates. They will also be invited to participate and present at the Extraordinary Educators Leadership Summit, as well as other professional learning events throughout the year. "I'm excited to be named an Extraordinary Educator because it's an opportunity to connect with like-minded teachers who share the vision as I do," said Cooper. "Being awarded this opportunity will help me grow professionally, and I'll be able to share ideas on what works best for students. I look forward to making memories and learning the most I can from other Extraordinary Educators."

"I am honored and excited to be named an Extraordinary Educator! To be acknowledged for doing something I love in spite of recent challenges in the classroom is greatly appreciated," said Knott. "I am looking forward to learning more about how to continue using data-driven instruction with all of my students. Distance learning is showing me how important equity is when instructing and I don't want to leave any student out." Today, Curriculum Associates' programs are used in the majority of the state's school districts. To learn more about Curriculum Associates and the 2021 Extraordinary Educators, visit https://www.curriculumassociates.com/extraordinary-educators/2021-class. About Curriculum Associates Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students. Contacts:

Kati Elliott

KEH Communications

(410) 975-9638

Kati@kehcomm.com Charlotte Fixler

Curriculum Associates

(978) 901-6066

CFixler@cainc.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mississippi-teachers-named-to-curriculum-associates-2021-class-of-extraordinary-educators-301207325.html SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC

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Gagik Jahangirian criticized judges defying law-enforcement bodies as he was formally nominated for a vacant seat in the Supreme Judicial Council.

Jahangirian served as Armenias chief military prosecutor from 1997-2006 and was accused by civil activists of covering up crimes and abetting other abuses in the Armenian armed forces throughout his tenure. He always denied those allegations.

My Steps parliamentary group announced the nomination after meeting with Jahangirian in the National Assembly.

We consider Mr. Jahangirian a professional in his field and that was key [to his nomination,] the blocs parliamentary leader, Lilit Makunts, told reporters after the meeting.

Under Armenian law, Jahangirian needs to be backed by at least 80 members of the 132-seat parliament in order to join the council empowered to nominate, sanction and even fire judges. My Step controls 83 parliament seats.

Pashinians team made the decision despite not only Jahangirians controversial reputation but also his past feud with the prime minister. The two men publicly traded insults and recriminations when they were members of the countrys former parliament. In particular, Pashinian accused Jahangirian in 2015 of having secret ties to then President Serzh Sarkisian.

Jahangirian deflected questions about his past relationship with Pashinian when he spoke to journalists.

Im not becoming a member of the [ruling] political team, he said. Im going to do professional work. I will be happy to be also nominated by the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party and the Bright Armenia Party.

Jahangirian was handpicked for the vacant post amid growing tensions between Armenias government and judiciary. Some commentators have suggested that Pashinian expects him to help increase government influence on the courts.

In recent months Armenian judges have refused to allow law-enforcement authorities to arrest dozens of opposition leaders and members as well as other anti-government activists. Virtually all of those individuals are prosecuted in connection with angry protests sparked by the Pashinian administrations handling of the autumn war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinian charged last month that Armenias judicial system has become part of a pseudo-elite which is trying to topple him after the disastrous war. Ruben Vartazarian, the chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council, rejected the criticism.

By contrast, Jahangirian said on Wednesday that he does not regard Pashinians remarks as pressure on the judiciary and strongly disagrees with some court rulings. He specifically denounced judges refusing to allow the pre-trial arrest of individuals facing coup charges.

The Air Force has selected the Armys Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., as its preferred location for the headquarters of its new Space Command, Gov. Kay Ivey and U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby said today.

Alabama has been selected for the United States Space Command Headquarters, Iveys office said. In late December, Gov. Ivey joined officials with Redstone and the City of Huntsville on a call with Pentagon officials to give a final pitch.

The governor is proud to announce that Huntsvilles Redstone Region is set to house the headquarters, the statement said. This morning, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Installations Bob Moriarity called Gov. Ivey to inform her of Secretary Barbara Barretts Space Command Headquarters preferred candidate basing decision.

I couldnt be more pleased to learn that Alabama will be the new home to the United States Space Command! the governor said.

This is outstanding news, not only for our state but also for the Air Force, Shelby said. This long-awaited decision by the Air Force is a true testament to all that Alabama has to offer. Huntsville is the right pick for a host of reasons  our skilled workforce, proximity to supporting space entities, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life, among other things. I am thrilled that the Air Force has chosen Redstone and look forward to the vast economic impact this will have on Alabama and the benefits this will bring to the Air Force.

Our state has long provided exceptional support for our military and their families as well as a rich and storied history when it comes to space exploration, Ivey said. This combination only enhances the outstanding relationships we have with the 65 diverse federal agencies on Redstone Arsenal, not to mention the growing presence of the FBI and other federal installations. The bottom line is simple, the Redstone Region is the most natural choice to become home to such an important mission for our country.

This is a project that will have long generational legs for our community, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said. Its the right decision to come to Huntsville. We have done space. We are space. We have done space since the 1950s. We have the Army Aviation Command here, we have Space & Missile Command here, we have the Missile Defense Agency here. All of it ties in to a workforce that is attuned to working in space and working with our space assets. I think its going to be a great thing for our community for yeas to come. Hats off to (U.S. Sen.) Richard Shelby. He did a great job with it.

The command was established in the Air Force in 2019, and the search for a permanent headquarters began in 2020. Communities across the country competed. They were ranked according to established criteria related to the commands mission, room to grow and add infrastructure, community support and costs to the Department of Defense.

Twenty-four states officially went after the command headquarters, and finalists included Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bellevue, Kansas; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and San Antonio, Texas.

The headquarters is temporarily based in Colorado Springs now, and that city was reportedly Huntsvilles major competition. Air Force officials called Colorado Springs a great location, too, but mostly because leaving the HQ there avoids the disruptions and expense of moving. But the final decision based on long-term benefits favored Alabama. Huntsville and area compared favorably on more factors than any other community, the Air Force said.

A report in Politico today said Huntsville ranked higher than Colorado in each category of the evaluation. That included cost of living and housing availability off base.

Winning the base will mean at least 1,600 new jobs for the area and more as the command and its missions grow. None of this will happen soon, however, because the headquarters is set to stay in Colorado for at least six years.

The Secretary of the Air Force made the final decision, but President Trump was informed and consulted along with top commanders, congressional defense committees, senior commanders and the National Command Authority, the Air Force said.

The criteria to host the headquarters also included proximity to military bases with space assets, high security and communications capabilities. Redstone meets all those criteria. It is home to the Army Materiel Command, one of only five four-star commands in the Army and responsible for equipping Army forces around the world; the Army Space and Missile Command; Army Aviation and Missile Command; the Defense Intelligence Agency/Missile and Space Intelligence Center; and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, among others.

The FBI also chose Redstone for a strategic realignment of major assets including its cybersecurity operations. FBI announcements about that realignment said Huntsville is the Silicon Valley of the South.

We have a history of supporting commands that have moved here, Battle said. The Army Aviation Command moved here, the Army Materiel Command moved here. We have a little bit of a history of bringing agencies in and making them at home and making them a success. And thats what we plan to do with U.S. Space Command.

The Huntsville area also meets all of the Air Forces liveability score goals, workforce qualifications, infrastructure, community support and setup costs.

The decision wont be final until a required environmental impact study is complete. The Air Force expects to make that final decision in spring 2023.

(This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day)

(AL.com reporters Paul Gattis and Ashley Remkus contributed to this report)
Washington: Donald Trump's iron grip on his party is showing further signs of weakening with a group of six introducing a resolution that would censure the Republican US President for trying to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens victory in the presidential race and violating his oath of office during the Capitol riot on January 6.

The measure is not likely to see a vote in the Democratic-controlled House, but Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, one of the legislators leading the effort, said in a statement reported by The Washington Post, that the move was intended as an alternative to impeachment.

Earlier at least three Republicans, including a member of the House leadership, said they would vote to impeach him after his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6.

Republican Liz Cheney - the No. 3 Republican in the House and highest-ranking woman in the party - said she would vote to impeach Trump, a major split within the party after his supporters "attacked the US Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes".
Turkish Airlines is launching a 40 per cent discount campaign for guests who wish to discover the world again in the coming days.

Passengers who wish to take part of the campaign, which is valid with all ticket types of the flag carriers international flights, will be able to fly at a 40 per cent discount for flights between April 1  December 31, as long as they purchase their tickets between January 13  15.

Turkish Airlines passengers will also be able to change the dates of their campaign tickets free of charge while refunds and cancellations will be subject to the rules of the fare classes. - TradeArabia News Service
NEW YORK and PARIS, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BNY Mellon and Amundi today announced a transatlantic collaboration to further power growth of both companies by integrating world-class complementary capabilities and establishing new integration points between the firms. This alliance immediately translates in the technological integration of BNY Mellon OMNISM, a client- and data-centric securities services platform, and Amundi's ALTO* (Amundi Leading Technology and Operations), its portfolio management system, across multiple areas that aim to deliver significant benefits, including integrated portfolio management and risk management tools, and operational efficiencies for common clients.

OMNI is the first transatlantic integration into ALTO* to provide a distinctive client experience by combining and interconnecting our offerings to deliver an enhanced front-to-back service that:

POWERS INVESTMENT DECISION-MAKING by delivering real time actionable insights directly into the front office through the use of applications for the analysis and optimization of portfolio positions, cash management and NAV analysis,

by delivering real time actionable insights directly into the front office through the use of applications for the analysis and optimization of portfolio positions, cash management and NAV analysis, CREATES OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES AND REDUCES RISK by increasing automation, straight-through-processing, and simplifying workflows, and

by increasing automation, straight-through-processing, and simplifying workflows, and ACCELERATES INNOVATION by increasing technology flexibility and providing leading-edge integration tools.

This alliance aims to deliver an automated and simplified workflow throughout the investment cycle of securities held in portfolios, to prioritize consistency of data between the portfolio and the depositary, to enhance risk management and optimize investment decision-making for asset managers.

Akash Shah, Head of Strategy and Global Client Management of BNY Mellon, said, "BNY Mellon has pursued a model of building deep, far-reaching strategic alliances with best-in-class providers, and we are pleased to collaborate with an innovative organization, such as Amundi. We share a commitment to excellence, a relentless focus on client centricity and an entrepreneurial ethos that makes this a powerful alliance. Together, we are helping to transform the investment lifecycle and drive clients' most important and strategic objectives."

Yves Perrier, Chief Executive Officer of Amundi, said: "Amundi has always considered technology as a key differentiating factor in the Asset Management industry, and as such we have consistently developed our own capabilities together with our top-quality teams. For the last three years, Amundi has extended these capabilities to our partner clients. This alliance with a leading financial institution such as BNY Mellon will help us access new markets, and expand our geographic coverage."

Guillaume Lesage, Chief Operating Officer of Amundi, said, "Amundi has developed a unique platform, ALTO*, which is both innovative and based on open-source technology, but also robust and efficient, capable of managing all types of assets worldwide. Amundi can also count on dedicated teams, with a recognised capability to transform businesses and implement software quickly. This expertise has enabled Amundi to convince a number of clients in Europe and Asia to adopt ALTO* as a 100% cloud solution. BNY Mellon, through its digital expertise, client focus, and strong global presence, will help us bring innovative solutions to Asset Managers."

Roman Regelman, Chief Executive Officer of BNY Mellon Asset Servicing and Head of Digital, said, "ALTO* brings a fresh perspective on a traditional technology. Our client-centric, open architecture approach enables us to seamlessly integrate the ALTO* platform with our unrivalled suite of securities servicing capabilities offered via the OMNI platform. This first phase of our cooperation will focus on front to back operational and liquidity efficiencies as an aspect of priority to portfolio managers, CIO's, Risk and Operational heads."

ALTO* is a portfolio management system developed by Amundi, covering the entire investment management value chain. The cross-asset and integrated platform covers portfolio analysis and simulation based on IBOR, order booking and execution, compliance, middle office, risk, performance and reporting. ALTO* benefits from an open-architecture model with continuous updates and innovations, using innovative technologies (machine learning, AI, end-user programming, etc.). The platform is available as a private cloud platform to asset managers, insurance companies, pension funds, and family offices, combined with services.

BNY Mellon OMNI is a client and data-centric open, modular platform designed to power and optimize the investment lifecycle. OMNI brings together BNY Mellon's leading investment servicing, data and analytics, and distribution solutions with resilient, system integrations. Together with our proprietary applications and key external collaborators, we provide clients with the scale and flexibility they need to grow.

About BNY Mellon

BNY Mellon is a global investments company dedicated to helping its clients manage and service their financial assets throughout the investment lifecycle. Whether providing financial services for institutions, corporations or individual investors, BNY Mellon delivers informed investment and wealth management and investment services in 35 countries. As of Sept. 30, 2020, BNY Mellon had $38.6 trillion in assets under custody and/or administration, and $2.0 trillion in assets under management. BNY Mellon can act as a single point of contact for clients looking to create, trade, hold, manage, service, distribute or restructure investments. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com. Follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon or visit our newsroom at www.bnymellon.com/newsroom for the latest company news.

About Amundi

Amundi, the leading European asset manager, ranking among the top 10 global players[1], offers its 100 million clients - retail, institutional and corporate - a complete range of savings and investment solutions in active and passive management, in traditional or real assets. With its six international investment hubs[2], financial and extra-financial research capabilities and long-standing commitment to responsible investment, Amundi is a key player in the asset management landscape. Amundi clients benefit from the expertise and advice of 4,500 employees in nearly 40 countries. A subsidiary of the Credit Agricole group and listed on the stock exchange, Amundi currently manages more than 1.650 trillion of assets[3].

Amundi, a Trusted Partner, working every day in the interest of its clients and society

www.amundi.com

[1] Source: IPE "Top 500 Asset Managers" published in June 2020, based on assets under management as at 31/12/2019 [2] Boston, Dublin, London, Milan, Paris and Tokyo [3] Amundi data as at 30/09/2020 * Amundi Leading Technologies & Operations

Contacts: BNY Mellon Amundi

Madelyn McHugh Jais Mehaji

+1 727 324 8900 +44 (0) 7500 558 924

[email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE BNY Mellon

Related Links

www.bnymellon.com


The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In the spirit of camaraderie and support throughout the creative community, global humanitarian organization, Alight , in collaboration with Burners Without Borders , renowned architect and designer, Ronald "RAEL" Rael , and filmmaker, Kai Schoenhals , has embarked upon igniting a global movement to transform migrant shelters and create sustainable change along the US/Mexico border in a program called A Little Piece of Home. The initiative will be unveiled February 6, 2021 during a virtual fundraising event featuring: an interactive cooking demonstration with activist, food educator and innovator, Chef Charles Michel ; the premiere of A Little Piece of Home/Pedacito de la Tierra, a documentary short film by award-winning Director, Lina Lyte Plioplyte ; and an in-depth Q&A with project contributors.

"Through the connection of food and storytelling, the goal of this virtual event is to deepen the understanding of migrant populations and to unite communities across borders in a deep, human-centered way," said Alight Director of the Americas, Annie Nolte-Henning. "It's Alight's purpose to serve every individual no matter their circumstances, everyone needs space  to nourish, to rest, to dream - everyone deserves A Little Piece of Home."

Chef Michel will lead an interactive cooking demonstration highlighting a family-friendly recipe traditionally made in a horno, similar to the one designed and built by RAEL and members of the community at Casa da Misericordia, the first shelter transformed as part of this program.

"Food has been at the center of families, communities and societies for hundreds of years, today, however, most of us have lost our connection to food and our agricultural roots," said Chef Charles Michel. "This virtual event allows families from around the world to come together, share in the joy of cooking a meal while learning about A Little Piece of Home and enjoy that meal with one another."

Guests will engage in meaningful conversation and share a meal with project collaborators and families currently living at the shelter on their migrant journey. The event will conclude with the premiere of A Little Piece of Home/Pedacito de la Tierra.

'"Hope' guides our film about a shelter in Nogales, a border city, where we were welcomed by hundreds of migrants who journeyed across the Americas with a common dream of crossing that border," said A Little Piece of Home Executive Producer, Kai Schoenhals. "Our story follows this community building, cooking and breaking bread together, as members of all ages share thoughts and ideas about their futures."

Register here to attend the event on February 6, 2021. Learn more about Alight's work and A Little Piece of Home along the U.S./Mexico border, at www.wearealight.org .

ABOUT ALIGHT

Established in 1978 by founder Neal Ball, Alight , formerly known as American Refugee Committee, provides health care, clean water, shelter, protection and economic opportunities to more than 3.5 million people in 19 countries each year. Alight believes in the incredible creativity, potential and ingenuity of the displaced and works to shine a light on their humanity, the tremendous amount of good that's already happening and the possibilities to do more. In 2020, Alight received the prestigious 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator for the tenth consecutive year, celebrating a decade of impactful work. The organization exists to see and help every person make meaningful change in the world  from displaced and marginalized communities in Africa, Asia and the Americas to...anyone, anywhere.

SOURCE Alight

Related Links

http://www.wearealight.org


Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on January 13, 2021

2021/01/13

CCTV: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi just concluded his visit to Myanmar. What are the outcomes and highlights of this visit?

Zhao Lijian: During State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Myanmar, he met with President U Win Myint, had talks with State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and met with Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, and U Kyaw Tint Swe, Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor. Both sides reached a 12-point political consensus on future bilateral relations. Eight concrete outcomes were signed or announced.

China and Myanmar are linked by mountains, rivers and longstanding "pauk-phaw" ties. By making Myanmar the first stop in his first trip to neighboring countries this year, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi became the first foreign minister that visited Myanmar after the country's general election, demonstrating the importance China attaches to its relations with Myanmar. During this visit, both sides reached principled agreement on the text of an action plan to jointly build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future. China expressed readiness to continue supporting Myanmar in fighting the virus and providing vaccines and medical supplies to the country. We support Myanmar's new government in revitalizing economy, improving people's life, accelerating the process of industrialization, and building the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor. We support Myanmar's government in upholding the "Panglong Spirit" and staying committed to national reconciliation, and we will continue providing as much help as we can. We welcome Myanmar's role as the next country coordinator for China-ASEAN relations. We will work with Myanmar to elevate China-ASEAN relations and to bring the RCEP into effect as early as possible.

After standing the test of COVID-19, we believe our "pauk-phaw" ties will be further strengthened and our comprehensive cooperative partnership further advanced.

GlobalTimes: According to reports, China has established the world's largest fixed and mobile networks during the 13th five year plan period. In mobile communication technology, China started from scratch in the era of 2G, and after catching up through 3G and closing the gap at 4G, has become a front-runner with 5G. However, a few U.S. politicians have been coercing other countries into not using 5G equipment made by Chinese companies. Do you have a comment?

Zhao Lijian: The progress Chinese hi-tech companies have made in 5G is witnessed by all. In recent years, China has become a major filer of 5G patents. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, with commercial rollout launched, China's 5G development has continued to gather speed, with more than 718,000 5G base stations already built. During the 13th five year plan period, China has put in place a full-fledged 5G industrial chain covering systems, terminals, chips and boards. Its 5G standard-essential patent declarations account for one third of the global total. The scale of its network and number of users are both unparalleled. The overall strength of China's 5G industry ranks among the highest in the world.

China holds that 5G technology plays a leading role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution as a cutting-edge and platform technology. Its development and application should be based on wide consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits among all countries. The idea of "ideology before technology" and the approach of setting up barriers or abusing the national security concept to suppress specific countries and companies run counter to the basic law of scientific progress and the shared interests of all. We hope countries will respect market rules and companies' will, bear in mind their own interests and the collective interests of the international community, and provide an equitable, fair, open, and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign companies including Chinese ones. In the spirit of mutual respect, equality, mutual trust, mutually-beneficial cooperation and shared development, China stands ready to engage in practical cooperation in 5G and other areas with all sides to benefit mankind and the whole world.

Reuters: The UK will introduce new rules for companies to try to prevent goods linked to Xinjiang entering the supply chain, according to Foreign Secretary Raab who cited forced labor and other human rights concerns. Do you have any comment on these new rules?

Zhao Lijian: We firmly reject that. We noticed that besides the UK, the foreign ministry of Canada also said they would prohibit goods produced by "forced labor". The UK and Canada have been ignoring all facts and truth presented repeatedly by China, while taking so-called "measures" against another country based on lies and disinformation. Is there the slightest seriousness in their foreign policies? Their "measures" cannot hold water on both factual and moral grounds.

There are no "camps" in Xinjiang, and the claim of "a million Uyghurs detained in re-education centers" is a baseless rumor and slander. It has already been reported by American media that the Network of Chinese Human Rights Defenders, a non-governmental organization supported by the US government, drew a ridiculous conclusion that one tenth of the 20 million people in Xinjiang are detained in the so-called re-education camps only based on interviews with just eight Uyghurs and rough estimates.

The so-called "forced labor" is nothing but a lie fabricated by certain institutions and individuals in Western countries, and my colleagues and I already stated China's position and clarified the truth on multiple occasions. Positive labor and employment policies have been enacted in Xinjiang to effectively safeguard the local people's basic right to employment. Workers from ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang choose their occupations according to their own will, voluntarily sign contracts with their employers on the basis of equality and get due payment. How can anyone call this "forced labor"?

At the recent news conference in Beijing held by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a Uighur worker named Mamatreyim Nasridin from Kizilsu Kirghiz Autonomous Prefecture told his story of getting employed in Zhejiang. He said that "Some people outside China say we are forced to work in the mainland under surveillance. This is nonsense! It is our freedom to go and work anywhere in our country. We can make more money in the mainland and the condition is good, why wouldn't anyone want to go there? How could I recommend my younger brother and friends to work in the mainland if we were forced to work under surveillance? I also met foreigners working here in Zhejiang. Are they also forced to work here?"

Regarding Xinjiang's economic and social development, China published eight white papers, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region held 22 press briefings and invited 1000-plus diplomats, journalists and religious representatives from over 100 countries to visit Xinjiang. The lies and disinformation made by foreign anti-China forces are so easily exposed when facts and the truth are presented.

To conclude, I shall stress that the Xinjiang-related issue is not a human rights issue, nor an ethnic or religious one, but an issue of combating violent terrorism and separatism. Xinjiang affairs are purely China's internal affairs, and no country has the right or is in any position to interfere. Certain countries including the UK, have funded the fabrication of lies and rumors and deliberately spread them. They have used the so-called human rights issue as an excuse to smear China, and taken various measures to restrict and oppress enterprises in Xinjiang. All these have fully exposed their hypocritical nature and sinister intentions in curbing Xinjiang's development and interfering in China's internal affairs. China is firmly opposed to that. The UK and Canada should immediately revoke their erroneous decision, stop meddling in China's internal affairs and harming China's interests. China will take all necessary measures to defend its national interests and dignity and firmly safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.

China News Service: According to reports, some civil organizations and institutions in the ROK recently set up a preparatory committee on celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the ROK. It plans to build on the momentum of the 30th anniversary as well as the Year of Cultural Exchange between the two sides in 2021 and 2022 to expand exchange and cooperation. Do you have more information on this? Does the committee have any official support from the Chinese or ROK side?

Zhao Lijian: To my knowledge, the preparatory committee on celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the ROK was led by civil organizations and institutions in the ROK with the participation of friendly personages including from the political sector. It aims to promote China-ROK exchange and cooperation. We welcome the support for and participation in bilateral friendship from various sectors in both countries.

China and the ROK are important close neighbors and cooperative partners. The year 2022 marks the 30th anniversary of the two sides' diplomatic relations and the Year of Cultural Exchange will be observed in 2021 and 2022. The two governments have been in communication with regard to preparations for relevant events. If there are important arrangements, both sides will release them in a timely manner through authoritative channels.

South China Morning Post: The U.S. State Department confirmed that the U.S. Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft's visit to Taiwan is canceled. What's your comment?

Zhao Lijian: My colleagues and I have repeatedly stated China's position on the U.S. ambassador Craft's plan to visit Taiwan. I'd like to stress once again that China has a clear and consistent position on opposing any kind of official relations between the United States and Taiwan. We urge the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, cut all official and military ties with Taiwan, and refrain from walking further down the wrong and dangerous path. China will continue taking all necessary measures to uphold sovereignty and security interests.

Globe and Mail: How can foreign companies be certain that they are not relying on forced labor in Xinjiang? Should companies from Canada and the UK expect the Chinese government to take measures against them in response to this new policy?

Zhao Lijian: I stated China's position in a detailed and unequivocal manner just now. Were you following me? There is no so-called "forced labor" in China and indeed including in Xinjiang. What you mentioned as "forced labor" is simply non-existent.

The Paper: On January 11, Pompeo wrote on Twitter that as UN's largest contributor, I put U.S. taxpayers and America's interests first. The UN cannot go without American Leadership. The United States can't afford to return to multilateralism as usual. Do you have any response to this?

Zhao Lijian: The international community knows clearly whether the United States is the biggest contributor to the UN. In fact, it is well documented that the United States is the UN's biggest defaulter of assessed contributions. We all remember clearly to this day how the United States has wantonly pulled out of international treaties and organizations. Before talking about American leadership, Pompeo should at least make the payments and rejoin the agreements and organizations that the U.S. withdrew from.

We once again see Pompeo's ignorance and prejudice against China in his ridiculous comments. As a permanent member of the UNSC and the second largest contributor to the UN regular budget and peacekeeping budget, China upholds multilateralism, supports the UN's work and endorses the purposes and principles of the UN Charter. At the high-level meeting to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the United Nations, President Xi announced new measures and propositions, demonstrating China's fulfillment of responsibility in supporting multilateralism and promoting international peace and development, which is an internationally recognized fact.

The United States has caused unprecedented harm to international order and got opposition from more and more countries with its pursuit of unilateralism and bullying practices, its withdrawal from UN agencies like UNESCO and the Human Rights Council, as well as its exit from the JCPOA, an agreement endorsed by the UN Security Council.

The world has entered the 21st century. It cannot and should not turn backwards to the Cold War and confrontation in the last century. As humanity is facing growing global challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, the only way out is to have equal-footed dialogue and consultation, enhance international cooperation, jointly uphold multilateralism, and safeguard the UN-centered international system and the international order based on international law.

Xinhua News Agency: The U.S. government reportedly declassified 30 years earlier than normal an Indo-Pacific strategy, which contains elements including defending Taiwan, accelerating India's rise as a counterbalance to China and maintain U.S. dominance in the region. Do you have any comment?

Zhao Lijian: Some U.S. politicians want to leave behind a "legacy" by declassifying the document, but its content only serves to expose the malign intention of the United States to use its Indo-Pacific strategy to suppress and contain China and undermine regional peace and stability. In essence, this is a strategy of hegemony. I can point out at least three major mistakes in it.

First, it highlights the Cold War mentality and military confrontation, which goes against the mutually-beneficial spirit of regional cooperation, runs counter to regional people's aspiration for peace, stability and development, and threatens regional prospects of peace and development. As such, it should rightly be thrown into the dustbin of history. The U.S. side is obsessed with ganging up, forming small cliques and resorting to despicable means such as wedge-driving, which fully exposed its true face as a trouble-maker undermining regional peace, stability, solidarity and cooperation. We believe countries in the region are clear-headed and vigilant enough not to be hijacked onto the U.S. chariot or be used as a tool to maintain U.S. hegemony.

Second, it is a serious breach of the U.S. government's solemn commitment on Taiwan to China. There is but one China in the world, and the Taiwan region is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory. China has the determination, confidence and capability to foil any foreign interference and "Taiwan independence" separatist plots. We will resolutely defend our sovereignty and territorial integrity. All U.S. attempts to contain China with Taiwan are futile. We urge the United States to fully recognize the highly sensitive nature of the Taiwan question, strictly observe the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related matters, not to send wrong signals to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces and not to go further down the dangerous and wrong path to avoid seriously undermining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and China-U.S. relations.

Third, it maliciously distorts China's neighborhood diplomacy and hypes up the so-called "China threat". However, lies will always be lies and justice will prevail. China is committed to the path of peaceful development and a defense policy that is defensive in nature. We are a builder of world peace, contributor to global development and guardian of international order. As a responsible member of the Asia-Pacific, China actively practices a neighborhood diplomacy of amity, sincerity, mutual benefit and inclusiveness, making important contributions to regional peace, stability and prosperity. Regional countries all bear witness to this.

I must point out that the Asia-Pacific is a region where Chinese and American interests are most tightly entwined and interact most frequently. We hope the U.S. side will discard the Cold War zero sum mentality, earnestly respect China's core interests and major concerns, strengthen communication and dialogue with China, properly manage differences and help make the Asia-Pacific a stage for mutually-beneficial cooperation instead of an arena for major power rivalry.

The Globe and Mail: Meng Wanzhou in Canada has asked a relaxation of the conditions of her bail. When will China provide bail to Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor?

Zhao Lijian: On your first question, the nature of the Meng Wanzhou incident is crystal clear. It is a serious political incident. We once again urge the United States to immediately withdraw its arrest warrant and extradition request for Ms. Meng, and urge Canada to immediately release Ms. Meng so that she can return to China safe and sound as soon as possible.

On your second question, as a Chinese saying goes, "The one who tied a knot should be the one that undoes it." You may convey this message to your government and see if they can work out a way to undo this knot.

Kyodo News: Yesterday you said the WHO experts will arrive in Wuhan on January 14. Is there any change in the plan? And will they be quarantined for 14 days?

Zhao Lijian: As far as I know, there's no change in the plan, but I have no further updates for you at the moment. You may ask the competent authority if you are interested.

Reuters: There are four widely varying sets of data for Sinovac vaccine. Some experts say that this will undermine confidence in the vaccine and also raises transparency issues. What is the view on this issue? Is the government also reviewing Sinovac vaccine's efficacy data? What's the view on the actual efficacy of the vaccine?

Zhao Lijian: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Chinese vaccine companies have been going all out to advance vaccine research and development in strict accordance with science and regulatory requirements and actively conducting international cooperation. China attaches high importance to vaccine safety and efficacy. As to your question, I'll leave the science to the company and experts.

I understand the State Council inter-agency task force is holding a press conference this afternoon. Perhaps you can ask your colleague to raise the question there.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 23:51:28|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 80 people have been killed in a massacre in western Ethiopia, the Ethiopia Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said on Wednesday.

The massacre which took place at the Debate locality, Metekel zone in the western regional state of Benishangul-Gumuz on Tuesday lasted for three hours leaving at least 80 people dead, the EHRC, a federal rights group established by the Ethiopian parliament, disclosed to Xinhua.

"The victims ranged in ages from a two years old child to a 45-year-old adult," EHRC further disclosed.

EHRC is gathering information in regards to the nature of the attack and the identity of the attackers.

In December, at least 207 people were killed in a massacre in Bekoji village, Metekel zone of Benishangul-Gumuz regional state.

Earlier this month, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs disclosed more than 101,000 people have been displaced by violence in Benishangul-Gumuz regional state since July 2020.

In recent years, deadly inter-communal violence has taken place in the Metekel zone, eventually killing hundreds of civilians.

The clashes are mainly over access to power and land resources. Enditem
CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rewards Network , a provider of financing, marketing, and loyalty services to the restaurant industry, is announcing a partnership with Womply , a software and API company serving local businesses and app developers. This partnership will allow restaurants to more swiftly apply for a loan through the new round of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Rewards Network and Womply are now aiding restaurants in securing a PPP loan at no cost to them. Womply helped more than 50,000 businesses get their PPP loans in 2020, and are now partnering with Rewards Network to help restaurants streamline the application process to secure their 2021 PPP loan before funds dry up.

"We want to do our part in helping our community of nearly 12,000 restaurant partners, and the broader industry, during this challenging time," said Steve Fusco, President of Rewards Network. "In 2020 we created several resources to help restaurants manage their businesses, and now our partnership with Womply will help restaurants get ahead by swiftly applying for and obtaining the new PPP loans they need."

"We're excited to kick off our partnership with Rewards Network in an effort to make it easier for restaurants to submit for the new round of PPP loans, as we understand it can be an overwhelming process," said Toby Scammell, CEO of Womply. "We look forward to seeing many Rewards Network restaurants taking advantage of this partnership really soon, while bringing more awareness of our streamlined application solution to the restaurant industry."

This partnership will also provide a free, six-month Womply Pro subscription ($774 value), and no-fee processing with Womply Pay (up to $226 in savings) for approved loan applicants. For more information on Rewards Network and Womply's partnership including pricing and terms, please visit ttps://www.womply.com/rewardsnetwork/ . Rewards Network has compiled additional COVID-related resources for restaurants here.

About Rewards Network

Headquartered in Chicago, IL, Rewards Network is a privately held fintech company powering the largest card-linked dining rewards programs in the United States and providing financial and marketing services to thousands of restaurants nationally.

Since 1984, Rewards Network has offered its dining programs in partnership with major airlines, hotel chains, and other leading loyalty marketing programs in the country. Our millions of members include guests who spend hundreds of millions of dollars annually at participating restaurants and in return, earn cash back, airline miles, hotel points, college savings, fuel discounts, and retail savings. For more information, visit RewardsNetwork.com.

About Womply

Womply's mission is to help small businesses thrive in a digital world. Founded in 2011, Womply is the leading provider of data and software to local businesses and the top software partner to the payments industry. Our AI-powered data platform powers our CRM and marketing software, which serves more than 450,000 small businesses in every corner of America. In addition, Womply's data platform helps innovative developers create more powerful software for businesses and consumers alike. To learn more, visit www.womply.com or email [email protected].

SOURCE Rewards Network

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Smoke from a waste fire is affecting visibility on the R139 (old N32) from the M50 towards the Clarehall area.

Dublin Fire Brigade urged motorists to drive with caution in the area.

Several firefighters and appliances fought a large fire at another waste facility near the Red Cow interchange over the weekend.

Local residents were advised to keep windows and doors closed in the area due to smoke.

After the main fire was extinguished, fire fighters remained at the scene to dampen down deep-set pockets of fire which continued to burn.

A group of rowdy Australian diners confronted Bali police officers after customers were told to leave the restaurant due to a COVID-19 curfew.

Local authorities attended the business in the Petitenget area on Monday night to enforce the 9pm closure time, amid ongoing restrictions to curb coronavirus transmissions on the popular tourist island.

But outraged foreigners allegedly started arguing with police for almost half an hour, insisting they were not done with their meals.

A video circulating online (pictured) shows two Australians arguing with Bali Police as they enforced a COVID-19 curfew in a restaurant

A video circulating on Instagram shows two Australians quarrelling face-to-face with a group of officers as they try to explain the regulations.

A man, without a face mask, can be seen mocking one of the officers before flipping him the bird, while a woman demands to be shown the curfew rules.

'You show me where it says eight o'clock,' she says.

An officer turns to the man to reiterate the directive, with the Australian responding: 'You tell me mate, I'll do whatever.'

Frustrated the man does not appear to be absorbing the message, the officer orders: 'No! Nine o'clock you must close the bar!'

The man and woman acknowledge they understand before launching into another debate demanding further elaboration.

The clip has gone viral, attracting almost 70,000 views, with many Indonesians discussing the impacts of the lockdown measures on Bali's local economy.

Public Order Agency boss I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara said foreign diners insisted they were not done with their meals

I Gusti Agung Ketut Suryanegara, who heads the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) in Badung regency said the dispute lasted for around 30 minutes.

'There were foreign tourists who insisted that they were still [dining]. We said it was 9pm and [restaurant] operations must be closed. Theres no way around it, if they want to continue to eat they have to wrap it up and take it away,' he told local news agency Coconuts Bali.

Indonesia has tightened restrictions in Java and Bali from January 11 until January 25, with the possibility of an extension, to prevent the spread of the virus.

Under the new regulations, shopping centres, malls, and restaurants are required to close by 9pm in the Bali provinces of Denpasar, Badung, Gianyar, Klungkung and Tabanan.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  Senate President Tito Sotto said health workers have the right to choose which vaccine they prefer to be administered to them.

Sotto made the statement after Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque told Filipinos they cannot be 'choosy' with the brand of COVID-19 vaccine that they will receive from the government.

"I think they have the right. Frontline health workers sila," Sotto said. "I think we should allow them. Kung di nila type yun, hintayin nila yung kasunod. Pero they should not be placed in the bottom of the list. Pag may dumating na bago, dapat nasa front ng list pa rin sila kasi frontliners sila eh."

[Translation: I think they have the right. They are frontline health workers. I think we should allow them. If they don't want it, they can wait for the next. But they should not be placed at the bottom of the list.. If a new one comes, they should be still be at the front of the list.]

He added the government cannot limit the choices of Filipinos especially if there will be other vaccines that will be available.

Sotto said he will raise this issue to the IATF and DOH when the Senate resumes its hearing on COVID-19 vaccines on Friday.

"Ang tanong natin sa Friday, e papano kung may available na Astrazenica sa isang buwan?" Sotto said. "Hindi pwede i-limit lang kung ano magiging available antimano. We're forced to good kung yun lang talaga ang available. But what if they, Astrazenica, Pfizer, or Gamaleya is available or even Sinopharm?"

[Translation: Our question on Friday is, what if AstraZeneca becomes available in a month? You can't limit what becomes available. But what if they, Astrazenica, Pfizer, or Gamaleya, are available or even Sinopharm?]

Sotto also said senators will urge the government during Friday's hearing to allow the private sector and local government units to directly procure COVID-19 vaccines from drug manufacturers.

As of now, private companies and LGUs still need to pass through the national government before they can purchase vaccines.

Officials explain this is needed because the vaccines have yet to get commercial authority to sell pending the completion of their testing.

During Monday's hearing, senators argued that if the procurement is centralized in the national government, it would take years before many Filipinos are inoculated.

"We will pursue the possibility of allowing private sector or LGUs or private individuals from procuring," the Senate President said. "Kasi iyon nga, sabi nga nila, yung iba di bilib sa ganito. Yung iba, bilib sa galing sa Russia or UK or wherever. So we will insist on Friday to find a solution on that particular wherein a tripartite agreement is necessary."

[Translation: Because they say some don't believe this. Others prefer the one from Russia or UK or wherever.]

Sotto said the private sector will be invited on Friday to discuss its participation in the vaccination program.

He said a vaccine expert will also be invited to shed light on the effects and importance of vaccines.

"Dito sa representative ng Zuellig, ng Pfizer, ng Unilab, masasagot natin mga tinatanong ng mga kasama natin sa media about being centered only on Sinovac," Sotto said. "Makikita natin ang response nila."

[Translation: With the representatives of Zuellig, Pfizer, Unilab, we can answer the questions from the media about being centered on Sinovac. We will see what they have to say.]
EDWARDSVILLE  A criminal reform bill opposed by Madison County law enforcement officials was approved by the Illinois House of Representatives on Wednesday.

Just before noon, the House voted 60-50 to approve House Bill 3563, formerly known as House Bill 163. The Senate met to debate the bill shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday before the measure passed 32-to-23 just before 5 in the morning. The bill now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Also known as the Pretrial Fairness Act, the bill ends cash bail in Illinois and overhauls police certification. The legislation was an initiative of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and opposed by a coalition of law enforcement groups in Illinois.

The members of the Southern Illinois Police Chiefs Association (SIPCA) urge concerned citizens of Southern Illinois to contact their state representative and the governor immediately to express opposition to this bill, Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keeven wrote in an open letter before the House vote Wednesday morning. This legislation began as an amendment to a bill the Illinois Senate hijacked from the Illinois House.

State Sens. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, and Steve McClure, R-Springfield, voted against the bill. State Sens. Christopher Belt, D-East St. Louis, and Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill, voted for the bill. Manar is leaving the Senate on Jan. 17 to join Gov. J.B. Pritzkers administration.

In the Illinois House, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, voted for the bill while voting against it were state Reps. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville; C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville; Charles Meier, R-Okawville; and Katie Stuart, D-Edwardsville. State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, did not vote.

Keeven wrote that when severe opposition was expressed regarding this dangerous bill, legislators moved the wording into HB 3653. In the opinion of the many police executives represented by the Southern Illinois Police Chiefs Association, if this bill becomes law, it will have a devastating effect on the ability of Illinois police officers to keep their communities safe.

One has to wonder why our legislators would rush a 600+ page piece of legislation, attempting to keep the contents hidden from those it will impact, Keeven wrote.

The members of the SIPCA stand willing to work with our legislators in the next session, when a policing reform bill may be crafted with input from all stakeholders, in the light of day, summed up in the letter.

Keeven said the bill was rushed and has moved around but the last version of the 600+ page bill he saw included:

 Eliminates qualified immunity for police officers and expressly applies punitive unbalanced civil penalties to police officers, while denying them typical and customary protections like caps on attorneys fees

 Creation of a new state law right of action against law enforcement for alleged civil rights violations that is more generous than the federal Section 1983 provisions (it includes a provision for attorneys fees, eliminates state law and federal immunities and resets the statute of limitations)

 Eliminates cash bail and basically mandates release

 Defunds municipalities by removing funding sources and interrupting as much as 40 percent of the total Local Government Distributive Fund (LGDF) monies

 Eliminates virtually all collective bargaining over any subject except for wages for over 50,000 law enforcement officers in the state

 Creates mandatory one-hour access to three phone calls for detainees with no latitude for emergencies, which often isnt practical in one hour, and allows outside contact by detainees prior to potential arrest of co-defendants/co-suspects who are still at large

 Mandates body cameras for all police departments without funding support. Penalizes municipalities for failure to comply by withholding LGDF

 Allows officers to be punished, or terminated, for unverified, anonymous complaints. Eliminates sworn affidavits

 Eliminates felony murder

 Significantly limits use of no-knock warrants

 Makes significant changes to use of force, including a total ban on chokeholds or action above the shoulders under any circumstances

Keeven feels law enforcement, crime victims and the public at large will be severely harmed by this legislation. This approach to police reform lacks balance, due process and any input from professional law enforcement organizations.

In response to the Illinois Senate action, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine called an emergency meeting of the Madison County Police Chiefs Wednesday morning where he was joined by the Madison County Sheriff John Lakin and every police chief in the county condemning the bill.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
The White House released a declassified document today which asserted that India maintains the capacity to counter border provocations by China. The outgoing Trump administration's 'The Framework' recognises that a free and open Indo-Pacific depends on robust American leadership.

Running into 10 pages, the document was recently declassified in part by US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien and now has been posted on the White House website.

The US strategic framework said India's preferred partner on security issues is the United States and the two cooperate to preserve maritime security and counter Chinese influence in South and Southeast Asia and other regions of mutual concern. "India maintains the capacity to counter border provocations by China," it further added.

"India remains preeminent in South Asia and takes the leading role in maintaining Indian Ocean security, increases engagement with Southeast Asia, and expands its economic, defence and diplomatic cooperation with other US allies and partners in the region," the document said.

"A strong India, in cooperation with like-minded countries, would act as a counterbalance to China," it further added.

The policy framework said its objective is to accelerate India's rise and capacity to serve as a net provider of security and major defence partner; solidify an enduring strategic partnership with India underpinned by a strong Indian military able to effectively collaborate with the US and its partners in the region to address shared interests.

The framework looks at expanding its support for India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and work with the country toward domestic economic reform and an increased leadership role in the East Asia Summit (EAS).

Redacted in part, the Framework among the actions proposes to support India's "Act East Policy" and its aspiration to be a leading global power, highlighting its compatibility with the US, Japanese, and Australian vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific; and build regional support for US-India Common Principles in the Indian Ocean, including unimpeded commerce, transparent infrastructure-debt practices, and peaceful resolution of territorial disputes.

Also read: PM Modi will virtually kick-off COVID-19 vaccine drive, launch Co-WIN app on Jan 16

Also read: No option to choose preferred coronavirus vaccine, says Health Ministry

California is starting to vaccinate residents 65 and older as demand subsides for health care workers, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.

There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences, Newsom said in a statement. To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state.

Bay Area counties and health care providers are gearing up to vaccinate seniors and here's a rundown of what we know on where, when and how to get vaccinated.

Health care providers

If you have health insurance, your health care provider will alert you when you're eligible to receive a COVID vaccine. We checked in with some of the largest providers in the Bay Area to find out when they will begin inoculating seniors and heard back from UCSF and Kaiser Permanente.

UCSF

UCSF may start vaccinating seniors as early as next week. Due to limited vaccine doses, the health care provider will start with patients 75 and older, said Elizabeth Fernandez, a spokesperson for UCSF.

"Patients are to be notified via MyChart  for those who are not signed up on MyChart, they will be contacted through other means, but MyChart is the best path," Fernandez wrote in an email.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser said in a statement it has administered 120,000 doses to people eligible as part of Phase 1a, but has yet to move onto Phase 1b that includes seniors. The health care provider did not provide a timeframe for inoculating seniors.

"We encourage Kaiser Permanente members to check kp.org/covid for updates on vaccine eligibility and availability and answers to frequently asked questions," Kaiser said in a statement.

Sutter Health

Sutter launched an online appointment system Thursday morning: Visit sutterhealth.org.

"Sutter patients who are healthcare workers or aged 75+ can now schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments," the health care provider said in a statement. "Were currently vaccinating these groups. While we wait for new guidance from CDPH, were continuing our work to further expand vaccination to more patients, including those 65+."

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Counties

Your county is also a resource for vaccine information. Many are posting forms online to start the process to sign up for a vaccine appointment. You can also look to the county health department to get vaccinated if you are non-insured, underinsured, on Medicaid (or Medi-Cal), or are signed up with a county public health program.

Alameda

The county hasn't said when it will begin vaccinating seniors, but you can fill out a form on the Alameda County Department of Public Health website to receive notification when you're eligible  find it here.

Contra Costa County

The county is beginning to assign vaccines to Phase 1b, which includes everyone over the age of 75, through its online registration system. Even those with insurance can get vaccinated through the county at this time, officials said.

"People with other insurance can make appointments and be vaccinated through Contra Costa Health Services," Karl Fischer, a spokesperson for Contra Costa County Health and Human Services wrote in an email. "As other providers in our county begin vaccinating this population, we may shift appointments made by their patients back to the home health provider. Any patient with an appointment would be notified of any change in advance."

You can find the appointment request form here.

Marin

The Marin County Department of Public Health said it hopes to complete Phase 1a by the end of January. This would mean they could move onto Phase 1b  which includes seniors  in February, but this depends on allocations from the California Department of Public Health, the county said.

The county sends a daily status update and is encouraging the public to subscribe (click here).

Napa

The county's public health department website said the projected date for vaccinating seniors, those age 65 and over, is February 2021, but this could happen sooner.

"It may start as early as the end of this week or next week as we may begin some concurrent Phase 1B (along with ongoing 1A) vaccinations pending dose availability," Janet Upton, a spokesperson for the county wrote in an email.

Find more information online.

San Francisco

San Francisco's Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax announced in a Tuesday press briefing that the San Francisco Health Network will begin vaccinating its patients age 65 and over as early as the end of this week.

The network provides primary care in 14 locations across the city, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and Laguna Honda Hospital.

"More than 14,000 people 65 or older are served by the San Francisco Health Network," S.F.'s COVID Command Center said in an email. "They include the non-insured, underinsured, Medicaid (or Medi-Cal), and those enrolled in Healthy SF and other city programs."

For more information, visit sf.gov/covidvax.

San Mateo

The county hasn't announced when it will begin vaccinating seniors. For vaccine updates in the county, visit the county health department website here.

Santa Clara County

Some health systems in the county are now allowing residents age 75 and older to receive the COVID vaccine.

"Individuals age 75 and older who receive their primary care through the Countys Health and Hospital System can now register for appointments through links available on the countys website at sccfreevax.org," the county said in a statement. "Other systems, including Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Stanford, and Kaiser expect to expand access to vaccine appointments to their older patients in Santa Clara County soon."

For more information, visit the county's vaccine website at sccfreevax.org.

Solano

"We have already started providing the vaccine to seniors living in Skilled Nursing Facilities and Memory Care Facilities," Jayleen Richards,

public health administrator for the county, wrote in an email. "We will likely have the vaccine supply and capacity to provide the vaccine to seniors (75+) next week (general population)."

Find updates on the Solano County COVID-19 vaccine page: SolanoCounty.com/CovidVaccine.

Sonoma

The county is on track to start vaccinating seniors and residents can find updates here.

"Seniors 75 and older that dont live in long-term care facilities are included in Phase 1b, so we hope to begin vaccinating them by the end of January," the county said in a statement.

The county opened a drive-thru vaccination site with Safeway Pharmacy employees administering shots at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa on Wednesday. To sign up to receive updates on the timing availability visit safeway.com/pharmacy/covid-19.

Do you have questions about getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Send an email to SFGATE News Editor Amy Graff who is tracking the vaccination process in the Bay Area.

Editor's note: This story was updated Jan. 13, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. to include new information from the Santa Clara Public Health Department. The story was updated again on Jan. 14 at 7:50 a.m. after hearing back from Solano County Health & Social Services. The story was also updated on Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. to include new information provided by Sutter Health.
The continuing trend away from cash is expected to be more persistent in economies such as the UAE, which already has a resilient e-commerce infrastructure and a young, digitally savvy population, says a report.

The Mastercard Economics Institute has released Economy 2021 - a global outlook report providing detailed analysis of the economic impact of Covid-19 including permanent changes in digital consumer spending habits, growth of online banking, fintech disruption and opportunities to boost financial inclusion.

Among the key trends analysed in the Middle East & Africa (MEA) is the sharp shift to digital platform use, driven by changed consumer behaviour, mobility restrictions and the necessity to generate business revenues beyond brick-and-mortar locations. The Mastercard Economics Institute, which was launched last year to analyse macroeconomic trends through the lens of the consumer, released the report to help governments and businesses of all sizes find a path forward following a gruelling and transformative 2020.

In terms of the e-commerce spending surge, the Mastercard Economics Institute estimates a permanent stickiness factor of 20-30% in overall retail spending, a key consideration as businesses contemplate scaling up their digital transformation efforts. This shift was also highlighted in a recent Mastercard e-commerce study, which revealed that 73% of consumers in the UAE, as well as in the wider MEA region, were shopping more online than they did before the pandemic.

That said, according to Economy 2021, as e-commerce rapidly becomes a way to pandemic-proof a business, adoption by older generations and added convenience and lower costs for consumers will contribute to the continued growth of digital demand in 2021.

DIGITISATION IS KEY

Within the scope of accelerated digital transformation, the report also notes that continued digitalisation in MEA is key to advancing financial inclusion. According to Economy 2021, the need to bring the population into the digital economy first through online banking solutions is paramount to delivering growth over generations to come.

Fintech disruption in online banking is set to be a key driver for this. Brick-and-mortar business creation is expected to decline further in 2021 in favour of online business creation and the adoption of initiatives that connect a merchants sales data with access to capital.

Another aspect of advancing financial inclusion highlighted by Economy 2021 is leveraging cutting-edge technologies to connect consumers to small businesses and micro-merchants.

As digital innovation improves and internet access increases, digital payment solutions such as Contactless, Virtual Card Numbers and Quick Response codes offer more possibilities than ever before.

Mastercard has been working to bridge the financial inclusion gap through a broad range of efforts, including partnerships with mobile network operators, ongoing work on government disbursement solutions, wage digitisation of private sector workers, solutions for gig workers, scaling efforts with telcos via their digital platforms and digital wallets.

THE FUTURE IS YOUNG

A key success factor for regional economies when it comes leveraging the growth of e-commerce and advancing financial inclusion is the young and fast-growing populations across MEA. The Middle East & North Africa (Mena) region has the largest youth population in the world, with more than half of residents under the age of 25. In the UAE, this youth bulge stands at 34%.

In addition to the advantages that this demographic presents, Economy 2021 also sets out the associated risks such as growing youth unemployment. The report notes that the link between high unemployment, high youth unemployment and social unrest is likely to remain an issue in 2021, as is the potential fallout from climate change  which carries both short- and long-term risks.

This growth of the digital economy represents a coming of age for e-commerce, a turning point in bridging the digital divide. We are heading for a multi-speed global recovery that favors low-touch over high-touch, said David Mann, Chief Economist, Asia and MEA, Mastercard. Small businesses and micro merchants are especially crucial to the regions economies and by enabling them to accept digital payments, we can connect more people and communities to financial freedom and eventual prosperity.

Mastercard has committed to powering small businesses through its payments technologies, network and insights, as part of a global $250 million pledge in products and services over the next five years.

Alongside e-commerce, the report anticipates automation around the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), contactless interaction, local delivery services and tele-everything to be other long-lasting trends.

Among the trends expected to reverse as mobility restrictions are gradually lifted are eating out and leisure travel, a key GDP contributor in many MEA economies. Traditional tourism-focused economies, such as Kenya and Egypt, will benefit from international tourisms eventual return.-- Tradearabia News Service


remaining of

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Abu Misry Mama (second from left), a senior member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) also known as Sadaan Salendab, is seen with other BIFF militants somewhere in Maguindanao province, southern Philippines, in June 2014.

Abu Misry Mama, a senior member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters militant group in the southern Philippines, has died of natural causes, according to a government intelligence report and a source close to him.

Mama (also known as Sadaan Salendab) was a spokesman for BIFF, a pro-Islamic State group in the volatile south, who was known for talking openly to the local and international press. During the past several years, he often challenged the Philippine military with incendiary remarks.

Mama, 67, died of an underlying illness last week in southern Maguindanao province, according to the report seen by BenarNews.

Mama passed away at about 1:00 p.m. on January 8, 2021 and was buried following Muslim rites, the report said. He was succeeded by Ustada Abu Suhaide, a previously unheard of militant in the BIFF ranks.

BenarNews also spoke to a source close to Mama, who confirmed his death. Mama was buried in Dapiawan, a village in Datu Salibo town, a known stronghold of BIFF, the source said.

The government had offered 1 million pesos (U.S. $21,000) for Mamas arrest or capture. He was among guerrillas who broke away from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), when that group gave up its struggle for independence and opened talks with the central government for an autonomous region in the south.

MILF eventually signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014, but BIFF guerrillas kept on fighting the government. Soon after, foreign militants allied with Islamic State (IS) made their presence felt in the southern Philippines. They allied themselves with Philippine insurgent groups sidelined by the deal.

While BIFF did not send fighters to join the sacking of southern Marawi City by pro-IS militants in 2017, it launched attacks elsewhere in the Mindanao region to divert military attention from the battlefront.

The intelligence report came out after Mama was last heard on a local radio program in Cotabato recently, during which he sounded sickly. Mama had suffered a stroke in 2014, but recovered and continued to speak on behalf of the group.

Shortly after the siege of Marawi was declared over in October 2017, he admitted that BIFF had launched attacks to distract troops.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Mama said at the time.

The Lithuanian government has awarded the 2020 Freedom Prize to former Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, her Telegram channel reported on Wednesday.

"Today, Lithuania marks the 30th anniversary of Freedom Defenders' Day. The Lithuanian government awards the Freedom Prize every year on this day. The 2020 prize has been awarded to Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and the Belarusian people, who are peacefully opposing violence and lawlessness in their country," Tikhanovskaya's press service said.

Tikhanovskaya decided to donate the prize's monetary part of 5,000 euros to the families of deceased Belarusian protesters.

Tikhanovskaya spoke at the acceptance ceremony in the Lithuanian Seimas to underline the importance of freedom for Belarusians as well as for Lithuanians.

"Why did brave Lithuanians sacrifice their lives 30 years ago? And why are millions of Belarusians risking their lives now? The reason is simple. They dare to seek freedom. The regime may think that by crushing us with their repression machines they may crush our spirit of freedom and dignity. It did not happen to Lithuania, and it will not happen to Belarus. There is no way back," Tikhanovskaya said.

Tikhanovskaya ran for president in Belarus in 2020 after the Central Elections Commission denied registration to her husband Sergei Tikhanovsky's campaign. Tikhanovsky was later detained.

According to the official results of the election, Tikhanovskaya garnered slightly more than 10% of the vote, coming in second. Incumbent President Alexander Lukashenko, who has served in the office since 1994, was declared the winner again.

A number of EU countries have recognized Tikhanovskaya as the leader of the Belarusian opposition.

The ex-candidate moved to Lithuania several days after the election held on August 9, 2020.
Barbara Itungo Kyagulanyi, the wife of Ugandan Musician cum politician, Bobi Wine was tortured and stripped in the presence of their son by some police officers before she was allegedly arrested.



Her husband, who is currently serving as a Member of Parliament for Kyadondo County East constituency is hoping to unseat President Yoweri Museveni, who has been in power since 1986, as Uganda head to the polls on Thursday, January 14.



In a video shared on Twitter by Anyamah Douglas, a Ugandan National, a woman believed to be the wife of the presidential candidate Bobi wine, can be seen being led away by some security officers



At one point, she is seen struggling with the police officers before she was stripped to her underwears in front of her son after being pushed to the floor.

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
The Army lieutenant who posted a video on social media of himself joking about Jewish people sent to Nazi ovens during the Holocaust is about to be kicked out of the Army, an official from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, confirmed.

In August, the XVIII Airborne Corps launched a 15-6 fact-finding investigation on 2nd Lt. Nathan Freihofer, a popular TikTok influencer with millions of followers, after one of his videos showed him in civilian clothes in front of a mirror telling the offensive joke and appearing to render a Nazi salute.

Read Next: Capitol Police Officer Who Led Mob Away from Senate Chambers Is an Army Iraq War Vet

The investigation that followed ended with Freihofer's commander recommending, "let's reprimand and retain" him in the Army, XVIII Airborne spokesman Col. Joe Buccino told Military.com.

Lt. Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of the XVIII Airborne, disagreed, saying that his behavior was inconsistent with Army values, especially for a soldier who serves in a leadership position, according to Buccino said. He added that Kurilla "made the decision not to retain."

Freihofer, an artillery officer who has 3.8 million followers on TikTok, had been under investigation for months and was removed from his leadership position in the 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in August, The Washington Post reported.

"He's not leading troops; he was moved to a non-leadership type position," Buccino told Military.com.

The decision is not final yet, however. Freihofer has been given time to prepare an argument in his favor, which he is scheduled to present in the next two weeks, Buccino said.

If Kurilla decides Freihofer should leave the Army, it's still unclear when that will occur since the case will have to go up to the Army staff level for processing.

The Army's senior leadership launched efforts to root out racism and extremism in the ranks after the May 25 death of George Floyd, a Black man who died in the custody of Minneapolis police. The incident touched off protests against racism across the country.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Fort Bragg Investigating Army Officer for Crass Holocaust Joke on TikTok
G eorgia Forteath, 41, and husband Harvil Connally, 49, were previously jailed

They have refused to pay back money and blame racist courts for convictions

Forteath shouted from dock: 'Next time I come here it will be for a citizen's arrest'

Judge Simon Davis replied: 'Are you personally threatening me, Ms Forteath?

A conwoman who is refusing to pay back any of the 250,000 she defrauded from two dead people's estates ranted that the judge is a 'wicked racist' as she vowed to have him arrested.

Georgia Forteath, 41, and her husband Harvil Connally, 49, were both previously jailed for swindling the money by claiming they were legitimate beneficiaries.

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They have refused to pay back the money to the families of Frederick Lewis and Doreen Kimber and blame racist courts for their convictions.

Forteath's representative, Caul Grant, spent over an hour claiming Judge Simon Davis was prejudiced against black people.

Forteath then shouted from the dock: 'The next time I come here it will be for a citizen's arrest!'

Georgia Forteath (pictured left), 41, and her husband Harvil Connally (right), 49, were both jailed for swindling the money by claiming they were legitimate beneficiaries

Judge Davis replied: 'Are you personally threatening me, Ms Forteath? I will stop you here.'

Forteath said: 'The public want to know the truth! How long can this blackmail go on, how long?'

She was planning to fund a property empire in Jamaica with the help of Connally and targeted the estates of the two families.

She was convicted of a string of charges including obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception, 15 counts of fraud, perjury and making a false representation on oath after a trial at Inner London Crown Court in 2011.

Forteath was jailed for eight years and nine months while Connally was sentenced to three years for fraud and acquiring criminal property.

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Her Lewisham property, bought for just 240,000 originally, is now subject to a restraint order, but she is yet to sell it to compensate the families a decade later.

She claims she cannot pay anything back during ongoing confiscation proceedings because she only earns 300 per month.

Forteath insists her children bought her the house and it should not be taken away from her.

The couple also face civil proceedings from the family of the victims.

Judge Davis, who sentenced Forteath in 2011, tried to conduct proceedings despite repeated interruptions from Forteath and her supporters.

Forteath was jailed for eight years and nine months

Connally was sentenced to three years for fraud and acquiring criminal property

Mr Grant is an activist for legal group Campaign for Truth and Justice.

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He said: 'Article 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 grants the right to be heard in a court of law. The level of wickedness that you have all perpetrated is in total disregard for the rule of law.

'You all thought, "They're only a couple of black people". This is just making an absolute mockery of what justice is intended to be.'

After listening to him for an hour Judge Davis finally said: 'I'm going to guillotine you and stop you from making any more oral submissions.'

Mark Paltenghi, prosecuting, said: 'Nothing I have heard from Mr Grant compels me to submit anything in response, as I would be repeating myself.'

Mr Grant said: 'We consider that an insult. This system is damn corrupt and it is an insult to all those who sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of justice.

'I wish I could say that it is only because we are black, but it seems that your corruption knows no bounds.

'All you care about is money, they had money in their accounts, Forteath's children, but you took it. For some the truth is an offence and I know the truth is in our submissions.'

Forteath alleges her prosecution was 'unlawful' and 'in bad faith'. She claims she had a 'valid probate and will' certified by the High Court for the deceased pensioners she was convicted of defrauding.

Forteath and Connally, pictured above. Forteath's Lewisham property, bought for 240,000 originally, is subject to a restraint order, but she is yet to sell it to compensate the families

Forteath was a South Bank University nursing student when she bought her home in Lewisham, where she still lives with her husband and adult children.

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The property is now thought to be worth 600,000 but the mother mother-of-two cannot be evicted until March 2021 due to Covid-19 regulations.

Forteath claimed she was a friend and carer of the deceased pensioners at her arrest. In 2011, Judge Davis said the student nurse told 'lie upon lie upon lie' to the jury.

'The lies tripped off her tongue as easily as I've heard in 35 years of sitting in a court in criminal cases,' he said.

Jurors had heard Forteath drained 233,952 from Mr Lewis' two Santander bank accounts then transferred 180,000 to a joint account she held with her husband.

During the police investigation into the Lewis estate, officers contacted the Land Registry about Ms Kimber, who they discovered was a retired secretary who died on December 27 in 2008, aged 78.

The pensioner had not made a will, telling her few friends she wanted to leave her 250,000 estate 'to the animals'.

This helped Forteath who used a faked will to take over the property in Malvern Road, also Thornton Heath, in July 2010.

The couple then attempted to transfer the title deeds to Forteath.

Forteath took 13,900 from Ms Kimber's account and went on a shopping spree with her bank card.

She posed as Ms Kimber to ordered a washing machine, a fridge freezer, a laptop and a tumble dryer from Argos.

Connally tried to help her dispose of Ms Kimber's property, telling an estate agent to sell it for 250,000.

Police had discovered Forteath was illegally living in this country after she travelled from Jamaica in April 2000 on a visitor's visa, and was later refused a student visa.

She took part in a sham marriage to remain in the UK, paying her landlord, recovering heroin addict Stephen Forteath, to wed her in December 2003.

As a spouse of a British citizen she was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2006.

She later married Connally, enabling him to be gain discretionary leave to remain here until September 2012.

Connally was a stonemason in Jamaica and joined the building trade when he came to this country.

Forteath, of Lewisham, denied obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception, 15 counts of fraud, perjury, making a false representation on oath, removing criminal property from England and Wales, possessing criminal property, acquiring criminal property, two counts of doing an act tending or intended to pervert the course of public justice.

She was cleared of the first charge and found guilty of all the others. Connally was found guilty of fraud and acquiring criminal property.

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The confiscation hearing was adjourned until 4 May 2021.

Former leader will now have pre-action disclosure application heard in court

Jeremy Corbyn will take the first step towards a High Court battle against Labour next week over his suspension from the parliamentary party.

The former opposition leader will have a pre-action disclosure application heard in London on Monday afternoon, court officials have said.

Lawyers for Mr Corbyn are expected to ask a judge for disclosure of documents ahead of a possible legal challenge over his suspension.

The case is expected to relate to the Islington North MP's original suspension and the negotiation with the Leader of the Opposition's office over the terms of his reinstatement.

Jeremy Corbyn, the former opposition leader, will have a pre-action disclosure application heard in London on Monday afternoon, court officials have said

It has previously been reported that they will seek evidence proving there was a deal with Sir Keir Starmer's office to readmit him to the party.

Mr Corbyn was suspended from Labour in October for claiming that the scale of anti-Semitism in the party was 'dramatically overstated for political reasons'.

He later attempted to clarify his comments in a statement to the party, saying concerns about anti-Semitism were 'neither "exaggerated" nor "overstated"'.

Mr Corbyn was reinstated as a party member by the National Executive Committee following a meeting of a disciplinary panel three weeks after his suspension.

But his successor as party leader - Sir Keir - blocked him from sitting as a Labour MP, though said he would keep the decision not to restore the whip 'under review'.

Sir Keir said in a statement at the time: 'I'm the leader of the Labour Party, but I'm also the leader of the Parliamentary Labour Party.

Mr Corbyn was suspended from Labour in October for claiming that the scale of anti-Semitism in the party was 'dramatically overstated for political reasons', but was reinstated weeks later. However, his successor Sir Keir Starmer blocked him from sitting as a Labour MP

'Jeremy Corbyn's actions in response to the EHRC report undermined and set back our work in restoring trust and confidence in the Labour Party's ability to tackle anti-Semitism.

'In those circumstances, I have taken the decision not to restore the whip to Jeremy Corbyn. I will keep this situation under review.'

It was revealed in November that the party's chief whip, Nick Brown, asked Mr Corbyn to 'unequivocally, unambiguously and without reservation' apologise for his comments.

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said Sir Keir had made the 'appropriate leadership decision' to withhold the whip from Mr Corbyn.

But John McDonnell, who served as shadow chancellor when Mr Corbyn was Labour leader, said Sir Keir's decision was 'just plain wrong' and would cause 'more division and disunity in the party'.

Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott also criticised the leadership's decision, tweeting that withholding the whip 'raises serious questions of due process'.
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At about midnight on Thursday December 31, 2020, Nigerians joined the rest of the world to witness the departure of the year 2020. And within the same space, observed the arrival of the year 2021. Both events were greeted with an aura of jubilation. However, while I tried like others, to savour the arrival of the New Year and its anticipated promises, the memories of two separate but related events that are Nigeria-specific not only came flooding but gazed on my face.

The first was the shadowy but scary spirit of the Endsars protest, particularly the incident of Tuesday 20th October, 2020, at the Lekki tollgate where scores of protesters according to media reports were shot as shooters believed to be officers of the Nigerian military opened fire on hundreds of youths keeping vigil to demand an end to police brutality. An interplay that the world has since agreed was a grievous blunder and a sin both the Lagos state and Federal Governments will continue to share in its guilts

The second has to do with the memory of an intervention I made in August 2017, entitled; Nigerian youth; celebrated abroad, despised at home.

Refreshing our minds, the piece among other remarks, narrated how a good number of talented Nigeria youths occupy enviable positions at the global stage; back home, disheartening see these same youths of ours helplessly relegated to, and made to watch the political and leadership affairs of their nation from the political gallery. Even as the piece pointed on how political class employs different strategies to ensure that the doors leading to the power arena remains perpetually shut against the youths, it submitted that unless something theatrical is done to change the narrative, the nation will continue to lose these young Nigerians that will provide the future leadership needs of our nation to countries such as the United States of America(USA), Canada and South Africa

Unfortunately, about 3years after that warning signal was dispatched , the nation is still in perpetual search for the most appropriate style for creating rancour- free relationships between the leaders and youths in ways that will render future conflicts unnecessary. Just as opinions are heavily divided on whether youths should be allowed to go through the nations political leadership apprenticeship.

As an illustration, as a way of forestalling another Endsars experience in the country, some have suggested, and called on political leaders to develop relationship-oriented leadership style. To others especially development professionals, they insist that the best way to averting future resentments by the youths is through provision of good governance via generation of people friendly policies, engineering of public leadership apprenticeship for the youths that involves task-orientation, clear leadership objective and creation of shared awareness of dimensions of the task and provide monitoring and feedback.

Whatever may be the true situation, it is the opinion of this piece that the need to find a solution to youths restiveness in the country urgent as they are must be holistic in approach. And the most constructive way to achieve this purpose is adoption of steps that will put the youths in a positive mood.

The reason is obvious. According to a large body of research, people in a positive mood tend to be not only more optimistic but also more forgiving of others and creative in seeking solutions. A positive mode triggers a more accurate perception of others' argument because people in a good mood tend to relax their defensive barriers and so they can listen more effectively.

From this revelation flows another set of questions.

How can the nation achieve this demand when the present political practice does not engage the best minds in our country to help get the answers and deploy the resources we need to move into the future? When people with networks of influence, their knowledge, and their resources necessary for creating the capacity for shared intelligence that we need to solve the problems are kept out of government?

Certainly, it is glaring from the above, that if unleashing our collective productivity, reclaim, revitalize and save the youths from incessant restiveness, is part of our objective as a nation, then,it again demands more reforms and concrete action from all but more especially from the government-Federal, State and Local Governments alike.

Beginning with the government, we must as a nation recognize that the traditional progressive solution to problems that involve a lack of participation by citizens in civic and democratic processes is to redouble their emphasis on education. And education is, in fact, an extremely valuable strategy for solving many of societys ills. In an age where information has more economic value than ever before, it is obvious that education should have a higher national priority. It is also clear that democracies are more likely to succeed when there is widespread access to high quality education.

Education alone, however, is necessary but insufficient. A well-educated citizenry is more likely to be a well-informed citizenry, but any education or transformation agenda that does not have job creation at the centre of its programme will take us nowhere. Apart from the reality that unemployment naturally leads to frustration, no nation can have the unemployment challenge similar to what is here in the country without experiencing youth restiveness.

Take the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), published Q2:2020 labour statistics, as an example. The data reveals that Nigerias second-quarter unemployment rate among young people (15-34 years old) was 34.9%, up from 29.7%, while the rate of underemployment for the same age group rose to 28.2% from 25.7% in Q3, 2018. These rates were the highest when compared to other age groupings. Nigerias youth population eligible to work is about 40 million out of which only 14.7 million are fully employed and another 11.2 million are unemployed.

Instead of our political office seekers giving youths arms during electioneering, this should be the time to give the youths work and insist that they work for bread.

What about the family? This is the time for parents to recognize that for a nation to make progress and enjoy relative peace, it must depend on the strength and influence of the family, hard work and respect for elders and love for scholarship and learning to keep the society orderly as these values make for a productive people and help economic growth..

To catalyze the process of enshrining national unity and concord, the time is ripe for the Federal Government to overtly declare their willingness/resolve to respect human rights and take positive action to facilitate the enjoyment of those rights by her citizens.

Lastly, it is our collective responsibility not to destroy this great nation but to join hands to nurture and sustain it. If we are able to manage this situation and other social menace effectively and navigate out of dangers of disintegration, it will once again, announce the arrival of a brand new great nation where peace and love shall reign supreme. But if we fail in this direction, it will again render the recent declaration by the Presidency that it will no longer allow a repeat of Endsars protest experience, as a gospel without the truth or a mere declaration of intent as no nation enjoys durable peace without justice and stability without fairness and equity.

Utomi, is the Programme Cordinator (Media and Public Policy), Social and Economic Justice Advocacy (SEJA), Lagos.
The Dark Energy Survey has released a massive, public collection of astronomical data and calibrated images from six years of work. Containing data on nearly 700 million astronomical objects, this second data release in the Survey's seven-year history is the topic of sessions today and tomorrow at the 237th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society.[1]

DR2 is the second release of images and object catalogs from the Dark Energy Survey (DES). It is the culmination of over half a decade of astronomical data collection and analysis, with the ultimate goal of understanding the accelerating expansion rate of the Universe and the phenomenon of dark energy that is thought to be responsible for the expansion. The Dark Energy Survey is a global collaboration that includes Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA), and NSF's NOIRLab.

Including a catalog of nearly 700 million astronomical objects, DR2 builds on the 400 million objects cataloged with the Survey's previous data release (DR1), and also improves on it by refining calibration techniques, which, with the deeper combined images from DR2, leads to improved estimates of the amount and distribution of matter in the Universe. It is one of the largest astronomical catalogs released to date.

Astronomical researchers around the world can access these unprecedented data and mine them to make new discoveries about the Universe, complementary to the studies being carried out by the Dark Energy Survey collaboration. The full data release can be accessed here and is available to scientists and the public to explore.

One early result relates to the construction of a catalog of RR Lyrae pulsating stars, which tell scientists about the region of space beyond the edge of our Milky Way. In this area nearly devoid of stars, the motion of the RR Lyrae stars hints at the presence of an enormous "halo" of invisible dark matter, which may provide clues to how our galaxy was assembled over the last 12 billion years. In another result, DES scientists used the extensive DR2 galaxy catalog, along with data from the LIGO gravitational wave experiment, to estimate the location of a black hole merger and, independent of other techniques, infer the value of the Hubble constant, a key cosmological parameter. Combining their data with other surveys, DES scientists have also been able to generate a detailed map of the Milky Way's dwarf satellites, giving researchers insight into how our own galaxy was assembled and how it compares with cosmologists' predictions.

The detailed precision cosmology constraints based on the full six-year DES data set will come out over the next two years.

DES was conceived to map hundreds of millions of galaxies and to chart the size of the expanding Universe as it accelerates under the influence of dark energy. DES has produced the largest and most accurate dark matter map from galaxy weak lensing to date.

Covering 5000 square degrees of the southern sky, the survey data enable many other investigations in addition to those targeting dark energy, covering a vast range of cosmic distances -- from discovering new nearby Solar System objects to investigating the nature of the first star-forming galaxies in the early Universe.

"This is a momentous milestone. For six years, the Dark Energy Survey collaboration took pictures of distant celestial objects in the night sky. Now, after carefully checking the quality and calibration of the images captured by the Dark Energy Camera, we are releasing this second batch of data to the public," said DES Director Rich Kron of Fermilab and the University of Chicago. "We invite professional and amateur scientists alike to dig into what we consider a rich mine of gems waiting to be discovered."

The primary tool used to collect these images, the Dark Energy Camera (DECam), is mounted on the National Science Foundation-funded Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope, part of the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO) in the Chilean Andes, a Program of NSF's NOIRLab. Each week from 2013 to 2019, DECam collected thousands of images of the southern sky, unlocking a trove of potential cosmological insights.

Once captured, these images (and the large amount of data surrounding them) were transferred to NCSA for processing via the DES Data Management (DESDM) project. Using the Blue Waters supercomputer at NCSA, the Illinois Campus Cluster, and computational systems at Fermilab, NCSA prepares calibrated data products for research and public consumption. It took approximately four months to process one year's worth of data into a searchable, usable catalog. The DES DR2 is hosted at the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), a Program of NSF's NOIRLab. CSDC provides software systems, user services, and development initiatives to connect and support the scientific missions of NOIRLab's telescopes, including the Blanco Telescope at CTIO.

"Because astronomical data sets today are so vast, the cost of handling them is prohibitive for individual researchers or most organizations," said Robert Nikutta, Project Scientist for Astro Data Lab at CSDC. "CSDC provides open access to big astronomical datasets like DES DR2, and the necessary tools to explore and exploit them -- then all it takes is someone from the community with a clever idea to discover new and exciting science."

###

Notes

[1] The DES DR2 will be featured in two online sessions at AAS: NOIRLab's Data Services: A Practical Demo Built on Science with DES DR2 on Thursday 14 January at 4:10 pm EST, and Dark Energy Survey: New Results and Public Data Release 2 on Friday 15 January at 12:00 pm EST.

More information

NSF's NOIRLab (National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory), the US center for ground-based optical-infrared astronomy, operates the international Gemini Observatory (a facility of NSF, NRC-Canada, ANID-Chile, MCTIC-Brazil, MINCyT-Argentina, and KASI-Republic of Korea), Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), the Community Science and Data Center (CSDC), and Vera C. Rubin Observatory. It is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) under a cooperative agreement with NSF and is headquartered in Tucson, Arizona. The astronomical community is honored to have the opportunity to conduct astronomical research on Iolkam Du'ag (Kitt Peak) in Arizona, on Maunakea in Hawai?i, and on Cerro Tololo and Cerro Pachon in Chile. We recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that these sites have to the Tohono O'odham Nation, to the Native Hawaiian community, and to the local communities in Chile, respectively.

About DES

This work is supported in part by the US Department of Energy Office of Science. The Dark Energy Survey is a collaboration of more than 400 scientists from 26 institutions in seven countries. Funding for the DES Projects has been provided by the US Department of Energy Office of Science, US National Science Foundation, Ministry of Science and Education of Spain, Science and Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom, Higher Education Funding Council for England, ETH Zurich for Switzerland, National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics at the University of Chicago, Center for Cosmology and AstroParticle Physics at Ohio State University, Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University, Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos, Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico and Ministerio da Ciencia e Tecnologia, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, and the collaborating institutions in the Dark Energy Survey.

NCSA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides supercomputing and advanced digital resources for the nation's science enterprise. At NCSA, University of Illinois faculty, staff, students, and collaborators from around the globe use advanced digital resources to address research grand challenges for the benefit of science and society. NCSA has been advancing one-third of the Fortune 50 for more than 30 years by bringing industry, researchers, and students together to solve grand challenges at rapid speed and scale.

Fermilab is America's premier national laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research. A US Department of Energy Office of Science laboratory, Fermilab is located near Chicago, Illinois, and operated under contract by the Fermi Research Alliance LLC, a joint partnership between the University of Chicago and the Universities Research Association, Inc.

The DOE 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.

Links

DES web page at NOIRLab

DES Page at Fermilab

DES DR2 Data Release

Photos of DECam

Photos of the Victor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope

Contacts

Rich Kron

Dark Energy Survey spokesperson

University of Chicago / Fermilab

Email: rich@astro.uchicago.edu

Robert Nikutta

NSF's NOIRLab

Cell: +1 919-633-5406

Email: robert.nikutta@noirlab.edu

Amanda Kocz

Press and Internal Communications Officer

NSF's NOIRLab

Cell: +1 626 524 5884

Email: amanda.kocz@noirlab.edu
Johnson and Johnson are likely to file for authorisation for their Covid-19 from the European Medicines Agency next month.

US firm Johnson & Johnson is likely to apply for EU approval for its Covid-19 vaccine candidate in February, a top lawmaker said on Wednesday.

"EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides announced during our (EU lawmakers) group meeting this morning that the vaccine manufacturer Johnson & Johnson is likely to submit an application for approval to the EU for their vaccine in February," said Peter Liese, who represents health matters for the EU's centre-right group, the assembly's largest.

The EU drugs regulator had said in December it expected the company to apply in the first quarter of this year.

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) started on December 1 a rolling review of the vaccine, which Johnson & Johnson is developing through its subsidiary Janssen.

It took EMA 20 days to approve the vaccine developed by BioNTech and Pfizer, and just over a month to authorise the Moderna shot after their applications in early December. The two shots are so far the only ones approved in the EU, while AstraZeneca submitted its application on Tuesday.

"If all goes well, we will already have the fourth corona vaccine available in a few weeks," Liese added.

The EU has booked 200 million doses of the J&J vaccine and has an option to order another 200 million shots. The J&J jab is single dose, unlike other vaccines approved so far in the EU and which require two doses for full protection.

Read More




(CNN)  President-elect Joe Biden is on course to lag behind his recent predecessors who had Cabinet nominees confirmed on the day of inauguration, causing concern that Biden's administration could be hampered in its early efforts to face immediate security, health and economic challenges.

Biden's transition team is beginning a new messaging push to urge Republican senators to swiftly confirm national security nominees -- positions helming the Pentagon and the State, Homeland Security and other key departments -- with Biden set to take office in eight days, a source familiar with the plans told CNN. Politico was the first to report Biden team's effort.

Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's pick for Homeland Security secretary is a top priority in their push, the source said. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee announced Tuesday afternoon it would hold a confirmation hearing for Mayorkas on January 19.

That push is getting a boost from Senate Democrats, including top Democrat Chuck Schumer, who told colleagues in a letter Tuesday that the riots at the US Capitol fueled by President Donald Trump last week and the economic costs brought on by the coronavirus pandemic make it particularly important for Biden's Cabinet to be in place quickly.

"The violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th showed us we need qualified Senate-confirmed people (not in an acting capacity) in key national security positions on Day One, including Secretary of Defense, Secretary of Homeland Security, Secretary of State, Attorney General, and others. The economic challenges our nation faces also require having key economic nominees confirmed and on the job ASAP," Schumer wrote.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had promised to give Biden's nominees votes, but had not committed to a timetable to do so. Democrats, though, will take the Senate majority as soon as Biden is inaugurated, thanks to wins in two Georgia Senate runoffs last week and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris' position as the tie-breaking vote in a 50-50 Senate. That could allow a Democratic-led Senate to move much faster on Biden's nominees.

Louisiana Rep. Cedric Richmond, who will soon resign his House seat for a job in Biden's White House, on CNN Tuesday lambasted Senate Republicans for failing to hold hearings for Mayorkas and other national security nominees, as has been done for previous administrations.

"Almost every homeland security secretary has been confirmed on the first day, and that was in 2009 and 2017," Richmond said. "So the fact that the Senate is not holding a hearing so we can confirm our national security members on day one is irresponsible to the American public."

Last week's deadly insurrection at the Capitol has heightened attention over security issues, leading Biden's team and allies in Congress to start pushing for Cabinet confirmations to ensure there are no gaps when Biden takes office on January 20.

"We are in a pandemic, economic crisis, and facing serious security threats -- people can't afford to wait," the source familiar with Biden's plans said.

Other national security top spots the transition is seeking swift confirmation for are Lloyd Austin, whose nomination for defense secretary requires a congressional waiver, and Tony Blinken as secretary of state, along with Janet Yellen as Treasury secretary.

"It's my expectation and hope that the Senate will move to confirm these nominees promptly and fairly. It's especially the case for the nominees secretary of state, defense, treasury, homeland security," Biden said as he introduced another round of picks for economic posts last week.

"Given what our country's been through the last four years, the last few days, given the threats and the risks of this world, they should be confirmed as close to January 20 as possible," he said. "There should be no vacancies at state, defense, treasury and homeland security."

With Congress now focused on a second impeachment of Trump, Biden expressed his hope Monday that the Senate would be able to "bifurcate" the process, splitting its time between a possible impeachment trial and confirming his nominees and advancing his agenda.

So far, the only confirmation hearings scheduled for Biden nominees are for Austin and Yellen, both on January 19.

Trump's choices for defense and homeland security secretaries were both confirmed on January 20, 2017; many other Cabinet nominees were confirmed within the next month.

Former President Barack Obama retained George W. Bush's defense secretary, and saw his nominees for secretary of homeland security, education, energy, agriculture, interior and veterans affairs confirmed on his Inauguration Day, with others confirmed shortly afterward.

Several Bush Cabinet nominees were confirmed on his Inauguration Day, as well, including his nominees for secretary of defense, state and treasury.

"Regardless of any developments, with our national security at stake, the pandemic costing thousands of lives every day, and our economy in a historic recession, there is absolutely no justification for Republicans to jeopardize the ability of the United States government to keep the American people safe, distribute vaccines, and put Americans back to work," said Andrew Bates, a Biden transition spokesperson.

"Many of these respected, qualified, crisis-tested nominees were announced in November, many have been previously confirmed, and their paperwork has been submitted. We look forward to continuing to work with both parties in good faith on timely confirmations," Bates said.

This story was first published on CNN.com ''People can't afford to wait': Biden and allies push for quick confirmations of nominees, citing security threats'
The city did release other video of the incident, which began when an officer approached Williams, then 20, and Stinnette, 19, as they sat in a car outside her home. Williams drove away suddenly as the police officer told Stinnette there was a warrant for his arrest. The officer radioed other officers, including Salinas, who chased the car in his police cruiser for a brief distance before Williams lost control turning a corner and went off the road, before she began driving the vehicle in reverse.
by Paul Wang

PIME missionary, Fr Franco Mella, met and prayed with the wife and the youngest son of the Catholic businessman held in prison. The request in the name of "humanity" to free six members of the democratic movement and the young people arrested in recent months. The priest asks for "humanity" and not "efficiency" also in the case of Alicia, separated from her mother Shifa by law.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - Prayer and fasting so that Jimmy Lai and five other members of the democratic movement arrested in recent weeks can return to their families before the Chinese New Year.

This is what happened this morning, in a meeting between the wife and son of Jimmy Lai, the Catholic businessman in prison in the name of the security law, and PIME missionary, Fr Franco Mella, on the sixth day of his hunger strike so that the authorities favour humanity" over "efficiency".

Lai, owner of Apple Daily newspaper - a critic of the corruption of the Chinese leadership and supporter of the democratic movement - is in prison, accused of fraud and "collusion" with foreign forces, according to the security law imposed by Beijing on the territory. If convicted, he could risk life imprisonment.

Arrested on December 3, Lai was released on December 23 on bail, but rearrested on December 31. Today, his wife Li Beihui and youngest son Li Taikai were able to visit him and talk with him for about an hour, bringing him the book "The Seven Storey Mountain" by the monk Thomas Merton as a gift.

Upon leaving Lai Chi Kok prison, they stopped and talked and prayed on their knees with Fr. Mella, who is observing a hunger strike, now in its sixth day, for the liberation of six members of the democratic movement.

I hope however that the authorities release all the young people who have been arrested in recent months, allowing them to re-join their families before the New Year - says Fr. Mella to AsiaNews.

On 6 January, 53 members of the democratic movement were arrested in a gigantic roundup involving over 1000 policemen, again in the name of the security law. Days later they were all released on bail, the charges being very weak. But in recent months, about 10 thousand people have been arrested for participating in rallies and demonstrations, banned in the name of anti-Covid rules. Another 10 are in prison in China for having entered Chinese territorial waters while fleeing to Taiwan.

Fr Mella is not new to humanitarian work. Since 1999, he has been demonstrating every year together with others for the right to family reunification of Chinese children and wives, linked to people of Hong Kong.

Since 2014 he has also taken to heart the situation of Alicia, a Ugandan child and her mother Shifa. Shifa had been convicted of a theft. Instead of being given to other family members (her grandmother and older brothers), her child was given up for adoption in January 2020 to an Indian family. The government will not even allow Shifa to contact her daughter by phone.

His hunger strike started six days ago in front of the Social Welfare Office (which made the decision to give Alicia over for adoption), but seeing "the situation of extreme frustration of the people of Hong Kong for the recent arrests and imprisonments", he decided to move in front of Lai Chi Kok prison, asking for freedom for those arrested in the democratic movement.

"Mine is purely spiritual support, with an invitation to everyone to give their contribution, with letters, visits and perhaps concrete actions for their release" - he explains.
Ex- Debenhams workers have today voted against proposals put to them by Labour Court chairperson Kevin Foley with 393 votes against the proposals and 37 in favour, according to the trade union, Mandate.

In total, 430 workers cast their votes.

Mandate said the proposal document stated that the Government would establish a 3 million training, upskilling and business start-up fund, but crucially, prevented the workers from accessing cash from the fund.

The elected shop stewards from Debenhams will now meet to determine the next steps in their campaign for a fair redundancy package and changes to legislation to ensure workers are not treated like this in the future, the statement concluded.

Last October, gardai were called after former employees of Debenhams in Newbridge were involved in stopping a lorry from removing stock from the closed store.

Liquidators KPMG secured a High Court order the previous week preventing people from obstructing the removal of stock which is part of the liquidation process.

Gardai attended the protest in Newbridge and took names of some protesters who are members of the Mandate trade union.

Cllr Chris Pender also attended the protest.

No stock was later removed from the premises.

Similar scenes took place at the Debenhams outlet in Blackrock when a van involved in the liquidation process arrived.

Over 120 Debenhams workers have been impacted by the sudden closure of the Newbridge store in April.

Protests outside the store have been regularly held since then.

Last September a union representative for Debenhams workers in the midlands said she was fearful that if the Government did not offer adequate financial support to the lower paid and unemployed, then Ireland would hit a depression, not a recession this time.

Mandate Divisional Organiser in the Midlands, Mandy Kane, said then that Debenhams workers were determined to continue on fighting for their redundancy rights.

Referring then to the continued fight by Debenhams workers in Newbridge and nationally for redundancy, she said: They believe that it should be statutory plus two.

Ms Kane, said: They are quite determined, the anger has not subsided at all. Some of the stores would have anything up to 40 years service. Some of the workers have moved on to other jobs, which is inevitable - people have mortgages to pay and some have not been successful in job applications.

She said: We have a situation where a company has walked away. The unions are trying to get legislation to protect the Debenhams workers.
MP Ashraf Rashad, the secretary-general of Mostaqbal Watan (Future of the Homeland) Party, announced on Wednesday that he was selected as the majority leader in the Egyptian House of Representatives.

Rashad became the chairman of the Mostaqbal Watan's parliamentary caucus, he wrote on Facebook.

Rashad was selected by the supreme body of the party, which claimed, along with its allies, the majority in parliament's lower house.

The National Unified Coalition led by Mostaqbal Watan won 316 seats (54 per cent) in the 596-seat legislative body.

The new majority leader had won his seat in Upper Egypt in the elections held late last year.

The newly-elected House held its first meeting, a procedural session, on Tuesday amid strict coronavirus measures.

MPs took the constitutional oath in a session that was chaired by prominent journalist Farida El-Shobashy, the eldest member in the House.

During the session, the MPs also elected judge Hanafy Ali El-Gebaly as the House speaker.

Mohamed Abul-Enein and Ahmed Saad El-Din were elected deputies to the speaker.

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As more people get vaccinated and states begin to roll back some of the restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic  schools, agencies and workplaces are working on a plan on how to safely return to normal.
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RALEIGH, N.C., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Great Business Schools ( https://www.greatbusinessschools.org/ ), a free online guide that takes students from the decision to attend business school all the way to an application and acceptance, has released four 2021 rankings of the best Environmental Management and Sustainability Master's degree programs in the US:

25 Best Master's in Environmental & Sustainability Management for 2021

( https://www.greatbusinessschools.org/best-environmental-management-masters/ )

15 Best Online Master's in Environmental & Sustainability Management for 2021

( https://www.greatbusinessschools.org/best-online-environmental-masters-programs/ )

10 Fastest Online Master's in Environmental & Sustainability Management for 2021

( https://www.greatbusinessschools.org/accelerated-environmental-management-masters/ )

10 Most Affordable Master's in Environmental & Sustainability Management for 2021

( https://www.greatbusinessschools.org/affordable-environmental-management-masters/ )

The Top 3 Best Environmental and Sustainability Management Programs for 2021 are: 1) Yale University; 2) Columbia University; 3) Georgetown University. The Top 3 Online Environmental and Sustainability Management Programs for 2021 are: 1) Duke University; 2) University of Wisconsin; 3) University of Connecticut.

A complete list of all institutions ranked is included at the end of this release.

Climate change may be controversial in some circles, but that doesn't change the fact that environmental management and sustainability careers are growing in importance and demand. "Despite rollbacks in regulations and climate change denial, environmental management and sustainability is still one of the key growth industries in the world today," the editors of Great Business Schools explain; "Earning an Environmental and Sustainability Management Master's will allow you to work in one of the most interesting and lucrative industries around." "Environmental management jobs can be found in many different industries," the editors point out. "Individuals who prefer working with the environment, in general, can find employment in organizations like the Bureau of Land Management, the Environmental Protection Agency, or the Department of Natural Resources," they explain, while "safety and environmental management professionals are found in manufacturing and construction companies." Whether private or public sector, there is demand for environmental and sustainability management professionals.

GBS editors are concerned with providing students with information they can really use. The audience for GBS includes traditional high school grads, working adults, and career-changing professionals. That is why Great Business Schools ranks both online and traditional programs. As the editors explain, "The flexibility and convenience of an online degree program make it possible to learn new skills while they are working allowing them to take on more responsibilities and apply for new positions within their company." By featuring accredited, reputable institutions, GBS ensures that prospective students can trust their choices.

Going to the right school is important for every student. Great Business Schools doesn't get caught up about which schools are the "best." They focus on what makes business schools great places for students to learn and grow. Rankings and resources that reflect a wide range of needs and priorities are what set GBS apart.

All Institutions in the Great Business Schools Environmental and Sustainability Management Master's Rankings (in alphabetical order):



American University

Arizona State University

Bard College

California Polytechnic State University

California State University, Long Beach

Chatham University

Columbia Southern University

Columbia University

DePaul University

Duke University

Duquesne University

Edgewood College

Franklin Pierce University

George Mason University

Georgetown University

Georgia Institute of Technology

Harvard University

Humboldt State University

Illinois Institute of Technology

Indiana University-Bloomington

James Madison University

Johns Hopkins University

Louisiana State University

The New School

Northern Arizona University

Ohio State University

Oklahoma State University

Penn State World Campus

Portland State University

Prescott College

Samford University

Southern Illinois University

Stevens Institute of Technology

Texas Tech University

Tufts University

Tuskegee University

Unity College

University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Davis

University of California, Santa Barbara

University of Colorado Denver

University of Connecticut

University of Denver

University of Findlay

University of Hawaii-Manoa

University of Houston-Clear Lake

University of Illinois-Springfield

University of Kentucky

University of Maryland Global Campus

University of Massachusetts-Boston

University of Michigan

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University of Rhode Island

University of San Francisco

University of Washington - Seattle

University of Wisconsin

Webster University

Western Colorado University

Wilmington University

Yale University

Media Contact:

Marie Benson

Lead Editor, Great Business Schools

[email protected]

https://www.greatbusinessschools.org/about/

(336) 629-7903

SOURCE Great Business Schools

Related Links

https://www.greatbusinessschools.org


USCIRF chair: Biden admin. will be 'just as strong' on religious freedom as Trump was

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As President-elect Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated on Jan. 20, the chair of the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom believes the incoming administration will continue the religious freedom successes of the Trump administration.

Gayle Manchin, the wife of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., and who has served with the congressionally mandated commission tasked with advising the executive branch and Congress about global religious freedom matters since 2018, told The Christian Post that she has spoken with the Biden administrations transition team about the issue of religious freedom.

The Biden administration will be just as strong, vowed Manchin, a former first lady of West Virginia. I certainly congratulate the [Trump administration]. Trump put a spotlight on [religious freedom]. I believe the Biden administration will continue that.

The work of USCIRF on religious freedom is important to the world because its the only government organization of its kind, she noted. Other countries dont oversee international religious freedom in the same way the U.S. does.

Were the only ones that take an interest in how Pakistan or Azerbaijan or Egypt are treating their citizens, she said.

One of Trumps religious freedom innovations was to appoint a permanent special adviser for international religious freedom to his office, said Manchin. This decision has allowed religious freedom concerns to receive attention when the president makes important decisions on foreign policy.

I would hope that is something that will continue in the new administration, she said. I think the Biden administration will be very open to working with USCIRF and all of the groups involved with religious freedom.

Both Republicans and Democrats serve on USCIRF and work together to advance the cause of religious freedom. The rest of Congress should take an example from USCIRFs healthy bipartisanship, said Manchin.

The secret to its success is personal relationships, she explained. Members of the commission spend time together, talk about their families and build friendships.

We met each other as individuals, not as youre a Republican and Im a Democrat and Im not going to like you,' she said. We realized very quickly that we all shared one same passion and that was to help individuals around the world to practice their religious faith in safety and peace. Its a shame that Congress cant follow our lead.

Manchin said the commissions greatest successes in 2020 include seeing Sudan improve its religious freedom laws enough to leave the State Departments list of "Countries of Particular Concern" for religious freedom. Countries with bad religious freedom records, including Uzbekistan, Bahrain and Indonesia have often sent representatives to speak with USCIRF about how they can do better.

Under [Sudans] new government regime, they have certainly started turning around the laws of that country to give women more freedom, to give religious minorities more freedom, she said.

In 2020, COVID-19 brought new challenges for USCIRF, the chairwoman said.

Commission members couldnt travel to other countries to interview locals on religious freedom because of COVID-19 restrictions. Also, some governments seem to be using the pandemic as a justification to restrict religious freedom.

You have to be careful. It requires oversight to see that a country is not using the pandemic as an excuse to punish minority religions," she explained. "It will be interesting as we get oversight to make sure that restrictions that have been placed on religion will be lifted [when the pandemic ends]."

Manchin said she was also concerned about the human rights situation in Nigeria, China, Pakistan, India and Egypt. In those countries, it has become harder for people to worship freely. Events in China indicate the government there is leading a genocide against Uighur Muslims, she argued.

USCIRF recommended the State Department to label India as a Country of Particular Concern for religious freedom, but the department refused.

We realize on the bigger picture that the State Department has to balance many entities and it looks at every country in the world. We reach out and look for those that are most egregious, but we dont have to consider domestic issues and economic issues. We focus on the religious aspect, said Manchin. When the State Department is weighing and balancing and making their decisions, we understand the diplomacy that is involved in these situations. We obviously continue to push them on countries that we believe have met all the criteria.

Another problem for USCIRF in 2020 has been a rise in anti-Semitism around the world, Manchin said. It remains unclear exactly why this rise has taken place.

You cant even pinpoint a country. Its very troubling. Its not something you want to see happening in our world, she said. The whole thing about the Holocaust was a hoax, how does that resurface again?

The actions of Americans for religious freedom can make a difference on the other side of the world, she said. When cases of religious persecution get publicity in the U.S., countries often change for the better because they dont want a bad reputation. When Congress leaders support people imprisoned for religious freedom, world leaders pay attention.

I do think that more and more the message is getting out about human rights and that they are not being honored and respected in these countries, said Manchin. When I think about the freedoms that I enjoy every day of my life and that there are individuals around the world who are in danger for trying to practice their faith, its important on each of us to play a part to make that situation better. We all have an action we can take.
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Resentment has erupted within the state BJP soon after Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced the list of seven Ministers to be inducted into his 17-month old cabinet on Wednesday.

The ruling party legislators have expressed serious reservations about MLCs not elected by the people being made Ministers, lack of representation to certain regions, with most Ministers still from Bengaluru and Belagavi districts and also on their "seniority or sacrifice" not being considered.

Yediyurappa earlier in the day announced that MLAs Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Nirani, C P Yogeshwar, S Angara, and MLCs MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar will be sworn-in as Ministers, following which several BJP MLAs, who were aspirants, expressed their serious discontent.

Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who has been critical of Yediyurappa, accused the Chief Minister of making appointments under blackmail, without considering seniority or honesty.

Alleging that the CM and his family have 'hijacked' the BJP in Karnataka, he also requested the PM to end dynastic politics from Yediyurappa's family in the state.

"CM is making those who are blackmailing him Ministers. Three people- one political secretary and two Ministers have been blackmailing with some of Yediyurappa's CDs for three months. One who will become Minister today, along with CD blackmail, was also involved in payment of money to Vijayendra (CM's son)," the former union minister said.

Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura, Yatnal, who had stated that he did not want to become Minister under Yediyurappa, claimed three people who are blackmailing the CM had met him four months ago with a plan to depose Yediyurappa.

"I challenge you (Yediyurappa) ahead of Makara Sankranti that from Uttarayana your (political) end will begin and a new period will start under PM Modi in Karnataka," he said, as he demanded Yediyurappa's resignation following High Court dismissing his petition seeking quashing of FIRs against him in an illegal land denotification case.

His statement comes despite warnings by the BJP leadership against making statements in public on issues relating to the party and leaders.

Also making a reference to blackmail, Ministerial aspirant and MLC A H Vishwanth, who was among MLAs from the Congress- JD(S) coalition to resign in 2019 and switched over to BJP, hit out at Yediyurappa for not keeping his promise.

Demanding to know why Excise Minister H Nagesh was being dropped and RR Nagar MLA Munirathna was not inducted, he said, "it is because of their sacrifice you are CM today...instead, you are making Yogeshwar a Minister, who has fraud and cheating cases against him. Why are you making him Minister, is he blackmailing you?", he asked.

Honnali MLA and Chief Minister's Political Secretary M P Renukacharya, another ministerial aspirant, has expressed his displeasure, stating that the government was limited to two districts and that the CM and party leaders have to look into it.

"Injustice has happened to Hyderabad Karnataka, central and coastal Karnataka regions. It (government or cabinet) is limited to Bengaluru and Belagavi....I'm upset, to whom should I tell this," he told reporters, adding that he has never lobbied for a Ministerial post and cannot set aside his self-respect.

Considered a Yediyurappa loyalist, Renukacharya, who met party General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Kumar on his arrival at the airport today, also expressed reservations about five MLCs in the cabinet.

"We have been elected by the people (As MLAs), what's the use?"

Six time MLA G H Thippareddy, who represents Chitradurga constituency and has been sulking for some time now said he feels "let down" after being in politics for five decades and as legislator for 30 years, as he did not get an opportunity to serve the people as Minister.

Expressing surprise over MLC Yogeshwar being named as Minister, he said more than half the Ministers in the cabinet are either from Bengaluru or Belagavi and that some who worked against the interest of the party during elections have also been made ministers.

With the induction of Limbavali, Yediyurappas Cabinet will now have eight ministers representing Bengaluru, followed by Belgavi five, with the induction of Katti.

Bommanahalli MLA M Satish Reddy asked what yardstick Yediyurappa had adopted in selection of Ministers and said the absence of late Union Minister Ananthkumar, "who had an ear for our woes - is very clear."

"...you (Yediurappa), state and central leaders can't see honest young workers?" he questioned. Senior MLA from Krishnaraja constituency S A Ramadass said he has been serving the party for 28 years.

"Injustice has happened to old Mysuru region. Any other party MLA from the Mysuru could have been made Minister."

From the beginning the cabinet expansion was being seen as a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard to Congress- JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators.

The cabinet currently has 27 members and seven berths are vacant.

With the induction of seven Ministers and dropping of H Nagesh from the Ministry there will be one berth that will be vacant in the state cabinet.
Two of Australia's fan favourite chocolate bars have been transformed into epic ice cream tubs.

Confectionery brand Mars, Inc. has unveiled the scoopable versions of iconic Mars and Snickers, with the frozen desserts now available at supermarket stores around the country.

The Mars variety consists of a malt and chocolate flavoured ice cream with caramel sauce, fudge pieces and milk chocolate curls.

While the Snickers version has salted caramel and chocolate flavoured ice cream, complete with salted caramel sauce, roasted peanuts and milk chocolate curls.

Two of Australia's fan favourite chocolate bars have been transformed into epic ice cream tubs. Confectionery brand Mars, Inc. has unveiled the scoopable versions of iconic Mars and Snickers, with the frozen desserts now available at supermarket stores around the country

The chocolate bar flavoured ice creams have been selling overseas for years - but this is the first time it's in Australia.

Dozens of shoppers are already excited to try the new creations, with one woman saying: 'This is exactly what I wanted last night and I didn't even know it existed.'

A second wrote: 'Better make room in the freezer,' and another added: 'If eating a whole tub of this is wrong I don't want to be right.'

Two food bloggers - who run Food Finds Geelong on Instagram - from Victoria shared their glowing review after tasting the new range.

The Mars variety consists of a malt and chocolate flavoured ice cream with caramel sauce, fudge pieces and chocolate curls. While the Snickers version has salted caramel and chocolate flavoured ice cream, complete with salted caramel sauce, roasted peanuts and chocolate curls

They rated the Snickers an eight out of 10, saying the ice cream has a 'good amount of filling' so 'you get a bit of everything in every bite'.

'Generally tastes like a Snickers but would like more salted caramel flavour in the ice cream itself as well as more sauce,' they insisted.

While the pair only scored the Mars variety a six out of 10.

'Wasn't a huge fan of the malt flavour,' they said.

'It didn't resemble a Mars bar as much as the Snickers ice cream resembled a Snickers but again love that you get flakes of chocolate in every bite, great caramel sauce and we enjoyed the chewy caramel fudge pieces. '

The 460mL ice cream tubs are available at Coles for $10 each.

World's richest person and Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has donated $5 million to Khan Academy, an American non-profit educational organisation, via his NGO called Musk Foundation that promotes online education. "I just want to give a huge shout and thank you to Elon Musk and everyone at the Musk foundation. For their credible generous support for Khan Academy, they just recently gave a $5 million donation to Khan academy," Khan Academy founder in a YouTube video message said on Tuesday.

Khan said: "Elon, I hope you really feel good about this. This is going to allow us to accelerate all sorts of content. Our aspirations are all subjects -- from kids to early stages of college. This will accelerate our science content, allow us to do more early learning, allow us to make the software and the practice that much more engaging."

Also read: Elon Musk's girlfriend Grimes tests COVID-19 positive; says 'enjoying the Dayquil fever dream'

The 2008-founded Khan Academy offers practice exercises, instructional videos, and a personalised learning dashboard that empower learners to study at their own pace in and outside of the classroom. It tackles math, science, computing, history, art history, economics, and more, including K-14 and test preparation (SAT, Praxis, LSAT) content.

It also provides free tools for parents and teachers to help understand what their children or students are up to and how best to help them. Elon Musk is a big proponent of online education. Before Khan Academy, his organisation had donated $424,000 to supply laptops to middle schools in Flint, Michigan. He also donated $480,000 for water filtration in the area.

The organisation was founded by Elon along with his brother Kimbel Musk in 2002. Besides education, the foundation makes grants in areas such as renewable energy research, human space exploration, pediatric research, science and engineering, and safe artificial intelligence development. Other NGOs that have received support from Musk Foundation are Doctors Without Borders, World Spine Care and Mirman School for gifted kids.

Overall, the organisation founder Elon Musk has donated $257 million to the foundation, as per Influence Watch. With a total net worth of $188 billion and rising, Elon Musk became the world's richest man by replacing Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos on January 8.

Also read: Tesla incorporates firm in Bengaluru with 3 directors, scouts for land

Plastics and strands of microfiber from washed clothes and industrial wastewater have been discovered to be sources of pollutants to the arctic region of the world.

The Arctic region is one of the remote regions of the world facing overwhelming threats from micro plastics washed into the oceans.

These pollutants directly affects the life of the indigenous Inuit people in the Arctic region and other northern communities who depend on seafood and marine mammals for food.

Arctic ocean hazard

A recent study published in Nature Communication has revealed that micro plastics (synthetic fibers) are found all over the Arctic Ocean, Europe and extend to the North American Arctic. These pollutants have found their way into the aquatic environment affecting fish, seabirds, marine mammals, and zooplankton.

An in-depth analysis of a large sample of research has revealed the heavy presence of microfibers in the Arctic and many other parts of the world. The presence of these micro plastics in seawater is worrisome and can be attributed to laundry, textiles, and industrial wastewater.

The research was conducted by Ocean Wise Conservation Association in Vancouver and was supported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The researchers collected seawater samples from the Arctic Ocean along the coasts of Tromso, Norway, and the Beaufort Sea in North America.

To get reliable results from their study, they collected 71 near-surface samples across the Arctic Ocean and 26 samples from the Beaufort Sea from just below the surface down to a depth of 1,015 meters. They filtered and carried out extensive analysis of the samples where they found micro plastics as new pollutants threatening the life of the aquatic creatures.

The researchers found that in every cubic meter of seawater sample from the Arctic Ocean, there were 49 micro plastics. An average of 49 micro plastic particles. This demonstrates the extent to which synthetic plastics have polluted the water body. Surprisingly, this quantity is less than what is found in the urban areas of the South.

The result of the study showed that about 73 percent of fibers were polyester. They range from an average of 14 microns (0.014 mm) thick and 1,100 microns (1.1 mm) long.

ALSO READ - Ocean Plastics Pollution

Tracking the Source of The Mystery Fibers

During the research expedition, researchers covered an area of more than 20,000 kilometers.

They discovered that fibers were three times more in quantity in the eastern Arctic region than the west. The fibers are 50 percent longer in the Eastern Arctic region and are similar to commercial polyester.

The study further revealed that the Atlantic Ocean is the source of the fibers entering the Arctic Ocean. The observations portrayed oceanographic features that support this claim. The oceanographic features show that water entering the Arctic Ocean is 9 times more than from the Pacific.

The physical features of the microplastics are similar to those found in a 2018 study of the largest domestic wastewater treatment plant in Vancouver.

Additionally, the size and shape of these fibers point to those that we're seen in the laundry. This shows textiles could be shedding these fibers during the washing of clothes. A study has revealed that an average American and Canadian household releases over 500 million fibers per year from the laundry.

RELATED ARTICLE - How Does Plastic Pollution Affect The Ocean?

For more news, updates about water pollution and similar topics, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
BENGALURU: Road traffic congestion in India's four biggest cities--Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, and Pune--have crawled back to pre-pandemic levels after almost a year of lockdown-induced decline, according to a report by TomTom, an Amsterdam-headquartered independent location technology specialist.

Traffic congestion in Mumbai stood at 64% in January, went down to 0% in April--at the peak of lockdown--and is now at 59%, according to the report.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

Likewise, Bengaluru, which was ranked the number one city globally for traffic congestion in 2019, saw traffic slump from 70% in January to 6% in April and rise back to around 48% in December, according to the report.

Bengaluru was one of the first cities to impose lockdown but was also the first to lift curbs to allow economic activity to resume.

Despite the drop in congestion level, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi were second, sixth and eight respectively of 416 cities globally.

Mumbai had 133 days of the 365 days with low traffic while Bengaluru had 147 days, the report shows.

Last year, we announced that both global and India congestion levels in 2019 had increased for the ninth consecutive Traffic Index. In 2020, we saw a vastly different picture. From lockdowns to closed borders, people movement changed  and it changed very fast," Werner van Huyssteen, General Manager, India, TomTom, said in a statement on Wednesday.

Adoption of work from home policies by large employers, TomTom says, contributed to fall in traffic congestion.

TomTom, however, says the trends are unlikely to continue "unless theres a concerted and deliberate change in driver behaviour, supported by policy makers and, importantly, employers."

Reduced traffic congestion during rush hours in all four Indian cities, TomTom says, is encouraging and testimony to the fact that flexible work hours lead to lesser traffic.

Although traffic congestion in India was down in 2020, its not going to become a trend unless we take action. We might even see traffic levels shoot up again as people get back to work and back into old routines. Thats why now is the time that Indias city planners, policy makers, employers  and drivers  must take stock of what they will do to make the roads less congested in the future," Werner added.

Globally, 13 of 416 cities saw an increase in traffic congestion.

TomToms traffic data is derived using over 600 million connected devices.

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I missed David Marcuss useful New York Post column The threats and violence Twitter wont police. As we have noted, Amazon, Apple, and Google acted in concert to shut Parler down supposedly because it hosts calls for violence, as Marcus puts it, but a simple search of Twitter shows that it regularly allows such calls itself. For example:

Twitter hosts a #KillTrump hashtag. In all of the glorious English language there is no clearer, plainer, or shorter way to call for violence than the word kill followed by someones name. But there it is. One of these tweets reads #ArrestTrump not enough #KillTrump. And this isnt new, back in June the hashtag #AssassinateTrump was bouncing around the website with gems like Someone take this clown out NOW. That tweet is still up.

For a few more examples:

[T]he Ayatollah Khamenei tweeted this in November, . . . Palestine will be free, while the fake Zionist regime will perish. Theres no doubt about this. So encouraging a completely legal challenge to election results gets our President banned, but the leader of Irans brutal state threatening to wipe out Israel is no problem at all. There is a Twitter account that calls itself Pigs In A Blanket, Fry Em Like Bacon, a call to kill police that is also found in myriad tweets. There is currently a tweet up from the day of the Capitol riots that reads I hope the Trumpers out there all die of Covid. When Congressman elect Luke Letlow did die with Covid there were tweets celebrating or calling it justice. Antifa, which engaged in riots all summer in Portland has several Twitter accounts that they use to organize. In July a left wing Portland journalist tweeted during a riot, Heads up all, it looks like Andy Ngo is here. Author and Antifa critic Ngo has been physically assaulted by the group. Clearly she knew she was putting him danger. The point is that Twitter is a cesspool of threats of violence, but takes little notice unless they come from conservative voices that threaten their power and their bottom line. This idea that Twitter is acting in the interest of the community or promoting healthy discourse with its censorship is absurd. Twitter acts in one and only entitys interests: Its own.

We cannot but be moved by Twitters concern about the free speech rights of its consumers in Uganda (via Tristan Justice/Federalist):

Ahead of the Ugandan election, we're hearing reports that Internet service providers are being ordered to block social media and messaging apps. We strongly condemn internet shutdowns  they are hugely harmful, violate basic human rights and the principles of the #OpenInternet.  Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) January 12, 2021

Access to information and freedom of expression, including the public conversation on Twitter, is never more important than during democratic processes, particularly elections.#UgandaDecides2021 #KeepItOn https://t.co/Q2SJfsFUiD  Twitter Public Policy (@Policy) January 12, 2021

More to come.
THE VICE PRESIDENT WASHINGTON January 12, 2021 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Madam Speaker: Every American was shocked and saddened by the attack on our Nation's Capitol last week, and I am grateful for the leadership that you and other congressional leaders provided in reconvening Congress to complete the people's business on the very same day. It was a moment that demonstrated to the American people the unity that is still possible in Congress when it is needed most. But now, with just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution. Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation. As you know full well, the 25th Amendment was designed to address Presidential incapacity or disability. Just a few months ago, when you introduced legislation to create a 25th Amendment Commission, you said, [a] President's fitness for office must be determined by science and facts. You said then that we must be [v]ery respectful of not making a judgment on the basis of a comment or behavior that we don't like, but based on a medical decision. Madam Speaker, you were right. Under our Constitution, the 25th Amendment is not a means of punishment or usurpation. Invoking the 25th Amendment in such a manner would set a terrible precedent. After the horrific events of this last week, our Administration's energy is directed to ensuring an orderly transition. The Bible says that for everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven...a time to heal, ... and a time to build up. That time is now. In the midst of a global pandemic, economic hardship for millions of Americans, and the tragic events of January 6th, now is the time for us to come together, now is the time to heal. I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment. Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States. I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power. So help me God. Sincerely, Shiefera - Michael R. Pence Vice President of the United States
She's the former Bachelorette who is currently planning her wedding to her dashing fiance, Lee Elliott.

But on Wednesday, Georgia Love had a rather disgusting encounter with a bird that flew in through her window.

Posting to Twitter, the 31-year-old explained that the creature 'shat itself' on her bed, and she promptly asked her followers if it is an 'omen' for something.

Bizarre: Georgia Love had a rather disgusting encounter with a bird that flew in through her window

Yuck: Posting to Twitter, the 31-year-old explained that the creature 'shat itself' on her bed, and she promptly asked her followers if it is an 'omen' for something

'Omg a bird just flew into my house and literally shat itself ON MY BED what is this an omen for,' she asked.

Fans were quick to share their suggestions with one saying that it's '2020 getting the last laugh'.

Another user commented: 'Bird poo is good luck right so this must be...very good luck.'

Fans were quick to share their suggestions with one saying that it's '2020 getting the last laugh'. Another user commented: 'Bird poo is good luck right so this must be...very good luck'

A third wrote: 'An omen to close your windows,' while another joked: 'Georgia I see in your future a washing cycle.'

The unfortunate incident comes as Georgia is in the midst of planning her destination wedding to Lee.

Planning their wedding has been a difficult journey for the lovebirds, who met on The Bachelorette in 2016.

Big year: The unfortunate incident comes as Georgia is in the midst of planning her destination wedding to Lee

They originally wanted to get married in Italy, but then chose Tasmania as their alternative wedding destination when international borders closed.

But disaster struck for the Melbourne-based couple, when Victoria slammed its borders shut in response to a second wave of coronavirus, meaning their back-up plans were also thwarted.

Speaking to The Herald Sun in September, she said: 'We have set a (wedding) date next year and are forging ahead hoping it is going to happen as we want it to.'

Cheers: 'We have set a (wedding) date next year and are forging ahead hoping it is going to happen as we want it to,' Georgia told The Herald Sun in September

She continued: 'We had planned an entire wedding for Italy and that has just gone completely out of the window.

'We then planned a wedding for Tasmania and that date has now changed.'

Georgia explained the pair don't want to plan a third wedding if they have to change their latest plans due to the pandemic.

'We don't want to have to plan a third wedding, but if it ends up that we have to postpone it we will do that.'
Minnesota Governor Tim Walzs incompetent response to the riots last summer that devastated Minneapolis, and to a lesser extent St. Paul, will never be forgotten. He waited four long days before he finally called out the National Guard in numbers adequate to end the reign of terror that had settled over the Twin Cities. Why was Walz so slow to defend public order? He openly expressed support for the aims of the rioters, looters and arsonists, and worried publicly that a stronger law enforcement response might upset them:

The very tools that we need to use to get control, to make sure that buildings arent burned and the rule of law collapses, are those very institutional tools that have led to that grief and pain [of the rioters].

So Walz wrung his hands impotently while Minneapolis burned.

Fast forward to today. Suddenly, Walzs attitude toward riots has changed. Now, having previously been unwilling to call out the National Guard to stop rioting that had gone on for days, devastated communities, caused deaths and injuries and resulted in $500 million in damages, he has vowed to call out the Guard in response to rioting that hasnt happened:

Gov. Tim Walz said Tuesday he plans to deploy the Minnesota National Guard to protect against potential threats to the state Capitol ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration.

Walz says he has gotten warnings of threats of possible violence. Pro tip: there wont be any violence at the Capitol that requires the Guard, or in all likelihood, any violence at all. And Walz didnt need warnings last summer to know that the largest city in his state was going up in smoke.

What is the difference? Last summer, Walz sympathized with the rioters, looters and arsonists. He seems to have regarded them as Democratic Party rioters, looters and arsonists, and he was probably right. This time, he fears Republican riotersa completely different animal. Never mind that there are no such rioters, and in all likelihood there wont be any. Better safe than sorry, except when you essentially agree with those who are destroying your state.

When people talk about the worst governors in the U.S., it is a serious mistake to leave Tim Walz out of the conversation.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- LabCentral, the first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential biotech startups, today announced LabCentral Ignite, a new initiative with the goal of enhancing regional biotech innovation by stimulating a robust pipeline of diverse, qualified talent. Through internal programming and grants to non-profits focused on STEM education, workforce training and entrepreneurial development, LabCentral Ignite will facilitate broader access to the biotech industry, with emphasis on socio-economically disadvantaged, underserved and under-represented individuals and communities.

To oversee the program's growth and development, LabCentral has promoted Krista Licata to the role of managing director of LabCentral Ignite. She has spent the past seven years with LabCentral in a variety of roles, most recently serving as the senior director of site operations.

"LabCentral Ignite is a platform for collective investment, non-profit collaboration and a "spark" for regional systemic change in STEM education, talent development and placement, and entrepreneurial support in the biotech industry," said Licata. "After years of planning, we're excited to launch this bold new expansion of LabCentral's mission."

A key part of LabCentral Ignite is its Talent Ecosystem Fund that will provide grants to selected non-profits. LabCentral has already awarded a total of $185,000, including three major grants of $40,000 each as well as seven micro-grants of $5,000-$15,000 to local organizations with demonstrated experience in developing the next generation of scientists and biotech leadership. The grant recipients plan to utilize the funds to support and scale up key programs focused on building partnerships and educational collaboration between industry employers, non-profits and underserved communities.

"LabCentral Ignite has been in the planning for a while, but we accelerated it based on the extraordinary events and themes emerging from last year  the power and potential of biotech to be an innovative force, improving the health of communities around the world, contrasted with the division, inequality and lack of opportunity faced by many underserved communities," said Johannes Fruehauf, co-founder and president, LabCentral. "LabCentral Ignite will catalyze new connections, programs and organizations to accelerate and scale their work in STEM education and workforce development with an emphasis on equity and inclusion. In addition, LabCentral will leverage our strong network within the biotech world to tie our network of sponsors and partners into this work of building a more diverse workforce and be a force multiplier for change."

LabCentral Ignite awarded its first round of grants totaling $120,000 to the following organizations:

Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) is one of the largest workforce development organizations in New England. The LabCentral Ignite grant will be used to design a new mentorship program for its Bridges to College & Careers program that will help JVS biotech students better navigate workplace culture and identify career paths for their roles.





is one of the largest workforce development organizations in New England. The LabCentral Ignite grant will be used to design a new mentorship program for its Bridges to College & Careers program that will help JVS biotech students better navigate workplace culture and identify career paths for their roles. MassBioEd is dedicated to growing and developing talent for the life sciences workforce in Massachusetts . The LabCentral Ignite grant will help it to expand its life sciences career awareness program, including BioSCANN, a new role-playing curriculum for middle school students created in partnership with Tufts .





is dedicated to growing and developing talent for the life sciences workforce in . The LabCentral Ignite grant will help it to expand its life sciences career awareness program, including BioSCANN, a new role-playing curriculum for middle school students created in partnership with . Station1 is paving a pathway of opportunity through a new model of learning and research  inclusive and socially-directed science and technology. The LabCentral Ignite grant will increase the number of undergraduate students participating in its transformative flagship education, research, and internship program, the Station1 Frontiers Fellowship, in the life sciences. It will also expand the Station1 curriculum in areas related to the societal impact of the life sciences.

"Our mission is focused on advancing equity, ethics, and sustainability of leading edge science and technology education and research, with a particular focus on expanding opportunity for college students from low income households, from under-represented backgrounds, and who are first generation to college," said Dr. Christine Ortiz, founder of Station1 and Professor at MIT, "We are thrilled to have been selected as one of the first organizations to receive a LabCentral Ignite grant, as it will provide talented students access to state-of-the-art scientific research and technology commercialization, thus creating a foundation for lifelong academic, personal, and professional advancement and success in the life sciences."

LabCentral Ignite also awarded a total of $65,000 in micro-grants to a range of local organizations, including:

BioBuilder Education Foundation  offers a comprehensive curriculum in synthetic biology for teachers and students, and workforce development for traditionally under-represented student populations





 offers a comprehensive curriculum in synthetic biology for teachers and students, and workforce development for traditionally under-represented student populations Gloucester Biotechnology Academy  offers a biotechnology certificate and summer STEM programs.





 offers a biotechnology certificate and summer STEM programs. HMS MedScience  innovative high school biology course immersing students into simulated medical emergencies.





 innovative high school biology course immersing students into simulated medical emergencies. Just A Start  a community development corporation dedicated to promoting equity by creating access to stable housing and building pathways to economic opportunity.





 a community development corporation dedicated to promoting equity by creating access to stable housing and building pathways to economic opportunity. The LEAH Project (a program of Health Resources in Action)  a STEM, college access and career readiness program for Boston area youth with the vision of diversifying the STEM workforce.





(a program of Health Resources in Action)  a STEM, college access and career readiness program for area youth with the vision of diversifying the STEM workforce. Life Science Cares  collective effort of the life sciences industry to eliminate the impact of poverty through survival, education and sustainability programs.





 collective effort of the life sciences industry to eliminate the impact of poverty through survival, education and sustainability programs. Tutoring Plus of Cambridge  1:1 academic tutoring and mentoring support at no cost for students in grades 4-12.

LabCentral Ignite specifies topics to which applicants must adhere and a full list of activities that qualify, as well as other eligibility criteria. More information about open grant cycles and how to invest in the Talent Ecosystem Fund can be found on the LabCentral Ignite site.

About LabCentral

A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral was founded in 2013 as a launchpad for high-potential life-sciences and biotech startups. Operating a total of 100,000 square-feet in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., LabCentral offers fully permitted laboratory and office space for as many as 70 startups comprising approximately 500 scientists and entrepreneurs. More information is available at www.labcentral.org.

SOURCE LabCentral
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers likely. Low 58F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

China-Africa relations have withstood the test of the vicissitudes of the international landscape, become firmer as time goes by, and always maintained strong vitality.

The sound development of the bilateral ties comes from the fact that the friendly relations and cooperation between China and Africa conform to historical trends; the defining feature of China-Africa relations are sincere friendship, mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, as well as common development; and both sides can scale new heights and find new areas of converging interests and new growth points in bilateral cooperation to realize new leaps of the bilateral ties at every critical stage. This is quite revealing.

In the new era, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed the principle of sincerity, real results, amity and good faith and the principle of pursuing the greater good and shared interests for developing China-Africa relations. He has also personally promoted the building of a closer China-Africa community with a shared future and been engaged in head-of-state diplomacy in developing bilateral relations with Africa, which has effectively accelerated the growth of China-Africa ties.

Given the mounting uncertainties and instabilities in the international landscape, China and Africa are joining hands to counter unilateralism and protectionism, and unswervingly safeguarding the international system with the United Nations at its the core and the international order based on international law.

As former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano pointed out, Africas development goals are highly compatible with those of China, and that China-Africa cooperation can help improve global systems, strengthen global governance, and provide fair platforms for all countries seeking prosperity and development.

The usual year of 2020 witnessed how China and Africa voiced support for each other amid the COVID-19 pandemic and fought against the pandemic side by side. The two sides have set an example of international cooperation against the COVID-19 and lifted their bilateral relations to a new height.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, more than 50 leaders of African countries expressed sympathy and support for China via phone calls or statements. As African was stricken by the virus, China was the first country to rush in with assistance. China sent expert teams to 15 African countries, started the construction of the new headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ahead of schedule, and pledged that once the development and deployment of COVID-19 vaccine is completed in China, African countries would be among the first to benefit.

When chairing the Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 on June 17, Xi pointed the way forward for the joint fight against the COVID-19, pragmatic cooperation, as well as the development of bilateral ties between China and Africa.

China and Africa have worked together actively to implement the outcomes of the summit, benefiting Chinese and African people, as well as people in the rest of the world.

In-depth cooperation between the two sides has shown the solidarity and leadership the world needs to defeat the pandemic, said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

China and Africa have been a community with a shared future all along, and enhancing friendly ties and cooperation with Africa has been a consistent choice of Chinas diplomacy.

Over the past 31 consecutive years, Chinese foreign minister has chosen Africa for the first overseas visit every year. The tradition has manifested the great importance the country attaches to Africa, the unbreakable friendship between the two sides, as well as Chinas firm support for the development and revitalization of African countries.

Recently, China signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the establishment of the China-Nigeria Intergovernmental Committee with Nigeria, and MoUs on cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Botswana respectively. These documents have further consolidated the political mutual trust and traditional friendship between China and Africa, and further expanded prospects for cooperation for the two sides.

Facing the formidable task to defeat the virus, stabilize the economy, and protect livelihoods, China and Africa share the aspiration to intensify cooperation and jointly boost development.

As the largest trading partner of Africa for more than ten consecutive years, China has contributed over 20 percent to the continent's economic growth for years. So far, 46 African countries and the African Union (AU) have signed documents on cooperation under the framework of the BRI with China.

China and Africa are continuing advancing the implementation of the outcomes of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) held in 2018, actively promoting coordination between development strategies of the two sides and speeding up high-quality construction of the BRI, which will help Africa build up resilience for economic recovery and growth.

China supports Africa in its endeavors to build the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), enhance connectivity, and ensure sound progress in the building of industrial and supply chains, and is expanding cooperation with Africa in areas of new business forms including digital economy, smart city, clean energy and 5G. This is conducive to Africas economic transformation and upgrading.

Last year, China and Africa celebrated the 20th anniversary of the funding of the FOCAC. This year, the two sides are going to further upgrade their bilateral cooperation, taking the opportunity of the new sessions of the FOCAC.

Its believed that China and Africa will be devoted to pushing forward with the bilateral cooperation towards higher quality and more benefits to peoples livelihoods, and constantly make new achievements in building a closer China-Africa community with a shared future.

The abundant presence of an enzyme known as low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase (LMWPTP) in tumor cells has long been considered an indicator of cancer aggressiveness and metastatic potential. It is also known to perform important functions in cells under normal conditions, participating in both the proliferation process and the regulation of intracellular systems. Research continues on its role in cancer progression.

In Brazil, a group of researchers at the University of Campinas's In Vitro Bioassay and Signal Transduction Laboratory led by Professor Carmen Verissima Ferreira-Halder are studying the possibility of inhibiting this protein phosphatase to create novel opportunities for monitoring and treatment of cancer and other diseases.

We believe inhibition of LMWPTP could contribute to the treatment of several diseases. In our case, the focus is on cancer, but research shows it's also associated with autoimmune diseases and diabetes, among others." Carmen Verissima Ferreira-Halder, Professor, In Vitro Bioassay and Signal Transduction Laboratory, University of Campinas

Ferreira-Halder was principal investigator for the Thematic Project "Low molecular weight protein tyrosine phosphatase in colorectal cancer: from the bench to product generation", supported by FAPESP and completed in June 2020.

The phosphatase favors the action of intratumor proteins that help tumors divide, migrate and establish metastasis. "For this reason we say it's a 'hub', in the sense that it controls several processes which together make tumor cells resistant to treatment and able to migrate and establish metastasis," she said.

A review article by the group published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences outlines 14 years of research on LMWPTP and its contribution to cancer treatment. "Our group was one of the first to show that this enzyme contributes to chemotherapy resistance in leukemia cells," Ferreira-Halder said. "We also found that the more advanced the stage of the tumor, the larger the amount of the enzyme.

With these discoveries as a basis, research conducted in collaboration with the group led by Professor Maikel Peppelenbosch at Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam [Erasmus MC, Netherlands] validated the significance of LMWPTP to other types of cancer, such as prostate, colorectal and stomach cancer. This research showed us that LMWPTP not only weakens the response to chemotherapy drugs but is also associated with a greater capacity for metastasis."

Druggable target

The review article, whose first author is Alessandra Valeria de Sousa Faria, also discusses the available substances that inhibit LMWPTP and the characteristics that make it difficult for drugs to be designed against it. Ferreira-Halder believes it is not yet possible to speak of treatment based on inhibition of LMWPTP, but the strategy can be used for other purposes.

"Our initial aim is to use this enzyme as a biomarker for the purpose of monitoring treatment, and also to use it to classify patients in terms of the severity of disease. In my view this can be done in a relatively short time," she said. "As for treatment, a lot more work remains to be done. Professor Nunzio Bottini at the University of California San Diego [USA] has filed for a patent on a highly effective inhibitor that can be administered orally. Actually he and his group have synthesized several inhibitors, but they have only published one. Maybe we're in for a surprise and a drug will be developed faster. Who knows?"

The main challenges to be faced in developing inhibitors are specificity  the drug must act specifically on LMWPTP, which is part of a family of some 100 highly similar phosphatases  and stability, so that the drug remains active in the organism. "Until Bottini and his group filed their patent application, all inhibitors acted on several members of the family," Ferreira-Halder said.

Some of the substances mentioned in the review were developed for other purposes but also inhibit LMWPTP and could be used to treat cancer, according to Faria, who recently defended her doctoral thesis on how LMWPTP affects platelets, small cell fragments in the bloodstream that play a key role in clotting.

Platelets

Faria's research on LMWPTP began with its role in colorectal cancer and platelet reaction in this microenvironment. "As our investigation of platelet biology progressed, we realized how much more knowledge of the enzyme's action on platelets was needed," she said.

The first part of the study consisted of verifying the action of LMWPTP and the protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) on platelets, with regard to both metabolism and function. The second focused on the influence of platelets on the expression of LMWPTP in cells.

"The goal was to find out to what extent tumor cells may 'educate' platelets to support certain events, such as metastasis, for example, and conversely how far platelets 'educate' tumor cells to assure their survival and proliferation," Faria explained.

For Ferreira-Halder, the relationship appears to be two-way. "However, the action of tumor cells probably predominates. They practically program platelets to work in their favor," she said.

Collaborations

Ferreira-Halder and her group have collaborated with Peppelenbosch's since 2004, but work on the Thematic Project completed in June began only 2016, she recalled, adding that experiments conducted by Emanuella Maria Barreto Fonseca and Claudia de Lourdes Soraggi at Peppelenbosch's laboratory provided a vitally important foundation for the initial hypotheses. Fonseca was supported by a postdoctoral fellowship from FAPESP. Soraggi was able to attend an overseas training course thanks to support from the University of Campinas (UNICAMP) via its Executive Vice Rectorship for International Relations.

"In our Thematic Project research, we were able to investigate the action of this phosphatase from various angles and validate the hypothesis of its role in other tumors besides chronic myeloid leukemia," Ferreira-Halder said. "We wanted to uncover the mechanism of its action, and we now have a great deal of information about this action  not just inside but also outside the tumor, because we set out to see if LMWPTP also influenced the tumor's microenvironment external to the cancer cells."

Other research interests for the group during the project included: extracellular vesicles (nanometer-sized structures that play an important role in intercellular communication), with Stefano Piatto Clerici supported by FAPESP showing that LMWPTP regulates these vesicles; platelets, studied by Faria, also with a scholarship from FAPESP; and the TGF-beta signaling pathway, which is involved in many cellular processes such as proliferation and differentiation and was studied by Helon Guimaraes Cordeiro.

The network of collaborators continued to expand, adding an expert in platelet biology (Sheila Siqueira Andrade at PlateInnove Biotech), and a hematologist and an oncologist at Erasmus MC (Moniek de Maat and Gwenny Fuhler respectively).

According to Ferreira-Halder, the Thematic Project has so far spawned 15 publications (eight articles and two book chapters, as well as five articles under peer review), and several other research fronts. A new project in the same line of research is currently being designed.
Dickeys Barbecue Pit is celebrating its 80th anniversary year. As part of the celebration, the chains iconic Big Yellow Cup is getting a makeover.

Customers can purchase the limited-edition Golden 80th Anniversary Big Yellow Cup in January and February. A portion of the proceeds from each cup sold will be donated to The Dickey Foundation, which provides financial opportunities, safety equipment and overall support for first responders.

Weve been serving slow-smoked, Texas-style barbecue for 29,280 days now, and that certainly calls for celebration, said Laura Rea Dickey, CEO of Dickeys Barbecue Restaurants, Inc. Were starting this monumental year by honoring one of our most iconic menu items  Dickeys legendary Big Yellow Cup  and were inviting guests across the nation to celebrate with us.

The company said it will release five more commemorative, limited-edition cups throughout the year, all of which will support the Dickey Foundation. Each cup represents something special in the barbecue brands history with highlights of events, throwbacks and Dickey family quotes from the past 80 years.

READ MORE
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Vancouver, British Columbia and Johannesburg, South Africa--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Platinum Group Metals Ltd. (TSX: PTM) (NYSE American: PLG) ("Platinum Group" "PTM" or the "Company") reports the Company's financial results for the three months ended November 30, 2020 and provides a summary of recent events and outlook. The Company is focussed on advancing the palladium dominant Waterberg Project located on the Northern Limb of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa (the "Waterberg Project"). The Waterberg Project is planned as a fully mechanised, shallow, decline access palladium, platinum, gold and rhodium ("4E") mine and is projected to be one of the largest and lowest cost underground platinum group metals ("PGM" or "PGMs") mines globally.

The Company's near-term objectives are to achieve the grant of a mining right for the palladium dominant Waterberg Project and complete construction funding and concentrate offtake arrangements. The Company is also advancing an initiative through Lion Battery Technologies Inc. ("Lion") in collaboration with Anglo American Platinum Limited ("Anglo") and Florida International University ("FIU"). Lion was jointly formed in 2019 by Platinum Group and Anglo to accelerate the development of next-generation lithium battery technology using platinum and palladium.

For details of the condensed consolidated interim financial statements for the three months ended November 30, 2020 (the "Financial Statements") and Management's Discussion and Analysis for the three months ended November 30, 2020 please see the Company's filings on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) or on EDGAR (www.sec.gov). Shareholders are encouraged to visit the Company's website at www.platinumgroupmetals.net. Shareholders may receive a hard copy of the complete Financial Statements from the Company free of charge upon request.

All amounts herein are reported in United States dollars unless otherwise specified. The Company holds cash in Canadian dollars, United States dollars and South African Rand. Changes in exchange rates may create variances in the cash holdings or results reported.

Recent Events

On December 8, 2020 the Company closed a non-brokered private placement of 1,121,076 common shares at price of $2.23 per share to existing major beneficial shareholder, Hosken Consolidated Investments Limited ("HCI") through its subsidiary Deepkloof Limited ("Deepkloof"), resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of $2.5 million and allowing HCI to maintain approximately a 31% interest in the Company as they held prior to the at-the-market offering completed by the Company on November 30, 2020, as described below.

On November 30, 2020 the Company completed sales of an "at-the-market" offering of common shares first announced on September 4, 2020. The offering was completed pursuant to an Equity Distribution Agreement with BMO Capital Markets Corp. ("BMO"), whereby Platinum Group sold 5,440,186 common shares in the capital of the Company at an average price of $2.21 for gross proceeds of US $12.0 million.

On October 15, 2020, the Company closed a non-brokered private placement with HCI, for 1,146,790 Common Shares at a price of $2.18 each for gross proceeds of $2.5 million. HCI completed the placement through Deepkloof, which maintained HCI's effective ownership percentage in the Company at that time of approximately 31%.

On September 21, 2020, the Company was added to the S&P/TSX SmallCap Index.

On September 4, 2020, the Company entered into an Equity Distribution Agreement with BMO Capital Markets Corp. under which Platinum Group was permitted to sell its common shares from time to time for up to $12.0 million in aggregate sales proceeds in "at-the-market" transactions. No offers or sales of common shares were made in Canada, to anyone known to be a resident of Canada or on or through the facilities of the Toronto Stock Exchange or other trading markets in Canada.

On August 4, 2020, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued Patent No. 10,734,636 B2 entitled "Battery Cathodes for Improved Stability" to FIU. The patent includes the use of PGMs, carbon nanotubes and other innovations in lithium batteries. Under a sponsored research agreement, Lion has exclusive rights to such battery technology being developed by FIU, including patents granted. Lion was jointly formed in 2019 by Platinum Group and Anglo to accelerate the development of next-generation battery technology using platinum and palladium.

On June 17, 2020, the Company closed a non-brokered private placement of 1,221,500 common shares at price of $1.40 each for gross proceeds of $1.71 million. HCI subscribed for 500,000 common shares through Deepkloof.

On June 15, 2020, Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. ("Implats") delivered formal notice stating their intention not to exercise their Purchase and Development Option (the "Purchase and Development Option") to acquire and earn into a 50.01% interest in Waterberg JV Resources (Pty) Limited ("Waterberg JV Co."). Implats stated that notwithstanding the positive progress achieved on the Implementation Work Program (defined below) to date, and the strategic alignment between the Waterberg asset and Implats stated portfolio objectives, the unprecedented events brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated Implats to re-evaluate the impact of increased economic uncertainty on Implats' strategy and risk appetite in the short, medium and long term. Implats has indicated they intend to continue discussions in good faith on potential smelter offtake arrangements for the Waterberg Project. Implats reiterated their support of both the Waterberg Project and the joint venture partners and plans to remain an active 15% participant, including funding of their share of costs, subject to future considerations.

On March 31, 2020, the Implats' Purchase and Development Option was amended, by formal agreement, to extend the termination date from April 17, 2020 to ninety calendar days following receipt of an executed mining right for the Waterberg Project. In consideration, Implats funded 100% of a post feasibility study work program (the "Implementation Work Program") aimed at analyzing risks and increasing confidence in specific areas of the Waterberg DFS (as defined below).

On December 19, 2019, the Company closed a non-brokered private placement of 3,225,807 common shares at price of $1.24 each for gross proceeds of $4.0 million. HCI subscribed for 1,612,931 common shares through Deepkloof, increasing HCI's effective ownership percentage in the Company to approximately 31.67%.

On September 24, 2019, the Company published the results of a definitive feasibility study for the Waterberg Project (the "Waterberg DFS"). Later, on December 5, 2019, the shareholders of Waterberg JV Co. formally approved the Waterberg DFS. The associated technical report entitled "Independent Technical Report, Waterberg Project Definitive Feasibility Study and Mineral Resource Update, Bushveld Complex, South Africa" dated October 4, 2019 was filed on SEDAR on October 7, 2019 and on EDGAR on October 8, 2019. The Waterberg DFS projects a fully mechanised, shallow, decline access PGM mine at an annual steady state production rate of 420,000 4E ounces and a 45 year mine life on current reserves. The Waterberg DFS concludes that the Waterberg Project will be one of the largest and potentially lowest cash cost underground PGM mines globally.

Results For The Three Months Ended November 30, 2020

During the three months ended November 30, 2020, the Company incurred a net loss of $2.56 million (November 30, 2019 - net gain of $0.55 million). General and administrative expenses during the period were $0.83 million (November 30, 2019 - $1.05 million), gains on foreign exchange were $99 thousand (November 30, 2019 - $7 thousand gain) due to the US Dollar decreasing in value relative to the parent company's functional currency of the Canadian Dollar. Stock based compensation expense, a non-cash item, totalled $0.44 million (November 30, 2019 - $0.244 million). Interest expense of $1.31 million was lower in the current period (November 30, 2019 - $1.35 million) due to reduced debt levels. A gain on fair value of financial instruments of $3.13 million was recognized in the comparative period ended November 30, 2019 due to the expiry of warrants and was a loss of $8 thousand in the current period.

At November 30, 2020, finance income consisting of interest earned and property rental fees in the period amounted to $24 thousand (November 30, 2019 - $63 thousand). Loss per share for the period amounted to $0.04 as compared to a gain of $0.01 per share for the three months ended November 30, 2019.

Accounts receivable at November 30, 2020 totalled $0.46 million (November 30, 2019 - $0.22 million) while accounts payable and accrued liabilities amounted to $0.79 million (November 30, 2019 - $1.41 million). Accounts receivable were comprised of mainly of amounts receivable for value added taxes repayable to the Company in South Africa and in Canada. Accounts payable consisted primarily of Waterberg engineering fees, accrued professional fees and regular trade payables.

Total expenditures on the Waterberg Project, before partner reimbursements, for the period were approximately $0.54 million (November 30, 2019 - $1.0 million). At November 30, 2020, $38.4 million in accumulated net costs had been capitalized to the Waterberg Project (November 30, 2019 - $39.2 million). Total expenditures on the property since inception to November 30, 2020 are approximately $76.2 million.

For more information on mineral properties, see Note 3 of the Financial Statements.

Outlook

The Company's primary business objective is to advance the palladium dominant Waterberg Project to a development and construction decision. The positive results of the Waterberg DFS provide a solid value assessment for the Waterberg Project. The long-term market outlook for the metals to be produced at Waterberg remains positive. The Implementation Work Program completed on September 15, 2020, and paid for substantially by Implats, focussed on project optimization, operational readiness and risk mitigation. The Implementation Work Program confirmed important aspects of the DFS, established mitigation approaches for certain possible risks, and identified several upside opportunities.

The Company will continue working towards its next major milestone; obtaining a mining right for the Waterberg Project. Waterberg JV Co. applied for a mining right in August 2018 and an environmental authorization in July of 2019. Detailed consultation with communities, local municipalities, the Limpopo Provincial government and South African national authorities is complete for the mining right application. An environmental authorisation was granted on August 12, 2020, subject to a public notice period and finalization of issues raised by affected parties, which process was completed on November 10, 2020.

In addition to discussions with Implats, the Company and Waterberg JV Co. have begun a process to assess commercial alternatives for mine development financing and concentrate offtake, subject to Implats' right to match offtake proposals. Several parties are currently in discussions with the Company.

The Company's battery technology initiative through Lion represents a new research, innovation and commercialization opportunity in the high-profile lithium battery field using palladium and platinum. Recent laboratory research by Lion has discovered innovations that are in line with our technical objectives and are now covered in granted patents and patent applications filed by FIU on behalf of Lion. The investment in Lion creates a potential vertical integration with electric vehicles, which may otherwise be a potential threat to the platinum and palladium market.

The Company will follow government health directives in the months ahead. The health and safety of employees is a priority. The Company plans to drive ahead with its core business objectives while reducing costs where possible in this period of market uncertainty.

As well as the discussions within this press release, the reader is encouraged to also see the Company's disclosure made under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's 2020 annual Form 20-F, which was also filed as the Company's Annual Information Form in Canada.

Qualified Person

R. Michael Jones, P.Eng., the Company's President, Chief Executive Officer and a shareholder of the Company, is a non-independent qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is responsible for preparing the scientific and technical information contained in this news release. He has verified the data by reviewing the detailed information of the geological and engineering staff and independent qualified person reports as well as visiting the Waterberg Project site regularly.

About Platinum Group Metals Ltd. and Waterberg Project

Platinum Group Metals Ltd. is the operator of the Waterberg Project, a bulk underground palladium and platinum deposit located in South Africa. The Waterberg Project was discovered by Platinum Group and is being jointly developed with Implats, Mnombo Wethu Consultants (Pty) Ltd., JOGMEC and Hanwa Co. Ltd.

On behalf of the Board of

Platinum Group Metals Ltd.

Frank R. Hallam

CFO, Corporate Secretary and Director

For further information contact:

R. Michael Jones, President

or Kris Begic, VP, Corporate Development

Platinum Group Metals Ltd., Vancouver

Tel: (604) 899-5450 / Toll Free: (866) 899-5450

www.platinumgroupmetals.net

Disclosure

The Toronto Stock Exchange and the NYSE American have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the accuracy or adequacy of this news release, which has been prepared by management.

The recent COVID-19 pandemic and related measures taken by government create uncertainty and have had, and may continue to have, an adverse impact on many aspects of the Company's business, including employee health, workforce productivity and availability, travel restrictions, contractor availability, supply availability, the Company's ability to maintain its controls and procedures regarding financial and disclosure matters and the availability of capital and insurance and the costs thereof, some of which, individually or when aggregated with other impacts, may be material to the Company.

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws and forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. securities laws (collectively "forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such as: believe, expect, anticipate, intend, estimate, plans, postulate and similar expressions, or are those, which, by their nature, refer to future events. All statements that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the advancement of the Waterberg Project, Implats' continuation of discussions of potential smelter offtake arrangements and continued participation in the Waterberg Project, the market for PGMs, the results of the Waterberg DFS, the Waterberg Project becoming one of the largest and potentially lowest cash cost underground PGM mines globally, financing and mine development of the Waterberg Project including potential commercial alternatives for mine development financing and concentrate offtake, the grant of a mining right, the Company's plan to drive ahead with core business objectives, Lion securing future patent rights and the acceleration of developments of next generation battery technology. Estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources are also forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes any forward-looking statements in this press release are reasonable, it can give no assurance that the expectations and assumptions in such statements will prove to be correct.

The Company cautions investors that any forward-looking statements by the Company are not guarantees of future results or performance and that actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including possible adverse impacts due the global outbreak of COVID-19 (as described above), the Company's inability to generate sufficient cash flow or raise sufficient additional capital to make payment on its indebtedness, and to comply with the terms of such indebtedness; additional financing requirements; the US $20 million senior secured facility with the Sprott Private Resource Lending II (Collector), LP ("Sprott") entered into August 21, 2019 (the "2019 Sprott Facility") is, and any new indebtedness may be, secured and the Company has pledged its shares of PTM RSA, and PTM RSA has pledged its shares of Waterberg JV Co. to Sprott, under the 2019 Sprott Facility, which potentially could result in the loss of the Company's interest in PTM RSA and the Waterberg Project in the event of a default under the 2019 Sprott Facility or any new secured indebtedness; the Company's history of losses and negative cash flow; the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's properties may not be brought into a state of commercial production; uncertainty of estimated production, development plans and cost estimates for the Waterberg Project; discrepancies between actual and estimated mineral reserves and mineral resources, between actual and estimated development and operating costs, between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries and between estimated and actual production; fluctuations in the relative values of the U.S. Dollar, the Rand and the Canadian Dollar; volatility in metals prices; the uncertainty of alternative funding sources for Waterberg JV Co.; the Company may become subject to the U.S. Investment Company Act; the failure of the Company or the other shareholders to fund their pro rata share of funding obligations for the Waterberg Project; any disputes or disagreements with the other shareholders of Waterberg JV Co. or Mnombo; the ability of the Company to retain its key management employees and skilled and experienced personnel; conflicts of interest; litigation or other administrative proceedings brought against the Company; actual or alleged breaches of governance processes or instances of fraud, bribery or corruption; exploration, development and mining risks and the inherently dangerous nature of the mining industry, and the risk of inadequate insurance or inability to obtain insurance to cover these risks and other risks and uncertainties; property and mineral title risks including defective title to mineral claims or property; changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments in Canada and South Africa; equipment shortages and the ability of the Company to acquire necessary access rights and infrastructure for its mineral properties; environmental regulations and the ability to obtain and maintain necessary permits, including environmental authorizations and water use licences; extreme competition in the mineral exploration industry; delays in obtaining, or a failure to obtain, permits necessary for current or future operations or failures to comply with the terms of such permits; risks of doing business in South Africa, including but not limited to, labour, economic and political instability and potential changes to and failures to comply with legislation; the Company's common shares may be delisted from the NYSE American or the Toronto Stock Exchange if it cannot maintain compliance with the applicable listing requirements; and other risk factors described in the Company's most recent Form 20-F annual report, annual information form and other filings with the U.S Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and Canadian securities regulators, which may be viewed at www.sec.gov and www.sedar.com, respectively. Proposed changes in the mineral law in South Africa if implemented as proposed would have a material adverse effect on the Company's business and potential interest in projects. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise.

Estimates of mineralization and other technical information referred to or included herein have been prepared in accordance with NI 43-101. The definitions of proven and probable reserves used in NI 43-101 differ from the definitions in SEC Industry Guide 7. Under SEC Industry Guide 7 standards, mineralization may not be classified as a "reserve" unless the mineralization can be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time the "reserve" determination is made. As a result, the reserves reported by the Company in accordance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as "reserves" under SEC Industry Guide 7. In addition, the terms "mineral resource", "measured mineral resource", "indicated mineral resource" and "inferred mineral resource" are defined in and required to be disclosed by NI 43-101; however, these terms are not defined terms under SEC Industry Guide 7 and historically have not been permitted to be used in reports and registration statements filed with the SEC pursuant to SEC Industry Guide 7. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part or all of the mineral deposits in these categories will ever be converted into reserves. In particular, "inferred mineral resources" have a great amount of uncertainty as to their existence and great uncertainty as to their economic and legal feasibility. It cannot be assumed that all or any part of an "inferred mineral resource" will ever be upgraded to a higher category. Disclosure of "contained ounces" in a resource is permitted disclosure under NI 43-101; however, SEC Industry Guide 7 normally only permits issuers to report mineralization that does not constitute "reserves" by SEC Industry Guide 7 standards as in-place tonnage and grade without reference to unit measures. Accordingly, descriptions of the Company's mineral deposits in this press release may not be comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of SEC Industry Guide 7.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71965
The Department of Homeland Security has designated the Philippines as eligible to participate in the H-2B non-immigrant visa program.

The Office of the Governor made the announcement on Wednesday.

The Philippines was removed from the H-2B nonimmigrant program in January 2019 and there were zero approvals for civilian H-2B petitions in 2018 compared to 95% approval prior to 2015.

For 2021, the acting secretary of homeland security and the secretary of state agreed to add the Philippines to the list of countries eligible to participate in the H-2B program; no longer designate the Independent State of Samoa and Tonga as eligible countries because they no longer meet the regulatory standards for the H-2A and H-2B visa programs; and no longer designate Mongolia as an eligible country for the H-2A visa program because it no longer meets the regulatory standards for that program.

DHS maintains its authority to add countries to the eligible countries list at any time, and to remove any country at the time it publishes a new list, should DHS and DOS determine that a country fails to meet the requirements for continued designation. Examples of factors that could result in the exclusion of a country or the removal of a country from the list include fraud, abuse, denial rates, overstay rates, human trafficking concerns, and other forms of noncompliance with the terms and conditions of the H-2 visa programs by nationals of that country that are contrary to U.S. interest.

"With the help of our federal partners in the Department of Defense and the Department of Interior, as well as the advocacy of Delegate San Nicolas, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledges the necessity of the Philippine labor force for our growing economy," said Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero.

The distinction of inside the fence and outside the fence does not and cannot work for Guam. This Administrations One Guam approach has always argued that our economic stability is a national security issue. As we begin to address the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lou and I are satisfied with this action and remain optimistic in our recovery, said Lt. Gov. Joshua Tenorio.
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Philadelphia police have taken away a detectives gun amid a probe into her attendance at the Washington rally where President Donald Trump incited his followers to storm the Capitol.

Detective Jennifer Gugger, 51, had already been reassigned from her position as a background checker for police recruits, after the departments Internal Affairs division received social media posts showing that she had attended the rally.

This latest action comes after Guggers vitriolic, far-right rhetoric on social media was made public Monday  including a tweet in which she called Vice President Mike Pence a traitor and a cabal operative and pedophile after he condemned the Jan. 6 insurrection and publicly lamented the death of a Capitol police officer.

In another tweet, sent just hours after the attack, Gugger, whose job included reviewing recruits social media activity, told Pence he was filled with the deadly sin of greed and had sold his soul to the devil.

A decision was made during the investigation to take her gun and place her on restricted duty, said Sgt. Eric Gripp, a department spokesperson.

He said police can take an officers weapon at any point during an Internal Affairs investigation, if there is a possibility of criminal behavior. Police had initially stressed that Gugger was only being reassigned  not benched  as investigators went about their work. The initial tip about her attendance at the rally did not include evidence that she had participated in the storming of the Capitol.

Since the investigation is still ongoing, Gripp said he could not comment on what caused the department to strip Gugger of her policing powers, but he said hate speech would represent a crime.

FOP union president John McNesby  who has said he believes Gugger had nothing to do with the lawlessness at the Capitol  dismissed the action as just a normal step in the investigation.

Theyre probably just getting around to it, he said.

Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw has promised swift and definitive action against any Philadelphia police officer found to have played a part in the violence at the Capitol. Five people died in the siege, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries sustained in the attack.

Even if evidence shows Gugger played no part in the violence, investigators will now have to determine whether her online postings violated departmental social media policies, or crossed the line into criminal behavior.

In October, Gugger, posting under the name Jenny Lynn, changed her Facebook profile picture to Q, the conspiracy theory that has been deemed a domestic terror threat by the FBI and posits that Trump is fighting a secret war against a deep state and that Democrats are led by Satan-worshipping, cannibalistic pedophiles.
Airbnb has announced it is canceling and blocking all reservations in Washington D.C. during the week of Joe Biden's inauguration amid fears guests will travel to the nation's capital to incite further unrest.

The company on Wednesday responded to calls from city officials who urged Airbnb, VRBO and other rental hosts to take down their listings until Biden is sworn in on January 20, in the wake of last week's deadly riots.

Days earlier, Airbnb said it had been reviewing its bookings in the area and vowed to ban any guests associated with hate groups or violent activity.

Airbnb on Wednesday announced it is canceling and blocking all reservations in Washington D.C. for the week of Joe Biden's inauguration

The Secret Service, FBI and the National Guard are among 50 agencies and private companies that have formed a 'Multi-Agency Command Center (MACC)' to fortify Washington, D.C. ahead of next week's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden

'Today, in response to various local, state and federal officials asking people not to travel to Washington, D.C., we are announcing that Airbnb will cancel reservations in the Washington, D.C. metro area during the Inauguration week,' the company said in a statement.

'Additionally, we will prevent any new reservations in the Washington, D.C. area from being booked during that time by blocking such reservations.'

Guests whose reservations are canceled will be refunded in full, the company added. Hosts will also be reimbursed for the money they would have earned, at the company's expense.

The move comes after Airbnb received 'inputs' from its local host community as well as D.C. officials, Metro Police and Members of Congress following the insurrection at the Capitol last Wednesday.

Janeese Lewis George, a Washington city council member, on Monday told rental hosts to 'avoid renting out rooms on January 17-20.'

'There's no way to guarantee that your guests are not coming to incite violence,' she said in tweet. 'Please protect your neighbors and the District from more attacks.'

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, Governor Hogan and Governor Northam have also asked visitors not to travel to the D.C. Metro area for the inauguration in a bid to prevent more violence.

The FBI has also warned of possible armed protests at capitols in all 50 states in the days leading up to January 20.

Officials in the D.C. and across the country, are bracing for the worst ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, following last week's deadly riot at the US Capitol

President Trump has been blamed for inciting the deadly riot that left four people dead on January 6 after he urged his supporters to protest against Joe Biden's election win

Janeese Lewis George, a Washington city council member, on Monday told rental hosts to 'avoid renting out rooms on January 17-20'

An FBI bulletin obtained by ABC News on Monday raised alarm about a group calling for the 'storming' of state, local, and federal government administrative buildings and courthouses should President Donald Trump be removed from office.

Airbnb said it is 'aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration.

'We are continuing to ensure hate group members are not part of the Airbnb community.'

It comes after Airbnb on Monday unveiled its seven-step 'Capitol Safety Plan' for the inauguration that would impose additional security checks to its policy and bar individuals involved in last week's insurrection.

The company warned all guests in the Washington region that it may bring legal action against them if they are members of hate groups or if they plan violent activities.

It also urged hosts to call a hotline if they suspect guests are violating Airbnb's policy.

Airbnb has had a policy of removing guests who are confirmed to be members of hate groups since 2017, when it blocked guests who were headed to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

The company on Monday said it was also banning from its platform anyone who engaged in criminal activity last week.

The Airbnb had initially unveiled its seven-step 'Capitol Safety Plan' for the inauguration that would have impose additional security checks to its policy and bar individuals involved in last week's insurrection

The company said it is cross-referencing arrest records to determine who should be removed. The company wouldn't say Monday how many people it had removed so far.

The San Francisco-based home sharing company also said Monday that it won't give political donations to the Republicans who voted against certifying the results of the election last week. Airbnb joined Marriott, AT&T and others in taking that stand.

Airbnb's political action committee donated $866,519 to candidates and political parties in the 2020 election cycle, according to Open Secrets, which monitors campaign finance donations. Democratic President-elect Joe Biden was the biggest recipient of Airbnb donations.

On Tuesday it was announced the Secret Service, the FBI and the National Guard are among 50 agencies and private companies that have formed a 'Multi-Agency Command Center' (MACC) to fortify Washington, D.C. ahead of next week.

A map of Washington, D.C. showing security measures and road closures that are in effect ahead of Inauguration Day next Wednesday

Members of the National Guard are seen armed and protecting the US Capitol Building following the violent siege which took place there last week

The task force will meet for the first time on Wednesday at the Secret Service's Washington field office where hundreds of people will work in 12-hour shifts to protect the city amid three new violent threats against the Capitol, which was attacked by a mob of MAGA supporters last week.

Private companies that have joined the task force include Amtrak, whose fleet of trains frequently travel through the nation's capitol.

'Everyone can just rest assured they are throwing the kitchen sink at this event,' one Secret Service official involved in the planning told The Washington Post.

Another former Secret Service agent told the publication that the establishment of the MACC ensures proactive security measures are being taken, and help will be on hand in the event a volatile situation erupts.

'Unlike January 6 [when the Capitol came under siege], nobody has to ask for the National Guard anymore,' they stated.

'Nobody has to send out an emergency call for the FBI SWAT team. They're all there, pre-positioned and ready. Radiation protection. Bomb detectors. Amtrak sweeps. All the security personnel - they're all now in place.'

Up to 15,000 National Guard members will also be on hand to protect D.C.
A 33-year-old man will face court accused of allegedly sexually assaulting a young boy over a period spanning almost two years.

Police will allege a 11-year old boy was sexually assaulted at a gym in Guildford West, in western Sydney, between January 2019 and December 2020.

Cumberland Police launched an investigation after a member of the boys family reported the allegations on Monday.

Police have arrested and charged a western Sydney man who allegedly sexually assaulted a 11-year-old boy over a two year period (stock image)

Following inquiries, detectives attended a home in Woodpark on Tuesday night, where a 33-year-old man was arrested.

He was taken to Granville Police Station, where he was charged with aggravated sexual assault of a victim aged under-16 and intentionally sexually touching child aged 10 to 16.

The man was refused bail to appear in Fairfield Local Court later on Wednesday afternoon.

Anyone who has experienced a similar incident is urged to call police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
As far as the clothing industry is concerned, nothing is going to be any easier in post-Brexit trade

Most of us thought 1 January 2021 would bring clarity for manufacturers around the world annually exporting $25bn of clothes to the UK  their fifth biggest customer. Britain had finally left the European Union (EU), and the two began to trade under the new EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). It sounded like nothing was going to change, says Mike Flanagan, who now believes almost every aspect of importing and exporting clothes in the UK is going to get a lot worse.

Boris Johnson's Conservative government boasted its new trade deal meant no change in how clothes would be traded between the UK and EU. It had adapted the EU's concessions on imports from developing countries into its own system, and negotiated replacements for the EU's special trade deals with about 60 other countries. For those like the US, China and Australia with no special EU deal? No change there either.

Certainly as far as the clothing industry is concerned, nothing is going to be any easier  though an astonishing number of UK voters thought these new deals would mean new, lower prices.

There are, however, changes in the detail of how trade works. In four areas in particular:

Border controls. There are now physical borders between the UK and EU. Most currently have next to no facilities, and staff training is still going to take years. Before 31 December 2020, about 30% of UK apparel imports from Asia  and almost all imports from Turkey, the Middle East and Africa  arrived freely in Britain after clearing Customs at the EU border. World Trade Organization (WTO) data shows 69% of British clothes imports will now need border clearance they didn't require before.

There are now physical borders between the UK and EU. Most currently have next to no facilities, and staff training is still going to take years. Before 31 December 2020, about 30% of UK apparel imports from Asia  and almost all imports from Turkey, the Middle East and Africa  arrived freely in Britain after clearing Customs at the EU border. Rules of origin. The rules determining whether a garment qualifies for lower import duty haven't changed much. But garments arriving in the UK claiming lower import duty than the WTO mandates must be accompanied by proof of where their components were made  which must be checked at those borders. That's 78% of Britain's clothes imports , says the WTO.

The rules determining whether a garment qualifies for lower import duty haven't changed much. But garments arriving in the UK claiming lower import duty than the WTO mandates must be accompanied by proof of where their components were made  which must be checked at those borders. , says the WTO. Exports. Britain's apparel exports have soared in the past 20 years: from $3.4bn in 2001 to $8.5bn in 2019, according to the WTO. 81% of them (again according to the WTO) to countries that didn't slap import duty on them. But they will now, unless the British exporter can demonstrate all their components were made in the UK, which virtually none are. So, 81% of UK clothing exports  either bought online or moving from UK retailers' distribution hubs to foreign branches  face not just documentation problems and further delays, but potential new taxes.

Britain's apparel exports have soared in the past 20 years: from $3.4bn in 2001 to $8.5bn in 2019, according to the WTO. 81% of them (again according to the WTO) to countries that didn't slap import duty on them. But they will now, unless the British exporter can demonstrate all their components were made in the UK, which virtually none are. So, 81% of UK clothing exports  either bought online or moving from UK retailers' distribution hubs to foreign branches  face not just documentation problems and further delays, but potential new taxes. Chemical certification. The UK wasn't able to adapt the EU's REACH system that certified whether chemical ingredients conformed to safety standards. So it now has its own  and garments moving into the UK must be accompanied by paperwork certifying conformity. Which most don't have.

The UK wasn't able to adapt the EU's REACH system that certified whether chemical ingredients conformed to safety standards. So it now has its own  and garments moving into the UK must be accompanied by paperwork certifying conformity. Which most don't have. EU workers in the UK. EU citizens make up a substantial proportion of workers in many garment factories, especially around London, and in many clothes shops.

How did all this change on 31 December 2020? We don't know.

Certainly, nothing has got better, and almost every aspect of importing and exporting clothes in the UK is going to get a lot worse. What remains to be seen is how many of the new rules imposed by Johnson's government will be enforced.

We know it wants those pointless customs barriers at British borders  because they were entirely its idea. Even though the 26% of Britons who voted 'Leave' in 2016 said they just wanted to leave the EU, Johnson insisted on leaving the Single Market as well. With access to that Single Market, there would have been no need for them.

Of course we don't know how serious Johnson's government was in saying it wanted those pointless customs barriers, because it hasn't built them. Or trained the staff who'd man them or the truck drivers who'd be held up by them. In fact we're not sure whether they'd expect anyone to worry about the law anyway. It's not the UK, but the WTO, that requires the UK to treat all imports equally, and the WTO's courts don't really function right now. Would anyone notice if the UK broke a few WTO rules?

Clothes retailers would  because their suppliers would have to fill in all the expensive and pointless paperwork. The retailers wouldn't mind, of course: their suppliers always pay for that kind of thing. Customers wouldn't mind either: Britain's biggest retailer, Tesco, said it would make sure prices didn't go up.

Suppliers' profits would collapse of course. But, as the voters demanded in 2016, Britain would control who went bust.

One thing we do know for certain: there won't be a single benefit from the new Brexit rules that British clothing retailers didn't have in the EU.

Not even the propaganda for the government's 60 trade agreements pretended they gave the clothing industry any benefit that wasn't there already.

What we don't know is how long Johnson's government will survive.

Only a few Conservative MPs really want this chaos and cost: most just didn't realise the mess they were voting for. There's an uneasy compromise between the majority of Conservative MPs and the isolationist nincompoops responsible for the mess. How long will Johnson's government cling on once the shortages, price rises and business failures become even clearer?

Already, the retailers who a week ago thought they'd get their suppliers to pay for all this are screaming at the government to get out of it  which means get back into the Single Market. And it's all got messier since the failed coup in the United States on 6 January.

British politicians  like Brexit party leader Nigel Farage  who were the strongest advocates of the mess about to engulf Britain's clothing industry were also the closest to Trump before the failed coup. And they're also in the tiny minority advocating minimal defences against Covid  a stance 80% of Britons find both terrifying and deranged. It's virtually certain Farage's admirers in the Conservative party will be brushed aside and ignored when he himself is.

Will that provoke the collapse of Johnson's deranged idea that Britain's future lies outside the Single Market? Did he ever have it? We just don't know.
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YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh issued a statement over the violations of the ceasefire regime by Azerbaijan, as a result of which an Armenian serviceman was injured.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Artsakh, the statement runs as follows,

On January 13, the Azerbaijani armed forces grossly violated the ceasefire regime in the central direction of the contact line. As a result of the incident, a soldier of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh received a gunshot wound.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the provocative steps of the Azerbaijani side and qualifies them as an action aimed at destabilizing the situation in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict zone and disrupting the peacekeeping efforts.



This kind of dangerous behavior is unacceptable and is a gross violation of the trilateral statement of the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan of November 9, 2020 on a complete cease-fire and cessation of all military operations in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict zone. We call on Azerbaijan to strictly follow the commitments taken under the trilateral statement and refrain from provocative actions that could undermine the current truce''.
Home Search ICH Question Everything! Purpose and Intent of this website: Trump the Biggest Traitor By Finian Cunningham January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - Its getting nasty in Trump world. Anyone who doesnt toe the line of pandering to the Liar-in-Chief is condemned as a traitor deserving a gory end. The event last week of the deadly riot at the Capitol was most revealing of the paranoid mentality. Vice President Mike Pence  despite his usual obsequiousness to Trump  was denounced as weak by the president. That led to mobs storming into Congress demanding, Hang Mike Pence! Trump reportedly never even bothered to phone his erstwhile loyal lieutenant who was holed up for several hours in some secure bunker with secret service agents to avoid being lynched by the fascist militants scouring the Capitol. Pence was deemed a traitor because he wouldnt go along with the delusion that Trump had been cheated out of the presidential election. The vice president notified his boss the day before the certification process in Congress on January 6 that he had not the constitutional power to overturn the November 3 result in favor of Democrat candidate Joe Biden. That refusal to engage in an unconstitutional act  a coup  was enough to get Pence labelled as a traitor by pro-Trump militia with what appears to have been meant as the ultimate sanction against his life  or were they only playacting executioners with a noose? No Advertising - No Government Grants - No Algorithm - This Is Independent Media Get Our Free Newsletter Pence is not alone. A slew of former Trump aides and confidants who also have given up the ghost of baseless election fraud claims have similarly been pilloried. William Barr, the attorney general, was panned for accepting the election result. So too has Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader. Other senators like Mitt Romney and Lindsey Graham who also refused to go along with the extra-legal repudiation of Bidens election have been vilified as traitors. This is typical of Trumps narcissistic sociopathy. You dont go along with his megalomaniac diktats, then youre out, and mercilessly smeared. It says more about the low quality of Trumps character that he can so ruthlessly stab former friends in the back. Think of so many former Cabinet members whom Trump has character-assassinated after they resigned or he kicked them out. James Mattis, John Kelly, John Bolton to name a few. If his wife Melania ever divorces him, you can bet on the same cheap reaction: a torrent of invective with personal toxic attacks. Its how a megalomaniac behaves. The ego must be gratified at all times and when the delusions are not indulged then the fury is explosive, the mudslinging and scrabbling as dirty as it gets. Trumps presidency has been one giant con-job befitting a real estate grifter whose whole creed is buying cheap and selling over-priced. He promised to end endless wars and he vowed to drain the swamp. He did neither. Not only that but the forgotten ordinary Americans he claimed to be championing ended up more poor than ever. Trump didnt drain the swamp, he filled it up, making sure his administration oversaw ever-more wealth infusion to the already filthy rich: the Wall Street banks, hedge funds, corporate chiefs and billionaires like himself. Trumps presidency was an audacious scam. Hes part of the capitalist oligarchy that has no intention of making America great again for the vast majority of ordinary working Americans and their family. (Admittedly, his defeated rival in 2016 Hillary Clinton would have been no better.) What Americans need is a political party and leadership that truly fights for their economic and social interests. Neither the Wall Street-owned Democrats or Republicans can deliver on that. And certainly not someone like Trump who is a sociopathic oligarch. So, who is betraying who? Trump trying to get people out to overturn an election  an election in a flawed democracy mind you  in order to prolong his familys cronyism is the scam that scrapes the barrel. Heres the thing: the demagogue Trump is going to end up being declared a traitor by his own diehard supporters. Because the delusions he has peddled will in the end collide with reality. The so-called stop the steal campaign against the presidential election is a delusion heading for collision. People have already been killed and a lot more may yet die if the armed fascist militia deliver on their threats to sabotage the inauguration of Joe Biden next week. Any blood spilled will be in vain though. People are being mobilized by a conman to fight a wrong fight, when they should be focused on defeating the two-party system of capitalist-militarist corruption. Finian Cunningham has written extensively on international affairs, with articles published in several languages. He is a Masters graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a career in newspaper journalism. He is also a musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he worked as an editor and writer in major news media organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and Independent. - 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.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 16:38:54|Editor: huaxia

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BANGUI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Central African Republic army exchanged fire with suspected rebel fighters on Wednesday morning at the northern entrance to the capital of Bangui, local media reported.

The clash took place in the PK12 district in Begoua, a neighboring municipality to the north of Bangui. Heavy and automatic gunfire was heard, reported the news site Corbeau News Centrafrique, citing witnesses.

The heavy gunfire was heard by a Xinhua correspondent in downtown Bangui. A gun battle also took place in Bimbo, at the western entrance to Bangui, according to sources close to the fighting areas contacted by Xinhua.

Since mid-December, armed groups have united to launch an offensive against the government. The new rebel alliance, named Coalition of Patriots for Change, had vowed to march on Bangui. Enditem
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Food Drink Ireland - wants to see targeted support for the sector

Industry body Food Drink Ireland (FDI) is calling for more targeted support from a fund set up to alleviate problems facing the country's exporters post-Brexit.

More than 40% of Ireland's food exports are sent to the UK and, although a no-deal Brexit scenario was averted thanks to an eleventh hour trade agreement between the UK and the EU, the new regime which came into effect on 1 January means additional costs for food manufacturers seeking to sell their wares over the Irish Sea.

Ireland will receive more than EUR1bn (US$1.21bn) from the EU Brexit support fund in 2021 but FDI has called for targeted support measures for the food and drink sector.

FDI director Paul Kelly welcomed the funding but said: "The Irish food and drink sector is by far the most exposed of any sector in any country in Europe to Brexit. Even with a EU-UK deal, we now face additional paperwork, customs and SPS formalities, transport delays and disruption to delivery schedules.

"All these changes are imposing additional costs on businesses and supports are urgently needed not just to support companies within the food and drink sector, but also the jobs, communities, and downstream suppliers reliant on them, including the farming sector and its longer-term sustainability."

Kelly said Ireland's portion of the Brexit Adjustment Fund should be used to invest in competitiveness "recognising the additional trading costs now materialising post-Brexit, medium-term measures to allow the Irish government to introduce investment aids to support Irish food and drink companies invest in enabling technology, management training and upskilling, plant renewal and expansion, refinancing, market development and innovation to regain competitiveness following single market fracture".

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He also called for help to improve export capability, specifically through the introduction of a state-supported export credit insurance scheme to "ensure the growing gap in supply of export credit insurance does not impact on the ability of Irish firms to export".

He also want to see additional funding for direct grant support for innovation, marketing and trade promotion for companies looking to build new markets in the EU and internationally and to ensure state agencies make full use of the new state aid guidelines to fund up to 50% of research and development projects which support future business growth.

FDI has also called for direct connectivity to Continental markets via ferry routes and for support for customs skills to help maintain customs clearance capability.

The Irish government recently announced a scheme for the country's food-processing sector to support manufacturers in the wake of the UK's departure from the EU.

Dublin said it would provide funding worth EUR100m (US$121.6m) through a new "capital investment scheme for the processing and marketing of agricultural products". The Enterprise Ireland agency is managing the initiative and applications open this month.
In response to last weeks violence in Washington perpetrated by the supporters of President Donald Trump, Twitter has suspended more than 70,000 accounts since Friday.

In a blog, Twitter Inc said that the accounts were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey (Representative Image: Reuters)

Given the violent events in Washington, DC, and increased risk of harm, we began permanently suspending thousands of accounts that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content on Friday afternoon, Twitter said in a blog late on Monday.

QAnon is a completely unfounded, or rather a disproven theory, that says that President Trump is waging a secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles in influential roles. Many among the crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol were seen wearing outfits in support of QAnon.

QAnon supporters have pushed this conspiracy on social media channels for long, now forcing the platforms to react. These accounts were engaged in sharing harmful QAnon-associated content at scale and were primarily dedicated to the propagation of this conspiracy theory across the service, Twitter said in its post.

(Representative Image: Reuters)

The micro-blogging platform states that its updated enforcement on QAnon content as well as routine spam challenges caused a drop in follower count for some peoples Twitter accounts. In some cases, these actions may have resulted in follower count changes in the thousands, it says.



The removal of such accounts is part of a larger drive by Twitter to prevent misinformation around the 2020 US presidential election. Twitter says such misleading and false information has been the basis for incitement to violence around the US. It then started taking action on these claims in line with its Civic Integrity policy.

A recent example of this was the permanent suspension of the Twitter account of US President Donald Trump as well as his ban from the platform for life. Like Twitter, several firms have responded in a similar fashion against the perpetrators of the horrific clashes at the capitol.
The number of people who have tested positive for the new virus strain from UK has climbed to 102, the Union Health Ministry said.

Till January 11, the number of people infected with the new virus strain was 96.

Representational Image/AFP

On Wednesday, the ministry said, "The total number of persons found to be positive with the new UK variant genome stands at 102 today."

All these people were kept in single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put in quarantine and comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others.

Situation monitored closely

Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, the ministry said, adding 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 (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) labs, the ministry said.

BCCL

Presence of the new UK variant has already been reported by several countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

India saw a jump of 15,968 fresh infections in the last 24 hours, nearly 26 per cent higher than yesterday's 12,584. More than 1.01 crore COVID patients have already recovered since the beginning of the pandemic; 2.14 lakh cases are active.
OFALLON, Mo. (AP)  St. Louis County police are investigating vandalism that damaged churches, non-profits and businesses in the town of Jennings, authorities said Tuesday.

Police spokesman Benjamin Granda said in a news release that the first incident was at Noahs Ark Church on Dec. 10, and the second was at Calvary West Missionary Baptist Church nine days later.

The rest of the crimes all occurred on two days  six buildings were targeted on Dec. 22, and four were hit on Monday. Other victimized buildings included Community Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church and North County Community Development, a non-profit. Seven businesses and one unidentified building also were damaged.

Granda said it was too early to determine if the crimes were hate crimes. Nearly 90% of Jennings residents are Black and the suspect appears to be Black in surveillance photos released by police.

One of the surveillance photos shows a man about to throw what looks like a rock or a large chunk of concrete. In most of the incidents, the suspect threw pieces of concrete through front windows, Granta said. In some, he also damaged windows with a hammer.

Granda said there was no attempt to burglarize and the destruction of property appears to be the only goal.

Calvary West Pastor Darryl Evans said several windows at his church were broken. The $3,500 bill for repairs comes at a time when the churchs coffers are running low because attendance has plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Before, the church typically drew up to 140 people on Sundays. Now, crowds are usually less than 30, Evans said.

It really hurts, but yet I forgive because I know somethings wrong, Evan said. My prayer to God is that this person gets some help.
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MENDOTA HEIGHTS, Minn., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Living Well Disability Services, a leader in providing exceptional services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, announced today Thomas Gillespie has been named as President and CEO. Rod Carlson, who has been acting Interim President and CEO as well as Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the past year will continue as COO. Gillespie's employment with Living Well Disability Services (LWDS) will begin mid-February.

Incoming President and CEO, Living Well Disability Services

Gillespie has more than 15 years of senior management experience working across the spectrum of roles in this industry including executive leadership, operations management, and group home management. This includes over a decade of strategic leadership at Minnesota disability service providers, most recently as Executive Director, Duluth Regional Care Center (DRCC), Duluth, MN. Prior to that Gillespie served as Chief Program Officer of Hammer Residences in Wayzata, MN. Hammer Residences provides services for more than 1,900 people impacted by disabilities with 550 staff in locations across the Twin Cities metro area in Minnesota.

"We are excited to have Tom lead LWDS as we focus on continued growth and our leadership in providing exceptional services," said Paul Hillen, Board Chair of LWDS. "Tom's extensive experience in disability services at all levels, including recently leading DRCC will provide strong leadership in both operational and strategic areas for LWDS. His track record of proven results, operational expertise, strategic planning, and servant leadership will help LWDS achieve both our short- and long-term goals," continued Hillen.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Living Well Disability Services team," said Gillespie. "It is a true honor to join an organization that serves and employs such great people. Living Well has built its strong reputation by nurturing relationships and living our mission every day. I look forward to reinforcing these foundations while we look to the opportunities and challenges ahead. Despite the uncertainty that surrounds us these days, Living Well has stayed true to its mission and commitment to exceptional services. It is an honor to join such a great organization and I cannot wait to get to work."

As the Executive Director at DRCC, Gillespie successfully increased year-over-year growth, created a new human resources department, and engaged in efforts to work with legislators for support of front line workers. As Chief Program Officer at Hammer, Gillespie was responsible for services across all departments and provided strategic direction for over 1,900 individuals with disabilities, ensuring opportunities and engaging activities of their choosing. Gillespie had been with Hammer Residences since 2003 where he held several positions including Chief Program Officer, Director of Systems Design and Program Director.

Gillespie is on the Board of Directors for the Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota (ARRM). He received a BAS Degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota, Duluth, MN, and an MBA from Concordia University, St. Paul, MN.

About Living Well Disability Services

Living Well Disability Services delivers exceptional services that transform the lives of people impacted by intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities. Founded as Dakota's Children in 1972 by parents, volunteers and community partners in West St. Paul, the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization provides residential and customized services to people in their own home, their family's home or in one of our 33 group homes throughout the 10-county region. We offer a broad spectrum of services to people with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, autism, and brain injury. Innovation in services, accessibility, wellness and technology help people pursue their goals and live as independently as possible. More information is available at livingwell.org.

Media Contact:

Laurie Eggers 651.242.5116

[email protected]

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Thomas Gillespie

Incoming President and CEO, Living Well Disability Services

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The Fontina DOP Consortium (Consorzio Tutela Fontina), the entity that protects and promotes the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese from the Aosta Valley in Italy, announced that it will participate in the European Union funded promotional program Top Tales.

Top Tales: A piece of Europe on your table is a project supported by the European Union to promote Barolo and Barbaresco DOCG, Fontina DOP from Valle dAosta, and Rice di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese. The European communication campaign is designed to increase the awareness of the four PDO products in the United States market. In partnership with renowned denominations such as Barolo DOCG, Barbaresco DOCG, and Riso di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese DOP, the Fontina DOP Consortium aims to bring its high-quality cheese to the tables of US consumers through a series of initiatives such as events, media relations, advertising, and social media campaigns.

Fontina DOP cheese already took part in Barolo & Barbaresco World Opening (BBWO) on February 4, 2020, at Centre 415 in New York City. At the event, food & wine professionals and consumers could taste the renowned wines from Barolo in company with Fontina DOP cheese and risotto recipes with Rice di Baraggia. In December 2020 Fontina DOP secured a partnership with Eataly NYC Flatiron where dishes with the renowned Aosta Valley cheese will be served through March 2021 and customers will be able to purchase Fontina DOP in the retail store.

In 2021 the Fontina DOP Consortium plans to promote its high-quality cheese in the US, participating in the Summer Fancy Food Show at the end of June at the Javits Centre in New York City. Trade professionals will have the opportunity to discover the history behind Fontina cheese, a tradition that dates back to 1477 when Fontina was first mentioned in a medicians document.

Produced only in the mountainous Aosta Valley, the smallest Italian region with an average altitude of 2.600 meters above sea level, Fontina DOP is the highest cheese in Europe, unique and inimitable.

Through the Top Tales campaign, the Fontina DOP Consortium aims to protect the appellation from misleading information that can be found on the shelves in the US. To be called Fontina, the cheese must come from the Aosta Valley in Italy, following distinct production methods, using specific milk types, and carrying the Fontina trademark.

About Consorzio Tutela Fontina: The Consortium was created in 1957 to protect Fontina DOP, its production and distribution. The entity releases the Fontina DOP trademark on every wheel of Fontina produced following the Consortiums rules.

About Top Tales: Top Tales is a project supported by the European Union aimed at promoting Fontina DOP from Valle dAosta, Rice di Baraggia Biellese e Vercellese DOP, and the DOCGs Barolo and Barbaresco. The European communication campaign Top Tales: A piece of Europe on your table is designed to increase the awareness of the three DOP products in the United States market.

The content of this promotion campaign represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility. The European Commission and the Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (CHAFEA) do not accept any responsibility for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
COVID-19 vaccine transportation from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) commenced on Wednesday with budget carrier GoAir airlifting 2,400 vials of Covishield to Goa.

The Wadia Group-owned no-frills airline has scheduled flights carrying vaccines to Lucknow, Cochin and Chandigarh as well, besides Goa, during the day, a GoAir spokesperson told PTI.

GoAir's first flight carrying 2,400 vials (24,000 doses) of Covishield vaccine took off at 5.20 am and reached Goa at 6.30 am, the spokesperson said.

A massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 was set in process on Tuesday with more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine leaving Pune for 13 cities across the country, four days before the vaccinations are scheduled to begin on January 16.

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

Covishield is developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and manufactured by Pune-based pharma firm Serum Institute of India (SII).

GoAir said it will airlift a total of 69,600 vials of the vaccine.

Mumbai airport, which is the "largest pharma hub", is looking to cater to at least 16 destinations in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines, the private airport operator had said in a statement to
New Delhi: Farmers protest against the Centre's three new contentious farm laws; at the Tikri Border on Jan 9, 2021. (Photo: Bidesh Manna/IANS) Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, Jan 13 : A day after the Supreme Court put a stay on the implementation of the three Central farm laws, the Bar Council of India (BCI) claimed on Wednesday that "90 per cent of the farmers are not in favour of the protests".

In a statement, BCI chairman Manan Kumar Mishra said, "Everybody knows that 90 per cent of the peace loving farmers are not in favour of continuance of agitation after the stay order of the Supreme Court, but persons with vested interests are trying to fulfil their own political ambition even at the cost of de-stablising the country.

"The nation is really thankful to our apex court which has realised the seriousness of the situation and has interfered in the matter with the objective of saving the country from lawlessness." The BCI also urged that the honest, sincere and sensible citizens should now come forward and convince the agitating farmers to suspend their protest till the final judgement of the apex court.

"We fail to understand as to why those who are making scandalous and contemptuous comments in media did not appear before the court to put across their stand," the BCI statement read.

"For any law abiding citizen, the only recourse available is to move the Supreme Court and request for modification of the order, if at all someone has any ground against the Constitution of the committee. But these so-called protesters do not want a solution to the problem, rather their sole motive is to exploit the agitation and mislead the agitating farmers," it added.

The BCI also said that it is high time that the intellectuals of the country break their silence in order to save the country from a potential turmoil.

The Supreme Court had said on Tuesday that the extraordinary order of stay the implementation of the farm laws will encourage the farmers' bodies to convince their members to get back to their livelihoods, both in order to protect their own lives and health and to protect the lives and properties of others.

A bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde and comprising Justices A.S. Bopanna and V. Ramasubramanian observed that the negotiations between the farmers' bodies and the government have not yielded any result so far.

"Therefore, we are of the view that the constitution of a committee of experts in the field of agriculture to negotiate between the farmers' bodies and the government of India may create a congenial atmosphere," it said in its order.

Justifying the stay on the implementation of the farm laws, the top court said: "We deem it fit to pass the following interim order, with the hope and expectation that both parties will take this in the right spirit and attempt to arrive at a fair, equitable and just solution to the problems."
Michigan House Republicans are staking out ethics reform as their top legislative priority for the new session, announcing legislation to beef up the states conflict of interest policies for lawmakers and an initiative to limit the power of legislative lame duck session.

During a Wednesday morning press conference ahead of the first day of the new legislative session, House Speaker-elect Jason Wentworth, R-Clare, and House Speaker Pro Tempore Pamela Hornberger, R-Chesterfield Township, unveiled the first bill to be introduced in the legislative session, which they said would prohibit state lawmakers from voting on bills that could personally benefit them, their families or any entities they have a stake in.

The bill, House 4001, specifically states a member of the legislature could not vote on legislation if they have a personal or professional interest in the measure.

This method has proven effective elsewhere, so we know it will be effective here, Hornberger said in a statement. Its a simple notion and a critical action; no elected official should be able to vote for any legislation that somehow benefits them or a relative.

Another proposal announced Wednesday is a joint resolution from Wentworth that would require a two-thirds vote on any bill taken up after November general elections in even years. Known as lame duck, this period often results in long session days and dozens of bills flying through the House and Senate with little time for review.

Wentworth said the idea is to ensure what passes in legislative lame duck sessions have wide bipartisan support.

People think that members who arent returning arent necessarily accountable to voters for those last votes, and they think the legislature waits for lame duck to vote on controversial issues, he said. I believe this change will give Michiganders more reason to trust their elected officials and the processes we use to create laws.

Both Wentworth and Hornberger said the proposals are the first of several reforms aimed at making Michigan government more accessible, accountable and transparent.

Currently, Michigan lags behind the rest of the country when it comes to identifying and regulating potential financial conflicts of interest. In 2015, the Center for Public Integrity ranked Michigan last in its State Integrity Investigation, a wide-ranging report that documented several facets of each states government transparency laws.

50 states of financial disclosure: How Michigan stacks up

In the Michigan Senate, Senate Republicans first bill would limit emergency orders issued by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to 28 days before requiring legislative approval.

The bill is retroactive, meaning if it were signed into law, MDHHS Director Robert Gordons existing emergency orders would cease immediately.

Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, is a reissue of legislation that was vetoed by the governor on Dec. 30.

Whitmer has leaned on the department to continue issuing restrictions aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19 since the Michigan Supreme Court ruled she did not have the authority to unilaterally issue emergency orders past 28 days without legislative approval.

In a statement, Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, said Senate Bill 1 demonstrates that our top priority is to be a voice for citizens struggling to keep their businesses afloat and maintain their livelihoods.

Whitmer vetoes bills that would limit public health orders and repeal governors emergency powers
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company



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Beating the 'billion-dollar bug' is a shared burden

A lurking threat that has stymied US corn growers for decades is now returning to the forefront: western corn rootworm. Sometimes referred to as the "billion-dollar bug," the species' tiny larvae chew through the roots of corn plants, causing devastating yield losses. In 2003, farmers began planting a genetically engineered variety of corn known as "Bt," which produces a protein toxic to the pest species - but by 2009, the billion-dollar bug had already evolved adaptations for resistance to the toxin.

A new study suggests that slowing the resurgence of western corn rootworm may require a larger-scale strategy than previously thought. The findings, which were published in the Ecological Society of America's journal Ecological Applications, show that when farmers do not follow best management practices for mitigating corn rootworm within a field, they also jeopardize surrounding fields.

Primary author Coy St. Clair and his colleague Aaron Gassmann pinpointed 64 "problem fields" across Iowa, where western corn rootworm had caused greater-than-expected levels of injury to corn between 2009 and 2013 in two varieties of Bt maize: Cry3Bb1 and mCry3A. Compared to fields where rootworm had not damaged Bt maize, the problem fields had higher levels of continuous maize cultivation in surrounding buffer areas.

Corn rows as far as the eye can see in Buchanan County, Iowa. Original image from Carol M. Highsmith's America, Library of Congress collection. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Regular crop rotation is a key strategy for interfering with rootworm's life cycle: when rootworm eggs hatch in a field without corn, the larvae starve before they have a chance to mature and lay eggs. However, continuous planting of corn tends to be more profitable in the short term, leaving corn growers with difficult decisions about how to manage risks.

St. Clair, now a research entomologist for Genective (Champaign, Ill.) who conducted the research as a Ph.D. student at Iowa State University, says that the story of western corn rootworm resistance to Bt illustrates that pest mitigation is a shared responsibility. "If the pest remains susceptible, everyone benefits. If resistance develops, everyone suffers."

Continuous maize cultivation gives nascent rootworm populations a chance to evolve resistance to the Bt toxin - and for those newly resistant offspring to travel to other fields.

"The takeaway here is that a farmer who is employing best management practices - such as frequent crop rotation, or planting of non-Bt maize - will effectively manage rootworm and delay resistance in their own field firstly, while simultaneously helping to delay resistance development in surrounding populations secondly," explained St. Clair. "Conversely, a farmer who is planting multiple years of the same trait will risk resistance in their own field, while contributing to the depletion of the shared resource of trait susceptibility."

As of 2020, agronomists have confirmed that populations of western corn rootworm resistant to the two Bt traits examined in the study are present across the US corn belt, along with two additional Bt traits.

###

Journal article:

St. Clair, Coy, and Gassmann, Aaron, 2021. "Linking Land Use Patterns and Pest Outbreaks in Bt Maize." doi.org/10.1002/eap.2295

Authors:

Coy St. Clair and Aaron Gassman

Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA

Author contact:

Coy St. Clair (coyray03@gmail.com">coyray03@gmail.com)

The Ecological Society of America, founded in 1915, is the world's largest community of professional ecologists and a trusted source of ecological knowledge, committed to advancing the understanding of life on Earth. The 9,000 member Society publishes five journals and a membership bulletin and broadly shares ecological information through policy, media outreach, and education initiatives. The Society's Annual Meeting attracts 4,000 attendees and features the most recent advances in ecological science. Visit the ESA website at https:/ / www. esa. org .

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Serious difficulties around the transport of goods between Britain and Ireland are threatening to bring the haulage sector to its knees, Wexford TD, Verona Murphy, has warned.

A combination of complicated customs documentation, system overbookings, delays in getting trucks back out of Britain, and insufficient capacity on the direct ferry routes from Ireland to the Continent is steadily choking the countrys export capability, deputy Murphy claimed.

She pointed out that 54 trucks had failed to make it onto ferries leaving Rosslare for the Continent last Friday, with many lorries left stranded in the Wexford port over the weekend  25 were taken on a Saturday sailing, while the remaining 29 trucks were not taken until Monday night.

It is understood that some of the countrys leading supermarkets  including Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Dunnes Stores and Supervalu  were affected by the delays; while Lidl and Aldi avoided the brunt of the disruption as, heretofore, they were less dependent on the UK land bridge.

Cormac Healy of Meat Industry Ireland (MII) told the Farming Independent said that a number of beef and lamb processors had reported difficulties getting trucks onto direct ferries to Europe.

These problems have been exacerbated by the recent surge in Covid-19. The number of trucks that can be carried on some freight vessels has been halved as a consequence, since drivers cannot share cabins during the sailing because of the risk of spreading the virus.

This has undermined the impact of the additional ships introduced over the last two months on direct routes out of Ireland to Europe, Mr Healy explained.

Deputy Murphy said truckloads of meat and fish had been delayed in Rosslare, and she was aware of a large consignment of mussels failing it to make it onto a ferry.

Those mussels could well have to be dumped. While the beef and fish is reducing in value every day delivery is delayed, she explained.

The Wexford TD pointed out that direct freight from Rosslare to Europe had increased by 500pc and that additional shipping capacity was required.

Complex custom documentation and clearance procedures have added to hauliers problems, she claimed.

She cited one example of 20 truckloads of perishable fresh food from Britain, destined for a leading Irish supermarket chain, which have been held up for days in Dublin Port because of incorrect paperwork.

These are trucks full of pasta salads, sandwiches and fruit and vegetables. This is a disgraceful waste. Youre looking at significant value here, the transport cost alone is over 30,000. Ultimately, these costs are going to be passed on to consumers, she added.

Deputy Murphy said such delays were not only happening with UK trucks in Ireland, but were also impacting Irish hauliers who were being similarly held up in Britain. She warned that Ireland could very soon be at a point where there are so many trucks and trailers delayed in Britain that the countrys capacity to move product off the island could be seriously compromised.

There is a real threat of the haulage system collapsing both here and in Britain, said deputy Murphy who will raise the issue during Leaders Questions in the Dail today.

UK nightmare

Eugene Drennan of the Irish Road Haulage Association called for the customs documentation regime to be simplified and streamlined as a matter of urgency.

"There is a problem with capacity to get out to the continent direct; and Government thinking is really clogged on this. Were only at a third capacity at the moment; we cant get capacity in the right places at the right time.

"We need more direct daily services from Dublin and Rosslare to the continent, Irish Ferries have given some extra capacity but there is still demand for more.

"The Government has to respond very quickly because going to the UK with all the paperwork is a nightmare, he said.

Meanwhile, Glenn Carr, general manager at Rosslare Port said the challenges posed by the land bridge post-Brexit, together with Covid-19 restrictions, have seen unprecedented demand over recent days.

"The situation resulted in many hauliers issued with standby tickets arriving at the port in hoping to get on the ferries. This resulted in the port having to handle extra traffic to the already booked-out ferry services.

The vast majority of these were accommodated on later sailings, but 20 trucks were unable to travel across the weekend arising from the excess demand.

"Our shipping operator provided complimentary meals and refreshments to those affected, and terminal facilities were also available to all affected.

Demand remains high and measures have been put in place to restrict drivers coming to the port without committed bookings. Furthermore, we continue to engage with shipping operators to identify opportunities for further capacity and service increases, he said.

If you dont control a newspaper, you cant really rule. This was a mantra that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus media team heard incessantly from him after his first term as prime minister. Over the years, the message only got louder.

As Netanyahu became increasingly convinced that the left controlled the Israel media, he reached the inevitable conclusion that what was needed as a counterbalance was a powerful and influential media outlet on the right. Founding such an outlet became his meta-goal; in order to fulfill it, he worked relentlessly to win support and funding from a prominent right-wing tycoon.

It took him until 2007. Netanyahu was then head of the opposition, when a free daily newspaper, Israel Hayom (Israel Today), burst on the scene, sending shock waves through the Israeli media market. It was the result of an enormous investment by one of Netanyahus closest confidants, casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, a man committed to sweeping change.

Its been more than 13 years since Israel Hayom first burst on the scene. Adelson died Jan. 11 at the age of 87, leaving behind a controversial political and media legacy in Israel, as he did in the United States. Israel Hayom never met Netanyahu and Adelsons expectations for it to become the countrys most influential newspaper, but it remains the most widely distributed. And it managed to shatter the dominance of Yediot Ahronot, a long-established, rival paper loathed by Netanyahu.

The death of Sheldon Adelson raises an old question: Was it because of the paper he founded and funded that Netanyahu was able to cling to power for so long? The fact that the papers life just about parallels Netanyahus time in office since he returned to power in 2009 makes this question all the more relevant.

Politicians and journalists on the left argue that the two phenomena are intrinsically connected. They also say the damage Adelson caused to Israeli politics and journalism cannot be overstated.

Rogel Alper, a journalist and publicist for Haaretz newspaper, said Adelson polluted local journalism with foreign interests, thereby causing harm to Israeli democracy. It was, Alper said, a major factor behind Netanyahus rise to power, but most of all, his ability to cling to it. In a piece he published Jan. 13, Alper wrote, Although he didnt live here, Adelson allowed himself to shape the political awareness of millions of Israelis through his newspaper Israel Hayom. He distributed the paper for free, because his deep pockets could easily absorb such a minor loss, considering his vast fortune. When competing with other papers, this gave him an unfair advantage. Israel Hayom is a political bribe that Adelson gave Netanyahu. It is not a newspaper. It is a shofar [horn] trumpeting propaganda, with the sole purpose of keeping Netanyahu, the right and the ultra-Orthodox in power.

In contrast, members of the right expressed gratitude for all Alderson did for them, saying he had increased pluralism in the Israeli media, which they said had been dominated by the left. They also said he rescued democracy from the media monopoly of the newspaper Yediot Ahronot and its powerful publisher, Arnon Mozes, who imposed a reign of terror on Israeli politicians.

Adelson also owned Makor Rishon, a paper identified with the settler movement. Its editor, Haggai Segal, tweeted, The staff of Makor Rishon mourn the passing of Sheldon Adelson, an owner of the newspaper and lover of Israel. He was one of the greatest donors to the Zionist enterprise, and a man who did much to ensure pluralism in Hebrew journalism. May his memory be a blessing for us.

Netanyahu also expressed deep sadness over Adelsons death in an unusual statement in both Hebrew and English. The English version said, Sara and I are heartbroken by the passing of Sheldon Adelson. He was a wonderful friend to us personally and an incredible champion of the Jewish people, the Jewish state, and the alliance between Israel and America." In a statement published in English in Israel Hayom, the prime minister also said, "He gave to Zionism, to the settlements, and to the state of Israel.  With his wife, Miri, he gave generously to many enterprises that save lives and brought Israel renown throughout the world." Miriam Adelson, 75, is the paper's publisher.

Netanyahu intentionally avoided noting Sheldon Adelsons contribution to reshaping the Israeli media and bringing right-wing discourse into the mainstream. The connection between the prime minister and Israel Hayom, and by extension, his alleged involvement in the business side of the newspaper, as revealed in one of the indictments against him, could be seen as criminal. Netanyahus trial is only just beginning. As it proceeds, people will get a better glimpse at what actually happened all this time behind closed doors, as Sheldon Adelson threw his weight behind creating a right-wing media alternative and its political implications.

While we dont yet have the full picture, it can be said that, in terms of results, Netanyahu and Sheldon Adelson were able to shake up the old order. Three years after it was launched, Israel Hayom had already broken Mozes monopoly. Polls released in 2010 found that the free daily newspaper had greater exposure than Yediot Ahronot. For the first time in years, a rival paper had surpassed Yediot Ahronot as the most widely distributed newspaper in the country. This trend continued over the next few years, but despite its widespread distribution and its expansion to digital media platforms, including websites in Hebrew and English, the Israel Hayom brand of journalism never managed to win high regard. Its agenda was seen as tainted by political interests. This was not what Netanyahu had envisioned.

While Netanyahu himself began mocking Israel Hayoms effectiveness in setting the national agenda, it is impossible to ignore the fact that Sheldon Adelsons free newspaper influenced other media. It was responsible for the rise of right-wing commentators on TV and even other newspapers.

As Israel Hayom expanded its reach, public figures other than Netanyahu sought ways to get closer to it. These included Naftali Bennett, head of the right-wing Yamina party, but also Yair Lapid of the center-left Yesh Atid. They were happy to give interviews to the paper, since it meant they could reach a larger audience.

Today it is clear to everyone that the redhead, as Netanyahu called Sheldon Adelson, never ceased to gain influence on the Israeli media scene. He threw all his money and power into the Israeli political and media arenas with the clear intention of having an impact on them. He was more than just a man with deep pockets, as his many critics tend to portray him. He was a right-wing ideologue who did not believe in Palestinian statehood or the two-state solution. He was convinced that Netanyahu was the right person to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat. Most of all, he believed that he was the right man to protect and defend the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel through his vast donations but also by instigating change in the Israeli media.

It is now believed that Israel Hayom will continue to exist even after Sheldon Adelsons death. His widow, a former Israeli, will likely continue her late husbands political and media legacy.




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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA and the Government of Japan have finalized an agreement for the lunar Gateway , an orbiting outpost that commercial and international partners will build together. This agreement strengthens the broad effort by the United States to engage international partners in sustainable lunar exploration as part of the Artemis program and to demonstrate the technologies needed for human missions to Mars.

Under this agreement, Japan will provide several capabilities for the Gateway's International Habitation module (I-Hab), which will provide the heart of Gateway life support capabilities and additional space where crew will live, work, and conduct research during Artemis missions. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) planned contributions include I-Hab's environmental control and life support system, batteries, thermal control, and imagery components, which will be integrated into the module by the European Space Agency (ESA) prior to launch. These capabilities are critical for sustained Gateway operations during crewed and uncrewed time periods.

"We're honored to announce this latest agreement with Japan to support long-term human exploration on and around the Moon as part of the Artemis program," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "Strengthening our international partnerships and commitments to Artemis puts humanity on a solid path to achieve our common goals of sustainable lunar exploration by the end of this decade."

Under an arrangement with Northrop Grumman, Japan also will provide batteries for the Gateway's Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), the initial crew cabin for astronauts visiting the Gateway. Additionally, Japan is investigating enhancements to its HTV-X cargo resupply spacecraft, which could result in its use for Gateway logistics resupply.

"Leveraging the capabilities that international partners contribute to Gateway will be key to enabling access to the lunar surface," said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. "We are pleased to move forward in these groundbreaking efforts with Japan and our other partners."

The agreement also marks NASA's intent to provide crew opportunities for Japanese astronauts to the Gateway, which will be determined following additional discussions, and documented in a future arrangement.

Approximately one-sixth the size of the International Space Station, the Gateway will serve as a rendezvous point for astronauts traveling to lunar orbit aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket prior to transit to low-lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon. From the Gateway, NASA and its partners will use this lunar vantage point as a springboard for robotic and human expeditions to the Moon, and on to Mars.

"The capabilities provided by Japan are critical to enabling the interior environment of the Gateway allowing our crews to live and work for longer durations," said Dan Hartman, Gateway program manager at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "With the life support systems from Japan, longer duration missions for the Artemis crews can be accomplished with reduced demands on logistics resupply."

NASA astronauts will board a commercially developed lander for the final leg of the journey to the lunar surface, and the agency has contracted with U.S. industry to develop the first two Gateway components, the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) and the HALO, as well as the logistics resupply for Gateway.

Japan joins two other international partners in committing to the Gateway with NASA. In November 2020, the United States and Canada signed an agreement to collaborate on the Gateway. CSA's planned contributions include the outpost's external robotics system, robotic interfaces, and end-to-end robotic operations. In October 2020, NASA and ESA signed an agreement solidifying ESA's contributions to the Gateway, which include ESA's provision of the I-Hab module and refueling modules, along with enhanced lunar communications.

In March 2020, NASA selected the first two scientific investigations to fly aboard the Gateway, one from NASA and the other from ESA. NASA and Gateway's international partners will collaborate to share the scientific data that will be transmitted to Earth. Additional scientific payloads will be selected in the future to fly aboard the outpost.

In addition to supporting scientific research conducted by robotic and human lunar surface missions, the Gateway will support activities to test the technologies needed for human missions to Mars. For example, NASA will use the Gateway to demonstrate remote management and long-term reliability of autonomous spacecraft systems and other technologies.

Learn more about NASA's Gateway program at:

https://nasa.gov/gateway

Learn more about NASA's Artemis program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

SOURCE NASA

Related Links

https://www.nasa.gov








Haiti - FLASH : 9 joint commitments between Haiti and the Dominican Republic





Following their meeting on Sunday, in the border area of Elias Pina, between the President of Haiti Jovenel Moise and the President of the Dominican Republic Luis Abinader, https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-32741-haiti-flash-luis-abinader-met-jovenel-moise-in-the-border-area.html , the two Heads of State published on Tuesday January 12, 2021 a joint declaration in which they are committed in many areas.



The 9 points of joint commitment contained in the public declaration :



"1. The Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic as well as their democratic institutions are ready to work on the process of identification and registration in the Haitian civil status of all Haitian citizens who are on the Dominican territory.



2. In the field of health, with the collaboration of the international community which has shown its willingness to finance hospitals in Haiti, the two leaders agree to cooperate in the construction of general hospitals on Haitian territory, located where the Government of Haiti deems it appropriate, in order to reduce the intensive use of Dominican hospitals by Haitians, an issue of great sensitivity in the Dominican Republic.



3. Open the negotiation process to delimit the maritime borders between the two countries as soon as possible.



4. Take appropriate measures, each country on its own territory, to deploy cutting-edge technologies that facilitate the elimination of irregular migratory flows, human smuggling and trafficking, the circulation of arms, drug trafficking and cattle theft, among other illicit activities.



5. Cooperate mutually and sustainably in the fields of energy, agricultural and industrial production, cooking fuels and efforts to combat desertification.



6. Work to secure the necessary funding for the adoption of a training and support plan that will facilitate the work of the two countries to strengthen border security and surveillance; therefore, each country will collaborate with the other in the event that physical or technological controls are put in place throughout the land border of the border.



7. Continue negotiations in a sustained manner until a general trade agreement is reached, with the aim of establishing transparent, stable, fair and predictable rules for both parties and making it possible to put an end to the smuggling which erodes the base tax of both countries.



8. Work in close collaboration to plan an energy interconnection matrix between the two countries, giving priority to renewable energies (wind, solar, biomass, hydroelectric) which allows the exchange of excess energy from one country to another.



9. Encourage the production of biodegradable products instead of those that harm the environment, especially those based on polystyrene. "



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-32741-haiti-flash-luis-abinader-met-jovenel-moise-in-the-border-area.html



SL/ HaitiLibre




















WASHINGTON - The Justice Department and FBI have created a sedition and conspiracy task force to pursue charges against participants in the storming of the U.S. Capitol and are investigating any links to domestic or foreign instigators, officials said Tuesday.

The investigation, one of the largest ever undertaken by the department, includes counterterrorism and counterintelligence facets and has led to charges against more than 70 people and identified 170 suspects to date, acting U.S. attorney Michael Sherwin of the District of Columbia said. Those arrest figures are expected to increase into the hundreds, if not "exponentially."

But Sherwin and Steven D'Antuono, head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said any impression that prosecutors have mostly charged misdemeanor Capitol trespassing and District curfew offenses is misleading. They said the cases are only the beginning and that U.S. authorities are investigating everything including the plundering of congressional offices and digital devices, assaults on law enforcement officers, and theft of national security and defense information, in addition to felony murder and excessive use of force.

"The gamut of cases is mind-blowing," Sherwin said.

Citing video footage and witness accounts that have not been made public, Sherwin added: "People are going to be shocked with egregious activity in the Capitol. No resources of the FBI or the U.S. attorney's office will be untapped to determine if there was command and control, how it operated and how it executed these activities."

Capitol and District police were in openhanded combat with rioters, tear gas was used against police, and destructive devices and semiautomatic weapons have been recovered, he said.

The Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump disrupted the electoral vote count of President-elect Joe Biden and led to the deaths of five people - including a rioter who was fatally shot and a police officer who died after suffering injuries at the scene.

Federal law makes conspiring to overthrow or oppose by force the authority of the U.S government punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Such seditious conspiracy includes using violence to prevent, hinder or the delay the execution of its laws. U.S. authorities have prosecuted such cases against Puerto Rican nationalists, white supremacists and Muslim extremists who plotted a 1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

A new grand jury was empaneled Friday and met Monday to hear new Capitol breach cases. Prosecutors also condemned violence against the news media, saying they would investigate and hold accountable those who assault, threaten or damage the property of journalists.

Hours before officials spoke, the first public federal indictment in the Capitol breach was filed against an Alabama man who allegedly brought 11 molotov cocktails and five loaded weapons to the U.S. Capitol.

In an indictment dated Monday, Lonnie Coffman, 70, who was previously charged with two counts in a U.S. Capitol Police complaint, was charged with 16 counts of District firearms violations and one federal firearms count. He also possessed a crossbow, several machetes, a stun gun and smoke devices, prosecutors said.

Coffman allegedly formulated the incendiary devices to be particularly lethal, prosecutors asserted, and "appears to have been motivated to conduct violence against our elected representatives."

Coffman is accused of carrying 11 Mason jars with gasoline and melted Styrofoam - which an FBI affidavit said could produce a "napalm-like" explosion of sticky, flammable liquid. The affidavit also said he had a rifle, shotgun, two 9mm pistols, a .22-caliber pistol, five types of ammunition and a large-capacity magazine, all loaded and unregistered and unlicensed in the capital. Coffman had an apparent license to carry a pistol in Alabama, prosecutors said.

However, they asserted in court filings that the stockpile of weapons suggests "an intent [by Coffman] to provide them to others, as no one person could reasonably use so many at once."

Exhibits filed by prosecutors seeking to detain Coffman show he allegedly possessed handwritten notes, including one quoting Abraham Lincoln who once wrote in opposition to slavery, "We The People Are The Rightful Masters Of Both The Congress And The Courts, Not To Overthrow The Constitution But To Overthrow The Men Who Pervert The Constitution."

Prosecutors said the notes "raise alarm in the context of the Jan. 6 rioting and criminal infringement on our nation's democratic process." They showed others that contained purported contact information for "Conservative Talk Show Host Mark Levin," "Shaun [sic] Hannity," and "Senator Ted Cruz."

Coffman did not enter a plea, and was ordered held without bond by a U.S. magistrate. Defense lawyer Tony Miles argued Coffman has no criminal record, is retired after a history of work, has family ties in Alabama and 10 years' service in the U.S. Army.

Prosecutors previously said Coffman was investigated because he was the registered owner of a red GMC pickup truck with Alabama plates parked near the Capitol. Officers allegedly found the molotov cocktail devices while investigating reports of suspected pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill and its Democratic counterpart minutes before the assault on the Capitol began.

Coffman was not charged in relation to those possible devices.

On Tuesday, the FBI reiterated it is offering a $50,000 reward for information regarding the pipe bombs, which Sherwin said were "real devices," with igniters and timers.

"We don't know obviously exactly why they did not go off," Sherwin said, or whether there were "a diversionary type of a tactic used by some of these rioters."

Other charges made public Tuesday included ones against Aaron Mostofsky, 34, the son of a Brooklyn judge who was photographed inside the Capitol wearing what appear to be several fur pelts, a U.S. Capitol Police bulletproof vest and a riot shield.

Mostofsky made an initial appearance in New York City on four charges, including entering restricted grounds, violent or disorderly conduct at the Capitol, and theft of government property exceeding $1,000, a felony that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Mostofsky was ordered released on a $100,000 bail bond Tuesday afternoon by U.S. Magistrate Sanket Bulsara in Brooklyn. He was given strict orders to remain in New York City and refrain from communicating with co-conspirators.

The New York Times reported that Mostofsky's father is Kings County Supreme Court Judge Shlomo Mostofsky.

Aaron Mostofsky told the New York Post in a video inside the Capitol last week: "We were cheated. I don't think 75 million people voted for Trump - I think it was close to 85 million. I think certain states that have been red for a long time turned blue and were stolen, like New York."

An FBI affidavit said Mostofsky also appeared to post on social media a self-taken video labeled, "DC bound stopthesteal," and exchanged messages and photographs on Instagram describing his presence in the Capitol.

"If we find each other look for a guy looking like a caveman," Mostofsky wrote a friend, the affidavit said, adding later, probably referring to the election, "Even a caveman knows it was stolen."

The FBI added that after the election, Mostofsky posted on Facebook: "Since the republicans lost the house I have the following questions 1 when and where are we protesting/rioting . . . "

In the video interview, FBI agent Michael Attard wrote, Mostofsky said he took the shield he found on the floor, and motioned to the vest, apparently indicated that he also found that item and took it. He said he returned a hat he found to a police officer "because that might be someone's personal item," the agent attested.

A new six-count indictment against previously charged Jacob Chansley, of Arizona, also added federal counts of civil disorder and disrupting an official proceeding. Chansley has been identified as the so-called "QAnon shaman," who was photographed in horns, fur-lined headdress and face paint on the Senate dais. The offenses upon conviction carry up to a 20 year statutory maximum penalty.

- - -

The Washington Post's Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th January, 2021) The Central African Republic's incumbent president is headed toward winning a second term in last month's election with 53.9 percent of the vote, the Russian ambassador in Bangui told Sputnik.

"Faustin-Archange Touadera is ahead with 53.9 percent of the vote," Vladimir Titorenko said.

The election was held on December 27. The turnout is estimated at 76 percent, according to the diplomat, who said the outcome of the election needed to be certified by the republic's constitutional court.
- Breakthrough year of performance continues with 6.6% YoY CC growth in Q3

- Digital crosses 50% of revenues

BENGALURU, India, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: EQINFY) , a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, delivered its highest Q3 sequential growth of 5.3% in 8 years in constant currency. On a year on year basis, revenues grew by 6.6%, digital revenues grew by 31.3% and overall digital revenue crossed more than half of total revenues. Large deal TCV was at all time high of $7.13bn with 73% being net new. Strong and steady operating margin at 25.4%. Revenue and margin guidance band increased to 4.5%-5.0% and 24.0%-24.5% respectively on the back of continued strong performance.

https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg [https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/633365/Infosys_Logo.jpg]

"The Infosys team has delivered another quarter of excellent results. Execution of client relevant strategy focused on digital transformation continues to drive superior growth, well ahead of the industry. The scale of new client partnerships with leading global companies such as Vanguard, Daimler and Rolls-Royce demonstrate the depth of digital and cloud capabilities of Infosys. The commitment and skills of our employees to support and drive the digital journey of clients are matters of great pride for me", said Salil Parekh, CEO and MD. "With the intense focus on client needs and the comprehensive foundation built on differentiated capabilities, I remain confident about the future."

$7.13bn31.3% YoY6.6%YoY 25.4% 16.5% YoY

Large deal signings Digital CC growth CC growth Operating margin Increase in EPS (INR terms)

-- Q3 revenues grew year-on-year by 8.4% in USD; grew by 6.6% in constant currency -- Digital revenues cross 50% of total revenue, year-on-year growth of 31.3% in constant currency -- Q3 operating margin at 25.4%, year-on-year increase of 350 bps -- Robust Q3 net profit at $705 million, year-on-year growth of 12.6% -- Continued strong Q3 free cash flow at $772 million, year-on-year growth of 15.1%; FCF conversion at 109.0% of net profit -- Q3 voluntary attrition for IT services declined to 10.0% from 15.8% in Q3 20 -- Year-to-date revenues grew by 3.5% in constant currency -- Year-to-date operating margin at 24.5%, an expansion of 310 bps -- FY 21 revenue growth guidance increases to 4.5%-5.0% in constant currency -- FY 21 operating margin guidance increases to 24.0%-24.5%

In Q3, Infosys further enhanced its digital investments in Infosys Cobalt - the cloud services, platforms and solutions portfolio launched last quarter. The company expanded the Infosys Cobalt portfolio by unveiling Infosys Modernization Suite to help enterprises modernize their legacy systems and Infosys Live Enterprise Application Management Platform to deliver cloud-powered, managed services for IT operations. Infosys Applied AI converges the power of AI, analytics and cloud to deliver new business solutions and perceptive experiences.

Infosys also reached a significant milestone in its ESG journey by becoming carbon neutral in 2020, thirty years ahead of 2050, the timeline set by the Paris Agreement. Infosys reiterated its commitment to Environment, Social and Governance causes by announcing its ESG 2030 vision and ambitions.

1. Financial Highlights -Consolidated results under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

For the quarter ended December 31, 2020

Revenues were $3,516 million, growth of 8.4% YoY and 6.2% QoQ

Operating profit was $893 million, growth of 25.6% YoY and 6.4% QoQ

Basic EPS was $0.17, growth of 12.5% YoY and 7.9% QoQ

For nine months ended December 31, 2020

Revenues were $9,948 million, growth of 3.8% YoY

Operating profit was $2,441 million, growth of 19.1% YoY

Basic EPS was $0.45, growth of 10.6% YoY

"The resilience of Infosys has been severely tested over the past several quarters and I am delighted with our response marked by strong revenue performance, large deal wins, healthy operating metrics and continued low attrition," said Pravin Rao, COO. "This outstanding performance has been made possible by reimagining Infosys, over the last three years, as a live enterprise with fully transformed digital infrastructure - Infosys Lex for learning, InfyMe for employee engagement, Infosys Meridian for collaboration, and Infosys DevSecOps platform to empower application teams to rapidly build and deploy new features. These highly differentiated systems and processes, redesigned for a digital-first world, are built on a strong foundation of robust connectivity to customer networks and fully secured personal devices. Not only does this give us an advantage in these times of distributed working but also a distinct long-term lead into the future."

"Navigating your next strategy coupled with razor sharp focus on our operating model and efficiencies continues to deliver superior shareholder value creation," said Nilanjan Roy, CFO. "I am also delighted with the announcement of Infosys ESG vision 2030 simultaneously with our climate neutrality achievement, a journey we had embarked on ten years ago. As a responsible corporate citizen, Infosys is committed to its vision of shaping and sharing solutions that serve the development of businesses and communities."

2. Client wins & Testimonials

The unstinting support extended to Infosys by clients motivates our teams to bring greater benefits of digital transformation and the best of Infosys to their business.

(CONTINUA)
History will record that two states faced formal challenges to their 2020 presidential election results. When the certification began last week, Arizona Republicans led the House objection against their state's electors. Hours later, after the crowds were cleared out of the Capitol, most Pennsylvania Republicans did the same.

But those states were supposed to have company. And even as they've called for "unity" in the wake of the siege, Republican leaders have argued that serious questions remain about the 2020 election, the challenges meant to bring them to light, and how states conduct elections in the future.

"Once the thing is certified in Congress, then, of course, Biden is the winner," said Steve Pearce, the reelected chairman of the New Mexico Republican Party, which sent its own slate of electors to Washington. "But there are questions that were asked multiple times and never got addressed. And that's unfortunate, because it leaves too many questions hanging in the air. Elections are not where you want questions hanging in the air."

That attitude is reflected in conversations with party activists across the country. A number of high-profile Republicans have condemned the president, with a coalition of #NeverTrump conservatives promising $50 million to defend Republicans who vote to impeach. On Tuesday, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming became the first Republican in party leadership to support impeachment. This has not trickled down to local Republican activists. They had questions about whether the election was fair, and now those asking questions are being, in the already-tired terminology of 2021, canceled. They had questions about whether the election was fair, and now those asking those questions are being, in the already-tired terminology of 2021, canceled.

"The president didn't make 'baseless claims,' he made claims based on affidavits from eyewitnesses," said Tina Dziuk, a Republican National Committeewoman from New Mexico who previously led the party in rural Roosevelt County. "I supported allowing 10 days of investigation. If enough evidence of fraud had been committed, then there would have been a remedy for that by sending it back to the states."

House Republicans knew this. When they said their constituents were demanding that they question the election results, they were telling the truth. The president exists in a seamless loop with conservative media, as displayed at his first rally in Georgia for two Senate runoffs that his party would lose. With thousands of voters watching, and hundreds of reporters, Trump repeatedly stepped back to watch allegations of election fraud, made on the pro-Trump network One America News, replace the names of the Senate candidates on the rally's big screen.

Republicans would eventually (and anonymously) say the president's electoral obsession weakened the campaigns of Sen. David Perdue and Sen. Kelly Loeffler. But the senators leaned into that strategy - both had called for Georgia's secretary of state, a Republican, to resign without ever explaining what he allegedly did wrong.

But Republican voters listened to President Donald Trump, and on the ground the anger at election officials for allowing a Democratic win was palpable. Decades of Republican fears that big cities produced fake Democratic votes blended easily with the president's lifelong habit of suing until he got his way or exhausted his options. The fear of the steal ran so deep that this week, long after the Senate races were decided, that one conservative Georgia county conducted its own audit of the vote to "restore public confidence in our election process." And the state's Republican-majority legislature is already considering whether to end no-excuse absentee voting for future elections, making ballot access slightly harder in the interest of calming angry voters.

A number of House and Senate Republicans who supported Wednesday's certification have urged their voters to move on. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who narrowly unseated a moderate Democrat to win her Charleston-area district, told the National Journal this week that the election challenges were ruses to "raise money for a super PAC or somebody's future election." And there are Republicans who voted the other way who quietly agree.

The president has refused to say the election was conducted fairly, refused to concede and will be the first president since Reconstruction not to attend the inauguration of his successor. This is what the Republican base plainly wants him to do. In public polling, even after Wednesday, less than a third of self-identified Republicans have said the election results were valid. New Mexico's only Republican member of Congress, Rep. Yvette Herrell, used two of her first votes to reject the Arizona and Pennsylvania certifications, which was the state GOP's position before the vote.

"The unconstitutional election changes in numerous states disenfranchised my constituents in New Mexico," Herrell said on Facebook, adding that the lack of a senator's objection prevented a challenge to her own state's electors. "I hope that by joining so many of my House colleagues in objecting we can shed light on the problems with the 2020 election and move towards solutions that restore integrity and confidence to our electoral system."

As they charge toward impeachment, Democrats and a few Republicans hope their actions can remove the president from political life. There is some demand for this from donors, but nearly none from rank-and-file Republicans. In New Mexico, where the current political alignment looks bad for Republicans, the president did help Herrell win a House seat. Asked whether they would want the president to help his party in 2022 or in special elections, Republicans there said that they would.

"The president brought many first-time and 'walk away' voters into the party," Dziuk said. "I would like to see him work to encourage those voters to stay active and involved in the issues they care about."

Pearce, who was a member of Congress for the first two years of Trump's term, also suggested that the president could continue to help his party. He rattled off a list of accomplishments, from a growing pre-coronavirus economy to the 2017 tax cut, to "holding our trading partners accountable."

"I know that the people who support the president support him 100%," Pearce said. "The president did a remarkable job of bringing new people into the party. I mean, millions of new people."
Japanese police have arrested a man on suspicion of carrying out a series of toilet thefts in a case which left many baffled.

Ryusei Takada, 26, is suspected of stealing scores of toilets from houses in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, while they were under construction.

Police arrested Takada, an office worker at one of the construction companies, after he sold a brand new toilet to a second-hand store in the city.

Officers believe Takada used his knowledge of the worker's schedules to sneak on to sites and steal the toilets while they were off shift.

Ryusei Takada, 26, is suspected of stealing scores of toilets from houses in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecutre, while they were under construction

The first theft took place in October last year when builders discovered a toilet they had installed at a house they were constructing had vanished overnight.

Within days, another toilet had vanished from a different house that was also under construction.

The thefts continued for three months, with a total of 18 items - most of them toilets - pilfered from the construction sites, according to Sora News 24.

Police were unable to catch the thief, dubbed the 'God of Toilets' by local media, until a local second-hand shop said they had been sold a band new lavatory.

Officers were able to trace the man who sold the item, and arrested Takada who admitted stealing and selling the items to help pay for food and rent.

Officials believe that his knowledge of the construction worker's work patterns allowed him to carry out the spate of thefts.

Takada reportedly admitted the thefts and said he stole the toilets and other household items to help pay for food and rent

He told Japanese Fuji News Network: 'I sold it to a thrift shop and stole it to cover my living expenses.'

The case is not the only toilet-related misdemeanor that has mystified Japan in recent years.

A couple from China were forced to post back a toilet seat they stole from a Japanese hotel in 2016.

The couple from Taizhou, eastern China, travelled on a group trip to Japan and were staying in the Tokyo Inn hotel in Nagoya when they decided to take the multi-function toilet seat with them.

Upon realising the toilet seat had been taken, the hotel called the group's tour guide and reported the theft to the police.

Not a good idea: The couple allegedly returned the toilet seat to the hotel the following day

The couple, named Li and Chen, claimed they took the toilet seat because they thought it was left by other guests who had stayed in the same room.

In nearby China, a gang of knife-wielding men jumped a delivery driver in Hong Kong and stole hundreds of toilet rolls in February last year.

The city became wracked by shortages caused by coronavirus panic-buying.

Toilet rolls became hot property in the densely packed business hub, despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak.

Police said a truck driver was held up by three men outside a supermarket in Mong Kok, a working-class district with a history of 'triad' organised crime gangs.

'A delivery man was threatened by three knife-wielding men who took toilet paper worth more than HK$1,000 (90),' a police spokesman said at the time.

A police source said the missing rolls were later recovered and two suspects were arrested on scene although it was not clear if they were directly involved in the armed robbery.

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It is important that the Russian Federation agrees with us on the issue of captives and a clear emphasis was placed on point 8 [of the trilateral statement signed on November 9], the process is taking place, but we have not yet reached the final results. Viktor Yengibaryan, a member of the majority My Step faction in parliament, said this on Public Television of Armenia, referring to the matter of having the Armenian POWs returned from Azerbaijan.

"It was emphasized that this is a key issue for us and we hope that they [Azerbaijan] will take this step in the near future, and we will not create obstacles in terms of continuing the statement. The process de-blockage cannot take place with reciprocal belligerent rhetoric or the presence of captives. We hope that the issue of captives will be resolved, we know that the director of the NSS [National Security Service of Armenia] also met with the [Azerbaijani] official there, so we are doing everything on our part," he said.

According to Yengibaryan, Armenia is under blockade, due to which all regional mega-projects bypass the country, and according to him, this also contributes to poverty and emigration in Armenia.

"During these thirty years, Azerbaijan has pursued a policy of exhaustion, closed [its] borders, not allowing Armenia to develop. This has led to today's course, and now when this de-blockage is being ended, in my opinion, the number one beneficiary is the Republic of Armenia, it will lead to economic development in our country; this economic development must contribute to lasting peace," he said.
Southern Lit Alliance has a lineup slated for its 2021 South Bound Lecture Series, beginning with John Cribb on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 6 p.m. on Zoom. Mr. Cribb is a New York Times bestselling author and author of Old Abe, a novel about the last five years of Abraham Lincolns life and some of the most tumultuous years in Americas history. Mr. Cribb places readers right at Lincolns side on every page as he presses forward amid disaster and fights to save our country.

For more information on the event, please visit www.southernlitalliance.org/john-crib. The registration link is on that page, just click the black box that says "Registration." This event is free to the public, but donations are suggested.

About the Book:

Beginning in the spring of 1860, the story follows Lincoln through his election and the calamity of the Civil War. During the war, he walks bloody battlefields in the North and the South, peering down the Potomac River with a spyglass amid terrifying reports of approaching Confederate gunboats. At the White House, he weeps over the body of Willie, his second son to die in childhood. As he tries desperately to hold the Union together, he struggles to find meaning in the Civil War and bring freedom to Southern slaves.



Central to this biographical novel is a love storythe story of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincolns sometimes stormy yet devoted marriage. Marys strong will and ambition for her husband have helped drive him to the White House. But the presidency takes an awful toll on her. Lincoln watches helplessly as she becomes emotionally unstable, and he grasps for ways to support her.

As Lincolns journey unfolds, Old Abe chronicles the final five, tumultuous years of his life until his eventual assassination at the height of his power. Full of epic scenes from American history, it probes the character and spirit of America. Notably, former US Secretary of Education William J. Bennett endorses this book, saying that its the best book on Lincoln [hes] ever read.

Mr. Cribb brings Americas greatest president to life the way no other book has before. He is a bestselling author who has written about subjects ranging from history to education. His work includes co-authoring The American Patriot's Almanac and The Educated Child, both New York Times bestsellers; co-editing The Human Odyssey, a 3-volume world history text, and developing online history courses. His writing has been published in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, National Review Online, The Hill, Real Clear Politics, and several other publications. Old Abe is John's first novel. Learn more at johncribbauthor.com.








More than 100 members of the Connecticut National Guard will be deployed to Washington to aid and facilitate the peaceful transition of presidential power, Gov. Ned Lamonts office announced Tuesday.

The deployments were requested by federal National Guard officials.

Personnel sent to D.C. include members of the Connecticut guards Military Police as well as two patrol explosive-detection dog teams.

Besides a Military Police unit and military working dog teams (also considered MPs), the guard is deploying civil support team members for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear surveillance, according to Capt. Dave Pytlik, a public information officer for the Connecticut National Guard.

The state of Connecticut stands ready to help ensure the peaceful transition of power and protect our democracy, Lamont said in a written statement. May God bless our brave men and women in uniform, and the United States of America.

The Connecticut Air National Guard has also alerted C-130H military cargo plane crews, which can ferry troops and supplies throughout the country if needed, the governors office said.

The Air Guards 103rd Airlift Wing operates C-130s out of Bradley Air Force Base in Windsor Locks.

Lamonts office said the deployments and activation of the guard units will not impact the states ongoing efforts to contain and combat the COVID-19 virus.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Like every year, the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman is likely to present the Union Budget 2021 on February 1. As the budget day approaches, the biggest expectation everyone will have from the government is how it announces steps to bring the economy back on track. At the same time, the finance minister is expected get a barrage of wish-lists from various industries and sections. However, with quite a few things on the table  ranging from the ongoing pandemic, slowing demand, low industrial output and a record low GDP  it will be an uphill task for the government to meet the expectations of the people.

Also watch: What the Aam Aadmi wants from Budget 2021

Need to boost the spread of insurance

Like all other sectors, the upcoming budget has also generated significant interest amongst insurance companies. They expect some positive tax benefits and regulatory frameworks. This years union budget is all the more important for the insurance sector as in the year 2020, the segment witnessed several key announcements and regulatory changes in view of the ongoing pandemic. In the weeks to come, it will be exciting to see how the government plays its part in increasing the awareness around the importance of insurance. It is important to note that insurance coverage is just 3.69 per cent in India.

Boosting insurance coverage must be the key priority for a country such as India where there is almost zero social security. The only available instrument of social security for people in India is insurance.

Also read: Why you need additional health insurance despite having your company cover

In the last several years, many new laws and policies aimed at supporting the governance of the health system in India have been introduced but have not been implemented systematically. In the coming budget, the health insurance industry is one of the most prominent sectors that needs immediate consideration, especially during the given pandemic situation where a majority are deprived of quality healthcare.

As we target a $5 trillion GDP, it is important to develop a structure that provides steadiness and inspires people to proactively cover their health risks. In the upcoming budget, the health insurance industry expects the government to focus on bringing a large number of people under the ambit of health insurance.

Increase 80D Limit

In the upcoming budget, insurers demand enhancing the tax rebate under Section 80D from the current value of Rs 25,000 for an individual with dependent wife and kids to Rs 50,000. Currently, if a 35-year-old individual buys a family floater health insurance policy to cover self, spouse and 2 kids with a sum insured of Rs 15 Lakh (the minimum required for a family of four), the annual premium comes to Rs 26,000-28,000. When buying this plan, while the policyholder may save tax on Rs 25,000, the insured will have to pay tax on Rs 3,000.

Given that health insurance is not mandatory in India and there is no government owned universal healthcare system like one in the European countries where very citizen is enrolled in the national healthcare system, it will be a great move if there are certain initiatives in place which encourage people to invest in health insurance. In developing economies like India, it has been often observed that measures taken by government play a major role in driving the buying behaviour of people. As per the current income tax guidelines, senior citizens get an additional tax rebate of Rs. 25,000 if they buy health insurance. Similar rebates may also be offered to people buying health insurance for spouse and dependent kids. In order to have a healthy financial portfolio, insurance is a key ingredient.

Rationalise GST

Currently, the government taxes health insurance policies at 18 percent GST, which is significantly high when considering an essential and important financial product such as a medical cover. Considering the ongoing pandemic situation, it is important that the government nudges people to buy health insurance for reasonably large amounts. The health insurance industry demands that the tax on health insurance products be reduced to 5-6 percent as this will help in boosting the insurance coverage rate and will pay a major role in increasing the demand for health insurance policies.
Despite years of pleading and legal arguments, the end came quickly for a convicted killer just moments ago.



Check-it . . .



Fox4KC: Lisa Montgomery executed by federal government for murdering Missouri woman

A more apropos headline for this blog courtesy of the New York Post . . .

New York Post: Womb raider Lisa Montgomery is first woman executed in US since 1953

Sadly, none of this will bring back the woman she brutally killed and the lives that were destroyed in the aftermath of a horrific murder . . .



One of the rare stories from the opposite side of this story . . .



Friend of slain pregnant woman, Bobbie Jo Stinnett, hopes for closure . . .

And so, in the darkness of Winter, a tragic local story is now complete.



R.I.P.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Congress on Wednesday flayed BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur, an accused in the Malegaon blast case, over her remark indirectly equating Mahatma Gandhi's killer Nathu Ram Godse to a "true patriot" and also took a dig at the Prime Minister on the issue.

Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora said: "When you send a terror accused to Parliament, this is what you get. What will a person like Pragya say? A terror accused will always eulogise terrorists. But then the Prime Minister will again say: Would not be able to forgive her." Bora, the Assam Congress chief, said: "Godse was the first terrorist of independent India. Facts matter." Thakur, a BJP MP from Bhopal, when questioned about Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's remark that 'Godse as the first terrorist of independent India', said in Ujjain on Tuesday: "The Congress has always abused true patriots of the country. They have even coined the 'saffron terror' term. What more insensitivity does one need? I don't have anything else to say." However, she did not take the name of Godse.

It is not the first time that Thakur has courted controversy. In the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, she had waded into controversy on a number of occasions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was later quoted by the BJP on its Twitter handle on May 17, 2019: "Statements given by Pragya Thakur vis-a-vis Godse and Mahatma Gandhi are wrong. Though she has apologised, I will never be able to forgive her."

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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AUBURN, Ala., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicken Salad Chick, the nation's only Southern inspired, fast casual chicken salad restaurant concept, announced today it will be expanding in Florida with its newest restaurant in Coral Springs. Kicking off a string of development in the state, the Coral Springs restaurant marks the first Florida opening this year with additional locations in St. Petersburg, Ocala, Gainesville and Wellington slated to open over the next several months. The Coral Springs restaurant, which is located at 2908 North University Drive at The Walk of Coral Springs, will make its South Florida debut on January 27 and will celebrate by offering free chicken salad for a year to the first 100 guests. Those awarded will be properly distanced and will receive a designated return time upon arrival to spread out the number of guests at the restaurant throughout the day.

Chicken Salad Chick is closely following Florida's state and local guidelines for COVID-19 procedures and will open the Coral Springs restaurant with social distancing measures in place. All employees will be wearing masks and gloves, as well as practicing proper handwashing and food safety protocol, and all guests will be required to wear masks until seated for dining.

During grand opening week, guests will experience the Southern hospitality that Chicken Salad Chick is known for, with giveaways and specials that include:

Wednesday, January 27  Free Chicken Salad for a Year  The first 100 guests will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for an entire year, with one of those lucky guests randomly selected to win one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week.* Guests can arrive starting at 7am for grand opening day only.

 Free Chicken Salad for a Year  The first 100 guests will receive one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per month for an entire year, with one of those lucky guests randomly selected to win one large Quick Chick of chicken salad per week.* Guests can arrive starting at for grand opening day only. Thursday, January 28  The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a free Chick Special redeemable on the next visit.

The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Special will receive a free Chick Special redeemable on the next visit. Friday, January 29  The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tumbler.

The first 100 guests to purchase a Chick Trio will receive a free Chick tumbler. Saturday, January 30  The first 50 guests to purchase two large Quick Chicks will receive a free Chick tote bag, Chick koozie and stadium cup.

The Coral Springs restaurant is owned and operated by first-time Chicken Salad Chick franchise owners Claibourne and Nicholas Rogers of The Rogers Group, LLC. Claibourne was first introduced to the brand in 2015 while serving as an account director at Chicken Salad Chick's public relations agency, Fish Consulting. From assisting with grand opening strategies to boosting consumer awareness of the brand's offerings, she was an integral part of the Chicken Salad Chick team and when presented with the opportunity to open the brand's first restaurant in South Florida, the Rogers couldn't resist. The husband-and-wife-team are thrilled to be opening in Coral Springs and have plans to open an additional location in Boca Raton in the next couple years.

"When I started working with Chicken Salad Chick, I immediately fell in love with the founder's story, the corporate team and the brand's values. The only downside was that there wasn't a location near me! So any time I would visit the Auburn headquarters for meetings, I would fill my carry on bag with as much chicken salad as I could fit and share with my coworkers, family and friends. They quickly became hooked and I knew then that Chicken Salad Chick would be the perfect addition to Coral Springs' growing restaurant scene," said Claibourne Rogers. "My husband and I are thrilled to be starting our journey as Chicken Salad Chick franchise owners and are excited to introduce South Florida to the flavorful chicken salads we've come to love."

Chicken Salad Chick in Coral Springs will be open Monday  Saturday from 10:30a.m.8p.m. For more information, visit www.chickensaladchick.com. Follow Chicken Salad Chick on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

*Guests should arrive between 7-10am to get checked in, while maintaining social distancing. The first 100 guests will be assigned a number and designated return time between 10:00-11:15am. Upon return, guests will make a purchase of "The Chick" or anything of greater value and scan the code '1st 100 Spot' on the CravingCredits app to officially secure your spot. If you are late, or miss return time, your spot will be awarded to next in-line. Guests must be 16 years or older, redemption begins 2/1/21.

For more information on giveaways and specials, visit https://www.facebook.com/ChickenSaladChickCoralSprings

About Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick serves full-flavored, Southern-style chicken salad made from scratch and served from the heart. With more than a dozen original chicken salad flavors as well as fresh side salads, gourmet soups, signature sandwiches and delicious desserts, Chicken Salad Chick's robust menu is a perfect fit for any guest. Founded in Auburn, Alabama by Stacy and Kevin Brown, in 2008, Chicken Salad Chick has grown to more than 175 restaurants in 17 states. Today, under the leadership of Scott Deviney and the Chicken Salad Chick team, the brand is continuing its rapid expansion with both franchise and company locations. Chicken Salad Chick has received numerous accolades including rankings in Franchise Times' Fast & Serious and Fast Casual.com's top Movers and Shakers for the third consecutive year, QSR's Best Franchise Deals for the second consecutive year and Franchise Business Review's Top Food Franchises in 2020. See www.chickensaladchick.com for additional information.

Contact:

Nikki Rode

Fish Consulting

954-893-9150

[email protected]

SOURCE Chicken Salad Chick

Related Links

http://www.chickensaladchick.com


BOCA RATON, Fla., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cinch Home Services (Cinch), the nation's leading provider of home service solutions, announced a new service provider relationship with The Keyes Company of South Florida. Through this new partnership, Cinch offers Keyes Company customers a trusted, reliable and affordable source of coverage for major home systems and appliances when buying and selling real estate.

"After 40 years Cinch is more committed than ever to delivering unparalleled value and service to the real estate community," said Steve Upshaw, Cinch CEO. "We continue to leverage our considerable expertise in the real estate industry, along with our suite of digital solutions, to simplify the home management experience for our partners and their customers nationwide."

As the industry's fastest-growing home warranty provider and member of the National Home Service Contract Association, Cinch manages a network of more than 18,000 service providers for repair or replacement services. The company proudly offers 24/7 customer service and the industry's only 180-day service guarantee. Cinch protects both buyers and sellers from expensive and unexpected repair and replacement costs before, during and after the sale of the home.

"For over 95 years, The Keyes Company assists buyers and sellers with the most important purchase they can make," said Mike Pappas, CEO, The Keyes Company. "Our goal is to make the process seamless and stress-free and our new partnership with Cinch will allow us to continue in this direction. We're thrilled to partner with a reputable company who will further extend the support of our customers."

"On behalf of Cinch Home Services, I would like to express my gratitude to The Keyes Company for the opportunity to serve their customers," said Adam Brown, Vice President, Cinch Home Services. "We're excited to be partners in this new initiative and are committed to adding value to Keyes' transactions by providing plans at competitive pricing backed by superior customer service."

Agents and customers can get more information at cinchrealestate.com or by calling 800-247-3680.

About Cinch Home Services

Cinch Home Services is the leading home services company that makes it easy for everyone to enjoy their home to the fullest, regardless of whether they own or rent. Building upon 40 years of proven experience, Cinch uses smart, modern tools and an award-winning customer support network to remove the guesswork around preventing, diagnosing and solving a wide variety of home-related issues. Cinch partners with expert technicians nationwide to provide unmatched service and value and continues to make strides with digital-forward strategies, platforms and initiatives that are modernizing home management services to address today's customer needs. Cinch strives to exceed owners, renters, real estate agents and partners' expectations, every time. Cinch Home Services, a member company of The Cross Country Group, is headquartered in Boca Raton, FL. Visit www.cinchhomeservices.com for more information.

About The Keyes Company

Independently-owned and operated since 1926, The Keyes Company is a leader in the real estate industry. Keyes completed a merger with Illustrated Properties in July 2016. Following the merger, Keyes has 58 offices, more than 3,000 Associates and nearly $7 billion in annual real estate sales and services. Keyes' offices are distributed throughout six counties  Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin, St. Lucie, and Volusia. Keyes expands our Associates' reach globally as a Founding Member and Shareholder of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. The Keyes Company offers a suite of resources to cover whatever needs arise while buying or selling a home. Mortgage, title, insurance and property management needs can all be managed in-house, allowing Keyes to close deals with speed and efficiency while giving clients valuable access to the professionals responsible for the specific service lines.

SOURCE Cinch Home Services

Related Links

cinchhomeservices.com


Health workers who were close contacts of coronavirus cases are being called back to work before they finish isolating for 14 days, it has emerged.

HSE chief operations officer Anne OConnor confirmed that asymptomatic close contacts are being brought back to work as a last resort.

The health system is under sustained pressure with the number of people in intensive care now higher than it was during the peak of the first wave.

Ms OConnor said health officials made the decision because of the shortage of healthcare workers.

#COVID19 cases in Ireland are still very high. It is important that we act like we have the virus by staying at home in order to prevent further spread. For families, for friends and for the frontline #StayHome #StaySafe https://t.co/7GZdJOwl2e pic.twitter.com/E3PDsi5cIr  HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) (@hpscireland) January 13, 2021

She said staff who were close contacts are being tested before they return to work and are being closely monitored.

Ms OConnor told RTE Morning Ireland that the demand on the health system means the staff are needed to attend work.

At the weekend we had to put a call out to staff to come into work at Letterkenny because we were under such pressure. I would see that happening in other sites, she added.

The head of the HSE, Paul Reid, tweeted: Our hospitals are treating 1,750 people with Covid-19 and 158 critically ill in ICU. This is a level beyond comprehension.

But to assure everyone, our healthcare teams are taking emergency actions to sustain this within a level of control. We appreciate your support.

The number of patients with coronavirus in intensive care jumped to 160 after the figures were updated following Mr Reids tweet on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the Government said all passengers arriving into Ireland from Saturday will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken before departure.

The check must be taken within 72 hours of arrival.

Arrivals from red and grey list countries (as defined by the EU traffic light system), and all other locations outside Europe, must continue to restrict their movements for 14 days.

However, this may be lifted on receipt of a negative/not detected result of a second PCR test taken no less than five days after arrival.

Arrivals from green and orange countries will not be required to restrict their movements on arrival but must adhere to local public health guidance.
Confirmit Names New CMO Pre FocusVision Merger

Research software firm Confirmit has appointed Noel Hamill as Chief Marketing Officer, replacing Michael Wooh, who had held the role for a decade. Hamill joins following last week's announcement that Confirmit and customer insights software firm FocusVision are to merge.



Headquartered in Norway, Confirmit has additional offices in the UK, US, Russia, Canada, and Australia. The firm was sold to private equity fund Verdane last year, and provides solutions for customer experience, employee experience and market research. Confirmit's merger with FocusVision is conditioned on receipt of regulatory approvals.



Hamill (pictured) joins in London after a stint at health tech company Prevayl, where he led the marketing operation through its start-up phase. Prior to this, he was CMO at Ladbrokes Coral, and he worked in the telecoms sector: as MD, Marketing for EE; Director of Consumer Propositions at Hutchison 3G; and CMO / Consumer Business Unit Director at Vodafone Hutchison Australia; and he spent nine years at Optus, latterly as Director of Marketing and Strategy.



In his new role, Hamill will replace Wooh, who joined in 2011 and left the company last April. Commenting on Hamill's appointment, CEO Kyle Ferguson said: 'We are thrilled to welcome Noel to the team at this incredibly exciting time for our business. His proven expertise and experience will help us to define our position in the market, identify new opportunities to better serve our customers, and ensure that we are able to help researchers turn insights into stories that fuel action. Ultimately, he will help us drive global business growth.'



Web site: www.confirmit.com .





In China's decades-long war against HIV, the time has come to explore infections among young men who have sex with men, new study shows

Since the dawn of the 21st century, there has been a rapid rise in the number of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in China, and today, the epidemic continues to grow. Several populations are victims of this virus, including injection drug users, sex workers, and men who have sex with men (MSM). In the various decades since HIV has gripped China, these groups and others have variously been at the forefront or background of national efforts to tackle the epidemic.

In the recent past, the prevalence of HIV has been high among the MSM population, particularly, MSM students. According to China CDC's national data on newly reported HIV/AIDS cases, there was a 35% annual increase in cases among student MSM from 2011 to 2015. Between 2005 and 2007, the HIV prevalence among this population was 3%. This increased to 6% between 2008 and 2010.

Dr. Jing Zhang, researcher at the NHC Key Laboratory of AIDS Immunology (China Medical University) and lead scientist on a recent study on HIV incidence among MSM youth in China, says, "This increasing HIV prevalence could be because of expanding HIV testing in China in the recent years, or it could be that the number of recent infected cases has truly been growing." Explaining her rationale for the study, she continues, "To clarify why this increase is happening and its proportions, we need data on the 'incidence'. The incidence is one of the most crucial indicators of the trend of the epidemic and is key to understanding the impact of prevention measures. Because unlike 'prevalence', which accounts both recent and established cases, 'incidence' more specifically records only the recent cases. Data on incidence is what is lacking among the MSM student population."

In their study, which has been published in Chinese Medical Journal, Dr. Zhang and her colleagues conducted a multi-center study, measuring not only the incidence but also the rate of transmitted drug resistance (TDR) among MSM college students in seven cities across China during 2012 and 2013. The TDR negatively impacts the prognosis of HIV-infected individuals when receiving antiretroviral therapy, the main measure China has taken to combat the epidemic over the years.

"For an epidemiologist and public health provider, concrete data on these trends of recent incidence and TDR is valuable evidence for understanding the epidemic and evaluating the outcomes of the prevention measures employed thus far," Dr. Zhang says.

In the study, a total of 4496 candidates--565 MSM college students, 1094 non-student MSM youth < 25 years of age, and 2837 non-youth MSM  25 years of age--were enrolled from Shenyang, Nanjing, Shanghai, Ji'nan, Changsha, Zhengzhou, and Kunming. Blood samples of these participants were tested for antibodies against HIV (via the "BED-CEIA test") to confirm recent HIV infection (less than 168 days). In case of HIV strains with resistance associated sequences, TDR was recorded.

The scientists found 436 HIV-positive participants, 186 of whom were recent infections. Among MSM college students, the proportion of HIV recent infections was 70.3%, among non-student MSM youth it was 50.8%, and among non-youth MSM it was 35.1%. The TDR prevalence rates were ~7%, 2%, and ~5%, respectively, for these groups. In short, in the recent past, more MSM college students had become infected than the other groups, and they were more likely to be resistant to antiretroviral therapy.

Drawing on previous studies about behavioral changes among young MSM, Dr. Zhang explains, "The median age of first anal intercourse for these men in China has significantly decreased from 33 years for those born during 1940-1959 to 18 years for those born during 1990-1996. This could be indicative of the gap in current sexual health education in China. China has taken many actions to mitigate the HIV epidemic among students in higher education institutions, including comprehensive education on sexual health and more accessible HIV testing. According to our findings, and given these changing trends, this education should be provided as early as possible during college, or preferably in high school, as soon as youth become sexually active."

Further highlighting and underlining the importance of her team's study, Dr. Zhang remarks, "This study unravels the high proportion of recent HIV infections among college student MSM in 2012-2013. This is expected to facilitate an understanding of the growing HIV epidemic among MSM college students in China today. The study also addresses the importance of regular HIV testing among students and young MSM, emphasizing to this population the importance of early diagnoses. It further brings to the fore the need for TDR testing among this population before initiation of antiretroviral therapy for better response and prognosis."

With such meticulous data collection and proactive measures, perhaps the HIV epidemic in China will soon see an end.

###

Reference

Title of original paper: Disparity of human immunodeficiency virus incidence and drug resistance in college student, non-student youth and older men who have sex with men: a cross-sectional study from seven major cities of China

Journal: Chinese Medical Journal

DOI: 10.1097/CM9.0000000000001161
The government will sell up to 10 per cent of stake held in Steel Authority of India through an offer for sale, in a move thats expected to fetch Rs 2,600 crore to the exchequer in divestment receipts. The government is selling 206.5 million shares or 5 per cent in the one of the largest steel-making companies with a floor price of Rs 64 a share.

It has also kept the option to sell another 5 per cent if the issue is oversubscribed. The governments stake post the sale will come down from 75 per cent to 65 per cent if the greenshoe option is exercised. The 10 per cent ...
5G is further accelerating the convergence of mobility and computing. The acquisition of NUVIA builds on Qualcomm Technologies' Snapdragon technology leadership, delivering step-function improvements in CPU performance and power efficiency to meet the demands of next-generation 5G computing.

NUVIA comprises a proven world-class CPU and technology design team, with industry-leading expertise in high performance processors, Systems on a Chip (SoC) and power management for compute-intensive devices and applications. The addition of NUVIA CPUs to Qualcomm Technologies' already leading mobile graphics processing unit (GPU), AI engine, DSP and dedicated multimedia accelerators will further extend the leadership of Qualcomm Snapdragon platforms, and positions Snapdragon as the preferred platform for the future of connected computing.

NUVIA CPUs are expected to be integrated across Qualcomm Technologies' broad portfolio of products, powering flagship smartphones, next-generation laptops, and digital cockpits, as well as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, extended reality and infrastructure networking solutions.

"5G, the convergence of computing and mobile architectures, and the expansion of mobile technologies into other industries are significant opportunities for Qualcomm," said Cristiano Amon, President and CEO-Elect, Qualcomm Incorporated. "The NUVIA team are proven innovators, and like Qualcomm, have a strong heritage in creating leading technology and products. I am very excited to have them join our team. Together, we are very well positioned to redefine computing and enable our ecosystem of partners to drive innovation and deliver a new class of products and experiences for the 5G era."

"Creating high performance, low-power processors and highly integrated, complex SoCs are part of our DNA," said Jim Thompson, Chief Technology Officer of Qualcomm. "Adding NUVIA's deep understanding of high-performance design and integrating NUVIA CPUs with Snapdragon - together with our industry-leading graphics and AI - will take computing performance to a new level and drive new capabilities for products that serve multiple industries."

As part of the transaction, NUVIA founders Gerard Williams III, Manu Gulati and John Bruno, and their employees will be joining Qualcomm.

"CPU performance leadership will be critical in defining and delivering on the next era of computing innovation," said Gerard Williams CEO of NUVIA. "The combination of NUVIA and Qualcomm will bring the industry's best engineering talent, technology and resources together to create a new class of high-performance computing platforms that set the bar for our industry. We couldn't be more excited for the opportunities ahead."

Qualcomm's broad ecosystem of partners have voiced strong support for this acquisition:

Microsoft : "It's exciting to see NUVIA join the Qualcomm team. Our partnership with Qualcomm has always been about providing great experiences on our products. Moving forward, we have an incredible opportunity to empower our customers across the Windows ecosystem," said Panos Panay, Chief Product Officer, Microsoft.

Google: "Compute performance, connectivity and power efficiency are critical ingredients that make the billions of Android and Chrome OS devices shine," said Hiroshi Lockheimer, SVP Platforms & Ecosystems, Google. "The addition of NUVIA extends Qualcomm's capabilities in these three areas and we're excited to see the next generation of Snapdragon with NUVIA."

Samsung : "With NUVIA joining the Qualcomm team, we look forward to continuing to innovate and building incredible experiences together. Qualcomm's commitment to platform technology will help us offer the premium smartphone performance to our users around the world," said TM Roh, President and Head of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.

Acer: "Together with Qualcomm we have delivered a new generation of thin and light always connected PCs and Chromebooks. The acquisition of NUVIA will enable Qualcomm to continue to advance Snapdragon's industry leadership and help Acer to continue to innovate and bring high performance, 5G connected devices to our customers globally," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc.

ASUS: "We have had the pleasure of collaborating with Qualcomm for many years to deliver premium smartphones, such as our flagship ROG Phone for gaming, as well as PCs powered by the exceptional performance and connectivity of Snapdragon platforms. We are excited for the future of our partnership as Qualcomm advances and expands its portfolio and capabilities with the addition of NUVIA," said S.Y. Hsu, co-CEO of ASUS.

Bosch : "The automotive industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace of innovation. Bosch considers the adoption of new in-vehicle services and capabilities as one major driver for growth. Qualcomm is a strong partner to us. We see the need for high performance, power efficient platforms and appreciate Qualcomm's ambition to push the boundaries of innovation even further," said Dr. Andree Zahir, SVP for Infotainment and Connectivity, Bosch.

Continental : "Continental looks forward to the addition of NUVIA as we continue to partner with Qualcomm in bringing advanced capabilities to next generation vehicles," said Peter Popp as head of purchasing, Vehicle Networking and Information, Continental.

General Motors: "We look forward to NUVIA joining the Qualcomm team as we continue to work together to deliver advanced in-vehicle services and technologies for the customers of our next-generation vehicles," said Dan Nicholson, VP, Global Electrification, Controls, SW  Electronics at General Motors.

HMD: "Qualcomm has always been a best-in-class partner globally and our ongoing collaboration has enabled HMD to bring unique mobile device innovation to the market and deliver on the Nokia brand promise of being trusted, always secure and built to last. We are excited for the NUVIA team to join Qualcomm and congratulate the company on its commitment to ensure Snapdragon continues to be the industry's leading mobile platform," said Florian Seiche CEO, HMD.

Honor: "As a new, independent company committed to bringing breakthrough mobile experiences to consumers, we are pleased to see that Qualcomm will acquire NUVIA, enabling them to continue to lead in developing and delivering premium performance Snapdragon mobile platforms to the market," said Biao Wan, Chairman, Honor Device Co Ltd.

HP: "HP and Qualcomm have been strong partners in addressing the needs of our mutual Personal Systems customers, most recently on the Elite Folio, the world's first pull-forward business convertible, launched at CES," said Alex Cho, president of Personal Systems, HP Inc. "The PC is more essential than ever, and we're excited to see the industry and Qualcomm invest in innovation to support the needs of the 5G world."

Lenovo : "With Qualcomm we delivered the world's first 5G connected PC. As we look to create the advanced capabilities PC users demand, we are excited that the world class CPU development team from NUVIA is joining Qualcomm and we look forward to continuing to work together to deliver breakthrough PC experiences to users across the globe," said Gianfranco Lanci, President and COO, Lenovo.

LG Electronics : "The automotive industry is evolving at an accelerated pace of innovation driven by the adoption of new in-vehicle services and capabilities powered by technology partners like Qualcomm. The addition of the NUVIA team will enable Qualcomm to continue to consolidate compute and connectivity ECUs into high performance, power efficient platforms to push the boundaries of innovation even further," Jin-Yong Kim, President of Vehicle components Solutions (VS) Company, LG Electronics Inc.

LG Mobile : "Congratulations to Qualcomm and NUVIA for joining forces to create a new breed of platforms that will push the envelope on compute performance and connectivity," said Morris Lee, President LG Mobile.

OnePlus: "We are excited to hear Qualcomm will be extending their industry leading Snapdragon mobile platform leadership by acquiring the world class CPU team at NUVIA. OnePlus fans will also be excited to see what innovation and new premium experiences we can deliver on new flagship One Plus devices powered by future generations of Snapdragon mobile platforms," said Pete Lau, Founder and CEO, OnePlus.

OPPO : "With NUVIA joining the Qualcomm team, we look forward to continue innovating together and building incredible devices powered by the Snapdragon mobile platforms. Qualcomm's commitment to platform leadership will enable us to deliver innovative new products and experiences for OPPO smartphone users around the world," said Tony Chen, Founder and CEO, OPPO.

Panasonic : "Innovation in the automotive market is occurring at an accelerated pace. We welcome the addition of the world class NUVIA team to Qualcomm and look forward to the continued partnership," said Masashige Mizuyama, Chief Technology Officer, Automotive Company, Panasonic Corporation

Renault : "The automotive industry is the new frontier exploiting the benefits of mobile technology innovations in high performance compute and connectivity and Qualcomm has always been at the forefront. The addition of NUVIA is welcomed as we continue to work with Qualcomm to deliver world class in-vehicle services and experiences," said Thierry Cammal, Alliance Global Vice President Software Factory.

Sharp : "With Qualcomm's expertise and leading technologies, we have been able to deliver cutting edge devices and premium mobile experiences and we welcome the addition of NUVIA to extend Qualcomm's leadership and enhance their capabilities," said Shigeru Kobayashi GM, Sharp Personal Communications Group.

Sony: "We have enjoyed a great collaboration with Qualcomm for many years and are excited to hear the NUVIA team will be joining Qualcomm. As a leader in delivering amazing camera and gaming experiences on mobile devices we understand that to continue to lead will require the next generation high performance & low power computing and connectivity solutions that only Snapdragon platforms can deliver," said Mitsuya Kishida President, Sony Mobile Communications Inc.

VIVO: "Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms power millions of VIVO phones across the globe today, and the addition of NUVIA will help Qualcomm continue to lead, delivering the ultimate in high performance compute, lightning fast 5G connectivity and industry leading power efficiency," said Shen Wei, CEO, VIVO.

Xiaomi: "Xiaomi and Qualcomm have partnered for over a decade to deliver world class premium mobile experiences to millions of people. The addition of NUVIA will extend Qualcomm's Snapdragon platforms industry leadership helping Xiaomi to continue to bring innovation and next level premium mobile experiences to Mi fans around the world," said Lei Jun, Chairman and CEO, Xiaomi.

About Qualcomm

Qualcomm is the world's leading wireless technology innovator and the driving force behind the development, launch, and expansion of 5G. When we connected the phone to the internet, the mobile revolution was born. Today, our foundational technologies enable the mobile ecosystem and are found in every 3G, 4G and 5G smartphone. We bring the benefits of mobile to new industries, including automotive, the internet of things, and computing, and are leading the way to a world where everything and everyone can communicate and interact seamlessly.

Qualcomm Incorporated includes our licensing business, QTL, and the vast majority of our patent portfolio. Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, operates, along with its subsidiaries, substantially all of our engineering, research and development functions, and substantially all of our products and services businesses, including our QCT semiconductor business.

About NUVIA Inc.

Headquartered in Santa Clara, NUVIA was founded on the promise of reimagining silicon design for high-performance computing environments. The company is focused on building products that blend the best attributes of compute performance, power-efficiency and scalability. For more information please visit www.nuviainc.com.

Qualcomm and Snapdragon are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

Qualcomm Snapdragon is a product of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Qualcomm Contacts:

Pete Lancia, Corporate Communications

Phone: 1-858-845-5959

Email: [email protected]

Mauricio Lopez-Hodoyan, Investor Relations

Phone: 1-858-658-4813

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Qualcomm Incorporated
EDWARDSVILLE  Madison Countys Animal Care and Control maintains its no-kill status for the third year in a row.

This is a huge milestone, Madison County Chairman Kurt Prenzler said.

Shelters with a live or save outcome rate of above 90 percent are considered no-kill. Madison Countys save rate for 2020 was 97 percent for dogs and 98 percent for cats.

Prenzler praised animal control and the rescue groups for all the work they do to save the lives of the cats and dogs brought into Madison County.

This is a combined effort between animal control and the rescues, Prenzler said. Without their help we wouldnt be able to do this. We reached our goal long before the anticipated date set by the County Board.

In March 2017, the Madison County Board passed a resolution for the county to become no-kill by Dec. 31, 2021.

Prenzler said before he became chairman, the county euthanized more than two-thirds of the cats and one-third of the dogs brought into animal control.

Animal Control Manager Katherine Conder said the success comes from the relationship between the county and rescue groups along with a variety of policy changes.

Every healthy dog and cat is finding its way into a home, Conder said. Its what they deserve. It takes a team effort to do what we do.

More Information 2020 by the numbers: 1,205 animals were transferred to rescue groups

139 dogs were returned to their owners

12 cats were returned to their owners

1 potbellied pig went to a farm

1 rabbit went to a rescue group Source: Madison County See More Collapse

Conder said 42 Illinois rescues took the animals as well as 12 from out-of-state. Metro East Humane Society and Partners for Pets still take the majority of cats and dogs from animal control.

I am so proud what we were able to accomplish this past year, she said. We hope to do even more this year.

Prenzler said the county has come a long way since passing the resolution.

The numbers speak volumes, he said.

Over the past five years, the number of dogs and cats saved include 796 in 2016, 931 in 2017, 1,309 in 2018, 1,393 in 1,309 and 1,356 in 2020.

Visit https://www.co.madison.il.us/departments/animal_control/statistics.php. For more information on Madison Countys animal control statistic.
Paper masks wont stop the spread of authoritarian Trumpism. Photo: Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images

The economic power of multinational corporations has become a threat to the political freedom of American citizens. There is no hard border between private and public authority; how CEOs choose to govern their firms influences how voters choose to govern themselves. When Americans lack the material power to assert their liberties, the Bill of Rights becomes a bill of goods; there can be no true right to free speech when every megaphone is owned by unaccountable elites. Therefore, to strengthen our democracy, the federal government must curb the prerogatives of private property.

Or so conservatives have taken to arguing lately.

Disaffection with capitalism has been growing on the right for years now. But Twitters decision to ban the insurrectionist-in-chief  and subsequent moves by Google, Amazon, and Apple to effectively shutdown Parler, a far-right-friendly Twitter competitor  has swelled the ranks of conservatives against free enterprise. Now, it is only the rights self-styled populists who are decrying the tyranny of woke capital. Even self-described libertarian Ben Shapiro suggested Sunday that Big Tech needs to be regulated since the technological instruments necessary for speech are located in essentially three companies, all of which are moving toward like-minded censorship. Other Republican lawmakers and commentators have argued that  unless the U.S. government stops private companies from running their businesses as they see fit  America will become indistinguishable from communist China.

The rights anti-Twitter tantrum is hysterical, hypocritical, and partly cynical: As one Republican strategist told Politico, decrying Big Techs censorship helps to shift the narrative of the moment away from Trumpist terrorists ongoing efforts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power and toward a larger, more existential threat for the future of the country. Meanwhile, it is hard to square Shapiros claim that three companies own the technological instruments necessary for speech with his dogmatic denunciations of positive liberty in other contexts; apparently, the podcast host believes that citizens are silenced when private tech firms deny them micro-blog accounts for being fascists  but not when private hospitals deny them life-saving medical treatments for being poor. And, of course, had a sitting Democratic president just sicced a terroristic mob on Congress to block the certification of a Republicans election victory, theres no doubt that conservatives would deem the suppression of an insurgency more pressing than the restoration of antifa-aligned Twitter accounts.

The rights fears of creeping corporate liberalism arent baseless.

All this said, the rights concerns about the power of major tech platforms have some merit. Twitters ban of Donald Trump was more than defensible, but its capricious de-platforming of countless other accounts is troubling. Given the websites influence on elite discourse, the fact that unaccountable corporate managers can bar individuals from participating in debates on it  without explanation or opportunity for appeal  stands in tension with democratic ideals. Amazons decision to revoke its web services from Parler is a beneficent development in the near term, but may prove a hazardous precedent in the long run. A single social-media site dictating user standards is one thing; the private companies that own the infrastructure of the internet requiring all social-media sites to adopt those opaque standards is another. In the present context, Parlers facilitation of far-right organizing is likely a greater threat to democracy than Big Techs control over the websites it hosts. But empowering Jeff Bezos & Co. to set the boundaries of acceptable political opinion is less than ideal for small-d democrats  and genuinely threatening to Trumpian conservatives.

The rights claims of persecution are often hallucinatory and almost always exaggerated. And their complaints about Big Tech arent much of an exception. Even as Ben Shapiro cries that conservatives have lost the technological instruments necessary for speech, the right still lays claim to Americas most-watched cable-news network, highest-rated political talk-radio shows, and most-read Facebook articles. The algorithmic programming of Facebook and Twitter  which directs readers away from dry reporting on local corruption and toward lurid conspiracy theories  has been a boon to the right in this country and many others.

Yet, it is also the case that every major tech company relies on a workforce that is hostile to conservatism. In 2021, American politics is polarized along lines of education, regional density, religiosity, and comfort with diversity  and Silicon Valley is powered (largely) by college-educated, city-dwelling, secular, cosmopolitan laborers. Which is to say: The elite professionals whom tech firms compete to recruit and retain are almost uniformly left of center  especially, on the cultural issues that animate the GOPs mass base. And this reality does give liberal cosmopolitans some influence over how social-media platforms curate public discourse. As a liberal cosmopolitan, I think this is mostly to the good: A world where tech companies face hard limits on how much they can monetize fascist organizing  or censor progressive advocacy  before undermining their own labor needs is preferable to many alternatives. But the overrepresentation of liberals among the professional elite does threaten the rights media influence  and, perhaps more importantly, its ideological coherence.

Why conservatives are losing their investment in the free-enterprise system.

The modern conservative movement was born to protect the prerogatives of private power from the whims of the public sector. This foundational commitment was the glue that bound together antiNew Deal industrialists, anti-civil-rights segregationists, and anti-feminist Christians: The first wished to prevent federal labor laws from weakening the power of bosses in their factories; the second, to keep federal civil-rights legislation from eviscerating the power of whites to exclude Blacks from patronizing their businesses; and the last, to keep federal anti-discrimination statutes and welfare programs from undermining the dependence of women on their husbands. Thus, the protection of private realms from public intrusion was a principle that could unite disparate conservative constituencies.

Yet this principle was forged in a specific sociopolitical context. In the New Deal era, the federal government was a bastion of liberal strength, while conservatives were wildly overrepresented among the nations corporate and professional elite. When Franklin Roosevelt returned to Harvard for his alma maters 300th anniversary in 1936, his visit provoked protests and boycotts from a well-born student body that reviled him as a class traitor. Not all college students of the mid-20th century were reactionaries, of course. But between the New Deals dawn and Richard Nixons election, college-educated Americans voted far to the right of those without diplomas; it wasnt until 2004 that a Democratic presidential candidate performed better with the highly educated than with the public writ large (and even then, only barely). And while it is true that a large segment of big business aligned itself with the New Deal Democratic Party, by the time the conservative movement came to power, the bulk of corporate America had rallied behind Reagans Republicans.

Photo: World Inequaity Lab

As already indicated, todays political economy looks quite different. U.S. college graduates are now far more Democratic than the public as a whole. And the urban-dwelling, professional elites who staff Americas tech and finance industries are even more liberal than the average university grad: According to Democratic pollster David Shor, less than 5 percent of Harvards student body voted for Donald Trump in 2016, while college Democrats outnumber college Republicans on the Stanford Law School campus by a ratio of (roughly) 20-to-one. For these reasons, among others, the most economically prosperous and productive regions of the U.S. are now also among its most Democratic: Joe Biden won only 509 of Americas 3,056 counties, but those 509 encompass 71 percent of all U.S. economic activity.

Whats more, Democrats arent just overrepresented among corporate Americas elite workers; they also predominate among its most-coveted patrons. Consumer-facing companies have long focused on courting the young, since they are 1) more likely to try new brands and products than the old and 2) less likely to die soon, making their brand loyalty more valuable. At a time of historic generational polarization, which has rendered supermajorities of millennials and Gen-Zers hostile to conservatism, Americas marquee brands have taken to performing their allegiance to the woke side of Americas culture wars.

Photo: Alba Vigaray/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The movement for small government may learn to stop worrying and love authoritarian state-capitalism.

By itself, cultural liberalisms conquest of corporate America would be sufficient to weaken the rights commitment to protecting private power from public intrusion. But this commitment is also being eroded by a second consequence of education polarization: Even as conservatives have lost influence at the commanding heights of the private economy, theyve secured wildly disproportionate influence over public policy.

Under Donald Trumps leadership, the GOP has swelled its margins among rural, non-college-educated voters  who are overrepresented in state legislatures, the House, the Senate, and the Electoral College. The median U.S. state is now roughly 6.6 percent more Republican than the nation as a whole, which gives the GOP a massive advantage in the battle for Senate control. Meanwhile, the tipping point state in the Electoral College was four points more Republican than America writ large in 2020; which is to say, had Joe Biden won the popular vote by only 3.9 percent last November, Donald Trump would have likely won reelection. Finally, conservatives now dominate the federal judiciary, atop which a 6-3 conservative majority reigns supreme.

Graphic: @davidshor/Twitter

For nearly a century, the conservative movements animating ambition has been to transfer power away from the federal state and toward the private sector. This aim remains consistent with the interests of the movements libertarian plutocrats, and to a lesser extent, its upper middle-class nativists and anti-Black whites: Conservatives may punch above their weight in American politics, and corporations may now evangelize for social liberalism, but no woke Wall Street bank will ever impose inclusionary zoning on an affluent white suburb that wishes to remain so, nor will any progressive tech startup ever systematically redistribute income from (predominately white, native-born) upper middle-class households to (diverse, disproportionately foreign-born) working-class ones  only the government can do that.

But for conservatives who are more invested in winning the culture war than protecting material privilege, the gospel of Reagan makes less sense today than it ever has  because in 2021, transferring power away from big government and toward Corporate America means shifting authority away from institutions that overrepresent social conservatives and toward ones that underrepresent them.

Some on the right resolve this contradiction through cognitive dissonance. Others, like Ben Shapiro, generate facile arguments for why regulating conspicuously anti-Trump corporate sectors is consistent with free-market conservatism, even as virtually all other forms of regulation are not. A few on the populist wing of the movement, however, are imploring their co-partisans to grapple with their betrayal by woke capital. As Rachel Bovard of the Conservative Partnership Institute recently wrote for American Greatness:

Amazon recently banned books contradicting the popular narrative about COVID-19 and a documentary from Shelby Steele, an African American writer, on the death of Michael Brown, before reversing themselves after popular outcry. The platform will not let many mainstream conservative organizations use its philanthropic arm, Amazon Smile, to raise money, but does happily turn over its services to Planned Parenthood.

Bank of America will no longer lend money to certain gun manufacturers. Citibank will not process some gun sales by their own customers. Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, and U.S. Bank will no longer provide services to the private prison industry in protest of President Trumps immigration policies. These same federally insured banks and a handful of others now refuse to provide depository services to federal contractors who do work for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. Payment and funding sites like Paypal, GoFundMe, and Patreon recently banned users they deemed alt-right, even when those users did not self-identify as such.

Republicans should remain faithful both to capitalism and the free market that has made this country an enviable powerhouse. But we should shed the theology of market worship that blinds us to concentrated and collusive power being used in ways that are antithetical to both a free society and to the individual liberty upon which that society is built.

Bovard never specifies how, precisely, this circle should be squared. How does one remain faithful to the free market, while preventing online retailers from refusing to sell Alex Berensons book, or banks from refusing to lend to gun manufacturers? Isnt giving private firms and individuals discretion over investment and commerce the very definition of remaining faithful to capitalism?

To this point, the incendiary character of the populist rights rhetoric is absent from their policy proposals. Josh Hawleys proposed revisions to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act  the law that immunizes social-media platforms against liability lawsuits based on the written speech of their users  may be worthwhile. Regardless, they are modest, incremental measures that would not address the cultural rights core concern: Its declining hegemony in the halls of private power.

The disparity between the catastrophic tenor of Hawleys description of creeping corporate Marxism  and the modesty of his prescriptions for combating it  reflects two challenges facing the enemies of woke capital: 1) forcefully contravening the interests of corporate America as whole would jeopardize the Republican Partys remaining business support, while 2) proposing the selective deployment of state power against firms that antagonize conservative constituencies would mean explicitly embracing authoritarianism.

Thus, for now, the fact that the movement for small government enjoys more influence over the state than it does over the corporate sector is having little influence on its policy agenda. But if the right continues in the direction it has long been trending  away from corporate conservatism and toward white Christian revanchism  the contradiction between the movements outsize power over the state and its learned opposition to state power will only grow more conspicuous.

Conservatives cant secure the cultural dominance they long for within the confines of 21st-century capitalist democracy. If they can find the will to replace that system with one more statist and authoritarian, however, their overrepresentation at every level of government may offer them a way.

Sadiq Khan today lamented a 'heartbreaking' coronavirus milestone as it was confirmed more than 10,000 Londoners have fallen victim to the virus.

The latest data from Public Health England shows a total of 10,353 people in London have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test.

A further 7,606 people across the capital are currently in hospital with the disease - 35 per cent higher than the busiest day of the pandemic in the spring.

It comes as Britain today recorded its deadliest day since the pandemic began, with another 1,564 victims confirmed over the past 24 hours. More than 230 of these were in London.

The Mayor of London said the city's latest milestone is 'heartbreaking,' adding: 'This epidemic is far worse than it was in spring.'

'Many of the families will be listening to this programme now and they're in my thoughts and prayers... it's heartbreaking it's come to this,' Mr Khan told LBC.

Sadiq Khan (pictured) today lamented a 'heartbreaking' coronavirus milestone as it was confirmed more than 10,000 Londoners have fallen victim to the virus

'This epidemic is far worse than it was in spring, the pressures on the NHS are far higher, yet the lockdown measures are much lighter.'

London Councils and Mr Khan have implored Boris Johnson to immediately implement tougher coronavirus measures in the city  or risk putting an 'unsustainable strain' on the NHS.

In a note written to Mr Johnson after a major incident was declared in London last Friday, Mr Khan and Georgia Gould called for measures similar to those in place last March and April.

'We think that's the best way to save lives and stop the NHS being overwhelmed,' Mr Khan added.

The Mayor has asked Mr Johnson to close places of worship and make mask-wearing mandatory outside the home  including in supermarket queues, on high streets and in other possibly crowded outdoor settings.

It comes as Britain today recorded its deadliest day since the pandemic began, with another 1,564 victims confirmed over the past 24 hours. Pictured: Boris Johnson

He also called on the Government to provide greater financial support for Londoners who need to self-isolate and are unable to work, backed by improved asymptomatic testing for key workers.

The rollout of vaccines across London should also be accelerated, the letter said, and daily vaccination data should be provided by borough and ethnicity.

'We recognise how difficult these decisions are and how they will impose further tough restrictions on Londoners,' the note says.

'With new levels of infection remaining high we are left with little choice but to ask that you implement them.'

New data shows three east London boroughs have the highest coronavirus infection rates in Britain: Barking and Dagenham with 1,540.1 per 100,000 people, Newham with 1,398.6 per 100,000 and Redbridge with 1,348.2 per 100,000.

Furthermore, Barking, Havering and Redbridge NHS Trust has seen 1,153 deaths due to Covid-19 since the pandemic took hold in Britain last March.

It comes as figures show the second wave of the pandemic may have peaked as lockdown was brought in, with the infection rate dipping for most areas since January 5

On Friday, Mr Khan declared a 'major incident' in London as he warned that more than one per cent of the city's nine million residents tested positive for Covid the previous week.

It was estimated that one in 30 residents were infected with the virus at the time.

In a statement last week, Mr Khan said: 'The situation in London is now critical with the spread of the virus out of control.'

Major incidents were declared in London after the Grenfell Tower disaster, the London Bridge and Westminster terror attacks, and the Croydon tram crash in November 2016.

Did England pass its peak BEFORE lockdown? Covid outbreaks started to slow at start of 2021 in Kent and other Tier 4 areas England's coronavirus outbreak could have started to slow down before the national lockdown started on January 4, data suggest as infection numbers appeared to peak in the worst-hit regions at the start of the year. The tide appears to have turned in parts of the country experiencing the worst outbreaks  London, the South East and the East of England  in the first week of 2021, with cases coming down since then. Millions of people living in those areas were forced into gruelling Tier 4 restrictions the weekend before Christmas, ordered to stay at home for two weeks to try and control the new variant before the national lockdown started. Infection rates fell in most parts of the country at the start of January, suggesting local lockdown rules in place in December were having an effect but it wasn't fast enough to satisfy ministers, who called a drastic national shutdown just days into the new year. National figures paint a similar picture, with the 45,533 new positive tests announced today marking a 25 per cent fall on this time last week and representing the third day in a row that the country's infection rate has come down. It's still too soon for the effects of national lockdown to show up reliably in data but cases starting to come down in some of the worst-affected places suggests that Tier 4 rules were working before they were abandoned. Data from Kent, at the heart of the most recent outbreak, showed that cases were still fluctuating even in Tier 4, coming down in all of the 13 local authorities put into Tier 4 before Christmas, then spiking again in January before declining again around the time when lockdown was announced. In Liverpool, meanwhile, which was the only part of the country to be downgraded from Tier 3 to Tier 2 in December after officials claimed a mass-testing programme had got the city's outbreak under control, cases skyrocketed at the end of the year and are still rising, although the increase has slowed in lockdown. Advertisement

Mr Khan added: 'The number of cases in London has increased rapidly with more than a third more patients being treated in our hospitals now compared to the peak of the pandemic last April.

'Our heroic doctors, nurses and NHS staff are doing an amazing job, but with cases rising so rapidly, our hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed. The stark reality is that we will run out of beds for patients in the next couple of weeks unless the spread of the virus slows down drastically.

'We are declaring a major incident because the threat this virus poses to our city is at crisis point. If we do not take immediate action now, our NHS could be overwhelmed and more people will die.

'Londoners continue to make huge sacrifices and I am today imploring them to please stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary for you to leave. Stay at home to protect yourself, your family, friends and other Londoners and to protect our NHS.'

A major incident had already been declared in neighbouring Surrey and Sussex.

The Government today confirmed another 1,564 Britons have fallen victim to Covid-19 - while cases dropped once again and hospital admissions fell in the worst-hit areas.

Department of Health figures show the daily death toll has risen 50 per cent week-on-week, with data suggesting the overall number of victims  both suspected and confirmed  has now passed the 100,000 mark.

The three deadliest days of Britain's Covid crisis have all been recorded in 2021, with today's figure topping the 1,325 last Friday.

But deaths always lag weeks behind cases, meaning fatality counts won't begin to drop until at least a fortnight after infections fall.

Government statistics also show the UK's outbreak is finally starting to slow.

Another 47,525 positive tests were declared today, down 23.7 per cent on last Wednesday's toll of 62,322. It is the fourth day in a row that infections have dropped week-on-week.

The grim death toll came hours after the Prime Minister refused to rule out tightening lockdown further  but he also hailed 'early' signs that the brutal restrictions are bringing coronavirus under control.

Mr Johnson insisted the measures in England were being kept 'under constant review' as Keir Starmer demanded to know why they were looser than last spring despite cases being higher.

The Prime Minister warned that the NHS was at 'substantial risk' of being swamped, and the 'only way' of protecting it was to follow the 'current rules'.

But despite the latest huge death toll, Mr Johnson sounded a notably optimistic tone about the emerging impact of the restrictions.

He said the country was 'now starting to see the beginnings of some signs' that the crackdown was having an effect in parts of the country, while stressing it was 'early days' and urged people to 'keep their discipline'.

MailOnline analysis suggests the outbreak in England may have started slowing before the blanket lockdown on January 4, with infection numbers peaking in the worst-hit regions at the start of the year.

The tide appears to have turned in parts of the country experiencing the worst outbreaks  London, the South East and the East of England  in the first week of 2021, with cases coming down since then.

Tube services on the Jubilee Line were still busy in London this morning despite the brutal lockdown restrictions in force

Coronavirus hospital admissions have also started to fall in London and the South East, although the numbers of patients are still rising on wards after surging above the peaks recorded in the first wave.

The figures bolster claims that Tier 4 - which kept schools open - thwarted the spread of the super-infectious mutant strain of the virus.

But it appears the measure did not drive down infections fast enough for ministers, who instead opted for further curbs to daily life.
PFAS investigation in Pellston completes second round of samples

Officials discovered polyfluoroalkyls in Pellston residential water sources in late 2019. The airport is believed to be the source of the substances.

UPDATE: Major expansion of N.J. COVID vaccine eligibility starts tomorrow. Here are the details.

New Jersey will expand the COVID vaccine eligibility to people 65 and older within days following a change in federal guidelines, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday morning.

We were already headed in that direction and well have news on that midday, Murphy said during a live interview on PIX-11. You should assume well be all over that and were going to open this up. Im happy and gratified the CDC has come to the same conclusion. Itll be very soon, in the next day or two.

Murphy has a 1 p.m. coronavirus briefing scheduled for Wednesday in Trenton.

Sergeant Brian Patrick McKnerney of New Jersey State Police receives a COVID-19 vaccination. COVID-19 vaccinations begin Friday, Jan. 8 at one of six planned mega-sites in New Jersey. Gov. Phil Murphy toured the opening of the site at Rockaway Townsquare mall.Sarah Blesener for the New York

People 65 or older who live, work or study in New Jersey will be eligible. They will still need to pre-register on the states website and then make an appointment.

The expansion could lead to lengthy wait times for appointments of up to eight weeks depending on how quickly the state can get additional doses.

I cant give you a specific day, but Id say youre getting vaccinated in the next six to eight weeks so by the end of February, Murphy said on CNBCs Squawk Box

Murphy said the state still needs additional supply of the vaccine from the federal government. At least 243,734 doses have been administered, according to the state dashboard. New Jersey has received 654,900 doses, according to the CDCs tracker.

The federal government on Tuesday changed its recommendations on vaccines and asked states to start vaccinating people age 65 and over as well as younger people who have underlying conditions that put them at higher risk for a negative outcome should they get the virus.

So far, the state has only given vaccines to those in the 1a category  health care workers, nursing home residents and staff  and to police and fire personnel, who are part of Phase 1b. Prisoners have also been vaccinated.

The states previously announced plans said some or all groups in 1b would be next. That includes adults who are over age 75, other first responders, food service workers, educators, support staff and daycare workers, public transit workers and workers who support radio, print, internet and television news and media services, according to the states updated 188-page vaccination plan released in December.

Other critical and essential workers are also included in 1b, the plan said.

The states Phase 1c was scheduled to come next, including people between the ages of 16 and 64 with high-risk conditions.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
In a bid to ensure a 'smooth and orderly transition of Joe Biden taking office on January 20, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his trip to Europe at the last minute. In a statement, State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said this week's planned travel are cancelled. According to a press release issued on January 12, Pompeo, who had refused to recognise Joe Bidens victory in the presidential election, scrapped his trip to Brussels as the State Department is expecting a plan from the incoming administration identifying the career officials who will remain in positions of responsibility on an acting basis until the Senate confirmation process is complete for incoming officials.

"We are expecting shortly a plan from the incoming administration identifying the career officials who will remain in positions of responsibility on an acting basis until the Senate confirmation process is complete for incoming officials. As a result, we are cancelling all planned travel this week, including the Secretarys trip to Europe," according to the statement.

Even though the official reason remains that Pompeo cancelled the trip to coordinate with the transition team, other top officials have said that the cancellation was because European leaders were critical of Donald Trumps role in last weeks storming of the Capitol building. The top US official was set to see Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, who had called Trump criminal for inciting the attack. Asselborn had described the outgoing US President as a political pyromaniac who must be brought before a court.

Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel had also similar denounce the riots in Washington. He had tweeted saying that the violence against the Capitol is a heinous attack. He added, We trust in the strength of the American people and institutions to overcome these times of division & look to President-elect @JoeBiden to take on this task. Further, Belgian deputy PM and foreign minister Sophie Wilmes also called the Capitol siege shocking.

READ: Mike Pompeo Reacts To China Embassy's Xinjiang 'emancipation' Tweet After Massive Flak

READ: Pompeo Hits Iran For Al-Qaida Support On His Way Out

US ambassadors trip to Taiwan cancelled

Meanwhile, apart from Pompeo, the US State Department also cancelled the planned Taiwan visit by its UN ambassador that has drawn strong opposition and a warning from China. The department announced it was cancelling all senior-level overseas travels in a decision to assist with the transition to the next administration. US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft was due to begin a three-day visit Wednesday, which would have involved meetings with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu as well as delivering a speech.

The State Department insisted that the agency was well along in its transition efforts with President-elect Bidens team. We are fully committed to the completion of a smooth and orderly transition process to be finalized over the next 8 days. Both the Department and the President-elects team have been fully engaged for several weeks toward this end, and we are pleased with the level of cooperation and professionalism that has been displayed.

(Image: AP)

READ: Pompeo Trumpets Trump, Razzes Critics In Speech To VOA

READ: Yemen, China, Cuba Top Pompeo To-do List As Time Runs Down
The opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) has called on the government to stop data collection through the website Hungarians can use to register for the coronavirus vaccination.

DK wants to see as many people register as possible but several members of the public have told the party they were fearful of registering because the government may abuse the data collected, DK group spokesman Zoltan Varga - pictured above - told an online press conference.



The website vakcinainfo.gov.hu gives an option on the registration form to allow data to be kept and handled in the future until permission is expressly withdrawn.



Varga said many people were unaware this was optional and instead avoided registering altogether.



Instead of collecting data, the government should focus on preparing for mass vaccination and reduce shaky trust in in the process, he said.





MTI Photo: Czegledi Zsolt
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Our firm is honored to receive these outstanding recognitions from Super Lawyers. With our exceptional legal team, we are committed to helping our clients through some of the most difficult times in their lives, Attorney and Founding Partner Mary E. McSwain commented.

Super Lawyers is a comprehensive directory featuring detailed profiles of attorneys across the United States who have attained a high level of peer recognition and professional achievement in more than 70 practice areas. The patented selection process includes independent research, in addition to peer nominations and evaluations. Only 5 percent of attorneys in the state are named as Super Lawyers, and only 2.5 percent of attorneys can be designated as Rising Stars.

Throughout her legal career, Lisa has handled thousands of family law cases, including contested and uncontested divorce cases. She has proven success in issues such as support modification and enforcement, paternity and parenting time (visitation), allocation of parental responsibilities (custody) and removal (relocation), DCFS appeals, orders of protection, and guardianship.

Lisa is also a trained guardian ad litem with the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit Court of DuPage County, as well as Cook, Kane and Will County. Lisa currently serves on the Child Law Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association and is the Chair of the Childrens Advocacy Committee and Wellness Committee. Named an Elite Lawyer in 2020, Lisa also received the DuPage County Bar Association Service Award in 2014 and the DuPage County Bar Association Directors Award in 2020. Lisa was named a 2021 Super Lawyer for the third year in a row (2019-2021). She was previously recognized as a Rising Star from 2013-2018.

After earning her Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law, Jane worked as an extern for the Honorable Judge Michael Panter, and she was the Associate Editor for the DePaul Law Review. As a founding member of McSwain, Nagle & Giese, Jane has handled numerous divorce cases in addition to dealing with paternity, child support, allocation of parental responsibilities, and parenting time. She is also experienced in handling Chapter 7 bankruptcy cases. Jane has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star for the fourth year in a row, previously receiving the award in 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Jessica graduated with honors from the University of Iowa law school, where she was the co-founder of the Students for Human Rights Group. Prior to joining McSwain, Nagle & Giese, Jessica worked at a mid-size family law firm in DuPage County, and she has focused her practice on family law matters. Jessica is an active member of the DuPage County Bar Association, Kane County Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. Jessica was previously named a Rising Star in 2019 and 2020.

Our firm is honored to receive these outstanding recognitions from Super Lawyers. With our exceptional legal team, we are committed to helping our clients through some of the most difficult times in their lives. Although 2020 was challenging in so many ways, by working together and maintaining a positive attitude, we look forward to a better year ahead for everyone, Attorney and Founding Partner Mary E. McSwain commented.

About McSwain, Nagle & Giese P.C.

The skilled attorneys at McSwain, Nagle & Giese P.C. have more than 75 years of combined legal experience and are committed to providing high-quality legal representation to meet their clients unique family law needs. They handle Divorce, Mediation, Bankruptcy, and Estate Planning, including a wide range of pre-decree and post-decree divorce cases. By assisting clients with honesty and integrity, they can help them reach a settlement or aggressively represent them in litigation to achieve a positive outcome.

To learn more about McSwain, Nagle & Giese P.C., visit https://www.dupagedivorcelawyers.com/ or call 630-407-1200 to schedule a free consultation.



Former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Akuapem North in the Eastern region Dennis Edward Aboagye has described the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as masters of propaganda and that has earned the party the number of parliamentary seats in the 8th Parliament.



He asserted that NDC after the 2016 general elections stealthily and stanchly planned to sabotage the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) with lies and paint NPP black to the general public regardless of all the good policies implemented by the government.



Unlike the NPP, the former MCE said it is a serious political party that focuses on implementing policies that would enhance peoples lives but lacks the means to peddle equally falsehood and that hugely affected the NPP in the just-ended polls.



Dennis Aboagye disclosed this when speaking on Yen Sempa morning show on Onua FM on Wednesday 13 January reiterated that the NDC had a well-designed plan to vilify the government to sway the public against NPP especially in the parliamentary race.



He explained that NPPs inability to prioritize propaganda during the campaign season was the partys low end when it comes to their performances in the 2020 elections.



NPP doesnt know how to peddle falsehood, but the NDC people are masters of propaganda and I am not surprised erstwhile the party had a propaganda secretary.



Look at the videos and doctored tapes NDC released 3 months before the 2020 elections, these are serious falsehoods and lies that the party pushed into the system to influence the electorates he reiterated.



However, the Akuapem North NPP former Youth Organizer insisted that NPP is the only political party that can rule and develop Ghana thus the need for the general public to discredit NDC propaganda strategies and maintain NPP in government for a longer period to transform Ghana.



He indicated that NPP is the only party that can pinpoint countless social intervention policies implemented in Ghana to better the lives of the masses.



Dennis Aboagye is hopeful Nana Addos second term in office would transform the country to help change NPPs electoral fortunes in 2024.





Source: 3news









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
Meet Adam McNeil, founder of SistaTalkPHL, a grassroots project to support Black Philly moms.

 On his mission: My love goes to all mothers, but as a young Black man my frontward vision is Black women because thats who raised me.

 Kindness finds a way: I dont have the funds to do it, but I also didnt have the funds to start it, either. You dont have to make a million dollars to make a difference.

As Adam McNeil sat alone in a hospital lobby in Maryland for two days after being discharged from a serious car accident with nobody to come pick him up, one thought ran through his mind.

I just kept saying to myself, You almost died and you have nothing, McNeil said. I asked myself who got me through these 30 years. The answer was Black women  my mom, my aunts, my grandmom, and my cousins. If it wasnt for them, I would have seen Hell a long time ago.

And so, in that hospital lobby in 2018, 150 miles away from Philadelphia, SistaTalkPHL, McNeils grassroots effort to support Black Philly moms, was born.

In the last six months of last year alone, McNeil, 34, of Lansdowne, gave away more than 25,000 diapers, two refrigerators, and two sets of washers and dryers to moms in Philly. He also rented out entire Laundromats for community wash days, inviting moms in to do their laundry for free, while also hosting vendors and nonprofits on-site to provide resources like the Defender Association of Philadelphia, Forget Me Knot Youth Services, and Bebashi, a health and social services agency.

Heres the thing about SistaTalkPHL: It doesnt have a fancy executive board or big donors  its just got McNeil, his unemployment checks, and donations from people who believe in his work.

Hes just a guy. Hes not polished. Hes bold, and he is who is but he gets something done, said Janice Tosto, a project coordinator at Bebashi who partnered with McNeil on his community wash days.

Brian Holland, whose Laundry Cafe Laundromats have hosted some of McNeils community wash days, agreed.

His impact is gritty and granular and at a grassroots level. Its raw and I love that, Holland said. He sees a need and meets a need. What could be more simple than that, or more beautiful?

Born in West Philly and raised in Upper Darby and West Chester, McNeil didnt know his dad, who was incarcerated for most of his life. He grew up watching his mom struggle as a single parent, sometimes walking more than a half hour each way to go to work cleaning houses.

Thats one of the reasons I started selling drugs, to help my mom, but I eventually became selfish, McNeil said. I broke my mom down. She didnt know whether I was going to kill someone or if someone would kill me.

McNeil was first arrested at 14, first incarcerated at 16, and spent almost a decade in prison from the time he was 19 to 28 for various offenses including aggravated assault, drugs, robbery, carjacking, and parole violations.

Upon his last release in December 2014, McNeil began volunteering at a youth shelter and working with teens in anger management. He also got jobs at Dominos and with a photo-booth company, traveling to weddings, parties, and bar mitzvahs. It was while coming back from a photo-booth event in Virginia that McNeil fell asleep at the wheel in Maryland and hit a truck at 90 mph.

I dont know if it was God or the accident saying, Calm down, I have a mission for you, but I realized I was called to serve and I was called to be a good Samaritan, he said.

McNeil began SistaTalkPHL by holding bimonthly empowerment sessions for Black women, featuring Black women speakers and vendors. Those sessions trailed off in 2019, when McNeil got a girlfriend and a job as a phlebotomist, but when he was laid off last January and COVID-19 hit, he once again felt pulled to help Black Philly moms.

 MORE WE THE PEOPLE: At 94, she works six days a week at a Giant bakery

With his unemployment checks and community donations, McNeil rented out Laundromats in North Philly, South Philly, Olney, and West Philly, and he put together care packages filled with diapers, toiletries, and household items to give away.

People have just continuously been a blessing and made this very impactful, he said.

When McNeils community wash days were put on hold in November due to rising COVID-19 rates, he decided to give away two fully stocked refrigerators and two sets of washers and dryers for the holidays. Interested moms registered on McNeils SistaTalkPHL Facebook and Instagram pages and were chosen through a raffle.

In his spare time, McNeil scours Facebook Marketplace to buy diapers at steep discounts that he can give away.

This month, McNeil is hosting a makeover weekend for 10 teen girls who live in Philly shelters. Theyll attend a vision-board party with guest speakers and receive gift cards for a $100 shopping spree at Ross Dress for Less or T.J. Maxx, and VIP makeovers at Royal Mane Beauty Studio.

Among those who donated items to his latest event is Philly Councilmember Kendra Brooks, who said McNeils work is a model of what community aid should be in this city.

 MORE WE THE PEOPLE: Robert Negrin is a pet fashion designer from Juniata Park

Adam understands that Black women are the most impacted by systems of oppression  whether its our citys eviction rate, our underfunded public schools, or our pitiful minimum wage  Black women withstand the worst of these crises, Brooks said in a statement. He identifies a problem, listens to the community, and steps up.

As for McNeil, hes just grateful to be alive and able to help Philly moms.

I have taken so much in my life, he said. Now, I just want to give.

Want more We the People?

 West Philly resident Nic Patino is a pro pogoer with the Xpogo stunt team.

 To bond with his daughter, Michael Gardner taught himself how to sew. Now, he makes all her clothes.

 Check out the full We the People archive here.
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler told his top staff last month he was interested in reinstating part or all of the citys disbanded Gun Violence Reduction Team and instructed them to find a way to convince the incoming City Council to support the controversial proposal.

The dissolution of GVRT came at the request of the community, but I cannot escape the reality that the victims of gun violence in our community are overwhelmingly people of color, Wheeler wrote in a Dec. 17 text message obtained by The Oregonian/OregonLive through a public records request.

Lets put together a plan and sell it to the new council ASAP.

After floating the idea to his closest advisers that evening, however, the mayor apparently changed course. By the next day, Wheelers move to promptly bring back the Gun Violence Reduction Team appeared to be off the table in a meeting he held with Portland police.

Jim Middaugh, a spokesman for Wheeler, said Tuesday that the mayor continues to consider all options as he seeks to reduce the number of shootings in Portland.

He is deeply concerned about gun violence and wants to challenge the entire city organization to come up with solutions, Middaugh said.

Wheelers text message came near the end of a year marked by a surge in homicides and shootings citywide and only days after his office helped end an armed occupation outside the so-called Red House on Mississippi, which a longtime Black and Indigenous family had lost to foreclosure in 2018.

The city scrapped the Gun Violence Reduction Team last June at the urging of Commissioner Jo Ann Hardesty, then the councils lone Black member, as one of several police reforms in the wake of George Floyds killing by Minneapolis officers.

Floyds death ignited weeks of demonstrations and social unrest in Portland and around the country.

The specialized unit  which targeted crime hot spots and responded to shootings  had long faced criticism for disproportionately stopping Black people. African Americans, who made up about 8% of the citys population, were subjected to 56% of all traffic and pedestrian stops by the unit, formerly known as the Gang Enforcement Team, in 2017 and 61% of all the teams stops in 2016, according to a 2019 city audit.

Police, prosecutors and some politicians maintain, however, that the unit was essential in reducing the citys gun violence, which disproportionately impacts communities of color.

We are currently facing multiple crises, simultaneously. It is obvious to me and to everyone else that gun violence is getting dramatically worse, Wheeler wrote in the late-night text to staff. We need a new plan, and that can include reinstating part of or all of GVRT. I just need to know what will work in order to make headway against this situation.

I realize were dealing with protests, the red house, and other issues simultaneously, but this is the issue that is killing dozens of people in our community, the mayor continued. I would like us to meet tomorrow to brainstorm ideas.

The mayor called a meeting with police leaders the next afternoon, Dec. 18, and later announced he would be assigning more detectives and officers to help investigate shootings.

But Wheeler wouldnt heed some police calls to put the Gun Violence Reduction Team back on the street, those familiar with the meeting said at the time.

Chief Chuck Lovell said Tuesday that his bureau was doing all it could to reduce gun violence in the city, and welcomed any additional support from elected leaders.

Black men and women suffer disproportionally from shootings in this city. We are in favor of dedicating as many resources as we are able to do the work necessary to stop the shooting, Lovell said. Its important that we do our work in a way that is equitable and builds community trust.

The Multnomah County District Attorneys Office did not respond to a request for comment.

Hardesty, who met with the police chief Tuesday, said that, under no condition, would she support bringing back the Gun Violence Reduction Team.

The uptick in gun violence we are seeing in Portland is part of a concerning national trend that must be addressed, but not by looking at failed solutions from the past, she said. Police have a simple mission, to solve crime. To prevent crime, we need to be thinking deeper and more creatively.

The Oregonian/OregonLives Maxine Bernstein contributed reporting.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh; 503-294-7632

Email at skavanaugh@oregonian.com

Follow on Twitter @shanedkavanaugh

Subscribe to Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters and podcasts for the latest news and top stories.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a decree sending Ukrainian servicemen to Serbia to participate in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.

The decree, No. 3/2021 of January 13, has been published on the website of the head of state.

"To send to the Republic of Serbia for Ukraine's participation in the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo national personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces with a total number of up to two people," the document reads.

According to the decree, the decision was made on the basis of the proposal of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and in accordance with the law "On Ukraine's participation in international peacekeeping and security operations," reaffirming Ukraine's commitment as a UN member state and considering that the participation of national personnel from servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the UN mission in Kosovo will contribute to maintaining international peace and security and is in the national interests of the state.

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Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday announced she was introducing fines for members of Congress who refused to accept metal detector screenings, after several Congressmen objected vociferously and refused to go through when they were introduced the previous day.

Pelosi's move came after Colorado congresswoman Lauren Boebert said on Wednesday that a 'handful' of Republican representatives broke the House rules and carried their firearms on the House floor on the day of the riots, and freshman Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn claimed he was armed at the time.

'Some members were armed, they kind of just had this feeling to bend the rules that day,' said Boebert, co-chair of the Second Amendment Caucus.

'And we kind of all huddled close to the ones who did.'

Boebert was among the most high-profile objectors to the metal detectors on Tuesday night.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi went through the metal detectors when she entered the House floor

Pelosi stopped for Capitol Police to check her with a detector wand at the new machines

Lauren Boebert, a Colorado congresswoman, told Fox News a 'handful' of her colleagues were armed in the Capitol last week during the insurrection

Boebert is the chair of the Second Amendment Caucus

Pelosi announced the fines in a press release, in which she praised the Capitol Police for protecting members of Congress. One officer died after he was smashed in the head with a fire extinguisher.

'Sadly, just days later, many House Republicans have disrespected our heroes by verbally abusing them and refusing to adhere to basic precautions keeping members of our Congressional community, including the Capitol Police, safe,' she wrote.

'The House will soon move forward with a rule change imposing fines on those who refuse to abide by these protections.

'The fine for the first offense will be $5,000 and $10,000 for the second offense. The fines will be deducted directly from Members' salaries by the Chief Administrative Officer.

'It is tragic that this step is necessary, but the Chamber of the People's House must and will be safe.'

The House will have to vote next week on the fines but given Democratic control it is likely to pass.

Members of Congress are allowed to have firearms on Capitol grounds, although there are certain places where they can't carry, such as the House chamber, Speaker's Lobby, cloakroom and the Rayburn Room.

Firearms are not allowed on the House floor except by members of security.

Washington D.C. has strong laws against concealed weapons but lawmakers are exempt from them as long as the weapons are stored in the members' offices and transported safely and unloaded.

Boebert's gun was stored in her office when the Capitol came under attack and she was trapped in the House chamber.

'You never know when you're going to need it,' Boebert told Fox News.

'So you never leave home without it. And that's how I live my life every day, and now here I am prohibited to carry it in the one room where I potentially needed it.'

Cawthorn told his local newspaper, The Smokey Mountain News, he was evacuated with the other lawmakers, staff and journalists.

'Fortunately, I was armed, so we would have been able to protect ourselves,' he said.

Freshman Republican Congressman Madison Cawthorn claimed he was armed the day rioters swarmed the Capitol, which would be a violation of House rules

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, 25, was part of the group of House Republicans who spoke to President Donald Trump's rally of supporters on the National Mall the morning of the riot

Cawthorn has posted photos to his personal Instagram account of him holding a rifle

Cawthorn, 25, was part of the group of House Republicans who spoke to President Donald Trump's rally of supporters on the National Mall the morning of the riot. He also objected to Congress' certification of President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

He previously told the president's supporters it was okay to 'lightly threaten' lawmakers.

At a Turning Point USA event in December, which is a gathering of young conservatives who support Trump, Cawthorn encouraged attendees to 'call your congressman and feel free  you can lightly threaten them.'

'Say: 'If you don't support election integrity, I'm coming after you. Madison Cawthorn's coming after you. Everybody's coming after you,' the Republican from North Carolina said.

But Cawthorn decried the MAGA mob of insurgents who stormed Capitol Hill last week, leaving five dead and a trail of destruction in their wake.

'I don't want to over-exaggerate here, but it was the closest I've ever been to 9/11, thinking that a major monument to American success and prosperity is being attacked by people who want to subvert it,' he told The Smokey Mountain News.

'In my mind I was not thinking, wow, Republicans are out there storming, Constitutionalists are out there, storming. I said, 'There is this disgusting and pathetic group of people who are storming the Capitol,'' he said. 'I have no problem calling that out, even though a lot of those people probably would've voted for me. No problem calling that out, because I just, I can't support that.'

Cawthorn, the youngest member of Congress, is in a wheelchair as the result of being in a car accident at the age of 18.

He thanked two fellow lawmakers - Congressmen Ted Budd and Richard Hudson - for helping him when U.S. Capitol Police evacuated the House floor after rioters made their way into the Capitol.

Rep. Cawthorn is a supporter of President Trump who opposed the effort by Congress to certify the 2020 presidential election

'They really helped me. They got me down some steps. They moved a lot of the furniture that was used to barricade different doors so I could get through,' he said.

He recounted: 'But because I had to take another route, we didn't have our Capitol police escort so there were multiple times we needed to change the route we were taking just to be safe. Fortunately, I was armed, so we would have been able to protect ourselves.'

And he noted: 'We stayed hunkered down at another member's office but then I opened the blinds  and not to make a pop culture reference  I felt like I was watching Lord of the Rings when the orcs were taking over the last stronghold of man.'

Cawthorn has come under fire for some of his previous comments. He called Adolf Hitler 'the Fuhrer' in a now-deleted Instagram post of him visiting Hitler's vacation home in Germany known as the 'Eagle's Nest.' He denied being a white supremacist.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has bragged about her desire to carry her glock pistol into the Capitol, got into a standoff with Capitol Hill police and wouldn't let them search her bag after she set off the security alarm on Tuesday night before she entered the House floor

Meanwhile, lawmakers were reminded on Tuesday they are not allowed to bring firearms with them when they come to the House floor to vote.

Boebert, who has bragged about her desire to carry her Glock pistol into the Capitol, got into a standoff with police and wouldn't let them search her bag after she set off the security alarm.

Boebert, who supports QAnon theories and made a name for herself carrying her firearm on the campaign trail, walked through the screening process with her bag, which set off the magnetometer. She refused to hand the bag over to be searched.

Capitol Police eventually let the Republican from Colorado in the House chamber and it appears her bag was not searched before they did so.

'I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex,' Boebert tweeted after the incident.

'Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week  it's just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.'

Speaker Pelosi went through the metal detectors when she entered the House floor. She, too, set them off but stopped for Capitol Police to wand her.

The new security procedures were announced Tuesday, coming after last week's riot on Capitol Hill.

'Effective immediately, all persons, including Members, are required undergo security screening when entering the House Chamber,' acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett wrote Tuesday in a memo to lawmakers obtained by DailyMail.com.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene set off the detectors when she went through them Tuesday night and had to get wanded by U.S. Capitol Police

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene takes off her shoes as part of the screening process

Lawmakers were reminded that firearms are not permitted on the House floor but face masks are required to be worn.

Security will remove those who do not comply.

'Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber,' Blodgett wrote. 'Members not wearing a mask will not be admitted to the Floor and Members who fail to wear a mask will be removed from the Floor.'

But many Republicans revolted against the new security measures as long lines of lawmakers waited to go through the screening so they could vote, causing delays for them to get onto the House floor.

Before Tuesday, lawmakers were allowed to skip security lines going into and out of the Capitol complex. They were able to walk around the mags simply by wearing the gold circular lapel pin that identified them as a member of Congress.

Three Republican lawmakers argued with Capitol Police about the issue.

'This is bull****,' Rep. Rodney Davis told House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, calling the new system 'horse****', adding that valuable resources were being diverted and the Republicans weren't consulted on the matter.

Rep. Markwayne Mullin said police 'can't stop me' from going through them.

And Rep. Steve Womack yelled at officers as he went through the magnetometer: 'You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of.'

He said it is going to create chaos during votes with members steaming through.

'Get back,' he told them. 'Don't touch me.'

Other Republicans, about a dozen, simply walked around the metal detectors, refusing to go through them.

Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert was one of them.

'You can't stop me; I'm on my way to a vote,' he said as he bypassed police.

Congressman Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the House, said the situation is 'untenable' because it 'impedes the ability of members to come and vote.'

'This is our job,' he said.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene set off the detectors when she went through them Tuesday night and had to go through additional screening.

Greene, who supports QAnon conspiracy theories, had to take off her shoes and was at the magnetometer for about two minutes total to get wanded by an officer.

Greene, who has objected to wearing a face mask in the past, was wearing one Tuesday night. It read Molon labe, which means 'come and take them' and is an ancient Greek expression that is a classical expression of defiance.
Not to be published, distributed or circulated directly or indirectly in the United States, Australia or Japan.

This press release is an advertisement and not a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of June 14, 2017.

Regulatory News:

Europcar Mobility Group (Paris:EUCAR) (the "Company") filed an Amendment to the 2019 Universal Registration Document filed with the Autorite des marches financiers ("AMF") on 12 January 2021 under number D.20-0448-A01.

Europcar Mobility Group also announces that, on 12 January 2021, the AMF granted visa number 21-011 to the prospectus (the "Prospectus") made available to the public in connection with:

the admission to trading on the regulated market of Euronext in Paris ("Euronext Paris") of a maximum of 1,105,264,000 new shares issued as part of a capital increase with waiver of the shareholders' preferential subscription rights in favor of the Noteholders having undertaken to subscribe during the open period in accordance with the Lock-Up Agreement (or any assignee of such subscription rights) and of the Guarantor Noteholders, of a maximum gross amount, including issue premium, of EUR 210,000,160, at a unit price of EUR 0.19, to be subscribed for in cash (the "Reserved Capital Increase #1");

the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum of 2,992,311,000 new shares issued as part of a capital increase with waiver of the shareholders' preferential subscription right in favor of the Noteholders, in proportion to their Notes, on the Reference Date, for a maximum gross amount, including issue premium, of EUR 1,137,078,180, at a unit price of EUR 0.38, to be subscribed by way of set-off against the amount of liquid and due debts held by the Noteholders, on the Reference Date (the "Reserved Capital Increase #2");

the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum of 139,208,000 new shares issued as part of a capital increase with waiver of the shareholders' preferential subscription right in favor of the CS Lenders, in proportion to their CS Debts, on the Reference Date, for a maximum gross amount, including issue premium, of EUR 52,899,040, at a unit price of EUR 0.38, to be subscribed by way of set-off against the total amount of the liquid and due CS Debts held by the CS Lenders on the Reference Date (the "Reserved Capital Increase #3", together with the Reserved Capital Increase #1 and the Reserved Capital Increase #2, the "Reserved Capital Increases");

the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum number of 421,192,000 free warrants at an exercise price of EUR 0.01 per new share (without issue premium), allocated free of charge by the Company to the Guarantor Noteholders (in remuneration of their Guarantee Commitments) (the "Guarantee Warrants") and the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum number of 421,192,000 new shares, which may be issued upon exercise of the Guarantee Warrants;

the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum number of 78,974,000 free warrants at an exercise price of EUR 0.01 per new share (without issue premium), allocated free of charge by the Company to the RCF Lenders, the Noteholders and the Guarantor Noteholders having effectively participated in the refinancing of the RCF (in remuneration of their effective participation in the New Senior Credit Facilities) (the "Participation Warrants") and the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum number of 78,974,000 new shares, which may be issued upon exercise of the Participation Warrants;

the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum number of 78,974,000 free warrants at an exercise price of EUR 0.01 per new share (without issue premium), allocated free of charge by the Company to the Members of the Coordination Committee (in compensation for their time and efforts in negotiating and structuring the Financial Restructuring as well as for their overall coordination role in the context of the Financial Restructuring) (the "Coordination Warrants" and, together with the Guarantee Warrants and the Participation Warrants, the "Warrants") and the admission on Euronext Paris of a maximum number of 78,974,000 new shares, which may be issued upon exercise of the Coordination Warrants, together with the previous ones, the "New Shares",

assuming the approval of the proposed reduction in the par value of the Company's shares, which will be submitted for shareholders' approval at the shareholders' meeting to be held on 20 January 2021.

The completion of the aforementioned transactions is part of the draft accelerated financial safeguard plan approved by the Company's committee of banks and financial institutions and the general meeting of bondholders on 7 January 2021 and to be reviewed by the Paris Commercial Court on 25 January 2021, according to the indicative timetable, and approved on 1st February 2021, and remains subject to:

to the extent that such authorisations would be necessary, all authorisations required under merger control by the competent competition authorities;

if applicable, the termination of all Group activities which may involve any individual or entity located in a country that is subject to international sanctions and the implementation of satisfactory standards for the Members of the Coordination Committee with respect to written sanctions, anti-corruption code of conduct, risk mapping and evaluation procedures;

the approval by the extraordinary general meeting of the Company's shareholders to be held on 20 January 2021 of the resolutions necessary to implement the Company's draft accelerated financial safeguard plan, including the aforementioned issuances, it being specified that the resolutions relating to the issuances constitute an indissociable whole and are interdependent;

the approval of the Company's draft accelerated financial safeguard plan by judgment of the Paris Commercial Court. According to the indicative timetable currently contemplated, the court is expected to review the request for approval of the draft plan on 25 January 2021 and the judgment approving the plan is expected to be delivered on 1 st February 2021;

February 2021; the recognition of the safeguard plan judgment under the "Chapter 15" procedure, under the terms of decisions whose enforcement is not suspended. According to the indicative timetable currently contemplated, this recognition could take place during the month of February 2021

approval by the AMF of the securities note relating to the capital increase with preferential subscription rights. According to the indicative timetable currently contemplated, this approval is expected to take place on 1 st February 2021; and

February 2021; and the completion of all settlement-delivery transactions for the shares issued from the Reserved Capital Increases and the capital increase with preferential subscription rights, as well as the issuance of the Warrants. According to the indicative timetable currently contemplated, these settlement-delivery transactions are expected to take place on 23 February 2021.

The settlement-deliveries of the shares issued from the Reserved Capital Increases and the Capital Increase with Preferential Subscription Right must occur simultaneously, no later than 31 March 2021 in accordance with the safeguard plan in such a way that the New Shares issued from the Reserved Capital Increases will not give the right to participate to the Capital Increase with Preferential Subscription Right, and all of the Warrants will only be exercisable as from and subject to the completion of the aforementioned settlement-deliveries.

The issuances provided for in the draft accelerated financial safeguard plan constitute an indivisible whole, such that if one of them could not be completed, none of them will be completed.

Copies of the Prospectus, comprising of (i) the Company's 2019 Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 6 May 2020 under number D.20-0448, (ii) the Amendment to the 2019 Universal Registration Document filed with the AMF on 12 January 2021 under number D.20-0448-A01, (iii) the securities note (including the summary of the Prospectus), having received approval number 21-011 on 12 January 2021, and (iv) the summary of the Prospectus (attached to this press release) are available free of charge at Europcar Mobility Group's registered office, 13 Ter Boulevard Berthier 75017 Paris, on the Company's website (www.europcar-mobility-group.com) as well as on the AMF website (www.amf-france.org).

Independent Expertise

The Company appointed on a voluntary basis the firm Finexsi, located at 14 rue Bassano, 75116 Paris, and represented by Mr. Olivier Peronnet and Mr. Lucas Robin, as independent expert, in accordance with Article 261-3 of the AMF's General Regulations, in order to give an opinion on the fairness of the terms and conditions of the Company's restructuring from the perspective of the current shareholders.

The conclusion of this opinion is reproduced below:

"In conclusion, for the shareholders, the implementation of this Restructuring makes it possible to maintain the Company as a going concern, by cleaning up its financial structure and by financing, through the injection of new money, the estimated operating losses for the coming fiscal years and future investments. The Restructuring also enables the Company to restore value in comparison with the current situation.

Therefore, in the context of the Company's current financial difficulties, we consider that, as of the date of this report, the terms and conditions of the Transaction are fair from a financial point of view for the shareholders"

This independent expert's report is reproduced in extenso as Appendix 1 to the aforementioned securities note and is also available on the Company's website (www.europcar-mobility-group.com).

Outlook

For the purposes of negotiating the proposed financial restructuring (as more fully described in Chapter 1 "Presentation of the Financial Restructuring" of the Amendment to the Universal Registration Document, the "Amendment"), the Company has prepared, and communicated in September 2020 to certain of its creditors subject to confidentiality undertakings, a "Connect" business plan to identify new money needs and the outlook for certain Group financial aggregates for the years 2021, 2022 and 2023, extracted from the business plan.

These elements were published in the Company's press release date 26 November 2020 (for more information, the reader is invited to refer to such press release) and are presented in the Amendment for the purpose of restoring the equivalence of information.

Some assumptions used in the preparation of this outlook may have changed since the date of their preparation and will continue to change given the situation and uncertainties related to the Covid-19 epidemic at the date of the Amendment. For example, the second wave of the Covid-19 epidemic hit most European countries in October/November 2020, a new lockdown was declared in England and Germany at the beginning of January and the availability of vaccines has accelerated in some European countries. As previously indicated in its press release dated 26 November 2020, the latest events related to the Covid-19 epidemic and the still uncertain developments in its main territories do not allow the Company to measure the impact on its business at the date of the Amendment and therefore to formulate a guidance for the Group for 2021. These elements should not be considered as profit forecasts or profit estimates within the meaning of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/980 of the Commission of 14 March 2019.

In this context of uncertainty, the Company considers that the developments and changes that have occurred since the preparation of this outlook in September 2020 do not affect the overall balance of the Safeguard Plan or the Group's ability to meet its debt obligations following the implementation of the Safeguard Plan, bearing in mind that the outlook put forward for 2023 cannot prejudge the Group's actual future performance.

Disclaimer

This press release and the information it contains do not constitute an offer to sell or subscribe, or a solicitation of an order to buy or subscribe, Europcar Mobility Group securities. The dissemination, publication or distribution of this press release in certain countries may constitute a violation of applicable laws and regulations. Accordingly, persons who are physically present in such countries and in which this press release is disseminated, distributed or published should inform themselves of and comply with any such local restrictions.

This press release is not an advertisement and does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of Regulation 2017/1129 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the prospectus to be published when securities are offered to the public or admitted to trading on a regulated market and repealing the Prospectus Directive 2003/71/EC (the "Prospectus Regulation").

The information in this press release is provided for informational purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive and no person shall rely in any manner whatsoever on the information contained herein or its accuracy, precision or completeness. Any purchase of securities must be made solely on the basis of the information contained in the Prospectus approved by the AMF and published on the Company's and the AMF's respective websites. The approval of the prospectus by the AMF should not be understood as an endorsement of the securities offered or admitted to trading on a regulated market.

European Economic Area and the United Kingdom

With respect to the planned admission to the regulated market of Euronext in Paris and with respect to the member States of the European Economic Area other than France and the United Kingdom (each, a "Relevant State"), no action has been or will be taken to allow a public offering of securities requiring the publication of a prospectus in any of the Relevant States. Consequently, any offer of Europcar Mobility Group's securities may only be made in any of the Relevant States (i) to qualified investors within the meaning of the Prospectus Regulation, (ii) to fewer than 150 individuals or legal entities (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation), or (iii) in any other case exempting Europcar Mobility Group from publishing a prospectus in accordance with article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation.

United Kingdom

The distribution of this press release has not been made, and has not been approved, by an "authorised person" within the meaning of Article 21(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. As a consequence, this press release is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that (i) are "investment professionals" falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (as amended, the "Order"), (ii) are persons falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) ("high net worth companies, unincorporated associations, etc.") of the Order, or (iii) are persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Article 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons together being referred to as "Relevant Persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which this document relates is available only to Relevant Persons and will be engaged in only with Relevant Persons. Any person who is not a Relevant Person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

United States

This press release is not an offer for sale of Europcar Mobility Group shares in the United States or in any other jurisdiction, Europcar Mobility Group shares may not be offered, sold, exercised or delivered in the United States absent registration or an exemption from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"). Europcar Mobility Group does not intend to register any portion of the offering in the United States or to conduct a public offering of any securities in the United States; and Europcar Mobility Group's securities have not been, and will not be, registered under the Securities Act.

Forward-looking statements

This press release includes forward-looking statements based on current beliefs and expectations about future events. Such forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives, intentions and/or expectations with respect to future financial results, events, operations and services and product development, as well as statements, regarding performance or events. Forward-looking statements are generally identified by the words "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "plans", "projects", "may", "would", "should" or the negative of these terms and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to inherent risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Europcar Mobility Group and its subsidiaries and investments, trends in their business, future capital expenditures and acquisitions, developments in respect of contingent liabilities, changes in economic conditions globally or in Europcar Mobility Group's principal markets, competitive conditions in the market and regulatory factors. Those events are uncertain; their outcome may differ from current expectations which may in turn materially affect expected results. Actual results may differ materially from those projected or implied in these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement contained in this press release is made as of the date of this press release. Other than as required by applicable law, Europcar Mobility Group does not undertake to revise or update any forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. The results and the Group's performance may also be affected by various risks and uncertainties, including without limitation, risks identified in the "Risk factors" of the Universal Registration Document registered by the Autorite des marches financiers on May 6, 2020 and also available on the Group's website: www.europcar-mobility-group.com. This press release does not contain or constitute an offer or invitation to purchase any securities in France, the United States or any other jurisdiction.

This press release is being published in English and French. In case of discrepancy between the two versions, the English version shall prevail.

About Europcar Mobility Group

Europcar Mobility Group is a major player in mobility markets and listed on Euronext Paris. The mission of Europcar Mobility Group is to be the preferred "Mobility Service Company" by offering attractive alternatives to vehicle ownership, with a wide range of mobility-related services and solutions: car rental and light commercial vehicle rental, chauffeur services, car-sharing and private hire vehicle (PHV rental to "Uber like" chauffeurs).

Customers' satisfaction is at the heart of the Group's mission and all of its employees and this commitment fuels the continuous development of new services.

Europcar Mobility Group operates through a diversified portfolio of brands meeting every customer specific needs and use cases, be it for 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week or longer; its 4 major brands being: Europcar the European leader of car rental and light commercial vehicle rental, Goldcar the low-cost car-rental Leader in Europe, InterRent 'mid-tier' car rental and Ubeeqo one of the European leaders of round-trip car-sharing (BtoB, BtoC). Europcar Mobility Group delivers its mobility solutions worldwide solutions through an extensive network in over 140 countries (including wholly owned subsidiaries 18 in Europe, 1 in the USA, 2 in Australia and New Zealand completed by franchises and partners).

Further details on our website:

www.europcar-mobility-group.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005857/en/

Contacts:

Europcar Mobility Group



Investor Relations

Caroline Cohen caroline.cohen@europcar.com



Press relations

Valerie Sauteret valerie.sauteret@europcar.com

Vincent Vevaud vincent.vevaud@europcar.com



Publicis Consultants

Judith Grandcoing judith.grandcoing@publicisconsultants.com
Built In Seattle Honors Fast Growing Fintech Company doxo in its Esteemed 2021 Best Places to Work Awards

doxo, the innovative web and mobile bill pay service, today announced that it was included on Built In Seattle's list of the Best Places to Work in 2021. The annual awards include companies of all sizes, from startups to the enterprise, nationally and in the eight largest tech markets. Built In determines winners for Best Places to Work based on company and employee data about compensation, benefits and cultural programs. To reflect the attributes candidates are searching for on Built In today, this year's program weighted certain criteria more heavily, including remote opportunities and programs for diversity, equity and inclusion.

"We are honored to be included for the second consecutive year as one of the Best Places to Work by Built In Seattle - it's a highly competitive market for tech talent and we're very proud of the team and product we've built," said Steve Shivers, co-founder and CEO of doxo. "In the challenging year that was 2020, we were fortunate enough to have sustained solid growth in terms of both revenue and headcount. We are looking forward to building on top of this momentum as we continue to expand the doxo team in the new year!"

Despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, doxo continued to experience rapid growth in 2020 among both consumers and providers, serving over four million paying users who can make payments to over 75,000 local and national businesses, making doxo the largest bill pay directory in the country. The company also expanded doxoINSIGHTS, which provides a transparent look into household financial health and spnding activity, breaking down what Americans pay for their monthly bills across over 90% of zip codes and 45 service categories. The reports, which found that the average U.S. household spends $21,378 per year on bills, break out the household spending market size for each bill category, percentage of households that pay each bill, and average monthly and annual bill pay costs by state. The company also examined consumer sentiment around the U.S. government stimulus checks and how Americans planned to use the funds.







Over the past year, doxo grew its team by 20% to 60 full time employees. The company has aggressive hiring plans for 2021 across multiple functions. Open roles at doxo can be found here.

Tech professionals rely on Built In's Best Places to Work lists to discover employers that align with their preferences, passions and values. Since its inception three years ago, the award has expanded in reach, from online views of tens of thousands to just under 1 million views today.

"These companies raise the bar for cultural excellence and the ability to adapt to meet changing needs of employees," says Sheridan Orr, Chief Marketing Officer, Built In. "The 2021 winners show a commitment not just to creating meaningful cultures but to delivering talent needs as they change in a dynamic landscape. We're thrilled to extend our congratulations to the winners."

About doxo

doxo provides simple, secure all-in-one bill payment to any biller, with any payment method, on any device. A doxoPLUS subscription adds free bank payments and five essential financial protections that boost household financial health. Through these services, doxo currently serves over four million paying users who can make payments to over 75,000 local and national businesses, making doxo the largest bill pay directory in the nation. Billers on the network get paid directly, fast and free - and consumers have complete bill pay independence over when and how they pay their bills. doxo expanded its user base by more than 70 percent in the past year and is expanding its team to further accelerate growth and change the bill pay landscape to focus on the customer. doxo investors include MDV, Sigma Partners, and Bezos Expeditions. doxo is based in Seattle, WA. For more information visit www.doxo.com.

ABOUT BUILT IN'S BEST PLACES TO WORK

Built In's esteemed Best Places to Work awards, now in its third year, honor companies across numerous categories: 100 Best Places to Work, 50 Best Small Places to Work, 100 Best Midsize Places to Work, 50 Companies with the Best Benefits and 50 Best Paying Companies. Two new national categories reflect what candidates are searching for, including 100 Best Large Companies to Work For and 50 Best Remote-First Places to Work.

BEST PLACES TO WORK: METHODOLOGY

Built In ranks companies algorithmically based on compensation information, benefits and culture programs. This year, based on data showing tech professionals' needs, the Best Places to Work algorithm added weight to companies' commitment to DEI and remote culture. Rank is determined by combining a company's score in each of these categories.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005846/en/

The work-from-home phenomenon has triggered a fresh frustration for U.S. corporations: Americans are blowing the whistle on their employers like never before.

The proof is in the data, with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission receiving 6,900 tips alleging white-collar malfeasance in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, a 31% jump from the previous 12-month record. Officials at the agency, which pays whistle-blowers for information that leads to successful investigations, say the surge really started gaining traction in March when Covid-19 forced millions to relocate to their sofas from office cubicles.

The isolation that comes with being separated from a communal workplace has made many employees question how dedicated they are to their employers, according to lawyers for whistle-blowers and academics. Whats more, people feel emboldened to speak out when managers and co-workers arent peering over their shoulders.

Youre not being observed at the photocopy machine when youre working from home, said Jordan Thomas, a former SEC official who helped set up the agencys whistle-blower program a decade ago. Its never been easier to record a meeting when you can do it from your dining room table, added Thomas, who now represents tipsters as an attorney at Labaton Sucharow in Washington.

Adam Waytz, a psychologist and professor at Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management, agrees.

When you feel disconnected from work, you feel more comfortable speaking up, said Waytz, who has studied the motivations of whistle-blowers.

Massive award

Intended or not, the SEC itself has played a big role in encouraging informants to come forward by showing how lucrative whistle-blowing can be. Since the pandemic hit the U.S., the agency has paid out some $330 million in awards, including an eye-popping $114 million to a single tipster in October. While the payments are tied to SEC investigations that almost certainly predate coronavirus, the amount of money going out the door is unprecedented in the decade since the regulator started its whistle-blower program.

For corporations, the rise in tips risks triggering a consequence from work from home that will last long after employees return to the office. Even if few of the tips lead to SEC enforcement cases, companies could still be dealing with years of compliance distractions as the agency launches investigations, subpoenas documents and grills senior executives.

Corporations and their lawyers are acutely aware of the fact that tips are flooding in and that whistle-blower awards have ballooned, said Joseph Grundfest, a former SEC commissioner whos now a law professor at Stanford University. You pay whistle-blowers more than $100 million, youre going to get more whistle-blowers.

The SEC gained authority to pay whistle-blowers as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act after lawmakers assailed the agency for missing signs of corporate wrongdoing that were later found to have laid the groundwork for the 2008 financial crisis. Another massive black eye was the regulators failure to catch Bernard Madoffs Ponzi scheme despite repeated warnings from whistle-blower Harry Markopolos.

Under the program, tipsters can receive financial awards if they voluntarily provide unique information that results in an enforcement action. Payouts can range from 10% to 30% of the money collected in cases where sanctions exceed $1 million. Awards are paid from a fund set up by Congress  not money owed to harmed investors.

Leveraging whistle-blowers has become one of the SECs most potent tools for rooting out financial crime, despite the fact that most of the tips the SEC receives dont lead to enforcement cases. Information has come from more than 100 countries, with whistle-blowers providing evidence such as texts, emails and recorded calls.

Altered voices

The SEC never discloses the names of whistle-blowers and what cases were brought with their help. Agency officials sometimes dont even know the identity of tipsters. Thomas, the whistle-blower attorney, has gone so far as to use voice-changing technology to disguise clients genders on conference calls with the SEC.

About $737 million has been paid to 133 individuals since the SEC issued its first payment in 2012, with most tipsters waiting months or even years after the agency wraps up its investigations to get their awards. Part of the reason payouts have quickened recently is that the SEC has streamlined its process so that enforcement lawyers who work with tipsters can actively vouch for how crucial their help was.

Discussing the dramatic jumps in tips since the start of the pandemic, then SEC Enforcement Director Stephanie Avakian said Dec. 3 that its too soon to assess the quality of the information the agency is receiving. She credited the huge awards that the SEC paid out last year as an important factor in encouraging whistle-blowing.

Making more awards  certainly larger awards  all those things do go toward incentivizing whistle-blowers to come forward, Avakian, who left the SEC last month, said at an event hosted by the American Conference Institute.

Overwhelmed regulators

Grundfest, the Stanford Law professor, just hopes the SEC doesnt get overwhelmed.

The problem is that theyre being flooded with tips and dont have a robust mechanism for separating the wheat from the chaff, he said.

In recent months, the SEC has received reports on possible financial-disclosure violations and the mismarking of assets. The coronavirus impact on businesses has also triggered allegations of wrongdoing, as companies have a responsibility under SEC rules to be truthful about how the pandemic is affecting their bottom lines.

Its very convenient for management to blame Covid for underperformance, said Howard Schilit, author of Financial Shenanigans: How to Detect Accounting Gimmicks & Fraud in Financial Reports.It becomes an alibi for a companys problems.

___

Matt Robinson and Ben Bain of Bloomberg News wrote this story.

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A young dance teacher is lucky to be alive after landing on her neck while drunkenly attempting to recreate the iconic lift from Dirty Dancing.

Millie Slennett, 25, challenged her sister Rosie to see who could do the iconic dance move better during a family lunch at their parents' Sydney home on Christmas Day.

After a 'terrible' attempt by her fashion designer sister, Millie thought she had the competition in the bag when she ran towards her boyfriend Conner Justin.

Mr Justin successfully lifted his girlfriend into the air above his head, but in a split second she tipped over his shoulders and slammed into the ground face-first.

Millie Slennett, from Sydney, was filmed trying to recreate the iconic Dirty Dancing lift with her boyfriend Conner Justin at a family lunch on Christmas Day

'It all just went so quickly. When we were at the top, it felt like we were holding it for hours. I had my feet pointed, legs stretched. I thought we'd nailed it,' Ms Slennett told The Sun.

'I kept trying to lift my legs higher and then they got above my head. It went from fine to not fine within like 0.3 seconds. I didn't have time to realise I was falling until I hit the floor.'

Ms Slennett's sister Rosie, 19, stopped filming and rushed to help her and check if she still had feeling in her limbs.

The 25-year-old, who was struggling to breathe comfortably, said it felt like she had broken all the ribs down her left side.

Ms Slennett was rushed to hospital, where doctors were in disbelief she could still walk

Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey performing the lift in the iconic 1987 hit movie Dirty Dancing

'But 10 or 15 minutes after, the pain wasn't getting better so we called an ambulance, and at the hospital I could hear all the doctors walking around asking each other if they'd seen the video,' she said.

Ms Slennett was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, where doctors were in disbelief she could still walk.

They closely watched the graphic footage of the fall to determine what parts of Ms Slennett's neck and spine was likely to have been injured.

Ms Slennett admitted she was 'lucky to be alive' and discouraged others from attempting the classic dance move out of water and under the influence of alcohol.

She took to Instagram to update friends and family on her recovery, and shared a photo of herself donning a neck brace

Ms Slennett said admitted she is 'lucky to be alive' and discouraged others from attempting the classic dance move out of water

The part-time dance teacher said she was in pain the day after the accident, but luckily escaped with just bruising.

She took to Instagram to update friends and family on her recovery, and shared a photo of herself donning a neck brace.

'Disclaimer - I'm fine, just very stiff and sore. #DancingGirlFail. Had to call an ambulance, spent five hours in ED with a neck brace, had a CT and got away with just some bad bruising,' she said.

Ms Slennett is 'overwhelmed' with how many messages she has received from friends and strangers telling her how lucky she is to still be able to walk.

She said her father, who witnessed the accident, is 'pretty traumatised' and has been left with night terrors ever since.
Outgoing US Ambassador to Poland Georgette Mosbacher has been decorated by President Andrzej Duda with the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

The order has been granted to the outgoing ambassador in recognition of her outstanding achievements for the development of Polish-US friendly relations and cooperation, and for her commitment to international security.

"Let me express gratitude for this time, which was very intensive, and which saw many developments in Polish-US contacts," President Duda said during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

Mosbacher assumed the post of the US ambassador to Poland in August 2018.

She filed her resignation, effective January 20, in late December. She said her decision was in accordance with rules applying to politically-nominated ambassadors and that her resignation should be submitted before a new president is sworn in.

Mosbacher also stated at that time that she would continue her involvement in the region and was not leaving Poland for good.

(PAP)

Bengaluru, Jan 14 : Defence Minister Rajnath Singh would attend the Veterans Day of the armed forces here on Thursday with Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, an official said on Wednesday.

"Singh and Rawat will attend the Veterans Day meet at the Air Force station in the city along with next of kin of our bravehearts who sacrificed their lives for protecting the country," a Defence Ministry official said in a statement here.

Veterans Day is celebrated every year on January 14 in recognition of the services of the Indian Army's first Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa, who retired on January 14, 1953.

Cariappa (1899-1993), who hails from Karnataka's Coorg (Kodagu), led Indian forces on the western front during the first India-Pakistan war in 1947. He also fought in World War-II.

The only other Field Marshal, Sam Manekshaw (1914-2008), also retired on January 14, 1973.

"Wreaths will be laid at the National War Memorial in the city centre and at military stations across the country as a mark of respect to the martyrs for their selfless duty, expressing solidarity to their next of kin," said the official.

Entry for the event is by invitation only due to Covid-induced restrictions for containing the pandemic spread.
Overwhelming demand for freight access to Europe due to Brexit has prompted Stena Line to temporarily re-route its new ferry to run between Rosslare and Cherbourg instead of its original Belfast-Liverpool route.

The latest addition to its fleet, the Stena Embla, will make its maiden voyage on the Irish Sea via Rosslare on Thursday.

But market conditions due to the fallout from Brexit since January 1 has resulted in a 26pc decline in freight traffic from Belfast to Liverpool.

Consequently the drop in demand for freight access via Belfast promoted the ferry company to change tack, according to spokesman Simon Palmer.

"It just didnt make sense, he told the Irish Independent.

Read More

The first of the Embla's weekly sailings between Ireland and France will leave Rosslare port at 8:25pm on Thursday.

The ship, which can carry 210 freight vehicles, adds 20pc more freight capacity to the route. It also provides 60pc more cabins for freight drivers, he said.

Paul Grant, Stena Lines Irish Sea trade director said: Given the short-term market distortion, we have decided to temporarily deploy our new Stena Embla vessel on the Rosslare  Cherbourg route.

"Clearly Brexit has created an increase in the demand for direct freight routes, and in particular driver accompanied freight, so the addition of Stena Embla, whilst temporary, plus the recently introduced Stena Foreteller to the route will provide a welcome addition for our customers at this time.

Stena Line has always prided itself on being flexible when it comes to the efficient deployment of its fleet. Having very experienced onshore and onboard teams means that we are able to respond to market and customer demands rapidly.

"At present we are currently reviewing our Rosslare-Cherbourg operations and will keep engaging with our customers to identify the most appropriate Stena Line operation for the route.

Glenn Carr, general manager of Rosslare Europort, said: We warmly welcome Stena Embla to Rosslare for its maiden in-service voyage.

"We have been working closely with Stena Line to facilitate the unprecedented demand for capacity directly to and from the Continent, and the boost in capacity Stena Embla delivers has been mobilised swiftly through our close cooperation.

"On behalf of Irish industry and all of our customers and stakeholders, we thank Stena Line for their ongoing commitment to Rosslare Europort.

The addition of the Embla, alongside the Stena Foreteller, will see Stena Line operate 12 crossings a week between Ireland and Continental Europe.
Israel's national water company Mekorot will sign its first deal to provide Bahrain with water desalination technology, Israel Hayom reported.

The daily newspaper said that the deal would be signed "in the coming days in the Bahraini capital of Manama." While the Hebrew-language newspaper did not provide information about the value of the deal, it was said to be worth "millions of dollars annually."

"The deal will be the first of several deals that will be concluded with Bahrain and the UAE," the news site added, citing Mekorot's CEO Eli Cohen.

The deal comes as a result of normalization deals between Bahrain, the UAE, Sudan and Morocco, and Israel last year. The agreements were slammed by Palestinian officials.
[January 13, 2021] Chegg Launches HONOR SHIELD: A New Tool to Support the Integrity of Online Exams

Chegg Inc. (NYSE: CHGG), the online education platform which provides study tools, textbook rentals, math and writing support, and skills training to millions of students in over 190 countries, today announced a new tool available to faculty in response to the dramatic shift to online home assessments and examinations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Honor Shield allows professors to confidentially, and without charge, pre-submit exam or test questions, preventing them from being answered on the Chegg platform during a time-specified exam period. After a successful trial, Chegg is now offering the service to faculty across the United States, and eventually globally. "The overwhelming majority of students use our platform to get the support they need to learn and master their subjects. The sudden impact of the Covid-19 pandemic forced many schools to go online, almost overnight, creating understandable confusion, stress, and the loss of many on-campus support services. As a result, a small number of students have misused our platform in ways it wasn't designed for, which we believe is not in the spirit of the majority of hard-working students," said Nathan Schultz, President of Learning Services at Chegg. "We are working with faculty, administrators, and students, to do our part in protecting the integrity of the online evaluation process. The etra layer of protection provided by Honor Shield will further support the learning process and serve the continued move to online learning. By working in partnership with educators, institutions, and students, we believe we are building systems to support student learning in the most effective ways," Schultz added.



At the height of the pandemic in spring 2020, 1388 out of 1442 colleges surveyed (96%) had moved online according to the Davidson College Crisis Initiative dashboard. Of 2958 US colleges surveyed in the fall of 2020, around two thirds (65%) were still delivering at least part of their programs virtually. "This is a complex problem, and we are determined to play our part in identifying and implementing practical solutions. As education becomes more accessible and available online, we believe that technology companies and education providers must work together and evolve to protect academic integrity," said Schultz.

Honor Shield adds to a range of measures already in place to prevent abuse of Chegg's platform. These include constant technology and human monitoring, training of all Chegg experts, prompts for users, banning of abusers from the Chegg platform, strict adherence to DMCA removal protocols, and rigorous enforcement of Chegg's honor code, including cooperating with official university honor code investigations. ABOUT CHEGG Chegg: A Smarter Way to Student. We strive to improve educational outcomes by putting the student first. We support students on their journey from high school to college and into their careers with tools designed to help them learn their course materials, succeed in their classes, and save money on required materials. Our services are available online, anytime and anywhere. Chegg is a publicly held company based in Santa Clara, California and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CHGG. For more information, visit www.chegg.com. Learn more about Honor Shield at www.chegg.com/honor-shield View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005882/en/

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The owner of Edinburgh Woollen Mill has secured a deal to rescue the brand

The owner of Edinburgh Woollen Mill has secured a deal to rescue the brand and its sister business Ponden Homes from disappearing for good.

Administrators at FRP confirmed 246 stores will be saved by Purepay Retail, which is controlled by former owner Philip Day.

The agreement secures the future for 1,453 workers, mainly shop staff.

However, 85 Edinburgh Woollen Mill and 34 Ponden Home stores have been permanently closed. Sister brand Peacocks remains in administration. Tony Wright, joint administrator of Edinburgh Woollen Mill and partner at FRP, said: 'This transaction provides the best chance to save stores and jobs.'
NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Trobu Constituency, Moses Anim seems to have regretted the hurly-burly in parliament on the eve of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addos swearing-in ceremony.



After a sober reflection, the soft-spoken lawmaker described the incident which saw fully armed military personnel in the chamber to calm down the situation as unfortunate and assured, it will never happen again.



The election of a new Speaker of Parliament in the early hours of January 7, 2021, was marred with the kicking of voting booths, ballot boxes and snatching of ballot papers by some members of parliament who were not pleased with the proceedings.



The lawmakers actions which were live on national television and captured by some international media have been commended by many.



Speaking on NEAT FMs morning show Ghana Montie, Mr. Moses Anim admitted that What happened was unfortunate and we cant justify that.



Ghanaians should please forgive us, he humbly pleaded.



Listen to interview







Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/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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After the world's largest online video-sharing platform, sent a warning issued to the White House, YouTube suspended the United States President Donald Trump's account for posting on one of Google's owned company.

YouTube Suspends President Donald Trump

YouTube mentioned on Tuesday night that the President uploaded content that violated the imposed policies of the video-sharing company, which gives it an automatic one-strike, leading to a seven-day suspension from uploading new content.

The video-sharing platform also shared that it also disabled the comments section of the account.

Despite no specifications coming from the online video-sharing company as to which videos violated the company's policies, but it had mentioned that the content includes the comments made by Trump at a press conference Tuesday morning.

YouTube also mentioned that it violated policies that prohibit content for inciting violence.

The YouTube account of Donald J. Trump currently has 2.77 million subscribers and it usually posts a number of videos a day from himself and from right-wing media stations.

Under the three-strike system by YouTube, a channel will be suspended for a week after its first strike, two weeks after the second time of violations, while the account will be terminated once it committed a third strike within 90 days, CNBC reported.

After Youtube suspends Trump's account, he will not be able to upload new content, but the account and existing videos will remain accessible.

Read Also: Michigan Gun Ban on Open Carry Firearms, Following DC Capitol Riot

Based on the released statement by the company on social media on Wednesday evening, they shared that after their review and in light of concerns regarding the ongoing potential for violence, they have removed the new content uploaded to the channel of Donald J. Trump for violating their policies.

According to The Washington Post, the company also added that due to the ongoing concerns regarding violence, they will also be indefinitely disabling comments on the channel of President Trump, as they have done to other channels where there are safety concerns detected in the comments section.

The spokesperson of the company shared that they had also removed videos from the YouTube account of the White House but, instead of a first strike, the company issued a warning because in the past there has been no history of violative content on the said channel, but once it would upload a violative content on its channel, it would automatically receive a strike based on their policy.

YouTube made the announcement on Thursday that it would suspend any channel committing the first strike, posting new videos of false claims in violation of its policies, rather than giving them a warning first.

Alphabet employees called on YouTube executives on late Thursday, to take further action against the president, criticizing them for not suspending his account and reasoning that he would incite further misinformation and violence.

Before YouTube suspends Trump's account, violence arose at the United States Capitol by some pro-Trump supporters on Wednesday, which had left five individuals dead, Deutsche Welle reported.

The public, as well as the politicians, have called for social media and technology companies to more closely moderate their platforms as it can trigger and can serve as a catalyst for further violence.



Related Article: Firearm Sales Increase Days After Riots at the US Capitol

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has condemned what it describes as "absurd and unnecessary drama" in the Chamber of Parliament by Members of the House during the election of the Speaker for the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic on the night of January 6, this year.



It has, therefore, urged Parliament to purge itself of the blemish by rendering an unqualified apology to Ghanaians and also take steps to bring Members of Parliament (MPs) at the centre of the brouhaha to book.



The Chairperson of the NCCE, Ms Josephine Nkrumah, who made that call in a statement, said the standoff in Parliament, apart from bringing the image of the legislature into disrepute, was also an affront to the country's democracy.



Brawl in Parliament



The call by the NCCE is in response to series of verbal and physical exchanges between elected MPs from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) sides who had gathered in the Chamber of Parliament to be sworn into office after the dissolution of the Seventh Parliament on the mid-night of January 6, 2021.



The 275 MPs were first of all required to cast their ballots to elect a Speaker for the Eighth Parliament and two deputy speakers.



The elected Speaker would then swear the elected MPs into office.



The constitutional exercise was characterised by series of misunderstanding, including disagreements over the use of secret balloting to elect the Speaker of the House.



In the midst of the brouhaha, some MPs-elect resorted to kicking and hijacking of ballot boxes to stop the voting process on the grounds that some of the voters were publicly displaying their votes when it was supposed to be secret.



The worst happened when the MP for Tema West, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, snatched ballot papers that were being counted.



He was physically attacked by other MPs from the NDC side to retrieve the papers.



After long hours of back and forth, the former MP for Nadowli Kaleo, Mr Alban S.K Bagbin, was declared the Speaker of the House and sworn into office.



Condemnation



The action of the MPs had received wide condemnation by many groups.



The NCCE joined in that condemnation, with its chairperson describing the drama in Parliament as "unconstitutional, disgraceful, detestable and smacks off indiscipline,". She called for specific sanctions on MPs involved in the ballot papers snatching brawl.



Additionally, she called for an exhaustive investigation into the circumstances under which the military was deployed to invade the chamber.



"This is reprehensible, an affront to our democracy and contravenes Article 122 of the 1992 Constitution which states An act or omission which obstructs or impedes Parliament in the performance of its functions or which obstructs or impedes a member or officer of Parliament in the discharge of his duties, or affronts the dignity of Parliament or which tends either directly or indirectly to produce that result, is contempt of Parliament," she said.



While calling on well-meaning Ghanaians to join in condemning the "immature and undignified act" by the MPs, she underscored the need for the leadership of Parliament to take immediate steps to deal with the issues to restore dignity to the House.



The NCCE boss indicated that the action of the MPs gave credence to the perception that what miscreant constituents do at polling stations was backed by some political actors.



"The Commission urges Parliament to apply sanctions appropriately to serve as deterrent to others and the electorate generally," she said.



Dialogue



Ms Nkrumah urged MPs in the Eighth Parliament to resort to dialogue on issues to engender consensus building, given the even split in seats to the two dominant parties.



That, she said, would be the best way to uphold the principles of serving the needs of the Ghanaian at all times.



Use of military



Ms Nkrumah also said the increasing military presence in the country's democratic processes was a cause for concern "and we call for a full scale investigation and explanation to Ghanaians over the intrusion of the military in our Parliament.



She reiterated the need for every Ghanaian to uphold the supremacy of the 1992 Constitution and respect state institutions to strengthen and enhance the country's democracy.









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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By any indicator, the state of COVID-19 has never been more severe in Laredo.

READ MORE: Laredo sets record of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations in single day

In the last six days alone, 2,906 new cases have been confirmed in Webb County. Assuming that each person who tested positive for the virus took only one test to confirm it, these cases represent over 1% of the countys entire population.

On Tuesday, 577 new cases were reported, the most confirmed in a single day in Webb County; although 100 of these cases reflect backlogged results from tests taken in late December, according to the City of Laredo. It was the sixth straight day of above 400 cases reported after the area had only three previously, all from December.

Laredo has also already broken its weekly record for new COVID cases with 1,871  surpassing the former mark of 1,763  and it still has three days to go. The area must be judged on a Saturday through Friday basis to accurately account for the time it previously stopped providing updates over weekends.

Seven new deaths were reported Tuesday, and a record number of 231 patients remain hospitalized, with 79 in intensive care.

And perhaps most concerning, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported a 46.1% COVID-19 hospitalization rate  the overall percentage of the areas total resources being used to treat COVID cases  on Monday corresponding to the prior day of Sunday, which is seemingly the highest accurate figure the state has ever reported for any area. With the DSHS reporting currently a day behind, Mondays totals dropped slightly to 45.2%, but it likely will hit new record highs Wednesday when Tuesdays figures are reported due to the days heavy increase in hospitalizations reported.

Overall, Laredo has led the state in COVID-19 hospitalization rate since Dec. 10. This rate is considered the key metric for how an area is faring with COVID, with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously calling anything above 15% a red flag.

In order to accommodate the recent local surge, Laredo Medical Center expanded their first and second floor intensive care units to be all COVID ICU beds.

This was necessary but its dangerous, Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino noted, because it leaves no room for any other kind of ICU patient to come into the hospital. If there is a bad car wreck, for example, there may not be a bed for a patient who would typically need that level of care.

Trevino said the state needs to see that the hospitals have utilized every available resource before it sets up an alternate care site that would accept some of the hospitalized patients. But Trevino believes theyve already done everything they can.

In my opinion, we have already used all our resources here, and we need an alternate care center, he said. ... It is very, very dangerous to be functioning at this capacity.

Mayor Pete Saenz said the hospitals are doing everything they can to expand and create more ICU spaces. Theres always more room for patients, including cafeterias and hallways, if it comes to it, Saenz said.

Theyve done it every time  we get in a bind and they expand. The question for the hospital is how much more do you foresee expanding given potential higher numbers in days to come, he said.

City Council is due to discuss making changes to the citys emergency order at their meeting next week. But Saenz said short of going against the governors orders, he isnt sure what else they can do.

He noted that when the City of Austin enacted a curfew for restaurants and bars around New Years Eve, the Texas Attorney Generals Office sued the city, and the Supreme Court sided with the state.

Its been tested. The governor just doesnt want to move on any of the businesses, restaurants in particular, Saenz said.

Trevino said it will continue to get worse for Laredo, with this New Years surge likely to last through the end of the month and into February.

READ MORE: Laredo reports COVID-19 vaccine appointments for week booked nine minutes after opening

Its like a hurricane that never stops, he said.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
The U.S. Department of Justice building is seen in Washington on July 22, 2019. (Alastair Pike/AFP via Getty Images)

Federal Prosecutors Building Seditious, Conspiracy Cases Against Some Capitol Rioters: DOJ

The Justice Department (DOJ) on Tuesday said federal prosecutors will be working to build seditious and conspiracy charges against some rioters and protesters who breached the U.S. Capitol last week.

Yesterday, our office organized a strike force of very senior national security prosecutors and public corruption prosecutors. Their only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol, Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for Washington, said in a press conference. And these are significant charges that have felonies with a prison term of up to 20 years.

The DOJ has so far opened 170 cases related to the events on Jan. 6 where civil unrest and acts of violence at the U.S. Capitol marred otherwise peaceful protests. A group of rioters and some protesters waving American and Trump flags illegally stormed the Capitol building. The mayhem on the grounds left at least five people dead, including a police officer, and dozens of police officers injured.

Sherwin said he expects the number of cases to grow into the hundreds in the next coming weeks. He added that as of Tuesday, over 70 individuals have been charged in connection with the rioting and breach of peace, and warned that many more cases will follow.

He said individuals are being charged with various offenses ranging from simple trespass, theft of mail, theft of digital devices, assault on local and federal officers to more serious offenses such as theft of potential national security information or national defense information and felony murder.

The gamut of cases and criminal conduct were looking at is really mind-blowing, he said. And that has really put an enormous amount of work on the plate of the FBI and field offices throughout the entire United States.

In addressing public misconceptions, Sherwin said that in order to press charges against certain individuals as quickly as possible, a large proportion of cases were opened on initial misdemeanor charges such as trespass. But he said that prosecutors have the ability to then indict these individuals on more serious offenses after their arrest.

After these criminal charges are filed via criminal complaints, that allows us that allows law enforcement across the United States to arrest people from Dallas to Arkansas, to Nashville, to Cleveland to Jacksonville. Thats whats happened over the past several days, Sherwin said. After those charges are filed, then we have the ability to then indict these individuals on more significant charges. And thats exactly what has happened.

Protesters storm the Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Ahmed Gaber/Reuters)

The top prosecutor for the district also said that the department is prioritizing cases related to weapons and destructive devices such as bombs. On the day of the protests, several pipe bombs were found near the U.S. Capitolone in headquarters of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and another one in the Republican National Committee (RNC) building. Molotov cocktails were also found in a vehicle on the Capitol grounds, local police confirmed.

Sherwin said that the department is also cracking down on violence against law enforcement and members of the press. One U.S. Capitol police officer died after sustaining injuries while responding to violence at the Capitol. Meanwhile, an off-duty death of another U.S. Capitol police officer was announced several days after the incident, however, it is unclear whether his death was linked to the protests.

Its going to come into laser focus. I think over the next weeks and days, and I think people are going to be shocked with some of the egregious contact that happened within the Capitol, he said.

Over the past week, authorities have been identifying protesters who allegedly participated in the Capitol breach on Jan. 6, including Richard Barnett from Arkansas, who was allegedly photographed sitting with his foot on a desk inside House Speaker Nancy Pelosis office; Derrick Evans, a Republican member of the West Virginia House of Delegates; and Adam Johnson, 36, who apparently appears in a widely circulated photo carrying Pelosis podium.

The violence at the Capitol has been condemned by President Donald Trump, President-elect Joe Biden, as well as lawmakers from both sides of the aisle.

The event has sparked various investigations and reviews and had prompted officials to ramp up security in the upcoming inauguration on Jan. 20.

United States Capitol Polices (USCP) Acting Chief Yogananda Pittman announced late Monday that several Capitol Police officers have been suspended following a review of video and other open source materials of Wednesdays Capitol breach.

Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who chairs the Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, told reporters on Monday that the USCP is cracking down on all individuals involved that potentially facilitated, on a big level or small level in any way, in the assault on Capitol grounds. The USCP investigations are still ongoing.

The civil unrest also triggered an effort by big tech companies to ramp up its policing of content that they claim could lead to potential harm offline. Much of their enforcement actions have been directed toward President Donald Trump, his supporters, conservatives, as well as QAnon followers.
Chinas 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020) saw significant improvements in various aspects of peoples lives in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu province, thanks to the citys continuous efforts to accelerate the implementation of a number of projects designed to further improve peoples access to high-quality resources in such sectors as education, health and employment, Nanjing Daily reported.

In the past five years, both the completion rate of nine-year compulsory education and the net enrollment rate of primary-school-age children of the city reached 100 percent.

Students participate in an archery competition in Nanjing. (Xinhua/Ji Chunpeng)

Nanjing built eight high schools, 106 primary and junior high schools, as well as 271 kindergartens during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, with these figures rising by 14 percent, 18 percent and 26.8 percent respectively from the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).

In an effort to make high-quality education resources benefit more people, the city rolled out multiple measures to facilitate sharing of resources, including helping more students enjoy resources of famous schools.

Five key public high schools, namely Nanjing Foreign Language School, High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University, Jinling High School, Nanjing No.1 High School and Zhonghua High School, were asked to operate on two sites so as to cover more students.

In 2017, the High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University Jiangning Campus was encouraged by the government of Jiangning district of Nanjing to help the Nanjing Qingshuiting School in the district improve its education quality, as the latter suffered a drop in the number of students due to the lack of quality education resources.

The High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University Jiangning Campus sent a management team to Nanjing Qingshuiting School, which is now named Qingshuiting School of High School Affiliated to Nanjing Normal University Jiangning Campus. Both schools have carried out teaching and research activities together. Since it has introduced many special activities of its counterpart, the Qingshuiting School now has a richer curriculum.

What have also been shared among more people in the city are medical services. With continuous improvements in its hierarchical medical system and evaluation system, the city has established 52 medical alliances of different types across the city, making it much easier for people to seek medical services.

Since Nanjing Lishui People's Hospital, in Lishui district of Nanjing, has formed a close medical alliance with Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, a large comprehensive hospital integrating medical treatment, training and scientific research, the latter has helped significantly improve the treatment capacity of Nanjing Lishui People's Hospital by dispatching experts and sharing techniques with its counterpart, according to Mao Qing, executive director of the Department of Cardiology of Nanjing Lishui People's Hospital.

The alliance has saved the life of an 87-year-old citizen surnamed He, who had an immediate operation at a hospital near his home following a sudden heart attack.

Without these excellent doctors near my home, I have no choice but to express my gratitude now, said He gratefully.

With 134 community health service centers (including town hospitals), 672 community health service stations (including village clinics), 1.37 hospital beds and 3.8 medical workers for every 1,000 residents, Nanjing has built a 15-minute health service circle that enables citizens to receive medical services near their homes in 15 minutes.

Nanjing has also made efforts to facilitate employment for college graduates, encouraging them to start their own businesses in the city.

Since last April, the city has taken 10 measures to encourage college graduates to start business, including relaxing restrictions on obtaining household registration, ensuring housing, expanding employment channels, and encouraging enterprises to employ college graduates.

In July 2020, over 100,000 internship opportunities from leading industries and eight industrial lines were provided for graduates with master's or doctoral degrees. Other favorable measures, such as providing subsidies and rewards for employers that hired college graduates with master's or doctoral degrees, have also been taken to attract talents to the city.

According to an official of the Nanjing Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, in 2020, the city rewarded companies that didnt lay off workers.

Last year, Nanjing refunded unemployment insurance premiums of nearly 1.36 billion yuan (about $210.76 million) to more than 150,000 enterprises and exempted 160,000 enterprises from contributions to basic old-age insurance, unemployment insurance, and work injury compensation insurance schemes, with the reduced contributions topping 16.56 billion yuan.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IO Biotech, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, immune-modulating anti-cancer therapies based on its proprietary T-win technology, announced today that it has raised EUR 127 million in Series B financing. The financing round was led by HBM Healthcare Investments, and other new investors joining the round included Vivo Capital, Kurma Partners, Avoro Capital, RA Capital Management, Samsara Biocapital, Idinvest Partners1, PFM Health Sciences, Soleus Capital, Eir Ventures and Serrado Capital, with the participation of existing investors Novo Seeds, Lundbeckfonden Emerge and Sunstone Life Science Ventures. Additionally, Dr. Priyanka Belawat of HBM Partners, Jack B. Nielsen of Vivo Capital and Vanessa Malier of Kurma Partners will join IO Biotech's board of directors as part of the closing of the financing.

On December 15, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted IO Biotech breakthrough therapy designation for a combination of the potential therapies IO102 and IO103 with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. IO Biotech intends to use the net proceeds of the transaction towards the funding of clinical trials for its early and late-stage immuno-oncology programs, including a large randomized trial for IO102 and IO103 with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies in metastatic melanoma.

"We are excited to have such a strong group of investors backing our company at this stage, and I am proud that this financing round had such high interest and can close oversubscribed," said Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, and founder of IO Biotech. "The funding will enable us to execute on our breakthrough therapy designation grant and advance our lead programs in late-stage clinical development, as we are committed to bringing our treatment to patients as soon as possible."

"HBM is excited to be joining IO Biotech as a shareholder. IO Biotech offers a unique treatment modality in oncology, harnessing novel immunomodulatory mechanisms through proprietary vaccine candidates. The financing will help the company bring forward its promising clinical and pre-clinical pipeline closer to the patients in medical need," said Dr. Priyanka Belawat, Investment Advisor at HBM Partners.

"IO Biotech is building a significant immunotherapy pipeline based on compelling scientific and clinical validation. On behalf of existing investors, I warmly welcome the new investors to the company," said Christian Elling, Managing Partner at Lundbeckfonden Emerge. "Together we can accelerate the development of the company's unique breakthrough cancer medicines to the benefit of patients and physicians."

About IO102 and IO103

IO102 and IO103 are IO Biotech's lead immuno-oncology candidates. Both compounds are based on IO Biotech's proprietary T-win technology platform which enables the identification of compounds with a dual mechanism of action targeting and directly killing immunosuppressive cells and tumor cells while indirectly activating other T-effectors, leading to strong anti-tumor responses without adding additional safety concern. Specifically, IO102 and IO103 are first-in-class, immune modulatory vaccines designed to engage and activate IDO and PD-L1 specific human T-cells.

The FDA decision to grant breakthrough therapy designation was based on data from the MM1636 Phase 1/2 clinical trial of 30 patients with metastatic melanoma receiving IO102, IO103 and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies. According to the data recently presented in a late-breaking abstract at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020, the combination of IO102 and IO103 vaccines and nivolumab was shown to be safe with encouraging early efficacy data; an overall response rate (ORR) of 79 percent was reached and 45 percent of patients achieved a complete response (CR), or complete disappearance of their tumors. Vaccine specific T-cells were located in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and at the tumor site.

About IO Biotech

IO Biotech is a clinical stage biotech company developing disruptive immune therapies for the treatment of cancer. The pipeline of first-in-class immune modulating anti-cancer therapies is developed by a unique technology platform, T-win, enabling the activation of T cells that are specific for immune-suppressive molecules. IO Biotech has a proven track record of progressing preclinical and clinical compounds. The two lead compounds targeting IDO and PD-L1 are in clinical development and several pipeline compounds are in pre-clinical phase. For further information, please visit www.iobiotech.com.

Contacts

Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, CEO and founder of IO Biotech E-mail: mz@iobiotech.com

Media Inquiries

Jennifer Williams, Cook Williams Communications, Inc. E-mail: jennifer@cwcomm.org

1) Subsidiary of Eurazeo
Eight months past the state Capitol breached by the anti-lockdown protesters and armed militias, now officials imposed Michigan Gun ban, prohibiting all open carry weapons from the statehouse.

On Monday, the Michigan Capitol Commission voted unanimously in banning the said firearms from the Lansing building concealed weapons with permits will be exempted and still be allowed.

Not only Governor Gretchen Whitmer, but also other state leaders have been calling for the change to the rules of the statehouse since the incident on April 30 when armed protesters stormed the state Capitol, clashing with officers and intimidated elected officials who were meeting on the coronavirus emergency rules of the state.

The siege happened in the state took place days after President Donald Trump tweeted 'Liberate Michigan.'

The Governor, who was the subject of the failed kidnapping plot by armed men who allegedly helped in planning the said demonstrations, shared that it was important to tighten security in the state Capitol after the raid last week of the United States Capitol by supporters of President Trump, which resulted in the deaths of four individuals and an officer, the NPR reported.

In her statement, she mentioned that this cannot stand and they must take immediate action just like the 'Michigan gun ban' in order to protect everyone who steps foot in their Capitol.

Read also:Democrats Move to Trump Impeachment, Pence Answers No Resignation nor Removal of the President

The Federal Bureau of Investigation sent out an internal bulletn on Monday, which warns that the armed protests are being planned across the 50 state capitols staring from January 1 through at least January 20.

According to ABC News, the law enforcement sources shared to them that officials from the Federal law enforcement have advised the police agencies that they need to increase their security posture at statehouses all over the country following the riot and protests at the U.S. Capitol.

The FBI arrested seven men in October after plotting to kidnap Whitmer and other state officials and take them hostage at the Michigan Capitol.

Based on authorities, the suspects were linked to the militia group called the 'Wolverine Watchmen,' who were also present at a number of protests which includes the incident on April 30, The Guardian reported.

The Michigan Governor also called on the commission for considering additional safeguards that would prevent from weapons entering the statehouse.

She also mentioned in a statement that on a normal day, hundreds of individuals are walking through the Capitol, which includes teachers, groups of students, and parents on school field trips, who wants to learn about the state government in their respective field trips.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer also emphasized that is the reason why they need to take action especially the imposing of the Michigan gun ban, which bans all weapons at the Capitol except for those concealed weapons with permits, in order to keep the Michiganders safe and the Capitol itself.

Moreover, aside from the states across the country, the Capitol also is preparing not only for a safe and peaceful Inauguration but also for a peaceful protests.

Related article: Armed Protests Threaten 50 States, FBI Warns of Possible Movements Ahead of Biden Inauguration

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
England's third lockdown has sparked an 'unprecedented crisis' in mental health, top experts have warned.

Charities and politicians have urged No10 to provide much-needed funding to prop up services, and ensure all patients receive treatment.

Mind says its pandemic support page has seen its highest number of visitors since April  when the country was in the grips of the first wave.

And former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned there is a 'real risk' self-isolation becomes a 'tipping point leading to an epidemic of severe mental illness'.

Experts claim the mental health crisis has been fuelled by the UK's huge death toll, mass unemployment caused by the lockdowns and the social effects of stay at home orders.

Last month leading psychiatrist Dr Adrian James warned Covid-19 could deliver the biggest hit to Briton's mental well-being since the Second World War.

And the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed in August around one in five Britons suffered either moderate or severe depressive symptoms in June 2020, almost double the level recorded the same time last year.

The pandemic is triggering an 'unprecedented crisis' in mental health, top experts warned today. (stock image)

10million people 'face mental health crisis in wake of Covid' Up to 10million people could need mental health support in the wake of the pandemic, a report warned before Britain's second wave of coronavirus. Experts said around 8.5million adults and 1.5million children in England will likely need help to deal with the fallout from coronavirus, including losing loved ones and jobs. They will mostly need help for depression and anxiety, according to analysis from the Centre for Mental Health, which consulted experts from the NHS. But others - including NHS workers - could develop conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), more commonly associated with service personnel following armed conflicts. Advertisement

Mind's pandemic support page had as many as 9,580 views on January 4, the day Boris Johnson announced England's third shutdown, reports The Telegraph.

The following day this had risen to 14,167, the highest number in a single day since April 22, 2020, which was a month into the first lockdown.

The numbers remained high throughout last week, hitting 11,585 on Wednesday and 9,510 on Thursday.

Paul Farmer, the charity's chief executive, warned: 'It is no understatement to say that the nation is facing a "mental health pandemic".

'It is clear that our mental health is deteriorating across the board - from mild mental health problems right through to those reaching crisis point and even having to be hospitalised.'

Mr Hunt, the chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, told the newspaper: 'There is a danger of medicalising the general malaise and cabin fever felt by many people as a mental health issue.'

He added, however: 'There is a real risk that enforced isolation becomes a tipping point leading to an epidemic of severe mental illness.'

Calling for more action on mental health last month Dr James, who is president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said that even when ministers manage to get the virus under control there will be 'profound' long-term consequences.

'It is probably the biggest hit to mental health since the Second World War,' he told The Guardian.

'It doesn't stop when the virus is under control and there are few people in hospital. You've got to fund the long-term consequences.'

Ex-Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned self-isolation may be a 'tipping point'

Mental health charity Mind described the situation by Christmas as a 'mental health emergency', adding that '2020 has been a year of anxiety and uncertainty and more people need us than ever before'.

The ONS published a study in August showing the rate of depression in Britain has doubled since the pandemic began.

They found 9.7 per cent of all adults had some sort of depression between July last year and this March.

But when the same group was assessed again in June, the figure had surged to 19.32 per cent - almost one in five. The data added young women were most affected by the virus and the Government's draconian lockdown measures.

At the time top experts warned of an emerging 'mental health crisis', and said the findings were 'deeply troubling'.

'This study tells us, yet again, that we might have a mental health crisis after this pandemic,' said Professor Dame Til Wykes, clinical psychology and rehabilitation at the Institute of Psychiatry Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London (IoPPN).

She added: 'The social effects of distancing and isolation for some affects their emotional wellbeing.

'We can all understand that dealing with tough circumstances like financial stress and unemployment, as well as the fear produced by having an underlying health condition, are likely to put pressure on all our coping mechanisms.

'We dont know when this pandemic will be over but the news about employment seems likely to put further strain on an already stressed population. The figures for depression are then likely to be much worse.'
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TURIN, JAN 13 - Gambling addiction is a full-blown mental illness, a defence-appointed expert told a Turin court on Wednesday. The defence thus entered a plea for leniency in the case of a former middle school teacher accused of embezzling 11,000 euros earmarked for school trips to feed his gambling habit. The court ordered another expert to assess the first expert's conclusions. The prosecution did not oppose the defence motion. Prosecutor Giovanni Caspani noted that three sentences by Italy's supreme Cassation Court had already determined that addicted gamblers are incapable of resisting their craving to bet. The new test was ordered after the defendant reported his addiction to a gambling clinic in 2018. (ANSA).
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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
MANCHESTER, England, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cheshire based fintech, Suits Me, has experienced their biggest year of growth since launching in 2015, despite contending with the global coronavirus pandemic.

The alternative banking solution has announced record growth across multiple areas of the business including the number of new accounts opened, uplift in new staff members and the premier of the Suits Me TV advert, along with the accomplishment of numerous other goals in 2020.

In the nine months since the outbreak of the coronavirus and the first national lockdown in March 2020, Suits Me saw an increase of 45,147 accounts opened and in November 2020 they reached their latest milestone of 100,000 accounts opened, doubling the number of account holders in just one year (52,161).

Richard Lynch, Managing Director, explained: "Suits Me is committed to providing a suitable banking solution for everyone. So, I'm delighted to say that our latest achievements are a great steppingstone to further extend our reach to financially excluded individuals, who are eager to take their next step on the banking ladder. We're expecting continued growth throughout 2021 and will continue to work hard for all of our account holders."

In October 2020, Suits Me launched their very first TV campaign shown on BT Sport, Dave, Dave Ja Vu and Sky Atlantic. After previously focusing on only digital marketing, the continued growth meant launching the TV campaign was the next natural step to further extend their reach to the underbanked that need a suitable banking service.

Internally, Suits Me has seen growth in most departments within the company, in order to accommodate the rapidly increasing number of account holders.

At the start of 2020, there were just 13 staff members, now there are 35 talented employees, boosted by the company receiving a highly commended award for Best Talent Tech Company to work for in the TIARA Talent Tech Star Awards.

In addition to this, Suits Me also brought home a Highly Commended accreditation for Best Newcomer at the 2020 British Bank Awards.

Kim Roberts, Marketing and Communications Director, said: "The milestones reached throughout 2020, underlines the capabilities we have as a company to compete differently, offering an alternative to traditional banking within the fintech industry. Creating a stable brand identity and streamlining the processes we have in place across the marketing department has been key to helping us to achieve more than we anticipated in the last 12 months."

Towards the end of 2020, Suits Me also focused heavily on their "Suits Me Savings" reward programme, where they've partnered with a wide range of small to medium sized retailers in a bid to help support both account holders and local businesses during the pandemic, an important scheme that will continue throughout 2021.

Matthew Sanders, CEO, explained: "The wonderful achievements made throughout 2020 - despite the uncertainty and impact of the coronavirus - are thanks to the entire Suits Me Team, who have worked harder than ever throughout the global pandemic. I'd also like to thank our understanding and patient account holders, who have helped us to not only achieve our targets but take them to the next level. We've got lots of exciting projects planned for Suits Me in 2021 and we can't wait to begin the next chapter - hopefully without the influence of COVID-19."

Suits Me 2020 Highlights

January

The start of internal expansion through the recruitment of new employees

March

Highly Commended accreditation for Best Newcomer at the British Bank Awards

April

A reduction in Direct Debit charges for all account holders

July

Retailer Jojo Maman Bebe joins Suits Me's retailer cashback reward programme

September

Our discount partnerships scheme with small businesses begins

Highly Commended award for Best Talent Tech Company to Work For

Nominated for Supplier of the Year at the 2020 Recruiter Awards

October

Premier of Suits Me TV campaign across BT Sport, Dave, Dave Ja Vu and Sky Atlantic

November

2,000 Trustpilot Reviews with a rating of: Excellent

Doubling the number of account holders in 12 months to reach 100,000 accounts opened

Notes to the Editor:

Snapshot of an Average Suits Me Account Holder

65% of account holders are male

Average age: 25-34

Nationality: English, Romanian, Bulgarian and Polish

Customer Values: Transparency, Honesty, Integrity, and Reliability

Links

Link to Suits Me:?suitsmecard.com

Link to TV Advert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5u0w1XC7cM

About Suits Me:??

Suits Me are a hassle-free alternative to traditional banking, offering a current account with access to online banking, a mobile banking app and a contactless debit card. Suits Me was founded in 2015 to provide a current account to customers who may have poor or no credit history, no proof of address,?or struggle to open an account with a traditional bank.

Currently operating in Cheshire, UK, Suits Me gives people an alternative solution to a high street bank. Suits Me do not perform credit checks and provides?all their account holders with access to their?exclusive cashback reward?programme.

For more information, go to?suitsmecard.com?or follow us @suitsmecard on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and?LinkedIn.

Infographic - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419780/Suits_Me_Infographic.jpg

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419779/Suits_Me.jpg

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419778/Suits_Me_Logo.jpg

Contact:

Kim Roberts??

Marketing and Communications Director??

kroberts@suitsmecard.com??

+44 (0)7855 503443
A Democratic congressman from Georgia wants U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville to be expelled from the House of Representatives, the latest in a series of pushbacks Brooks has received since his fiery speech at a pro-Trump rally one week ago.

Rep. Hank Johnson said in a press release Wednesday he is introducing a resolution in the House calling for Brooks to be kicked out of the House.

Representative Brooks has repeatedly promoted President Trumps baseless and dangerous election theft claims, culminating in a profanity-laden speech to an angry mob of supporters of Trump that included calls to march on the U.S. Capitol, Johnsons press release said.

Soon after those remarks, that crowd turned to attack the Capitol, seizing control of the building, damaging government property, and endangering the lives of the Vice President, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, members of Congress, and staff on the Hill.

Five people died at pro-Trump protesters occupied the Capitol several hours after Brooks delivered his speech at the rally.

Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass, Brooks said during the speech.

Brooks has denied inciting a riot or encouraging his audience to storm the Capitol, which was occupied for several hours as Congress suspended its session to approve the Electoral College vote results.

Brooks issued a lengthy statement on Tuesday defending himself for the words he spoke at the rally.

In a text message Wednesday to AL.com, Brooks said, Hank Johnsons resolution has zero chance of passing and, to a large degree, reflects the panic of socialists who were shocked by their 2020 losses and fear they are about to lose their House majority in 2022. Johnsons resolution is just another in what will be a long line of partisan, socialist efforts to oppress freedom of speech and Americas conservative thought leaders.

I am very disturbed that they filed their attack motions without bothering to conduct an investigation or even ask me for a response to their absurd and wild accusations. So much for the socialists view of due process.

Johnson said in his press release that his resolution has support from 21 other members of Congress.

On Monday, Rep. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida filed a resolution calling for Brooks to be censured by the House for his speech. A censure is a less punitive option for Congress, though Malinowski described it as a scarlet letter.

A censure would require a majority vote to pass while expulsion would require a two-thirds vote.

Gov. Kay Ivey and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, in comments this week, have not supported Brooks actions and said his future in politics is up to the voters.

The attorney general for the District of Columbia also said in an MSNBC interview on Monday that he is looking into possibly bringing criminal charges against Brooks as well as Donald Trump Jr. and President Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

The Johnson resolution said that Brooks is using the power of his office to subvert the will of the American people and peddle baseless conspiracy theories at the expense of our Republic.

The resolution also said that Brooks has refused to apologize and doubled down on this hateful rhetoric.

In conclusion, the resolution said, Brooks continues to advocate for violence against the United States government and in so doing, continues to disgrace himself and bring dishonor to the House of Representatives.

Brooks has repeatedly said that he does not support the violent actions of protesters last week, saying in a message on Twitter on Monday, The Capitol attack perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Updated today, Jan. 13, 2021, at 2:32 p.m. with comment from Brooks.
Delhi schools outside containment zones to open on Jan 18 for Classes 10, 12

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 13: All schools in Delhi will reopen for classes 10, 12 from January 18. The circular says only schools outside the containment zones will be allowed to reopen and students, staff and teachers living in these areas will not be allowed to attend.

"In order to conduct the activities pertaining to pre-board preparations and practical work, the head of government, aided and unaided recognised schools may call the students of classes 10 and 12 only to school with effect from January 18, 2021. However, the child should be called to school only with the consent of parents, following the enclosed standard operating procedure. Further, while the records of children coming to school be maintained, the same should not be used for attendance purposes as sending the child to school is completely optional for parents," the circular said.

Coronavirus outbreak: Schools, colleges to reopen in Gujarat today

The schools have been told not to hold or any assembly or physical outdoor activities. The principals have been asked to guide the children not to share books, stationary or copies.
The Democrat-media complex embarked on a complicated course of action when Donald Trump was elected president. There were many questions in their minds about possible strategies to regain power. Most of the strategies involved deception or relied on the incompetence of their adversaries. There were risks of failure in these actions. In fact, as you look at the questions below, you will assume that there was a very high risk of failure.

Let's consider some of the questions they would have faced:

Can we sell the "Trump is a traitor" lie, saying he collaborated with Putin to steal the election? Can we continue to sell that lie even after a 40-million-dollar investigation found that it was false?

Can we sell the lie that borders for a country are racist and that Trump and his supporters are racist for wanting a secure border?

Can we sell the lies that Trump refuses to condemn neo-Nazis...that he says "they are good people"...that Trump and his followers are white supremacists? Will this tired old lie still work to create the racial animosity that we desire?

Can we safely ignore any acknowledgment of Trump's successful policies, or will our bias be too obvious? Can we ignore all the good things that happen with the economy and foreign affairs? Can we ignore the fact that Trump is doing what he was elected to do, and it is working?

Can we pretend Trump is committing an impeachable offense by expressing concern about political corruption in Ukraine involving the Biden family? After all, Joe Biden is on video bragging about threatening Ukraine with withholding money unless they stopped investigating the company his son "worked" for. Burisma had purchased American foreign policy with the money it gave to Hunter. Can we get away with pretending Trump is the guilty party here, not Biden?

Can we get away with making the absolutely preposterous claim that Hunter Biden's laptop, and all the corroborating information around it, is simply "Russian disinformation"? Then can we just walk away from this shocking story as though it didn't exist? Joe "the Big Guy" Biden's presidential dreams rest on successfully hiding this proof of his corruption. But is this deception even possible?

Can we run a presidential campaign without an actual campaign? Can we keep the candidate hidden away from any tough questions, never asking for elaboration on important policy issues? Can we pretend our candidate, who has trouble filling a high school gym with supporters, broke all records of enthusiastic support with his voter turnout?

It will be very important not to allow in-depth analysis of thoroughly irrational policies like "The Green New Deal," or "open borders with free health care for all." Can we just pretend Biden's people can vote to control the world's climate and that Democrats have a secret way to provide free stuff for everyone? Are our voters really that ignorant about how the world works?

Can we organize a nationwide campaign to weaken election laws, especially in some key battleground states? The Constitution requires that only state legislatures can make election law. Can we just ignore that and get away with it? Can we print millions of unrequested mail-in ballots, ignore signature verification, ignore chain-of-custody rules, and inhibit oversight by Republican poll-watchers?

In the face of an enormous amount of evidence of election fraud, can we just keep saying, "There is no evidence of voter fraud"? Can we just ignore the hundreds of sworn affidavits made by people who observed the fraud? Can we say that people who are concerned about fraud are "undermining democracy" when it is the fraud itself that undermines democracy?

Can we count on Republican "leaders" to be so extremely inept and clueless that they do nothing about the unconstitutional changes in election laws? Can we count on them to do nothing about the censorship of conservatives by our social media allies? Can we count on them to roll over easily on the issue of voter fraud, getting them to ignore the fact that once vote fraud is accepted, nothing else matters?

We now know the answer to all of these questions.

The answer is yes. Yes, they did do all of that, and it appears that they did it successfully.

The end.

Image via Pickpik.
Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 86F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. S winds shifting to ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
U.S. sanction threats force Danish firm out of Nord Stream 2  media

The company withdrew last autumn, the local publication wrote, fearing potential implications.

Reporting by UNIAN

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One of the men arrested after last week's violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was kicked out of the Navy two years into his enlistment for refusing to take a required vaccine.

Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, a 33-year-old Navy veteran from Arizona who was arrested and charged after last week's siege at the U.S. Capitol, refused to take the anthrax vaccine while in the Navy, ending his two-year career, a Navy official confirmed to Military.com. Task and Purpose first reported the circumstances that led the Navy to boot Chansley from the ranks.

Chansley, who also goes by Jake Angeli, was arrested Saturday and charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority, the Department of Justice announced this weekend. Chansley was photographed among supporters of President Donald Trump who carried out a violent takeover of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. He was shirtless, wearing a horned fur headdress and red, white and blue face paint.

Read Next: In Unprecedented Joint Letter, Top Military Brass Denounces US Capitol Riot

Chansley served as a Navy supply clerk seaman apprentice from 2005 to 2007. Navy officials declined to provide further details about his career, including what kind of discharge he received from the military, citing privacy concerns.

The anthrax vaccine, according to the Military Health Service, is required for troops deploying to the Middle East and Korea. Some other personnel, including emergency response and other units, are also required to take the vaccine, which is given in a five-dose series with annual boosters.

Chansley's mom has defended her son, telling ABC15 in Phoenix that he is a patriot.

"It takes a lot of courage to be a patriot, OK, and to stand up for what it is that you believe," Martha Chansley told the station. "Not everybody wants to be the person upfront."

Chansley is one of at least two military veterans who have been arrested following last week's attack on the Capitol. Retired Air Force Reserve Lt. Col. Larry Rendall Brock Jr., who was photographed carrying zip-tie handcuffs and wearing military patches on a flak jacket during the siege, was arrested Sunday in Texas.

The nation's top military leaders sent a memo to the entire joint force on Tuesday, telling them to uphold the Constitution, follow the law, and to accept President-elect Joe Biden as their next commander in chief.

"The rights of freedom of speech and assembly do not give anyone the right to resort to violence, sedition and insurrection," eight members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote.

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Related: Retired Lieutenant Colonel Is Unlikely to Face Court-Martial in Capitol Riot, Experts Say
Expectant parents will often ask me how long it will take until their baby is born. Unless the woman is having a caesarean section, it is impossible to give a definitive answer, yet in most films babies are born within a matter of minutes, if not less. At least Netflix's new release, Pieces of a Woman, gives the labour process 22 minutes.

But it captures the labour of the mother, Martha, in a single long take, which implies that labour is short when it is normally long, especially if its your first baby. And Martha's cervix goes from six centimetres to being fully dilated in seven minutes. When I was in labour with my first baby, it took me four hours to get to that point, and then another hour to push my baby out.

Molly Parker, left, and Vanessa Kirby in 'Pieces of a Woman'. Credit:Netflix via AP

Pieces of a Woman explores how the loss of a newborn during a home birth affects not only the mother but also those around her, including her midwife, Eva. Despite the inaccuracies in its portrayal of the labour and birthing process, the film captures perfectly the relationship between a woman and her midwife.

I work in a hospital, so I have never had to experience the gut-wrenching tragedy that Eva endures after she realises the newborn baby in her hands is not breathing. I have the luxury of pressing an emergency button near the patients bed when things dont go to plan and a swarm of highly experienced doctors and midwives will rush to my aid.
As the second wave of COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly across Nigeria, more people are dying from the disease, a situation health officials attributed to late referral of COVID-19 patients to treatment centres.

Nigeria on Tuesday logged one if its deadliest daily fatality toll with 12 people dying from the virus.

The figure has taken the total death toll to 1,373.

In the past 25 days, there have been 161 fatalities as a result of COVID-19 complications in Nigeria.

The Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, speaking at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing last weej, said caregivers are holding on to suspected cases for too long before presenting them for treatment.

The second wave of the coronavirus has also continued to sweep across Nigeria with 1,270 new infections recorded in 22 states across the country on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Nigeria crossed the grim milestone of over 100,000 infections as health officials call for stricter enforcement of safety measures.

The 1,270 new cases on Tuesday pushed the total number of infections in the country to 102,601.

One in every six persons (16 per cent) tested for COVID-19 in Nigeria in the past two weeks tested positive for the virus, indicating how far the virus has spread,

PREMIUM TIMES review of official data showed that Nigeria set a weekly record of about 10, 000 cases in the past week.

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 recent surge, warning that the situation could get worse if citizens keep violating safety protocols.

The federal government recently warned that a significant increase in coronavirus infections in Nigeria appears imminent this January due to continued violation of safety protocols during the Christmas period.

Active cases in the country rose sharply from about 3,000 about a month ago to over 20,000 due to a rise in new infections.

Of the over 102,000 cases so far, 81,574 patients have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.

Specifics

The 1,270 new cases were reported from 22 states  Lagos (435), FCT (234), Oyo (103), Plateau (86), Rivers (71), Enugu (51), Nasarawa (41), Delta (39), Edo (39), Osun (33), Niger (31), Sokoto (23), Ondo (16), Taraba (13), Ebonyi (12), Kano (10), Abia (9), Bayelsa (8), Bauchi (7), Imo (5), Katsina (3) and Gombe (1).

Lagos led with 435 new cases on Tuesday, more than half of the daily total. The commercial city is Nigerias coronavirus epicentre with a total of over 36,000 confirmed cases and more than 255 deaths.

The Minister of State for Health, Mr Mamora, warned Nigerians against complacency in containing the COVID-19 pandemic as the much-awaited vaccines may not arrive the country as soon as expected.

The Nigerian government has postponed reopening of schools which was initially slated for January 17 due to the spike in coronavirus infections.

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The government also said it is expecting to start receiving vaccines for the disease by the end of the month.

So far, Nigeria has conducted over a million COVID-19 tests.
The United States remains committed to holding to account the Nicaraguan regime of Daniel Ortega by exposing those who suppress the democratic will of the Nicaraguan people. Thats why the United States has imposed sanctions on Marvin Ramiro Aguilar Garcia, Walmaro Antonio Gutierrez Mercado, and Fidel de Jesus Dominguez Alvarez. All three have enabled and benefitted from the corrupt Nicaraguan regime.

Marvin Ramiro Aguilar Garcia is the Vice President of the Supreme Court of Justice, National Political Secretary of the Sandinista Leadership Council, and a member of the Council for the Administration and Judicial Career of the Nicaraguan Supreme Court of Justice, which ensures regime supporters are selected for key posts. As the National Political Secretary, Aguilar directly advises President Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo and reportedly coordinates the targeting of pro-democracy opposition members.

Walmaro Antonio Gutierrez Mercado is a Deputy of the National Assembly and president of the Production, Economic and Budget Commission. He publicly advocated for the controversial Foreign Agents Law, which specifies that individuals and entities in Nicaragua that receive foreign funds must register and make detailed monthly reports to the Interior Ministry. The law also prohibits such individuals and entities from participating in the political process.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he anticipate(s) that this law, which contemplates fines and other legal sanctions for noncompliance, will be invoked to restrict the civil and political rights of certain individuals or organizations that the government arbitrarily deems to be a threat.

Fidel de Jesus Dominguez Alvarez, Chief of the Nicaraguan National Police in Leon, has allegedly directed assaults on many Nicaraguan citizens and journalists. Dominguez reportedly directed the ransacking of an independent radio station and beating of a journalist by Nicaraguan National Police officials. Dominguez was also reportedly involved in the abuse and beatings of a former opposition deputy and other Ortega opponents.

The United States government will continue to take the steps necessary to support the Nicaraguan people and pressure the Ortega regime to cease its repression, respect human rights, and allow the conditions for free and fair elections that would restore democracy to Nicaragua.
Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB) and Qatar Post have launched the first fully integrated postal delivery point of sale (PoS) in partnership with QPay, a Qatar-based fin-tech company offering a wide portfolio of electronic payment solutions.

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Using the new, state-of-the art PoS device, the new QPay payment solution allows Qatar Post customers to make cashless payment on delivery when receiving parcels and other mail items. Qatar Post delivery drivers will know each customers details, including the total amount to be collected, by simply scanning the item using the QPay device, which has been fully integrated with Qatar Post back-end tracking systems. Customers are given an option to pay by simply tapping their contactless bank cards on the PoS.

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Tarek Fawzi, QIBs wholesale banking group general manager, said, We are very proud to announce that this service will provide an easy, convenient and efficient solution to one of the biggest customer bases in Qatar. The digitized billing and mobile scanning instrument offers an on-the-spot solution that meets Q-Post requirements with speed and safety, which I am confident will pave the way to similar services for other government and private sector companies  which is in tandem with the countrys direction to digitalize all services with the ultimate objective of having a cashless economy.

Qatar Post chief operating officer Hamad Al Fahida stated, We recognize that a significant number of our daily local deliveries are being made with the requirement for payment on delivery. Before the launch of this fully integrated QPay functionality, Qatar Post was forced to accept liquid cash from customers before we could release parcels or mail items to them. This in turn added a large degree of over processing and non-value added to our operations.

Now with the launch of this QPay solution, we are delighted to be able to offer our clients the convenience to settle their delivery payment using one of the major credit/debit cards, including the option of contactless transactions, thus also maximizing on the health and safety aspect, especially during the pandemic.

Equally, we expect to see a switch in consumer behavior from using liquid cash to card payment, with the positive effect of eliminating the need of double handling cash transactions while adding a fully automated, error-free, digitized billing and a system-driven approach to our payment on delivery offering. We are happy to add our contribution toward [the]Qatar 2030 vision for a digital society.
HOLYOKE  Maj. Gen. Gary W. Keefe led his first Soldiers Home in Holyoke board of trustees meeting Tuesday night, as leaders of the state-run care facility struggle to get out from under the dark cloud of the pandemic.

Keefe, adjutant general of the Massachusetts National Guard, replaced former Chairman Kevin Jourdain at the request of Gov. Charlie Baker. Jourdain will remain on the board until his term expires in 2025.

Baker told Jourdain he thought Keefe would have more status with federal elected officials to attract federal dollars since Keefe is often in the nations capital in his current position, Jourdain said during a previous interview.

Jourdain made a spirited statement near the beginning of Tuesdays meeting, encouraging Keefe and the rest of the board to stay focused on the primary goals of choosing a new superintendent and forging ahead with a new, state-of-the art facility for veterans care in Holyoke.

I certainly hope going forward that we will honor these veterans whose lives weve lost, Jourdain said. Ill remain focused like a laser beam to make sure that that happens.

At least 76 veterans died of COVID-19 between March and June of last year. Dozens more tested positive and more than 80 staff also tested positive.

Former Superintendent Bennett Walsh and Medical Director Dr. David Clinton were indicted on criminal neglect charges in Hampden Superior Court. They pleaded not guilty to 10 criminal counts each and the case remains pending.

Keefe ran a tight ship as trustees and other stakeholders swiftly reviewed topics ranging from staffing changes, a new electronic billing and patient care portal, the rollout of vaccines, family visitation and welcoming veterans who were transferred to Holyoke Medical Center back to the Soldiers Home.

Veterans residing at Holyoke Medical Center since April 2020 will be returning to the home over the next several days in a project known as Operation Bringem Home, as Phase II of the Refresh Project nears completion, a spokeswoman for the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services said in a statement.

The refresh project is a $6 million initiative to boost infection control standards throughout the facility.

Interim administrator Michael Lazo told trustees the first veterans will return to the Soldiers Home on Jan. 14, with more to follow on Jan. 25 and in the weeks following. They were transferred out in early April when the virus began tearing through the facility and staff struggled to separate the ill from the well.

Trustee Isaac J. Mass expressed concern that approximately 60% of Soldiers Home staff has declined to receive coronavirus vaccines. The first dose was offered on Dec. 29 to veterans and employees. The vaccine is voluntary and cannot be mandated. However, Mass said staff who resist receiving the vaccine will become a barrier to families ever getting back into the home consistently to visit their loved ones.

Visits have largely been prohibited during the winter months as the virus surged across the country and employees have tested positive during twice-weekly screenings.

We need to worry about the veterans mental health care as well as their physical health. You cant hold someones hand virtually, Mass said. If were not going to make it mandatory for staff to get tested, we need to change the policy for visitation.

State officials cautioned against running afoul of regulations around infection control, but Mass questioned how the policies would impact the future of the home.

People are not going to be placing members in the Soldiers Home because theyre not going to want their family members somewhere where they cant visit them, Mass pressed.

Related Content:
Terre Haute, Indiana: A woman from Kansas City, Missouri, has been executed for strangling an expectant mother and cutting the baby from her womb, the first time in nearly seven decades that the US government has put to death a female inmate.

Lisa Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1.31am local time after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the 11th prisoner to receive a lethal injection there since July when President Donald Trump, an ardent supporter of capital punishment, resumed federal executions following 17 years without one.

Lisa Montgomery in jail, in a photo provided by her lawyers.

As the execution process began, a woman standing over Montgomerys shoulder lent over, gently removed Montgomerys face mask and asked her if she had any last words. No, Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice. She said nothing else.

The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight, Montgomerys lawyer, Kelley Henry said in a statement. Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.
Labour has accused Boris Johnson of delaying local elections beyond May because of coronavirus to secure a 'vaccine bump' at the polls.

Downing Street is considering delaying the town hall elections until June amid concerns it would be too dangerous to proceed.

The elections, initially planned for May 6, were discussed by mayors last week after they were approached by civil servants about safeguarding issues.

More 40 million people are entitled to vote in the upcoming elections with 140 county council, district council and unitary authorities up for grabs.

Thirteen mayoral contests are due to take place - including in London, Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Liverpool City region and Bristol.

The elections, which include those postponed last year, will represent the first major electoral test of Britain's political leaders since the start of the pandemic.

Tory candidates have requested polls be held in October if they are delayed until July because they fear it will be hard to find activists willing to go door-to-door in August.

But the call has now led to claims from the Labour Party that the PM is deliberately trying to delay the local elections until a more opportune moment.

Andrew Gwynne, the shadow local government secretary, said: 'Countries across the world have held elections. But sadly the Conservatives are now using coronavirus as a justification for fixing the dates of ours to benefit them.

Labour has accused Boris Johnson of delaying local elections beyond May because of coronavirus to secure a 'vaccine bump' at the polls

Sir Keir Starmer's party have accuses the Tories of deliberately delaying elections which were postponed last year due to the much-hated coronavirus pandemic

More 40 million people are entitled to vote in the upcoming elections with 140 county council, district council and unitary authorities up for grabs

'This isn't about the pandemic, it is about Boris Johnson trying to get a vaccine bump at the next set of elections.'

It comes as No10 tries to accelerate the vaccine roll-out by operating 24-hour jab centres amid pressure to bring the cycle of lockdowns to an end.

Concerns over social-distancing at polling stations have been raised and politicians fear door-to-door campaigning may not go ahead due to potential spread of the virus.

Downing Street said that the date of the local elections 'continues to be kept under review'. Tory party co-chairwoman Amanda Milling signalled last week that a delay is very likely.

The Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections, which are held on the same day, are set by the devolved administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff.

Insiders claim Nicola Sturgeon will also try to delay the election if she has 'cover', and has already introduced legislation making it possible to delay the poll.

A similar law is being planned to make it possible to postpone the Welsh Assembly elections by as much as six months, the Times reports.

Local elections due to go ahead in May could now be pushed back to autumn

The elections, initially planned for May 6, were discussed by mayors last week after they were approached by civil servants about safeguarding issues

Tory party co-chairwoman Amanda Milling signalled last week that a delay is very likely

However, London mayor Sadiq Khan does not want to move the elections as an upcoming vote could be politically advantageous to him.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was consulted on the delays and he reportedly believes that a postponement is inevitable.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman told the paper: 'Legislation provides that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

'We continue to work closely with the electoral community and public health bodies to resolve challenges and ensure everyone will be able to cast their vote safely and securely and in a way of their choosing.

'Measures are planned to support absent voting at short notice. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review.'

A senior Whitehall source told the Sunday Times: 'Local government leaders have had a suggestion from government that the elections are moved to June or July, but many think that's too soon to ensure polling booths are safe so have mooted the idea of September.

'Holding the elections with postal votes only has been ruled out.'
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[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

Seoul, South KoreaJanuary 13, 2020Pearl Abyss announced today that Black Desert SEA celebrates its 3rd anniversary of service on January 17. To commemorate the anniversary, various exciting in-game events will be held throughout the week to offer exclusive rewards. First of all, until January 27, Adventurers who log in to Black Desert SEA will get a 3rd Anniversary Cake which will give them various buffs. Items such as a Fine Accessory Box III and Advice of Valks will also be given for logging in, as well as 10 Cron Stones depending on the play time. In addition, Adventurers can receive even more Cron Stones and other items by completing event quests. Permanent Access is also available for new Adventurers and those who play using a Guest Pass Coupon. Adventurers are required to reach at least level 50 with any character in their Family. Moreover, a special log-in event will take place until February 10. Adventurers can obtain a variety of items from a Secret Book of Old Moon to a Value Package for logging in everyday. While enjoying an array of special anniversary events, Adventurers can also discover the Old Moon Grand Prix update. Hosted by the Stonetail Horse Club, this horse race content is now welcoming 5 to 10 Adventurers to compete against each other on a racetrack. Anyone with the new race horses can participate in a horse race, and the winner will receive exclusive rewards. A special event will be held until January 27 to celebrate the Grand Prix update. Adventurers who complete the special Black Spirit quests can claim valuable rewards that will help them win races. The special rewards include a Rare Course Training Box, various Race Horses, and Contribution EXP. Find more information about Black Desert SEA on the official website at sea.playblackdesert.com . About Black Desert Black Desert is Pearl Abyss' open-world action MMORPG with cutting-edge visuals and skill-based combat that redefines the genre. With the most developed character customization system of any game currently on the market, users can break out of the norm and make unique characters that truly represent themselves. Its intuitive controls, beautifully designed world, and extensive lore will excite both newcomers and veterans of MMO games and action RPGs.
WOOD RIVER  About 0.39% of Madison Countys population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Although the massive inoculation program remains in its infancy and is so far limited to healthcare workers and those in long-term care facilities, 1,039 of the countys 264,461 residents have received the two shots needed for the coronavirus-fighting vaccine to be effective.

Those leading vaccination efforts in the state are Winnebago County, at 1.8%, and Knox County, at 1.14%.

Most surrounding counties are in line with Madison County: Calhoun, 0.19%; Greene, 0.72%; Jersey, 0.30%; Macoupin, 0.24%; and St. Clair, 0.45%.

Smaller percentages are likely indicative that the county has fewer a smaller number of its population who fall into the first phase of who is eligible for vaccination.

Once this phase is complete, which is expected to be in February, vaccines will be available to residents 65 and older, first responders, educators, food and agriculture or manufacturing, correctional facilities, postal service, public transportation and grocery store workers and shelters and day cares.

An estimated 3.2 million Illinoisans will be included in that phase.

Statewide, 72,458 people  0.57%  have been fully vaccinated.

When will you be able to receive a vaccination? That depends on a number of factors, including age, occupation and availability of vaccines.

A limited supply is available at present, and efforts have focused on those considered critical  health care personnel, long-term care facility residents and staff and those in residential care facilities.

Among those included in the next phase  1B  are those 65 and older, front-line workers and those in correctional facilities or in shelters. That phase is expected to begin in February.

Phase 1C will target those ages 16 to 64 with high-risk medical conditions and essential workers. High-risk conditions include obesity, diabetes, pulmonary disease, heart condition including hypertension, kidney disease, cancer and sickle cell anemia and those who are pregnant or immunocompromised. There is no timeline yet for when this phase could begin.

As more vaccines become available, vaccinations will be opened to the remainder of the states population.
The on Wednesday adjourned for two weeks hearing on a plea against the acquittal of all 32 accused, including BJP veterans L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, in the Babri mosque demolition case.

The Lucknow bench of the court adjourned hearing after the



petitioners demanded some time to remove certain defects in their case file.

The matter came up before a bench of Justice Rakesh Srivastava.

The petition was filed on January 8 by Ayodhya residents Haji Mahmood Ahmad and Syed Akhlaq Ahmad.

Their counsel is All India Muslim Personal Law Board executive member Zafaryab Jilani, who has also been the convener of the Action Committee.

While filing the petition, Jilani had said the two Ayodhya residents moved court because the CBI has not yet appealed against the September 30 judgment. The petitioners have claimed that they are witnesses in the trial.

The trial judge had refused to accept newspaper clippings and video clips as evidence because the originals were not produced in court.

He also held that the CBI could not produce any evidence that the accused had a meeting of minds with the 'kar sevaks' who demolished the structure.

The petitioners have pleaded that the CBI court committed an error in not convicting the accused despite the presence of ample evidence on record. The trial judge did not appreciate the evidence of conspiracy in the right perspective, their petition said.

The petitioners have sought that the record from the trial court be summoned, its judgment set aside and the all the 32 accused held guilty and punished accordingly.

Former deputy prime minister L K Advani, the then Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, former Union ministers and Uma Bharti and Ram Janmaboomi Teerth Kshetra Trust president Nritya Gopal Das were among those cleared by the lower court.

The Babri mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992 by a mob of kar sevaks who believed that the 16th century structure stood at the birthplace of Lord Ram.

In November 2019, a Supreme Court ruling on the Ram Janmabhoomi- land dispute paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple at the contested site.

(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.)
Appointment

13 January 2021

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today announced several additions to its staff as part of the association's efforts to deepen its expertise in state and local government affairs and communications and meet our members' needs today and in the future.

Jason Riederer has been named Senior Director of State & Local Government Affairs. In this new role, Riederer will focus on state and local advocacy and partner state association engagement for the western U.S. He will be based in Reno, Nev.

Riederer comes to AHLA after directing state and local government affairs for biometric security company CLEAR. An Alaska native, he has extensive experience in Western politics and advocacy through his work with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, a Nevada tech startup, and as Legislative Director for Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei (R-Nev.).

Additional new hires include:
(Natural News) Auburn, N.Y.  A Covid-19 outbreak at a Cayuga County nursing home that began two weeks ago has infected 137 residents, 24 of whom have died.

(Article by James T. Mulder republished from Syracuse.com)

The outbreak at The Commons on St. Anthony in Auburn started Dec. 21 as a wave of post-Thanksgiving Covid-19 cases began hitting the county, said Julie Sheedy, an official of Loretto which operates the 300-bed nursing home.

Forty-seven employees have tested positive.

Since the outbreak began, 21 residents have died at The Commons and three in the hospital, Sheedy said. Eleven residents have died since Wednesday, she said.

There had been no nursing home Covid-19 deaths in Cayuga County until the first three deaths at the Commons were reported Dec. 29. The three other nursing homes in Cayuga have not reported any Covid-19 deaths.

Our team is always deeply affected by any loss of life, and our hearts are with the families of these individuals, Sheedy said.

The total Covid-19 death toll in the county has increased from 13 on Dec. 21 to 44 as of Thursday. The nursing home deaths account for 54% of the countys Covid-19 fatalities.

There have been 3,650 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Cayuga since the pandemic began. Nearly half of those cases have been reported since Dec. 21.

The average percentage of people testing positive for Covid-19 in Cayuga County is 12%, the highest rate in Central New York. Here are the average positive test rates for other counties in the region: Onondaga, 7.8%; Oswego, 9.7%; Madison, 8.5%; and Cortland, 8%.

During the outbreak Commons employees are wearing gowns, gloves and face shields at all times when working with residents, Sheedy said. The nursing home also is isolating residents who test positive on Covid-19 floors.

Sheedy said the nursing home is testing residents on a schedule established by the state Health Department. The facility also is testing employees weekly. Sheedy said the state Health Department inspected the nursing homes infection control practices Wednesday and found no deficiencies.

The Commons gets a one-star rating, the lowest, from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. The one-star rating means the nursing home is considered much below average based on health inspections, staffing and quality of care.

The nursing home began vaccinating residents Dec. 22. So far 193 residents, or 80%, and 113 employees, or less than half the staff, have been vaccinated. The nursing home plans to do more vaccinations Jan. 12.

Kaylee Gabak, a certified nursing assistant at The Commons, is on life support at Upstate University Hospital after becoming infected with Covid-19. Her family believes Gabak was infected at The Commons before she went on maternity leave Dec. 16. Gabak gave birth to a baby girl Dec. 26, went home, then had to be hospitalized after developing breathing problems.

Read more at: Syracuse.com and Outbreak.news.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : Delhi police has beefed up security measures ahead of the Republic Day. Safety drills are also being carried out at major strategic point in the national Capital in the supervision of senior police officers along with regular safety checks at areas of heavy footfall and other prominent places here.

Anti-terrorist measures are also being taken by the Delhi Police as anti-sabotage checks were conducted at Ambience Mall and DLF Mall in Vasant Kunj by Bomb Detection Team and Dog Squad.

"Regular checking in hotels and guest houses is being done by the Delhi Police in view of the Republic Day. Security guards have also been sensitised about safety measures in New Delhi district," said DCP New Delhi Eish Singhal.

The hotel staff has been instructed to report any suspicious person or activity in the premises. Meetings with the market associations are also being carried out regarding security arrangements.

Checking of shops, briefing of members of 'eyes and ears scheme' along with regular tenant and servant verification drives are being carried out by the police for safety and security of citizens.

Foot patrolling by senior officers is also being conducted in places of gathering, markets, malls, roads for ensuring security measures.

Earlier, the Delhi police Commissioner SN Shrivastava also reviewed the Republic Day security arrangements and held a meeting with senior Delhi pPolice officers.
Officially, COVID-19 pandemic cases in Bangladesh stand at over 524,000 and deaths at more than 7,810, as medical experts criticise the callous disregard of Prime Minister Sheik Hasinas government over its handling of the health emergency.

Nine months have already passed since the first COVID-19 related cases and deaths were reported: three cases on March 8 last year and on March 18, the first death.

The governments under-estimation of the extent of the crisis was exposed after its figures were compared with those in other countries, which adopted the criminal herd immunity policy allowing the virus to run unchecked.

COVID-19 pandemic relief services in Chandpur, Bangladesh [Source: Flickr]

When India surpassed 500,000 cases, and recorded over 15,000 deaths, it had conducted 0.14 tests per thousand people; when the US, the worst hit country in the world, was about to surpass 500,000 cases, recording over 18,000 deaths, it had conducted 0.50 tests per thousand people. Yet, Bangladesh has performed only 0.09 tests per thousand peopleone of the lowest in the world, according to data on December 2, the day the number of cases reached the half million mark.

The Bangladesh Peace Observatory, under the Centre for Genocide Studies at Dhaka University, reports that it counted a total of 2,205 deaths of those with virus symptoms between March 22 and November 28, in addition to other figures from state authorities. It prepared the reports based on information from 25 media outlets.

As of January 8, a total of 3.33 million tests have been carried out in Bangladesh. Last week, the countrys health ministry reported just over 13,600 tests, which was a decline from the maximum of 19,000 on December 15. The decrease in the number of tests has taken place as medical experts insist that at least 50,000 tests should be carried out daily.

On January 6, Hasina addressed the nation on the second anniversary of her Awami League government. She pompously declared, The infection rate and death toll in Bangladesh are still quite low. We are trying our best to keep the pandemic under control and have promised to bring the vaccines to Bangladesh swiftly.

She prayed for those who have lost their lives during the pandemic and thanked the frontline workers, including the doctors, health workers, the armed forces and field-level workers for battling the pandemic courageously.

However, contrary to the advice provided by medical experts at the beginning of the outbreak of the virus, the government tacitly approved the policy of herd immunity. Hasina has downplayed the pandemic, previously commenting that it was not that deadly.

Medical and infectious disease specialist Professor Ridwanur Rahman commented that the governments strategy against COVID-19 has been suicidal from the beginning. From screening at the ports, and quarantine, to testing and contact tracingall were being carried out in name only, he said.

Serious shortages of personal protective equipment and the provision of substandard equipment have seen hundreds of healthcare workers, including 112 doctors, die as of December 28.

In June, Bangladesh imposed a fee for all COVID-19 tests and treatment, declaring that it wanted to discourage unnecessary tests. According to the official announcement, people have to pay 200 takas (about $US2.35) if they provided their samples at collection booths. Payment of 500 takas is required if samples are collected from homes.

The government has imposed this burden on ordinary working people, as the vast majority has no access to even the limited state-run healthcare facilities.

In October, the Business Standard, published December 14, cited research carried out by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) based in Dhaka. Interviews were conducted with 1,200 households, consisting of those urban poor on benefits provided by the state health card system, and offered to poor families.

According to its report, only 9 percent of households had health cards, while 32 percent said that they were completely unaware of the health-card system.

An article last week in Daily Star on social inequality in Bangladesh reported that six out of the top 10 poorest districts of Bangladesh had no pandemic testing centre.

Shahidul Mondol, a 40-year-old rickshaw-puller living in Dhaka with his family, had to send his family members back to his farming village in Bogura, about 190 km from Dhaka, because of lost earnings due to the pandemic.

He told the Business Standard, Whenever someone in my family falls sick, I go to a local pharmacy to obtain medicine. If you visit doctors, you have to unnecessarily pay for the tests. I do not have the money for that.

In her January 6 speech, Hasina also boasted about providing 1.2 trillion takas, or 4.3 percent of gross domestic product, as a stimulus package. She claimed that the package was to benefit the poor. However, it actually benefits big business while poverty deepens around the country.

Even before the pandemic, the year 2019 saw the urban and rural poor experience food insecurity. A survey, conducted during December last year by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, found that around 12 percent of poor urban households had no food in their home and over 21 percent of households could not access the food that they wanted, New Age reported.

The education of children in poor families has been disrupted, while well-off families have the advantage of accessing available online resources, along with government educational programs.

Educational institutions were closed in March with the lockdown. The media reported that various studies and researchers found that ad hoc government measures to facilitate the education of students at home, through TV and radio broadcasts and online classes, were unable to reach an estimated 9 million students.

This underscores the hypocrisy of Hasina, who once said, We want to free the country from poverty. It is impossible to make a country poverty-free without education.

Tens of thousands of garment and informal sector workers have lost their jobs, while other workers have been employed under new normal conditions without any facilities for adequate protection.

Attempting to capitalise on the situation to implement pay cuts, the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Associationa major body of garment ownershas requested that the labour ministry suspends the legal provision for a 5 percent annual increment for garment workers.

According to a recent Transparency International Bangladesh report, about 1.4 million workers out of the 4 million in the garment and other export-oriented industries, have not received any share of the stimulus package, despite the governments pledge. Between 65,000 and 100,000 workers became jobless, or retrenched without benefits.

This is despite the fact that the government has already provided the garment sector with $7.4 billion in financial support.
China has unveiled new regulations, encouraging more medical institutions and retail pharmacies to link up with the country's medical insurance system for reimbursements.



Licensed medical institutions and retail pharmacies that have been in operation for at least three months can apply for a tie-up with the medical insurance scheme, said the National Healthcare Security Administration.

The new regulations, which will go into effect from Feb. 1, have simplified the application requirements, with the aim of expanding the supply of medical resources and providing more quality medical and pharmaceutical services for the public, the administration added.
Since Monday shops are allowed to re-open under strict conditions. Though Luxembourg just emerged from its second lockdown, there was no run on shops.

The sale of some items, including clothes and shoes, was affected by the two-week lockdown. Unsurprisingly online purchases soared in this period.

Maurizio Fecchi, who has been operating a shop for 30 years, says he will comply with the latest government measures. He will provide disinfectant and will try to limit the number of customers who can enter his shop.

After a two-week lockdown, what did people miss the most and what prompted them to return to non-essential shops on the day of their reopening? There was certainly no queue as the doors opened. Some customers set out to return clothes and shoes they received for Christmas. Others came from France or Belgium to shop in Luxembourg.

For Maurizio, and for so many others, 2020 was a challenging year. He is missing some 150,000 in lost revenue and the pandemic is far from over.

There was no rush on big shopping centres either as some aisles that had to be closed off during the lockdown have now been made accessible again. It seems that people did not miss any of these products as online shopping was available during this period.

Although some customers displayed their anger on social media about these aisle closures, the products that are now available again did not sell more than before the lockdown.

It is still too early to tell how big the losses are due to the lockdown closures of these aisles. Slowly but surely business is improving though for shop owners.


Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

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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 US Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for the first execution of a woman in decades, despite doubts about her mental state, after the government of President Donald Trump pushed for the application of the death penalty

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jan, 2021 ) :The US Supreme Court cleared the way Wednesday for the first execution of a woman in decades, despite doubts about her mental state, after the government of President Donald Trump pushed for the application of the death penalty.

Lisa Montgomery, 52, is set to receive a lethal injection later Wednesday in Terre Haute, Indiana, after series of legal rulings, becoming the first woman to be executed by Federal authorities since 1953.

The Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, giving the Bureau of Prisons the authority to proceed with her execution.

Montgomery's lawyers do not deny the seriousness of her crime: in 2004, she killed a pregnant 23-year-old woman in order to steal her baby.

But her lawyer Kelley Henry, in a statement, called the decision a "vicious, unlawful, and unnecessary exercise of authoritarian power." Unable to have a child, Montgomery carefully identified her victim -- 23-year-old dog breeder Bobbie Jo Stinnett -- online.

Under the guise of buying a puppy, Montgomery went to Stinnett's home, where she strangled her to death and cut the baby from her body. She left Stinnett dead in a pool of blood.

In 2007, she was convicted of kidnapping resulting in death and handed a death sentence.

Her defenders believe that she suffers from severe mental health issues stemming from abuse she suffered as a child. According to them, she does not understand the meaning of her sentence, a prerequisite for execution.

On Monday evening, a federal judge granted the defense a victory, ordering a stay of execution to allow time to assess Montgomery's mental state.

"The record before the Court contains ample evidence that Ms. Montgomery's current mental state is so divorced from reality that she cannot rationally understand the government's rationale for her execution," the ruling stated.

But an appeals court overturned the decision on Tuesday, leaving it up to the US Supreme Court to decide.
A recovering drug addict who spat blood and saliva into the faces of gardai and a paramedic three years ago has received a fully suspended prison sentence.

Dillon Harris (24) had crashed a stolen car into a wall after encountering gardai. He recovered from being dazed, then became aggressive and had to be restrained in handcuffs.

Garda Gerard Whelan and Dublin Fire Brigade Sub Officer Peter Fitzgerald approached Harris after he had already spat at two other gardai in a patrol van.

Sergeant Kirsten Summers said that when Gda Whelan opened the van, Harris lunged forward and spat blood, phlegm and saliva into the two men's faces. He then said he had AIDS.

Harris of Kindlestown Park, Greystones, Co Wicklow pleaded guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to spraying blood at Gda Whelan, Garda Peter Byrne and Sub Officer Fitzgerald at East Wall Road, Dublin, on November 21, 2017.

He also pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle without the consent of its owner at East Wall Road and to reckless endangerment at Sheriff Street, Dublin, on the same date. He has no previous convictions.

Sgt Summers told Eoin Lawlor BL, prosecuting, that one pedestrian had to jump out of the way when the stolen Volkswagen Estate mounted a footpath. Harris also caused 3,456 damage to an Opel Corsa car before gardai located him and he crashed into the wall.

Sub Officer Fitzgerald said in his statement that this was the first time he had been spat at in 29 years serving with Dublin Fire Brigade.

Sgt Summers agreed with Pat Reynolds BL, defending that the incident was out of character for Harris and occurred after two traumatic events in his life, including the death of his close friend.

She further agreed Harris had appeared out of his head on the day and that he is now dealing with his addiction problems in rehab.

She told Mr Reynolds that she would be very hopeful for Harris's future as he has strong family support.

Mr Reynolds told Judge Sinead Ni Chulachain that his client had taken up work while on bail and had raised 3,700 to offer as a token of his remorse. The judge ordered that this be split between the victims and a charity of their choosing.

She imposed concurrent prison terms of 22 months and of two years. She suspended the sentence for a period of five years on condition that Harris remain sober and engage in a restorative justice programme and with victim focused work.

The court heard Harris was considered unfit for interview following arrest. He eventually consented to giving a blood sample, after initially refusing.

Sgt Summers agreed with Mr Reynolds that this provided a lot of comfort to the people involved.

In a victim impact statement, the stolen car owners said they had bought the vehicle brand new with inheritance money. This vehicle was written off when Harris crashed it.

The court heard Harris was not involved in the car's theft.
Dear Reader,

Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.

We, however, have a request.



As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.



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Digital Editor
by Kristina Knight

Kristina: At the beginning of the pandemic, many businesses had to shift to 100% digital marketing and communication efforts. What affects have you seen from this, and what are the most effective ways of doing this?

Guy Hanson, VP of Customer Engagement, Validity: We saw a massive surge in email volume at the start of the pandemic, as businesses reached out to customers with information on new safety guidelines, changes in business hours, and expressions of empathy and support. We have also seen shifts in how email subscribers consume information. To keep our customers informed, we created the State of Email webinar series, which now takes place every third week, to empower marketers with real-time data, best practices, and email program recommendations. Some of our early data found that people were 30% more likely to open a pandemic-related email, and open rates on COVID-19 messages tended to spike over the weekends. Before the pandemic, mornings had been the most effective time to send email, but as the pandemic took hold, we saw a shift to higher placement and engagement with messages sent in the afternoon. Reasons for this include more people now working from home and being on their computers helping with homeschooling.

Overall, this surge in email volume has made it more difficult to get into people's inboxes, and more difficult to get their attention once the message is there. The pressure is on marketers to improve the quality of their data, to have better list segmentation, to send more relevant messages, and to create more effective subject lines.

Kristina: When it comes to creating the most effective campaigns, what types of data should you be analyzing more closely?

Guy: It's important to look at the metrics that matter most to your business. Obviously, engagement and placement metrics are vital. This includes the number of emails that were delivered, deferred, bounced, opened, and clicked. All the better if you can view this data based on the different mailbox providers, the email subscriber's platform, and the time of day.

It's also important to keep your eye on the big picture. During the recent Validity Summit, Craig Hood, Channel Excellence Lead for Email, SMS and Mobile Wallets at AstraZeneca, shared that he avoids sending mass messages during busy time periods like Amazon Prime Day. Those kinds of extenuating circumstances can drive down open rates.

Also, if you're having problems with deliverability to a particular mailbox provider, it's helpful to be able to compare your metrics with other senders' to see if they're running into the same issues, or if the problem was caused by something on your end.

Kristina: What's ahead for email in 2021?

Guy: In the coming year, we predict companies will increasingly focus on relevance and segmentation: sending the right message at the right time to the right person. For example, food delivery services will see greater ROI (return on investment) from messages that arrive in the inbox when people are contemplating what to eat for dinner.

We also expect to see an increased use of augmented reality (AR) to provide more of an in-store shopping experience in the inbox, allowing people to virtually "try on" products. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is on our radar as well, which allows email to create a more website-like experience within the email itself. For instance, AMP can enable subscribers to complete a purchase or fill out a survey without having to leave their inbox.

As email continues to grow in popularity, fraudsters will always follow the crowd for easiest pickings. Additionally, many new subscribers have traditionally been more offline in their shopping behaviors and may be easier to fleece as a result of being less familiar with online scams.

These issues adversely affect all senders because anti-spam efforts hurt the deliverability of legitimate emails, too. To overcome this growing problem, we predict more businesses will implement certification and authentication procedures to help their messages land in the inbox and increase customer confidence.

Tags: ecommerce, email content trends, email engagement, email marketing, email trends, Validity
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The head of an election-monitoring team to Kazakhstan from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has detailed a litany of failings and seemingly "concerted" moves by Kazakh authorities to hinder transparency in recent national elections.

In its initial conclusions, the team described the January 10 Kazakh vote as "not competitive" and devoid of "genuine political alternatives to choose from."

But Jaroslaw Domanski, head of the limited observation mission for the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), used tougher language in an interview with RFE/RL two days after the balloting.

He cited "bad intention, basically, bad practice, and a lack of goodwill" on Nur-Sultan's part in conducting the elections.

"While voting itself was generally organized efficiently, and also in line with COVID-19 precautions, many aspects of the process on election day lacked full transparency," Domanski said.

After the exclusion of many opposition groups that applied to get on the ballot and a boycott by another, the preliminary vote count left the same three parties in parliament as after the previous elections, led by the ruling Nur Otan with over 71 percent.

"The problems actually started after the closing of the polling stations; namely, the counting and tabulation were not assessed positively by our observers," Domanski said.

It was the Central Asian state of around 18 million people's first parliamentary elections since the resignation in early 2019 of longtime President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who still holds considerable power despite handpicking a successor, Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev.

The lack of competition dashed the hopes of the country's Western partners, who had hoped for deep political reforms. Nonetheless, some say continuity will bring the stability needed to attract foreign investment in the resource-rich country -- primarily into the oil, gas, and mining sectors.

Domanski said that Kazakh authorities "unfortunately" failed to address "most of the recommendations" from ODIHR observers of the 2016 and 2019 votes.

International election observers have characterized past elections in Kazakhstan as being neither free nor fair, citing electoral fraud, repression of opposition candidates, and restrictions on a free press.

The registered All-National Social Democratic Party (OSDP) boycotted the elections, saying there was no chance for opposition parties like itself.

The ODIHR mission was "limited" this time, but its observers visited more than 90 polling stations in 13 of Kazakhstan's 17 regions.

There were worrying official moves ahead of this latest vote, like recent legislative changes for NGOs and the last-minute requirement of coronavirus tests, Domanski said, in addition to Kazakhstan's failure to fulfill "many international commitments for holding democratic elections" to which Nur-Sultan had pledged itself.

"We are talking about the very serious recommendations related to fundamental freedoms, impartiality of election administration, eligibility to stand for elections and to vote for the legislation, media,...and others," he said.

"Only some of these recommendations were addressed, most of them, unfortunately, only partially."

Domanski said ODIHR's observers "confirmed" independent citizens' complaints of unnecessary obstacles to observing the vote.

ODIHR saw "concerted efforts of the authorities to prevent the effective observation of these elections" that began long before election day.

Domanski also cited tax investigations on NGOs initiated in November, a Central Election Commission resolution granting itself "wide discretion in dismissing the citizen observers," and the late imposition of COVID-19 testing requirements that were used to exclude journalists and citizen observers.

He blamed the last-minute COVID-19 testing stipulation, in particular, for preventing nearly 90 percent of 2,000 planned observers for two NGOs -- MISK and Erkindik Qanaty (Wings of Liberty) -- from deploying effectively.

"These concerted measures adopted by the authorities prevented the independent observers from effectively observing the election," Domanski said.

He said that ODIHR was still looking into whether, in addition to moves that flouted international standards of "good practice," Kazakh authorities might have contravened their own national legislation.

Kazakh officials have defended their moves as an effort to clarify the situation around NGO operations, he said. "[But] it looks to us [like] bad intention, basically, bad practice and a lack of goodwill," Domanski said.

He cited Internet service interruptions and website shutdowns throughout election day and criminal and legislative dampers on freedom of expression.

"It stifles genuine political debate. It results in self-censorship of the media, and it makes this entire political space stripped of a genuine debate, political debate, which is a normal and necessary element of any democratic reality and community," Domanski said.

He said that ODIHR "stand[s] ready to help state authorities to improve, to implement these recommendations," including through expert legal opinions and "comprehensive dialogue" with Kazakh election officials.

"But the goodwill is needed from Nur-Sultan, from Kazakhstan, in order to start this, to engage in this dialogue in a genuine and serious way."

He acknowledged that this generally rests "mostly [on] the political will of the national authorities."

The elections decided 98 of 107 seats in the Mazhilis. Nine other seats will be separately elected by the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan -- a political body chaired by Nazarbaev designed to represent ethnic groups in the country.
Since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic many people have been, or may feel, hesitant about taking public transport, due to the perceived risk of picking up germs from areas such as the grab-poles on trains, buses and trams, which are the principal point of contact.

However, a team including researchers from WMG at the University of Warwick, product designers Transport Design International (TDI), anti-microbial additive developers BioCote and Promethean Particles and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), led by Derby-based manufacturers Composites Braiding Ltd (CBL), will produce lightweight composite grab-poles with an embedded anti-microbial property in their project AMICABLE, thanks to a 480,000 award from the Innovate UK Smart Grant scheme.

The anti-microbial grab poles will be for use in a wide range of public transport applications, such as bus, tram, rail and underground. This should lead to a step-change in hygiene in public transportation and a reduction in transmission of infections of various origins.

Although researchers are currently focusing on public transport applications, there could be the potential for the materials to be used on cruise ships, medical furniture or wherever there are public-facing surfaces.

The teams, from WMG, CBL and TDI have previously worked together on making the materials for the Coventry Very-Light Rail system, and using their expertise from previous projects and concepts already developed for anti-microbial efficacy in sectors such as food packaging and healthcare, they hope to make the new grab-poles within the next 12 months. At the project completion there is an opportunity to demonstrate, for the first time, the new grab-poles directly within new prototype vehicles such as Revolution VLR and the Coventry Light Rail system.

The poles themselves will be retro-fittable, so not only can they be fitted into new vehicles, they can replace current steel poles in existing ones such as buses and the Underground. The project aims to make a range of poles at costs competitive to the current steel ones, however, due to their light-weight material they will be around a third of the weight and will also help with meeting decarbonization goals by aiding fuel efficiency and manufacturing via lower carbon methods.

As we work in developing future public transport solutions such as the Coventry Very-Light Rail system, the Covid-19 pandemic opened our eyes to the importance of also making transport as clean an environment as possible for passengers. It is clear that a key point of contact for passengers is the grab-poles and other similar structures. Therefore, incorporating anti-microbial grab poles into vehicles could encourage more people to opt for public transport which is generally an environmentally efficient mode of transport." Dr Darren Hughes, WMG, University of Warwick

James Taylor, from TDI comments:

"TDI specializes in the design of very light weight vehicles and products so the introduction on this new anti-microbial technology in thermoplastic composites for compliant new vehicle interior products is an extremely exciting opportunity"

Steve Barbour, of Derby-based specialists in thermoplastic braiding CBL adds:

"Using in-mold coating impregnation and fiber commingling techniques, anti-microbial particles will be incorporated into the composite rails during the molding process. Importantly, as the anti-microbial material will be applied during manufacture, it becomes a permanent part of the structure and therefore is expected to be less susceptible to wear. However, when it does reach the end of its life the thermoplastic matrix material will be inherently recyclable, making the grab-poles environmentally friendly."
Other states had planned to widen access to older residents gradually over the next month. Ohio, for example, was to start vaccinating people 80 and older next week, people 70 and older on Feb. 1 and those 65 and older on Feb. 8. Florida has been overwhelmed with demand from its 65-plus population, with new online registration portals quickly crashing and people spending hours on the phone or in long lines, often in vain.

The two companies making vaccines that have emergency approval, Pfizer and Moderna, are both ramping up production. In an interview Tuesday with CNBC, the Pfizer chief executive, Dr. Albert Bourla, said Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, have increased their global production estimate this year to two billion doses from 1.3 billion.

We have much more than they can use right now, he said.

The C.D.C. recommended last month that after vaccinating health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities, states should vaccinate people older than 75 and certain frontline workers who cannot do their jobs from home. Only after that, the C.D.C. advised, should states turn to people ages 65 to 74 and adults of all ages with high-risk medical conditions. The C.D.C. recommendations were not binding, but many states have largely been following them while demand still far exceeds supply.

The advisory group that came up with the recommendations had emphasized that essential workers are often low-wage people of color, who have been hit disproportionately hard by the virus.

A lot of our members are feeling like this is just beginning to move too fast, said Dr. Marcus Plescia, the chief medical officer for the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. What were going to get to is a first-come, first-served approach to vaccine distribution, and thats just not going to be equitable.

Mr. Biden is expected to announce details of his own vaccination plan  which will include federally supported mass vaccination clinics  this week. The Biden transition team declined to comment on Tuesday on the new Trump administration policy. But a person familiar with the president-elects plans said Mr. Biden had also been planning to expand the universe of those who are eligible to be vaccinated.

Mr. Azar said the Trump administration always expected to shift from holding back doses when it was confident in the supply chain.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 21:08:51|Editor: huaxia

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Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, attends a video conference with Marta Matrai, first officer of the Hungarian National Assembly, in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 13, 2021. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to promote exchanges with Hungary over issues including state governance and legislation, a Chinese senior legislator said Wednesday.

Wang Chen, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and vice chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, made the remarks during a video conference with Marta Matrai, first officer of the Hungarian National Assembly.

Friendly exchanges between legislative bodies are an important part of bilateral ties, Wang said, adding that the Chinese side is willing to deepen political mutual trust with Hungary.

Noting that the joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic has strengthened the friendship between the two countries, Matrai said Hungary is willing to contribute to the development of bilateral relations. Enditem
Ivanka Trump has been spotted out and about in New York City, one day after her brother Donald Jr returned to the Big Apple, amid reports she wants to attend Biden's inauguration ceremony despite her father's outrage.

The First Daughter, 39, was seen leaving a hair salon in Midtown Manhattan Tuesday evening in an all black ensemble featuring dark trousers, a sweater, heeled boots and a tuxedo jacket.

She emerged in New York amid reports that she's defying her father's wishes and plans on attending Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on Capitol Hill on January 20, in a bid to 'save her reputation'.

But President Trump is up in arms about Ivanka's decision, slamming it as 'the worst decision she could ever make.'

Ivanka Trump, 39, was spotted out and about in New York City on Tuesday, one day after her brother Donald Jr returned to the city

The First Daughter was seen leaving a Midtown building in an all black ensemble including dark trousers, a sweater, heeled boots and a tuxedo jacket flanked by her security detail

Ivanka in the city! She emerged in New York amid reports that she's defying her father's wishes and plans on attending Joe Biden's inauguration ceremony on Capitol Hill on January 20, much to her father's outrage

She arrived back in New York one day after her brother Donald Trump Jr touched down there, spotted at his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle's New York home. Pictured arriving to Guilfoyle's home after leaving Trump Tower

News of Ivanka's intentions to attend the inauguration surfaced this week.

A White House insider shared with DailyMail.com: 'Ivanka is worried that her promising political career is in jeopardy and shes doing whatever she can to save her reputation.'

But Trump is only affronted by the decision.

'He said it's an insult that she would even want to engage with the crooks that are trying to bring him down,' says the insider, adding that Trump said the family must stand together and put on a united front.

'The president told his daughter that her presence at the inauguration will cost her thousands of supporters and would be the worst decision she could ever make,' the insider added.

Ivanka was convinced that by attending Biden's inauguration she would come across as 'being a good sport and will gain future supporters,' the source says.

'The president told his daughter that her presence at the inauguration will cost her thousands of supporters and would be the worst decision she could ever make,' an insider shared with Dailymail.com this week

It's not clear why Ivanka visited the Big Apple on Tuesday, escaping the chaos of DC in the wake of last week's Capitol siege that left five people dead. She was seen leaving a hair salon before heading back to her New York apartment

Inside the salon: Ivanka pictuerd inside the salon before she headed to her apartment

She was surrounded by her security detail as she walked out into the night Tuesday

All eyes are now on the Trump family in the final days of Donald Trump's presidency. Squabbles over attending Biden's inauguration have likely only added to tensions in the White House

'She said she has to protect her own political aspirations and isn't about to muck it all up by attending her dad's 2024 campaign kick-off which is set for the same day. She's leaving that for her dad and Don Jr.'

However, another White House source has denied that she plans to attend the inauguration.

It's not clear why Ivanka visited the Big Apple on Tuesday, escaping the chaos of DC in the wake of last week's Capitol siege that left five people dead.

In her visit she was seen at a hair salon on Tuesday before heading back to her apartment.

She arrived back in New York one day after her brother Donald Trump Jr touched down there, spotted at his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle's New York home.

Donald Trump Kr pictured arriving to his girlfriend Trump adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle's home in New York on Monday evening

The president's eldest son was seen returning from Washington DC to the home of his girlfriend - attorney and Trump adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle - at around 6.30pm on Monday night. She was also present at the 'Save America' rally before rioters raided the Capitol

Don Jr. addressed the Wednesday rally in an expletive-laden speech, thanking attendees for 'being in this fight with us' and 'standing up to the bulls**t,' before taking aim at everyone from Democrats to transgender athletes. Pictured kissing girlfriend Guilfoyle

His departure from DC came amid mounting pressure on his father and allies following the Capitol chaos.

His trip to New York came hours after Washington DC's attorney general was considering riot incitement charges against Trump Jr., and others involved in the 'Save America' rally.

Prior to the violent riot on January 6 that saw supporters of President Trump force their way into the Capitol, Trump Jr. was one of a number of Trump allies to speak outside the White House, along with Rudy Giuliani and the president himself.

MAGA protesters were told by Trump and his allies to head to Capitol Hill where lawmakers were scheduled to confirm Biden's presidential victory

President Trump is reportedly up in arms about Ivanka attending the inauguration ceremony, slamming it as 'the worst decision she could ever make'. Trump pictured Tuesday

The president's eldest son was seen returning from Washington DC to the home of his girlfriend - attorney and Trump adviser Kimberly Guilfoyle - after leaving Trump Tower at around 6.30pm on Monday night. She was also present at the rally.

In photographs exclusive to the DailyMail.com, Trump Jr. was seen wearing a mask while flanked by his security detail as he entered the luxury building in Manhattan.
H. Res. 24 charges the president with Incitement of Insurrection' for his actions on January 6, 2021, when he delivered a speech inciting his supporters to lay siege to the United States Capitol. (Photo:AFP)

Washington: Top American lawmakers on Wednesday sought to hold Donald Trump, the outgoing president, accountable for storming of the Capitol Hill by his supporters on January 6.

Every moment Donald Trump is in the White House, our nation  our freedom  is in danger. He must be held to account for the attack on our capitol that he organised and incited. I solemnly urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying article, Congressman James McGovern said on floor of US House of Representatives.

McGovern brought to the House Floor H. Res. 24, the article of impeachment against Trump.

The article charges the president with Incitement of Insurrection' for his actions on January 6, 2021, when he delivered a speech inciting his supporters to lay siege to the United States Capitol.

This riot temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes and led to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol Police Officer.

The damage this building sustained can be repaired. But if we don't hold Donald Trump accountable, the damage done to our nation could be irreversible, McGovern said.

Majority Leader Steny H Hoyer in an interview to MSNBC said that the President Trump does things beyond the law.

This President does things solely for his own political interest or personal interest, not for the country's interest.

That's what some Republicans are saying now. John Katko said that if we do not address this, then we will be shirking our duty and the Congress and Constitution will be at further risk and our democracy at further risk. Those are the stakes, he said.

We're here because we have to protect the fundamentals of our democracy. But unless we have a very strong message that this does not stand in the United States of America, this will happen again, said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree.

Republican Congressman Steve Chabot described the impeachment move as misguided.

Rather than contribute to healing a divided nation, the Democrats' effort will likely drive us even further apart. It's time for us to tone down the political rhetoric; to work together to solve the problems that face our nation. It's time for us to put aside our differences, and find common ground. After all, we're all Americans, he said.

Congresswoman Cindy Axne said that the violent attack on our democracy was no accident.

For months, the President had used the power and pulpit of his office to spread lies about the legitimacy and security of our elections. And then, in a desperate attempt to overturn his own loss, he pressed his supporters to impede the certification of his own election, he said.

Regardless of the remaining time in the President's term, his crime is too great for us to ignore. For the safety of our nation and its citizens, President Trump must be removed from office, Axne said.



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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP)  The FBI says a right-wing conspiracy theorist from Iowa was among the first to break into the U.S. Capitol during last weeks deadly pro-Trump insurrection in which he chased and menaced a Black police officer.

Douglas A. Jensen surrendered to police in his hometown of Des Moines on Friday, two days after the January 6 rampage in Washington, D.C., that left five people dead and disrupted U.S. democracy.

Investigators say Jensen told them he positioned himself to be among the leaders of the Capitol siege because he was wearing a T-shirt promoting QAnon, the apocalyptic conspiracy theory that he follows.
COLUMBUS, OhioGov. Mike DeWine on Wednesday signed two bills: one setting up state regulations for electric scooters, the other reducing the amount of time people have to file employment discrimination lawsuits.

House Bill 295, which passed the Ohio legislature with little opposition, is a compromise reached between scooter rental companies such as Bird and local governments. Under the new law, scooters can be used on bicycle paths and lanes, though local governments and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources have the power to regulate their use.

The law, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jim Hoops of Napoleon, sets a statewide 20 mile-per-hour speed limit for scooters, and riders must yield to pedestrians and use a front light and rear reflector when riding at night.

Scooters cannot be rented by or for people younger than 16  violators can be fined up to $150. The law also requires scooter rental services to maintain liability insurance up to $1 million per occurrence and $2 million in total.

This is exactly what Ohio does with bicycles, said Edward Fu, senior regulatory counsel for Bird, during legislative testimony in October 2019. The state defines what a bicycle is, and that its not a car  but doesnt take away the authority for local communities to determine to how bicycles must operate or how to run a bikeshare program.

DeWine also signed House Bill 352, a culmination of a two-decade effort by employers and defense attorneys to overhaul the states workplace discrimination laws.

Under the new law, sponsored by Republican state Rep. Jon Cross of Kenton, employment discrimination lawsuits must be brought within two years, rather than six years under previous state law.

Steven Loewengart, regional managing partner of Fisher Phillips, an employment law firm, said Ohios six-year statute of limitations was the longest of any state in the nation.

Six years is too long to have claims languishing while evidence disappears, memories fade  all that, Loewengart said.

But Camille Crary, director of legal services and policy for the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence, testified last year that only allowing two years for a workplace discrimination lawsuit to be filed can be very harmful.

Survivors may not fully have time to process and make decisions about workplace sexual harassment claims in two years, Crary testified.

The law further requires people to file a grievance with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission before they can file a workplace discrimination lawsuit. And it excludes managers, supervisors, and employees from personal liability for employment discrimination, unless theyre personally accused of retaliating or obstructing a person from complying with civil-rights law.

HB352 also allows employers to avoid liability in sexual harassment lawsuits if they can show they took reasonable steps to prevent or correct sexually harassing behavior or if the employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of any preventive or corrective opportunities provided by the employer.

HB295 and HB352 will each take effect in 90 days.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story stated, in error, that HB352 made changes to Ohios contract law. For a time, HB352 contained such proposals, but the language was left out of the final version of the bill signed into law.

Read more Ohio politics and government stories:

GOP U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio challenged by Democrats to repudiate stolen election claims

Gov. Mike DeWine says local agencies will have details this week on next phase of vaccine rollout, seniors on their own to schedule

Gov. Mike DeWine activates Ohio National Guard ahead of expected pro-Trump protests

Sen. Rob Portman urges President Trump to address the nation to explicitly urge that his supporters refrain from violence, or bear responsibility

Ohios Sherrod Brown plans to take on corporations as chair of Senate Banking Committee
In the previous century you would have been more likely to see surfers belting each other on the beach, or junkies shooting up in an alley, than activewear-clad city-workers meditating in the 7am sun in Bondi.

But the days of ultra-violence and 50 cent bread rolls are no more.

Thanks to gentrification and Instagram, Bondi is now full of backpackers, students and personal trainers.

There are some obvious pitfalls to this, which are trotted out by Australias tabloids on a semi-regular basis (the idea being that pompous poppies need cutting).

RELATED: Psychologist Explains The Mindset Of Living In Bondi

There are also some upsides to the actions of individuals who fancy themselves ahead of the curve though. Enter: the following photo.

The above image, taken by DMARGE at Sydneys iconic Bondi Beach, shows three men sitting calmly on the wall at south Bondi, with their eyes closed. Others can be seen in similar poses (as well as stretching) nearby.

Two of the men appeared to be together, while the third left separately at the end of the meditation session. This is not the first time Bondis meditation mile has been caught on film. Photographer Amaury Treguer posted some eye-catching images to Instagram last November, which can be seen below (third photo in the series).

View this post on Instagram A post shared by MORNING BONDI (@morningbondi)

Despite from being the most Bondi thing since $9 iced long blacks, this photo should be praised. Though the cynics might jot it down to being yet more evidence Eastern Suburbs residents love peacocking, wed argue its evidence that people are becoming less sensitive to the stigma that unfortunately comes with actively looking after your mental health.

RELATED: Youve Got To Be Joking: Yuppie Coffee Order Leaves Byron Bay Barista Stunned

In fact, wed say, thanks to Instagrams Jealousy Industrial Complex, ~wellness~ has become one of the most unfairly maligned concepts this side of the century.

But the truth is, ~mindfulness~, when taught by genuine individuals, is a goldmine for your mental health. So its a shame crap perceptions of it are running rampant (we can probably blame the adjacent detox tea industry for that).

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Aquabumps (@aquabumps)

As mental health professionals keep telling us: putting our stiff upper lip attitudes (and egos) aside every now and then could free us from a world of pain.

Fortunately, it seems more and more Australians are realising this. Surfing legend Tom Carroll, for instance, who lives on the Northern Beaches (Sydneys other Eastern Suburbs) has amassed a fairly sizeable following with his live guided meditation sessions  and Instagram users are quick to sing their praises (everyone should try this).

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Tom Carroll (@thomasvictorcarroll)
[January 13, 2021] Leading Food Service Software Providers Meal Ticket and Trackmax Announce Strategic Merger

Meal Ticket and Trackmax today announced a strategic merger to combine their complementary solutions and expand their ROI-driven offerings. The merger is intended to accelerate growth and position the combined business as a leader in software and data analytics for the food service industry. The merger is supported by a majority investment from funds advised by PSG, a leading growth equity firm partnering with middle-market software and technology-enabled service companies. Financial terms were not disclosed. Meal Ticket was founded in 2011 and Trackmax in 1996, both with the intention of providing critical technology solutions for businesses across the food service supply chain. Meal Ticket's platform helps distributors and manufacturers enhance lead generation, strengthen customer relationships and increase sales via advanced workflow and data-driven insights. Trackmax's contract and rebate management and business intelligence software enables its clients to increase vendor purchase and sales rebate income on existing sales, creating a return on investment, and driving overall bottom-line profitability. As a combined entity, Meal Ticket and Trackmax will offer a broader portfolio of solutions in addition to new, data-driven innovations that further extends its ROI and tangible impact. Wink Jones, CEO of Meal Ticket, will serve as CEO of the combined business. Tom and Tim Rawson, Co-Founders of Trackmax, will transition out of their roles in the coming months, while working to ensure a seamless merger of the two companies. As part of the transaction, both firms will maintain their current teams and business operations and will continue to operate under their respective brands. "We're thrilled to provide the food service industry with a holistic suite of technology solutions. Our platforms are truly complementary, serving the same customer base, and together, we will provide the industry with a fully comprehensive and powerful solution, building on the momentum ofboth brands," said Jones. "Our collective team and I thank Tom and Tim for the excellent platform they developed over the last twenty-four years and look forward to working closely with the Trackmax team to ensure both businesses continue to operate seamlessly during this transition."



"This is an important milestone for both of our businesses and our customers, as we have known of the Meal Ticket and Trackmax synergies for many years. I am fully confident that our success will only be strengthened by working together, as we are completely aligned from our current value propositions to our cultures and our strategic vision for the future of the industry," said Tom Rawson. "The company is in excellent hands with Wink, and I am excited for our customers and team to benefit from the opportunities that lie ahead of them." "The Meal Ticket and Trackmax teams have built outstanding ROI-focused businesses within the food service ecosystem, and we are excited to partner with them for the next phase of growth," said John Marquis, Managing Director at PSG. "We feel the combined business is well positioned to solve critical data visibility challenges within the foodservice ecosystem, providing customers access to an end-to-end workflow and data visibility platform to optimize performance."

About Meal Ticket Meal Ticket is a leading software provider in the food service supply chain, delivering a suite of SaaS (News - Alert) tools to provide distributors and manufacturers visibility into critical market data. The company's solutions enable its clients to shift from legacy analog systems to a fully automated, software-driven solution, resulting in better account penetration, more strategic vendor relationships and overall higher margins. Meal Ticket was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho, with offices in Colorado and Florida. For more information, visit www.mealticket.com. About Trackmax Trackmax is a leader in profit improvement software solutions, specializing in the development of transaction-based tracking, forecasting and analytical software for wholesale distributors. Its flagship software platforms focus on optimizing and increasing profitability. Trackmax was founded in 1997 and is based in Cape Coral, Florida. For more information on Trackmax, visit the company's website at www.trackmax.com. About PSG PSG is a growth equity firm that partners with lower middle-market software and technology-enabled services companies to help them navigate transformational growth, capitalize on strategic opportunities and build strong teams. Having backed more than 60 companies and facilitated over 250 add-on acquisitions, PSG brings extensive investment experience, deep expertise in software and technology, and a firm commitment to collaborating with management teams. Founded in 2014, PSG operates out of offices in Boston, Kansas City and London. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005259/en/

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Domestic barometers were trading with minor losses on in early afternoon trade. At 12:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, fell 20.25 points or 0.04% at 49,496.86. The Nifty 50 index slipped 2.05 points or 0.01% at 14,561.40.

Investors monitored the developments on the US political front as the US House of Representatives is expected to vote on an impeachment motion against President Trump today.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index lost 0.18% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index fell 0.06%.

The market breadth was negative. On the BSE, 1,261 shares rose and 1,615 shares fell. A total of 157 shares were unchanged.

Coronavirus Update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 9,15,94,383 with 19,62,219 deaths. India reported 2,14,507 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 1,51,529 deaths while 1,01,29,111 patients have been discharged, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Derivatives:

The NSE's India VIX, a gauge of market's expectation of volatility over the near term, jumped 4.43% to 23.86. The Nifty 28 January 2021 futures were trading at 14,578.75, at a premium of 17.35 point compared with the spot at 14,561.40.

The Nifty option chain for 28 January 2021 expiry showed maximum Call OI of 22.5 lakh contracts at the 15,000 strike price. Maximum Put OI of 31.10 lakh contracts was seen at 14,000 strike price.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty Realty index gained 1.20% to 342.70. The index added 8.32% in six days.

DLF (up 7.61%), Sobha (up 1.90%), Brigade Enterprises (up 1.38%), Prestige Real Estates (up 1.10%) and Indiabulls Real Estate (up 1%) advanced.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Tata Elxsi's jumped 8.23% after the company's net profit jumped 39.5% to Rs 105.20 crore on 10.9% rise in total income to Rs 492.20 crore in Q3 December 2020 over Q3 December 2019. Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) rose 52.4% to Rs 143.60 crore in Q3 December 2020 over Q3 December 2019. EBITDA margin expanded to 30.1% in Q3 December 2020 from 22.2% in Q3 December 2019.

Hero MotoCorp rose 0.41%. The motorcycles & scooters manufacturer, reinforced its presence in Central America by appointing new distributor partners in Nicaragua and Honduras, with expansion plans for both the countries.

Hero MotoCorp has lined up a slew of new launches, including its range of premium motorcycles, in both countries and will also expand its network with extensive customer touch-points and flagship stores in key markets. Grupo Casa Pellas - one of biggest economic groups and the leading motorcycles, cars and trucks company in Nicaragua has been appointed as the exclusive distributor of Hero MotoCorp in the country.

The company has appointed Movesa S.A., as its exclusive distributor in Honduras. Movesa S.A. has 14 years of experience in the motorcycle market and is based out of Honduras. Hero MotoCorp's refreshed product portfolio in Honduras will include two new products - the XPulse 200 and the new Hunk 160R (Xtreme 160R in India).

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The Clean Clothes Campaign says 26 Burmese garment workers are legally-owed TBH3.46m (US$110,000) in compensation

Workers at a Thai factory supplying clothing to Tesco, Starbucks, Disney, and NBC Universal are still owed US$110,000 in compensation for alleged mistreatment they experienced when producing garments.

According to worker rights group the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), 26 Burmese garment workers from the Kanlayanee factory, which is based in the Mae Sot region of Thailand, returned to court earlier this month in their third attempt to obtain justice for the abuse and exploitation they suffered while making products for four of the biggest global companies: Disney, NBC Universal, Starbucks, and Tesco.

CCC says the workers were collectively awarded TBH3.46m (US$110,000) in compensation by the courts over a year ago but have yet to receive funds.

Factory owner, Kanlayanee Ruengrit, is said to have offered about $33,000, just 30% of the total amount owed to the workers, as the maximum that she could pay.

Workers accepted the lower amount, "having few other options," CCC says, adding Tesco has paid $24,000, while Starbucks has committed to paying approximately $20,000 but is yet to pay.

Disney and NBC Universal, however, are yet to agree to pay and fill the gap, according to CCC.

"Conditions in the Kanlayanee factory were harsh, and workers earned well below the minimum wage of TBH310 ($10.15), were not paid legally-required overtime or holiday pay, worked seven days per week in sweltering heat with no fans and few windows, in a factory where the toilets were too dirty to use. The exploitative conditions found in the Kanlanayee factory are worryingly common in the Mae Sot region of Thailand, near the border with Myanmar. Mae Sot is a hub for migrant workers, all 26 of the Kanlayanee workers are Burmese migrants, and a regulatory black hole where exploitation is rife and many factories operate without proper inspections. The unusual element in this case is that all four brands involved are global household names," CCC says.

The campaign group welcomes Tesco's contribution and Starbucks commitment to pay and calls on Disney and NBC Universal to follow their lead.

"This case exemplifies the urgent need for industry reform so that companies can be held legally accountable for their due diligence failures," it says. "Workers should not be the ones who pay the price. These brands must pay up now to ensure these workers receive the full amount owed to them," says Ilona Kelly, urgent appeals coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign.

In an email to just-style, a spokesperson for Starbucks said: "Starbucks has a zero-tolerance policy for any illegal practices in its supply chain and requires full compliance with our Supplier Code of Conduct among our business partners. After a thorough investigation, our licensed business partner in Thailand has voluntarily contributed TBH600,000 (approximately US$20,000) to support the workers who were underpaid by the Kalayanee factory in Mae Sot, Thailand. We are working with local NGOs to ensure that our contribution will be properly distributed among the workers."

NBC Universal and Disney did not respond to just-style's request for comment.
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Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Wikileaf Technologies Inc. (CSE: WIKI) ("WIKI" or the "Company") and Ximen Media Group are pleased to announce actor, comedian and podcast personality, Donnell Rawlings will host WIKI's upcoming original podcast series "Hip Hop History High". Rawlings is known for his work on "Chappelle's Show" and Walt Disney's new animation film "Soul" and as a guest on "The Joe Rogan Experience" podcast.

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To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6871/71940_

Hip Hop History High was created by Carlos Koustas and Delmar Washington, who will serve as executive producers alongside Producer/Casting Director Natasha Ward C.S.A.

Hip Hop History High is a short-form comedy series inhaling in hip-hop and its icons telling cultured stories that involve "Mary Jane". The show features a diverse group of iconic figures from the hip-hop era. Their stories will be reenacted using a unique style of animation with the eight-part evergreen series set to debut in April 2021.

"I'm excited to bring you untold stories from Hip Hop legends. It's Hip Hop History B!t@$!," said Donnell Rawlings.

"As part of Wikileaf's business transformation, we are excited to announce Hip Hop History High as one of our initial productions and look forward to sharing more details in the near future," said Connor Cruise, Chair and Interim CEO at Wikileaf.

About Wikileaf Technologies Inc.:

Wikileaf (www.wikileaf.com) is an online platform for cannabis enthusiasts and consumers to discover and interact with local dispensaries and cannabis brands.

For more information, please contact:

Website: https://www.wikileaf.com/

Investor Inquiries:

invest@wikileaf.com

206.802.1363

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"), or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States unless registered under the 1933 Act and any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements is available.

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

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The old year was a rough one, slamming the door on its way out, leaving behind a tangled mess and a country worried sick about itself. Even so, two of my friends begin each new year with notes of gratitude.

Friend one, Wanda Gail, thinks of her practice as an attitude of gratitude, and she started decades ago when she was a hospital nurse.

One of her patients was dying. He was a lifelong smoker and his habit caught up with him. She was on the 3-11 shift and nobody came to visit. Hed been a truck driver, moving here and there. She sat with him when she could, drawn to his lonely room. Her training told her his time was coming.

One night he gave her his prized possession, a silver cigarette lighter. He warned her never to smoke and he thanked her for her company all those nights. She was there for him when he needed somebody to talk to.

After he died, she started a remember box, filled with objects and slips of paper that reminded her of everyday connections with people and all the things she had to be grateful for. She put the lighter in the box, taking it out every now and then and holding it. When her nursing career ended, her gratitude practice continued. She studied to become a minister in the Unity Church where members wrote new years intentions, writing what they hoped to do for themselves and for others.

They wrote on disposable paper which melts in water, but the ritual taught her that a persons intentions stay in the mind and heart, even when the words disappear. One of Wanda Gails intentions each year is to find things to be grateful for, like a hike in the woods or a notecard from a friend. When she and her husband walked around their neighborhood on Halloween night, a mail carrier pulled over to give them trick or treat candy. She was heading home after her route, and wanted someone to have it.

It seems like a little thing, Wanda Gail said, but it was gratitude jar worthy. It made her want to return the favor.

Friend two, Virginia, keeps an optimistically large gratitude jar filled with notes and moments in life that shes grateful for. She also adds memories of things that happened that could have been worse than they were. She says we learn from those, too.

Virginia is a retired Episcopal priest. After the devastation of 9-11, she wrote a note on watercolor paper to remind herself to Be here now and put it in her gratitude jar. She couldnt fly to New York to minister to people, but she could do small acts of kindness in her hometown. She took her large umbrella to shopping centers and held it over the heads of people when it was pouring. She paid for the car behind her in the Starbucks line. She looked for ways to be of use whenever she could.

Both friends say the gratitude practice builds on itself. The more slips of paper you drop in the jar, the more your gratitude grows. You translate your good fortune to helping others.

Gratitude is a habit that makes you want to give, Virginia says. It overflows into action. It shows you that you can do something. Right here. Right now.

She sometimes pulls a note from her gratitude jar and reads it out loud. Its from Meister Eckhart, a thirteenth century German theologian.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.
As a reminder, a Senate trial will not be moot even if Trump is already out of office and so cannot be removed. Beyond the potential symbolic sanction for history that a conviction would bring, it would also preclude him from holding office again  at a minimum, freeing the Republican Party from the prospect that he will disrupt the 2024 primary. Well, disrupt it as a candidate, at least.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Washington, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Small Business Administration has already forgiven more than 1.1 million Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for over $100 billion, providing an extraordinary amount of critical relief to Americas small businesses just 3 months since the earliest PPP borrowers covered periods ended.

Todays news is a key indicator that the PPP is working for all small businesses across our Nation, said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. For any eligible small business continuing to struggle due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Program has re-opened for new and certain existing PPP borrowers, and we encourage you to take advantage of the PPP to keep your workers on payroll, regardless of any local economic restrictions on your operations. SBA is continuing to work around the clock to forgive existing PPP loans and implement the next phase of this vital Program.

The SBA has so far received 1,346,125 forgiveness applications for approximately $170.5 billion. SBA has made payment on nearly 85% of the applications, forgiving over $100 billion. For the smallest borrowers with loans up to $50,000, 88% have been approved for forgiveness.

The new data comes as the Paycheck Protection Program has recently re-opened as a result of the Economic Aid to Hard Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act, signed into law by President Trump on Dec. 27, 2020. The Act added operational expenditures, certain property damage costs, supplier costs and worker protection expenditures, such as drive-through areas, ventilation and sneeze guards, as eligible expenses as well.

The SBA provides PPP Forgiveness Submission & Payment Metrics, as well as Paycheck Protection Program reports, online at www.sba.gov/ppp.

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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
Published on 2021/01/12 | Source

Actor Im Si-wan has established himself as a global star by decorating the cover of the January issue of FAULT, a British magazine.

In the picture, Im Si-wan focused his eyes with clear features and intense eyes, while giving off a chic charm.

Im Si-wan, who is continuing his rising ratings through JTBC's Wednesday-Thursday drama "Run On", is creating a new life character. The character is expressed in more three-dimensional ways with delicate yet skillful acting, showing a variety of charms in each episode, continuing a series of favorable reviews every day after day.

Thanks to "Run On" which ranks TOP 10 on Netflix overseas such as Hong Kong and Japan, the drama "Incomplete Life" and movies "The Merciless" and "The Attorney" are also drawing attention in the global market.

Among them, the cover of a British magazine featured Im Si-wan to prove keen interest on him.

Meanwhile, the JTBC drama "Run On", starring Im Si-wan, airs every Wednesday and Thursday at 9PM.
Workers assemble vehicles at the general assembly line of FAW Jiefang, a truck-manufacturing subsidiary of First Automotive Works (FAW) Group Co. Ltd., in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Having successfully navigated the extreme hardship brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, manufacturers across China are kicking production into high gear to make use of every minute of the new year.

The latest data showed that China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, rose 1.1 percent month on month in December, indicating a steady recovery in China's manufacturing sector. Yet, challenges remain ahead amid the capricious epidemic at home and the complicated external environment.

"The opportunities outweigh the challenges," Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology, told Xinhua in an interview, adding that the fundamentals for the sustained and sound development of China's industrial sector will not change in 2021.

Xiao urged efforts to modernize industrial chains and "crack hard nuts" such as bottlenecks in technological advancement to develop the country into a manufacturing powerhouse.

China has assumed the mantle of the workshop of the world for many years now, driven by its sheer size, complete industrial system and cheap labor force.

As the country pushes forward the transformation of its economic growth model and heads for more efficient and high-quality growth, China aims to move up the value chain to make its manufacturing sector not only big but also smart and tech-savvy.

The digitalization of China's manufacturing industry has seen continuous improvements in recent years, said Fang Xiaoxia, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

However, China's digital transformation of its manufacturing sector remains largely in its infancy, such as the use of industrial software, and data mining and utilization at production sites, Fang noted.

To further enhance its manufacturing prowess, China will build more independent and controllable industrial and supply chains, with efforts to achieve breakthroughs in key and core technologies, according to the tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference that took place in December.

The automobile industry, for example, could emerge as a crucial sector for China's industrial upgrading. The country has outlined a roadmap for developing automated vehicles, aiming to achieve scale production of driverless cars of conditional automation by 2025.

A driverless vehicle runs on a road during a driverless vehicle winter challenge competition at a forest park in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Jan. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

China will establish a basic ecosystem for driverless vehicles by 2025, said a document released last year, adding that the system should be continuously improved to build the country's strength in automated vehicles by 2050.

Green industry is another area that China is hoping to build on its advantages. To ensure green growth of the automobile sector, China unveiled a development plan for its new energy vehicle industry for the 2021-2035 period. By 2035, purely electric automobiles are likely to dominate new purchases, while vehicles used in public transportation will be exclusively electrified, according to the plan.

Digital transformation of China's industrial sector has also accelerated during the epidemic. The boom of the online economy amid the epidemic-induced lockdowns has shifted many companies' traditional practices such as office meetings and marketing online.

China's digital infrastructure also saw notable achievements, with a total of 580,000 5G base stations built last year and 600,000 more to be added to the network in 2021.

The country vows more breakthroughs for the industrial application of 5G technology, with over 1,100 projects on the integration of 5G and industrial internet under construction, covering key fields such as raw materials, equipment manufacturing and consumer goods.

Apart from promoting technological advancement domestically, China also encourages foreign firms to engage in the country's industrial upgrading.

In December 2020, China released a revised industrial catalog, opening up more sectors for foreign investors. Scheduled to take effect on Jan. 27, 2021, the new catalog encourages more foreign capital to pump into high-end manufacturing such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits and new material.

Opening up cutting-edge sectors not only creates more opportunities for foreign investors but also brings strategic factors such as talent, technology and capital to China, which will contribute to the establishment of the new development paradigm, said Zhao Ping, a researcher with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
MOSCOW - Less than six months after Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was poisoned in what he has said was a state-ordered attack, he announced Wednesday that he is returning to Russia, where he could find himself behind bars soon after his arrival.

Navalny has been recovering in Germany since he became gravely ill during an Aug. 20 flight to Moscow from the Siberian city of Tomsk. After receiving initial treatment in Omsk, where the plane made an emergency landing, Navalny was transferred to a Berlin hospital, where he spent more than two weeks in a medically induced coma. He has not been back in Russia since but is planning his return for Jan. 17.

"[Russian President Vladimir] Putin, who gave the order to kill me, is screaming in his bunker and tells his servants to do everything to prevent me from returning," Navalny said in an Instagram post. "Servants act as usual, fabricating new criminal cases against me. But I'm not very interested in what they are doing. Russia is my country, Moscow is my city, and I miss them."

Navalny then asked his supporters to "come meet me," adding that he was flying Pobeda Airlines. Within hours, nearly 400 people responded "going" to a Facebook group with information about when Navalny's flight is scheduled to land at Moscow's Vnukovo airport.

The Kremlin has denied any role in Navalny's poisoning and has ignored Western leaders' calls to open an investigation into what happened. The investigative website Bellingcat reported recently that it used telecom and travel data to discover that eight Russian state security agents were in the vicinity when Navalny was poisoned in Tomsk.

During a December news conference, Putin seemed to confirm that Navalny was being surveilled but denied that Moscow was responsible for his poisoning. He said with a laugh: "Who needs him anyway? If we had really wanted, we'd have finished the job."

In the past month, Moscow has not-so-subtly warned Navalny against returning. On Dec. 28, Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service threatened to replace Navalny's suspended three-year sentence in a 2014 embezzlement case with a real prison term if he did not return by Dec. 29 - a virtual impossibility considering international travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic. His extended probation period was set to expire on Dec. 30.

The Federal Penitentiary Service delivered on that threat Monday, formally requesting that Navalny's sentence be changed to jail time.

"Putin is so enraged that I survived his poisoning that he ordered [the Federal Penitentiary Service] to go to court and demand that my suspended sentence be changed to a real one," Navalny wrote Tuesday on Twitter, providing a screenshot of the legal request filed with a Moscow court.

In 2018, Europe's top human rights court ruled that Navalny was unfairly convicted and that the case appeared to be part of a broader effort "to bring the opposition under control."

The Federal Penitentiary Service accused Navalny of violating the terms of the suspended sentence and of evading the supervision of Russia's criminal inspection authority. Citing an article in the Lancet medical journal about Navalny's treatment, the prison service said Navalny was discharged from a hospital in Berlin on Sept. 20 and that all of his symptoms had vanished by Oct. 12.

"Therefore the convicted man is not fulfilling all of the obligations placed on him by the court and is evading the supervision of the Criminal Inspectorate," it said.

On Dec. 29, Russia's main investigative agency said it had opened a new criminal case against Navalny on charges of large-scale fraud related to alleged mishandling of about $5 million in private donations to his Anti-Corruption Foundation and other organizations.

"It looks like Putin is in hysterics," Navalny retorted on Twitter.
In November 2020 Odintsovo, the fifth of the new Russian Karakurt corvettes, completed sea trials and entered service. The navy was uneasy about this version of the Karakurt class because the Odintsovo was the first of four Karakurts armed with a Pantsir M air defense system rather than the cheaper and less capable 57E6 Sosna-R. The one advantage of the Sosna-R is that it cannot be jammed. Sosna-R is basically an enlarged shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile that uses an electro-optical sensor to track the target and a secure control signal plus a proximity fuze to get it close enough to destroy or disable the target. Systems like Sosna-R have been around for decades and are known to work.

Pantsir has not been known for its effectiveness. On paper the naval Pantsir is a superior system with a longer-range (20 kilometers) Hermes K missile backed by twin-multi-barrel 30mm autocannon (range five kilometers) to deal with anti-ship targets that get past the missiles. Pantsir M replaced two systems; the Sosna-R missiles and the two AK-630 CIWS autocannon.

Pantsir M was deliberately designed to eliminate a design flaw in the land-based Pantsir-S1 that made it easy for some electronic and weapon systems to destroy or disable it. There were no official statements on how the Pantsir EW (Electronic Warfare) vulnerability was tested and verified as fixed. Apparently, those problems were fixed because there were no rumors about it being otherwise. This is important for the Pantsir M because it gives Russian warships better protection against incoming anti-ship missiles. Western warships have been using the RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile) system since the early 1990s. German developed and widely adopted, RAM has a range of ten kilometers and is a proven system that has already undergone several generations of upgrades. RAM uses a 21-missile launcher and the 75 kg (162 pound) missiles have a 85 percent success rate in test and training firings.

Aside from the potential Pantsir problems, the Karakurts have been a success. At the end of 2018 the Russian Navy put into service the first of 18 Karakurt (Project 22800) corvettes. The first ship was assigned to the Baltic Sea. Three are now in service and thirteen more are in various states of construction in three shipyards. This is a new type of coastal corvette that is more capable on the open seas. Some of them are being built in the Crimean shipyards Russia acquired in 2014 when they basically took Crimea from Ukraine.

Russia has been building more of these smaller corvettes since the 1990s for several reasons. First, the Russian shipyards have proved more effective in building these small (under 1,000 tons) ships than larger ones. Then there is the urgent need for heavily armed corvettes to serve as a low-cost patrol vessel that can handle just about anything it runs into during coastal patrols or even wartime operations. Finally, there is a growing export market for this type of ship.

The 800-ton Karakurts are 65 meters (213 feet) long with a top speed of 56 kilometers an hour. They are armed with one 76mm cannon, eight launch tubes each holding a 1.2-ton 3K14 Kalibr anti-ship missiles (range 300 kilometers) or P800 anti-ship missiles (range 600 kilometers), two 14.5mm machine-guns, two AK-630 multi-barrel 30mm autocannon for close range defense against missiles and aircraft and 32 57E6 anti-aircraft missiles (range 20 kilometers). There is also a launching pad for large helicopter type UAVs. The crew of 30 can stay at sea for 15 days at a time before needing to refuel and resupply. Each of the first four Karakurts cost approximately $35 million. The Karakurts are seen as more of a threat to foreign nations than the previous Buyan class corvettes, which displace 900 tons but are less stealthy, have shorter range and carry fewer long range missiles. Buyan entered service in 2004 and 11 are in service with four is still in production or undergoing sea trials.

The Russian navy, because of budget cuts, has suspended or canceled construction plans for many larger ships and subs, leaving the Navy to apply all its procurement efforts to obtaining smaller ships on budget and on time. Not only are the smaller ships cheaper but they can be built quickly and are easier to monitor for quality control. The shipyards producing these smaller ships know they are fortunate because so many other yards have had construction contracts canceled or suspended.

The Russian defense industry is still riddled with firms that cannot do it right, on time and on budget. The Pantsir is an example of this. Reports that the original Pantsir S1 was often destroyed by manned aircraft and UAV launched missiles in Syria and Libya was unwelcome news for the Russian Navy. Russia is giving the land-based Pantsir S1 (SA-22) anti-aircraft system one more chance to be useful in land combat. A new version, Pantsir S1M, was made public at a 2019 trade show and is supposed to bel be delivered to customers in 2021.

It was specifically noted that the S1M model had changes based on combat experience in Syria and Libya. That combat experience was disastrous, with over twenty Pantsir S1 vehicles destroyed by Turkish and Israeli aircraft and electronic countermeasures. Most of the losses were incurred in Libya where Russia supplied one of the two factions (the LNA or Libyan National Army) fighting a civil war there with over 20 Pantsir S1 vehicles. Most were lost to Turkish Bayraker TB2 UAVs firing laser-guided missiles after the Pantsir S1s had been blinded by Turkish Koral jammers. Israel used similar tactics in Syria. Russia admitted that Pantsir S1 had difficulty tracking and destroying targets that were flying at high speed at very low or at very high altitudes.

Pantsir M was specifically designed to deal with low altitude (sea skimming) fast moving anti-ship missiles. There were also problems with the jamming of Pantsir S1 which is supposed to be solved in Pantsir M and Pantsir S1M with the use of an electro-optical fire control system for close range targets. Pantsir S1 was not supposed to have vulnerabilities like the ones that showed up combat and led to so many Pantsir S1 systems destroyed. For the navy that is not enough. If Pantsir M has similar problems a ship will be lost while during land combat the loss of one or more Pantsir systems does not have such a catastrophic effect.

The new, improved and reliable Pantsir S1M is equipped with a new, 75-kilometer range, radar plus an advanced electro-optical target tracking system. Electro-optical systems cannot be blinded easily and certainly not by electronic jammers. The S1M is now equipped to detect and take down all manner of UAVs, no matter what their size or operating capabilities. S1M uses a new missile with a range of 20 kilometers and an improved internal guidance system.

At the same time, there has been a less publicized effort by the Russian army and navy to obtain a new system to replace Pantsir, which they have lost confidence in. Given the dismal state of the defense budget, it may be a while before a Pantsir replacement can be developed and delivered. Russia is apparently going to put the S1M model to the test in actual combat. While Turkey and Russia are allies, they avoid killing each others personnel in Syria and Libya and the new Pantsir S1M would be out to destroy Turkish UAVs. That will cost Turkey some hardware and reputation if S1M works, but wont do the kind of diplomatic damage Russians killing Turkish troops does.

Pantsir-S1 is a mobile, truck-mounted system. Each vehicle carries a radar, two 30mm cannon and twelve Tunguska missiles. The original 90 kg (198 pound) missiles had a twenty-kilometer range and the radar a 30-40-kilometer range. The missile can hit targets at up to 8,400 meters (26,000 feet). The new Tunguska is heavier, has a longer (30 kilometers) range and presumably can hit targets at higher altitudes.

The 30mm cannon is effective up to 3,200 meters (10,000 feet). The vehicle can vary, but the most common one carrying all this weighs 20 tons and has a crew of three. Each Pantsir-S1 vehicle-mounted system costs about $15 million and the S1M costs about a third more. Typically, four to six Pantsir vehicles are organized as a battalion along with a command post and support vehicles. Larger numbers of Pantsir vehicles are organized into a regiment of two or three battalions and more support vehicles. These consist of electronic and mechanical repair vehicles as well as other vehicles carrying spare parts and missile reloads and 30mm ammunition. There is also a system simulator that is carried in a truck or trailer. Russia has made a tremendous investment in Pantsir and does not want to scrap the system. If S1M doesnt work in combat, Pantsir will have to go because its survival depends so much on export customers.
A cannabis farmer was lured to a derelict house by a gang of Albanian drug dealers and shot in the head at point-blank range with a sawn-off shotgun, a murder trial has today been told.

Hamawand Ali Hussain, 30, died instantly in the 'carefully planned hit' at a terraced house in Hartlepool, jury members heard.

Noza Saffari, 39, and Anxhelo Xhaferi, 24, both of Middlesbrough, Dorian Pirija, 33, of Bolton, and Qazim Marku, 24, of West Drayton, have pleaded not guilty to Mr Hussain's murder.

The four men are standing trial at Teesside Crown Court, Middlesbrough.

Jurors were told how four other men were involved in the planning of the victim's death and his killing, but have so far evaded arrest.

Hamawand Ali Hussain, 30, died instantly in the 'carefully planned hit' at a terraced house in Hartlepool, jury members heard

Prosecutors claim the group set a trap for 30-year-old Mr Hussain, a Kurdistan-born British citizen, to walk into on September 14, 2019. Pictured: Police at the scene of the incident

Today, in the opening of the six-week trial, Francis FitzGibbon QC, prosecuting, said the killers were a group of Albanian drug dealers who Mr Hussain had arrived to meet with around 1,000 in his pocket.

Prosecutors claim the group set a trap for 30-year-old Mr Hussain, a Kurdistan-born British citizen, to walk into on September 14, 2019.

A number of missed calls and messages were sent to the victim the day before his death, in a bid to organise the meeting, the court heard.

It is alleged that nine days earlier, on September 5, the defendants got together in Bolton, Greater Manchester, and discussed their intentions of killing Mr Hussain.

Mr FitzGibbon told jurors: 'In the front room of an empty house in Hartlepool a man named Hemawand Hussain was shot in the head at point blank range.

'Mr Hussain was a drug dealer and he went to Charterhouse Street in Hartlepool for a meeting with other drug dealers, or so he was told.

'In fact they lured him there to kill him. We say that they held that meeting to plan the killing of Mr Hussain.

'Police have made enquiries into Mr Hussain's life, he was originally from Kurdistan but had lived in the UK for many years and was a British citizen at the time of his death.'

Jurors were also told the day after the meeting in Bolton, a number of items including an axe, nylon rope, gloves and cable ties were bought from a B&Q store in Middlesbrough by Xhaferi and an alleged associate.

Mr FitzGibbon said the defendants then secured keys to the property on Charterhouse Street, which wasn't being lived in at the time, via the landlord.

The court heard they then established it as the trap.

Mr FitzGibbon said the defendants then secured keys to the property on Charterhouse Street, which wasn't being lived in at the time, via the landlord. Pictured: Police at the scene

Jurors at Teeside Crown Court (pictured) were also told the day after the meeting in Bolton, a number of items including an axe, nylon rope, gloves and cable ties were bought from a B&Q store in Middlesbrough by Xhaferi and an alleged associate.

Prosecutors believe that Hussain was drawn there to inspect a potential site to farm cannabis.

However, when he arrived, the men were waiting for him and shot him almost as soon as he stepped foot inside, the court heard.

Jurors were shown CCTV that showed five men escaping with one holding a bag believed to be carrying a sworn off shotgun.

A man living close to the murder scene was hard of hearing, the prosecution said, but recalled his parrot was startled by a loud noise, which jurors were told could have been sound of the shotgun blast.

The prosecution said there was no clear motive for the murder, but that police believed that Hussain made enemies of a group of Albanian drug dealers who decided 'to take him out'.

Mr Fitzgibbon added: 'We can't say which of the five in Charterhouse Street pulled the trigger and shot Mr Hussain but we say each of the defendants took an active part in the murder planning.

The jury were told that the official cause of death was a gunshot wound fired from point blank range to the back of the head.

The pathologist who dealt with the incident will give evidence in due course.

The trial continues.
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Guangzhous Liwan district carried out nucleic acid tests throughout Wednesday night and Thursday in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19. The southern metropolis is under pressure to prevent imported infections, after a person was confirmed Friday to have contracted a strain of the coronavirus first found in India. The city reported three new cases, one local and two imported, on Wednesday

May 27, 2021 05:09 PM
Riz Ahmed has married novelist Fatima Farheen Mirza.

The actor, 38, announced he'd tied the knot in secret while starring as a guest on Louis Theroux's Grounded podcast on Monday, and later revealed they wed in a 'super intimate' ceremony with only a few guests present.

Riz said he tied the knot 'not very long ago' after being quizzed by the host about his marital status when he mentioned his 'wife's family.'

Tied the knot! Riz Ahmed, 38, has revealed he married in secret to novelist Fatima Farheen Mirza (pictured February last year)

Riz, who was born in Wembley, was explaining he chose to stay in California after filming at the end of last year because his 'wife's family' is from the Bay Area.

Louis asked Riz if he was married as he stated he didn't know the Venom star wasn't single.

The actor replied: 'I think it's the first time I've mentioned it in an interview so congratulations on that incredibly exciting scoop.

Wedding bells! The actor announced he'd tied the knot with Fatima (pictured in 2018) in a 'super intimate' ceremony with only a few guests present

'I don't really feel it's generally that relevant [his private life], so I don't delve into my personal life or dating history.'

Riz said the 'main reason' he announced he is married is that he has been talking about his private life more recently.

He said by speaking out more he hopes it will encourage others to take the pandemic seriously.

He went onto reveal he and Fatima exchanged vows in a simple ceremony with only a few guests present due to COVID-19 restrictions.

He said: 'Obviously, kept it super intimate, and socially distanced. There was just like, hardly anyone there really.

'We did it in a backyard, which is nice in lots of ways. I think the nicest thing about it was you didn't have 500 aunties hanging around you, pinching your cheeks.'

Congratulations! Riz made the announcement while starring as a guest on Louis Theroux's Grounded podcast on Monday

The Four Lions star joked: 'No disrespect to the aunties, but Asian weddings are big.

'You always got these people crawling out the woodworks, who I think are kind of probably impostors. They just smell the kebabs on the street and just wander in.'

Riz went onto reveal more about his wife while appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, explaining they met in 2019 while he was preparing to play a deaf drummer in Sound Of Metal.

He said: 'She's an amazing novelist. We met so randomly while I was preparing for this role, for Sound Of Metal when I was in New York.

Across the pond: Riz, who was born in Wembley, has carved a Hollywood career and said he is staying in California at the moment because it's near his wife's family (pictured in 2017)

'We both sat down at the same table in the cafe where we both turned up to write. We were both jostling over the same laptop plug points, like a very modern way of meeting.

'And we struck up a friendship and reconnected down the line. But it's weirdly like one of the many things about preparing for this role that was so special, it just brought a lot of goodness into my life.

'Obviously I met Fatima for the first time and met so many people in the deaf community that have become friends.

'There's just something about this whole period around this film that was kind of life changing.'

Last year, Riz sadly announced he had lost two close family members to coronavirus.

He told Louis: 'I felt like talking about it and saying, 'Hey, look, this is a real thing. It's affected me and my family'.'

Riz did add however he didn't think it was 'necessary' to share with fans all aspects of his life as he continued: 'If I was quite a private person, I wouldn't be doing a podcast with you being like, 'Hey, check out these films', 'I'm on Twitter.' I guess it's just about having boundaries.'

The Night Of star, who was born in London to a British Pakistani family, spoke about his heartache after losing two family members in an interview with GQ Hype last year.

He said: 'I have lost two family members to Covid. I just want to believe their deaths and all the others aren't for nothing. We gotta step up to re-imagine a better future.'

Well-loved: Last year, the rapper sadly announced he had lost two close family members to coronavirus (pictured his uncle Shakeel)

He previously revealed that his uncle Shakeel had died on the weekend of April 4, describing him as a 'legend in his community who will be missed by so many'.

As an actor, Riz has won a Primetime Emmy Award and has received nominations for a Golden Globe and three British Independent Film Awards.

In 2016, he appeared in the action film Jason Bourne, and played Bodhi Rook in the Star Wars Anthology film Rogue One.

He also starred as a young man accused of murder in the HBO miniseries The Night Of, earning critical acclaim.

For his guest role in Girls; he won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for the former, becoming the first Asian male to win an acting Emmy, and the first Muslim and first Asian to win a lead acting Emmy.
Jenna Lyons has described the situation in the US with LGBT rights as scary.

The American fashion designer told Elle UK there is more prejudice than ever in the country, adding same-sex marriage legislation risks being overturned.

I hope that things shift. Where we are now is very scary, she said.

Expand Close Jenna Lyons meets the Duchess of Cambridge (Geoff Pugh/PA) / Facebook

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Lyons also discussed meeting the Duchess of Cambridge in New York in 2011.

She was literally the sweetest, most charming person on the planet, Lyons said.

She walked right up to me and put her hands on my sparkly shirt and said, Oh, I know you.

I was told I wasnt allowed to touch her, she walked up and touched me and I was like, Thank you!

She was so nice, it was so exciting.

Lyons also said her signature look of thick rimmed glasses and tied back hair happened by accident.

The glasses the only ones I seemed to like or look good on me were those heavy rimmed glasses, I tried everything, she said.

The hair back was ease and all of a sudden it was a thing, an iconic look.

It was an accident, it was definitely not intentional.
CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Japan will on Thursday release November numbers for core machinery orders, highlighting a busy day for Asia-Pacific economic activity. Core machine orders are expected to sink 6.2 percent on month and 15.4 percent on year after rising 17.1 percent on month and 2.8 percent on year in October. Japan also will see December figures for producer prices, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 0.2 percent on month and a decline of 2.2 percent on year. That follows the flat monthly reading and the 2.2 percent drop in November. New Zealand will see November numbers for building permits; in October, permits were up 8.8 percent on month. Australia also will see November data for building permits, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 2.6 percent following the 3.8 percent gain in October. China will provide December figures for imports, exports and trade balance. Imports are expected to rise 5.0 percent on year, up from 4.5 percent in November. Exports are called higher by an annual 15 percent, slowing from 21.1 percent in the previous month. The trade surplus is pegged at $72.35 billion, down from $75.40 billion a month earlier. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
The average cost for marijuana in an Illinois shop is about double what it is in Colorado. As such, and as weve seen in every other state that has legalized, the illicit market continues to reign supreme. The solution, according to the pot profiteers, is to add more licenses for growers. But given what weve seen from the disastrous rollout of social equity licenses, I wouldnt expect this to do anything but perpetuate the social justice crisis that is unfolding before our eyes.

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 45% of Fannin County's population is 55 and older. Projections from the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget put that number at 55% by 2030.

As the University of North Georgia's (UNG) director of the Institute for Healthy Aging, Dr. Pamela Elfenbein understands the benefits of engaging with that population group through activities and educational opportunities and tapping into their wisdom.

As the director of UNG's Blue Ridge Campus, Sandy Ott knows the new stand-alone campus in Fannin can facilitate those opportunities while providing a place for the community to connect with UNG.

Both women have joined forces along with the College of Education's Appalachian Studies Center to create a Personal Enrichment, Action and Knowledge Series (PEAKS) for the seniors of Fannin County and the UNG region. The collaborative endeavor will be a monthly program of engaging and seasonally connected presentations designed to meet the needs of the region's rapidly growing older adult community.

"PEAKS will establish UNG as the region's premier resource for personal enrichment, action and knowledge for older adults," Elfenbein said. "We envision it as a first step to a future lifelong learning program, much larger in scope and reach."

Ott agreed with Elfenbein's assessment.

"UNG can provide a much-needed and desired resource for educational opportunities and enrichment for the largest population," Ott said. "We are already engaged with our high schools. Now, this is another area to grow and expand our services and programs."

The PEAKS program will launch its first series virtually to allow for broad participation throughout UNG's service region. All events will be streamed from or held live on the Blue Ridge Campus.

The inaugural presentation will feature internationally acclaimed speaker and author Dr. Westina Matthews at 7 p.m. Jan. 21. Her recent book, "Dancing from the Inside Out," was chosen as her message speaks of both difficult times and a life well lived.

"She has a great story to tell," Elfenbein said.

The second speaker will be Reverend Dr. Cynthia Park, who is a spiritual leader, renowned linguist, and counselor. She will speak on Feb. 18.

Since 2014, Park has been the associate rector for ministries of compassion at Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, Georgia. Elfenbein said she heard Park speak at another event and took home a valuable lesson.

"I learned to reframe my stories," she said. "It helped improve my quality of life."

The third and final speaker will be Rosann Kent on March 18. As director of UNG's Center for Appalachian Studies, she will share the topic of "Appalachian Folklore: Planting by the Signs."

"People who are 55 and older will find these topics interesting and meaningful," Elfenbein said. "And they will have the opportunity for reflection on them."

Future program topics will explore the interest and focus of the region, including regional history and outdoor active learning opportunities to engage the target audience of the 55-and-older community.

Ott anticipates a good response from the Blue Ridge community and beyond.

"I'm looking forward to having the virtual program as well as the face-to-face program on the new campus to let individuals who wouldn't normally step foot on campus have a chance to be engaged and feel like a part of UNG's Blue Ridge Campus," Ott said.

Register for the virtual events at PEAKS@ung.edu.
Israel plans to lobby the incoming Biden administration to avoid confrontations over human rights and other contentious issues with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt, senior Israeli defense officials tell me.

Why it matters: President-elect Biden has promised to put human rights and democracy at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy, and he skipped over all three when placing phone calls to the leaders of 17 countries after his election victory. He was particularly critical of Saudi Arabia during the campaign over the war in Yemen and human rights issues.

Israel sees its security and intelligence relationships with the three countries as central to its strategy to counter Iran and an important pillar in regional security.

Now, Israel fears that Biden will not only seek a deal with Iran, but also cool relations with America's Arab partners.

Driving the news: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt all welcomed Secretary of State Mike Pompeos controversial decision this week to designate Yemen's Houthi rebels as a terror organization.

Israel hasnt taken any position on that decision  which some Democrats are already lobbying Biden to reverse  but has been placing new emphasis on the situation in Yemen in recent weeks.

That's due in part to threats from the Iran-backed Houthis on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea, but mainly because of the implications of further Iranian entrenchment in the country for Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Israeli officials say.

What to watch: The Israelis know Biden will have a very different policy on Yemen than Trump, particularly when it comes to the Saudi role in the war. But they plan to encourage the new administration to make sure its policy shifts don't deepen Iranian influence or jeopardize regional cooperation on other issues.

Behind the scenes: The Israeli defense officials tell me they plan to make the case to the Biden administration that the region has changed over the last four years, with a new regional alignment forming as Israel strengthens its ties with Arab countries.

Israel hopes the new administration will prioritize that process over its concerns about the war in Yemen or human rights abuses.

On the one hand: The officials say Israel has encouraged Egypt and Saudi Arabia to take steps on human rights issues in order to improve the atmosphere for dialogue with the Biden administration.

The officials say Israel has encouraged Egypt and Saudi Arabia to take steps on human rights issues in order to improve the atmosphere for dialogue with the Biden administration. On the other: They also plan to warn Biden's team that a crisis in relations with Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt could push those countries away from the U.S. and toward Russia and China.

What they're saying: We were very close to losing Egypt several years ago and our message to the Biden administration will be: 'Take it slow, dramatic changes took place, dont come with predispositions and dont harm relations with Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE,'" a senior Israeli official told me.
Islamabad, Jan 13 : Pakistan is hosting the second Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan trilateral meeting here on Wednesday to discuss global and regional issues.

The Pakistan Foreign office said "the three sides would also explore possibilities of deepening trilateral cooperation in all areas of common interest, including peace and security, trade and investment, science and technology, education and cultural cooperation".

The three sides would also be discussing the existing threat to regional peace and security.

"Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Turkey enjoy close fraternal relations based on common faith, values, culture and history; deeply embedded in mutual trust and understanding," read the statement issued by the Foreign Office.

This will be the second round of consultations at the trilateral level as the first meeting was held in Baku in November 2017.

"The meeting in Islamabad would exchange views on global and regional issues, including new and emerging threats to regional peace and security, addressing challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, environment and climate change and to achieve economic development targets," the statement said.

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Byramov will be landing in Islamabad on Wednesday on a two-day visit, while the Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has already reached Islamabad for a two-day visit.

As per details, the two foreign ministers will be having one-on-one meetings with Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. The two foreign ministers will also be meeting President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
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ROCHESTER, Minn.  A national job creation event in May will include the City of Rochester.

The National League of Cities (NLC) has invited Rochester and five other communities around the country to take part in the Mayors Institute on Job Creation and Economic Opportunity to Improve Health and Equity. The virtual event will happen from May 19 through 20 and the Mayors Institute will provide technical assistance to Rochester and the other cities through December in response to their specific circumstances and needs.

I am very pleased and honored that the City of Rochester was chosen to participate, says Rochester Mayor Kim Norton. This opportunity will allow us to make real headway with our current efforts to improve health and advance equity through economic opportunity. I look forward to working with the City team, our community partners and NLC throughout the course of this year. This is really meaningful work as we seek to make Rochester a place where everyone thrives.

The Mayors Institute says it is designed to produce highly practical, solutions-oriented discussions and is intended to spur significant improvements in job and economic opportunities as well as health and well-being with an emphasis on low-to-no income populations. It says the goal of this partnership with NLC is to build off of these collaborations and adopt a more integrated strategy to address job creation and economic opportunity for low-income residents.

There are no fees associated with being engaged in the Institute.
ALBANY  Public and private schools in the city of Albany began "proactively" testing students, teachers, and staff for COVID-19 Monday in response to a post-holiday surge in coronavirus cases.

Albany City School District has begun randomly testing 10 percent of its on-site population over a two week period, school officials said.

The tests are voluntary; the parents of 902 students and 319 employees have signed consent forms agreeing to be in a pool of people who may asked to provide a non-invasive nasal swab. Some 90 tests that were administered on Monday and Tuesday have yielded no positives, a school official said.

More than 9,000 students are enrolled in the district, but most students in grades seven through 12 have been learning remotely since the start of the school year.

Students opting for in-person instruction in prekindergarten through grade 6, and in self-contained special education classes at all grade levels, returned to school on Monday following a one-week pause.

The cohort being tested includes employees working in-person at district offices at Academy Park, Harriet Gibbons Student Services Center, Essex Street, and Tony Clement Center for Education.

The Albany Academies tested its entire on-campus population for the virus last week in preparation for a return to the classroom Monday.

The Albany private school, which enrolls roughly 800 in-person and remote students, shut down in early December following a sharp spike in the cases after Thanksgiving break. More than 45 students and employees tested positive for the virus in the first week of December.

"We did a blanket closure which was the right thing to do at the time with the information that we had. If we had this type of information... we would have known the prevalence of the virus is in the upper school, not the lower school," Head of School Chris Lauricella said.

Albany Academies plans to continue testing on-site students and staff on a weekly basis to supplement its other virus mitigation measures. The school is partnering with a private company that offers a convenient take-home test.

"These tests, it's not a panacea, it's not going to do anything except give us good data about what we are dealing with," Lauricella said.

The nasal samples can be self-administered at home and processed in a Maryland lab in batches of 12 to 18. The tests produce results within two days and cost between $15 and $20 per test. The first batch of 607 tests resulted in three positives, school officials said.

So far, there is no explicit mandate for schools to begin testing. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in December said that New York schools located in a coronavirus hotspot could keep their doors open if they test a portion of their on-site populations.

The state has not designated any part of the region a COVID-19 microcluster zone, which would trigger the mandatory testing.

Albany school leaders say they are using the tests as a supplementary tool to protect employees, students, and staff and better understand the trajectory of the disease. The state Department of Health has provided hundreds of thousands of rapid test kits to schools free of charge.

Most school districts in the Capital Region have sought permission from parents and trained their nurses to administer rapid tests, while some have contracted with outside organizations to perform the surveillance testing. The majority of local school officials say they are waiting for the state to declare the area a microcluster before beginning the screenings.
SACRAMENTO  State and local law enforcement agencies are ramping up security measures around the California Capitol in the aftermath of last weeks insurrection in Washington, D.C. by rioters seeking to keep President Trump in office.

With the FBI warning of plans for armed protests in Washington and all 50 state capitals ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration next week, Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he is prepared to call in the California National Guard if needed to maintain peace in Sacramento.

Everybody is on high alert in terms of just making sure that everybody is safe and protected, peoples free speech can be advanced but theres no violence, Newsom said at a news conference Monday. I can assure you, we have a heightened, heightened level of security.

Since the election, Trump supporters have been gathering weekly at the state Capitol to object to what they falsely claim was a fraudulent outcome. Capital Public Radio reported that the events, for which organizers did not obtain permits, have frequently devolved into clashes between the far-right militia group Proud Boys and antifa counterprotesters.

A demonstration Jan. 6 to challenge Congress certification of Bidens victory included several small skirmishes on the fringes, but ultimately ended without widespread violence. Across the country, however, a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving four rioters and a member of the Capitol Police dead and heightening concerns about additional bloodshed in the weeks ahead.

A group called Let Freedom Ring has sought a permit to hold an event Sunday at the state Capitol for 3,000 people to peacefully protest our compromised election, register voters and collect signatures to recall Newsom. Additional information about the demonstration or who is behind it is not readily available online.

John Goodman / TNS

The California Highway Patrol, which manages safety operations for the Capitol grounds and issues permits for events, did not respond to questions about who filed for the Let Freedom Ring permit. In a statement, a spokesperson said the CHP was coordinating with local law enforcement agencies, but declined to discuss what additional safety protocols it was taking.

Officers are always vigilant for potential threats that may occur at the State Capitol, Officer John Ortega, a spokesperson for the CHPs Capitol Protection Section, said in an email. We have personnel ready to respond to protect state property and ensure public safety as necessary.

Barricades have kept the public away from the Capitol building since May, following a demonstration against coronavirus restrictions in which attendees confronted law enforcement officers and some tried to break through a line of officers guarding the entrance.

On Tuesday morning, there appeared to be some additional staffing around the Capitol as well, with about two dozen officers standing guard or patrolling the perimeter of the fencing. But the property was not entirely inaccessible to the public; at one point, a group calling for a moratorium on construction of factory farms and slaughterhouses was escorted by CHP officers onto the west steps for their protest.

The Sacramento Sheriffs Office said it is prepared to provide resources and personnel to assist the CHP for any unexpected event, while the Sacramento Police Department is already planning to step up its response for any future demonstrations in the downtown streets around the Capitol, which fall under its jurisdiction.

The security teams for both houses of the Legislature said they have boosted safety protocols, but declined to say how.

Alexei Koseff is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: alexei.koseff@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @akoseff
Ron Busby and Brock Blake both shot plenty of criticism at the Small Business Administration last year over its handling of the Paycheck Protection Program. Now, they agree: The PPP might be experiencing its first smooth rollout.

On Monday, the SBA and the Treasury Department prelaunched the newest round of the forgivable loan program to specifically help "underserved small businesses" that were unable to secure PPP loans last year. So far, the program has been open only to lenders like Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and microloan intermediaries--which typically work with smaller businesses than traditional banks do.

To Busby, president and CEO of the U.S. Black Chambers, and Blake, co-founder and CEO of small-business lending platform Lendio, that's a breath of fresh air. Both say that while it's too soon to gauge the program's overall success--many of Monday's applicants won't get approvals until at least Wednesday--early signs for those underserved businesses are positive.

It's well-documented that the country's smallest businesses, particularly Black-owned businesses, were among those least likely to obtain PPP loans in 2020. Last summer, the New York Federal Reserve noted that in the 30 counties across the country with the highest concentration of Black-owned businesses, PPP approval rates fell significantly below the national average. And in the program's first round, the average loan size hovered around $100,000. This week, Blake says, the average loan size processed through Lendio is less than $50,000--a tentative sign of progress, since loan sizes are determined by each company's monthly payroll expenses.

That's especially important for Black-owned businesses, which have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic--and overwhelmingly qualify as "tiny" businesses with fewer than 10 employees, including many solopreneurs. Busby says that encouraging relationships with CDFIs and other community-focused lenders could help increase access for those companies. "CDFIs are more hands-on. They're willing to work with smaller businesses," he says. "Many of our businesses are going to be smaller loans, and are going to be a little more difficult and challenging [to process]."

Building new relationships with smaller lenders could be crucial for another reason: It's important to diversify beyond big banks, which will gain lending access to the PPP later this week. Some of the big banks have histories of racial discrimination against loan applicants, Busby notes, and without preventive guardrails--which the SBA has declined to create thus far--that trend could continue.

Blake sees an additional challenge. The appetite for new PPP loans appears to be strong, with Blake estimating demand at roughly 75 percent of the crazy levels that Lendio faced last year. And until the big banks arrive on the scene, the 400 currently available lenders simply won't have enough processing power to meet demand. "The majority of these smaller businesses are not going to be helped until more lenders are at the table," he says.

And even that might not help. During last year's PPP madness, banks actively lost money fulfilling loans under $50,000. This time around, the SBA tweaked its loan brackets to prevent the same mistake--but lenders will still make more money by processing larger loans. Blake's suggestion for the SBA: Before allowing big banks back into the program, issue new guidelines stating that lenders must prioritize their smallest loans first.

Bruce Willis received no celebrity treatment after going mask-less inside an L.A establishment.

According to Page Six, an insider revealed that the "Die Hard" star was asked to leave the premise of Los Angeles Rite Aid after he refused to wear a mask.

In addition, the source shared that the Primetime Emmy winner had a bandana tied around his neck, which can serve as a makeshift mask; however, he chose not to wear it and that made the people inside the store upset.

As of the moment, COVID-19 in L.A is close to reaching 1 million, as cases are starting to surge, per the Los Angeles Times.

To curb the growth of new cases, the government and health officials are reminding everyone to wear a mask and observe social distancing.

As for the American drugstore chain, they previously released a statement requiring all customers to wear a mask upon entering the vicinity.

Moreover, since May of last year, the company has required its personnels to wear face masks to "ensure the safety" of everyone.

"As the pandemic continues to embattle the country, it's critical that healthcare companies lead by example and do all we can to ensure the health and safety of our associates and customers," Rite Aid COO Jim Peters mentioned, adding: "In order to best provide communities we serve with essential pharmacy services, we're asking customers to help protect themselves and those around them by wearing a face covering."

Twitter Reacts To Bruce Willis Going Mask-Less

The award-winning actor's mask-less moment sparked huge criticism on social media.

"I am shocked that Bruce Willis is an idiot," one user wrote.

A second user echoed the same sentiment and tweeted, "If we demonized winona for shoplifting at saks we can die laughing at bruce willis for making a stink about wearing a mask at RITE AID."

Meanwhile, an individual blasted the "G.I. Joe" star and pointed out that he is a hypocrite for reminding everyone to follow healthy protocols and yet, he is the one breaking the rule.

"Why do privileged pompous pretend heroes refuse to mask up? This times it's Bruce Willis, refusing to wear a mask in a *pharmacy* of all places! Doesn't he know you "Die Hard" when CoViD-19 takes away your ability to breath? Does he care if he's an asymptomatic superspreader?"

As for some fans, others made reference to Bruce Willis' movies as they mocked the actor for refusing to wear a mask.

"Bruce Willis's next movie: Die Hard With a Ventilator," one posted.

During the onset of the health crisis, the actor and his ex-wife, Demi Moore, became the talk of the town after being quarantined together alongside their three daughters in Idaho.

READ MORE: Kanye West-Jeffree Star Fake News: Kris Jenner Warns TikTok Star Over Fabricated Claims, Lies

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / Kaya Holdings, Inc., ("KAYS" or the "Company") (OTCQB:KAYSD), the first U.S. publicly traded company to vertically integrate cannabis retail, cultivation and processing, announced today that its majority-owned subsidiary, Kaya Brands International, Inc. ("KBI"), has exercised its option to acquire a 50% Interest in Athens, Greece based Greekkannabis, SA ("GKC").

Greece, along with its neighbor Israel are positioned to become the Silicon Valley for Medical Cannabis

KBI acquired a 25% interest in GKC through a share transfer agreement with existing shareholders of GKC, which was consummated at close of business on Monday, January 11, 2021. The remaining 25% interest is in process of being issued to KBI for a minor amount of paid in capital in recognition of KAYS and KBI's contributions to the project. The acquisition of the 50% interest in GKC is the cornerstone of KAYS' planned Kaya Kannabis project, announced in late 2019 with the objective of establishing a beachhead to enter the lucrative global medical cannabis market from Greece, a member of the European Union.

GKC is an Athens, Greece based cannabis company that has been granted a license for the construction of a facility encompassing approximately 225,000 square feet of cannabis cultivation and 80,000 square feet of cannabis processing on 15 acres of land in Thebes, Greece.

We believe that GKC has the ability to generate significant revenues and pre-tax income over the next five years, subject to obtaining successful financing, completing construction and obtaining final required licensing. Through its ownership in GKC, the Company expects to grow, process and export medical grade cannabis from the planned Kaya Kannabis facility in Greece to the European Union and other international medical cannabis markets.

"GKC and KAYS/ have been collaborating since January 2019," stated Panos Kinnis, GKC's Vice President and Managing Director. "We approached KAYS because we were seeking a partnership with a cannabis company that would provide us with experience, know-how and industry depth. We discovered that KAYS had all the requisite advantages we were seeking without the complexities that came with some of the larger Canadian, Israeli and U.S. firms."

"Our expectations in working with the KAYS team have been met and exceeded and we are eager to continue jointly advancing our project," continued Ilias Kammenos, GKC's President and Chairman. "We are very pleased and proud to partner with the KAYS family, as after much consideration we see KAYS as the ideal partner to take GKC to the next level through the Kaya Kannabis Project."

"Our involvement with the Greek project has been propelled by our honorable and abled Greek partners, who are uniquely positioned to advance the project in Greece, and with whom we have worked cooperatively to develop a large-scale, dynamic and viable medical cannabis cultivation and processing project - propelling KAYS into the major leagues and establishing a new, vibrant player in the European and global cannabis markets" concluded Craig Frank, KAYS' CEO and Chairman. "We invite shareholders and interested parties to participate in our previously announced online Stockholder Business Update on Thursday, January 14, at 2:00 pm, EST for further information."

Online Stockholder Business Update topics will include the acquisition of the 50% interest in GKC and the positive, post-election outlook for US Cannabis and Global Cannabis Industry. The call is expected to last approximately 30 minutes and includes a Q and A session with management.

Participation is limited so please register now using the following link to reserve your place for the program: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DaKYagIKTaCnscoI6PtwYQ

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact us via email at info@kayaholdings.com and we will assist you.

For those not able to attend a link to access a video of the meeting will be emailed to shareholders and also posted on the OTC Markets page for KAYSD.

About Kaya Holdings, Inc. (www.kayaholdings.com)

Kaya Holdings, Inc. (OTCQB:KAYSD) is a touch-the-plant vertically integrated legal cannabis company operating a number of majority-owned subsidiaries that retail, cultivate, produce and distribute premium medical and recreational cannabis products, including flower, concentrates, oils and extracts, cannabis-infused foods and beverages, topicals and cannaceuticals. KAYS is a fully reporting, US-based publicly traded company, listed for trading on the OTCQB Tier of the over-the-counter market under the symbol OTCQB:KAYSD.

Summary of Operations

KAYS corporate structure includes the following three majority-owned subsidiaries, each responding to various demands and opportunities in the cannabis industry:

Marijuana Holdings Americas, Inc. owns the Kaya Shack brand of licensed medical and recreational marijuana stores (www.kayashack.com) and the Kaya Farms brand of cannabis production and processing operations that operate in the United States.

Kaya Brands USA, Inc. owns a wide range of proprietary brands of cannabis extracts, oils, pre-rolls, topicals, food and beverages, cannaceuticals and related accessories.

Kaya Brands International, Inc., was founded to serve as the vehicle for the Company's non-U.S. operations including retail franchising in Canada and cultivation activities in Greece and Israel.

Marijuana Holdings Americas, Inc.- U.S. Cannabis Operations

Kaya Shack Retail Cannabis Stores

In 2014, KAYS became the first United States publicly-traded company to own and operate a Medical Marijuana Dispensary. KAYS presently operates two Kaya Shack OLCC licensed marijuana retail stores to service the legal medical and recreational marijuana market in Oregon and is in the process of relocating a third retail cannabis license to serve as a delivery hub for the Eugene and Southern Oregon Cannabis Market.

Kaya Farms

Eugene, Oregon Indoor Grow, Processing & Cannaceutical Facility: The Company owns a 12,000 square foot Kaya Farms indoor grow and manufacturing facility in Eugene, Oregon, which serves as the Company's center for cultivation trials, method experiments, genetic research and cannabis infused product development. The Company is presently conducting limited operations at this location under a Management Agreement with Sunstone Farms, the current licensee. Pending the successful acquisition and transfer of other existing OLCC Marijuana Production and Processing licenses, KAYS intends to build out the facility and ramp up to full production.

Lebanon, Oregon Farm & Greenhouse Facility: KAYS owns a 26-acre parcel in Lebanon, Linn County, Oregon which it intends to construct an 85,000-square-foot Kaya Farms greenhouse cultivation and production facility. To date KAYS has received Linn County Zoning approvals and upon issuance of OLCC Licensing it will begin construction. The farm is intended for immediate development and provides the Company with a potential additional capacity of more than 100,000 pounds annually, to be expanded once export from Oregon to other U.S. States and foreign countries where cannabis use is legal is permitted. Kaya Farms operates in accordance with a Grow Operations manual, as well as manuals for compliance, employment matters and safety.

Kaya Brands USA, Inc.- Brand and Product Development

The Company maintains a genetics library of over 30 strains of cannabis and owns a number of proprietary brands in traditional and innovative cannabis categories including Kaya Buddies pre-rolls, Really Happy Glass cannabis accessories, and Kaya Gear, company-related and cannabis-centric fashion. These brands are currently available at Kaya Shack stores.

The Company has made advances in the development of its Kumba Extracts, Syzygy Extracts, Pakalolo Juice Company Soothe Topicals, Tony Giggles Pleasure Foods (frozen infused Italian entrees), Uptown Shaman (cannaceuticals), and Kaya Yums (chocolates, gummies, power bars) brands. Pending approval of our production and processing license, KAYS intends to begin a multi-state rollout planned in 2020 to the extent permitted by U.S. legal infrastructure. These brands are intended for all Kaya Shack stores, both corporate-owned and franchised.

Kaya Brands International, Inc.- Foreign Cannabis Operations

After over six years of conducting "touch the plant" U.S. cannabis operations inside the strict regulatory confines of a public company, KAYS has formed a subsidiary, Kaya Brands International, Inc. ("KBI") to leverage its experience and expand into worldwide cannabis markets. KBI's current operations and initiatives include:

Kaya Kannabis- Kaya Farms Greece S.A. ("Kaya Farms Greece," a Greek Corporation) is a majority owned subsidiary of KBI. The Company has just exercised its option (pursuant to terms of a previously disclosed 8-K filing) for Kaya Farms Greece to acquire a 50% interest in Greekkannabis, PC, an Athens, Greece based cannabis company which has received its license for the construction of a facility encompassing approximately 500,000 square feet of buildings on 15 acres of land outside of Athens, Greece to grow, process and export medical grade cannabis from Greece to the European Union and elsewhere.

Kaya Farms Israel- Kaya Shalvah LTD ("Kaya Farms Israel," an Israeli Corporation) is a majority owned subsidiary of KBI. Kaya Farms Israel is in the process of applying to various Israeli Government Agencies for a license to grow, process and export medical grade cannabis from Israel. Upon submission of the initial application to the Israeli Cannabis Authority, Kaya Shalvah intends to submit a bid to acquire 100 Dunams (approximately 25 acres) of land in Israel that is part of Greenegev, an Israeli Government backed Cannabinoid Ecosystem in Yerucham, Israel that is envisioned to become the Silicon Valley of Medical Cannabis Production and Research.

These two facilities, as currently envisioned (and after obtaining successful financing, completing construction and obtaining final requisite licensing), are configured to produce approximately 600,000 pounds of GMP Certified, Premium Medical Grade, Cannabis annually for potential export to the European Union and elsewhere.

Canadian Franchising: KAYS has targeted Canada (the only G7 country that has legalized both medical and recreational cannabis production, sale and use on a national level) for its first international sale and operation of Kaya Shack cannabis store franchises, with a goal of 75-100 Kaya Shack Cannabis Retail locations throughout Canada through a multi-year structured rollout, subject to licensing and market conditions. KAYS has retained Toronto, Canada based law firm of Garfinkle Biderman, LLP to prepare the Franchise Disclosure Documents and related items for the sale of Kaya Shack cannabis store franchises in Canada. KAYS plans to ultimately expand its franchise operations to the U.S., as regulations and laws permit.

Important Disclosure

KAYS is planning execution of its stated business objectives in accordance with current understanding of state and local laws and federal enforcement policies and priorities as it relates to marijuana. Potential investors and shareholders are cautioned that KAYS and MJAI will obtain advice of counsel prior to actualizing any portion of their business plan (including but not limited to license applications for the cultivation, distribution or sale of marijuana products, engaging in said activities or acquiring existing cannabis production/sales operations). Advice of counsel with regard to specific activities of KAYS, federal, state or local legal action or changes in federal government policy and/or state and local laws may adversely affect business operations and shareholder value.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes statements that may constitute "forward-looking" statements, usually containing the words "believe," "estimate," "project," "expect" or similar statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements inherently involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements. Factors that would cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, acceptance of the Company's current and future products and services in the marketplace, the ability of the Company to develop effective new products and receive regulatory approvals of such products, competitive factors, dependence upon third-party vendors, and other risks detailed in the Company's periodic report filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. By making these forward-looking statements, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements for revisions or changes after the date of this release.

For more information contact Investor Relations: info@kayaholdings.com or 561-210-7664.

SOURCE: Kaya Holdings, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/624057/Cannabis-Company-Kaya-Holdings-Incs-Majority-Owned-Subsidiary-Kaya-Brands-International-Inc-Exercises-Option-to-Acquire-50-of-Athens-based-Greekkannabis-SA
Good morning.

The images of a pro-Trump mob overwhelming the Capitol on Jan. 6 have been seared into our minds over the past week.

Now, as the country  along with officials in state capitals  braces for the possibility of more violence ahead of Joseph R. Biden Jr.s inauguration, were left struggling with painful questions about whats ahead for our democracy and, in particular, for our democracy in California.

[See a visual investigation into how a presidential rally turned into a Capitol rampage.]

On Tuesday, I talked with Lawrence Rosenthal, chair of the Center for Right-Wing Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, who has studied U.S. militia movements.

Heres our conversation, lightly edited and condensed:

What was going through your mind on Jan. 6? And emotionally, how did you feel?

It was very powerful for me. My book is about populisms embrace of toxic nationalism. So most of that book and most of my work is devoted to trying to make sense of how to deal with the extreme right.


(CNN) -- They're watching you, wherever you walk. They know exactly where you pause, when you slow down and speed up, and they count you in and out of the city.

What's more, they're tracking your phone, so they can tell exactly how many people from your country or region are in which area, at which time.

And they're doing it in a bid to change tourism for the better.

Welcome to Venice in a post-Covid world. The canal city may have been known as La Serenissima, or The Most Serene, during its centuries ruling the waves as the powerful Republic of Venice.

In the past few years, however, things have become rather less serene, thanks to the almost 30 million visitors who descend each year on the city of just 50,000 inhabitants.

Before Covid-19 struck, tourists were arriving in often unmanageable numbers, choking the main streets and filling up the waterbuses. Authorities had tried various measures, from introducing separate residents' lines at major vaporetto (waterbus) stops to bringing in turnstiles that would filter locals from tourists on busy days. A planned "entrance tax," due to debut in 2020, has been postponed to January 2022, due to the pandemic.

But as well as controlling footfall, the authorities wanted to track tourism itself -- not just by registering overnight guests but, in a city where the vast majority of visitors are daytrippers, by counting exactly who is in the city -- and where they go.

Enter the Venice Control Room.

A state-of-the-art 'control tower'

On the island of Tronchetto, next to the two-mile bridge separating Venice from the Italian mainland, the Control Room opened in September 2020. A former warehouse that had been abandoned since the 1960s, it's part of a new headquarters for the city's police and government -- a self-described "control tower" for the city.

The building has offices for the mayor, other dignitaries, and a large CCTV room, with cameras feeding in images from around the city, watched over by the police.

So far so normal. But then, across the corridor, there's the Smart Control Room -- another bank of screens with images and information coming live from around the lagoon. They're not being monitored for crime, though; they're feeding information to the authorities that will create a profile of the hordes of people visiting Venice. The hope is that gathering the information will not only track footfall now, enabling the authorities to activate turnstiles and start charging for entrance on busy days. Eventually, they hope that the data will help create a more sustainable tourism plan for the future.

How to track tourism

"This is the brain of the city," says Marco Bettini, co-director general of Venis, the Venice-based multimedia and tech company which built the system.

"We know in real time how many people are in each part [of the city], and which countries they're from."

He clicks on the video feed from the Grand Canal -- the "freeway" of Venice, as he calls it -- to look at the traffic.

"There's huge traffic pressure here," he says. Public waterbuses, boats delivering goods, taxis, residents zipping up the "road" in their own, private boats, and, of course, those famous gondolas -- they're all jostling for space on the Grand Canal. With no designated lanes, it can be a free-for-all.

But the new system not only records what's going on; it analyzes the traffic, recognizing the different types of boats, from gondola to a "topo" -- essentially a water-truck. It then stores the numbers. And it even tallies with the public transportation timetables, logging if a waterbus is late and, if so, by how many minutes.

Workers can also activate a "time machine" to look back -- so far today, for example, there have been more than 1,000 boats passing under the main bridge at Piazzale Roma, the main entry point to the city.

It's the pedestrian numbers, however, that are of more interest to the authorities looking at tourism patterns. The system not only counts visitors in the vicinity of cameras posted around the city, but it also, in conjunction with TIM (Telecom Italia, Italy's largest telecommunications provider), crunches who they are and where they come from.

On this winter day, before the Veneto region entered another semi-lockdown, for example, so far, 13,628 people have entered Venice, and 8,548 have left. In the hour after 7am, 1,688 people arrived at Piazzale Roma (the gateway to the city by road and tram) -- the commuters.

At 10am, the arrivals reached a peak of 2,411: most likely the daytrippers.

Tracking visitors by country and area

The authorities can see where these new arrivals are from by analyzing their phone data (the information is all aggregated automatically, so no personal details can be gleaned).

There are 97 people in the area around St Mark's Square on this Saturday afternoon, according to Bettini -- of which only 24 are not Italian.

And so far today there have been 955 people in the area, 428 of whom have come from abroad. Of the 527 Italians, only 246 are resident in Venice (if a mobile phone is regularly logged in the city, it is counted as a resident).

"As you can see, the number of daytrippers -- is steep," says Bettini. This is crucial information, because these "hit-and-run" tourists are usually charged with causing the most damage to the struggling city. They tend to come in from other parts of Italy -- often from beach resorts on a bad weather day -- and rarely spend money, bringing their own food and eating illicit picnics on bridges and on waterfronts. But since they don't stay overnight, they cannot be counted by the authorities -- until now.

Counting the daytrippers and tracking where they tend to visit, and which streets they take, could be crucial for a city which has resorted to closing its main thoroughfares to non-locals at busy times in an attempt to spread people throughout the city.

As Valeria Duflot, co-founder of Venezia Autentica an online social enterprise working on sustainable tourism, says: "The problem is not that Venice has too many visitors. The problem is that all the visitors go to the same two places: St Mark's Square and the Rialto Bridge."

Where are you from?

Italians are logged by the region they live in. Of the foreigners, the system breaks down where they come from (data is based on where their mobile phone is registered, so most likely their country of origin), and displays them as bars on a map on the city -- a graphic representation of overcrowding in real time, with colors going from white to red as the numbers get higher.

Today, 36% of foreign visitors are German, followed by the Swiss (16%) and British (13% -- this visit took place before the new UK variant saw British travelers banned from Italy). Just 1.312% of visitors are from the United States -- although, given that American travelers are still banned from the European Union, it's a surprise it's even that much.

And today, there have been 85,000 people logged in Venice. A much greater number, 177,000, have been in Mestre, on the mainland. On the islands -- where places such as Burano and Murano are popular with tourists -- there are 5,700 people, this Saturday afternoon.

There's plenty more that the authorities are keeping tabs on: how fast people are moving in places like St Mark's Square (start running and the machine highlights you), the tide levels throughout the lagoon (crucial for monitoring acqua alta flooding, and determining when the new Mose flood barriers should be raised).

The system took three years to build, at a cost of 3m ($3.5m). And although some might baulk at the privacy implications (although no personal data is recorded, you and your provenance is essentially being logged as you move around the city), the authorities are very proud.

"In 2021, Venice celebrates its 1,600th anniversary," says Bettini. "And we'll be celebrating with technology."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Venice is watching tourists' every move"
A court in Siberia has extended the pretrial detention of three leaders of an isolated messianic sect who are charged with "creating a religious group, activities of which may impose violence on citizens."



Defense lawyers for Sergei Torop, the founder of the Church of the Last Testament who calls himself Vissarion, and his associates, Vadim Redkin and Vladimir Vedernikov, wrote on Telegram on January 13 that the Central District Court in the city of Novosibirsk had prolonged their clients' pretrial detention until April 15.



The lawyers added that they will appeal the court ruling.



The trio was arrested by security forces in September in a massive raid on the group's remote settlement in the Krasnoyarsk Krai region.



Torop, a 59-year-old former traffic-police officer, founded the Church of the Last Testament in 1991. It was officially registered as a legal religious organization in 1995. The group claims some 10,000 followers, mostly living in southern parts of the Krasnoyarsk region.



The group bars members from eating meat, as well as from using tobacco, alcohol, or money.



Torop also has followers abroad, particularly in Germany.

Seven volumes of the church's teachings  which combine elements of Russian Orthodoxy and Buddhism with strong elements of collectivism and environmentalism -- have been translated into German.
New Delhi:

Justice S N Dhingra, who headed a commission to probe alleged irregularities in land deals including those linked to Robert Vadra during the previous Congress government in Haryana, said his report is "important and full of facts" and highlights the working of bureaucracy.



He said the report has not yet come into the public domain but "once it sees the light of the day, people will come to know how the bureaucracy works".



However, the retired Delhi High Court judge refused to be drawn into the controversy on the findings of a committee comprising three bureaucrats -- Krishna Mohan, K K Jalan and Rajan Gupta which was set up by the then Bhupinder Singh Hooda government on October 19, 2012 and had given a clean chit on the land deal connected with Vadra.



While Krishna Mohan, who was the then Additional Chief Secretary and Financial Commissioner, Revenue and Disaster Management Departments, has retired, Jalan is at present the Secretary in the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Gupta, who was the then Principal Secretary in the states' excise and taxation department, is with the state cadre now.



It was reported that Jalan was the Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning department, which had renewed the licence to Vadra in January 2011 and Ashok Khemka, IAS, who had found alleged irregularities in the land deals, had then raised objection to his appointment in the committee along with Mohan.



The CBI is also probing some of the land deals done during the previous Congress regime and the Supreme Court on April 12 while reserving its judgement on a batch of connected matters had said that "the CBI may conclude the pending investigation within a period of four months."



The Haryana government in April had also filed Justice Dhingra commission's report in a sealed cover in the apex court pursuant to its April 12 order.



The report was filed after a senior advocate, assisting it as an amicus curiae in the matter, had "pointed out that it has not been published on account of a statement made on behalf of the Haryana government in some proceedings pending in the High Court (Punjab and Haryana)."



The top court had noted that the report of the Justice Dhingra Committee "will have bearing on present proceedings."



When the issue relating to land deals had reached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Khemka had reportedly alleged that the then state government was misleading the court.



Justice Dhingra told PTI that his probe was independent and he was not concerned with the committee's report which had held as "administratively improper" the October 15, 2012 order of Khemka, who as the then Director General, Consolidation of Holdings and Land Reforms-cum-Inspector General of Registration (DGCH), had cancelled land deal in Sikhopur village which was in favour of Vadra's company Skylight hospitality.



The committee of bureaucrats, who were allegedly close to Hooda, had justified the land deal concerned by interpreting the provisions of the Consolidation Act 1948.



It had said "the sale and purchase of the land under the consolidation in an estate is prohibited without sanction of the Consolidation Officer only after notification of a scheme under section 19.



"Accordingly, as on September 18, 2012, the date when the impugned sale deed was made, at best it can be said that only a notification under section 14 (1) of the Act was in force and no scheme under section 19 was notified, therefore the impugned sale deed did not not require prior sanction of the consolidation officer and it cannot be declared violative of any law for this reason".



Further, the committee had observed that Khemka's October 15, 2012 order regarding cancellation of mutation was "administratively improper because the then DGCH (Khemka) had already been transferred out on October 11, 2012 and as such an important quasi-judicial order the nature of which has been discussed" should not have been passed by him after his transfer.



Vadra's Sky Light Hospitality had entered into the agreement with realty giant DLF for the sale of the land.



Hooda had filed a petition in November 2016 in the high court challenging the very constitution of the Dhingra panel, alleging that the government action of ordering the probe was "mala fide" and a result of political vendetta.



Without mincing any word either on the findings of the committee set up by the then Hooda government or on his report, Justice Dhingra said he was entrusted to look into the grant of licences for change in land use in four villages of Gurgaon, now Gurugram, and during the probe, largescale harassment of people owing land at the hands bureaucracy surfaced.



"There is a delay in making public my report but the purpose of my inquiry will not be defeated. Whenever, even after 10 years, the report sees the light of the day it will be relevant as my report is one which speaks about the working of the bureaucracy and how people are harassed. It is an important report full of facts," he said.



However, the retired judge said he would only reiterate what he told in a press conference while submitting his report on August 31, 2016 that "Had there been no irregularity, I would have given one sentence report mentioning there is no irregularity. My report has 182-page. Without it (irregularity), I did not have any reason to write 182 pages."



Haryana's Manohar Lal Khattar government had on May 14, 2015 set up the one-man commission to probe issues concerning the grant of licence(s) for developing commercial colonies by the Department of Town and Country Planning to some entities in Sector 83, Gurgaon including mutation of land deal between Skylight Hospitality and DLF.



The commission formed under the commission of inquiry Act had examined the licences given by the then Hooda-led Congress government for the development of colonies, housing societies and commercial complexes in four Guragon villages of Sihi, Shikohpur, Kherki Daula and Sikanderpur Bada.

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YUBA COUNTY, Calif. - A woman pleaded guilty in Federal Court in Sacramento Wednesday, to Arson in the Tahoe National Forest.

U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott said that Sharon Ann Perkins admitted to setting two wildland fires near Camptonville on September 15, 2020, in Yuba County. It came during statewide emergency fire restrictions, because of extreme fire risk.

Court Documents say Perkins admitted to using gas and articles of clothing to set the fires, in an attempt to burn down a travel-trailer in which she and her husband had been illegally camping.

She now faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Sentencing is scheduled for April 13, 2021.
To the Editor:

This is in response to Tom Noonans letter of Jan. 9 where he tried to disprove that President Donald Trump was cheated on in the election. He talks about some past things that people believed, using the words, everybody knew.

Yes, witches in Salem, Massachusetts, were killed because of fear, but the belief of communists infiltrating Congress in the 1950s was true and, today, what about Eric Swalwell and his alleged spy girlfriend? Or does that not count because he is a Democrat? And there was Dianne Feinsteins Chinese driver of 20 years that raised concerns about spying, too. The interring of Japanese citizens was also because of fear, but that was by a Democrat president. Imagine that!

I also find it amazing that all the left personally know that Trump lost fairly and know that Trump lied 24,000 times. Why is your know any truer than someone elses? If you choose to believe your fact-checkers (probably left-wing checkers), then you must allow us to believe what we choose. You only want to believe it was fair to satisfy your prejudices. I like the way you degrade people on the right, but try to cover it with nice phrasing. Insults aplenty. You do this a lot, in many letters, counting that most people are not too smart, but we are smarter than you think.

You talk about a tenacious clinging to a belief lacking any factual support.  You are describing yourself. You ask for specific instances and why the courts rejected Trumps suits. Very simply, put in videos of election cheating to your search and many will come up. And what about the more than 400 affidavits of people that swore under oath that the were told to do some things that are cheating? I guess you will choose to not believe them, either.

Also, the whole Pennsylvania election was bogus because the rules were changed. Just a few clicks and you will have all this evidence open to you, but you wont even do that.

You say that with compelling evidence you will acknowledge that Trump was the winner, but we (I) know that is not true. I have sent you, on many occasions, exactly what you asked for, or showed you why you are wrong about a subject, and you still refused to believe or even look at what was sent. You say, If your facts are convincing  so this tells me that no facts will be convincing enough for you. Remember, I am a pro at reading between the lines, and your lines are so easy to read.

So, the choice remains: either you are not truthful in your words to examine and have an open mind or the hatred for Trump is so bad that you will never have an open mind. I, for one, feel it is the latter, and I base that on your history.

Rich Magnani

Brockton
Berlin: German prosecutors say they have taken down what they believe was the biggest illegal marketplace on the darknet and arrested its suspected operator, a 34-year-old Australian man.

The site, known as DarkMarket, was shut down on Monday, prosecutors in the south-western city of Koblenz said. All sorts of drugs, forged money, stolen or forged credit cards, anonymous mobile phone SIM cards and malware were among the things offered for sale there, they added.

An Australian man is in custody in Germany, suspected of running an illegal marketplace on the darknet.

The Australian man was arrested near the German-Danish border.

Prosecutors said a judge had ordered him held in custody pending possible formal charges, and he hasn't given any information to investigators.
Mohammed Alburai witnessed a lot of suffering in Gaza but he never saw homelessness there. So when he arrived in Slovenia, he was shocked to find people living on the streets.

Now the 39-year-old Palestinian refugee is helping the Slovenian homeless. He sees it as his way of giving back to a society that has given him a chance to live in peace and safety.

I saw a lot of injury and death, I still have nightmares about that.

No way! No, I didnt expect to see homeless people in Europe, he exclaims. In Gaza, it does sometimes happen that a person loses their home but the community always gathers round to help. So I am going out twice a week as a volunteer to help the homeless in Ljubljana.

Mohammed has plenty of experience in helping people in distress. Back in Gaza, as well as having his own metal workshop, he spent nine years as an ambulance driver and assistant paramedical officer for the Red Crescent.

I saw a lot of injury and death, he says. Sometimes there were air attacks and whole families  two or three generations  well, nobody survived. I still have nightmares about that.

Sometimes they just want to talk. They want someone to take an interest in them; they appreciate that.

It was the constant insecurity that prompted him to leave Gaza in September 2018.

It was not about me but my children, he says. Every day you hear someone has died and you think maybe you could be next. It started to feel as if we were just numbers. I did not see a day of peace in my life.

Mohammed felt that he had to go ahead alone. With a heavy heart, he parted from his wife Wafa, a pharmacist, daughter Ebaa, 7, son Watan, 5, and his mother Etaf.

His journey took him through Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and the Balkans before he reached Slovenia, where he applied for asylum in March 2019. His application was granted in January 2020.

Now Mohammed rents an attic in the centre of Ljubljana. He speaks to his family every day on a video link and watches from afar as his children grow up in his absence.

But Mohammed is not one for self-pity. Instead, he puts his own worries aside and channels his energy into helping the less fortunate.

Volunteering with the Slovenian Red Cross and the NGO Kings of the Street, he looks after the medical needs of the homeless.

Sometimes I am bandaging them, he says. Sometimes they just want to talk. They want someone to take an interest in them; they appreciate that.

Although Mohammed has taken Slovenian language classes and passed an exam, he still finds himself mostly speaking English. I didnt expect it but quite a few of the homeless are educated and speak English, he says. They know me now, and they read about Palestine!

In his voluntary work, Mohammed is paired up with Tine, a Slovenian student of social work. Their friendship has strengthened Mohammeds sense of being at home in Ljubljana.

But of course, only having his family with him will really make Mohammed feel settled. He speaks longingly of Ebaa, who loves swimming and painting, and Watan, the youngest horse rider in Palestine.

Since Mohammed now has refugee status, it is likely his application to bring his family to join him will be granted.

I do not think that will be a problem, I will get it sooner or later, he says. But the problem will be getting them out of Gaza and paying for them to come here.

The cost for a family of four will be considerable. To afford it, he urgently needs a job  not easy to find in these times of the pandemic.

My medical career is just voluntary really, he says. In fact, I am more of a handyman, with metal, with wood. He thinks again of having his own workshop.

Nothing is easy in this life, he says. I am not afraid of hard work but in order to be creative, you have to be free from worry. When you are worrying, your mind is elsewhere.

Mohammeds mind is with his family. I have not seen them for two years, he says. I wake in the middle of the night, thinking of them. It is OK to talk on the video but it is not the same as holding your son in your arms.

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'Crackers' reforms of the bail system designed to speed up the criminal justice system but slowed police investigations, left victims at risk and allowed thousands of suspects to reoffend will be scrapped, it was revealed today.

Home Secretary Priti Patel is set to reverse changes brought in by Theresa May as a chief constable said they were a 'cautionary tale of ideology driving policy'.

Ms Patel will announce that suspects can be bailed for up to 90 days, according to The Times, and tell police to use bail where it is 'necessary and proportionate' such as suspected violent criminals.

But she will reject calls to create a new offence for the breach of pre-charge bail, to the ire of many police chiefs.

David Munro, police and crime commissioner for Surrey, tweeted: 'The 2017 police bail 'reforms' were universally regarded as crackers from the beginning & subsequent experience has confirmed that.

Home Secretary Priti Patel (pictured yesterday) will scrap the bail reforms brought in by Theresa May in 2017

Surrey's police and crime commissioner has said he is delighted that the reforms in the dustbin

'Thank goodness it looks as though they'll be consigned to the dustbin but they should never have been introduced in the 1st place.'

David Tucker, head of crime at the College of Policing, said: 'It is vitally important that the periods of police bail reflect the reality of how long inquiries are likely to take.'

The new rules were brought in by the Government in 2017 to limit police bail to 28 days following criticism of the treatment of celebrities such as the DJ Paul Gambaccini, 67, who was on police bail for almost a year before being told he will not face charges over sex abuse allegations.

One chief constable told The Times: 'Driving fundamental change on the back of high-profile celebrity cases was always destined to end in tears because it wasn't thought through. Every policing organisation told the Home Office that their reform was not the answer. They should have listened and didn't.'

The reforms were to stop police leaving suspects to languish on bail for months or even years before deciding whether to charge them.

The new rules were brought in by the Government in 2017 to limit police bail to 28 days following criticism of the treatment of celebrities such as the DJ Paul Gambaccini, 67,

But, in reality, it has meant the majority of suspects are being 'released under investigation' (RUI) with no bail conditions preventing them from contacting their victims.

The average wait for a charging decision for a suspect on bail went from 128 days to 201 days.

Criminal suspects being let loose by police while they were under investigation committed thousands of offences, crime figures suggested.

Over recent years hundreds of killers, rapists and burglars were being re-arrested on suspicion of committing new offences weeks, and sometimes even days after walking out of police stations without any bail conditions.

A Daily Mail investigation in 2019 revealed that on average one in seven suspects released under investigation by police was re-arrested.

In one instance, a suspected thief held in June 2018 was re-arrested a staggering 107 times within three months for offences including robbery, kidnap, car theft, assaulting a police officer, possession of an offensive weapon and dangerous driving.

Another a 22-year-old thug managed to commit 20 crimes including domestic assaults, shoplifting and driving offences in the last year. Yet he was released under investigation every single time by officers.
New Delhi/Jaipur, Jan 13 : The Congress has not yet achieved the target of balancing its unit in Rajasthan, which witnessed turmoil last year after the rebellion by the Sachin Pilot-led faction. The party still seems to be divided between two camps led by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and former Deputy Chief Minister Pilot.

K.C. Venugopal, top Rahul Gandhi aide and party General Secretary (organisation), is in Jaipur to hold consultation with all the factions and report to the party high command, sources said. The meeting gains significance ahead of the cabinet expansion in the state with the Pilot camp wanting more representation from its side.

Venugopal met Gehlot at his residence on Wednesday and the meeting lasted for almost three hours. State Congress President Govind Singh Dotasra was also present in the meeting. Venugopal later met Pilot and discussed the ongoing situation in the state Congress.

Sources said the impending cabinet expansion was at the centre of the talks and Rahul Gandhi's visit to the state is also on the cards.

The Congress recently gave representation to all the factions in the party organisation and now it is the turn of the cabinet, boards and corporations.

While the Congress in Rajasthan continues to face a tough task in balancing the equation between Gehlot and Pilot, it also faces challenge to accommodate all the factions in the state.

In Rajasthan, the party saw a major internal crisis last year after Pilot raised a banner of revolt. However, he later retruned to the party fold following a truce. Trouble, however, in the state seems to be far from over.

Sources said Pilot wants his loyalists to be reinstated in the party positions as well as in the council of ministers, particularly Ramesh Meena and Vishvendra Singh. Both were suspended and removed as state ministers after Pilot with his 18 MLAs camped in Haryana's Manesar in an open rebellion against the Gehlot leadership.

The party lost the rural polls due to differences among the state leaders. However, it was able to make a comeback in the urban local body polls.

While Gehlot met the party leaders when he came to attend the meeting called by Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi on December 19, the issue of cabinet expansion has not yet been settled.
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Wednesday allowed all schools in the national capital to reopen for Classes 10 and 12 from January 18 in view of board exams, according to officials of the Directorate of Education.

Schools

Students will attend schools only with consent of parents and physical attendance is not compulsory, while schools will follow all Covid-19 guidelines, they said.

"In order to conduct activities pertaining to pre-board preparations and practical work, the head of government, aided and unaided recognised schools may call students of Classes 10 and 12 only to school with effect from January 18, 2021," a senior official at the Directorate of Education (DoE) said.

School

However, a child should be called to school only with the consent of parents and following standard operating procedures, he said.

Records of children coming to school will be maintained and the same should not be used for attendance purposes as sending a child to school is completely optional for parents, the official said.


Gains for the big four banks and Telstra helped the Australian sharemarket finish slightly ahead on Wednesday as the US political sideshow dominated an otherwise quiet day for corporate news.

The ASX 200 added 7.5 points, or 0.1 per cent, to close at 6686.6, shifting between narrow losses and gains throughout the day before edging ahead late.

Australian shares edged higher on Wednesday. Credit:Louie Douvis

CommSec market analyst Steven Daghlian said a tug-of-war between major companies had essentially kept the market flat.

Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac and ANZ recovered from a weak start to drag the market higher, while energy stocks resumed their rollicking rally on the back of improved oil prices.

BHP and Fortescue Metals also gained ground, but the markets advance was halted by a number of blue-chip heavyweights.

Supermarkets Coles and Woolworths sagged, Transurban slipped, Wesfarmers lost ground and the tech sector extended its decline to a third session. Big miner Rio Tinto finished 0.6 per cent lower at $120.74.

Mr Daghlian noted investors were most likely focused on the political events in Washington amid a January news vacuum.

In a largely symbolic act, the US House of Representatives voted to demand that Vice-President Mike Pence use the Constitution's 25th amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office.

The non-binding resolution precedes a vote in the coming days to impeach the president for a second time.

After a relatively busy first week of the year, the focus in recent days has been more on the political side of things, just seven days out from Biden being sworn in, Mr Daghlian said.

People are questioning whether there are going to be protests and the like but I think the markets have mostly overlooked this as a bit of noise and disruption.

Biotech CSL drooped 0.7 per cent on Wednesday to close at $271.04, despite insisting its timeline for the production of 50 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine remained unchanged.

Scientists had called for the planned rollout of the product in Australia to be paused because it was not yet known if it was effective enough to ensure herd immunity.

Improved commodities prices boosted the materials sector, especially gold miners, while the $35.5 billion Telstra gained 2.7 per cent to close at $3.09.

Solomon Lews Premier Investments was the markets best performer with a 12.7 per cent rise to $25.35 on the back of a solid trading update.

A number of other discretionary retailers finished ahead, including Harvey Norman, Bapcor, Kogan, Super Retail Group and JB Hi-Fi.
Getty ImagesBy MORGAN WINSOR, ABC News



(LONDON) -- Bobi Wine says he has been jailed, detained, beaten and shot at more times than he can count.



But the 38-year-old pop star-turned-politician, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, told Kenyan radio station Hot 96 FM that it's all "worth it."



"We are not allowed to express ourselves," Wine told the station during an interview Tuesday morning. "And we are saying enough is enough."



Wine is the main opposition candidate challenging Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni in Thursday's election. He has hopes of ushering in the first-ever peaceful transfer of power in modern Ugandan history. But the days, weeks and months leading up to the vote have been marred by protests and violence, with authorities periodically arresting Wine, his campaign team and supporters.



In November, at least 54 people were killed amid a crackdown on protests after Wine was detained. Museveni said they died in "senseless riots," but Wine claimed security forces had gunned down more than 100 people. The charismatic and energetic opposition leader has been seen at recent campaign rallies wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet in place of his trademark red beret.



Just a few minutes into Tuesday's interview with Hot 96 FM, a commotion could be heard in the background as Wine explained that the Ugandan military had showed up at his home in the capital, Kampala.



"I'm sorry, even right now as we speak, we are being raided by the military. I have to end the interview because I can see soldiers beating my security guard," he said before hanging up the phone.



Wine confirmed the raid on Twitter, saying soldiers "arrested all my security guards and anyone they could see around my premises."



"No reason for the arrest was given," he tweeted. "Such acts of impunity are all kicks of a dying horse."



Wine did not respond to ABC News' request for comment or an interview Tuesday.



There were reports that the Ugandan government has banned social media ahead of Thursday's vote. A letter seen by Reuters from the Uganda Communications Commission, dated Jan. 12, ordered the country's internet service providers to block all social media platforms and messaging applications "until further notice."



ABC News has reached out to the Uganda Communications Commission for comment.



"We are concerned by reports that the Government of Uganda has ordered Internet service providers to block social media platforms, messaging apps, and select content in the run up to general elections on Jan 14," Tibor Nagy, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of African Affairs, said on Twitter. "Such restrictions undermine human rights and fundamental freedoms."



Meanwhile, Facebook said it has removed Ugandan government-linked accounts and pages that were seeking to "manipulate public debate" before the election. The move comes after the U.S. social media giant took the unprecedented step of indefinitely blocking U.S. President Donald Trump's accounts on both Facebook and Instagram, following last week's violent riot that saw a pro-Trump mob storm the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.



"Were constantly working to find and stop coordinated campaigns that seek to manipulate public debate on our platform. Since 2017, weve taken down over 100 of these networks worldwide for engaging in coordinated inauthentic behavior (CIB), which we publicly share in our monthly reports," a Facebook spokesperson told ABC News in a statement Tuesday. "This month, we removed a network of accounts and Pages in Uganda that engaged in CIB to target public debate ahead of the election. They used fake and duplicate accounts to manage Pages, comment on other people's content, impersonate users, re-share posts in Groups to make them appear more popular than they were. Given the impending election in Uganda, we moved quickly to investigate and take down this network. We found this network to be linked to the Government Citizens Interaction Center at the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology in Uganda."



The Government Citizens Interaction Center did not respond to ABC News' request for comment Tuesday.



Before stepping onto Uganda's political stage, Wine had a decade-long career in music and became well-known in East Africa, singing about corruption, poverty and social justice in catchy tunes that blended reggae, Afrobeat and dancehall. His song "Kiwani" was featured on the soundtrack for the 2016 Disney movie "Queen of Katwe."



During a by-election in 2017, Wine won a seat in Uganda's parliament as an independent. He became leader of the opposition National Unity Platform party last year and is widely considered the frontrunner among the 10 candidates challenging Museveni in Thursday's election.



Wine, who grew up in the slums of Kampala and calls himself the "ghetto president," has garnered a large following among Uganda's youth with his pledges to tackle corruption and unemployment in a country where more than 75% of the population is below the age of 30 and jobless rates are sky-high.



Museveni, a 76-year-old former army general who took power by force in 1986, is seeking his sixth elected term in office. Uganda's constitution once barred anyone 75 and older from holding the presidency. But Museveni backed a controversial law that removed the age limit in late 2017, and Uganda's Supreme Court later rejected a legal challenge to the constitutional amendment.



Museveni's leadership is credited for restoring peace and stability to the East African nation, after the brutal reigns of two dictators. But his iron grip on power has drawn rebuke as critics have accused his government of enabling rampant corruption and committing human rights abuses.



One activist in Kampala, who requested anonymity for their safety, told ABC News that security forces have been using COVID-19 restrictions as a means to harass, detain and torture journalists, opposition party members and their supporters during campaign rallies.



In a recent interview with NPR, Museveni said it is the rich like him who will truly help "the ghetto people" of Uganda and that he draws inspiration from George Washington, the first president of the United States.



"I want to do what Washington did to work for the economic and, in some cases, even political integration of Africa," Museveni told NPR.



Washington, however, did not seek reelection after two terms in office. Museveni said that's because the U.S. electorate and economic systems were more sophisticated.



"When the social direction of a society is already set, then anybody can run it. The problem is that, you know, because the direction is not set. So it's very risky," he told NPR. "People don't know whether to go north or south ... If people are really clear that the direction is the north and everybody is no longer -- there's no more argument about that, then anybody can lead. I can say, now you know the way, let me go."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Aldi Ireland has announced that it is seeking to recruit 60 new employees for its stores in Louth.

Opportunities available include 32 permanent positions. Aldi is recruiting more than 1,050 new store employees across the country throughout 2021, which include 700 permanent positions and 350 temporary jobs to support busy key trading periods.

Aldi has witnessed a surge in sales and customer footfall in the last 12 months, with sales growing by 15.2% and with over 1.4 million households shopping at its stores. It recently extended the opening hours of its 145 Irish stores in the run-up to Christmas, opening its stores between 8am-11pm for the very first time. Additional staff are required to help meet ongoing customer demand across its store network.

The news of 60 new jobs in Louth has been welcomed locally with Fergus O'Dowd TD saying: "This is very welcome news at a very difficult time for the economy. Aldi have four stores in Louth and a new store in East Meath. T

"They were the first supermarket to introduce the living wage and currently store assistants can earn up to 14.10 per hour. They recruited over 500 additional staff in 2020 many of whom were employed locally.

This is also a boost for the wider supply sector as Aldi works with over 250 Irish companies from across the country so any expansion plans will bring with it increased demand for local products.

Commenting, Niall OConnor, Group Managing Director Aldi Ireland said: Our stores have seen a major increase in customer footfall since the Covid-19 pandemic began and our staff have played a central role in ensuring people have had access to essential best value groceries in a safe environment.

We take pride in being one of the best employers in the country, employing over 4,500 colleagues and paying industry-leading wages.

With ambitious plans to open more stores across the country, we require 1,050 new staff to join the Aldi team this year, so we can continue providing the best shopping experience in Ireland. This includes recruiting 60 new employees for our stores in County Louth. We need the very best people to join the Aldi team to help us continue to deliver the highest level of customer service and lowest grocery prices in Ireland.
KYODO NEWS - Jan 13, 2021 - 10:58 | World, All

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to strengthen his country's military capacities and bolster its nuclear arsenal in his closing address at the ruling Workers' Party congress, the official Korean Central News Agency reported Wednesday.

Kim's remarks were made on the final day of the eight-day party congress from Jan. 5, which was held for the first time in nearly five years.

The news agency also said North Korea will convene a session of its top legislature, the Supreme People's Assembly, on Sunday to adopt legislation related to the nation's new five-year national economic development strategy.

Interest has focused on whether Kim would change his title as national leader from chairman of the State Affairs Commission to president, a title last held by Kim Il Sung, North Korea's founder and his grandfather.

Last Sunday, Kim was elected general secretary of the ruling party, assuming the top post that Kim Jong Il, his late father and the nation's former leader, had held. Kim Jong Un's previous post was party chairman.

Meanwhile, Kim's younger sister and close aide, Kim Yo Jong, criticized South Korea for announcing earlier that the North may have held a military parade on Sunday night on the occasion of the congress, effectively denying the report.

In a statement dated Tuesday and carried by KCNA in English, Kim Yo Jong called Monday's announcement by the South Korean military "senseless," adding, "Why do they take trouble craning their neck to follow what's happening in the North."

"The southerners are a truly weird group hard to understand," she also said. "They are the idiot and top the world's list in misbehavior as they are only keen on things provoking world laughter."

Speculation had grown that North Korea would conduct the first military parade since October ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden, whose administration will determine the future course of bilateral negotiations on the North's denuclearization.

During the congress, Kim displayed a confrontational attitude toward the United States, describing Washington as Pyongyang's "foremost principal enemy," according to KCNA.

"The entity of the U.S. and the real intention of its policy toward the DPRK will never change, whoever comes into power in the U.S," Kim was quoted earlier as saying at the gathering, referring to his country by its formal name of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Kim, however, said, "Strong defense capabilities of the state never preclude diplomacy but serve as a great means that propels toward the correct orientation and guarantees its success."

"A key to establishing a new relationship between the DPRK and the U.S. lies in the U.S. withdrawal of its hostile policy towards the DPRK," Kim said, indicating that he remains eager to continue talks with Washington.

North Korea's economy has become more sluggish since it cut off traffic to and from neighboring China and Russia early last year to prevent the novel coronavirus, first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan, from entering.

The plunge in trade with China, Pyongyang's closest and most influential ally, and the devastation of North Korea's agricultural sector by powerful typhoons and flooding have sparked concerns that its citizens may not be receiving adequate daily necessities.

China's trade with North Korea plummeted to its lowest level for a second straight month in November, the latest data showed. North Korea depends on China for more than 90 percent of its trade.

Kim has acknowledged that North Korea failed to achieve the economic development goals set in its strategy through 2020 in almost all sectors.

North Korea is also believed to be vulnerable to infectious diseases against a backdrop of chronic shortages of food and medical supplies, triggered by economic sanctions aimed at thwarting its nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.

In the past, North Korea barred foreigners from entering the country during the 2003 epidemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, and the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014.

Although Pyongyang claims the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease has not made inroads into the nation, many diplomats and international organization officials stationed in the country's capital have left North Korea since March 2020.

The previous ruling party congress, the first in 36 years, was held for four days from May 6, 2016.

After the last congress, Kim accelerated the development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, including those that could reach the U.S. mainland. In November 2017, he declared the completion of a "state nuclear force."

Since June 2018, Kim has held meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump three times, but their denuclearization negotiations have made no progress, making it more difficult for Pyongyang to persuade Washington to lift economic sanctions.

The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
U.S. oil producers should tread carefully this year and avoid boosting production, which could lead to another price slump, the energy minister of the United Arab Emirates told Bloomberg in an interview.

Producers need to be careful not to flood the market, Suhail al-Mazrouei said, noting that the wise thing to do this year would be to be patient with production growth plans.

Its not going to be easy to just go and build production, seeing the inventory levels where they are today, the official added.

The U.S. shale industry emerged as the main challenger to OPECs sway over global oil markets as it turned the United States into the worlds largest oil producer. The pandemic, however, affected U.S. shale as severely as it did Gulf oil producers and other OPEC+ members.

Now, the cartel seems to have reclaimed its top spot among market swingers, at least for a while, especially after Saudi Arabias announcement from last week that it would deepen its OPEC+ cuts by 1 million bpd unilaterally. Meanwhile, other members of the group were allowed to raise production.

The price jump that followed the announcement has made a lot more U.S. shale profitable than it was last year, so OPEC could ultimately help the shale industry get back on its feet. Yet al-Mazroueis warning should give those most eager to restart production growth a pause: he is basically repeating a warning that Continental Resources Harold Hamm directed towards the industry after the previous oil crisis.

The industry failed to heed the advice to not go all-in on production growth. It is now paying for this failure. However, the second price shock may have made producers warier, and they might heed the warning this time. So far this year, the daily average production for U.S. shale has been 8.1 million bpd, according to Bloomberg. This compares to 9.3 million bpd in March 2020, before the pandemic really hit.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday demanded the impeachment of Donald Trump in the final week of his presidency, calling him a "clear and present danger" to America for inciting an "armed rebellion" at the US Capitol.

"He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love," the most powerful Democrat in Congress told the House chamber during debate over whether to impeach Trump for an unprecedented second time, for "incitement of insurrection."

"Since the presidential election in November, an election the president lost, he has repeatedly lied about the outcome," sought to sow doubt about the election process, and "unconstitutionally sought to influence state officials" to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's election win, Pelosi said.

"Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed. They were domestic terrorists and justice must prevail," CNN quoted Pelosi as saying.

"But they did not appear out of a vacuum. They were sent here, sent here by the President with words such as a cry 'to fight like hell.' Words matter. Truth matters. Accountability matters," she said. "The President saw the insurrectionists not as a foes to freedom, as they are, but as the means to a terrible goal, the goal to his personally clinging to power. The goal of thwarting the will of the people. The goal of ending in a fiery and bloody clash, nearly two and a half centuries of our democracy."

The House of Representatives is set to impeach Trump for inciting insurrection, with several key Republicans backing the Democrat-led push to bring down the real estate tycoon in flames just a week before he leaves office.

As lawmakers opened their session, Washington was in a state of siege, with armed National Guards deployed, central streets barred to cars and public spaces fenced off.

In the Capitol building itself, guards in full camouflage and carrying assault rifles assembled, some of them grabbing naps early Wednesday under the ornate statues and historical paintings.

The expected vote, coming seven days ahead of Democrat Joe Biden's inauguration, would make Trump the first US president to have been impeached twice.

Trump's epic downfall was triggered by his January 6 speech to a crowd on the National Mall, telling them that Biden had stolen the election and that they needed to march on Congress and show "strength."

Amped up on weeks of conspiracy theories pushed by Trump, the mob stormed into the Capitol, fatally injured one police officer, wrecked furniture and forced terrified lawmakers to hide, interrupting a ceremony to put the legal stamp on Biden's victory.

One protester was shot dead, and three other people died of "medical emergencies," bringing the toll to five.

In opening debates Wednesday, Democratic lawmaker Ilhan Omar branded Trump a "tyrant."

"The president not only incited an insurrection against our government but has in word and deed led a rebellion," she told the chamber. "For us to able to survive as a functioning democracy there has to be accountability."

But Nancy Mace, a newly-elected Republican congresswoman said that while lawmakers "need to hold the president accountable" over the violence, the speed of the process "poses great questions about the constitutionality."
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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The global hydrogen fuel cell vehicle (HFCV) market size is expected to reach USD 28.82 billion by 2026 according to a new study by Polaris Market Research. The report Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicle Market Share, Size, Trends, Industry Analysis Report By Technology (Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, Alkaline Fuel cell, Solid Oxide Fuel Cell); By Vehicle Type (Commercial Vehicle, Passenger Car); By Regions, Segments & Forecast, 2020  2026 gives a detailed insight into current market dynamics and provides analysis on future market growth.

In contrast to conventional gasoline, petrol or diesel vehicles, a hydrogen fuel cell incorporates oxygen and hydrogen, which in turn produce energy for the car. There are numerous factors affecting the forward momentum of the market. Developing varied technologies in the automotive industry generates new opportunities for growth. Furthermore, a hydrogen fuel cell vehicles enhanced cargo capacity and longer range contribute to its growth. Since hydrogen fuel cell cars can generate their own energy, many eco-conscious clients opt for fuel cell vehicles over domestic electric cars. Growing environmental awareness is expected to increase the global HFCV market during the forecast period. This is because of decreased carbon emissions from HFCVs, unlike conventional vehicles operating on petrol, diesel or petrol.

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Many government organizations and concerned authorities and industry partners have initiated plans to such advanced infrastructure networks to spur the market at a global level. The leading automakers such as Toyota, Audi, and Honda have developed a range of hydrogen cell-based fuel cars for the global market. Owing to an increase in electric vehicles, there is a large number of such fueling stations being established in the parts of North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. In 2017, there were over 330 hydrogen fueling stations operating across the globe, with over 50 each in California, Germany, and Japan. There is around 35 retail hydrogen fueling station being built in California and nearly 15 hydrogen-fueling stations are operating in the UK in 2017. Moreover, the government authorities such as the US Department of Energy (DOE) are investing public funds for the rollout of hydrogen fueling stations, is further augmenting the growth of the global market.

Furthermore, according to the International Energy Agency, Germany has around 23 operating hydrogen fueling stations in 2017. These numbers are to be outnumbered by more than 50 as the country is constructing 25 more such stations, and at the end of 2017 around 60 stations are estimated to be operational. The National Organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) coordinated Germanys National Innovation Programme (NIP) to establish 50 stations with $134 million. Public and private stakeholders are convened by the Clean Energy Partnership to create this initial network. H2Mobility, a consortium of Air Liquide, Daimler, Linde, OMV, Shell, and Total, is planning and constructing this network. The consortium plans to have 100 stations by 2019, with around 10 stations each in Hamburg, Berlin, Rhine-Ruhr, Frankfurt, Stuttgart, and Munich metropolitan areas, and the remaining 40 as connectors and destination stations. This infrastructure backbone supports both light-duty and light commercial fuel cell vehicles, with the additional stations expected to grow with the rising growth of the global market.

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Love Island's Francesa Allen has revealed she shed two stone after weight gain and trolls left her 'unrecognisable' to herself.

The stunner, who shot to fame on the show's fifth season in 2019, took to Instagram stories during her prolonged trip to Dubai to reveal she was being accused of editing her pictures, leading to her weight loss revelation.

Detailing how she did not lose the weight easily or as a 'quick fix', she admitted she was forced to make a change after losing sight of herself and proudly professed she was feeling 'enlightened' following her lifestyle overhaul.

Sensational! Love Island's Francesa Allen has revealed she has shed two stone after weight gain and trolls left her 'unrecognisable' to herself

Francesca looked sensational in her latest snaps, in which she posed on a yacht as she continues to live it up in the UAE following the news that the country had been removed from the UK travel corridor amid the coronavirus pandemic.

While she was certainly looking sensational, Francesca admitted she had been struggling with her weight and image yet worked hard to improve herself.

She said: 'I don't get people being nasty in my DMs everyone's really kind and I'm so grateful for my following. But I've had a couple of people messaging me about my weight and saying I edit it my photo. I'm like - hun - I've actually lost nearly 2st...

'So I am gonna look a bit different. I'd loive to know how youre supposed to edit it your face or your body or any of those things in a video...

Stunning: The stunner, who shot to fame on the show's fifth season in 2019, took to Instagram stories during her prolonged trip to Dubai to reveal she was being accused of editing her pictures, leading to her weight loss revelation

'My skin is looking so good. It's not something I've done overnight like I would usually do but I look at pictures of like who's that? I might do a YouTube video explaining everything that's happened...

Amazing! The stunner, who shot to fame on the show's fifth season in 2019, took to Instagram stories during her prolonged trip to Dubai to reveal she was being accused of editing her pictures, leading to her weight loss revelation

Curves: While she has always looked sensational, Francesca admitted she feels better in herself

'I feel like enlightened - which is the worst possible news I can use right now - I'm strong in myself and I have that strength in my body that I used to have like over two years ago. I just had lost love for training, I'd lost love myself.'

Speaking about how trolls forced her to change herself both inside and out, she said: 'It was mad. But I'm back with a bang. I had to look inside.

'My personality was getting commented on and abused but there's only so much a girl can take. Like even me doing my accents that was wrong...

Keeping up! She has been keeping up her regime in Dubai and shared videos while running

Wow! Francesca looked sensational in her latest snaps, in which she posed on a yacht as she continues to live it up in the UAE following the news that the country had been removed from the UK travel corridor amid the coronavirus pandemic

'I thought is it not jest? That's the humour me and my family have but I just thought it was funny but then I felt I couldn't really be myself. It gets very confusing...

'I think like - I dunno - I'm super happy and super positive but let me tell you I have times. That may sound like I'm on a tangent but I swear to God the feeling I was feeling on the inside was showing on the outside.'

Francesca then discussed the impact everything had on her, as she went on: 'Because my outside I didn't recognise myself and I didn't recognise who I was and i didn't recognise who I was looking in the mirror.'

Wow! Francesca pictured in her Love Island promo shot

Tough times: Francesca then discussed the impact everything had on her, as she went on: 'Because my outside I didn't recognise myself and I didn't recognise who I was and i didn't recognise who I was looking in the mirror'

She assured fans that she was back on track, saying: 'Now I feel in order with my body, my mind my friends my business, everything - I've got a clarity...

'I could run through this wall mate. I had to be selfish and look at myself and evaluate who I am and what I do. It's ok to be selfish sometimes...

'I don't think I realised how upsetting my skin used to make me but I used to just crack on but I wish [my beautician Therapy] had been in my life then.

She wrote over the top: 'I'm a filter free kinda girl always!' and 'Enlightened hahahahh I just feel like I know my path in life right now and it's good'.
GRANVILLE, Ohio -- A century ago, Henry Adams famously described American politics as the systematic organization of hatreds. However apt it may be for our own time, there is more utility in Otto von Bismarcks alternative view  politics as the art of the possible, the attainable, the next best.

As the incoming Joe Biden/Kamala Harris administration explores the possibilities for the bipartisan collaboration it will need on the domestic front, a good place to start would be shoring-up the programs of the Social Security Act. While at any given time these programs support over one-third of all Americans, they are under severe stress from years of unchecked financial erosion.

Most Americans know that the Social Security Act provides for retirement and disability pensions. Currently, there are 62 million people receiving them under the Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program, the one we usually mean when we say social security.

But pensions are only one aspect of social security. Unemployment Compensation, providing income to millions during calamities such as the Great Recession and current pandemic, operates under Title III of the Act. Medicare, which pays health care bills for 60 million Americans, operates under Title XVIII. Medicaid and the State Child Health Insurance Program, Titles XIX and XXI, currently cover 75 million. Temporary Assistance to Needy Families operating under Title IV provides cash assistance to over 1 million families. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) under Title XVI provides cash benefits to 5.3 million seniors and people with disabilities. Social service block grants to the states for everything from child day care to family respite care to chore services for people with disabilities are funded under Title XX.

In short, social security means much more than the customary use of the term implies. It refers to a vast system through which we pool resources to support one another within our borders, much as national security refers to how we pool resources to protect our interests in the world.

American social security is distinguished by the ways it is interwoven with our market economy. Far from directing or controlling markets, it has no centralized bureaucracy. Instead, its various programs are managed through a decentralized network operating in part through the Social Security Administration (OASDI and SSI), in part through the 50 states (Unemployment Compensation, Medicaid, social services), and in part through private companies (third-party intermediaries and Advantage plans for Medicare; health maintenance organizations for most state Medicaid programs). The vast majority of medical providers covered by Medicare and Medicaid  doctors, hospitals, nursing homes  operate in the private sector.

At any given time, the family budgets of over 100 million Americans, and much of our private economy, depend on social security.

Yet, the financial sustainability of these programs is challenged on several fronts. It is no secret that the payroll tax revenues supporting old-age pensions and Medicare are already stretched thin, but this is only part of the problem. Unemployment Compensation costs are skyrocketing in the wake of the pandemic and will require years to pay down. The perennial challenge of state spending for Medicaid is now a double challenge for governors and legislators, with pandemic caseloads inching up while most state tax revenues are in decline. Last and most worrisome, tax cuts and trillions of dollars in new pandemic-related borrowing are squeezing the federal governments ability to fund these programs.

Against this backdrop, it is essential that the new administration and Congress act to assure the sustainability of social security.

John Begala is a former health and social service executive, policy analyst and Ohio legislator.

The Biden/Harris administration could get things moving by convening a White House Conference on the Future of Social Security during its first 100 days. Bringing together leaders from all sectors and both parties, it would provide an immediate vehicle for bipartisan reaffirmation of the fundamental idea of social security and a forum for airing diverse points of view about how to strengthen and sustain it for future generations.

Some broad topics for consideration include:

 The sufficiency of payroll taxes supporting OASDI and Medicare.

 The fairness of the OASDI payroll tax, the taxable income cap for which produces grossly regressive effective tax rates of 6.2% for workers earning $15 per hour, but less than 1% for people earning $1 million or more per year.

 Options for workers and employers to supplement retirement and disability income through voluntary contributions to individual OASDI accounts.

 Alternative policies and tradeoffs for changing federal and state roles in Medicaid. Block grants have been suggested by some as a way to reduce fiscal pressure for states. But an alternative approach of phasing in increased or even full federal funding might achieve even more. By freeing most or all of the $270 billion in annual state Medicaid spending, governors and legislatures could increase investments for everything from education to infrastructure to tax relief. Concurrently, eligibility and coverage regulations could be made consistent; a buy-in option for individuals, families, and small businesses offered; and benefits restructured to promote healthy lifestyles and individual responsibility.

 Medicare and Medicaid subsidies to increase the supply of primary care physicians, geriatricians, and nurse practitioners.

 Thoroughly reviewing and consolidating some of the over 2,100 programs listed in the Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance through Title XX of the Social Security Act.

The Social Security Act is a bulwark against hardship for American families. While the fault lines of our current partisan divide are sure to course through any consideration of its future, implicit in it are opportunities for achieving, in Bismarcks words, the possible, the attainable, the next best. And the necessary.

John Begala is a former health and social service executive, policy analyst and state legislator. He is currently a member of the adjunct faculty at the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University.

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When Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., walked on Tuesday through new metal detectors installed after the Capitol riots, the machines started beeping. But Boebert, who had carried her bag with her through the magnetometers, refused to hand it over. Soon, she was in a standoff with police.

The scene, first chronicled by CNN Congressional reporter Ryan Nobles, was one of many tense interactions between GOP House members and Capitol police over the new security measures.

Some refused to go through the detectors. Others pushed past police after setting off the devices. One legislator even took to the House floor to call the measures "an atrocity."

The complaints left Democrats fuming that Republicans were more concerned about basic security changes than investigating their party's role in instigating the riot that necessitated the measures.

"Do these people not understand that literally everyone else has to go through metal detectors to get in here?" tweeted Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va. "Average people do not get to bring guns into the United States Capitol in normal times. Get over yourselves."

The metal detector protests were the latest act of defiance by a GOP faction that supported President Donald Trump's attempts to overturn the election results based on false claims of mass election fraud, a baseless allegation that helped fuel the insurrection at the Capitol last Wednesday.

Boebert, who has also faced criticism for tweeting about the location of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., during the riot, is a fervent gun-rights activist who pledged to carry her Glock on the grounds of the Capitol and in Washington.

Later on Tuesday night, Boebert defended her actions in a tweet.

"I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex," she wrote. "Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week - it's just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi."

But in a letter to lawmakers earlier on Tuesday informing them of the magnetometers, acting House sergeant at arms Timothy Blodgett reminded members that "pursuant to the firearms regulations that Members received on Opening Day, firearms are restricted to a Member's Office."

"Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber," Blodgett wrote.

Still, a group of GOP lawmakers ignored the new security measures. Matt Fuller, a HuffPost reporter, tweeted that he witnessed about a dozen Republicans walk around the magnetometer, including Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, and Rep. Randy Weber, R-Texas. A handful barreled through, even if they set off the alarm, he reported.

Beyer said he also noticed GOP members trying to skirt the new rules, pointing to Rep. Van Taylor, R-Texas.

"Rep. Van Taylor is in front of me as I'm trying to go in to vote, refusing to pass through a metal detector and arguing with U.S. Capitol Police officers about it," Beyer said in a tweet.

Some lawmakers reportedly grew combative with Capitol police. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., argued that security "cannot stop me," and Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark., cried out "I was physically restrained!" CNN's Manu Raju tweeted.

Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., said in a tweet that Capitol police were treating lawmakers "like criminals."

We now live in Pelosi's communist America!" she wrote.

On the House floor, Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., blasted the metal detectors, calling them an "atrocity" and "appalling."

"Take note America," Steube said. "This is what you have to look forward to in the Joe Biden administration."

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also slammed the new security rules, claiming that they restricted his constitutional rights.

Some GOP lawmakers also turned their ire on new rules that level fines against members who fail to wear a mask.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-N.Y., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wore masks with protest messages, with McClintock's reading "This Mask Is USELESS" and Greene's bearing the phrase "MOLON LABE," a Greek term that translates to "come and take [them]." The phrase is known to be a rallying cry for the alt-right.

Democratic House members defended the new security measures, noting that metal detectors are hardly unusual in most Americans' daily life.

"Now they know how HS students in my district feel," Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., tweeted. "Y'all brought this on yourselves."

- - -

The Washington Post's Karoun Demirjian and Felicia Sonmez contributed to this report.


Jonathan Van-Tam today shot down calls for a three metre social distancing rule and making masks compulsory outdoors.

England's deputy chief medical officer argued extending the social distancing gap would make little difference to the spread of the highly-infectious Kent strain of the virus because there is no proof it can travel further in coughs or sneezes than regular strains of Covid.

For that reason, he believes the 'one metre plus' rule, deemed effective at controlling the original strain, was good enough to block the mutated one.

Leading members of the Government's scientific advisory panel SAGE are said to be pushing for the measure in a desperate bid to control the new variant.

When asked about a potential 3m rule, Professor Van-Tam told LBC: 'The question you are asking is whether the new variant is really going to be capable of moving a greater distance, and that doesn't kind of fit with my biological understanding, because the distance relates to the force of the cough or the sneeze or the respiratory droplet that flies out of you.

'Unless we were saying that the variant makes you cough in a different way or cough more violently, I can't see how you can gain that extra distance, like in the long jump as it were.'

Professor Van-Tam also dismissed reports that face masks could be compulsory in every outdoor and indoor setting, saying they are only necessary in 'high risk' places.

He added: 'The science on masks has changed as the pandemic has evolved, my view remains that the really high risk environments for transmission are indoor spaces and the Government advice is to wear masks or coverings in indoor spaces and I agree with that.'

Jonathan Van-Tam has shot down reports that No10 is considering extending its one metre social distancing rule to three metres or making masks compulsory outdoors

It comes as No10 considers cracking down on lockdown curbs even further as the national shutdown struggles to bring down cases of the new Covid strain.

Downing Street is considering options ranging from limiting takeaways and click and collect, to closing more workplaces and nurseries and banning people from exercising with friends.

South African variant of coronavirus is 'taking root' in the UK The super-infectious South African strain of coronavirus is already 'taking root' in the UK, experts have warned. So far the Government has only announced two cases of the variant in the UK, both were patients in London who had been in contact with travellers from South Africa last month. But a top SAGE scientist claimed today that a 'small' number of Brits tested positive for the strain over the last few weeks, which have not yet been made public, Politico reports. Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt hinted the mutant strain had become more widespread than the official narrative would suggest, adding: 'It seems to be taking root a little bit in the UK.' Public Health England refused to confirm the reports today but said that it would be publishing an update of the variant 'very soon'. The mutant variant prompted panic after it caused an explosion of cases in South Africa. British scientists were particularly concerned about its discovery in London last month because the UK is already battling the Kent strain, which plunged the UK into its third national lockdown and triggered a wave of hospital admissions. The South African strain is thought to be even more transmissible than the Kent one and has key changes to its spike protein which open the door to it being resistant to vaccines. However, on Friday a top SAGE expert told MailOnline there was 'no evidence' of widespread transmission of the variant - called 501.V2 - in the UK. Advertisement

Amid signs cases are flattening, Matt Hancock said the 'next few days' would be key to understanding whether the lockdown is working, with the PM set to wait until the weekend to make a final decision on new measures.

However, scientists have cautioned that critical capacity in the NHS will still be under enormous strain into March due to the lag between infection and people getting ill, with up to 250,000 people a day said to be catching the virus.

London Councils and Mayor Sadiq Khan today appealed for Mr Johnson to bring in new measures such as closing places of worship immediately, or risk putting an 'unsustainable strain' on services.

Meanwhile, Nicola Sturgeon has said she could announce a toughening in Scotland today, suggesting there will be curbs on click and collect and takeaways to reduce social contacts.

In a round of interviews this morning, Mr Hancock told Sky News that it was 'impossible to know' when restrictions could be eased.

'We will keep the restrictions in place not a moment longer than they are necessary, but we will keep them in place as long as they are necessary,' he said.

He added: 'I am looking to see the case rate just starting to level off. I hope that is what we start to see over the next few days. The few days ahead of us is the critical period to know whether this national lockdown is working.'

Meanwhile, during his LBC interview, Professor Van-Tam also defended the decision to prioritise giving a first vaccine jab to as many people as possible rather than keeping doses to deliver booster shots after three weeks.

He said the country was in 'a constrained supply situation' because of the time it takes to supply vaccine doses.

'We have all got older loved ones and if we want to protect as many as we can as quickly as possible, with a meaningful amount of protection, then the right strategy for us is to give the initial first dose and come back for the second when we have given more people the initial first dose,' he said.

'If you have got two grandparents and you have got two vaccines, what do you do - do you give two doses to one and leave the other one with nothing?'

With a delay of 10-12 weeks before people will now be given a second shot, Professor Van-Tam admitted there was no data available on what protection would be given by the initial shot at that stage, although he was 'absolutely comfortable' with the decision.

'If you take an extremely purist answer and say 'where do the data end?', the data end at 42 days,' he said.

'But if you take an expert science viewpoint, it's just not plausible that the protective effectiveness is going to disappear after that point and we are very confident that there will be plenty of protection on board right up until the second dose is given.'
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
Worcester Police Officer Michael Escobar, who was arrested roughly one year ago on a drunken driving charge while off-duty, will return to work.

MassLive reached out the city managers office this week for comment about the employment status of the officer.

We can confirm Officer Escobar remains an employee with the city of Worcester, a city spokesman said in an email.

The spokesman declined to detail any more information about Escobars employment. It is unclear the level of discipline the officer faced internally within the police department.

MassLive has learned through sources that Escobar will return to work at the police department around Feb. 1.

Internal affairs records obtained by MassLive after Escobars arrest show Worcester Police Chief Steven Sargent recommended the officer be fired, something city officials also confirmed they were seeking to do as well.

It is unclear what changed and what decision was made in order to bring Escobar back on duty. Since his arrest, Escobar was on paid administrative leave. The officer would only have been placed on unpaid leave if he had been indicted.

MassLive reached out to Worcester Police Officer Daniel Gilbert, president of the New England Police Benevolent Association Local 911, for comment.

Escobar, 30, was arrested on Jan. 20, 2020, on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol, using a motor vehicle without authority and riding, walking or driving on railroad property.

Court and Worcester Police Bureau of Professional Standards reports show officers were called around 3:15 a.m. on Jan. 20 to the MBTA railroad tracks behind Pats Service Station and Union Station in Worcester.

Officers discovered a white, four-door Subaru stuck on the tracks, according to the BOPS report by Sgt. Kevin Pageau.

Authorities determined Escobar was the driver, but stated he got out of the vehicle and then into a pickup truck leased by CSX.

He then drove it around the CSX property, got it stuck on the tracks causing significant damage before officers arrived and placed him in custody, Pageau wrote.

Escobar was caught then charged and booked.

The police statement of facts on file in court and the 12-page internal police record showed Escobar was never asked to perform field sobriety tests at the time of his arrest. A police lieutenant noted the parking lot was icy at the time of the arrest.

Escobar was investigated internally for conduct unbecoming an officer and four acts of criminal conduct associated with his arrest, according to the records obtained by MassLive.

Sargent reviewed the internal investigation on Feb. 28 and sustained the conduct unbecoming of an officer charge and the four criminal conduct charges. The chief then wrote in the comments, Termination Recommended.

Court records show that on Nov. 5, in Worcester District Court, the officers drunken driving charge was continued without a finding until Oct. 26, 2021.

Escobar was ordered to complete an alcohol education program and lost his license for 45 days.

The use without authority charge was dismissed after Escobar paid $7,962 to CSX. Records show Escobar was found guilty on the riding, walking or driving on railroad property charge, which was filed and will remain on file until Oct. 26, 2021.

Escobar was ordered to pay roughly $600 in fines.

The internal records show police reviewed 911 dispatch calls and interviewed witnesses. A man called from Boston on behalf of Keolis/MBTA stating the CSX yardmaster reported someone drove on the tracks and got a vehicle stuck on them.

The CSX yardmaster also called stating he had a drunk guy just drive his car on the tracks under the (Interstate) 290 bridge, the internal report said.

He took one of the trucks trying to find his friend, the caller stated. He is obviously intoxicated.

Records show Escobar had a friend inside the Subaru. The friend was drunk and was taken to an area hospital due to his level of intoxication, reports show. The friend refused to speak to the Worcester police internal affairs investigation.

Video reviewed by police showed the Subaru on the railroad tracks. It then showed a man walk around a Ford F-150 and then get inside.

The man then drove the truck through the CSX rail yard, according to police records, who identified the driver as Escobar.

One witness told police Escobar was out of it. Escobar had told the witness he fell asleep in his car and did not know had it ended up on the tracks, internal reports said.

Investigators also checked Escobars booking video which lasted 23 minutes. Escobar refused a Breathalyzer test and he was placed in a cell at police headquarters. His license was suspended for failing to take the Breathalyzer test, Pageau said in his report.

An employee of a company subcontracted by CSX approached Escobar and noted that the off-duty officer was out of it, internal reports said. Escobar also climbed onto a parked CSX train.

Escobar was found in the drivers seat of the Ford when police arrived. Escobar was placed in a police cruiser. Lt. Matthew Early asked Escobar if he was injured.

The off-duty officer responded, no.

The lieutenant noted he could smell alcohol on the off-duty officers breath. Escobar also had glassy eyes, reports said.

I asked Escobar what happened, he told me he did not know how his vehicle got up on to the tracks and that he then tried to use the CSX pickup truck to attempt to move his vehicle off the tracks, the lieutenant told police investigators.

Early did not conduct field sobriety tests because the weather was windy and bitterly cold and the parking lot was covered in ice, the BOPS report said

Early drove Escobar back to the station in his cruiser.

Escobar refused a Breathalyzer test, which resulted in a license suspension, and he was placed in a cell at police headquarters.
MONTREAL - Canada's new COVID-19 testing requirement for international travellers has caused hundreds of people to miss flights in just the first week of the program's rollout.

A couple makes their way through Montreal Trudeau Airport in Montreal, on Thursday, January 7, 2021. Canada's new testing requirement for international travellers has prompted hundreds of people to miss flights in the first week of the program's rollout.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL - Canada's new COVID-19 testing requirement for international travellers has caused hundreds of people to miss flights in just the first week of the program's rollout.

Under the new restrictions, all passengers flying to Canada from another country must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken at most 72 hours prior to departure.

Since the testing mandate went into effect on Jan. 7, WestJet has denied boarding to at least 385 guests because they did not meet the requirements, said spokeswoman Morgan Bell.

Similarly, Air Transat has denied boarding to at least 245 passengers for testing-related reasons since Jan. 7, said Debbie Cabana, a spokeswoman for the airline.

Bell said the travellers were turned away due to improper tests  antigen or antibody tests, rather than the required PCR test common in Canada  no test at all, or one taken more than 72 hours before departure.

"Our teams have been doing everything they can to assist guests and problem-solve in destinations across our network," Bell said. "Our WestJet Vacations team is working in destinations with our hotel partners to facilitate and arrange PCR tests whenever available to best assist our guests."

At the time the testing mandate was announced, Canada's major airlines asked the government unsuccessfully for an 11-day extension to implement the new rules, warning that they would lead to confusion for passengers.

The Canadian government has already been forced to make a temporary exception to the testing requirement in response to a shortage in supply of accepted tests in Jamaica.

The government of Jamaica said this week that it was working to increase the availability of COVID-19 PCR testing at private labs and on-site at select resorts in Ochos Rios, Montego Bay and Negril.

Hotels elsewhere in the Caribbean, such as the Bahamas' Baha Mar resort, have begun offering COVID-19 testing on-site in an effort to help international travellers comply with testing restrictions.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a measure similar to Canada's, ordering all international airline passengers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before boarding flights to the country.

Rocky Racco, the CEO of Toronto-based travel agency TTI Travel, said he expected the availability of testing at tourist destinations in the Caribbean to ramp up in light of the new U.S. requirement.

"Given the announcement that this is also required now by U.S. citizens, its going to get the hoteliers' and tourist boards' fullest attention," Racco said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2021.

Companies in this story: (TSX:TRZ)


RENO, Nev., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ApplicInt, an industry leader with their suite of insurance application fulfillment solutions, recently led efforts to digitize the Life Insurance application process for Savings Bank Life Insurance Company (SBLI), based in Woburn, Massachusetts. In a Pilot, SBLI successfully implemented ApplicInt's U*Complete platform for clients to self-complete Life Insurance applications, which is seamlessly integrated into SBLI's fulfillment process. SBLI is planning for a full production rollout of U*Complete in the second quarter of this year (2021).

Direct to Consumer Life Insurance Electronic Application software solution.

"We are very excited about our partnership with ApplicInt and the opportunity to use UComplete in innovative ways to help our clients," said Rose Conneely, COO, SBLI. "Our focus is to simplify the application process for agents and their clients alike, and our 100% digital Self-complete Application Process Pilot has demonstrated very positive results. We look forward to rolling it out to the market."

"Our goal is to make the application process as simple and convenient as possible, and via our partnership with ApplicInt, we have piloted an easy-to-use 100% digital process for clients to self-complete their application, while automatically providing agents and their clients 'status alerts'," said Rose Conneely, COO, SBLI. "We are planning to roll-out this new option in mid-2021."

ApplicInt's U*Complete has two workflow self-service models: "Carrier Direct to Consumer" and "Agent Direct to Customer". In the Carrier Direct to Consumer process, the consumer has a secure login to the Carrier's Website. The consumer chooses a face amount/term product and runs a quote. They then complete a Part A Life Insurance Application, with the Part B medical questions being optional depending on the carrier's fulfillment process. The consumer then eSigns Forms. There is real-time chat available when needed or a warm transfer to a call center to schedule an exam if needed. Forms and data are sent to the carrier in good order. The Agent Direct to Consumer model is essentially identical, except that the Agent initiates the fulfillment process and the consumer can review quotes from various carriers.

Mike Feroah Sr., Founder and Chief Strategy Officer of ApplicInt stated, "We are overly excited about the extension of our technology that allows a common platform to be used by consumers, call centers and examiners to provide part A or part B application information to carriers. U*Complete also can be integrated with automated underwriting platforms for deep instant decisioning. And if you have existing ApplicInt software, it can be converted to U*Complete in a matter of weeks. U*Complete provides better a customer experience with enormous cost and efficiency savings."

About ApplicInt

ApplicInt, a leading information technology company, has developed several innovative, interoperable solutions that can be customized to meet the unique requirements of each client. ApplicInt was founded in 2003 to provide efficient and cost-effective technology solutions for the collection and distribution of information for life insurance applications. Automating the broker's world not only means digitalizing their offices but, more importantly, streamlining and simplifying the process of obtaining insurance.

Media Inquiries:

Trish Gates

ApplicInt USA Inc.

775-325-4610

[email protected]

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U*Complete

Direct to Consumer Life Insurance Electronic Application software solution.

SOURCE ApplicInt USA Inc
PRESS RELEASE -The Royal Air Force Museum is striding into the New Year with a brand-new virtual challenge, where participants can choose whether to complete 80K, 150K or even 500K.

Registrations for the Lancaster Challenge opened on Saturday 9 January 2021, exactly 80 years since the first test flight of the Avro Lancaster. Whether you need to walk off the Christmas calories, or get outdoors to beat the lockdown blues, participants of the Lancaster Challenge can walk, run, hike, swim, cycle or row their way to the finish line. Participants will have access to a downloadable log sheet to record their 80K, 150K or 500K distance, before being rewarded with an exclusive, Lancaster Challenge medal after the challenge closes on 17 May, the anniversary of Operation CHASTISE, better known as the Dambusters Raid.

As a virtual race, the Lancaster Challenge can be completed anywhere in the world. Within the first 48 hours of registrations opening, more than 1,850 people have signed up to participate, with entries flying in from across the globe, including Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, America, Singapore and Thailand. The Armed Forces Community are also showing their support for the Challenge with more than 400 Armed Forces Personnel already taking part.

Online registration is now open at rafmuseum.org, entry costs 20 per person and all proceeds will go towards supporting the RAF Museum (registered charity number 244708) to enable the Museum to continue sharing the RAF story  past, present and future.

RAF Museum London Public Events Manager, Ella Hewitt said: The Lancaster Challenge was due to start on the 2 March, 79 years since the Lancasters first mission with the RAF, but we want to keep people motivated and moving in lockdown, so you can begin the challenge as soon as you sign up! Whether you choose to complete 80K, 150K or 500K, participants can select the distance to suit their ability and complete it anytime, anywhere, individually, or with members of their household bubble. The Challenge is open to participants of all ages, but we do recommend under 16s are accompanied by an adult.

This years bespoke medal design features the Lancaster, arguably the most famous, and certainly the most successful heavy bomber operated by the RAF during the Second World War. With an impressive performance and excellent flying characteristics, the Lancaster soon established its superiority over its rivals. Indeed, it was described by Marshal of the RAF, Sir Arthur Harris, Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command, as the greatest single factor in winning the war. The Lancaster on display at RAF Museum London, known as S for Sugar has a distinguished operational record having flown 139 missions during the Second World War.

RAF Museum CEO Maggie Appleton said: During these difficult times, looking after our mental and physical health is important for us all. Key to planning our recovery during the next few weeks and months is that we concentrate more than ever on looking after ourselves and each other and that is why we are encouraging all our staff to take time-out of their day, while working from home, to get outdoors and enjoy some daily exercise. Our staff will be leading the way by participating in the Lancaster Challenge and we hope families, participants from our previous challenge events, along with our friends in the RAF and partner organisations will join us. Support from our Challengers enables us to keep the doors of our Museums open for all generations to enjoy.

Participants can stay connected and make new friends as they complete the Challenge by joining the RAF Museum Virtual Running Group on Facebook. Meet other Challengers, share your progress and ask fellow participants for advice. However you choose to complete the challenge, the Museum would love to hear from you! Tag @rafmuseum in your photos on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or with #LancasterChallenge2021.

Limited edition Lancaster Challenge T-shirts are also available to purchase when registering online. The souvenir T-shirts cost 14.00 and will be delivered with your medal following the end of the challenge. Sizes range from small to XX Large.

Or why not consider fundraising for the RAF Museum, pledge to raise 80 and receive your souvenir Lancaster Challenge t-shirt for free, delivered with your medal at the end of the challenge. Starting your fundraising could not be simpler, select the sponsorship option when signing up online and head to our Lancaster Challenge JustGiving page. Once you have set up your JustGiving page, our team will be in touch with some handy tips to kick start your fundraising.

To register for the Lancaster Challenge visit rafmuseum.org. Entry costs 20 per person, additional booking and postage charges apply for overseas participants.




Last week, when a mob of pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol in Washington D.C., there was no shortage of condemnation to be found. Politicians in the United States and the world alike decried the violence and branded it an insurrection and "domestic terrorism."



The move was depicted as an assault on the American political system itself, and, in turn, Democrats are lining up to impeach Donald Trump for a second time over his alleged role in instigating the unrest. Of course, it is common sense to condemn such violence on unambiguous terms.

If only such judgments were applied consistently. In 2019, Hong Kong rioters equally launched a violent attack on the city's legislative council building and engaged in extensive vandalism. The assault marked a turning point in the special administrative region's unrest.

Their behavior, however, was not met with the same international outcry and most ironically in the United States itself, wherein the same politicians, journalists and voices who decried the Washington attack actively encouraged and applauded unrest in Hong Kong under the auspices of "pro-Democracy protests."

The double standards manifest in the BBC's coverage of the two events for one, was striking. A consistent ideological cheerleader for unrest in Hong Kong, the BBC always avoided use of the terms like "mob," "terrorists," "insurrection" and "rioters" to describe the protesters, instead calling them a "pro-democracy protesters."

Compare this with its coverage of the U.S. Capitol attack, when it immediately headlined the perpetrators as "a violent pro-Trump mob" lauding the unacceptability of one event, but not the other.

There is a literal form of doublespeak embedded throughout all commentary, which presents one violent scenario as okay, but not the other, and subsequently demonized law enforcement in Hong Kong for resisting it.

The West believes it has a right to intervene in the affairs of other countries, via violence if necessary, but that nobody has the same right to do so to itself even if the unrest is organic.

The problem lies with ideology. Western political thought presents itself as a universal moral truth that analyses the world in a simple binary of good vs. evil. Rather than assessing political forces through the socio-economic environments and interests producing them, it argues that those who hold up the banner of "Liberal-democracy" are always good and truthful and those who hold alternative worldviews are always bad and must be maligned.

In line with this, only the actions of the former can hold "legitimacy" and "authenticity" and the actions of the latter are always attributed to motives of evil, irrespective of the situation at hand.

As a result, liberal thought and commentary skewers the pursuit of violence in one situation to be objectively bad, and in another to be objectively good. The Trump supporters who sought to occupy the Capitol Building are evil because they want to undermine the political order of the United States, while the Hong Kong rioters are apparently "good" because they want to undermine the political order of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

There is a double standard here. Ideology clouds the reality that both groups are in fact, violent insurrectionists who want to overturn and subvert a political system that they dislike and fashion it according to their own interests and identity. In terms of the physical laws of the territories in which they reside, neither truly has any right.

However, the world of Western media and politics disagree. They believe one group has a right to challenge the system outright, but not the other, peddling the assumption that the Chinese government and Hong Kong authority have no legitimacy, therefore can be challenged.

Legitimacy in the political sense is subjective and circumstantial, it is not for one set of countries to decide theoretically on behalf of others whose rule is supported and who's is not.

In turn, the broader question might be: "Is the U.S. system legitimate?" Because the mere existence of Democracy does not mean that it delivers the results its people desire, and the fact that a certain constituency of American voters  up to 56%  believed the "election was rigged" suggests something is wrong.

Yet the U.S. political classes will insist their constitution, their order is always untouchable and nobody can "legitimately" rebel against it. Right? Few would argue national security is a form of oppression in this instance.

In this case, the United States and its allies might want to introspect rather than to encourage violent uprisings in other countries and undermine the responses of those who seek to prevent it. If violent insurrection is wrong in the United States, then it is perfectly acceptable for authorities in Hong Kong and China to describe it as such, too.

Ideological thinking and projection clouds the fact that rule of law, stability and order are as desirable in China as it is in America itself, and subsequently the U.S. and its allies in taking precaution to preserve their own order, have no real right to encourage unrest in other countries or to question procedures such as the national security law geared at preventing violent insurrection.

Tom Fowdy is a British political and international relations analyst and a graduate of Durham and Oxford universities. He writes on topics pertaining to China, the DPRK, Britain and the U.S. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/TomFowdy.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
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Nigeria battles various communicable diseases annually, some of which are vaccine-preventable and on the national priority list for eradication.

The country usually experiences yearly outbreaks that peak during the dry season from November to May.

Cases have been rising rapidly over the past few years, with each years outbreak surpassing the last, but with the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, it was a different story.

Infecting over 100,000 people in Nigeria and killing over 1,300 since it began spreading about a year ago in Africas most populous nation, the COVID-19 pandemic turned the clock back by years in the fight against other infectious diseases. It has interrupted research, trials and other efforts to ease the public health burden.

Nigeria, in 2020, had an unprecedented spate of deaths from some infectious diseases as more focus was channelled towards tackling coronavirus. Aside COVID-19, suspected cases of Yellow fever and Lassa fever claimed nearly 500 people across the country.

There were spates of strange deaths in the year in review, which could not fully be diagnosed, partyly due to priority given to COVID-19.

Just as it affected the economy and almost every facet of life, the pandemic also disrupted efforts to end several non-communicable diseases.

Researchers warned that with disruptions in distribution of long-lasting insecticidal nets due to COVID-19, cases of malaria might increase by 206 million and malaria deaths by 379,000 in sub-Saharan Africa. Scientists also predicted that deaths related to HIV could increase by 10 per cent, tuberculosis by up to 20 per cent and malaria by 36 per cent over the next five years.

Nigeria had been preparing for a pandemic, especially after the Ebola incursion in 2014, but the COVID-19 seems to be the greatest test the countrys health system has faced.

PREMIUM TIMES takes a look at five major infectious diseases that rattled Nigeria in 2020.

COVID-19

Nigeria appears to have moved at a snail-pace in its initial response to COVID-19, a situation health experts have continued to blame for the continued spread of the disease in the nation.

The World Health Organization (WHO) upgraded the status of the COVID-19 from an epidemic to a pandemic on March 11, with a strong call for countries to detect, test, treat, isolate, trace, and mobilise their citizens to ensure that those with just a handful of cases could prevent the wider spread of the deadly virus.

The novel coronavirus was first detected in Nigeria on February 27, in an Italian engineer that travelled from Milan via Istanbul to Lagos on Turkish Airlines.

It took another 11 days for the second case to be confirmed in the country, a contact of the Italian national, on March 9.

The WHO and health professionals had warned African countries to consider shutting their skies and borders against an impending importation of the virus from European and Asian nations where the disease had started to spread.

Nigeria appeared not to have heeded that advice until the countrys caseload was at least 30. International flights were still operating despite rising cases overseas, making Nigeria particularly vulnerable.

On March 21, when the Nigerian government announced it would close its two main international airports in the cities of Lagos and Abuja, 10 additional cases were announced.

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The disease went ahead to spread to all 36 states across the country, peaking in June with the countrys highest daily COVID-19 cases of 745 at the time recorded on June 19.

Daily infections plateaued from early August until early December when the second wave began.

The second wave of the coronavirus has continued to sweep across Nigeria with 1, 270 new infections recorded in 22 states across the country on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Nigeria crossed the grim milestone of over 100, 000 infections as health officials call for stricter enforcement of safety measures.

The 1, 270 new cases on Tuesday pushed the total number of infections in the country to 101,331.

One in every six persons (16 per cent) tested for COVID-19 in Nigeria in the past two weeks tested positive for the virus, indicating how far the virus has spread.

PREMIUM TIMES review of official data showed that Nigeria set a weekly record of reporting about 10, 000 cases last week.

The spike in infections is also feeding through into fatalities. Twelve people died from the disease on Monday, taken the death toll to 1,373 in total.

In the past 25 days, there have been 161 fatalities as a result of COVID-19 complications in Nigeria.

The government blamed the increasing deaths on late referral of COVID-19 patients to treatment centres.

But 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 recent surge, warning that the situation could get worse if citizens keep violating safety protocols.

Active cases in the country rose sharply from about 3,000 about a month ago to about 20, 000, due to a rise in new infections.

Of the over 102,000 cases so far, 81,574 patients have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.

Yellow fever

Since September 2017, when the first case of yellow fever was rediscovered in Kwara State, the country has been recording cases of the disease.

The year 2020, however, witnessed an unprecedented surge in cases and deaths especially in new frontiers.

In early October last year, reports emerged of multiple deaths from a strange disease in Enugu and Delta states.

The authorities in Enugu and Delta reportedly put the figure of strange deaths in the states at 50 and 22 respectively as of early November, 2020.

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, in a statement on November 8, said initial investigations confirmed the strange disease was Yellow Fever.

The fatalities were unprecedented for both states. According to NCDC data detailing trends of Yellow Fever outbreaks from 2018 to early 2020, both states, until last year, had reported only a few cases, with no fatalities.

Following the emergencies, the state governments, mid-November, flagged off a massive Yellow Fever vaccination campaign.

While the disease was also spreading in other states amid the fight against COVID-19, Enugu and Delta reported the most cases in the 2020 Yellow Fever outbreak.

According to the latest NCDC Yellow Fever situation report from January 1 to December 25, cases were reported in 13 states including Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Enugu, Gombe, Kogi, Osun, Oyo, Plateau and Taraba.

A total of 3,112 suspected cases and 109 confirmed cases were reported from 30 LGAs in the 13 states. A total of 17 deaths was recorded among the confirmed cases with a (Case Fatality Rate) CFR of 17 per cent from Enugu (9), Delta (6), Bauchi (1) and Ebonyi (1).

Meanwhile, there were 249 deaths overall from suspected yellow fever infections, the highest yearly tally since the resurgence of the disease in 2017.

Yellow Fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease that can kill within 10 days if symptoms become severe.

Nigerias earliest outbreak of the fever was reported in Lagos in 1864, with subsequent regular outbreaks reported until 1996.

No confirmed cases were then reported for 21 years, until September 2017 when the viral infection was rediscovered in Kwara State.

The Yellow Fever vaccination was introduced in Nigeria in 2004 as one of the routine vaccines expected to be given to children during routine immunisation. In spite of this, the country is still witnessing outbreaks of the disease.

The increasingly regular occurrence of outbreaks is largely because many people are not immunised, according to the NCDC. Vaccine hesitancy  a reluctance or refusal to be immunised  was named by the World Health Organisation as one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019.

Lassa fever

Lassa fever remains a public health challenge in West Africa with Nigeria bearing the highest burden.

From the first week in January 2020 to week 52 of the year which ended on December 26, 244 deaths were recorded from Lassa fever, according to the NCDC Lassa fever situation report. About 167 persons died from Lassa fever in Nigeria in 2019.

There were a total of 6,732 suspected cases of Lassa fever and 1, 181 confirmed cases with 14 probable cases all through last year.

The figures dwarf the total number of laboratory-confirmed cases  308 in 2017, 633 in 2018, and 833 in 2019, which was previously the year with the highest number of cases.

In total for 2020, 27 states recorded at least one confirmed case across 131 Local Government Areas. The predominant age-group affected is 21-30 years.

Meanwhile, no new healthcare worker was affected in the reporting week 52.

Cholera

Last year, Nigeria witnessed a drastic drop in cholera cases in the country. This could be largely connected to the immunisation campaign conducted by the government and international partners in cholera hotspots across the country.

Nigeria, through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, had benefited from the rollout of nearly 18 million doses of Oral Cholera Vaccine (OCV) which were shipped to 11 countries in 2018.

Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It affects both children and adults and can kill within hours if left untreated.

NCDC figures for epidemiological week 50 showed that from January 1 to December 8, a total of 1,801 suspected cases with 55 confirmed cases were reported across the country.

This is far lower than what was obtained in the same reporting week of 2018 where the number of suspected cases was 50,662, with 956 confirmed cases and 1135 deaths and in 2019 when 3,499 suspected cases and 595 confirmed cases were reported.

However, the 95 fatalities recorded from the disease in 2020 is slightly higher than the 71 deaths in 2019.

Some of the states where cholera incidence and deaths were reported are Ogun, Adamawa, Bauchi, Kastina among others.

If Nigeria can continue with the trend of reduction in cholera cases in the country, it might be able to achieve the 2030 Global Roadmap aimed to reduce cholera deaths by 90 per cent and eliminate transmission in up to 20 countries.

Measles

The outbreak of measles in Nigeria in 2019 dwarfed that of 2020.

According to the NCDC situation report on measles, as of week 50, there were 25,370 suspected cases and 2,470 confirmed positive cases in 2020.

Meanwhile, in 2019 Nigeria recorded one of its annual sharpest rise in measles infections with 61,438 suspected cases with 22,361 confirmed positive cases.

A total of 134 people died from measles in 2020, a relatively low figure compared to the 286 deaths recorded in 2019.

WHO, in its global measles report for 2020, said the eradication of the disease has suffered a setback globally as many countries focused more attention on tackling COVID-19.

Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease; unfortunately, Nigeria and the world are struggling to eradicate it. Though the vaccine is safe and cost-effective, there were over 110,000 measles deaths globally, mostly among children under the age of five.

WHO advised routine measles vaccination for children, combined with mass immunisation campaigns so as to reduce the global death from the disease.

Cerebrospinal meningitis

Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) is an acute inflammation of the membranes covering the brain and the spinal cord. It is a very serious infection that can lead to death if left untreated.

In 2020, only 13 deaths were recorded from Cerebrospinal meningitis, a very sharp decrease compared to the 103 people that died from the disease in 2019, according to NCDC data.

The number of deaths recorded from the disease has been on a decline in previous years, indicating that the response strategy to eradicate the disease is paying off.

Many state governments in 2020 prioritized vaccination as a precautionary measure to check the burden of the disease.

The disease which is synonymous with the dry season starts in December and peaks around March and April before subsiding in June/July every year. Nigeria had carried out a massive vaccination exercise during the 2017/2018 outbreak which claimed the lives of over 1,000 persons.

The epidemiological report from NCDC indicates that between January 1 and December 8, 2020, a total of 626 suspected cases with 14 confirmed cases were reported.

The cases reported are much lower when compared with 4,466 and 2, 077 suspected cases, 318 and 626 confirmed cases and 360 and 103 deaths reported during the same period in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

In preparation for the meningitis season, NCDC said the National CSM Technical Working Group (TWG) meets weekly to review reports from states and plans appropriately and surveillance has been enhanced in all states (with focus in states at higher risk).

Monkeypox

Monkeypox in the country was on the low last year as it was in the previous year.

Nobody died of the disease in 2020 while only two deaths were reported from the disease in 2019.

From January 1 to week 50 of 2020, 31 suspected cases and six confirmed cases were reported in a few states across the country. In 2019, 113 suspected cases and 44 confirmed infections were reported.

While there was no major outbreak of the disease in the country when compared to two years ago, the disease poses as an international threat as cases are being exported from Nigeria and other African nations to western climes.

Monkeypox is mostly transmitted to people from wild animals, but human to human transmission also occurs. The disease can be contracted if an individual comes in contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets and contaminated materials of an infected person.

According to WHO, the smallpox vaccine can protect against monkeypox. The agency has approved a new third-generation vaccine  vaccinia vaccine  for the prevention of smallpox and monkeypox. Antiviral agents are also being developed.

Response

Nigerias infectious disease agency (NCDC) provided a summary of ten major highlights of how it responded to infectious disease in the year 2020 as follows:

1. Provided support to states to respond to COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks through timely deployment of Rapid Response Teams, provision of medical and laboratory commodities and supplies, development of relevant guidelines and protocols etc.

2. Conducted COVID-19 household zero-prevalence survey to foster better understanding of the burden of the disease in Nigeria.

3. Established State Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOCs) in additional seven states as well as integration of two polio PHEOCs in Nigeria. Only two states in Nigeria do not have a PHEOC currently

4. Finalised Nigerias National Multi-Hazard Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan

5. Launched the 3rd edition of the National Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response guidelines

6. Fully deployed Surveillance Outbreak Response Management Analysis System (SORMAS) for digital surveillance to all the 774 LGAs across all the 36 States of the Federation including the FCT

7. Established infection prevention and control programmes at primary, secondary and tertiary health facilities including the military and paramilitary health facilities

8. Implemented various activities of the National Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) with facilitation of National Technical Working group meetings

9. Established and activated new molecular laboratories across Nigeria. Every state in Nigeria has at least one public health laboratory with molecular testing capacity

10. Strengthened partnerships with local, regional and global institutions.

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The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to impeach President Donald Trump as soon as Wednesday, accusing him of inciting insurrection ahead of last week's storming of the Capitol.

The following is a primer on what a second impeachment proceeding of Trump would look like and how lawmakers could block Trump from running for president in 2024.

How does impeachment work?

A misconception about impeachment is that it refers to the removal of a president from office. In fact, impeachment refers only to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of Congress, bringing charges that a president engaged in high crimes or misdemeanors."

If a simple majority of the Houses 435 members approves bringing charges, known as articles of impeachment, the process moves to the Senate, the upper chamber, which holds a trial. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate to convict and remove a president.

House Democrats have accused Trump of inciting the "lawless action" that took place at the Capitol on Jan. 6. Trump on Tuesday told reporters that his speech to protesters before the Capitol was stormed was "totally appropriate."

When will the Senate hold a trial?

The top Senate Republican, Mitch McConnell, has said that because the Senate is in recess, the earliest a trial could begin is Jan. 20, the day of Biden's inauguration ceremony. To start sooner, all 100 senators would need to vote in favor of doing so.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer is exploring using emergency authority to reconvene the Senate before then, a senior Democratic aide said on Monday. Such a move would require McConnell's approval.

Impeachment experts said the Senate is free to set its own rules and could hold a trial in a single day if it wanted to.

Why have an impeachment trial if Trump is already gone?

Impeachment could be used to remove Trump from office and to disqualify him from holding political office in the future.

Two historical precedents, both involving federal judges, make clear that the Senate could also vote to disqualify the president from holding office in the future, with only a simple majority needed.

Paul Campos, a professor of constitutional law at the University of Colorado, said that even if the Senate does not convict the president, senators could hold a second, separate vote to prevent him from future office.

That would mean Democrats, who will take control of the Senate later in January, could bar Trump from running for president in 2024 even without the support of Republican senators.

Trump could, however, try to challenge such a determination in court, Campos said. The Supreme Court in 1992 said it would not second-guess the Senate's decisions about how to handle impeachment proceedings.

"The Senate has great latitude in deciding how it wants to conduct a trial," Campos said.

Other legal experts, however, said the Senate could only prevent Trump from holding office if it first votes to convict him in the impeachment trial.

Lawmakers could also declare that Trump engaged in "insurrection or rebellion" under the 14th Amendment to prevent him from running again. This would require a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Two-thirds of each chamber can subsequently vote to lift the ban.

Has a U.S. president ever been impeached twice?

No, but legal experts said it is clearly constitutional for Congress to do so.

Trump was impeached by the Democratic-led House in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress over his dealings with Ukraine about political rival Joe Biden, now the president-elect. Trump was acquitted by the Republican-led Senate in February 2020.
Summary of major environmental-change categories expressed as percentage relative to the baseline given in the text. Red indicates the percentage of the category that is damaged, lost, or otherwise affected, whereas blue indicates the percentage that is intact, remaining, or otherwise unaffected. Credit: Bradshaw et al.

A loss of biodiversity and accelerating climate change in the coming decades coupled with ignorance and inaction is threatening the survival of all species, including our very own, according to the experts from institutions including Stanford University, UCLA, and Flinders University.

The researchers state that world leaders need a 'cold shower' regarding the state of our environment, both to plan and act to avoid a ghastly future.

Lead author Professor Corey Bradshaw of Flinders University in Australia says he and his colleagues have summarised the state of the natural world in stark form to help clarify the gravity of the human predicament.

"Humanity is causing a rapid loss of biodiversity and, with it, Earth's ability to support complex life. But the mainstream is having difficulty grasping the magnitude of this loss, despite the steady erosion of the fabric of human civilization" Professor Bradshaw says.

"In fact, the scale of the threats to the biosphere and all its lifeforms is so great that it is difficult to grasp for even well-informed experts.

"The problem is compounded by ignorance and short-term self-interest, with the pursuit of wealth and political interests stymying the action that is crucial for survival" he says.

Professor Paul Ehrlich of Stanford University says that no political or economic system, or leadership, is prepared to handle the predicted disasters, or even capable of such action.

Flinders University Professor Corey Bradshaw summarises the perspective paper "Underestimating the challenges of avoiding a ghastly future" Credit: Flinders University

"Stopping biodiversity loss is nowhere close to the top of any country's priorities, trailing far behind other concerns such as employment, healthcare, economic growth, or currency stability.

"While it is positive news that President-elect Biden intends to reengage the US in Paris Climate accord within his first 100 days of office, it is a minuscule gesture given the scale of the challenge.

"Humanity is running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society robs nature and future generations to pay for short-term economic enhancement today".

"Most economies operate on the basis that counteraction now is too costly to be politically palatable. Combined with disinformation campaigns to protect short-term profits it is doubtful that the scale of changes we need will be made in time" Professor Ehrlich says.

Professor Dan Blumstein from UCLA says the scientists are choosing to speak boldly and fearlessly because life literally depends on it.

"What we are saying might not be popular, and indeed is frightening. But we need to be candid, accurate, and honest if humanity is to understand the enormity of the challenges we face in creating a sustainable future.

Flinders University Professor Corey Bradshaw describes how humanity is running an ecological Ponzi scheme in which society robs nature and future generations to pay for short-term economic gain today. Credit: Flinders University

"Without political will backed by tangible action that scales to the enormity of the problems facing us, the added stresses to human health, wealth, and well-being will perversely diminish our political capacity to mitigate the erosion of the Earth's life-support system upon which we all depend.

"Human population growth and consumption continues to escalate, and we're still more focused on expanding human enterprise than we are on devising and implementing solutions to critical issues such as biodiversity loss. By the time we fully comprehend the impact of ecological deterioration, it will be too late.

"Without fully appreciating and broadcasting the scale of the problems and the enormity of the solutions required, society will fail to achieve even modest sustainability goals, and catastrophe will surely follow" Professor Blumstein concludes.

The experts say their 'perspective' paper, which cites more than 150 studies, seeks to outline clearly and unambiguously the likely future trends in biodiversity decline, mass extinction, climate disruption, planetary toxification, all tied to human consumption and population growth to demonstrate the near certainty that these problems will worsen over the coming decades, with negative impacts for centuries to come. It also explains the impact of political impotence and the ineffectiveness of current and planned actions to address the ominous scale of environmental erosion.

The perspective paper "Underestimating the challenges of avoiding a ghastly future" is published in Frontiers in Conservation Science.

Explore further Climate change exacerbates biodiversity loss

More information: Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future , www.frontiersin.org/articles/1  osc.2020.615419/full Underestimating the Challenges of Avoiding a Ghastly Future , DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2020.615419
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The Facebook group is hardly a stranger to persistent issues of privacy. Over the past few weeks, it came up with full-page ads claiming to be an advocate for small businesses and speaking up against Apples clearly pro-privacy move with iOS 14s new data collection and permission prompt. Now, the Mark Zuckerberg-led group found itself in hot waters yet again after its personal communications app, WhatsApp, announced a policy change that in effect opened a can of worms about how the entire web of Facebook collects and shares user data at will. Almost as if in response to all this, Facebook yesterday issued an update to its privacy transparency tool, Access Your Information.

The update is a rather extensive one, too. After launching in 2018 in the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytics data scandal involving almost 87 million users, Facebook initially set up its user information access tool with two categories  Your Information, and Information About You. Through its efforts, Facebook wanted to convince its users that they can clearly see all and any piece of information that it knew about them, and even delete them from the platform should they not wish to have anyone else access it. Now, the new update increases the total number of categories in Access Your Information to eight, and these include Your Activity Across Facebook, Friends and Followers, Preferences, Personal Information, Logged Information, Ads Information, Apps and Websites Off Facebook, and Security and Login Information.

Within these categories are further subcategories that are divided down into simpler elements, which will seemingly make it much easier for all users to find exactly what they were looking for. There is also a search bar on top, where you can enter keywords to search the right setting that you want to analyse. To add to this, Facebook is taking the effort to explain in each sub-category which that data of yours is with them, all in a bid to come across as transparent.

While the new Access Your Information interface is indeed easier to navigate, the move doesnt really allay concerns about the inter-web of linked data collection about users from all platforms that Facebook has successfully weaved. Earlier, towards the end of 2020, an independent audit done in the shape of Facebooks first transparency report found the company to be too reactive in terms of acting on issues related to data collection, privacy and related fields.

That Facebook desperately attempted to convince everyone how Apples iOS 14 privacy and permission prompt was bad for users did not do much to instil confidence in the company, either. Even now, as conversations around WhatsApps privacy related concerns are surfacing, the Facebook-owned company is resolute at sticking to explaining how communications on the app are secure.
Columbia, MO (65201)

Today

Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 86F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms early, then cloudy skies after midnight. Low 49F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.


The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has warned of possible armed protests across the country leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20.

FBI officials told news agencies they had learned about planned protests that could take place in Washington, D.C. as well as all 50 state capitals.

The warning comes after extremists attacked and occupied the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday. The mob  led by supporters of President Donald Trump  arrived as lawmakers were counting electoral votes to make Bidens win final.

The riot left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer. Numerous people have been charged in the violence so far. More charges are expected.

The FBI told VOA it is examining evidence suggesting that groups or individuals may be looking to incite violence in connection with the planned handover of presidential power.

The warnings were based on intelligence about the protest plans, an FBI statement said.

The FBI is sharing the intelligence information with state, local and federal law enforcement partners to help them prepare for possible threats. "Our focus is not on peaceful protesters, but on those threatening their safety and the safety of other citizens with violence and destruction of property," the statement said.

Security has been increased at state capitol buildings around the country ahead of next weeks inauguration ceremony in Washington.

The chief of the National Guard Bureau, Army General Daniel Hokanson, told reporters that his organization was also looking at possible protest threats across the country. He said Guard leaders in every state were cooperating closely with local law enforcement agencies to provide any support requested.

In a step to protect the nations capital, the National Guard has been authorized to send up to 15,000 troops to Washington. Hokanson said he expected about 10,000 troops to arrive by Saturday to provide security, communications and other support.

In another security measure, the National Park Service said the Washington Monument would be closed to all visitors until January 24 because of threats of violence. The Park Service said other parts of the National Mall and roadways could also be blocked in the coming weeks.

President-elect Joe Biden told reporters he was not afraid of taking the oath of office outside the grounds of the Capitol on January 20. But he said it was critically important for the people who took part in last weeks attack to be held accountable for their actions.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it was directing the U.S. Secret Service to start its inauguration security operation this Wednesday, six days earlier than planned. DHS said the decision was made because of the events of the past week and the evolving security threats.

Mark Pitcavage is a researcher with the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism. He told The Associated Press that officials in state capitals and other major cities should prepare for the possibility of violent protests next week.

A lot of people were energized by what happened last week, Pitcavage said. State capitals are a natural place where people might want to show up.

Im Bryan Lynn.

The Associated Press, Reuters and VOA News reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the reports for 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.

_______________________________________________________________



Words in This Story

inauguration  n. the act of officially putting someone into an important position, or the ceremony at which this is done

intelligence  n. secret information about the governments of other countries or the activities of certain groups

focus  v. to center attention on something

authorize  v. to give permission for something to happen

accountable  adj. responsible for one's actions

evolve  v. to develop over time
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The U.S. State Department this month told European companies which it suspects are helping to build the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline that they face the risk of sanctions as the outgoing Trump administration prepares a final round of punitive measures against the project, two sources said.

"We are trying to inform companies of the risk and urge them to pull out before its too late," a U.S. government source said on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. source said the State Department is expected to issue a report by Thursday or Friday on companies it believes are helping the Russia-to-Germany pipeline. Companies that could be in the report include ones providing insurance, helping to lay the undersea pipeline, or verify the projects construction equipment, the source said.

The companies could be at risk of U.S. sanctions under existing law if they do not stop work, Reuters reported.

Zurich Insurance Group could be listed in the report, the source said.

Gazprom halted Nord Stream 2 construction for a year after U.S. sanctions in December 2019. But work has resumed as Gazprom hopes to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline under the Baltic Sea to double the existing lines capacity. The project is 90% completed with only a 100-km stretch in deep waters off Denmark left to complete.
YEREVAN.  Former military prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan believes that there is no age barrier for him to become a member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) of Armenia. Jhangiryan, whom the parliament majority My Step faction intends to nominate as a candidate for an SJC member, told about this to reporters after his meeting with the My Step faction in the National Assembly (NA) Wednesday

To the remark that SJC chairman Ruben Vardazaryan, referring to the Judicial Code and the Constitution, states that there is an age limit after which the NA cannot elect the given person a member of the SJC, Jhangiryan responded as follows: "According to the same code, the former chairman of the Constitutional Court, Gagik Harutyunyan, was elected chairman of the SJC after turning 70 years old. Unfortunately, they have not studied the Judicial Code well. They should look especially to Article 186, which deals with the termination of powers and the grounds for the termination. Will you see in that article that there is an age limit for judges is envisioned in that article, aside from the restrictions in Article 112? But there is no maximum age limit for lawyer-scholars. Therefore, if someone is elected at the age of 62, according to the logic of that statement, Article 186 would have provided the basis for that automatic termination at [the age of] 65. The law is not interpreted by reading any article; the law should be interpreted in all its articles. I have specifically studied this issue. The age of 65 is not envisaged for a lawyer-scholareither by the Constitution or by the Judicial Code.
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The Ogun State Police Command on Tuesday paraded 11 suspected members of the Eiye Confraternity for allegedly killing 25 residents within a month in Ijebu Ode and its environs.

The suspects were paraded by the state Commissioner of Police, Edward Ajogun, in Ijebu Ode.

According to him, the suspects engaged security operatives in a fight before they were arrested and taken to the Ijebu Area Command, Igbeba, Ijebu Ode.

Mr Ajogun said suspects and others at large killed 25 people during supremacy battles between rival cults last year.

He also said assorted arms and ammunition were recovered from them.

I want to sound a note of warning to all the leaders, rank and file members, counsellors and procurers of cultists, and others, who are nursing the ambition of joining them that the command is all out for you all. We are determined; we are battle ready.

Henceforth, any person, cultist or not, found with weapon or displaying weapon in the public, or using same to maim or kill in Ijebu Ode metropolis and environs, and indeed in any part of the state, will be dealt with in the most decisive manner.

It will be fire for fire, and whoever is arrested will be made to face appropriate charges, including attempted murder, murder, armed robbery and kidnapping. This warning is for all the youth and parents in Ijebu Ode and environs in particular, and to the general public at large.
From theIn an attempt to speed up the sluggish pace of the U.S. vaccination campaign, the Trump administration changed course today and instructed states to immediately begin vaccinating Americans over 65, as well as adults with conditions that make them more vulnerable to the virus.Health Secretary Alex Azar said that states would lose shots if they dont quickly give out doses, and that starting in two weeks, how much a state receives will be based on the size of its population aged 65 and older.Currently, vaccines are largely being distributed to frontline health workers and older people in nursing homes. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that the next group include frontline workers who cannot work from home.But some states, including Texas, Oklahoma and Alaska, decided to vaccinate people 65 and older before most essential workers, and other states are following suit. Florida is already inoculating people 65 and older, which has led to overwhelming demand, long lines and confusion over how to get a shot.As for those with pre-existing conditions, Mr. Azar said they would need to provide some form of medical documentation, as defined by governors, but he did not elaborate. Millions of Americans have conditions that the C.D.C. has determined increase the risk of severe Covid, starting with obesity, which affects at least 40 percent of adults.The administration also announced today that it would release all available doses of the vaccine, which mirrors a proposal by President-elect Joe Biden, who will release his vaccination plan on Thursday. Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines require two doses, 21 days and 28 days apart respectively, and the Trump administration had been holding back roughly half of its vaccine supply to guarantee second doses for those who had gotten the first. Mr. Azar said the administration always expected to make the shift when it was confident in the vaccine supply chain.Some health workers and researchers worry that releasing the shots could lead to the delay of second doses, and theres no good data on how much protection the vaccines offer if the second shot is postponed.
Classes in the Wilkes County Schools will start on Aug. 23 and end on May 25 in 2021-22 as a result of a calendar approved by the Wilkes Board of Education on Feb. 1.
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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
[January 13, 2021] Argo Blockchain Commences Trading on the OTCQB Venture Market in the United States

LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Argo Blockchain (LSE: ARB), the leading cryptocurrency miner based in the UK, is pleased to announce that it has received approval from the OTC Market Group Inc. to commence trading on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol "ARBKF" at the opening of the trading day on 13 January 2021. Argo's shares will continue to trade on the London Stock Exchange. The OTCQB offers transparent trading in entrepreneurial and development stage companies that have met a minimum bid price test, are current in their financial reporting and have undergone an annual verification and management certification process. Trading on the US OTC market has no impact on existing Argo ordinary shares trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and no new ordinary shares will be issued as part of the cross-trade. Argo will continue to rely on the announcements and disclosures it makes to the London Stock Exchange and will have no Sarbanes-Oxley or SEC reporting requirements. Peter Wall, Chief Executive of Argo Blockchain, said: "Argo is delighted to begin trading on the OTCQB Venture Market. The cross-trading of the ordinary shares from London will provide the Company wit increased access to US institutional and retail investors and a broader shareholder base. US investors will now have the opportunity to share in the Company's growth as the cryptocurrency market gains momentum. US investors can find real-time quotes and market information for Argo at www.otcmarkets.com and access current company news and developments."



Jonathan Dickson, VP of International Corporate Services at OTC Markets, said: "We are delighted to welcome Argo Blockchain plc to the OTCQB Market. The OTC Market supports international companies seeking to strengthen visibility and transparency in the US public market. Trading on the London Stock Exchange and on the OTCQB Market will enable Argo to efficiently build global investor awareness and provide US investors with a seamless trading facility, enabling them to more easily trade through the broker of their choice." About Argo:

Argo Blockchain plc is a global leader in cryptocurrency mining with one of the largest and most efficient operations powered by clean energy. The Company is headquartered in London, UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker: ARB. argoblockchain.com See Argo's largest facility in Quebec:

https://youtu.be/LDWWaZ75Zbk View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/argo-blockchain-commences-trading-on-the-otcqb-venture-market-in-the-united-states-301207199.html SOURCE Argo Blockchain

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Asserting that India maintains the capacity to counter border provocations by China, the outgoing Trump administration in a declassified document has said that a strong India, in cooperation with like-minded countries, would act as a "counterbalance" to China in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.

Running into 10 pages, the document was recently declassified in part by US National Security Advisor Robert OBrien and now has been posted on the website of the White House.

India's preferred partner on security issues is the United States. The two cooperate to preserve maritime security and counter Chinese influence in South and Southeast Asia and other regions of mutual concern. India maintains the capacity to counter border provocations by China, said the US Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific.

India, it said, remains preeminent in South Asia and takes the leading role in maintaining Indian Ocean security, increases engagement with Southeast Asia, and expands its economic, defence and diplomatic cooperation with other US allies and partners in the region.

"A strong India, in cooperation with like-minded countries, would act as a counterbalance to China," the document said.

The US and its partners on every continent are resistant to Chinese activities aimed at undermining their sovereignty, including through covert or coercive influence, it said.

The policy framework said its objective is to accelerate India's rise and capacity to serve as a net provider of security and major defence partner; solidify an enduring strategic partnership with India underpinned by a strong Indian military able to effectively collaborate with the US and its partners in the region to address shared interests.

The actions proposed by the framework include building a stronger foundation for defence cooperation and interoperability; expand defence trade and ability to transfer defence technology to enhance India's status as a major defence partner; increase cooperation on shared regional security concerns and encourage India's engagement beyond the Indian Ocean Region.

It also seeks to support India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group and work with the country toward domestic economic reform and an increased leadership role in the East Asia Summit (EAS).

The framework proposes to offer support to India -- through diplomatic, military, and intelligence channels -- to help address continental challenges such as the border dispute with China and access to water, including the Brahmaputra and other rivers facing diversion by China.

Redacted in part, the Framework among the actions proposes to support India's "Act East Policy and its aspiration to be a leading global power, highlighting its compatibility with the US, Japanese, and Australian vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific; and build regional support for US-India Common Principles in the Indian Ocean, including unimpeded commerce, transparent infrastructure-debt practices, and peaceful resolution of territorial disputes.

Beijing claims almost all of the 1.3 million square mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. China has been building military bases on artificial islands in the region also claimed by Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam

Beijing has impeded commercial activity like fishing or mineral exploration by countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, claiming that the ownership of territory belonged to China for hundreds of years.

Promote US-India energy cooperation across all sources and technologies to diversify India's energy sources and supplies. Partner with India on cyber and space security and maritime domain awareness. Expand US-India intelligence sharing and analytic exchanges...creating a more robust intelligence partnership, said the document, classified by the former Deputy National Security Advisor Matt Pottinger.

Pottinger has recently resigned from his post over the Capitol Hill violence on January 6.

The framework also seeks to work with India and Japan to help finance projects that enhance regional connectivity between India and countries of the region.

The document said its objective is to prevent China's industrial policies and unfair trading practices from distorting global markets and harming US competitiveness. Actions recommended by it are to counter Chinese predatory economic practices that freeze out foreign competition, undermine US economic competitiveness, and abet the Chinese Communist Party's aspiration to dominate the 21st century economy.

Another objective of the framework is to strengthen the capacity of emerging partners in South Asia, including the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, to contribute to a free and open order.

Actions recommended are to establish a new initiative with South Asian partners modeled on the Maritime Security Initiative in Southeast Asia to improve maritime domain awareness, interoperability, and data-sharing with the US.

It supports creation of a maritime information "fusion centre in the Indian Ocean; establish a regional forum to promote common principles and standards and establish and gain broad consensus on a statement of principles on acceptable maritime behaviour, to include a commitment to regional cooperation in line with shared security objectives.
Australia's world-renown cherry producers have been attacked by Beijing, becoming the latest industry to be get caught in the cross hairs of China.

The authoritarian state also said it would not allow nearly eight million tonnes of Australian coal floating on 73 ships to be unloaded.

Sailors on the ships have been stranded on the boats for months in horrendous conditions months after being held up with arbitrary unofficial bans.

Beijing has targeted billions of dollars worth of Australian exports - including barely, wine, beef, seafood, copper, cotton and timber in the past year.

The sanctions are to punish Canberra calling for an independent inquiry into the Chinese Communist Party's handling of the coronavirus crisis back in April.

Scott Morrison (pictured right) and the Australian government are locked in bitter feud with Chinese President Xi Jinping (pictured left) and his Communist Party administration

A newspaper controlled by the CCP featured an article slamming the 'inferior' taste of Australian cherries compared with other markets.

'The share of Australian cherries in Chinese market has dropped due to the inferior quality of the product given the reserved seasonality,' fruit traders allegedly told the propaganda outlet Global Times.

'The taste and quality of Australian cherries is not as good as it once was.

'Chilean cherries have the largest share in Chinese market, with better quality and lower price.'

Yixiao Zhou, a senior economics lecturer at the Australian National University said unlike in Australia, cherries are considered a luxury food in China.

'If people go to visit their relatives they would bring with them a box of cherries which is regarded as a very good, high-quality gift,' she told the Herald Sun.

'If you can afford to eat cherries it is regarded as you are living a good quality life.'

A newspaper controlled by the Communist Party featured an article spouting the 'inferior' taste of Australian cherries compared with other markets

Over the past nine months Beijing's opaque regime has used unofficial bans and arbitrary complaints to punish Australia over a series of diplomatic spats.

Scott Morrison called for World Health Organisatin virus investigators in Wuhan to be given the same wide-reaching powers as UN weapons inspectors.

Australian officials were also vocal about Beijing's crackdown on democracy advocates in Hong Kong and the treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang Province.

The Chinese Government imposed soaring tariffs on a number of Australian exports like wine and barely as a result.

Beijing have not publicly announced that Australian coal is under a ban, but according got The Australian, Chinese authorities have recently informed owners of the commodity it will not be unloaded and that they should seek out other markets.

Coal is Australia's third largest industry with exports to China worth about $14billion a year.

About $500million to $1billion of Australian coal is floating on cargo ships off the coast of China still waiting to dock.

An Australian coal flotilla trapped off the coast of China has swelled to 73 ships and is carrying about $1billion in blacklisted cargo. Pictured file image of tankers waiting to unload cargo

Coal is Australia's second most valuable resource behind iron ore, and last year miners shipped $10billion of metallurgic coal and $7billion of thermal coal to China (pictured, a coal bucket wheel reclaimer at the port of Newcastle)

Pictured: Navigation officer Gaurav Singh

About 1,500 sailors have been stranded on board the ships, some since June.

One of those sailors, Navigation officer Gaurav Singh, who has been stuck on board after leaving Queensland on July 20, told Daily Mail Australia the situation is becoming increasingly bleak.

'Mentally we are really struggling... one of our crew tried to commit suicide on board the ship. Everyone is growing very frustrated and angry,' he said.

'We are getting punished for a crime that we have not committed. We are seeking every possible way out, but we are helpless.'

These ships do not have the option of simply sailing away because the product has already been paid for and belongs to Chinese companies - most of them state-owned.

'We are not pizza delivery boys, we can't just cancel the order,' Mr Singh said.

When the MV Anastasia (pictured) prepared to unload, crewmen were informed by Beijing officials they were not permitted to dock - and not allowed to leave

Mr Singh told Daily Mail Australia, after five long months caught in the middle of China's escalating trade assault - the crew (pictured) of 18 are growing desperate

Most of the sailors (pictured) n board the stranded vessel has broken out is a horror rash all over their body

Yesterday, China lashed out at Australia for blocking a $300million deal that would have seen a Beijing-backed firm with links to the Chinese military in control of a major construction company.

Josh Frydenberg shot down the offer made by state-owned China State Construction Engineering Corporation to acquire Australian-based company Probuild over national security concerns.

On Tuesday, the Australian Treasurer said the government does not comment on the application of the foreign investment screening arrangements.

But Probuild's South African owners Wilson Bayly Holmes said in a statement the Australian government made the decision based on national security grounds.

In response, the Chinese Embassy accused Australia of 'weaponising' national security and outspoken 'Wolf Warrior' diplomat Zhao Lijian went on the offensive.

'The Australian Government has been politicising trade and investment issues, violating market principles and the spirit of the China-Australia free trade agreement, and imposing discriminatory measures on Chinese companies,' he said.

'We hope Australia will adhere to the principle of open market and fair competition and provide a fair, open and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign companies including Chinese ones.'

Mr Zhao recently made headlines for posting a doctored image of an Australian soldier cutting the throat of an Afghan child to Twitter - a platform banned in China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian who recently posted this image to Twitter to accused Australia of 'politicising' trade.

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings told The Australian that rejecting CSCEC's takeover bid was the right call given almost all state-owned companies in China have links to the military.

'We are going to see more and more of these types of refusals,' he said.

Construction firms are a major focus of the Foreign Investment Review Board as intimate access to blueprints can reveal major weaknesses for those who occupy the building.

Probuild constructed the Victoria Police headquarters and are currently in the process of knocking up CSL's Melbourne centre where the biomedical giant will produce Covid-19 vaccines.

With the lingering threat of bugging and surveillance by the CCP, it is speculated that no state-owned enterprises will be granted acquisitions any time soon.

The Australian Government has rejected several other Chinese takeovers in the past six months, beyond traditional critical infrastructure sectors, including in the construction and technology industries, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Mr Frydenberg last year rejected China Mengniu Dairy Co's proposed $600million bid for Lion Dairy & Drinks and the CK Group's $13billiion bid for Australia's east coast gas pipeline owner APA Group in 2018.

Australia also sensationally blacklisted China's Huawei in 2018 from participating in the construction of the country's national 5G network.

The Victoria Police headquarters in Melbourne (pictured) was constructed by Probuild

Probuild are currently in the process of knocking up CSL's Melbourne base (pictured) where the biomedical giant will produce Covid-19 vaccines
Janhvi Kapoor has started shooting for her film Good Luck Jerry in Punjab. The film is a production of Aanand L Rai and Janhvi is seen wearing a regular salwar kameez which is the costume for her character in the film.



She has been shooting with other members of the crew at Bassi Pathana in Punjab and the same was disrupted by a group of farmers who surrounded the crew. They started shouting slogans against them. The farmer group told the crew that they will let them shoot only if they wrote in favor of the farmers.

 BCCL

The incident took place in front of the police, and Janhvi and other members of the crew seemed to have obliged. Soon after the incident, the farmers left the location and allowed the shooting to take place.



Punjab: Farmer groups gathered outside the venue in Bassi Pathana city of Fatehgarh Sahib, where shooting for a film, starring Janhvi Kapoor was going on Jan 11. They demanded her opinion on farmers' protest against farm laws. They later went back upon being assurance by the crew pic.twitter.com/4Ra7iYaace  ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2021

Janhvi on Sunday had posted on her Instagram stories, Farmers are at the heart of our country. I recognize and value the role that they play in feeding our nation. I hope a resolution is reached soon that benefits the farmers."

She also shared her first look from the film where Janhvi looks like a happy-go-lucky girl who is smiling ear to ear and her hair is styled in braids. She is seen walking in a narrow lane in Punjab. Also, today is the first day of the shoot for the film and the first schedule of the film is expected to continue till March.

Heres what people on social media have to say about this incident 

Janhi Kapoors opinion on farmers- farmhouse pizza is so fattening   Trupti Garg (@garg_trupti) January 13, 2021

Sahi hai... Agriculture expert se unki rai leni important hai.  Priyanka Jayasingh (@PriyankaJayas12) January 13, 2021

Now this will b considered as her "STRUGGLE" in all the shows.  Gopinath Rao B.C (@gopinath_rao_07) January 13, 2021

Bilkul. Jhaanvi Kapoors opinion on farm bill is super crucial. Ubharti hui kisaan neta jo hai   orion (@benice2021_) January 13, 2021

Law and order have left the building!  Mise en scene (@archi_koushik) January 13, 2021

The ongoing protest by the farmers around the Delhi border is only getting stronger with each passing day as more and more people come in support of the farmers. The farmers have been protesting sitting in the chilling winters of the national capital.
Starting Dec. 19, a cadre of "virtual monitoring technicians" is now stationed 24/7 before digital screens in St. Luke's Virtual Response Center (VRC) in an office building in Allentown a few miles from the nearest hospital. For eight- to 12-hour shifts these twenty-somethings, many who started the job when they were home on Christmas break, watch the vital signs of seriously ill patients sent by the Masimo Patient SafetyNet wireless devices to computer screens.

In April, St. Luke's became one of the first health systems worldwide to use the Masimo SafetyNet cloud-based patient management platform to help clinicians care for patients remotely. It comprises a wireless finger sensor to detect oxygen saturation, respiration and heart rate, vital signs that provide doctors and nurses with valuable clinical data that helps to inform treatment decisions.

Kendra Siegfried, a Widener University nursing major, was one of the first students to join this new program in the VRC following a full-day orientation to the technology, medical terms and care processes.

During her shift watching a large monitor in the VRC displaying the statuses of about 50 patients, she reported to the RN in the Center several times when alarms were triggered as patients' oxygen levels dipped dangerously low. She also called the inpatient bedside nurse when the battery of a patient's Masimo remote finger-probe monitor was weak and needed replacing.

Though Siegfried plans to start her nursing career in direct patient caregeriatrics or pediatricsthe college junior won't rule out working in healthcare technology at some point, such as the work she's doing in the VRC.

St. Luke's started recruiting these science-savvy youngsters, many majoring in the biological sciences and health fields, from among their employees' families and friends, and directly from colleges and universities in Pennsylvania. Siegfried's aunt works for the network.

"Back in November, when we saw that the second wave of COVID was coming, we realized we needed to find the right people with the right backgrounds, abilities and attitudes to help us," says Kim Sargent, MSN, RN, IT Business Relationship Manager, who heads up the project.

The network sent a flier to the workforce, which quickly brought more than 400 applications from interested students attending schools like Penn State, Kings College, Duquesne and Wilkes universities. Fourteen have been hired so far, many of them home for the holidays or homebound and taking online classes. They are paid by the hour and their flexible schedules in the VRC allow for other part-time work and school studies.

Steven McCreary, of Easton, whose first day in the VRC was Dec. 21, had learned of the job from his mother, Maria who is a nurse at St. Luke's Warren campus. The recent graduate of Arcadia University majored in political science but realizes that he might want to pursue a different profession that could involve healthcare technology. In addition to his shifts in the VRC, McCreary is an algebra tutor and a store clerk.

He was working with Brittany Cunfer, RN, BSN in Virtual Response Center "onboarding" new patients to COVID surge units and monitoring the oxygen levels, heart and respiration rates of patients on the scrolling computer screen. Cunfer, who joined the VRC when it went live in April, meanwhile was tracking trends and assessing other patient data on the more than 200 COVID patients throughout the network, in frequent contact with the bedside nurses on the critical care units.

"These students are an important part of the solution to our staffing challenges brought on by phase two of the COVID crisis," Sargent adds. "We're hoping they'll support us throughout pandemic, whether they're studying at home or coming home on weekends," says Sargent.

The network will begin monitoring nursing home patients with the Masimo remote, wireless, technology in mid-January. They will install it in select patients' homes later that month, which will facilitate the earlier discharge of patients from the hospital and free up the critically needed beds.

Following are the names and schools of the students working in the St. Luke's VRC:

Stephen Botek, Penn State University; Briana Huff, St. Vincent College; Savannah Labukas (Moravian College); Steven McCreary, Arcadia University (graduated); Lexi Rice, Drexel University; Kylie Rosamalie, Kings College; Kia Santiago, Penn State University; Skylar Santiago, Penn State University; Emilia Serafin, Kings College; Kendra Siegfried, Widener University; Lauren Yeaw, Duquesne University.

About St. Luke's

Founded in 1872, St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 16,000 employees providing services at 12 hospitals sites and 300+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue in excess of $2.5 billion, the Network's service area includes 11 counties: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke's is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania. In partnership with Temple University, St. Luke's established the Lehigh Valley's first and only regional medical school campus. It also operates the nation's longest continuously operating School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 38 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with 347 residents and fellows. St. Luke's is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare's five- and four-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. St. Luke's is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World's Best Hospital. U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Luke's #1 in the Lehigh Valley and #6 in the state. Three of IBM Watson Health's 100 Top Hospitals are St. Luke's hospitals. St. Luke's University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from IBM Watson Health eight times total and six years in a row. St. Luke's has also been cited by IBM Watson Health as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Program. Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN's information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information. St. Luke's is also recognized as one of the state's lowest cost providers.

SOURCE St. Luke's University Health Network

Related Links

http://www.sluhn.org


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Emily Mieure covers criminal justice and emergency news. She also leads the News&Guides investigative efforts. She has reported for WDRB TV in Louisville, Ky., WFIE TV in Evansville, Ind., and WEIU TV in Charleston, Ill.

NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- First Sentier Investors, a leading global asset manager, today announced the launch of a new mutual fund focused on U.S. listed infrastructure assets.

The First Sentier American Listed Infrastructure Fund (FLIAX) aims to invest exclusively in the public equity of companies that own and operate infrastructure assets in the United States. The fund is managed by a Sydney, Australia-based team that has a 13-year investment track record and invests US$7.7 billion in listed infrastructure assets on behalf of investors globally.

Andrew Greenup, First Sentier Investors' deputy head of listed infrastructure, is lead manager of the new fund. Jessica Jouning, a 10-year veteran of the firm's listed infrastructure team, is assistant manager. Greenup is also co-manager of the First Sentier Global Infrastructure Fund (FLIIX).

"Until now, U.S. investors in mutual funds had limited options to invest in publicly traded infrastructure assets in this country outside of globally focused portfolios," said Bachar Beaini, managing director, Americas, for First Sentier Investors. "This fund provides investors with a differentiated investment strategy managed by a highly experienced and accomplished management team."

The First Sentier American Listed Infrastructure Fund seeks to provide income and growth of capital by investing in a diversified portfolio of 30-40 stocks including utilities (electric, natural gas and water), mobile tower operators, freight railways, energy pipelines, waste management and data centers, as well as listed companies outside the U.S. that own U.S. infrastructure assets.

"U.S. investors are looking for liquid real asset alternatives to master limited partnerships and real estate investment trusts," Greenup said. "We believe a U.S.-focused infrastructure fund offers strong structural growth from renewable energy, decarbonization, replacement of aged infrastructure, and digital and data usage."

Media inquiries

Margaret Kirch Cohen

CL-Media Relations LLC

E: [email protected]

T: +1 847 507 2229

Richard Chimberg

CL-Media Relations LLC

E: [email protected]

T: + 1 617 312 4281

About First Sentier Investors

First Sentier Investors manages US$157 billion in assets (as of Sept. 30, 2020) on behalf of institutional investors, pension funds, wholesale distributors, investment platforms, financial advisers and their clients worldwide.

The firm operates as a standalone global investment management business with offices across Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. First Sentier Investors' expertise spans a range of asset classes and specialist investment sectors focused on delivering sustainable investment success based on responsible investment principles.

Formerly Colonial First State Global Asset Management, the firm was acquired from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in August 2019 by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

Important Information

This press release is intended for information only, aimed solely at the media and should not be further distributed to individual and/or corporate investors, and financial advisers and/or distributors. The information included within this document and any supplemental documentation provided should not be copied, reproduced or redistributed without the prior written consent of First Sentier Investors.

SOURCE First Sentier Investors
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
On Jan. 20, Joe Biden will take the oath of office and become the 46th President of the United States. While his administration is poised to break records for the number of women and people of color in senior positions, many of Bidens selections are guided by historical precedent.In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Frances Perkins as Secretary of Labor and the first woman to serve in a presidents cabinet. Since then most presidents have included at least one female cabinet secretary, and in most recent administrations presidents have inched toward gender parity. If Bidens candidates are confirmed, his Cabinet will have more women than any other administration, including several firsts. Perhaps most surprisingly, Janet Yellen will be the first female treasury secretary, despite the departments long history and creation in 1789. Avril Haines nomination as the first female director of national intelligence also carries important symbolic importance, as the intelligence agencies are historically male-dominated spaces.While the precedent for women secretaries was established in the 1930s, the first person of color wasnt nominated until 1966 when President Lyndon B. Johnson installed Robert Weaver as the secretary of the newly-created Department of Housing and Urban Development. Weavers nomination broke a long-held glass ceiling, but also started a powerful precedent. His leadership focused HUD on addressing the systemic racism and structural segregation endemic to government services because he represented the communities that required federal aid. Weavers academic scholarship analyzed segregation and housing inequalities, but he had also dedicated himself to these issues during his government service and he was a longtime civil rights advocate and leader of the Black community.Two of Bidens recent picks follow this example. General Lloyd Austin III was the first person of color to lead an active duty unit in combat, the first person of color to lead U.S. Central Command (CENTCOMM), and is poised to be the first Black secretary of defense. He achieved his four-star ranking despite white supremacy in the military and an overwhelmingly white officer corps . His personal experiences will be central to reforming these trends in the military and encouraging diverse promotions.Similarly, Biden has appointed Neera Tanden as his director of the Office of Management and Budget  the agency responsible for overseeing critical aid programs, including food stamps. Growing up, Tandens family relied on housing vouchers to pay rent and she was enrolled in the 10 lunch program at school in order to eat. She has spoken about how it felt to be the only child in line to use that special lunch ticket and that personal experience will be reflected in her management of OMB  just like Weavers administration of HUD.Weavers tenure also started a long-term trend of presidents naming secretaries of color to manage HUD. While this department initially served as a place of opportunity, more recently it has pigeon-holed minority secretaries or served as a safe space for presidents to place a secretary of color without ruffling any feathers. Biden is continuing this trend with his selection of Congresswoman Marcia Fudge as the new secretary. Biden reportedly considered Fudge for either the secretary of the Department of Agriculture or the secretary of HUD. While Fudge did accept the position, she said to reporters, You know, it's always we want to put the Black person in Labor or HUD."The power and prestige of the State Department is also a longstanding cabinet norm, starting in 1789 with George Washingtons appointment of Thomas Jefferson as the first secretary of state. Many presidents have selected powerful, well-respected statesmen who they didnt know well as their secretaries of state, and then cultivated close relationships once in office. William Seward, secretary of state for Abraham Lincoln, and Hamilton Fish, secretary of state for Ulysses S. Grant , werent particularly close to the president before taking office, but they developed effective, respectful working relationships.Other presidents have picked nominees for this powerful office with whom they already have a close rapport  especially when presidents already show a predilection for foreign affairs themselves. Thomas Jefferson (the first ever secretary of state) chose his best friend and longtime confidant, James Madison, as his secretary of state. As the commander of Allied forces in Europe during World War II and the former NATO commander, Dwight D. Eisenhowers diplomatic credentials were unparalleled. He was so close with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles that they spoke up to 10 times per day, and Dulles regularly visited the White House at the end of the work day to enjoy a cocktail with the president. And of course, George H.W. Bush, the former ambassador to China and director of the CIA, selected his very best friend, James Baker III, as his secretary of state.Bidens attention to foreign policy is well-documented. He served as the ranking member and the chairmen of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and adopted a robust foreign policy portfolio as vice president. Following the precedent established by his predecessors, its no surprise he elected to continue this tradition by naming a close ally and longtime advisor, Tony Blinken, as the next secretary of state.Finally, most presidents have used cabinet positions to reward supporters and promote up-and-coming leaders in their party. Past presidents have often doled out cabinet nominations to longtime political supporters, important figures in their campaign or political rivals that acknowledged defeat gracefully and endorsed the president. For example, Andrew Jackson chose his longtime friend and Tennessee politician John Eaton as his secretary of war. Abraham Lincoln filled his Cabinet with political rivals, including Salmon P. Chase as secretary of the treasury. And Woodrow Wilson nominated perennial Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan as secretary of state after Bryan endorsed Wilsons campaign.Bidens choice of Pete Buttigieg to lead the Department of Transportation reflects these political calculations. Buttigieg campaigned in the Democratic Primary against Biden as an alternative moderate choice, but dropped out and endorsed Biden before the Super Tuesday primaries. After Biden won the Democratic nomination, Buttigieg served as a powerful surrogate, frequently appearing on Fox News to attack President Donald Trump and advocate for Bidens campaign. That loyalty was rewarded with a cabinet position, which also symbolizes Bidens tacit support for Buttigiegs political future.All new presidencies and cabinets are historic in their own right, and Bidens administration seems poised to break barriers and establish new precedents. And yet, so much of the presidency and its relationship to the cabinet is governed by norm and custom. Bidens Cabinet choices reflect the ongoing power of those norms and the long history of the institution.

Millipede collection and sorting methods. (a) Collecting tools for soil macrofauna. (b) The Tullgren apparatus for extracting soil micro arthropoda. (c) The life stages of Parafontaria laminata armigera. (d) Adults of Parafontaria laminata armigera (left: reddish orange with brown stripes) and P. tonominea (right: shiny black). Photos by K. Niijima. Credit: Royal Society Open Science (2021). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201399

A trio of researchers with the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute and Shizuoka University, both in Japan, has confirmed the eight-year periodicity of the train millipede. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Keiko Niijima, Momoka Nii and Jin Yoshimura describe their multi-year study of the myriapod invertebrate Parafontaria laminata armigera Verhoeff, which is endemic to Japan, and what they learned about it.

Back in the early 20th century, Japanese engineers built train lines in remote mountain regions. In 1920, train operators working in a certain forested area were surprised to find teeming mounds of white millipedes covering the tracks so densely that trains could not pass. They persisted for a short amount of time before subsiding, allowing service to be restored. Then, less than a decade later, the millipedes returned once more, once again disrupting service. Thereafter, the millipedes (which became known as train millipedes) appeared periodically, leading some to believe that they had life-stage periodicity similar to that seen in cicadas (which are insects)a behavior that had not been previously observed in an arthropod. In this new effort, the researchers set out to confirm the periodicity of the train millipede and its true cycle length.

The work involved venturing on a regular basis to the mountain location of the millipede swarms over many years. Each visit involved collecting specimens, which they studied in their lab. They were looking to see if there were new juveniles born each year, or only in the years after the swarms. As time passed, it became clear to the researchers that the juveniles were developing over eight years. They also found that there were multiple broods in the region that did not mature over the same cyclic periods. They named the brood that covered the train tracks Brood VI and found that records kept by train workers agreed with the juvenile growth cyclethe swarms occurred every eight years, confirming the periodicity of the millipedes.

Prior research has suggested that cicadas evolved periodicity as a reaction to global coolingit is not known if the millipedes developed their periodicity for the same reason.

Explore further Genomes of two millipede species shed light on their evolution, development and physiology

More information: Keiko Niijima et al. Eight-year periodical outbreaks of the train millipede, Royal Society Open Science (2021). Journal information: Royal Society Open Science Keiko Niijima et al. Eight-year periodical outbreaks of the train millipede,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201399

 2021 Science X Network
New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput's mysterious death on June 14, 2020, left his family, friends and an ocean of fan following grieving. The 34-year-old actor was found dead at his Bandra apartment in Mumbai and the case is being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

While his near and dear ones are yet to find any closure to the case, his sister Shweta Singh Kirti, who is an avid user of on social media, shared a thoughtful note written by Sushant Singh Rajput which reflects on his life and thinking pattern.

Written by Bhai...the thought so profound #ForeverSushant pic.twitter.com/QcDYbAfQTm  Shweta Singh Kirti (@shwetasinghkirt) January 12, 2021

Shweta Singh Kirti has been actively demanding justice for Sushant on social media. She has been at the forefront of the #JusticeForSSR campaign since the actor's death.

Sushant's death case was initially probed by the Mumbai Police. Later, it was subsequently been taken over by the CBI, with the Narcotics Control Bureau and Enforcement Directorate joining the investigation, probing the drugs and money-laundering angles respectively.

Sushant was last seen in 'Chhichhore' on-screen while Mukesh Chhabra's 'Dil Bechara' was digitally released posthumously.
The Qiyu 3 headset, which runs on Qualcomm Technologies' Snapdragon XR2, a platform created exclusively for VR, augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR), promises to deliver the ultimate gaming experiences to players worldwide.

"Looking ahead, we will increase our investment in proprietary technological innovation and keep investing in the content ecosystem to help China's VR technology usher in the next generation of computing platforms," said Xiong Wen, CEO of iQIYI Intelligent, the company's VR subsidiary.

"iQIYI has been making sustained investments in VR hardware and our cooperation with iQIYI started with the first all-in-one VR device Qiyu 1 powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and went on to the second-generation products of Qiyu 2, Qiyu 2S, and Qiyu 2Pro, which are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835," said Hugo Swart, Vice President and General Manager of XR at Qualcomm Technologies. "Now we are very pleased to join hands with iQIYI Qiyu VR to develop the latest all-in-one VR device that is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 platform."

Building a better VR future with Columbus

In order to support the creation of a high-quality VR game content ecosystem, the Company is launching "Columbus", a global VR game developer recruitment program.

Through Columbus, iQIYI will partner with global developers from three key aspects: content procurement, studio contracting, and strategic partnerships. From today, iQIYI is calling on developers worldwide to apply for a free prototype of the developer version of Qiyu 3 so they can play a part in the establishment of the iQIYI's VR gaming ecosystem.

Qiyu 3, China's First CV Head-Hand 6DoF All-in-One VR Headset

As the first piece of hardware for the Company's premium VR gaming ecosystem, Qiyu 3 will revolutionise next-generation gaming experiences. The headset's core configuration and features include:

Qualcomm Technologies' Snapdragon XR2 platform, which is capable of CPU and GPU performance twice as powerful as its predecessor, supporting 8K video at 60fps. Snapdragon XR2 also features a dedicated CV processor for VR algorithms and is adaptable to HD dual displays and many immersive multimedia and artificial intelligence (AI) features;

video at 60fps. Snapdragon XR2 also features a dedicated CV processor for VR algorithms and is adaptable to HD dual displays and many immersive multimedia and artificial intelligence (AI) features; With two separate customized 2.89" fast LCDs, Qiyu 3 will achieve monocular resolution of 2160*2160, the highest in the industry. Qiyu 3 will have 43% more effective pixels than Oculus Quest2's built-in 5.46" single screen;

Supporting continuous IPD adjustment in the range of 58-72mm, Qiyu 3 will perfectly match the pupillary distance of 94% of users, targeting a population four times larger than that of the Quest2;

Qiyu 3 will secure the leading position for FoV through its separate dual screens and continuous IPD adjustment;

Using an ultra-thin silent fan, 6mm heat pipes, air duct design and stacked fins, Qiyu 3 features a three-dimensional cooling system to ensure long-term stable operation during continuous high-load CPU operation;

Seamlessly supporting Wi-Fi6, Qiyu 3 will deliver a seamless and smooth performance during the operation of large-scale video games.

Cementing iQIYI's position as a leading VR brand

Over the past few years, Qiyu VR has risen to become the leading VR consumer brand in China. Since entering the VR field in 2016, Qiyu VR has launched four mature products in five years and achieved many world firsts including; first 4K all-in-one VR headset, first exclusive custom-made iQUT future cinema, and first 5G+8K VR live streaming capabilities.

In 2020, Qiyu VR became the top VR vendor in terms of both sales volume and amount during the 6.18 and Double 11 shopping festivals on China's mainstream e-commerce platform JD.com.

The Company also announced earler that iQIYI Smart has recently completed a multi-hundred million RMB Series B funding round, led by Yitang Changhou Fund and Fresh Capital, setting the record for the largest single round of funding in China's VR industry in 2020.

If you have an interest in the Global Developer Recruitment Program, please contact us via [email protected]com .

SOURCE iQIYI
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Will not let the culprits get away, India tells Israel after blast outside embassy

Be it LAC or LoC, why NSA Ajit Doval gets top billing in national security planning

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Ajit Doval meets Afghan leadership; discusses issues of mutual interest, counter-terrorism co-op

International

oi-Deepika S

Kabul, Jan 13: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, who arrived here on a two-day unannounced visit, on Wednesday met the top Afghan leadership and discussed issues of strategic mutual interest as well as on synchronising efforts to combat terrorism and build the peace process.

Doval, who is leading a high-level delegation, called on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace here on Wednesday morning.

''Both sides discussed counter-terrorism cooperation and efforts for building regional consensus on supporting peace in Afghanistan,'' said a brief statement issued by Arg, the Presidential Palace.

During the meeting, President Ghani said that the Afghan security forces are the righteous pillars of Afghanistan's stability and are fighting in the front lines against the regional and global terrorism.

''Afghanistan and India in joint efforts with NATO and the United States will be able to succeed in the fight against terrorism,'' President Ghani was quoted as telling Doval.

Doval in return said that India is willing to continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and is ready to continue talks on the common interests, the statement said.

Doval also met Abdullah Abdullah, head of the High Council of National Reconciliation, and discussed the peace process, the beginning of the second round of talks and the role of India in establishing peace in Afghanistan.

Abdullah Abdullah visited India in October last year on a five-day visit during which he held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Doval on the crucial peace initiative in the war-ravaged country.

Doval also met his Afghan counterpart Hamdullah Mohib and held extensive conversations on issues of strategic mutual interest, including on synchronising efforts to combat terrorism and build peace.

''@hmohib hosted his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval and his high-level delegation from Delhi for a two-day visit in Kabul. The two sides held extensive conversations on issues of strategic mutual interest, including on synchronising efforts to combat terrorism and build peace,'' the Office of the Afghan National Security Council tweeted. Doval's visit to Kabul comes at a time when the Taliban and the Afghan government are holding direct talks for the first time to end 19 years of war that has killed tens of thousands of people and ravaged various parts of the country. On January 5, talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban resumed in Doha, Qatar.

India has been keenly following the evolving political situation after the US signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February, 2020. The deal provided for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, effectively drawing curtains to Washington's 18-year war in the country.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 19:36 [IST]
China's singles, when cooking at home, want pre-portioned ingredients

The growing number of Chinese who live alone for longer periods than has historically been the case has started to draw the attention of packaged food manufacturers, which are tailoring products to the country's singles. Peter Peverelli reports.

In Chinese collective culture, eating is only fun when shared with relatives, friends, or colleagues. This is reflected in packaged food. Many food companies supply family-size packs or goody boxes containing samples of their products for sharing. A well-known example are the boxes of portions of various nuts and seeds by Three Squirrels, China's fastest-growing snack maker. An extreme category is probably what has become known as 'pig feed': a bag/box filled with various, usually not the healthiest, snacks to be shared with friends.

But Chinese society is changing. Many young people, in particular university graduates, can enjoy a relatively high salary even in their first jobs. They can rent small apartments and frequent bars and restaurants with friends. They enjoy that freedom so much, that they are reluctant to enter into tight relationships. This does not only affect amorous relationships, but also close friendships with college mates, friends from the old neighbourhood, etc. According to the Chinese Ministry of Social Affairs, 92 million single adults will be living in China in 2021.

For some time, 11 November each year has been set as Singles' Day in China, an event mirroring Valentine's Day. To boost sales, Alibaba turned it into a shopping festival in 2009, and earned revenue of CNY50m (US$7.7m). On Singles' Day 2020, Alibaba's online store Tmall alone netted CNY498.2bn in revenue.

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Food is a major product group sold on Singles' Day. At 1:00 am, one hour after the day started, snack maker Be & Cheery already reported revenue of CNY300m. The single most-popular type of snack is 'daily nuts', a box/pack with several single helpings of mixed nuts that can be consumed on a one-pack-a-day basis. Different brands offer a variation of mixes, including currants, goji berries, cranberries, dried slices of date, and so on.

Products away from snacks are intended for single users. These are the instant foods and ready-to-eat meals and meal replacers. Breakfast is the meal replaced most radically. Insiders estimate the market for out-of-home breakfast in China will reach CNY840bn in 2021, according to the China Food Newspaper.

Food companies have started developing products especially for singles. One such product group is cooking ingredients. Even the singles who go out most often to eat will occasionally cook for themselves. Still, they are Chinese and are not prepared to make concessions on the flavour, texture or appearance of their food. They will buy their vegetables and meat fresh, but they will need a small but complete stock of ingredients  rice, flour, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar, spices  to turn the fresh ingredients into dishes. These ingredients need to fit into their small cupboards and be easy to handle.

The first item in the ingredient list, rice, poses a problem. While we in the west cherish our one kilo packs of rice, Chinese families prefer(ed) to buy a sack of 50kg, much cheaper per kilo and used for several months or longer. Many Chinese singles, however, even have a problem with a 1kg pack. Even though rice keeps well for a long time, they don't want to fool around with a spoon measuring just enough for one meal. What they really like is a one-time pack that you can prepare and eat in one 'single' meal.

Such portions have appeared on the market. Chinese retailer Freshippo even stocks 300g fancy plastic bottles containing rice. Instructions for preparations are printed on the bottle: 'one bottle of rice with one bottle of water'. You first pour the rice in the cooker, refill the bottle with water, add it to the rice, and switch on your rice cooker. The unique design of the bottle and the ease of use create the perfect cooking experience for young single Chinese.

Haitian Flavouring & Food Co., one of China's leading producers of condiments such as soy sauce or oyster sauce, entered this market with a high-level marketing campaign in December. It launched a broad range of spice mixes in single-helping sachets under the brand name Kuaijie ('Quick Finish').

The range includes traditional spice mixes like yuxiang ('fish flavour', a combination of hot, sour and savoury) or hongshao ('red cooking', combining dark soy sauce, sugar and fermented bean curd), as well as sauces to pour over dishes once they are finished, such as sauces to spice up a bowl of boiled noodles, or salad dressings to flavour a mix of raw vegetables.

Whatever your choice, you select the flavour from the drawer, tear it open, empty it in the wok or bowl, and throw away the sachet in the bin. No measuring needed, you can produce a tasty meal while continuing to figure out what the bug in your software could be, or how you can reach your sales target for the month. Each flavour has its own colour and a unique, funny, picture (e.g., a couple of pugs for yuxiang sauce, or a pink rabbit for the salad dressing). In my previous column, I underlined how packaging is gaining importance in the Chinese packaged food market and mentioned a trend towards traditional Chinese icons.

There would also be opportunities in more indulgent offerings. In the Netherlands, where I reside, we have our famous 'breakfast cake', made from rye, spices and honey. Most consumers love it, but who takes the time to cut off a slice and wrap it for lunch at the office? It is now also available in individually-packed slices and consumers eat them during breaks, on trains, etc. A product like that would have a huge market in China.

Small packs of crisps or other savoury snacks will also appeal better to these consumers than large family packs that you will leave on the table half-full, only to find it turned stale the next day. The same applies to small-size candy bars, or a pack of biscuits half the regular size (Pladis, through its McVitie's brand, is selling digestives in such sizes in China).

The typical points of sale for these products in China are 7-Elevens, food stores in high-end office buildings, or the showcases of coffee shops where brands can attract attention of the patrons lining up to order their favourite brew.
In almost all of his many press conferences last year, Premier Daniel Andrews took time to thank Victorians as a community for their patience and strength in abiding by tough pandemic regulations. It was, indeed, a credit to the people of this state that, after months of hard lockdown and limits on movement, Victoria eventually overcame a daily-case blowout of hundreds of locally transmitted COVID-19 infections and whittled it down to zero. Police at the Albury border checkpoint on New Year's Day. Credit:Jason Robins With some grumbling, but relatively few breaches, Victorians accepted state borders being closed against them during 2020, just as they tolerated the eventual ring-fencing of greater metropolitan Melbourne. For all that, the government apparently does not trust thousands of Victorians who are now stuck on the wrong side of the states closed borders to return safely and quarantine for 14 days at home. These people, stuck behind a wall of their own state governments making, remain in limbo, having travelled to NSW or Queensland and ended up in what are now designated red zones, the areas that have recorded instances of locally transmitted COVID-19 cases. While the Andrews government to some extent has eased the rules around the hard-border closure it imposed on New Years Eve, the changes do not go far enough. The new entry permit system, announced on Monday, is based on a traffic light classification that filters people based on where they have been in NSW or Queensland. For the purposes of this system, the rest of Australia is deemed green, or free of locally transmitted cases, and thus low or no-risk.

Metropolitan Sydney, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains district and Greater Brisbane are deemed red zones. The Andrews government considers anyone coming from those areas into Victoria represents a relatively high risk to the local community. While all of Queensland beyond Brisbane is deemed green, all of regional and remote NSW is considered orange or medium risk. That might sound reasonable, but it is not. While five towns (Broken Hill, Nyngan, Orange, Bermagui and Eden) were visited by someone who was confirmed to have COVID-19, there has not been a single case of locally transmitted COVID-19 recorded in regional NSW in at least the past four weeks. Loading As well, thousands of Victorians who might have holidayed in what are now red zones have become stranded there indefinitely because anyone currently in a red zone is barred from entering this state unless they qualify for an exemption or have a workers permit. Exemptions, as the government has made clear, are rare. They are only granted on compassionate grounds, for reasons of caring for someone, or for medical and other emergency reasons. As well, the guidelines for returning by road from Queensland, through the orange zone of regional NSW to Victoria, invite risky road behaviour. That is because anyone who does the safe thing by breaking the long journey and resting overnight must apply for one of the previously mentioned rare exemptions. The rules thrown up by the various states when they closed their borders to each other have resulted in confounding inconsistencies. Victoria, however, is the only state in the nation that is refusing to accept its own residents back. Liberty Victoria has suggested the state governments approach may not be proportionate and that it may unduly interfere with individuals human rights.
Up until Tuesday, Michael Beller was an attorney (arguably a very high-level attorney) for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS), an entity that all American people help fund with their taxpayer dollars. Beller, however, hates half the American people  especially the ones who aren't Democrats and socialists  as he explained at length to a Project Veritas undercover operative. PBS fired Beller, ostensibly because he said bad things. In fact, it fired him because he was gauche enough to say what Democrats really think.

It's clear watching the latest Project Veritas video that Beller wanted to impress an admiring young person. In that context, believing that she shared his values and would give him high marks for the things he said, he had an awful lot to tell her about Trump voters, people who live in red states, and American people in general. None of it was good:

Some of what Beller says is obviously intended as a joke because he's grimacing in a way that seems to indicate a smile. The following statements, though, are quite obviously from the heart:

"We go for all the Republican voters and Homeland Security will take their children away ... we'll put them into the re-education camps."

"Americans are so f------ dumb. You know, most people are dumb. It's good to live in a place [Washington, D.C.] where people are educated and know stuff. Could you imagine if you lived in one of these other towns or cities where everybody's just stupid?"

"What's great is that COVID is spiking in all the red states right now. So that's great ... a lot of them [red state voters] are sick and dying."

Nothing Beller said surprised me. My world was made up of people like Beller: affluent college graduates with white-collar jobs and fealty to the Democrat party, because membership in that party proves they are intelligent and fundamentally good. Beller's statements concerning Republicans and Trump-supporters are common currency among the more politicized. What's appalling about Beller isn't what he says, but that this is what all these middle- and upper-middle-class leftists say.

When James O'Keefe later confronted Beller, Beller ran away:

PBS promptly fired Beller. The email that PBS CEO Paula Kerger sent to the staff is actually funny. It badmouths Project Veritas as a "far-right activist group that is known for producing deceptive videos"  although it provides no evidence proving either point. It doesn't even attempt to say the Beller video is deceptive. It isn't. That's how the PBS class of leftists talks.

Kerger quotes PBS's official Twitter statement (no links to Twitter), which identifies Beller as a "mid-level staff attorney." The heavy-handed phrase is a giveaway that he's probably just as important as Project Veritas said he was. Finally, Kerger insists that "there is no place for hateful rhetoric at PBS, and this individual's views in no way reflect our values or opinions." Talk about deceptive editing.

But here's an almost cheering thought. Beller is singularly lacking in insight. In the midst of the pustulent effluvia that flow from his mouth, as he contemplates children being raised in Republican homes, Beller says this: "They'll [Trump-supporters] be raising a generation of intolerant, horrible people  horrible kids." Get a mirror, dude!

Here is an important life truth: the strongest people are those who know who they are. They have the self-awareness to recognize both their strengths and their weaknesses. Democrats and other leftists, because of the rules that allow them to wrap themselves in the cotton wool of "safe spaces," even as they direct limitless hate speech toward conservatives, have never cultivated self-awareness, insight, and wisdom.

Their deficits, combined with hubris, leave them extremely vulnerable to their own stupidity and arrogance. After all, remember that Beller just got fired for telling the truth  his truth, PBS's truth, Nancy Pelosi's, Kamala Harris's, and Joe Biden's truth, and the truth of the entire Democrat party.

Correction: System for station in PBS, Kerger typo fixed

Image: Michael Beller. YouTube screen grab.
Does holding Islam accountable provoke anger, resentment, and violence from Muslims? And does the opposite  pandering to and appeasing Muslims  win their appreciation, respect, and cooperation?

Far too many in the West are convinced that the answer to both of these questions is an emphatic yes.

Recently in Berlin (Dec. 7, 2020), for instance, in a speech to the Bundestag, Germany's federal parliament, Helge Lindh of the Social Democratic Party, blasted what he characterized as "Islamophobia" and insisted that Germans need to strive to "understand Muslims instead of trying to change them. ... Let's not go on telling Muslims what modern Islam is."

Much of his complaints were directed against the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which not only takes a firm stance against Muslim immigration, but had scheduled me to speak on Islam  and announced it in the days before Lindh spoke. (German-language video here; English forthcoming.)

At one point, the Social Democrat said: "If we tell Muslims what we expect from them, how they should behave, we will humiliate them and reap hatred."

Is this true? No, quite the opposite. Consider the forgotten lessons of the (much distorted) colonial era, when European nations dominated and controlled much of the Muslim world. After 1,200 years' worth of jihads that had permanently conquered some three quarters of Christendom and terrorized the rest, Europe militarily managed to eclipse and essentially defang Islam throughout the 1800s and early 1900s.

Far from being resentful and turning more zealously to jihad, Muslims questioned the superior strength of Islam and its power to fulfill their desires; for the first time in history, Muslims looked with awe and respect on the West. As a result, they took to Westernizing and secularizing.

After all, it was one thing to adhere to Islamic law and jihad when Islam was conquering and subjugating non-Muslims, as it had done for over a millennium. It was quite another thing for Muslims to remain confident in the Islamic way when the despised Christian infidels were conquering and subjugating the lands of Islam with great ease  displaying their superior weapons and technology, not to mention all the other perks of Western civilization.

As a historian of the period puts it, "Napoleon's invasion introduced educated Egyptians to the ideas of the French Revolution," which "generated a gnawing and uncomfortable feeling among them that the 'umma' [the Islamic community] was not as perfect or as strong as they had imagined. Such uncertainty was the basis of new ideas and conceptions."

Thus, and for the first time in over a millennium, Muslims began to emulate the West in everything from politics and governance to everyday dress and etiquette. During the colonial era and into the mid-twentieth century, all things distinctly Islamic  such as Islam's clerics, the woman's "hijab," and the Salafi beard  were increasingly seen by Muslims as relics of a backward age, to be shunned. Many "Muslims" were Muslim in name only.

One need only turn to the history of Turkey to demonstrate this forgotten chapter of wholesale emulation of the West. Prior to the colonial era, Turkey was for centuries the Muslim world's jihadi state par excellence (first under the Seljuk, then Ottoman dynasty). It prosecuted the jihad against Europe, swallowing up much of the Balkans for centuries, and enforced sharia.

Following the meteoric rise of the West, however, far from clinging more tenaciously to Islam, Turkey apostatized in all but name. It abolished the Ottoman Empire, the final caliphate of the Islamic world, and disavowed its Islamic identity and heritage  even discarding the once sacrosanct Arabic script for the Latin alphabet in order to be more European. Turkey went from being the standard-bearer of Islam and the embodiment of jihad for some five hundred years to being possibly the most Westernized Muslim nation in the world.

Similarly, all of the popular Arab nationalist movements that appeared in the twentieth century were distinctly secular and Westernized, certainly in comparison with the religious rhetoric that prevailed in earlier times. As late as 1953, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser mocked the idea that women should wear the hijab on Egyptian national television in front of a packed live audience  to widespread laughter and agreement. (In the 1950s, few Egyptian women wore the hijab; today, the majority of women in Egypt veil themselves.)

Needless to say, the European powers that dominated Muslim lands took a much sterner, no-nonsense approach toward Islam than any modern Western state would ever consider, and yet the Muslim mainstream, far from being "humiliated" or "resentful," followed their lead: might makes right.

Indeed, it is precisely when the West operated on the advice that German politician Lindh and countless others like him insist is key to "winning Muslim hearts and minds"  that is, groveling, blaming the West for everything, and praising Islam  that Muslims began to turn to Islam and jihad.

It is no coincidence that the return of "Islamic fundamentalism," as it was called in the 1970s, followed close on the heels of the cultural revolution that took the West by storm in the late 1960s. This new culture of sexual licentiousness, moral relativism, godlessness, and Western self-hatred prompted Muslims, who once admired and emulated the West when it was still characterized by moral restraint, to respond with contempt. Another aspect of the 1960s  the hyper-criticism of the West and its values by leftist Western intellectuals  exacerbated matters. Muslim opinion concerning the West soured and turned hostile.

The West had earned Muslim respect in the era of Western might and confidence. But by the 1970s, Western intellectuals were pushing once Westward-looking Muslims back to Islam. Consider the realm of historical studies alone: Christian Western civilization is now portrayed as the root cause of all the world's woes. Islamic civilization is now portrayed as just another noble victim of Christian depredation. The objective history of the relationship between Islam and the West has been turned on its head.

Like Lindh, Western academics and intellectuals make it a point to praise Muslim achievements, even where there are none  as when Barack Obama ordered NASA to make Muslims "feel good about their historic contribution to science." Far from winning over Muslims, such self-loathing and sycophantic behavior has naturally prompted even more revulsion among Muslims  and continues to do so.

When the West was confident and proud of its own heritage, it attracted Muslims over to emulation  even when it was ruling over them in their own lands. Now, forever apologizing for its "sins" and demonizing its own heritage, while promoting hedonism and an overall dishonorable lifestyle, it cannot even prevent increasingly disgusted Muslims from attacking it on its own territory. Germany, where politicians such as Lindh insist that "[i]f we tell Muslims what we expect from them, how they should behave, we will humiliate them and reap hatred," perfectly embodies this.

In short, and as Osama bin Laden once said, "[w]hen people see a strong horse and a weak horse, by nature, they will like the strong horse." Assertiveness, dominance, and power are more attractive and breed compliance and emulation  particularly amongst those bred on primordial notions that might makes right, which has long been the central idea behind Islam  whereas weakness and dissolution breed contempt from those same people.

Raymond Ibrahim, author of Sword and Scimitar: Fourteen Centuries of War between Islam and the West, is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center, a Judith Rosen Friedman Fellow at the Middle East Forum, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute.

Image: Harrygouvas via Wikimedia Commons (cropped), CC BY-SA 3.0.
WAVERLY, Iowa  A Minnesota man gets jail time and a fine for a car chase where he crashed into a law enforcement vehicle.

Richard Eugene Dennehey, 60 of Brainerd, MN, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail, two to five years of supervised probation, and a $1,250 fine. Dennehey must also pay $1,455.42 in restitution to the Bremer county Sheriffs Office.

He was arrested after a pursuit on October 26, 2019, that involved the Iowa State Patrol, the sheriffs offices in Chickasaw, Fayette, and Bremer counties, and the Denver Police Department. Dennehey eventually pleaded guilty to felony eluding and misdemeanor OWI.

Ten "keys to reality" from Nobel laureate Frank Wilczek

In the spring of 1970, colleges across the country erupted with student protests in response to the Vietnam War and the National Guard's shooting of student demonstrators at Kent State University. At the University of Chicago, where Frank Wilczek was an undergraduate, regularly scheduled classes were "improvised and semivoluntary" amid the turmoil, as he recalls.

It was during this turbulent time that Wilczek found unexpected comfort, and a new understanding of the world, in mathematics. He had decided to sit in on a class by physics professor Peter Freund, who, with a zeal "bordering on rapture," led students through mathematical theories of symmetry and ways in which these theories can predict behaviors in the physical world.

In his new book, "Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality," published today by Penguin Press, Wilczek writes that the lessons were a revelation: "To experience the deep harmony between two different universes -- the universe of beautiful ideas and the universe of physical behavior -- was for me a kind of spiritual awakening. It became my vocation. I haven't been disappointed."

Wilczek, who is the Herman Feshbach Professor of Physics at MIT, has since made groundbreaking contributions to our fundamental understanding of the physical world, for which he has been widely recognized, most notably in 2004 with the Nobel Prize in Physics, which he shared with physicists David Gross and David Politzer. He has also authored several popular science books on physics and the history of science.

In his new book, he distills scientists' collective understanding of the physical world into 10 broad philosophical themes, using the fundamental theories of physics, from cosmology to quantum mechanics, to reframe ideas of space, time, and our place in the universe.

"People wrestle with what the world is all about," Wilczek tells MIT News. "They're not concerned with knowing precisely what Coulomb's law is, but want to know more about questions like the ancient Greeks asked: What is space? What is time? So in the end, I came up with 10 assertions, at the levels of philosophy but backed up by very concrete facts, to organize what we know."

A rollercoaster reborn

Wilczek wrote the bulk of the book earlier this spring, in the midst of another tumultuous time, at the start of a global pandemic. His grandson had been born as Wilczek was laying out the structure for his book, and in the preface, the physicist writes that he watched as the baby began building up a model of the world, based on his observations and interactions with the environment, "with insatiable curiosity and few preconceptions."

Wilczek says that scientists may take a cue from the way babies learn -- by building and pruning more detailed models of the world, with a similar unbiased, open outlook. He can recall times when he felt his own understanding of the world fundamentally shift. The college course on mathematical symmetry was an early instance. More recently, the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning has prompted him to rethink "what knowledge is, and how it's acquired."

He writes: "The process of being born again can be disorienting. But, like a roller- coaster ride, it can also be exhilarating. And it brings this gift: To those who are born again, in the way of science, the world comes to seem fresh, lucid, and wonderfully abundant."

"Patterns in matter"

Wilczek's book contains ample opportunity for readers to reframe their view of the physical world. For instance, in a chapter entitled "There's Plenty of Space," he writes that, while the universe is vast, there is another scale of vastness in ourselves. To illustrate his point, he calculates that there are roughly 10 octillion atoms that make up the human body. That's about 1 million times the number of stars in the visible universe. The multitudes within and beyond us are not contradictory, he says, but can be explained by the same set of physical rules.

And in fact, the universe, in all its diversity, can be described by a surprisingly few set of rules, collectively known as the Standard Model of Physics, though Wilczek prefers to call it by another name.

"The so-called Standard Model is the culmination of millenia of investigation, allowing us to understand how matter works, very fully," Wilczek says. "So calling it a model, and standard, is kind of a lost opportunity to really convey to people the magnitude of what's been achieved by humanity. That's why I like to call it the 'Core.' It's a central body of understanding that we can build out from."

Wilczek takes the reader through many of the key experiments, theories, and revelations that physicists have made in building and validating the Standard Model, and its mathematical descriptions of the universe.

Included in this often joyful scientific tour are brief mentions of Wilczek's own contributions, such as his Nobel-winning work establishing the theory of quantum chromodynamics; his characterization of the axion, a theoretical particle that he named after a laundry detergent by the same name ("It was short, catchy, and would fit in nicely alongside proton, neutron, electron, and pion," he writes); and his introduction of the anyon -- an entirely new kind of particle that is neither a fermion or a boson.

In April, and then separately in July, scientists made the first observations of anyons, nearly 40 years after Wilczek first proposed their existence.

"I was beginning to think it would never happen," says Wilczek, who was finishing up his book when the discoveries were made public. "When it finally did, it was a beautiful surprise."

The discovery of anyons opens possibilities for the particles to be used as building blocks for quantum computers, and marks another milestone in our understanding of the universe.

In closing his book, Wilczek writes about "complementarity" -- a concept in physics that refers to two seemingly contrasting theories, such as the wave and particle theories of light, that can separately explain the same set of phenomena. He points to many complementary theories of physics throughout the book and extends the idea to philosophy and ways in which accepting contrasting views of the world can help us to expand our experience.

"With progress, we've come to consider people and creatures as having intrinsic value and being worthy of profound respect, just like ourselves," he writes. "When we see ourselves as patterns in matter, it is natural to draw our circle of kinship very wide indeed."

###

Additional background

Book: "Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality"

https:/ / www. penguinrandomhouse. com/ books/ 554034/ fundamentals-by-frank-wilczek/

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
A special issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR), published by Elsevier, challenges conventional wisdom across the imaging community.

This collection of articles, the "Provocative Issue," presents extreme opinions on pressing issues confronting radiologists with the deliberate aim of sparking positive dialog and debate that will lead to innovative solutions to improve patient care and imaging-related outcomes.

The issue is guest-edited by:

Caroline Chung, MD, MSc, Director of Advanced Imaging - Strategic Initiative and Director of Imaging Technology and Innovation, Department of Radiation Oncology and Diagnostic Imaging, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA;

Christoph I. Lee, MD, MS, Director, Northwest Screening and Cancer Outcomes Research Enterprise, Department of Radiology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA; and

Reed A. Omary, MD, MS, Chairman, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA.

"We expect this special issue will provoke strong reactions from our readers, ranging from shock, offense, and even disgust," explain the co-guest editors. "The articles were deliberately selected to challenge the conventional wisdom across the imaging community."

"We live in a divisive time of polarization on social, political, and scientific fronts. Yet, when oppositive or counter-intuitive points of view are brought forward, meaningful discussions can lead to new perspectives and novel solutions," write the co-guest editors. "This special issue will challenge us to consider bold ideas that go against the grain. Our goal is to spark debate so that radiology can continue to evolve within our complex Darwinian healthcare ecosystem, leading to greater benefits for society."

Articles in this special issue encompass the five content pillars of the JACR: health services research and policy; clinical practice management; data science; training and education; and leadership. Some of the provocative questions posed are the following:

Are prospective employer-initiated whole-body cancer screening programs a benefit and incentive for employees?

Matching imaging services to clinical context - can less be more?

Rethinking the approach to artificial intelligence (AI) for medical image analysis - is there a case for precision diagnosis?

Should we rethink patient consent in the era of AI and big data?

Can clinician-scientists survive in the modern era?

Is there a case for vertically integrating emergency radiology into emergency medicine?

Should there be duty hour limits for radiologists?

Are we over-supporting junior faculty and neglecting mid- and late-career faculty planning?

Of particular note are two featured articles that debate the paradox of scarcity and discuss potential solutions. The use of physician extenders, also known as nonphysician practitioners (NPPs), in medicine has increased over time within a multitude of specialties including radiology.

Radiologists are expensive to train and then spend too much time on low-complexity tasks and too little on high-complexity tasks, notes Saurabh Jha, MBBS, MS, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, who makes the point for training physician extenders to take on the less complex cases.

Radiologists should train and supervise physician extenders to read portable chest radiographs, which should eventually be relinquished to them so that we can focus on tasks exacting more skill and more befitting of our rigorous medical training. Perhaps physician extenders reading serial radiographs can free radiologists to advise clinical teams on those serial radiographs." Saurabh Jha, MBBS, MS, Department of Radiology, University of Pennsylvania

In a counterpoint article, Daniel A. Ortiz, MD, Summit Radiology Services, PC, Cartersville, GA, USA, and colleagues observe that although labor costs have been reduced and radiologists can focus more on complex imaging studies and interventional procedures, there are unintended consequences of NPPs in practice that could diminish physicians' role as healthcare providers.

They, therefore, encourage radiologists to consider an alternative to NPPs in diagnostic radiology: the incorporation of rapidly evolving AI algorithms into daily practice.

"Narrow AI algorithms can easily be integrated into existing workflow and amalgamated into a platform for use by radiologists," the authors argue. "Many of the gains touted by proponents for the use of NPPs, such as efficiency, will likely be soon realized through AI to the effect of preserving the radiologist's role, supplemented by AI. The ultimate goal for our community should not be relegating work to others but rather to work the complexities of developing a future in which we empower ourselves to remain at the helm of the imaging care to our patients' benefit."

The co-guest editor's comment that the ever-increasing workload and the threat of radiologist workforce burnout will force us to consider how to keep up with imaging demands. Physician extenders and AI solutions are only two possibilities for practices to consider.

A final article provides an entertaining voyage into space and how the experience around radiation exposure within medicine can be applied to radiation exposure considerations in suborbital space tourism.

"By exploring the provocative, we hope this special issue will serve as a catalyst to advance the field and expand the confines of radiology," conclude the co-guest editors.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Champaign County Republican Rep. Jim Jordan on Tuesday clashed with Democrats on the House Rules Committee over GOP claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.

The confrontation occurred as Jordan argued against bringing a measure to the House floor that would urge Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the Constitutions 25th Amendment to assume the presidency on the grounds that President Donald Trump is unfit to serve.

Horrified that a mob of Trump supporters marched on the Capitol last week and rioted as Congress attempted to tally electoral votes that showed Democrat Joe Biden won the election, Democrats who control the House are bringing a measure to the floor that would urge Pence to displace Trump. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died as a result of the melee. If Pence doesnt act, Democrats will bring up a measure to impeach Trump.

The rules committees Democratic chairman, Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, repeatedly asked Jordan to admit that Joe Biden won fair and square and the election was not rigged or stolen. Jordan argued against bringing up what he called a Democrat resolution to attack the president just eight days before he has said he will leave office, just eight days before we will have a peaceful transition of power as we have had in this country every four or eight years since our nations founding.

McGovern said Trump hasnt been able to accept reality after losing the election, saying that for the last several months, Jordan and others have given oxygen to the presidents conspiracy theory that the election results were tainted by widespread fraud.

He incited that mob, and unfortunately, some of our colleagues joined in that effort to gin things up, said McGovern. We all want healing, but in order to get to healing we need truth, and we need accountability. I mean, people came to the Capitol building to try to launch a coup to stop us from upholding our constitutional responsibilities.

Jordan, who attended Stop the Steal rallies in Pennsylvania and led efforts on the House floor to fight acceptance of ballots in states where Trump filed unsuccessful lawsuits to contest the results, argued he had merely followed the process that the Constitution prescribes.

The late Justice Ginsburg said January 6 is the date of ultimate significance, said Jordan. That is how Congress set this up in--in the statute, they passed dealing with the 12th Amendment, so we followed that process, and at 4 a.m. on Thursday, January 7, when we concluded our business on the floor, Joe Biden became--Vice President Biden became President-elect Biden. That is how the process plays out. Those of us who spoke against the unconstitutional way several states conducted their election, we are following the process and we did nothing different than Democrats have done every time a Republican has been elected this century.

McGovern said he was used to Trumps over the top statements and pandering to some of the most intolerant groups in this country, but I never thought, I never thought I would see what he--what he said at that rally.

My question was very simple. I mean, I am asking you to make a statement that the election was not stolen, that Joe Biden won fair and square, and you know one of the ways to promote healing is for you to say yes and to put that in your Twitter account so that all these people who bought into a lie will start hearing from some of the people that were pushing this, McGovern continued.

In several states the rules were changed in an unconstitutional fashion, Jordan said. You had governors, you had supreme courts. In some cases, you had county clerks changing the election laws. Thats what we are pointing out ...Of course I understand Joe Biden won, but are you saying theres no concerns with this election?

Well, I dont want to belabor this point, but I will be honest with you, I am stunned that after all that has happened that we cant get a definitive answer, McGovern said. People came here, Mr. Jordan, because they believed a lie that the president and many people in this chamber perpetrated, that this election was not run in a fair and square fashion. And the president to this day continues to perpetrate the--the lie that somehow he won this election by a landslide.

Lawmakers clashed after Republican Representative Jim Jordan refused to acknowledge that the U.S. presidential election wasn't stolen pic.twitter.com/I2EdvZuV9c  Reuters (@Reuters) January 12, 2021

When Jordan noted that McGovern and other Democrats had raised questions about results of previous presidential elections, Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin called it a terrible false moral equivalency. Raskin said he and other Democrats had pointed out past technical or procedural problems in the electoral college, but did not ever incite mob insurrection against the government of the United States.

There were millions of people, to take up the chairmans point, who were convinced that Vladimir Putin with his cyber sabotage against the DNC and Hillary Clinton and so on had profoundly influenced the outcome of the 2016 election, said Raskin. But what did the Democrats do? They put on, you know, pink winter hats, marched peacefully with a million people, joined Planned Parenthood, worked with their churches to try to inform America. Nobody was out there agitating for violent armed insurrection against the government of the United States.

I acknowledged that Donald Trump was the president-elect the day after the election, McGovern added. I didnt like it, but I acknowledged it. The trouble here is my friends have been spending the last few months saying that the election was stolen. In fact, the gentleman from Ohio even went to a rally called Stop the Steal. So we have a president now that continues to put out this big lie that he won the election by a landslide. So theres a big difference here.

At one point in the discussion, Jordan told Colorado Democratic Rep. Ed Perlmutter: Ive never said that this election was stolen, a claim that McGovern disputed by producing an article that chronicled his appearance at the Pennsylvania Stop the Steal rally.

Yeah, two days after the election, said Jordan. Two days after the election.

Jordan and other Republicans argued against passing the resolution urging Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment, noting that Pence has already said he wont do it.

Republicans have been consistent, said Jordan. We condemned the violence last summer. We condemned the violence last week. Congress needs to stop this, this effort to remove the president from office just one week before he is set to leave, continued calls to impeach the president or remove him from office with using the 25 Amendment I dont think are healthy for our nation. Rushing this resolution to the floor will do nothing to unify or heal the country.

If Democrats really wanted unity, theyd call off their unprecedented impeachment efforts.



Unfortunately, it doesnt look like it will happen.



And the American people see right through it all.  Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) January 12, 2021

Read more:

Sen. Rob Portman urges President Trump to address the nation to explicitly urge that his supporters refrain from violence, or bear responsibility

Ohios Sherrod Brown plans to take on corporations as chair of Senate Banking Committee

U.S. Capitol Police officers are being disciplined for cooperating with rioters, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan says

What Ohios Jim Jordan said before, during and after the riot at the U.S. Capitol

Joe Biden names former KeyBank official Don Graves his Deputy Commerce Secretary

Capitol riot prompts Democrats in Congress to seek Trumps removal before Bidens inauguration

Angered by attempted coup at the Capitol, Rep. Tim Ryan wants to probe Capitol Police force and remove President Trump from office

Ohio members of Congress whisked to secure location as Trump supporters storm U.S. Capitol

Ohios Sen. Sherrod Brown says hell pursue $2,000 coronavirus checks and relief for renters when Democrats take Senate control

At least three Ohio GOP congressmen will join Rep. Jim Jordan in objecting to Wednesdays presidential vote count

Ohios Sen. Rob Portman wont support electoral vote challenges in Congress

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
Three of six inmates who used a homemade rope to escape from a jail in central California were apprehended on Tuesday after two days on the lam, while the other three remained at large, among them suspected murderers.

Edgar Eduardo Ventura, 22, of Portland, Oregon, was captured in the Firebaugh area, about 40 miles west of Fresno, shortly after 3pm, on the Merced County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook post.

Five hours later, two more of the five escapees, 22-year-old Fabian Cruz Roman and 21-year-old Andres Nunez Rodriguez, were apprehended in the San Diego area. They were being sent back to jail in Merced County.

A manhunt continued on Wednesday for the three remaining fugitives, 20-year-old Jorge Barron; Manuel Allen Leon, 21, and Gabriel Francis Coronado, 19.

Fugitive Edgar Eduardo Ventura, 22, was recaptured in Merced County, California, on Tuesday afternoon, two days after he escaped from the county jail with five other inmates

Fabian Cruz Roman, 22 (left), and Andres Nunez Rodriguez Jr, 21 (right), were apprehended in the San Diego area at 8.30pm on Tuesday

Staff members at the Merced County Jail didn't know the inmates were missing for eight hours

Ventura was in jail on charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, participation in a criminal streetgang and a probation violation.

Roman has been charged with murder, while Rodriguez was jailed for attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, participation in a criminal street gang and felon in possession of a firearm.

The inmates were last seen on video at around 11:30pm Saturday night and authorities believe they escaped shortly thereafter. But staff at the Merced County Jail didn't notice they were missing until after 8am on Sunday.

The inmates were being housed in a gang housing unit that held nine people.

'A preliminary investigation has determined that the inmates were able to gain access to the roof of the facility and utilize a homemade rope to scale down the side of the jail,' the post said.

Once the inmates made it to the roof, they used braided sheets to lower themselves around 20 feet down the side of the building.

That landed them in an alleyway right next to the Sheriff's Office facility.

Guards did not notice the half-dozen inmates were gone until the morning headcount eight hours after the jailbreak because of protocols that prohibit interrupting an inmate's sleep.

'Thats not acceptable on anybodys watch,' Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said. 'If weve got folks that need to be held accountable we will be holding them accountable; I will not let this ride.'

Wanted: Escapees Gabriel Francis Coronado and Manuel Allen Leon remained at large as of Wednesday morning

Jorge Barron, who has been charged with a probation violation, also remained on the lam

All but one of the suspects have been charged with violent felonies, including murder. They should be considered armed and dangerous, officials said, and anyone who spots them is asked not to approach them and immediately call 911.

Authorities have set up a tip line with the US. Marshals Service and is offering a $5,000 reward for each fugitive.

Coronado has been charged with attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, participation in a criminal street gang, felon in possession of a firearm, and violation of probation.

Leon is charged with assault with a firearm, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, reckless driving to evade an officer, being a felon in possession of a firearm and a probation violation.

Barron has been charged with a probation violation.

This is not the first time the downtown medium-security jail has faced an issue with inmates escaping, according to the sheriff.

The escaped inmates were being housed in a gang housing unit that held nine people

Once the inmates escaped to the roof, they used braided sheets to pull themselves down the outside wall and into an alleyway next to the Sheriff's Office, where they then took off

The sheriff noted staffing problems for the past 11 years may have helped lead to escape

'Theres protocols in place for a lot of things but you also have to remember that this jail is very antiquated and were continually fixing and repairing different things,' Warnke stated. 'This jail was not meant to house the type of inmate that we have now.'

An administrative review of the protocols in place to prevent this kind of incident will now be conducted.

Warnke also pointed to staffing issues as a potential cause for Saturday night's breakout.

'Our staffing levels have never been up to par since 2009 in our correctional facilities when the state cut money and the county also had to cut money,' Warnke said.

'So weve been having staffing issues for a very long time and this is no different than anything else.'

"Her evidence was not bona fide but given under duress from her husband," said Mr. Campbell. "He has not the courage to face the action himself. He is hiding behind his wife's skirts." Before Mr. Campbell hand time to sit down Mr. Galbally [J. W. Galbally] (for Mrs. Wren) leapt to his feet and shouted: "That is an outrageous statement. He has no right to say a thing like that and it is in keeping with the scandalous way he has conducted his case through-out. "It was a blackguardly statement and just what I expected." Mr. Jackson, S.M.: Quiet, quiet.

Mr. Galbally: Mrs. Wren can be brought to the court in a few minutes by car. Ellen Wren Mr. Campbell said evidence written by an informant and signed and then submitted to the clerk of courts must be the evidence of the informant. In this case he submitted that it was not. Again Mr. Galbally leapt to his feet and denounced Mr. Campbell's statement as blackguardly and scandalous.

Mr. Campbell (to Mr. Jackson): Control him, please, your Worship. Mr. Jackson: I do not want to use the powers I undoubtedly have. For goodness sake, let the case go on in an orderly fashion. Mr. Jackson then said he was satisfied Mrs. Wren was actually the informant In the case and he would not call on her to give evidence, but would accept the signed statements. Mr. Campbell: Not call her ! With respect to your Worship, I am not disputing your ruling but her signature and swearing must be proved. Breach of Peace Danger

Mr. Galbally then outlined the evidence he would submit and the witnesses he would call. He would prove that Hardy had published, or caused to be published, a criminal libel likely to cause a breach of the peace, he said. John Wren Credit:THE AGE ARCHIVES "Power Without Glory" had achieved the same result and rendered the same injury to Mrs. Wren as if she had been called by her name in every page of the book, instead of by the name of Nellie West. He said the book had been published by the Realist Publishing Co., and investigation had shown Hardy was the proprietor.

Mr. Galbally submitted that "Power Without Glory was really a biography of the life of John Wren (called John West by the author), and that everyone realised that. Mr. Wren was famous throughout Australia in the sporting and commercial worlds. While Mr. Galbally was opening his case there way another bitter clash between him and Mr. Campbell. Mr. Galbally mentioned a reference in "Power Without Glory" to the "perfect state that exists in Russia at the moment." Mr. Campbell: Let's get this clear at the outset. My learned friend has referred to my client's political beliefs time and again. It is against all concepts of British justice, and it does not matter whether he is Labor, Liberal, Communist or any other thing. He is still entitled to a fair trial. He is being called a Communist for an indirect and improper purpose.

Mr. Jackson: It is not proper to refer to the political belief of the defendant. He is just a citizen before the court. "To say that a woman has committed adultery is the worst thing that can be said of any virtuous woman," Mr. Galbally said. "Only once in 500 years would you get a case as bad as this. Led Good, Virtuous Life Mr. Galbally said evidence would be forthcoming if necessary to show that Mrs. Wren was a woman of outstanding virtue who had always led a good and virtuous life.

Mr. Campbell said Mr. Galbally, having mentioned such evidence, would now be obliged to call it. When Mr. Campbell referred to earlier proceedings in the higher court, Mr. Galbally said to Mr. Campbell: "You didn't know what was going on there." Mr. Campbell: Don't make silly remarks like a little schoolboy. A few minutes later, following a similar remark by Mr. Galbally, Mr. Jackson pulled him up and said: "Don't make remarks like that. They are entirely inflammatory." The first witness called by Mr. Galbally was John Francis Wren, manager, of Hawthorn-road, Hawthorn.

When Mr. Galbally asked was Mr. Wren the eldest son of Mrs. Ellen Wren. Mr. Campbell objected on the grounds that witness could not possibly know for certain who his mother was. Mr. Galbally described the objection as "absurd." But he agreed witness should say he "believed" Ellen Wren was his mother and John Wren was his father. Mr. Wren said that he had bought seven or eight copies of the book "Power Without Glory" at various city book shops. They were displayed for sale. Mr. Galbally: Have you read the book ?

Frank Hardy Credit:THE AGE ARCHIVES Mr. Wren: Yes. There is a character referred to as Nellie West. To whom do you think it refers ?I take it to refer to my mother. Why do you believe Nellie West is Ellen Wren ?Because Ellen Wren had nine children and live of them are mentioned by name in "Power Without Glory." They are Margaret, Mary, Joseph, Xavier and myselfJohn. Mr. Galbally then asked Mr. Wren if references made to his sister Margaret in the book coincided with events in her life.

Mr. Wren: Yes. Campbell, who jumped to his feet and said: "I object strongly. He must know he cannot refer to some other alleged offence. Irreparable damage might be done if this answer is said. It will completely vitiate the trial if this thing is said." Mr. Jackson then directed Mr. Wren should write his reply. Mr. Jackson said he was prepared to accept the first part of the answer, on "the smashing up of Hardy," but the second part was clearly inadmissible.

To Mr. Galbally, Mr. Wren said: "I believe John West in the book is my father, John Wren. I am certain the woman Nellie West in the book is the woman I believe to be my mother, Ellen Wren." First Reaction Questioned by Mr. Galbally as to his first reaction after reading the book, Mr. Wren said: "My first reaction was to smash up Hardy." He then commenced to any something about blackmail but was interrupted. When Mr. Wren had finished his evidence-in-chief Mr. Campbell made an application that the whole of the book should be read to the court.

An early edition of Power Without Glory. Credit:THE AGE ARCHIVES "For the purposes of our defence it is absolutely necessary that the whole of the book should be read in its full context," Mr. Campbell said. Mr. Galbally: There is no substance in this application. It is made only to delay the cue. Another clash between the two counsel occurred which culminated in Mr. Campbell ordering Mr. Galbally "not to make insulting remarks." For a few seconds Mr. Campbell and Mr. Galbally spoke loudly to each other across the table until they were interrupted by Mr. Jackson.

"I am not going to have this turned into a circus," he said. "You, Mr. Galbally, and you, Mr. Campbell, will address your remarks to me. If there are any more of these instances I will have to take action." Mr. Jackson said he was willing to read the book again but he did not propose to have it read in court. After Mr. Campbell sat down Mr. Galbally said the defence wanted the book read purely to waste time. Mr. Campbell's argument that the book be read before the court was refused by Mr. Jackson. As soon as Mr. Jackson's decision was given Mr. Campbell continued his cross-examination of John Wren jun.

Mr. Campbell asked Mr. Wren whether he knew if his mother intended to come to the court at any stage. Mr. Wren told Mr. Campbell he believed his mother would attend the court at a later date. He said his mother had received a copy of "Power With-out Glory" anonymously through the post. She had read it and then burnt it. While not reading it, she had hidden it. Mr. Campbell: Has your father read the book ? Mr. Wren: No.

Mr. Campbell: You are playing a game with me ! Mr. Galbally: I object. That is no way for a senior counsel to put his case. Mr. Wren then turned to Mr. Jackson and said of Mr. Campbell: "He is more or less accusing me of being a liar." Mr. Campbell later said he was accusing Mr. Wren of telling untruths. He was being quite blunt about it. Mr. Campbell: Do you know the book alleges John West was connected with two murders ?
COMMENTARY

How DOD can plan for the pandemics next wave by eliminating network choke points

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, military IT leaders raced to expand network capacity and upgrade infrastructure to ensure it could meet their mission-critical workloads and support telework. Their successful efforts have established a proof of their own abilities to adapt, scale and secure their networks with speed and agility.

This will come in handy as they ask themselves what new challenges or choke points might arise as the nation enters the nest wave of the coronavirus.

As more Department of Defense personnel telework and government and home networks are pushed to the max, here are four things the Pentagon must consider as its plans for the impact on IT systems.

1. Understand how the next wave will differ in its IT impacts

The next wave of the coronavirus is widely predicted to result in more infections and deaths, possibly at a catastrophic scale, with cascading and regional impacts into January and February 2021. If this is correct, then lockdowns, restrictions and even illness will likely result in a more dramatic shift to telework, even among mission-critical DOD employees.

Fortunately, the Pentagon has already made network infrastructure investments -- such as the expansion of VPNs -- to accommodate demand so employees can continue to work as normal. But more must be done.

To ensure employees can work efficiently and effectively from home while simultaneously ensuring mission continuity, focus must be shifted to the next choke points: user experience, cybersecurity and collaboration.

2. Optimize user experience

As we move into the next wave and the demand for high-bandwidth voice and video collaboration tools grows, the focus for DOD IT leaders will shift from infrastructure build-out to performance monitoring and optimization.

For example, measures must be taken to master network latency and ensure any problems are quickly identified and resolved before users are impacted. At the same time, approaches to network performance monitoring should be expanded to prevent outages and make sure existing tools arent overloaded by the sheer volume of traffic coming at them.

Similarly, as employees move offsite, the adoption of software-defined wide-area network technologies -- the gold standard for supporting remote office networks -- is exploding. To ensure the performance and health of the SD-WAN deployment, robust network performance management is critical. This approach also provides much-needed visibility into whether traffic is being prioritized and routed properly based on the policies defined in the environment.

With bandwidth at a premium and the lines between work and personal internet use increasingly blurred, tighter controls are necessary to preserve bandwidth for work-related traffic. Split VPNs, for instance, prioritize traffic entering the Pentagons network via an encrypted VPN tunnel while personal traffic is routed through the public internet. This ensures high-quality service on the network is maintained for work-related activities.

3. Boost cybersecurity maturity at the edge

Ensuring the network is as secure as it was prior to the pandemic will continue to challenge military IT leaders. As more Pentagon employees work from home, the attack surface will continue to expand, causing a potential choke point for cyber risk management. Though they were previously focused on getting everyone connected, IT leaders will shift their focus to potential risk vectors on home networks.

Training can help. With little visibility or control of the employees Wi-Fi and internet, educating employees (and contractors) on the security risks associated with their activities -- such as failing to disable their VPN connection at the end of the workday -- is critical.

Furthermore, as the number of endpoint devices accessing military networks and systems increases, thought should be given to bolstering endpoint protection across the IT infrastructure. DOD IT leaders must prioritize antimalware protection, tighten controls around access rights management, monitor for indicators of compromise and automate device patching on remote machines. These and other important controls and policies are necessary to secure vulnerable endpoints from bad actors and careless insiders -- now the top security threat for public sector organizations, according to a SolarWinds survey).

4. Push for advanced collaboration capabilities

As workers headed home in the early spring, the Pentagon quickly rolled out a Microsoft Teams-based remote work environment that now has 850,000 users. Despite their many benefits, these tools fail to replicate low-tech, pre-COVID work practices such as popping by someones desk or getting in a conference room and brainstorming on a whiteboard. This has led to another potential choke point: tool fatigue.

To move the mission forward in the new normal, IT leaders must look to their providers for next-generation collaboration features -- supported by a robust network -- they can implement in combat theater scenarios.

Its time to rethink and reprioritize

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for organizations within DOD to be nimble. Just as the initial pandemic response accelerated IT modernization initiatives, as we enter the next wave, a rethink is required. Priorities must be revisited to balance performance and security.

The Pentagon must acknowledge the concept of the network has changed drastically, the thinking that if its not broken, dont fix it must cease. As departments move to the cloud and personnel are dispersed on a scale never seen before, IT leaders must do everything in their power to eliminate choke points and build resilient infrastructures to support a secure user experience and a rich collaborative environment.
A leading international human rights group has lashed the Victorian government for subjecting more than 3000 people in public housing towers to a mandatory lockdown and a heavy-handed police response to the states second wave of coronavirus cases.

Human Rights Watch has said in its annual report that while Australia was a vibrant democracy with robust institutions, police efforts to enforce lockdowns during the pandemic raised concerns over freedom of expression and the misuse of police powers.

Nine Flemington and North Melbourne public housing estates were forced into lockdown. Credit:Getty

The report also blasts Australias record on asylum seekers and refugees, the over-representation of Indigenous Australians in prison, police raids on journalists and the prosecution of "Witness K" and his lawyer Bernard Collaery over the East Timor spying scandal.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass found the governments decision to lock down nine public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington for 14 days with no warning on July 4 violated the human rights of about 3000 tenants.
NEW DELHI : The Union cabinet on Wednesday approved a raft of mineral sector reforms, including doing away with the distinction between the captive and non-captive mines, reallocation of non-producing blocks of state-owned firms, and amending some sections of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act to help auction more mines.

Some of these structural reform measures, which have been in the works for some time now, were announced by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman last May as part of the fourth tranche of the 20 trillion stimulus package to mitigate the economic fallout of the coronavirus pandemic.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

She had also announced auctioning of 500 mineral blocks as part of this Aatmanirbhar Bharat package.

These reforms will be implemented through an amendment in the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957, for which a bill is to be placed in Parliament in the upcoming session," said a person aware of the development on condition of anonymity.

The decisions assume significance given that the mineral sector contributes only 1.75% to the countrys gross domestic product (GDP), with India importing minerals worth 2.5 trillion annually.

The cabinet has decided to amend sections 10A (2)(b) and 10A (2)(c) of the MMDR Act, do away with any charges on transfer of mineral concessions for non-auctioned captive mines, rationalize stamp duty payable on mining, and develop a National Mineral Index for introducing an index-based mechanism for making statutory payments.

I do not have any information on this," said a mines ministry spokesperson.

Given the experience in the coal sector, captive mines will be allowed to sell up to 50% of the minerals excavated during the current year. In the first tranche of commercial coal mining auction, 19 mines have been awarded and there is no restriction on the sale and utilization of coal from these mines.

Also, to expedite mining operations in India, a 50% rebate in the quoted revenue share will be awarded for the quantum of mineral produced and dispatched earlier than the scheduled production date.

The cabinet also approved proposed amendments to the district mineral foundation fund, a social impact fund that miners have to contribute towards, and simplification of the exploration regime.

It was also decided to make the National Mineral Exploration Trust an autonomous body to expedite exploration.

This comes against the backdrop of National Mineral Policy goals to increase mineral production by 200% in 7 years. Of Indias obvious geological potential area of 0.571 million sq. km, only 10% has been explored.

Based on the experience of various mineral-rich states and feedback received from the stakeholders, we are bringing out structural reforms in mining sector," coal and mines and parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi said on Monday during the signing of the agreement for 19 mines awarded in the first tranche of commercial coal mining auction.

These reforms will generate huge employment opportunities and increase the production of minerals, leading to self-reliance. Several industry friendly measures that promote ease of doing business in the mining sector will be brought in," Joshi said.





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Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla held discussions on Wednesday with European Parliament President David Sassoli, with both sharing views on challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

In a virtual discussion, Birla condoled the loss of lives in the European Union due to the pandemic and underscored the need for global action to overcome its challenges. He also said all Parliaments should respect the sovereign mandate of other Parliaments.

This comes at a crucial juncture when at 4pm UK time (10pm IST) a discussion will take place on the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir. On Tuesday, UK lawmakers had held a debate on Persecution of Muslims, Christians and minority groups in India.

In August 2019, the Indian Parliament had enacted the legislation to abrogate Article 370 and revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.
A team of HIV researchers, cellular biologists, and biophysicists who banded together to support COVID-19 science determined the atomic structure of a coronavirus protein thought to help the pathogen evade and dampen response from human immune cells. The structural map  which is now published in the journal PNAS, but has been open-access for the scientific community since August  has laid the groundwork for new antiviral treatments tailored specifically to SARS-CoV-2, and enabled further investigations into how the newly emerged virus ravages the human body.

Using X-ray crystallography, we built an atomic model of ORF8, and it highlighted two unique regions: one that is only present in SARS-CoV-2 and its immediate bat ancestor, and one that is absent from any other coronavirus. These regions stabilize the protein  which is a secreted protein, not bound to the membrane like the virus's characteristic spike proteins  and create new intermolecular interfaces. We, and others in the research community, believe these interfaces are involved in reactions that somehow make SARS-CoV-2 more pathogenic than the strains it evolved from." James Hurley, Lead Author, UC Berkeley Professor and Former Faculty Scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)

Structural biology in the spotlight

Generating protein structure maps is always labor intensive, as scientists have to engineer bacteria that can pump out large quantities of the molecule, manipulate the molecules into a pure crystalline form, and then take many, many X-ray diffraction images of the crystals. These images  produced as X-ray beams bounce off atoms in the crystals and pass through gaps in the lattice, generating a pattern of spots  are combined and analyzed via special software to determine the location of every individual atom. This painstaking process can take years, depending on the complexity of the protein.

For many proteins, the process of building a map is helped along by comparing the unsolved molecule's structure to other proteins with similar amino acid sequences that have already been mapped, allowing scientists to make informed guesses about how the protein folds into its 3D shape.

But for ORF8, the team had to start from scratch. ORF8's amino acid sequence is so unlike any other protein that scientists had no reference for its overall shape, and it is the 3D shape of a protein that determines its function.

Hurley and his UC Berkeley colleagues, experienced in structural analysis of HIV proteins, worked with Marc Allaire, a biophysicist and crystallography expert at the Berkeley Center for Structural Biology, located at Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS). Together, the team worked in overdrive for six months  Hurley's lab generated crystal samples and passed them to Allaire, who would use the ALS's X-ray beamlines to take the diffraction images. It took hundreds of crystals with multiple versions of the protein and thousands of diffraction images analyzed by special computer algorithms to puzzle together ORF8's structure.

"Coronaviruses mutate differently than viruses like influenza or HIV, which quickly accumulate many little changes through a process called hypermutation. In coronaviruses, big chunks of nucleic acids sometimes move around through recombination," explained Hurley. When this happens, big, new regions of proteins can appear. Genetic analyses conducted very early in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic revealed that this new strain had evolved from a coronavirus that infects bats, and that a significant recombination mutation had occurred in the area of the genome that codes for a protein, called ORF7, found in many coronaviruses. The new form of ORF7, named ORF8, quickly gained the attention of virologists and epidemiologists because significant genetic divergence events like the one seen for ORF8 are often the cause of a new strain's virulence.

"Basically, this mutation caused the protein to double in size, and the stuff that doubled was not related to any known fold," added Hurley. "There's a core of about half of it that's related to a known fold type in a solved structure from earlier coronaviruses, but the other half was completely new."

Answering the call

Like so many scientists working on COVID-19 research, Hurley and his colleagues opted to share their findings before the data could be published in a peer-reviewed journal, allowing others to begin impactful follow-up studies months earlier than the traditional publication process would have allowed. As Allaire explained, the all-hands-on-deck crisis caused by the pandemic shifted everyone in the research community into a pragmatic mindset. Rather than worrying about who accomplished something first, or sticking to the confines of their specific areas of study, scientists shared data early and often, and took on new projects when they had the resources and expertise needed.

In this case, Hurley's UC Berkeley co-authors had the viral protein and crystallography expertise, and Allaire, a longtime collaborator, was right up the hill, also with crystallography expertise and, critically, a beamline that was still operational. The ALS had received special funding from the CARES Act to remain operational for COVID-19 investigations. The team knew from reviewing the SARS-CoV-2 genomic analysis posted in January that ORF8 was an important piece of the (then much hazier) pandemic puzzle, so they set to work.

The authors have since all moved on to other projects, satisfied that they laid the groundwork for other groups to study ORF8 in more detail. (Currently, there are several investigations underway focused on how ORF8 interacts with cell receptors and how it interacts with antibodies, as infected individuals appear to produce antibodies that bind to ORF8 in addition to antibodies specific to the virus's surface proteins.)

"When we started this, other projects had been put on hold, and we had this unique opportunity to hunker down and solve an urgent problem," said Allaire, who is part of Berkeley Lab's Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division. "We worked very closely, with a lot of back and forth, until we got it right. It really has been one of the best collaborations of my career."

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LONDON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Another 45,533 people in Britain have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,164,051, according to official figures released Tuesday.

Another 1,243 people have died within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 83,203, the data showed.

It is the second highest daily total of deaths since the pandemic broke out in the country. The highest daily coronavirus-related death toll was posted with 1,325 on Friday.

The latest figures were revealed as surging coronavirus infections are threatening to overwhelm hospitals.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel told a virtual coronavirus briefing at Downing Street on Tuesday that 35,075 people were currently in hospital with COVID-19, an increase of 22 percent when compared with a week ago.

Patel urged the public to stick with the restriction rules during the current lockdown, saying that she will back police who enforce England's coronavirus lockdown

Meanwhile, Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, told the press briefing that a "stubborn number" of people are still refusing to follow the rules during the ongoing lockdown in England.

"Organizing parties or other large gatherings is dangerous, selfish and totally irresponsible in light of the current threat we face," he said.

British police chiefs are under increasing pressure to enforce the lockdown laws to curb the rising coronavirus infections in the country, local media reported Tuesday.

Chris Hopson, the chief of NHS Providers, which represents all National Health Service (NHS) trusts, has warned peak demand on hospitals has yet to come and might not hit until next month.

It was now "pretty clear" the coronavirus infection rate "is not going to go down as quickly as it did" during the first lockdown last spring, he said.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the pandemic began in the country.

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.

Yifei Wang doing a peaceful Falun Gong meditation exercise. The former journalist for the Chinese Communist Party has become a victim of the persecution of Falun Gong and seeks justice for her sister who had been beaten to death in a labor camp. (Swoop Films)

Finding Truth, Finding Compassion, Finding Courage

The documentary 'Finding Courage' shows one Chinese familys story of persecution at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party

Imagine being jailed, persecuted, and tortured for more than a decade. Imagine having your tortured sisters lifeless body being withheld from you for almost 20 years, by the very people who tortured you. Imagine your school-age nephew being kidnapped to force you to sign over your sisters body to authorities. Now imagine having the grace to continue to smile, love life, and to practice the very spirituality for which you were persecuted. When you watch the beautifully shot and immaculately scored film Finding Courage, you wont have to imagine.

The mostly somber Yellow River, the cradle of Chinese civilization, is known to change into a raging torrent so quickly that it is also known as Chinas sorrow. Likewise, Falun Gong, a spirituality once embraced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), was suddenly targeted, faster than the Yellow River changes its moods.

Ruin their reputations.

Bankrupt them financially.

Destroy them physically.

Taken from a 1999 edict by CCP General Secretary Jiang Zemin

My parents brought Falun Gong into our home in 1994. We all became practitioners. Then one day in 1999, the CCP began the persecution. It all changed so quickly, says Leo Wang, whose wife, Sophia, adds: We were a happy, hardworking family, both of us mechanical engineers. We were respected and practiced our faith openly. Kefei, Leos sister, was arrested in August 2001. And then Leo  her voice trails off.

One day Leo just didnt come home. The CCP rarely, if ever, calls family members to tell them of arrests; families are often left to wonder what happened. It is the same dark spirit that allows CCP functionaries to illegally cremate prisoners without alerting the families.

I was so scared. I didnt know what happened to my husband, Sophia says.

Twenty days later, a fellow inmate called to say that Leo was alive. The inmate told her that he had never seen anyone so badly beaten. He told Sophia to prepare herself for Leos death.

My world fell apart. The sky fell in on me, Sophia says.

It was a full year before Sophia and their young son, Martin, were allowed to see Leo.

Attorneys werent even allowed to help, or they would lose their licenses, Martin says. For six months, I didnt sleep. All I could think of was my father. The first time we saw him, he said he was OK, but he looked so very bad.

Leo, Yifeis brother, tries to cope with his post-traumatic stress after suffering 12 years in prison. Hes built a replica of the chair he was tortured in to help tell his story. (Swoop Films)

The most hunted of CCP targets are those Falun Gong practitioners who own or have access to printers, and who create Falun Gong books and materials.

Leo did his printing work, and I did mine, but we rarely discussed it with each other, says another of Leos sisters, Yifei. We thought that if we were caught, we couldnt be forced to divulge much information. Leo maintained the copiers, while Yifei helped produce and distribute printed materials.

The CCP arrested both sisters at the same rally. They were beaten, and their flesh was burned with an electric baton. Yifeis husband, Gordon, who is a journalist, was able to obtain his wifes release.

The Finding Courage family (LR): (seated) Leo Wang, Yifei Wang; (standing) Sophia, Martin, and Gordon. (Courtesy of Mark Lentine)

As seen in the film, Gordons courage and tenacity paid off when he surreptitiously filmed scenes inside jails, further risking his own arrest by filming inside Longfeng Morgue. Together, Gordon and their young daughter Ava helped Yifei escape to America, while they stayed behind. Unfortunately, Gordon could do nothing to free his sister-in-law.

Four months later, Kefei Wang was dead.

Authorities allowed Yifei a brief glimpse of her sisters partially frozen, semi-nude body. Parts of her body were black and swollen. I said, Kefei, Kefei, dont scare me like this. You cant be dead!

Kefei had been beaten and tortured in an unsuccessful attempt to force her to name names and denounce her practice. Guards had poked her eyes with needles to deprive her of sleep. She never talked.

I was scared, but I never gave up my practice, says youngest sister Tifei, adding: The world must know what happened to our sister. This cannot happen to people. I remember that after they began the persecution, we kept the lights to a minimum. People who once were friends now kept their distance because they knew we were practitioners. I myself had been in a CCP labor camp for two months.

Our home wasnt much better. We were so scared all the time. Our home was a kind of second jail.

When asked about CCP-controlled China, Leo Wang says simply, I now think of China as a prisona prison full of prisons.

A still shot from secret footage taken inside a Chinese labor camp. (Swoop Films)

Leo Wang says that of those he met in prison, he convinced up to 200 to take up the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Some of them were guards, but most were prisoners. Some guards actually began referring to him as Mr. Wang.

Once he was released, it took Leo a year to relearn how to walk.

Stephanie Li is interpreter and spokesperson for the family, and executive producer of the film. She and her own sister are both practitioners. Her sister was also arrested by the CCP. These kinds of things are happening time and time again, she said.

Now that shes in a free country, Yifei Wang can pass out literature about the Chinese Communist Partys persecution of Falun Gong. (Swoop Films)

A Warning to America

For decades, we, the good Chinese, have tried to warn America about the CCP, Li said. Few listened. We know the CCP has infiltrated this country. We knew it decades ago. We know what theyre capable of.

With news of Eric Swalwells purported ties to a CCP spy, New York Universitys ties to Chinese communists, and the State Departments warning that the CCP poses a real threat to American sovereignty, Lis warning is prescient, to say the least.

The Chinese have a saying concerning the Yellow River, For 30 years the river flows east and for 30 years the river flows west  For 19 years, Kefei Wangs body has remained frozen in Longfeng Morgue while her family waits and waits for the tide to turn, and for someone to have the compassion to return her body to them.

Yifei Wang promised her sister and her dying father that she would find the courage to demand answers for her sisters death. Who did this to her? They must be held accountable. We will never give up until they free our sisters body.

Kefei Wang committed no crime, but she ended up in a Chinese prison. For refusing to give up her faith, she was tortured to death. Kefei is one of the hundreds of thousands of estimated victims of the persecution, each with a family and a story behind their name. (Swoop Films)

A Chinese proverb says, Dripping water chisels through stone. If that is the case, then Finding Courage is the first drop in what the Wang family vows will become a never-ending torrent in the fight to free their sisters body from the stone wall of the CCP.

To view the film, see FindingCourageMovie.com and use the code finding courage for a 25 percent discount. Listen to Mika Hale sing the films theme song, Courage Is Found, at http://ept.ms/CourageIsFound. To join in the fight to free Kefei Wangs body, visit FreeSistersBody.com

A native of South Philadelphia, Mark Lentine has written for and helmed publications on both coasts. He now resides in Hemet, Calif.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that she thought she would be killed during the January 6 raid on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.

The Democratic congresswoman - a lightning rod for the president and his followers - said during an Instagram Live broadcast that she could not go into detail about her harrowing time inside the Capitol, due to security concerns.

But she said she had had a 'very close encounter' with the insurrectionists during which, she said, 'I thought I was going to die.'

She added: 'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive.'

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday night held an Instagram Live session with her fans

AOC spoke of her horror as the Capitol came under attack, and members of the House (pictured) cowered in fear inside the chamber

Capitol Police with guns drawn stand near a barricaded door as rioters try to break into the House chamber

She said: 'I didn't even feel safe going to that extraction point because there were QAnon and white supremacist members of Congress who I felt would disclose my location and create opportunities to allow me to be hurt,' she said, adding that she 'didn't feel safe around other members of Congress.'

The 31-year-old said that some of her colleagues had invited their children into Congress that day, and they were exposed to the trauma.

The rioters pummeled the door of the House chamber, with the politicians inside. The Senate chamber was breached, when the Senators had been safely evacuated, but the House was not.

One of those trying to force her way in, Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran from California, was shot and killed by Capitol Police during the mayhem.

'It is not an exaggeration to say that many, many members of the House were nearly assassinated,' said Ocasio-Cortez.

'It's just not an exaggeration to say that at all. We were very lucky that things happened within certain minutes. That allowed members to escape the gap, the House floor unharmed.

'But many of us merely narrowly escaped death. And it's also extremely traumatizing.'

Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House chamber

People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into their chamber

Those inside the House were given gas masks as protection during the insurrection

The New Yorker praised the police officers who managed to repel the invaders, saying they were on the frontline of the fight against white supremacy, and speaking of her dismay in seeing rioters running through the Capitol waving the Confederate flag.

'There were also black and brown officers that were confronting white supremacists and putting themselves, not just to protect members, but they put themselves in harm's way,' she said.

'On the front line, facing the racist violence.'

But, continuing, she said she believed some of the Capitol Police were working with the rioters.

On Monday Tim Ryan, the Ohio congressman leading the investigation into the riots, said one member of the Capitol Police had been arrested.

Two were also suspended - one for taking a selfie with a rioter; another for putting on a MAGA hat and appearing to show the frenzied mob around.

'There were those acts of heroism. But next to that there was also acts of betrayal.

'And to run in the Capitol, in our nation's capital, and not know if an officer is there to help you or to harm you - it's also quite traumatizing.'

The mob overran the Capitol Police shortly after Trump urged them to 'fight' on his behalf

Trump supporters, egged on by the president himself, stormed the Capitol on Wednesday

A mob roamed the corridors of Congress - AOC suspected with help from the GOP and police

A Capitol Police officer who posed for a selfie with a rioter (above) has been suspended

The MAGA mob holding down a cop and beating him with a baton on Wednesday in a shocking new video still. The officer shown has not been identified yet. It's unclear if he is either of the cops who died. One was beaten with a fire extinguisher, according to police sources, and the other committed suicide after the riot

Ocasio-Cortez was among the first members of Congress to call for Trump to be impeached for a second time for inciting the riot and pushed back against Republicans over the weekend for claiming such a move would imperil unity.

'The process of healing is separate and in fact requires accountability,' she told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, 'because without it, it will happen again.'

On Tuesday she rounded on those who were resigning after the event.

'I have a message for anyone who is resigning after Wednesday,' she said.

'Too late, too late. You're not gonna resign after Wednesday and act like you weren't a part of it.'

The Leftist firebrand also had strong words for the Congressmen who supported Trump's desire to overthrow the election, accusing them of having a 'lust for power'.

'I want to be clear, to Senator Ted Cruz,' she said. 'You do not belong in the United States Senate.

'I want to be clear, to Senator Josh Hawley. You do not belong in the United States Senate.

'You do not belong in any democratically elected seat. When you do when you do not believe that that election was even legitimate according to your self serving claims.'
The operators of Luna Park in Sydney have agreed to pay a $5000 fine for a New Year's Eve event where they hosted a large crowd of people, despite receiving legal advice that they did not breach COVID-19 regulations.

NSW Police issued a penalty infringement notice to the amusement park about 2pm on Wednesday after mobile phone footage showed crowds of people gathered at Luna Park to watch the New Year fireworks in Sydney Harbour.

Crowds at New Year's Eve event at Luna Park. Credit:Nine News

One of the attendees at the event, Ali Abbas, previously told Nine News it got "busier and busier" as the night went on and "everyone was on top of each other trying to record".

Another reveller, Abdulla Hijazi, said he was pushed in the back by people in the crowd as one security guard tried to keep control.
BRIDGEPORT  Fire units at the scene reported most of a fire at a Vine Street home had been extinguished Wednesday afternoon.

The fire was reported around 1:30 p.m. on Vine Street near the intersection with Park Avenue, according to initial dispatch reports.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought response from Future Retail Limited on Amazon's petition to set aside observations in the interim order of a single-bench in a suit filed by the retailer.

On December 21, a single-member bench presided by Justice Mukta Gupta had refused to restrain Amazon from interfering in Future Retail's deal with Reliance by writing to the statutory authority in view of the Emergency Award.

Pursuant to this, Amazon moved the division bench of the Delhi High Court against the order dated December 21. During the proceedings on Wednesday, the division bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to the Future Retail Limited and slated the matter to February 12.

Advocate Gopal Subramanium and Rajiv Nayyar appeared for Amazon. Advocate Harish Salve came on behalf of Future Retail Limited, while Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Darius Khambata for Reliance.

Amazon had dragged Future Group to arbitration at Singapore International Arbitration Centre after the firm signed a pact to sell retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing units to Mukesh Ambani's Reliance in a Rs 24,713 crore deal.

As per the Amazon, Future Retail Limited violated the contract by entering into the deal with Reliance.

In a fresh plea before the Delhi High Court, Amazon stated, "The learned single Judge made certain prima facie observations on the merits of the Appellant's case in the arbitration proceedings which are inconsistent with the findings of the EA order and thus gravely prejudice the appellant." "The prima facie observations contained in the impugned order effectively resulted in allowing Future Retail Limited to collaterally bypass the EA order," Amazon said.

Amazon said Future Retail has been relying on these prima facie observations to misconstrue the true import of the impugned order in an effort to mislead regulators to grant approval to the potential transactions which has forced Amazon to file an appeal to quash and set aside the prima facie observations.

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China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

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The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed "fragility" in the province's health-care system and the "massive disconnect" between nurses and decision makers, says the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed "fragility" in the province's health-care system and the "massive disconnect" between nurses and decision makers, says the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba.

It surveyed more than 1,100 nurses, whose responses highlighted the lack of provincial planning and preparedness as the second wave of COVID-19 struck, according to a news release issued Tuesday by the advocacy group.

That lack of preparedness resulted in patients and clients not receiving the level of care they need because of staffing shortages, mandated overtime, increased patient needs, and nurses being redeployed to areas outside of their expertise, the association said.

"Despite the fact that the second wave was highly predictable, the government failed to have a long-term pandemic plan for the people of Manitoba, which has hurt the people of Manitoba," president Jennifer Dunsford said.

"Given our experience with the first wave, the government should have taken appropriate steps to increase contact tracing capacity, hire more staff and provide health-care workers with the resources they need in order to protect Manitobans and save lives."

Nurses who responded to the survey also expressed worry about impacts for their families, their own mental and physical health, and the long-term effects on the profession, including a potential for many to leave nursing altogether.

It is nurses who provide compassionate and expert care to patients in Manitoba and often have the most in-depth knowledge of patients, clients and populations, executive director Cheryl Cusack said in the release.

"This makes it extremely troubling that the survey findings show a massive disconnect between nurses and decision makers as they express concern for clients, whether those individuals are in long-term care, acute care or the community," said Cusack.

The Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba advocates for all nursing designations, nursing students, retired nurses, the profession of nursing and healthy public policy.

"We strongly request that the government of Manitoba take steps immediately to provide nurses with the resources they need to do their job, increase capacity in the provincial health system and ensure nurses are included in health-care decisions."
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Boris Johnson today defended his relationship with Donald Trump as he insisted the UK prime minister should always have the 'best possible' ties with the sitting US president.

The PM was grilled on his relationship with the outgoing incumbent of the White House as he faced senior MPs on Parliament's influential Liaison Committee.

He was asked if given 'recent events' in Washington he regretted suggesting in 2018 that Mr Trump could be worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize.

He would not be drawn directly as he stressed the importance of Britain and the US maintaining the Special Relationship.

Mr Trump has faced international criticism in the wake of last week's attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters.

The US President is now on the verge of being impeached for a second time.

Catherine McKinnell, the Labour chairman of the Petitions Committee, asked Mr Johnson this afternoon as he appeared in front of the Liaison Committee: 'I wanted first just to ask you about one of the most popular e-petitions ever submitted to Parliament which called for Donald Trump to be prevented from making a state visit to the UK in 2017.

'Given recent events, Prime Minister, do you regret saying in 2018 that Donald Trump was worthy of a Nobel Peace Prize?'

Mr Johnson replied: 'I am in favour of the Prime Minister of the UK having the best possible relationship with the President of the United States and I had an excellent conversation very recently with president-elect Joe Biden.'

Ms McKinnell was referring to remarks made by Mr Johnson in May 2018 when he told Sky News: 'If Trump can fix North Korea and the Iran nuclear deal then I don't see why he's any less of a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize than Barack Obama.'

The clash at the committee came after YouTube announced it is suspending Mr Trump's account for 'a minimum of seven days' due to concerns about 'the ongoing potential for violence'.

'After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J Trump's channel for violating our policies,' YouTube said in a statement published on Twitter.

Donald Trump has faced international criticism in the wake of last week's attack on the US Capitol by a mob of his supporters

'It now has its 1st strike & is temporarily prevented from uploading new content for a *minimum* of 7 days.

'Given the ongoing concerns about violence, we will also be indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump's channel, as we've done to other channels where there are safety concerns found in the comments section.'

The move comes after fellow social media giants Facebook, Instagram and Twitter decided to remove the President's accounts.

The Joint Forces fired back.

The Command of Ukraine's Armed Forces has reported one wounded in action (WIA) amid 11 violations of the latest ceasefire agreement committed by Russia-controlled armed groups in the Donbas warzone on Tuesday, January 12.

"In the past day, January 12, as many as 11 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 13, 2021.

In particular, the Russian Federation's armed formations fired proscribed 82mm mortars and rifles near the villages of Pisky and Vodiane. The enemy also used grenade launchers of various systems near Pisky.

Read alsoEscalation in Donbas: Ukraine reports one KIA amid 10 ceasefire violations on Jan 11Also, the Russian occupation forces fired automatic grenade launchers and rifles near the town of Avdiyivka, anti-tank grenade launchers near the town of Krasnohorivka, and heavy machine guns near the village of Verkhniotoretske.

What is more, the enemy fired hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers near the villages of Vodiane and Pavlopil, as well as automatic grenade launchers near Vodiane.

Enemy troops also fired automatic and hand-held anti-tank grenade launchers, and rifles near the village of Zolote-4.

"One serviceman of the Joint Forces was wounded as a result of the shelling. The soldier was rushed to the hospital. His condition is satisfactory," the report says.

The Joint Forces fired back, the JFO HQ said.

The violations were reported to OSCE representatives through the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) of the ceasefire in Donbas.

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.

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.

Reporting by UNIAN
ROCHESTER, Minn. - A multi-agency training drill is taking place Tuesday with the Rochester Fire and Police Departments participating.

The Minnesota Army National Guard and Poison Control is also involved.

Capt. Brett Knapp with the fire department says its not often when multiple agencies are able to train together but the training serves as an opportunity to learn from one another.

Knapp said, "It doesn't happen every year on this scale but we train with the Rochester Police Department, some of the other agencies, the National Guard we occasionally train with as well. It's not something that's necessarily scheduled annually but we try and do it whenever we have the time to make it work."

The fire departments hazardous materials team from Station #4 is participating with the goal to monitor, measure and mitigate hazardous substances.

While this training isnt in response to anything specific going on right now Capt. Knapp says its important to build relationships to operate seamlessly in case of severe event.

He explained, The more we can get together with them, learn what each other's capabilities are, and strengthen those relationships the better off we'll be when something real life were to happen. Then we'll be able to hit the ground running and get our operations going, get our command unified and get on the same page much more quickly.

While the departments took COVID-19 masking precautions the fire department says the training wasnt focused on pandemic response.
2020 Growth, led by Wearable Universal Contact Tracing, is powering sales of its core Smart Facilities Solutions

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Microshare announced an expansion of its executive leadership team, building on 2020's record revenue growth and global expansion.

"Providing our solutions at scale and in all geographies has been a strategic goal from day one at Microshare," says Microshare CEO Ron Rock. "With our IoT data solutions now deployed on five continents and our revenue growing robustly, the addition of these four world class talents is perfectly timed to take Microshare to the next level."

Microshare ended 2020 with tremendous growth, driven in part by its innovative Universal Contact Tracing (UCT) solution, which is now deployed in factories, offices and other facilities around the world for such clients as Glaxo-SmithKline and Rent-A-Center. Because all of Microshare's Smart Facilities solutions run on the LoRaWan Network optimized for Microsoft's Azure IoT, many new clients have chosen to add additional capabilities like Indoor Air Quality Monitoring, Asset Zoning, Predictive Cleaning and Occupancy Monitoring on top of Microshare's innovative pandemic-related solutions.

"This new talent will help us scale, position us for continued international market success and prepare Microshare for B Round financing in 2021," says Charles Paumelle, Managing Director for UK and EMEA. "Each of my new colleagues has experience in managing the challenges of moving early stage companies to maturity and excelling at the global level."

Joining as of January are Phil Adams as Executive Vice President of Strategic Operations; Lauren Miller as Chief Financial Officer; Nadine North as Chief People & Wellness Officer, and Michael Moran as Chief Marketing Officer and Director of Risk & Sustainability.

EVP Phil Adams (https://www.microshare.io/phil-adams/) is charged with implementing repeatable, scalable business processes and attracting growth capital. As CEO of World Energy, a pioneering B2B eProcurement firm, Adams grew World Energy from seven employees to 130, took it public and had a successful exit to a strategic acquirer.

(https://www.microshare.io/phil-adams/) is charged with implementing repeatable, scalable business processes and attracting growth capital. As CEO of World Energy, a pioneering B2B eProcurement firm, Adams grew World Energy from seven employees to 130, took it public and had a successful exit to a strategic acquirer. CFO Lauren Miller (https://www.microshare.io/lauren-miller/) is a veteran of multinational finance, including posts at Paramount, Warner Bros. and JP Morgan Chase, She was most recently Chief Financial Officer of Iroko Ltd, often referred to as the "Netflix of Africa," which Miller helped steward from a start-up to one of Africa's largest media companies, as well as a successful sale.

(https://www.microshare.io/lauren-miller/) is a veteran of multinational finance, including posts at Paramount, Warner Bros. and JP Morgan Chase, She was most recently Chief Financial Officer of Iroko Ltd, often referred to as the "Netflix of Africa," which Miller helped steward from a start-up to one of Africa's largest media companies, as well as a successful sale. Nadine North (https://www.microshare.io/nadine-north-microshare/), Chief People and Wellness Officer, will lead efforts to attract talent and, in her Wellness role, help shape Microshare's focus on healthy work environments enabled by data. Previously, she helped manage expansion plans for Siebel Systems, from $300m to $1.5b, from 800 people to over 8000, and into over 25 countries, before its 2005 purchase by Oracle.

(https://www.microshare.io/nadine-north-microshare/), Chief People and Wellness Officer, will lead efforts to attract talent and, in her Wellness role, help shape Microshare's focus on healthy work environments enabled by data. Previously, she helped manage expansion plans for Siebel Systems, from $300m to $1.5b, from 800 people to over 8000, and into over 25 countries, before its 2005 purchase by Oracle. Michael Moran (https://www.microshare.io/mike-moran-microshare-2/) joins as CMO and Director of Risk & Sustainability to manage Microshare's global brand, marketing and thought leadership. Moran has held senior positions at Roubini Global Economics, Renaissance Capital, the Council on Foreign Relations, and a host of major journalistic outlets. Most recently, he was a Partner and Chief US/Macro Analyst at the global advisory Control Risks.

Media Inquiries: Simon Redgate sredgate@microshare.io| +44 (0)7850 112703

About Microshare

Microshare provides turnkey Smart Facilities data solutions at scale that bring safety, wellness, cost savings and sustainability to our clients' vital assets. Our Sensing-as-a-Service model and global reseller network helped our clients get back to business quickly, safely and cost efficiently in 2020, all while shedding new light on the true performance and utility of their real estate holdings to prepare them for success in the post-pandemic future. Microshare is a leader in LoRaWAN applications and a proud member of the LoRa Alliance. www.microshare.io

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/96c21044-0dd9-4d7c-9285-567d5b13b7fc
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Redwood City, California--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - AltruBio Inc., www.altrubio.com, a clinical stage biotech company, today announced that it is participating in Biotech Showcase 2021, and providing an on-demand company presentation. 24x7 on-demand access allows attendees to view presentations at their convenience, avoiding conflicts with busy meeting schedules during the main event week.

To view the full announcement, including downloadable images, bios, and more, click here.

Key Takeaways:

AltruBio Inc., a clinical stage biotech company, today announced that it is participating in Biotech Showcase 2021, and providing an on-demand company presentation.

Dr. Judy Chou, President & CEO will be presenting AltruBio at Biotech Showcase Digital. The presentation will focus on AltruBio's novel PSGL-1 agonist antibody program which holds potential as a platform for T-cell mediated immunological diseases.

Dr. Chou will highlight the novel mechanism of action as well as clinical data across four different autoimmune and inflammatory diseases demonstrating proof of mechanism.

Click image above to view full announcement.

ABOUT BIOTECH SHOWCASE

Biotech Showcase is an investor and networking conference devoted to providing private and public biotechnology and life sciences companies with an opportunity to present to, and meet with, investors and pharmaceutical executives in one place. Investors and biopharmaceutical executives from around the world gather in San Francisco during this bellwether week which sets the tone for the coming year. Now in its 13th year, this well-established, highly respected conference features multiple tracks of presenting companies, plenary sessions, workshops, networking, and an opportunity to schedule one-to-one meetings. Biotech Showcase is produced by Demy-Colton and EBD Group. Both organizations have a long history of producing high-quality programs that support the biotechnology and broader life sciences industry.



ABOUT ALTRUBIO INC.

AltruBio is a privately held biotechnology company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area that is focused on developing novel antibody therapeutics for the treatment of immunological diseases with high unmet medical needs. The company has leveraged its deep understanding of the role PSGL-1 plays as an immune checkpoint regulator protein to develop a platform for T-cell mediated immunological diseases. Its lead molecule, Neihulizumab (AbGn-168H), an immune checkpoint agonist antibody targeting PSGL-1/CD162, is developed for intravenous administration and has achieved proof of mechanism in four autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, and is currently prioritized for further clinical development in sr-aGVHD. The company also has a number of next generation PSGL-1 antibodies at the preclinical stage. Its lead preclinical candidate, Leiolizumab (AbGn-268), has demonstrated higher potency than AbGn-168H and is advancing toward IND for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders.

Contacts:

ALTRUBIO INC.

+1-650-832-1752; +886-2-2627-2707

info@altrubio.com

Source: AltruBio

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71933
Mark Wright has urged the public to follow COVID-19 rules so that life can return to normal sooner rather than later.

The former TOWIE star, 33, reflected that he misses taking his wife Michelle Keegan on romantic trips and is keen to enjoy 'parties and pub visits' again, and want to adhere to the government's tough restrictions so it will be possible to do so again.

Writing a column for The Sun on Tuesday, he claimed: 'Like everyone else, I long to go back to parties and pub visits.

Hopes: Mark Wright said on Tuesday he 'missed' whisking wife Michelle Keegan on holiday and going to the pub as he urged the public to follow COVID-19 rules so life can go back to normal

'I have had the same group of 15 friends since childhood and we usually go to the pub every week. I miss them all dearly and I miss being able to whisk my wife Michelle away for the weekend and going on holiday, but I cant.'

While he claimed he wasn't 'moaning' about the fact he couldn't take Michelle on holiday or see his friends, he added: 'I still want to return to our old life, and we will be living that sooner rather than later if people follow the rules.'

Mark criticised those who aren't following the rules by hosting or attending illegal parties, as he claimed 'now's not the time' to break the rules, as it comes at the cost of other people's lives.

Reflection: Mark wrote in his column, 'I miss being able to whisk my wife Michelle away for the weekend and going on holiday, but I cant'

Thoughts: Mark claimed he wasn't 'moaning', as he added: 'I still want to return to our old life, and we will be living that sooner rather than later if people follow the rules'

Mark's parents Mark. Snr, 64, and Carol, 60, announced on New Year's Eve they had been struck down by Covid-19, Mark. Snr has since returned home.

On Monday, Mark said that his father is still 'not completely better' and that his family 'worried for his life' while he was in hospital battling coronavirus.

Mark also revealed that two of his uncles are currently in hospital due to the virus with his uncle Eddie, 65, the father of his reality star cousin Elliott, in a coma and intensive care unit (ICU).

Speaking on his Heart Evening Show, the presenter made an impassioned plea for people to observe government guidelines to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Upsetting: On Monday, Mark said that his father is still 'not completely better' and that his family 'worried for his life' while he was in hospital battling coronavirus

Mark also revealed that he had tested positive for Covid-19 last year but it didn't affect him like it has his family.

The emotional reality star said: 'I want my life back. I want my family to be well again. I don't want my family to have to worry anymore.

'I don't want you to worry anymore. If you want to get your life back, the only way this will happen is if we obey by the government rules.'

Scary: Speaking on his Heart Evening Show, Mark made an impassioned plea for people to observe government guidelines to stop the spread of coronavirus (pictured with his father)

Mark noted that people obeyed the government guidelines and rules 'so much better' during the first lockdown compared to the third lockdown, which was imposed in England last Monday.

He said: 'Now last time when this happened, last year's lockdown, I saw such a difference. Everybody was sticking to the rules so much better than it feels this time and it's coming back to bite us, harder, faster and tougher.

'Do you want to see your family members go through what I'm seeing right now? I understand if it hasn't affected your family like it has affected mine, bloodlines are different, I don't know the science of it.

Battle: The former TOWIE star's parents Mark. Snr, 64, and Carol, 60, announced on New Year's Eve they had been struck down by Covid-19, Mark. Snr has since returned home

'But what I do know is that my father, my dad was suffering in hospital and we worried for his life for two weeks, he's now home, he's not completely better, he knows that and we know it.

'My other uncle, his brother, is in hospital right now, receiving oxygen, and their other brother, my uncle Eddie who I love dearly is currently in a coma in the ICU.'

Mark admitted that he wasn't trying to get 'too dark' but by sharing personal information about how it has impacted his family, it will highlight how important the guidelines are.

Heartbreaking: Mark also revealed that two of his uncles are currently in hospital due to the virus with his uncle Eddie, 65, the father of his reality star cousin Elliott, in a coma and intensive care unit (ICU) (Elliott and Eddie pictured in February 2020)

He continued: 'Now I'm trying not to be too dark but I'm trying to give you a personal from me, because I am seeing first hand, and I know if you haven't seen it and you haven't felt it the way I have, I understand it's hard to believe it.

'It's easy to sit and think, "You know what, it's just for people that have got real underlying health issues, they were going to die of something anyway." That's not the case.

'A) that shouldn't be a good excuse anyway because they don't deserve to take this badly just because they've got an underlying health condition. And b) it's not just that. My dad is a healthy man, so are my uncles.'

Family: Mark pictured with his uncle Eddie, who he 'loves dearly', during a sponsored walk in 2016

He added: 'So look, I want to move on from this subject, but I just wanted to clear it up because it's made a bit of the headlines from what I said on Good Morning Britain.

'My dad is doing okay, and I want him to know I love him very much. But look, please going forward, we stick together, we do this together and we do what we can to get us back to normal.

'Get us back to holidays, get us back to seeing our friends and dancing on the dance floor.'

Mark also admitted that he understands it's a 'tough situation' and that he is aware that the virus affects everyone differently.

He continued: 'It is a tough situation, I understand, because there's so many conspiracy theories that you hear from people.

Plea: The emotional reality star said: 'I want my life back. I want my family to be well again. I don't want my family to have to worry anymore'

'Many people that don't believe how real what is going on actually is, and I hear it first hand from friends of mine, very close friends of mine.

'"Oh it's just like a cold, it's just like a flu," "I know someone who had it," "I had it, I was just tired, it didn't hurt, it was fine" and I know that. We know that. It doesn't affect everybody to the point of the way it affects some.

'It didn't affect me when I had it back last year, the way it affected my family members, the way it is affecting my family members.

'I've always done my best to stand by what the government say, and the reason I do that is because I know the experts working with the government, are the best experts we have and that's why they're working for the government.'

The motorcycles & scooters manufacturer, reinforced its presence in Central America by appointing new distributor partners in Nicaragua and Honduras, with expansion plans for both the countries.

Hero MotoCorp has lined up a slew of new launches, including its range of premium motorcycles, in both countries and will also expand its network with extensive customer touch-points and flagship stores in key markets. Grupo Casa Pellas - one of biggest economic groups and the leading motorcycles, cars and trucks company in Nicaragua has been appointed as the exclusive distributor of Hero MotoCorp in the country.

The company has appointed Movesa S.A., as its exclusive distributor in Honduras. Movesa S.A. has 14 years of experience in the motorcycle market and is based out of Honduras. Hero MotoCorp's refreshed product portfolio in Honduras will include two new products - the XPulse 200 and the new Hunk 160R (Xtreme 160R in India).

The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 12 January 2021. Shares of Hero MotoCorp are currently trading with gain of 0.21% at Rs 3,253 on BSE.

Sanjay Bhan, the head of global business, Hero MotoCorp, said through new products and extensive customer touch-points, the company aims to reach out to the youth who are looking for premium and stylish two-wheelers.

In a separate announcement, Hero MotoCorp said it has scheduled a board meeting on 4 February 2021, to consider and approve the unaudited standalone and consolidated financial results for the quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2020.

Hero MotoCorp is the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, in terms of unit volumes sold by a single company in a year.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Essential workers and people 75 and older in Philadelphia could begin receiving the coronavirus vaccine later this month, city officials announced Tuesday, releasing guidelines that provided the first clear information for hundreds of thousands of residents  from teachers to public transit drivers to grocery clerks  about when they might get the long-awaited shots.

The citys second stage of vaccine distribution will also include people with high-risk medical conditions and people living in group facilities and jails. It could begin as soon as Jan. 25, Health Commissioner Thomas Farley said, but the city has not yet detailed how eligible people will register for appointments or get the shots.

In the rest of the state, people 65 and older may be in the next group for vaccine distribution, Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said after the federal government on Tuesday changed its guidance about the age cutoff. Levine said the state still needed to review the new recommendation but planned to implement it.

The states next vaccine group will also include essential workers. Its not clear when that stage will begin, though Levine has said soon.

The new federal plan also asks states to vaccinate any adult with preexisting health conditions next, not just those over 65, which would change the states current plan.

And it will likely also speed up the delivery of vaccine: The United States now plans to stop storing vaccine meant for second doses of the two-part shots and distribute it all instead, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday. That will have the effect of doubling the national vaccine supply.

City officials could not say Tuesday whether the new federal recommendation would change their plans for vaccinating seniors. Philadelphia is one of a few cities nationwide managing its vaccinations independently.

This is a wholesale change out of the blue after months of planning, said health department spokesperson James Garrow. Its going to take a little bit to figure out how this impacts the multiple avenues of vaccine distribution and changes to our allocations and what administration looks like.

The city will also allow indoor restaurant dining and theaters to reopen on Saturday with reduced capacity, Farley announced.

And Mayor Jim Kenney said he hopes the Philadelphia School District will resume in-person instruction this spring after teachers are vaccinated, saying it would be a win-win for everybody to reopen schools before the academic year ends.

 READ MORE: Indoor dining will return to Philadelphia on Saturday. Will it help restaurants?

While city officials said the holiday-related increase in COVID-19 infections should subside next week  and new case rates have fallen by 33% since Nov. 20, when the city implemented tighter restrictions  Farley warned that the rates will still remain high through the winter months.

In spite of that, the city will allow restaurants to resume indoor dining, with tables limited to four people from the same household, and allow theaters to operate at 10% capacity. Colleges can resume in-person instruction, though catered events and social gatherings are prohibited. And some library locations will reopen for in-person service next week.

Officials cautioned that residents must continue to wear masks and practice social distancing. Philadelphia on Tuesday reported 637 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 37 deaths. Pennsylvania reported 7,275 cases and 227 deaths. New Jersey reported 4,219 cases and 108 deaths.

A spokesperson for the New Jersey Health Department said that officials were considering the new federal guidance and that information about who is eligible in the states second phase of vaccine distribution would be forthcoming.

Vaccinating the next 400,000

About 400,000 people in Philadelphia are estimated to be a part of the next group to be inoculated, also known as phase 1B under the federal vaccination plan.

The policy announced Tuesday promises relief to people working and living in prisons, drug and alcohol treatment centers, congregant housing for the homeless, and psychiatric facilities. And, for the first time, vaccine doses will be available for people who have continued working in person in order to keep the city of 1.5 million running.

First responders, police, firefighters, teachers, restaurant staff, child care providers, retail workers at big box stores and gas stations, and public transit operators are among those who will be eligible.

Other essential workers categorized as having a lower risk of exposure will be able to get vaccinated in the third phase. That includes sanitation workers, maintenance and janitorial workers, and utility workers.

The citys priorities were designed to address inequities that have made people of color particularly vulnerable to the worst consequences of COVID-19 infection due to systemic bias and lack of health-care access, health officials said. In particular, the city hoped to address the disparity by including all adults with certain high-risk medical conditions in the second stage.

These medical conditions are common in low-income populations and minority populations, Farley said.

 READ MORE: Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccines havent been used in Pa. and N.J. Heres why, and whats next.

Statewide, people 16 to 64 with high-risk conditions wont be eligible until the third phase, although that could change if the state follows the new federal guidelines. The citys second phase differs slightly from the states in other ways, too: Clergy and postal workers, for instance, are included in the states second phase but not the citys; food service workers are in the citys second phase but the states third.

The details of each plan are available online. Nationwide, the vaccine is being distributed in phases because of limited supply. The vaccine is free for everyone, and all who want it will eventually be able to get it, the U.S. has said.

Still, some details are lacking: Neither the city nor the state has yet established a clear registration process, and health-care officials have said they dont have the capacity to staff public vaccine clinics.

Theres no guidance around that, said Steven Sivak, president of Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia. Once that happens were going to have to figure out how to vaccinate those folks.

The city may set up an online registration system for the shots, Farley said. Philadelphians can sign up to receive an alert when theyre eligible to get vaccinated, but it does not register them for a vaccine.

People may have access to doses at some of the same places where they can get the annual flu vaccine, he said, including hospitals, clinics, large employers health centers, and pharmacies. The city will also conduct on-site vaccination at group settings, and anticipates establishing more public vaccination centers like the one at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Physicians offices may be able to provide doses, depending on their ability to store the vaccine; some city hospitals have said they will have their own vaccine registration portals.

We should get vaccinated

Statewide, some level of vaccine hesitancy among health workers and nursing home residents and staff, the only groups currently eligible for shots, is contributing to high number of unused doses of the vaccine in Pennsylvania.

Just over a third received by the state has been reported as administered in first doses. That is slightly higher than the national rate, but state officials have vowed to speed up the process after a slow rollout.

The vaccine, Gov. Tom Wolf said Tuesday, is only going to be effective if Pennsylvanians actually get vaccinated. And we should get vaccinated because these vaccines are both safe and highly effective. Its whats going to take us through this.

The state is trying to balance the goals of speedy vaccine distribution; reaching the most at-risk populations first; and making sure recipients get their second doses on time, Levine said.

She said she planned to review the new federal plan announced by Azar. It marks a change from the previous federal guidelines that advised providers to vaccinate people 75 and older in phase 1B, which the state was following.

Levine said the states would be depending upon the federal government  with its granular knowledge of the supply chain, which the states dont have  to make sure second doses will be available when needed. Azar told ABCs Good Morning America that vaccine manufacturing is now predictable enough that the U.S. could ensure that.

 READ MORE: With new guidance, Trump administration is trying to accelerate Operation Warp Speed

Wolf dispelled misinformation about the vaccine Tuesday, including the myth that vaccines can give recipients the coronavirus, saying potential temporary post-vaccination symptoms, such as muscle aches, fatigue, joint pain, or low-grade fever, are signs that the vaccine is working like a physical trainer for your immune system.

If you hear a rumor about COVID-19 from a friend, [or] see something online that concerns you, take a few minutes to verify the information before you get too worried about it, he said.

Staff writers Frank Kummer and Allison Steele contributed to this article, which also contains information from the Associated Press.
Drivers can find out more about the deals by visiting Toyota of Santa Marias website

Toyota of Santa Maria is offering select promotional offers on a wide variety of 2021 Toyota vehicle models. These deals end on Feb 1, 2021, and are only available at the local Toyota of Santa Maria dealership which is in Santa Maria, CA.

The first vehicle that is involved with this promotion is the 2021 Toyota C-HR. If interested in this vehicle, Toyota of Santa Maria is offering $1,000 cash back on this model, as well as special leasing terms that are listed at $219 a month for 36 months with only $1,999 due at signing. They are also offering extended APR financing for 72 months on the 2021 C-HR as well.

The second vehicle involved with this promotion is the 2021 Corolla Hybrid. Toyota of Santa Maria is offering a few deals on this vehicle, with one of them being 0% APR financing for the first 60 months. Drivers interested in the 2021 Corolla Hybrid also have the chance to get $2,000 cash back on this model or lease the vehicle for $199 a month for 36 months, with only $1,999 due at signing.

Toyota of Santa Maria is also offering similar deals with cash back and financing options on the 2021 Toyota Rav4 and the 2021 Toyota Camry. Interested customers who might be more interested in those vehicles are encouraged to go visit the Toyota of Santa Maria website at https://www.toyotaofsantamaria.com/ or they can give the sales department a call at 805-928-3881.
The fear of corporate domination, real or perceived, is growing as Indians fear it signals an onslaught on their livelihoods, data privacy, and competition, a fear magnified by Facebooks recent announcement that WhatsApp will be integrated with Instagram and its other products. Corporates have warned against the use of WhatsApp for company work.

Some individual users in India are worried that the integration will mean that even more of their personal data will be tapped for commercial gain and are switching to other messaging apps. After all, the figures are huge. WhatsApp has ...
The involvement of the United States may be very useful and effective, the minister said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said the United States and Great Britain may be attracted to the Normandy format of negotiations on Donbas if all its participants agree on.

"I've heard about this since 2014. As they say, if there is nothing to talk about, let's talk about changing the Normandy format. But I propose to treat things as they come in. Changes to the Normandy format require the consent of all its participants. Undoubtedly, even more active involvement of the United States in the issue of ending Russian aggression and the end of occupation of our territories will be very useful and effective.But in what format it may take place is a matter of diplomacy," he told the Ukrainian online news outlet Obozrevatel in an interview.

Read also FM Kuleba comments on Russia's behavior at talks on Donbas Normandy Four advisors' meeting

The latest round of talks of political advisors to the Normandy Four leaders took place in Berlin on January 12.

Ukraine at the meeting of political advisors was represented by Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, while Russia was represented by Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak.

The previous meeting of advisors was held on September 11, 2020.

Reporting by UNIAN
Medical workers put their hands together to encourage each other before conducting COVID-19 tests at a community in Yuhua District of Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 7, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 115 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, of whom 107 were locally transmitted and the rest arrived from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 90 were reported in north China's Hebei Province, 16 in Heilongjiang Province and one in Shanxi Province, the commission said in its daily report.

One new suspected case arriving from outside the mainland was reported in Shanghai, but no deaths related to the disease were reported on Tuesday.

By the end of Tuesday, a total of 4,451 imported cases had been reported on the mainland. Among them, 4,165 had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, and 286 remained hospitalized. No deaths had been reported among the imported cases.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases on the mainland reached 87,706 by Tuesday, including 784 patients still receiving treatment, 21 of whom were in severe condition.

A total of 82,288 patients had been discharged following recovery on the mainland, and 4,634 had died of the disease, according to the commission.

There was one suspected COVID-19 case on the mainland on Tuesday, and 30,114 close contacts remained under medical observation.

Tuesday saw 38 asymptomatic cases newly reported, of whom three arrived from outside the mainland. On the same day, 42 asymptomatic cases were re-categorized as confirmed ones.

A total of 556 asymptomatic cases were under medical observation, of whom 256 arrived from outside the mainland.

By the end of Tuesday, 9,343 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 160 deaths, had been reported in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), 46 cases in the Macao SAR, and 838 cases, including seven deaths, in Taiwan.

A total of 8,524 COVID-19 patients in the Hong Kong SAR had been discharged from hospitals following recovery, 46 in the Macao SAR, and 730 in Taiwan.
Students walk through the University of CaliforniaIrvine campus in Irvine, Calif., on Sept. 25, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

UCI Alumnus Makes $10.4 Million Gift to the School

The University of CaliforniaIrvine (UCI) says a $10.4 million donation from one of its most successful alumni will help it create a more inclusive computing field.

The gift from the Steckler Charitable Fundformed by Vincent and Amanda Stecklerwill also benefit art history students. About $5.4 million will be used to support students studying art history by funding research-related travel, mentoring, experiential learning, and more.

The other $5 million will establish the Center for Responsible, Ethical and Accessible Technologies within the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS). The unit will focus on creating a computing industry thats inclusive, accessible, and safe.

Vincent Steckler, who graduated UCI in 1980 with degrees in mathematics and computer science, is former chief executive of Avast Antivirus Software, which he built from a small regional business into a global provider of internet security.

He said in a statement that his gift to the university will be well spent.

I believe that [the center] could dramatically change some of the toxic tendencies within Silicon Valley. And if we change the way Silicon Valley operates, we can change the world, Steckler said in a Jan. 12 press release.

At the same time, art is a crucial part of the human experience. The art history courses I took at UCI made such an impression on me. What I learned ignited a lifelong passion for and appreciation of art that Ive been able to share with my wife, Amanda, and our five children.

The Stecklers also made a donation to the art history department last year, which significantly expanded internship possibilities for students.

As well, Vincent Steckler previously donated $1 million to the ICS school to support women in computing.

I wouldnt be where I am today if it werent for UCI, and Im excited to leverage the funding match for the graduate fellowships because it offers such a high return on investment, Steckler said.

Amanda Steckler added: I believe its our responsibility to give back to the society and institutions that have helped us over the years. I am proud to recognize the importance of art and computer education to society.

UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman said the donation was appreciated.

This extraordinary gift from one of our most successful alumni demonstrates the impact that philanthropy can have on students from all backgrounds, he said in the release. And in todays difficult economy, when students are feeling financial strain, that kind of support is more important than ever.
A diary production line of Vietnam's largest dairy company Vinamilk. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi  Two more Vietnamese dairy producers have been granted with transaction codes for exporting their products to China by the Chinese General Administration of Customs, said the Ministry of Industry and Trades Asia-Africa Market Department on January 11.



Accordingly, Binh Duong Nutifood Nutrition Food JSC is now permitted to export sterilized milk, modified milk and flavored fermented milk products to China.



Meanwhile, Truong Tho Dairy Factory, a member of Vietnams largest dairy company Vinamilk, is licensed to ship to the neighbouring country sterilized milk, modified milk, sweetened condensed milk and other condensed milk products.



So far, China has granted transaction codes to seven Vietnamese dairy companies and factories, including TH True Milk, Hanoimilk, Bel Vietnam, Nutifood, and three Vinamilk factories.



China is the biggest milk importer in the world. In 2019, the country imported 39.43 million tonnes of milk and milk products. Of which, imported fresh milk was about 750,000 tonnes and milk powder was 650,000 tonnes.



The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation predicted that the demand for milk and milk products of this market would increase around 45 percent by 2025.
We are six days out from President Donald Trump either purposefully or inadvertently inspiring a mob of insurrectionists to invade the seat of government. We have watched video upon video of the violent attacks and deaths. And now, in response, the country is mired in yet another heated debate of the sort that happens wherever frogs in pots of boiling water choose to gather: What is to be done? Which ill-fitting, backward-looking constitutional response is the least terrible? Should we try to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove Trump from office that way, or should we begin another impeachment process? It appears that House Democrats are attempting to do the former, and then the latter. A few Republicans push for a third option, censure, while other Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell himself, are realizing supporting impeachment might be good for their partyor at least their wallets.

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Some formal, institutional, legal response to Trumps incitement is certainly necessary. The gruesome details of Trumps response to Wednesdays events are almost as horrifying as the attack itself. In the wake of what happened, there are now two sometimes-acting Executives, which means that as a result there is no actual acting Executive. Donald Trump thinks hes president, Mike Pence will jolly him along in that delusion, and the Joint Chiefs will, one supposes, answer to themselves. All this points to how truly dangerous this moment is. More violence is planned, and Trump is unfit to respond. He is still seemingly unable to comprehend that a smooth transition is imperative. We watch him every day as though he is an unexploded grenade, hoping we might luck out for one more week.

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Under any other circumstances, a man behaving this way would be treated as an ambulatory mental health crisis and could be responded to as such: No, Grandpa, you cant have the car keys anymore. In that circumstance, it doesnt matter if he disagrees, because when there are lives at stake, the car keys are simply removed from Grandpas hand. But while we finally have figured out how to take away Trumps ability to tweet, we have not yet found a reliable way to prevent him from having access to the nuclear codes, or from continuing to egg on his acolytes from the seat of the presidency.

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It is the fact that Donald Trump is still the president of the United States that makes this so difficult and so dangerous. Just as his wealth and narcissism shielded him from any consequences before assuming office, the office itself protects him now. There are, to be sure, legal remedies for out-of-control actors who endanger themselves and others in the domestic sphereamong them civil commitment, mental health assessments, and restraining orders. But those dont work for a president if he has a supine Cabinet, and weve had years to learn that the remedies that should exist when someone has become manifestly unfit for office wont work on this president, because, to an almost extraordinary extent, he is enabled by a party that has also lost its mind.

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Donald Trump has been a danger to himself and others since Election Day 2016, but enablers all around have worked to obscure and erase the signs of his unfitness for so long that its almost hard to track if hes become more dangerous in recent days or if we underestimated the damage all along. Republicans peeling away from him at this eleventh hour do so either for fear of personal legal liability or because they cant cover up for him anymore. Checks and balances with a sell-by date. Which is precisely how we got into this current, volatile situation in which the president is profoundly impaired and decompensating under the pressure.

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Yales Bandy Lee, the forensic psychiatrist who has never stopped trying to warn us about Trump, put it this way in an interview in Politico before Christmas:

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The probability of something very bad happening is very high, unacceptably high, and the fact that we dont have guardrails in place, the fact that we are allowing a mentally incapacitated president to continue in the job, in such an important job, for a single day longer, is a truly unacceptable reality.  Were talking about his access to the most powerful military on the planet and his access to technology thats capable of destroying human civilization many times over.

Last Wednesday we witnessed what can happen when, despite widespread claims of readiness and detailed knowledge of what was coming, nobody was adequately prepared for something catastrophic to happen. What was happening was unfolding in plain sight: Tens of thousands of armed insurrectionists have been led to believe the 2020 election was stolen, their lies having been amplified by leaders who know they are lying. And now, even as we gather hope that impeachment might in fact happen, we must remember that there is no constitutional mechanism to remedy the fact that a nontrivial number of Americans believe that the only way to liberate America from certain doom is through more acts of terror, because that is what they have been told by their dog-whistling politicians, including their commander in chief. Also, they have guns and grenades.

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I am by no means arguing that impeachment or the 25th Amendment or even censure are not worth pursuing. Everything available is well worth pursuing. Every legal, statutory, constitutional, familial, and political mechanism available to remove a lethally dangerous person who lives in an alternate reality from the illusion that he holds power should be on the table. But the yearslong public and institutional failure to take Trumps self-evident madness seriously has caused a rolling national mental health crisis that cannot be ignored, whatever happens in the days to come. Insurrectionists are now inside the Congress, the Senate, and the statehouses, just as they are outside of them rioting.

The legal system is a particularly cumbersome instrument in domestic violence, spousal abuse, and mass terror situations. Getting to that point usually means there has been failure in multiple other realms. The constitutional system is vastly more cumbersome even than the legal system. By all means we should use every tool in the arsenal to address what happened last Wednesday and what is to come. But that we have gotten to this point means there has been enormous failure. This is no longer merely a crisis of broad constitutional checks and balances, but rather a domestic political meltdown of vast proportions. Impeachment, while a good start, addresses only part of the problem. The removal of Trump, if it happens, is only a small step toward a cure we should have put in place years ago.
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Yesterday (January 12, 2021), Mani Ratnam's classic Guru turned fourteen. Many netizens, who are avid fans of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, shared their favourite clips from the film on Twitter and celebrated its glorious fourteen years. Aishwarya, who's occasionally active on social media, also shared some pictures from Guru's New York screening on Instagram and captioned the post as, "On this day..14 years...GURU FOREVER.."

In the picture, Aishwarya is looking drop dead gorgeous in an aqua blue sari, wherein Abhishek looks dapper in a black suit. The collage which Aishwarya shared on her Instagram page, also has a picture of director Mani Ratnam beaming with happiness.

Abhishek and Aishwarya have worked together in many films, but Guru will always be the most special film for them. Earlier, Abhishek had mentioned in an interview that he fell in love with Aishwarya while shooting for Umrao Jaan, but the duo came closer while shooting for Guru.

It is also believed that the Dhoom actor proposed marriage to Aishwarya in Toronto after the premiere of Guru there. It was an instant yes from Aishwarya, and then in 2007, she and Abhishek got married in the presence of family members and close friends.

ALSO READ: 14 Years Of Guru: Amitabh Bachchan Calls The Film 'Fantastic'; Says Son Abhishek Was 'Marvellous'

Cut to present, they have a lovely daughter and the duo is pretty good at balancing their personal and professional lives.

With respect to work, Aishwarya is currently in Hyderabad shooting for Mani Ratnam's upcoming project Ponniyin Selvan. Abhishek, on the other hand, will next be seen in Bob Biswas and The Big Bull.

ALSO READ: Abhishek Bachchan Gushes Over Wife Aishwarya Rai, Says She Is His Favourite Co-Star
A prominent gay British actor has rejected calls from acclaimed screenwriter Russell T Davies for gay performers to be prioritised for LGBT roles.

James Dreyfus, who played pioneering gay roles in Nineties sitcoms The Thin Blue Line and Gimme Gimme Gimme, said an actor's sexuality has nothing to do with their ability to 'convince and amaze'.

And the 52-year-old believes audiences would be deprived of the 'superlative' recent performances put on by straight stars if roles were only based on sexual orientation.

His comments come after Davies - best known for his work on Queer As Folk and Doctor Who - said gay actors should get LGBT roles and compared a straight actor playing a gay character to black face.

Davies insisted he was 'not being woke about this' and said it would ensure an authentic portrayal.

James Dreyfus played a gay man in Nineties sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme with Kathy Burke

James Dreyfus played a policeman whom colleague suspect is gay in The Thin Blue Line. He also has a longing desire for fellow constable Maggie Habib, played by Mina Anwar

Screenwriter Russell T Davies said only gay actors should play gay characters in film and TV

The homosexual characters in his upcoming Channel 4 Drama It's A Sin, set during the 1980s HIV epidemic, are all played by gay stars including Stephen Fry, Olly Alexander and Neil Patrick Harris.

But as recently as 2018, heterosexual Hugh Grant played the role of Liberal politician Jeremy Thorpe in Davies's adaptation of A Very English Scandal.

And in his 2015 series Cucumber, straight actors Freddie Fox and Vincent Franklin played gay roles.

Dreyfus told The Times: 'I'm not completely convinced he understands what 'acting' actually involves, i.e. inhabiting a totally different character.

'There have been some superlative performances by straight actors playing 'gay'.'

All the gay characters in the upcoming Channel 4 drama It's A Sin are played by gay actors. It follows the stories of three gay 18-year-olds who arrive in London in 1981, at the beginning of the HIV epidemic, and its cast includes Olly Alexander, Neil Patrick Harris, and Stephen Fry

Davies's 2018 miniseries A Very English Scandal featured Hugh Grant, who is straight, playing Liberal politician Jeremy Thorpe

Queer as Folk - about the lives of three men in Manchester - was Davies' first gay TV drama - and he cast straight actors in the roles. From left: Charlie Hannun, Aidan Gillen and Craig Kelly

And he cited the examples of Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci in the British film Supernova, a film about a middle-aged gay couple who have to deal with the diagnosis of early-onset dementia.

Dreyfus said the pair, who are both straight, gave 'astounding turns' as gay men, adding: 'Totally convincing and brilliant. It's what acting is all about.'

Gay actors who have won critical acclaim for portrayal of straight characters Andrew Scott: Gay actors have won critical acclaim for their portrayal of heterosexual characters - most notably Andrew Scott for his turn as the 'Hot Priest' in Phoebe Waller Bridge's hit show, Fleabag. After he played Waller Bridge's love interest in the second season of her show, the phrase, 'Can you have sex with a Catholic priest?' became one of the most googled terms of 2019. Luke Evans: The Welsh actor Luke Evans, who recently split with his boyfriend, won 'Best Villain' at the 2017 Teen Choice Awards for his portrayal of the Lothario Gaston in the live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. Ben Whishaw: The revered stage and film actor has been nominated for, and won, dozens of awards for his depiction of characters including Hamlet, Richard II and Q in James Bond. He also played Keith Richards in the Rolling Stones biopic, Stoned. Jim Parsons: The actor came out publicly in 2012 in a New York Times profile. He won several awards for playing Sheldon Cooper on the CBS show, The Big Bang Theory. The role saw Parsons become one of the highest paid actors in the world, earning $1million per episode. In the series, Sheldon marries fellow scientist Amy. Zachary Quinto: The actor came out in 2011. He is perhaps best know for his turn as Spock in the Star Trek films. Advertisement

He maintained he had great respect for Davies and praised him as an 'exemplary' writer

Supernova is set to be released this year and has already been praised LGBT publications.

Also today, actor and pantomime dame Christopher Biggins told ITV's Good Morning Britain: 'It's acting. Acting is taking on a character and becoming a character.

'I mean, let's looks back some years at a wonderful play called The Dresser, with Albert Finney and Tom Courtenay.

'Now Tom Courtenay played the outrageous, the camp, dresser. Now he wasn't gay. But he played it superbly. He got a Globe award in America for playing this portrayal of this character.'

Queer as Folk - about the lives of three men in Manchester - was Davies' first gay TV drama - and he cast straight actors in the role.

And actor Alan Davies starred as a gay teacher in Davies's hit 2001 show Bob & Rose.

Davies told Radio Times: 'I'm not being woke about this but I feel strongly that if I cast someone in a story, I am casting them to act as a lover, or an enemy, or someone on drugs or a criminal or a saint.

'They are not there to 'act gay' because 'acting gay' is a bunch of codes for a performance.'

He added: 'You wouldn't cast someone able-bodied and put them in a wheelchair, you wouldn't black someone up.'

Davies said his latest project It's A Sin - which began filming in October 2019 - is loosely influenced by his own life.

The writer, who is gay, was just 18 when the HIV crisis began in 1981, but he did not contract the disease.

Davies has previously cast gay actors in roles where they played gay characters - including Russel Tovey in Years and Years, and John Barrowman in Torchwood.

Tovey spoke out in 2018 after Jack Whitehall faced criticism for being cast as a gay character in the Disney movie, Jungle Cruise.

Tovey told the Independent: 'If you're an actor, you're an actor. The whole thing with Jack playing a gay character... I'm like, just let him act.'

Straight actors portraying gay roles have been blasted by critics for years - with several accused of using harmful stereotypes.

The actor most recently in the firing line was James Corden in his role as gay Broadway star Barry Glickman in Netflix's The Prom.

Actor Alan Davies starred as a gay teacher in the 2001 show Bob & Rose

Davies' 2015 series Cucumber - and its companion show Banana - also saw straight actors Freddie Fox (left) and Vincent Franklin (right) in gay roles

Other films criticised for actors playing gay roles include Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, Cate Blanchett in Carol, Sean Penn in Milk and Tom Hanks in Philadelphia.

Call Me By Your Name - which received an Oscar in 2018 - featured Armie Hammer as a gay character.

Timothee Chalamet plays his young love interest.

The film's director Luca Guadagnino defended the casting at the time, telling The Independent: 'I honestly don't believe I have the right to decide whether an actor is straight or not.

'Yes, Armie is a straight man with a wife and children and the same can be said of Timothee.

Straight actors portraying gay roles have been blasted by critics for years - with several accused of using harmful stereotypes. James Corden was in the firing line in his role as gay Broadway star Barry Glickman in Netflix's The Prom (pictured alongside co-star Meryl Streep)

Davies - who revived Doctor Who in 2005 - said directors must cast gay men to play gay male roles as you 'wouldn't black someone up' in the modern day. Other films criticised for actors playing gay roles include Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (pictured)

Straight actor Sean Penn won an Oscar in 2009 for his role as gay rights activist Harvey Milk in Milk (left). Cate Blanchett was nominated in 2016 for playing a lesbian in Carol (right)

Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger played gay characters in Brokeback Mountain (pictured)

'But do I ask them to swear on their sexuality, on their identities, on their desires, before I cast them? I don't.'

Corden's co-star Andrew Rannells, who is gay, defended the actor's portrayal of a gay character in Prom, saying film casting is about finding 'the best person for the job'.

Speaking to Attitude magazine, Rannells said he thinks 'representation' in films and TV is important but added that the movie's director Ryan Murphy is 'looking for talent' first and foremost.

He said: 'You know, I kinda go back and forth about this. Obviously, representation is very important, but what I feel that Ryan does so well is, you know, it's the best person for the job, quite frankly.'
Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.

That was just some of the inciting rhetoric FBI officials observed online ahead of the deadly pro-Trump riots targeting the US Capitol building last week, according to a new report, contradicting statements the bureau made in a press conference on Tuesday that said it had no indication of warnings about the mob.

The Washington Post reported that the FBI field office in Norfolk, Virginia released an internal warning of the potential for violence during demonstrations scheduled as Congress was convening to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Federal agencies and the United States Capitol Police department have both received criticism from lawmakers for their apparent unpreparedness during the violent riots, which left at least 14 officers injured and one dead as a result of injuries he sustained in the clash.

Law enforcement officials said last week that they did not have intelligence indicating violence at the demonstrations in support of President Donald Trump and his false claims of a rigged election. The new report appears to indicate officials within the bureau were sounding the alarm well before the rioters befell Washington and ransacked the offices of government.

Recommended Capitol riot was openly organized on mainstream social media

The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it was investigating significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy and collected 100,000 pieces of digital evidence from the public since the Capitol riots.

Videos posted to social media have also shown accounts of the presidents supporters who were allegedly involved in the Capitol riots being escorted off of planes. Those reports appeared to indicate the rioters had been added to no-fly lists as a result of the deadly mob attacks.

The Virginia field office drafted a situational information report approved for release, according to the newspaper, which read as follows: As of 5 January 2021, FBI Norfolk received information indicating calls for violence in response to unlawful lockdowns to begin on 6 January 2021 in Washington. D.C.

It continued: An online thread discussed specific calls for violence to include stating Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers being spilled. Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.

Steven DAntuono, the assistant director in charge at the FBI Washington Field Office, said on Tuesday that the bureau worked with other field offices in the weeks leading up to 6 January for any intelligence about people traveling to the DC area to cause violence" and "immediately shared" information with law enforcement partners.

He joined acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin for their first press briefing six days after the mob threatened lawmakers in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Mr DAntuono said that the FBI was aware that people intended to travel to the nations capital to commit acts of violence, though he said that the bureau had no indication information was linked to a specific person" and "was a matter of an online discussion."

As offensive as a statement can be, the FBI cannot open an investigation without a threat of violence or alleged criminal activity, he said.

He said that agencies had disrupted travel among people who had planned violence, including the arrest of Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio in the days leading up to the riot. He was arrested by Metropolitan Police Department officers after admitting to destroying a Black Lives Matter banner on a historic African-American church during last months violent demonstrations. He was subsequently charged with possessing two high capacity firearm magazines at the time of his arrest.

Recommended Sedition charges expected as FBI opens 160 cases on Capitol rioters

Federal law enforcement has faced mounting criticism over its perceived inability to respond to explicit far-right violence, openly organized on social media platforms for weeks, and whether they failed to register how a largely white right-wing crowd fiercely devoted to the president could endanger police, in stark contrast to the overt federal response against protesters during 2020s Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

Lawmakers from across the country have since called for additional security measures throughout the transition of power, with President-elect Joe BIden insisting he was confident his inauguration ceremonies could go forward as planned with the Secret Service conducting oversight of the day, which has been declared a special national security event.

The document obtained byThe Washington Post was reportedly shared with others in the bureau, though it remained unclear to what extent the FBI was aware of specific calls for violence online ahead of the riots. The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

FBI director Christopher Wray, field offices and the Department of Homeland Security have warned for months about the potential for far-right violence in the days leading up to and following the election, as well as the rising threats of white supremacist groups, which the director has unambiguously labeled a national threat priority posing significant risks to national and economic security.

The document notes that the information reflects only alerts from the FBIs Norfolk office and was not unintended to be shared outside law enforcement circles, and offices are requested not to take action based on this raw reporting without prior coordination with the FBI, according to The Post.

A security advisory shared among federal, state and local agencies to brief law enforcement about potential vulnerabilities was never produced, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

DHS spokesperson Chase Jennings told The Independent on Friday that DHS set up a virtual situation room on 5 January and received a call for support from US Capitol Police at 2.30pm on 6 January, as attacks on the Capitol were underway. DHS had open channels with partners and shared information on those channels as necessary, he said in a statement.
Pooch Perfect is getting a US adaptation, to be hosted by Rebel Wilson.

It follows the dog grooming format premiere on Seven last year, followed by a UK adaptation currently hosted by Sheridan Smith.

Wilson announced the news on her social media channels overnight.

Joining her are US reality personality Lisa Vanderpump, celebrity dog groomer Jorge Bendersky and veterinarian Dr. Callie Harris as three judges.

The eight-episode series will showcase 10 of the best dog groomers in the USA in two challenges: the Immunity Puppertunity challenge and the Ultimutt Challenge showdown.

Pooch Perfect is now produced and owned by Beyond Media Rights Limited and due to air stateside in coming months.

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Airbus A330 on the assembly line as the European plane-maker outstrips Boeing. Photo: REUTERS/Regis Duvignau

Boeing delivered about 60pc fewer aircraft to customers in 2020 than 2019 and less than one-third the deliveries of rival Airbus, the lowest in 43 years, company data showed.

Yesterdays snapshot of orders and deliveries caps a year in which the coronavirus pandemic and the tail-end of a 20-month 737 Max grounding after fatal crashes prevented embattled airlines from adding new jets to their sidelined fleets.

Also, for a second month, Boeing handed over zero 787 Dreamliners to customers, as intensive inspections over recent production flaws compounded delays from the Covid-19 crisis.

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Jet deliveries are being closely scrutinized by investors as they generate much-needed cash during the coronavirus crisis.

Overall, the US planemaker delivered 39 planes to customers in December, including 27 737-Max jets, one P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, and 11 widebodies.

For the year, it delivered a total of 157 airplanes, down from 380 in 2019 and a record 806 jets in 2018.

By comparison, Airbus posted stronger-than-expected deliveries of 566 jets in 2020, remaining the worlds largest planemaker, a title Boeing held from 2012 through 2018.

Even so, deliveries at Airbus fell 34pc from a record a year earlier when travel demand was riding high on the increasing mobility of consumers in fast-growing markets across Asia.

For jet orders, Boeing booked 90 orders in December, including a previously announced lifeline deal from budget airline Ryanair for 75 737 Max jets.

The best-selling narrowbody was cleared to resume service in November in the U.S. after a 20-month grounding order.

Boeing also booked orders for seven Max jets from unidentified buyers in December, and for eight 777 freighters from DHL Express.

But buyers walked away from orders for 105 Max jets and two 787s last month, Boeing said.

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Mumbai: American writer duo Carey and Chad Hayes, who have worked on horror films like The Conjuring and House of Wax, are set to consult on the screenplay of director Vikram Bhatts next feature film. Titled The Cello, the horror film is based on a story by Saudi poet-songwriter Turki Al-Sheikh, who goes by the pen name Rozam. According to Carey and Chad Hayes, they have had several opportunities to work with the best creators in Hollywood after the massive success of the 2013 James Wan directorial The Conjuring and they are now looking forward to expanding globally with The Cello. Filmmaking is a collaborative process, and to work with the best is an honour. We are excited about The Cello, as it not only plays up to everything we love about these type of movies, but also promises a mind-blowing story with scares that will chill even the bravest to the bone, the brothers said in a statement.

The duo described Al-Sheikh and Bhatt as incredibly creative and talented individuals, who strive to make scary movies with heart and soul. Bhatt, known for helming films like Raaz and 1920, said he bonded with Al-Sheikh over their love for horror thrillers and decided to join hands for this project.

While Carey Hayes and Chad Hayes will be consulting on the screenplay based on a story written by Turki Al-Sheikh, I will be directing it. We plan to shoot a big portion of the film in Saudi Arabia. I am particularly excited to explore the virgin location of Al Ula, the filmmaker said. Backed by Rozam, The Cello is slated to be released later this year.
Greg Larsen tells a familiar story of life as a comedian during 2020. He had a show ready to debut at the Melbourne Comedy Festival when covid cancelled the festival. But rather than scramble to move his work online, Larsen had been podcasting for some time, and had built a loyal audience.

I was doing a one man play. And it was probably the most ambitious show I've ever done. And I spent a lot of work on it, a lot of time on it, and then it was cancelled. Okay.

Comedian Greg Larsen says the country's arts and entertainment industries are dying. Credit:ABC Comedy

Before I had a chance to offer condolences, Larsen was quick to point out people working on a check out counter or in a distribution centre have had a worse year than he has.

Im in two minds about it, to be honest, because on the one hand, there's been a lot of shit stuff that's happened and a lot of work that's been lost. But on the other hand, it's actually been quite good for someone like me, who makes podcasts, to do that more.
(@FahadShabbir)

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jan, 2021 ) :Voice of America's management came under fire Tuesday across party lines after reassigning a journalist who attempted to pose a question to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Pompeo criticized the taxpayer-funded news outlet during a speech Monday at its headquarters, where he took questions from VOA executives appointed by President Donald Trump, but not its reporters.

VOA White House reporter Patsy Widakuswara posted a video of herself asking Pompeo as he left the building about the mob attack by Trump supporters last week on a congressional session that certified President-elect Joe Biden's win.

Pompeo did not answer or acknowledge the question. He last held a news conference on November 10, when he asserted there would be a "second Trump administration" despite Biden's election victory, although he has since acknowledged defeat.

The White House Correspondents' Association said Widakuswara was soon taken off the beat -- before Trump's visit Tuesday to Texas that she had been due to cover.

The top Democrat and Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks and Michael McCaul, urged VOA to reinstate her "absent a legitimate reason." "This is the United States of America -- we do not punish our journalists for seeking answers to their questions," they said in a joint statement.

"A free and fair press is at the core of our Constitution and our democracy." Zeke Miller, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said that Widakuswara's reassignment "is an affront to the very ideals Secretary of State Pompeo discussed in his speech." A VOA spokesperson said the outlet "does not comment on internal personnel matters." Pompeo in his speech accused VOA of "demeaning America" until Trump shook up its leadership, and he urged the broadcaster to tell how the United States "is the greatest nation in the history of the world and the greatest nation that civilization has ever known." Through a whistleblower complaint, some staff members had opposed Pompeo's speech, saying it amounted to propaganda for the outgoing administration if there were no reporter questions.

Michael Pack, a conservative documentary producer appointed by Trump to oversee VOA, has voiced hope of ending a longstanding firewall against editorial interference in coverage, but the Biden team has said the president-elect plans to fire him.

The Trump White House has publicly criticized VOA for not trumpeting the administration's line and for its coverage of Covid-19 in China.
Russian activist Pyotr Verzilov, who is a member of the Pussy Riot protest group, and blogger Ilya Varlamov were briefly detained in South Sudan.

The two tweeted on January 13 that they and three other people, including Varlamov's wife, Lyubov Varlamova, were detained upon arrival at the airport of the city of Kapoeta, some 260 kilometers east of South Sudan's capital, Juba.

Varlamov wrote on his blog that the group arrived in South Sudan as tourists, planning to continue on another flight to Juba, but were stopped and detained after airport security found the remote control of a drone in their luggage.

"They found the remote control, but the drone had already been confiscated by the authorities at the Entebbe airport in Uganda," where the group was traveling prior to their arrival in South Sudan, Varlamov wrote.

According to local law enforcement officers quoted by Meduza, the detainees allegedly could have been "filming military objects with the drone."

Varlamov wrote that the group refused to hand in their mobile phones despite being asked to do so.



Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement quoted by the TASS news agency that the group was subsequently released "as a result of diplomatic efforts."

"At this point, issues related to their departure from South Sudan are under discussion," Zakharova said.

Russian Embassy officials told TASS that South Sudanese officials did not press any charges against the Russian citizens, who will spend the night in the city of Kapoeta and on January 14 will leave for Juba.

It was not immediately clear why the group had chosen South Sudan as a tourist destination.

With reporting by TASS and Meduza
Bruce Willis is speaking out after being pictured entering a Southern California place of business without a face mask on Monday.

The Die Hard star, 65, released a brief statement to People on Tuesday, in which he said the move 'was an error in judgment.'

'Be safe out there everyone and let's continue to mask up,' he added.

Missing a mask: Bruce Willis is speaking out after being pictured at a Southern California place of business without a face mask on Monday

Speaking out: The Die Hard star, 65, released a brief statement to People on Tuesday, in which he said the move 'was an error in judgment'

Despite California government issuing strict rules that have been in place for months, the Hollywood actor had been pictured shopping inside a Los Angeles pharmacy store without wearing a face mask.

It was reported that Willis even refused to cover up when entering the RiteAid store in LA, even though he was seen to be wearing a scarf around his neck that easily could have been pulled up over his mouth and nose.

A representative for the actor did not immediately respond DailyMail.com's request for comment at the time, though pictures clearly show him flouting the strict government guidelines as he walked around and while leaving the retail outlet.

A report by PageSix claims that fellow shoppers became upset when the Fifth Element star was seen without a facial covering, and he ended up exiting the shop without making his purchase.

'Be safe out there everyone and let's continue to mask up,' he added; seen here in 2019

Masks are required in all indoor spaces in California, while people can choose to not wear them outside as long as they are at least six feet apart from others.

The sighting comes after the California coronavirus death toll has now topped 30,000, with Los Angeles becoming the epicenter of the worst-hit places by the pandemic.

Ten people are testing positive every minute, and residents have even been advised to wear masks inside their homes, let alone when they are out shopping and mixing with other people.

Meanwhile, Willis has made no secret of the fact that he has been quarantining in large groups, and recently shared a rare photo alongside his wife Emma, 42, and their two daughters Evelyn, aged six, and Mabel, eight, from over Christmas.

His tribe: It comes after Bruce shared a rare photo alongside his wife Emma, 42, an their two daughters Evelyn, aged six, and Mabel, eight, over Christmas

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.

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.

'We miss you guys,' added Emma. The modern family is very close and often spend time together in Idaho.

Group fun: Bruce also revealed that he had been quarantining with ex-wife Demi Moore last year along with their three adult children and friends

Cozy: Demi also shared this snap herself with Bruce and their crew last year

Bruce and Demi were wed from 1987 until 2000. Demi shared her own Christmas images with her kids as well as several friends as they spent time in Idaho.

Bruce's daughter Rumer recently urged people to 'wear a damn mask' after being exposed to coronavirus.

The star 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.

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)'
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The Department Related Standing Committee for Information Technology under Shashi Tharoor met on Wednesday on the issue of the need and functioning of the Central Board for Film Certification (CBFC). A debate took place between the two sides on the need for certification in place and whether a censor board is needed.

CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi and officers from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Ministry attended the meeting.

Sources said MPs, including Tharoor and TMC's Mohua Moitra, asked the ministry if it is important to censor content and if mere certification is not enough. MPs also asked if there was any ground to censor content and if it was regularly reviewed.

The officers are said to have told the government that a periodic review is done. After the MPs asked for data to support this, the government said it would share in writing.

Joshi is said to have told the panel that content, especially on OTT platforms, is not just for personal but group viewing. How will you manage to censor huge amount of content on OTT platforms and with various languages, is there a proposal to use artificial intelligence -- these were questions by members that the government will answer in due course.

With no censoring currently in place for content on OTT platforms, some members from the opposition bench opined that people should be allowed to watch what they desire.

The panel also argued on how without a proper censoring and certification in place it would be difficult to point out violations, including certain fundamental laws such as SC/ST Act, Animal Atrocities Act, etc, Joshi is said to have told MPs.

There was a discussion on Article 19 (2) as well, which guarantees freedom of expression, with reasonable restraint.

Sources said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey quoted rules from countries like Australia and UK where even OTT platforms are regulated. The government also informed the panel that very soon a law would be brought in by the Centre to regulate OTT platforms.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation today led by ICESCO Director General Salim bin Mohammed AlMalik.

The ISESCO delegation has arrived in Azerbaijan on January 11. They held a meeting with Azerbaijani Minister of Culture Anar Kerimov, who stressed that the long-standing cooperation with ISESCO is of great importance for Azerbaijan.

The ISESCO director-general, in turn, expressed confidence that the bilateral relations will continue to further develop and contact new elements. AlMalik also praised the Azerbaijani leaderships role in boosting relations with ISESCO.

On January 12, the delegation visited Azerbaijans Fuzuli district. The members of the ICESCO delegation first reviewed the ruins of Fuzuli, the vandalism of the Armenians at the city cemetery, where marble tombstones and several graves have been destroyed.

When reviewing the ruins of the destroyed Juma mosque, the members of the delegation stressed that the Armenians kept pigs and other cattle here, as in other mosques. The members of the delegation also emphasized that such abuse of Islamic religious monuments is incompatible with humanity.

The members of the ICESCO delegation also reviewed the ancient caravanserai (roadside inn) and the ruins of a 17th-century mosque in Gargabazary village, the ruins of a completely destroyed mosque in Gochahmadli village, the vandalism committed here by the Armenians.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nearly a week after rioters marched to the U.S. Capitol after a speech by Republican President Donald Trump that many interpreted as a call to violence, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio issued a statement that urged Trump to address the nation and explicitly tell his supporters to refrain from violence as Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as president.

Both in his words before the attack on the Capitol and in his actions afterward, President Trump bears some responsibility for what happened on January 6, said the statement from the Cincinnati Republican, his strongest rebuke of Trump yet. We are now hearing from the FBI and others about the threat of additional violence in Washington, DC and at state capitols around the country between now and President-Elect Bidens inauguration on January 20. These reports are deeply concerning. Violence is never the answer, and we must take all threats seriously. The orderly and peaceful transfer of power on January 20 is a hallmark of our democracy.

Today, I call on President Trump to address the nation and explicitly urge his supporters to remain peaceful and refrain from violence, Portmans statement continued. If our nation experiences additional violence and destruction at the hands of his supporters in Washington DC and state capitols around the country, and he does not directly and unambiguously speak out now when threats are known, he will bear responsibility.

Trump, who has insisted without proof that Bidens victory resulted from election fraud, on Tuesday told reporters that his speech before the riot was was totally appropriate.

If you read my speech -- and many people have done it, and Ive seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television -- its been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate, Trump said on his way to an official visit to the border wall in Texas. And if you look at what other people have said -- politicians at a high level -- about the riots during the summer, the horrible riots in Portland and Seattle, in various other -- other places, that was a real problem -- what they said.

Trump also said talk from Democrats about impeaching him for encouraging the riot -- which resulted in the deaths of five people, including a Capitol Police officer -- is causing tremendous anger.

For Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to continue on this path, I think its causing tremendous danger to our country and its causing tremendous anger. I want no violence, Trump continued.

Portmans statement said he hopes the tragic attack on the Capitol on January 6 can serve to unite us rather than divide us further.

We need to come together to face enormous challenges, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, vaccine distribution, the worsening drug addiction epidemic, and the economic crisis caused by COVID-19, Portman continued. I look forward to working with the Biden administration and my colleagues to address these and many other priorities on behalf of Ohio and our nation.

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Capitol riot prompts Democrats in Congress to seek Trumps removal before Bidens inauguration

Angered by attempted coup at the Capitol, Rep. Tim Ryan wants to probe Capitol Police force and remove President Trump from office

Ohio members of Congress whisked to secure location as Trump supporters storm U.S. Capitol

Ohios Sen. Sherrod Brown says hell pursue $2,000 coronavirus checks and relief for renters when Democrats take Senate control

At least three Ohio GOP congressmen will join Rep. Jim Jordan in objecting to Wednesdays presidential vote count

Ohios Sen. Rob Portman wont support electoral vote challenges in Congress

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WASHINGTON  Sen. Mitch McConnell has concluded that President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses and believes that Democrats move to impeach him will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, according to people familiar with McConnells thinking.

The private assessment of McConnell, the most powerful Republican in Congress, emerged on the eve of a House vote to formally charge Trump with inciting violence against the country for his role in whipping up a mob of his supporters who stormed the Capitol while lawmakers met to formalize President-elect Joe Bidens victory.

In a sign that the dam could be breaking against Trump in a party that has long been unfailingly loyal to him, Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the House, announced her intention to support the single charge of high crimes and misdemeanors, as other party leaders declined to formally lobby rank-and-file lawmakers to oppose it.

The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack, Cheney said in a statement. There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

Even before McConnells position was known and Cheney had announced her plans, advisers to the Senate Republican leader had already privately speculated that a dozen Republican senators  and possibly more  could ultimately vote to convict Trump in a Senate trial that would follow his impeachment by the House. Seventeen Republicans would be needed to join Democrats in finding him guilty. After that, it would take a simple majority to disqualify Trump from ever again holding public office.

In the House, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader and one of Trumps most steadfast allies in Congress, has asked other Republicans whether he ought to call on Trump to resign in the aftermath of last weeks riot at the Capitol, according to three Republican officials briefed on the conversations. While he has said he is personally opposed to impeachment, he and other party leaders did not mount an official effort to defeat the push, and McCarthy was working on Tuesday to build support for a censure resolution to rebuke the president for his actions.

Taken together, the stances of Congress two top Republicans  neither of whom has said publicly that Trump should resign or be impeached  reflected the politically fraught and fast-moving nature of the crisis the party faces. After four years of backing the president at nearly every turn and refusing to condemn even his most extreme behavior, party leaders were racing to distance themselves from a president many of them now regard as a political and constitutional threat.

McCarthy backed the electoral challenges Republicans lodged last week during Congress electoral count, voting twice to overturn Bidens victory in key swing states even after the siege at the Capitol. McConnell had broken with Trump just as the rioters were breaching the building, warning of a descent into a death spiral for democracy if the efforts were to prevail.

Trump has shown no trace of contrition. On Tuesday, in his first public appearance since the siege of the Capitol, he told reporters that his remarks to supporters at a rally that day  in which he exhorted them to go to the Capitol and fight so Republicans would reject the election results  had been totally appropriate. It was the specter of his impeachment, he said, that was causing tremendous anger. But with Twitter having suspended his account for good, Trump no longer has his favorite weapon to train on lawmakers who cross him, which could curtail the blowback they face for voting against him.

Nonetheless, Trumps advisers used their own Twitter feeds to highlight his hold on the partys voters to keep Republicans in line. Jason Miller, a senior adviser, tweeted from an internal poll: 80% of Trump voters and 76% of Republicans in Battleground states are less likely to vote for a Member of Congress/U.S. Senator who votes for impeachment.

The Republican Partys rapid turn against Trump unfolded as the House met into the night on Tuesday to debate and vote on a resolution formally calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip the president of his powers, a move that Pence shot down hours before the House planned its action.

In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pence argued that the amendment was meant to address medical emergencies or presidential incapacity and that using it as a means of punishment or usurpation would set a terrible precedent. In a veiled reference to impeachment, he urged Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment and pledged work in good faith with Bidens transition team.

Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation, Pence wrote.

With Pence refusing their call, Democrats planned a Wednesday vote on a single article of impeachment charging Trump with inciting violence against the government of the United States.

The White House expected roughly two dozen Republicans to support the charge, according to a senior administration official who insisted on anonymity to share a private assessment. Along with Cheney, Reps. John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Fred Upton of Michigan announced they would support the charge. Just over a year ago, House Republicans rallied unanimously against Democrats first impeachment of Trump.

Forgoing a lengthy investigation, Democrats released a 76-page report collecting public information about the attack  including social media posts, news articles and other statements  and laying out a legal justification for impeachment.

It is true that the presidents remaining term is limited  but a president capable of fomenting a violent insurrection in the Capitol is capable of greater dangers still, they wrote. He must be removed from office as swiftly as the Constitution allows. He must also be disqualified to prevent the recurrence of the extraordinary threat he presents.

In the clearest sign to date that Pelosi plans to press the case to trial just as quickly as she brought it, she named nine Democrats as managers to serve as prosecutors in the Senate. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland will be the lead manager, she said. He will be joined by Reps. Diana DeGette of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Eric Swalwell of California, Ted Lieu of California, Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

McConnell has indicated he wants to see the specific article of impeachment that the House is set to approve Wednesday, and to hear the eventual arguments in the Senate. But the Senate Republican leader has made clear in private discussions that he believes now is the moment to move on from Trump, whom he blames for causing Republicans to lose the Senate. McConnell has not spoken to Trump since mid-December, when the senator informed the president he would be recognizing Biden as president-elect after the Electoral College certified it.

David Popp, a spokesman for McConnell, declined to comment on Tuesday, instead pointing a reporter to a speech the Kentucky Republican made when he returned to the Senate floor after Wednesdays siege.

This failed attempt to obstruct the Congress, this failed insurrection, only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our republic, McConnell said as the Senate reconvened to complete the electoral count disrupted by the mob. Our nation was founded precisely so that the free choice of the American people is what shapes our self-government and determines the destiny of our nation.

On Monday, Biden telephoned McConnell to ask whether it would be possible to set up a dual track that would allow the Senate to confirm Bidens Cabinet nominees and hold a Senate trial at the same time, according to officials briefed on the conversation who disclosed it on the condition of anonymity. Far from avoiding the topic of impeaching Trump, McConnell said it was a question for the Senate parliamentarian, and promised Biden a quick answer.

After whipping votes to ensure Trump was not found guilty in the impeachment trial last year, McConnell has turned sharply against Trump. Last week, in a memo to Senate Republicans, he indicated it would be difficult to hold a trial before Jan. 20, but notably did not defend the president.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called on McConnell to use emergency powers to call the Senate back for a trial as soon as the articles were adopted.

The bottom line is that Leader McConnell has the ability to call us back into session, and we can then move to convict Donald Trump, draw on the impeachment trial and try him, Schumer told reporters in New York. And thats what we hope McConnell will do.

But because the Senate is in recess, the two leaders must agree to do so or else a trial would begin no sooner than Jan. 19, when they return. The next day, with Bidens inauguration, Democrats will take operational control of the Senate, where they will have a working majority by dint of Vice President-elect Kamala Harris power to cast tiebreaking votes.

For McConnell and other Republicans, the crisis offered an opportunity to bar Trump from seeking the presidency again in 2024, as he has repeatedly mused with allies about doing.

Congressional Republicans must evaluate this latest Trump situation and look at the best long-term solutions for the country, said Scott Reed, a longtime Republican strategist. This is now totally about Trump, not his supporters, and a permanent purge must be on the table.

But that prospect has created a conundrum for Republicans who, understanding the deep affection for Trump among a powerful segment of their partys core supporters, are concerned they could pay a steep political price for abandoning him.

In the days since the attack, McCarthy has veered from asking Republican colleagues if he should call on Trump to resign to privately floating impeachment to his current posture, opposed to impeachment but open to a censure. After he and over 100 other House Republicans opposed the certification of the Electoral College, McCarthy is now finding anger and regret among his Republican colleagues and is moving to take a tougher line with the president.

Reports emerged Monday from Axios that the House Republican leader had had an intense conversation with Trump, during which the president floated conspiracy theories about the rioters and McCarthy pushed back forcefully.

Unlike McCarthy, McConnell strongly opposed the effort by Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas to object to electoral votes from certain states.

The two senators have received a hefty share of criticism from across the ideological spectrum, but there has been fallout for other Republicans who joined their ranks as well.

A number of Republican lawmakers and aides were worried that Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who is taking over the partys Senate campaign arm, would find it highly difficult to raise money with corporate America moving to freeze out Republicans who refused to certify the Electoral College. Americans for Prosperity and its political action committee, funded by the influential conservative Koch network, will evaluate future support of politicians based on their actions last week, its CEO told The Wall Street Journal.

Biden has made clear, in public and private, that he will not oppose the Democratic push to impeach Trump, even though his advisers and some lawmakers in his party are concerned about the impact it could have on his first days in office.

When he spoke with McConnell about the matter, the Senate leader left Biden with a bit of welcome news.

McConnell, who led the 2016 blockade against confirming Judge Merrick Garland when he was President Barack Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court, told Biden that he would vote to confirm Garland as attorney general.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Earlier this week, actor Sonu Sood was given extended interim protection by Bombay High court as Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) counsel Anik Sakhare sought time to respond to the actor's petition. On Tuesday (January 12), BMC told the Bombay High Court that Sonu Sood has been a "habitual offender of illegal construction" as it urged the court to dismiss his plea.

The BMC shared details of the past two instances of demolishing parts of his Juhu property with the court. The civic body said that back in 2018 and now in February 2020, the actor demolished parts of the six-storey Shakti Sagar building without permission. The affidavit filed by the BMC said, "The applicant (Sonu) is a habitual offender and wants to enjoy the commercial proceeds of the unauthorised work and therefore once again started reconstructing the demolished portion in order to make it operational as a hotel albeit illegally and without permission from the License department."

BMC has also claimed that the actor was trying to protect an "ex-facie illegal" commercial hotel. The affidavit noted that the property is being constructed and modified into a hotel by Sood against the sanctioned plan, more than once. It also claimed that he is running the hotel without a license. "He has not been given permission for change of user of the said property from residential to commercial and there is no license to run the commercial hotel," the affidavit added.

Justice Prithviraj Chavan on Monday, (January 11) had asked for an explanation on running a hotel to which, Sonu Sood's advocate revealed that Sood is not conducting a hotel business, but is running "a residential hotel in which flats are rented out to people". A new hearing is set to be held on Wednesday (January 13).

ALSO READ: Bombay HC Extends Relief To Sonu Sood In Alleged Illegal Construction Case

ALSO READ: Sonu Sood Has The Sweetest Birthday Wish For 'Sister' Farah Khan: There Can Never Be Another You
The Spanish government has extended its restrictions on air and sea arrivals from the United Kingdom until February 2 at 6pm. Only flights and ships carrying Spanish or Andorran citizens or official residents of those two territories will be allowed in, said Health Minister Salvador Illa on Tuesday evening following the weekly Cabinet meeting. Andorra is a microstate nestled between Spain and France.

Authorities cited the epidemiological situation in Britain and concerns about the new strain of the coronavirus first detected in the UK as the reasons for this latest extension.

The epidemiological situation in the UK has grown progressively worse, and now shows a cumulative 14-day incidence of 1,031 cases per 100,000 [inhabitants]. This situation, together with the detection in Spain of cases involving the new variant, make it necessary to keep the measures in place until their impact on the evolution of the pandemic is known, especially the ways in which it could affect our country, said the government in a statement.

The travel limit was first introduced on December 22, then extended on December 29 for a period due to end on January 19. The newest extension pushes the deadline to February 2, but leaves a door open to an earlier ending date.

Depending on how the situation and the pandemic evolve, and especially on what decisions might be taken in a coordinated way in the European Union, the Health Ministry could lift these limitations before the end of the period, added the government statement.

PCR tests for delayed flights

The Spanish Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday evening that because of the travel disruptions caused by Storm Filomena in Spain, passengers with expiring PCR tests will not be asked to produce a new one to meet the 72-hour requirement.

With regard to the delays/cancellations/reprogramming of flights due to the snow storm in Spain, affected travelers from risk countries will not be required to do a new PCR, said the ministry in a tweet.

Passengers arriving in Spanish airports are required to have taken a PCR test or equivalent alternatives within 72 hours prior to arrival.

TIE receipt grace period expires

Legal residents of Spain planning to fly back from the UK should be aware that a grace period has ended for those who have applied for residency papers but have yet to receive their official documents.

Due to confusion over changes caused by Brexit, the Spanish Foreign Ministry recently confirmed that the only documents currently being accepted as evidence of residency are either the recently created Tarjeta de Identidad de Extranjero (TIE) biometric identity card, or else the green residency certificate (either the credit card-sized version or the A4 page).

But from January 4 to 10, authorities were also accepting proof of application to receive or renew TIE cards, a receipt known in Spanish as resguardo de solicitud o renovacion de tarjeta de extranjero.

This document was considered acceptable evidence for flying to Spain, even though in practice there were many cases of Spain-bound passengers who were refused boarding in the UK during the first days of January due to airline confusion regarding permitted travel documents.

Travel to UK: new requirement

Faced with a new surge in coronavirus cases, British authorities this week announced new pre-departure testing requirements for travelers to England. The British Embassy in Spain noted that the rule also applies to Scotland.

From 4am on 15 January, we will be introducing pre-departure testing requirements for all inbound passengers to England. Passengers arriving by ship, plane or train will have to take a test up to three days before departure and provide evidence of a negative result before they travel, the Department for Transport said in a statement, although the British government later changed the start date for the requirement to 4am on January 18.

This will be an additional requirement that applies to all passengers, including those travelling from a travel corridor country, other than those on a very short list of exemptions. This extra layer of protection is in addition to existing self-isolation requirements, added the note.

The department said it would provide clear guidance and advice to passengers regarding testing standards and capacity. It mentioned PCR tests and said that accepted tests could in some cases include LAMP and lateral flow tests within set limits.
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A tie-up with Hyundai could speed up Apple's automotive market entry plans

Rumours have persisted for a number of years that US electronics giant Apple is exploring options for entering the automotive industry. Now, adding fuel to the fire is the revelation by South Korean automaker Hyundai that it is in early talks with Apple, potentially signalling a collaboration between the two. No details of the discussions have been made public so far but they are likely to be focused on addressing megatrends including autonomous and electrified vehicles, along with drawing on Apple's tech experience to develop connected vehicle technologies.

Apple had a number of self-driving research and development vehicles registered for testing in California as recently as 2018 but, in January 2019, news emerged that it had laid off more than 200 employees from its 'Project Titan' division  responsible for developing autonomous vehicle technology. At that point, it seemed that Apple had abandoned its automotive ambitions. The industry is notorious for high volumes and low margins, and these barriers might have made the company think twice before committing to costly plans with no guarantee of success.

However, these new talks with Hyundai have rekindled the possibility that Apple could soon release a vehicle of its own. A tie up between Apple and Hyundai would likely see both firms leverage their respective strengths to reduce development and production costs.

For Apple, it has already developed a suite of self-driving technologies that could dovetail neatly with similar capabilities from Hyundai which, itself, purchased a minority stake in self-driving tech company Aurora in June 2019. Of course, Apple is also extremely well versed in connected technologies, including the design of user interfaces and experiences as demonstrated by its popular range of personal electronics  principles developed here could easily be applied in a future vehicle cockpit as more autonomy and infotainment features find their way into passenger vehicles.

Deciding to collaborate with Hyundai on vehicle production would be a wise move for Apple.

Deciding to collaborate with Hyundai on vehicle production would be a wise move for Apple. Hyundai has an established and growing vehicle production network, along with supply chains for the materials and components needed for production  something that would be very costly if Apple opted to go it alone. Considering the new vehicle if created would almost certainly be battery-electric powered, Hyundai also has strengths in this area that Apple could benefit from including access to lithium-ion cell supply critical for EVs. If the collaboration materialises, Hyundai stands to benefit thanks to the extra sales of components used to build Apple cars along with extra capacity utilisation across its production network.

It should be noted that Hyundai has since revised the statement it made to the media, removing specific references to Apple and noting that it is actually one of a number of companies to have engaged in talks. This could indicate that Hyundai's public revelation has drawn the ire of the Californian tech company, which is notoriously secretive about upcoming projects.

Hyundai has committed to aggressively investing in future technologies in its latest business plan  these include autonomous vehicles and battery-electric vehicles, but also hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered models. A collaboration with Apple would fit neatly with these ambitions, highlighting Hyundai's strengths in future mobility along with opening a new revenue stream for the company.

See also: Why Apple's iCar is not pie in the sky
As per the state governments plan, administration of Covid-19 vaccine will be officially launched at the government hospital in Vijayawada and at the government hospital in China Waltair on January 16. (Representational DC Photo)

Vijayawada: All is set for administration of Covid-19 vaccine Covishield at the rate of 100 doses each, one per person, at 332 session sites per day beginning from January 16 to 20 in Andhra Pradesh.

As the state government received 4.99 lakh doses of vaccine including 4.77 lakh doses of Covishield and 20,000 doses of Covaxin from respective firms in the last two days, state health authorities distributed vaccine doses from the central vaccine store to districts and from there to select primary health centres by Wednesday afternoon.

As per the state governments plan, administration of Covid-19 vaccine will be officially launched at the government hospital in Vijayawada and at the government hospital in China Waltair on January 16. At the same time, health authorities will commence administration of the vaccine in other identified session sites all over the state.

In addition to the administration of vaccine in AP, the state government will also supply 320 doses of Covid-19 vaccine to be administered in Yanam. Armed personnel in Visakhapatnam are also to be given the Covid-19 vaccine.

As the vaccine doses have reached the session sites, state health authorities advised the energy department to avoid any disruption in power supply to session sites in order to continue the cold chain without disruption. The vaccine is supposed to be stored in the cold chain at a temperature between 2 C and 8 C.

The authorities also directed the officials taking care of the session sites to keep power backup that is supposed to start automatically in case of any disruption in power supply.

State health authorities maintain that as per initial plan, they will be administering 100 doses of vaccine at each session site for five days from January 16 to 20; which meant the health authorities will administer 500 doses of vaccine at each session site.

Given the number of vaccine doses received so far, the health authorities planned accordingly. Initially, only Covishield will be used as AP received 4.77 lakh doses. If a beneficiary is given the first dose of Covishield, he or she has to be given the same vaccine as the second dose with a gap of 28 days.

Until we receive further doses of Covaxin, we will use only Covishield for jabs, officials said. Director of health Dr T. Geeta Prasadini said, We have planned meticulously for administration of Covid-19 vaccine to all targeted beneficiaries from January 16 to 20, initially and we are holding consultations with all stakeholders to identify issues, if any, and resolve them.
Sacha Baron Cohen expresses his reservations against social media, calling them the 'propagators of shared lies.'

Days after global social media websites decided to ban Donald Trump, the former US President, actor Sacha Baron Cohen, seemed considerably pleased.

Having mimicked Trump in his latest Borat film, Baron-Cohen soon expressed his opinions on Twitter, thanking the thousands of employees working in companies like Facebook and Twitter, who pushed for a world without purveyor of lies, conspiracies, and hate.

See the tweet

Twitter finally banned Trump! We did it! https://t.co/KFJUB1YvZU  Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) January 8, 2021

This is the most important moment in the history of social media. The worlds largest platforms have banned the world's biggest purveyor of lies, conspiracies and hate. To every Facebook and Twitter employee, user and advocate who fought for this--the entire world thanks you! pic.twitter.com/jihFaOA39G  Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) January 9, 2021

The actor, in a Variety interview, shared his reservations about the concept of social media and how the various platforms are nothing but propagators of conspiracy theories and what he calls shared lies. Baron-Cohens campaign against this media began way back in 2019 with Anti-Defamation Leagues Never Is Now summit, where he meticulously launched a tirade against companies like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube among others, especially their lackadaisical approach when it came to censoring potentially harmful content.

Talking about his views, Baron-Cohen said, While I was aware of the dangers of social media from 2015 onwards, I was trying to find a celebrity who would actually take up the cause. They know who they are, but I approached a number of celebrities over the years, trying to say: Listen, this is the issue right now, this is really dangerous, will you be the mouthpiece for the cause? All of them refused.

The actor also opined on the various social media platforms hesitation to curtail the spread of fake news, citing the excuse of freedom of speech. He says there are always obvious limits to such a concept, adding that Europe utilised these restrictions in an era following World War II.

As a solution, Baron-Cohen suggests strong fact-checking armies that can be deployed in these media so that information gets amply filtered before it reaches the public. He adds, that these trillion-dollar companies should essentially say, We are going to employ hundreds of thousands of people, potentially millions of people worldwide, and share these profits and use these people to help curb the excesses of our companies.

Baron-Cohen's Borat Subsequent Moviefilm is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Former Sen. Barbara Boxer Cancels Plan to Lobby for a Sanctioned Chinese Company

Former Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) registered to lobby for a Chinese firm last week but decided to deregister hours after her registration was reported on.

Due to the intense response to my registration I have determined that my continued work has become a negative distraction from my effort to preserve American jobs and make the company better, Boxer wrote on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Therefore I have deregistered.

Daily Caller first reported that Boxer registered as a foreign agent for Hikvision USA, the subsidiary of a Chinese surveillance company that has been sanctioned by the U.S. government.

Hikvision was accused of involvement in human rights violations and abuses targeting Muslim minorities in Xinjiang, China.

In October 2019, the Department of Commerce announced a restriction on the export of U.S. technologies to 28 Chinese entities, including Hikvision, because of such involvement.

On Nov. 12, 2020, President Donald Trump signed an executive order forbidding U.S. companies or individuals from investing in Hikvision and other Chinese companies.

Boxer spent 24 years in the Senate. She had also been a member of the House of Representatives for 10 years. She was the predecessor of Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.).

In her registration form (pdf) with the Department of Justice under FARA (Foreign Agents Registration Act), Boxer indicated that she would provide strategic consulting services to Hikvision.

Boxer also disclosed that she donated $500 to the Biden Presidential Inauguration last month.

Per FARAs requirement, registers must disclose political donations made within 60 days of the registration.

Axios reported that the Biden Inauguration Committee decided to refund Boxers donation.

It tells me that the Chinese Communist Party has completely infiltrated the U.S. political system, especially the Democratic Party in California, China expert Gordon Chang said on Tuesday night when asked by Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Because you not only have Barbara Boxer, youve got [Sen.] Dianne Feinstein [D-Calif.] with China problems. And then, of course, the person you refer to, Eric Swalwell, who is yet to adequately explain his relationship with a suspected administrative State Security agent, Chang added.

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) has said he did nothing wrong. His office, which hasnt returned repeated requests for comment, has told news outlets that Swalwell cut ties with the suspected Chinese spy Fang Fang nearly six years ago.

Chang pointed out that David Vitter, the former Republican senator from Louisiana, also registered to work for Hikvision.

This means we need to get China out of our political system, we need to cut our ties with the regime, Chang continued. We know that theyre exploiting the openness of our political system to overthrow our government.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.
A recent Point of Reference article, "The meat of the matter: Environmental dissemination of beef cattle agrochemicals," published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, points at synthetic chemical cocktails being emitted from cattle feed yards into the environment and how they can impact our ecosystem and our health.

Industrial meat production facilities have a bad reputation for their impact on the environment. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are known to release greenhouse gases related to global warming and for discharge of manure to watersheds, which affects water quality. A less publicized impact of modern beef production is the excessive use of pharmaceuticals and pesticides, which end up in the environment. The animal production agriculture sector holds the record as the single greatest consumer of antimicrobials. Dust from feed yards typically contains antibiotics, synthetic steroids (growth hormones) and pesticides. At a time, when honeybee population decline is a hot topic, it is curious that the dust emitted each day from feed yards in the US alone theoretically contains enough permethrin to kill over a billion honeybees per day.

Since many feed yards, especially those in the US, occur in arid to semiarid regions, chemicals associated with manure particles can be transported on windborne dust over large distances. As a result, open-air beef cattle feed yards may collectively represent one of the largest unconstrained and unrecognized sources of pesticide and antimicrobial emissions on earth. Humans and wildlife, including birds and mammals, may be exposed to these chemicals either directly or indirectly.

A limited number of laws and regulations addressing odors, dust emissions, and water contamination have arisen in response to complaints from people living in the vicinity of feed yards. However, no regulations address agrochemical content of feed yard dust emissions. Environmental Impact Assessment guidance for the FDA New Animal Drug Application process does not recognize particulate-driven aerial transport of drugs into the environment. Globally, regulations on the use of agrochemicals in beef production vary considerably.

The need to produce affordable, readily available, and nutritious beef is steadily increasing, but it should not be met at the expense of environmental and human health. Feed yard waste management strategies, when used appropriately, can mitigate introduction of agrochemicals into the environment but implementation can be costly. Potential ameliorative approaches may include reduced reliance on veterinary pharmaceuticals that have potential to adversely impact local and distant ecosystems, development of alternative green chemistries, integrated pest management strategies, effective waste treatment and management strategies and broader understanding of the impacts of aerial agrochemical dissemination.

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Former Today show weather presenter Steve Jacobs enjoyed a leisurely walk in Sydney's Bronte on Monday with his girlfriend, Amanda King.

The 54-year-old showed off his surprisingly buff torso by going shirtless on the stroll.

Steve looked tanned and toned as he ambled down the footpath in nothing more than a pair of patterned boardshorts.

Stepping out: Former Today show weather presenter Steve Jacobs (right) enjoyed a leisurely walk in Sydney's Bronte on Monday with his girlfriend, Amanda King (left)

For sun safety, he wore sunglasses and a visor. The Channel Nine star also carried a white T-shirt, which he later put on.

Steve was joined by his latest squeeze, whom he met at his daughter's primary school in 2019.

Mother-of-two Amanda looked sporty in a pair of bike shorts, a white sleeveless tank top, sunglasses and a visor.

If you've got it, flaunt it! Steve, 54, showed off his surprisingly buff torso by going shirtless

Golden boy: Steve looked tanned and toned as he ambled down the footpath in nothing more than a pair of patterned boardshorts

Steve and Amanda first sparked rumours they were dating two years ago. They reportedly met as single parents at the school gate.

In October 2019, they were famously pictured canoodling at Sydney's Bronte Park.

Steve later told Daily Mail Australia their relationship was strictly platonic.

Hunk: For sun safety, he wore sunglasses and a visor. The Channel Nine star also carried a white T-shirt, which he later put on

'Sorry to disappoint, but there's nothing romantic happening between the two of us,' he said at the time, adding: 'We're great mates.'

Steve was previously married to TV presenter Rose Jacobs, who is the mother of his two daughters, Isabella, nine, and Francesca, seven, but they separated in 2017.

They split just months after relocating to Vanuatu in what friends described at the time as a 'last-ditch attempt' to save their seven-year marriage.

Athletic: Mother-of-two Amanda looked sporty in a pair of bike shorts, a white sleeveless tank top, sunglasses and a visor

'I think there were a few people who sensed something was up when they moved to Vanuatu,' a friend told Daily Mail Australia in 2018.

'The sea change was basically a last-ditch attempt to make things work, but it wasn't to be unfortunately.'

Steve famously quit the Today show in 2016 to work on his marriage, before returning to the network in 2017 as a weather presenter on Weekend Today.

Romance: Steve and Amanda first sparked rumours they were dating two years ago. They reportedly met as single parents at the school gate

He rejoined the main Today show for its 2019 relaunch, but was let go later in the year and replaced by Tim Davies.

In April last year, he joined Nine's radio station Magic 1278, hosting a new breakfast program focusing on music from the '70s, '80s and '90s.

Steve returned to present the weather on the Today show for a week in December.
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with incitement of insurrection over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021 in Washington. The President is traveling to Texas. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with "incitement of insurrection" over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office.

With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, egged on by the presidents calls for them to "fight like hell" against the election results.

Ten Republicans fled Trump, joining Democrats who said he needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a "clear and present danger" if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Bidens inauguration Jan. 20.

Trump is the only U.S. president to be twice impeached. It was the most bipartisan presidential impeachment in modern times, more so than against Bill Clinton in 1998.

The Capitol insurrection stunned and angered lawmakers, who were sent scrambling for safety as the mob descended, and it revealed the fragility of the nations history of peaceful transfers of power. The riot also forced a reckoning among some Republicans, who have stood by Trump throughout his presidency and largely allowed him to spread false attacks against the integrity of the 2020 election.

Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., and Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., hand pizzas to members of the National Guard gathered at the Capitol Visitor Center, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Washington. as the House of Representatives continues with its fast-moving House vote to impeach President Donald Trump, a week after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, imploring lawmakers to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign "and domestic."

She said of Trump: "He must go, he is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love."

Holed up at the White House, watching the proceedings on TV, Trump later released a video statement in which he made no mention at all of the impeachment but appealed to his supporters to refrain from any further violence or disruption of Biden's inauguration.

"Like all of you, I was shocked and deeply saddened by the calamity at the Capitol last week," he said, his first condemnation of the attack. He appealed for unity "to move forward" and said, "Mob violence goes against everything I believe in and everything our movement stands for. ... No true supporter of mine could ever disrespect law enforcement."

Trump was first impeached by the House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but the Senate voted in 2020 acquit. He is the first president to be impeached twice. None has been convicted by the Senate, but Republicans said Wednesday that could change in the rapidly shifting political environment as officeholders, donors, big business and others peel away from the defeated president.

Biden said in a statement after the vote that it was his hope the Senate leadership "will find a way to deal with their constitutional responsibilities on impeachment while also working on the other urgent business of this nation."

Members of the National Guard secure the perimeter around the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in Washington as the House of Representatives continues with its fast-moving House vote to impeach President Donald Trump, a week after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The soonest Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell would start an impeachment trial is next Tuesday, the day before Trump is already set to leave the White House, McConnell's office said. The legislation is also intended to prevent Trump from ever running again.

McConnell believes Trump committed impeachable offences and considers the Democrats impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic presidents hold on the GOP, a Republican strategist told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

McConnell told major donors over the weekend that he was through with Trump, said the strategist, who demanded anonymity to describe McConnells conversations.

In a note to colleagues Wednesday, McConnell said he had "not made a final decision on how I will vote."

Unlike his first time, Trump faces this impeachment as a weakened leader, having lost his own reelection as well as the Senate Republican majority.

Even Trump ally Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, shifted his position and said Wednesday the president bears responsibility for the horrifying day at the Capitol.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, talks with others after the U.S. House voted to impeach President Donald Trump in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Trump is charged with "incitement of insurrection" over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

In making a case for the "high crimes and misdemeanours" demanded in the Constitution, the four-page impeachment resolution approved Wednesday relies on Trumps own incendiary rhetoric and the falsehoods he spread about Bidens election victory, including at a rally near the White House on the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

A Capitol Police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies. The riot delayed the tally of Electoral College votes that was the last step in finalizing Bidens victory.

Ten Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, voted to impeach Trump, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself.

Cheney, whose father is the former Republican vice-president, said of Trump's actions summoning the mob that "there has never been a greater betrayal by a President" of his office.

Trump was said to be livid with perceived disloyalty from McConnell and Cheney.

With the team around Trump hollowed out and his Twitter account silenced by the social media company, the president was deeply frustrated that he could not hit back, according to White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing who werent authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., displays the signed article of impeachment against President Donald Trump in an engrossment ceremony before transmission to the Senate for trial on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

From the White House, Trump leaned on Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to push Republican senators to resist, while chief of staff Mark Meadows called some of his former colleagues on Capitol Hill.

The presidents sturdy popularity with the GOP lawmakers constituents still had some sway, and most House Republicans voted not to impeach.

Security was exceptionally tight at the Capitol, with tall fences around the complex. Metal-detector screenings were required for lawmakers entering the House chamber, where a week earlier lawmakers huddled inside as police, guns drawn, barricaded the door from rioters.

"We are debating this historic measure at a crime scene," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

During the debate, some Republicans repeated the falsehoods spread by Trump about the election and argued that the president has been treated unfairly by Democrats from the day he took office.

Other Republicans argued the impeachment was a rushed sham and complained about a double standard applied to his supporters but not to the liberal left. Some simply appealed for the nation to move on.

Rep. Tom McClintock of California said, "Every movement has a lunatic fringe."

Yet Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. and others recounted the harrowing day as rioters pounded on the chamber door trying to break in. Some called it a "coup" attempt.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., contended that Trump was "capable of starting a civil war."

Conviction and removal of Trump would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, which will be evenly divided. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to "go away as soon as possible."

Fending off concerns that an impeachment trial would bog down his first days in office, Biden is encouraging senators to divide their time between taking taking up his priorities of confirming his nominees and approving COVID-19 relief while also conducting the trial.

The impeachment bill draws from Trumps own false statements about his election defeat to Biden. Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

The House had first tried to persuade Vice-President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke their authority under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Pence declined to do so, but the House passed the resolution anyway.

The impeachment bill also details Trumps pressure on state officials in Georgia to "find" him more votes.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent. In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Andrew Taylor and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Madison Pacific Properties Inc. (the Company) (TSX: MPC and MPC.C), a Vancouver-based real estate company announces the results of operations for the three months ended November 30, 2020.

The results reported are pursuant to International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for public companies.

For the three months ended November 30, 2020, the Company is reporting net income of $3.7 million (2019: $8.1 million); cash flows from operating activities before changes in non-cash operating balances of $2.2 million (2019: $3.5 million); and income per share of $0.06 (2019: $0.13). Included in net income is an after-tax net gain from the fair value adjustment on investment properties of $1.3 million (2019: $5.2 million).

The Company currently owns approximately $608 million in investment and development properties, including the Companys proportionate share of properties held through jointly-controlled partnerships. The Companys investment portfolio comprises 52 properties with approximately 1.83 million rentable sq. ft. of industrial and commercial space and a 50% interest in a 54 unit multi-family rental property. Approximately 98.9% of available space within the industrial and commercial investment properties is currently leased. The Companys development properties include a 50% interest in the Silverdale Hills Limited Partnership which owns approximately 1,389 acres of undeveloped residential designated lands in Mission, British Columbia. Approximately 38 acres of these residential lands in Mission are currently under development as townhomes and single family lots for sale.

The COVID-19 pandemic has continued to cause economic disruption and it is difficult to predict the duration and extent of the pandemic and whether it will have any long-term impact on the Companys business. The Company is currently well positioned, with a diversified income portfolio of industrial, office, retail and multi-family rental assets. Approximately 81% of the Companys commercial investment properties are located in British Columbia where the provincial government has various social gathering and business restrictions in place. The Company has provided some short-term rent deferrals and rent relief, including rent relief through government assistance programs, for certain tenants that have been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. As at November 30, 2020, the rent deferrals amounted to $500 thousand and rent relief for the three months ended November 30, 2020, amounted to $119 thousand. These are uncertain and challenging times and management will be continuing to monitor business developments and market conditions and any effect they may have on the business.

For a review of the risks and uncertainties to which the Company is subject see its most recently filed annual and interim MD&A.

The Company is also pleased to announce that a $.0525 per share dividend on each of the Class B voting common shares and Class C non-voting shares will be payable February 23, 2021 to shareholders of record on February 9, 2021. The dividend is considered an eligible dividend for tax purposes.

Contact: Mr. Marvin Haasen Mr. Dino Di Marco President & CEO Investor Information Telephone: (604) 732-6540 (604) 732-6540 Fax: (604) 732-6550 Address: 389 West 6th Avenue Vancouver, B.C. V5Y 1L1




Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) -Kenorland Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: KLD) ("Kenorland" or "the Company") is pleased to announce the commencement of trading today on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "KLD". This follows the completion of the Company's reverse takeover of Northway Resources Corp. and subsequent $10 million private placement announced on January 04, 2021.

Kenorland's mission is to become a leading mineral exploration company in North America and beyond, delivering value creation to shareholders through the discovery of new mineral deposits. The company's primary exploration assets are located in Quebec, Canada and Alaska, USA. Kenorland holds a combined 400,000+ hectares of mineral tenure within the Frotet Evans and Abitibi Greenstone Belts in Quebec, the Tintina Gold Province in eastern Alaska and the Thompson Nickel Belt in Manitoba.

The company looks forward to a very active year of exploration in 2021, with plans to advance drilling on numerous projects across the portfolio in both Quebec and Alaska. This includes a 9,000m diamond drill program beginning in March to follow up on the significant gold discovery made at Regnault, on the Frotet Project located in Quebec, in 2020 (see press release dated July 29, 2020). In June, the company plans to begin drilling at the Healy Project in Alaska to test a newly recognized gold system in the Goodpaster District. During this time, field work will also begin at the Tanacross Project in eastern Alaska, which hosts a large-scale porphyry copper system. In August, the drilling activities will shift from Healy to Tanacross and carry on through September.





Figure 1. Kenorland Minerals - North American Project Locations



To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6489/71880_7abbc98bd407a952_001full.jpg



Kenorland Minerals - Quebec, Canada

Figure 2. Mineral Properties of Quebec, Canada

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6489/71880_7abbc98bd407a952_002full.jpg

The Frotet project, currently owned 65% Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. ("SMMCL") and 35% Kenorland, covers 39,365 ha of the Frotet Evans greenstone belt, which hosts the past-producing Troilus gold-copper mine. Two years of property-wide systematic till sampling led to an initial drill program in 2020 which resulted in a significant grassroots discovery at the prospect now named Regnault. In January, Kenorland and SMMCL plan to carry out a 158 line km 3D IP survey covering a trend of over four kilometers of gold anomalism in glacial till and boulders, including the initial discovery area. The IP survey will be followed by an est. 9,000m diamond drill program beginning in March. SMMCL has the option to earn an additional 15% interest in the project by funding these programs.

In addition to Kenorland's flagship Frotet project, the company holds four pipeline projects in Quebec:

The Chicobi Project, also held under an earn-in to joint venture agreement with Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd (SMMCL), covers 51,257 ha over the Chicobi deformation zone in the central Abitibi Greenstone Belt. In January, Kenorland and SMMCL will begin the third phase of sonic drill-for-till geochemical sampling consisting of 70 infill sonic drill holes to collect glacial till samples beneath glaciolacustrine (lake) sediments. Over the past two years, the company has systematically carried out multiple regional geochemical drill-for-till surveys over the entire project area. Following the completion of the upcoming Phase 3 sampling, Kenorland anticipates generating targets for subsequent testing by diamond drilling.

The Chebistuan Project, held under an exploration agreement and venture option with Newmont Corporation, covers 161,025 ha along a major deformation zone in the northern Abitibi Greenstone belt. The project saw the completion of a property-wide geochemical survey in fall of 2020 (4,377 samples). The company is currently evaluating results for follow-up surface work anticipated to be carried out in summer 2021.

The Hunter Project (100% owned by Kenorland) covers 18,177 ha over the Hunter felsic caldera complex in the southern Abitibi Greenstone belt. The company is planning to carryout a property wide VTEM survey and targeted drill-for-till geochemical sampling program currently scheduled for early 2021.

The O'Sullivan Project - (100% owned by Kenorland), covering 27,595 ha of prospective geology within the Abitibi Greenstone belt, adjacent to Cartier Resource's Benoist Project, saw the successful completion of a property-wide till sampling program in the fall 2020. The company is currently evaluating the geochemical results and looks forward to further surface work in summer 2021 to advance the project towards initial drill testing.

Kenorland Minerals - Alaska, USA

Figure 3. Mineral Properties of Alaska, USA

To view an enhanced version of Figure 3, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/6489/71880_7abbc98bd407a952_003full.jpg

The Healy Project (optioned from Newmont Corporation) covers 18,470 ha within Alaska's prolific Goodpaster mining district. Multiple years of systematic regional exploration has led to the recognition and discovery of a previously unknown large-scale gold system. Detailed geochemical and geophysical surveys carried out in 2020 aided in the definition of multiple drill targets which will be tested in 2021 during the project's initial diamond drill program.



The Tanacross Project (100% owned by Kenorland) in eastern Alaska hosts a significant porphyry copper-gold system within a 45,900 ha land package. Newly acquired property-wide geochemical and geophysical (ZTEM) data has resulted in the identification of large-scale porphyry targets. The company is planning various geological, geochemical and geophysical surveys, followed by diamond drilling over two target areas, East Taurus and South Taurus. Work is scheduled to begin in June and carry on through September 2021.

A Message from Our CEO

Zach Flood, President and CEO of Kenorland states: "We are extremely excited to begin this next chapter of Kenorland Minerals. The company has grown significantly since our inception in 2016 and we look forward to continuing that progress as we enter the public markets. Our dedicated team has done an incredible job of seeking out and advancing new exploration opportunities and the recent grassroots gold discovery we made in Quebec is a testament to this. With an vast portfolio of mineral tenure in some of the most well-endowed and politically stable jurisdictions in North America, along with the support from our industry partners and incredible shareholders, we are well positioned for further discovery and growth into the future."

COVID-19

Kenorland Minerals CEO Zach Flood had this to say: "Maintaining the health and safety of our people and those of the areas we operate is imperative. We will adapt to the actions being taken by various governments to address the threat of COVID-19. The Kenorland team will employ a dynamic strategy to exploration in 2021 and continue to advance its flagship and pipeline projects."

Qualified Persons

Janek Wozniewski, P.Geo. (OGQ #2239), Exploration Manager of Kenorland Minerals Ltd., Qualified Person under NI 43- 101 on standards of disclosure for mineral projects, has reviewed and approved the technical content of this release.

About Kenorland Minerals

Kenorland Minerals Ltd (TSXV: KLD) is a mineral exploration company incorporated under the laws of the Province of British Columbia and based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Kenorland's focus is early to advanced stage exploration in North America. The company currently holds three projects where work is being completed under an earn-in agreement from third parties. The Frotet and Chicobi Projects, which are both located in Quebec, Canada, are optioned to Sumitomo Metal Mining Canada Ltd. and the Chebistuan Project, also located in Quebec, is optioned to Newmont Mining. The company also owns 100% of the advanced stage Tanacross porphyry Cu-Au project as well as an option to earn up to 70% from Newmont Corporation on the Healy Project, both located in Alaska, USA.

Further information can be found on the Company's website www.kenorlandminerals.com

Kenorland Minerals Ltd.

Zach Flood

President and CEO

Tel: +1 604 363 1779

zach@kenorlandminerals.com

Kenorland Minerals Ltd.

Francis MacDonald

Executive Vice President, Exploration

Tel: +1 604 379 3267

francis@kenorlandminerals.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.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (together, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, are forward-looking statements. Generally, forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of terminology such as "plans", "expects', "estimates", "intends", "anticipates", "believes" or variations of such words, or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward looking statements involve risks, uncertainties and other factors disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's filings with Canadian securities regulators, that could cause actual results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing these forward-looking statements are reasonable based upon the information currently available to management as of the date hereof, actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Readers are therefore cautioned not to place undue reliance on these statements, which only apply as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed times frames or at all. Except where required by applicable law, the Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71880
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  An officer of a nurses group expressed concerns about the vaccination of healthcare workers, mentioning the low efficacy rate of Sinovac's CoronaVac, which is the COVID-19 vaccine the national government is planning to procure.

Healthcare workers are among the first that the government wants to be vaccinated due to their constant exposure to risks of getting the virus.

Filipino Nurses United Vice President Eleanor Nolasco told CNN Philippines on Wednesday that she personally feels that healthcare workers are being treated as guinea pigs in the vaccination program.

I would not like to use it but it would appear na parang guinea pigs na naman ang health workers dito sa issue ng vaccination, Nolasco said.

[Translation: I would not like to use it but it would appear that health workers are being treated as guinea pigs in the issue of vaccination.]

We have very strong misgivings given the issues and problems that hound the first vaccine that will be given to the public, she said, referring to sentiments among some members of the nurses' association.

Nolasco said that healthcare workers want to be assured about the safety and efficacy of the vaccine that will be given to them.

However, she pointed out that it is still the individuals decision whether to be inoculated or not regardless of the efficacy rate of the vaccine.

She said nurses' group FNU still doesnt have an official stand on vaccination for medical frontliners as they wait for the official guideline that mandates the prioritization of health workers.

At this point, it is just an announcement. It is a positive announcement, but there is no definite guideline yet, Nolasco said.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said on Monday that the initial batch of 50,000 doses from China's Sinovac will be allotted for medical frontliners based in Metro Manila.

Brazilian researchers reported that CoronaVac is just more than 50% effective based on trial data.
The first consignment of Covidshield



vaccine from Pune-based Serum Insititute of India arrived at the Cochin international airport here on Wednesday morning to combat COVID-19, official sources said.

The Go Air flight carrying the vaccine for Ernakulam and Kozhikode landed at the airport at 10.35 am, they said.

Special refrigerated vans were arranged to transport the vaccine safely to the respective centres.

Transfer of vaccine boxes from the plane to vans was completed in 10 minutes, they said.

The second flight carrying the vaccine is expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram international airport this afternoon.

National Health Mission sources said of the 4.33 lakh doses of the vaccine, 1,100 would be sent to Mahe, which is an enclave of Puducherry and lies between Kozhikode and Kannur districts.

The vaccine will be stored in the Regional vaccine centres at Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode from where it would be distributed to 133 centres across the state.

While Thiruvananthapuram will receive 1,34,000 doses of the vaccine, Ernakulam and Kozhikode will receive 1,80,000 and 1,19,500 doses respectively, Health Minister K K Shailaja has said.

So far, 3,62,870 people have registered themselves for the vaccination,which will commence from January 16.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  An alleged leader of a plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is expected to make his initial Michigan court appearance on Wednesday, Jan. 13, court records show.

Barry Croft Jr., 44, of Bear, Delaware, is facing arraignment and a detention hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sally Berens in Grand Rapids.

Croft, one of six men facing federal charges in the alleged abduction plot, was arrested Oct. 8 in Delaware. He had been held in the Philadelphia Federal Detention Center awaiting transfer to the Newaygo County Jail, which has a contract to house federal prisoners.

The transfer was delayed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus through the federal prison population.

Croft earlier sought release from custody in Philadelphia and said he would turn himself in in Michigan. His attorney, Joshua Blanchard, argued that his out-of-state detention hampered efforts to contact Croft and mount a defense.

A federal prosecutor in Grand Rapids opposed the motion and said Croft would be locked up, whether its in Philadelphia or Michigan.

As this Court knows from the preliminary examinations and detention hearings of his co-defendants, Croft was one of the ringleaders of a violent plot to kidnap the Governor of Michigan, Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler wrote in court documents.

Moreover, he was the prime mover behind the groups construction, testing and detonation of weapons of mass destruction.

(Top left to right) Adam Fox, Barry Croft and Ty Garbin (Bottom left to right) Kaleb Franks, Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their alleged roles in a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

Croft has been described by federal prosecutors as a violent extremist.

Croft and co-defendant Adam Fox, 37, of Wyoming, were ringleaders, prosecutors say.

They have been indicted on a federal kidnapping-conspiracy charge with Brandon Caserta, 33, of Canton, Kaleb Franks, 26, of Waterford, Ty Garbin, 24, of Livingston County, and Daniel Harris, 23, of Lake Orion.

RELATED: The ties that bind the men behind the plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer

They face up to life in prison if convicted of the charge.

In all, 14 men  alleged members of a Michigan-based militia, Wolverine Watchmen  are facing charges in federal and state courts.

The federal indictment said that Fox and Croft met June 6 in Dublin, Ohio, to discuss anti-government issues, including kidnapping governors, and recruiting like-minded individuals to their cause.

Later that month, Fox met Garbin, the alleged leader of Wolverine Watchmen, at a rally at the state capitol in Lansing, the indictment said. There, Fox invited others to meet him in Grand Rapids intending to recruit them for the kidnapping of Whitmer, the government said.

In mid-July, Croft and the other federal defendants traveled to Wisconsin where the group practiced combat tactics, including assaulting motor vehicles using assault rifles and live ammunition, the indictment said.

They allegedly tried to detonate two improvised explosive devices, the indictment said.

Later, they set up an encrypted messaging group. They did not know that the FBI had infiltrated the group and had informants providing real-time information, the government said.

In August and September, members of the group conducted surveillance of Whitmers summer home in Antrim County. Fox also ordered $4,000 in explosives from an undercover FBI agent who was posing as a co-conspirator, the government said.

In October, Fox bought a Taser-type high-voltage stunning device.

Caserta, meanwhile, instructed his co-conspirators in an encrypted video message that if they encountered police during a reconnaissance, they should give the officers one opportunity to leave, and kill them if they did not comply, the indictment said.

Read more:

6 suspects in alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer indicted by federal grand jury

Alleged ringleader in plot to kidnap Gov. Whitmer seeks release from custody

Big talk between crackpots: Attorney doubts Gov. Gretchen Whitmer would have been abducted
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 23:37:21|Editor: huaxia

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TEHRAN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran and Iraq on Wednesday signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in Iranian capital Tehran, to enhance cooperation in diverse areas, official IRNA news agency reported.

The agreements were reached at the end of the fourth meeting of the Joint Economic Cooperation Commission of the two countries, where four specialized committees were formed to discuss cooperation on engineering and technical services, consular affairs, monetary and banking matters, as well as trade, according to the report.

Iranian Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian said that during the two-day meeting, useful discussions were held between the two sides, which will serve the interests of both neighbors, IRNA reported.

"During the meeting, the proposal to establish a joint investment fund between the two countries was raised and supported," he added.

Ardakanian said that both sides agreed on an increase in the number of Iraqi planes passing through Iran's skies.

He announced that "good agreements were reached in the field of communication and information technology and scientific cooperation... and the establishment of a branch of Iran University of Medical Sciences in Iraq."

The Iranian minister also explained about the meeting on water issues between the two neighbors, saying that the issue will be followed up with the arrival of the Iraqi Minister of Water Resources in Tehran in the near future.

He expressed the hope for reaching a target of 20-billion-U.S.-dollar trade between the two countries, noting that the goal requires "removing customs, monetary and banking barriers, money transfer and giving ground to the private sector." Enditem
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Across the country, tribes are now putting elders and fluent Indigenous language speakers at the head of the line for vaccinations. But the effort faces huge obstacles. Elders who live in remote locations often have no means to get to the clinics and hospitals where vaccinations are administered. And there is deep mistrust of the government in a generation that was subjected without consent to medical testing, shipped off to boarding schools and punished for speaking their own language in a decadeslong campaign of forced assimilation.
Riz Ahmed has revealed he recently got married.

The Rogue One star and rapper, 38, who last year said he had lost two family members to coronavirus, did not reveal the name of his wife but said it was "not very long" ago when he tied the knot.

He told the Grounded With Louis Theroux podcast: "I think it's the first time I've ever mentioned it in an interview.

"So, congratulations on this incredibly exciting scoop.

"I mean, I guess I don't really feel it's generally that relevant, so I don't really delve into my personal life or my dating history or even family life much, and to be honest the main reason I decided to share more publicly about my uncle and aunt who passed away, because I felt like there are a lot of people who weren't taking Covid seriously.

I guess I don't feel like it's that necessary to go, Hey, here's everything that's happening in my life

"So I felt like talking about it and saying, 'Hey look, this is a real thing, it's affected me and my family.'

"You know, talking about it, a spoken word piece that touched on that as well.

"I guess I don't feel like it's that necessary to go, 'Hey, here's everything that's happening in my life'."

Ahmed also discussed the "culture shock" he experienced as a student at Oxford, and said the same kind of "classism" exists in the UK film industry.

He said: "My parents were just very focused on education. Rather than going on holidays or anything like that we try and get a tutor in to get us ready for the entrance exams, try to work out how to get us into private schools which were, in many ways, like a culture shock to begin with, just like Oxford was.

"But also training, I think it's like so much of navigating life in Britain.

"In most rooms where decisions are made it's about being able to be conversant in that upper middle class English, and I don't just mean in terms of how you talk, but just being comfortable in those spaces, which took me a long time.

And then I thought, actually, the place where you don't feel like you belong is maybe where you belong, is where you should be, is maybe where you can contribute something new, where you can grow

"I still sometimes find myself confronted with that discomfort. You know that sense of imposter syndrome if you're not to the manor born.

"And so, in many ways, it prepared me for navigating that.

"The film industry in the UK, I think, is rife with the same kind of classism and it was a weird experience. Also, I wouldn't trade it for anything, at Oxford, I thought about leaving quite early on, I just felt very isolated and alienated from the whole vibe there.

"And then I thought, actually, the place where you don't feel like you belong is maybe where you belong, is where you should be, is maybe where you can contribute something new, where you can grow.

"We have to learn to be comfortable with the discomfort of that. And I ended up having a great experience where I did a lot of acting in the plays there, and I put on a club night that helped pay my way through that, and was an opportunity for me to really continue practising getting on the mic as an MC... It's usually the way that the challenges are the gifts."

BBC Radio 4's Grounded With Louis Theroux is available now on BBC sounds.

Supreme Court of India

Their lordships hearts were in the right place when the Supreme Court, on January 12, stayed the implementation of the three farm laws that raised the hackles of mainly a section of Punjab and Haryana farmers which has been protesting outside Delhi for more than 48 days now, and constituted a committee to resolve the impasse.

The court has taken care to make it clear that it is staying only the implementation of what arguably can be termed as contentious laws without removing them from the statute book, much less striking them down as unconstitutional or a colourable exercise of power available in the concurrent list.

This extraordinary action of staying the implementation seems to borne of the fear that on the Republic Day eve should the farmers barge into the national capital with tractors and trailers, all hell could break loose.

What, however, defies comprehension is why the apex court should take upon itself the burden not cast on it by the Constitution. Maintenance of public order is the responsibility of the state government. It is for the Punjab and Haryana governments to stop the destruction of roads and disruption of traffic by vehicles whose primary place is in the farms. If, somehow, they break free of the law enforcers in these states and trundle their way into the national capital, it is for the central government (which has the police powers in Delhi-NCR) to deal with the protesters.

It is true that thus far the Centre has been pussyfooting around if not kowtowing to the farmers which perhaps might have led the court to believe that prevention is better than expectation of enforcement of law and order with firm hands. Even if the court is moved by the plight of the farmers  some of whom have paid with their lives in the severe cold  it ought to exhort them to abjure their obstinacy in taking to the streets with alacrity. Obstruction of free passage of traffic was frowned upon by the same Supreme Court a few months ago when the Citizenship Amendment Act was in the eye of the storm.

Yet by staying the implementation of the three laws, the court has willy-nilly sent out a wrong message  obstinate obstruction of public place is worthwhile. By its overreach the Supreme Court has weakened the hands of the government. Violators of public order are quietly laughing in their sleeves.

This is not the first time the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of a law fearing threat to public order and precious human lives. In the late eighties, when the VP Singh government opened the proverbial Pandoras Box with a 27 percent reservation for OBCs for government jobs that sent the country into flames, the apex court stayed its implementation to cool tempers.

That it was not against reservation was vindicated in hindsight when later on it upheld the vires of the Constitution amendment that stretched OBC reservation. It is therefore possible that there might be an encore  the SC might in all probability uphold the progressive farms laws as constitutional and not trespassing into state powers.

But thats not the point. The point is no one, least of all the apex court, should be seen to be giving a leg-up to violators of public order. It can examine the sustainability of the three farm laws and even strike them down if warranted, but to stay their implementation for fear of loss of lives and threat to public order is clearly a judicial overreach.

Indeed it could have immediately taken upon itself the task of examining the vires of the three laws though no one, including the irate farmers, is challenging them on constitutional grounds. Article 142 could have been invoked to do complete and quick justice to all concerned that would have called the bluff of the Opposition, besides ensuring that the matter did not fester.
Samsung has announced the Galaxy A32 5G, and it is a step back from the Galaxy A31 in a crucial area. While the Galaxy A32 5G features up to 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage and a 5,000 mAh battery, Samsung has equipped it with a paltry 720p IPS display. Pricing for Germany has only been confirmed so far, where it will retail for 279.

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Samsung has revealed the Galaxy A32 5G, the successor last year's Galaxy A31. We were fans of the Galaxy A31 when we reviewed it, but we thought that it offered comparatively low performance, even for a lower mid-range smartphone. Samsung appears to have rectified this concern with the Galaxy A32 5G, although it is quiet on with which chipset it has equipped the device.

Currently, Samsung describes the chipset as being an octa-core one split into two clusters of two cores and six cores. Additionally, all cores can reach a clock speed of 2.0 GHz, which corresponds to the specifications of the MediaTek Dimensity 720. If that is the case, then the Galaxy A32 5G should also have an ARM Mali-G57 MP3 GPU and a Wi-Fi 5 modem.

The Galaxy A32 5G has practically the same camera hardware as its predecessor, though. On the one hand, its 48 MP primary camera has a wider aperture than the 48 MP sensor found in the Galaxy A31. On the other hand, its depth and front-facing cameras are lower resolution sensors than the equivalents in the Galaxy A31.

Moreover, Samsung has equipped the Galaxy A32 5G with a worse screen than the one in last year's model. Inexplicably, Samsung has replaced the 1080p and Super AMOLED screen from the Galaxy A31 with a 720p IPS panel for the Galaxy A32 5G. A combination of a 720p display with a 5,000 mAh battery should yield decent battery life, though.
Opalesque Industry Update - The Catalyst Group announces the launch of its new Fin- Tech Financial Services business, providing hedge, private equity and real estate asset managers, family offices and financial institutions with a full suite of outsourced Fund Administration, Corporate and Portfolio Middle Office and Accounting Services to US, Cayman and Bahamas vehicles from its headquarters in Grand Cayman and offices in the USA. Catalyst's decision to be headquartered in the Cayman Islands reinforces its commitment to being a best-in-class service provider. Catalyst is proud to come to market as a CIMA regulated Fund Administrator and Company Manager, adopting the highest possible standards of governance, regulation and cyber security. Founded by four business partners and friends - Benjamin Reid, Scott Price, Marcus Rowe and Frank Ferrara - and partnered with established investors and advisors - Carlos Farjallah and John McCorvey - Catalyst's foundation is built on the value of relationships and trust. The founders are joined by an initial team of 20 professionals that share the same client centric vision which flows through the company's veins. "With the fund services industry seeing drastic technology-led changes over the past few years, financial service providers have been scrambling to find ways to improve the efficiency of their platforms. Many upgrades require substantial development, financial investments and often result in disruption to clients - making such changes almost impossible", said Scott Price, Co- Managing Partner. According to a recent PwC Global FinTech Survey, 81% of financial CEOs are concerned about the speed of technological change and their ability to keep up. Price goes on to state that, "I talk from experience when I say that the issue all competitors face is their antiquated systems are intertwined within obsolete environments. Catalyst starts life from a blank canvas and is embracing the latest technology at launch, delivering clients something truly unique." Catalyst is initially focused on two main markets, Brazil and North America, and will be embracing complex deliverables and alternative assets classes. Catalyst's offering includes: Daily NAV Services - offering daily dealing NAV solutions for hedge funds managers including the Brazilian 555 market and US managers seeking a daily update on their strategy, either as a soft NAV or a full NAV for risk management. Monthly, quarterly or semi-annual reporting for investment managers and family offices that require the more standard industry deliverable. A closed-ended solution for private equity, venture capital and real estate managers. Fund Services offering that includes Registered Office, FATCA/ CRS, Anti Money Laundering (AML) Officers, as well as full-scale Corporate Middle Office Services. "Our core principle of putting clients at the center of everything we do runs deep in our DNA. We have created a business that, from the outset provides our clients with a [one-stop-shop] where our founding employees embrace complexity and understand that best-in-class service revolves around fully understanding and delivering on our clients' needs," said Benji Reid Co-Managing Partner. Reid continued, "Launching as a CIMA licensed administrator was crucial for us to show dedication to regulation, governance and our client demands. Furthermore, the benefit the already receiving approval in Brazil from local administrators Itau Intrag, BNY Mellon, and BTG Pactual, demonstrates our dedication to the market with our ability to service 555 funds with assets outside Brazil. For the US market we are providing a high-touch, high-tech deliverable to both Hedge and PE clients that is typically not available to the start-up and middle market managers." The Catalyst Group embraces technology driven solutions that include: Launch of Cat5 - a custom-built, cloud-based portal providing clients real-time access to Fund and Investor reporting with transparency into the Catalyst's teams NAV workflow via interactive dashboards. Built on Microsoft's platform allowing secure collaboration and a chat function through MS Teams. Adopting Advent Geneva's full fund administration solution and all available add-ons including World Investor, SSNC Recon, Lumis and Smart Sync. Creating a Robotics Lab focused on building Robotic Process Automation (RPA), ensuring repetitive tasks are automated, creating efficiencies and eliminating human error. Cyber Security and Data Protection - leveraging Microsoft's cloud-based technology stack. "Our Cat5 platform enables us to be one of the first administrators to truly deliver full life cycle solutions with clients having complete transparency into the process. Coupled with our middle office and robotics teams we can already see huge efficiencies and reductions in human error and intervention. This gives our clients and their investors comfort on our control environment and accuracy of the product." said Marcus Rowe and Frank Ferrara. "Our team is unique. We have brought together a group of diverse and seasoned professionals that all have a seat at the table and work together to make a difference. Catalyst is more than an organization, it is a family," Reid concluded.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 10:43:49|Editor: huaxia

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Photo taken on Jan. 12, 2021 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he won't invoke the 25th Amendment to oust President Donald Trump, shortly before the House was set to vote on a resolution urging him to do so. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)



WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he will not invoke the 25th Amendment to oust President Donald Trump, shortly before the House was set to vote on a resolution urging him to do so.

"Now with just eight days left in the President's term, you and Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote in a letter to Pelosi released Tuesday night. "I do not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution."

"Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation," the vice president said.

Pence's rejection came as the House was set to vote on a Democratic-proposed resolution urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office in the wake of last week's Capitol Hill violence.

Should the vice president refuse to do so, the House will push ahead with the impeachment proceedings against Trump, warned the Democrats, who control the House. Enditem
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company

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India has reached out to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani amid speculation that the United States may nudge him to step aside for interim administration to facilitate the peace process with the Taliban.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is currently on a visit to Kabul. He called on Ghani as well as Abdullah Abdullah, who heads the High Council of National Reconciliation that was set up to negotiate with the Taliban on behalf of the Government of Afghanistan.

Ghani and Doval discussed counter-terrorism cooperation between New Delhi and Kabul. They also discussed efforts for building regional consensus on supporting peace in Afghanistan, according to a statement issued by the office of the Afghan President. It quoted Ghani telling Doval that the Afghan Defence and Security Forces were guarantors of stability in Afghanistan and at the forefront of war against regional and global terrorism.

He was also quoted saying that Afghanistan and India, in joint efforts with NATO and the United States, would be able to succeed in the fight against terrorism.

Doval conveyed to Ghani that India is keen to continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and talks on the common interests.

The two sides held extensive conversations on issues of strategic mutual interest, including on synchronising efforts to combat terrorism and build peace, Tahir Qadiry, Kabuls acting envoy to New Delhi, tweeted after Indias National Security Advisor had a meeting with his counterpart in the Afghan Government, Hamdullah Mohib.

New Delhi and Kabul have since long been blaming Pakistan for exporting terrorism, not only to India, but also to Afghanistan. With Imran Khans government in Islamabad facilitating the peace-process, initially between the US Government and the Taliban and then between Afghan Government and the Taliban, New Delhi is worried about the possibility of Pakistan finally getting its much-cherished strategic depth in Afghanistan and use it against India.

The terrorists based in Pakistan and having links with Pakistani Army and its military spy agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), carried out several attacks on Indias diplomatic and consular missions in Afghanistan in the past.

Ghani purportedly turned down a request from the US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, for a meeting last week. What apparently irked him was the speculation that the US might step up pressure on him either to induct nominees of the Taliban in the Afghan Government or step aside to clear the way for setting up an interim government to facilitate the peace-process.

The US, however, stated that it was not advocating an interim government. We have not advocated, and the United States is not advocating, an interim government. The outcomes of Afghanistan Peace Negotiations are up to Afghans and we believe those outcomes should reflect the wishes and aspirations of the Afghan people, tweeted Washingtons acting envoy to Kabul, Ross Wilson.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on September 12 virtually participated in the ceremony held in Doha to mark the beginning of the formal negotiations between the Ghanis Government in Kabul and the Taliban. He reiterated Indias position that any peace process in Afghanistan must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled and must respect the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan.

He also said that the peace-process must preserve the progress made in the establishment of a democratic Islamic Republic in Afghanistan after the fall of Taliban in 2001. The interests of the minorities, women and vulnerable sections of society must be preserved, he added.

New Delhi, however, has been expressing its grave concern over increasing level of violence in Afghanistan over the past few months
The Department of the Air Force has chosen Huntsville, Alabama, to host U.S. Space Command, or SPACECOM, headquarters.

An Air Force spokesperson told Military.com on Wednesday that the Army's Redstone Arsenal has been selected as the preferred location. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a separate announcement regarding the news. Huntsville, already home to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center as well as Redstone, is sometimes known by the nickname "The Rocket City."

In November, the service selected six candidate locations to host the military's 11th unified combatant command. The bases included Redstone; Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska; Patrick Air Force Base, Florida; Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado; and Port San Antonio at Kelly Field, Texas.

Read Next: Pentagon Authorizes National Guard Troops Around Capitol to Carry Lethal Weapons

Redstone is the service's preferred location. In a separate release, the Air Force said that the other locations remain reasonable alternatives until an environmental impact analysis on Redstone is complete. The final decision is expected in 2023, according to the release.

The location is expected to host roughly 1,400 personnel, spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said at the time.

SPACECOM was reactivated in August 2019, before the establishment of the Space Force, the military's sixth branch, that December. SPACECOM is responsible for military operations related to space, while the Space Force organizes and trains space personnel. Like the other military branches, the Space Force has its headquarters at the Pentagon.

The process to find a location for SPACECOM started in spring 2019 but faced pushback from lawmakers who believed the Defense Department was not being transparent enough about its selection. In May 2020, the Pentagon directed the Air Force to go back to the drawing board to find a permanent home for Space Command.

The command is temporarily housed at Peterson in Colorado Springs, which is also home to a robust, space-focused infrastructure with the nearby Schriever Air Force Base and Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station. Colorado Springs will remain the "provisional location" until facilities at Redstone are ready, the Air Force said.

Yellowhammer News, an Alabama news website, reported Wednesday that Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., was instrumental in bringing SPACECOM to his state. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., now a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, was one of Space Force's original champions.

Rogers added a provision to the fiscal 2018 National Defense Authorization Act that would have required the Air Force to stand up an internal "U.S. Space Corps" in hopes of taking enemy threats in space more seriously. That effort hit a roadblock months later and was ultimately dropped, only for the idea to be resurrected later by President Donald Trump, who called for the establishment of the Space Force.

"Huntsville is the right pick for a host of reasons," Shelby said in a statement. "Our skilled workforce, proximity to supporting space entities, cost-effectiveness and quality of life, among other things. I am thrilled that the Air Force has chosen Redstone and look forward to the vast economic impact this will have on Alabama and the benefits this will bring to the Air Force."

Costs for new construction to support SPACECOM are estimated at nearly $1 billion, Yellowhammer reported.

Huntsville -- already home to the Missile Defense Agency, Army Space and Missile Command, Army Aviation and Missile Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency/Missile and Space Intelligence Center -- has been adding even more military and federal entities.

In 2018, the Army selected Redstone Arsenal to bring in two of Army Futures Commands cross-functional teams: Future Vertical Lift and Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing, according to an Army DVIDS release.

The Army Rapid Capabilities and Critical Technologies Office, which includes the Hypersonics and Directed Energy Project, opened at the base in 2019. The FBI will also use the installation to train "10,000 to 15,000 agents, analysts and staff annually" in the near future, the DVIDS release said.

An Air Force spokesperson said that during a typical basing decision process, multiple officials are consulted, including local commanders and those involved in discerning the mission worthiness of a particular location.

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, the decision-making authority, was also required to keep top brass and other leaders at the Pentagon and the White House informed on the decision progress, the spokesperson said. Last week, Barrett presented her analysis during a meeting to members of the militarys National Command Authority, which includes President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, Acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Barrett chose Redstone Arsenal following the meeting, the spokesperson said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.

Related: These Are the 6 Bases That Could Host US Space Command
The 48 men who have served as vice president of the United States constitute a monochromatic collection whose diversity could generously be defined as whether someone wore a bow tie or a regular tie, had a mustache or a beard, was balding or merely on the verge.

As the nation spent 2 centuries growing increasingly multicultural, its leaders remained startlingly homogeneous, resembling a smaller and smaller slice of its population. When Kamala Harris raises her hand on the steps of the Capitol on Jan. 20, all that will change.

The Black daughter of a Jamaican father and Indian mother, alumna of Howard University and California-bred former prosecutor will walk into history as no one has before. She is, to her supporters, the long-awaited torch-bearer for centuries of women, people of color, and others whose ambitions were denied and who never saw themselves reflected in the nation's leadership before - a woman who will break a ceiling that once seemed out of reach.

But what substance will emerge from the breakthrough is not yet clear, for absent a few issues, Harris has become better known for what she is against than specifics about where her passions lie.

Had any number of former presidential candidates been named next-in-line by Joe Biden, they would have done so with their political canvas more filled in, the portrait more familiar. But Harris arrives as a work-in-progress, her time in Washington so short and so fluid that the paint has yet to dry.

Harris, 56, has yet to offer any grand vision of what kind of vice president she hopes to be, although few vice presidents have by Inauguration Day. In her dozen or so appearances since the ticket declared victory, Harris has praised Biden, lauded his nominees, assured the American people that change is coming and outlined the urgent crises facing the country. Her social media feed, never exactly uninhibited, is now an even more carefully curated thread of lines from speeches and supportive platitudes. She has been a dutiful partner, making little news and no public waves.

People familiar with her role in the transition say that loyalty is Harris's primary goal. Biden has also made clear in multiple interviews since the election that he wants to empower Harris to take the lead on certain issues when his plate is full. Harris, meanwhile, has avoided outlining any priorities for herself.

The most consistent through line of her political career has been a commitment to opening the doors of American leadership to more people like her.

When she arrived in the Senate in 2017, Harris told her tiny team that she wanted her staff to "look like California," according to two former Senate aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. As the only Black woman in the Senate, Harris has lifted women, particularly women of color, alums of historically Black colleges and universities, and others to senior staff positions. She did the same on her presidential campaign.

As the transition team assembled her vice-presidential staff, Harris was "unapologetic about making sure people had a chance to serve," said Minyon Moore, who has managed Harris's transition. Moore said Harris cast a wide net in her search for staff members and asked key questions in dozens of Zoom interviews - including what she should be looking at as vice president.

Ultimately, she chose a chief of staff, communications director, press secretary, and head of policy who are all women of color.

People familiar with the inner workings of the transition say Biden has been adamant about Harris being the last voice he hears on issues - to, as Moore put it, an "exacting" extent. She also said - while declining to share details - that while Harris did often agree with Biden about a candidate or issue, she has not been shy about speaking up when she doesn't.

"She has got a different voice, a voice of gravitas, a complete and rounded voice," Moore said. "She has not shied away from her voice and (Biden) has not shied away from her opinion."

But Harris is not expected to spend four years hovering politely in the background. As the partner to a 78-year-old president, she is the heir apparent in the Democratic Party - a party whose heir was so unapparent a little more than a year ago that two dozen people ran in its presidential primary.

Yet even in that wide-open race, Harris found it hard to craft a unique brand. She began the primary as an on-paper favorite, drew one of its biggest crowds to her campaign launch in Oakland, Calif., then foundered so profoundly that she dropped out of the primary before any votes were cast. She could not dislodge Biden as the voice of Democrats hunting for practicality and normalcy. She did not have the progressive track record to pry away loyalists to Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont or Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and she did not foster the newcomer zing of then-South Bend., Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg.

Although she climbed her way through the bruising world of California politics over the course of a decade or so, Harris did not emerge as a Washington presence until she arrived in the Senate in 2017. She spent little time there before contemplating a presidential campaign; by late 2018, she had written a memoir scheduled to publish right around the time Democrats, including her, would be starting to announce their candidacies for president.

By that point, she had made a national name for herself by channeling her prosecutorial background into pointed interrogations of Trump appointees, becoming one of the faces of the Trump resistance.

Her questions in high-profile Senate hearings flustered attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions, stumped Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and left another attorney general nominee, William Barr, stumbling for words.

That reality, which cost Harris an opportunity to fight for what mattered to her, has left her priorities far from clear.

On the surface, what Harris symbolizes to an increasingly diverse party has been obvious: She is a woman of color who tugged at a historic desire for representation, brought a lengthy resume from the nation's most populous Democratic state, and has held her own against President Donald Trump's administration. To her supporters, she is a symbol for equity and empowerment for a party that has long sought both.

But, as her campaign strategists learned the hard way, Harris is not easily summed up in a pithy slogan. Her work in the criminal justice system, which had been beneficial during her rise in California, put her askance the social justice advocates gaining power in the national party. She has projected a political persona that is more practical than ideological in a party lurching to the left. The combination proved a tough sell in a field full of presidential candidates with firm ideological moorings, encyclopedic plans and resumes the length of dissertations.

Early in the primary, the issue of health insurance emerged to define Harris's sometimes fluid positioning. Warren and Sanders supported Medicare-for-all and the resulting end of private health insurance - which aligned them with the more liberal wing of the party and showed a willingness to stiff-arm corporate America.

Others, like Biden and Buttigieg, argued for adding more government-run insurance options alongside existing private plans, a more incremental approach that signaled moderation.

Harris, meanwhile, found herself stuck in-between. She spent the early months of the primary advocating Medicare-for-all, as an early signatory of Sanders's landmark bill. But as the months went on, she seemed to tiptoe around the role of private insurance.

In an interview with The Washington Post in the back of a bus rolling through Iowa a few months before she dropped out of the primary, Harris admitted she had always been "uncomfortable" with the idea of abolishing private insurance, despite endorsing a plan that did just that. She eventually drafted a plan of her own that would expand government-run plans while allowing private plans to continue for a longer period.

"One of the problems with our politics is that it often demands 60-second sound bites or slogans to answer complex questions," Harris wrote in a post announcing her new plan.

Her quest for nuance drew criticism from some Democrats but was in keeping with Harris's career-long approach.

"She's pretty much a fundamentally pragmatic person ... always asking about: 'What is the real impact this is going to have on people's lives?' " Jill Habig, who served as an adviser to Harris's attorney general's office and Senate campaign, said in a 2019 interview with The Post. "But in terms of the methodology of how you get to that goal, she's not very ideological. Her approach is pretty much: 'What's going to be most effective? What's going to get us there?' "

Harris began her career as a relatively liberal prosecutor in the Bay Area, one who launched a gutsy first bid for elective office against her former boss, a rough-and-tumble incumbent named Terence Hallinan, for the job of San Francisco district attorney. She won, taking a high-profile stand against capital punishment in the process.

Her convictions were tested almost immediately when a man fatally shot a San Francisco police officer and many of the state's highest profile officials pressured her to pursue the death penalty. At the officer's funeral, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., declared his death "the special circumstance called for by the death penalty law." The crowd stood and cheered.

Harris didn't budge. She was similarly steadfast in her support of same-sex marriage, as well as a far less popular anti-truancy policy as district attorney that she eventually implemented statewide.

But many racial justice activists felt Harris did not take advantage of her groundbreaking role as the first woman of color to serve as attorney general of California. They assert that when Harris had unprecedented power, she did not push hard enough to overhaul a criminal justice system long tougher on racial minorities.

Some said they felt Harris was trying to have it both ways - pushing for change only when it was politically expedient. While she was a prosecutor, Harris opposed legalization of marijuana and argued for higher bail fees as a deterrent to crime in San Francisco. Harris is now a staunch opponent of cash bail, arguing that it penalizes the poor, and a prominent advocate of legalization, which has grown more politically popular since her California days.

Former California governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat who also served as attorney general, sees Harris's California tenure as a positive for her vice-presidential tenure, in that it exposed her to a variety of issues that she will probably have to confront in her new job.

"The key point for me with Kamala is, she has wide experience. She's encountered a range of personalities and topics and that makes her very well prepared to assist the president," said Brown, who swore Harris in as San Francisco's district attorney.

"I think she is someone who could carry important responsibilities in a diverse and troubled world."

Harris's tenure will almost certainly be scrutinized more than most of the men who preceded her.

She carries the weight of being the first, the promise and peril of being different. She will be dodging the vitriol of those seeking to derail her future ambitions, while shouldering the expectations of those who hope for her to rise even higher.

"She knows her shoulders have to be wide and strong because we're standing on her shoulders," Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, said after Harris was named to the ticket. "We're so proud of her. And she knows we can have her back. And she has quite a task in front of her."

Harris goes out of her way to speak the names and ideas of those who came before her - not the generations of men who reached the vice presidency, but the generations of women who fought so someone like her could join them some day.

Her biggest role model is her late mother, Shyamala Gopalan, an Indian immigrant, civil rights activist and breast cancer researcher who raised two daughters mostly by herself. During her presidential campaign and in the months since she was added to the Democratic ticket, Harris has spoken of her mother as much as Trump or Biden or anyone else, most often to share a piece of advice Gopalan drilled into her as a child.

It was, as Harris has recited over and over, Gopalan's insistence that "you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you're not the last." So much of the pressure on Harris now - to ensure that she stands out for substantive accomplishments that pave the way for others - is pressure she says she has felt before.

"If she puts any pressure on herself, it is the pressure that she does not want to be the last," said Moore, one of the first Black women to break into the upper echelons of Democratic politics. "You're always thinking about how you can make sure that door stays open to someone else. You don't want the doors to close behind you, because they would really never open if they do."

Indeed, since Trumps defeat, many conservative-news consumers have abandoned the comparably more staid precincts of Fox for OANN and Newsmax; in the month after the election, Newsmax viewership rose 497 percent between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., while Fox suffered a 38 percent decline. The demand among conservative-news consumers for the unhinged is obviously high.

How do we fight disinformation? Join Times tech reporters as they untangle the roots of disinformation and how to combat it. Plus we speak to special guest comedian Sarah Silverman. R.S.V.P. to this subscriber-exclusive event.

For the past four years, Trump has not only met that demand; he has steadily increased it. Now, with his claims of a landslide electoral win, he has crossed a line that conservative media is asked to cross, too, lest it be left behind. Its one thing for conservatives to believe Biden is corrupt or hopelessly senile, but to believe that his election is patently fraudulent goes far beyond the outer edges of even toxic partisanship: It invites extreme responses, like excusing, if not endorsing, a siege of the Capitol.

And yet that may be where conservative media outlets find themselves. In the hours after the storming of Congress, Sean Spicer, Trumps former press secretary and now the host of a Newsmax show, baselessly suggested it was a false-flag operation: Weve got to make sure that who was responsible, why they were there, if there was mischief, if Antifa was there, he said, because it shouldnt be blamed on groups that werent responsible. Greg Kelly, the channels star anchor, echoed that notion: These people dont look like Trump supporters, he said.

After the elections, those on the supply side of the conservative media equation  especially Fox, a huge corporate entity with significantly more to lose than its smaller rivals  believed their greatest challenge was how, exactly, to serve the audiences demands without running afoul of libel law. After Jan. 6, it should be clear to conservative media organizations that the stakes of this game are much, much higher.

One solution, of course, is not to give voice to unhinged views at all. In late December, Mike Lindell, chief executive of MyPillow and a big pusher of pro-Trump conspiracy theories, appeared on a Newsmax show guest-hosted by Sebastian Gorka, traditionally one of the most boisterous Trump cheerleaders in all of conservative media. Lindell was about to launch into claims about another voting-technology company, Dominion (which had also sent Newsmax a threatening letter and would later file a $1.3 billion libel suit against Sidney Powell, a former Trump campaign lawyer), when Gorka abruptly cut him off. Mike. Mike. I dont want to discuss  Mike, Gorka pleaded. Mike, were not going to get into the minutiae of the details. Like the handful of Republican senators who quickly dropped their objections to certifying Bidens election late in the night of Jan. 6, Gorka had, very suddenly, become a model of responsible caution.
Lee Luda suspension sparks debate on ethical issues over AI





A Facebook-based artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot was temporarily suspended Monday amid criticism over its use of discriminatory and offensive language, as well as alleged leaking personal information. But the ripples from the chatbot, "Lee Luda" have continued to reverberate amid growing expectations that AI will be more widely adopted.



Lee Luda, developed by the local startup Scatter Lab, is an AI-driven chat service that mimics a 20-year-old woman. Designed to talk like a real person, the chatbot attracted over 400,000 users following its launch in December.



But the service became the subject of controversy after some male users were found to be using it to have sexual conversations and sharing tips on how to make it a sex slave. It also came under fire for making discriminatory comments on sexual minorities. The magnitude of the issue escalated further as the majority of users turned out to be teenagers. Apart from the controversy, Scatter Lab has been suspected of abusing the personal information of its users and not doing enough to protect such sensitive data.



The controversy with the chatbot has sparked a heated debate on the importance of ethics in dealing with AI. The most serious problem is that AI, which had been expected to contribute to human progress, might ultimately imbue hatred, discrimination and prejudice in future generations.



This incident should be a wakeup call for our society to become aware of the ethical issues associated with AI, a front-runner in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Also, it's necessary to have extensive discussions regarding ethical guidelines for the use of AI before coming up with countermeasures. Last month, the government laid out its first-ever ethical standards for AI featuring the following principles: maintenance of human dignity, the public benefit and the rightful purpose of technology. Lest we let these principles end up as empty slogans, experts and civic society should hurry to prepare realistic action plans to minimize negative side effects.



In Search of Enemies



Interventionists dominate Biden national security team



By Philip Giraldi

January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - What occurred at the United States Capitol last week was surely reprehensible, but to my mind the real enduring damage that was done to our form of government took place in a basement in Wilmington Delaware where president-designate Joe Biden was putting together some of the final pieces of his foreign policy and national security team. Hopes that the Democrats would accommodate their progressive wing to some extent by backing off of the aggressive American first policies pursued by Donald Trump and Mike Pompeo were extinguished with the elevation of Wendy Sherman and Victoria Nuland to the number two and three senior positions at the State Department, to back up Secretary of State designate Tony Blinken.

Nuland is perhaps the surprise appointment as she famously was the Obama Administrations regime change monster when she served as Assistant Secretary of State. She was the prime mover of the blatantly interventionist policy in Ukraine, featuring herself and Senator John McCain sauntering around Kievs Maidan Square handing out cookies to rioters. Thousands died when political turmoil over a contested election turned into an out-and-out coup complete with mystery riflemen shooting into the mobs to energize them. The regime change was funded by $5 billion courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer and it also riled Russia, which shares an extensive border and economic links with Ukraine. The coup was, by the way, intended to replaced a Russia-friendly head of state with someone who was not so inclined. Astonishingly, the Kremlin was able to figure that out and responded by resuming possession of the Crimea, which was largely populated by Russians.

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Nuland became best known after the fact when she was foolish enough to speak on an unencrypted cell phone in a discussion relating to whom the United States would install to run post-coup Ukraine. When her interlocutor objected that the European Union might want to have some say, perhaps as a mediator, in how Ukrainian politics might play out, she responded Fuck the E.U., which might be regarded as Diplomacy 101 neocon style.

Victoria Nuland has been active in the government to private sector revolving door since Obama departed the White House, giving interviews and writing op-eds critical of the Trump State Department and of the policies being promoted. She has been CEO of the neocon Center for a New American Security, held a revolving door sinecure at the Boston Consulting Group and another at the Albright Stonebridge Group. Apparently her record of being seriously wrong in foreign policy has only served to improve her resume in Washingtons hawkish foreign policy establishment. Her return to power might also be due to the profile of her husband Robert, who was one of the first neocons to get on the NeverTrump band wagon back in 2016 when he endorsed Hillary Clinton for president and spoke at a Washington fundraiser for her, complaining about the isolationist tendency in the Republican Party exemplified by Trump.

Wendy Sherman is less well known. She has been nominated to become the Deputy Secretary of State. She is currently a Senior Counselor also at the Albright Stonebridge Group and a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy Schools Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She is regarded as a protege of the Clintons and in particular of ex-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, she of 500,000 dead Iraqi children was worth it boast. Sherman knows Biden from having previously served in the Obama Administration as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the fourth-ranking official in State, from September 2011 to October 2015. During the Clinton Administration, she served as Counselor of the United States Department of State and Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State and North Korea Policy Coordinator. Under Obama she was the chief negotiator on the Iranian nuclear program. She was regarded as a hardliner, saying We know that deception is part of the DNA of Iranians and she was characteristically careful to brief the Israelis on everything that she was doing. The White House was intent on coming to an agreement nevertheless, which was signed in 2015 as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a pact which has since been rejected by Donald Trump and which Biden may or may not seek to resuscitate.

And then there is Tony Blinken, who apparently will be the boss of both Sherman and Nuland. Blinken is in some respects Israels lead man in Washington. He was a strong supporter of invading Iraq and even recommended partitioning the defeated nation into three parts. He was a supporter of destroying Libya and an architect of the anti-Syria policy pursued by Obama. In an interview in the Times of Israel Blinken confirmed Bidens position on possibly reducing aid to Israel if the Jewish state were to do things that damaged U.S. interests. Blinken reiterated Bidens position that he would not condition aid to Israel. He [Biden] is resolutely opposed to it. He would not tie military assistance to Israel to any political decisions it makes, full stop. Dennis Ross, often described as Israels lawyer, praises him for having an instinctive emotional attachment to Israel, referring to Blinkens frequently cited Jewish and refugee roots. It was an interesting unambiguous admission from Blinken that both he and Joe Biden put Israeli interests ahead of those of the United States.

Blinkens personal view of unfettered support for Israel allegedly derives from his stepfather having claimed to be a survivor of the so-called holocaust, a tale that he invoked several times during his acceptance speech on November 24th. The Times interview concluded with Blinken asserting that One of the things thats really shaped the vice presidents career-long support for Israel and its security is the lesson of the Holocaust. He believes strongly that a secure Jewish homeland in Israel is the single best guarantee to ensure that never again will the Jewish people be threatened with destruction.

The indefatigable Israel-firster Tony Blinken has also served as a conduit to those in government for Israel advocacy groups like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). And now that we have Tony Blinken as Secretary of State Designate the door will soon be even more wide open to the Israel Lobby than it was under Trump. And Nuland and Sherman, both of whom are also Jewish and ardent Zionists, will be along for the ride.

And outside of State, we have Avril Haines as Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Haines is a former CIA and National Security Council (NSC) officer who was directly engaged in suppressing much of the classified report on the torture program run by the Agency out of secret prisons. She was instrumental in making sure that no CIA officers were punished for their war crimes and worked with Obamas intelligence adviser John Brennan to enable the infamous drone program. When Haines was the NSCs top lawyer, Brennan was the keeper of the so-called kill list of American citizens overseas that he and Obama would review every Tuesday morning. It was Haines who provided the legal authorizations to launch missile attacks from drones and she has never been held accountable for any of her decisions. There is little doubt that she will persist in her hardline views as DNI. Like Blinken, Nuland and Sherman she is also Jewish and it should be presumed her pro-Israel credentials are rock solid.

And then there is the boss himself, Joe Biden. He is a self-described Zionist who also is well on board the hate Russia express. In an interview published in the New Yorker in July 2014 he is quoted as describing a 2011 meeting in Moscow with then Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Biden claimed that I had an interpreter, and when he was showing me his office I said, Its amazing what capitalism will do, wont it? A magnificent office! And he laughed. As I turned, I was this close to him, I said, Mr. Prime Minister, Im looking into your eyes, and I dont think you have a soul. Pressed on whether the tale was true, Biden confirmed it, absolutely, positively . . . And he looked back at me, and he smiled, and he said We understand one another.

The story is, like so many others in the Biden Song Book an apparent fabrication, according to others who were on the same trip. The meeting never took place. Does Biden really believe it to be true? More important, does he frequently engage foreign leaders by first insulting them before looking into their eyes and discerning whether they have a soul or not?

The Trump Administrations view of both Russia and China is unreservedly antagonistic, a stance that is likely to continue and even get worse with the Democrats in power. The two nations are currently regarded by policymakers in Washington as actual enemies and U.S. national defense strategy includes the governments belligerent intention To restore Americas competitive edge by blocking global rivals Russia and China from challenging the U.S. and our allies. And on 25 October 2020, Biden made the point publicly, declaring that the biggest threat to America right now in terms of breaking up security and our alliances is Russia.

Philip M. Giraldi, Ph.D., is Executive Director of the Council for the National Interest, a 501(c)3 tax deductible educational foundation (Federal ID Number #52-1739023) that seeks a more interests-based U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Website is https://councilforthenationalinterest.org address is P.O. Box 2157, Purcellville VA 20134 and its email is inform@cnionline.org -
Senior officers have blasted a 16-year-old thug's 'disgracefully lenient' sentence for a brutal attack on a 24-year-old female constable in the face that left her nose 'hanging off'.

PC Maddie Hayes was carrying out a stop and search on the boy in Ashby, Leicestershire, last September, when she felt 'unbelievable pain,' as the teenage thug hit her in the face.

The punch left her requiring extensive surgery and out of work for three months as she struggled with breathing difficulties.

This week the thug, from Swadlincote, Derbyshire, admitted causing grievous bodily harm to a police constable - but was spared prison and instead handed a 12-month community order.

Leicester Magistrates Court also ordered the boy, who cannot be named due to his age, to pay PC Hayes 600 in compensation.

PC Maddie Hayes was punched in the face by a 16-year-old boy while trying to restrain him. This week the boy was handed a community order and told to pay the Leicestershire Police officer 600 in compensation. Senior policing figures say they are 'disgusted' with the sentence

After the case, Leicestershire Police Federation's branch chairman spoke on social media of his disgust at the soft sentence.

Adam Commons tweeted: 'Quite frankly I'm disgusted with this result, words can't express what I'm thinking.'

PC Hayes was assisting with the search of the boy after he had been detained by officers, the BBC reports.

While placing a handcuff around one of his wrists, the boy used his free hand to punch her.

PC Hayes, 24, had to go undergo emergency surgery to try and fix her nose and also had to have six internal stitches and 11 external stitches

The strike left her with a broken nose and septum, along with a tear on the left side of her nose, as well bruising and swelling.

She had to undergo emergency surgery to try and fix her nose and also had to have six internal stitches and 11 external stitches.

Speaking previously, PC Hayes said she suffered pain she 'had never experienced before'

She added: 'It happened so quickly and I didn't know what had hit me. I just felt extreme pain and realised I couldn't see properly either.

'It does make me angry that I was out doing my job and I have been attacked in this way.

'It shouldn't be accepted that I am attacked in my job and left with injuries like this that will be with me for the rest of my life.'

Replying to Mr Commons, Steve James, the chair of Gloucestershire Police Federation, shared his anger and added: 'That's a disgracefully lenient sentence and completely understand your anger.

'Thoughts with your officer and hope she's recovering well.'

Retired police officer Steph Morgan added: 'I was spitting feathers. Utterly appalling result.'

PC Hayes, an officer with Leicestershire Police, said she suffered pain like she 'had never experienced before,' following the assault last September

Rookie PCSO put: '12 months and 600 is an absolute outrage.'

Steve Harley wrote: 'A ridiculously lenient sentence, what the hell has happened to our judiciary allowing violent to get off with assaulting those who keep us safe?'

NPA Commander for North West Leicestershire, Inspector Rich Jackson said: 'This was a shocking and vicious attack on an officer doing her job to protect others.

'The photographs of our officer's awful injuries chilled all who saw them.

'We acknowledge the court's decision of a community order but we strongly hope the young man, who pleaded guilty, will chose to do more to atone for his crime and start over.

Four months on, PC Hayes continues to have breathing difficulties following the assault. Senior figures say they were 'spitting feathers' after her attacker was only handed a community order and told to pay 600 compensation by magistrates earlier this week

'Attacks on police officers are simply not acceptable. We must protect our protectors.

'Full support has been and remains in place for the police officer who has bravely shared her story to raise awareness of an issue which needs to be stopped.

'It is not acceptable for anyone to be attacked and assaulted in their job and we will not tolerate this happening to our officers.

'Action will be taken and we will ensure anyone who commits this offence is brought before the courts.'

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UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has expressed concern over reports of violence and tensions in parts of Uganda ahead of Thursdays presidential and parliamentary elections in the country.

Mr Guterres, in a statement released by his office on Wednesday, urged all stakeholders to ensure the polls were conducted in an inclusive, transparent and peaceful manner.

The Secretary General called on all political actors and their supporters to refrain from the use of hate speech, intimidation and violence.

Any electoral disputes should be resolved through legal and peaceful means.

Further calls on the Ugandan authorities, particularly the security forces, to show maximum restraint during this period and act according to established human rights principles, he said.

The UN chief reiterated the organisations commitment to supporting the East African country in its quest for sustainable development and prosperity for its citizens.

Ugandas long-time President, Yoweri Museveni, 76, is seeking a sixth elected term in office after 35 years in power.

He faces 10 challengers, including music star, Robert Kyagulanyi, best known by his stage name, Bobi Wine, seen as a real threat to him.

Although Mr Museveni is facing nine other candidates in the election, Bobi Wine, loved by the youth, is his main challenger in the election slated for Thursday.

Human rights groups have accused security forces of using excessive force to break up opposition rallies during the campaign, reports the BBC.

The outlet quoted a government spokesman as saying the strong measures were necessary to enforce compliance with a ban on large crowds aimed at checking the coronavirus pandemic.

(NAN)
There are early signs of hope, Irelands chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said (Brian Lawless/PA)

There are early signs of hope in the struggle to contain the pandemic, Irelands chief medical officer said.

The relentless rise in the daily number of coronavirus cases and the positivity rate of testing has slackened.

An additional 63 deaths with Covid-19 were recorded on Wednesday.

Another 3,569 cases were confirmed, the Department of Health said.

Dr Tony Holohan said: We are seeing some early signs of progress with daily case numbers and positivity rates.

We can take some hope in them, but we have a long, long way to go.

In the coming weeks ahead, we will need to draw upon our reserves of resilience from springtime as we can expect to see hospitalisations, admissions to ICU and mortality related to Covid-19 increase day on day.

Ireland is aiming to vaccinate 700,000 people by the end of March, the Health Minister said.

A quick update on our vaccination plan. By the end of March, we aim to have vaccinated 700,000 people, including nursing home residents and staff, as well as frontline healthcare workers and people aged 70+.  Stephen Donnelly (@DonnellyStephen) January 11, 2021

Stephen Donnelly said that another 1.5 million people will be vaccinated in the second quarter of the year, and more than that figure in quarter three.

The projected figure is based on orders of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and an estimated allocation from AstraZeneca, which is yet to be approved by the EU.

If the projection proves accurate, it would see 2.2 million people vaccinated by the end of June.

Minister Donnelly told the Dail: Were planning on receiving enough vaccines to be able to vaccinate 700,000 people by the end of March.

Critically this would vaccinate the top three groups on the prioritisation list.

Thats those in long-term residential care, staff and residents, frontline healthcare workers and our population of people over 70 years of age.

Were further planning to be able to vaccinate more than 1.5 million people in quarter two and more than that again in quarter three.

At these levels, people most at risk of Covid-19 will be fully vaccinated by the summer.

The UK variant, which is far more contagious than anything we have dealt with so far, now accounts for in excess of half of all new cases Health Minister Stephen Donnelly

Minster Donnelly said the numbers given were highly provisional and to be treated as a forecast, as they are dependent on further vaccines being approved and delivered on time.

The announcement came as the Minister revealed that the highly transmissible UK variant of Covid-19 now accounts for over half of new cases in Ireland.

He told the Dail: Id like to reiterate just how serious the situation is right now.

The UK variant, which is far more contagious than anything we have dealt with so far, now accounts for in excess of half of all new cases.

The way we support our healthcare workers, the way we keep each other safe right now is to follow the public health guidelines and to stay at home.

The widespread transmission of coronavirus in the community is continuing to put health services under severe pressure.

Health workers who were close contacts of coronavirus cases are being called back to work before they finish isolating for 14 days, it has emerged.

HSE chief operations officer Anne OConnor confirmed that asymptomatic close contacts are being brought back to work as a last resort.

#COVID19 cases in Ireland are still very high. It is important that we act like we have the virus by staying at home in order to prevent further spread. For families, for friends and for the frontline #StayHome #StaySafe https://t.co/7GZdJOwl2e pic.twitter.com/E3PDsi5cIr  HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) (@hpscireland) January 13, 2021

The health system is under sustained pressure with the number of people in intensive care now higher than it was during the peak of the first wave.

Ms OConnor said health officials made the decision because of the shortage of healthcare workers.

She said staff who were close contacts are being tested before they return to work and are being closely monitored.

The head of the HSE, Paul Reid, tweeted: Our hospitals are treating 1,750 people with Covid-19 and 158 critically ill in ICU.

This is a level beyond comprehension.

But to assure everyone, our healthcare teams are taking emergency actions to sustain this within a level of control.

We appreciate your support.

The number of patients with coronavirus in intensive care jumped to 160 after the figures were updated following Mr Reids tweet on Wednesday morning.
Laura Whitmores media company enjoyed a Love Island boost last year as post-tax profits almost doubled to 364,577 for the year.

The rise in profits for the 12 months to the end of last March at Whitmore's Yer Wan Ltd resulted in the firm having accumulated profits of 1.19m (1.3m) at that point.

The bumper year for the company followed the Co Wicklow native securing one of the most high-profile TV presenting jobs in the UK to present series six of Love Island on ITV last year.

The profits of 326,978 (364,577) at the firm last year followed profits of 165,362 in the prior year  an increase of 97pc.

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The size of the cash pile at Whitmores Yer Wan Ltd increased by 89pc last year, rising from 519,475 to 983,764 (1.1m).

Away from the cameras, 2020 was a milestone year in the personal life of the 35-year-old presenter.

Last month Whitmore confirmed that she had married her boyfriend Iain Stirling in a low-key wedding in Dublin in November while also announcing they are expecting their first child in early 2021.

The revenues for Whitmore's company  which employs one person  are not disclosed but a note states that revenues represent fees for television and broadcasting services. Whitmore also presents a show on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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Ireland is set to receive 1.05 billion this year from a European Union fund for the countries worst affected by Britains exit from the European Union, Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said on Tuesday.

The first 4.2 billion of the 5.4 billion fund is due to be distributed this year and Ireland will receive 25pc, subject to approval by EU heads of state and the European Parliament, Coveney said in a Twitter post.

Irelands initial proposed share in 2021 is 1.05bn, 25% of the fund, Coveney said. I hope the European Parliament & Council approve as we work through Brexit.

RTE reported that the government would apply to use the fund to support its agriculture, food and fisheries sectors.

It comes as Sinn Fein spokesperson on Agriculture Matt Carthy TD called on the Minister for Agriculture to clarify what measures will be made available to farmers affected by the fallout from Brexit.

He said the only Agriculture funding announced post Brexit has been a 100 million package to meat factories and other processors is very telling of the governments misplaced priorities.

The government have announced that 100 million will be made available to Meat Factories and other processors through the Capital Investment Scheme for the Processing and Marketing of Agricultural Products. Unfortunately, cabinet failed to use the opportunity of that funding to implement necessary conditions on recipients.

"There will be no obligation on the meat factories to improve the working conditions in plants; there will be no obligation to undo the corporate structures of the factories which are renowned for their secrecy and tax avoiding elements.

"Crucially there will be no obligation on meat factories to act in a fairer manner with the source of their product  Irelands family farmers," he said

Mr Carthy said it appears that the government have adopted a wait-and-see approach to the most important aspect of food production.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On Thursday over 1,500 high school students from New York City and Long Island will attend a virtual version of Northwell Healths annual healthcare career day.

As part of their Spark Challenge, every fall, Northwell Health opens its doors to 11th and 12th graders providing the opportunity for students to learn from clinical and non-clinical Northwell employees about the various career options in healthcare.

This years presentations highlight the healthcare heroes of the pandemic, according to Cheryl Davidson, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition for Northwell.

Im hoping that students realize the impact that health care workers have on peoples lives, their families, and the community, said Davidson.

According to Northwell Health, the Spark Challenge, which began in 2014, has given more than 7,000 students from the New York City and Long Island area a glimpse into the different fields within healthcare.

Due to COVID-19, this year, Northwell Health has partnered with Whova, an online event software platform, to host the 4-hour event virtually. Through Whova, students will be able to ask questions live during Northwell employees presentations.

Students will choose one of four themed tracks: Behind the Scene Heroes, Non-clinical Professional Heroes, Clinical Professional Heroes, or Frontline Heroes during which theyll learn about how researchers, physical therapists, lawyers, administrators, physicians, nurses, and more have played a role in navigating this pandemic.

Students will also view pre-recorded videos such as one by Staten Island University Hospital that documents the role that respiratory therapists play in treating COVID-19 patients.

The keynote speaker of the event will be Dr. David Langer, chair of neurosurgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan and star of the hit Netflix show Lenox Hill.

Teachers have to register their class (theres no charge for the ticket) and then students can log on. Individual students cant just log on, it has to be initiated by the teachers who can do so up until 9 p.m.Wednesday, according to Diane Donnell, Senior Public Relations Specialist, Northwell Health.
By Lisa Lambert and Makini Brice

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While Congress acted to impeach him, President Donald Trump on Wednesday urged his supporters to shun violence as the National Guard prepared to deploy at least 20,000 troops in Washington for the Jan. 20 swearing-in of his successor Joe Biden.

The city's acting police chief Robert Contee announced the figure a week after thousands of supporters of the Republican Trump stormed Congress in a failed bid to stop the final certification of the Democrat Biden's election victory. One police officer and four protesters died in the siege.

About 8,000 National Guard troops were on hand for Trump's 2016 inauguration, Reuters reported at the time.

While the House of Representatives debated a formal charge of "incitement of insurrection," Trump and the Republican National Committee called for an end to violence ahead of the Inauguration.

In a White House statement, Trump said: "In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers."

Home-sharing giant Airbnb and subsidiary HotelTonight were cancelling all reservations in Greater Washington during the inauguration week.

Roads near the Capitol, which were overrun with violent protesters on Jan. 6, have been closed. The National Park Service has closed the Washington Monument to tours and Mayor Muriel Bowser has asked visitors to stay away.

Incoming troops will be responsible for securing the city before Biden's inauguration, with new fencing engulfing the Capitol area. Two officials said some National Guard troops were deputized as Capitol Police officers to carry out law enforcement functions if needed.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen warned against further attacks in a video released overnight and urged the public to come forward with tips about potential attacks and threats before the inauguration, including "attempts to forcefully occupy government buildings," he said.

Story continues

Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said it was unclear why Rosen and other top U.S. officials had taken so long to speak publicly, or why Rosen's video was posted overnight, raising further questions about how federal law enforcement responded to the mostly white mob's attack last week compared with the more diverse Black Lives Matters protests last summer.

"It's inexplicable," McCabe told CNN on Wednesday.

Democratic Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a target of conservative media, told of fearing for her life in an Instagram Live video on Tuesday.

"I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive," she said without providing details, citing security concerns.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Lisa Lambert, Makini Brice, Idrees Ali and Mark Hosenball; Editing by Heather Timmons and Howard Goller)
Killarneys own star actress Jessie Buckley is starring as Oraetta Mayflower in the new season of Fargo which aired its first episode last week

In case you hadn't heard, the brand new season of 'Fargo' hit Irish screens last week with our very own Jessie Buckley as one of the lead characters.

The first episode in the fourth season of award-winning series aired its first episode on TG4 on Tuesday night; this season sees Jessie - in her first television role since the critically acclaimed 'Chernobyl' joining Chris Rock as the lead roles.

This latest run of 'Fargo' is set in 1950 Jim Crow Missouri, where an uneasy peace between two Kansas City crime syndicates is threatened by an untimely death.

The 31-year-old Killarney native plays the role of a very irresponsible nurse named Oraetta Mayflower who is a Minnesota native with a sunny disposition; as this is 'Fargo' though, things are never as nice as they seem.

Buckley's character is a self-described "Angel of Mercy," who believes that her purpose on this "earthly realm" is to bring peace and comfort to the patients in her care.

The episiodes are airing at 10:30pm every Tuesday night with the second episode having aired last night.

People have been quick to praise Buckley's performance online with one Twitter user describing her as "god damn talent" while another said that she is "stealing the show" with her stellar performances.

While filming, creator of the show, Noah Hawley also had huge praise for Jessie's ability.

"Physically, she's an incredible improviser. She finds things to do in the scenes that totally affect it and change it. It's almost like she's driving the action, like she's a rudder. It doesn't even feel like improvisation - it feels like she's that person doing whatever it is they're doing in each take."

He told the Los Angeles Times he was amazed at how the 31-yearold got into the complex role, walking the line between farce and drama in nearly every scene.

"She was great at even the most absurd things," Hawley said, citing a scene in which Oraetta gets in a car with Jason Schwartzman's gangster, Josto Fadda, and engages in a sex act while warbling a patriotic American song.

"She's literally a dominatrix to Jason's character and yet she has this veneer of Minnesota nice. "You can really go wrong with that. You can go way too broad, but she didn't."
Earthstone Energy, a Woodlands-based oil and gas company, has acquired rival Independent Resources Management for $182 million.

The deal, which closed this month, consisted of $131.2 million in cash and about 12.7 million shares of Earthstone stock valued at $50.8 million. Earthstone, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ESTE, develops and operates oil and gas assets in the Midland Basin of West Texas and the Eagle Ford of South Texas.

The added scale of this acquisition enhances our ability to deliver top tier operational and financial results with a heavy focus on generating low-cost, high margin production, Earthstone CEO Robert Anderson said in a statement.

ACQUISITIONS: Expect more consolidation in oil industry through mid-2021

Consolidation is sweeping the energy sector as the industry pulls out of the oil bust caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Oil and gas companies are joining forces and acquiring assets to better weather such downturns.

Recent mergers and acquisitions deals include Chevrons $13.7 billion acquisition of Houston-based Noble Energy in October, Devon Energys $5.8 billion acquisition of WPX Energy in January and Pioneer Natural Resources $4.5 billion acquisition of Parsley Energy in January. Spring-based Southwestern Energy in November acquired Montage Resources for $193 million.

In 2018, Earthstone acquired nearly 21,000 acres in the Permian Basin for $950 million from Corpus Christi-based Sabalo Holdings.
Iran's navy began a short-range missile drill in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday and inaugurated its largest military vessel, state TV reported, amid heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear program and a US pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The two-day missile drill was being held in the gulf's southeastern waters and two new Iranian-made warships joined the exercise: The missile-launching Zereh, or ``armor,`` and the country's largest military ship the Makran, a logistics vessel with a helicopter pad named for a coastal region in southern Iran.

President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran's nuclear deal, in which Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump cited Iran's ballistic missile program among other issues in withdrawing from the accord.

When the US then ramped up sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal's limits on its nuclear development as a series of escalating incidents pushed the two countries to the brink of war at the beginning of the year.

In recent weeks, Iran has increased its military drills. On Saturday, the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard held a naval parade in the Persian Gulf and a week earlier Iran held a massive drone maneuver across half the country.

Iran on occasion announces military achievements that cannot be independently verified. The country began a military sufficiency program in 1992 under which Tehran says it produces mortars to fighter jets.

State TV said the 121,000-metric ton Makran is Iran's largest military ship at 228 meters (748 feet) long, 42 meters (138 feet) wide and 21.5 meters (70 feet) tall. The Makran, a logistics ship that supports combat ships in the fleet, can travel for nearly three years without docking and carries information collection and processing gear.

Last week, Iran seized a South Korean oil tanker and its crew members in the Gulf, and continues to hold the vessel at an Iranian port. The Islamic Republic has apparently sought to increase its leverage over Seoul ahead of negotiations over billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen in South Korean banks tied to US sanctions on Iran.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of having secret ties with the militant al-Qaida network and imposed new sanctions on several senior Iranian officials. Iran has denied the accusation.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said in a televised speech during a Cabinet meeting that US sanctions will fail. ``We are witnessing the failure of a policy, the maximum pressure campaign, economic terrorism,'' he said.

Short link:


A young man, believed to be in his early 30s, has shot his girlfriend to death at Akyem Nkronso, a suburb of the Abuakwa South Municipal District, in the Eastern Region.



The suspect, identified as Sammy, was said to have had some misunderstanding with his girlfriend a couple of weeks ago and out of anger which he abhorred over the weeks, took the opportunity to kill the woman when no one was around.



Mr Nicholas Owusu, an eye-witness, who told this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) disclosed that the incident occurred on Monday at about 11:00pm when the victim, commonly known as Maa Abena, was sleeping in the suspect's house.



He said the suspect was later arrested by the police and taken to the Apedwa police station but was later transferred to the Apedwa Clinic in Kyebi to be treated from injuries he sustained as a result of hitting himself with a hammer.



Police Sergeant Francis Gomado, Eastern Regional Police Public Relations Officer, who confirmed the story, indicated that the body had since been deposited at the Suhum Hospital, awaiting autopsy and identification by family.

Source: GNA









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

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As leaders of the anti-Trump resistance, Americas major newspapers, magazines, network and liberal cable news outlets abandoned journalistic principles to become propaganda arms of the Democrat party and the activist left. They have cast aside their historic commitment to open inquiry and fairness to protect Democrats while portraying Donald Trump as a traitor and his supporters as white supremacists.

A free press is essential to the functioning of a democratic Republic. It is a key channel for the free exchange and scrutiny of ideas. As the mainstream media has abandoned this role while advancing some narratives, no matter their faults, and delegitimizing others, no matter their merits, it is not surprising that cancel culture and anti-conservative censorship are flourishing on social media. Intimidation, coercion and punishment have always been the instruments of choice to silence dissent and destroy freedom.

The medias partisanship is also a major contributor to the rage that defines the national mood. For progressives, who are increasingly losing their ability to see the world apart from political outcomes, this coverage defines Republicans as an immoral enemy that must be destroyed.

For conservatives, this deluge of deception about themselves and those they support is nothing less than an assault on their sanity, as they are incessantly told what they see, hear and understand is false, ugly and dangerous. It is literally maddening.

It is not a two-way street. Conservative news outlets also spread falsehoods and demonize progressives, but they do not control the national discourse.

The latest example of media malfeasance is its coverage of the criminal mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol last week because they believe the 2020 election was fraudulent. This isolated incident of violence by a small group of Trump supporters has been widely condemned by Democrats and Republicans who have properly demanded that perpetrators be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

Nevertheless the media, which at long last has an example to support its pet narrative that conservatives are a clear and present danger to the Republic, has been inflating the threat while suggesting the vandals represent all Trump voters. Hence the claim that the mob was orchestrating a coup. Whatever its intention, that ragtag crew was never going to topple our constitutional government. But such basic common sense is irrelevant to a media that just wants to score points for its side.

That violence, however, did not arise out of thin air. It follows at least a decade of sustained efforts by progressives to challenge election results through direct action  starting with the takeover of the Wisconsin statehouse in 2011 and the Moral Monday protests launched in North Carolina in 2013. Those angry but peaceful protests evolved into the Black Lives Matter and antifa-led insurrections that began last spring and have led to multiple deaths and billions of dollars in property damage.

The mainstream media and top Democrats downplayed that violence and celebrated the lawbreakers. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris encouraged her supporters to contribute to the bail funds for people arrested in connection with the arson and looting that ravaged Minneapolis.

Echoing false coverage in the mainstream media, President-elect Joe Biden fanned the flames of division last week when he smeared the U.S. Capitol Police as racist by claiming, without evidence, that they were soft on the mob because they were white. No one can tell me, Biden said on Jan. 7, that if that had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, they would have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol."

Never mind that the police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, or that they fatally shot an unarmed woman. And never mind that law enforcements response to the summer protests was largely marked by restraint. BLM protesters were allowed to march through the streets and intimidate their fellow citizens with impunity in D.C. and elsewhere and to illegally occupy entire neighborhoods. The facts dont matter if they dont serve the narrative.

Democrats argue that it is worse to attack the U.S. Capitol than loot businesses and torch police stations in Americas cities. Perhaps so, but both are beyond the pale. As many Republicans still challenge the results of the 2020 election, the media and Democrats are claiming such questions threaten our democracy. Down the memory hole is the fact these same people spent four years claiming President Trump worked with the Russians to steal the 2016 race. Biden said, I absolutely agree after a woman called Trump an illegitimate president last year.

Biden has also joined Harris and other top Democrats in claiming that Stacey Abrams was robbed of victory in the 2018 Georgia governors race by Republican subterfuge. Instead of castigating Abrams for stoking conspiracy theories, the media portrays her as a champion of justice.

The failure to raise these points and thus contextualize last weeks abhorrent violence is journalistic malpractice. Instead of exploring the idea that Trump supporters were taking a page out of the progressive playbook, our major news outlets are portraying the violence as proof of the GOPs singularly dark soul.

Such duplicity has become business as usual at these outlets. While Trump explicitly condemned neo-Nazis and white supremacists in his post-Charlottesville press conference (and on countless other occasions), the mainstream press  and Joe Biden  insisted he did not.

During the 2020 campaign, the press helped Biden advance the false claim that information found on his son Hunters laptop was Russian disinformation even though the candidate himself offered no evidence of this strange assertion or even denied the veracity of the information found on it.

The same press corps that uncritically reported on unfounded and often wild sexual assault allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh worked to undermine Tara Reades more recent accusations against Biden.

Many people hope that, having defeated Trump, the mainstream media will right its ship and recommit itself to journalisms best values. This is wishful thinking. The evidence demonstrates that it has embraced a partisan role. The editors and reporters at our nations leading news organizations believe there is a single truth  and it is theirs.

Our democracy is dying in this darkness.
New Delhi: After acquiring Covishield, a consignment of COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Bharat Biotech arrived in the national capital on Wednesday. The first consignment of the Bharat Biotech`s Covaxin was carried to the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) via Air India flight AI559 which operated from Hyderabad. It landed in Delhi at around 9 am, officials from IGIA informed.

Delhi: The first consignment of #Covaxin by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech, arrives at Indira Gandhi International Airport. #COVIDVaccination https://t.co/P46wLOuwUR pic.twitter.com/518DSwc5l3  ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2021

According to news agency ANI, three boxes of Covaxin was transported from Kurukshetra in Haryana to the national capital. The first consignment of the Covid-19 vaccine by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier this morning, the agency reported.

Delhi: Three boxes of #Covaxin being taken to Kurukshetra in Haryana. The first consignment of the #CovidVaccine by Hyderabad based Bharat Biotech, arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport earlier this morning. https://t.co/vZQVm0UutF pic.twitter.com/SaRlTV140F  ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2021

On Tuesday, the first consignment of COVID-19 vaccine 'Covishield' had arrived at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport from Pune.

Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) would now receive 20,000 doses of Bharat Biotech`s Covid vaccine from the consignment which landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) on Wednesday morning.

The doses are expected to reach the hospital by 1 pm, which will double-up as the national capital`s only vaccine storage facility, they added. "We are told that we would receive 20,000 doses from the consignment," confirmed BL Sherwal, Director, RGSSH.

Covaxin developer Bharat Biotech aims to dispatch around 55 lakh vaccines to 11 states in the initial phase, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Chennai and Jaipur.

The RGSSH has already received 2.64 lakh doses of Covid vaccine on Tuesday. The hospital has received 22 boxes consisting of 26,400 vials of Covishield, the Covid vaccine by the Serum Institute of India (SII). "A total of 22 boxes of vaccines have been received here. Each box contains 1200 vials and each vial has 10 doses," Chhavi Gupta, spokesperson of the hospital said.

Covishield and Covaxin, the two COVID-19 vaccines which have received Emergency Use Authorisation (EAU) have been tested on thousands of people and side-effects are negligible, Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, said on Tuesday adding that the two "are safest of the vaccines".

"Both the vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) have been authorized for emergency use and there should be no doubt about their safety. They have been tested on thousands of people and side-effects are negligible. There is no risk of any significance," Dr Paul said at a press conference.

The first phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive is scheduled to start from January 16. Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the Central government is having close collaboration with states and union territories for vaccine roll-out. "All preparations are on track for vaccine roll-out from January 16," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier said around 3 crore healthcare workers and frontline workers will be vaccinated in the first phase of vaccination. "In the second phase, those above 50 years and those under 50 years with co-morbid conditions will be vaccinated," he added.

Live TV

(With agency inputs)
A vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is shown at a UHN COVID-19 vaccine clinic in Toronto on Jan. 7, 2021. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

Herd Immunity to CCP Virus Not Attainable in 2021: WHO

Despite vaccines rolling out in different countries, no one should expect herd immunity to the CCP virus this year, according to the World Health Organisations (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan.

Swaminathan stressed the need for the world to continue to implement measures to protect against the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus (novel coronavirus), as the emergency roll-out of vaccines would not stop the need for physical distancing, hand washing, and mask-wearing, Al Jazeera reported.

We are not going to achieve any levels of population immunity or herd immunity in 2021, said Swaminathan.

Even if it happens in a couple of pockets in a few countries, its not going to protect people across the world, she said.

While praising the scientific community that banded together to create several safe vaccines for an unknown novel virus, Swaminathan also warned that the vaccines global rollout would take time.

It takes time to scale the production of doses, not just in the millions, but here we are talking about in the billions, she said.

Australia Defends Vaccine Choice

The WHOs statement comes as Australias Chief Medical Officer Prof. Paul Kelly sought to ease concerns among the nations medical community over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Newscorps The Australian reported on Wednesday that Andrew Miller, the head of the Western Australian Medical Association, said the federal government should halt existing plans to begin vaccinating the population with the AstraZeneca vaccine from early March due to its efficacy rate.

Trials have shown the AstraZeneca vaccine has between a 60 to 90 percent efficacy rate against the CCP virus.

However, this is still less effective than the Pfizer (95 percent effective) and Moderna (94 percent effective) vaccines.

We need to pause and look at what the outcomes are going to be before we take any further steps, Miller said.

With the AstraZeneca vaccine, on current data, if we rely on that vaccine, were not going to get to herd immunity. Current expectation is were going to be able to get back to normal life, but if we dont get herd immunity theres no guarantee that we wont have rolling epidemics, he said.

Miller also noted that there may be a situation where if you have one vaccine, then that may mean you can not have other ones. Thats why its very important to get it right the first time, he said.

However, Australias chief medical officer, Kelly, is standing by the planned rollout of the Australian-made vaccine.

Speaking to the ABC on Wednesday, Kelly said that the advantage of the AstraZeneca vaccine is it is being made domestically and will be available in February.

Were not the only country in the world that has AstraZeneca ordered. AstraZeneca is one of the mainstays of the global response and remains so, he said. The AstraZeneca vaccine is effective, it is safe, and its a high-quality vaccine, but those are the things that the TGA will be looking at with their full approval coming very soon.

A media spokesperson for the national branch of the Australian Medical Association told The Epoch Times on Wednesday that the head of the AMA will receive a briefing from the government on Friday about the vaccine.

The spokesperson did not say if AMA President Dr. Omar Khorshid would raise Millers concerns.
The following is a statement from Rosa Maria Paya, founder and promoter of Cuba Decide. The citizen initiative for democracy in Cuba, Cuba Decide, released a video summarizing how Cubans on and off the island are mobilizing to protest the repression they have been subject to for over six decades. Public protests saw exponential growth near the end of 2020 with 42 protests in the month of September, 88 in October, 110 in November and 122 in December.1 Among the demands of the protests are: the right to define the course of the country, the release of political prisoners, freedom of speech and artistic expression, economic liberty and access to basic resources in the midst of a deep humanitarian crisis caused by communist policies and aggravated by COVID-19.

Protesters have been raising their voices in opposition to systemic political, civil, economic and social issues affecting our daily lives and in favor of a change of the system. These protests are evidence that the opposition movement and the Cuban people's desire for change have continued to expand to a point where it cannot be ignored any longer.

Even so, as recent history has demonstrated, citizens cannot confront a criminal group that holds totalitarian power by themselves  the support of the international community is necessary as well. The international actions and pressure on the regime with the goal of protecting lives and supporting citizens' demands for freedom is required. That is why it is very important that our request to reinstate the Cuban regime to the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism  a list from which it should never have left  has been heard.

For years, I requested that the Obama administration, and later the Trump administration, to reincorporate the Cuban regime on this list because it is the correct and coherent thing to do. Many other Cubans have also asked for this designation, as it recognizes the obvious ties the Castros and the military leadership of the regime have with activities related to terrorism. These actions include: offering sanctuary to U.S. terrorists, refusing the continuous extradition requests of ELN leaders linked to the deadly attack on the Bogota cadet school in 2019, and systemically applying State Terrorism against civilians in the Island.

State terrorism to which I am not only a witness, but also a direct victim. In 2012, members of the Ministry of the Interior of the dictatorship, by orders that could only come directly from Raul and Fidel Castro, carried out an attack in which my father, the recognized opposition leader Oswaldo Paya, lost his life. Today, the lives of hundreds of activists, artists, journalists and citizens on the Island are permanently are risk. Those who dare to confront the regime could suffer police harassment, torture, prison, expatriation or even death.

What has been stated above are not opinions, but facts. They do not depend one political party or another. Moreover, denouncing these events and designating the Cuban regime as a state sponsor of terrorism benefits both the protection of the Cuban people against impunity, and the national security of several countries in the hemisphere. In fact, these countries should come together in support of this designation and in solidarity with the Cuban people, because democracy in Cuba is a benefit to all.

While placing Cuba on this list is not enough, nor is it the solution to the situation on the Island, it is, however, a step in the right direction. It is up to us Cubans, and Cubans alone, to decide and define the destiny of our country, something that we have not been able to do for more than 60 years because of the dictatorship's prohibition of free elections and all political parties apart from Communism. For this reason, Cuba Decide's strategy is to mobilize Cubans through non-violent, peaceful actions to change the totalitarian system towards democracy and be able to hold free elections.

The Cuba Decide platform is non-partisan, nor is it involved in the domestic politics of any foreign country. We do, however, promote a foreign policy for governments of the world towards Cuba: the policy of direct solidarity with the needs of the Cuban people; and the use of all the mechanisms available through international law to generate maximum pressure on the dicators to make them submit to the will of the citizens.

We work so that all nations of the free world will join in support of the Cuban people's fight for change. The victory of democracy in Cuba is essential to the peace, prosperity and stability of the entire Western Hemisphere. As the United States undergoes a change in administration, we hope to extend the communications that we maintain with the current administration to members of Congress as well as the President-Elect Joe Biden, who now has one more tool against the dictatorship to support the demands for democratic change. The demands that have originated from the citizenry and are multiplying in the streets of Cuba.

The heart of Cuba has already changed and is entering into a new era. Hundreds of protests have occurred throughout the Island and across the world. Citizens will continue to take action because they already know that the only way out of the crisis is to change the system.

Help Cubans amplify their voices. Like and share our page on social media @CubaDecide

You too can be a champion for the cause. Let the world know that Cubans demand the right to freely decide their future.

About CUBA DECIDE

Cuba Decide is a citizen initiative to change the political and economic system towards democracy and the rule of law.

THE STRATEGY

Generate the necessary pressure to force the regime to submit to the will of the people through the joint non-violent action of citizens and the international community.

THE TOOL

Cubans must decide their future and be free.

Cuba Decide proposes that the will of the Cubans be expressed and complied with through a binding plebiscite - a direct vote of the people - in Cuba to make a concrete change in the system, by answering the following question:

Do you agree that free, fair and plural elections should be called by exercising freedom of expression and the press, and freely organizing into political parties and social organizations with total plurality? Yes or no?

Join Us!

A mass mobilization effort is underway!

Learn more and join cubadecide.org



Be part of our conversations on Facebook.com/CubaDecide and on Twitter and Instagram following @CubaDecide and using the tag #CubaDecide.

FDP is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization that promotes the Cuba Decide platform together with thousands of Cubans.

1 Observatorio Cubano de Conflictos, https://www.observatoriocubano.com/2021/01/05/cuba-es-de-todos-122-manifestaciones-publicas-de-protestas-en-diciembre/

SOURCE Cuba Decide

Related Links

http://www.cubadecide.org


 Flash

U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly admitted Monday that he bore some blame for the riot on Capitol Hill, an acknowledgement that came the same day when House Democrats took their first step to impeach the president for a second time during his presidency.



Multiple U.S. media reported the news, citing a conversation between the president and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and a conference call where the California GOP congressman informed House Republicans.

GOP strategies countering impeachment

Prior to the conference call, McCarthy, one of Trump's staunchest allies, sent a letter to House Republicans saying he was against impeaching the president.

"Personally, I continue to believe that an impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together when we need to get America back on a path towards unity and civility," the Republican leader said.

McCarthy outlined four alternative options he said would ensure that what happened on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6 is "rightfully denounced and prevented from occurring in the future."

The measures include "a resolution of censure under the rules of the House," "a bipartisan commission to investigate the circumstances surrounding the attack," "reforming the Electoral Count Act of 1887," and "legislation to promote voter confidence in future federal elections."

GOP congressman Tom Reed of New York wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times that House Republicans will introduce a resolution on Tuesday to censure Trump. "We must also look at alternatives that could allow Congress to bar Mr. Trump from holding federal office in the future," he added.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, told House Democrats in a phone call Monday that censuring the president is "an abdication," and that she would not consider that option, CNN reported, citing people familiar.

Trump, whose social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have all been locked following the Capitol unrest, spoke Monday with Vice President Mike Pence for the first time since Pence presided over Congress's joint session and fulfilled his constitutional duty to certify Biden's election victory, despite being pressured by Trump not to do so, according to CNN.

"They reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America First movement backed by 75 million Americans, and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term," the network quoted a senior official as saying when describing the Trump-Pence conversation in the Oval Office.

Democrats resolved to impeach Trump

House Democrats on Monday formally introduced an article of impeachment against Trump, taking the first step to impeach the president for a second time during his presidency.

The single article of impeachment, contained in a resolution introduced when the House gaveled into a pro-forma session, charged the president with "incitement of insurrection," pointing to his repeated false claims that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

Those claims and a speech Trump delivered to supporters in Washington incited a group of rioters to breach the Capitol as Congress convened a joint session to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory in the election, the resolution said.

The resolution also cited Trump's phone call on Jan. 2 with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the president urged the secretary to find enough votes to overturn the election results in the state, as one of a series of efforts by the president to subvert and obstruct the certification of the election results.

"In all this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government," the resolution said. "He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States."

Citing the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, the resolution noted that the law "prohibits any person who has 'engaged in insurrection or rebellion against' the United States" from holding office.

Calling Trump "a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office," the resolution said the president "thus warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States."

Resolved to impeach Trump for a second time after they did so in December 2019, House Democrats are expected to expedite the impeachment process by holding a floor vote on the resolution Wednesday.

Before unveiling the impeachment resolution, House Democrats sought to pass a separate, nonbinding resolution through unanimous consent asking Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution with a majority of Trump administration cabinet members to remove the president from office.

That effort was shot down by Republicans in the chamber. As a result, Democrats are holding a floor vote on Tuesday on the resolution requesting the direct removal of the president absent the impeachment and the subsequent Senate trial.

Pence, who initially inclined not to invoke the 25th Amendment but, per a more recent CNN report, hasn't ruled out that possibility, was given 24 hours to respond to the resolution, or the impeachment will proceed.

What lies ahead

The introduction of the impeachment resolution came not only as calls for Trump to resign or be forced out grew among a majority of Democrats and some Republicans following the violent intrusion of the Capitol, but also at a time when Trump has merely 10 days left as the occupant of the White House.

House Majority Whip James Clyburn said on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that while the House is poised to impeach Trump this week, Democrats may wait until after the 100th day since Biden assumes office to deliver the articles of impeachment to the Senate for a trial.

Such a tactic is aimed at not letting the trial complicate congressional proceedings of the incoming president's policy agenda, including Senate confirmations of the president-elect's nominations for key administration posts. Biden's inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 20.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a memo circulated among Republicans last week that he would not call the Senate -- now in recess -- back in session before Jan. 19, meaning that the earliest possible time for the chamber to conduct the impeachment trial is on Biden's inauguration day.

If that were to happen, Trump would be the first U.S. president in history to be tried on impeachment charges after stepping down.

Michael Gerhardt, a law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said he didn't see "any constitutional problem with the Senate acting fast or slowly," suggesting that for a former president to be tried in an impeachment trial doesn't violate the Constitution.
Presidents of Ukraine, Portugal agree to hold meeting of intergovt commission on economic cooperation

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in a telephone conversation with President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa discussed the intensification of bilateral trade and economic cooperation and the continuation of the dialogue at the highest level.

"I am optimistic about the further increase in the trade turnover of our states," Zelensky said.

The parties agreed to hold the third meeting of the intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation as soon as possible.

In addition, Zelensky and de Sousa outlined the priority areas of cooperation between Ukraine and Portugal, namely, trade, energy, space infrastructure, digitalization, scientific and technical cooperation and others.
China's Covid vaccine is only 50.4 per cent effective, Brazilian researchers have found, just days after they announced results of 78 per cent from their late-stage trials.

The Brazilian Butantan biomedical centre announced last week the Sinovac Biotech jab had proved 78.4 per cent effective against 'mild to severe' cases which required treatment.

But it has now been revealed their results did not include 'very mild' infections from those who had received the vaccine but did not need medical assistance.

With this data included, the success rate has now dropped to 50.4 per cent, barely sufficient for the 50 per cent minimum for regulatory approval.

It is also well below the 70 per cent recommended by the Chinese government and the World Health Organisation.

The news is a major disappointment for Brazil, as the Chinese vaccine is one of two that the federal government had lined up to administer during their deadly Covid surge.

Sinovac's chairman has insisted the vaccine is highly effective and prevents 100 per cent of severe Covid cases.

China's Covid vaccine was only 50.4 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic infections in a Brazilian trial

Many have criticised the Butantan biomedical centre for releasing partial data just days ago that generated unrealistic expectations.

The results came from a trial of 13,000 people in Brazil in the most advanced final phase of testing.

The trial saw 220 people infected of which 160 were in the placebo group and 60 received the vaccine.

They insisted last week the results were sufficient for 'clinical efficacy' and are insisting the vaccine is still 78 per cent effective in preventing mild cases that would need treatment.

It is still not clear how the efficacy rate was calculated by the Brazilian officials and a detailed breakdown of the study, showing age groups and side effects, has not been published.

The confusion may add to skepticism in Brazil about the Chinese vaccine, which President Jair Bolsonaro has criticized, questioning its 'origins.'

Many have criticised the Butantan biomedical center for releasing partial data just days ago that generated unrealistic expectations

'We have a good vaccine. Not the best vaccine in the world. Not the ideal vaccine,' said microbiologist Natalia Pasternak, criticizing Butantan's triumphant tone.

Ricardo Palacios, medical director for clinical research at Butantan, said on Tuesday that the new lower efficacy finding included data on those 'very mild' cases.

'We need better communicators,' said Gonzalo Vecina Neto, a professor of public health at the University of Sao Paulo and former head of Brazilian health regulator Anvisa.

Sinovac chairman Yin Weidong said on Wednesday: 'This data shows that the vaccines have good efficacy and safety in all the phase 3 clinical trials. We have accelerated the ramping up of production capacity.'

He added that the jab was 100 per cent effective at preventing severe cases, 78 per cent effective against cases requiring treatment and 50 per cent effective at 'protecting medical workers'.

Weidong also cited figures from other trials which showed a much higher efficacy rate.

Piecemeal disclosures about Chinese vaccine trials globally have raised concerns that they are not subject to the same public scrutiny as US and European alternatives.

Palacios and officials in the Sao Paulo state government, which funds Butantan, emphasized the good news that none of the volunteers inoculated with CoronaVac had to be hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms.

Public health experts said that alone will be a relief for Brazilian hospitals that are buckling under the strain of surging case loads. However, it will take longer to curb the pandemic with a vaccine that allows so many mild cases.

The news is a major disappointment for Brazil, as the Chinese vaccine is one of two that the federal government had lined up to administer

'It's a vaccine that will start the process of overcoming the pandemic,' Pasternak said.

Sinovac uses an inactivated version of the virus to stimulate the body's immune response.

One major advantage is that it can be stored at refrigerator temperature, making them easy to distribute to the developing world.

China has already administered 4.5million of the jabs to its citizens as part of its plan to vaccinate 50million people by early February.

Researchers at Butantan delayed announcement of their results three times, blaming a confidentiality clause in a contract with Sinovac.

In the meantime, Turkish researchers said last month that CoronaVac was 91.25 per cent effective based on an interim analysis. Indonesia gave the vaccine emergency use approval on Monday based on interim data showing it is 65 per cent effective.

Butantan officials said the design of the Brazilian study, focusing on frontline health workers during a severe outbreak in Brazil and including elderly volunteers, made it impossible to compare the results directly with other trials or vaccines.

Still, Covid-19 vaccines in use from Pfizer Inc with partner BioNTech SE and Moderna Inc proved to be about 95 per cent effective in preventing illness in their pivotal late-state trials.

The disappointing CoronaVac data is the latest setback for vaccination efforts in Brazil, where more than 200,000 people have died since the outbreak began - the worst death toll outside the United States.

Brazil's national immunisation programme currently relies on CoronaVac and the vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca Plc - neither of which has received regulatory approval in Brazil.

Anvisa, which has stipulated an efficacy rate of at least 50 per cent for vaccines in the pandemic, has already pressed Butantan for more details of its study, after it filed for emergency use authorization on Friday.

The regulator said it will meet on Sunday to decide on emergency use requests for CoronaVac and the British vaccine.

AstraZeneca failed to deliver active ingredients to Brazil over the weekend, leaving the government scrambling to import finished doses of the vaccine from India to begin inoculations.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) leaves the Senate floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 1, 2020. (Liz Lynch/Getty Images)

Sen. Tim Scott Opposes Impeaching Trump: Will Only Lead to More Hate

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) came out Tuesday in opposition to the push to impeach President Donald Trump.

President Trump has eight days left in his term and has promised a smooth and peaceful transition of power. The Democrat-led impeachment talks happening in the House right now fly in direct opposition to what President-elect Joe Biden has been calling for all year, Scott said in a statement.

An impeachment vote will only lead to more hate and a deeply fractured nation. I oppose impeaching President Trump.

Scott appeared to be the 10th GOP senator to oppose impeachment. The others are Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Kevin Cramer (D-N.D.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).

In light of President Trumps Thursday statement pledging an orderly transfer power and calling for healing in our nation, a second impeachment will do far more harm than good, Graham said Monday.

In accordance with our Constitution, the orderly transfer of power will occur at noon on January 20. The best way for our country to heal and move past the events of last week would be for this process to continue, Wicker added.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and a slew of Republicans in the lower congressional chamber have said they oppose impeaching Trump.

Our country is not just divided. We are deeply hurt. The task ahead for the next Congress and incoming Biden administration couldnt be more momentous. But to deliver a better America for all, partisans of all stripes first must unite as Americans and show our country that a peaceful transition of power has occurred. Impeaching the president with just 12 days left in his term will only divide our country more, McCarthy said last week.

President Donald Trump on the South Lawn of the White House on Jan. 12, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Vice President Mike Pence late Tuesday urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to stop trying to impeach Trump, as he rejected pressure from Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president.

Because Democrats control the House, and none have appeared so far to oppose impeaching Trump, the article of impeachment they plan to vote on during Wednesdays session is expected to pass.

Democrats impeached Trump last year but failed to get support from Republican senators outside of Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah). The Senate acquitted Trump. Three presidents in U.S. history have been impeached, but none have been convicted.

A super-majority vote is required to convict a president on an article of impeachment. The Senate will soon be locked in a 50-50 tie. Democrats will control the body because theyll hold the White House, but theyd need to get votes from 17 Republicans to convict Trump.

Only one Republican, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.), has signaled support for impeachment. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) said hed consider convicting Trump. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she wanted Trump to resign.

Still, thats only a handful of senators, far short of 17. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has not commented publicly on the fresh impeachment. The Senate is currently not in session.
Within the past fortnight, China has taken two steps that undermine the ability of the incoming Biden administration to build a western alliance to contain Chinas growing and increasingly aggressive global assertiveness.

On the final day of 2020, China signed an investment pact with the European Union despite pleas from Biden advisers to hold off until the new administration had an opportunity to talk through the common concerns of the US and Europe about Chinas economic policies and practices.

Then, at the weekend, China announced a response to the myriad of sanctions the Trump administration has imposed on its companies and individuals, unveiling a new set of rules that purport to counter foreign laws that "unjustly prohibit or restrict" Chinese companies or individuals from undertaking their normal business.

President Xi Jinping's government has moved to undermine Joe Biden's chances of building a western alliance. Credit:Getty Images

Chinese companies or individuals suffering losses because of foreign sanctions, or a third partys compliance with those sanctions, will be able to sue for damages in Chinas courts.
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The Williamstown Historical Museum is attempting to disassemble, preserve and relocate this historic barn. A second home, right, is planned to accompany the nearly complete Habitat for Humanity home at the corner of Cole Avenue and Maple Street in Williamstown. PreviousNext

Williamstown's Demand for CPA Funds May Outstrip Supply

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass.  The Community Preservation Committee will have requests totaling $346,000 when it meets on Jan. 20.

Four agencies submitted requests by Friday's deadline for grants ranging from $50,000 to $160,000. Together, the aggregate is more than 8 percent over the total funds the committee is expecting to be available for fiscal year 2022.

The largest request is from the town's Affordable Housing Trust, which settled on a sum of $160,000 in new Community Preservation Act funding during an open meeting last month. The committee also had an inclination in the fall that the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation would be seeking town funds to support the acquisition of an Agricultural Preservation Restriction at Fairfields Farm; that request came in at $56,000.

The other two applicants also will be familiar faces to the members of the committee.

The Williamstown Historical Museum seeks $50,000 for the restoration, transport and reassembly of an historic barn to the museum's New Ashford Road (Route 7) home. Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity wants $80,000 to support the construction of a second single-family home on a lot at the corner of Cole Avenue and Maple Street that Habitat received from the Affordable Housing Trust for that purpose.

The town generates CPA funds primarily from a 2 percent surcharge on property tax bills (with the first $100,000 valuation exempted). Municipalities that have accepted the provisions of the act, which Williamstown did in 2002, also receive a partial match from the commonwealth.

CPA funds can be used for the following purposes: community housing, open space and recreation, and historic preservation. The committee vets applications each winter and has the sole authority to put requests before town meeting for final approval in the spring.

In November , Town Manager Jason Hoch advised his colleagues on the panel that the town anticipated having about $324,500 available for fiscal 2022 appropriations. In a Monday email to iBerkshires.com responding to an inquiry about the budget, Hoch said that after re-evaluating revenue projections, he has revised that figure down to $319,482 -- $26,518 less than the total of the four applications the town received.

Each of the applicants will have a chance to make their case before the committee at the meetings that start next Wednesday. But their applications, available on the town's website , provide background information for the panel to consider.

Affordable Housing Trust is hoping that town meeting grants it an additional $160,000 and frees up $18,722 in previously restricted CPA funds to support various Theis hoping that town meeting grants it an additional $160,000 and frees up $18,722 in previously restricted CPA funds to support various initiatives of the trust, including its Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program and Richard DeMayo Mortgage Assistance Program.

The latter, the DeMayo program, since 2014 has helped 20 first-time families at or below 100 percent of the Area Median Income to become first-time homebuyers in the town.

The two emergency programs are a response to the need to support current residents impacted by the financial crisis that came with the COVID-19 pandemic. Working with Berkshire Housing Development Corp., the housing trust got the rental program off the ground in the summer; the members of the trust board are in the process of making an emergency mortgage assistance program operational.

The $18,722 refers to the remainder of money appropriated by town meeting in May 2018 (FY19) to support the trust's partnership with Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity on the latter's Critical Repairs/Brush with Kindness program. According to the trust's FY22 application, the local non-profit has said it is devoting all its labor to building a new home at the corner of Cole and Maple (and, hopefully, a second in the near future), and the Brush with Kindness funds are not being utilized.

"Thus, there are no prospects for using the unspent funds for several years," the trust's application notes. "If Habitat does unexpectedly undertake a repair, the Trust would be able to use unrestricted funds to aid the effort."

Since it was created by town meeting in 2012 with a $200,000 CPA grant, the Affordable Housing Trust has consistently asked for unrestricted CPA funds with the exception of 2018, when it asked for funds for a specific purpose in response to requests from some members of the CPC for more specificity in applications.

Habitat for Humanity is seeking $80,000 of CPA funds toward an expected $220,529 cost to build a home at 14 Maple St. The nonprofit currently is in the final stages of completing a home next door with frontage on Cole Avenue.

"NBH will advertise for appropriate families under guidelines approved by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development," the nonprofit's application reads. "The selected families would assist in the construction and would buy the houses. The price will be limited to what the buyer can afford to pay under the affordable housing guidelines and so will be within the means of the buyers.

"Habitat will build the [house] using significant amounts of volunteer labor and additional specialized labor, services and equipment that are often donated or [provided] on a discounted basis. The properties will be subject to a restriction that provides that future owners must also be able to afford the house based on affordable housing guidelines, thus limiting the future sales price and ensuring the long-term status as affordable housing units."

Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity anticipates construction on the 14 Maple St. property to begin this spring.

The Williamstown Historical Museum has applied for $50,000 to defray the cost of a $301,000 project to disassemble, preserve and reassemble the Dolan-Jenks Barn, currently at 1101 Green River Road, to the museum's site at the former South Center School near the Five Corners intersection of Routes 7 and 43.

"The prospect of opportunities to connect with the past while engaging with the present is inspiring," museum Executive Director Sarah Currie wrote in a letter to the CPC that accompanied the application. "On the grounds of the WHM, the barn will be available for visitors to learn more about the town's agricultural past and the methods of construction used in previous centuries."

The barn is believed to date from between 1840 to 1860, the museum's application reads. The WHM says it has $171,000 on hand from individual donors, accounting 57 percent of the project's projected costs. It has another $20,000 pledged from donors and intends to raise another $60,600, the application reads.

The WHM's goal is to have the barn reassembled on the museum grounds by summer 2022.

Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation will be before the CPC looking for $56,000 toward the $460,000 cost to acquire an will be before the CPC looking for $56,000 toward the $460,000 cost to acquire an Agricultural Preservation Restriction on 18 acres owned by the Galusha family, operating as Fairfields Farm.

The town contribution would be used to leverage private donations and $327,450 from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, which requires a local match of at least 10 percent against state funds.

"Agriculture Preservation Restrictions protect prime agricultural soils," the WRLF application reads. "The Galusha land currently produces corn and silage for the family's dairy herd, but it could produce vegetables or other row crops in the future. The important thing is to protect good farmland while it is available. And, with food insecurity growing because of the pandemic, it's vital to source our food locally. All Williamstown residents benefit when we can produce food within our community."

The application is supported by letters from MDAR's APR field representative, the town's Agricultural Commission and Conservation Commission and former WRLF Executive Director Leslie Reed-Evans.
The Parliamentary Panel on Information Technology is likely to take up the issues regarding the new privacy policy by Facebook-owned WhatsApp.

As per the latest WhatsApp's privacy policy, a user's data will be shared with parent company Facebook. Although this decision by WhatsApp was rolled out in 2016, users already on the platform before the acquisition had the choice of not sharing that data. That choice no longer exists.

According to a report in Hindustan Times, the panel is likely to summon Facebook officials in the wake of privacy concerns about WhatsApp.

The issue of data privacy was raised by Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra. A person told the daily, "If WhatsApp says its data is end-to-end encrypted, how can it be shared with someone else? This raises serious concerns about data privacy. Moreover, in this case, why can't they share the data with the government of India".

Besides Facebook, the parliamentary committee, led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, may also summon micro-blogging site Twitter.

As per the daily, the panel might table issues like arbitrarily taking down people's account, and a clarification whether they are the intermediaries or the publisher.

A section of party members of both Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress questioned the "arbitrary" ban of outgoing US President Donald Trump, in the aftermath of violence by his supporters at the Capitol building." If they are intermediaries, how can they ban someone. Today, its Donald Trump, tomorrow it will be someone else," a person told the daily.

So far, there's no clarity about the schedule of the meeting but it is likely to happen in the coming weeks.

Also read: Tesla incorporates firm in Bengaluru with 3 directors, scouts for land

Also read: RBI slaps Rs 2 crore fine on Deutsche Bank for non-compliance
DALLAS, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Capital Senior Living Corporation (the Company or Capital Senior Living) (NYSE: CSU), one of the nations leading senior living companies, announced today its management will host virtual investor meetings during Stifels Seniors Housing & Healthcare Real Estate Conference on Tuesday, January 19, 2021.

President and Chief Executive Officer Kimberly S. Lody, Chief Operating Officer Brandon Ribar and Senior Vice President of Accounting and Finance Tiffany Dutton will be available for virtual meetings throughout the day. To arrange a meeting, investors should request an appointment through the conference portal .

Additionally, Ribar will join the conferences operator panel, Making Sense Out of Chaos, taking place Tuesday, January 19 from 1:00 to 1:45p.m. Central Time. Panelists include public and private operators who will share their experiences managing operations through the pandemic.

As part of its three-year strategic plan SING (Stabilize, Invest, Nurture, Grow), the Company has taken several steps to improve its operating performance and financial foundation.

The Company has transitioned underperforming assets, reduced liabilities and improved its organizational systems and structure for optimal management of its go-forward portfolio of communities. With these actions, the Companys management team believes the organization is well positioned to serve the fast-growing, middle market senior population and has laid a solid foundation to begin the growth-focused stage of its strategic plan.

About Capital Senior Living

Dallas-based Capital Senior Living Corporation is one of the nations leading operators of independent living, assisted living and memory care communities for senior adults. The Company operates 100 communities that are home to nearly 9,000 residents across 22 states providing compassionate, resident-centric services and care and engaging programming. The Company offers seniors the freedom and opportunity to successfully, comfortably and happily age in place. For more information, visit www.capitalsenior.com or connect with the Company on Facebook.

For more information, contact: Kimberly Lody (972) 308-8323, klody@capitalsenior.com
Google has become such an intrinsic part of our lives today that we use it as an everyday verb. One of the companys most popular products is Google Maps which is an extremely useful and handy tool. However, for one unfortunate man, the map led him to his demise. A driver in Maharashtra has died by drowning as Google Maps direction led him into a dam. The incident is from Ahmednagars Akole town around 1:45 AM on Sunday, and the deceased man has been identified as Satish Ghule, 34.

He was not alone in the car. He was ferrying two passengers from Pune, Guru Shekhar and Sameer Rajurkar. They were trying to reach to Kalsubai, the states highest peak, for a trek. Ghule used to work for Shekhars company but had lost his job in lockdown. Shekhar later employed him as his personal driver, according to Indian Express.

While driving towards Kalsubai for trekking, they had lost their way and sought guidance from Google Maps, when they accidentally drove into the water, said Abhay Parmar, senior inspector, Akole Police station. Apparently, there is a dam which remains operational for around eight months in a year. The remaining four months, it remains underwater as water is released into the dam following the rainy season. It is to this bridge towards which the Maps guided them. Authorities had released water from the Pimpalgaon dam, an information not present in the Maps algorithm. Neither were there any warning signs along the road by the authorities like PWD to warn incoming traffic.

The car entered the water and as it started to submerge, the two passengers managed to evacuate. It is reported that Ghule did not know how to swim and drowned as a result. The locals, who are aware of this fact, do not use the route. However, they rushed to the spot when word spread of the incident. They helped retract the car from the water with Ghules body. But what remains a mystery is why didnt the driver stop or turn around when he saw there was water ahead of them instead of a road or a bridge.

This is not the first time Google Maps have resulted in a fatal journey. A teenager in Russia froze to death in December 2020. He was following Google Maps to guide his way which led him toward a path known as Road of Bones. The unused road, the brutal temperature of -50oC and inability to retrace their steps led to his ultimate death. Whereas in 2019, a man drove his car into a river in Bali following misinformed directions from Google Maps. Fortunately, he survived.
The agreement with Nathalie Fontanez was finalized last month

During a news conference, Fontanez named former firefighter David Sanchez as the person who assaulted her inside a Jamaica Plain firehouse in Jan 2018

Sanchez was convicted in January 2020 of one count of indecent assault and battery and one count of assault and battery for the he assault

He was sentenced to two years probation

Fontanez joined the Boston Fire Department in November 2011

She said that the other firefighters turned on her when she came forward about the assault

The agreement with Nathalie Fontanez was finalized last month

A former Boston firefighter who said she was sexually harassed by male colleagues while on the job, then denied a better position as retaliation for reporting the harassment, has received a $3.2 million settlement from the city, her attorneys said Tuesday.

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The agreement with Nathalie Fontanez was finalized last month, said her attorneys, who include Gloria Allred.

During a news conference with Allred, Fontanez named former firefighter David Sanchez as the person who assaulted her inside a Jamaica Plain firehouse in January 2018.

Sanchez was convicted in January 2020 of one count of indecent assault and battery and one count of assault and battery for the he assault. He was sentenced to two years probation, the Boston Globe reports.

A message seeking comment was left with the city.

'This result was obtained because of Nathalie's courage in pursuing this case and her refusal to allow the city of Boston to get away with denying her legal rights to enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free of sexual harassment in the workplace, and retaliation against her for protesting it,' Allred said during an online news conference.

During a news conference with Allred, Fontanez named former firefighter David Sanchez as the person who assaulted her inside a Jamaica Plain firehouse in January 2018

She said that the other firefighters turned on her when she came forward about the assault

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Fontanez joined the Boston Fire Department in November 2011 because she wanted to help people and, as a single mother, wanted to end her reliance on minimum wage jobs and welfare, she said.

'I wanted to be one of Boston's bravest. I wanted my daughter to be proud. I wanted to be the woman I never saw driving fire trucks through my neighborhood,' she said.

She said she was harassed and ostracized when she complained to her superiors about the hazing she endured, made to feel 'like a second-class citizen amongst my colleagues.'

'The guys that I once relied on for my life safety now turned against me,' she said. 'I felt as though everyone was my enemy'

'I felt that I had to tolerate anything that came my way, because I was lucky to be there,' she said. 'I was often reminded by some of my colleagues that I had taken a job from a man who could have been providing for his family, even though I was a single parent providing for mine.'

Fontanez joined the Boston Fire Department in November 2011

Fontanez said that the other firefighters turned on her when she came forward about the assault.

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'The guys that I once relied on for my life safety now turned against me,' she said. 'I felt as though everyone was my enemy.'

She later added: 'I'm breaking my silence, because I believe that women firefighters deserve equal treatment in the Boston Fire Department.'

When Fontanez expressed interest in joining the Boston Fire Investigation Unit, following Sanchez's conviction, she was told that the position was available only to firefighters with greater seniority. But she later learned the job went to a white male who joined the department on the same day as her.

'I felt forced to surrender my career as a firefighter, because I did not feel that I would be safe from some of my brother firefighters if I returned,' she said.

Allred added: 'This denial of equal employment opportunity served as yet another example of the discrimination suffered by Nathalie based on her gender.'
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Oregon State Police are awaiting the results of detailed  and promising -- forensic testing that they hope will help break the case of the young girl whose remains were found last month along a riverbank off Oregon 18.

The suite of tests will provide details about the girls eye and skin color, her ethnicity and the geographic origin of ancestry, said Dr. Nici Vance, the states forensic anthropologist.

Little is known about the child, whose remains were discovered Dec. 10 near the rest area along the H.B. Van Duzer Forest State Scenic Corridor in Lincoln County. A person who had stopped by the rest area came across her remains along the muddy banks of the Salmon River.

Vance said forensic scientists and investigators feel a sense of urgency to identify the girl.

Its hard to verbalize how weighty that is to us, she said.

We are throwing everything at it.

The analysis could take between three and five months, Vance said.

The sketch was released by the Oregon State Police and shows what the child might have looked like.

Analysts will use the DNA data they collect from the remains to carry out a genetic genealogy investigation that will mine open-source databases for potential links to the girl. Researchers will use death and marriage records, data from family trees and home-based DNA tests that people upload into a public site.

The same approach has so far helped identify seven cases of unidentified remains in Oregon, including those last year of Anne Marie Lehman, a teen found in 1971 in the Josephine County woods.

For more than a decade, state police have relied on the Center for Human Identification at the University of North Texas to help identify missing persons and unidentified remains like the Van Duzer case.

Last month, Oregon authorities learned the center is limiting its out-of-state work, leaving Vances team without a key resource the state has used to help solve an estimated 50 cases.

For now, Vance said Oregon is relying on a $400,000 federal grant to cover the costs of detailed DNA and genealogy analysis by private labs.

She estimates that the Van Duzer testing will cost about $5,000 to $7,000.

Those federal dollars dry up next year, she said.

After that, Vance isnt sure how the state will work these difficult cases.

It really is a very disturbing situation, said Vance, who coordinates the Human Identification Program in the Oregon State Police Forensic Science and Pathology Bureau.

We are going from really a cohesive, comprehensive laboratory system in which we sent all of our samples down and was really kind of a one-stop shop, she said, to having virtually no access to any of those services for our unidentified cases and our missing persons cases.

GIRLS AGE PRESENTS CHALLENGES FOR ID

In the Van Duzer case, investigators face significant hurdles, Vance said.

The girl  estimated to be between 6  and 10 years old -- probably hadnt been fingerprinted, may not have seen a dentist or broken any bones.

The fact that she wasnt on this Earth long enough to have a drivers license or have her fingerprints taken or have maybe even a school picture  that does definitely pose a challenge, Vance said.

The child was about 3-foot-10 to 4-foot-6-inches tall and had long dark brown or black hair, police said.

The condition of her remains suggests she had been dead for at least 30 days when she was discovered.

State police have not released the cause or manner of death.

SOME MISSING GIRLS ALREADY EXCLUDED AS POSSIBLE MATCHES

Six state police detectives and a sergeant are working full time on the case, which has generated more than 150 tips.

This week, the agency took the step of releasing the names of girls it had eliminated as potential matches to refocus the publics attention and reduce duplicative tips.

Investigators have excluded: Dulce Alavez, 6, of Bridgeton, New Jersey, Niayah Bylenga, also known as Niayah Crawford, 7, of Pendleton or Ritzville, Washington, Tarie Price, 8, of Gretna, Nebraska, and Breasia Terrell, 10, of Davenport, Iowa.

Theyve also ruled out sisters Addyson Gibson, 12, and Noelle Johnson, 7, both of Portland, as possible matches. The girls went missing from Portland on Sept. 28 and are thought to be with their mother Kashia Vann and Noelles father Gary Johnson.

Dental records helped eliminate potential matches, Vance said.

She said each day investigators obtain dental records from cases of missing girls nationally and compare them with the Van Duzer girls teeth, which have been X-rayed by a forensic dentist.

You can imagine how seeing a case like this come into our lab, it tends to affect you, Vance said. I think we are all very committed to trying to figure out who this little girl is and ultimately what happened to her.

-- Noelle Crombie; ncrombie@oregonian.com; 503-276-7184; @noellecrombie
In the Philippines, to give just one example, hundreds of inauthentic accounts on Facebook, linked to the murderous regime of President Rodrigo Duterte, have for years been used to spread disinformation and threats of violence. Loading Facebook began to act against this during the 2019 mid-term elections, but as eminent journalist Maria Ressa has put it, the misinformation, like a drug injected into a vein, was already coursing through the political system. Facebooks action was too little, too late. Now it is happening again  but this time in the US  hence gaining world attention. It is abundantly clear that the digital platforms must drop the pretence that they are not a kind of publisher/broadcaster, and therefore partly responsible for what is carried on their platforms.

If they cannot self-regulate, then they must be regulated, and co-operate with that effort. Every new media technology has disrupted power and created issues of how we regulate speech. The printing press was part of the religious reformation. The Pope was not a fan when the Bible was translated and published for anyone to read. Loading For most of the time since, freedom of the press has belonged to those who have a printing press  or a broadcasting licence. The key innovation of our own times is that for the first time in human history, anyone with an internet connection can publish to the world within minutes of deciding to do so.

This has already changed just about everything in politics and society. It is at least the historical equivalent of the printing press. There is lots to celebrate, including the ability of people previously excluded from public life to make themselves heard. But so far, we have not come up with a way of thinking through the issues and implications. The digital platforms have rejected the idea that they more than technology companies. Credit:Getty Images The digital platforms have rejected the idea that they more than technology companies, and should therefore take on some of the responsibilities that go with freedom to publish.

This denial of responsibility is no longer tenable. Through the algorithms that govern our feeds, social media companies curate information and decide what we see. They amplify some players and mute others. But how they do so is neither consistent nor transparent. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video What should be done? In Australia, commercial broadcasters are subject to a system of co-regulation, in which codes of conduct are written in consultation with government. Once implemented, the Australian Communications and Media Authority monitors compliance.

In theory a broadcasting licence can be removed for serious breaches. This has never been done, but conditions have been placed on licences, for example after Alan Jones helped foment the 2005 Cronulla riots. The effectiveness of this system can be debated, but it has broad consent as a reasonable balance between regulation and media freedom. Had a commercial broadcaster in Australia persisted in carrying the threats of violence that appear on social media, it would certainly have been grounds for removal of licence. Something like this system of co-regulation might be the way forward. The suffragettes did not have Twitter when they campaigned to get the vote for women in Britain.

In the meantime, have we forgotten that it is possible to have political speech, and organise political protest, without social media? Nelson Mandela and the African National Congress did not have the worldwide web when they organised an international movement that saw the overturning of apartheid in South Africa. The suffragettes did not have Twitter when they campaigned to get the vote for women in Britain, and Martin Luther King did not collect Facebook likes for the US civil rights movement. If we want to applaud the Hong Kong demonstrators when they plan protests against the Chinese Communist Party, but condemn the demonstrators on Capitol Hill, we have to be able to articulate what the difference is. If we say it is wrong for the CCP to censor WeChat, but right for Twitter to censor Trump, we must be able to say why. President Donald Trump speaks at a rally near the White House before the Capitol riots. Credit:Bloomberg I think we should put up with a good deal, including grave offence, before we restrict freedom of speech, but draw the line at incitement of violence. Lies and misinformation should be labelled as such.

Those making these decisions should be publicly accountable and implementing rules arrived at through a public process. Even the prohibition of violent speech leaves us with difficult calls. The suffragettes used violence. So, once he became convinced there was no hope of negotiation, did Nelson Mandela and the ANC. History judges those movements kindly. Would Twitter have blocked them? Loading Such difficult questions are exactly why social media companies must step up and become part of the regulatory discussion, and why governments have to get to grips with it too.
US President Donald Trump

Vice President Mike Pence told House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday that he is opposed to invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office after Trump's supporters laid siege to the U.S. Capitol last week.

"I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution," Pence said in a letter released by his office as the House prepared to vote on a non-binding resolution calling on him to utilize the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

At least three Republicans, including a member of the House leadership, on Tuesday said they would vote to impeach Trump for urging supporters to march on the Capitol and "fight" shortly before the attack that led to the deaths of five people.

Pence told Pelosi the administration's energy was focused on ensuring an orderly transition, and appealed to her and other members of Congress to avoid actions that "would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment."

"Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States," Pence said.

Pence and Trump had their first conversation at the White House on Monday evening after days of silence following the riot and Trump's public rebuke of Pence for not seeking to block the congressional certification of Biden's Electoral College win.

Trump, who has sought unsuccessfully to overturn his Nov. 3 election loss, had pressured Pence to intervene in the certification process, and some of Trump's supporters in the assault discussed assassinating Pence for being a traitor.

Pence referenced the strains in his letter to Pelosi.

"Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation," he wrote.

Invoking the 25th Amendment as a means of "punishment or usurpation" would "set a terrible precedent," Pence said.

Removal of a president under the 25th Amendment requires a declaration by the vice president and the majority of the president's Cabinet.

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Eric Beech; Additional reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Mohammad Zargham and Leslie Adler)
In late December he shared his plans to leave Los Angeles to focus on becoming a 'legitimate pro fighter,' possibly in Miami.

And now Jake Paul has put his mansion in Calabasas, California on the market to speed up his transition from YouTuber to boxer.

The 23-year-old athlete listed the massive home, which was the site of an FBI raid in August, for $7 million, according to TMZ.

On the market: Jake Paul, 23, has listed his Calabasas mansion for $7 millions as he prepares to leave LA to focus on his fighting career, according to TMZ

Fun in the sun: Paul's pool includes some nice features including two waterfalls, along with a spot for grilling

Calabasas is also where Kourtney Kardashian and Drake live.

The luxurious white home is situated on 3.5 acres and boasts eight bedrooms spread over an impressive 15,045 square feet.

In a video from October 2017, when he moved into the home, Paul excitedly gave his fans a tour.

The mansion telegraphs its elegance immediately with a grand three-story entrance featuring a spiral staircase.

The new owner's will be able to watch a movie in style thanks to the mansion's built-in theater, and the bar will come in handy for entertaining.

Spacious: Paul's luxurious white home is situated on 3.5 acres and boasts 8 bedrooms spread over an impressive 15,045 square feet; seen in January 2020 in Miami

Other amenities include a home office and a gym for unwinding after a long day.

Paul's pool includes some nice features including two waterfalls, along with a spot for grilling.

In his introductory tour video, the social media star gave a breathless walk through the home to showcase its massive walk-in closets and the home gym, as well as its large upscale bathrooms.

Gigantic: In a house tour video from October 2017, Paul breathlessly gave his fans a tour of the home, including its massive walk-in closets

Cooling down: Other amenities include a home office and a gym for unwinding after a long day

Sleek: He highlighted the cleans lines of its large master bathroom

Helping out: Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles' Josh and Matt Altman, who have worked with Paul going back to when he bought the mansion in 2017, will be taking care of the listing

Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles' Josh and Matt Altman, who have worked with Paul going back to when he bought the mansion in 2017, will be taking care of the listing.

The home features spectacular views of the surrounding area, and the driveway has room for around 20 cars.

The YouTuber took advantage of all that space in July when he threw a massive party, even as the coronavirus surged across LA, which drew widespread condemnation.

Paul also had a history of annoying his neighbors with his raucous antics and over-the-top parties.

Risky business: The YouTuber took advantage of all the space in July when he threw a massive party, even as the coronavirus surged across LA, which drew widespread condemnation

Legal run-in: In August, the FBI raided the mansion following Paul's arrest in Scottsdale, Arizona, after a protest in memory of George Floyd. Multiple firearms were retrieved

In August, the FBI raided the mansion following Paul's arrest in Scottsdale, Arizona, after a protest in memory of George Floyd.

Federal agents walked out of the home with multiple firearms, and the raid was instigated by footage Paul posted that appeared to show him joining a riot in a shopping mall in Scottsdale.

In late December, the former Vine star announced he would be departing Los Angeles in order to get away from its myriad distractions, which he said kept him from properly focusing on his fighting career.

He's reportedly considering moving to Miami full-time after departing LA, though he also spends a fair amount of time in Las Vegas.

Iran kicked off a naval missile exercise off its southeast coast in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday amid renewed tensions with the United States. The drill is set to include firing of surface-to-surface missiles and involve submarines and drones, Iranian state media said.

Rear Adm. Ali Kavian said the exercise was held on short notice to evaluate the ability of Irans navy to react in a timely and effective manner to potential threats.

Two newly commissioned warships were set to take part in the drills, state media said: the Makran, a former oil tanker converted into a floating sea base, and the Zereh, a missile-laden frigate. Irans military has said the Makran can carry multiple helicopters and its fuel capacity means it can remain at sea for up to 1,000 days.

The chief of staff of Irans armed forces also said during a ceremony today that the navy would resume patrols in the Red Sea to protect Iranian trade vessels in the region.

The exercises come amid heightened tensions with the United States, which has sought to economically isolate Iran and roll back its governments influence in the Middle East and beyond.

The United States last year seized the fuel cargo of four Iranian vessels headed to Venezuela, citing alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Last week Iran seized a South Korean vessel and detained its crew in an apparent attempt to convince officials in Seoul to release $7 billion in Iranian oil held due to US sanctions.

Wednesdays exercise comes after the United States sent a guided-missile submarine and two cruisers into the Persian Gulf last month as part of a wider show of force to deter Tehran from potentially retaliating around the one-year anniversary of the US assassination for Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, widely seen as the architect of Irans regional influence campaign.

The Pentagon also ordered a series of long-range, short-notice flights of nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Middle East and directed the supercarrier USS Nimitz to remain in the region.

Iran has rapidly developed its conventional ballistic missile program in recent years, something Trump administration officials see as a potential threat to US partners on the Arabian Peninsula and Israel. US officials see Irans conventional missile and space programs as a path toward eventually developing nuclear-capable ballistic projectiles.

Irans latest exercise follows a parade by Irans Navy naval in the Gulf on Saturday and a highly-publicized two-day exercise testing various drones in the countrys drone arsenal last week.

Also last week, Iranian state television aired footage showing Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami touring what it said was a new underground missile base near the Persian Gulf, claimed to be one of several.

ROCHESTER, Minn. - The FBI is warning of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitals starting on Saturday leading up to the inauguration of our 46th president and is asking law enforcement to be on alert.

This comes as a group has threatened to travel to Washington D.C. to stage an uprising if Congress removes President Trump from office before the 20th.

The Minnesota state capitol is already taking security measures this week.

While the FBI has stated state capitals may specifically be targeted Rochester police are still taking precautions as local protests wouldn't be unexpected as well.

Capt. Aaron Penning with Rochester police says the department has proactively identified key locations, including the government center, that could be targeted.

However Penning says after this summer's Black Lives Matter protests law enforcement hopes activists will continue the trend of peaceful demonstrations.

He said, "Many of our citizens did demonstrate the way protests can be done productively and peacefully by respecting the laws and ensuring public safety. I think that's our general message - encouraging voices being heard but in a peaceful manner."

The department says there's more of an air of vigilance rather than concern but asks the community to share any information with law enforcement if they do hear of any disruptive plans.
ANN ARBOR, MI  A 20-person University of Michigan task force will examine whats working and what improvements need to be made with the universitys Division of Public Safety and Security.

The Advancing Public Safety at the University of Michigan Task Force will review DPSS current practices, identify areas of strength and areas of concern, and provide concrete recommendations for improvement based on best practices, according to a university release.

The task forces work will focus on the Ann Arbor campus, the release states, and could serve as a model for other campuses.

Being safe and feeling safe are essential for an individual to take full advantage of and contribute to research, education, service and clinical care as members of the (UM) community, said UM President Mark Schlissel. I have great confidence in DPSS, but our aspirations to excel as a world-class university require that we examine and strive to continuously improve in everything we do, including the important responsibility of public safety.

Members of the task forces were chosen with input and recommendations from groups on campus, the release states. Chairing the task force is Earl Lewis, a professor of history, Afroamerican and African studies and public policy, and Daphne Watkins, a professor of social work.

The task force will examine a number of topics, including:

DPSS current practices and training related to community engagement.

Issues related to campus policing procedures and practices.

Perspectives and concerns from stakeholder groups.

DPSS goals and its approach to carrying out its mission.

The role and work of the Police Department Oversight Committee.

How DPSS complaints are received, processed and investigated.

DPSS training, protocols and policies around use of force.

In September 2019, UMs Graduate Employees Organization went on strike, conducting protests against how the university was handling the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the groups demands called for the demilitarization of UM DPSS, and many protesters felt UM strengthened ties with DPSS and the Ann Arbor Police Department through the Michigan Ambassador Program.

University of Michigan is no longer able to hide inadequacy of pandemic response, grad students say

The program, which was created to promote public health-informed practices and guidelines related to the coronavirus pandemic, consisted of groups of students, faculty, staff, community members and unarmed members of UM DPSS.

The Michigan Ambassador Program lasted less than a month.

The task force will seek input from the campus community, including intentional outreach to students, faculty and staff of color, the release states. A final report is expected to be released publicly at the end of April.

READ MORE:

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Petition seeking removal of University of Michigan regent Ron Weiser collects 800 signatures in 24 hours

Lawsuit accuses University of Michigan professor of racist, misogynistic, xenophobic behavior
Tuesday, January 12, 2021

The Call for Speakers Twitter free is now puplic and shareable --- Why?

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Now provided with easy read Twitter embeds -- Easy to scan below. Above each text block is a website address that opens the call for speakers announcment.



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---Mitch Davis --- January 12, 2021.



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IDC expects the market for Edge Computing to reach $250 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 12.5% over the 2019-2024 period. Edge computing requires new computing (device-to-cloud) architeFull description pic.twitter.com/QlRkkcb25q  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 9, 2021

?? EXPLORING YOUR #DMOJO & FUTURING THE ROLE OF THE #DMO and #CVB. With this new Call for Speakers, we invite members, partners, experts & forward thinkers to unfold the true DMOJO & the future role of the DMO. See full Call for Speakers here: https://t.co/ErM0kFFsfQ#WeAreECM pic.twitter.com/siYrpbPVAK  EuropeanCities (@europeancities) January 7, 2021

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The China-Italy Chamber of Commerce (CICC), as leading partner of the EU SME Centre, is organizing the Workshop "Tapping New F&B Growth Opportunities in China and Chongqing", which will take place on the 27th of January, . pic.twitter.com/sEjl8yE4vf  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 9, 2021

https://t.co/3OL9FOjPsA



Do you have a message to share with the largest gathering of women in uniform? If so, please let us know! pic.twitter.com/44Mess7KHi  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 9, 2021

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London's Calling is back for 2021 and the call for speakers is open for a few more days. We are excited to be sponsoring London's Calling again in 2021, and looking forward to the great content. If you want to join the list of presenters, pic.twitter.com/UxLtWkT5gV  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 9, 2021

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WSU's Department of Global Learning, through their new Global Cougs Speaker Series, brought global stories and inspiration to the WSU community from around the world in the Fall 2020 semester. Topics ranged from "Culture and Media in Cuba" pic.twitter.com/35ZENNit6j  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 9, 2021

2020 TAG Marketing Awards and Martech Geekout Virtual Showcase https://t.co/up7F7Ca3AZ  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 8, 2021

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REVULN 21 Manila is an international cybersecurity conference taking place on 20-22 May 2021 in Quezon City (Philippines) at RED Hotel Cubao.T pic.twitter.com/ld25aLA7qg  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 7, 2021

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Oil & Energy Service Professionals (OESP) has issued a call for speakers for the Eastern Energy Expo (EEE) 2021, set for May 2426. This event is entirely online. The request for presentation (RFP) deadline is Monday, January 11 pic.twitter.com/2uLIeabnAp  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 7, 2021

https://t.co/tS9AIql641



Be part of the inaugural PrivSec Global - the fthreer-day event that promises to the biggest ever global livestream gathering in the privacy and security world. pic.twitter.com/IZl9xMllbF  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 7, 2021

Call for Speakers for Humanitarian conference for earthquake victims in #Croatia is open and I've just submitted a session! https://t.co/G5btxK0uQb #MVPBuzz  Sergio Govoni (@segovoni) January 6, 2021

https://t.co/7ei6cvz8nn



Call for Speakers. We are looking for dynamic disruptors to share their stories! pic.twitter.com/3GGZyBusVX  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 7, 2021

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Microgrid Knowledge Announces "Microgrid 2021. The World Awakens to Microgrids" Opens Call for Speakers pic.twitter.com/lLFsYMcHIq  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 7, 2021

Call for Speakers for Techorama 2021 Spring Edition is open and I've just submitted a session! https://t.co/o6QXN9d9nr  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 6, 2021

https://t.co/yyqRY9aVIs



Are you passionate about Private Brand and Diversity? Are you or is there someone within your organization who is an experienced and dynamic speaker who can help retail and private brand professionals develop strategies, skills, and a mindset. pic.twitter.com/Ltz7usP2GG  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 6, 2021

Hey, speakers! ?? It's that time again. The call for speakers is open for swampUP 2021! Tell us about your adventures in DevOps, DevSecOps, or Cloud-Native. Deadline is Feb 1st. ??#DevOps #Cloudnative #enterprise #DevSecOps https://t.co/7pugCYEozX  JFrog (@jfrog) January 5, 2021

https://t.co/1AdNTojJac



The Manufacturing & Technology content team invites manufacturing professionals to submit speaking proposals for our November 2021 event. pic.twitter.com/9xvA8pJXba  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 6, 2021

https://t.co/GyfsRFD2Sc



Techorama 2021 Spring Edition is coming to you on Monday, May 17, 2021!



Please consider submitting a session abstract using the Call for Speakers button in this email. pic.twitter.com/q5r3QMZ2A2  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 6, 2021

https://t.co/vnbW4MhNWs Symposium is a single place for speakers to manage talk proposals, bios, photos, and conference applications and responses pic.twitter.com/ToIZVqYKwE  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 6, 2021

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Get the recognition your remarkable company deservesat a time when it most deserves the acknowledgment.



Great entrepreneurs embrace change. pic.twitter.com/IB0qN6Z8wC  SpeakerLeads.com - Info on Events Seeking Speakers (@SpeakerLeads) January 5, 2021
U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, will vote to impeach President Donald Trump on one charge of inciting an insurrection in connection to violent riots at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Upton said Trump expressed no regrets for his inflammatory rhetoric at a rally in Washington D.C. before supporters broke into the Capitol and attempted to prevent Congress from certifying President-elect Joe Bidens victory. In a statement issued Tuesday night, Upton said Congress must hold Trump accountable.

The Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate nay effort by any president to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next, Upton said in a statement Tuesday. Thus, I will vote to impeach.

Congress will vote on one article of impeachment Wednesday. All seven of Michigans Democratic House representatives support the effort, but Upton is the first Michigan Republican to voice his support.

U.S. Rep. Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, told WXMI-TV that he is strongly considering impeachment, but has not committed to a position as of Tuesday. He joined Upton in introducing a House resolution condemning Trump for trying to unlawfully overturn the 2020 election and violating his oath of office.

Upton said he would have preferred to censure Trump and expressed concern that a drawn-out impeachment process could conflict with legislative business during the new Biden administration. However, Upton said Trumps comments after the riots sends exactly the wrong signal to lawmakers who swore to uphold the Constitution.

But it is time to say: Enough is enough, Upton said.

Supporters of the president marched on Capitol Hill after attending a stop the steal rally organized by conservative activists and the Trump campaign for months. Rioters broke into the Capitol, clashing with police and causing representatives to evacuate the building.

Five people died in the chaos, including a Capitol police officer and a woman who was shot by police. Congressional offices were also vandalized.

Congress reconvened hours later to certify Bidens victory. He will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.

Trump briefly addressed the Jan. 6 riots during an appearance at the southern border in Texas Tuesday. The president said a mob stormed the Capitol and trashed the halls of government, but did not address his role in stoking tensions about the election outcome.

The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country, and it is causing tremendous anger and division and pain -- far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time, Trump said.

Trump told reporters that his reaction to the riots was totally appropriate before departing on Air Force One for Texas.

However, lawmakers have criticized the president for calling insurrectionists patriots and saying he loves them. Trump urged his supporters to protest the election results for months before last weeks demonstration, then called on protesters to march toward the Capitol while addressing the crowd in Washington D.C.

Were going to walk down to the Capitol, and were going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and were probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because youll never take back our country with weakness, Trump said last week. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Lansing mayor wants National Guard at Michigan Capitol for possible armed protests

Police seeking man in U-M hoodie involved in violent riots at U.S. Capitol

Michigan Democrats support Trumps removal as House moves to start impeachment

Republicans pushed election lies and armed protests, but say their rhetoric didnt spur U.S. Capitol chaos

Domestic terrorism represents growing threat to United States
WASHINGTON  Capitol Police briefed Democrats on Monday night about three more potentially gruesome demonstrations planned in the coming days, with one plot to encircle the U.S. Capitol and assassinate Democrats and some Republicans.

On a private call Monday night, new leaders of the Capitol Police told House Democrats they were closely monitoring three separate plans that could pose serious threats to members of Congress as Washington prepares for Democrat Joe Bidens presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.

The first is a demonstration billed as the largest armed protest ever to take place on American soil.

Another is a protest in honor of Ashli Babbitt, the woman killed while trying to climb into the Speakers Lobby during Wednesdays pro-Trump siege of the Capitol.

And another demonstration, which three members said was by far the most concerning plot, would involve insurrectionists forming a perimeter around the Capitol, the White House and the Supreme Court, and then blocking Democrats from entering the Capitol  perhaps even killing them  so that Republicans could take control of the government.



The members of Congress whom HuffPost spoke to Monday night were extremely concerned by the call.

It was pretty overwhelming, one member said.

Officials on the call warned lawmakers about sharing too much information with the media, saying that divulging specific dates, times and countermeasures could aid the organizers of the plots. HuffPost is not disclosing certain information, such as who appears to be organizing these plots and when they are to take place.

One member was explicit that these groups were trying to get journalists to report on their demonstrations.

Some of their main communications to organize these have been cut off, so theyre purposely trying to get the media to report on this as a way to further disseminate information and to attract additional support for their attacks, this member said.

Democrats were told that the Capitol Police and the National Guard were preparing for potentially tens of thousands of armed protesters coming to Washington and were establishing rules of engagement for warfare. In general, the military and police dont plan to shoot anyone until one of the rioters fires, but there could be exceptions.

Lawmakers were told that the plot to encircle the Capitol also included plans to surround the White House  so that no one could harm Trump  and the Supreme Court, simply to shut down the courts. The plan to surround the Capitol includes assassinating Democrats as well as Republicans who didnt support Trumps effort to overturn the election  and allowing other Republicans to enter the building and control government.

All of these plots may never materialize. The Capitol Police have established a new perimeter with fencing and razor wire, and the National Guard has already been called in to help protect the Capitol and lawmakers.

But while Capitol Police assured members they were prepared for these terrorist plots, there was obvious concern from a number of lawmakers.

One topic of discussion was the need to put every member of Congress through a metal detector before the inauguration. A member on the call told HuffPost that there was an eyes-wide-open realization that Capitol Police needed to take precautions against all these members who were in league with the insurrectionists who love to carry their guns.

You cant just let them bypass security and walk right up to [Joe] Biden and [Kamala] Harris at inauguration, this lawmaker told HuffPost.

Another area of concern was the Trump administrations involvement in tamping down an insurrection. I dont think anyone has confidence that the folks at the Pentagon, that may or may not even be needed for some of this, or the Department of Homeland Security, where we dont even know whos in charge, are going to be cooperative, one member told HuffPost.

One Democrat on the call also raised the issue of security for members coming from their residences to the Capitol, as well as traveling to Washington, given recent confrontations at airports and on flights between some protesters and lawmakers. One member who spoke to HuffPost said the Capitol Police didnt have a satisfactory answer about that concern.

This member mentioned how the briefing had underscored the wisdom of Twitter suspending Trumps account, as well as tens of thousands of accounts associated with the right-wing conspiracy theory QAnon, and said the decision to cut off the social media platform Parler looked a lot smarter given the efforts to recruit armed extremists to come to the nations capital in the coming days.

Its a decision that might ultimately save lives, this member said.

One of the lawmakers who spoke to HuffPost said members of Congress were all experiencing difficult reactions to the storming of the Capitol last week.

Most of us are feeling that, this Democrat said. But we are also feeling that we dont have time to indulge too much of it, that this is not about us, that its about a job thats way bigger than us, and we are just going to suck it up and get through, and well talk about how nutty it is on the other side.

Amanda Terkel and Jennifer Bendery contributed to this report.

Related...

Congressman Says At Least 2 Capitol Police Officers Suspended Over Complicity

Twitter Bans 70,000+ Accounts That Spread QAnon Conspiracy Theories

House Moving Ahead With Trump Impeachment

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
A press conference of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Pakistan is being held in the capital of Pakistan  Islamabad, Trend reports on Jan. 13 with reference to the official page of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on Twitter.

During the conference, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed that Turkey thoroughly observed the meeting of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia on January 11 in Moscow.

"We know that Azerbaijan will become the guarantor of peace and stability in the region, as well as bring prosperity to the liberated territories," Cavusoglu stressed.
A computer programmer who years ago wrote down the password to a cryptocurrency wallet on a piece of paper, has since lost the said paper, and with it access to around $220 million in Bitcoin.

Can you imagine having over $200 million and no way to ever access it? Thats exactly the story of San Francisco-based programmer Stefan Thomas, who has been trying to remember the password of his IronKey, a special hard-drive that contains the private keys to a digital wallet with 7,002 Bitcoin. He received the digital currency 10 years ago, while living in Switzerland, from an early Bitcoin adopter, as payment for an animated video he made, titled What is Bitcoin?. He lost the password to his IronKey that same year, but since a Bitcoin was only worth around $5 back then, it didnt bother him that much. Things have changed a bit since then, though

Photo: Dmitri Demidko/Unsplash

I would just lay in bed and think about it, Mr. Thomas told The New York Times. Then I would go to the computer with some new strategy, and it wouldnt work, and I would be desperate again.

Over the years Stefan has attempted to guess the password he lost in 2011, but he has failed eight times so far, which only leave him two more guesses, before the IronKey locks up for good. In order to get his mind off of his locked fortune, the IT specialist has put the hard-drive in a secret secure facility until one day when a smart cryptographer comes up with a way to crack the IronKey.

I got to a point where I said to myself, Let it be in the past, just for your own mental health,' he said.

In case youve been living under a rock and managed to remain oblivious to the rise of cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin reached an all-time-high price of $41,962 earlier this month, and despite a significant drop, its still sitting at a staggering $34,800, at the time of this writing. That makes Thomas 7,002 Bitcoins quite valuable.

Luckily for the computer programmer, he still has enough Bitcoin, in wallets he does remember the passwords to, to afford anything he could ever want, so he is not desperate to crack his locked treasure. Still, his story has attracted quite a lot of attention online over the last couple of days, with some people offering to help him access his riches, for a considerable fees, and others expressing their disbelief.

Interestingly, cases like that of Stefan Thomas arent exactly rare. In fact, cryptocurrency data firm Chainalysis estimates that approximately 20 percent of the 18.5 million available Bitcoin appears to be either lost or locked in inaccessible wallets. Nature of the beast, I guess.

Smaller scale but I have $10k in Bitcoin locked in an encrypted file that I also lost the password to. Bought it for like $100 8 years ago. I can try as much as I want but no luck yet. Keeps me up sometimes.  Tim Artz (@TimSonderman) January 12, 2021

So happy I didnt put money into this early on, who knows, maybe this could have been me
British drivers will escape most European speeding fines because of the end of an agreement for sharing motorists information.

An EU cross-border directive required the DVLA to share the contact details of those caught speeding on camera in member states.

But the UKs departure from the bloc means owners of British-registered vehicles will no longer be sent fines from EU countries.

It also means the DVLA will not be able to request the details of European drivers caught speeding or committing other motoring offences in Britain, The Times reported.

British drivers will escape most speeding fines in Europe means vehicles will no longer be sent fines from EU countries

Hundreds of thousands of Britons have been fined in recent years, with 440,000 penalised last year for offences filmed by roadside cameras in France.

French police requested 555,847 driver details from the DVLA from January 2019 to September 2020, an average of 1,000 a day. The AA warned UK holidaymakers they were being exploited as cash cows by French officials who feared they could lose out when Britain left the EU.

Penalties in France, the most popular destination for British drivers, range from 61 to 3,360. These can be levied up to a year after the offence.

The change could result in a loss of more than 50million for the French government if visitor numbers reach their former levels after the pandemic, according to French motoring site Caradisiac.

British drivers in the EU will still face on-the-spot fines if they are stopped by police and found to be travelling too fast.

France and Britain began sharing information about speeding offences caught on camera only last year, despite the EU directive dating back to 2015.

The UK had initially opted out of the scheme, saying the cost of the IT systems and of processing penalties would be higher than the income from foreign drivers committing offences in Britain.

The French government says it wishes to negotiate an agreement with Britain to allow fines to be sent from one country to another. So far no such arrangement has been made.
Like most people, you love Netflix but probably want to unblock more content so that you can enjoy it even more.

Well, if you look up how to do that online, you'll see many online articles saying that VPNs are the best tools for the job. But some people also seem to think that Tor is a good solution too.

So which one should you use then?

We'll offer you a conclusive answer in this quick article.

Can You Unblock Netflix with a VPN?

Yes - a VPN is an online service that hides your IP address. Since it reveals your geo-location (what country and city you are from), stopping Netflix from seeing it is necessary if you want to unblock titles from different countries.

How does a VPN "hide" your IP, though?

It's pretty simple - it just routes it through a VPN server that sits between your device and Netflix, like so:

Device - ISP Network - VPN Server - Netflix.

It basically acts like a middleman, so Netflix will think your traffic is coming from the VPN, not your device. Because of that, it will only see the VPN's IP address.

So you just need to use a VPN server from a country where the content you want to unblock is available - like the US for Dexter or the UK for Doctor Who. You may also check VPNs recommendation for Canadians in case you live in Canada and want to use it.

The Only Problem - Not All VPNs Can Unblock Netflix

Netflix can detect VPN IPs, and redirect people who use them to the Netflix proxy error page. The only way a VPN can avoid detection is to regularly refresh its IP addresses. Doing that means the provider has to lease new IPs from the data centers and ISPs it work with.

That's easier said than done, though, since refreshing IPs isn't always cheap. So, not all VPNs can do that very often, meaning only a few providers are actually able to unblock Netflix 24/7.

If you need help finding the best VPNs to unlock Netflix, just follow that link and use StreamCatcher. It's an online tool from ProPrivacy that tells you what countries a Netflix title is available in. Besides that, it recommends VPN providers that can actually unblock Netflix. The suggestions are 100% accurate because they're backed by ProPrivacy's data, one of the leading VPN review sites on the web.

Aren't VPN Speeds Too Slow for Netflix?

Usually, no, though you might experience annoying slowdowns if your original speeds are slow (30-40 Mbps). If that happens, here's what you can do to improve your VPN speeds:

Use lightweight protocols (WireGuard, IKEv2, L2TP/IPSec, and SoftEther) instead of OpenVPN. If you can only use OpenVPN, use it over UDP instead of TCP.

Connect to servers that are close to your geo-location. If you're from Japan and want to unblock Netflix US, pick a server on the West Coast instead of the East Coast.

Unblock Netflix with a VPN over wired connections instead of WiFi. That way, weak WiFi signals can't slow down your VPN speeds.

Use split tunneling to force the VPN to only route Netflix traffic. The less data it has to encrypt and decrypt, the smoother your speeds will be.

Can You Unblock Netflix with Tor?

Judging by how Tor works, it seems like you should be able to do that. Just like a VPN, it hides your geo-location by preventing Netflix from seeing your real IP address.

Despite that, official Tor documentation says that the Tor network isn't able to unblock Netflix. Apparently, you'd get a proxy error message. The document does say that the claim was last checked in 2017, so we tried it ourselves.

Well, we didn't get a proxy error. Instead, we were redirected to this page.

It kind of seems like Tor has an issue with running HTML5 videos on Netflix - which is weird since we didn't have that problem on YouTube. We found a few other Tor users complaining about this issue on Reddit, but couldn't find a solution.

We ran multiple tests and always ended up on that page. So, our tests show that no, you can't unblock Netflix with Tor.

Even If You Can Unblock Netflix, It's Not Worth It

Tor just wasn't built for streaming. Instead, its main goal is to offer decent Internet privacy. If try to stream anything with Tor, you'll deal with annoyingly slow speeds. We ran multiple tests, and even when using nearby servers, we only averaged 1-2 Mbps speeds. That's way below the minimum 25 Mbps Netflix recommends for Ultra HD streaming.

Why are the speeds so slow, you ask?

We believe it's because:

Tor encrypts and decrypts your traffic at least three times (it bounces it through at least three servers). That really takes its toll on your speeds.

There aren't enough Tor servers for how many Tor users there are. According to current statistics, there are roughly 6,500 servers and nearly two million users. There's definitely not enough bandwidth to go around.

Plus, even if you ignore the slow speeds, changing your geo-location with Tor is really inconvenient. You can't pick a server from a list like you do with VPNs. Instead, you have to click the SSL padlock icon next to the URL bar, and keep hitting New Circuit for this Site until you get the exit server you want (thee fourth dot on the line).

Sometimes, you might be lucky and get the right geo-location with just one try. Other times, it can take up to 20 tries or more, which gets frustrating fast. For example, it took us 25 tries to get an exit server from the US so that we could try unblocking Netflix US.

What's Your Take on This?

Do you think VPNs are the best way to unblock Netflix, or do you believe Tor can be a decent option if you optimize its speeds enough? Or do you use other unblocking methods?

Please let us know in the comments below. Also, if you found this article helpful, we'd be really grateful if you would share it on social media.
Amazon India's Great Republic Day Sale is back, and the company will host the event between January 20 to 23. As a part of the Republic Day celebrations in the country, the e-commerce giant will offer sale deals like instant discounts, no-cost EMI, and free delivery on a range of products such as smartphones, consumer electronics, smart TVs, and more during the event. Notably, Amazon Prime members will get 24-hour early access to deals on January 19. The Great Republic Day Sale is also showcasing products from Indian small and medium businesses across categories like fashion and beauty essentials, accessories, smart wearables, office products and stationaries.

Amazon says that customers during the Great Republic Day Sale can save extra money by availing a 10 percent instant discount with SBI credit cards on regular and EMI transactions. Users can enjoy cashback deals with Amazon Pay ICICI credit card on a variety of products as well. Other offers like no-cost EMI with Bajaj Finserv EMI card, Amazon Pay ICICI credit card, and other domestic and international banks will also be available. Homegrown brands such as Odisha Handloom, Tantuja, Navlik, Blocks of India, Craft Play Handicraft, Arata, Khadi Essentials, Kitchoff, and more will showcase products with sale deals at the event.

Amazon has also listed some smartphones on its website that would get a temporary price cut during the sale event. The list is typically released ahead of sale events, to give customers a clear idea of their shopping list. Notably, the iPhone 12 mini will get a discount at the Amazon Great Republic Day Sale. The phone's exact discounted price detail remains unclear, but its regular price in India is set at Rs 69,900. Other notable phones that will receive a price cut include, OnePlus 8T 5G, Samsung Galaxy M51 and Galaxy M31 Prime, and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max. During the event, customers can also purchase new devices such as Mi 10i, Samsung Galaxy M02s, and Oppo A15s. Notably, Amazon's own Echo smart speakers will get a discount, though the exact discounted price details remain unclear, at the moment.

LAPEER, MI -- A Black corrections officer has sued the Michigan Department of Corrections, alleging he was discriminated against because of his race at its Lapeer facility.

The lawsuit, filed Monday, Jan. 4 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges Kevin Shumpert was subjected to race-based demeaning and hostile confrontations in the workplace at the Thumb Correctional Facility in Lapeer and was treated more harshly in terms and conditions of his employment based on his race.

Shumperts attorney, Dean Yeotis, did not respond to requests for comment.

MDOC does not comment on ongoing litigation, Spokesman Chris Gautz said.

Shumpert, of Grand Blanc, began his employment at the Michigan Department of Corrections in September of 2002 and throughout his employment performed his job well, the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit states that the Michigan Department of Corrections violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, in part, prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.

The lawsuit adds that Shumpert, as a Black man, is entitled to protections through the Elliot-Larsen Civil Rights Act and that the MDOC owes him a duty not to discriminate against him with respect to employment, promotional opportunities, compensation or conditions or privileges of employment on the basis of race.

It is alleged in the lawsuit that Shumpert was subjected to demeaning and derogatory references to his dreadlocks and appearance, indicating his looks are more similar to an offender than an officer.

Shumpert complained about or reported harassment, intimidation and discrimination in March 2016, February 2019 and June 2019, the lawsuit states. These issues were never adequately investigated, the lawsuit alleges.

Shumpert filed charges with the Equal Employment Commission in February and June of 2019 and received notice of his rights in October 2020.

According to the lawsuit, harassment, intimidation and discrimination examples included, but were not limited to:

 False accusations that Shumpert was not performing his job duties or not performing them in a satisfactory manner.

 Unfair and retaliatory disciplinary investigations.

 Issuance of unfair and more harsh discipline in comparison to white correction officers.

 Disparate treatment in days off, meal times and other privileges and rights of employment as compared to employees who are not Black or who have not made complaints of race discrimination.

 Refusal to investigate complaints of discriminatory or unfair treatment.

 Creation of hostile environment based on race.

 Suspension of employment in 2019.

The lawsuit alleges Shumpert has suffered emotional and physical distress, mental and physical anguish, loss of reputation, humiliation and embarrassment as a result of his treatment and therefore should receive the following remedies.

Remedies include a declaration that Shumperts accusations of discriminatory actions and practices are unlawful and in willful violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, lost wages, compensatory damages, attorney fees, costs and interest, punitive damages and other relief the court deems just and proper.

The amount of controversy exceeds $75,000, exclusive of interest, costs and attorney fees, the lawsuit states.

Read more:

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Flint water crisis: Whos being charged and what were their roles

Flint water crisis: All we know about expected charges against Snyder and others

Flint residents hopeful water crisis charges against Snyder, other officials will bring justice

Reward offered for information on fatal shooting at large party in Flint
Maguito Vilela, the Brazilian politician who was elected mayor of the city of Goiania while in a coma due to COVID-19, has died from complications to the disease, it was announced on his personal Instagram account on Wednesday.

"It is with deep regret that we report the death of the mayor of Goiania, Maguito Vilela, which occurred this morning," the statement said. Local media said he was 71.

Vilela's surprise election from his hospital bed made international headlines. It was a vivid example of the reach of the coronavirus pandemic in Brazil, which has the world's worst COVID-19 death toll outside the United States. Nearly 205,000 people have died from COVID-19 in Brazil, with 8.2 million people infected with the virus.

A former senator from the centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement party, Vilela tested positive for the coronavirus on Oct. 20. A week later, he arrived at Sao Paulo's Albert Einstein Hospital, and has spent most of his time there either intubated, or in an induced coma.

In November, he was elected mayor of Goiania, a city of 1.5 million people in central Brazil. He won 52.6% of the vote.

"The family is providing the transfer of the body from Sao Paulo to Goias and he must be buried in Jatai, his native land," the Instagram statement said.
Medical workers deliver a patient to the fever clinic at a hospital in Beijing, on Jan. 13, 2021. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

New CCP Virus Outbreak in Northeastern Chinese Province Spreads Quickly

An outbreak of the CCP virus in Heilongjiang Province is quickly spreading, despite authorities attempts to contain it.

The viruss resurgence, occurring throughout parts of northern China, has resulted in millions being locked down at home, while tens of thousands of suspected patients were moved to quarantine centers.

Latest Outbreak

Heilongjiang authorities said the latest outbreak, traced to a pregnant woman and her 10-year-old son, has already infected hundreds within the past three days. After the woman tested positive for COVID-19 at a hospital in Wangkui county, Suihua city, authorities said she caused outbreaks in Harbin, Mudanjiang, Qiqihar, and Yichun cities.

On Jan. 13, the neighboring province of Jilin reported that its local outbreaks originated among people who had recently traveled to Wangkui county.

The Jilin Health Commission announced that people who took the same train, worked in the same office, or resided in the same neighborhood as the travelers soon contracted the disease.

For example, a couple that traveled to Changchun city from Wangkui via train tested positive. At least three passengers who were in the same train car as the couple but hadnt visited Wangkui later tested positive.

People line up outside a hospital to get COVID-19 tests in Beijing, on Jan. 13, 2021. (GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images)

Hebei

The situation in the current virus hotspots of the cities of Xingtai and Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province remains serious. On Jan. 13, the National Health Commission arranged for 11 medical teams from across China to travel to Hebei and assist in epidemic prevention efforts.

The provinces blood center also announced that it had a shortage of plateletsthe key blood component that forms clots and stops bleeding.

Some COVID-19 patients in serious condition may need to be put on a heart-lung machine known as ECMO to provide respiratory support; a related surgical procedure would require a blood transfusion.

More Contagious?

On Jan. 13, the Shanxi, Zhejiang, and Xinjiang governments stated that their outbreaks were traced back to Shijiazhuang.

Shandong Province announced that it also detected an asymptomatic carrier (Chinese authorities count them separately from those who present clinical symptoms) who had recently traveled to Wangkui.

Meanwhile, Guizhou, Hubei, Guangxi, and Shaanxi provinces, as well as Tianjin city, quarantined up to thousands of people, claiming that they were identified as close contacts of patients from Hebei, Heilongjiang, Liaoning, and Beijingall regions that currently have severe outbreaks.

Some netizens questioned how the virus could spread so quickly, even as local authorities usually implement draconian lockdown measures soon after cases are detected.

The Hebei government hasnt yet identified the patient zero who first ignited the latest wave of COVID-19. But it claims that the virus strain originated from Europe.

During a press conference on the national situation held by the central government in Beijing, the deputy director of Chinas Center for Disease Control and Prevention denied speculation that a new mutated virus strain is spreading in China. Feng Zijian added that he believes the outbreaks across the country are controllable.

Passengers being stopped at the entrance of a railway station as the city cuts outside transport links and bans residents from leaving, after the large COVID-19 outbreak in Shijiazhuang, in northern Chinas Hebei Province on Jan. 7, 2021. (STR/CNS/AFP via Getty Images)

Canceled Political Meetings

The Chinese Communist Party convenes meetings every year known as the Two Sessions; the central government and local officials announced their schedules in December last year.

But with the ballooning outbreaks, on Jan. 11, Hebei said the meetings, originally planned for Jan. 25, would be postponed.

Last year, the national Two Sessions meetings were postponed due to the pandemic; this years meetings are planned for March 45.

The Party elites who attend the meetings are relatively old and hence, are vulnerable to COVID-19.

Last year, Shandong Province announced that its representatives averaged 54 years old.

The average age of currently diagnosed COVID-19 patients in Hebei is 50, the central government said.
New Delhi:

The first batch of pilgrims bound for the annual Kailash Mansarovar yatra for 2017 was flagged off by Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj on Sunday.



Swaraj told the pilgrims to take care to not "sully" the route leading up to Kailash Mansarovar during the holy journey.



"The reverence we have for Lord Shiva, we should have similar respect for his abode. Therefore, please do not sully the road that will lead you to Lord Shiva," she told the pilgrims at the Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan in New Delhi.



A total of 1,430 devotees will undertake the pilgrimage in 25 batches in 2017. Eighteen batches, each comprising around 60 pilgrims, will visit Kailash Mansoravar through the more arduous Lipulekh Pass route, while seven batches with 50 pilgrims each will take the newly-opened Nathu La route.



The yatra will continue for the next four months.



The MEA had received 4,442 applications this year compared to last year's 2,600. The pilgrims were shortlisted through a computerised draw of lots.



"In this first batch, we had selected 60 people but two of them couldn't clear their medical test and hence 58 people will go in the first batch," she said.



Swaraj said the Indian government was making constant efforts and improvements to make the journey more convenient for the pilgrims.



"But it is a gradual process and we are doing a bit more every year," she said.



Swaraj, who underwent a kidney transplant in December 2016, asked the pilgrims to seek blessings on her behalf as well.



"I underwent the operation but by God's grace I could recuperate within months. Since you all are going to seek blessings of Lord Shiva, I'd request you to seek some blessings for me too as I myself haven't gone to Kailash Mansarovar, ever, and am not sure if I ever will," she said.

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Last week I predicted that Trump and his minions would turn Congress routine certification of the Electoral College results into a radical right psychodrama.

I didnt think it would become a deadly act of domestic terrorism, fueled by Donald Trumps fascist coup attempt.

But really, what was so surprising? Trump Sr. and Jr. signaled this for months with talk of armies, civil war and wild protests. And on the day of infamy, Trump consigliere Rudy Giuliani called for a trial by combat, and Trump Sr. promised to lead his followers to the Capitol. (He didnt, though.)

This band of insurrectionists got plenty of help, and not only from the deplorables who invaded, vandalized and looted the Capitol. Our own Congressman Dan Meuser, state Sen. Dave Argall and state Rep. Jerry Knowles deserve plenty of blame for the falsehoods and conspiracy theories theyve been legitimizing and/or spreading to discredit the election that unseated Trump.

They became part of the GOPs Sedition Wing, and they stuck with it despite calls by Schuylkill County Democratic Chair Hugh Reiley and others to recant their lies.

Meuser refused, as anyone would expect. When Congress reconvened after the Capitol was secured, he still objected to Pennsylvanias election results. (Perhaps he wanted to look tough after being photographed dashing for safety during the riot.)

Argall didnt even address the issue; he just quoted Abraham Lincoln.

Knowles doubled down on claims that Pennsylvanias election process was flawed. He didnt mention that in a desperate time of COVID-19 and the Trump administrations sabotage of the U.S. Postal Service, the state had to take desperate measures so that as many people as possible could vote.

(Isnt a strong turnout by eligible voters still considered a good thing? While placing obstacles in front of those voters is not?)

The trio denounced the violence at the Capitol, but not what promoted it. Pearl-clutching wont absolve them or any other Seditionists of their desecration of the values they claim to hold dear.

So to all Seditionists, you no longer get to call yourself supporters of law and order. Not after your foot soldiers stormed a government building, defecated in hallways and offices, and even posed for selfies with items they stole.

You no longer get to proclaim your allegiance to the police. After your foot soldiers overwhelmed and attacked the Capitol Police, it is now clear that blue lives dont matter to you when they enforce the law against white lives.

You no longer get to condemn anyone who takes a knee during the national anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance after some of you tore down the Capitols American flag to replace it with a Trump banner.

You no longer get to describe your political affiliation as the party of Lincoln after your foot soldiers strutted inside the Capitol with the Confederate flag of white supremacy and treason.

You no longer get to call Gov. Tom Wolf a dictator when youve been supporting one for years, most recently by enabling Trumps incendiary rhetoric after voters rejected him for a second term. Especially politicians like you, Sen. Argall, who know full well that when we needed a leader to handle the pandemic, Trump fobbed that responsibility off to Wolf and other governors so theyd take the heat for unpopular but necessary measures.

You no longer get to tout your election integrity efforts when you have done your utmost to cast doubt on a legitimate election. Too bad that voter suppression lacks that ring of nobility.

You no longer get to warn that, if not for the GOP, our country would become like Venezuela. Remember how armed supporters of Venezuelas dictator stormed the opposition-led congress and attacked its members? You Sedititionists made that happen here even before Joe Biden replaces Trump in the White House and control of the Senate shifts to the Democrats.

And now that weve all seen your foot soldiers in action, you dont get to call for unity in the vain hope that the voters you tried to disenfranchise will forget what you and the inciter in chief have done. Thinking Americans can only call BS.

(Von Ahn is co-chair of Schuylkill Indivisible,

but the opinions expressed here are her own)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  The Duterte administration does not prefer China-made vaccine Sinovac, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Wednesday, disputing criticisms of lawmakers that it is one of the most expensive in the market.

He said the Philippines secured the "best price" for CoronaVac made by Sinovac through the help of Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian.

"Napili ang Sinovac dahil medyo mura po ito... Kapresyo ang Novavax, Gamaleya. Nasa middle ang Sinovac. Mas mura siya kasya Moderna at ibang vaccines ng US. Very fair ang treatment namin sa Sinovac dahil binagsak niya [ang presyo]," he said in a media briefing.

[Translation: Sinovac was chosen because it is quite cheap. It's the same price as Novavax and Gamaleya. It's in the middle price point. It's cheaper than Moderna and other US-made vaccines. We are treating Sinovac fairly because they lowered the price.]

Based on data released by Senator Sonny Angara's office, Sinovac is the second most expensive COVID-19 vaccine at 3,629 for two required doses. Senator Panfilo Lacson questioned why the government seems to prioritize it despite the cost, its dismal efficacy rate in trials, and the absence of even an application for emergency use in the country. Senator Francis Pangilinan said Sinovac is six times more expensive than AstraZeneca when it has less than 60% efficacy compared to AstraZeneca's 70%, urging the government to cancel the purchase of 25 million doses.

RELATED: Brazil data shakes confidence in China's Sinovac coronavirus vaccine

Bound by the nondisclosure agreement, Galvez did not reveal the price of Sinovac doses, and only said prices differ in the market compared to government-to-government deals.

Amid public worries on Sinovac's safety and efficacy, Galvez called on the people to stop discriminating since the vaccine is already offered in other countries.

"Sana tanggalin na po natin ang discrimination sa ibang vaccine kasi nakita natin ginamit na nga ng Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, Argentina. Bakit hindi natin gamitin sa atin?" he asked.

[Translation: I hope we can stop the discrimination in other vaccines. We see it being used in Malaysia, Singapore, Turkey, Argentina. Why shouldn't we use it here]

The Philippines recently closed the deal to buy 25 million doses from Sinovac. The first batch, 50,000 doses, is set to arrive on February 20. Galvez said he is willing to get first crack at the vaccine to instill public confidence.

"Kahit anong vaccine ang mauna, ako, volunteer ako. Magpapabakuna ako," he said.

[Translation: Whichever vaccine arrives first, I will volunteer to be vaccinated.]
An Alabama man who was detained on Monday for his role in the MAGA mobs storming of the United States Capitol last week was out on $103,000 bond from a previous arrest for trafficking marijuana and LSD.

Court records show that a judge on Monday revoked the bond for 23-year-old William Watson of Auburn after prosecutors said he was identified in photographs and video of the riot.

Video surveillance from inside the Capitol Building recorded images of protesters inside the building, including images of the Defendant dressed in a yellow sweatshirt standing next to a man with a horned hat. The Defendant was identified by local authorities, prosecutors wrote in a motion.

The man in the horned hat is a reference to Jacob Anthony Chansley, 33, also known as Jake Angeli.

William Watson, 23, of Auburn, Alabama, was taken into custody by Lee County Sheriff's deputies on Monday for his role in the MAGA mob riot at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, DC, on January 6

Watson is pictured above from a booking photo taken in July. At the time of his arrest on Monday, he was out on $103,000 bond after he was arrested for trafficking LSD and marijuana last summer

Watson is photographed in the yellow sweater standing next to Jacob Anthony Chansley, 33, who is wearing a horned Viking hat and sporting tattoos. The group was among the first rioters to breach the US Capitol Building last week

Chansley shot to worldwide infamy when he stormed the Capitol last week sporting face-paint, a fur hat, and holding a Star-Spangled spear.

The Phoenix native turned himself into the FBI on Saturday after returning from D.C. but had refused to eat in custody because the food was not organic.

Judge Deborah Fine said his fasting was 'deeply concerning' and ordered the prison to find a way to accommodate Chansley's demands at his first court appearance via video link on Monday.

The FBI released the image of the bearded man in the yellow sweatshirt standing next to Chansley among photos of rioters they were hoping to identify.

Watson was arrested on Monday afternoon in Auburn, WRBL-TV reported.

Lee County Sheriff Jay Jones said Watson is in the county jail after having his bond revoked.

He does not have any federal charges at this time, according to a search of court records.

Authorities noted that they were also able to identify Watson by the distinctive tattoos on his hand, and that Watson himself appeared to describe his participation in a social media post.

Watson's social media accounts, which have since been deactivated, show several pro-Trump content, including one which shows an image of Mel Gibson from the 2000 movie The Patriot. Gibson plays a character who joins a colonial militia to fight the British during the American Revolution

Watson also posted messages on social media denying that he was a member of Antifa, the far-left movement blamed for violence nationwide during the George Floyd protests

Several supporters of Trump have alleged that Antifa was behind the storming of the US Capitol. Watson has a tattoo on his hand which some have claimed proves that he is a member of Antifa

Watson made several posts on social media pushing back on claims that he is actually a member of the far-left Antifa movement, and that the tattoo on his hand proves it.

Antifa has been blamed for violence in cities nationwide in the wake of the May 25 police-involved death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, in Minneapolis.

They wanna call me antifa because I have a video game tattoo on my hand and I was pleading for peaceful discourse, read a social media post that prosecutors attributed to Watson.

Let em say what they will. The fake news wont win against thousands of patriots who recorded today.

After the rioting, Trump and other top Republicans and media commentators claimed that the storming of the Capitol was carried out by Antifa in a false flag operation meant to make the presidents supporters look bad.

No evidence has emerged so far indicating that Antifa played a role in the Capitol riot.

Watson also reportedly favored posts inspired by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. One video posted by Watson shows him complaining about being made to wear a face covering despite the fact that he says he should be granted a medical exemption

Watsons social media accounts have been deactivated, though the Alabama Political Reporter points out that he has been known to post pro-Trump content.

Watsons Instagram page was known to have contained several posts promoting the conspiracy theory that the president actually won the 2020 election and that President-elect Joe Bidens victory was fraudulent.

Watson also reportedly favored posts inspired by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

One video posted by Watson shows him complaining about being made to wear a face covering despite the fact that he says he should be granted a medical exemption.

So far, at least 82 people have been arrested and more than 55 have been charged over the insurrection. Hundreds more are being hunted by the authorities but are yet to be found, including 25 people who are being investigated on terrorism charges.

Another Alabama man arrested near the US Capitol after the rioting had a truckload of weapons, including components for 11 explosive devices, guns, smoke devices and machetes, along with a note containing information about a member of Congress, prosecutors wrote in court documents Tuesday.

Federal prosecutors wrote that the note and volume of weapons Lonnie Leroy Coffman, 70, had in his truck suggest he had an intent to provide them to others and to attack members of Congress.

Coffman was charged with multiple firearms crimes.

This is a defendant with access to firearms and numerous other lethal weapons, dangerous incendiary mixtures creating napalm, who appears to have been motivated to conduct violence against our elected representatives, prosecutors wrote in a motion asking for Coffman to remained jailed until trial.

The note in the truck referred to a judge appointed by then-president Barack Obama as a bad guy and gave the name of a member of Congress, noting the representative is of Muslim faith.

Lonnie Leroy Coffman, of Falkville, Alabama, was taken into custody last Thursday and has now been charged with weapons offences following last week's siege of Congress. He is pictured at right in a black jacket and dark colored beanie

Coffman has one handgun, one M4 Carbine assault rifle, ammunition, and 11 mason jars filled with an ignitable substance inside of his red-pick up truck parked near Congress

Police allegedly uncovered homemade bombs inside of Coffman's pick-up truck while it was parked near the Capitol during last Wednesday's siege

Coffman reportedly confessed that 11 mason jars in his possession contained a mixture of melted Styrofoam and gasoline - an explosive concoction that has the effect of napalm 'because, when detonated, the substance causes the flammable liquid to better stick to objects that it hits.'

The defendant brought these weapons to the immediate vicinity of the US Capitol Building, and traveled the area with two firearms on his person. The amount of weapons suggests an intent to provide them to others, as no one person could reasonably use so many at once, prosecutors wrote.

Coffman, who is from Falkville, was arrested the evening of January 6, after a riot in the US Capitol by a mob backing Trump.

The breach of the Capitol followed a rally earlier in the day in which the president spoke.

Prosecutors said Coffman left his truck in the morning that day of chaos and rioting and was arrested when he returned to the truck in the evening.

Law enforcement officers said they swept the area after pipe bombs were found near two buildings.

The defendant told law enforcement that he had been trying to get back to the pickup truck throughout the day, but that he was turned away in light of the explosives investigations, prosecutors wrote.
The result of big tech censorship of Donald Trump snowballed as world leaders say it is a threat to democracy. Some international leaders call it a devolution to communism that threatens everyone in the free world.

President Trump's banning started a domino effect, and world leaders are denouncing tech firms that control free speech on their social media platforms.

The U.S. president has been censored by Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, and Instagram. They are significant firms that are social media-based that has crossed the line, reported The Epoch Times.

Twitter removed the commander in chief permanently and gave the reason for taking down his post because of "Glorification of Violence Policy."

According to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said the censoring of Trump sets a dangerous precedent. She added that interference in the "Freedom of opinion" is disturbing, and expressing freely is significant. Steffen Siebert, a spokesperson, said on January 11.

Seibert said the right to free speech could be criticized, but there are limits to how much censorship is allowed. It is not the decision of those managing social media platforms to decide what is appropriate.

He added that the Chancellor's blocking of the U.S. president's account will affect how social media is viewed now. Even the French government has agreed with the views of the German Chancellor.

Clement Beaune, the junior minister for European Union affairs, called the unilateral decision by a tech firm, which is essentially private.

Also read: Parler Banned by Apple, Google: Rep. Nunes Wants to Investigate Big Tech Companies Criminal Racketeering

He told Bloomberg TV that a CEO does not possess the right to decide for everyone. It is the citizens of a country with that prerogative. This unprecedented breach of CEOs will need to be regulated, and big online platforms are policed.

The French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said the move is a threat of a digital oligarchy composed of tech giants, who can determine content and free thought. Democracy is now under threat by runaway tech firms without strict guidelines.

More calls to keep Big Tech firms under stricter control are Manfred Weber, the European People's Party leader. He is part of a center-right political party that may be affected like President Trump.

On Twitter last January 11, he posted that American Big Tech has no monopoly over what is correct or not online. Suppressive tech firms' actions are a danger to compromise searching and consensus-building, relevant to free and democratic societies.

Norway's left-wing Labor Party leader Jonas Gahr Stre stated that top tech firms' censorship is a danger to political freedom in all nations.

He added that Twitter should not be so selective on only Trump. It should be done for everyone.

Stre said that social media firms compromise freedom. It is this line. Twitter has begun making American conservatives' examples; next should be to do it to all people not following their censorship or ban them.

According to Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack of Australia, many have said such inappropriate things on Twitter. Why has this kind of censorship been allowed?

Tech Censorship of Donald Trump has caused these reactions in world leaders who unanimously say no to censorship.

Related article: Iowa Trump Supporter Arrested and Misframed because of Youtube Video on January 6

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
While Netflix's upcoming Malcolm & Marie has put both Zendaya and John David Washington in the midst of the awards season races, though there has been some controversy over their 12-year age gap.

The film, written and directed by Zendaya's Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, follows the 36-year-old Washington and 24-year-old Zendaya as the title characters as their relationship is tested after the premiere of director Malcolm's new movie.

Washington opened up about the controversy and the production in a new interview with Variety, where he said that, despite the controversy, he wasn't worried at all.

Age gap: While Netflix's upcoming Malcolm & Marie has put both Zendaya and John David Washington in the midst of the awards season races, though there has been some controversy over their 12-year age gap

Relationship: The film, written and directed by Zendaya's Euphoria creator Sam Levinson, follows the 36-year-old Washington and 24-year-old Zendaya as the title characters as their relationship is tested after the premiere of director Malcolm's new movie

'I wasnt concerned about it because she is a woman. People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is,' Washington began.

While Washington may be the son of Hollywood icon Denzel Washington, he admitted that Zendaya, who has been working since she was a teenager, knows the business much better than he does.

'She has far more experience than I do in the industry. Ive only been in it for seven years. Shes been in it longer, so Im learning from her. Im the rookie,' he said.

Not concerned: 'I wasnt concerned about it because she is a woman. People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is,' Washington began

Washington admitted he was 'leaning on her a lot,' as she shared stories, 'about what shes had to go through with Twitter and everything. I appreciated her wisdom and discernment when it comes to this business. I admire that.'

He also said he's excited to see this film because they will, 'see how mature she is in this role, Were talking about versatility, and Sam and Zendaya brought both.'

The film was shot with a minimal crew and just Washington and Zendaya in front of the camera this summer, though Washington said he felt totally safe.

Leaning: Washington admitted he was 'leaning on her a lot,' as she shared stories, 'about what shes had to go through with Twitter and everything. I appreciated her wisdom and discernment when it comes to this business. I admire that'

Mature: He also said he's excited to see this film because they will, 'see how mature she is in this role, Were talking about versatility, and Sam and Zendaya brought both'

'I felt comfortable. I felt safe. But I felt the need to do this so much that I was willing to risk it,' he said.

'We were in the facility, on a ranch, which was this beautiful resort, with plenty of space. Everybody had their own cabin; we had to get tested we got there,' he said.

Washington added that the cast and crew were the only ones on the ranch where they shot, adding, 'So as long as nobody left the facility, I felt safe.'

Safe: 'I felt comfortable. I felt safe. But I felt the need to do this so much that I was willing to risk it,' he said

Washington is coming off director Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which hit theaters this fall in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After Malcolm & Marie debuts February 5 on Netflix, he'll return to the streaming service with Born to be Murdered later this year with Alicia Vikander.

Zendaya is currently filming the untitled Spider-Man sequel, and she also stars in the upcoming Dune, which was pushed from this past December to October 1.

New role: Washington is coming off director Christopher Nolan's Tenet, which hit theaters this fall in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic
MBABANE  There is no need to suffer silently and there is no shame in seeking help.

This adage rings true for the Ministry of Health, which has written to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Director, seeking the support of an International Emergency Medical Team in Eswatini for a minimum period of four weeks.

The letter, written and signed by Minister of Health Lizzie Nkosi, was confirmed by Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula. However, he was reluctant to give details on the number of specialists needed for each area of the health experts, only confirming that the country indeed needed highly trained experts to assist in managing the second wave of COVID-19 that has seen an alarming spike in the number of new cases and related deaths. Dated January 2, 2021, the letter requests medical experts in five areas and these are team lead, critical care physicians, critical care nurses, biomedical technicians and epidemiologists.

All teams interested in being deployed and meet the criteria were requested to do so on or before January 15, 2021.

Nkosi, through the letter, said the Kingdom of Eswatini was one of the countries in the Africa Region facing unprecedented public health challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the country was currently facing a severe second wave, with more than double the number of cases confirmed with COVID-19 on a daily basis compared to the first wave.

The high number of new cases has resulted in health systems that are now overstretched, including a severe shortage of oxygen supply to the people who need it. The second wave is also resulting in more client admissions as a majority of the clients are presenting with symptoms, which rapidly progress to severe and critical illness. Furthermore, the capacity to manage critically ill patients is not adequate in the face of the rapidly rising numbers of patients presenting with severe illness, she said.

The minister said in order to support the efforts already underway in the implementation of the plan to respond to this pandemic, the country was sending a request to the WHO in order to seek the support of an international emergency medical team for a minimum period of four weeks.

Deployment of Emergency Medical Teams (EMT) is subject to approval by the Ministry of Health of Eswatini. Once in the field, the coordination of EMT activities is led by the Ministry of Health and supported by WHO. Teams are expected to comply with the minimum standards of being a deployable EMT. The Ministry of Health is ready to provide necessary logistical support; however, teams are expected to be self-sufficient as required by the minimum standards, reads a correspondence from the EMT secretariat.

According to an analysis derived from the request, Eswatini now has 11 COVID-19 treatment centres, nine public and two private.

With a total bed capacity of 437 and the occupancy rate is rising every week. The country has 29 beds for critical care with all 29 of them occupied, giving an occupancy rate of 100 per cent.

There are 26 additional critical care beds available, but they are not utilised due to limited oxygen supply and inadequate critical care physicians and nurses. Also highlighted was the scarcity of biomedical engineers to support installation and maintenance if critical care equipment remains a challenge.
The National Guard troops photographed napping on the marble floors of the U.S. Capitol's visitor center Tuesday night were not sleeping on guard duty, according to an Army official.

Photos of troops sprawled under busts of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln raced across Twitter and other social media sites as thousands of Guard members set up security posts around Washington, D.C., in preparation for President-elect Joe Biden's Jan. 20 inauguration.

Commenters on Twitter were quick to poke fun at the Guard.

Read Next: Army Identifies NCO Killed in Vehicle Accident in Kuwait

"That's the good ole National Guard for ya. You would never see Marines sleeping on the job. Who needs sleep?" one commenter wrote.

But the Guard members, who are pulling 12-hour shifts, were on an authorized break and permitted to relax and even catch a catnap, according to an Army official, who was not authorized to speak officially on the photographs.

"It's an approved break area for soldiers on break during 12-hour shifts," the official told Military.com. "And this is not where they are sleeping when they get off shift."

The Pentagon has authorized up to 15,000 National Guard troops to be mobilized to help federal and local law enforcement secure the inauguration area and key monuments in the city. The move came after Trump supporters escalated a rally into a siege of the Capitol on Jan. 6 as lawmakers were meeting for the official count of Electoral College votes to affirm Biden's victory in the Nov. 3 election.

Members of the National Guard rest in the U.S. Capitol on January 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

While not on duty, Guard troops are lodging in local hotels under a Title 32 mobilization, which puts Guard members under state control while receiving pay and benefits from the federal government.

Photos also showedGuard members armed with M4 carbines, a measure Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy authorized Tuesday evening for troops on security detail around the Capitol, at the request of federal authorities.

The Pentagon initially authorized up to 6,200 Guard members from Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania to deploy to the District of Columbia on federal status to maintain security through Inauguration Day.

On Monday, that number grew to an authorization of up to 15,000. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, said the current plan calls for about 10,000 Guard members to arrive in D.C. by Saturday.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Pentagon Authorizes National Guard Troops Around Capitol to Carry Lethal Weapons
A person who refused to wear a mask while ordering takeaway food in Brisbane's CBD has been arrested after spitting on a bystander.

The person was one of two people charged with failing to comply with new restrictions to combat a cluster of the highly infectious UK strain of COVID-19, Queensland Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said.

Most people in Brisbane's CBD have complied with the requirement to wear masks. Credit:Matt Dennien

"Police tried to get the person to wear the mask," he said.

"That person assaulted the police and was arrested for that and has also been charged with not following the [Chief Health Officers] direction.
Ukraine and Moldova are united not only by a common border and past but also by the European future and today's challenges, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Dmytro Razumkov says.

He stated this during a meeting with President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu in Kyiv on January 12, Ukrinform reports with reference to the parliaments press service.

During the meeting, the parties discussed issues related to the protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty, the implementation of systemic reforms and the prospects for inter-parliamentary cooperation.

Razumkov stressed that both countries face a number of difficult challenges. "Territorial integrity for both our and your country is not just words. This is what we have been fighting for for many years," he stressed.

The speaker noted that, despite the efforts of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, and international partners, there are casualties among servicemen and civilians on the contact line.

Razumkov and Sandu also discussed the work of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine. He spoke about the steps that the Ukrainian parliament is taking to ensure the effective work of anti-corruption bodies.

Razumkov expressed hope that the interaction between the parliaments of Ukraine and Moldova will soon receive a new impetus to intensify cooperation.

As reported, President of Moldova Maia Sandu was on her first official visit to Ukraine on January 12, 2021.

Photo credit: rada.gov.ua

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Charlotte has reclaimed her place as the most popular baby name for girls in Queensland after a one-year break.

And Oliver is the most popular baby name for boys for the eighth year in a row.

Brisbane mum Sarah Eaton with baby Charlotte, who shares the most popular baby name for girls in 2020. Credit:Natarsha March

Brisbane mum Sarah Eaton chose the name Charlotte for her daughter, who was born in August at the Mater Hospital and delivered by obstetrician Dr Charlotte Mooring.

Ms Eaton said the name had popped up over the years as she read the book Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer as a child and her older siblings listened to The Cure's song of the same name.
[January 13, 2021] Amalgam Rx Announces Acquisition of Avhana Health

Amalgam Rx, Inc., a leading Digital Therapeutics and Patient Support company, announces the acquisition of Avhana Health, a privately held clinical decision support (CDS) company, which has deep integrations with the leading electronic health records (EHR). Amalgam Rx will expand Avhana's CDS tools to multiple therapeutic areas and combine them with other digital solutions to simplify doctors' workflows. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005842/en/ Amalgam Rx Announces Acquisition of Avhana Health (Graphic: Business Wire) Avhana Health is a CDS company used by doctors to support real-time adoption of and adherence to clinical quality guidelines. Avhana's SaaS (News - Alert) -based CDS tool has been implemented in more than 150 provider groups and identifies over $120 million a year in cost savings. Enabling real-time two-way interactions within the EHR, Avhana optimizes provider workflow beyond simple data integration. "EHR integration is the Holy Grail for digital health solutions, but it's not only about data integration; workflow optimization is even more important. Providers, working at the nexus of digital health adoption and scaling, will only adopt tools that are safe, effective, and embedded in their workflow. The combinaton of Avhana and Amalgam will bring us closer to realizing digital health's tremendous potential," said Ryan Sysko, chief executive officer of Amalgam Rx.



"Amalgam's acquisition of Avhana aligns with our vision of improving quality and reducing healthcare costs. We are pleased that Avhana's CDS platform will be championed by Amalgam, with their extensive digital health experience, clinical leadership, and market development expertise. Amalgam is the ideal partner to enhance our CDS platform and carry our vision of a healthier future forward," said Noah Weiner, chief executive officer of Avhana Health. "This is an unprecedented moment in the healthcare industry. The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated adoption of digital technology to support remote care. Combining relevant healthcare data with seamless, efficient, and trustworthy workflows is key to successful provider use of these technologies," said Dr. Marlene Grenon, director of digital health at University of California, San Francisco (UCFS) Innovation Ventures.

"Leading Health systems are actively engaging in the digital revolution. The task at hand is to leverage the foundation of EHR enablement to use digital in a way that takes cost out of the system, improves patient care and quality, reimagines workflow, and substitutes capital for labor," said Eric Langshur, co-founder and executive chairman of AVIA, the nation's leading healthcare innovation network. The acquisition is Amalgam Rx's first and closed in January 2021. About Amalgam Rx Amalgam Rx creates exceptional digital medicine products and patient support programs to increase access, improve adherence, strengthen outcomes, and reduce costs of care. For more than 15 years, our team has been reimagining care delivery, creating lasting change across the chronic care ecosystem. Amalgam Rx has built an innovative portfolio of digital solutions, including patient support programs, digital therapeutics, and digital-pharma combination products- delivered through a wide variety of business models. Our proven end-to-end methodology enables the entire lifecycle from R&D to commercialization. Working in partnership with many of the world's leading life sciences companies, Amalgam Rx has deployed products across three continents. For more information on how Amalgam Rx's FDA-cleared, clinically validated technologies bring patients and providers closer together, reduce costs for payers, and unlock sustained value for partners, visit amalgamrx.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005842/en/

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The global agricultural tractor market demand is expected to reach 2,467.0 thousand units by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 3.0% over the forecast period, according to a study conducted by Grand View Research, Inc. Growing popularity of compact tractors with advanced technology, such as LiDAR and GPS, is anticipated to positively impact the market growth. Increasing demand for mini tractors that are used in small agricultural lands is expected to fuel the market growth over the forecast period. Such machines can operate in tight spaces, such as narrow rows of orchards, along with steeper inclines, due to their lower center of gravity. The ability to work on different terrains and smaller agricultural lands, coupled with better productivity and lower total cost of ownership, is increasing the popularity of smaller agricultural tractors.

Additionally, the market is expected to witness significant growth in the forthcoming years owing to growing population across the globe. According to the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the world population was 7.6 billion in 2017 and is expected to reach 9.8 billion by 2050. Consequently, the global demand for food is expected to rise significantly, thereby increasing the pressure on farmers to produce more crops. This is expected to instigate farmers to be efficient in terms of land usage and choice of machinery, which is expected to boost adoption of agricultural tractors.

Several governments across the globe are undertaking initiatives to promote mechanization in agriculture to cater to the growing needs of the population. For instance, in 2017, the Indian government lowered the Goods and Services Tax (GST) slab rate on tractor parts from 28% to 18%. This is expected to reduce the total cost of tractors. However, farmers inclination towards traditional farming and agricultural methods is proving to be a challenge for the market.

Browse Details of Report @ https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/agricultural-tractors-market

The agricultural tractor market is characterized by high competition due to the presence of major global players, such as Deere & Company, CNH Industrial N.V., Escorts Limited, Kubota Corporation, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., and AGCO Corporation. These players are focusing on providing electric and autonomous tractors to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. For instance, in February 2019, Deere & Company announced the launch of its fully electric autonomous tractor GridCON, which provides up to 400 hp.

Further key findings from the study suggest:

 The market is gaining traction owing to increasing demand for autonomous tractors

 Based on engine power, the less than 40 HP segment is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years owing to increased demand from countries, such as India and China, that have smaller agricultural lands

 Latin America is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of over 2% in terms of volume from 2020 to 2027 owing to a large number of farms and agricultural lands in Brazil and Mexico

 Key agricultural tractor market players include Deere & Company, CNH Industrial N.V., Escorts Limited, Kubota Corporation, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., and AGCO Corporation.

Grand View Research has segmented the global agricultural tractor market based on engine power and region:

Agricultural Tractors Engine Power Outlook (Volume, Thousand Units, 2016 - 2027)

 Less than 40 Hp

 41 to 100 Hp

 More than 100 Hp
Chiba prefectural police have arrested a 39-year-old unemployed man on suspicion of killing his mother and elder sister at his parents' home in Nagareyama City on Dec 31.

Shin Honda turned himself in to police and admitted to stabbing the two, Fuji TV reported. Police said Honda told them he stabbed his sister Fumi, 42, and their mother Ikuko, 72, at around 8:35 p.m. Fumi lived in Taito Ward, Tokyo, and had been visiting her mother and brother for the New Year holidays.

After stabbing his mother and sister, Honda called 110 and asked for an ambulance. At 11 p.m., he showed up at a nearby koban (police box) where he turned himself in. Police said he had stabbed himself in the neck and cut his wrists. His mother and sister died from stab wounds in the back.
South Dakota Governor Backs Bill to Ban Abortions of Down Syndrome Babies

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem is introducing legislation to the South Dakota legislature that would prevent abortion of babies based solely on a diagnose of Down Syndrome.

Im proposing a bill to the legislature that would prevent abortions for babies based on a Down syndrome diagnosis. So, the doctor would be prevented to conduct an abortion on a woman  because a child has been diagnosed specifically just for Down syndrome, the Republican told Fox & Friends on Tuesday.

Joining Noem at the governors house for the state of the union address was Fox News contributor Rachel Campos-Duffy and her husband, former Wisconsin Rep. Sean Duffy. The Duffys were invited by Noem to speak about their daughter Valentina, who was born with Down syndrome.

Noem said that every single life is precious, regardless of what situation the family is facing, adding, I think Valentina, right here, her little face shows what a blessing that she is to this family, and theyre going to be here talking to the people of South Dakota and our legislators about how important that bill is.

South Dakota generally bans abortions at twenty weeks also people seeking abortions need to wait a period of 72 hours and get counseling before having the procedure.

Campos-Duffy said she is proud of Gov. Noem for taking on an important issue. Adding, I dont think its a coincidence that she is a mom and this is coming out of a mom governor. At this time, especially, I think we are living in a time where so many people are being censored and I think Governor Kristie Noem is giving a voice to a group of people who dont have a voice, who dont have a lobby, who dont have anyone to fight for them other than their moms and good leaders like Governor Noem.

I would just say to any woman who has a diagnosis, who gets that call from the doctor, just like I did, Valentina has given me as much joy and pride as any of my other little babies, and she is an American and she has the right to live, just like everybody else, said Campos-Duffy.

The governor said that in her state of the union address to South Dakotans she would be giving an update about the past year and the future of the state.

I will talk about strong families, our economy, how to invest in our future and protecting life, Noem said.

According to a social media post and her appearance on Fox News, abortion will be one of the key topics discussed during the 2021 South Dakota Legislative session.
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The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has reiterated its commitment to abide by the output cut agreement of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies called OPEC+, to stabilise the global oil market.

The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari, who gave the assurance at the ongoing virtual Gulf Intelligence UAE Global Energy Forum 2021, said despite the negative effects of the production cuts on government revenues, it was the best step towards redeeming the value of oil on the global market, in the interest of all.

Speaking on the topic, Outlook for Africa/Nigerias Oil & Gas Sector in Post-Covid-19 Era, Mr Kyari said NNPC was hopeful that by the end of the year, the demand for crude oil would pick up.

This, he said, would be a marginal increase in output, stressing that the Corporation was focusing more on gas, condensate and other revenue streams to tackle the revenue challenges arising from the production cuts agreement.

He explained that gas had proved to be a steady and reliable revenue stream at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, adding that gas production and utilisation would, therefore, remain a key priority for the Corporation in 2021.

Earlier, in his presentation, the Minister of Energy & Agriculture, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei, appealed to all oil producing nations not to flood the market with crude.

He said the UAE was at the moment more concerned about balancing the market forces of demand and supply in the global market than growing market share.

(NAN)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Euro zone industrial production was much higher than expected in November, data showed on Wednesday, thanks to a sharp rebound in the output of intermediate and capital goods. The European Union's statistics office Eurostat said industrial output in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose 2.5% in November against October for a 0.6% year-on-year decline. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a modest 0.2% monthly rise and a 3.3% annual fall. Ireland was the clear outlier, with a 52.8% surge in industrial output in the month. Production also rose in ...
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump's fiery speech at a rally just before the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol is at the center of the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread for months about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

What to watch as the Democratic-controlled House moves to impeach Trump for the second time in 13 months  now with just days left in the defeated president's term.

BUT FIRST, A VOTE ON THE 25TH AMENDMENT

Before proceeding with impeachment, the House pressed Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to remove Trump more quickly and surely, warning that he is a threat to democracy in the few remaining days of his presidency.

The House approved a resolution late Tuesday calling on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to declare the president unable to serve. Pence, who was among those forced to take shelter inside the Capitol complex during the attack, said before the vote that he would take no such action, leaving lawmakers with impeachment as their only option to remove Trump from office before Jan. 20, when President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as president.

THE DEMOCRATIC CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT

Trump faces a single charge  incitement of insurrection  after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday. It's a stunning end for Trumps presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that ransacked the Capitol.

President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government, reads part of the four-page impeachment bill. He will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said impeachment is needed despite the limited number of days left in Trump's term. The presidents threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action, she said.

Trump's actions were personal for Pelosi and many other lawmakers. She was among those forced to huddle in a bunker during the Capitol riots, and armed rioters menaced staffers with taunts of Wheres Nancy?

HOW MANY REPUBLICANS WILL SUPPORT?

Unlike the last time Trump was impeached, when no House Republicans supported charges against Trump over a call he made to Ukraine's new president, the current impeachment effort has drawn support from some Republicans.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and his deputy, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, are again expected to oppose impeachment, but Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said Tuesday she will support it.

Cheney, whose father, Dick Cheney, served as vice president under George W. Bush, has been more critical of Trump than other GOP leaders. She said in a statement Tuesday that Trump summoned the mob that attacked the Capitol, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. She added: Everything that followed was his doing and noted that Trump could have immediately intervened to stop his supporters from rioting but did not.

Reps. John Katko, R-N.Y., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., also said they would back impeachment, and some other Republicans seem likely to follow.

McCarthy, one of Trumps closest allies in Congress, echoed Trump in declaring that impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together.

WILL HOUSE CENSURE TRUMP?

In a move short of impeachment, McCarthy and other Republicans have floated the idea of a House censure of Trump. Although it was not clear how much support the proposal has, McCarthy said censure or some other mechanism  such as a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack  would "ensure that the events of January 6 are rightfully denounced and prevented from occurring in the future.''

Democrats, with the votes to impeach in hand, aren't buying it.

HOW WILL TRUMP RESPOND?

So far, Trump has taken no responsibility for his part in fomenting the violent insurrection, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol and praising them while they were still carrying out the assault. People thought that what I said was totally appropriate, he said Tuesday.

In the days leading up to the Jan. 6 certification vote, Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington, D.C., promising a wild rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administrations findings to the contrary.

Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd assembled near the White House, Trump encouraged supporters to fight like hell and suggested they march down to the Capitol to encourage GOP lawmakers to "step up and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office. He also said he would join them in marching on the Capitol, although he returned to the White House immediately after the speech and watched the riot on TV.

One significant difference from Trump's first impeachment: He no longer has a Twitter feed to respond in real time.

STEPPED-UP SECURITY

In a sign of the increase tensions in the wake of the attack, House lawmakers will for the first time be required to go through a metal detector before being allowed to enter the chamber.

This new security measure will stay in effect every day the House is in session for the foreseeable future, according to a directive by Timothy Blodgett, the acting House sergeant-at-arms. Blodgett replaced the longtime sergeant-at-arms who resigned after widespread criticism about poor security planning for the Jan. 6 certification vote.

Members of Congress have previously enjoyed nearly free roam at the Capitol, able to bypass security screening stations at most entrances to the building. In the House chamber, there have been Capitol Police officers and civilian door monitors but no screening stations.

Blodgett also told lawmakers they must wear masks during the COVID-19 crisis and that they face removal from the chamber if they fail to do so.

WILL LAWMAKERS REIN IN EMOTIONS ON THE FLOOR?

While debate on the House is often impassioned, emotions are expected to run unusually high as lawmakers debate impeachment. Not only is it the second time they have voted on such a measure, the debate comes exactly one week after a majority of House Republicans objected to the certification of Biden's victory, setting the stage for the hourslong siege that rocked the Capitol and the nation.

In the end, 121 House Republicans voted against Arizona's certification of Biden's victory  and 138 GOP lawmakers opposed Pennsylvania's certification  even after the assault on the Capitol, an unprecedented break with tradition that has Democrats seething. A recent breakout of COVID-19 among lawmakers who were held in lockdown with others who refused to wear masks has only heightened tensions.
In December, the University of Texas at Austins computer science department announced that it would stop using a machine-learning system to evaluate applicants for its Ph.D. program due to concerns that encoded bias may exacerbate existing inequities in the program and in the field in general. This move toward more inclusive admissions practices is a rare (and welcome) exception to a worrying trend in education: Colleges, standardized test providers, consulting companies, and other educational service providers are increasingly adopting predatory, discriminatory, and outright exclusionary student data practices.

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Student data has long been used as a college recruiting and admissions tool. In 1972, College Board, the company that owns the PSAT, the SAT, and the AP Exams, created its Student Search Service and began licensing student names and data profiles to colleges (hence the college catalogs that fill the mail boxes of high school students who have taken the exams). Today, College Board licenses millions of student data profiles every year for 47 cents per examinee. The data is collected through a Student Data Questionnaire that is administered when a student registers to take one of the College Board exams. ACT Inc., College Boards main competitor, also collects and sells millions of student data profiles through its Educational Opportunity Service, or EOS, Program. Students respond to an Interest Inventory and a 59-question Student Profile Questionnaire prior to taking the ACT exam, and their responses are used to form the profiles that are sold to colleges. Until 2018, student disability status was included in the data profiles for those students who chose to complete the questions in the ACTs optional student survey.

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These student profiles, which include information such as ethnicity, GPA, and intended college major, can be used alone or by third-party consultants along with other student data to potentially create hidden barriers for underprivileged students. For example, data tools used by private consulting companies allow colleges to build detailed profiles on prospective students that include test scores, student profiles purchased from College Board or ACT, online browsing histories, household income, ethnic and racial information, and other data that allows colleges to determine what they believe a prospective student may financially contribute to the college over time. As many colleges have seen their target populations and sources of income shrink, they are increasingly using these detailed student profiles in their admissions decisions.

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While many of these practices started before 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has driven many educational institutions to turn to more data-driven or algorithmic solutionsand the resulting unintended consequences may be more likely to harm students than help them. Because students could not complete their May 2020 exams due to COVID-19, the International Baccalaureate Organization decided to use a predictive algorithm to determine students final grades and award diplomas, which are consequential in scholarship and college admissions decisions. The algorithms predictions substantially deviated from students predicted grades, leading to global protests and an online petition asking for the IBO to take a different and fairer approach to grading. The College Board and ACT were forced to cancel or postpone their respective standardized tests, which pushed some colleges to adopt test-optional admissions policies, a change that advocates have urged for decades. For some colleges, this shift meant that other admission materials like application essays and recommendation letters would hold more weighta good thing for students who may not have been able to afford pricey test prep.

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Other colleges used this as an opportunity to identify new data-driven alternatives like tracking prospective student engagement through social media or using econometric modeling to predict the financial needs of applicants to determine the type of incoming class they can afford to admit. As long as students know how their data can affect their chances of admission and the financial aid packages they are likely to receive, these data-driven methods can be beneficial to students. However, if the policies lack transparency or if data is used in an aggregate way (that is, to shape an incoming class or to meet overall enrollment goals rather than a tool to evaluate individual candidates), these data-driven alternatives will leave students with little control over the process.

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In addition, these alternatives may be more likely to exclude underrepresented students and students with greater needs, thus creating new and less obvious barriers to higher education. For example, the methods used to track student engagement are likely to favor students with the resources to visit the colleges they are applying to and the access to private college counselors who advise them to engage with colleges social media accounts and by email. Weve seen it happen in other sectors. Emerging research on the use of predictive analytics and other data-driven technologies in sensitive social sectors like policing, hiring, credit, and child welfare have demonstrated that these technologies marketing claims of efficiency and cost savings have significant societal costs. They have perpetuated racially discriminatory practices and policies, they exclude and reinforce stereotypes about underrepresented groups, and they do not produce the results they are often adopted to achieve.

Algorithms include the conscious and unconscious bias of their human creators, and they often reflect societal biases and inequities. So the potential benefits they produce in research labs are typically not borne out in reality. Algorithms cannot correct the racial, gender, and disability discrimination of the past and should not be used to reverse the progress we are making toward equality and accessibility in higher education.

Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
The Union health ministry was also quoted as saying that Modi is likely to launch the Co-WIN app, and interact with vaccine beneficiaries across the country

With India's COVID-19 inoculation drive set to commence on Saturday (16 January), Pune's Serum Institute of India dispatched over 56 lakh doses of the Oxford vaccine Covishield to 13 cities on Tuesday, according to several media reports.

On Thursday, the Union health ministry said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccination programme. He is likely to interact via video link with some healthcare workers from across the country who will be receiving the shots on the first day, PTI reported.

Modi is also likely to launch the Co-WIN ( COVID-19 Vaccine Intelligence Network) App, a digital platform created for real-time monitoring of COVID-19 vaccine delivery and distribution.

A limited number of sites out of the 2,934 inoculation sites have been shortlisted from where the beneficiaries can interact with the prime minister and the authorities in those centres have been asked to make provisions for IT infrastructure for providing a two-way interactive communication facility to enable it to link and interact with the national launch site through a video link.

According to the guidelines issued to the shortlisted vaccination centres, the group of 'healthcare workers' shall also include nursing orderlies, safai karamcharis, ambulance drivers along with doctors and nurses. The beneficiaries will be chosen from a mixed age group, including above 50 years.

The full initial procurement of 1.65 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines  Covishield and Covaxin  has been allocated to all states and UTs in proportion to their healthcare workers database.

"Therefore, there is no question of discrimination against any state in allocation of vaccination doses. This is the initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come. Therefore, any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded," the ministry said on Thursday.

States have been advised to organise vaccination sessions taking into account 10 percent reserve/wastage doses and an average of 100 vaccinations per session per day.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, a Vistara flight transported four boxes of Covaxin from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad to Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. Another Vistara flight carried 16 boxes of Covishield from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi.

SpiceJet said it transported 3.5 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities across the country. "On 13 January, 2021, SpiceJet shipped 111 boxes of COVID-19 vaccine, weighing 3.5 tonnes from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities including Bagdogra, Dehradun, Srinagar, Jammu, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Rajkot, Delhi and Bengaluru," the airline said in a statement.

From Mumbai, SpiceJet flights carried 74 boxes of Serum Institute of Indias Covishield vaccine to various cities including two to Bagdogra, 10 to Dehradun, seven to Srinagar, six to Jammu, six to Kanpur, nine to Gorakhpur, 13 to Jabalpur, 14 to Ranchi and seven to Rajkot.

A SpiceJet flight carried a shipment of three boxes of Covaxin from Hyderabad to Bengaluru, while another flight of the same carrier carried 34 boxes of Covishield from Pune to Delhi. The first consignment of Covishield reached Mumbai on Wednesday morning from Pune in a special vehicle of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The first consignment of Covidshield vaccine arrived at the Cochin international airport on Wednesday morning, with another expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram international airport in the later hours. A day after receiving over 40,000 vials of Covishield, another 20,000 doses reached Odisha's Biju Patnaik International Airport, according to Indian Express. Goa also received 23,500 doses of Covishield vaccine via a flight from Mumbai, while 56,500 doses of Covishield were flown into Agartala.

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma said that around 35,000 doses of Covishield reached the State Vaccination Center in Shillong. Meanwhile, the first consignment of 3.23 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine reached Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur from Pune on Wednesday via an IndiGo flight, according to PTI.

On Tuesday, the vials were delivered through nine flights from four airlines to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Shillong, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Bhubaneswar, Patna, Bengaluru, Lucknow and Chandigarh.

The first consignment of vaccines, carrying 2,64,000 doses, was sent to Delhi through a SpiceJet flight, according to a Hindustan Times report.

The coronavirus vaccine will be administered across 89 sites in Delhi, of which 36 are government hospitals and 53 are private hospitals, said Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain. Three lakh healthcare workers and six lakh frontline workers including the police and civil defence personnel will be vaccinated in the first two rounds, followed by 42 lakh people above the age of 50 and those below with comorbidities.

Kolkata was sent the most number of doses  9,96,000  through a SpiceJet flight while Chandigarh received 2,28,000 doses via an Indigo flight. Chennai and Ahmedabad got 7,08,000 and 2,76,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine via GoAir and Air India flights respectively.

In Hyderabad, 3,72,000 doses of vaccines were delivered in a SpiceJet flight while Vijaywada received 4,08,000 vials via another SpiceJet flight. Hyderabad, Bhubaneshwar, Guwahati, Bengaluru and Patna got 3,72,000, 4,80,000, 2,76,000, 6,48,000 and 5,52,000 doses of vaccine respectively in on five different SpiceJet flights. Lucknow got 2,64,000 vaccine vials in a GoAir flight.

Karnataka health minister Dr K Sudhakar said Karnakata has two vaccines storage facilities in Bengaluru and Belagavi, besides five regional storage centres at Chitradurga, Kalburgi, Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru and Bagalakote. Meanwhile, Rajasthan health minister Raghu Sharma said the state expects to vaccinate around 4.5 lakh people in the first phase of vaccination.

A vaccine consignment left for Mumbai on Tuesday evening, to be sent to 27 places across the country on Wednesday. The Centre said all the vaccine vials - 1.1 crore of Covishield and 55 lakh of Covaxin - will be received by 14 January.

Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan said there are four Central Government Medical Stores Depots at Chennai, Karnal, Kolkata and Mumbai to receive the Covaxin vials. Besides this, all states have at least one regional vaccine store. Uttar Pradesh has nine stores, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat four, Kerala has three facilities, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and Rajasthan have two each, he said.

While the Maharashtra government has trained 18,000 vaccinators and set up 4,200 centres and 3,145 cold chain systems, Rajasthan has identified 1,800 vaccination session sites and more than 5,000 vaccinators for administering the vaccine.

The vaccination drive will commence on 16 January, during which priority will be given to around three crore healthcare and frontline workers. Following them will be those above 50 years of age and the under-50 population groups with co-morbidities, estimated to be around 27 crore.

Covishield and Bharat Biotechs Covaxin were given a go ahead for restricted emergency use by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) last week. In the first phase, the cost of vaccination for these 3 crore people would be borne by the Central Government, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

SII CEO Adar Poonawalla said the institute has offered the vaccine to the Central Government at a special price of Rs 200. He also said that once the SII gets the requisite permission, the vaccine will be made available in the private market for Rs 1,000.

With inputs from PTI
13/01/2021 Supporters and friends of the family of George Nkencho held a candlelit vigil in honour of George Nkencho in Blanchardstown Dublin this evening. Picture Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin

Supporters of George Nkencho believe gardai should issue an apology over his fatal shooting.

Several hundred people gathered in Blanchardstown village in Dublin tonight for a candlelit vigil to remember Mr Nkencho, concluding two weeks of protests since his death.

They carried banners reading Justice for George Nkencho and sang hymns, including Amazing Grace, as they made their way from St Brigids Church to Blanchardstown Garda Station at 5pm.

Some of those in attendance wore white t-shirts with six bloody bullet holes painted on the back.

Read More

Stephen Nganga, who attended the vigil with his daughter Stephanie (12), said gardai should apologise.

Blanchardstown being one of the communities that has a majority black community, we expect that the police would know how to handle black people and would know that aggravated force would not solve the situation.

We will keep marching on, we want justice for George and we want it now.

[The gardai] should apologise for the extraordinary force because we have seen instances where theyve had the same situation and they handled it differently, he said.

His sentiments were echoed by one of the organisers of the vigil, Emeka Ejezie.

People have to be held accountable and there has to be some sort of responsibility as to what happened to George, he said.

If it was a mistake, someone needs to come out and say so.

He said that an apology from gardai would be a start.

Thats the very least, a life has been taken.

Ive been here for nearly 20 years and this is not the Ireland that Ive come to be a part of.

Moezie Pilot is a friend of the family and was with Mr Nkenchos mother when he died at Clonee.

It was shocking, he said.

That is why we are here today, so that the gardai can hear our voices and this can never happen again.

A microphone and speaker were set up outside of the garda station on the Main Street.

Speaking to the congregation, Pastor Dare Adetuberu she said they should engage with the community.

Black people, we have swagger. Lets bring our positive energy to Ireland, lets engage in the community, lets engage in positive actions.

We want to make sure this does not define this country, we want to make sure this country is an exemplary country for interracial relations, he told the vigil.

Mr Nkencho (27) was shot by a member of the Armed Response Unit after an earlier incident at a shop in Hartstown in Clonee on December 30 in which is it alleged he had a knife.

He was followed back to his home in nearby Clonee by gardai who told him to stop and put down the knife. He was shot after gardai used pepper spray and a taser.

Mr Nkencho was rushed to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown but died from his injuries.

Gardai have said they tried to use non-lethal force first, as per protocol, and had feared for the safety of themselves and others when the armed garda fired his garda-issue weapon.

The investigation into Mr Nkenchos shooting is continuing.

The number of people in India who have tested positive for the new UK variant of has climbed to 102, the Union said on Wednesday.

Till January 11, the number of people affected by this strain of the was 96.

On Wednesday, the ministry said, "The total number of persons found to be positive with the new UK variant genome stands at 102 today."



All these people were kept in single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put in quarantine and comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others.

Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, the ministry said, adding 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 (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) labs, the ministry said.

Presence of the new UK variant has already been reported by several countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought response of Future Retail Ltd (FRL) on Amazon's plea challenging the prima facie observations by a single judge that the e-commerce giant's attempt to control the Indian entity was violative of FEMA and FDI rules. A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh heard the appeal.

The court issued notice to FRL, Reliance Retail and the Biyanis seeking their stand on the plea by Amazon against some of the observations by the single judge in a 21 December, 2020 interim order.

On 21 December, 2020, a single member bench of the Delhi HC had rejected Future Group's plea to restrain Amazon from writing to regulatory authorities about the SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre) arbitral order but gave a go-ahead to the regulators to decide over the deal.

The court earlier had made several observations indicating that Amazon's attempt to control Future Retail through a conflation of agreements Amazon has with an unlisted unit of the Indian company will be violative of the FEMA FDI rules.

Amazon, in its appeal, has sought setting aside the observations as they have a bearing on its case in arbitration proceedings that were initiated before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC).

It has contended that the observations are inconsistent with the findings in the SIAC emergency arbitral (EA) order of October 25, 2020 against FRL's asset sale under a 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail.

In January, 2021, Amazon wrote to Sebi yet again, apprising the market regulator of the formation of the arbitration tribunal at SIAC while urging it to suspend the review of the Future-RIL deal.

Amazon also requested Sebi to suspend review of the Impugned Transaction as well as the scheme involving the Impugned Transaction, and not granting any no-objection" for the Future-RIL deal.

The US e-commerce major has written a series of letters to regulators and the bourses, starting with its complaint on 3 October. This is the sixth instance of the e-commerce giant writing to Sebi on the matter.

Amazon's argument is that Future violated the contract by entering into the deal with rival Reliance.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Federal investigators are working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to find out who was responsible for scrawling Trumps name. Because the manatee is a protected species, it is illegal to feed, harass, harm or annoy them. After years of conservation efforts, the species has been able to go from endangered status to threatened.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will ask lawmakers to immediately send her a bill to sign into law that will require schools to offer parents the option of having their children in classrooms full time despite continuing high levels of coronavirus throughout Iowa.

Reynolds, in her annual Condition of the State speech Tuesday evening, also laid out a plan for spending $450 million over the next five years to expand high-speed internet service across the state, more than $25 million to improve child care programs and $30 million over two years to fund mental health programs.

Those are the largest spending requests she'll seek from lawmakers.

The Republican Party of Iowa issued the following statement on the Governor's address:

"Tonight Governor Reynolds showed Iowans that she's a leader with compassion, bold ideas, and the grit and determination to get things done. Her bold agenda of getting our children back in school, investing record amounts into broadband internet infrastructure, and fighting for our men and women in law enforcement prove she's the leader Iowa needs to come back stronger than we were before this pandemic. "

Read the text of Governor Reynolds' speech below:

Mr. President, Mr. Speaker, Lieutenant Governor, legislative leaders and members, justices and judges, my fellow Iowans:

Our state constitution says that, every year, the governor must communicate to the general assembly the condition of the state. That usually happens in the morning on the second day of the legislative session, but tonight Im breaking with that tradition so that I may speak directly to Iowans.

Its been a yearand Ill let you fill in whatever adjective you want. Covid-19. Civil Unrest. A drought. A derecho. Weve been beaten and battered in about every way imaginable and some unimaginable. But together, weve met every challenge with bravery and outright grit.

Were told that tribulation produces perseverance and perseverance, character. From what Ive seen, theres no shortage of character in the people of Iowa. And despite what weve been throughor maybe because of itthe condition of our state has never been stronger.

We live in a place where 82-year-old Blanche Chizek from Britt sewed over 1,000 masks and baked dozens of pastries for healthcare workers. Where 17-year-old Tanner Kenin recruited his friends to start a grocery delivery company for the elderly. Where an anonymous donor gave out more than $80,000 in gift cards from local businesses to every resident of Earlham. And where countless other Iowans donated food, time, and resources.

Thousands of Iowanstruck drivers, manufacturers, grocery store clerks, meat-processing workers, and so many othersshowed up to work everyday to make sure that the people of this state, and the world, were fed. Police officers, social workers, and government employees worked around the clock to deliver PPE and make sure Iowans continued to receive the services they depend on. Small businesses adjusted their hours and often how they operate to protect their employees and customers.

And nowhere was the dedication and commitment to others more evident than in our healthcare system.

Nurses, doctors, technicians, janitors, pharmacists, EMTs, social workers, and the thousands of direct care workers in our senior living communities: In 2020, you worked some of the longest hours, in the most uncertain conditions. Your actions saved lives. Your spirit inspired us.

And you didnt just provide medical care. Your patients often couldnt be with their loved ones, so you also provided them comfort and company. You sat with them when no one else could. You held their hand, facilitated calls to family, and in some cases stood by them while they took their last breath. While many of us were shielded from the worst of the pandemic, you were on the front lines every day.

We cannot sufficiently express our gratitude, but we will try. Please join me in thanking these heroic Iowans.

Iowans are well-accustomed to the extremes of Mother Natures temper, but the derecho in August was unlike anything weve seen. Hurricane-force winds recorded as high as 140 miles an hour raged across our state. Over one-third of our counties impacted; 584,000 households left without power; thousands of homes damaged. Millions of acres of crops were flattened, and as grain bins crumpled, we lost over 100 million bushels of grain storage. It was a disaster of unprecedented scope.

In Marshalltown, the derecho left behind three times as much debris as the F3 tornado that ripped through the citys downtown in 2018. And the scars will be evident for generations to come in places like Cedar Rapids and Marion, where they lost more than half of their tree canopy.

We praise the dedication of the more than 200 National Guard members who deployed to help remove debris; the local police, fire, public works departments, and emergency managers, who stepped up and served their neighbors tirelessly; and the dedicated staff of state agencies like DHS, DNR and DOT, who pressed ahead where their state needed them.

We thank the thousands of line workers who came from across the country to supplement the crews from Alliant, MidAmerican, and our other utilities to restore electricity with astonishing speed, often to the applause of Iowans.

I spoke with some of the line workers from out of state, and heard not only that our disaster was as bad as the aftermath of hurricanes whose names have been retired, but also that Iowans showed more hope, more patience, and more gratitude than people from anywhere else.

Good corporate citizenship was put on display not only by our power companies, but by essential suppliers like Hy-Vee and Fareway that donated food, water, and supplies. It was shown by small-business owners like Willie Ray Fairley, whose Willie Rays Q Shack gave away hundreds of meals a day to people whose own refrigerators and stoves werent working. Willie Ray didnt just fill hungry stomachs, he fed a sense of community. And thats what makes a disaster bearable.

What happened this year went beyond Iowa nice. You showed a humanity that rivals what most of us have seen in our lifetime.

Our job now is to hold on to that humanity. 2020 left its mark on everyone, but not evenly. There are people across this state who are still hurting. Many lost their job or their business or even their home.

And many lost loved ones to this horrible pandemic. For them, and for anyone who lost someone this year, whatever the cause, saying goodbye was even harder than it usually is. You may not have been able to be with them while they were sick, to hold their hand one last time, or to fully celebrate their life at a funeral with all of those they loved.

Whether youre in the chamber or watching at home, please take a moment, bow your head, and remember all of those we lost this year and the loved ones they leave behind.

Thank you.

When I stood here last year, our fiscal health was strong. We had one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, incomes were going up, and our economy was roaring. Then 2020 happened.

We took a hit like everyone else, but we didnt falter long. Because of conservative budgeting practices, Iowas diverse economy, the decision to keep over 80% of our businesses open, and the tenacity of our people, Iowa isnt facing a massive budget shortfall like many states.

As I stand here tonight, our unemployment rate has returned to 3.6%, one of the lowest in the country, and our GDP grew over 36% in the third quarter of 2020, outpacing the nation. Iowas coming back, and were coming back strong.

Iowas success has always been about turning obstacles into opportunities and overcoming adversity together. The post-Covid world won't be the same as the pre-Covid world. And it shouldnt.

Weve learned a lot. Entire sectors of our economy were forced to innovate overnight and adapt to survive. We can approach Iowas economic recovery in a number of ways. We can return to where we were, which is a realistic but still ambitious goal. Or we can take what weve learned and the innovation thats been applied over the past ten months and capitalize on the opportunity to reimagine, modernize, and possibly restructure everything from healthcare and education, to our workforce and quality of life.

Its about ensuring our future prosperity is widespread and reaches all people and all parts of Iowa, including those that too often feel left out when times are good.

Thats why I formed the Economic Recovery Advisory Board this summer. Chaired by Ruan Transportation CEO Ben McLean, the 15-member board and 350 working group members volunteered their time and talents to meet my charge to be bold, innovative and direct about the challenges facing our economy. I want to thank them for their diligent work to make sure that we support every part of Iowa and every Iowan.

The report will be released soon, but there are a few big issues that we can begin to address tonight.

The need for universal broadband is one of them. As weve seen during the pandemic, high-speed internet is as vital to our communities as running water and electricity; if they dont have it, they cant grow.

Every year Ive been governor, Ive focused on expanding broadband to every Iowa community, and were making progress. But not enough.

About a third of our counties are still broadband deserts, where high-speed internet is rarely offered. And for many Iowans, its just not affordable. Iowa also has the second lowest broadband speeds in the country.

Im done taking small steps and hoping for big change. This is the time for bold action and leadership. Lets plant a stake in the ground and declare that every part of Iowa will have affordable, high-speed broadband by 2025.

Well get there by committing $450 million over that time period, which will leverage millions more in private investment, giving Iowa the biggest buildout of high-speed internet in the country.

Iowa has more households with all parents working than any other state, yet weve lost one-third of our childcare spots over the last five years. When schools abruptly closed last spring, a system already under stress was pushed even harder.

Some families were able to adapt by working from home. Others leaned on grandparents, aunts and uncles, and family friends for support. In Pottawattamie County, a group of daycare providers and other partners teamed up to provide free daycare for essential workers.

But many parents werent so lucky and struggled to find ways to care for their children and still show up for workoften in roles that are essential to all of us. Even when the coronavirus is a distant memory, Iowa will still need an abundance of high-quality child care so that families can prosper and children can grow.

Many of our communities and businesses are working together to address this issue. In Stuart, seventeen local businesses joined together to purchase an empty building, with plans to renovate and lease it to a childcare provider.

Its in our states interests to encourage these types of public-private partnerships, which is why we created the Child Care Challenge Fund last year. Its an innovative program that encourages employers, community leaders, and others to collaborate in developing child care facilities.

This year, we need to fund that program, so Im allocating $3 million to jump-start these public-private partnerships. Im also using $25 million of child care development block grants to further promote child care startups. Every community has different needs and different resources. Just as the leaders in Stuart found a solution that fits their hometown, we want to facilitate local solutions in other places, too.

Lets remove the obstacles to high-quality, affordable child care so that Iowa families can nurture their kids while parents maintain the maximum freedom to enter and remain in the workforce.

As our economy comes back, were facing a familiar problem: more job openings than there are people who have skills to fill them. Thats why we need to continue the work we started with Future Ready Iowa, a program that is designed to increase the number of Iowans with education or training beyond high school.

Education or training. Thats worth repeating. We have exceptional universities, colleges, and community colleges in this state. But not all skills are learned in a classroom. On-the-job training and reskilling are some of the most valuable ways to advance our workforce and increase Iowans wages. We need to continue to find ways to recognize this type of experience.

We took a big step in June by passing a significant licensing reform package. It didnt get a lot of attention at the time, but at the beginning of this session we should stop to recognize how important it was: Iowa now has the most flexible licensing reciprocity and recognition laws in the nation, which sends a signal to the country that Iowa is open for business.

And were not done. This year, well begin the task of reviewing each of our licensing boards and commissions to make sure they are serving their purpose.

We must also continue the great strides weve made by integrating work-based learning into the K-12 curriculum. We know that many kids think of education differently when it involves real-life experience. They see why education matters and it can be key in helping them choose and prepare for a career that fits them.

Many schools across the state are offering these work-based learning experiences. Lets make sure that every high-school student gets that same chance. Im calling on the legislature to make that an expectation of all our schools.

When Iowa families come together after work and school, they need a place to call home. Unfortunately, we have a growing mismatch between where job opportunities are thriving and where people can find affordable places to live.

Some communities have rallied to buck this trend. Forest City hadnt seen a new affordable apartment complex in more than 25 years, so community leaders raised $4 million in financing by leveraging local and state resources. And a new apartment complex was built in 2017.

In Davenport, leaders used the same public-private partnership to convert an old, vacant school building into 41 affordable apartments, which were rented within two months. This project brought new housing to the historic riverfront and served as a catalyst for redevelopment.

Forest City and Davenport exemplify the spirit of Iowa communities. But the reality is, there arent enough resources to go around. Last year alone, Iowa communities requested more than three times what was available.

We must expand initiatives like these that address pent-up demand for affordable housing, helping our communities thrive and our families move where opportunities await them.

Theres a lot to do this year, but if we tackle issues like broadband, childcare, workforce training, and affordable housing, well set Iowa on a solid path for economic prosperity for years to come.

And remember, that unlike many states were starting from a good financial position. We arent looking at tough budget cuts and were certainly not looking at raising taxes. If anything, we need to continue the conversation about cutting taxes, and we can start by getting rid of the unnecessary triggers that were put in place in 2018. Lets make Iowa more competitive and guarantee our taxpayers that they can keep more of their hard earned money.

A high-quality education system is the foundation of our state. Historically, weve had some of the best schools in the nation. And I believe we still do. What many of our teachers and administrators did this last year was nothing short of amazing.

In Clear Creek Amana, Barb Hunts special-education students were struggling with virtual learning, so she worked with transportation director Denny Schreckengast to convert a camper into a classroom. Since the kids couldnt come to the classroom, they brought the classroom to them.

In Hinton, when the school went to a hybrid model for a few weeks, teachers spent hours holding individual Zoom calls with students, sometimes going into the evening, to make sure they werent falling behind.

At West Sioux, teachers personally went to the homes of Spanish-speaking families who needed help setting up internet service.

In Clarinda, the district was short on bus drivers so Josh Porter, a school administrator with a CDL, jumped behind the wheel to make sure his kids could be in the classroom.

And in Cedar Rapids, Noreen Bush, Superintendent of the second largest school district in the state, and her team, made heroic efforts to get her kids back into the classroom just weeks after many of their schools were ripped apart by the derecho, and she did it while receiving chemotherapy.

There are stories like this from all across the state. Teachers and administrators put their students first in uncertain and difficult times, especially as they implemented plans to safely and responsibly reopen schools.

But that hasnt been the case everywhere. Over the last few months, Ive heard the frustration from many parents, students and teachers who didnt have the opportunity to go back to school. Let me give you just a sample of those frustrations.

I talked to a passionate teacher whose student hasnt logged in for class in nine weeks, and there is nothing she can do about it.

I visited with the parent of a child with special needs who is devastated by seeing her daughters education and social progress fade because a computer screen isnt a substitute.

I spoke to a middle-school student who has to watch her younger siblings during the day and complete her own school work at night.

And I heard from numerous parents whose kids school day consisted of just 60 to 90 minutes of online instruction per day, at most.

Nicole, a mother of three elementary students who, since March, have spent less than a week in the classroom, told me shes struggling to facilitate her childrens online learning while keeping up with her job. She said she feels like shes failing as a parent, a spouse, and an employee.

These stories are heartbreaking. And let me assure you Nicole, its not you whos failing.

The vast majority of our schools found a way to safely and responsibly reopen, all day, Monday through Friday. Its past time that every district makes that happen. As one parent told me: Options are good. But if some parents get the option to go 100% online, why dont my kids get the option to be 100% in the classroom?

I agree, so tonight I am asking the legislature to immediately send a bill to my desk that gives parents the choice to send their child back to school full time. We cant wait any longer. Our kids cant wait any longer.

If theres one thing the pandemic has taught us about education, its that our parents need choice. And its not just in-person versus virtual. Sometimes its about which school to attend altogether.

When some schools remained closed or went part-time this fall, a lot of parents sent their kids to private school or open enrolled. But not everyone had that option. Many parents cant afford private school. And because some of our larger districts prohibit open enrollment, they wont let you transfer to another public school.

One parent I talked to said that a school administrator actually recommended that she buy a house in the neighboring district if she wanted her son to go to school in-person.

We need to fix that. School choice shouldnt be limited to those who have the financial means or are lucky to live in a district thats confident enough to allow open enrollment. So lets make choice an option for everyone.

We can do that by making open enrollment available in all districts and by allowing our communities more flexibility to create public charter schools where there is a need for an alternative. And we should create education savings accounts for students who are trapped in a failing school; lets give them another choice by making sure money isnt their barrier.

Make no mistake, its imperative that we have a strong public school systemwhich is why we have and will continue to prioritize school funding while many other states are cutting their education budgets. But school choice isnt a zero sum game. It has the potential to raise the quality for all schools. And for those schools that do fall behind, it ensures our children dont fall with them. Lets work together to make sure every child receives a quality education, regardless of income, and no matter their zip code.

In 2020, we saw an overwhelming call for racial justice in Iowa and across the nation.

We heard that call and, with a bipartisan effort, passed the More Perfect Union Act to improve police work in Iowa. Im proud of that legislation, and were continuing to make criminal justice reform a priority.

Im also very proud of our law enforcement. They put their lives on the line every daysomething we should never forget. And if we needed a reminder, last years civil unrest and last weeks attack on the Capitol provided it. Violence and anarchy is not acceptable. Period.

Our prayers are with the families of the Capitol Police Officers, who sacrificed their lives to defend the beacon of our democracy and the people in it. And our prayers are with every other officer who defends us against those who are intent on violence.

This summer, when protests gave way to rioting and looting in the Quad Cities, three Davenport police officers were ambushed. Thirty-two rounds of gunfire were pumped into the truck that Sgt. Lansing, Lt. Behning, and Detective Sievert were in.

The truck windows were shattered, Sgt. Lansing was shot in the leg, and multiple bullets struck his headrest. The truck took so much fire that it could barely accelerate, but Sgt. Lansing navigated it to safety.

In her Quad-City Times column, Barb Ickes eloquently wrote that this nightmare scene is precisely what police train for, but that the resulting courage cannot be taught. Their escape is astonishing, she said. Most of us cant even imagine it.

I couldnt agree more; please join me in thanking these brave officers, who are with us tonight.

We should never take this bravery for granted, but in cities like Minneapolis, Portland, and New York, they have. Theyve embraced the attacks on law enforcement, and now their violent crime rates are rising for the first time in a generation.

Thats not going to happen in Iowa; not on my watch. We should never be afraid to talk about ways to improve policing, but there will be no talk of defunding the police here. Our men and women in blue will always have my respect, and I will always have their back.

To that end, Ill be introducing a bill that protects law enforcement and continues our march toward racial justice.

The bill will make clear that if you riot or attack our men and women in uniform, you will be punished. We wont stand for it.

The bill will also ban racial profiling and other forms of disparate treatment. Because no actions should ever be taken based upon the color of someones skin. As Martin Luther King Jr. recognized, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Lets come together again, like we did last year, to support our law enforcement and racial justice. Lets make Iowa a safer place for everyone.

When Iowans come together, we do big things. Weve grown our economy, protected life and our second amendment, lowered the tax burden on Iowans, supported our farmers and producers by increasing demand for biofuels, protected our environment by promoting renewable energy, and so much more.

Like this past year, when we watched healthcare in Iowa transform from a collection of competing hospitals and clinics to a single statewide healthcare system committed to collaborating for the sake of all Iowans.

As we move forward, lets build on this collaborative and innovative spirit. In my budget, Im proposing $1 million to encourage hospitals and clinics to start whats called a Center of Excellence. Its a program that aligns rural physicians with specialists, creating regional hubs that provide highly-skilled care closer to where patients and their primary-care providers live.

Whether youre dealing with the trauma of an accident or the joy of childbirth, its not just the quality of the team that mattersits the proximity. I want a better system of care for all Iowans, regardless of where they live.

I also want to be sure that when Iowans call 911 for an emergency, theres a quick response. I know members in this chamber are already working on a bill to improve rural EMS services; I look forward to working with you this session.

We must also continue our focus on mental health. While the virus threatened our physical wellbeing, the realities of last year placed unimaginable stress on so many Iowans. Seniors were isolated from friends and loved ones; kids were kept out of the classroom and away from the stability it provides; and thousands of Iowans had their livelihoods turned upside down.

In the last three years, we have reformed our mental health system and were continuing to make it better. Im proposing to increase mental health funding by $15 million this year, and another $15 million next year, to fully fund those reform efforts. And I know that our mental health regions are working on innovative solutions to address the unique needs of children who have been affected by the pandemic.

And because of the legislation we passed last year, which allows schools to host behavioral health sessions by using telehealth services, kids no longer have to leave school for hours to receive quality treatment.

Thats a lesson many of us learned over the last ten months: telehealth is a powerful tool that we should continue to encourage and expand. And its not just for mental health. Thousands of Iowans experienced it first-hand this year, receiving treatment and check-ups from their own home.

In 2020, we asked so much of our healthcare providers. And theyve met those expectations at every step of the way. Many of our hospitals were at the forefront of developing treatments for Covid-19, and the University of Iowa has been key in the development of vaccines.

The availability of vaccines marks the most significant turning point since the pandemic began. And Im proud to say that Iowa is one of the states leading the nation in administering the vaccine.

To date, nearly 100,000 Iowans, including our healthcare workers, have received their first dose, and several thousand have now received their second. By the end of the week, everyone at the Iowa Veterans Home, our largest nursing facility in the state, will be vaccinated. And by January 25, all 90,000 nursing-home residents and staff will have received the vaccine, ensuring that Iowans most at risk are among the first to have this protection.

I know we are all eager to be vaccinated and turn the corner, and wider distribution to more Iowans is imminent.

But as we begin to put 2020 behind us, I have two requests for my fellow Iowans.

First, lets not forget those neighbors who are still hurting. Reach out. Keep volunteering; continue to stock food banks. Continue to show the country that it doesnt take a pandemic or a derecho to lend a helping hand.

Second, lets not return to normal. Lets be better. Lets think bigger. Be bolder.

If anything, this year has shown us what we can accomplish, and how fast we can do it. Hold onto that spirit. To that ingenuity and collaboration. To the feeling that were working for the greater good, and not ourselves.

If we can do thatif we can work with and for each otherthen we will do great things.

I believe in this State, because I believe in you. Ive seen what youve done; Ive watched, sometimes with tears of pride in my eyes. And thats how I know that the condition of our State is strong. Because you are strongstronger than you ever imagined.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the great state of Iowa.
In the F.B.I. wanted posters seeking information about people who broke into the Capitol, images of Jake Angeli, a well-known conspiracy theorist from Arizona who stormed the building in face paint and a fur headdress with horns, stood out. Just to his right in the poster, gray-haired and holding his phone aloft, is Albert Ciarpelli, 65, of Syracuse.

Federal agents took Mr. Ciarpelli, a registered Republican, into custody Jan. 13 on charges of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, as well as knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, both misdemeanors. William Sullivan, a lawyer for Mr. Ciarpelli, did not respond to a message left at his law office.

In an interview with federal investigators, Mr. Ciarpelli described entering the Capitol through a bashed-in door, climbing to the second floor and taking photos of a portrait of Andrew Jackson, whom he admires, as sightseeing, according to court documents. Mr. Ciarpelli said his sojourn in Washington was a little adventure.

But after he returned home, upon reflection, Mr. Ciarpelli stated that he was out of his mind and had never done anything like that before, investigators said.

A Utica business owner

William Arthur Leary, the owner of Estate Manufactured Housing Corp., a housing construction company in Utica, was arrested by Metropolitan Police the evening of the riot for violating the curfew imposed by Mayor Bowser. Mr. Leary told The Associated Press that he never entered the Capitol and was held for more than 24 hours following his arrest, during which his cellphone was confiscated.

The police, Mr. Leary said, treated us like animals, adding: They took all our phones. I didnt get to make a phone call to tell anybody where I was.

Federal prosecutors have not announced any charges against Mr. Leary.

Nicole Hong, Mihir Zaveri, Alan Feuer, Benjamin Weiser, Troy Closson, William K. Rashbaum, and Ed Shanahan contributed reporting.
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

KENT  Following are some of the Kent Memorial Library programs and events in January.

Invention Story Time, Friday, Jan. 15, 4 p.m. A series of story time book reads about inventions on Zoom. All ages are welcome.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 15:47:36|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's automobile exports dropped 2.9 percent year on year in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers showed on Wednesday.

Last year, Chinese auto firms exported a total of 995,000 cars, the data showed.

Of the total, exports of passenger cars stood at 760,000 units, up 4.8 percent from the previous year, and exports of commercial vehicles declined 21.4 percent to 235,000 units. Enditem

The Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) has authorized the payment of 2.09 billion euros to 760,465 farmers as subsidies for 2020, the institution informed on Wednesday.

"The Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) continues to authorize regular payments under the 2020 Campaign, with payments authorized so far to 760,465 farmers, representing 92.64 per cent of the total number of eligible farmers who submitted a single payment request for the 2020 Campaign. The total amount authorized for payment is 2.09 billion euros," the same source mentioned.

Thus, out of the total amount authorized for payment, about 1.66 billion euros come from the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF), 365.85 million euros from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), and 72.72 million euro co-financing from the National Budget (BN1).
Kathmandu, January 13

The government of Nepal has called donor agencies and foreign governments to support it in its bid to ensure free Covid-19 vaccines for all of its citizens.

Issuing a public notice, the Ministry of Health and Population has requested interested and capable individuals and organisations, both foreign and domestic, to extend their support by depositing some amount into the Covid-19 vaccination funds.

Interested individuals, groups and organisations can deposit money into the Rastriya Banijya Bank account 1700100102060000 belonging to the Financial Comptroller General Office Nepal.

The ministry assures the amounts deposited will be recorded and audited as per the government rules.
Australia's west is in for a scorching week as Sydney continues to soak up perfect summer weather and thunderstorms move in on Brisbane and Melbourne.

The temperature is set to nudge 42C in parts of Queensland on Sunday, while Perth will experience a heatwave with four consecutive days set to top 35 degrees.

Sydney can expect sunny conditions throughout the week, with Thursday set to reach 30 degrees and the warm weather to linger through the weekend.

Melbourne will see milder conditions with temperatures expected to reach 23C on Thursday.

Showers are likely on Friday alongside a thunderstorm in the afternoon and early evening, according to Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Matthew Coulton.

'Melbourne is already experiencing cool air which will extend to the weekend with he odd shower from onshore flow,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Australia's west is forecast to experience sweltering heat next week topping 35 degrees, with the heat expected to travel across the country's inland regions (Thursday forecast above, with light purple 40C and dark red 35C)

Perth will experience a heatwave with four consecutive days set to top 35 degrees (Pictured: beachgoer at Cottesloe Beach in Western Australia)

Mr Coulton said strong easterly winds, which could reach up to 55kms on Thursday, are contributing to the heatwave.

'The heat is persisting in Western Australia, with easterly winds bringing the heat over from inland Australia'.

High temperatures will travel across to western and south-eastern Queensland this week as the state swelters through its first real heatwave of 2021.

Mr Coulton said the heatwave in Brisbane is unusual for this time of year.

'We usually have onshore winds that allow the inland temperatures to reach the coast', he said.

Mt Isa in the Gulf Country region is set to endure highs of 42C on Saturday while Charlesville - eight hours inland of Brisbane - will suffer at 41C.

A possible chance of showers will sweep the state on Saturday, with severe thunderstorms spreading to parts.

Mr Coulton said the zone of heat in Western Australia has stretched to the interior of the continent, with winds carrying the heat across the country.

'Southerly winds will push the heat directly into Queensland, even travelling into the Northern Territory'.

Sydney can expect sunny conditions throughout the week, with Thursday set to reach 30 degrees (Pictured: Beach-goers at Bondi in Sydney)

While the heat continues, Darwin is expected to experience close to a week of possibly severe thunderstorms.

Maximum temperatures are expected to reach 34 degrees in Darwin by mid-week.

Mr Coulton said the stormy weather in Darwin is typical for this time of year.

'Darwin is currently in a break in their monsoon season.

'This means there are less clouds which result in hotter temperatures and odd showers,' he said.

Queensland's heat wave is forecast to travel into parts of Darwin and down into New South Wales by next week

A tough system will also be moving through New South Wales, bringing cooler temperatures to Sydney and southern parts of the state.

Adelaide will expect to stay in the low 20s for the week until the weekend where it will reach 25 degrees.

Tasmania will reach the coolest temperatures out of all states.

Temperatures will peak at 22 degrees in Hobart on Thursday but southerly winds will leave temperatures in the teens until Monday.

Canberra will experience substantially cool conditions until Saturday as the cooler air is expected to warm up to 30 degrees.

Possible severe thunderstorms are expected in Darwin during the coming week (Pictured: lightning strike in Darwin Harbour)

Victoria will experience rainfall and cooler conditions and partial clouds for the next week (Pictured: Rain in Victoria)

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The University of Jos has announced January 22 as its resumption date for the 2019/2020 academic session.

The Deputy Registrar, Information and Publications of the school, Abdullahi Abdullahi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Wednesday.

Mr Abdullahi said the decision was reached and approved by the Senate of the university at its 4th special meeting on the 2019/2020 session, held on Monday.

The Senate of the University of Jos has considered and approved an amended Academic Calendar for 2019/2020 Session of the University.

The Senate approved the calendar at its 4th Special Meeting on the 2019/2020Session held on Monday, January 11

Senate approved that students are to resume for the continuation of the session as from Friday, Jan. 22, with the reopening of the various campuses of the University.

According to the amended academic calendar, lectures would continue as from Monday, Jan. 25, the statement said.

He implored students and staff of the university to adhere to all COVID-19 safety protocols put in place by Presidential Task Force on Covid-19.

This includes the use of face masks, regular hand washing under running water, use of hand sanitisers, as well as social distancing, he said.

This is coming at a time the federal government is considering reviewing the January 18, earlier slated for the resumption of schools owing to the rising COVID-19 cases.

For nearly nine months, public universities have been closed due to the COVID-19 lockdown and the industrial action embarked upon by lecturers.

ALSO READ: Human rights commission begins probe of UNIJOS undergraduate shot by soldier

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) declared an indefinite strike to protest the stoppage of its members salaries and the directive by government to compel its members to enrol for the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

ASUU had requested for 18 months to develop its own alternative salary payment system, which is the University Transparency and Accountability System (UTAS).

The union also demanded an improved welfare condition for universities and Earned Allowances of members which had accumulated from an agreement it had with the federal government in 2009.
Days after the arrest of stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui for allegedly making incendiary jokes on Hindu deities, another stand-up comedian is facing heat on social media. Comedian Daniel Fernandez is being called out by certain sections of social media users for making jokes about Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

A compilation of clippings has gone viral on YouTube in which the Mumbai-based artist, best known for his work in dark comedy and surreal humour, can be seen making jokes on the media coverage of Sushant Singh Rajput's death and India's obsession with the arrest of actor and his girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty (which he referred to as a witch-hunt) in the name of 'Justice for SSR'.

In the skits, Fernandez can also be seen making jokes on mental health in a self-deprecating manner.

As the video went viral, calls for boycotting the comedian rose and the volley soon turned to a call for arresting the artist. Many so-called "fans" of Rajput have also been insinuating harm befalling Fernandez while others reproached the comedian for making jokes about the dead. Some went as far as to wish pain and 'anguish' for Fernandez's family.

The worst thing you could do as a stand-up comedian is making jokes on a tragedy.Dislike and mass report this video for making jokes on Sushant Singh Rajput death.https://t.co/gqrKX7BhqF (@saketjaiswal_sj) January 11, 2021

Pained after seeing this video.This comedian is making fun of a dead person who can't defend himself.The level of humour is crass, to say the least.It does not matter whether Sushant Singh Rajput died by suicide or it was homicide, what give you the license to defame the dead? https://t.co/LnMCe3s8hD Soumyadipta (@Soumyadipta) January 11, 2021

It's a paid pr to ridicule the justice movement. Comedians are tools of propaganda. Che ! (@InsanelyBuddha) January 11, 2021

@itsSSR we are so sorry because that Daniel Fernandes is still roaming free... But don't worry, he will pay for what he has done... #WhereIsJustice4SSR (@ItsSamata) January 11, 2021

Daniel Fernandez is not free from Karma and his faith. I wish the same anguish on him like Disha and Sushant's families so good sense prevails. And forgive me God. #WhereIsJustice4SSR https://t.co/7Xbas4NKHu Girlwithdragontattoo (@Girlwithdragon4) January 11, 2021

Following the outrage, Fernandez issued an apology on his Instagram page, adding that an apology was rightly in order as some fans of Rajput had suggested.

"As a comedian, my intention is to...to make you laugh. But sometimes, in that endeavour I might invoke an unfavourable response," Fernandez wrote. "That being said, I would like to address my mistake".

Fernandez went on to observe that while Rhea was out of prison on bail, the artist had in his performance in Pune mistakenly stated that she had been acquitted. The insinuation that Rhea Chakraborty had been acquitted of all charges related to the death of Rajput and the subsequent drug case investigated by the NCB was factually incorrect.

The artist, however, refused to bow down to bullies and stated that he stood by everything else he said.

But the apology seems to have irked fans even more, many of whom claimed that the 'clever apology' was not acceptable.

I am NOT accepting this clever apology by Daniel Fernandes, because...1. You don't speak ill about a dead person who can't defend himself.2. You don't target a family who are in the dark about how they lost a loved one.3. You can't berate people for not writing correct English pic.twitter.com/wC3LCocXBj Soumyadipta (@Soumyadipta) January 12, 2021

Family of @itsSSR Pls File Legal Suit Against Him!!He is not sorry for what he said!!Except"factually incorrect - RHEA been ACQUITTED"!@nilotpalm3 @vikassinghSrAdvWhy Mock the dead, When his death is under investigation by top 3 Central Agencies!#PrioritizeSSRJustice pic.twitter.com/IA7pZGSc2C Deepika (@Deepika9813) January 12, 2021

In previous interviews, Fernandez had stated that he himself dealt with mental health and anxiety issues.

The incident occurred days after Munawar Faruqui and four others were arrested for allegedly passing indecent remarks against Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show at Indore in Madhya Pradesh. The arrest caused widespread outrage on social media with many calling it an attack on free speech. Critics of the arrest and fans of Faruqui have even observed that Faruqui never really made the alleged remarks for which he was arrested.

The federal government is considering giving workers the choice of putting more money into their superannuation or having more take-home pay in an attempt to break a political deadlock ahead of a looming rise in the super guarantee.

The plan, which has not gone to cabinet and is part of a range of possible reforms being examined by the government, would trigger a battle with Labor, the unions and the $3 trillion industry superannuation fund sector who argue increases above the current 9.5 per cent guarantee are necessary for workers to have an adequate retirement.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will consider a proposal for opt-in superannuation increases. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Increasing the super guarantee to 12 per cent was a Coalition election commitment and Labor is prepared to campaign fiercely if the government changes its mind. But with some Coalition MPs pushing for no increase in the super guarantee and economists concerned the rise will affect the nation's economic recovery during the coronavirus pandemic, the Morrison government is looking for fresh ways to manoeuvre on the promise.

The 9.5 per cent guarantee is scheduled to rise to 12 per cent in 2025, delivering an extra $20 billion into earners' retirement accounts with the first 0.5 percentage point hike legislated to kick in from July. However, a new model being considered for the superannuation system could see workers given the choice about whether to put more of their money into super.
Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop is aiming to raise the maximum salary the citys top administrators can receive to match the money offered by other first-class cities, namely Newark.

The ordinance, which will be introduced by the city council Wednesday, is needed to keep and attract the best talent, Mayor Steve Fulop says. But it would also increase yearly expenses by as much as $240,000.

For example, Newarks business administrator makes $260,000, some $90,000 more than Brian Platt earned before he left for a government position in Kansas City, Missouri. Under the legislation, which amends a 2019 ordinance on salary increases, the current Newark salaries would be the benchmark for Jersey City maximum salaries for key jobs.

The Jersey City city clerks maximum yearly pay would decrease by $5,000 to match the Newark clerks salary of $175,000, while the Jersey City deputy clerks maximum salary would increase by $30,000 to match the Newark counterpart.

Under the ordinance, the potential raises would cost Jersey City an additional $240,000 a year if the salary of each director or administrator maxes out.

Fulop told city council members during its caucus meeting Monday that the city needs to retain and hire the best talent.

You get what you pay for on the salary front with leadership, Fulop said. We want to make sure we are competitive at attracting talent. Jersey City doesnt need to be the highest-paid, but we shouldnt also be the lowest paid because the residents deserve quality and talented people.

The amended ordinance would remove language that created a new pay range for many members of the citys leadership team and made them eligible for up to 10% raises each year. Fulop noted that his and the city council members salaries would not be affected.

Fulop said other directors, like Platt, have been approached with job opportunities.

If you want to retain top talent you need to be competitive with the marketplace and not set artificial limits, Fulop said Tuesday in a phone interview. We need to be consistent with the job market on what the job market is paying somebody so that we are competitive and we can retain more attractive talent.

Councilman-at-large Rolando Lavarro and Ward D Councilman James Solomon, the two council members who oppose the mayor on a number of issues, said Tuesday they will not support this ordinance

Lavarro said the idea of approving potential salary increases when people are being laid off, programs are being cut and schools are underfunded kind of speaks to our priorities as a city and our leaderships priorities here.

Solomon added It is amazing in this city what we can find the money for and what we cant find the money for.

Should we pay Mayor Fulops political appointees a market wage? Sure. Is it more important than providing additional rental assistance. Is it more important than funding violence interrupters to stop the set of murders that happened in Jersey City?

Connecticut State Police / Contributed Photo

NEW HAVEN  A city man has been charged after police said he was identified as a heroin supplier for several Bridgeport narcotics dealers.

Around 5 a.m. Tuesday, several police agencies served a search warrant at a Huntington Road residence in New Haven.
Mr. Vu Ngoc Thiem (L) at the event (Photo: VTV)

This shows the trust and deep concern of the Party, State, Government, Central Military Commission, and Ministry of National Defense for the position, functions and duties of the Government Committee on Cipher and cipher sector of Vietnam in the new revolution period: ensuring absolute safety and confidentiality of information on leaders, direction and command of the Party, State, armed forces and sectors at all levels in all situations.



At the same time, it also shows the trust and high appreciation of the Party, State, Government, the Central Military Commission, and the Ministry of National Defense towards Mr. Vu Ngoc Thiem.

In April 2020, Colonel Vu Ngoc Thiem, Deputy Commander of the Information and Communications Corps, was appointed by the Prime Minister as the Head of the Government Committee on Cipher./.

Welcome to MicroClimates, The Chronicles climate change newsletter. If someone forwarded you this email, you can sign up here.

New year, still changing climate. As we start a new year, I wanted to take a look at some recent Bay Area and California climate change stories that will continue to develop in 2021.

Hot year, even hotter autumn

2020 has tied 2016 for the hottest year on record, and in California, residents endured the hottest August, September and October since 1895. The temperature trend for this three-month period over the past decade is clear: Its getting warmer in Californias fire season.

We have clear evidence that not only California has warmed, but that California is now in a new climate that is both warmer overall and is much more likely to experience unprecedented hot conditions, says Stanford climate scientist Noah Diffenbaugh. People and the ecosystem are being impacted day after day and month after month. Were clearly now in a different climate than when our water resources and infrastructure were designed.

These graphs go into depth about the impact of warming temperatures on Californias climate, and how that changes Bay Area residents lives.

 Extreme weather fueled by climate change causing one-third of flood damage in United States, Stanford study finds.

A climate damn emergency, but a rise in oil drilling permits

California approved 1,646 drill permits in the first nine months of 2020  a 137% increase over the 694 permits it approved during the same period in 2019, according to data from the state Geologic Energy Management Division, the agency that regulates oil and gas extraction.

An increase in oil drilling permits seems disconnected from Gov. Newsoms rhetoric and executive orders on climate issues this year, Dustin Gardiner reports, but also from the economic reality of many oil companies in California in 2020.

Just over 50 of those permits were actually drilled, oil production was down, and more wells were abandoned or stopped drilling than new permits were issued. One advocate tells Gardiner she believes that part of the increased permits is about making the companies seem more viable to investors.

But drilling could begin anytime within the next two years under the permits.

Read more.

 Berkeley considers banning sale of gas cars before states deadline  but not all Berkeley officials think the plan is feasible or worth it.

Is natural gas on its way out in California?

One of the biggest California climate stories in 2020 is the move by cities to limit the use of natural gas  and the greenhouses gases it emits  in buildings.

Forty jurisdictions in the state  many of them in the Bay Area  have mandated or encouraged all-electric new construction or placed limits on how gas infrastructure can be used. The effort has been relatively speedy: Berkeley was the first city in the U.S. to bar natural gas for most new construction in July 2019.

Backlash and legal challenges followed, as well as concerns from some restaurants and residents about higher energy costs. But more California cities, including Sacramento and Santa Barbara, are considering similar measures, and advocates for all-electric buildings say the momentum is on their side. Read more about what to expect in 2021 from J.D. Morris.

What Bay Area and California climate change stories are you interested in following in 2021? Reply to this email or send a message to climate@sfchronicle.com with your top three suggestions or tips.

More stories:

 Bay Area transit can be a complex, costly nightmare. The pandemic might help fix that, Mallory Moench reports, if the regions more-than-two dozen transit agencies can turn coordination for survival into something more permanent. More on how the pandemic upended transit in the Bay Area.

 S.F.s Embarcadero seawall  essential against sea level rise  is surprise beneficiary of Trump-signed spending bill.

 California must burn more of its forests to save them. Is the public ready? On Newsoms new budget request: Investment in prescribed fire to combat catastrophic blazes.

The big number

10%  How much U.S. greenhouse gas emissions dropped in 2020, according to one preliminary estimate.

Thats the single largest drop in annual emissions since the World War II era, and puts the U.S. below 1990 emissions levels for the first time. But the drop was almost entirely driven by a pandemic-hit economy, and the reports authors warn it tells us little about what we can expect to see in 2021 and beyond.

Changing California

 California is scrambling to avoid blackouts. Your refrigerator could help (LA Times).

 Urban forestry expands Richmonds roots, literally (Richmond Pulse).

 California redwoods, sequoias and Joshua trees are among the worlds oldest living things. The climate crisis is killing them (NY Times).

MicroClimates is The Chronicles climate change newsletter, written by Taylor Kate Brown and sent every other week. Email newsletters@sfchronicle.com or taylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
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Employers Can Help Repay Employee Student Loan Debt as a Tax-Deductible Business Expense Tweet this

Specifically, the provision allows employers to contribute to employee student loan repayment without the employer contributions being taxed. Employers can contribute up to $5,250 as a tax-deductible business expense, and employer contributions are excluded from employees' personal income tax responsibility.

To take advantage of this new tax benefit, employers can utilize a service like the Gift of College At-Work platform, which streamlines the process for employees to contribute to student loan accounts via payroll deduction and for employers to match or contribute to these accounts as well. The platform works for employee and employer contributions to 529 college savings and ABLE accounts as well. Adding this kind of high-demand benefit can also make employers more appealing to high-caliber industry talentfinancial wellness benefits are among the top benefits requested by many employees and recent studies show 86% of employees would commit to an employer for five years in exchange of help with their student loans.

"Employers can play a critical role in solving one of the most challenging economic crises of our timestudent loan debt," says Wayne Weber, founder and CEO of Gift of College. "Repayment assistance is a win for the millions of Americans carrying student loan debt and a win for employers who can receive valuable tax benefits in the process."

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5 months and 1 week until the 2021 Democratic primaries

Welcome to City & States Campaign Confidential newsletter, where Senior Reporter Jeff Coltin is covering the run-up to New York Citys hugely consequential 2021 municipal elections for mayor, City Council and more.

Weekly, on Tuesdays. Sign up here.

This is getting out of comptrol

State Sen. Brian Benjamin needed some relief after a tough week for his comptroller campaign  and he got it at a Sunday forum hosted by the Downtown Independent Democrats. In almost 20 minutes on Zoom, Benjamin didnt get a single question about his potential straw donor scandal, as reported by The City, or his receiving outside income from a firm with ties to the subprime mortgage crisis, as reported by the Daily News.

Hes returning the money, so maybe Benjamin will get lucky, and nothing will come of the fact he apparently took $250 donations from a 2-year-old and at least three other folks who didnt know they were donating. But its certainly reminiscent of the circumstances that sent two of John Lius associates to prison after his 2013 mayoral run. At the very least, we seem to have gotten an answer on why Benjamins campaign missed out on public matching funds.

And with Benjamins bad news, an outsider may be seeing an opportunity. Former CNBC contributor Michelle Caruso-Cabrera is poised to enter the Democratic primary, consultant Arielle Confino confirmed to Campaign Confidential. MCC, who got blown out by AOC in the 2020 congressional primary, sent an email to supporters last week saying shes considering a run and that neither ideological warfare nor technocratic management are the answer.

By the Numbers

-$29,623

New York City Council candidate Moumita Ahmeds campaign is nearly $30,000 in debt with less than two weeks until early voting starts in the Queens District 24 special election. New York City Campaign Finance Board records show that Ahmed  who has earned high-profile progressive endorsements from the Working Families Party and others  hasnt yet received public matching funds, unlike five of her seven opponents. Ahmed wrote in a fundraising email that the CFB refused to disburse the matching funds until she could explain why 48 people with the same address made cash donations to her campaign. She said they were neighbors in her own apartment building, and the ruling was deeply insulting.

Where were you during the coup?

Whoever gets the Republican line in the November mayoral election is going to have to answer for the Jan. 6 Capitol siege. Possible contender John Catsimatidis called for arrests and interrogations like you see in the movies, but also pushed a conspiracy theory that some of the rioters were antifa members. Of the siege, Cats questioned, Was it worse than Black Lives Matter marching in Washington? He then doubled down on the comparison, implying that it wasnt fair to ask Trump to condemn the mob: Did you see a single Democrat condemn Black Lives Matter? The billionaire then finished off his radio show on Wednesday with an awkward show of patriotism, standing in the studio, hand over heart, while God Bless America played.

Speakers race is a-Brewerin

There are way more unknowns going into the 2022 race for City Council speaker than there were in 2018, when the mayor and the vast majority of council members were essentially predetermined. This year, who knows? But Kevin Riley was a safe bet, and it looks like potential speaker candidates, Keith Powers, Carlina Rivera and Justin Brannan all campaigned last month with the newly elected Bronx City Council member, and Alicka Ampry-Samuel and Adrienne Adams both endorsed from a distance. In turn, Riley said he thinks the next speaker should have experience rather than be a potential newcomer. But hybrid old-guard/newcomer Gale Brewer raised some eyebrows at a City Council District 6 forum last week when asked if shed run for speaker. Everyone who knows me knows I do everything at the last minute, and I never make it known what Im doing tomorrow, so the answer is, I hope to get elected to the City Council, and then, we will see, Brewer said. I am not going to make any commitment.

Podcasting their votes

If youd rather get your campaign coverage auditorily, listen to Campaign Confidentials Jeff Coltin on the great FAQ NYC podcast  one of the best pods on local politics. Come for the analysis, stay for the circumcision jokes. But some candidates for office are trying to get into the podcast game themselves. Amoy Barnes, a candidate for City Council District 49 on Staten Island, and Althea Stevens, running for District 16 in the Bronx, have teamed up for On the Run NYC. Manhattan district attorney candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein has interviewed big names like U.S. Sen. Cory Booker on her show Hearing. And of course, likely mayoral candidate and Podcast Guy Andrew Yang co-hosts Yang Speaks.

Endorsement Watch

The mayoral race has gone Hollywood. Actor Edward Norton endorsed Shaun Donovan and Maya Wiley got fundraising help from actors Chris Evans, Gabrielle Union, Rosie ODonnell, Alyssa Milano, Patton Oswalt, Kathy Griffin, Yvette Nicole Brown and Jonathan Frakes  City Council Member Peter Koo endorsed Eric Adams for mayor, but he will not be his deputy mayor  and Kathryn Garcia got backed by three trash world unions: SEIU Local 444  Sanitation Officers Association, New York City SEIU Local 246 (auto mechanics) and the Uniformed Sanitation Chiefs Association  the Manhattan district attorney race has gone Hollywood too with actor Michael K. Williams endorsing Dan Quart  and City Council District 3 in Manhattan? Hollywood, now that actor and rapper Common has endorsed Aleta LaFargue  in the District 24 special election in Queens, state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. is endorsing James Gennaro and CWA District 1 is backing Moumita Ahmed  Mike Scala for District 32 in Queens was endorsed by state Sen. James Sanders Jr. and former Assembly Member Michael Miller  and New York Communities for Change endorsed seven more candidates, including both Shahana Hanif and Brandon West in District 39 in Brooklyn.

Poll Sight

Were short on public polls this week, but it shouldnt take polls to let the notorious Hiram Monserrate know that hes going to have a hard time running against Council Member Francisco Moya for District 21 in Queens. Since his expulsion from the state Senate in 2010 after being convicted of physically assaulting his girlfriend, Monserrate has lost five comeback attempts and won two low-profile district leader races. In the meantime, he also pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud charges in 2012.

011121-graph-00.png Alt Text: Hiram Monserrate has lost five comeback attempts since 2010. Title Text: Hiram Monserrate has lost five comeback attempts since 2010. Caption: Hiram Monserrate has lost five comeback attempts since 2010. Description: Hiram Monserrate has lost five comeback attempts since 2010. Image Credit: Alex Law/City & State

Staffing Up

Leslie Joy, formerly Joe Bidens statewide field director in Michigan, is now the campaign manager for Manhattan district attorney candidate Dan Quart  Ben Silva will be the campaign manager for Julie Menins City Council race in District 5 in Manhattan  Yarah Shabana is now communications director for Julie Wons City Council campaign in District 26 in Queens  Mino Lora (who recently tested positive for COVID-19  get well soon!) has hired Carmen Kunkel-Quesada on communications and field in the special election in Council District 11 in the Bronx  Derrick Davis, a former executive director of the Brooklyn Dems, will be the political director for Ray McGuires mayoral campaign and Rasheida Smith of Dunton Consulting will be McGuires field director.

Got tips? Email JColtin@CityandStateNY.com or DM me @JCColtin

District Data

010420-districtmap-07.png Alt Text: City Council District 7 Title Text: City Council District 7 Caption: City Council District 7 Description: City Council District 7 Image Credit: Alex Law/City & State

City Council District 7, in Upper Manhattan, covering neighborhoods including the Upper West Side, Morningside Heights and Hamilton Heights

Current council member: Mark Levine, since 2014, whos term-limited at the end of 2021

2010 census demographics: 49.1% Hispanic, 26.2% Black, 19.4% white, 3% Asian

Housing: 85.4% renter-occupied, 14.6% owner-occupied

2013 primary election results: Levine: 41.4%, Joyce S. Johnson: 17.3%, Luis M. Tejada: 14.2%, Manuel Lantigua: 7.5%

2017 primary election results: Levine: 74.1%, Thomas Lopez-Pierre: 25.4%

Whos running: Shaun Abreu, Alberto Aguilar III, Marti Allen-Cummings, Daniel Cohen, Miguel Estrella, Stacy Lynch, Lena Melendez, Maria Ordonez, Corey Ortega, Carmen Quinones, Raymond Sanchez, Luis Tejada and Jeanette Toomer. Abreu, Allen-Cummings and Cohen are all basically maxed out with matching funds and Abreu  a tenants rights attorney and ally of Rep. Adriano Espaillat  and Allen-Cummings  a nonbinary drag artist and ally of Speaker Corey Johnson  have gotten the lions share of the endorsements so far. But Stacy Lynch, daughter of legendary operative Bill Lynch, is well connected from her time as an intergovernmental aide in City Hall, and Corey Ortega is a district leader with deep political ties.

Twitter Posting

Council candidates/campaigns I've never interacted with asking for money via text.  Michael Mallon (@MichaelJMallon) January 10, 2021

Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of donors who confirmed they unknowingly contributed to Benjamins campaign.
Na Kyung-won, a former four-term lawmaker with the main opposition People Power Party, greets citizens ahead of a press conference on a street in Itaewon, Seoul, to declare her bid for the party's primary for Seoul mayoral by-election, Wednesday. Yonhap



By Jung Da-min



Political heavyweights of the liberal and opposition blocs are set to compete for the Seoul mayoral post in the upcoming by-election in April. The position has remained vacant since last July following the suicide of former Mayor Park Won-soon.



The by-election for the mayoral post of Seoul is a pressing political matter as the result could be seen as a barometer for the upcoming presidential election set to be held in March 2022.



Eyes are on whether the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) could possibly win the election despite criticism that the need for the by-election was a direct result of the suicide of DPK member and former mayor, Park, following sexual harassment allegations raised against him.



From the conservative opposition bloc, minor opposition People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo declared his bid for the Seoul mayoral post late last month, expressing his willingness to cooperate with other conservative parties including the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) to form a "big tent" opposition bloc in hopes of winning the election against the ruling bloc.





Minor opposition People's Party leader Ahn Cheol-soo, who declared his bid to run in the April by-election for the Seoul mayoral post, attends a Supreme Council meeting of the party at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday. Yonhap



But the PPP's emergency committee chief Kim Chong-in has repeatedly said there will be no merger of the main opposition party and the People's Party when the latter only has three seats while the former has 102 and could win the election without working with Ahn's camp.



But political watchers said there is still a high possibility that the conservative parties would finally reach an agreement to form a big tent to create solidarity between the conservative and centrist blocs.





Oh Se-hoon, former Seoul mayor from 2006 to 2011, holds a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Jan. 7, to declare his bid to run in the party's primary for the Seoul mayroal by-election. Yonhap



There are many other potential candidates from the PPP who declared their bids to run in the party's primary, including heavyweights Oh Se-hoon, former Seoul mayor from 2006 to 2011 and Na Kyung-won, a former four-term lawmaker. Oh declared his bid last week, saying he would not run in the race if Ahn joins the PPP but if it is not the case, he would run in the race as a potential candidate of the PPP. Na declared her bid on Wednesday.



Holding a press conference on a street in Itaewon in Seoul's Yongsan District, in which business owners were hit particularly hard as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Na referred to economic hardships of the people and vowed to introduce a basic income system for the people of Seoul. She said such a basic income would ensure no citizen would be left unable to cover minimum living costs.



"We must bring back our daily routines even as COVID-19 quarantine measures are in effect. We need to maintain social distancing measures while working for a living at the same time," Na said. "I will introduce a tailored basic income system for Seoul residents to eliminate the trap of poverty."





SMEs and Startups Minister Park Young-sun, a former four-term lawmaker, attends a meeting of ministers of economy-related ministries, at the Government Complex Seoul, Monday. Yonhap



From the DPK's side, SMEs and Startups Minister Park Young-sun, a former four-term lawmaker, has been garnering high public support in polls of potential candidates of the Seoul mayoral election but is yet to declare her bid to run in the party's primary. Minister Park said she would decide on the matter sometime within January, saying she is currently focused on tasks to help business owners as the SMEs minister.



Among other potential candidates from the country's liberal bloc are Rep. Woo Sang-ho, a four-term lawmaker with the DPK and Rep. Kim Jin-ai, floor leader of the minor opposition Open Minjoo Party. The two reached an agreement on Tuesday that they would push ahead with forming a liberal big tent if they are elected as a candidate representing their parties.





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This decision is being considered as a big win for the insect farming business which supposedly will grow tenfold to exceed $4.1 billion globally.

If you thought having snakes and snails for dinner is rather unusual, hold your breath as mealworms have also been declared safe for human consumption - at least in Europe.

Europeans can now expect to have these worms on their dinner plates, as the European Food Safety Authority has given a go-ahead.

The European Union (EU) food watchdog has said dried yellow mealworm, the larval form of the mealworm beetle, is safe for human consumption, in both its whole form and as a powder additive, reported Bloomberg.

This approval, however, is just the first step, officials still need to ponder over the sales of snacks, cookies, protein bars, and other food items that contain these bugs as ingredients.

This decision is being considered as a big win for the insect farming business which supposedly will grow tenfold to exceed $4.1 billion globally, the report claims.

Insects are now being seen as a much more viable source of protein as they have high nutritional value and low environmental impact. The business definitely holds a lot of scope, attracting the attention of venture capitalist and against like Nestle SA and Cargill Inc.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has called on the religious orders associated with mother and baby homes to make a financial contribution to a redress scheme for survivors.

It comes as it emerged the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes report has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions for review.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Taoiseach said the gardai can obviously pursue some of the issues outlined in the commissions investigation even though a significant length of time has elapsed.

He specifically highlighted that many of the women in the homes were under the age of consent when they became pregnant.

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The Taoiseach will today make a State apology in the Dail to the survivors of mother and baby homes.

Yesterday, Mr Martin said the investigation into 18 institutions for unmarried mothers opened up a window to the deeply misogynistic culture in Ireland where there was serious systematic discrimination against women.

We did this to ourselves as a society, said Mr Martin, before adding: We treated women exceptionally badly. We treated children exceptionally badly.

Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman echoed his comments saying the report on the homes shows a stifling, oppressive, deeply misogynistic culture in Ireland prior to the 1970s. We have to be honest about acknowledging State responsibility, he added.

The shocking report states Ireland had more women and children living in State-run homes for unmarried mothers than anywhere else in the world.

It also finds that 56,000 women were forced to live in refuges since the foundation of the State in 1922 because they were abandoned by the fathers of their children and their families.

The more than five-year investigation led by Justice Yvonne Murphy found the responsibility for the harsh treatment endured by these women rests mainly with the fathers of their children and their own immediate families but was also supported by the State and Church.

However, it must be acknowledged that the institutions under investigation provided a refuge  a harsh refuge in some cases  when the families provided no refuge at all, the report adds.

The harrowing report details how 57,000 children were born in mother and baby homes until they were closed in 1998. Shockingly, 9,000 died while in their care.

Of even more concern is the death rate among children deemed illegitimate by society was far higher than those deemed legitimate, according to the report.

Between 1945 and 1946 the death rate among children in the homes was almost twice the national average of those outside these institutions.

The report reveals the high infant mortality rates were known to local and national authorities at the time and were recorded in official publications.

Children suffered physical abuse in the homes and also emotional abuse from local residents in their communities because they were raised in the institutions. However, the report does not find incidents of sexual abuse towards the children.

The women living in these homes suffered emotional abuse and were regularly subjected to denigration and derogatory remarks.

It appears that there was little kindness shown to them and this was particularly the case when they were giving birth, the report says.

The atmosphere appears to have been cold and seemingly uncaring, it adds.

The women were offered no counselling and were warned not to share their stories with other residents.

The commission said there was little evidence of the mothers being physically abused and no evidence of sexual abuse.

However, it found 200 women died in these homes with more than half (57pc) related to child birth. During the 1950s, there were also a significant number of deaths related to infectious diseases.

The commission raised serious questions about the failure of the government and local authorities to intervene and address the living conditions and discrimination suffered by those living in these State-supported institutions.

It also found no evidence of the cabinet ever discussing the plight of mother and baby home residents in the first 50 years after Ireland gained its independence. It was not until the introduction of new adoption laws that some women were able to leave or avoid staying long-term in the homes.

The introduction of the Unmarried Mothers Allowance in 1973 was the first time any financial support was given to single women facing these conditions.

At least 1,638 children from the homes investigated were put up for adoption, with the vast majority sent to the US.

The report includes allegations that significant money was exchanged between Church authorities and adoptive parents but the commission was unable to prove or disprove the veracity of the claims.

At least seven vaccine trials were carried out in homes with children involved in some of the tests without consent.
(Photo : Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) A skype logo is seen at the Microsoft pavilion during the second day of the Mobile World Congress 2015 at the Fira Gran Via complex on March 3, 2015 in Barcelona, Spain.

Online telecommunications app Skype appears to be down for hundreds of users around the world. Users then called in to complain about being unable to make video calls and it has been hours since they were able to do so.

Skype down

According to Down Detector, within a last hour there was an overwhelming surge of reports. Around 65% of the complaints are connected to log-in issues, with 26% of complaints connected to receiving messages and 7% of the complaints relating to voice calls.

One Down Detector commenter said that Skype is not working in App & Web. Another user stated that Skype is not working in Pakistan and that messages are not sending, and an "internal error" message pops up.

Also Read: Gone Too Soon: 5 Things To Know About the Skype Co-founder Who Just Passed Away

The outage of the app is also affecting users in the United Kingdom, with one user on Twitter stating that his Skype is down and he can't teach lessons and can't call anyone because it only says "connecting."

Many of the complaints seem to be coming from Skype users who are in South Asia, with dozens of them from Pakistani and Indian social media users stating that they are having issues.

Meanwhile, American users both in North and South have also chimed in to stay that Skype is down for them too. One commenter stated that messages stopped sending properly and when he tried to relog, it would not load.

Both the mobile app and the desktop app are not working. An internal error message will pop up for some when they try to log in.

A commenter from Brazil said that he also can't send messages or make calls, and after logging out, they can't log in again. Reports of outages have also been recorded in Turkey, Belarus, Spain and Greece, indicating the issue may be Europe-wide.

Skype is a very popular telecommunications app that lets people send messages and video chat using their tablets, computers and their smart phones. Microsoft is now working on fixing the issue.

Skype's use during the pandemic

Along with other video calling software such as Zoom, Skype has been vital during the height of the coronavirus pandemic during which millions of people worldwide were forced to work from home and study from home.

According to CNET, Microsoft states that its video chat and calling app Skype is now seeing an increase in interest. The company stated that 40 million people are now using Skype every day, and it is a 70% increase from 2019.

The company said that it has seen a 220% increasing in Skype-to-Skype calls as well. Skype said that it tallied around 200 million active users in the first six months of 2020.

The latest data that was acquired by Skype underscores how much people are turning to technology now in the middle of the virus that has forced the world to shut down.

Hundreds of millions of people all over the world are on government-mandated lockdowns, forced home from school and work. So now people have turned to video chat apps like WhatsApp, Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Apple's FaceTime and Skype to be able to keep in touch.

Related Article: Zoom Fatigue: A Real Sickness That You Must Acknowledge; Science Proves Its Existence

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sieeka Khan

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
January 21, 2021 USA We can provide access to this new agricultural formula, to No-till farmers, strip-till farmers, conventional farmers , organic farmers, agronomists, crop consultants and cooperatives

You say you don't want a Soil Warrior but want to use your savings from THIS FORMULA for something else? No problem since the Soil Warrior is just one example of what you can gain with your savings when you begin using THIS FORMULA  to lower your nutrient use over 80% with no yield loss as proven by IL and CO farmers.

Who should consider this product?

no-till farmers,

strip-till farmers,

conventional agriculture,

organic farmers,

agronomists,

crop consultants, and

cooperatives

Let's pencil out some numbers so you can figure where you stand for an average size farm (about 450 acres) and a 2,000 acre farm. Here's the detail for the bigger farm first: When using THIS FORMULA with nutrients at 1/6 normal rate for 200 bu corn** the ROI is $88 x 2,000 acres = $176,000 savings. In one season you've saved enough to bring a sweet Soil Warrior (or whatever) home to the farm.

For the average size farm the ROI is $88 x 450 acres = $39,600 savings in one season. When you collect your savings using THIS FORMULA for 3 seasons you'll have enough to begin enjoying your new Soil Warrior and start thinking about the add-ons you want. Either of these farmers could be you.

THIS FORMULA is the simple answer that holds the key to our biggest agricultural challenge  sustainability and soil health.

So the question becomes, "How do you lower nutrient use over 80% with no yield loss and still maintain near optimum plant and crop health? Farmers are just starting to become aware of THIS FORMULA and realize it's what they've been looking for to greatly reduce NPKs. THIS FORMULA can also help flush out over 80% of harsh salt-based fertilizers from the soil and allow the soil to regenerate faster. This is the first step; preparing the soil.

The second part of THIS FORMULA includes the application of microbes, a simple step. No longer are microbes on the sidelines, but at the forefront of soil health and farming sustainability as you know. Once the soil begins regenerating faster (since it now has over 80% less toxic fertilizer residue), the microbe component (also combined with THIS FORMULA) can now be applied with over 70% reduction in normal microbe application rates giving farmers the best ROI ever in both cases.

The reduction in application rates makes it possible for farmers to easily afford these applications in order to turn around their less than favorable soil conditions and increase soil organic matter (SOM) toward sustainability allowing new markets to open up. THIS FORMULA goes to the heart of the soil crisis, water toxicity and food security problems we have today.

If you want to learn more, contact Gary Patterson President, FiscalDoctor Inc. 678-319-4739

**Based on 2020 Iowa crop yield (Iowa State Univ.) 200 bu. corn.

#
Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- A decade ago, after hackers were caught infiltrating natural gas pipeline operations and an al-Qaeda video emerged calling for an electronic jihad on U.S. infrastructure, then-Senator Joseph Lieberman tried to sound the alarm.The system is blinking red, Lieberman warned his Senate colleagues during debate on the threat in 2012. Privately owned and operated cyber infrastructure can well be, and probably some day will be, the target of an enemy attack.Led by the Connecticut independent and one-time vice presidential candidate, lawmakers sought to require energy companies to strengthen computer security. But the effort withered under fierce lobbying by oil companies and other corporate interests that succeeded in killing the legislation. That left in place a system of voluntary guidelines that failed to stop last months ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline Co., which paralyzed a major artery for fuel along the East Coast.Its really a lost opportunity, said Lieberman, now senior counsel at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP. The attack on the Colonial Pipeline might not have happened if we passed the legislation.Now, in response to the attack, the Department of Homeland Security is preparing to jettison the voluntary approach and impose cybersecurity requirements on pipelines, according to a person familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified before a formal announcement.That would be a defeat for oil companies and pipeline operators that for more than a decade have successfully fought off federal standards to thwart cyberattacks from legislation or regulatory agencies. Unlike power plants, U.S. pipelines are not required to follow any federal cybersecurity mandates, even though Homeland Security was given the authority to impose them when it was created in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.The Transportation Security Administration, the DHS agency in charge of protecting the nations pipelines, will issue a directive this week requiring pipeline companies to report cyber incidents, according to the person familiar with the plans. Additional requirements for safeguarding facilities and responding to attacks are set to be advanced in coming weeks, the Washington Post reported.The Biden administration is taking further action to better secure our nations critical infrastructure, DHS said in a statement on Tuesday. We will release additional details in the days ahead.Until now, the TSA had resisted using its authority to mandate cyberprotection measures.My belief was we could get quicker and better security through working with the industry instead of regulating them because regulations set minimum security standards and industry in many cases was doing more than that, said Jack Fox, who served as the agencys manager of pipeline security before retiring in 2016.Liebermans bill would have imposed cybersecurity performance requirements on privately owned critical infrastructure -- and slap fines on companies that fell short. The rules would have been applied to more than pipelines: sectors where a hostile take-down of computer systems could lead to mass casualties, the collapse of financial markets or the disruption of energy and water supplies, were to be included.Even a watered-down version of the bill failed to overcome a Republican-led filibuster.Pipeline CompaniesFor Lieberman, the failure still stings.We would sort of ask ourselves who is driving this aggressive opposition and the answer we were getting was the energy companies and the pipeline companies, he said.Every major U.S. oil company -- including Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips -- lobbied on the legislation, alongside some refiners and at least one pipeline operator. Colonial didnt lobby on the measure in 2012, according to disclosure forms it filed with Congress. However, groups it belonged to did, including the American Petroleum Institute, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines and the Chamber of Commerce -- a political titan that reported spending $103.9 million influencing government policies in 2012.The Chamber opposed the legislation at the time, calling it an overly broad, heavy-handed approach to regulation that threatened to create an adversarial relationship between the government and private industry instead of fostering collaboration against cyberattacks. The group backed an alternative approach focused on greater sharing of threat information, a stance it continues to endorse today.We support a public-private collaboration that strengthens our cybersecurity in all sectors, including pipelines, to benefit all Americans, said Matthew Eggers, vice president of cybersecurity policy for the Chamber.Cybersecurity experts and government officials have cautioned for years about the consequences of a pipeline hack, including in 2019 when the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a report warning a cyberattack could disrupt a pipeline for days to weeks.Nevertheless, there was widespread business opposition to the Lieberman bill, with almost every affected industry, from financial services to communications, getting involved to warn the proposed cybersecurity mandates would insert the heavy hand of government into corporate affairs.But proponents warned that mandates were essential to ensure there were sufficient safeguards amid a barrage of ever-more sophisticated attacks on private companies running power plants, dams and other critical infrastructure.al-Qaeda VideoWeeks after the bills introduction, the Department of Homeland Security warned hackers had spent months trying to infiltrate computer systems for a number of natural gas pipeline operators. ABC News reported the FBI had obtained an al-Qaeda video calling for electronic jihad against U.S. critical infrastructure. And computer security firm McAfee Corp. warned of coordinated, ongoing cyberattacks on global energy companies in 2011.The hacking episodes foreshadowed how alluring fuel delivery systems are to cyber-criminals, like the Russia-linked group that used DarkSide ransomware to hold Colonials computer systems hostage around May 7. The company was forced to shut down its roughly 5,500-mile-long (8,851-kilometers-long) pipeline system, which provides about 45% of the fuel used on the East Coast, spurring outages at filling stations and the payment of a $5 million ransom before service resumed five days later.Its not clear whether mandates would have thwarted the attack, and investigations are still underway. Colonial has pledged to review any proposal that takes lessons learned from this event that strengthens or hardens our infrastructure.Oil and pipeline trade groups steadfastly insist now is not the time for prescriptive federal mandates.Any discussion of regulation is premature until we have a full understanding of the details surrounding the Colonial attack, said Suzanne Lemieux, APIs manager of operations security and emergency response. But we are committed to continuing our robust coordination with all levels of government.The trade association added in a statement it was generally aligned with the Chamber on the issue in 2012 and cautioned against a prescriptive one-size-fits all regulatory approach that it said would be counterproductive.John Stoody, a spokesman for the Association of Oil Pipe Lines, whose members include Colonial Pipeline, said We want TSA to get right anything they plan to do.For example, an overly broad reporting requirement could overwhelm TSA with hundreds of thousands of cyberattack reports every day that would not do anyone any good, he said.PartnershipChevron said in an emailed statement that federal regulation should take a risk-based approach that gives companies flexibility to defend against threats. And Exxon noted that the rapid evolution of cyber threats means any formal and prescriptive cybersecurity requirements for the industry are often outdated upon completion.The Transportation Security Administration has long taken a similar approach. A branch manager in the agencys office of surface operations last year boasted it involves very few regulations and a cooperative approach to industry adoption of security measure, according to a presentation archived on the agencys website.The TSA opted not to regulate the pipeline sector because it felt a partnership with industry was more efficient, said Fox, the retired TSA manager of pipeline security.A regulation takes months or years to change, Fox said in a phone interview. With this partnership we could make a phone call and say we need you to do such and such and it would be reacted to the next day.Republican FilibusterFox said he didnt think the Lieberman bill would have prevented the Colonial cyberattack.You can regulate whatever you like, Fox said. We have regulations on speed limits and gun control and all kinds of things so if you regulate something it does not means its not going to happen.Ultimately in 2012, Lieberman and Collins watered down their bill in a desperate bid to win over Republicans to get it passed. They dropped mandates and fines in favor of a measure that would create only optional requirements.But even the pared-back bill wasnt enough. Continued concerns about liability and privacy haunted the legislation, and the Chamber opposed the new version too. It was twice defeated by a Republican-led filibuster, ultimately falling nine votes shy of the 60 needed to cut off debate in November 2012.Amy Myers Jaffe, a Tufts University professor and author of Energys Digital Future, said the Colonial cyberattack may be the pipeline industrys Macondo moment.Thats a reference to the Gulf of Mexico oil well that blew out in 2010, killing 11 workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S. history.An overly cozy relationship between federal regulators and oil companies was blamed for contributing to the disaster, Jaffe said. Its shocking to me to think that an industry that likes to brag about its safety records would ever have lobbied against having government-run standards that are mandatory for cyber-security in vital energy infrastructure.More stories like this are available on bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Euronext moved one step closer to completing its purchase of Borsa Italiana today after the European Commission approved the London Stock Exchange Group's (LSEG) proposed acquisition of Refinitiv.

The decision clears a major hurdle for the 4.3bn deal, as LSEG is selling the Milan-based bourse to satisfy competition concerns related to the Refinitiv transaction.

With the issue out of the way, Euronext can move forward on the long list of regulatory approvals in multiple jurisdictions and prepare for the private placement and rights offering needed to fund the deal. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2021.

The addition of Borsa Italiana to the Euronext network of stock exchanges  which includes the Irish Stock Exchange  will create a dominant player in European capital markets.

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Market sources have said the acquisition will enhance Ireland's status as a post-Brexit European financial centre for both debt and equity market listings.

Euronext's plan is to develop a single pool of liquidity across its federation of exchanges, which also includes Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Lisbon and Oslo, with one order book on a single platform.

The idea is to form the backbone of the EU's proposed "capital markets union".

However, those grand ambitions were cast into some doubt on October 19 when a series of cascading faults across the exchange network completely shut down Euronext for three hours. The outage disrupted normal trading for the rest of the day and caused the closing auction to fail, throwing into doubt the benchmark prices on trillions of euro worth of securities.

The incident prompted the Association of Financial Markets in Europe to question whether one exchange group should have such a dominant position in financial markets.

The question is still live as the Borsa Italiana deal is still subject to a declaration of non-objection from Euronexts College of Regulators and the approval of Euronext as a suitable purchaser by the European Commission.

More detail about the October outage and the progress of the transaction is expected when Euronext delivers its 2020 results on February 10.

Chief executive Stephane Boujnah said in November that the technical failures would not hinder the group's chances of securing the required approvals to proceed with the acquisition.
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 sight of a Capitol coup may have been new, but the smell of democracys decline certainly wasnt.

Last weeks harrowing episode reeked of the odor that arises whenever bad actors are exposed in politics or law enforcement.

Ignore the stench of institutional rot! defenders of crooked cops and corrupt politicians have always told the public. Institutions shouldnt be judged by a few bad apples!

Until they turn into terrorists, I guess. And even then

In many accounts of the Capitol siege, the small army of fanatical followers of a wanna-be tyrant were often described as invaders. Except that implies the threat was only coming from the outside.

In fact, it was already inside, wearing law enforcement uniforms as they pushed gates aside for their coconspirators, waving them through, posing for selfies, and providing them with directions to lawmakers offices as if directing a middle-school field trip.

(A video has surfaced showing that weeks before the Capitol siege, a Republican lawmaker let in right-wing rioters who stormed the Oregon Capitol.)

The investigations are ongoing  even as lawmakers brace for assassination attempts  but already several U.S. Capitol Police officers have been suspended. Five people are dead, including a Capitol Police officer after he was overpowered and beaten by rioters.

At least one Secret Service officer is under investigation after posting comments on Facebook expressing support for rioters and accusing lawmakers who formalized Joe Bidens win of treason.

In Philadelphia, as my colleagues have reported, a police detective  and apparent QAnon enthusiast, judging by her Facebook profile  has been temporarily reassigned after a tip that she attended the rally in Washington.

Jennifer Gugger (who went by Jenny Lynn on Facebook) worked for a unit that performs background checks of potential recruits. In addition to being in D.C., she also took to Twitter to call Vice President Mike Pence a traitor and a cabal operative after he condemned the violence and an officers death.

On Monday, FOP president John McNesby defended Gugger, saying she had attended the rally on her day off and exercised her First Amendment rights to attend an event. (Meanwhile, Mayor Jim Kenney and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw assured the public of a full and thorough investigation, a bold assurance given the weak accounting of the epic mishandling of racial protests this summer.)

We strongly condemn the violence and loss of life at the Capitol and hope those responsible will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, McNesby said.

Let me help: A treasonous president tops the list of those responsible. But so do lawmakers and law enforcement officers who have spread toxic disinformation that has chipped away at public trust for years.

Long before a Philadelphia detective decided to take a day off to watch democracy nearly crumble, the Plain View Project database laid bare offensive and threatening public Facebook posts and comments by police officers from several jurisdictions across the United States, including Philadelphia.

After an investigation in 2019, the Philly police department fired 15 officers and suspended seven for 30 days. An additional 150 or so were given command-level discipline, which sounds a lot like a slap on the wrist.

Youd think it might have taught police officers to keep their appalling thoughts to themselves, or at least off of social media.

(Heres an idea: Maybe instead of sharing cutesy social media posts of cops dancing or playing ball with kids or, you know, doing what theyre supposed to do, the good apples can turn in the bad ones for posting trash online.)

Of course, many Philadelphia police officers have demonstrated that they have no problem showing us who they are in real life.

In June, after the protests over police killing George Floyd, Philly cops chummed up to white vigilante groups wielding bats in Fishtown  not unlike the treatment given to the mob at the Capitol.

A month later, Philly police officers were seen happily mingling with the Proud Boys, a hate group, at the Philadelphia Fraternal Order after Mike Pences visit to the city.

McNesby didnt have anything credible to say about their presence. But I do remember something said in one of our accounts by Brian Levin, a former New York City police officer and director of the Center for Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University-San Bernardino:

At a time when police-community relations are particularly strained, its bewildering that anyone associated with law enforcement would want to be in the same room with these folks, he said.

Heres what we need to come to terms with, and fast: Many of those sworn to uphold and defend our laws are these folks.

Nothing to see or smell here, just a few bad apples.
The now 16 year olds - Andrew Jordan, Jack Beirne and Mark Rogers (pictured) from Scoil Mhuire in Strokestown, county Roscommon - combined their love of agricultural machinery with their Transition Year Enterprise Programme.

Three TY students, one who survived childhood cancer, have raised over 40,000 for a cancer charity close to their heart by restoring a vintage tractor which was raffled off last week.

It is to fundraise for Childhood Cancer Foundation Ireland, a charity close to their hearts.

The now 16 year olds - Andrew Jordan, Jack Beirne and Mark Rogers from Scoil Mhuire in Strokestown - combined their love of agricultural machinery with their Transition Year Enterprise Programme.

Mark said, our best friend and team member Jack overcame cancer as a child so we decided it would be great if we could help support children and teenagers who are going through cancer and hopefully they will be busy at projects like our friend Jack when they come out the other side.

Jack, who is now cancer free, remembers long days on the ward in Our Ladys Childrens Hospital, Crumlin, now CHI Crumlin.

He said, When I was three my mother took me to our GP because I was very pale, only to discover that I had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL).

Expand Close The three 16 year olds are in Transition Year and they chose Childhood Cancer Foundation Ireland as the beneficiary because one of the team, Jack, was diagnosed with childhood leukaemia when he was three years old. / Facebook

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Whatsapp The three 16 year olds are in Transition Year and they chose Childhood Cancer Foundation Ireland as the beneficiary because one of the team, Jack, was diagnosed with childhood leukaemia when he was three years old.

I spent three and a half years going up and down to Our Ladys Childrens Hospital Crumlin for chemotherapy and to say that life was not what every child would wish for during those years is an understatement.

However, with all the love, support and help of both the medical professionals and most importantly my family, friends and community, I am one of the lucky ones. I am now cancer free and have been discharged from all medical services for the last few years.

The trio made have used the latest public health restrictions to restore the 1956 Ferguson 20 tractor.

They stripped it down to its bare chassis, sandblasted every inch restoring each original part, sourced parts as well as preparing to respray it.

To raise funds for the charity, they are raffling the fully restored vintage tractor on the 8th January next.

Andrew said the idea for their enterprise project came to them as they chatted, around our kitchen table. We all loved driving tractors this summer and we thought we could actually make money and have the craic returning a vintage tractor to its former glory.

We sourced the old Ferguson 20 and towed it home to the shed. We have spent every spare hour doing this for the five weeks. It has been both a labour of love and very frustrating, but we are committed and will work to the finish.

The enterprise module encourages Transition Year students to develop their own business ideas  preparing business plans and creating products or running events with a view to making a profit.

Jack said, I remember the long days that we would spend in the day ward in Crumlin and my parents trying to keep me busy and play with me while I waited to go down to theatre for my chemo.

Now, thanks to Childhood Cancer Foundation Ireland, there is a Play Specialist on St. Johns Day Ward, helping children cope with the worries of feeling unwell, being away from home in strange surroundings and being continually poked and prodded by strangers, he added.

Scoil Mhuire Principal Eamonn Corrigan said, "it is a fantastic idea and great credit to the three students involved. With the time effort and commitment, they have given to this project I have no doubt it will be a great success. The school would like to congratulate the three lads on this wonderful project.

Laura Cullinan, a voluntary director with Childhood Cancer Foundation Ireland and a parent of a child who has also survived childhood cancer, said, children with cancer display incredible bravery while enduring harsh chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments.

It is always heart-warming to see children and young adults like Jack, who have completed their own harrowing battle with childhood cancer and who then devote time and energy to helping others who unfortunately have to follow in their footsteps.

She said every donation will assist us to continue to fund our projects at Crumlin hospital and other shared care hospitals around Ireland.

Tickets can be got at www.facebook.com/AClassic4KidsCancer

Hyderabad: Bharat Biotech said on Wednesday that it has successfully air-shipped its Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin to 11 cities in India in the early hours and that it has donated 16.5 lakh doses to the centre.

The company also expressed its deepest gratitude to the nation, all clinical trial volunteers and its partners for making this a successful and milestone public-private partnership for the development of India's first Covid-19 vaccine, a press release said.

Covid-19 vaccine

After having received the government purchase order for 55 lakh doses, Bharat Biotech shipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses) to Gannavaram (Vijayawada), Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bangalore, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai and Lucknow.

The inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) biocontainment facility, one of its kind in the world.
Preparations for rolling out coronavirus vaccinations nationwide are underway. During a press conference on Jan. 7 when Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared another state of emergency for Tokyo and three other prefectures, he said that vaccination is a "trump card in the measures against infections." Administering vaccinations is a big project for the country, with 50 million people prioritized to receive inoculation, but local governments - who will play a leading role - are growing concerned.

Speeding up coordination

The Japanese government has reached agreements with three foreign pharmaceutical companies to supply a combined total of 145 million doses of coronavirus vaccines. The vaccine developed by U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. could be approved as early as February.

Municipal governments - cities, wards, towns and villages - in charge of implementing vaccination programs for high-risk groups of people aged 65 and older and those aged 20 to 64 with underlying medical conditions, are busy preparing.

The city government of Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture, has established a team in charge of coronavirus vaccinations within its Section on Disease Measures and had assigned 10 officials as of Jan. 12. The team will accelerate its efforts to develop relevant systems, issue coupons to those eligible to receive the inoculation and coordinate with local medical institutions.

Vaccinations are expected to be carried out at local medical institutions, community centers and so forth, and the city government is considering such methods as having people who want to be inoculated bring their coupons to the designated location. Doctors and nurses will be needed not only for vaccinations but also for medical examinations through interviews and dealing with side effects and other contingencies. As it remains unclear how many doses will be delivered and when, the Sagamihara city government has been unable to decide on how many locations to prepare. With its over-65 population totaling 190,000, it will need to review its plan if the supply falls short.

The health ministry has received inquiries from across the country. But the ministry itself is waiting for pharmaceutical companies to make contact. Eiji Yakuwa, head of the Section on Disease Measures at the Sagamihara government, complained, "We can understand the circumstances the central government is facing, but without relevant information, we at the local government are working helter-skelter." An official in charge at the central government said, "We can only ask them [the local governments] to prepare for vaccinations with whatever information is available now, while extending our support."

Regarding the vaccinations, in an emergency proposal made on Jan. 9, the National Governors' Association asked the central government to swiftly clarify any information concerning side effects and groups of people who have priority, and to promptly share information with local governments and other entities administering the vaccines.

In foreign countries, there have been reports of serious allergic symptoms following vaccination. During an online meeting of governors on Jan. 9, Aomori Gov. Shingo Mimura said that, in terms of responding to inquiries about side effects, "it is difficult to develop a relevant system with so little information available," strongly urging the central government to take necessary measures.

Local healthcare holds key

The central government has included a combined total of 600 billion yen in reserve funds and the third supplementary budget for fiscal 2020 to bear the cost of vaccinations and the expense of developing relevant systems. Vaccinations will start from late February. The first group to be inoculated will be 10,000 frontline healthcare workers including doctors and nurses, followed by 4 million healthcare workers other than doctors and nurses.

The peak for local governments will come in late March and later when the vaccines are given to over 65s, who number 36 million in all. The ministry released a roughly 40-page manual on vaccinations for local governments in December. It has also held online briefing sessions, with officials in charge at pharmaceutical companies explaining in detail how to manage and store the vaccines.

The vaccine developed by Pfizer is to be stored at minus 70 C or lower. It is expected to be delivered in batches of 1,000 doses and they need to be administered within five days after they are unfrozen. The health ministry will secure 10,000 freezers for the Pfizer vaccines alone, and distribute more than one freezer to each municipality across the country, in proportion to population.

If there is a large number of people to be inoculated at one location, few vaccines will be wasted. When a lot of people gather at one location, however, it may become crowded. As citizens are not obliged to be inoculated, it will be difficult to forecast the number of people who will go. There are also fears of a situation whereby doses are delivered in smaller lots or their production is delayed.

Local bodies related to health care hold the key to success. Preparations have to be made even when the spread of infections shows no signs of slowing, which makes the burden of dealing with the virus heavier. Minoru Hosoda, 66, chairman of the Sagamihara Medical Association, said, "Doctors fear that getting involved in coronavirus-related medical services will cause their routine patients to decrease." But the association is poised to extend its full support to the task, saying that it is out of the question to not try to protect people's lives.

Koji Wada, a professor at the International University of Health and Welfare who is knowledgeable about public hygiene, said: "It's necessary to plan elaborate scenarios of various situations, such as the supply to local governments falling behind schedule. The central government needs to make detailed explanations, whereas local governments need to aim at making less fallible preparations."

The Victorian health department is ordering anyone who completed hotel quarantine at the Hotel Chancellor in Brisbane to urgently test and isolate after a six-person cluster of the extra-infectious UK strain of the virus emerged yesterday.

The advice, released late Wednesday, says that anyone who quarantined at the hotel on or after December 30 should isolate and contact the coronavirus hotline immediately.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley said there were a number of factors behind the state's hotspot declarations. Credit:Penny Stephens

Travellers had previously been asked to test if they had been in the Local Government Areas of Greater Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan or Ipswich on or after January 2.

The alert came as the Victorian government said it was not ready to make changes to any of the coronavirus red zones it had declared around the country, despite the Commonwealth clearing Sydneys northern beaches area of its hotspot status on Wednesday.

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Chinas Foreign Minister Wang Yi voiced support for Myanmars peace talks with ethnic armed groups and called for faster progress on major Chinese-led infrastructure projects in its Southeast Asian neighbor, statements and reports from the two countries said Tuesday.

Wang, the first foreign minister to visit Myanmar since Nov. 8 elections returned Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy (NLD) to office for a second five-year term, brought donations of COVID-19 medical supplies to Myanmar, his first stop on a tour that also includes Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines.

Chinas top diplomat met with civilian and military leaders, discussing the pace of progress and security of the Myanmar-China corridor, a key part of multi-billion-dollar Beijings Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) of trade-facilitating infrastructure projects, Chinese state media said.

Meeting Monday with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint, Wang conveyed congratulations from the Chinese leadership for her re-election and said Beijing is ready to implement big-ticket projects under the BRI, agreed during a visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping a year earlier.

Viewing the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC) as the flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative, the Chinese foreign minister said China is also willing to speed up the construction of the western, northern, and eastern ends of the CMEC, state TV said in an account of the visit.

Wangs aim is to promote an early implementation of the Kyaukpyu deep-sea port, the China-Myanmar Border Economic Cooperation Zone and the New Yangon City, state-run CGTN reported.

The CMEC, which includes plans for a railway and gas and oil pipelines, bisects the northern part of the country and ends at the $1.3 billion deep-sea port at Kyaukpyu in southern Rakhine state along the coast of the Bay of Bengal.

In the northern part of Rakhine state, near Myanmars border with Bangladesh, fighting between Myanmars military and the rebel Arakan Army (AA) has raged for two years, killing about 300 civilians, injuring more than 600 others, and displacing about 230,000 people.

The two sides in the Rakhine war have maintained a ceasefire since the Nov. 8 elections and held a series of behind-the-scenes contacts.

On Tuesday, Wang and the military commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, held an hour-long discussion mostly focusing on peace issues, a Myanmar spokesman said.

They discussed the current negotiations between the military and the AA to maintain the ceasefire that has been in place since the end of the election, and ways to prevent further armed combat, Major General Zaw Min Tun of the militarys information committee told RFA.

Peace talks role for China?

With a strong interest in stable access to the Indian Ocean from Chinas landlocked southwestern provinces through the corridor, Beijing historically has played a role in dealings between Myanmar's army and ethnic armed groups based in several states along the border.

Now Myanmars second-biggest foreign investor after Singapore, China has clout that could help advance the peace process, according to Pe Than, a member of parliament and a leader of the Arakan National Party (ANP), which represents the interests of the Rakhine people.

China can have influence not only on Rakhine state but also on all of Myanmar, including the ethnic armed groups, in terms of politics, economics and military, said Pe Than.

China can fairly and reasonably pressure, mediate or facilitate the negotiations between the military and AA such that the peace process will be advanced. So we will have peace in our Rakhine state, he said.

Analysts said that Wangs visit to Myanmar shows that getting and keeping BRI projects on track are important to Beijing.

Progress on the Kyaukpyu deep seaport project has stalled even after they updated the project contract. Lots of work is needed for BRI. It is possible that China wants to tell the Myanmar government to prioritize moving forward with these projects, Minh Zaw Oo, executive director of Myanmars Institute of Peace and Security told RFA.

Political analyst Than Soe Naing said Myanmar is of strategic importance for its BRI projects.

China is visiting various countries to see if there are changes in its OBOR projects in the Asia-Pacific region, Than Soe Naing said, using the acronym for former name of the Chinese initiative, One Belt One Road.

So, China is trying to push Myanmar to speed up the OBOR projects, such as the construction of the railway connecting Mandalay and Muse, the economic zone in Rakhine state, and so on.

Wang arrived a day after Myanmars Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group signed an agreement for a railway to connect the Kyaukpyu SEZ to Mandalay in a rail route that will eventually connect Myanmar to Beijing by way of Kunming. railway.

Mainly this project will give China a new outlet to the sea. This rail line will run parallel with an existing gas pipeline and it will be easier for authorities to ensure the security of the pipeline, political analyst Ye Tun told RFA.

Friction over earlier projects

Ye Tun said the railway would connect Kyaukpyus seaport, to economically dynamic and productive regions in China and Myanmar.

Myanmar will earn revenue from the seaport and the rail line. There is also the prospect of many manufacturers from China relocating to Myanmar for easy access to the ocean. This rail line will be a great benefit to the country, Ye Tun said

Chen Hai, Chinas ambassador to Myanmar, said in a statement released by the embassy that the rail line will not only contribute to the development of Myanmars economy and enhance the lives of its people, it will also strengthen the national reconciliation and peace process.

Some groups in Myanmar question the purported economic benefits of the projects.

One of the purposes of feasibility studies are to observe the economic benefits of the projectwhether there will be as much trade or expected usage of the rail line, Khine Win, director of the China-Myanmar relations-focused Sandhi Governance Institute told RFA.

It is important to publish the findings from the studies. The initial studies will show whether they should go on with this project or not. The results should be made available to the public. This project must be beneficial both in the long and short term, he said.

Other Myanmar-China Corridor projects were not without controversy, Tun Kyi, of the Kyaukpyu Rural Development Association, told RFA.

China built the Shwe gas pipeline project, which caused several disputes over farmland confiscation. The Chinese company and Myanmar authorities have not yet resolved these issues, Tun Kyi said.

First and foremost, the study should recognize that individual land ownership and overall development are very low in Rakhine state. If this rail line project goes forward, it will complicate these land issues for sure, said Tun Kyi.

A spokesperson for the ruling NLD said the operators should consider the opinions of those living near the project as much as it considers the long-term development and diplomatic goals of the country.

If many people disapprove of the project, their concerns should be reported to the administrative authorities. The opinions of the people should be taken seriously, said Myo Nyunt.

I believe the ruling government has the capacity to make decisions that cover all grounds.

Reported by Thet Su Aung, Phyu Phyu Khine, and Nay Myo Htun for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Ye Kaung Myint Maung. Written in English by Eugene Whong.
[January 13, 2021] Postmedia Reports First Quarter Results Postmedia Network Canada Corp. ("Postmedia" or the "Company") today released financial information for the three months ended November 30, 2020. "With the effects of the global pandemic continuing to weigh on our communities and our people, our focus remains on the safety of our teams, preserving liquidity, constraining costs, maximizing revenue and pursuing government support," said Andrew MacLeod, President and Chief Executive Officer, Postmedia. Safety of Our People - Where possible, our employees are working from home and we expect that to continue into the spring. At operations where on-site work is required, we are vigilant about strict safety measures and keeping in step with the recommendations of health authorities.

Constraining Costs - In the quarter we realized a 21.4% reduction in operating costs 1 , which includes the impact of initiatives implemented in the quarter that are expected to result in approximately $9 million of net annualized cost savings.

In the quarter we realized a 21.4% reduction in operating costs , which includes the impact of initiatives implemented in the quarter that are expected to result in approximately $9 million of net annualized cost savings. Preserving Liquidity - Cash management, including the impact of cost savings and government assistance, has resulted in an unrestricted cash balance of $47.8 million as at November 30, 2020.

Maximizing Revenue - First quarter revenue was down 25.4% from the prior quarter and was significantly impacted by the pandemic. We have been working to support local business efforts and have added to our digital acquisition team to expand our reach and grow relationships with new small and medium businesses.

Government Support - Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy ("CEWS") of $6.6 million recognized and $14.0 million received during the quarter. First Quarter Operating Results Three quarters into the COVID-19 pandemic, the Company continued to navigate through the pandemic's significant business impacts. Revenue for the quarter was $116.9 million as compared to $156.7 million in the same period in the prior year, representing a decrease of $39.7 million or 25.4%. The revenue decline was primarily due to decreases in print advertising revenue of $20.6 million or 32.1% and digital revenue of $10.7 million or 31.1% with digital advertising revenue down 36.0%. Print circulation revenue declined $6.2 million or 12.4% versus the same period in the prior year. Total operating expenses excluding depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring decreased $35.5 million or 26.3% for the quarter, relative to the same period in the prior year. The decrease was a result of lower compensation expense and newspaper circulation volumes as well as the implementation of various cost reduction initiatives. Included in the decrease of operating expenses is the impact of a compensation expense recovery of $6.6 million related to CEWS, partially offset by a decrease in compensation recovery related to journalism tax credits of $0.9 million. Operating income before depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring of $17.2 million in the quarter represents a decrease of $4.2 million relative to the same period in the prior year. The decrease is due to the decrease in total revenue partially offset by decreases in operating expenses. Included in the operating expense decreases is the impact of the compensation expense recoveries related to CEWS and journalism tax credits. Net earnings in the quarter ended November 30, 2020 was $52.8 million, as compared to a loss of $3.0 million in the same period in the prior year. The change was primarily the result of a non-cash settlement gain related to employee benefit plans of $63.1 million, gains on derivative financial instruments and foreign exchange in the three months ended November 30, 2020, decreases in depreciation, amortization and restructuring expenses partially offset by impairment expense of $13.5 million in the three months ended November 30, 2020, a decrease in operating income depreciation, amortization, impairment, settlement gains and restructuring and an increase in interest expense. COVID-19 Update The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus including travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and social distancing that have caused disruption to businesses resulting in an economic slowdown. The Company is generally exempt from mandates requiring closures of non-essential businesses and therefore has been able to continue operations, however, advertising revenue declines have accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related government measures. On April 11, 2020, the Government of Canada passed CEWS to support employers facing financial hardship as measured by certain revenue declines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. CEWS currently provides a reimbursement of compensation expense to June 2021 provided the applicant has met the applicable criteria, which criteria have been established up to March 13, 2021. During the three months ended November 30, 2020, the Company recognized a recovery of compensation expense of $6.6 million and in total has recognized $46.7 million related to CEWS since the program was announced. As at November 30, 2020, the Company has an amount receivable related to CEWS of $5.6 million. Debt Repayment During the three months ended November 30, 2020, the Company redeemed $3.3 million of first-lien debt on October 1, 2020 and an additional $5.2 million on November 5, 2020, both from the proceeds of assets sales. In addition, the Company redeemed $6.9 million of first-lien debt on November 13, 2020, as required pursuant to the annual excess cash flow requirement pursuant to the first-lien notes indenture. After these aggregate redemptions of $15.4 million, the Company has $83.8 million of first-lien debt outstanding of the original $225.0 million that was issued in October 2016. CAAT Pension Plan On January 29, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with the Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology Pension Plan (the "CAAT Pension Plan"), a multi-employer defined benefit plan, to merge the Company's defined benefit pension plans (the "Postmedia Plans"), with the CAAT Pension Plan. Effective July 1, 2019, the Company received approval from members of the Postmedia Plans and the Company became a participating employer under the CAAT Pension Plan and all members of the Postmedia Plans, as well as members of the Company's defined contribution pension plan, began accruing benefits under the DBplus provisions of the CAAT Pension Plan. On October 8, 2020, the Company received approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario to transfer the Postmedia Plans assets to the CAAT Pension Plan, which was completed in November 2020. On completion of the asset transfer, the CAAT Pension Plan assumed defined benefit obligations of the Postmedia Plans and the Company commenced additional cash funding obligations of $11.0 million related to the transferred Postmedia Plans deficits payable over the next ten years and recognized a non-cash gain on settlement of $63.1 million. Business Transformation Initiatives During the three months ended November 30, 2020, the Company implemented initiatives including those discussed above related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as additional compensation expense reductions, real estate rationalization, production efficiencies and other transformation programs, which are expected to result in approximately $9 million of net annualized cost savings. The Company intends to continue to identify and undertake ongoing cost reduction initiatives in an effort to address revenue declination in the legacy print business. Additional Information Additional information, including financial statements and management's discussion and analysis can be found on the Company's website at www.postmedia.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Note: All dollar amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified. About Postmedia Network Canada Corp. Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (TSX: PNC (News - Alert) .A, PNC.B) is the holding company that owns Postmedia Network Inc., a Canadian newsmedia company representing more than 120 brands across multiple print, online, and mobile platforms. Award-winning journalists and innovative product development teams bring engaging content to millions of people every week whenever and wherever they want it. This exceptional content, reach and scope offers advertisers and marketers compelling solutions to effectively reach target audiences. For more information, visit www.postmedia.com. Forward-Looking Information This news release may include information that is "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company has tried, where possible, to identify such information and statements by using words such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "estimate," "anticipate," "may," "will," "could," "would," "should" and similar expressions and derivations thereof in connection with any discussion of future events, trends or prospects or future operating or financial performance. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company's business, the implementation and results of the Company's transformation initiatives, continued benefits of historical results into future periods, the realization of anticipated cost savings, the completion of asset transfers related to the Company's pension plans, the receipt of anticipated government assistance and the identification and undertaking of ongoing cost savings initiatives. By their nature, forward-looking information and statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: competition from digital and other forms of media; the effect of economic conditions on advertising revenue; the ability of the Company to build out its digital media and online businesses; the failure to maintain current print and online newspaper readership and circulation levels; the realization of anticipated cost savings; possible damage to the reputation of the Company's brands or trademarks; possible labour disruptions; possible environmental liabilities, litigation and pension plan obligations; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the prices of newsprint and other commodities. In addition, we are subject to the risk and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus including travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and social distancing that have caused disruption to businesses resulting in an economic slowdown. We are generally exempt from mandates requiring closures of non-essential businesses and therefore have been able to continue operations however, advertising revenues have declined as a result of COVID-19 pandemic and related government measures. The outbreak of contagious illness such as this can impact our operations in a number of ways including quarantined employees, travel restrictions, temporary closure of our facilities, a decrease in demand for advertising, as well as interruptions to our supply chain, including temporary closure of supplier facilities. Given the high level of uncertainty surrounding the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic it is difficult to reliably estimate its potential impact on the financial condition and results of our business. We are continuing to address the current challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and monitoring these challenges as they evolve so as to minimize this risk however it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flow. For a complete list of our risk factors please refer to the section entitled "Risk Factors" contained in our annual management's discussion and analysis for the years ended August 31, 2020 and 2019. Although the Company bases such information and statements on assumptions believed to be reasonable when made, they are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which the Company operates, may differ materially from any such information and statements in this press release. Given these risks and uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of such information or statements. Other than as required by law, the Company does not undertake, and specifically declines, any obligation to update such information or statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such information or statements. Postmedia Network Canada Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

(UNAUDITED)



(In thousands of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts) For the three months

ended November 30, 2020 2019 Revenues Print advertising 43,532 64,143 Print circulation 44,100 50,327 Digital 24,869 35,586 Other 4,429 6,599 Total revenues 116,930 156,655 Expenses Compensation 36,812 52,283 Newsprint 4,990 7,477 Distribution 24,686 28,906 Production 14,944 20,939 Other operating 18,320 25,672 Operating income before depreciation, amortization, impairment, settlement gain and restructuring 17,178 21,378 Depreciation 2,783 3,011 Amortization 2,555 4,248 Impairment 13,464 - Settlement gain (63,079) - Restructuring 2,935 8,569 Operating income 58,520 5,550 Interest expense 7,826 7,378 Net financing expense related to employee benefit plans 636 610 Gain on disposal of property and equipment and assets held-for-sale (6) (3) (Gain) loss on derivative financial instruments (1,604) 519 Foreign currency exchange (gains) losses (1,157) 46 Earnings (loss) before income taxes 52,825 (3,000) Provision for income taxes - - Net earnings (loss) attributable to equity holders of the Company 52,825 (3,000) Earnings (loss) per share attributable to equity holders of the Company Basic $0.56 $(0.03) Diluted $0.54 $(0.03) Postmedia Network Canada Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

(UNAUDITED) (In thousands of Canadian dollars) As at

November 30, 2020 As at

August 31, 2020 Assets Current Assets Cash 47,752 49,795 Restricted cash - 3,402 Trade and other receivables 67,496 65,548 Assets held-for-sale 18,427 28,229 Inventory 3,021 3,260 Prepaid expenses and other assets 9,228 10,338 Total current assets 145,924 160,572 Non-Current Assets Property and equipment 83,387 90,778 Right of use assets 39,065 40,857 Derivative financial instruments and other assets 4,942 3,338 Intangible assets 37,166 41,334 Total assets 310,484 336,879 Liabilities and Equity Current Liabilities Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 51,373 48,041 Provisions 6,483 6,856 Deferred revenue 24,196 24,369 Current portion of lease obligations 8,025 9,482 Current portion of long-term debt 5,000 20,372 Total current liabilities 95,077 109,120 Non-Current Liabilities Long-term debt 252,107 252,983 Employee benefit obligations and other liabilities 48,962 101,862 Lease obligations 36,597 37,136 Total liabilities 432,743 501,101 Deficiency Capital stock 810,861 810,861 Contributed surplus 16,198 15,925 Deficit (949,318) (991,008) Total deficiency (122,259) (164,222) Total liabilities and deficiency 310,484 336,879 Postmedia Network Canada Corp.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(UNAUDITED) (In thousands of Canadian dollars) For the three months

ended November 30, 2020 2019 Cash Generated (Utilized) by: Operating Activities Net earnings (loss) attributable to equity holders of the Company 52,825 (3,000) Items not affecting cash: Depreciation 2,783 3,011 Amortization 2,555 4,248 Impairment 13,464 - (Gain) loss on derivative financial instruments (1,604) 519 Non-cash interest 5,855 5,358 Gain on disposal of property and equipment and assets held-for-sale (6) (3) Non-cash foreign currency exchange gains (1,124) (51) Share-based compensation plans expense 273 222 Net financing expense relating to employee benefit plans 636 610 Non-cash settlement gain relating to employee benefit plans (63,079) - Employee benefit plan funding in excess of compensation expense (538) (452) Net change in non-cash operating accounts (3,767) (7,714) Cash flows from operating activities 8,273 2,748 Investing Activities Net proceeds from the sale of property and equipment and assets held-for-sale 4,708 33 Purchases of property and equipment (392) (1,122) Purchases of intangible assets (15) (196) Cash flows from (used in) investing activities 4,301 (1,285) Financing activities Net proceeds from issuance of long-term debt - 95,235 Repayment of long-term debt (15,372) (94,761) Restricted cash 3,402 13 Debt issuance costs - (1,710) Lease payments (2,647) (2,158) Cash flow used in financing activities (14,617) (3,381) Net change in cash for the period (2,043) (1,918) Cash at beginning of period 49,795 15,464 Cash at end of period 47,752 13,546 Supplemental disclosure of operating cash flows Interest paid 4,162 3,948 Income taxes paid - - 1 Operating expenses excluding depreciation, amortization and restructuring as adjusted for the impact of the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005690/en/

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A rahui placed on the Omanawa Falls will be lifted tonight.

The Omanawa Falls and Omanawa River were closed almost immediately after the death of a man on Sunday, January 3.

Ngati Hangarau hapu confirmed with Stuff that the rahui is set to be lifted, but people are urged to continue to stay away from the falls.

Hapu spokesman Koro Nicholas told Stuff they know the distressed whanau of the deceased.

It was very unfortunate. We helped them take their loved one away and held a karakia. We put on a rahui and fully closed access to the river."

Tauranga City Council, Ngati Hangarau and Tourism Bay of Plenty extend their sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the man who sadly died at the falls.

This is an immensely sad time for his family and friends as well as the local community, and our most heart-felt sympathy is offered, says Tina Sailsbury, Acting Mayor, Tauranga City Council.

Kaitiaki from Ngati Hangarau will continue to be present at the Falls most days this summer to help care for this special place, as well as educate visitors around the cultural significance of the site and of course the dangers that exist.

Nicholas told Stuff the guardians will stay in place until April when the weather gets colder.

Tourism Bay of Plenty has been working with the travel sector to update, remove or edit online listings about the Falls, including Trip Advisor.

They are also working to educate accommodation providers of the cultural and environmental reasons not to visit the site.

Council, Ngati Hangarau and Tourism Bay of Plenty continue to ask people not to visit the falls and highlight that there are a number of other waterfalls in the Bay people can visit.

-Additional reporting Stuff
Not everyone gave Mr. Pence much credit, arguing that he should hardly be lionized for following the Constitution and maintaining that his deference to the president for nearly four years enabled Mr. Trumps assault on democracy in the first place.

Im glad he didnt break the law, but its kind of hard to call somebody courageous for choosing not to help overthrow our democratic system of government, said Representative Tom Malinowski, Democrat of New Jersey. Hes got to understand that the man hes been working for and defending loyally is almost single-handedly responsible for creating a movement in this country that wants to hang Mike Pence.

The rift between Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence has dominated their final days in office  not least because the vice president has the power under the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office with support of the cabinet. The House voted on Tuesday demanding that Mr. Pence take such action or else it would impeach Mr. Trump.

Mr. Pence sent a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi late Tuesday refusing to act. But Mr. Trump has been nervous enough about it that he finally broke five days of the cold shoulder to invite his vice president to the Oval Office on Monday night to smooth over their split. The official description of the hourlong conversation was good; the unofficial description was nonsubstantive and stilted.

The clash is the third time in 20 years that a departing president and vice president came to conflict in their last days. After Vice President Al Gore lost his presidential campaign in 2000, he had a bitter fight with President Bill Clinton in the Oval Office over who was to blame. Eight years later, just days before leaving office, Vice President Dick Cheney castigated President George W. Bush for refusing to pardon I. Lewis Libby Jr., the vice presidents former chief of staff, for perjury in the C.I.A. leak case.

Mr. Trump came into office with no real understanding of how his predecessors had handled relationships with their running mates. In the early days, when it became clear that there would be no organizational chart or formal decision-making process, Mr. Pence made himself a regular presence in the Oval Office, simply showing up with no agenda, often walking into a policy discussion for which he had received no briefing materials.

He arrived in the West Wing each morning, received an update about when the president was coming down from the residence and then simply stationed himself in the Oval Office for most of the day. He was almost never formally invited to anything and his name was rarely on official meeting manifests. But he was almost always around.
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By Anna J. Park



Korea's IPO market has continued to log substantial growth, as companies that were listed last year saw a 35 percent jump in their capital raised through public offerings.



Over the past few years, about 70 to 80 companies were listed every year on the benchmark KOSPI or tech-heavy KOSDAQ markets, and 2021 is unlikely to be an exception. While some of the year's biggest IPO candidates like SK Bioscience, Krafton and LG Energy Solution have been the focus of media attention, smaller cap companies with exceptional skills and talents are also preparing for their imminent stock market debuts.



Only two weeks into this year more than a dozen companies have already begun or will soon begin the final stages of their IPO procedures in January, such as price discovery through book building and subscription registrations for institutional and retail investors, aiming to be listed in late January or early February.



Leading fintech company Finger goes public in late January



"Finger" is one of the companies awaiting its upcoming debut on the KOSDAQ market slated for Jan. 29. The company's name is a combination of the words "finance" and "manager," showing the firm's vision of becoming a leading fintech company.



Founded nearly 20 years ago as one of the first fintech companies in Korea, Finger is a pioneer in providing platforms for major financial groups' mobile banking applications. The company launched the nation's first smartphone banking app with Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK) back in the early 2010s.



With the company's own original and exceptional technologies in the sector, the firm has maintained a strong partnership with most major commercial and state-run banks in Korea, such as Shinhan, Woori, Hana, NH Nonghyup and IBK, as these financial giants have been outsourcing the building of some of their mobile banking application platforms to the fintech company.



The fintech firm also provides a range of other mobile financing tools, such as blockchain solutions or internet-only banking across borders, as they collaborate with T-Money Pay, Kakao Bank and Line Bank in Taiwan, to name just a few. As of 2019, the firm logged around 60 billion won ($54.6 million) in annual revenue with an operating profit of 4.68 billion won.



"In the end, Finger is a B2C (business to consumer) fintech company that brings digital financial innovations to consumers," the firm's CEO Park Min-soo said during a press conference held earlier this week in Yeouido, which is home to the financial district of Seoul. "The company aims to enhance its corporate brand awareness through the KOSDAQ listing, as it continues to grow into a global fintech provider that brings innovative financial services to the market," he explained.



The government is continuing to pursue financial innovation projects like the MyData business plan  which allows licensed business operators to compile a customer's financial information with a convenient application programming interface (API) at the customer's request  while also aiming to accelerate the country's innovations in digital banking and finance sectors. And Finger hopes to lead the market with its strong corporate networks and fintech expertise built over the past 20 years.



Its offering price band is expected to be determined between 13,000 won ($11.8) to 15,000 won, with its market cap estimated at around 130 billion won by the end of the year. Subscription for stock allotment for retail investors will be held for two days on Jan. 21 to 22 at Daishin Securities.



Global component manufacturer SoluM eyes KOSPI debut in early February



Electronic component maker SoluM is also preparing for its public offering at the country's main stock market in early February.



The firm  split off from Samsung Electro-Mechanics back in 2015  has global competitiveness in manufacturing high-end power modules for TVs and smartphones, tuners and electronic shelf labels (ESLs), as it possesses various cutting-edge and proprietary technologies in the area.



In particular, the firm's ESL business has become one of the world's top three sellers by posting the fastest revenue growth rate. Its customers include major retailers ranging from Lotte Mart and Homeplus here, Loblaws in Canada, Lowe's in the U.S., as well as Rewe and Edeka in Germany.



What is particularly promising about the firm is not just its solid average annual growth of 29 percent from 2017 to 2019, but the proportion of the company's new business that continues to grow, increasing from around 10 percent in 2017 to 56 percent in the third of quarter of 2020. During the first three quarters of last year, the firm posted 812 billion won ($730 million) in revenue with an operating profit of 45.7 billion won.



"The company has recently been displaying rapid revenue growth. The firm plans to maintain the top leading position in the global ESL market in the next three years," CEO Jun Sung-ho said during a press conference on Wednesday, adding that the firm is expected to see around a 250 percent year-on-year increase in its ESL market revenue in 2021.



"The firm's new business sectors, including ESL, solar power, lighting and IoT (Internet of Things), are continuing to lead companywide growth in addition to its traditional strength areas of power board modules for electronics. As the company possesses a gamut of technologies ranging from electronics software, communications, design and platforms, we will continue to add lucrative new portfolios," the CEO said. About two thirds of the firm's employees are R&D staff.



SoluM plans to offer 6.4 million shares, with its initial offering price band set between 13,700 won to 15,500 won. SoluM is slated to have its first day on the main KOSPI on Feb. 2, while local securities firms will receive registrations for stock allotment from retail investors for two days from Jan. 21 to 22. Experts estimate a minimum of 87.7 billion won to be raised with its corporate value estimated at around 582.4 billion won or 637 billion won.


The National Immunisation Day (NID), commonly known as Pulse Polio Immunisation programme, was scheduled for 17 January across India

New Delhi: The National Polio immunisation programme, as part of which children in the age group of 0-5 years are administered polio drops, has been deferred "till further notice" by the Centre citing "unforeseen activities".

The National Immunisation Day (NID), commonly known as Pulse Polio Immunisation programme, was scheduled for January 17 across India.

The Union Health Ministry has communicated the decision to defer the polio immunisation programme to all states through a letter on 9 January.

"This is to inform that due to unforeseen activities, it is decided to postpone the scheduled Polio NID (National Immunisation Day) round from 17 January, 2021 till further notice," according to the letter sent to the Principal Secretary in the Health department of all states.

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Harsh Vardhan had said on 8 January that polio immunisation will be carried out on 17 January.

"We have decided that on 17 January, we are going to have our national immunisation days for polio which will run for two to three days," he had said adding the drive covered aspects like identifying and immunising children left out from vaccination.

The vaccination is very essential to ensure that the nation maintained overall immunity levels against poliovirus, he had said.

The country will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from 16 January in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.

According to the COVID-19 Vaccine Operational Guidelines issued to states for the immunisation drive by the health ministry, the COVID-19 vaccine will be offered first to healthcare workers, and frontline workers and then to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age with associated comorbidities based on evolving pandemic situation.
Soon, theyll be giving out coronavirus vaccine shots at the same place Aaron Judge hits moon shots.

Yankee Stadium in the final stages of work to become a COVID-19 vaccination host location, a team spokesman told NJ Advance Media on Tuesday.

The New York Yankees reached out several months ago to both New York City and New York State to offer Yankee Stadium as a potential vaccination host location, a team spokesman wrote in an email. Ongoing dialogue resulted in a call earlier today from New York City officials to the Yankees organization, and we are currently working with city representatives to finalize details that will enable us to utilize Yankee Stadium as a vaccination site. We are gratified knowing that Yankee Stadium will serve our community in such a vital and meaningful way.

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

Earlier Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Citi Field, the home of the Mets in Queens, would become a 24/7 mega coronavirus vaccination site by Januarys end.

This is going to help so many people to get vaccinated, de Blasio said during a press briefing. We welcome all New Yorkers. We even welcome Yankees fans; theres no discrimination.

On Monday, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said Dodger Stadium would become a vaccination site by the end of the week and would be able to give up to 12,000 shots per day.

The Yankees also opened Yankee Stadium to hosting poll worker training classes before the November election.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the Bronx had the sixth-highest coronavirus death toll among counties in the U.S. at 5,208, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center.

Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Brendan Kuty may be reached at bkuty@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
A loved-up couple claims they can 'no longer do surprises' after travelling to visit each other in different countries on the same day - even passing through the same airport.

Salma Saade had only known her boyfriend Finlay McAfee for five months when he flew more than 500 miles from Edinburgh to Paris for a surprise visit in January 2017.

But unbeknown to Finlay, the loved-up programme officer had also booked a secret flight from Paris to surprise him too - only to arrive in Scotland to find he wasn't home.

It was only when Finlay's flatmate revealed the software engineer had made the same bold gesture that the pair were left stranded in separate cities for the day.

Salma has now revealed that four years on, the couple still find it impossible to surprise each other as they both have the same grand plans.

A loved-up couple claims they can 'no longer do surprises' after travelling to visit each other in different countries on the same day - even passing through the same airport. Pictured: Salma Saade and her boyfriend Finlay McAfee

Salma Saade had only known her boyfriend Finlay McAfee for five months when he flew more than 500 miles from Edinburgh to Paris for a surprise visit in January 2017. She messaged his housemate (left) when she landed, only to find out he was in Paris. She tried to stop her boyfriend from travelling, but was too late

Taking to Twitter today, Salma said: 'Happy four-year anniversary to when I flew to Edinburgh to surprise Finlay and he flew to Paris to surprise me and this is why we don't do surprises anymore.'

Salma, who is now based in Hackney, east London, shared pictures of the moment Finlay's flatmate revealed he had 'flown to Paris to do the same thing' before her boyfriend appealed for things to do alone in his 12-hours in the City of Love.

She also shared a selfie taken by her beau, standing alone in front of the Arc de Triomphe to see if any of his Facebook friends are there.

Selma first text Finlay's housemate to ask: ''Hey Adam, do you know if Finlay's in the flat by any chance?'

Salma, (left) who is now based in Hackney, east London, shared pictures of the moment Finlay's flatmate revealed he had 'flown to Paris to do the same thing' before her boyfriend appealed for things to do alone in his 12-hours in the City of Love (right)

After posting on social media, the hilarious text message screenshots attracted more than 69,000 retweets - with commenters claiming their relationshi p is like the plot of a rom-com

Finlay himself replied adding: 'Turns out we were in Edinburgh Airport at the same time going in opposite directions

Salma's conservation with Adam The text exchange reads: [Salma] 'Hey Adam, do you know if Finlay's in the flat by any chance? 'I'm back a day early and wanting to surprise him.' [Adam] 'Lmao he just flew to Paris, like to do the same thing. Like literally.' [Salma] 'No he didn't.' [Adam] 'Only Fin. Yes he did.' [Salma] 'No no, [your] kidding pls.' [Adam] 'No,' Advertisement

Adam replied saying: 'He just flew to Paris, like to do the same thing. Like literally' before Salma quickly tried to stop her boyfriend's journey, only for him to reveal he'd just landed in the French capital.

After posting on social media, the hilarious text message screenshots attracted more than 69,000 retweets - with commenters claiming their relationship is like the plot of a rom-com.

Finlay himself replied adding: 'Turns out we were in Edinburgh Airport at the same time going in opposite directions.

'This is just beyond words! When's your new romantic dramedy dropping on Netflix?' one person wrote.

'I couldn't even get my (now ex) girlfriend to plan a single date for us and these two are flying around trying to surprise each other,' said another. 'Where the hell do I sign up for that?'

'Your love is killing the planet,' another joked.

'That's rom-com material,' added a third.

'This is the cutest s*** I've ever seen. You're like a rom-com couple come to life,' wrote another.

'Been there and now hubby and I don't dare do that anymore.

'Luckily our distance was shorter. Same country different states,' wrote one.

'You two are clearly soul-mates,' said another.

Some joked it was like scene from Friends, where Ross travels to London to surprise his estranged wife Emily, only for her to do the same and travel to New York.
Former biology teacher Alisa Andrews, from Arkansas, has pleaded guilty to sexual assault after having at least 20 sexual encounters with a 17-year-old student in 2019

A former home school teacher from Arkansas has been sentenced to four months in jail after she admitted to repeatedly sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female student.

Alisa Andrews, 52, on Monday pleaded guilty to sexual assault and was sentenced to jail, followed by 10 years of probation.

Until the fall of 2019, Andrews had taught biology as part of a home school program at Rogers Christian Church.

In September of that year, a pastor at the church contacted the police to report that a parent told him Andrews was in an inappropriate relationship with a student who attended the home school program, according to a probable cause affidavit cited by ArkansasOnline.com.

Police interviewed the 17-year-old girl, who confirmed that she and Andrews were having a sexual relationship.

Andrews had taught biology as part of a home school program at Rogers Christian Church in Arkansas, and also was the director of a youth theater company

Andrews was the victim's biology teacher the semester before they became intimate but was no longer her teacher when the relationship started, according to the documents. The teen was also part of a local youth theater company that was headed by Andrews.

The victim said that Andrews had performed sex acts with her on about 20 occasions over the course of several months.

The girl also said she had made repeated attempts to end the relationship because she knew it was wrong, but Andrews threatened to kill herself, reported KATV.

Andrews was arrested in October 2019 on a charge of first-degree sexual assault.

Andrews will have to serve four months in jail, followed by 10 months of probation

Andrews' victim wrote in her impact statement that she has been left suffering from mental health problems and suicidal thoughts

During the sentencing hearing on Monday, a prosecutor read an victim impact statement from the teenage girl, who described her struggles with mental health problems and suicidal thoughts requiring therapy as a result of Andrews' actions.

'I know now that none of this is my fault, and I want you to know that you have no power over me any more,' the girl wrote. 'I'm no longer the broken girl I was. You don't know anything about the person I am today, and you never will. I hope you know I don't forgive you, and I hope I never do.'

The presiding judge barred Andrews from having any unsupervised contact with minors except her own children.

Following the completion of her sentence, the former teacher will be required to register as a sex offender.
Update: State officials announced that the vaccine will be available to residents of group homes, substance use disorder treatment programs and emergency shelters, as well as prisoners starting Monday. Read more here.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker plans to deliver updates on efforts to administer COVID-19 vaccines in congregate care settings.

Baker is scheduled to hold a news conference at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Massachusetts State House, according to the governors office. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, who leads the COVID-19 Command Center, will join him.

The states vaccination plan lists congregate care settings as part of Phase 1 of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Those settings include prisons and jails, homeless shelters, patients and staff of residential substance use disorder treatment programs, patients and staff of residential mental health treatment programs and residential programs for adults with autism, intellectual disabilities and severe behavioral challenges.

Massachusetts residents prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine started getting their shots in December after Pfizer and Moderna were granted emergency use authorization for their vaccine candidates by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A vaccine could be available to the public as early as April, according to the vaccination plan and federal health officials. But health officials said it would be several months after the nation achieves herd immunity, and face masks will likely be required in Massachusetts until then to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The Bay State continues to see high case numbers after the holidays. State health officials reported 4,906 new cases on Tuesday, as well as 67 more deaths. There are at least to 90,975 active cases in Massachusetts.

Related Content:
The Egyptian parliament Tuesday elected former Chief Justice of the Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) Chancellor Hanafy Ali El Gebali as its new speaker close to President Abdelfattah al-Sisi.

71-year old Gebali obtained 508 votes out of 576 to beat his rivals; Mohamed Salah Abu Hemela, Ahmed Abdel-Hakim Youssef, and Mohamed Madina.

The vote came during the inaugural session of the Egyptian legislature of this year. Mohamed Aboul-Enein and Ahmed Saad Eddine were also elected deputies to the speaker, Ahram online reports.

The session was chaired by Farida Shobashi as the oldest member.

Gebali, nominated to the post by the National List for Egypt, which has the majority of Egypts 2021 parliament with up to 284 seats, held several positions including head of the SCC (2018-2019), Secretary-general for the Union of Arab Constitutional Courts between 2011 and 2018.

The former judge is a graduate from the faculty of Law at Cairo University and Ain Shams University.
If the federal government auctions off Alaskan drilling leases, and no major energy company makes a bid, does it mean the oil is not needed?

If the primary bidder is a state-owned economic development corporation, does it mean its no longer the energy they want, but the jobs?

The answer to both is yes.

The Bureau of Land Managements auction of oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge marks an interesting turning point for the industry. Major corporations are not willing to court public controversy for profits, and the drilling debate is becoming more about job creation than energy independence.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Republicans, Democrats finding common ground to fight climate change

The auction results were damningly disappointing. Congress had mandated drilling in the refuge to help pay for President Donald Trumps debt-accelerating 2017 tax cuts. Advocates promised that wells in ANWR would generate $1 billion a year and decrease the budget deficit.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority was the only bidder on 400,000 acres at the minimum price of $25 an acre. The state-owned economic development organization has never drilled a well.

Two small companies, neither of which produces a significant amount of oil, were the sole bidders on another 75,000 acres. Analysts cannot imagine how they could launch an exploratory drilling program, particularly because major U.S. banks have promised to never finance drilling in the refuge.

The Bureau of Land Management received no bids on about half the tracts on offer. The total cash haul was a measly $14.4 million. Unless the leaseholders can seduce a supermajor oil company to self-finance a multi-billion-dollar drilling campaign that will take a decade to pay off, the refuge remains safe.

Just before Christmas, I explained why leasing inside the refuge was at best a long-shot speculative play and, at worst, a fools errand to appease Trump. While I called on oil companies to boycott the auction, I was just puffing my chest. The economics are all wrong for Arctic drilling and always will be.

The world is awash in oil, with OPEC and its allies holding back 8 million barrels a day to keep prices high. More and more analysts believe demand will never return to pre-pandemic levels as more people work from home.

So why even talk about Arctic oil? Because the existing Alaskan fields are petering out, and thousands of Alaskans rely on the oil patch for work. Unless someone drills more wells, a lot of people will lose their jobs in a place where there are few alternatives.

The other problem is the industrys unpopularity. Commuters are not excited to try out the latest gasoline formulation. No one buys more than one British Thermal Unit of natural gas than they need. For a century, people have spent trillions on petroleum, not because we want to, but because we had no choice.

When I drive my Chevy Bolt, I do not miss visiting the gas station. As electric vehicles gain wider acceptance, and governments take stronger action on climate change, fewer people will have to buy oil. So now, lobbyists argue politicians must support the industry to preserve jobs and boost the economy.

The Texas oil and natural gas industry continues to contribute tremendously to state and local tax coffers, while fortifying our energy security and leading the way in innovation and investment that is advancing environmental progress, Texas Oil and Gas Association President Todd Staples declared on Monday. The ongoing recovery of the oil and natural gas industry is essential to the states continuing economic improvement.

The COVID-19 oil price collapse presages a dark future for oil and gas. The Petroleum Equipment & Services Association, citing federal data, reports oilfield services shed 14 percent of its workforce, or 55,710 jobs, when the economy shutdown.

The jobs lost represent annual wages of approximately $10.6 billion, the groups report said. Job losses were heaviest among companies providing support services for oil and gas extraction.

TOMLINSONS TAKE: Texas grid marks beginning of the end for fossil fuel electricity

The appeal to place jobs over the environment is an old one. I remember timber groups arguing we needed to cut old-growth forests in the 1990s to keep lumberjacks in the Pacific-Northwest working. Others say we need to build coal-fired powerplants to keep miners earning wages.

The shift in messaging reflects growing desperation, but its also a betrayal of working-class men and women who should be looking for jobs in the industries of the future, not of the past.

As we step up efforts to mitigate climate change, we cannot forget the 638,732 people who provide oil field services. If we do not help them make the energy transition, they will do everything possible to stop it.

Chris Tomlinson writes commentary about business, economics and policy.

twitter.com/cltomlinson

chris.tomlinson@chron.com
The Timor-Lester official congratulated Vietnam on its success in the 2020 ASEAN Chairmanship, especially the signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), and thanked the country for promoting the organisation of two teleconferences between representatives of the ASEAN Communitys economic and socio-cultural pillars and her country last year.

She emphasised that Timor-Lester views joining ASEAN as one of the top priorities in its foreign policy.

The minister also appreciated Vietnams assistance when her country faced difficulties, including exporting rice to help Timor-Leste ensure domestic food security.

For his part, Deputy PM Minh expressed his delight at the growth in bilateral trade despite the COVID-19 pandemics impact on the global economy, affirming that Vietnam is ready to assist and cooperate with Timor-Leste in the areas the latter has demand in such as agriculture, fisheries, and oil and gas.

The two sides should set up and implement mechanisms and concrete measures to tap into the huge cooperation potential, he suggested.

He asked Timor-Leste to soon ratify the bilateral trade agreement inked in 2013; sign a bilateral investment protection agreement and another on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders; facilitate operations of Vietnamese enterprises in Timor-Leste, including Viettel Telemor; and deal with emerging issues in line with laws and the spirit of the two countries sound cooperation.

The officials agreed to promote the two foreign ministries role in strengthening multifaceted cooperation and soon establish a joint committee for bilateral cooperation to create a framework for fostering ties in the fields matching their countries potential and demand like agriculture, fisheries, textile - garment, consumer goods, industrial machinery, electrical devices, and oil and gas.

They also concurred in working together to effectively implement the 2015 deal on cooperation in rice trading and create favourable conditions for Timor-Leste students to study in Vietnam.

Vietnam and Timor-Leste will continue with cooperation and mutual support at regional and international organisations and forums, especially the United Nations, they added.

Deputy PM and FM Minh welcomed and voiced support for Timor-Lestes aspiration for becoming a member of ASEAN.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 03:46:15|Editor: huaxia

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COPENHAGEN, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Despite an encouraging fall in daily positive cases of COVID-19, concerns over the highly contagious B117 mutation of the coronavirus are the catalyst behind the decision to extend all current restrictions in Denmark, Minister for Health and Senior Citizens Magnus Heunicke said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

"The spread of the B117 variant in Denmark means that one can expect more admissions to hospitals, even if the infection rates fall locally. It is therefore necessary to extend the current restrictions by three weeks," said Heunicke.

A total of 208 cases of the B117 mutation have so far been found in Denmark, he said.

"This means that the ban on assemblies of more than five people continues to apply and that liberal professions are closed. Schools also. Social gatherings must be limited as much as possible, we are in a race against time," the minister added.

The current restrictions were originally set to run until Jan. 17 but will now remain in force until Feb. 7.

"We have the opportunity to win the race against coronavirus. Not all countries in Europe will be able to do this, but Denmark has the opportunity to do so," he said.

Essential services like grocery stores and pharmacies are exempt from the restrictions.

Restrictions on entry into Denmark have also been extended, Minister of Justice Nick Haekkerup told the same press conference.

The daily positive test tally has declined to 1,358, but the daily death count remained relatively static at 37, according to the Statens Serum Institut (SSI).

To date, the SSI has registered 185,159 COVID-19 cases and 1,660 deaths in Denmark.

As the world is struggling to contain the pandemic, vaccination is underway in some countries with the already-authorized coronavirus vaccines.

Meanwhile, 236 candidate vaccines are still being developed worldwide -- 63 of them in clinical trials -- in countries including Germany, China, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to information released by the World Health Organization (WHO) on Jan. 12. Enditem
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Accidental awareness occurs when a patient is temporarily conscious during a general anaesthetic and can remember things that happened during surgery, perhaps feeling pain or being unable to move. More commonly however, awareness occurs during the transition at the very start or end of a general anaesthetic (i.e. before and after surgery), as the patient is going to sleep or waking up. Although accidental awareness during general anaesthesia is rare, and the experiences usually only lasted for a few seconds or minutes, the complication remains an important concern for both patients and anaesthetists.

A new study published in Anaesthesia (a journal of the Association of Anaesthetists), shows that 1 in 256 women undergoing pregnancy-related surgery, including caesarean section, under general anaesthesia experienced awarenessa figure much higher than reported before. A national audit into accidental awareness (NAP5) in 2014 indicated that approximately 1 in every 19,000 patients undergoing general anaesthesia spontaneously reported accidental awareness to medical staff. Although this incidence varied for different types of surgery and patient subgroups, the infrequency of reports was reassuring.

This new research was driven by the suggestion from NAP5 that women having caesarean section, or other surgery at childbirth, may have a higher incidence of awareness. The researchers studied over 3,000 women having general anaesthesia for obstetric procedures in 72 NHS hospitals in England and found 12 reports of awareness: seven (58%) patients were distressed and five (42%) felt paralysed (that they were unable to move, which may occur due to the common use of drugs to relax muscles during general anaesthesia for pregnant women). Two women (17%) felt paralysis with pain. Other sensations included tugging, stitching, feelings of dissociation and being unable to breathe. Longer term psychological harm often included features of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Peter Odor, Project Lead and Consultant Anaesthetist at University College Hospital in London, explained: "This research is patient-focussed throughout. We identified a complex range of risk factors for awareness, including drug types and variations in practice. Although the incidence of awareness during caesarean section is much higher than that in the general surgical population, it is important to emphasise that general anaesthesia remains safe and around half the patients that experienced awareness did not find it distressing. Although we have provided many answers, questions remain as to exactly why awareness is more common in pregnant women; our next steps are to apply the lessons learned from this study to help reduce risk in the future."

Co-author Dr. Jaideep Pandit, Professor of Anaesthesia at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK, and lead author of the previous NAP5 study commented: "This project takes forward previous research findings. The issue of consent is especially important, as the incidence we find is similar to that for other complications which we would normally warn patients about."

Dr. Nuala Lucas, co-author and Consultant Obstetric Anaesthetist at Northwick Park Hospital, London, UK, adds: "This is the biggest ever study of this complication in women and has been able to contribute to our understanding of the condition. We found an association with certain anaesthetic drugs (thiopentone) and muscle relaxants. Factors such as emergency operations out-of-hours (late at night) were also associated with awareness."Co-author Jackie Andrade, Professor of Psychology at the University of Plymouth, commented: "Post-traumatic stress disorder typically develops when an event is perceived as life threatening and uncontrollable. Providing an explanation of what happened and high-quality support after an episode of accidental awareness during general anaesthesia can help reduce its psychological impact."

Dr. Chris Elton, President of the Obstetric Anaesthetists Association and based at Leicester Royal Infirmary, UK, says: "This research sheds light on this extremely important issue for women undergoing general anaesthesia for caesarean section and anaesthetists providing it. Pregnant women undergoing general anaesthesia deserve high-quality information for the consent process and the highest standards of anaesthesia. This work will prompt further research and illustrates the urgent need for evidence-based guidelines in this areathe Obstetric Anaesthetists' Association in conjunction with the Association of Anaesthetists have already started work on this. General anaesthesia is infrequently performed in obstetrics, and this complication is rare. Women who have concerns about this issue should contact their obstetric centre for information and support."

Dr. Tim Meek of the Association of Anaesthetists and Consultant Anaesthetist at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, UK, said: "This research highlights an area in urgent need of evidence-based guidance to help anaesthetists select the safest anaesthesia for pregnant women. We have a long history of collaborating with the Obstetric Anaesthetists Association to produce internationally respected guidelines and we are looking forward to completing this new work."

Notes for editors

This study took place from May 2017 to August 2018, and analysed 3115 consenting patients receiving general anaesthesia for obstetric surgery in 72 hospitals in England. Patients answered three standardised questionnaires over 30 days, with responses indicating memories during general anaesthesia subsequently verified using detailed interviews and investigations into the circumstances of each awareness episode.

Accidental awareness occurred during the beginning (induction) and end (emergence) of general anaesthesia in nine (75%) of the 12 patients that reported awareness. Factors associated with accidental awareness during general anaesthesia were high (overweight) body mass index (BMI) (25-30 kg/m2); low (underweight) BMI (<18.5 kg/m2); out-of-hours surgery; and use of ketamine or thiopental for induction.

Regarding out-of-hours surgery, 10 of 12 patients with awareness (83%) underwent surgery during the night shift (20:00-07:59H), a far greater proportion compared with the non-awareness cohort in which only 1373 (44%) of patients had surgery at night.

Analysis of symptom clusters suggestive of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at 30 days after surgery found that women with awareness were far more likely to meet criteria for PTSD than women who had obstetric surgery under general anaesthesia, but with no awareness. In total, four of the twelve women with awareness (33%), reported PTSD. All women with awareness were followed up for a year after surgery and received support, debriefing and psychological services in accordance with best practice recommendations.

The over-representation of the drug thiopentone to induce anaesthesia in the awareness cases is striking, say the authors. "Our data suggests that, compared with propofol, the risk of awareness is increased four-fold when thiopentone is used for induction of anaesthesia and 26-fold when ketamine is used. It has recently been suggested that, based on brain recordings, propofol induction maintains deeper anaesthesia than thiopental in pregnant women, so there may be a pharmacological basis to our observations. Regardless, it would now seem prudent to have a specific justification for the use of thiopentone or ketamine as induction agents in obstetrics, rather than consider these agents as default choices."

The authors also consider a range of other possible explanations for the findings. "Apart from practice issues, other factors could be contributing to the cases of awareness in obstetrics. Childbirth is a time of heightened attention to surrounding events, such that brief episodes of awareness may be magnified in recall, as are other details of the birthing experience," they explain. "Another possibility is that the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy influence memory, recall or even sensitivity to general anaesthesia and increase the likelihood of awareness."

It is anticipated that the results of this project will lead to changes in the practice of individual anaesthetists, their training and hospital support systems both nationally and internationally.

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During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, even the most lauded professionals in the local restaurant community have felt the impact.

Take Kat Hunter, the popular and well regarded bartender at Bourbon, who has won competitions on her own and helped lead the Main Street cocktail hub to be regarded as one of the Souths best whiskey bars (as it was hailed in 2017, 2019 and 2020 by The Bourbon Review).

With the bar closed from March through September, she found herself in a tenuous position. During the hiatus, she even applied for other jobs away from the cocktails scene.

I wondered what the industry was going to look like, she said. I was frightened for everyone in the industry and I just wondered if it was a sign for me if I needed to switch.

Hunter recalled applying for unemployment and helping her coworkers do the same, noting the fear in their voices. Ultimately, Hunter didnt leave, and neither did many of the restaurant's employees, said co-owner Eric Duncan.

Theres an art about it, she said of the pull that kept her in craft bartending. Theres beauty in it.

Her fear and uncertainty is justified, and far from uncommon.

At the onset of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, warnings arose that a third of Americas restaurants could close. What remained after may never look the same, other predictions said.

Hundreds of thousands of food and drink workers have lost their jobs  including another 372,000 in December, per a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But as with Bourbon, turnover remains less common at independent upscale and fine dining establishments.

Though hampered by the present pandemic, these businesses offer competitive wages, a chance to work at a place that can credibly stake a claim as being the best at something, and greater flexibility as far as scheduling and hours.

People are working for more than a paycheck in these organizations, said University of South Carolina hospitality professor Drew Martin, who co-authored a study on the variables of long term employee retention in fine dining restaurants in 2019. Thats really ideal. Because, if theres more than a financial incentive to stay with a job, people are really tied up in the success of the business.

According to statistics cited in that study, the hospitality industry overall averages 73 percent turnover  50 percent higher than all other private sectors  but that figure drops to 25 percent turnover rate in fine dining with typical employees working there six years, higher than the national average for any industry.

The pandemic has done little to change this in Columbia. Even with the dire projections and almost no offered incentives to stick around, local fine dining owners shared that they returned the bulk of their staffs upon reopening.

At Vistas mainstay upscale restaurant Motor Supply Co. Bistro, owner Eddie Wales said that the majority of his full-time staff returned. Most of his employee losses stemmed from those with health concerns, he explained.

Im really proud of my core group of managers and staff that stuck with us the whole time, he said, citing the work culture at the restaurant. These are people that were with us when we did three weeks of takeout only  Everyone who wanted to come back came back.

Wales didnt offer any incentives to keep his employees during the restaurants roughly eight week closure, but that did little to deter server Mike Blizzard, who has been at Motor Supply for almost six years. As a longtime server and bartender in various types of places, from moderate upscale restaurants to college bars and dives, he originally viewed his move to Motor as making the most career sense.

When he was laid off during the COVID-19 pandemic, he put little thought towards leaving  though he admitted his once stalwart faith in the longevity of the industry was shaken. Blizzard said Wales assured the employees the business future was stable, as was his position. A 401k program continued to be a draw, too.

I knew I was one of the core people there, he said. [The thought of leaving] never really crossed my mind.

Why would he leave, he reasoned. Blizzard said he has numerous regulars who specifically request him, and he has a genuine attachment to the job. And when he did return, Wales had a small bonus waiting for those who came back.

When it's good it's good. It can be very satisfying seeing people out for the night and having a good time and laughing, Blizzard explained. I feel fortunate I get to be involved in peoples happiness.

USC professor Martins study looked at two upscale Columbia restaurants  Blue Marlin and Villa Tronco  for its findings. It cautions it has a small sample size, but the findings were still striking.

He and his coauthors interviewed several long-tenured employees to find overlaps in why they stayed so long.

People felt like they were compensated fairly. There were other variables that were also important besides the compensation, Martin explained, noting flexibility on the part of managers, with employees given free reign to try new things. I guess they just felt like the way they were treated was really critical.

People really felt like they were part of something big and important. That instilled some pride in the job.

Many employees who participated in the study said they would only leave for a job with a significant pay bump or to pursue their dream job. Even then, they said they wouldn't leave outright, but would transition to part time, wanting to remain a part of the workplace, Martin explained.

More primary was how the job fit into their overall lifestyle. There was some security, I guess, he said. They felt secure in their relationships with the (owners) and they looked at this relationship as kind of a two-way street, where they were mutually supporting each other for the greater good.

Ensuring that a core group of employees sticks around is paramount in fine dining, explained Steve Cook, owner of the swank Five Points restaurant Saludas. He pointed to the establishments chef and five-person kitchen staff as an example: Lose that core, and youre left having to build a whole new team without compromising the restaurants identity or level of quality.

Having a static staff that stays together is everything. Thats the sort of fine edge that I think you have to walk, or it can fall quickly, he explained. With COVID thats why it was so important to bring these folks back.

Cook kept his restaurants managers on payroll through the restaurants roughly seven-week to-go-only phase before it resumed outdoor dining in May, and gave his employees a raise upon their return, he said. Still, he was uncertain how things would shake out with getting employees to come back.

Basically my thought process was, nobody knew what the hell was going to happen, how long it was going to last, he said.

But it worked out: Only three employees didnt return upon Saludas reopening, Cook reported.

Bourbon didnt incentivize employees to stick around, instead focusing on helping them get on unemployment. Duncan, the co-owner, said that was to ensure the long term financial viability of the business and thus their jobs.

He feels that has been done, and he noted that the people that have moved on did so to switch careers.

Like many, Duncan feels the pandemic has shaken the industry and altered its long-term outlook. As part of that, he believes that long-brewing changes like a raise in the federal minimum wage are more sure to come, making the service industry more appealing for workers when COVID-19 is in the rearview.

Youll have more careers in the industry moving forward, he concluded. I think youre going to get more retention and more serious people in the industry.
Vaccines and fresh economic stimulus promised by US President-elect Joe Biden will give the global economy a chance to put the coronavirus pandemic behind it in 2021, policymakers and industry leaders say.

Their optimism voiced at a Reuters conference came despite a resurgence in COVID-19 cases that has prompted the World Bank to downgrade its growth forecast for year and warn that delays in vaccination programmes could pinch recovery even further.

The fight against the pandemic has entered a critical stage as countries around the world roll out vaccination campaigns. Credit:AP

The head of German engineering giant Siemens said China is currently driving the world economy but was optimistic about recovery in the United States, where Biden has promised a faster roll-out of vaccines and more economic stimulus.

"In the US ... they are holding all the cards and if they put the money to work in a wise way, there is going to be a very, very, strong second half of 2021 and especially 2022," Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser told the digital forum.

By Howard Schneider WASHINGTON (Reuters) - One U.S. Federal Reserve official says there is now a "clearer focus" about the economy's path forward and a horizon for a fuller recovery. Another says the pandemic's "endgame" is here. A third predicts 2021 will prove "impressive." After a catastrophic spell when economic conditions were so confounded by the coronavirus that the Fed stopped making projections altogether, U.S. central bankers now like what they see. Even as they concede the riots by supporters of President Donald Trump that shut ...
General Motors Co. is doubling down on its push into electric vehicles with new luxury and commercial models designed to tap what it expects will be fast-growing demand for battery-powered transportation.

The automaker said its creating a wholly-owned company called BrightDrop that not only supplies battery-powered vans but also offers fleet-management services. GM also previewed several upscale models for well-heeled retail buyers.

Global EV market penetration stands at around 3%," Mary Barra, GMs chief executive officer, said in a Tuesday speech at CES, which used to be called the Consumer Electronics Show. We believe that is all about to change."

GM has sought to align itself with a move into EVs that has excited Wall Street analysts and led investors in recent months to make huge bets on next-generation automotive technology ranging from lasers for self-driving cars to electric-vehicle startups.

The companys shares pared a gain of as much as 8.8% -- an intraday record -- to trade up 6.4% to $47.89 as of 2:15 p.m. in New York.

Showcasing EV Concepts

GM showed two futuristic Cadillac EV concepts and gave a peek at multiple vehicles from other brands in its CES presentation, including a red Chevrolet battery-powered pickup that is more of a work truck than the electric Hummer that goes on sale later this year.

These models are part of the carmakers pledge to spend $27 billion on battery-electric and self-driving vehicles and to roll out 30 electric models globally by the end of 2025. GM even updated its corporate logo last week for the first time in almost six decades to better reflect its new focus on electrification.

The commercial-fleet business is the latest salvo in Barras efforts to accelerate GMs development and deployment of electric powertrains. She told CES the world has hit an inflection point and the time is right for buyers to switch to electrics.

BrightDrop -- whose customers will include FedEx Corp. -- plans to sell electric pallet movers this year and an electric cargo van next year, GM said in a statement.

We believe in an all-electric future, and we think it will take more than electrification of our consumer vehicles to get there," Pam Fletcher, the companys chief innovation officer, told reporters.

In addition to the Fedex deal, GM has letters of intent from many other shipping companies, Fletcher said.

$850 Billion Market

BrightDrop will offer software and services to enable fleet customers to track goods and vehicles and also plan shipping routes. GM estimates the market for delivery of food and packages and related logistics in the U.S. could be as big as $850 billion by 2025.

Sales of an enclosed cargo pallet known as EP1 and capable of carrying 200 pounds of goods will begin this quarter. GM said the vehicle can be used to move items around a warehouse or from a truck to the front door of a package recipient.

Early next year the automaker plans to launch the electric van, which can travel as far as 250 miles on a single charge and will be dubbed the EV600 -- a play on the vehicles 600 cubic feet of cargo space.

The van is bigger than Ford Motor Co.s planned E-Transit and has twice the range, said Guidehouse Insights analyst Sam Abuelsamid.

The new business unit will be led by Travis Katz, who came from online travel company Skyscanner and before that, Trip.com, where he was CEO and co-founder.

A Bigger Bolt

During GMs CES presentation, Mike Simcoe, head of global design, previewed the two space-age concepts from Cadillac. One is a small self-driving, vertical-takeoff aircraft that runs on electric power and the other is an urban shuttle that resembles a living room on wheels. Like the EP1 and EV600, both also would run on the automakers own Ultium battery pack. GM did not say if it will build either one.

Simcoe said GM will start selling a more practical and freshened Chevy Bolt EV compact hatuchback and a slightly larger version of the model -- called the Bolt EUV -- this summer. He also said the automaker will add three new plug-in SUVs to its Buick lineup in China.

GMs design team also showed off the Celestiq, an ultra-luxury battery-powered car. It will have a glass roof with four panels that allows each passenger select a different level of shading from outside light.





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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Gov. Gavin Newsom watches as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is prepared by Director of Inpatient Pharmacy David Cheng at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center in LA on Dec. 14, 2020. (Jae C. Hong-Pool/Getty Images)

Doctor Questions Orange Countys Approach to Assuaging Vaccine Fears

The Orange County Board of Supervisors (OCBS) has hired a public relations firm to help ease the publics COVID-19 vaccination concerns, but the move is not sitting well with everyone.

When you have to persuade, through public relations, to accept a vaccination, it brings up a question about public health: Since when should public health be in the public relations business? Dr. Jeff Barke, who treats COVID-19 patients daily, told The Epoch Times.

Public health should be providing the public with science and data and broad scientific and health recommendations. We should not be turning the public health department into an infomercial-type publicity machine.

Orange County supervisors approved the hiring of Idea Hall public relations firm in a 31 vote Jan. 12 in an effort to help officials with a mass vaccination effort.

Supervisor Don Wagner, who opposed the contract, said he wanted to wait at least until a detailed budget was released for the project. He also made the case that the countys public information officers could do the public relations work at no extra cost.

Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, however, said the time to hire the firm is now. County officials are already stretched thin and need extra help, she said.

The motion passed as Orange County officials prepared to launch the countys first super vaccination site at Disneyland. Officials said theyre currently aiming to vaccinate about 3,000 people per day, but ultimately hope to inoculate up to 8,000 residents daily.

An Orange County Health Care Agency report, titled COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy, was given to Orange County COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force officials for review prior to the Jan. 12 discussion.

It outlines tendencies of certain demographic categories, such as age, ethnicity, and education regarding acceptance of the vaccine. It wasnt clear whether the report factored into the supervisors decision.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have deemed FDA-approved vaccines to be safe and effective. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has also gone on the record to ensure the public that the vaccines are safe.

Not everyone is so sure.

An Orange County resident who suffers from an auto-immune disease and wished to remain anonymous told The Epoch Times that a flu vaccine she took about 30 years ago resulted in bronchitis and various other complications.

She said she was on antibiotics for three months after taking the vaccine.

Ive never been the same since I got the flu vaccine, and thats what put me on the path of looking into vaccines, she said. Vaccines do cause your immune system to go into overdrive and attack your cells.

She said she, too, was uncomfortable with the hiring of a public relations firm to comfort the public about the vaccine.

I believe we all have an innate God-given intuition, and the fact that you have to hire a PR firm to convince people to take it shows there are problems. We dont know that much about COVID-19. This vaccine was made available in the shortest time in history. It just seems a little forced and dangerous for people that might not want to have it.

I would do your research before taking the vaccine.



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Pa. COVID-19 mask mandate will be lifted by June 28 or sooner

Pennsylvania announced Thursday that the commonwealth will eliminate its mask mandates by June 28 as COVID-19 cases drop and vaccinations increase.
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The US House prepared to vote on a history-making second impeachment of Donald Trump as lawmakers seethed over his role inciting last weeks mob attack on the Capitol and the presidents once-firm control over the Republican party began to break down.

Trumps impeachment appeared inevitable in a vote Democrats anticipated would come Wednesday with the resolutions sponsors claiming broad support from Democrats and public backing from several Republicans, including Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House GOP leader and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

The House is set to begin debate shortly after 9 am with the vote on the impeachment resolution expected by mid-to late afternoon, according to House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern. Under rules in place because of the coronavirus pandemic, members will vote in staggered groups on the House floor, and some by proxy, concluding before 5 p.m.

Although Trump is unlikely to be convicted in the Senate or forced out of office before President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated on Jan. 20, a second impeachment would further stain a presidency that has culminated in a frightening assault on the storied center of the American democracy. It also opened fissures in the Republican Party that portends a power struggle over its future.

Never been a greater betrayal

There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution," Cheney said in a statement. That drew a rebuke from Trump ally Representative Andy Biggs of Arizona, who called on her to resign from her leadership post.

Separately, the New York Times reported that Mitch McConnell, the Senates Republican leader, has told associates he is privately pleased with the impeachment, calculating that it will make it easier to purge the party of Trumps influence.

Numerous Republicans, however, argued that impeaching Trump would only worsen divisions in the country.

Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina, who was elected in November, said impeachment throws gasoline on the fire."

Both parties need to take a time out and take a deep breath" Mace told reporters at the Capitol. We need to have a peaceful transition of power and start over."

Mace was not among the 138 Republicans who voted on Jan. 6 to reject Bidens Electoral College win in at least one state even after the mob seeking to overturn the election had stormed the building. Many of them also made pleas for unity.

Drawing away

Much of the corporate establishment that has long financed the Republican Party has been repulsed by the insurrection. Over the weekend, blue-chip companies began a torrent of announcements that they would at least temporarily cut off contributions to lawmakers who joined Trump in false claims of electoral fraud and the attempt to block results of the Nov. 3 election.

At the same time, the impeachment creates complications for Democrats and Biden as he attempts to get his administration off the ground. Unless McConnell agrees with Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer to call an emergency session of the Senate, the soonest any trial could begin is Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. That risks delaying confirmation of Bidens cabinet nominees and his early legislative initiatives.

Legal scholars are divided on whether Trump can be tried once he leaves office. Even so, prospects for a conviction remained uncertain. With a two-thirds vote required, at least 17 Republicans would have to break with Trump, who still has a fervent following among GOP voters.

Trump could be legally barred from holding federal office again if found guilty. He also faces potential criminal and civil legal jeopardy for encouraging supporters before the Jan. 6 riot in which five people died and many were injured.

Heightened anxiety

Lawmakers returned to Washington for the impeachment with rising anxieties over their security as right-wing activists mobilized on the internet for potential new attacks. Officials sent out a reminder Tuesday that lawmakers could be reimbursed for purchasing bulletproof vests. National Guard troops in combat fatigues stood along a newly erected 7-foot non-scalable metal fence encircling the Capitol.

While the smashed windows, broken furniture and other physical damage has mostly been repaired or removed, psychological wounds are still raw among lawmakers, their staffs and Capitol Police. One police officer on duty during the riot died by suicide over the weekend. Lawmakers have fresh memories of sheltering in locked committee rooms and basement bunkers for hours while waiting for help.

The scale of violence has grown clearer as the criminal investigation proceeds, with law enforcement officials at a press conference Tuesday describing periods of hand-to-hand combat with police and organized gangs assaulting media. People are going to be shocked with some of the egregious conduct that happened within the capitol," the District of Columbias acting U.S. attorney, Michael Sherwin, said, citing video and witness statements not yet made public.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said during an Instagram Live on Tuesday night that she thought she was going to die as the mob roamed the Capitol. I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive -- and not just in a general sense, but also in a very, very specific sense," she said.

Trump showed no contrition on the eve of the impeachment vote, telling reporters as he left the White House Tuesday for a trip to Texas that he had done nothing wrong and his rhetoric at a rally before the riot in which he egged on his supporters to the Capitol was totally appropriate." Instead, he condemned Democrats for an impeachment prosecution that he said is causing tremendous anger."

Vice President Mike Pence Tuesday evening rejected an ultimatum from the House to join with a cabinet majority to remove Trump from office under a provision in the U.S. Constitution for unseating a president no longer capable of serving. A House resolution passed Tuesday night demanded the step in order to stave off impeachment.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi then appointed nine Democratic lawmakers led by Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland as managers of the impeachment prosecution.

One week later, impeachment

The move to punish Trump has been swift, with the impeachment vote coming just one week after the riot and a sharp contrast with his last impeachment, over threats to withhold US support for Ukraine unless its government agreed to demands to open an investigation to tarnish Bidenat Joe Biden.

No House Republicans voted to impeach Trump in 2019 and he was acquitted by the Senate in 2020. In addition to Cheney, four other Republican House members -- John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, also said Tuesday that they would back impeachment this time. More are likely to follow.

Trump would become the only president twice impeached by the House. Only two predecessors, Bill Clinton and Andrew Johnson, have been impeached and both were acquitted. Richard Nixon resigned rather than face certain impeachment and conviction in the Senate over the Watergate scandal.

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Washington, Jan 13 : The US State Department has said that a planned visit to Taiwan by its United Nations (UN) envoy was cancelled due to the upcoming presidential transition.

Kelly Craft was scheduled to arrive in Taipei on Wednesday after Washington abruptly ended long-time curbs on contacts with Taiwan officials, the BBC reported.

It led Beijing, which views democratic Taiwan as a breakaway province, to warn the US against "playing with fire".

Taiwan expressed regret but also "respect" for the US decision.

The planned visit by Craft, the US Ambassador to the UN, was only announced late last week and would have come days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

It was viewed by analysts as a last-minute bid by outgoing President Donald Trump's administration to seal its position on the thorny issue of Taiwan after a year of escalating Sino-American tensions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that all travel this week had been cancelled - including his own trip to Europe - as part of the transition to the incoming Biden administration.

Biden is set to take office on January 20.

Taiwan's government expressed its regret at Ambassador Craft's cancelled trip, while also conveying "understanding and respect for the decision", it said in a statement.

Bitter exchanges over self-governing Taiwan, a firm US ally, have emerged over the last year as Washington's relationship with Beijing has spiralled to a new low.

Under President Trump, the US has established much closer ties with Taipei - ramping up arms sales and sending senior officials to the territory, despite fierce warnings from China.

Over the weekend Pompeo said the US would end the "self-imposed restrictions" on its interactions with Taiwan officials that were introduced decades ago to "appease" the mainland Chinese government.

The move was seen as a key shift in diplomatic relations between the two places in the final days of Trump's presidency.

China was furious, saying "any actions which harm China's core interests will be met with a firm counter-attack and will not succeed".

Tensions between China and Taiwan have intensified in recent years and Beijing has not ruled out the use of force to take the island back.

Like most nations, the US has no official diplomatic ties with Taipei, but it is bound by law to provide the island with the means to defend itself.
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January 12, 2021





Feel like quickly stretching your legs during your lunch hour?

Most people feel that working from home presents a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the idea of avoiding long commutes, colleagues you don't really get on with, and a stuffy uniform in the height of summer is lovely. So is the thought of getting an extra hour's sleep or two.







On the other, separating your work and home lives when they're all in one place seems intimidating. It's certainly not for everyone, and it can be tricky to strike a balance between comfortable working and productivity.

This is an issue we're all facing in this hyper-connected age, where working from home is a possibility for many of us, especially in tech. The truth is that you can find a balance between working and relaxing at home. Here are three suggestions to help you adjust to your new office, your house.

1. Consider Moving to a Better Location

If you're working from home full-time, then suddenly you don't have to live so near to your workplace. Perhaps you currently live in the suburbs of a large city. Perhaps you live in the city. And perhaps you're tired of paying crazy rates to live in a neighborhood that just isn't that nice.

You might consider moving somewhere less crowded and more local-feeling, especially if you're raising a family. For example, if you're based in New York City but still want access to culture and nightlife, you could head upstate to Albany, Buffalo, or Syracuse, NY. Hey, in 2010, Forbes ranked 'Cuse as the #4 city in the US to raise a family.

With your home as your office, living somewhere that offers a more tranquil, scenic feel is so beneficial. Being away from the stress of mega-cities and offices boosts your physical and mental health.

Find a good realtor Syracuse NY to help you seek out your new home. Have a look around. You'll be amazed at the difference.

2. Use Your Commuting Hours Wisely

Whether you decide to move or not, here's an exercise. Make a note of how long your work commute used to take you. Note the total hours you're not commuting every day. At the end of 2 weeks, look at the total time.

The amount of time we spend getting to and from work is crazy. So here's an idea: think of what to do with those hours now. It could be setting aside time to read or driving out into the countryside and taking a walk.

Your time is what you make of it. Now you've got it back, so make it work for you.

3. Set Up a Private Workspace

Allocating an office room is very important. Few people can effectively work from home if they're switching between the bed, the sofa, and the dining table. There are too many distractions, and you need to have a work zone where you can focus.

Then there are the kids. A largely unspoken reason many of us blanch at the idea of working from home is the fear that our children may resent us hovering. Sticking to your office during office hours minimizes the chance of the situation becoming claustrophobic for all of you.

Conclusion

As an increasing number of tech jobs can be done remotely, we face a new living and working style. Adjust to your new workspace by setting up a secluded office, planning your time wisely, and potentially moving to an environment that's better suited for working to strike that perfect work/home balance!
Pakistans new infiltration routes: Sophisticated ISI, army engineered tunnels

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 13: Pakistan made yet another attempt at infiltrating its terrorists. The Border Security Force (BSF) has detected a trans-border tunnel along the India-Pakistan International Border in Bobbiyan village in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior officer said that a terror tunnel was detected by the BSF in Bobbiyan village of Hiranagar this morning. He said that the tunnel originated from Pakistan to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists. The tunnel is around 150 kilometres long and a lot of engineering has gone into it. This is a deliberate attempt by Pakistan to push terrorists into India, Inspector General, BSF, N S Jamwal told news agency ANI.

BSF detects trans-border tunnel along Indo-Pak border

On November 22, a similar tunnel in the Samba sector used by four Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists was detected. The terrorists were gunned down at the Ban toll plaza near Nagrota on November 19.

The Pakistan Army and the ISI has been constructing trans-border tunnels to create new infiltration routes. The entry of this tunnel was spotted from the zero line and the 3 feet tunnel was constructed at a depth of 25 to 30 feet.

In November the BSF had detected a tunnel at the International Border in the Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir. Officials OneIndia spoke with said that the tunnel could not have been made without the help of the Pakistan establishment.

With Pakistan's propaganda machinery falling flat after the abrogation of Article 370, it is making every attempt to send terrorists to the Valley and carry out terror attacks. The Pakistan establishment also wanted to disrupt the upcoming DDC polls, the official cited above also said.

The tunnel, which was 2.5 metre wide and 25 to 30 metre deep was constructed with proper engineering effort to ensure that it is not detected as its opening was found surrounded with sarkanda (elephant grass).

Mobile data analysis: How BSF unearthed ISI engineered tunnel used by JeM terrorists

This time around the BSF did not stumble upon the tunnel. The officials learnt that the Pakistan Army had started building the tunnel to create a new infiltration route. Officials say that there have been a spurt in the number of ceasefire violations. The Pakistan Army wants to divert the attention of the Indian forces from these tunnels. In 2020 alone there have been 930 ceasefire violations by Pakistan when compared to the 605 in 2019.
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Manila: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte defended his government's decision to purchase Chinese-made coronavirus vaccines, saying they are as good as the shots developed by the Americans and the Europeans.

"The Chinese are not lacking in brains," Duterte said in a late-night televised address on Wednesday. "The Chinese are bright. They would not venture [into producing vaccines] if it is not safe, sure and secure."

Duterte made the remarks as questions have been raised over the level of protection Sinovac Biotech's experimental COVID-19 vaccine can provide, after researchers in Brazil released late-stage clinical data showing the Sinovac/Biofarma CoronaVac had 50.4 per cent efficacy, lower than initially announced.

A man is seen wearing a makeshift mask made out of a styrofoam cup and a faceshield made out of a plastic bottle to protect against COVID-19 in Manila, Philippines. Credit:Getty Images

At least one Philippine senator, Francis Pangilinan, called on the government to cancel the purchase of the Sinovac vaccine, one of seven it is lining up as it plans to begin immunisation next month.
TEHRAN, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran is currently exporting heavy water to eight countries, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI)'s spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Monday night in an interview on state TV.

"Right now, the required amount of heavy water is being produced inside the country, and Iran's heavy water is even being exported to about eight countries," Kamalvandi was quoted as saying by official news agency IRNA.

The spokesman further noted there has not been any halt in Iran's heavy water production, and added that the Iranian nuclear industry is "unstoppable."

Iran, he went on to say, must have nuclear power plants, produce the fuel for them by itself, and also produce the medicinal radio compounds it needs.

Kamalvandy also said that Iran intends to supply the fuel needed by its nuclear facilities enough to keep them working even if foreign providers refuse to deliver it for two years.

McGuigan Wines supporting The Three Drinkers in mindfulness campaign

Australian wine brand McGuigan Wines has kicked off 2021 by partnering with TV trio The Three Drinkers on a new campaign.

The brand is supporting the group's 'Mind, Sense & Soul: Life Hacks for a Calmer 2021' campaign, with a focus on its alcohol-free range, McGuigan Zero.

The campaign features a series of videos hosted by TV presenters and drinks writers Aidy Smith and Helena Nicklin, who showcase tips and coping mechanisms designed to calm anxieties and bring a bit of positivity to 2021.

A total of 12 videos will go live on The Three Drinkers website and social channels throughout January, each exploring a different theme with topics including Light, Sound, Write and Move.

Aidy Smith said: "We're incredibly thankful to McGuigan for helping us push this campaign further. As someone who has lived with Tourette Syndrome since the age of seven, coping mechanisms have had a colossal impact on my life. I'm humbled to be able to share these with people at a time when they need them the most."

Julian Dyer, COO at McGuigan Wines owner AVL, said: "We are delighted to be working with The Three Drinkers again and supporting this great campaign. At McGuigan we have always strived to provide a variety of wines, giving our consumers choice. Zero is an extension of this for consumers who choose to drink less or no alcohol as part of making better life choices, which fits perfectly with this campaign.

"McGuigan Zero is now the third largest no-alcohol wine brand in the UK, after only 12 months in market. It is important that we continue to execute these types of campaigns to maintain strong growth and continue to build brand awareness amongst our audience."

13 January 2021 - Bethany Whymark
Norm Russell was a hard worker.

And at 81-years-old he had shown no signs of slowing down, with son Darrell saying Norm worked for him for about 18 years at the Piako Group and had done so right up until the day he died.

Norm died suddenly on Saturday after suffering a medical event while mowing the lawns at his Morrinsville home.

Darrell says his dad shouldnt have been out mowing the lawns, but dad being dad [he] had to get them done before we got home.

Norm was due to celebrate his 82nd Birthday in May, but had struggled since a brutal road-rage incident in December where he was allegedly hit in the face.

He had bled from the nose and mouth for about two hours, where his dentures had cut his gum, and at the time said he was still black and blue a week after the incident, which he described as cruel.

A man has now been charged with common assault and Darrell says the incident had really affected his father.

He couldnt let it go, and he was very, very wound up about it."

After the alleged assault, Norm could not really see in that eye and Darrell says his dad had been left acting more urgent and anxious than previously.

Born and bred in Morrinsville, Norm worked for trucking company, Andy Smith Ltd, for more than 30 years.

Carting stock for most of the farmers in the region, Darrell says his dad had a reputation for treating animals well, so was well liked.

He was infectious and someone who just embraced people.

Darrell recalled his delivering coal in the early days.

[They would put] big bags of coal on their back and you would get there and Mrs Smith would want you to shift the whole thing.

At the time of Norm's death his family were in Whangamata commemorating the six-year anniversary of the death of Darrell and Catherines daughter, Amie.

The 15-year-old died in a paddle-boarding accident on January 7, 2015 after she was knocked off a stand-up paddle board and sucked beneath the water beside a boat.

Her leg rope became tangled on the keel of a yacht, holding her underwater, despite efforts from others nearby to save her.

Coroner Gordon Matenga recommended quick-release leashes for paddleboarders in white water, rivers and water with strong currents after her death.

When Amie died it broke Norms heart like everyone else, Darrell says.

Darrells mum, Kathleen, died in 2013 and Norm had been with his partner Marie for the past six-years.

The family were well known in the region but Norm's biggest sense of pride seemed to come from his son.

In a semi-biography that Darrells sons made for Norms 80th birthday, the foreward by Norm said "if I can claim one notable success it was the raising, with Kathleen of course, a son of whom I could not be more proud of.

"Not only proud of his business success and creating his own wonderful family, but proud of the fact he is a good man in every sense of the word".

Darrell says his sons interviewed Norm for the book and put it together, which he was grateful for now.

In Norms death notice he was described as a loved father of Darrell and Catherine, a cherished grandad of Hayden, Liam and the late Amie, a close brother of Dawn and a loved partner and best friend of Marie.

He will be farewelled on Saturday at the Morrinsville Events Centre from 11am.

A 24-year-old man is expected to appear in Levin District Court on January 28 on a charge of common assault.

-Stuff/Kirsty Lawrence


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BarcelonaDespite doubts about whether the elections will be held on 14 February, the Catalan Parliament has been dissolved since 22 December and this Wednesday the first Permanent Deputation was held - the small body that governs the chamber when elections are called - for the Government to explain the current coronavirus situation. The vice-president, Pere Aragones, has stated that "difficult weeks" are coming due to the increase of the infections and has asked for the collaboration of all the parliamentary groups and of Madrid in order to face these.
New Yorkers have waited almost 10 months for a COVID-19 vaccine. Now that its finally here, all that stands between them and what will hopefully be the pandemics antidote is a maddening, sometimes hours-long online registration process.

As eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine expanded on Monday to phase 1B  a cohort of more than four million people statewide, including some essential workers and people ages 75 and over  a number of issues quickly surfaced with the systems used to find info about where to get vaccinated and sign up for appointments. On Tuesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that eligibility would be expanded to people 65 years old and up and people who are immunocompromised. However, he said it was unclear which categories of immunocompromised people were covered by the Centers for Disease Control guidance.

Miriam Grossman, a Connecticut resident who has been trying to sign up her father  who is over 75 years old and lives in Queens  for a vaccine appointment, estimated that she spent about four hours on Sunday and Monday trying to secure a slot. The Health + Hospitals vaccine scheduler would show her no available appointments and then direct her to find COVID-19 testing availability, which she wasnt looking for. After filling out the many fields of questions that the citys vaccine hub asked her, Grossman finished the long process only to find no appointments available. The city also has a vaccine finder to connect users to providers administering the vaccine, but Grossman encountered problems here too. A number she tried for a provider listed on the citys website told her to schedule an appointment online, but the providers website had no online scheduling function. (On Tuesday, the New York City vaccination sign-up websites allowed New Yorkers 65 and older to sign up, along with various essential workers, but not immunocompromised people under 65.)

I thought, maybe Im doing something wrong, Grossman recalled. But then when I saw on Twitter that other people were noting the same thing, I felt kind of vindicated. Its not just me. Many of the troubles New Yorkers reported with signing up for vaccines this week can be found in replies to a Sunday tweet from New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, calling attention to what he said were twin failures of outreach and technology on the part of the city. This is an impossible tech bureaucracy that is going to hurt seniors, hurt people without internet access or people who are just not digitally literate, and people who have language barriers, Stringer told City & State on Monday.

Many of the technical issues New Yorkers had signing up for vaccines have to do with design elements of the websites and a lack of adequate planning to make the experience user-friendly, technologists said. More broadly, issues with online sign-ups for vaccine appointments reflect a greater problem in New York: A failure to tap the vast technology resources at the city and states disposal to offer accessible essential services to New Yorkers. Its a lack of attention to the fact that digital technology is a critical tool in how government services are delivered in the 21st Century, said Noel Hidalgo, co-founder of the technology nonprofit BetaNYC. Thats especially true during a pandemic, he said.

Like our entire public health apparatus, our vaccine roll out is a massive undertaking requiring the resources of multiple agencies working together, New York City Department of Health spokesperson Patrick Gallahue wrote in an email on Tuesday. Representatives for Cuomo did not respond before publication to a request for comment about problems reported with the states website.

Despite New York City Mayor Bill de Blasios administration being the one to create new technology roles, including the citys chief technology officer and New York City Cyber Command, Hidalgo said the administration has come up short in coordinating to create innovative tools that make the process of signing up for vaccines, for example, as easy as possible. Its missing that additive component where theres very clear leadership and coordination on how technology, data and design can be used to address the real, present needs during the pandemic, he said.

New York City isnt alone in this though. The state has had its own high-profile tech issues during the pandemic, including the state Department of Labors unemployment insurance application  an outdated and bug-filled system that made the process of getting unemployment checks unnecessarily difficult for the more than one million suddenly jobless New Yorkers this spring. The states vaccination website appeared to fail some users on Monday too, with the site reportedly timing out for some. New York City and New York state have now both launched phone lines where eligible people can schedule an appointment to get the vaccine. Its an important alternative to online scheduling, but callers may experience wait times there too.

New Yorks vaccine rollout has been the subject of non-technology related criticism too. Before eligibility was opened up to include non-health care essential workers and older New Yorkers, vaccine doses were being thrown away because government couldnt connect eligible New Yorkers to providers. And leading up to this weeks expansion to phase 1B, there was still confusion about which essential workers would be eligible, as many types of occupations  grocery store clerks as well as firefighters  have been classified as essential throughout the pandemic.

Tracey, a social worker in Brooklyn who asked to be identified by first name only to preserve her privacy with clients, said that she has received conflicting messages about whether shes eligible as someone working remotely who would hopefully be able to eventually transition back to in-person work after being vaccinated. The state and city websites havent provided much help in clarifying that for her. Instead, shes resorted to seeking information on a Facebook page for New York City social workers. When the states unemployment insurance system failed to work this spring and summer, unemployed New Yorkers took to a Facebook group with over 47,000 members to seek answers and commiserate too.

A well-functioning government website or application needs to not only provide users with all the relevant information and functions, but be easy to use and intuitive. That means that seniors can use it without needing help to upload a photo of their insurance card or knowing to clear their browsers cookies to circumvent error messages. The tools need to be as accessible to non-native English speakers as they are to English speakers. A website needs to be as easy to use on a mobile phone as it is on a desktop computer, so that people with only mobile internet access can use it. Nearly 30% of New York City households dont have a home broadband subscription, according to the citys own figures. (Offline options also need to be available for the 18% of city residents who lack both home and mobile broadband.)

For New York Citys two main vaccine scheduling websites  the one run by the Department of Health and the other run by Health + Hospitals  user experience and design is a big shortcoming, critics said. The Health Department website asks many questions  Stringer reported as many as 51 questions and fields  before an appointment can be made. Not only does that take a long time, but one crash or interruption along the way can force users to start the long process from scratch.

Sign-up websites should be asking for a minimal amount of data to remove as many hurdles that could trip people up  like remembering their insurance ID number  said Emil Skandul, founder of Capitol Foundry, a digital innovation firm. Rather than asking users to answer dozens of questions, the site could ask for a few main data points  name, age, eligibility, health risks and contact info, for example. Insurance and other information could be collected later, in person. There is concern within the city, however, that this would lead to bottlenecks at the vaccination sites, when the goal is to get as many people in and out of the sites quickly.

Others questioned why frustrations and technical problems with the websites werent foreseen before people started signing up for appointments en masse this week. Its not clear how much user testing was done of New York Citys vaccine websites, but when designing a well-functioning site, testing it out on every kind of user has to be a part of the planning. Did they run usability tests? Did they run load tests on these websites? Skandul asked. The design process should include testing the product with different user personas  people who only have access to a smartphone, Spanish speakers and seniors, as just a few examples  he said.

In a press conference on Monday, de Blasio addressed complaints about the citys website, saying that the city planned to continue to make improvements. Folks who are going through a lot, we want them to have as easy an experience as possible making their appointments, he said. What we do find as we put any system into play (is) that we improve it as we go along based on customer feedback, so I'm certain that's going to happen here.

The Health + Hospitals website, while more streamlined, also experienced some slowness on Monday because of a high volume of users. Hidalgo said that the website also uses a web design element called an iframe for its scheduling framework, which he said makes it difficult for a translator to work with the site. If somebody is using a language translator, the content in the actual scheduling app doesnt get translated, he said. That means that the Health + Hospitals scheduler is currently only offered in English.

Our scheduling system was able to connect New Yorkers yesterday to an appointment, Health + Hospitals spokesperson Christopher Miller wrote in an email on Tuesday. In the coming days more appointments will become available  we urge those eligible to check back frequently. As vaccine supply increases more appointments will become readily available."

There are easier ways to sign New Yorkers up to get the vaccine, experts said. Some lawmakers have called for New York City to have a single sign-up system to avoid confusion over which of the current options to choose from. Skandul said that New York state should be working with a single site through which residents can pre-register for a vaccine. He cited New Jerseys pre-registration system as a model to follow here. Users could register their basic information with the state and be notified by text or other means when they are eligible and make an appointment on a system that integrated the different scheduling mechanisms used for public hospitals, pharmacies and all other vaccine providers. Instead of New Yorkers having to seek out a vaccine appointment, the opportunity to schedule an appointment would come to them.

While a low number of available vaccine appointments on these websites is a sign that vaccination is speeding up, some are nervous that technical issues could mean wasted vaccines. In addition to the problems she encountered with the government-run websites, Grossman had problems getting through to private providers that the city and states vaccine sites directed her to. I think New York City and New York state need to be not only on top of their own sites and web scheduling, but the private places that theyve entrusted the vaccine to, Grossman wrote in a message later on Monday. If New York City says a clinic is a vaccine site but I cant get through to make an appointment, where is the vaccine going, knowing (the) vaccine expires when not used in time? By Monday night, Grossman had finally secured an appointment for her father at a Health + Hospitals site, though not in Queens, but Manhattan.

While experts said that designing websites that could integrate all of these elements is no easy task, its work that could have been done long in advance of a vaccine actually arriving. Youve had nine months to prepare for this particular moment, Hidalgo said. It is a massive shortcoming that was preventable.

Its also not as if New York doesnt have the brainpower to accomplish a system like that. Hidalgo cited several divisions of city agencies that already exist that could be a part of creating a more user-friendly and accessible system, including a civic service design studio within the Office for Economic Opportunity and user experience unit within the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications. A spokesperson for the city did not comment on what agencies and resources were involved in designing its vaccine website or who led the effort, so its not clear if any of these resources were tapped.

This city needs government to succeed in this pandemic, because it is the only entity that is going to get us out of this pandemic, Hidalgo said. Its frustrating as a technologist to see these things happen when you know there are good people inside of government who want to get us there.

Correction: The vaccine finder website Grossman used is run by New York City and she did not have to upload photos of an insurance card.


Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly has been slapped down for advocating alternative cures for COVID-19 in a warning from the nation's top medical officer that there is no evidence to show the treatments work.

After days of growing debate over the backbencher's claims, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the latest medical studies had not found drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were useful in preventing or treating COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has rejected claims by Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly that drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were useful in preventing or treating COVID-19. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Professor Kelly was reluctant to criticise the backbencher by name, other than to say they were not related, but he rejected Mr Kelly's key claims for coronavirus cures as well as his complaints about rules that require people to wear masks.

The Liberal backbencher, who represents the seat of Hughes in south-western Sydney, has repeatedly challenged government policy in dozens of Facebook posts supporting alternative treatments for the coronavirus.
A general view of the Grand Chancellor Hotel on January 08, 2021 in Brisbane, Australia. (Jono Searle/Getty Images)

Queensland Quarantine Hotel Shut as Cluster Grows

The Queensland government is shutting a quarantine hotel after six people staying there contracted the deadly UK strain of COVID-19.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says all six cases in the COVID-19 cluster stayed on the seventh floor of Brisbanes Grand Chancellor Hotel while in quarantine. They are all in isolation.

All 129 people staying at the hotel are being moved to another hotel and tested before restarting their 14-day quarantine.

Have a look whats happening in the UK, whats happening in Ireland, I mean, this, if it if it gets out of control it can have devastating consequences, the premier told reporters.

Right now we do know that this strain is coming into Australia from overseas arrivals, theyre not just coming into Queensland, its coming to other states as well, so I think everybody needs to be on a higher alert.

Palaszczuk said 226 people who have worked at the hotel since Dec. 30 will be isolated and tested.

Another 250 guests who have left the hotel since Dec. 30 will be contacted and isolated while theyre tested.

The premier said the state government will pay the bill for the existing 129 guests, who must now restart the entire quarantine period in a new hotel.

Its going to be very tough on these particular guests that they now have to do an additional 14 days, however, it is necessary, she said.

Palaszczuk called for a review of Australias quarantine system and its ability to keep out the UK strain of the virus.

She said the handling of arrivals and the suitability of quarantine hotels must be reassessed.

What we are dealing with here is something that weve never had to deal with before, the premier said.

When we were dealing with the COVID, we knew what we were dealing with over a period of time, but now this is a new highly infectious strain. We do not want to see this getting out into the community.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it was crucial to ensure everyone at the hotel quarantined for the next 14-days because there had been two separate cases of transmission there.

If we find out whats happened on that floor seven and thats a reason for how its moved, transmitted, then that might change, but at this point in time its 14 days because I dont know how that transmission has occurred, she said.

The infected cleaners later movements in Brisbane triggered a three-day lockdown of the entire city and outlying areas over the weekend.

Young said 310 of the womans close contacts had been tested and only one, her partner, had COVID-19.

Another 96 close contacts are being tested or awaiting their results.

Authorities are looking for anyone else who may have come into contact with the cleaner or her partner at a number of venues.

Those venues include Woolworths at Calamvale North, Coles Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown and a Sunnybank Hills newsagent between Jan. 3-5.

People who were at Bunnings Warehouse Acacia on Jan. 5 or Sunnybank Cellars on Jan. 6 are also being sought.

Anyone who was at Capriccios Italian Pizza Restaurant in Maleny on Jan. 6 or Purple Palette Cellars or Woolworths Maleny on Jan. 7 are also urged to get tested.

The total number of active cases in Queensland is 26.

Marty Silk in Brisbane
BENGALURU (dpa-AFX) - Infosys (INFY) reported that its third-quarter profit attributable to owners of the company rose 12.6% to $705 million from $626 million last year. Quarterly earnings per share grew to $0.17, from $0.15 in the prior year. Operating profit was $893 million, up 25.6% from the previous year. Quarterly revenues grew 8.4% year-on-year to $3.516 billion, while it was up 6.6% in constant currency. The company raised its fiscal year 2021 operating margin guidance to a range of 24.0%-24.5% from the prior estimation of 23%-24%. The company also raised its annual revenue growth guidance to a range of 4.5%-5.0% in constant currency basis from the prior outlook of 2%-3% in constant currency. Infosys reiterated its commitment to Environment, Social and Governance causes by announcing its ESG 2030 vision and ambitions. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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She's about to return to one of her most iconic characters for a very special HBO Max revival.

And Kristin Davis looked like she was in good spirits as took a stroll around Los Angeles on Wednesday.

During her outing the Sex And The City star, 55, embraced a much more casual look than her prim and proper character Charlotte York Goldenblatt, opting for a laid back jeans and tee-shirt ensemble.

Pep in her step: Kristin Davis took a stroll around LA on Wednesday following news she'll be reprising her beloved Sex And The City character Charlotte for the show's recently-announced HBO Max revival

Keeping out the mild winter chill, she layered a black bomber jacket on top.

Comfort seemed key for the Boulder, Colorado-born actress, who strode along in a pair of classic Ugg boots.

The rest of her accessories were equally as practical, as she covered her eyes with pink sunglasses and popped on a face mask to protect the spread of coronavirus, what has been ravaging Los Angeles.

Davis let her natural beauty shine through by going makeup-free and raking her hair back out of her face and into a smooth ponytail.

Low-key: The 55-year-old actress embraced a much more casual look than her prim and proper character Charlotte York Goldenblatt, opting for a laid back jeans and tee-shirt ensemble

Warm and fuzzy: Comfort seemed key for the actress, who strode along in a pair of classic Ugg boots

The celeb's outing comes on the heels of news Sex And The City would be getting the reboot treatment with a one season limited series.

But the world of Carrie Bradshaw will be a little different this time around.

After it was confirmed Kim Cattrall would not be returning to her role as sex-positive PR diva Samantha Jones, fans wondered if the show was planning to craft a new character to join the famous (former) foursome, which also includes Cynthia Nixon as power-lawyer/mom Miranda Hobbes.

But leading lady Sarah Jessica Parker put those rumors to rest on Wednesday morning while heading to the Seaport location her SJP shoe boutique in New York City.

Practical: She covered her eyes with pink sunglasses and popped on a face mask to protect the spread of coronavirus, what has been ravaging Los Angeles

Fresh-faced: Davis let her natural beauty shine through by going makeup-free and raking her hair back out of her face and into a smooth ponytail

And then there were three... Sarah Jessica Parker said that there would not be a fourth character added to the Sex And The City reboot in lieu of Kim Cattrall

'We're not looking to create a fourth character,' she said, adding 'We have New York City as a fourth character and it will be an interesting new character that we are excited about.'

And Cattrall seems perfectly content not having a hand in the project.

The 64-year-old threw some thinly-disguised shade at her former Sex and the City castmates by 'liking' a fan tweet that 'applauded' her decision to 'put herself first' and refuse to take part in the upcoming reboot of the HBO show.

The tweet read: 'I absolutely love Sex and the City and whilst I am saddened that Samantha will not return, I applaud doing what is best for you and think this is great example of putting yourself first. Well done @KimCattrall.'

Keeping it classy: The previous day Cattrall, 64, took a thinly-veiled swipe at her former Sex and the City castmates by 'liking' a fan tweet that applauded her for refusing to take part in the revival

'Well done': The tweet praised Cattrall for 'putting herself first' and 'doing what is best for her'. She quit the role after the second movie amid reports of a feud with Sarah

The news of the Sex and the City reboot was announced on Sunday, when Sarah took to Instagram to share a teaser clip for the new series, which is called And Just Like That...

The original series created by Darren Star, and adapted from a column by Candace Bushnell, ran on HBO from 1998 to 2004, propelling Cattrall, Parker, Davis and Nixon into stardom.

The series, which will consist of 10 half-hour episodes, is set to begin production in New York City in late spring, according to Variety.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 00:16:13|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian National Defense Force on Wednesday afternoon announced the death of former Ethiopian foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin during a battle in the country's northern Tigray regional state.

Brigadier General Tesfaye Ayalew, Head of the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) Deployment Department, said Seyoum Mesfin was killed alongside Asmelash Woldeselassie, former Ethiopia parliament Chief Whip and Abay Tsehaye, former Ethiopia Minister of Federal Affairs during a battle earlier on Wednesday.

Ayalew said five other civilian officials and army officers were captured in the military operation, reported state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency.

Ethiopia's federal government has been undertaking military operations in the country's northernmost Tigray regional state since November 4 against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule over the region, following the TPLF's apparent attack on the Northern Command of the ENDF. Enditem
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The world's largest home is up for sale after almost a decade under construction.

The gargantuan 105,000 square-foot mansion, located in the ritzy Los Angeles neighborhood of Bel-Air, is set to fetch a whopping $340 million.

The 21-bedroom, 42-bathroom mansion is not only the largest home on earth, but its nine-figure price tag also makes it the priciest personal property to go to market in American history.

The mansion - which is aptly named 'The One' - took eight years to build and required the manpower of more than 600 workers.

New photographs featured in Architectual Digest give a glimpse into the recently-completed home, which was designed by architect Paul McLean and decorated by interior designer Kathryn Rotondi.

The pair were enlisted to create the contemporary castle by film producer Nile Niami, who owns the five acres of land on which the mansion is set.

Scroll down for video

Despite the property's giant size and lavish features, the interior looks low-key and very livable. The home has been completed with simple, low-fuss furniture and contemporary artwork

'We wanted to provide that quintessential L.A. living but on a bigger scale': Interior pictures show the home features floor to ceiling windows letting in the California sunshine

The world's largest home is up for sale after almost a decade under construction. The 21-bedroom, 42-bathroom mansion is located in Bel Air, Los Angeles and is set to fetch $340 million

The structure is surrounded by a moat on three sides and 'appears to float above the city', according to Architectural Digest.

It also features a 30-car garage, a four-lane bowling alley, and a 'philanthropy wing' for charity galas.

There are additionally five swimming pools spaced throughout the mansion, as well as a 30-seat movie theater.

Despite the opulence, McLean and Rotondi wanted to create a house that was light, bright and low fuss.

Interior pictures show the home features floor to ceiling windows letting in the California sunshine.

The home has been completed with simple, functional furniture and eye-catching contemporary artwork.

'We wanted to provide that quintessential L.A. living but on a bigger scale.. To allow the home to feel livable,' McLean stated.

However, the most breathtaking part of the property are its 360 degree views, which stretch all the way out to the Pacific Ocean in the west and the San Gabriel Mountains in the east.

The entirety of Downtown Los Angeles can also be seen from the mansion's 10,000-square-foot sky deck.

'This project felt exciting and simultaneously intimidating,' McClean told Architectural Digest.

'It was approached with excitement and was thrilling to create, but I don't think any of us realized just how much effort and time it would take to complete the project.'

The home's asking price is more than double that of the most expensive house ever sold in America - a home in New York state's Hamptons that fetched $137 million in 2014.

However, owner Niami believes the property won't languish long on the market.

'When you have something that's as rare as the Mona Lisa you can command whatever you want for it,' he told Bloomberg last year.

The home is listed by both The Beverly Hills Estates and Compass.
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism has announced the screening of applications for the import of electric vehicles through the customs ports of the Kingdom of Bahrain for commercial purposes.

Shaikh Hamad bin Salman Al Khalifa, Assistant Undersecretary for Domestic and Foreign Trade, said that the Ministry is about to issue a ministerial decision to regulate the import, sale and circulation of electric cars and their chargers in the local markets of the Kingdom in the first half of 2021, in light of the industrial boom in the field of car and vehicle manufacturing powered by electricity.

The Assistant Undersecretary also explained that the Inspection and Metrology Department strives to preserve energy and environmental health through the use of clean energy.
Photo: The Canadian Press Chief financial officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, leaves her home in Vancouver, Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Meng, who is free on bail while fighting extradition to the U.S., is seeking to have the terms of her release conditions changed.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

A judge says he will reserve his decision on whether to loosen bail restrictions for Chinese tech executive Meng Wanzhou.

Meng's lawyers want her to be allowed to leave her Vancouver home outside the hours of her curfew without being accompanied by private security staff, who they say put her at greater risk of contracting COVID-19.

The chief financial officer for Huawei is wanted in the United States on fraud charges based on allegations that both she and the company deny.

Justice William Ehrcke of the B.C. Supreme Court says he will reserve his decision and raised the possibility of issuing it at the end of the month.

The court heard today that security staff have reported being monitored while accompanying Meng in Vancouver, though they have not had to intervene to physically protect her since she was released on bail after her arrest on a U.S. warrant at Vancouver's airport in December 2018.

The president of Lions Gate Risk Management, Doug Maynard, testified his staff have also reported threatening letters and Chinese officials have demanded that she be allowed to return to China, citing threats against her.

U.S. officials allege Meng misrepresented Huawei's business dealings in Iran, putting the bank HSBC at risk of violating American sanctions.

Meng's lawyers are fighting her extradition with several legal arguments claiming she was subjected to an abuse of process and she should be freed.

They allege Meng's arrest was unlawful, that U.S. authorities misled Canadian officials in their summary of the case, that Meng was used as a political pawn by U.S. President Donald Trump and that the United States is trying to assert jurisdiction where it doesn't exist under international law.
SACRAMENTO  Leaders of the California Democratic Party on Tuesday called the effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom an attempted coup and suggested  without providing evidence  that organizers were linked to the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Rusty Hicks, the state party chair, and several other prominent Democrats repeatedly made those claims during a news conference they held to discuss connections between the recall and last weeks deadly riot by pro-President Trump forces in Washington.

This recall effort, which really ought to be called the California coup, is being led by right-wing conspiracy theorists, white nationalists, anti-vaxxers and groups who encourage violence on our democratic institutions, Hicks said.

Recall elections are legal under the California Constitution, and there have been numerous attempts to recall Newsom and nearly every other governor going back decades. In 2003, Gov. Gray Davis was recalled and was replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Randy Economy, a spokesperson for California Patriot Coalition  Recall Governor Gavin Newsom, the group trying to qualify a recall for the ballot, called the Democrats rhetoric shameful. He said their bizarre accusations could fuel disdain for the governor.

Were doing whats allowed under the California state Constitution, that is, to recall a governor based upon his failed policies, Economy said. We have a legal right to do that. How dare these people?

Asked if any recall organizers had taken part in the Capitol takeover, Economy said, We have tens of thousands of people that are working on our campaign. ... Were not babysitters in regards to what they do in their own private lives.

A spokesperson for the governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The effort to recall Newsom has gained momentum in recent months as organizers received several six-figure contributions from wealthy conservative donors.

Without offering names or other details, Hicks alleged that some of the same individuals and groups that took part in the pro-Trump mob that attacked the Capitol are are also engaged in the recall effort.

State Assembly Member David Chiu, D-San Francisco, said the recall effort is led by extremists and those who have incited violence. He also failed to provide specifics showing that recall organizers were directly involved in such actions.

We are asking the public to join us in taking a stand against this recall, against this California coup, Chiu said.

Organizers of the Newsom recall said they have collected more than 1 million petition signatures. They must submit about 1.5 million valid signatures of registered voters by March 17 to force a recall election, though theyll probably need closer to 2 million total signatures to make up for ones that are invalid.

Dustin Gardiner is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dustin.gardiner@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @dustingardiner
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding an additional $47 million in funding for seven projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energys (ARPA-E) Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program. Three of the projects (Sila, 24M and Ionic Materials) are scaling up advanced battery technologies for EVs and aviation, and account for $27 million of the $47 million tranche.

These selections bring total SCALEUP program funding to over $70 million, building on $24 million in previously announced SCALEUP Fast Track selections. (Earlier post.) These new SCALEUP teams are receiving funding to support the scaling of high-risk and potentially disruptive new electric vehicle battery, data center efficiency, grid modernization, emissions mitigation, and storage technologies.

SCALEUP supports the scaling of high-risk and potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications. The goal of the program is to translate the performance achieved at the lab- and bench-scale by previously funded ARPA-E technologies to commercial viability, supporting promising energy technologies that require scaling-up or pre-pilot projects to enable a path to market and ultimately lead to realized commercial impact.

SCALEUP awardees will focus on further developing existing technologies, for which the proof-of-concept R&D challenges have been addressed, that can establish real-world impact through scaling.

ARPA-E developed the SCALEUP program in response to a need identified to help successful ARPA-E funded technologies to demonstrate a path to market and be well-positioned for investment from the private sector. These newly selected SCALEUP teams will add to previously selected Fast Track teams announced in September 2020, who received early funding due to disruptions in the investor and R&D financing communities caused by COVID-19.

The new awardees are:

Sila Nanotechnologies. Scale-up Technology for Accelerated Adoption of High-Capacity Silicon Anodes in Mass Market Electric Vehicles - $10,000,000.With prior ARPA-E support, Sila developed a unique drop-in replacement silicon (Si) dominant composite anode powder that boosts automotive lithium-ion battery (LIB) energy density by 20%+ and enables fast charging.

Sila has built a pilot production line, operating 24/7 for the last 2 years, and is commissioning its first factory (50 MWh) to introduce its Si anodes in wearables and portable electronic devices as well as for qualification electric vehicles.

As part of SCALEUP, Sila aims to develop a portfolio of technologies focused around advanced reactor designs with more efficient material processing, on-line diagnostics, improved precursor utilization, and improved material handling. This proposed project will significantly (1) reduce Si anode costs; (2) improve efficiency and reduce waste in production; (3) reduce engineering and cost risks; and (4) reduce EV battery costs and accelerate the move to clean transportation and renewable energy.

24M Technologies, Inc. Next-Generation Lithium Metal Anode Cells for Electric Aviation - $9,000,000. Over the last decade, the cost of lithium-ion (Li-ion) energy storage systems has fallen while energy density has improved steadily. The current generation of Li-ion batteries is approaching performance and cost plateaus, however, just as new electrified transportation applications are emerging.

The 24M team will develop and scale up batteries incorporating a Lithium Electrode Sub-Assembly and SemiSolid cathode that deliver lower cost energy storage (<70 $/kWh), superior power (>1.5 kW/kg), and improved energy density (450 Wh/kg) for electric aviation. The 24M Technologies team will develop and scale up a commercial, modular large-pilot line (1 MWh/y) for customer validation with a clear path to GWh/y production capacity of new Li metal-based batteries.

Ionic Materials. High-Throughput Manufacturing of Breakthrough Polymer Electrolyte to Enable Low-Cost Solid-State Batteries - $8,000,000. Ionic Materials (IM) will validate three critical elements of its polymer electrolyte (PE) thereby retiring key technical, manufacturing, and market risks on the path toward commercialization: high-volume, commercial- quality manufacturability of polymer electrolyte materials and components; safety of high capacity Li-ion cells; and commercial-specification-aligned cell performance.

The team will drive toward a 15% reduction in production cost of IMs PE powder and third-party qualification of ultrahigh capacity automotive Li-ion cells (250 ampere hour). This project will demonstrate that the IM PE can be a low-cost component in safe, solid-state Li-ion batteries.

Cambridge Electronics, Inc. 8" 3DGaN FinFET Technology for Energy Efficient Data Centers and 5G Network - $4,320,000. Cambridge Electronics Inc. (CEI) has developed a disruptive 3D gallium nitride (GaN) technology with far greater capabilities than todays planar GaN transistors. CEI aims to create an ecosystem around the 3DGaN technology by transferring it to a US-based 8" silicon wafer manufacturing plant and partnering with epitaxial wafer vendors, foundries, and semiconductor chip and module manufacturers for collaborative product development.

Switched Source LLC. Scaling Up Cost-Effective Grid Modernization  $8,560,000. Switched Source is introducing the next generation of distribution automation technology for large commercial and industrial customers and electric utilities, which cost-effectively improves the electric distribution grids reliability, resiliency, and distributed generation hosting capacity.

Switched Sources product portfolio consists of two patented smart grid devices that actively manage real and reactive power flows on medium voltage systems. The critical next step to gain acceptance as a viable investment and validated utility technology is through structured demonstration projects on partner utility electric distribution systems, with third-party performance evaluations. SCALEUP will enable Switched Source to resolve remaining technology and commercial adoption risks by establishing the processes, infrastructure, and technology validation to bring the technology to the utility market.

LongPath Technologies Inc. Basin-SCAN: Basin Scale Continuous oil and gas emissions Abatement Network  $5,000,000. LongPath Technologies proposes the largest continuous emissions monitoring network for the oil and gas industry. The network will be able to locate and size natural gas emissions in real time across 700 square miles of the Permian basin in the Southwest US. Project objectives include scaling up a network to cover 850+ oil and gas facilities, reducing system costs, expanding value-added services on the sensor platform, and quantitatively proving net gains of continuous monitoring. Potential impacts include reducing oil and gas production emissions by 60-80% basin wide.

AutoGrid Systems, Inc. Highly Scalable Virtual Power Plant (VPP) PLATFORM for Mass Storage and EV Deployments - $2,250,000. AutoGrids Flex is an energy flexibility management and virtual power plant software platform that enables utilities and energy-as-a-service providers to aggregate and optimize distributed energy resources. Flex allows its customers to maximize monetization of value streams, such as time-of-use arbitrage (purchasing and storing energy when the cost of electricity is low and selling or using stored energy when the cost is high) demand charge (charges determined during peak demand) management, and grid services. This project proposes to significantly increase FlexTM capabilities by co-optimizing, in real time, the number of storage assets to 100,000 and expanding its features and functionality for the electric vehicle fleet management use case.
A 18-year veteran of the Houston Police Department was relieved of duty Wednesday and could likely face federal charges for participating in the Capitol takeover, Chief Art Acevedo said.

The officer, Tam Pham, was placed on administrative leave Wednesday and is scheduled for a disciplinary hearing Friday with the chief  though Acevedo expressed doubt that the officer will attend. He is expected to resign on Thursday, a police union leader said.

The Westside patrol officer was off-duty at the time and seen wearing a mask and holding a Trump flag at the Capitol, Acevedo said. When reached by phone, Pham expressed exasperated regret about attending the riots and contends he was there to observe.

I shouldnt have done it, Pham told the Houston Chronicle. I was there to take pictures.

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Details of what Pham did inside the Capitol were not known. He declined to confirm or deny Acevedos accusation that he entered the building.

A lot of stuff happened that day, Pham continued. I wasnt in the right mind.

The announcement that an HPD officer may have had a role in the Jan. 6 insurrection comes as police agencies across the country started scrutinizing their rosters for signs that their sworn law men attended the deadly riots that left five people dead  including a Capitol police officer. Federal charges have been lodged against two Rocky Mount, Va., police officers who were photographed among the mob who breached the Capitol building.

Officers in Seattle, Las Vegas and Maryland are also under investigation.

The violent siege forced lawmakers into hiding during an Electoral College tally to certify President-elect Joe Biden as the next commander-in-chief.

Acevedo said he received a complaint Sunday from a community member and then saw Facebook photos of the officer at the Capitol building. He then contacted the FBI about the officer.

He got into the Capitol, Acevedo said. Im highly confident he will face federal charges.

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Acevedo disclosed the accusation against Pham, but did not identify him, at a news conference outlining the departments response to any demonstrations that could happen during or before the presidential inauguration. He said the officer was under review when asked whether he had relayed possible threats aimed at communities outside Houston to federal investigators.

The chief also said that authorities are keeping tabs on social media but no threats to Houston have yet been found. He said an FBI assessment has indicated a rise in domestic threats nationwide in the past year or so. Those threats, he said, stem from right-wing extremists and that it culminated in the takeover.

Our region is a hot bed for militia-type groups and for hate groups, the chief said, speaking of the federal intelligence.

Earlier this week, the FBI warned law enforcement agencies across the country about possible armed protests that could take place at state capitols starting this weekend  ahead of the inauguration, according to a memo obtained by ABC News. The warning was reportedly based on intelligence gathered from social media and other sources.

Officers in Houston  outside of those in undercover operations  will be required to wear their uniforms at all times starting 6 a.m. Friday, Acevedo said. The modified tactical alert, he said, will continue through the inauguration  or after, as needed. Officers will not be allowed to take vacation days during that time.

Acevedo said he believes Pham  who had no known disciplinary issues  traveled to Washington alone.

I cant tell you the anger I feel at the thought of a police officer and other police officers thinking they get to go storm the Capitol, the chief continued.

Doug Griffith, head of the Houston Police Officers Union, said the officer is expected to resign Thursday and that he most recently worked Westside patrol.

"I'm very disappointed, Griffith said. If the allegations are true, he deserves to be penalized just like any other person would be. It's a crime. It was a crime to enter the Capitol  he needs to face punishment for that."

Acevedo continued to say he was aware of a lot of folks who went to Washington D.C. from Houston.

The Chronicle has identified at least 20 people from the Houston area who have publicly disclosed on social media as having attended the riots  though it was not known if they entered the building.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Patrick would not comment on any investigation or potential charges against anyone who may be suspected of participating in the Capitol riot.

He said U.S. Attorneys nationwide were on a call earlier Wednesday to coordinate with the Justice Department on these cases. The chief prosecutors will work with local FBI offices, he continued. The cases, he said, will be investigated and prosecuted out of Washington D.C.

We would be in a support position to handle local arrests, appearances before a magistrate and execution of any search warrants or arrest warrants, he continued.

Patrick said he was not yet aware of anyone being prosecuted in their local jurisdictions in connection to the Capitol insurrection.

As of Tuesday, federal charges have been filed against at least 27 people in connection to the siege, according to a George Washington University review of the cases. About 27 more were charged through Washington authorities.

St. John Barned-Smith and Gabrielle Banks contributed to this report.
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Players in the EUV lithography market are largely focused on bolstering production capacities to keep up with the massive demand for memory chips and semiconductor products post the coronavirus crisis.

The coronavirus pandemic has a substantial impact on the global economy, and key industry verticals such as consumer electronics. Consequently, the EUV lithography market is likely to be adversely impacted in the short term. On the other hand, the EUV lithography facilities are highly sanitized, and workers are provided with substantial protections from external agents including pathogens, which will help in minimizing operational disruptions in the market.

"As semiconductor designs are constantly shrinking, the use of EUV Lithography Machine facilities have become very critical, as it allows intricate patterns on semiconductor wafers required in next-generation AI, 5G, and automotive applications, which will aid growth for the foreseeable future," says the FMI analyst.

Download Sample Copy@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-10814

EUV Lithography - Primary Takeaways

5 and 7 nm EUV lithography machines are highly sought after driven by leading-edge logic applications.

Semiconductor fabrication foundries are primary end users of EUV lithography technologies, aided by the increasing complexity and miniaturization of semiconductor devices.

Asia Pacific is the leading region for EUV lithography supported by expansion plans of the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.

EUV Lithography - Growth Factors

Substantially lower wavelengths in comparison to other lithography techniques bolster EUV applications in advanced chipmaking applications

Sustained development of power-efficient electronic chips in multiple industrial verticals contributes to process development.

EUV Lithography - Major Constraints

As a nascent market, the risk of undiscovered technical flaws in EUV lithography hinders market growth.

High competition from projection lithography in the semiconductor industry is a key challenge to market growth.

Ask the Analyst@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-the-analyst/rep-gb-10814

The Projected Impact of Coronavirus

The coronavirus pandemic has had an adverse impact on the semiconductor industry, and consequently the EUV lithography market. The slump in electronic product manufacturing activities will continue through 2020, with lockdown restrictions in place. However, the extremely high sanitation standards in EUV lithography facilities, reduces risk of the contagion for workers in the industry, which will help to sustain operations throughout the crisis period.

Competition Landscape

The EUV lithography market comprises players including but not limited to ASML, TSMC, Nikon, Samsung Electronics, Intel Corp., and NTT Advanced Technology. ASML is the leading player of EUV lithographic equipment manufacturing, which even provides supplies to other players in the market. Market players are investing in research initiatives to aid EUV applications in the chipmaking process.

For instance, TOK Advanced Materials has invested in the photoresist development for EUV lithography in Korea. IBM has set up a research initiative involving EUV lithography and its role in chip dimension reduction. Imec has collaborated with ASML to research in printing narrow pitch lines with single exposure EUV lithography.

Download Competitive Matrix@ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/customization-available/rep-gb-10814

More About the Study

The FMI study provides detailed insights on EUV lithography. The market is broken down in terms of end use (integrated device manufacturers, foundries, and memory, fabless, and others) across three key regions (Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific).

More from FMIs Industrial Automation & Equipment Market Intelligence:

About FMI

Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in Dubai, the global financial capital, and has delivery centers in the U.S. and India. FMIs latest market research reports and industry analysis help businesses navigate challenges and make critical decisions with confidence and clarity amidst breakneck competition. Our customized and syndicated market research reports deliver actionable insights that drive sustainable growth. A team of expert-led analysts at FMI continuously tracks emerging trends and events in a broad range of industries to ensure that our clients prepare for the evolving needs of their consumers.

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The NTU team is now in talks with a pharmaceutical company to further improve the nanoparticles function

Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed insulin nanoparticles that may one day become the basis for an oral medicine, and an alternative to insulin injections for diabetic patients.

In a pre-clinical study, the NTU Singapore team fed insulin-containing nanoparticles to rats and found that insulin increased in their blood minutes later.
[January 13, 2021] Kaseya Ends 2020 Empowering Customers with Best-in-Class Product Innovations to Thrive in a Post-COVID World

MIAMI and NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kaseya , the leading provider of IT and security management solutions for managed service providers (MSPs) and small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), announced today that the company grew by over 20% and saw record earnings in 2020, driven by its unparalleled commitment to customers during the worst economy in modern history.

In response to the impact that COVID-19 had on the industry, Kaseya has continued to expand IT Complete, its workflow integrated platform of IT solutions, to ensure customers have constant access to the most cutting-edge solutions. With more than 78 workflow integrations and a bevy of new product innovations, IT Complete is the industrys most comprehensive, fully integrated IT and security management platform available. The company also launched Kaseya Cares , a COVID-19 assistance program that helped businesses navigate government relief programs and provides access to direct financial assistance and complimentary business guidance and assistance via Kaseya Powered Services. To date, the program has assisted more than 4,500 customers and provided over $10 million in direct financial relief. 2020 was an incredible year of change that provided tremendous opportunity for IT service providers, said Fred Voccola, CEO of Kaseya. Though economies around the world struggled, people relied on technology more than ever before. This demand transformed IT service providers into essential workers, who became indispensable in helping SMBs keep their businesses running. As COVID-19 has accelerated this digital transformation for SMBs and business owners recognize that this new normal is here to stay, SMB IT spending will continue to increase and place greater demands on IT service providers. This surging trend means that IT teams will need a robust, comprehensive, workflow integrated IT and security management solution to meet the many demands of their customers, and there is no better solution in the market than the Kaseya IT Complete Platform. Corporate Momentum Milestones Enhancements to Kaseyas security suite through Graphus acquisition and IT Complete product innovations. The acquisition of Graphus, an automated phishing defense solution, and the addition of new security offerings signal Kaseyas continuous commitment to providing customers with the tools they need to deftly address any kind of cyber threat that comes their way. In 2020, Kaseya launched Spanning Dark Web Monitoring , a unique feature that not only backs up SaaS data, but also provides account takeover protection for Office 365 and G Suite accounts, and Passly , a three-in-one identity and access management (IAM) solution that combines single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password management.





The acquisition of Graphus, an automated phishing defense solution, and the addition of new security offerings signal Kaseyas continuous commitment to providing customers with the tools they need to deftly address any kind of cyber threat that comes their way. In 2020, Kaseya launched , a unique feature that not only backs up SaaS data, but also provides account takeover protection for Office 365 and G Suite accounts, and , a three-in-one identity and access management (IAM) solution that combines single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA) and password management. Shift to world-class, virtual experiences . Kaseya welcomed more than 2,100 attendees to 80+ sessions at Connect IT 2020 , its global user conference that was held virtually for the first time ever last year. Without the constraints of ballrooms and physical meeting spaces, Kaseya blew the doors off Connect IT to bring attendees a show that was bigger and better than ever before. Additionally, Kaseya hosted its first virtual product launch in May, which kicked off the companys quarterly product innovation cycles.





. Kaseya welcomed more than 2,100 attendees to 80+ sessions at , its global user conference that was held virtually for the first time ever last year. Without the constraints of ballrooms and physical meeting spaces, Kaseya blew the doors off Connect IT to bring attendees a show that was bigger and better than ever before. Additionally, Kaseya hosted its first virtual product launch in May, which kicked off the companys quarterly product innovation cycles. Expansion of Automation Exchange. Kaseyas crowd-sourced marketplace for all things automation now boasts over 13,000 contributors with thousands of scripts, reports and templates. The automation exchange is the largest app store of automation in the IT industry.

Innovations New Kaseya products and integrations eliminate the space between, a dilemma where IT profssionals lose time and productivity when shifting between various functions and applications. Kaseyas Fusion Mobile App is the only mobile IT management tool that integrates the functions of Kaseyas remote monitoring and management (RMM) product, VSA , its professional services automation (PSA) solution, BMS , and IT documentation, IT Glue, into a single mobile application. Overall, Kaseya released over 78 different integrations across its IT Complete platform and is actively adding six to eight new integrations each quarter with the goal of making the lives of IT admins simpler and more efficient.





Key integrations included: BMS and IT Glue  New Suggested Documentation automatically assesses tickets and guides technicians to the solution, reducing the time it takes to close tickets.

VSA and BMS  New Auto-Remediation reads ticket data and leverages automated RMM scripts to resolve issues without technician involvement.

Unitrends and IT Glue  Automates backup and disaster recovery documentation so IT always has real-time information on the status of their data across all of their environments.

VSA and IT Glue  Eliminates the need to perform separate management and documentation tasks by enabling remote control, scripting and context-aware information across both products Advanced backup capabilities from Unitrends automate backups to make management easier and ensure that your data is there when you need it. Unitrends Helix , an AI-powered, self-healing SaaS remediation platform, monitors and automatically fixes the most common issues facing IT administrators when managing backups. With Helix, Unitrends users can more confidently ensure their backups succeed and free up their time for more innovative or revenue-building initiatives. Unitrends Cloud Backup offers unparalleled file recovery and protection from viruses, hackers, corruption and accidental deletion with direct to cloud backup that eliminates the hassle of managing local backup storage. Conditional alerts reduce the noise of backup alerts to only the ones you need to take action on. With this feature, customers can specify conditions for alerts, giving them complete control to determine when administrators need to take action. Lastly, Unitrends Uniview empowers customers to manage all backups from a unified portal to perform appliance, direct to cloud, and Microsoft O365 application backups.







, an AI-powered, self-healing SaaS remediation platform, monitors and automatically fixes the most common issues facing IT administrators when managing backups. With Helix, Unitrends users can more confidently ensure their backups succeed and free up their time for more innovative or revenue-building initiatives. Unitrends Cloud Backup offers unparalleled file recovery and protection from viruses, hackers, corruption and accidental deletion with direct to cloud backup that eliminates the hassle of managing local backup storage. Conditional alerts reduce the noise of backup alerts to only the ones you need to take action on. With this feature, customers can specify conditions for alerts, giving them complete control to determine when administrators need to take action. Lastly, Unitrends Uniview empowers customers to manage all backups from a unified portal to perform appliance, direct to cloud, and Microsoft O365 application backups. To continue its commitment to providing customers with tools to navigate an ever-changing compliance space , Kaseya released Compliance Manager for NIST CSF, the industry's first comprehensive audit, assessment and analysis solution that allows users to automate compliance processes and documentation according to the National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NIST) Cyber Security Framework (CSF). In December 2020, Kaseya also added to its Compliance Manager capabilities with new support for the Department of Defenses Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and an integration between Compliance Manager and IT Glue that makes documentation of compliance due diligence even more seamless. From the second quarter of 2020 to the years end, 798 new customers were using Compliance Manager.



, Kaseya released Compliance Manager for NIST CSF, the industry's first comprehensive audit, assessment and analysis solution that allows users to automate compliance processes and documentation according to the National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NIST) Cyber Security Framework (CSF). In December 2020, Kaseya also added to its Compliance Manager capabilities with new support for the Department of Defenses Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) and an integration between Compliance Manager and IT Glue that makes documentation of compliance due diligence even more seamless. From the second quarter of 2020 to the years end, 798 new customers were using Compliance Manager. Two new RapidFire Tools solutions give administrators greater visibility into newly remote workforces. Early in 2020, RapidFire Tools Network Detective Work from Home (WFH) delivered a self-service portal that empowers employees working remotely to initiate a network and security scan that can be analyzed and documented by their companies IT support team before they connect to the corporate network. It then followed up with the RapidFire Tools Network Detective Microsoft Cloud Assessment Module , which is the fastest, most comprehensive Microsoft Cloud assessment solution on the market. It delivers critical visibility and enables better security and management of the Microsoft Cloud environment, including Microsoft Office 365 and Azure. IT Glue delivered enhancements to security and network visibility with : The Vault - With the Vault, IT Glues client-side encryption/decryption feature, total control is in the hands of technicians. All passwords are encrypted locally and can only be decrypted by a user-specific passphrase, providing another layer of protection to IT Glues ironclad security. Password Folder Security - This was one of IT Glue customers most requested features and now enhanced password folder security provides technicians the ability to easily organize passwords, eliminating the need to manage permissions. Password Folder Security saves valuable time, shifting the management of permissions to the folder level rather than being required to manage them separately. Ports and Connected To - Automatically documents switch ports as well as connections between devices. Active Directory Domain Role - See Domain Controllers on the Active Directory (AD) infrastructure. Easily troubleshoot, filter out devices that are members of the AD environment, and catch devices that have not yet been added to AD. Virtual Network Topology within Network Glue  Automatically discover virtual networks in addition to routers, switches and firewalls.

: Industry Recognition Throughout 2020, Kaseya and its products received several industry awards highlighting its unparalleled innovation and leadership, including: TrustRadius 2020 TechCares Award - for helping its customers navigate the business challenges due to COVID-19 through the Kaseya Cares program.

- for helping its customers navigate the business challenges due to COVID-19 through the Kaseya Cares program. Top Workplaces in South Florida by the Sun Sentinel  based on employee feedback gathered through the Sun Sentinels survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage. The survey uniquely measured 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization.

 based on employee feedback gathered through the Sun Sentinels survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage. The survey uniquely measured 15 drivers of engaged cultures that are critical to the success of any organization. 2020 American Cyber Award - for Innovative Product of the Year in Threat Detection  ID Agent, Passly

- for Innovative Product of the Year in Threat Detection  ID Agent, Passly CRNs 100 Coolest Cloud Companies of 2020

CRNs 20 Coolest Data Protection Companies  for Unitrends Backup

 for Unitrends Backup CRNs 20 Coolest Cloud Storage Companies  for Unitrends Backup

 for Unitrends Backup ChannelPro Readers Choice Award  for Best Remote Monitoring and Management Vendor, Bronze

 for Best Remote Monitoring and Management Vendor, Bronze Top 50 SaaS CEOs of 2020 by The Software Report - 50 exceptional CEOs as selected by The Software Report based on a review across key areas including company performance, workplace culture, product strength and strategic decision-making. About Kaseya

Kaseya is the leading provider of IT and security management solutions for managed service providers (MSPs) and small to medium sized businesses (SMBs). Through its open platform and customer-centric approach, Kaseya delivers best in breed technologies that allow organizations to efficiently manage, secure, and backup IT. Kaseya IT Complete is the most comprehensive, integrated IT management platform comprised of industry-leading solutions from Kaseya, Unitrends, RapidFire Tools, Spanning Cloud Apps, IT Glue, ID Agent and Graphus. The platform empowers businesses to: command all of IT centrally; easily manage remote and distributed environments; simplify backup and disaster recovery; safeguard against cybersecurity attacks; effectively manage compliance and network assets; streamline IT documentation, and automate across IT management functions. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, Kaseya is privately held with a presence in over 20 countries. To learn more, visit www.kaseya.com. Media Contacts

Katy Hoeper, PR Manager

Walker Sands

katy.hoeper@walkersands.com Tammy Hovey, VP of Corporate Communications

Kaseya

tammy.hovey@kaseya.com



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VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd. (ASM: TSX/NYSE American, GV6: FSE, "Avino" or "the Company") is pleased to announce an updated mineral resource estimate for the Company's Avino Property located near Durango in west-central Mexico (the "Property"). The updated estimate includes the Property's Avino Mine (Elena Tolosa  "ET") vein systems, the San Gonzalo Mine, and the Property's Oxide Tailings. The mineral resources estimate has been included in an updated technical report prepared by Tetra Tech Inc. under National Instrument 43-101 ("NI-43-101"), which will be available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under the Company's profile and filed on Form 6-K with the SEC within 45 days.

Highlights (compared to February 21, 2018)

Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources:

Increase of 60% in silver equivalent ounces, up to 75.9 million ounces

Increase in gold and copper grades by 6% and 11%, up to 0.67 g/t and 0.41%

Increase in silver grade at ET by 3%, up to 63 g/t

Decrease in consolidated silver grades by 10%, to 69 g/t, as a result of depletion at San Gonzalo

Increase in tonnage of 90% overall, totaling 20.3 million metric tonnes

Inferred Mineral Resources:

Decrease of 6% in silver equivalent ounces, down to 21.8 million ounces

Avino Mine

Mineral Resources Summary

as at October 31, 2020 Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources Grade Metal Contents Resource

Category Deposit Cut-off

(AgEQ g/t) Metric Tonnes AgEQ

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Au

(g/t) Cu

(%) AgEQ (million

tr oz) Ag

(million

tr oz) Au

(thousand

tr oz) Cu Tonnes Measured Avino - ET 60 4,760,000 120 74 0.63 0.55 18.4 11.3 97 26,300 Measured San Gonzalo System 130 267,000 356 263 1.36 0.00 3.1 2.3 12 0 Total Measured All Deposits

5,027,000 133 84 0.67 0.52 21.5 13.6 109 26,300 Indicated Avino - ET 60 13,890,000 107 59 0.68 0.41 47.9 26.5 304 56,700 Indicated San Gonzalo System 130 216,000 304 230 1.09 0.00 2.1 1.6 8 0 Indicated Oxide Tailings 50 1,120,000 124 89 0.42 0.00 4.5 3.2 15 0 Total Indicated All Deposits

15,226,000 111 64 0.67 0.37 54.5 31.3 327 56,700 Total Measured & Indicated All Deposits

20,253,000 117 69 0.67 0.41 75.9 44.9 436 83,000























Inferred Mineral Resources Grade Metal Contents Resource

Category Deposit Cut-off

(AgEQ g/t) Metric Tonnes AgEQ

(g/t) Ag

(g/t) Au

(g/t) Cu

(%) AgEQ (million

tr oz) Ag

(million

tr oz) Au

(thousand

tr oz) Cu

Tonnes Inferred Avino  ET 60 5,230,000 95 51 0.64 0.34 16.0 8.5 108 17,700 Inferred San Gonzalo System 130 85,000 298 233 0.96 0.00 0.8 0.6 3 0 Inferred Oxide Tailings 50 1,230,000 125 85 0.47 0.00 5.0 3.4 19 0 Total Inferred All Deposits

6,545,000 103 59 0.61 0.27 21.8 12.5 129.0 17,700



































Notes:

Figures may not add to totals shown due to rounding. Mineral Resources that are not Mineral Reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The Mineral Resource estimate is classified in accordance with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum's (CIM) Definition Standards for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves incorporated by reference into National Instrument 43-101 (NI 43-101) Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Cut-off grades were calculated using the following consensus metal price assumptions: gold price of US$1,875 /oz, silver price of US$24.00 /oz, and copper price of US$3.10 /lb. Silver equivalent (AgEQ) ounces are notional, based on the combined value of metals expressed as silver ounces. Metal Recovery based on operational results and column tests. The silver equivalent was calculated using the following assumptions: For ET using the formula: AgEQ = 1 x Ag grade + 65.1 x Au grade + 8.66 x Cu grade For San Gonzalo using the formula: AgEQ = 1 x Ag grade + 72.54 x Au grade For Oxide Tailings using the formula: AgEQ = 1 x Ag grade + 84.55 x Au grade

Avino President and CEO, David Wolfin commented: "We are thrilled to have successfully gone over and above replacing mining depletion since the previous report, by adding significant additional measured and indicated resources at the Avino property. The updated mineral resource estimate provides us with a robust long-term outlook. With several areas on the property that have yet to be explored, there is a strong in-situ potential for further potential resource extension. Many thanks to our hard-working operation team in Mexico for their hard work over the years to more fully understand the extent of mineralization at Avino. The drills will be active again during the first quarter and the 2021 exploration program will continue to build on the success of our past operations."

The indicated mineral resource at Avino's Elena Tolosa ("ET") deposit has been significantly increased. As of the date of the previous mineral resource estimate in 2018, the mineralization was estimated to consist of a 10 metre to 30 metre wide footwall zone with a sporadic development of hanging wall stockwork.

Subsequently, the Avino Vein has been fully exposed and sampled in underground development below elevations of 360 metres to 470 metres below surface, and it has been discovered to be consistently and continuously mineralised between the hanging wall and footwall veins over a thickness of up to 45 metres. This broad zone has been proven by underground development and channel sampling down to an elevation of 1,849 metres.

This mineralization was sampled and partially mined before the recent hiatus in operations and it is included in the current mineral resource.

Detailed depletion models for the ET deposit and San Gonzalo have been applied, based on updated 3D models of underground development and stoping excavations.

The western portion of the inferred oxide tailings resource has been reduced, due to

uncertainty of the bedrock topographic profiles under the tailings and

the increased depth of sulphide tailings that was placed above the western portion of the inferred oxide tailings resource.

The total measured and indicated mineral resource tonnage in all deposits totals 20.3 million metric tonnes containing

75.9 million troy ounces of silver equivalent, comprised of 44.9 million troy ounces of silver, 436,000 troy ounces of gold, and 83,000 metric tonnes of copper.

The total inferred mineral resource tonnage in all deposits totals 6.6 million metric tonnes, of 21.8 million troy ounces of silver equivalent comprised of 12.5 million troy ounces of silver, 129,000 troy ounces of gold, and 17,700 metric tonnes of copper.

The mineral resource estimates were prepared by Michael O'Brien P.Geo., Pr.Sci.Nat., of Red Pennant Geoscience who is a "Qualified Person" within the meaning of NI 43-101 and independent of Avino, as defined by Section 1.5 of NI 43-101.

Oxide Tailings

The Oxide Tailings resource has been re-estimated using the same model and data as the previous mineral resource update, however a more conservative approach has been utilized in extrapolating the inferred material.

Method of Calculation

The definitive estimation methods used were substantially the same for all three deposits (Ordinary Kriging), providing a consistent baseline for strategic planning.

Mineral resources were estimated by ordinary kriging, optimized using kriging neighbourhood analysis and verified by means of nearest neighbour and inverse distance methods, swathplot comparisons of estimates and visual inspections. Block models were created for the San Gonzalo and Avino Vein Systems and the Oxide Tailings deposit and estimates were made utilizing blocks of sizes 20 m long x 5 m wide x 10 m high for Avino (ET Mine), sizes 10 m long x 5 m wide x 10 m high for San Gonzalo and 40 m long x 40 m wide x 2 m high for Oxide Tailings.



Fundamental changes since the previous mineral resource estimates are (1) depletion due to mining (over 800 thousand tonnes milled since the beginning of 2018), (2) significant new sampling information (3) changes to cut-off calculations and (4) reclassification of mineral resources in the light of improved confidence in the understanding of the deposits at distances from the underground channel samples and drill hole samples.

More sampling information does not always lead to direct increases in resource tonnages and contained metal. In some cases, the new information provides improved understanding (developed by variogram modelling and kriging neighborhood analysis) that may demote some portions of mineral resource from high confidence measured and indicated categories, to a lower confidence inferred category.

Currently, for the San Gonzalo and Avino Vein Systems, estimated blocks more than thirty-five metres from samples are not included in the indicated category resources and have been classified as inferred resources.

For the Oxide Tailings, estimated blocks more than fifty metres from samples are not included in the indicated category resources.

Qualified Person(s)

Avino's projects in Durango, Mexico are under the geoscientific oversight of Michael O'Brien, P.Geo., Senior Principal Consultant, Red Pennant Geoscience, and under the supervision of Peter Latta, P.Eng, Avino's VP, Technical Services, who are both qualified persons within the context of NI 43-101. Both have reviewed and approved the technical data in this news release.

About Avino

Avino is primarily a silver producer with a diversified pipeline of silver, gold, and base metal properties in Mexico. Avino produces from its wholly owned Avino Mine near Durango, Mexico. The Company's silver and gold production remains unhedged. The Company's mission and strategy is to create shareholder value through its focus on profitable organic growth at the historic Avino Property and the strategic acquisition of mineral exploration and mining properties. We are committed to managing all business activities in a safe, environmentally responsible and cost-effective manner, while contributing to the well-being of the communities in which we operate.

On Behalf of the Board

"David Wolfin"

________________________________

David Wolfin

President & CEO

Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd.

Safe Harbor Statement - This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (together, the "forward looking statements") within the meaning of applicable securities laws and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the updated mineral resource estimate for the Company's Avino Property located near Durango in west-central Mexico (the "Property") with an effective date of January 13, 2021 prepared for the Company, and reference to Measured, Indicated, Inferred Resources referred to in this press release. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and the dates of technical reports, as applicable. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as there can be no assurance that the future circumstances, outcomes or results anticipated in or implied by such forward-looking statements will occur or that plans, intentions or expectations upon which the forward-looking statements are based will occur. While we have based these forward-looking statements on our expectations about future events as at the date that such statements were prepared, the statements are not a guarantee that such future events will occur and are subject to risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors which could cause events or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. No assurance can be given that the Company's Property has the amount of the mineral resources indicated in the updated report or that such mineral resources may be economically extracted.

Such factors and assumptions include, among others, the effects of general economic conditions, the price of gold, silver and copper, changing foreign exchange rates and actions by government authorities, uncertainties associated with legal proceedings and negotiations and misjudgments in the course of preparing forward-looking information. In addition, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Known risk factors include risks associated with project development; the need for additional financing; operational risks associated with mining and mineral processing; the COVID-19 pandemic; volatility in the global financial markets; fluctuations in metal prices; title matters; uncertainties and risks related to carrying on business in foreign countries; environmental liability claims and insurance; reliance on key personnel; the potential for conflicts of interest among certain of our officers, directors or promoters with certain other projects; the absence of dividends; currency fluctuations; competition; dilution; the volatility of the our common share price and volume; tax consequences to U.S. investors; and other risks and uncertainties. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. We are under no obligation to update or alter any forward-looking statements except as required under applicable securities laws. For more detailed information regarding the Company including its risk factors, investors are directed to the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F and other periodic reports that it files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

References to Measured & Indicated Mineral Resources and Inferred Mineral Resources in this press release are terms that are defined under Canadian rules by National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101"). U.S. Investors are cautioned not to assume that any part of the mineral resources in these categories will ever be converted into Reserves as defined under SEC Industry Guide 7.

SOURCE Avino Silver & Gold Mines Ltd.

Related Links

http://www.avino.com/



We are thrilled to partner with SYNNEX and bring our award-winning endpoint protection platform and services to their rich network of partners and distributors in North America. Their vast expertise in cybersecurity and unparalleled reach, said Lior Div, CEO and Co-Founder, Cybereason.

Cybereason, the leader in future-ready attack protection, and SYNNEX Corporation, a leading provider of distribution, systems design and integration services for the technology industry, today announced a strategic agreement that enables SMBs and enterprises to detect and end cyber attacks on endpoints anywhere on their networks.

Cybereason and SYNNEX can help SMBs and enterprises by extending endpoint detection & response (EDR) and Next-Generation Anti-Virus (NGAV) to aid defenders in pinpointing malicious operations (Malop) across remote workstations, mobile devices and anywhere in their network ecosystem.

December 2020 became a watershed moment in cybersecurity as the world witnessed one of the largest cyber attacks in history. Businesses have come to the realization that the world has entered an age of continuous incident response, where security teams must operate to detect and respond to threats in real-time. Cybereason is uniquely positioned to protect in a world of constant cyber attacks with an approach that is operation-centric rather than alert-centric. The Cybereason Malop is powered by behavioral analytics to fully contextualize and correlate insights that detail the full attack story from root cause to impacted users and devices. The end result is a future-ready attack platform that significantly reduces investigation/remediation periods from days to minutes.

Extending SYNNEXs portfolio with Cybereason provides our partners a new solution to a growing problem for companies dealing with complex cyber attacks that can evade traditional security products. This agreement with Cybereason, along with our teams expertise, will increase the ability of our partners to help their customers detect and end cyber attacks, said Jessica McDowell, Vice President, Business Development, SYNNEX Corporation.

As part of the initial agreement, SYNNEX customers will have access to the following security products and services:

Cybereason Essentials Bundle: This solution provides SMBs and enterprises with essential Endpoint Detection & Response, Next-Generation Anti-Virus, and security monitoring services all for a single price point.

Cybereason Complete Bundle: This solution provides SMBs and enterprises with the entire Cybereason Essentials Bundle, along with endpoint controls and complete endpoint security management.

We are thrilled to partner with SYNNEX and bring our award-winning endpoint protection platform and services to their rich network of partners and distributors in North America. Their vast expertise in cybersecurity and unparalleled reach enables more SMBs and enterprises to benefit from our award-winning endpoint protection platform. Ending cyber attacks on the endpoint and everywhere is our mission and helping end-users is critical to reversing the adversary advantage and giving defenders a leg up in stopping and ending attacks, said Lior Div, CEO and Co-Founder, Cybereason.

To learn more about Cybereason through SYNNEX Corporation, contact cybereason@synnex.com.

Learn more: https://www.cybereason.com/

Follow us: Blog | Twitter | Facebook

About SYNNEX

SYNNEX Corporation is a Fortune 200 corporation and a leading provider of a comprehensive range of distribution, systems design and integration services for the technology industry to a wide range of enterprises. Founded in 1980, SYNNEX Corporation operates in numerous countries throughout North and South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe. Additional information about SYNNEX may be found online at synnex.com.

SYNNEX, the SYNNEX Logo and all other SYNNEX company, product and services names and slogans are trademarks or registered trademarks of SYNNEX Corporation. SYNNEX, the SYNNEX Logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off. Other names and marks are the property of their respective owners.

About Cybereason

Cybereason is the champion for todays cyber defenders providing future-ready attack protection that unifies security from the endpoint, to the enterprise, to everywhere the battle moves. The Cybereason Defense Platform combines the industrys top-rated detection and response (EDR and XDR), next-gen anti-virus (NGAV), and proactive threat hunting to deliver context-rich analysis of every element of a Malop (malicious operation). The result: defenders can end cyber attacks from endpoints to everywhere. Cybereason is a privately held, international company headquartered in Boston with customers in more than 30 countries.

Media Contacts:

Bill Keeler

Senior Director, Global Public Relations

Cybereason

bill.keeler@cybereason.com

(929) 259-3261


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The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is backing criminal investigations into possible involuntary manslaughter at Mother and Baby Homes.

Alphonsus Cullinan said it was totally and utterly wrong to allow a baby to die and not do anything about it.

Bishop Cullinan was speaking following the publication of the report by the Commission of investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

The report found a high rate of infant mortality inside the religious institutions, which 56,000 women and 57,000 children passed through between 1920 and 1998.

In 1945 and 1946 the death rate among infants and mother and baby homes was almost twice the national average for so-called illegitimate children.

Speaking on WLR FM today, Bishop Cullinan said he was of course ashamed and upset by the report.

The stories weve heard are harrowing, gut wrenching, he said.

Asked if he believed there should be criminal investigations into possible involuntary manslaughter at the Catholic institutions, Bishop Cullinan said: Yes, I would say thats a fair point. I would. These kinds of specific things can certainly be investigated again, going forward.

Pushed on whether there should be criminal investigations, he said: I think yes, I think yes. Yes.

To allow a baby to die, and not to do anything about it, that of course is totally and utterly wrong, Bishop Cullinan said.

The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore saidhe and the Church absolutely took responsibility for laying down the kind of social rules that led to Mother and Baby Homes.

What went on, to many of the survivors in these Mother and Baby Homes was a twisting of what should have been truth and justice and goodness. To treat a human being as a second class citizen as rubbish and as trash is, was and always will be wrong and inexcusable, Bishop Cullinan said.

The senior cleric said he believed adoptees should be given the right to access personal information about themselves, as anybody who wants to find out about his or her identity should be allowed to do it. But he added there may be mothers who do not want to revisit that part of their lives.

He also criticised the use of children born in the homes in vaccine trials.

It is uncharitable, unchristian and it goes against specifically the UN charter for human rights, that should not have happened, Bishop Cullinan said.

Following the publication of the report on Tuesday, following a five year investigation into the lives of women and children who passed through the homes, Amnesty International called for criminal investigations to be carried out.

The level of infant mortality in these institutions compared to wider society at the time and the number of unregistered deaths and burials are shocking to the extreme. We support calls for this, and other serious abuses, to be referred for criminal investigation, Colm OGorman, the executive director of Amnesty Ireland, said.

"The report affirms what survivors have said about poor conditions, forced labour, and the physical and emotional abuse of women and children. About adoptions without consent, and vaccine trials on children without adhering to regulatory or ethical requirements.

Based on the briefing by the government, its clear that there is still so much to uncover, like how Gardai were not notified of underage pregnancies potentially involving statutory rape, and the issue of illegal adoptions and child trafficking.

Three additional cases of the highly contagious UK coronavirus variant have been identified in New York, bringing the state's total to 15

During a press conference on Wednesday Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) all the infections are in upstate Warren County.

They are currently being investigated to see if they are linked to the very first case which was identified at a jewelry store in nearby Saratoga County.

It comes as Mayor Bill De Blasio revealed during his own press conference that two of the state's 15 total cases are New York City residents.

The two people live in Manhattan and Queens, respectively, and one of them had recently traveled to the UK.

With cases of the new variant spreading, now infecting least 85 people in 13 states, de Blasio called once again for a complete travel ban from the UK.

Wisconsin and New Mexico each reported their first case of the super-infectious UK variant on Wednesday.

And Ohio scientists discovered two more-infectious, homegrown variants of the virus, they announced Wednesday.

One is virtually identical to the UK variant, but evolved independently in the U.S. A second is completely unique to the country and has become dominant in Columbus, Ohio.

Two New York City residents have been infected with the new coronavirus variant first identified in the UK, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday (pictured)

At least 83 people across 11 states have contracted the new strain, which is up to 70% more transmissible

US SCIENTISTS FIND THREE HOMEGROWN SUPER-COVID' VARIANTS The US now has three of its own homegrown 'super-covid' variants that are more infectious than the most common coronavirus types in the US - and the new variants are spreading like wildfire in at least one state. Two variants were identified by Ohio scientists on Wednesday and the third by Illinois researchers on Thursday. One of the new, more infectious variants has already become dominant in Columbus, Ohio, where it was discovered. This unique US variant has three mutations not seen in the others from the UK, Brazil and South Africa. It does have a spike protein mutation, and is thought to be more infectious than normal coronavirus. So far, this homegrown variant has been seen in about 20 samples since Ohio State University (OSU) scientists first detected it in December. It's now present in most of the samples they are sequencing. A second variant has mutations virtually identical to the UK variant's, but arose completely independently on American soil, according to Ohio State University scientists. Just one person with this variant has been found. There is no evidence that either of the new variants will be immune to vaccines so far. The third new variant was discovered by a team from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The earliest appearance of new variant, called 20C-US, was traced back to Texas in May 2020. It began picking up prevalence in late June and early July 2020 and could be responsible for up to 50% of all current cases. The variant carries several mutations, including to the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter and infect human cells. Scientists say the variant has not spread significantly beyond the country's borders, and that is most highly prevalent in the Upper Midwest and eastern states. Advertisement

The first case in New York was identified in a man in 60s last week at a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs, a city about 190 miles north of New York City.

Since then, three other people in Saratoga County and two people in Warren County linked to the jewelry store have tested positive for the new strain.

A second outbreak in Long Island is linked to two cases in Suffolk County, two cases from Nassau County and the case in Queens.

Only the Manhattan case is not linked to any outbreak.

''We're dealing with high numbers of COVID cases across the state as we move through the dark days of winter, and although I understand COVID fatigue has set in, we need New Yorkers to remember that we aren't out of the woods yet,' Cuomo during his press conference.

'The vaccine is the weapon that ends the war, but we're locked in a footrace between its quick distribution and the spread of new cases.'

Meanwhile, in New York City, De Blasio said the two patients are currently in isolation and have been in contact with the state's Test And Trace Corps.

'Obviously, they're being followed up on and supported,' he said.

'Test and Trace engaged with them and we'll keep people updated as we have more information.

Dr Dave Chokshi, the city's health commissioner said the two cases were diagnosed in late December and confirmed via genetic testing on Wednesday.

This likely means the variant spreading widely through the city for several weeks.

On Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that, on January 26, it begin requiring all international travelers to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test before entering the U.S.

This is in addition to the Trump administration's policy, which barred UK travelers without a negative test from entry.

Passengers are required to get tested no more than three days before their flight and show a negative result to the airline before boarding.

However, de Blasio repeated calls for the federal government to ban flights from the UK for the foreseeable future.

'Although I appreciate the federal government is finally acting to restrict who can get on an internal flight and require them to have a negative coronavirus test, that's not good enough,' he said.

'There should be an immediate travel ban from the United Kingdom to the United States. Here's proof positive: Someone who was in the UK has brought the variant back here.'

As of Wednesday afternoon, 85 infections have been detected in 13 states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.

California currently has the highest number of reported cases with 34 in total - 32 in San Diego County and two in San Bernardino County - and Florida is close behind with 22 cases.

New York has the third highest number of cases with 15.

The strain, known as B 1.1.7., is feared to be up to 70 percent more transmissible and to spread more easily among children.

What's more, a Minnesota case of the new variant indicates it may have been circulating in the U.S. far earlier than previously believed.

The positive sample comes from a patient that was taken on December 18 and uploaded to the global genomic database GISAID.

Meanwhile, other variants from South Africa and Brazil have been found - but neither have any confirmed cases in the U.S.

Even as the coronavirus surge continued to severely strain hospitals, signs of hope appeared statewide and in the Bay Area Tuesday.

The regional stay-at-home order for the greater Sacramento area was lifted, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced, as case rates stabilized and intensive care unit projections eased.

Across the state, hospital admissions decreased from 3,500 per day to 2,500 per day for the past two days  the biggest signal that the surge is beginning to flatten, state health secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said during a news conference Tuesday.

State positivity rates  a closely watched indicator defined as the percentage of tests that come back positive  also appear to be on a downward trajectory, he said.

While these are encouraging indications, Were not out of the woods, Ghaly said. We know that theres still a lot of COVID in our communities and people can easily transmit it. We must continue to keep our guard up.

In hard-hit Santa Clara County, county health officer Dr. Sara Cody said Tuesday that hospitalization numbers are beginning to level off but at an extremely high level.

In San Francisco, while infection numbers remain worrisome, the growth rate is not nearly as high as it was after Thanksgiving, San Francisco Mayor London Breed said Tuesday.

Though our cases are still higher than ever, the rate of increase isnt as severe as we saw after Thanksgiving, Breed said during a news briefing Tuesday. This is some good news and it means, hopefully, that people are following the health orders. However, we started this holiday at a more precarious point. So even a slower rate of increase is seriously concerning. Our cases and hospitalizations remain dangerously high.

Stay-at-home restrictions in San Francisco will likely remain at least through the end of January, according to Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax. (The state also extended its regional stay-at-home order for the Bay Area on Tuesday.) He said that with access to the vaccine many months away for most residents and hospitalization numbers still rising, the city was not stable enough to reopen more businesses.

San Francisco is averaging 280 new cases per day and has 249 hospitalized patients, according to Colfax. The county saw a 70% increase in cases in the weeks following Thanksgiving. Now, theres a 28% increase post-Christmas, Colfax said.

San Francisco still has enough ICU capacity to treat patients, Colfax said. Nonetheless, We need to turn this around, he said. The current trajectory is not sustainable.

ICU capacity in the Bay Area region  which includes Santa Cruz and Monterey counties as well as the core nine-county area  rose on Tuesday, from less than 1% to a still worrying 4.7%, state officials said Tuesday. The greater Sacramento area also remained tight, at 9.4% availability, but projected improvements allowed the stay-home order to be lifted.

The Northern California regions hospitals slipped below 20% ICU capacity for the first time, with just 17.6% beds available. In Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley region, ICU capacity remained at 0%, meaning they are reliant on ad-hoc surge facilities.

Statewide, 21,747 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase of 5.5% in the past 14 days, according to Ghaly.

The last time we had a rate this low was actually the end of October, he said.

Still, he said, I wouldnt declare victory in any way. We have seen many high days since the beginning of the year. We do anticipate that even though this week has been encouraging, we do still expect there to be a bump up in the middle of the month, the end of the month.

In Santa Clara County, Cody said that more than 700 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county at the beginning of the year  a number 3.5 times higher than any other peak during any other time of the pandemic, she said.

Our hospitals are together really performing something of a high-wire act, trying to care for an extraordinary number of patients with COVID who require hospital-level care, she said.

Deaths are still rising, and a significant proportion of the deaths in the county are among people living in long-term care facilities, Cody said.

Three Santa Clara County hospitals have reached morgue capacity, and four others are nearly full, officials said Tuesday. The county has brought in three 65-foot trailers to add morgue space and may possibly activate a mass fatality plan.

I think that we will continue to see deaths increase, Cody said.

Meanwhile, concern continues over the highly contagious coronavirus variant that has spread through the United Kingdom and been found in a growing number of states, including California.

Absolutely we are worried about it  if it takes off, Ghaly said. If it does come more widespread were going to see increased transmission from where we are now. The rates of transmission are going to be significantly more challenging to contain if we see the proliferation of this U.K. variant here. Were very much concerned about it.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that effective Jan. 26, the U.S. will require a negative coronavirus test for all air passengers entering the country. In addition to the test required before departure, the CDC said it recommends travelers get tested again three to five days after arrival in the U.S. and to shelter in place for seven days after traveling.

The U.S. already requires negative pre-departure virus tests for passengers coming from the U.K.

Chronicle staff writer Aidin Vaziri contributed to this report.

Tatiana Sanchez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tatiana.sanchez@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @TatianaYSanchez
We fought global wars, and millions of people died to defend and protect our human rights, including our right to have democratic governments.

Last weeks invasion of the Capital Hill in DC was nothing but a stunning attack on democracy, perpetrated by none other than the President of the United States.

It was the end result of four years of Trumps insidious and unrelenting endeavours to undermine the integrity of the American Republic while severely dividing the Republican party.

With a lot of Trump supporters, like Congressmen, police, and security personnel already working inside the Congressional offices, there is virtually no security on Capitol Hill.

His 60-minute phone call challenging Georgias Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger not to adopt the electoral ballots, served well to bare his corrupt political soul to the world.

His open support of the insurrection on the Capitol hill finally exposed Trump for what he really is, a traitor to his country.

It was like an incredibly well organized inside job, virtually unimpeded by security, police or the National Guard, and it should serve as a warning for all of us to be vigilant.

Today those same rights are being attacked very aggressively here in Canada, by the very political leaders we elected, beginning with Harper, who managed to turn the Prime Ministers Office into a political control center, not to be outdone by Trudeau who denied us a proportional ballot.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is asking Trudeau to conduct a pointless national assembly, completely ignoring a very inclusive and comprehensive cross-country consultation by former NDP MP Nathan Cullen, instead of working with the Conservatives and the Green party to adopt and implement a Proportional ballot that we so desperately need, to avert further erosion of our own democracy.

Andy Thomsen, Kelowna
Steve Salmon, VP of Business Development, Field Nation. "There is immense pressure and scale required of service companies to deliver tens of thousands of projects this year in response to a COVID-19 environment, said Mynul Khan, CEO, and Founder, Field Nation.

Field Nation announced today during NRF 2021 new investment levels to strengthen the accelerated reinvention of retail, as retailers deploy touchless, self-serve checkout technologies and omni-channel commerce systems for the "store of the future."

"There is immense pressure and scale required of service companies to deliver tens of thousands of projects this year in response to a COVID-19 environment. Fortunately, our base of technicians has worked in virtually every retail location nationwide in virtually every zip code, said Mynul Khan, CEO, and Founder, Field Nation. With retail facing such disruption, we want to ensure that service providers are equipped to respond."

As the leading on-site services platform and network of on-demand technicians, Field Nation powers more than one million work orders annually for field services across North America, with over half of those deployments in retail.

The (Tech) Proximity Dilemma

Service providers supporting retail businesses are ramping up for unprecedented levels of coverage and retail-ready talent in 2021 and beyond. These providers may service hundreds of thousands of disbursed stores nationwide, spanning hundreds or thousands of miles.

Field Nation's mission is to make it easier for providers to connect in any region with retail-experienced techs that can be trusted with their brand. Top service providers are augmenting traditional talent sourcing approaches to better compete, no matter where their customers are located.

"We're on the hook to deliver the best experience in all hours in all geographies for our customers while juggling unpredictable schedules in areas where we do not have technicians. So, finding a partner who could help us win the business with coverage and quality was a huge relief for us where we also discovered an opportunity to expand and win more bids." National Service Delivery Leader

Field Nation Dedicates Industry Veteran to Expand its Support for Service Providers

As part of the overall investment, Field Nation recently appointed 30-year service delivery veteran Steve Salmon to lead the company's expansion efforts with a focused team to address the unique challenges facing companies servicing retail projects today. Over the past six months, his team researched and identified key investment opportunities that solve the most pressing business challenges for service delivery leaders.

"To meet accelerated demand in retail, our clients need two things: access to retail-experienced talent that will complete the job successfully the first time in a brand-positive way, and technology that reduces the operational overhead to find, vet and manage that talent. We're committed to amplifying our efforts on both over the next 18 months," added Steve Salmon, VP of Business Development, Field Nation.

The company ramped up retail support and R&D expenditures in anticipation of retail trends, becoming long-lasting market solutions. These investments will further enable the best, most agile organizations to complete nationwide deployments.

The Platform for Workforce Flexibility in Times of Uncertainty

A pandemic taught service providers to expect the unexpected; many are putting permanent contingency plans in place. Scaling with experienced technicians and solidifying control over the transaction is crucial. In response, Field Nation is investing in three areas: enhanced intelligence, lower overhead, and quality technician network.

"Our platform will continue to enhance real-time, on-site tech communication to ensure first-visit resolution, and to audit for improved quality. Continued enhancements to MarketSmart Insights will assist with better bidding and optimize service provider costs. Finally, scale-related enhancements like auto-approvals will help manage large-volume projects without adding extra overhead. These areas will all be enhanced in 2021 for more scalable, quality service outcomes, said Wael Mohammed, Executive VP of Product Management, Field Nation.

The Optimized Service Workforce: The Growing Use of Flexible, Skilled Talent

2021 is the year for service companies to evaluate their service offerings strategically to determine the best blend of services for their business. With the right blend, service providers win more deals, increase deal size, and retain the quality of an in-house workforce while adding flexibility to respond to this dynamic environment. While service providers keep core services in-house, they are increasingly augmenting their workforce with on-demand technicians to allow them to compete.

Field Nation's Profitability Guide highlights ways in which leading service organizations are improving their coverage, costs, and technician utilization with a strategic use of on-demand resources, which opens up opportunities to win more business. Perceptions over contingent labor options have evolved and are considered less risky than in years past. But now, through platform enhancements, planning tools, insurance, and vetting tools, Field Nation has made sourcing an on-demand workforce a low-risk proposition.

About Field Nation

Field Nation brings companies and experienced technicians together to complete short-term, on-site work. Companies can build their flexible workforce in geographies across the U.S. and Canada, and technicians can find work that fits their schedule and skill set. Our mission is to match every technician with the right job and connect every service team to professionals who are invested in getting the job done right the first time. Learn more about Field Nation in retail at fieldnation.com/retail.
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - A lawyer for a man convicted of stabbing two high school students in Abbotsford, B.C., said his client didn't have the capacity to understand what he did was wrong because of a mental disorder.

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - A lawyer for a man convicted of stabbing two high school students in Abbotsford, B.C., said his client didn't have the capacity to understand what he did was wrong because of a mental disorder.

Gabriel Klein was convicted of second-degree murder and aggravated assault in March for the 2016 attack that killed Letisha Reimer, 13, and injured her friend.

This photo from the RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team's Twitter feed shows Gabriel Klein taken just hours prior to a deadly attack at Abbotsford Senior Secondary in 2016. Final arguments are scheduled to being today over the criminal responsibility of a man who fatally stabbed a student and wounded another at a high school in Abbotsford, B.C. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Twitter-@HomicideTeam

The court has heard Klein has schizophrenia and his lawyer Martin Peters is arguing in the B.C. Supreme Court that he should not be held criminally responsible for the crimes.

Peters said in his closing arguments Wednesday that Klein believed he was stabbing a witch and a zombie with maggots coming out of its back, not two girls.

"Klein did not appreciate the nature and quality of his actions. Klein certainly did not appreciate the consequences of his actions were the fatal harm to Letisha Reimer and the maiming of (her friend)," Peters said.

Klein has testified that he was following the directions of voices in his head and believed that stabbing monsters was "just." He has told the court that he didn't understand the moral consequences either, a claim supported by at least one expert assessment, Peters said.

"Mr. Klein was not in control of himself at the time of the offence. He lacked the capacity to rationally decide whether his conduct was right or wrong in terms of how others in the community would assess the morality of his actions," Peters said.

Associate Chief Justice Heather Holmes convicted Klein in March and Peters announced as sentencing was set to begin in September that Klein wanted to pursue the argument that he was not criminally responsible.

The hearing saw Klein testify for the first time in the case, but throughout his cross-examination, he had trouble remembering what he had said to whom and when, as well as details of the days leading up to the attack.

He regularly responded to questions with "I don't remember," and contradicted answers he had given moments before.

He was diagnosed as delusional, among other things, while in custody awaiting trial, Klein testified.

The Crown alleges Klein's recollection and testimony about what happened has been inconsistent and unreliable.

However, Peters said that Klein's mental disorder affects his memory.

There is general agreement among expert witnesses that schizophrenia and memories arising from psychotic events cause deficits in working memory, Peters said.

"Inconsistencies, contradictions and imprecision in recollection of psychotic episodes is not unusual and expected."

Peters also acknowledged Klein offered differing accounts to experts who assessed him. However, he argued that among those inconsistencies, there were also broad commonalities.

For example, Klein repeatedly said he went to the library to contact his mother, that he saw some form of monsters and that he heard voices immediately before the stabbing advising him to kill. The commonalities suggest Klein should not be dismissed as unreliable, Peters said.

Klein joined the final arguments via video after the court was adjourned in the morning because he said he was ill.

The judge said she was "extremely anxious" about his presence in the courtroom and asked the sheriff to return him to the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.

No one who is sick should be in any courthouse, she said.

"We don't bring people into the courtroom if they're ill," Holmes said, adding that it doesn't matter if the proper paperwork has been completed or not.

"He should not be here."

 By Amy Smart in Vancouver.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2021.


Lawyers working with former residents of mother and baby homes are to seek engagement with the Government amid concerns over the parameters of a proposed redress scheme.

The Government committed to a bespoke ex gratia restorative recognition scheme following the publication of the final report by the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation.

The report suggested previous compensation models for residential institutions and Magdalene laundries could respectively be used for children born in such homes, and mothers. However, concerns have already emerged over the potential shape of such schemes as not all residents would be compensated under the Commissions proposals.

The Commission said women who entered mother and baby homes following the introduction of the Unmarried Mothers Allowance in 1973 did not have a case for financial redress.

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It also said redress did not arise in five of the 18 homes examined as children were not resident there without their mothers.

Coleman Legal Partners, a Dublin law firm dealing with 70 former residents of mother and baby homes, said it would be contacting clients for feedback on the report which it will then convey to the Government.

One of its solicitors, Norman Spicer, said an immediate issue arising from the report was that redress for certain time periods and certain institutions was not being recommended by the Commission.

Certainly, it is concerning that there are already what appear to be significant limitations being put on the parameters of any possible redress scheme, he said.

KRW Law, a Belfast firm representing around a dozen former residents, questioned the 1973 cut-off suggested by the Commission.

Partner Kevin Winters said there was no logic to the suggested exclusion.

The firm also described the work of the Commission as a lost opportunity and said there was a need for wider investigation, including a thematic inquest into the deaths of children at the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home in Tuam, Co Galway.

In a statement, the Government said an inter-departmental group would design proposals in relation to financial redress.

A redress scheme is thought to be the best chance former residents have of receiving financial recognition for the appalling treatment meted out to unmarried mothers and their children.

A test case by a former resident of St Patricks Mother and Baby Home on the Navan Road in Dublin is currently before the courts.

However, other former residents have not pursued individual legal actions due to the passage of time and the statute of limitations.

As well as financial compensation for certain former residents, the redress package will contain counselling supports and enhanced medical cards for former residents. Both measures were recommended by the Commission.

The Commission also raised the possibility of an ex gratia payment being made to children who inherited farms from their foster family after being fostered out of mother and baby homes. These people had to pay taxes for which birth and adopted children are not liable.

The Government said the recommendation would be explored by the Department of Finance and the Department of Children.

The Commissions report said it recognised that it is not possible to provide financial redress for all the wrongs that occurred and that it could be argued that it is unfair for the present generation to pay for the wrongs of earlier generations.

However, it said the State had an obligation not to discriminate between people in similar situations and had awarded financial redress in the past to a number of groups.
Large restaurants providing prepared meals to supermarkets for sale is causing the Government some concern as it says this is adding to additional customer traffic at those supermarkets, as it wants less movement of people during the State of Emergency.
A patient wearing an oxygen mask is being treated in makeshift emergency units at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria, South Africa, Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. AP



A new coronavirus variant discovered by South African scientists is fuelling a surge of infections nationwide and raising global concern.



Here is what we know about the variant, dubbed 501Y.V2:



- When was it discovered? -



South African Health Minister Zweli Mkhize announced on December 18 that the government had advised the UN's World Health Organization (WHO) of a new variant.



It was found by scientists led by the Kwazulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), which discovered that it had been dominating samples collected over the past two months.



The South African scientists also shared their findings with authorities in Britain, where a similar variant was spreading.



- Where did it come from? -



Scientists stress that mutation in virus strains is an expected phenomenon  the microbe evolves in order to survive.



In an interview, KRISP bioinformatician Houriiyah Tegally said the variant may have come "from immunocompromised patients, whose immune system has a harder time suppressing infections."



"The virus replicates many more times in these patients and... that's how such a case of escape (to another human) can happen," she said, recalling the high numbers of immunocompromised patients in South Africa, with HIV or TB.



Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the University of Oxford, has also suggested immunosuppressed patients as a potential source for new mutations.



- What makes the variant different? -



The 501Y.V2 variant "has a number of mutations on its spike protein, which allows the virus to infect humans and also creates an immune response," Tegally said.



As a result, it "seems to be more transmissible"  but also "seems to be able to evade (antibodies) better".



Wendy Barclay, head of the department of infectious disease at Imperial College London, also said in December that changes on the spike protein "would make it easier for the virus to enter cells, and could biologically explain an increase in transmission."



The WHO has said that while the South African variant shares the 501Y mutation with the strain spreading in Britain, the two are distinct.



- Is it more dangerous? -



On December 31, the WHO said it saw no clear evidence that the new variant by itself led to more severe disease or death.



On the other hand, as more people become infected by a more transmissible virus, more risk becoming seriously ill.



"Increased transmissibility eventually translates to a far higher incidence rate, and even with the same mortality, this means significant pressure on health systems," said Bruno Coignard, head of infectious diseases at France's heath authority.



Tegally also warned: "This new lineage could also present a higher risk of reinfection... we are still waiting to see the data but it is a very real concern."



- How widespread is it in South Africa?



To date, South Africa has reported a total of almost 33,600 deaths from more than 1.2 million cases.



In the past week, 133,294 new infections have been detected.



When the KRISP researchers first spotted the variant in October, "we saw it in 20 percent (of samples)," Tegally said, mounting as high as 80 percent more recently.



"We are waiting to sequence more of the January cases (and) would not be surprised if those samples are close to 90 percent or even more," Tegally said.



- Will vaccines work against it? -



German vaccine maker BioNTech said last week that antibodies from people who have received the jab "effectively neutralise" virus with the key mutation found in Britain and South Africa.



Tegally cautioned about the limitations of this work, which was conducted in a laboratory.



The study "did not test... one of the mutations we have been worried about, so does not actually say whether its vaccine will work or not," she said.



"We are hopeful as vaccines are meant to be broad-ranged, but for now we just have to wait and see."



- Should other countries be concerned? -



The South African variant has also been detected in Britain, Finland, France and Israel. Switzerland, Denmark and Britain have banned incoming travellers from South Africa.



But Health Minister Mkhize said last month that there was "no evidence" the South African variant was more dangerous than the British one, which has also spread abroad.



The WHO advocates a "risk-based approach" to international travel and countries should "regularly re-consider" bans and other measures.



"The response from the international community has been quite stigmatising.



It is understandable, people are scared... but we should not fear," Tegally said, stressing the need for research.



More mutations may be occurring elsewhere in the world without people knowing, she noted. (AFP)


Richmond, VA, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) today released the 2020 CIT GAP Funds Impact Report, detailing both return on investment and socio-economic impact achieved since the funds inception in 2005. A family of funds placing equity investments in Virginias high-growth based technology, life science, and cleantech companies at the earliest developmental stages, CIT GAP Funds has deployed $32.4 million in capital across 240 portfolio companies.



CIT GAP Funds investment leadership has attracted national recognition and helped position the fund for return of all capital deployed, demonstrating why it has been named Virginias Most Active Investor for the last six years by CB Insights. CIT GAP Funds has yielded four times its capital invested across Tech Fund I and II Roadmap investments in cybersecurity, data analytics, enterprise software and deep tech sectors.



The latest Impact Report highlights several figures that capture the overall impact CIT GAP Funds has had on the Commonwealth, showing growth in all areas since the 2019 report was released.



Significant 2020 impact includes:





Adding to its total of over 1,000 investors mobilized and leveraging new private capital for an inception-to-date total of $1.1 billion

Forming a new generation of core investment funds GAP Tech IV, GAP Life Science IV, and GAP CleanTech/Energy IV

Enabling portfolio company creation of nearly 500 new jobs, bringing the GAP Funds overall impact to 6,500 jobs throughout the Commonwealth

Expanding sector diversity by adding Aerospace and Defense to its investment portfolio in 2020, joining a wide range of industries covered by GAP Funds: Insurance; Critical Infrastructure; Education; Fintech; Food and Agriculture; IT and Communications; Manufacturing; Satcom; Smart Cities; Sustainable Communities; Unmanned Systems; Water and more

Launching new outreach events and resources for startups Coffee with CIT Gap Funds sessions reached 460 attendees Virginia Demo Day featured 80 participating angel and venture investors Entrepreneur and investor support exceeded 2,100 mentoring hours

Increasing support to traditionally underrepresented entrepreneurs; presently, the active portfolio includes 79 companies have minority founders and executives 64 companies have female founders and executives 35 companies have veteran founders and executives 72 companies are located in underserved geographies, including 17 companies in opportunity zones





"During an economically and emotionally challenging year for Virginia's startup ecosystem, we believe that the outcomes detailed in our 2020 CIT GAP Funds Impact Report reflect the Commonwealth's entrepreneurial vitality, economic and social diversity, and community spirit, said Tom Weithman, Managing Director of CIT GAP Funds. The CIT GAP Funds investment team is committed to providing balanced support for Virginia's high-growth early stage companies, including financial investment, access to our ever expanding network and trusted advisory services to portfolio companies. We are grateful for the Commonwealth's long-standing commitment to seeding great companies and look forward to the continued impact of our portfolio companies on the Virginia economy.



To stay up to date on all of the latest news surrounding CIT and CIT GAP Funds, please visit www.cit.org/.



About CIT GAP Funds

CIT GAP Funds makes seed-stage equity investments in Virginia-based technology, cleantech, and life science companies with a high potential for achieving rapid growth and generating a significant economic return for entrepreneurs, co-investors, and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Since its inception in 2005, CIT GAP Funds has deployed $32.4 million in capital across more than 240 portfolio companies, including 17 companies in designated Opportunity Zones. CIT GAP Funds investments are overseen by the CIT GAP Funds Investment Advisory Board (IAB). This independent, third-party panel consists of leading regional entrepreneurs, angel, and strategic investors, and venture capital firms such as New Enterprise Associates, Grotech Ventures, Harbert Venture Partners HIG Ventures, Edison Ventures, In-Q-Tel, Intersouth Partners, SJF Ventures, Carilion Health Systems, Johnson & Johnson, General Electric, and Alpha Natural Resources. For more information, please visit www.cit.org/gap.



About the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT)

Investing in Virginia's Growth | CIT concentrates on the early commercialization and seed funding stages of innovation, helping innovators and tech entrepreneurs launch and grow new companies, create high paying jobs, and accelerate economic growth throughout the entire state of Virginia. Founded in 1985, CIT accelerates next generation technologies and technology companies through commercialization, capital formation, market development initiatives, and expansion of broadband throughout Virginia. Programs include | CIT GAP Funds | Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund (CRCF) | Commonwealth Commercialization Fund (CCF) | Virginia Founders Fund | Smart Communities | Cybersecurity | Unmanned Systems | SBIR/STTR Support (Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) & Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs) | Virginia Research Investment Fund (VRIF) | University Partnerships | Startup Company Mentoring & Engagement. For more information please visit www.cit.org. You can also follow CIT on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Attachments
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
The petition launched in France in support of Laye Fode Traoreine, a young apprentice baker in Besancon, originally from Guinea, threatened with expulsion, has exceeded 235 thousand signatures. A case, that of the eighteen-year-old model boy, which has sparked a wave of solidarity throughout the country.

Starting with his boss in the bakery, Stephane Ravacley, who has been on hunger strike for a week to protest the expulsion decreed by the French authorities.

Yesterday, after seven days of almost total fasting, Ravacley fell ill while he was behind the wheel and was taken to the emergency room for checks. "I'm very tired, but I'm fine," he said.

Since the start of the hunger strike, the so-called "artisan boulanger" of Besancon has lost eight kilos while a nurse visits his home every day to make sure he is well.

The story of Laye, a model boy who arrived in France from Guinea when he was a minor and threatened with expulsion from the day he was 18, shakes part of the political world and public opinion across the Alps and beyond. In a tweet published yesterday, MEP Raphael Glucksmann paid tribute to Ravacley: "Your struggle for Laye and fraternity are now shared by hundreds of thousands of French people. They will no longer dare to expel him, so please stop your hunger. Do not put yourself in danger ", was the appeal launched by Glucksmann.

Justice is called to express itself on the matter on January 26th. Meanwhile, on the Change.org platform, the appeal to President Emmanuel Macron so that Laye can stay in France, fulfilling his dream of becoming a baker, continues to collect support.

(Unioneonline / F)

[January 13, 2021] Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week reimagined for 2021 to help set agenda for green recovery from COVID-19

ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the global platform for accelerating sustainable development, hosted by Masdar, will be held from 18 to 21 January 2021 and reimagined virtually. ADSW 2021 will feature a series of high-level virtual events, including the ADSW Summit, IRENA Assembly, Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, Youth 4 Sustainability Virtual Forums and the World Future Energy Summit Webinars. His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change and Chairman of Masdar, said: "As our economies and industries begin to recover from the impact of the global pandemic, we have an opportunity to set ambitious goals, invest in new technologies and put the necessary policies in place that will deliver a sustainable recovery. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week embodies the United Arab Emirate's proactive and forward-thinking approach to climate change and sustainability and underlines the UAE's role as a responsible, solutions oriented global citizen, enabling dialogue to be turned into action." H.E. Dr Sultan Al Jaber will be delivering a keynote speech at the ADSW Summit, which will feature more than 70 high-level speakers from around the world, including H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Head of State, Principality of Monaco, who will give a keynote speech on national resilience in the context of Coivid-19. The speakers at the one-day virtual ADSW Summit will also include: H.R.H Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder and CEO, KBW Ventures; H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO Mubadala Investment Company; H.E. Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of the Republic of Singapore; H.E. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder & CEO, Kalimat Publishing Group; H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Francesco La Camera, Director General, IRENA; Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director UN-Habitat; Noel Quinn, Group Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Holdings; Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO BlackRock; and Dr. Lucas Joppa, Chief Environmental Officer, Microsoft, in addition to many other high - level speakers. Takng place virtually on Tuesday 19 January, Masdar will host the ADSW Summit, which will over three two-hour sessions focus on the pillars of "Live & Move," "Care & Engage," and "Work & Invest," with each pillar exploring social, economic and technological opportunities to achieve a 'green recovery' post COVID-19.



H.E. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), said: "The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is a testament and extension of ADGM's commitment towards fulfilling the UAE and Abu Dhabi's vision of an innovative, sustainable, and knowledge-based economy. As the world strives towards recovery, we can all do our part in advocating greater adoption of sustainable practices and climate change action to the benefit of our people and future generations. At ADGM, we will continue to work closely with partners to double-down on efforts and knowledge-sharing, such as the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, to accelerate sustainable financing and innovative activities that boost robust economic development and growth in the UAE, and support the wider region." H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, ADSW's Principal Partner said: "The social and economic challenges posed by Covid-19 have emphasized the need to act collectively to push the sustainability agenda and scale up the green transition as an engine for a healthy recovery. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is an ideal platform to deploy the strength of the global community as it brings together world leaders and industry experts to discuss the most pressing issues that impact our environment and sustainable growth. We look forward to insightful discussions that uncover the combined effect of energy, water, food and environment policies, and to decisive global action for sustainable development in the post-pandemic era."

Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause unprecedented levels of disruption to lives all over the world. But the recovery period offers energy policy makers and the investment community a moment to realign their decisions and actions with sustainable growth, economic resilience, and shared prosperity. The IRENA Assembly and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week represent a starting point for a year that we must come to define as pivotal in our pursuit of a sustainable future." Through initiatives and events, ADSW is committed to the sharing of knowledge, implementation of strategies and the delivery of real-world solutions to address the challenges related to sustainability and climate change. As the first global event in the UAE's Golden Jubilee year, ADSW 2021 will help galvanize further collaboration among government, business and community stakeholders to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. For over a decade, Abu Dhabi has provided a sustainable platform for the global community that has grown through its initiatives and events to emerge as a thought leader and catalyst that accelerates sustainable development around the world. The 2020 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week hosted around 45,000 attendees from 170 countries, with more than 500 high-level speakers from around the world. To ensure the safety of all participants, ADSW 2021 and all related high-level events will take place virtually. The physical program of ADSW will return in 2022. Register now for the ADSW Summit at www.adsw.ae For more information please visit: http://www.masdar.ae and connect: facebook.com/masdar.ae and twitter.com/masdar View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abu-dhabi-sustainability-week-reimagined-for-2021-to-help-set-agenda-for-green-recovery-from-covid-19-301207246.html SOURCE Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week

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Indonesia's leading paint company is the country's first industrial entity to purchase COVID-19 diagnostic testing kits from Abbott

JAKARTA, Indonesia, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Indonesian paint manufacturer PT Mowilex is safeguarding workers' health by purchasing COVID-19 diagnostic tests from U.S. health care company Abbott. PT Mowilex will roll out an aggressive testing program to enhance distancing and hygiene protocols it adopted in early March 2020.

"We have had several short, voluntary closures of our head office and manufacturing facilities in the last two months and wanted to make sure our employees have access to one of the best rapid testing technologies available on the market," said Syahrudin Rasjid, head of Human Resources at PT Mowilex.

PT Mowilex selected Abbott among many test suppliers because Abbott's tests offer very high accuracy. The Panbio Covid-19 Ag Rapid tests purchased by Mowilex are based on nasopharyngeal swabs and have a role in detecting active infections. Panbio COVID-19 Ag is CE-Marked and has received WHO Emergency Use Listing (EUL). To date, Abbott has launched eight COVID-19 tests globally, including lab-based and rapid molecular tests, and antibody tests. Abbott has delivered more than 300 million COVID-19 tests worldwide.

"Abbott is one of the leading healthcare companies in the world and has received WHO Emergency Use Listing for its Panbio Covid-19 Ag Rapid tests. We are proud to partner with such a respected organization, and we've been impressed with the company's responsiveness," said PT Mowilex CEO Niko Safavi.

COVID-19 has profoundly impacted manufacturing companies, as many functions cannot be performed remotely. Furthermore, guidelines for the Jakarta region require that companies in breach of distancing and hygiene protocols may face mandatory closures of up to two weeks.

"We know that the health and safety of our employees are directly linked to our company's health. And while efficiencies and productivity have suffered over the last year, we know acting early and aggressively reduces our risks considerably," said Safavi.

In addition to implementing a companywide pandemic mitigation plan in March, PT Mowilex has responded to COVID-19 by donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to area hospitals. The company also made hand sanitizer to donate throughout local communities, following a widespread sanitizer shortage in March.

About PT Mowilex Indonesia

PT Mowilex Indonesia (PT Mowilex), a subsidiary of Asia Coatings Enterprises, Pte. Ltd., is a leading producer of premium paints and coatings. Since launching the first Indonesian-made, water-based paints in 1970, the community-minded company has expanded its commitment to environmental ethics, equality and innovation. PT Mowilex is Indonesia's only certified carbon-neutral manufacturer, producing zero- and low-VOC paints in modern colours, and the company regularly earns awards for its corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1418831/Swab_test_8.jpg

[January 13, 2021] Huntkey Presents at the All-Digital CES 2021

SHENZHEN, China, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntkey, a leading provider of power solutions, announces that today it presents at the All-digital CES 2021, the most influential tech event in the world. Huntkey Presents at the CES 2021

https://en.huntkey.com/ Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the world's largest electronics sourcing fair CES 2021 will be held all digitally from Jan. 11-14, 2021. During this period, all the exhibitors can access to the digital platform developed by CES to showcase their new products and technologies as well as schedule meetings with the attendees. Huntkey is a frequenter of CES. To take this once-a-year opportunity, Huntkey will introduce its PD Chargers, Surge Protectors, Power Strips, LED Desk Lamps as well as other product categories to the attendees. PD Chargers PD charger is a main product category of Huntkey, and many mainstream cell phone brands are using Huntkey chargers. Huntkey has developed a wide variety of cell phone chargers output power of which is designed from 20 to 90W. To meet different charging needs, several models are equipped with USB-A and USB-C charging ports, for example, the 65W USB-C charger comes with one USB-C port to deliver a fast charging speed, and two USB-A ports for the charging for traditional phones. Huntkey has also released 65W GaN charger to the markets. The charger features two charging ports - one USB-C port and one USB-A port. The USB-C port is designed for fast charging speed, independently, it can output 5V3A, 9V3A, 12V3A, 15V3A or 20V3.25A, 65W at the maximum. The USB-A port can output 5V3A or 9V3A 27W at the maximum.



Surge Protectors & Power Strips Huntkey is a key player in surge protector and power strip market, it provides multiple types of sockets and plugs, including US, EU, AU, SA and Universal types, as well as different cable length to meet its worldwide customers' needs.

Huntkey's surge protectors and power strips are made of flame-retardant material, and are warranted with multiple protections to ensure safety, like over-load protection, over-heat protection and over-voltage protection. They are all flame-retardant and equipped with an inside integral copper bar that can be able to withstand high temperatures and save energy. The less energy is consumed, the lower electricity bills will be. All of them come with a 3- year warranty. LED Desk Lamps Two models of Huntkey LED desk lamps are available to the markets. Huntkey desk lamps are energy-efficient and eye-protective for home and office use. These desk lamps are integrated with multiple touch-controllable sensors, like step-less dimming bars, wireless chargers, USB charging ports, and alarm clocks. They are well-suited for reading, working or studying. To learn more about Huntkey, please visit: https://en.huntkey.com/ About CES CES(Consumer Electronics Show) is a world renowned trade show annually held in January at the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) to host presentations of new products and technologies in the consumer electronics industry. About Huntkey Founded in 1995, Huntkey is a leading provider of PC power supplies, power strips, surge protectors, laptop adapters, phone chargers, monitors and air purifiers. Huntkey is an Asia renowned brand, a member of The International Power Supply Manufacturer's Association (PSMA) and China Power Supply Society (CPSS). Including three total nearly 1,000,000 square meters industrial parks, Huntkey is one of the most famous brands and largest companies in mainland China. It is headquartered in Shenzhen, with branch companies in the US, Japan and Hong Kong, and with cooperating factories in Vietnam, Brazil, Argentina and India. In 2020, Huntkey introduces its latest photocatalyst air purifier - the desktop air purifier globally. The desktop air purifier is designed portable and can efficiently remove chemical vapors, odors, haze particles, and many more air pollutants. Check them out via: https://en.huntkey.com/products/air-purifiers/ View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/huntkey-presents-at-the-all-digital-ces-2021-301207147.html SOURCE Huntkey

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A group seeking to set up a Community Oversight Board of the Chattanooga Police Department said Tuesday that a number of the signatures on its petition rejected by the election office were found to be valid.

The Election Commission earlier ruled that the group did not come up with the necessary signatures of valid registered city voters to get the issue on the ballot.

The group issued this statement: (No one's name was given with the press release).

"On December 22nd 2020, the Community Control Now Coalition announced that we would be

conducting The Peoples Review Process to access the rejected signatures from the petition to

put a Community Oversight Board of the Chattanooga Police Department on the ballot for the

March 2021 elections.

"After a thorough analysis of the 1,596 petition signatures that were

rejected by the Hamilton County Election Commission, we see that the Commission will go to

any length to ensure that police misconduct continues to go unchecked by suppressing the

peoples will to put Community Control of the Chattanooga Police to a vote on the upcoming

March ballot.

"Even in the midst of a pandemic, the Coalition was still able to collect over 6000

physical signatures, demonstrating massive citywide support of the ballot initiative.

At a time when the entire country is reckoning with the facts of systemic racism and white

supremacy, the Commission hastily rejected these signatures.

"At a time when the legitimacy of

electoral processes are under attack and in question, the Commision defaulted to its custom of

voter suppression. In light of police clearly collaborating with white nationalists and fascists

during the attack on the United States Capitol building on January 6, 2021, the need to hold

police accountable for their complicity with white supremacy has become even more undeniable

than before. The Hamilton County Election Commission, a body of majority Republican election

commission officers, must be held accountable for their disingenuous efforts to undermine the

will of the people of Chattanooga.



"Of the 1,596 signatures that the Commission rejected, the Coalition found more than 300 to be

wrongfully rejected, their rejection of a questionable nature, and not in compliance with

Tennessee code of elections section 2-1-107. The Community Control Now ballot initiative only

needs 226 additional signatures to be certified to meet the required amount of petition

signatures.



? According to the Commission, 425 signatories were not registered. Our review found that

43 of the signatures rejected as NR were found to have been properly registered at the

address they provided on the petition.

? According to the Commission, 97 signatures were rejected for having an invalid

signature. Our review found that 79 of the signatories rejected as NO-S were found to

have provided a reasonably legible signature, whether printed or in cursive.

? According to the Commission, 93 of the signatories were rejected for listing an invalid

address.

"Our review process found that 13 of the signatories rejected as NO-A provided

an accurate address that was within city limits. 10 of the signatories rejected as NO-A

provided a different address that was located in the same precinct as the address listed

in the voter registration document provided by the Commission.



? According to the Commission, 933 signatories provided an address that was outside the

city of Chattanooga, or outside the precinct listed on their voter registration. Our review

process found that 33 of the signatories rejected as NO-P were found to be properly

registered at the city of Chattanooga address they provided on the petition. 128 of the

signatures rejected with the code NO-P were found to be properly registered to vote in

the city, and the Commission rejected their signature based on an antiquated state law

disqualifying any signatorie that has moved to a different voting precinct within the city.



"As of today, Jan. 12, 2020, due to these egregious reviewing mistakes, we have submitted

a formal general election complaint with the Hamilton County Election Commission for 170+

wrongful petition signature rejections. Our nonpartisan coalition will continue fighting this blatant

voter suppression, on behalf of all Chattanoogans, by filing Title III Help America Vote Act

(HAVA) complaints to the Tennessee Division of Elections Coordinator, Mark Goins, with an

additional 128 signatures.

"Out of respect and in the spirit of transparency for the greater community of Chattanooga, the Hamilton County Election Commission owes an explanation as to why these signatures were wrongfully rejected. The commissions practice of voter suppression and institutional indifference call into question the legitimacy and fairness of the Hamilton County Election Commission."


Rights activists and relatives of political prisoners in Vietnam called this week for sanctions to be imposed on Vietnamese officials deemed responsible for torture and other abuses in the countrys jails, as criticism of Hanois repression of critics and dissenters mounts around the world.

The call comes as authorities in Hanoi prepare for the Jan. 25 launch of the 13th ruling Communist Party Congress, cited by activists and rights experts as the reason Vietnams already low tolerance of dissent deteriorated sharply in 2020 with the round-up of independent journalists, publishers, and Facebook commentators.

Speaking in interviews with RFA, rights workers and family members of prisoners called for international action to be taken against Vietnamese authorities held responsible for suppressing dissent, with the possible enforcement of sanctions and travel bans under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Acta U.S. law named after a Russian corruption whistleblower who died in prison.

The law, which has already been applied by Washington to level sanctions against Chinese officials for repression of Uyghurs in Xinjiang, calls for the seizure of assets and a U.S. travel ban for foreign officials who violate human rights.

Eight police officers have already been named in the case of Nguyen Van Hoa, a former blogger and RFA videographer now serving a seven-year prison term for conducting propaganda against the state, whose guilty plea to the charges made against him were coerced by torture in custody.

Hoa wrote in letters smuggled to his family from prison that police had hung him upside down from the ceiling and then beaten him, London-based human rights activist Son Tran told RFA on Jan. 10, adding that details of the abuses inflicted by Hoas jailers were later submitted for action to the U.S. government by a Magnitsky Act working group.

Penalties imposed under the Magnitsky Act, including the freezing of assets and blocking of travel to the U.S., have not yet been applied to Vietnamese officials, but their potential deterrent effect could force rights abusers in Vietnam to carefully consider their actions, Son Tran said.

As a deterrent, these could be effective, because wealthy leaders in Vietnam often want to send their children to study in the United States and then buy houses in the U.S. so they will have a safe landing after they retire, he said.

Evidence difficult to collect

The difficulties involved in collecting evidence in Vietnams tightly controlled security apparatus may hamper investigations into abuse, though, said Nguyen Xoan, the daughter-in-law of prisoner of conscience Le Dinh Luong, now serving a 20-year prison term after being charged with membership in a U.S.-based opposition party.

Everyone knows that it is not unusual in Vietnam for police officers to torture the body and spirit of prisoners of conscience and dissidents and their relatives, Xoan said. But in all places in Vietnam where police do their work, it is forbidden to film or take photos, and so it will be difficult to collect evidence against them.

Anyone found recording or filming the police will be in great danger, she said.

Everything in Vietnam, from the state of the economy to the well-being of prisoners and even to the activities of dissidents outside the jails, is under the exclusive control of the [ruling Communist] Party, said Nguyen Thi Chuong, the wife of jailed writer Nguyen Duc Thach, now serving a 12-year prison term in central Vietnams Nghe An province.

I am a rural resident and dont understand much about these things, but I think it would be very good for other countries to intervene, she said.

Criticism continues worldwide



Criticism of Hanois repression of peacefully expressed opposition to Vietnams one-party communist government continues to mount worldwide after a series of heavy prison sentences were meted out to journalists and activists.

In a Jan. 12 statement, the Delegation of the European Union to Vietnam condemned the rejection by a Vietnamese court on Jan. 8 of an appeal by four jailed members of the Hien Phap (Constitution) Group, a network of activists formed in 2017 to call for the rights to freedom of speech and assembly promised under Article 25 of Vietnams Constitution.

This verdict confirms a worrying trend aimed at reducing space for freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of association in the country, the EU delegation said, adding, The European Union will continue to monitor and work with the Vietnamese authorities and all relevant stakeholders to improve the human rights situation in Vietnam.

According to the rights group Defend the Defenders, Hanoi is currently detaining at least 238 prisoners of conscience.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Huy Le. Written in English by Richard Finney.
[January 13, 2021] Collections in Affordable Housing Rebound in December; Occupancy Tightens Across All Asset Classes

SOLON, Ohio, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Although uncertainty surrounding a stimulus package characterized most of December, rates of collections in affordable and public housing were surprisingly high for the month, with public housing reaching 97% of 2019 rates and affordable housing reaching 83% -- the highest level for the latter class since June. These are key findings of the latest report from Proptech firm MRI Software ("MRI"), which compiles data on one million market-rate units and 1.5 million affordable and public housing units in the U.S. The December data also showed a continued tightening of occupancy across all asset classes, as move-ins outpaced move-outs for the sixth consecutive month. Other highlights of the report, which includes both year-over-year (YOY) and month-over-month comparisons, include: December lease pricing decreased by 2% YOY in market-rate housing.

New applications increased significantly YOY in both public and affordable housing, by 56% and 14% respectively. This represents a major shift in direction since the start of the pandemic, after which new applications trailed the numbers of 2019.

Aggregate concession values for market-rate housig increased by over $6 million YOY.



Rent Payment Tracker," says Brian Zrimsek , Industry Principal, MRI Software. "The Tracker's data, which aligns with our own, reveals a slow erosion of collections in market-rate housing over the course of the pandemic. Financial pressures are a likely cause, and they may be prompting tenants to seek out less costly alternatives in affordable or public housing, thus increasing demand in these asset classes and decreasing demand for market-rate units. The decreased demand, in turn, has likely led to lower rents and more concessions from landlords. "But as the December data shows, tenants in affordable and public housing made great efforts to stay current, despite the early-month uncertainties about a stimulus package," he continues. "More and more people don't want to risk eventual eviction, a bad credit rating, or a huge payment in deferred rent. Therefore, tenants have actively changed their circumstances with some downsizing, some consolidating households and some looking to 'downshift' to affordable or public housing."

Zrimsek will discuss the December report, along with overall trends for 2020, during a webinar on January 14th at 2 p.m. Eastern. About MRI Software MRI Software is a leading provider of innovative real estate software applications and hosted solutions. MRI's comprehensive and flexible technology platform coupled with an open and connected ecosystem meets the unique needs of real estate businesses  from property-level management and accounting to investment modelling and analytics for the global commercial and residential markets. A pioneer of the real estate software industry, MRI develops lasting client relationships based on nearly five decades of expertise and insight. Through leading solutions and a rich partner ecosystem, MRI gives organizations the freedom to transform the way communities live, work and play while elevating their business and gaining a competitive edge. For more information, please visit mrisoftware.com. MEDIA CONTACTS: (U.S. for MRI)

Rachel Antman (+1 212-362-5837)

rachel@saygency.com (U.K.) Platform Communications for MRI

Zoe Mumba (+44 7725 832393)

or Hugh Filman (+44 7905 044850)

mri@platformcomms.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/collections-in-affordable-housing-rebound-in-december-occupancy-tightens-across-all-asset-classes-301207390.html SOURCE MRI Software

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Bhopal: Atleast six more people died after consuming spurious liquor in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on Wednesday (January 13, 2021), taking the total death toll to 20.

While Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a review meeting on the situation on Wednesday and issued orders for the removal of the collector and superintendent of police.

The police said that they have registered a case against seven people in connection with the case and have launched a search operation for them.

"The death toll is now 20 as six more people died after consumption of spurious liquor by villagers in Morena," Deputy Inspector General, Chambal range, Rajesh Hingankar told PTI.

Besides, 21 others are undergoing treatment in Morena and Gwalior.

"An initial autopsy report revealed the cause of death as consumption of excess liquor which damaged vital body parts. The viscera have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Sagar for examination," Morena''s in-charge Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr R C Bandil said.

Meanwhile, CM Chouhan expressed condolences at the loss of lives calling it an 'inhuman incident'. "It is a painful and very inhuman incident. A campaign should be launched against illegal liquor sale in the state," officials quoted Chouhan as saying.

The review meeting was attended by State Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Chief Secretary I S Bains, DGP V K Jouhri, Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Rajora.

The police has registered a case against seven persons in connection with the incident under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and provisions of the Excise Act.

The forensic science lab report is awaited, it will reveal the exact nature of the poison in the liquor.
"It is our honor to have Velocity Motorcars join the Karma dealership network and introduce our brand to clients in the growing Nashville market," said Nick Westalski, the General Manager of Velocity Motorcars Nashville LLC. "We are looking forward to working with Karma and offering our clients a luxury experience of purchasing the best vehicle they can imagine."

In 2020, Karma added more than 16 new dealer partners globally. Karma Nashville brings Karma's North American retail presences to 27 locations.

"We're pleased to have Velocity Motorcars join us as a new dealer-partner. Karma Nashville is an important location as it will usher in the Karma brand to the State of Tennessee." said Joost de Vries, Karma's Vice President of Global Sales and Customer Experience. "Velocity Motorcars  along with our other new dealer point additions -- allows us to continue improving the shopping and ownership experience for Karma customers nationwide."

Velocity Motorcars Nashville LLC is located at 720 Airpark Center Drive, Nashville, Tennessee, 37217, and can be reached by telephone at (615) 5401675, or online at http://www.velocitymc.com.

For more on Karma Automotive and the dealer network, please visit http://karmanewsroom.com.

About Karma Automotive

Karma Automotive, founded in 2014, is a southern California based producer of luxury electric vehicles. Headquartered in Irvine, California with an assembly plant located in Moreno Valley, Karma sells vehicles via its dealer network comprised of approximately 40 locations in North America, Europe, South America and the Middle East. Karma's Innovation and Customization Center, which opened in 2019 offers world-class engineering, design, customization, and manufacturing resource opportunities to other companies. Karma's flagship vehicle, the Revero GT, Green Car Journal's 2020 Luxury Green Car of the Year, is an electric vehicle powered by dual electric motors that embodies Karma's goal of offering leading technology with a luxury experience. Every Karma vehicle is created with unparalleled individual care and craftsmanship.

For more information, visit www.karmaautomotive.com, or www.karmanewsroom.com.

Karma Automotive Safe Harbor Disclosure

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions and include Karma Automotive's expectations. Forward-looking statements typically can be identified by the use of words such as "will," "expect," "believe," and similar terms. Although Karma believes that its expectations are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct, and actual results may vary materially. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated above include, among others, general economic conditions, hazards customary in the automotive industry, competition in certain markets, the volatility of battery prices, failure of customers to perform under contracts, changes in government regulation of markets and of environmental emissions, and our ability to achieve the expected benefits and timing of our electric vehicle projects. Karma Automotive undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The foregoing review of factors that could cause Karma's actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward-looking statements included in this news release should be considered in connection with information regarding risks and uncertainties that may affect Karma Automotive's future results.

(*) Suggested MSRP (exclusive of taxes, fees and delivery charges)

SOURCE Karma Automotive

Related Links

www.karmaautomotive.com



The government is yet to firm up its view on providing indemnity to the two COVID-19 vaccine makers -- Serum Institute of India (SII) and Bharat Biotech International -- against claims and lawsuits for damages in case of side effects.

Indias drug regulator had recently approved two COVID-19 vaccines, Oxford's Covishield manufactured by SII in the country and Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, for restricted emergency use.

As the approval came, both the vaccine makers had requested indemnity in case there are health complications after the vaccination. However, the government has not yet decided on the matter, reported Mint citing people familiar with the development.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

We have discussed indemnity with several companies, including Serum and Bharat Biotech, and also the regulator and other stakeholders, but have not yet decided on the matter," a government official was quoted as saying.

The government is waiting for data on whether side effects are observed after the mass inoculation drive begins in the country, said the report citing an industry official.

Also read | Check legal options for vaccine recipients having severe side effects

An indemnity is a comprehensive form of insurance compensation for damages or loss. Here, it means a form of insurance for legal claims made by vaccine recipients if they have serious adverse events (SAEs) after receiving a COVID-19 shot, the report suggested.

India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.

Also read | India's COVID-19 vaccine: Who'll get it, when and how - All you need to know

According to the COVID-19 Vaccine Operational Guidelines, the shots will be offered first to an estimated one crore healthcare workers, and around two crore frontline workers, and then to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age with associated comorbidities based on evolving pandemic situation.

(With inputs from PTI)

Follow our full coverage on COVID-19 here

[January 13, 2021] Drata Raises $3.2 Million and Launches Platform to Automate SOC 2 Compliance

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Drata , a next-gen compliance and security automation company, came out of stealth today and announced $3.2M in seed funding led by Cowboy Ventures and participation from Leaders Fund, and SV Angel. The round also includes several strategic angel investors. Drata helps companies streamline their SOC 2 compliance through continuous, automated control monitoring and evidence collection, resulting in lower costs and time spent preparing for annual audits. Drata announces $3.2M in seed funding led by Cowboy Ventures to help companies automate security and SOC 2 compliance "Drata is a team of seasoned entrepreneurs and engineers who have a successful track record and have worked together for more than 10 years. The platform they developed truly delivers on the promise of automation to reduce the burden of SOC 2 compliance and sets companies up for continuous monitoring which is coming in the future," said Ted Wang, Partner at Cowboy Ventures. "We are excited to be working with this team." Traditional methods of standing up a security program and preparing for a compliance audit are manual, time-consuming, and error-prone. Most companies today are in need of a compliance automation platform that can get them audit-ready quickly and continuously prove to their customers and vendors that they handle data with the utmost care. Early customers, such as Spot by NetApp , Accel Robotics , Abnormal Security , and Chameleon have entrusted Drata to do just that, while dramatically reducing the time and costs required to obtain and maintain SOC2 compliance.



"Other solutions handled only small pieces of SOC 2, leaving us to spend hundreds of hours a year manually maintaining our compliance posture," said Amiram Shachar, VP & GM, Spot by NetApp. "Drata's solution automates so much of the process, from continuous control monitoring and evidence collection, to personnel onboarding and asset tracking. This has freed up our operations and engineering time to focus on product development and other priorities that affect our bottom line." The recent rise of data breaches and data privacy concerns have put a magnifying glass over how companies handle their customers' data, specifically driving the need for SOC 2 attestation reports to be provided as a prerequisite for doing business with established enterprises.

Founders, Adam Markowitz, Daniel Marashlian, and Troy Markowitz experienced the pain of manually maintaining a robust security and compliance posture while rapidly scaling their last company, Portfolium (acquired by Instructure in 2019). While selling to large enterprises and universities, the founders had to navigate multiple rounds of stringent security questionnaires and extended tech interviews to earn the trust of customers and prospects. During this time, they realized how underserved this market was and how many other companies felt the same pain. "Drata's mission is to help companies earn and keep the trust of their users, customers, partners, and prospects. A clean SOC 2 report is independent proof that a company prioritizes the security of its customers' data," said Adam Markowitz, CEO and co-founder, Drata. "SOC 2 is a colossal undertaking, and we're proud to be delivering the solution to automate and continuously streamline the process for today's fastest-growing SaaS companies." Through Drata's continuous automated control monitoring and evidence collection, customers save hundreds of hours per year getting and staying compliant, resulting in lower costs, more R&D output, and more revenue. Drata's ever-growing, proprietary integration engine allows businesses to connect their cloud infrastructure, identity provider, ticketing system, version control system, developer tools, and HRIS to monitor and collect evidence of SOC 2 adherence continuously. Auditors work alongside Drata and can perform their audits in the platform, growing their client base, reducing audit time while maintaining the utmost integrity and value. "Drata invited us to provide early feedback on the product, as it was clear they focused on bringing a robust solution to market that solved a pain for our clients," said Troy Fine, Senior Manager, Schneider Downs . "Our clients ask for our guidance on how they can save time and stay audit-ready, and we can now confidently point them to a trusted partner in Drata." For more information about Drata, please visit: https://drata.com . About Drata

Drata is the world's most advanced security and compliance automation platform with the mission to help companies earn and keep the trust of their users, customers, partners, and prospects. Drata helps companies streamline their SOC 2 compliance through continuous, automated control monitoring and evidence collection, resulting in lower costs and time spent preparing for annual audits. The company is backed by Cowboy Ventures, Leaders Fund, SV Angel, and many key industry leaders. Drata is based in San Diego, CA. Media Contacts:

Drata Inc.

media@drata.com Cc: Kathryn Kelly, Kelly Communications

kathryn@kellycommunications.org View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/drata-raises-3-2-million-and-launches-platform-to-automate-soc-2-compliance-301207669.html SOURCE Drata

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Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:18 am

Six days after state health officials unveiled careful plans for the next stages of prioritized coronavirus vaccination, the Trump administration asked governors nationwide to scrap much of that work and rapidly expand eligibility to receive doses.

Alex Azar, the federal secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), called for governors to allow vaccination of anyone over 65 and also anyone with a health condition that exacerbates the risk of COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, during a news briefing Tuesday.

"State restrictions on eligibility have obstructed speed and accessibility of administration," Azar said, blaming states for the slow pace of vaccination.

Azar said federal officials would no longer hold back vaccines from states to ensure booster doses were available, offered federal help to establish mass vaccination clinics and said the federal government would allocate shots, in part, based on which states were most successful at administering them. He said the federal government wanted to add access points for vaccination.

The abrupt federal policy shift on prioritization  which will make nearly a third of Americans eligible to be vaccinated  represents a departure from months of state planning and federal guidance on who should be eligible. It could hasten the rate of vaccination, but it also threatens to add further confusion to an already rocky rollout and raises questions on how best to ensure equitable access to vaccine.

A spokesperson for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said the state would consider the federal changes on eligibility, acknowledging "differences" between the new approach and the state's plan. While the federal government can advise, vaccine priority is ultimately under the governor's authority.

Washington is currently working to vaccinate health workers, first responders and those in long-term care facilities. The plan Washington released last Wednesday prioritizes first those people 70 and older and anyone 50 and older who lives in a multigenerational household. Next up would be high-risk workers and people with multiple health conditions.

Azar's announcement took state officials by surprise.

Mike Faulk, an Inslee spokesperson, said the governor's office learned of the federal changes through news reports Tuesday morning but by afternoon, still had not received anything in writing from the government about the new eligibility policy.

"The federal government announcing sweeping changes to the largest and most important vaccine effort in our lifetimes  on television and without any advance notice or coordination with states  is unacceptable," Faulk said.

Inslee does support some of the federal actions. He joined other state governors in signing a Jan. 8 letter demanding the federal government distribute reserved doses immediately.

And Faulk said in an email that the state would welcome help setting up vaccination clinics.

"DOH has asked our federal partners twice for assistance in developing additional access points for vaccine, and has been told no federal help is currently available," Faulk wrote, referring to the state health department. "We would welcome federal support."

Concern has swelled over the pace of vaccinations, and some experts view it as a race to head off the spread of a more transmissible variant of the novel coronavirus that has overwhelmed the United Kingdom and has been found in the United States.

The federal government last year spent billions on vaccine development and distribution, but investments in local and state public health departments lagged until December, leaving underfunded agencies and strained hospitals managing the task of getting shots in people's arms.

In Washington, some assisted-living facilities that were supposed to receive the first vaccines still don't have appointments. Hospitals have scrambled to help transfer vaccines to other health systems that lack supply and many health care workers still can't find a site to get vaccinated.

The state has not yet launched its vaccine-tracking dashboard, a web tool called PhaseFinder that helps determine the public's eligibility for vaccination, or PrepMod, software to speed clinics' vaccine scheduling.

Many states are struggling, with most reporting they've used fewer than half of the doses they've received.

Each state has prioritized its vaccine doses differently, said Josh Michaud, the associate director for global health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Allowing anyone 65 and older and anyone with a health condition that increases COVID-19 risk to be vaccinated "represents a major sea change for how these vaccinations are going to be targeted, if states follow the recommendations," Michaud said.

"You're basically starting to open the floodgates."

Michaud said pouring doses into states will add strain to a system struggling to operate efficiently. But expanding distribution points and offering the vaccine to more people gives states more chances to find arms.

Distributing vaccine equitably could be more challenging.

"If your goal is to vaccinate as many people as possible, then you might fall into the trap of vaccinating the easiest-to vaccinate people, and not vaccinate those who are harder to reach or more resistant, or live in rural areas, or for whatever reason require a little more effort to administer vaccines."

Michaud said groups that might be harder to reach are often those who are the highest risk and represent a disproportionate number of cases.

"There's a balance to be struck," Michaud said.

Michaud said he expected the pace of vaccination to improve now as health workers gained familiarity with systems and made incremental improvements.

"With a big project like this, it's all about eliminating bottlenecks," said Dr. Nathan Schlicher, the president of the Washington State Medical Association.

Financial help will soon arrive to cash-strapped states that have had to rely on existing resources to fund vaccination efforts. Congress in December passed a bill approving COVID-19 relief funding and HHS has begun to distribute that money. Washington state will receive some $68 million for vaccine administration.

Michaud said states needed that money months ago.

"That can only help ... it's not something that can turn on a dime," Michaud said. "To get these systems up and running, it takes time."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

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[January 12, 2021] Johnson & Johnson Innovation Announces Launch of China Digital Technologies of Tomorrow QuickFire Challenge

QuickFire Challenge calls on innovators to submit novel, medical device ideas for perioperative treatment solutions, diagnostics and emerging technologies in AFIB, neurovascular treatment, general and orthopedic surgery with the potential to transform patient care.

Awardees will receive grant funding up to $100,000 , residency at JLABS @ Shanghai , and mentorship from experts at the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. SHANGHAI, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson & Johnson Innovation together with Johnson & Johnson Medical Shanghai Ltd. today announced the launch of the China Digital Technologies of Tomorrow QuickFire Challenge with the aim to identify and accelerate cutting-edge, early-stage digital innovations looking to bring forward potential transformative technologies for the patients who need them most. The competition is open to visionaries from around the world with novel, medical device concepts or products for perioperative treatment solutions, diagnostics and emerging technologies with the potential to transform patient care in atrial fibrillation (AFIB), neurovascular treatment, general and orthopedic surgery. The innovator(s) with the best potential solution(s) in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), 3D-printing (3DP), IoT, 5G and beyond can be awarded grant funding from a total of up to US$100,000; one year of residency at JLABS @ Shanghai, including a workstation and access to the JLABS ecosystem; and mentorship from experts at the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies. "We believe a good idea can come from anywhere, and it's our goal to find new and innovative health technologies that have potential to shape the future of healthcare. We are interested in a wide range of potential applications from remote surgery to early warnings of disease and beyond," said Sharon Chan[1], Head of JLABS @ Shanghai. "We have 13 JLABS worldwide, with JLABS @ Shanghai being the largest globally, as well as the first in Asia Pacific. We are looking forward to welcoming the awardees of the China Digital Technologies of Tomorrow QuickFire Challenge to be part of our dynamic community of innovators and to supporting them on their innovation journeys." The QuickFire Challenge platform was developed with the aim to empower and enable potential ground-breaking science and health solutions by encouraging students, entrepreneurs, researchers and start-up companies to tackle some of the world's most challenging problems in healthcare. "China remains a critical market and has become the 'development + innovation' dual engine for Johnson & Johnson's business portfolio. We have chosen to launch this challenge in China because the region's digital technology and innovation is making rapid progress that can potentially benefit China and the world. Through our joint efforts, we are actively engaging with the Chinese healthcare innovation ecosystem and technology community with the aim to bring together disruptive solutions to advance health for humanity," said Will Song[2], China Chairman, Johnson & Johnson. The China Digital Technologies of Tomorrow QuickFire Challenge welcomes submissions from January 13, 2021 to March 19, 2021. For more information (including the terms and conditions of entry), please visit: http://jlabs.buzz/digital-tech Cautions Concerning Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 related to the launch of the China Digital Technologies of Tomorrow QuickFire Challenge. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson Innovation LL, Johnson & Johnson Medical Shanghai Ltd., any of the other Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies and/or Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: uncertainty of regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; challenges to patents; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; manufacturing difficulties and delays; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; and trends toward health care cost containment.. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2019, including in the sections captioned "Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements" and "Item 1A. Risk Factors," and in the company's most recently filed Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, and the company's subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at www.sec.gov, www.jnj.com or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Neither the Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Companies or , Johnson & Johnson undertakes to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments.







[1] Sharon Chan is employed by Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited [2] Will Song is employed by J&J Medical China

SOURCE Johnson & Johnson Innovation

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Realty major and US-based Hines will invest around Rs 1,300 crore to construct the first phase of a premium commercial project, largely office space, in Gurugram, a senior company official said.

The construction of this project, comprising 2.55 million sq ft area in the first phase, has started, Managing Director of Rental Business Sriram Khattar said.

and Hines had formed a joint venture in March last year to develop this project on a 11.76 acre land parcel bought by DLF in 2018 for nearly Rs 1,500 crore through an e-auction conducted by the Haryana government.

In March last year, DLF sold 33 per cent stake in this commercial project to Hines for around Rs 650 crore.

"The estimated cost of construction for the first phase is around Rs 1,300 crore," Khattar told PTI.

The DLF-Hines JV had in August secured a construction loan of Rs 2,600 crore from HDFC Ltd for the development of first phase, which is targeted to be completed in stages in 2023-24.

"This marquee project will set new benchmarks in areas of safety, wellness, sustainability, which is the core of our philosophy to provide the best in class sustainable workspace solutions to our esteemed clients," Khattar said.

Hines India MD and Country Head Amit Dewan said: "Based on our conversations with global tenants, flight to quality is expected once return to office."



"Customers will require offices incorporating new-age touchless technologies, advanced air-filtration systems, superior security measures and smart management of common areas," Dewan said.

This is the second JV between the two DLF and Hines had entered into their first joint venture in 2008 to develop One Horizon Center in DLF-5 Gurugram, Haryana.

DLF has developed 153 projects and developed an area of about 330 million sq ft. It has 210 million sq ft of development potential across residential and commercial segments. The group has an annuity portfolio of over 35 million sq ft.

Hines is a privately owned global investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence across 225 cities in 25 countries.

It has about USD 144.1 billion of assets under management. The firm has 165 developments currently underway around the world.

(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.)
[January 13, 2021] Global Synchrophasors Market to Expand as a Function of Advancements in Electrical Engineering and Power Management - TMR

- Development of smart cities has put tremendous pressure on government authorities to elevate the bar of quality across the electrical and power management industry. - Development of new and advanced residential and commercial towers has played an integral role in popularising the use of high-end power management technologies such as synchrophasors. ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The demand within the global synchrophasors market is slated to increase at a stupendous rate in the years to come by. The use of these systems in power operating nodes has created new opportunities for growth within this market. The electrical industry has undergone formidable disruptions in recent years, and has encapsulated new technologies for management electric and power systems. Therefore, synchrophasors have become a central part of the power ecosystems and have been graded as a sound safety technology. It is worthwhile to note that the need for synchrophasors is felt across building power systems as well large industrial units. In light of these factors, it is safe to expect the inflow of fresh revenues into the global synchrophasors market. The total worth of the global synchrophasors market is expected to reach 930 Mn by the end of the forecast period ranging between 2020 and 2030. The growth of this market is a direct function of advancements in electrical engineering and management. A number of entities have emerged as a sound platform for promoting the services offered by electrical service providers. Implementation of synchrophasors is an important process that has lately gained traction from key entities and stakeholders. Henceforth, the popularity of electric power services are boding well for the growth of the global synchrophasors market. Download PDF Brochure  https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=B&rep_id=2651 Key Findings of the Report Advancements in Smart City Infrastructure The emergence of smart cities has also led to the development of high-end, smart grids and smart meters. These automated grids and meters are a part of an extensive ecosystem characterised by various electric supply lines and utilities. The use of synchrophasors to preserve the integrity of these grids has created humongous opportunities for growth and advancement in recent years. It is worthwhile to note that all major nations are overhauling their grid infrastructure by moving from traditional grids to smart, integrated grids. This is directly driving sales across the global synchrophasors market. Development of Central Power Management Systems



New-Age Industrial and Commercial Systems The advent of core building management systems is also playing an underhanded role in driving sales across the global synchrophasors market. The use of these systems to increase the reliability of the power grid has sent ripples across the electrical industry as several units begin to implement synchrophasors. In addition to all of this, the load shedding capability of synchrophasors has also given an impetus to market maturity. Request the Covid19 Impact Analysis at

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=covid19&rep_id=2651 Global Synchrophasors Market: Growth Drivers The frequency of power outages in the residential and commercial sectors has created concerns for several entities and stakeholders. This has necessitated the use of synchrophasors.

The use of synchrophasors for the purpose of power control has also gained popularity.

The need to increase the power quality across various echelons of the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors has also emerged as a resilient dynamic of market maturity. Analyze Global Synchrophasors 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 Global Synchrophasors Market: Competitive Landscape Arbiter Systems Inc.

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FUJI ELECTRIC FRANCE S.A.S. Explore 149 pages of superlative research, current market scenario, and extensive geographical projections. Gain insights into the Synchrophasors Market (Component: Hardware and Software; and Application: Fault Analysis, State Estimation, Stability Monitoring, Power System Control, Operational Monitoring, Improve Grid Visualization, and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020-2030 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/synchrophasors-market.html Explore Transparency Market Research's award-winning coverage of the Global Electronics & Semiconductors Industry: CMP Slurry Market  The increasing deployment of CMP as a polishing technique to smoothen the surface of various semiconductor devices is projected to fuel the growth of the global CMP slurry market. Sapphire Substrate Market  The global sapphire substrate market is expected to expand at a CAGR of ~6% during the assessment period. The market growth is primarily driven by increasing demand for sapphire substrate for the development of LEDs, laser diodes, etc. About Us Transparency Market Research is a next-generation market intelligence provider, offering fact-based solutions to business leaders, consultants, and strategy professionals. Our reports are single-point solutions for businesses to grow, evolve, and mature. Our real-time data collection methods along with ability to track more than one million high growth niche products are aligned with your aims. The detailed and proprietary statistical models used by our analysts offer insights for making right decision in the shortest span of time. For organizations that require specific but comprehensive information we offer customized solutions through adhoc reports. These requests are delivered with the perfect combination of right sense of fact-oriented problem solving methodologies and leveraging existing data repositories. TMR believes that unison of solutions for clients-specific problems with right methodology of research is the key to help enterprises reach right decision. Contact Mr Rohit Bhisey

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The family of an unarmed man shot to death during a traffic stop by a Napa County sheriffs deputy filed a claim Tuesday against the county, saying the deputy illegally used deadly force and that investigators interrogated his wife and his mother before informing them he had been shot.

Juan Adrian Garcia, 47, died on Oct. 6, a day after he was shot multiple times by Sgt. David Ackman, who pulled him over for not having his headlights on. Garcia stopped near the intersection of Kaiser Road and State Highway 221, south of the Napa city limits.

The claim, a legal requirement before filing a lawsuit against a government agency, alleges that Ackman used excessive and unjustified force.

Authorities said Garcia ignored commands and aggressively approached the deputy with one hand behind his back. Garcias family said their loved one was murdered.

This unprovoked murder of an unarmed, non-threatening Mr. Garcia, followed by their lack of transparency, is a terrible violation of Mr. Garcia and his family's constitutional rights, said Michael Haddad, one of the familys attorneys.

Henry Wofford, a spokesman for the Napa County Sheriffs Office said he couldnt comment because the county had not yet received and reviewed the claim.

Video from Garcias body-worn camera, released about a week after the shooting, showed Ackman pointing his gun at Garcia as Garcia climbed out of his car after he tossed his mobile phone out of the car. After Ackman moved so that his patrol car was between them, he ordered Garcia to turn around. Garcia continued to approach with one hand behind his back, near his waistline, and Ackman ordered him three times to stop. When he didnt, Ackman fired six shots and Garcia collapsed behind the patrol car. All six bullets hit Garcia, five in the torso and one in a leg.

Authorities later discovered that Garcia did not have a weapon.

In the claim, attorneys accuse the sheriffs office of not sharing with them unedited footage from Ackmans body camera, surveillance video from nearby businesses or autopsy and coroner reports, limiting the familys ability to file a detailed claim.

The claim seeks an unspecified amount of damages.

Garcia, a 25-year resident of Napa, was married to Eva Lopez Hernandez, and the couple had three children.

What I really want is justice, Hernandez said in a statement released Tuesday. I want the sheriffs office to know that this completely destroyed my family. My family will never be together again. This never should have happened. The officer who killed Juan absolutely must be held accountable.

Michael Cabanatuan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mcabanatuan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ctuan

I have been an examination warrior of sorts for years. But in a different sense to the title of Prime Minister Narendra Modis book of the same name. Mr Modi has written a useful book to help students slay exams. There is a contradiction here, though, because while he urges students to treat exams like festivals (I rather liked this approach), he also advises students to be warriors implying that examinations are something to be conquered. My fight has been with the school examination system which requires students in their last year of school to write papers for hours at a stretch and their entry into college depends to a degree on the results of this single examination. Educators have observed to their satisfaction that many examination reforms were necessitated by the current Covid-19 pandemic. However, the same pandemic has given birth to a horrific practice, which must be nipped in the bud. This is the testing of pre-primary children for admission into school.

Even in pre-Covid times I used to be horrified to hear that little children were interviewed and assessed by the school authorities for admission into the nursery classes. Most of these children were already attending playschools, some of which would prepare these tiny mites, all of 18 months of age, for The Interview in The Big School. Mock interviews would be held so that the tots would get used to interacting with unfamiliar persons. Parents too would be given practice in responding intelligently to expected questions. It is believed that parents too are subtly assessed by schools to see whether they matched their preferred client profile. On questioning parents, I learned that some of them were even advised to dress in a particular manner. No wonder that some parents were so formally dressed that they looked as if they were attending a convocation ceremony. The fathers were suited and booted and were sporting ties, the mothers were in elegant attire while the toddlers were fitted out in their best partywear. All this for a virtual interaction from the comfort of their homes.

It is unkind to put parents through this kind of ordeal. They are already tense because even having dutifully rehearsed for the test with their little toddlers, there was no guarantee that the little things would perform at the right time on command. At this age children should indulge in free play, they should learn from the environment, dance, sing and run around. Why should they be subjected to virtual lessons, be made to sit in front of the screen and learn the letters of the alphabet and names of colours and fruits? Even if children of this age get accustomed to learning from the screen maam, this sort of regimentation is quite premature. When I asked some of the parents why they subject themselves and their children to this kind of torture, one parent gave a telling reply. He said that they were so eager to admit their children into certain favoured schools that they were afraid of objecting to the admission procedure and risk their application being rejected.

It was bad enough in the past, but in this pandemic year it was disturbing to be told that children who had not even turned two were being made to attend virtual lessons. Some parents went for customised activity packages which I learnt were delivered at intervals so that the curriculum could be tackled in a methodical way. Other parents said that they were lucky to find a Montessori teacher in the neighbourhood who came to their housing complex and taught a group of toddlers on a regular basis. This arrangement gave their children the much-needed opportunity to socialise with other children of the same age.

On deeper questioning, it became evident that this whole exercise of attempting to educate toddlers was largely to prepare them for entry into the primary department of one of the reputed schools.

In this context I have some questions to ask the authorities and teachers of the schools that assess such small children before admitting them. The first and most important question is: Can you really identify the brighter children on the basis of naming a few colours, fruits and vegetables? Children develop at their own individual pace and at this age you cannot make out anything about their potential. Over the decades that I have been in school education, I have seen enough to know that there are late bloomers, there are moody children and quiet ones who have eventually turned out to be outstanding students. Conversely, I have seen little children mastering formal schoolwork at the basic stages but falling behind when there was need for more complex work involving problem-solving or independent thinking. My next question is: Will you reject a child who refuses to answer your questions or suddenly tires of the whole thing and starts bawling? I remember the case of one little girl who stubbornly refused to tell the head teacher her name. On the way home, when her mother asked why she hadnt opened her mouth, she said: My name was written on the card that you pinned to my dress, why was she asking me?

Some children are precocious, but precociousness is not equivalent to giftedness. In fact, it is accepted that IQ tests are not reliable in the case of very young children as the intelligence quotient of a child takes some years to stabilise. As for assessing parents, I suppose schools, like clubs, may feel entitled to have their own criteria for parents.

But this article is more about unfairness to children. I am calling out all schools that test pre-primary children for admission into their nursery or kindergarten classes. You are adopting a practice that goes against the principles of pre-primary education, besides adding stress to the already stressful lives of parents. Finally, you are guilty of giving some of these little children their first taste of failure. Activists need to urge the schools to stop this insensitive practice at once.
Netflix debuted a new docuseries on the Night Stalker serial killer today, and while many early viewers have excitedly rushed to watch all four episodes, others are complaining that it's more graphic than it needs to be.

'Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer' delves into the murders of Richard Ramirez, a serial killer and serial rapist who was imprisoned at San Quentin State Prison for crimes he committed in California in the mid-1980s.

But though viewers expected disturbing true crime content, some are saying that the makers went too far with including gruesome crime scene photos and CGI reenactments.

Streaming: Netflix debuted the four-part docuseries 'Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer' today

Criminal: It delves into the murders of Richard Ramirez, a serial killer and serial rapist

Behind bars: He was imprisoned at San Quentin State Prison for crimes he committed in California in the mid-1980s

The series includes several bloody crime scene photos, as well as CGI recreations of those crimes scenes, in which the camera moves through a bloody room.

In one, there is a close-up of a knife still in a victim's body.

Some true crime fans think the imagery is gratuitous, and the series would have been better without it.

'Christ the new EAR/ONS doc on Netflix is hard going and I dont scare easily... I really wouldnt watch unless you have a very thick skin for true crime,' wrote one Twitter user. 'Its so graphic I had to turn it off after two episodes.'

EARONS stands for 'East Area Rapist and the Original Night Stalker,' who were originally thought to be the same person.

The East Area Rapist, also known as the Golden State Killer, has since been identified as Joseph DeAngelo.

'Watching the new Netflix Night Stalker series. No need for them to include the victim crime scene photos, and slo-mo blood splatter shots, it's not necessary,' said another.

Shocking: The docuseries features multiple images of Ramirez's victims, as well as the horrific scenes he left behind, including blood-spattered walls (seen)

Not into it: Some early viewers are complaining about the 'graphic' nature of the crime scene photos and CGI reenactments in the show

'It glorifies the killer, uses crime scene imagery way too much and tells you nothing about the victims. They are portrayed as means to an end. One was put together by women, the other by me,' complained a third.

'Not sure if I can get through all of #NightStalker on Netflix. This is tough viewing,' yet another tweeted.

Writer Eric Langberg said that the series 'gleefully displays horrific crime scene images on screen.'

'More than any other Netflix docu-series I can think of, this one loves to titillate with specifics of the crimes,' he wrote in an essay for Medium.

Others, however, admit that they find the series 'creepy' but aren't turned off by it.

'Jeeeez, Night Stalker on @NetflixUK is a wee bit dark & creepy isnt it? I love True Crime docs but even Im finding this one extremely dark & twisted. Impossible to stop watching though!' wrote one fan.

'Netflix the night stalker is utterly terrifying. I havent made it 15 minutes and Im awfully disturbed,' said another.

Another wrote: 'The night stalker on netflix is just asking for me to have nightmares.'

Fans: Many others, though, find the series 'creepy,' 'terrifying,' and 'disturbing' but don't want to turn it off

'Yall the new "night stalker" true crime documentary on Netflix is INTENSE,' one more wrote, while another chimed in: 'Night Stalker on Netflix is incredible. Sick sick man.'

'Just got done watching the Night Stalker on @NetflixUK f***ing hell chills up and down my body,' read another take.

Speaking about the project to People, director Tiller Russell said: 'There was this sort of feeling that whoever you were, that anybody could be a victim and anybody could be next.'

With men, women, and children as victims, the non-uniformity of the crimes left people on edge

'The murder weapons were wildly different. There were guns, knives, hammers and tire irons,' said Russell.

Ramirez would climb through open windows and doors in the early hours of the morning and ransack valuables as well as rape and kill his victims, leaving gruesome crime scenes often marking them with pentagrams.

'To this day in L.A., when you drive around, that's why there are bars on the windows,' Russell said.

Murderer: Ramirez would climb through open windows and doors, and ransack valuables as well as rape and kill his victims, leaving gruesome crime scenes

'To this day in L.A., when you drive around, that's why there are bars on the windows,' the series' director said

Though the Night Stalker's story has played out on screen a handful of times  including American Horror Story: 1984  Russell said that this version is the most comprehensive.

His producing partner Tim Walsh, who first approached him about the project said, 'Weirdly, the definitive telling of this iconic Los Angeles story has never been told.'

He said he got the idea after meeting with one of the detectives who worked the case.

'We wanted to make it as present tense as possible so that it's unfolding in a way where you're able to...evoke the moment-to-moment horrors and chills that people were experiencing,' Russell said.

Ramirez was ultimately convicted at age 29 in 1989 for 13 murders, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults, and 14 burglaries.

At the time of his sentencing, Ramirez addressed the court to say he was 'beyond good and evil' and would be 'avenged,' adding, 'Lucifer dwells in us all.'

Left: Ramirez shot and killed Dayle Okazaki, 34, in March of 1985. Right: Mei Leung, 9, was found dead in the basement of a hotel basement where Ramirez was living. His DNA was matched to the crime scene in 2009

He was sentenced to death for his crimes, but died of natural causes in San Quentin State Prison while awaiting execution in 2013 at 53 years old.

Ramirez beat to death Joyce Lucille Nelson, 61, of Monterey Park on July 7, 1985

Though most serial killers have a pattern and target specific types of people to victimize, Ramirez's victims were both male and female as well as young and old.

Among his victims was Joyce Lucille Nelson, 61, of Monterey Park, whom he beat to death on July 7, 1985.

He also shot and killed Dayle Okazaki, 34, in March of 1985.

He also shot to death Elyas Abowath, 35, and beat his wife.

His oldest known victim was 84-year-old Mabel Bell, who was beaten to death with a hammer in her home.

His youngest known victim was nine-year-old Mei Leung was found dead in the basement of a hotel basement where Ramirez was living. His DNA was matched to the crime scene in 2009.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump has been impeached by the U.S. House over the violent siege of the Capitol. He is the only president to be twice impeached.

He faced a single charge incitement of insurrection in Wednesday's vote after he encouraged a mob of loyalists to, as he put it, fight like hell against election results. The subsequent attack on the U.S. Capitol turned deadly and delayed finalizing Democrat Joe Biden's election victory.

Security was exceptionally tight at the Capitol for Wednesday's vote, beefed up by armed National Guard troops, with secure perimeters set up and metal-detector screenings required for lawmakers entering the House chamber.

Wednesday's vote saw the unbreakable wall of Republican support that encouraged and enabled Donald Trumps norm-shattering presidency crack. A group of 10 House Republicans joined Democrats on Wednesday to impeach Trump for inciting the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week.

The GOP backing is in sharp contrast to the unanimous support for Trump among House Republicans when he was impeached by Democrats in December 2019. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican, led the GOP opposition to Trump, saying he had betrayed his office.

The vast majority of the GOP stood by Trump. But even some of those who opposed impeachment condemned Trumps behavior and blamed him for sparking the insurrection.

A more consequential vote awaits later this month in the Senate, where Trumps party is hardly rallying to his side. The choice facing Republicans isnt just about the immediate fate of Trump but whether the partys elected leaders are ready to move on.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer vows there will be an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, even if its after he leaves office and Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated. Schumer said that if Trump is convicted, there will be a vote on barring Trump from ever running again for office.

Schumer said Wednesday that the trial could begin immediately if Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell agreed to convene an emergency session. If not, the trial will begin after January 19. Thats the quickest the Senate can start under the existing calendar.

McConnell said earlier Wednesday that there is no chance that the Senate will be able to hold a fair or serious impeachment trial before Biden is sworn in.

The Kentucky Republican may be blocking a quick Senate trial of Trump, but he's told colleagues he's not made up his mind about how he'll vote whenever that trial begins. McConnell is Washington's most influential Republican.

The trial probably won't begin until around January 20. That's when Democrats will take majority control of the chamber and the day of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential inauguration.
Why do we celebrate Makar Sankranti 2021 on 14th Jan? Why did Bhishma waited for Uttarayan?

Bhogi 2021: What bhogi means? How is it celebrated?

19-year-old woman going for holy dip on Makar Sankranti gangraped in Odisha

Pongal 2021: Happy Pongal Wishes, Quotes, Messages For Friends, Family, WhatsApp Status

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 13: Pongal 2021 is a four-day long harvest festival celebrated mostly in the states of South India, especially in Tamil Nadu.

Pongal, also known as Thai Pongal, is a multi-day Hindu harvest festival. On this occasion, Tamilians decorate their houses with mango, banana leaves, and colourful patterns made up of rice flour.

Pongal 2021: Know the date, auspicious time, and how to celebrate this harvest festival

Here are some wishes messages which you can share with your family and friends to wish them Happy Pongal 2021:

Let the warmth of the auspicious festival of Pongal fill your home with joy. Have a wonderful Pongal.

Between beautiful kolams and auspicious decoration, let us meet, greet and, of course, eat, Happy Pongal!.

May Lord Surya shine his divine blessings on your home. Wish you and your family a Happy Pongal!

Sending you out the most fortunate warm wishes on the happy occasion of Pongal, have lots of fun and enjoy your every moment. Happy Pongal!

May this day of Bhogi Pongal, usher in goodness, peace, health and happiness to your life. Here's sending you my best wishes and warm Bhogi greetings.
OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Giatec, a global company known for the first wireless concrete testing sensor and artificial intelligence, unveils its predictions for the construction industry in 2021 including a significant increase in the use of labor-saving tools, digital technologies and software, and growth in online learning.

What's next for the construction industry in 2021? Giatec's review

Jobsites are trying to adapt and find solutions to the challenges presented by the pandemic since it began in late 2019. It is predicted that the use of new technologies and construction automation software will increase because it will assist in reducing the amount of close contact between individuals onsite and follow health and safety guidelines in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19. These trends will help offset setbacks resulting from new working conditions and counter construction slowdown.

"As construction firms take on the challenge of future proofing beyond 2021, leaders have an opportunity to drive an innovation mindset and rethink their technology investment and adoption strategy," says Allison Scott of Autodesk in its report on construction trends for 2021.

How will Giatec contribute to these changes? The company weathered the storm in 2020, signing 12 new partners, providing over 300 product trainings, and growing in revenue despite setbacks in the construction industry resulting from the pandemic. In addition to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19 through its labor-saving wireless concrete sensors, SmartRock, Giatec will continue enhancing its products and mobile and AI software tools that will assist contractors and project managers to work productively through the transformative changes the industry is experiencing.

Giatec is riding the wave of online learning in 2021. The company will be hosting its first-ever virtual event, The Net Zero Construction Conference, which will bring together top leaders from major organizations like the National Ready-Mix Concrete Association, Lafarge, Skanska, National Research Council of Canada, and more, to discuss the trends and technologies that promote sustainable construction. Multiple webinars will continue to be hosted by Giatec's concrete experts every month. In addition, the company will be launching a brand-new podcast, Construction Revolution, with guests from the top innovators, researchers, and disrupters in the industry.

It is clear 2021 will transform the industry. In light of these predictions, Giatec is ready to help construction businesses strengthen overall and prove their resilience through advanced technologies and online learning opportunities.

ABOUT GIATEC

Giatec is a global company revolutionizing the construction industry by bringing smart testing technologies and real-time data collection to the forefront of every jobsite. Giatec's suite of hardware and software products has leveraged advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT), including wireless concrete sensors, mobile apps, and advanced non-destructive technologies (NDT) to drive innovation throughout concrete's lifecycle. For more information, visit www.giatec.ca.

MEDIA CONTACT

Dobrila Moogk, VP Marketing

+1-877-497-6278

[email protected]

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What's next for the construction industry in 2021?

What's next for the construction industry in 2021? Giatec's review

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A Longford pharmacist has joined the growing clamour for the industry to take an "integral role" in the administration of Ireland's Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Padraig Loughrey said he was in full support of a Longford Leader campaign for local pharmacies to deliver the Covid-19 vaccines to our communities.

The #bestshot campaign petition was launched earlier today in a bid to lobby Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and ensure Ireland's vaccination initiative is led by local pharmacies on the ground.

ALSO READ: Longford #bestshot campaign launched to 'Save lives, businesses and our future - get the vaccine out!'

Mr Loughrey stated his view in ensuring those calls were heeded was one which was shared by many of his fellow professionals.

"As a pharmacist and having spoken to the Irish Pharmacists Union, we are of the belief that pharmacies should play an integral role in disseminating the vaccine to people in local communities."

Mr Loughrey qualified those remarks by also insisting non Covid-related issues and ailments people continue to face in the ongoing battle against the virus should not be compromised should pharmacists be given the green light to lead the vaccination charge at a local level.

The former Longford county councillor added the emergence and expected approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca would act as a "game-changer" in helping to speed up the vaccination rollout.

The Irish government has ordered about 3.3 million shots, or enough to vaccinate 1.65 million people with a two-dose regime.

Mr Loughrey said while supply issues would no doubt continue to rumble on, the Longford Leader's #best shot campaign was one he was more than happy to support.

"Pharmacies have years of experience in relation to vaccines and have been involved with the delivery of the flu vaccine for the past 13 years so the experience, know-how and expertise is there," he said.

You can comment on the Longford Leader Facebook page or follow us on Twitter-#bestshot.

The Longford Leader is backing local pharmacies to deliver the Covid 19 vaccines to our communities - and we need you to sign up HERE!
The Pallister government will have to up its game if it wants to keep pace with the supply of COVID-19 vaccines scheduled to arrive in Manitoba over the next few weeks.

The Pallister government will have to up its game if it wants to keep pace with the supply of COVID-19 vaccines scheduled to arrive in Manitoba over the next few weeks.

According to new figures released by the federal government, the province would have to almost triple the number of daily doses its now administering to keep up.

Manitoba is expected to receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines between now and the week of Feb. 22, according to Ottawas allocations forecast released Monday. Thats in addition to the 29,530 doses the province has already received.

Manitoba would have to administer 16,714 doses a week  2,388 a day  to keep up with that supply (not including whatever is left over from the first 29,530 doses).

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/John Woods Manitoba is expected to receive 117,000 doses of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines between now and the week of Feb. 22, according to Ottawas allocations forecast released Monday.

The province has immunized only about 800 to 900 people a day at the RBC Convention Centre "super site" clinic.

Related Items Click to Expand Poll Loading... How do you feel about Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccination program thus far? Too slow! Get that vaccine into people's arms stat. Too fast! I'd rather they take their time and get it right than rush and make mistakes. Just right! The province is doing a great job considering the circumstances. I don't know. I need more information from the province before I form an opinion. How do you feel about Manitoba's COVID-19 vaccination program thus far? Too slow! Get that vaccine into people's arms stat. 74% (1052 votes) Too fast! I'd rather they take their time and get it right than rush and make mistakes. 2% (34 votes) Just right! The province is doing a great job considering the circumstances. 14% (200 votes) I don't know. I need more information from the province before I form an opinion. 9% (130 votes) Total Votes: 1416 View ResultsHide Results

Manitoba is scheduled to receive 9,360 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine per week this month. That will increase to 16,380 a week in February. (The federal governments schedule shows weekly figures of 7,800 and 13,650 respectively; Manitoba adds 20 per cent to each Pfizer allocation because like many jurisdictions, its drawing six doses per vial instead of the guaranteed five indicated on the label).

The province is also expected to receive 23,400 more doses of the Moderna vaccine in three shipments between now and the end of February.

What Manitobans havent heard from the Pallister government is how it plans to administer those doses over the next seven weeks.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/John Woods The province has immunized only about 800 to 900 people a day at the RBC Convention Centre "super site" clinic.

Some of the Moderna vaccines will be shipped to First Nations (5,300 doses have already been sent). Close to 10,000 doses of Moderna and Pfizer will be used in nursing homes over the next four weeks.

The province says it will ship about a third of this weeks Pfizer allocation to Brandon for its new clinic at the Keystone Centre, scheduled to open Monday.

However, those allocations only make up a fraction of the doses scheduled to arrive in Manitoba.

None of Ottawas allocations are guaranteed. But provinces have to be prepared for what's planned. Manitoba doesnt seem ready.

Premier Brian Pallister continued to claim Tuesday that Manitoba has the capacity to administer more vaccines than Ottawa is supplying. Yet, the province has used only about 35 per cent of what it has received so far (as of Monday). After accounting for the doses shipped to First Nations last week, almost half of Manitobas supply is sitting in freezers.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES/John Woods Premier Brian Pallister continued to claim Tuesday that Manitoba has the capacity to administer more vaccines than Ottawa is supplying.

Meanwhile, Manitoba is expected to receive another 16,760 doses this week (9,360 Pfizer and 7,400 Moderna).

The public has been given few details on how the province plans to ramp up operations. If there is a plan to scale up to about 2,400 doses a day (which would have to happen very quickly), officials haven't shared it.

Pallister continued to blame the slow rollout on Manitoba's large number of northern communities. He also claimed an earlier decision to hold back doses for second injections (which has since been reversed) has caused delays. Both excuses are bogus. Only 18 per cent of doses received have been earmarked for northern communities. Also, Manitoba followed the same policies on second doses as Ontario and Quebec (both provinces have northern communities and theyre getting vaccines into arms much quicker than here).

Pallister says he "bristles" at suggestions his governments vaccine rollout has been anything but "great." He complained its only been a week since they opened the RBC Convention Centre site.

"Give us a break," he said.

This is what happens when governments dont plan. The logistical complexities of rolling out an immunization program of this size are significant. Detailed planning should have occurred months ago. Instead, the province still hasnt hired an immunization director to run the program or fully staffed its Brandon clinic.

It's time for the province to find another gear. This rollout is painfully slow.

tom.brodbeck@freepress.mb.ca

IDSDC Launches $18 Million Capital Campaign to Build Science Facility Housing Largest Telescope in Greater Phoenix By inspiring individuals and organizations to fund this exciting endeavor, we will fulfill IDSDCs vision to inspire, educate, and stir imaginations to cultivate a greater understanding of our dark skies, our planet, and the universe, said Joe Bill, IDSDC president.

Today, the International Dark Sky Discovery Center (IDSDC) launched an $18 million capital campaign to build a unique science-based facility in Fountain Hills, Ariz., that includes a first-class domed observatory. The IDSDC will house the largest telescope in Greater Phoenix, and with its three other state-of-the-art components, will provide STEM education for students and leading-edge learning experiences for all ages.

By inspiring individuals and organizations to fund this exciting endeavor, we will fulfill IDSDCs vision to inspire, educate, and stir imaginations to cultivate a greater understanding of our dark skies, our planet, and the universe, said Joe Bill, IDSDC president.

Coinciding with the third anniversary of Fountain Hills being designated as the 17th Dark Sky Community in the world by the International Dark Sky Association, IDSDC is privately raising capital to construct the 15,000-square-foot, non-profit facility that will be an international attraction benefiting the entire State of Arizona.

Today, for the first time, the public can experience the vision of the IDSDC by viewing an inspiring video designed to introduce the public to the project.



Those interested in more information or donating to make this world-class facility a reality, please visit: DarkSkyCenter.org

"The International Dark Sky Discovery Center is an exciting opportunity for students and amateur star-gazers alike, said Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey. The center will be another tremendous asset to keep our state at the forefront of STEM education."

Once constructed, IDSDC will feature four distinct educational attractions: a Dark Sky Observatory, Hyperspace Planetarium, Inspiration Theater and an Immersion Zone with interactive exhibits.

Our Dark Sky Observatory will have the largest telescope in the Greater Phoenix area, said Ted Blank, IDSDC vice president and NASA solar system ambassador. We will offer public viewing to present breathtaking views of the moon, planets, nebula, galaxies, and other stellar objects.

The observatorys capabilities for astrophotography and research have already attracted the interest of university leadership.

Arizona State University looks forward to developing a collaborative relationship with the International Dark Sky Discovery Center, said ASU president Dr. Michael Crow.

IDSDC will also have significant economic and economic development impact on the region.

Science-based education is important to the continued development of the states high-tech industry, said Chris Camacho, President & CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. The International Dark Sky Discovery Center will be a unique regional asset, providing an incredible platform for STEM education and workforce development.

Tourism officials say IDSDC will be an important part of the states Astrotourism industry, which already brings visitors to the region specifically for astronomy-related experiences.

Dark sky tourism is a major draw for the State of Arizona, and we believe the International Dark Sky Discovery Center will be an extraordinary asset for our state, said Debbie Johnson, executive director at the Arizona Office of Tourism.

For additional video and photo assets, please click HERE.

About International Dark Sky Discovery Center

The proposed International Dark Sky Discovery Center is a unique, state-of-the-art, multi-functional facility that will provide science-based education and also serve as a tourism attraction for the state of Arizona and beyond.
Neighbours are up in arms at the size of the 'Grand Designs-style' home in parish of Botenhampton in Dorset

The building is one metre taller in places than agreed by planners and is closer to the road than meant to be

The huge Y-shaped property with a two storey orangery now dwarfs a row of 18th century cottages opposite

Businessman Kim Hughes has been accused of 'riding roughshod' over the local planning rules

An Australian millionaire could be forced to demolish his 4 million 'Grand Designs-style' eco-home branded a monstrosity by neighbours after breaking planning rules.

Villagers in the sleepy Dorset parish of Bothenhampton, near Bridport, are up in arms at the size of the property built by businessman Kim Hughes and his wife Debra.

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The building is one metre taller in places than was agreed by planners and is also much closer to the road than is meant to be. As a result the large Y-shaped property that has a two-storey orangery now dwarfs a row of 18th century cottages opposite.

Some neighbours have complained that their picturesque countryside views have been blocked by the controversial house - which they also claim is too overbearing for such a small village within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Mr Hughes has been accused of 'riding roughshod' over local planning rules by not sticking to the agreed plans that were hand-drawn and said to be worthy of a 'village art club'.

His retrospective planning application was refused by councillors, though the businessman intends to appeal the decision.

Neighbours in the parish of Bothenhampton near Bridport in Dorset are up in arms at the size of the property built by businessman Kim Hughes and his wife Debra

Kim Hughes

Debra Hughes

How Homestead Farm in Bothenhampton, Bridport, Dorset, looked before Kim Hughes made renovations

Click here to resize this module

The building is one metre taller in places than was agreed by planners and is also much closer to the road than is meant to be

Kate Wheller, a member of Dorset Council's planning committee, said: 'The plans may as well have been drawn on the back of a fag packet. Inevitably these hand-drawn plans led to inaccuracies and variations in the height of the building.'

One reason given for the building being taller than it ought to be is due to the amount of insulation packed into the roof space to reduce energy bills.

Mr Hughes submitted a retrospective planning application to make the development lawful leading to villagers to club together to hire their own planning expert to object.

And members of Dorset Council's planning committee 'dug their heels in' and sided with the objectors by refusing the application.

Mr Hughes, who is currently back in Australia, has launched an appeal against the decision.

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If he is unsuccessful, he will face enforcement action, with one option being to demolish the building and start again.

Mrs Wheller said: 'We dug our heels in. It sounds a bit vindictive on our part but it's not. It would make a nonsense to have a planning committee at all if we let people do as they please.

'The original application letter stated the development would be a dream home worthy of Kevin McLeod's Grand Designs. It was costing 4m.

Plans reveal how the couple intended the 4m eco-house in the sleepy village to look - though they now face the prospect of having to demolish it

The proposals for the home in a quiet Dorset village included a dairy barn, garage, winter garden and an old barn

Planning documents show how Kim Hughes and his wife Debra wanted to renovate with a bedroom cottage, winter garden, dairy barn and garage

Conservation rooflights and a corrugated weathered steel roof were earmarked for the dairy barn, with local stone used on many of the other buidlings

Planning documents reveal a look at the 4m eco-house from the rear, including its dairy barn, old barn and bedroom cottage

'But residents realised after the work had started the building didn't seem to comply with the planning application; it was much closer to the front boundary and was a lot higher. It is higher than it should be and one of the wings is further forward then it should be.

'I have visited the site and I am surprised at such a large development in such a small village that is also in a conservation area.'

One villager upset by the development is Robin Carter.

In his letter of objection he said: 'If ever there was an example of how to try and confuse and muddle a statutory authority this planning application must surely take the prize.

'From its initial presentation with a hand drawn sketch worthy of a village art club to its derisory description of being a sustainable structure and its 'make it up as you go along' building level reference points, it seems designed to bamboozle.

'If our village is to be burdened by this imposing structure, which is apparently one house but looks like several, it should at least be reduced in height to a level which is bearable to live with.'

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Fellow neighbour David Pencheon echoed the sentiment.

He said: 'The new owners have deliberately ridden roughshod over local planning considerations and have not abided by the rules.

Some homeowners have complained that their picturesque countryside views have been blocked by the controversial house which is also said to be too overbearing for the small village which is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

The large Y-shaped property that has a two storey organgery now dwarfs a row of 18th century cottages opposite

How Homestead Farm off Main Street, Bothenhampton, Bridport, Dorset, looked before Kim Hughes made renovations

'It makes a mockery of the planning application process if they are allowed to get away with these contraventions.

'It would be an illegal and dangerous precedent if this build were accepted in a conservation area.

'It could be conceived that as long as an applicant has money and influence then they can ride roughshod over the planning laws.

'It would make a mockery of planning and conservation area laws.'

Natural England, Historic England, the Highways Authority and Environmental Health also registered their objections to the building.

A spokesman for PAAD Archiects, which is acting on behalf of Mr Hughes, said: 'The scheme was submitted earlier this year with recommendation for approval by the planning officer but was refused by the planning committee.

'We have subsequently halted all construction works and lodged an appeal with the planning inspectorate.

'We have kept the planning department informed at all times of our intentions.'.

Dr Kelvin Clayton, a local Green Party councillor and also a member of the council's planning committee, said: 'The crux of the issue is that a large number of local people are complaining that it's been built bigger than the original drawings.

'The case is due to come up and be discussed at our meeting in January.

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'We will consider enforcement action and myself and the committee will ask questions of all parties.'

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DENVER  Colorados graduation rate reached its highest level in a decade with the Class of 2020, despite school closures and disruptions caused by the pandemic.

The Colorado Department of Education on Tuesday said 81.9% of high school seniors, or 55,220 students, graduated from public and charter schools last spring, The Denver Post reported.

Colorados high school graduation rate has increased 9.5% since 2010, the department said.

The number of student departures also fell during the 2019-2020 school year, when 8,561 seventh- through 12th-graders, or 1.8%, left the education system. The figure was the lowest in a decade, the department said.

There were 716 fewer students leaving the system compared to the previous year. About 83% of school districts reported dropout rates at or below the state average.

The pandemic disrupted the spring semester by closing schools and postponing many commencements but likely did not impact how many seniors graduated, said Andy Tucker, education department director of postsecondary and workforce readiness.

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Most students already had completed or were on track to complete their graduation requirements, Tucker said.

Preliminary data show enrollment for the 2020-2021 school year is down 3.3%, or nearly 30,000 students. Keeping students engaged has proven challenging across grades without in-person instruction, Tucker said.

What research is telling us is that its very possible rates may regress next year and in the coming years due to the fact that student engagement in the virtual space has been difficult, Tucker said.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some  especially older adults and people with existing health problems  it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.

Businesses yesterday called for tougher lockdown measures, with some going as far as proposing a long curfew spanning from 6 p.m to 6 a.m.

The curfew now starts at 9 p.m. and goes till 5 a.m. Businesses also called on the Government to free up the importation of Covid-19 vaccines to allow private sector participation and to allow people to travel overseas to get vaccinated.
The inauguration of Rockwell Automation Lab at Can Tho University marks a milestone in educating the future generations of automation engineers in the delta region

In hope of assisting automation students in their in-depth research of the operation procedure of industrial automation and digital transformation in practice, Rockwell Automation has sponsored a complete set of laboratory facilities with a total value of VND7 billion($304,350).

Rockwell Automation Lab at Can Tho University (CTU) is the most modern and well-equipped automation laboratory in Vietnam, with 20 basic and 19 advanced automation training kits as well as one experimental model to emulate factory automation solutions.

This has not only enabled instructors and students to enhance the quality of education and science research but also acts as a medium for knowledge and experience exchange among Rockwell Automation partners in the Mekong Delta region and across Vietnam.

The new lab is equipped with 20 basic and 19 advanced automation training kits as well as one experimental model to emulate factory automation solutions

Rockwell Automation has accompanied CTU throughout the execution of Rockwell Automation Lab. Despite several interruptions caused by COVID-19, Rockwell Automation and CTU have dedicated tremendous efforts to provide future automation engineers with a modern research space.

Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 problem solvers dedicated to customers in more than 100 countries.

Through this collaboration with CTU, Rockwell Automation hopes to provide instructors and students with hands-on experience in the rising field of automation in Vietnam, said Le Van Hai, CEO of Rockwell Automation Vietnam. Having a profound experience in providing automation solutions to thousands of businesses around the world, Rockwell Automation is committed to sharing practical tools and advanced technology to help students build a well-rounded set of skills relating to industrial automation, contribute to the transformation of smart manufacturing and processing industry in Vietnam.

During the event, Professor Ha Thanh Toan, principal of CTU also gave a speech to express gratitude to valued partners, especially Rockwell Automation, for their strategic and sustainable partnership with CTU.

The advanced facilities sponsored by Rockwell Automation will be utilised in a wide range of our education, scientific research, and technology transfer activities. We are sincerely thankful and hope to receive support from Rockwell Automation in the future, Toan said.

Rockwell Automation is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 problem solvers dedicated to customers in more than 100 countries.
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Bharat Biotech today said that it has air-shipped its covid-19 vaccine Covaxin to 11 cities in India and that it has donated 16.5 lakh doses to the centre.

The company also expressed its deepest gratitude to the nation, all clinical trial volunteers and its partners for making this a successful and milestone public-private partnership for the development of India's first COVID19- vaccine, a press release said.

After having received the government purchase order for 55 lakh doses, Bharat Biotech shipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses) to Gannavaram (Vijayawada), Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bangalore, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai and Lucknow.

Covaxin is a highly purified and inactivated two-dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, manufactured in a Vero cell manufacturing platform with an excellent safety track record of more than 300 million doses, the release said.

It is India's totally indigenous COVID-19 vaccine, developed in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and National Institute of Virology. The inactivated vaccine is developed and manufactured in Bharat Biotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) biocontainment facility, one of its kind in the world.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with incitement of insurrection over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office.

With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, urged on by the presidents calls for them to fight like hell against the election results.

Ten Republicans fled Trump, joining Democrats who said he needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a clear and present danger if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Bidens inauguration Jan. 20.

Trump is the only U.S. president to be twice impeached.

The Capitol insurrection stunned and angered lawmakers, who were sent scrambling for safety as the mob descended, and it revealed the fragility of the nations history of peaceful transfers of power. The riot also forced a reckoning among some Republicans, who have stood by Trump throughout his presidency and largely allowed him to spread false attacks against the integrity of the 2020 election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, imploring lawmakers to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

She said of Trump: He must go, he is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.

Holed up at the White House, watching the proceedings on TV, Trump took no responsibility for the bloody riot seen around the world, but issued a statement urging NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind to disrupt Bidens ascension to the White House.

In the face of the accusations against him and with the FBI warning of more violence, Trump said, That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.

Trump was first impeached by the House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but the Senate voted in 2020 acquit. He is the first to be impeached twice. None has been convicted by the Senate, but Republicans said Wednesday that could change in the rapidly shifting political environment as officeholders, donors, big business and others peel away from the defeated president.

The soonest Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell would start an impeachment trial is next Tuesday, the day before Trump is already set to leave the White House, McConnells office said. The legislation is also intended to prevent Trump from ever running again.

McConnell believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and considers the Democrats impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic presidents hold on the GOP, a Republican strategist told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

McConnell told major donors over the weekend that he was through with Trump, said the strategist, who demanded anonymity to describe McConnells conversations.

In a note to colleagues Wednesday, McConnell said he had not made a final decision on how I will vote.

Unlike his first time, Trump faces this impeachment as a weakened leader, having lost his own reelection as well as the Senate Republican majority.

Even Trump ally Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, shifted his position and said Wednesday the president bears responsibility for the horrifying day at the Capitol.

In making a case for the high crimes and misdemeanors demanded in the Constitution, the four-page impeachment resolution approved Wednesday relies on Trumps own incendiary rhetoric and the falsehoods he spread about Bidens election victory, including at a rally near the White House on the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

A Capitol Police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies. The riot delayed the tally of Electoral College votes that was the last step in finalizing Bidens victory.

Ten Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, voted to impeach Trump, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself.

Cheney, whose father is the former Republican vice president, said of Trumps actions summoning the mob that there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of his office.

Trump was said to be livid with perceived disloyalty from McConnell and Cheney.

With the team around Trump hollowed out and his Twitter account silenced by the social media company, the president was deeply frustrated that he could not hit back, according to White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing who werent authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

From the White House, Trump leaned on Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to push Republican senators to resist, while chief of staff Mark Meadows called some of his former colleagues on Capitol Hill.

The presidents sturdy popularity with the GOP lawmakers constituents still had some sway, and most House Republicans voted not to impeach.

Security was exceptionally tight at the Capitol, with tall fences around the complex. Metal-detector screenings were required for lawmakers entering the House chamber, where a week earlier lawmakers huddled inside as police, guns drawn, barricade the door from rioters.

We are debating this historic measure at a crime scene, said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

During the debate, some Republicans repeated the falsehoods spread by Trump about the election and argued that the president has been treated unfairly by Democrats from the day he took office.

Other Republicans argued the impeachment was a rushed sham and complained about a double standard applied to his supporters but not to the liberal left. Some simply appealed for the nation to move on.

Rep. Tom McClintock of California said, Every movement has a lunatic fringe.

Yet Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. and others recounted the harrowing day as rioters pounded on the chamber door trying to break in. Some called it a coup attempt.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., contended that Trump was capable of starting a civil war.

Conviction and removal of Trump would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, which will be evenly divided. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to go away as soon as possible.

Fending off concerns that an impeachment trial would bog down his first days in office, Biden is encouraging senators to divide their time between taking taking up his priorities of confirming his nominees and approving COVID-19 relief while also conducting the trial.

The impeachment bill draws from Trumps own false statements about his election defeat to Biden. Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

The House had first tried to persuade Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke their authority under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Pence declined to do so, but the House passed the resolution anyway.

The impeachment bill also details Trumps pressure on state officials in Georgia to find him more votes.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent. In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.

Full Coverage: Trump impeachment

___

Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Andrew Taylor and Zeke Miller contributed to this report.
The number of people infected with COVID-19 due to a Christmas Day outbreak linked to a costume at the Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center's emergency room is nearing 100.

Kaiser said Wednesday that 74 employees who were working Dec. 25 and 15 patients "related to Dec. 25" have tested positive. An employee working in the emergency room on Dec. 25 passed away as a result of COVID-19 complications.

"Out of respect for patient privacy and the family, we have no additional information to provide," Kaiser said in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this terrible loss. We are providing support to our employees during this difficult time."

When the first infections were reported in staff at the hospital's emergency room, a hospital spokesperson told the New York Times an inflatable Christmas tree costume briefly worn by a staff member may have exacerbated the spread of the virus.

Costumes such as this work via a battery-operated fan that pulls air into the suit and gives it shape. The costume may have spread droplets through the air.

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," Kaiser San Jose Senior Vice President Irene Chavez told the Associated Press in early January.

Kaiser said Wednesday the incident is still under investigation. "Working with our infectious disease specialists, we are continuing to investigate the outbreak to determine the potential causes and using contact tracing to notify and test anyone exposed, based on CDC and public health guidelines," Kaiser said. "Given the prevalence of COVID-19 in our communities, it is often difficult to pinpoint the specific exposure leading to COVID-19 infection."
An image of a warty pig painted onto the wall of an Indonesian cave some 45,500 years ago may be the 'world's oldest-known figurative artwork', a study has claimed.

Researchers from Australia and Indonesia found the painting of the native wild boar on the rear wall of the Leang Tedongnge cave in the south of the island of Sulawesi.

The team said that the life-size image provides the earliest evidence for the presence of anatomically modern humans on Sulawesi.

A second painting of a warty pig  this one around 13,500 years younger  has also been found in the nearby Leang Balangajia cave to the south of Leang Tedongnge.

This image, the team said, also featured four hand stencils and several other poorly preserved animal paintings.

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An image of a warty pig (pictured) painted onto the wall of an Indonesian cave some 45,500 years ago may be the 'world's oldest-known figurative artwork', a study has claimed

'It shows a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes  a characteristic feature of adult male Sulawesi warty pigs,' said paper author and archaeologist Adam Brumm of Griffith University in Queensland.

'Painted using red ochre pigment, the pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs.'

The researchers explained that such recognisable 'scenes' are extremely uncommon in early cave art. In fact, it was the same team who around a year ago reported the previously oldest-dated rock art scene, which was dated back to 43,900 years ago.

That painting  found in another limestone cave in the area  depicted hybrid human-animal beings hunting Sulawesi warty pigs and dwarf bovids.

Leang Tedongnge, Professor Brumm explained, 'is in a valley thats enclosed by steep limestone cliffs and is only accessible by a narrow cave passage in the dry season, as the valley floor is completely flooded in the wet.'

In fact, the researchers said, the isolated Bugis community that live in the hidden valley claim that it had never before been visited by Westerners.

'Humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years,' added fellow paper author and archaeologist Basran Burhan, also of Griffith University.

'These pigs were the most commonly portrayed animal in the ice age rock art of the island, suggesting they have long been valued both as food and a focus of creative thinking and artistic expression.'

 Slide me  The painting 'shows a pig with a short crest of upright hairs and a pair of horn-like facial warts in front of the eyes  a characteristic feature of adult male Sulawesi warty pigs,' said paper author and archaeologist Adam Brumm of Griffith University in Queensland. 'Painted using red ochre pigment, the pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs.' Pictured, the cave art as seen in a colour-enhanced image (left) and sketch (right)

The art was carefully sampled by paper author and geochemist Maxime Aubert, also of Griffith University, in order to radiometrically date it to at least 45,500 years ago.

'Rock art is very challenging to date,' Professor Aubert explained.

'However, rock art produced in limestone caves can sometimes be dated using Uranium-series analysis of calcium carbonate deposits  cave popcorn  that form naturally on the cave wall surface used as a "canvas" for the art.'

'At Leang Tedongnge, a small cave popcorn had formed on the rear foot of one of the pig figures after it had been painted, so when dated, it provided us with a minimum age for the painting.'

Uranium-series dating also established that the second warty pig image  the one in Leang Balangajia  was likely daubed on the cave wall at least 32,000 years ago.

'We have now dated multiple examples of early rock art in Sulawesi, including depictions of animals and narrative scenes that are outstanding both for the quality of their execution and rarity worldwide,' said Professor Aubert.

According to the team, the Sulawesi rock art they have dated represents some of  if not the  earliest evidence for the presence of modern humans in Wallacea, the area incorporating the islands between Asia and Australia-New Guinea. Pictured, the Leang Tedongnge painting

A second painting of a warty pig (pictured)  this one around 13,500 years younger  has also been found in the nearby Leang Balangajia cave to the south of Leang Tedongnge. This image, the team said, also featured four hand stencils and other poorly preserved animal paintings

'This discovery underlines the remarkable antiquity of Indonesia's rock art and its great significance for understanding the deep-time history of art and its role in humanitys early story,' said Professor Brumm.

According to the team, the Sulawesi rock art they have dated represents some of  if not the  earliest evidence for the presence of modern humans in Wallacea, the area incorporating the islands between Asia and Australia-New Guinea.

'Our species must have crossed through Wallacea by watercraft in order to reach Australia by at least 65,000 years ago,' explained Professor Aubert.

'However, the Wallacean islands are poorly explored and presently the earliest excavated archaeological evidence from this region is much younger in age.'

With their initial study complete, the researchers are now awaiting the radiometric dating of other rock art finds from the island  and said that they expect future work in the region to reveal older art, perhaps dating back as far as 65,000 years ago.

The full findings of the study were published in the journal Science Advances.

Leang Tedongnge, Professor Brumm explained, 'is in a valley thats enclosed by steep limestone cliffs and is only accessible by a narrow cave passage in the dry season, as the valley floor is completely flooded in the wet.' In fact, the team said, the isolated Bugis community that live in the hidden valley claim that it had never before been visited by Westerners

Researchers from Australia and Indonesia found the painting of the native wild boar on the rear wall of the Leang Tedongnge cave in the south of the island of Sulawesi
Despite the removal of their former dictator, Christian leaders in Sudan are still not feeling the freedom they ought to have, a report says

According to the International Christian Concern (ICC), Christian leaders in Sudan say that religious freedom has not improved for them even when the dictator Omar al-Bashir had been ousted. On the other hand, other form of freedoms in the country seems to be improving.

In a statement, Hani Faiz Butros from the Coptic Church told BBC Arabic Radio that despite his frequent request to construct a new building for his church, the government has still not approved any.

"For 11 months now, we have been seeking permission to construct one church, but it has not been approved," Butros said.

Persecution of Christians in Sudan has been going on for decades. Aside from the fact that governments are not agreeing to building new churches, dozen church properties are also not returned to Christians despite the so-called better "religious freedom" that they should be experiencing in the country.

With the government's decision, Christian minorities in Sudan are demanding to be allowed their basic humans rights to be able to practice their faith in the open. However, the government says that they are already working to ensure that everyone is guaranteed freedom of religion.

In a separate report from The Christian Headlines, Christian leaders divulged that while Sudan officials have shown "signs of increasing religious freedom," there are still roadblocks to be had to regain confiscated church properties and build new churches.

Officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments in Sudan have said that they are already processing licenses to allow Christians to build new churches. However, Christian leaders consider it a political propaganda seeing that churches are "trying without success" to obtain licenses to construct new church buildings.

One of the church leaders in Sudan, Rafaat Sameer Masaad, head of the Evangelical Synod and Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church (SPEC) said that up to this point, "nothing has happened" even as they sought request to restore their confiscated assets.

In September 2019, Sudan decriminalized apostasy following the ousting of their dictator in July. Under the new reform, public floggings as a criminal punishment are prohibited. Other laws were made to improve religious rights, but most of the statutes that were given focus are based on Islamic law.

Nasreddine Mufreh, Minister of Religious Affairs, also told the media that the government will do its job to return confiscated properties to Christian churches.

The sovereign council of Sudan also recognized the celebration of Christmas as public holidays on Dec. 25 and Jan. 7, which is the Orthodox Christmas. With the recognition, academic institutions are banned from holding examinations on the said dates. Christians are also allowed to leave work as early as 10 a.m. on a Sunday to be able to attend Church.

In February 2020, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) visited Sudan officials and determined that "the transitional government has ended the former regime's most egregious forms of religious repression and reaffirmed its commitment to substantive change."
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell has blocked a quick impeachment trial for President Donald Trump but has not ruled out voting to convict him.

A spokesman for Mr McConnell said the leading Republican had informed Democrats that he would block their effort to quickly call the chamber back into an emergency session to put Mr Trump on trial.

The House of Representatives voted 232-197 to impeach Mr Trump, and Mr McConnells move means the Senate trial is all but certain to be delayed until after Joe Bidens inauguration as president on January 20.

Yet in a letter to his Republican colleagues, Mr McConnell acknowledged he had not made up his mind about whether Mr Trump should be convicted of the Houses charge that he incited insurrection by exhorting supporters who violently attacked the Capitol last week, resulting in five deaths and a disruption of Congress.

I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate, Mr McConnell wrote.

Mr McConnells statement was a stark contrast to the support  or at times, silence  he has shown for much of what Mr Trump has done or said during his presidency. Mr McConnell will be Washingtons most powerful Republican once the Democrat Mr Biden is inaugurated, and Mr McConnells increasingly chilly view of Mr Trump could make it easier for other Republicans to turn against him.

Earlier, a Republican strategist said Mr McConnell has told people he thinks Mr Trump perpetrated impeachable offences. Mr McConnell also saw House Democrats drive to impeach Mr Trump as an opportune moment to distance the Republican Party from the tumultuous, divisive outgoing president, according to the strategist.

Mr McConnells views were first reported by The New York Times.

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Mr McConnell spoke to major Republican donors last weekend to assess their thinking about Mr Trump and was told that they believed Mr Trump had clearly crossed a line, the strategist said. Mr McConnell told them he was finished with Mr Trump, according to the consultant.

Mr McConnells alienation from Mr Trump, plus the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach him, underscored how the Republican Partys long, reflexive support and condoning of Mr Trumps actions is eroding.

The Senate is in recess and is not scheduled to hold a business session until January 19, the day before Mr Bidens inauguration. By law, the Senate can be summoned to return for an emergency session if the two party leaders, Mr McConnell and minority leader Chuck Schumer, agree.

Mr Schumer has called for an emergency Senate meeting so it can remove Mr Trump from office before his term expires, citing potential, unpredictable problems that Mr Trump could cause.

A spokesman for Mr McConnell confirmed that his aides had told Mr Schumers office that he would not agree to an emergency session. The spokesman offered no explanation of Mr McConnells reasoning.

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The Democratic-led House approved an impeachment article accusing Mr Trump of inciting insurrection, an unprecedented second impeachment of his presidency. Mr Trump exhorted a throng of his followers to march on the Capitol last Wednesday, where they disrupted Congress formal certification of Mr Bidens win in a deadly riot that produced widespread damage.

Mr McConnell is looking out for his partys long-term future, but in the short-term moving toward a political divorce from Mr Trump could mean that congressional Republicans will face challenges in primaries.

It is unclear how many Republicans would vote to convict Mr Trump in a Senate trial, but it appears plausible that several would. So far, senator Lisa Murkowski has said she wants Mr Trump to resign and senator Ben Sasse has said he would definitely consider House impeachment articles.

Complicating thinking about Mr Trumps second impeachment is that Republicans will be defending 20 of the 34 Senate seats up for election in 2022. Thanks to Democratic victories this month in two Georgia run-off elections, Democrats are about to take control of the chamber by 50-50, with vice president-elect Kamala Harris casting tie-breaking votes.
When love budded between Le Van Truong and his wife Nguyen Thi Hang, who is nine years his senior and walks with a limp, it just happened and blossomed no matter what other people thought.

Though Truong and Hang seem not to fit at first, they were cut out for each other and made a fairy-tale love story amid the bustle of Ho Chi Minh City.

For the 31-year-old, well-built Truong, the thing that matters is the affection he feels toward his other half.

A third-generation peddler of boiled corncobs, he is well known in his neighborhood at the Nguyen Thien Thuat tenement, located in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, as the corn king.

Truongs paternal grandparents left Cho Lon in District 5, the citys Chinatown, where many Chinese Vietnamese live, for the tenement prior to 1968, when Vietnam was being torn apart by war.

The apartment building underwent a revamp after getting engulfed and destroyed in a bombing-caused fire in early 1968.

Truongs parents secured an apartment on the top floor as inhabitants were allowed to pick a draw for one of the rebuilt flats.

The whole family wasted no time to resume their family business of peddling boiled sweet potatoes, cassava, and corncobs before cutting their wares down to corncobs due to a lack of people to run the business, according to 62-year-old Le Van Son, Truongs father.

At nine years old, Truong began following his parents around the local streets, where they struggled to scrounge up enough cash to pay grocery bills and tuition.

After graduating from college years later, the young man found a job in mechanical electrical refrigeration and worked for a while before resuming his peddling business to be near home and take care of his elderly parents.

Blissful odd pairing

Standing over 1.7 meters tall and being the only child in the family, Truong met several girls through matchmaking but ended up tying the knot with Hang, his current wife.

Le Van Truong, his wife, their two young sons, and Truongs parents gather before boiling corncobs at their cozy apartment in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Le Van / Tuoi Tre

His parents and neighbors were all taken aback at the pairing.

One day, Truong brought home a girl who was walking with a limp," Minh, one of the neighbors, said about the couple.

"They got married just a few months after that.

The entire family selling corncobs throughout the neighborhood makes a cheerful sight.

Despite growing up poor, Truong was taught to be obedient and loving to his parents and think for others as well, said 60-year-old Dang Thi Mai, Truongs mother.

"As a grown-up, he is actively engaged in community and charity work, she shared.

Thats what brought him and Hang, his wife, together.

Hang suffered from childhood polio, leaving one of her legs weakened, which causes her to walk with a limp.

Born to a poor family with six siblings in the north-central province of Ha Tinh, Hang made her way to Ho Chi Minh City to learn how to sew when she turned 20 before getting recruited by a company in neighboring Dong Nai Province.

Hang spent her entire savings after four years' work to buy a tricycle and keep a few pigs, hoping to settle down back in her hometown soon.

She became almost empty-handed when the pigs died one by one of disease.

The strong-willed girl was dealt another blow when a road accident in late December 2016 left her tricycle, her only asset, broken, with her being hospitalized in Bien Hoa City, the provinces capital, for an infected wound on the leg.

Penniless, she had no choice but to shelve her plan and go back to her hometown.

It was during these darkest moments that she met the love of her life.

Im always weighed down with an inferiority complex over my physical disability," she confided.

"Being in a relationship and getting married are the last things I dreamed of."

Through a charity group of a Ho Chi Minh City-based church, Truong got to know Hang and raised funds to help lift her out of adversity.

Deep inside me, I was more than grateful to the young man who caringly tended to my injury for several months during my hospitalization and helped me with my move to a rented room later, Hang emotionally recalled.

Truong himself could not imagine their paths would soon cross.

It was only compassion at first," he shared.

"Feelings came without me even realizing them.

Still, I was not sure of what my emotions were about.

"I then sought my parents permission to get her home for shelter while trying to have her three-wheeled motorbike fixed and find her a job.

First make friends, then make lovers."

Truong met with his fathers objections when he announced he would marry Hang.

My objections didnt come from ill feelings toward Hang," Son, Truongs father, recalled.

"I was just worried that Hang would suffer the most if their marriage went wrong."

Truongs parents were soon convinced of the couples true love.

A simple wedding was held right at the torn-down tenement in late 2016, with the couples two healthy sons coming about shortly after that.

Each morning, wafts of scents from freshly boiled corncobs emit from their home.

Truong, his wife, and his mother divide nearly 200 cobs among one another before splitting to sell them during the day.

Against all odds, the couple gives each other their dearest affection, ready for a tough life together ahead.

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Secondly, they also want to encourage the incoming President, Joe Biden, to stay engaged in the Indo-Pacific and send a message to regional allies that there will be a strong degree of policy continuity.

Although this has been the most bitter and unusual transition in history, the one area where there has been dialogue between the Trump administration and the Biden camp is on national security. These Trump officials clearly hope the release of such a document will provide cover for the Biden administration to continue with the strategy.

It is notable how instrumental Australia was in the US devising this strategy. The Turnbull government's banning of Chinese vendors in the rollout of 5G and introduction of legislation to counter foreign interference were a major impetus. The Americans also took note of a report written by then-senior adviser John Garnaut on China's intelligence and interference operations in Australia.

While the strategy aims to maintain US "diplomatic, economic, and military preeminence" in the region, it calls for the US to "align our Indo-Pacific strategy with those of Australia, India and Japan".

Where Trump was most successful in following this strategy was the forging of deeper relationships with Australia, India and Japan and the reformation of the Quad alliance. This is where Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison, Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi deserve a significant amount of credit.
A week after President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol, the House of Representatives began debate on Wednesday as lawmakers considered impeaching him for his role in an assault on American democracy that stunned the nation and left five dead. At least five Republicans have said they would join Democrats in voting for an article of impeachment - a formal charge - of inciting an insurrection just seven days before he is due to leave office and President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on Jan. 20. If the House approves it, Trump would become the first president ...
[January 13, 2021] Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Launches 6-Figure Campaign Calling for Appointment of a Person of Color to Lead Delaware's Chancery Court

Today, Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware (CPBD) launched a 6-figure campaign calling for Governor Carney to appoint a person of color to replace retiring Chancellor Andre Bouchard on the currently all-white Chancery Court. The comprehensive campaign will deploy a range of strategies including radio, print ads, and a comprehensive grassroots canvassing campaign to communicate directly with voters and civic leaders to put pressure on Governor Carney to restore diversity on the Chancery Court, which has been all-white since the departure of Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves, the only Black person to ever sit on the Chancery Court. Research from the Brennan Center for Justice and others has unequivocally demonstrated that diverse court composition is critical for applying "equal justice under the law" and enhancing the legitimacy of the courts in the eyes of the citizens it serves. CPBD's campaign will call for strategic recruitment of diverse candidates and transparency in the nominating and interview process to remedy the fact that people of color make up 60% of the prison population but constitute only 15% of all judges in Delaware. Said Ciizens for a Pro-Business Delaware Campaign Manager Chris Coffey, "We must ask ourselves: if there were more diversity on the benches of Delaware's highest courts, would sentences be more fair, would the prison population be less disproportionally made up of people of color, would our judges care more about COVID ripping through the prison population?"



Governor Carney's most recent appointment of Paul Fioravanti Jr. to the Chancery Court, replacing Justice Tamika Montgomery-Reeves - the first Black woman to sit on Delaware's Supreme Court - was a step backwards in diversifying the Delaware judiciary. Chancellor Bouchard's impending retirement presents Governor Carney and the nominating commission the chance to do more than pay lip service to equity and diversity. Continued Coffey, "Governor Carney has an opportunity to finally follow through on his purported commitment to diversity and replace Chancellor Bouchard, whose tenure as head of the Chancery Court was marked by lack of judicial accountability and cronyism, with a person of color who will represent the interests of all Delawareans, rather than an elite few. Our awareness campaign will push tirelessly for a more diverse, fair, and accountable Delaware judiciary."

Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware is a group made up of more than 5,000 members including employees of the global translation services company TransPerfect, as well as concerned Delaware residents, business executives and others. They formed in April of 2016 to focus on raising awareness with Delaware residents, elected officials, and other stakeholders about the unprecedented forced sale of TransPerfect. While their primary goal of saving the company has been accomplished, they continue their efforts to fight for more transparency in the Delaware Chancery Court. For more information on Citizens for a Pro-Business Delaware or to join the cause, visit DelawareForBusiness.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005266/en/

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Businesses yesterday called for tougher lockdown measures, with some going as far as proposing a long curfew spanning from 6 p.m to 6 a.m.

The curfew now starts at 9 p.m. and goes till 5 a.m. Businesses also called on the Government to free up the importation of Covid-19 vaccines to allow private sector participation and to allow people to travel overseas to get vaccinated.
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Italy is battling Covid and perhaps the bond market.

Italian bond yields jumped yesterday with 10-year rates set for their biggest daily rise since November and five-year yields returning to positive territory on fears of political uncertainty.

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will not try to forge a new government with the Italia Viva coalition party if it follows through on a threat to quit the cabinet, a source in Mr Conte's office said.

Italia Viva is a centrist party led by former PM Matteo Renzi could bring down Mr Conte's government as Italy struggles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

Italy's 10-year benchmark yield rose as much as 11 basis points to 0.65pc, the highest since December 2.

Five-year yields rose to positive territory for the first time since mid-November and saw their biggest daily rise since early May.

"The clash between Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and the head of the Italia Viva party, Matteo Renzi, is reaching its peak," Erjon Satko strategist at BofA said.

"Some headlines are weighing heavily on Italian government bond prices. The market is worried about any development that could lead to a eurosceptic policy in Italy," he added.

"Snap elections are still unlikely, but risk has increased," Citi analysts said in a research note.

Bond yields elsewhere in the euro area also rose, but less than in Italy, supported by the European Central Bank backstop as coronavirus restrictions continue to weigh on the economic outlook, while a reflation trade is pushing US Treasury yields higher.

Analysts expected the ECB to buy an amount of bonds broadly in line with the January net supply, which was estimated at around 150bn.

Italy is not the only eurozone that faces politicial challenges this year as longstanding German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to step down.
Exam body AQE has confirmed it is still planning to hold its single rescheduled transfer test next month - and gave an assurance that "further clarity" will be provided.

The exam body continued: "We do understand the frustration of schools, parents and the children around this highly complex matter and give our assurance that further clarity will be provided at the very earliest possible opportunity, following ongoing discussions with our stakeholder partners".

Earlier the exam body called on the Bishop of Derry to retract his comments that the transfer test process had become "big business".

Bishop Donal McKeown had warned that financial gain "should not dominate the conversation" around the test process.

AQE - the Association for Quality Education - has cancelled three tests due to be held this month, with the PPTC - the assessor for the Catholic sector - also cancelling its exams for this year. However, AQE later announced plans to hold a single rescheduled test on February 27.

AQE charges parents wanting grammar school places for their children 55 to sit the exams. The PPTC does not charge.

Bishop McKeown told the BBC's Sunday Politics Northern Ireland programme: "AQE would have about 9,000 pupils applying this year. That's half a million pounds coming in to run a business. And let's say you work on the assumption that parents are spending maybe 250 on tutoring [for their children] - there's another 2.5m.

"We're not just talking about making educational changes - we are talking about a business. When business becomes a major element in educational decisions I think we've lost the point."

The directors of AQE told BBC NI that Bishop McKeown's comments were "highly defamatory" and that his "statement completely lacked accuracy and was pejorative in tone".

"AQE Limited does not engage in 'business', in the normally accepted meaning of that word. It does not carry on its activities with a view to making a profit.

"It is a company limited by guarantee and so does not have shareholders and hence pays no dividends. The members of its board of directors are not remunerated and perform their roles voluntarily.

"The fees which it charges to parents do not cover the costs which AQE Limited incurs in producing and administering the Common Entrance Assessment; the shortfall is made up by the schools which use the Common Entrance Assessment.

"In light thereof AQE Limited would call upon the bishop to retract the statement which he made on January 10, 2021, and to issue an appropriate apology to AQE Limited."

Bishop McKeown said he did not wish to respond to AQE's statement.
Taite Radley's split with former Bachelorette Ali Oetjen took fans by surprise when they made the sad announcement back in July.

But it seems the former banker turned personal trainer has found himself in the arms of a new woman.

On Wednesday, the 30-year-old reality star shared a photo of himself with a stunning brunette on the dancefloor in an Instagram post.

Twosome: On Wednesday, Taite Radley shared a photo of himself with a stunning brunette on the dancefloor in an Instagram post

He announced in the caption that he would be lending his star power to a great cause by taking part in Ballarat's own version of Dancing With The Stars.

Taite explained: 'Great to be able to raise money for the @theballaratfoundation. Time to give back to those that need it most.

'Covid has taught us a lot and one of those things is to support local and help local,' he added as he directed fans to a video of him learning to do the Tango.

He's got the moves! He wrote in the caption: 'Covid has taught us a lot and one of those things is to support local and help local,' he added. Video of his rehearsal, on Instagram, showed him gliding his way across the dancefloor with the stunning instructor

The video of his dance rehearsal, shared on his Instagram showed him gliding his way across the dancefloor with the stunning instructor.

However, Taite has since confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that the lady in question is simply his dancing teacher, adding that he's still very much single.

Fan had speculated if the pairing was a new relationship for the hunk, with one commenting: 'Cute couple though', as another called the pair: 'Ballarat's newest couple.'

But Taite deflected speculation of a romance by replying that they were just a: 'couple of amazing dancers.'

Possible romance? Fan speculated if this the pairing was a new relationship for the hunk, including one who called the pair: 'Ballarat's newest couple.' But Taite appeared to deflect speculation of a romance by replying that they were just a: 'couple of amazing dancers'

Cheeky: Meanwhile, one of his friends cheekily commented: 'Can't wait to have her over for dinner.' The former TV star quickly quipped: 'you wouldn't be invited'

Meanwhile, one of his friends cheekily commented: 'Can't wait to have her over for dinner.'

The former TV star quickly quipped: 'you wouldn't be invited.'

It comes six months after he and Ali Oetjen, who he met on The Bachelorette in 2018, announced their split on back in July.

Split: It comes six months after he and Ali Oetjen, who he met on The Bachelorette in 2018, announced their split on back in July. Ali told her Instagram followers: ' We... both want the ultimate happiness for each other and hopefully our paths will reconnect again soon

Ali told her Instagram followers: 'We both love each other deeply and only want the best for each other and both want the ultimate happiness for each other and hopefully our paths will reconnect again soon.

'We've decided to be open with this so there's no speculation and so we expect love, respect and kindness in return. I love you, Taite.'

Taite shared a similar message on his Instagram account, ending with: 'I love you, Ali.'
Press Release

13 January 2021

Las Vegas Sands issued the following statement announcing the death of company Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon G. Adelson:

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Our founder and visionary leader, Sheldon G. Adelson, passed away last night at the age of 87 from complications related to treatment for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Born to immigrant parents and raised in a poor section of Boston, Mr. Adelson went from a teenager selling newspapers on a street corner to becoming one of the world's most successful entrepreneurs.

His achievements in the integrated resort and hospitality industry are well-documented. In Las Vegas, Macao and Singapore, Mr. Adelson's vision for integrated resorts transformed the industry, changed the trajectory of the company he founded, and reimagined tourism in each of those markets. His impact on the industry will be everlasting.

Mr. Adelson was the first employee of Las Vegas Sands - "Team Member Number One" he liked to say. Today, more than 50,000 Sands team members have Dr. Adelson and the entire Adelson family in their thoughts and prayers and are grateful to have had their lives touched by a true force of nature.

When the pandemic disrupted daily routines and dramatically impacted his business, Mr. Adelson was adamant that our Team Members across the globe continue to receive full pay and health care benefits even while the buildings in which they worked were closed. There are countless additional untold stories of his warmth and generosity - efforts for which he never sought recognition or publicity and would only reply with a smile if asked about them.

While his business credentials - having started or been involved in more than 50 different enterprises - are unquestioned, his dedication to philanthropy and commitment to his family will truly be his legacy. He will be missed by people from all parts of the world who were touched by his generosity, kindness, intellect and wonderful sense of humor.

The Adelson family asks for privacy as they mourn Mr. Adelson's passing. A funeral will be held in Israel, the birthplace of Dr. Miriam Adelson, with plans for a memorial service held in Las Vegas to be announced at a later date.
Americas rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations has not prioritized educators even under government mandates that schools stay open amid pandemic surges, a nationwide panel that included San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Pedro Martinez said Wednesday.

Martinez and four other superintendents from across the country made a plea for federal officials to accelerate vaccine supplies and urged states to include teachers and school staffers at the front of the line.

We cannot emphasize enough how important it is that all of our school staffs are prioritized across the country for vaccine distribution so that our schools can be open and so our children can get the academic support they need, Martinez said during the virtual panel.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

It was hosted by Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of superintendents and state education officials that advocates for education policies. Martinez chairs its board. The other superintendents on the call were: Robert Runcie, Broward County Public Schools in Florida, Susan Enfield of Highline Public Schools in Washington, Sharon Contreras of Guilford County Schools inNorth Carolina, and Millard House II of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Tennessee.

Almost all SAISD employees  99 percent  are working on campuses and 30 percent of students have returned for on-campus learning. With parent cooperation, SAISD has been able to control its in-person population by gradually phasing in students with the greatest needs.

Martinez praised his districts partnership with Community Labs, which has allowed it to conduct weekly coronavirus tests, up to 30,000 of them so far, and identify asymptomatic carriers and quarantine them. The districts posititvity rate has been less than 1 percent.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD still limiting students as classes resume next week, will provide vaccine for employees

Martinez has been part of local movements to pressure Gov. Greg Abbott to categorize teachers as essential workers. Abbott has publicly supported the idea of ranking teachers as front-line workers and providing them early access to vaccines, but educators were not included in the groups that currently get priority.

SAISD is in the process of surveying employees so that when vaccines are available to the district, they can have a line of educators who fit other early-access criteria ready to receive them.

Martinez said he has offered the districts facilities as distribution sites to local health authorities when more vaccines arrive. His nurses  almost all of whom have received the vaccine  would be able to work weekends to help facilitate, he said.

We, as school districts, are ready to be part of the solution, he said.

krista.torralva@express-news.net
Representative Image

Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) on Wednesday said it has commenced export shipments through railways mode, with the dispatch of the first consignment of 125 cars going to Nepal.

The first export consignment was flagged-off from the Walajabad Railway hub near the companys Irungattukottai-based production facility outside Chennai, the auto major said in a statement.

The train will reach the India-Nepal border at Nautanwa near the border town of Sonauli, from where the last-mile delivery will be through the roadways owing to the topography of Nepal, it added.

The overall on-road movement time is expected to reduce from 8 days to 5 days, bringing the cars faster and more eco-friendly manner to the customers, the company said.

"As a progressive OEM, all our production processes follow green practices for the conservation of natural resourcesTo further enhance our initiatives, we have commenced our first-ever eco-friendly exports operations through Railways by dispatching 125 cars in 25 rakes in this first consignment to Nepal, reducing Carbon footprint by 20,260 tons, HMIL Director-Production Ganesh Mani S said.

The company already ships around 14 percent of its domestic car volumes by the rail route instead of the road, he added.

HMIL exports to over 88 countries from its Chennai facility. It has already surpassed the 30 lakh vehicle export milestone last year.
TPG Telecom will review its portfolio of consumer brands which include Vodafone, iiNet and Lebara to assess whether they are serving customers effectively after hiring one of Foxtels key executives to lead its product and brand division.

Foxtels chief customer, marketing and sales officer Kieren Cooney will step down from the pay TV company after two years to lead TPG Telecoms brand and product division, a move which could result in the removal of some of the telcos most well-known brands from the market.

TPG Telecom chief executive Inaki Berroeta (pictured) has hired Foxtels Kieren Cooney to oversee the companys products. Credit:Louie Douvis

TPG chief executive Inaki Berroeta said Mr Cooney, who has held marketing leadership roles at NBN Co, Telecom New Zealand and Vodafone, would be in charge of reviewing the value each product gave to customers.

"The opportunity for us is to create a portfolio of brands that makes sense...and try to avoid every brand being everything for everybody," he said.
Governor Whitmer Lowers Flags to Honor Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum

Governor Whitmer Lowers Flags to Honor Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 9, 2021

Contact: Press@michigan.gov

Governor Whitmer Lowers Flags to Honor Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum

LANSING, Mich.  Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex and upon all public buildings and grounds across the state of Michigan to be lowered to half-staff immediately on Saturday, January 9 to honor the service of United States Army Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum and coincide with his funeral.

Our state mourns the loss of Army Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum as he is laid to rest today, Whitmer said. The flags will be lowered to honor his life and signal our gratitude for his selfless service to our state and nation in the United States Army. My thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time.

Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum was born in the Republic of Panama on June 22, 1987 and grew up in Big Rapids, Michigan. After graduating from Big Rapids High School in 2006, Saum enlisted in the United States Army.

Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum had spent his entire career in active duty when he passed away on December 7, 2021 at the age of 33 years old. He was previously deployed in support of Iraqi Freedom/Operation New Dawn, Operation Enduring Freedom, Special Operations Joint Task Force to Afghanistan, Operation Atlantic Resolve, and the CENTCOM Commanders Counter Terrorism Crisis Response Force to Iraq.

His remains were transported to Big Rapids, Michigan where a funeral service will be held before he is laid to rest on Saturday, January 9.

The State of Michigan recognizes the duty, honor and selfless service of Master Sergeant Jeffrey Saum by lowering flags to half-staff. Michigan residents, businesses, schools, local governments and other organizations also are encouraged to display the flag at half-staff.

To lower flags to half-staff, flags should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The process is reversed before the flag is lowered for the day.

Flags should be returned to full-staff on Sunday, January 10.

###
Earthstone Energy, a Woodlands-based oil and gas company, has acquired rival Independent Resources Management for $182 million.

The deal, which closed this month, consisted of $131.2 million in cash and about 12.7 million shares of Earthstone stock valued at $50.8 million. Earthstone, which is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol ESTE, develops and operates oil and gas assets in the Midland Basin of West Texas and the Eagle Ford of South Texas.

The added scale of this acquisition enhances our ability to deliver top tier operational and financial results with a heavy focus on generating low-cost, high margin production, Earthstone CEO Robert Anderson said in a statement.

ACQUISITIONS: Expect more consolidation in oil industry through mid-2021

Consolidation is sweeping the energy sector as the industry pulls out of the oil bust caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Oil and gas companies are joining forces and acquiring assets to better weather such downturns.

Recent mergers and acquisitions deals include Chevrons $13.7 billion acquisition of Houston-based Noble Energy in October, Devon Energys $5.8 billion acquisition of WPX Energy in January and Pioneer Natural Resources $4.5 billion acquisition of Parsley Energy in January. Spring-based Southwestern Energy in November acquired Montage Resources for $193 million.

In 2018, Earthstone acquired nearly 21,000 acres in the Permian Basin for $950 million from Corpus Christi-based Sabalo Holdings.
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British spacecraft could fly to Mars in half the period it takes now. British luxury car and aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce collaborated with the UK Space Agency to create nuclear propulsion engines.

The aerospace corporation hopes that the nuclear-powered engines will help astronauts hit Mars in at least three months and unlock deeper exploration of space in the decades to come.

The relationship between Rolls-Royce and the UK Space Agency would put planetary scientists together to investigate how nuclear technology might be used to "revolutionize space travel."

Dr. Graham Turnock, the UK Space Agency's chief executive, said nuclear power usage in space was a game-changing proposal that might unlock potential deep-space flights to carry humanity to and beyond Mars.

The research would help astronauts grasp the promising potential of atomic-powered spacecraft and if cosmonauts will fly farther and quicker into space than ever before using this new technology.'

How This Innovation Would Help Astronauts In The Future

A nuclear-powered engine might also allow explorers to secure on journeys into deep space.

Astronauts will be subject to a reduced dosage of radiation and travel periods cut in half, which might shield them from radiation sickness and disease.

NASA explained that space radiation would bring astronauts at substantial risk of radiation sickness, tumors, and other disorders at elevated lifetime risk.

Rolls-Royce Defence UK Senior Vice President Dave Gordon said the organization is delighted to be collaborating on this groundbreaking initiative with the UKSA to identify potential space nuclear power technology.

Rolls-Royce claims that there is a legitimate UK niche capability in this region, and this project will draw on the powerful UK nuclear network and supply chain.

As Rolls-Royce strives to build the capacity to defend the earth, safeguard our environment and discover our Cosmos, the organization looks forward to creating this and other groundbreaking space ventures in the future.

Nuclear Powered Spaceship Is Not New

The concept of a spaceship engine fueled by nuclear power is not new.

Back in 1961, NASA initiated a proposal for the production of a nuclear-powered engine, but the program was discontinued in 1972 due to space budget cuts.

More than 45 years later, NASA is now focusing yet again on a Nuclear Thermal Propulsion (NTP) device.

NTP project at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center's manager, Doyce 'Sonny' Mitchell, said they are working on a first-generation NTP device with great development potential.

The timetable for the project by NASA remains uncertain.

In the meantime, Britain's Minister of Technology, Amanda Solloway, suggests that nuclear power could help build employment and offer transformative possibilities for exploring space.

It comes after nuclear spacecraft technology was first studied by US scientists in the 1950s and 1960s. The software, however, which was introduced in Nevada, was canned in 1971.

ALSO READ: SpaceX to Reuse Dragon Spacecraft Fleet After Rocket Booster from NASA Crew-1 'Leaned'

Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.
A college student from Georgia was forbidden from sharing his Christian faith with his peers in their campus. This happened on more than just one occasion and the suppression is now being looked into by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Atlanta News Now reports the first time Chike Uzuegbunam, a junior at the Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), in Lawrence, GA was silenced. Summer of 2016, Uzuegbunam was giving out reading materials about his faith to fellow students when the campus police approached him. Campus police told Uzuegbunam that before he could evangelize, he needed to secure a permission first and that his proselytizing must be in a "free speech zone."

The young man obeyed the directive, but was soon told to stop preaching within school grounds also. According to the school officials, someone approached them and complained about Uzuegbunam's preachings.

Uzuegbunam did not believe their excuse.

"College officials didn't really care about where I was standing, they just didn't like what I was saying. So, they invoked these policies to silence me," he said.

In response to the school's maneuvers to hamper his freedom, Uzuegbunam filed a lawsuit against Georgia Gwinnett College at the US District Court. He said that his constitutional rights had been violated, CBN News reports.

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a non-profit law firm for religious freedom represented Uzuegbunam. The firm argued that colleges must be held accountable by the courts whenever they cross the line of not respecting students' First Amendment rights.

ADF Attorney John Bursch stressed that officials must take responsibility for enforcing policies that curb students' freedom.

"Government officials must be held responsible for enacting and enforcing policies that trample students' constitutionally protected freedoms. If they get off scot-free, they or others can simply do it again," he said.

In their defense, the Georgia College filed a motion for the dismissal of the Uzuegbunam's First Amendment suit. They claim that the Christian student's expulsion was due to his provocative talk about the Gospel which led to "hostility" and "fighting words."

The Court's Verdict

The case was dismissed in 2018 by a federal court judge on the ground that GGC was able to settle the main issue. He also agreed on the College's motion.

They amended their speech policy to be more accommodating for students and outside speakers alike to freely speak on things that matter to them. Thus, the judge granted the College's motion.

Furthermore, a court order against the College would no longer be favorable for Uzuegbunam post his graduation, says U.S. District Judge Eleanor Ross.

"There is no reasonable expectation that he will be subjected to the same alleged injury again, such that the Court could grant him declaratory or injunctive relief," Judge Ross said.

She added that since the lawsuit, GGC had put on the work to revise its free speech policies and had also put employees in training. These, according to Ross, were enough proof that the college will not go back to its old repressive sanctions.

Nonetheless, ADF did not want to give up. On Jan. 12, 2019, they presented their arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court.

ADF General Counsel Kristen Waggoner argued before the Supreme Court that officials violating constitutional rights not only harms the victims, but also undermines the nation's early commitment to protect every citizen's constitutional right.

"Government officials shouldn't get a free pass for violating constitutional rights on campus or anywhere else. When officials engage in misconduct but face no consequences, it leaves victims without recourse, undermines the nation's commitment to protecting constitutional rights, and emboldens the government to engage in future violations."
Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
TRIGGER WARNING: Story contains graphic content

Gabriel Byrne says in his new memoir that he reached out to a priest he claims molested him when he was a child, decades after the initial incident.

The Miller's Crossing star, 70, opened up about the emotional interaction, which he said took place in 2002.

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The End of Days actor said that the priest didn't know who he was, but thanked him for calling.

The latest: Gabriel Byrne, 70, says in his new memoir that he reached out to a priest he claims molested him when he was a child

'I wanted in those last seconds to call him a c*** and say that even though I dont believe in Hell, I hope he does because I want him to be terrified and burn forever,' Byrne said in the book. 'But I said nothing.

He continued: 'Some part of me did not want to hurt an old man with a kindly voice stuck in a retirement home who now had no memory of me or anything hed done.'

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Byrne in the book gave more details about how he's dealt that he was molested at the age of 11, which he said happened in England by a Christian Brothers.

The Usual Suspects actor wrote that 'even years later, it feels like the night has been concreted over. Ive been picking at it with a pin ever since, afraid to use a jackhammer, afraid of whats buried in there.

Dapper: The actor was snapped in NYC in June of 2018

The actor on Tuesday released his new memoir Walking with Ghosts

The accomplished actor, speaking with The New York Times last week, said the priest has been dead for a long time.

'We love to think theres a resolution to these things, that thats how to deal with trauma - I confronted him; I dealt with it; I moved on,' he said. 'But thats not necessarily true. I realized that there doesnt have to be a resolution.'

The Dublin, Ireland born star told RTE television's The Meaning of Life in 2010 that he 'experienced some sexual abuse' as a child in an English seminary, according to The Telegraph.

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'It was a known and admitted fact of life amongst us that there was this particular man, and you didn't want to be left in the dressing room with him,' he said. 'It took many years to come to terms with it and to forgive those incidents that I felt had deeply hurt me.'

He said that he was also molested by a separate priest, and that 'it didn't go on over a prolonged period but it happened at a very, very vulnerable moment.'

He added: 'Again, I didn't think it severely impacted me at the time. But when I think about my later life, and how I had difficulties with certain issues, there is the real possibility they could have been attributable to that.'

Walking with Ghosts is available now.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The United States has endured its worst day of the pandemic, with three Americans dying every minute, as China took decisive steps on Wednesday to stamp out a tiny coronavirus outbreak.

Global infections have soared past 91 million, and the spikes have forced governments around the world to reimpose restrictions such as unpopular and economically painful lockdowns, including in Europe which is battling a devastating second wave.

The United States is the worst-hit nation, logging a record 4,470 deaths in 24 hours on Tuesday, as it reeled from a winter surge in infections that has overwhelmed hospitals and clinics in many areas even as vaccines are rolled out.

"It's most definitely the darkest period of my entire career," said Kari McGuire, a palliative care supervisor at the St Mary hospital in Apple Valley, a small rural town in California.

"I've personally had to watch people that I know, that I care for, watch their loved ones die. It's been very difficult."

Coronavirus patients at the overstretched hospital were crammed into hallways, makeshift ICU beds and even the pediatric ward.

McGuire said there were "astronomical numbers" of COVID-19 deathsthe United States accounts for a fifth of the world's almost two million coronavirus fatalities.

Authorities on Tuesday announced that starting January 26, all travelers entering the United States by air will need a negative COVID-19 test before departure.

Neighboring Canada also scrambled to contain a worrying outbreak, ordering residents in Ontarioits economic engine and most populous provinceto stay home.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned that the healthcare system was "on the brink of collapse."

Fresh China lockdown

The daily US death toll on Tuesday was nearly as high as the official fatality count for the entire pandemic in China, where the coronavirus was first detected in late 2019.

China largely eliminated its outbreak through a number of strict lockdowns and extensive testing and tracing, but recent weeks have seen a smattering of cases. That has forced more than 20 million people under some form of lockdown in the country's northern regions.

The government of northeastern Heilongjiang provincehome to 37.5 million peopledeclared an "emergency state" on Wednesday after 28 cases were found, telling residents not to leave the province unless necessary.

China is rushing to inoculate millions using homegrown vaccines ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush, which authorities fear could boost the risk of transmission.

Japan was set to expand a coronavirus state of emergency on Wednesday beyond greater Tokyo to seven more regions to counter a surge in cases.

While Japan's outbreak remains comparatively small, with around 4,100 deaths overall, medics say hospitals are under heavy strain from the spikes in the worst-affected areas.

Indonesia kicks off vaccinations

Governments worldwide are racing to acquire and deliver vaccines to help end the COVID-19 crisis, though the World Health Organization has warned that coverage is not expected to be wide enough for population-level immunity this year.

One of the Chinese-developed vaccines, CoronaVac, demonstrated a 50 percent efficacy following tests in Brazil, the organization in charge of its production in the South American country said Tuesday.

While that figure is much lower than the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, Indonesiaone of the world's most populous nationshas given it the green light and kicked off a mass inoculation drive with it on Wednesday.

President Joko Widodo became Indonesia's first recipient of that shot on live television.

While criticism and fears over slow vaccine rollouts are growing in North America and Europe, there was some positive news Tuesday when the European Union started the approval process for the Oxford-AstraZeneca shot.

But the government of Ukraine was under pressure for failing to secure any Western-made vaccines, with health officials in Kiev so far rejecting the Russian Sputnik V shot.

President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed for EU help Tuesday, saying it was "extremely important to get the vaccines."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

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As China bids farewell to absolute poverty, many traditional ink paintings focusing on the theme of poverty alleviation have demonstrated the changes in southern Chinese villages.

Shang Xinzhou, a painter from the Guangxi Arts University, has been creating traditional ink paintings depicting poverty-stricken areas for over five years.

"Thanks to my experience in Duomai Village, I can make the paintings more vivid," said the 36-year-old painter, who has spent two and a half years as head of Duomai's poverty alleviation team in Baise City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Shang's paintings changed alongside the progress made in the fight against poverty. The focus of his works shifted from unfavorable local conditions and people's hard time to better infrastructure and happy lives.

In his paintings, rocky paths and shabby houses were replaced by wide concrete roads and buildings made of bricks and steel, and the poultry and silkworm industries are highlighted.

"I like drawing people's real lives and impressive moments, and paintings became a bridge for communication between me and the local people," said Shang.

During his stay, he used his paintings to help villagers sell their products.

"Shang has helped us promote local agricultural products by posting works depicting pigs and chickens on social media to attract buyers," said Zhou Jiahu, a 37-year-old local farmer.

To enrich the local nightlife, he sold paintings to buy street lamps so people could enjoy square dancing in the evenings.

Shang's delicate works enjoyed wide popularity in the village. "I love his paintings and they reflect the earth-shaking changes in our village," said Zhou.

In recent years, more artists have traveled to impoverished mountain villages to record the development of China's rural areas, presenting stories of the country's battle against poverty.

"I've been a witness to the local poverty alleviation efforts. I want to record the changes of this era with my brush and create more works about people," said Shang.

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The daughter of one of the founders of the Islamic Republic of Iran has raised a ruckus in Tehran by saying she would have preferred a second term for U.S. President Donald Trump.

Faezeh Hashemi, the daughter of Irans former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, says she supported the Trump administrations campaign of so-called "maximum pressure" against the clerical establishment in Tehran.

For Iran, I would have liked to see Trump [re]-elected. But if I were an American, I wouldnt vote for Trump, Hashemi recently told the Iranian news site Ensafnews.com.



In 2018, Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. He also reimposed tough sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy and contributed to a crash of the national currency.

The Trump administration said the pressure was aimed at forcing Tehran back to the negotiating table for a deal that better addressed Washingtons concerns.

In response, Tehran has gradually reduced its commitments under the accord and expanded its nuclear-enrichment activities.

In her interview, Hashemi suggested Trumps campaign of pressure could have brought policy changes from Tehran that would have benefited the Iranian people.

Perhaps it would have led to some change -- as no matter what people do to push for reforms, nothing happens. Instead, [they] are repressed, Hashemi, a former lawmaker, said in an apparent reference to deadly crackdowns against recent antiestablishment protests.

Maybe if Trumps pressure would have continued, we would have been forced to have change in some policies. And the change would have definitely benefited the people, she said.

Hashemi described the approach of U.S. Democrats toward Irans Islamic establishment as a bit lax.

She also questioned Irans regional policies and the role played by General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the external Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) who was assassinated by a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

What is the result of [Qasem] Soleimanis performance? What problem did he solve for us? Hashemi asked in the interview.

Her comments brought widespread criticism from those who accused her of supporting the cruelest sanctions that have hurt ordinary Iranians.

Others criticized her expressed support for Trump, the man who ordered the assassination of Soleimani, a military leader portrayed by Iranian state media as a selfless national hero who'd advanced Irans regional interests.

Some Iranians have risen to Hashemis defense, saying she expressed views held by many who are desperate for change and fed up with the clerical establishment.

She honestly reflected the feelings of millions of her compatriots who see no light at the end of their countrys dark political tunnel and were rightly or wrongly hoping that Trumps pressure would create [an opportunity], Tehran University professor Sadegh Zibakalam said on Twitter.

In contrast, her brother Mohsen Hashemi, who heads Tehrans City Council, said she must apologize.

I know that in recent years you, your family, and your child have faced mistreatment that may have led you to extremism and a departure from fathers moderate stance. But this is not a reason to put your hope in the president of a foreign country and claim that youre independent, Mohsen Hashemi wrote in an open letter addressed to his sister.

Trump did nothing but threaten, sanction, break commitments, assassinate, and insult Iran, he said, referring to Trump as a gambler.

But Rafsanjani's outspoken daughter refused to back down.

She responded to her brothers letter by saying he has always been conservative in his stances.

She also accused her brother of being controlling.

Replying publicly in an open letter, she reiterated that she would have preferred Trump to be reelected because of his policies on Iran.

She argued that some individuals and factions in Iran are more dangerous than Trump due to their bullying attitudes and their nonadherence to laws and principles.

She said those individuals and factions have pushed the country to the brink through their inefficiency and mismanagement.

Not only do they not pay attention to public demands, but they go out of their way to silence them, she wrote in her letter.

Hashemi has faced pressure in the past for criticizing the system that her father helped establish.

In 2012, she was jailed for six months after being convicted of anti-regime propaganda.

She was also detained briefly in 2009 following the disputed Iranian presidential election that led to mass street protests and a brutal state crackdown.

In 2016, Hashemi came under fire for meeting the leader of the persecuted Baha'i faith with whom she had shared a cell in Tehran's Evin prison.

In 2018, she said "intimidation" and "fear" were the main things propping up Irans Islamic establishment.
By Moira Warburton (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies had a plane waiting to take Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou back to China from Vancouver as a key verdict in her extradition case was to be handed down last May, prosecutors said in a Canadian court on Tuesday. Meng, 48, has been fighting extradition from Canada to the United States since her arrest at Vancouver International Airport over two years ago. She has been charged with bank fraud for allegedly misleading HSBC on Huawei's business dealings in Iran, causing the bank to break U.S. sanctions. In May, a Canadian ...
A mother's tearful confession that she can't afford her son's insulin despite working full-time has left commenters deriding the American healthcare system.

Katie Schieffer's ten-year-old son was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and requires insulin every two hours  but the North Carolina mother was left in tears when she couldn't afford his $1,000 prescription.

'Gutted' and 'fighting mad' over the video, commenters on social media are complaining that this shouldn't be a reality for any parent  and isn't one in most developed countries.

Tragic: A mother's tearful confession that she can't afford her son's insulin despite working full-time has left commenters deriding the American healthcare system

Pricey: Katie Schieffer's ten-year-old son was recently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and requires insulin every two hours  but Katie couldn't afford his $1,000 prescription

She said: 'I work a full-time job. My husband works a full-time job. I work third shift. I go to school during the day. How you guys making it? Am I the only one struggling?'

Schieffer filmed herself after leaving a pharmacy empty-handed just days before Christmas.

'I've worked for, like, 17 years. I work all the time. I've been paying medical bills on my son for nine years, since he was born,' she said while crying, her face red and her eyes wet with tears.

'And he was just diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and has to have insulin every two hours.

'I just got his prescription. It was $1,000. I couldn't pay for it. I couldn't pay for it. I now have to go in and tell my nine-year-old son I couldn't pay for it,' she went on.

'I work a full-time job. My husband works a full-time job. I work third shift. I go to school during the day. How you guys making it? Am I the only one struggling?'

Viral : Her video has earned over half a million views on TikTok, 1.6 million on Twitter and tens of thousands more on Reddit

Countless people have offered Schieffer help, donating to her Venmo and Paypal to buy insulin for her son

Her video has earned over half a million views on TikTok, 1.6 million on Twitter and tens of thousands more on Reddit.

Many people have shared their heartbreak for Schieffer, but most are furious that the US healthcare system leaves so many people in this position.

'The state of healthcare in the US is simply sad. Pharma companies continually tweak their insulin formulas for it to remain patented without actually adding any benefit to it,' wrote one Redditor.

'It's sad that in the so called richest country in the world people are still struggling to get insulin. It's free in Brazil. IN BRAZIL,' said another.

'Insulin is so cheap to make; this is absolutely disgusting,' wrote one more.

On Twitter, commenters from around the world slammed the US for treating citizens inhumanely by not treating healthcare as a right.

Speaking out: Many people have shared their heartbreak for Schieffer, but most are furious that the US healthcare system leaves so many people in this position

'Uh, that guts me. I remember that first pharmacy pickup. First time I cried too, and I *could* buy it, though I wondered how we would keep it up. I hope she got some good suggestions and help,' wrote one.

'Americas healthcare system is so f**ed,' wrote another. 'Yeah the quality might be there, but what is the point if you can't afford it and die anyway?'

'As a German this just looks like some third world country, if I didn't know any better.. absolutely sad and almost terrifying,' wrote another.

And another: 'Here in NZ, I pay $5 per script item. On a low income. I can see a psychiatrist no charge. I don't know how people survive in the US.'

'This is a problem that only exists in America, we can afford to fix this issue yet we choose not to,' wrote one more.

'This is a problem that only exists in America, we can afford to fix this issue yet we choose not to,' wrote one

'I'm not even American and the absolute INSANITY that is the medical industry in the USA makes my blood boil...' yet another commented.

Since the video has gone viral, countless people have offered Schieffer help, and she has shared her Venmo and Paypal user names for those who want to send financial assistance.

Donations appear to have poured in, as she has posted follow-up videos thanking people for their support.

She also shared an update of her smiling son, whose birthday was December 27, as he proudly discussed how well he was doing with treatment.

Josh Wilkerson (right) died after trying to take a cheaper, slower-acting insulin that he rationed in order to save money on his diabetes medication, leaving behind his fiance, Rose Walters (left), who also suffers from type 1 diabetes

For five days, Josh was in a diabetic coma in the hospital near his home in Leesburg, Virginia, for five days in June before his family took him off life support. He was just 27

In June of 2019, Josh Wilkerson died in the midst of a diabetic coma at the age of 27 after the cheaper insulin he switched to months earlier failed him.

Wilkerson had enjoyed sufficient insurance to get high quality insulin until his 26th birthday, when his age got him kicked off his stepfather's plan.

Like many Americans, Wilkerson simply couldn't afford to pay between $140 and $1,000 for insulin, the price of which has tripled since 2001.

He had recently gotten engaged to Rose Walters  who also suffers from type 1 diabetes  and the two started taking $25 over-the-counter insulin to save money.

But the older form of insulin didn't keep Josh's blood sugar under control. It spiked fatally, and he never woke up from the diabetic coma and multiple strokes.

Jesse James Lutgen, 32, (left) of East Dubuque, Illinois, passed away in 2018 . His mother, Janelle Lutgen, learned after her son had been skipping his necessary treatments for Type 1 Diabetes

In February of 2018, Jesse James Lutgen, 32, of East Dubuque, Illinois, died from from Type 1 Diabetes complications because he had been skipping his necessary treatments.

His mother, Janelle Lutgen, said she found out from another individual close to Jesse that he lost his job and insurance, and as a result, couldn't afford the supplies he needed.

'I had heard through the grapevine that he wasnt able to afford his supplies because he had lost his job and didnt have any insurance,' the mother told KWWL.

She was horrified when she visited Jesse's home earlier this year and found no Humalog or test strips in sight.

'I went into his home, and I found no Humalog or test strips which is what hes supposed to take each time with his meals.'
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

The next decade could prove to be a crucial turning point in New Mexicos economic future, with public universities and national laboratories taking the lead, according to speakers at the University of New Mexicos third business and economic summit.

The virtual summit Tuesday, which centered on a recent economic report produced by the New Mexico Chamber of Commerce, gathered leaders in business, education and technology to explore ways the state can navigate a post-pandemic economy while also spurring new economic development.

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The report, titled Driving New Mexicos Future, identified current economic challenges and provided specific solutions to address the challenges.

One of the keys to success, according to speakers and the report, is ensuring the talent necessary for jobs in important sectors such as technology.

The No. 1 barrier that I see thats limiting our growth is the quality and quantity of STEM talent in New Mexico, said Col. Eric Felt, director of the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate. Right now I have 50 vacancies that I cannot find the right people to fill.

Felt said there is a lot of opportunity for growth in the space economy within New Mexico, but attracting talent to the state is a barrier.

We dont have enough STEM workers in the state, he said. We need to make New Mexico a more attractive place for out-of-state STEM employees to relocate.

But elsewhere, the need for STEM employees increasingly is being filled from within the state, thanks to new educational partnerships. Los Alamos National Laboratory Director Thom Mason said that although 40% of current staff members were recruited from out of state, 75% of last years hires came from New Mexico.

Part of the reason for that is because weve been able to work with the educational institutions to kind of set up pipelines that meet those needs, Mason said. And were going to need to do more of it.

Mason said many LANL employees got their start as interns during their time as graduate or undergraduate students.

If I go into a room at the lab and say, How many people here began as a student, as an intern, or as a graduate student? a majority of hands will go up, he said. Doesnt matter what room it is, what group Im talking to.

Public universities could play a role in crafting programs to provide the much-needed workers in New Mexicos technology economy, higher education leaders said at the event.

The question is, whats the role of public universities in statewide economic development? Arizona State University President Michael Crow said during the keynote address. And the answer  is the role is central, its essential. Its, in fact, so important that we need to figure out how to do it.

Crow said the increasing globalization of the economy should prompt public universities to look for ways to help their state become more economically competitive at national and international levels.

The economic competitiveness changes that are occurring around the world right now, and the rise of scientific prowess and knowledge-driven enterprises are moving faster than American universities, he said.

But public universities can combat this through steps such as taking entrepreneurial and forward-looking approaches in creating unique degree programs, Crow said.
Steven D'Antuono, head of the FBI Washington field office, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington on Jan. 12, 2021. (Sarah Silbiger/Bloomberg/Pool)

FBI Received Intelligence About Potential for Violence Before US Capitol Breach

The FBI received intelligence about the potential for violence and shared it with law enforcement agencies ahead of the breach at the U.S. Capitol, a top official from the bureau said on Tuesday.

Steven DAntuono, head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington field office, told reporters that the agency had received a lot of intelligence leading up to the Jan. 6 protest and had shared the information with law enforcement partners through its shared systems.

We immediately shared that information and action was taken as demonstrated by the arrest of Enrique Tarrio by the Metropolitan Police Department the night before the rally, DAntuono said, referring to the arrest of the head of the Proud Boys.

Other individuals were identified in other parts of the country and their travel subsequently disrupted.

DAntuono said among the information the bureau receives, it has to determine the credibility and viability of the content.

We have to separate the aspirational from the intentional and determine which of the individuals saying despicable things on the internet, just practicing keyboard bravado, or they actually have the intent to do harm in the ladder, he said.

The FBI has been scouring through over 100,000 pieces of digital media and other intelligence leads following the Jan. 6 riots as federal authorities seek out individuals who illegally stormed the Capitol as lawmakers were counting electoral votes.

He said that agents and law enforcement partners across the country are working together to arrest anyone who was involved in criminal activity on Jan. 6 and urged individuals to come forward about their participation.

Even if youve left, D.C. agents from our local field offices will be knocking on your door if we find out that you are part of the criminal activity at the Capitol. But before we do this, this is your opportunity to come forward, he said.

The Justice Department (DOJ) said that it has so far opened 170 cases related to the events on Jan. 6, warning that the number of cases would geometrically increase.

Protesters storm the Capitol Building in Washington on Jan. 6, 2020. (Ahmed Gaber/Reuters)

Michael Sherwin, the acting U.S. attorney for Washington, said as of Tuesday, over 70 individuals have been charged in connection with the rioting and warned that many more cases will follow.

He said individuals are being charged with various offenses ranging from simple trespass, theft of mail, theft of digital devices, assault on local and federal officers to more serious offenses such as theft of potential national security information or national defense information and felony murder.

The gamut of cases and criminal conduct were looking at is really mind-blowing, he said. And that has really put an enormous amount of work on the plate of the FBI and field offices throughout the entire United States.

He added that federal prosecutors will be working to build seditious and conspiracy charges against some rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol last week.

Yesterday, our office organized a strike force of very senior national security prosecutors and public corruption prosecutors. Their only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol, Sherwin said in a press conference. And these are significant charges that have felonies with a prison term of up to 20 years.

In addressing public misconceptions, Sherwin said that in order to press charges against certain individuals as quickly as possible, a large proportion of cases were opened on initial misdemeanor charges such as trespass. But he said that prosecutors have the ability to then indict these individuals on more serious offenses after their arrest.

After these criminal charges are filed via criminal complaints, that allows law enforcement across the United States to arrest people from Dallas to Arkansas, to Nashville, to Cleveland to Jacksonville. Thats whats happened over the past several days, Sherwin said. After those charges are filed, then we have the ability to then indict these individuals on more significant charges. And thats exactly what has happened.

A group of rioters and some protesters waving American and Trump flags illegally stormed the Capitol building. The mayhem on the grounds left at least five people deadthree due to medical reasonsand dozens of police officers injured.

Other acts of violence were also perpetrated in the vicinity of the Capitol, including leaving several pipe bombs at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee. Molotov cocktails were also found in a vehicle on the Capitol grounds, local police confirmed.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condoled the death of Swami Harshananda, head of the Ramakrishna Math in Bengaluru.

PM Modi said that his compassionate nature and insightful knowledge on a wide range of issues will never be forgotten.

"Swami Harshanandaji Maharaj of the Ramakrishna Math at Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, worked tirelessly for the betterment of society. His compassionate nature and insightful knowledge on a wide range of issues will never be forgotten. Condolences to his devotees. Om Shanti," Modi said in a tweet.

Swami Harshanandaji Maharaj of the Ramakrishna Math at Basavanagudi, Bengaluru, worked tirelessly for the betterment of society. His compassionate nature and insightful knowledge on a wide range of issues will never be forgotten. Condolences to his devotees. Om Shanti.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 12, 2021

Meanwhile, the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan offered his deepest condolences to his followers on microblogging site.

Anguished by the sad demise of Swami Harshanandaji Maharaj of the Ramakrishna Math at Basavanagudi, Bengaluru.

The revered spiritual leader leaves behind a rich & inspiring legacy of serving the poor & destitute.

My deepest condolences to his followers.  Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 12, 2021

The 91-year-old seer died of a cardiac arrest. The seer had been suffering from age related issues and was on a wheelchair for the past few months, the ashram authorities said.

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Johnson & Johnson is in the final stages of analyzing clinical trial data of its coronavirus vaccine, but may not be able to deliver as many doses as promised.

The New Brunswick, New Jersey-based firm is expected to release results from its study of 40,000 volunteers in as little as two weeks.

Health experts have been excited for J&J's vaccine because it only requires one dose as opposed to Pfizer's and Moderna's which are given in two doses four weeks apart.

Additionally, the vaccine has to be kept in a refrigerator as opposed to others that need to be stored in ultra-cold temperatures

But the company is facing unexpected delays in the manufacturing of its jab and may not be able to supply as many doses it promised the U.S. government by spring, reported The New York Times.

Federal officials have been told that J&J has fallen behind its original production schedule and will not catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to deliver more than 60 million doses.

Johnson & Johnson signed a contract with the U.S. government to deliver 12 million doses by February and 60 million by April, but is two months behind schedule

The U.S. is already short, securing only enough to immunize 200 million adults - 60 million short of those eligible - by June - and has given just 9.3 million people their first shot so far

Earlier this week, J&J's chief executive officer Alex Gorsky said the company was on track to have close to a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses by 2021-end.

In August, J&J signed a $1 billion contract with the U.S. government to supply up to 100 million doses by mid-2021.

Dr Carlo de Notaristefani, lead manufacturing adviser for Operation Warp Speed, acknowledged the delay to The Times.

However, had added that the company might be able to catch up with initial production goals of 12 million doses by March.

'I agree there was a problem,' de Notaristefani told the newspaper.

'Manufacturing of pharmaceuticals is not a black box where you turn the key and start counting.'

In a statement, J&J said it believed it would be able to deliver as many doses as promised.

'We remain in active discussions with regulators, including on the approval and validation of our manufacturing processes,' the statement read.

'We have begun our production of our vaccine candidate and are confident in our ability to meet our 2021 supply commitments signed with governments.'

However, any delay could have disastrous consequences for the U.S., which has been slow in rolling out the vaccine.

As of Wednesday, just 9.3 million people have been given their first dose, well short of the Trump administration's goal of 20 million by the end of December 2020.

What's more, the government has only secure enough doses to vaccinate 200 million adults - 60 million short of those eligible - by June, The Times reports.

On Tuesday, the White House announced it would no longer be holding back 50 percent of the vaccine supply and would release it al in order to vaccine

It also comes on the heels of a highly contagious new strain from the UK sweeping the country, infecting at least 82 people in 10 states.

What's more, a potentially new infectious strain has been identified in Ohio - one that mutated in the U.S.

The firm's vaccine combines genetic material from the new virus with the genes of the adenovirus - which causes the common cold - to induce an immune response.

It is the same technology the company used to make an experimental Ebola vaccine for people in the Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2019.

Currently, J&J is in the final stage of its clinical trial to determine if its experimental single-dose COVID-19 vaccine can protect against the virus.

The Phase III study is one of the world's largest coronavirus vaccine studies so far, testing the shot in up to 40,000 volunteers at more than 200 sites in the US, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.
Last weeks riot at the U.S. Capitol has sparked renewed soul-searching in regard to law enforcement standards for the use of force. On Monday, the chairman of the committee that has oversight over the U.S. Capitol Police, Rep. Tim Ryan, said that multiple law enforcement members have been suspended for appearing to take selfies with and offer guidance to the rioters. I want to understand better the rules of engagement, why some people quite frankly didnt get shot while they were coming into the Capitol, Ryan told MSNBCs Andrea Mitchell. That was my initial instinct: Why arent guns drawn and all of that? Ryans comments echoed those last week of the incoming commander in chief, Joe Biden. On Thursday, Biden noted that no one can tell me that had it been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, they wouldnt have been treated very, very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol. What should the rules of engagement look like for law enforcement dealing with unarmed civilians resisting arrest, peaceful protesters, armed civilians carrying assault rifles in the middle of a riot, or a violent insurrectionist mob storming the Capitol? The U.S. military and its rules of engagement offer some important answers that warrant further consideration from the nation.

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The United States sends its uniformed service members, the vast majority being teenagers or early twentysomethings, into urban conflict zones, and gives them responsibility over some of the worlds deadliest weapon systems to eliminate threats and restore order. Regardless of where these young people are operating, they are obligated to follow fundamental tenets which form a baseline standard of care for the use of force. Codified via the Law of Armed Conflict, each one of these fundamentals is rooted in a principle for the use of force: (1) necessity to use force, (2) proportional use of force, (3) humane treatment of those whom force is used upon, (4) positive identification prior to the use of force, and (5) honor/accountability when force is used. However, unlike the military, U.S. law enforcement agencies are not bound by a universal standard of care for the use of force across all domestic jurisdictions. Rules regarding the use of force, accountability, and transparency of officer misconduct vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

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As an institution, the U.S. military has extensive experience operating in urban environments around the world; the lessons learned are expansive. As a new administration takes office, the president and a new Congress should consider the military framework the most reasonable and palatable path toward a national standard for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. To be clear, this is not an argument for the militarization of police. If some military principles were adopted and applied domestically, however, they may have prevented the killings of Black civilians, such as Breonna Taylor (positive identification and distinction), George Floyd (proportional use of force), Freddie Gray (humane treatment of those whom force is used upon), and Michael Brown (necessity to use force).

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By tailoring five principles from the military frameworka framework that has been scrutinized, tested, and provena national standard could be developed to meet the countrys domestic needs.

Use of Force Principle 1: Necessity

The principle of necessity justifies the use of force to secure submission or to achieve a specific objective. Based on the circumstances, the question must be asked: Is this a legitimate threat? If answered in the affirmative, the use of force to subdue, control, or engage can be justified. Once it has been established that force is justified, follow-on actions must be taken in adherence to the remaining principles. Applied domestically, the death of Jonathan Price, who was tased and then shot four times without evidence or suspicion that he was guilty of a crime, could have been prevented.

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Use of Force Principle 2: Proportionality

The judicious use of force not only prevents unnecessary harm to the citizen being detained, but instills confidence in the public at large that every encounter with law enforcement will not end in death or gratuitous violence. The nature, duration, and scope of force employed must not exceed that which is required to decisively counter the threat. As the military services have learned in the Middle East and throughout the continents of South America and Africa, the key to establishing peace and friendly relations in an urban civilian environment is not through superior use of force but through restraint. A recent example of the utility of this principle would be the case of Jacob Blake. For Blake, force may have been justified, but the nature, duration, and scope of the force employed was arguably in excess of what was reasonably necessary to counter the perceived threat.

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Use of Force Principle 3: Humanity

As young privates in the military are taught, once an individual is in your custody and they are restrained/detained, you assume responsibility for their welfare. If they are injured, in need of water, food, shelter, or other necessitiesyou are responsible for them as they are your detainee. Conversely, if someone else presents a threat to your detainee, you are obligated to intervene on their behalf and prevent further harm. Domestically applied, this principle could have prevented the deaths of Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, and Jamel Floyd. If the Marine Corps and Armys experience in Afghanistan has proven anything, it is that when the perception among the local populace becomes regardless of compliance, harm will follow, the incentive to be compliant evaporates and the potential for future threats increases.

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Use of Force Principle 4: Distinction

The concept of distinction requires differentiation between individuals who are a threat and those that are notpositive identification. PID is a tactical technique that all combat arms personnel are indoctrinated with from the very moment they are given access to any weapon. PID is a reasonable certainty that the person who is about to be engaged is in fact the person who is the threat/objective. As many young enlisted Marines and soldiers will attest, although hard, establishing PID prior to pulling the trigger is possible in both deliberate and dynamic situations. Indeed, based on combat performance during the last 20 years, it has been well established that this level of restraint and professionalism is achievable abroad; it should be the standard domestically as well.

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Use of Force Principle 5: Accountability

As the U.S. military has learned, the only way to achieve, maintain, and/or restore public faith is to scrutinize and actively inspect yourself. When misconduct goes unchecked, all who are silent are complicit in the crime and, subsequently, are guilty for failing to uphold the standard of care expected of them.

As military service chiefs are summoned before Congress and admonished for their perceived inaction or shortcomings, police chiefs, commissioners, and sheriffs should equally be held accountable by their local governing bodies. Excessive numbers of complaints, allegations, and inconclusive investigations should be scrutinized internally and, when appropriate, investigated by an outside body. Accountability should not only be expected but demanded at all levels of authority.

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Finally, law enforcement officers will always have the right to self-defense. Nothing discussed above should be interpreted as suggesting that a law enforcement officer in the United States does not have the right to self-defense. That right, however, must be exercised with the five preceding principles in mind, and subsequently scrutinized within the parameters of this framework.

Understanding that every jurisdiction will have unique challenges, a national standard such as that which exists for the American military should still be achievable. If the United States would hold its experienced, mature, often college-educated law enforcement officers to the same standard to which it holds its teenage military service members, many of the perceived and actual abuses of force would not exist and persist as they do today.

The opinions expressed herein are not endorsed nor do they represent those of the Department of Defense or any other federal agency. They are solely and completely the opinions of the author.
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that former Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and other officials from his administration will face charges for their actions in the Flint water crisis.

Since 2014, residents of Flint, a predominantly Black city, have been using water that at one point was contaminated enough to meet the Environmental Protection Agencys definition of toxic waste. That year, officials within Snyders administration made the decision to switch the citys water supply from Detroit municipal water to the Flint River in order to save money. The water from the river was not properly treated and old lead pipes began to leach. And residents, who had begun to complain that something wasnt right with the water, were told by officials that it was fine.

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This corner-cutting decision compounded decades of environmental racism experienced by the citys residents, further exposed them to toxins, and left a number of residents to deal with horrific repercussions.

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More pregnant folks began to suffer from miscarriages. Almost 30,000 children were exposed to contaminated water, and the percentage of students who qualify for special education classes had almost doubled by November 2019. Inadequate chlorine levels in Flints water fueled an outbreak of Legionnaires disease. In 2016, residents who testified in front of Congress attributed hair loss and kidney failure to lead exposure in interviews with HuffPost. (A 2019 study says lead exposure in adults can cause rashes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and kidney disease.)

As the human cost went up, Snyder took his time declaring a state of emergency. An April investigation by Vice found that Snyder had known the potential risks of switching Flints water supply a year before the change. And once ill residents began to question the water quality, Snyders top adviser tried to buy them off.

Relevant defense attorneys have been told of the impending charges and informed that their clients, which include Snyders former health director, will appear in court soon. Its unclear what the exact charges will be.

Hundreds of National Guard troops inside the Capitol Visitor's Center to reinforce security at the Capitol in Washington on Jan. 13, 2021. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)

National Guard Arms Personnel Guarding Capitol

The National Guard troops guarding the U.S. Capitol are authorized to carry firearms, the Army announced Jan. 13.

The personnel were armed on the night of Jan. 12 in response to a request from federal authorities, the D.C. National Guard said in a statement. The arming was greenlit by Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy.

National Guard members are postured to meet the requirements of the supported civil authorities, up to and including protective equipment and being armed if necessary, the statement said. The publics safety is our top priority.

Photographs showed hundreds of guardsmen in the Capitol as House members debated impeaching President Donald Trump again. D.C. Guardsmen were activated before Jan. 6 per a request from Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser but werent armed. Numerous others, including personnel from Maryland and Virginia, poured into the city after the Capitol was breached.

Five people died from the events on Capitol grounds, including a protester who was shot dead by a U.S. Capitol Police officer. That officer has been placed on leave pending an investigation. Another officer died from injuries suffered while responding to the breach.

Bowser, a Democrat, asked for and received an emergency declaration for the District of Columbia. Trump ordered federal assistance to supplement the citys response efforts to the emergency conditions resulting from the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

Weapons are distributed to members of the National Guard outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 13, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

Members of the National Guard walk through the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 13, 2021. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Up to 15,000 National Guard troops are authorized to deploy to Washington ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration, Gen. Daniel Hokanson said on Jan. 11.

To date, our troops have been requested to support security, logistics, liaison, and communication missions, he said.

Authorities told reporters on Jan. 12 that more than 160 case files have been opened in regards to the breach.

This is a 24/7, full-bore, extensive operation into what happened that day, said Steven DAntuono, an FBI official, noting that agents have received more than 100,000 pieces of digital media from the public.

Bowser told the public during a separate event that they shouldnt travel to Washington for Bidens inauguration.

Our goals right now are to encourage Americans to participate virtually and to protect the District of Columbia from a repeat of the violent insurrection experienced at the Capitol and its grounds on January the 6th, she said.
A rare Workers' Party Congress ended this week. The North Korean leader calls for a do-or-die struggle struggle to save the countrys economy. COVID-19, typhoons and sanctions have made life increasingly difficult. South Korean officials believe that Pyongyang is waiting for the Biden administration to take over.

Seoul (AsiaNews)  North Korea wants to boost its nuclear arsenal, Kim Jong-un said on the last day of the eighth congress of the Workers' Party of Korea, which came to power after World War Two, state news agency KCNA reported today. The eight-day event ended yesterday.

In addition to increasing the countrys military capabilities, Kim called for a do-or-die struggle to fulfill the new five-year development plan.

At the start of the congress, the first in five years, he had admitted that the last plan proved a failure.

In his address, Pyongyangs strongman announced a new strategy to lead the country out of its crisis, by innovating in sectors like construction, transport and communications, and promoting a new approach in foreign political and economic relations.

North Korea is isolated from the international community (except for China and to a lesser extent Russia), and has been under international sanctions for years over its nuclear and missile programmes.

Despite three summit meetings and apparent cordial relations with Donald Trump, nuclear talks with Washington have been stalled for some time. This has left North Korea in a very difficult situation.

The coronavirus pandemic and a series of summer typhoons have weakened an economy already ravaged by sanctions.

According to a senior official with South Koreas Unification Ministry quoted by Yonhap, Kim's words are less bellicose than usual and leave many possibilities open for dialogue.

South Korea is convinced that before taking any action, North Korea wants to evaluate the first moves of the new US President Joe Biden.

In fact, South Koreans believe that since last June Kim has kept a low profile, avoiding problems with the United States and along the militarised border.
[January 13, 2021] pMD? Honored As One Of The Best Places To Work In 2021 By Glassdoor

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- pMD , the innovation leader in health care technology, has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees Choice Award in the U.S. small and medium company category, recognizing the Best Places to Work in the United States in 2021. The Employees Choice Award, now in its 13th year, is based solely on the input of employees, who elect to provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer on Glassdoor , the worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies.

Our mission at pMD is to improve patient outcomes, and that process begins with supporting our dedicated and passionate employees, said Philippe d'Offay, founder and CEO of pMD. Weve learned over the last two decades that when employees feel cared for, this sentiment reflects back into their work and, in turn, positively impacts the health care community. In order to ensure our employees reach their personal and professional goals, we have placed an emphasis on providing a collaborative work environment with a dynamic mentorship program and easy access to leadership. The health care industry is undergoing rapid change at the moment with the demand for telehealth playing a key role in reshaping how care is delivered. pMD was founded with the mission to reduce medical errors and save patient lives; and in the midst of a global health crisis, the company finds itself able to do just that by offering a combination of software and services that makes it easy for teams to provide the best possible care, whether in-person or virtual. COVID-19 is in the drivers seat and every employer has been impacted. This years winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, theyll rise to the challenge to support their people, said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritized the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this years outstanding Employees Choice Award winners. Glassdoors Best Places to Work were determined using company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees. To be considered for the U.S. small and medium company category, a company must have had fewer than ,000 employees and have received at least 30 ratings across each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) during the period of eligibility. Current and former employees voluntarily and anonymously share insights and opinions about their work environments by sharing a company review, designed to capture a genuine and authentic inside look at what a specific job may be like at a particular company. In addition, employees are asked to describe the best reasons to work at their companies as well as any downsides.



For the complete list of the Glassdoor Best Places to Work winners in 2021, please visit: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Best-Small-and-Medium-Companies-to-Work-For-LST_KQ0,43.htm The final list is compiled using Glassdoors proprietary algorithm, led by its Economic Research Team , and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews. Complete awards methodology can be found here: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/index.htm

pMD is always on the lookout for smart, talented, and driven people to join our amazing team. For more information about open positions, visit: https://www.pmd.com/careers About Glassdoor

Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people everywhere to find a job and company they love. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than 1.3 million companies located in more than 190 countries. For more information, visit glassdoor.com.



Copyright  2008-2020, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc. About pMD

pMD was founded more than 20 years ago with the mission to reduce medical errors and save patient lives, and have developed a set of products and services to support this mission. pMDs HIPAA-compliant software arms health care professionals with powerful, intuitive mobile tools that improve patient care. With pMD's secure communication, telehealth, and data capture platforms, health care teams finally have an elegant and simple technology to maximize efficiency and collaboration, capturing everything right at the point of care. pMD interfaces with all major electronic medical records, hospital systems, and medical billing systems, enabling the efficient sharing of data and cutting down on medical errors. pMD is committed to developing the best solution and providing superior customer service. For more information, contact pMD or visit www.pmd.com . Media Contacts pMD:

Ari Brosowsky

PR Manager

ari@pmd.com Glassdoor:

pr@glassdoor.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/72677b5a-9525-47f8-b968-45b091191acb



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PARADISE, Calif. - "I'm ready, exclaimed Nicki Jones.

Jones has been living in paradise for over 20 years.

After the Camp Fire, she opened a new business called Nic's.

She says a sewer system would help businesses grow on the ridge.

"In the first place, it would basically improve the town because it is something we have needed for a long time, she said. As far as restaurants especially, most of us are limited in our capacity. So, if we get a sewer, or should I say when we get a sewer, then I can expand the capacity and actually make this a full-fledged restaurant."

This new sewage system will greatly improve the ability of restaurants like Nics to operate at larger capacity.

Action News Now spoke with Mayor Steve Crowder about tonight's meeting.

He said that they plan to go over costs and what they need to look at for grant funding to get the project completed.

Crowder said that Paradise is the largest town west of the Mississippi to still operate on a septic system.

"Our businesses were limited because of the septic system, Crowder mentioned. This is going to basically going to open it up to people who want to open businesses and maybe people that want to sell their business property that before couldn't because there weren't a lot of uses for it. Now, there is not going to be restrictions on what kind of business can go in. So, it's just going to open up a lot of new doors for everybody."

Both Jones and Mayor Steve Crowder agree that this sewage system will make the town more viable by attracting more businesses to open.

"The town of Paradise is so resilient, Jones beamed. It's a community. The people and the support even of our little restaurant has been amazing and I'm grateful. I'm looking forward to being here for a while.

Crowder reflected, "After all we've been through, we are entitled to a better Paradise and this definitely will be a betterment to Paradise. This community has worked really hard to get here and we owe it to each and every one of them to give them the best that they can have because they deserve it."

Crowder mentioned that with the $300,000 grant from the water board, they will be able to work with Chico to complete their portion of the project.


Software company Salesforce has been voted the best place to work in the UK by employees.

Jobs website Glassdoor analysed thousands of anonymous reviews from employees to determine the top 50 list, which also features big name British companies like Waitrose & Partners, Majestic Wine and Greggs.

Employees rate their company on a number of factors, including work-life balance, company culture, benefits and the CEO, awarding each a rating from 1 (very dissatisfied) to 5 (very satisfied).

Revealed: 50 best places to work in the UK according to employees 1. Salesforce Company Rating: 4.5 2. Microsoft Company Rating: 4.4 3. Abcam Company Rating: 4.4 4. Google Company Rating: 4.4 5. Softcat Company Rating: 4.4 6. GTB Company Rating: 4.4 7. Apple Company Rating: 4.3 8. Bella Italia Company Rating: 4.3 9. SAP Company Rating: 4.3 10. Facebook Company Rating: 4.3 11. Sky Betting & Gaming Company Rating: 4.3 12. Nando's UK & IRE Company Rating: 4.3 13. AstraZeneca Company Rating: 4.3 14. J.P. Morgan Company Rating: 4.3 15. American Express Company Rating: 4.3 16. Sage Company Rating: 4.3 17. Johnson & Johnson Company Rating: 4.3 18. Mace Company Rating: 4.3 19. Majestic Wine Company Rating: 4.3 20. Just Eat Company Rating: 4.3 21. Shell Energy Retail Company Rating: 4.3 22. Siemens Company Rating: 4.3 23. The Body Shop Company Rating: 4.3 24. AXA UK Company Rating: 4.3 25. Goldman Sachs Company Rating: 4.3 26. Cromwell Tools Company Rating: 4.2 27. IFS Company Rating: 4.2 28. Dell Technologies Company Rating: 4.2 29. Network Rail Company Rating: 4.2 30. Anglian Water Company Rating: 4.2 31. Mondelez International Company Rating: 4.2 32. Deloitte Company Rating: 4.2 33. Capgemini Invent Company Rating: 4.2 34. Taylor Wimpey Company Rating: 4.2 35. CarShop Company Rating: 4.2 36. BAT Company Rating: 4.2 37. Morgan Stanley Company Rating: 4.2 38. Bank of America Company Rating: 4.2 39. BlackRock Company Rating: 4.2 40. Royal London Company Rating: 4. 41. Arm Company Rating: 4.2 42. Waitrose & Partners Company Rating: 4.2 43. wagamama Company Rating: 4.2 44. Cisco Systems Company Rating: 4.2 45. Jacobs Company Rating: 4.2 46. GlaxoSmithKline Company Rating: 4.2 47. Awin Company Rating: 4.2 48. Walt Disney Company Company Rating: 4.2 49. Greggs Company Rating: 4.2 50. Shell Company Rating: 4.2 Source: The Glassdoor Employees Choice Awards for the Best Places to Work in 2021 Advertisement

Employees are also asked to share their opinions on some of the best reasons to work for their employer (pros), any downsides (cons) and are encouraged to provide advice to management.

Winners of the Glassdoor Employees Choice Awards for the Best Places to Work in 2021 were ranked based on their overall rating achieved during the past year.

The top 10 is dominated by tech companies, with Microsoft, Google, Apple and Facebook all making an appearance.

However, Netflix and Amazon, which both have employees based in the UK, failed to make even the top 50.

Top rated company Salesforce was applauded by employees for being 'serious about diversity and inclusion' as well as having 'great benefits and perks' and a 'strong CEO' in Marc Benioff

There are a total of 13 technology companies in the top 50, making it the best represented industry. It is followed by finance, which accounts for six.

Newcomers to the top 50 include Just Eat, Majestic Wine, Network Rail and Greggs.

Companies that made the top 50 last year that have dropped out include Hiscox, Topps Tiles, easyJet, Nike, O2, Rolls Royce and Unilever.

Top rated company Salesforce was applauded by employees for being 'serious about diversity and inclusion' as well as having 'great benefits and perks' and a 'strong CEO' in internet billionaire Marc Benioff.

Microsoft, which was voted the second best place to work, was recognised for its 'flexibility and work life balance', 'salary' and 'innovation and cutting edge technology'

Meanwhile Microsoft was recognised for its 'flexibility and work life balance', 'salary' and 'innovation and cutting edge technology'.

Commenting on the list, Christian Sutherland-Wing, CEO of Glassdoor, said: ' COVID-19 is in the drivers seat and every employer has been impacted. This years winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, theyll rise to the challenge to support their people.

'A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners.

'This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritised the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this years outstanding Employees Choice Award winners.'
A 41-year-old Waterloo man has been accused of forging references on his pistol permit, according to the Seneca County Sheriffs Office.

Steven S. Marquart, 41, of 1074 Donnelly Road in Waterloo, was charged with two counts of second-degree forgery, two counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing and making a punishable false written statement, deputies said.

Marquart forged the signatures of his references on his New York State pistol permit, according to deputies.

He was given an appearance ticket in the Town of Romulus.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Chris Libonati via the Signal app for encrypted messaging at 585-290-0718, by phone at the same number, by email or on Twitter.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Parents mourning the loss of their slain teenage son are fuming after Australia Post lost his ashes.

Belinda Beasley, from the Gold Coast, sent a few grams of her son Jack's ashes to a memorial business in Healesville, 50kms north east of Melbourne, in August.

Jack, 17, died after he was allegedly stabbed in the heart by a gang of youths while walking through Surfers Paradise with friends in December 2019.

Weeks passed and Ms Beasley learned the parcel never arrived in Victoria.

Above and Beyond Funerals, who planned Jack's service, and his parents spent the next four months desperately trying to track down the missing package.

Jack Beasley, 17, died after he was allegedly stabbed in the heart by a gang of youths while walking through Surfers Paradise with friends in December 2019

Above and Beyond Funerals, who planned Jack's service, and his parents spent the next four months desperately trying to track down the missing package

Ms Beasley said she was 'devastated' and in disbelief by Australia Post's blunder.

'I was beside myself. I was supposed to do it at the beginning of the year but I kept on putting it off. I kept thinking what happens if it gets lost  and then it happened,' she told the Gold Coast Bulletin.

'It's not good enough, but I got him back that's the main thing. I don't want anyone to get into trouble or anything like that but maybe they just need to take a little bit of care with all their packages because you never know what's actually in there.'

A few days before Christmas, Ms Beasley was finally reunited with her son's missing ashes.

Funeral director Rebecca Bailey, who helped the family try to track down the package for weeks, said Ms Beasley broke down in tears every time they spoke about the ordeal.

A few days before Christmas, Ms Beasley was finally reunited with her son's missing ashes. Pictured: the urn containing Jack's ashes

Australia Post on Wednesday apologised to the family, and an urgent investigation into the incident was launched

'Each time we tried a different avenue it would come up that there was no record of it. Somewhere along the line he (the parcel) hadn't been scanned in,' she said.

On December 5 the package was finally located and had actually arrived in Healesville.

However, the tracking number wasn't traceable and the family still doesn't know how it got there.

A week later the ring was sent back to the Gold Coast, but Ms Beasley opted not to go through Australia Post and instead brought it back by a funeral service.

Australia Post on Wednesday apologised to the family, and an urgent investigation into the incident was launched.
Facebook has warned of an increase in signals indicating that the Capitol siege was a 'galvanizing event' that is spawning plans for future gatherings nationwide.

A spokeswoman for the social media giant, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said they have tracked digital flyers promoting such events, some of them featuring calls to arms or the insignia of militias or hate groups.

The FBI has warned of armed protests being planned for Washington and all 50 U.S. state capitals in the run-up to the inauguration. That follows last week's violent siege which resulted in the deaths of four protesters and one officer.

Pictures Wednesday show hundreds of National Guard troops sleeping on the stone floor of the US Capitol as security intensifies in Washington DC and the capital goes into lockdown a week out from Joe Biden's inauguration.

Up to 15,000 National Guard members will also be on hand to protect D.C. It is believed to be the first time troops have set up camp in the Capitol since the Civil War.

But security officials have admitted they are managing 'a very delicate risk management process' to ensure state capitols are also well protected.

It comes after newly surfaced video shows MAGA rioters discussing floor plans and police positioning as they plotted to 'take over' the Capitol in Washington DC last week.

The two-minute clip, which was originally posted live on Periscope last week by reporter Jeremy Lee Quinn, shows a dozen-strong group of pro-Trump insurrectionists hatching a detailed plan to take this building while standing inside what appears to be an office inside the legislature.

Its re-emergence on Twitter Wednesday comes after House Democrat Mikie Sherrill claimed that she witnessed members of Congress leading reconnaissance' tours through the Capitol the day before the mob stormed the building - indicating lawmakers may have helped protesters get inside.

Firearms are issued to US National Guard troops at the East Front of the US Capitol in Washington, DC on Wednesday. Facebook has warned of an increase in signals indicating that the Capitol siege was a 'galvanizing event' that is spawning plans for future gatherings

National Guard members assemble in the Capitol Visitor's Center on Capitol Hill. A Facebook spokeswoman said they have tracked digital flyers promoting such events, some of them featuring calls to arms or the insignia of militias or hate groups

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday. A Facebook spokeswoman said they have seen signs of potential future acts of violence associated with efforts to contest the result of the U.S. presidential election

A two-minute clip, which was originally posted live on Periscope last week by reporter Jeremy Lee Quinn , shows a dozen-strong group of pro-Trump insurrectionists hatching a detailed plan to take this building

Discussing the need to protect states nationwide, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told The Washington Post: 'We're not going to pull too much out of their states and put them at risk, so a very delicate risk management process is underway.'

'Everyone can just rest assured they are throwing the kitchen sink at this event,' another Secret Service official involved in the planning told the paper.

The Facebook spokeswoman said they have seen signs of potential future acts of violence associated with efforts to contest the result of the U.S. presidential election.

She added that the pace of the company's exchange of information with law enforcement officials had likewise increased since the Capitol protests.

Apple, GooglePlay and Amazon Web Services (AWS) removed Parler from their platforms for allowing messages to be shared inciting violence even after the January 6 riot where a Trump-inspired mob stormed the Capitol building.

Parler on Monday then announced plans to sue Amazon, filing an 18-page lawsuit.

HARRISBURG, PA: A member of the Pennsylvania Capitol Police Special Response Team stands outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol on Tuesday following the release of the FBI memo

AUSTIN, TX: Texas State Troopers stand alert for protesters outside of the Texas State Capitol in Austin

OLYMPIA, WA: Members of the Washington National Guard surround the Washington State Capitol Tuesday

MADISON, WI: Workers begin boarding up the Wisconsin state Capitol building in Madison on Monday. State officials are concerned about the prospects of state-centered violence in the wake of last week's security breaches at the US Capitol

The heightened security comes as it was revealed that extremists are now using the encoded app Telegram to coordinate and plan future attacks. Some are sharing knowledge of how to make, conceal and use homemade guns and bombs in advance of the inauguration, according to NBC.

The messages are being posted in Telegram chatrooms where white supremacist content has been freely shared for months, but chatter on these channels has increased since extremists have been forced off other platforms.

A US Army field manual and calls to 'shoot politicians' and 'encourage armed struggle' have been posted in a Telegram channel that uses 'fascist' in its name.

The Secret Service, the FBI and the National Guard are among 50 agencies and private companies that have formed a 'Multi-Agency Command Center' (MACC) to fortify D.C. ahead of next week's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

Fences have been erected outside the Capitol Building, The White House and the Supreme Court, while road closures in the are have now gone into effect.

An FBI internal memo warned of a group that was calling for the 'storming' of state, local and federal government buildings, as well as court houses if Trump is removed from office.

That has prompted all 50 states to go on alert, increasing security around their own capitol buildings.

A map of Washington, D.C. showing security measures and road closures that are in effect ahead of Inauguration Day next Wednesday

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania members of the Pennsylvania Capitol Police Special Response Team were seen patrolling the exterior of the State Capitol on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in Texas, dozens of state troopers in tactical gear formed a protective barrier at the outside of their Capitol Building in the city of Austin.

Members of the Texas Dept. of Public Safety riot police were also on hand and standing guard.

In Washington state, there was also additional security.

Members of the Washington National Guard were deployed to Olympia to protect that state Capitol Building, as snipers stood on the roof.

And in Madison, Wisconsin, the windows of the historic state Capitol were boarded up amid fears of violence in the days ahead.

National Guard members walk the stairs, before Democrats begin debating one article of impeachment against U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, U.S., January 13

On Wednesday, Acting US Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen warned potential domestic terrorists against further attacks.

'I want to send a clear message to anyone contemplating violence, threats of violence or other criminal conduct: We will have no tolerance whatsoever for any attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power... including attempts to forcefully occupy government buildings,' Rosen said. 'There will be no excuse for violence, vandalism or any other form of lawlessness.'

Dozens of people have been arrested for storming inside the Capitol. Hundreds more are being hunted by the authorities but are yet to be found, including 25 people who are being investigated on terrorism charges.

Among the group who laid siege to the legislature were white nationalists, neo-Nazis and QAnon conspiracy theorists, coming from states as far-flung as Arizona and Oregon, while photographs from the riot have shown people wearing clothes with a range of antisemitic messages.

Five people also died. One protester, Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead as she attempted to climb through a shattered window of a barricaded door near to the chamber. Three protesters died from medical emergencies and one officer, Brian Sicknick, died 'from injuries sustained' while responding to the attack.
GPs and practice teams in Limerick and across the country will receive vaccinations in acute hospital and community settings by the end of February.

In a statement this Wednesday, the Irish College of General Practitioners (ICGP) and the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) announced the vaccination plan for GPs and practice teams, following agreement with the HSE on January 12.

Delays in setting up the portal for registration have been resolved, it says.

Dr Nuala OConnor, clinical lead on Covid-19 with the ICGP, said: "We appreciate the natural anxiety of GPs in ensuring GPs and their teams are vaccinated, and there were expectations this portal link would be available on Friday last. These delays have been resolved. We welcome the plan to vaccinate GPs and practice teams as agreed with the HSE."

The plan will see remaining GPs and their practice teams receive the vaccine at designated nursing homes, acute hospital and community settings during January and February. Some GPs and their teams have already received the vaccine and others have received appointments.

The Leader has learned a number of nurses with GP practices in Limerick were emailed on Thursday, January 7, asking them to register for the vaccine rollout. This came as a great relief due to the numbers they are meeting on a daily basis, many presenting with Covid symptoms.

Then on Monday, January 11, they received an email saying that the original email was sent in error and they will be receiving the vaccine at the end of February. This left many of the nurses "annoyed and angry at dashed hopes of getting the vaccine sooner".

The Leader has seen a copy of the letter sent out by the ICGP and IMO to its members. In the document it says there will be three vaccine settings in this "priority phase".

It reads: "Immediate: Nursing Homes  For GPs only due to the limitations of amount of personnel allowed into these very vulnerable nursing home settings and where visitors are already highly restricted. Estimated GP uptake of approximately 1,500 GPs, depending on vaccine availability in specific locations. All will receive two doses of the vaccine with agreed interval.

Immediate: Dedicated vaccine centres in three locations nationally  for GPs and practice nurses. (Dedicated vaccine allocation for 1,800 GPs and practice nurses). GPs and practice nurses who are scheduled to these clinics will need to travel as the vaccine is fragile and cannot be broken down and transported across the country. All will receive two doses of the vaccine with agreed interval.

The letter goes on to say on the week of January 25, "Dedicated vaccine centres /acute settings  GPs and practice nurses (dedicated vaccine allocation for 3,000 GPs and practice nurses).

"From end of January onwards all remaining practice team members will be scheduled an appointment either in acute or community setting  depending on what kind of vaccines are available at that time i.e Astra Zeneca if approved."

It says the target for completion is "no later than end February 2021 or earlier depending on supply and type of vaccines available".

Returning to the official IMO and ICGP official statement, Dr OConnor said GPs and their teams will be critical to the delivery of a successful vaccination programme to the wider population, building on the GPs vast experience in previous vaccination campaigns, and their long-established relationship with patients.

"The Covid-19 vaccination programme will be a mammoth national project and will be rolled out in the coming months," said Dr OConnor.
I keep reading outraged Staten Islanders thoughts about Congressperson Nicole Maleotakis standing up for her beliefs that the presidential election was stolen, as many also believe.

One writer opines that the Presidents claims were conclusively rejected by every court in which the President or his surrogates filed their challenges. That is not true: Their claims were dismissed before any evidence was allowed to be presented, a monumental difference.

The new congressperson was overwhelmingly elected to represent all of our interests, including bravely standing up for and against obvious election fraud and vote manipulation so future elections do not suffer from similar leftist tactics...an overnight vote turnaround that is so statistically far-reaching that it strains objective credulity.

But the President and we all have to move on. And while we dont have to like it, we have the Constitutional right to speak, not riot, as goes on in many cities right now, in support of our beliefs.

So, while some letter-ists dont agree with her actions, I firmly support Makeotakis speaking up. Thats who I voted for and thats what I expect.

(Steven Scalici is a Great Kills resident.)
New round of sector specific Economic Resilience Fund opens today

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Jan 13th, 2021

The latest round of the Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) pandemic support from the Welsh Government opens at midday today.

The ERF Sector Specific Support (operating cost) package is targeted at Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure (HTL) businesses and associated supply chain businesses that will be materially impacted by a greater than 60% impact of turnover as a result of the restrictions introduced on 4 December 2020 until 22 January 2021.

Applications are due to open at midday and remain open for 2 weeks  or until funds are fully committed  which could be quite promptly going off the demand of previous funds.

You can access the application and more information on https://businesswales.gov.wales/coronavirus-advice/.





The funding, announced in December, is part of a live 450m package of support that the, hospitality, leisure and tourism sectors as well as their supply chain can access and will provide vital support to thousands of firms impacted by alert level 3 and 4 restrictions. The 180m is in addition to a 270m support package for businesses that pay non domestic rates, which includes non-essential retail businesses, and is being delivered via Local Authorities.

The separate set of grants linked to Non Domestic Rates aka Business Rates are being administered by Wrexham Council and are currently being processed, if the business has had a grant and is eligible this time on the sector support, it will get the payment automatically. We are told if businesses expecting the rates grant have not had a payment by the 20th then they should visit the council website and apply.

The Welsh Government estimates that under the package of support a typical hospitality business in Wales with the equivalent of six full-time staff could be eligible to receive between 12,000 and 14,000 in total in this round alone, with the Welsh Government saying it makes it the most generous offer in the UK.

Economy Minister Ken Skates said: Accelerating coronavirus rates meant we have had to make difficult but necessary decisions to protect peoples health and save lives. We know these decisions have a knock-on effect on our businesses and there is no doubt that latest restrictions mean very real challenges for firms who have already had to deal with so much.

We are committed to doing all we can to protect our businesses during this very challenging time. Our package of support is the most generous in the UK and since the beginning of the pandemic more than 1.6bn of Welsh Government financial assistance has reached businesses.

Many hospitality, tourism, leisure and non-essential retail businesses have already received payments of 3,000 or 5,000 in the last month and this additional funding will be absolutely crucial in supporting eligible businesses through the difficult weeks ahead.

The amount a company can claim from the 180m sector specific fund will be calculated based on staff count and turnover. The fund is expected to support up to 8,000 hospitality, tourism and leisure firms impacted by the restrictions and potentially a further 2,000 in related supply chains.

An eligibility checker and calculator has been live on Business Wales since December to help businesses work out what support they can expect to qualify for in total and the detail they will need to make an application. Further guidance was also issued last week.

Since the end of October alone, more than 69,000 offers of support worth in excess of 230m have been made to businesses across Wales through the Welsh Governments Economic Resilience Fund. Welsh Government stats say the ERF has already protected more than 125,000 jobs that might otherwise have been lost.

Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Lord Elis-Thomas, said: We are fully aware, not least from our hospitality stakeholder group, of the impact of the restrictions that we have had to bring in. This was not the Christmas period that any of us had hoped for, but I would urge businesses to take advantage of the help available.

We will continue to do everything we can to support our firms and our people through to the other side of this dreadful pandemic.
has announced their GeForce RTX 30 series flagship graphics processors for laptops at the 2021.

The new series includes the RTX 3060, RTX 3070, and the RTX 3080, all backed by a new Max-Q design to deliver optimal power and performance for notebooks.

Each of the cards brings a performance upgrade, and the 3080 is the fastest.

said these will be the world's fastest laptops, promising over 100 frames per second at 1440p with RTX on for "popular graphics-intensive games".

The new GeForce RTX 3060 is claimed to deliver 90fps on the latest games with ultra settings at 1080p resolution on laptops that will have a starting price of $999.

According to Nvidia, the new RTX 3070 laptops should be up to 50 per cent faster than the RTX 2070 and deliver around 90 frames per second at Ultra settings and 1440p, starting from $1,299.

For desktop users, the company also revealed the GeForce RTX 3060 for desktop PCs, bringing the latest technologies from Nvidia's more expensive cards down to a $329 price point.

The RTX 3060 naturally supports RTX, DLSS, and AI-powered features like Broadcast.

Nvidia also announced new monitors and mice with Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer from brands such as ASUS, Acer, AOC, Corsair, and more.

--IANS

wh/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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WASHINGTON  Within a span of about 24 hours, three House Democrats announced they tested positive for COVID-19, prompting concern that last weeks insurrection at the Capitol has also turned into a super-spreader event threatening the health of lawmakers and their staffs.

Those who tested positive were among dozens of lawmakers who were whisked to a secure location when pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on Wednesday. Some members of Congress huddled for hours in the large room, while others were there for a shorter period.

Its not certain where and when lawmakers caught the illness, but the Capitols attending physician notified all House lawmakers of possible virus exposure and urged them to be tested. Dr. Brian Moynihan said members who were in protective isolation last Wednesday may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.

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The three Democratic lawmakers directed their anger toward some House Republicans who were also in the secure room and declined opportunities to wear masks, despite their role in blocking the spread of COVID-19. Video surfaced of multiple Republican lawmakers refusing to wear a mask even when one was offered.

Today, I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wifes health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff, Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said Tuesday.

Schneiders comments came a few hours after similar remarks from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash..

Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them, Jayapal said. Only hours after President Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a mask in a crowded room.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey said Monday that she had tested positive for COVID-19.

All three lawmakers are isolating. Schneider said he was not feeling symptoms, while Watson Coleman said she was experience mild, cold-like symptoms. Jayapal did not elaborate on how she was feeling, but noted that she began to quarantine several days ago out of concern about conditions in the secured room.

Within hours of their announcements, Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Anthony Brown, D-Md., introduced legislation that would impose a $1,000 fine on any member of Congress refusing to wear a mask on Capitol grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is not brave to refuse to wear a mask. It is selfish, stupid and shameful behavior that puts lives at risk, Dingell said.

A senior House Democratic aide said the House will also consider a rule Tuesday night that includes a fine system for noncompliance with House Speaker Nancy Pelosis mask requirement on the House floor. The first offense would result in a fine of $500, the second, $2,500. The fines would be deducted from a members pay. The aide was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Separately, the House Office Building Commission will be immediately considering the implementation of a similar fine system for noncompliance in the House office buildings near the Capitol and the entire House side of the U.S. Capitol Building.

Jayapal also called on the House sergeant at arms to remove any lawmaker from the House floor who declines to wear a mask.

This is not a joke, she said. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy.

Schneider said he was in the crowded secure location for about four hours. He said he received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine a few days before that potential exposure. However, health experts note that it is possible for a person to get infected with the virus just after vaccination because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection.

I dont know from whom I got this virus, or even necessarily if I got it in that room, he said during a virtual news conference from his suburban Chicago home, where hes isolating. But I know that my exposure in that room was greater than at any other time through this entire pandemic.

___

Associated Press writers Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

Mr. Sullivan survives this altercation. But Ashli Babbitt does not. When a glass panel on one of the doors is completely broken, she climbs through and is shot in the neck, collapsing backward onto the floor. The video is graphic, and Mr. Sullivan is right there. His camera finally turns off as she lies dying at his feet.

After watching the video, I felt depleted. We have, each in our own way, tried to make sense of what happened politically, with impeachment proceedings underway and bipartisan condemnation of the siege of the Peoples House. However, a solely political response to what occurred is insufficient. It requires an emotional understanding as well.

In a follow-up video, Mr. Sullivan, who says he believes that Black lives matter but is not part of a Black Lives Matter organization, explains that he believes in recording these situations and allowing people to see it for what it is. Yet it is hard to square his professed politics with his actions in the video, in which he is clearly a participant, trying to help rioters penetrate more deeply into the Capitol. Right-wing conspiracy theories falsely assert that radical left-wing elements incited the storming of the Capitol. I dont bring up Mr. Sullivans stated beliefs to lend credence to those theories, but rather to show that there is a political incoherence that characterizes events like this. Its the same in war.

Mr. Sullivans political rationale for why he stormed the Capitol lasts 20 minutes and is opaque, at best. But his emotional rationale is crystal clear: Who doesnt want to be there for the action, right? Who doesnt want to see a bunch of Trump supporters just [expletive] up the Capitol?  Thats why you watched it. You watched it as an action movie.

This brand of nihilism  destruction for the sake of spectacle  is ubiquitous in war. We must avoid it. If Americans are to find any meaning in the storming of the Capitol, our leaders must salvage some good from this atrocity. And there is an opportunity to do so. The bonds of those who endure war last a lifetime, and perhaps thats where we might move forward as a country.

A photograph from that day of Jason Crow, an Army Ranger-turned-U.S. representative, holding the hand of his colleague Susan Wild as they were trapped in the House chamber speaks to the intensity of what lawmakers of both parties endured. One can only hope that the emotion of that moment might now be harnessed into political action and a willingness for lawmakers to work together. Maybe out of this we could see Republican and Democratic collaboration on major legislation in the early days of the Biden administration  on infrastructure, stimulus, immigration  or any of the myriad issues about which petty posturing has fed our endemic political dysfunction. Perhaps its naive to be hopeful, but war taught me about the importance of hope.

On my way home from my first combat deployment in Iraq, I spent the night in a transient barracks. Graffiti by those returning from combat littered the plywood walls. Scrawled in one corner in black Sharpie was a quote by Friedrich Nietzsche: Anyone who fights with monsters should take care that he does not in the process become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes back into you. I was 24 years old, and those words felt like a revelation. Reading them seemed like a first step in the process of understanding not only what Id been through, but also this distinctly human practice: war.
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Chip Somodevilla, POOL / Associated Press

Houston's congressional delegation mostly followed party lines Wednesday when the House of Representatives impeached President Donald Trump for the second time in his presidency.

Trump is the only president to be impeached twice.
CASEVILLE  Unable to hold fundraisers due to coronavirus pandemic precautions, Casevilles United Methodist Church hopes that members of the community will consider making a charitable donation to help cover costs for major repairs needed to the steeple.

The Methodist church is a long-standing beacon of light in the community, with a history of over 150 years. Repairs to the steeple are estimated to cost $60,000.

Over time, the steeple has been damaged due to natural aging and wear due to weather, rotting some of the external wood and some damage to the internal structure, said Mary Jacobi, head of trustees for the church. The rotting wood has been taken off and replaced with vinyl.

The internal work is where we could see some fluctuation in the repair estimate, she added. We dont know exactly how extensive that work will be.

The church hopes to hold fundraisers for the repair cost sometime in the summer, but planning for such events has not happened due to the pandemic uncertainty. If precautions and restrictions in place due to the pandemic have lightened, the church would be able to schedule in-person fundraising events.

Construction on the present church building began in 1868. The building was fine frame construction and was built by former pastors and church members. The church measured 40 by 60 feet and included a 70-foot steeple. Its originally dedication ceremony took place on Nov. 15, 1874. The construction cost $4,979.

The church underwent its first round of remodeling in 1904, with the digging of a new basement, steel walls, classroom additions and a new furnace. After it was painted, a re-dedication ceremony took place on April 8, 1906. The remodel cost $2,500.

Each decade brought new improvements to the church, which is now considered to be the most photographed church in the state of Michigan.

In the 1940s, the steeple was struck by lightning on two separate occasions, prompting for its reconstruction. In the 1950s it was discovered that the base of the steeple was deteriorating. Due to the high cost of repairs and the low finances available to the church at the time, the decision was made to remove the upper part of the steeple.

However, once word of the decision spread through the community, contributions to the church came from the townspeople and commercial fisherman who depended on the steeple to guide them to the mouth of the river.

Church members hope that the members of the community will consider donating, as many have in the past, to help cover the latest repair needs to the steeple.

Its a big expense for the church, especially now as many organizations are struggling financially due to the pandemic, Jacobi said. Attendance at most churches has declined over the last year, with many members choosing to stay home.

We maintain the standard precautionary measures for our services, including temperature checks, masks, and social distancing, she added. But many of our congregation choose to participate through out online services since many are understandably uncomfortable going out.

Most of the exterior repair work done to the steeple was completed Thursday Jan. 7, with four louvers being replaced. Internal repairs will be addressed at a later date, after further examination.

Donations can be made out to the United Methodist Church and mailed to PO Box 1027, Caseville, Michigan 48725.
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A treasure trove of newly-unsealed CIA records has revealed chilling accounts of hundreds of UFO sightings across the globe dating back to the 1950s - along with the international intelligence community's efforts to understand them.

A dossier with nearly 3,000 pages of documents about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) - the government's official term for what are commonly called UFOs - was published on The Black Vault website last week.

Thousands of paranormal enthusiasts have already started poring through the collection of more than 700 individual documents, according to Black Vault's founder John Greenewald Jr, who has spent the past two decades suing the CIA to release the records and then scanning the pages into his database one by one.

The CIA purports that the files account for its 'entire' collection of declassified UAP intel, but Greenewald cautions that there's no way to verify that claim and has vowed to continue searching for further records.

The dossier was released ahead of a June deadline for US intelligence agencies to reveal everything they know about UFOs to Congress under a clause slipped into the $2.3trillion coronavirus relief bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in December.

An ongoing DailyMail.com review of the files has uncovered a bevy of perplexing accounts of mysterious disks tracking across the sky, spewing beams of light across small towns, causing explosions and even a few claims of military officers confronting aliens that come out of outlandish vehicles.

The documents also show correspondence about UFO sightings between CIA officers and members of the military. Sometimes the officials brush off observers' stories as purely superstitious, even when another explanation isn't clear. But in other instances the officers show genuine concern that perhaps something dangerous is at play.

One of the earliest records describes a 1952 meeting where top US intelligence and military officials discussed forming a coalition to study an alarming increase in UFO sightings. That coalition, led by the Air Force and dubbed Project Blue Book, would go on to review thousands of sightings at home and abroad to determine whether there was a reason to fear something other than America's Cold War enemies.

A treasure trove of newly-unsealed CIA records has revealed chilling accounts of hundreds of UFO sightings across the globe dating back to the 1950s - along with the international intelligence community's efforts to understand them. Pictured: A photo from the Project Blue Book archive shows lights misidentified as a group of UFOs over a Coast Guard air station in Salem, Massachusetts in 1952

US Military Branch Chiefs meet to discuss the CIA's 'Flying Saucers' project in 1952

On August 11, 1952, a group of US military leaders got together to discuss the CIA's plans to launch a research project on 'flying saucers'.

Minutes from the meeting were included in a report the Black Vault dossier, describing how the CIA wanted to run the project through its Physics & Electronics Division after a sudden uptick in UFO sightings around the world.

The document was annotated by an unidentified individual who put brackets around different figures at the meeting and added a few notes in the margin.

On August 11, 1952, a group of US military leaders got together to discuss the CIA's plans to launch a research project on 'flying saucers'. Minutes from the meeting were included in a report the Black Vault dossier, describing how the CIA wanted to run the project through its Physics & Electronics Division after a sudden uptick in UFO sightings around the world. The document (pictured) was annotated by an unidentified individual who put brackets around different figures at the meeting and added a few notes in the margin

Under the meeting minutes there is a section for 'distribution'. A handwritten note states: 'Where so many "flying saucers" have been reported of late. Although Mr Strong knew many people there and tracked the area extensively, no unusual phenomena were ever mentioned or seen'

'Mr Sullivan opened the meeting by saying that a project is to be started in the P&E Division on "Flying Saucers. It was suggested by Dr Odarenko that this project be set up to maintain the file to establish outside contacts on such matters and to build up to date knowledge of the [illegible] to permit the Division and office to take a stand and formulate an opinion as might be required,' the document states.

Astronomer J Allen Hynek, Project Blue Book's scientific consultant, is seen at an observatory in the 1960s

It says that ATIC - which refers to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio - 'has the job of finding out about these "flying saucers" and keeping records. [Illegible] is responsible for getting information for the CIA. All members of the P&E Division are to look into this project and see what they can contribute to this problem. Each Branch appointed a representative.'

Under the meeting minutes, transcribed with a typewriter, there is a section for 'distribution'. A handwritten note states: 'Where so many "flying saucers" have been reported of late. Although Mr Strong knew many people there and tracked the area extensively, no unusual phenomena were ever mentioned or seen.'

The venture discussed during that meeting would go on to be called 'Project Blue Book', according to Air Force archives. It was the third project of its kind, following behind others called Grudge and Sign.

There were two main goals to Project Blue Book: To determine if UFOs were a threat to national security; and to scientifically analyze UFO-related data.

The project was officially terminated in 1969 after the Condon Report, based on thousands of sightings compiled by the project, concluded that there was nothing abnormal about UFOs.

Two of the thousands of UFO sightings studied under Project Blue Book are shown above

Russian airliner crew describes coming within 50 kilometers of a yellow disk shooting beams of light in Belarus in 1985

Many of the documents included in the Black Vault archive describe UFO sightings in the former Soviet Union - but this one is particularly detailed.

An article from Moscow's Trud newspaper dated January 30, 1985, describes how an airline crew en route from Rostov, Russia, to Tallinn, Estonia, came upon what they perceived to be a UFO about 120 kilometers from Minsk, Belarus, at about 4am.

The article dramatically recounts the incident from the perspective of the crew. 'Glancing over his portion of the sky, the copilot noticed a large star that was not flickering on his upper right. But this is no star, this yellow speck the size of a 5-kopeck coin, stretched out along the edges.

'"No matter..,"' he told himself calmly, "refraction of light in the atmosphere or something else..." A very thin beam of light emerged from the speck and fell vertically down to the ground itself.'

The pilot nudged his three comrades in the cockpit and they watched as the 'beam of light suddenly opened up, turning into a luminous cone. ... A second cone emerged, wider, ... then a third one, broad and quite bright.'

The pilot recommended that they report the sight to the ground, but the commander stopped him, unsure of how they would even describe it.

The men estimated that the object was only about 40 to 50 kilometers away. The copilot pulled out a paper to draw it before 'the beam of the "projector" rose from the ground and focused on the aircraft.'

'The commander was still hesitating: should he report what is taking place or not? But something that put an end to his doubts happened here. The white spot flashed up, and a green cloud emerged in its place.'

The commander recalled seeing the object rush toward his plane, before it suddenly disappeared. 'Well, now they will say we weren't in our right minds.'

The article goes on to describe the crew's conversations with dubious ground controllers.

It concludes with a statement from N. A. Zheltukhin, deputy chairman of the Commission on Aerodynamic Phenomena, who said: 'The commission is conducting a systematic study of [UFO] sightings over the territory of the Soviet Union.

'However, we have to note that regrettably, all the accounts which we have at our disposal suffer from being one-sided or fragmentary to one degree or another.'

An article from Moscow's Trud newspaper dated January 30, 1985, describes how an airline crew en route from Rostov, Russia, to Tallinn, Estonia, came upon what they perceived to be a UFO about 120 kilometers from Minsk, Belarus

Swedish pilot and flight mechanic spot a 'completely unorthodox, metallic object' flying at 'the speed of sound' outside Stockholm in 1953

A CIA report from April 1954 includes three newspaper articles about a purported UFO sighting five months earlier in Sweden.

Captain Christiernsson and flight mechanic Olle Johansson were flying a Trasnair Airlines plane between Malmo and Stockholm on December 17, 1953, when the object appeared in the sky in front of them.

'I do not doubt for an instant that it was not a jet plane,' Christiernsson told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. 'What I saw was a completely unorthodox, metallic, symmetric, round object which was unlike anything I have seen before.

'The silhouette was thin and it approached me at a very high velocity. Olle Johansson and I have discussed the matter of its speed, and we have estimated the speed to be about that of sound. The whole business took place fantastically quickly, but I believe that I was able to see the object for four to five seconds.'

Johansson said: 'What I saw was an ellipse with sharp outlines and something between silver and white in color. It was approaching from the north in a direction opposite to ours, at a speed of about 1,200 kilometers per hour. It was flying entirely above the clouds. Since we had the automatic pilot on, we had no chance to turn quickly enough to see where the object went.'

But two days after the alleged sighting, a Swedish official contacted the newspaper and said that the object viewed by Christiernsson and Johansson was likely just one of the 300 advertising balloons that had been released earlier that day.

'With all certainty, it is one of our balloons which the flyers saw,' Director Bertil Dahlstrom told Dagens Nyheter.

A CIA report from April 1954 includes three newspaper articles about a purported UFO sighting five months earlier in Sweden. Captain Christiernsson and flight mechanic Olle Johansson were flying a Trasnair Airlines plane between Malmo and Stockholm on December 17, 1953, when the object appeared in the sky in front of them

Nine UFOs spotted hundreds of kilometers apart in the span of four hours in the Soviet Union in 1989

Nine different UFO sightings were reported around Russia on the same night in March 1989, according to a CIA document based on various reports from the Rabochaya Tribuna newspaper.

The sightings all took place between 8pm and 12am on March 21, in the regions of Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Novoselye, Zagorsk, Yakovlevo, Ploshevo, Dubki, Kablukovo, Fryazino and Kirzhach. Each of those regions are within about 600 kilometers of Moscow.

The sighting in Pereslavl-Zalesskiy came from a radar observation post, which said: 'A shining object with red lights at a range of about 40 kilometers, moving at a speed many times greater than that of an aircraft, appeared at 21.19. A shining object with white lights and the same parameters was following it.'

Four captains and one colonel were quoted in the report - describing oblong objects with flashing lights and beams emanating out of them.

The report states: 'In an editor's note, Rabochaya Tribuna assessed Colonel General Maltsev's documents as "substantial confirmation" that UFOs, piloted by intelligent beings of some sort, have been visiting the USSR. '

Nine different UFO sightings were reported around Russia on the same night in March 1989, according to a CIA document based on various reports from the Rabochaya Tribuna newspaper





Urgent UFO information is hand-delivered to the CIA's top scientist for review in 1976

Asked about which documents had piqued his interest, Greenewald highlighted a report about seemingly urgent UFO information being hand-delivered to an Assistant Deputy Director for Science & Technology at the CIA in April 1976.

Most details about the information were redacted in the document, but Greenewald said he is determine to uncover more through further FOIA requests.

The name of the deputy director was also redacted but records indicate that Carl Duckett served in that position at the time.

The document states: 'We contacted A/DDS&T (Dr [redacted]) to see if he knew of any UFO program and also to answer the questions posed by [redacted].

'Dr [redacted] exhibited interest in [redacted] which was handcarried to his office. After a short examination of its contents Dr [redacted] advised us that he would personally look into the matter and get back to us.'

A second document from June of 1976 appears to request an update on the review, but there is no record of the ordeal after that.

The heavily redacted report above describes seemingly urgent UFO information being hand-delivered to an Assistant Deputy Director for Science & Technology in April 1976

CIA officials discuss the possibility that UFOs were behind a 'mysterious blast' in the small Russian town of Sasovo in 1991

In another report, CIA officials discuss the possibility that UFOs were behind a 'mysterious blast' in the small Russian town of Sasovo - about 400 kilometers southwest of Moscow - in 1991.

Residents reported seeing a 'fiery sphere' descend from the sky before a shockwave tore through the town, leveling an entire block.

The report said investigators had failed to come to a conclusion about the cause of the explosion, leaving open the possibility of UFOs.

It states: 'Some people are talking about munitions left buried since the last war, while others claim that a powerful bomb fell. A third group blame it on a meteorite, and a fourth group blame UFOs... There are people who supposedly saw a moving "fiery sphere".'

Among the more than 700 files in the Black Vault database is this report, where CIA officials discuss the possibility that UFOs were behind a 'mysterious blast' in a small Russian town

UFO enthusiast hounds the CIA for information about a sighting at Ohio Air Force Base

Several of the files appeared to reference the same incident, in which a possible UFO was sighted at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in 1978.

The reports refer to someone named Dr Leon Davidson who made multiple requests for information about the matter and did not appear to be getting any response.

He is believed to be the same Dr Leon Davidson who studied UFOs for decades beginning in 1949, according to Columbia University, which was gifted a collection of the engineer's research on the subject after his death in 2007.

One report states: '[Redacted] received a letter from Davidson [redacted] in which Davidson asked if the [redacted] tape had been analyzed at Wright Field.

'[Redacted] replied that the tape was forwarded to proper authorities for evaluation and no information was available concerning results.

'[Redacted] then received a second letter dated 19 March from Davidson in which he said since [redacted] was not in a position to make enquires he would like the address of proper parties to make them to.

'[Redacted] replied that he understood the proper address for forwarding information on "flying saucers" is Air Technical Intelligence Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

'Subsequently, [redacted] learned that Davidson made enquiries there. Apparently they stalled him.'

In May of that year another report asks: 'What progress has been made? This correspondence is more than a month old. I am afraid the longer we procrastinate the more fuel we add to the fire. Also, the people at Wright Field are holding their breaths awaiting advice.'

A third report, for which the date is illegible, says: 'Davidson is on our backs again. He wants a verbatim translation of the "space" message and the identification of the transmitter from which it came.'

In a fourth report - which indicates that the case is 'closed' - the author states that Davidson was writing an article about the incident entitled: 'The Air Force and the Saucers, Part Three: The Central Intelligence Agency becomes involved with Saucers.'

It indicates that the CIA did provide Davidson with some information, but does not disclose what that information was.

In the final report on the matter, the author indicates that the CIA will no longer be responding to Davidson's correspondence.

Wright-Patterson AFB has long been linked to conspiracy theories about alien life, after serving as the headquarters of an Air Force program- dubbed 'Project Blue Book', which studied UFOs from 1947 to 1969.

Over the course of those two decades the project garnered more than 12,600 reports of UFO sightings - 701 of which were never 'identified', according to the Dayton Daily News.

Several of the files appeared to reference the same incident, in which a possible UFO was sighted at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in 1978. The reports refer to someone named Dr Leon Davidson who made multiple requests for information about the matter and did not appear to be getting any response

In May of that year another report asks: 'What progress has been made?'

A third report, for which the date is illegible, says: 'Davidson is on our backs again. He wants a verbatim translation of the "space" message and the identification of the transmitter from which it came'

In a fourth report - which indicates that the case is 'closed' - the author states that Davidson was writing an article about the incident entitled: 'The Air Force and the Saucers, Part Three: The Central Intelligence Agency becomes involved with Saucers'

In the final report on the matter, the author indicates that the CIA will no longer be responding to Davidson's correspondence

UFO sighted in Morocco in 1976

One of the most heavily-redacted documents reviewed by DailyMail.com is dated September 23, 1976, and features the words: 'To immediate director - with personal request to investigate UFO sighted in Morocco.'

The full-page report is covered in 25 black lines that appeared to have been made directly with a pen.

The report was first approved for release in February of 2010, a footnote indicates.

One of the most heavily-redacted documents reviewed by DailyMail.com is dated September 23, 1976, and features the words: 'To immediate director - with personal request to investigate UFO sighted in Morocco'

Many of the files are similarly redacted to remove nearly every little detail beyond the word UFO.

Some in the mix merely mention the keywords 'UFO', 'UAP' or 'extraterrestrial' in the context of unrelated topics, offering little to no insight about the CIA's overall knowledge about those keywords.

For example, one document entitled 'Hypervelocity Test Techniques Discussed' describes a French study of a force which could be used to deflect UFOs - defined in the document as 'undesired flying objects' - not unidentified ones.

Another document joined the pile because it features a newspaper column about a Bosnian fugitive, in which the author mocks the Pentagon's failure to find the man despite 'communicating regularly with extraterrestrial beings'.

One document entitled 'Hypervelocity Test Techniques Discussed' describes a French study of a force which could be used to deflect UFOs - defined in the document as 'undesired flying objects' - not unidentified ones

Another document joined the pile because it features a newspaper column about a Bosnian fugitive, in which the author mocks the Pentagon's failure to find the man despite 'communicating regularly with extraterrestrial beings'

'It was like pulling teeth': Greenewald recounts the 20 years he's spent fighting for access to CIA records on UFOs

Black Vault's founder John Greenewald Jr (pictured) has spent the past two decades suing the CIA to release the records and then scanning the pages one by one

Greenewald began investigating the US government's research on UFOs when he was just 15 years old in 1996.

He described his painstaking efforts to Motherboard on Monday, saying he filed countless Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to unseal the records.

'Around 20 years ago, I had fought for years to get additional UFO records released from the CIA,' Greenewald said.

'It was like pulling teeth. I went around and around with them to try and do so, finally achieving it.

'I received a large box, of a couple thousand pages, and I had to scan them in one page at a time.'

The dossier contains both the records that Greenewald requested and others that the CIA had already released publicly and compiled into a CD, which Black Vault purchased last year.

In a blog post Greenewald noted that while the CIA claims it has released all of its UAP documents, there is no way to verify whether some documents may have been withheld.

In a Twitter thread on Tuesday he explained how the records available on the CIA's website are incomplete, despite the agency 'giving the illusion' that everything is there.

He posted screengrabs of a CIA site search which produced 415 results for UFO-related FOIA requests - compared to the 713 files on the Black Vault.

In a Twitter thread on Tuesday Greenewald explained how the records available on the CIA's website are incomplete, despite the agency 'giving the illusion' that everything is there

Greenewald also emphasized how the CIA releases its records in a format that is far from user-friendly.

'The CIA has made it incredibly difficult to use their records in a reasonable manner,' Greenewald told Motherboard.

'They offer a format that is very outdated (multi page .tif) and offer text file outputs, largely unusable, that I think they intend to have people use as a "search" tool.

'In my opinion, this outdated format makes it very difficult for people to see the documents, and use them, for any research purpose.

'Researchers and curious minds alike prefer simplicity and accessibility when they look at data dumps such as these.'

Despite the inconvenience, Greenewald said thousands of people had already downloaded the archive on the first day it was posted on the Black Vault.

He's offering the archive for free but set up a Patreon account for anyone who wants to donate money to support his past and future efforts to uncover CIA records.

'Plain and simple, the public has a right to know,' Greenewald said.

'When I began researching nearly 25 years ago at the age of 15, I knew there was something to this topic. Not because of viral internet hoaxes. Not because of back door meetings wherein I cant tell you who, but I promise it was mind-blowing information. No, none of that.

'It was simply because of the evidence that I got straight from the CIA. And the NSA. And the Air Force. And the DIA. I feel I am achieving what I set out to do. Easy access, to important material, for people to make up their own minds on what is going on.'

Greenewald (pictured) began investigating the US government's research on UFOs when he was just 15 years old in 1996. His Black Vault database is the result of countless different Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests

US intelligence faces six-month deadline to submit unclassified UFO report to Congress

UFO detectives like Greenewald may soon have even more intel to sift through, with the upcoming deadline for US intelligence agencies to submit an unclassified report about 'unidentified aerial phenomena' to congressional intelligence and armed services committees.

The director of National Intelligence and the secretary of defense have just under six months to do so, after a stipulation in the 'committee comment' section of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 was included in the huge bill, according to CNN.

The Senate intelligence committee's directive said that the report should be unclassified, but it can contain a classified annex. Therefore, it is unlikely to reveal the discovery of extra-terrestrial life reaching earth.

It does, however, state that the report must contain detailed analysis of UFO data and intelligence collected by the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force and the FBI.

Detail of 'an interagency process for ensuring timely data collection and centralized analysis of all unidentified aerial phenomena reporting for the Federal Government' must be included, and it should designate an official responsible for that process.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed the requirement for the report to the fact-checking website Snopes.

Navy pilots believe they spotted a UFO just off the coast in Jacksonville in 2015 (pictured)

In April last year, the Pentagon released three short videos - one from 2004 and two from 2015 - that showed 'unidentified aerial phenomena', which had earlier been confirmed to be real by the US Navy.

The videos, recorded by infrared cameras, showed what appeared to be unidentified flying objects quickly moving across the sky.

In the background of two of the videos, service members can be heard reacting as they watch the objects, with one speculating it could be a drone.

In August, the Pentagon announced that it was setting up a task force to investigate the objects, but it is still unclear what the objects are or where they came from.

Both Pentagon officials and members of Congress have been concerned about the appearance of unidentified objects flying over US military bases, with some suggesting the objects in the video could be drones collecting intelligence.

In June last year, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to have the Pentagon and intelligence community provide public analysis of such encounters.

This is not the first time the Pentagon has investigated aerial encounters with UFOs, having previously studied recordings of such incidents as part of a classified program launched by former Senator Harry Reid, that has since been shut down.

That program was launched in 2007 and closed in 2012, the Pentagon says, after it decided there were higher priority areas that required funding.
Gov. J.B. Pritzkers plan to reopen Illinois with no restrictions will mean having a vaccine or therapeutic for COVID-19 widely available  and when that might be is anyones guess.

After more than two months of stay-at-home orders last spring, Pritzker revealed a five-phase plan to reopen the state.

The final phase is Phase 5; the state now is in Phase 3. Starting Friday, some regions of the state that meet certain metrics can begin phasing to fewer restrictions.

Even with the vaccine going out, Pritzker still couldnt say exactly when to consider it widely available as the state works through phases of distribution for certain populations over others.

You can do your own math to determine when well get to a number that people can really be safe, Pritzker said.

State Rep. Avery Bourne, R-Morrisonville, said that with the goalposts moved and no clear indication of when things will change, its beyond time for lawmakers to get involved.

You can kind of expect to see that the governor might change his opinion, Bourne said. So thats why it should be a legislative action as weve discussed so we know exactly what these parameters are and we can count on them being followed.

Its not just downstate thats frustrated. State Rep. LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago, said its beyond time for the legislature to get involved. He faults legislative leaders for being hands-off.

I dont like it, Ford said of the governors unilateral actions. Ive always been ready to come back and deal with the pandemic, and the impact that the pandemic is having on poor, impoverished communities and businesses.

Its been nearly a year since the first case of COVID-19 was discovered in Illinois.

.

Total cases in west-central Illinois counties as of Tuesday, according to individual county health departments, were:

Brown County

569 total, 430 recovered, six deaths

Cass County

1,733 total, 1,626 recovered, 30 deaths

Seven new cases.

Greene County

1,212 total, 1,109 recovered, 41 deaths

Six new cases and one additional death.

Jersey County

2,122 total, 2,018 recovered, 36 deaths

12 new cases and four additional deaths.

Macoupin County

3,824 total, 2,384 recovered, 92 deaths

68 new cases.

Morgan County

3,259 total, 3,056 released from restrictions, 90 deaths

11 new cases and three additional deaths, those of a man in his 80s, a woman in her 80s and a woman in her 90s.

Pike County

1,508 total, 1,402 recovered, 39 deaths

Four new cases.

Sangamon County

14,076 total, 187 deaths

54 new cases.

Schuyler County

581 total, 537 recovered, 15 deaths

Seven new cases and one additional death, that of a man in his 80s.

Scott County

364 total, 326 recovered, one death

21 new cases since Jan. 4.

Statewide, 6,642 new cases of coronavirus disease and 117 deaths were reported Tuesday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

There have been 1,040,168 cases and 17,743 deaths in Illinois.
Father-in-law-son-in-law combo to new opposition leader; first session of 15th Kerala Assembly on May 24

Kerala gets first Covishield vaccine consignment

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Kochi, Jan 13: The first consignment of Covidshield vaccine from Pune-based Serum Insititute of India arrived at the Cochin international airport here on Wednesday morning to combat COVID-19, official sources said.

The Go Air flight carrying the vaccine for Ernakulam and Kozhikode landed at the airport at 10.35 am, they said. Special refrigerated vans were arranged to transport the vaccine safely to the respective centres. Transfer of vaccine boxes from the plane to vans was completed in 10 minutes, they said.

Coronavirus vaccine: First consignment Bharat Biotech's Covaxin arrives in Delhi

The second flight carrying the vaccine is expected to reach Thiruvananthapuram international airport this afternoon. National Health Mission sources said of the 4.33 lakh doses of the vaccine, 1,100 would be sent to Mahe, which is an enclave of Puducherry and lies between Kozhikode and Kannur districts.

The vaccine will be stored in the Regional vaccine centres at Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode from where it would be distributed to 133 centres across the state.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

While Thiruvananthapuram will receive 1,34,000 doses of the vaccine, Ernakulam and Kozhikode will receive 1,80,000 and 1,19,500 doses respectively, Health Minister K K Shailaja has said. So far, 3,62,870 people have registered themselves for the vaccination,which will commence from January 16.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 12:35 [IST]
EACH AND EVERY DAY, my colleagues and I hear about how New Hampshires high property taxes are an unsustainable burden on hardworking Granite Staters. According to a recent report from US News and WalletHub, New Hampshire has the third-highest property tax rates in the country. For young wor
COVID-19 has been hard on everyone, but for first responders, it takes an even deeper toll.

"It's definitely been an adjustment to our work life," Josue Rios shared with Hoda Kotb on 'TODAY'. "We obviously have to take the appropriate precautions knowing that, at this point, every place and every person that we respond to could potentially have COVID-19."

A firefighter in Houston by day, Rios works 24-hour shifts to protect his community and provide for his family, only to head to his second job at his family's trucking business once his shift ends.

Perpetually on the move, Rios told Kotb it was frustrating to take time off when he and his wife contracted COVID-19, especially because they had been taking all the necessary precautions.

HOUSTONCHRONICLE REPORTS: Houston to receive 6,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses for firefighters, health workers

I was anxious, because I've seen what the virus has done and at times, it has hit close to home," Rios said, remembering his friend and colleague, Veteran HFD Captain Tommy Searcy. This virus doesnt take names, doesnt care your age. It affects you in a certain way."

While he expects nothing in return for the work he puts in on a daily basis, Rios received a very special surprise on 'TODAY' Tuesday.

Screengrab courtesy of 'TODAY' via Twitter

Presented by NBC News correspondent Morgan Chesky, the Rios family was gifted a year's worth of mortgage payments paid off through 2021 (including tax!), as part of Envoy Mortgage's Gift of Home giveaway.

And that's not all  the entire firehouse received a gift card and a "breakfast of champions" consisting of steak, potatoes and chocolate cake from Houston luxe Steak 48 restaurant.

When asked what all of this means to him, Rios said they don't do it for a pat on the back, but it's great to be appreciated and the payments will definitely benefit his family.

"This is going to take a lot of stress off of him," Rios' wife added.
Businesses yesterday called for tougher lockdown measures, with some going as far as proposing a long curfew spanning from 6 p.m to 6 a.m.

The curfew now starts at 9 p.m. and goes till 5 a.m. Businesses also called on the Government to free up the importation of Covid-19 vaccines to allow private sector participation and to allow people to travel overseas to get vaccinated.
Dfree Next Generation Wireless Bladder Sensor , Our sleek design improves wearability and promotes confidence allowing users the ability to predict and plan ahead, taking charge of their health needs.

Triple W plans to begin shipment of the next generation personal bladder sensor for urinary incontinence in late 2021 and it will be available directly to consumers through the company website and from certified retailers and distributers, including Cardinal Health.

The DFree device monitors the bladder using a noninvasive ultrasound sensor and notifies users or caregivers via smartphone or tablet when it is time to go. The new form factor, similar in size to a matchbox, is attached to the lower abdomen and monitors the users bladder safely using a personal ultrasound sensor, securely relaying the data to a users mobile device.

Our elegantly designed personal sensor will enable seniors and people with disability with urinary incontinence more freedom and independence, said company CEO Atsushi Nakanishi the sleek design improves wearability and promotes confidence allowing users the ability to predict and plan ahead, taking charge of their health needs. According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, urinary incontinence affects 500 million people worldwide, and affects more than 25 million Americans, (National Association for Continence).

As part of the CES event, Mr. Atsushi Nakanishi will participate on a special panel today to discuss Wearables for a Super-Smart Aging Society: IoT for independence at 3.35 PM PST. The panel will be moderated by Ms. Yuka Tanimoto, Managing Editor, Forbes JAPAN Web Editorial Team.

Triple W launched the worlds first personal bladder sensor in 2018 and won the Best of CES 2019 award in the Digital Health category. DFree offers individuals managing incontinence improved peace of mind from accidental leaks. Seniors and people with disability who need to manage a loss of bladder control have an alternative to disposable diapers or pads and medications with the DFree line of ultrasound sensors for incontinence.

The next generation product is a smaller, less expensive, and more environmentally friendly alternative to disposable diapers offering users improved freedom of movement and quality of life.

The company has partnered with the Veterans Administration, The Spina Bifida Association, The National Incontinence Association, The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to provide members and patients alike immediate access to advanced technology for improved bladder management. DFree Products are available for purchase in the U.S. directly from the DFree website and authorized retailers.

About Triple W

Triple W empowers people with incontinence to live without worries. Triple W believes that having control of your senses is the key to independence and living life to the fullest. The company was founded in 2015 and has offices in Tokyo and San Diego. DFrees award-winning and patented technology is currently used in over 500 senior care facilities in Japan, Europe and the U.S. since 2017. For more information visit: https://www.dfreeus.biz

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About CES

CES is the worlds largest technology trade show that takes place annually in Las Vegas. As the premiere site to introduce innovations, CES 2020 brought together more than 4,600 companies to showcase 20,000 new products and services. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, CES 2021 will be held digitally.
Do you close the classroom? Do you close the pod? For how long? What are the conditions under which you close a school? They havent even said that. Youd think that like thered be a basic communication about that kind of stuff, he said. What were asking for is very reasonable, which is for them to address the concerns and reassure people who are their front-line workers who have to be the ones going into the schools.
[January 13, 2021] Realcomp II Ltd. Selects Remine Add/Edit and Docs+ Transaction Management Platforms to Streamline Single Point of Entry and Transaction Management for Michigan REALTORS

Realcomp, a Michigan-based Multiple Listing Service, announced today that it has selected Remine's Listing Input and Docs+ Transaction Management Platform for its more than 16,800 REALTOR subscribers. Remine technology will be the first that is integrated with Realcomp's new and improved RESO compliant data infrastructure which houses and serves listing content (listing data, photos, and documents) to associated technologies. It will give MLS subscribers the familiar ability to input listings via their desktop or mobile device and power tool-of-choice for MLS vendor partners that need the ability to integrate the data into their systems while remaining compliant with MLS business rules. Remine's Docs+ Transaction Management Platform was selected to replace the current Transaction Management offering and will both modernize and simplify the Transaction Management process for brokers and agents. "The Remine team continues to deliver and they have proven their ability to offer stability within state-of-the-art solutions. Over the years, our relationship has grown in strength and trust through the successful delivery and support of leading-edge data and software," said Karen Kage, CEO at Realcomp II Ltd. "The addition of these two new systems allows us to continue to build upon the Remine modules that seamlessly integrate to drive adoption and REALTOR satisfaction." "We are excited to see the contiued growth of this partnership," said Tim Dain, VP and GM of MLS at Remine. "We know how competitive the MLS software landscape is and the selection of these products continues to showcase our modular approach to building an MLS ecosystem that fits the needs of our MLS customers."



Remine Add/Edit and Docs+ Transaction Management are expected to join Remine Pro and become available to Realcomp MLS Subscribers in Q2 of 2021. Realcomp will be sharing more details with its MLS Subscribers regarding the upcoming transition to these products in the coming weeks and months. About Remine

Remine is revolutionizing MLS software solutions. We offer a complete MLS 2.0 operating system for MLSs which includes Remine PRO (a full front-end operating system), Add/Edit, Database, and RESO Platinum API solutions. In addition, Remine offers SSO Dashboard, Docs+ Transaction Management, and MLS Website. Remine serves the majority of REALTORS in the US - over 1,000,000 real estate professionals subscribe via their MLS or Board or Association of REALTORS. We are headquartered in Northern Virginia with remote employees across the US and in Canada. For more information visit www.remine.com. Remine is ISO 27001 Certified. About Realcomp II Ltd. Realcomp II Ltd. is Michigan's largest Multiple Listing Service, now serving more than 16,800 valued broker, agent, and appraiser customers in over 2,600 offices across Southeast Michigan. Realcomp II Ltd. is committed to providing the most reliable up-to-date real estate information using state-of-the-art delivery methods. Realcomp offers its MLS subscribers top of the line customer service and every member has the authority to do what it takes to make certain each customer's experience positive. For more information, visit: Realcomp.MoveinMichigan.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005611/en/

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Solvay's polymer membranes technology will be a key element in hydrogen market



Brussels, January 13, 2021

Solvay has launched a hydrogen platform that will bring together all the innovative material and chemical solutions the Group has to offer to advance the emerging hydrogen economy. At the heart of the platform is Solvay's membrane technology (ion conducting polymer), which constitutes a necessary component in the process of hydrogen production.

By creating this platform, Solvay is increasing its resources dedicated to this emerging market, including efforts in research and innovation. As from this year, Solvay is fully dedicating teams involving research, engineering, sales and marketing working together in crafting Solvay's added value to the future hydrogen market.

Together with its membrane technology, under the brand Aquivionthat will be a key contributor to the electrolyser and fuel cells markets, Solvay also intends to bring other hydrogen applications and components to the market, such as hydrogen tanks.

"The hydrogen economy has taken-off, and with our new hydrogen platform, we are partnering with our customers in the electrolyser and fuel cells space to make it happen," said Solvay CEO Ilham Kadri. "Green hydrogen will be one of the most competitive low carbon solutions for transportation applications in the near future and I'm proud that Solvay's membrane technology will be a key element in the transition towards cleaner mobility, helping the fight against global climate change."

As part of this commitment, Solvay has also joined the Hydrogen Council, a global CEO-led initiative that brings together leading companies with a united vision and long-term ambition for hydrogen to foster the clean energy transition. Solvay's hydrogen platform is integral to the Group's One Planetinitiative, which includes ten measurable commitments to achieve the SDGs across three focus areas: climate, resources and better life.

Background

Solvay has been researching and developing its ionomer technology for the past twenty years in preparation for the development of hydrogen technology. Solvay's technology has demonstrated its value proposition with customers; the company has multiple qualifications underway with sizable sales potential in the next few years.

While lithium-ion batteries have emerged as the preferred solution to make the automotive sector more sustainable, this is not enough as they do not cover all needs related to the necessary decarbonization to make transportation truly sustainable. Hydrogen is poised to fill that gap.

Production of green hydrogen via water electrolysis is expected to reach more than 100GW of global capacity by 2030, while the global fleet of fuel cell electric vehicles - ranging from large passenger cars to heavy-duty commercial vehicles, trucks, buses and even trains - is forecasted to reach several million vehicles by 2030.

Clean hydrogen fuel is a key component of the EU's Green Deal, as it is a recognized technology needed to support ambitions towards an ecological and sustainable energy transition. Public support for hydrogen is increasing exponentially, with USD 10 billion of post-Covid19 stimulus being dedicated (mostly in Europe and APAC) to green hydrogen R&D and infrastructure deployment.

Attachment
John O'Leary, Bill Hames, Tim Anderson of Gravis Law, PLLC Gravis Laws great staff, attorneys, growth-vision, and technology infrastructure will help us to provide the same zealous, compassionate, and targeted legal services that have made us so successful, to an even broader community. ~John W. O'Leary

On January 1, 2021, Gravis Law, PLLC, brought on board the highly regarded, Kennewick, WA based team at Hames, Anderson, Whitlow, and O'Leary (HAWO). HAWO's deep experience and community-based approach are a potent addition to the dynamic suite of law services offered by Gravis Law. With the experienced HAWO team, Gravis Law plans to expand its footprint nationally in Bankruptcy representation.

"Bill Hames, Tim Anderson, and Ray Whitlow started their firm together in 1986 with the simple goal of honestly wanting to help people. Later on, John O'Leary joined the firm and brought his knowledge and expertise to the team." Said Brett Spooner, Gravis Law's founder and CEO. "Bill Hames and John O'Leary have built the most respected bankruptcy practice in SE Washington. Tim Anderson is an experienced and successful litigator. This is a great team of skilled attorneys and staff that further enhances the mission, vision, and values of Gravis Law as we continue to expand and grow. We are thrilled and honored to have them and their excellent staff of legal professionals joining us. And we intend to continue a Gravis branch in historic downtown Kennewick "

The former HAWO team will be standing up Gravis Law's newest location in Kennewick, WA, the fifth for Gravis Law in eastern Washington, and their fifteenth location overall. In addition to the team's overwhelming expertise in bankruptcy law and personal injury litigation, they will be adding support to the Gravis estate planning practice area as well. Gravis is committed to serving the Kennewick community with a permanent presence, expanding access to family, business, and criminal law practices.

We are truly excited to add our decades of connection with the communities of the Tri-Cities to the Gravis Law brand, said Senior Attorney John OLeary. Adding, Gravis Laws great staff, attorneys, growth-vision, and technology infrastructure will help us to provide the same zealous, compassionate and targeted legal services that have made us so successful, to an even broader community.

With this acquisition, Gravis Law continues its impressive expansion. In both 2019 and 2020, Gravis Law was ranked as the fastest growing law firm in the Inc. 5000 list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America. Even with their tremendous growth, they remain committed to the core vision that has helped them attract establishment firms like HAWO - keeping the practice of law accessible and uncomplicated.

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Gravis Law, PLLC, serves people and communities across the nation by providing accessible and uncomplicated access to world-class legal services. Since being founded in 2013, Gravis Law has grown from one location in Richland, WA with five employees to fifteen locations across the country and more than 100 employees while leveraging technology and a team-based approach to bring expert legal advice to all their markets.
As a former school nurse in the Columbia Public Schools, Gretchen Carlisle would often interact with students with disabilities who took various medications or had seizures throughout the day. At some schools, the special education teacher would bring in dogs, guinea pigs and fish as a reward for good behavior, and Carlisle noticed what a calming presence the pets seemed to be for the students with disabilities.

Now a research scientist at the MU Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI) in the MU College of Veterinary Medicine, Carlisle studies the benefits that companion animals can have on families. While there is plenty of existing research emphasizing the benefits of dogs for children with autism, Carlisle's newest study has found cats may help increase empathy while decreasing separation anxiety for children with autism. The findings can have beneficial implications for families considering adopting a companion animal for their child.

Previous research has shown parents of kids with autism are more stressed than parents of kids with any other disability. If a family is considering adopting a companion animal, we want to provide the best evidence-based information possible so they can make an informed decision, and cats might be more beneficial than dogs to some families." Gretchen Carlisle, Research Scientist, MU Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction (ReCHAI), MU College of Veterinary Medicine

In the study, families that had children with autism aged 6-14 were recruited through the MU Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders and monitored after adopting a cat into their home. The cats were screened for temperament to ensure they were calm and a good match for the family. Not only did the families report an instant bond between their child with autism and their new cat, but the bond remained strong over the course of time, and the child's anxiety decreased over time.

"We found the main benefit of these companion animals is their unconditional acceptance," Carlisle said. "Some children with autism may have sensory issues or be sensitive to loud noises, so a cat may be an appropriate, comforting pet for some families due to their calming presence."

Helping families make the best choice for their kids has motivated Carlisle's research with companion animals, and the study's findings highlight the benefits of human-animal interaction.

"As a former pediatric nurse, I have always strived to help children, and one thing I learned is that you need to involve the parents so they can make informed choices for their children," Carlisle said. "I see pets as a way to enhance wellness, and it feels gratifying to provide assistance to families that have a lot on their plate."

"Exploratory study of cat adoption in families of children with autism: Impact on children's social skills and anxiety" was recently published in the Journal of Pediatric Nursing. Funding for the study was provided by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute and the Winn Feline Foundation.
A second impeachment is awaiting President Donald Trump on Wednesday as House Democrats move forward on their plan to oust the president.

They said Trump deserves a second impeachment for encouraging a violent mob of supporters, who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.

As this is his second impeachment, he would be the first American president to face impeachment twice in the nation's history. Aside from Trump, two other presidents have already been impeached but were never convicted.

Previous impeachments were of Presidents Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. These earlier impeachments took months to arrive at a final vote, as investigations and hearings were held.

Trump's second impeachment, however, only took a week. Here's a look at what could happen in the next few days as the House moves to have a second impeachment for President Trump:

What Exactly Does An Impeachment Mean?

One common misconception that people get when they hear the word "impeachment" is that it only refers to removing a president from office.

But in actuality, it means the House of Representatives brings charges against a president who took part in "high crimes or misdemeanors," an article from Reuters stated.

Related Story: House Democrats Plan Calls on Pence to Invoke 25th Amendment, What Comes Next?

In this case, Democrats accused Trump of inciting "lawless action" during the Capitol siege last week.

Politico noted that the Democrats fear Trump's "worst impulses" in the final week leading up to Inauguration Day, and the ongoing impeachment will become a backdrop for any attempt from Trump to pardon himself or his supporters for the riot.

Can the House Move Quickly to Have the Second Impeachment?

The House majority can hold the impeachment process. However, it deems fit since the U.S. Constitution grants them the "sole Power of Impeachment."

As Vox explained, it's all up to Congress to decide what would matter during the impeachment proceedings. While Congress opted for speedy options in holding impeachments in the past, they do have one precedent for moving quickly this time.

In 1868, President Johnson was impeached just three days after violating the Tenure of Office Act. Impeachment articles on this proceeding didn't even get finalized until after Johnson was impeached.

If the House's majority and leadership decide to move quickly, it could be done, and it appears this is what they are planning to do this week.

Do Republicans Support the Second Impeachment for Trump?

Once the House has finalized the impeachment, articles and evidence would be sent to the Senate, where final votes would be cast on whether to convict or acquit.

The Senate seemed to be mum on holding a trial to convict Trump, but Democrats still think their action will send an important message to the country, reported Denver Post.

For now, the Republican-led Senate is not expected to hold a trial. A two-thirds majority of the Senate is needed to convict Trump before President-elect Joe Biden's swearing-in.

Read also: Trump: 25th Amendment 'Zero Risk to Me' But Will 'Come Back to Haunt Biden'

But so far, dozens of House Republicans are considering support for the Democratic move, noted Politico. Before the House started the impeachment, House GOP Conference Chair Liz Cheney announced she would vote to impeach Trump, alongside other GOP members, Reps. John Katko and Adam Kinzinger.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell also said that Trump's actions from last week could qualify him for office removal.

Can Senate Vote on Second Impeachment If Trump's No Longer President?

Even though McConnell hinted that he might be open to ousting Trump, he also said the Senate wouldn't be ready to take out the House's articles until January 19, when they return to session.

Trump's legal defenders argued that by then, the impeachment would be held against a private citizen of the country or people who are not meant to face impeachment.

But the Constitution also allows the Senate to impose a sentence that isn't limited to removal from office. As pointed out by others, a convicted president would be barred from holding any federal office ever again, preventing Trump from running for president again in 2024.

A conviction from the Senate could also strip Trump's post-presidential salary and other perks of being a former president.
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A Superior Court judge on Tuesday ruled that a motion to dismiss an Elizabeth cops insurance fraud indictment was moot since the prosecutor on the case sought a new indictment from a grand jury after the judge called the prosecutions work on the first one sloppy.

Alana Velazquez, who became a police officer in 2010, was charged in 2017 with insurance fraud, theft by deception, and three counts of uttering a forged document. Her criminal charges came about a year after she filed suit against the Elizabeth Police Department claiming racial discrimination.

The Union County Prosecutors Office accused her of using her supplemental AFLAC insurance to receive $8,600 for an on-duty injury, but the policy did not cover on-the-job-injuries.

Velazquezs attorney, Joshua McMahon, asked Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh in October to dismiss the 2017 indictment. McMahon argued Union County Assistant Prosecutor Robert Rosenthal did not explain to the grand jury that her policy could have covered on-the-job injuries, which might have led them to decide Velazquez simply misunderstood her policy.

Rosenthal requested a grand jury hear a new, superseding indictment in November, about a month after questions arose in the Elizabeth courtroom regarding whether he knowingly redacted information about Velazquezs policy when presenting it to the grand jury about three years ago.

Superior Court Judge Lisa Miralles Walsh said on Tuesday that another motion could be filed to dismiss the new indictment. The grand jury again chose to indict and the charges appear to be the same as last time, Velazquezs attorney said.

This court cannot dismiss an indictment for which there exists no motion challenging it and speculate as to what the 2020 indictment may contain, Walsh said. Because I have no idea what was said to that grand jury.

The grand jury process is generally private and serves as a way to make sure a person is rightfully charged with a crime before it proceeds to trial. Its unclear what new or differing information the prosecutor presented to the grand jury due to the private nature of the proceeding.

The Union County Prosecutors Office declined to comment on the judges decision. McMahon said he and his client hoped the judge would not tolerate the prosecutor to continue to produce demonstrably false evidence to the Court for the purpose of retaliating against an innocent Black woman because she dared to stand up to a racist, misogynist bigot.

The grand jury, Walsh said in October while hearing oral arguments, might have decided that Velazquez was confused instead of knowingly engaging in insurance fraud if they had known that she possibly checked the wrong box on a policy that could have covered injuries while both on and off duty.

Rosenthal, the prosecutor, argued in October that it ultimately did not matter if that information was presented to the grand jury. Although Velazquezs policy gave the option for customers to have their coverage apply to on or off-duty injuries, Rosenthal said she did not check the boxes saying she wanted coverage for both.

Coverage for both on and off-duty injuries usually comes with a higher fee. Rosenthal was also unsure at the time if he had redacted policy numbers that could have shown the policy covered both types of injuries since there are thousands of pages of discovery.

Velazquez, meanwhile, sued the city and her police department in 2016, about a year before she was criminally charged. She claimed former Elizabeth Police Director James Cosgrove manipulated her workers compensation records to take her off the program and have her return to work after knee surgery for a work-related injury.

Valazquez, who is Black, also claimed she was discriminated against based on her race. She claimed she was almost not hired because a superior thought her bad credit might tempt her to steal the money or jewelry she may come in contact with.

Cosgrove did, however, pull Valazquezs file and insisted she be hired, her suit said. He would go on to resign after it was found he used racist and sexist slurs to refer to employees.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.
Highlights BSNL has started providing 4G service in Bilaspur and Korba cities of Chhattisgarh.

As per reports, 12 companies have purchased the Expression of Interest document, issued by BSNL.

The document asserts that the core for the source code of the software has to be indigenous.

Government-owned telco Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has started providing 4G service in Bilaspur and Korba cities of Chhattisgarh. The telco is likely to expand its 4G service to the rest of the state and eventually plans to do so all over India. In early 2021, the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) allotted BSNL fresh Pan India liberalised spectrum. The DoT released the notice inviting applications (NIA) for Spectrum Auction 2021 which will be held in March.

The development was tweeted by the BSNL Chhattisgarh account and first reported by Telecom Talk. Sources told Financial Express that 12 companies have purchased the expression of interest (EoI) document, issued by BSNL. The Indian companies include Tejas Network, ITI, Larsen & Toubro, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Sterlite Technologies and HFCL. Global companies including Ericsson, Huawei, ZTE, Nokia and Mavenir Systems have also purchased the document which reportedly asserts that the core for the source code of the software has to be indigenous.

As per the document, the core shall be Indian and the IPR or licence, copyright for the source code of the software should be owned by an Indian company, and it must have unrestricted, irrevocable access and licence to modify the source code and provide software support for all future versions of the software. The global firms can bid for radio networks like base tower stations (BTS) and need to deposit their source code in an escrow account.



The auction process will include the 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz bands. DoT has put 2251.25 MHz spectrum with a total valuation of Rs 3,92,332.70 crores to auction. BSNL has been allotted an additional block of 5 MHz in the 2100 MHz band in 20 telecom circles, including Mumbai but excluding Delhi and Rajasthan. It has been allotted a 5 MHz block in the 850 MHz band in Rajasthan and a 10 MHz block in the 1800 MHz band in Delhi circle with a 20 years validity up to 2040, Only Tech reported.

Further, Vodafone Idea, which was freshly rebranded as Vi announced that it has successfully re-farmed the 3G spectrum to 4G across 11 cities in Gujarat, including Ahmedabad, Anand, Bhavnagar, Gandhidham, Gandhinagar, Jamnagar, Morbi Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara, Vapi enhancing Giganet 4G capacities in these areas. It has already finished the refarming process in Mumbai and Delhi.




Star Wars just wouldnt feel the same without the commanding voice of James Earl Jones. The celebrated actor never appears onscreen in the blockbuster franchise, but his presence dominates the story through his role as the voice of Darth Vader. Joness impact on the series was so significant, that Disney brought him back for small roles in Rogue One and Star Wars: Rebels, rather than recasting.

Despite all this future success, Jones struggled to find his voice early in life. As a child growing up in Michigan, the actor developed a major stutter that took a toll on his self-confidence.

The voice of the biggest Star Wars villain was forged with poetry

James Earl Jones at the 2017 Tony Awards. | Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions

RELATED: Star Wars: Mark Hamill on Whats Wrong With The Phantom Menace

Jones was born in Mississippi, but he soon moved to Michigan and was primarily raised by his maternal grandparents. From a young age, he grappled with a stutter that left him mostly mute for nearly eight years, according to the Stuttering Foundation.

As a small child, I would communicate to my family, or at least those who didnt mind being embarrassed by my stutter or my being embarrassed, Jones told The Daily Mail. I did communicate with the animals quite freely, but then thats calling the hogs, the cows, the chickens. They dont care how you sound, they just want to hear your voice.

Jones also recalled being mocked by fellow students at Sunday school when he attempted to read aloud during class. This bullying led him to almost give up on normal speaking once he started attending normal schools.

He overcame his stutter with the help of a high school teacher

Luke Skywalker faces his destiny on Bespin in this powerful artwork by the legendary artist Ralph McQuarrie. #ESB40 pic.twitter.com/a5VmbDL5Kb  Star Wars (@starwars) January 11, 2021

RELATED: This Is Why James Earl Jones Reprised His Role As Mufasa In The Lion King Remake

Jones largely accredits his breakthrough to one of his high school English teachers, Mr. Crouch. At the time, Jones had begun writing poetry, and the teacher saw a way to use this budding hobby to encourage his student to push through his difficulties with speech.

I had started writing poetry in high school and he said of one of them, Jim, this is a good poem,' Jones explained. In fact, it is so good I dont think you wrote it. I think you plagiarized it. If you want to prove you wrote it, you must stand in front of the class and recite it by memory. Which I did. As they were my own words, I got through it.

Near the end of his high school education, Joness progress with his stutter was far enough along that he took on electives for dramatic reading and debate, according to Carolina Pediatric Therapy. These programs were no doubt instrumental in leading the future Star Wars icon down the path to becoming the beloved performer he is today.

Even years later, however, Jones has been unwilling to say that he was ever cured of his stutter, telling NPR that it never fully goes away.

I dont say I was cured,' Jones said. I just work with it.
[January 13, 2021] Extensive Range of RS PRO Handheld T&M Instruments Now Available in Australia and New Zealand

SYDNEY, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RS Components , a trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers, now offers in Australia and New Zealand an extensive range of RS PRO handheld test and measurement instruments for engineers and technicians on-the-go. The range includes devices that allow accurate and ergonomic measurements and calibration such as handheld digital multimeters, hygrometers, waveform generators, and all the necessary accessories. Creating an electronic waveform measurement is essential in many areas, including for research, development, and medical uses. The RS PRO Arbitrary Waveform Generator offers a blend of analog and digital features, including a maximum bandwidth of up to 30 MHz, 150 MSa/s sampling rate and 14-bit vertical resolution. Its innovative EasyPulse and TrueArb technique helps address weaknesses inherent in traditional direct digital synthesiser generators. These features enable users to achieve a variety of high fidelity or low jitter signals, all while meeting ever-evolving requirements of a wide range of complex and varied applications. The RS PRO handheld T&M instrument range also includes the RS PRO Hygrometer , a compact device equipped with a high accuracy temperature and humidity sensor, making it ideal for monitoring and collecting a range of data, from environmental temperatures to humidity. The RS PRO Digital Multimeter is a useful instrument for measuring capacitance, voltage, electrical current, and resistance and features a diode and continuity check.



"Users can be assured that RS PRO devices and equipment have undergone high-calibre compliance and testing to ensure quality, durability, and consistency. All RS PRO handheld T&M instruments and product ranges come with the RS PRO Seal of Approval," says Scott Philbrook, Interim Managing Director, Australia & New Zealand, RS Components. The RS PRO handheld T&M equipment range is shipping now from RS in Australia and New Zealand .

About RS Components RS Components is a trading brand of Electrocomponents plc, a global omni-channel solutions partner for industrial customers and suppliers who are involved in designing, building or maintaining industrial equipment and facilities. We aim to offer our customers unrivalled choice of product technologies, solve problems with innovative solutions and deliver a world-class customer experience, making it easy to do business with us. We stock more than 500,000 industrial and electronic products, sourced from over 2,500 leading suppliers. We solve problems and provide a wide range of value-added solutions to over one million customers. With operations in 32 countries, we trade through multiple channels and ship over 50,000 parcels a day. Electrocomponents plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2020 reported revenue of GBP1.95 billion. Electrocomponents plc has six operating brands; RS Components, Allied Electronics & Automation, RS PRO, OKdo, DesignSpark and IESA. Further information is available via these links:

Twitter: @RSComponents; @designsparkRS

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components RS Components

https://au.rs-online.com/web/ DesignSpark

www.rs-online.com/designspark Electrocomponents plc

www.electrocomponents.com SOURCE RS Components

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New Delhi, Jan 13 : To up your style quotient, Nykaa Fashion, the multi-brand fashion e-commerce platform, has announced its first 'brick and mortar' store at the bustling Ambience Mall in New Delhi.

From a range of categories -- lounge wear, cocktail wear, work wear, accessories, and Indian designs, among others, Nykaa Fashion store should be your go to fashion destination.

Commenting on the launch, Nykaa Fashion CEO Adwaita Nayar, said, "India's style capital New Delhi is one of the key markets for Nykaa Fashion, making it the perfect choice for our first store location. Excited by all the love we have received on our e-commerce portal, it was time we extended the seamless shopping experience in a more personal way, and here we are at the Ambience Mall. Nykaa Fashion prides itself in style-led curation and our aim is to offer our customers the perfect mix of on-trend and classic styles from a variety of established, emerging and newly discovered labels at the right price." It was a breath of fresh air when Nykaa Fashion was launched in 2018. The multi-brand fashion e-commerce platform focuses on premiumization and curation to drive discovery across categories like high street labels, luxury pret, kids wear, lounge wear and 'Vocal for Local' labels. The offline expansion would make the quintessential Nykaa Fashion experience available in an Omni channel format to fashion inclined consumers across the country.

Where: Nykaa Fashion, Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi (IANSlife can be contacted at ianslife@ians.in)
A transportation worker from New York who called out sick in order to take part in the Capitol riots appeared before a judge in White Plains on Wednesday on federal charges.

Will Pepe, 31, has been suspended from his job at Metro-North's Brewster rail yard in upstate New York, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) said they are intending to fire him.

Pepe, 31, from Beacon, New York, was arrested on Tuesday and has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building.

He faces a year in jail if convicted of the felony offense.

If it is found that he used or carried a deadly weapon or firearm at the time, he could face 10 years.

Will Pepe, 31, is pictured leaving federal court in White Plains, New York, on Wednesday

Pepe, from Beacon, New York, was arrested on Tuesday and faces a year in prison if convicted

Metro North employee Will Pepe, 31, was recognized by both colleagues and management from a photo distributed by law enforcement. He has since been suspended from the MTA

A federal magistrate judge, Judith C. McCarthy, released Pepe on a $10,000 bond on Wednesday, ordering that he abide by a nighttime curfew, wear a GPS monitoring device and surrender his shotgun and hunting knife to the authorities.

Pepe was 'restricted from traveling to the District of Columbia for any purpose whatsoever,' except for any required in-person court hearing, the judge said.

He had been with the MTA for seven years earning $73,000-a-year, but decided to call out sick to head to the event which in itself is a 'false use of sick leave'.

The MTA said they were seeking to fire him.

'Those who attacked that symbol of American democracy disqualified themselves from working for the people of New York,' a spokesman for the authority said in a statement

MTA spokesman Ken Lovett in a statement: 'Effective immediately this individual has been suspended from Metro-North without pay and will be disciplined in accordance with their collective bargaining agreement pending an investigation.

'This alleged conduct is abhorrent and goes against the values of Metro-North, New York and the nation.'

His union representative said they were 'disappointed' in his behavior.

'We had no knowledge of this individual's participation in the events of that day, and we are disappointed that anyone would engage in that type of conduct,' said Dean Davita, a rep for Local 30 of the International Union of Operating Engineers.

Pepe is among hundreds of alleged rioters now under investigation for their involvement in Wednesday's insurrection.

Pepe was ordered to hand over his shotgun and avoid the Washington DC area

The New Yorker did not speak as he left court in White Plains Wednesday after his arraignment

Pepe, 31, from Beacon, New York, had been with the MTA for seven years earning $73,000-a-year

So far more than 80 people have been arrested in total and 55 are being pursued on federal charges.

On Tuesday the Justice Department said 170 case files had been opened about individuals involved in the riots.

Dozens more remain free and the FBI is scrambling to catch them with public appeals for help and rewards for information after Wednesday's disastrous attempts by law enforcement to control the crowd.

Their failure to arrest the rioters - many of whom had guns and overpowered them - has outraged millions of Americans who compared the soft touch to the harsh crackdown by police on BLM protesters during the summer.

So far more than 80 people have been arrested in total and 55 are being pursued on federal charges. File photo of protestors on the second floor of the Capitol
Star Fades International will provide wash and finishing services to its customer base of large international retailers to speciality premium labels

Pakistani denim manufacturer Artistic Milliners has acquired a denim factory in California to provide new near-shoring capacity for its customers, and plans to invest in the facility to grow the business into a design and production hub.

Under the new name of Star Fades International (SFI), the facility, which is based in the city of Commerce in southeast Los Angeles, will continue to provide wash and finishing services to its customer base of large international retailers to speciality premium labels.

Murtaza Ahmed, founder at SFI and executive director at Artistic Milliners, said the acquisition gives the firm a strategic foothold in the US, a region, with significant geographic and demographic advantages. It accelerates the company's speed-to-market capabilities while providing design-at-source at a time when businesses have curtailed travel during Covid-19 pandemic.

He added the company is anticipating increased demand from international retailers and brands for near-shoring capacity, digital design services and sustainable solutions.

The facility offers a range of wet and dry processing capabilities as well as sustainable finishing technologies including lasers, e-flow and ozone machines to create authentic and innovative finishes while reducing the amount of water and chemicals used in a typical denim laundry.

SFI is currently able to process 100,00 units per month and plans are underway to increase that capacity to 300,000.

Omer Ahmed, CEO of Artistic Milliners, described the acquisition as a "major leap" in the group's evolution as a truly global denim company as it adds "multiple dimensions to its operating model."

"Not only does it give our brand partners a US-based manufacturing option but it also serves as a nucleus for co-creation and collaboration from fibre to garment at a scale and depth never witnessed before in our industry."

Artistic Milliners has also hired additional personnel and plans to invest in the business to help position SFI is a one-stop-shop solution for domestic and international denim brands and retailers.

The firm was congratulated in a tweet by advisor to the Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment, Abdul Razak Dawood, who said the move increased Pakistan's market share in the US.

It is with great interest that I read that Artistic Milliners has acquired a manufacturing facility in California. Our local companies should acquire overseas companies and brands, through proper channel, as it increases outreach in the global market and...1/2 pic.twitter.com/14t713ddff  Abdul Razak Dawood (@razak_dawood) January 13, 2021
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COLUMBUS, Ohio  The state law that dictates training requirements for special police officers, security guards and others armed with guns while on duty at school doesnt apply to teachers and staff who receive permission to carry weapons, an attorney for a Southwest Ohio school district argued Tuesday before the Ohio Supreme Court.

The teacher that is armed is there to provide a backstop for the protection of staff, argued attorney Matt Blickensderfer, who is representing the Madison Local School District Board of Education in Middletown, in Butler County. He argued that is different from a school police officer on duty specifically to provide safety.

But that position is disputed by five parents. Through a series of appeals, the case came before the Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday, its first day of oral arguments in 2021. Tuesday was also the first day newly elected Justice Jennifer Brunner presided over a case after she was sworn in last week.

The parents who disagree with the districts position argue the law makes it clear that people who are employed by the district are also subject to the training requirements that cops must undergo.

The case has drawn statewide interest. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 15 school boards filed friend-of-the-court briefs in favor of the Madison district. The Fraternal Order of Police, Ohio Education Association, Ohio Federation of Teachers and the cities of Cincinnati and Columbus have filed briefs supporting the parents arguments.

The law in dispute

Since school zones prohibit deadly weapons, its the exceptions to it that were up for debate. The law at the core of the dispute states that no Ohio educational institution can employ someone as a special police officer, security guard, or other position in which such person goes armed while on duty unless the person completes an approved basic peace officer training course or has 20 years of active duty as a police officer.

But what does position in which such person goes armed while on duty mean?

Justices engaged in a lively exchange with attorneys.

The algebra teacher with a weapon on their person is there to secure the safety of the students and coworkers, Chief Justice Maureen OConnor said, asking Blickensderfer how that is different from a school cops responsibilities.

In a literal sense, absolutely, Chief Justice, he replied.

Not every school has a security guard or a special police officer, OConnor then asked. Is that correct?

Thats correct, Blickensderfer replied.

OK. So in many, many schools of Ohio, our algebra teacher that is armed is the security on site, OConnor said.  How is that algebra teacher not a person in an other position in which such person goes armed while on duty?

Blickensderfer argued that the phrase shouldnt be read separately from the words before it, which specifically mention special police officers and security guards.

In our view, its intended to be a residual clause to take care of nomenclature issues, he said. For instance, schools hire employees called school resource officers.

It could also cover other positions, Blickensderfer argued. Say, for instance, a school district hired someone with a title of supervisor of safety. But the legislature never intended for that phrase to include teachers and staff, he said.

Current policy

The Madison district argues that because the state law doesnt have requirements for armed staff, it is allowed to make its own policy.

It provides written authorization to staff to carry a concealed firearm if they have a valid concealed handgun license, complete at least 24 hours of active-shooter response training and obtain a handgun qualification certificate. Authorized staff must also pass a mental health exam, a criminal background check and an annual drug screening.

Justice Sharon Kennedy pushed back on OConnors argument about the algebra teacher who becomes a security officer when authorized to carry a handgun.

Youre not changing their role, Kennedy said. Theyre not a security officer, theyre just a concealed carry permit holder that is now not subject to a criminal charge (of carrying a gun in a school zone) because the school board has authorized this permit holder with additional training to bring their gun into the school.

Rachel Bloomekatz, an attorney representing the parents, however, argued the law makes it clear that that the legislature meant all school employees when it used the phrase other position in which such a person goes armed while on duty.

We just had a lot of discussion about specific duties of individuals: Do they have to respond or not? What is their job title? How much of their time must they be providing security? she said.  The statute, by its plain text, is not limited to just security positions, or similar or full-time security positions, or positions requiring you to go armed. It just says other positions.

Arguments lasted about 80 minutes, and the court will come out with its opinion in coming months.

Other coverage:

Ohio reports 7,892 new coronavirus cases, 75 deaths: Monday update

Gov. Mike DeWine says Trumps words inflamed mob, but still supports him: Capitol Letter

Gov. Mike DeWine lays out details for 1B coronavirus vaccinations; announces doctors, local health departments, hospitals, pharmacies and others will give shots
In a joint press conference at the Georgia Capitol, Governor Brian Kemp, Major General Thomas Carden, Adjutant General of the Georgia Department of Defense; and Colonel Chris Wright, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety (DPS), addressed security concerns following the events that occurred at the United States Capitol last week.

The Department of Public Safety continues to monitor protest activity and to evaluate security measures on Capitol Hill. We have a strategic plan to provide a safe and secure environment at the Capitol. As always, we will continue to support those who wish to exercise their First Amendment rights in a peaceful manner. However, we will not tolerate any unlawful behavior or threats of violence or damage to state property. We are prepared to respond in the appropriate manner as we have always done in the past, said Colonel Wright. In addition, Colonel Wright stressed that persons who act with disregard for the laws of this state will be dealt with swiftly and accordingly. As always, we will continue to support those who wish to exercise their First Amendment rights in a peaceful manner. However, we will not tolerate any unlawful behavior or threats of violence or damage to state property. We are prepared to respond in the appropriate manner as we have always done in the past, said Colonel Wright. In addition, Colonel Wright stressed that persons who act with disregard for the laws of this state will be dealt with swiftly and accordingly.

DPS encourages everyone to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately to the nearest law enforcement officer. If you see something, say something. The Capitol Police Division Emergency Dispatch can be contacted at (404) 624-7281.

Report suspicious activity, threats, or criminal concerns to the GBI-GISAC 24/7 Watch Desk via the See Something Send Something mobile witness app, submit online to

submit-tips-online

or call 1-800-597-TIPS.
While much of America watched a mob of Trump supporters overrun police and break into the halls of Congress Wednesday afternoon, members of the far right chatted up an imaginary narrative of what was really going on.

After weeks of planting the idea, dozens of extremists used social media to promote an idea with no basis in reality  that the people besieging the Capitol were actually far-left agitators disguised as Trump supporters.

The trickle of claims became a flood in a matter of hours. It started in secretive corners of the web such as 4chan, but tweets and articles from more and more mainstream conservative news sites followed. It began spiking around 1 p.m., just after rioters started breaching barriers outside the Capitol. Soon, Fox News personalities were sharing the same speculation that circulated among believers in the discredited QAnon conspiracy theory.

By 10:15 p.m., the false flag story reached the House floor that rioters had invaded earlier in the day. Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida told his shaken colleagues in a speech: They were masquerading as Trump supporters and, in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group antifa.

USA TODAY worked with experts in disinformation and examined a variety of social and news media to trace how one false claim went from the fringe to Washingtons seat of power. The review found predictions of a Jan. 6 disruption by antifa, a loose collection of far-left-leaning anti-fascists who battle the far right, going back as far as December.

The messages came more frequently as the event drew closer. Then, when the mob attacked the Capitol  inviting instant condemnation from virtually all corners  the idea of an antifa false flag operation exploded exponentially.

In fact, the analysis shows, members of Congress were using language parroting extremist groups and platforms just minutes before the siege began. In that case, the false claims alleged massive vote rigging.

Story continues

Extensive reporting by USA TODAY and other media organizations has identified dozens of people who forced their way into the Capitol, all of whom showed in their social media accounts or said in interviews that they were avid Trump supporters. These included Ashli Babbitt, the woman fatally shot by police.

The speed with which the antifa conspiracy theory crystalized Jan. 6 underscores the close alignment in messaging between extremists and some members of the institution that was under attack.

Its kind of shocking how quickly it got to the Congress floor, said Kayla Gogarty, a senior researcher at Media Matters for America who studies misinformation. Pretty much immediately after the insurrection happened, we were seeing claims and images purportedly showing that it was antifa.

Its impossible to establish whether the false flag theory directly spread from one individual to members of Congress or whether, instead, like-minded people had the same idea simultaneously. Conspiracy theorists also claimed left-wing groups were secretly behind the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, that drew white supremacists and turned deadly.

Aug 13, 2017; Charlottesville, VA, USA; 'Unite the Right' rally organizer and white nationalist Jason Kessler speaks to a large crowd gathered at Charlottesville City Hall. Crowd members played loud instruments and yelled as to drown out his voice. Mandatory Credit: Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar via USA TODAY NETWORK ORIG FILE ID: 20170813_lbm_usa_075.JPG

However, some researchers said last Wednesdays chain of intertwined discussions showed a striking progression.

Rhys Leahy, a senior research assistant at George Washington University's Institute for Data, Democracy, and Politics, watched the scene unfold in real time on the social messaging platform Telegram, which draws legions of Trump supporters.

From her home computer, Leahy was monitoring a network of 300 right-wing extremist Telegram channels as Trump called on the crowd to march on the Capitol. She saw mention of antifa jump from a steady stream of a dozen Telegram posts per hour to more than 10 times that. Videos from the scene, purporting to show people wearing antifa symbols, were coming from dozens of accounts, she said.

By 7 p.m., Fox hosts Lou Dobbs, Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham were repeating the false claim that antifa agitators were storming the Capitol, booking guests like Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who spread the rumor on national television.

Then, a few hours later, we heard in Congress representatives repeating it, Leahy said.

Seeing how that moves through the information ecosystem from these very fringe conspiracy sites on Telegram or 8chan or 8kun or 4chan to being in the halls of Congress within hours, while its still under attack: Its crazy and its disturbing."

Long before people gathered for the presidents Wednesday speech in Washington, Trump supporters shared rumors the event would be infiltrated by antifa, the confrontational anti-fascist collective of left-wing activists who often clash with police and conservative demonstrators.

Weve seen the same rhetoric around antifa before, Gogarty said. The right has cast them as the boogeyman. Its easy to point the finger at them.

On Dec. 31, a Parler user posted a message, since viewed some 74,000 times, claiming that antifa would be at the Jan. 6 march in Washington wearing MAGA hats backward so as to recognize one another. The Parler post included a photograph of a Nov. 10 tweet with the claim, suggesting the same antifa-in-disguise ruse had been used in the past.

On Jan. 4, a 4chan user wrote, Only violence will come from antifa." Another wrote, Man says DC police are escorting antifa into DC. On Jan. 5, a 4chan user wrote, Obvious antifa posing as Trump Supporters. Another wrote, antifa dresses as trump supporters and proud boys.

The claims continued as the riot gained steam on Wednesday. A 4chan user wrote, those are probably disguised antifa at 1:22 p.m., as protesters reached the Capitol building and the confrontation with police began. I see ANTIFA! wrote another at 1:47 p.m.

It quickly escalated.

Between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., the number of Parler posts mentioning antifa on Parler jumped from 800 per hour to 3,000 per hour, a USA TODAY analysis of data from the Social Media Analysis Toolkit found. On 4chan, a message board known for extreme content, the term antifa peaked at nearly 400 mentions per hour at 1 p.m., suggesting the discussion then jumped from 4chan to Parler or other platforms as the pro-Trump crowd approached the Capitol.

At 2:27 p.m., a Parler user shared, Anyone suspect antifa/BLM are disguised as them? Around the same time, @PatriotImmigrant24 wrote on Parler, How do you know who these people are? Be careful what information you are spreading as #antifa has already said they will be dressed as Trump supporters today.

A minute later, @intheMatrixxx, an influential QAnon supporter now suspended from Twitter, shared a video of the mob with the claim, #antifa wearing #maga hats Protestors have entered the Capitol. It racked up more than 1,200 retweets.

At 2:36 p.m., the tweet was shared on Parler and, from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Parler carried 7,300 mentions of antifa, up from 2,000 the hour before.

On Twitter, the antifa claim was also spreading widely, cementing itself in right-wing media.

At 3:05 p.m. the theory started reaching a truly wide audience. Ingraham, from Fox News, tweeted a video of rioters: These vandals look like they could be straight out of Portland or Seattle, alluding to two antifa strongholds. The thought racked up 4,000 retweets and 11,000 likes. Ingraham also brought up the claim on her television show later that night.

The assertions kept echoing at a rapid pace.

At 3:21 p.m., user @SOPDN1 shared photos in a post thats since been deleted of the rioters inside the Capitol with the message, Coordinated antifa theater, gaining more than 2,500 retweets including from conservative journalist Melissa Mackenzie, who shared it with her 56,000 followers.

At 3:24 p.m., the Daily Wires Candace Owens tweeted, Call it a hunch, but my guess is there are still ANTIFA thugs in the mix, which was shared more than 30,000 times.

And at 5:02 p.m., conservative author Paul Sperry tweeted that a source had told him at least 1 bus load of antifa thugs infiltrated peaceful Trump demonstrators, gaining nearly 67,000 retweets. Sperrys claim was soon picked up by right-wing news source Gateway Pundit.

Then, shortly before 10 p.m., Brooks, the Alabama congressman, shared a link to a now-corrected article from the conservative-leaning Washington Times. The story quoted an unnamed, retired military officer saying a facial recognition firm had identified two antifa activists from news footage of the Capitol mob. The newspaper subsequently apologized to the company and, in a correction, said it did not identify any antifa members.

Gaetz also shared the antifa claim in his Twitter timeline. Then Gaetz gave his fiery floor speech about the matter. It was met with groans and incredulity from many in the chamber.

Rep. Jackie Speier of California, a Democrat, said in an email to USA TODAY that Brooks words were an effort to spread misinformation and try to blame others for the assault on our government. She called it deplorable.

Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., objects to confirming the Electoral College votes from Nevada during a joint session of the House and Senate to confirm the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol, early Thursday, Jan 7, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) ORG XMIT: DCAH352

Until Congressman Brooks, Gaetz and the rest of them accept the truth and correct their lies, we will continue to face the death spiral of democracy as described by Sen. McConnell, said Speier, referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnells speech Wednesday denouncing lawmakers efforts to reject state electoral votes.

Gaetz's and Brooks' offices did not respond to a request for comment.

In the very moments before the siege began, some lawmakers espoused beliefs prevalent in extremist circles since the election.

The business of the day was whether to accept the presidential electoral votes presented by all 50 states. Ordinarily its a formality, but significant numbers of House members and a handful of senators threatened to object, citing fraud allegations by Trump supporters.

Just before the House chamber was evacuated, Rep. Paul Gosar, Republican of Arizona, was talking about one particular conspiracy theory: that voting systems made by the software company Dominion had been hacked to change votes. Gosar told the House around 2:15 p.m. that he had been given no access to the Dominion voting machines with a documented history of enabling fraud through its now discredited adjudication system, a system that literally allows one person to change tens of thousands of votes in mere minutes.

In the first week of January, Dominion was highly popular on both Parler and Telegram, according to data reviewed by USA TODAY and collected by researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland. The term often appeared with messages contesting the outcome of the Georgia runoff as well as the general election.

The discussion had its beginnings on fringe media in the days just following the election, when mentions of Dominion reached a high point.

Dominion is now suing Sidney Powell, a lawyer who worked on Trumps post-election lawsuits, alleging defamation.

Attorney Sidney Powell speaks during a rally on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020, in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Weve seen this happen again and again, honestly, where the misinformation starts on these fringe platforms and makes it all the way to representatives or Trump, said Gogarty, the Media Matters researcher. Dominion kind of followed the same trajectory as a lot of the other election misinformation, where it quickly spread from fringe platforms and Facebook groups. Then far-right media personalities picked it up, and then quickly it got to Trumps team.

But misinformation and conspiracy theories dont always travel in a straight line that ends with Congress or President Trump repeating a claim, Gogarty explains.

Its also a big feedback loop, she said. Trump and some of the GOP and Trumps lawyers will put out little nuggets thatll get picked up by right-wing media that will start spreading within social media.

That affirmation from politicians and public figures strengthens the claim, Gogarty said in turn vindicating those on the fringes to continue creating and reseeding these conspiracy theories and narratives.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How antifa conspiracy theory traveled from fringe to floor of Congress
The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) on Wednesday upheld the Government's referral to the law on the correction of the state social insurance budget for 2020, establishing that the normative act is unconstitutional, sources from the CCR told AGERPRES.

In mid-October last year, the Executive referred the matter to the CCR for the purpose of exercising the prior constitutional review of the Law for the approval of OUG 136/2020 - the correction of the state social insurance budget for 2020.

The Executive argued in its referral to the CCR that Parliament had ignored the predictability requirements of the law and the prospects for the evolution of the situation of the consolidated budget and the general economy, with the consequence of affecting the principle of legal security.

"The distortion of budgetary construction, by introducing expenditure without a real basis in the level of revenue, has as its end economic degradation, with negative impact on the standard of living of all citizens, including the presumed beneficiaries of these expenditures. At the same time, the management of the current economic context requires a realistic reporting on the international economic situation caused by the pandemic and maximum caution in maintaining budgetary balances for the benefit of all citizens," the Government said.
In 2020, homicides increased by 35 percent from 2019 across the 50 largest urban areas, reaching levels in many cities not seen for more than 20 years. Some in the media suggest the spike is simply another downside of the pandemic. But this would appear to gloss over the likely link to unintended consequences of the nationwide demonstrations after George Floyds death in the custody of Minneapolis police.

Conservatives have offered two explanations. First, they contend that, across many cities, police departments reacted after Floyds death by pulling back from proactive initiatives. Analyzing past crime data, Tanaya Devi and Roland Fryer identified cities that had a viral episode of lethal police force. They estimated that, as a result of the reduction of proactive policing, there were over 900 excess deaths. Second, conservatives claim that many violent felons quickly return to the streets because of recent decriminalization and bail-reform initiatives. In Philadelphia, first-time offenders caught with an illegal gun are charged with a misdemeanor, and even a second offense can be pleaded down to another misdemeanor.

This past years homicide data seem consistent with these claims. The three cities with particularly high increases were Milwaukee (96 percent), Louisville (78 percent), and Minneapolis (72 percent). These were the sites of the three most publicized cases of police misconduct. Another group  Seattle (68 percent), Memphis (58 percent), and Atlanta (55 percent)  also had viral incidents. Aggressive criminal-justice-reform initiatives in Chicago (55 percent), New York (41 percent), and Philadelphia (41 percent) may explain their above-average increases.

In some of these cities, its important to note the role of the sustained nationwide urban demonstrations after Floyds death. Nightly demonstrations went on for weeks. And these demonstrations were re-energized by the subsequent shooting of Jacob Blake and the emergence of evidence concerning the Breonna Taylor killing.

Story continues

Protesters were motivated by a deep concern for social justice. However, the length and severity of the demonstrations went beyond what was politically warranted because of the personal needs of their participants: namely, a search for community for many white youth. The persistence of their actions fueled an environment that intensified black anger, particularly among young men. After witnessing the video that showed Jacob Blake being killed in front of his three youngest children, LeBron James gave an emotional interview. And I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America. Black men, Black women, Black kids, we are terrified, he said. His explanation for police actions was telling:

You have no idea how that cop that day left the house. You dont know if he woke up on this side of the bed, you dont know if he woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you dont know if he had an argument at home with his significant other, you dont know if one of his kids said something to him and he left the house steaming.

If James believes that these everyday experiences can cause police officers to act violently, how would you expect disconnected, disillusioned young black men to respond to the daily demonstrations, or to the media dwelling on white supremacy? How do you think their increased anger played out on the streets?

In 2010, more than 70 percent of the black residents of Americas poorest neighborhoods were the children and grandchildren of people who lived in similar neighborhoods 40 years earlier. Cornel West has argued that anti-social behaviors under the weight of this intergenerational deprivation reflect the monumental eclipse of hope, the unprecedented collapse of meaning, the incredible disregard for human (especially black) life and property in much of black America.

Ta-Nehisi Coates has highlighted violent reactions to even trivial conflicts. In the first pages of his memoir The Beautiful Struggle, he described such violence as being as meaningless as it was terrifying. Coates noted, Conflicts bloomed from a minor remark or misstep, and once in motion everyone stayed cocked and on alert. In Between the World and Me, Coates presents a riveting account of the time a boy with small eyes pointed a gun at him for no apparent reason: I remember being amazed that death could so easily rise up from the nothing of a boyish afternoon, billow up like the fog. Considered in the context of such observations, it is reasonable to conclude that the current homicide spike was not simply a response to policing and criminal-justice-reform policies but also substantially fueled by the pent-up anger unleashed by the persistent demonstrations.

So what can be done about this seething anger, this sense of hopelessness among black youth who are separated from family, religious institutions, and steady employment? The dominant approach has been to shy away from holding them responsible for their actions, lest we blame the victims. Instead, social-justice advocates fill them with victimization rhetoric that, however well intended, just feeds into their despair and anger.

Cornel West has condemned those who consider personal responsibility an important component of black advancement. He has written, for example:

What is particularly naive and peculiarly vicious about the conservative behavioral outlook is that it tends to deny the lingering effect of black history. . . . In this way, crucial and indispensable themes of self-help and personal responsibility are wrenched out of historical context and contemporary circumstancesas if it is all a matter of personal will.

But this attitude denies the possibility that the system or individuals are capable of self-correction. In fact, there are policies that can make a difference. President-elect Joe Biden should demand, for example, that cities reinstitute meaningful penalties for illegal gun possession. Increased leniency has only worsened the situation. Why should residents inform on those who commit crimes or possess illegal guns when they will be released without bail and face only misdemeanors, for which they will receive suspended sentences? Such leniency can only breed arrogance and invincibility in some offenders. Reinstating effective judicial measures would more accurately balance compassion with the rule of law. It would also be more consistent with the majority of black Americans who desire the same or more policing in their neighborhoods, not less. Only then can communities overcome senseless violence.

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Guest Viewpoint

A Day in the Life of an Assistant Superintendent During Distance Learning

Heres how a district leader stays connected with her community, her students and herself.

Every day, I work with teachers, principals, local business owners and the School Board of Education to ensure that Lompoc Unified School District provides the best possible education for its students. As an assistant superintendent, I coordinate with each of these stakeholders  and everyone in between  granting me a broad perspective and the opportunity to illustrate how a district keeps the lights on.

I cant speak for all educators or administrators, but in the following paragraphs, Ive distilled my common experiences into a 24-hour snapshot of my work, offering you what I believe is an accurate peek at a day in the life of an assistant superintendent.

Now, the day begins.

Morning

I start my morning by sending a district-wide message called the Daily Bright Spot, highlighting various innovative, student-centered activities occurring across the district. The Daily Bright Spot goes to all of our employees, as well as our school board members, giving them a glimpse of some of the great things happening in our community and hopefully brightening their days  something we recognized needed to be supplemented after losing in-person instruction last March.

During this mornings Daily Bright Spot, for example, my colleagues and I were able to watch one of our kindergarten classs recent trips to a local fire station. As the virtual tour proceeded, the station actually received a call, so the kids got to witness the firefighters quickly suiting up and leaving the station in their engine, sirens wailing, to go assist the public.

After the Daily Bright Spot is sent out, I pop virtually into a variety of classrooms to watch these innovations play out live and select highlights to share in future Daily Bright Spots as the week progresses.

We have principal meetings next, where we connect with our principals throughout the district and identify the needs of their site staff, as well as their own personal needs, in order to help conduct education at their schools in the best way possible. Informed by this meeting, we typically work with our district staff to review the information and see what we can do as a district to reduce as many barriers as possible.

This week, were focused on preparing our recommendations to the district board concerning reopening for in-person instruction. We are a week and a half into the Red Tier, down from the Purple, as per Californias framework of metrics describing a communitys risk for disease transmission. As determined by the State of California, in-person instruction is allowed to resume after a county has been out of the highest-risk Purple Tier for two weeks.

So, after wrapping up the calls with our principals and district staff, I hop on the phone with The Lompoc Federation of Teachers, a coalition of our 600 certificated non-management staff, including classroom teachers, nurses, speech and language pathologists, and counselors whom weve been working with closely since last spring.

Its wonderful to work with them and easy in the sense that we both have the same top priority of safety. Together, we discuss our presentation for the board, which petitions that the safety of our students and staff remains our priority and encourages that we not let our focus slip due to pandemic exhaustion and how eager we all are to go back to a more traditional model of instruction. We also ask that the board allow us two weeks to prepare for whatever direction they determine.

Mid-Day

About this time I look at the clock and see that the day is almost half over and I should probably eat something, but I still need to note follow-ups from my last call and answer a few emails to keep my insatiable inbox at bay, so lunch typically takes place over the keyboard.
In a major decision aimed at boosting the domestic aerospace industry, India on Wednesday approved a much-awaited deal worth Rs 48,000 crore to procure 83 indigenously-developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas for the Indian Air Force.

The decision to procure the fleet was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

"The CCS chaired by PM Sh.@narendramodi today approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about (Rs) 48,000 crores to strengthen IAF's fleet of homegrown fighter jet 'LCA-Tejas'. This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing," Singh tweeted.

Calling the approval to the proposal by the CCS as a historic decision, the defence minister said Tejas jets are going to be the backbone of the fighter fleet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in years to come.

Around three years back, the Indian Air Force had issued an initial tender for procurement of 83 Tejas aircraft, a four-and-half generation combat jet which is manufactured by the state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The IAF has already inducted a batch of Tejas aircraft as part of its initial order of 40 jets.

In a statement, the defence ministry said the government approved procurement of 73 LCA Tejas of Mk-1A variant and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft at the cost of Rs 45,696 crore along with design and development of infrastructure worth Rs 1,202 crore.

The Tejas Mk-1A will be equipped with active electronically scanned array radar, beyond visual range missile, electronic warfare suite and air-to-air refuelling and would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of the IAF, officials said.

The ministry said the government has also approved infrastructure development by IAF under the project to enable it to handle repairs and servicing at its base depots so that the turnaround time of the aircraft could be reduced and their availability can be increased for "operational exploitation".

"LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50 percent in Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60 percent," Singh said.

The defence minister said that aircraft maker HAL has already set up second-line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru divisions, adding it will ensure timely deliveries of the jets to the IAF.

HAL has already doubled production capacity of Tejas from eight aircraft per year to 16.

Officials said a contract between the IAF and HAL is likely to be signed by March on the mega deal and actual delivery of the aircraft are expected from 2024.

Singh said the Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant, self-sustaining one.

"I thank the Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi for this historic decision taken by the CCS today, " the defence minister said.

The defence ministry said combat aircraft has an indigenous content of 50 per cent which will progressively reach 60 per cent by the end of the programme.

It said the manufacturing of Tejas by HAL will give a further push to Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative and boost indigenisation of defence production and the defence industry in the country.

"About 500 Indian companies including MSMEs in the design and manufacturing sectors will be working with HAL in this procurement. The programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem," it said.

The government has been majorly focusing on boosting domestic defence production and set a target of Rs 1.75 lakh crore (USD 25 billion) turnover in defence manufacturing by 2025.

According to estimates, the Indian armed forces are projected to spend around USD 130 billion in capital procurement in the next five years.

In May, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rolled out a number of reform measures for the defence sector including making separate budgetary outlay to procure Indian-made military hardware, increasing FDI limit from 49 per cent to 74 per cent under the automatic route and generating a year-wise negative list of weapons which won't be imported.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine rollout: Adar Poonawalla says vaccine will be sold to private players at Rs 1,000 per dose

Also read: No option to choose preferred coronavirus vaccine, says Health Ministry
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BOGOTA, Colombia, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --

New Bonds Offering

The Republic of Colombia (" Colombia ") announced today that it priced a global offering (the " New Bonds Offering ") of (i) U.S. $1,539,952,000 aggregate principal amount of additional 3.125% Global Bonds due 2031 (the " 2031 Bonds "), to be fungible with and to form a single series with the outstanding U.S. $1,000,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Colombia's Global Bonds due 2031 that were previously issued on June 4, 2020, and (ii) U.S. $1,300,000,000 aggregate principal amount of new 3.875% Global Bonds due 2061 (the " 2061 Bonds ", and together with the 2031 Bonds, the " New Bonds "). The aggregate principal amount of 2031 Bonds includes approximately U.S. $749,952,000 intended to fund the purchase of Tender Orders made by holders of Colombia's Old Bonds (as defined below) who submitted an equivalent-sized Indication of Interest for the 2031 Bonds prior to the pricing of the New Bonds Offering at terms that are acceptable to Colombia (the " Reinvestment Tenders ") in the concurrent Tender Offer described below, and the amount of 2031 Bonds issued may be adjusted based on final acceptances in the Tender Offer. The closing of the New Bonds Offering is expected to occur on Friday, January 22, 2021. Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as Joint Book-Running Managers for the New Bonds Offering. All capitalized terms used but not defined in this communication have the respective meanings specified in the Offer to Purchase referred to below under "Tender Offer."

The New Bonds Offering was made only by means of a preliminary prospectus supplement and an accompanying base prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement, the final prospectus supplement (when filed) and the related base prospectus for the Offering may be obtained by contacting any of the following: Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, by calling +1-800-221-1037 (U.S. toll free); Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., by calling +1-800-503-4611 (U.S. toll free); or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, by calling +1-866-846-2874 (U.S. toll free).

Application will be made to have the New Bonds listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and admitted to trading on the Euro MTF Market of the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

Tender Offer

Colombia's previously announced tender offer (the " Tender Offer ") to purchase its outstanding 4.375% Global Bonds due 2021 (the " 2021 Bonds "), 4.000% Global Bonds due 2024 (the " 2024 Bonds "), 4.500% Global Bonds due 2026 (the " 2026 Bonds "), and 3.875% Global Bonds due 2027 (the " 2027 Bonds ", and collectively with the 2021 Bonds, the 2024 Bonds and the 2026 Bonds, the " Old Bonds ") on the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the Offer to Purchase, dated January 12, 2021 (the " Offer to Purchase "), expired as scheduled for Simple Tenders, at 12:30 p.m. New York City time, on January 12, 2021, and for Reinvestment Tenders, at 3:00 p.m. New York City time, on January 12, 2021.

The Purchase Price for Old Bonds validly accepted pursuant to the Tender Offer was the fixed price identified for each series of Old Bonds in the Offer to Purchase and Colombia's press release issued on January 12, 2021. In addition, holders will receive accrued and unpaid interest on their Old Bonds up to (but excluding) the Tender Offer Settlement Date (as defined below).

Old Bonds

Old Bonds Outstanding Principal Amount as

of January 12, 2021 ISIN CUSIP Common Code Fixed Price

(per U.S.

$1,000

Principal

Amount) 4.375% Global Bonds due 2021 U.S.$1,485,568,000 US195325BN40 195325BN4 064828711 $1,019.28 4.000% Global Bonds due 2024 U.S. $2,100,000,000 US195325BQ70 195325BQ7 097464391 $1,081.50 4.500% Global Bonds due 2026 U.S. $1,500,000,000 US195325CX13 195325CX1 129873515 $1,127.50 3.875% Global Bonds due 2027 U.S. $2,400,000,000 US195325DL65 195325DL6 155578378 $1,109.00

Later today, or as soon as possible, Colombia expects to (i) instruct J.P. Morgan Securities LLC as the Billing and Delivering Bank to accept, subject to proration and other terms and conditions as described in the Offer to Purchase, valid Reinvestment and Simple Tenders and (ii) announce the Maximum Purchase Amount and the aggregate principal amount of Reinvestment Tenders Simple Tenders of each series of Old Bonds that have been accepted and whether any proration has occurred for any series of Old Bonds.

The settlement of the Tender Offer is scheduled to occur on Wednesday, January 20, 2021 (the " Tender Offer Settlement Date "), subject to change without notice. Failure to deliver Old Bonds on time may result, in Colombia's sole discretion, in any of the following: (i) the cancellation of a holder's tender and the holder becoming liable for any damages resulting from that failure, and/or (ii) the delivery of a buy-in notice for the purchase of such Old Bonds, executed in accordance with customary brokerage practices for corporate fixed income securities, and/or (iii) in the case of Reinvestment Tenders, the cancellation of a holder's tender and the holder remaining obligated to purchase its allocation of 2031 Bonds in respect of its related Indication of Interest.

Colombia reserves the right, in its sole discretion, not to accept any or all Tender Orders and to terminate the Tender Offer for any reason.

The Offer to Purchase may be downloaded from the Information Agent's website at www.dfking.com/colombia or obtained from the Information Agent, D.F. King & Co., Inc., at 1-877-896-3199 or from any of the Dealer Managers.

The Dealer Managers for the Tender Offer are:

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC

Attention: Liability Management Group

Eleven Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10010

Collect: 1-212-538-2147

Toll-Free: 1-800-820-1653 Deutsche Bank Securities Inc.

Attention: Liability Management Group

60 Wall Street

New York, NY 10005

Collect: 1-212-250-2955

Toll-Free: 1-866-627-0391 J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

Attention: Latin America Debt Capital Markets

383 Madison Avenue

New York, NY 10179

Collect: 1-212-834-7279

Toll-Free: 1-866-846-2874

The Billing and Delivering Bank for this Tender Offer was: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC.

Questions regarding the Tender Offer may be directed to the Dealer Managers at the above contact.



Colombia has filed a registration statement (including the prospectus) and the preliminary prospectus supplement with the SEC for the New Bonds Offering. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents Colombia has filed with the SEC for more complete information about Colombia and such New Bonds Offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the Joint Book-Running Managers, the Dealer Managers or the Information Agent, as the case may be, will arrange to send you the prospectus supplement and the prospectus if you request it by calling any one of them at the numbers specified above.

Important Notice

The distribution of materials relating to the New Bonds Offering and the Tender Offer and the transactions contemplated by the New Bonds Offering and the Tender Offer may be restricted by law in certain jurisdictions. Each of the New Bonds Offering and the Tender Offer is void in all jurisdictions where it is prohibited. If materials relating to the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer come into a holder's possession, the holder is required by Colombia to inform itself of and to observe all of these restrictions. The materials relating to the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer, including this communication, do not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer or solicitation in any place where offers or solicitations are not permitted by law. If a jurisdiction requires that the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer be made by a licensed broker or dealer and a Dealer Manager or any affiliate of a Dealer Manager is a licensed broker or dealer in that jurisdiction, the New Bonds Offering or the Tender Offer, as the case may be, shall be deemed to be made by the Dealer Manager or such affiliate on behalf of Colombia in that jurisdiction. Owners who may lawfully participate in the Tender Offer in accordance with the terms thereof are referred to as "holders."

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities nor will there be any sale of the New Bonds or the Tender Offer in any state or other 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 other jurisdiction. The offering of the New Bonds and the Tender Offer will be made only by means of the preliminary prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement and prospectus and in Canada, under applicable exemptions from any prospectus or registration requirements.

The New Bonds may be sold and the Tender Offer is made in Canada only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations, and who are not individuals. Any resale of the New Bonds must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable Canadian securities laws.

The New Bonds and the Old Bonds will not be registered under Chilean Law No. 18,045, as amended, with the Comision para el Mercado Financiero de Chile (Financial Market Commission of Chile or "CMF") and, accordingly, the New Bonds and the Old Bonds cannot and will not be offered or sold to persons in Chile except in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in a public offering under Chilean law, and in compliance with Norma de Caracter General (Rule) No. 336, dated June 27, 2012, issued by the CMF.

The New Bonds may not be offered, sold or negotiated in Colombia, except in compliance with Part 4 of Decree 2555 of 2010. The Offer to Purchase and the New Bonds Offering do not constitute and may not be used for, or in connection with, a public offering as defined under Colombian law.

The New Bonds are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the European Economic Area ("EEA"). For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of the following:

(a) a retail client as defined in point (11) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2014/65/EU (as amended, "MiFID II"); or



(b) a customer within the meaning of Directive 2016/97/EC (the "Insurance Distribution Directive"), where that customer would not qualify as a professional client as defined in point (10) of Article 4(1) of MiFID II.

Consequently, no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 (as amended, the "PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the EEA has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the EEA may be unlawful under the PRIIPs Regulation.

The Old Bonds and New Bonds may not be offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (a) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "CWUMPO"), or (b) to "professional investors" as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) (the "SFO") and any rules made thereunder, or (c) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a "prospectus" as defined in the CWUMPO.

No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the Old Bonds or New Bonds has been or will be issued, or has been or will be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to the Old Bonds or New Bonds which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to "professional investors" as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.

The Old Bonds and the New Bonds, and the Offer to Purchase and the New Bonds Offering prospectus supplement, and any other documents or materials related to such offers have not and will not be registered with the Italian Securities Exchange Commission (Commissione Nazionale per le Societa e la Borsa or "CONSOB") pursuant to applicable Italian laws and regulations. The Offer to Purchase and the New Bond Offering are being carried out pursuant to the exemptions provided for, with respect to the Offer to Purchase, in Article 101 bis, paragraph 3 bis of Legislative Decree No. 58 of 24 February 1998, as amended (the "Consolidated Financial Act") and Article 35 bis, paragraph 4, of CONSOB Regulation No. 11971 of 14 May 1999, as amended; and, with respect to the New Bonds Offering, in article 1, paragraph 4, letter c), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.

Holders or beneficial owners of the Old Bonds that are resident and/or located in Italy can tender the Old Bonds for purchase, and the New Bonds Offerings can be offered, sold and delivered, through authorized persons (such as investment firms, banks or financial intermediaries permitted to conduct such activities in Italy in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, the Consolidated Financial Act, the CONSOB Regulation No. 20307 of 15 February 2018, as amended, and Legislative Decree No. 385 of September 1, 1993, as amended) and in compliance with any other applicable laws and regulations or with any requirements imposed by CONSOB or any other Italian authority. Each intermediary must comply with the applicable laws and regulations concerning information duties vis a vis its clients in connection with the bonds or the relevant offering.

The New Bonds have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act of Japan (Act No. 25 of 1948, as amended, the "Financial Instruments and Exchange Act") and each manager has represented and agreed that it has not offered or sold, and will not offer or sell any New Bonds, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan (as defined under Article 6, Paragraph 1, Item 5 of the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act of Japan (Act No. 228 of 1949, as amended)), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan.

Neither the Offer to Purchase, nor any other documents or materials relating to the Offer to Purchase have been approved by or will be submitted for the approval of, the Mexican National Banking and Securities Commission (Comision Nacional Bancaria y de Valores; the "CNBV") and, the New Bonds have not been and will not be registered with the Mexican National Securities Registry (Registro Nacional de Valores) maintained by the CNBV, and therefore the Old Bonds and New Bonds have not and may not be offered or sold publicly in Mexico. However, investors that qualify as institutional or qualified investors pursuant to the private placement exemption set forth in article 8 of the Mexican Securities Market Law (Ley del Mercado de Valores), may be contacted in connection with, and may participate in the Offer to Purchase, and can be offered with or purchase New Bonds. The participation in the Offer to Purchase or the acquisition of New Bonds will be made under such investor's own responsibility.

The Tender Offer is not intended for any person who is not qualified as an institutional investor, in accordance with provisions set forth in Resolution SMV No. 021-2013-SMV-01 issued by Superintendencia del Mercado de Valores (Superintendency of Capital Markets) of Peru, and as subsequently amended. No legal, financial, tax or any other kind of advice is hereby being provided.

The New Bond Offering prospectus supplement, and the Offer to Purchase have not been and will not be registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. The Offer to Purchase does not constitute an offering of securities in Singapore pursuant to the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the "SFA"). The New Bonds will not be offered or sold or cause that such New Bonds to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase and will not offer or sell such New Bonds or cause such New Bonds to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, and has not circulated or distributed, nor will it circulate or distribute, this prospectus supplement or any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of such New Bonds, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA) under Section 274 of the SFA, (ii) to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275, of the SFA, and (where applicable) Regulation 3 of the Securities and Futures (Classes of Investors) Regulations 2018 of Singapore or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

Where the New Bonds are subscribed or purchased in reliance on an exemption under Sections 274 or 275 of the SFA, the New Bonds shall not be sold within the period of six months from the date of the initial acquisition of the bonds, except to any of the following persons:

an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA);

a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA); or

any person pursuant to an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) of the SFA,

unless expressly specified otherwise in Section 276(7) of the SFA or Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore.

Where the New Bonds are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:

a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor,

securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries' rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the New Bonds pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

to an institutional investor or to a relevant person as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or (in the case of such corporation) where the transfer arises from an offer referred to in 276(3)(i)(B) of the SFA or (in the case of such trust) where the transfer arises from an offer referred to in Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA;

where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer;

where the transfer is by operation of law;

as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or

as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018 of Singapore .

The prospectus supplement is not intended to constitute an offer or solicitation to purchase or invest in the New Bonds described therein in Switzerland, except as permitted by law. The New Bonds may not be publicly offered, directly or indirectly, in Switzerland within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act (FinSA") and will not be admitted to any trading venue (exchange or multilateral trading facility) in Switzerland.

Neither the prospectus supplement nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the New Bonds constitutes a prospectus as such term is understood pursuant to the FinSA, and neither the prospectus supplement nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the New Bonds may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither the communication of Offer to Purchase nor any other offer material relating to the Offer to Purchase has been approved by an authorized person for the purposes of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (the "FSMA"). The Offer to Purchase and the New Bond Offering prospectus supplement are only being distributed to and are only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom; (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the FSMA (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (as so amended, the "Order"); (iii) high net worth entities falling within Articles 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or (iv) persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the FSMA) in connection with the issue or sale of any securities may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such other persons together being referred to as "relevant persons"). Any investment or investment activity to which the Offer to Purchase relates is available only to relevant persons and will be engaged in only with relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the Offer to Purchase or any of its contents. The New Bonds will only be available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire the bonds will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this prospectus supplement or any of its contents.

The New Bonds are not intended to be offered, sold or otherwise made available to and should not be offered, sold or otherwise made available to any retail investor in the United Kingdom ("UK"). For these purposes, a retail investor means a person who is one (or more) of: (i) a retail client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 2017/565 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ("EUWA"); or (ii) a customer within the meaning of the provisions of the FSMA and any rules or regulations made under the FSMA to implement Directive (EU) 2016/97, where that customer would not qualify as a professional client, as defined in point (8) of Article 2(1) of Regulation (EU) No 600/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA. Consequently no key information document required by Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the EUWA (the "UK PRIIPs Regulation") for offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to retail investors in the UK has been prepared and therefore offering or selling the New Bonds or otherwise making them available to any retail investor in the UK may be unlawful under the UK PRIIPs Regulation.

Contact information:

D.F. King & Co., Inc.

48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor

New York, New York 10005

Toll Free: 1-877-896-3199

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.dfking.com/colombia

ANY DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES THAT MAY APPEAR AFTER THIS MESSAGE ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS COMMUNICATION AND SHOULD BE DISREGARDED. SUCH DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES WERE AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMMUNICATION BEING SENT VIA BLOOMBERG OR ANOTHER EMAIL SYSTEM.

SOURCE Republic of Colombia

Related Links

http://www.dfking.com


Migrants will have to speak Swedish and show understanding of the country's culture in order to become citizens under proposals drawn up for the government.

Justice and Migration Minister Morgan Johansson said the country, which has for years applied a liberal attitude to immigration, needs to find 'a better balance between rights and responsibilities' for would-be citizens.

Sweden opened its doors to thousands of migrants flooding into Europe in 2015 but has since been rocked by a surge in gang violence, bombings, shootings and sex attacks that has caused unrest.

As a result the country has seen growing support for far-right anti-migrant parties, which the governing Swedish Social Democratic Party is hoping to stem by shifting to the right itself.

Migrants will have to show proof of Swedish language skills and understanding of the country's culture in order to become citizens

Foreign nationals will now have to prove their speaking, listening, reading and writing levels to become citizens of Sweden.

The language tests cost 2,000 kronor (175) and the civil component costs 500 kronor (45).

Applicants can also provide proof of citizenship by passing Grade 9 in a Swedish high school, equivalent to Year 11 in the UK.

Justice and migration minister Morgan Johansson, outlining his proposals, said: 'Language is the key to work, but also the key to society.'

The new language requirements will apply to people aged 16 to 66 who apply for citizenship.

A group of migrants, coming off an incoming train, are seen next to a police officer in Malmo. The country is shifting its immigration policy

Sweden's approach to immigration has divided opinion in the country and led to a rise in the far-right

Stateless, disabled and illiterate people have to show they have tried to reach the required level even if they are unsuccessful.

Other Nordic citizens will not have to take the test as they do not need to apply for citizenship, The Local reported.

The review took into account other countries' migration policies, finding that Sweden was one of three European nations to not set language tests for citizenship.

The proposals will be sent to authorities for consultation before being passed by parliament.

The government is also looking into setting language tests for people seeking permanent residence in Sweden.

Sweden, long seen as one of the most open countries in the world, began opening its doors to asylum seekers in the 1980s and took in one of the highest numbers in Europe during the migration crisis of 2015.

Morgan Johansson (left), justice and migration minister is behind the proposals focusing on immigrants acquiring Swedish languages skills

There has since been a rise in violent crime, with 257 bombings and more than 300 shootings reported in 2019.

But it has also led to a rise in far-right attacks and the resurgence of the former white nationalist group Sweden Democrats, now the third biggest party in government.

A recent controversial case saw a Swedish judge refusing to deport two Eritrean nationals who were convicted of aggravated rape because the pair were military deserters who would face punishment on their return.

The men, aged 30 and 32, were convicted in a Stockholm court of raping the woman for hours in an apartment in the city while threatening her with a knife.

The pair have been living in Sweden for several years and have been granted refugee status by the government.

If returned, the UN warned the deserters faced arbitrary detention, extrajudicial punishment and conscription that amounts to forced labour.

Sweden has also been struggling to control criminal gangs from the Middle East.

Erik Nord, Gothenburg's chief of police, told MailOnline: 'These criminal clans have a completely different culture that makes them very difficult to tackle with normal police methods.

'We need more police and our courts and prisons need to be reinforced to deal with this situation urgently. Otherwise we will turn into a gangsters' paradise.'

"The Ultimate Play" is coming with Nvidia's latest addition to the 3000 series, the RTX 3060 which is now available for preorders with only several weeks to wait for the new graphics processing unit card (GPU). The affordable upgrade for a computer's graphics card has been teased with its benchmarks and specs in the past year, but now, it is time to get one's hand on the RTX.

The Santa Clara-based computer gaming company has opened its preorders for the latest graphics card on its massively popular RTX 3000 series, with the Nvidia RTX 3060 looking at a February release date this year. The GPU's release is nearing and the public cannot wait to get their hands on the hardware as preorders are on high for the 3060.

If one has skipped out on last year's Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Prime Day, and other countrywide sales and promotions, this may be the perfect time to upgrade one's rig and equipment for gaming uses. Nvidia features one of the world's top gaming equipment and needs, with its graphics card to be the top choice for gamers and enthusiasts in terms of performance.

Read Also: 'Cyberpunk 2077' Johnny Silverhand Relationship: How to Raise Friendship to 70 Percent and Chippin' In Side Job Secret Ending!

Nvidia RTX 3060: How to Preorder, Price, Release Date

Nvidia has already released the twin to the 3060, with the RTX 3060 Ti available for sale on its website for only $399 since last December 2020. On the other hand, the RTX 3060 is now available for preorders but Nvidiaonly offers it via an email notification to buy the graphics card once it goes on sale.

The Nvidia RTX 3060 has a price tag of $329, and serves as the cheapest RTX 3000 series on the company's lineup, joining with its elder and more powerful siblings with the RTX 3080 and RTX 3090. A massive hype has built around the RTX 3060 because of its features and specifications which Nvidia unveiled with its release video, making it an ideal replacement for most graphics cards.

The RTX 3060 would be available by late February according to Nvidia, which is only more than four weeks from now, with its reveal cutting close to its release date.

Nvidia RTX 3060: Specs and Everything You Need to Know

According to Nvidia's video reveal on YouTube for the RTX 3060, it would have 12 GB of GDDR6 memory that boasts of 10 times more ray-tracing capabilities and performance compared to previous GPUs of the same tier. Nvidia also makes the 3060 capable to use the RTX suite's nifty features and special programs including RTX apps and DLSS.

The DLSS AI uses neural networks to configure computer settings in a game to render the graphics to lower resolution but still resemble a 4K video output, without burning off one's processor. The AI improves display quality despite being at a lower resolution.

The RTX 3060 GPU's frame rate also surpasses its previous iterations with the RTX 1060 and 2060, that can play "Cyberpunk 2077" (one of the highest frame rate game) at a solid 60 FPS. Nvidia promises a boost on all aspects of the 3060, compared to older GPUs.

Related Article: Razer Project Hazel: N95 Respirator 'Smart Mask' with Robot Voice and RGB Filters 95% of Particles!





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Written by Isaiah Alonzo

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NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- WeissLaw LLP is investigating possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law by the board of directors of Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation ("Corning" or the "Company") (OTCQX: CNIG), a natural gas and electric service company, in connection with the proposed acquisition of the Company by an affiliate of Argo Infrastructure Partners, LP, an independent infrastructure investment firm. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Corning shareholders will receive only $24.75 in cash for each share of Corning common stock that they hold. The transaction is valued at approximately $150 million.

If you own Corning shares and wish to discuss this investigation or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests, visit our website:

https://www.weisslawllp.com/CNIG/

Or please contact:

Joshua Rubin, Esq.

WeissLaw LLP

1500 Broadway, 16th Floor

New York, NY 10036

(212) 682-3025

(888) 593-4771

[email protected]

WeissLaw LLP is investigating whether Corning's board acted in the best interest of Corning's public shareholders in agreeing to the proposed transaction, whether the board was fully informed as to the valuation of the proposed acquisition of the Company, and whether all information regarding the process undertaken by the board and the valuation of the transaction will be fully and fairly disclosed.

WeissLaw LLP has litigated hundreds of stockholder class and derivative actions for violations of corporate and fiduciary duties. We have recovered over a billion dollars for defrauded clients and obtained important corporate governance relief in many of these cases. If you have information or would like legal advice concerning possible corporate wrongdoing (including insider trading, waste of corporate assets, accounting fraud, or materially misleading information), consumer fraud (including false advertising, defective products, or other deceptive business practices), or anti-trust violations, please email us at [email protected]

SOURCE WeissLaw LLP

Related Links

http://weisslawllp.com


MALICOUNDA BAMBARA, Senegal - Nine days have blurred together this way: She sits in the living room, wiping away tears and staring at her phone. People call and call, but she longs to hear only one voice.

Her daughter - 20-year-old Diary Sow, twice crowned "best student" in Senegal - vanished from an elite preparatory school in Paris sometime after 8:57 p.m. on Jan. 3.

That was when Sow's name last popped onto the screen of her mother's phone. The young woman, an academic celebrity in this West African country, had recorded a voice message for her 5-year-old sister: I miss you more! I love you so much.

Then no one could reach her.

"All I do is wait for her call," said Binta Sow, 40, lifting another tissue to her face. "The world has stopped."

Now millions of people are following the case, posting messages of support for Sow and her family from three continents. French police, working with Senegalese investigators, have widened their search to multiple cities but have remained tight-lipped. Authorities have alerted officials across the Schengen Area to her disappearance.

There is anguish in Senegal, where the president has called Sow a "rising star." Her first novel, a twisted love story, came out last year. She planned to pursue an engineering career. Her school, the Lycee Louis-le-Grand, is considered a launchpad to France's top science-focused universities.

Sow earned a full-ride scholarship.

"She can do anything," said her uncle, Mahfouz Sarr. "She is so wise for her age. She has so much strength."

On the last evening they chatted, her mother said, Sow sounded excited. Classes were to resume the next morning.

She had spent much of her holiday break in her dorm room, reading books and ordering hamburgers. Sow is not one to go out much, her mother said. The coronavirus pandemic made socializing even less appealing.

New Year's Eve was the exception. Sow traveled to Toulouse, France, to visit family friends, a mother and a daughter. They mostly sat around and caught up, Binta Sow said.

She recalled Sow sounding perfectly normal while describing the reunion. Upbeat. Nonchalant. She said she was back in her dorm room, preparing for the schoolday. (Investigators confirmed that she had keyed in.)

The daughter of a homemaker and a baker, Sow went to school with far richer kids. Did she face cliques? Bullies?

"My daughter would never care to even mention anything like that," Binta said. "If someone doesn't like her, she'd just walk away."

Sow, naturally reserved, was known to keep her head down at school. She busied herself with reading and writing.

She had recently finished her second book, her mother said, and wanted to proofread it again before sending it to publishers. Her first, "Under the Face of an Angel," had drawn acclaim in Senegal.

Internet sleuths had wondered: What about the pressure? What if she had simply run away from it all?

Binta Sow could not imagine that.

"My daughter is clear about what she will do and what she will not do," the mother said. "She doesn't fake it to impress anyone."

Plus, she said, Sow is close with her family. She loved to bake birthday cakes with her father, Malicounda Bambara, in their village about 50 miles south of the capital, Dakar. She grieved deeply when he died in April, her mother said, but focused on comforting her family.

At home, they keep her bed made with a blanket covered in red hearts. Her bookshelf is crammed full. Her initials are etched into the wood.

Sow normally rang her mother on the weekends - weekdays are for studying - but quickly replied to WhatsApp voice messages from her 5-year-old sister, Amy Colle.

"I miss you. I love you," the little girl said Jan. 3. "When are you coming home?"

"My love, I miss you more," Sow had replied on WhatsApp. "I love you so much."

She promised to come home for summer break.

Every message Binta Sow sent after that went unopened, according to the app.

A day later, Sow's school reported her missing.

Nothing about the disappearance makes sense, her mother said. Sow was supposed to be safe in Paris. So many students dream of studying there.

"I'm putting it all on God," Binta Sow said.

Sow's mother said she is thankful for the outpouring of love, the neighbors dropping off envelopes of cash - a traditional gesture of support during a tragedy.

On Wednesday, her living room filled with unexpected visitors. There was the village mayor, a local lawmaker, an entourage of people wearing T-shirts featuring Sow's face. They gathered below Sow's framed scholastic awards.

Everyone turned their palms up and prayed for answers.

Binta Sow's phone, resting on her lap, kept lighting up.

Not her daughter. Not her daughter.
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Turkey is in its worst drought in 10 years with dams drying up across the country

Water levels in Istanbul's Omerli dam are at their lowest in the last 15 years

Ankara mayor confirmed the capital only had 110 days worth of water left

Istanbul could run out of water within 45 days as Turkey continues to suffer from its worst drought in a decade.

Sprawling urban development has been blamed for dams drying up the city of 17 million people along with many of the country's other metropolises.

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Water levels in the Omerli dam, the city's main water source, are at their lowest in the last 15 years - at just 20 per cent capacity due to a lack of rain.

Meanwhile in the capital Ankara, mayor Mansur Yavas said there are only 110 days worth of water left in dams and reservoirs.

Istanbul is set to run out of water within 45 days as Turkey continues to suffer from its worst drought in a decade. Pictured: River beds run dry by Omerli Dam in Istanbul, with water levels at their lowest in the last 15 years

Turkeys next two biggest cities Izmir and Bursa have seen their dams depleted to just 36 and 24 per cent respectively.

The situation is so dire that mosques were told to pray for rain in December under the directive of the Presidency of Religious Affairs.

But the country's water stores have continued to fall, with rainfall down by 49 per cent in November and below average since then.

Turkey produces just 1,346 cubic metres of water per capita per year, making it a 'water stressed' country.

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It has faced a series of droughts since the 1980s due to urban sprawl, industrialisation, population growth and climate change.

Istanbul Technical University academic Sevinc Asilhan said Turkey has a semi-arid climate due to its geographical location and said the country's reduction in the number of forests and green areas has made the drought more severe.

She told Hurriyet Daily News: 'Natural environment, green areas and forests should be protected and afforestation should be done for sustainable water resources.'

Water management expert at the Istanbul Policy Center Dr Akgun Ilhan told the Guardian: 'Instead of focusing on measures to keep water demand under control, Turkey insists on expanding its water supply through building more dams.

Sprawling urban development has been blamed for dams drying up in Istanbul of 17 million people and many of the country's other metropolises. Pictured: Omerli Dam in Istanbul

'Turkey has built hundreds of dams in the last two decades. The warning signs have been there for decades but not much has been done in practice.'

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Dr Umit Sahin said: 'In Istanbul, the most vital water basins, the last forests and agricultural land, [have been opened] to urban development projects: the new airport, the new Bosphorus bridge, its connection roads and highways.'

Ankara mayor Mansur Yavas proposed a new Progressive Water Bill to the Metropolitan Municipality Council on Monday, which would introduced tariffs on water in order to limit use.

On January 5, he said: 'Our dam occupancy has decreased to 20 per cent and we have 110 days of water left.

'In order to prevent high consumption, there will be a gradual increase in invoices to use over 10 m.'
YEREVAN.  The statement made it clear in advance that the discussions in Moscow can take place on both the return of captives and the unblocking of roadswhich has taken place. Lilit Makunts, head of the majority My Step faction of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, told this to reporters Wednesday in the NA, referring to Mondays trilateral meeting in Moscow between the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, and the statement issued as a result of this meeting.

"You are aware that 3 hours of the 4-hour talks were dedicated to the [matter of the] return of the captives. I do not think this is the topic that anyone should speculate on (). It has already been noted that this is a priority issue and all efforts should be made on all possible platforms to resolve this humanitarian issuewhich should be done," Makunts added.

When asked why timeframes are noted for other issues but there are no timeframes for the return of the captives, Makunts responded: "During the briefing in Moscow, the prime minister [of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan,] twice noted the priority of the return of the captives. The text of the statement, which was signed in Moscow, has nothing and cannot have anything to do with the priority issues being raised for humanitarian purposes. ().

The statement is about the intention to actions where the timeframes are noted, whereas the humanitarian steps, which require the full return of the captives, efforts are being made in that direction.

The prime minister noted that unless the issue regarding the captives is resolved, the mechanisms for the implementation of these intentions will cause many difficulties.

Makunts, however, did not give a clear answer when asked whether PM Pashinyan could have not signed the Moscow statement, insisting that the issue of the return of the captives should be resolved first. "The statement is a text about the intention to actions, in which the interests of the Republic of Armenia are also reflected on, but it should not be linked in any way to the issue of captives," she said.
Netchex HR & Payroll Software Most companies struggle to find new and better ways to engage with their employees. Better job training and continuing education are terrific and productive ways to bridge that gap. - Will Boudreaux, Netchex CEO

Netchex, an HR and payroll software company, announces the release of a new HR technology feature dedicated to meeting a business training and continuing education needs. NetLearn, a Learning Management System (LMS), is designed to help companies simplify and improve their learning process by delivering unique and consistent educational content to all employees.

NetLearn comes ready for day one use with three distinct, pre-loaded content libraries (HR Compliance, Professional Skills, and Workplace Safety), which house over 600 hours of educational training. Companies also have the ability to create their own training content and customized course curriculum for individuals, departments, or company-wide.

Most companies struggle to find new and better ways to engage with their employees, explains Netchex CEO, Will Boudreaux. Better job training and continuing education are terrific and productive ways to bridge that gap. We developed this Learning Management System to be beneficial to both companies and individual employees.

Within the Learning Management System, simple navigation makes it easy for employees to see exactly what needs to be completed, as well as discover course recommendations to grow their knowledge skillset on their own. On the administrative side, HR and management get an overview of all past and current activity, assignments, and scores, as well as upcoming requirements. Deeper dives can be taken with in-depth reporting to gain insight into a specific employee, team, or the company as a whole.

NetLearn is the latest new product launch for the rising payroll and HR technology company built around streamlining everyday HR processes and improving employee engagement. In recent months, Netchex has also added Performance Management (NetPerform) and Workplace Giving (Helping Hands) to their growing suite of products, in addition to several critical COVID and pandemic-related updates aimed at helping business stay operational and able to take care of their employees.

About Netchex:

Founded in 2003, Netchex has become one of the industrys fastest-growing payroll and HR service providers. Netchexs single-source solution is a cloud-based, end-to-end platform for managing the employee lifecycle from hire to retire. With powerful, yet easy-to-use technology and award-winning customer support, Netchex currently services over 4,000 clients. Headquartered in Covington, LA, Netchex has offices in Atlanta and Dallas with representatives nationwide. Please visit https://netchex.com for more information.
MOSCOW  The prime minister of Estonia resigned on Wednesday, his coalition government of centrists and far-right populists engulfed by a corruption scandal over misuse of state loans intended for coronavirus pandemic relief.

The departure of the prime minister, Juri Ratas, signaled an unusual bout of political turbulence in a country that joined the European Union and also NATO in 2004, establishing itself as a bastion of pro-Western stability on Russias western border.

This orientation is highly unlikely to change as Mr. Ratass most likely successor, the leader of the opposition center-right Reform Party, Kaja Kallas, is a firm supporter of the American-led military alliance. Estonias president asked Ms. Kallas on Wednesday to form a new government, but it was unclear whether she could muster the necessary votes in Parliament.

The outgoing prime minister, Mr. Ratas, had headed the tiny Baltic nations government since 2016 as leader of the Center Party, whose strongest base of support has been a large ethnic Russian population that liked its sometimes left-leaning policies.
Scientists in China and Sweden have determined that a pinch of capsaicin, the chemical compound that gives chili peppers their spicy sting, may be a secret ingredient for more stable and efficient perovskite solar cells. The research, published January 13 in the journal Joule, determined that sprinkling capsaicin into the precursor of methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI3) perovskite during the manufacturing process led to a greater abundance of electrons (instead of empty placeholders) to conduct current at the semiconductor's surface. The addition resulted in polycrystalline MAPbI3 solar cells with the most efficient charge transport to date.

"In the future, green and sustainable forest-based biomaterial additive technology will be a clear trend in non-toxic lead-free perovskite materials," says Qinye Bao, a senior author of the study from East China Normal University. "We hope this will eventually yield a fully green perovskite solar cell for a clean energy source."

While metal halide perovskite semiconductors represent a promising component for state-of-the-art solar cell technologies, they are plagued by nonradiative recombination, an undesirable electron-level process that reduces efficiency and exacerbates heat losses. Bao and colleagues sought out a natural, forest-based, inexpensive additive to overcome this limitation and enhance solar cell performance.

"Considering the electric, chemical, optical, and stable properties of capsaicin, we preliminarily found that it would be a promising candidate," says Bao.

To test capsaicin's capabilities, Bao and colleagues added 0.1 wt% of the compound (the optimal determined concentration) into a MAPbI3 perovskite precursor, which they used to fabricate solar cells. Next, the researchers performed a series of techniques, including ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and time-resolved photoluminescence to determine how the capsaicin additive affected the solar cells' properties. They found that while control devices showed a power conversion efficiency of only 19.1%, devices containing capsaicin had an efficiency of 21.88% - nearly as high as the record 21.93% efficiency of single-crystal MAPbI3 devices. The enhanced solar cells also showed improved stability, maintaining more than 90% of their initial efficiency after 800 hours of storage in ambient air.

Bao and colleagues also determined that capsaicin greatly reduced the perovskite film's defect density, increasing electron density by an order of magnitude and boosting charge transport. Additionally, they observed a smaller leakage current in solar cells containing the chili pepper compound, suggesting it successfully suppressed nonradiative recombination.

Capsaicin enabled these improvements by transforming the perovskite material's surface energetics, creating an interface between p-type semiconductor layers, which contain more electron-deficient "holes" than electrons, and n-type semiconductor layers, which contain more electrons than "holes." This interface promotes charge transport and suppresses the loss of efficiency observed in traditional perovskite semiconductors.

While capsaicin may provide a low-cost, widely available additive for the future development of scaled-up, highly efficient perovskite solar cells, Bao and colleagues note that further research is required to investigate the compound's effect on non-toxic, lead-free perovskites such as inorganic perovskite and double perovskite. Additionally, the material's stability must be further honed before it will be ready for commercial applications.

"We will further focus on the relationship between chemical structures of natural forest-based biomaterial additives, their interaction with photoactive materials, and the corresponding photovoltaic performance," says Bao. "We hope to generate new knowledge of great value to further increase the power conversion efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells."

###

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Shanghai Rising-Star, East China Normal University Multifunctional Platform for Innovation, the Swedish Government Strategic Research Area in Materials Science on Functional Materials at Linkoping University, the National Key Research and Development Program of China, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Joule, Hao and Xiong et al.: "Direct observation on p- to n-type transformation of perovskite surface region during defect passivation driving high photovoltaic efficiency" https://www.cell.com/joule/fulltext/S2542-4351(20)30608-5
The money that Justine Mbilizi makes from selling the palm wine she brews with her mother is just enough to buy food for her own large family and the four other children she has welcomed into her home.

The children and their parents fled attacks by armed groups on their village in the Minembwe Highlands, in the Democratic Republic of the Congos South Kivu province.

The journey was very traumatizing for them, says Justine, 40, who lives with her mother, five children and husband, in addition to the four children and their father.

She explains that the childrens mother died from complications during childbirth while they were on the run. Their father is out all week in search of farming work.

In Eastern DRC, increased violence has forced up to a million women, men and children to flee their homes in the past year alone, seeking safety with other local Congolese families like Justines.

Worldwide there are around 80 million people uprooted by conflict and persecution, of whom 45.7 million were people who had fled to other areas of their own countries.

In total, some 5.2 million people in DRC are currently uprooted within the countrys borders due to violence and insecurity, making it the worlds third-highest source of forced internal displacement after Colombia and Syria.

With armed groups continuously attacking civilians and looting villages, many have no choice but to flee with little more than the clothes they are wearing. Women and girls are often exposed to sexual violence and the journey to safer locations can take several days, forcing families to sleep in the open.

The hospitality shown by local communities whose own resources are often limited is providing a vital lifeline, prompting UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to channel its support to both those forced to flee as well as the families hosting them. But severe funding shortages threaten to undermine these efforts, leaving vulnerable families exposed to dire living conditions.

When I met this family, they were very sad and traumatized. They needed a place to call home more than anything else, says Justine. I could not leave them on their own. My husband agreed we would take care of them, so they are now part of our family.

I cant see my people suffering when I have space in my home.

Life is not easy for these children, she adds. Not only did they have to flee violence, but they also lost their mother under very dramatic circumstances. They dont eat well, and they find it difficult to adapt to the new climate, which is warmer here.

Their father struggles to make ends meet, earning very little for long days spent working in the fields.

In a nearby village called Kitoko, Mangasa and her husband are also sheltering an elderly couple and their two grandchildren. Asha, 80, has difficulty walking so reaching safety was a huge challenge.

I had to walk for five days to reach the village. The journey was not easy as we had to climb down from the mountains to reach Kitoko. It took all my strength and perseverance, but I am very grateful to live with Mangasas family, says Asha.

In neighbouring North Kivu, Zeferina, 56, has opened up her house to three forcibly displaced families. Her house is spacious and modern, compared to many of the neighbouring houses made out of mud.

I cant see my people suffering when I have space in my home, she says.

Already taking care of eight children, she is hosting as many as ten other children and their mothers.

They fled because of violence and when they arrived here, they were exhausted and scared. I cant let them suffer, adds the caring host.

Under UNHCRs shelter support programme, as well as providing materials to allow displaced famalies to construct their own dwellings, the agency also helps host families build extensions to their own homes, easing overcrowding and improving living conditions in hosting areas.

In Oicha, in eastern DRCs Beni region, Evan is finalizing his own shelter, thanks to UNHCRs support. Kahumba and her family of eight, who are living in a modest mud brick house, hosted him, his wife and four children for several months. As their house was very small, Evans family would sleep on the living room floor.

We are very thankful we could stay with our hosts when we had nowhere to go.

We are very thankful we could stay with our hosts when we had nowhere to go, says the 39-year-old. Now we have our own space which allows us to live in dignity.

They had nowhere to live, while I had a house available to welcome them. We faced difficulties to provide food for everyone, and the house was always very cramped. It's a really good thing they have their own shelter now, says Kahumba, who is pleased to have more space in her house once again.

Ibrahima Diane, the head of UNHCRs field office in Beni, emphasizes the importance of host community support.

We would never be able to assist the hundreds of thousands of displaced without the crucial role that host families play, he explains. To ensure that they can continue to do so, we need to support the whole community.

In addtion to shelter, UNHCR also provides assistance to communities affected by forced displacement by rehabilitating classrooms, installing water pumps to provide clean water and through projects that create work for the community.

Through this community-based approach, we are boosting the resilience of the broader community who are the first responders to recurrent forced displacement towards their villages and homes, and helping reduce possible tensions, adds Diane.

See also: Conflicts push internal displacement to record high

October 2020 saw the total number of people who have fled their homes within DRC reach nearly 5.2 million, with nearly 3 million of them in North and South Kivu provinces alone. Most are hosted in households that are already crowded, and where social distancing is impossible.

This year, some 35,000 families comprised of 175,000 individuals in North and South Kivu have received shelter support from UNHCR. This includes emergency and communal shelters, transitional houses and rental subsidies. So far, 15,000 families have completed their shelters while 20,000 more are currently under construction.

But a severe lack of funding threatens to reduce UNHCRs ability to assist those in need next year.

The shelter budget for North and South Kivu will shrink by at least 85 per cent in 2021, leaving thousands of families without a roof over their heads. The community-based protection budget will also fall by 57 per cent, hampering UNHCRs ability to respond to local communities needs and promote peaceful coexistence and womens empowerment.

More funding is urgently needed to enable UNHCR to continue contributing to durable solutions for those forced to flee in Eastern DRC during 2021, and supporting the solidarity shown to them by local Congolese communities.
You can listen to the latest episode of Today in Pa at this link, or on any of your favorite app including Alexa, Apple, Google, Spotify and Stitcher. Episodes are available every weekday on PennLive. Feel free to subscribe, follow or rate Today in Pa. as you see fit!

Today in Pa. Daily Podcast | Jan. 13, 2021

Philadelphia plans to reopen indoor dining, theaters, and in-person college classes starting Saturday. Some school districts in Lehigh Valley are nixing this years final exams. Back to Philly, Finks Hoagies at last reopens after an extended bureaucratic battle. And customers can order their Girl Scout cookies for this year on Grubhub.

Those are the stories we cover in the latest episode of Today in Pa, a daily weekday podcast from PennLive.com and hosted by Claudia Dimuro. Today in Pa is dedicated to sharing the most important and interesting stories pertaining to Pennsylvania that lets you know, indeed, whats happening today in Pa.

Todays episode refers to the following articles:

If you enjoy Today in Pa, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or on Amazon. Reviews help others find the show and, besides, wed like to know what you think about the program, too.
OTTAWA - Canada's national panel of vaccine experts says a worsening pandemic and limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines are good enough reasons to temporarily delay giving a second dose but would prefer the planned schedule is followed whenever possible.

The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is administered to a personal support worker at the Ottawa Hospital Tuesday December 15, 2020 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

OTTAWA - Canada's national panel of vaccine experts says a worsening pandemic and limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines are good enough reasons to temporarily delay giving a second dose but would prefer the planned schedule is followed whenever possible.

The two COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Canada both require two doses, with Pfizer and BioNTech's vaccine label requiring two doses given 21 days apart, and Moderna's needing two doses 28 days apart.

In new recommendations issued late Tuesday, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, or NACI, said every effort should be made to follow those dosing schedules. However it notes there can be exceptions, particularly when vaccine supplies are so hard to come by and the spread of the virus in a given jurisdiction is rapid.

"Model-based studies suggest population health benefits may be greater with a more balanced approach that does not withhold doses during early distribution in order to vaccinate more people as soon as possible, when early supplies of highly efficacious COVID-19 vaccines are constrained," the advice reads.

Canada is getting 80 million doses of vaccine this year, enough to vaccinate everyone, but only six million doses are coming this winter, and another 20 million by the end of June. At two doses, on schedule, Canada could fully vaccinate about 13 million people by the summer, which is less than half the total population.

Those numbers could change if Canada approves more vaccines, including two currently being reviewed by Health Canada.

Delaying the second dose slightly could give first-dose protection to millions more Canadians sooner. About one per cent of Canadians have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The World Health Organization has said waiting up to six weeks is acceptable, and several countries are doing this or are looking at the idea as desperate health regions try to get vaccines into as many people as possible, even if it's just one dose.

In Canada, British Columbia is looking at issuing the second doses 35 days later, Alberta is aiming for 42 days, and Quebec is delaying the second dose but hasn't provided a specific timeline.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba both said Wednesday they would follow the 21- and 28-day schedules as recommended for now.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.'s chief public health officer, said this week that province can vaccinate another 150,000 vulnerable people by the end of March by using a 35-day dosing schedule.

Neither Pfizer nor Moderna endorse the idea of waiting for the second dose.

Quebec is facing a lawsuit from at least a dozen residents in a Montreal-area long-term care home because they didn't get their second dose on time as promised.

NACI's recommendations acknowledge the lack of evidence for delaying the doses, but said that with other vaccines, waiting longer than recommended to give a second dose hasn't typically reduced the final level of immunity to a disease.

Dr. Supriya Sharma, Health Canada's chief medical adviser, said last week determining the effectiveness of the vaccines after the first dose is hard because most of the patients involved got the second dose on time.

"The studies weren't set up to do that," she said. "So, you know, it's kind of a back-of-the-envelope calculation."

The trials suggested the first dose protected about half of Pfizer's recipients and 80 per cent of Moderna's but if those measurements aren't taken until the full immunity period has kicked in, those numbers rose to 92 per cent for both vaccines.

But that data is based only one or two weeks of monitoring before the second dose was given, and there is almost no data to show whether that immunity began to wane at any point.

After the second dose, the protection was 94 per cent for Moderna and 94.5 per cent for Pfizer.

NACI's recommendations say if the second dose is delayed those patients must be followed so more evidence of the impact can be attained.

It is also reminding people that even after being vaccinated they need to follow public health advice to wear masks and stay distanced from other people, because the vaccine protects against serious illness but it's not yet known whether it prevents transmission of the virus to others.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2021.
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- IO Biotech to accelerate the development of novel, immune-modulating anti-cancer therapies based on its proprietary T-win technology

- Novo Seeds created and launched IO Biotech with first seed investment in 2015

- Participated in further financing alongside a strong syndicate of investors

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Novo Seeds, the early-stage investment and company creation team of Novo Holdings, announced today that its portfolio company, IO Biotech, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel, immune-modulating anti-cancer therapies based on its proprietary T-win technology, has raised EUR 127 million in Series B financing.

On 15 December 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) granted IO Biotech breakthrough therapy designation (BTD) for a combination of IO Biotech's lead immuno-oncology therapies, IO102 and IO103, with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. IO Biotech intends to use the proceeds from the financing to advance clinical trials for its early and late-stage immune-oncology programs, including a large randomized trial for IO102 and IO103 with anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies in metastatic melanoma.

Emmanuelle Coutanceau, Partner at Novo Seeds and IO Biotech Board Member said: "Having initially invested in IO Biotech at the seed stage in January 2014, we have supported the company throughout its journey and are delighted to continue as it reaches this milestone in its successful development. This very large financing round, involving a strong syndicate of well renowned investors, is a testament to IO Biotech's team and the potential of its therapies for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. For Novo Seeds, it represents another example of our company creation efforts, identifying and building world class companies that are developing innovative treatments for patients with unmet medical needs."

"We are very pleased that Novo Seeds is supporting us once again alongside such a strong group of investors backing our company. I am proud that this financing round had such a high interest and can close oversubscribed," said Mai-Britt Zocca, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, and founder of IO Biotech. "The funding will enable us to execute on our breakthrough therapy designation grant and advance our lead programs in late-stage clinical development, as we are committed to bringing our treatment to patients as soon as possible."

The financing round was led by HBM Healthcare Investments with the participation of existing investors Novo Seeds, Lundbeckfonden Emerge and Sunstone Life Science Ventures. Other new investors joining the round included Vivo Capital, Kurma Partners, Avoro Capital, RA Capital, Samsara Biocapital, Idinvest Partners (Subsidiary of Eurazeo), PFM Health Sciences, Soleus Capital, Eir Ventures and Serrado Capital.

About Novo Holdings A/S

Novo Holdings is recognized as a world-leading life science investor with a focus on creating long-term value. As a life sciences investor, Novo Holdings provides seed and venture capital to development-stage companies and takes significant ownership positions in growth and well-established companies. Novo Holdings also manages a broad portfolio of diversified financial assets. For more information: https://www.novoholdings.dk/

About IO Biotech

IO Biotech is a clinical stage biotech company developing disruptive immune therapies for the treatment of cancer. The pipeline of first-in-class immune modulating anti-cancer therapies is developed by a unique technology platform, T-win, enabling the activation of T cells that are specific for immune-suppressive molecules. IO Biotech has a proven track record of progressing preclinical and clinical compounds. The two lead compounds targeting IDO and PD-L1 are in clinical development and several pipeline compounds are in pre-clinical phase. For further information, please visit: www.iobiotech.com.

About IO102 and IO103

IO102 and IO103 are IO Biotech's lead immuno-oncology candidates. Both compounds are based on IO Biotech's proprietary T-win technology platform which enables the identification of compounds with a dual mechanism of action targeting and directly killing immunosuppressive cells and tumor cells while indirectly activating other T-effectors, leading to strong anti-tumor responses without adding additional safety concern. Specifically, IO102 and IO103 are first-in-class, immune modulatory vaccines designed to engage and activate IDO and PD-L1 specific human T-cells.

The US FDA's decision to grant breakthrough therapy designation was based on data from the MM1636 Phase 1/2 clinical trial of 30 patients with metastatic melanoma receiving IO102, IO103 and anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies. According to the data recently presented in a late-breaking abstract at the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Virtual Congress 2020, the combination of IO102 and IO103 vaccines and nivolumab was shown to be safe with encouraging early efficacy data; an overall response rate (ORR) of 79 percent was reached and 45 percent of patients achieved a complete response (CR), or complete disappearance of their tumors. Vaccine specific T-cells were located in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and at the tumor site.

SOURCE Novo Seeds
They have both played diabolical adversaries to Paddington Bear in the Paddington film franchise.

And Hugh Grant has admitted he'd love to reunite with Nicole Kidman in the third flick, which is currently preparing to go into production.

The actor, 60, told Digital Spy on Wednesday that he was very interested in working with his The Undoing co-star, 53, once more, after they played villains Phoenix Buchanan and Millicent in the first and second film respectively.

Exciting: Hugh Grant (pictured in Paddington 2) said on Wednesday that he'd love to reunite with his The Undoing co-star Nicole Kidman on Paddington 3 after they both played villains

When asked if their characters could work together to thwart Paddington Bear, he said: 'Yes, we should do that. And then a mummy gets murdered, and I'm the suspect. We should mix up the two things.'

The first Paddington film saw Nicole's Millicent sentenced to community serviceafter attempting to kill and stuff Paddington, while in the second Hugh's Phoenix was jailed after falsely accusing the bear of stealing a priceless pop-up book.

Hugh went on to gush about the second film, which he stars in, as he told the publication: 'I watched it the other day. Christ, it's a good film. Just in terms of filmmaking, he's a genius, [director] Paul King.

'It's so unnecessary to be that good. It's just a sequel to a kids' semi-animated film. But it's a proper monument in cinema. I genuinely believe that. It's brilliantly made.'

Up for it: Hugh played Phoenix Buchanan while Nicole was Millicent (pictured) in the first film, and when asked if their characters could work together, he said: 'Yes, we should do that'

Proud: Hugh went on to gush about the second film (pictured), which he stars in, as he told the publication: 'I watched it the other day. Christ, it's a good film'

The Undoing, which is based on the 2014 novel You Should Have Known by Jean Hanff Korelitz, follows Grace (Kidman) and Jonathan Fraser (Grant), who are living the only lives they ever wanted for themselves.

But their peaceful world comes crashing down with the violent death of Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis) and Jonathan is accused of her murder.

Left behind in the wake of a spreading and very public disaster and horrified by the ways in which she has failed to heed her own advice, Grace must dismantle one life and create another for her child and her family.

The Undoing came to a close on Sky Atlantic in the UK in December, and in the end Jonathan was unmasked as Elena's killer, despite mounting evidence in previous episodes that someone had framed him.

Hit: The Undoing followed Grace (Kidman) and Jonathan Fraser (Grant), whose lives are turned upside down after he is arrested following the violent death of Elena Alves (Matilda De Angelis)

On Tuesday, Nicole admitted that filming the show left her feeling 'uneasy' with a 'disquietness' to her personality.

Speaking on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Nicole said: 'Even on The Undoing it kind of happened where I just like suddenly was in this place of.

'There was sort of a disquietness to my personality, where I was uneasy and there was duress on who I was.'

Nicole also revealed that she was left unwell as her immune system doesn't know 'between acting and truth'.
Local government IT veteran Bill Greeves plans to step down from his post as chief information and innovation officer of Wake County, N.C., at the end of the month to join international software company SAP.Ive decided to try my hand at something new and completely different, Greeves said, adding he will depart Wake County next month to become an industry executive advisor at SAP. I'll be using my experience and background to help the organization connect and respond to the unique challenges faced by the public sector."Its about as far from retirement as I can get, he added.Greeves has spent the last eight years as CIO and deputy county manager in Wake County, home to 1.1 million residents and home to the city of Raleigh. In 2017, he was elevated to the chief information and innovation officer position. All told, he has spent more than 20 years in the service of local government.During his tenure, Greeves developed the county Innovation Office, as well as projects like a performance management program and the countys transparency portal, which offers insights into data sets, performance metrics, financial information and more.Over the past several years weve created a very comprehensive and proactive information security program, and we are currently building out our Data Analytics Center of Excellence, said Greeves.In the last year, the county transitioned some 4,500 employees to remote-work settings as part of the countys COVID-19 response. Meanwhile, next month Wake County will launch a new website. Wake County consistently places in the top 10 in the Center for Digital Government's* Digital Counties survey.I have greatly enjoyed my time at Wake County but I am also looking forward to a new and exciting future with SAP, said Greeves.Government Technology
Seguin, Texas (78155)

Today

Cloudy early with peeks of sunshine expected late. High 88F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph.
This article will be updated throughout the week with coronavirus case counts and other need-to-know information about the pandemic in San Antonio.

1,281 new cases Monday, three deaths: At the start of January, hospitals were caring for 1,100 patients, 328 of whom needed intensive care and 178 relied on ventilators to breathe. Those figures have soared since then: Hospitals on Monday were caring for 437 patients who needed intensive care and 260 relying on ventilators to breathe.

Patients with COVID-19 now make up nearly 38 percent of all those hospitalized in San Antonio  more than double the 15-percent threshold that triggers the business occupancy restrictions and bar closures.

Area hospitals were caring for 1,520 patients with COVID-19 on Monday  253 more than the record set this summer, when state leaders shut down bars and mandated masks to stave off the virus.

January 17

Hospitals at the brink: In the past 24 hours, San Antonios hospitals admitted 130 people with COVID-19, pushing the total number of infected patients to 1,439, six patients higher than the previous record that was set a week ago. Officials also reported 1,676 new cases on Sunday, plus 536 backlogged cases from more than two weeks ago.

As of Sunday, 436 patients with COVID-19 are receiving intensive care, up from 424 Saturday, and 244 patients need a ventilator to breathe, a slight increase from 241 Saturday.

January 16

COVID-19 update: Coronavirus cases continue to infect thousands of San Antonians daily, with 2,840 new cases and six new deaths reported by Metro Health on Saturday.

More than a third of hospital patients Saturday tested positive for the coronavirus, making up 1,394 patients  seven more than Friday. The most coronavirus patients hospitals have seen so far was 1,433 patients just a few days before on Jan. 11.

January 15

Severe risk: Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced 2,889 newly diagnosed coronavirus cases and six more deaths of people who tested positive for the virus. San Antonios new seven-day rolling average of cases has exceeded 2,000 for the first time and now stands at 2,041. The citys risk level is classified as severe.

COVID-19 pandemic leads to layoffs: Frost Bank cut 68 jobs this week, its first layoffs in 20 years and said pandemic related recession was to blame. The layoffs were across all of the banks regions and departments, and it is unknown how many of them were in San Antonio.

January 14

COVID-19 numbers: The 1,829 cases added Thursday tipped the countys total since the pandemic began to 140,614. Half of those cases  about 70,000  have been reported within the last two months.

Yet the number of cases confirmed by positive test results represent just a fraction of the number of people currently infected across Bexar County. Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger, San Antonios coronavirus czar, said Thursday that health officials estimate there are nearly 18,000 active infections this week alone.

January 13

Increasing deaths: Officials on Wednesday reported a staggering death toll of 25 residents killed by COVID-19, the second highest number recorded in a single day since the pandemic began. There were 1,378 new cases, down nearly 1,000 from the previous days tally of 2,303.

Cowboys Dancehall faces shutdown: The City of San Antonio has warned Cowboys Dancehall that it will shut the entertainment venue down if it receives another COVID-19 citation. On Monday, the dance hall, located at 3030 N.E. Loop 410, was given two citations for not adhering to safety guidelines set by the city, bringing its total to seven since the city's emergency declaration went into place March 18 to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

January 12

COVID-19 numbers: Bexar County added 2,303 new COVID-19 cases  the second-largest daily number of new cases. Eleven more residents have died of the virus, officials reported Tuesday.

As case numbers and hospitalizations climb, University Health System is putting tighter restrictions on who can visit patients at University Hospital, allowing only visitors deemed necessary to the patients care.

January 11

COVID-19 numbers: San Antonios coronavirus hospitalizations continued on a frightening upward trajectory Monday, as officials reported a record number of pandemic patients for the seventh straight day.

Officials reported 1,585 new cases Monday and a rolling seven-day average of 1,769 cases per day. One new COVID death was reported on Monday.

New strain reaches Texas: A new strain of COVID-19 initially discovered in the United Kingdom and thought to be more contagious has been found in Nueces County, officials said Sunday. A Corpus Christi resident, a male between 60 and 70 years old, tested positive for variant B.1.1.7. The man returned from the United Kingdom in late December after traveling for a family emergency. He believes he contracted the virus there, officials said.

January 10

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.
Imagine a cream puff.

Smash it up, then take the mixture and coat the inside of a cup, then add some boba and pour in your favorite milk tea.

Wait. Were not done yet.

Using a wide straw, scrape down on the cream puff mix coating your cup. Then take a sip.

Welcome to Hafa Tea, which opened its doors Jan. 9 at the East West Business Center in Upper Tumon. It is one of the latest in new businesses cropping up on the island in the midst of a pandemic.

Its like drinking tea and eating dessert at the same time, explained Joshua Guiao of this new sweet treat he and his wife Elaine imported to Guam from the Philippines.

A designer by trade who spent eight years working for a local architectural firm, Guiao said he and his wife come from families of entrepreneurs and business owners.

Joshua Guiao, who also works in ministry at the Followers of Christ Christian Assembly, said he and his wife prayed before taking the leap of faith that brought them to where they are today, running two shops in a shared space in the middle of a pandemic.

He said they dipped their toes into the pool of entrepreneurship with his wifes clothing shop, Yuraisha, which she opened more than a year ago. The shop used to be in Harmon but with the onset of the pandemic they, like many other local businesses, had to close in March 2020.

Something new

Elaine Guiao said the idea started in June 2019 while she was in the Philippines. She saw a milk tea shop while out with a friend.

There were so many people lined up so I thought what is this? And I tried it, she said, noting that she isnt really a milk tea person. But she was intrigued and she and her friend joined the line of people outside of the small shop.

To say she enjoyed the drink is putting it mildly.

I kept on scraping the side of the cup and said I want more of this, she said. And her tastebuds triggered something in her entrepreneurial spirit. This is something new.

A few months later, in January 2020, she and her husband were in the Philippines and she introduced him to the drink. He enjoyed it and agreed that it could do very well in Guam.

He said what makes the product stand out are the sinkers. These are best explained as little desserts that are similarly smooshed and painted on the inside of the cup.

The cream puff is the basic sinker that comes with the milk tea but you can order from a menu like Egg Pudding, Nata de Coco, Rainbow Jelly, Coffee Jelly, Grass Jelly and Rock Salt Cheese.

In the Philippines, Joshua Guiao added, some people add in more sinkers and request less tea, turning it into something of a halo-halo-like dessert.

He said they can definitely do that at his shop but he enjoys their milk teas, which come in different flavors, including dulce de leche, mango, strawberry, and other treats like the Hokkaido and Okinawa that use a special burnt sugar base.

In a pandemic

Bitten by the milk tea bug, they started looking for sources for their new business venture and putting the framework together.

The pandemic delayed the opening. In fact, the business license for the tea shop was received Dec. 31, 2020, and their sanitary permit was received the first week of January.

Its a big leap of faith to open up during the pandemic, he said.

Joshua Guiao said he knows there are still risks ahead, considering the pandemic has caused the economy to shrink. He believes that they took the steps necessary to accomplish their goal.

Shop and sip and saving on rent

One of those steps was opening the two shops together to save on the cost of rent.

Elaine Guiao said when the governor lifted restrictions on businesses in the fall of 2020, they were able to reopen Yuraisha. Around that same time, they were looking for a space for Hafa Tea.

She said they looked at the rental costs and thought there had to be a less expensive way to work toward their goal of running the two businesses.

When women come to my store, theyre usually with their husbands and they are waiting, she said. So we thought what if we combined the two shops in the same space  so while the wife is shopping the husband can enjoy some tea or coffee.

The duo said the concept seems to be working. Even moms who shop with their children are able to browse through the clothing items while their children enjoy a sweet treat.

Joshua Guiao said his advice for anyone starting a business, whether its in the pandemic or after, is to start with prayer.

First seek the Lord, he said. Whatever your plan is, give it to the Lord and he will guide your path  and then act immediately.

He said, dont hesitate to start the process. And he said just believe that God will help you along the way.

At Singhu border near Delhi, farmers burned the copies of the three central farm laws, while celebrating Lohri.

Lohri marks the beginning of the new harvest season. The harvest festival of Lohri is celebrated in Punjab, Haryana and other parts of north India and bonfires are an important part of the festivities.

Delhi: Farmers protesting at Tikri border burn the copies of three farm laws on occasion of Lohri pic.twitter.com/uWFy0xoZJJ  ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2021

Happy Lohri to the farmers in Delhi fighting for their rights pic.twitter.com/IElkT7USTe  Punjabi Touch (@PunjabiTouch__) January 13, 2021

The farmers also shouted slogans against the BJP-led Centre and slammed the government for not acceding to their demands. They demanded that the new farms laws should be repealed.

Farmers in parts of Punjab burn copies of farm laws

Farmers in Punjab burnt copies of the Centre's three new farm laws at several places on the festival of Lohri as a mark of protest against the legislations.

Protesting farmers owing allegiance to different farm bodies held protest at many places in the state and burnt copies of new agriculture laws.

"We burnt the copies of the farm laws as a mark of protest against these legislations" said committee's general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher in Amritsar.

AFP

Similar protests are also being held at other places in Amritsar.

Farmers, who have been camping at the Delhi borders, are demanding a repeal of the farm laws and a legal guarantee to the minimum support price for crops.

The Supreme Court had stayed the implementation of controversial new farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a 4-member committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders.
Ryusei Takada, 26, is suspected of stealing scores of toilets from houses under construction in Funabashi City, Japan

Police found their first clue after builders noticed a toilet had vanished from site

Within days, another toilet had vanished from a different house being built

Japanese police have arrested a man on suspicion of carrying out a series of toilet thefts in a case which left many baffled.

Ryusei Takada, 26, is suspected of stealing scores of toilets from houses in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, while they were under construction.

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Police arrested Takada, an office worker at one of the construction companies, after he sold a brand new toilet to a second-hand store in the city.

Officers believe Takada used his knowledge of the worker's schedules to sneak on to sites and steal the toilets while they were off shift.

Ryusei Takada, 26, is suspected of stealing scores of toilets from houses in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecutre, while they were under construction

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The first theft took place in October last year when builders discovered a toilet they had installed at a house they were constructing had vanished overnight.

Within days, another toilet had vanished from a different house that was also under construction.

The thefts continued for three months, with a total of 18 items - most of them toilets - pilfered from the construction sites, according to Sora News 24.

Police were unable to catch the thief, dubbed the 'God of Toilets' by local media, until a local second-hand shop said they had been sold a band new lavatory.

Officers were able to trace the man who sold the item, and arrested Takada who admitted stealing and selling the items to help pay for food and rent.

Officials believe that his knowledge of the construction worker's work patterns allowed him to carry out the spate of thefts.

Takada reportedly admitted the thefts and said he stole the toilets and other household items to help pay for food and rent

He told Japanese Fuji News Network: 'I sold it to a thrift shop and stole it to cover my living expenses.'

The case is not the only toilet-related misdemeanor that has mystified Japan in recent years.

A couple from China were forced to post back a toilet seat they stole from a Japanese hotel in 2016.

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The couple from Taizhou, eastern China, travelled on a group trip to Japan and were staying in the Tokyo Inn hotel in Nagoya when they decided to take the multi-function toilet seat with them.

Upon realising the toilet seat had been taken, the hotel called the group's tour guide and reported the theft to the police.

Not a good idea: The couple allegedly returned the toilet seat to the hotel the following day

The couple, named Li and Chen, claimed they took the toilet seat because they thought it was left by other guests who had stayed in the same room.

In nearby China, a gang of knife-wielding men jumped a delivery driver in Hong Kong and stole hundreds of toilet rolls in February last year.

The city became wracked by shortages caused by coronavirus panic-buying.

Toilet rolls became hot property in the densely packed business hub, despite government assurances that supplies remain unaffected by the virus outbreak.

Police said a truck driver was held up by three men outside a supermarket in Mong Kok, a working-class district with a history of 'triad' organised crime gangs.

'A delivery man was threatened by three knife-wielding men who took toilet paper worth more than HK$1,000 (90),' a police spokesman said at the time.

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A police source said the missing rolls were later recovered and two suspects were arrested on scene although it was not clear if they were directly involved in the armed robbery.
LAVAL, QC, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. ("Couche-Tard" or the "Company") (TSX: ATD.A) (TSX: ATD.B) confirms that it has recently submitted a non-binding offer letter to Carrefour SA for a friendly combination at a price of 20.00 per Carrefour share (coupon attached). The terms of the transaction are under discussion and remain subject to diligence, but the consideration is currently expected to be in cash in large majority.

There can be no certainty at this stage that these discussions will result in any agreement or transaction. In considering strategic transactions, Couche-Tard will remain focused on creating stakeholder value. Couche-Tard will keep the public informed of any material developments in this respect if and when it is legally required or otherwise appropriate for the Company to do so.

About Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Couche-Tard is the leader in the Canadian convenience store industry, with a market cap of approximately C$46 billion as at January 12, 2021. In the United States, it is the largest independent convenience store operator in terms of the number of company-operated stores. In Europe, Couche-Tard is a leader in convenience store and road transportation fuel retail in the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden and Denmark), in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania), as well as in Ireland, and has an important presence in Poland.

As of October 11, 2020, Couche-Tard's network comprised 9,261 convenience stores throughout North America, including 8,085 stores with road transportation fuel dispensing. Its North American network consists of 18 business units, including 14 in the United States covering 47 states and 4 in Canada covering all 10 provinces. Approximately 109,000 people are employed throughout its network and at its service offices in North America.

In Europe, Couche-Tard operates a broad retail network across Scandinavia, Ireland, Poland, the Baltics and Russia through 10 business units. As of October 11, 2020, Couche-Tard's network comprised 2,722 stores, the majority of which offer road transportation fuel and convenience products while the others are unmanned automated fuel stations which only offer road transportation fuel. Couche-Tard also offers other products, including aviation fuel and energy for stationary engines. Including employees at branded franchise stores, approximately 22,000 people work in its retail network, terminals and service offices across Europe.

In addition, under licensing agreements, more than 2,220 stores were operated under the Circle K banner in 15 other countries and territories (Cambodia, Egypt, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Macau, Mexico, Mongolia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam), which brings the worldwide total network to more than 14,200 stores.

For more information on Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. or to consult its quarterly Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Discussion and Analysis, please visit: https://corpo.couchetard.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements set forth in this press release, which describes Couche-Tard's objectives, projections, estimates, expectations or forecasts, may constitute forward looking statements within the meaning of securities legislation. Positive or negative verbs such as "believe", "can", "shall", "intend", "expect", "estimate", "assume" and other related expressions are used to identify such statements. Couche-Tard would like to point out that, by their very nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties such that its results, or the measures it adopts, could differ materially from those indicated in or underlying these statements, or could have an impact on the degree of realization of a particular projection. Major factors that may lead to a material difference between Couche Tard's actual results and the projections or expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements include the effects of the integration of acquired businesses and the ability to achieve projected synergies, uncertainty related to the duration and severity of the current COVID-19 pandemic, fluctuations in margins on motor fuel sales, competition in the convenience store and retail motor fuel industries, exchange rate variations, and such other risks as described in detail from time to time in the reports filed by Couche-Tard with securities regulatory authorities in Canada. Unless otherwise required by applicable securities laws, Couche-Tard disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The forward-looking information in this release is based on information available as of the date of the release.

SOURCE Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc.

Related Links

http://corpo.couche-tard.com


New Delhi: Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has terminated the manager of the North-West Delhi Labour Office with immediate effect. Sisodia, who is also the Labour Minister conducted a surprise inspection, took this step after receiving complaints of irregularities in the registration of Delhis construction workers.

On receiving complaints, the Deputy Chief Minister took the step to discontinue the services of the manager after grave irregularities were found in a dozen cases.

During the inspection, Sisodia also directed the labour officers to carry out all the work related to registration and welfare of the labourers as per the rules and within the stipulated time period.

Live TV

Earlier in the morning, the Deputy Chief Minister conducted a surprise inspection at the Labour office and investigated the complaints. The complaints ranged from not following proper procedure to negligence on behalf of labour office workers who used photographs of women instead of men in the registration documents.

In another case, irregularity in the registration of a worker who physically visited the office but used a previously photographed image instead of a live photograph from the visit itself.

Sisodia directed the labour officers to finish all the work related to registration, renewal and providing welfare benefits to construction workers on time.

When the Delhi government has made comprehensive plans for the welfare of the citys construction workers, then all the deserving workers should be able to avail their benefits. No negligence will be tolerated in this matter, Manish Sisodia added.
The province is opening up the Manitoba Bridge Grant to cover new businesses as the code red restrictions continue to keep storefronts closed across the province.

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The province is opening up the Manitoba Bridge Grant to cover new businesses as the code red restrictions continue to keep storefronts closed across the province.

Hotels, resorts, lodges, outfitters, travel agencies, janitorial service companies and licensed passenger transportation businesses will now be eligible for funding under the program.

The deadline to apply for funding has also been pushed back, Premier Brian Pallister announced Tuesday, to Jan. 31.

The changes are as a result of the provinces decision to renew code red restrictions on Jan. 8 for another two weeks. At the time, chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said the extension was to monitor an increase in COVID-19 cases from gatherings over the holidays.

The program provides grants for small and medium-sized businesses, not-for-profits and charities to cover expenses and costs while health registrations force them to shut down.

Newly eligible businesses will be able to receive up to $10,000  a $5,000 payment for when the program was first announced in November and another to reflect restrictions being extended into 2021.

The province is focused on the needs of the business community, Pallister said.

"We want to see our businesses succeed, but we know now that is very difficult through these times of restrictions," he said

"Our business community will be able to safely reopen at some point in the future and we hope it will stay open as well  but thats all in our hands and it all depends on our willingness to do the right thing."

To date, Pallister said the province has a total of approximately $104 million in funding to roughly 10,000 businesses through both phases of the program.

When asked on Tuesday, Pallister said he would "never dismiss" the possibility of a third $5,000 payment going to businesses if needed, but said it is up to whether or not Manitobans follow health guidelines.

There is concern that cold weather could drive people to socialize inside, Pallister said, which would likely cause COVID-19 cases to rise.

"All of us would love to see an end to every restriction tomorrow, remember that these restrictions have saved lives  hundreds of lives," he said.

Manitoba Liberal Party leader Dougald Lamont said the expansion of the Manitoba Bridge Grant is positive but it was "another box of bandaids."

"Its like taking a water pistol to put out a fire, its not enough, especially this late in the pandemic. There are lots of people who needed this help a long time ago and theyll burn through this grant and theyll need more shortly to say open," he said.

Lamont said the move is reactive and the province needs a plan to get through to the end of the pandemic.

Current health restrictions are in place until at least Jan. 23

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_

The annual Screen Forever conference is shifting online next month, following recent challenges around COVID-19 and border restrictions.

Originally set for November 2020 on the Gold Coast, it then rescheduled for February but Screen Producers Australia yesterday announced an entirely digital offering from 16-18 February.

SPA CEO Matthew Deaner said Given the current environment and the need to prioritise the health and safety of our industry and the wider community, we are committing to cultivate business opportunities and connections for Australias screen practitioners through the establishment of Screen Forevers new interactive digital platform.

I would like to thank our Partners  especially Principal Partner Screen Queensland  for adapting with us through this ever-changing environment. Thank you also to the outstanding speakers, moderators and producers who are committing their valuable time and knowledge to helping us build such a strong and vital program for the industry. We look forward to announcing more of our incredible program and market hosts in the upcoming weeks.

We will continue to work with the sector over the coming weeks as we bring Australias premier screen industry event to life online and look forward to welcoming the screen production community to our new home at the Gold Coast in the near future.

Screen Queensland CEO Kylie Munnich added, Although we are disappointed not to be able to welcome Australias screen industry in-person to the Gold Coast for Screen Forever next month, we respect the decision to migrate the conference online for everyones safety and wellbeing.

We are confident SPA will deliver a compelling, conversation-starting program, boasting a strong line up of Australian and international producers, broadcasters, distributors and screen practitioners.

Equally, we look forward to showcasing everything that Queensland has to offer in terms of locations, facilities, crew and creative capabilities.

Similar trade events including MIPCOM 2020 and the upcoming Australian International Documentary Conference also announced online models due to the pandemic.

Assisted by Screen Forevers interactive digital platform, delegates will have increased chances to do business with a greater range of national and international industry leaders than ever before. Recognised as contributing to over $100 million in deals for local screen businesses each year, SPA Connects Ready, Steady, Pitch! and Screenrights Roundtables will now run across all three days of the digital event, presenting further opportunities for networking and deal making.

Moreover, the full program of engaging and inspiring panel and keynote sessions will be broadcast via the digital platform for delegates to watch, participate in Q&As and engage with ongoing conversations with peers.

screenforever.org.au

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The presidency has chided an Islamic group over its criticism and veiled threat against the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah, over a recent controversial message he issued during Christmas.

The Islamic group, Muslim Solidarity Forum, had asked the outspoken cleric to tender apology to Muslims in the state or leave the state over his controversial Christmas message.

Controversial message

The clergyman in his Christmas message titled: A Nation in search of vindication alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari was not living up to expectations due to the various economic and security challenges affecting the country.

He also alleged that Mr Buhari was institutionalising northern hegemony against national interests, adding that if a Southern Christian president had practised such nepotism, there would have been a military coup in Nigeria.

The statement, however, triggered controversy as, for instance, a Muslim group described the bishops sermon as irresponsible and seditious.

PREMIUM TIMES also reported how a major Islamic group, Jamaatu Nasril Islam (JNI) said Mr Kukahs message was a prepared address considering the occasion and the audience, one cannot but agree that it was a calculated attempt to insult Islam which is typical of him. His veiled insinuation that Muslims have a pool of violence to draw from, is disgusting, disheartening, as well as condemnable.

Irrepressible

In response to that, the bishop responded saying JNI was inciting violence against him.

Also, the Muslim Solidarity Forum (MSF), warned the cleric to quickly and quietly leave Sokoto, the Seat of the Caliphate.

MSF through its acting chairman, Isah Maishanu, said Mr Kukahs innuendos and parables in his speeches were against Islam and its adherents, adding that they were provocative.

Presidency wades in

However, the presidency has waded into the face off via a statement signed by Garba Shehu, the spokesperson of President Buhari.

Mr Shehu said: under Nigerias Constitution, every citizen has the right to, among others, freedom of speech and expression, the right to own property and reside in any part of the country, and the right to move freely without any inhibitions, in a bid to defend the clerics rights.

Nigerias strength lies in its diversity. The right for all religions to co-exist is enshrined in this countrys Constitution. The duty of the government, more so, this democratic government, is to ensure that the Constitution is respected. But all must respect the rights and sensitivities of their fellow Nigerians.

Father Kukah has greatly offended many with his controversial remarks against the government and the person of the President, with some even accusing him of voicing anti-Islamic rhetoric.

On matters such as these, responsible leadership in any society must exercise restraint. Knee-jerk reactions will not only cause the fraying of enduring relationships, but also the evisceration of peaceful communities such as Sokoto, the headquarters of the Muslim community as beacon of pluralism and tolerance. The Sultanate has historically had good relations with followers of all faiths. That is why Father Kukah was received on his arrival in Sokoto with friendship and tolerance, Mr Shehu said.

Under our laws, groups or factions must not give quit notices, neither should they unilaterally sanction any perceived breaches. Where they occur, it is the courts of law that should adjudicate. Unilateral action is not the way to go.

Groups such as the Muslim Solidarity Forum must be seen to share and uphold the countrys multi-religious principles. And individuals like Father Kukah must respect the feelings of his fellow Nigerians in his private and public utterances, he added.
From Jan. 4 to 9, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Botswana, Tanzania, and Seychelles, continuing Chinese foreign ministers 31-year tradition of choosing Africa for their first overseas visit every year since 1991.

The New Year visits to the five African countries demonstrates the traditional and profound friendship between China and Africa who share weal and woe, the great importance China attaches to Africa, and Chinas firm resolve to deepen bilateral friendship amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

A staff member unloads Chinese medical supplies for 18 African countries from an airplane at the Kotota International Airport in Accra, capital of Ghana, April 6, 2020. (Xinhua/Xu Zheng)

Joint response to COVID-19 was one of the priorities of the trip. Living up to its international responsibilities, China has sent medical expert teams and a tremendous amount of medical supplies and assistance to Africa, established a cooperation mechanism for Chinese hospitals to pair up with those in Africa, and aided the construction of the headquarters of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In June 2020, China, South Africa, the rotating Chair of the African Union, and Senegal, the Co-Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) initiated and convened an Extraordinary China-Africa Summit on Solidarity Against COVID-19.

China has also worked together with other G20 members on debt service suspension for Africa.

In African countries, Egypt and Morocco have ordered Chinese COVID-19 vaccines and are seeking the localized production of the vaccines.

During his trip to Africa, Wang and foreign ministers of the five African countries reached a broad consensus on continuing to fight the pandemic together. China will enhance health cooperation with Africa to help the continent ramp up its preparedness against major diseases and build a healthy Africa.

The joint China-Africa fight against COVID-19 demonstrated that China is a major and responsible country. The two sides joint response has also set a fine example for international cooperation against the virus, laying a solid foundation for promoting the sound development of relations between China and Africa in the post-pandemic era.

Another priority of Wangs trip was to help Africa resume production and ensure employment and peoples wellbeing.

In April 2020, the World Bank predicted that COVID-19 would cost Sub-Saharan Africa between 37 to 79 billion dollars in output losses for the year. Given the pandemics heavy toll on Africas economy, accelerating production resumption and economic recovery on the continent will affect the long-term development of African countries and African peoples normal life.

Chinas share of its experience in targeted poverty alleviation and eradication will surely contribute to Africas economic transformation and poverty alleviation, driving African countries endogenous growth after the pandemic.

On Jan. 1, 2021, African countries began officially trading under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the China-Mauritius FTA came into force.

Wang held talks with the African side to integrate the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) with the AfCFTA during his visits. His trip will bring new opportunities for China-Africa cooperation and inject new impetus into the transformation and upgrading of bilateral cooperation.

The trip also aimed to further implement the outcomes of the FOCAC summits and promote the high-quality development of the Belt and Road cooperation.

Since the establishment of the FOCAC in 2000, trade between China and Africa has grown by 20-fold and Chinas direct investment in Africa 100-fold. China has been Africas largest trading partner for 11 years in a row and has contributed more than 20 percent to Africas growth for several years.

Meanwhile, based on the 10 cooperation plans and eight major initiatives as the focus of China-Africa cooperation, the two sides have expanded the breadth and depth of cooperation in politics, economy, education, health, ecological environment, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, peace and security, laying a solid foundation for the stable and long-term development of bilateral relations.

So far, over 70 percent of the outcomes of the FOCAC Beijing Summit have been implemented, as China and Africas joint efforts to pursue the BRI have yielded remarkable results.

During Wangs trip, the DRC and Botswana signed a memorandum of understanding on BRI cooperation with China.

The next FOCAC summit will be held in Senegal this year. During his trip, Wang solicited advice from the African side on the three priority areas of vaccine cooperation, economic recovery, and transformative development for the summits agenda. It is believed that the summit will help China and Africa build new consensus on solidarity, break new ground for cooperation, deliver new benefits to the people, and build an even stronger community with a shared future.

(The author is a researcher at the China-Africa Institute.)
[January 13, 2021] Robotic Assistance Devices Receives Opening Order From Civitas Group, RAD's Recently Signed Dealer in Romania

Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (News - Alert) , Inc. (OTCPK:AITX), today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD) has received an opening purchase agreement from Civitas PSG, one of the largest security companies in Romania for (2) RAD devices. "We have successfully generated a high level of interest and we are excited to physically demonstrate these devices to a number of clients," said Rene Pasculescu, CEO at Civitas Group. "The response and enthusiasm has been tremendous, and we expect this should be the first of many orders." "Supporting Civitas in and around Romania is the perfect entry for RAD into the EU," said Steve Reinharz, President and CEO of RAD. "I'm very pleased to be starting our European expansion with such a strong partner." The companies disclosed that a RAD SCOT and ROSA unit would be the initial solutions deployed by Civitas. SCOT, short for Scurity Control Observation Tower, performs a wide variety of autonomous security, surveillance and concierge functions, providing a 360 field of view from its (4) cameras mounted nearly 7' from the ground, along with a 22" interactive, web-enabled, touch-screen. RAD's ROSA, Responsive Observation Security Agent, is commonly installed on a light pole or against a wall, providing autonomous responses activated by its (2) cameras and 180 field of view. It is anticipated that both units will be delivered to Civitas within the next 60-90 days.



CAUTIONARY DISCLOSURE ABOUT FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements in this news release other than statements of historical fact are "forward-looking statements" that are based on current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the ability of Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions to provide for its obligations, to provide working capital needs from operating revenues, to obtain additional financing needed for any future acquisitions, to meet competitive challenges and technological changes, and other risks. Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking statement(s) and/or to confirm the statement(s) to actual results or changes in Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions expectations.

About Artificial Intelligence Technology Solutions (AITX) AITX is an innovator in the delivery of artificial intelligence-based solutions that empower organizations to gain new insight, solve complex challenges and fuel new business ideas. Through its next-generation robotic product offerings, AITX's RAD and RAD-M companies help organizations streamline operations, increase ROI and strengthen business. AITX technology improves the simplicity and economics of patrolling and guard services, and allows experienced personnel to focus on more strategic tasks. Customers augment the capabilities of existing staffs and gain higher levels of situational awareness, all at drastically reduced cost. AITX solutions are well suited for use in multiple industries such as enterprises, government, transportation, critical infrastructure, education and healthcare. To learn more, visit www.roboticassistancedevices.com or follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) @RADbotsecurity. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005215/en/

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Rating: 2.0 /5 Star Cast: Jayam Ravi, Ronit Roy, Sathish, Thambi Ramaiah, Nidhhi Agerwal Director: Lakshman

Bhoomi, the Jayam Ravi starring social drama has premiered in Disney+ Hotstar today, as a Pongal special release. The Jayam Ravi-starrer, which is directed by Lakshman, features Nidhhi Agerwal as the female lead, and popular Bollywood actor Ronit Roy as the lead antagonist. Bhoomi is produced by Sujatha Vijayakumar, under her banner Home Movie Makers.

Did this Jayam Ravi-starrer meet the expectations of viewers? Read Bhoomi movie review here, to know...

Plot

Bhoominathan aka Bhoomi (Jayam Ravi) is an astronaut who is getting ready for a farming project that is supposed to happen on Mars. Before he starts his mission, Bhoomi visits his native village in Tamil Nadu with his mother (Saranya Ponvannan), where he rekindles his romance with Shakthi (Nidhhi Agerwal).

However, things take a different turn after Bhoomi realises the problems faced by the farmers of his village and decides to solve them before his mars mission. In the process, he locks horns with a corporate company owner named Richard King (Ronit Roy). How Bhoomi turns saviour to the farmers forms the crux of the story.

Script & Direction

Bhoomi deals with one of the most over-used themes of Tamil cinema in recent times - farmers' issues. This Jayam Ravi-starrer, which is written and directed by Lakshman, hardly offers anything new, apart from its Mars mission angle (which is highly unconvincing too). The main plot is stretched into a tiresome movie experience with an extremely cliche, preachy narrative.

The forceful romantic track, weak characterisations, overdosage of patriotism, dramatic dialogues, and bad song placements sabotages even the little effect that has been made by some genuine performances. As the occasional sparks suggest, Bhoomi is an honest attempt to discuss a compelling subject. But sadly, it ends up as a monotonous film.

And yes, it would be better if the Tamil filmmakers leave the farmers of the state alone for a while.

Performances

Jayam Ravi delivers an earnest performance as Bhoominathan and tries his best to elevate the otherwise dull narrative. The talented actor truly deserves to be a part of more author-backed roles. Nidhhi Agerwal is forgettable as Bhoomi's unbelievably-dumb (another cliche) girlfriend Shakthi.

Ronit Roy, the antagonist looks his part as the menacing corporate king, but fails to create any impact with the performance. The rest of the star cast, including Thambi Ramaiah, Radha Ravi, Saranya Ponvannan, Sathish, and others are wasted in their minimal roles.

Technical Aspects

Despite all the flaws, Bhoomi creates an impact with its visuals by Dudley, which has set a perfect backdrop for the story. The editing is not up to the mark, as the movie has too many unnecessary sequences that deserve to be chopped. The songs composed by D Imman are forgettable. The background score, on the other hand, is fine.

Pros:

Jayam Ravi's performance

Cons:

Preachy, cliched storytelling with overdosage of patriotism

Weak characterisations

Bad song placements

Verdict

Bhoomi is a tiresome, preachy social drama that serves Tamil cinema's all much-loved cliches in a half-baked narrative, with overdosage of patriotism. Watch it only if you are a die-hard fan of Jayam Ravi.

Also Read:

Master Movie Review: Thalapathy Vijay and Vijay Sethupathi's Deadly Combo Steals The Show

Master Twitter Review: Here's How Twitterati Reacted To The Thalapathy Vijay Starrer
Here is the list of stocks in the news today.

Wipro | The software services provider is expected to report revenue growth within its given guidance for the quarter ended December 2020 driven by large deals wins. Key things to watch out for would be Q4 guidance; execution of past large deals; the outcome of annual budgeting cycle of clients and its implications for Wipro; large deal pipeline and pace of decision making; demand commentaries of key verticals; and exits and new hires resulting from the change in the organization structure.

Hero MotoCorp | The company appointed new distributor partners in Nicaragua & Honduras, in Central America.

Tata Elxsi | The company reported sharply higher profit at Rs 105 crore in Q3FY21 against Rs 78.8 crore, revenue rose to Rs 477.1 crore from Rs 430.2 crore QoQ.

Bharti Airtel | The company received approvals for its relevant downstream investments and is initiating process to revise foreign investment limit to 100 percent with immediate effect. It informed NSDL to monitor overall FDI Llimit at 100 percent.

Tech Mahindra | The company will buy entire stake in Payments Technology for $9 million.

Tata Motors | Global wholesale numbers increased 37 percent QoQ and 1 percent year-on-year to 2.78 lakh units in Q3FY21.

Bharat Rasayan | The board approved the proposal of buyback of 2.2 percent shares at Rs 11,500 per share.

V2 Retail | Bennett Coleman & Co Ltd sold 1,81,823 equity shares in the company at Rs 98 per share on the NSE.

Bliss GVS Pharma | LTS Investment Fund acquired 5.2 lakh equity shares in the company at Rs 207 per share on the NSE.

Seacoast Shipping Services | The board has approved a fund raising of up to Rs 35 crore, through a Rights issue to the eligible equity shareholders of the company.

India Glycols | India Ratings affirmed the company's long-term issuer rating as 'A-' and the Outlook is stable.

Nirmitee Robotics India | The company is going to provide AC duct cleaning services at India's Largest Hydroelectric power station i.e., Koyna Hydroelectric power project.

State Bank of India | MFs reduced stake in the bank to 12.72 percent in the December quarter from 12.95 percent in the September quarter. LIC also lowered shareholding to 9.74 percent from 10 percent in same periods, while FPIs raised stake to 9.82 percent from 7.75 percent in same period.

PNC Infratech | ICICI Prudential Mutual Fund increased stake in the company to 5.05 percent from 4.98 percent earlier.

GMR Infrastructure | Promoter entity GMR Business and Consultancy LLP released pledge on 0.22 percent equity and GMR Enterprises on 1.21 percent equity.

Emami | Promoter entities Suntrack Commerce Pvt Ltd and Bhanu Vyapaar Pvt Ltd released pledge on 0.44 percent and 0.45 percent equity shares, respectively.

Filatex India | The company reported sharply higher profit at Rs 66.04 crore in Q3FY21 against Rs 18.57 crore in Q3FY20, revenue declined to Rs 721.59 crore from Rs 737.73 crore YoY.

Vikas Multicorp | The company reported Q3FY21 profit at Rs 6.62 lakh against Rs 113.43 lakh in Q3FY20, revenue fell to Rs 9.43 crore from Rs 47.1 crore YoY. The board approved an initial investment up to Rs 35 crore for pharmaceutical and healthcare business, and also in principally approved the acquisition of Advik Laboratories.

HPL Electric & Power | The company reported higher profit at Rs 8.39 crore in Q3FY21 against Rs 6.7 crore in Q3FY20, revenue fell to Rs 243.98 crore from Rs 244.13 crore YoY.

Sterlite Technologies | LIC increased stake in the company to 2.97 percent in December quarter, from 1.22 percent in September quarter.

Alkem Laboratories | LIC increased stake in the company to 3.42 percent in December quarter from 2.27 percent in September quarter, but HDFC Life Insurance Company's name did not appear in December quarter, which had held 1.07 percent stake in the company in September quarter.

Results today | Infosys, Wipro, 5paisa Capital, Amtek Auto, Asian Tea & Exports, CESC, Capital Trade Links, GTPL Hathway, Mideast (India) and Rajoo Engineers will announce their quarterly earnings on January 13.
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Lets call this column, and perhaps the next couple of columns, an old-timers memories of the past offered with the hope that they may help u Read more
Editors Note: This story has been updated with comments from President Donald Trump.

New Jerseys top Homeland Security official asked for the publics help ahead of a potential armed march Sunday at the Statehouse in Trenton.

We are taking proactive steps to halt possible attempts at violence, Jared Maples, director of the state Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, said Wednesday in a statement.

State and federal officials were in constant contact since a mob attacked the U.S. Capitol last week, Maples said, and he asked residents to report suspicious activity.

A statement from NJOHSP Director @Jared_Maples regarding calls for an armed march on January 17 at specific state capitols, including Trenton: pic.twitter.com/Obxxo3qpoK  NJ Homeland Security (@NJOHSP) January 13, 2021

Five people died after supporters of President Donald Trump rioted Jan. 6 to stop Congress from affirming President-elect Joe Bidens win.

The White House released a statement from Trump Wednesday calling on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.

In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind, Trump said. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for.

Trentons mayor acknowledged that there is a flyer circulating online asking for armed protests at all state capitals on Jan. 17, 2021, including Trenton.

I know a lot of people are concerned, Reed Gusciora said in a statement. Trenton police were working with the local sheriffs and prosecutors offices, as well as the State Police, to develop a coordinated plan to ensure our safety if any protesters stray beyond the First Amendment right to peaceful protest, he said.

An internal FBI bulletin recently warned that nationwide protests may start later this week and extend through Bidens Jan. 20 inauguration, according to two law enforcement officials who read details of the memo to The Associated Press. Investigators believe some of the people are members of extremist groups, the officials said.

Many details about the potential threats facing New Jersey are not known.

Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated his commitment to preventing more bloodshed.

Were preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, he said Wednesday during an interview with PIX 11.

Ive already had several meetings on this, he added. Its the last thing we need right now in the country.

Residents can call local police or the states counterterrorism watch desk at 1-866-4-SAFE-NJ or email tips@njohsp.gov, officials said.

NJ Advance Media staff writer Jonathan Salant and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Blake Nelson can be reached at bnelson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BCunninghamN.

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ABOUT BIOTECH SHOWCASE Biotech Showcase is an investor and networking conference devoted to providing private and public biotechnology and life sciences companies with an opportunity to present to, and meet with, investors and pharmaceutical executives in one place. Investors and biopharmaceutical executives from around the world gather in San Francisco during this bellwether week which sets the tone for the coming year. Now in its 13th year, this well-established, highly respected conference features multiple tracks of presenting companies, plenary sessions, workshops, networking, and an opportunity to schedule one-to-one meetings. Biotech Showcase is produced by Demy-Colton and EBD Group. Both organizations have a long history of producing high-quality programs that support the biotechnology and broader life sciences industry. ABOUT AKADEUM LIFE SCIENCES Akadeum is a private early-stage life sciences company based in Ann Arbor, MI. Founded in 2014, Akadeum was established with the goal of advancing human health. Akadeum creates advanced isolation products and fundamentally changes the way that isolating chemical and biological targets is approached. Akadeum's goal is to enable entirely new assays and workflows by delivering a microbubble platform technology that can isolate any sample, any volume, anywhere.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Following are comments on the US House of Representatives vote on Wednesday on the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Unless noted otherwise, remarks were made on the House floor. HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI, DEMOCRAT OF CALIFORNIA "We cannot escape history. We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion. ... He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love. The president must be impeached, and I believe the president must be convicted by the Senate, a constitutional remedy that will ...
She addressed the backlash for being in Barbados while the nation was in lockdown 3.0 earlier this week.

And Montana Brown continued to share a slew of sizzling snaps from her break on Instagram on Wednesday.

The Love Island star, 25, showcased her incredible figure in a strapless blue swimsuit from her own swimwear brand.

Beach babe: Montana Brown showcased her incredible physique in a strapless blue swimsuit during her Barbados break on Wednesday

The one-piece highlighted Montana's slender waist waist thanks to it's waist belt design.

The high-rise cut accentuated the television personality's peachy derriere as she posed side on for the camera.

Montana appeared in holiday mode as she donned a straw hat and accentuated her sun-kissed tan with a minimal make-up look.

Cheeky display: The high-rise cut accentuated the television personality's peachy derriere as she posed side on for the camera

Criticism: Her latest post comes after she hit back at backlash for travelling abroad to Barbados in the midst of the global pandemic

Montana recently responded to backlash for jetting off to Barbados over the Christmas period to spend time with her family.

She said she 'needed' to be around her loved ones as she explained her decision to stay in the tropical country for the foreseeable future.

The reality star wrote: 'Hey everyone, I've had a few messages regarding me being away.

'I know it's a really difficult time for everyone in the UK and I completely understand everyone's frustrations.

Controversy: On Monday, the bombshell said she 'needed' to be around her loved ones as she explained her decision to stay in the tropical country for the foreseeable future

'Just to clarify, I'm not in Dubai, I travelled to Barbados with my family before the UK lockdown (before Christmas) and made the decision to stay due to the new restrictions in the UK.

'I posted a Story when I first got out of quarantine to assess whether you guys felt comfortable with me posting (which I'll put on the next slide).

'If that's changed I do understand and I'll put a question box on this Story too as I want to hear from you and what your opinions are.'

Montana revealed she already had plans to travel and shoot content for her swimwear brand, Swim Society, this year. She also assured her Instagram followers that she valued their opinion.

She added: 'As a business, we did have a content trip planned for January for Swim Society and I knew I wouldn't be able to do that due to the restrictions, so that influenced my decision to stay [in Barbados].

'I want to post uplifting content as I know it's a really awful and uncertain time however, I also don't want to be insensitive to what people are going through.

'It's a hard thing to manage and I really don't want to upset anyone or for people to think I don't care what's going on'. (sic)
Funds from a $50,000 Port Houston grant are being used to embed curriculum from the Chartered Institute into an online learning platform for certificate courses. To announce the Port Houston grant and CILT certification, a press conference was held on UH campus. Participants included (l-r) Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Margaret Kidd, UH Supply Chain & Logistics program director and Anthony P. Amber, dean of the UH College of Technology.

The Supply Chain & Logistics Technology bachelors and masters degree plans at the University of Houston are now accredited by The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), allowing students to apply for membership upon graduation and use the CILT credential after their name. This marks the first such distinction for any academic program in the United States. CILT is the oldest international transportation and logistics organization in the world.

In launching our globally-recognized credential program, we are addressing gaps in skill sets and focusing on filling those gaps with our students, helping them become more marketable, said Margaret Kidd, program director, Supply Chain & Logistics Technology.

Funds from a $50,000 Port Houston grant are being used to embed curriculum from the Chartered Institute into an online learning platform for certificate courses. The initial cohort of participants come from area dual-credit high schools with a logistics focus and community colleges offering logistics and international business degrees.

The College of Technology prides itself in providing degree programs that support the workforce  a workforce that both needs to expand in numbers to boost the economy, but also to provide a more relevant education for industry and commerce, said Anthony P. Ambler, dean of the UH College of Technology. We are grateful to the Port Houston and its support of our technology program which explicitly exposes students to how business operates so that they are able to be productive quickly.

Harris County Commissioner for Precinct 2, Adrian Garcia, Port Houston Commissioner Wendy Montoya Cloonan, as well as Lisbeth Cabrera, a program participant working in the field of maritime logistics, joined Ambler and Kidd at a press conference on the UH campus announcing the grant and certification.

The pandemic has wrecked several sectors of the economy, directly impacting thousands, and so many are searching for new skills that translate to this new normal. This UH program, funded by Port grants, is yet another way we and our partners are addressing that, said Commissioner Garcia. Hardworking people need locally elected officials, educational institutions, and industry to help us get past these difficult times, which is why I am extremely excited about the launch of this program.

Our program plays an integral part in preparing the next generation of workers. We thank Port Houston for funding our project which provides meaningful influence for area students, said Kidd.

Aside from being the initial hub for all CILT credentialed courses (certifications) in the United States, the UH Supply Chain & Logistics Technology program serves as the Education Ambassador to other colleges and universities in the United States, Mexico, Panama and Brazil who seek membership as an CILT-accredited academic degree plan.
On a summer evening in 1978, Donald Harris took his two young daughters to the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, Calif., to their first concert.

Kamala, the girl who would become vice president, was the eldest at 13. And as she watched Bob Marley and the Wailers sing and sway at the outdoor arena on the campus of the University of California at Berkeley, she found herself mesmerized.

"We sat up top in the back of the theater, and, as I watched the performance, I was in complete awe," Harris said in an email to The Washington Post. "To this day, I know the lyrics to nearly every Bob Marley song."

The experience was meant to be more than musical. Her father, a prominent Jamaican economics professor teaching at Stanford University, was trying to imbue his two American-born girls with a sense of pride in their roots. Like the Harrises, Marley was from a parish on the north coast of the island called St. Ann.

"My father, like so many Jamaicans, has immense pride in our Jamaican heritage and instilled that same pride in my sister and me," Harris wrote. "We love Jamaica. He taught us the history of where we're from, the struggles and beauty of the Jamaican people, and the richness of the culture."

Most of the time Kamala Harris and her sister, Maya, spent growing up was with their mother, the consequence of a bitter divorce and tough custody battle. Shyamala Gopalan, a cancer researcher who grew up in India, had taken a job at McGill University a little over a year before the concert.

Three seasons a year, the girls lived in Montreal. Summers were meant to be bonding time with their father.

Throughout Kamala Harris's historical political career - a zenith of which will be her swearing-in as the country's first female, first Black and first Asian vice president - Donald Harris has chosen to be in the background. The two are on good terms, friends and relatives of Donald Harris say. But at 82, he has little desire for the attention or celebrity that comes with his daughter's ascent.

The only major comment he made about her political campaign came after Harris jokingly cited her Jamaican heritage on a radio show in 2019 when asked if she ever smoked marijuana.

"Speaking for myself and my immediate Jamaican family, we wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from this travesty," Donald Harris wrote in a column for Jamaica Global Online. After that comment, Harris has repeatedly told reporters that he wanted to stay out of politics.

Today, the man lives near his daughter's condo in Washington's West End, but Kamala Harris's transition team is not sure whether he will be part of any inauguration festivities. Her father did not respond to several requests seeking comment.

Harris has noted that her mother was the most formative parent in her life. Gopalan took her daughters to her hometown of Chennai in southern India and dressed them in Indian jewelry. Tamil Americans have been delighted to Harris use the word "chitti" - a term of endearment for the younger sister of one's mother - in high-profile speeches.

Gopalan was also a student of the civil rights movement and knew society would see her daughters as Black Americans. So she also introduced them to Aretha Franklin, sent them to a Black church and a preschool with Harriet Tubman posters on the wall, steeping them in the African American experience.

But there was a third culture that influenced Kamala Harris, and that came from her father, who wanted to make sure his children understood his homeland of Jamaica. This contribution is perhaps the most singular impression he made on the identity of the senator from California.

Donald Harris deemed those lessons both a patriotic and a paternal duty.

In a 2018 essay published by Jamaica Global Online, Harris described that duty as the continuation of a philosophy bestowed upon him all his life, from his youth in a rural island town to his career teaching at some of the most respected universities in the world. The philosophy was often delivered in the Jamaican patois: "member whe yu cum fram." Remember where you come from.

- - -

Harris's Jamaican family comes from Brown's Town, so named after enslaver Hamilton Brown. It remains a rural area that bustles with markets, where merchants sell meat, spices and other goods.

Harris's great-grandmother, Christiana Brown, is thought to be a descendant of Brown and enslaved Jamaicans, according to Latoya Harris, 39, who is also a great-grandchild of Brown, a stern business executive everyone called Miss Chrishy.

Brown had children with Joseph Harris, a landowner of European ancestry who raised cattle and planted fields of pimento berries, also known as allspice. Miss Chrishy owned a small store along the town's main street.

The family has since given up operating the store, but the structure remains. The store sold everyday goods and featured a large brick oven that was used to make its famous bulla cakes, flavorful flat pastries made with flour, ginger and molasses. This was a family of merchants, a legacy that continued with Kamala Harris's grandfather and Donald Harris's father, Oscar.

In his 2018 essay, Donald Harris wrote that he would go to Miss Chrishy's store after school so she could drive him home. It was Miss Chrishy's love of discussing business and politics - as well as his experience spending summers on his maternal grandparents' sugar cane farm - that shaped a curiosity about labor economics that became his life passion.

The generations-long Harris tradition, according to Latoya Harris, had been "to always try to do the most." She recalled elders waking her to redo class assignments if they thought she had not worked hard enough on them. And her uncle Donald - their brilliant relative who taught in the United States - was often held up as a prime example.

Donald Harris's love of economics took him to the University of the West Indies and then to Berkeley, where he received his PhD in 1966. Harris was then embroiled in what was known as the Cambridge Controversy - so named because it featured academic sparring between professors publishing from the two major Cambridges, Massachusetts and England - about theories of economic growth.

In the late 1970s, American University professor Robert Blecker was an undergraduate at Yale, eager to learn about these theories at a lecture from a visiting professor. When Don Harris - as he is known in academic circles - walked into the room, Blecker was surprised.

"I had heard his name, and I may have seen his articles, but none had discussed his race," Blecker said. "The name didn't resonate in any identifying way. And in came this Black guy. And not just a Black guy, but one with a Jamaican accent - and a very erudite Jamaican accent."

At that point, Blecker said, he did not recall seeing any other Black professors or women in the department. "This was all very different," he said. He was so inspired by Harris that he went on to pursue a graduate degree in economics under his tutelage at Stanford.

In the United States, Harris's brand of economics was seen as a part of the academic counterculture. He questioned the mathematical presumptions of supply and demand that depended on the theoretical "rational man" to understand economic growth.

Instead, he incorporated the philosophies of economic thinkers such as Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx; questioned the relationship between production and profits; and discussed the importance of income distribution.

His premise, though, was not simply based on those who had written books. It came from watching Miss Chrishy discuss the meaning of work at the family store and hearing workers in sugar cane fields discuss wages.

At Stanford, he became the first Black economics professor to receive tenure. His students joked about the way he frequently arrived for class about 10 minutes late - some attributed it to his easygoing Caribbean demeanor. His high-minded theories, though, were no joke. By the end of one of his lectures, the chalkboard would be dusty from his scribbling of matrix equations and linear curves.

The students who were interested in the "alternate approach to economics," however, tended not to be so fond of math, according to Steve Fazzari, another one of Harris's students who now teaches at the Washington University in St. Louis. Harris gained a reputation in his department for being a prolific author and engaging speaker who was not always accessible. In his colleague Duncan Foley's autobiography, the economist referred to Don Harris as a brilliant man who had "a tendency to overcommitment."

There's something about the incoming vice president that reminds Don Harris's students of their old graduate adviser. Even while they could become annoyed by his hands-off approach, they admired his incisive questioning of graduate students and visitors giving presentations to the department.

"He had a way of getting to the heart of the matter," said Tracy Mott, a former student who is now a professor at the University of Denver. "And I loved watching Kamala grill people at the Judiciary Committee hearings. I'd hear her and say, 'She's smart like Don.' "

Harris also took an interest in the civil rights movement. He and Gopalan were part of a social circle that read, debated and theorized on the best ways to achieve Black liberation, according to Aubrey LaBrie, an old family friend.

Harris was one of the more reserved people in the group, friends recall, eager to have long discussions about philosophy and policy but less at home standing on campus soapboxes and addressing large crowds. Never forgetting his life back home, he even wrote pieces in Jamaican newspapers describing the importance of Malcolm X to the United States.

He and Gopalan fell in love protesting, and Kamala Harris often speaks about accompanying them to demonstrations while she was in a stroller. But their marriage did not last. In Kamala Harris's memoir, "The Truths We Hold," she wrote that the two "stopped being kind to each other" by the time she was 5.

When Don Harris took a visiting professorship at the University of Wisconsin, Gopalan stayed behind with the girls. In 1971, when Kamala was 7, the two divorced. The relationship became so tense, Kamala Harris wrote in her memoir, that she worried her mother would not even show up at her high school graduation if her father was there. (He attended, and so did she.)

"It was hard on both of them," Kamala Harris wrote in the book. "I think, for my mother, the divorce represented a kind of failure she had never considered."

- - -

After the marital split, Kamala Harris's weekends and summers were with her father. He watched the pet hamster and took the girls to Disneyland. But the most memorable trips were the ones back to Jamaica.

On the island, they visited the markets of Brown's Town where her great-grandmother had the family store and her great-grandfather is buried in the Anglican Church graveyard. The sisters ran through the old family properties and the sugar cane fields.

They'd attend get-togethers in the hills, where an uncle would be making a big pot of curry goat outside, and relatives prepared signature Jamaican dishes: rice and peas, jerk chicken, beef patties.

"When someone comes back home, we roll out the red carpet for them," said Latoya Harris, her second cousin, who works in educational philanthropy. "That's just who we are."

Kamala and Maya would bite into sugar cane on front porches, buy fruit at the markets and cruise around with their uncle Chris, a racecar driver.

"I remember him calling speed bumps 'sleeping policemen,' '' Harris told The Post. "That's where I got my love of driving a little too fast."

When Kamala Harris got a little older, her father introduced her to Marley and Jimmy Cliff. She picked up some patois, the distinct Jamaican dialect that blends English with African languages.

But he also tried to shape an understanding of the culture that went beyond food and music. He taught his daughters about the history of the Jamaican Maroons, kidnapped Africans who rebelled and headed for the hills when their captors tried to enslave them. The elder Harris taught her about the vast gulf between the wealthy and the poor in Jamaica, and the challenges to economic growth - blending his experience with his expertise.

Those challenges still consume Donald Harris.

After retiring from Stanford in 1998, he moved to the District of Columbia to consult with agencies such as the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) on economic issues in the Caribbean. Harris's prescriptions have included limiting government intervention in exchange rates, the creation of credit bureaus and tax policy changes, according to Gerry Johnson, a former general manager of the Caribbean Country Department at the IADB.

These changes have "basically created the possibility of Jamaica to start increasing its productivity and stop being a poor country and have a brighter future," Johnson said. "The country has received accolades for its growth. And that's a tribute to the type of policies that Don Harris has been promoting."

It is also a part of his philosophy of remembering where he came from.

His daughter says she tries to do the same. Even as she prepares for the transition to the vice-presidential residence at One Observatory Circle, she wrote that she still has frozen Juici patties in her fridge and a recipe for oxtail that she is longing to perfect.

Her fluency in the culture still tends to surprise some. In 2018, months before she would announce her own presidential campaign, a group of prominent Jamaicans and Jamaican Americans in South Florida gathered to greet her at a private fundraiser for then-Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., in downtown Miami. They had all admired her political career, but they still had questions about her comfort with the culture. The word "Jamaica" is not even cited as a keyword in the index of her memoir.

At the end of the fundraiser, the group gathered to ask questions. Harris told them that her family came from Brown's Town and that she has relatives in St. Ann's Bay.

Winston Barnes, a city commissioner from Miramar, thickened his Jamaican accent to see whether she could keep up.

"What you know about St. Ann?" he recalled asking her.

To his surprise, Harris switched into a patois inflection.

"How you mean?" she responded. "I know there from growin' up."

And then she began to tell the stories about her adventures with her father.

"That's what I needed to hear," Barnes reflected. "She is one of us."
The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) is keen to provide all means of support and facilities that encourage the Malaysian business community to invest in Sharjah.

Malaysian business can benefit from Sharjahs strategic location as a distinguished economic hub at the regional level, thanks to the emirates economic diversification policy, state-of-the-art logistical services, the pioneering banking system, the flexible legislation and laws, and the sophisticated infrastructure.

SCCI, represented by Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi, SCCI Director-General, received a delegation from Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), headed by Omar Mohammed Saleh, MATRADE Trade Commissioner.

The meeting was held in the presence of Abdul Aziz Shattaf, SCCI Assistant General Director, Members Services Sector and Director of Sharjah Exports Development Center (SEDC), and Fatima Al Mokarrab, Director of the SCCI International Relations Department.

The meeting dealt with topics of common interest and means of developing and enhancing exports, trade, and investment exchange between Sharjah and Malaysia.

Al-Awadi said: This meeting comes as part of the joint endeavours of both sides to establish new and promising investment partnerships that help develop prospects and areas of mutual cooperation between Sharjahs business community and their counterparts in Malaysia.

Al-Awadi highlighted the long-standing relations between the two sides since the bilateral cooperation agreement signed in 1994, pointing to the importance of the joint coordination to increase the rates of exports and re-exports between the two friendly countries, stressing the need to benefit from MATRADEs expertise as a national export promotion agency for the Government of Malaysia, and the experiences of Sharjah Exports Development Centre which implements best international practices to expand the base of export goods and services through the provision of financing facilities and guarantees, in addition to offering a leading credit umbrella to encourage companies to obtain strong export opportunities.

Saleh highlighted Malaysias keenness to provide the necessary support and facilities for Emirati businessmen wishing to invest in Malaysia, lauding the SCCIs effective role in consolidating the economic and commercial relations between the UAE and his country.

He affirmed the Malaysian business communitys desire to develop prospects for cooperation with their counterparts in Sharjah, pointing to economic fundamentals the two countries enjoy, something that helps enhance the volume of trade relations between them.

Shattaf said: The Sharjah Exports Development Centre is one of the most prominent national institutions that provide a perfect environment for supporting and enhancing local exports through the provision of various services to encourage industrial and exporting establishments to raise their competitive capabilities in foreign markets and respond to regional and international marketing opportunities.

He added that the Centre is also providing export solutions and making use of the integrated databases to help increase export knowledge, in addition to providing credit guarantees and technical support for exports. -- Tradearabia News Service

SPRINGFIELD - Springfield police arrested a 35-year old Springfield man with a history of sexual assault charges on Tuesday afternoon, charging him with sexually assaulting two underage girls during the fall, police said.

Christian Barbee is charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a person age 14 or over, and single counts of rape, kidnapping, and witness intimidation.

He was arrested just before 1 p.m. at Buckingham Place and Buckingham Street in the citys McKnight neighborhood by members of the Springfield police Warrant Apprehension Unit, and officials with the U.S. Marshals Task Force, Hampden County Sheriffs Department and the state police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section.

Springfield police obtained an arrest warrant for Barbee after an investigation by the Springfield Police Special Victims Unit identified him as a suspect in two reported sexual assaults involving two underage teens.

At the time of his arrest, Barbee was out on bail and awaiting trial for a 2018 rape of a 15-year-old girl that he recruited through Facebook with the promise of a job offer.

Previously, he was sentenced in 2008 to 2 1/2 years in jail after being found guilty of breaking and entering and assault and battery after he broke into the Hampden home of a former girlfriend and attacked her.
WASHINGTON  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is moving abruptly away from President Donald Trump, telling people that he thinks Trump perpetrated impeachable offenses.

The Kentucky Republican also sees House Democrats drive to impeach Trump as an opportune moment to distance the GOP from the tumultuous, divisive outgoing president.

The views of McConnell, who will be Washingtons most powerful Republican once Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated next week, were described by a GOP strategist on condition of anonymity on Wednesday. The New York Times first reported McConnells view on Tuesday.

McConnells thinking emerged as the Democratic-led House moved toward certain approval of an impeachment article accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, an unprecedented second impeachment of his clamorous presidency. Trump exhorted a throng of his followers to march on the Capitol last Wednesday, where they disrupted Congress formal certification of Bidens win in a riot that resulted in five deaths.

The Republican strategist said McConnell hasnt said if hed vote to convict Trump when the Senate holds an impeachment trial. Nonetheless, McConnells thinking  and the certainty that modest but significant numbers of House Republicans were ready to vote to impeach Trump  underscored how the GOPs long reflexive support and condoning of his actions was eroding.

Last weekend, McConnell spoke to major Republican donors to assess their thinking about Trump and was told that they believed Trump had clearly crossed a line, the strategist said. McConnell told them he was finished with Trump, according to the consultant.

McConnell is looking out for his partys long-term future, but the short-term political pain for Republican senators is clear, said a GOP aide granted anonymity to discuss the situation. The aide called a Senate vote on removing Trump a big risk for Republican senators, with many of them almost certain to face challenges in GOP primaries.

It is unclear how many Republicans would vote to convict Trump in a Senate trial, but it appears plausible that several would do so. So far, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has said she wants Trump to resign and Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., has said he would definitely consider House impeachment articles.

Complicating GOP thinking about Trumps second impeachment is the fact that Republicans will be defending 20 of the 34 Senate seats up for election in 2022. Thanks to Democratic victories this month in two Georgia runoffs, Democrats are about to take control of the chamber by 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking votes.

Speaking out against impeachment Wednesday was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. A once-bitter Trump foe, Graham became one of his closest allies during his presidency, then lambasted him over last weeks Capitol invasion but has since spent time with Trump.

Impeaching Trump now would do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence, Graham said in a statement. He said Trumps millions of backers should not be demonized because of the despicable actions of a seditious mob, but he did not specifically defend Trumps actions last week.

If there was a time for Americas political leaders to bend a knee and ask for Gods counsel and guidance, it is now. The most important thing for leaders to do in times of crisis is to make things better, not worse, Graham said.

When the Senate voted against removing Trump in February after the House impeached him for pressuring Ukraine to provide political dirt on Biden, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only Republican who cast a vote to oust him.

The McConnell revelations came as the Capitol increasingly resembled a heavily defended compound. With law enforcement bracing for the possibility of more attacks by armed Trump supporters, the Capitol and nearby office buildings were surrounded by seven-foot-tall fencing and armed National Guard troops patrolled its grounds.

Trump has falsely insisted that Novembers presidential election was stolen from him by fraud. Those allegations have been rejected by state officials of both parties, state and federal courts and members of his own administration.

If the House impeaches President Donald Trump, a Senate trial on whether to convict him of inciting insurrection seems all but certain to have to wait until Biden is inaugurated.

Thats the word from a spokesman for McConnell. The spokesman says aides to the Kentucky Republican have told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumers staff that McConnell wont agree to invoke powers calling senators into emergency session.

That means the Senate almost certainly wont meet again until Jan. 19. Thats the day before Bidens inauguration.
Indias importance to the UK is inescapable but.

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 13: While giving India the attention it deserves, the UK government needs to accept that gaining direct national benefit from the relationship, whether economically or diplomatically, will be difficult says a report by Chatham House, a major British think-tank.

The report Global Britain, Global Broker calls for a shift in the strategic focus and says that the UK should be more realistic about developing deeper ties with India, which it clubs with China, Saudi Arabia and Turkey while terming them as the difficult four.

"India's importance to the UK is inescapable. But it should be obvious by now that the idea of a deeper relationship with India always promises more than it can deliver. The legacy of British colonial rule consistently curdles the relationship. In contrast, the US has become the most important strategic partner for India, as recent US administrations have intensified their bilateral security relations, putting the UK in the shade," the report says.

UK govt hails Indias religious diversity, inclusive tradition in Parliament debate

The report says that India's complex, fragmented domestic politics have made it one of the countries most resistant to open trade and foreign investment. The overt Hindu nationalism of the ruling BJP is weakening the rights of the Muslims and other minority religions, leading to a chorus of concern that intolerant majoritarianism is replacing the vision of a secular, democratic India bequeathed by Nehru.

"India did not join the group of countries that criticized China at the UN in July 2019 over human rights violations in Xinjiang. India has also been muted in its criticism of the passage of the new national security law in Hong Kong. With Indian domestic politics also having entered a more ethno-nationalist phase, as noted earlier, a D10 might end up functioning as a D9 at some point in the future, with all the damaging knock-on effects this would have on the UK's relations with India," the report also says.
Mathura:

A car fell into canal at Makera area in Mathura on Sunday morning and ten persons including five women have died in the accident, police told.



The vehicle carrying pilgrims from Mehandipur Balaji temple lost control and fell into the Makera canal, SP (rural) Aditya Shukla said.



All the bodies have been fished out, he said, adding the victims belonged to Bareilly.



Prime facie, the vehicle may have been speeding on the narrow bridge along the canal or the driver may have dozed off leading to the accident, station-incharge Harish Vardhan Singh said.



Meanwhile, the residents blamed the authorities for failing to expand the narrow bridge along the canal.
A civil engineering associate professor at The University of Texas at Arlington has received a pair of grants focused on detecting and repairing natural gas leaks in underground pipelines.

For the first, Kathleen Smits is collaborating with Colorado State University on a two-and-a-half-year, $364,657 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) to investigate leak detection and repair methods for underground pipelines, especially large leak scenarios.

The second project, funded by a two-year, $263,057 grant from the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, focuses on detecting and reducing natural gas emissions and decreasing the likelihood of accidents due to leaks.

Both grants build upon Smits' previous research involving innovative sensor networks that allow monitors to quantify leak rates, how gas is moving and other key indicators so companies can make critical, real-time decisions to address problems.

The PHMSA grant will look at underground natural gas leaks with moderate to high flow rates (more than 100 cubic feet per hour). Smits and her team will create models to understand the leaks and how the gas migrates underground in controlled conditions at Colorado State's Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center. The team will build pipelines, release points, sewer and telecommunications ducts, and buildings, then create methods to measure gas migration speeds underground and detect gas buildup above ground.

In addition to that work, the team will also engage with first responders from gas companies and fire departments to gain an understanding of how they approach large gas leaks.

"We have a lot of data from our research that tells us how gas flows from leaks," Smits said. "We want to work with first responders to gain an understanding of what they do and why, based on their knowledge and best practices. We'll pair our findings with different scenarios and link it to practice, which will help us to identify their priorities and set up simulations that will help increase safety and improve environmental impact."

Under the Colorado Department of Natural Resources grant, Smits and her team will look at existing and emerging leak-detection methods to determine how to take information about a gas leak and turn it into actionable items.

"When there is a suspected gas leak along a pipeline, responders deploy some kind of technology to detect the leak--drones, satellite imaging, aircraft, or even a person walking with a sensor," she said. "But once you determine that you have a leak, you have to quantify it. We're creating models that will allow us to quickly determine how big a leak is and what the actual emissions are underground and in the atmosphere so the leak can be mitigated quickly and safely."

Smits' innovative research is influencing the field of pipeline safety, said Ali Abolmaali, chair of UTA's Civil Engineering Department.

"Dr. Smits' contributions to the fields of land-atmosphere interactions, shallow subsurface multiphase processes, contaminant transport and hydrology are well-recognized," Abolmaali said. "She continues to be an impactful authority in her field."

###

- Written by Jeremy Agor, College of Engineering
THE world looked-on aghast as events unfolded in Washington D.C. last week when a violent mob of Trump supporters, far right and neo-Nazi elements together with conspiracy theorists stormed the Capitol in an attempt to subvert American democracy.

The action of the rabble, encouraged by President Trump and his acolytes, was a frightening demonstration of just how quickly a democratic society can be subverted from within.

For years commentators have warned us about the nature of many of Trump's support base while others dismissed these warnings as lazy stereotyping by the media.

Unfortunately last week's events show the former analysis was largely correct.

A significant and vocal element of Trump's support base is composed of violent racists and far-right extremists intent on destroying American democracy.

These elements have been encouraged and nurtured by false news and conspiracy theories found on the wilder and darker fringes of the web.

Interviews with Trump supporters in the wake of the U.S. election showed that many of them believed the election had been stolen due to the insistence of the President and untrue stories peddled on the web.

We can laugh at the gullibility of these supporters but many people here in this country have also been led to believe untruths by stories circulating on the web and on social media platforms.

Trump delighted in attacking the traditional media, particularly the world-respected New York Times, with his taunts of fake news.

The President detested being held to account by professional journalists in mainstream media titles who had the courage to investigate and call out his lies.

The events in Washington last week, and the threat of further demonstrations around U.S. cities on inauguration day next week, should highlight to our political, business and civic leaders the vital role mainstream media plays in a democracy.

Traditional media has been in crisis since the advent of the web with many titles forced to close down, even here locally in the Midlands.

But the expertise built up by newspapers together with the judgement and balance so central to professional journalism still have an all important role to play in our democracy.

Properly resourced and independent journalism has served this country well in exposing injustices, highlighting corruption and providing balanced coverage of public affairs.

At a local level, the Tribune and other titles across the country provide a vital service in the community, a service which is all the more important in this era in the light of the misinformation which is sometimes peddled as fact on social media platforms.

As such the Government must examine ways in which it can protect and support our respected media platforms staffed by professional journalists who are committed to publishing the truth in the news.

Irish newspapers, local and national, and the journalists who work for them, are the voice of our people, their communities and regions. Support for Irish journalism matters now more than ever.

The #JournalismMatters campaign in the past has called on the Government to deliver on a five-point-plan for the industry:

*Apply a 5% VAT rate to newspapers and digital products, ahead of ultimately reducing to 0% once EU laws allow

*Reform Irelands draconian defamation laws to ensure that the stories that need to be told, are told

*Appoint a Minister for Media  a single member of the Cabinet should have oversight for all aspects of our complex media landscape

*Establish a News Publishers Media Fund  to drive innovation and investment

*Invest in a training support scheme for all journalists

The future of Irish journalism is at a crossroads and Government inaction now is simply not an option as the events which unfolded in the United States last week show.

Without the supports and investment, and clarity on VAT rates, the sector will not be able to thrive and invest, but will falter and publications will be forced to close or at best scale back on the good, independent journalism that has been a bedrock of Irish democracy.
Right now we round up some of the most important recent news links on the topic of rising violence, police action and the continued quotient of deadly local violence.

Inner Suburbs Stay Losing

Raytown shooting kills 1 man, injures another KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Raytown police are investigating a shooting that left one man injured and another dead. According to police, they were called to a "nature unknown" call at a home in the 8300 block of Hedges Avenue around 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Local Lookout

KCPD looking for woman charged with murder KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) -- The Kansas City Police Department is trying to locate a woman who has been charged with murder. According to the police, 45-year-old Kashawn Roper is facing charges in connection with the Aug. 23 homicide of Jazmyn Henrion. If you know where Roper is, you are asked to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

Double Murder Case Demand

Judge orders KCPD to turn over reports on Yust surveillance CASS COUNTY, Mo. - Despite previous delays due to the pandemic, the felony murder trial for accused murderer Kylr Yust is scheduled to begin April 5. Cass County prosecutors charged Yust in 2017 with two counts of murder in the first degree and abandonment of a corpse in the deaths of Kara Kopetsky and Jessica Runions.

Toy Gun Cry For Help

Mother of Independence Center scare suspect says her son needs mental health treatment, not jail time INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) -- Three men are in jail facing various charges for a chaotic incident at Independence Center on Sunday afternoon. Police say their investigation, with the help of multiple cell phone videos on social media of what happened, indicates 34 year-old Nathan Gouldsmith got into a phyiscal altercation with 23 year-old Keandre Lamay.

Building Courthouse Cooperation

Prosecutor stresses need for community trust Beyond the pandemic, 2020 also proved to be a fatally violent year in Jackson County, with a record number of homicides in Kansas City. County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, recently elected to a third full term, said that just as notable as the 176 homicides (according to KSHB-TV news' homicide tracker, and possibly higher pending investigations) is the continuously high number of non-fatal shootings and a low clearance rate of such crimes.

Cons Confront Hard Times

Former Inmates Are Often Locked Out of the Job Market A potential solution for the nation's looming skilled labor shortage may be in plain sight. Lansing Correctional Facility (LCF) will soon be launching a Career Campus with the help of the Kansas Department of Corrections, local businesses, educators and nonprofits in Kansas.

Search For Justice Contd

Metro family says they weren't told case was closed in young mom's killing, still want answers RAYTOWN, Mo. - Jackson County prosecutors will not press charges against a man who shot and killed his girlfriend, 29-year-old Kiera Cline in July 2018, ruling the shooting was justifiable. This ruling was determined in January 2019, yet the family of the victim claims they were never told.

Arson Investigation Reveals History Of Safety FAIL

KMBC investigation uncovers history of safety violations at Waldo Heights apartments A KMBC investigation uncovers a history of safety violations at a Kansas City apartment complex. Two routine fire inspections show failing smoke detectors and emergency exit signs, even holes in the ceilings and walls.The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it is not ruling out arson as a possible cause of December's Waldo Heights fire that displaced 30 families.But it is a criminal investigation at this point.

Developing . . .


The poultry industry that was recently battered by the coronavirus pandemic is braving yet another storm in the form of avian flu. Due to the fear of bird flu that has been confirmed in multiple states across the country, sale in the poultry industry has seen a dip. Transportation of hens from one state to another has been banned in North India resulting in significant dip in sales of chicken and chicken products.

It must be mentioned here that bird flu in poultry chickens have so far been found only in Haryana. The cases were found in layer farms where poultry farming is done for eggs. Otherwise, most of the bird deaths that have occurred were of wild birds or migratory birds. A few cases of bird flu in poultry ducks have also been found.

However, it has not stopped sales as well as prices of chicken and chicken products from dipping. Poultry Federation of India President, Ramesh Khatri, told new agency IANS that chicken sales had fallen by almost 70 to 80 per cent over the last three to four days, while prices had fallen by 50 per cent and egg prices had also come down by nearly 15 to 20 per cent.

Farmgate prices of broiler chicken dipped from Rs 130-140 in Delhi to Rs 85-105 per kg. In Maharashtra, chicken prices have dropped from Rs 82 to Rs 58 per kg, while in Gujarat it has fallen from Rs 94 to Rs 65 and from Rs 80 to 70 in Tamil Nadu.

Wholesale rates of eggs that had crossed Rs 6 in Delhi in the beginning of the month have dropped to Rs 4.38. In Gujarat it has dropped from Rs 5.45 in the beginning of the month to Rs 4.4, while in Maharashtra it has dropped from Rs 5.45 to Rs 4.8. In Tamil Nadu, egg prices had touched Rs 5.22 in the beginning of the month and dipped to Rs 4.22.

Khatri said that the primary reason for falling demand for chicken is the movement of poultry from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir has been banned in multiple states. He added that he would ask the government to save the industry from rumour-mongering.

A delegation from the poultry industry would meet Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday.

Rakesh Manhas, poultry farm operator told IANS that he would urge the government to look into rumours that cause great loss to the industry.

Animal Husbandry Commissioner Praveen Malik told the agency that there is no direct evidence of bird flu being transmitted to humans by eating contaminated poultry products. Cleanliness, hygiene and cooking and processing standards are effective in preventing the spread of the virus.

Agricultural economist and Poultry Federation of India advisor, Vijay Sardana said that the country's poultry industry is worth Rs 1.25 lakh crore, which came down to half during the pandemic.

Also read: Bird flu: BMC issues guidelines in Mumbai; sets up rapid response team

Also read: Bird flu outbreak confirmed in 10 states
Humble ISD will remain open with three options for parents and students  online-only, online with in-person UIL or in-person courses.

The decision to continue with in-person education came after Humble ISD surpassed 1,000 students with confirmed cases since Aug. 11 and entered the district-initiated closure or red category of the weighted scale on its coronavirus dashboard. The school board, under advisement from Superintendent Elizabeth Fagen and Deputy Superintendent Roger Brown, agreed that in-classroom learning must remain.

LOCAL: Humble ISD moves closer to district closure after surpassing 1,000 total student coronavirus cases

Fagen said during her presentation that local health officials said they do not need to shut down and that they are able to support their COVID-19 patients at this time, which was supported by Browns statements later.

We cant imagine at this point taking the on-campus option away from our students and their families, Fagen said. We know that some students need it, and we believe we need to provide it.

Brown, who is the point of contact for the healthcare professionals, clarified at the meeting that he speaks with officials from the two hospitals in the area HCA Houston Healthcare Kingwood and Memorial Hermann Northeast at least once a week, and often more than that, about the stress on the hospitals.

Up to this point, while yes, COVID has increased and their patient load has increased, theyre still able to balance what theyre doing now, Brown said.

While this was not an official vote but rather an information item, changes will be made to the Humble ISD COVID-19 Matrix. It will no longer display actions to take at certain levels but will remain on the website to help parents and the community understand the level of COVID-19 within the district.

The weighted scale previously featured three categories  District Open 100% for all students or green, District-Wide Caution or Yellow and District-Wide District Initiated Closure or red.

COVID-19: Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker

Humble ISD will continue to publish the community matrix as part of the overall COVID dashboard, keep contact tracing and monitoring data while making adjustments as needed and develop the virtual learning 2.0 for the Fall 2021 launch.

They will continue collaboration with hospital partners as well and work toward optional staff vaccination clinics, monitor any learning loss and follow up with interventions on an as-needed basis and collect data for the Fall 2021 learning location preferences to prepare.

We wanted a hyper-local context for the conversations in Humble ISD when we created the matrix, which is why we heavily weighted hospital bed use at our local hospitals, Fagen said. And our benchmarks we used were from last July. Last July there was no vaccinations available for health care workers and our hospitals were very unsure, the treatments were a little less well known, and these are just me repeating what they said.

The move was approved as cases have grown rapidly in the Lake Houston area and across the region.

The Houston Chronicle reported yesterday that cases surpassed the previous high from early July, peaking earlier this month as the positivity rate reached nearly 21 percent. However, in the same article, David Persse, the citys health authority, said that COVID-19 patients general hospital beds is rising faster than the number of COVID patients in intensive care units, meaning they are able to manage the spike better this time around.

Morning Report: Get the top stories on HoustonChronicle.com sent directly to your inbox

Public comments at the beginning of the board meeting urged the board to take action on slowing the spread of COVID-19 in the school district.

Kristin Hayles, a geophysicist and Humble ISD parent made a series of five recommendations: to trust the science of the American Medical Association and the CDC to wear a mask at all ages, have more restrictions on close contacts, have better metrics on dashboards for parents to make decisions, track individual schools and shut down only campuses that have reached a certain case limit for cleaning and to appoint someone to track statistics at each school to find out the best practices to implement at all schools.

Im a 20-year geophysicist and data scientist, so I can appreciate the truths that science reveals whether we like it or not, Hayles said. We are in the red in our metrics, so we should shut down for a period of time and reconsider our practices.

savannah.mehrtens@chron.com
CONWAY  Horry County Schools announced to parents on Wednesday morning that it will return to its hybrid instructional model on Tuesday.

The announcement comes five days prior to the start of the next school week, the minimum number of days required by the South Carolina Department of Education.

According to the HCS COVID-19 dashboard, the district currently has 113 active cases, including 55 students and 58 staff members.

There are 164 HCS employees in quarantine, while the district has chosen not to report students in quarantine.

The incidence rate in Horry County sits at 764, nearly quadruple what the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control considers to be "high." The positive test rate over the past 7 days is 29.1 percent of 6,473 tests.

HCS Superintendent Rick Maxey announced on Tuesday that he has a mild case of COVID-19, while HCS Board of Education vice chairman John Poston is hospitalized while he battles the virus.

This is a developing story, please check back for updates.
GREENWICH  With vaccinations expected to begin soon for more of Greenwichs population, the town on reported Wednesday reported the latest trend in the local coronavirus numbers.

There are now 2,905 residents who have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began last March, up 240 from last Wednesday, First Selectman Fred Camillo said.

Additionally, 75 residents have died after a COVID-19 diagnosis, two more deaths since last week, Camillo said.

Of the reported cases, 180 are considered active by the town Department of Health  a decrease of 55 cases from last week.

Thats going in the right direction, Camillo said.

Greenwich Hospital reported it was treating 27 patients with the coronavirus, down seven patients from the week before. Of those 27, four were in the intensive care unit and two were on ventilators.

We are definitely seeing a flattening of that curve, said Dana Marnane, vice president of public relations for Greenwich Hospital. We are starting to see a little downward trend. Were starting to feel a little hopeful.

This comes at a time when the state is ready to move into Phase 1B of its vaccination schedule.

But it still not determined who will be covered in that phase. Gov. Ned Lamonts COVID-19 Vaccine Advisory Group is expected to make a recommendation Thursday  and it could follow the recommendation of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to include seniors 65 and older in Phase 1B, which is supposed to begin Monday.

Officials from the town and Greenwich Hospital were scheduled to meet later on Wednesday to discuss how the vaccine will be distributed in town. Camillo and Marnane said there would be an announcement as soon as the details are finalized.

We will have a plan in place and get it out there ASAP, Camillo said.

Marnane said they hoped to begin registering eligible residents for the vaccinations at Greenwich Hospital for Phase 1B by the end of the week.

We encourage everyone to be vaccinated, Marnane said. Were excited for next week.

Under Phase 1A, Greenwich Hospital has given out more than 1,900 vaccinations to its front-line medical staff as well as to first responders, she said. Skilled nursing facilities, including The Nathaniel Witherell, have been vaccinating residents and staff through a state contract with CVS and Walgreens to provide the shots.

Since the start of the pandemic, the hospital has discharged 1,010 COVID patients to continue their recovery at home or at a rehabilitation facility, Marnane said. At the height of the pandemic last spring, Greenwich Hospital had to suspend all elective procedures due to the huge influx of coronavirus patients, with a peak of 110 in one day in April, she noted.

We havent had to do that in this second round, Marnane said. The numbers are staying low. We havent had to do it in the Yale New Haven Health System.

Just as a comparison, currently were treating 129 non-COVID patients in the hospital and our out-patient offices remain open, she said. Out patient procedures continue and the emergency room is open and busy and ready to treat anyone. So we want to continue to urge people not to delay care if theyre having any concerns, especially if theyre heart or stroke related. Dont delay. Come in.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Hundreds of people gathered at Seesali village in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district on Wednesday afternoon to engage in cockfights and place bets worth crores of rupees as part of Sankranti celebrations. Image Source: IANS News

Hundreds of people gathered at Seesali village in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district on Wednesday afternoon to engage in cockfights and place bets worth crores of rupees as part of Sankranti celebrations. Image Source: IANS News

Hundreds of people gathered at Seesali village in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district on Wednesday afternoon to engage in cockfights and place bets worth crores of rupees as part of Sankranti celebrations. Image Source: IANS News

Hundreds of people gathered at Seesali village in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district on Wednesday afternoon to engage in cockfights and place bets worth crores of rupees as part of Sankranti celebrations. Image Source: IANS News

Hundreds of people gathered at Seesali village in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district on Wednesday afternoon to engage in cockfights and place bets worth crores of rupees as part of Sankranti celebrations. Image Source: IANS News

Seesali : , Jan 13 (IANS) Hundreds of people gathered at Seesali village in Andhra Pradesh's West Godavari district on Wednesday afternoon to engage in cockfights and place bets worth crores of rupees as part of Sankranti celebrations.

Sankranti just started with Bhogi festivities on Wednesday, wherein people pile up old wood and burn it to symbolically ring out the old and invite the new in the wee hours.

Seesali is a small Godavari village, 10 km away from Bhimavaram by the JP Road, where some acres of flattened paddy fields host the bloody sport every year without fail, behind a defunct prawn packaging and exporting company.

Manthena Ramaraju, local MLA and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader representing the Undi constituency was seen to be busy at the event. He entered the ring many times.

As the specially bred cocks fight it out with sharp knives tied to their feet, Ramaraju was also seen enjoying the show from a vantage point, wearing dark sunglasses on the first day of cockfights in this village.

Other local big shots who attended the cockfights include G. V. Narasimha Raju, brother of former Narasapuram MP Ganga Raju, newly appointed YSRCP Undi constituency in charge Ramaraju and others.

In about five acres of levelled paddy fields, the organisers pitched makeshift tents. The central tent serves as the ring where the cockfights occur, which is surrounded by some more tents where the punters sit to watch and gamble.

Hundreds of plastic chairs are laid in the tents for people to sit and enjoy the show. On the other side of the tents, space is allocated for temporary food and beverage outlets where spicy fried chicken in Andhra style is making brisk sales.

Despite the arrangements, many spectators had to stand on their feet and struggle to catch a glimpse of the cockfight because the people sitting before would always block.

As the cockfights are planned to last for three days and also run till midnight, the organisers have fixed floodlights and a public address system.

Volunteers wield a whip like stick used to control bullock cart bulls to bring order when people do not follow discipline and block others view.

"Everybody should vacate the ring right now. Please leave the ring. If you do not cooperate, we cannot conduct cockfights, " requests a volunteer. He also warns that he will hit them and requests them not to feel bad later.

Meanwhile, a cockfight just got over, which triggers a chain reaction in the spectators. All of them faithfully exchange wads of cash pledged in the bet on their chosen rooster.

In addition to the two individual cock owners who place the main bet in the central tent, hundreds of enthusiasts sitting by also bet with each other.

Interested individuals choose a cock and tell his like minded neighbour on the agreed amount of money they want to gamble upon.

Punters show up with bags full of cash and the venue turns into a massive betting ground.

Many times, a cockfight may not last even a minute as the weaker one bites the dust and bleeds to death after a few knife nicks.

After every cockfight, organisers go to a bank of battle-ready cocks to fetch two equals for the duel.

Not only men, a good number of women and girls also turned up at the cockfights to gamble and enjoy the show, including a few families.

Coronavirus, bird flu or police restrictions have not dampened the spirit of the festival celebrants.

Despite Covid, only a few celebrants are seen wearing a mask as the vast majority are maskless.

"What Coronavirus does, God will take care. This sport is for the rich. I just lost Rs 5,000," told Bujji, 35, a enthusiast from Kalidindi village in Krishna district to IANS.

Bujji said the person with money will bet while the rest will watch.

One impressive feature of the cockfights is opening it to everyone. There is no restriction, people from all castes, communities and religions participate.

At the venue on Wednesday, a group of transgenders were also seen begging money and blessing the punters who have gave them alms.

(Sharon Thambala can be contacted at thambalasharon@gmail.com)

Guangzhous Liwan district carried out nucleic acid tests throughout Wednesday night and Thursday in a bid to control the spread of Covid-19. The southern metropolis is under pressure to prevent imported infections, after a person was confirmed Friday to have contracted a strain of the coronavirus first found in India. The city reported three new cases, one local and two imported, on Wednesday

May 27, 2021 05:09 PM
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Badaun gangrape-murder case: Priest, other accused remanded to police custody

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Badaun (UP), Jan 13: A temple priest and his accomplices accused of raping and killing a 50-year-old woman here have been remanded to one-day police custody by a local court.

Circle officer of Bilsi, Anirudh Singh, said on Wednesday that, "The three accused persons in the Ughaiti incident have already been sent to jail. But there are some questions which need to be answered. For this, it is necessary to take the three accused on remand".

A request through video conferencing was made to the court of the chief judicial magistrate for police remand on Tuesday and the request was granted.

The family members of the woman had accused the temple priest and his accomplices of raping and killing the woman, an anganwadi worker.

Actor Kangana Ranaut backs Saudi-style hanging for rape

A case was registered against the accused and two of them identified as Vedram and Jaspal were arrested on January 5. Later the priest was also arrested.

The incident triggered an opposition outcry and a comparison with the 2012 Nirbhaya case in Delhi after the post-mortem report confirmed rape, broken rib cage, a fractured leg and other injuries.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

Budaun CMO, Dr Yashpal Singh, had said that the woman died of trauma and excessive bleeding.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 11:12 [IST]
As Christians, we want to live out our call to love our neighborsas we help in practical ways and look at complex humanitarian issues. Its important to use our hearts and our smarts as we seek to do good, as Samaritans who keep learning and getting better.

We invite you to journey with us at The Better Samaritan blog and podcast as we reflect on and share lessons weve learned as practitioners and researchers, as well as from other experts on disaster recovery, refugee assistance and resettlement, human trafficking, public health, racial reconciliation, and more.

Having worked in disaster and humanitarian crises around the globe in our academic and practical work at the Humanitarian Disaster Institute, weve seen many well-intentioned good Samaritans come forward to help others.

Unfortunately, not all good Samaritans are helpful.

Well-intentioned, energetic people (often Christians, although these can be any religion) are so moved by a crisis that they offer uninvited help that turns out to be less than helpful.

Maybe they send a truckload of frozen food to a hurricane-ravaged town that doesnt have power, leaving tons of food spoiled and all the money spent on it wasted. Maybe they send so many thousands of teddy bears after a school shooting until organizers and officials have to beg people to stop.

Or maybe they just show up, without much of a plan, on site after a major disaster, using resources that could have otherwise been allocated to trained helpers or even survivors themselves. (We call these SUVs: spontaneous unaffiliated volunteers.)

Theres another, bigger reason to re-examine our aid efforts: systems and spiritual forces are at play. It is not enough to aid the wounded man on the Jericho Road, said the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the theologically rich sermon that inspired this blog title. It is also necessary to work to change the conditions of the Road which made robbery possible.

So how do we go about both helping the hurting, and improving the road?

Much of the time, the answer is more communication. Effectively responding to humanitarian needs doesnt always mean starting something new; it might mean reviewing the breakdown of systems that are already in place. Or, it might mean re-examining our own biases, uncovering underreported factors preventing aid from reaching victims, or attacking large, insidious systemic injustices. All of these deserve careful examination, conversation, and action. (In order to pull out a tree, you have to dig all the way down to the roots, one refugee pastor told us.)

This blog and its accompanying podcast will be a place to do that. On this page, youll find conversations navigating humanitys most complex and catastrophic challenges from a distinctly humble, Christian evangelical perspective. From below-the-surface challenges like human trafficking to calamities that grab the worlds attention like COVID-19, our goal is to lead the conversation on how to do good well. Well also address simple, everyday topics that (we hope) help you to grow in loving your neighbor.

Part of responding effectively to needs means understanding the pressing world issues creating themand especially the biblical justice issues at play underneath the surface. Sometimes this will intersect directly with politics, as we wrote about last week in response to the mob breaking into the Capitol. Other times well focus on issues around faithfully living in this slow kingdom comingjust as Jesus exhorted his followers to love and fully commit to their vulnerable neighbors in the story of the good Samaritan.

So here we launch. Were excited about the conversation and journey that is ahead with you. Together we head into a new year and a new podcast. Well speak with experts and practitioners who work in justice, humanitarian and disaster issues, learning from them about how to be better Samaritans both by loving the person in crisis now, while also making the road safer for those who will walk it in the future.

Wed also love to hear from you: have you ever experienced unhelpful help? In what ways do you see the church trying to help the hurting, but neglecting the road? What are the ways of helping that are especially insightful and effective? Email us, or connect with us via social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to our email newsletter for periodic updates regarding upcoming events, conferences, field work articles, and more.



Were seeking to be Better Samaritans ourselves, and were grateful to get to do this along with you.
[January 13, 2021] Establishing Consumer Trust with a Global Unified Verification Process is the Focus of Two Webinars Featuring Telecom Leaders

Sales generated from mobile commerce were projected to reach $2.91 trillion in 2020, according to eMarketer, which is a 25.4 percent increase over 2019. In fact, mobile commerce growth has consistently generated an average year-over-year increase of 33.8 percent since 2016. But, with that type of revenue generation comes the threat of bad actors looking to take advantage of consumer trust. In 2019, Americans received more than 58 billion robocalls and 4.5 billion spam text messages according to industry reports, demonstrating the need for the industry to implement a verification strategy across voice, text and digital communication channels to increase trust. Re-establishing trust was the focus of two recent executive panels presented by the Network Media Group (NMG). Featuring experts from iconectiv, Verizon and GSMA (News - Alert) (Global System for Mobile Communications), the sessions explored what communication service providers, regulators and enterprises can do to establish a unified verification process. In the first webinar, iconectiv's Chief Product Officer Michael O'Brien was joined by Cary Cusumano, a customer experience design expert for Verizon (News - Alert) , to address the growing importance for "Omni-Channel Verification" as businesses expand their consumer engagement strategy across multiple communication channels. The discussion included how collaboration across the entire ecosystem-from technology vendors and messaging providers to regulators and enterprises-can help improve the consumer experiece and educate brands. This allows for the authentication of communications across all touchpoints while providing a consistent brand experience for the consumer.



"A unified verification process will drive dependability regardless of the communication channel," O'Brien stated. "This means using a single identity to communicate with a customer. Toll-Free numbers are a great example. These numbers can be used not only for voice but also text messaging, with all communication from the business branded via a caller ID to ensure veracity." Click here to watch the session.

The second session focused on how verification protocols such as STIR/SHAKEN-based frameworks that are being implemented in the U.S. and Canada are impacting international call traffic and what the industry needs to consider to ensure businesses are not at a disadvantage. During this session, iconectiv (News - Alert) Director of Product Management Bob Grant and GSMA Senior Director of Technology and Product, David Pollington, highlighted the need for clear and authoritative guidelines that apply to international service providers when handling calls so global commerce doesn't experience a significant disruption. This included looking at how conversational and transactional mobile commerce is driving the need for verification authorities and how aggregators and mobile network operators can implement collaborative strategies for protecting consumer trust-especially for voice and messaging channels. Selected by GSMA as one of the first verification authorities for Rich Business Messaging, iconectiv's Grant provided a unique perspective on this role, as well as how a centralized registry approach can establish trust in business-to-consumer messaging. "It's important that we not only establish standards for verification on an international level but also address how they can be handled for new channels such as Rich Communication Services (RCS)," said Grant. "Ninety-five percent of text messages from businesses are being read within three minutes. When combined with the RCS engagement component, it's even higher. Therefore, verification is critical to ensure these global engagements and transactions can happen." Click here to watch the session. About iconectiv Your business and your customers need to access and exchange information simply, seamlessly and securely. iconectiv's extensive experience in information services and its unmatched numbering intelligence helps you do just that. In fact, more than 2 billion people count on our platforms each day to keep their networks, devices and applications connected. Our cloud-based Software as a Service ( SaaS (News - Alert) ) solutions span network and operations management, numbering, trusted communications and fraud prevention. For more information, visit www.iconectiv.com. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005797/en/

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Six cases of the B1.1.7 coronavirus variant first recorded in the UK have been detected in Luxembourg, according to analyses carried out at the National Health Laboratory (LNS).

The virus first appeared in Luxembourg on 2 January 2021. Since then, the National Health Laboratory has been analysing 384 samples per week. These analyses have made it possible to detect six proven cases of the new variant, which is said to be 70% more contagious than Covid-19.

In Luxembourg, approximately 30% of positive cases are sequenced in a lab. This means that the virus is studied and then categorised by LNS experts. The Grand Duchy is one of the five countries that executes sequencing the most, along with the United Kingdom and Denmark.

More sequencing generally means more discoveries and, by extension, more cases. At the rate at which the National Health Laboratory is analysing positive tests, the number of cases of the new variant could well multiply in the coming weeks.

In this context, the Luxembourg authorities have introduced restrictive measures for travellers coming from the UK. In fact, it is currently no longer possible to travel to Luxembourg without a valid reason and without a negative test carried out no more than 48 hours prior to travel.
Chuck Norris will only ever be present in riots for his movies.

Earlier this week, an alleged photo of Norris during the pro-Donald Trump riot in Washington D.C. surfaced online.

The aforementioned picture was of a man that looks like Norris. He posed with another Trump supporter named Matthew Bledsoe--the same person who posted the photo online alongside the caption "Chuck Norris."

This caused internet users to theorize that the "Hitman" star could have truly gone out of his home to join the rampage.

However, a representative of the actor denied the rumors and clarified that Norris was not present at the US Capitol Riot.

Erik Kritzer, the representative of the 80-year-old "The Expendables" actor, told People that the man on the viral photo is only a "wannabe look-alike."

"This is not Chuck Norris and is a wannabe look-alike although Chuck is much more handsome," the rep said. "Chuck remains on his range in Texas where he has been with his family."

Norris is publicly known as a longtime Republican. In fact, he endorsed Trump during the 2016 presidential election.

But in 2020, the actor did not speak anything about his endorsement.

What Happened During the US Capitol Riot?

On January 6, the concerning riot began as Trump supporters climbed over the barricades and destroyed the US Capitol building.

Some attendees even live-streamed the event and took photos of people demolishing windows and tearing down the properties within the Capitol.

According to the Capitol Police, over 50 officers from its department and the Metropolitan Police Department suffered from injuries.

It also led to the deaths of five people, including Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick.

"The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.," Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund.

Sund submitted a letter of resignation after the deadly attack.

Is Chuck Norris Still Alive?

Before the photo emerged, there are already Chuck Norris memes that keep on circulating online.

In fact, the actor is also prone to death hoaxes.

On May 15, a rumor about Norris' death spread like wildfire on Facebook. The first part read "Corona Virus claims a black belt. Chuck Norris, Dead at 80."

However, it turned out to be a joke as the post revealed that Norris made a full recovery "after his minor inconvenience of death."

It also claimed that the coronavirus was the one to undergo self-isolation for 14 days after it has been exposed to the actor.

Amid the comical news, it relieved the fans to know that, at the age of 80 years old, Chuck Norris is still alive and kicking.

READ MORE: Dustin Diamond Hospitalized: What Happened To 'Saved By The Bell' Star?

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles


The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to ravage the globe. To date, over 91.62 million cases and more than 1.96 million deaths have been reported worldwide.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes COVID-19, is commonly thought to be a zoonotic disease that originated in bats and then subsequently jumped to humans. This is thought to have occurred via an as yet unidentified intermediate host that may have brought the virus to Wuhan City, China, where the pathogen was first detected in December 2019.

Now, a new study by based researchers at the University of Cambridge and the Pirbright Institute in the UK has identified key genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 that may be responsible for the viruss jump from bats to humans. The team also determined which animals contain cellular receptors that allow the virus to enter cells more effectively, zoning in on potential animals that acted as an intermediary host in facilitating SARS-CoV-2s zoonosis.

Study: The SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein has a broad tropism for mammalian ACE2 proteins . Image Credit: All-stock-photos / Shutterstock

The coronavirus pandemic

SARS-CoV-2 first emerged in late 2019 in China, and has since spread to 191 countries and territories. To date, it has caused more than 91.71 million cases and 1.96 million deaths.

Coronaviruses commonly circulate among bat species, and SARS-CoV-2  a positive-strand RNA pathogen of the betacoronavirus family  is also thought to have originated in the Chiroptera species in China. Yet, whether the virus directly jumped to humans or through an intermediate host is still unclear. However, it has been established that the virus can infect companion animals, pets, wildlife, and livestock.

New variants of the virus are circulating across the globe, leading to successive waves of infections. Many governments in especially hard-hit countries  such as the UK, where a highly infectious new strain has been identified  have reimposed travel bans, restrictions, and lockdown orders to try and contain the virus's spread.

Bats to humans

The study, published in the journal PLOS Biology, used a combination of surrogate entry assays and live virus to demonstrate that aside from the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (also known as the spike protein or S protein) has a wide range of host tropisms for mammalian ACE2 receptors. This is despite divergence in the amino acids at the spike proteins receptor binding site.

Receptor screening using surrogate entry assays identifies SARS-CoV-2 Spike as a pan-tropic viral attachment protein. (A) A heatmap illustrating the receptor usage profile of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV in pseudotype entry and cellcell fusion assays with various mammalian and bird ACE2s. The data in each row are normalised to the signal seen for human ACE2 (top), with results representing the mean percentage calculated from 3 separate experiments performed on different days. A vector-only control (pDISPLAY) was added to demonstrate specificity. Mammalian and bird ACE2s are organised, top to bottom, based on their phylogenetic relationship (rectangular cladogram, left). The inter-experimental standard error of the mean for the pseudotype and cellcell fusion assays ranged from 0.01% to 47.92% (median 10.73%) and 0.12% to 32.97% (median 5.43%), respectively. (B and C) For both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV, the respective cellcell and pseudotype assay percentages for each ACE2 protein (relative to human ACE2) were plotted on an XY scatter graph, the Pearson correlation calculated and a linear line of regression fitted together with 95% confidence intervals. The data underlying this figure may be found in S1 Data. ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; SARS-CoV, SARS Coronavirus; SARS-CoV-2, SARS Coronavirus 2.

Further, they found that the genetic adaptations identified were similar to those made by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), which caused the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak. The study findings suggest that there may be a common mechanism by which coronaviruses mutate for them to jump from animal hosts to humans.

With relatives of SARS-CoV-2  SARS-CoV and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012  the animal reservoir is thought to be bats. Viral spillover into humans has been suspected and scientists believe this occurred via an intermediate host in both cases. The SARS-CoV is thought to come from chivets and MERS-CoV from camels.

Coronaviruses typically use their spike proteins to enter cells by binding with human cell surface receptors like the ACE2. These binding sites act like a lock and key, wherein the spike protein needs to be the right shape to fit into the receptors and facilitate viral entry. However, different species express receptors with varying shapes, which means that the viruss spike proteins may bind with the receptors more tightly in certain animals than others.

The SARS-CoV-2 binding site on ACE2 is highly variable. (A) A phylogenetic tree of ACE2 proteins assembled using the neighbor-joining method [51] conducted in MEGA7 (Temple University, USA) [52] with ambiguous positions removed. The tree is drawn to scale, and support was provided with 500 bootstraps. (B) Structure of human ACE2 ectodomain (green) in complex with the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 [10]. (C) Conservation of mammalian ACE2 amino acid residues, estimated from site-specific evolutionary rates [50], mapped onto the surface of the ACE2 ectodomain [10], and coloured from blue (divergent) to purple (conserved) and presented in 2 orientations. Inset depicts the SARS-CoV-2 binding region of ACE2 (outlined), with residues that contact the SARS-CoV-2 RBD highlighted [6]. (D) WebLogo (University of California, Berkeley, USA) [53] plots summarising the amino acid divergence within the mammalian and bird ACE2 sequences characterised in this study. The single letter amino acid (aa) code is used with the vertical height of the amino acid.

Identifying the animal reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 and any intermediate hosts may help provide insights into how, where, and when the virus emerged and was eventually passed on to humans. It may also inform the development of preventative measures to ensure this form of zoonosis does not recur.

RaTG13 virus

In the SARS outbreak, scientists identified closely related isolates in both bats and civets, where the virus is thought to have emerged. In the current outbreak, however, further studies are still needed to determine the exact source of the virus and the intermediate host.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus has the sequence of a related bat coronavirus known as RaTG13, which shares 96 percent similarity to the genome of SARS-CoV-2.

To assess if the differences between SARS-CoV-2 and RaTG13 were involved in the adaptation of the virus to humans, the researchers interchanged the regions and observed how well the spike proteins bound with the human ACE2 receptors.

The study findings showed that the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2 that contains RaTG13 regions could not bind to human ACE2 receptors effectively. On the other hand, RaTG13 spikes containing SARS-CoV-2 regions could bind more effectively to human receptors. The findings showed that similar changes in the spike protein happened historically, which may have played an essential role in the viral spillover.

Animal infection

Apart from the study findings, the researchers also found that dog, cattle, and cat ACE2 receptors have the strongest interactors with the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. This means that these animals are at a higher risk of being infected with SARS-CoV-2.

As we saw with the outbreaks in Danish mink farms last year, its essential to understand which animals can be infected by SARS-CoV-2 and how mutations in the viral spike protein change its ability to infect different species, Dr. Stephen Graham in the University of Cambridges Department of Pathology

However, further research is needed to establish if these animals can acquire infection and if they could act as animal reservoirs.
The UK coronavirus mutant strain may have slipped into New South Wales from returned travellers who have already quarantined in Queensland, health bosses fear.

Contact tracers have been working tirelessly overnight to speak with returned travellers who were quarantined in the Brisbane hotel where a cleaner tested positive to the UK mutant strain of coronavirus.

The scramble comes as the hotel was shut for deep cleaning after six people - four quarantining guests, a cleaner and her partner - contracted the highly contagious UK strain of coronavirus.

Anyone in NSW who had been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane since December 30, either as a returned traveller or staff, must get tested and isolate for 14 days after they were last there.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian begged locals to go into immediate isolation if they had been at the hotel, and urged people to pressure friends and family to do the same.

NSW Health are urging any residents in their state who have been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane (pictured) to get tested and self-isolate for 14-days

'If anybody does know of a friend or relative who was there please make sure they have had the test and are isolating for 14 days,' she told Today on Thursday.

'I have every confidence we will capture every person in that situation.'

The premier said it was important to note that Australia would not be able to stop the UK strain from entering our shores as it is now in more than 30 countries.

'A lot of those countries have Australians waiting to come home,' she said.

'This virus strain is in all likelihood likely to become one of the dominant strains.

'That's why I'm strongly supportive of the fact that NSW is halving welcoming people home in the next month. We are going from 3,000 a week to 1,500 a week to give ourselves a chance to understand what the new strains are doing.'

New South Wales recorded zero new local cases of coronavirus as clusters in western Sydney and the Northern Beaches appear to be contained.

There were two cases recorded in hotel quarantine after 20,437 tests across the state.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said all ten New South Wales residents who had been in Queensland's Grand Chancellor Hotel where an outbreak emerged have been contacted and told to self isolate.

Health authorities in Victoria have issued the same alert while also applying it to anyone who has arrived in the state from the Greater Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan and Ipswich local government areas since December 30.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW Health have been working overnight to track down the travellers who jumped the border to return home following their hotel quarantine

Explained: UK's mutant Covid strain The highly infectious mutant strain of Covid now has 27 variations after it was first identified in Kent County, England, on September 21. It now represents more than 50 per cent of new cases diagnosed between October and Dec, making it the most common strain of Covid in England presently. The deadly strain is believed to be more contagious and affects children worse than the original, prompting the government to plunge England back into its third nationwide lockdown. The new variant is between 50 per cent and 74 per cent more contagious than the last, but is not necessarily any more deadly. Advertisement

NSW Health said residents who stayed at the hotel must remain in isolation for the full two weeks regardless of their test results.

This is because people who test positive to the more contagious strain can still be infectious beyond the two week period.

'We are finding that with these more contagious strains on the 14th day some people are still too contagious to be allowed out into the community,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'As long as we are able to contain the virus in quarantine we have been doing our jobs as best we can.'

NSW Health said the Queensland Government advised them that guests who were at the hotel have since returned to NSW.

'NSW Health is working with Queensland Health to identify these people so our contact tracers can provide public health advice and updated information as it becomes available,' a statement read.

Victorian health authorities are also imploring released travellers from the hotel to self-isolate and get tested.

Late on Wednesday, Victoria's health department told anyone in Victoria who has completed mandatory hotel quarantine at the hotel since December 30 to get tested and quarantine at home until they receive a negative result.

They should contact its coronavirus hotline immediately.

'The Local Government Areas of Greater Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan, Ipswich will continue to remain in the in the red zone and travel to Victoria will not be permitted without an exemption, exception or permitted worker permit,' Victoria's Department of Health and Human services added in a statement.

Guests are seen on their balconies at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane on January 13

On Wednesday it was announced that all 129 guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor would be moved to restart their 14-day isolation.

The urgent response was initiated after genomic sequencing of six previously identified COVID-19 cases indicated they were linked.

The cases include a man and his partner who arrived from the UK on December 30, a hotel cleaner and her partner and a man and his daughter who arrived from Lebanon on January 1.

'The genomic sequencing suggests there is a common source of the virus for all six of these patients,' Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.

The 226 people who worked at the hotel and 250 who have quarantined there since December 30 will also be isolated and tested.

'There is no evidence at this stage that the hotel or any of its staff have done anything wrong,' Dr Young said.

'It's important we understand the link, it's a mystery we need to solve.'

The investigation into how the virus breached quarantine protocols is being led by Queensland Police.

A number of actions have been taken at the hotel since a cleaner tested positive to the UK strain on January 6.

No guests have entered since January 7, a review of infection control measures occurred on January 8, and there have been increased cleaning measures including a deep clean of communal areas on January 12.

URGENT ALERT FOR AREAS THE INFECTED CLEANER VISITED Anyone who has been to the following locations  regardless of whether they have symptoms or not  should get tested and isolate until they receive their result. Saturday January 2: Train from Altandi to Roma Street at 7am Saturday January 2: Train from Central station to Altandi station at 4pm Sunday January 3: Woolworths Calamvale North from 11am to noon Tuesday January 5: Coles Sunnybank Hills from 7.30am to 8am Tuesday January 5: Nextra newsagent at Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown from 8am to 8.15am Anyone who had been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane since December 30, either as a returned traveller or staff, must get tested and isolate for 14 days after they were last there Advertisement

[January 13, 2021] Matter Elevates Kitewheel's Journey Above the Cloud(s)

Matter Communications - a Brand Elevation Agency specializing in PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy - has been named the agency of record (AOR) for Kitewheel, the leading solution provider for customer journey orchestration and analytics. Kitewheel's innovative Customer Journey Hub empowers the world's largest businesses to provide seamless customer experiences that drive real-time revenue and loyalty. Matter is spearheading a program for Kitewheel that includes comprehensive public relations support, brand and creative asset design, as well as strategic counsel to help strengthen its position and communicate its unique value in the highly competitive CX and marketing space. The Matter team will not only ignite an engaging customer program, it will also amplify Kitewheel's media relations with rapid response, expert commentary, strategic news promotion and proactive, data-driven thought leadership. "Matter has the perfect combination of deep industy experience and knowledge, media relationships, creativity, and scrappiness to help us rapidly elevate the Kitewheel brand in the marketplace," said Mark Smith, President of Kitewheel. "Equally important, their genuine, straightforward approach to partnering with clients and the chemistry between our teams is fantastic, which is critical for a successful relationship."



Founded in Boston's Innovation District in 2013, Kitewheel's first-of-its-kind cloud-based journey hub pushes the boundaries of how the world's leading B2C brands, technology OEMs and marketing agencies can deliver proactive and engaging customer experiences. The Kitewheel team chose Matter to develop its strategic narrative to cut through the CX and marketing space's clutter by focusing on easing the pain points of the customer journey. "The proliferation of channels and touchpoints has made it more complicated - and important - than ever for brands to put the customer first," said Jesse Ciccone, VP and Managing Director at Matter. "Customer journey orchestration is critical to thriving in today's marketplace and nobody does it better than Kitewheel - we are pumped that they've selected Matter to help spread the word."

With nearly 200 professionals across offices in Boston and Newburyport, MA, Portsmouth, NH, Providence, RI, Pittsburgh, PA, Boulder, CO, and Portland, OR, Matter is one of the fastest-growing PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy firms in the country. Recently named to Forbes List of America's Best PR Agencies for 2021, Matter has won 13 "Agency of the Year" accolades and has been consistently recognized as a top place to work. About Kitewheel

Kitewheel empowers the world's largest businesses to understand and improve the consumer experience with the leading customer journey management platform. Kitewheel's innovative Customer Journey Hub orchestrates intelligent customer journeys by unifying decisions across disparate systems, touchpoints and technologies, and provides seamless customer experiences that drive real-time revenue as well as long-term loyalty. Kitewheel serves its global partner and client base from offices in Boston and London. About Matter Communications

Matter is a Brand Elevation Agency unifying PR, creative services, digital marketing and strategy into content-rich communications campaigns that inspire action and build value. Founded in 2003, with seven offices spanning North America, Matter works with the world's most innovative companies across healthcare, high-technology, consumer technology and consumer markets. For more information, visit https://www.matternow.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005118/en/

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After acquiring two Norwalk office buildings last year, Valley East Management has purchased a Post Road property in Fairfield for $10 million.

CBRE announced the sale price on Wednesday for 2150 Post Road, with the previous owner an entity managed by Davis Marcus Partners which acquired it for $11.3 million in 2005. The office was built in 1988.
Five cinematographers have shared how they went to Wuhan to record the reality of the city's COVID-19 outbreak at its height amid fear for their lives.

Set in the central Chinese city, once ravaged by the epidemic, the documentary film "Days and Nights in Wuhan" builds its storyline around the lives of ordinary people, including patients, medical personnel, volunteers and residents, as the virus spread through the city last year.

Jan. 10, 2021 is the day when the five cinematographers - Chen Zhuo, Tan Haiyan, Chen Liang, Qiu Lei and Tang Xiaozhou - met each other for the first time at the director's cutting room, which could be unthinkable for other films.

One scene still lingers in Chen Zhuo's mind: a patient clenching the doctor's hand. "When I heard the doctor tell the patient, 'as your family is not around, I am your family,' my tears were streaming down," he said, pointing out that it was the very statement by the doctor that sustained him to film the whole story in the belief it could bring comfort to families unable to be with their isolated sick family members amid the pandemic.

The cinematographers revealed that many of their shots were taken with tears in their eyes, with the belief that "even if we can't really save lives, we must record these with our heart. This is our mission."

They can still clearly remember the heart-stopping and dramatic moments they encountered many times during the shooting process -- from protective suits accidentally torn to the time when there was no time to follow up with full protection measures when an emergency occurred.

They confessed that they thought a lot before going to wards and the ICU rooms to film amid worries and fears; however, when they were really on the front line, all their worries were left behind.

Actually, there are a total of 31 cinematographers working on "Days and Nights in Wuhan." Director Cao Jinling and her editing team worked tirelessly to go through and edit more than 1,000 hours of materials shot by them at risk of their lives.

"Though we can't communicate with cinematographers normally this time as we did other films, we can still feel the magical tacit understanding with each other," Cao said, confessing that she would think about every shot and what cinematographers meant to express as they edited the film.

Cinematographer Tan Haiyan, who has watched the final cut of "Days and Nights in Wuhan" three times, said emotionally that the director understood her intentions. "'This is the work by so many of us. In the film, the audience can see how Wuhan people endured and survived the disaster. We can never forget that."

However, as the film's final cut is 95 minutes, many precious moments and scenes still had to be painfully left out.

The completion of the documentary film is not only a memorial and commemoration of the 76 lockdown days in Wuhan, but also has extraordinary significance for Chinese people now and in the future, the director said. She remembered that a family member of a patient once said that the cinematographers' lens allowed him to stay with his wife in a virtual way, so that he was able to speak the words that he couldn't say to her at that time.

"These powers transmitted in adversity are far more meaningful beyond the recording itself. This is what distinguishes 'Days and Nights in Wuhan' from other documentaries. It makes family love and companionship concrete, and makes the helpless hearts strong and warm," Cao said.

Chen Zhuo received a letter and a bunch of sunflowers from his wife on Sunday when he sat in the cutting room with the director and other fellow cinematographers. "You chose to stick to your beliefs like the heroes you admire; record everything truthfully, and stay true to your heart..." her letter read.

In tears, Chen and these cinematographers shared one thing in common: the supportive families behind them when they went to the frontline, who delivered great comforts and inspired them to act.

More than 220 filmmakers, actors and celebrities, from Jackie Chan, Zhou Xun to Jackson Yee, have agreed to help promote "Days and Nights in Wuhan" nationwide. China Movie Channel will work with them and local theaters around China to organize more than 300 charity screenings of the film.

China's first anti-pandemic documentary film will hit theaters on Jan. 22.




On January 10, 2021 Kyrgyz voters elected a new president, Sadyr Japarov, whose meteoric rise to power was prompted by a violent upheaval in October 2020. The same day, voters cast a second ballot in a referendum on constitutional reform initiated by Japarov. In another win for the president-elect, 84 percent of voters approved changes that would give Kyrgyzstan a presidential system of government, effectively reducing the power of the parliament.

The Diplomat reports in its article Why Did Kyrgyz Voters Give Up Parliamentarism? that ten years ago, Kyrgyz citizens voted overwhelmingly in favor of a reform plan that transformed Kyrgyzstan into a parliamentary republic. Held on June 27, 2010, two weeks after deadly inter-ethnic clashes in the south of Kyrgyzstan and two months after the ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, the constitutional referendum was designed to bring an end to nepotism, prevent the concentration of power in the office of the president, give voice to the opposition, and turn the parliament into a real decision-making body in the country.

While 91 percent of Kyrgyz voters backed the parliamentary plan in 2010, its critics inside and outside the country saw a dark future. Acting Defense Minister of Kyrgyzstan Ismail Isakov argued at the time that a parliamentary form of government was alien to the Kyrgyz mentality and spirit. Speaking to journalists at the G-20 meeting in Toronto, then-President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev warned of the chain of eternal problems  parliamentary reshuffles, elite in-fighting, and the rise of extremism in Kyrgyzstan.

Critics of the parliamentary form of government in Kyrgyzstan were right in naming the symptoms, but not the sources, of woes in the countrys politics. The attitudes of the Kyrgyz electorate toward leadership, authority, state institutions, and public priorities have seen minimal changes in the decade since the parliamentary form of government was introduced. Bakiyevs presidency, which precipitated the constitutional changes of 2010, was also marked by frequent stand-offs between the parliament and the president, and featured cutthroat political competition with assassinations reaching an unprecedented level in 2005-2006.

Presidentialism is favored by Kyrgyz citizens because it offers a simple mechanism for holding the state leader accountable through the threat of violent removal in a system of governance rooted in patronage. To put it simply, it is easier to punish the sitting president by removing him from the office through revolt than to deal with the parliament. A revolt against the power-sharing system in the parliament threatens to break the patronage networks cultivated by the ruling elite that many in the population benefit from. Even if dissatisfied, some voters blame other factions for the countrys problem or fear that change will give other factions more power over them.

With roots in the Soviet era of endemic deficit, red tape, and ethnic privilege, client-patron relations were strengthened in the wake of the Soviet Unions dissolution, giving rise to a deeply entrenched system of patronage. In this system, people pursue their political and economic ends primarily through personalized networks meting out rewards and punishments. In these networks, peoples loyalty and allegiances are exchanged for favors and rewards dispensed by those in positions of power and having access to public resources.

Political and business competition in Kyrgyzstan has taken place through the contest of these patronage networks, involving political, business, and, often, criminal interests. The majority of political parties have been ideologically empty vehicles for institutionalizing the promises of rewards to those at different levels of the patronage networks in exchange for voters mobilization. Business success, too, has been conditioned by ones connections to the state obtained through involvement in and support for the patronage networks: In exchange for financial contributions during election campaigns, business interests can receive seats in the Kyrgyz parliament that come with immunity from criminal prosecution and guaranteed access to the countrys wealth.

During the Akayev and Bakiyev presidencies, one of the patronage networks connected to the presidents kin managed to consolidate power in the state to the exclusion of other competitive power networks. In both instances, this strategy backfired, leading to intra-elite revolts backed by demonstrations that toppled the presidents. By strengthening the parliaments powers, the 2010 Kyrgyz Constitution, which was a result of an informal compromise among the representatives of several patronage networks estranged during the Bakiyev presidency, set the stage for a more diffused and pluralistic patronage system. Although, these changes prompted elements of genuine political debate and competition at the national level, they further hollowed formal institutions, eroded good governance, and strengthened reliance on patronage networks in the end.

Against the backdrop of strengthened patronalism, presidentialism represents a type of social contract between citizens and their president that defines their rights and obligations toward each other, and allows the citizens to remove the president at any point during his tenure through the administration of electorate justice if he fails to deliver on the promises to the electorate.

The challenge for President-elect Japarov is live up to the citizens expectations and those of the patronage networks that backed him. Noticeably lacking a political program, Japarov ran on pledges of fighting corruption, pulling the country out of its economic crisis, expending social welfare benefits, and discrete promises to the various elements of his support base, which includes a strong rural following, disenfranchised youth, and Kyrgyz nationalists. Japarovs fast-track advancement from a prison cell to the prime ministers chair and the post of acting president wouldnt have occurred without the backing of powerful patronage networks. Getting all these different networks and constituencies to work in his support instead of against him will be an insurmountable challenge facing the new president.

Kyrgyz voters have learned, and demonstrated repeatedly, that the real power in Kyrgyzstan lies with its people. However, frequent power shuffles reduce peoples respect for the rule of law and for public authorities. This means that any difficulties governing the country and pushing through the needed economic and social reforms will be amplified. The coronavirus pandemic has already pushed Kyrgyzstan to its economic edge and removed the cushion presented by labor migration that mitigated its chronically high unemployment rate. Experts warn of new protests in Kyrgyzstan as early as the spring of 2021.
General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu has confirmed that some members of parliament belonging to the party did not vote for Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye to win the speakership position of the 8th parliament.



He says the party had to make the Vice President and some leaders in the party intervene and even personally speak to some members of parliament who had various degrees of problems with Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye.



Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he noted that it is not time to be apportioning blames but rather forge ahead for the unity of the party and how they can serve and provide for Ghanaians who voted for them.



"I was in the House from 10 pm in the evening till 10 am in the morning . . . "



"A typical example was Hon. KT Hammond had planned to go to London to take care of his wife who had been admitted to a London hospital, so we had to speak to him for him to have a change of mind. These are some of the things we did behind the scenes.



"Per the calculations, assuming the spoilt ballot was an NDC MP, it still shows that two of our members did not vote for Prof. Oquaye and that has brought us to where we are today," he said.



Condemning the fracas during the election of a Speaker of Parliament, he added that Carlos Ahenkorah had justification to engage in such a scandalous activity because all they needed to do was to be civil and let things work in parliament.



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Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]









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A historic assault on the U.S government, incited by an American president, has left five people dead, and armed protests are planned again in our nation's capital and all across the country in the coming week. If Republicans dont begin immediately to try and prevent any further violence, they will own it.

President Trump has made clear his unwillingness to protect our democracy or victims caught up in deadly melees that his people instigate. His attempts to still blame antifa or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for a violent mob he encouraged for months has made clear his unfitness as commander-in-chief. When he says he wants peace but refers to his incitement speech last Wednesday as totally appropriate, his followers get the message. When he warns Democratic leaders not to impeach him for sparking the insurrection because they will create violence, his followers get that message too.

Republicans in Congress who wont call out both his incitement and his conduct in the hours following the invasion of the Capitol -- from refusing leaders calls to delaying a response to delighting in the visions of anarchy he saw on television -- are failing their government, their constituents and their country. They tell the world we are broken, and that even insurrection and threats to their own safety as representatives of our government are simply another primary election concern, or a news cycle to move on from. They have violated their oath to the Constitution.

The country is in danger, as extremists are planning armed confrontations at state capitols and a Million Militia March in Washington between Jan. 16-20. Members of Congress face escalating threats to their safety in Washington and at home in their districts. We now know the attack last week was intentional, planned by Trumps fighters who -- using maps of the building -- brought weapons, radios, zip ties, flash-bang grenades and homemade napalm. It could have easily turned into a mass-casualty event. Our government had the intelligence, and the warning, but did not act on it.

The Washington Post reported Tuesday, six days after the attack on the Capitol, that the FBI had intelligence warning of a potential war being visited upon the Capitol, noting the groups memo that read: Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers being spilled. Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.

Following the Jan. 6 attack that many nations around the world described as a coup attempt incited by the U.S. president, it took six days for any briefing to emerge from any agency to explain it. The thugs who sacked the building must be pretty special, because there would be no pause in responding had foreign invaders attacked.

After failing to coordinate all federal resources to protect the Capitol and the homeland against known threats last week, Department of Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf resigned Monday. At this time four years ago, confirmation hearings were underway for Trumps head of DHS and other security positions. Amid an ongoing crisis, why is the Senate at home and not trying to help ensure a peaceful and stable transfer of power to the next government, which takes power in only seven days and is supposed to keep us and our legislators safe?

At this moment, with Big Tech blocking those who provoke violence and corporate America refusing to donate to seditionist lawmakers, Republicans should be reflecting on what they can do to help their country and fix their party. Doubling down on a violent movement stoked by a dangerous leader, and continuing a lie that has deranged people, damaged democracy and taken five lives, is pure nihilism. These threats are real and ongoing, and congressional Republicans cannot play dumb. They must announce that the election was not stolen, and that the legitimate next president is being sworn in on Jan. 20. If impeachment is too divisive for them, they can unify the country by working to stop any further violence from Trump supporters. Tweets, press statements, videos, press conferences -- all of it should be employed.

Sen. Rob Portman has done this and other Republicans must follow him. His statement released Monday said, Violence is never the answer, and we must take all threats seriously. He added: I call on President Trump to address the nation and explicitly urge his supporters to remain peaceful and refrain from violence. If our nation experiences additional violence and destruction at the hands of his supporters in Washington DC and state capitals around the country, and he does not directly and unambiguously speak out now when threats are known, he will bear responsibility.

Trump will not rise to this moment, and while he will bear responsibility, his enablers in Congress will share it if they dont speak out now. Trump not only gave a speech inciting a mob to stop the Electoral College certification in Congress last week, but after the assault started he egged on the invaders to punish his vice president. His tweet, sent after 2 p.m., stated: Mike Pence didnt have the courage to do what should have been done to protect our Country and our Constitution, giving States a chance to certify a corrected set of facts, not the fraudulent or inaccurate ones which they were asked to previously certify. USA demands the truth! Within minutes, the mob was hunting for Pence in the Capitol and threatening to hang him. That tweet alone is worthy of impeachment.

Trump aides reported the president expressed regret about the video he recorded Thursday calling for an orderly transition, and said he did not want to add stay peaceful to his tweet sent out amid the violence last Wednesday. He cannot be counted on in the days to come to disavow violence and tell his supporters to calm down. He still hasnt conceded to Joe Biden, mentioned his name or congratulated him. His supporters continue to closely watch what he wont do and refuses to say.

Freshman GOP Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan said that colleagues around him on Wednesday admitted they knew it was wrong to vote to decertify Bidens election, but feared their families would face threats if they did not side with Trump. He told CNN on Monday that among House Republicans considering voting for impeachment, our expectation is that people will try to kill us.

The deadly attack on the U.S. government last week was a predictable, and preventable, tragedy. Republicans must stop the next one. Counting on Trump to do it, or waiting too long, could again prove deadly.
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A woman has told a court she might be dead or in a vegetative state if doctors and gardai had not got her away from a violent, controlling partner.

During a 20-month relationship, the man (52) attacked the woman, including burning her foot, cutting her with a pizza slicer, headbutting her while she was recovering from nasal surgery and stamping on her arm, causing her fractures.

On another occasion, he stamped on her head and choked her.

After being charged over these attacks, the man threatened to send explicit images of the victim to her family.

Last November, a jury convicted the man of coercive control, intimidation, assault and 12 counts of assault following the first circuit court trial for offences under the 2018 Domestic Violence Act.

The offences happened at various locations, including the couples Dublin home, between May 2018 and last January.

The jury at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court acquitted the man of one charge of assault and one of endangerment. He had pleaded not guilty to all the offences.

Following the convictions, the man pleaded guilty to a separate charge of intending to pervert the course of justice.

In her victim impact statement, which was read by a detective garda, the woman said the man sucked the life and soul of confidence out of her.

She said she often ran away and slept rough. She said the man always persuaded her it would never happen again and she always believed him and went back.

The woman said she tried several times to kill herself as she did not want him to have the satisfaction of doing it.

She described Womens Aid as an amazing service and had not realised there was so much help available for people in her situation.

The woman said she would have gone back to the man if not for doctors and gardai removing her.

The woman urged victims not to leave it too late for you and your kids.

A detective sergeant told Kerida Naidoo, prosecuting, that on September 22, 2019, he received a call from a doctor in a Dublin hospital who had concerns about the relationship the victim was in and believed there was a real and substantial threat to her life.

The relationship began around April 2018 when the victim was looking for a place to live and was introduced to the man. She moved into his apartment and they became romantically involved.

As well as physical assaults, she told of him saying demeaning things, using aggressive language and specific incidents of humiliating conduct.

The man was arrested and charged with several counts of assault. He continued to be in contact with the victim after being charged with these offences.

During this period of contact he threatened to send sexually explicit images of the victim to her father and brother.

Recordings were obtained of 146 phone calls made by the accused to the victim while he was in custody.

In one, he can be heard encouraging her to change her statement and saying they cannot do anything to her if she did change the statement.

Judge Elma Sheahan remanded the man in continuing custody and adjourned the matter for finalisation next Tuesday.
Local and state governments made valiant efforts in 2020 to communicate the need for meaningful, urgent behavioral changes to slow the spread of COVID-19. No lone TV commercial could withstand the rapid spread of the Coronavirus and turn the tide of its spread from any city or state, but many PSAs successfully broke through the clutter of mainstream advertising.

As the chief brand strategist at Kivvit, I have worked over the past seven months to help our clients effectively communicate during the Coronavirus pandemic. We are proud to have been selected last year by the State of New Jersey Department of Health to develop and execute their advertising efforts around the importance of COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.

As a part of our internal research process, we set out to see what was out there already in order to understand what we needed to inspire and cut through the noise. In addition to reviewing dozens of videos firsthand, we also deployed Kivvits Insights team to identify which PSAs sparked the most engagement on social media.

The following five ads stood out as the most creative, innovative and resonant of all we found in the public domain. Of course we couldnt include our own work for NJDOH, which can be found here.

5. Woods and Auld Lang Syne Coronavirus  Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

While most PSA campaigns have avoided expansive (read: expensive) live-action productions, this 96-second spot filmed outdoors includes 10 performers! Michigans Department of Health and Human Services created an ad with engaging characters in an intriguing environmentthe enchanted woodsto promote their MI CovidAlert app and highlight how we can "get out of the woods" by combating COVID-19.

After youve watched Woods, give their brilliant holiday video Auld Lang Syne Coronavirus a watch. According to our data, Auld Lang Syne was Michigan DHHS most viral Facebook video in 2020. It has been watched on Facebook more than 940,000 times, receiving 60x more social engagement (likes, comments, and shares) than the Departments average Facebook post.

4. "#MaskUp  Cook County, Illinois

A short, snackable ad that is right-to-the-point and delivered repeatedly to an audience is often the most effective form of advertising. This nine-second Snapchat ad from Illinois Cook County speaks directly to Millennials and Gen Z with a series of images of young adults wearing masks followed by simple copy: wear it, dont spread it #maskup. Simple, direct, and concise.

3. Eli, San Marcos COVID-19 Survivor  San Diego County, CA

While many health departments used local doctors as messengers in their ad campaigns, San Diego Countys campaign used young Covid-19 survivors, which we found to be extremely compelling. A series of ads from San Diego County gave voice to several younger, healthier-looking victims who shared their personal stories and implored on their community members to adhere to social distancing and mask wearing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

2. The Rona Unexpected Guest  California Department of Health

The California Department of Health personified the Coronavirus as two characters  The Rona and El Covid  voiced by a sinister, horror-movie-villain-sounding voiceover in a public awareness campaign directed at Latinos and African Americans, communities hit disproportionately harder by COVID-19. From the series, The Rona Unexpected Guest recreates that cringeworthy moment of coming into contact with someone you know when they are not wearing a mask or not wearing it properly. All of the videos in this bilingual campaign are worth a watch. Even though the series was posted to YouTube in late November, it has already received more than 3 million views collectively, making these videos among the California Department of Public Healths most watched of 2020. Certainly this campaign required a higher production budget than other jurisdictions had available, but what else would you expect from Hollywood?

1. Flatten the Curve  Ohio Department of Health

The Ohio Department of Health took a chance on an imaginative and different idea and it paid off with over 122 million views on Facebook. This advertisement to encourage social distancing is hands-down the most creative and bold COVID-19 related ad out there. According to a Kivvit analysis of 10,000+ Facebook videos from across more than 1,300 US government agencies, this PSA was by far the most viral, receiving more than 1.8 million shares, comments and likes on Facebook  6x more than any other video (on any topic).

***

Stephan Miller is chief brand strategist at Kivvit, a nationally recognized, data-driven Strategic Communications and Public Affairs firm with offices in New York, Chicago, New Jersey, Boston, Miami, and Washington, DC.
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CAIRO  Alexandria University inaugurated Jan. 1 a new project dubbed Underwater Heritage aimed at excavating underwater artifacts in the eastern port of Alexandria in the northern coast of Egypt. The project is led by Emad Khalil, director of the Alexandria Center for Maritime Archaeology and Underwater Cultural Heritage, and carried out in collaboration with the Egyptian National Commission for UNESCO and a number of European partners in support of the project.

President of Alexandria University Abdul Aziz Qanswa said in a statement Jan. 1 that this project will ensure that Egypt's underwater heritage is not lost, describing the project as a qualitative leap in the tourism sector given the treasures and antiquities dating back thousands of years.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Ehab Fahmy, head of the Underwater Antiquities Central Department at the Ministry of Antiquities, said that there are underwater treasures under the eastern port of Alexandria, namely the Royal Quarters dating back to the Ptolemaic period, including royal ports and columns from the palaces during that period. The eastern port stretches over an area starting at the Silsila promontory to the east toward the Citadel of Qaitbay to the west.

Fahmy believes more antiquities will be excavated through the project, which will also guarantee their preservation. He said, The Alexandria governorate is floating on submerged priceless antiquities, and the excavation works are designed to show how great the Egyptian civilization is and tell the world about such a human heritage, which is not only the property of Egypt but that of humanity.

Alexandria is well known for its archaeological sites where thousands of artifacts are submerged underwater, most notably the ancient Citadel of Qaitbay that covers an area of 22,500 square meters and houses more than 3,000 artifacts dating back to the Greek and Roman civilizations. Also in the Egyptian port city lies the Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria, which is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Fahmy said that his department at the Ministry of Antiquities has paid great attention to underwater antiquities lately, by holding excavation skills training workshops to the workers and by involving international organizations in the excavation and restoration activities.

In 2001, Egypt signed the UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. The convention involves preserving the submerged cultural heritage for at least 100 years, and preventing theft or illegal practices.

On Jan. 20, 2020, the Central Department of Underwater Antiquities in Alexandria launched a training seminar for its employees on the most up-to-date methods for underwater archaeological excavation based on the latest studies in this regard.

The Ministry of Antiquities inaugurated May 6, 2020, the Antiquity and Information Initiative to raise awareness of the antiquities and introduce the Alexandria underwater cultural heritage to Egyptians and foreigners. The initiative involved weekly news published in Arabic, French and English about underwater sites, along with photos of those items recovered from the sites or those that are still submerged.

Fahmy said, We are in constant need to cooperate with our European partners and international organizations to excavate submerged antiquities in particular, given that the excavation activities are extremely difficult, unlike the excavation of antiquities on the ground. The excavation of submerged antiquities is carried out in three stages. First, a team of specialists from the Ministry [of Antiquities] searches for antiquities using specific devices to identify how deep they are and their exact position. Second, divers extract antiquities from under the water, and this is an extremely difficult process given the time and effort required from the divers. The third stage involves the maintenance and cleaning of antiquities from water and salt, before their restoration and repair.

He added, After the completion of this project, we aim for additional exhibitions of submerged antiquities abroad in order to introduce this human heritage to the world, until the plan [to build] an underwater antiquities museum materializes.

In 2015, the Ministry of Antiquities had announced a plan to build an underwater antiquities museum at a cost of $150 million. If achieved, the museum would be the first underwater museum for ancient Egyptian civilization in the world. The plan has yet to be implemented.

Monica Hanna, archaeologist and founder of Egypt's Heritage Task Force, told Al-Monitor that the idea of setting up an underwater antiquities museum was part of an attempt to protect this heritage from looting. Yet the ministrys poor resources and limited capabilities prevented its implementation over the past years.

In March 2020, Egypts parliament ratified a bill submitted by the government to amend Antiquities Protection Law No. 117 of 1983. The amendments stipulate that whoever acquires or sells an antiquity or part of it outside Egypt shall be fined with no less than 1 million Egyptian pounds ($63,850).

According to members of parliament, the amendments aim to protect Egypt's antiquities under the law and to end all disastrous and unlawful acts of stealing, trafficking, sabotaging and destruction.

On July 29, 2020, a number of divers in Hurghada discovered a ship in the Red Sea that had sunk decades ago; it had been cut in parts and the ship's contents had been removed.

Hanna said, There is a clear tendency at the ministry to exploit this heritage to promote tourism, with Egyptian submerged antiquities displayed abroad. The ministrys interest in this regard will reflect positively on the Egyptian economic situation.

An exhibition dubbed Treasures of Ancient Egypt: Sunken Cities was inaugurated July 3, 2020, at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia. The exhibition displayed 293 artifacts recovered from the sunken cities of Heracleion and Canopus in the eastern port of Alexandria and Abu Qir port, including large statues of the goddess of Isis, Serapis as well as statues of the Sphinx.
Washington  Vice President Mike Pence plans to visit Fort Drum on Sunday where he will welcome home 10th Mountain Division soldiers returning from Afghanistan to the Army base in Northern New York, the White House said today.

The White House said Pence will be accompanied on the trip by his wife, Karen. He will address the soldiers, but no time has been disclosed for his speech.

The Fort Drum visit comes after Trump ordered a draw down of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan late last year, with a plan to reduce the U.S. military presence from a force of about 5,000 to 2,500. Republicans in Congress opposed the decision to unilaterally draw down troops.

The 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum has been the most deployed unit in the Army since the start of the war in Afghanistan, with some of its combat brigades serving multiple tours of duty over the years.

Pence will visit Northern New York only days before leaving office. Joe Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20.

Pence plans to begin his weekend tour on Saturday, with a visit to Naval Air Station Lemoore in California.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / Gold Terra Resource Corp. (TSXV:YGT)(FRA:TX0)(OTCQX:YGTFF) ("Gold Terra" or the "Company") announces assays for 9 holes at the high grade Crestaurum gold deposit on its 100% wholly-owned Yellowknife City Gold ("YCG") project near the City of Yellowknife, NWT (Link to Plan View). The Crestaurum gold deposit is an advanced exploration target located within the same large mineralized system suite as the past producing Con and Giant mines which have produced a total of 14 million ounces of gold. (Figure 1)

Figure 1 - Crestaurum Deposit and Con Shear

The 9 holes totaling 1062 metres tested the main Crestaurum shear structure at shallow depths across 900 metres of strike length, and also tested high-grade secondary shears and splays in the hanging wall and footwall of the main shear.

The Crestaurum gold deposit 3D model can be viewed at https://vrify.com/decks/crestaurum-january-13-pr.

President and CEO David Suda stated, "The Crestaurum deposit is likely an extension of the Con Shear Zone which produced approximately 1 M oz of gold at the past producing Con Mine. 2020 drilling at the Crestaurum deposit identified multiple vein systems from near surface to approximately 250m below surface. With these results, we are confident that the Crestaurum could potentially be host to a substantial open pit scenario in the future. In 2021, we will continue to focus on expanding our YCG resource and resume drilling on our highest priority target, the Campbell Shear, immediately south of the past producing Con mine (5 million ounces). Both the Campbell Shear and the Con Shear stratigraphy are exceptional due to the high-grade nature of their past producing gold deposits."

Drilling Highlights

Hole GTCR20-104 intersected 9.03 g/t Au over 5 metres including 23.7 g/t Au over 1.0 meter within a mineralized shear zone containing quartz veins with visible gold. The hole is located approximately 40 metres up dip and 25 metres to the south from GTCR20-103 which intersected 9.60 g/t over 4.0m (NR December 9, 2020). In addition, hole GTCR20-105 intersected 5.84 g/t Au over 2 metres approximately 75 metres up dip of GTCR20-104.

Three holes were drilled in an area around the exploration shaft sunk in 1946, an area previously believed to be unmineralized. Hole GTCR20-102 had a narrow low grade intersection of 2.66 g/t Au over 0.80 metres, Hole GTCR20-106 was designed to test both the main shear and a hangingwall vein and intersected 3.23 g/t Au over 0.75 metres in the hangingwall vein and 1.75 g/t Au over 2.70 metres in the main shear. Hole GTCR20-107 intersected 2.31 g/t Au over 4.10 metres, including 10.55 g/t Au over 0.80 metres.

Three drill holes were drilled across approximately 200 metres of strike length to intersect the main shear at shallow depths above current high grade in the South Shoot area. These holes were designed to increase the near surface mineralization available for future open pitting. Hole GTCR20-108 interested 8.19 g/t Au over 1.95 metres, and GTCR20-109 intersected 3.43 g/t over 3.90 metres, including 7.11 g/t Au over 1.75 metres. Both holes also intersected significant mineralization in the footwall of the main shear, including 2.53 g/t Au over 2.75 metres in hole GTCR20-109. Hole GTCR20-111 failed to intersect significant mineralization in the main shear and had two gram level assays in the hangingwall to the shear.

Hole GTCR20-110 was drilled south of the Daigle Fault to determine the location of the southern extension of the Crestaurum Shear beyond the fault. The shear structure was successfully intersected but was low grade (0.86 g/t Au over 3.0 metres).

Assays are pending for hole GTCR20-112.

Technical Appendix

This news release reports the assay results from nine (9) drill holes totaling 1,062 metres from which 264 core samples were assayed. Assay results range from non-detectable gold to a highest assay of 23.7 g/t Au. The Company inserts certified standards and blanks into the sample stream as a check on laboratory Quality Control (QC). Drill core samples are cut by diamond saw at Gold Terra's core facilities in Yellowknife. A halved core sample is left in the core box. The other half core is sampled and transported by Gold Terra personnel in securely sealed bags to ALS (ALS) preparation laboratory in Yellowknife. After sample preparation, samples are shipped to ALS's Vancouver facility for gold analysis. Gold assays of >3 g/t are re-assayed on a 30 g split by fire assay with a gravimetric finish. Samples with visible gold are additionally assayed using a screen metallics method. ALS is a certified and accredited laboratory service. ALS routinely inserts certified gold standards, blanks and pulp duplicates, and results of all QC samples are reported.

Drill holes were drilled at right angles to the zones of mineralization and dip angles of holes were designed to intersect the zones as close to normal as possible. Zones reported here are interpreted to be 90-100 percent of true thickness.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Joseph Campbell, Chief Operating Officer, a Qualified Person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Crestaurum - DDH Intersections

Drill Hole Dip Azimuth UTM Location From (m) To (m) Interval (m) Au g/t Easting Northing GTCR20-102 -50 305 635923 6941966 39.3 40.3 1.00 1.98 95.9 96.7 0.80 2.66 GTCR20-104 -59 309 636041 6942093 90.31 95.31 5.00 9.06 GTCR20-105 -46 305 636019 6942074 86 88 2.00 5.85 incl 87 88 1.00 11.55 GTCR20-106 -45 306 636059 6941923 40.5 41.25 0.75 3.23 167.3 170 2.70 1.75 incl 167.3 168 0.70 5.37 GTCR20-107 -50 305 635958 6941948 102.95 107.05 4.10 2.31 102.95 103.75 0.80 10.55 GTCR20-108 -58 305 635613 6941593 32.85 34.8 1.95 8.19 40 41.4 1.40 0.70 43.55 44.45 1.00 1.28 GTCR20-109 -45 354 635625 6941612 19 22.9 3.90 3.43 incl 21.15 22.9 1.75 7.11 31.4 34.15 2.75 2.53 37.35 39 1.65 0.75 GTCR20-110 -70 40 635497 6941317 91.52 92.52 1.00 1.06 169 172 3.00 0.86 GTCR20-111 -45 305 635559 6941443 46.7 47.76 1.06 1.30 53.65 54.65 1.00 0.93

About Gold Terra's Yellowknife City Gold Project

The YCG project encompasses 800 sq. km of contiguous land immediately north, south and east of the City of Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories. Through a series of acquisitions, Gold Terra controls one of the six major high-grade gold camps in Canada. Being within 10 kilometres of the City of Yellowknife, the YCG is close to vital infrastructure, including all-season roads, air transportation, service providers, hydro-electric power and skilled tradespeople.

The YCG lies on the prolific Yellowknife greenstone belt, covering nearly 70 kilometres of strike length along the main mineralized shear system that host the former-producing high-grade Con and Giant gold mines. The Company's exploration programs have successfully identified significant zones of gold mineralization and multiple targets that remain to be tested which reinforces the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

Visit our website at www.goldterracorp.com.

For more information, please contact:

David Suda, President and CEO

Phone: 604-928-3101 | Toll-Free: 1-855-737-2684

dsuda@goldterracorp.com

Mara Strazdins, Manager of Investor Relations

Phone: 1-778-897-1590 | 604-689-1749 ext 102

Strazdins@goldterracorp.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.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements made and information contained in this news release constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation ("forward-looking information"). Generally, this forward-looking information can, but not always, be identified by 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 statements that certain actions, events, conditions or results "will", "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved" or the negative connotations thereof.

All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. In particular, this news release contains forward-looking information regarding the Crestaurum Deposit and the Company's objective of re-establishing Yellowknife as one of the premier gold mining districts in Canada.

There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as the Company's actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in this forward-looking information as a result of the factors discussed in the "Risk Factors" section in the Company's most recent MD&A and annual information form available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that would cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is based on information available to the Company as of the date of this news release. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. All of the forward-looking information contained in this news release is qualified by these cautionary statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information due to the inherent uncertainty thereof. Except as required under applicable securities legislation and regulations applicable to the Company, the Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update this forward-looking information.

SOURCE: Gold Terra Resource Corp

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/624087/Gold-Terra-Intersects-903-gt-over-5-metres-at-its-High-Grade-Crestaurum-Deposit-Yellowknife-City-Gold-Project-Northwest-Territories
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Labour TD Ged Nash has lent his support to a Dundalk Democrat petition to have Covid-19 vaccines rolled out in pharmacies.

The Dundalk Democrat, along with its sister titles in the Iconic Newspaper group, is backing local pharmacies to deliver the Covid 19 vaccines to our communities. They have launched a petition to Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly.

Supporting the campaign, Deputy Nash said: Our local pharmacies are the first place we go to for healthcare advice and support.

"I support calls for our local pharmacies to administer Covid-19 vaccines in our communities across Louth and the country.

"This should also mean that our pharmacy teams are prioritised for vaccinations because of the key role they should play in our national effort to suppress the coronavirus.

TAP HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION

With soaring cases and hospital admissions, the need for an effective vaccine rollout to see our community open up once again will be vital. Louth has the second-highest 14-day incidence rate of the virus in Ireland, currently standing at 2,302.1, well above the national average of 1,410.3. The vaccine rollout in the county began among nursing home residents and healthcare staff last week but there is widespread public frustration at the perceived slow pace of Ireland's rollout.

To that end, Iconic Newspapers, publisher of the Dundalk Democrat, have started a petition - http://chng.it/dsbxr4gy - to the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly so the people of Louth can let the government know that they believe that the vaccine should be delivered straight to our local communities - through our local pharmacies who have a track record of administering flu vaccines.

Talking to all our editors, while Covid 19 is dominating news coverage, and will continue to do so, with a vaccine there is hope. But many believe that it could be done better, that we are lagging behind and want more information on what is happening. It is obvious why we need a vaccine. We now know what needs to be done. Its all about the how and the when now, said Brian Keyes, Editorial Operations Director for Iconic Newspapers.

We need to put our communities front and centre in this rollout, and that means local pharmacies. They are still open, still there for locals, and they have a proven track record with administering the flu vaccine. Between pharmacists and GPs, 1.1m flu vaccines have been administered since September last. They are trusted, and thats important. They need PPE, they need to be informed and they need to lead the charge.

We cant be left behind, in particular our rural communities. In many villages, a pharmacy is one of the few places open, and its important for communities. The AstraZeneca vaccine will hopefully be here in a matter of weeks, but we need to plan now, we need to give people hope and the government needs to get our pharmacies involved right away, he added.

Its the only thing people are talking about, and there is frustration when we see rollouts in other countries moving ahead at pace. We know what we can do here and the potential that pharmacies, in particular, have to lead the rollout. We need to get back to meeting family and friends again, to playing together again, back to school, opening up our businesses again. Enjoying the simple pleasures. We have started a petition, calling for our pharmacies to lead the charge in getting this vaccine to our communities. You can comment on the Dundalk Democrat Facebook, or follow us on Twitter - #bestshot.
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Ireland's premier Micheal Martin has apologised to the victims of the mother and baby homes scandal and admitted 'the State failed' after a report found that 9,000 children had died in the institutions over seven decades.

The Taoiseach had earlier been accused of 'whitewashing' the findings by campaigners who said the report shifted blame from those who ran the homes on to society at large.

But he offered a profound apology on Wednesday on behalf of the Irish government, telling the victims: 'Each of you is blameless, each of you did nothing wrong and has nothing to be ashamed of.'

In a speech in the Irish parliament, the Dail, Mr Martin said: 'I apologise for the shame and stigma which they were subjected to and which, for some, remains a burden to this day.

'In apologising, I want to emphasise that each of you were in an institution because of the wrongs of others.'

The Taoiseach had been criticised by campaigners and politicians such as People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett who described the report and the Government's response as a 'sham, an insult'.

But Mr Martin made a formal apology on Wednesday and said that the Government will implement the recommendations set out by the commission.

He said: 'The Irish State, as the main funding authority for the majority of these institutions, had the ultimate ability to exert control over these institutions, in addition to its duty of care to protect citizens with a robust regulatory and inspection regime.

'This authority was not exerted and the State's duty of care was not upheld.

'The State failed you, the mothers and children in these homes.'

The 2,865-page document published on Tuesday lifted the lid on years of abuse in homes for unmarried and pregnant Irish women, but was branded 'incomplete' and a 'cop-out'.

The independent report found the institutions for women who fell pregnant out of wedlock produced high levels of infant mortality, misogyny and stigmatisation of some of society's most vulnerable.

A child holds a funeral box at a procession for infants whose bodies were found in a septic tank in 2014 - a discovery which led to Tuesday's damning report

The Taoiseach, pictured arriving at the Convention Centre in Dublin on Wednesday, made a formal apology on behalf of the State to the survivors

Mr Martin said that a suite of memorialisation, educational and research commitments will support national reflection and enduring remembrance.

The Government pledged to introduce information and tracing legislation as well as bringing in a range of supports to allow the survivors to access personal information.

Mr Martin added: 'We must learn the lesson that institutionalisation creates power structures and abuses of power and must never again be an option for our country.

'Throughout this report former residents talk of a feeling of shame for the situation they found themselves in. The shame was not theirs - it was ours.'

Mr Martin has indicated he could force homes to pay reparations to victims - including women who were abused there and children who were forcibly adopted away from their mothers, while lawmaker Brid Smith has demanded 'a full criminal investigation' into the scandal.

The Bessborough Mother and Baby Home was among those scrutinised by the report, which has been criticised as 'incomplete' by campaigners

Tanaiste Leo Varadkar told the Dail on Wednesday: 'This report exposes the chilling consequences of such a mindset. Too many children were seen as a stain on society, but the truth is that it was our society that was deeply stained.

'As the report shows, this was a stifling, oppressive and deeply misogynistic culture. A cold house for most of its people.

'The statistics were known at the time. It was known that children in mother and baby institutions were more likely to die in infancy than other children, including other children born outside of marriage.

'There was no public outcry, no Dail debates or motions, no media inquiries or interest.

'These were second-class citizens, lesser mortals, to be treated as such, perhaps for their whole lives, solely due to the circumstance of their conception and birth. It was a conspiracy of shame and silence and cruelty.'

Among its findings, the report exposed the 'appalling' levels of death among the very youngest - more than one in 10 children.

Walter Francis, a survivor of the Bon Secours Mother and Baby Home, poses today at a shrine erected in memory of up to 800 children who were allegedly buried at the site of the former home for unmarried mothers run by nuns

Some of the institutions were owned and run by the local health authorities - the county homes Pelletstown, Tuam and Kilrush.

Others were owned and run by religious orders; for example, the three homes run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, Bessborough, Sean Ross and Castlepollard (the Sacred Heart homes).

Many of the women suffered emotional abuse and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks, the commission of investigation's report said.

Mr Boyd Barrett accused Mr Martin and the government of 'very consciously' seeking to diminish the culpability and disperse the responsibility of the institutions of the Church and State.

He told the Dail: 'The report and official political commentary coming from Government... look like a sham, an insult and a whitewash of the gross crimes that were committed against thousands of women and infants.

'The report and some of your comments [on Tuesday] seemed to very consciously seek to diminish the culpability of the institutions of the Church and State, and disperse responsibility for the crimes that were committed on to society as a whole.'

Mr Boyd Barrett said there was a 'systematic attempt' not to treat survivors' testimonies as evidence of abuse.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has apologised for the 'shameful' and 'shocking' scandal after he was accused of 'whitewashing' the damning report

'Some of the passages in the report are offensive, quite honestly, in trying to shift the blame away from the institutions of Church and State, in trying to create a hierarchy of severity of abuse between one institution and another, and of the constant refrain, which is offensive, of there being no evidence,' he said.

'Is 9,000 children dying in proportions way beyond the number dying in society as a whole not in itself evidence of abuse? Was it not an imprisonment sentence for every single woman who was forced to go in there? No evidence, they say, of illegal adoptions when we have evidence.

'There seems to be a systematic attempt to not treat as evidence the testimonies of the survivors.'

But Mr Martin said it was 'wrong' to claim a systematic approach was being taken. 'There's not. I had no involvement in the commission, good, bad or indifferent,' he said.

'The commission was independent,' he added. 'No politician had any hand, act or role in the deliberations of the commission itself. I think you need to accept that.'

Mr Martin also said the report and its recommendations were 'very clear' that the mothers should not have ended up in these homes and that the government's response to the recommendations would be 'survivor-led'

A group of children at the Tuam home in 1924, the site of a mass grave of up to 800 children at the former Mother and Baby home in Tuam, County Galway

Mr Martin said the report had been sent to Ireland's director of public prosecutions to consider any criminal consequences that could arise from it.

But the long timespan covered by the report - which looked at the period from the foundation of the Irish state in 1922 until the last of the homes shut its doors in 1998 - means this may be difficult.

'Obviously, there's a length of time that has elapsed for quite a significant degree of the issues contained in the report,' Mr Martin said.

'But nonetheless, the Gardai can obviously pursue some of these issues and deal with the others.'

Mr Martin said the commission of investigation report published on Tuesday described a 'dark, difficult and shameful chapter' of Irish history.

Breeda Murphy, a volunteer with a survivors' group, told the Irish Examiner that it would take months to unpick the report's findings.

'I wish I could say it is a sense of relief but it's not, it's overwhelming in the darkness that we hoped would lift,' she said.

Anna Corrigan, whose two brothers John and William Dolan are recorded as having died at a home in Tuam, said on Tuesday that her 'heart is breaking for every survivor'.

'We expect, as we have always expected, truth, justice, accountability resulting in prosecutions should they arise and restitution for survivors,' she said.

Another group, the Coalition of Mother And Baby Home Survivors, said the report was 'truly shocking' but 'fundamentally incomplete'.

The group said it was a 'cop out' to blame what happened on the prevailing social attitudes at the time, saying the government and church should be held responsible.

Mr Martin had said that the report 'opens a window onto a deeply misogynistic culture in Ireland over several decades'. 'What has been described in this report wasn't imposed on us by any foreign power. We did this to ourselves, as a society,' he said.

'We had a completely warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy, and young mothers and their sons and daughters were forced to pay a terrible price for that dysfunction.'

An archive photo from a Dublin 'mother and baby home', an institution which Irish premier Micheal Martin said was a product of misogynistic attitudes at the time

Survivor Carmel Larkin from Tuam who was born at the notorious Mother and Baby Home in County Galway stands beside flowers laid to the victims yesterday. Ms Larkin said: 'Well it's our holocaust isn't it? They had the holocaust in Germany but the mother and baby homes were our holocaust'

An infants' graveyard at Sean Ross Abbey in Tipperary, at the site of a mother and baby home which was operated by a religious order from 1930 to 1970

Another group, Irish First Mothers, said the report 'absolved both the Church and state of any systemic responsibility for what it admits is the effective incarceration of pregnant mothers'.

The church ran many of Ireland's social services in the 20th century. While run by nuns, the homes received state funding and, as adoption agencies, were also regulated by the state.

While Irish voters have overwhelmingly approved abortion and gay marriage in referendums in recent years, the scandal has revived anguish over how women and children were treated in the not-too-distant past.

Politician Brid Smith said a state apology was 'just not good enough' and called for the institutions responsible to have their assets seized to help survivors.

'We've heard apologies many times before, but what's needed now is action,' she said.

'There are tens of thousands of babies that were abused, and there are thousands and thousands whose bodies are lying in the grounds of institutions all over this country,' she said.

'Something went horribly and criminally wrong, and that needs to be investigated,' she said.

Children's minister Roderic O'Gorman today rejected the claim that the government was trying to foist responsibility for the scandal on to society.

He said: 'I don't think the Taoiseach or anyone in the Government is trying to in any way foist or deflect responsibility. That's why the apology is coming.

'The fact that the Taoiseach on behalf of the State is making an apology today does make it very clear that this Government takes responsibility on behalf of the State for the failings that are manifestly clear within this report.'

Amnesty International has also called for a criminal probe, saying it was 'the state, not wider society, that was primarily responsible' for the abuses.

'The level of infant mortality in these institutions compared to wider society at the time and the number of unregistered deaths and burials are shocking to the extreme,' the charity said

'We support calls for this, and other serious abuses, to be referred for criminal investigation.'

The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes (CIMBH) found 'disquieting' levels of infant mortality at the institutions, which operated as recently as 1998.

Children born in the institutions would often be separated from their mothers and put up for adoption, severing all family ties.

A shrine in Tuam, County Galway, which was put up in memory of up to 800 children who were apparently buried at the former home for unmarried mothers

A woman and her daughter pay their respects at the Tuam graveyard yesterday, where the bodies of 796 babies were uncovered at the site of a former Catholic home for unmarried mothers and their children

The report said the death rate among children in the homes was twice as high as for illegitimate children generally, which was already 'considerably higher' than for children born in wedlock.

'In the years before 1960 mother and baby homes did not save the lives of illegitimate children; in fact, they appear to have significantly reduced their prospects of survival,' investigators said.

An earlier investigation whose findings were submitted to the commission quoted a witness saying that 'if you left without permission from the nuns you would be brought back by the Garda'.

'While I was at Bessborough I can recall at least one woman who did try to leave without the nuns' permission and she was brought back by the Garda. Another woman tried to escape out of a very high window, but she fell and sadly died,' the witness said.

The same woman recalled that 'in early February 1968, when my baby boy was six-seven weeks old, he was wrenched from my breast by one of the nuns whilst I was breastfeeding him and taken away for adoption'.

Tuesday's report added that many women had suffered 'emotional abuse' at the homes, with some evidence of physical abuse.

'It appears that there was little kindness shown to them and this was particularly the case when they were giving birth,' the report said.

'The large institutions were regimented and they were inadequately staffed until the later decades. The atmosphere appears to have been cold and seemingly uncaring.'

Studying the homes over a 76-year period through 1998, the CIMBH determined that 9,000 children died in them, or 15 percent of those who passed through.

The report says 56,000 unmarried mothers and 57,000 children passed through the homes examined.

Many of the women received little or no ante-natal care.

The report gave no single explanation for the deaths, but said 'the major identifiable causes... were respiratory infections and gastroenteritis.'

It also highlighted a total of seven unethical vaccine trials on children in the institutions between 1934 and 1973.

Meanwhile women of the period who gave birth outside marriage were 'subject to particularly harsh treatment' at the hands of families and partners.

The CIMBH was established in 2015, after an amateur historian uncovered evidence of a potential mass grave of infants at one such home in the town of Tuam.

Then-Taoiseach Enda Kenny described the burial site at Tuam as a 'chamber of horrors'.

'Nuns treated 11-year-old rape victims as if they were prostitutes': How schoolgirls were among 56,000 mothers sent to hellish Irish homes where 9,000 babies died and bodies were buried in shoeboxes - as survivors slam 'cop-out' report

By Helen Bruce and Az Munrallee and Craig Hughes, Political Correspondent for the Irish Daily Mail

Girls as young as 12 were among the 56,000 mothers in Ireland's mother and baby homes, whose harrowing experiences have been laid bare by the disturbing report revealed yesterday.

They and their children were subjected to very high infant mortality rates, poor nutrition, overcrowded sleeping quarters and emotional abuse.

However, the Commission of Investigation does not lay all the blame at the door of the Churches, or the State, pointing the finger also at families and fathers who turned their backs on the unmarried, pregnant women.

It noted that while Ireland was a cold, harsh environment for many during the last century, it was especially cold and harsh for women. It stated: 'All women suffered serious discrimination. Women who gave birth outside marriage were subject to particularly harsh treatment.

'Responsibility for that harsh treatment rests mainly with the fathers of their children and their own immediate families.

'It was supported by, contributed to, and condoned by, the institutions of the State and the Churches. However, it must be acknowledged that the institutions under investigation provided a refuge  a harsh refuge in some cases  when the families provided no refuge at all.'

The commission's final report observed that while mother and baby homes were not a peculiarly Irish phenomenon, the proportion of Irish unmarried mothers who were admitted to such homes or county homes in the 20th Century was 'probably the highest in the world'.

Among the victims are Mary Harney (left), who tracked down her mother whom she was told had died after giving birth to her at the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork in 1949, and Catherine Coffey O'Brien (right), who suffered physical abuse and was treated 'like a prostitute' after being duped into entering the same baby's home by a social worker

Following harrowing revelations of the suffering, cruelties and shocking number of early deaths in mother and baby homes, Micheal Martin denounced Ireland's 'perverse religious morality' of previous decades

It reported that there were about 56,000 unmarried mothers and about 57,000 children in the 14 mother and baby homes and four county homes investigated by the commission.

The greatest number of these admissions was in the 1960s and early 1970s. The commission said it was likely that there were a further 25,000 unmarried mothers and a larger number of children in other county homes which were not investigated.

The women ranged in age from 12 years old to those in their 40s. The majority, 80%, were aged between 18 and 29, but 5,616, 11.4%, were under 18 years of age.

Catherine Coffey O'Brien: 'Nuns treated us like prostitutes, told us we were worthless' I grew up in an orphanage and fell pregnant at the age of 16, which was one of the worst things you could do in Irish society back then. After an argument with my baby's father and desperate for help, a social worker referred me to Bessborough Sacred Heart Convent in Blackrock, Co. Cork. I was told that I would be living independently, have my own apartment and go back to education. I was shocked when I saw a nun come to pick me up and I knew I had been duped. Before I went in, I was contemplating how I was going to get out because I had no intention of giving away my baby. When I arrived, my name was changed to Jane on the records. They thought they were blessing me with a favour, not taking away my identity. I was told to have limited conversations with the other girls and we were to never reveal our real names. I was expected to polish brass, floors, the chapel, wash and clean for the girls, and watch over certain babies in the nursery. The food was also abysmal  Some heavily pregnant girls were starting to lose their teeth due to the calcium deficiency. However, physical abuse was heavily outweighed by the mental abuse we felt every day. The nuns thought of us as prostitutes, even the 11-year-old pregnant girls, who had clearly been raped. They made sure to remind us we were worthless and would humorously attempt to comfort the girls once their babies had been taken away. Regarding my own pregnancy, the nun told me: 'If you have a boy, we won't have a problem. We have beautiful families waiting for him. 'But if you have a girl, we will definitely have a problem and she'll probably end up in the orphanage you were in.' In the baby selection process, babies weighing under 10kg and mixed-race babies were seen as not fit for adoption. Those babies ended up in industrial schools where they would be open to torture and sexual abuse among other horrors. Like everyone else, my pregnancy was far from pleasant and with my due date growing nearer I was petrified for the outcome. The births that the mothers were subjected to  without pain relief or sedation  were described as punishment from God . I decided to run away with another girl, but she ended up being taken back to Bessborough. The punishment for her was torture beyond words. The first night I slept in a bush and the next day, I went to the mother of my baby's father and told her everything. She refused to have her grandchild taken away and told my baby's father to take responsibility, which he did. I don't like using the word traumatised but I still lived in fear. I was so scared for doctor appointments, worrying that they would contact Bessborough. I was never given a scan in Bessborough, but I got plenty of injections and blood taken from me from an ancient woman. When I would ask her what she was injecting me with, she wouldn't even know. The nuns did find out where I was but by then it was too late as I was engaged to my baby's father. I was one of the very few lucky ones who got out and delivered a baby boy. But at 48 today, I'm still overcome with guilt that life allowed for my escape when so many others died in that place. At the end of the day what we really want is answers. They annihilated generations of women and children. Now they are erasing us from history. Advertisement

The commission said the number of under-18s rose sharply in the early 1960s, and remained at a high level for the next two decades.

'Some pregnancies were the result of rape; some women had mental health problems, some had an intellectual disability,' the report stated.

'However, the majority were indistinguishable from most Irish women of their time. The only difference between the women in mother and baby homes and their sisters, classmates and work companions was that they became pregnant while unmarried.

'Their lives were blighted by pregnancy outside marriage, and the responses of the father of their child, their immediate families and the wider community.

'Women were admitted to mother and baby homes and county homes because they failed to secure the support of their family and the father of their child.

'They were forced to leave home, and seek a place where they could stay without having to pay. Many were destitute.'

Women who feared the consequences of their pregnancy becoming known to their family and neighbours entered the homes to protect their privacy. Some travelled to Britain for the same reason, but were often forced to return by the British authorities.

The commission said the profiles of the women in the homes changed over the decades, mirroring changes in Irish women's lives.

In the early decades most women who were admitted were domestic servants or farm workers or they were carrying out unpaid domestic work in their family home. In later years, however, many were clerical workers, civil servants, professional women and schoolgirls or third-level students.

'There is no evidence that women were forced to enter mother and baby homes by Church or State authorities. Most women had no alternative,' the report said.

Many pregnant, single women contacted the Department of Local Government and Public Health, later the Department of Health, their local health authority, or a Catholic charity seeking assistance because they had nowhere to go and no money.

Women were also brought to mother and baby homes by their parents or other family members without being consulted. The report says: 'In many cases, they were cut off from the world and some were assigned a 'house name'. The homes gave women some assurance that 'their secret would be protected'.

Up to 9,000 children died in 18 institutions between 1922 and the closure of the last such home in 1998. The commission said the very high rate of infant mortality, defined as a death within a baby's first year, 'is probably the most disquieting feature of these institutions'.

The death rate among 'illegitimate' children was always considerably higher than that among 'legitimate' children, but it was higher still in the mother and baby homes.

Between 1945 and 1946, the death rate in the homes was almost twice that of the national average for 'illegitimate' children.

About 9,000 children died in the institutions under investigation, about 15% of all the children who were in the homes .

'In the years before 1960 mother and baby homes did not save the lives of 'illegitimate' children; in fact, they appear to have significantly reduced their prospects of survival,' the report said.

It added that the very high mortality rates were known to local and national authorities at the time and were recorded in official publications.

The high death rates were attributed, by the commission, to the poor nutrition of their mothers during pregnancy, their lack of ante-natal care if they were only admitted shortly before giving birth, and the cramped conditions in the homes, allowing infections to spread.

Poor standards of hygiene in many of the homes, a lack of professional healthcare training for religious members, and 'a general indifference to the fate of the children who were born in mother and baby homes', contributed to the appalling levels of infant mortality, the report said.

What happened to survivors?

The 'illegitimate' children born in the institutions who survived went on to suffer discrimination for most of their lives, the commission said.

Most had no memory of their time there, but some stayed in the institutions after their mothers left and a small number were in institutions until the age of seven.

Before legal adoption was introduced in 1953, children who left the homes usually ended up in other institutions such as industrial schools or were boarded out or nursed out.

While many survivors have reported having their babies taken from them, the commission found little evidence of forced adoption.

A woman holds a poster at a funeral procession in remembrance of the bodies of the infants discovered in a septic tank, in 2014, at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home, in Dublin, Ireland October 6, 2018

These photographs are the first glimpse of life inside Ireland's largest mother and baby home St. Patrick's on the Navan Road in Dublin

The notorious Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, Tipperary, which was mother and baby home operated by the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary from 1930 to 1970

It stated: 'Some former residents and lobby groups have suggested that 'adoption' should be renamed 'forced adoption'. The commission does not agree.

'The commission found very little evidence that children were forcibly taken from their mothers; it accepts that the mothers did not have much choice but that is not the same as 'forced' adoption.'

The commission said the principle reason why adoption became so popular after it was formally introduced in 1953 was the lack of family and community support for mothers who wished to keep their child. Its availability also meant that women did not have to stay as long in the institutions.

Mary Harney: 'When I was 11, nuns told me my mother was dead. Then I tracked her down.' Survivor Mary Harney has told how she tracked down her mother, despite having been lied to and told she was dead. Ms Harney was born in the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork, in February 1949. Her mother had arrived there just the day before she was born, and Ms Harney went on to live there for two-and-a half years, before being fostered to a local family. She said: 'That was not a good situation. When I was taken from my mother, and I use the word taken because I do not believe there was any legal explanation for what happened to me I was handed over to two middle-aged people who seemed to know nothing about children. While with that couple, Ms Harney was subject to harsh discipline and a lack of proper care and feeding. They were reported for neglect when she was just five. She told RTE's Today With Claire Byrne: 'I learned to open the front door and sneak into the neighbours, who would feed me and also noticed bruises on me and realised how thin I was.' The neighbours reported her plight, believing they were doing the right thing. But Ms Harney then found herself in the Good Shepherd industrial school in Cork. Shockingly, she could have been returned to her mother instead. 'The lie that was told in court was that the whereabouts of my mother was unknown,' she recalled. 'At that time the nuns knew exactly where she was. They had put her there. They had sent her to Wales, the same order of nuns as Bessborough, to work in one of their hospitals.' A second, even worse, lie was told when she was 11, and she was informed her mother had died. 'The lie continued all the way through until I managed to trace my mother myself when I was about 17. And then I found out that my mother did not abandon me and together we pieced what happened to us,' she said. Ms Harney said she then went to live with her mother, to try to rebuild their relationship. 'It was very awkward. We couldn't put the bond back together. But we became lifelong friends and my mother has always been my heroine,' she said. She added that her mother had always been reluctant to speak about the reasons she went to Bessborough, and that she had learnt to respect that. Ms Harney said the leak of the report was no surprise to survivors, who were already disappointed that their report in 2018 to advise the Department of Children about their issues of concern had never been published. She believes that although there was collusion by the Church and society, the ultimate responsibility for the homes lay with the State. She added: 'I am immune to apologies... An apology is not worth the paper it is written on unless you have commitment from the Government to the action that is needed for redress and justice. We must have the right to unfettered access to our identities.' Advertisement

It noted that until 1973, when the Unmarried Mother's Allowance was introduced, most women had no realistic prospect of keeping their child, unless they were assisted by their family.

It also said that great care should be taken not to denigrate the families who adopted children from the institutions, believing it to be in the best interest of the child.

'There is no doubt that the option of legal adoption was a vastly better outcome for the children involved than the previous informal adoption or nursed out arrangements, and it resulted in fewer children spending their early lives in an institution,' the report said.

It said that 1,638 children who were resident in the mother and baby homes and county homes under investigation were placed for foreign adoption. The vast majority, 1,427, started new lives in the United States of America.

Conditions in the Homes

The report noted that there were different types of institutions with different governance, financial arrangements and practices.

Some were owned and run by the local health authorities, such as the county homes, Pelletstown, Tuam and Kilrush. Others were owned and run by religious orders, for example, the three homes run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary  Bessborough, Sean Ross and Castlepollard. The Bethany Home was founded by a Protestant evangelical group.

The commission observed that some of the county homes, like Kilrush and Tuam, had 'appalling' physical conditions.

Most county homes had no sanitation, no running water, heating and no place for children to play.

Such homes admitted women with special needs, mental health problems, venereal disease or a criminal conviction, who would be rejected by a number of mother and baby homes. They had children with special needs, including the children of married families.

'The accommodation and care given to these children in county homes was grossly inadequate; some of the descriptions are extremely distressing,' it said.

Conditions in the other mother and baby homes were considerably better and improved over time, it said. The women and children were subject to strict rules, but there was no evidence of the sort of gross abuse that occurred in industrial schools, with just a small number of complaints of physical abuse, the report said.

The women worked, but they were generally doing the sort of work that they would have done at home. However, women in county homes did arduous work for which they should have been paid.

Some county homes were unwilling to let women go after having their babies, preferring to keep the free labour.

Trauma and emotional abuse

Many women did suffer emotional abuse and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks. 'It appears that there was little kindness shown to them, and this was particularly the case when they were giving birth,' it said.

'The atmosphere appears to have been cold and seemingly uncaring. They offered little sympathy or counselling to women who may have been rejected by their family and by the father of their child.

'There were no qualified social workers, or counsellors attached to these homes until at least the 1970s, and until that time, there is no evidence that women were given opportunities to discuss the circumstances of their pregnancy or future options for their child.

'Women were dissuaded from sharing their stories with fellow residents, because of concerns to protect their privacy.'

Many found childbirth traumatic. The overwhelming majority were first-time mothers and probably uninformed about childbirth.

'First-time childbirth can be frightening for any woman; it was undoubtedly worse for women whose pregnancy had devastated their normal life and resulted in their removal from home, family and friends,' it said.

'The trauma of childbirth must have been especially difficult for the many women who had no prospect of keeping their child.'

Influence of the Church

Local authorities often deferred to the views of the religious orders that ran homes or the local bishop.

However, there was no evidence that the Catholic hierarchy played a role in the day-to-day running of mother and baby homes.

Yet their influence was strong. In one example, the Archbishop of Tuam objected to efforts to move the Tuam home to the outskirts of Galway in the late 1950s, as the new area was close to a busy road,

He said that homes must be in 'a place that is quiet, remote and surrounded by high boundary walls' He added: 'In many cases they are on the look out to get in touch with men, and some of them cannot repress their excitement even when a man comes to the home to deliver a message.'

He was eventually overruled by the Health Minister.

Funding came first from local rates, and later general tax. The Commission said it saw no evidence that the religious orders made a profit running the homes.

'At various times, it is clear that they struggled to make ends meet and their members were not always paid for their work,' it said. 'This was a particular problem when occupancy levels fell and women stayed for shorter periods. Payments by local authorities were not always on time.'

The capitation rates, while not generous, were more generous than welfare payments for an adult and a child in the community.

Under regulations, the women (or, if they were under 16, their parents) could have been charged for their stay in the homes, but this does not appear to have happened in most of the larger institutions. Residents in county homes were charged if they had an income.

The report said it was probable that the number of Irish unmarried mothers in mother and baby homes was the highest in the world.

Large numbers gave birth there in the 1970s, by which time most mother and baby homes in other countries had closed. The report said Ireland was not unique in believing illegitimacy should be regretted and disowned  it was a view shared by most countries in the early and mid-20th century.

Few men contributed to the maintenance of their child or acknowledged their existence. In the first half of the century many would have been unable to do so, because they were farm labourers or unpaid workers on family farms or in family businesses.

A woman and her daughter pay their respects at the Tuam graveyard today, where the bodies of 796 babies were uncovered at the site of a former Catholic home for unmarried mothers and their children

At another notorious home, Bessborough in County Cork, 75 percent of the children born or admitted in a single year, 1943, died. The girls of Bessborough are pictured above.

One Irish woman released a photo of herself as a baby in a desperate bid to trace her birth mother. 'I am full of tears and the revelations about the TuamHome have caused me even greater despair,' said the 60-year-old

These photographs are the first glimpse of life inside Ireland's largest mother and baby home St. Patrick's on the Navan Road in Dublin. The first ever memorial day for children who died in the home will be held on August 13

A group of children at the Tuam home in 1924, the site of a mass grave of up to 800 children at the former Mother and Baby home in Tuam, County Galway

While mothers had the right to apply for maintenance under the Illegitimate Children (Affiliation) Orders Act 1930, it generally proved impossible to secure evidence.

The most common response to pregnancies outside marriage in other countries was to try and arrange a quick marriage between the woman and the father. Yet in Ireland, in the early and mid-20th century, the marriage rate was the lowest in the western world, and fathers seemed very reluctant to marry. Many disappeared on hearing of the woman's pregnancy.

In other cases the man or the woman's parents opposed their marrying because of difference in social background or religion.

There were many accounts in the report of parents willing to welcome their daughter back but not her child. The commission said an explanation for this might be that Irish families were the largest in the developed world. Many were poor and living in overcrowded homes, so an other child would have put them under pressure.

Such a child would have been especially unwelcome in a farm house where the marriage of the inheriting son depended on clearing the home of noninheriting siblings.

There was also the question of a family's standing in the community. Many Irish marriages until the 1960s involved an element of match-making and a dowry and these processes were reliant on a family's respectability.

Many women who concealed their pregnancy were conscious of such attitudes.

Vaccine trials

The commission identified seven vaccine trials which took place in the institutions between 1934 and 1973 and has identified a number of the children involved.

It said there was not compliance with regulatory and ethical standards of the time as consent was not obtained from the mothers or their guardians and the necessary licences were not in place.

However, there was no evidence of injury as a result of the vaccines.
EUGENE, Ore.  As Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives moved to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time Wednesday, Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden said support for the effort is growing quickly, even among some Republicans.

In an interview Wednesday morning, Wyden called the insurrection at the capitol an incident of domestic terrorism.

This is about accountability, Wyden said, calling the insurrection a textbook definition of domestic terrorism.

Wyden said Trump repeatedly incited supporters to engage in acts of violence.

Trump has denied responsibility for the riot and instead leaned on a familiar refrain.

The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country, and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain, Trump said.

Multiple House Republicans think otherwise and have expressed an intent to vote for impeachment.

Wyden said he expects the number of Republicans supporting the impeachment article to increase.

If there is the kind of momentum weve seen -- even in the last 12 hours -- where Republicans who strongly supported Donald Trump have just said they believe theyve been totally betrayed, Ill think well see Republican support grow through the congress, Wyden said.

Wyden shied away from saying whether he believes enough Senate Republicans could cross the aisle to convict the president in a potential trial.

I believe what were seeing in the House is starting to be a groundswell, Wyden said.

Democratic House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said the article of impeachment will not be held back from the Senate, as Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell is privately signaling his support for the president's removal from office. Wyden said he expects Congress to move expeditiously on the impeachment process.
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By MATTHEW DALY, The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump is on the verge of becoming the first president to be impeached twice, as lawmakers move quickly to punish him over last weeks deadly U.S. Capitol attack. Trumps fiery speech at a rally just before the Jan. 6 riot is at the center of the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread for months about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

What to watch as the Democratic-controlled House moves to impeach Trump for the second time in 13 months  now with just days left in the defeated presidents term.

BUT FIRST, A VOTE ON THE 25TH AMENDMENT

Before proceeding with impeachment, the House pressed Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to remove Trump more quickly and surely, warning that he is a threat to democracy in the few remaining days of his presidency.

The House approved a resolution late Tuesday calling on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to declare the president unable to serve. Pence, who was among those forced to take shelter inside the Capitol complex during the attack, said before the vote that he would take no such action, leaving lawmakers with impeachment as their only option to remove Trump from office before Jan. 20, when President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as president.

THE DEMOCRATIC CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT

Trump faces a single charge  incitement of insurrection  after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday. Its a stunning end for Trumps presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that ransacked the Capitol.

President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government, reads part of the four-page impeachment bill. He will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.

A pro-Trump protester carries the lectern of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi through the Roturnda of the U.S. Capitol Building after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. He's since been arrested. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images, file)Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said impeachment is needed despite the limited number of days left in Trumps term. The presidents threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action, she said.

Trumps actions were personal for Pelosi and many other lawmakers. She was among those forced to huddle in a bunker during the Capitol riots, and armed rioters menaced staffers with taunts of Wheres Nancy?

HOW MANY REPUBLICANS WILL SUPPORT?

Unlike the last time Trump was impeached, when no House Republicans supported charges against Trump over a call he made to Ukraines new president, the current impeachment effort has drawn support from some Republicans.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and his deputy, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, are again expected to oppose impeachment, but Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said Tuesday she will support it.

Cheney, whose father, Dick Cheney, served as vice president under George W. Bush, has been more critical of Trump than other GOP leaders. She said in a statement Tuesday that Trump summoned the mob that attacked the Capitol, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. She added: Everything that followed was his doing and noted that Trump could have immediately intervened to stop his supporters from rioting but did not.

Reps. John Katko, R-N.Y., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., also said they would back impeachment, and some other Republicans seem likely to follow.

McCarthy, one of Trumps closest allies in Congress, echoed Trump in declaring that impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together.

WILL HOUSE CENSURE TRUMP?

In a move short of impeachment, McCarthy and other Republicans have floated the idea of a House censure of Trump. Although it was not clear how much support the proposal has, McCarthy said censure or some other mechanism  such as a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack  would ensure that the events of January 6 are rightfully denounced and prevented from occurring in the future.'

Democrats, with the votes to impeach in hand, arent buying it.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021 in Washington. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)AP

HOW WILL TRUMP RESPOND?

So far, Trump has taken no responsibility for his part in fomenting the violent insurrection, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol and praising them while they were still carrying out the assault. People thought that what I said was totally appropriate, he said Tuesday.

In the days leading up to the Jan. 6 certification vote, Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington, D.C., promising a wild rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administrations findings to the contrary.

Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd assembled near the White House, Trump encouraged supporters to fight like hell and suggested they march down to the Capitol to encourage GOP lawmakers to step up and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office. He also said he would join them in marching on the Capitol, although he returned to the White House immediately after the speech and watched the riot on TV.

One significant difference from Trumps first impeachment: He no longer has a Twitter feed to respond in real time.

STEPPED-UP SECURITY

In a sign of the increase tensions in the wake of the attack, House lawmakers will for the first time be required to go through a metal detector before being allowed to enter the chamber.

This new security measure will stay in effect every day the House is in session for the foreseeable future, according to a directive by Timothy Blodgett, the acting House sergeant-at-arms. Blodgett replaced the longtime sergeant-at-arms who resigned after widespread criticism about poor security planning for the Jan. 6 certification vote.

Members of Congress have previously enjoyed nearly free roam at the Capitol, able to bypass security screening stations at most entrances to the building. In the House chamber, there have been Capitol Police officers and civilian door monitors but no screening stations.

Blodgett also told lawmakers they must wear masks during the COVID-19 crisis and that they face removal from the chamber if they fail to do so.

WILL LAWMAKERS REIN IN EMOTIONS ON THE FLOOR?

While debate on the House is often impassioned, emotions are expected to run unusually high as lawmakers debate impeachment. Not only is it the second time they have voted on such a measure, the debate comes exactly one week after a majority of House Republicans objected to the certification of Bidens victory, setting the stage for the hourslong siege that rocked the Capitol and the nation.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Vice President Mike Pence officiate as a joint session of the House and Senate reconvenes to confirm the Electoral College votes at the Capitol, Wednesday, Jan 6, 2021.Erin Schaff/The New York Times via AP, Pool

In the end, 121 House Republicans voted against Arizonas certification of Bidens victory  and 138 GOP lawmakers opposed Pennsylvanias certification  even after the assault on the Capitol, an unprecedented break with tradition that has Democrats seething.

A recent breakout of COVID-19 among lawmakers who were held in lockdown with others who refused to wear masks has only heightened tensions.

More:

3 police officers suspended, 17 under investigation after Trump supporters break into Capitol

Joe Bidens dog Major to have his own indoguration to fundraise for his former shelter
Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:14 am

More than a half-million residents were without power in Western Washington Wednesday morning after winds of nearly 70 miles per hour whipped through the area, ripping power lines and trees from the water-soaked earth, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Roads are closed throughout the region, though Deception Pass Bridge, where the wind blew a truck onto the bridge's railing before 4 a.m., has reopened after the truck was cleared.

Numerous roads in Snohomish County are blocked, including Bollenbaugh Hill Road in Monroe, Norman Road in Stanwood and 236th Street Northeast in Arlington, according to the Sheriff's Office.

Power outages and downed trees were also reported in West Seattle, Tacoma and throughout Puget Sound. As of 8:30 a.m., Seattle City Light reported 45,024 customers without power, down from a peak of 72,000. You can see City Light's outage map here, and Puget Sound Energy's outage map here.

On East Marginal Way in Seattle, the road is closed near South Myrtle Street after multiple poles were knocked down during the overnight windstorm that weather-service meteorologist Mary Butwin said peaked between midnight and about 3 a.m. Wednesday.

The wind was not unexpected, according to the weather service, but the gusts were higher than the 40 to 50 mph that had been anticipated, Butwin said.

"Basically, we had a front and an atmospheric river," she said. "And with the saturated soil, it was real easy for the wind to take things down."

Over the last two days, Seattle got more than 2 inches of rain, Olympia area got close to 6 inches, and 9 inches fell in the middle of the Olympic Peninsula, according to the weather service.

The weather service issued a flood warning after midnight for the following rivers:

* Snoqualmie River near Carnation

* Chehalis River above Grand Mound

* Chehalis River at Porter

* Cowlitz River at Randle

* Skokomish River at Potlatch

* Snoqualmie River near Snoqualmie Falls

* Tolt River above Carnation

King County offers a flood-alert service you can sign up for by clicking here.

Rivers are expected to crest on Wednesday into Thursday. On Thursday evening, another rainstorm is expected to hit, but it will be comparatively weak with significantly lighter rain than we've seen in the last few days, Butwin said.

Landslide danger, however, remains high, she said.

Utility companies say it will take hours to restore service to all who've lost it. In the meantime, the weather service is reminding people to stay away from power lines, avoid using generators indoors and to use flashlights instead of candles.

Some schools are canceling class for the day due to the power outages, including the Tahoma School District.

Seattle Public Schools posted this statement to its website: "Due to a City-wide power outage, there won't be live instruction today, Wednesday January 13. Please have your student work on independent assignments. Meal sites will remain open. Please check with your childcare provider about care."

SPS followed up with a statement advising that classes that did begin Wednesday morning would end shortly: "Teachers that are currently online will end their live instruction and shift students to Asynchronous (individual work) for the rest of the day."

For more information on school closures, click here and find your school district.

King County also closed COVID-19 testing sites for the day at Highline College and the University of Washington due to the storms.

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
London [UK], January 13 (ANI): Fugitive businessman has been denied access by a court to a significant chunk of his cash held by the court funds office as part of the wider bankruptcy proceedings against him launched by a consortium of

A judge at the Insolvency and Companies Court at the High Court in London refused to release the funds, saying that Mallya had failed to provide the necessary information to permit the release of the funds.

Judge Sebastian Prentis however, agreed to allow sufficient funds to Mallya to cover an appeal he is expected to file against the refusal on Wednesday (January 13).

Mallya, 65, was ordered extradited to India in 2018 to face charges of defrauding a consortium of out of more than British Pounds 1 billion relating to the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines in 2009. That extradition order was upheld on appeal all the way to the High Court in April 2020.

However, the UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has held off on signing the extradition order due to a legal technicality currently being dealt with by the UK Home Office.

Mallya is also thought to have sought political asylum in the UK.

He had sought the release of the funds as he continues his legal battles. The tycoon had sought the court's approval to use part of the British pounds 2.9 million in proceeds from the sale of a mansion on the island of Ile St Marguerite, a Mediterranean island off the southern coast of the plush French Riviera, within sight of Cannes.

The proceeds from the sale and other assets are held by Mallya are held within the Court Funds Office (CFO) while Mallya battles bankruptcy proceedings against the consortium of banks which includes the State Bank of India (SBI), Punjab National Bank (PNB) and United Bank of India as they try to recoup their losses.

Mallya's lawyer, Philip Marshall, told the court that his client urgently needed the money in order to pay legal fees. He also said that income that Mallya had depended on through "consultancy" work had also ceased.

Justice Prentis, in denying the motion, questioned as to what had happened to other assets held by Mallya, including jewellery and a string of luxury cars - including valuable vintage Ferraris. Marshall claimed that all his assets were under "control orders" and Mallya was down to just over British pounds 250,000 held in a bank account.

Tony Beswetherick, the barrister representing the Indian banks, said releasing the funds would give Mallya the opportunity to disperse the funds that were meant to be paid towards the debt owed to the banks.

A full hearing on the release of any funds to Mallya to pay for legal fees as well as living expenses is expected to take place at the High Court on 22 January.

(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.)
Paramilitary police officers march next to the entrance to the Forbidden City in Beijing on May 22, 2020. (Nicolas Asfouri/AFP via Getty Images)

Senior UK Conservatives Urge Government to Reset China Policy

Senior members of Britains ruling Conservative party have called on Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government to play a leading role in the international response to the Chinese regimes human rights violations.

The partys Human Rights Commission said that the intensifying assault on human rights in China illustrates the mendacity, brutality, inhumanity, insecurity, and criminality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime.

In a major new report (pdf) published on Wednesday, the Commission called for a coordinated, comprehensive review of UK-China policy, and urged the British government to lead the establishment of an international coalition of democracies to coordinate a global response to the human rights crisis in China.

Benedict Rogers, co-founder and deputy chair of the Commission, said while the abuse in Xinjiang and Hong Kong have attracted increasing international attention, it is worth remembering that numerous groups in China are under attack, including Christians, the Falun Gong spiritual movement, Tibetans, human rights defenders, activists, and lawyers.

Rogers said it is time for a recalibration and a reset in the Sino-British relationship and in UK strategy towards China.

The British government should impose targeted sanctions, diversify supply chains, seek to establish accountability mechanisms and take up the proposal made by over 50 current United Nations experts, to establish a UN mechanism to report on human rights in China, he wrote in The Spectator.

The report, entitled The Darkness Deepens: The Crackdown on Human Rights in China 2016-2020, was endorsed by senior Conservative politicians including former foreign secretary and Tory party leader Lord Hague, former party leader Iain Duncan Smith, former foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind, and the last governor of Hong Kong Chris Patten.

The evidence presented in this report is of a wide range of human rights abuses: torture, arbitrary arrest, and forced confessions accompanied by a clampdown on freedom of religion and the incarceration of huge numbers of people in Xinjiang, said Lord Hague.

We should condemn such abuses anywhere in the world, and China cannot be an exception to that. However we conduct our relations with China in the future it is important to have our eyes fully open, he said.

Chris Patten said this report gives a terrifying view of the cruelty of the Chinese regime, which has assaulted any sign of dissent and has set about building a totalitarian surveillance state beyond George Orwells imaginings.

Tom Tugendhat, chair of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said the UK and its allies must rethink our relations with Chinas dictatorship.

The use of abhorrent practices such as the imprisonment and torture of dissidents, mass surveillance, organ harvesting, and the use of slave labour shows the Chinese Communist Party for what it is.

Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the catalogue of atrocities revealed in the report demand the urgent attention of and action by the international community.

The UK government must lead the free world by sending a clear message that China must stop these abusive behaviours, he said.

In July 2000, the UK government introduced new sanctions to target individuals involved in human rights abuses. But it has not used the new policy tool to target Chinese officials despite calls for it to do so from lawmakers from both Conservative and opposition party politicians.

Lily Zhou contributed to this report.


All parliaments should respect the sovereign mandate of other parliaments, Speaker said on Wednesday.

Birla's remarks came a day after a debate at the UK on "India: Persecution of Minority Groups". The UK government praised India's religious diversity and its "rich tapestry of religious minorities alongside its sizable Hindu majority" during the debate in the House of Commons complex.

The UK is also scheduled to discuss the political situation in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.

Birla made these remarks during a virtual discussion with the president of European on challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

The speaker condoled the loss of lives in the European Union due to the COVID-19 pandemic and underscored the need for global action to overcome the challenges of the pandemic.

During the virtual meeting, Birla said, "All Parliaments should respect the sovereign mandate of other Parliaments."



Responding to Tuesday's debate at the UK Parliament, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) Minister Nigel Adams assured MPs that any difficult issues around human rights are raised in a free and open manner with Indian counterparts at the ministerial and consular level as he reiterated that India's secular Constitution guarantees equal rights to all citizens.

The Indian High Commission in London issued a statement in relation to the backbench debate to stress India's centuries-old tradition of religious tolerance and harmonious co-existence of people of all faiths.

(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.)
WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican Rep. Liz Cheney says she will vote to impeach President Donald Trump.

The Wyoming congresswoman, the No. 3 Republican in the House, said in a statement Tuesday that Trump summoned the mob that attacked the Capitol last week, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. She says, Everything that followed was his doing.

She also notes that Trump could have immediately intervened to stop his supporters, but he did not.

Cheney says, There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

Cheney is a daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Trump himself has taken no responsibility for his role in inciting the attackers.

New York Rep. John Katko was the first Republican to say hed vote to impeach Trump.

___

5:35 p.m.

Rep. John Katko is the first Republican to say hell vote to impeach President Donald Trump following the deadly siege of the U.S. Capitol by a pro-Trump mob.

The New York congressman said in a statement posted to Twitter late Tuesday: I will vote to impeach this president.

Katko, a former federal prosecutor, said he did not make the decision lightly.

He said, To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy. He says, "I cannot sit by without taking action.

The House is set to start impeachment proceedings against Trump on Wednesday.

The president faces a single impeachment charge, incitement to insurrection, for his actions ahead of the mob attack on the Capitol, the worst domestic assault on the building in the nations history.

PFAS investigation in Pellston completes second round of samples

Officials discovered polyfluoroalkyls in Pellston residential water sources in late 2019. The airport is believed to be the source of the substances.

Editor

Darren Marcy, a journalist since 1992, is the editor of the Manchester Journal. A New Mexico native, he previously worked for newspapers in the Land of Enchantment before moving to Vermont in 2004. He joined the Journal in October 2018.
A police manhunt is ongoing after the horrific acid attack on two young women that left both of them with serious burn injuries in Cartama on Tuesday afternoon.

National Police and Guardia Civil are looking for a 26-year-old man believed to be the ex-boyfriend of one of the victims.

According to SUR sources the man has seven arrest warrants in force for various crimes committed across Malaga province including robbery with violence and motoring offences.

The attack on the two women happened while they were sitting in a white Mini. A grey VW had blocked the traffic and there was an altercation. Witnesses said a young man left his vehicle, approached the car and sprayed acid through the partially lowered window of the womens car.

Serious burns

The state of the white Mini after the car and occupants were sprayed with acid. / SUR

Both of the screaming victims leapt from the vehicle which careered out of control down the street for 60 metres before crashing into a lamp post. The alleged attacker fled the scene in his vehicle.

Local Police officers were first on the scene and a few minutes later paramedics arrived. They called for the support of an air ambulance due to the nature of the women's injuries.

The suspects ex-girlfriend suffered deep burns to 45 per cent of the body and she was flown to a specialist burns unit in Seville where her condition is described as very serious.

Her friend was rushed to the burns unit of Malagas regional hospital in a serious but stable condition with 25 per cent burns to her body.

The mayor of Cartama, Jorge Gallardo, condemned the events in an official statement.

The manhunt for the attacker is still active.
When a Las Vegas policeman was shot and wounded and officers arrested the suspect, a sniper on the SWAT team, Charles Moser, said on Facebook that its a shame he (the suspect) didnt have a few holes in him. Saying Moser was advocating violence, the Police Department removed him from the SWAT team and reduced his salary.

A federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that Moser  who claimed he was merely arguing for officers right to defend themselves  could sue the department for allegedly violating his freedom of speech. The ruling raised issues that could also arise in future proceedings against instigators of last weeks violence at the U.S. Capitol.

Mosers Facebook post could be objectively interpreted as a provocative political statement against police officers being shot in the line of duty, Judge Kenneth Lee, an appointee of President Trump, said in a 2-1 ruling of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco reinstating the lawsuit, which a federal judge had dismissed.

Although Mosers words were inflammatory, Lee said, his comment, as the officer interpreted it, falls within the core First Amendment zone because it highlights the perils faced by police officers and the governments failure to protect them. Lee said both interpretations were plausible and a jury could decide which one to believe.

In dissent, Judge Marsha Berzon said Mosers post was most reasonably understood as advocating revenge at the point of capture and the Police Department did not violate his rights by demoting him.

Officer Gregory Sedminik was shot in the arm and torso after responding to a domestic dispute in December 2015. He recovered from his wounds. The gunman, Teag Fox, was later convicted of attempted murder.

Moser, a police officer since 2000, was not involved in the incident and made his comment on a friends Facebook page. He told investigators later that his posting had been completely inappropriate but that he had only meant to express frustration that the officer had no chance to defend himself. A police labor board found that Moser had become a little callous to killing.

The ruling was issued while House Democrats prepared for Wednesdays vote on impeaching Trump for incitement of insurrection by directing crowds of angry supporters to invade the Capitol building in a riot that left five people dead. Meanwhile, a District of Columbia prosecutor said his office was investigating potential criminal incitement charges against Trump, his son Donald Trump Jr. and attorney Rudy Giuliani.

Any such prosecutions would confront courts with questions the appellate panel faced Tuesday  in particular, where to draw the line between free speech and inciting criminal violence.

Whether such glorifications of violence rise to incitement is a perpetually difficult question for First Amendment law, said Stanford Law Professor Nate Persily. To constitute incitement, the speech must be directed to inciting imminent lawless action and be likely to produce such action.

But he said courts have ruled that a public agency, such as a police department, can discipline its employees for all kinds of otherwise constitutionally protected speech that interferes with the agencys essential functions.

The line between free speech and criminal incitement is a very murky and debatable one, said Rory Little, a law professor at UC Hastings in San Francisco. But he said current events will influence the line-drawing, and noted that a number of police departments, including Oaklands, were considering disciplining officers who had advocated or endorsed the Capitol invasion.

Adam Levine, a lawyer for Moser, contended the officers case bears no relation to the presidents incitement of his followers through months of false statements about the election being stolen.

This case is only about the fact that police officers have the same First Amendment rights as any other public employees, Levine said after the ruling.

The appeals court panel offered differing perspectives on current events.

Our society is in a self-reflective moment about excessive force and abuse of power by those who have taken an oath to protect all citizens equally and uphold the Constitution, said Lee, whose opinion was joined by Eugene Siler, a judge from the federal appeals court in Cincinnati temporarily assigned to the Ninth Circuit. But we also live in a time when a careless comment can ruin reputations and crater careers that have been built over a lifetime because of the demand for swift justice, especially on social media.

Berzon countered that we are living in a time when, driven by public concern, police departments nationwide are engaged in self-examination concerning how best to curb the use of excessive force by police officers.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko

By Pepe Escobar

January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - Synchronicity is definitely fond of mirror wonderwalls. The Julian Assange saga seemed to have entered a new chapter as he was, in thesis, on his way to  conditional  freedom this past Monday, only one day after the first anniversary of the start of the Raging Twenties: the assassination of Maj Gen Qassem Soleimani.

The fate of the journalist the Empire seeks to terminate was just juxtaposed to the fate of the warrior/diplomat the empire already terminated.

Two days later, Julian Assange was de facto re-incarcerated exactly as the Empire was hit by an insurrection which, whenever instigated in that distant Third World, is celebrated in Exceptionalistan as people power.

The invaluable Craig Murray, from inside Westminster Magistrates Court No. 1 in London, meticulously presented the full contours of the insanity this Wednesday.

Read it in conjunction with the positively terrifying judgment delivered on Monday in the United States government case against Julian Assange.

The defining issue, for all those who practice real journalism all across the world, is that the judgment affirms, conclusively, that any journalist can be prosecuted under the US Espionage Act. Since a 1961 amendment, the Espionage Act carries universal jurisdiction.

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The great John Pilger memorably describes judge Vanessa Baraitser as that Gothic woman. She is in fact an obscure public servant, not a jurist. Her judgment walks and talks like it was written by a mediocre rookie hack. Or, better yet, entirely lifted from the US Department of Justice indictment.

Julian Assange was  at the last minute  discharged on theoretically humanitarian grounds. So the case had, in effect, ended. Not really. Two days later, he was sent back to Belmarsh, a squalid maximum security prison rife with Covid-19. So the case is ongoing.

WikiLeaks editor Kristinn Hrafnnson correctly noted, It is unjust and unfair and illogical when you consider her ruling of two days ago about Julians health in large part because he is in Belmarsh prison () To send him back there doesnt make any sense.

It does when one considers the real role of Baraitser  at a loss to juggle between the imperatives of the imperial agenda and the necessity of saving the face of British justice.

Baraitser is a mere, lowly foot soldier punching way above her weight. The real power in the Assange case is Lady Emma Arbuthnot, forced out of a visible role because of very compromising, direct ties she and her husband Lord Arbuthnot maintain with British intelligence and military, first revealed by  who else  WikiLeaks.

It was Arbuthnot who picked up obscure Baraitser  who dutifully follows her road map. In court, as Murray has detailed in a series of searing reports, Baraitser essentially covers her incompetence with glaring vindictiveness.

Baraitser discharged Julian Assange, according to her own reasoning, because she was not convinced the appalling American gulag would prevent him from committing suicide.

But the key issue is that before reaching this conclusion, she agreed and reinforced virtually every point of the US indictment.

So at this point, on Monday, the Gothic woman was performing a contortion to save the US from the profound global embarrassment of prosecuting a de facto journalist and publisher for revealing imperial war crimes, not United States government secrets.

Two days later, the full picture became crystal clear. There was nothing humanitarian about that judgment. Political dissent was equaled with mental illness. Julian Assange was branded as criminally insane. Once again, practicing journalism was criminalized.

There are reasons to believe though, that a United States government appeal may fail. A British High Court would be reluctant to overturn a judgment where Baraitser actually established findings of fact: a direct correlation between the state of the American gulag, and the extreme danger to Assanges health if hes thrown inside this system.

As it stands, it didnt even matter that Assanges defense offered a full package to obtain bail, from home arrest to the use of an ankle bracelet. Baraitsers notion that the British security state would not be able to prevent his escape wearing an ankle bracelet in the middle of a total, police state-style lockdown does not even qualify as a joke.

So Julian Assange is back to suffering a perverse, interminable rewrite of Poes The Pit and the Pendulum.

The US governments legal strategy before the High Court convenes in April is basically to try to prove its American gulag is competent enough to prevent a suicide  even though the ultimate aim of this post-truth Inquisition seems to be the termination of Julian Assange inside the penal system. That goal doesnt even require a supermax prison in Colorado. Belmarsh will do.



The scientists measured the plastic deformation that happened when a tiny probe exerted force on the micropillar specimens with various loading axis orientations.

Tsukuba, Japan, Jan 13, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - Metals containing niobium silicide are promising materials that can withstand high temperatures and improve efficiency of gas turbines in power plants and aircraft. But it has been difficult to accurately determine their mechanical properties due to their complex crystal structures. Now, scientists at Kyoto University in Japan have measured what happens at the micro-level when pressure is applied on tiny samples of these materials. The approach, published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials, could help scientists obtain the accurate measurements needed to understand the atomic-level behaviour of complex crystals to develop more heat-tolerant components in gas turbines."Our results demonstrate the cutting edge of research into plastic deformation behaviour in crystalline materials," says Kyosuke Kishida, the study's corresponding author.Plastic deformation describes the distortion that occurs at the atomic level when a sustained force is applied to a crystal. It is difficult to measure in complex crystals. Kishida and his colleagues have been using a new approach to systematically measure plastic deformation in crystals showing promise for use in high temperature gas turbines.In this study, they measured plastic deformation in a niobium silicide called alpha-Nb5Si3. Tiny 'micropillars' of these crystals were exposed to very small amounts of stress using a machine with a flat-punch indenter at its end. The stress was applied to different faces of the sample to determine where and how plastic deformation occurs within the crystal. By using scanning electron microscopy on the samples before and after the test, they were able to detect the planes and directions in which deformation occurred. This was followed by simulation studies based on theoretical calculations to further understand what was happening at the atomic level. Finally, the team compared the results with those of a boron-containing molybdenum silicide (Mo5SiB2) they had previously examined."We found that instantaneous failure occurs rather easily in alpha-Nb5Si3, which is in marked contrast to Mo5SiB2," says Kishida.This could mean alpha-Nb5Si3 is at a disadvantage compared to Mo5SiB2 for use as a strengthening component in metal-based alloys. Kishida and his team think, however, that this material's inherent brittleness could be improved by adding other alloying elements.The team plans to use the approach to study mechanical properties of other crystalline materials with complex structures.Further informationProfessor Kyosuke KishidaKyoto Universitykishida.kyosuke.6w@kyoto-u.ac.jpPaper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14686996.2020.1855065About Science and Technology of Advanced Materials JournalOpen access journal STAM publishes outstanding research articles across all aspects of materials science, including functional and structural materials, theoretical analyses, and properties of materials.Shunichi HishitaSTAM Publishing DirectorHISHITA.Shunichi@nims.go.jpPress release distributed by ResearchSEA for Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.Source: Science and Technology of Advanced MaterialsCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
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The National Guard is being told to prepare for the possibility that those plotting attacks on the US Capitol during Joe Biden's inauguration will be using improvised explosive devices and heavily armed.

The troops were briefed on the IED threats after pipe bombs were uncovered in the aftermath of last week's deadly siege on the US Capitol, sources told Politico.

A total of 20,000 National Guardsman have now been authorized to descend on Washington to help safeguard the capital ahead of Biden's inauguration. There are already 6,200 troops on the ground in DC and at least 10,000 will be in place by Saturday.

The troops have now been cleared to carry handguns and rifles after previously only been authorized to carry protective equipment.

Hundreds of National Guard members were spotted throughout Wednesday cradling their rifles and riot gear as they slept on the stone floor of the Capitol building.

Later on Wednesday, Republican lawmakers Mike Waltz and Vicky Hartzler handed out boxes of pizza to those troops in the Capitol. Hartzler was among the Republicans branded the 'treason caucus' for objecting to Biden's win after the Capitol riots.

It is believed to be the first time troops have set up camp in the Capitol since the Civil War.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed some of the troops outside the Capitol building to thank them for their service just hours before the House of Representatives started debating impeaching President Trump for a second time.

The troops, thousands of other law enforcement officers and layers of eight-foot, anti-climb steel fencing are among the reinforcements being used to fortify DC a week out from the inauguration in a bid to protect the capital from any violence.

Hundreds of National Guard members were spotted throughout Wednesday cradling their rifles and riot gear as they slept on the stone floor of the Capitol building. Later on Wednesday, Republican lawmakers Mike Waltz and Vicky Hartzler handed out boxes of pizza to those troops in the Capitol

Hartzler (pictured on right handing out pizza) was among the Republicans branded the 'treason caucus' for objecting to Biden's win after the Capitol riots

Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed some of the troops outside the Capitol building earlier to thank them for their service

Pelosi later tweeted: 'Even during this dark time in the history of America, we find reasons for hope. It was my privilege today to personally thank members of the National Guard who are working protect our nation's Capitol. Thank you for your commitment to our American democracy'

The troops could be seen spreading out inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning

Members of the National Guard spread out in the Capitol on Wednesday with some using the base of statues as head rests

The troops have now been cleared to carry handguns and rifles after previously only been authorized to carry protective equipment

The FBI has already warned of armed protests being planned in Washington and all 50 state capitals in the run-up to the inauguration, including three separate plots to attack the Capitol.

Security experts have said chatter among extremists and Trump supporters on social media about threatening violence in DC and other cities has surged in recent days.

On Wednesday, Acting US Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen warned potential domestic terrorists against further attacks.

'I want to send a clear message to anyone contemplating violence, threats of violence or other criminal conduct: We will have no tolerance whatsoever for any attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power... including attempts to forcefully occupy government buildings,' Rosen said. 'There will be no excuse for violence, vandalism or any other form of lawlessness.'

The Secret Service will take control of inauguration security preparations from today and road closures are now in effect across parts the downtown Washington DC area until after the inauguration.

The increased security measures are being implemented days earlier than scheduled as a direct result of last week's deadly Capitol siege at the hands of Trump-supporting rioters.

Restricted areas have already been established around the White House and Capitol grounds with extra security screenings in place for those trying to get access.

Eight-foot steel fences that are nonscalable have already been erected around the White House, Capitol and other federal buildings, including the Supreme Court.

Armed National Guard troops and other law enforcement have been patrolling these areas all week.

Road closures surrounding the White House and Capitol came into effect late Tuesday and will remain in place until after the inauguration.

Access to all roads, parking garages and loading docks surrounding the White House will be banned from Thursday morning. Authorities say that any vehicle within that restricted area will be stuck there until after the inauguration. The restrictions apply to both residential and commercial buildings.

Further perimeters and additional road closures are expected in the coming days.

The Secret Service will take control of inauguration security preparations from today and road closures are now in effect across parts the downtown Washington DC area until after the inauguration. Further perimeters and additional road closures are expected in the coming days. Access to all roads, parking garages and loading docks - including residential and commercial building - in the White House perimeter will be banned from Thursday morning

Hundreds of National Guard troops were sleeping on the stone floor of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning as security in Washington intensified a week out from Joe Biden's inauguration

Majority Whip James Clyburn walks past members of the National Guard trying to get some sleep inside the US Capitol on Wednesday morning

National Guard troops and other law enforcement have been patrolling the DC area all week in the aftermath of the MAGA mob violence

Some members cradled their weapons while others propped them us nearby as they slept on the floor of the Capitol in front of a statue of George Washington

The National Guard has been authorized to send a total of 15,000 troops to Washington to help safeguard the capital ahead of Biden's inauguration. Guard members are pictured sleeping at the foot of a Abraham Lincoln statue

Riot shields could be seen piled up on the floor of the Capitol as the hundreds of National Guard members slept on Wednesday morning

The troops cradled their weapons and huddled together as they slept inside the Capitol on Wednesday

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer walks past members of the National Guard as he arrives at the Capitol

The troops, which descended on DC in the wake of last week's MAGA mob riots, were spotted cradling their weapons as they slept on the floor of the Capitol on Wednesday. They are pictured above gathering near the Statue of Freedom inside the Capitol Visitor's Center

Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) greets members of the National Guard in the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday morning

The FBI, National Guard, US Marshals Service, local law enforcement and other federal agencies will now fall under Secret Service command for the inauguration preparations.

They are among the 50 agencies and private companies that have formed a Multi-Agency Command Center to fortify DC ahead of the inauguration. Private companies that have joined the task force include Amtrak, whose fleet of trains frequently travel through the nation's capitol.

The Secret Service is in charge of all security decisions but will rely on the FBI for intelligence gathering and other agencies to set up road blocks and patrol areas.

Officials are promising extremely tight security around the entire capital region that will include increased law enforcement, extra checkpoints, fencing and barricades across the city.

The public is now banned from entering the Capitol grounds and the inauguration is a ticketed-only event. Access to the Washington Monument is also now prohibited for the next two weeks due to ongoing threats.

Public access to roads, parking areas and restrooms on the National Mall, which is where crowds of supporters usually gather during inaugurations, may be shut down this week if deemed necessary.

While next week's event was already going to be pared down because of COVID-19, authorities say the increased security means Biden's inauguration will look drastically different to previous ones.

Law enforcement and lawmakers have already been briefed on potential threats ahead of the inauguration, including some extremists threatening to execute members of Congress.

The heightened security comes as it was revealed that extremists are now using the encoded app Telegram to coordinate and plan future attacks, NBC reports. Some are sharing knowledge of how to make, conceal and use homemade guns and bombs in advance of the inauguration.

At least 10,000 troops will be deployed in Washington by the end of the week, with the possibility of five thousand more, to help secure the Capitol area ahead of more potentially violent unrest

National Guard members sleep in the Capitol Visitor's Center on Capitol Hill on Wednesday morning

The troops were spotted in every corner of the federal building with some using the stone steps as pillows

Members of the National Guard rest in the Capitol Visitors Center

U.S. Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) leads a tour for members of the National Guard as Democrats debate one article of impeachment against Trump

Airbnb to cancel and block reservations in DC during inauguration week Airbnb has announced it is canceling and blocking all reservations in Washington D.C. during the week of Biden's inauguration amid fears guests will travel to the nation's capital to incite further unrest. The company on Wednesday responded to calls from city officials who urged Airbnb, VRBO and other rental hosts to take down their listings in the wake of last week's deadly riots. Days earlier, Airbnb said it had been reviewing its bookings in the area and vowed to ban any guests associated with hate groups or violent activity. Guests whose reservations are canceled will be refunded in full. Hosts will also be reimbursed for the money they would have earned at Airbnb's expense. 'Today, in response to various local, state and federal officials asking people not to travel to Washington, D.C., we are announcing that Airbnb will cancel reservations in the Washington, D.C. metro area during the Inauguration week,' the company said in a statement. 'Additionally, we will prevent any new reservations in the Washington, D.C. area from being booked during that time by blocking such reservations.' Advertisement

The messages are being posted in Telegram chatrooms where white supremacist content has been freely shared for months, but chatter on these channels has increased since extremists have been forced off other platforms.

A US Army field manual and calls to 'shoot politicians' and 'encourage armed struggle' have been posted in a Telegram channel that uses 'fascist' in its name.

Facebook has also reported seeing an increase in signals indicating potential acts of violence associated with efforts to contest the result of election since the Capitol siege last week.

A company spokeswoman said the Capitol siege appeared to be a galvanizing event, spawning efforts to organize gatherings across the country for multiple dates around the inauguration.

Signals Facebook tracked included digital flyers promoting the events, some of them featuring calls to arms or the insignia of militias or hate groups.

On Monday, Facebook banned content promoting the phrase 'stop the steal,' which has become a rallying cry at armed pro-Trump protests. The company was also blocking searches for 'storm the Capitol' and flagging posts that include those phrases for further review, the spokeswoman said.

Authorities have already spoken of three separate plots to attack the Capitol ahead of the inauguration, including an 'organized group' of 4,000 people who are planning to prevent Democrats from entering the Capitol.

In a closed-door briefing this week, law enforcement informed lawmakers of that plot and said they are following a published 'rules of engagement' on when to shoot and start taking more serious action.

Another protest is being planned in honor of Ashli Babbitt, the USAF veteran who was shot at point blank range by a police officer as she tried to clamber into the Speaker's Lobby during the Trump mob's siege.

An FBI internal memo warned of a group that was calling for the 'storming' of state, local and federal government buildings, as well as court houses if Trump is removed from office.

It is not yet clear how many other plots law enforcement are already aware of.

The inauguration is being held at the same spot at the US Capitol where the violent MAGA mob rioters overran law enforcement last week and stormed the federal building.

US Secret Service special agent in charge Michael Plati, who is leading the inauguration security, insists such security breaches won't occur at the January 20 inauguration.

Some of the heightened security measures will be obvious: officers in uniforms, checkpoints, metal detectors and fencing. But he says some won't be so obvious.

While law enforcement never go into too much detail about security so would-be attackers aren't tipped off, Plati said they've taken into account the siege.

'It's a poignant reminder of what can happen.'

CAPITOL: The public is now banned from entering the Capitol grounds and the inauguration will be a ticketed-only event

WHITE HOUSE: Restricted areas have already been established around the White House and Capitol grounds with extra security screenings in place for those trying to get access

EXTRA SECURITY MEASURES: Trucks were blocking streets next to the White House on Tuesday as road closures were put in place

SUPREME COURT: Fences were in place outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday

Plati said, however, that last week's Capitol siege and the inauguration aren't even comparable from a security standpoint.

The inauguration is designated as a 'national special security event,' which clears the way for communication, funding and preparation between multiple agencies in Washington, like the Capitol Police, Pentagon, Homeland Security and District-area police.

Other such events are the State of the Union, the Super Bowl and the Democratic and Republican National Conventions.

Last week's rally turned violent siege was viewed as a free speech event in the days before, despite multiple warnings about the potential for violence from right-wing extremist groups.

Egged on by Trump, the violent mob marched from the White House to the Capitol, where they occupied the building for hours to try to stop lawmakers from certifying Biden's win.

One of the main problems last week was a lack of coordination by multiple agencies in the district, which won't happen this time because those agencies have already been approved to work together and have been doing so for months, Plati said.

'We will have the adequate resourcing, personnel and plans in place,' he said.

Plati said the event is planned over a year with contingencies and they anticipate the possibility of extreme violence.

'There's a variety of methods to ensure that we have a secure, seamless, safe environment for our protectees but most importantly, the general public,' Plati said.

After Biden is officially inaugurated, he, Vice President Kamala Harris and their spouses will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery.

They will be joined there by former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton and their wives.

Plati said they're prepared for the group to shift to Arlington - and for the possibility of threats to shift with them.
Image previews fundamental shift in BEV design approach

IONIQ 5 features signature 'Parametric Pixels' and eco-friendly elements to offer distinctive design experience

Hyundai's dedicated BEV lineup brand provides all-new enhanced customer experiences through advanced mobility solutions

New series of teaser videos showcase IONIQ 5's Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) technology that functions as a general power supply and ultra-fast charging

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai Motor Company today unveiled the first teaser image of the highly anticipated IONIQ 5 midsize CUV, the first model in its IONIQ dedicated BEV lineup brand.

IONIQ 5 will be the first vehicle mated with Hyundai Motor Group's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), an innovative system made exclusively for next-generation battery electric vehicles that will launch a new era of clean mobility for the company.

IONIQ 5's distinctive and innovative design provides a unique experience that can only be enjoyed in dedicated BEVs, suggesting a fundamental shift in design approach.

IONIQ 5's signature design elements include Parametric Pixels, the smallest unit of digital imaging, as well as its eco-friendly Color Material Finish (CMF) direction that connects the analogue with digital emotions, showcasing the IONIQ brand's timeless design value.

IONIQ 5's front end is adorned with arrays of pixel-inspired lights suggestive of the digital technology within. IONIQ 5 is also the first Hyundai vehicle to feature a clamshell hood that spans the entire width of the car, thus minimizing panel gaps and creating a clean and high-tech overall look.

Aero-optimized wheels further echo the Parametric Pixel design theme, offered in a super-sized 20-inch diameter, the largest rims ever fitted to a Hyundai EV. These complete IONIQ 5's perfected proportions, optimized for Hyundai's new signature dedicated EV architecture.

"IONIQ 5 presents an all-new customer experience through innovative EV design that is evocative of the icon that established Hyundai's design DNA," said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. "Beginning with IONIQ 5, our dedicated BEV lineup brand will redefine the relationship between people and their cars, establishing a new standard against which all BEV design experiences will be measured."

Hyundai Motor has also released four teaser videos to spark curiosity about the new model, each presenting viewers with a sneak peek at IONIQ 5's core technologies, raising expectations for the company's dedicated BEV lineup brand and its first entry.

Three 'Ultimate Camping' videos show a camper using various electrical appliances powered by IONIQ 5's Vehicle to Load (V2L) technology that functions as a general power supply (110/220V). In each video, the camper is seen using IONIQ 5's 3.5KW of V2L-supplied power to roast a turkey in a large oven, listen to music on high-end audio speakers, and exercise on a treadmill-all at a camping site.

The '5 Min Challenge' video highlights IONIQ 5's ultra-fast charging capability that enables it to drive more than 100km with only a 5-minute charge (WLTP Standard). To showcase this extraordinary performance, a movie trailer-style challenge was set up featuring IONIQ 5 and three devices-a smartphone, laptop and action camera-that were each charged for 5 minutes and competed to be the last to survive.

Beginning with these videos, Hyundai Motor plans to release even more engaging content that highlights the enhanced lifestyle that new IONIQ 5 customers will experience.

IONIQ 5 will debut on a virtual world premiere event in February 2021.

* Teaser Videos:

IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser) - Scene 1. Cooking: Link IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser) - Scene 2. Sound: Link IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser) - Scene 3. Running: Link IONIQ 5: 5 Min Challenge - Trailer: Link

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at: http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com

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More Massive Tides; Flooding, High Wind Warnings for Washington, Oregon Coastlines

Published 01/13/21 at 12:06 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oregon Coast)  After a few days of astounding waves along the Oregon and Washington coast, some flooding and even high winds, Wednesday will dish out even more. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a variety of alerts for the coastlines of Washington and Oregon into Wednesday morning or even afternoon. (Photo above courtesy Seaside's Tiffany Boothe: large waves smack unsuspecting visitors in their cars at Seaside's The Cove).

With the king tides still rolling in one more day, the breakers in Oregon are getting pushed even higher on Wednesday. Flooding hit many parts of the Oregon coast hard Tuesday and likely will again. There are no specific surf warnings for the coastlines, but high tides will be combining with king tides around noon along the northwest. These will be around plus-nine-feet or higher. Extreme caution is urged and you should stay off all Pacific Northwest beaches during these tides. Final, Dramatic Round of King Tides for Oregon / Washington Coast: Photogs Needed

Flood Watch for North Oregon Coast / South Washington Coast. The NWS has a flood watch issued most of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington through Wednesday morning.

Periods of heavy rain likely tonight and Wednesday morning over areas of the Oregon Coast Range and the Cascades as a deep plume of moisture continues to stream on shore from the Pacific Ocean, the NWS said. Rainfall totals between 1 and 2 inches have already fallen in most valley areas, with observed rainfall so far in the Coast Range and portions of the Cascades ranging from 3 to 6 inches as of early evening Tuesday.

Rainfall could reach more than two inches in the coast range on Wednesday, the NWS said.



Photo above courtesy Seaside Aquarium

There are flood warnings for some rivers in Lincoln County, Lane County, Clatsop County and along the Nehalem and Wilson rivers. The warning is in effect through Wednesday afternoon.

High Wind Warning for Central and South Oregon Coast. For the areas of Lincoln City, Newport, Yachats, Florence, Reedsport, Coos Bay and Bandon, the NWS has issued a high wind warning in effect into the early to late morning on Wednesday.

Areas most affected will be headlands, such as Cape Foulweather, Cape Perpetua, Cape Blanco or Cape Arago. South winds of 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 75 mph are expected. Farther north in Lincoln County the winds are forecast at slightly less.

High Wind Advisory for Central, North Washington Coast. The advisory is in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday, with gusts into the 50s predicted. This is for all of northwestern Washington, including Seattle, Bremerton and in the inner and outer coastline. More storm photos below:

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Washington: Three US House Democrats have now had tested positive for COVID-19, prompting concern that last weeks insurrection at the US Capitol has also turned into a super-spreader event threatening the health of Congress members and their staff.

Those who tested positive were among dozens of legislators whisked to a secure location when pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT). Some members of Congress huddled for hours in the large room, while others were there for a shorter period.

Today, I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wifes health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff," Illinois Democrat Brad Schneider said on Wednesday (AEDT).

Illinois Democrat Brad Schneider is the third member of the US House of Representatives to test positive for COVID-19 after huddling with mask-less Congress members in the Capitol. Credit:Chicago Sun-Times/AP

It's not certain where and when they caught the illness, but the Capitols attending physician notified all House members of possible virus exposure and urged them to be tested. Dr Brian Moynihan said members who were in protective isolation last Wednesday may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal initiates the introduction of state regulation of natural gas prices for household consumers.

He said this at a government meeting on Wednesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"It is proposed to introduce in Ukraine for all household consumers the state regulation of gas prices for the period before the end of lockdown restrictions or the current heating season. The proposed price is UAH 6.99 per cubic meter. Today it is the lowest price on the Ukrainian exchange," Shmyhal said.

According to him, since some companies sell gas at a price of more than UAH 10, Ukrainians will receive 30% savings.

"Today, the situation with the pandemic makes it difficult for Ukrainians to earn extra income and compensate for the significant increase in gas prices. In this regard, the government and the president held a series of meetings on the situation with utility prices in recent days. A number of respective decisions have been made today at a meeting held at the President's Office," Shmyhal said.

He recalled that the gas market for the population had been operating in Ukraine since August 1.

"We have launched the gas market, and this process is irreversible. More than half a million Ukrainians have already changed their gas supplier. Thousands of our citizens enjoy the benefits of the gas market, concluding an annual gas supply contract in September at a price of UAH 4.70 per cubic meter. Now they save up to 50% compared to previous years," Shmyhal said.

He stressed that gas suppliers, who were monopolists, "are doing everything to leave people in 'gas slavery'."

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Three escaped inmates have been arrested after six fugitives escaped Merced County Downtown Jail in California, on Jan. 10, 2021. (Courtesy of Merced County Sheriff's Office)

Manhunt Continues After 3 Escaped Inmates From California Jail Arrested, 3 Fugitives Still at Large

Authorities in Northern California are still on the hunt for three of the six inmates who escaped from Merced County Downtown Jail over the weekend, police confirmed in a press release.

Merced County Sheriffs Office said that a preliminary investigation concluded the fugitives escaped the facility by using a homemade rope to scale down the side of the jail via the roof. Jail officials found the six inmates missing from their cells just before midnight on Jan. 10.

The fugitives have been described as Hispanic males between the ages of 19 and 22. A task force has been formed to track down and apprehend the escaped inmates.

The sheriffs office updated the public on Tuesday that one of the fugitives identified as 22-year-old Edgar Ventura of Portland, Oregon was apprehended at about 3 p.m. without incident in the city of Firebaugh, about 40 miles south of the jail in Merced. He was being held on charges of felon in possession of a firearm, participation in a criminal street gang, and violation of probation, police said.

Two more fugitives, identified as 21-year-old Andres Nunez Rodriguez of Planada, California, and 22-year-old Fabian Cruz Roman of Los Banos, California, were apprehended about five hours after authorities managed to arrest Ventura in the San Diego area on Tuesday, according to an updated press release from the sheriffs office.

Roman was held on charges of murder while Rodriguez was being held for attempted murder charges, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, participation in a criminal street gang, and felon in possession of a firearm, police said.

The sheriffs office has provided detailed information, including a picture and charges, for the other three individuals still at large.

The youngest escaped inmate is from Atwater, California, and has been identified as 19-year-old Gabriel Coronado, who is 5 feet, 10 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.

Coronado was jailed on charges of attempted murder, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, participation in a criminal street gang, felon in possession of a firearm, and violation of probation, police said.

Manuel Leon, 21, of Vallejo, California. (Courtesy of Merced County Sheriffs Office)

Another fugitive at large is 20-year-old Jorge Barron, also from Atwater. He was jailed on a violation of probation charge and has been described as being 5 feet, 5 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.

The third inmate has been identified as Manuel Leon, 21, of Vallejo, California. He was charged and held at the jail for a firearm assault, shooting at an inhabited dwelling, evading a peace officer, reckless driving, participation in a criminal street gang, and carrying a loaded firearm. Leon is 5 feet 10 inches tall with black hair and brown eyes.

The sheriffs office added it will update the information when available while urging anyone with information about the escaped prisoners, or who has seen any of the escaped inmates not to approach them and call 911.
Myotis nimbaensis, shown here, is a new species of bat named for the mountain range in which it is found, the Nimba Mountains in West Africa. Credit:  Bat Conservation International

A group of scientists led by the American Museum of Natural History and Bat Conservation International have discovered a new species of a striking orange and black bat in a mountain range in West Africa. The species, which the researchers expect is likely critically endangered, underscores the importance of sub-Saharan "sky islands" to bat diversity. The species is described today in the journal American Museum Novitates.

"In an age of extinction, a discovery like this offers a glimmer of hope," said Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and an associate research professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "It's a spectacular animal. It has this bright-orange fur, and because it was so distinct, that led us to realize it was not described before. Discovering a new mammal is rare. It has been a dream of mine since I was a child."

In 2018, Frick and her colleagues at Bat Conservation International and the University of Maroua in Cameroon were in the Nimba Mountains in Guinea conducting field surveys in natural caves and mining tunnels, known as adits, that were built in the 1970s and 1980s and have since been colonized by bats. In collaboration with the local mining company, Societe des Mines de Fer de Guinee (SMFG), the scientists are trying to understand which bat species use which adits and at what times of the year. Of particular interest is Lamotte's roundleaf bat, Hipposideros lamottei, which is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered and has only ever been recorded in the Nimba Mountains.

This illustration shows Myotis nimbaensis, a new species of bat found in the Nimba Mountains of West Africa. Credit: Patricia Wynne

Much of its known population lives in the adits, which are in different states of collapse and will disappear in time. While surveying for this bat, the researchers found something peculiara bat that looked nothing like Lamotte's roundleaf bat and did not match the descriptions of any other species that they knew occurred in the area. Later that night, they called on American Museum of Natural History Curator Nancy Simmons, a bat expert and chair of the Museum's Department of Mammalogy, for help.

"As soon as I looked at it, I agreed that it was something new," said Simmons, the lead author of the paper and Bat Conservation International Board member. "Then began the long path of documentation and gathering all the data needed to show that it's indeed unlike any other known species."

Through morphological, morphometric, echolocation, and genetic data, including comparative data from collections at the Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and the British Museum, the scientists described the new species, which they named Myotis nimbaensis ("from Nimba") in recognition of the mountain range in which it is found. A chain of "African sky islands," the Nimba Mountains have peaks rising between 1,600-1,750 meters (about 1 mile) above sea level and are surrounded by drastically different lowland habitats. As such, they are home to exceptional biodiversity, including bats.

A chain of "African sky islands," the Nimba Mountains in Guinea have peaks rising between 1,600-1,750 meters (about 1 mile) above sea level and are surrounded by drastically different lowland habitats. They are home to exceptional biodiversity, including bats. Credit:  Bat Conservation International

"In addition to the Lamotte's roundleaf bat, it's possible Myotis nimbaensis could be the second bat species found only in this particular mountain range," said Jon Flanders, Bat Conservation International's director of endangered species interventions.

This study is part of an ongoing effort critical in helping the Nimba Mountain bats survive. Bat Conservation International and SMFG have already started working together to build new tunnels, reinforced to last for centuries and in habitat away from the mining project, for the Lamotte's roundleaf bat. And although little is known yet about the population and range of Myotis nimbaensis, efforts like this will likely help it as well.

Explore further Scientists release genomes of birds representing nearly all avian families

More information: A new dichromatic species of Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Nimba Mountains, Guinea (American Museum novitates, no. 3963) A new dichromatic species of Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from the Nimba Mountains, Guinea (American Museum novitates, no. 3963) digitallibrary.amnh.org/handle/2246/7249
Once British care home residents and the over-80s are vaccinated, two thirds of potential COVID-19 deaths will be covered. That will come into view within 10 days.

The figures have been crunched by Yifei Gong and Stuart McDonald from the COVID 19 Actuaries Response Group, based on analysis of death certificates. It validates the UK government strategy of break-neck speed vaccination, rather than the European precautionary policy.

Some 88 per cent of avoidable deaths will be covered by the time Britain reaches the mid-February target of 13 million vaccinations, in principle saving 55,600 lives. Whether the efficacy rate of the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab is 70 per cent or 80 per cent is a distraction. Not a single volunteer in the group's clinical trials died or became critically ill from COVID. For all intents and purposes the vaccine has 100 per cent efficacy against mortality. Personally, I would be equally happy to receive any jab approved by the MHRA.

Margaret Keenan, 90, was be the first patient in Britain to receive the Pfizer/BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine. Some 88 per cent of avoidable deaths will be covered by the time the country reaches its mid-February vaccination target. Credit:Getty

We are about to go through a lacerating phase where the headline picture keeps getting worse. The death toll will keep rising mechanically into late January as a result of infections dating back to December - when, let us not forget, the UK Education Secretary was forcing schools to stay open even in zones where cases were spiralling.
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New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Federation of All India Farmer Associations (FAIFA), a non-profit organisation representing the cause of millions of farmers and farm workers of commercial crops, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recall the COTPA Amendment Bill as it will be a death knell for Indian FCV tobacco farmers.

The proposed Amendment Bill, 2020, will provide huge boost to the ever-growing illicit cigarette business in India and will adversely impact the legal cigarette trade. As a result, there will be a drastic drop of demand for tobacco grown by Indian farmers and they will lose their only source of livelihood, it said.

FAIFA has submitted its appeal to various concerned ministries, including the PMO, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Labour etc.

In the last few years, the government has imposed harsh tobacco regulations such as increasing the size of pictorial warnings, imposing punitive taxation on cigarettes with the tax burden more than trebling since 2012-13 and has even withdrawn export benefits.

All these are leading to adverse consequences on the livelihoods of crores of Indians without providing any alternatives livelihood opportunities or help to the farmers who cannot grow any other equally remunerative crop in the dry and arid regions they reside in, FAIFA said.

The farmers' body said that presently, India has become the fourth largest and fastest growing illicit cigarette market in the world with illicit cigarettes representing 1/4th of the cigarette market.

In the last one-and-a-half decade, the illicit cigarette market in India has doubled from a level of 13.5 billion sticks in 2006 to 28 billion sticks in 2019. Illegal cigarettes do not use locally grown tobacco and hence, an increase in illegal trade impacts the livelihoods of the tobacco farmers in the country as demand for domestic tobacco reduces further.

The FCV farming community has lost more than Rs 6,000 crore over the last seven years due to drop in off-take of their produce. The growing illicit cigarette trade is not only affecting the legal cigarette industry and farmer incomes, but is also affecting government revenues.

Moreover, India has a unique pattern of tobacco consumption and cigarettes are the smallest component of tobacco consumption in India, constituting only 9 per cent of tobacco use.

Over the last three decades, the legal cigarettes' share of total tobacco consumption in India has declined from 21 per cent in 1981-82 to 9 per cent in 2019-20. During the same period, the overall tobacco consumption in the country has increased by 46 per cent. The legal market for tobacco being excessively regulated has not in any way reduced the demand for tobacco products but has only caused a shift in consumption from legal to illegal duty evaded cigarettes and tax-evaded cheaper products, FAIFA said.

Demanding withdrawal of the bill, Javare Gowda, President, FAIFA, said, "These harsh amendments that have been proposed will terrorise retailers and traders and they would not want to engage in the sale of legal cigarettes. As a result, criminal syndicates, which have been pushing illegal tobacco, will gain ground and flood the Indian market with illicit cigarettes.

"Such illicit cigarettes may be of bad quality and will certainly not follow any of the regulations in force in India. Even currently, illegal tobacco product packages do not carry the statutory warning. Since these illicit cigarettes do not use domestically grown tobacco produced by Indian farmers, the result would be loss of earnings and livelihoods of millions of tobacco farmers who are dependent on the crop in the country." Murali Babu, General Secretary, FAIFA, said, "We have noted that in the Amendment Bill, all the provisions of the FCTC are being given effect in full force and in some cases more than as required by FCTC. However, there still has been no talk or action taken regarding the actual problems that the tobacco farmers are going to face due to these proposed stringent laws." India is the second largest producer of tobacco in the world and a large exporter. Tobacco is cultivated in 13 states in the country, providing livelihood to 4.57 crore people, including lakhs of farmers, labourers, poor rural population and tribals and their families.


SANTA CLARA (dpa-AFX) - CES 2021, the world's largest tech show, began earlier this week as an all-digital event and with no in-person attendance for the first time ever, due to the coronavirus pandemic.



The show is seen as a global stage for displaying the latest products and technologies in consumer electronics.



The CES is organized by the Consumer Technology Association or CTA, the trade association representing the $422 billion U.S. consumer technology industry that supports 18 million jobs.



The CES attracts a lot of attention from world media as it is the platform where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace.



CES 2021 takes place from Monday, January 11, through Thursday, January 14. This year's event will feature more than 1,900 exhibitors representing the tech industry and more than 100 conference sessions.



It will showcase the latest trends and innovation in artificial intelligence, 5G, digital health, smart cities, and vehicle technology, among others.



The exhibitors include tech giants such as Canon, Hisense, Intel, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Philips, Sony, Samsung Electronics, TCL and Voxx.



Non-traditional tech companies exhibitors include Bridgestone, Caterpillar, Indy Autonomous Challenge, John Deere, L'Oreal and Procter & Gamble.



Media Day on January 11 provided a sneak peek at the expected themes and trends for CES 2021. These include a smarter home that creates a home, office and workout space; sustainable products for a longer and safer future; and transportation and mobility innovations.



Following Media Day, Verizon Chairman and CEO Hans Vestberg delivered a keynote focused on 5G.



Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors, presented the official opening keynote address on January 12, where she shared the automaker's transformational strategy to advance mobility.



CES 2021 attendees will be able to view the latest product launches, engage with global brands and startups, and receive recommendations based on their personal preferences. A live anchor desk will serve as a 'home base' to guide audiences through the digital experience.



'CES looks different this year, but the foundation of the show - innovation, connection, collaboration - remains strong and consistent. The digital transformation will continue for years, even as we return to Las Vegas in 2022,' said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CTA.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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(Newser)  The FBI says 70 people have been arrested and 100 other suspects identified after last week's Capitol riotand that's just the "tip of the iceberg." The FBI and the Department of Justice say they expect charges to be filed against hundreds more rioters from all over the country. "The men and women of the FBI will leave no stone unturned in this investigation," Steven DAntuono, chief of the FBI's Washington field office, said Tuesday, per Fox News. "This is a 24/7 full-bore extensive operation into what happened that day." D'Antuono said investigators are working their way through more than 100,000 pieces of digital evidence submitted by the public, the BBC reports.

story continues below

Michael Sherwin, acting US attorney for the District of Washington, said Tuesday that the number of cases could rise "exponentially" and authorities expect to file charges far more serious than trespassing, including felony murder and the theft of national security information, the Washington Post reports. "The gamut of cases is mind-blowing," he said. Sherwin said the Justice Department and FBI have created a joint sedition and conspiracy task force, which will include counterterrorism investigators. Those arrested so far include Florida man Adam Johnson, who was seen carrying Nancy Pelosi's lectern, and so-called "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley, who was arrested in Arizona and faces charges that carry a penalty of up to 20 years in prison. (Read more Capitol attack stories.)
The beating heart of social media companies is their vaunted algorithms, which surveil users and shuffle them into categories that dictate what content they see most prominently and often. The companies incentive is the higher price marketers will pay for advertising that preys on users interests. Thats why Facebook moved to make it easier for the like-minded to form groups on its site  even the like-minded who would plan the storming of the Capitol or the kidnapping of Michigans governor.

These companies have consistently ignored warnings about how their very structure foments misinformation and division. A Facebook-ordered civil rights audit released in July effectively gave the company a failing grade. The auditors do not believe that Facebook is sufficiently attuned to the depth of concern on the issue of polarization and the way the algorithms used by Facebook inadvertently fuel extreme and polarizing content, the auditors wrote, after a two-year study.

In other words, Facebook and other social media companies very well could have seen the ransacking of the Capitol coming. And they ought to be horrified by the role their services played in the blitz.

Without any impetus to serve the public good, these companies are going to keep amplifying extremist positions, said Jesse Lehrich, a co-founder of the nonprofit organization Accountable Tech.

How do we fight disinformation? Join Times tech reporters as they untangle the roots of disinformation and how to combat it. Plus we speak to special guest comedian Sarah Silverman. R.S.V.P. to this subscriber-exclusive event.

Mr. Lehrich said Facebook should make a chronological news feed the default, rather than an algorithm that shows users what it thinks is most relevant. And it ought not to thrust users unwittingly into groups or toward certain pages that align with what the software thinks will interest them. Users could still opt into those services.

There are other changes the platforms could make, like more closely monitoring  with human moderators  accounts that have the widest reach, particularly those run by politicians or other prominent individuals. They could delay posts in lieu of closer scrutiny and strengthen their confusing and sometimes misleading warning labels.

With the shuttering of Mr. Trumps accounts, some will point to Big Techs tremendous reach as well as concerns about curtailing free speech. But these companies have throttled speech for years, when it serves their purposes. Were not neutral, Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, wrote on Twitter this week. We try and be apolitical, but thats increasingly difficult, particularly in the U.S. where people are more and more polarized.
Egypts Ministry of Health signed a cooperation protocol on Tuesday with Tahya Misr fund and Talaat Mostafa Development Group to provide COVID-19 vaccines for 2 million people.

Minister of Health Hala Zayed attended the signing of the cooperation protocol in Cairo. The protocol aims to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to 2 million Egyptians from the prioritised categories, specifically those in need.

The protocol was signed by General Wael El-Saei, the assistant minister of health for financial and administrative affairs; Colonel Tamer Abdel-Fatah, the executive director of Tahya Misr Fund; and Egyptian businessman Hisham Talaat Mostafa, the CEO of Talaat Mostafa development and construction group.

Zayed stated during the event that Tahya Misr Fund was the main arm to provide COVID-19 vaccines according to the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi.

The Minister also praised the role of the Egyptian businessmen who stood beside the Egyptian people during the pandemic. She also thanked Talaat Mostafa Group for its contribution in the pandemic.

Tamer Abdel-Fattah said that the fund received EGP 160 million donations, in addition to the contribution of Talaat Mostafa Group, on Tuesday as part of the Coronavirus Vaccine for Free Initiative that was launched by the Egyptian presidency.

He also said that since the start of the pandemic, the fund managed to provide the health sector with medical supplies, including ventilators, masks, and PPEs.

Short link:


Drug firm Unichem Laboratories on Wednesday said it has received approval from the US health regulator to market its generic Celecoxib capsules used for treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and acute pain.

The company has received abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) approval for its Celecoxib capsules in the strengths of 50 mg, 100 mg, 200 mg, and 400 mg from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Unichem said in a filing to BSE.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

The capsules are generic versions of GD Searle LLC's Celebrex capsules in the same strengths, it added.

The product will be commercialized from the company's Goa plant, the filing said.

"Celecoxib capsules are indicated for treatment of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, acute pain and primary dysmenorrhea," it added.

Shares of Unichem Laboratories were trading at 280.55 per scrip on BSE, up 1.04% from its previous close.





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Sarah Barron from Kenmare is looking for fellow readers to join her book club to help while away the long lockdown

As we face into another potentially long lockdown, one Kilgarvan woman is looking to help people while away the long hours and days through reading.

Sarah Barron, who is from the UK originally but now well and truly settled in Kerry, is setting a new online book club this month; and she is looking for any fellow readers who are keen on a bit of escapism from the troubles of the world today to join her.

Sarah's new club will start in the middle of this month and they will read a new book every six to eight weeks and then discuss it online, with the hope that when restrictions do ease, that people will be able to meet up in real life and form some friendships.

Speaking to The Kerryman last week, Sarah - who works as an independent organiser for the publisher, Usborne - told us all about the new club and why she hopes it won't end when lockdown ends.

"What with the lockdown here and in the UK, I thought to myself, 'what is something that I can do?'. I primarily deal with children's books but I also have access to adult fiction so I wanted to try and do something different and for adults," she said.

"Look, it might just help people keep busy and books are a brilliant form of escapism and it allows people to chat with people they wouldn't normally chat with. Obviously in the local community when the restrictions ease, whenever that is, people will already know each other and they can meet up and so on and so forth. Really though, what better hobby to pick up during lockdown than reading?" she continued.

"I think something like is would be very important for mental health and those that are isolating," she finished.

Membership will cost 10 every 8 weeks and everyone will keep the books that they purchase.

After a vote, the group has just chosen their first book and it is Holly Bourne's 'The Places I've Cried in Public'.

If you'd like to join or would like more information, you can message Sarah through her 'Robin's Cosy Corner' Facebook message and she'll give you all the details.

Additionally, Sarah is also currently running an online fundraiser in aid of Bumbleance and so far she has managed to raise just under 300 of her 500 target.

The link to the donation page can be found on Sarah's 'Robin's Cosy Corner' Facebook page as well.
First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, left, poses with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran, Iran, Monday. / Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs



By Kang Seung-woo



Korea and Iran remain far apart over the release of a Korean oil tanker and its crewmembers, with First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun leaving Tehran, Tuesday, without any deal despite a series of meetings with senior Iranian officials, including the foreign minister and its central bank chief.



The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday, the government plans to continue talks with Iran and will work to bring the tanker and crew back home as early as possible, based on Choi's discussions with the Iranian side during his three-day visit. The ministry also said it will actively offer consular assistance to the crewmembers.



Last week, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps seized the MT Hankuk Chemi, which was carrying 7,200 tons of ethanol, and its crew of 20, including five Koreans, in the Strait of Hormuz for causing "environmental pollution."



On the occasion of the talks, Choi protested the seizure and called for the swift release of the vessel and its crewmembers, asking the Iranian officials to provide concrete evidence to prove its marine pollution allegations. But Iran has yet to do so.






The number of deaths from the coronavirus is nearing the two-million mark

The United States and Britain endured their worst day of the pandemic as countries around the world tightened virus restrictions on Wednesday and mass vaccination campaigns got under way.

The World Health Organization said 28 million jabs had been administered across the globe so far, mostly in wealthy countries, with US health authorities saying more than 10 million Americans had aleady received their first doses.

Global infections soared past 91 million and deaths neared the 2.0-million mark, compelling governments around the world to reimpose restrictions such as unpopular and economically painful lockdowns.

The United States is still the worst-hit nation, logging a record 4,470 deaths in 24 hours on Tuesday as it reeled from a winter surge in infections that has overwhelmed hospitals and clinics.

"It's most definitely the darkest period of my entire career," said Kari McGuire, a palliative care supervisor at the St Mary hospital in Apple Valley, a small rural town in California.

Data collected by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that of 29 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines sent to federal states so far, 10.2 million have been administered, or around 3.1 percent of the total US population.

Authorities also announced that from January 26, all travelers entering the United States by air will need a negative COVID-19 test before departure.

Neighboring Canada also scrambled to contain a worrying outbreak, ordering residents in Ontarioits most populous provinceto stay home.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned that the healthcare system was "on the brink of collapse."

US authorities say that more than 10 million Americans have received their first Covid-19 jabs

Europe locks down again

In Europe, Britain also registered a new record number of deaths1,564 over 24 hours, taking the overall toll to 84,767, the continent's highest alongside Italy.

England is in the midst of its third national lockdown, with schools shut and people ordered to stay at home. Similar restrictions are in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told lawmakers that, although it was "early days", the latest restrictions were "starting to show signs of some effect".

In Portugal, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said the country would enter a new lockdown on Friday.

Switzerland shut shops selling non-essential goods and ordered people to work from home in a bid to prevent an explosion in case numbers, saying the British-detected mutation had already taken root.

Denmark said it is extending lockdown measures until February 7 in face of the "extremely worrying" rise in infections with the British virus variant.

Norway said it will begin mandatory coronavirus testing for everyone entering the country, with a fine of 20,000 Norwegian kroner (2,000 euros, $2,300) for those who fail to comply.

In Germany, defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer offered up to 10,000 soldiers to help carry out coronavirus tests in care homes.

World map showing the number of Covid-19 deaths by country, as of Jan 13 at 1100 GMT

Japan emergency

Japan was set to expand its state of emergency in greater Tokyo from Thursday to seven more regions including major cities Osaka and Kyoto and also to tighten border restrictions as cases surge.

"We continue to see a serious situation," Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said, adding the measures were "indispensable".

"We must overcome this challenge that we face."

While Japan's outbreak remains comparatively small, with around 4,100 deaths overall, medics say hospitals are under heavy strain from spikes in the worst-affected areas.

China, where the virus first emerged in late 2019, has largely eliminated its outbreak through a number of strict lockdowns and extensive testing and tracing, but recent weeks have seen a smattering of cases.

That has forced more than 20 million people under some form of lockdown in the country's northern regions.

The government of northeastern Heilongjiang provincehome to 37.5 million peopledeclared an "emergency state" on Wednesday after 28 cases were found, telling residents not to leave the province unless necessary.

China is rushing to inoculate millions using homegrown vaccines ahead of the Lunar New Year travel rush, which authorities fear could boost the risk of transmission.

China, where the virus first emerged in late 2019, has largely eliminated its outbreak, but recent weeks have seen a smattering of cases

Indonesia kicks off vaccinations

Governments worldwide are racing to acquire and deliver several approved vaccines to help end the COVID-19 crisis, though the WHO has warned coverage is not expected to be wide enough for population-level immunity this year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday tasked officials with launching mass coronavirus vaccinations from next week, touting Russia's homemade jab.

Moscow in August registered Sputnik Vnamed after the Soviet-era satellitemonths ahead of Western competitors but before the start of large-scale clinical trials, which left some experts wary.

Britain will make appointments for coronavirus vaccinations available 24 hours-a-day "as soon as we can", according to Prime Minister Johnson, whose government has come under increasing pressure to speed up its programme.

One of the Chinese-developed vaccines, CoronaVac, demonstrated a 50 percent efficacy following tests in Brazil, the organization in charge of its production in the South American country said.

While that figure is much lower than the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, Indonesiaone of the world's most populous nationshas given it the green light and kicked off a mass inoculation drive with it on Wednesday.

President Joko Widodo became Indonesia's first recipient of that shot on live television.

Turkey also approved the emergency use of the CoronaVac jab developed by China's Sinovac, paving the way for a national vaccination drive that will start with healthcare workers.

"Everyone should get vaccinated because it is the only way to get rid of this pandemic," said Health Minister Fahrettin Koca as he received the first shot.

In the Middle East, Jordan launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign, beginning with jabs for healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
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Lucknow: A bus on Wednesday (January 13, 2021) caught fire on the Lucknow-Agra expressway, following which police and fire brigade were rushed to the spot.

According to the latest reports, passengers inside the bus have been rescued.

The incident reportedly took place near Lucknow's Para.

The reason behind the fire however is yet to be ascertained.

(This is a developing story)



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Story

Set against the backdrop of Mumbai underworld, Kalidas Thakur aka Dada (Mahesh Manjrekar) runs an organised crime business with the help of his trusted aid Anwar (Zakir Hussain), elder son Ramdas (Jishhu Sengupta) and Ramdas' brother-in-law (Prateik Babbar). Soon, Kalidas' youngest son Devi Das Thakur (Vidyut Jammwal) returns from Singapore, and is all set to get hitched to his childhood sweetheart and Anwar's daughter Pari aka Parveen (Shruti Haasan).

However, their marriage plans get thwarted when there is a failed assassination attempt on Kalidas and the finger of suspicion is pointed at Anwar. But in a twist, Anwar gets tricked to death, and Pari swears revenge on the Thakur family.

"Mere pet mein jo bachcha hai, uski kasam khati hoon, Thakur khandaan ka ek bhi insaan zinda nahi rahega. Sabko khatam kar dungi main," Pari makes a loud declaration. On the other hand, Devi Das bound by ties of blood and heritage, is forced to take over the mantle from his father and gets involved in the inevitable cycle of violence, vendetta and power.

Direction

Mahesh Manjrekar's gangster film sounds ambitious on paper. Unfortunately, when it comes to the execution, the film misses the target because of the tedious screenplay. One can smell the 'twists' beforehand; blame it on the lack of novel writing. While the bullets fly high, the script runs dry.

If you expect this Vidyut Jammwal starrer to be a Vaastav, then be prepared to get disappointed! Manjrekar tries to make an action film with elements of drama, but struggles to reach the winning point. Also, some of the dialogues in the film come across as tacky. A word of caution for those who cannot stomach graphic violent scenes- this movie has a couple of them.

Performances

Vidyut Jammwal as the chef-turned-gangster is all 'bang-bang' when it comes to the action sequences. The man does what he is best at- some 'spine-breaking' (literally) dishoom-dishoom, smashing bottles on head and aerobic stunts.

Shruti Haasan as Pari starts on a shaky note, and her romance with Vidyut Jammwal's Devi Das lacks a spark. However, she fares better when she switches sides post a tragedy. In The Power, Mahesh Manjrekar, the actor excels better than Mahesh Manjrekar, the director. The actor is reliable as the powerful mafia kingpin.

Jishhu Sengupta as the short-tempered, profanity-spewing Ramdas, merely plays an exaggerated version of his casual self. Prateik Babbar's rhyme-loving character springs no surprise. Sachin Khedekar as the wily opponent to Mahesh Manjrekar's Kalidas pulls an effective act.

Yuvika Chaudhary plays a scheming sister-in-law who is armed with 'taunts' and 'devious plotting'. Sonal Chauhan in an extended cameo, ends in the film only to lend a shoulder to the heartbroken Devi Das, and get bumped off in the most 'cliched' manner.

Technical Aspects

Rakesh Rawat's camera work captures the bloodshed on the screen quite well. The hand-to-hand combats, gun fights, kicks and chases pack a punch, but at time, the slow mo shots kills some of the fun. Sarvesh Parab's editing could have been a little more taut to make the narrative gripping.

Music

Arijit Singh's romantic ballad 'Oh Saaiyaan' fails to tug your heartstrings. The background score of the film is passable.

Verdict

In one of the scenes, Vidyut Jammwal's Devi Das tells a character, "Yeh ladai unhone shuru ki hai, isse khatam karne ka nasha mere sar chadha hai." Sadly, his thirst for revenge isn't powerful enough to keep you invested for 154 minutes.
It was just one year ago, on January 11, 2020, when the first death attributable to COVID-19 was confirmed in a 61-year-old Chinese man known to have frequented the seafood market in Wuhan. He had several medical conditions, such as chronic liver disease, and died from heart failure and pneumonia. It is now well understood older age and various health conditions can exacerbate COVID-19 infections.

It was also exactly one year ago when the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the genomic sequence for the novel coronavirus had been posted in the National Institute of Healths genetic sequence bank, also known as GenBank.

One year later, close to two million deaths have been reported. To be exact, the Worldometer coronavirus pandemic dashboard has the figure at 1,968,622, as of this writing. The present seven-day moving average stands at 12,941 deaths each day. It has remained over 10,000 deaths per day since November 23, as the winter surge that has swept across most of Europe and the Americas continues to take its toll on the population.

A person is taken on a stretcher into the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas after going through testing for COVID-19 on Thursday (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

There have also been over 91.9 million COVID-19 infections reported during the pandemic. There is no doubt, given the asymptomatic nature of most cases and lack of testing in many countries, that this number is a gross underestimate. In October, Dr. Mike Ryan, the World Health Organizations Health Emergencies Program executive director, said, Our current best estimates tell us that this virus may have infected about ten percent of the global population.

It would mean that based on an estimate of 7.6 billion people, little more than 760 million people had been infected last autumn. Yesterday saw over 663,000 infections and 15,706 deaths. The current seven-day average in daily cases is approaching three quarters of a million a day. The US, with 222,121 cases, reported 4,259 deaths. Both Germany and the UK saw over 1,000 deaths, with Europe registering 6,264 deaths in all.

The exponential growth in the UK has been fueled by the B.1.1.7 variant, which has become the most common form of the virus. The mutations in the coronavirus spike protein have increased its transmissibility sufficiently to increase the reproduction number from the order of 1.0 to 1.5.

Given that the variant has been discovered in over thirty countries, scientists in the US and globally expect this particular version of the virus to become the dominant form, which will push already strained health resources into uncharted waters. The situation with high oxygen demand in Southern California led five hospitals in LA County to declare an internal disaster on December 27. Their old decrepit oxygen delivery systems in aging hospitals, long overdue for updating, are beginning to fail under stress.

On January 4, NBC TV News reported, Hospitals struggling to provide enough oxygen for the sickest coronavirus patients in the Los Angeles area began to receive help over the weekend when US Army Corps of Engineers crew arrived to update their oxygen delivery systems. The collaboration comes as the six aging hospitals struggle to maintain oxygen pressure while treating an unprecedented number of patients with respiratory issues. Besides the shortage of oxygen, the hospitals were having difficulty keeping up with the demand for oxygen tanks for discharged patients to take home. Some COVID-19 patients can require ten times as much oxygen as a normal patient.

Given the social catastrophe being caused by an uncontrolled pandemic, there are significant calls to increasing vaccine production. At present, 30.5 million doses have been administered across 43 countries, of which 36 belong to rich-income countries. The United States has seen close to ten million vaccines given, according to a state-by-state tally by Bloomberg and the CDC. The UK has given 2.84 million doses, reaching 4.19 per 100 people so far. The EU began its vaccine rollout on December 27. As of January 11, only Denmark has managed to give 2 percent of its population at least one dose.

Chinas Sinovac and the UKs AstraZeneca have submitted applications for their respective vaccines to the WHO for evaluation and licensure across the EU. Currently, Pfizer and Moderna have received approval. Yet, both of the latest newcomers have demonstrated mixed results, making their efficacy challenging to interpret.

Meanwhile, efforts are underway to begin research in addressing the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19. After WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his disappointment for last weeks failure by Chinese officials to grant final permission to an international team of researchers to enter the country and begin their investigation into the origins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the Associated Press reported that these experts would arrive on Thursday in Wuhan and meet with their Chinese counterparts.

In an attempt to control the narrative, in a public relations maneuver, foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian, after finally approving the visit, hailed it as an opportunity to exchange views with Chinese scientists and medical experts on scientific cooperation on the tracing of the origin of the new coronavirus. Though the country has managed to stem new domestic transmission cases through rigorous public health initiatives, a rise in new infections of COVID-19 in the Hebei province surrounding Beijing has prompted health authorities to impose recent lockdowns.

Citizens in Shijiazhuang, Hebeis capital, have been barred from leaving, and public transports have been shut down. Health officials in Langfang City, located approximately 56 kilometers south of Beijing, have told its nearly 5 million residents to remain home for the next seven days.

According to Reuters, it had been more than five months since 127 cases had been reported on July 30 that a series of new infections began to surface in the port city of Dalian in Liaoning in mid-December. As of January 10, there have been 85 new local cases of COVID-19, of which 82 were in Hebei. The National Health Commission indicated there had been 18 imported infections. Still, Chinese authorities are scrambling to oversee emergency planning as it attempts to dissuade traveling during the Lunar New Year.
The findings show that a staggering majority of the global workforce (68%) does not feel completely safe working in their employer's buildings. This number is even higher for those working remotely (75%), who are especially skeptical about the safety of work sites. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 remote workers (23%) would look for a new job rather than return to a site that did not implement necessary safety measures.

"Workers are keenly attuned to the steps employers are taking to make their workspaces safer and healthier, especially when it comes to air quality and adherence to safety guidelines, which wasn't previously a concern for some people," said Vimal Kapur, president and chief executive officer of Honeywell Building Technologies. "Air quality, for example, is not something that will be dismissed once we're on the other side of this pandemic. It will be essential to the occupant experience, and good air quality will help make workers feel more comfortable as they return back to their offices."

The surveyed workers' concerns echo the latest scientific research on the spread of COVID-19,1,2 with 56% of workers being more concerned about transmission through the air than through contact with a surface. In terms of what poses a bigger threat to their safety, more than 2 in 5 (41%) of those surveyed believe that buildings with outdated ventilation systems are more dangerous than co-workers not following safety guidelines.

More than half of surveyed workers (54%) agree that their building management has not taken the steps necessary to keep them safer on the job, and 60% believe their building is more likely to make short-term changes in response to the pandemic versus long-term investments in building systems. Surveyed workers are most worried that building management won't consistently enforce health and safety guidelines (42%), followed by worry that they won't consistently invest in new technology to make working in-person safer (30%).

"Many facilities have made changes to their procedures but have not invested in the building itself  and their occupants have noticed," Kapur said. "Workers are going to demand more from buildings in the future, and we're even seeing with these survey results that creating a healthier and safer environment will be a differentiator for staff retention and recruiting, and it may also impact long-term real estate value."

To return to work and feel safer, nearly 1 in 3 surveyed workers (31%) say updates to the air quality systems are critical, but only 25% of those on-site have seen such updates happen. Other top health and safety measures that surveyed workers want include protocols such as social distancing or mandatory masks (49%), followed by health screening protocols such as temperature checks (41%), enhanced cleaning procedures (40%), touchless door entries (31%) and technology for contact tracing (20%).

Honeywell's Healthy Buildings solutions help building owners improve their building environments, operate more cleanly and safely, comply with social distancing policies, and help reassure occupant safety. By integrating air quality, safety and security technologies along with advanced analytics, Honeywell's Healthy Buildings solutions are designed to help reduce potential risks of contamination and improve business continuity by monitoring both the building environment and building occupants' behaviors.

Highlights by Country

United States

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. respondents (64%) indicate that co-workers not following safety guidelines pose a bigger threat than outdated ventilation systems (36%).

Nearly half of U.S. surveyed workers (49%) are concerned about their building management's ability to consistently enforce health and safety guidelines.

Health and safety protocols, such as social distancing or mandatory masks, are viewed as the most critical factor for respondents feeling safer in a building (57%) among U.S. workers. Concurrently, U.S. respondents working on-site noted these as the most implemented measures in their workplaces (61%).

United Kingdom

Surveyed workers in the U.K. are equally concerned with transmission of COVID-19 through touching a surface that has the virus (51%) and through the air (49%).

A higher percentage of U.K. respondents believe their building management is likely to make short-term changes in response to COVID-19 (62%) versus long-term investments in building systems.

Germany

Germany has the highest number of surveyed workers working in a building full time (66%).

has the highest number of surveyed workers working in a building full time (66%). German respondents viewed updates to air quality systems (37%) as critical to feeling safer in a building as health safety protocols (36%), and it is the country with the lowest percentage of workers whose buildings have implemented health safety protocols (41%).

Middle East

The Middle East is evenly split when it comes to respondents' concerns about COVID-19 transmission through the air (50%) versus through contact with a surface (50%).

is evenly split when it comes to respondents' concerns about COVID-19 transmission through the air (50%) versus through contact with a surface (50%). Nearly half of workers in the Middle East say their buildings have implemented enhanced cleaning procedures (46%) and 37% say they have implemented touchless door entry.

To view the full report, please visit https://hwll.co/ys6hr.

Methodology

The Honeywell survey was conducted by Wakefield Research (www.wakefieldresearch.com) among 2,000 workers in buildings of 500+ workers in the following markets: U.S. (500), U.K. (500), Germany (500) and the Middle East (500), between November 19th and December 1st, 2020, using an email invitation and an online survey. The data was weighted to ensure an accurate representation of countries' population size for the Middle East.

Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 2.2 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

About Honeywell Building Technologies

Honeywell Building Technologies (HBT) is a global business with more than 20,000 employees. HBT creates products, software and technologies found in more than 10 million buildings worldwide. Commercial building owners and operators use our technologies to help create safe, energy efficient, sustainable and productive facilities. For more news and information on Honeywell Building Technologies, visit http://www.honeywell.com/newsroom .

Honeywell ( www.honeywell.com ) is a Fortune 100 technology company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help aircraft, buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywell.com/newsroom .

1 CDC, Scientific Brief: SARS-CoV-2 and Potential Airborne Transmission, October 5, 2020 [Accessed December 15, 2020]

2 The Lancet, COVID-19 transmissionup in the air, VOLUME 8, ISSUE 12, P1159, DECEMBER 01, 2020 [Accessed December 15, 2020]





Megan McGovern Meagan Meldrim Honeywell Building Technologies Finn Partners (404) 216-6186 (616) 970-2177 [email protected] [email protected]

SOURCE Honeywell

Related Links

http://buildingsolutions.honeywell.com


A Florida firefighter who was photographed inside the U.S. Capitol building during riots last week is now facing federal charges.

Andrew Williams is charged with disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to federal records.

He made an initial appearance in federal court on Tuesday and will be released on $25,000 signature bond, meaning he wont have to pay unless he fails to show up for court.

The United States Attorneys Office for the Middle District of Florida confirmed that Williams had been charged by the USAO in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said there is video of Williams in the Capitol and when someone worried about getting arrested, Williams said, "they can't arrest everybody."

After his appearance in court, Williams quickly left, but his attorney laid the blame on President Donald Trump and police.

"The president and the Capitol police encouraged despicable behavior. Mr. Williams took part in none of it. In fact, youll notice in the complaint there are no allegations that he did any of those things," attorney Vince Citro said.

As a condition of his release, Williams is not allowed to have any weapons in his home and must undergo mental health evaluation.

The Sanford Fire Department, in response to a public record's request from our sister station WESH, shared the photograph, which shows a man inside the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday.

Sanford Fire Chief Craig Radzak said the photo appears to be Williams.



The fire chief said Williams is on administrative unpaid leave and will be on leave until the investigation of the photo is completed.

The administrative investigation Williams was under is being suspended until the conclusion of the federal criminal investigation.

"We hold the men and women in this department to the highest standards. It saddens me that the actions of one individual have tarnished the hard work and dedication that the rest of the department puts forth on a daily basis," Radzak said. "Our investigation will continue in conjunction with the current federal criminal investigation. As is policy with any type of policy violation, including a criminal violation, an internal administrative process must be followed in order to ensure a thorough investigation with a just conclusion. I ask for the public's patience as we move through this process."



Williams has been with the Sanford Fire Department since 2016.
Sao Paulo: It's the news Indonesian President Joko Widodo probably didn't want to hear when he lined up on Wednesday to be the first person to receive the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine kicking off a massive immunisation program.

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech was just 50.4 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic infections in a Brazilian trial, researchers said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) barely enough for regulatory approval and well below the rate announced last week.

The latest results are a major disappointment for Brazil, as the Chinese vaccine is one of two that the federal government has lined up to begin immunisation during the second wave of the world's second-deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.

Workers wearing protective gear bury the casket of a COVID-19 victim in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday. The country has lost more than 200,000 people to the new coronavirus. Credit:Bloomberg

Several scientists and observers blasted the Butantan biomedical centre for releasing partial data just days ago that generated unrealistic expectations. The confusion may add to scepticism in Brazil about the Chinese vaccine, which President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised, questioning its "origins".
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An innovative 2PP 3D-printing system that is capable of manufacturing across 12 orders of magnitude with exceptional speed has hit the market, enabling fabrication of polymeric microparts from the nano to centimeter range.

Several customers from industry and academia recently bought the NanoOne system by UpNano GmbH from Vienna (Austria), a spin-out of the TU Wien.

Thanks to the versatility of the machines design, all orders were individually tuned to customers specifications. Especially strong assets of the NanoOne are a high-power laser, an optimized optical pathway, the patented adaptive resolution technology and purpose developed algorithms for laser scanning.

In the wake of this successful market entry, the company also doubles the floor space in its Vienna headquarter and appointed a new Head of Global Sales, who has a proven track record in the industry.

2-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D-printing is an ultra-precise production technology at the edge of the physically possible. It enables companies to manufacture parts that were, literally, unthinkable a few years ago. At the same time, it is a highly sought-after technology in academic research. So far very few 2PP 3D-printing systems were able to meet the requirements of both domains, industry and academia. However, recent sales of the NanoOne-System by UpNano demonstrate that one highly innovative and versatile system can in fact fulfill a wide range of different specifications.

NEW CUSTOMER, NEW MATERIAL

A European company now benefits from this versatility. Specialised in optical applications, the company recently was looking for a 2PP 3D-printing system that would be able to manufacture highly transparent components. The high-powered laser of the NanoOne not only allowed to deliver the necessary energy to polymerise this specific material, but UpNano also engaged a team of in-house specialists to develop the material in accordance with exact customer requirements.

Bernhard Kuenburg, CEO of UpNano, comments on the successful cooperation and deal: "The NanoOne convinces with an innovative adaptive resolution technology that together with an optimized optical path and smart algorithms utilizes the full power of our exceptionally strong laser. All this allows us to add specific functionalities to the system that meet individual customer requests such as the ones of our industry partners."

Also, the University of Freiburg in Germany decided recently to purchase a NanoOne demonstrating the appeal of the device for industry and academia alike. The university will exploit the potential of the printing-system especially in the material sciences including guest particles that require a high versatility and adaptability of 3D-printing processes, said the statement.

Another university in the D-A-CH-Region as well as in Scandinavia placed orders for a NanoOne system a few weeks ago, following competitive tender procedures. However, their motivation to opt for this system was mainly driven by financial constrains that are quite common in the academic domain. A more basic version of the NanoOne was able to meet those expectations as well as all technical specifications requested by the cutting-edge research groups for which these systems have been acquired, it said.

STRONG SALES, STRONG TEAM

With such recognition of the NanoOnes advantages by industry and academia alike, it comes as no surprise that the company currently doubles its space for offices, R&D and production at its Vienna headquarter. It also strengthened their sales team already.

By appointing Henrik Akesson as Head of Global Sales for UpNano, the company succeeded in winning the support of one of the most seasoned sales professionals in the 3D-printing industry.

Akesson said on his new responsibility: "UpNano not only offers the best technology for speedy 2PP 3D-printing over a wide range of dimensions, but it also benefits from a highly motivated and innovative team. And it is both that we offer our customers  state-of-the-art printing systems and services, that helps customers to really get the best out of these machines. It is a great pleasure and honor to be part of this highly spirited team and to demonstrate to the market what 2PP 3D-printing can achieve, when knowledge and motivation are at the top of their league." -TradeArabia News Service
A husband has been slammed after his heavily pregnant wife revealed he 'polices' what she eats.

The anonymous woman, from the UK, has taken to Mumsnet to explain how she is usually 10 stone and a size 10, and eats three meals a day and an occasional snack, before adding her husband 'doesn't eat enough.'

She went on to reveal that despite carrying their unborn child and already 'feeling like a whale', he has an 'annoying habit' of 'policing' what she eats and doing it in a 'hinting' kind of way.

And many were quick to take to the comments section to slam her husband's 'rude' comments.

'Yes it's rude and controlling. Tell him to stop before he passes on his food issues to your DC,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'I would be piling my plate high high high. Tell him to f*** off and leave you alone.'

An anonymous woman, from the UK, has taken to Mumsnet to explain how her husband 'polices' what she eats (stock image)

In the initial post, the woman penned: 'Briefly, I have always eaten more than DH. He doesn't eat enough. He will regularly go without a meal in the day, only having tea and even then won't eat a huge amount at tea time.

'I on the other hand eat my three meals and occasionally snack a little too. However I have never been overweight due to keeping fit and eating fairly healthily. Before this pregnancy I was 10st and a size 10, which for my height was quite slim.'

She then went on to give more specific examples of how her husband subtly tries to police what she eats.

'He'll finish what he's eating (leaving loads) and say "are you finished?" and stand there for my plate whilst I'm quite clearly not,' she explained. 'He'll say things like "you know you don't need to empty your plate", "you can't be hungry", and so on...'

The woman explained that despite carrying their unborn child, her husband has an 'annoying habit' of 'policing' what she eats and doing it in a 'hinting' kind of way (pictured)

Taking to Mumsnet, one person penned: 'In general it's rude. When you're pregnant it's very, very rude' (pictured)

The woman went on to say it drives her 'mental' - adding that she's at a 'very late stage' of her pregnancy so is 'already feeling like a whale' without the commentary on her meals too.

And many were left infuriated, arguing that no matter what size anyone is, they should be entitled to eat whatever they want.

'Even if you were a size 20 and 20 stone, you are still entitled to eat as often as you like and as much as you like,' wrote one, while a second penned: 'In general its rude. When youre pregnant its very, very rude.'

A third agreed: 'Rude AF, but especially as youre pregnant.'

Many suggested amusing ways in which the anonymous woman could respond to her husband (pictured)

Many suggested various amusing ways in which the pregnant woman could respond - including calling him out every time, and eating his meal, too.

'Do not let one comment go,' wrote one. 'Him: you know you dont have to empty your plate. You: you know you don't have to comment on what I choose to eat.

'Sympathies, I had a flatmate that did this, that was bad enough but living with it constantly must be hard.'

A second commented: 'God that would do my head in. Say, actually I am still hungry. Take his plate at eat his too,' while a third suggested: 'That would infuriate me. Tell him to eat up and stop wasting so much food.'

Meanwhile, another wrote: 'I think it is a little rude, it's not for anyone to police another's intake..however I did mention my husbands eating when I felt he was loosing too much weight, but we had a conversation about it, not this sort of behaviour.'
NEW DELHI: More farmers from Punjab and Haryana are set to join thousands of farmers who had been protesting in the national capital since November 28 last year, demanding a repeal of the Centres three farm laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for their crops.

According to reports, hundreds of farmers had left for Delhi in a large convoy of tractor-trollies from Amritsar to participate in the protest parade announced by farmer unions on the upcoming Republic Day.

The farmers have planned to hold a rally parallel to the Republic Day Parade, calling in farmers from across Punjab and Haryana to participate. A village in Punjab's Sangrur has even decided to fine those who choose to stay out of the rally.

Aiming to stop the rally, the Centre had filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court, where it said disruption of the Republic Day parade will be an "embarrassment to the nation".

Contending that it has "done its best" to engage with farmers, the Centre said, "The farm laws have received wide acceptance throughout the country and, therefore, some farmers and others objecting to the law had put a condition of its repeal, is neither justifiable nor acceptable".

It may be recalled that the Supreme Court had on Tuesday (January 12) stayed the implementation of new farm laws till further orders, and decided to form a four-member committee to resolve the impasse between the Centre and the farmers' unions.

During the hearing in the apex court, when farmers' advocate ML Sharma said that farmers protesting on the borders of Delhi have complained that several people have come to discuss the issue of new farm laws but why didn't Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the meeting?

Chief Justice S A Bobde, who headed the top court bench headed, said, "We cannot ask the Prime Minister to come to the meeting, because he is not a party in this case." Solicitor General Tushar Mehta then said that Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar is already holding talks with farmer unions as the matter is related to his department.

The apex court formed the four-member committee to look into the farmers' grievances against the three laws. The four members of the committee are BKU president Bhupinder Singh Mann, Shetkeri Sangathana, Maharashtra president Anil Ghanwat, Pramod Kumar Joshi, director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute, and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati.

The Supreme Court has also stayed the implementation of the three laws -- the Farmers' (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act -- against which several petitions have been filed challenging their constitutional validity.

Thousands of farmers, mostly from Haryana and Punjab, have been protesting at several border points of Delhi since November 28 last year, demanding a repeal of the three laws and a legal guarantee on the minimum support price for their crops.

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The second round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans returns with a specific goal of helping minority-owned businesses and lower-income areas.

Following criticism from the first round that the loans assisted few minority-owned businesses, the new round of funding includes over $280 billion targeted for those needing it most.

AMAZON DETHRONES HEB: Amazon dethrones H-E-B as nation's top grocer, according to new data from shopping report

"The $284 billion allocated gives those that werent approved for the first iteration another chance to apply and allows businesses that have exhausted previous PPP money and have been significantly impacted by the pandemic to apply for a second draw," CNBC's Carmen Reinicke writes.

According to the Houston Chronicle's R.A. Schuetz, this time the program is working with community institutions, "which tend to have stronger relationships with minority communities."

Run by the Small Business Administration (SBA), the forgivable loan program established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) has assisted small business owners such as Alan Bergeronwho owns two Shipley Do-Nuts franchisesa chance to stay afloat during the pandemic.

Bergeron credits the PPP loan with helping him keep his business open, per Schuetz.

"My stores became a ghost town, Bergeron told Schuetz To be able to get a lifeline was crucial I was able to keep people employed.

This is the lifeline restaurants needed at a critical juncture in our long-term road to recovery, Emily Williams Knight, chief executive of the Texas Restaurant Association, told Schuetz.

The funding, which is part of the $284 billion relief bill signed into law last month by President Trump, is available to businesses with 500 or fewer employees. These businesses are eligible for first-time loans of up to $10 million, according to Schuetz.

"The new law also allows some businesses to apply for a second loan. To qualify, businesses must have spent all of their first loan, have less than 300 employees and prove that they lost 25% or more of revenue in any quarter in 2020 either on a quarterly or annual basis," according to Reinicke.

Megan Gorman, an attorney and managing partner at Chequers Financial Management in San Francisco stressed how important it is to work with a tax professional regarding the PPP loans, per Reinicke.

They need to see this as were on the Titanic and this is the life boat that will help your business survive, said Gorman.

Further guidance for submitting applications is pending from the SBA.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  The new coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, and which is believed to be more contagious, is now in the Philippines, the Department of Health reported on Wednesday.

The DOH, together with the Philippine Genome Center, confirmed that the B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant, also known as the UK variant, has been detected after samples from a Filipino who returned home from the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 7 yielded positive genome sequencing results.

The said patient is a male resident of Quezon City who departed for Dubai on December 27, 2020 for business purposes and arrived in the Philippines last January 7, 2021 via Emirates Flight No. EK 332, the department said.

In a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials aired Wednesday night, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also bared that the patient is a 29-year-old real estate agent from Brgy. Kamuning.

He was tested for COVID-19 and was quarantined in a hotel upon arrival, the DOH said. After testing positive for the virus a day after, he was referred to an isolation facility in Quezon City, while his samples were sent to PGC for whole genome sequencing. He also underwent x-ray and was found to have pneumonia.

The DOH said the patient was with his girlfriend during the trip, but she tested negative for COVID-19 upon arrival. She is currently under strict quarantine and monitoring.

Both of the returning Filipinos had no exposure to a confirmed case prior to their departure to Dubai nor had any travel activities outside Quezon City, the DOH said.

According to Duque, the patient attended a business meeting in Dubai with another individual on Dec. 30. He and his girlfriend also reportedly visited malls, groceries, and tourist sites while there.

Contact tracing was immediately done by authorities, and initially identified contacts are now under strict home quarantine. None of them are currently exhibiting symptoms, according to the DOH. Meanwhile, the other passengers who were with the patient during the flight are also being located. Those aboard Emirates Flight No. EK 332 are advised by the DOH to get in touch with their barangay health emergency response teams.

As an added precautionary measure, the QC government said the patients immediate household contacts have also been brought to an isolation facility where they were tested.

Following the development, the DOH said weekly genomic biosurveillance among incoming passengers, local cases, re-infected patients, and those with reported clustering of cases will be intensified. It added that it has already coordinated with the Department of Interior and Local Government for the expansion of contact tracing to include third-generation close contacts for known cases of the UK variant. All close contacts of these cases will be required to undergo strict 14-day facility-based quarantine.

The DOH also reiterated its call to the national and local governments, as well as the public, for the stricter implementation and observance of protocols against COVID-19.

An expert earlier warned that the new UK variant could result in a 15-fold increase in infections in just a month if it becomes the dominant variant in the country. This means that from over 30,000, new cases per month could surge to as high as nearly 300,000, he said.

READ: PH can see 15-fold increase in infections if new COVID-19 variant takes over  expert

In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Wednesday, medical expert Dra. Lulu Bravo said she was already expecting the detection of the UK variant in the country due to the nature of viruses.

"Viruses have mutations as a form of defense for themselves. They have to mutate because they have to adapt in an environment," said Bravo. "The higher the incidence of the virus in a place, the more there can be mutations."

Bravo explained the UK variant is not as deadly as the old COVID-19 variants but is "highly more transmissible" according to initial scientific studies.

"We need really more preventive measures to try and reduce the transmissibility. It can be done by doing your (wearing of) face masks, washing hands, and distancing," the expert advised.

Earlier, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH is also monitoring global developments on three other reported COVID-19 variants, including the ones found in South Africa and Sabah, and another supposedly detected in Nigeria.

The Philippines suspended all flights from the United Kingdom beginning Dec. 24, a ban that later included 31 other countries and territories, following reports of the new COVID-19 variants. To date, the country has recorded 492,700 cases, which include 9,699 deaths and 458,523 recoveries.
As states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania look to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination efforts, Warren County is seeking to line up volunteers to help administer shots.

County officials Tuesday said they are seeking doctors, dentists and other medical professionals to help vaccinate against the coronavirus.

We are calling on all medical professionals with the ability to vaccinate to sign up to help Warren County, county commissioners Director James Kern III said in a news release.

The request comes as the federal government on Tuesday changed its recommendations on vaccines and asked states to start vaccinating people age 65 and over, as well as younger people with underlying conditions that put them at higher risk for a severe bout with the virus.

Pennsylvania hopes to move to the next phase of its COVID-19 vaccine campaign statewide, making the shot available to first responders and essential workers like teachers and mail carriers.

And New Jersey-based Johnson & Johnson is reportedly preparing to release findings of its Phase 3 clinical trial this month before seeking emergency federal approval for its vaccine. Unlike the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in use, Johnson & Johnsons version requires only a single dose.

Warren County asks medical professionals who are willing to donate some time to the vaccination effort to contact Dennis Riley, county deputy director of public safety, via email at driley@co.warren.nj.us.

Based on the recent news pertaining to vaccine guidance, we believe there will be a significant surge in requests in the next few days, Kern stated. We need all hands on deck to help vaccinate our community and finally defeat this pandemic.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
In the winter of 2014, Ukraine Army was planning a covert operation to defend the peninsula and thwart the annexation attempt.

In 2014, the Ukrainian Armed Forces lacked time to thoroughly prepare a solid military response to Russia's act of aggression as regards Crimea, says Mykhailo Kutsyn who was Chief of the General Staff from February to July 2014

In the winter of 2014, Ukraine Army was planning a covert operation to defend the peninsula and thwart the annexation attempt, but it lacked time to prepare it, he said in a comment for Krym.Realii.

"That [the airborne assault operation] was being planned, but it hasn't been prepared; it wasn't ready. There were no planes in the air. And in order to deploy them, there was still a lot of work to be done. If we had sent them the way they wanted, then we would have had Lugansk much earlier. It still required time to prepare. And when there was time to deploy them, all airfields had already been occupied," he explained.

Read alsoUkrainian police respond to detention of 120 Crimean Tatars in occupied CrimeaEarlier in an interview with "Krym.Realii," the then-acting president Oleksandr Turchynov said an airborne assault operation in Crimea on March 8, 2014 would be unfeasible."

Defense of Crimea in 2014

In the winter of 2014, the Ukrainian army was preparing a secret operation to thwart the annexation of Crimea by Russia and defend the peninsula. The most combat-ready airborne units were set to be deployed to Crimea.

It is noted that when preparations started, a reconnaissance company of the 25th Airborne Brigade had already been deployed in Crimea for scheduled military exercises. They also planned to transfer scouts from Kirovograd special-purpose regiment and the 79th Airmobile Brigade from Mykolaiv.

Former Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Serhiy Kryvonos in 2014 headed the headquarters of the Airborne Forces. In a commentary to reporters, he said that the operation was indeed being prepared in February and scheduled to launch in early March. According to Kryvonos, the General Staff of the Armed Forces developed a three-stage plan for the liberation of the peninsula.

The situation changed when part of the 36th Brigade surrendered to the Russians without resistance. The paratroopers were never given the order to take action.

Crimea occupation: Background

In February 2014, armed men without insignia seized the building of Crimea's parliament, the Council of Ministers, as well as the Simferopol Airport, the Kerch ferry crossing, and other strategic facilities, as well as blocked Ukrainian troops at their bases.

Russian authorities initially refused to acknowledge that the armed men in question were in fact Russian soldiers on active duty. Eventually, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that they had in fact been Russian military servicemen.

On March 16, 2014, a sham "referendum" was held, mostly unrecognized by the international community, on the status of the peninsula, as a result of which Russia went on for the accession of the peninsula. Neither Ukraine, nor the European Union, nor the United States recognized the results of the vote. On March 18, Putin declared that Crimea was officially part of Russia.

International organizations recognized the occupation and annexation attempt in Crimea as illegal and condemned Russia's actions.

Western powers have imposed economic sanctions on Russia and the occupied Crimea.

The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine formally announced February 20, 2014, the date marking the start of the temporary occupation of Crimea and the naval base city of Sevastopol by Russia.

Reporting by UNIAN
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company


STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. A Defense Army soldier died Tuesday evening in Artsakh, with the official preliminary cause of death reported as pulmonary heart disease. The 18 year old serviceman, Radik E. Tatosyan, was serving in a military base deployed in the eastern direction, the Defense Ministry of Artsakh said in a news release.

An investigation is being conducted to determine details of the incident, the Defense Ministry said, extending condolences to the family and friends of the soldier.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Chinese vaccine developer Sinovac Biotech Ltd . said that the low efficacy rate of 50.38% from its final-stage trial in Brazil is due to trial participants being medical workers facing a high risk of contracting Covid-19.

In contrast, western vaccines like that developed by Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE were tested among volunteers including people from the general population, some of whom were less exposed to the virus in their daily lives compared to medical workers.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

The defense from Sinovac Chief Executive Officer Yin Weidong at a press briefing in Beijing on Wednesday followed growing confusion as trials conducted in Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey released four different efficacy rates for the same vaccine.

Sinovacs shot has been ordered by places like Singapore and Hong Kong, and the President of Indonesia just received it on live television in a show of confidence designed to persuade people to take it. Chinese-developed vaccines have faced skepticism over a lack of safety and efficacy transparency.

The Bejing-based company said last July that its Phase III trial in Brazil would recruit nearly 9,000 health-care professionals working in specialized Covid-19 facilities across several states. The trial was later expanded and eventually recruited more than 13,000 people, who were equally split between vaccinated and placebo groups.

Its unclear if the other participants beyond the initial 9,000 were also medical workers.

Sinovacs Brazil partner Butantan Institute said last week that the vaccine was 78% effective in preventing mild cases of Covid-19 and 100% effective against severe and moderate infections. But the overall rate, which also includes very mild cases that didnt require medical help, is actually 50.38%, it later said.

Indonesias vaccine rollout will provide a crucial test of how effective the Sinovac shot is, as the country with Southeast Asias worst outbreak aims to inoculate 181.5 million people by March 2022.

Yin said the company has received new orders from Malaysia and the Philippines.

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PayPal has cut ties with the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo after it was used to raise funds for pro-Trump rioters and members of the far-right extremist Proud Boys group who attended last week's MAGA riots in Washington DC.

GiveSendGo, which bills itself as the #1 free Christian fundraising site, permitted a series of fundraisers to be held on its website that were seeking to raise money for the legal defense of those arrested in the violent Capitol siege on January 6.

The account in question was closed due to a violation of our Acceptable Use Policy, a PayPal spokesperson said in a statement. PayPal carefully reviews accounts to ensure our services are used in line with our long-standing policy, taking action when we deem that individuals or organizations have violated this policy.

PayPal added that it forbids its services to be used to promote hate, violence or other forms of intolerance.

GiveSendGo's founder Jacob Wells said it does not endorse or support every campaign thats posted to its platform.

In a statement to DailyMail.com , Wells claimed his site actually cut ties with PayPal first, not the other way around.

Wells said the site opted to shut down its PayPal account after the payments giant contacted it about certain campaigns the company wanted to censor.

We told them on a phone call, we disagreed with their stance but we would take those campaigns down, Wells said. After discussing it with our team we decided to stop using PayPal. We broke up first.

A fundraiser titled Legal Defense Fund For Patriots arrested in DC, is seeking to raise $50,000 for those arrested in the nation's capital last week

PayPal has cut ties with the Christian crowdfunding site GiveSendGo (founder Jacob Wells shown right) in light of a series of fundraiser for people who attended last weeks MAGA riots in Washington DC

PayPal said it forbids its services to be used to promote hate, violence or other forms of intolerance (Pictured: Members of the far-right group Proud Boys make 'OK' hand gestures indicating 'white power' in front of the Capitol last week)

Wells continued that his company are 'not worried about any fallout' from their fractured relations with PayPal.

'We have so many customers that did not like when we used PayPal for a processor. We are excited about the new processing alternatives we are working on implementing. As they they say, when one door closes another one opens,' he said.

'On a side note to that matter, I want to stress what our Mission is. GiveSendGo exists to share the hope of Jesus with everyone that uses our platform. From the Giver to the Goer (campaign owner). We do not give money to, support/endorse, condone every campaign on our platform.

'This is no different than the idea that Twitter agrees with every tweet you post. Jesus was called a Friend of Sinners. He hung out with/engaged with/was called names for being willing to associate with all sorts of people. If this is what we are being accused of, then guilty as charged.'

On the website there are still a number of active fundraisers in support of the legal defense funds of patriots who attend last Wednesdays riot.

One, titled Legal Defense Fund For Patriots arrested in DC, is seeking to raise $50,000.

These patriots peacably [sic] assembled at the nation's capitol [sic] as career politicians tried to defraud the will of the American People inside that very chamber, the fundraisers description reads.

While these Americans stood outside presenting clear and irrifutable [sic] evidence of election fraud at the doorsteps, non-representitives [sic] inside the building, whom's allegiances lye with their own interests and not the will of the people, refused to hear their greivances [sic]. They refused to address the many evidences [sic] brought before them on their doorstep.

The campaign adds that the funds will be excluded to those who were filmed standing on or desecrating furniture. All peaceful occupants will be included in fund. 95% of funds will go directly to those afflicted with legal expenses for their peaceful actions that day.

So far the campaign has raised just $25 of its overall goal. A similar fundraiser, seeking $25,000, is yet to receive a single donation.

Other campaigns remain on the site from before the riots, from account holders seeking to raise funds to help pay for their travel to DC for the January 6 demonstrations, including Proud Boys members.

A similar fundraiser, seeking $25,000, is yet to receive a single donation

The Defend Our Liberties in DC fund, raised $1,320 of its $7,500 goal to assist 13 Proud Boys from the West Coast in getting to the District.

Similarly, a campaign titled Add some silver or gold to the Patriots Purse, which includes a photo reading Trump 2020: Make Liberals Cry Again, raised $1,000 for the cause

Tear gas is dispersed as Trump supporters gather on the steps of the Capitol Building following the 'Stop The Steal' rally on January 6

A campaign titled Add some silver or gold to the Patriots Purse, which includes a photo reading Trump 2020: Make Liberals Cry Again, raised $1,000 for the cause.

Similarly, the Defend Our Liberties in DC fund, raised $1,320 of its $7,500 goal to assist 13 Proud Boys from the West Coast in getting to the District.

In a statement, the websites founder Jacob Wells claims they actually cut ties with PayPal first, not the other way around

Americans and our freedoms are under attack, the post reads. It is imperative we make a stand in Washington DC on January 6, 2021, through January 21, 2021. We have found our purpose in life and we know what must be done. We are motivated patriots ready to fight for our Constitution and the liberties they are trying to take away.

There is also an active fundraiser for Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, which has so far raised $113,000 of a $200,000 goal.

The 36-year-old was arrested in DC two days before the Capitol siege for burning a Black Lives Matter banner outside of a historical church in DC. He was also found in possession of high-capacity firearm magazines.

Tarrio was banned from entering DC as a result, which prevented him from participating in the storming of the Capitol.

He did however cheer on the attack on the social networking site Parler and promised the following day to provide legal support to any member of his group who ends up being arrested.

To those that are currently being hunted by the tyrannical government and media...Unless you destroyed property or assaulted an officer... (Which is serious but theyve dropped those charges for anarcho-Communists)they can only charge you with trespassing. Do not let them scare you with anything else. This is the time to say F**K THE SYSTEM, he wrote.

There is also an active fundraiser for Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, which has so far raised $113,000 of a $200,000 goal

The 36-year-old was arrested in DC two days before the Capitol siege for burning a Black Lives Matter banner outside of a historical church in DC. He was also found in possession of high-capacity firearm magazines

Paypal previously closed an account held by the group Joy In Liberty, which was among those paying for supporters of President Trump to travel to Washington, having raised some $30,000.

The company said Tuesday that it has also closed an account by Ali Alexander, one of the purported organizers of the riot. He has also been banned indefinitely from Twitter.

We regularly assess activity against our acceptable-use policy and carefully review actions reported to us, and will discontinue our relationship with account holders who are found to violate our policies, PayPal added of Alexander to Bloomberg.

Crowdfunding site GoFundMe took similar action following the Capitol Hill riot, saying it would no longer allow users to fundraise for travel expenses to engage in potentially violent political events after pro-Trump protesters used the platform ahead of storming the US Capitol.

Many companies are halting political donations following last week's unrest.

Airbnb, Amazon and American Express are among a long list of companies that are suspending donations to all of the legislators who were involved in contesting certification of the electoral results.

Other companies, including Bank of America, Facebook and Google, are cutting off all political donations, regardless of party.

PayPal said Tuesday that it has also closed an account by Ali Alexander (above), one of the purported organizers of the riot

This is not the first time GiveSendGo has been swept up into a wave of controversy.

In August, the website spoke out in defense of its decision to host a campaign for Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois teen who shot dead two protesters in Kenosha last summer.

The campaign had raised in excess of $280,000 for Rittenhouse.

Of his decision not to remove the fund, Wells said: Were not the judge and the jury, God is. And were going to leave it up to him in that.
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.
SII to give 1.1 crore vaccines at Rs 200/dose, Bharat Biotech to provide 55 lakh vaccines at Rs 206/dose

The central government has informed that 1.10 crore doses of COVISHIELD vaccine are being procured from the Serum Institute of India (SII) at the cost of Rs. 200/dose (excluding taxes).

On the other hand, 55 lakh doses of COVAXIN vaccine are being procured from Bharat Biotech. The cost of 38.5 lakh doses of COVAXIN is Rs 295/dose (excluding taxes) but the company is providing 16.5 lakh doses of COVAXIN free of cost to the Central government. Hence, the cost of COVAXIN is Rs. 206/dose.

All preparations are on track for COVID-19 vaccine roll-out from 16 January 2021.

26 virtual meetings/trainings have been held with States/UTs, 2360 Master Trainers, 61,000 Programme Managers, 2 lakh Vaccinators, 3.7 lakh other Vaccination Team Members have been trained so far.

The cost of vaccination of Health Care Workers & Front Line Workers will be borne by the central government.

All states have at least one state level regional vaccine store. In particular, Uttar Pradesh has 9, Madhya Pradesh has 4, Gujarat has 4, Kerala has 3, J&K has 2, Karnataka has 2 and Rajasthan has 2 stores.

As on 12 January, 54,72,000 doses were received. 100% doses are to be received by 14th Jan 2021 in all states/UTs.

The government has also highlighted the current status of other vaccines in India-

Zydus Cadila- Phase III trial begin in January 2021

Sputnik V- Phase II & III trials are ongoing

Biological E- Phase I trials are ongoing

Gennova Biopharma- Phase I trial results have been approved. Phase II trials may begin from March 2021.
[January 13, 2021] More than one third of working Americans concerned about a co-worker's mental health

Morneau Shepell, a leading provider of total wellbeing, mental health and digital mental health services, today released its monthly Mental Health Index report, revealing a consistently negative mental health score among Americans for the ninth consecutive month. The findings show that worsening anxiety, work productivity and depression continue to impact the mental wellbeing of Americans. The Mental Health Index score is -7.9, declining from November (-7.3). The score measures the improvement or decline in mental health from the pre-2020 benchmark of 75. The Mental Health Index also tracks sub-scores against the benchmark, measuring financial risk (5.1), psychological health (1.2), optimism (-7.7), isolation (-9.0), depression (-9.7), work productivity (-9.9) and anxiety (-10.2). Despite the 0.4-point decline observed in December from the previous month, the financial risk score remains the strongest of all sub-scores and is currently above the pre-2020 benchmark. Compared to April 2020, there is a 1.2-point decline in work productivity and a 1.1-point decline in isolation. "With vaccine roll outs now underway in some parts of the country and a glimmer of hope on the horizon, we are at a pivotal point in navigating the pandemic," said Stephen Liptrap, president and chief executive officer. "Balancing these signs of encouragement with the need to remain vigilant is paramount as we move forward, both in Americans' personal and professional lives. Information overload and ongoing uncertainties continue to negatively impact Americans' mental health and it is critical that employers continue to acknowledge and prioritize this reality with resources and support as we enter this next phase of the pandemic." Many Americans concerned about the impact of the pandemic on co-workers As the pandemic persists into its ninth month, Americans are seeing its impact on others, including their co-workers. Overall, 35 percent of respondents report being concerned about a co-worker's mental health. Faced with the additional strain of managing a prolonged turbulent period in their workplace, 39 percent of supervisors indicate concern about the mental health of employees and 21 percent report that their employees are less productive than in 2019. This suggests that the American workforce may be at risk of detrimental long-term mental health effects. Additionally, due to ongoing non-essential travel restrictions increasingly blurring the lines between work and home life, nearly half (48 percent) of respondents report not using all their vaation time in 2020, compared to 34 percent using all their vacation time. This is a significant factor in terms of employee mental health, as individuals without paid time off have the lowest mental health score (-8.8) when compared to those who are using all their vacation time (-7.5) and those who are not using all their vacation time (-7.5).



"We are seeing a trend of fatigue among working Americans that has a direct correlation to declining mental health and wellbeing," said Paula Allen, global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing. "It is imperative for employers to understand that even if workloads have not increased, the emotional strain of the pandemic, compounded by prolonged personal stressors, is weighing heavily on employees. Continuing to provide resources and encouraging employees to take breaks throughout the workday, is critical to avoiding employee burnout and ensuring business continuity during these challenging times." Brand loyalty dependent on treatment of stakeholders and response to social justice issues

The pandemic has upended organizations across the country, and the treatment of employees and customers along with an organization's response to social justice issues have been essential to brand loyalty. The perception of how an organization has treated its employees during the pandemic could have both immediate and long-lasting impacts on its success, as 54 percent of respondents report that the way they think about and interact with brands and companies has been influenced by how their employees have been treated during the pandemic. Customer treatment also plays a significant role, as 60 percent of respondents also indicate that how an organization has treated its customers during the pandemic has influenced the way they think about and interact with brands and companies. The way organizations have responded to social justice issues has also had a similar impact on consumer perception, with 42 percent of respondents reporting that the way they think about and interact with brands and companies has been influenced by their response to social justice issues. This is especially true for individuals under the age of 40 (54 percent), when compared to those 40 and older (35 percent), corresponding with the influx of anti-Black racism awareness following the high-profile death of Black American, George Floyd, in June 2020. Upcoming event: Members of the media who are interested in attending Employers Connect, Morneau Shepell's annual mental health summit that will be held virtually on Thursday, February 11 at 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET, should RSVP to media@morneaushepell.com. About the Mental Health Index The monthly Mental Health Index by Morneau Shepell was conducted through an online survey from November 20 to November 30, 2020, with 5,000 respondents in the United States. All respondents reside in the United States and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The Mental Health Index is published monthly, beginning April 2020, and compares against benchmark data collected in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The full U.S. report can be found at https://www.morneaushepell.com/permafiles/93201/mental-health-index-report-united-states-december-2020.pdf. About Morneau Shepell Morneau Shepell is a leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that deliver an integrated approach to employee wellbeing through our cloud-based platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to support the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people. By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment services. Morneau Shepell employs approximately 6,000 employees who work with some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. For more information, visit morneaushepell.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005043/en/

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CAMEROUN :: CALL ON THE UNITED NATIONS TO INVOKE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE AMBAZONIAN PEOPLE :: CAMEROON

DEPARTMENT OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AMBAZONIA GOVERNING COUNCIL

AGovC/DSFA/0112/2021/UNSG January 12, 2021



To: H.E. Mr. Antonio Guterres

Secretary-General

United Nations Headquarters

New York, New York 10017.

The Ambazonia Governing Council, the vanguard organization leading the Ambazonian peoples right to external self-determination is once more calling on your esteem self and office to act while there is time to do so.

On Sunday, 10.01.2021, we noted another massacre of our people, the people of the former British Southern Cameroons (Ambazonia), perpetrated by the terrorist forces of La Republique du Cameroun (LRC). Over 10 civilians were massacred, including mothers, babies, young girls, and boys, who were brutally shot at point-blank range in an unprovoked attack in the village of Mautu in Muyuka, in the Southern State of Fako. This is just one more massacre, following a series of previous massacres. Unfortunately, and in the eyes of humanity, this one is just preceding many more that are yet to happen. We have seen them happening in quick successions and have documented how systematic they are in their nature. The counts are limitless and will continue to be if the world maintains its silence over these genocidal actions of the occupier, La Republique du Cameroun (LRC), on Ambazonians.

In September 1999, while presenting his annual report to the UN General Assembly, Kofi Annan your predecessor reflected upon the prospects for human security and intervention in the next century and challenged the Member States to find common ground in upholding the principles of the Charter, and acting in defense of common humanity. He repeated the challenge in his 2000 Millennium Report, saying that: if humanitarian intervention is, indeed, an unacceptable assault on sovereignty, how should we respond to a Rwanda, to a Srebrenica, to the gross and systematic violation of human rights that offend every precept of our common humanity?

More than 20 years since this reflection from Mr. Annan, the Ambazonian people are facing an ongoing genocide that is being ignored by the international community and the United Nations. This inaction is despite the recommendations of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS) of 2001 led by the Canadian Government which issued the report on the Responsibility to Protect. At the 2005 high-level UN World Summit meeting, Member States finally committed to the principle of the responsibility to protect by including it into the outcome document of that meeting (A/RES/60/1). Though the concept adopted omitted some of the aspects proposed initially by the ICISS, it retains its fundamental aspects in relation to the prevention of and response to the most serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law. Paragraphs 138 and 139 stands out as the basis for protection and intervention. As the occupying power in Ambazonia, Cameroun has failed to live up to its commitment to paragraph 138 of the principle of the Responsibility to Protect.

Paragraph 138. Each individual State has the responsibility to protect its populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity. This responsibility entails the prevention of such crimes, including their incitement, through appropriate and necessary means. We accept that responsibility and will act in accordance with it. The international community should as appropriate, encourage and help States to exercise this responsibility and support the United Nations in establishing an early warning capability.

The Ambazonia Governing Council is therefore calling on the United Nations to invoke the R2P based on paragraph 139 which states:The international community, through the United Nations, also has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means, in accordance with Chapters VI and VIII of the Charter, to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. In this context, we are prepared to take collective action, in a timely and decisive manner, through the Security Council, in accordance with the Charter, including Chapter VII, on a case-by-case basis and in cooperation with relevant regional organizations as appropriate, should peaceful means be inadequate and national authorities manifestly fail to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. We stress the need for the General Assembly to continue consideration of the responsibility to protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity and its implications, bearing in mind the principles

of the Charter and international law. We also intend to commit ourselves, as necessary and appropriate, to helping States build capacity to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity and to assisting those which are under stress before crises and conflicts break out.

We noted with disappointment, the December 1, 2020, UNOCA ReportS/2020/1154, submitted by the Secretary-General to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the conflict situation between Cameroun and Ambazonia.

We also noted with utter dismay, the very controversial statistics on the humanitarian developments in Ambazonia as presented in sections 30, 31, and 32 of the report, and the contrast of it in the assertions of the United Kingdom representative, Dame Barbara Woodward, in the UN Security Council briefing of 9 December.

We have denounced the UNs effort to continuously applaud the government of Cameroun for its implementation of the alleged National Dialogue resolutions, and its refusal to accept us as Ambazonians and/or address us as the people we have chosen to be. We equally have denounced, in very strong terms, the idea of the Reconstruction Project of the UNDP on our territory, given them our earnest proposals of the right course of actions that should preoccupy every attempt towards a peaceful resolution to the conflict between LRC and Ambazonia.

Judging from repeated calls for an all-inclusive political dialogue as a solution to the conflict, including in the Security Councils Press Release - SC/14377 of 9 DECEMBER 2020, we get the impression that the UN is not interested in the deplorable humanitarian situation in Ambazonia. Therefore, we stress that its complacency is fundamental of all reasons why LRC continues unabated, with its barbarism on our people; the burning down of homes and villages, and the indiscriminate and targeted killings, especially of our younger population.

While the humanitarian situation in Ambazonia remains dire, and our call for an internationally mediated peace process to end the conflict sacrosanct, we reiterate, amongst others, the following:

1. That LRC is engaged in a systematic campaign of targeted violence and killings against Ambazonians. 2. That Genocide Watch recognizes the alarming genocidal situation in Ambazonia as Stage 9: Extermination and Stage 10: Denial. 3. The invocation of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) the people of Ambazonia from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing. 4. Given that LRC on December 8, 2020, unilaterally suspended the activities of Doctors Without Borders in the Northern Zone (Bamenda region) of Ambazonia, we demand that it be pressured to comply with humanitarian assistance services by allowing for the inflow of necessary medical supplies, especially during this COVID-19 pandemic, as well as an essential aid for Ambazonians suffering as a result of the continued violence and destruction of critical infrastructure as indicated in section 32, and corroborated by declarations in sections 41 and 86 of December 1, 2020, UNOCA Report- S/2020/1154.

The Ambazonia Governing Council, therefore, reiterates its position of being ready for a multilaterally led and internationally facilitated negotiation process of the current conflict between Cameroun and Ambazonia. Such negotiations should take place in a neutral venue mediated by a credible international institution with guarantees for the implementation of the outcome.

Until such time when the international community takes up the responsibility to protect the Ambazonian people, we shall continue to resist the occupation, arm our

people, and maximise for them, the opportunity to defend themselves until complete and unconditional freedom is achieved.



Dr. Larry AYAMBA

Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs

Ambazonia Governing Council
The Cabinet Committee on Security chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13 approved a Rs 48,000-crore deal for the purchase of 83 Light Combat Aircraft Tejas from the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).



The CCS chaired by PM Sh. @narendramodi today approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about 48000 Crores to strengthen IAFs fleet of homegrown fighter jet LCA-Tejas. This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing.

 Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 13, 2021

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced on Twitter that it is the largest-ever procurement deal in the indigenous military aviation sector.

"The LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in years to come," Singh pointed out. "The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50% in Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60%," he noted.

Singh also said HAL has already set up a second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru divisions.

The Indian Air Force in 2017 issued the request for proposal (RFP) to state-run aerospace behemoth HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas light combat aircraft.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- For the better part of the fall, the scuttlebutt around Lakewoods culinary scene had to do with changes afoot at Detroit Avenue restaurant Lindeys Lake House, which opened its doors in 2019.

It turns out that the rumors were true, with Lindeys Lake House being renamed and rebranded Bar Italia. The new eatery is expected to open later this month.

Honestly, COVID killed us, said Next Cool Restaurants (NCR) CEO Rick Doody, the restaurateur behind Cedar Creek Grille, 17 River Grille and Lindeys Lake House.

Our carryout business has broken. What we realized is while the Lindeys Lake House menu doesnt lend itself that well to carryout, what was working were the pasta dishes we added to the menu during the shutdown, he said.

We were like, wow, maybe this is a sign of what people want in Lakewood. We try to think were close to our guests, we listen to our guests. Weve been working on a menu since last summer, really pursuing this idea.

The new concept is Bar Italia, which will offer different types of fresh pasta, homemade sauces and other Italian specialties in a friendly, upscale atmosphere.

The menu features local homemade pasta from Moreland Hills Flour Restaurant and fresh, heart-shaped baguettes and pastries from Cleveland Heights On The Rise bakery. The NCR team boasts more than 170 years of providing authentic, high-quality Italian food.

Were doing some really cool stuff with a lot of old recipes, said Doody, who co-founded Bravo and Brio restaurants. Bar Italia is unlike any Italian restaurant in the city. Well have roughly half a dozen fresh noodles, including a vegetarian, like butternut squash or zucchini noodle. Then you get to choose seven different sauces that weve made. You can add meatballs.

The menu also consists of 10 starters to share, including a great sausage bread, stuffed peppers, calamari and a wedding soup. Its the best wedding soup youve ever had. Its in a huge bowl and is a meal to itself, he said.

Considering that the menu is specifically designed for a carry-out environment, Bar Italia purchased a fleet of Fiat 500s to serve the Lakewood community.

What we also learned was while Lindeys Lake House in The Flats on the water does extremely well, the concept never really worked in Lakewood, Doody said.

We believe in Lakewood, and we want to continue to operate a restaurant there. We just felt like in terms of Italian restaurants, the area was under-served.

Read more news from the Sun Post Herald.
Chinas COVID-19 cases crossed the 100-mark for the first time in recent months, ahead of Thursdays visit of the WHO team to Wuhan to probe the origins of the coronavirus. The number of coronavirus cases in China climbed to 115 on Tuesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday, adding that 107 of the infections were locally transmitted and the rest arrived from outside. Of the locally transmitted cases, 90 were reported in north Chinas Hebei Province, which neighbours Beijing; 16 in Heilongjiang Province and one in Shanxi Province, the NHC said. As of Tuesday, China reported a total of 87,706 COVID-19 cases and 4,634 deaths due to the virus.

The sudden spike in cases after China contained the virus raised concern as the surge comes ahead of the Spring Festival, the biggest annual holiday in the Chinese lunar calendar. The week-long festival, which also marks the Chinese New Year, will commence on February 12 during which millions of Chinese travel to home and abroad to celebrate the holidays.

While Beijing, which has reported few cases, is tightening control because of the surge in infections in neighbouring Hebei province where millions of people are under lockdown due to the fast spread of the virus, provinces across the country are taking measures to contain the disease. Local governments across China are shutting down funerals and weddings to cut down the risk of coronavirus spreading across rural areas, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

Funerals and weddings in Chinas rural areas sometimes involve hundreds and maybe even thousands of guests. They are an important element of traditional Chinese culture and low attendances involve a huge loss of face for the families. The surge of the virus comes ahead of the long-awaited visit of the 10-member World Health Organisation (WHO) team to Wuhan, where COVID-19 first emerged in December 2019.

The team will directly fly from Singapore to Wuhan, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. It is not clear whether they would go through 14-day quarantine. The WHO teams visit has become a bone of contention as Beijing, which questions the widely-held view about the virus origins in Wuhan, had delayed granting permission to it.

China has been proactively questioning the view that the deadly outbreak took place in a wet market in Wuhan where live animals, birds and reptiles are sold and spread to humans. The market remained closed and sealed since early last year. Observers say it is to be seen what comes out of the visit as China is asserting that the virus has emerged in several places in the world and it only reported first and wants WHO team to visit other countries as part of the world health bodys investigations into the origins of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, another team of WHO officials is assessing compliance with international quality manufacturing practices ahead of potential emergency approval for Chinas COVID-19 vaccines Sinovac and Sinopharm, state-run China Daily quoted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as saying. China has granted emergency approval for Sinopharm. Over nine million people in China have already been administered the vaccine.

A number of countries, including Egypt, the UAE, Jordan and Indonesia, have authorised the COVID-19 vaccines produced by China for emergency use. And many more countries, including Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Nigeria, have ordered the vaccines or are cooperating with Beijing in procuring or rolling out the vaccines, the China Daily reported. Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the COVID-19 vaccine shot developed by Chinas biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
But it would be a good thing if he did so. In the first place, it would make clear to everyone that hes guilty of conduct that could land him in prison. Previous presidents didnt have to weigh this option because they had no reason to think they would need it. Trump has every reason to think he will.
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To prevent the reopening of schools, Chicago educators are organizing independently of the CTU through the formation of an Illinois Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee. We aim to unite educators, parents, students and the broader working class, to prepare strike action to close all schools and nonessential workplaces. We urge all those who want to join this struggle to send us your contact information today send us your contact information today.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and officials at Chicago Public Schools (CPS) have continued their aggressive push to reopen schools in order to get more parents back to work, while the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage throughout the city and surrounding region.

In the latest escalation of the school districts aggressive posture, 147 teachers were labeled as absent without leave and vindictively docked pay for not reporting to school buildings on Monday. These teachers were additionally locked out of their district-provided Google accounts, meaning they were unable to continue teaching their students remotely as they had done since March.

At a press conference Monday, CPS CEO Janice Jackson maintained a hard line on these suspensions, saying, Any teacher who will be denied access to their Google [account] or paythey have had several conversations and warnings and reminders and opportunities to explain why they arent at work. Weve gone above and beyond.

Chicago Teachers Union president Jesse Sharkey speaking at CTU headquarters, August 28, 2019 [Credit: WSWS Photo]

The 147 locked-out teachers were part of a larger group of 915 educators who did not report on Monday, 678 of whose absences were designated as unexcused by the district. Another 90 were reported to have failed the districts health screener questionnaire, requiring them to stay home. Those locked out were reported to have been those who did not report for any days during the previous week.

The spinelessness and bankruptcy of the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has been on full display in response to this provocation by the district. The union is doing nothing to mobilize its nearly 30,000 members in a defense campaign or to prepare for strike action. Instead, they informed the Chicago Sun-Times that a group of these locked-out teachers are planning to set up workspaces tomorrow in front of school board president Miguel del Valle's Belmont Cragin home, undoubtedly at the encouragement of the CTU.

The number of educators ordered to report to school buildings has fallen to around 3,800 from around 5,800 before the beginning of last week. At the same time, it is unclear how many students have actually shown up at school. While the district reported 6,000 students were expected, actual student attendance numbers have not been released and some teachers and principals are reporting that attendance is much lower.

This is not a surprise. The CPS reopening plan required parents to opt-in for in-person learning, of which only 37 percent did, for a total of about 77,000 students out of the district total of 350,000. The first phase, which comprises Pre-K and special education cluster program students, is to be followed on February 1 by the much larger group of 71,000 Kindergarten through 8th grade students that opted-in.

Despite claims by Lightfoot and CPS that the schools have been made ready to receive students, many teachers on social media have reported dirty classrooms, likely uncleaned since last March, as well as classrooms without air purifiers or any kind of effective ventilation.

Teachers and school staff at McCutcheon Elementary have already reported that they were alerted to a positive COVID-19 test result by a staff member on Sunday, after the worker was last on campus last Wednesday. The positive result necessitated the quarantine of the schools principal, assistant principal and four other staff.

Despite the dangers of reopening schools in the middle of a raging pandemic with high community spread, indicated by the current test positivity rate of over 10 percent for Chicago and much higher numbers in some neighborhoods, CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton absurdly claimed, There is no evidence of school-based transmission and numerous studies have shown that schools have not been major sites of COVID-19 transmission.

In fact, according to contact tracing data from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), schools remain the second-most common potential exposure location. Additionally, studies conducted internationally during the pandemic have shown that schools contribute to community spread when test positivity rates are high. A recent study published in Nature Human Behavior found that closing schools is the second most effective intervention that can be carried out to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the community.

The danger of the pandemic is also evident from Lightfoots Sunday extension of the citys stay-at-home advisory until January 22, which she has not reconciled with the drive to reopen schools.

At a City Council hearing on the reopening, Dr. Marielle Fricchione, medical director of the Chicago Department of Public Health, falsely claimed that Chicago has control over the COVID-19 pandemic. She also claimed teachers are very good at infection control because they have an innate sense of whether things like surfaces or objects are clean because of their extensive experience being around sick children.

Dr. Kenneth Fox, chief health officer for CPS, said city leaders should have confidence in reopening schools, stating, There are a billion school children back in school now, that were out in March, but people learned and they did things they were afraid of, they took that chance because they understood the damage that is caused to children by not being in school.

The real concern of Fox is not the damage done to childrens learning, but rather to corporate profits. As Lightfoot said in a letter written to state senators in opposition to a bill which would expand the ability of the CTU to bargain over matters besides pay and benefitsincluding reopening conditionspassing it would impair our efforts to reopen Chicago Public Schools and jeopardize our fiscal and educational gains.

The passage of the bill Monday by the state Senate has now given the initiative to Democratic billionaire governor J.B. Pritzker to try to force a settlement between CTU and the school district. City aldermen and figures in the state government are worried that Lightfoots fast pace for reopening threatens to spark a rebellion among teachers and the wider working class. The majority of the citys aldermen, 37 out of 50, have publicly opposed CPS reopening plan.

For its part, the CTU is eager to come to an agreement with CPS that would slightly delay a full reopening in time for teachers to be given a first dose of the vaccine. In exchange, they are seeking a more permanent seat at the table in managing the economic and political crisis.

On Tuesday, union vice president Stacy Davis Gates reported that the CPS school board seems more willing for an agreement than they have been, and said, In a pandemic where each day forward looks worse than the day we left, it requires accommodation, partnership and clarity. It is what the pandemic requires.

Union President Jesse Sharkey has already agreed in principle to the reopening of schools without a health metric like test positivity rate, and reports have suggested the union would be willing to reopen after teachers get just a first dose of the vaccine, or even on a voluntary basis.

Not only would such a plan cause a public health disaster by spreading the disease among unvaccinated children and their parents, it is an absolutely monstrous attempt to split the working class and undermine resistance to the unsafe reopening of non-essential businesses.

The truth is the CTU is fundamentally opposed to leading a strike or joint action. Their primary concern is that they might not be able to contain and smother any such struggle that breaks out independently of their control.

The entire strategy of the CTU centers on their appeal to Democratic officials and office-holders. Indeed, in a tweet issued Tuesday as part of the pseudo-left Demand Safe Schools Day of Resistance, the CTU appealed directly to the incoming Biden administration, which is committed to the reopening of schools and the economy.

While saying nothing about last weeks fascist coup attempt orchestrated by Donald Trump, they wrote on Twitter, The stories of immunocompromised educators already being denied accommodations and leave prove that we cannot rely on our local districts to provide for our safety. We need national leadership from @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris.

Workers need their own strategy and organization, wholly independent of both big business parties and the pro-corporate unions. We urge all Chicago educators to get involved with the formation of an Illinois Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee by signing up today at wsws.org/edsafety!
President Donald Trump says he opposes violence in a statement read on the House floor as members debate impeaching him for his role in fomenting the violent insurrection at the Capitol last week.

Trumps message was read Wednesday by GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Trump says in a statement: In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. Trump adds: That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.

Trump is on the verge of being impeached for a second time in a fast-moving House vote, just a week after he encouraged loyalists to fight like hell against election results and then a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Five people died, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer.

The president falsely claimed widespread voter fraud cost him the election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

Related Content:
Hong Kong: Vaccination plan set for Feb

Secretary for Food & Health Prof Sophia Chan today said it is estimated that members of the public can get vaccinated through the vaccination programmes led by the Government free of charge from February.

Prof Chan told lawmakers that the Governments goal is to provide vaccines for the majority of the population within this year.

Noting that the vaccine developed by BioNTech in collaboration with Fosun Pharma has more stringent requirements for transport and storage and also requires thawing procedures, the Government will set up Community Vaccination Centres in 18 districts to ensure the quality of the vaccines and that the vaccination procedures adhere to requirements.

For the other two vaccines, the Government expects that they will be handled following the arrangements for seasonal influenza in general, under which the public will be vaccinated through private hospitals and clinics, Prof Chan added.

Members of the public will receive a vaccination card for record after the jab. The relevant record can be uploaded to the Electronic Health Record Sharing System.

The COVID-19 Electronic Testing Record System launched by the Government will also include an Electronic Vaccination Record feature for convenient download by the public.

Prof Chan noted that having considered experts' views, the Government will vaccinate priority groups first, including groups which have higher risks of coming into contact with the COVID-19 virus, groups which have greater mortality rates after contracting the disease, and groups which may easily transmit the virus to others, the vulnerable or weak if infected.

She added that the Government is reviewing other target groups which may need to receive vaccination early due to their work nature or other needs, including those who are particularly crucial to Hong Kong's infrastructure and operations.

Prof Chan also noted that the Government is making preparations to set up an Indemnity Fund.

In the event members of the public encounter a severe adverse event associated with the administration of a vaccine, the fund will cover the indemnities determined by the court or arbitration and can provide in advance part of the indemnities in order to make available financial assistance to the member of the public as early as possible.

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (left) and UK Prime Minister Borris Johnson (right).

India being one of the key targets of the UK's post-Brexit Global Britain strategy should be viewed not just as an important commercial interest but also as a rival, reflects a new influential report released on January 11 on the UK's future as a non-member of the European Union (EU).

'Global Britain, global broker: A blueprint for the UK's future international role', compiled by the think-tank Chatham House the Royal Institute of International Affairs, calls on Britain to focus its energies on investing in becoming a global broker to link together liberal democracies of the world and a continued alignment with the EU and its member-states as well as the US.

Other economically significant Asia-Pacific democracies already part of British and US alliance structures such as Australia, Japan and South Korea are also flagged as a priority, given the increasing pressure they face from a "stronger and more assertive China".

"In contrast, some of the original targets of Global Britain' China, India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey may be important to the UK's commercial interests, but they will be rivals or, at best, awkward counterparts on many of its global goals, it warns.

It accepts India's importance to the UK as being "inescapable", given that it is set to be the largest country in the world by population very soon and have the third-largest economy and defence budget at some point in this decade, as also an English-speaking country with a large diaspora in the UK forming the basis of the two countries' deep historical linkages.

However, the think-tank strikes a note of caution over the two countries' shared colonial history proving a stumbling block to the promise of a deeper relationship.

"Developing the relationship with India, a pivotal regional democracy, as part of this shift in British strategic focus will prove a complex task," it points out. "As a result, India is always on the list of countries with which a new UK government commits to engage. But it should be obvious by now that the idea of a deeper relationship with India always promises more than it can deliver. The legacy of British colonial rule consistently curdles the relationship," it notes.

The report also points to India's "complex, fragmented domestic politics", which make it one of the countries resistant to open trade and foreign investment.

It highlights concerns raised by domestic groups as well as the United Nations and other democracy-watchers over a "crackdown on human rights activists and civil society groups" not being actively challenged by the judiciary.

"While giving India the attention it deserves, the UK government needs to accept that gaining direct national benefit from the relationship, whether economically or diplomatically, will be difficult, the analysis notes.

Against this backdrop, the report reflects on the prospect of including India within any new Democratic 10 or D10 coalition of 10 leading democracies at this time as it could make building meaningful consensus on policy or joint actions that much harder.

"India has a long and consistent record of resisting being corralled into a Western' camp. It led the Non-Aligned Movement during the Cold War and, in 2017, India formally joined the China- and Russia-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, the report points out.

"Trying to corral groups of states into new, fixed caucuses is rife with difficulties," it adds.

Instead, the advice is for the UK to use its G7 presidency this year as a prelude to the proposed Summit for Democracy, which incoming US President Joe Biden has committed to hosting in his first year in office.

"The UK should invest in becoming a global broker, leveraging its unique assets to link together liberal democracies at a time of strategic insecurity and engage alongside them with other countries that are willing to address shared international challenges constructively," it notes.

"At a minimum, the UK needs to be a leading member of the group of countries protecting and supporting liberal democracies and standing up for rules-based international collaboration. It can also be a broker helping to connect democratic and non-democratic governments in initiatives to tackle shared global challenges, from climate change to health resilience and equitable growth The world needs less talk and more action. In this sense, an appreciation of Britain as a valued and creative global broker must be earned, not declared," it concludes.

--With inputs from PTI
The top 10 results have been unveiled in the first-of-its-kind COVID-19 Lung CT Lesion Segmentation Grand Challenge, a groundbreaking research competition focused on developing artificial intelligence (AI) models to help in the visualization and measurement of COVID specific lesions in the lungs of infected patients, potentially facilitating to more timely and patient-specific medical interventions.

Attracting more than 1,000 global participants, the competition was presented by the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Hospital in collaboration with leading AI technology company NVIDIA and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The competition's AI models utilized a multi-institutional, multi-national data set provided by public datasets from The Cancer Imaging Archive (National Cancer Institute), NIH and the University of Arkansas, that originated from patients of different ages, genders and with variable disease severity. NVIDIA provided GPUs to the top five winners as prizes, as well as supported the selection and judging process.

"Improving COVID-19 treatment starts with a clearer understanding of the patient's disease state. However, a prior lack of global data collaboration limited clinicians in their ability to quickly and effectively understand disease severity across both adult and pediatric patients," says Marius George Linguraru, D.Phil., M.A., M.Sc., principal investigator at the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National, who led the Grand Challenge initiative. "By harnessing the power of AI through quantitative imaging and machine learning, these discoveries are helping clinicians better understand COVID-19 disease severity and potentially stratify and triage into appropriate treatment protocols at different stages of the disease."

The top 10 AI algorithms were identified from a highly competitive field of participants who tested the data in November and December 2020. The results were unveiled on January 11, 2021, in a virtual symposium, hosted by Children's National, that featured presentations from top teams, event organizers and clinicians.

Developers of the 10 top AI models from the COVID-19 Lung CT Lesion Segmentation Grand Challenge are:

1. Shishuai Hu, et al. Northwestern Polytechnical University, China. "Semi-supervised Method for COVID-19 Lung CT Lesion Segmentation"

2. Fabian Isensee, et al. German Cancer Research Center, Germany. "nnU-Net for Covid Segmentation"

3. Claire Tang, Lynbrook High School, USA. "Automated Ensemble Modeling for COVID-19 CT Lesion Segmentation"

4. Qinji Yu, et al. Shanghai JiaoTong University, China. "COVID-19-20 Lesion Segmentation Based on nnUNet"

5. Andreas Husch, et al. University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg. "Leveraging state-of-the-art architectures by enriching training information - a case study"

6. Tong Zheng, et al. Nagoya University, Japan. "Fully-automated COVID-19-20 segmentation"

7. Vitali Liauchuk. United Institute of Informatics Problems (UIIP), Belarus. "Semi-3D CNN with ImageNet pretrain for segmentation of Covid lesions on CT"

8. Ziqi Zhou, et al. Shenzhen University, China. "Automated Chest CT Image Segmentation of COVID-19 with 3D Unet-based framework"

9. Jan Hendrik Moltz, et al. Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Medicine MEVIS, Germany. "Segmentation of COVID-19 lung lesions in CT using nnU-Net"

10. Bruno Oliveira, et al. 2Ai - Polytechnic Institute of Cavado and Ave, Portugal. "Automatic COVID-19 detection and segmentation from lung computed tomography (CT) images using 3D cascade U-net"

Linguraru added that, in addition to an award for the top five AI models, these winning algorithms are now available to partner with clinical institutions across the globe to further evaluate how these quantitative imaging and machine learning methods may potentially impact global public health.

Quality annotations are a limiting factor in the development of useful AI models. Using the NVIDIA COVID lesion segmentation model available on our NGC software hub, we were able to quickly label the NIH dataset, allowing radiologists to do precise annotations in record time." Mona Flores, M.D., Global Head of Medical AI, NVIDIA

"I applaud the computer science, data science and image processing global academic community for rapidly teaming up to combine multi-disciplinary expertise towards development of potential automated and multi-parametric tools to better study and address the myriad of unmet clinical needs created by the pandemic," said Bradford Wood, M.D., director, NIH Center for Interventional Oncology and chief, Interventional Radiology Section, NIH Clinical Center. "Thank you to each team for locking arms towards a common cause that unites the scientific community in these challenging times."
Help India!

Under this law, 86 people have been made accused in 16 FIRs registered so far. But in many cases, the police have to face trouble in the courts. The court rulings, in Moradabad, Bareilly, Bijnor and now in the Muzaffarnagar cases, has given a hard blow to the advocates of this law,TCN reports.

By Aas Mohammad Kaif, TwoCircles.net

Support TwoCircles



The stories of harassment in the name of the new law by the Uttar Pradesh government on love jihad are now dying in the investigations. State agencies have been accused of using the to target and harassing people of particular religion. Under this law, 86 people have been made accused in 16 FIRs registered so far. But in many cases, the police have to face trouble in the courts. The court rulings, in the Moradabad, Bareilly, Bijnor and now in the Muzaffarnagar cases, has given a hard blow to the advocates of this law. After rulings in courts, the cases of love jihad cases being registered have also declined.

Amidst all this, the Uttar Pradesh government, while filing its reply in the High Court, has said that the new conversion law is not meant to target any particular religion. However, among the 86 accused, 79 belong to this particular religion. In all the four cases in which the court has shown mirror to the Uttar Pradesh government, the action taken by the police has been described as mendacious.

The first case is from Moradabad where Rashid got Pinky on the order of the court. It is informed that the girl from Moradabad, who was forcibly being asked to abort by the Bajrang Dal activists, has been handed over to her husband Rashid on the courts order. Rashid and his brother were also released from jail after Pinky deposed in court. Pinky is now at her in-laws house. At the Kanth police station in Moradabad district, the mother had first complained to the police that her daughter was being converted to other religion by implicating her in Love Jihad. After this, the police arrested the accused and sent them to jail, but there was a new twist in the case when the police, after a court order, allowed the girl to stay at her in-laws house. The 22-year-old woman was first sent to the shelter home by the administration. Bajrang Dal activists were accused of forcibly asking her to abort.

On December 5, Bala Devi, a resident of Bijnor, lodged an FIR under the new law in the Kantha police station area of Moradabad. She accused two people of converting her daughter on the pretext of marrying. Both the youths were detained by the police after the FIR was registered and the girl was sent to Nari Niketan in Moradabad.

Pinky was a resident of village Ganj in Bijnor. She married Rashid, a resident of Kant tehsil of Moradabad, 6 months ago on July 24 in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. On December 5, Pinky came to the Magistrate in Moradabad to register her marriage. In the meantime, Bajrang Dal activists caught them on the way. The Bajrang Dal, making false accusations, handed Pinky along with her husband Rashid to the Kanth police. Pinky alleged that due to pressure from Bajrang Dal, the police registered a case by taking written statement from her mother. Pinky, in her statement before the Magistrate, said that she is an adult, She is 22 years old and she married in Dehradun in July in her own free will and now she wants to live with her husbands family instead of living in Nari Niketan.

Pinky told the court that she had converted from her religion and now she wants to spend her life with Rashids family. After this, the case of Love Jihad registered against Abrar, who hails from Faridpur tehsil of Bareilly also turned out to be false. A student of nursing in Faridpur had alleged that Abrar, along with two of his colleagues, stopped her at gunpoint and forced her to convert. The accused had been following the student for several months. Not only this, when she married a boy of her religion, the accused also tried to break the marriage by going to her in-laws. It was also alleged that when the student denied, the accused threatened to kill her entire family, which caused the student to panic. The complaint of this entire case was made by the student at Faridpur police station and the police registered a case of Love Jihad on this basis. Police acted on the students written statement. Simultaneously, the action was also speeded up for the arrest of the accused. The case was of January 1.

According to Bareilly SSP Rohit Sajwan, on the day the student reported the incident, accused Abrar was not present on the spot but was in Bareilly, several kilometres from the incident. According to the Faridpur police, the case is being closed on the basis of his location and primary investigation as well as the statements of witnesses. Action will be taken against the complainant under section 182 for making false allegations. According to the police, they are giving a clean chit to the three accused youths. Another love jihad case of Muzaffarnagar has been found to be false. The government itself said in the court that there is no evidence of love jihad in this case.

As a matter of fact, Muzaffarnagar resident labour-contractor Akshay Kumar Tyagi filed a complaint on 29 November 2020, against Nadeem, a Muslim resident of Haridwar, alleging that Nadeem wants to convert his wife by trapping her in his web. Akshay said that Nadeem is his associate and they work together. He used to come to his house in Muzaffarnagar and he ensnared his wife in love. Nadeem was pressurizing my wife to convert her on the pretext of marriage, he said. After this, a case was filed against Nadeem and Salman at Mansurpur police station in Muzaffarnagar under the new controversial law. Muzaffarnagar police had filed a case under sections 3 and 5 of the new ordinance Love Jihad Act and sections of IPC for intimidation and criminal conspiracy.

In response, Nadeem had filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court last month to quash the FIR. After which the Allahabad High Court, while hearing, had stayed the arrest of accused Nadeem. The High Court had also directed not to take any coercive action against him. The UP government was asked to investigate and reply to the High Court.

On Thursday, on behalf of the Yogi government of Uttar Pradesh, Joint Director Awadhesh Pandey filed an affidavit in the Allahabad High Court. It said that no such evidence was found by the investigating officer, so that a case could be registered against these two accused under the Love Jihad Act.

In the midst of all this, the girl in Bijnor, who became Shaista from Sangeeta, will not be bothered by her family nor can a case of Love Jihad be registered against her. The High Court has given a very important verdict under the right to choose the life partner by the Sangeeta-turned-Shaista of Bijnor. In this decision, Sangeeta has been given financial protection of Rs 3 lakh by her Muslim husband. Sangeeta has now become Shaista. The court said that Mehr amount was less. Sangeetas family was constantly complaining to the police accusing her husband and her in-laws of religious conversion. Following this, she herself went to court. Apart from this, Justice Saral Shrivastava also said that both are adults and the family of the girl should not interfere in their lives anymore.

Congresss Uttar Pradesh women vice president, Urusha Rana, says that the same is happening in this case, which was already expected. This law was not implemented with a clear intention. The Chief Minister of the state of Uttar Pradesh wants to imprison love in a cage. He is increasing misunderstandings in the name of Love Jihad. His motive is division of the society. He wants to make a disjunction among the hearts. Now this is happening or the weak knots of law are fraying.
The City of West Kelowna, whose recruitment webpage is shown here, will re-think the necessity of hiring 12 more people. Council unanimously directed the reconsideration on Tuesday.
Jacksonville Mayor Andy Ezard will be delivering $380,000 to 40 business this week to help ease financial strains of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each business will receive up to $10,000.
Jammu:

Pakistani troops resorted to firing and shelling on forward posts along LoC and International Border in Rajouri and Samba districts of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, prompting Indian troops to retaliate.

Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, heavy automatics and mortars from 1240 hours along the Line of Control in Naushera sector in Rajouri district, a defence spokesman said.

The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively. The firing is presently on, he said.

In another ceasefire violation, Pakistan Rangers started firing on forward BSF troops in Ramgarh Sector in Samba district along the IB, a senior BSF officer said adding that BSF also retaliated.

During exchanger of fire, Pak Rangers also fired a few small mortar shells. Intermittent fire continued till 1045 hours, he said adding there was no loss or damage so far.

Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms and automatics from 0920 hours this morning along the Line of Control (LC) in Bhimbher Gali sector in Rajouri, a senior army officer said.

The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively. The firing is presently on, he said.

It may be recalled that Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 2030 hours last evening along the LoC in Krishana Ghati sector, a senior army officer said.

Reports said Pak troops also targeted civilian population and hamlets along LoC in Krishnaghati and Balanar areas of Poonch district triggering panic among the area dwellers.

The Pakistan Army is targeting residential areas and hamlets with 120 mm and 82 mm mortar bombs triggering fear psychosis as shells are landing deep inside border civil hamlets.

Earlier this month, five Pakistani soldiers were killed and some others injured in the Indian Armys retaliatory action in LoC belt of the Nowshera and Krishnaghati sectors.

Also read: J-K: Pakistan violates ceasefire along LoC in Bimber Gali, Indian Army retaliates

Also read: 13 armed intruders killed in 96-hour long operation along Line of Control, says Army spokesman of Northern Command

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New York, Jan 13 : All visitors flying to the US will be required from January 26 to prove they are free of Covid-19 as the nation struggles with a surge in coronavirus cases amid fears of a more contagious version of the diseases invading it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

People coming to the US will have to show paper or electronic proof that they tested negative for the disease within three days of their arrival here under the order issued by CDC Director Robert Redfield on Tuesday.

A requirement for Covid-19 tests is already in force for passengers flying to New York under a voluntary agreement negotiated with airlines by the state's Governor Andrew Cuomo.

"Before departure to the US, a required test, combined with the CDC recommendations to get tested again 3-5 days after arrival and stay home for 7 days post-travel, will help slow the spread of Covid-19 within US communities from travel-related infections," the CDC said about the nationwide regulation.

Airlines will have to check the test result or "documentation of recovery" of all passengers before they board flights to the US and deny seats to those without proof or who refuse to take the test, it said.

Redfield said: "Testing does not eliminate all risk, but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations." The negative test requirement comes after complaints from New York Governor Cuomo who has said that the federal government should ban travel from Britain because of the Covid-19 strain from there that is said to be 70 per cent more contagious than the strain that is now widely prevalent in the US.

Under rules introduced last month, travellers from Britain are required to quarantine themselves once they reach New York under orders from city Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has deployed the sherrif to enforce the quarantine order by visiting the homes or hotels of those coming from Britain and imposing fines of $1,000 for each day they violate the order.

Another more contagious version of Covid-19 has been found in South Africa and there are possibly other variants also.

The number of Covid-19 cases so far in the US hit 22.85 million early Wednesday morning with 380,796 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., a lung-cancer survivor, is seeking hospital treatment after testing positive for covid-19.

Watson Coleman, 75, said she believes she was exposed after sheltering with several maskless colleagues during Wednesday's storming of the U.S. Capitol, according to a statement from her office. Watson Coleman, who on Twitter initially said she was resting at home, wrote four hours later that she was en route to medical treatment.

"While I feel OK, on my doctor's advice I'm on my way to a local hospital for monoclonal antibody treatment," she wrote on Twitter at 4:31 p.m. EST. The FDA in November gave emergency-use approval to such substances for those "who are at high risk for progressing to severe Covid-19," including those over 65 or with some medical conditions.

Watson Coleman said she received a positive rapid test Monday and was awaiting the results of PCR testing. She previously received the first dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine when it was made available to all Congress members.

Watson Coleman, the first Black woman to represent New Jersey in Congress, is serving her third term in the U.S. House.

Video taken during Wednesday's attack shows Republican members of Congress spurning offers of masks, which rules require. They included Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania.

The Capitol's attending physician, Brian Monahan, said in a statement Sunday that members who had gathered in an unspecified isolation room should get tested.

"During this time, individuals may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection," Monahan wrote.

FLINT, MI -- A Flint man sentenced to life in prison after being convicted for molesting an 11-year-old girl more than two decades ago is asking the Michigan Parole Board to be released and several witnesses are supporting his bid.

Richard McDonough Jr., 56, asked the Parole Board Tuesday, Jan. 12, for his release after acknowledging he committed criminal sexual conduct and vowing he would be no threat to the community if he is freed from the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia County.

A former welder, McDonough said he fabricated the same window bars throughout the prison that he sees every day now.

When I built them ... I understood I had been building prison bars in my world for years -- long before I ever saw these ..., McDonough said at the hearing. Even in the room that I currently reside in, I built those bars and I look at them every single day, and every single day I tell myself, Hey jackass, do not put yourself in this position again, and Im not going to do it. Im not going to do it for any amount of anything.

Theres nothing you could offer me that would make me do anything to put myself in this position again or to hurt others.

The full, 10-member Parole Board is expected to decide McDonoughs fate in a full meeting in the coming weeks, taking into consideration his testimony, the nature of his crime, his prison behavior and other factors. The board had previously considered but did not grant parole for McDonough.

The board will also consider testimony from five witnesses who spoke out for McDonoughs release Tuesday, including some with the Prison Creative Arts Project at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

McDonough told the Parole Board he committed his crime at a low point in his life, while he was abusing alcohol and drugs, and while his personal life was in shambles.

When youre on drugs, you can justify about anything ..., he said of the abuse. The whole world had taken a dump on me, and I was feeling it ... (But) this incident caused a great deal of strife in (the victims) life ... I dont want her to carry around a feeling of having been victimized any longer.

McDonough said he abused his victim, who was known to him, three times before he was charged and pleaded guilty to first degree criminal sexual conduct.

Asked if he was at risk of committing a similar crime in the future, he said absolutely not.

Im not that drunk and stupid, McDonough said. I know how to extricate myself from situations that might lead to drug use and stresses ... No one has anything to worry about.

Michigans parole approval rate has been on the rise for several years, and has jumped to an all-time high of more than 73 percent in 2020, according to state statistics.

State law says that after serving a minimum sentence, a prisoner may still not be granted parole until the Parole Board has reasonable assurance, after consideration of all of the facts and circumstances, that the prisoner will not become a menace to society or a risk to the public safety, according to the Michigan Department of Corrections website.

Although most parole decisions are made by three-member panels of the Parole Board, decisions for prisoners serving a life sentence like McDonough are made by majority vote of all 10 members of the board.

Read more:

32 years after senseless, brutal slaying of two Flint musicians, Leondais Smith up for parole

Ricky Newell, convicted in notorious Flushing triple homicide in 1978, dies in prison

Man who served 20 years in marijuana case has sentenced commuted by governor

Daughter rejoices: I feel like a million bucks
Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Tuesday met home minister Amit Shah amidst the ongoing protests by famers and said there is no threat to the BJP-JJP coalition government, which will complete its full five-year tenure.

"The speculations by the Opposition and media are baseless. Our Government is going strong and will complete its tenure," Khattar told ANI.

The leaders discussed the prevailing law and order situation in in the view of farmers' stir.

"Today Supreme Court stayed the farm laws and formed a committee. All these were discussed. Events on January 26 should go well as it is a festival. Farmers have assured in their press conference that it'll be peaceful. It's being hoped that they will call off agitation and go back home," he added.

Khattar had to call off his 'Kisan Mahapanchayat' in Kaimla village in Karnal on Sunday after the site was vandalised by protesting farmers.

Deputy Chief Minister and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) chief Dushyant Chautala reiterated Khattar's statement and said, "I think the government (in-state) is going strong. As far as the farmers are concerned, each and every issue was discussed. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will resolve it."

JJP leader Chautala had earlier said that he will resign from his post in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government if he is unable to ensure minimum support price (MSP) for the procurement of farmers' crops.

JJP is part of the coalition government with BJP in

The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of three farm laws and asked the committee formed by it concerning the three farm laws to submit its report within two months.

The court said the first sitting of the committee, formed to listen to the grievances of farmers and views of the government, should be held within 10 days.

Farmers have been protesting at the different borders of the capital since November last year, against the three 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.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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A Donald Trump supporter who was arrested for violence in Capitol Hill in the United States last week has got his wish to not eat prison food and instead be given "organic" food.

Following the violence in US Capitol Hill, several MAGA supporters who stormed the building had been arrested. Among them was Jacob Anthony Chansley, also known as Jake Angeli, who became the face of the hooliganism unleashed on Capitol Hill dressed in faux fur and a horn hat.

Jake courted arrest with the FBI after he went from Washington DC to Arizonas Phoenix and had since been in news for refusing to eat prison food as it was not "organic". The man had allegedly been fasting since his arrest.

According to reports, the man has now been granted his wish after Judge Deborah Fine reportedly approved his demand. According to a report by Daily Mail, the judge asked prison authorities to find a way to provide organic food to Jake following his first hearing. While giving the order, Judge Deborah said that Jakes fasting was deeply concerning.

Jake was seen with many other pro-Trump supporters inside Capitol where the Congress members were meeting to finalize President-elect Joe Bidens victory. He was photographed standing at the dais of the Senate. Jack was shirtless and his body was covered with tattoos. The man had red, blue, and white paint on this face to resemble the flag of the USA.

Jake is reportedly a member of QAnon and believes in Shamanism. According to BBC, QAnon is a group that believes that Trump is waging a war against Satan-worshipping paedophiles in politics, business and the media.Over 70,000 handles of QAnon members have been suspended by Twitter so far.

Since the judge ordered the prison authorities to accommodate Jakes demand, US Marshal for the District of Arizona David Gonzales said that they will be following the judges order.

Previously, Jakes mother Martha Chansley had said that it is important for him to get organic food otherwise her son would get sick. According to reports, Martha was not apologetic about Jakes actions and insisted that he is the gentlest person she knows and is a patriot.

Famously called the QAnon Shaman, Jake is also a Navy veteran, as reported by Navy Times. He served in the Navy as a supply clerk seaman apprentice for 25 months.

In an interview last week, Jake had said that he had not done anything unlawful as he walked through an open door.The QAnon Shaman had said, I obey the orders of the president of the United States.

The man has been spotted in Phoenix several times at pro-Trump rallies. Previously, Jake had said that walking around shirtless and painting his face was a way for him to attract attention.
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FAIRFIELD  Students at Fairfield Woods Middle School will switch to remote learning on Thursday and Friday as COVID cases continue to rise, district officials announced Wednesday.

There were 10 positive cases and 21 people in quarantine from the Fairfield Woods Middle School community as of mid-day Wednesday, officials said.

Districtwide, there 48 positive cases and 208 students and staff in quarantine, including those at Fairfield Woods, according to districts numbers on Tuesday.

In a message to families and staff, officials said they are concerned about the increase in positive cases and quarantines among students and staff at Fairfield Woods this week.

The school also dismissed early on Monday after a cafeteria worker tested positive and meant the school couldnt serve lunch. School officials said that case wasnt connected to the new positives announced Wednesday.

Unfortunately, this morning brought additional new cases, they said. In response, we relocated all students out of the seventh grade wing to begin cleaning and disinfecting protocols.

Officials said the cases significantly impact the schools ability to function in a safe and effective manner. For that reason, they said, Fairfield Woods will shift to remote learning on Thursday and Friday in order to allow for a deep cleaning of the building.

Students and teachers have been advised to bring home whatever materials they need for full remote learning days, officials said.

Students will follow the remote schedule and are expected to log in, check assignments and meet together virtually.

Officials said the district is continuing to follow all health and safety protocols, and have confirmed all in-school contact tracing. If there is a need for anyone else to self-quarantine, they said, those individuals will be contacted directly by a member of the Fairfield Health Department Contact Tracing Team.

Information related to specific cases is confidential and private health information will not be disclosed by FPS or the Fairfield Health Department. Health and safety protocols continue to be followed in consultation with Sands Cleary, Director of the Fairfield Health Department, and Jill Mitchell RN, Nursing Supervisor, they said. We are monitoring this situation very closely and will keep you informed of any changes or additional information.
The festival of Pongal 2021 is one the major festivals of southern states, mainly of Tamil Nadu. The festival is equivalent to the festival of Makar Sankranti, which is celebrated in north Indian states with full fervour and joy. Pongal 2021, is a four-day long festival, festivities of which started on January 13 and will continue till January 16. The second and the most important day of the festival, Thai Pongal, will be celebrated on January 14 across the country.

Pongal 2021 is celebrated to mark the beginning of the harvest season and end of the winter season. On Pongal, people worship and pay tribute to the Sun God as well as Lord Indra for allowing farmers to attain better yields and for showering adequate water needed for the crops.

Pongal 2021 stated with Bogi Pandigai when people decorate their houses and offices. The second day, which is the main day of Pongal, is celebrated as Thai Pongal when people perform special puja to seek the blessings of the Sun God. The third day of Pongal is called Mattu Pongal when the farmers decorate their cattle and worship them. The fourth and final day of Pongal is Kaanum Pongal when people gather for celebration with traditional meal spread.

Happy Pongal 2021 Wishes:

-Wishing that this festival brings good luck and prosperity and hope it is joyous and fills your days ahead with happiness. Have a wonderful Pongal.

-May the sweetness of jaggery, milk, and these dry fruits bring the sweetest wishes to you and your family. Happy Pongal.

-

In this festive season, may every colour of love fill your home and heart with lots of happiness. Happy Pongal.

-I wish that your Pongal will be full of fun and joy. Wishing you and your family a Happy Pongal.

On this auspicious day of the year, do not forget to celebrate the gifts of life. Show your gratitude to the almighty for every blessing you have in your life. Happy Pongal.

-Wishing that the auspicious festival of Pongal brings you everlasting peace and joy. May you get the gifts of good health and prosperity on this day.

-May this harvest festival diminish all your worries and fears from your life and fill your heart with calm and healthy thoughts. Happy Pongal.

-Let the warmth of the auspicious festival of Pongal fill your home with joy. Have a wonderful Pongal.

-Let us meet, greet, and eat together and celebrate this auspicious occasion. Wish you a very Happy Pongal.

-May the auspicious festival of Pongal bring you plentiful harvests in the years to come. Happy Pongal.

-May this auspicious day bring in good luck to your home and fill your life with success. Happy Pongal.

-Sending you our warmest wishes on the happy occasion of Pongal, have lots of fun and enjoy every moment. Happy Pongal.

-Here comes the vessel, here comes the milk, here comes the first harvest rice. Pongal is ready; let us start the celebrations! Happy Pongal.

Pongal is here, an occasion that will mark joy and happiness. So lets celebrate this season with full enthusiasm & energy. Happy Pongal.

-Between beautiful kolams and auspicious decoration, let us meet, greet, and, of course, eat. Happy Pongal.

-Wishing you a prosperous and joyful Pongal. Hope this special day marking the start of a harvest season will be happy and prosperous for you in every way and brings prosperity, good luck, and moments to cherish. Happy Pongal!
Orchard, a New York-based real estate brokerage that makes cash offers on homeowners next homes  allowing them to avoid contingent offers  announced Tuesday it had entered the Houston market.

Orchard joins Homeward, based in Austin, and Knock, headquartered in New York and San Francisco, in enabling Houston-area homeowners to purchase their next homes as though theyve already sold their current one. Like Knock, Orchard said the pandemic had accelerated demand for its services as homeowners look for ways to avoid showing their homes while theyre living in them, as well as options for avoiding contingent offers during a hot housing market.

Orchard experienced 300 percent growth in 2020 from the year before, according to Court Cunningham, its founder and chief executive.

In COVID, where inventory is very tight, being a cash buyer is really valuable, Cunningham said. And when people are sensitive to people going into their homes and coughing COVID germs, its really nice that you can show your old home empty without having to worry about it.

Houston is the companys sixth market.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Knock, offering new take on homebuying, launches in Houston

Orchard offers two services. For homes that qualify for its Move First program  currently single-family detached homes worth between $150,000 and $750,000 built after 1949  the company will make a cash offer on your next home, giving you time to move before putting your old home on the market. That program, which bundles real estate agent services with the ability to make a cash offer, costs a 6 percent commission on the homes sales price, split between buyers and sellers brokerages, in line with the traditional agent fees incurred while selling a home.

For other homes, Orchard offers traditional listing agent services without the cash offer for a fee of 6 percent. Unlike most brokerages, Orchard guarantees a home sale by offering to buy your home as a backup if needed  if you choose to sell to Orchard before the end of your listing period, the fee is instead 7 percent, 4 percent of which goes to Orchard and the rest to the eventual buyers agent.

The company relies on advertising for customers  before founding Orchard, Cunningham was chief executive of Yodle, which provides online marketing for small businesses. Interested customers fill out an intake form on Orchards website, and a salaried real estate agent will reach out to guide them through the process.

Those who go through with the Move First program will shop for a home with the agent. After buying a new home with a cash offer made in Orchards name, the client has up to 120 days to list and sell their old home on the market. During that time, the client is still responsible for the mortgage on their old home, plus a very small rent on the new home, Cunningham said. The vast majority  95 percent  of homes sell on the market in that time, but if a home does not, Orchard purchases it from the homeowner at a prearranged price.

When the homeowners prior home sells, title to the new home is transferred to their name. In addition to the 6 percent for the real estate agent services, Orchard earns the buyers agent commission on the homeowners new home and generally originates the new mortgage and provides title services.

Prime Property: Get Houston real estate news sent directly to your inbox

The pandemic has fueled growth for companies with models similar to Orchards, while iBuyers, which aimed to solve the inconveniences of moving by buying homes on demand, have largely stalled. Cunningham said that one of the reasons is the amount of risk companies like his take on.

We are only buying the old home 5 percent of the time, when it doesnt sell on the market, he said. They iBuyers are buying the old home every time, and thats just a risky business.

He also said Orchards entrance into the Houston area was a sign of confidence in the regions long-term economy, low oil prices notwithstanding. Our view is that Texas, broadly, is in the middle of a multi-decade upswing, he said. So were taking the long view.

This story has been updated to reflect how the cost of a List with Orchard client choosing to sell to Orchard before the end of their listing period. That fee is 7 percent of the sales price of the home.

rebecca.schuetz@chron.com;

twitter.com/raschuetz
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Chennai, Jan 13 : Violation of social distancing norms, milk 'abhisekham' (pouring of milk) on their hero's cut out erected outside the theatre, beating of drums and dancing by fans, and a fine on a theatre marked the release of Vijay starrer "Master" on Wednesday.

The city police levied a fine of Rs 5,000 on Kasi theatre here for admitting more than people than 50 per cent of the seating capacity, in violation of the government order.

The first show in the cinema halls began at 4 a.m. and Vijay's fans had assembled in large numbers to view the movie "first day-first show".

Many of the movie-goers did not wear masks and social distancing went for a six.

Movie director Lokesh Kanakaraj, actor Malavika Mohanan, music director Anirudh Ravichander and others watched the movie at Rohini theatre.
More than 90 people told the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors and staff that more must be done to address racism and inequalities in 
BRUSSELS/FRANKFURT/PARIS (dpa-AFX) - German stocks were little changed in cautious trade on Wednesday as investors monitored vaccine rollouts and coronavirus containment measures. German Health Minister Jens Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio that the country will not be able to lift all restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus at the beginning of February. The benchmark DAX was down 11 points at 13,914 after ending marginally lower in the previous session. Deutsche Post AG shares rose over 2 percent. The courier company reported that its fourth-quarter preliminary group EBIT was about 1.960 billion euros, up 56 percent from last year. Wind turbine manufacturer Nordex Group added 1.8 percent. The company announced that it has received a major order for a 518.7 MW wind farm project from Statkraft in Brazil. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
I thought I was up to the challenge of a long-distance home purchase during a pandemic. After all, I was moving back to my hometown after only three years away. I knew the area. Family members could fill in the rest. I had a trusted real estate agent from my last house purchase. Plus, I look at real estate listings as a hobby even when Im not in the market for new property. What could go wrong?

But after purchasing a midcentury modern ranch sight unseen and trekking 1,800 miles across the country to finally get an in-person look at it, my husband and I couldn't be more shocked.

The front of the house. Wendy Schuchart

There were so many shoddy details that hadnt translated through video and photos. The ceilings were lower and the rooms were narrower than they seemed in photos. The countertops that had looked like granite in photos were actually laminate. Every single counter and bathroom fixture was customized for a short person. After seeing broken fixtures and a layer of grime over everything, it was clear that I would have to cure decades of bad maintenance.

Grime discovered in the kitchen on move-in day. Wendy Schuchart

And then there was the constant noise pollution from the nearby interstate. Our ground team thought the sound was minimal, but a month after we moved in, the surrounding trees dropped their leaves and the dull murmur grew to a roar heard through closed windows.

So what were our mistakes?

Don't depend on listing photos

In general, experts agree that buying a home without setting foot in it can be a dicey proposition at best and a nightmare at worst. And online listing photos, while helpful in narrowing down your property search, won't give you the full picture of a house's condition.

Ive visited homes only to discover that the yard is steeper than it looked online, the rooms are smaller, and you couldnt tell there were power lines right behind the house, says Steve Heard, a Realtor with The Heard Group in the Sacramento, CA, area.

There were so many deal breakers that I would have noticed had I been able to set foot inside the home instead of relying so heavily on listing photos and videos. Case in point: Visitors at the front door of my new home have a direct sightline to the main bathrooms toilet.

Much like anything you buy online, a home's listing is created to sell, not inform. Theyre marketing," says Shana OBrien, owner of Cascadia NW Real Estate in Washington and Oregon.

Go beyond standard due diligence

A home inspection is standard operating procedure for anyone buying a home, but a long-distance purchase should always go through rigorous vetting to make sure you're not buying a money pit.

Typically, the buyer pays for the home inspection during the escrow period. This can cost around $300 to $500, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But to cover your bases and make sure there aren't any major system failures before you sign a purchase agreement, experts advise bringing in an additional pair of eyes.

Go to the American Society of Home Inspectors, where you can search by your home's address for a local inspector who can examine the house on your behalf.

Barton L. Slavin, a senior litigation and transaction attorney on Long Island, NY, advises hiring an experienced licensed and insured engineer to inspect the premises before the purchase.

That would have been great in my own long-distance home purchase. After the home inspection, the seller had "fixed" some conditional electrical work that my home inspector found, but those fixes broke other things, which resulted in an electrician visit on my dime. And on the first cold day, when I turned on the furnace, it failed to heat, which was another big repair bill that would have been covered by a warranty.

In my first two months in this house, I've also found faulty plumbing hacks and a massive rodent infestation.

How to beat the odds

The key to success is extreme buyer due diligence, O'Brien says. "That means having a team of trusted boots on the ground to physically visit and inspect the home.

In retrospect, my live-video walk-through was fairly quick, less than 15 minutes. At the time, it felt like it was enough, but now I realize it wasn't nearly long enough.

Our experts advise an extensive live-video walk-through with a long-distance home purchase.

FaceTime works great, OBrien says. If buyers see something they have questions about during the walk-through, the real estate agent can zoom in. They can even take still photos and close-ups, which have better detail than streaming video.

Pay attention off-property, too.

Walk around the block, video camera on, and capture the neighborhood, the condition of the sidewalks, the level of pride of ownership in the surrounding homes," says O'Brien. "Is the narrow street jammed with parked cars? Are the sounds from the elementary school super loud at recess? Whats the street traffic and street noise like? The buyer will not know unless their agent does the investigation."

Be realistic

Despite all of your best efforts, though, there's still a chance your long-distance home purchase will not be all you bargained for. When that happens, O'Brien suggests taking it all in stride.

Real estate is almost always a good investment," she says.

As for me, Im already planning out my investment strategy and making the best of my midcentury modern surprise fixer-upper.

The post We Bought a House Sight Unseenand It Turned Out To Be a Total Nightmare appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
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Myrtle Beach Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Rice stunned the South Carolina political universe by voting to impeach President Donald Trump, a move destined to spark outrage in his home district where support for Trump runs high and to the extreme.

In a pivot that came without a hint to his constituents or the media, Rice was one of 10 Republicans who voted in favor the Democratic-led impeachment naming Trump for inciting last week's riot where supporters stormed the Capitol Building. The final result was a 232-197 vote to impeach.

Heading into the debate, Rice hoped the Democrats wouldnt bring articles of impeachment to the floor. While he didnt exactly agree with every part of their document, he said what happened just a week earlier swayed his mind.

Rice said he spent the last week reading how the president responded to the Jan. 6 protests. While he doesnt think the president exactly called for protesters to storm the Capitol, the way Trump responded to the violence was unacceptable.

When it got out of hand, Trump didnt do anything. He was watching it on TV ... and tweeting that Vice President Mike Pence didnt have courage, Rice said, recalling a mob beating on the door of the House of Representatives.

He never came out and did a press conference; he never spoke to the country. Here we sit a week later and six people were killed, including two Capitol police officers, (one committed suicide later) and he hasnt addressed the nation yet? He hasn't offered condolences to the hundreds that were injured or for the two police officers that were killed?

After the protests, Rice still objected to the election results. The congressman said on Tuesday that his protest had nothing to do with Trump, rather a concern that the constitutional powers given to state legislatures had been violated in swing states by judges and other officials changing election laws.

Once he returns to South Carolina, Rice plans to hold a press conference to address his vote further. He said he had been loyal to Trump through easy and tough votes over the last four years but after last week he didnt feel the president was loyal to him back.

Ive been loyal to him, but he certainly didnt feel loyal to us, Rice said.

Rice released a statement condemning the president's inaction once the assault began, but also his weak response and lack of contrition.

"He has not offered condolences. Yesterday, in a press briefing at the border, he said his comments were 'perfectly appropriate,'" he said.

The reaction

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, the lone Democrat from the Palmetto State, joined Rice in voting for impeachment while South Carolina's other five members of Congress, all Republicans, voted against passing the article. Among them was Charleston U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who earlier in the day made a floor speech putting responsibility for the riot on Trump.

Clyburn in his address Wednesday said he wanted to hold Trump responsible after a mob of his ardent supporters occupied the Capitol building for several hours.

"While the president failed in his attempt to upend our democracy, last Wednesdays events make clear that if we do not hold him accountable and remove him from power, a future attempt could succeed," Clyburn said.

Still, it was Rice's departure from his GOP colleagues that left the state stunned. Just last week, the entire S.C. GOP congressional delegation, except for Mace, voted to object to certifying the Electoral College results that secured President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

He truly believes you do the right thing and everything else will work out, Rice's political consultant Walter Whetsell told The Post and Courier after news of the vote trickled out. He didnt give it two seconds of political thought.

Gibbs Knotts, a political scientist and the dean of the College of Charleston's School of Humanities, said Rice's turn against the president was the last thing he expected out of Wednesdays vote.

Thats a huge surprise, Knotts said. This is a very Republican district that Trump did very well in. But I can see him reacting to what happened last week, it was an attack on members of Congress.

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Rice's 7th Congressional District covers the northeast corner of the state up on the North Carolina border and includes the Myrtle Beach vacation center and the farming and tobacco counties surrounding Florence. In Horry County alone, Trump collected 66 percent of the vote in November. Rice has been in office since 2012.

There were immediate signs of backlash. S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick lambasted the Democrats' impeachment as a political stunt that would do "nothing but harm the country and our party."

He went further and took a strong jab at Rice: "We completely disagree with this sham and to say I'm severely disappointed in Congressman Tom Rice would be an understatement."

Democrats from the district were likewise taken back. Cedric Blain-Spain, a Democratic party activist in Conway who has been involved in campaign events against Rice, was shocked to hear Rice had voted to impeach the president.

Im glad he had a come-to-Jesus moment, Blain-Spain said.

Mace condemns Trump

While all of South Carolina's Washington delegation have decried the violence in Washington, D.C., up until Wednesday it was only Mace and Clyburn who publicly blamed Trump's rhetoric as stoking the violence that led to the Capitol assault.

Other House Republicans voting against impeachment Wednesday were Jeff Duncan of Laurens, Ralph Norman of Rock Hill, William Timmons of Greenville, and Joe Wilson of the Lexington area.

Mace said she opted against voting to impeach because she saw it as a rushed and divisive process.

"The U.S. House of Representatives has every right to impeach the President of the United States," she said early Wednesday morning in what was her first House speech since being sworn in last week. "But what we're doing today, rushing this impeachment in an hour- or two-hour-long debate on the floor of this chamber and bypassing Judiciary, poses great questions about the constitutionality of this process."

Mace's statements against Trump and the GOP effort against certifying the Electoral College results had enflamed tensions within the GOP. A report late Tuesday night from Axios showed Mace had gotten into a heated text exchange with U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., in a group message with all freshmen GOP members.

Greene is well-known for her support of the QAnon conspiracy theory that alleges Trump is secretly fighting a "deep state" ring of pedophiles, and has also alleged unproven election fraud leading to his loss.

Im disgusted by what you and other Q-conspiracy theorists did last week in the chamber after all of the violence," Mace texted to her Tuesday.

During her floor speech, Mace took a swing at GOP lawmakers who hold to the baseless allegations of widespread election interference.

"I also believe that we need to hold accountable every single person, even members of Congress, if they contributed to the violence that transpired here," Mace said.

Clyburn initially was worried that forcing a trial just as Biden is taking office could hinder the president-elect's administration by eating up valuable time when his Cabinet nominees could be approved. But, on the House floor, Clyburn said he views it as a matter of standing up for democracy.

"This presidents refusal to take part in a peaceful transfer of power  and his role in causing last weeks violence  pose an existential threat to our constitutional democracy," Clyburn said.

The impeachment case now moves to the Senate but on an uncertain timetable. South Carolina's two Republican senators, Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, both have said they oppose impeaching Trump.

Politics Reporter Jamie Lovegrove contributed to this report.
Syracuse, NY -- A Corcoran high school senior was stabbed to death in 2019 during a fight involving the father of his girlfriends children, lawyers said Wednesday.

But the man who actually stabbed Michael LaCoste, 19, to death was not the father of LaCostes girlfriends children, lawyers added.

Instead, LaCoste was killed by a friend of the father, Alexis Herrera-Cruz, 22, who jumped into the middle of the messy domestic situation.

On Thursday, Herrera-Cruz was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the June 17, 2019 homicide on Midland Avenue.

A judge noted Herrera-Cruzs outside role in the actual dispute before pronouncing sentence.

This could have been avoided, state Supreme Court Justice Gordon Cuffy said. I dont know why you got involved with a knife in the middle of a fistfight.

LaCoste was days away from graduating from Corcoran High School at the time of his death.

He was set to graduate from high school, Chief Assistant District Attorney Melinda McGunnigle said at sentencing. Due to actions of the defendant, he will never have his future.

Herrera-Cruz has expressed remorse since the incident, but noted Wednesday that theres nothing he can do now to change what happened.

I give my heart out to the family, he said.

LaCostes sister, Makailah, sobbed as she spoke about the impact her brothers death has had.

It just tore my family apart, she said.

Theres some dispute as to how LaCoste and Herrera-Cruz became engaged in the one-on-one fighting.

McGunnigle, the prosecutor, says the fight started because the father of LaCostes girlfriends children was unhappy that LaCoste was dating her.

Defense lawyer Don Kelly said that Herrera-Cruz and the father were confronted by LaCoste with a hammer.

In any case, it was clear that Herrera-Cruz caused LaCostes fatal stabbing injury to the chest, McGunnigle said.

This defendant was fighting one on one with LaCoste, the prosecutor said. Michael was left to bleed out and die from his injuries.

Herrera-Cruzs sentencing was conducted virtually due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the defendant, lawyers and victims family appearing remotely as the judge presided from a downtown courtroom.

Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.
We Dont Want to Put in an Algorithm to Surveil People 24/7: Parler Chief Policy Officer

Parler Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff said on Tuesday that their company doesnt want to follow other tech giant companies in implementing an algorithm to surveil people around clock, stating that such a practice goes against the Fourth Amendment.

So on Parler, our disagreement was that we did not want to put in an algorithm that would subject everybody on the entire platform to 24/7 surveillance. We wanted to handle this content in a way that respected the privacy of people and thats where we are disagreeing now. Peikoff told Sean Hannity of Fox News on Jan. 12.

We believe that innocent people about whom you have no particularized suspicion should not be surveilled. Thats the principle of the Fourth Amendment of our Constitution. Pickoff told Newsmax the same day.

Parler is an emerging social platform that grew exponentially after Twitter, Facebook, and other social media permanently closed the accounts of President Donald Trump and many other conservatives, pushing them to alternative platforms.

Google suspended the Parler app from its app store Friday, claiming they did so because of posts on Parler that may incite ongoing violence in the United States, therefore violating its requirements for sufficient moderation of egregious content.

Apple pushed a similar narrative as well and asked Parler to provide detailed plans to improve moderation and content filtering services for objectionable content later on, according to the Wall Street Journal.

But Parler wants to take a different approach to moderation.

Peikoff told Hannity that Parler knows that the First Amendment may protect hate speech but not speech that incites violence or threatens.

Of course, we want to remove it [violence-inciting speech]. So we agree with Apple and Amazon that it is desirable to remove it. But we disagreed about was whether the first resort, especially wouldnt be any resort for us in a normal situation, would be to subject people to 24/7 surveillance to doing all of the data mining that the other platforms do. Peikoff said.

The tech giants want their model to be the standard for the entire Internet, and to us, we think that that takes Orwells 1984 from a dystopian novel and turns it into an instruction manual for everybody to follow, Peikoff told Fox.

The social media giants also claimed that Parler may have facilitated violence in the protests on Jan. 6, but Peikoff explained to Newsmax that Parler doesnt have a group feature and that groups on Facebook were a much more efficient way to plan something to that extent.

Peikoff also complained that Amazons sudden shut down of Parlers servers caused a lot of problems for numerous people. Parler couldnt help law enforcement to provide information on what happened on Jan. 6 because the short notice Amazon gave Parler made it difficult for them to access their data.
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
International travellers could be sent to remote Outback camps to self-isolate for 14 days after coronavirus again leaked from hotel quarantine.

The Queensland Government is reportedly considering the drastic move after being rocked by a mystery Covid cluster at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane, which could became a blueprint for other states.

A deeply concerned Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday demanded immediate changes to the way mandatory quarantine is administered in Australia.

Her calls came after six people at the hotel - four quarantining guests, a cleaner and her partner - contracted the highly-contagious UK strain of coronavirus.

Authorities have yet to work out how the worker, who was infectious in the community for five days, picked-up the virus from a man returning from Britain.

Greater Brisbane was forced into a snap three-day lockdown following the cleaner's confirmed case as Queensland Health scrambled to contact trace.

Returned travellers across Australia could be spending their 14 days isolation in remote campsites as authorities grapple with Covid leaking out of quarantine hotels. Pictured, the Northern Territory already accommodates returnees at the Howard Springs quarantine facility, 25km south of Darwin

Six people from the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane have tested positive to the highly-infectious UK strain of coronavirus leading to remote quarantine options being considered

The Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster has already led to changes to Australia's mandatory quarantine, with flight caps reduced, workers being tested daily and negative tests before travel required. Pictured, a returning Australian entering hotel quarantine in Melbourne

The government is now revisiting plans drawn-up mid-last year to house returned travellers in campsites in southern and central Queensland, The Australian reported.

The campsites were used more than a decade ago to provide accommodation to workers while the liquefied natural gas industry was being developed in Queensland.

Owners of the proposed facilities will meet with Queensland police and health authorities on Thursday to thrash out logistics of the plan, such as transporting returnees to and from the site.

Police had already thrown their support behind the plan when it was first mooted as it was easier for officers to manage, which led to preliminary talks with the owners.

But the plans were never followed through with as confirmed cases of coronavirus waned.

Ms Palaszczuk on Wednesday said quarantine arrangements across Australian needed to be overhauled.

The Northern Territory is currently the only jurisdiction in Australia where returnees are not accommodated in a major city hotel. Pictured, the Howard Springs quarantine facility

About 600 people have been forced into quarantine due to the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster. Pictured are paramedics at the Brisbane hotel on Wednesday

'I think we need to immediately look at the way in which we are handling people coming into the country, international arrivals, and also, too, looking at the quarantine hotels that they are going into,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'Of course, we have to put in addition precautions and we are doing that immediately, but what we are dealing with here is something that we've never had to deal with before.'

Ms Palaszczuk said the nation needed to be on high alert about the highly-infectious UK coronavirus strain.

'This is of concern, it is of national concern. Everybody needs to be on higher alert with this particular strain,' she said.

Australians returning to the Northern Territory are already placed in a disused workers camp outside of major residential areas.

The Howard Springs quarantine facility is located 25 kilometres south of Darwin's CBD and has been used for Covid-related isolation since last February.

Queensland police and health are said to be having talks with the owners of the proposed quarantine camps to work through issues such as the logistics of transporting returned travellers. Pictured, arrivals at the Howard Springs quarantine facility

Almost 130 people who were staying at the Hotel Grand Chancellor were told they were being moved to alternative accommodation on Wednesday. Pictured, returnees staying at the hotel

Howard Springs is currently the only place in Australia where mandatory quarantine is not completed in a major city hotel.

Ms Palaszczuk wants urgent talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison and her state and territory counterparts about changes to quarantine arrangements.

Any change will need the approval of national cabinet as it could involve changes to to international flight paths.

Western Australia is seen as another location where remote camps would likely work because of the many campsites established for the resource sector.

The Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster has already led to national changes, with hotel workers having to be tested daily and the number of Australians allowed to return slashed in half.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured on Wednesday) expressed concern about the hotel cluster, despite the state recording no new locally-acquired cases

A negative test result also had to be recorded before boarding a flight home.

Almost 130 returned travellers quarantined in the hotel had to be transferred to alternative accommodation after a further two guests staying on the same floor mysteriously caught the virus strain.

Some 226 employees who have worked at the hotel since December 30 must also be quarantined and tested.

An additional 250 guests who have left quarantine since December 30 and remain in Queensland are being contacted as they must undergo another 14 days of hotel quarantine.

The six cases from the hotel cluster were linked by genomic sequencing.

Covid has not only leaked out of Brisbane but in Sydney too - four times in the past month.

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

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.

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 sprad 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.
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson speaks during a virtual press conference at No.10 Downing Street, in London, on Jan. 7, 2021. (Tolga Akmen - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Boris Johnson Says Lockdown Starting to Have an Effect in Curbing CCP Virus

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that the lockdown measures have started having an effect in curbing the spread of the new CCP virus variant.

However, the main opposition Labour Party says the existing lockdown measures are not sufficient and has called for even stricter restrictions.

At the Prime Ministers Questions in the House of Commons, Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said that the governments advisers had warned Johnson that the new more transmissible variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus was spreading fast and the current measures were highly unlikely to be able to control it.

The next big decision is obvious. The current restrictions are not strong enough to control the virus. Stronger restrictions are needed, he said.

Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer leaves his home in London, on April 22, 2020. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Johnson responded by saying that the government was keeping things under constant review and that he wouldnt rule out toughening up restrictions if needed.

We are now seeing the beginnings of some signs that the lockdown measures are starting to have an effect in many parts of the country, but by no means everywhere, he said.

Johnson said the negative consequences of lockdown rules must also be taken into account, because nobody can doubt the serious damage that is done by lockdowns to peoples mental health, to jobs, to livelihoods as well.

Last week, Johnson put the whole of England under the third national lockdown since the CCP virus pandemic began last spring, in order to stem the spread of the new variant, which the government said has a 50 to 70 percent faster rate of transmission.

Under the new restrictions, people may only leave home for limited reasons, such as to shop for essentials, to work if they cant work from home, to exercise, to seek medical assistance, or to escape domestic abuse.

Earlier on Wednesday, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, a Labour politician, wrote on Twitter that he was left with little choice but to ask the [government] to tighten measures.

Here are the facts. Londons cases are worse than in March, yet our restrictions are looser. Were also dealing with a more transmissible strain of the virus. This cannot continue. London leaders and I are left with little choice but to ask the Govt to tighten measures. 1/4  Mayor of London (gov.uk/coronavirus) (@MayorofLondon) January 13, 2021

Khan urged the government to close places of worship and make it mandatory to wear face masks outdoors.

Khan declared a major incident last Friday, saying that London was at crisis point amid a surge of CCP virus cases.

Simon Veazey and Reuters contributed to this report.
[January 13, 2021] InterSystems IRIS for Health was selected by Konica Minolta Japan for Rapid FHIR-Based Data Integration for Imaging Devices

InterSystems, a creative data technology provider dedicated to helping customers solve the most critical scalability, interoperability, and speed problems, announced today that InterSystems IRIS for Health - the world's first and only data platform developed specifically for extracting value from medical data - was selected by Konica Minolta Japan as the underlying technology for its new software systems that enable the Japanese tech giant's devices to rapidly integrate patient data with other hospital systems. Utilizing the HL7 FHIR standard, the software supports the automated connection, visualization and use of medical data between Konica Minolta (News - Alert) Japan's devices and other hospital systems such as the electronic medical record (EMR). InterSystems IRIS for Health is the wold's first and only data platform specifically engineered to extract value from healthcare data. On this platform, developers can create and scale healthcare applications with tools that are uniquely designed to meet the current and future needs of modern healthcare.



Konica Minolta Japan is a mission-driven digital company offering a wide range of solutions spanning different markets. Within healthcare, the company provides diagnostic imaging and ultrasound systems, as well as solutions for centralized management and utilization of medical records for medical facilities, including filing, and document systems. Under this agreement, InterSystems (News - Alert) will provide IRIS for Health to Konica Minolta Japan to help their new system development that supports the automated connection, visualization and use of all medical data typically found scattered across various systems including electronic health records, diagnostic imaging, laboratory, document systems and more. Through this partnership, InterSystems supports Konica Minolta Japan's aims to contribute to improved patient care quality and safety, in addition to efficiency gains.

"We are very pleased that InterSystems IRIS for Health's HL7FHIR capability, the new standard for medical information exchange, and its ability to process medical data at high speed, have been highly regarded by Konica Minolta Japan and they've chosen InterSystems IRIS for Health as the core technology of their healthcare system development," said Masane Hayashi, country manager for InterSystems in Japan. "Through the interoperability of FHIR and our support for the development of new systems that process and analyze vast amounts of medical information at high speed, we are pleased to help that the necessary information be delivered to the healthcare professionals who need it and to contribute in reducing alert fatigue among healthcare professionals, which is becoming an increasing social problem." About InterSystems Established in 1978, InterSystems is the leading provider of technology for extremely critical data in the healthcare, finance, and manufacturing and supply chain sectors. Its cloud-first data platforms solve interoperability, speed, and scalability problems for large organizations around the globe. InterSystems also develops and supports unique managed services for hospital EMRs, unified care records for communities and nations, and laboratory information management systems. InterSystems is committed to excellence through its award-winning, 247 support for customers and partners in more than 80 countries. Privately held and headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, InterSystems has 25 offices worldwide. For more information, please visit https://www.InterSystems.com View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005541/en/

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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Photo by Hargreaves Jones [enlarge] Cumberland Park in Nashville is an innovative play space for children and families incorporating play structures and water features. The 6.5-acre park includes an outdoor amphitheater which accommodates about 1,200 people for events.





The American Society of Landscape Architects opened the call for presentations for the 2021 ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in Nashville, Tennessee.





. . .
Journal-Courier

CARROLLTON  A Carrollton man has been sentenced after pleading guilty last year to burying an infant in a shallow grave in rural Carrollton.

Ryan L. Wheeler, 36, was sentenced last week to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and one year of mandatory supervised release in connection with the death of 6-month-old Jabari Ellis in late 2018.
Opinion

Inspiration from a year most of us want to forget

Keith Morris finds some inspiration from 2020 - a year that most of us will want to forget.

I am sure that you, like me, look back on 2020 as a year that you do not want to see repeated in your lifetime.



We lost so many freedoms which we had taken for granted. We also lost people we admired and loved.



My wife and daughter are both front-line medics and the pressures, dangers and anguish they faced on a daily basis put my comparatively minor inconveniences to shame.



As a humble journalist I can continue to ply my trade from home, almost as effectively as with freedom to roam. In fact, I have worked from home, at least part-time, for the last 15 years.



My main role, as I see it, is to tell the often inspirational stories of the real heroes of the last 12 months: doctors, nurses, shop workers, bin men, posties, church ministers, foodbank organisers, teachers, sometimes even politicians.



As editor of Network Norfolk, I and my small dedicated team have tried our best to keep the good news, and the not-so-good news when necessary, flowing to inspire, educate, inform and connect our audiences.



A personal thank-you from the Lord Lieutenant of Norfolk, Lady Philippa Dannatt, was a real encouragement, as is on-going support from our many readers and partners.



A highlight was the launch of the faithhopelovenorfolk.co.uk website which, to date, has highlighted the work of well over 100 Christian churches, projects and organisations making a real impact for those who are especially vulnerable at this time.



In a world that seems to have been turned on its head; for those of us with a Christian faith, there is still one constant  and that is the person of Jesus Christ and the hope that he gives us.



For me this was best summed up last year by Catholic Deacon Peter Coates, from Woodbridge in Suffolk, who died in June.



Peter wrote a regular column in a Catholic newspaper which I edit. He had recently recovered from major heart problems and was looking for ways to continue his vocation.



I can no longer drive, nor can I walk more than a few yards, so my liturgical and pastoral possibilities are very limited, he explained.



Peter wrote on a multitude of topics. He was not afraid to address hard subjects such as the pain he often endured because of his poor health and his own mortality.



His June column was about his recent 80th birthday and his reflections on a long life and counting his blessings. He clearly knew then what was coming for him and where he was going when it did.



Less than a week before he died, Peter wrote to me for the final time, keen to provide his column in time for the July newspaper. Pain is up this week but this writing is very therapeutic, he wrote, more later.



I am sure, as ever, that he was right and there will indeed be more later




A judge had ruled that allowing the heart attack victim to die was in his interests

Wife said he should be taken off life support as he wouldn't want to be burden

This was disputed by man's mother, sisters and niece who have resisted ruling

A comatose man's Catholic family has been urged by judges to end their fight to keep him alive and respect his wife's wishes to take him off life-support.

A London judge ruled in December that allowing the heart attack victim to die was in his best interests after hearing from his wife that he would not want to be a burden.

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This was disputed by the man's mother, sisters and niece, who argued that, because of his Catholic beliefs, he would not have wanted to die if his life could be preserved.

Their challenge, which was backed by pro-life group the Christian Legal Centre, was thrown out of the Court of Appeal, but the niece has since tried other avenues to overturn the ruling.

After her most recent failed appeal attempt, judges urged the man's family to back down as the row would be proving 'deeply distressing' for his wife and children.

One judge branded the wrangling over his life an 'assault upon the dignity of this man'.

Lord Justice Peter Jackson

Lady Justice King

A London judge ruled in December that allowing the heart attack victim to die was in his best interests after hearing from his wife that he would not want to be a burden (stock image)

The middle-aged man, who is from Poland but lives in the West Country and cannot be identified, suffered a cardiac arrest in November last year, during which his heart stopped for at least 45 minutes, causing 'severe and irreversible' brain damage.

Lord Justice Peter Jackson said today that judges had to ensure that his best interests were not 'prejudiced by continued unfounded challenges to lawful decisions'.

The judge said the 'variety of measures' employed by the man's 'birth family' could not be allowed to distract attention from the wishes and feelings of the man, or from the 'situation' of his wife and children.

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He said the man's wife and children were 'having to endure proceedings' which, on top of 'his loss from their daily lives', must be must be 'deeply distressing'.

Lady Justice King agreed and added: 'It is hard to contemplate the distress which must have been caused to the wife and children of (the man) by the continuation of these proceedings after this court had dismissed the application for permission to appeal from Mr Justice Cohen's original decision that it was in (the man's) best interests for all medical treatment to be withdrawn.'

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She told how treatment had been 'withdrawn' and 'reinstated' three times as a result of continuing litigation and said: 'It is difficult to imagine a greater assault upon the dignity of this man.'

A comatose man's Catholic family has been urged by judges to end their fight to keep him alive and respect his wife's wishes to take him off life-support (stock image)

After the niece's initial appeal was rejected, she continued trying to overturn the ruling and appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to intervene, but European judges refused to grant 'interim relief'.

She further asked Court of Appeal judges to allow another doctor to examine her uncle, but this was also refused.

Bosses at the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust have responsibility for the man's care and had asked Mr Justice Cohen to rule that ending life-support treatment would be lawful.

Judges sitting in the Court of Protection consider issues relating to people who lack the mental capacity to take decisions for themselves.

Mr Justice Cohen, who also hears cases in the Family Division of the High Court, heard that the man had fallen into a coma several weeks ago after suffering brain damage.

Specialists treating the man said his condition would never improve significantly and thought life-support treatment should end.

His wife of nearly 20 years agreed but his mother, who lives in Poland, sisters and niece disagreed.

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Mr Justice Cohen, who also heard evidence from independent medical experts, concluded that the man's wife knew more about his views, and decided that ending life-support treatment was in his best interests.
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Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
Who will be the next CBI chief? PM Modi-led panel shortlists these three names; Congress protests

HD Deve Gowda asks PM Modi to look into crashing prices of horticulture produce

PM to deliver keynote address on the occasion of Virtual Vesak Global Celebrations on Buddha Purnima

Planet will not be the same after COVID-19: PM Modi

Is Modi too focused on public image during COVID?

Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala meets PM Modi amid farmers' protest

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 13: Facing heat over the ongoing six-week-long farmers' agitation, Haryana''s Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to possibly discuss issues related to the protest.

Chautala is the leader of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which is an alliance partner in the BJP-led government in Haryana. A section of JJP MLAs is believed to have been facing pressure from the agitating farmers.

In a statement, the JJP said Dushyant Chautala will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday.

No threat to Haryana govt: Khattar, deputy Dushyant meet Amit Shah

Chautala, along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

After an hour-long meeting with Shah, both Khattar and Chautala said they have discussed the prevailing law and order situation in the state. "There is no threat to the Haryana government and it will last its full five year term," Chautala had said.
LATEST, 8:19 a.m. As of Thursday morning, we have not received a response to our request for comment from either organization.

Jan. 13, 12:57 p.m. According to FEC filings, in the lead-up to the 2020 general election, San Francisco Giants principal owner Charles B. Johnson and his wife Ann each donated $2,800  the maximum allowable amount for congressional candidates  to Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a QAnon sympathizer who tweeted about the location of House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi during the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol that caused five deaths.

Charles B. Johnson, 88, is a billionaire with decadeslong ties to the Republican Party. His donations have already come under scrutiny in recent years  an ESPN/FiveThirtyEight analysis from October revealed that since 2015, he's given far more to Republicans (nearly $11 million) than any other owner in pro sports. And in 2018, Johnson donated to Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (then a candidate), who quipped about one of her supporters on the campaign trail: If he invited me to a public hanging, Id be in the front row."

Johnson issued a rare public statement when his donation was revealed, telling the San Francisco Chronicle that Hyde-Smith's remark was "stupid," that he'd gotten his money back, and, On the whole, I dont like the idea of politics affecting anything I do with the Giants.

But Johnson may have wanted to refer back to that sentiment before giving money to a conspiracy theorist who once said on a QAnon-friendly podcast, "Everything that I've heard of Q, I hope that this is real." Boebert, sworn in on Jan. 3, tweeted, "Today is 1776," in the early morning hours of Jan. 6, before Trump supporters rioted at the Capitol. She's faced calls for her resignation or expulsion after she endangered Pelosi and fellow members of the House with her live play-by-play of their whereabouts during the riots. (Other members of Congress have said that they were explicitly told not to do what Boebert did; it's unclear if she could be held criminally liable for her actions.)

When Congress reconvened, Boebert voted against ratifying the Electoral College results in the states of Arizona and Pennsylvania. She's since complained about the newly installed metal detectors at the entrance to Congress, which she apparently set off on Wednesday, after previously bragging about carrying a gun around town (there is no evidence so far that she actually brought the gun into the building).

The Johnsons' $5,600 donations date back to Sept. 23, a few months after Boebert won her primary race. That victory got her on President Donald Trump's radar.

Johnson's not the only MLB owner who seems to have taken a liking to Boebert. FEC filings show that on Sept. 12, Arizona Diamondbacks owner Earl "Ken" Kendrick similarly donated $2,800 to her campaign. Almost five years ago, Earl and his wife Randy were lauded for funding an anti-Trump Super PAC. Ken said, Randy, our obligation is to our own ethics, our integrity, our values. They arent to a particular party. We didnt take a loyalty oath to the party, Randy said at the time.

Randy Kendrick also donated $2,800 to Boebert on Sept. 12, according to FEC records.

We reached out to the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday morning to see if the organizations or team owners wanted to an issue a statement about their donations. We gave them a deadline of end of day Wednesday. As of Thursday morning, we have not received a response from either organization.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Areas of dense morning fog. Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 88F. Winds S at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 71F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Source: AP

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the worlds fourth most populated country.

After Widodo, top military, police and medical officials were vaccinated, as well as the secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the clerical body that last week ruled the vaccine was halal and could be taken by Muslims.

Others such as a health care worker, businesspeople and a social media influencer also received the shots to encourage people to get the vaccine when it is available to them.

We need to do the vaccination to stop the chain spread of COVID-19 and give health protection to us and the safety to all Indonesian people. It will also help accelerate economic improvement, Widodo said.

This vaccine is the instrument we can use to protect us. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, our neighbor, Indonesian people and the human civilization, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Wednesday.

This vaccine is given to achieve herd immunity. All 70 percent of the worlds people must be vaccinated for that to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of this program, he said.

Conditional use of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine is scheduled to be rolled out in the coming months with health care workers, civil servants and other at-risk populations prioritized. It will be free for all Indonesian citizens.

For Indonesia to vaccinate two-thirds of its population, 181.5 million people, Sadikin said the two-shot vaccine would require almost 427 million doses, including the estimate that 15 percent may be wasted.

Distribution will not be easy in the vast archipelago where transportation and infrastructure are limited in places. Health officials have cited concerns about keeping the vaccine refrigerated at the required 3646 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain its safety and effectiveness.

We know that the cold-chain distribution is not complete. This is the obstacle, Sadikin said Tuesday. The cold-chain facilities are not enough so we are still distributing some of the vaccines. We are worried.

Indonesia received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccines on Dec. 6 and began distributing the doses around the country while awaiting emergency use authorization. It was cleared for emergency use based on clinical trial data and after the Indonesian Ulema Council declared the vaccine holy and halal.

Indonesias vaccination program is the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China.

Indonesia has recorded more than 846,000 cases of the virus, including over 24,600 deaths.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
He previously slid into Megan Barton-Hanson's direct messages to demand she apologises to Eyal Booker for treating him badly on Love Island in 2018.

And Scott Disick's friendship with the British reality star appears to be going from strength to strength, as he shared a snap from their intimate 'doctor approve' dinner.

Unlikely pals Scott, 37, and Eyal have grown close after meeting through their respective girlfriends and sisters Amelia Gray Hamlin, 19, and Delilah Belle Hamlin, 22.

'Private sushi dinner': Scott Disick's friendship with the British reality star appears to be going from strength to strength, as he shared a snap from their intimate 'doctor approve' dinner

In the throwback snap Scott posed with his arm around Eyal, 25, and Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon Ashkan Ghavami, as they sat down for dinner at his home.

The father of three insisted their 'private' dinner had been 'marked safe' at the time by doctors, presumably meaning they had all been tested for coronavirus before mixing together in Scott's pad.

They were also joined by a private professional chef who could be seen preparing food in the kitchen in the background of the photograph.

Weighing in: previously slid into Megan Barton-Hanson's direct messages to demand she apologises to Eyal Booker for treating him badly on Love Island in 2018

Scott opted for a casually cool look in a graphic print sweatshirt, layered with a black North Face jacket, while Eyal rocked a blue quarter zip jumper.

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star previously told Megan, 26, he was 'disgusted' by her behaviour and 'extremely disturbed' after watching the ITV2 series from over two years ago.

Megan shared the random correspondence on her Instagram story, telling her fans she was left 'speechless' and 'genuinely concerned' by Scott's messages.

'Extremely disturbed': The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star previously told Megan, 26, he was 'disgusted' by her behaviour and 'extremely disturbed' after watching the ITV2 series from over two years ago

Scott said: 'Hey, I recently saw your program Love Island. I had a few questions for you about it. Let me know when you're around to speak about it,' to which Megan replied: 'Hey you What do you wanna know?'

He continued: 'I was recently introduced to a beautiful man, named Eyal, when I went to see what he's done on TV, I was astonished by your behaviour.

'To find you mugging him off and taking full advantage of his unbelievably beautiful sense of humour and vulnerability  I'm extremely disturbed that anyone could be so disrespectful to somebody for no good reason.

'Disrespectful': Megan shared the random correspondence on her Instagram story, telling her fans she was left 'speechless' and 'genuinely concerned' by Scott's messages

Former lovers: Megan and Eyal appeared on Love Island together in 2018  with the pair coupling together and going onto have sex  before swiftly ending their romance

'I would like to know if you'd be willing to write him an apology. The fact you told him he wasn't funny  when in fact, you are not Jim Carrey is absurd.'

With a screen grab of the messages, Megan said: 'It's not often I'm left speechless but sorry? What have I just read? Genuinely a little concerned about Scott though.'

Megan and Eyal appeared on Love Island together in 2018  with the pair coupling up and going onto have sex in the villa  before swiftly ending their romance.

Islander Eyal failed to make a long-lasting connection on the show with model Hayley Hughes sarcastically calling him 'hun' during one dispute, of which he replied: 'I'm not your hun, hun.'

Eyal is now in a long-term relationship with Delilah, who's the daughter of famous parents, Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin.

'Absurd': With a screen grab of the messages, Megan said: 'It's not often I'm left speechless but sorry? What have I just read? Genuinely a little concerned about Scott though'

Connection: Eyal is now in a long-term relationship with Delilah, who's the daughter of LA Law alum Harry Hamlin and RHOBH star Lisa Rinna

Delilah is also the sister of Scott's new love interest Amelia.

Scott's relationship with Amelia came after his split from Sofia Richie, 22, who he dated for three years  while still maintaining a close friendship with the wife of his three children, Kourtney Kardashian, 41.

Despite his budding romance with the reality personality, he left a 'thirsty' comment on his ex's latest Instagram picture earlier this week.

Sunday's post from the eldest Kardashian sister, 41, saw the reality star in a sparkling silver catsuit, which caused Scott to leave a rather flirty comment.

'Bow wow wow yippi yo yippy yay,' he wrote, referencing Bow Wow's 2000 track of the same name featuring Snoop Dogg.

Bow wow indeed: Kourtney Kardashian posted a set of steamy photos to her Instagram account on Sunday...

...and Scott Disick couldn't seem to keep it totally casual with his ex partner, as seen in his thirsty comment left on the racy Instagram post

Talking about the furore on BBC 1xtra's Slide Into My Podcast with Snoochie Shy, Kaz Crossley and Jordan Hames, Megan admitted she thought she had 'made it' and would even be joining Keeping Up With The Kardashians, following Scott's DM.

Megan said: 'Yeah, I could have been Mason's step mom [Scott's 10-year-old son with ex Kourtney Kardashian]. We don't know. I was saying to my manager. I was like "Oh, my God, get us a plane to LA. I need an LA agent!"

'I'm going to make it. I'm going to be in the next series of the Kardashians. And then it was just pure abuse.'

Megan admitted that when she first saw the message her 'ego and confidence was through the roof' as she was on a date with a 'really fit guy'.

She said: 'I mean, I'll be brutally honest, so I was actually when I saw it, I was like on a date with this really fit guy. So the ego and the confidence was like through the roof.

'So I was like, Scott Disick might actually just want to message me to be nice that maybe I'm just glowing on Instagram right now. And then when I saw that I was just like what it took me a couple of times to read it. I was like, "No!"'

Megan added that she doesn't think Scott actually wrote it and said it would be bizarre for someone from the Kardashian family to use the term 'mugging off'.

She continued: 'But I definitely don't think it's Scott who wrote it. Like, mugging off. I've never heard a Kardashian be like, "Oh, mugging off".'

Megan says she doesn't know who wrote it and claimed that it wasn't Scott, she added: 'No, I don't know who wrote it, but it's so British like they don't say mugging off.
Salesforce, Google, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft Among Top Ten Employers; Google and J.P. Morgan Are UK Winners For Seven Consecutive Years

LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glassdoor, the worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies, has announced the winners of its 13th annual Employees' Choice Awards, honouring the Best Places to Work in 2021 across the UK and four other countries. Unlike other workplace awards, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards are based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer over the past year.

The Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards highlight Best Places to Work across the UK , France , Germany the U.S. and Canada . Winners are ranked based on their overall rating achieved during the past year. (Ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied; Actual calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place).

"COVID-19 is in the driver's seat and every employer has been impacted. This year's winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, they'll rise to the challenge to support their people," said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. "A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritised the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this year's outstanding Employees' Choice Award winners."

The top ten Best Places to Work in 2021 for the UK are:

1. Salesforce (4.5 rating)

2. Microsoft (4.4 rating)

3. Abcam (4.4 rating)

4. Google (4.4 rating)

5. Softcat (4.4 rating)

6. GTB (4.4 rating)

7. Apple (4.3 rating)

8. Bella Italia (4.3 rating)

9. SAP (4.3 rating)

10. Facebook (4.3 rating)

Glassdoor's 50 Best Places to Work (UK) in 2021 list features winning employers across a range of industries, including technology, finance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, insurance, food and more. Notably, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there are four restaurant employers on this year's list, with three of those also appearing on last year's list, including Bella Italia (No. 8, 4.3 rating), Nando's (No. 12, 4.3) and wagamama (No. 43, 4.2). Google (No. 8, 4.4) is one of only two employers to make the UK list every year since launch, the other being J.P. Morgan (No. 14, 4.3).

Nineteen employers are newcomers to the UK large list in 2021, including Sage (No.16, 4.3), Majestic Wine (No. 19, 4.3), Just Eat (No. 20, 4.3) and The Body Shop (No. 23, 4.3). Seven employers are rejoining the list in 2021, including Sky Betting & Gaming (No. 11, 4.3; Last recognised in 2019), Arm (No. 41, 4.2; Last recognised in 2018) and Waitrose & Partners (No. 42, 4.2; Last recognised in 2018).

This year, only one employer appears on five lists: Salesforce (U.S. large, Canada, UK, France, Germany).

When employees submit reviews about their employer on Glassdoor, they are asked to share their opinions on some of the best reasons to work for their employer (pros), any downsides (cons) and are encouraged to provide advice to management. In addition, employees are asked to rate how satisfied they are with their employer overall, rate their CEO as well as rate key workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, work-life balance, senior management and culture and values. Employees are also asked whether they would recommend their employer to a friend and whether they believe their employer's six-month business outlook is positive, negative or if they have no opinion.

Among the 1.3 million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average company rating is 3.5.

Employees' Choice Award winners for the Best Places to Work in 2021 are determined using Glassdoor's proprietary awards algorithm, and each employer's rating is determined based on the quantity, quality and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews submitted by UK-based employees between 22 October, 2019 and 19 October, 2020. During the year-long eligibility period, employers considered for the list must have received at least 30 ratings for each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) taken into account as part of the awards algorithm. For reporting simplicity, ratings are displayed to the nearest tenth, though calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place to determine final rank order. Complete awards methodology can be found and downloaded here: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Award/index.htm

SEE THE 2021 WINNERS: All winning employers across this year's six categories can be found by visiting:

100 Best Places to Work - U.S .

50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For - U.S.

25 Best Places to Work - Canada

50 Best Places to Work - UK

25 Best Places to Work - France

25 Best Places to Work - Germany

EMPLOYEE COMMENTARY: Employee commentary about winning employers are available upon request.

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people everywhere to find a job and company they love. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than 1.3 million companies located in more than 190 countries. For more information, visit glassdoor.com.

Copyright  2008-2020, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.
Miki King will bring The Message of a King to Mt. Joy Churchs 35th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration.

The virtual program is at 10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 18 via Zoom and free and open to the public.

Pastor Miki A. King is the founder and overseer of T.E.A.M., a ministry formatted to provoke a conglomeration of sonship and servitude, equipping the body of Christ through leadership, training, department building and vision inclusion.

King has been in ministry since 1980 and operating as a pastor for 23 years. In 1998, she was affirmed and set apart to the fivefold ministry by Bishop E.L. Warren of the International Communion of Charismatic Churches and her late husband Apostle Cledell R. King of the International Network of Affiliate Ministries.

King can be heard on radio and several podcasts. She travels throughout the states bringing foundational truths, provocation and inspiration to the body of Christ. She has created several audio series, stage play booklets and manuscripts. She has formatted several workbooks and co-authored several other works. She is currently releasing a statewide tour called: Work Your Life.

King is the overseer of several affiliations: Work Your Life 4 Wives, a womens ministry set to enhance the merge of submission and influence. BC Ladies, a ministry for single women in waiting and The CONFIDENCE, an online curriculum for upcoming entrepreneurs.

King currently resides in St. Louis, Missouri, where she oversees the ministry headquarters of T.E.A.M.

Joining King is a call-to-action speaker Laylhany Davis. Davis is a senior at Alton High school, two-sport athlete and a leader in the community at the tender age of 18. She is a political activist and responsible for leading several protests throughout Madison County. Laylhany is passionate, committed and strong; she desires to major in political science and law with aspirations of making a true difference in her community.

Musical performances of traditional hymns will be provided by Edwardsville natives Jessica Sebree and Paul Herbert Pitts, who will take attendees on a musical journey throughout history.

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Observance and Celebration commemorates Dr. Kings legacy. Mt. Joy has been a part of the Greater Edwardsville community since 1869 and welcomes this unique opportunity to share our rich history and living heritage.

For more information about the program please call 618-656-7219.
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In an unsparing attack on Pakistan at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), India on Tuesday asserted that the international community must not allow terrorism to be justified and terrorists glorified. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the UN Security Council that the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai blasts is given not just State protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality.

"First, we must all summon up the political will to unhesitatingly combat terrorism. There must be no ifs and buts in this fight. Nor should we allow terrorism to be justified and terrorists glorified. All member states must fulfil their obligations enshrined in international counter-terrorism instruments and conventions," Jaishankar said in a virtual address. This is the first time that EAM was making an intervention in the UNSC after India has assumed membership on January 1, 2021.

He was speaking at the UNSC Ministerial Meeting on Threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts: 'International cooperation in combating terrorism 20 years after the adoption of resolution 1373 (2001).'

Jaishankar proposed an eight-point Action Plan for the UN system to credibly address the menace of terrorism and ensure effective action. He asserted that linkages between terrorism and transnational organised crime must be fully recognised and addressed vigorously.

Addressed the UN Security Council chaired by Tunisia on global fight against terrorism.



Proposed an 8-point Action Plan:



1. Summon the political will: Dont justify terrorism. Dont glorify terrorists. pic.twitter.com/NkGkIOV3t4  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 12, 2021

2. No double standards. Terrorists are terrorists. No good or bad distinction.



3. Dont place blocks and holds on listing requests without reason.



4. Discourage exclusivist thinking.  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 12, 2021

5. Enlist and delist objectively, not on political or religious considerations.



6. Recognise the linkage to organised crime.



7. Support & strengthen FATF.



8. Provide greater funding to UN Counter Terrorism.



All nations must walk the talk.#ZeroToleranceofTerrorism  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) January 12, 2021

'Terrorists are terrorists': S Jaishankar

"We, in India, have seen the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given State protection but actually enjoying 5-star hospitality," he said, alluding to D-Company and its head Dawood Ibrahim, believed to be hiding in Pakistan.

In August last year, Pakistan had for the first time acknowledged the presence of Ibrahim on its soil after the government imposed sweeping sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders which also included the name of the underworld don wanted by India.

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Jaishankar emphasised that the international community must not "countenance double standards" in the battle against terrorism. "Terrorists are terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for them are just as culpable," he said.

"Accordingly, we must reform the working methods of the Committees dealing with Sanctions and Counter-Terrorism. Transparency, accountability and effectiveness are the need of the day. The practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reason must end. This only erodes our collective credibility," he said, an apparent reference to China which had repeatedly blocked India's bids at the UN to designate Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.

Before India succeeded in its nearly 10-year long efforts to have Azhar designated as a global terrorist at the UN last year, China, Pakistan's all-weather ally, had repeatedly blocked New Delhi's attempts to list him under the 1267 Al Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the UNSC.

READ | Farmers' unions refuse to engage with SC-constituted panel; anti-farm law stir to continue

READ | Farm Laws stayed: Haryana Dy CM Chautala assures 'BJP-JJP govt safe' after meeting Shah

(With agency inputs)
Opalesque Industry Update - Announced investments to private equity funds rebounded in November from a brief slump in October, according to the just-released eVestment Private Markets Monitor covering November 2020. Public pensions in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada tracked by eVestment reported $9.6 billion of commitments to private equity funds in November, compared to only $4.2 billion in new private equity commitments in October. Throughout 2020, announced commitments went from a high of $18.18 billion in June to a low of $3.16 billion in April. And throughout the year, the pensions tracked by eVestment have favored private equity over all other private markets fund type eVestment tracks. Private markets real estate investments have shown a more challenging story, continuing to seek weak new commitment numbers outside of two months of spikes in June and September. In November, according to the new eVestment Private Markets Monitor, announced commitments to real estate funds came in at just $804 million, falling from $1.58 billion in October. The global pandemic and slower-than-expected vaccine rollout, which threaten to impact how people and companies use real estate now and for longer in the future than anticipated at the beginning of the pandemic, seems to be taking a toll on the segment. Pensions tracked by eVestment announced $2.93 billion commitments to private debt funds in November, up dramatically from the $450 million in commitments to such funds they announced in October. Setting October's results aside, commitments to private debt funds have been relatively strong and consistently on the upward swing in 2020.
The mother of a 28-year-old man shot and wounded Monday by a Houston police officer near Hobby Airport pleaded with a judge last year to keep her son jailed for being a menace to society, according to court records.

Danielle Pope, out on bond since November following an aggravated assault of a family member charge, threatened to kill a toddler during a carjacking in the latest incident that led to an officer shooting him. He pointed a gun at a woman and her child after midnight Monday as the two waited in a car for a family member at a gas station near Beltway 8 and Telephone Road.

He then threatened to shoot the child if the woman did not hurry up and get out of the car, court records show. Records outlined the initial incident and how police tracked him 5 miles away to the 7600 block of Airport Boulevard, where he was shot around 1:30 a.m. during an exchange of fire with officers.

Pope, who remains hospitalized, has since been charged with three counts of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of aggravated assault against a public servant and felon in possession of a weapon.

Records show Pope had been out on a second $40,000 bond for an aggravated assault of a family member charge since November at the time of the officer-involved shooting. He posted his first bond in April following his 2019 arrest in connection to pistol-whipping his ex-girlfriend. The next month, Popes mother penned a letter asking that he remain jailed because of rampant theft and drug use, according to court filings.

Its all about drugs, she said in a handwritten note. Im pleading to the judge to keep him in longer. No one in my family wants him around. Hes a menace to society.

Her letter was attached to a motion to surrender the principal in his bond. Judge Hazel B. Jones in the 174th District Court signed off on the request, and he was back in jail days later.

When you consider the allegations in the new cases  someone who has the ability to point a gun at a toddler  it doesnt surprise me that their own family would label them as a menace to society, said Joseph Sanchez, the prosecutor handling the new round of charges.

Sanchez said the officers and child were lucky to not have been hurt.

Popes criminal history in Harris County dates back to 2010 with four felony convictions  theft, drug possession and weapon charges among them.

During the latest incident, the woman told police that she got her child out of the car and the returning family member confronted him. Pope is alleged to have pointed a gun at him and told him to back up as he drove in reverse.

A sergeant later spotted the stolen vehicle near the 7600 block of Airport Boulevard and gave chase.

The vehicle came to stop with a blown tire, and the suspect got out with the gun raised at officers, court records show. He is said to have fired at least two shots at the officers, who returned fire while taking cover behind a patrol car.

The officer  sworn into HPD in July 2018  shot Pope once.

The shooting remains under investigation by HPDs Special Investigations Unit and the Internal Affairs Division, which  along with the Harris County District Attorneys Office  is conducting a review.

Prosecutors have since requested that Pope be held without bond. He is slated to appear in court Wednesday morning.

The incident marked the second officer-involved shooting of 2021  with the first fatality happening last week during a joint law enforcement operation at a Harris County motel. In that case, a Houston police officer shot and killed 27-year-old Jose Guzman, a possible suspect in a string of armed robberies.

It was not known if charges had been filed against two other men detained in that incident. Police spokesman Victor Senties said robbery investigators are showing photos of the men to witnesses in other cases.

nicole.hensley@chron.com


$1.2 million grant funds a new generation of healthcare telemanipulation robots

Researchers at UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Irvine and San Diego State University have been awarded a $1.2 million UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) grant to develop an advanced class of mobile telemanipulation robots. These easy-to-operate, low-cost robots called UC Iris will be used to grasp objects, open doors and perform other tasks to advance telehealth, allowing healthcare workers to safely conduct remote exams and providing quarantined Californians a safe way to interact outside their homes.

"COVID-19 is exacerbating societal inequities and will continue to affect our existence for years to come," said project lead Laurel Riek, a professor in UC San Diego's Computer Science and Engineering department and director of the university's Healthcare Robotics Lab. "Two groups are at extremely high risk for infection, adverse physical and mental health outcomes and extended isolation: Frontline healthcare workers and people who cannot leave their homes due to high infection risk. This project will develop new telehealth robotic technologies to support both groups."

Entitled Robot-facilitated Health Equity in Post-Pandemic California and Beyond, the team will develop state-of-the-art mobile robots with advanced tactile sensing, manipulation, and haptics technologies (which transmit information through touch). This will allow operators to feel truly immersed in a remote location and give them a sense of presence and touch. Veronica Santos, professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and director of the Biomechatronics Lab at UCLA, and Veronica Ahumada-Newhart, human-robot interaction scientist at UC Irvine and director of the Technology and Social Connectedness Lab are co-principal investigators on the team.

For healthcare workers, these new robots will help conduct remote exams. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians have largely relied on static telehealth technologies, such as Zoom and telemedicine carts, to reduce infection risks. However, they must physically deliver these technologies; train patients to use them; and troubleshoot technical issues - all at the patient's bedside - mitigating their benefits. In addition, existing technologies lack touch and independent mobility, key features many clinicians need.

Outside of hospitals, millions are at high risk for infection, including people with cancer, those with suppressed immune systems and older adults. These individuals have been further isolated by the pandemic, putting them at increased risk for depression, suicide, dementia and other conditions.

To address this, the team will advance inexpensive, user-friendly robotic systems that give quarantined people new opportunities to "leave" home and interact with society.

"We will be designing new haptic interfaces, tactile sensing modalities and shared control methods for telemanipulation," said Riek. "For healthcare workers, these robots will enable new ways to safely treat patients. For people who are isolated, they will provide new opportunities to engage with their loved ones and their communities."

The researchers will also study optimal ways to deploy the technology. The team will work closely with healthcare workers across the UC system, including emergency medicine specialists and hospitalists, to integrate UC Iris into critical care settings. They will also explore how these robots can improve quality of life for isolated groups and increase their independence.

"We are specifically focused on Latino communities, as they are the most tragically affected by COVID-19 in California, representing 71% of fatalities among those 18 to 64," said Riek. "We will explore ways the robots can help them engage and feel included in their communities without risking in-person gatherings."

###

The Team

The multidisciplinary research team includes internationally-recognized experts in robotics, haptics, health informatics and psychology.

Dr. Laurel Riek (UC San Diego) will lead the overall project, coordinating research activities across the UC campuses, and leading development of the new mobile telemanipulation robotic system, including creating new shared control methods.

Dr. Veronica Santos (UCLA) brings expertise in artificial tactile sensing/perception, grasp and manipulation with human, prosthetic and robotic hands to lead development of new haptics technologies that support teleoperator embodiment.

Dr. Veronica Ahumada-Newhart (UCI) is an expert in health informatics and developmental psychology and will lead efforts to develop telerobots that support robot-mediated inclusion.

Dr. Tania Morimoto (UC San Diego) contributes expertise in human-in-the-loop interfaces, including low-cost haptics, to accommodate a wide range of age and experience levels. Morimoto will lead efforts to create new haptic display technology.

Dr. Jacquelynne Eccles (UCI), one of the leading developmental scientists of her generation, will support virtual inclusion efforts on the project.

Dr. Kristen Wells (SDSU), brings extensive expertise in clinical psychology and behavioral science, particularly in health equity and health disparities.

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China is creating a new line of rocket engines for its upcoming space missions, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) announced Tuesday.



According to the state-owned satellite and rocket maker, progress has been made in key technologies for a hydrogen/oxygen high-thrust staged combustion cycle engine, which will serve the country's heavy-lift carrier rockets.

The CASC is developing a heavy-lift rocket with a carrying capacity of 140 tonnes to low-Earth orbit, according to previous reports. The rocket will offer support for China's lunar explorations, deep space explorations, large-scale space infrastructure construction and space resource development.

Besides, the rocket maker has recently completed a reliability test run for its high-thrust oxyhydrogen engine designed for the Long March-5B carrier rocket, which will be used to launch different modules of China's space station. The core module is scheduled for launch this spring.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi presides the US House of Representatives vote on the impeachment of US President Donald Trump at the US Capitol, January 13, 2021, in Washington, DC. - The Democrat-controlled US House of Representatives on January 13 opened debate on a historic second impeachment of President Donald Trump over his supporters' attack of the Capitol that left five dead. (SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images/TNS)
Jordan will cancel Friday curfews starting this week and allow the reopening of schools starting from the next semester.

Prime Minister Bisher Khasawneh made the remarks in an address at the Lower House, where he said all necessary measures and procedures would be taken to ensure the safety and preserve the health of all.

He said Jordan would also cancel home quarantine for all arriving passengers and start the gradual opening of several sectors closed over the past few months to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Short link:



CLEVELAND -- I wrote last week about George Washingtons 1796 warning that party politics would create a culture of revenge for past harms, which could cause a party to turn to an immoral leader who would use that partys anger for his own ends. Since Washingtons not here, Im going to say it for him, I told you so.

Last Wednesday, the U.S. Capitol was breached violently for the first time since 1814. For those like me who arent particularly talented at math, thats more than 200 years ago. In 1814, the Capitol was breached by British invaders during the War of 1812. In 2020, the Capitol was breached, not by foreigners, but by Americans. That breach occurred, not during any war, but during a time of peace.

How did this happen? As you can expect, the blame has been spread around widely: the individuals who stormed the Capitol; the Capitol Police; federal intelligence agencies; the individuals who spoke at the Save America rally; and President Donald Trump. Thats fair, because a crowd is not able to successfully storm the building that houses the U.S. Congress without the failures of many different individuals, organizations and institutions.

But I want to lay blame where I believe George Washington would have placed blame: party politics. More specifically, I want to lay blame for last Wednesday on the Republican Party. There were many different contributors to last Wednesdays events, but the insurrectionists were supporters of President Trump. And who has supported President Trump for four years? The Republican Party.

I know some of you will argue its unfair to blame a political party for the criminal behavior of individuals. However, I would respond that the Republican Party has consistently blamed the Democratic Party for the rioting and violence that has occurred in relation to nationwide protests against police brutality. Members of the party, including President Trump, called upon Joe Biden to denounce the violence. Whats good for the goose must be good for the gander.

To be fair, many Republican legislators and prominent party figures, including President Trump, have since denounced the violence which occurred. I applaud them for doing so. However, denunciations do not ensure that incidents like last Wednesday do not happen again. Only accountability does that.

The Republican Party must hold itself accountable because it is the party which supported Donald J. Trump for president of the United States. Trump was a known quantity before his election. All you have to do is recall what his peers said about him during the 2016 campaign.

Sen. Lindsey Graham said, [Trump] is shallow, he is ill-prepared to be commander-in-chief, he doesnt know how our laws work, he says the worst things possible about immigrants and women, and hes a complete idiot when it comes to Mideast policy. Sen. Marco Rubio said Trump was preying upon peoples fears to get them to vote for [him]. Rubio went on, saying in reference to the violence at Trump rallies that, Leadership is not inciting people to get angrier. Thats not leadership. You know what it is? Thats called demagoguery. Sen. Ted Cruz called Trump a pathological liar, utterly amoral, and a narcissist at a level I dont think this countrys ever seen.

What did anyone think was going to happen when this man was given all the power associated with the U.S. presidency? True, these comments were made during the course of a political campaign. Politicians do make inflammatory statements to tear down their opponents. But that doesnt make these statements false. The attacks on Trump during the primary were consistently centered around his lack of character and unfitness for office. That has to mean something, especially now, given what weve witnessed since his election.

Eric Foster is a columnist for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com.

It wasnt even surprising when Trump claimed that the 2020 election was stolen from him through fraud. He had made the same claim before. In February 2016, Trump claimed that Cruz stole the primary election in Iowa. He asked for a new election based on the fraud committed by Cruz.

Now here we are four years later. Trump lost an election. He falsely claimed the other side stole it through fraud. He asked, in a variety of ways, for a new election based upon the alleged fraud. When that failed, he encouraged his followers to fight in his name against the false injustice. They stormed the Capitol. Now five people are dead.

The Republican Party must ask itself if the ends justified the means. The party entered into a Faustian bargain of sorts with Trump. The dangers of a Trump presidency were abundantly clear in 2016. Still, he won the primaries handily.

During his presidency, Trump enacted policies that many Republicans support, but at what cost? What should have been one of the most secure buildings in our entire nation was shown to be insecure. We have lost our moral standing to assert the greatness of American democracy to other nations around the world.

Whats more, the violence may not be over. The FBI reports that armed protests are being planned in all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C.

Its clear that Trump must be removed. But he is not the problem. He is the symptom. His presidency did not reveal who he was. His presidency, his election, his very consideration for candidacy as a president of the United States of America revealed little about him and much about the party which chose him as its leader.

Before Trump, I understood the Republican Party to be one of conservative values such as limited government, pro-business, fiscal conservatism, states rights, traditional marriage, and anti-abortion. It has since become the party of whatever Trump wants. We have seen the consequences.

During the 2016 presidential primaries, Sen. Graham said, This is not about who we nominate anymore as Republicans as much as its who we are. This is a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party.

What is true in 2016 remains true in 2021. This is still a fight for the heart and soul of the Republican Party.

Values and ideas are warring with fear and anger. Fear and anger prevailed in 2016. Only time will tell who the ultimate victor will be. In the meantime, values and ideas, Im rooting for you.

Eric Foster, a community member of the editorial board, is a columnist for The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com. Foster is a lawyer in private practice. The views expressed are his own.

To reach Eric Foster: ericfosterpd@gmail.com

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* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
Lehigh Valley Health Network is preparing to launch a mass COVID-19 vaccination site at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom in South Whitehall Township.

Tana Korpics, spokeswoman for Dorney Park, confirmed work began this week on preparing the operation, with tents going up in the amusement parks parking lots. A timeframe for when the vaccinations would begin has not been set, she said.

The operation is expected to mirror the health networks free, drive-through flu vaccination clinic performed each fall. The flu shots have been implemented for the past 23 years, free to the public, regardless of where people live or whether they have medical insurance, said Lehigh Valley Health Network spokesman Brian Downs.

In November, the Lehigh Valley Health Network provided nearly 8,000 flu vaccinations over a two-day span at both Dorney Park and Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, Korpics said.

The network continues to vaccinate health care workers against COVID-19 as quickly and safely as possible as the vaccine arrives to ensure they are able to care for patients and the public, Downs said.

We are ready to take our tested plan live for the COVID-19 vaccine so that we can continue our leadership role and vaccinate all that want it in a quick and safe setting, he added.

Tents are set up Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, in the parking areas of Dorney Park in advance of qualified recipients being able to get the COVID-19 vaccine when it's distributed. Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

While an appointment hasnt been required to receive the flu vaccine, patients interested in receiving the COVID-19 vaccination will need to set up a time, Downs said. Appointments will be scheduled via LVHNs online portal at mylvhn.org. Downs said those receiving the COVID-19 vaccine dont have to be an LVHN patient to create an account, which will offer the fastest, easiest way to be notified when appointments will be available.

By mid-December, both the Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Lukes University Health Network received the first shipments of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc. and its German partner BioNTech on their campuses. Around the same time of that shipment, a government advisory panel endorsed a second COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for the Moderna shot to be added to the U.S. vaccination campaign.

However, because the initial supplies are limited, federal and state plans call for a tiered approach giving priority to health care workers who deal with COVID-19 patients directly, placing that group in Phase 1A. As more is manufactured, vaccine access will expand to other medical workers, people in critical occupations, senior citizens and people with high-risk health conditions.

Eventually, when those critical demands have been met, vaccinations will available up to the general public. The vaccinations currently are free under a federal program, and both the Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Lukes University Health Network said theyll cover the costs to administer the vaccinations, as well.

Tents sit empty Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021, after being set up at Dorney Park in South Whitehall Township in preparation for when the the COVID-19 vaccine will be administered to qualified recipients.Saed Hindash | For lehighvalleylive.com

St. Lukes additionally is offering the vaccine at its 11 hospital campuses throughout the greater Lehigh Valley, spokesman Samuel Kennedy told lehighvalleylive.com Wednesday. Patients there can complete a brief questionnaire in their St. Lukes MyChart account to be notified to schedule vaccines when its time. Guests can sign up for an account at sluhn.org.

Both Lehigh Valley and St. Lukes have also begun to offer vaccines to first responders that are covered under the next phase of Pennsylvanias vaccine protocol, Phase 1B.

We continue to vaccinate people in (Phase 1A) as we have been directed to do by the state, Kennedy said.

LVHN already has administered COVID-19 vaccinations at its main Cedar Crest campus in Salisbury Township, as well as some of its other facilities. Those operations appear to be much smaller that what is being planned at Dorney Park.

Pennsylvania on Tuesday became the seventh state in the nation to surpass 18,000 COVID-19 deaths as a winter case surge causes a record pace of lives lost. The Pennsylvania Department of Health reported 7,275 additional coronavirus cases and 227 more deaths in its daily briefing. The total case count now stands at 733,429 with a death toll of 18,080 Pennsylvanians.

President Donald Trumps administration meanwhile is asking states to speed delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older and to others at high risk by no longer holding back the second dose of the two-dose shots, officials said Tuesday. Those two groups currently fall under Phase 1C in Pennsylvanias vaccination plan.

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine has promised the pace of vaccination should pick up across the state.

Pennsylvania's updated #COVID19 #Vaccine Plan is on the DOH website, along with details about Phases 1A, 1B, 1C and 2.



View the vaccine plan, FAQs and other resources: https://t.co/K2TVVcvL77 pic.twitter.com/j2Aex8sxVA  PA Department of Health (@PAHealthDept) January 8, 2021

To date, at least 311,477 vaccines have been administered across Pennsylvania. That figure does not include shots CVS has administered in long-term care facilities as part of a federal partnership.

The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires a second shot about three weeks after the first vaccination, while Moderna requires a second shot about four weeks afterward. One-shot vaccines are still undergoing testing.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.

A comatose man's Catholic family has been urged by judges to end their fight to keep him alive and respect his wife's wishes to take him off life-support.

A London judge ruled in December that allowing the heart attack victim to die was in his best interests after hearing from his wife that he would not want to be a burden.

This was disputed by the man's mother, sisters and niece, who argued that, because of his Catholic beliefs, he would not have wanted to die if his life could be preserved.

Their challenge, which was backed by pro-life group the Christian Legal Centre, was thrown out of the Court of Appeal, but the niece has since tried other avenues to overturn the ruling.

After her most recent failed appeal attempt, judges urged the man's family to back down as the row would be proving 'deeply distressing' for his wife and children.

One judge branded the wrangling over his life an 'assault upon the dignity of this man'.

Lord Justice Peter Jackson and Lady Justice King urged the man's family to back down as the row would be proving 'deeply distressing' for his wife and children

A London judge ruled in December that allowing the heart attack victim to die was in his best interests after hearing from his wife that he would not want to be a burden (stock image)

The middle-aged man, who is from Poland but lives in the West Country and cannot be identified, suffered a cardiac arrest in November last year, during which his heart stopped for at least 45 minutes, causing 'severe and irreversible' brain damage.

Lord Justice Peter Jackson said today that judges had to ensure that his best interests were not 'prejudiced by continued unfounded challenges to lawful decisions'.

The judge said the 'variety of measures' employed by the man's 'birth family' could not be allowed to distract attention from the wishes and feelings of the man, or from the 'situation' of his wife and children.

He said the man's wife and children were 'having to endure proceedings' which, on top of 'his loss from their daily lives', must be must be 'deeply distressing'.

Lady Justice King agreed and added: 'It is hard to contemplate the distress which must have been caused to the wife and children of (the man) by the continuation of these proceedings after this court had dismissed the application for permission to appeal from Mr Justice Cohen's original decision that it was in (the man's) best interests for all medical treatment to be withdrawn.'

She told how treatment had been 'withdrawn' and 'reinstated' three times as a result of continuing litigation and said: 'It is difficult to imagine a greater assault upon the dignity of this man.'

A comatose man's Catholic family has been urged by judges to end their fight to keep him alive and respect his wife's wishes to take him off life-support (stock image)

After the niece's initial appeal was rejected, she continued trying to overturn the ruling and appealed to the European Court of Human Rights to intervene, but European judges refused to grant 'interim relief'.

She further asked Court of Appeal judges to allow another doctor to examine her uncle, but this was also refused.

Bosses at the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust have responsibility for the man's care and had asked Mr Justice Cohen to rule that ending life-support treatment would be lawful.

Judges sitting in the Court of Protection consider issues relating to people who lack the mental capacity to take decisions for themselves.

Mr Justice Cohen, who also hears cases in the Family Division of the High Court, heard that the man had fallen into a coma several weeks ago after suffering brain damage.

Specialists treating the man said his condition would never improve significantly and thought life-support treatment should end.

His wife of nearly 20 years agreed but his mother, who lives in Poland, sisters and niece disagreed.

Mr Justice Cohen, who also heard evidence from independent medical experts, concluded that the man's wife knew more about his views, and decided that ending life-support treatment was in his best interests.
A health worker shows the Covishield vaccine, after arrival of the first batch of the vaccines from the Serum Institute of India. (PTI)

Poverty. Inequality. Precarity. Vulnerability. These are mere words until they hit us directly or confront us in a way which makes it difficult to look away.

A flood of images of migrant workers walking down national highways burst into middle-class Indias living rooms following the nationwide lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March last year. The lockdown came into effect with barely four hours notice. All economic activity came to a grinding halt; and there was no transport.

Those searing images of migrant workers -- men and women reduced to collateral damage for the State in its battle against the coronavirus -- jolted many people.

Suddenly, everyone was talking about the heartbreaking conditions in which all daily wage earners -- the face of the countrys vast informal sector -- lived and worked.

For a fleeting while, optimists wondered if the Covid-19 pandemic had sledgehammered some fundamental lessons about the need for solidarity between the formal and informal sectors, if not for anything else but enlightened self-interest.

Almost a year down the line, as we get ready for the vaccine rollout and for the economy to recover fully, what really has changed?

Are we trying to do science and fix the economy in a way that factors in the needs and rights of our most vulnerable? Or is our new normal really going back to the old ways?

Last week, once again, images of precarity and poverty came together through the testimonies of desperately poor people who had volunteered to participate in the ongoing clinical trial of Bharat Biotechs Covid-19 vaccine candidate, Covaxin, in Bhopal.

Covaxin, as everyone knows by now, has been cleared by Indias drugs controller for restricted emergency use. This means, along with Covishield, the Serum Institute of India's coronavirus vaccine, it is part of the vaccine rollout.

Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech has given safety and immunogenicity data. But there is no efficacy data yet. This data is expected in a couple of months.

Meanwhile, the ongoing trial has attracted a lot of public attention after the allegations of irregularities and violations of ethics. Many questions are being asked about the manner in which Peoples Hospital in Bhopal, one of the trial sites, enrolled participants for the Covaxin trial.

Once again, we are face to face with stark images of vulnerability.

The video testimonies arranged by a Bhopal-based human rights group in the wake of the death of a participant in the trial made it clear that those who had signed up to participate in the trial had little idea of what it entailed. Bharat Biotech says the post-mortem analysis has revealed that the death was not related to the vaccine. The family of the deceased feel differently.

Most of those who offered their testimonies on camera are victims of the horrific Bhopal gas tragedy, the worlds largest industrial disaster in December 1984; and many said that they could not read or write.

What leaps out from among the many statements they made is the stark reality of informed consent when it comes to poor people with no education and little bargaining power.

As is widely known, there are four key parts of informed consent in a clinical trial -- information, comprehension, voluntariness and documentation. Giving information does not mean it has been comprehended. According to the new clinical trial rules in India, there should be an impartial witness while informed consent is being taken from an illiterate participant, says Dr Anant Bhan, a well-known researcher in global health and bioethics.

Additionally, for vulnerable participants, there is a requirement for audio-visual documentation of the process, Dr Bhan points out.

The recent testimonies of volunteers, many of whom are illiterate and poor, for a Covaxin trial site in Bhopal, show big gaps in oversight in the regulatory process, he adds.

Doing science must not mean playing with the basic human rights of vulnerable people, says Dr Bhan emphatically. Clearly, this is in no ones interest and will also raise questions on the quality of data coming out of such trials.

The seriousness of the allegations made by some volunteers in public in full view of the national media raises a question about whether audio-visual recordings of the informed consent process were done in line with the protocol laid down by the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), says Amar Jesani, another leading expert on ethics, rights and health systems and editor, Indian Journal of Medical Ethics.

This is not filming a wedding party, says Jesani acerbically. There is a specific protocol on how these situations need to be filmed. Many of the volunteers are from highly vulnerable groups who did not know their rights. But just because someone does not know his/her rights does not mean rights dont exist.

There are many legitimate questions. Do audio-visual recordings of the informed consent process exist for all trial participants from vulnerable groups? Or was it done for only a few? Why?

This also raises questions about the role of the local ethics committees. Have they investigated whether the audio-visual recordings were done and according to protocol? if such video recordings exist, they can be made public by blanking the face and identity of participants who have not on their own publicly identified as participants, Jesani adds.

The face of vulnerability is equally stark when it comes to the green shoots of economic recovery.

There are reasons to fear that economic recovery from the pandemic, like the growth story, will be shouldered by precarious labour. An already deep employment crisis is worsening further, wrote SOAS academic Dr Subir Sinha in a recent essay in Open Democracy, a website covering international affairs.

So, is there any reason for hope?

Mukta Naik, an architect and urban planner working with the Centre for Policy Research, acknowledges that many informal workers face worse terms as the Indian economy seeks to recover. The images of the long march of migrant workers, she says, sensitised many among Indias middle class, but sadly, the lockdown months made them retreat into their individual bubbles.

However, she points out, many states are now talking about social protection for the vulnerable. There is an appetite for discussion on the subject.

But pathways and mechanisms to operationalise this vision are still not clear, Ms Naik says.

That much-needed clarity could make all the difference.

India doesnt have to let millions lead a precarious existence. It could use its resources to build back better.
For the second time in a little over a year, the U.S. House has impeached President Donald Trump.

The House voted Wednesday to impeach Trump for inciting supporters to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 over false claims of a stolen election. The resolution also mentioned Trumps efforts to get Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to find 11,780 votes and overturn the election in his state.

Heres what happens next.

PELOSI MUST SEND IT TO SENATE

Next up is for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to decide when to send the article of impeachment to the Senate.

Pelosi already has named the impeachment managers, none of whom are from New Jersey.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., suggested the House may send over the impeachment resolution sooner rather than later.

This is an emergency situation and we agreed we need to move it as quickly as possible, Hoyer said Wednesday. My expectation is we will send it as quickly as its ready to go.

SENATE MUST DECIDE WHEN TO HOLD TRIAL

It then will be up to the Senate to decide how to handle impeachment. It would take a two-thirds vote to convict, a threshold that lawmakers failed to meet during the trials of Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Trump.

Meanwhile, the Senate also needs to hold hearings and confirm Bidens Cabinet and other top executive branch officials, and incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., already has outlined an aggressive legislative agenda, including passage of a new coronavirus stimulus bill increasing direct payments to $2,000.

The Senate has to learn how to walk and chew gum at the same time, said Ross Baker, a Rutgers University political science professor. They can divide them, say, say into morning impeachment and afternoon legislation. There are all kinds of workarounds to come up with to get the process done.

In fact, Biden said this week that he discussed with congressional leaders the possibility of having the Senate conduct the trial and confirm his nominees simultaneously.

Can we go half-day on dealing with the impeachment and half-day getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate? Biden told reporters on Monday.

Schumer said Tuesday that he has asked outgoing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to bring the Senate back early to handle impeachment. He said that a 2004 law gives the two leaders the power to have senators return to Washington in case of emergency, and this is a time of emergency.

All he needs is my agreement  Im still minority leader  and his agreement, hes majority leader, Schumer said. We could come back ASAP and vote to convict Donald Trump and get him out of office now before any further damage is done.

But McConnell said he wanted to spend the next seven days preparing for the inauguration.

Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week, McConnell said in a statement issued after the impeachment vote.

In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden administration.

THE SENATE TRIAL IS HELD

While Trumps first trial lasted close to three weeks, Baker said the second trial didnt have to take that long.

You definitely have to have some debate, you have to have some presentation of the indictment, he said. But it doesnt have to be protracted. There are time limits they can set on it and it can go to a vote.

Even though the Senate likely wont vote on convicting Trump until after he has left office, Gov. Phil Murphy said the House was right to act.

To those who think, Oh, he only has a week left, this isnt about time, Murphy said Wednesday at his coronavirus press briefing. Its about doing whats right. Its about setting a higher bar for the presidency.

Last February, the Senate called no witnesses and acquitted the president along party lines, with only one Republican, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, voting to convict, the first senator ever to support ousting a president of his own party.

Should Romney vote against Trump again, he may not be alone this time.

U.S. Sens. Patrick Toomey of Pennsylvania, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Ben Sasse of Nebraska all have been critical of Trumps actions in inciting his supporters who later stormed the Capitol Jan. 6, with both Toomey and Murkowski calling on the president to resign.

And the New York Times reported that McConnell himself has concluded that Trump did commit an impeachable offense.

There will be some Republican support and the thing is all you really need is a decent coloration of bipartisanship to make the result of his impeachment acceptable, Baker said. Removing him at this point is not the point. Its getting it on the record that both houses of Congress on a bipartisan basis has condemned his behavior.

IF CONVICTED, TRUMP COULD FACE OTHER PENALTIES

If the Senate convicts Trump, it could go further and, by a majority rather than a two-thirds vote, prevent him from ever holding elective office again. That would end any chance of him trying to regain the White House in 2024.

Its a separate vote, said Paul Seamus Ryan, vice president for policy and litigation at Common Cause Disqualifying an individual is a separate penalty that is available to the Senate.

Schumer said after the House impeached Trump a second time that the Senate would vote to ban him from running again if he was convicted.

Trump also would lose his pension upon conviction.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant.

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Johannesburg, Jan 13 : The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (NEHAWU) has called for the training of health workers to prepare for the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination.

NEHAWU said on Tuesday they noted the measures announced by the government and effort to secure vaccines but want more to be done to prepare for that, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have not seen operation elements which include the vaccination training program for clinicians, education program for healthcare workers about the vaccine, logistical roll-out and vaccination sites for the aged and emergency reporting for adverse event following immunization," said NEHAWU General Secretary Zola Saphetha.

He called on the government to counter fake news peddled on social media which would "make people hesitant to be vaccinated." President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday night that South Africans will likely reach herd immunity once around 67 per cent of the population are immune, which amounts to around 40 million people.

He said the government has put in place a comprehensive vaccination strategy to reach all parts of the country which "will be the largest and most complex logistical undertaking in our country's history".
Dr Mike Lynch is that rarest of rare birds: a super-successful British tech entrepreneur.

Hailing from a modest background - he is the son of a fireman and a nurse from Essex - he became one of the most extraordinary scientists and businessmen this country has ever produced.

Yet instead of being feted, he is facing an extradition hearing that could see him flown off to the US to be put on trial for fraud. The accusation is that he cooked the books at Autonomy, the software company he founded, which was sold to American giant Hewlett Packard in 2011.

Facing jail: The Autonomy founder could be flung in a high-security American prison, thousands of miles from family and friends

If he is extradited, and if he is denied bail as most foreigners are, he is likely to be flung in a high-security prison cell with murderers, drug dealers and other serious criminals, thousands of miles from family and friends.

At this point, many readers will no doubt wonder why they should trouble themselves about the plight of a very wealthy man, whose former finance director at Autonomy is already in a US jail for fraud. But far more is at stake here than the guilt or innocence of one individual.

Indeed, whether or not Dr Lynch has committed the crimes alleged is beside the point. For he is the victim of a dangerously one-sided extradition treaty with the US and his predicament goes to the heart of the sovereignty we supposedly recovered through Brexit.

In this country, we have a perfectly good legal system of our own to deal with the likes of Dr Lynch. Similarly, our courts are also perfectly capable of dealing with US diplomats wife Anne Sacoolas.

She allegedly killed 19-year-old Harry Dunn in a car accident, but the Americans show no inclination to let her face British justice. So why on earth would we take back control from the European courts, only to hand it over meekly to the Department of Justice in the US?

Dr Lynch is, after all, a British subject. He ran a London-listed company and his alleged offences took place in the UK. If he has a case to answer, he should do so in Britain, not on the other side of the Atlantic.

If Lynch is extradited, and if he is denied bail as most foreigners are, Ruth Sunderland says he is 'likely to be flung in a high-security prison cell with murderers, drug dealers and other serious criminals'

What makes this even more galling is that allegations against him have already been considered by the Serious Fraud Office, a full five years ago. Investigators concluded there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction.

Hewlett Packard also mounted a 4 billion civil fraud case that has been heard in the High Court in London. It finished a year ago, though there is as yet no ruling. These alleged offences, then, have already undergone exhaustive probing here over many years, or so you would think.

What makes this even more galling is that allegations against him have already been considered by the Serious Fraud Office, a full five years ago. Investigators concluded there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction

This is not an isolated episode. One of several similar cases is that of the Natwest Three. This trio of British bankers was investigated by the UK authorities two decades ago, over financial crimes alleged to have taken place in the UK. The British regulators decided there were no grounds for prosecution.

The three men were carted off to the US nevertheless, because the Department of Justice believed their actions had played a part in the downfall of energy giant Enron. Threatened with 35 years in a high security prison, they chose to plead guilty in return for shorter sentences and received 37 months in a Texan jail.

As highly-paid bankers, they struggled for public sympathy. Again, though, the point is not their guilt or innocence, but one of principle. The US is choosing to treat our legal system with crushing disrespect, as if we were a banana republic and not a valued ally.

Using the treaty against the likes of Dr Lynch is a grotesque perversion of its original intent.

It was signed in 2003, when memories of the 9/11 atrocities were still vivid, ostensibly to help the US to extradite terror suspects and other serious criminals. In reality, though, it has been deployed mainly against white-collar suspects and weaponised against foreigners involved in commercial disputes with US companies.

It is inherently unfair because the burden of proof for the Americans to extradite a British subject is far lower than the other way around. As a consequence  according to figures from June 2020  the US has since 2007 extradited 177 Britons, of whom at least 99 were accused of nonviolent crimes. The Americans have handed over just 67 citizens to the UK.

Certainly, the demands for the extradition of Dr Lynch look like a vindictive attack on a gifted businessman rather than a reasonable request. And unfortunately, what has happened to him could happen to almost any UK businessman or woman.

They could find themselves flung into an American prison for so-called crimes that did not even take place under US jurisdiction. It is time for this treaty to be ripped up and replaced with one that is fair and fit for purpose.
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New Jersey on Wednesday reported a record 6,922 new confirmed positive tests for the coronavirus and 95 additional deaths as Gov. Phil Murphy announced the state will expand the vaccine eligibility to people 65 and older within days.

The seven-day average for new confirmed cases increased Wednesday to 5,679, up 22% from a week ago and 18% from a month ago. Thats the highest seven-day average in the outbreak to date, though the lack of testing in the spring likely undercounted the extent of the infections in the first wave.

The news comes as Gov. Phil Murphy announced that people 65 or older who live, work or study in New Jersey will be eligible to be vaccinated starting Thursday. The expansion of eligibility also includes those between 16 and 64 with some medical conditions.

We are confident in taking these steps, Murphy said of the availability of doses. We are now ready to ramp up our vaccination efforts exponentially.

Eligible pre-existing conditions include cancer, chronic kidney disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), Down syndrome, heart conditions, including example heart failure, coronary artery disease and cardiomyopathy, obesity, severe obesity, sickle cell disease and Type-2 diabetes. Those conditions include up to 1 million people in the state.

An estimated 2 million smokers in New Jersey are also among those between the ages of 16 and 64 considered to have a high-risk health condition and may begin to receive a vaccination for the coronavirus as soon as Thursday. The 65 and older group accounts for 1.47 million people, health officials said.

Those seeking vaccinations are recommended to register on the states website and then make an appointment. New Jersey has administered 264,681 doses so far  including 236,503 first dose shots and 28,045 people who got their second shot, according to the state dashboard. A small number of doses reported to the state werent classified as dose one or two.

The state has received 654,900 doses to date, according to the CDC.

The eligibility expansion could lead to lengthy wait times for appointments of up to eight weeks depending on how quickly the state can get additional doses from the federal government.

The state of 9 million residents has now lost 20,161 residents in the COVID-19 outbreak  18,070 confirmed deaths and 2,091 considered probable. The probable deaths were revised higher Wednesday from 2,059. New Jersey has already announced 969 confirmed deaths this month, following 1,890 in December.

The statewide rate of COVID-19 transmission increased to 1.10, from 1.08. A transmission rate over 1 indicates the outbreak is expanding and the increase indicates the expansion is becoming more rapid.

Statewide hospitalizations for the virus rose for the third consecutive day as New Jersey deals with a post-holiday spike in cases during the pandemics second wave. But hospitalizations remain far below the more than 8,000 patients from the peak of the first wave in the spring.

The positivity rate for tests administered on Saturday, the most recent day available, was 13.53% out of 25,913 tests. The positivity rate has been at 10% or higher since Dec. 22.

New has now reported 543,974 total confirmed cases out of more than 8 million tests administered since officials announced the states first case March 4. There have also been 58,656 positive rapid antigen tests, which the state began reporting publicly last week, though the state has cautioned that could overlap with the confirmed PCR tests.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: Live map tracker | Newsletter | Homepage

VACCINATIONS

New Jersey has received 654,900 doses of coronavirus vaccines, according to figures tracked by the CDC. State officials reported that 264,681 doses have been administered  including 236,503 first doses and 28,045 second doses, according to the states COVID-19 dashboard. (There are some doses that were recorded without a dose number, resulting in the totals not matching.)

The state has faced criticism for rolling out inoculations too slowly. Officials stress there may be an undercounting of the number of vaccines administered because of reporting delays and New Jersey, like other states, is depending on the federal government for its supply.

Currently, only health care workers, people who live in congregant settings and police and fire professionals currently eligible to receive shots in New Jersey. Murphy announced Wednesday people over 65 years old will also begin to get vaccinations.

Officials have said doses should be available for the general public by April or May. Health officials have said they hope to vaccinate 70% of its adult residents  about 4.7 million people  by the end of May.

In recent days, the state has opened the first two of its six planned mega-sites for mass vaccinations. There are also vaccines currently available at 123 locations throughout the state, including local health departments, ShopRite stores, and pharmacies.

More than 1.2 million people have registered to get their vaccine when they become eligible as of Wednesday.

COUNTY-BY-COUNTY CASES (sorted by most new)

Middlesex County: 51,590 confirmed cases (729 new), 1,567 confirmed deaths (216 probable)

Bergen County: 52,734 confirmed cases (643 new), 2,130 confirmed deaths (267 probable)

Hudson County: 49,743 confirmed cases (618 new), 1,599 confirmed deaths (170 probable)

Essex County: 52,563 confirmed cases (607 new), 2,202 confirmed deaths (257 probable)

Monmouth County: 37,794 confirmed cases (571 new), 1,038 confirmed deaths (102 probable)

Ocean County: 37,904 confirmed cases (571 new), 1,410 confirmed deaths (91 probable)

Union County: 40,363 confirmed cases (405 new), 1,421 confirmed deaths (186 probable)

Camden County: 32,492 confirmed cases (388 new), 845 confirmed deaths (67 probable)

Passaic County: 43,122 confirmed cases (384 new), 1,365 confirmed deaths (159 probable)

Burlington County: 24,745 confirmed cases (351 new), 607 confirmed deaths (52 probable)

Morris County: 23,334 confirmed cases (276 new), 817 confirmed deaths (194 probable)

Atlantic County: 14,368 confirmed cases (216 new), 382 confirmed deaths (18 probable)

Gloucester County: 16,536 confirmed cases (204 new), 419 confirmed deaths (21 probable)

Mercer County: 20,997 confirmed cases (201 new), 726 confirmed deaths (38 probable)

Somerset County: 14,303 confirmed cases (176 new), 612 confirmed deaths (94 probable)

Cumberland County: 9,163 confirmed cases (118 new), 243 confirmed deaths (12 probable)

Hunterdon County: 4,523 confirmed cases (114 new), 88 confirmed deaths (54 probable)

Sussex County: 5,599 confirmed cases (82 new), 183 confirmed deaths (51 probable)

Warren County: 4,644 confirmed cases (74 new), 173 confirmed deaths (14 probable)

Salem County: 3,367 confirmed cases (48 new), 113 confirmed deaths (8 probable)

Cape May County: 2,740 confirmed cases (37 new), 130 confirmed deaths (20 probable)

HOSPITALIZATIONS

There were 3,726 patients hospitalized in New Jersey with confirmed (3,448) or suspected (278) COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday night. It was 23 more than the previous night and the third consecutive day hospitalizations increased.

That included 648 in critical or intensive care (11 fewer than the previous night), with 452 on ventilators (12 more).

There were 438 COVID-19 patients discharged Monday, according to the states COVID-19 dashboard.

SCHOOL CASES

There have been 111 in-school coronavirus outbreaks in New Jersey involving 557 students, teachers and staff since the school year began in late August, according to the state 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.

The number of New Jersey school districts with all-remote learning has increased as students return from winter break, Murphy said on Monday.

There are 339 districts that started 2021 remotely  an increase of 18 all-remote districts from Dec. 21. 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.

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 (31.3%), followed by those 50-64 (23.8%), 18-29 (19.2%), 65-79 (11.2%), 80 and older (5.5%), 5-17 (7.3%) 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 (47.49%), followed by those 65-79 (32.29%), 50-64 (15.68%), 30-49 (4.14%), 18-29 (0.36%), 5-17 (0%) and 0-4 (.03%).

At least 7,606 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.

There are currently active outbreaks at 428 facilities, resulting in 6,510 active cases among residents and 7,034 among staffers.

GLOBAL NUMBERS

As of Wednesday morning, there were more than 91.7 million positive COVID-19 tests across the world, according to a running tally by Johns Hopkins University. More than 1.96 million people have died from coronavirus-related complications.

The U.S. has reported the most cases, at more than 22.8 million, and the most deaths, at more than 380,800.

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Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
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Kolkata, Jan 13 : The CBI on Wednesday carried out raids at 10 locations in West Bengal's Asansol, Durgapur and Raniganj areas in connection with a case of illegal coal mining and theft from Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL).

According to sources, around 75 CBI officials were engaged in the operation, that included searches at the houses of racket 'kingpin' Anup Majhi alias Lala and his accomplice Binoy Mishra's relatives.

On Monday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had conducted raids at 12 locations across the state in connection with the coal scam, including searches at offices and residential addresses of businessman Ganesh Bagadia and Sanjay Singh.

The raids were conducted from Monday morning in Kolkata's Lake Town area, Garia, Konnagar's Kanaipur in Hoogly district, and North 24-Parganas in connection with the illegal trading of coal.

Bagadia and Singh were allegedly linked to Majhi, who runs the syndicate in connivance with Mishra.

On November 28 last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Anti-Corruption Branch had conducted raids at 45 locations in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh in connection with the coal-smuggling racket.

The agency officials had raided the offices and homes of Majhi in Asansol, Durgapur, and Raniganj in Burdwan district, as well as at Bishnupur in Kolkata's adjoining South 24-Parganas district.

Searches were also carried out at houses of some accomplices of Majhi, who runs his illegal operations at the open cast colliery belts along the Bengal-Jharkhand border.

Meanwhile, Income Tax officials also conducted a raid at the house and hotel of ex-legislator Mohammad Sohrab at Burrabazar area on Wednesday in connection with the cattle-smuggling racket in Bengal and disproportionate assets case, sources said.
Citing the current surge in COVID-19 cases, Northside Independent School District Superintendent Brian Woods urged parents Wednesday to keep their elementary and middle school kids home and in virtual learning for the next two weeks.

Hopefully this will get us past the surge in cases we are now seeing in our city, Woods said in a video posted on the Northside ISD website and social media accounts.

To be clear, this is a request. It is not mandatory and we are not closing Northside schools, he added.

Northside ISD, the largest in Bexar County, serves about 107,000 students, though only about 45 percent of them were in classrooms at its 121 schools as the fall semester ended.

Woods had been encouraging a return to classrooms to combat the learning slide that kids have experienced since March, when the arrival of the pandemic closed all campuses for the rest of last years spring semester.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

Calls have been mounting from Northside American Federation of Teachers, the districts union, to scale back in-person offerings since virus cases started an upswing even before winter break began.

Classes resumed Jan. 4 for middle and elementary school and this week for high school. High school students are excluded from Wednesdays request because they already use an alternating-day hybrid schedule that allows for smaller populations on any given day, Woods said.

As of Jan. 10, the district reported 582 campus staffers, noncampus staffers and students had tested positive for the virus since the semester began.

That exceeded the total for the three prior weeks, which included the winter break, of 425 cases, the district reported.

That number itself was almost half the total of cases, 899, reported previously during the entire fall semester, the Texas Department of State Health Services database shows.

Countywide, the virus outbreaks attributed to schools have been low, but the Northside teachers union cited the recent numbers in a message to district officials.

Stop telling us kids are safe! Numbers dont lie, the union wrote on Twitter.

Texas Education Agency rules prevent school districts from denying in-person learning to anyone who chooses it. School districts risk losing funding if they switch to fully remote learning again, as they did in the spring.

Cases have continued to rise in San Antonio these last few weeks since the holidays, and we want to do our part to avoid broader closures of schools or other important institutions, Woods said. The state requires us to offer in-person instruction daily, and in fact, our funding is tied to this requirement, but we still want to do what we can to help keep the public health metrics in check.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD chief part of national call for teachers to get early vaccine access

Some districts have curtailed in-person learning, seeking parents cooperation to keep it limited to students who need it most. San Antonio ISD Superintendent Pedro Martinez has kept his on-campus population at about 30 percent by facilitating close communication between principals and teachers with their parents.

In Edgewood ISD, district leaders have asked the parents of remote learners in elementary and middle school to consider keeping them studying at home until community spread wanes in San Antonio, Superintendent Eduardo Hernandez said.

The parent always has the last say, but were going to really ask them to take that into consideration and I think some will take us up on it and others will continue to send them (back to classrooms), but it will be a smaller number, he said.

The district had planned to bring high schoolers failing three or more classes back to campus with the start of the semester in an effort to provide them with additional support, but those plans have been pushed back a few weeks, Hernandez said.

Woods asked parents who are able to keep their kids home to start doing so beginning Jan. 19 through the end of the month.

Obviously, this is not feasible for all of our families. However, if your child can be successful in the virtual environment, I ask that you consider making this temporary change, Woods said. If you do choose to go to virtual learning for these two weeks, you will in no way give up an in-person slot for the rest of the school year.

Staff Writer Andres Picon contributed to this report.

krista.torralva@express-news.net
(Natural News) A top Chinese official said Joe Bidens administration opens a new window of hope for U.S.-China relations. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a Jan. 2 interview with a state-controlled media outlet. The Chinese government widely expects the Democratic nominee to take a softer approach, compared to how U.S. President Donald Trump treated the communist country.

Wang said during an interview with state-owned broadcaster CGTN that the relationship between the two nations have come to a new crossroads, and a new window of hope is opening. The foreign minister expressed hope that the former U.S. vice president will resume dialogue with China, restore normalcy to the bilateral relations and restart cooperation. He also accused the Trump administration of attempting a new Cold War with China.

The foreign minister also blamed serious misconceptions held by U.S. policymakers for the disagreement between Beijing and Washington. Some [policymakers] see China as the so-called biggest threat, and their China policy based on this misperception is simply wrong, he commented. Any policy based on the perception that China is a threat will find no support and is doomed to fail, Wang told CGTN.

Wang also noted that Trumps attempts to suppress China and start a new Cold War has seriously harmed the interests of both countries and caused severe disruptions to the world.

Trump marked his refusal to approach China with kid gloves early in his term. He has levied tariffs against Chinese goods, and his administration has cracked down on the Chinese regimes intellectual property theft and economic espionage.

According to Wang, China is ready to develop a relationship with the U.S. based on coordination, cooperation and stability. He also urged the Western power to respect the social system and development path chosen by the Chinese people and their legitimate rights to pursue a better life. The foreign minister pointed out that China never meddles in American internal affairs.

When asked about the uneasiness about Chinas rise that Americans felt, Wang answered: The best way to keep ones lead is through constant self-improvement, not by blocking others development.

China has always rooted for Biden to become U.S. president

U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center Director William Evanina said in August 2020 that Beijing wanted the Democratic nominee to win in the November elections, based on assessments by intelligence officials.

He later said in December that the government has seen a rise in diplomatic efforts aimed at Biden associates. Were starting to see that [foreign influences] now play across the country  [both on] the folks starting in the new administration  [and] those who are around [them], Evanina commented. (Related: The Joe Biden transition team is compromised by Chinese elites who have already taken advantage of Hunter Bidens White House connections.)

Incidentally, Chinese state-run paper Global Times published a piece in August expressing its support for a Biden presidency. According to the Aug. 19 op-ed by Yang Sheng, the Democratic nominee was smoother to deal with compared to his more troublesome predecessor. Yang also hoped that Bidens victory could revive former President Barack Obamas more conciliatory legacy toward the communist country.

Chinese Academy of Social Sciences research fellow Lu Xiang mentioned that Beijing and Washington would have more reasons to dialogue and cooperate if Biden fixes the diplomatic ties the Trump administration frayed. He added that Trumps unilateral, selfish and hegemonic stances have left diplomats from the two countries with almost nothing to talk about when they meet.

Renmin University China-U.S. relations expert Diao Daming stressed that the communist countrys policy toward the Western power is consistent regardless of leadership. We should be positive and look at the potential change after the election  based on the attitude of no conflict, no confrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation, he noted.

Visit CommunistChina.news for more news about the Chinese governments approach toward Joe Biden.

Sources include:

DailyCaller.com

News.CGTN.com

GlobalTimes.cn

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English Lithuanian

Siauliu Bankas AB, company code 112025254, domicile address: Tilzes str. 149, Siauliai, Lithuania.

On 12 January 2021, the Vilnius Regional Administrative Court issued a decision in an administrative case in which the complaint of Siauliu bankas AB regarding the legality of the decision of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania imposing sanctions on Siauliu bankas (a fine of EUR 880 thousand) was examined. The Resolution of the Bank of Lithuania was adopted after the 2019 scheduled inspection for the identified violations and shortcomings in the implementation of the requirements for the anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing.

The court by its judgment dismissed Siauliu bankas complaint as unfounded and left the existing decision of the Bank of Lithuania unchanged.

Siauliu Bankas eliminated most of the violations and shortcomings identified by the Bank of Lithuania before considering the results of the inspection at the Board of the Bank of Lithuania. Siauliu Bankas has not identified any cases that Siauliu Bankas would be used for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes due to the violations and deficiencies identified in the inspection report. The Bank of Lithuania also did not state in the resolution that Siauliu Bankas and / or other persons would have benefited or caused damage to third parties due to the violations.

Siauliu bankas is currently evaluating the decision made by the court and will decide on its appeal within the time limits established by law (30 calendar days). It needs to be emphasized that the fine imposed by the Bank of Lithuania will not adversely affect the sustainable business continuity of the Bank. The fine imposed was accounted in the Banks financial results of year 2019.

Additional information shall be provided by

Communication specialist

Monika Rozyte, +370 686 79234, monika.rozyte@sb.lt





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[January 13, 2021] Andersen Expands Team in Houston; Launches Forensics Practice

Andersen is pleased to announce further expansion in the Houston market with the establishment of its forensics practice through the addition of three new Managing Directors from Ferguson Camp Poll, P.C. (FCP), an accounting firm specializing in tax, forensics, business valuation and consulting services. The team from FCP has had an experienced forensics practice within Texas for many years, and their expertise in the field will enhance the services and skills provided to clients in Houston. Andersen's forensics practice will start locally and in time will become national. "The inaugural launch of a forensics practice in the Houston office is a major advantage for Andersen and for our clients," said Dan DePaoli, U.S. Country Managing Director of Andersen. "This practice is synergistic with our PCS and Valuation practices and will enable us to address some of the unique needs of our client base." FCP has provided professional services for its clients since 1977. In addition to their forensics skills, the team of certified public accountants and consultants offer a comprehensive array of tax compliance and planning services to help clients meet their financial objectives and minimize their tax burdens. "Patrice Ferguson, Managing Partner at FCP is a recognized luminary in her field of work. I look forward to the leadership that she, Cynthia and John will bringto the office," said Jason Graham, Office Managing Director of the Houston office. "John has strong expertise in the valuation field which will add strength to our current practice. In addition, the team's deep accounting industry knowledge in assisting high net worth individuals will greatly complement the current services we provide for individuals."



Patrice was the President and founding Managing Partner of Ferguson Camp Poll, P.C. She specializes in forensic analysis for litigants, attorneys, and courts on matters such as marital property for family law and estate matters, including property settlement issues, tracing of assets and liabilities, business valuation, determinations of economic damages, and expert testimony. John E. Camp was the Vice President and Managing Partner at FCP. His areas of expertise include valuations of closely held businesses, assisting attorneys in investigative accounting related to pending litigation, expert testimony, business consulting and assisting clients in strategic planning, forecasting, and budgeting.

Cynthia Nguyen was a Managing Partner at FCP. She performs forensic analysis in several areas including marital property for family law and estate matters involving property settlement issues, tracing of assets and liabilities, expert testimony and business valuation. Andersen is the founding member of Andersen Global, an international association of legally separate, independent member firms comprised of tax and legal professionals around the world. Established in 2013 by U.S. member firm Andersen Tax LLC, Andersen Global now has more than 6,000 professionals worldwide, over 700 global Partners, and a presence in over 229 locations through its member firms and collaborating firms. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005284/en/

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I go behind the mask with Alex Caige, host of Daybreak with Alex Caige on 947...

Alex Caige

Your new show, Daybreak with Alex Caige recently launched. What are some of the noticeable changes from this new show to your previous early breakfast show?

Daybreak with Alex Caige is 947's newly revamped early morning show 947, Gauteng's leading commercial radio station, has announced a new-look, rebranded early morning show. Called Daybreak with Alex Caige, the show caters to the #5amClub - people who are awake at five in the morning...

Daybreak with Alex Caige airs at 5am weekdays. In your case, "the early bird catches the worm". What is your typical morning routine?

Could you share with us whats really behind your mask - literally and figuratively speaking?

Where are you based during lockdown?

Almost everyone's work environment has changed. Are you working from home or physical distancing at the office? How has your way of working changed?

Listeners need more positive vibes than ever, which is exactly what the show and my personality type offers to those early go getters.

For someone working in a studio, what are the safety protocols taken to ensure that your colleagues stay safe?

Speaking of your colleagues, how do you maintain a good relationship with them?

Mental health is something that we should really normalise. How or what do you do to keep mentally fit and healthy?

Do you keep physically fit? How?

When you're not on air, what do you do? How do you socialise these days?

If I'm not mistaken, growing up you wanted to become a pilot and in 2020 you got your license! Tell us about this experience?

2021 has just begun. Do you have any 'so-called' resolutions for the new year?

Are you watching any series? Reading any books at the moment?

What is the first thing you plan to do - if and when the lockdown lifts?

The refreshed 5-6am will be a lot punchier and more interactive with our #5AMClub listeners, so you can expect a fast pace show with fun and games to get people in a positive mindset and ready to tackle their day.I'm someone that jumps out of bed on the first alarm at 3:45am, and literally the first thing I do is feed my pets, jump in the shower and get my day started. I'll only have my first coffee once I get to work around 4:30am.Literally, pearly white teeth, I had braces when I was younger and take pride in the fact that I look after my teeth (my high school dentist would be so proud). Figuratively, I'm someone who is outgoing and loves to explore, learn, meet new people. Lockdown has been tough to not socialise, but I keep in mind it's in the best interest to try to stop the spread during this pandemic, so hopefully for the greater good.At home in Fourways with my two cats, a great internet connection and some recently discovered incredible books!We had phases of working from home, but the nature of radio includes a good sounding audio feed which naturally comes best from our studio in Sandton. I think the way we interact with listeners has changed, and the struggles a lot of people are going through need to be kept in mind when discussing things or more importantly for a show like Daybreak.We have many. From before even setting foot in the building, our temperatures are checked, we're sanitised, and in between each working station in the studio we have perspex shields to protect colleagues from transmitting the virus. Unfortunately the nature of this virus is that you could get it anywhere and from anyone, so we take precautions to the best of our ability.The reality is Primedia's work environment is amazing, and the fact that those that I work directly with have incredible work ethic, which is important to me, makes my job and life easy at work. The relationships have never been forced, we have grown to like each other organically; but best believe, with strong personalities, when there is a little tiff, we don't mince our words. We do forgive each other within the next five minutes though, so it's ok. :)It's one thing to always have someone to talk to, but especially during a time like we are in now, where there is a lockdown and social interaction is limited. I believe it's important to always continue learning. The university of life is one thing where you are always learning, but going a step further of enrolling for a short course on the random things out of your normal scope or comfort zone always gives your mind something to do or a different way to think.I absolutely do, and for me this is imperative for my mental health too, it releases all the right endorphins. I try to train at least five times a week at a gym in Sunninghill. On the odd occasion, I'll enroll in an obstacle course race or something similar to give myself a goal to train towards.As already mentioned, I'm constantly trying to learn new things or develop myself, so if not keeping myself busy with that, or setting up business meetings to venture into new industries and diversify myself, I'll (out of lockdown restrictions of course) go to braais with friends and appreciate a good whiskey or wine with great conversations.Not mistaken at all. Growing up it was my dream to do one of three things: a radio presenter, a pilot or a Formula 1 driver. I have achieved two out of three of these, so I'm quite stoked I get to live out my dream job(s) every day of my life.Regarding the pilots licence. When I was probably around 5/6 years old my dad took me to an airshow in East London, and I got to sit in one of the planes there, and from that day onwards the idea of flying intrigued me. The sense of freedom one must feel when being in control of something flying miles above the sky seemed like an exhilarating feeling and I needed to experience it myself, and not just in the backseat of a domestic flight, actually upfront. I've consequently gone on to get my commercial pilots license, and have also completed an aerobatic rating in the past, which I'll be looking at pursuing further in the future.I have an interesting theory about resolutions that may take up more space than this article will allow, but it'll definitely be in my book one day. In a nutshell, I have a few goals I have outlined for myself, which once achieved you'll most certainly be made aware of.I have really made an effort over the last two years to read more than ever, and expand my library. I dream of having a 'library room' in my house one day, so to start my collection as soon as possible is key.I'm currently readyingby Charles Murray, and if I may, I would love to recommend to your readers to readby Yuval Noah Harari if you need a good in depth read about our history.I'm most certainly going to look at travelling to a Formula 1 race somewhere, if they allow spectators. It was something I would've loved to have done in 2020, but as circumstances had it, that wasn't possible. What are you gonna do, besides continue listening toof course? ;)
He said he had been briefed by intelligence services about planned protests, acknowledged people had rights but said "there must be no violence". He said he had instructed forces to maintain order and called on Americans to unite as one people. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a speech before the vote, said: "He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation we all love." US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks before signing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Credit:Bloomberg After the vote and before signing the advancement article of impeachment, she spoke from behind the lectern that was taken by a Trump supporter at the riot last week. A staffer said it hadn't been damaged. Today, in a bipartisan way, the House demonstrated that no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States, that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our country and that, once again, we honour that oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help us God, Pelosi said.

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell announced before the House vote that a Senate trial would not be held until after Biden's inauguration, meaning Trump will serve out the remainder of his term. The Senate could still act to ban Trump from seeking political office again if a two-thirds majority votes to convict him of "high crimes and misdemeanours". This could require a second vote if impeachment were successful. This would require at least 17 Republican Senators to vote to convict Trump. Members of the National Guard rest under a bust of Abraham Lincoln in a hallway of the US Capitol building in Washington ahead of Donald Trump's second impeachment vote. Credit:Bloomberg Republican congressman Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach Trump, said in a statement: "The President of the United States helped organise and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties as prescribed by the constitution." His Republican colleague Peter Meijer said he had voted with a "heavy heart" to impeach Trump.

"President Trump betrayed his oath of office by seeking to undermine our constitutional process, and he bears responsibility for inciting the insurrection we suffered last week," he said in a statement. The vast majority of House Republicans voted against impeaching Trump, arguing that it was pointless to impeach him so close to the end of his presidency and that Democrats had rushed the process. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House leader, said: "The President bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob violence." He added: "What we saw last week was not the American way. Neither is the continued rhetoric that Joe Biden is not the legitimate president."

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video But McCarthy said impeachment was unnecessarily divisive and that he preferred a symbolic censure of Trump as well as a bipartisan fact-finding commission to examine how the Capitol riot occurred. Andy Biggs, a Republican congressman from Arizona, said: "Instead of stopping the Trump train, his movement will grow stronger for you will have made him a martyr." Some Republicans said that Trump had been using political hyperbole when he urged his supporters to "fight like hell" against the certification of Biden's victory. In her short speech before the vote, Democratic congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said "This President has blood on his hands."

Democratic congressman Hakeem Jeffries described Trump as a "living, breathing impeachable offence". Loading In a statement before the vote, Trump said: "I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind ... I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers." The Democrats' article of impeachment said that Trump had "gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government". "He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperilled a co-equal branch of government," the impeachment resolution continued.

"He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the United States." Liz Cheney, the third most senior Republican in the House, said that she supported impeachment because Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack". "Everything that followed was his doing," she said in a statement the night before the vote. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution." - with agencies
A New York City man accused of plotting a violent attack on the US Capitol last week had allegedly threatened to kill newly-elected Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock and had boasted about traveling to Washington D.C. with a caravan of 'armed patriots' on social media.





Eduard Florea, 40, was taken into custody on Tuesday after the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force descended on his home on Elliot Avenue and 76th Street in Middle Village, Queens.

He was seen surrendering to authorities in the middle of the residential street during the afternoon raid before being placed in an armored vehicle.

Florea, who is reported to have ties to white supremacist group the Proud Boys, appeared in Brooklyn Federal Court on Wednesday where he is facing felony weapons charges.

Prosecutors said federal law enforcement officers seized 1,000 hollow point rounds of ammunition during the raid as well as 75 military-style knives, two hatchets, and two swords, according to a criminal complaint.

Eduard Florea appears during a virtual hearing on weapons charges in a New York court in this January 13, 2021 courtroom sketch

Florea appears during a virtual hearing on weapons charges before Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara and Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Navarro

Eduard Florea, 40, was seen with his hands in the air after being confronted by feds on the residential street in Queens in broad daylight Tuesday

While Florea did not ultimately travel to the Capitol, prosecutors said he made verbal threats on the conservative social media platform Parler to carry out violence.

Federal prosecutors said they came across Florea's Parler account - where he went by username 'LoneWolfWar' - that contained threatening statements regarding acts of violence and the use of firearms on and around January 6, the day of the violent siege.

In the early hours of last Wednesday, Florea had allegedly replied to one user's post that read: 'F**K RAPHAEL WARNOCK LOSER', referring to the newly-elected US Senator who won the runoff elections in Georgia.

Florea left a comment in response saying: 'Dead men can't pass s**t laws', according to the affidavit.

Federal prosecutors alleged Florea had made death threats against Raphael Warnock (left) the newly-elected US Senator who won the runoff elections in Georgia

He then shared a post with plans to recruit a group of fellow 'patriots' to 'come up with a game plan' in the wake of the election results.

'Dead men can't pass s**t laws.,' he repeated. 'I will fight so help me god.'

Florea was a supporter of the Proud Boys and had applied to become a member, the government said during his hearing.

He continued to share a series of posts as the chaos unfolded at the Capitol last Wednesday, including messages suggesting he was preparing to travel to D.C. with his armed supporters.

'The time for peace and civility is over', he said in one post.

'[Three] cars full of armed patriots are enroute from NY / 3 cars of armed patriots heading into DC from NY / Guns cleaned loaded . . . got a bunch of guys all armed and ready to deploy . . . we are just waiting for the word.'

FBI agents and the NYPD were seen on Elliot Avenue and 76th Street in Middle Village, Queens on Tuesday as they descended on Florea's home

Florea (not pictured) is accused of sharing posts online saying he wanted to travel to Washington, D.C. with a group of armed protesters following the deadly Capitol riots

In a post shared on Parler the day before, he wrote: 'I catch one of you f**kers in DC tomorrow. definitely slicing a throat.I f**king promise you'

Floreawas ordered detained pending trial by U.S. Magistrate Judge Sanket Bulsara at the virtual hearing in Brooklyn.

The judge said the government's allegations suggested that Florea's January 6 posts 'make clear frankly what reflects a premeditated plan to exact violence against people in New York and people in Washington.'

Florea's arrest comes amid a crackdown by federal and local law enforcement agencies that have vowed to prosecute anyone involved in the violent siege that left five people dead.

Authorities have also been on the lookout for potential plans by protesters to disrupt Joe Biden's inauguration next week.

Florea had allegedly shared posts online saying he wanted to travel to Washington with a group of armed protesters, CBS New York reported.

It is unclear however, whether he had actually managed to recruit participants for the alleged trip.

Five people, including one police officer, were killed on Wednesday after an angry mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol (pictured) to protest Joe Biden's election victory

The Secret Service, FBI and the National Guard are among 50 agencies and private companies that have formed a 'Multi-Agency Command Center (MACC)' to fortify Washington, D.C. ahead of next week's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden

Florea, a father of two, has been charged as a convicted felon in possession of ammunition, the news station reported.

According to law enforcement sources, records show the man has threatened to kill others in the past and had been convicted on a weapons charge in Staten Island in 2014.

Witnesses told the news station on Wednesday Florea surrendered peacefully to federal authorities and was placed into an armored FBI vehicle.

Photos of the scene showed Florea with his hands in the air after being confronted by feds on the residential street in broad daylight.

'They took him out, his wife, two children and we saw weapons come out and some laptops,' neighbor Larry Gianbalvo told the news outlet.

'I'm not a weapons expert. They weren't small. They were fairly big.'

Neighbors described Florea as a 'loner' and a 'big tech guy' who worked with computers.

'He was a quiet guy,' neighbor Jackelyn told the New York Daily News. 'Didn't socialize much, always stayed to himself.'
Especially in this industry, specialization and an intimate depth of knowledge are key factors to being a valuable partner." - Mark SImmons, CEO & Managing Director

Mixed Digital is thrilled to announce miXed digital EDU, which offers consulting and marketing for independent day, boarding, and charter schools across the country. "The creation of this new division allows us to increase the tailored services critical to the success of any independent school, Mark F. Simmons, CEO of Mixed Digital and Managing Director of miXed digital EDU explains, Especially in this industry, specialization and an intimate depth of knowledge are key factors to being a valuable partner." Backed with deep fundraising experience and over $500M raised, the team helps independent schools meet their enrollment, development, and diversity goals by providing modern solutions born of over 100 years of industry experience.

At Success Academy, a charter school in the NYC area, team members orchestrated a marketing campaign that increased applications for the 2012-2013 school year and drove incremental brand awareness. Locally, at the Trinity School of Durham and Chapel Hill, the team was able to manage a successful Facebook Ads campaign to promote their Fall Tours, increasing buzz and new applications. With experience consulting and executing campaigns for independent schools locally and throughout the country miXed digital EDU has valuable experience in helping these unique educational institutions meet their goals.

Headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, Mixed Digital has clients across the U.S. and abroad serving private schools, B2B and B2C clients looking to increase demand and generate revenue for their operations. Having managed over $10m in client media since their inception, Mixed Digital achieves real results by providing efficient lead-to-revenue solutions that generate measurable ROI. The team harnesses their expertise to guide independent schools on their path to increased awareness, lead generation, and enrollment.
[January 13, 2021] Nancy Moon Reveals the Incredible Story of How MOON Amplification Inc. Came Into Being

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Nancy Moon, the President of MOON Amplification Inc. shares an intimate account of how she and her husband became problem solvers, establishing their company to invent, design, and engineer a product that would bring the latest and greatest technology to live music. The couple is based in Las Vegas and remains co-founders of MOON Amplification, developing a series of innovative products. Nancy, the wife of a keyboard player, Roy Davis, grew fond of her husband's melodies and tunes. She enjoyed listening while Davis would practice or create mixes. Nancy grew accustomed to the sound of the keyboard as background music throughout the day while Davis would create eclectic tunes in the studio. However, one day, Davis discovered that he had to use headphones for clearer, better, and more crisps sound quality. Davis aimed for a more refined acoustic effect from the instrument's rotary simulator and would grab a pair of stereo headphones. This meant that Nancy was no longer able to hear the tunes created by her husband. She had grown fond of the music, and she could not help but think of how she could solve this problem for his need of quality rotary sound and, at the same time, continue to hear him play. Thisled to Nancy and Davis contemplating multiple ideas of developing a sound system that could do the same. But this was not the first attempt in history by any musician or engineer. This was already tried and tested, but all to no avail.



Yet, Nancy Moon and Roy Davis ventured on developing a device that primarily benefitted from Davis's strong and varied engineering knowledge and experience. Nancy's idea of a new portable sound system, much smaller in size but more significant in amplification power and sound effects, would be electronically operated without all the mechanical cracking noises. Therefore, Nancy Moon and her husband successfully developed an electronically orbited speaker, which is now the company's standard product for MOON Amplification, inc. Nancy is a pioneer of this innovative product and also a mindful entrepreneur who believes in sustainable business practices.

All products created by the company are GMO-free, use sustainable and recyclable wood fiber sourced from Chile, Brazil, and other sources. The product also uses water-based paint with hand application and non-petrochemical water-resistant glue. The devices also consume less power due to the digital power supplies and amplifiers designed to function efficiently. MOON Amplification Inc.'s electronically orbited speaker is lightweight and built to last a lifetime. Media Contact:

Bianca Leon Rodrigues

+1 (469) 815-7866

biancalrodr@gmail.com Related Links Moon Amplification INC. View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nancy-moon-reveals-the-incredible-story-of-how-moon-amplification-inc-came-into-being-301207178.html SOURCE MOON Amplification Inc.

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ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Springbot, a marketing automation and attribution platform for online retailers, today announced it has closed $14M in financing led by Sterling National Bank. Springbot which recently closed an acquisition of Content Management System (CMS) provider Matcha in December 2020 is poised for organic growth as well as the addition of deeper platform capabilities that are purpose-built for eCommerce.

Springbot's all-in-one platform is the critical solution for today's direct to consumer (D2C) retailers to level the playing field against larger competitors. It combines the power of marketing automation, attribution and content across all critical marketing channels to drive brand awareness and revenue growth.

Springbot has had many significant growth milestones including achieving 45% annual revenue growth since the beginning of the 2020 pandemic, acquiring Matcha this past December and being named to the Inc. 5000 List for the third year in a row.

"Our vision since the beginning is to provide our customers with access to the best solutions and service," said Brooks Robinson, co-founder and CEO. "This is an exciting time in our industry and for our team as we look to continue helping our customers grow while strategically adding value to our platform."

"The significant, rapidly expanding eCommerce market, combined with Springbot's reputation and market leadership, led us to work with the Springbot team," said Josh Roberts, Innovation Banking Group Co-Head for Sterling National Bank. "Our group works with experienced management teams delivering mission critical, high-ROI technologies to large addressable markets, resulting in successful track records -- we found all of that with Springbot."

Other notable business and product highlights from the company:

Ranked on the Deloitte Fast 500 for the 3 rd year in a row;

year in a row; Recognized as Atlanta's Best Place to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle for the 6th year in a row;

Best Place to Work by the Atlanta Business Chronicle for the 6th year in a row; The Q3 launch of a new personalization and messaging channel for retailers, SMS Marketing; and

The Matcha Blog Creator specifically designed for the Shopify merchant

About Springbot

Springbot provides advanced eCommerce marketing technology for small to medium-sized retailers. We make the overwhelming task of running multichannel marketing campaigns and tracking attributions simple through data management, automations and analytics. Our platform uses all this information to make data-driven marketing recommendations specifically tailored for retailers' needs. To learn more information about Springbot, please visit www.springbot.com.

SOURCE Springbot, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.springbot.com


On 12 January 2021, the WCO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Ricardo Trevino Chapa, attended the Pan-European Network of Customs Practioners (PEN-CP) Annual Event. The PEN-CP is European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 funded network with 13 European Customs administrations.

This network aims to facilitate the translation of Customs security research, innovation ideas and requirements into scalable and viable solutions, technologies, and process improvements. The four-days online conference brought together experts working in risk management, data analytics, detection technologies, Customs laboratories, innovation procurement, Customs policies, international relations and more.

On this occasion, the Deputy Secretary General gave a keynote presentation on the COVID-19 practical implications on Customs, border management and global supply chains. He began by providing the audience with some figures demonstrating how the volume of trade had been impacted by the outbreak of the pandemic, noting that this impact was uneven from one sector of activity to another. In this respect, he took the example of E-Commerce which had experienced greater growth.

He went on to explain that Customs response to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had been developed rapidly and was based on four focus areas, namely: facilitating the cross-border movements of relief and essential goods and of medical supplies; supporting the economy and maintaining supply chain continuity; protecting Customs staff; and protecting society from counterfeit goods and fake medicines.

He stressed the importance of harmonizing the practical actions carried out during the pandemic, recalling the need for multilateralism and effective coordination in order to mitigate the effects of the health crisis. By way of example, the WCO's Operation STOP and Mercator Programme had demonstrated the Organizations readiness to support coordination between multiple stakeholders on the ground. The Organization's constant dialogue with its Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) and cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) also reflected its contribution to multilateralism.

The Deputy Secretary General brought his presentation to a close by referring to the Resolution endorsed by the WCO Council in December 2020, to facilitate cross-border movement of situationally critical medicines and vaccines. The Resolution addresses measures to be taken by Customs administrations to carry out clearance of vaccines for export, transit and import as a matter of priority.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Defends Not Wearing Mask After Democrats Test Positive for COVID-19

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) on Jan. 12 said people who test negative for COVID-19 shouldnt have to wear masks, as she defended not wearing one as the Capitol was breached on Jan. 6.

Three Democrats who tested positive for the new disease this week blamed Republicans, including Greene, for contracting the illness.

It is absolutely ridiculous and insane to blame us, Greene told Fox News. [We] did not have COVID or any symptoms.

COVID-19 is thought to spread through close contact. Public health officials claim asymptomatic people can spread the illness, though little data exist to back up that assertion.

Greene was one of a number of Republicans who were seen on video during the Capitol breach not wearing a mask while sheltering in place with other legislators as authorities dealt with protesters.

Healthy people do not spread COVID, Greene told Fox. COVID-positive people spread COVID.

Brian Monahan, the Houses attending physician, told members over the weekend that those who cloistered together on Jan. 6 may have contracted COVID-19. He said they should get tested as a precaution.

Four members have since tested positive. Three of the four are Democrats. They blamed Republicans, even Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who herself was shown without a mask during the breach.

Many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemiccreating a superspreader event, or an event where multiple people contract the new illness, Jayapal said in a statement. She called for fines to be levied on members who refuse to wear masks in the Capitol.

The House on Jan. 12 approved fines for members who refuse to wear masks on the House floor.

Greene took to Twitter to challenge Jayapal, writing: I hope you fully recover from #COVID19 without any complications! Before you point fingers at me or anyone else, you need to talk directly to [Speaker Nancy Pelosi] about exposing ALL of us to covid when she called back POSITIVE covid House members last week for votes for Speaker!

Several members, including Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), returned to vote for the speakership after testing positive. Moore had not completed the recommended quarantine period.
Vijayapura : , Jan 13 (IANS) Karnataka BJP legislator Basanagouda Patil Yatnal on Wednesday accused Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa of offering cabinet berths "under the money and secret CD quota" and leaving out senior leaders committed to party ideology.

Lashing out at Yediyurappa, Yatnal said: "This is shameful. I know for sure that at least two new cabinet ministers and a political secretary of the CM have blackmailed him (Yediyurappa) with a secret CD to get the ministerial berths in the government." He added that in earlier instances, the cabinet expansion was based on considerations of caste, district, and loyalty to the party, but "now, the cabinet berths are being blessed under money and secret CD quota".

Yatnal, who has been earlier cautioned by the party over his outbursts, also alleged besides the secret CD, a lot of money has also been exchanged between those who got berths and Yediyurappa's son, B. Y. Vijayendra, who is a Vice President of the state unit.

Claiming that he was not making these accusations against Yediyurappa and his family members over being passed over for a cabinet berth, he said that he knows many such secrets. However, Yatnal continually refused to divulge any details about what the alleged CD contained.

Continuing to attack the Chief Minister, he said: "Even many leaders in the party complained against CM Yediyurappa for taking only his sons instead of senior party leaders while meeting the high command in New Delhi. A group of leaders are unhappy with his style of functioning." Launching a veiled attack on Bilgi MLA, sugar baron and industrialist, Murugesh R. Nirani, who became a minister, Yatnal claimed that three elected members, who took oath as cabinet ministers, had met him in a private resort in Nelamangala and had discussed plans to overthrow Yediyurappa as Chief Minister.

"I was shocked, when I heard one of them was even ready to shell out to the tune of Rs 100 crore to oust him. I know of sure that it is a cent per cent fact that at least two ministers got power by blackmailing Yediyurappa," he alleged.

Yatnal also alleged that the Chief Minister recently doled out a sum of Rs 83 crore to various Veerashaiva-Lingayat mutts across the state with a request to all pontiffs to rebel against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, if the party high command decides to remove him from power.

Yediyurappa is using the Veerashaiva-Lingayat mathas to safeguard his and his family's political power, he said.

"Yediyurappa is a disgrace to our community with his political machinations. He should take moral responsibility and tender resignation," he demanded.

Taking exceptions to Yediyurappa family members enjoying the trappings of power, Yatnal said that party leaders must take note of Yediyurappa rapidly taking control of the party by ensuring one family member after another secures plum posts in the party.

"Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi speaks at length about getting rid of dynastic politics from the country, but in our own backyard, Yediyurappa is CM, while his eldest son (B.Y. Raghvendra) is a (Shivamogga) Lok Sabha member and his younger son (Vijayendra) is our party state unit Vice President. If this is the case, how can we attack our rival parties over dynastic politics?" he asked.
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People can now download all the declassified files that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has on unidentified flying objects (UFOs). One can access these files from Black Vault, which is the largest privately run archive of declassified documents in the world.

It has uploaded an accessible or downloadable archive with the PDFs related to the CIA files on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP), a term preferred by the US government.

According to John Greenewald Jr., founder of Black Vault, some of the reports date back to the 1980s and are claimed to be on UAPs by the spy agency.

In a blog, Greenewald said, Around 20 years ago, I had fought for years to get additional UFO records released from the CIA. He further added that he had to scan around a couple of thousand pages one by one.

Black Vault announced the archive in a blog which stated that the CIA had created a CD-ROM containing all the previously released records along with the ones that the Black Vault attempted to unseal. Black Vault purchased the CD-ROM in mid-2020 in order to get the complete record of the documents.

Thousands of downloads have already been done within 24 hours of release. The readers can experience the thrill by reading some of the most interesting and mysterious stories namely dispute with a Bosnian fugitive with alleged E.T. contact and midnight explosions in a small Russian town.

Most of the records available are easy to understand. However, there are others that are hard to covert and understand.

After a lot of struggle and going through difficulties in collecting the documents Greenewald said that it was difficult to get all this information from the government. He further said that the public has a right to know about these records.
The coronavirus pandemic qualifies as one of the biggest disasters to ever hit New York. Yet, the social, economic and public health damage it has caused could be relatively small compared to what climate change might bring in the coming years. Temperatures are rising. Extreme weather is becoming more common. Fossil fuels are disproportionately bringing misery to poor and minority communities across the state. Nature is telling us: do something or I will, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. It is harder done than said (but) I believe the stars are aligned for real progress.

Developing the renewable energy sector offers New York a chance to jump-start its economy while it recovers from the pandemic, the governor said in the third installment of his four-part 2021 State of the State address. It all depends on a four-part approach to expand renewable energy capacity, promote related manufacturing, update the electrical grid and train workers for the expanding green economy.

Political observers noted that some of the projects touted by the governor on Wednesday are already underway, including two offshore wind projects near Long Island that are overseen by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. New offshore wind hubs in New York City and future power transmission lines to carry green energy across the state are also nothing new, but Cuomo did announce a green jobs training program and a new bidding process for three transmission projects linking the southern and northern reaches of the state. Albany will also be the home of the first wind tower manufacturing site in the state.

Such efforts will provide thousands of jobs across the state and contribute to the generation of enough electricity to power 1.2 million households, according to the governor. All of these projects will break ground this year, Cuomo said Wednesday. They will also get the state a little bit closer to reaching its goal to realize an 85% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050. Our green economy must also work for people of color, added the governor, who said the projects will be subject to prevailing wage requirements, project labor agreements and state requirements for minority- and women-owned businesses.

The governor and environmental activists have not always seen eye to eye, but he has received credit in recent years for taking action on climate change. A landmark climate change bill he negotiated with state lawmakers in 2019 received much praise. While a $3 billion environmental bond act was scuttled last year because of the pandemic, state efforts against climate change have continued in recent months, including by the Department of Financial Services, which hired its first climate director last spring.

Environmental activists welcomed the governors reiterated commitment to promoting the transition away from fossil fuels, but said that his Wednesday address fell short of meeting some of the challenges presented by climate change. The state needs new revenues  particularly given the costs to combat the impacts of the climate crisis, Liz Moran, the environmental policy director for the New York Public Interest Research Group, said in a statement that appeared to reference outstanding legislation that activists have promoted in recent weeks. Oil, coal and gas companies should be on the hook. She added that the elimination of tax subsidies for fossil fuel companies could also supplement whatever additional aid the state might get from a Democratic White House.

Environmental policy is just one of a litany of areas where the governor has moved increasingly to the left over his three terms in office. His speech on Wednesday is the latest indication that while the ongoing challenges of the pandemic are many, climate change might end up becoming the biggest disaster that the governor will have to deal with during his time in office. And while COVID-19 and climate change present similar challenges in how they affect the states economy and vulnerable New Yorkers, they differ in one key way. A pandemic can end with vaccines, but there is no immunizing the Empire State against the increasing dangers of a warming planet.
A Wisconsin teenage dad, 16, has been charged with murder after he allegedly put his newborn daughter in a tree and shot her twice in the head after his girlfriend gave birth in a bathtub.

Logan Kruckenberg-Anderson was charged with first-degree intentional homicide Tuesday over the brutal slaying of his baby girl named Harper in the Village of Albany last week.

The suspected baby killer, who is being charged as an adult, allegedly told authorities he had left Harper in the snow in a wooded area to die after the young couple decided they were unable to look after her.

Cops said Kruckenberg-Anderson later admitted he had actually shot the infant twice in the head and tried to hide her corpse.

The baby's bullet-riddled body was discovered Sunday with shell casing nearby.

Wisconsin teenage dad Logan Kruckenberg-Anderson, 16, (pictured) has been charged with murder after he allegedly put his newborn daughter in a tree and shot her twice in the head just days after his girlfriend gave birth in a bathtub

The baby's mom gave birth to Harper in the bathtub of her home in Albany on January 5, according to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday.

Four days later, a man contacted Green County Sheriff's Department saying his teenage daughter had given birth but that Kruckenberg-Anderson had taken the baby and they had not seen her since, the complaint states.

The childs mom, who has not been named, told deputies she and Kruckenberg-Anderson had decided they couldn't keep the child so they made a plan for him to take the baby to a friend.

The friend would then take her to an adoption agency in Madison.

When authorities questioned Kruckenberg-Anderson about this he allegedly claimed he had met his friend 'Tyler' in a park on January 5 and had handed over the infant.

He said he gave 'Tyler' $60 to take the child to an adoption agency and had not seen the baby since.

Authorities said Kruckenberg-Anderson told them he did not know 'Tyler's' last name, phone number or where he was from but did give a description of him and of the SUV the man was allegedly driving.

He claimed they had met through the quick add feature on Snapchat and that Tyler later blocked him, the criminal complaint states.

Kruckenberg-Anderson's story then allegedly changed when sheriff's deputies returned to interview him the next day.

Logan Kruckenberg-Anderson appeared in court Tuesday where he was charged with first-degree intentional homicide Tuesday over the brutal slaying of his baby girl named Harper

The suspected baby killer (top right), who is being charged as an adult, allegedly told authorities he had left the baby in the snow in a wooded area to die after the young couple decided they were unable to look after her

The teen dad allegedly said he and the baby's mom had decided they would get rid of the baby by dropping and leaving her somewhere.

Authorities said Kruckenberg-Anderson then told them he put the baby girl in his backpack and headed to his mom's house.

There, he put the baby in a larger backpack and headed to a remote wooded area in the Village of Albany, the complaint states.

The 16-year-old told deputies he heard the baby crying in his backpack so 'bounced up and down on his heals to sooth the infant'.

Kruckenberg-Anderson is then accused of putting the naked baby in a snow-covered fallen tree.

He told deputies he covered the baby in snow and walked away, knowing his child would die from the elements, the criminal complaint states.

Cops said Kruckenberg-Anderson later admitted he had actually shot the infant twice in the head and tried to hide her corpse in the Albany area

He allegedly told authorities he could hear Harper crying as he left her and he fell to his knees and cried in distress.

But Kruckenberg-Anderson's story then changed again when authorities found the newborn in the location he directed them to and discovered she had gunshot wounds to her forehead.

The alleged killer then admitted he had placed the baby in the snow and shot her twice in the head with a firearm, authorities said.

Green County Circuit Judge Thomas Vale set bail at $1 million

An autopsy determined Harper was alive when she was shot.

A shell casing was reportedly discovered near to the body and another in Kruckenberg-Anderson's backpack.

Authorities also believe they have located the gun used by the teen to kill his baby after another teenager handed over a firearm and said Kruckenberg-Anderson had given it to him three days after the baby went missing.

Kruckenberg-Anderson was charged Tuesday with first degree intentional homicide and hiding the corpse of a child.

Under Wisconsin law, anyone aged 10 and older is charged automatically as an adult when faced with a charge of first-degree intentional homicide.

If convicted Kruckenberg-Anderson will be sentenced to life in prison.

He appeared in court for the first time Tuesday afternoon where bail was set by Green County Circuit Judge Thomas Vale at $1 million, reported NBC15.

Vale cited the seriousness of the crime and warned Kruckenberg-Anderson could flee if released.

He is scheduled to appear back in court on January 20 for a preliminary hearing.

Yellens Confirmation Hearing as Treasury Secretary Set for Jan. 19

The Senate Finance Committee will hold Janet Yellens confirmation hearing for U.S. Treasury secretary on Jan. 19, a day before President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced.

Grassley, the committees chairman, said in a Jan. 12 statement obtained by The Epoch Times that members will meet at 10 a.m.

The timing of the hearing will mean that Yellen, the former chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, will appear before a panel thats still controlled by Republicans. Democrats wont take control of the Senate until Jan. 20, after Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) are sworn into office.

President-elect Joe Biden speaks during an event at The Queen Theater in Wilmington, Del., on Jan. 8, 2021. (Susan Walsh/AP Photo)

With the election of two Democrats from Georgia last week, the U.S. Senate will be split 50-50. Once Harris is sworn in on Jan. 20, she will become the tie-breaking vote, giving the Democrats effective control of the Senate.

Yellen, 74, was the head of the Federal Reserve between 2014 and 2018 under the Obama administration. Her term wasnt renewed by President Donald Trump.

She is expected to easily win Senate confirmation and is most likely to be one of the first confirmed of Bidens Cabinet picks. If confirmed, Yellen would become the first woman to hold the position, and the oldest to hold the role in recent history.

Yellen is expected to push what she has described as extraordinary fiscal support to assist the COVID-19-ravaged economy.

According to financial documents (pdf) disclosed on Dec. 31, the former Federal Reserve head made more than $7 million from speeches and working with Wall Street firms over the past two years. She also worked with large companies such as Citi, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Google, City National Bank, Salesforce, UBS, Citadel LLC, and Barclays.

The document showed that Yellen brought in more than $1 million after giving nine speeches to Citi and earned $800,000 speaking to Citadel, a hedge fund founded by billionaire Ken Griffin.

Grassleys announcement didnt elaborate on how quickly the panel would vote on the nominee or when the nomination would be taken up by the full Senate. The former vice president is keen to get Yellens nomination through the Senate quickly so that she will be able to help win congressional passage of another COVID-19 relief package.

Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) speaks at a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on June 17, 2020. (Andrew Harnik/Pool/Getty Images)

Confirmation hearings have also been scheduled for Bidens Defense Department pick Lloyd Austin, Homeland Security nominee Alejandro Mayorkas, and State Department pick Antony Blinken.

Transition officials said Jan. 12 that Biden plans to appoint acting agency heads across the federal government once hes sworn in, because of transition delays.

Given the stakeswith our national security on the line, and lives and jobs being lost every dayfurther delay in moving forward with his nominees will only hurt the American people, transition spokesman T.J. Ducklo said, according to The Wall Street Journal. That is especially true for nominees for secretary of State, Defense, Treasury and Homeland Security. Congress must act now to have confirmed agency heads in place as soon as possible.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
I wouldnt focus just upon the junior senator from Missouri, Bradley said. Were going to have a lot more to say about (Hawley) and others as we get through this period that were in. Theres more to come on this. Were going to judge it by the totality because were not through all of this yet.
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In his first live speech since inciting a mob that overran the Capitol last week resulting in the deaths of five people, Donald Trump finally called the supporters who stormed the building a mob and warned Democrats not to remove him from office in his final days.

The outgoing president was vehement that the plans of Democrats to have him removed and replaced by vice president Mike Pence - either through the 25th Amendment or impeachment - would only inflame tensions.

It's causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time, Mr Trump said on Tuesday at a segment of the US-Mexico border wall in Alamo, Texas.

Mr Trump also said that the desire of Democrats to have Mr Pence remove him via the 25th Amendment would come back to haunt the Biden administration, an apparent prediction that president-elect Joe Biden would not make it through his four-year term as president with his full mental faculties.

The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration. As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for, Mr Trump said.

Throughout his 2020 presidential campaign, Mr Trump and his top aides repeatedly called Mr Bidens mental cognition into question, alleging the 78-year-old may not be fit to hold office.

Mr Bidens campaign and transition team have repeatedly shot down such speculation, which exploded in popularity in the conservative online ecosystem.

The former vice presidents physician released a three-page medical summary in 2019 stating Mr Biden was a healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency to include those as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief.

Mr Trumps speech on Tuesday centred around the US-Mexico border wall. While he claimed we fixed it and we secured it, the fact remains that Mr Trump fell far short of his 2016 campaign promise to build a wall along the entire border and have Mexico pay for it.

The president began his speech with a plea for peace and for calm, remarks meant to placate his detractors who have accused the president of inciting the riot at the Capitol by telling his supporters shortly before the storming of the Capitol last week to fight for their country.

Videos and anecdotes of the insurrection from last Wednesday have revealed Trump supporters beating police officers, breaking windows, and menacing journalists. One US Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, 41, was killed amid the chaos. The Capitol Police is actively searching for a man it wants to question about Mr Sicknicks slaying, senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana tweeted on Tuesday.

Mr Trump reiterated his denunciation of the mob that he himself helped incite.

Respect for law enforcement is the foundation of the Maga agenda, the president said at the Texas border on Tuesday.

Law enforcement officials in the US have warned that the insurrection on the Capitol last week could embolden right wing extremists to launch more attacks across the country as Mr Biden prepares to take office.

The FBI has already sent out a memo notifying local forces that pro-Trump activists are planning armed protests at all 50 state capitals next week.

Mr Trump has declared a state of emergency in Washington ahead of Mr Bidens inauguration on 20 January. The Capitol, where that ceremony is scheduled to take place, is being heavily fortified with National Guardsmen and other federal forces in addition to local police.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump refused to take any responsibility for the deadly riots at the Capitol last week in his first discussion with reporters since the incident.

"If you read my speech, and many people have done it, and Ive seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television, its been analysed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate, the president said in response to questions about his role in the riots.

Mr Trump was referring to the speech he delivered to his supporters just before the violent mob launched the attacks, in which he lied about his electoral defeat, promoted conspiracy theories of rampant voter fraud and urged the audience to march to the Capitol and fight.

The House is slated to vote to impeach Mr Trump on Wednesday for incitement to insurrection.

Shortly before sending the crowd up to the Capitol, Mr Trump told his supporters: If you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore.

The impeachment article cites that and other inflammatory lines from the speech as grounds for dismissal from office.

The article states: In all this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperilled a coequal branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Mr Trump would be the first president in US history to be impeached twice. And unlike his first impeachment, this second impeachment is expected to garner at least some Republican support.
Mumbai, Jan 13 : Amitabh Bachchan has wrapped up the current season of the quiz show, Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). The veteran actor took to his blog to inform fans that he has concluded the shoot of KBC season 12.

"I am tired and retire .. my apologies .. its been a very long last day of KBC shoot .. I shall make up tomorrow. But remember this .. work is work and must be accomplished with the entire sincerity at one's disposal," Big B wrote in his blog post.

"The affection and love created gives a farewell to the last day of the shoot .. they all assemble together .. the wish is to never stop but to keep going on .. I do hope this can happen again soon .. the crew and the team were so caring and hard working .. it was quite a stretch to pull away from the sets .. and all the team gathered round in fond remembrance of the months spent together and the efforts made by each," he added.

"Love, care, affection and gifts of appreciation exchanged hands and there is extreme gratefulness for the gesture from the entire team .. its moving .. and tears up .. but... tomorrow is another day," he signed off.

Big B began shooting for KBC season 12 after recovering from Covid-19 in August last year. The actor underwent treatment at Nanavati Hospital along with son Abhishek Bachchan, daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and granddaughter Aaradhya.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
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Muchhad Paanwala drugs case: NCP minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law summoned

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Mumbai, Jan 13: Maharashtra cabinet minister Nawab Malik's son-in-law Sameer Khan was summoned by the Narcotics Control Bureau in connection with a drugs case on Wednesday, an official said.

Khan was seen entering the NCB''s office at Ballard Estate in South Mumbai around 10 am.

He was summoned by the agencyafter it found an alleged online transaction of Rs 20,000 between him and one of the accused in a drugs case, in which British national Karan Sajnani and two others were arrested with 200 kg of drugs last week, sources said.

The NCB wants to record Khan''s statement over this transaction, they said.

The agency on Tuesday arrested Ramkumar Tiwari, one of the owners of the famous ''Muchhad Paanwala'' shop in Mumbai, which is frequented by celebrities, in connection with the same case.

ED court directs Andhra CM Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy to appear on Jan 11

Last week, the NCB arrested three persons, including British national Sajnani, with 200 kg of drugs from Khar and Bandra areas here, an official earlier said.

The drugs included ganja, imported contraband like ''OG Kush'' (a strain of cannabis indica), and curated marijuana, some of which had been sourced from the US, he said.

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 15:09 [IST]
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Blue Rhino Capital Corp (TSXV: RHNO.P) (the "Company") has entered into a letter of intent, dated January 7, 2021, with URU Metals Limited ("URU") whereby the Company proposes to acquire all of the issued and outstanding share capital of Zebediela Nickel Company (Pty) Ltd. ("ZEB"). ZEB controls the Zebediela Nickel Project (the "Project"), a mining license application located in the Limpopo Province in the Republic of South Africa, near the platinum mining town of Mokopane.

Upon successful completion of the proposed acquisition of ZEB (the "Transaction"), it is anticipated that the Company will be listed as a Tier 2 Mining issuer on the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V") and will be involved in the exploration and development of the Project. The Transaction is intended to constitute the Company's "qualifying transaction" pursuant to Policy 2.4 - Capital Pool Companies of the TSX-V.

Transaction Summary

Pursuant to the terms of the Transaction, it is contemplated that the Company will consolidate its share capital on a 2.3-for-1 basis (the "Consolidation"), following which it will issue 41,000,000 post-Consolidation common shares (the "Consideration Shares") to URU in consideration for all of the outstanding share capital of ZEB. The Company will also assume all ongoing liabilities and obligations of ZEB, which will include a 2.5% royalty on all revenue generated from the Project (the "Royalty"). Two percent of the Royalty can be purchased for a one-time cash payment of US$3,000,000.

The Company is at arms-length from each of URU and ZEB, and ZEB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of URU. Upon the completion of the Transaction, it is expected that ZEB will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the "Resulting Issuer"), and URU will become a "control person" of the Company.

Information Concerning URU and ZEB

URU is a project developer which maintains a portfolio of exploration-stage mineral projects. URU is a widely-held public company, established under the laws of British Virgin Islands, and listed on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) of the London Stock Exchange.

ZEB is a wholly-owned subsidiary of URU, established under the laws of the Republic of South Africa. ZEB owns a seventy-four percent interest in Umnex Minerals Limpopo (Pty) Ltd., which in turn holds an interest in Lesego Platinum Uitloop (Pty) Ltd. which controls the Project. Aside from its interest in the Project, ZEB has no assets. Selected financial information material to ZEB will be released by the Company as soon as it becomes available.

Management and Board of Directors

Upon completion of the Transaction, it is expected that all the directors and officers of the Company, other than Anton Drescher, will resign and the board of directors and management will be reconstituted to consist of nominees of URU. The following sets out the names and backgrounds of all persons who are expected to be appointed as officers and directors of the Resulting Issuer:

Wayne Isaacs, Chief Executive Officer, Corporate Secretary and Director. Mr. Isaacs has a thirty-year career on Bay Street specializing in the resource sector both as a corporate executive of resource companies and as an investment banker. This extensive experience has allowed him to successfully seek out and engage and acquire significant resource assets and financing to support exploration, development and mining activities for his operating and investee companies. Mr. Isaacs has been involved as principal in 30 listed companies and has served as a director and / or senior officer of over 35 listed companies. He was the President and Director of Forsys Metals Corp. from 2003 to 2007, a TSX listed company with uranium properties in Namibia, Africa which he managed from start up to in excess of $750 million in market capitalization raising over $70 million to advance its uranium property from the exploration stage to the production decision stage. Mr. Isaacs is currently a Director of AM Resources Corp., a mining company engaged in the exploration of coal, hydrocarbons and gold mining sites located in Colombia. He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and has held numerous securities certifications and licenses.

Tom Panoulias, Director. Mr. Panoulias is a capital markets professional with over fifteen years of experience. He has previously worked at Echelon Wealth Partners, Fraser Mackenzie, and Dundee Capital Markets, raising over one billion dollars for issuers in the mining sector and advising senior management teams on numerous merger and acquisition transactions. Prior to entering capital markets, Mr. Panoulias held senior roles at Kinross Gold Corporation and TVX Gold Inc. in corporate development, responsible for managing various acquisition and divestiture activities. He currently is the Vice President of Corporate Development for Freeman Gold Corp. and a director of Bonavista Resources Corp. Mr. Panoulias holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto and is a member of the Canadian Institution of Mining and Metallurgy and the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts.

Anton Drescher, Director. Mr. Drescher has been a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant since 1981. Mr. Drescher is currently involved with several public companies including as: a director (since 1991) of International Tower Hill Mines Ltd., a public mining company listed on the TSX and the NYSE-MRT; a director (since 1996) and Chief Financial Officer (since 2012) of Xiana Mining Inc., a public mineral exploration company listed on the TSXV; a director (since 2007) and the Chief Financial Officer of Oculus VisionTech Inc., a public company involved in watermarking of film and data listed on the TSXV and the OTC Bulletin Board; a director (since 2014) of CENTR Brands Corp., a public company listed on the CSE. Mr. Drescher is also the President (since 1979) of Westpoint Management Consultants Limited, a private company engaged in tax and accounting consulting for business reorganizations, and the President (since 1998) of Harbour Pacific Capital Corp., a private company involved in regulatory filings for businesses in Canada.

Greg McKenzie, Director. Mr. McKenzie (JD, MBA) is a former senior investment banker with more than twenty years of experience in financing, M&A, financial advisory, valuation, and strategic advice to mid-cap companies. Mr. McKenzie has held positions with Morgan Stanley, CIBC World Markets and Haywood Securities, and has been involved in transactions valued in excess of $18 billion. In addition to his capital market experience Mr. McKenzie previously practiced corporate law with a leading Canadian securities and M&A law firm. He is currently the President & CEO of Golden Tag Resources, a Mexican Silver Exploration and Development Company.

Jay Vieira, Director.Mr. Vieira is a sole practitioner specializing in securities and corporate law. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Vieira was Vice President, Corporate & Legal Affairs for Distinct Infrastructure Group Inc. Prior to joining Distinct Infrastructure Group Inc., Mr. Vieira was a partner at the law firm Blaney McMurtry LLP and Fogler Rubinoff LLP. Mr. Vieira was called to the Ontario Bar in 1999.

David Cross, Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Cross, a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Management Accountant, started his accounting career at a Chartered Accountant firm in 1997. Currently he is a partner of Cross Davis & Company LLP, an accounting firm founded in 2010, which is focused on providing accounting and management services for publicly traded companies. Mr. Cross also serves as the Chief Financial Officer and director of several publicly listed companies.

Martin Vydra, Strategic Advisor. Mr. Vydra, President of Giga Metals, joined Giga Metals after a thirty-one year career with Sherritt International Corporation, a leader in the mining, processing and refining of lateritic nickel and cobalt with operations in Canada, Cuba and Madagascar. Martin is widely recognized as an expert in nickel and cobalt extraction, processing and refining including the development and application of advanced technologies to maximize the recovery of valuable metals such as nickel and cobalt from a variety of feeds. While at Sherritt, Martin's technical accomplishments spanned four continents and over 20 operations including postings in Australia where he was integrated in Murrin Murrin's refinery start up; Finland for the design of Harjavalta's nickel reduction circuit; and, in Chile where he oversaw the design, construction and commissioning of a major pressure oxidation operation. Most recently, Martin served as Sherritt's Senior Vice President, Commercial and Technologies, where he had oversight for the sales and marketing of nickel and cobalt, and marketing and commercialization of Sherritt's proprietary technologies. Mr. Vydra also currently works for Conic Metals Corp. in a strategic capacity.

Justin Cochrane, Advisor to the Board. Mr. Cochrane, President and CEO of Conic Metals Corp., has 20 years of royalty and stream financing, M&A and corporate finance experience. Prior to Conic Metals, he served as President & COO of Cobalt 27 Capital Corp. and before that as Executive Vice President and Head of Corporate Development for Sandstorm Gold Ltd. Mr. Cochrane's expertise is in the structuring, negotiation, execution and funding of royalty and stream financing contracts around the world, across dozens of projects, totaling over $2 billion. Prior to Sandstorm, he spent nine years in investment banking and equity capital markets with National Bank Financial where he covered the resource, clean-tech and energy technology sectors. In addition, Mr. Cochrane is currently a board member of Nevada Copper Corp.

Concurrent Financing

Pursuant to the letter of intent, and in connection with the Transaction, the Company will complete a non-brokered private placement (the "Concurrent Financing") of subscription receipts (each, a "Receipt") at a price of $0.25 per Receipt to raise a minimum of $2,000,000. Proceeds from the Concurrent Financing will be held in escrow pending completion of the Transaction. Following completion of the Transaction, the Receipts will automatically be converted into post-Consolidation common shares of the Company. Net proceeds of the Concurrent Financing will be used for the exploration and development of the Project, and for working capital and general corporate purposes. The Company may pay finders' fees to eligible parties who assist introducing subscribers to the Concurrent Financing. All securities issued in connection with the Concurrent Financing will be subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Sponsorship

The Transaction is subject to the sponsorship requirements of the TSX-V unless an exemption from those requirements is granted. The Company intends to apply for an exemption from the sponsorship requirements; however, there can be no assurance that an exemption will be obtained. If an exemption from the sponsorship requirements is not obtained, a sponsor will be identified at a later date. An agreement to act as sponsor in respect of the Transaction should not be construed as any assurance with respect to the merits of the Transaction or the likelihood of its completion.

Name Change

Upon completion of the Transaction, the Company intends to change its name to "ZEB Nickel Corp." or such other name as the Company and URU may determine, and the parties expect that the TSX-V will assign a new trading symbol for the Resulting Issuer.

Finders Fee

In connection with completion of the Transaction, the Company anticipates issuing 250,000 post-Consolidation common shares (the "Finders Fee Shares") to Anton Drescher in consideration for facilitating the negotiation and completion of the Transaction. Mr. Drescher is a director and officer of the Company, and the issuance of the Finders Fee Shares to him constitutes a related-party transaction within the meaning of Policy 5.9 of the TSX-V and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). In connection with the issuance of the Finders Fee Shares, the Company intends to rely upon the exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 set forth in Sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 on the basis that the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the Finders Fee Shares does not exceed twenty-five percent of the market capitalization of the Company (as determined under MI 61-101).

In accordance with Policy 2.4 of the TSX-V, the Company is required to obtain disinterested shareholder approval for the issuance of the Finders Fee Shares. The Company intends to seek such approval at a meeting of shareholders to be held prior to completion of the Transaction (the "Meeting").

Escrow Amendment

In connection with the initial public offering of the common shares of the Company, and the listing of the Company on the TSX-V, 2,000,000 common shares of the Company held by the directors and officers of the Company, are subject to escrow in accordance with Policy 2.4 of the TSX-V (the "Existing Escrow"). The Existing Escrow provides for the release of shares from escrow over a thirty-six-month period commencing upon completion of a "qualifying transaction" by the Company.

In accordance with amendments to Policy 2.4 adopted by the TSX-V, the Company is permitted to reduce the length of the Existing Escrow, provided that disinterested shareholder approval is received for the reduction. At the Meeting, the Company intends to seek disinterested shareholder approval to reduce the length of the Existing Escrow to an eighteen-month period commencing upon completion of a "qualifying transaction."

Further Information

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions including the satisfactory completion of due diligence, the negotiation and entering into of definitive agreements, the completion of the Concurrent Financing, receipt of all required shareholder, regulatory and third-party consents, including approval of the TSX-V and the shareholders of URU, and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. The Transaction and Concurrent Financing cannot close until the required approvals are obtained. There can be no assurance that the Transaction and Concurrent Financing will be completed as proposed or at all. Except in connection with the Concurrent Financing and the issuance of the Finders Fee Shares, no finders' fees or commissions are payable in connection with completion of the Transaction, and no advances or loans to URU or ZEB are contemplated prior to completion of the Transaction.

In connection with the Transaction, the Company has commissioned a geological report on the Project. Prior to completion of the Transaction, a copy of the geological report will be filed and posted on SEDAR. Further information on the Transaction will be available and posted on SEDAR upon completion of a filing statement that will be prepared by the Company.

Trading in the common shares of the Company will remain halted pending further filings with the TSX-V.

About the Company

The Company is a capital pool company ("CPC") within the meaning of the policies of the TSX-V that has not commenced commercial operations and has no assets other than cash. The current directors and officers of the Company consists of Anton Drescher (Director, President, Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Secretary), Raphael Danon (Director), David Brett (Director) and David Cross (Chief Financial Officer).

The Company currently has 5,400,000 common shares issued and outstanding, as well as 200,000 incentive stock options and 200,000 broker warrants to acquire common shares, each exercisable at $0.10 per share. Following the Consolidation, the Company will have approximately 2,347,826 shares outstanding, and 86,957 incentive stock options and 86,957 broker warrants, each exercisable at $0.23 per share.

For further information please contact:

Anton Drescher

Director, President, Chief Executive Officer and Corporate Secretary

Tel. (604) 685-1017

Completion of the Transaction is subject to a number of conditions, including but not limited to, TSX Venture Exchange acceptance. The Transaction cannot close until the required approvals are obtained, and the outstanding conditions satisfied. There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be completed as proposed or at all.

Investors are cautioned that, except as disclosed in the filing statement to be prepared in connection with the Transaction, any information released or received with respect to the Transaction may not be accurate or complete and should not be relied upon. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative.

The TSX Venture Exchange has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed Transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to proposed financing activity, regulatory or government requirements or approvals, the reliability of third-party information and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71932
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed a legal action challenging the validity of the primary election that produced Mr Rotimi...





A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed a legal action challenging the validity of the primary election that produced Mr Rotimi Akeredolu as the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ondo State in the last gubernatorial election

Justice Iyang Ekwo in a judgment held that the suit instituted by one Mrs. Olajumoke Anifowose was statued barred having been filled outside 14 days allowed by law for a pre-election matter.

It was gathered that Mrs Anifowose in the suit filled on her behalf by her counsel Mr Adesina Oke had challenged the indirect primary election that produced Akeredolu as the nominated governorship candidate of APC.

She contended that section 87 of the Electoral Act and Article 20 of the APC constitution and other relevant election guidelines were violated in the primary election by the state executive committee and local government committees of APC that conducted the primary election.

The Plaintiff, therefore, applied for an order of the court declaring the primary election as invalid and to bar the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from recognising Akeredolu as a governorship candidate.

She also prayed the court to prohibit APC from summiting Akeredolus name as its governorship candidate and Akeredolu from parading himself as a gubernatorial candidate.

However, Justice Ekwo upheld the preliminary objection against the suit by Akeredolu and APC who claimed that the court action is grossly incompetent since it was not filed within 14 days required by law and by that, that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain the suit.

The Justice noted that Akeredolu was nominated by APC on July 20th, and the plaintiff instituted the suit on July 29, which fell within 14 days stipulated by law, the suit however became incompetent due to the withdrawal of the initial originating summon and its substitution on August 20 by the plaintiff.

The court also held that the substitution of the second originating summon was done outside 14 days required by law, and therefore became an invalid suit by the provision of section 285 of the 1999 Constitution.

Let me make it clear that a careful perusal of facts in this matter showed that the first defendant, Akeredolu was nominated on July, 20th, 2020, and the plaintiff came to court on July 29, 2020.

A new dimension however emerged when the plaintiff on August 20, 2020, substituted the originating summon of the July 29, with another one due to the error discovered in the first one that sued the office of the governor that did not participle in the disputed primary.

This substitution having not been done withing 14 days allowed by section 285 of the 1999 constitution makes this suit statued barred and constitutionally dead, the Justice said.

Justice Ekwo subsequently dismissed the suit on the ground that it was grossly incompetent to stand in the face of the law.
Regulatory News:

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) today released its regular weekly Net Asset Value ("NAV") and performance returns on its website, https://www.pershingsquareholdings.com/company-reports/weekly-navs/. The NAV and returns were computed as of the close of business on Tuesday, 12 January 2021.

PSH NAV per share as of close of business on 12 January 2021 was 46.61 USD 34.11 GBP and year-to-date performance was 2.5%.

Weekly net asset value ("NAV") is calculated as of the close of business on each Tuesday and posted on the following business day. In the event that Tuesday is not a business day, the Company will calculate the close-of-business NAV as of the business day immediately preceding that Tuesday. The end-of-month NAV is calculated as of the close of business on the last day of the month and posted on the following business day. For weeks that include a month-end NAV report, PSH will provide only the month-end NAV and not report the Tuesday NAV. Monthly NAVs are published in accordance with the Decree on Conduct of Business Supervision of Financial Undertakings under the Wft (Besluit Gedragstoezicht financiele ondernemingen Wft).

Performance is presented on a net-of-fees basis and reflects the deduction of, among other expenses: management fees, brokerage commissions, administrative fees and accrued performance fees, if any. The performance figure includes the reinvestment of all dividends, interest and capital gains. Depending on the timing of a specific investment, net performance for an individual investor may vary from the net performance as stated herein. Net performance is a geometrically linked time weighted calculation.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. All investments involve risk including the loss of principal.

About Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd.

Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. (LN:PSH) (LN:PSHD) (NA:PSH) is an investment holding company structured as a closed-ended fund that makes concentrated investments principally in North American domiciled companies.

Category: (PSH:WeeklyNAV)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005913/en/

Contacts:

Camarco

Ed Gascoigne-Pees Hazel Stevenson +44 020 3757 4989, media-pershingsquareholdings@camarco.co.uk
W.H.O. Finally Lands in China to Begin Tracing the Coronavirus A glimmer of hope from one California region emerging from lockdown. More people have moved toward the front of the U.S. vaccination line, but that raises its own complications.

A W.H.O. team is in China to investigate the virus. Its already meeting obstacles. Experts from the World Health Organization at the airport in Wuhan, China, on Thursday. Credit... Ng Han Guan/Associated Press More than a year after a new coronavirus first emerged in China, a team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived on Thursday in the central city of Wuhan to begin hunting for its source. But in a sign of Beijings continuing efforts to control the investigation, the team of scientists and W.H.O. employees almost immediately ran into obstacles. Two scientists were unable to enter China at the last minute and remained in Singapore because they had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, the W.H.O. said on Twitter. The Chinese authorities required the remaining 13 experts to undergo two weeks of quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in late 2019. The investigation, which aims to gain an understanding into how the virus jumped to humans from animals, is a critical step so that another pandemic can be avoided. But getting answers is likely to be difficult. Heres what to know about the investigation. China set up hurdles and pushed for control. Apparently worried about drawing renewed attention to the countrys early mistakes in handling the pandemic, Chinese officials have used a variety of tactics over the past year to hinder the W.H.O. investigation. After resisting demands from other countries that it allow independent investigators onto its soil to study the origin of the pathogen, China let two W.H.O. experts visit in July to lay the groundwork. They were not allowed to visit Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. For months, China delayed approving a visit by a full team of experts, frustrating the health agencys leaders. When the visit seemed to be finalized this month, it fell apart when Beijing declined to provide visas for the visitors, according to the health agency. Now that the investigators have arrived, critics say Beijings desire for control means the inquiry will probably be more political than scientific. Tracing the virus will be a painstaking task. The team that has come to Wuhan will face a city radically transformed from when the virus first emerged, in late 2019. The city, which went into lockdown on Jan. 23 last year and became a symbol of the viruss devastation, has since been held up by Chinese officials as a success story in vanquishing the virus. The W.H.O. experts have decades of experience plumbing the depths of viruses, animal health and disease control. But tracing the source of the virus that as of Thursday had killed almost two million people worldwide and infected more than 92 million will be painstaking. While experts believe the virus originated naturally in animals, possibly bats, little else is known. How much access the team gets in China will be critical, public health experts say. The team will have to sidestep attempts to politicize its inquiry. The pandemic has hurt Chinas reputation, with many foreign governments still angry that Beijing did not do more to contain the crisis in its earliest stages. So Chinese propagandists are trying to use the W.H.O. inquiry to help shore up Chinas image and portray the country as a mature superpower. Complicating that effort could be new virus flare-ups in recent weeks that have prompted fresh lockdowns in China. In all, more than 22 million people have been ordered to remain inside their homes  double the number affected a year ago in Wuhan. On Thursday, Chinas National Health Commission reported a coronavirus death in the mainland for the first time since May. The major concern here is the origin of the outbreak has been so politicized, said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. That has really narrowed the space for the W.H.O. to have an independent, objective and scientific investigation.

There are some good things to report: One California region is emerging from lockdown. Waiting in line for coronavirus testing in Los Angeles this week. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times The overwhelming Covid-19 surge in California is as deadly now as it has ever been, and hospitals in much of the state are still full to bursting. But officials see signs that the situation may soon stop getting worse. There are some good things to report, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a video message posted late Tuesday night. Were starting to see some stabilization both in I.C.U.s as well as in our positivity rate. One region of the state, the area around Sacramento, has improved enough to lift a strict stay-at-home order and allow some businesses to reopen at partial capacity, including restaurants offering outdoor dining and hair salons. Three other large regions, home to tens of millions of people, remain under the most stringent tier of restrictions, which shut down nearly all nonessential businesses and ban residents from gathering with anyone they do not live with. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the states secretary of health and human services, said Tuesday that the number of Covid-19 patients being admitted to hospitals each day was dropping. He called that the biggest signal to me that things are beginning to flatten and potentially improve. Nationwide, the numbers largely remained grim, though in the Northern Plains, cases this week were about a quarter of their peak in mid-November, when the region was among the hardest hit in the country. A day after the U.S. recorded yet another daily record for deaths  more than 4,400  reported deaths remained high on Wednesday. And even as the pressure eased in some parts of California, hospitals across Southern California and the Central Valley were full, and the state reported a record total of more than 720 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database. California has struggled to get its vaccination program into high gear, and had only used one-quarter of its available doses by Tuesday. Governor Newsom said Wednesday that the state would start a new system to alert residents when theyre eligible. There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences, he said in a statement. To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state. Dr. David Lubarsky, the chief executive of U.C. Davis Health, said Tuesday that the top priority should be getting shots into arms, rather than spending resources to ensure that people dont cut the line. If you are so hellbent on making sure Patient A should come before Patient B, before Citizen C, you cant get people in the door in a sufficient manner, he said. Dr. Lubarsky said that as of Tuesday, roughly 12,000 of U.C. Davis Healths 13,000 employees had received at least a first vaccine dose. New Covid cases among the staff plummeted to about 20 in the last week, from a recent average of 135 a week. Setting up mass vaccination centers and opening up eligibility are positive steps for the state, he said. I think they are moving 100 percent in the right direction, Dr. Lubarsky said.

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Results are expected soon with Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine, though production lags. Despite manufacturing delays, health experts are optimistic about Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine. Credit... Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its coronavirus vaccine trial in as little as two weeks but probably wont be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of manufacturing delays. If the vaccine can strongly protect people, as some outside scientists expect, it will offer big advantages over the two vaccines authorized in the United States. Unlike those, which require two doses, Johnson & Johnsons could need just one, greatly simplifying logistics for local health departments and clinics struggling to get shots in arms. Its vaccine can also stay stable in a refrigerator for months, whereas the others have to be frozen. But the encouraging prospect of a third effective vaccine is tempered by apparent lags in the companys production. In the companys $1 billion contract signed with the federal government in August, Johnson & Johnson pledged to have 12 million doses ready by the end of February, ramping up to a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and wont catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to have delivered more than 60 million doses, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Dr. Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnsons chief scientific officer, said he expected to see clinical trial data showing whether the companys vaccine is safe and effective in late January or early February. He declined to provide details about the companys production capacity. Carl Zimmer, Sharon LaFraniere and Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker A look at all the vaccines that have reached trials in humans.

Which Americans can get a vaccine now? Heres a look at the new guidance. A vaccination center in Teaneck, N.J., on Wednesday. Credit... James Estrin/The New York Times The federal government, faced with an unrelenting surge in Covid-19 cases, issued a new appeal on Tuesday regarding which Americans should be vaccinated first. Here is what it might mean. Who is now eligible to be vaccinated, according to federal guidance? On Tuesday, Alex M. Azar II, the health secretary, urged all states to open up eligibility to everyone 65 and older and to adults of any age with medical conditions that put them at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19. In all, that is more than 150 million people  almost half the population. They now join millions of health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities who had previously qualified. Mr. Azar did not specify which conditions would make someone eligible for vaccination now; presumably it will be up to governors to decide, as will the question of what documentation to require. But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a list of particularly high-risk conditions, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. How does eligibility vary by state, and why? Although the C.D.C. issued recommendations last month for which groups states should vaccinate initially, while the vaccine supply is still relatively low, the priorities are not binding and each state has come up with its own groupings. Nor can the federal government require states to change the prioritization plans they have already announced, although the new pressure from Mr. Azar, and growing public impatience as deaths from the virus keep hitting new peaks, may sway many to do so. In coming up with priority groups, state officials considered criteria like who is most likely to die if they contract Covid-19  including people of color as well as the elderly and the sick  and which professions are critical to helping the economy fully reopen. Each states unique demographics also played a role. I qualify now. How do I sign up? This depends very much on what state or even what county you live in. Some local public health departments have set up portals where people can make appointments; others are holding mass vaccination events and inoculating people on a first-come, first-served basis. Generally, doctors offices and pharmacies have asked that patients and customers not call them seeking vaccine appointments just yet, and instead wait to be contacted. Most pharmacies are not yet offering the vaccine, but CVS, Walgreens and a number of other chain pharmacies, including some in grocery and big-box stores, will soon start doing so through a partnership with the federal government. With the federal government saying that older people and those with underlying medical conditions should get vaccinated next, what happens to essential workers whose jobs require them to come face to face with other people? Are they eligible now, too? In some states, yes. Health care workers in every state were the first to be offered the vaccine. And before Mr. Azars directive this week, several states had already opened vaccination to certain categories of frontline essential workers, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, child-care workers and public transit employees. But other states that had planned to start offering the vaccine to some essential workers in the coming weeks may reprioritize now, based on Mr. Azars new guidance. There is nothing stopping states from opening vaccination to a new priority group before they have reached everyone in an earlier group, but supply is an important consideration. How many vaccine doses does the United States have access to? So far, Pfizer and Moderna, the only two companies whose vaccines have been approved for emergency use here, together have pledged to provide 400 million doses over the next seven months. Both vaccines require two doses, so that will be enough for 200 million people, out of roughly 260 million who are eligible at this point to be vaccinated. Children younger than 16 are not yet eligible for Pfizers vaccine, and those younger than 18 cannot yet take Modernas. Johnson & Johnson, which has a single-dose vaccine candidate in late-stage clinical trials, has a contract with the federal government to provide 12 million doses by the end of February, and a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. But the company has fallen behind on its production schedule. How many people have been vaccinated so far? The publicly available data lags by at least a few days, so it is hard to know for sure. But the C.D.C. reported on Wednesday that about 10.3 million people had received an initial dose, out of a total 29.4 million doses distributed around the country so far. That includes nearly 1.1 million doses that have been given to residents and staff members in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Infections remain comparatively rare among children but are rising, the C.D.C. says. Students in Murphy, Texas. Young children are less likely to be infected by the coronavirus, new research confirmed. Credit... LM Otero/Associated Press After falling over the summer, coronavirus infections among children, teens and young adults rose steadily from September through mid-December, paralleling the viruss trajectory among older adults in the U.S. population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday. Of 2.8 million coronavirus infections diagnosed in children and young adults under the age of 25 between March 1 and Dec. 12, 2020, the incidence was lowest among children ages 10 and younger, who accounted for 18 percent of the cases. The majority of infections in those under 25  nearly 60 percent  were among young adults aged 18 to 24, the study found. The authors said the findings lend support to the argument that child- care centers and elementary schools can operate safely when community transmission rates are low and mitigation measures are followed. Were recommending that child care centers and schools, especially elementary schools, be the last settings to close after all other mitigation measures are deployed, and the first to reopen, said Erin K. Sauber-Schatz, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. and team lead of the agencys community interventions and critical populations task force. The study was one of two published this week that also looked at how often children have been hospitalized. In the C.D.C. study, which drew data from 44 states, the District of Columbia, two territories and an associated state, 2.5 percent of infected children and adolescents under 25 were hospitalized, compared with 16.6 percent of sick adults, and just 0.8 percent were transferred to intensive care. The largest percentage of hospitalizations in this group occurred among children under 5 years old. Some 654 patients under the age of 25 died, about 0.1 percent. But another study of children, adolescents and young adults, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, has come to a very different conclusion. Researchers at the University of Minnesota found a troubling increase in hospitalizations among infected children and adolescents. The study was based on data from 5,364 patients aged 19 and under who were hospitalized in 22 states between May 15, 2020, and Nov. 15, 2020. The cumulative average rate rose to 17.2 hospitalizations per 100,000 children in November from 2 per 100,000 children in May. The increase was not surprising in itself, simply because more children were becoming infected over time. But the percentage uptick was more than double the rise in adult hospitalization rates over the same period, said Pinar Karaca-Mandic, an expert in health economics at the University of Minnesota and the senior author of the research report. This demonstrates that Covid still has the potential to cause serious illness in children, said Dr. Karaca-Mandic, who also is co-lead of the universitys Covid-19 Hospitalization Project. Its not like children are immune. Its not like children are not at risk. While older adults continue to be at the greatest risk, some hospitals may not be properly equipped to care for the youngest patients, she added. Sometimes I feel like the message of lower risk in children may have been misinterpreted as no risk by many, she added. Our study is showing that is not the case.

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More than 10 percent of the U.S. Congress has tested positive. Representative Pramila Jayapal tested positive after the siege on the Capitol. Credit... Pool photo by Graeme Jennings At least 60 sitting members of Congress  more than one in 10  have tested positive for the coronavirus or are believed to have had Covid-19 at some point since the pandemic began. The list includes 44 Republicans and 16 Democrats. Thats a higher proportion than the general population. As of Wednesday, a bit fewer than one in 14 Americans were known to have had the virus, according to a New York Times database, though many more cases have probably gone undetected. Five House members have reported positive tests since the attack on the Capitol last week, when many lawmakers were holed up in a secure location together and some refused to wear masks  a situation that angered several Democrats, including Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, one of those who has since tested positive. And on Wednesday, Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said that her husband, Conan Harris, who was at the Capitol to see her sworn in, has also tested positive. In a statement, Ms. Pressley said that Republican colleagues who had refused to wear masks while in a confined space had displayed an arrogant disregard for the lives of others. Congresss attending physician warned members afterward that it was possible they were exposed while sheltering and recommended that they be tested. Congress has struggled to stem the spread within its ranks in recent weeks. Most members who have tested positive have done so since the election in November, as cases have surged across the country. Representative Jake LaTurner, Republican of Kansas, said he received word just after the attack on the Capitol last Wednesday that he had tested positive. He did not return to the House floor for a vote early on Thursday. Representative Gus Bilirakis of Florida and Representative Michelle Steel of California, both Republicans, were absent from the House floor when the mob entered the Capitol because each had received positive test results earlier that morning. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, Republican of Tennessee, said on Sunday that he had tested positive after exposure to Mr. Bilirakis, with whom he shares a residence. Which Members of Congress Have Tested Positive for the Coronavirus At least 66 members of the 117th Congress have reported positive coronavirus tests, many of them in recent weeks.

N.Y.C. works with the Yankees on a vaccine site, and more virus variant cases are found statewide. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:41 - 0:00 transcript Yankee Stadium to Become Mass Coronavirus Vaccination Site Mayor Bill de Blasio said the New York Yankees were working with the city to turn Yankee Stadium into a mass Covid-19 vaccination site. No opening date has been set. Were speeding up the process of giving vaccines all the time. Yesterday, 28,599 doses given. We are opening up mega-sites, 24/7 mega-sites. We talked yesterday about CitiField, and again, thanks to the New York Mets for stepping up. Thats fantastic. Thats going to serve a lot of people. Well, weve heard back from the New York Yankees. And we welcome them into the fold too. Were working with them now to work out a plan to use Yankee Stadium as well. And thats got to be great for the people of the Bronx. So that plan is in motion, well announce it when the details have been worked through. But theres going to be more and more sites, not just stadiums, but more sites of all kinds, more hours reaching more people. And now anyone 65 years old or over does qualify. So if youre 65 or over, regardless of your health situation  obviously, youre vulnerable, weve talked about this before  you have the right to be vaccinated. You can sign up now. We have sites, as I said, 24/7 sites, and sites with other hours, extended hours, all over the five boroughs. On the 24/7 sites, yesterday, we opened a site at 125 Worth Street, right here, in the City Hall area, Lower Manhattan. Today, Staten Island, the Vanderbilt Clinic on Staten Island open 24/7 from this point on. And again, more sites coming in Staten Island. Saturday, the Health and Hospitals Corona Clinic in Queens will go to 24/7. And obviously, CitiField will be right behind that. Were going to just keep building and building out capacity. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the New York Yankees were working with the city to turn Yankee Stadium into a mass Covid-19 vaccination site. No opening date has been set. Credit Credit... Corey Sipkin/Associated Press An additional three cases of a variant of the coronavirus, which has been surging in the United Kingdom, have now been identified in New York, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 15, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday. State officials have narrowed down the new cases of the more contagious variant to two clusters, one on Long Island and another stemming from a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs, where the first case of the variant was discovered on Jan. 4. Amid mounting evidence that the variant is continuing to spread in New York, hospitalizations statewide continued to climb  more than 8,920 people reported Wednesday  and state and city officials scrambled to accelerate a sluggish rollout of the vaccine. Were locked in a footrace between its quick distribution and the spread of new cases, Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, said in a statement. Both New York City and the state have added large vaccination sites in recent days. On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city was working with the New York Yankees to use their home stadium, in the Bronx, though there is no opening date yet. The announcement followed the mayors reveal on Tuesday that Citi Field, the Mets stadium in Queens, would become a mass vaccination site starting the week of Jan. 25. The site at Citi Field will operate seven days a week and is expected to have the capacity to vaccinate 5,000 to 7,000 people a day. The stadiums are the latest large sports venues across the country to be converted into vaccination sites, including the home stadiums of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres baseball teams, the Arizona Cardinals of the N.F.L., the San Antonio Spurs of the N.B.A., and the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. New York State also opened its first three state-run vaccination sites on Wednesday morning: in the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan, in the Westchester County Center and at the New York State Fair Expo Center, where eligible New Yorkers can get a shot after booking an appointment online. The list of eligible New Yorkers was expanded to include people 65 and older on Tuesday; individuals in those groups could immediately schedule appointments on the states website. So far, demand has far outpaced supply, with state officials warning people to be prepared to receive an appointment weeks in the future. On Tuesday, New York City administered 28,599 doses, Mr. de Blasio said. He added that the city plans to reach its goal of administering one million doses by the end of the month. But the mayor also warned on Wednesday that unless the city gets a major resupply of the vaccine soon, it will run out of doses at some point next week. In New Jersey, residents 65 and older and people ages 16 to 64 with certain medical conditions will be eligible to the vaccine as of Thursday, Gov. Philip D. Murphy at a news conference on Wednesday. Luis Ferre-Sadurni and

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KEY DATA OF THE DAY Oklahoma, with no statewide mask mandate, grapples with a surging caseload. Paramedics taking a patient to an emergency room in Shawnee, Okla., last month. Many Oklahoma hospitals are inundated with Covid-19 patients. Credit... Nick Oxford/Reuters Oklahoma is in the grip of a frightening surge of the coronavirus, the worst it has yet seen and one of the worst in Americas winter. Mercy Hospital Ardmore, in rural Oklahoma, has so many Covid-19 patients that some people are being cared for in curtained-off areas of hallways and the emergency departments waiting room. It has been this way for weeks. The people coming in are very, very sick, and they dont quickly get better, said Paula Pfau, the hospitals nursing director. Oklahoma is averaging nearly 4,000 new cases each day, an increase of almost 50 percent from two weeks ago. Rural counties in the southern part of the state, including around Ardmore, are now among the hardest hit in the country relative to their populations. Family gatherings and parties over the holidays are at least partly to blame, according to hospital officials and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Nationally, the country is facing its worst days of the pandemic: There were over 4,400 Covid-19 deaths reported in the United States on Tuesday, a record, according to a New York Times database. Hospitalizations are at a near-record high of 131,326, according to the Covid Tracking Project. And more than 380,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19. Oklahoma is experiencing the third worst outbreak in the country, behind Arizona, which is enduring a surge even worse than its summer peak, and California, where a weekslong flood of cases is wearing hospitals and their workers thin. There is no statewide mask mandate in Oklahoma, although the city of Ardmore has had one since November. A crush of new Covid-19 patients emerged seven to 10 days after Thanksgiving, and another after Christmas and New Years Eve. In rural Oklahoma, we didnt get our first case for a long time, Ms. Pfau said. We kind of decided the surge couldnt happen here. We dont have public transportation. We dont have Uber. Were in the middle of the country, with all this space. So we kept on with business as usual. And now its just a full-force hit. Coronavirus cases were relatively low in Oklahoma until the summer, when the daily number of new cases spiked in June, then surpassed 1,000 each day in September. An indoor rally in July held by President Trump in Tulsa was linked to a spike in cases there by the director of the Tulsa Health Department, Dr. Bruce Dart, who had pleaded with attendees to wear face masks, which were not worn by most at Mr. Trumps rally. Now, pretty much everyone in the state knows someone who has been sick, said Dr. Jennifer Clark, a physician and former hospital administrator who is helping lead an effort by Oklahoma State University to keep rural health care providers updated on the pandemic. Theres a heavy sense of grief, she said. Patricia Mazzei and

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Researchers in Ohio find preliminary evidence of two virus variants that may be more contagious. A pharmacist administers the Covid-19 vaccine to a health care workers last month in Columbus, Ohio. Credit... Brian Kaiser for The New York Times Two new variants of the coronavirus that may be more contagious have been detected in Ohio, researchers announced on Wednesday. Evidence for both variants is still preliminary, other experts cautioned, and warrants further study. As we sequence more, we will find more variants and we will see more mutations, said Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland. But very few mutations we are looking at today have never appeared before. One of the variants was spotted in an elderly woman during routine genetic surveillance by scientists at Ohio State University. The variant carries a mutation called N501Y, which has been linked to greater contagiousness; it is present in variants discovered in Britain, South Africa and Japan. But the variant in Ohio is distinct from those others, and appears to have emerged from a version of the coronavirus that has been circulating in Columbus since September, said Daniel Jones, a molecular biologist at Ohio State University, who led the research. The research has been submitted to the preprint server bioRxiv, where it is expected to appear on Wednesday, but has not yet been reviewed carefully by other experts. The fact that its occurring in that background suggests an independent arising in the U.S., Dr. Jones said. Now obviously, that has consequences for travel restrictions and all that, if were now seeing the same mutation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that starting on Jan. 26, the United States will require all international travelers arriving in the country to show proof of a negative coronavirus test or recent recovery from Covid-19. Some experts urged caution in interpreting the impact of the variants discovery in Ohio. The worrisome mutations at N501 have appeared and disappeared multiple times, so Im not sure finding isolated cases of 501 mutations on their own is worth getting too excited about, Dr. Hodcroft said. A second virus variant, also in Ohio, first cropped up around Christmas during routine surveillance. The numbers of known infections are small, because the team analyzes only about 10 samples per week. Among those samples, the variant was detected in one case the first week, about 30 percent of cases the following week, and 60 percent last week, Dr. Jones said. The variant contains three alterations in the spike protein on the surface of virus, which it uses to enter human cells. One of those mutations may increase contagiousness, but theres not been a lot of biology on it at this point to know what it does, he said. Dr. Hodcroft said the emergence of this second variant is potentially more significant, because it may be the same as a version reported in Massachusetts and West Virginia. It would be great to know if other states are reporting increases as well, she said. Surveillance of the virus in the U.S. has been limited, with labs sequencing only a tiny fraction of samples. But the C.D.C. has said it will sequence more samples to gain a clearer idea of variants that are emerging. The Ohio team has sequenced a total of 222 samples of the virus since April, but stepped up their efforts about six weeks ago, following reports of the more contagious variant in Britain. The scientists now plan to ramp up the numbers to as many 50 samples per week to assess how widely the variants might have spread.

Elders Covid deaths create a cultural crisis for Native Americans. On the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, four Lakota elders from one family have died in the pandemic, including the parents of Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre, right, and her sister Nola Taken Alive, who placed a bundle of sage in their mothers coffin. Credit... Victor J. Blue for The New York Times Native Americans, who are dying of Covid-19 at nearly twice the rate of white people, are also facing a cultural crisis: The coronavirus is tearing through the ranks of tribal elders, inflicting an incalculable toll on bonds of language and tradition that flow from older generations to the young. Its like were having a cultural book-burning, said Jason Salsman, a spokesman for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in eastern Oklahoma whose grandparents contracted the virus but survived. Were losing a historical record, encyclopedias. One day soon, there wont be anybody to pass this knowledge down. Native Americans and volunteer groups are trying to protect the elders as a mission of cultural survival, and putting elders and fluent Indigenous language speakers at the head of the line for vaccinations. But the efforts face huge obstacles. Elders who live in remote locations often have no means to get to the clinics and hospitals where vaccinations are administered. And there is deep mistrust of the government in a generation that was used as medical guinea pigs, shipped off to boarding schools and punished for speaking their own languages. Activists say there is still is no reliable death toll of Native elders. They say the deaths are often overlooked or miscounted, especially off reservations and in urban areas, where about 70 percent of Indigenous people live. Adding to the problem, tribal health officials say their sickest members can essentially vanish once they are transferred out of small reservation health systems to larger hospitals with intensive-care units. We dont know what happens to them until we see a funeral announcement, said Abigail Echo-Hawk, the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute. The virus has claimed fluent Choctaw speakers and dressmakers from the Mississippi band of Choctaws. It took a Tulalip family matriarch in Washington State, then her sister and brother-in-law. It killed a former chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in California who had spent decades fighting to preserve Native arts and culture. Remote meetings of the Dine Hataaii Association, a group of Navajo medicine men and women, now regularly include updates on members who have died. When they pass on, all that knowledge is gone forever, never to be retained, said Avery Denny a member of the association and professor at Dine College. Its just lost.

The death of a Miami doctor who received a coronavirus vaccine is being investigated. Dr. Gregory Michael in a photo posted to Facebook by his wife. Credit... via Facebook Health authorities are investigating the case of a Florida doctor who died from an unusually severe blood disorder 16 days after receiving the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Dr. Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynecologist in Miami Beach, received the vaccine at Mount Sinai Medical Center on Dec. 18 and died 16 days later from a brain hemorrhage, his wife, Heidi Neckelmann, wrote in a Facebook post. Shortly after receiving the vaccine, Dr. Michael developed an extremely serious form of a condition known as acute immune thrombocytopenia, which prevented his blood from clotting properly. Pfizer said in a statement that it was actively investigating the case, but we dont believe at this time that there is any direct connection to the vaccine. There have been no related safety signals identified in our clinical trials, the post-marketing experience thus far, or with the technology used to make the vaccine, the company said. Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved family. About nine million people in the United States have received at least one shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine, the two authorized in the United States. Serious reported problems have included 29 cases of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, though none were reported as fatal. Many people have had side effects like sore arms, fatigue, headache and fever, which are usually transient. Local and federal agencies are investigating Dr. Michaels death. Several experts said the case was highly unusual but could have been a severe reaction to the vaccine. The Florida Department of Health referred Dr. Michaels death to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for investigation. Kristen Nordlund, a C.D.C. spokeswoman, said in a statement that the agency would evaluate the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and any necessary actions. Denise Grady and

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With expanded rosters and no fans in the stands, the N.H.L. season is about to begin. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, foreground, at a practice in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday. Credit... Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post, via Associated Press The N.H.L. season will begin on Wednesday with some drastic modifications to its format and at least one delayed opener because of the coronavirus. The myriad challenges of the pandemic will keep fans out of the stands at most arenas, expand rosters in the event of outbreaks and force the league to maintain flexibility. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Monday that he did not expect the league to have access to vaccines for players, staff members and other personnel this season. Commissioner Gary Bettman said that he expected losses from a lack of attendance to exceed $1 billion, but that he believed the league would have lost less money if it had canceled the season. One player agent, Allan Walsh, dismissed that claim, calling it a deliberate and intentionally misleading statement. For hockey players and fans, there may not be a sense of normalcy until the playoffs, which are set to return to their usual format of 16 teams and four rounds of best-of-seven series. And although there will be no traditional January Winter Classic, there will be outdoor hockey in Nevada. Bettman said Lake Tahoe would host the league for the first time, with two games against a backdrop of snowy mountains and the lake, but no spectators. The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Colorado Avalanche there on Feb. 20, and the Philadelphia Flyers will play the Boston Bruins on Feb. 21. All 31 franchises will have to navigate an abbreviated season with long odds of being completed smoothly. Rather than the traditional 82-game schedule, each team will play 56 games. And each will carry three goalies and a four-to-six-player taxi squad in case of injury or a coronavirus-related absence. There will not be any cross-border travel because of restrictions between the United States and Canada.

Facing new outbreaks, China puts more than 22 million under lockdown. Coronavirus testing in Shijiazhuang, China, on Tuesday. The city has been locked down amid a resurgence in cases. Credit... China Daily/Reuters When a handful of new coronavirus cases materialized this month in a province surrounding Beijing  apparently spread at a village wedding party  the Chinese authorities bolted into action. They locked down two cities with more than 17 million people, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. They ordered a testing regime of nearly every resident there, which was completed in a matter of days. They shut down transportation and canceled weddings, funerals and, most significantly, a provincial Communist Party conference. By this week, the lockdowns had expanded to include another city on the edge of Beijing, Langfang, as well as a county in Heilongjiang, a northeastern province. Districts in Beijing itself, the Chinese capital, also shut down. More than 22 million people in all have been ordered to remain inside their homes  double the number affected last January when Chinas central government locked down Wuhan, the central city where the virus was first reported, in a move that was then seen as extraordinary. The flare-ups remain small compared with the devastation facing other countries, but still threaten to undercut the success that the countrys Communist Party has had in subduing the virus, allowing its economy to surge back after last years slump and its people to return to something close to normal lives. The urgency of the governments current response stands in contrast to that of officials in Wuhan last year who feared a backlash if they disclosed the mysterious new illnesses then emerging. Local officials there had gone ahead with a Communist Party conference like the one now canceled in Hebei, despite knowing the risk of the disease spreading among people. Since Wuhan, the authorities have created a playbook that mobilizes party cadres to quickly respond to new outbreaks by sealing off neighborhoods, conducting widespread testing and quarantining large groups. China, a country of 1.4 billion people, has reported an average of 109 new cases a day over the past week, according to a New York Times database. Those would be welcome numbers in countries experiencing far worse  including the United States, which is averaging more than 250,000 new cases a day  but they are the worst in China since last summer.

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The state of the pandemic in America. Medical tents outside a hospital in Los Angeles on Monday. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times In todays edition of the Morning newsletter, David Leonhardt writes: Last weeks attack on the Capitol has understandably dominated the news. But I want to take a few minutes to focus on the other vital story right now  the pandemic. Below is a three-point summary of where we are, with help from my colleagues covering the story and from a couple of charts. Ill warn you up front: The situation is not good. 1. The new variants are scary. Scientists are still learning about new versions of the coronavirus, including variants that emerged in Britain, South Africa and Brazil. The evidence so far indicates that they are much more infectious than the Italian strain, which has been circulating here since February, my colleague Donald G. McNeil Jr. told me. Thats a game changer. Behavior that may once have been only moderately risky  say, airplane travel  may now be more so. The variants seem to be one reason cases worldwide are spiking: Image Credit... By The New York Times | Sources: Governments and health agencies 2. The mass vaccination campaign in the U.S. is off to a terrible start. The Trump administration promised that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by Jan. 1. Instead, fewer than three million were  and only about nine million have now had their shots. The Deep South has the countrys lowest vaccination rates. But this isnt just a Republican failure: California, Virginia and some other Democratic-run states have also been slow. (Heres data for every state.) Vaccinations will probably accelerate in coming weeks, especially because President-elect Joe Biden and his team seem much more focused on the problem than President Trump has been. Goldman Sachs forecasts that about one-quarter of Americans will have received their first shot by April 1, half by June 1 and three-quarters by mid-autumn. The coming vaccination speedup is the one good piece of good news right now. 3. Things are likely to get worse before they get better. The virus is spreading so rapidly that hospitals are struggling to keep up. About 130,000 Americans are hospitalized with Covid symptoms, more than double the number two months ago. The strain on hospitals raises the possibility that many people will not receive the best available treatments. Los Angeles has recently had to ration oxygen. And Esteban Trejo, an executive at a company in El Paso, Texas, that provides oxygen to temporary hospitals, told Kaiser Health News, Its been nuts, absolutely nuts. The recent data on cases and deaths is noisy, because diagnoses artificially slowed during the holidays, says Mitch Smith, a Times reporter who follows the numbers. Still, deaths have already hit a record this week  more than 3,000 a day, on average  and the recent explosion of cases suggests they may be heading to above 3,500 and perhaps to 4,000. Image Credit... By The New York Times The bottom line: Biden will be taking office next week during the nadir of the coronavirus crisis. His administration will need to both accelerate vaccine distribution and persuade more people to change their behavior  and the second goal is even more urgent than the first. Unless Americans start wearing masks more often and spending less time together in cramped spaces, many more people are going to die.

Indonesias president receives a Chinese-made vaccine that produced disappointing trial results. President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, left, received a coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday. Credit... Agus Suparto/Indonesian Presidential Palace, via Associated Press Indonesias president, Joko Widodo, received an injection of a Chinese-made vaccine on live television on Wednesday as health officials prepared for a nationwide rollout. Human trials in Indonesia have found that the vaccine, CoronaVac, was safe and has a 65.3 percent efficacy rate. But scientists in Brazil said on Tuesday that it had an efficacy rate there of just over 50 percent  far lower than the 78 percent efficacy rate announced last week. Mr. Joko was the first in Indonesia to receive the inoculation, health officials said, because he wanted to assure the public that it was safe, effective and halal, meaning that it is approved under Islamic law. Behind him as he received his injection was a red sign with white lettering proclaiming the vaccine to be safe and halal. Covid vaccination is important for us to break the chain of transmission of this coronavirus and provide health protection for all of us, the people of Indonesia, and help accelerate the process of economic recovery, Mr. Joko said after getting his shot. Indonesia, which authorized emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine on Monday, had previously ordered 125.5 million doses from the company and smaller amounts from several others. Indonesia, the worlds fourth-largest country with 270 million people, hopes to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating two-thirds of the population within 15 months. But there are still questions around the Sinovac vaccine, which China began administering last year before human trials were completed. The company has yet to release data publicly on the results of its trials. And the vaccines efficacy rate, as measured in Brazil and Indonesia, is still far below the 90-plus-percent rates achieved by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that have been approved in the United States and other countries. Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said the relatively low efficacy rate for CoronaVac should prompt Indonesia to look for alternatives. He also questioned the transparency of the various trials and the data being released. At least Indonesia has one vaccine as a tool to protect its health care workers and prevent staff shortages, he said. Of course, the government should do its best in getting other vaccines. Indonesia plans to give the vaccine first to medical staff, police officers and soldiers. It also has begun a national promotion campaign to persuade members of the public to get the vaccine, which will be free. Following Mr. Joko to be vaccinated in front of the cameras were the head of the army, the national police chief and the newly appointed health minister, along with other dignitaries and so-called influencers. Indonesia has reported nearly 850,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 25,000 deaths, Southeast Asias highest tallies in both categories. Richard C. Paddock and

A South Korea church leader receives a suspended prison term after virus fallout. Lee Man-hee, a leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, leaving a detention center in Suwon, South Korea, in November. Credit... Hong Ki-Won/YONHAP, via Associated Press The leader of a secretive religious sect that was at the center of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea last year received a three-year prison term on Wednesday on charges of embezzling church money. But Lee Man-hee, 89, the founder of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was acquitted on a charge of conspiring to impede the health authorities efforts to fight the coronavirus. Mr. Lees prison term was suspended for four years, which means that he will remain free unless he commits a crime within that time. The rapid spread of the virus among the churchs worshipers in Daegu, a city in the countrys southeast, in February and early March last year briefly made South Korea home to the worlds largest coronavirus outbreak outside China. A total of 5,213 cases have been found among church members and their contacts, according to government data. Prosecutors arrested Mr. Lee in August on charges that he and other church officials had obstructed the governments efforts to fight the epidemic by not fully disclosing the number of worshipers and their gathering places. Mr. Lee was also accused of embezzling 5.6 billion won, or $5.1 million, from church funds to build a luxurious peace palace north of Seoul, the capital. He was also accused of using public facilities for religious activities without permission from the local authorities. Mr. Lee was released on bail in November. On Wednesday, a judge in the district court of Suwon, south of Seoul, ruled that a failure to provide a full list of worshipers and church facilities did not amount to impeding the governments disease-control efforts. Mr. Lees church welcomed the acquittal and said he would appeal to a higher court to try to reverse his conviction on embezzlement and other charges.

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Seven Russian armored vehicles and dozens of soldiers have deployed in the town of Malikiyah in Syria's northeastern-most region, used by the anti-ISIS international coalition and US force reports Asharq Al-Awsat.

A Russian military police patrol deployed over the weekend in the town of Malikiyah in Syrias northeastern-most region, near oil fields and the Turkish borders, and adjacent to the highway linking the city of Qamishli and the Semalka border crossing to the Kurdistan Region.

The highway is used by the anti-ISIS international coalition and US forces as a supply line to send military and logistic enhancements to their bases in Iraq.

Seven armored vehicles and dozens of soldiers took up position at the ancient Roman bridge in the village of Ain Dewar, north of the city of Derik.

The patrol was accompanied by the over flight of four Russian helicopters.

A member of the patrol told North Press that the deployment would continue until Sunday morning, after which they would return to their bases in Qamishli. He did not disclose the reasons for the deployment.

Russian forces had previously attempted to establish a base in the region, despite opposition by locals.

A week ago, the Russian Military Police carried out a patrol of four armored vehicles in the countryside of Derik.

Badran Jia Kurd, a vice president of the regional administration east of the Euphrates, said the Russian activity and deployment in the area aims to control oil resources.

He said: The Russian forces seek to end the presence of the Coalition and US forces in the area. Our villages have become a scene for settling scores between Moscow and Washington.

Hundreds of residents had demonstrated in the villages and towns of the Malikiyah countryside against the presence of Russian patrols.

Russia plans to re-impose control of pro-Assad forces over all Syrian territories, Jia Kurd said, adding that attention is now focused on the new American administration and that stances it will take on Syria.

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.
Patna:

Patna Meteorological Centre on Saturday forecast onset of southwest monsoon in Bihar from June 14 that will hit parts of Seemanchal area first. The weathermen said that monsoon would be arriving in Bihar by its normal date i.e. June 10-15.



There is the possibility of onset of southwest monsoon in Bihar from June 14. It will hit some parts of Seemanchal area first in the state, Patna Meteorological Centres scientist Anand Shankar told PTI.



In its forecast, Met department said that it will be partly cloudy sky with possibility of rain or thunderstorm in major cities of Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Purnea on Sunday. As per bulletin, Gaya was the hottest place at 39.1 degrees Celsius followed by Bhagalpur at 37.7 degrees Celsius Patna 37.0 degrees Celsius and Purnea 36.5 degrees Celsius.

ALSO READ: Met dept says monsoon in Mumbai to arrive on June 10-11



The weather was hot and humid in Patna which recorded 75 and 57 per cent of humidity in the morning and evening respectively. Bahgalpur and Purnea too recorded more than 70 per cent of humidity while Gaya recorded more than 60 per cent humidity making weather uncomfortable.



Light to moderate rainfall occurred in some places in northern and eastern parts of Bihar with Bhagalpur recording a trace while Purnea registering 1.6 mm of rain in the past 24 hours. Weather remained mainly dry in other parts of the state, Met office said.

ALSO READ: Breezy morning in Delhi as rain showers in parts of national capital

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A former Washington state police chief who was fired last year is expected to collect a $125,000 settlement.

Michael Campos was fired in May as Wapato police chief with cause after an internal investigation found evidence to support allegations he tried to intimidate witnesses into changing statements, lied under oath and participated in an investigation in which he had a conflict of interest.

Campos referred his case to the states Division of Occupational Safety and Health, according to documents recently obtained by the Yakima Herald-Republic through public records request. He also filed a claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Campos, who joined the Wapato force in 2005, was appointed police chief by then-Mayor Dora Alvarez-Roa in August 2018. She had terminated former Police Chief Dominic Rizzi without cause and picked Campos, whose civil service rank is police officer, over the departments only acting sergeant at the time.

Campos was named in several officer reports alleging he worked with former City Administrator Juan Orozco to use the Police Department to harass residents.

Campos denied the allegations in a May 28 letter, saying he was appalled by the citys treatment of him and contesting claims he used his position for personal gain.

I did not utilize my position to secure any special privileges, receive any gift or compensation, reward or gratuity, Campos wrote.

The union for Wapato police officers, Teamsters Local 760, filed a grievance on his behalf challenging the termination.

The union and Campos agreed to drop the claims when Wapato officials approved the $125,000 settlement in December.

Under the settlements provisions, city personnel records will indicate Campos voluntarily resigned.

Police Chief Nolan Wentz said the city does not plan to refer charges against Campos to prosecutors and cited the settlement agreement that limits his comments on the case.

Campos and the union did not respond to requests for additional comment.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Washington Law Enforcement
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Photo: Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission

The provincial government is still considering proposed mineral exploration plans for the so-called donut hole between Manning and Skagit Valley provincial parks, years after it was first planned.

Imperial Metals filed a Notice of Work back in March 2018 for a conventional diamond drilling program that would impact 0.35 hectares within the unprotected area south of Highway 3.

When Skagit Valley was elevated to provincial park status in 1996, the 5,800-hectare "donut hole" was left out due to mineral claims dating back to the 30s.

Imperial Metals, the current owner of the claims, is now seeking to probe the area in search of copper and gold, something that has upset environmental groups on both sides of the border.

The company announced to shareholders last month the results of a packsack drilling program within the donut hole. No permit is required in B.C. to drill test holes with the handheld equipment used.

This discovery is the first primary gold occurrence in the 100 year history of exploration on the property, Imperial Metals said in the news release dated Dec. 21.

The company says it is still awaiting authorization of its full drilling program to follow up this year on this exciting discovery.

Imperial Metals vice president of exploration Jim Miller-Tait told Castanet in an email that a notice of work application typically takes two months to process, not the current 33 months.

The Ministry of Mines did not respond to questions on why a decision on the proposed work has been delayed for so long, but environmental groups in both Canada and the U.S. have been campaigning hard against it.

In 1984, the B.C. government and City of Seattle ratified the High Ross Treaty, which ended decades of negotiations sparked by the Seattle electricity utilitys plan to raise the water level behind Ross Dam, which would have flooded 5,000 acres of B.C. farmland and recreation space.

Under the treaty, Seattle agreed to not raise the dam for 80 years in exchange for purchasing power from B.C. at a discount. The treaty also formed the creation of the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission, which is co-chaired by an American and a Canadian, in an effort to protect wildlife habitat and integrity of the Upper Skagit watershed. The donut hole sits within the watershed.

In response to pressure from south of the border, BC Government announced in December 2019 that it would ban logging within the donut hole. At the time, the Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission said it was working on acquiring the mining rights in the area from Imperial Metals to fully protect the area.

But with the promise of gold in the area, Imperial Metals is prepared to push ahead with its exploratory drilling program should the province approve it.

All we need is the permit, said Miller-Tait.

Former B.C. Premier Mike Harcourt called on the government in an op-ed last year to retire the mineral claims in the donut hole and protect the area as a provincial park. The B.C. Union of Indian Chiefs has also come out opposed to the work.

But at this point, it is anyones guess  be it environmentalist or mining executive  when the government will make up its mind.

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.
Goose Creek, SC (29445)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. Hot. High near 95F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Low around 70F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph.
100 years ago  1921

State police raided a big alleged liquor still at Mar Lin on Wednesday evening, and arrested the tenant who was found on the premises. The raid was made on information sworn by a U.S. Prohibition enforcement officer, and the warrant was placed in the hands of police for execution.

75 years ago  1946

The kick-off dinner for the house-to-house canvas of the Pottsville Hospital building campaign was held Friday evening at the Necho Allen Hotel.

50 years ago  1971

The Schuylkill County Chapter March of Dimes campaign was officially launched by the sponsoring Pottsville Kiwanis Club at a luncheon Tuesday.

25 years ago  1996

After being hit hard by the granddaddy of all snowstorms and a burly grandson this past week, Schuylkill County will soon be getting welcome relief from Old Man Winters rambunctious kinfolk, forecasters say. With only a small chance of flurries on Sunday and Monday, a warming pattern is arriving, according to Richard W. Winthers, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service at State College. Nighttime lows will remain between 10 and 20, but daytime highs should reach out of the 20s into the 30s  the upper 30s, if the sun breaks through.
NEWS PROVIDED BY

National Black Pro-Life Union

Jan. 13, 2021



WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /Standard Newswire/ -- The following is submitted by Day Gardner, President of the National Black Pro-Life Union, she is available for comment:

President Trump did not incite the rioting at our Capitol Building. The Media, now owned by the left, VP-Elect Kamala Harris, Senators Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, and many others did. They are the real culprits. They ALONE incited all that happened on January 6, 2021. They started in 2016, and over a four-year period, they creatively invented crap to build a bulging clog that eventually burst.



Americans are expected to sit by while our beautiful cities burn, large and small businesses that were decades old trashed and looted. Our Churches and our Star-Spangled Banner set ablaze, America's statues, many depicting our history from slavery to freedom, sprayed with graffiti and toppled. Entire neighborhoods severely damaged and/or totally destroyed. New York Rep. Jerry Nadler in an online clip called violence in Portland by Antifa a "myth." Really Jerry? They estimated repair costs to public buildings well over $300,000 and approaching $5 million in property damage to businesses.



In Minnesota, 150 buildings were set on fire, causing more than $500 million in damages to 1,500 property locations yet, on June 1, 2020, Kamala Harris tweeted: "If you're able to, chip in now to the Minnesota Freedom Fund to help post bail for those protesting on the ground in Minnesota." The new VP-Elect asked for help for the violent protestors, not for the victims or business owners.



June 25, 2018, Rep. Maxine Waters incited violence against President Trump when she called on her supporters to publicly confront and harass members of the Trump administration. She went on to say "And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them theyre not welcome anymore, anywhere."

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/25/politics/maxine-waters-trump-officials/index.html



We all remember when Republican members of Congress and White House Staff were harassed and their spouses and children threatened with violence. How is Maxine Waters still in office?



Congress is playing foosball with our paychecks as every day Americans struggle to put food on the table. They force us to stay home with unconstitutional mandates, while they continue to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary.



Trying to smile while telling our children its all going to be okay when in reality, the evictions and repossession of cars and mortgages are on the rise. We the people know we will never be okay again.



State and local government officials are telling us that we can't see our families or eat dinner in a restaurant while they fly all over the country in their private jets, dining in luxury with their family and friends.



Forbidding Americans from seeing barbers or hairdressers while government officials like Nancy Pelosi and others sneak in appointments so they can show up well-coiffed for every TV appearance. Americans were confused watching Pelosi on April 14, 2020 standing in her multi-million-dollar mansion, with her multi thousand-dollar refrigerator, gushing about being stocked up on ice-cream while millions of Americans were just trying to keep bread on the table.



Our children cannot attend school, which means most parents have to work limited hours to care for their children or not work at all.



The 2020 election was the last straw for many Americans. We sat by waiting for an audit of the votes in six states. Seemingly, a very simple thing to ask with so many affidavits and videos of fraudulent behavior.



The fact that even the Supreme Court and the other courts chose to ignore voting discrepancies fed into the growing belief that America was under siege by the socialist left and that maybe even the courts are in on it, or are too afraid of upsetting the apple cart to do anything about it.



The American people also didn't and still don't understand why Hillary got off so easily, why the Russia hoax and so many other happenings were never properly investigated and/or prosecuted. Not to mention the fact that the FBI was aware of Hunter and Joe Biden, China fiasco a year ago, yet did nothing about it. Americans have become so distrustful of our government, the media and our representatives.



The bottom line is Democrats and many Republicans want everyone to think the January 6, breach of the Capitol was all only about Trump. In truth, it was always about America.



In his speech, President Trump urged marchers to be peaceful and patriotic. If there is any question about who incited the events that happened on that fateful day, members of Congress, Democrats and wimpy Republicans need to look no further than their own bathroom mirrors.

Just under 370 Massachusetts residents had been treated with the monoclonal antibody therapy by the start of the year, according to the Department of Public Health. At that point, Berkshire Health Systems was responsible for administering one out of every five doses.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said a third of people admitted to hospital in January were under 65. Photo: Colin Keegan/Collins

Fears are growing that January will bring a grim death toll from coronavirus as 46 Covid-19 related fatalities were reported yesterday while hospitals struggled with a rising tide of patients struck by the disease.

Hospitals are having to convert more wards to provide temporary intensive-care beds as Covid-19 admissions reached another milestone of 1,692.

The number of patients in intensive care rose to 158, surpassing the peak of 155 last spring.

It comes as the number of people newly diagnosed with the virus fell to 3,098, sparking hopes that the surge is levelling off at last and that lockdown measures are having an impact.

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All but two of the Covid-19 related deaths occurred in January with the others happening in December, highlighting the deadly impact the virus is having once again, predominantly in older age groups.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: Unfortunately we are seeing the effect of the recent surge of infections reflected in the increased mortality we are reporting.

Unfortunately, due to the unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection we have experienced as a country over the past few weeks, sadly these figures are likely to continue for the next period of time.

What we can do today, out of respect for those who have lost their lives and those currently in hospital or ICU  and those caring for them  is to hold firm and stay home.

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn pointed out that at least one in three patients admitted to hospital or critical care in January have been under the age of 65 years.

This clearly demonstrates that Covid-19 affects us all, regardless of age or underlying condition. It highlights the need for us all to protect one another by staying at home.

Not only will you keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but also help avoid more preventable Covid-19 admissions to our currently struggling healthcare system.

Of the new cases reported yesterday, 604 were in Galway, 574 in Dublin, 466 in Mayo, 187 in Cork and 138 in Limerick.

Dr Brian Kinirons, consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care at University Hospital Galway said: We are seeing a diverse group in intensive care. Certainly there are younger patients. Initially many of our patients would be in their 60s, 70s or older. We have patients in their 80s.

But we have patients who are a lot younger and in their 50s. The message is that youth does not necessarily protect you.

He said the more underlying illnesses a patient has the greater their risk of mortality.

We are seeing a change in the profile of the patients and the transmissability of the virus is remarkable this time.

He said the hospital has effectively had to be given over to the medical care of Covid-19 patients.

Six wards are now dedicated to Covid-19 patients, he added, paying tribute to his colleagues for their dedication.

The forecast is that there could be between 2,000 to 2,500 Covid-19 patients in hospital nationally in up to two weeks time and 200 to 400 patients needing intensive care.

Meanwhile, new figures show how congregated settings like nursing homes are bearing the brunt again of the surge in the virus.

There were 52 outbreaks in nursing homes last week, up from 30 the previous week.

Figures show 49 outbreaks in residential institutions, an increase of 39 from the previous week.

Many nursing homes are hoping vaccines will come in time before another dangerous spread.

It comes as six residents at Droimnin Nursing Home in Stradbally, Co Laois, died in the past week after contracting Covid-19, just days before they were due to receive their first dose of the vaccine.

The outbreak led to 52 of the 65 residents testing positive for the virus, with 33 of the 75 staff also contracting the disease.

The first doses of vaccine were due to be given to residents of Droimnin on January 19 but this has had to be postponed as a protective measure, given the latest surge in Covid cases.
Ethiopia Tuesday claimed Sudanese forces were pushing further into a contested border region, while Khartoum said five Sudanese women and a child were killed in the same area a day earlier.

The two Horn of Africa nations have long feuded over the Al-Fashqa region, where Ethiopian farmers cultivate fertile land claimed by Sudan.

In early December, Sudan accused Ethiopian "forces and militias" of ambushing Sudanese troops along the border, leaving four dead and more than 20 wounded.

Ethiopia, for its part, said last week that Sudan's military had "organised attacks by using heavy machine guns" and that "many civilians have been murdered and wounded".

Dina Mufti, spokesman for Ethiopia's foreign ministry, on Tuesday said Sudanese forces were still advancing into the border region, calling the move an "unacceptable and counterproductive" violation of international law.

"The current situation is the Sudanese force at the border is boosting its position and moving forward... into Ethiopia's hinterland," Dina told a press conference.

He called on Sudan to "return to the previous status quo" to give space for a demarcation process.

"Ethiopia always gives priority to peace and respects international norms. However, Ethiopia has its limit," he said.

Dina has previously accused Sudanese military officers of trying to take advantage of fighting in Ethiopia's northernmost Tigray region to press its territorial claims in Al-Fashqa.

Later Tuesday, Sudan said armed Ethiopians had killed five women and a child in an attack in the same area the previous day.

"This regrettable incident occurred... in the Al-Fashqa region, five kilometres from the border with Ethiopia," Sudan's foreign ministry said.

The women were harvesting crops when the attack took place, the statement added.

"Sudan has condemned in the strongest terms this brutal aggression, and denounced the targeting of defenceless civilians," it said.

The Tigray conflict has spurred tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees to cross into Sudan.

The two countries share a 1,600-kilometre (nearly 1,000-mile) frontier.

In 1902, a deal to draw up the border was struck between Great Britain, the colonial power in Sudan at the time, and Ethiopia, but it lacked clear demarcation lines.

The two sides held border talks in late December, and Sudan said December 31 that its army had restored control over all border territory that had been taken over by Ethiopian farmers.

The border dispute comes at a sensitive time for ties between the two countries, which are also along with Egypt trying to reach a deal over Ethiopia's massive Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River.

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The AQE has apologised for the distress caused after cancelling the transfer test for P7 pupils which had been rescheduled for February 27.

The single test was scheduled after the three tests due to take place in January were called off.

And in categorically stating that there would be no test in this academic year, Dr Darrin Barr, joint CEO of the AQE, said every possible avenue had been explored to allow pupils to sit the test this year.

The Chief Medical Officers words on Tuesday night were very concerning about the prospect of further extended lockdowns and home learning beyond February, said Dr Barr.

The Board of the AQE agreed unanimously that to end uncertainty for children we would cancel the test.

Id like to apologise for the way we have handled the announcement last week. I realise that caused distress to children, and six hours later announcing we would hold a test on February 27."

Education Minister Peter Weir said there would be disappointment and the cancellation will severely limit parental choice.

I am disappointed that AQE will not be operating a test this year on the grounds of public health, he said.

This will also be very disappointing for many pupils and parents.

This decision by AQE makes it an impossibility for any such test to happen. It is clear that public health and the wider Covid-19 situation has prevented the transfer test taking place this year.

Transfer tests have never been compulsory for any school nor any student, but what they have provided for many has been parental choice and opportunity for children to gain a place at a post primary school of their choosing. Todays announcement diminishes that choice significantly.

In view of the ongoing public health situation, I had recommended to Boards of Governors that they should prepare contingency criteria in the event the transfer tests did not go ahead.

These criteria should be finalised soon by schools and will be published by the Education Authority on February 2. However, in light of the changes today, we are extending the date for schools to submit final admissions criteria to the Education Authority, until January 22. My officials will issue further correspondence to schools.

Schools still have the opportunity to use either non-academically selective criteria or alternative data as a proxy for academic selection, but neither route is without its difficulties, and our previous guidance that they seek clear advice before they determine their course of action remains.

Along with my Department, I stand ready to continue to work with all schools in the difficult circumstances created by the current health situation.

In a statement the AQE said it was cancelling the test due to the ongoing uncertainty about the potential for an extended period of lockdown.

The health and safety of the children due to sit the exams is our top priority.

We will be writing to parents individually over the coming days to confirm these arrangements. We wish to thank the Minister for Education, his officials and the Education Authority for their support.

A number of grammar schools had already said they would not use the test to select pupils this year.

Dr Graham Gault, President of the NAHT said it was not a happy day.

Many of our Year 7 children have simply been failed, he told the Belfast Telegraph.

There has been nine months to develop a plan B for exactly this eventuality and, for no conceivable reason, nothing has been done.

Koulla Yiasouma, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People, said that though many will be disappointed, the right decision had been reached.

Children, parents and schools have worked hard to prepare for this test and I understand that many will be disappointed it has now been cancelled, she said.

This, albeit too late in the day and following rollercoaster decision making, is the right decision for our children.

It is unfortunate that we are in this situation, she added.

I called for discussions on alternative arrangements to begin last Spring like they did for GCSEs and A Levels. It is disgraceful they did not.

It is my expectation the relevant authorities will now undertake work to make sure children and parents have confidence in the transfer from primary to post primary schools for all children.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 06:40:56|Editor: huaxia

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UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese envoy on Wednesday called on all parties in Mali to forge consensus on institution building and election preparation.

"All parties in the country must put the interests of the nation and its people first, seize the opportunity of this crucial stage, forge consensus on institution building and election preparation, with a view to laying a solid foundation for the general election next year, as well as development in the long run," Dai Bing, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, told a Security Council briefing on the situation in Mali.

"The African Union and the Economic Community of West African States have played a leading role in defusing the crisis in Mali and promoting the transitional process," said Dai, adding that the United Nations and international partners must strengthen coordination with regional and sub regional organizations and work in synergy to jointly maintain peace and stability in Mali.

Dai called for efforts to continue the counterterrorism work, while noting that "China supports the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali in assisting the G5 Sahel joint forces as mandated and supports the continued and active participation of Malian transitional government in counterterrorism efforts by G5 Sahel."

The ambassador also urged efforts to eradicate the root causes of turbulence.

"Mali is facing such challenges as political instability and shortage of food. The COVID-19 pandemic has made the economic situation in the country even worse, with over 600,000 people unable to return home and over 3 million people in urgent need of food assistance," he said.

"The Malian transitional government must shoulder its responsibility, increase input in security development and other areas, restore economic activities and promote sustainable development, with a view to providing basic livelihood and security guarantee for its population," he added.

Former Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita was overthrown in a coup by the military junta on Aug. 18 and was detained. He was released on Aug. 27.

Mali adopted a roadmap for governance and an 18-month transition charter. The roadmap agreed includes restoration and strengthening of defense and security in Mali, promotion of good governance, a redesign of the education system, political and institutional reforms, and the adoption of a stability pact. Enditem

NVIDIA has announced their next GPU in the 30-series GeForce RTX series, called the GeForce RTX 3060 priced at Rs. 29,500 in India, and it costs $329 in the US. It is built on the Ampere architecture, featuring 12GB of GDDR6 memory, second generation RT cores, 3rd generation Tensor cores, support for NVIDIA Reflex technology and more.

The GeForce RTX 3060 is newest member of the 30-series RTX family, and is also currently the cheapest. It has 3584 CUDA cores, with a base clock of 1.32GHz and a boost clock of 1.78GHz. The GPU uses 12GB of GDDR6 memory that uses a 192-bit memory interface width, which is 4GB more than the more expensive RTX 3060Ti GPU.

Similar to the other 30-series GPUs, the RTX 3060 features NVIDIAs 2nd generation Ray Tracing cores and 3rd generation Tensor cores. It supports PCIe Gen 4 connection, Resizable BAR technology, NVIDIA DLSS 2.0, HDMI 2.1 and 7th Gen NVENC. The card is rated for 170W and NVIDIA recommends a power supply that is rated for at least 550W.

Nvidia also announced the arrival of RTX 30-series laptop GPUs, that will be arriving in laptops starting Q1 2021. At the top of the line is the GeForce RTX 3080 LAPTOP GPU with 6144 CUDA cores, 16GB or 8GB of GDDR6 memory and boost clock of up to 1710MHz. The GPUs feature a number of other technologies such as Dynamic Boost 2.0, WhisperMode 2.0, Resizable BAR, and NVIDIAs DLSS.

Laptops equipped with RTX 3060 GPUs will start at $999 (Approx. Rs. 73,075), those equipped with RTX 3070 GPUs will start at $1299 (Approx. Rs. 95,020) and those equipped with RTX 3080 GPUs will start at $1999 (Approx. Rs. 1,46,225).
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The Senate Majority Leader's assessment comes on the eve of a House vote to formally charge Trump for his role in whipping up a mob of his supporters who stormed the Capitol

Senator Mitch McConnell has concluded that President Donald Trump committed impeachable offenses and believes that Democrats move to impeach him will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, according to people familiar with McConnells thinking.

The private assessment of McConnell, the most powerful Republican in Congress, emerged on the eve of a House vote to formally charge Trump with inciting violence against the country for his role in whipping up a mob of his supporters who stormed the Capitol while lawmakers met to formalise President-elect Joe Bidens victory.

In a sign that the dam could be breaking against Trump in a party that has long been unfailingly loyal to him, Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No 3 Republican in the House, announced her intention to support the single charge of high crimes and misdemeanors, as other party leaders declined to formally lobby rank-and-file lawmakers to oppose it.

The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack, Cheney said in a statement. There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

Even before McConnells position was known and Cheney had announced her plans, advisers to the Senate Republican leader had already privately speculated that a dozen Republican senators  and possibly more  could ultimately vote to convict Trump in a Senate trial that would follow his impeachment by the House.

Seventeen Republicans would be needed to join Democrats in finding him guilty. After that, it would take a simple majority to disqualify Trump from ever again holding public office.

In the House, Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader and one of Trumps most steadfast allies in Congress, has asked other Republicans whether he ought to call on Trump to resign in the aftermath of last weeks riot at the Capitol, according to three Republican officials briefed on the conversations.

While he has said he is personally opposed to impeachment, he and other party leaders did not mount an official effort to defeat the push, and McCarthy was working on Tuesday to build support for a censure resolution to rebuke the president for his actions.

Taken together, the stances of Congress two top Republicans  neither of whom has said publicly that Trump should resign or be impeached  reflected the politically fraught and fast-moving nature of the crisis the party faces.

After four years of backing the president at nearly every turn and refusing to condemn even his most extreme behaviour, party leaders were racing to distance themselves from a president many of them now regard as a political and constitutional threat.

McCarthy backed the electoral challenges Republicans lodged last week during Congress electoral count, voting twice to overturn Bidens victory in key swing states even after the siege at the Capitol. McConnell had broken with Trump just as the rioters were breaching the building, warning of a descent into a death spiral for democracy if the efforts were to prevail.

Trump has shown no trace of contrition.

On Tuesday, in his first public appearance since the siege of the Capitol, he told reporters that his remarks to supporters at a rally that day  in which he exhorted them to go to the Capitol and fight so Republicans would reject the election results  had been totally appropriate.

It was the specter of his impeachment, he said, that was causing tremendous anger. But with Twitter having suspended his account for good, Trump no longer has his favourite weapon to train on lawmakers who cross him, which could curtail the blowback they face for voting against him.

Nonetheless, Trumps advisers used their own Twitter feeds to highlight his hold on the partys voters to keep Republicans in line. Jason Miller, a senior adviser, tweeted from an internal poll: 80 percent of Trump voters and 76 percent of Republicans in battleground states are less likely to vote for a Member of Congress/US Senator who votes for impeachment.

The Republican Partys rapid turn against Trump unfolded as the House met into the night on Tuesday to debate and vote on a resolution formally calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip the president of his powers, a move that Pence shot down hours before the House passed it along party lines.

In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Pence argued that the amendment was meant to address medical emergencies or presidential incapacity and that using it as a means of punishment or usurpation would set a terrible precedent.

In a veiled reference to impeachment, he urged Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment and pledged work in good faith with Bidens transition team.

Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation, Pence wrote.

With Pence refusing their call, Democrats planned a Wednesday vote on a single article of impeachment charging Trump with inciting violence against the government of the United States.

The White House expected roughly two dozen Republicans to support the charge, according to a senior administration official who insisted on anonymity to share a private assessment. Along with Cheney, John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Fred Upton of Michigan announced they would support the charge. Just over a year ago, House Republicans rallied unanimously against Democrats first impeachment of Trump.

Forgoing a lengthy investigation, Democrats released a 76-page report collecting public information about the attack  including social media posts, news articles and other statements  and laying out a legal justification for impeachment.

It is true that the presidents remaining term is limited  but a president capable of fomenting a violent insurrection in the Capitol is capable of greater dangers still, they wrote. He must be removed from office as swiftly as the Constitution allows. He must also be disqualified to prevent the recurrence of the extraordinary threat he presents.

In the clearest sign to date that Pelosi plans to press the case to trial just as quickly as she brought it, she named nine Democrats as managers to serve as prosecutors in the Senate. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland will be the lead manager, she said. He will be joined by Diana DeGette of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Eric Swalwell of California, Ted Lieu of California, Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

McConnell has indicated he wants to see the specific article of impeachment that the House is set to approve Wednesday, and to hear the eventual arguments in the Senate. But according to people who have spoken to McConnell, the Senate Republican leader has made clear in private discussions that he believes now is the moment to move on from Trump, whom he blames for causing Republicans to lose the Senate.

McConnell has not spoken to Trump since mid-December, when the senator informed the president he would be recognising Biden as president-elect after the Electoral College certified it.

David Popp, a spokesman for McConnell, declined to comment on Tuesday, instead pointing a reporter to a speech the Kentucky Republican made when he returned to the Senate floor after Wednesdays siege.

This failed attempt to obstruct the Congress, this failed insurrection, only underscores how crucial the task before us is for our republic, McConnell said as the Senate reconvened to complete the electoral count disrupted by the mob. Our nation was founded precisely so that the free choice of the American people is what shapes our self-government and determines the destiny of our nation.

On Monday, Biden telephoned McConnell to ask whether it would be possible to set up a dual track that would allow the Senate to confirm Bidens Cabinet nominees and hold a Senate trial at the same time, according to officials briefed on the conversation who disclosed it on the condition of anonymity. Far from avoiding the topic of impeaching Trump, McConnell said it was a question for the Senate parliamentarian, and promised Biden a quick answer.

After whipping votes to ensure Trump was not found guilty in the impeachment trial last year, McConnell has turned sharply against Trump. Last week, in a memo to Senate Republicans, he indicated it would be difficult to hold a trial before 20 January, but notably did not defend the president.

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, called on McConnell to use emergency powers to call the Senate back for a trial as soon as the articles were adopted.

The bottom line is that Leader McConnell has the ability to call us back into session, and we can then move to convict Donald Trump, draw on the impeachment trial and try him, Schumer told reporters in New York. And thats what we hope McConnell will do.

But because the Senate is in recess, the two leaders must agree to do so or else a trial would begin no sooner than 19 January, when they return. The next day, with Bidens inauguration, Democrats will take operational control of the Senate, where they will have a working majority by dint of Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris power to cast tiebreaking votes.

For McConnell and other Republicans, the crisis offered an opportunity to bar Trump from seeking the presidency again in 2024, as he has repeatedly mused with allies about doing.

Congressional Republicans must evaluate this latest Trump situation and look at the best long-term solutions for the country, said Scott Reed, a longtime Republican strategist. This is now totally about Trump, not his supporters, and a permanent purge must be on the table.

But that prospect has created a conundrum for Republicans who, understanding the deep affection for Trump among a powerful segment of their partys core supporters, are concerned they could pay a steep political price for abandoning him.

In the days since the attack, McCarthy has veered from asking Republican colleagues if he should call on Trump to resign to privately floating impeachment to his current posture, opposed to impeachment but open to a censure.

After he and over 100 other House Republicans opposed the certification of the Electoral College, McCarthy is now finding anger and regret among his Republican colleagues and is moving to take a tougher line with the president.

Reports emerged Monday from Axios that the House Republican leader had had an intense conversation with Trump, during which the president floated conspiracy theories about the rioters and McCarthy pushed back forcefully.

Unlike McCarthy, McConnell strongly opposed the effort by senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Ted Cruz of Texas to object to electoral votes from certain states.

The two senators have received a hefty share of criticism from across the ideological spectrum, but there has been fallout for other Republicans who joined their ranks as well.

A number of Republican lawmakers and aides were worried that Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who is taking over the partys Senate campaign arm, would find it highly difficult to raise money with corporate America moving to freeze out Republicans who refused to certify the Electoral College.

Americans for Prosperity and its political action committee, funded by the influential conservative Koch network, will evaluate future support of politicians based on their actions last week, its CEO told The Wall Street Journal.

Biden has made clear, in public and private, that he will not oppose the Democratic push to impeach Trump, even though his advisers and some lawmakers in his party are concerned about the impact it could have on his first days in office.

When he spoke with McConnell about the matter, the Senate leader left Biden with a bit of welcome news.

McConnell, who led the 2016 blockade against confirming judge Merrick Garland when he was President Barack Obamas nominee for the Supreme Court, told Biden that he would vote to confirm Garland as attorney-general.

Jonathan Martin, Maggie Haberman and Nicholas Fandos c.2021 The New York Times Company
The acquisition of NMC allows us to serve customers with the single most comprehensive portfolio in the safety, facility, and environmental protection arena.

Justrite Safety Group has acquired Rhode Island-based National Marker Company (NMC), a leading manufacturer of facility safety communication products, such as signs, tags, labels, lockout-tagout devices, 5S/lean products, and more.

The combination of NMC and Justrite will offer a best-in-class portfolio which will be supported by industry leading talent. I am excited for our customers and the overall safety industry, said NMC President Michael Black.

Since 1934, NMC has helped make the world safer by providing the highest quality safety identification products. Its products serve customers in a variety of sectors including food and beverage, construction, oil and gas, utilities, transportation, petrochemical and medical, to name a few.

The acquisition of NMC allows us to serve customers with the single most comprehensive portfolio in the safety, facility, and environmental protection arena, said Mark McElhinny, President and CEO of Justrite Safety Group. NMCs commitment to customers aligns nicely with JSGs brand promise, and its first and greatest responsibility: keeping people, property, and the planet safe.

About Justrite Safety Group:

Justrite Safety Group is a growing family of leading industrial safety companies. Together we protect workers, workplaces and the environment with a comprehensive range of industrial safety solutions. We cover every facet of the industrial safety landscapefrom the storage, containment, and clean-up of hazardous materials, to safety identification, emergency showers, industrial matting, and motion safety solutions. All Justrite Safety portfolio companies are united by deep safety knowledge, long experience, and a commitment to protecting people, property and the planet. Visit us at justrite.com to learn more.
Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday there have been no specific threats of violence at the Statehouse, despite warnings from the FBI about threats to all 50 statehouses in the days leading up to Inauguration Day.
The operators of Luna Park in Sydney have agreed to pay a $5000 fine for a New Year's Eve event where they hosted a large crowd of people, despite receiving legal advice that they did not breach COVID-19 regulations.

NSW Police issued a penalty infringement notice to the amusement park about 2pm on Wednesday after mobile phone footage showed crowds of people gathered at Luna Park to watch the New Year fireworks in Sydney Harbour.

Crowds at New Year's Eve event at Luna Park. Nine News

One of the attendees at the event, Ali Abbas, previously told Nine News it got "busier and busier" as the night went on and "everyone was on top of each other trying to record".

Another reveller, Abdulla Hijazi, said he was pushed in the back by people in the crowd as one security guard tried to keep control.

"People had their hands over you, people were breathing on you ... shoulder to shoulder next to you," Mr Hijazi told Nine News.

In a statement, NSW Police said officers began investigating after receiving the footage, which showed "a large crowd gathered at the Milsons Point venue in possible breach of a Public Health Order".

"Following inquiries with the venue and a review of further footage, the company secretary of the amusement park was issued a $5000 PIN for not comply with noticed direction s7/8/9-COVID-19  Corporation," a police spokesperson said.

A spokesman for Luna Park confirmed police had made contact about the fine for social distancing.

"Our legal advice is that Luna Park Sydney did not breach NSW public health orders during the New Years Eve event," the spokesman said.

"However, we have co-operated fully with police during their inquiries and have decided to pay the fine.

"The safety of our guests and our staff has always been and will continue to be our number one priority."

Meanwhile, a man has been formally refused bail after he allegedly stabbed a stranger in the leg during a confrontation with a shopping centre security guard who had asked a woman to wear a mask in Sydney's north-west.

Police allege Dylan Lewis Creswell, 25, was at a shopping centre at Windsor with the woman at about 8.20pm on Tuesday when the guard asked her to put on a mask.

Mr Creswell allegedly approached the 59-year-old security guard and pushed him, before punching him "a number of times".

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It is alleged that when another customer intervened, a physical fight ensued and Mr Creswell brandished a knife and stabbed the 53-year-old man in the leg.

Sydneys Luna Park has been fined $5000 for overcrowding and breaching coronavirus social distancing on New Year's Eve.

Mr Creswell was restrained until police arrived and taken to Windsor Police Station "after a short struggle", where he was charged with being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence, affray, and resisting or hindering a police officer in the execution of their duty.

He was refused bail to face Penrith Local Court on Wednesday, where he did not apply for bail and it was formally refused.

Mr Creswell will face court again on January 25.
George Nkencho was shot dead by members of the Garda Armed Response Unit outside his west Dublin home on December 30

Supporters of the family of George Nkencho, the man shot dead by gardai outside his west Dublin home on December 30, will this evening hold a candlelight procession and vigil in his honour outside Blanchardstown garda station.

Mr Nkencho (27) was shot by a member of the Armed Response Unit after an earlier incident at a shop in Hartstown where he had gone with a knife.

He was followed back to his home in nearby Clonee by gardai who told him to stop and put down the knife. He was shot after the use of pepper spray and a taser were unsuccessful.

Mr Nkencho was rushed to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown but died from his injuries.

Supporters had pledged to protest for two weeks following his death, and today marks the end of the second week of action.

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Friends and supporters have protested at Blanchardstown garda station, organised sit-down protests which were facilitated by gardai and released balloons in his name.

To mark the end of the 14 days of protest, this evenings procession will leave Church Road, opposite St Brigids Church in Dublin 15 at 5pm and move towards the garda station.

Expand Close Flowers left at the scene of the fatal shooting outside George Nkencho's home at Manorfields Drive in Clonee Co Dublin where he was shot dead by Gardai. Photo by Steve Humphreys. 13th January 2021 / Facebook

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Whatsapp Flowers left at the scene of the fatal shooting outside George Nkencho's home at Manorfields Drive in Clonee Co Dublin where he was shot dead by Gardai. Photo by Steve Humphreys. 13th January 2021

Participants have been asked to wear white T-shirts and bring candles.

An independent post-mortem was carried out yesterday on the body of Mr Nkencho.

While a post-mortem had been carried out already to determine the circumstances of his death, the second post-mortem was ordered by the solicitor for the Nkencho family and is independent of the one which will form part of the States investigation by An Garda Siochana and the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission into the fatal shooting.

It had been unclear if the current Level 5 Covid restrictions would hamper the second post-mortem, because it was feared that a pathologist would not be able to travel from England to perform it.

But the independent post-mortem was carried out by Professor Jack Crane, the former Northern Ireland state pathologist

It remained unclear today when George NKenchos body would be released to his family, who are anxious to organise a funeral for him, but the familys solicitor, Phelim ONeill, said it was expected that there would be an update in the coming days.

Georges family would hope that his body would be released to them later this week, he told Independent.ie.

Mr Nkencho was followed by gardai from the Eurospar shop at Hartstown in west Dublin after the alarm was raised by staff following an alleged confrontation in which it is said he was armed with a knife and assaulted a staff member.

Mr Nkencho walked in the direction of his home at Manorsfield Drive in Clonee, a journey of around 10 minutes, as gardai ordered him to stop and put down the knife.

Armed gardai arrived at the scene and tried to use non-lethal force, including pepper spray and a taser, to disable and disarm him.

This was unsuccessful, and as Mr Nkencho went to enter his home he was fired on a number of times. He was rushed to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown but pronounced dead a short time later.

Sources close to the family have said Georges sister, Gloria, had urged gardai to stop before he was shot, and that armed gardai knew there were people in the hallway of the house when they opened fire, with two bullets hitting the window beside the door close to where they were standing.

They say the family will also tell investigators that they saw their brother being pepper-sprayed at close range by gardai, and will ask why he could not have been disarmed by gardai if they could get that close.

The family has said George was suffering from mental illness at the time of his death.

The family will say that if the gardai are issuing statements saying they feared George would harm them, then why did they fire shots in their direction and put them in danger, the sources said.

They will also say that there was a four-second delay between the fourth and fifth shot. They know George was hit more than once, so they will say the fifth shot was not necessary and that George had already been disabled by the time it was fired, they added.

Three of Georges siblings were in the house when he arrived surrounded by gardai. His sister opened the door and urged gardai to stop, saying she could talk to George and that he was ill, but she was told to get back inside and then the firing started. The gardai knew they were behind the door, the source explained.

Gardai have said they tried to use non-lethal force first, as per protocol, and had feared for the safety of themselves and others when the armed garda fired his garda-issue weapon.

The investigation into Mr Nkenchos shooting is continuing.
United States Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday rejected invoking 25th Amendment to oust President Donald Trump. The 25th Amendment would state Trump as incapable to perform his Presidential obligations and appoint Vice President Pence as the acting president until his term comes to an end.

US Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday said in the Parliament that he does not support the use the 25th Amendment procedure so as to remove Donald Trump from the office. This action highly spikes the chances of an impeachment vote against Donald Trump.

Pence wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that she and the Democratic party are demanding the Cabinet and him to invoke the 25th Amendment despite just eight days being left in Trumps term. The 25th Amendment would state Trump as incapable to perform his Presidential obligations and appoint Vice President Pence as the acting president until his term comes to an end.

I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution, he said.

Also read: EAM at UNSC: In first speech at UNSC, EAM Jaishankar slams China for covering up for Pakistan on terrorism

Also read: Amid Bird Flu scare across India, China imposes ban on poultry import from European nations

The Democrat party has doubled its efforts to remove Trump from office after he called on his supporters to march upon the Capitol and fight last week.

Pence dispatched his letter a few hours before the House of Representatives was scheduled to vote on passing the 25th Amendment. The Democrats said that their actions will declare the obvious to a stunned nation: A President who is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office.

The mob stormed past the police through the US Capitol and reached as far as the Congress session that had been in the process of cementing Joe Bidens victory.

The violence resulted in the deaths of five people died including a US Capitol Police officer. Several members including Pence had to seek shelter during the outrage.

Also read: Ahead of 1st phase of vaccine rollout from January 16th, Covid-19 vaccines shipped to several states
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FLINT, MI -- A U.S. District Court judge says she intends to rule by Jan. 21 on whether to grant preliminary approval of a historic settlement of civil lawsuits related to the Flint water crisis.

In a brief virtual federal court hearing Wednesday, Jan. 13, Judge Judith Levy told attorneys involved in the cases that said she intends to file her decision on the $641-million settlement in the next eight days.

Levy had initially hoped to issue her ruling by this week but said Wednesday she was not yet prepared to do so.

Please bear with me. Theres a lot of material to be covered and reviewed and considered, the judge said.

Levy is weighing whether to grant preliminary approval of the settlement reached through mediation by the state of Michigan and attorneys for Flint residents, who have filed more than 100 lawsuits in state and federal courts.

She has said she is reviewing the arrangement to insure it is fair, adequate, reasonable, and is an arms-length transaction.

The city of Flint, McLaren Regional Medical Center and Rowe Professional Services joined in the settlement agreement while other defendants, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Flint water consultants, and Hurley Medical Center have opted to continue to litigate in cases in which they have been named as defendants.

The proposed deal would dismiss the state, city, Rowe and McLaren as well as their employees from the lawsuits. It calls for nearly 80 percent of the settlement, which state officials have said is likely the largest in Michigan history, to be paid to children who were younger than 18 when they were first exposed to Flint River water, which contained elevated levels of lead, bacteria and chlorination byproducts in 2014 and 2015.

If Levy gives the settlement preliminary approval, claims registration and objections to the agreement can begin to be filed with the court.

Read more:

Flint residents protest water crisis settlement with federal judges decision expected soon

Youngest Flint water crisis victims to get 80 percent of historic $600 million settlement

Federal judge says she will meet for days if necessary to hear from residents about Flint water settlement
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

In a new study, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have used a urine test to identify and verify a patient's type of asthma. The study, which has been published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, lays the foundation for a more personalized diagnosis and may result in improved treatment of severe asthma in the future.

About 10 percent of the Swedish population suffers from asthma, a disease that has become increasingly widespread over the past 50 years, with annual global mortality of around 400,000 according to the World Health Organization. Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation in the airways, which can result in symptoms including coughing, mucous formation and shortness of breath.

There are many types of asthma, and symptoms can vary between individuals, from mild to severe. Currently, in order to make an asthma diagnosis, a wide-ranging investigation is conducted that can consist of multiple elements including patient interviews, lung function tests, blood tests, allergy investigations and X-rays.

"There are no simple methods to determine what type of asthma an individual has, knowledge that is particularly important in order to better treat patients suffering from the more severe types of the disease," says Craig Wheelock, associate professor at the Department of Medical Biochemistry and Biophysics, Karolinska Institutet, and the last author of the study.

High metabolite levels

In this new study, research groups at Karolinska Institutet have made an important discovery, which can offer a simple but clear contribution to a correct diagnosis.

Using a mass spectrometry-based methodology developed in the Wheelock laboratory, they were able to measure urinary metabolite levels of certain prostaglandins and leukotrienes eicosanoid signaling molecules that are known mediators of asthmatic airway inflammation.

"We discovered particularly high levels of the metabolites of the mast cell mediator prostaglandin D2 and the eosinophil product leukotriene C4 in asthma patients with what is referred to as type 2 inflammation," says Johan Kolmert, postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, and first author of the study. "Using our methodology, we were able to measure these metabolites with high accuracy and link their levels to the severity and type of asthma."

The study is based on data from the U-BIOPRED study (Unbiased BIOmarkers in PREDiction of respiratory disease outcomes), which was designed to investigate severe asthma. The study included 400 participants with severe asthma, which often requires treatment with corticosteroid tablets, nearly 100 individuals with milder forms of asthma and 100 healthy control participants.

Better accuracy than blood tests

In addition to the increased eicosanoid metabolite levels associated with asthma type and severity, the study shows that measurement using a urine test provides improved accuracy relative to other measurement methods, for example certain kinds of blood tests.

"Another discovery was that levels of these metabolites were still high in patients who were seriously ill, despite the fact that they were being treated with corticosteroid tablets. This highlights the need for alternative treatments for this group of patients," explains Johan Kolmert.

The researchers were also able to replicate the discovery in urine samples from a study of schoolchildren with asthma, that was conducted by the pediatricians Gunilla Hedlin, Jon Konradsen and Bjorn Nordlund at Karolinska Institutet.

"We could see that those children who had asthma with type 2 inflammation were displaying the same profiles of metabolites in the urine as adults," says Sven-Erik Dahlen, professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, who led the work together with Craig Wheelock.

According to the researchers, this study of severe asthma may be the largest evaluation of eicosanoid urinary metabolites conducted worldwide, and may be an important step towards future biomarker-guided precision medicine.

Improved treatment for seriously ill patients

Treatment with steroid inhalers is often sufficient for patients with mild asthma, but for those with severe asthma it may be necessary to supplement with corticosteroid tablets. Corticosteroids are associated with several side-effects, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and harm to the eyes and bones.

"To replace corticosteroid tablets, in recent times several biological medicines have been introduced to treat patients with type 2 inflammation characterized by increased activation of mast cells and eosinophils," Sven-Erik Dahlen says. "However, these treatments are very expensive, so it is an important discovery that urine samples may be used to identify precisely those patients who will benefit from the type 2 biologics."

Explore further Asthma patients given risky levels of steroid tablets

More information: Johan Kolmert et al. Urinary Leukotriene E4 and Prostaglandin D2 Metabolites Increase in Adult and Childhood Severe Asthma Characterized by Type 2 Inflammation. A Clinical Observational Study, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2020). Journal information: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Johan Kolmert et al. Urinary Leukotriene E4 and Prostaglandin D2 Metabolites Increase in Adult and Childhood Severe Asthma Characterized by Type 2 Inflammation. A Clinical Observational Study,(2020). DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201909-1869OC
Chief of the Ecuadorian Diplomatic Mission in Korea Johnny Reinoso-Vasquez talks about his country's most celebrated painter Oswaldo Guayasamin during an interview with The Korea Times at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Eunpyeong-gu, northern Seoul, Jan. 6. The museum will extend the exhibition, originally scheduled until Jan. 22, to Feb. 6, as it has been popular among Koreans and foreign residents here. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



World's largest showcase to mark Guayasamin's birth centenary to be extended to Feb. 6



By Yi Whan-woo



The first solo exhibition of Ecuador's most cherished painter Oswaldo Guayasamin in Korea has been in the limelight among art lovers, overcoming COVID-19 and other challenges since it opened Dec. 19.



The exhibition began at the peak of the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. This was a negative factor in promoting Guayasamin (1919-1999) dubbed the "Picasso of Latin America" but little known here, on the occasion of his birth centenary.



The venue  the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art  is located in a district in the extreme northwest of Seoul, making it pretty tricky for visitors from other parts of the capital and much of the country to visit as admitted to by some museum staff members.



With Korea in the middle of ideological, political and social divides, the intention of the exhibition  as witnessed from a conservative newspaper headline that highlighted him as a leftist  was somewhat viewed politically because Guayasamin was a friend and admirer of the late Cuban leader Fidel Castro and a committed leftist since his youth.



Nevertheless, the exhibition, which opens from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. by reservation only, has been fully booked every day.



The museum accordingly doubled the maximum number of people allowed per hour from 10 to 20 beginning from this year.



Additionally, the exhibition, which was originally scheduled to end Jan. 22, has been extended to Feb. 6.



Expats from various countries have also visited the exhibition, including the ambassadors of Colombia, El Salvador, Peru and the United Arab Emirates.



And why is Guayasamin so popular in Korea as he is in rest of the world?



"Because his works, regardless of the time they are drawn, are ultimately a message that we as a humankind should stop hating but love each other," Chief of the Ecuadorian Diplomatic Mission in Korea Johnny Reinoso-Vasquez told The Korea Times during an interview at the museum, Jan. 6. "The exhibition of Guayasamin is therefore not political per se but psychological per se and can appeal to anybody, whether they are right-wing, left-wing, capitalist or communist."



"I am happy to see that the collection of Guayasamin is accepted by the audience in Korea," he added.





Chief of the Ecuadorian Diplomatic Mission Johnny Reinoso-Vasquez poses before first and second pieces of "The Scream," a three series of paintings by Ecuadorian painter Oswaldo Guayasamin, at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art in Eunpyeong-gu, northern Seoul, Jan. 6. "The Scream" (1983) is a representative artwork from the "The Age of Anger," the second of Guayasamin's three main phases. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
New Delhi, Jan 13 : India, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia have been termed as the "Difficult Four" by a UK think tank.

In report "Global Britain, Global Broker" by Chatham House which is a detailed study on UK strategic agenda post Brexit, India is listed among the "Difficult Four".

"Developing the relationship with India, a pivotal regional democracy, as part of this shift in British strategic focus, will prove a complex task. India's importance to the UK is inescapable," the report says.

India will be the largest country in the world by population very soon and will have the third-largest economy and defence budget at some point in this decade. It is also an English-speaking country with a large diaspora in the UK, reflecting the two countries' deep historical linkages.

"As a result, India is always on the list of countries with which a new UK government commits to engage. But it should be obvious by now that the idea of a deeper relationship with India always promises more than it can deliver." The report said: "The legacy of British colonial rule consistently curdles the relationship. In contrast, the US has become the most important strategic partner for India, as recent US administrations have intensified their bilateral security relations, putting the UK in the shade." While giving India the attention it deserves, the UK government needs to accept that gaining direct national benefit from the relationship, whether economically or diplomatically, will be difficult, it added.

"At the same time, India's complex, fragmented domestic politics have made it one of the countries most resistant to open trade and foreign investment," the report said.

With average GDP per capita of still only around $2,000, India's interests rarely align with those of smaller, more economically developed democracies. This also limits its capacity to undertake a proactive foreign policy on the global issues that matter most to the UK.

According to Chatham House,for example, India shies away from joining Britain and others in supporting liberal democracy beyond its shores.

"To the contrary, the overt Hindu nationalism of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is weakening the rights of Muslims and other minority religious groups, leading to a chorus of concern that intolerant majoritarianism is replacing the vision of a secular, democratic India bequeathed by Nehru. And the government's broader crackdown on human rights activists and civil society groups is no longer being actively challenged by the judiciary, leading to growing complaints about erosion of the rule of law, not only from domestic groups but also the UN and other democracy-watchers," the report said.

The report said some of the original targets of 'Global Britain' - China, India, Saudi Arabia and Turkey - may be important to the UK's commercial interests, but they will be rivals or, at best, awkward counterparts on many of its global goals.

Since 1945, British governments have had to manage what can be described as four "circles" of international interest and leverage. These encapsulate continental Europe; the US; a small group of strategically important countries with whom the quality of bilateral relations has had an outsized effect on UK prosperity and security, including China, Japan, Russia and Saudi Arabia; and the rest of the world, with the Commonwealth providing some additional connectivity to an otherwise heterogeneous set of relationship.
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New Delhi: In the upcoming Union Budget 2021-22, the Ministry of Railways may propose some measure that may refurbish IRCTC's revenue manifold. The tourism and catering wing of Indian Railways is planning to take a novel step to increase its revenues.

Under the new scheme, it may introduce ready-to-eat meals on the pattern of airline services. IRCTC has joined hands with companies like Haldiram, ITC, MTR, Wagh Bakri, and other big food brands to implement this plan.

Once implemented, the Indian Railway passengers will be able to enjoy ready-to-eat meals of Haldiram, ITC, MTR, Wagh Bakri, and other big food brands.

Live TV

The plan is to look at ways to compensate for the losses incurred by the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) in its catering business because of the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

The government is planning to implement this model in the Railways as it has been successful in the airline industry.

According to sources, the Railway Minister is eager to implement this scheme as soon as possible.

After its implementation, the trains with the pantry system will cease the contract and hand over the responsibility to IRCTC to serve ready-to-eat meals to the travellers.
Labette Healths ICU has been busier since September when COVID-19 patient numbers started increasing in the community and some needed critical care. Pictured are Thursdays registered nurses (from left) Peggy Hoisington, Chelsea Smith and Tracy Rhodes.
Empress Ale to distribute gluten-free Czech lager Celia in UK

British craft beer brand Empress Ale has acquired the distribution rights for the Czech lager Celia.

Launched in 2012 and brewed in Zatec, Czech Republic, Celia is a gluten-free, organic, vegan beer brand which its owners say makes a strong proposition in today's drinks market, where more people are seeking beverages that cater to their detary requirements or choices.

Drinkers can choose between the light and hoppy Celia Organic or the rich and malty Celia Dark. The lagers are made with Movarian malt, Saaz hops - a heritage, protected variety - and locally sourced water, and its batch brewing process utilises natural carbonation.

Surj Virk, Empress Ale founder and managing director, said; "Since we launched Empress Ale our mission has been to provide desirable eateries with British-made, quality craft beer. We have always aimed high and seen sales solidly increase despite exceptionally challenging market conditions.

"Celia represents an ideal fit for our portfolio both in terms of ethos and mission; it's premium, great tasting, the perfect complement to food and is backed by an enviable heritage and provenance... We are confident that with the right support, Celia is well placed to become the UK's gluten-free lager of choice."

Empress Ale aims to maximise opportunities in the off-trade for Celia - it already has listings with Waitrose and Ocado - while continuing to build its on-trade presence. The company has campaigns planned for Celia in January 2021 and is planning further investment in the brand.

13 January 2021 - Bethany Whymark

HAVANA  When the Trump administration announced this week that it was designating Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism, the reaction in Havana was swift and vociferous.

The Cuban government accused Washington of hypocrisy, and called the label an act of political opportunism by President Trump to obstruct relations between Cuba and the incoming administration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.

Beyond indignation, though, Cubans are ready to move on, a sentiment underlined by their president, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, who tweeted on Tuesday that the American decision had been made in the death throes of a failed and corrupt administration.

For the Cuban government and its people, the change in American presidential administrations cant come soon enough.
The left in all its manifestations wrongly dismisses the rights critique of its condemnation of the Capitol riot as whataboutism. William Voegeli has contributed the definitive analysis and takedown of the lefts condemnation in the City Journal essay About whataboutism.' (Jewish World Review has reposted Bills column here.) Voegeli harshly makes out the bad faith of the left.

Beyond the bad faith of the left, however, we need to understand the gravity of the Capitol riot and President Trumps contribution to it. Steve Hayward drew on Lincolns Lyceum Address of 1838 in his City Journal column The end of Trump. Steve renders judgment in the context of the whataboutism phenomenon that is the subject of Voegelis analysis. This is Steves final word:

Donald Trump has shown great perception of the defects of our political order; he has had many salutary achievements in office; he has fought hard for worthy objects against the intransigent opposition of the permanent government; his love of country is undoubted; he has given new hope to many unheard and hitherto unrespected Americans. At the same time, his reckless public pronouncements have fallen short of the standard of the high statesmanship most needednever more so than his remarks on the Capitol Mall on Wednesday. He has left himself vulnerable to the charge that he will exit office amid a flurry of pulling down not only fellow partisans, but the very institutions of our government itself.

Steves judgment here is guarded. Applied to the events of January 6, the judgment that Trumps reckless public pronouncements fell short of the standard of high statesmanship leaves a lot to be said. At the least, it is a judgment that must be filled out.

Professor Michael Zuckert explored the political science of Lincolns speech in his 2019 National Affairs essay Populism and our political institutions. The Trump phenomenon forms the backdrop of Professor Zuckerts essay. Zuckert explicates the distinction Lincoln draws between the character of mobs lawless in spirit and lawful in spirit. Further, following Lincoln, Zuckert draws the connection between the two:

From the lawless in spirit, the contagion spreads to good men  men who love tranquility and who desire to abide by the laws, and enjoy their benefits. Experiencing the breakdown of the law, these individuals, the strongest bulwark of any Government, Lincoln said, become tired of, and disgusted with, a Government that offers them no protection and thus lose their attachment to that government. These ordinary, law-abiding citizens then become open to experiments in governance by strongmen who promise them more peace and security than what is being provided by republican forms. The path along which the perpetuation of our political institutions is endangered is now clear: The mobs encourage the lawless in spirit to violate the law, which in turn leads to the disaffection of the lawful in spirit and their yearning for order and security through more effective governance than the republic supplies.

Zuckert takes up Lincolns anatomy of mobs as a phenomenon inherent in popular sovereignty:

Lincolns analysis of the close link between populism and popular sovereignty is probably the most valuable lesson that his populist moment can offer our own. One implication of that analysis is that we should not look at populist eruptions as novel or freak events. They are, in effect, baked into our three-cornered political order, which combines popular sovereignty, constitutional democracy, and populism. Lincolns analysis is both reassuring and worrisome. On the one hand, insofar as populism is endemic to our kind of regime, and insofar as we have survived past bouts of it, we can be confident, to some degree, that we can survive this one too. But reassuring as the implications of Lincolns analysis may be, his warnings of the dangers inherent in a populist movement are explicit and far more concrete. Many details of Lincolns moment and ours differ, but the challenge populism poses to constitutional government and the rule of law is a peril common to both.

Here are Zuckerts concluding paragraphs:

Lincoln would urge us to distinguish Trumps policies from his threats to the Constitution and the rule of law. President Trump does indeed look at times like the man of great ambition trying to whip up his populist base in order to go beyond or outside the constitutional order. Lincoln would tell us, I believe, to agree to disagree about Trump and his policies, but at the same time to agree about the value of the constitutional order  which, whatever its flaws, has secured more civil and religious liberty over time than any other in world history. On this front, do not cut Trump slack; do not make excuses for him; do not seek partisan advantages by countenancing moves he makes that threaten the Constitution and the fundamentals of the constitutional order. If we remain true to the Constitution, and to the rule of law it provides, we will get through this moment just fine, perhaps even reaping some of the benefits of populism. But we can do so only if we do not succumb fully to the lure of populism, and if we keep before us the necessity of finding a balance between the rule of the people and the rule of law.

Written in 2019, Zuckerts essay nevertheless anticipates the current moment. If you are still trying to understand the events in which we are mired and draw your own conclusions, along with Steve I recommend Lincolns speech, to which I would add Zuckerts essay.
PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Berger Montague is investigating potential securities fraud claims against QuantumScape Corporation ("QuantumScape" or the "Company") on behalf of investors who purchased QuantumScape securities (NYSE: QS) between November 27, 2020 and December 31, 2020 (the "Class Period").

If you purchased QuantumScape securities during the Class Period, have questions concerning your rights or interests, or would like to discuss Berger Montague's investigation, please contact attorneys Andrew Abramowitz at [email protected] or (215) 875-3015, or Donnell Much at [email protected] or (215) 875-4667, or contact us at www.bergermontague.com/quantumscape.

QuantumScape, based in San Jose, California, develops and commercializes solid-state lithium-metal batteries for electric vehicles. In 2018, Volkswagen and QuantumScape announced the establishment of a joint production project to prepare solid-state batteries for mass production.

Recently filed lawsuits charge the Company with failing to disclose to investors that: (1) QuantumScape's battery technology was not sufficient for electric vehicle performance, as it would not be able to withstand the aggressive automotive environment; (2) QuantumScape's battery technology likely provided no meaningful improvement over existing battery technology; and (3) the successful commercialization of QuantumScape's battery technology was subject to much more significant risks and uncertainties than the defendants had disclosed.

According to the suits, investors learned the truth on January 4, 2021, when Seeking Alpha published a research report which accused the Company of overstating the performance of its batteries. The report stated that QuantumScape's batteries are "small and unproven  not yet as big as an iWatch battery, and never tested outside a lab." Seeking Alpha further stated that "[t]here are significant risks associated with solid state batteries that have not been overcome," and the Company's product "will likely never achieve the performance they claim."

On this news, the price of QuantumScape's common stock declined $34.49 per share  more than 40%  in a single day, falling from a closing price of $84.45 per share on December 31, 2020 to a closing price of $49.96 per share on January 4, 2021.

If you purchased QuantumScape securities during the Class Period, you may seek Court appointment as lead plaintiff to represent other injured investors in a class action. The lead plaintiff appointment deadline is March 8, 2021. You do not need to be a lead plaintiff to share in any potential Class recovery.

Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding QuantumScape are encouraged to confidentially assist Berger Montague's investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under this program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to thirty percent (30%) of recoveries obtained by the SEC. For more information, contact us.

Berger Montague, with offices in Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and San Diego, has been a pioneer in securities class action litigation since its founding in 1970. Berger Montague has represented individual and institutional investors for five decades and serves as lead counsel in courts throughout the United States.

Contacts

Andrew Abramowitz, Senior Counsel

Berger Montague

(215) 875-3015

[email protected]

Donnell Much, Associate

Berger Montague

(215) 875-4667

[email protected]

SOURCE Berger Montague

Related Links

http://www.bergermontague.com



Pro-life leader Lila Rose, was accused by a notorious abortionist, Leah Torres, of being a domestic terrorist last week on Twitter. Torres is known for posting agitating posts on the social media site and stirring pro-lifers.

Rose, the president and founder of Live Action, posted a simple message on her account last January 7, saying "Abortion is violence," LifeNews reported.

Abortion is violence  Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) January 7, 2021

With these three words, Rose shared the fundamental belief of every pro-life movement--Abortion is wrong because an innocent human being's life is destructed violently though it. An undeniable scientific fact is that a unique, individual human life that begins the moment there is conception and it is through abortion that this unique human life ends.

There are multiple ways of abortion, however, the main point is all of these ways kill and end the human life. Some abortions dismember an unborn baby by tearing the baby from limb from limb, all while the heart is still beating.

Another involves a poisonous solution by injecting it straight to the unborn baby's heart to immediately end them. There are abortionists who admit that they are indeed killing these babies, LifeNews reports.

After Rose tweeted those three words, Torres replied to her tweet and marked it as "violent rhetoric" and claimed that the pro-lifer was a "domestic terrorist."

Soon after, the comments between the pro-lifer and the abortionist, whose medical license was suspended by the state of Alabama, drew thousands of responses and engagement online.

"It is objectively false and meant to incite others to commit crimes against clinics, patients, and health care providers. This is what domestic terrorism looks like," Torres responded to Rose's tweet. "This is violent rhetoric," she added.

Torres believes that OB-GYNs cannot be pro-life. Torres who is the same abortionist who is known for sparking wide-spread outrage when someone had asked her if she could hear the screams of the babies she aborts. In her deleted tweet, she replied by saying; "You know fetuses can't scream, right? I transect the cord 1st so there's really no opportunity ...."

The position pro-lifers take is a position of non-violence. The pro-life movement focuses on fighting for the lives who are the most vulnerable--those who can't speak up for themselves. These lives include those who are at risk of being killed in abortions, assisted suicide, euthanasia, and embryonic stem cell research.

The comments of Torres came at a time where censorship, political unrest, and tension were heightened. In the same week, President Trump was removed and banned from Twitter after what happened in the U.S. Capitol.

Faithwire writer Tre Goins-Phillips reported, "In just a matter of days, it seems, we've found ourselves at the beginning of a very slippery slope that could lead to the censoring and silencing of those who simply hold to differing perspectives, beliefs, and world views."

Aside from President Trump's removal from Twitter, Parler, a social media site who is committed to free speech, was shut down by big tech companies such as Google, Apple, and Amazon.

Irish food, drink and horticulture exports declined by just 2pc last year despite the pandemic and Brexit. The largest declines were in alcohol, prepared meat products and seafood, according to food and horticulture agency Bord Bia, with total exports valued at 13 billion in 2020, down from 13.2 billion in 2019. But the decline held to low levels due to increases in the value of Irish dairy, pigmeat and sheepmeat exports, along with a boost in exports to Africa and the Middle East. In its annual Export Performance and Prospects report 2020/2021, Bord Bia said the success was down to its decade-long diversification strategy. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, said Irish producers had found a new level of resilience in 2020 despite the global challenges. Bord Bia chief executive Tara McCarthy said the outlook remains positive for 2021 and that exporters are reporting solid order volumes. However, she said the extra costs and customs procedures associated with Brexit will cause significant challenges and should not be underestimated. Ireland has reduced its dependence on the UK market since the Brexit referendum, the report says, with global exports of food and drink growing by 16pc - over 1.9 billion - since June 2016. The majority of growth since 2016 comes from the EU27, the report says.
Authorities in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Wednesday suspended the license of rights attorney Lu Siwei at a disciplinary hearing, citing his public comments on the case of the 12 Hong Kong activists detained at sea in .



Judicial authorities in Sichuan's provincial capital Chengdu moved on Jan. 4 to strike Lu off, alleging that he made "inappropriate remarks" in public about the case, thereby "breaking Chinese law and professional guidelines for lawyers."



Faced with the loss of his license to practice law, Lu opted for a full hearing. He was dragged into the building by police officers on as he showed up at the Sichuan provincial department of justice in Chengdu.



"Lawyer Lu Siwei was escorted to the justice department directly from his home in his wife's car," a lawyer at the scene, who asked to remain anonymous, told RFA on .



"He wasn't allowed contact with anyone else, and was taken straight inside the building. His two lawyers were intercepted -- one of them got to go inside after a struggle," the lawyer said.



Xie Yanyi, who represented Lu at the hearing, dismissed the evidence brought by officials against Lu at the hearing.



"The allegations made by the investigators during the hearing over Lu Siwei's so-called violations of law and discipline were entirely fictitious; they didn't hold water," Xie told RFA.



He said the hearing had ended with the suspension of Lu's license.



"The Sichuan department of justice made no attempt to investigate the allegations, and just issued a notice of suspension of [Lu's] license without bothering to verify the details," Xie said. "It should at least have conducted a preliminary investigation."



'Illegal persecution'

He said the conduct of the hearing was tantamount to persecution.



"Everyone inside the room were insiders; this was basically a behind-closed-doors hearing," he said. "The whole process was illegal right from the start."



"Rushing to an administrative punishment in such a way ... is essentially illegal persecution," Xie said.



Consular staff sent by foreign diplomatic missions, including those of Canada, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, were also denied entry to the hearing, which was then held behind closed doors.



The lawyer said there was a strong police presence outside the building, with checkpoints at either end of the street.



"The Department of Justice has set up police checkpoints at both ends of the road," the lawyer said. "I also saw a large police vehicle outside and seven or eight smaller ones."



"There are actually not as many police officers in uniform as plainclothes ... [the plainclothes officers] are guarding the place very tightly by following people and coming forward [when they approach the building]."



Fellow rights attorney Ren Quanniu, who also faces the loss of his lawyer's license for defending another of the Hong Kong 12, Xu Yan, wife of rights attorney Yu Wensheng, were taken away by police, the lawyer said.



"There was a standoff between them and the intercepting police officers," the lawyer said. "Some people who had gotten involved in a more intense altercation were taken straight to the local police station."



"Initially, the police denied them water, but they are saying that they have now been given lunch," the lawyer said.



Large-scale purge of lawyers since 2015

Lu and Ren both received notification around New Year that their licenses were being reviewed by their local judicial affairs bureaus because they had "posted inappropriate remarks" online.



Lu, who was never allowed to visit his client Quinn Moon in Yantian Detention Center in Shenzhen, despite being hired by her family, was particularly vocal in the months following the initial detention of the 12 protesters aged 16 to 33 by the China Coast Guard on Aug. 23, repeatedly commenting about his attempts to gain access to his client, to no avail.



In a Dec. 31 notice sent to Ren, who was hired by the family of Wong Wai-yin but similarly prevented from carrying out his instructions, judicial authorities in the central province of Henan, said his license was also under review for "violating Chinese law and professional guidelines for lawyers."



Ren's hearing will be held on Jan. 19.



On Dec. 31, 2020, a court in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong handed down jail terms of up to three years to 10 of the 12 Hong Kong protesters detained on Aug. 23 as they tried to flee a national security crackdown in the city, on charges linked to "illegally crossing a border."



The Yantian District People's Court in Guangdong's Shenzhen city sentenced Ren's client Tang Kai-yin to three years' imprisonment for "organizing others to cross a border illegally," while fellow activist Quinn Moon -- Lu's client -- was jailed for two years on the same charge.



Fellow defendants Cheng Tsz-ho, Cheung Chun-fu, Li Tsz-yin, Andy Li, Wong Wai-yin, Kok Tsz-Lun, Jim Man-him, and Cheung Ming-jyu were each jailed for seven months each for "illegally crossing a border" and fined 10,000 yuan each.



The remaining two detainees -- Liu Tsz-man and Hoang Lam-fuk -- were sent back to Hong Kong after the authorities said they wouldn't pursue charges against them, as they were under 18 at the time of their detention.



All 12 detainees were consistently denied access to defense attorneys hired by their families and allocated government-approved attorneys to represent them at a trial that was effectively held behind closed doors.



Since beginning a nationwide crackdown in , authorities in provinces and cities across China have conducted large-scale purges of lawyers deemed not to be toeing the party line, with hundreds losing their licenses in Hunan alone in .



Reported by Gao Feng for RFA's Mandarin and Cantonese Services. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
"The trend line of hiring at the end of 2020 is very encouraging for economic recovery as we kick off 2021." - Express CEO Bill Stoller

Just one year ago, only 31% of hiring decision-makers said they planned to increase their companys number of employees, but signs of life emerged over the next 12 months as that percentage increased to 39% in the second half of 2020. Now it sits at 46% for the first half of 2021.

This is according to a recent survey from The Harris Poll commissioned by Express Employment Professionals.

In Utica, New York, Express franchise owner John Calabrese said COVID-19 business restrictions eased up in the second half of 2020, leading to increased hiring and replacement of workers who did not return to their previous positions.

Sectors like warehouse/distribution and manufacturers that pivoted to PPE production and online order fulfillment boomed in the second half of the year, he said. This led to a sharp turnaround of increased hiring at record levels.

Jan Riggins, general manager for two Express franchises in Fort Worth, Texas, said her offices also saw a dramatic increase in talent demand for logistics clients in the latter half of the year.

Workforce challenges resulting from COVID-19 meant not only did we have more positions to fill, but pay rates dramatically increased to attract available talent, she said.

Riggins, Calabrese and Dwight Hahn, the Windsor, Connecticut, Express franchise owner, all agree the primary driver of the hiring ramp-up at the end of 2020 was due to an increased volume of work followed by replacing employees due to turnover and to fill newly created positions.

Still, some businesses did not see a hiring rebound in recent months due to a variety of factors.

Some clients shifted resources to backfill for their own COVID staffing issues, and as funding dried up, either their employees returned or the company needed fewer of them, Hahn said. Other business sectors like catering and hospitality simply havent come back, so those clients are either gone or on a shoestring budget with minimum staff levels.

Calabrese added that some businesses in his market simply couldnt recover from the economic blows associated with the COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainty of the economic future. Other companies shifted to strictly remote work and ceased hiring for the time being.

Riggins said the office services industry had the largest decrease and slowest rebound because of the inability to train and onboard remotely, as well as uncertainty in the economy. But through talking with other sales and recruiting teams across the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex, she added that conversations are more optimistic about hiring in January and the first quarter of 2021.

As we closed out 2020, there seemed to be a general sigh of relief regarding the opportunity to get back to work in January, Riggins said. With so much of the uncertainty surrounding the election and a COVID-19 vaccine now addressed, organizations are better able to plan and project.

While there are still hurdles to overcome, Riggins is encouraged that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and businesses are now more prepared to pivot and change, as necessary.

The trend line of hiring at the end of 2020 is very encouraging for economic recovery as we kick off 2021, Express CEO Bill Stoller said. Its the good news and hope we all need to begin the new year with optimism as the economy continues to move in the right direction, drastically different from where we were early last year.

Survey Methodology

The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Express Employment Professionals between Nov. 16 and Dec. 7, 2020, among 1,002 US hiring decision-makers (defined as adults ages 18+ in the U.S. who are employed full-time or self-employed, work at companies with more than 1 employee, and have full/significant involvement in hiring decisions at their company). Data was weighted where necessary by company size to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population.

***

If you would like to arrange for an interview with Bill Stoller to discuss this topic, please contact Sheena Karami, Director of Corporate Communications and PR, at (405) 717-5966.

About Bill Stoller

William H. "Bill" Stoller is chairman and chief executive officer of Express Employment Professionals. Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the international staffing company has more than 830 franchises in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Since inception, Express has put more than 8 million people to work worldwide.

About Express Employment Professionals

At Express Employment Professionals, were in the business of people. From job seekers to client companies, Express helps people thrive and businesses grow. Our international network of franchises offers localized staffing solutions to the communities they serve across the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, employing 552,000 people globally in 2019. For more information, visit http://www.ExpressPros.com.


(CNN) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his government to step up its inoculation efforts, launching a mass vaccination push that will start next week.

Russia began a large-scale coronavirus vaccination program, as Putin previously called it, in December -- but it is not clear exactly how many people have been vaccinated as part of this drive.

I ask [you] to prepare the necessary infrastructure. Thank God, our vaccine does not require any unusual conditions for transportation, like [storing it at] -50 C, -70 C, everything is much simpler and more efficient with us, Putin said Wednesday in a televised government meeting.

So I ask you to start mass vaccination of the entire population from next week and build an appropriate schedule, as we do with other diseases, for example, the flu, Putin added.

Russia approved its first Covid-19 vaccine, Sputnik V, in August. The news of its approval ahead of large-scale Phase 3 trials necessary to test its safety and efficacy drew considerable criticism from scientific and medical circles.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said that by this Thursday, an additional 600,000 doses of vaccine will be dispatched to the countrys regions.

"By the end of January... there will be 2.1 million doses of vaccine, and we will seriously need to step up the vaccination campaign," she added.

On Sunday, the head of Russias health regulator Rospotrebnadzor said that the new variant of coronavirus detected in the United Kingdom has been discovered in Russia in a patient who recently returned from the country.

Speaking on Wednesday, Putin said he is concerned about the spread of coronavirus in the UK.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Putin orders mass vaccination in Russia from next week"
At least 10 Rohingyas, including two women and five infants, who fled refugee camps in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazaar and entered Tripura with the help of an agent were caught in a Rajdhani Express train in West Bengal on Tuesday.

They were caught in Agartala-New Delhi Rajdhani special train at New Jalpaiguri, following suspicion by railway personnel about their identity.

"During inquiry they disclosed that they belong to Rohingya community and boarded the train from Agartala station on January 11. They crossed over to India on January 10 from Comilla on Bangladesh side to Sonamura on Indian side in Tripura and boarded the train from Agartala with the help of an agent. They fled Kutupalong camp located in Coxs Bazar of Bangladesh," said a statement issued by chief public relations officer, Northeast Frontier Railways, Subhanan Chanda.

On November 26 last year, 14 Rohingyas were similarly arrested from Rajdhani Express at New Jalpaiguri. They had also fled the Cox's Bazar refugee camps and had boarded the train at Agartala. Two days later, another eight Rohingyas were arrested from a house in South Assam's Karimganj district.
Naya Rivera would have been 34, if she did not die in an untimely manner. Her death had a massive impact on her friends and family, including on ex-husband Ryan Dorsey.

Remembering Naya Rivera, Ryan Dorsey Cries on Ex's Grave

This is why it is not surprising that Ryan Dorsey would visit the "Glee" star's grave in Los Angeles on her birthday.

He was also spotted in tears on this particularly poignant visit, as reported by Page Six.

Dorsey, 37, was seen at Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills, where many more other celebrities such as Bette Davis and Bill Withers are also interred.

The "Station 19" actor was holding a small bouquet of sunflowers. He later on left these at the grave of her ex, and was seen covering his allegedly tear-stained ace as he left the cemetery.

Naya Rivera Death: Son Josey Files 'Wrongful Death Suit'

It can be recalled that Rivera died by drowning last July while on a day trip with her son to Lake Piru in Southern California. Even though she is known to be a capable swimmer, Rivera reportedly got disoriented as she struggled with vertigo while in water. The condition intensified so she was no longer able to help herself up the boat, after making sure her son went back into it.

Dorsey filed a wrongful death suit on behalf of Josey in November against Ventura County's Parks and Recreation Management and United Water Conservation District.

Under this suit, Dorsey claims that if only the boat got adequate floatation devices, then the tragedy could have been avoided. Under California law, there is a liability incurred for not having the proper floatation devices. Dorsey also alleged that the management didn't comply with Coast Guard safety standards.

Apart from Ryan Dorsey remembering Naya Rivera, "Glee" cast members also paid tribute to the star on her birthday in their respective social media accounts.

Heather Morris, who played Naya Rivera's partner on the popular show shared a black and white snap of her and Naya together on Instagram.

The caption could not be even more tearjerking. "Happy Birthday my angel. I can't write a sappy monologue because it's just too hard...but I love you and I can't describe how much I miss you..," the actress wrote.

Ryan Dorsey Ex-Wife Disrespected Even in Death by Trolls

Even in his grief over Naya Rivera's death however, trolls still found it in them to accuse him of fooling around with Naya's sister, Nickayla Rivera. Dorsey did not take these rumors sitting down. Even though he was just married to Rivera from 2014 to 2018, and the two eventually broke up, he highly respected Naya and her family.

"[Josey] asked me if Titi can live with us. 'I want Titi to live with us forever,' because she's now the closest thing that he has to a mom," Dorsey explained, against the trolls' accusations, in an emotional video he posted to Instagram (now deleted).

Nickayla herself seemingly responded to the malicious rumors on Instagram last night, requesting for compassion and asserting that her main priority at the moment is Josey.

"In the darkest time of my life, the only thing that is important is my friends & family," she wrote. "Showing up for my nephew, even though I can't show up for myself. I'm not concerned with the ways things look because no one can see each agonizing moment we all endure."

READ MORE: KUWTK Season Finale: KarJenner Clan Gives Away Luxurious Parting Gifts to Crew

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Trump lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks to media while flanked by Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell (L) and Trump campaign senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis at a press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington on Nov 19, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Vermont College Revokes Giulianis Honorary Degree

A private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont, announced on Tuesday that it had revoked an honorary degree issued to Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trumps personal attorney.

Middlebury College has made the decision to revoke the honorary degree it presented to presidential attorney Rudolph Giuliani in 2005, and has communicated this to Mr. Giulianis office, the school said in a statement issued on Jan. 12.

Giuliani did not respond to a request for comment.

The announcement is part of a wave of reprisals from private entities against President Donald Trump and his allies in the wake of the presidents two-month-long challenge to the outcome of the presidential election, which culminated in a massive protest on Jan. 6 during which a small part of the attendees engaged in violence and breached the U.S. Capitol. Twitter and Facebook cited the events when they banned the president from their platforms. A number of other large corporations cut off donations to lawmakers who voted to object to the counting of slates of electoral votes cast for former Vice President Joe Biden.

The announcement follows an opinion piece by the editorial board of the campus newspaper which called for the revocation of Giulianis degree two days earlier.

Giuliani spent months peddling false claims of voter fraud in an effort to subvert the results of a free and fair democratic election, the editorial board wrote. This attack on our democratic institutions could not be further misaligned with Middleburys values. 

Trump lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaks to media as Trump campaign lawyer Sidney Powell looks on during a press conference at the Republican National Committee headquarters in Washington on Nov 19, 2020. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

A symbolic degree has nothing but symbolism to offer. It represents the acknowledgment of a colleges values embodied by individuals and their work, the board continued. For Middlebury to continue to bestow this honor upon Giulianiwhose actions directly endangered lives while instigating insurrectionwould betray its values as an institution. To revoke it would be to fortify them.

Giuliani led the legal team representing Trump and his campaign in a bevy of lawsuits challenging the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Georgia, among other states. The former New York City mayor spoke in front of several state legislatures urging them to assert their Constitutional power to appoint presidential electors.

The revocation from Middlebury comes on the heels of an announcement by the New York Bar Association of an inquiry into removing Giuliani from its membership. The association and the school cited the remarks Giuliani made to a crowd of supporters in Washington on Jan. 6, the day a mob of several hundred protesters breached the U.S. Capitol and interrupted a joint session of Congress convened to vet and certify the Electoral College vote.

If were wrong, we will be made fools of, but if were right a lot of them will go to jail, Giuliani said. Lets have trial by combat.

The Middlebury editorial board alleged that the comment amounted to an incitement of a violent insurgence that targeted the Capitol building and disrupted the election confirmation process in a riot that resulted in five deaths.

Giuliani delivered a commencement address at the school in 2005. He received an honorary degree during the same ceremony.

Winning is wonderful. Winning in sports. Winning elections. It beats losing them. But the reality is that winning is only fulfilling if you do it through the rules, and you do it by being able to contribute to other people, Giuliani said in his address at the time.
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The global Cotton futures extended their winning spree today as traders focussed on the rising demand and broad rally in commodities lifted sentiments. The benchmark US Cotton futures are lingering at a 28 month high of 81.98 cents per pound. The USDA stated in a latest monthly update yesterday that the largest changes in the global 2020/21 cotton outlook this month are lower production and ending stocks, led by changes in the United States. World production in 2020-21 is forecast more than 1.0 million bales lower compared to the previous months estimate at 112.87 million bales, with non-US reductions including Pakistan, Mali, and Argentina. Outside the United States, Pakistans 200,000-bale decline is the largest change, with smaller upward revisions for Greece, Australia, and Turkey. In 2019-20, the USDA had estimated a total global output of 122.14 million bales, meaning than current estimates are reflecting a drop of around 7.60%.

Projected world consumption in 2020/21 is 100,000 bales higher this month, as a 500,000-bale increase for China and a 200,000-bale increase for Turkey are partly offset by reductions for Indonesia, Vietnam, the United States, and some smaller countries. Similarly, a 500,000-bale increase in Chinas projected imports is partly offset by a 200,000-bale decline for Indonesia. World trade is projected 350,000 bales higher, with Australia and Mexico exports up by smaller amounts than the United States, and lower exports projected for Mali. World ending stocks in 2020/21 are 1.2 million bales lower this month, at 96.3 million bales, 3.0 million bales lower than the year before.

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[January 13, 2021] iMod Structures Expands Leadership Team to Scale Operations and Accommodate Growth

iMod Structures (IMS), makers of prefabricated Future Proof classrooms, announced today that veteran operations and facilities management executive Mike McKibbin, formerly of Rolls-Royce, has joined the company as Head of Operations. In his new capacity, McKibbin will be responsible for the overall production of IMS High Performance Buildings, including management of the company's growing production team, its 100,000-square-foot assembly facility on Mare Island in Vallejo, CA (News - Alert) , and a global supply chain that involves manufacturing partners in China and Mexico. Simultaneously, the company announced that IMS Principal Reed Walker will become Head of Innovation & Project Management. With extensive experience in product development, modular construction, and customer engagement, Walker will oversee deployment of IMS facilities at K-12 schools, colleges and universities throughout California. He also will work directly with customers to evolve the company's High Performance Building System by driving innovation of new features and technologies. "We are excited that schools and universities have recognized that our Future Proof Buildings can play a big role in safely bringing students and teachers back into the classroom," said John Diserens, Principal at iMod Structures. "Demand for our classrooms has been strong this year, and every indication is this pace will continue through 2021 and beyond. With Mike and Reed in these new positions, we're taking our business to the next level. We're now well positioned to execute on all fronts, provide superior customer service, and accelerate our growth." Now actively engaged with multiple school systems and major universities across the state, iMod Structures is moving to ensure it has the right resources and processes in plae to scale the company to meet current demand and maximize the market opportunity.



California faces a massive need for school modernization. There are more than 1,000 school districts and nearly six million K-12 students in the state, representing about 11% of all elementary students in the US. The State Analyst's Office of California estimates that 33% of all students in the state are attending an overcrowded school or one in need of modernization. "I'm thrilled to be joining iMod Structures at this exciting time in its growth," said McKibbin. "The team has developed a compelling, innovative, and unique product that the market obviously wants. Now, it's time to appropriately accelerate production in all the right ways, including implementing lean principles."

McKibbin, a naturalized US citizen, was born and educated in Liverpool, England. He is a production veteran with more than 20 years' experience planning and leading operations involving medium to large manufacturing environments. He most recently was Director of Operations at Rolls-Royce Indianapolis, Indiana. His career has encompassed a range of senior management positions focused on Production Management, Facilities Management and Lean Manufacturing. Prior to working at Rolls-Royce McKibbin spent more than a decade at Lucas Power Systems, England and Lucas Gear Systems, Utah. "More than ever, schools at every level need ultimate flexibility in how they teach and train our next generation of leaders and the workforce of the future," said Walker. "We designed our high performance buildings from the ground up to accommodate rapid change, and that core innovation is starting to pay dividends. Students, teachers and entire school districts will be the benefactors. And the addition of Mike marks a major milestone in enabling us to fully deliver on the promise of our Future Proof Classrooms." Available in single and two-story configurations, iMod High Performance Classrooms are prefabricated in the iMod Structures factory in Vallejo, CA, located an hour north of San Francisco. As needed, a second story can be added to an existing IMS building in the future, conserving open space on a campus and maximizing the school's initial investment in the facility. As student populations ebb and flow, the second story can be removed and relocated to become the first story of a new classroom somewhere else. Additionally, the company's DSA-approved temporary foundation makes them easy to relocate and ideal for use as temporary facilities during modernization projects. Each classroom is delivered to schools fully assembled, ready for utility hook up and occupancy within weeks. Standard classrooms are delivered within six months of a school entering a contract with IMS. About iMod Structures iMod Structures is transforming classrooms and how they are built. IMS is designing, manufacturing and installing DSA approved prefabricated, modular Future Proof classrooms that are healthy, resilient and sustainable 21st century learning environments. The company's classrooms recently received the US Resiliency Council's (USRC) Platinum Earthquake Rating, making them the first educational facilities in the country to achieve USRC's highest resiliency status. Based on Mare Island in Vallejo, Calif., the company is funded by private investors and major financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs. Please visit imodstructures.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005100/en/

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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.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 20:48:55|Editor: huaxia

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HAIKOU, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Five people have been rescued while two others remain missing after a vessel with seven people on board sank in south China's Beibu Gulf, authorities said Wednesday.

The coast guard authority in the city of Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, received a report about the accident around Monday noon, following which it immediately sent a vessel to rush to the scene for rescue. It also notified other agencies for a joint search and rescue.

The rescue operation is still underway. It is however challenged by strong wind that sweeps the area at a speed up to 20 meters per second due to the cold wave. Enditem
Credit: Shutterstock

From Google searches and dating sites to detecting credit card fraud, artificial intelligence (AI) keeps finding new ways to creep into our lives. But can we trust the algorithms that drive it?

As humans, we make errors. We can have attention lapses and misinterpret information. Yet when we reassess, we can pick out our errors and correct them.

But when an AI system makes an error, it will be repeated again and again no matter how many times it looks at the same data under the same circumstances.

AI systems are trained using data that inevitably reflect the past. If a training data set contains inherent biases from past human decisions, these biases are codified and amplified by the system.

Or if it contains less data about a particular minority group, predictions for that group will tend to be worse. This is called "algorithmic bias."

Gradient Institute has co-authored a paper demonstrating how businesses can identify algorithmic bias in AI systems, and how they can mitigate it.

The work was produced in collaboration with the Australian Human Rights Commission, Consumer Policy Research Centre, CSIRO's Data61 and the CHOICE advocacy group.

How does algorithmic bias arise?

Algorithmic bias may arise through a lack of suitable training data, or as a result of inappropriate system design or configuration.

For example, a system that helps a bank decide whether or not to grant loans would typically be trained using a large data set of the bank's previous loan decisions (and other relevant data to which the bank has access).

The system can compare a new loan applicant's financial history, employment history and demographic information with corresponding information from previous applicants. From this, it tries to predict whether the new applicant will be able to repay the loan.

But this approach can be problematic. One way in which algorithmic bias could arise in this situation is through unconscious biases from loan managers who made past decisions about mortgage applications.

If customers from minority groups were denied loans unfairly in the past, the AI will consider these groups' general repayment ability to be lower than it is.

Young people, people of color, single women, people with disabilities and blue-collar workers are just some examples of groups that may be disadvantaged.

Bias harms both individuals and companies

The biased AI system described above poses two key risks for the bank.

First, the bank could miss out on potential clients, by sending victims of bias to its competitors. It could also be held liable under anti-discrimination laws.

If an AI system continually applies inherent bias in its decisions, it becomes easier for government or consumer groups to identify this systematic pattern. This can lead to hefty fines and penalties.

Mitigating algorithmic bias

Our paper explores several ways in which algorithmic bias can arise.

It also provides technical guidance on how this bias can be removed, so AI systems produce ethical outcomes which don't discriminate based on characteristics such as race, age, sex or disability.

For our paper, we ran a simulation of a hypothetical electricity retailer using an AI-powered tool to decide how to offer products to customers and on what terms. The simulation was trained on fictional historical data made up of fictional individuals.

Based on our results, we identify five approaches to correcting algorithmic bias. This toolkit can be applied to businesses across a range of sectors to help ensure AI systems are fair and accurate.

1. Get better data

The risk of algorithmic bias can be reduced by obtaining additional data points or new types of information on individuals, especially those who are underrepresented (minorities) or those who may appear inaccurately in existing data.

2. Pre-process the data

This consists of editing a dataset to mask or remove information about attributes associated with protections under anti-discrimination law, such as race or gender.

3. Increase model complexity

A simpler AI model can be easier to test, monitor and interrogate. But it can also be less accurate and lead to generalizations which favor the majority over minorities.

4. Modify the system

The logic and parameters of an AI system can be proactively adjusted to directly counteract algorithmic bias. For example, this can be done by setting a different decision threshold for a disadvantaged group.

5. Change the prediction target

The specific measure chosen to guide an AI system directly influences how it makes decisions across different groups. Finding a fairer measure to use as the prediction target will help reduce algorithmic bias.

Consider legality and morality

In our recommendations to government and businesses wanting to employ AI decision-making, we foremost stress the importance of considering general principles of fairness and human rights when using such technology. And this must be done before a system is in-use.

We also recommend systems are rigorously designed and tested to ensure outputs aren't tainted by algorithmic bias. Once operational, they should be closely monitored.

Finally, we advise that to use AI systems responsibly and ethically extends beyond compliance with the narrow letter of the law. It also requires the system to be aligned with broadly-accepted social normsand considerate of impact on individuals, communities and the environment.

With AI decision-making tools becoming commonplace, we now have an opportunity to not only increase productivity, but create a more equitable and just societythat is, if we use them carefully.

Explore further Rating systems may discriminate against Uber drivers

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
In a phone conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian focused on the immediate and complete implementation of the commitments on repatriation of prisoners of war, captives and other detainees enshrined in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said, TASS reports.

"In the context of the meeting of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow on January 11, the Ministers discussed issues of regional security and stability. Minister Aivazian emphasized the full and immediate implementation of the obligation on the repatriation of the prisoners of war, captives and other detained persons enshrined in the statement of November 9, 2020," the Armenian Foreign Ministrys press service said.
From infrastructure and congestion, to driver behavior, the study takes a look into cities which are utilising infrastructure and legislation to improve conditions for vehicle users. (Image: Reuters)

Coronavirus-induced lockdowns caused annual traffic congestion to fall in most countries for the first time in at least 10 years, disrupting long-held traffic patterns like the dreaded morning commute to work, a report released on Tuesday showed.

Congestion declined sharply on the gridlocked roads of crowded cities, including Los Angeles, Bengaluru and Mexico City in 2020, location technology company TomTom said. The pandemic is expected to weigh again on traffic congestion this year, said Nick Cohn, TomTom's senior traffic expert.

"We're going to see continued restrictions through the first half of the year, and I think we're going to see a lot of ups and downs before we're really getting back to any normal driving patterns and traffic activity levels," Cohn told Reuters in an interview.

TomTom's report is based on data from 416 cities in 57 countries. It has published its traffic index for 10 years.

The downturn in congestion in the United States was more prolonged compared with Europe last year because U.S. coronavirus cases stayed relatively high during the summer and early fall, Cohn 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

In the United States, Los Angeles, New York and Miami were the most congested cities, though traffic in each city dropped from 2019 levels by 36%, 30% and 26%, respectively, TomTom data showed.

Overall, Moscow was the most congested city in 2020, but traffic fell 8% from 2019. Bengaluru was the most-congested city in the world in 2019, but it fell to sixth in 2020 with nearly a 30% of drop in traffic year-on-year.

Traffic in London and Paris was almost 20% lower than in 2019, and traffic in Madrid and Rome dropped 35% and 29%, respectively. Berlin experienced only a 6% traffic fall compared with 2019.

Traffic patterns like the daily morning commute to work - a mainstay for decades - could shift because of increased flexibility around remote work for employees, Cohn said.

"In the U.S., Canada and Mexico, if you look at peak travel patterns, the morning peak seems to have melted away," he said. "We have never seen that before."

Traffic congestion during rush hours last year decreased by 25% globally, said Stephanie Leonard, TomTom's head of traffic innovation and policy.

As more people return to office following vaccine distributions, congestion levels could rise if commuters choose to avoid public transit and drive to office instead, said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC in New York.
So we are reminded yet again: Of course, there was sex in Ireland before the advent of television. But there is strong evidence that, for many decades, we didnt talk much at all about this essential facet of human existence.

Take two almost unconnected vignettes that leap out from the 3,000-page report from the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes.

In the first, were told that in 1973 the then junior social welfare minister, Frank Cluskey, put through legislation giving an allowance to unmarried mothers for the first time.

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But absolutely nobody else in the Dail chamber contributed to the discussion and there was no commentary in local or national media thereafter.

In a steely deadpan tone, the report author remarks that the silence showed how Irish society as a whole was unsure whether this new allowance was good or bad.

Our second vignette relates to the 1940s, a time of World War II or Irelands Emergency, when government inspectors raised serious concerns about the outrageously high numbers of so-called illegitimate children who were dying in these homes.

The report author notes frequently the additional difficulties of providing nutrition, fuel and clothing during such dire times of scarcity  but goes on to argue that this did not tell the full story.

The report notes that in war-time Birmingham, which was coping with the ravages of a German blitz, a similar problem was reported  with inordinately high death rates among the children of unmarried mothers in care.

The Birmingham health authorities set targets of reduced child death that were soon achieved, with the averages coming in below infant mortality rates in the community generally.

For the report authors, the Birmingham authorities were openly facing reality.

In Ireland, the authorities preferred these inconvenient and ill-fitting children to remain hidden and not discussed.

At this point, it is fair to ask how we got to the position where we had a total of 56,000 mothers and 57,000 children in varying sorts of unpleasant detention in these places from the time of the States foundation in 1922 until the last of these unhappy places were closed in 1998.

And for answers, we have to go back a little further in our history.

We know that the unions, or workhouses, were the last resort of abandoned unwed mothers and their children for much of the 19th century.

At the beginning of the new century, a Vice-Regal Commission was appointed to report on how these issues of poverty and public order could be advanced more effectively.

It was from this groups report in 1907 that the idea of the mother and baby homes emerged.

The details would vary widely  but the basic model was that religious organisations of one kind or another would set up these homes, usually via funding from the local authorities.

When the new Irish State emerged in 1922 amid a host of immediate and existential problems, including a raging civil war, this system just slid quietly under the aegis of the new Dublin government.

We learn that there is no evidence of any ministerial discussion of these mother and baby issues  not just for much of the early years, but very likely for several more decades.

For much of this time, the business was done by the local councils acting for the Department of Local Government and Health Provision.

At least part of the justification for the Dublin governments long silences was that this system was largely a local government fiefdom, in name at least.

Even after the foundation of a separate Health and Social Welfare Department in 1947, and the gradual separation of healthcare from councils at local level, change came very slowly for the lives of those living and working in mother and baby homes.

In some cases the nuns who ran these homes were council employees and were paid a salary, with a capitation payment being made for each mother and child.

The local council officials and the councillors stayed very much at arms length.

The local Catholic bishop and his administrators had considerable influence  the nuns who ran these institutions had to get the bishops permission to set up.

But there is little evidence that the bishops engaged in any day-to-day management and there are instances when influence was exaggerated.

The report notes that one Bishop of Cork talked about intervening in the case of Bessborough  but little documentary evidence was found in the archives.

In another case, there is evidence that the Galway county manager was very solicitous of the views of the Archbishop of Tuam about the location of a mother and baby home.

The archbishop insisted that the location should be remote, secluded and well fenced off to avoid male callers who might excite the inmates.

In this and other matters, through decades of the States history, the bishops had considerable influence.

Yet the report reasonably points out that neither Church nor State obliged distressed young mothers to go to these homes.

They simply wound up there because they had no place else to go.

The lack of option was because the father of their child, and/or their own family, either could not or would not offer them another remedy for shelter or sustenance.

The reasons for lack of other options are deeply personal and relate to lack of money and big families.

In more simple terms, this relates to lack of space for a newborn baby, and the social values that made pregnancy outside wedlock a matter of deep shame, both for the young woman and her extended family.

The importance of the family farm or business and the need to make a respectable marriage trumped much else.

Equally, the author again reasonably argues that neither Church nor State established these societal values, which nowadays seem arcane and brutal.

But both institutions colluded very effectively in supporting that value code.

The Catholic Church promoted sexual puritanism while the new Government legislated against contraception, divorce and abortion, while also censoring publications and film.

It was a complex but potent alliance.

The report in the main concludes that day-to-day life in these places was basic and compared reasonably with the material standard of living of many less-well-off people in the general community.

Nor was there evidence of the violent abuse found in the appalling histories of many of the industrial schools that came to light in similar reports.

But there was a profound lack of love and care  and sometimes a malevolent lack of compassion.

Tales of taunting a frightened young woman in the throes of childbirth about how she would pay for her promiscuity are truly appalling  and the passing decades cannot erase their hurt.

And this is also a history of neglect on an epic scale.

The deaths of 9,000 children  more than one in six who ever lived in these places  is compounded by a lack of care over records, including healthcare and burial records.

That is the true indictment of the mother and baby homes.
More than 100 members of the Connecticut National Guard will be deployed to Washington to aid and facilitate the peaceful transition of presidential power, Gov. Ned Lamonts office announced Tuesday.

The deployments were requested by federal National Guard officials.

Personnel sent to D.C. include members of the Connecticut guards Military Police as well as two patrol explosive-detection dog teams.

Besides a Military Police unit and military working dog teams (also considered MPs), the guard is deploying civil support team members for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear surveillance, according to Capt. Dave Pytlik, a public information officer for the Connecticut National Guard.

The state of Connecticut stands ready to help ensure the peaceful transition of power and protect our democracy, Lamont said in a written statement. May God bless our brave men and women in uniform, and the United States of America.

The Connecticut Air National Guard has also alerted C-130H military cargo plane crews, which can ferry troops and supplies throughout the country if needed, the governors office said.

The Air Guards 103rd Airlift Wing operates C-130s out of Bradley Air Force Base in Windsor Locks.

Lamonts office said the deployments and activation of the guard units will not impact the states ongoing efforts to contain and combat the COVID-19 virus.
Embattled actor Armie Hammer recently declared his dream dinner guest would be Marquis de Sade, an 18th Century French philosopher whose lurid works about violent sexual fantasies and suffering inspired the term 'sadist'.

Hammer, 34, made the admission in a November 2020 interview with Netflix Brazil for the film Rebecca, after being asked, 'What historical person would you like to have dinner with?'

'Armie Hammer said he would like to have dinner with the Marquis de Sade. I did not expect that or anything he said in this unfiltered interview,' the caption of the video translates to read.

The clip's re-emergence comes in the wake of a series of screenshots that leaked over the weekend, purporting to show Hammer authoring a series of disturbing messages about rape fantasies, cannibalism, and 'blood-sucking' to a woman over a period of four years.

The actor is yet to speak publicly on the matter, and multiple requests for comment sent to his representatives have so far gone unanswered.

While Hammer offers no further explanation as to why de Sade is his ideal historical guest in the Netflix video, the 18th Century radical libertine was a best-selling author of mostly graphic and violent erotic works.

Scroll down for video

Hammer, 34, made the admission in a November 2020 interview with Netflix Brazil for the film Rebecca, after being asked, 'What historical person would you like to have dinner with?'

While Hammer (left in a screenshot from Instagram) offers no further explanation as to why de Sade (shown right) is his ideal historical guest in the Netflix video, the 18th Century radical libertine was a best-selling author of mostly graphic and violent erotic works

The leaked DMs, alleged to be from Armie's Instagram account, also include graphic accounts of sex acts and the message: 'I am 100% a cannibal'

De Sade's breadth of work includes novels, short stories, plays, dialogues, and political tracts, which are mostly centered around themes of pornography and sexual fantasies with an emphasis on violence, suffering and anal sex.

The words 'sadism' and 'sadist' directly derive from works of fiction he authored, including his novel The 120 Days of Sodom, which traces the sexual adventures and manipulations of four French libertines who rape, torment, and then kill young victims at a chateau in Germanys Black Forest.

The book was written in 1777 while De Sade was incarcerated in Bastille for abusing several young girls.

De Sade's frequent references to sodomy, pedophilia and sexual perversion, in addition to his fictional accounts of extravagant orgies - which describe sexual cruelty and murder in excessive detail - led many to presume he was deranged.

He spent a third of his life in prisons or asylums, and was officially declared insane in 1803.

De Sade died in a mental facility in Charenton in 1814. For several years before his death he was said to be involved in a sexual relationship with 14-year-old Madeleine LeClerc, the daughter of an employee at the asylum.

Sexual sadism disorder - a mental condition defined as experiencing sexual arousal in response to extreme pain, suffering or humiliation done non-consensually to others - was named after de Sade posthumously on account of his crimes and fictional works.

De Sade's frequent references to sodomy, pedophilia and sexual perversion, in addition to his fictional accounts of extravagant orgies - which describe sexual cruelty and murder in excessive detail - led many to presume he was deranged. He spent a third of his life in prisons or asylums, and was officially declared insane in 1803

The authenticity of the screenshots have also not yet been verified, however the woman behind the House of Effie account has shared new alleged correspondences with Hammer (left) on Tuesday, in which he appeared to refer to her as his 'slave'

The woman has also shared a photo she claims to have received from Hammer during her purported exchange with him, showing a tattoo on his ring finger

Hammer has a similar looking tattoo on his finger, as seen in the above images from 2020 (left) and 2018 (right), which is said to be of the initials of his now ex-wife

The controversy involving Hammer was first stirred up on Sunday when a series of screenshots showing graphic messages he'd allegedly penned to a woman were leaked by the anonymous, now-private Instagram account, House of Effie.

The alleged messages, said to be sent between October 2016 and February 2020, include conversations about BDSM, in addition to numerous sexual references to cannibalistic acts and 'blood-sucking'.

In one exchange, Hammer is seen to write: 'I am 100% a cannibal. I want to eat you.'

'F**k. That's scary to admit,' the message continues. 'I've never admitted that before.'

The authenticity of the screenshots has not yet been verified, however the woman behind the House of Effie account shared new alleged correspondences with Hammer on Tuesday, in which he appeared to refer to her as his 'slave'.

'You just live to obey me and be my slave,' a message purported to have been sent from Hammer's official Instagram account reads. 'I will own you. That's my soul. My brain. My spirit. My body. Would you come and be my property till you die?'

The message continues: 'If I wanted to cut off one of your toes and keep it with me in my pocket so I always had a piece of you in my possession?'

In an exclusive interview with DailyMail.com on Tuesday, a close friend of Hammer's estranged wife Elizabeth Chambers said the actor's former spouse is ''shocked and sickened' by the messages.

The two announced their 10-year marriage was over in July, as a source close to Chambers admitted she was aware of his infidelities, including being romantically involved with Rebecca co-star Lily James as DailyMail.com revealed last year, which led to their split.

But Hammer's alleged extreme kinks are a 'complete shock' to the mother-of-two, with the friend adding: 'Armie appears to be a monster.'

They said: 'A lot of these women have reached out to Elizabeth and although she didn't want to admit it to herself at first, she knows now they are speaking the truth.

'Armie had a whole other side to him that she wasnt aware of. Whether it was always there and he kept it hidden, or something happened that changed him completely, she doesn't know.'

Armie Hammer's estranged wife is 'shocked and sickened' by the actor's alleged messages that discuss rape fantasies, BDSM and cannibalism, a close friend exclusively told DailyMail.com

In a second alleged exchange of undated messages shared by House of Effie, Hammer allegedly writes: 'I feel like the same way you are on one side of the slave spectrum, I Am on the other side of the master spectrum and I can't ever imagine another slave.'

The insider claims that one of the women who contacted Chambers about her experience with Hammer was left so traumatized that she entered an 'intense rehab and therapy program because of his emotional and maybe physical abuse.'

They added: 'He preyed upon her when she was coming out of a relationship. He made her feel very uncomfortable, the things he wanted to do made her very scared.'

The graphic Instagram DMs that Hammer allegedly penned to a woman included talk of rape fantasies, BDSM and cannibalism. In one message, the actor allegedly writes to the woman: 'I am 100% a cannibal. I want to eat you.'

Though the messages are unverified, House of Effie attempted to prove their authenticity by sharing private photos alleged to be from Hammer.

One includes an undated photo that seems to be sent from Hammer's official Instagram account where he grabs his neck, presumably to imitate choking himself.

Another photo is of a male's hand splayed out across a script on a wooden table, and purports to have been sent from Hammer's Instagram account in an undated message. Visible on the man's ring finger is a small tattoo.

Notably, Hammer has a similar looking tattoo on his finger, having previously had Chambers' initials inked on his ring finger shortly after they married in October 2010.

They also supplied voice messages, where a man purported to be Hammer describes his sexual fantasies and speaks about the messages in question.

In another post uploaded Tuesday, the woman claimed she first started talking to Hammer in 2016, after 'fangirling' him on Facebook

House of Effie explained she initially shared a video that referenced her alleged affair with Hammer, prompting other women to come forward and their stories to go viral.

The user wrote: 'Women approached me with their affair stories as we talked overwhelmed with grief for days and nights without sleeping or eating, with some ending up in the ER.

'We collectively decided we have to speak out after how we were treated and seeing how the women in 2020 were being treated by him. We cannot allow more women to endure what we are going through in the future.'

The accuser claims the women that Hammer allegedly was having affairs with recently 'united' and were able to 'piece together a five year timeline' of his alleged activity.

They concluded that 'when [Hammer] has a fight with his wife, he'd reach out to his kitten, and when they had a fight, the next day he would just reach out to his other kitten with the same message. Naturally all fights revolving around [Hammer's] bad treatment of women.'

It's unclear how many women are behind the allegations.

During this time period, Hammer was still married to Chambers. They are parents to two children, daughter Harper, six, and son Ford, three.

In a number of the alleged messages, Hammer appears to reference Chambers, including apparent threats to a woman to keep their alleged entanglement secret.

In what appears to be an undated messaged from Facebook Messenger, Hammer allegedly tells a woman: 'Well very convenient of you to bring that up because if for some reason something goes wrong and my wife finds out I will probably remove your head from your body.'

In another undated exchange via Facebook, Chambers is brought up again. The woman asks 'did you fix that problem?'

And when Hammer quizzes: 'What problem?', she replies: 'The f**k-your-wife-so-she-lets-s**t-go problem.'

Hammer answers back: 'Hahahaha. Not yet. But I bought a b**er pill for tomorrow night just to make sure I seal the deal. They've bumped her from first class and we didn't even sit next to each other.'

Hammer and Elizabeth Chambers were still married at the time the alleged messages from Hammer were apparently sent to the woman

In a second alleged exchange of undated messages shared by House of Effie, Hammer allegedly writes: 'I feel like the same way you are on one side of the slave spectrum, I Am on the other side of the master spectrum and I can't ever imagine another slave.'

Another message from Instagram dated Christmas Day 2019, the accuser claims she told Hammer's wife about their alleged affair.

Hammer allegedly writes: 'As long as you f**king promise never to do anything like that again. And you can also expect to be punished for it f**king SEVERELY.

'And thinking about punishing you for it is making me really h**ny ... I will not abuse you. I promise.'

One of Hammer's exes, writer Jessica Ciencin Henriquez, has spoken out saying she believes the shocking messages 'are real', and later wrote: 'It takes an army to hide a predator' in reference to the allegations.

Henriquez tweeted on Monday: 'If you are still questioning whether or not those Armie Hammer DMs are real (and they are) maybe you should start questioning why we live in a culture willing to give abusers the benefit of the doubt instead of victims.'

Henriquez, who was pictured on a date with Hammer on August 31, later took to Instagram to add: 'It takes an army to hide a predator. Behind every abuser is a team of people working hard to cover up the trail.'

The writer reportedly blocked Hammer on social media shortly after their August meeting. It's unclear how long they dated.

Henriquez previously posted a meme to Twitter that showed a picture of her with Hammer, bearing the caption 'How it started', alongside a screen shot showing Hammer's blocked account, with the words 'How it's going'. The post was uploaded on October 30.

Another woman Hammer was recently said to be dating, model Paige Lorenze, tweeted Sunday: 'anyone got a good therapist?' as the messages were first leaked.

Henriquez responded to the post the following day, telling Lorenze: 'Yeah girl, I'll send you the number', accompanied with a wink-face emoji.

A request for comment sent to Lorenze's publicist has not yet been returned.

Hammer (left) is pictured on a date with Jessica Ciencin Henriquez on August 31, 2020 in Los Angeles. Henriquez says she believes the messages 'are real'

Henriquez, who was pictured on a date with Hammer on August 31, later took to Instagram to add: 'It takes an army to hide a predator. 'Behind every abuser is a team of people working hard to cover up the trail'

Henriquez reportedly blocked Hammer on social media shortly after their September meeting. It's unclear how long they dated

Another woman Hammer was recently said to be dating, model Paige Lorenze (left with Hammer in December), tweeted Sunday: 'anyone got a good therapist?' as the messages were first leaked

Henriquez responded to the post the following day, telling Lorenze: 'Yeah girl, I'll send you the number', accompanied with a wink-face emoji

Hammer, best known for his acclaimed role in 2017's Call Me By Your Name, has appeared in recent years in films including On the Basis of Sex, Sorry to Bother You and the upcoming Death on the Nile.

DailyMail.com has reached out to 20th Century Fox, who are behind Death on the Nile, and ViacombCBS, who are developing The Offer in which Hammer is set to star, for comment on the allegations but has not yet received a response.

In an interview with Playboy magazine in 2013, he lifted the lid on his 'wild' sexual habits with women in previous relationships.

He told the outlet: 'Well, if youre married to a feminist as I am, then its. I dont know how much we can put here without my parents being embarrassed, but I used to like to be a dominant lover.

'I liked the grabbing of the neck and the hair and all that. But then you get married and your sexual appetites change. And I mean that for the better - its not like Im suffering in any way. But you cant really pull your wifes hair. It gets to a point where you say, I respect you too much to do these things that I kind of want to do.'

Hammer later blamed what he called 'over-sharing' about his past sexual exploits on alcohol.

'Let's just say hindsight is 20/20. Don't drink during an interview,' he told E! News.

However, in an interview with Elle later the same year, he claimed a former girlfriend once tried to stab him in bed.

'One chick tried to stab me when we were having sex,' Hammer said. 'I should so not be telling this story. She was like, "True love leaves scars. You don't have any." And then she tried to stab me with a butcher knife,' he added. 'Of course I promptly broke up with her...seven months later.'
Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology president Stephen Turner told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday the AstraZeneca vaccine was "not one that I would be deploying widely" because it had a lower efficacy rate than other options. Professor Turner leads a microbiology laboratory at Monash University. Professor Kelly said the government was talking to Pfizer about securing more doses, as the company announced a deal to provide an extra 12 million doses to Malaysia and ramp up production to 2 billion doses this calendar year, with 600 million going to the European Union and at least 200 million to the United States. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video "We posed the question to them: how much vaccine could you give us in the first half of 2021 and they gave us an answer, and then we negotiated on the price," Professor Kelly said. "And that answer was 10 million. And we are continuing and having many, many conversations with them.

"At the moment, that's what it is, and, frankly, there are other countries in the world that need it more than we do right now." Asked about the Moderna vaccine, Professor Kelly said "it takes two parties to sign" and the company had to agree to supply doses, something that was still in negotiation. Asked whether pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson was unwilling to supply any of its vaccine to Australia, he said "there were issues that we were not able to agree on" but he could not comment further because the talks were confidential. Interim results for the AstraZeneca project, published in The Lancet last month, said "vaccine efficacy was 62.1 per cent" for participants who received two standard doses and "efficacy was 90.0 per cent" for participants who accidentally received a low dose followed by a standard dose. The latest clinical trials showed 94.1 per cent efficacy for Moderna and 95.0 per cent for Pfizer, which is co-developed with German company BioNTech.

Loading While the contrasting efficacy rates shows how each candidate prevents symptomatic COVID-19, the detailed results also showed the AstraZeneca vaccine appeared to be completely effective in preventing people falling seriously ill or dying. "In terms of preventing death, it works 100 per cent of the time. In terms of preventing severe illness, it works 100 per cent of the time," Professor Kelly said. "That's exactly the same as Pfizer on that interim information." There are no questions about the safety of the AstraZeneca or Pfizer vaccine.

Extraordinary internal and external pressure was brought to bear on the two leading scientific groups that questioned the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday. Through the course of Wednesday, both the Australasian Virology Society and the Australian Society for Immunology formally recanted their positions and fell in line behind the government's strategy. Dr Karen Price, president of the Royal Australian College of GPs, whose members will be key in distributing the vaccine, also backed the government. "I personally won't have any problem if I receive an AstraZeneca vaccine  I am confident it's going to do its public health job," she said. Other scientists remained unconvinced.

"There is a strong argument for vaccinating as soon as possible the at-risk population with two doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, and holding off for the rest of the population until more doses of it are available," said Professor Adrian Esterman, chair of biostatistics and epidemiology at the University of South Australia. Loading Monash University adjunct lecturer Michelle Ananda-Rajah also questioned whether the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca was high enough given the interim results. "There's obviously surging demand for this vaccine and I just wonder whether Australia can try a little bit harder to get us the best vaccines," Dr Ananda-Rajah told Sky News. In an important statement on their overall strategy, federal officials acknowledged that herd immunity - establishing enough vaccine coverage to force COVID-19 out of circulation - was not a short-term goal.

AstraZeneca's vaccine was unlikely to get us to herd immunity, confirmed Professor Allen Cheng, co-chair of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, on Twitter. But because experts are still unsure which, if any, vaccines will prevent transmission of the virus, the government is focussing solely on protecting life. Clinical evidence suggests both Pfizer and AstraZeneca do that very well. Loading If more effective vaccines become available, or Australia can secure more Pfizer or Moderna, the government believes it is possible to inject people who have been immunised with a different vaccine, increasing their immunity. Australia does not currently use so-called 'mixed schedules', but health authorities say there is trial evidence showing such a strategy can work.
[January 13, 2021]

Glassdoor Announces Winners of its Employees' Choice Awards Recognising the Best Places to Work in 2021

Salesforce, Google, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft Among Top Ten Employers; Google and J.P. Morgan Are UK Winners For Seven Consecutive Years

LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glassdoor, the worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies, has announced the winners of its 13th annual Employees' Choice Awards, honouring the Best Places to Work in 2021 across the UK and four other countries. Unlike other workplace awards, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards are based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer over the past year.

The Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards highlight Best Places to Work across the UK , France , Germany the U.S. and Canada . Winners are ranked based on their overall rating achieved during the past year. (Ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied; Actual calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place).

"COVID-19 is in the driver's seat and every employer has been impacted. This year's winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, they'll rise to the challenge to support their people," said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. "A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritised the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this year's outstanding Employees' Choice Award winners."

The top ten Best Places to Work in 2021 for the UK are:

1. Salesforce (4.5 rating)

2. Microsoft (4.4 rating)

3. Abcam (4.4 rating)

4. Google (4.4 rating)

5. Softcat (4.4 raing)









Glassdoor's 50 Best Places to Work (UK) in 2021 list features winning employers across a range of industries, including technology, finance, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, insurance, food and more. Notably, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there are four restaurant employers on this year's list, with three of those also appearing on last year's list, including Bella Italia (No. 8, 4.3 rating), Nando's (No. 12, 4.3) and wagamama (No. 43, 4.2). Google (No. 8, 4.4) is one of only two employers to make the UK list every year since launch, the other being J.P. Morgan (No. 14, 4.3).

Nineteen employers are newcomers to the UK large list in 2021, including Sage (No.16, 4.3), Majestic Wine (No. 19, 4.3), Just Eat (No. 20, 4.3) and The Body Shop (No. 23, 4.3). Seven employers are rejoining the list in 2021, including Sky Betting & Gaming (No. 11, 4.3; Last recognised in 2019), Arm (No. 41, 4.2; Last recognised in 2018) and Waitrose & Partners (No. 42, 4.2; Last recognised in 2018).

This year, only one employer appears on five lists: Salesforce (U.S. large, Canada, UK, France, Germany).

When employees submit reviews about their employer on Glassdoor, they are asked to share their opinions on some of the best reasons to work for their employer (pros), any downsides (cons) and are encouraged to provide advice to management. In addition, employees are asked to rate how satisfied they are with their employer overall, rate their CEO as well as rate key workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, work-life balance, senior management and culture and values. Employees are also asked whether they would recommend their employer to a friend and whether they believe their employer's six-month business outlook is positive, negative or if they have no opinion.

Among the 1.3 million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average company rating is 3.5.

Employees' Choice Award winners for the Best Places to Work in 2021 are determined using Glassdoor's proprietary awards algorithm, and each employer's rating is determined based on the quantity, quality and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews submitted by UK-based employees between 22 October, 2019 and 19 October, 2020. During the year-long eligibility period, employers considered for the list must have received at least 30 ratings for each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) taken into account as part of the awards algorithm. For reporting simplicity, ratings are displayed to the nearest tenth, though calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place to determine final rank order. Complete awards methodology can be found and downloaded here: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Award/index.htm

SEE THE 2021 WINNERS: All winning employers across this year's six categories can be found by visiting:

100 Best Places to Work  U.S .

50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For  U.S.

25 Best Places to Work  Canada

50 Best Places to Work  UK

25 Best Places to Work  France

25 Best Places to Work  Germany

EMPLOYEE COMMENTARY: Employee commentary about winning employers are available upon request.

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people everywhere to find a job and company they love. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than 1.3 million companies located in more than 190 countries. For more information, visit glassdoor.com.

Copyright  2008-2020, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.
England has now been in a full national lockdown for just over a week.

Boris Johnson announced the latest lockdown on 4 January saying that although he thought this lockdown would be the hardest yet he believes that we are entering the last phase of the struggle.

Yet with fears that new lockdown rules are not being properly observed, the prime minister has since said that we may have to do more in order to try and curb the spread of the virus.

Under the latest national lockdown, people must stay at home and only go out for a limited number of reasons. These include shopping for essential food, exercise or work, if it cannot be done from home.

Similar measures have been introduced in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock this morning told BBC Breakfast that people shouldnt take the mickey out of the rules.

There are now 35,000 people in hospitals with Covid, which is an increase on the spring peak.

When asked whether or not we were currently experiencing the peak of the second wave, Mr Hancock responded: together we can make this the peak if enough people follow the rules which are incredibly clear."

Boris Johnson is set to be questioned by MPs about the vaccine rollout later today.

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced tightening of rules in a briefing earlier. This included stricter rules around takeaways and click and collect services.

Here are some of the current restrictions which could change:

Support bubbles

People are still allowed to form a support bubble. This is permitted if the person lives alone, if their household includes a child under the age of one, or if they are a single adult living with one or more children under 18 years old.

Ministers have been reported saying that support bubbles could be scrapped, but Mr Hancock contradicted this 11 January saying it would not happen. He said: I know how important they are to people, and they are an important part of the system we have got to support people.

Outdoor exercise

Going for daily exercise, such as a walk, run, cycle or swim is currently a valid reason for leaving the house during lockdown.

At the moment, people may go out with one other person from their household or support bubble. They are also allowed to exercise with one other person from another household, but this could all change.

The Health Secretary warned that people had been breaking the rule saying, "if too many people keep breaking this rule, then we are going to have to look at it".

He added that the government was very reluctant" to remove the rule of meeting one other person outside as "it is a lifeline" for some.

Exercise should also be local, although the distance people are allowed to travel has not yet been specified. This could potentially change should restrictions be tightened.

Professor Chris Whitty has urged people to "double down" to avoid unnecessary contact, suggesting that people should avoid meeting friends at coffee shops for takeaways.

Schools

All schools have been closed until mid-February at the earliest, although they currently remain open for children of key workers and vulnerable pupils.

Concerns have been raised about risks of transmission of the virus with more than half of pupils reported to be attending some primary schools.

Matt Hancock said on 11 January that Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, will send out 500,000 laptops to vulnerable children so that they have access to remote lessons.

Nurseries should remain open with Mr Williamson saying the government has "no intention" of closing them.

Meanwhile Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: I think a lot of people will be quite surprised primary schools are closed, and nurseries are open.

Recommended Customers and staff relieved as supermarkets make face masks mandatory

Face masks

Face coverings should be worn in shops and on public transport by law, unless people are exempt.

Following concerns that some people have been flouting the rule, Morrisons, Tesco, Asda and Waitrose have all said they will deny entry to shoppers who are not wearing a face mask. Sainsburys have said that its stores security guards will challenge those who do not comply.

It is not a legal requirement in England that face coverings be worn in outdoor public spaces, however it is in a number of countries. These include France, Spain, India, Indonesia, Bolivia, Venezuela, Morocco, Algeria and South Africa.

SAGE previously suggested that face coverings outside would have very low impact on community transmission but Professor Whitty told the BBCs Today programme there might be some logic to people having to wear masks in queues outside.

Construction workers

Under the latest lockdown rules, those who work in construction can keep going to work as it is deemed essential. Its possible that this could all change but for the moment its been suggested that workers on construction sites could be subject to mass coronavirus testing.

This follows in a pledge by the government to increase its community testing scheme.

Curfew

This week, France upped its lockdown measures with a longer curfew, lasting 12 hours in some regions from 6pm-6am and from 8pm-6am in the rest of the country. Similar curfews are in place in Quebec, Italy, South Africa, Zimbabwe and in parts of the US.

In Lebanon, an even stricter 11 day, 24 hour curfew has been introduced starting Thursday 5am (3am GMT). Residents are not allowed out at all and are having to rely on deliveries for grocery shopping.

England currently has no curfew in place but this may change should restrictions be tightened.

Religious gatherings

Contrary to advice from SAGE, places of worship remain open in England. The advisory group previously suggested that places of worship could pose a risk to more vulnerable members of the community.

However, they added that their remaining open would not have a huge impact on overall transmission of the virus so may well remain open.
Midland County Department of Public Health Director Fred Yanoski said the department is not wasting any time in getting the COVID-19 vaccines it receives out to the public.

"Before this week's allotment, we had received 800 doses, and we distributed all 800 doses," Yanoski said on Tuesday morning. "We received another allotment of 975 doses this week and it will be distributed by the end of the week."

As an example, Yanoski said one day last week, a shipment of vaccine doses that the health department received in the morning had been entirely expended within five hours.

"As for the national concern that folks are sitting on the vaccine, I can tell you that in our department we are quickly going through every dose that we are provided," he said. "Our goal is to absolutely zero out our inventory by the end of the week that we receive it, and often more quickly."

Yanoski also said no doses of the vaccine have been discarded in Midland, as has been reported of some other places around the country.

"I can assure you nothing like that has happened in this community," Yanoski said.

The COVID-19 vaccine is administered in two doses, which are given either three weeks or four weeks apart. The health department received its first shipment of vaccine doses the third week of December and is still administering first doses of the vaccine.

After initially giving the vaccine to people in phase 1A, including health care workers and first responders, the health department this week also opened vaccinations up to phase 1B, which includes anyone aged 65 and older as well as "frontline workers," including teachers, grocery workers and others.

Those in phases 1A and 1B who want to get the vaccine should fill out the following form from the health department website: https://bit.ly/3nF4qLo

"We have received a limited amount of vaccine that we are currently scheduling clinics for, for group 1B," Yanoski said. "Anyone interested should go to our website and fill out the (COVID vaccine) form, and they will be contacted when we have vaccine available for them."

Last week, more than 7,000 people filled out that online form, Yanoski said. Right now, the health department is receiving hundreds of doses each week.

"Our clinics will be by appointment only, so you can't just show up and walk in," Yanoski emphasized. "We're getting the vaccine out as soon as we can. (We ask that people be) patient and we'll get to them as soon as we can."

Meanwhile, MidMichigan Health announced Tuesday morning in a news release that it has begun calling its eligible patients to schedule COVID-19 vaccinations for those in phase 1B.

With the vaccine high in demand and the supply limited, early clinics have filled quickly, according to a news release from MidMichigan Health.

We are excited that by collaborating with the health departments, and in following CDC guidelines, we are ahead of schedule and able to move into the next group of vaccine recipients much earlier than first anticipated, said Paul Berg, M.D., president of MidMichigan Physicians Group. With several teams working around the clock to ensure proper plans were in place, we were able to begin calling our eligible patients in an orderly fashion to schedule their vaccine. The clinics have been filling quickly. We are pleased there is such a strong interest.

Berg asked the public to be patient and to not call to schedule a vaccination at this time.

We do not want the public to panic," he said. "More clinics will be added as we receive additional supply of the vaccine. We are committed to giving our patients and the public regular updates. To keep phone lines open for patient care, we kindly request that people refrain from calling the hospital or your doctors office to schedule vaccinations at this time. We appreciate your patience and assure you that no one will be forgotten.

Those interested in the latest information on the vaccination distribution may visit www.midmichigan.org/covidvaccine. Those interested in a current list of COVID-19 testing site locations may visit www.michigan.gov/coronavirustest.
South Fulton Man Arrested on Rape Charge

By West Kentucky Star Staff





FULTON - A Tennessee man was arrested Tuesday on rape and other charges.On Monday, the Fulton Police Department received a complaint alleging that 29-year-old Chase McGlone of South Fulton had sexual contact with a juvenile under the age of 12.Authorities said evidence was discovered that confirmed the assault had taken place, and during an interview with police, McGlone reportedly admitted to having sexual contact with the child.McGlone was arrested and charged with first degree rape of a victim under 12, first degree sodomy, and first degree unlawful transaction with a minor with physical injury.He was lodged in the Fulton County Detention Center.
Strict quarantine in Ukraine should be in effect until January 24  Stepanov

Enhanced quarantine restrictions in Ukraine should be in effect for 16 days - until January 24, the Ministry of Health does not support their early cancellation, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said during a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"We neither supported, nor made any decisions regarding the termination of these restrictions earlier than the established period. We believe that the enhanced quarantine restrictions should be in effect precisely during this period of 16 days," he said.

"We predict that many people have become infected during the New Year holidays," the minister added.
Aljazeera, January 11, 2021

Afghan authorities have said they are investigating a weekend air raid which local officials say killed more than a dozen civilians, including children.

Provincial officials said 15 people died on Saturday night when a rocket struck a house in Khashrod district of Nimroz province. Relatives of the victims and witnesses put the death toll at 18, all members of the same family in Munazari village.We are aware of claims of civilian casualties in Nimroz. We have launched an investigation jointly with local officials, the defence ministry said in a statement.

Provincial council member Nehmatullah Sediqqi told the AFP news agency Afghan forces carried out two air raids in the district.

In the first strike, six Taliban fighters were killed. The second strike hit a house that killed 15 civilians, including women and children, he said.

Nimroz public health official Nasir Ahmad Haibat said bodies of 15 people were brought to a hospital on Sunday.

Another local official, who did not want to named, said the house targeted in the attack belonged to a Taliban commander and security forces did not know there were civilians inside.

On Sunday, relatives of the victims brought the bodies to the provincial capital, Zaranj, to prove the deceased were not Taliban fighters and demand justice.

President Ashraf Ghani on Monday said he was deeply saddened by the civilian casualties in the air raid and urged authorities to thoroughly investigate.

But he blamed the Taliban for being responsible for the casualties.The Taliban and other terrorist groups are often using the peoples houses as shields and are the main cause of misfortunes during a war, he said in a statement.

The latest bloodshed triggered international calls for an inquiry into the raid.

We call for a full investigation and if need be for accountability and justice, the French embassy in Kabul said on Twitter.The United Nations Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in a report in October that 2,117 civilians were killed and 3,822 wounded in the first nine months of 2020.

The report said about 8 percent of the civilian casualties during that period were caused by Afghan air raids.

Continued violence has hastened international calls for a ceasefire between the Afghan government and the Taliban, whose representatives met on Saturday for a first session in the second round of peace talks, where contentious issues such as a ceasefire and power-sharing are expected to be discussed.

The Taliban was removed from power in 2001 by United States-led forces. A US-backed government has held power in Afghanistan since then, although the Taliban has control over wide areas of the country.

Under a February deal, foreign forces are to leave Afghanistan by May 2021 in exchange for security guarantees from the Taliban.

Visits to general medical wards at hospitals across Northern Ireland will be banned from this Friday.

Speaking at an Executive press conference this afternoon, Health Minister Robin Swann confirmed the move due to the continued prevalence of the virus within communities.

Mr Swann said visits will still be permitted "within hospices and care homes" and the measure will be kept under constant review.

The new visiting policy will be implemented from this Friday and the restrictions be kept under review.

Mr Swann said nobody should underestimate the sheer challenge faced by Northern Irelands healthcare staff on Covid wards who are working under the strain of full PPE, knowing that for many patients, they may well be the last face that they see.

He added that staff are working well beyond their hours to support colleagues and stay with patients in their final hours.

Mr Swann also urged people not to be distracted by the small, but vocal minority who claim the Covid threat is an exaggeration.

They have been discredited. The facts are clear because their constant undermining is nothing but an insult to health and care workers, he said.

We need to look after them, not just now but for the years to come, he said.

We as a society will have to look after our health service better than we have in previous years.

The health service is up against it right now and the pressures are without parallel.

As of Wednesday morning there were 869 Covid-19 confirmed inpatients, 277 more than this time last week.

That rate of growth is wholly unsustainable, Mr Swann warned.

The Health Minister said that despite the pressures, those most in need of treatment would still get it but may have to travel to other locations in Northern Ireland.

Chief scientific adviser, Prof Ian Young, highlighted a rise in new cases as a result of households mixing over Christmas but said that in the past few days the number of cases had begun to fall.

However, Professor Young stressed that case numbers remain at a very high level.

He added: Even now, as we see the numbers falling, getting lower, they remain at a higher level than any time during wave one or wave two of this epidemic.

Professor Young said he believed the current peak still had some way to go.

Mr Swann also confirmed that 109,259 doses of Covid-19 vaccines had been administered in Northern Ireland as of Tuesday evening, with 91,419 people having received their first dose.

He said while the vaccine rollout has a long way to go, it has made a strong start and the availability of the vaccine is the only restrictive factor in its delivery.

Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride stressed that while vaccines are undoubtedly a game changer, they do not make the virus disappear

The jab offers protection from Covid. It stops people getting ill or very ill and that means in time, as more people are vaccinated, the pressure on our health service will ease. That is vital and the breakthrough that we need.

Dr McBride again warned that those who are vaccinated cannot then simply forget about coronavirus.

It cannot be party time or time to through caution to the wind. People who are vaccinated have to keep taking all those measures that keep everyone one of us safe.

Meanwhile a new rapid Covid-19 test will be rolled out in emergency departments across Northern Ireland over the coming week.

The LumiraDX nasal swab test delivers results inside 12 minutes which Mr Swann said would enable health staff to very quickly identify patients who do not have Covid-19.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  The government on Wednesday assured that it will extend financial help to local government units that do not have enough resources to purchase their own supplies of vaccines against COVID-19.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said all local government units that need help will be given assistance  even those that have already closed tripartite deals to secure shots from manufacturers  to ensure that no city and province will be left behind in the vaccination rollout.

"Ang mga probinsya at mayors na hindi makakabili, kami po ang magbibigay ng vaccine. Ang kulang ng iba, kami ang magpupuno... Titignan ang allocation ng mga LGUs. Gagawin namin equitable ang allocation," he said.

[Translation: We will give the vaccines to provinces and mayors who cannot purchase. We will also complete the needed doses of areas that don't have enough. We are looking at their allocations to ensure equitable distribution.]

Senator Pia Cayetano raised during a Senate hearing on Monday that vaccine doses may not reach areas that don't have the budget to buy vaccines for their constituents.

"What do these LGUs who are fifth class municipalities, fourth class municipalities, anong mukha ang ihaharap nila sa mga tao nila na wala naman talaga silang pera na kapareho ng mga Metro Manila mayors or mayors ng ibang cities?" she said.

Galvez also announced that the national government will sign a tripartite agreement with AstraZeneca on Thursday, but it remains unclear if it is partnering with the private sector or LGUs that are securing supplies.

Private sector groups and local government units that wish to buy vaccines need to enter into a tripartite agreement with the national government and the drug manufacturer since the emergency use authorization does not cover commercial distribution. Several LGUs have closed deals with AstraZeneca, but are also talking to other firms. Galvez said LGUs were recently allowed to enter into deals with Moderna and Novovax.

"Ngayon, tatlo na po ang vaccine maker na pwede pong piliin ng ating mga LGUs," Galvez said.

[Translation: LGUs can now choose from three vaccine makers.]

He also said China only allows the vaccine made by Sinovac to be purchased through government-to-government agreements, such as the 25 million doses secured by the Philippines. The official claimed five LGUs expressed interest in using the controversial vaccine for their constituents.

Other vaccination needs

Aside from the doses, the national government will also take care of cold storage requirements and other vaccination supplies such as syringes and personal protective gear for the vaccinators. Galvez said ultra-cold freezers for vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer will be located in storage hubs in Metro Manila, Cebu City, and Davao City. Other vaccines that only require normal refrigeration temperature, such as Sinovac, Janssen, AstraZeneca, and Novavax, will be the shots deployed in far-flung areas.

He said authorities will have a walkthrough of vaccine logistics this month by visiting the airport, cold storage facilities, and participating hospitals to prepare for a "mini rollout" of the vaccination program by end of February.

The national government is expected to have secured 145 million vaccine doses by the end of January. This is close to the target of procuring a total of 148 million doses, enough to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos this year, according to Galvez. He added Pfizer, Sinovac, and Astrazeneca will be the first vaccines expected to arrive in the country.
Representative image: Reuters

Ahead of the pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19, more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine flown to 13 cities across India from Pune and taken to designated national and state-level stores amid tight security.

India will launch its COVID-19 vaccination drive from January 16 in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the world's largest inoculation programme with priority to be given to nearly three crore healthcare and frontline workers.

Follow our LIVE blog for the latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

Here are all developments related to the COVID-19 vaccine in India:

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 Centre has said that all the COVID-19 vaccine vials -- 1.1 crore of Covishield from the Serum Institute of India and 55 lakh of Covaxin from Bharat Biotech -- will be received by January 14.

> Mumbai received over 1.39 lakh doses of the Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, from the SII early on January 13.

> COVID-19 vaccine transportation from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) commenced on January 13 with budget carrier GoAir airlifting 2,400 vials of Covishield to Goa.

> The Delhi Police has made adequate security arrangements in the city for the smooth transportation of COVID-19 vaccines when the countrywide vaccination roll-out will begin later this week.

> The first consignment of about 6.48 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Bengaluru on January 12 and the Karnataka government said it was committed to conducting the vaccination drive in a transparent way.

> The Maharashtra government has received 9.63 lakh doses of Covishield vaccine from SII, said state health minister Rajesh Tope.

Also Read | India yet to decide on giving indemnity to COVID-19 vaccine makers

> First consignment of COVID-19 vaccines arrived at Kolkata airport in the afternoon on January 12, said Bengal health department official.

> The Telangana government has also received the first consignment of 3.64 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield from the Pune-based Serum Institute.

> The Chhattisgarh government has said the state will get 3.23 lakh doses of Covishield as part of the first batch of consignment for the upcoming vaccination drive.

> Sikkim will receive 12,500 vials of COVID-19 vaccine in the next couple of days for the inoculation exercise beginning from January 16

> Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy has announced that the COVID-19 vaccine will be made available to all people free of cost in the Union Territory.

Also read | India's COVID-19 vaccine: Who'll get it, when and how - All you need to know

> The first batch of Covishield vaccine vials reached Delhi's central storage facility at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH) in the afternoon on January 12, reported news agency PTI citing sources.

> Budget carrier GoAir operated a flight to Chennai from Pune, containing 70,800 vials of COVID-19 vaccines as the much-awaited rollout of the vaccine commenced on January 12.

> Zydus Cadila, Russia's Sputnik V, Biological E, and Gennova are the other vaccines that are in advance stages of clinical trials in India.

(With inputs from PTI)

Follow our full coverage on COVID-19 here
Appalachian Underwriters Inc. (AUI) has added Dustin Hickman to its brokerage department as a casualty broker in Dallas.

Hickman joins the AUI organization as part of the Energy Practice Group, specializing in heavy casualty accounts including the oil and gas business.

Prior to joining AUI, Hickman was on a casualty team working for another wholesaler with a similar focus.

Hickman graduated with a bachelors degree in Risk Management and Insurance from the University of Louisiana Monroe. While attending ULM, he was president of the Campus Activities Board, as well as a member of the Risk Management and Insurance Society and Financial Management Association.

Hickman holds professional designations related to surplus lines insurance as an Associate in Surplus Lines Insurance (ASLI) and the energy business as an Energy Risk Insurance Specialist (ERIS).

Appalachian Underwriters Inc. is a full-service MGA and wholesale insurance brokerage, providing independent agents a national outlet to multiple specialized markets for workers compensation, commercial specialty, and personal lines of insurance.

Source: AUI

Topics Agencies
Former Miss Universe Australia Renare Ayris has returned to Instagram after relocating to Perth in December.

The 29-year-old model took to her page to share a selfie alongside her personal trainer husband, Andrew Papadopoulos, and admitted she had consciously stepped away from social media following the festive season.

'Been a little MIA on here... Been doing lots of this,' she began her caption of the photograph which shows the happy couple smiling from ear-to-ear at a Perth beach.

Back on social: After a short break from social media, model Renae Ayris shared a loved-up snap alongside her husband Andrew Papadopoulos at the beach

Renae also went on to add that she'd used her break from Instagram to spend some time with those who matter most.

'Lots of catch ups with friends and family that I hadn't seen for a year. Feeling refreshed and ready for 2021,' she continued.

Meanwhile, her husband last posted about his wife on his Instagram page in December.

The one-time Men's Health cover star shared a few beach-side snaps alongside his wife, in which the couple appear to be beaming from joy.

'Things are looking up for the Papadopoulos'' he told his almost 200k Instagram followers.

All smiles: 'Things are looking up!' According to Renae's husband's Instagram page the couple are settling into her hometown of Perth

He then went on to admit he remained hopeful about the future, following the couple's decision to move back to Perth after living together Sydney since 2016.

'Looking forward to enjoying this new and exciting chapter with the love of my life and my best friend,' he gushed.

In one snap, the couple are standing in clear-blue waters, while Renae gazed into her husband's face.

Meanwhile, the two managed to show off a playful side of themselves as Renae is sitting on her Andrew's shoulders with her hands up in the air.

Hopeful future: 'Looking forward to enjoying this new and exciting chapter with the love of my life and my best friend,' Andrew said on Instagram in December

In April, Renae shared candid details about her battle with anxiety during the Coronavirus lockdown.

Sharing her feelings with her Instagram followers on Thursday, she wrote: 'I have always felt I cant express how Im feeling as I know there is always someone out there worse off than me.'

'But gosh, this is a bloody s**t situation and my anxiety is through the roof.

'I think "whats the point" or I was up at 3am with my heart racing a million miles an hour,' she added.

She explained that she has days where she is 'super productive', but has others where she doesn't want to get out of bed.

Ups and down: She explained that she has days where she is 'super productive', but has others where she doesn't want to get out of bed

At the time, Renae described the impact COVID-19 had on everyone was 'seriously heartbreaking.'

She also thanked her husband for sticking by her during mood swings and 'sugar highs'.

Renae and her husband Andrew tied the knot in November 2019.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It will be up to Ohioans to call one of 800 providers and hope they can get a coronavirus vaccine.

The state and counties wont have central registries, which means the onus will be on eligible people to find the providers with vaccine and make arrangements to get it. Were talking about the mayhem this will likely create on This Week in the CLE.

Listen online here.

Editor Chris Quinn hosts our daily half-hour news podcast, with editors Jane Kahoun, Kris Wernowsky and me.

Youve been sending Chris lots 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.

Here are the questions were answering today:

Is Ohio Gov. Mike DeWines coronavirus vaccination plan coming off like the race to find Playstation 5s before Christmas last year? It sounds like a free-for-all.

Did U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, actually say Tuesday that Trump will be to blame for any violence between now and inauguration Day unless he publicly calls on his followers to stand down?

Did an elected Ohio school board member really organize a busload of people to go to the capitol to support overthrowing our election system? What does this say to school kids?

Are Ohio Republicans like diehard Donald Trump loyalist Jane Timken distancing themselves from Donald Trump after he sparked last weeks violent riots inside the U.S. Capitol?

Who officially kicked off the race for Cleveland mayor Tuesday, and what is his background?

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.
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in the US expands from health care staff to elderly citizens and essential workers, Americans are weighing whether to get the shot when given the chance.

Though the coronavirus vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer represent a new type of vaccineusing mRNA rather than a weakened form of the virus to trigger the immune responsesome of the basic ethical questions around them stem from existing concerns over vaccination.

Vaccine hesitancy ranked among the World Health Organizations top 10 threats to global health in 2019, before the pandemic began. Some American Christians have declined vaccines due to ethical and religious concerns over their formulation, and some share concerns with the vaccine-hesitant minority over safety and side effects.

The COVID-19 vaccine, so far, has been shown to be 9495 percent effective, with side effects that go away within a few days. Still, 50 percent of white evangelicals and 59 percent of black Protestants say they wont get it, while the majority of the US population overall (60%) says they will, according to the latest Pew Research Center survey.

Despite the ambivalence, Christians have historically advocated for vaccination as an expression of love for neighbors, saying the benefits far outweigh the chance of harm. In the 1700s, Puritan preacher Cotton Mather urged his congregation to be inoculated from smallpox before the first vaccination had even been successfully developed. Today, leading Christian medical professionals and ethicists promote vaccines.

With todays generation of American faithful once again considering whether a vaccine is safe and ethical, many evangelical organizations and experts have already weighed in. Some of the following questions focus on whether the vaccines themselves are safe and ethical for individuals to usestarting with grappling over the common use of abortion-derived fetal cell lines in vaccine developmentand some take a closer look at the ethics of distribution for the sake of local and global neighbors.

1. Does getting a vaccine made using cells from aborted fetuses violate pro-life convictions?

The Christian Medical and Dental Association commended the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, which use mRNA technology, because they do not contain fetal cells and do not rely on fetal cells for in production.

The companies did use fetal cell lines in testingto check for potential side effects or damage to cellsas is standard practice for vaccine review. The fetal cell lines themselves do not contain fetal tissue; they were grown in labs from fetal cells obtained decades ago.

To produce many of todays vaccines, manufacturers use fetal cell lines obtained through two abortions in the 1960s that have been cultured and frozen in storage for long-term use. At the time, fetal cells were thought to be the best way to host the virus in a living cell, and theyve been used to develop vaccines for rubella (the R in the MMR), rabies, hepatitis A, chickenpox, shingles, and polio (though not the version used in the US).

Newer vaccines are moving away from fetal cell lines, as scientists find alternatives such as animal cells and non-fetal human cells to create viable treatments. The Charlotte Lozier Institute, the research arm of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, created a chart to explain when fetal cells were used by vaccine candidates that received funding from Operation Warp Speed, the governments vaccine-development program.

The institute distinguishes between vaccines like Moderna and Pfizer that used the cells for testing to confirm the antibody response and others that rely on the abortion-derived fetal cells to produce the vaccine itself.

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Though they are not yet approved for use in the US, the AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson vaccines used the old fetal cell lines to develop and create the vaccine itself, as well as in lab testing. AstraZenecas vaccine was approved in four countries in the last week. Both companies have signed an agreement with the recently formed global consortium COVAX to distribute vaccines to low- and middle-income countries. Their vaccines are also cheaper, making them more accessible for some countries.

Two other vaccine candidates, Novavax and Sanofi Pasteur, are still in trials but will likely be used as well. They do not use the fetal cell lines in development. Both of these are protein subunit vaccines, which use a protein from the virus to trigger an immune response.

But even in the case of those requiring fetal cell lines for production, many pro-life leaders say still theyre not opposed to getting vaccines. The Catholic Church says that those who choose immunization are not culpable for the sin of an abortion. The Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission also said receiving the vaccine is morally permissible.

The Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity (CBHD), housed at Trinity International University, suggests that the way to right the past wrong is to advocate for ethically derived cell lines or better production methods for vaccines. The Christian Medical and Dental Association joined three other pro-life medical associations in calling researchers to develop ethical COVID-19 vaccines free of abortive fetal cells in any stage of development.

2. Is the mRNA technology safe and ethical to take?

As Christian ethicists Matthew Arbo, C. Ben Mitchell, and Andrew T. Walker wrote last month for Public Discourse, Because of the rapid pace of development under Operation Warp Speed, it seems natural to worry that COVID-19 vaccines may not be as safe and effective as they would have been if they were developed more slowly.

Although it is true that the vaccines have been developed quickly, the same scientific process has been followed, they said. In fact, because the stakes are so high, the scrutiny and oversight have never been more intense.

Scientists have studied mRNA to make immunotherapies since the 1990s, even though its only now being used in vaccines. Going off of what they learned about coronaviruses during the 20022004 SARS virus outbreak and the 2012 MERS outbreak, scientists knew they could use mRNA to target the spike protein that causes transmission.

Less than two weeks after reporting the novel coronavirus to the World Health Organization, Chinese researchers sequenced the DNA of the virus and made it publicly available. Within days, Moderna researchers had applied past research and finalized the sequence for the mRNA vaccine.

The Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines use a synthetic strand of mRNA, which tells human cells how to make the spike protein that sits on the surface of the novel coronavirus, activating an immune response. This is not DNA; its RNA, so it degrades easily and cannot insert itself into human genetic code.

Usually, any major problems with vaccines will turn up within the first few months of a trial, according to National Institutes of Health director and Christian geneticist Francis Collins. So far, none of the side effects or risks have been much different than other vaccines. But scientists wont know long-term effects of mRNA vaccines until more time has passed.

The CBHD believes vaccine companies and US regulatory agencies have mitigated risk as much as possible, despite the record-breaking speed of the discovery. The ERLC agrees, viewing prioritization by the US government as instrumental in the speediness of the regulatory process.

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3. Do we have a Christian obligation to get a COVID-19 vaccine?

The CBHD explored this question, concluding that scientists need to know more about the COVID-19 vaccine to adequately provide an answer. The organization suggested that in the future, any moral obligation might be similar to that of getting an annual flu vaccine. However, right now many see a moral imperative to receive it because of the ongoing spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and rising deaths. Some assume herd immunitywhere enough people are immune after having COVID-19 that it protects those who have not yet had the diseasecan be achieved without the vaccine, but it will not be without a high price of likely many more deaths, said Collins.

Scientists dont know how much of the population needs to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity. It was initially estimated to be 70 percent, but immunologist Anthony Fauci has more recently shifted to a higher number. For very contagious diseases, like measles, that percentage is 95 percent and still small outbreaks can occur.

Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, suggested that people who approach vaccination as a personal choice with consequences that affect only them should think more broadly about their susceptible neighbors.

There are third partiespeople who cannot take the vaccine or do not yet have access to it that could still be infected by those who refuse to take the vaccine, he wrote. The general principle of the common good comes down to benevolence, love, care for others, laying down personal priorities for the service of others. Christians thinking about the issue of the vaccine must weigh this key biblical principle as part of their thinking.

Mohler said he would get vaccinated and encourage other Christians to do the same, but he opposed efforts by the government or others to coerce people to get the vaccine.

Some Christian colleges, along with mandating COVID-19 safety precautions, required students to get a flu shot and could require a COVID-19 vaccine when doses are available. It remains to be seen whether employers or other settingseven churchesmight consider the benefits of requiring vaccination.

Just as states and localities have vaccination requirements for entry to daycares and public schools, we may soon see COVID vaccines required to engage in many areas of community lifeperhaps even in churches, wrote Joe Carter for The Gospel Coalition. Discussions about such mandates should be rooted in neighbor love (Mark 12:31) and wisdom (Prov. 4:7). To do this well requires we seek out the most accurate information possible and base our judgment on God-given reason and prudence.

[ This article is also available in espanol, , , and . ]

BEIJING, Jan.13 -- Chinas J-20, a domestically-developed stealth fighter jethas been in the limelight since its birth.

J-20: The Stealth Fighter That Changed PLA Watching Forever (Photo Illustration)

Rick Joe, a guest author of The Diplomat and also a longtime follower of Chinese military developments with a focus on air and naval platforms, expressed his views on the planes impact on China's military industry. The Diplomat published the article written by Rick Joe on January 11, titled J-20: The Stealth Fighter That Changed PLA Watching Forever. The J-20 marked a watershed episode for PLA watching, said Joe in the article.

As he said, before the maiden flight of the J-20, some would regard the Type 055, Y-20, 003 aircraft carrier, and Type 076 amphibious assault ship as "a fantasy". But after that, Westerners will think these projects are natural.

Joe thought that it is not an exaggeration to say that since the J-20, the predictions and anticipation for various Chinese PLAs big-ticket projects have emerged. For example, the Type 052D and Type 055 destroyers, Y-20 strategic transport, 002 and 003 aircraft carriers, Type 075 amphibious assault ship, as well as various projects to emerge in the near future, including the FC-31 derived carrier-borne fifth-generation fighter and H-20 stealth bomber. All these would not have been taken seriously had the maiden flight of the J-20 failed the prediction of military observers.

In the end of his article, Joe wrote that the maiden flight of the J-20 elevated the threshold of what constituted "reasonable expectations" from the Chinese military-industrial complex in virtually all domains. Though few knew it at the time, the years after 2011 would be characterized by the successive emergence of new boxes. Ten years on, J-20 remains the aircraft that changed PLA watching forever, said Joe.

Disclaimer: This article is originally published on www.guancha.cn and is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
Sir Ian McKellen is one of Hollywoods most respected actors, with a career dating back decades. McKellen has appeared in just about every type of movie, from Shakespeare to the X-Men series. Hes also been a leader for LGBTQ actors in Hollywood for many years.

Sir Ian McKellen attends the Evening Standard Theatre Awards 2018 at Theatre Royal on November 18, 2018 in London, England | Mike Marsland/WireImage

Ian McKellen made waves when he came out

McKellen had been upfront about his sexuality with his fellow actors since the 1960s, but he didnt speak about it publicly for many years. It wasnt until 1988 that McKellen officially came out on a BBC Radio show.

McKellens decision was spurred by a controversial law that was being considered in the British Parliament. Section 28 of the Local Government Bill prohibited local authorities from promoting homosexuality or promot[ing] the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship.

McKellen became active in fighting the proposed law, and came out as gay during a BBC Radio 3 show where he debated Section 28 with a conservative journalist. McKellen has stated that he was influenced to come out thanks to the advice and support of his friends, among them Tales of the City author Armistead Maupin.

Sir Ian McKellen wearing Paul Smith attends the Paul Smith AW20 50th Anniversary show as part of Paris Fashion Week on January 19, 2020 in Paris, France | Dave Benett/Getty Images for Paul Smith

Ian McKellen worked with Elliot Page on X-Men movies

McKellens film career had a renaissance in the decade after he came out. His performance in 1995s Richard III earned him Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations  no surprise given his extensive experience with Shakespeare productions.

At the turn of the century, McKellen pivoted to blockbuster movie franchises. He played Gandalf the Grey in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit series, as well as Magneto in the X-Men series.

Working on the X-Men movies meant McKellen got to work with several young actors who were starting to get their break in Hollywood, including Jennifer Lawrence and Elliot Page.

Elliot Page visits The IMDb Show on Feburary 20th 2018 in Studio City, California | Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

RELATED: The Umbrella Academy: Will Elliot Pages Character Vanya Hargreeves Change in Season 3?

Ian McKellen is thrilled for Elliot Page today

McKellen spoke with Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey for Attitude magazine where they talked about how the industrys acceptance of LGBTQ actors has changed and much more. In one part of the interview, McKellen recalled a moment he had with Page on the set of X-Men that spoke to the power that coming out gives someone.

I remember Elliot Page, in one of the X-Men, sat as close as we are now, McKellen remembered. I had to speak when theyd finished, and I couldnt hear what they were saying. Nobody could hear what they were saying. So, I said, Look, if you cant speak up, would you mind when youre finished speaking, just dropping your hand so I know when youve finished speaking?

McKellen said everything changed after Page first came out as a lesbian. They came out [as gay] years later and suddenly you couldnt stop them talking. You heard everything, McKellen said.

And now theyre Elliot. And Im so happy for Elliot. And so disappointed in myself that I didnt detect what their difficulty was with communicating, he continued.

Everything gets better [when you come out because you get self-confidence], he told Bailey. You get better in terms of relationships, friends of all sorts, family, if youre lucky. And in my case, I think in every case, your acting is bound to change and improve.

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A series of attacks hit targets in the eastern sector of the country, from Deir Ezzor to the Boukamal desert, on the border with Iraq. Victims include Iranian Pasdaran, Lebanese from Hezbollah and the Fatimid Brigade. In 2020, the Israeli air force struck Syrian territory 50 times.

Damascus (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A series of night raids by Israeli air forces hit military depots and posts in the eastern sector of Syria, killing at least five regular army soldiers and 11 other allied militia fighters in Damascus.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports Israeli fighter jets carried out over 18 attacks against multiple targets.

The raids, like others in the recent weeks with victims and wounded, is the eastern area of the country that goes from the town of Deir Ezzor to the Boukamal desert, near the border with Iraq.

In addition to government soldiers, 11 allied fighters belonging to the Iranian Pasdaran, the Lebanese of Hezbollah and the Fatimid Brigade, which also includes pro-Tehran Afghan fighters, were reportedly killed in the raid even if there is no official confirmation of their nationality.

The official Syrian news agency Sana reported the attack, without providing further details. "At 1 and 10 am - reads a note - the Israeli enemy carried out a series of attacks on the city of Deir Ezzor and the Boukamal region". Citing a military source, the statement adds that "the result of the attack is subject to evaluation".

It was the second Israeli air force military operation in Syria in less than a week. Previously, the fighters had hit some positions in the south of the country and south of the capital, Damascus, on 7 January, killing three pro-Iranian militiamen.

In the past, Israel has been able to carry out numerous attacks on Syrian and Lebanese territory, thanks to the green light received by US President Donald Trump, who during the four years of his mandate has formed a strong alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In Syria alone, 50 operations against strategic targets were recorded in 2020 according to Israeli military sources. We expect to understand what will be the policies of the new administration led by Democrat Joe Biden who, according to some, could reopen the negotiating table and change the framework of alliances and balances in the Middle East sector.
[January 13, 2021] Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas Announces 2021 Advisory Council Members

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) is pleased to announce the appointment of two new members of its Affordable Housing Advisory Council (Advisory Council) and four reappointments. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005849/en/ Deborah Welchel, a senior development director (Texas) of Volunteers of America National Services, a subsidiary of Volunteers of America (VOA), has been named to a two-year term on the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas Affordable Housing Advisory Council. (Photo: Business Wire) New members: Dr. Calvin R. King Sr., Arkansas

Ms. Deborah Welchel, Texas Reappointments: Mr. Samuel Sanders, Louisiana

Ms. Michelle DenBleyker, New Mexico (Previously represented Texas)

Mr. Matt Hull, Texas

Mr. Tim Pierce, Texas The Advisory Council is comprised of 13 representatives from state, community and nonprofit organizations in a five-state District who are appointed by the FHLB Dallas Board of Directors (Board) and advise the Board on affordable housing and economic development issues. "The Advisory Council consists of experienced affordable housing and economic development executives who fulfill a key role in guiding the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas on its community investment offerings in our five-state District," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment for FHLB Dallas. Since the inception of FHLB Dallas' Affordable Housing Program (AHP) in 1990, FHLB Dallas has awarded more than $324 million through AHP and Homeownership Set-Aside Programs assisting nearly 56,500 households. The newly elected members: Dr. Calvin R. King Sr., of Brinkley, Arkansas. Dr King is the founder, president and CEO of the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corp. The nonprofit, community development organization in Fargo, Arkansas, directs community education, economic development, housing and farm program support services. It has assisted farmers in retaining land ownership, developed housing and created small rural business opportunities. It worked with African-American farmers to introduce the production of alternative crops to enhance the economic sustainability for minority farmers and affordable housing development in low-income rural communities. The organization is active in 42 counties. Dr. King has received numerous state and national recognitions for his work with African-American farmers and other small landowners with limited resources. In 1990, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recognized Dr. King's work by bestowing a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Genius (News - Alert) Award, recognizing Dr. King as an individual who has fostered lasting human condition improvements.

of Brinkley, Arkansas. Dr King is the founder, president and CEO of the Arkansas Land and Farm Development Corp. The nonprofit, community development organization in Fargo, Arkansas, directs community education, economic development, housing and farm program support services. It has assisted farmers in retaining land ownership, developed housing and created small rural business opportunities. It worked with African-American farmers to introduce the production of alternative crops to enhance the economic sustainability for minority farmers and affordable housing development in low-income rural communities. The organization is active in 42 counties. Dr. King has received numerous state and national recognitions for his work with African-American farmers and other small landowners with limited resources. In 1990, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation recognized Dr. King's work by bestowing a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, the Genius (News - Alert) Award, recognizing Dr. King as an individual who has fostered lasting human condition improvements. Ms. Deborah Welchel, of Lago Vista, Texas, is a senior development director (Texas) of Volunteers of America National Services, a subsidiary of Volunteers of America (VOA). The organization's mission is to advance, support, promote and administer health, housing and supportive services. VOA has more than 500 properties nationwide (22,000 units). Ms. Welchel is responsible for development, acquisition or preservation of affordable housing utilizing federal, state, local and private funding sources that include Low Income Housing Tax Credits in Texas. She has been working in the affordable housing and the community development field in Texas since 1995 when she started working at the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs as a credit underwriting manager. She has also worked in various roles for The Siegel Group; Edgewater Group Companies; National Development Council and Mayfair Management Group. The following board members were reappointed: Mr. Samuel Sanders, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, executive director of Mid City Redevelopment Alliance Inc. which is a NeighborWorks America certified community revitalization organization. The organization offers programs and services that sustain homeownership promotion, homeownership preservation services, community building and engagement, and real estate development.

of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, executive director of Mid City Redevelopment Alliance Inc. which is a NeighborWorks America certified community revitalization organization. The organization offers programs and services that sustain homeownership promotion, homeownership preservation services, community building and engagement, and real estate development. Ms. Michelle DenBleyker, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, senior vice president of development for YES Housing. She has worked more than 10 years at YES Housing, which seeks to build and revitalize communities with quality, affordable housing and accessible social services. Ms. DenBleyker is representing New Mexico in her reappointment to the board.

of Albuquerque, New Mexico, senior vice president of development for YES Housing. She has worked more than 10 years at YES Housing, which seeks to build and revitalize communities with quality, affordable housing and accessible social services. Ms. DenBleyker is representing New Mexico in her reappointment to the board. Mr. Matt Hull, of Austin, Texas, the executive director of the Texas Association of the Community Development Corporations (TACDC). The mission of the TACDC is to improve the lives of low- to moderate-income Texans by strengthening the capacity of community development organizations as well as to generate resources and relationships that enhance and sustain the community development industry in Texas. Mr. Hull's responsibilities as executive director include the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as providing advocacy, research and technical assistance to TACDC members.

of Austin, Texas, the executive director of the Texas Association of the Community Development Corporations (TACDC). The mission of the TACDC is to improve the lives of low- to moderate-income Texans by strengthening the capacity of community development organizations as well as to generate resources and relationships that enhance and sustain the community development industry in Texas. Mr. Hull's responsibilities as executive director include the day-to-day operations of the organization as well as providing advocacy, research and technical assistance to TACDC members. Mr. Tim Pierce, of Lubbock, Texas, the executive director of the South Plains Association of Governments (SPAG) for the past 16 years. SPAG is a political subdivision of the state of Texas charged with the operation and implementation of numerous state and federal programs within 15 counties of the Southern Plains of Texas. Those programs include Area Agency on Aging, 2-1-1, 9-1-1, Small Business Administration Certified Development Company, Community Development Block Grant grant writing and administration including the HOME program and regional water planning. Most appointments began January 1 and will expire in 2023. Ms. Den Bleyker's seat expires at the end of 2021, and Ms. Welchel's seat expires at the end of 2022. The remaining members of the Advisory Council are:







Mr. Jim Petty President and CEO Strategic Realty Developers, Inc. Van Buren, Arkansas Mr. Keith Cunningham Executive Director Louisiana Housing Corp. Baton Rouge, Louisiana Ms. Michelle Whetten Vice President and Impact Market Leader Gulf Coast Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. New Orleans, Louisiana Ms. Angela Curry Executive Director Greenwood-Leflore-Carroll Economic Development Foundation Greenwood, Mississippi Mr. Chris Monforton CEO Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Gulf Coast Ocean Springs, Mississippi Mr. Jeff Curry Director of Development/Co-owner JL Gray Co. Las Cruces, New Mexico Ms. Jacque Haas Woodring Chief of Staff Prospera Housing Community Services San Antonio, Texas

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $66.3 billion as of September 30, 2020, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005849/en/

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A Thai province joined Islamists in implementing the Sharia law of the Muslim moral code.

The province of Yala in Thailand recently joined local Islamists in implementing the Islamic Sharia law. The local government implemented the rule targeting young unmarried couples who show public display of affection to ensure that they act within Muslims' religious tradition and rules.

In Yala, a Muslim-majority province in Southern Thailand, the military, the police, local administrators, and religious leaders all joined together to enforce the Sharia law. The law derived from the religious precepts of Islam contains rules specifying restrictions on how young unmarried couples should behave in public and sanctions on couples caught violating the ordinance, according to the International Christian Concern.

A part of the Yala implemented Sharia law says young unmarried couples are prohibited from having a private conversation with only a male and a female involved. Every conversation between a male and a female should involve a third-party.

"We're not preventing people from communicating or talking," said Sutimat Mahamad, imam of the Yaha Central Mosque. "But if they are talking, then there should be a third party," the imam added.

The authorities assured that they will only apprehend the couples are caught violating the Sharia law such as speaking to each other in private and publicly displaying affection.

"If there is a third party, we will not get involved at all," Mahamad clarified. "But if they're talking one-on-one, the police will arrest them," the imam concluded, Khaosod English reported.

Couples who will be caught violating the act could face public obscenity charges and could be forced to marry immediately. Parents of both the man and the woman will first be invited for a discussion with the imam before the violators will be set for a forced wedding in a local mosque.

Public obscenity charges filed against young unmarried couples carry an imprisonment penalty that both the man and the woman will have to face after they are forcefully married. The violators may face a penalty of five to 20 years in jail.

Meanwhile, human rights activists worry about the potential civil rights violations and sectarianism that the rule could result in. Human rights activist Angkhana Neelapaijit said that the law puts the young women in the district at risk of getting into forced marriages.

"Forced marriage to restore the honor of the family or community, or to deal with the sexual needs of the youths, is a worrisome situation since it puts the woman or child in a lifetime of pain," said Angkhana.

Some activists are concerned that the Sharia law implemented in Yala could pave a way for constant human rights violations. They worry that the growing Islam radicalism in the South could take advantage of the rule.

On the other hand, members of the Yaha Mosque committee clarified that the rule aims to protect young unmarried couples.

"Our objective is to teach youths to act within religious traditions and rules, far away from drugs, and decrease their risk from being led by those with bad intentions," Anucha Waedayi, a Yaha Mosque committee member said.
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Pipeline

13 January 2021

Accor, the world-leading hospitality group, and a joint venture of well-known Sydney developer Central Element and property investor Boston Global (CEBH), have announced today that Sydney's first 25hours Hotel is set to open at the end of 2022.

25hours Hotel Sydney will be located in the heritage building of 1-11 Oxford Street, Paddington, bringing life back to one of Sydney's most iconic event and hospitality landmarks. The building first opened in 1911 as the West's Olympia Theatre and sits on one of Sydney's best known and busiest intersections, where Oxford Street meets South Dowling Street, Victoria Street and Barcom Avenue. 25hours Hotel Sydney is situated in Oxford Street Village Centre and is perfectly positioned for guests, in an area renowned for its diverse culture and creative scene, close to world famous retailers, restaurants and parklands.

The owner and developer of what will become a world-class hospitality venue, CEBH has commissioned award-winning Australian architecture firm Tonkin Zulaikha Greer to design the 25hours Hotel, which will be constructed across a total area of approximately 5,550 square metres and encompass 105 guestrooms and a spectacular rooftop bar, overlooking Oxford Street and Sydney's Eastern Suburbs and harbour Two interior design companies will work on the project, A Work of Substance from Hong Kong, designing of the rooms, public areas and events spaces.

A Work of Substance will create powerful and memorable experiences for visitors to the hotel, including a central courtyard in the middle of the hotel which will be used to host live events. Sydney-based interior designers Acme & Co will work on the hotel's rooftop bar, restaurant and cafe offerings. A restaurant of exceptional quality is planned for the hotel, which will become a must-visit destination for Sydney residents and hotel guests alike. There will also be a cafe on the ground floor on Oxford Street, a state-of art fitness center and extensive conference facilities. CEBH is a joint venture partnership between well-known Sydney-based developer Central Element and the strategic investment group Boston Global. The formidable partnership was founded on a desire to create a unique hotel with an outstanding food and beverage offering at one of the most sought-after locations in Sydney. Wayne Chivas of CEBH said, "It has been our long-term vision to create a hotel of stature and presence in the heart of Sydney. We are delighted that in 25hours, we have found the perfect partner for this unique building. 25hours will be a hotel characterised by personality and charming, relaxed service, enriching Oxford Street and the city's culinary and bar scene."

Bill Moss AO said, "After several years in the making, we're excited to see our vision coming to life. High quality, well designed mixed-use developments in and around major health precincts."

Simon McGrath, CEO Accor Pacific, said, "We're delighted to be bringing 25hours to Sydney. The building itself is in an incredible location and has enormous potential, and the open areas such as the rooftop bar and the central courtyard will allow us to truly bring our new hospitality concept to life. With CEBH we have an experienced partner at our side, who will bring skill and thoughtful detail to the project."25hours Sydney is the second 25hours Hotel to be announced in Australia, after plans for 25hours Melbourne were revealed last year
NVIDIA today announced that its latest generation RTX 30-series graphics cards are coming to laptops. Customers will be able to pick from the RTX 3060, RTX 3070, or the RTX 3080 based graphics models, which will start at $999, $1299, and $1999, respectively.

Like the desktop models, the RTX 30-series graphics cards on the laptops are based on NVIDIA's Ampere architecture and feature second-generation RT cores for real-time ray tracing and third-generation Tensor Cores for artificial intelligence and machine learning. It will also include support for features such as NVIDIA DLSS, NVIDIA Reflex, and NVIDIA Broadcast.



RTX 3060  RTX 3070  RTX 3080

The RTX 30-series laptops will also feature third generation Max-Q tech. This will include features such as Dynamic Boost 2.0, which balances power between the CPU, GPU, and GPU memory based load on a per frame basis using AI. It will also include WhisperMode 2.0, which lets users set their desired noise level for the cooling system and the AI-powered algorithm will then manage CPU, GPU, system temperatures, and fan speed to keep it within that limit.

NVIDIA is also adding resizable BAR support, which allows the CPU to access the entire GPU memory at once, which can improve performance, especially at higher frame rates.

The RTX 30-series graphics will available from all major laptop OEMs starting January 26.

NVIDIA also launched the desktop version of the RTX 3060. At $329, the RTX 3060 is now the most affordable option in the RTX 30-series lineup below the $399 RTX 3060 Ti.

The RTX 3060 is based on the new GA106 GPU and features 3584 CUDA cores. It has a base clock speed of 1.32GHz and boost clock speed of 1.78GHz. It includes the 2nd generation RT cores, 3rd generation Tensor cores as well as support for features such as NVIDIA DLSS, DirectX 12 Ultimate, PCIe Gen 4, HDMI 2.1, AV1 decode, and Direct Storage. It will also support the aforementioned resizable BAR feature, which is also coming to other 30-series cards.

One odd thing about the RTX 3060 is that it features 12GB of GDDR6 memory on a 192-bit memory interface. That's more memory than the 3060 Ti, 3070, and the 3080. Why NVIDIA felt its cheapest model needed the second most amount of memory after the most expensive one isn't clear.

NVIDIA claims the RTX 3060 is twice as fast as the four and half year old GTX 1060, which is currently the most popular graphics card according to the Steam hardware survey. NVIDIA doesn't say how much faster the 3060 is than the two year old RTX 2060 but the graph above suggests the difference isn't as significant. The gap would be even less if you compared it with the RTX 2060 Super, which NVIDIA here has pretended like it doesn't exist.

The RTX 3060 is priced at $329 and will be available only as a custom card from OEMs, including ASUS, Colorful, EVGA, Gainward, Galaxy, Gigabyte, Innovision 3D, MSI, Palit, PNY and Zotac in stock and over-clocked versions.

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It has been announced that Joel Rayburn has left his post at the US State Department, ahead of the start of the Joe Biden administration reports Enab Baladi.

The US Department of States Special Envoy for Syrian Affairs, Joel Rayburn, has resigned days before the end of the current US administrations mandate.

An anonymous US Department of State source told Enab Baladi on Tuesday that Rayburn has left his post as a routine procedure, taking into consideration that his position is a political appointment that changes with the change of administration.

The source explained that the resignation is routine and expected.

The source added that US President-elect Joe Biden will soon form a new team to manage the Syrian issue.

Rayburn is one of the main architects of US policy on Syria in the administration of US President Donald Trump. He served as the first director for Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon on the National Security Council from January 2017 to July 2018, later moving to the US Department of State.

The Emirati newspaper, The National, quoted US officials on Monday, who said that Rayburn had chosen to remain on the new administrations team, but that is not possible due to both political and staffing reasons.

This is a normal rotation of employees that occurs during the transition from one administration to another, Rayburn was quoted as saying.

In November 2020, Rayburn became the acting US Envoy after James Jeffrey resigned following Bidens win.

Biden appointed Brett McGurk, a former diplomat and Pentagon official, as his White House Coordinator for Middle East Affairs.

Syrian activists have been demanding, over the past few days, the new US administration to keep Rayburn in his position because of his experience around the Syrian issue.

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 Park Ridge Planning and Zoning Commission on Jan. 12 voted unanimously to recommend council approval of amendments to the citys zoning ordinance that will allow dispensaries to operate in all office and business districts in the city as special uses. This will require owners to obtain specific approval from both the planning and zoning commission and City Council, and a public hearing will be held whenever a dispensary owner applies to open a business.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Spain on Tuesday received its first 35,700 doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine, several weeks into its vaccination campaign, which until now has made exclusive use of the Pfizer-BioNTech inoculation. In total, the country is due to receive 600,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine before the end of the month of February.

According to Spains Health Minister Salvador Illa, speaking on Tuesday after a Cabinet meeting, the quantities received will gradually rise, with 50,000 due to arrive in two weeks time, another 127,000 in a month, and 383,000 more in the third week of next month.

The doses arrived on Tuesday in 357 boxes on board a truck from Belgium, and were taken to a Health Ministry storage unit in the central area of Spain.

The arrival of the new vaccines will not mean significant changes to Spains immunization plan

The country is currently receiving 350,000 doses a week of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Illa also pointed to the positive news that the AstraZeneca laboratory in the United Kingdom has also requested authorization from the European Medicines Agency to distribute its Covid vaccine in the European Union.

The arrival of the new vaccines will not mean significant changes to the immunization plan, which is currently focusing on seniors in residences and their carers, as well as front-line health workers.

Illa announced on Tuesday that the aim is for all residences to have administered the first dose by the end of this week, and on January 18 for the first people to receive the shots to get their second injections.

Judge rules against family

The Domus Vi San Lazaro senior home in Santiago de Compostela, where a judge ordered a resident to be vaccinated against her daughter's wishes. Oscar Corral

Meanwhile, for the first time in Spain a judge has obliged an incapacitated resident of a senior home to be vaccinated against Covid-19, despite the opposition of her daughter. A court in Santiago de Compostela, in the northwestern region of Galicia, took the decision in record time after receiving the request from the DomusVi San Lazaro senior home on Friday evening. By Saturday evening the judge had ruled in favor and gave instructions for the 84-year-old woman to be immunized.

The judge found that the health of the woman should prevail over the opinion of her daughter, and despite the Covid vaccinations being voluntary in Spain. Is it urgent to vaccinate a senior during the pandemic? The infection rates suggest it is, the judge said to EL PAIS via telephone about the urgency of the decision. It is well known that there is a high number of deaths and it was urgent to protect her. There are few more urgent things than saving a life.

According to Spains Institute for the Elderly and Social Services (Imserso), residences from all over the country have turned to the courts for permission to immunize incapacitated seniors despite the opposition of their families.

In this case in Galicia, the daughter of the woman in question opposed the vaccination on fears of an adverse reaction to the vaccine and due to the responsibility of having to make a decision for another person.

Almeria outbreaks

A dozen seniors and four members of staff in two residences in Almeria in southern Spain have tested positive for the coronavirus after having received the first of two doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. The initial shot provides 52% efficiency in terms of protecting from the illness but not until 12 days have passed since the injection, according to BioNTech. In neither of these outbreaks had this time limit been exceeded. The second shot results in 95% immunity, according to the creators of the immunization.

The 12 seniors, all asymptomatic apart from one, live in the Ballesol and Asistida Diputacion residences. Andalusia has so far vaccinated 82,025 seniors and health workers, from a total of 140,295 doses  58% of the received shots. This percentage falls to 39% if the 69,225 doses received by the regional government on Monday are included.

Based on reporting by Oriol Guell, Javier Martin-Arroyo.

English version by Simon Hunter.




Should your business adopt a cloud server? More and more businesses are expanding their spending on cloud technologies. But why all the interest in cloud servers? Is using one right for you?

The following are some reasons why switching to cloud computing is a route that your business should take:

1. Lower Total Cost Compared To On-Premise Systems

Businesses choose cloud servers because of their low total cost. Between costs for necessary hardware, implementation, continuous managing and updating by in-house personnel, on-premise systems are often quite expensive right from the get-go.

Add to it the amount that you have to spend on hiring personnel for your software management needs, as this will likely be a significant factor.

By subscribing to dedicated servers Australia or a cloud service provider from any other country, businesses get all of an IT staff and programs functionality without the high cost, saving a pretty penny in the long run.

2. Improves Business Operations

As your company grows, cloud computing through a cloud server enables you to scale your business computing solutions. In order to expand, you can just simply alter your usage with the cloud provider. By paying more money, you can have more space as allocated by the cloud server. This simplifies the process in a big way, and takes a lot of unnecessary effort from it.

Note that a company can also reduce its usage, if its need for cloud computing resources decreases. Cloud technology helps to improve your business operations no matter the level of cloud computing you require.

3. Automatic Updates

As soon as you purchase an on-premise software, it begins to age immediately. That being said, you need to keep bringing the system up to date with whatever latest technology is available. Doing so, however, takes plenty of time to implement properly, and not to mention its also very costly. Keeping up to date with technology is a major financial strain on any company.

If you want to get the latest technologies automatically without even minimal adjustments or any hidden upgrade fees, use a cloud server.

4. Enables Better Customer Support

A cloud server improves the customer support of your business. As you might know, consumers nowadays want answers to their queries immediately at all times of the day. This expectancy is a direct result of the online marketplace. They also want the ability to buy products whenever they want. The cloud makes this possible, by allowing your employees to access the same services and information for supporting customers at any time.

With the help of a cloud server, and more particularly the flexible system it provides, customers and the customer support representatives of your business can connect with each other via any device thats connected to the internet. This way, customers are constantly supported and any problems can be handled swiftly.

5. Improves Security And Enables Easy Data Recovery

From leaked passwords to lost laptops, we know that breaches can come from all sources. Reduced revenue, lost labor and missing data as a result of security breaches can mean millions of dollars lost for your business.

Cloud servers help in protecting against any possible security breaches by encrypting data and keeping everything stored in a centralized, secure location. This means that the productivity in your business wont be affected by hardware losses, at the very least.

6. Makes Programs Used By Your Business More Accessible

Compared to hardware-based programs, the cloud-based ones are very accessible. Theyre also more organized, because they can be centralized. Organizing and centralizing, of course, is one of the best ways to keep your team members on the same page.

Such improved accessibility allows employees of your business to access data from anywhere. That way, they can continue working on the go. These methods also facilitates greater collaboration.

Final Thoughts

Introducing a new type of technology into your business comes with risks. There will be many challenges along the way, but the benefits of cloud servers as discussed in this post can make it all worthwhile. Just make sure that you work with the right cloud partner, so that you can take the proper steps in growing your business safely and successfully.

Marlys Jeffries

Marlys Jeffries is an aspiring IT professional who has spent most of her years learning about the industry. Marlys have been working with many tech companies in the past, making it easy for her to produce high-quality tech-related content on her blog.

During her leisure, Marlys love to code and build websites from scratch.
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To ensure the "last mile" logistics in rural areas is of vital importance for developing rural e-commerce.

Last April, China's first smart logistics express project came into service in Huazhou, Maoming of south China's Guangdong province after 6 years of development. The project, which transfers and delivers parcels and joins local poverty alleviation efforts, handled over 3,000 express packages in half a month since its operation, up from 8 on the first day. The growth indicated how smooth logistics can drive rural e-commerce.

The smart logistics express project consists of three base stations, a cable way, shuttle robots, a warehouse and delivery system, and a smart central monitor. Agricultural products loaded on the shuttle robots, such as vegetables, sweet potatoes and pomegranates, can be shipped from village-level base station to the township base station along the cableway, while at the same time, another shuttle robot goes the other way around, carrying express packages received by the township base station to the village.

In the past, villagers had to go to the township to fetch their packages, but thanks to the smart project, today they not only enjoy more convenient logistics services, but find an easier way to ship their agricultural products to the outside.

Once they receive an order on their phones, they can immediately pick the crops and give them to the safe hands of the smart logistics express project, which substantially saves their time and energy.

Logistics is of top priority when it comes to the vitalization of rural economy. Rural logistics networks always come with huge size and heavy cargos, but the unit price, cargo quantity, and shipping frequency are low. Besides, the origins and destinations of the packages are also widely distributed. Out of the consideration for cost, many express companies set agencies only at township level. As a result, express packages were not able to reach villages, and agricultural products of the villages couldn't be sent out, either.

To solve this problem, China's postal service regulator raised a clear requirement in a three-year plan, vowing to cover all administrative villages in the country with express services before the end of 2022.

Based on the smart logistics express project, Maoming has established a three-tier network that covers counties, townships and villages, by which cargos can be delivered within an hour. The new transportation system, which is smart and light and is able to deliver cargos in small volumes and large batches, features low investment, fast construction and low occupation of resources. That's why it can run smoothly in rural areas. In addition, big data, cloud computing and other advanced technologies are also able to make logistics more efficient, so as to make express services more timely, faster, and cheaper.

In the long run, to cover all administrative villages with express services can not only improve the logistics efficiency in rural areas and lower logistics cost, but also promote the in-depth integration between postal services and modern agriculture and rural tourism, so as to contribute to poverty alleviation.

Recently, the general office of the Ministry of Commerce and the general office of the State Post Bureau jointly issued a notice on the promotion of synergetic development of e-commerce and logistics. The notice proposed to coordinate rural enterprises in e-commerce, postal service, express delivery and transportation sectors, encouraging them to enhance cooperation and improve the three-tier delivery system covering counties, townships and villages.

Though logistics demands are huge in rural areas, the government still needs to enhance guidance and promote scientific development to avoid overlapping efforts. Market factors are not able to stimulate the willingness of enterprises, which also might lead to unbalanced investment. The leading role of the government, on the one hand, is able to coordinate efforts and form a synergy; on the other hand, it can also strengthen guarantee and bring modern logistics services to remote areas.

To straighten the "last mile" of rural logistics is a prerequisite for realizing poverty alleviation and rural revitalization. As long as efforts are made to implement policies based on actual conditions, manage matters with science-based principles, and coordinate the whole picture, the rural logistics network will be running efficiently and create a better life for rural people.
The CDC and Pfizer are investigating the death of a Florida doctor who died from a rare blood condition two weeks after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Dr Gregory Michael, 56, an obstetrician with a private practice at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, died last Sunday - 16 days after he was vaccinated.

His wife Heidi Neckelmann told DailyMail.com in an exclusive interview last week, her husband, who she described as 'very healthy' suffered a brain hemorrhage 'due to a strong reaction' to the shot.

Pfizer on Tuesday said it is 'actively investigating' the death, but does not believe there is 'any direct connection to the vaccine' at the time.

'There have been no related safety signals identified in our clinical trials [or] the post-marketing experience thus far,' Pfizer said in a statement to the New York Times.

'Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved family.'

Dr Gregory Michael, 56, an obstetrician with a private practice at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, died on January 3, sixteen days after receiving Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine

Michael's wife Heidi Neckelman (left) said her husband's death was 'due to a strong reaction' to the vaccine. Pictured: Dr. Michael with his wife Heidi and daughter

The drugmaker said it was a 'highly unusual' and severe case of a condition called thrombocytopenia that can prevent blood from clotting and cause internal bleeding.

'To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all adverse events in individuals receiving our vaccine,' the company said.

'It is important to note that serious adverse events, including deaths that are unrelated to the vaccine, are unfortunately likely to occur at a similar rate as they would in the general population.'

Michael's death is being investigated along with the Florida Department of Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Samples from an autopsy conducted last Wednesday have been sent to the CDC, said Darren Caprara, director of operations for the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department.

'The cause of death is pending the completion of studies' by the medical examiner and the CDC, Caprara said in an email last Friday.

The CDC said in a statement that it planned to evaluate the case 'and provide timely updates on what is known and any necessary actions.'

If his death is linked directly to the vaccine, Dr Michael would be the first known fatal case. A spokesman for Pfizer told DailyMail.com the firm was looking into his death but they did not believe it had any link to the vaccine

The CDC and the Food and Drug Administration track potential side effects through a national electronic database, with reports typically coming from health care professionals and vaccine manufacturers.

It is usually not possible to determine whether a problem was actually triggered by a vaccine simply from information submitted to the database, the FDA notes on its website.

His wife said Michael was active, healthy and had no pre-existing conditions before getting the jab on December 18

Side effects reported to regulators can be related to existing medical conditions, prescription medications or other health factors.

In a Facebook shared last week, Heidi said her husband was 'pro-vaccine', but urged people to be 'aware that side effects can happen, that it is not good for everyone and in this case, destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family, and has affected so many people in the community.'

'Do not let his death be in vain please save more lives by making this information news,' she wrote in a post.

The grieving wife said Michael - her 'best friend' and partner of 28 years  was active, healthy and had no pre-existing conditions before getting the jab on December 18.

Yet he died from a stroke hemorrhagic stroke after suddenly developing a rare autoimmune illness that causes the body to destroy its own platelets, the tiny fragments that help blood to clot.

Heidi, 58, thinks the groundbreaking Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine may have somehow been the trigger.

'In my mind his death was 100 percent linked to the vaccine. There is no other explanation,' she told DailyMail.com in an interview last week, fighting back tears.

'He was in very good health. He didn't smoke, he drank alcohol once in a while but only socially. He worked out, we had kayaks, he was a deep sea fisherman.

According to a harrowing account posted on his wife Heidi Neckelmann's Facebook, blood tests revealed the popular medic has a platelet count of zero

Neckelmann did not disclose any allergies or pre-existing conditions which may have contributed to her husband's death

'They tested him for everything you can imagine afterwards, even cancer, and there was absolutely nothing else wrong with him.'

What is thrombocytopenia? (ITP) Immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is a blood disorder characterized by a decrease in the number of platelets in the blood. Platelets are cells in the blood that help stop bleeding. A decrease in platelets can cause easy bruising, bleeding gums, and internal bleeding. This disease is caused by an immune reaction against one's own platelets. It has also been called autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura. There are two forms of ITP: Acute thrombocytopenic purpura: This usually affects young children, ages 2 to 6 years old. The symptoms may follow a viral illness, such as chickenpox. Acute ITP usually starts suddenly and the symptoms usually disappear in less than 6 months, often within a few weeks. Treatment is often not needed. The disorder usually does not recur. Acute ITP is the most common form of the disorder. Chronic thrombocytopenic purpura: The onset of the disorder can happen at any age, and the symptoms can last a minimum of 6 months, several years, or a lifetime. Adults have this form more often than children do, but it does affect adolescents. Females have it more often than males. Chronic ITP can recur often and requires continual follow-up care with a blood specialist (hematologist). Causes Medications (including over-the-counter medications) can cause an allergy that cross-reacts with platelets.

Infections, typically viral infections, including the viruses that cause chicken pox, hepatitis C, and AIDS, can prompt antibodies that cross-react with platelets.

Pregnancy

Immune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

Low-grade lymphomas and leukemias may produce abnormal antibodies against platelet proteins.

Sometimes the cause of immune thrombocytopenic purpura is not known. Symptoms The purple color of the skin after blood has 'leaked' under it. Persons with ITP may have large bruises from no known injury. Bruises can appear at the joints of elbows and knees just from movement.

Tiny red dots under the skin that are a result of very small bleeds.

Nosebleeds

Bleeding in the mouth and/or in and around the gums

Heavy menstrual periods

Blood in the vomit, urine, or stool

Bleeding in the head. This is the most dangerous symptom of ITP. Any head injury that occurs when there are not enough platelets to stop the bleeding can be life threatening. SOURCE: Johns Hopkins Medicine Advertisement

Dad-of-one Gregory suffered no immediate reaction to the injection but three days later he was taking a shower and noticed petechiae - spots of red that indicate bleeding beneath the skin - on his feet and hands.

When he checked himself into Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, the hospital where he works and had the groundbreaking vaccine, medics discovered he was suffering from an acute lack of platelets.

'All the blood results came back normal except for the platelets which came back as zero,' Heidi said.

'At first they thought it must be a mistake. So they did the test again and this time did a manual count which is supposed to be more accurate. This time it showed just one platelet.

'He felt 100 percent, he was normal, energetic, happy. But they said you cannot go home, this is incredibly dangerous, you could suffer a brain bleed and die.'

Normally doctors would expect a range of between 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood.

Their primary function is to help the blood clot and prevent bleeding.

Heidi says doctors tried frantically to reverse what they diagnosed as an acute immune disorder known as ITP - idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

In people with ITP, also known as severe thrombocytopenia, the immune system mistakes platelets for foreign objects and instructs the spleen to destroy them.

It can be acute or chronic, lasting six months or more, striking on its own or in conjunction with other autoimmune conditions, certain cancers or during pregnancy.

Kids can get ITP after a viral infection such as the flu or mumps, while in adults, triggers can include HIV, hepatitis or H. pylori, a type of bacteria that causes stomach ulcers.

Gregory's wife insists, however, that had he none of these illnesses.

One solution to ITP is to remove the spleen but Heidi says he wasn't a candidate because his blood wasn't able to clot, making the operation too dangerous.

Gregory's platelet count, doctors decided they had no choice.

However he died from a hemorrhagic stroke - when blood from an artery bleeds into the brain - before he could undergo the surgery.

'They gave him medicine. They gave him an incredible amount of platelet infusions, I'm told all the platelets in Miami Dade County,' Heidi said.

'But no matter what they did, nothing helped. The blood tests came back with zero platelets every time.

'My husband had conversations with the doctors who said it was highly probable that the vaccine was the cause.

'It seems possible to me that somehow it instructed his body to attack the wrong thing, the platelets.'

If Gregory's fatal condition is traced directly back to the groundbreaking Pfizer-BioNtech vaccine, it would be the first known death linked to it.

The jab was heralded as an extraordinary breakthrough in the fight against Covid-19 after it was analyzed by global health bodies in record time and cleared for use in the US one week before Gregory had it.

Instead of a live virus, it uses mRNA, or messenger RNA, which is essentially a set of instructions which tells cells how to produce a spike protein, the same protein which is found on the surface of the coronavirus.

This triggers the immune system to make antibodies against the spike protein so that if the real coronavirus enters the body it can be recognized and destroyed.

'My husband had a few questions but he's certainly not anti-vaccine,' Heidi said. 'He wanted to protect his patients and his family from Covid. He believed it would be safe.'
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New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Supreme Court said that the consent of a minor would be no defence to a charge of kidnapping as it upheld the conviction of a man for kidnapping a minor girl in 1998.

A bench headed by Justice N.V. Ramana and comprising Justices S. Abdul Nazeer and Surya Kant said: "A minor girl's infatuation with her alleged kidnapper cannot by itself be allowed as a defence, for the same would amount to surreptitiously undermining the protective essence of the offence of kidnapping." However, the top court, which upheld the accused's conviction for kidnapping, abducting or inducing the woman to compel her marriage, reduced the quantum of sentence to the period of imprisonment already undergone.

The top court noted that the accused contention of consensual affair and that victim had joined his company voluntarily is not acceptable, as the girl was below 18 years of age.

It said that the lower courts were seemingly right in observing that the consent of the minor would be no defence to a charge of kidnapping. "No fault can thus be found with the conviction of the appellant under Section 366 of IPC," said the top court.

The bench also noted that there is little to suggest that she was aware of the full purport of her actions or that she possessed the mental acuity and maturity to take care of herself.

The top court said the present crime was one of passion. "No other charges, antecedents, or crimes either before 1998 or since then, have been brought to our notice. The appellant has been rehabilitated and is now leading a normal life. The possibility of recidivism is therefore extremely low," it said.

The victim had initially claimed that she was forcibly taken, raped and pressurised into marrying the man. Later, she admitted to be in love with the accused during cross-examination.
Elymnias hymernestra agina from Singapore. Credit: David Lohman

A new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and the City College of New York (CCNY) has identified a unique, genetic "mimicry switch" that determines whether or not male and female Elymnias hypermnestra palmflies mimic the same or different species of butterflies. The results indicate that sexual dimorphism has repeatedly emerged in different palmfly populations, and linked the trait to a gene associated with melanin localization and regulation.

Published on Jan. 13 in the journal Royal Proceedings of the Academy B, these results can help scientists start to better understand the genetics underlying phenotypic differences between males and females in the animal kingdom, investigators say.

"Many animal species show sexual dimorphism, while others aren't very sexually dimorphic," said co-senior author Marcus Kronforst, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at UChicago. "In Elymnias hypermnestra, we have a weird situation within one species where nearby populations show different patterns. This is a special opportunity to get at the underlying genetics of sexual dimorphism."

Elymnias hypermnestra, native to southeast Asia, represent an ideal model for this study due to their unusual mimicry patterns. In some populations, male and female butterflies are sexually monomorphic, meaning they resemble one another; in this case, both males and females mimic species in another genus of butterfly, Euploea, with dark-colored wings with light spots. In other populations, males and females are sexually dimorphic, and mimic two different species of butterflywhile males still mimic Euploea species, females instead mimic species of Danaus, with orange-patterned wings.

In the study, the researchers collected and sequenced the genomes of 48 individual butterflies from locations across southeast Asia, from Thailand to the Spice Islands in Indonesia; some were from sexually dimorphic populations, while others were from sexually monomorphic populations.

Males and females in some populations of the common palmfly butterfly resemble each other and mimic crow butterflies, but females in other populations are orange and mimic tiger butterflies. Ruttenberg et al. demonstrate that orange females have evolved repeatedly in different parts of tropical and subtropical Asia, and locate a putative genetic "mimicry switch" that determines female color form. Credit: David Lohman

To their surprise, genetic analysis revealed that rather than splitting neatly into two groups, sexual dimorphism arose repeatedly in different populations. "This is a really neat case of never-before-seen repeated traits; this sexual dimorphism has appeared repeatedly in these butterflies," said first author Dee Ruttenberg, now a graduate student at Princeton University. "What's more, when we look at these individual groups of sexually dimorphic butterflies, we found that one gene popped up repeatedly, and predicted if a butterfly would be monomorphic or dimorphic almost perfectlythat's WntA."

Important in a wide range of similar butterfly species and associated with melanin localization and regulation, the research team called WntA a "smoking gun"the gene is well known for being involved in pigmentation in butterflies, and now appears to be regulating the transition between sexual dimorphism and monomorphism. The benefit is that individual populations of the butterfly can rapidly and easily "flip the switch" based on local pressures.

"We identified two key base pairs in a region of DNA that seems to be associated with regulating the activity of WntA," said co-senior author David Lohman, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at CCNY. "It seems like there are a fairly small number of genetic changes that contribute to this difference in female form, and it's likely that this represents an example of gene reuse. The genetic machinery to make an orange wing or black wing didn't evolve de novo but rather those sets of genes are turned on and off depending on the population. It really is like a mimicry switch."

Because this butterfly is relatively understudied, the research is the first to clarify the distribution of this trait and the underlying genetics, but what is less clear is why. "We can go into the field and document these population patterns and then go in and find the genetic mechanism, but what we don't know is, why is it that some populations have orange females and others don't?" said Lohman. "Is it because the orange species that the females might mimic are rare or absent? Or that they're not particularly toxic, so mimicking an orange species wouldn't be very beneficial to the females?"

The other major remaining question is how the WntA gene is regulated in a sexually dimorphic way. "How is it that this gene that, up to this point, we have had no reason to think might be associated with sexual dimorphism, is now being regulated in that way?" said Ruttenberg. "Is there a pathway by which sexually dimorphic expression could be created in any gene?"

In future research, the investigators hope to dig more into how exactly WntA regulates the monomorphic and dimorphic color patterns.

Explore further Pigments in butterfly wings lead scientists to colorful conclusions

More information: Dee M. Ruttenberg et al, The evolution and genetics of sexually dimorphic 'dual' mimicry in the butterfly Elymnias hypermnestra, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2021). Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B Dee M. Ruttenberg et al, The evolution and genetics of sexually dimorphic 'dual' mimicry in the butterfly Elymnias hypermnestra,(2021). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2192


Stacey Solomon hit back at a troll on Wednesday as she was criticised for having three different fathers to her three different boys.

The Loose Women star, 31, is mother to Zachary, 12, with her teen boyfriend Dean Cox, Leighton, eight, with her ex Aaron Barham, and Rex, 19 months, with her fiance Joe Swash, who is father to Harry, 13, with his ex Emma Sophocleous.

As she took to Instagram to post her usual content, Stacey interrupted her stories to hit back at the message, which read: 'It must be very sad having three different dads for your boys. Always apart. Oh well, I suppose you're happy about it.'

Hitting back: Stacey Solomon hit back at a troll on Wednesday as she was criticised for having three different fathers to her three different boys

Stacey lives in Essex with Joe, and her three boys, while Joe's son Harry lives with his mum. Zachary, Leighton and Harry all transit between their parents' homes.

The unkind comment was sparked when Stacey revealed that her boys had decided to stay at their dads' houses to continue their homeschooling, as the UK is in lockdown and most schools remain closed to children.

Stacey wrote: 'I'm really missing the big pickles today. They wanted to stay at their dads' and because they are doing school from home they can...

'I do get sad when they don't want to come home but I know how happy it will make their dads and I never want to stop them from having the chance to make memories with their family. But oh my gosh I miss them.

Lashing out: As she took to Instagram to post her usual content, Stacey interrupted her stories to hit back at the message, which read: 'It must be very sad having three different dads for your boys. Always apart. Oh well, I suppose you're happy about it'

Her loves: The Loose Women star, 31, is mother to Zachary, 12, with her teen boyfriend Dean Cox, Leighton, eight, with her ex Aaron Barham, and Rex, 19 months, with her fiance Joe Swash

'It's lovely for a couple of days, less mess, less noise but they the house just feels so empty and Rex looks for them everywhere'.

Once Stacey had spotted the critical comment, she said: 'Woah there Wilma! Its far too early for that kind of judgement and of course I'm happy about it, they're the best thing to ever happen to me regardless of how they happened to me.'

She then wrote over the top of the video: 'Never let anyone make you feel like you're not good enough just because things just happen to work out differently from the "norm". Keep doing you the best way you know how...

Baby-faced: Stacey pictured in hospital after having Zachary aged 19

Lost love: Stacey pictured with Leighton's dad Aaron Barham in 2012

'Unconditional love from anywhere in different shapes and sizes is all they'll need.'

In 2017, Stacey confessed to feeling an 'overwhelming sense of guilt' about the thought of expanding her family unit, confessing that she has read several studies about the social and emotional impact of broken homes on young children.

She spoke candidly to the Huffington Post in a video blog, debating the question of when the right time is to have a child in a new relationship when you already have kids with previous partners.

Stacey explained: 'I always have an overwhelming sense of guilt that if I were to make my family greater, that I would impact on them socially and emotionally.

Sweet: Stacey pictured with Joe, with whom she shares Rex. He popped the question on Christmas Eve

'There's definitely been times in my life where I've felt the stigma of having multiple children from different partners.'

The former X Factor star also discussed growing up in a big family, revealing she was one of three kids before her dad remarried and she became one of seven.

Stacey, who enthused that 'nothing was ever boring' growing up, insisted that despite her reservations, she could see the overwhelming benefits of having an unconventional family unit.

She concluded: 'Life is never perfect, you just need to adapt - ultimately by doing that, you're going to give your children the best start in life.'

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Global brands such as Apple and BMW are among firms accused of getting supplies from factories using forced labour in a report on China.

The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission report said that tens of thousands of Uyghur Muslims had been transported to factories across the country to work.

The report noted that one of the 'most shocking new developments' in the last five years was that forced labour was now used 'throughout China in factories which are part of the supply chain of major international corporations'.

It also noted that it was 'beyond dispute that UK consumption is driving this (state-sponsored slavery) practice. This can no longer be tolerated'.

The report said that the Commission was 'gravely concerned that such modern slavery practices are so endemic in the supply chains of major British and international brands'.

It went on: 'Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including Apple, BMW, Gap, Huawei, Nike, Samsung, Sony and Volkswagen.'

Vicky Xiuzhong Xu and Nathan Ruser, who were authors of a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) about the forced labour of Uyghurs, gave evidence to the Commission in an online hearing.

The Conservative Party Human Rights Commission report said that tens of thousands of Uyghur Muslims had been transported to factories across the country to work. Pictured: Uyghur Muslims in detention

Global brands such as Apple and BMW are among firms accused of getting supplies from factories using forced labour in a report on China. Pictured: Stock images

They said they had discovered in 2019 that Uyghurs were being transported from Xinjang to other provinces to work.

Xu and Ruser said 'it is a policy of the central government' that resulted in 'tens of thousands of people pushed out of their homes every year and sent to eastern provinces to work in the supply chains of international brands.'

They added that in the factories workers were subjected to the conditions of forced labour, having to work 'under heavy surveillance' and in the few hours of free time were 'compelled to attend Mandarin Chinese language classes and political indoctrination classes'.

ASPI identified 27 factories in nine Chinese provinces that are using Uyghur labour transferred from Xinjang since 2017.

The report notes how some, such as Taekwang Shoes Company factory in Qingdoo, Shandong province, were 'equipped with watchtowers, razor wire, and inward-facing barbed-wire fences'.

The movements of workers were 'closely monitored by a police station at the side gate equipped with facial recognition cameras'.

The APSI report also cited the fact that the Public Security Bureau and the United Front Work Department have 'representatives stationed inside factories like Taekwong to report daily on the "thoughts" of the Uyghur workers, manage any disputes and guard against spontaneous "mass instances"'.

In their evidence to the commission, they also reveal how human resources companies received payment for every Uyghur transferred so they are incentivised to be part of the process.

A Xinjiang provincial government notice from 2018 said for every rural 'surplus labourer' transferred to work in another part of Xinjiang for over nine months, the organiser was awarded 20 Yuan (2.30).

The report said that the Commission was 'gravely concerned that such modern slavery practices are so endemic in the supply chains of major British and international brands'. Pictured: Stock image

Samsung and Nike were also among those accused of using workers 'under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour'. Pictured: Stock image

A BMW spokesman said: 'Sadly, the CPHRC did not contact us before writing their report and so we are not clear about the allegation they are referring to.

'However, as a matter of principle the BMW Group contractually obliges all 1st-tier (direct) suppliers to comply with human rights, labour and social standards.

'These suppliers must demand these same requirements from their sub-suppliers.'

A Volkswagen spokeswoman said no products on sale in Europe are made in China, adding: 'We represent and live our standards and values in China and ensure that our work with all Volkswagen Groups factories, distribution companies and suppliers is based on our principles: respect for minorities, employee representation, as well as social and labour standards.

'Our Business Partner Code of Conduct is contractually binding for our direct suppliers.'

Nike said: 'We are concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

'Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region.

'The Nike Code of Conduct and Code Leadership Standards have requirements prohibiting any type of prison, forced, bonded or indentured labor, including detailed provisions for freedom of movement and prohibitions on discrimination based on ethnic background or religion. '

An Apple spokeswoman said: 'Apple has zero tolerance for forced labor.

'Looking for the presence of forced labor is part of every supplier assessment we conduct, including surprise audits.

'These protections apply across the supply chain, regardless of a person's job or location. Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including possible business termination.

'Earlier this year we confirmed that none of our suppliers have Uighur workers from ''pairing programs'' from Xinjiang on any Apple production lines.'

A Gap spokesman said: 'We can confirm that we do not source any garments from Xinjiang. We also recognize that a significant amount of the worlds cotton supply is grown and spun there.

'Therefore, we have taken steps to better understand how our global supply chain may be indirectly impacted, including working with our suppliers and actively engaging with industry trade groups, expert stakeholders, and other partners to learn more and advance our shared commitment to respecting human rights.'
(Newser)  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell isn't planning to bring the Senate back early to kick President Trump out of office early. Ahead of the expected House vote Wednesday to impeach the president for a second time, McConnell's office informed Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's office that he would not reconvene the Senate prior to its scheduled Jan. 19 return, the Hill reports. The memo said it would require the consent of all 100 senators to conduct business early, and that the trial won't begin until "President Trumps term has expiredeither one hour after its expiration on Jan. 20 or twenty-five hours after its expiration on Jan. 21."

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Schumer, however, argued Tuesday that a 2004 law allows the Senate majority and minority leaders to reconvene without unanimous consent for an emergency, and "now is a time of emergency," CNN reports. "We could come back ASAP and vote to convict Donald Trump, and get him out of office now before any further damage is done," the Democrat said. Sources told the New York Times Tuesday that McConnell told associates he believes Trump committed impeachable offenses in inciting the Capitol riot and he is glad Democrats are moving forward with the process. The Washington Post reports that McConnell told his GOP colleagues Wednesday that he hasn't ruled out voting to convict Trump, and will "listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate." (Read more Trump impeachment stories.)
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Liz Cheney, the third-most senior House Republican was seen talking to Jamie Raskin, one of the Democrats' leading advocates of removing Donald Trump Tuesday, after she said she would vote for impeachment.

Cheney, the Republican Conference Chair, laced into Trump in an explosive statement saying he 'lit the flame' of insurrection, saying: 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.'

The decision to back impeachment by Cheney, a member of Republican royalty as the daughter of Dick Cheney, and seen as a future contender for the party's House leadership and the Speaker's chair, means that impeachment on Wednesday will be bipartisan.

Also joining Cheney in voting for the Democratic-prepared article of impeachment will be Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, John Katko of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington. The White House was bracing for more.

Cheney's decision, which she detailed in a statement accusing Trump of the 'worst betrayal' by a president of his oath of office, came minutes after Mitch McConnell was revealed to believe that Trump had committed impeachable offenses.

The New York Times' bombshell was still echoing in Washington D.C. when the House started its debate - and as it dragged to a close Tuesday night, Axios reported that McConnell was leaning towards a vote to convict the president and was 'more than 50/50' on it.

She was seen speaking to Raskin on Tuesday night as he led the Democrats arguing for a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment removing President Donald Trump from power.

The House passed it late Tuesday despite Pence sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he'll refuse.

In a vote that wrapped up around 11.30pm Tuesday, the House voted 223-205 to approve the resolution, which can't actually force the vice president's hand.

Then, on Wednesday, the House Democrats will try to impeach Trump for a second time over his role in last Wednesday's Capitol Hill riot. At least five House Republicans are expected join.

'I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution,' Pence said in his letter to Pelosi, refusing to pull the trigger on the 25th.

'Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation,' Pence added.

Pence's letter came as the House was holding procedural votes on the resolution.

No Republicans joined on until the final vote - with Rep. Adam Kinzinger joining Democrats in the push to have Pence to use the 25th.

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Bipartisan and united: Jamie Raskin, the House Democrat who led the successful demand for a resolution telling Mike Pence to remove Donald Trump, held talks with Liz Cheney, the House Republican number three after she said she would vote for impeachment

The House voted 223 to 205 in favor of a resolution that urges Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office after he incited Wednesday's Capitol Hill riot. GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger voted alongside Democrats

U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Harlingen, Texas, Tuesday

READ THE FULL ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT Advertisement

'THE PRESIDENT LIT THE FLAME.' GOP NO.3 LIZ CHENEY'S STATEMENT IN FULL On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic. Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. I will vote to impeach the President. Advertisement

That set the scene for an impeachment debate and vote Wednesday entirely different from the first impeachment vote on October 31, 2019.

Then the only non-Democratic vote was from Justin Amash, who was essentially forced out of the Republican party before he even cast it.

But after a day in which they feared for their lives, the mood in Congress had changed rapidly.

Tuesday's debate saw pro-Trump Republicans line up to back him - but party moderates conspicuously silent, and the Minority leader and his deputy Steve Scalise silent.

The resolution blamed Trump for the violent MAGA mob that broke into Capitol Hill Wednesday, laying out how he 'broadly encouraged' his supporters to come to Washington on January 6, saying that the day would be 'wild.'

'Donald Trump has demonstrated repeatedly, continuously, and spectacularly his absolute inability to discharge the most basic and fundamental powers and duties of his office, including most recently the duty to respect the legitimate results of the Presidential election, the duty to respect the peaceful transfer of democratic power under the Constitution, the duty to participate in legally defined transition activities, the duty to protect and uphold the Constitution of the United States, including the counting of Electoral College votes by Congress, the duty to protect the people of the United States and their elected representatives against domestic insurrection, mob rule, and seditious violence, and generally the duty to take care that the laws be faithfully executed,' the resolution says.

Despite being targets in the violent incident, House Republicans lined up against passing the resolution.

Rep. Tom Cole, a Republican from Oklahoma, called the resolution 'an attempt to pressure the vice president into performing a duty he clearly does not believe is necessary at this time.'

As exasperated Rep. Pat Fallon, a new GOP lawmaker from Texas, said Trump held a 'permitted, legal and peaceful rally,' refusing to blame him for the group of Trump supporters who mobbed the Capitol.

And Rep. Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who recently was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump, lambasted the effort - and also the new fines for not wearing masks in the House chamber and the metal detectors that were installed Tuesday outside the doors of the House floor.

In his letter to Pelosi, Pence argued that the 25th Amendment was supposed to address 'incapacity or disability.'

The vice president pointed to the Democrats own effort to create a 25th Amendment Commission, which said a president's fitness must be determined by 'science and facts' and '[v]ery respectful of not making a judgment on the basis of a comment or behavior we don't like, but based on a medical decision.'

Pence also pledged that the administration's energy was dedicated to 'ensuring an orderly transition.'

The vice president repeated an argument being pushed by a number of Capitol Hill Republicans - that pursuing removal of Trump would only make things worse.

'I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment,' Pence said. 'Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inauguration President-elect Joe Biden as the next president of the United States.'

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was informed by Vice President Mike Pence that he would not invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office as the House was taking its first vote Tuesday night on a resolution that urges him to do so

The House of Representatives voted late into the night Wednesday on a resolution that encourages Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from power

Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, criticized the Democrats' effort to have Vice President Mike Pence utilize the 25th Amendment. He also complained about the House's new fines for lawmakers who don't wear masks - and the metal detectors outside the House chamber

During Tuesday night's debate of the 25th Amendment resolution, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also announced her impeachment managers, saying Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland would be leading the charge. Raskin tragically lost his son to suicide just days ago

Rep. Jim Jordan, the Ohio Republican who recently was given a Presidential Medal of Freedom by Trump, lambasted the effort

HOW TRUMP'S SECOND IMPEACHMENT WILL UNFOLD The House is expected to impeach President Donald Trump for his encouragement of supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol, a vote that would make him the first American president to be impeached twice. While the previous three impeachments - those of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Trump - took months before a final vote, including investigations and hearings, this time it will have only taken a week. After the rioting at the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said 'we must take action,' and Democrats - and some Republicans - share her view ahead of Wednesday's vote. For now, the Republican-led Senate is not expected to hold a trial and vote on whether to convict Trump before Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as president Jan. 20. Still, Democrats feel that action by the House would send an important message to the country. A look at what will happen as the House moves closer to impeaching Trump in his last week in office: THE BASICS OF IMPEACHMENT: In normal order, there would be an impeachment investigation and the evidence would be sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which would hold hearings, draft articles and send them to the full House. That's what happened in 2019, when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. It took three months. This time, with so few days to act - and a feeling among Democrats that there is little need to investigate what happened, since most members of Congress heard Trump speak to his supporters and were in the Capitol when the mob broke in - impeachment is going straight to the House floor for a vote, which would come as soon as Wednesday. Once the House votes to impeach, the articles and evidence would be sent to the Senate, where a trial would be held and there would be final votes to convict or acquit. That's what the Senate did in early February of last year after Trump was impeached the first time. THE ARTICLES Democrats will begin debate Wednesday on a single impeachment charge: 'incitement of insurrection.' 'President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,' reads the four-page impeachment article, which was introduced by Democratic Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland. 'He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,' it reads. The article says the behavior is consistent with Trump's prior efforts to 'subvert and obstruct' the results of the election and references his recent call with the Georgia secretary of state, in which he said he wanted him to find him more votes after losing the state to Biden. Trump has falsely claimed there was widespread fraud in the election, and the baseless claims have been repeatedly echoed by congressional Republicans and the insurgents who descended on the Capitol. Just before the riots, Trump spoke to the supporters near the White House and encouraged them to 'fight like hell.' As the protesters broke in, both chambers were debating GOP challenges to the electoral vote count in Arizona as part of the process for certifying Biden's election win. REPUBLICAN SUPPORT On Tuesday, five Republicans said they would support impeachment. No Republicans supported Trump's first impeachment in 2019. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the House and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said she would vote to impeach Trump because 'there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.' Cheney said Trump 'summoned' the mob that attacked the Capitol last week, 'assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.' New York Rep. John Katko was the first Republican to say he'd vote to impeach. A former federal prosecutor, he said he did not make the decision lightly. 'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,' Katko said. 'I cannot sit by without taking action.' Also saying they would vote for impeachment were Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington. SENDING TO THE SENATE Once the House passes the articles, Pelosi can decide when she sends them to the Senate. Under the current schedule, the Senate is not set to resume full sessions until Jan. 19, which is the day before Biden's inauguration. Some Democrats suggested Pelosi might wait to send the articles and allow Biden to begin his term without impeachment hanging over him. But many other Democrats have urged Pelosi to move immediately. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who will be in charge once Biden is sworn in, suggested in a letter to colleagues Tuesday the chamber might divide its time between confirming Biden's nominees, approving COVID relief and conducting the trial. If the trial isn't held until Trump is already out of office, it could still have the effect of preventing him from running for president again. Biden has said it's important to ensure that the 'folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable.' SENATE POLITICS It's unlikely, for now, that enough Republicans would vote to convict, since two-thirds of the Senate is needed. Yet some Republicans have told Trump to resign, including Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and few are defending him. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse has said he would take a look at what the House approves, but stopped short of committing to support it. Other Republicans have said that impeachment would be divisive. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, long a key ally of the president, has been critical of his behavior in inciting the riots but said impeachment 'will do far more harm than good.' Only one Republican voted to convict Trump last year  Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. WHAT IMPEACHMENT WOULD MEAN Democrats say they have to move forward, even if the Senate doesn't convict. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted on Friday that some people might ask why they would try to impeach a president with only a few days left in office. 'The answer: Precedent,' he said. 'It must be made clear that no president, now or in the future, can lead an insurrection against the U.S. government.' Advertisement

In the hours after the riot, Pence did his Constitutional duty and certified President-elect Joe Biden, something he had been pressured by Trump not to do.

'You can either go down in history as a patriot,' Trump had told Pence by phone before he headed to the Capitol Wednesday, according to The New York Times. 'Or you can go down in history as a p****.'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his support for impeachment, The New York Times reported Tuesday evening

Pence was inside when the violent mobbed attacked, with some Trump supporters calling out, 'Hang Mike Pence.'

The Times reported that Trump had invited Pence to the Oval Office Monday night to try to smooth things over in the run-up to the House's 25th Amendment vote.

The official description of the meeting was 'good,' according to the newspaper.

Unofficially sources called it 'nonsubstantive' and 'stilted.'

Tuesday night's vote on the 25th Amendment is considered the appetizer for Wednesday's main course: the House pursuing impeachment again.

Nowhere in his letter did Pence say he objected to that move.

Shortly after Pence sent out his letter, Pelosi sent out the names of impeachment managers.

She picked Rep. Jamie Raskin, who introduced the 25th Amendment resolution, as the head manager.

'I think every member of this body should be able to agree that this president is not meeting the most minimal duties of office,' Raskin argued Tuesday night.

Raskin also warned his fellow lawmakers that Trump could pardon the Capitol Hill attackers during his waning days.

Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, recently lost his son.

Additionally, Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette, David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Stacey Plaskett, Joe Neguse and Madeleine Dean were also chosen.

Earlier Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his support for the impeachment effort that includes an article charging the president with 'incitement of insurrection.'

The view of the GOP powerbroker emerged shortly before Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of the House GOP leadership, announced that she would vote for impeaching President Trump.

'On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic,' wrote Cheney, the daughter of the former vice president.

'Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' she continued.

'I will vote to impeach the President,' Cheney concluded.

Neither Cheney nor McConnell backed Democrats impeachment effort a year ago.

McConnell worked successfully to scuttle the impeachment effort during a trial last year on different charges.

His current view follows reports that McConnell never wants to speak to Trump again after the Capitol riots that had Trump supporters invading the Capitol, trashing leadership offices, and endangering the lives of lawmakers.

McConnell backs the effort because it will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, the New York Times reports.

One feature of impeachment  which can grind the Senate to a halt and lead to furious partisan arguments  is that it allows lawmakers to vote to prohibit the person being impeached from ever holding public office with the U.S. government.

Trump may run for president in 2024, and many of his potential rivals happen to hold Senate seats.

McConnell has made clear in private discussions that 'now is the moment to move on the weakened lame duck, whom he blames for Republicans losing the Senate,' according to the report.

Trump ignored McConnell's advice and launched his election challenge despite two run-off elections in Georgia which the GOP lost  stripping the party of its majority.

A source told CNN McConnell 'hates' Trump and is 'furious' with him after the Capitol riots.

The siege left five people dead, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was based on the Senate side.

McConnell's wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, quit the Trump cabinet after the riots, which included an angry mob getting blocked steps from the door to the Senate chamber that McConnell uses when he normally strolls from his leadership office.

It was not immediately clear how McConnell might vote on impeachment.

McConnell's view emerged as Trump, rather than express contrition, called impeachment a 'hoax' and a 'witch hunt,' and defended his pre-riot comments that Democrats have already said was incitement. Trump called his speech minutes before the siege 'totally appropriate.'

Cheney's statement denouncing the president comes after Trump told supporters they need to 'get rid' of people like her.

'We got to get rid of the weak Congresspeople, the ones that aren't any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world. We got to get rid of them,' Trump said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised her, amid speculation numerous House Republicans might follow her lead.

'Good for her for honoring her oath of us. Would that more Republicans would honor their oaths of office,' Pelosi said.

GOP Rep. John Katko also announced he would back impeachment Tuesday night.

'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,' Katko said in a statement, Syracuse.com reported. 'For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this president,' he said.

During floor debate, Katko said he wasn't supporting the 25th Amendment resolution because it was 'non-binding,' calling it 'merely a symbolic gesture.'

Katko confirmed his plans to vote for impeachment.

Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton also told Forbes he would vote to impeach.

As midnight approached, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler also said she was a yes.

Convicting Trump on an impeachment article requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate, where Republicans hold 50 votes  a high bar to meet.

Assuming passage in the House, it has not been determined when Democratic leaders will transmit the impeachment article, or when the Senate might take it up.

A McConnell memo that emerged over the weekend cited scheduling challenges for impeachment  a trial might not even begin until after Jan. 19th, since the Senate is not in session.

President-elect Joe Biden said Monday there was the possibility of dual-tracking an impeachment and Senate session that would be needed to get his cabinet confirmed.

Biden phoned McConnell on Monday, according to the Times on the subject of a trial, and McConnell said he would consult the Senate parliamentarian and get back.

There are Senate rules and precedents governing impeachment, but leaders also might be able to negotiate a way to handle it, with the possibility of a special impeachment committee taking up some of the burden.

Trump has continued his usual pattern of lashing out at political adversaries when under attack.

'Free speech is under assault like never before. The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden Administration. As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for,' Trump said Tuesday, before lawmakers cast their votes Tuesday night.

Post-riot accounts from last Wednesday reveal that not only did President Trump egg on supporters who wreaked havoc in the Capitol  but he was glued to the television as the events unfolded, incapable of responding to desperate pleas to use influence to stop it and enjoying seeing it unfold.

There were two major areas where the president fell dramatically short of what was being asked of him: using his personal popularity with his followers to urge them to vacate the Capitol immediately; and using the vast powers of his office to try to speed a federal response.

But when key current and former aides and family members tried to reach him, he was 'busy enjoying the spectacle,' according to a Washington Post account.

What Trump told supporters before they ransacked the Capitol in 'totally appropriate' speech

We're going to have to fight much harder 'Republicans are constantly fighting like a boxer with his hands tied behind his back. It's like a boxer. And we want to be so nice. We want to be so respectful of everybody, including bad people. And we're going to have to fight much harder.' We're going to walk down to the Capitol 'We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. 'Get tougher' / You are allowed to go by very different rules 'The Republicans have to get tougher. Youre not going to have a Republican Party if you dont get tougher. They want to play so straight. They want to play so serious. The United States, the Constitution doesnt allow me to send them back to the states. Well, I would say yes, it does, because the Constitution says you have to protect our country, and you have to protect our Constitution, and you cant vote on fraud, and fraud breaks up everything, doesnt it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do, and I hope he doesnt listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that hes listening toWhen you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do, and I hope he doesn't listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that he's listening to.' Takes 'more courage not to step up' 'I also want to thank our 13 most courageous members of the U.S. Senate ... I actually think, though, it takes, again, more courage not to step up, and I think a lot of those people are going to find that out. And you better start looking at your leadership, because your leadership has led you down the tubes.' Never concede 'We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough.' On 'fake news' and 'Big tech' 'They rigged an election, they rigged it like they have never rigged an election before.' 'All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by bold and radical left Democrats, which is what they are doing, and stolen by the fake news media. That is what they have done and what they are doing. We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesnt happen. You dont concede when theres theft involved.' 'We will not take it anymore' 'Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore, and that is what this is all about.' And to use a favorite term that all of you people really came up with, we will stop the steal.'

Denied Biden's vote count 'He had 80 million computer votes. Its a disgrace. Theres never been anything like that. You can take Third World countries, just take a look, take Third World countries, their elections are more honest than what we have been going through in this country. Its a disgrace. Its a disgrace. Even when you look at last night, they were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off with boxes, and nobody knows what the hell is going on. Theres never been anything like this. We will not let them silence your voices. Were not going to let it happen.' [Note: Biden got more than 81 million votes; Trump rounded up his own total to 75 million.] Call for military and law enforcement to join 'And I would love to have, if those tens of thousands of people would be allowed, the military, the Secret Service and we want to thank you  and the police and law enforcement  great, youre doing a great job. But I would love it if they could be allowed to come up with us. Is that possible? Can you just let them, please?' Pressure on Mike Pence: Says it takes 'courage' to do nothing 'I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election ... All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to re-certify, and we become president, and you are the happiest people.' 'And I actually, I just spoke to Mike. I said, Mike, that doesnt take courage, what takes courage is to do nothing. That takes courage, and then we are stuck with a president who lost the election by a lot, and we have to live with that for four more years. Were just not going to let that happen.' Won't stand for Biden win 'We want to go back, and we want to get this right, because were going to have somebody in there that should not be in there, and our country will be destroyed. And were not going to stand for that.' 'You're not the people that tore down our nation' 'If this happened to the Democrats, thered be hell all over the country going on. Thered be hell all over the country. But just remember this, youre stronger, youre smarter. Youve got more going than anybody, and they try and demean everybody having to do with us, and youre the real people. Youre the people that built this nation. Youre not the people that tore down our nation.' March peacefully ... we will see whether Republicans stand strong 'I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. Today, we will see whether Republicans stand strong for the integrity of our elections. But whether or not they stand strong for our country  our country, our country has been under siege for a long time. Far longer than this four-year period' 'Ashamed ... throughout eternity' 'Today, we see a very important event, though, because right over there, right there, we see the event thats going to take place, and Im going to be watching because history is going to be made. Were going to see whether or not we have great and courageous leaders or whether or not we have leaders that should be ashamed of themselves throughout history, throughout eternity. Theyll be ashamed. And you know what? If they do the wrong thing, we should never, ever forget that they did. Never forget.' Calls Republicans who voted not to count certified votes 'warriors' 'I want to thank the more than 140 members of the House. Those are warriors.15 Theyre over there working like youve never seen before, studying, talking, actually going all the way back studying the roots of the Constitution because they know we have the right to send a bad vote that was illegally gotten.' Biden will be 'illegitimate' 'But think of this: If you dont do that, that means you will have a president of the United States for four years with his wonderful son, you will have a president who lost all of these states, or you will have a president, to put it another way, who was voted on by a bunch of stupid people who lost all of these states. You will have an illegitimate president. That is what you will have, and we cant let that happen.' Call to 'do something' about radical left 'The radical left knows exactly what they were doing. They are ruthless, and its time that somebody did something about it. And Mike Pence, I hope youre going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. (APPLAUSE) And if youre not, Im going to be very disappointed in you. I will tell you right now. Im not hearing good stories.' Election was 'stolen' 'Make no mistake, this election was stolen from you, from me, and from the country, and not a single swing state has conducted a comprehensive audit to remove the illegal ballots. This should absolutely occur in every single contested state before the election is certified.' Alleges 'criminal enterprise' 'So, when you hear  when you hear, While there is no evidence to prove any wrongdoing, this is the most fraudulent thing anybodys  this is a criminal enterprise. This is a criminal enterprise.' Fight like hell

'And again, most people would stand there at 9 oclock in the evening and say, I want to thank you very much, and they go off to some other life. But I said something is wrong here, something is really wrong, cant have happened, and we fight. We fight like hell, and if you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore.' Advertisement

As the historic mob invasion of the U.S. seat of legislative government unfolded, a variety of people with influence over Trump sought to get to him to urge action.

The routes they took were typical of the loosely organized web of influence within the Trump White House.

Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham  who only after the riot firmly declared Joe Biden the winner of the election  reached out to the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump.

'It took him a while to appreciate the gravity of the situation,' Graham told the Post. 'The president saw these people as his allies in his journey and sympathetic to the idea that the election was stolen,' Graham said of the rioters who took the Capitol.

House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who Trump believes is so much under his wing that he has publicly called him 'My Kevin,' was pleading for action.

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Protesters attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation's capital during a joint session Congress to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. One Capitol Police officer died in the action

Police officers in riot gear line up as protesters gather on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. It took hours to regain control of the building

McCarthy phoned Trump directly to try to plead for assistance  but also called the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, who was returning form a trip to the Middle East.

Former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, who doesn't even work for Trump anymore, tried to get through to him to urge action.

She phoned an aide she knew was in close proximity to Trump.

The office of the Mayor of Washington, desperate to get more National Guard forces amid logistical and jurisdictional hurdles, also reached out to Conway.

Chief of staff Mark Meadows urged Trump to speak out after an aide told him: 'They are going to kill people,' in reference to the rioters.

A primary area of the pleas related to something Trump was capable of doing on his own without engaging with the bureaucracy: issuing simple Twitter or video pleas for protesters to get out of the Capitol.

The appeals he finally made either lacked a direct call to fall back, or sprinkled in approving language even as the riot that would become deadly unfolded.

At 2:30 pm, about half an hour after the Capitol breach, Trump told his supporters to 'Please support our Capitol Police' and to 'Stay peaceful!'

His next message was more explicit, writing 'No violence!'  but claimed 'WE are the Party of Law & Order.'

After he finally put out a video at about 4 pm, Trump finally told his backers to 'go home.' But he also called them 'very special,' called the election 'fraudulent,' and said: 'You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home, and go home in peace.'

Trump himself had egged on his supporters with demands that they 'fight,' calling the election fraudulent, and putting pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, whose only role was ceremonial and involved opening and reading from envelopes containing electoral votes.

Trump was glued to the television as the storming of the Capitol was broadcast.

Prior reporting has revealed that the Washington D.C. government had requested a National Guard presence, but Guard were assigned to traffic and other assistance and weren't issued ammo or riot gear.

The now resigned chief of Capitol Police says he wanted more Guard support in advance of Wednesday but had been told by superiors to ask for it informally. The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, says there were delays getting approval to send Guard forces from the Pentagon.

But it wasn't mere distraction that kept Trump from springing into action. It's not atht he was too busy because he was so consumed, which he was,' the New York Times reported.

'He was pleased because it was people fighting on his behalf. He was pleased because he liked the scene. And he was pleased because it was delaying the certification of the Electoral College vote,' the New York Times reported. 'He knew what was happening... He just didn't want to do anything.'

Although McCarthy told colleagues on a call Monday Trump had accepted 'some responsibility' for the riot, on Tuesday the president was back to his defiant posture familiar from impeachment and the Russia probe.

Trump said a second impeachment Democrats are lining up is a 'continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.'
Canadas most populous province, Ontario, declared another state of emergency Tuesday, amid soaring coronavirus cases.Ontario premier Doug Ford also issued a stay-at-home order starting Thursday, with exemptions for essential activities such as accessing health care or shopping for groceries.

Ontario reported 2,903 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, including eight new cases of a variant from the United Kingdom. Ford says schools in many regions will remained close for in class in learning until Feb. 10. With 674,473 cases and still surging infection from the mutant virus, the north American nation still remains highly affected.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
Bhopal:

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been hit out by BJP ally Shiv Sena on Saturday over the farmers unrest in the state. Shiv Sena has further advised that instead of sitting on a fast, the CM should have visited Mandsaur to comfort the farmers.

Congress also dubbed Chouhans fast as mere "nautanki" (drama).

As the farmers protests entered its tenth day in the state, Chouhan launched his indefinite fast at the Dusshera Maidan here today promising profitable prices to farmers for their produce.

Senas media in-charge Apoorva Dubey, who reached the Dusshera Maidan, told reporters, "Instead of sitting here, he should have gone to Mandsaur to comfort and help the farmers. Chouhan should sit indefinitely on the fast till the farmers woes are mitigated, or we else will launch an indefinite fast in support of the farmers."

"Those farmers who have come to the Dussehra Maiden had been brought by the ruling BJP. Farmers stir is the result of the failure of Chouhan, the state bureaucracy and the police," he alleged.

Also Read: People's emotions about Hindu nation forced Rahul to read Gita'

Later, a delegation of Shiv Sena met Chouhan and suggested ways, including a loan waiver, to end the farmers unrest. After meeting the chief minister, Dubey did not speak to reporters.

State Congress chief spokesperson K K Mishra said, "Chouhan should tell people whether his so-called fast is a nautanki, an event or an act of repentance for his misdeeds that set the state on fire."

"Though he is trying to send a message that he is doing Gandhi-giri (using a Gandhian way), it is absolutely not so. He neither sat at the foot of the statue of Gandhi nor did he garland the statue before launching his nautanki," Mishra said.

"He should remember that (demon king) Ravana is burnt at the Dussehra Maidan every year," the Congress leader said.

Parts of western Madhya Pradesh has been on the boil ever since the farmers launched an agitation last week seeking loan waiver and better crop prices.

Also Read: MP farmers protest: Cong terms Shivraj Singh Chouhans fast a drama'

The situation has been volatile in Mandsaur and Neemuch in the last few days. Five farmers were killed in police firing at Mandsaur on Tuesday, while six others were injured.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Mumbai, Jan 13 : Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday recalled how she celebrated Lohri during her childhood days in Himachal Pradesh.

The actress Kangana posted a picture on Instagram, where she is seen dressed in a purple outfit. "In Himachal we have a tradition of singing Lohri, when I was small, children made groups and sang Lohri in neighbourhoods and collected money/sweets, children in villages and joint families have much more fun than city kids in nuclear families, anyway #happylohri2021," she wrote alongside the image.

On January 12, Kangana on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, paid a tribute to her guru and said that he gave her a purpose when she was disillusioned by the world. She took to Twitter to pen a tribute to Swami Vivekananda, and expressed how his teachings helped her in the time when she had no hope.

Meanwhile, the actress has started preparing for her next film, "Dhaakad". She will also be seen in the films "Thalaivi" and "Tejas".
Cabinet mulls fixed gas price for households

PM told the government to draft a decree on the introduction of state regulation of gas prices pending quarantine restrictions.

Reporting by UNIAN

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California representative Norma Torres has given emotional testimony about her experience during the Capitol riots last week, while blaming Donald Trump for the insurrection.

Dozens of representatives were forced to lockdown in Congress last Wednesday, when a mob of pro-Trump rioters breached the Capitol. They were forced to barricade themselves in offices to hide from the rioters, some of whom were carrying guns and other weapons.

The rioters breached the Capitol after attending a Donald Trump rally, during which he told the crowd: We're going to walk down to the Capitol and added: You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.

On Tuesday, during a House Rules Committee debate on two resolutions to remove President Trump from office in response to the riots, Ms Torres, 55, spoke about her experience being put in lockdown in Congress last week.

Like many of you, some of you, I was caught up in that attack last week. I was one of 12 trapped in the House gallery. I heard the shot being fired, I saw the smoke from the tear gas having been deployed, a clearly emotional Ms Torres said recalling the events of last Wednesday.

I watched one officer with no protective equipment face a raging mob just outside the chamber, she continued.

We crawled across the entire length of that balcony. I was in the last group to be evacuated. We ran down the halls, stairs near a mob that was being held on the ground at gunpoint, Ms Torres added.

The 55-year-old then asked her colleagues: Ask yourselves, is gunfire in the speakers lobby a new normal that you are willing to accept? Should ransacked offices be a part of the job going forward?

Recalling the lockdown on Wednesday, the California representative, a Democrat, criticised some of her Republican colleagues, who were filmed refusing to wear face masks despite being stuck in a small room with other lawmakers.

I sheltered for four to five hours, in a room that was packed shoulder to shoulder with people. Adding more trauma to the riot we had just survived were several Republican colleagues refusing to wear a mask.

As a result, many of my dear colleagues and friends have tested positive, Im waiting on my results, Ms Torres told the committee on Tuesday.

Three Democratic House representatives have tested positive for Covid-19 after being forced to lockdown with other lawmakers during the siege at the US Capitol last week.

Washington representative Pramila Jayapal, Illinois congressman Brad Schneider and New Jersey lawmaker Bonnie Watson Coleman, all Democrats, confirmed that they had contracted coronavirus over the last two days.

According to Johns Hopkins University, there are now more than 22.6 million people who have tested positive for the coronavirus in the US. The death toll has reached 376,295.

Earlier on during her speech at the committee on Tuesday, Ms Torres condemned the insurrection and blamed President Trump for the riots.

Throughout our history, the Rules Committee has met to discuss many, many historic measures and today is no exception. We are making history once again and to discuss events that will forever stain this great institution and our democracy, Ms Torres said on Tuesday.

As we meet with our wounded hearts in our Capitol building, there is no debate that these hollow halls were violated last week. There is no debate that the mob that breached these walls was energised by misinformation, bald faced lies and claims that are in direct odds with our constitution.

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And there is no debate as to who misled those people, who sent them here to ravage our capitol, who it was who undermined our American democracy. President Trump, thats who it was, she added.

Ms Torres then publicly stated her support for the possible second impeachment of Mr Trump, which could be voted on in the House this week, telling vice President Mike Pence to defend the country from all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

The representative added: More than 50 officers were injured. 15 hospitalised. Trump incited this attack and there should be no question as to what vice president Pence needs to do right now.

The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump's fiery speech at a rally just before the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol is at the center of the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread for months about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

What to watch as the Democratic-controlled House moves to impeach Trump for the second time in 13 months  now with just days left in the defeated president's term.

BUT FIRST, A VOTE ON THE 25TH AMENDMENT

Before proceeding with impeachment, the House pressed Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to remove Trump more quickly and surely, warning that he is a threat to democracy in the few remaining days of his presidency.

The House approved a resolution late Tuesday calling on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to declare the president unable to serve. Pence, who was among those forced to take shelter inside the Capitol complex during the attack, said before the vote that he would take no such action, leaving lawmakers with impeachment as their only option to remove Trump from office before Jan. 20, when President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as president.

THE DEMOCRATIC CASE FOR IMPEACHMENT

Trump faces a single charge  incitement of insurrection  after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating Wednesday. It's a stunning end for Trumps presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that ransacked the Capitol.

President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government, reads part of the four-page impeachment bill. He will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said impeachment is needed despite the limited number of days left in Trump's term. The presidents threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action, she said.

Trump's actions were personal for Pelosi and many other lawmakers. She was among those forced to huddle in a bunker during the Capitol riots, and armed rioters menaced staffers with taunts of Wheres Nancy?

HOW MANY REPUBLICANS WILL SUPPORT?

Unlike the last time Trump was impeached, when no House Republicans supported charges against Trump over a call he made to Ukraine's new president, the current impeachment effort has drawn support from some Republicans.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and his deputy, Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, are again expected to oppose impeachment, but Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said Tuesday she will support it.

Cheney, whose father, Dick Cheney, served as vice president under George W. Bush, has been more critical of Trump than other GOP leaders. She said in a statement Tuesday that Trump summoned the mob that attacked the Capitol, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. She added: Everything that followed was his doing and noted that Trump could have immediately intervened to stop his supporters from rioting but did not.

Reps. John Katko, R-N.Y., and Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., also said they would back impeachment, and some other Republicans seem likely to follow.

McCarthy, one of Trumps closest allies in Congress, echoed Trump in declaring that impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together.

WILL HOUSE CENSURE TRUMP?

In a move short of impeachment, McCarthy and other Republicans have floated the idea of a House censure of Trump. Although it was not clear how much support the proposal has, McCarthy said censure or some other mechanism  such as a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack  would "ensure that the events of January 6 are rightfully denounced and prevented from occurring in the future.''

Democrats, with the votes to impeach in hand, aren't buying it.

HOW WILL TRUMP RESPOND?

So far, Trump has taken no responsibility for his part in fomenting the violent insurrection, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol and praising them while they were still carrying out the assault. People thought that what I said was totally appropriate, he said Tuesday.

In the days leading up to the Jan. 6 certification vote, Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington, D.C., promising a wild rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administrations findings to the contrary.

Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd assembled near the White House, Trump encouraged supporters to fight like hell and suggested they march down to the Capitol to encourage GOP lawmakers to "step up and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office. He also said he would join them in marching on the Capitol, although he returned to the White House immediately after the speech and watched the riot on TV.

One significant difference from Trump's first impeachment: He no longer has a Twitter feed to respond in real time.

STEPPED-UP SECURITY

In a sign of the increase tensions in the wake of the attack, House lawmakers will for the first time be required to go through a metal detector before being allowed to enter the chamber.

This new security measure will stay in effect every day the House is in session for the foreseeable future, according to a directive by Timothy Blodgett, the acting House sergeant-at-arms. Blodgett replaced the longtime sergeant-at-arms who resigned after widespread criticism about poor security planning for the Jan. 6 certification vote.

Members of Congress have previously enjoyed nearly free roam at the Capitol, able to bypass security screening stations at most entrances to the building. In the House chamber, there have been Capitol Police officers and civilian door monitors but no screening stations.

Blodgett also told lawmakers they must wear masks during the COVID-19 crisis and that they face removal from the chamber if they fail to do so.

WILL LAWMAKERS REIN IN EMOTIONS ON THE FLOOR?

While debate on the House is often impassioned, emotions are expected to run unusually high as lawmakers debate impeachment. Not only is it the second time they have voted on such a measure, the debate comes exactly one week after a majority of House Republicans objected to the certification of Biden's victory, setting the stage for the hourslong siege that rocked the Capitol and the nation.

In the end, 121 House Republicans voted against Arizona's certification of Biden's victory  and 138 GOP lawmakers opposed Pennsylvania's certification  even after the assault on the Capitol, an unprecedented break with tradition that has Democrats seething. A recent breakout of COVID-19 among lawmakers who were held in lockdown with others who refused to wear masks has only heightened tensions.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : As the tenure of the current Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Rishi Kumar Shukla comes to an end on February 2, the race for the premium post has gathered momentum with several top officers in the race.

According to sources, several officers of the 1984, 1985 and 1986 batch are in the running for the top post, including NIA chief Y. C. Modi who is currently the chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Arun Kumar, Director General of the Railway Protection Force and Praveen Sinha, currently Additional Director in the CBI.

Besides them, Central Reserve Police Force director general AP Maheshwari and Indo-Tibetan Border Police chief S.S. Deswal are also said to be in the race.

Official sources said the present CBI Director, a 1983 batch officer, may get an extension for six months.

A source said that Rakesh Asthana, who is currently holding several key posts such as DG Border Security Force and also holding additional charge DG of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) is also in the race.

Besides Asthana, M.A. Ganapathy, a 1986 batch IPS officer of Uttarakhand cadre and currently Director General of Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) is also said to be in the tight race for the top post.

After the DoPT chooses the names of at least three or four officers for the CBI Director's post, they would be sent to the Select Committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Chief Justice of India and the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha to decide the final pick for a fixed term of two years. Currently the Congress is the largest Opposition party in Lok Sabha.

According to guidelines set by the Supreme Court in 2004, officers from the four oldest serving batches of the IPS will be in contention for the top post.

As per the guidelines, officials having experience in anti-corruption investigations or CBI, from the senior most four batches of IPS cadre, will be empanelled, following which a screening of three officers would be sent to the Appointments' Committee of the Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Palma Ceia SemiDesign Ginger Lees extensive experience in managing financial operations at a range of businesses will have a strong impact as we manage Palma Ceias growth. - Roy Jewell, CEO, Palma Ceia SemiDesign

Palma Ceia SemiDesign, a fabless semiconductor company specializing in next-generation wireless connectivity solutions, today announced Ginger Lee has joined the company as chief financial officer. She has worldwide responsibility for the companys financial operations and financial infrastructure, and reports to Chief Executive Officer Roy E. Jewell.

Gingers experience in the semiconductor and electronics industries gives her a perspective that will contribute to Palma Ceia during an important phase for the company, Jewell said. Her extensive experience in managing financial operations at a range of businesses will have a strong impact as we manage Palma Ceias growth.

Palma Ceias technology, particularly the developments weve made in Wi-Fi 6, makes this a great company to join right now, Lee said. Im excited to join such a talented and experienced team, with great technologists in China, Europe and the U.S.

Before joining Palma Ceia, Lee was vice president and corporate controller with GTC Semiconductor. Earlier experience includes a range of financial management roles with companies such as Sun Microsystems, Synopsys, Cirrus Logic and IBM. Lee was also senior manager and practice director for Deloitte. She holds a BS degree in Business/Managerial Economics from the University of San Francisco.

About Palma Ceia SemiDesign

Palma Ceia SemiDesign (PCS) is a leading provider of communication IP and semiconductors for next-generation WiFi and cellular applications. With a focus on emerging WiFi and LTE standards, PCS targets the design of ICs for broadband, wireless, medical and automotive applications. Palma Ceia solutions are differentiated by low-power, high-performance and ease of integration. With operational headquarters in Hong Kong, the company has design centers in Cambridge (UK), Hong Kong (PRC), and McKinney, Texas (USA). Additional sales and support activities are located in greater China, Israel, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Visit Palma Ceia SemiDesign on the web at http://www.pcsemi.com.

Palma Ceia SemiDesign and the Palma Ceia SemiDesign logo are trademarks of Palma Ceia SemiDesign, a Cayman Islands corporation, and are protected by trademark laws of the United States and other jurisdictions. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
HOLLAND, MI -- Police have identified a man and woman found dead in a Holland Township apartment in what police say was a possible murder-suicide.

Ottawa County sheriffs deputies say they are not looking for any suspects.

They identified the woman as 22-year-old Dominique Marie Anaya and the man as 23-year-old Marcus Deontae Meridy.

Police said an autopsy showed the woman had multiple wounds and the man was shot once in the head.

Deputies responded about 10:45 a.m. Jan. 10 to an apartment in the 2900 block of Millpond Drive after a family member of the 22-year-old woman found the two people dead.

Anaya and Meridy were in a domestic relationship, police said.

Police recovered a gun at the scene. In a statement issued later Jan. 10, police said they believed the deaths were a possible murder-suicide.

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The existence of Christian heavy metal has caused debate and speculation amongst Christian circles since its inception. Big names among Christian metal bands include the likes of Demon Hunter and P.O.D (short for Payable On Death), which have both been around for almost 20 years.

Christian metal bands typically position themselves and their music as evangelising toward a group of people that would otherwise not hear the Gospel, metal enthusiasts, or metalheads.

Im primarily supporting my information based upon an academic article that I read for my studies this semester, entitled The double controversy of Christian metal by Marcus Moberg. Essentially, Moberg argued that Christian metal was doubly controversial, meaning that neither metal enthusiasts nor Christian circles accepted the genre when it first developed in the 1980s.

For conservative churches, the real issue related to the morally questionable behaviour associated with the metal scene at the time. In the 1980s (and still now, really) the culture of secular metal distinctly opposed values of Christianity, so the notion of a Christian metal band was problematic, how could a band be both metal and Christian?

The form of music itself was the issue because of the culture it was associated with. Christian metal bands countered this argument by saying all forms of music are neutral and it is the intentions of the artists that matter most.

So how should we think of modern Christian metal?

The aforementioned bands reflect their Christian faith in their lyrical content. Not all their songs have direct Christian themes, in fact most are more subtle, otherwise it would be harder to connect with a non-Christian audience. Even still, these songs offer an alternative to secular metal. Here is an excerpt from P.O.Ds song Alive:

I feel so alive for the very first time

I can't deny you

I feel so alive

As for the debate about the stereotypical sound, can you imagine many people in your church ecstatic to hear the band starting a heavy guitar riff? I work at a Christian radio station and I cannot imagine playing Christian metal on air would result in an overall positive response from our target audience.

This is a slightly comical depiction, though it may reflect the notion that Christian metal is necessary for engaging with people who do not identify with standard church culture, and may not feel like they fit in. In other words, heavy metal enthusiasts who dont like gospel or pop music. Moberg argues that a Christian will, presumably, not need to explain themselves for listening to gospel or pop music, however they would need to provide an explanation as to why they listen to heavy metal.

Is the metal genre evil?

Perhaps one could argue that the metal genre itself is indeed evil, satanic, a tool of the devil, etc  there is certainly evidence to support this. However, did Jesus not associate with tax collectors and prostitutes during his ministry? These people on the outskirts of society in his time. Jesus meets the people who need him regardless of if they belong in society. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus says:

The spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, (Luke chapter 4, verse 18).

Christian metal reflects this idea of meeting people where they are, like Jesus did. However, he does of course not expect them to remain in this way, and that is where the Christian position is important. It is not unlike the idea of planting the seed. Should Christians not at least encourage the efforts of others who strive to connect with communities where Christianity is sparse or even met with contempt, rather than criticising them for their methods. The book of 1 Peter tells us:

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ (1 Peter chapter 3, verse 15).

In order for people to hear they message, Christians have to engage with them, preferably through something they enjoy, such as music. Even members from mainstream metal bands like Korn have become Christian since their debut. At the end of the day, God judges each of our hearts, metalhead or not.

I think it is worthwhile to think about our own views toward Christian metal, or other musical genres like rap, and what they reflect about Christians broader cultural understanding in engaging with people on the outskirts of our communities.

The researchers involved in this collaboration are currently examining these samples to identify novel prognosis, therapeutic and recurrence biomarkers for the better management of the patients from North East region

Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with North East Cancer Hospital and Research Institute (NECHRI), Jorabat, Assam, at IIT Guwahati. The collaboration between IIT Guwahati and NECHRI started in 2014.

Both IIT Guwahati and NECHRI have been engaged in identifying novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, therapy and recurrence. Both the institutes have also been engaged in identifying cancer susceptible population from North East India.

The MoU will enable IIT Guwahati and NECHRI to strengthen more collaborations and to help cancer patients from NE region.

The institute has already obtained over 500 cancer samples from patients registered with from NECHRI. The researchers involved in this collaboration are currently examining these samples to identify novel prognosis, therapeutic and recurrence biomarkers for the better management of the patients from North East region.

Commenting on the MoU, Prof TG Sitharam, Director, IIT Guwahati, said, This MoU would help both the institutions to conduct interdisciplinary research in cancer and share the expertise between clinicians and scientists. The main aim of this MoU is to eradicate cancer from North East region, which is known as the hub of cancer in India.

Prof Kunnumakkara, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, IIT Guwahati, said, This initiative will specifically focus more for the prevention of cancer in North East region and to identify the high-risk population.

Dr Munidra Narayan Baruah, Managing Director and Chief Physician, NECHRI said, This collaboration with IIT Guwahati is historic and would help us to develop indigenous instruments, diagnostic devices and drugs that are affordable for our population through an interdisciplinary approach.
A text on Saturday evening from my dear friends and neighbours, Peter and Jane, informing me that Peter, 80, had received his invitation from the NHS to book an appointment for his Covid vaccine. Great!

They dutifully went on to the NHS online booking page to find the hub nearest to their North London home, only to discover this was the ExCel centre in East London, ten miles away. Other options included: Epsom Downs Racecourse in Surrey, 19 miles away; Robertson House in Stevenage, 21 miles away; and Millennium Point in Birmingham, 95 miles away. Not so great!

Peter is desperate to have the jab. His wife, Jane, is 76 and pretty immobile since she began to suffer excruciating pain in her knee a year ago. She's on the waiting list for a knee replacement, but goodness knows when that will happen.

She also had a recent fall down the stairs at home. They are now completely dependent on Peter.

Jenni Murray (pictured) explores how her neighbours have been unable to get the vaccine due to their distance from vaccination hubs

He does the shopping on foot, but doesn't drive. Jane was the driver, but gave up their car when her knee pain became unbearable.

So, what were they going to do about the jab? 'Not going to any of them,' was the somewhat terse response to my question.

On Monday, another text, 'Peter just rang our GP surgery; they have not been nominated to administer the vaccine.'

How baffling. It's a substantial health centre. A call to the surgery revealed no information as to why they haven't been designated as a vaccination centre, although we've all had our flu jabs there.

Peter tells me he was advised to look again at the website and, maybe, go to Edgware or the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead. The Royal Free told him he would need a referral from his GP.

That would not be available, he was told, by the receptionist at the surgery. He would have to call at 8am or 2pm to book a telephone appointment with his own GP. The plot thickened.

She asks why there is so little planning in place to help the elderly and pleaded to bring in the Army, St John Ambulance, the GPs and the chemists to make it easier (stock image)

So, why didn't I drive him? He wasn't happy to share the car with me. We're keeping ourselves apart, according to the rules. Our Scrabble games are no longer happening as we follow the guidance.

Public transport? A nightmare journey and probably not safe. How about a taxi? I checked the cost of a round trip to East London; 60. On a pension? Come on! And how Covid-secure is a cab for an elderly man?

When he saw the pictures of fellow pensioners navigating the ramps at the ExCel centre, Peter became even more frustrated.

At ExCel, they were queuing in the freezing cold, some leaning on sticks, others waiting half an hour for someone to bring a wheelchair to help them up the ramps.

As Peter says: 'It feels like a conspiracy to bump us off. If Covid doesn't get us, hypothermia will.'

I, at the age of 70, am in the fourth group to be offered the vaccine. No invitation yet, but it's expected to come in early February apparently. Some chance!

My neighbours are not Covid anti-vaxxers or deniers. Peter wants to have the vaccine. So why is so little planning in place to help the elderly who are unable to get to these giant vaccination hubs?

They trust the NHS to care for them from cradle to grave. Hospital staff are working themselves to the bone, but the Government has made a promise of vaccination with no thought for the frailty of the human beings to whom they have given such a guarantee.

Please, make it easier. Bring in the Army, St John Ambulance, the GPs, the chemists. Open up some of the office buildings that are empty as workers stay at home.

It can't be that hard to ensure vaccination centres are accessible. This virus will beat us if we can't show we are smarter and better at organisation than it is.

I'm not tickled pink by Vogue's new cover

As we come closer than ever to the possibility of a female president of the United States (Joe Biden is 78, after all), it's great to see the Vice President-Elect, Kamala Harris, 56, on the cover of February's Vogue.

In the photograph, she's relaxed in the kind of black jacket and trousers any of us might wear  not costly haute couture  and wearing Converse trainers. (That should put those stiletto-heeled Manolos out of the next Sex And The City, thank goodness.)

But did she have to be set against a silky pink backdrop? Let's not emphasise she's a girl, just a woman who's good at her job.

Jenni said it was great to see the Vice President-Elect, Kamala Harris, 56, on the cover of February's Vogue (above)

A message from the Radio 4 comedian, Jon Holmes, on Friday, January 1. 'Dry January starts Monday, right?' 'Right,' I replied. I was wrong.

It's now Thursday, January 14. As I nurse my vodka and low-calorie Fever-Tree Tonic with lemon, all I can say is 'Cheers!'

May they love Woman's Hour as much as me

For 33 years I presented Woman's Hour on Radio 4. I was there for four days a week for 20 of those years and three days for the rest.

I cut back after I recovered from breast cancer in 2007 and chose to quit in October last year after my 70th birthday.

It's a little strange to hear someone else welcoming listeners to the programme at two minutes past ten, but the presenter Emma Barnett is now in her second week and she'll soon be joined by the Countryfile presenter and Strictly Come Dancing supremo, Anita Rani.

I wish them luck and hope they love and nurture the programme, the Woman's Hour audience and their team of brilliant producers as much as I did. It's the best broadcasting job in the world.

Saved from pigging on Percy

I'm very disappointed that Percy Pig has fallen victim to Brexit red tape and tariffs.

They are made in Germany, then sent to M&S in the UK who export them back to stores in Europe.

A rise in price seems inevitable, but will a few extra pennies protect me from my secret vice? I try to avoid sugar, but Percy Pig has been irresistible, with a bag sneaking its way in with my fruit and veg. No more!

Percy Pigs (pictured), that are made in Germany before being sent to M&S in the UK who export them back to stores in Europe, have fallen victim to Brexit red tape and tariffs

I won't keep mum about home births

What a shame to hear some health trusts are suspending home births. As the pandemic rages, there are fears ambulances may not be free to carry a labouring woman to hospital if she's in difficulty. It's a shame because it's been the only way recently to guarantee that a father can be present at the birth.

I had my first child in hospital, advised it would be safer for a 'geriatric' mother (I was 33). The second time, at 37, I rehearsed an impressive argument about the benefits of home delivery for the hospital consultant, and was delighted when he said, 'OK!'

Labour began at 6pm in M&S. At 9.30pm, I felt the head crown while I was in the bath. By 10pm I was nursing my second son surrounded by the family I love. It was calm, quiet and wonderful.
smolaw11/iStockBy JULIA JACOBO, ABC News

(CHICAGO) -- Chicago Public Schools has threatened to dock the pay of teachers who do not report to class as the school district returns to in-person learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic.



The school district reopened Monday for the first time since closing at the start of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, despite pushback from the Chicago Teachers Union, which claims that proper protocols are not in place to keep teachers and students safe from the virus.



At least 145 CPS teachers were absent Tuesday without official leave, ABC Chicago station WLS-TV reported. About 6,000 students returned on Monday, but another 71,000 students are expected to return on Feb. 1.



Teachers have been reporting to class remotely every day because "their workplaces are not safe," Chris Geovanis, communications director for the teachers union, told ABC News.



The positivity rate in Chicago is currently at more than 10%, with a daily average of about 1,036 positive cases, according to the city's website.



At least 100 teachers were locked out of their online portals as of late Monday, including those who were not scheduled to return to in-person learning until Jan. 25, "in an appalling display of management incompetence," Geovanis said.



Pre-K and special education teachers who were locked out of their Google classrooms are still finding ways to facilitate remote learning, according to the union.



"CPS is causing chaos to the students because they want to force us back into unsafe working environments," CPS teacher Linda Perales told the station.



Some CPS teachers who did report to the classroom held "teach-outs," bringing students outside despite the cold and windy winter weather, to send a message to the school district over safety concerns, WLS reported.



A representative for Chicago Public Schools did not immediately return ABC News' request for comment.



CPS Chief Executive Officer Dr. Janice Jackson told WLS that the district has spent more than $100 million to prepare schools for in-person learning.



"We expect teachers to return to the classroom," Jackson said. "There is no reason for teachers to teach anywhere except in the classroom or the other places that have been identified by the district."



CPS teacher Quentin Washington told WLS, "The mayor and her board of education is trying to paint a picture that teachers do not want to go to work."



"We are working," she said. "We are working harder now than ever before."



Geovanis said the union is learning about outbreaks at schools in the last 24 hours, and that the cases appear related to "rank and file" educators being required to report to schools beginning Jan. 4.



CPS teacher Jenny Delessio-Parson told WLS that she believes the classrooms were not fully cleaned since last March and that there was "no clarity on the procedure of what it would be like to welcome students back into the building."



"We have more than 370,000 Americans dead from COVID-19 and we have a mayor that is adding a mandatory stay-at-home order in place, yet that order does not apply to teachers, students and schools," Washington told the station.



Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
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The United States is imposing sanctions on the Turkish governments Presidency of Defense Industries, known as SSB, for procuring the S-400 surface-to-air missile system from Russia.
Supreme Court decision prevents Texas hospital from removing toddler Tinslee Lewis' life support

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The U.S. Supreme Court has declined an appeal from a Texas hospital seeking to overturn a lower court decision that prevented it from removing a baby girls life support.

The case of Cook Childrens Medical Center v. Tinslee Lewis, et al. was one of several cases that the Supreme Court declined to hear Monday. The courts refusal to hear the case leaves the lower court ruling temporarily preventing the Fort Worth, Texas-based Cook Childrens Medical Center from withdrawing life support from 23-month old Tinslee Lewis.

Lewis mother has spent more than a year fighting to keep her daughter alive. In November 2019, Cook Childrens Medical Center attempted to invoke the 10-Day Rule against Lewis, who was born prematurely and with a heart defect. The Texas Advance Directives Act, or 10-Day Rule has been described by the pro-life group Live Action as an unethical and institutional power play that allows families just 10 days to find a new hospital for their family members on life support after the hospital they are currently using decides to remove life support.

The 10-Day Rule requires hospitals to give families 10 days notice before ending life-sustaining treatment for patients suffering from a terminal illness or who doctors believe have little or no chance of survival. With approval from a medical or ethics committee, doctors are allowed to end treatment in these cases.

Once a hospital has decided to discontinue treatment, families are given 10 days to find a different hospital that is willing to admit their loved one.

If families are unable to find a hospital and transfer the patient by the 10th day, all treatments are withdrawn unless a judge intervenes with a court order requiring the hospital to continue life-sustaining treatment.

T.L.s life has value, lawyers for Tinslee Lewis and her mother explained in a brief to the Supreme Court. Withdrawal of life-saving treatment would kill T.L., who has normal brain function, interacts with Mother, and experiences joy from living. Mother acknowledges that certain medical procedures, such as IV insertions, can cause T.L. pain, but T.L. is not in agony.

Petitioner states that it made a moral decision that treatment inflicts pain and fear on a sedated child for no benefit, they added. The moral decision that there is no benefit in T.L.s life is not Petitioners to make. That decision belongs to her Mother and her Creator.

Lewis lawyers explained that they had called on the appellate court to issue a temporary injunction, maintaining that such a step was necessary to give state courts the opportunity to assess the constitutionality of Texas Health and Safety Code section 166.046 through a trial on the merits.

According to the brief filed on behalf of Lewis family, that particular provision of Texas law allows hospitals to end patients lives without allowing them notice and opportunity to be heard on the value of their life.

In a reply brief submitted to the Supreme Court, attorneys for Cook Childrens Medical Center argued: This case involves a private hospital providing private medical care to a private patient; there is no state input, participation, or control of any kind.

Additionally, they wrote, the Lewis family's inability to find an alternative hospital to provide her with care indicates the deep moral, ethical, and medical problems with respondents proposed course of painful treatment for a terminally ill child.

Attorneys for Lewis family also dispute the notion that the case does not involve any state action, alleging that defining the lawful means of death and dying is state action. Additionally, they called for the Supreme Court to reject Cook Childrens Medical Centers appeal, claiming that it did not have jurisdiction to hear a case that deals entirely with state law.

According to the pro-life group Texas Right to Life, the case will now return to the lower court for final adjudication on the merits. Texas Right to Life contends that the lower court trial will enable a judge to decide if the rights of baby Tinslee are being violated, whether a hospital should have unilateral authority to withdraw life-sustaining medical treatment from a patient against the will of the patient/surrogate, and if patients have any due process rights in these situations and the constitutionality of the 10-Day Rule.

Should the district court rule in favor of Lewis, not only would Cook Childrens Medical Center be permanently prohibited from removing her life support, all hospitals in Texas would no longer have the ability to use the 10-Day Rule to hasten patients deaths.

The 10-Day Rule law was passed by the Texas Legislature in 1999 and signed by then-Gov. George W. Bush as a compromise between the medical community and pro-life and disability rights groups, The Houston Law Review journal notes.

The consensus at the time of passage did not last long because pro-life and disability rights groups grew concerned with how doctors and hospitals implemented the statutes procedures. It became clear that the statute provided doctors with absolute immunity yet provided only very weak procedural protections for patients, the journal adds.

Since then, the journal notes that the Texas Legislature has considered over 25 bills aimed at amending the law, but have enacted only two.
Last summer's daring firefighting efforts to save the world's last stand of Wollemi pines prevented significant loss of the larger, mature trees but left many juvenile plants severely burnt, prompting expert calls for permanent fire-dampening measures to protect the ancient grove.

Of the total of 49 large trees, just four escaped without some scorching but most of the stems of less than two metres in height were badly burnt, with only a small portion so far beginning to resprout.

An aerial view of the main Wollemi Pine grove immediately after the bushfire. Credit:Phil Lamrock / NPWS

One year on from the remarkable attempt to shield the secret location from the giant Gospers Mountain fire, the Herald can reveal researchers studying the trees' recovery fear more frequent and intense bushfires from climate change could doom a species that dates from the age of dinosaurs.

Berin Mackenzie, a member of the fire crew and one of the ecologists leading the post-fire study, said "extraordinary efforts" by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Rural Fire Service definitely prevented the fire reaching the canopy of most of the larger trees.
Australian Firms Pay Bills Quicker in Improved Times

In a further sign of improving economic conditions, payment times between businesses declined in many industries last year.

However, there are concerns that this trend could be cut short from the imposition of snap COVID-19 lockdowns.

Research by commercial credit bureau CreditorWatch found 15 out of 19 industry groups reported a reduction in the time it takes to pay their bills.

The most notable improvement was in the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, which saw payment times halved over the year after a decade of tough times due to the impact of the drought.

At the other end of the spectrum, the retail sector saw payment times increase by almost a third over the year, although there was a 29 percent reduction in December.

CreditorWatch CEO Patrick Coghlan said the reduction in payment times reflects better economic conditions.

However, lockdowns and border closures at the end of the year due to COVID have the potential to stymie this, he said on Jan. 13.

Virus lockdowns over Christmas in the NSW northern beaches, and more recently a weekend lockdown in Greater Brisbane, has put a minor dent in consumer confidence to start the new year.

The ANZ-Roy Morgan consumer confidence indexa pointer to future household spendingfell 0.1 percent in the past week, compounding the two percent drop when it was last reported just prior to Christmas.

The index had struck a 13-month high earlier in December and was still 66.8 percent higher after tumbling to a record low when the COVID-19 pandemic first struck.

The monthly Westpac-Melbourne Institute consumer sentiment survey is released on Wednesday.

In December, this index surged to a 10-year high after recovering 48 percent from a low in April.

Colin Brinsden in Canberra
Say it aint so, John McClane.

Maybe Bruce Willis is Unbreakable, but the rest of us? Not so much.

PageSix reports that the actor was asked to leave a Rite Aid in Los Angeles Monday after refusing to wear a mask.

A source told the outlet that people in the store noticed that Willis wasnt wearing a mask and he left without finishing his shopping. Willis was photographed in the Rite Aid wearing a bandana around his neck (but not pulled over his nose and mouth).

It was an error in judgment, Willis told PEOPLE. Be safe out there everyone and lets continue to mask up.

Los Angeles County is approaching one million cases of coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic. More than 12,300 people have died of COVID-19 there.

Willis, 65, was born in Germany and grew up in Carneys Point in Salem County, New Jersey. The alum of Penns Grove High School later worked at the Salem Nuclear Power Plant in Lower Alloways Creek and DuPont Chambers Works factory in Deepwater, Pennsville. The future action hero studied drama at Montclair State University before moving to New York.

The two-time Emmy winner got his start on Moonlighting in the 80s before starring in the Die Hard movies, Pulp Fiction, The Fifth Element, Look Whos Talking, 12 Monkeys  which centers around a deadly virus  The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Glass.

On social media, people criticized and roasted Willis for the maskless shopping trip, often with a Die Hard theme. There were also a fair few jokes.

Die Hard: With A Ventilator https://t.co/6idF6cIoa5  Daniel Kibblesmith (@kibblesmith) January 12, 2021

bruce willis refusing to wear a mask is a CHRISTMAS MOVIE  blaire erskine (@blaireerskine) January 12, 2021

surely the negative press cant have been worth just pulling the bandana over his nose for a minute???? https://t.co/RApll4nRBD  Olivia Messer  (@OliviaMesser) January 12, 2021

Just like his recent movies, Bruce Willis only appeared in this Rite-Aid for about 10 minutes. https://t.co/lbtoU8NWSu  Noel Murray (@NoelMu) January 12, 2021

thank god Bruce Willis has made enough movies whose titles we can now use for silly jokes... Die Hard, Mortal Thoughts, Death Wish... pic.twitter.com/HgvdKCmGEV  Njuska (@njuskat) January 12, 2021

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter.

Brisbane will have to wait another eight days before the risk of an outbreak of a super-contagious COVID-19 strain subsides.

The city will remain on "heightened alert" until January 22, which will mark the end of one incubation period of the virus and the riskiest period the state has endured since the start of the pandemic.

Ambulances at the ready to transport hotel quarantine guests from the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane on Wednesday. Credit:Matt Dennien

More than 600 people have been forced into quarantine and thousands are being tested after a man unknowingly infected five others from inside a locked room in Brisbane's CBD.

The mysterious spread is of "national concern" and infection control inside Australia's hotel quarantine system has been thrown into question.
The talks held in Berlin by representatives of the Normandy Four, which mediates the conflict in Donbas, have concluded, a representative from the Russian Embassy to Germany told journalists on Tuesday evening.

"The talks have concluded," the diplomat said.

The latest round, at the level of political advisors, took place at the office of the federal chancellor. Russia was represented by the presidential administration's deputy chief Dmitry Kozak.

The quartet comprises Germany, Russia, Ukraine and France.
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Since the dawn of civilization, man has created many incredible landmarks, while nature and time have shaped the environment into breath-taking forms. One country that is rich with cultural heritage sites and natural wonders is China. From the majestic ancient city of Liangzhu to Mount Fanjing and Mount Wuyi, here we reveal some of Chinas most remarkable places of beauty that beg to be explored. Witness them in their beauty on YouTube.

Liangzhu Ancient City

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the ancient city of Liangzhu in Zhejiang Province offers a window into Chinas historic past. Dating back 5,000 years, the sprawling archaeological site spanning 3.66 km comprises a palatial complex with cemeteries, granaries and sophisticated waterways. Near the ruins is a museum where relics can be witnessed and Chinas past can be explored further. To protect Liangzhu, remote sensing UAVs patrol the site to keep it safe, while traffic has been reduced in the area.

Mount Fanjing

Piercing the skies of Tongren in Guizhou Province, Mount Fanjing is the summit of the Wuling Mountain Range. A UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, the rocky peak is known for its unique tropical ecosystem and magnificent biodiversity with 800 plant species. From the beautiful Dove tree and Chinese tulip tree to the Guizhou golden monkeys unique to the area, Mount Fanjing bursts with wildlife. To conserve this amazing ecosystem, China has encouraged sustainable local socio-economic development to achieve a balance between protection and development.

Mount Wuyi

Dotted with ancient temples and monasteries and sliced up by a winding emerald river, Mount Wuyi in Fujian Province is a sight to behold. A UNESCO World Cultural & Natural Heritage Site, this spiritual place gave birth to the ancient Min culture and Zhu Zi Neo-Confucianism. China goes to great lengths to conserve Mount Wuyi, using technology to monitor data, regulate fishing and keep ecological equilibrium.

China is deeply committed to taking measures to protect its beautiful natural and cultural heritage sites. Preserving these wonders will continue their legacy for generations to come and are of great significance for the rest of the world. Indeed, its all of mankinds responsibility to conserve the planets marvels and this mission should be undertaken for the benefit of all.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112005558/en/
As expected, increased tariffs of non-EU and UK components are to blame. According to Autocar, the difference from December 2020 to January 2021 for the Fiesta ST with the ST-2 trim level boils down to 1,455 or $1,990 at current exchange rates. The ST-3 and ST Edition went up by 1,695 both, which is a lot of money for a small car that goes like stink in the twisties.The Puma ST , which is manufactured at the Craiova plant in Romania, went up from 28,495 to 30,415 with no equipment upgrades whatsoever. That works out to an additional 1,920 or $2,630 at todays exchange rates, and I cant help but feel sorry for the Blue Oval and the automotive industry as a whole.What is most worrying about the effects of Brexit is how these tariffs affect potential customers. Hot hatchbacks arent as popular as they used to be, which means that fewer Fiesta STs will be sold over the prohibitive pricing point. A subcompact crossover with the performance of a hot hatch may be seen as a niche product by some people, but at the end of the day, dont forget that utility vehicles of all sizes are all the rage in this day and age.According to a Ford spokesperson, Autocar understands that some of the engine components used in the production of both models are sourced from the United States. Its these parts that push the Fiesta ST and Puma ST over the allowable proportion of parts made outside of the United Kingdom and the EU, explaining the increased tariffs that are exacerbated by Brexit.As a brief refresher, both models rely on a three-cylinder EcoBoost engine with 1.5 liters of displacement. Internally referred to as the Dragon, the all-aluminum lump develops 200 PS (197 horsepower) at the crankshaft as well as 290 Nm (214 pound-feet) of torque from 1,600 up to 4,000 rpm.
A 57-year-old man was arrested in a hit-and-run that critically injured a woman in Bergen County, authorities said Tuesday.

Nicholas Sodano was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury after witnesses provided police with the license plate and description of the vehicle that struck a woman around 1:20 p.m. Jan. 7 on Bergen Boulevard in Palisades Park, according to Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella.

Police found the 53-year-old woman lying on the side of the road suffering from serious injuries, Musella said in a statement. She remained at an area hospital.

Sodano, of New Milford, was remanded to the county jail ahead of a court hearing, according to the prosecutor. It was not immediately clear if he had retained an attorney.

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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.
Wed like you to meet Ezra Hunt. He is our honorary Black River Police Officer! Theres nothing like seeing a happy and smiling child! Posted by Black River / Evans Mills Police Department on Sunday, January 10, 2021

An 11-year-old with Down syndrome who has logged three open heart surgeries got to return to school in Alabama as an honorary police officer, thanks to the chief in Black River, New York.

No matter how unlikely, Ezra H. Hunt, who goes to Shelby Elementary School in Alabama, went back to school on Tuesday wearing a Black River T-shirt with his name on the sleeve. He also was issued a certificate that made him an honorary officer, along with, and certainly not lost on his father, the actual nickle and gold badge Chief Steven Wood used to carry in his wallet while on patrol.

The fact is that I can see how special that is, said Michael J. Hunt, his father. I dont know that Ezra can appreciate the significance of that yet.

The 11-year-old is always talking about how much he likes officers. Mr. Wood found out about Ezra after he met his father through a mutual friend a few years ago.

Ezra has dressed as a police officer for each of the last two Halloweens. Hes constantly watching officers on YouTube doing lip sync challenges. Hes always pretending to arrest people, or asking for toy handcuffs or walking right up to them.

Whenever were out and he sees a police officer, Mr. Hunt said, he runs up to them and asks them if they arrested any bad guys.

Chief Wood noticed this and, just a few weeks ago, asked Ezras dad if he could mail him a few things. Ezras package arrived just recently, which included the homemade shirt, Mr. Woods old badge, the certificate and patches from Antwerp, Glen Park, Black River, state police, Lewis County and more.

Ezra was of course tickled to death when he got it, Mr. Hunt said. People dont just generally take out time to do something like that. It takes a special person.

Mr. Wood keeps patches in his car for kids at scenes. Or he might have given out a few T-shirts over the years, but hes never mailed his old badge, he said.

I just thought The more that I can give, the happier Ezra might be, Mr. Wood said. All you can do is try to make these kids lives a little better.

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If a hospital has extra doses after vaccinating all the hospital workers and outpatient health care workers such as dentists who want it during a given week, then the city will likely tell them soon to reach out to senior patients who have conditions that put them at risk.
Before Eugene Goodman faced dozens of protesters who broke into the U.S. Capitol last week, he served as an infantryman in Iraq.

Goodman, an officer with the U.S. Capitol Police, is credited with leading a mob of protesters away from the Senate chambers during last week's siege of the federal building. Igor Bobic, a HuffPost politics reporter, captured the now-viral moment when Goodman was suddenly faced with a large group of President Donald Trump's supporters who had surrounded and broken into the Capitol.

Bobic's near-90-second video shows Goodman attempting to hold back the crowd, picking up a baton to hold them back before running up a flight of stairs. When he reaches the landing where the stairway splits in two directions, Goodman leads the mob in the direction opposite of the Senate chambers.

Heres the scary moment when protesters initially got into the building from the first floor and made their way outside Senate chamber. pic.twitter.com/CfVIBsgywK  Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 6, 2021

Read Next: Guard Troops Photographed Napping in Capitol Were on Break, Army Official Says

"He's trying to bait them," Kirk Burkhalter, a professor at New York Law School and a former New York City police officer, told The Washington Post, which first reported on Goodman's Army ties.

The officer can then be heard radioing fellow law enforcement members that the rioters reached the second floor.

"Just now realizing how much of a close call it was in the Senate. Literally seconds," Bobic noted three days after posting the video of Goodman.

Goodman left the Army in 2006 after serving four years as an infantryman, said Lt. Col. Gabriel Ramirez, an Army spokesman. He deployed to Iraq with 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), from 2005 to 2006.

His awards include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal and Army Good Conduct Medal.

The Capitol Police did not respond to questions about Goodman's time in uniform or actions on Jan. 6, including whether he's being considered for any awards for single-handedly leading members of the mob away from senators.

Keith Taylor, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and another former New York City police officer, reviewed the video and told the Post that Goodman showed significant situational awareness.

"Even as he spoke and beckoned to the rioters, he was communicating with coworkers through a radio attached to his uniform, Taylor said, giving them updates on where he was and where he was headed," the paper reported.

Several friends also told the Post that Goodman was focused on "defusing the threat to lawmakers, not his own safety."

"My job is to protect and serve," the Post reported he told coworkers after Bobic's video of him went viral. "And on that day, I was protecting."

-- Gina Harkins can be reached at gina.harkins@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @ginaaharkins.

Related: Pentagon Authorizes National Guard Troops Around Capitol to Carry Lethal Weapons
US retailer Urban Outfitters is shaking up its management as Trish Donnelly prepares to step down as CEO of its namesake brand at the end of the month to pursue a new career opportunity.

Following Donelly's departure on 31 January, Free People boss Sheila Harrington will become CEO for both Urban Outfitters Group and Free People Group.

In addition, Gabrielle Conforti, currently the chief merchandising officer for the Urban Outfitters brand, has been promoted to president, Urban Outfitters North America, while Emma Wisden will continue as managing director, Urban Outfitters Europe, and will lead the Urban Outfitters brand wholesale business. Both Conforti and Wisden will report to Harrington.

"We thank Trish for her seven years of dedicated service to the company. During her tenure, she built a strong, talented team and the Urban brand grew revenues by over 10%," said Richard Hayne, CEO of Urban Outfitters, Inc.

The news comes as the company has reported an 8.4% decline in total company net sales for the two months ended 31 December over the same period last year.
Major fire breaks out at Slum in Kolkata's Bagbazar, spreads to Mayer Bari

India

oi-Deepika S

Kolkata, Jan 14: A major fire broke out at a slum in Kolkata's Bagbazar area on Wednesday evening, officials said. At least 24 fire tenders were pressed into service as the blaze engulfed several houses in the slum on Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue beside the Bagbazar Women's College near the Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, they said.

Blasts were heard in the slum which police suspect to be of gas cylinders at the houses on fire, officials said. There were no reports of any casualty as most of the people were evacuated on time, they said.

The blaze also spread to the adjacent Sarada Mayer Bari as the firefighters escorted the saints out, an officer of the fire department said. "The reason for the fire is not yet known. The firemen are fighting it tooth and nail and hopefully, it will soon be under control. We have emptied the entire area. There were several blasts, which could be because of the gas cylinders," a senior officer of the Kolkata Police said.

Locals alleged that firefighters reached the spot at least an hour late, because of which the blaze went out of control. A couple of police vehicles were vandalised, following which a team of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to control the irate mob, the officer said.

Covid-19: 3 Lakh healthcare workers to get vaccine on 1st Day | OneIndia News

Traffic movement on the Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue as well as the Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, the lifeline of the people living in the northern fringes of the city, was totally stopped, he said. "We have also snapped electricity supply in the entire area. There are at least 40 families whose houses have been gutted in the fire. A godown of books is also gutted," the police officer said.
By Abubaker Kirunda

At least one person has been confirmed dead and scores are nursing injuries after supporters of Bugweri county MP candidates clashed as campaigns came to an end.

The deceased only identified as 18-year-old Azedi, a resident of Busembatia Town council in Bugweri District.

He met his death when supporters of incumbent MP Abdu Katuntu and those of the FDC Flagbearer and Kampala based Lawyer Julius Galinsonga clashed at Idudi Trading center along Bugiri-Tororo road.

The Busoga East police spokesperson James Mubi says Azedi was hit with a stone on the head and he died before he was taken to hospital.

Mubi says they have deployed several officers to ensure law and order prevails during and after the poll tomorrow.
Over the last several days, Amy Sherman and I have been writing about our favorite Michigan craft beers of 2020.

Hey, its what we do as Michigans Best reporters at MLive! (Yes, we know we have the best jobs in the world.)

On Tuesday we named Biere de Mac Brew Works Fleur de Mac as our No. 1 pick for Beer of the Year. The French/Belgium biere de garde style beer was a collaboration with Mackinac State Historic Parks to to help celebrate the parks 125th anniversary. It was released in July.

RELATED: MLives Beer of the Year is a tribute to Mackinac history

Over the weekend we also asked you to vote in a combined poll of our individual picks, and we asked you tell us your personal favorites of 2020.

Overall, we received nearly 1,000 votes, and a list of 30-plus beers that you selected as Beer of the Year.

Its a pretty impressive list, beer lovers.

Thanks.

MLive readers selected Sheehan's Stout from Rockford Brewing Company as one of their picks for Beer of the Year 2020.Courtesy of Rockford Brewing Company

Beer of Year - Reader Submissions

Two Hearted - Bells Brewery, Comstock

Big Lake Camper - Big Lake Brewing, Holland

Mas Agave Grapefruit - Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids

Dank Vegas - Loaded Dice Brewery, Troy

Train Hopper - Witchs Hat Brewing Company, South Lyon

Jinkies Blood Orange Hazy - Fetch Brewing Co., Whitehall

Upper Hand Light - Upper Hand Brewery, Escanaba

Splash Sour Series - Baffin Brewing Company, St. Clair Shores

DRIPA - Kuhnhenn Brewing Company, Warren

1825 BA - Greenbush Brewing Company, Greenbush

Cloud 19 - Brew Detroit, Detroit

Dad Shoes - Austin Brothers Beer Company, Alpena

Same Same Different - HOMES Brewing, Ann Arbor

Mackinac KBS - Founders Brewing, Grand Rapids

Sheehan Stout - Rockford Brewery Co., Rockford

CBS - Founders Brewing Company, Grand Rapids

Dragons Milk White Stout - New Holland Brewing Co., Holland

Cubert - Ascension Brewing Company, Novi

Blood Orange Honey - Cheboygan Brewing Company, Cheboygan

German Pilsner - Silver Spruce Brewing Company, Traverse City

Dos Hombres - Two Guys Brewing, Wyoming

Downfall Double IPA - North Grove Brewers, Montague

Berry Berry- Territorial Brewing, Springfield

World Between Worlds - Arclight Brewing Company, Watervliet

Hazypotamus NEIPA - Trail Point Brewing, Allendale

Quarantuckley - Transient Artisan Ales, Bridgman

Condor Valley Brunch - Wax Wings Brewing Company, Kalamazoo

Paradise Mutation - Broad Leaf Beer, Kentwood

Amber Cream Ale - Lansing Brewing Co., Lansing

Norms Raggedy-Ass - Griffin Claw Brewing Company, Birmingham

Widowmaker - Keweenaw Brewing Co., Houghton

Final Absolution - Dragonmead Brewery, Warren

Looking back at our recent stories: On Saturday we made our individual Top 10 picks. Our lists were unranked.

RELATED: Amys Top Ten Beers of the Year 2020

RELATED: Gonzos Top Ten Beers of the Year 2020

On Monday, we announced the beer that readers selected in our poll of combined lists.

RELATED: Readers pick a dark wild saison as Beer of the Year

Then on Tuesday we surprised Danny Ranville of Biere de Mac Brew Works in Mackinaw City and Dominick Miller, marketing manager at Michigan Historic State Parks, to let them know they won Beer of the Year.

See the video below:

In case you missed it:

Final Poll Results

We always love to hear about your favorite beers, breweries, spirits, wines and even seltzers. You can email us:

Amy Sherman: asherma2@mlive.com

John Gonzalez: gonzo@mlive.com

On our search for Michigan's Best Brewery in 2016, Aaron let Amy tap a firkin.

Follow Michigans Best on Social Media

Facebook at facebook.com/MLiveMIBest/

@mlivemibest on Twitter

@mlivemibest on Instagram

Were using the hashtag #MIBest.

Learn more about Michigans Best at mlive.com/michigansbest.

More on social media:

Amy Sherman on Twitter @amyonthetrail, as well as Facebook and Instagram @amyonthetrail.

John Gonzalez on Twitter @michigangonzo, as well as Facebook and Instagram @MichiganGonzo.

More Michigan beer coverage:

Kalamazoos One Well Brewing tucks heaters under tables to create a warm situation

This Detroit brewery ask you to pay what you can as they pay it forward

Beer can shortage means some popular brews will be in bottles only

15 beers from Michigan breweries win medals at U.S. Open Beer Championship

Microbrewery invests in Allegans downtown with $500K production and taproom expansion
On the occasion of Lohri, Prime Minister on Wednesday extended greetings to the nation and prayed for everyone's happiness, good health and prosperity.

"Bhogi greetings to everyone. I pray that this special day fills everyone's lives with happiness and good health," Prime Minister Modi tweeted in English and Telugu.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also wished people on Lohri, a popular winter folk festival celebrated in the northern region of the country.

"Best wishes for Lohri. May this holy festival bring happiness and prosperity in the lives of all the countrymen," Shah tweeted

On Lohri, bonfire and folk songs are a major part of the celebrations and a puja parikrama around the bonfire is performed, followed by the distribution of prasad.

Welcoming longer days and the sun's journey to the northern hemisphere, Lohri is observed the night before Makar Sankranti or Maghi.

(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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In the heat of the moment, the line between witnessing history and making it easily blurs.

Photojournalists bring such moments into sharp focus.

Frank Scavo got caught crossing the line during the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol, captured by a photographer for The New York Times and by a Getty Images photographer.

When I interviewed Frank for my Sunday column, the former Old Forge school director and perpetual Republican also-ran denied setting foot inside the Capitol. He swore no one from his group of Northeast Pennsylvania patriots who piled into buses bound for D.C. last week took part in the lethal insurrection incited by President Donald Trump.

Then the photos started popping up. As a general rule, if you choose to participate in an attempt to overthrow the government, its best to avoid cameras  whether the one in your cellphone or those wielded by professionals.

On Monday, I texted Frank two images  one by New York Times photographer Erin Schaff and another snapped by Win McNamee of Getty Images. I also sent an enlarged version of Schaffs image that clearly shows Frank inside the Capitol  and across the line of history.

Initially, Frank denied he was the hatless, gray-haired guy wearing a dark puffy jacket and his striped scarf, End the Rain Tax! mask, wire-rimmed glasses and distinctive haircut.

Come on, Frank! I said. Thats you!

He grudgingly admitted to being himself but insisted the picture was taken outside the Capitol. Never mind all the walls and the sunlight streaming through the open doors behind him. Frank stuck to his story. He never went inside.

Trust, but verify. I reached out to The New York Times. If you havent read Erin Schaffs harrowing first-person account of the siege, heres an excerpt:

The mob massed together and rushed the officer, forcing open the door, and people flooded in. I ran upstairs to be out of the way of the crowd, and to get a better vantage point to document what was happening. Suddenly, two or three men in black surrounded me and demanded to know who I worked for.

Grabbing my press pass, they saw that my ID said The New York Times and became really angry. They threw me to the floor, trying to take my cameras. I started screaming for help as loudly as I could. No one came. People just watched. At this point, I thought I could be killed and no one would stop them. They ripped one of my cameras away from me, broke a lens on the other and ran away.

I hoped to speak to Schaff personally, but she works for a living. Through a Times spokeswoman, she confirmed that the shot that captured Frank was taken inside. Those are the East Front doors of the Capitol behind him.

I called Frank Tuesday to give him yet another opportunity to come clean. He didnt answer and didnt call back. I texted him another Getty image, which appears to corroborate his presence in the Getty photo I sent him on Monday.

Publishing rights prevent my sharing the image here, but its readily available via Google. Frank refused to confirm hes the guy wearing his jacket, scarf, mask, glasses and haircut, but that sure looks like Frank standing behind a guy in an orange hat and purple sweatshirt who minutes later was photographed in the Senate chamber with Zip Tie Guy.

Eric Munchel, 30, of Tennessee, was arrested Sunday. So far, he is charged with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. If convicted, Zip Tie Guy faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison, but thats likely to change once federal prosecutors get around to why he was carrying zip ties.

Munchel was identified via social media. The investigation into who did what on Jan. 6 is being crowdsourced across the globe. The same online networks used to plan and praise the attacks are proving to be the undoing of the preening perpetrators.

The rioters own cellphones are ratting them out. Location data can tell investigators who breached the Capitol and how long they stayed. Frank found it easy to lie to me, but lying to the FBI is a federal crime.

So is knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority. That sounds like what Frank is pictured doing. When we spoke on Monday, he admitted to being on the steps, but insisted he never went inside the building, despite photographs that show he did.

As I pointed out to Frank, the question of whether he went inside (he did) is moot because even on the steps, he was well past the police barricades erected to protect the Capitol.

There were no barricades when I was there, Frank said.

Thats because the rioters who came before you pushed them aside, I replied.

For the record, Frank didnt just lie to me. The day after he joined the crowd attempting to overthrow the government, Frank told WNEP-TV the riot was the fault of ANTIFA, not Trump supporters. The FBI reports no evidence to back that preposterous claim, which, to its credit, WNEP reported following the segment on Franks Bogus Journey.

Frank also claimed he was too far away to see the riot unfold.

How could the Capitol fall within 5 minutes to a bunch of unarmed people? he said. And, thats what Im saying. We werent even really aware of the fact that this was all going on. If unarmed people can get into the Capitol, then the security in that U.S. Capitol is certainly questionable.

Thats especially true if Frank could walk right in and not remember it. More than 200 locals joined Frank on his day trip to D.C. What are the odds he was the only  Northeast Pennsylvania patriot who crossed the line? And how many passengers on Franks buses tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of returning home or quarantined for 10 days, as required by Gov. Tom Wolfs travel order? The requirements are enforceable under the state Disease Prevention and Control Law. Violators can be fined between $25 and $300.

On Tuesday afternoon, Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said the Capitol grounds inside and outside are a crime scene. He said the FBI opened 170 subject files on Americans suspected of crimes ranging from simple trespass to felony murder. Sherwin said he expected the number of files to grow into the hundreds.

FBI Washington Field Office Director Steven DAntuono said investigators will leave no stone unturned. He promised anyone involved in the Trumpist insurgency that agents from your field office will be knocking on your door.

DAntuono said the FBI received more than 100,000 pieces of digital media from citizens who want the rioters brought to justice. He urged the public to come forward with tips by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324). Video or photo tips should be sent to fbi.gov/USCapitol.

Tell em Frank sent you.

CHRIS KELLY, the Times-Tribune columnist, trusts his own eyes. Contact the writer: kellysworld@timesshamrock.com, @cjkink on Twitter. Read his award-winning blog at times-tribuneblogs.com/kelly.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to the media at the State Department in Washington, on Nov. 24, 2020. (Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP)

Pompeo Says History Will Reflect Good Work of Trump Administration

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that when people reflect on the Trump administration, theyll see the good work that was accomplished on behalf of the American people.

History will reflect on the good work that this president, and our administration, has done, he said during a Jan. 12 interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Those books will be written about the changes that we have made in the world, the recognition that we have taken about reality, sovereignty, respect for basic dignity and human rights, a return to the founding principles in a way that previous administrations had not done.

Ill let others write it, but I think that those actionsthe actual things that happenedwill be reflected in a way that shows there was good work done on behalf of the American people.

Trumps legacy wont be defined by the violent Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol after supporters of the president had gathered outside, Pompeo says.

Look, what happened that day was terrible, and I have said repeatedly that those folks who engaged in this activity need to be identified, prosecuted, and they are criminals and ought to be treated as such, he said.

Pompeo spent most of the interview discussing the Chinese Communist Party and the Trump administrations relatively hardline stance against it, compared to past administrations.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One, in Washington on Jan. 12, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Asked if he was worried that a Joe Biden administration would essentially be a third term of President Barack Obama, Pompeo said: I dont want to comment on the people, but the policy matters an awful lot.

Youve seen President Trump and our administration lay out a robust response to the great power competition that the Chinese Communist Party presents to the United States. We believe we have the right end of the stick on this. We think this is the right direction of travel. We think the American people demand it.

We have seen the world respond to this in positive ways. Weve seen the Australians do remarkable work in pushing back. Weve seen the Japanese, the South Koreans. Weve developed the Quad now with the Indians that is very powerful in simply saying no, were not trying to punish, we are not trying to contain China. We are simply demanding that they engage in the world in a way that big nations with large economies, powerful militarieswe havent even talked about their missile program and their nuclear programwith countries that have real capacity to destabilize and make the world insecure.

There is a requirement, there is a responsibility that comes with it. And the United States ought to leadwhoever is president of the United States ought to leadthe path forward in responding to the Chinese Communist Party in this way.

Pompeo told The Epoch Times in a recent interview that the United States had been ignoring the nature of the communist party.

President Trump recognized that when he began his campaign, and then when he took office, weve now changed fundamentally, how I think the West looks at China, not just the United States. Even when you look at Europe and Australia and Southeast Asia, they know that the Chinese Communist Party is up to no good, Pompeo said.

We were involved in a very serious counterterrorism campaign, appropriately so. We took our eye off this enormous threat and now its upon us. Its now inside the gates. The Chinese Communist Party is here in America, and the Trump administration has begun in every dimension to turn the ship in the right direction, to get America to once again do the right thing and protect itself from this communist threat in China.

Pompeo also noted during the interview how the Trump administration has recognized reality by designating the Houthi rebels in Yemen as a terrorist group, as part of an outlook that even critics admit has shifted the workings in the Middle East. Trump has led peace agreements between several countries and Israel while strongly opposing Iran and its influence in the region.

Jan Jekielek contributed to this report.
The Midland City Council on Tuesday approved allotting $200,000 of its remaining federal CARES act funding to temporarily house the homeless in hotel rooms if they become infected with COVID-19.

The city is hoping the initiative will prevent super-spreader events at local homeless shelters, according to Community Development Manager Isaac Garnett.

He said during Tuesdays meeting that city officials have received concerned emails from community members related to coronavirus cases at the Salvation Army of Midland.

They have families and individuals who test positive, but they have nowhere to isolate them, Garnett said.

The city of Midland will enter into contracts with local hotels and motels to reserve 10 rooms for homeless COVID-19 patients, so they are able to quarantine for the required 14 days, according to city planning documents. The hotel room rate will not exceed $150 a night.

Any unused funds will be redistributed, and the allotted funding will cover personal protective equipment to clean and sanitize the rooms.

Other cities and counties nationwide have reserved hotel rooms for their homeless populations throughout the pandemic; Dallas city officials said in March they were reserving 50 hotel rooms to prevent coronavirus outbreaks among the homeless.

The Midland City Council also allotted $600,000 in CARES act funding on Tuesday to assist the Midland Health Department with vaccine distribution. The funds will be used for office equipment, medical supplies, PPE and vaccine storage, according to city documents. The health department has requested 10 additional positions for contact tracers and case investigators to address vaccination efforts.

The health department received 200 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 29 and began administering those doses last week. More than 4,000 people have signed up for the health departments vaccine waitlist, according to Dr. Larry Wilson, chief medical officer for Midland Health, on Tuesday. City officials said the health department does not yet know when theyll receive another shipment.

City council members unanimously approved the vaccine distribution and homeless assistance initiatives.

The funds allocated Tuesday came from $1.4 million in CARES funding the city received for a Community Development Block Grant. Theres a remaining balance of about $640,000 from that grant, according to city documents.
The Main Investigation Department of the Security Service of Ukraine has closed criminal proceedings on the fact of possible committing of high treason by ex-head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group at the Minsk talks, the second President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma and head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak. "The criminal proceedings are closed," the press center of the Security Service of Ukraine told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday morning.

Earlier, MP of the European Solidarity faction Volodymyr Viatrovych announced on his Facebook page that the SBU had closed criminal proceedings on the fact of high treason committed by Kuchma and Yermak.

Viatrovych also published scans of the corresponding response from the SBU to him. The response says that the preliminary consent to the establishment of the Advisory Council "cannot be interpreted as assistance to a foreign state in carrying out subversive activities against Ukraine."

As reported, on April 23, 2020, the court satisfied Viatrovych's complaint and ordered the SBU to begin an investigation into possible high treason by Yermak and Kuchma.

During a meeting of the TCG in Minsk on March 11, 2020, in which Yermak, Kuchma and the deputy head of Russia's Presidential Administration, Dmitry Kozak, participated, the sides agreed on a prisoner swap, disengagement of forces and equipment, simultaneous opening of checkpoints in Zolote and Schastia, and the establishment of an "Advisory Council," which was supposed to consist of ten representatives of Ukraine and ten representatives of the certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions with a deciding vote, as well as one representative from each the OSCE, Russia, Germany and France with a consultative vote upon their consent.
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WASHINGTON - The push for an unprecedented second impeachment of President Donald Trump took a dramatic bipartisan turn Tuesday, as several senior House Republicans joined the Democratic effort to remove Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week and the White House braced for more defections.

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the third-ranking House Republican, and Rep. John Katko of New York, the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, both publicly held Trump responsible for last Wednesday's violence. They were joined by Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an outspoken critic of Trump's efforts to question the November election, and Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., a respected veteran dealmaker.

"The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," Cheney said in a statement, adding, "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

Said Katko, "To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequences is a direct threat to the future of our democracy."

Kinzinger added, "If these actions . . . are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?"

A senior administration official said the White House expects at least a dozen Republicans to support impeachment in the likely House vote Wednesday. The White House is rudderless, unwilling or unable to mount any defense other than saying that Trump will already be leaving next week, two administration officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to disclose internal dynamics.

Trump, banned from Twitter, for the first time lacks the ability to aim angry tweets at those who oppose him, and White House officials conceded that he has few ways to stem the tide. He has asked Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to urge fellow Republicans to oppose impeachment, an official said. Top House GOP leaders have announced their opposition to impeachment but have not given their members an alternative way to register disapproval of Trump or the assault.

While emotions rose on the House floor, tensions flared outside the chamber. Pelosi on Tuesday imposed new public safety measures on House members, including metal detectors outside the chamber.

That infuriated some Republicans. Several loudly protested to police officers, reporters and Democrats, and others were seen pushing past the metal detectors. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., a freshman gun rights activist, refused to allow Capitol police to inspect her bag.

The Republican statements supporting impeachment - which came after Trump delivered remarks earlier Tuesday expressing no regret for his actions - represented a watershed moment. They signaled high-level GOP concern about the roles of Trump and other party leaders in spreading conspiracy theories about the election, and reflected how much the political landscape has shifted since Trump was acquitted in his first impeachment trial last February.

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has been telling associates since the attack that Trump probably committed impeachable offenses, as first reported by the New York Times. McConnell, a close adviser said, has not decided how he will vote on impeachment and wants to hear the case first.

McConnell has not returned Trump's calls in weeks and remains livid with him, and he will not pressure his colleagues to oppose or support convicting the president. "He's not going to whip the vote," said the adviser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

A McConnell spokesman declined to comment.

The White House Counsel's Office has not drawn up a plan for combating the impeachment effort, an administration official said, and its legislative affairs team is not reaching out to lawmakers, unlike during Trump's first impeachment.

Multiple Democratic aides said they expected the full House to vote on impeachment no later than Wednesday night - one week after the shocking Capitol invasion and one week before Trump is set to leave office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., signaled confidence that the impeachment resolution would pass by naming nine "managers" Tuesday night to act as prosecutors for the Senate trial, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md.

House members took a preliminary step toward impeachment Tuesday evening, approving a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to use their powers under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump immediately. In a letter to Pelosi late Tuesday, Pence wrote that such an action would not be "in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution."

The resolution passed anyway, 223 to 205, with Kinzinger the only Republican supporting it. Katko was among those who opted not to support it in light of Pence's letter, calling it "merely a symbolic gesture."

Pelosi had indicated that if Pence did not act, she would move immediately to impeach the president.

No House Republicans joined the Democrats in December 2019 when they impeached Trump for urging Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son, but the Capitol attack has shaken the Republican ranks.

The formal debate over sanctioning Trump began Tuesday morning when the House Rules Committee readied the 25th Amendment resolution for the House floor. The mood of the debate went from somber to angry, as lawmakers sparred about Trump's culpability - and one another's - for last Wednesday's events.

"Rushing this resolution to the floor will do nothing to unify or heal the country," said Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. "These actions, again, will only continue to divide the nation."

In response, Rules Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, D-Mass., accused Jordan and others of having "given oxygen to the president's conspiracy theories" and said appeals to civility were coming too late.

"We all want healing, but in order to get to healing, we need truth and we need accountability," McGovern said.

Trump on Tuesday denied responsibility for last week's riot. "Many people are saying what I said was totally appropriate," he said.

At a rally that day, Trump urged his followers to head for the Capitol and "fight much harder" to prevent Biden's victory from being certified in Congress. "If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore," he said.

On Tuesday, Trump suggested that proceeding with impeachment might spark additional violence: "I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger. I want no violence."

The sole impeachment article charges Trump with "incitement of insurrection," and several GOP lawmakers were openly mulling whether to support it.

Cheney has not explicitly recruited other Republicans to join her call for impeachment, but she has signaled her disapproval of Trump's conduct and served as a sounding board for other concerned Republicans. On a Monday conference call, she told colleagues she considered impeachment a "vote of conscience."

She announced her intention to vote to impeach Trump a day in advance of the vote as an encouragement to wavering members, multiple Republicans said.

Meanwhile, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., the two House members who outrank Cheney in the Republican hierarchy, have steadfastly opposed impeachment, putting them on the other side of the divide over Trump that is beginning to cleave the GOP.

Six moderate Republicans, led by Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Tom Reed, R-N.Y., introduced a censure resolution Tuesday accusing Trump of trying to "unlawfully overturn" the election - a measure that many GOP lawmakers privately signaled they would be willing to rally around.

But the top leaders did not openly endorse it, including McCarthy, who acknowledged Trump's culpability for the riot in a Monday evening conference call with his colleagues. They appear to have calculated that any break with Trump would further upend their party.

The rift is roiling the GOP leadership ranks barely two months after unexpected gains in the November elections had McCarthy predicting he would be claiming the speaker's gavel after the 2022 midterms.

Now it's unclear whether he can keep his conference united, while for Cheney, the fallout may be more immediate, since pro-Trump lawmakers demanded her resignation as Republican conference chair within hours after her announcement on impeachment.

"She should not be serving this conference," said Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., chairman of the Trump loyalist House Freedom Caucus.

House members debating Tuesday's resolution provided something of a preview of Wednesday's likely debate on impeachment.

Jordan, who promulgated conspiracy theories about election fraud and attended a "Stop the Steal" rally after the election, accused Democrats of a "double standard" since they had raised objections to the electoral votes of previous Republican presidents, including Trump and George W. Bush.

Democrats noted that in those cases, the losing candidate had long since conceded and many lawmakers who protested made clear that they accepted the election results, while at no point encouraging violence.

Raskin cited liberals' reaction to Trump's election, including a massive Women's March on Washington.

"What did the Democrats do? They put on pink winter hats, marched peacefully with a million people, joined Planned Parenthood, worked with their churches to try to reform America," Raskin said. "Nobody was out there agitating for a violent armed insurrection against the government."

Another Democrat, Rep. Ed Perlmutter of Colorado, pleaded with Jordan to acknowledge that the election was not stolen and that Biden had won.

"Yes, he's going to be president," Jordan said, but added, "There are serious problems with this election that deserve an investigation."

The sparring came as Democrats debated how to structure their next steps after impeachment passes the House. The Senate is not scheduled to return to regular business until Jan. 19, a day before Biden's inauguration, meaning there would be virtually no chance of conducting a Senate trial and ousting Trump from office prematurely.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., called on McConnell to join him in invoking a provision that allows the Senate to convene early in cases of emergency, if both party leaders call for it.

"This is a time of emergency," Schumer said. "We could come back ASAP and vote to convict Donald Trump and get him out of office now, before any further damage is done."

Asked whether the House could delay transmission of the impeachment resolution, allowing the Senate to confirm at least some of Biden's Cabinet nominees before plunging into an impeachment trial, Pelosi declined to comment Tuesday.

Democrats have also discussed the potential for "bifurcating" Senate business so that the chamber could, for example, approve nominees in the morning and hold a trial in the afternoon. But there is no modern precedent for doing that, and it would require cooperation from Republicans that they may be unlikely to grant.

- - -

The Washington Post's Erica Werner contributed to this report.
Sophie Hermann enjoyed a secret romance with DJ Tom Zanetti during filming of Celebs Go Dating, MailOnline can reveal.

The Made In Chelsea star, 33, and Katie Price's ex, 31, shared a 'sexual attraction' from the moment they met on the E4 series, with the pair expressing their feelings for each other by being 'extremely tactile' in the house.

Singletons Sophie and Tom started to privately message while living in the 30million Surrey mansion where the cast of Celebs Go Dating stayed for a month as they filmed the upcoming show.

'Sparks were flying': Sophie Hermann enjoyed a secret romance with DJ Tom Zanetti during filming of Celebs Go Dating, MailOnline can reveal

A TV source revealed: 'Sparks were flying between them from the minute they walked into the mansion.

'Tom had no idea who Sophie was to begin with and that seemed to be an aphrodisiac for her  she loved being teased by him and the banter they shared together.

'They couldn't keep their hands off each other and became the talk of the house, especially when the rest of the cast found out they had been secretly texting.

'Despite coming from very different backgrounds, they really got on  and couldn't resist spending as much time together as they could in the house.'

New couple?: The Made In Chelsea star and Katie Price's ex shared a 'sexual attraction' from the moment they met, with the pair being 'extremely tactile' in the house

'She loved being teased by him': Sophie and Tom started to privately message while living in the 30million Surrey mansion where the cast stayed for a month as they filmed the show

The cast of Celebs Go Dating and the single 'civilians' lived in a Surrey mansion during filming of the show to create a coronavirus secure bubble  and could therefore date without social distancing.

Tom, who's had previous romances with Katie Price, 42, and Love Island's Hayley Hughes, 24, struck up a closeness with Sophie after admiring her 'class,' 'intelligence' and 'feistiness.'

According to a second TV source, the pair has even nicknamed each other Duchess and Thomas O'Malley from Disney film The Aristocats, which is a reference to their different backgrounds.

Tom became a father aged 16 and grew up on a council estate, while German-born Sophie is the great-granddaughter of Mustang Jeans founder, Luise Hermann.

'Different backgrounds': Tom became a father aged 16 and grew up on a council estate while German-born Sophie is the great-granddaughter of Mustang Jeans founder, Luise Hermann

New series: Curtis Pritchard, Wayne Lineker and Chloe Ferry are some of the other stars taking part in this year's Celebs Go Dating

Sophie's previous partners include Made In Chelsea's Fredrik Ferrier, the host of Skype's Ones to Watch Jonny Hynes  and the reality star has also been linked to Hollywood actor Johnny Depp.

Curtis Pritchard, 24, Wayne Lineker, 58, and Chloe Ferry, 25, are some of the other stars taking part in this year's Celebs Go Dating.

Curtis joined the agency following his split from Maura Higgins, 30, while Wayne was snapped up after detailing the specific requirements he looks for in a girlfriend on social media.

Celebs Go Dating: The Mansion premieres Monday 25th January at 9pm on E4

Toronto:

A new study has warned that 70 per cent of readings from home blood pressure monitors are unacceptably inaccurate, which could have serious implications for people relying on them to make informed health decisions.



The findings are extremely relevant given millions of patients are asked to monitor their blood pressure through a device at home and report the results back to their doctor, researchers said.



High blood pressure is the number one cause of death and disability in the world, said Jennifer Ringrose from The University of Alberta in Canada.



Monitoring for and treating hypertension can decrease the consequences of this disease. We need to make sure that home blood pressure readings are accurate, said Ringrose, who led the study.



Ringrose and her team tested dozens of home monitors and found they were not accurate within five millimetres of mercury (mmHg) about 70 per cent of the time. The devices were off the mark by 10 mmHg about 30 per cent of the time.

ALSO READ: Red onions may be helpful in treating cancer, says study



Compare the blood pressure machine measurement with a blood pressure measurement in clinic before exclusively relying upon home blood pressure readings, said Ringrose.



What is really important is to do several blood pressure measurements and base treatment decisions on multiple readings. Taking home readings empowers patients and is helpful for clinicians to have a bigger picture rather than just one snapshot in time, said Ringrose.



Raj Padwal, a professor at University of Alberta, said that no one should have drugs started or changed based on one or two measurements taken at a single point in time unless the measurements are clearly elevated.



The study examined the results of 85 patients. The researchers compared the results of the volunteers home monitors with the gold standard - two observers taking several blood pressure measurements simultaneously, blinded to one another, with a third person ensuring agreement between both observers readings.



While the average difference between the home monitors and the gold standard measurements was acceptable, the majority of individual devices demonstrated clinically-relevant inaccuracy.



The team also found that readings were more inaccurate in men than in women. They believe there are many factors that could account for their findings.



Arm shape, arm size, the stiffness and age of blood vessels and the type of blood pressure cuff are not always taken into account when a blood pressure machine is designed and validated, said Padwal.



Individual differences, such as the size, age and medical background of the person using the blood pressure monitor are also contributing factors, he said.



The researchers said it is difficult to determine precisely why the inaccuracies are occurring in home monitors because they do not have access to the various formulas the devices use to determine blood pressure. The study was published in the American Journal of Hypertension.

ALSO READ: An egg a day may prove beneficial for your child's health, says study

MORE: Some Lehigh County Jail guards hospitalized with COVID complications, employee tells officials

The Lehigh County controller is calling for more work to reduce the county jail population after an inmate died from COVID-19.

Controller Mark Pinsley urged action ahead of the Lehigh County Board of Commissioners meeting Wednesday night, where the coronavirus and the jail are expected to be discussed.

As weve recently seen with the tragic passing of a Lehigh County inmate, our county facilities have proven to be dangerous territory for Covid-19, Pinsley wrote to newly elected commissioners Chairman Geoff Brace. We should not allow this individuals death to pass without it catalyzing us into action. It should serve as a moment of reckoning for our county as we grapple with the nature of incarceration in America.

A 54-year-old Allentown man being held in the county jail died on Dec. 31 from complications related to a COVID-19 infection, said Janine Donate, the countys director of corrections.

The man had been hospitalized for several weeks in St. Lukes Hospital in Allentown. Officials have not identified the inmate, but said he was charged in an aggravated assault case and had a state parole violation.

Pinsley noted the work done at the beginning of the pandemic to reduce the prisons census, but said the number of inmates has increased, putting more people in a confined facility risking exposure to this deadly virus. The jail has a capacity of 1,267 inmates, but the census changes daily as people are arrested and inmates are released.

In April, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rejected a plea by the Pennsylvania Prison Society and five inmates from around the state to order a blanket release of some inmates to protect them from the coronavirus.

The court did direct the respective county president judges to work with the relevant stakeholders to ensure the county institutions address the virus, and to reduce their current and future jail or prison populations during the health crisis.

The justices said, The potential outbreak of COVID-19 in the county correctional institutions of this Commonwealth poses an undeniable threat to the health of the inmates, the correctional staff and their families, and the surrounding communities.

Since then, prisons, jails and correctional facilities across the country have been hotbeds of COVID-19. The infection rate in state and federal prisons is more than four times higher than the general population, and one in every five prisoners in the U.S. has tested positive for the coronavirus, The Associated Press has reported.

Then-Lehigh County President Judge Edward Reibman responded to the court by outlining the work done to reduce the population in Lehigh County Jail during the pandemic, which he wrote was an extension of work begun in 2019 focusing on bail reform in the county.

The county jails first COVID-19 case was reported March 15, 2020, the president judge said, but the district attorney, public defender and pretrial services had begun meeting earlier in the month with the court to further reduce the number of inmates because of the pandemic.

This year a new Lehigh County president judge was chosen.

President Judge J. Brian Johnson began his term Jan. 4, and said in a letter to a lehighvalleylive.com reporter that he is working to familiarize himself with a number of issues as president judge.

Since Reibmans response to the state Supreme Court, the county court has balanced balancing safely limiting the number of inmates in the jail, while trying to resolve cases and protect victims and the public, Johnson wrote.

Needless to say, this is a critical issue about which the other judges and I are deeply concerned and have been working hard to address. Of the multitude of legal matters our Court handles, this one has been our top priority since the pandemic began, Johnson wrote.

Chief Public Defender Kimberly Makoul said she and her office work every day reviewing client case files to see if there are opportunities to reduce bail or seek early parole.

We are doing this constantly. Not just daily, but literally hourly, and trying to address their issues so we can get people released, Makoul said. That work is continuing. It never ended, to be perfectly honest ... . Now that we see these numbers in the jail, we need to make sure that we get people released from the jail very expeditiously.

One of the challenges is when defendants have detainers or bail from other jurisdictions, such as a state parole detainer for an alleged violation.

Even if their bail in Lehigh County is reduced or changed, the detainer means an inmate will still need to be held in jail or prison until the detainer is addressed.

Our clients health and safety while they are incarcerated is of the utmost importance to us, Makoul said.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
Superload Makes Quick Trip Through Lyon County

By West Kentucky Star Staff

LYON COUNTY - What was expected to be a two-hour blockage of U.S. 62 in Lyon County Wednesday afternoon lasted only 18 minutes.A special 115-foot long truck moved a 379,000-pound transformer from Barkley Dam to Kuttawa. The move starting at noon went much more quickly that expected. The crew had earlier checked the height of utility lines that would need to be lifted over the 17-foot tall load.The load was expected to move at about 5 miles per hour, but was able to maintain a speed of about 25 miles an hour through most of the trip, reducing the time the roadway was blocked to through traffic.The crew from Barnhart Crane and Rigging of Memphis has another transformer that will need to be moved sometime this spring.The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet gave thanks to the Lyon County Sheriffs Department, the Lyon County Road Department, and the Lyon County Highway maintenance crew for their combined efforts to make the move go smoothly.KYTC personnel posted a video of the journey on their Facebook page, linked below.On the Net:
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-12 20:06:18|Editor: huaxia

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A child's finger is marked after receiving a polio vaccine in northwest Pakistan's Peshawar, on Jan. 12, 2021. A five-day national polio immunization drive began on Monday to vaccinate over 40 million children under the age of five across Pakistan. Around 285,000 polio frontline workers equipped with personal protective gear will go door to door to vaccinate children during the vaccination drive, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program. (Photo by Saeed Ahmad/Xinhua)



ISLAMABAD, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A policeman escorting a polio vaccination team was shot dead in Pakistan's northwest district of Karak on Tuesday, the latest attack on efforts to protect children from the crippling disease, said officials.

District Police Officer of Karak Irfanullah told local media that unknown gunmen riding motorcycles opened fire on the cop providing security to the polio workers in the Takht-e-Nasrati area of Karak, a district in the country's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.

The polio vaccination team remained unhurt in the attack, said the official, adding that the polio vaccination drive has been stopped in the area after the incident.

Police have cordoned off the area and started a search operation to arrest the culprits.

Taking notice of the incident, KP Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi said that the killers of the policeman will be caught soon.

"There are some people who are against polio vaccination and they would be rooted out soon," Abbasi said.

No group has claimed the killing yet, but the Pakistani Taliban has threatened health workers before.

The attack comes on the second day of the country's first anti-polio drive in 2021. A five-day national polio immunization drive began on Monday to vaccinate over 40 million children under the age of five across Pakistan.

Around 285,000 polio frontline workers equipped with personal protective gear will go door to door to vaccinate children during the vaccination drive, according to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program. Enditem
Over the next year, hundreds of millions of Americans will be stabbed. Willingly! For most patients, the relief of finally being vaccinated against the coronavirus will overcome any anxiety or concerns about small very sharp needles being inserted into their arms, twice. But as more and more vaccines get doled out across the country, I wondered: Whats the difference between a good shot and a bad one? What do health care providers do to make shots as comfortable as possible? I asked Lindsay Gainer, a registered nurse, a vice president at Mass General Brigham Ambulatory Care, and a longtime instructor at the University of North Carolina School of Nursing. Our conversation has been edited and condensed.

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Dan Kois: When you start with a group of nursing students who might be a little bit nervous about sticking needles in people, what secret wisdom do you give them?

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Lindsay Gainer: First of all, the more relaxed the care provider is, the more relaxed the patients going to be. I think people pick up on each others anxieties. Intramuscular injections, like a flu shot or the COVID vaccine, these do hurt more because theyre going into your muscle, and so theyre obviously creating a little tiny tear in your muscle. What I tell students is that the instruction that you give the patient actually helps a lot. Their arm should be very relaxed. If their muscles tense, it actually is harder to get the needle into the muscle. Ive even read some research that says that smiling, even if youre faking it, can help with the pain associated with it.

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Faking it til you make it.

Yeah, absolutely. Theres a lot of psychology tied into the actual physicality of what you feel when you get an injection. In terms of the technical aspect, you want the needle bevel up, which  all right, Im going to draw you a picture.

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Needles are shaped like this. Thats the bevel. Thats what you want the needle to look like when it goes in. If its upside down, its actually harder to get it in. Bevel up is something that you teach when you teach people how to give injections. The other thing is to be quick. The faster you pierce the skin and get into the muscle, the less trauma youre creating. You want to also make sure that its a really straight path.

There used to be a school of thought around whats called aspiration. So, for intramuscular injections, you have some blood vessels that are in your muscles. Used to be, you put the needle in and then youd have to pull back on the plunger to see if you got any blood if youve hit a blood vessel, and then you would inject. Theres really no science that supports aspiration anymore. And actually, its shown to cause more harm than good because you can imagine what I just demonstrated. You go in, you fiddle around, you pull the plunger.

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Im wincing so much right now. Was the idea that you were trying to ensure that you werent hitting a blood vessel? And so if you did hit a blood vessel, you would try again?

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Yeah, you would remove it and then you would get a new needle and then you would go again. The fear was in the past that you would unintentionally be, essentially, administering something IV, intravenously, as opposed to in the muscle, but the blood vessels are extremely small, and so aspiration is no longer supported by research or evidence. Its more risky, actually, because youre inducing more trauma into the muscle because of the wiggling around, if you will, of the needle.

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Errrrghh!

Am I freaking you out?

Just the wiggling around.

This is why you never want to talk to a nurse over dinner.

Obviously.

Theres different schools of thought about whether you grab the muscle and pinch it, or spread the skin. Ive read research on both sides. The trick is just that you want the skin relatively taut. If you imagine if you had a balloon that was really blown up and the balloon was really tight, if you touch that with a needle, it would pop. But if you had a sort ofsorrybut a flaccid balloon, it would be harder to get a needle through it. And so the idea is that you want the skin relatively taut so the needle glides in very quickly.

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What about emotionally? What do nurses do with people who are afraid of shots?

Are you specifically thinking about kids, or everybody?

Mostly adults. Adults who might not have gotten a shot in a while.

What I would say is, some of the stuff for kids works for adults. Obviously, with little, little kids, you have to think about restraining them so that nobody gets kicked in the face. But with adults, it is typically the same things. It is ensuring a calming atmosphere. Its actually distraction. Youll often find really pro, veteran, nurses or medical assistants that do injections a lot, theyll be talking to you, and all of a sudden you realize, Oh, youre done? I didnt even feel it. And then the biggest thing truly, physically, is that relaxed arm. I mean, like a dead rag doll arm is the best thing. People that are real pros at this, they can tell if someones even a little bit nervous and tensing.

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Are there certain nurses who everyone knows are just, like, artists?

Oh, a hundred percent, absolutely. Vaccines, for the most part, are given in primary care clinics, urgent care clinics. The veterans who work in those clinics, everybody knows. The way you really find out is you ask the staff who work in that office, Who does the flu shots for everybody? You know, even at the administrative level, were all competent, but someone does the peer vaccination. I was the peer vaccinator for everybody in the administrative office, and I had a pretty good reputation, I will say.

Thanks for talking with me about this.

Well, nice to meet you, and if you need anything else, just let me know.

I mean, just a coronavirus vaccine.

Coming soon to a clinic near you.

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Kuwaits prime minister submitted his governments resignation Wednesday, with the Cabinet calling it quits after just a month in office.

Prime Minister Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah handed in his Cabinets resignation to the Gulf-rich states ruling emir, Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmed Al Sabah, the official KUNA news agency reported. On Tuesday, ministers stepped down en masse, with the deputy prime minister citing "current developments regarding the relation between the National Assembly and the government."

Their resignation comes after 38 members of parliament sought to question the prime minister over what they believe was a violation of the Kuwaiti Constitution when he formed a new government last month.

Kuwaits fully elected, 50-person National Assembly is the oldest parliament in the Gulf region. The US-allied country held parliamentary elections in December, during which the opposition won nearly half the seats. All the women running lost their races, leaving the legislature without a single female lawmaker.

Days after the elections, the prime minister appointed a new Cabinet on Dec. 14, replacing the oil and finance ministers and keeping just six of the original 16 ministers who served in the previous government. Corruption allegations in November 2019 also forced a Cabinet to resign.

The political upheaval, which comes as Kuwaits economy suffers from the dual shock of declining oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic, is Sheikh Nawafs first major test as emir of the OPEC member state. He took power in September following the death of his half-brother, 91-year-old Sheikh Sabah.
The magnetar was localized to the central part (red box) of NGC 253, a bright galaxy located about 11.4 million light years from Earth. This is the most precise position yet for a magnetar located well outside our galaxy. NASA missions pinned down the location thanks to a short gamma ray burst last April. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Apart from black holes, magnetars may be the most extreme stars in the universe. With a diameter less than the length of Manhattan, they pack more mass than that of our sun, wield the largest magnetic field of any known objectmore than 10 trillion times stronger than a refrigerator magnetand spin on their axes every few seconds.

A type of neutron starthe remnant of a supernova explosionmagnetars are so highly magnetized that even modest disturbances in the magnetic field can cause bursts of X-rays that last sporadically for weeks or months.

These exotic, compact stars are also thought to be the source of some types of short gamma ray bursts (GRBs): bright flashes of highly energetic radiation that have puzzled astronomers since they were first detected in the 1970s. Several of these giant magnetar flares have been detected within the Milky Way Galaxy. But because they are so intense that they saturate detectors, and observations within the galaxy are obscured by dust, space scientist Kevin Hurley at the University of California, Berkeley, and an international team of astronomers have been looking for these same flares in galaxies outside our own for a clearer view.

That 45-year effort is paying off. A short gamma ray burst detected last April 15 from a galaxy 11.4 million light years away shows a clear signature that Hurley thinks could help astronomers find magnetar bursts more easily and finally gather the data needed to check the many theories that explain magnetars and their gamma ray flares.

"We have got what we believe are four solid detections since 1979 of extragalactic giant magnetar flares, two of them almost identical bursts from different galaxies," said Hurley, a senior space fellow with UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Laboratory. "It leads us to believe that there may be kind of a template emerging that is going to help us identify them more quickly in the future. My hope is that the pace will now accelerate because we know a lot better what we are looking for."

Hurley and three colleagues will report the GRB discovery by various U.S. and European satellites and its implications at a media briefing on Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society and in three papers appearing simultaneously in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy.

The giant flare, cataloged as GRB 200415A, reached detectors on different NASA spacecraft at different times. Each instrument pair established its possible location in different swaths of the sky, but the bands intersect in the central part of the bright spiral galaxy NGC 253. This is the most precise position yet established for a magnetar located well beyond our galaxy. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona

Giant magnetar bursts

GRBs, the most powerful explosions in the cosmos, can be detected across billions of light-years. Most of those lasting less than about two seconds, called short GRBs, occur when a pair of orbiting neutron stars spiral into each other and merge. Astronomers confirmed this scenario for at least some short GRBs in 2017, when a burst followed the arrival of gravitational wavesripples in space-timeproduced when neutron stars merged 130 million light-years away.

But not all short GRBs fit the neutron star merger profile, Hurley said. Specifically, of the 29 magnetars within our Milky Way Galaxy known to exhibit occasional X-ray activity, two have produced giant flares that are different from the bursts from these mergers.

The most recent of these detections was on Dec. 27, 2004, an event that produced measurable changes in Earth's upper atmosphere, despite erupting from a magnetar located about 28,000 light years away.

Since the late 1970s, Hurley has operated the InterPlanetary Network (IPN), a 24/7 effort to plow through data from many spacecraftcurrently five, capturing some 325 gamma bursts per yearin hopes of finding more giant magnetar flares. That network was key to capturing the April 15, 2020, flare.

Shortly before 4:42 a.m. EDT on that Wednesday, a brief, powerful burst of X-rays and gamma rays swept past Mars, triggering the Russian High Energy Neutron Detector aboard NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which has been orbiting the planet since 2001. About 6.6 minutes later, the burst triggered the Russian Konus instrument aboard NASA's Wind satellite, which orbits a point between Earth and the sun located about 930,000 miles (1.5 million kilometers) away. After another 4.5 seconds, the radiation passed Earth, triggering instruments on NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope and the European Space Agency's INTEGRAL satellite.

Analysis of data from the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) on NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory provided additional insight into the event.

These data showed that the pulse of radiation lasted just 140 milliseconds, the blink of an eye.

Hurley and Dmitry Svinkin of Russia's Ioffe Institute, a member of the IPN team, used the arrival times measured by the Fermi, Swift, Wind, Mars Odyssey and INTEGRAL missions to pinpoint the location of the April 15 burst, called GRB 200415A, squarely in the central region of NGC 253, a bright spiral galaxy located about 11.4 million light-years away in the constellation Sculptor. This is the most precise sky position yet determined for a magnetar located beyond the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite of our galaxy and host in 1979 to the first giant flare ever detected.

"This was the most accurately localized magnetar outside of our galaxy so far, and we've really pinned it down now, not just to a galaxy, but a part of a galaxy where we expect star formation is going on, and stars are exploding. That is where the supernovas should be and the magnetars, too," Hurley said. "The April 15 event is a game changer."

Flashes from a lighthouse

The giant flares seen within the Milky Way look a bit different from those from nearby galaxies because of distance. Astronomers have documented that giant flares from magnetars in the Milky Way and its satellites evolve in a distinct way, with a rapid rise to peak brightness followed by a more gradual tail of fluctuating emission. These variations result from the magnetar's rotation, which repeatedly brings the flare location in and out of view from Earth, much like a lighthouse.

Observing this fluctuating tail is conclusive evidence of a giant flarea smoking gun, Hurley said. For magnetar flares millions of light-years away, however, this emission is too dim to detect with today's instruments. For this reason, giant flares in our galactic neighborhood may be confused with more distant and powerful merger-type GRBs.

The new observations reveal multiple pulses, with the first one appearing in just 77 microsecondsabout 13 times the speed of a camera flash and nearly 100 times faster than the rise of the fastest GRBs produced by mergers.

"The combination of the rise time and decay time, we think, may be showing us a template, because we have seen it beforewe saw it back in 2005, with another event, almost the carbon copy. And the energy spectrum of the two were also similar," Hurley said.

Fermi's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor also detected rapid variations in energy over the course of the flare that have never been observed before.

"Giant flares within our galaxy are so brilliant that they overwhelm our instruments, leaving them to hang onto their secrets," said Oliver Roberts, an associate scientist at Universities Space Research Association's Science and Technology Institute in Huntsville, Alabama, who led the study of Fermi data. "For the first time, GRB 200415A and distant flares like it allow our instruments to capture every feature and explore these powerful eruptions in unparalleled depth."

Starquakes and magnetic field reconnection

Giant flares are poorly understood, but astronomers think they result from a sudden rearrangement of the magnetar's magnetic field. One possibility is that the field high above the surface may become too twisted, suddenly releasing energy as it settles into a more stable configuration. A mechanical failure of the magnetar's crusta starquakemay trigger the sudden reconfiguration.

"The idea is that you have this superstrong magnetic field coming out of the star, but anchored to the crust, and the magnetic field can twist, exerting pressure on the crust. The crust has an elastic limit, and after you exceed that elastic limit, it cracks. Then, that crack sends out waves into the magnetic field, and those waves disrupt the field, and you can get reconnection and energy release and gamma rays," Hurley said.

Roberts and his colleagues say that the data show some evidence of seismic vibrations during the eruption. The researchers say this emission arose from a cloud of ejected electrons and positrons moving at about 99% the speed of light. The short duration of the emission and its changing brightness and energy reflect the magnetar's rotation, ramping up and down like the headlights of a car making a turn. Roberts describes it as starting off as an opaque blobhe pictures it resembling a photon torpedo from the "Star Trek" franchisethat expands and diffuses as it travels.

The torpedo also factors into one of the event's biggest surprises. The highest-energy X-rays recorded by the Gamma-Burst Monitor reached 3 million electron volts (MeV), or about 1 million times the energy of blue light. The satellite's main instrument, the Large Area Telescope (LAT), also detected three gamma rays with energies of 480 MeV, 1.3 billion electron volts (GeV) and 1.7 GeVthe highest-energy light ever detected from a magnetar giant flare. What's surprising is that all of these gamma rays appeared long after the flare had diminished in other instruments.

Nicola Omodei, a senior research scientist at Stanford University, led the LAT team investigating these gamma rays, which arrived between 19 seconds and 4.7 minutes after the main event. The scientists concluded that this signal most likely also came from the magnetar flare.

A magnetar produces a steady outflow of fast-moving particles. As these particles move through space, they plow into, slow and divert interstellar gas. The gas piles up, becomes heated and compressed, and forms a type of shock wave called a bow shock, like the ripples in front of a moving boat.

In the model proposed by the LAT team, the flare's initial pulse of gamma rays travels outward at the speed of light, followed by the cloud of ejected matter, which is moving nearly as fast. After several days, they both reach the bow shock. The gamma rays pass through. Seconds later, the cloud of particlesnow expanded into a vast, thin shellcollides with accumulated gas at the bow shock. This interaction creates shock waves that accelerate particles, producing the highest-energy gamma rays after the main burst.

The April 15 flare proves that the 2020 and 2004 events constitute their own class of GRBs, Hurley said.

"A few percent of short GRBs may really be magnetar giant flares," said Eric Burns, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge who led a study that identified additional extragalactic magnetar suspects. "In fact, they may be the most common high-energy outbursts we've detected so far beyond our galaxyabout five times more frequent than supernovae."

While bursts near the galaxy M81 in 2005 and the Andromeda galaxy (M31) in 2007 had already been suggested to be giant flares, his team identified a newly reported flare in M83, also seen in 2007. Add to these the giant flare from 1979 and those observed in our Milky Way in 1998 and 2004.

"It's a small sample, but we now have a better idea of their true energies, and how far we can detect them," said Burns, whose study will appear later this year in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Global Trac Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink: PSYC) ("the Company"), a company integrating media, creativity, and technology to develop and deploy thought-provoking ideas and solutions that are fostering and transforming the approach to some of society's most pressing matters. CEO of the Company, David Flores, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by asking about the Company's recent announcement detailing the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with PsycheDev Inc. "PsycheDev Inc. is a technology startup based out of Canada and they are in the digital mental health sector," explained Flores. "This is a sector that we find quite intriguing; it is one that is very much intertwined here with the psychedelic space, and it's one that is growing quite exponentially."

"There's a hunger in society to go out and find different tools and resources to improve our mental health and our mental wellbeing," said Flores. "That's exactly what PsycheDev is working on developing," he continued. "I hope to be able to announce the finalization of that JV partnership here in the next week or two," shared Flores. "It puts us in a very good position to co-develop this app and this platform and put us in the digital mental health sector," said Flores. "More importantly, this creates an opportunity for revenue."

"This is one of multiple opportunities that are going to hopefully create revenue sources for the company," said Flores. "We're excited," he added. "This is a great next step here for PSYC."

Flores then elaborated on the formation of the Company's advisory board, which was announced on January 5th of this year and offers an extensive depth of experience, knowledge, and dedication with members George Y. Salameh, MD, Hyder A. Khoja, PhD, and Kelli Foulkroud, MS, LPA, LPC, RYT. "Being able to tap into the experience that they have is going to be very important here," said Flores. "This is all about strengthening our core and positioning ourselves to go out there and make big things happen in 2021."

"What are some of the goals and objectives for your company going forward?", asked Jolly. "In its simplest form, it's revenue," said Flores, before elaborating on the Company's 2020 achievements and the new opportunities beginning to emerge as they enter 2021. "Now it's really just a matter of bringing it all together and going out there and making it happen with the idea of driving revenue," said Flores. "It's about creating a strong financial state of P&L for the company," he added. "It's a process, it's not something that happens overnight," said Flores. "I am so thrilled and so excited about where we are positioned right now and I think it's going to be a great year for us."

To close the interview, Flores shared that the Company will continue to strive towards profitability. "At the end of the day, that's what we're working on," said Flores. "That is the core focus, that is the agenda - to create something of long-term value for the company," he continued. "We intend to be involved in the psychedelic space and be a main player in this space for the next several years, and this is just the beginning."

To hear the entire interview with David Flores, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/7771084-global-trac-solutions-inc-discusses-2021-revenue-strategy-with-the-stock-day-podcast.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About Global Trac Solutions, Inc. (OTC Pink: PSYC)

At Global Trac Solutions we are integrating media, creativity, and technology to develop and deploy thought-provoking ideas and solutions that are fostering and transforming the approach to some of society's most pressing matters.

PSYC has expressed its intent and commitment to positioning itself at the forefront of the psychedelic revolution and as a resource center for discovering and understanding the latest research and business opportunities surrounding psychedelic inspired medicines. In conjunction with the FDA's more open-minded approach to psychedelic medicines, and as several major U.S. cities continue to approve the decriminalization of psilocybin, investors are speculating that the psychedelic boom could be bigger than that of cannabis. PSYC is your source for current investment related news specific to psychedelic medicines and cutting-edge research improving overall health, moving this sector into the mainstream.

We believe in a forward-thinking approach that embraces groundbreaking new technology and innovations and through the vision of business development we intend to continue to evolve into these unchartered territories as the industry leaders of the future. We truly are the right TRAC to follow.

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Disclaimer: Global Trac Solutions, Inc. does not in any way encourage or condone the use, purchase, sale or transfer of any illegal substances, nor do we encourage or condone partaking in any unlawful activities. We support a harm reduction approach for the purpose of education and promoting individual and public safety. If you are choosing to use psychedelic substances, please do so responsibly.

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President Trump dismissed concerns about the 25th Amendment that can be used by his Cabinet to remove him from office, saying it was "zero risk" to him.

Apart from the "zero risk" that comes with the 25th Amendment, Trump told the crowd in an Alamo, Texas rally that the proposal will come back to "haunt" President-elect Joe Biden instead, reported Daily Wire.

He told the crowd in front of the Mexico border wall, "The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration."

Trump also warned Biden, "As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for."

Trump's comments came after Democrats in the U.S. House pushed for a resolution on Monday calling for Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment against the president.

Related Story: House Democrats Plan Calls on Pence to Invoke 25th Amendment, What Comes Next?

US News and World Report added that Trump continued to dismiss calls for his removal as lawmakers accuse him of inciting the deadly attack at the U.S. Capitol.

Trump Calls Impeachment, 25th Amendment Efforts 'Witch Hunt'

Democrats have raced to find ways to get Trump out of office since the January 6 siege and before the January 20 inauguration for Biden.

They believe keeping Trump in the position of president would put the safety of government at risk, said a report from Reuters.

Apart from calls to invoke the 25th Amendment, members of the House are also working towards an impeachment article.

Trump denounced these efforts, calling it a continuation of the "greatest and most vicious witch hunt" that started against him since he started his presidential term.

He also believed the "impeachment hoax" against him was causing anger, division and pain in America.

The 25th Amendment could complete strip Trump from the powers he has as president, but if the vice president refuses the resolution, the House will vote on a single impeachment count that was also submitted on Monday.

The impeachment article charges the president with "inciting an insurrection" during the Capitol riot.

Pence has not made any public comments about triggering the 25th Amendment and is unlikely to do so.

As noted by The Christian Science Monitor Pence loyally served Trump amid all the controversy of his presidency.

After the riot in the Capitol, Pence had the opportunity to oust Trump with calls for the 25th Amendment. But The Monitor noted that Pence will not be going down that route.

"He will do his duty until noon on January 20," a former Pence aide told the publication.

Trump Briefly Addresses Capitol Riot

The Texas appearance was Trump's first public rally since Wednesday, when he urged a crowd of supporters to march to the Capitol.

Read also: Trump To Visit Texas To Mark U.S.-Mexico Border Wall Topping 400 Miles

Instead of a firm statement of disapproval for the mob, the president chose to offer a lukewarm statement of disapproval for the rioters' actions.

"Millions of our citizens watched on Wednesday as a mob stormed the Capitol and trashed the halls of government," he said. "As I have consistently said throughout my administration, we believe in respecting America's history and traditions, not tearing them down."

He also called for the nation to heal and have "peace and calm."
A woman accused of stabbing someone unprovoked was denied bail on Monday after a judge said she could be a risk to the community.

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A woman accused of stabbing someone unprovoked was denied bail on Monday after a judge said she could be a risk to the community.

Shantelle Beaulieu, 26, was charged after a swath of incidents in 2020. The charges have not been proven in court.

Crown attorney Yaso Mathu said the first incident is from July 16, 2020, when police were called to the Crystal Hotel downtown after a 911 caller reported an assault in progress.

When officers arrived they detained a man, who alleged that Beaulieu was involved, Mathu said.

Police viewed a surveillance video of the incident, which showed two groups of people in front of the building in a "verbal confrontation," Mathu said. Officers recognized Beaulieu in the video, along with a number of other people.

In the video, Beaulieu walks to Pacific Avenue, where she puts down a can before walking back to the crowd the Crown said. When she walked back the officer could see something "metallic-looking" in her right hand and a man tried to stop her from getting close to the other group.

Beaulieu stepped around him before walking up behind a woman and allegedly stabbing her once in the back, in the rib cage area, and then again when the alleged victim turned around.

The two groups then dispersed, but the woman had to undergo surgery due to her stab wounds, Mathu said. She told police she had no idea who the assailant was who stabbed her.

Beaulieu was arrested a few days later, but released on bail.

Then, on Nov. 21, 2020, federal Crown attorney Ken Hawkins said Brandon police set up a fake Facebook account to arrange a fake drug deal with a man. Police asked to buy two grams of a substance for $200 and arranged to meet in the 700 block of Seventh Street.

The day before, Hawkins said police responded to two overdoses in that block, one of them fatal.

At approximately 3:50 p.m. police arrived in an unmarked vehicle and messaged the man saying they had arrived. Hawkins said Beaulieu left the residence and walked toward the vehicle officers were sitting in.

Once the accused was close, police left the vehicle and arrested her, Hawkins said. Beaulieu dropped a small blue baggie, allegedly containing meth, and had cash on her. She also allegedly gave police a fake name when they arrested her.

Beaulieu was arrested again on Dec. 25 after police received a 911 call where the caller said they just saw someone get into a taxicab while carrying a rifle in his pants, Hawkins said.

Police tracked the taxi to a Shoppers Drug Mart after talking to the taxis dispatch, Hawkins said. When police approached the vehicle they found the man in the backseat on his phone.

After detaining the man, police saw the brown handle of a long gun sticking out of a gym bag next to him. The gun was a 12-gauge double-barrel shotgun, Hawkins said, and it was loaded with a shell in the left chamber.

Officers arrested Beaulieu in the store. Hawkins said she allegedly had cash and a scale on her, but denied all knowledge of the gun.

Hawkins opposed Beaulieu being released on bail, saying she is repeatedly getting involved in alleged serious offences.

"She seems to be capable of significant violence and repeated involvement with drug trafficking  the danger to the public is just so high that she should be kept in custody," he said.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn argued Beaulieu could be released on bail, saying there are triable issues in the charges she faced. He also argued the man Beaulieu is with was the "mastermind" in any drug trafficking operation, not the accused.

Judge Donovan Dvorak said the fact that a civilian had to call police in the Christmas Day incident is especially concerning and doubted the assertion that she wasnt aware of the gun in the back seat.

Dvorak denied Beaulieus release, saying she would be a risk to the public if back in the community.

"To rely on her to stay out of trouble is just not going to work  given the impact meth has been having on this community, somebody who is suggested to be involved with violence and with the distribution of meth is a significant risk."

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
KABUL  The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Haneef Atmar met this afternoon with the National Security Advisor to India's Prime Minister, Mr. Ajit Kumar Doval, to discuss the ongoing peace talks in Doha and India's potential contributions to the success of the Afghan peace process.

Welcoming Mr. Doval to Afghanistan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs thanked India for its unflinching support to Afghanistan's government and people concerning peace, trade, and economic development.

Mr. Atmar underlined the importance of the Kabul-Delhi partnership and cooperation on regional security and preservation of gains made during the last twenty years in Afghanistan. He reiterated Kabul's position on an end-state to peace that must be acceptable for Afghanistan, its neighbors, and international partners.

The National Security Advisor to the Indian Prime Minister discussed his views about countering insurgent groups and shed light on the presence of international terrorist outfits in the region and how they could potentially affect lasting peace in Afghanistan.

The two sides agreed to continue their joint efforts to sustain and strengthen regional and international consensus for reaching a sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trial data for young children is not expected until 2022, CEO Stephane Bancel said Monday.

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine has already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use in people who are 18 years old and older. However, testing the shot in young children will be a different story since their immune systems respond differently to adults.

Presently, Moderna COVID-19 vaccine trials still need to be completed, a report from CNBC said. While the company has already started studying the vaccine's effects on adolescents as young as 12 years old, it has yet to look at the vaccine's effects on young children ages one to 11.

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Study for Young Children to Start 'Soon'

The adolescents' study is expected to conclude by the time the fall semester starts in September, while the study for young children will start "soon," said Bancel at the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, where he presented the company's projections.

However, he noted that the process of arriving data might "take much longer," reported Business Insider.

Related Story: Fact Check: Did a Bill Allowing Kids To Get Vaccinated Without Parental Consent Pass Into Law?

Bancel said the process has to be slowed down since Moderna will have to "age de-escalate and start at a lower dose," as he stressed that people shouldn't expect data this year.

In a November 2020 interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box," he said the key in studying the children's vaccines was to go "very slowly," and start at a lower dose to make sure it's safe for the involved children.

Just like the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, Moderna uses messenger RNA or mRNA in developing a shot. It is a new approach to the vaccine that uses genetic material to trigger a person's body into an immune response.

So far, Moderna has seen the vaccine's consistency across age, race, and gender during the late-stage trials involving adults.

Young children are unlikely to get their first vaccine shot in the coming months as medical experts continue to advocate that healthcare workers come first in the vaccination efforts, followed by vulnerable Americans and essential workers.

Children and young adults showed less risk of severe COVID-19, so they're expected to be at the bottom of the vaccination priority list.

Bancel also reported the company's plans to produce 600 million to 1 billion vaccine doses this year and 1.2 billion doses next year.

Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Trial for Adolescents Struggles in Finding Volunteers

At Moderna's best bet for their study on adolescents, enough middle school and high school children will be vaccinated before they go back to in-person classes. However, it is struggling to get older children to participate in their study, a top health official confirmed with New York Post on Tuesday.

Read also: FDA Officials Warn Not to Halve Covid Vaccine Doses

"It's a real challenge. It's been already four weeks ongoing," Operation Warp Speed advisor Dr. Moncef Slaoui said at a press conference .

Slaoui noted that only about 800 children signed up for the trials so far. At least 3,000 should participate in collecting enough data to study and recommend the vaccine for adolescents.

"We can't have that indication unless adolescents 12 to 18 decide to participate," Slaoui said.

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Washington  President Donald Trump was impeached by the U.S. House for a historic second time Wednesday, charged with incitement of insurrection over the deadly mob siege of the Capitol in a swift and stunning collapse of his final days in office.

With the Capitol secured by armed National Guard troops inside and out, the House voted 232-197 to impeach Trump. The proceedings moved at lightning speed, with lawmakers voting just one week after violent pro-Trump loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol, egged on by the presidents calls for them to fight like hell against the election results.

Ten Republicans fled Trump, joining Democrats who said he needed to be held accountable and warned ominously of a clear and present danger if Congress should leave him unchecked before Democrat Joe Bidens inauguration Jan. 20.

Rep. John Katko, R-Camillus, was one of the 10 GOP members to vote for impeachment.

Trump is the only U.S. president to be twice impeached.

The Capitol insurrection stunned and angered lawmakers, who were sent scrambling for safety as the mob descended, and it revealed the fragility of the nations history of peaceful transfers of power. The riot also forced a reckoning among some Republicans, who have stood by Trump throughout his presidency and largely allowed him to spread false attacks against the integrity of the 2020 election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi invoked Abraham Lincoln and the Bible, imploring lawmakers to uphold their oath to defend the Constitution from all enemies, foreign and domestic.

She said of Trump: He must go, he is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.

Holed up at the White House, watching the proceedings on TV, Trump took no responsibility for the bloody riot seen around the world, but issued a statement urging NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind to disrupt Bidens ascension to the White House.

In the face of the accusations against him and with the FBI warning of more violence, Trump said, That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.

Trump was first impeached by the House in 2019 over his dealings with Ukraine, but the Senate voted in 2020 acquit. He is the first to be impeached twice. None has been convicted by the Senate, but Republicans said Wednesday that could change in the rapidly shifting political environment as officeholders, donors, big business and others peel away from the defeated president.

The soonest Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell would start an impeachment trial is next Tuesday, the day before Trump is already set to leave the White House, McConnells office said. The legislation is also intended to prevent Trump from ever running again.

McConnell believes Trump committed impeachable offenses and considers the Democrats impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic presidents hold on the GOP, a Republican strategist told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

McConnell told major donors over the weekend that he was through with Trump, said the strategist, who demanded anonymity to describe McConnells conversations.

In a note to colleagues Wednesday, McConnell said he had not made a final decision on how I will vote.

Unlike his first time, Trump faces this impeachment as a weakened leader, having lost his own reelection as well as the Senate Republican majority.

Even Trump ally Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, shifted his position and said Wednesday the president bears responsibility for the horrifying day at the Capitol.

In making a case for the high crimes and misdemeanors demanded in the Constitution, the four-page impeachment resolution approved Wednesday relies on Trumps own incendiary rhetoric and the falsehoods he spread about Bidens election victory, including at a rally near the White House on the day of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

A Capitol Police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies. The riot delayed the tally of Electoral College votes that was the last step in finalizing Bidens victory.

Ten Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, voted to impeach Trump, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself.

Cheney, whose father is the former Republican vice president, said of Trumps actions summoning the mob that there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of his office.

Trump was said to be livid with perceived disloyalty from McConnell and Cheney.

With the team around Trump hollowed out and his Twitter account silenced by the social media company, the president was deeply frustrated that he could not hit back, according to White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing who werent authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.

From the White House, Trump leaned on Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to push Republican senators to resist, while chief of staff Mark Meadows called some of his former colleagues on Capitol Hill.

The presidents sturdy popularity with the GOP lawmakers constituents still had some sway, and most House Republicans voted not to impeach.

Security was exceptionally tight at the Capitol, with tall fences around the complex. Metal-detector screenings were required for lawmakers entering the House chamber, where a week earlier lawmakers huddled inside as police, guns drawn, barricade the door from rioters.

We are debating this historic measure at a crime scene, said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.

During the debate, some Republicans repeated the falsehoods spread by Trump about the election and argued that the president has been treated unfairly by Democrats from the day he took office.

Other Republicans argued the impeachment was a rushed sham and complained about a double standard applied to his supporters but not to the liberal left. Some simply appealed for the nation to move on.

Rep. Tom McClintock of California said, Every movement has a lunatic fringe.

Yet Democratic Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. and others recounted the harrowing day as rioters pounded on the chamber door trying to break in. Some called it a coup attempt.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., contended that Trump was capable of starting a civil war.

Conviction and removal of Trump would require a two-thirds vote in the Senate, which will be evenly divided. Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to go away as soon as possible.

Fending off concerns that an impeachment trial would bog down his first days in office, Biden is encouraging senators to divide their time between taking taking up his priorities of confirming his nominees and approving COVID-19 relief while also conducting the trial.

The impeachment bill draws from Trumps own false statements about his election defeat to Biden. Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

The House had first tried to persuade Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to invoke their authority under the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. Pence declined to do so, but the House passed the resolution anyway.

The impeachment bill also details Trumps pressure on state officials in Georgia to find him more votes.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent. In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.
Dollar General workers who get the coronavirus vaccine will be rewarded with four hours of pay, the company announced Wednesday, making it one of the first major retailers to incentivize inoculations for its workforce.

While such major brands as Walmart and CVS have key roles in the distribution of vaccines, most are encouraging employees to get vaccinated but not mandating it. But as doses become available to front-line workers outside of heath and long-term care, Dollar General wants to remove barriers - including transit and child-care costs - that might prevent its 157,000 employees from receiving the vaccine, the discount retailer said in a news release. On average, Dollar General employees make a base rate of $9.80 an hour, according to PayScale.

"We do not have an on-site pharmacy and currently do not have systems in place for employees to receive a vaccine at their work site," the company said. "We do not want our employees to have to choose between receiving a vaccine or coming to work."

Companies across the country are scrambling to lobby state and federal governments to secure vaccine priority for their workforces. In December, the National Retail Federation sent a letter to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, arguing that the nation's 32 million retail workers - who are front-line, essential workers - should be given early access.

"The coronavirus, and the ensuing shutdown of businesses, has wrought havoc upon retailers of every size, in every community," the retail trade group wrote in the letter. "The process of approving vaccines for use to combat COVID-19, and appropriate ordering of its distribution, is a critical first step in getting our economy and community life back on track."

Neil Saunders, managing director of retail for GlobalData in New York, said that the nature of retail work inevitably leaves employees vulnerable to the virus, even if they follow the recommended public health protocols.

"Even with preventative measures such as masks, retail workers are at risk of exposure because they regularly come into contact with a large number of people," Saunders said in an email to The Washington Post. "From a retailer's perspective, they want staff to be safe but they also don't want to be responsible for an contagion among colleagues or customers. As such retailers will be keen for their staff to get vaccinated."

Retailers are not generally required to report infections or deaths to health officials, employees or customers, but the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which represents 1.3 million workers in retail, grocery, food processing and other industries, estimates that, as of Jan. 5, nearly 375 front-line workers had died of covid-19, while nearly 67,000 had been exposed on the job.

Though the pandemic set off a wave of bankruptcies and shuttered stores, most of the biggest retail brands have raked in massive profits. A November report from watchdog Public Citizen found that the nation's top 15 retailers - including Amazon, Walmart and Dollar General - collectively amassed an additional $14.6 billion in profits in fiscal 2020 compared with 2019, with most allowing hazard pay to expire and putting money into stock buybacks.

In the same period, Dollar General said it made $38 million in pandemic-related investments, including bonuses and health and safety measures. The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based company, which operates nearly 17,000 stores in 46 states, according to its website - gave out $173 million in employee appreciation bonuses last year and began offering paid sick leave during the pandemic.

Chief executive Todd Vasos told the Wall Street Journal that Dollar General has a role to play in controlling the spread of the virus, particularly in rural areas where 70% of its stores are housed. "We believe as the vaccine continues to gain momentum that we've got to get it to rural America," he said.

Dollar General said employees will not have to provide proof of their vaccination, only notify the company that they had one. It also said it is encouraging inoculation, not requiring it.
Author Jennifer Lynn Barnes is well familiar with the excitement that comes with the launch of a new book. She had been through it many times before, having already published 20 novels as the September pub date for her twisty and suspenseful YA series-starter The Inheritance Games (Little, Brown) approached. Buzz had been building around the story of a teen girl who is named heir to the fortune of a billionaire shes never heard of, and by mid-month, the book had landed on the YA Hardcover New York Times bestseller lista career-first achievement for Barnes. Sony Pictures TV and Josh Bermans Osprey Productions secured rights to the book (and its sequel), developing the project for Amazon. Hot on those heels, LBYR has announced the sequel, The Hawthorne Legacy, due out this September. The cover is revealed here for the first time in a PW exclusive.

Its not unheard of for an established author to experience a breakout hit, but it took Barnes a bit by surprise. The Inheritance Games was my 21st book, she said. She had an early startshe published her first novel at the age of 19 and had sold an additional four books before graduating collegeand has worked steadily ever since. There have been many points in my career when the big question on my mind was whether or not I would be able to sell another book at all, so to have this book come out and find the kind of support it hasfrom my publishing team, from Hollywood, from booksellers, librarians, and readershas been both wonderful and surreal, Barnes said. When I got the call from my editor that The Inheritance Games had made the bestseller list, I just broke down and sobbed for an embarrassingly long time, thinking about all of the books that had come before and how incredibly lucky I was to have a chance like this after 16 years in this business.

But apart from its splashy debut, The Inheritance Games proved a different kind of project in other ways. The germ of the idea for the book surfaced years ago when Barness parents were building their dream house and asked her if she had any requests for its design. I only had one: a secret passage, she recalled. My dad worked for years on the houseincluding my secret passage!and the first time I saw the final product, I was overcome with the feeling that his presence was everywhere in that house, in every little detail. I started thinking about a fictional version of the house: much bigger, much more elaborate, with dozens of secret passages, built by a billionaire who put puzzles, messages, and codes into the design.

Though she had quickly envisioned this labyrinth setting, Barnes noted that it took years longer to find the right premise and plot to craft her ideal puzzle book. She says it came to her one day while she was brainstorming story ideas that involved an ordinary teenager becoming famous overnight. After coming up with a lot of dark and tragic reasons an ordinary person might suddenly find herself front-page news, I finally jotted down A billionaire leaves her his fortune, and no one knows why, Barnes said. I realized that I finally had the perfect set-upand the perfect mysteryfor the puzzle house book Id wanted to write for so long: an eccentric, puzzle-obsessed billionaire dies and leaves his fortune to a teenage girl hes never met, but to receive her inheritance, the girl must move into his sprawling, secret-passage-filled mansion alongside the family he just disinherited.

With the bones of the book in place, Barnes set to drafting the novel, noting that she took a slightly different approach this time around. When Im not writing, I am a psychology professor who has a lab dedicated to studying the psychology of fiction, she explained, describing how that expertise played a bigger role than ever in the books development. For several years before writing The Inheritance Games, I had been giving craft talks at writing conferences about how writers could use psychological theories about why we as a species love stories to create maximally appealing stories, she said.

Barnes noted that this thought had long informed her own writing, but that it wasnt until working on The Inheritance Games that I sat down with a list of all of the predictions made by all of these different theories and used those predictions as a checklist for what the human mind wants out of a good story. I referred to the list at every stage of the writing process, from titling the book and designing the characters and story to revision. This was really the first book that I pushed myself to use everything I know about the psychology of fiction to try to write a book that really puts all of those theories to the test.

The Inheritance Gamess path to publication took a bit of a different route as well. Barness finished book was among the more than 1,000 projects that Little, Brown Books for Young Readers acquired from Disney Publishing Group in early 2020. When it arrived at LBYR, everyone absolutely fell in love with it, said publicity manager Cheryl Lew. We saw the immense potential it had to be a standout hit and poured a lot of effort into it, creating an eye-catching cover, designed by art director Karina Granda and created by Katt Phatt, and elevating it in terms of our sales, marketing, and publicity approaches. Though Barnes was an established author, We knew we could make a big splash with her first LBYR title, Lew added.

Barness editor Lisa Yoskowitz, said, I think this book was a game changer because it delivers on so many levels, for so many readers: its a high stakes mystery, a rags-to-riches story full of glamour and wish fulfillment, a puzzle book with layer after layer of intrigue, and a great contemporary romance.

Of course, marketing and publicity plans were realigned in light of the pandemic, but still forged ahead. Among the highlights, The Inheritance Games was a featured title at several virtual conferences and was selected as a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club Pick and a Readerlink Buzz Reads Pick. Lew says her team leaned into the narrative itselfthe mystery! the riches! the four hot brothers! to create such efforts on the publishers online YA community hub, NOVL, as #OutofContextInheritanceGames teaser quotes, an influencer campaign, a Which Hawthorne Brother Will You Inherit? quiz, and a NOVLbox sweepstakes curated by Barnes.

As became the norm in 2020, the LBYR publicity team made a pandemic pivot to set up several virtual events for Barnes in place of in-person ones. Some of those appearances were hosted by Best of Books (in conversation with Karen M. McManus, author of One of Us Is Lying and One of Us Is Next), Blue Willow Bookshop (in conversation with Ally Carter, author of the Gallagher Girls series), Book People (in conversation with Ellie Marney, author of None Shall Sleep), and a Barnes & Noble YA Book Club event with E. Lockhart (author of We Were Liars). While transitioning her events to a virtual setting was an adjustment, Lew said, we found them to be extremely successful and were excited to be able to reach readers all over the country and to put Jennifer in conversation with these other incredible authors.

Barnes described her experience during a pandemic-era book launch, saying the timing had two big side effects. The first was that I was able to do many more events than I usually do, she said. As a full-time college professor, I am normally limited in how much I can travel, so the move to virtual events actually meant that I was able to interact with my audience a lot more than usual. The second was simply that I did not have the time, energy, or emotional bandwidth to stress about this books release the way I might have otherwise. I have two small children who have been home from daycare since March, so the normal crunch of trying to balance my professor job with writing deadlines became so much more intense that there just wasnt time or mental space for anything other than whatever it was that needed to be done right then.

More Mystery Ahead

Talking about her forthcoming sequel, Barnes revealed, The Hawthorne Legacy answers all of the questions that The Inheritance Games raises. Beyond that, readers can expect more puzzles, clues, riddles, family secrets, and plot twists than even the first book had, as well as more room in the story devoted to Averys character and relationship arcs. Barnes says that protagonist Avery spends much of the first book not thinking much beyond her initial shock, and the key question, why me? But in the follow-up, shes still driven to answer that question, but she also has to start to figure out who she wants to be and what she wants to do with the immense fortune shes been given, Barnes said.

Clues to the contents of the new book can be found on its jacket, which spotlights several items including a lit match and a sword. The challenge of working on The Hawthorne Legacy, or really any second book in a series, is to create an artwork that feels of a piece with the first book, but also distinctly its own, Granda said of the design. Luckily, Jen is so good at helping us pull together a unique list of symbols and objects for each book, giving this one its own sources of light and darkness that reveal themselves, literally and metaphorically, in the text. Granda also spoke more broadly about what went into conceptualizing both covers. One of the themes I find most striking about the Inheritance Games series is how danger lurks in the setting of beauty, class, and luxury, she said. When I stumbled upon Katt Phatts portfolio, and the delightful way in which he collages patterns and objects in a way that feels shiny and rich, but also a little bit sinister and dark, I knew he would be the perfect collaborator for this project.

And looking beyond The Hawthorne Legacy, fans of Averys adventures will be heartened to learn that Barness next project is of a similar flavor. I am finishing up the first draft of a new young adult book that is very much in the vein of The Inheritance Games: a twisted, family-centric, high-society mystery that offers readers a chance to play a game alongside the characters, she said.

The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Little, Brown, $17.99 Sept. ISBN 978-0-7595-5763-5

The government had announced a Rs 3 lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSMEs under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is set to present the Union Budget 2021-22 on February 1.

The COVID-19 pandemic had ravaged all the sectors, but it is the micro small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, which is said to have borne the maximum brunt of the pandemic.

As a result of the pandemic-induced lockdown, the MSME sector has been facing a massive liquidity and supply crunch, shortage of labour and non-payment of dues.

The government had announced a Rs 3 lakh crore Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) for MSMEs under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan package in order to mitigate the stress caused by the lockdown. The scheme was valid till the month of October.

Finance Minister Sitharaman had later extended the ECLGS till November 2020 and had further extended it till March 21, 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

Experts, however, feel the Centre should take more steps for the revival of the MSME sector.

Financial Express had reported that experts have said the government should lower the GST on professional services from 18 percent to 5 percent to boost the MSME sector.

MSME body Federation of Indian Micro and Small & Medium Enterprises (FISME) has sought the temporary suspension of the Basel norms to ease lending from the banking sector, Financial Express had reported.

Further, the experts also want the government to increase the collateral-free loan limit to Rs 5 crore for micro-units, Rs 15 crore for small businesses and Rs 35 crore in case of medium businesses.

At the annual general meeting of the industry body FICCI, Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari had said, "MSME is the backbone of the Indian economy. It contributes 30 percent towards the GDP growth. 48 percent of the exports are from the MSME sector. MSME has also generated 11 crore jobs."
Posted Tuesday, January 12, 2021 4:33 pm

A 42-year-old Bonney Lake man has been sentenced to federal prison after pleading guilty to stealing a ventilator and other medical supplies from the VA hospital in Seattle.

U.S. District Judge James L. Robart sentenced Gene Wamsley on Monday to three months in prison and nine months of home confinement for theft of government property. Wamsley also was ordered to pay restitution of $132,291, the value of the equipment he stole.

According to a sentencing memorandum filed by Wamsley's attorneys, he has paid $6,000 of the restitution since the guilty plea was entered Oct. 5.

Prosecutors said Wamsley, a former respiratory therapist at the VA Medical Center in Seattle, was directly involved in the care of COVID-19 patients during the pandemic.

"His decision to steal respiratory therapy devices for personal monetary gain is rather confounding as he was an eyewitness to the tremendous suffering of those inflicted," prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo. "Wamsley violated not only federal law but ethical obligations held by nurses since the inception of the profession."

Wamsley admitted to stealing and selling three bronchoscopes, used for examining patients' airways and valued at over $100,000, for $15,750 to a Florida resident on eBay. In June 2020, when investigators searched Wamsley's home, a fourth bronchoscope and a $6,000 sleep apnea device were found  both had been stolen from the VA medical center.

Wamsley also sold five ventilators on eBay, according to records from online sales, at least three of which were stolen from VAMC.

"This type of fraud strikes at the heart of our efforts to care for our elderly  especially our veterans," said U.S. attorney Brian Moran in a statement Monday. "Stealing money is bad enough, but stealing equipment needed for life-saving therapies shocks the conscious."

In the defense's sentencing memorandum, attorneys for Wamsley said none of the equipment stolen was being used for COVID-19 related treatments.

___

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Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung outlined the ministrys plans for 2021, Photo: Chi Cuong

The Law on Investment and the Law on Enterprises with provisions for public-private partnerships (PPP) are two important laws for Vietnams economy, which will be implemented this year.

In the draft decrees guiding the implementation of these laws, the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) addresses the key issues in detail. We are ready to receive comments from ministries and localities on implementing these laws effectively, said Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung at a conference last week.

According to Minister Dung, in the 2016-2020 period the system of institutions, laws, and policies in planning, investment, and statistics was continuously and comprehensively renovated.

The ministry submitted five laws for public investment activities and improvement of the business environment to the government and National Assembly  the amended Law on Public Investment, the amended Law on Investment, the amended Law on Enterprises, the Law on the Support of Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises, and the Law on Public-Private Partnership Investment.

Analysts said the documents drafted under the chair of the MPI show its pioneering role in proactively proposing reforms of the institutional system and policies towards creating a legal corridor for economic restructuring, the renewal of the countrys growth model, and the improvement of the allocation and mobilisation of resources for development investment.

Moreover, the laws will help promote the private economy and drastically innovate and improve Vietnams business environment.

The MPI also took the lead in innovating the mode of establishing the new laws by minimising the number of legal documents to facilitate a smoother implementation process for people and businesses.

Ironing out issues

During the last few months, the MPI has presided over the establishment and submission of a series of resolutions on improving the business environment and enhancing national competitiveness; and published several resolutions on business support and development and the simplification of regulations related to companies activities in the country.

Le Anh Quan, Vice Chairman of Haiphong Peoples Committee confirmed that the new regulations and publications are exactly what the people and the business community have been waiting for.

Up to this point, the MPI has submitted a draft decree detailing and guiding implementation of several articles of the new Law on Investment, including on funding promotion and outward investments, and another decree prescribing the procedures for appraisal of projects of national importance as well as investment supervision and evaluation, based on related decrees.

Both documents are finalising the governments orientation and will be submitted to the prime minister for signing this month.

Le Anh Duong, Chairman of Bac Giang Peoples Committee, commented on the decree guiding the examination under the Law on Investment that, The MPI has worked very quickly on the issues that our locality cares about and solved most of them. However, there remains one point to be clarified by the ministry.

Clause 3, Article 33 of the new law provides the procedures for accepting an investment policy that requires assessment of the conformity of a project with national, regional, and provincial planning.

The law holds that projects that want a policy to be adopted must follow these plans, but in some cases, those plans are not approved, especially provincial ones.

Thus, while waiting for planning approval, a province may get stuck in the process as there is no legal basis to act on.

Ensuring growth

Bac Giang, one of the bright spots amid the economic recovery of the nation, led Vietnams growth with an exemplary rate of 13.2 per cent in 2020.

However, Chairman Duong said the province is having difficulties in implementing the tasks in the coming period. Currently, the province lacks the necessary land funds to attract further investment and ensure a continuous economic and social growth at that pace, even though Bac Giang had previously added more than 1,100 hectares of land.

For example, we are currently hoping for the MPI to submit the approval of the Vietnam-Korea Industrial Park project in 2021 as soon as possible to the prime minister to start with its implementation, Duong emphasised.

Besides the positive changes that the new law on PPP investment brings with it, updates on the laws on investment and enterprises also offer enticing regulations to suit the new situation of the country after the dramatic movements last year.

Many enterprises have just gone through a difficult time as operations stagnated or even failed entirely during the pandemic.

The new laws and policies, therefore, may be just what they need in order to facilitate the economic transformation of such businesses in the new year.

However, it has been pointed out that several additional decrees and guiding documents may be necessary to fully use the opportunities of the new laws and enable localities and the business community to understand and know how to apply them effectively and in the right direction.
Pittsfield Remains High Risk for COVID-19 Transmission

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Pittsfield remains a red-level community as the city struggles to recover from the spike of COVID-19 cases that occurred in early November. Over the last three days, case counts have plateaued and Mayor Linda Tyer hopes that this is the beginning of the decline.

There was a drop of cases in mid-December, but toward the end of the month, Pittsfield was back on an upward trend. Tyer said the city is in much worse circumstances than at the beginning of the pandemic in March, April, and May.



"Right now, we remain a red community that's designated by the state, in a meaning that we are a high risk of transmission community," Tyer said. "And until we can see significant improvement in our case counts and positivity rate we won't be able to reopen our schools and I continue to be extremely concerned about the situation that continues to emerge at our long term care facilities."



At the first City Council meeting of 2021, Tyer gave a COVID-19 update from Pittsfield's administration.



Over the last 14 days, the case count per 100,000 people is 63 with the positivity rate hovering around 6.05 percent. As of Tuesday, there are 17 new cases and 59 people hospitalized with the virus, seven of them being in intensive care.



The city has seen a very steep increase in cases over the last five days; last week there were 200 new cases in a five-day period. Tyer said much depends on the decline of case counts and positivity rate.



The administration is monitoring how many tests are administered per day. As Pittsfield moves through late fall and early winter, changes in tests administered per day have increased significantly.


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Total passenger traffic down 68.8% year-on-year impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic

Corporacion America Airports S.A. (NYSE: CAAP), ("CAAP" or the "Company") the largest private sector airport operator in the world by number of airports, reported today a 68.8% year-over-year (YoY) decline in passenger traffic in December 2020.

Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements Highlights Statistics Dec'20 Dec'19(1)(2)(3) % Var. YTD'20(1)(2) YTD'19(1)(2)(3) % Var. Domestic Passengers (thousands) 1,315 4,093 -67.9% 14,448 47,589 -69.6% International Passengers (thousands) 384 2,193 -82.5% 7,069 28,216 -74.9% Transit Passengers (thousands) 487 729 -33.1% 3,702 8,353 -55.7% Total Passengers (thousands) 2,187 7,016 -68.8% 25,218 84,158 -70.0% Cargo Volume (thousand tons) 25.6 36.4 -29.7% 255.6 424.8 -39.8% Total Aircraft Movements (thousands) 33.2 71.5 -53.5% 352.9 857.9 -58.9%

(1) Note that preliminary passenger traffic figures for Ezeiza Airport, in Argentina, for 2019 as well as January 2020 were adjusted to include additional inbound passengers not accounted for in the initial count, for an average of approximately 5% of total passenger traffic at Ezeiza Airport and 1% of total traffic at CAAP, during that period. Importantly, inbound traffic does not affect revenues, as tariffs are applicable on departure passengers. (2) Preliminary data on 750 flights in August, 873 flights in September, 547 in October, 423 in November, 280 in December 2019, as well as 1,256 in January and 195 in February 2020 at Brasilia Airport, due to delays in the submission of information by third parties. Moreover, starting November 2019 the Company has reclassified its passenger traffic figures for Brasilia Airport between international, domestic and transit retroactively since June 2018 to return to the count methodology utilized until May 2018. Notwithstanding, total traffic figures remain unchanged. (3) Cargo volumes in Uruguay were rectified from January 2019 to June 2020, to reflect all cargo passing through the cargo terminal, instead of air cargo only.

Passenger Traffic Overview

Total passenger traffic in December 2020 dropped 68.8% YoY, reflecting the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on air travel, although showing a slight sequential improvement from the 77.1% and 80.8% declines reported in November and October, respectively. In most of the countries of operations, certain travel restrictions and requirements are in place and passenger demand remains low. International traffic declined by 82.5% YoY, while domestic traffic dropped 67.9% YoY.

In Argentina, total passenger traffic declined 84.1% YoY, although improving from the 93.0% decline in November. International passenger traffic declined 84.8%, a sequential improvement from the 91.7% decline in November while domestic passenger traffic dropped 84.0% YoY, showing an improvement from the 93.1% drop in November. Moreover, in light of the new COVID-19 strain, the government decided to temporarily suspend the entry of foreigners from neighboring countries starting late December until the end of January.

In Italy, passenger traffic declined 91.4% YoY, with international and domestic traffic down 84.0% and 94.2% YoY, respectively, reflecting the reinstatement of air travel restrictions following a new COVID-19 outbreak in the region, and weak demand during the winter season. Moreover, the Italian government announced new travel restrictions on mid-December to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

In Brazil, total passenger traffic continues to recover, with a 34.1% YoY decline showing a continued sequential improvement from the 41.7% drop in November. Domestic passenger traffic declined 36.2% resulting from a steady recovery in passenger demand, while international traffic dropped 91.8% YoY, mainly driven by low demand.

In Uruguay, borders remain closed to non-resident foreigners, with certain exemptions, and travel demand is still weak resulting in a passenger traffic decline of 88.5% YoY. On December 21, 2020, Uruguay suspended the entrance of all travelers, including Uruguayan citizens, until the end of January, with few exceptions.

In Ecuador, passenger traffic declined 60.8% YoY, improving sequentially from the 66.4% decline observed in November and the 70.3% drop in October.

In Armenia, while air travel bans were lifted during September, certain restrictions still apply and passenger demand remains low resulting in a passenger traffic drop of 70.3% during the month.

Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements

Cargo volume decreased 29.7% on December 2020, mainly due to declines of 29.5% in Argentina, 38.7% in Brazil and 31.1% in Ecuador.

Aircraft movements declined 53.5% YoY in December 2020, mainly attributed to decreases of 62.9% in Argentina, 28.2% in Brazil, 76.1% in Italy and 33.6% in Ecuador. Aircraft movements also declined 70.1% in Uruguay, 65.2% in Armenia and 42.8% in Peru.

Summary Passenger Traffic, Cargo Volume and Aircraft Movements Dec'20 (2) Dec'19 (1)(2) % Var. YTD'20(2) YTD'19(1)(2) % Var. Passenger Traffic (thousands) Argentina 576 3,614 -84.1% 9,960 43,405 -77.1% Italy 45 517 -91.4% 1,974 8,239 -76.0% Brazil 1,161 1,761 -34.1% 9,092 19,059 -52.3% Uruguay 22 190 -88.5% 610 2,182 -72.1% Ecuador 149 380 -60.8% 1,549 4,497 -65.6% Armenia 71 238 -70.3% 826 3,196 -74.1% Peru 164 316 -48.0% 1,208 3,579 -66.3% TOTAL 2,187 7,016 -68.8% 25,218 84,158 -70.0%

(1) See Footnote 1 in previous table. (2) See Footnote 2 in previous table.

Cargo Volume (tons) Argentina 13,412 19,011 -29.5% 143,948 227,970 -36.9% Italy 1,254 1,158 8.3% 13,256 13,192 0.5% Brazil 5,016 8,180 -38.7% 34,857 91,241 -61.8% Uruguay 2,186 2,582 -15.3% 28,916 29,132 -0.7% Ecuador 2,097 3,043 -31.1% 16,842 38,006 -55.7% Armenia 1,241 1,906 -34.9% 15,731 20,065 -21.6% Peru 387 509 -23.9% 2,080 5,164 -59.7% TOTAL 25,593 36,388 -29.7% 255,628 424,769 -39.8% Aircraft Movements Argentina 13,682 36,875 -62.9% 155,587 447,247 -65.2% Italy 1,197 5,016 -76.1% 30,163 78,952 -61.8% Brazil 10,442 14,541 -28.2% 89,445 161,775 -44.7% Uruguay 938 3,136 -70.1% 13,045 29,662 -56.0% Ecuador 4,715 7,101 -33.6% 41,565 82,374 -49.5% Armenia 780 2,244 -65.2% 10,183 27,430 -62.9% Peru 1,471 2,572 -42.8% 12,917 30,473 -57.6% TOTAL 33,225 71,485 -53.5% 352,905 857,913 -58.9%

To obtain the full text of this press release, please click on the following link: http://investors.corporacionamericaairports.com

Category: Operational Statistic

Source: Corporacion America Airports S.A.

About Corporacion America Airports

Corporacion America Airports acquires, develops and operates airport concessions. Currently, the Company operates 52 airports in 7 countries across Latin America and Europe (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Ecuador, Armenia and Italy). In 2019, Corporacion America Airports served 84.2 million passengers. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange where it trades under the ticker "CAAP". For more information, visit http://investors.corporacionamericaairports.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112006145/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations Contact

Gimena Albanesi

Email: gimena.albanesi@caairports.com

Phone: +5411 4852-6411
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) - In a joint statement issued Tuesday, Algeria and South Africa called on the African Union (AU) High-Level Committee on Libya to intensify its efforts to ensure that the political settlement process is carried out by Libyans.

Algerian Foreign Minister, Sabri Boukadoum, during his meeting in Pretoria with South Africa's Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Naledi Pandor, discussed the latest developments in Libya, including the UN-led political process, according to a statement issued on the occasion of a working visit of the Algerian diplomatic chief to South Africa, reported by Libyan news agency LANA on Wednesday.

The two countries stressed the need for the African Union, through the High-Level Committee on Libya, "to intensify its involvement to ensure a political process led by the Libyans in a way that preserves the unity and integrity of the country, and puts an end to foreign interference," LANA added.

The two ministers discussed views on issues related to peace and security on the African continent, in particular, the situation in Libya, Mali and the Western Sahara.

On October 23, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, welcomed the ceasefire agreement in Libya, describing it as "an important step towards the silencing of arms in Africa."

He congratulated "all the signatories for accepting the permanent ceasefire agreement.

The South African president said that the agreement, its implementation and monitoring were a crucial first step in creating conditions for the achievement of lasting peace in Libya.

-0- PANA BY/JSG/MTA/VAO 13Jan2021
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
[January 13, 2021] Wipro Limited Announces Results for the Quarter ended December 31, 2020 under IFRS

Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) today announced financial results under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for the quarter ended December 31, 2020. Highlights of the Results Results for the Quarter ended December 31, 2020: Gross Revenue was Rs 156.7 billion ($2.1 billion 1 ), an increase of 3.7% QoQ and 1.3% YoY

), an increase of 3.7% QoQ and 1.3% YoY IT Services Segment Revenue was at $2,071 million, a sequential growth of 3.9%

Non-GAAP 2 constant currency IT Services Segment Revenue increased by 3.4% QoQ

constant currency IT Services Segment Revenue increased by 3.4% QoQ IT Services Operating Margin 3 for the quarter was at 21.7%, an expansion of 243 bps QoQ and 329 bps YoY

for the quarter was at 21.7%, an expansion of 243 bps QoQ and 329 bps YoY Net Income for the quarter was Rs 29.7 billion ($406 million 1 ), an increase of 20.8% YoY

), an increase of 20.8% YoY Earnings Per Share for the quarter was at Rs 5.21 ($0.07 1 ), an increase of 20.7% YoY

), an increase of 20.7% YoY Operating Cash Flow was at Rs 44.3 billion ($607 million 1 ), which is 149.4% of Net Income

), which is 149.4% of Net Income Wipro declared an interim dividend of Rs 1 ($0.0141) per equity share/ADS Performance for the quarter ended December 31, 2020 Thierry Delaporte, CEO and Managing Director said, "Wipro has delivered a second consecutive quarter of strong performance on order booking, revenue and margins. Five of our sectors grew over 4% sequentially. We closed our largest ever deal win in Continental Europe. The demand environment is steadily improving, especially for digital transformation, digital operations, and cloud services. I am also pleased to share with you that we have moved into our new organization structure and are stabilizing quickly." Jatin Dalal, Chief Financial Officer said, "Our margins are now at a 22 quarters high. The expansion was led by improved revenue growth trajectory and excellence in operations with several metrics at an all-time high. Our Operating Cash Flows grew by 45% YoY with a significant improvement in outstanding receivables." Outlook for the quarter ending March 31, 2021 We expect Revenue from our IT Services business to be in the range of $2,102 million to $2,143 million*. This translates to a sequential growth of 1.5% to 3.5%. * Outlook is based on the following exchange rates: GBP/USD at 1.33, Euro/USD at 1.20, AUD/USD at 0.73, USD/INR at 73.84 and CAD/USD at 0.76 For the convenience of the readers, the amounts in Indian Rupees in this release have been translated into United States Dollars at the certified foreign exchange rate of US$1 = Rs 73.01, as published by the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on December 31, 2020. However, the realized exchange rate in our IT Services business segment for the quarter ended December 31, 2020 was US$1= Rs 74.04 Constant currency revenue for a period is the product of volumes in that period times the average actual exchange rate of the corresponding comparative period IT Services Operating Margin refers to Segment Results Total as reflected in IFRS financials IT Services Wipro continued its momentum in winning large deals with our customers as described below: Wipro has secured a contract for the upstream and downstream business of a UK-based energy company to transform their existing application maintenance services to a DevOps model, aligned with their new digital organization. This will enable the client to be more agile and respond swiftly to the changing business demands while ensuring cost optimization.

Wipro has won an engagement with a global new-age technology corporation to provide B2B customer and technology support for their business communication platform. Wipro will also provide account review services to determine any unauthorized access, and offer Quality as a Service (QaaS) to the client.

Wipro has won an engagement with a US-based public relations and media services company to streamline its operations across US, Canada, UK, Europe, India, and APAC, in addition to consolidating its supplier base.

Wipro has secured a contract from a large US-based telecom service provider to manage their sales support and sales request functions for the order management process. As part of the engagement, Wipro will bring about technology transformation to reduce the cycle time for order processing, ensuring faster deployment of services.

A global energy corporation has awarded Wipro a multi-year contract to provide digital services. The engagement includes support and development of business and enterprise applications for the upstream, midstream and downstream lines of business and corporate functions of the company. Digital & Cloud Application Services Highlights We continue to see increasing traction in digital oriented deals as illustrated below: A global beverage company has selected Designit, a Wipro company, to support a new product and service in the area of public and semi-public vending. Designit will analyze market and consumer insights and create vision concepts for the launch.

A US-based network software provider has awarded Wipro a contract to co-develop their 5G Radio Unit product and variants for global markets. The deal encompasses system architecture, software/hardware design, development, integration and validation to enable the customer achieve faster and cost-effective time-to-market.

A European multinational manufacturing company has awarded Wipro a contract to provide cloud managed services, application testing platforms and managed security services. Wipro will provide innovative solutions for Cloud access security, application security and vulnerability management using AI-based orchestration & automation.

Wipro's crowdsourcing platform Topcoder has won an engagement with a leading US-based pharmaceutical company to provide on-demand digital talent and development capability to their R&D Data Science Team. As part of the engagement, Topcoder's Platform and Data Science Community was leveraged to validate a COVID prediction model, operationalize it for use with customer data, and develop visualizations for the effort, all in under four weeks. The client had worked with Topcoder in June 2020 to plan for COVID vaccine trials. Analyst Recognition Wipro was positioned as a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Managed Network Services, Ted Corbett, Lisa Pierce, Danellie Young et al., 9 Nov 2020

Wipro was positioned as a Leader in IDC MarketScape Asia/Pacific Salesforce Implementation Services 2020 Vendor Assessment (Doc #AP46211420, Nov 2020)

Wipro was positioned as a Leader in IDC MarketScape Worldwide Life Science Sales and Marketing Digital Transformation 2020 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US42724918, Dec 2020)

Wipro was recognized as a Leader in IDC MarketScape GCC Professional Security Services 2020 Vendor Assessment (Doc #META47033220, Dec 2020)

Wipro was positioned as a Leader in IDC MarketScape Worldwide Retail Commerce Platform Service Providers 2020 Vendor Assessment (Doc #US46162920, Dec 2020)

Wipro was positioned as a Leader in Everest Group's System Integrator (SI) Capabilities on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure Services and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Services PEAK Matrix Assessments 2021

Wipro was recognized as a Leader and Star Performer in Everest Group's Application and Digital Services (ADS) in Life and Annuities (L&A) Insurance PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021

Wipro was recognized as a Leader in Everest Group's Artificial Intelligence (AI) Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021

Wipro Ranks #2 for Customer Satisfaction in Whitelane 2020 French IT Sourcing Study Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. IT Products IT Products Segment Revenue for the quarter was Rs 1.6 billion ($21.3 million 1 )

) IT Products Segment Results for the quarter was a profit of Rs 0.09billion ($1.2 million1) India business from State Run Enterprises (ISRE) India SRE Segment Revenue for the quarter was Rs 2.4 billion ($32.8 million 1 )

) India SRE Segment Results for the quarter was a profit of Rs 0.47billion ($6.5 million1) Please refer to the table at the end for reconciliation between IFRS IT Services Revenue and IT Services Revenue on a non-GAAP constant currency basis. About Non-GAAP Financial Measures This press release contains non-GAAP financial measures within the meaning of Regulation G and Item 10(e) of Regulation S-K. Such non-GAAP financial measures are measures of our historical or future performance, financial position or cash flows that are adjusted to exclude or include amounts that are excluded or included, as the case may be, from the most directly comparable financial measure calculated and presented in accordance with IFRS. The table at the end provides IT Services Revenue on a constant currency basis, which is a non-GAAP financial measure that is calculated by translating IT Services Revenue from the current reporting period into U.S. dollars based on the currency conversion rate in effect for the prior reporting period. We refer to growth rates in constant currency so that business results may be viewed without the impact of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, thereby facilitating period-to-period comparisons of our business performance. Further, in the normal course of business, we may divest a portion of our business which may not be strategic. We refer to the growth rates in both reported and constant currency adjusting for such divestments in order to represent the comparable growth rates. This non-GAAP financial measure is not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, the most directly comparable financial measure calculated in accordance with IFRS and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. In addition to this non-GAAP measure, the financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures with the most directly comparable IFRS financial measure should be carefully evaluated. Results for the quarter ended December 31, 2020, prepared under IFRS, along with individual business segment reports, are available in the Investors section of our website www.wipro.com. Quarterly Conference Call We will hold an earnings conference call today at 07:45 p.m. Indian Standard Time (09:15 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time) to discuss our performance for the quarter. The audio from the conference call will be available online through a web-cast and can be accessed at the following link- https://links.ccwebcast.com/?EventId=WIPRO30121 An audio recording of the management discussions and the question and answer session will be available online and will be accessible in the Investor Relations section of our website at www.wipro.com. About Wipro Limited Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO) is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company. We harness the power of cognitive computing, hyper-automation, robotics, cloud, analytics and emerging technologies to help our clients adapt to the digital world and make them successful. A company recognized globally for its comprehensive portfolio of services, strong commitment to sustainability and good corporate citizenship, we have over 180,000 dedicated employees serving clients across six continents. Together, we discover ideas and connect the dots to build a better and a bold new future. Forward-Looking Statements The forward-looking statements contained herein represent Wipro's beliefs regarding future events, many of which are by their nature, inherently uncertain and outside Wipro's control. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding Wipro's growth prospects, its future financial operating results, and its plans, expectations and intentions. Wipro cautions readers that the forward-looking statements contained herein are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated by such statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding fluctuations in our earnings, revenue and profits, our ability to generate and manage growth, complete proposed corporate actions, intense competition in IT services, our ability to maintain our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which we make strategic investments, withdrawal of fiscal governmental incentives, political instability, war, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our business and industry. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Annual Reports on Form 20-F. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. We may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. We do not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by us or on our behalf.







WIPRO LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Rs in millions, except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated) As at March 31, 2020 As at December 31, 2020 Convenience translation

into US dollar in millions

Refer footnote 1 ASSETS Goodwill 131,012 136,322 1,867 Intangible assets 16,362 13,056 179 Property, plant and equipment 81,120 83,372 1,142 Right-of-Use assets 16,748 15,427 211 Financial assets Derivative assets - 51 1 Investments 9,302 8,679 119 Trade receivables 6,049 4,613 63 Other financial assets 5,881 6,657 91 Investments accounted for using the equity method 1,383 1,459 20 Deferred tax assets 6,005 1,690 23 Non-current tax assets 11,414 14,020 192 Other non-current assets 11,935 11,433 157 Total non-current assets 297,211 296,779 4,065 Inventories 1,865 1,205 17 Financial assets Derivative assets 3,025 4,088 56 Investments 189,635 312,909 4,286 Cash and cash equivalents 144,499 139,435 1,910 Trade receivables 104,474 91,841 1,258 Unbilled receivables 25,209 23,105 316 Other financial assets 8,614 9,028 124 Contract assets 17,143 14,847 203 Current tax assets 2,882 2,354 32 Other current assets 22,505 22,144 303 Total current assets 519,851 620,956 8,505 TOTAL ASSETS 817,062 917,735 12,570 EQUITY Share capital 11,427 11,431 157 Share premium 1,275 1,815 25 Retained earnings 476,103 424,275 5,811 Share-based payment reserve 1,550 1,765 24 SEZ Re-investment reserve 43,804 57,217 784 Other components of equity 23,299 30,647 420 Equity attributable to the equity holders of the Company 557,458 527,150 7,221 Non-controlling interest 1,875 1,489 20 TOTAL EQUITY 559,333 528,639 7,241 LIABILITIES Financial liabilities Loans and borrowings 4,840 213 3 Derivative liabilities 138 - - Lease liabilities 12,638 12,894 177 Other financial liabilities 151 929 13 Deferred tax liabilities 2,825 5,181 71 Non-current tax liabilities 13,205 12,442 170 Other non-current liabilities 7,537 7,803 107 Provisions 2 1 ^ Total non-current liabilities 41,336 39,463 541 Financial liabilities Loans, borrowings and bank overdrafts 73,202 73,256 1,003 Derivative liabilities 7,231 3,467 47 Trade payables and accrued expenses 78,129 83,461 1,143 Lease liabilities 6,560 7,502 103 Other financial liabilities 899 96,604 1,323 Contract liabilities 18,775 22,118 303 Current tax liabilities 11,731 15,913 218 Other current liabilities 19,254 46,627 639 Provisions 612 685 9 Total current liabilities 216,393 349,633 4,788 TOTAL LIABILITIES 257,729 389,096 5,329 TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES 817,062 917,735 12,570 ^ Value is less than 1

WIPRO LIMITED AND SUBSIDIARIES INTERIM CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF INCOME (Rs in millions, except share and per share data, unless otherwise stated) Three months ended December 31, Nine months ended December 31, 2019 2020 2020 2019 2020 2020 Convenience

translation into

US dollar in

millions

Refer footnote 1 Convenience

translation into

US dollar in

millions

Refer footnote 1 Revenues 154,705 156,700 2,146 453,122 456,976 6,259 Cost of revenues (109,673) (104,313) (1,429) (321,952) (313,400) (4,293) Gross profit 45,032 52,387 717 131,170 143,576 1,966 Selling and marketing expenses (11,030) (11,326) (155) (32,612) (30,721) (421) General and administrative expenses (7,496) (7,814) (107) (22,142) (25,997) (356) Foreign exchange gains 727 566 8 2,176 2,109 29 Other operating income/(loss), net - - - 749 (81) (1) Results from operating activities 27,233 33,813 463 79,341 88,886 1,217 Finance expenses (1,844) (1,400) (19) (5,675) (3,966) (54) Finance and other income 5,370 5,975 82 19,174 16,465 226 Share of net profit /(loss) of associates accounted for using the equity method 34 101 1 16 126 2 Profit before tax 30,793 38,489 527 92,856 101,511 1,391 Income tax expense (6,164) (8,524) (117) (18,594) (22,590) (309) Profit for the period 24,629 29,965 410 74,262 78,921 1,082 Profit attributable to: Equity holders of the Company 24,558 29,667 406 73,958 78,225 1,072 Non-controlling interest 71 298 4 304 696 10 Profit for the period 24,629 29,965 410 74,262 78,921 1,082 Earnings per equity share: Attributable to equity holders of the Company Basic 4.31 5.21 0.07 12.58 13.74 0.19 Diluted 4.30 5.17 0.07 12.55 13.46 0.18 Weighted average number of equity shares used in computing earnings per equity share Basic 5,692,132,118 5,696,798,493 5,696,798,493 5,879,588,157 5,694,731,405 5,694,731,405 Diluted 5,703,265,041 5,741,070,466 5,741,070,466 5,892,966,906 5,812,779,105 5,812,779,105 Additional Information: Particulars Three months ended Nine months ended Year ended December

31, 2020 September

30, 2020 December

31, 2019 December

31, 2020 December

31, 2019 March

31, 2020 Audited Audited Audited Audited Audited Audited Revenue IT Services BFSI 46,825 45,995 46,612 137,648 137,767 184,457 Health BU 21,266 20,294 19,799 61,320 57,651 78,240 CBU 25,077 23,927 25,443 72,183 71,339 97,008 ENU 20,076 18,990 19,553 58,345 56,873 76,443 TECH 19,394 18,478 18,584 57,542 56,392 75,895 MFG 12,677 12,175 12,450 36,672 35,672 48,158 COMM 8,016 7,822 8,565 23,258 25,387 33,840 Total of IT Services 153,331 147,681 151,006 446,968 441,081 594,041 IT Products 1,552 1,691 2,576 5,501 8,218 11,010 ISRE 2,393 2,119 1,847 6,629 6,059 8,400 Reconciling Items (10) (8) 3 (13) (60) (50) Total Revenue 157,266 151,483 155,432 459,085 455,298 613,401 Other operating income/(loss), net IT Services - (178) - (81) 749 1,144 Total Other operating income/(loss), net - (178) - (81) 749 1,144 Segment Result IT Services BFSI 9,820 9,209 8,246 27,546 25,988 34,132 Health BU 4,359 4,005 3,186 11,092 8,978 12,027 CBU 6,166 5,507 4,725 16,092 12,183 16,729 ENU 3,688 3,329 3,130 10,586 8,410 12,176 TECH 3,128 2,632 3,256 9,927 10,406 14,312 MFG 2,552 2,379 2,385 7,159 6,916 9,252 COMM 1,445 1,320 1,444 3,656 4,006 5,336 Unallocated 2,046 148 1,360 3,400 3,124 2,577 Other operating income/(loss), net - (178) - (81) 749 1,144 Total of IT Services 33,204 28,351 27,732 89,377 80,760 107,685 IT Products 89 (300) (140) (87) (398) (282) ISRE 473 114 (528) 487 (1,341) (1,822) Reconciling Items 47 (30) 169 (891) 320 149 Total 33,813 28,135 27,233 88,886 79,341 105,730 Finance Expense (1,400) (1,267) (1,844) (3,966) (5,675) (7,328) Finance and Other Income 5,975 5,209 5,370 16,465 19,174 24,081 Share of net profit/ (loss) of associates accounted for using the equity method 101 (6) 34 126 16 29 Profit before tax 38,489 32,071 30,793 101,511 92,856 122,512 The Company is organized into the following operating segments: IT Services, IT Products and India State Run Enterprise segment (ISRE). IT Services: The IT Services segment primarily consists of IT Service offerings to customers organized by industry verticals. The industry verticals are as follows: Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI), Health Business unit (Health BU), Consumer Business unit (CBU), Energy, Natural Resources & Utilities (ENU), Manufacturing (MFG), Technology (TECH) and Communications (COMM). Key service offerings to customers includes software application development and maintenance, research and development services for hardware and software design, business application services, analytics, consulting, infrastructure outsourcing services and business process services. IT Products: The Company is a value-added reseller of desktops, servers, notebooks, storage products, networking solutions and packaged software for leading international brands. In certain total outsourcing contracts of the IT Services segment, the Company delivers hardware, software products and other related deliverables. Revenue relating to the above items is reported as revenue from the sale of IT Products. India State Run Enterprise segment (ISRE): This segment consists of IT Services offerings to entities/ departments owned or controlled by the Government of India and/ or any State Governments. Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Constant Currency IT Services Revenue to IT Services Revenue as per IFRS ($Mn) Three Months ended December 31, 2020 IT Services Revenue as per IFRS $ 2,071.0 Effect of Foreign currency exchange movement $ (11.8 ) Non-GAAP Constant Currency IT Services Revenue based on $ 2,059.2 previous quarter exchange rates Three Months ended December 31, 2020 IT Services Revenue as per IFRS $ 2,071.0 Effect of Foreign currency exchange movement $ (17.9 ) Non-GAAP Constant Currency IT Services Revenue based on $ 2,053.1 exchange rates of comparable period in previous year View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005508/en/

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

In the context of family relationships, women who use force generally do so because they want power rather than because they have power, according to new research.

The study found women wish to assert their personal independence from a partner, rather than exercise personal authority over a partner (coercive control).

Women who use force commonly also see themselves as responsible for their actions, and often for their relationships as well. In contrast, men using violence generally do not, blaming others rather than themselves.

Led by researchers at the University of Melbourne and Curtin University, in collaboration with non-for-profit organizations, Baptcare and Berry Street, this is the first Australian research to examine women who use force.

It is released today by the Department of Social Services, and includes a literature review, a study of workforce knowledge and understanding of this group of women across Australia, an international review of existing interventions, the evaluation of a group-based intervention, and a framework outlining key principles of intervention with this group of women.

The research found most women identified as using force are themselves victim-survivors of domestic family violence (DFV). There is strong evidence that women who use force have experienced high rates of DFV and childhood abuse or victimization.

It also revealed women use more psychological, verbal and emotional force than other kinds. Physical force, when used, is more likely to be minor or moderate, rather than severe.

Motivations for the use of force by women most commonly include self-defense, retaliation, anger and stress.

University of Melbourne Dr. Margaret Kertesz said while there is now a considerable body of literature about men's violence against women, the issue of women's use of force remains a complex and controversial issue.

"Our work highlights the urgency of increasing community understanding of women's experiences of trauma, abuse and violence, and how these experiences shape women's relationships and conflict-resolution skills," Dr. Kertesz said.

University of Melbourne Professor Cathy Humphreys said professionals in a range of sectors report that in their work they regularly encounter women who use force and identify it most commonly because women are upfront about their behavior.

"However, the workforce survey showed us that there is a wide range of views about women's use of force. Professionals vary in their understanding of what motivates women to act in this way, and the extent to which women's use of force differs from men's violence," Dr. Humphreys said.

"There is a considerable need to increase the capacity of services and workers to respond effectively to women who use force and ensure there's a strong Australian knowledge base and ongoing education."

The researchers found a small number of programs have emerged in Australia in the last decade that specifically respond to women identified as using force, providing an intervention tailored to their needs.

One of the first, Positive SHIFT, is a groupwork-based intervention developed and run in Victoria by Baptcare in collaboration with Berry Street, two organizations providing services to families affected by domestic and family violence.

"While professionals can listen with empathy, advocate and facilitate healing, women are experts in their own situation and can work to evaluate and develop safe and viable alternatives to their use of force," Dr. Kertesz said.

"This is something that we found Positive SHIFT does well, allowing participants to gain an understanding of how their life experience shapes their actions, and learning strategies to deal with the difficult relationships in their lives."

Dr. Kertesz stressed the importance of identifying gaps in the understanding and treatment of family violence, no matter who the perpetrator is.

"As we continue the work to prevent men's violence against women as the most prevalent form of domestic and family violence in our community, we must always be sensitive to the nuances of experience in the lives of those using force or violence, whoever they are," she said.

Explore further Psychological abuse: Obstetric care must delve deeper
[January 13, 2021] Global Processing Services (GPS) Bolsters Asia Pacific Team with Head of Region Appointment

Leading payments issuer processor, Global Processing Services (GPS), today announces the appointment of Damien Gough as Head of Asia Pacific. With more than 14 years' experience working with fintechs across the region, Gough was previously Head of Issuer Processing and Enablement Partnerships, Asia Pacific, at Visa, where he was responsible for forging regional and global partnerships with third-party processors and BIN sponsors. Whilst there, he also spearheaded sales activities and solutions with leading regional fintech issuers. Prior to that, Gough was Head of Prepaid Products, Asia Pacific, and Head of Issuer Processing Services, Australia and New Zealand, at Visa, where he spent nine years working with the digital payments giant. Commenting on the appointment, Joanne Dewar, Chief Executive Officer of GPS, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Damien to the GPS team. His in-depth experience with supporting the launch and growth of many of the largest fintech issuance programmes in Asia Pacific, both prepaid and debit, will be immensely beneficial to the growth of GPS in the region. Damien has an excellent track record of effectively engaging ecosystem partners across Asia Pacific, including sponsor banks, eKYC vendors, fintech investors and various processors which will be pivotal to the strength of our partnerships in the fastest-growing fintech market in the world."



With the support of the UK Department for International Trade's Fintech Bridges and the Singaporean Economic Development Board, GPS successfully expanded into the APAC region in November 2019, and has already delivered successful programmes for WeLab Bank, the first homegrown virtual bank in Hong Kong, and Razer Fintech, the largest offline-to-online ("O2O") digital payment network in South East Asia aiming to establish the world's first global youth bank. Commenting on his decision to join GPS, Gough said: "GPS is rising to the challenge of helping clients navigate global and local complexities, by building out agile regional support teams with award-winning product launches sitting on top of a highly flexible platform that supports most fintech issuance use cases. The expertise, experience, breadth of APIs, and local support agility provided by GPS to fintechs and digital banks, are helping to make what was once a complex process simple.

It is an honour to join GPS to lead and support its rapidly expanding Asia Pacific team, to further help and empower our customers to deliver leading payment products in a highly diverse region that is rapidly embracing and adopting fintech services. From high-growth emerging countries to mature markets, we are witnessing strong demand and I am incredibly excited about our bright future in the region." To find out more about GPS, visit: https://www.globalprocessing.com/ ### About Global Processing Services (GPS) Global Processing Services (GPS) is the trusted and proven go-to payments processing partner for today's leading challenger brands, including Revolut, WeLab Bank, and Razer Fintech. Founded in 2007, GPS's highly flexible and configurable platform places the control firmly in the hands of global fintechs, digital banks and e-wallets, enabling them to deliver rich functionality to the cardholder. GPS is certified by Mastercard and Visa to process and manage any credit, debit or prepaid card transaction globally, with offices in London, Newcastle, Singapore, Sydney and Dubai. It is equipped to meet the stringent standards required by Tier 1 banks and has integrated with more than 40 issuing banks and operates programmes for 180+ clients in 60 countries, using over 150 currencies. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112005894/en/

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 23:45:27|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The long-standing friendship and relationship between Ethiopia and China has reached a new level, an Ethiopian minister has said.

The remark was made by Melaku Alebel, Ethiopia's Minister of Trade and Industry, during his discussions with the Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia, Zhao Zhiyuan, the Ethiopian Ministry of Trade and Industry said in a statement on Wednesday.

Noting that the East African country "will be a prosperous and promising country in the next 10 years," Ethiopia's trade and industry minister said that "Ethiopia and China have a long-standing friendship and the relationship has reached a new level, which has ensured the relative and comparative advantage of the two countries."

"The Chinese government has played a pivotal role in Ethiopia's current economic growth and this assistance will be continued and be strengthened for the future," the statement quoted Alebel as saying.

The newly appointed Chinese Ambassador to Ethiopia on his part stressed that the Chinese government will deliver its full support for the establishment of everlasting peace in the East African country, according to the statement.

Last month, Dina Mufti, spokesman for the Ethiopian Foreign Ministry, said that Ethiopia is keen on attracting more investment from Chinese firms.

Noting that Chinese firms are already the largest investors in Ethiopia, Mufti said the east African country is keen on further elevating the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership it has with China.

According to Mufti, the Ethiopia-China economic ties are set to be further strengthened as the two countries celebrate 50 years of diplomatic relations.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Report 2020, China remained the largest foreign direct investment source in Ethiopia in 2019, contributing about 60 percent of the newly approved foreign projects in the East African country. Enditem
I feel like were all living in a kind of suspended animation at the moment.

January is usually a dull enough month, bereft of excitement and a return to the daily drudge.

But this year, quite frankly, its terrifying.

Knowing our Covid figures are officially the worst in the world, having applauded ourselves for most of 2020, is no badge of honour.

Didnt we all experience a little schadenfreude when we saw, month after month, the Brits getting it so wrong.

In Northern Ireland they couldnt seem to organise a proverbial piss-up in a brewery so busy were politicians in-fighting.

And as for America, well theyve had more than enough to contend with on top of out-of-control Covid cases.

But none of us get to smirk now. And while Tony Holohan is back to the daily grind of issuing horrific facts, hes obviously horribly disappointed with us and irritated that his advice to Government wasnt heeded over Christmas.

But it is us now, not our leaders  some of whom have been flapping about, preferring the blame game to collective messaging  who have to grasp this by the nettle.

It always was.

It is us, individually, who are the only ones who can do this by staying at home.

We cant wish each other a happy new year and we only have one resolution: to get those numbers down.

I always knew wine and cheese are good for you



I have no intention of doing Dry January or, horror, Veganuary. Life is hard enough at the moment without all that nonsense.

Having eaten and drunk practically everything that was put in front of me for the last few weeks my plan for 2021 is to well, not do that.

However, Im buoyed by new research from a study at Iowa State University which claims that of all the foods we should be eating to slow cognitive decline, cheese and wine score the highest. Indeed, daily consumption of both was recommended.

This is what I have long believed.

For those who might be impertinent enough to suggest if you spend long enough on the internet you can find anything you want to support whatever hypothesis you wish, Id retort it only took several weeks wading through other research telling me to give up alcohol and lose weight, to locate a report holding up my theory. So there.

That said, it will be made all the more difficult by having to open a swing barrier with my trolley, being unable to veer automatically toward the buy-six-get-one-free promotion and not slap down my loyalty card to pay for it. Bah!

Wedding day the perfect end to exhausting year

I managed to blag a longer-than-usual Christmas break by virtue of getting married.

Almost everything that had been carefully planned ended up being unpicked, obviously.

Most of 2020 was spent date flipping, chopping down the guest list and re-organising venues for 100, 50, 25, six and back to 25 guests. It wasnt until 48 hours before the big day we were finally given permission by the Taoiseach to go ahead.

Being restricted to six people would have entailed ditching our least favourite child.

The foreign honeymoon was abandoned, another booked in its place and then ditched also. The promised sun, sea and sand ended up on the beach 5km from our house.

Exhausting, chaotic and stressful.

And, in the end, absolutely perfect.
The chaos in the nations capital last week epitomizes the disregard for the rule of law at the highest level of our government over the past four years. While we can hope that the mob violence was a last gasp, it is a reminder of what can happen when our leaders subvert basic norms.

The main challenge for the Biden-Harris administration is to reset our politics and return the nation to stability. The appointment of Merrick Garland, a judge with impeccable credentials and integrity, as U.S. attorney general will help.

California is not immune to polarization. But our top officials, including Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Xavier Becerra, have worked hard to unite Californians behind sensible policies and shared values. Now Becerra is heading back to Washington, and the governor must appoint his successor.

California does not face a task of restoration like the one facing the new White House. But if there were ever a time to underscore that the rule of law must always be above politics, that time is now.

There are many politicians who wish to be Californias attorney general, but I suggest the governor take a page from the Biden playbook. He should appoint state Supreme Court Justice Goodwin Liu.

Justice Liu is a person of enormous accomplishment, integrity and stature. We serve together on the board of the American Law Institute, and I also know his reputation on the bench and as a law professor at UC Berkeley. He has tremendous legal acumen, solid values and a demonstrated commitment to equal justice under the law.

In his 10 years on the California Supreme Court, Justice Liu has proved himself to be a thoughtful and balanced jurist. He has faithfully applied the law, as any judge must, even when he finds the law misguided or unfair. For example, he has voted to uphold verdicts in capital cases, even as he has criticized Californias death penalty as an expensive and dysfunctional system that does not deliver justice or closure in a timely manner, if at all.

Having served as a governor and attorney general, I know what it takes to be effective as the states top lawyer. And when I was president of the University of California, I worked with Becerra to successfully defend DACA, the program that enables undocumented students to live, work and go to school in our communities.

California needs an attorney general who has deep knowledge of the law and will forcefully advocate for our states values. As California transitions from resistance toward cooperation with federal policymakers, we need an attorney general with instant credibility on the national stage. This is vital for advancing Californias interests in immigration, education, environmental justice, criminal justice reform and more.

Justice Liu is ideally suited for the role. I have seen him in discussions with the nations best legal minds, and I am familiar with his work on and off the bench. He is respected by lawyers, judges and thought leaders across the country. People listen to what he has to say because he is thoughtful, reasoned and sincere. He is the person we need at the courthouse, in a hearing room and at the negotiating table in California, Washington and beyond.

Now is the time to prioritize expertise, integrity and dedication to the law over politics in our leaders. Gov. Newsom would do our state and the nation a great service by appointing Justice Liu as Californias next attorney general.

Janet Napolitano is a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. She formerly served as president of the University of California, U.S. secretary of Homeland Security, governor of Arizona and attorney general of Arizona.
The United States has called unjust the Russian court's conviction of three Ukrainian citizens, Crimean Tatars, in the case of the so-called Bilohirsk group of Hizb ut-Tahrir, and urged Russia to free all Ukrainian political prisoners.

Russia reportedly sentenced three Crimean Tatars to a total 48 years in prison, its latest set of unjust convictions. Russia has no right to detain, prosecute, or convict Ukrainians on Ukrainian soil. We call on Russia to free all Ukrainian political prisoners, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine posted on Twitter.

As reported, the Southern Military District Court in Rostov-on-Don (Russia) ruled on January 12 to sentence Enver Omerov to 18 years, Riza Omerov  13 years, Ayder Dzhapparov  to 16 years in a maximum security penal colony.

All three men are residents of Bilohirsk district of Crimea and were detained on June 10, 2019. They were charged with "conducting terrorist activities" and participating in the activities of the Islamic organization Hizb ut-Tahrir.

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Ten people, suspected to be illegal Rohingya immigrants, were held from a Rajdhani Express train at the New Jalpaiguri station in West Bengal, a railway official said here on Wednesday.

Among them were three men, two women and five children, he said.

They had allegedly crossed over on January 10 from Comilla in Bangladesh to Sonamura in Tripura and had boarded the train at Agartala on January 11 with the help of an agent, the official said.They had fled from the Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh's Cox Bazar.

All the arrested persons were handed over to the GRP at New Jalpaiguri for appropriate legal action, the spokesperson of the Northeast Frontier Railway said.

The train superintendent during ticket checking on the Agartala-New Delhi Rajdhani Express found them to be suspicious and informed the railway police, he said.As the train arrived at New Jalpaiguri around 1.40 pm on Tuesday they were held and immediately de-boarded.

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Department of JusticeBy ALEXANDER MALLIN and MARK OSBORNE, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- Federal prosecutors submitted chilling new evidence in their case against Capitol siege suspect Lonnie Coffman on Tuesday, including a list the protester had in his possession naming "good guys" and "bad guys," including the names of a federal judge and a House lawmaker.



Among the evidence submitted to the court are also pictures of the materials seized from Coffman's truck, which include multiple firearms, a crossbow, stun gun and a cooler with 11 homemade Molotov cocktails. Evidence photos submitted by the Department of Justice show an AR-15-style rifle, shotgun and handgun were taken from the vehicle.



Coffman, who is from Alabama, was arrested Jan. 6 after he returned to his truck in the wake of the protests and was approached by police officers. After being stopped by police in his car, Coffman had "asked officers whether they had located the bombs," according to an affidavit filed by a Capitol police officer.



Coffman was charged in a 17-count grand jury indictment Tuesday and is facing what appear to be the most serious offenses brought by the DOJ against the Capitol suspects thus far. Among the charges facing Coffman are six counts of possession of an unregistered firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, carrying a rifle or shotgun and possession of a large capacity feeding device.



On a piece of paper seized by investigators, apparently written by Coffman, he lists federal judge David Hamilton as a "bad guy" and also includes the name of Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ohio, with a note written next to it saying "one of two Muslims in the House of Reps."



"It is extremely disturbing to learn from press reports that I was one of several individuals identified in a list of 'good guys' and 'bad guys' targeted for attacks," Carson said in a statement. "The indicted terrorist had the means and opportunity to carry out his plans to violently attack, injure and destroy government officials and related offices in our Nation's Capitol. These were not idle threats. These were planned and organized measures to take my life, my colleagues' lives and try to destroy our government."



A separate handwritten note was found in the back of a magazine in Coffman's truck that contained "purported contact information" for talk show host Mark Levin, Fox News' Sean Hannity and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, prosecutors said.



"There is clear and convincing evidence that the defendant would pose a danger to the community if released," prosecutors said in a memorandum to the judge encouraging he not be released. "The handwritten messages in the defendant's pickup truck raise grave concerns about his intentions, and suggest that these weapons were intended to be used in an effort to violently attack our elected representatives."



Of the Molotov cocktails found in his possession, prosecutors noted they were created to be "particularly lethal" and with "a napalm substance inside that would stick to the target and continue to burn."



Prosecutors further note that the mere amount of weapons Coffman was in possession of "suggests an intent to provide them to others, as no one person could reasonably use so many at once."



Also on Tuesday, Mark Leffingwell, who is accused of striking a law enforcement officer inside the Capitol, was charged in a separate seven-count indictment. Coffman and Leffingwell were the first grand jury indictments against two suspects allegedly connected to the riot at the U.S. Capitol last week.



An affidavit filed last Thursday by a U.S. Capitol police officer described how Leffingwell allegedly attacked him and fellow officers as they sought to hold a line inside the building.



"When he was deterred from advancing further into the building, Leffingwell punched me repeatedly with a closed fist. I was struck in the helmet that I was wearing and in the chest," the officer wrote. "Working with other officers, I was able to gain control over Leffingwell, who attempted to struggle while being detained."



Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said at a press conference Tuesday that the DOJ has opened more than 170 subject files, meaning they have identified 170 people who they will accuse in court of committing a crime at the Capitol. DOJ has separately already charged 70 cases, Sherwin said.



"The range of criminal conduct is really, I think, again, unmatched in any type of scenario that we've seen the FBI or DOJ," Sherwin said.



ABC News' Jack Date and Olivia Rubin contributed to this report.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Eumenides opens at the shrine of Apollo at Delphi, where Orestes has taken sanctuary from the Furies. There, the Delphic oracle commands Orestes to go to Athens to stand trial for matricide. The goddess Athena organizes the trial with a jury of citizens; the Furies are his accusers, and Apollo his defense. The jurys verdict is divided, and Athena casts the tie-breaking vote for Orestes acquittal.

The Furies turn their vengeful resentment against the city until Athena persuades them to instead make it their home where they can live as its kind goddesses, the Eumenides. Thus, the trilogy ends as the cycle of bloody retribution is closed, supplanted by the rule of law and the justice of the state.

Whether one considers Orestia a distant mirror or an evenings escape from the news, it is an option for Friday night.

Cal Shakes had planned to offer Orestia as a paid, ticketed event, but said,  in light of current events, it feels vital to us that we are all invited to participate in the civic discourse of our nation. At Cal Shakes, we do that through stories.

The ensemble of actors includes Margo Hall, Todd Cerveris, Safiya Fredricks, Francesca Fernandez McKenzie, Cathleen Riddley, Stacy Ross, Sharon Shao, Liz Sklar, Victor Talmadge, Dane Troy and Phil Won.
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CAIRO  An Egyptian court has overturned the sentences of two young women who were convicted and imprisoned last year on charges of violating family values and inciting debauchery after they gained fame on TikTok, according to state-run media.

The case drew widespread attention as Egyptian prosecutors waged a far-ranging legal battle last year against what they considered public immorality in social media.

The two women were among a handful of social media influencers, including a female pop star and a belly dancer, to come under scrutiny for their posts in recent years. As their social media followings and, in some cases, income earned through videos have grown, young female influencers have faced a conservative backlash in a country where activist lawyers and prosecutors take it upon themselves to enforce strict social norms for women.

The women, Haneen Hossam and Mawada el-Adham, were 20 and 22 when they were convicted and sentenced in July to two years in prison. They became stars on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms with playful videos they posted of themselves dancing, lip-syncing and singing.
Moscow municipal lawmaker Galyamina challenges sentence for rally rules breaches

 Moskva city news agency, Sergey Vedyashkin

12:45 13/01/2021

MOSCOW, January 13 (RAPSI)  Moscows municipal lawmaker Yulia Galyamina has appealed a 2-year suspended sentence given her for repeated violations of rally holding regulations, according to the press service of the Tverskoy District Court.

Galyamina was found guilty in December.

In early July 2020, Galyamina published on the Internet posts calling to participate in an unauthorized rally in central Moscow on July 15. However, in the last 180 days the woman was repeatedly brought to administrative liability for similar violations, according to the statement.

Investigators believe that her actions have an intentional character and must be examined in accordance with Russias criminal legislation.

In July, the citys Tagansky District Court fined Galyamina 200,000 rubles ($2,700) for an illegal action near the Moscow Directorate of the Interior Ministry.

The Kampot Provincial Court on Wednesday did not deliver a verdict in the January 2020 Kep building collapse case, instead, ordered a reinvestigation of the incident.

On January 3, 2020, a six-floor building in Kep province collapsed, killing 36 people and injuring 23 others. Most of those who died or were injured were construction workers. The buildings owners, Ek Sarun and Chhiv Sothy, were arrested by the police but later released on bail by the provincial court.

Sok Kin, the president of the Building and Wood Workers Trade Union Federation of Cambodia, said the order for a reinvestigation was only delaying justice for the victims of the building collapse.

In today's society, if you cannot provide justice to the workers, it means that some employers are still exploiting and abusing workers. This is a bad example for Cambodia, he said.

He said workers must receive compensation and the accused must be found guilty for their actions under the law.

After the crash, relatives of the victims received $50,000 compensation through donations received from wealthy individuals and senior government officials, with injured workers receiving $10,000 each.

Ky Tech, who heads a volunteer group of lawyers appointed by Prime Minister Hun Sen, said his team did not object to the court decision.

It's a good move to have a thorough investigation before making a decision. The lawyers have nothing to complain about, he said on messaging application Telegram.

According to Ky Tech, the Kampot Provincial Court will reassess testimony from seven witnesses, experts, and will conduct another hearing.

Mann Boreth, a spokesperson for the Kampot Provincial Court, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Technical officials from the Ministry of Land Management have previously determined that the collapse was triggered by the poor condition of concrete pillars," which were not in compliance with safety codes.

Ting Chhay, the brother-in-law of a 15-year-old teenager, Neang Mai, who died in the collapse, said he had little knowledge of the court proceedings and did not have any demands after receiving the out-of-court compensation. Its fine; its enough, he said.

Relatives of some of the victims have told VOA Khmer previously that they were unaware of the court proceedings and that they were facing financial difficulties.

Construction worker advocate Sok Kin said the number of projects that had commenced construction before getting the requisite approvals had dropped since the building collapse.

The daily toll of COVID-19, as measured by new cases and the growing number of deaths, overlooks a shadowy set of casualties: the rising risk of mental health problems among health care professionals working on the frontlines of the pandemic.

A new study, led by University of Utah Health scientists, suggests more than half of doctors, nurses, and emergency responders involved in COVID-19 care could be at risk for one or more mental health problems, including acute traumatic stress, depression, anxiety, problematic alcohol use, and insomnia. The researchers found that the risk of these mental health conditions was comparable to rates observed during natural disasters, such as 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.

What health care workers are experiencing is akin to domestic combat. Although the majority of health care professionals and emergency responders aren't necessarily going to develop PTSD, they are working under severe duress, day after day, with a lot of unknowns. Some will be susceptible to a host of stress-related mental health consequences. By studying both resilient and pathological trajectories, we can build a scaffold for constructing evidence-based interventions for both individuals and public health systems." Andrew J. Smith, Ph.D., Director of the U of U Health Occupational Trauma Program at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute and Study's Corresponding Author

The study appears in the Journal of Psychiatric Research. In addition to U of U Health scientists, contributors include researchers from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences; University of Colorado, Colorado Springs; Central Arkansas VA Health Care System; Salt Lake City VA Healthcare System; and the National Institute for Human Resilience.

The researchers surveyed 571 health care workers, including 473 emergency responders (firefighters, police, EMTs) and 98 hospital staff (doctors, nurses), in the Mountain West between April 1 and May 7, 2020. Overall, 56% of the respondents screened positive for at least one mental health disorder. The prevalence for each specific disorder ranged from 15% to 30% of the respondents, with problematic alcohol use, insomnia, and depression topping the list.

"Frontline providers are exhausted, not only from the impact of the pandemic itself, but also in terms of coping day to day," says Charles C. Benight, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a professor of psychology at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. "They're trying to make sure that their families are safe [and] they're frustrated over not having the pandemic under control. Those things create the sort of burnout, trauma, and stress that lead to the mental health challenges we're seeing among these caregivers."

In particular, the scientists found that health care workers who were exposed to the virus or who were at greater risk of infection because they were immunocompromised had a significantly increased risk of acute traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression. The researchers suggest that identifying these individuals and offering them alternative roles could reduce anxiety, fear, and the sense of helplessness associated with becoming infected.

Alcohol abuse was another area of concern. About 36% of health care workers reported risky alcohol usage. In comparison, estimates suggest that less than 21% of physicians and 23% of emergency responders abuse alcohol in typical circumstances. Caregivers who provided direct patient care or who were in supervisory positions were at greatest risk, according to the researchers. They say offering these workers preventative education and alcohol abuse treatment is vital.

Surprisingly, health care workers in this study felt less anxious as they treated more COVID-19 cases.

"As these health care professionals heard about cases elsewhere before COVID-19 was detected in their communities, their anxiety levels likely rose in anticipation of having to confront the disease," Smith says. "But when the disease started trickling in where they were, perhaps it grounded them back to their mission and purpose. They saw the need and they were in there fighting and working hard to make a difference with their knowledge and skills, even at risk to themselves."

Among the study's limitations are its small sample size. It was also conducted early in the pandemic in a region that wasn't as affected by the disease as other areas with higher infection and death rates.

Moving forward, the researchers are in the final stages of a similar but larger study conducted in late 2020 that they hope will build on these findings.

"This pandemic, as horrific as it is, offers us the opportunity to better understand the extraordinary mental stress and strains that health care providers are dealing with right now," Smith says. "With that understanding, perhaps we can develop ways to mitigate these problems and help health care workers and emergency responders better cope with these sorts of challenges in the future."
FUZHOU, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- A team of Chinese paleontologists has identified more than 240 fossilized dinosaur footprints in east China's Fujian, the first traces of dinosaur activity found in the province.

The dinosaur track site in Shanghang County, covering an area of about 1,600 square meters, is the largest and the most diverse such site discovered in China dating back to the Upper Cretaceous period, according to scientists.

The 80-million-year-old tracks in Shanghang County were left by at least eight types of dinosaurs, including sauropods, large and small theropods and ornithopods, scientists said at a news conference held in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian, on Tuesday.

"Judging from the size of the footprints, which were 8 to 55 cm long, lengths of the dinosaurs range from 1 meter to 10 meters," said Xing Lida, a member of the research team and associate professor at the China University of Geosciences.

The footprints included three-toed imprints left by carnivorous theropods, which stood out with sharp claw marks; sauropod footprints that resemble large round pits; and other three-toed marks "that look like clover leaves" left by hadrosaurs, the researcher said.

The finding is of particular significance given the scarcity of Upper Cretaceous dinosaur footprints in China, he added.

The site also revealed footprints spanning over 30 cm that were left by large bird-like Deinonychosauria, the first such finding of the Upper Cretaceous dinosaur nationwide, according to Xing.

Geological analysis of the site, which was well preserved when discovered, suggests dinosaurs had been eating and drinking along a lake, the scientists said.

"More dinosaur fossils including footprints, bones or eggs could be discovered in the province in the future," said Peng Guangzhao, a veteran paleontologist and former curator of Zigong Dinosaur Museum, who helped identify the discovery.

Local officials said the site is under strict protection and surveillance while authorities carry out long-term plans to further discover and preserve the fossils. Enditem

[ Editor: SRQ ]
Earlier this week, in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a statement on "unblocking all economic and transport links in the region." For this purpose, a trilateral working group will be created, headed by the vice-premiers of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Moreover, there would be expert groups responsible for drawing up a list regarding the restoration and construction of infrastructure facilities for international travel and transport crossing of the territories of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ali Tuygan, former Turkish Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs writes in the article The Path to Peace in Nagorno-Karabakh in his blog Diplomatic Opinion.

Following the talks, the three leaders held a joint press conference. President Putin said the ceasefire agreement of November 9, 2020 has been observed; there have been no serious violations; Russias peacekeeping forces are meeting their obligations in full to both parties; more than 48,000 displaced persons and refugees have already returned to Nagorno-Karabakh; and the work to rebuild infrastructure, power facilities, housing and social infrastructure is in full swing.

President Aliyev put the emphasis on the unblocking of transport connections in the region. He said, This is critical because it allows Azerbaijan to have transport links to the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic through Armenia after more than three decades. And Armenia will have railway access to Russia and Iran via Azerbaijan. We will also have access to the Turkish market through the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. In addition, Russian and Turkish railway lines can be linked. This Statement opens up tremendous opportunities.

Prime Minister Pashinyan said that the issue of prisoners of war, the most sensitive and serious issue because it is a humanitarian problem, is still not settled. He also said that what was agreed upon in the trilateral Statement could change the economic profile of the region and such change can yield even more reliable security guarantees. But these economic issues were being complicated by the lack of progress on humanitarian matters.

Both Aliyev and Pashinyan spoke highly of their relationship with Russia and thanked President Putin for his diplomatic initiative.

Needless to say, Russia is a global power. This second trilateral meeting on Nagorno-Karabakh has confirmed yet again that it enjoys an unrivalled position in the Caucasus. The Kremlin website shows the three leaders around an oval conference table. On one side is President Putin. Across from him are his two quarreling guests now engaged by Moscow in a trilateral peace process. It is a revealing picture.

In Moscow only Mr. Pashinyan made an oblique reference the Minsk Group. A day before the Moscow meeting, as part of coordinating the actions of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President Macron. According to the Kremlin, Mr. Macron expressed his support for Russias efforts to facilitate a settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh. He also emphasized the importance of a prompt provision of humanitarian aid to people who have suffered from combat operations, including through relevant international organizations. Apparently, Mr. Macron is looking for the right moment to pay a visit to Yerevan.

The US, the other co-chair of the Minsk Group, is trying to grapple with a major domestic crisis and the world is watching. Yet Secretary Pompeo, the sanctions czar, is now busy with the Houthis, his own agenda for 2024 and, even at this stage, undermining the incoming administration.

In the last two months Russian diplomacy has successfully secured a cease-fire in Nagorno-Karabakh. It has charted a path for the future with emphasis on regional give-and-take and economic cooperation which would transform the region. And so far, everything appears to be on track. Hopefully, Armenia and Azerbaijan would seize the moment for lasting peace. And hopefully, Russia would remain determined to carry the trilateral process to a successful conclusion. And if that were to happen, other interested parties, including the Minsk Group co-chairs, could be invited to celebrate the signing of the final act.
By MICHAEL TARM and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH, The Associated Press

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (AP)  A Kansas woman was executed Wednesday for strangling an expectant mother in Missouri and cutting the baby from her womb, the first time in nearly seven decades that the U.S. government has put to death a female inmate.

Lisa Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the 11th prisoner executed at the facility since July when President Donald Trump, an ardent supporter of capital punishment, resumed federal executions following 17 years without one.

As a curtain was raised in the execution chamber, Montgomery looked momentarily bewildered as she glanced at journalists peering at her from behind thick glass. A woman standing over her shoulder leaned over, gently removed Montgomerys face mask and asked if she had any last words.

No, Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice. She said nothing else.

She tapped her fingers nervously for several seconds  a heart-shaped tattoo on her thumb  showed no signs of distress, and quickly closed her eyes. As the lethal injection began, Montgomery kept licking her lips and gasped briefly as pentobarbital, the lethal drug, entered her body through IVs on both arms. A few minutes later, her midsection throbbed for a moment, but quickly stopped.

Karen Burkhart holds a sign across the road from the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Ind., to protest the execution of Lisa Montgomery, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. (Joseph C. Garza/The Tribune-Star via AP)AP

The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight, Montgomerys attorney, Kelley Henry, said in a statement. Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.

The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman, Henry said. Lisa Montgomerys execution was far from justice.

It came after hours of legal wrangling before the Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to move forward. Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next weeks inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.

In a separate ruling Tuesday, which the government can still seek to overturn, another federal judge halted the scheduled executions later this week of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs. Johnson, convicted of killing seven people related to his drug trafficking in Virginia, and Higgs, convicted of ordering the murders of three women in Maryland, both tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

The mens attorneys argued that lung damage caused by the coronavirus would make it more likely that the lethal injection would cause them severe pain. If they arent executed before Biden becomes president, they may likely never be put to death.

Montgomery killed 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.

The child is now 16 years old and hasnt spoken publicly about the tragedy.

An appeals court granted Montgomery a stay of execution Tuesday, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judges ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldnt comprehend she would be put to death. But both appeals were lifted, allowing the execution to go forward.

As the only woman on federal death row, Montgomery had been held in a prison in Texas and was brought to Terre Haute on Monday night.

Montgomerys legal team says she suffered sexual torture for years, including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Henry balked at that idea, citing brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness. She said the issue at the core of legal arguments was not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasped why she was to be executed.

According to her lawyers, Montgomery suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. At around the time of the killing, they say she had a rare condition called pseudocyesis in which a womans false belief she is pregnant triggers hormonal and physical changes as if she were actually pregnant.

Montgomery also experienced delusions and hallucinations, believing God spoke with her through connect-the-dot puzzles, defense experts said.

Details of the crime at times left jurors in tears during her trial.

Anti-death penalty groups said Trump pushed for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.

The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.

The last woman executed by a state was Kelly Gissendaner, 47, on Sept. 30, 2015, in Georgia. She was convicted of murder in the 1997 slaying of her husband after she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.
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Tata Motors share price added 5 percent intraday on January 13 on robust global wholesale numbers.

The company's Group global wholesales in Q3 FY21 were up by 37% over Q2 FY21.

Its group global wholesales in Q3 FY21, including Jaguar Land Rover, were at 2 78,915 units, higher by 1%, as compared to Q3 FY20.

Global wholesales of all Tata Motors commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range in Q3 FY21 were at 90,365, lower by 4%, over Q3 FY20.

Global wholesales of all passenger vehicles in Q3FY21 were at 1,88,550, higher by 4% as compared to Q3FY20.

Global wholesales for Jaguar Land Rover were 1,19,658 vehicles (**JLR number for Q3 FY21 includes CJLR volumes of 17,078 units).

Jaguar wholesales for the quarter were 22,466 vehicles, while Land Rover wholesales for the quarter were 97,192 vehicles.

At 09:46 hrs Tata Motors was quoting at Rs 244.60, up Rs 6.80, or 2.86 percent on the BSE.

The share touched its 52-week high Rs 249.50 and 52-week low Rs 63.60 on 12 January, 2021 and 24 March, 2020, respectively.

Currently, it is trading 1.96 percent below its 52-week high and 284.59 percent above its 52-week low.
When Sheryl Boudy was a girl, she watched her father cook, learning how food should look and taste. She and her four siblings were his prep cooks, cutting corn off the cob, chopping bags of onions when they were on sale at Schwegmanns.

I just took to the kitchen, Boudy said. I didnt know how much until I had my own family. I really loved it. Like her father, she never used a recipe.

Her father, Alvin Aramburo Sr., had been one of 11 children, Boudy said. He broke a bone as a child and was in a big old cast and couldnt go to school for three months. He took an interest in the kitchen and learned to cook from his mother.

Boudys inherited love of cooking became a blog and then a Facebook group, "Sheryl In the Kitchen," which now has almost 5,000 members. When she started her online communities, I talked about my daddy so much they felt like they knew him, she says. He died two years ago.

Recipes My Daddy Never Wrote Down: A Collection of New Orleans Recipes from My Childhood is Boudys self-published new cookbook. She spent five years working on it, measuring recipes shes made most of her life. Two years ago, the pace sped up when she retired after 33 years as a social worker.

The cookbook lovingly captures her family life and her fathers skilled ways. It continues Boudys mission of teaching folks to cook, to quit buying fast food, to stop saying they dont like to cook.

The 25 recipes are New Orleans home cooking, heavy on seafood: barbecue shrimp, marinated blue crabs, bell peppers stuffed with beef, shrimp or crawfish and crab, double cheese macaroni, crawfish bisque, smothered pork chops with onions.

He didnt consider a piece of chicken and some broccoli and baked potato a meal.  He made red gravy  so rich and succulent. He made a roux so it wasnt tomato-acidy; it was smooth and thick, she said.

He would make extra gravy and serve it one night with pork chops, and a couple of nights later, with meatballs and all that extra flavor from the pork. A neighbor supplied him with game, wild ducks, rabbits and snapping turtles, or cowan as its called in New Orleans. Into the red gravy it went.

Her father was incredibly organized. Every freezer shelf was labeled, for chicken, pork, beef and seasonings. Freeze chopped seasonings flat, Boudy advises her groups, and just break off a piece to use.

The cookbook is $25 at sherylboudy.com, plus $5 shipping, and she signs every copy. Many more recipes are available on the website and in her Facebook group, as well as videos. But recipes are a guide, she says. Put whatever you want in your own food.

One of Boudys biggest online hits is crawfish eggrolls. For Kings Day earlier this month, she modified the concept and replaced the crawfish and mozzarella with a filling made of apples and cream cheese.

We had Mardi Gras rolls, she said.

*

Crawfish Eggrolls

Boudy perfected the filling, but wanted a crispy eggroll exterior, she writes. Her dad suggested coating them like fried chicken. The eggrolls can be individually frozen, then thawed and deep-fried. Reprinted with permission from Recipes My Daddy Never Wrote Down. Make 8-10 servings.

 stick butter

1 cups chopped green onions

 cup chopped parsley

2 cups peeled crawfish tails

1 cups evaporated milk

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

 teaspoon paprika

 teaspoon granulated crab boil (such as Zatarains or Old Bay)

12 mozzarella sticks, cut in half lengthwise

1-pound package eggroll wrappers

Oil for frying

Flour for dredging

EGGWASH:

2 eggs

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon garlic powder

 teaspoon EACH salt, pepper and cayenne

1. Melt butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add green onions and parsley, cook 2 minutes. Add crawfish and cook 3 minutes.

2. In a bowl, whisk together evaporated milk and cornstarch. Stirring constantly, add evaporated milk mixture to crawfish tails. Cook until thickened. Add granulated garlic, paprika and granulated crab boil or Old Bay. Let mixture cool.

3. Make eggwash: Whisk together eggs, milk, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. Spread flour for dredging on a plate or shallow pan.

4. Cut mozzarella sticks in half lengthwise. Place in the center of an eggroll wrapper. Add a generous amount of crawfish filling alongside the cheese stick. Dip finger in eggwash and run a small bead along all sides of the wrapper. Roll until tightly sealed.

5. Dip eggroll in eggwash, then flour. Repeat to dip and coat twice. (Eggrolls can be frozen at this point.)

6. Heat oil for frying. Deep-fry until golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut eggroll on an angle and serve hot.

*

Stewed Chicken in Red Gravy

Boudys dad always served this with green peas and potato salad, she writes. Use your favorite pieces of chicken, or add your favorite sausage or wieners. Reprinted with permission from Recipes My Daddy Never Wrote Down. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

1 (3 to 3-pound) chicken, cut in serving pieces

Salt, pepper and garlic powder

Food and restaurant news in your inbox Every Thursday we give you the scoop on NOLA dining. Sign up today. e-mail address * Sign Up

 cup all-purpose flour

8 cups tomato sauce

2 cups diced or stewed tomatoes, with their juice

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup chopped bell pepper

 cup chopped celery

 cup chopped garlic

6 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cups water or chicken broth

 cup cooking wine or white wine

1 lemon

 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

Steamed rice or favorite cooked pasta for serving

1. Cut chicken breasts in half. Remove chicken skin. Wash pieces and drain in a strainer. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

2. In a large Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons oil. Add half the chicken; brown on both sides. Add remaining chicken and brown. Remove from pot.

3. Deglaze pot with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Add flour while stirring constantly. Stir until roux turns brown, then add onions, bell pepper, celery and garlic. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water or broth. Season to taste with cayenne, salt and pepper. Simmer 10 minutes.

4. Add wine. Squeeze juice from lemon, being careful to remove seeds. Add juice to pot. Add chicken. Cook on low 50 minutes to 1 hour, until chicken is tender. Serve over rice or pasta.

*

Praline Bundt Cake

Sheryl Boudys brother Anthony J. Aramburo is the family baker. Boudy turned to him for dessert recipes. Reprinted with permission from Recipes My Daddy Never Wrote Down. Serves 12-15.

1 cups (3 sticks) butter, room temperature

2 cups light brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

5 eggs

2 teaspoons pure vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

ICING:

1 cup light brown sugar

 cup butter

 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1 cups powdered sugar

1 cups coarsely chopped toasted pecans

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat a 12-cup Bundt or tube pan with shortening; dust with flour. In a mixing bowl, combine room temperature butter, 2 cups brown sugar and 1 cup granulated sugar. Beat at medium speed until light and creamy.

2. On low speed, add eggs one at a time, scraping bowl between each. Add vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, salt and baking powder. With mixer on low, alternate adding  cup dry mixture and buttermilk until both are incorporated, scraping bowl often. Add pecans and beat 1 minute.

4. Pour into prepared pan and bake 75 to 90 minutes, until a long skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack 15 to 20 minutes. Turn onto rack.

5. Make praline icing: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 1 cup brown sugar,  cup butter and evaporated milk. Bring mixture to a slight boil. Remove from heat. Do not overcook.

6. Pour into a bowl, being careful as bottom of the bowl will be hot. Add vanilla and powdered sugar, stirring until both are completely incorporated to make a silky, smooth icing. Let cool about 15 minutes, then stir in coarsely chopped toasted pecans.

7. Pour evenly over the top of the cake and let drizzle down the sides. Cake can be served after icing has set.
Classworx.com is the leading virtual instructor directory for Music instructors for all types of instruments to offer their lessons virtually to students

ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / Classworx.com, owned by Chill N Out Cryotherapy, Inc. (OTC PINK:CHNO) a Delaware Corporation, is inviting music instructors to join the Classworx platform on Classworx.com. Here, they can use their expertise in their field to teach students, attendees, and musical instrument enthusiasts who are looking to practice or master their skill remotely with professional instruction. Many Music instructors are currently not working the same hours they were a year ago as a result of COVID-19 and shutdowns, with many not working at all. Classworx is launching its platform that will enable people from around the globe to support these Music Instructors and Teachers that join Classworx and teach attendees various music lessons from a variety of instruments.

Music instructors can register on Classworx today to become an instructor. From there, Music Instructors can create their own personal profile that includes an about section, pictures, a video, and their schedule of classes. Classworx also provides flexible options for how attendees will pay for classes. Attendees can choose between a one-time drop-in fee for each class attended, a block of classes purchased at once, or a monthly membership for access to all of an instructor's classes over a period of time. This gives the instructors and attendees the ability to pick the plan that best fits their individual desires.

Raymond Firth, President, stated, "We built Classworx knowing that there is a large number of Music Teachers and Instructors throughout the world who have so much to offer. These teachers and instructors can join Classworx, post their schedule, and share their Classworx page. Instructors gain visibility by sharing their class schedules on Classworx and through their social accounts. The Classworx team will also be promoting these same instructors and featuring them in posts throughout social media to attract more students to attend their online virtual music classes, lessons, or workshops from Classworx. This is a great way for Music professionals and instructors to earn a nice living."

Classworx offers instructors two fee options when they join. Instructors have the option of paying a flat monthly fee. This gets Music instructors listed in Classworx directory and marketing support for classes from the Classworx marketing team. If an Instructor prefers not to pay the flat monthly fee, they have the option of paying as-you-go with a per attendee percentage fee. For instructors or professionals that are interested in using the Classworx platform for seminars, product launches, shareholder updates, and for any other kind of online gathering that will not charge a fee, they will be required to select the monthly rate option.

Classworx will be providing online marketing to reach attendees for Instructors. The online marketing will include social media content creation, video production, and more that highlights upcoming classes, the instructors, and what they will be teaching. We encourage Music Professionals and Instructors to plan classes in advance and even let their attendees know what lessons to expect so that the attendees can be prepared.

About Classworx

Classworx, Inc., a Colorado corporation that has been acquired by Chill N Out Cryotherapy Inc. is doing business as ClassWorx. Classworx is currently building out classworx.com which will be a provider of an internet-based, global network-directory of Instructors utilizing video conferencing to remotely deliver individual or group instruction in a broad range of disciplines ("virtual classes").

The website will connect Instructors, both independent and those affiliated within organizations, with individual and group class participants utilizing proprietary technologies and methodologies to maximize the virtual class experiences and the efficiencies of the remote delivery modes of instruction.

The Company is based in the Atlanta, Georgia area spans a global outreach through the worldwide web.

Safe Harbor:

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 'Exchange Act'), including statements regarding potential sales, the success of the company's business, as well as statements that include the word believe or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Chill N Out Cryotherapy, Inc. DBA Classworx to differ materially from those implied or expressed.

CONTACT:

Raymond Firth

470-448-4734

www.classworx.com

SOURCE: Classworx, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/624137/Classworx-Welcomes-Music-Teachers-and-Instrument-Instructors-To-The-Classworx-Platform-That-Want-To-Offer-Virtual-Lessons-to-Students
India has been the hotspot for the spread of Avian influenza for years. Ever since its detection in 2006 in Maharashtra, there have been several instances of bird flu, including the current outbreak, which started in Himachal Pradesh and has already spread in nine other states. The outbreak has crippled the poultry industry, which was already reeling from the losses incurred during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, and caused public health concerns since humans are not immune to the virus.

"It is believed that migratory species of birds bring the virus. That is the reason we generally notice the flu at this time of the year in India because many bird species (follow the Central Asian Flyway and) migrate to India during winters," pointed out Ajanta Dey, Joint Secretary and Program Director, at Nature Environment and Wildlife Society (NEWS). However, Dey said that while it is possible to monitor domestic birds, upgrade the biosecurity of poultry farms, provide the birds with antibiotics to keep the virus at bay, or cull the birds if they get infected, no pronounced monitoring system or mitigation methods are currently available in our country to track the spread of the virus in wild birds.

Experts believe that India needs to step up its bird ringing programs, satellite and GPS tracking methods, and do more research and collect data to address bird flu in a preventive way, rather than in a reactive way.

Bird Ringing Programs

Bird ringing programs are methods of collecting information on bird's migratory patterns, survival rates, productivity and more to understand the population's general pattern and trends and monitor if any particular species show signs of decline.

In the 1960s, ornithologist and naturalist Dr Salim Ali (also known as India's birdman) had started a large-scale bird ringing program in India. He was part of a team that wanted to see if the Kyasanur forest disease, which was seen spreading in southern India at the time, was brought by birds who migrated from Siberia. Five decades later, Bombay Natural History Society, where Ali had begun his career surveying avifauna, still conducts bird ringing programs. However, its current Director, Bivash Pandav, says that only ringing birds isn't enough, their health, too, has to be monitored to understand their diseases.

"We have been doing bird monitoring for years. We have permanent stations in certain areas, where we carry out these programs. What we do is to tag them and find out their migratory routes. However, in order to address bird flu or any bird disease in its early stage, we need to also monitor the health of the birds, along with tagging, he said.

Several water birds are known to be carriers of Avian influenza. In fact, influenza A virus is present in the gut of most of the waterfowls, and sometimes, it so happens, that this virus manifests and evolves, and starts spreading like an epidemic. So, instead of reacting to the epidemic after it starts and threatens to impact human lives, it is better to monitor what level of infection is there in these birds and take precaution," Pandav added.

There are not many institutions like BNHS, or wildlife researchers in India, who work on bird tagging, which also makes it difficult to understand the impact of any disease on endangered species, because without tagging it is not possible to understand the extent of the effects of a disease on an entire population of a particular species. While there had been speculations that bird flu too, is likely to affect the endangered population, ornithologist Mohammed Dilawar, the President and Founder of Nature Forever Society, pointed out that it is unlikely.

"More than a decade back, when bird flu had broken out in India, the wild bird population was not known to have an impact. There are very few research papers available which say things to the contrary. Till now, there is very little scientific evidence to prove that bird flu or any such diseases can wipe out species. So, (although there might be a few deaths) it is unlikely to affect the endangered bird population significantly," said Dilawar.

How can tech enhance bird tracking?

Dr Abi Tamim Vanak, Disease Ecologist at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, said that there are many ways of tracking birds and monitoring their health, which can go a long way in proactively addressing any bird borne diseases.

"The technology that is currently available is GPS and satellite tracking of birds. However, India is behind in such tracking methods. We have only a handful of birds which had been tagged in India. There are a whole bunch of reasons for this. The tags themselves are expensive, and then there are restrictions imposed by certain laws on operation of any radiofrequency device or any satellite communication device, and without the permission from the central government's telecommunication department, it cannot be used. So, currently, we know a lot more about birds tagged in Mongolia which come to India, than about birds that have been tagged in India." said Vanak.

It is not to say bird tagging doesnt happen in India at all. There are Amur falcons that go from Siberia to South Africa; which have been tagged in India. But it doesnt happen at a scale in which it should, pointed out Vanak. He added that the best way to mitigate such outbreaks in future is routine monitoring and a one-health framework.

"We should do continuous monitoring throughout the year. If health authorities, animal husbandry authorities, public health workers and wildlife scientists work together, under what's called a one-health framework, then it can be done routinely, just like it is done for monitoring diseases in livestock. It is the best way to monitor diseases in wild birds. Wildlife surveillance in India is the weakest link for any of these emerging viruses, and we need to strengthen it," suggested Vanak.

Captive species

With every bird flu outbreak, the poultry industry takes a considerable hit. Media reports say that a dip of 40-60 per cent has been observed in poultry product prices in the past week.

Dr Farah Ishtiaq, from the Tata Institute for Genetics and Society, who has previously worked on avian influenza and malaria, stated, "With the increase in population density (increase contact rates) and no regulations on poultry hygiene or transportation of poultry etc, it is very easy for infections to transmit between poultry farms. So, we need strict regulation and monitoring of poultry in densely populated areas."

She further added, "Bird flu can be a serious threat for captive endangered species like vultures in breeding programs where infections with bird flu can wipe out the whole captive population."

Neha Singh, Founder of a Pune-based non-profit organization Forest Regeneration and Environmental Sustainability Trust (FORREST), pointed out that awareness among poultry owners about how to deal with such outbreaks and possibly compensation for owners of culled poultry can curb the rapid spread of the virus.

"Veterinary staffs also need better and increased training to understand the disease and quickly alert the respective authorities about any possible outbreak, and an increased surveillance and monitoring of wild birds in biodiversity hot spots and zoos should become a priority," added Singh.
Press Release

January 13, 2021 Why Choosy? Lacson Scores Sinovac's 5-Month Headway

More at: https://pinglacson.net/2021/01/13/why-choosy-lacson-scores-sinovacs-5-month-headway/ After telling ordinary Filipinos not to be choosy in getting their COVID vaccines, the government should apply the same line in expediting the procurement of all qualified and available vaccines, Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson said Wednesday. Lacson noted the availability of only Sinovac until June, as well as the replies of officials at Monday's Senate hearing, indicate China-based Sinovac is the "chosen one." "Can somebody explain why preference is given to the second most expensive vaccine, has lower efficacy, a record of suspended clinical trials and has not even applied for EUA over other vaccines that cost much less, more efficacious and are about to be granted their Emergency Use Authorization (EUAs)?" Lacson asked on Twitter. "That said, the national government should expedite the procurement of all qualified and available vaccines. To borrow Secretary Harry Roque Jr.'s words, it should not be choosy in buying vaccines," he added. Lacson pointed out Sinovac has a five-month headway over other brands from February to June even without applying for an EUA - even as the Food and Drug Administration claimed this is due to the suspension of clinical trials in another jurisdiction. Also, he questioned why Sinovac, a privately-owned Chinese company whose product's efficacy is at 50-70%, appears to have the edge even over China's state-owned Sinopharm, whose vaccine has a 79-86% efficacy and is used in the United Arab Emirates. Sinovac is also the second most expensive vaccine at P3,629 per two doses, he noted. Worse, he said Sinovac has a record of suspended clinical trials, even as FDA Director General Eric Domingo said it has not even applied yet for an EUA over other vaccines that "are a lot cheaper, more efficacious and are already awaiting issuance of their EUAs from the FDA." On the other hand, Lacson noted that in Monday's hearing, officials seemed prepared with justifications for favoring Sinovac including "taking different pathways," "the Philippines may be at the tail-end of the supply chain," and even saying they "will advise Sinovac to apply for EUA" after being asked why government had concluded a deal with it even without the EUA. "Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr.'s reply that they will advise Sinovac to apply for an EUA - after concluding a contract with it - only made it obvious that Sinovac is really the chosen one," he said.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Seven residents of a Montreal long-term care centre who received a first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have contracted COVID-19.

Management at the Maimonides Geriatric Centre informed patients in a notice sent Tuesday, noting that residents were infected within the first 28 days of receiving their first of two vaccine doses.

Quebec has decided to delay administering second doses to patients and has instead chosen to give a first dose to as many people as possible.

Last week, a dozen Maimonides residents sued the province to obtain a second dose within 21 days of their first dose  the time frame set by the vaccine manufacturer.

News of the COVID-19 infections at Maimonides doesn't surprise Dr. Donald Vinh, microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at the McGill University Health Center.

He says it takes up to 14 days between a vaccination and the time when the body builds enough immunity to be protected against the novel coronavirus.

Apple has big news, and it isn't about a new phone.

Today the Cupertino-based tech giant announced a series of investments designed to combat systemic bias in the computing industry. Tim Cook appeared on "CBS This Morning" for an extended interview where he explained the decision to suspend Parler from the App Store and ambiguously called for accountability for the storming of the Capitol.

"It was a sad and shameful day," said Cook.

Then Cook went on to share the latest elements of their $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (originally announced last June after the killing of George Floyd).

The three pieces of the initiative include a developer academy in Detroit, venture capital funding for Black and brown entrepreneurs and the Propel Center, which they dub "a first-of-its kind global innovation and learning hub for Historical Black Colleges and Universities" located at the Atlanta University Center.

The Propel Center will receive a $25 million contribution, and Apple is also establishing two new grants, plus 100 scholarships to people from underrepresented communities, Apple said in a news release.

Their developer academy will feature 30-day and 10- to 12-month programs, which are expected to service close to 1,000 students per year and host an inaugural Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers in February, the release said.

Apple also announced investments in Harlem Capital ($10 million) and Siebert Williams Shank's Clear Vision Impact Fund ($25 million) to provide capital to Black and brown entrepreneurs.

The company said it will also invest in The King Center, following similar investments in the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Sharel Lund is executive director of One22. Find a schedule of no-cost meals and groceries at JHFoodHelp.com. Guest Shots are solely the opinion of their authors.
This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
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Lisa Curry has shared a heartbreaking tribute to her late daughter Jaimi, who died in September at the age of 33.

On Wednesday, the Olympian, 58, marked the four-month anniversary of Jaimi's death by sharing a photo of her favourite flowers to Instagram.

'Four months ago, the doctor gave us the news we had dreaded for years, that Jaimi would not survive the night,' she began.

'We miss her so much': Lisa Curry (right) shared a heartbreaking tribute to her daughter Jaimi (left) on Wednesday, four months after her tragic death at the age of 33

Lisa continued: 'It was like they just ripped our hearts out.

'And even though we had prepared ourselves for the worst for weeks, months and even years and thought we were prepared.

'Nothing... absolutely nothing prepares you for that moment or those words.'

'Our beautiful girl couldnt beat the enemy... but she fought and fought.. every single day. We miss her so much,' she concluded.

Moving tribute: The Olympian, 58, marked the four-month anniversary of Jaimi's death by sharing a photo of her favourite flowers to Instagram

Heartbreaking: She wrote in the caption, 'Four months ago, the doctor gave us the news we had dreaded for years, that Jaimi would not survive the night'

Last month, the former competitive swimmer opened up about her intense grief in an emotional post shared to Instagram.

'Somehow, this change I find myself in now is testing my very being. Some days I don't even feel like me anymore, or being me anymore,' she wrote.

Lisa, who is also the mother to son Jett and daughter Morgan, said she has refused to seek professional guidance and prefers to grieve in her own way.

Grief: Lisa continued, 'Total disbelief, and even though we had prepared ourselves for the worst for weeks, months and even years and thought we were prepared'. Pictured with Jaimi

'People are telling me to seek out help.. with psychologists, doctors, people who have been through what I am facing at the moment ... but I know in my heart, that I actually have the answers myself,' she explained.

Lisa said while she acknowledges 'birth, death and change', she's finding the 'changes' in her life since Jaimi Lee's death the hardest to navigate and overcome.

Lisa announced Jaimi's death in an emotional social media post on September 15.

'I don't even feel like me anymore': Last month, the former competitive swimmer opened up about her intense grief in an emotional post shared to Instagram

'Our beautiful daughter Jaimi has lost her battle with a long-term illness and passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday morning with her loving family by her side,' she wrote at the time.

'Our hearts are broken and the pain is unbearable but we cherish every wonderful moment we got to share with our treasured and so loved first child.'

It was later reported that Jaimi had battled alcoholism and an eating disorder before her death at a Sunshine Coast hospital.

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
NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Greystone, a leading national commercial real estate finance company, announced that Michael Zampetti, Jr., Managing Director, has joined the Commercial finance team led by Scott Chisholm, based in New York. In this role, Mr. Zampetti will focus on loan production across an array of platforms while working to expand the firms lending activities to a broader scope of commercial asset classes.



Mr. Zampetti brings to Greystone 20 years of CRE lending, asset management, and securitization. He comes to Greystone after seven years at CIBC, where he focused on balance sheet and CMBS lending. Prior to CIBC, Mr. Zampetti spent time at CWCapital, FitchRatings, and Credit Suisse.

I look forward to the opportunity to expand the firms capabilities in commercial lending, while offering an unmatched range of financing options to multifamily clients nationwide, commented Mr. Zampetti.

Michael brings a long track record of success and deep relationships across the industry. We look forward to his leadership on the commercial team, said Mr. Chisholm.

About Greystone

Greystone is a private national commercial real estate finance company with an established reputation as a leader in multifamily and healthcare finance, having ranked as a top FHA, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac lender in these sectors. Loans are offered through Greystone Servicing Company LLC, Greystone Funding Company LLC and/or other Greystone affiliates. For more information, visit www.greystone.com.

PRESS CONTACT:

Karen Marotta

Greystone

212-896-9149

Karen.Marotta@greyco.com
In a few days the nation will mark the 176th anniversary of the first arrival of immigrants from India on May 30, 1845. They would come every year up to 1917, except for a short break between 1848 and 1851, transforming the local society.
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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Qualcomm. | Representative image.

Qualcomm Inc on Wednesday said it will acquire Nuvia Inc, a chip startup founded by Apple Inc veterans, for $1.4 billion, with plans to put the firm's technology into its smartphone, laptop and automotive processors.

The deal marks a big push by Qualcomm to reestablish a leading position in chip performance after several years of high-profile patent licensing litigation with rival Apple and regulatory authorities.

Qualcomm reveals its Snapdragon 480 5G mobile platform

It also comes amid a change in the helm with Qualcomm announcing this month that Cristiano Amon, its current president and head of its silicon division, will replace outgoing CEO Steven Mollenkopf, effective June 30.

Founded by three of Apple's former top semiconductor executives in charge of iPhone chips, Nuvia has been working on a custom CPU core design that it had said would be used in server chips.

Qualcomm, however, plans a broad use of Nuvia's processors, saying they would power flagship smartphones, next-generation laptops, infotainment systems and driver-assistance systems among other applications.

While laptop makers have traditionally turned to Intel Corp for processors, Qualcomm has been supplying PC chips for several years to firms such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Microsoft Corp.

"It's exciting to see Nuvia join the Qualcomm team," Panos Panay, Microsoft's chief product officer, said in a statement on the deal. "Moving forward, we have an incredible opportunity to empower our customers across the Windows ecosystem."

The deal is also significant because it could help lessen Qualcomm's reliance on Arm Ltd, which is being purchased by Qualcomm rival Nvidia Corp for $40 billion.

Most of Qualcomm's current chips use computing cores licensed directly from Arm, while Nuvia's cores use Arm's underlying architecture but are custom designs. For Qualcomm, using more custom core designs  a move that Apple has also made  could lower some licensing costs to Arm in the short term and make it easier to move to a rival architecture in the longer term.

While Qualcomm and Apple have resolved disputes over Qualcomm's patent royalties, Nuvia and Apple have been at loggerheads.

In 2019, Apple sued Nuvia's Chief Executive Gerard Williams III, alleging Williams recruited Apple employees to Nuvia while he was still employed at Apple. Apple did not sue Nuvia itself, nor did it allege any intellectual property theft, and no trial date has been set.
Icebergs in the Antarctic gradually melting further and further from the frozen continent could have been the trigger that plunged Earth into previous ice ages, study finds.

Researchers from Cardiff University reconstructed past climate conditions and identified tiny fragments of Antarctic rock dropped in the open ocean as part of a study designed to understand how ice ages begin.

Ice age cycles over the past 1.6 million years have been paced by periodic changes to Earth's orbit of the Sun - changing how much solar radiation reaches the surface.

However, before this study little was known about how changes in solar energy from small changes in the orbit could so dramatically change Earth's climate.

They found that melting icebergs gradually move freshwater from the Southern to the Atlantic Ocean by melting further from Antarctica - causing a change in ocean circulation and plunging the planet into a cold period - triggering an ice age.

The impact of human-created CO2 emissions could make the Southern Ocean too warm for Antarctic icebergs to reach, bringing an end to this 1.6 million year cycle of ice ages starting with melting icebergs, study authors warned.

Icebergs in the Antarctic gradually melting further and further from the frozen continent could be the trigger that plunges Earth into a new ice age, study finds. Stock image

The team found that icebergs from the Antarctic gradually stay unmelted further north during certain changes in the Earth's orbit of the Sun - reducing solar energy coming to the surface

In their study, the team propose that when the orbit of Earth around the Sun is just right, Antarctic icebergs begin to melt further and further away from Antarctica.

This results in huge volumes of freshwater being shifted away from the Southern Ocean and into the Atlantic Ocean.

As the Southern Ocean gets saltier and the North Atlantic gets fresher, large-scale ocean circulation patterns begin to dramatically change, pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere and reducing the so-called greenhouse effect.

This in turn pushes the Earth into ice age conditions, according to the team, who reconstructed past climate conditions including finding tiny fragments of Antarctic rock dropped in open ocean by melting icebergs.

The rock fragments were obtained from sediments recovered by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) that represents 1.6 million years of history.

The study found that these deposits, known as Ice-Rafted Debris, appeared to consistently lead to changes in deep ocean circulation, reconstructed from the chemistry of tiny deep-sea fossils called foraminifera.

The team identified tiny fragments of Antarctic rock that had been deposited in the open ocean by melting icebergs to track changes in salt and freshwater over timee

The team also used new climate model simulations to test their hypothesis, finding that huge volumes of freshwater could be moved by the icebergs.

Lead author of the study Aidan Starr, said they were astonished to find that the link between iceberg melting and ocean circulation was present during the onset of every ice age for the past 1.6 million years.

'Such a leading role for the Southern Ocean and Antarctica in global climate has been speculated but seeing it so clearly in geological evidence was very exciting,' he said.

Professor Ian Hall, co-author of the study and co-chief scientist of the IODP Expedition, from Cardiff, said the results provide a 'missing link' in ice age history.

Icebergs from Antarctica travel into the Southern Ocean without melting and shift freshwater from that ocean into the Atlantic, trigger ocean circulation changes and cooler periods

Over the past three million years the Earth has regularly plunged into ice age conditions, but at present is currently situated within an interglacial period where temperatures are warmer.

However, it may not happen again in the same way, due to the impact of human-created CO2 emissions warming the world.

Researchers suggest the natural rhythm of ice age cycles may be disrupted as the Southern Ocean will likely become too warm for Antarctic icebergs to travel far enough to trigger the changes in ocean circulation required for an ice age to start.

Professor Hall believes that the results can be used to understand how our climate may respond to anthropogenic climate change in the future.

'Likewise as we observe an increase in the mass loss from the Antarctic continent and iceberg activity in the Southern Ocean, resulting from warming associated with current human greenhouse-gas emissions,' said Hall.

'Our study emphasises the importance of understanding iceberg trajectories and melt patterns in developing the most robust predictions of their future impact on ocean circulation and climate,' he said.

Professor Grant Bigg, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Geography, who contributed to the iceberg model simulations, said this was a groundbreeaking modelling within the climate models.

Adding it was crucial for 'identifying and supporting the ice-rafted debris hypothesis of Antarctic iceberg meltwater impacts which are leading glacial cycle onsets.'

The findings have been published in the journal Nature.
Jersey City, using funds from the Mayors COVID-19 Relief Fund and a federal grant program, will provide $2.5 million in emergency assistance to help the citys neediest residents pay their housing bills, city officials announced Wednesday.

The Jersey City COVID-19 Hardship Assistance Program will utilize $500,000 from the mayors relief fund and $2 million from the Community Development Block Grant program to provide residents with up to three months of utility and rent relief, regardless of immigration status, Mayor Steve Fulop said.

The funding will be distributed through a lottery process to renters who qualify and apply for the program. Applications for the program will be available beginning at 9 a.m. on Jan. 18 through 5 p.m. Feb. 1. Residents can apply online on the citys website jcnj.org/hardshipassistance.

People without internet access can receive application assistance by calling of the four non-profits administering the program  York Street, Women Rising, United Way, and Puertorriquenos Asociados for Community Organization (PACO).

Since day one of this pandemic, we have worked to protect our residents from the economic fallout as best we can, and this emergency funding is the latest step to directly protect our residents from eviction and the many other unprecedented challenges the pandemic has caused, Fulop said.

By leveraging our non-profits that are already actively engaged with the community, we will maximize our impact to help minimize hardships for our neediest residents, many of whom have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own.

Each of the non-profits overseeing the program will receive $500,000 in CDBG funds and $125,000 from the Mayors COVID-19 Relief Fund for families struggling to make ends meet, officials said.

Additionally, the Mayors Relief Fund is providing a $25,000 grant to Welcome Home and a $50,000 grant to Church World to provide rental and utility assistance to vulnerable immigrants with an emphasis on those who may be ineligible for federal funding.

WHAT APPLICANTS NEED TO KNOW

This financial aid will mean low-income families wont have to choose between paying rent and feeding their family or buying necessary medications, said Vivian Brady-Philips, vice chairwoman of the Jersey City Economic Development Corporation. The JCEDC is working with city and community agencies to design this program, which will provide much-needed aid to residents regardless of immigration status.

The maximum amount of aid per household is $1,500, which will be paid directly to the tenants landlord or service provider, officials said. Eligibility requirements include households that fall below federal income limits, owe rent/utility payments for over three months or fewer since March 2020, as well as additional criteria.

The federal income limit is $55,250 for a single person and ranges up to $104,150 for a family of eight.

The Hardship Assistance Program will also assist residents with landlord-tenant and other legal services to prevent eviction, benefits counseling, immigrant rights, and other related services.

Studies show the pandemic has impacted low-income and minority families the most, and as the most diverse city in the nation, were working to meet the diverse needs that many local families never imagined theyd be facing today, said Carmen Gandulla, director of the citys Division of Community Development.

For additional questions or assistance, residents can email incomequaldcd@jcnj.org or contact one of the participating organizations:

 PACO | https://pacoagency.org | (844) 722-6432

 United Way of Hudson County | https://unitedwayhudson.org | (201) 492-2368

 WomenRising | https://womenrising.org | (201) 333-5700 ext. 552

 York Street Project | https://yorkstreetproject.org | (201) 451-9838

 Church World Service | https://cwsjerseycity.org | (201) 659-0467

 Welcome Home | https://welcomehomerefugees.org | (201) 851-6171

Last year, 154 community-based organizations and institutions citywide were selected to receive Mayors COVID-19 Relief Fund grants between $5,000 and $65,000 distributed through the JCEDC. The awardees included 119 artists and arts organization as chosen by the Jersey City Arts Council, 12 summer youth nonprofit organizations, 12 art program organizations and 12 community-based organizations.
Following the myths related to 5G network facilities and the spread of COVID-19, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) in a statement warned people to not be swayed by conspiracies and rely on the scientifically-based evidence. ICASA chairperson Keabetswe Modimoeng on January 11 said that the baseless theories are only meant to bring instability and fear among the nation. This came after service providers Vodacom and MTN telecom towers burned last week by some people who believed that the spread of the novel coronavirus linked to 5G technologies.

"We all need to rely on scientifically-based evidence and refrain from these baseless theories," said ICASA chairperson Keabetswe Modimoeng in a statement released on Monday, urging people "not to be swayed by these conspiracy theories that are hell-bent on bringing instability and fear within the nation."

"Some of the frequencies earmarked and trialled for 5G deployment by industry players were previously assigned to various operators in South Africa-way before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus in 2020," he said, adding that "such fake theories can only cause despair and unnecessary technophobia among South Africans and must be strongly condemned."

Read - Merkel Allows Huawei To Build 5G Network Despite Security Concerns & Massive Opposition

Read - Only Trusted Sources To Power India's 5G Roll Out; Cabinet Approves Security Framework

ICASA says South Africa followed protocols

In order to inform the people, ICASA even explained that South Africa followed all the standard protocols decided by the International Telecommunication Union and the World Health Organization. It also said in the statement that there is no evidence about 5G technologies posing any health risks to the citizens or the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has also triggered a wave of misinformation regarding its spread and treatment. Now as the nation have begun vaccination drives, false claims have begun emerging on social media about its safety and efficacy.

ICASA said, South Africa adheres to the relevant standards prescribed by both the ITU and the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the formers focus being primarily on the regulation of radio frequency electromagnetic field emissions. The Authority confirms that type-approved electronic communications facilities provided in the country adhere to the prescribed standards and that there is no evidence that they pose any health risks to the country and/or its citizens.

Read - German Government Backs Bill Requiring 5G Security Pledge

Read - Samsung Galaxy A52 5G Expected To Be Successor To Galaxy A51 5G?


MADRID, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chinese Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) has granted a new patent to Spanish digital signature company Lleida.net, for its method for producing electronic contracts certified by a user of telecommunications operator.

This patent is the fourth that the listed company (BME: LLN) (OTCQX: LLEIF) (EPA: ALLLN) receives from the authorities of the People's Republic of China and it is valid for 20 years.The Chinese Certified Electronic Contracting and Notification industry is one of the largest in the world.

"The concession of this new patent in China opens new doors to defend our technology, and our shareholders' interests, in a country that will be key in the future development of the electronic contracting industry," explained Sisco Sapena, Lleida.net, General Director and Founder.

Along with the United States, China, Japan and the European Union will be markets that will grow steadily in the next decade, for the sector.

According to some reports, the Digital Signature industry is expected to have a size of almost 24,000 million dollars by 2030.

The patent bears the number 201510051020.6.

The company has already received by the Chinese authorities several patents, for its certified email, certified SMS and certified email reception methods.

China is an important market for Lleida.net, where it has been actively working in the SMS wholesale market for years.

In September 2019, the company signed interconnection agreements with China Mobile and China Telecom, which gave it access to 1 billion Chinese customers. Subsequently, another agreement signed with China Unicom gave it access to 300 million additional customers.

Lleida.net has one of the most important intellectual property portfolios in the world in its field.

It has already received 197 patents from more than 50 countries in the five continents. Among them, United States, European Union, Japan, South Africa, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, New Zealand and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

This same week, the company announced the concession of another patent, by the government of the Dominican Republic, for its certified electronic mail method.

Currently, more than 75 countries recognize the legal validity of electronic methods as a way to certify legal notices in contracting processes.

The company, founded in 1995, is listed on the OTCQX index in New York, on Euronext Growth in Paris and on BME Growth in Madrid. In 2020, it was one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe.

https://Lleida.net

Media Contact:

The Paloma Project

Media, rpl@thepalomaproject.com

+356-7946-7486




Rome issues online brochure to help residents in event of snow and ice.

Rome's mayor Virginia Raggi has issued guidelines to help the city's residents in the event of ice and snow as temperatures in the capital this week are set to drop to below 0 Celsius at night.

In the event of snowfall, the city has requested business owners to keep the pavements within two metres of their premises clear of snow. Residents are advised to limit their movements, avoid two-wheeled vehicles and stay away from trees.

Motorists are asked to drive with caution in snow / icy conditions, mounting winter tyres or carrying snow chains on board their vehicles. Drivers should also check their battery, window wipers and coolant levels.

In the event of a sudden drop in temperatures, below zero degrees centigrade, home-owners are advised to keep open the household taps nearest the main water supply, to prevent pipes from freezing and consequently bursting.

Access to the river Tiber in the city remains prohibited until 18 January. For more information see city website or contact the civil protection authority on the 24-hour helpline, tel. 800854854.
In a few days the nation will mark the 176th anniversary of the first arrival of immigrants from India on May 30, 1845. They would come every year up to 1917, except for a short break between 1848 and 1851, transforming the local society.
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.
Congressman McClintock speaks on House Floor View Photo

Update at 11:35am: After voicing opposition last night to the use of the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump, Mother Lode Congressman Tom McClintock spoke once again on the House floor this morning. The latest speech was in opposition to impeaching the President.

Click hear for audio of Congressman McClintocks speech.

Original story posted at 7:26am: Washington, DC  Congressman Tom McClintock, a Republican who represents the Mother Lode, spoke on the US House floor last night against passing a resolution for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office.

McClintock opened by stating, What a sad and ominous way to begin the 117th Congress. Hasnt this body done enough in the last session to divide our country and abuse our Constitution without carrying that damage into the new session?

The House action was mostly ceremonial, as ahead of the vote, Vice President Pence dismissed the idea of invoking the 25th amendment. Democrats are now pushing forward articles of impeachment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Trump incited a deadly insurrection last week at the US Capitol which she notes resulted in five deaths and serious injuries to 50 law enforcement officers.

McClintocks full House speech is transcribed below:

What a sad and ominous way to begin the 117th Congress! Hasnt this body done enough in the last session to divide our country and abuse our Constitution without carrying that damage into the new session?

The 25th Amendment specifically addresses the incapacity of the President to discharge the duties of his office. It was never intended as a political weapon when Congress doesnt like the way he discharges those duties.

I read his speech. He never suggested rampaging the Capitol and disrupting the Congress. He urged them to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.

Many of us Republicans joined a bipartisan vote to respect the votes of the Electoral College, despite our suspicions, misgivings and fervent desires.

We did this because the Constitution commanded it and our institutions depended on it.

Today, those same principles should compel a bipartisan vote to oppose this grotesque abuse of the 25th Amendment.

Last week, the majority argued the President tried to abuse the Constitution to overturn the votes of the Electoral College. He asserted no direct power; rather, he urged the Vice-President and Congress to do so. Many of us declined his bad advice.

Yet this week, the majority is directly asserting power to misuse the 25th Amendment in a manner that overturns the votes of the previous Electoral College. Dont they see that they are committing directly the very same offense they accuse the President of committing indirectly?

Every act we take builds a precedent for future acts. Once Congress asserts a new role as armchair psychiatrists and a new power to equate intemperate speech with functional disability, the most important pillars in our government  stability, the rule of law, and the separation of powers  will fracture. It wont affect this President, but it will stalk future Presidents from this day forward.

For their sake, please dont do this.
Samsung India launched its 2021 range of air conditioners that includes Wind-Free ACs with enhanced smart controls and PM 1.0 filters, Convertible 5-in-1 Inverter ACs with Tri-Care filters, and Hot & Cold Inverter ACs. The new range has been developed to address consumers need for clean air, energy efficiency, convenience and customised cooling modes for each familys needs.

The 2021 line-up, with a contemporary design to match the aesthetics of your living space, is available across all leading retail stores and online on Flipkart and Amazon, and Samsungs official online store Samsung Shop.

Samsung has also entered the 4-star Inverter AC and strengthened its 5-star Inverter AC segment alongside Hot and Cold Inverter ACs to address consumer needs, taking its market addressability to 100%.

The new range of Inverter ACs comes with Samsung durability promise of 10 years on Digital Inverter compressor, 5 years on Copper condenser and 5 years on PCB, along with 5-year free gas recharge.

Healthy Living with Samsung ACs

With consumer focus shifting to health and hygiene, the new line up enables healthy living. Equipped with PM 1.0 Filter, the new range of Wi-Fi enabled Wind-Free ACs provides clean and breathable air by catching ultra-fine dust, and sterilizing virus and bacteria. The PM 1.0 filter is washable and reusable. It provides consumers with great advantage of enjoying fresh and clean air while saving on the extra maintenance cost of replacing the filter.

To add another layer of protection from bacteria, allergens and viruses, select Convertible 5-in-1 models sport Tri-Care Filter.

Enhanced Energy Efficiency

As the home becomes the centerpiece, the new products feature Convertible 5-in-1 to suit the working/studying from home and new lifestyle needs while saving energy and providing a cool and comfortable environment. With this mode, consumers can now choose from a slew of various AC performance capacity options such as Party Mode (120%), Normal Mode (100%), Pleasant Mode (80%), Eco Mode (60%), and Home Alone Mode (40%), offering them the optimum room temperature without the hassle of manually regulating the AC. Additionally, with Digital Inverter boost, consumers can save energy up to 41% by maintaining desired temperature without frequently turning off and on the AC.

The entire 2021 Inverter AC Range comes with eco-friendly R32 Gas and is equipped with copper condensers.

With the increase in usage of ACs as people now spend more time at home, Samsung is also introducing energy efficient 4-star inverter ACs to help consumers reduce their power bills while working and studying from home.

Looking at 2020s trend of increase in demand for 5-star ACs as consumers spent most time at home, Samsung will offer 14 models in 5-star ACs models as a part of the new line-up instead of 3 5-star AC model last year.

Convenience at the core

Keeping in mind the lifestyle changes last year where many avoided calling service professionals to their houses, Samsung has introduced Easy Filter Plus to offer convenience of self-service wherein consumers can easily remove the filters and clean them as DIY (Do it yourself). These filters are located outside, on the top of Wind-Free and Convertible 5-in-1 AC models, so it can easily be removed and cleaned.

In addition, the Hot & Cold ACs provide comfort to consumers in all seasons and Samsungs 4-Way Swing provides synchronized air flow in four directions with even cooling in entire room.

Smart Control for Seamless Interaction & Experience

The new range comes with Smart Control functions that allow consumers to easily manage their ACs for an enhanced experience. They can change settings or switch on/off the AC using Bixby voice assistant, Alexa and Google Home, remotely control the AC and change settings using Samsungs Smart Things application, optimise the cooling based on usage and living conditions with smart AI Auto Cooling and automatically cool the room even before you reach home with geo-fencing based Welcome Cooling feature.

Additionally, if there is no movement for 60 minutes, the Motion Detection Sensor, available in Wind-Free Models, turns your AC to energy saving mode automatically. This sensor also allows one to choose direct or indirect wind from the remote control.

Premium Design

The all-new Convertible 5-in-1 air conditioners from Samsung are tastefully designed, offering clean and premium look to match customers lifestyle. The Geo series come with attractive floral patterns and the Airise series sport the premium strip design. The bigger fan and wide blade offer faster, wider and farther cooling while the slim design and bigger display makes the air conditioners perfectly fit the beautiful and modern homes.

Other features that enable the new lineup to deliver enhanced performance are Smart Installation, which is a self-diagnosis feature that ensures your Samsung AC is installed perfectly, Triple Protector Plus feature that protects the compressor, controller along with fin & Chassis. The Voltage Fluctuation Protector which allows Stable performance and protects AC against sudden voltage surge or drop ranging between 130 Vac to 290 Vac.

Service & Installation

Samsung has over 2,000 brand stores  the highest in the country, and has a footprint of 200,000 stores in India. Samsung also has the biggest network of customer service with 3,800 service points, up from 3,300 last year. Express 4-hour installation service for customers opting for Wind-Free ACs will now be offered on more models this year.

SAMSUNGs 2021 AC LINE-UP

Wind-Free AC ACs

Samsungs Wind-Free system uses 23,000 micro-holes to gently spread air evenly throughout the room, maintaining a comfortable level of coolness without any draft. Once the desired temperature is reached, the system disperses fresh air uniformly.

The New 2021 Wind-Free range comes with PM1.0 Filter that keeps the air really clean by quickly capturing even ultrafine particles. The filters capture up to 90% ultra-fine dust in 20mins and sterilize more than 99% of bacteria. This is twice as fast as the cleaning speed of the PM2.5 filter. The air quality gets monitored through a laser sensor which the users can see through a digital 4- color aurora lighting wherein the color red indicates very poor, yellow indicates poor, green indicates normal, and blue indicates good air quality. This innovative filters can also self-clean itself through AI Purifying function.

The Wind-Free enables users to control their ACs through voice commands using the Bixby, Alexa and Google Home through Wi-Fi. The ACs allow the user to remotely control the functions and schedule operations. The AI auto-cooling automatically optimizes the cooling based on usage and living conditions. Moreover, welcome cooling uses Geo-fencing feature to give an option to user to cool down the room based on consumers preference before reaching the location.

Consumers can also monitor and limit power usage as per their needs. The latest Wind-Free ACs are equipped with Motion Detect sensors (MDS) and automatically go into an energy saving mode if it does not detect any human presence for 60 minutes. Another key option which users get through this feature is to choose the wind direction towards or away from the user.

The product comes with 10 years of warranty on the compressor and features an energy-efficient Digital Inverter, which can maintain the desired temperature without frequently shutting off and on, thus consuming less energy. Wind-Free conserves up to 77% energy, Cools the air 43% faster while also reducing the noise of the AC.

Convertible 5-in-1 ACs

Understanding the needs of work-from-home lifestyle, the new Convertible 5-in-1 Inverter ACs save energy while providing a cool and comfortable environment. The 5 different modes allows customized operation from 40% to 120% creating the perfect room environment.

Easy Filter Plus is conveniently located outside, on the top, so it can easily be removed and cleaned. These filters reduce up to 99% of harmful bacteria and helps the air conditioner work efficiently with less effort.

The 4 Way Cooling technology enables the air conditioner to cool the room from every direction, thus leading to faster cooling and better performance. Users can now control AC and settings anytime, anywhere through Wi-Fi. The AI auto-cooling automatically optimizes the cooling based on usage and living conditions. Moreover, welcome cooling uses Geo-fencing feature to automatically cool down your room based on the users location.

On/Off ACs

The On/Off Series comes with highly efficient and durable 100% copper condensers. The Turbo Cooling Mode cools room quickly and effectively while the Energy Saving mode helps save up to 20% energy compared to conventional window AC. Understanding the need of Indian consumers, the ACs come with de-humidifier and Good Sleep Mode that ensures user enjoy a good night sleep without feeling too cold by automatically regulating the room temperature. The Anti-dust and bacteria filter removes harmful irritants from the air and ensures a healthy air environment.

The product comes with 5-year of warranty on the compressor offering more reliability, lesser repair cost and years of efficient use.

Price, Availability and Benefits:

Samsungs 2021 AC line-up will include 51 ACs across Wind-Free, Convertible 5-in-1 and On/Off ACs. The new AC range will start from a price point of INR 36,990 and will go up to INR 90,990.

In order to ease the buying for consumers, Samsung has also introduced affordability schemes like attractive EMI options where customer can own a Samsung AC at zero down payment, upto 15% cashback, 5 year free gas recharge.
Photo: pixabay

A surgeon in northwestern Alberta has been found guilty of unprofessional conduct for hanging a rope in the shape of a noose on an operating room door.

The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta says that Dr. Wynand Wessels acted with the intention of sending a message that could be interpreted as intimidating or threatening.

But the decision by a college hearing tribunal says there was not enough evidence to show that Wessels was motivated by racism.

The rope was put up on a door leading to an operating room at the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Grande Prairie, Alta., on June 24, 2016.

A hearing into the incident was told Dr. Wessels grew up in South Africa during Apartheid and liked making knots.

Wessels suggested the gesture was about team-building and was not directed at any person but the decision says it was seen as violent and racist by many colleagues.

The college says sanctions will be determined at a later hearing.
The new South Korea light carrier will prominently feature American F-35s as its main airwing. It has similarities to the U.S. lightweight carrier design with British designs on its superstructure.

South Korea will soon have their small aircraft carriers smaller than the Nimitz class but similar to U.S. light aircraft carriers. One distinct difference is the superstructure that will have two islands.

One board will be 20 F-35 STOL that hovers and land vertically on the deck. Added are helicopters used for other missions like anti-sub warfare (ASW). Similar to U.S. light assault carriers, which have the same size, reported Forbes.

On the deck are two islands, one for controlling the ship and the other functioning as air control for all aircraft. Having two islands is part of the U.K.'s involvement in the design phase.

The South Korean joint chiefs of staff decided in 2019 to give the go-ahead for the planning and building of a light aircraft carrier. Estimated costs when it is built will be worth more than a billion dollars.

The ship's builder is Hyundai Heavy Industries contracted by the government to fabricate the hull, with the British carrier-maker Babcock's assistance to complete it. In 2020, the first light carrier's design was based on American carriers and assault ships with a single island.

Most twin-island designs are not attractive but have overall benefits. Aircraft carriers, even light ones, are still bigger than most ships, and having two stacks for exhaust is an advantage. This is best for conventional that nuclear-powered supercarriers like the Nimitz class. The U.S. light carrier design with American F-35s is a formidable overall design.

Also read: South Korea Beefing Up With Aircraft Carrier to Counter Threats in the Region

Designers say that two structures will go into the flight deck. Having two stacks will allow islands installed around each stack. A stark contrast to single island type carriers.

This type of ship design maximizes deck space for planes. Both Hyundai and Babcock used the area for the deck elevator for moving planes. This avoids too much traffic on the flight deck.

Taking off from the ship will be F-35s using its unique characteristics. There will be no catapults that launch planes forward, like American carriers and a few others.

Korean planners want the new carriers to have many planes and aircraft on the ship.

The ship has the same size as a U.S. Navy America-class assault ship. It is 845 feet long and displaces 45,000 tons of water, which is big. With nine deck spots for launching and landing helicopters, the ship's deck is the same as the America-class.

The artist's rendering reveals a South Korean vessel roughly the same dimensions as a U.S. Navy America-class assault ship, which is 845 feet long and displaces 45,000 tons of water. An America has nine deck spots for launching and landing helicopters. The South Korean carrier's own nine spots are arranged just like those on the U.S. vessel.

There will be an amount of training for South Korea to operate 20 F-35s and boat maintenance. However, the expected 20 F-35s will be as many as 40 to 60 at least.

To conclude, 20 American F-35s will be a potent airwing to a ship that is the size of a U.S. light carrier design.

Related article: South Korea Building First Light Aircraft Carrier Armed With F-35bs

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Jordan launched a COVID-19 vaccination campaign on Wednesday, beginning with jabs for healthcare workers, people with chronic illnesses and those over the age of 60.

The kingdom said on Saturday that it had granted an "emergency licence" for the use of China's Sinopharm vaccine, the second vaccine it approved after the US-German Pfizer-BioNTech.

The first injections were given at hospitals and other healthcare facilities, after the authorities designated 29 vaccination centres across Jordan, including seven in the capital Amman.

Wael Hayajneh, head of the epidemics and communicable diseases department at the health ministry, said Jordan was among the "first 40 countries" to vaccinate against the novel coronavirus.

"I advise everyone to take the vaccine as it is the only trusted solution to end the coronavirus," Doctor Etimad al-Khawaja told AFP after getting a shot.

"The health situation in Jordan will not get better unless we all get vaccinated."

In a small sign of hope, Jordan's prime minister said Wednesday that restrictions including a Friday curfew would be gradually eased from this week and that schools would reopen from February, following a fall in infection rates in recent weeks.

"The government will work to reopen different sectors in a careful way that protects citizens and the national economy," Bisher al-Khasawneh told lawmakers.

The government says its priority is to give the vaccineswhich are free for Jordanians and foreign residentsto about a quarter of the country's 10 million inhabitants.

Health Minister Natheer Obeidat expressed hope that everyone would register and get innoculated.

"The vaccination process... targets the elderly, people with chronic diseases, and medical staff in the first stage, but our overall goal is to reach and vaccinate the largest number of citizens" possible, he told state television.

Jordan has recorded 310,000 cases of COVID-19 infection and more than 4,000 deaths. It has detected five cases of a more contagious variant first identified in England.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
A CHINOOK helicopter from RAF Benson was stuck in mud for almost a week after having to make a precautionary landing.

The twin-engine aircraft from 28 Squadron was set down in a farmers field near Wantage on Tuesday last week following a mechanical issue.

But then the 12-tonne aircraft began to sink. Its wheels disappeared into the mud after wet weather had made the ground extremely soft. Engineers from the base were sent to the site to assess the mechanical problem, which was fixed. However, recovering the helicopter proved more problematic.

The base sent a team of specialist engineers to come up with a way to free the aircraft without damaging it in the process.

An RAF Benson spokeswoman said: A number of options were considered and it was agreed that the best option would be to lift the aircraft on to a platform using cranes. The specialist teams worked together to prepare the ground, including laying more than 250ft of suitable trackway for the heavy lifting equipment.

Once the equipment arrived, it was a swift process to prepare the aircraft to be moved and it was then lifted by two cranes on to the waiting platform.

Given the muddy conditions and freezing weather, it was a challenging operation, particularly as we needed to ensure we didnt damage the aircraft. The Chinook was freed on Monday afternoon before being flown back to the base on Tuesday morning following checks. Personnel, including RAF reserves from 606 Squadron based at RAF Benson, had been guarding the aircraft.

The spokeswoman thanked the landowner for their understanding and support during the recovery operation and for showing kindness to those guarding the Chinook during the cold nights.
London, Jan 13 : Another 45,533 people in Britain have tested positive for Covid-19, bringing the total number of coronavirus cases in the country to 3,164,051, according to official figures.

Another 1,243 people have died within 28 days of a positive test, bringing the total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Britain to 83,203, the data showed on Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported.

It is the second highest daily number of deaths since the pandemic broke out in the country. The highest daily coronavirus-related death toll was posted with 1,325 on Friday.

The latest figures were revealed as surging coronavirus infections are threatening to overwhelm hospitals.

British Home Secretary Priti Patel told a virtual coronavirus briefing at Downing Street on Tuesday that 35,075 people were currently in hospital with Covid-19, an increase of 22 per cent when compared with a week ago.

Patel urged the public to stick with the restriction rules during the current lockdown, saying that she will back police who enforce England's coronavirus lockdown.

Meanwhile, Martin Hewitt, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, told the press briefing that a "stubborn number" of people are still refusing to follow the rules during the ongoing lockdown in England.

"Organising parties or other large gatherings is dangerous, selfish and totally irresponsible in light of the current threat we face," he said.

British police chiefs are under increasing pressure to enforce the lockdown laws to curb the rising coronavirus infections in the country, local media reported on Tuesday.

Chris Hopson, the chief of NHS Providers, which represents all National Health Service (NHS) trusts, has warned peak demand on hospitals has yet to come and might not hit until next month.

It was now "pretty clear" the coronavirus infection rate "is not going to go down as quickly as it did" during the first lockdown last spring, he said.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since the pandemic began in the country.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the US have been racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
A man released from a Massachusetts jail after testing positive for the coronavirus has been sentenced to an extra six months behind bars after trying to smuggle drugs back inside the facility.

A judge ruled Monday that Eric Jalbert, of Salem, will serve the extra time after completing a two- to three-year sentence on fentanyl distribution charges, The Salem News reported.

Jalbert was awaiting trial when he tested positive for COVID-19 in April, according to authorities. He was released by a judge in April with the condition that he stay under home confinement at his mothers Beverly home. But prosecutors say Jalbert failed to comply with the conditions of his release, and was ordered back to jail.

When Jalbert reported to the Middleton jail, officers found 15 Suboxone strips, marijuana and tobacco hidden in a body cavity, the district attorneys office said.

He was convicted of the fentanyl charges in July.

Prosecutors had asked for up to two additional years behind bars.
Killeen, TX (76540)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 87F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening. Scattered thunderstorms developing after midnight. Low 71F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Lehigh Carbon Community College will partner with Lehigh Valley Health Network to offer an emergency medical technician training program in Schuylkill County from Jan. 18 through May 17.

Classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon at LCCC Tamaqua at the Morgan Center.

The class is for individuals who are likely to respond to pre-hospital emergencies or those considering a medical career. Cost is $1,350 (text and gear included). Students must be at least 16 years of age. Upon successful completion, students 18 years or older will be eligible to test for the National Registry EMT credential.

Acceptance into the EMT program is selective and requires the submission of a physician release form and proof of medical insurance.

To register, visit any LCCC campus or contact Registration and Student Records at 610-799-1197 and select 3 when prompted, or email ncregistrar@mymail.lccc.edu. For course information, call 610-799-1669, email jleach1@lccc.edu or visit www.lccc.edu/EMT.

- Staff Report
Subramani Mancombu

Turmeric prices in India have increased by Rs 200-300 a quintal in primary agricultural markets on pick up in demand and fears of lower production this year.

Prices have increased in the last 2-3 days across all centres. In some places, prices are up as high as Rs 400. Demand usually picks up after January 15 and this increase can be related to it, said Erode Turmeric Merchants Association President RKV Ravishankar.

Prices had bottomed out last year. They have gained now as turmeric production is expected to be 10 percent due to lower cultivation. Poor prices last year were a dampener on growers, said Amrutlal Kataria, a Nizamabad-based trader.

According to Ministry of Agriculture data, prices of finger variety turmeric almost touched Rs 6,000 on January 12 against Rs 5,640 a week ago at Erode in Tamil Nadu.

In Nizamabad, another major turmeric trade centre in Telangana State, the finger variety turmeric ruled at Rs 5,815 a quintal against Rs 5,532 a week ago.

On National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), unpolished turmeric for delivery in April ruled at Rs 6,198 on January 13. According to NCDEX, spot prices have increased to Rs 5,725 from Rs 5,582 a week ago.

Last year during the same period, prices were a tad higher than Rs 6,000 a quintal.

Prices could have gained further but for the four percent ceiling on price movement on NCDEX, said Poonam Chand Gupta, another trader in Nizamabad.

Speculators seem to be pushing prices up, said Ravishankar.

Prices are gaining as there are fears that there could be as much as 25 percent crop loss in states such as Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Even in Maharashtras Sangli district, the crop has been affected, Gupta said.

Excess rainfall during October had affected the development of fruit in the three States, he said, adding that even in Tamil Nadu, another major producer, production was lower due to non-availability of farm labour in the aftermath of the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Telangana is the largest turmeric producer, followed by Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh with the three States accounting for nearly half the countrys total production.

During the 2019-20 season (July-June), Indias turmeric production was estimated at 9.46 lakh tonnes compared to 9.61 lakh tonnes the previous year, despite the area under the crop rising by 4,000 hectares to 2.57 lakh hectares.

According to Telangana Agricultural Department data, the average daily arrival of the finger variety turmeric is 86.7 tonnes this year against last years daily arrivals of 73.7 tonnes in Nizamabad.

However, the average daily arrival of the bold variety turmeric is 19.75 tonnes this year versus 39.3 tonnes last year.

The growth of the finger variety has been affected by the rains. Its length will be a little shorter, Kataria said.

Ravishankar said turmeric production would be around last years level, though the trade was talking of plus or minus 10 percent.

We will get to know the real position only when arrivals begin fully, though the trade may talk about crop loss here and there, he said.

The turmeric crop has begun arriving in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh since last week, while it will start in other parts of the country in a months time.

Exports have helped turmeric prices gain. Exports have increased by nearly 40 per cent this fiscal. The market is good for exports, said Gupta from Nizamabad.

Exports this fiscal have been good with Bangladesh being a major buyer, said Erode Merchants Associations Ravishankar.

Gupta said that Indian turmeric was probably finding its way into Pakistan from Bangladesh in view of Islamabad banning imports from India following the Balakot air strike in 2019.

Ravishankar said it was likely given the fact that specifications for turmeric from Bangladesh was not much different from those for India. Bangladesh imports of Indian turmeric have doubled, he said.

According to the Spices Board, Indian exported 99,500 tonnes of turmeric valued at Rs 8,581 crore during April-September 2020 against 69,500 tonnes worth Rs 6,338 crore during the same period previous fiscal.

According to Kataria, turmeric exports gained as its usage increased in view of Coronavirus pandemic. People began using it more in their food to tackle COVID-19, he said.

The rise in exports comes despite a ban by Sri Lanka on turmeric imports from India since December 2019. Colombo had banned Indian turmeric, resulting in the spices prices ruling over Rs 3,000 a kg in the island nation during October-November last year, to boost domestic production.

Sri Lanka was annually importing around 5,000 tonnes turmeric from India.

The ban on Indian turmeric imports had led to smuggling of the spice through the sea route.

Indian exporters were least perturbed by the ban, saying Lankas stoppage would not have much impact.

(Subramani Ra Mancombu is a journalist based in Chennai, who writes on topics in commodities and agriculture)

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The leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) caucus in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu has raised concerns over some former ministers still holding on to their ministerial positions even though their 1st term in office is over.



This comes after President Akufo-Addo charged some former ministers to maintain their respective positions pending the appointment and subsequent approval of new ministers for his second term in office.



These former ministers include Ken Ofori Atta, who was the Minister of Finance, Alan Kyerematen who was the Minister of Trade, the Minister for Local Government Hajia Alima Mahama, and former Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.



But speaking in an interview on Joy Primes On the Record Monday, Mr Iddrisu described it as illegal.



Citing the Supreme Court ruling in J. A Mensah versus Attorney General 1997, the Tamale South MP stressed that there is nothing like acting or holding Minister.



For him, until prospective Ministers of State go through the constitutional processes they cannot hold themselves as Ministers.



I have seen some ministers still hold themselves about as if they are Ministers. That is unlawful, that is illegal and unconstitutional. As we speak today, Ghana has no Ministers.



The President got it wrong, their mandate has elapsed and until they are nominated go through vetting, secure approval of Parliament, and they cannot hold themselves as Ministers. So as far as we are concerned, there is nothing like Acting Minister and the Supreme Court does not recognize such a position.



Commenting on the military barging onto the floor of Parliament during the inauguration of the 8th parliament, the NDC leader questioned the authority with which the Defence or Interior Minister gave the order.



As far as he is concerned, as of midnight January 7, all Ministers had lost their mandate to exercise such rights, therefore, an inquiry will be initiated to understand if the conduct is acceptable.





Source: myjoyonline,com









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

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Editors note: This post has been updated to include a statement from the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission.

A Bergen County man who worked for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission has been charged with paying a $1,200 bribe to a senior official at the state agency with the hopes of getting promoted, authorities said Wednesday.

Omid Bayati, 39, of Hillsdale, was charged with bribery in official and political matters and offering an unlawful benefit to a public servant for official behavior, both second-degree crimes, according to Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal.

While employed at the PVSC in Newark, Bayati allegedly made an improper payment of $1,200 to at least one senior official at the PVSC, Grewal said in a statement.

Bayati explained that he was seeking help in procuring promotional opportunities within the PVSC and in politics broadly, Grewal said.

Specifically, he allegedly asked for special consideration and assistance from the PVSC senior official in exchange for the funds, Grewal said. The alleged bribe was paid by check and cash, according to prosecutors.

Reps for both the Office of the Attorney General and the PVSC on Thursday said the senior official, a commissioner, did not accept the alleged bribe, instead reporting it immediately to high-level supervisors.

Grewal said the state agency referred the complaint to the New Jersey Office of Public Integrity and Accountability and has been cooperating with the investigation.

Bayati said Thursday he could not answer questions about the case and referred all questions to his attorney, who was not immediately available to comment.

If convicted, Bayati faces a $150,000 fine and a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in state prison with no eligibility for parole under New Jerseys enhanced penalties for official corruption, Grewal said.

Michael Witt, an attorney representing the commission, released the following statement on Thursday:

It should be noted that the commissioner in question immediately reported the employees improper contact to PVSCs Executive Director, a former Bergen County assistant prosecutor, and PVSCs director of security and safety, a former major in the New Jersey State Police. In turn, PVSC immediately contacted the appropriate authorities for further investigation into the matter. PVSC and the commissioner in question have fully cooperated with that investigation and the state police have made clear that the commissioner acted appropriately at all times. As PVSC does not wish to in any way prejudice or interfere with an ongoing criminal prosecution, and because from PVSCs point of view this is a personnel matter, PVSC will have no further comment.

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission is a state agency responsible for managing and regulating collection and disposal of wastewater in a four-county area along the Passaic Valley River Basin, including parts of Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Arrivals will be allowed into the UK without a negative Covid test this weekend after passenger panic forced ministers to delay their plan for tighter border controls.

The Government was preparing to enforce a stricter regime requiring tests 72 hours pre-departure from 4am on Friday, but this has now been pushed back to Monday.

The delay came after passengers booked on long-haul flights scrabbled to find tests in time and feared they would incur 500 fines if unable to access one.

Airlines also hit out at the Government for a lack of clarity over which types of tests would be accepted.

Late Wednesday night the Department for Transport fleshed out the details of the new policy and confirmed that even rapid-result lateral flow tests would be fine.

Ministers will allow UK arrivals without a negative a Covid test into the country this weekend after their plan for tighter border controls sparked passenger panic. Pictured: Heathrow airport today

The Government was preparing to enforce a stricter regime requiring tests 72 hours pre-departure for all arrivals from 4am on Friday

In an 11pm tweet, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wrote: 'To give international arrivals time to prepare, passengers will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test before departure to England from MONDAY 18 JANUARY at 4am.'

Guidance published by the department said travellers arriving before this deadline 'are under no legal obligation to get a test before you travel'.

'You should not be denied boarding for failing to provide proof of a negative test result, and will not be fined on arrival into England.'

Passengers were nevertheless still urged to produce a negative test result anyway, although failure to do so will not be punished with fines until Monday.

Airlines will then also liable for up to 2,000 penalties per passenger if they fail to enforce the law.

All tests must meet performance standards greater than 97 per cent specificity and 80 per cent sensitivity.

This includes the gold-standard PCR test but also cheaper LAMP tests and antigen lateral flow tests.

The DfT also published a list of jobs exempt from the testing regime, including hauliers, defence staff, and travel crew.

Passengers from Dubai enter the UK border at Heathrow airport today

It came as Boris Johnson was grilled today on measures being put in place to insulate the UK from a new Brazilian strain of coronavirus.

Home Affairs Committee chairwoman Yvette Cooper subjected the Prime Minister to intense questioning over border measures saying the nation could have 'stronger quarantine and stronger checks like very many other countries do'.

'We were warned about the Brazil variant three days ago, we don't know yet whether that will potentially undermine the vaccination programme so why aren't you taking immediate action on a precautionary basis?' she asked.

Mr Johnson replied: 'Well we are and we're putting in extra measures to ensure that people coming from Brazil are checked and indeed stopping people coming from Brazil.'

Ms Cooper asked: 'Are you, that's a new announcement?'

'No sorry I said what we were looking at was the question of whether or not the Brazilian variant is immune resistant,' he said.

Pressed on whether this means a new travel ban being imposed on Brazil, he said: 'We are taking steps to ensure that we do not see the import of this new variant from Brazil.'

Ms Cooper repeatedly pressed on what those steps exactly are, to which Mr Johnson cited the incoming plans for negative tests before departure being needed.
GPs leading Britain's great vaccination drive have been forced to pause inoculations to allow other parts of the country to catch up, it was claimed today.

Practices that have already vaccinated every patient over the age of 80 and are now looking to dish the jabs out to the over-70s have had their deliveries cancelled by NHS leaders, according to The Telegraph.

Government sources claim ministers are deliberately trying to spread out limited supplies in case the immunisation programme is accused of being a postcode lottery.

Dr John Bedson, a GP in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, claimed today his practice had not yet been able to vaccinate a single patient, despite surgeries in more affluent areas of North Staffordshire already administering 'thousands' of doses.

Matt Hancock hinted today that a lack of supply was behind the decision to delay jabs despite the vaccination scheme desperately needing to get up to speed to reach its goal of jabbing 13million Brits by mid-February.

Quizzed over reports that GPs are having to pause vaccinations to let other practices catch up, the Health Secretary told BBC Radio's 4 Today Programme: 'The rate-limiting step on the rollout is the supply of the vaccine itself.

'We are now managing to get that supply more than we have done before and it will increase over the next few weeks. We have the capacity to get that vaccine out. The challenge is that we need to get the vaccine in.

'What I know is that the supply will increase over the next few weeks and that means the very rapid rate that we are going at at the moment will continue to accelerate over the next couple of weeks.'

Meanwhile, homeless people in Oldham, Greater Manchester, were given doses of the vaccine today  despite the fact 60 per cent of over-80s across the UK still haven't been jabbed.

Lee Ullha receives an injection of a Covid-19 vaccine at the Depaul UK homeless shelter in Oldham as the Greater Manchester council rolled out the jabs for homeless people - despite the fact 60 per cent of over-80s across the UK still haven't been immunised

Dr John Bedson, a GP in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, claimed today that his practice had not yet been able to vaccinate a single patient, despite sugeries in more affluent areas of North Staffordshire already administering 'thousands' of doses

Britain's vaccine drive has started to pick up pace following the approval of the Oxford vaccine but has still only seen 2.43million people immunised against the disease since launching at the beginning of December.

Another 20,000 second doses were also added onto the cumulative total, with 2.8million shots administered in total.

Boris Johnson says Britain WILL dish out jabs 24/7 'as soon as we can' Boris Johnson has confirmed Britain will dish out Covid-19 vaccines 24 hours a day 'as soon as we can' amid mounting pressure to ramp up the immunisation scheme. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, the Prime Minister said: 'I can tell Sir Kier that we'll be going to 24/7 as soon as we can. And (the Health Secretary) Matt Hancock will be setting out more about that in due course. He added: 'As he rightly says, at the moment the limit is on supply.' Ministers were today preparing to rubber-stamp plans for trials of round-the-clock vaccinations, according to reports, after bowing to immense pressure to turbo-charge the roll out. A senior Government source said No10 was considering a 'pilot where vaccinations are offered for longer hours' to gauge whether there is enough demand to keep jab hubs open through the night. But there are serious doubts over whether they can deliver the scheme amid mounting concerns over vaccine supply - with Mr Hancock hinting this morning this was behind the decision to delay jabs in parts of the country. Advertisement

But the daily vaccination figure needs to double if the Prime Minister has any chance of delivering on his pledge to vaccinate all 13.9million Britons in the top four priority groups by February 15.

With just 34 days left to deliver on his lockdown-ending promise, around 11.5million over-70s, NHS workers, care home residents and workers, and adults with underlying conditions still need to be vaccinated  the equivalent of around 340,000 a day.

It comes as a GP on the coronavirus frontline has accused the NHS of 'discriminating' against his patients - after not being able to vaccinate anyone over the age of 80.

Dr Bedson, from Mayfield Surgery in Longton, said his area has lost out to more affluent areas of North Staffordshire which have already administered thousands of doses of the vaccine.

He claimed NHS staff in his area have also been denied their second Covid-19 jab. The family doctor has blamed the non-delivery of fridges and vaccines by Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group for the problem.

Dr Bedson said: 'I feel that my patients within South Stoke Primary Care Network (PCN) are being discriminated against. To date, we have not been able to vaccinate one 80-year-old.

'It is apparent that Stoke-on-Trent North, Newcastle and the Staffordshire Moorlands have received large numbers of vaccines that have been used.

'In areas like Alton and Cheadle, all over 80s have been immunised. At the weekend in Stafford, more than 1,000 over-80s were immunised at the County Showground.'

He added: 'There are three immunisation centres in North Stoke and three in Newcastle - and, as yet, only one in South Stoke.

'There have been continuous delays created by Stoke CCG towards enabling more vaccination centres for the Longton area.

'Initially, we were supposed to be running clinics on January 4 but the CCG did not provide the appropriate equipment, including fridges.

'This was then put back to January 11 and now January 15. Apparently we can expect something like 1,300 vaccines for the whole of South Stoke next week.

'On top of this, clinical staff have quite rightly received second vaccines in other primary care networks, but clinicians in the south of the city have only received one.

'The Government has now made it clear that no further second vaccinations should be given to clinical staff.'

Dr Bedson said: 'I understand this is national policy but there exists again a level of discrimination here and I believe it leaves myself and my colleagues in a more vulnerable position when dealing on a daily basis with this terrible disease.

'I spoke with our own head of operations for vaccination in Staffordshire who was unable to tell me why certain practices had been given the go-ahead to vaccinate while others were put in later waves like us.

'We have been ready for several weeks and have capacity in our own surgery to deliver 750 vaccines per week.

'We were, however, told that GP surgeries were not being considered for that purpose at the moment.'
CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Staying charged is a common problem among cyclists, especially bikepackers (people who go on remote bike trips for long periods of time). When Co-Founders Adam Hokin and Vishaal Mali launched PedalCell in 2015, a major part of their mission was to encourage sustainability by "getting more butts on bikes and less in cars." However, they observed the largest barrier for bicycle adoption was power. Unlike your office, home, or car, access to a continuous and stable power source is limited for cyclists.

For PedalCell, the main challenge was developing a brand-new product with no reference designs. They assembled an expert team of product developers and lawyers to take PedalCell on a journey from concept to reality. This allowed them to reach the point where the technology was in place for them to seek - and implement - feedback from product testers, industry experts, and successfully file one patent.

The larger part of the bikepacking market is located in Europe, Canada, and Australia. And, with COVID-19 in the mix, bike sales in this segment grew by 144% due to more people seeking safe and fun ways to exercise. With such an excellent market opportunity, the team needed to go through steps to optimize their processes for mass production and ensure their intellectual property was protected. This meant optimizing cost of goods sold, sourcing suppliers, tasking new components to make sure they are scalable, and filing more patents.

PedalCell learned about the IMEC Illinois Manufacturing Innovation Voucher program and applied in January 2020.

Solution

Much to the team's satisfaction, they were able to secure the capital needed for three additional patents, personnel to test equipment and fixtures, and ultimately manufacture and launch the product. "IMEC allowed us to move forward in our decision and made our company more appealing to investors. We have raised capital before and had 1 patent pending. Since working with IMEC, we now have 4 patents with 1 granted and 3 others pending. The program catalyzed our success." Said Hokin.

Despite COVID-19 throwing a wrench in the original timeline to launch, the company still accomplished its goals and gained efficiencies in their project management along the way. In addition, the IMEC team of experts provided guidance on maximizing value from funding and the PedalCell team appreciated this approach. "There's something to be said about a program that commits you to plan how the funds will be dispersed over a set timeline with a clear end-goal. I would recommend any hardware-related company in Illinois to take a look at the services that IMEC offers and commit to innovation."

Results

Launched new product in domestic and international markets

Significant reduction in cost of goods sold

Product compatibility improved by 50% in terms of bike designs

Filed 4 aggregate patents

Doubled market potential by having patent filed for international protection

About IMEC

IMEC is a team of improvement specialists who are dedicated to changing lives and creating a positive impact on Illinois' workforce and economy. With a mission to drive growth through enterprise excellence, they help organizations become more effective and efficient by identifying issues, developing and implementing solutions and providing the necessary support that will allow them to excel in areas of leadership, strategy, customer engagement, operations, workforce, and measurement and results. In 2019, they assisted 770 companies and created over 4600 jobs, resulting in over $435M aggregate impact to the Illinois economy. IMEC has seven offices statewide and 47 full-time industry improvement specialists. www.imec.org

SOURCE IMEC
CNN reporter Sara Sidner broke down in tears live on air Tuesday morning as she reported from a California hospital where a woman lost both her parents to COVID-19 within 11 days and had to hold her mom's funeral in a parking lot.

Sidner sobbed after sharing the heart-wrenching story from Juliana Jimenez Sesma, who begged people 'don't let this be you' after her family's double tragedy in a matter of days.

Sidner struggled to contain her emotions as she told viewers this was the tenth hospital she had been in and that it 'is not okay what we're doing to each other.'

She was reporting from Los Angeles, which is currently in the grips of the coronavirus crisis with intensive care units overflowing and one resident dying every eight minutes from the virus.

CNN reporter Sara Sidner broke down in tears live on air Tuesday morning as she reported from a California hospital where a woman lost both her parents to COVID-19 within 11 days and had to hold her mom's funeral in a parking lot

WOW. Powerful moment on @CNN just now. Must watch. Sending you lots of love @sarasidnerCNN pic.twitter.com/v8Pv4xOo36  Faith Abubey (@ReporterFaith) January 12, 2021

'You know this is the tenth hospital that I've been in,' Sidner said, as her voice cracked and she started sobbing.

'I'm sorry,' she said, before trying to start her commentary again.

'This is the tenth -,' she started before breaking down again.

'I apologize. I'm going to try to get through this,' said Sidner, as she paused to take breathe.

'I'm going to try to get through this. This is the tenth hospital that I have been in, and to see the way that these families have to live after this and the heartache that goes so far and so wide.

'It's really hard to take. I'm sorry.'

Sidner started sobbing as Alison Kosik told her from the studio that she has nothing to apologize for and that seeing the heartbreak of families on the frontline is a 'collective trauma that all of us are living through'.

Sidner managed to gather her words as she urged people to take the virus seriously and 'do your part'.

'It's just not okay. It's not okay what we're doing to each other,' she said.

'These families should not be going through this. These families should not be going through this.

Sidner sobbed after sharing the heart-wrenching story from Juliana Jimenez Sesma, who begged people 'don't let this be you' after her family's double tragedy in a matter of days

Sidner struggled to contain her emotions as she told viewers this was the tenth hospital she had been in and that it 'is not okay what we're doing to each other'

'No family should be going through this.'

She added: 'So please, please listen to what this family is saying. Don't let this be you.'

Sidner begged people to 'do whatever you can' to keep people safe from the deadly virus.

'Do whatever you can to keep this from killing your family members and your neighbors and your friends and your teachers and doctors and firefighters,' she said.

'All of these people are here to help you but you have to do your part.'

Sidner's emotional appearance came as she shared one family's heartache from one of the current virus epicenters.

Sesma told CNN how her whole family was struck down with the virus back in December.

Sesma told CNN how her stepfather and mom were admitted to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South LA in December and died 11 days apart

Sesma said the family's pain was drawn out further as they had to wait three weeks to hold her mom's funeral (above)

Her stepfather, a handyman who suffered from asthma and diabetes, and her mom, a retired machinist who had a lung condition, both deteriorated and were admitted to Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital in South LA.

The couple then died in the hospital just 11 days apart.

Sesma recalled the last conversation she had with her mom before she died.

'I told mom, "don't be afraid, for the Lord is with us",' she said.

'"I love you and may god bless us. Stay strong for me mom." And all she answered me was "yes mija"' (Spanish for daughter).

Sesma said the family's pain was drawn out further as they had to wait three weeks to hold her mom's funeral, as funeral homes are inundated with the bodies of COVID-19 victims.

'Waiting to bury her, that felt like torture. We worried about how she'd look,' she said.

They ended up having to hold the service in a parking lot where they set up a canopy and spaced out chairs for social distancing, while a mariachi band played music.

Sesma urged people to 'take extra precautions, exaggerate if you have to' to stay safe as she warned 'don't let this be you'.

'We lost both my mom and stepdad to coronavirus,' Sesma said.

They ended up having to hold the service in a parking lot (above) where they set up a canopy and spaced out chairs for social distancing, while a mariachi band played music

Sesma urged people to 'take extra precautions, exaggerate if you have to' to stay safe as she warned 'don't let this be you'

'Don't let this be you. If you truly love your loved ones, don't let this be you. Continue to take all the precautions, take extra precautions, exaggerate if you have to.'

The grieving family is just one of thousands in California mourning the loss of loved ones as the state's healthcare system buckles under the weight of the pandemic.

The post-Christmas surge is still hammering the Golden State, with another 36,487 infections recorded Monday.

Another 548 people died that day, marking a 1.8 percent increase from the day before.

To date, more than 2.7 million Californians have contracted the virus and 30,513 have died.

Hospitalizations reached 22,665, an increase of 36 from the day before, with 4,962 of these patients in the ICU.

Just 1,229 ICU beds are now available across the entire state which has a population of around 40 million.

Hospitals in hard-hit Southern California are already overwhelmed with several having no beds available and being forced to set up makeshift overspill sites to try to take on more patients.

In hard-hit LA County, 11,914 new cases were recorded Tuesday, with 10 residents testing positive for the virus every minute.

Another 288 died from the virus. This was down slightly from Monday's tally of 318 which marked the joint deadliest day on record for the county.

At the current rate of deaths, one person is dying from the virus every eight minutes.

In total, 12,674 have died and 944,319 have been infected.

The situation is so dire that ambulance crews have been advised to only bring patients to hospital if they have a chance of survival while residents are being told to wear masks inside their own homes to stop spread among family members.

On Tuesday, 7,926 people were hospitalized with the virus.

Nationwide, three Americans died of COVID-19 every minute with the daily death toll spiking to a record high of 4,327 deaths.

This brings the total death toll to more than 380,000 - more than the past 10 flu seasons combined - and the seven-day rolling average is now at more than 3,200 per day.
Rising crude oil prices have come as a ray of hope for ONGC as they are likely to support the companys net oil realization and in turn, earnings.

In 2020, a drop in crude prices in the wake of the pandemic had dimmed the companys earnings prospects significantly. Brent crude oil future prices moved in the $37-40/barrel range at the start of the December quarter. But prices are now trading close to 11-month highs with Brent above $50 per barrel. Sustaining the levels, however, remains crucial.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

ONGCs stock has gained about 60% since October, a sign that investors are noticing the change in prospects.

The upstream oil producing firm is expected to report net realizations of $44 a barrel in the December quarter, an improvement from $41 a barrel in the September quarter, according to analysts.

However, the expected net realization is still 26% lower on a year-on-year basis. For net realizations to improve further, crude prices need to sustain current levels or even move up. Production discipline by oil-producing nations and continued improvement in global oil demand will thereby be keenly watched.

View Full Image Meaningful recovery

The boost to oil realizations is also necessary since ONGCs production is likely to remain flat. Though some promises are offered by fresh oil and gas discoveries, analysts at Motilal Oswal Financial Services expect the companys oil production to remain flat over the next two years.

Meanwhile, gas sales and prices are also expected to remain under pressure for ONGC. Natural gas sales volume is expected to decline 3% to 4.7 billion cubic metres in the December quarter, according to Kotak Institutional Equities. The delay in demand recovery and production ramp-up due to the pandemic has dashed expectations of an increase in gas output. Meanwhile, gas prices are also under pressure. Domestic gas prices were cut 25% in the second half of FY21, a fallout of weak international prices. These would be reviewed only in March.

Ergo, the gas segments contributions in the near term may not provide a meaningful upside to ONGCs earnings.

While valuations remain attractive at about 3.2 times FY22 estimated earnings, investors may look out for more improvement.

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Citizens Against Tyranny has a new list, this one of alleged supporters of the cause. But not everyone named on the list is happy about it.
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Bengaluru, Jan 13 : With the induction of seven new faces, Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday expanded his Cabinet for the third time in the last 17 months.

This comes after days of hectic parleys and discussions, including with the central leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Those who took oath on Wednesday in the Raj Bhavan are - Umesh Katti, Aravind Limbavali, M.T.B. Nagaraj, Murugesh Nirani, R. Shankar, C.P. Yogeeshwara and S. Angara.

Rajarajeshwari Nagara MLA Muniratna Naidu, who was part of a group 17 defectors, has been left out, but Yediyurappa for the time being assuaged him stating that he would be accommodated during the next Cabinet reshuffle.

While being inducted, six of the new ministers took the oath of office and secrecy while Katti took it in the "name of farmers and God". Eight-time legislator from Hukkeri, Katti was the first one to be sworn in while six-time legislator from Sullia, S. Angara was the last to be sworn in.

With the swearing in of seven new members, Yediyurappa has filled 33 Cabinet slots, while keeping one vacant for the time being. Yediyurappa had directed Excise Minister H. Nagesh to resign from his ministry and the CM is likely to keep one vacant berth.

This was the third expansion of the Cabinet since Yediyurappa assumed charge in July 2019 after the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) government as 17 MLAs of the coalition partners defected and joined the BJP by resigning their Assembly membership.
A woman who flew to Perth to see her dying mother was refused the chance to say goodbye after border rules changed during her flight.

Jackie Reeder made the emergency trip from Brisbane to Western Australia on Friday to ensure her sickly mother didn't die alone.

While she was in the air, the WA government reintroduced border rules directing all Queensland passengers who arrived before midnight to self-isolate for 14 days.

The radical decision was made after a highly contagious strain of coronavirus was detected in the Greater Brisbane region.

Pictured: Passengers wearing PPE arrive from Brisbane at Perth Airport on January 8, before the border closed

Jackie Reeder was held at Perth Airport for seven hours without food or water. Pictured: A young couple leaving a Covid-19 testing centre in Perth on January 8

Upon arrival, Ms Reeder was taken into a room at Perth Airport where she was held for seven hours without food and water, or a way to contact state authorities, WA Today reported.

Six hours into her ordeal, she got a phone call to say her mother had died.

Distraught Ms Reeder was then given the option of visiting her mother's body in the morgue or attending the funeral in an isolated room so she couldn't make contact with anyone else, before flying home.

Health Minister Roger Cook said police had not been briefed on Ms Reeder's situation and apologised for 'any inconvenience' caused as a result of the snap rule change.

'The situation in Queensland was we had a potential outbreak of the new UK strain of the disease, we didn't know how that was going to behave,' he told Perth radio 6PR on Wednesday.

'We needed to move quickly and decisively, and we've done this on a number of occasions in order to make sure that we get on top of any potential risks to Western Australia from the disease.'

Health Minister Roger Cook said police had not been briefed on Ms Reeder's situation and apologised for 'any inconvenience' caused as a result of the snap rule change

Mr Cook said there were three flights from Brisbane that day and long delays at the airport while passengers were processed.

He also acknowledged the 'very sad' and 'difficult' situation, but reiterated that there has not been an instance of community transmission in WA for nine months.

'That's been on the back of making some difficult decisions,' he said.

Chief health officer Andy Robertson confirmed the rules will remain in place for at least two weeks.

WA has also closed its border to NSW and Victorian residents.
Iran's military has launched short-range naval missile drills in the Gulf of Oman, state media reported, amid heightened tension between Tehran and Washington.



State TV said on January 13 that the logistics warship Makran, described as Iran's largest military vessel with a helicopter pad, and the missile-launching ship Zereh (armour) were taking part in the two-day exercises.



Tensions between the United States and Iran have risen since 2018, when President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from an international nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers, arguing that the 2015 accord did not go far enough.



The U.S. administration also imposed crippling sanctions on Iran in a bid to force Tehran to negotiate a new agreement that would also address the countrys missile programs and its support for regional proxies.



In response to the U.S. pullout and economic sanctions, Iran, which claims its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, has gradually breached parts of the pact such as uranium enrichment saying it is no longer bound by it.



In a televised speech during a cabinet meeting on January 13, Iranian President Hassan Rohani said that U.S. sanctions would fail.



"We are witnessing the failure of a policy, the maximum pressure campaign, economic terrorism," Rohani said.



The previous day, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged that Iran has given support to Al-Qaeda and safe haven to its leaders, despite some skepticism within the intelligence community and Congress.

Pompeo did not provide hard evidence to back up his claims, made a week before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on January 20.



Biden has suggested that Washington may reenter the nuclear deal -- under which Tehran committed to limit its nuclear activities in return for relief from sanctions -- if Iran complies with its terms.



But Iranian officials insist that the United States should first lift its sanctions.

With reporting by Reuters and AP
The new acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, whose predecessor resigned after angering President Trump for not pursuing the presidents false election fraud theories, told colleagues this week that there was just nothing to some of the most high-profile election fraud cases before his office, according to a recording of a conference call obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The comments on a Monday conference call by the acting top prosecutor, Bobby L. Christine, came after the president and his allies pursued a two-month pressure campaign on Georgia officials, in which they made baseless accusations of election fraud as they looked for a way to overturn Mr. Trumps loss in the state.

Mr. Christine told lawyers in his office who were on the call that he had not found evidence of election fraud to pursue and that he had closed two cases. I would love to stand out on the street corner and scream this, and I cant, he said, according to the paper. But I can tell you I closed the two most  I dont know, I guess youd call them high-profile or the two most pressing election issues this office has. I said I believe, as many of the people around the table believed, theres just nothing to them.

Mr. Christines predecessor, Byung J. Pak, resigned abruptly on Jan. 4. The acting deputy attorney general, Richard Donoghue, had relayed to Mr. Pak that Mr. Trump was dissatisfied with his efforts to investigate the presidents claims.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 14:02:56|Editor: huaxia

Video Player Close

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

- - - -

ULAN BATOR -- Mongolia reported 13 more COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours after 16,975 tests were conducted nationwide, the National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) said on Wednesday.

The latest confirmed cases were locally transmitted or reported here in the country's capital, the NCCD said in a statement.

- - - -

NEW DELHI -- India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,495,147 on Wednesday as 15,968 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 151,529 with 202 new deaths.

- - - -

SHIJIAZHUANG -- North China's Hebei Province reported 90 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and 15 local asymptomatic cases on Tuesday, the provincial health commission said Wednesday.

Of the confirmed cases, 84 were reported in the provincial capital Shijiazhuang, and the other six in the city of Xingtai. Among them, 27 were previously asymptomatic carriers.

- - - -

JAKARTA -- Visiting Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Indonesia's Coordinator for Cooperation with China Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in North Sumatra on Tuesday, expressing willingness to cooperate with Indonesia on COVID-19 vaccine, major economic projects, digital development and marine safety.

As both major developing countries, China and Indonesia should work together, support each other and deepen cooperation, which are of strategic significance to safeguarding regional peace and development and promoting world stability and prosperity, Wang said. Enditem
The Seoul city government has sparked fury after offering sexist advice to pregnant women that asks them to cook and stay thin for their husbands.

Reuters

The advice also asks that women ensure their husbands have clean clothes and enough to eat while they are in the hospital giving birth, reports The Guardian.

Also Read: 10 K-Pop Fans Will Win A Free Trip To Seoul For Melon Music Awards, Thanks To Kia Motors India

The guidelines also said pregnant women "should prepare undergarments, socks, shirts, handkerchiefs and outers in the drawer for the husband and children to wear for 3 to 7 days while you're at the hospital," and advised buying a hairband "so that you don't look dishevelled, as you won't able to wash your hair for a while."

AP

The article was published in the Seoul Pregnancy and Childbirth Information Centre. The pregnancy guidelines in the piece were originally posted in 2019, but it caught the public's attention recently after screenshots were circulated.

Also Read: After Sulli, 28-Year-Old K-Pop Star Goo Hara Found Dead At Her Seoul Home

"Avoid causing inconvenience to your family by checking if there are enough toilet paper, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap and detergent," the website stated.

South Korea is facing a demographic crisis as its birth rate plunges with women facing a double burden of work and childcare.

Reuters

Shocked South Koreans started a petition asking that the official responsible for the post be punished and make a public apology.

"The objective of the website seems to be to promote singlehood and not motherhood," the petition reads, adding: "Does Seoul city think of women as public goods that give birth?"

Also Read: 18,000 Cases, 300 Deaths: Most Seoul Schools Shut As South Korea Battles COVID-19 Resurgence

In a statement to AFP on Monday, the Seoul city government acknowledged that it had failed to "thoroughly review" the contents before posting them on its website.
The outgoing declassified a report which amply describes the growing importance of in the region.

As per the United States Strategic Framework for the (henceforth, the Framework), it envisioned "accelerating India's rise", blocking China from establishing "illiberal spheres of influence", and maintaining "US strategic primacy" in the region.

The Framework speaks of the need to "align our [US] strategy with those of Australia, and Japan", of deepening trilateral cooperation with Japan and Australia, and a quadrilateral security relationship with

In early 2018, President Donald Trump endorsed a strategy for the Indo-Pacific developed by his Security Council (NSC) through the course of 2017. Its release sheds light on the geopolitical and security challenges soon to be inherited by the Biden administration.

The Framework has guided the development of numerous subordinate policy frameworks and campaign plans that have steered the US approach to specific issues of importance to the Indo-Pacific region and beyond, such as the US Strategic Approach to the People's Republic of China, the US Strategic Framework for Countering China's Economic Aggression, the US Campaign Plan for Countering China's Malign Influence in International Organizations, and others.

Together with its subordinate documents, the Framework has guided US whole-of-government actions to advance regional prosperity and stability, including sovereignty, freedom of navigation and overflight, reciprocity in trade and investment, respect for individual rights and rule of law, and transparency.

"The declassification of the Framework today demonstrates, with transparency, America's strategic commitments to the Indo-Pacific and to our allies and partners in the region," wrote Security Advisor Robert O'Brien in a memo dated January 5, 2021.

China is the primary state actor of concern outlined in the document. As per the Framework, Beijing is increasingly pressuring Indo-Pacific nations to subordinate their freedom and sovereignty to a "common destiny" envisioned by the Chinese Communist Party.

The Framework recognises that a free and open Indo-Pacific depends on robust American leadership. It seeks to strengthen a wide and diverse network of allies and partners, which has long underwritten stability and peace in the Indo-Pacific.

The strategy also repeatedly calls for greater US engagement with countries in the region, in particular the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The Framework also outlines support to India as the primary regional counterweight to China -- an approach which is likely to cause concern in Beijing and Islamabad as India forms an important cornerstone of the aptly-named Indo-Pacific strategy.

(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.)
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State has said with the level of misinformation on COVID-19, his government has criminalised further denial of the viruss existence in the state.

Mr Lalong, who at a time contracted the virus, spoke about his experience at a meeting held in the state secretariat on Wednesday.

For those who are in denial and continue to misinform others that COVID-19 does not exist, I want to warn them to desist. I, as the number one citizen of the state, was a victim and God helped me to come out of it. I can tell you that it is not a joke and I do not wish even my enemies such experience, he said.

He said the decision to criminalise further denial of the disease in the state, was made at the last executive meeting.

In other words, if you deny the existence of the disease, keep your denial to yourself because if you are caught propagating it or instigating others to follow you, you will be arrested and prosecuted no matter how highly placed you might be.

Mr Lalong noted that the state is recording more daily cases than previously.

Sadly, we are also recording increasing number of deaths that is very worrisome. In the past weeks, we have seen some prominent persons in Plateau State and indeed across Nigeria die from COVID-19.

Mostly, we hear of the big names but do not get to hear of the others involving people that (who) are less prominent. This should give us serious concern because it means that the situation is bigger than what we seem to know.

Concerns

The governor said he is worried that despite this situation, most citizens appear to be careless and reluctant to observe the COVID-19 protocols.

In fact, many have abandoned and refused to observe simple protocols of wearing face masks, maintaining social distance and washing hands regularly, he added.

This worries me a lot because this recklessness is further exposing more people to the virus and then increasing the casualty figures. While we have no intention of imposing another lockdown to avoid further damage to the economy, some members of the public are not helping us.

Mr Lalong stated that the need for the state to re-strategise and embark on more education and sensitisation particularly at the grassroots.

I have directed that my commissioners and other senior government officials go down and engage the people henceforth. We want to break the resistance and ensure that the people own the response. COVID-19 is a personal matter that affects people directly. They need to be involved.

Vaccines

On the issue of vaccine, the governor said he has already heard some people peddling conspiracy theories.

I want to say that I will be the first to take the vaccine whenever it is available in Plateau State. Let us be careful of promoting unsubstantiated rumours.

By the way, we are still hopeful that the drugs being developed by the Plateau State Medical Research Team which are currently undergoing clinical examination will pass the necessary approvals. This will also give us another option for prevention and treatment. At least, this is our own initiative and there is no conspiracy theory attached.

Deadly wave

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the second wave of the pandemic, which crept in late 2020, has led to more mortalities.

In a recent analysis by the newspaper, one in every six persons tested for COVID-19 in the past two weeks in Nigeria tested positive for the virus, indicating how far the virus had spread.

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This is significantly higher than the average of one in ten persons since Nigeria recorded its first case of the virus in February last year.

As of the time of filing this report, Nigeria has over 100,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and had recorded over 1,350 deaths in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

ISTANBUL  The Turkish government is expected to begin mass distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine produced by Chinas Sinovac Biotech this week as questions remain over its efficacy rate.

The rollout is expected to begin Thursday or Friday if testing by the Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency delivers positive results today. An interim analysis last month by Turkish researchers found the Sinovac vaccine to be 91.25% effective while preliminary tests in Indonesia showed a 65% efficacy rate, leading officials there to grant the vaccine emergency approval Monday.

Previously, final-stage trials in Brazil found the vaccine to be 50.38% effective, though Sinovac CEO Yin Weidong told reporters Wednesday the disparity was caused by the participation of high-risk medical workers in the Brazilian study.

The developments come as Turkey is expected to receive 10 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine in the next two weeks, adding to three million doses received late last month. Turkey has contracted to purchase a total of 50 million Sinovac doses. State officials have also agreed to procure 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which has been found to have a 95% efficacy rate.

Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said Tuesday he hopes the coming inoculation drive will further decrease infection rates, which have been in steady decline following the imposition of weekend curfews and social distancing measures across the country.

After a long period, the daily number of patients decreased to less than 1,000, Koca tweeted Tuesday. The number of patients in critical condition continues to drop. We will proceed to vaccination, continuing to comply with the restrictions and measures.

In early December, Turkish officials imposed nightly curfews on weekdays and full curfews on weekends for most citizens to stem a rising number of COVID-19 cases. Schools, restaurants and bars have been closed since fall.

Such measures have proven successful at curbing new infections in recent weeks, and if the positive trends continue throughout the rollout of vaccination programs, restrictive measures will be gradually lifted, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.

Until a lasting solution is found for this problem, we must continue to lead our lives with restrictions, Erdogan said following a cabinet meeting in Ankara Monday, adding, Surely, we will gradually lift the restrictions once the infection numbers fall below a certain figure.

Still, some Turkish health experts have criticized the Turkish governments management of pandemic since the Health Ministry left asymptomatic case figures out of official COVID-19 data between July and November. Dr. Sebnem Korur Fincanci, chair of the Turkish Medical Associations Central Committee, said transparency issues continue with the rollout of the Sinovac vaccine.

We do not have the full scientific results for the Sinovac vaccine; they are limited and a bit confusing regarding the efficacy, Fincanci told Al-Monitor. However, we do not have concerns regarding safety since phase two results were published and discussed by scientists. She added, We still need a broader view of all results from Sinovac trials.

Fincanci said there were serious problems with the governments vaccination plan and that public trust in state institutions remained low after data discrepancies last year.

According to pro-government media outlets, more than one million Turkish health workers and citizens over 65 years of age will be vaccinated first. Essential workers such as teachers and security personnel will be vaccinated next and other citizens will receive doses based on their exposure risk. The Sinovac vaccine requires two shots administered 28 days apart and Turkish health officials said they would publish inoculation data in real time.

To facilitate the rollout, heath care workers have been prompted to make vaccination appointments through an online system or a hotline. Husnu Yildirim, co-president of Turkeys Health and Social Service Laborers Union, criticized the digital system, saying it was subject to data security issues and could complicate future integration with existing Health Ministry recordkeeping protocols.

It's better to get vaccines in family health centers and hospitals, and get them, as we have done for many years, integrated into the Ministry of Health's vaccination records, Yildirim told A-Monitor. He added, In this system, we could see whether a health worker had COVID-19 and whether they could be vaccinated depending on their health condition. That would increase the reliability of the vaccination process.

About 92 million cases of COVID-19 have been recorded worldwide and nearly two million deaths have been linked to the virus over the last year, according to pandemic data from Johns Hopkins University. Turkey ranks seventh globally in recorded cases at 2.35 million and 18th in virus-linked deaths, which are currently over 23,000.
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Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.

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Turkey has lost a major construction bid in Mosul to the French, the latest curveball France has thrown Turkey in the two countries struggle for influence in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Iraq has come to a preliminary agreement with a French company for the renovation of Mosul International Airport, a project Turkey has been eagerly eyeing since 2019 as part of its ambitious plans to be heavily involved in the reconstruction of Iraq following the 2014 Islamic State takeover. The central Iraqi government authorized the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority to negotiate and sign a deal for the reconstruction of the airport with Frances Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie on Dec. 27.

The announcement of the bad news for Turkey came from the Turkish ambassador to Baghdad, who had been lobbying on behalf of the Turkish companies. Turkish contractors made attractive offers to renovate and operate the Mosul Airport through direct investment, Fatih Yildiz wrote on Twitter on Jan. 8. Apparently, someone else will do this project.

The timing of the Iraqi governments decision was telling as it came only days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimis Dec. 17 visit to Ankara during which the Iraqi premier emphasized bilateral cooperation between the two neighbors. Sources told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Kadhimi has given no guarantees on the airport matter in his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkeys expectations for a win were high as Baghdad welcomed the offer in 2019 when Turkeys ambassador to Iraq conveyed the Turkish proposal to his Iraqi counterparts. Iraqs then secretary-general of the Council of Ministers, Hamid al-Ghazi, said back then that Turkey was planning to renovate the airport under a special investment model. Yet Aeroports de Paris Ingenieries decade-old experience in the Iraqi aviation scene and political milieu seem to have outdone the Turkish offer.

Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie has undertaken several projects in Iraq since 2010, including renovation of the Baghdad, Basra and Mosul airports and construction of the Dahuk airport. It also joined forces with a British company for the design of the Middle Euphrates airport some 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of Najaf.

According to a former Iraqi government official familiar with the decision-making process, several reasons factored into the French success. The French company, which has focused on the project for some four years  long before the Turkish offer  joined forces with a local partner that has a clout in the Iraqi government circles. Aside from lacking a local partner, the Turkish offer was based on the build-operate-transfer model, whereas the French firm has only been interested in the construction part, the source said.

The appealing aspect of the Turkish plan was its financing. Turkey was planning to finance the project through a $5 billion loan Turkey pledged for the reconstruction of Iraq during a donors' conference in 2018. But Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie came up with its own financial solution through a French government loan, the details of which are not yet clear.

Turkey usually uses diplomatic and political channels for these sorts of projects, but thats not how things are working in Iraq, the source said. Turkish companies are not powerful on the ground. The ones that win are the ones that have local partners.

The source said political differences between Ankara and Baghdad played no role in the decision, stressing that Kadhimi is more willing to work with Turkey than his predecessors.

Yet some observers said they believe that ignoring the political aspect in the Iraqi governments decision would only tell a half-truth as Turkeys nostalgic approach to Mosul  a former Ottoman territory that many Turks still see as a homeland taken away unfairly  has long been a source of irritation for many Iraqis.

An Iraqi expert who worked as a consultant for several Iraqi firms until the Islamic State takeover in 2014 said Turkeys ideological approach has been a major factor in Turkeys being left out of the running. Turkey has a great potential to do business in Iraq. In fact, this potential still remains intact, the expert told Al-Monitor. But the [Turkish] government has adopted a very ideological approach, and lost. The airport project is the latest example of this.

Furthermore, the Turkish company seeking the project, Kurk Construction, which mainly operates in Iraqi Kurdistan, lacked experience when it came to airports. To prop up its chances, the company joined forces with another Turkish company, Kalyon, a favorite of Turkeys ruling party and one of the three partners that were awarded the construction and operation of the new Istanbul airport. Yet the consortiums proposed build-operate-transfer model was also risky to afford for the Iraqi side, sources who have knowledge on the matter said.

Under the Turkish plan, construction costs for reconstruction of the runway and the main terminal were estimated at $100 million, with $200 million more for a second runway and a cargo terminal. In return, Turkey set two conditions. One was for Iraqi authorities to maintain the security of the airport. The other was for a guarantee of 50,000 passengers monthly under a 20-year contract. Iraqi government was to pay for the loss by itself should the number of monthly passengers below this figure. Although Ankara tried to assure the Iraqi government that this wouldn't happen given the international flights to and from major Turkish airports, Baghdad did not want to take the risk.

Moreover, some in Iraq saw the Turkish eagerness for the Mosul airport project as part of Ankara's broader agenda to increase its influence over Iraq. Turkey, the biggest donor with its $5 billion loan pledge at the 2018 conference, was planning to play a major role in Iraqs reconstruction process through several projects such as renovation of the Mosul and Kirkuk airports, a second crossing between the two countries through Ninevah province (where Mosul is the capital), a 570-kilometer-long (355-mile) railroad line linking this crossing to Mosul and Baghdad and the modernization of irrigation infrastructure. The man who was Iraq's prime minister then, Haider al-Abadi, was also on board with many of these proposals. Yet none of these plans were realized due to most countries failure to deliver on their loan promises and the political instability that engulfed Baghdad.

There are chronic disagreements between the two capitals such as water-sharing issues and Ankara's overt support to Iraqi Sunnis. Further raising eyebrows in Baghdad were Turkey's refusal to withdraw its military forces from the Bashiqa air base near Mosul and the expansion of Turkish military operations against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq to target Kurdistan Workers Party bases in Sinjar and Makhmour in Ninevah.

Although the Kadhimi government  trapped between Iran and the United States  is eager to expand its relations with Turkey, the balance of power in Baghdad makes things harder for Ankara and the Kadhimi government.

Furthermore, Ankara is seeking to turn Mosul and Ninevah into a regional hub to link the two countries by land and air and with oil pipelines. Turkeys proposal to open a second border crossing through Ninevah aims to set up an alternative trade route between Turkey and Iraq, bypassing the Kurdistan Regional Government. Kadhimi, in turn, is trying to avoid any steps that would hamper the interest of the Kurdistan Regional Government at a time when he is trying to mend ties between Erbil and Baghdad. Turkeys second border crossing plan is also aimed at setting up a buffer zone between Syrias regions controlled by the Kurdish groups and the PKK militants based in northern Iraq.

Turkey, meanwhile, believes that the French government has been influential in the Iraqi officials' decision to give the project to a French firm as part of Frances efforts to expand the power struggle between Ankara and Paris to Iraq. The Turkish side has reportedly conveyed these concerns to the Iraqis, but the decision on the airport project indicates that the adverse impact of Turkeys regional policies, along with Iraq's own economic interests, played a role in preventing Turkey from winning the airport bid.
 Flash

China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, and stop all official exchanges and military ties with Taiwan, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Wednesday.

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks when responding to a reporter's question that the U.S. State Department has confirmed the cancellation of a planned visit to Taiwan by the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft.

Zhao told a press briefing that he and his colleagues have repeatedly stated China's solemn position in recent days on the planned visit to Taiwan by Craft. "I'd like to stress again that China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan. This position is consistent and clear," he said.

China urges the United States to abide by the one-China principle and provisions of the three China-U.S. joint communiques, stop all official exchanges and military ties with Taiwan, and not to go further down this wrong and dangerous path, Zhao said.

"China will continue to take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty and security interests," said the spokesperson.
After teasing his fans on social media, Khaligraph Jones finally did da ting on Monday, January 11, and dropped his highly anticipated banger with Sarkodie, Wavy.

Khaligraph had promised that African hip hop is going to forever change and he did not disappoint. No sooner had Wavy premiered on YouTube than it took over Twitter trends in Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa.

On paper, a collab between Khaligraph and Sarkodie is the stuff of dreams, and to see it come to fruition is more than what African rap heads had bargained for.

The Kenyan rap star and his Ghanaian counterpart are undoubtedly the fastest MCs in the continent, and they play to their full strengths in Wavy.

A rapid-fire hardcore banger, Wavy is produced by Khaligraph Jones at his BluInk Corp studios while the instrumental is courtesy of the masterful Kenyan beats-maker Morris Kobia alias Motif the Don.

Khaligraph kicks off the track in his trademark delivery that saw him earn a BET nomination for Best International Flow in 2020. He may have lost out to Stormzy but the Mazishi rapper is in good company, having just started to make waves across the continent and beyond.

On Wavy, Khaligraph Jones proves his mettle alongside the more internationally acclaimed Sarkodie, the first artist to win the BET award for Best International Flow in 2019.

Wavy visuals were shot by Blu Inks Ricky (Big Dreams), with flashy cars taking center-stage. One of the whips, a red bespoke Toyota Crown, was specifically spruced up for this project.

I transformed this whip to specifically use it on my video shoot, still not yet done but it served the purpose, on to the next one, Khali previously said on Instagram.

Naturally, fans of the rap stars could not help but draw comparisons between the pair. Like most rap heads I want to be biased towards our own but it took Khaligraph Jones two verses against Sarks one verse to give the Ghanaian rap heavyweight a run for his money.

Check out Wavy video below. Rating 10/10.
NEW DELHI : The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday cleared the purchase of 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA-Tejas) in a deal worth 48,000 crores from the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in what is seen as the biggest ever contract awarded to Indias homegrown military aviation industry.

The approval by the CCS, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, comes 10 months after the Defence Acquisition Council in March 2020 greenlighted the procurement of 83 of the more advanced Mark 1A version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).

According to the plan, HAL is to deliver 73 fighters and 10 trainers by 2026. The LCA-Tejas Mark 1A will have more than 40 improvements" over an initial order of 40 LCA Tejas aircraft already ordered by the IAF in a deal worth almost 9,000 crore in 2016. It is categorized as a fourth generation plus aircraft, a statement from the Indian defence ministry said.

About 500 Indian companies including MSMEs in the design and manufacturing sectors will be working with HAL in this procurement. The programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem," the statement said.

The IAF currently has two Tejas squadrons, the Flying Daggers" and Flying Bullets" at Sulur. It is looking to the Tejas to add to its dwindling squadron strength which is currently at 30 squadrons as opposed to a sanctioned number of 42, required to fight a two front war with Pakistan and China. The IAF is also plans to order 170 more Tejas Mark-2 aircraft with more powerful engines and improved avionics in the future.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh hailed the move as a gamechanger" for Indian defence manufacturing which has been trying to shake off the image of being seen as lacking the capability to cater to Indian defence needs. India was the worlds second largest importer of major arms in 201418, accounting for 9.5% of the global total, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in a report published in 2019. Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing the 11 Defence Expo in Lucknow, set Indian industry a target of $5 billion in defence exports in next five years.

The CCS chaired by PM Sh. @narendramodi today approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about 48000 Crores to strengthen IAFs fleet of homegrown fighter jet LCA-Tejas. This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing," Singh said in his Twitter post.

The LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50% in Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60%," Singh said in another post.

HAL has already set-up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions. Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF," Singh said.

The decision taken today will considerably expand the current LCA ecosystem and help in creating new job opportunities. HAL follows a system integrator model in LCA Mk1A program and acts as an umbrella organisation, fostering manufacturing & design capabilities in pvt. Industry, Singh said. The LCA-Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem," the minister added.

The clearance by the CCS paves the way for the signing of the contract, which is expected to take place next month during the Aero India Defence Expo.

The improvements incorporated in the LCA Mk 1A include easier maintenance, active electronically scanned array radar, electronic warfare suite and beyond-visual range missile capabilities including the Indian made air-to-air missile Aastra Mark1. The CCS nod for the LCA procurement comes three years after India had invited bids for the purchase of the 114 jets in 2018, which brought in offers from Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Saab AB of Sweden worth $15 billion. The CCS move signals that India is looking at increasing procurement from domestic manufacturers in line with its Make in India" and Self Reliant India" programmes.

The Cabinet has also approved infrastructure development by IAF under the project to enable them handle repairs or servicing at their base depot so that the turnaround time would get reduced for mission critical systems and would lead to increased availability of aircraft for operational exploitation. This would enable IAF to sustain the fleet more efficiently and effectively due to availability of repair infrastructure at respective bases," the defence ministry statement added. HAL has a current capacity to manufacture 8 LCA at its Bengaluru plant with news reports quoting HAL officials as saying that it would be increased to 16 aircraft.

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U.S. President Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus has been the most divisive, at least in the United States. In fact, according to reports, his response, or the lack of it for some, might have been one of the significant reasons for his defeat in the November Presidential elections, which saw President-elect Joe Biden win the Presidency. In January, Trump had said that the US administration has the pandemic "totally under control" and that "it's going to be just fine". From that statement about a year ago to now, as US reels through increasing virus cases and is the worst-affected country in the world, things have changed rapidly. Trump's critics blame the pandemic's effects solely on him, while his supporters insist that he did all that he could. (Image: Reuters)

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that the steps being taken by big tech companies, who have banned and suspended his social media accounts, is going to be a catastrophic mistake.

I think that big tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country. And I believe it's going to be a catastrophic mistake for them, Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base.

This was Trump's first remarks in the public after Twitter permanently suspended his account.

Facebook, Instagram and other social media outlets have also banned his account alleging that his postings incite violence.

They're dividing and divisive, and they're showing something that I've been predicting for a long time. I've been predicting it for a long time and people didn't act on it. But I think big tech has made a terrible mistake, and very, very bad for our country--and that's leading others to do the same thing. And it causes a lot of problems and a lot of danger, Trump said.

Big mistake. They shouldn't be doing it. But there's always a counter move when they do that. I've never seen such anger as I see right now and that's a terrible thing, said the outgoing US President.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga offers 20-25, $2,000 college scholarships to area high school seniors who demonstrate academic achievement, community involvement and financial need. The deadline to submit an application online-only, and all required documentation, has been extended from Jan. 28-Feb. 12.

Students with an EFC (Expected Family Contribution) over $25,000 will not be eligible to apply this year. Applicants must live in the Tennessee Valley Region (eligible county list on application website). Applicants must also be high school seniors with a minimum 2.7 GPA and be eligible to attend a two or four-year college or university with a full course of study in the fall of 2021.

Funding for that very expensive first year of college can be challenging for many families, especially during this pandemic, said Jane Kaylor, CEO and president of RMHC of Greater Chattanooga. We are grateful to our mission partner, McDonalds, for their investment in education for the rising college freshman in our region.

Since 2002, RMHC of Greater Chattanooga has awarded more than $800,000 in scholarships to admirable students with the help of our mission partner, McDonalds and the owners of the 49 restaurants in our area, as well as some dedicated gifts to the scholarship program.

For more information, visit rmhchattanooga.com or contact Bethany Ramsey at 778-4147.
Tragedy hits this Northeast living space as colder temperatures look toward the end of the week.



Here's a glimpse at local 1st responders coming to the rescue. The bomb & arson unit is on the scene amid four injuries . . . Read more:
The United States donated a mobile testing unit to the Regional Health Services in Moneragala, received by Dr. B.M.C. Dasanayaka, as part of the effort to fight COVID-19 in Sri Lanka and protect lives through early detection.

The mobile unit will administer PCR tests and provide vital health services to 100 people daily in Moneragala communities hit hard by the pandemic. The mobile unit enables safe sample collection by avoiding direct contact and can be used in future for testing other communicable diseases, including dengue.

"By making COVID-19 tests and other health related services accessible to rural communities, the United States is helping mitigate some of the profound human and economic losses caused by the pandemic," said U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Alaina B. Teplitz.

The donation was funded by the U.S. Government's development arm the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through its Social Cohesion and Reconciliation project.

The U.S. Government has provided USD 6 million in aid to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in Sri Lanka. The assistance is helping to prepare laboratory systems; activate case-finding and event-based surveillance; support technical experts for response and preparedness; support risk communication; and address infection prevention and control. In addition, U.S. assistance is also supporting social services for communities most impacted by COVID-19, helping build social cohesion, mitigating negative economic impacts by strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises, and increasing womens economic participation.
















THE Deputy Mayor of Henley has resigned from the ruling party following a disagreement over bins.

Councillor David Eggleton announced he would be standing down from Henley Residents Group (HRG) during a town and community committee meeting on Tuesday evening.

He will now stand as an independent councillor, having been re-elected in May 2019.

The committee discussed two seperate ideas, designed to improve the appearance and capacity of bins in the town, which were both passed against councillor Eggletons advice.

The first proposal was to spend more than 19,000 replacing the 22 heritage litter bins in Henley with slightly larger ones.

Councillor Eggleton viewed this as a waste of money and said the cast iron material of the 16 original bins would have a much longer lifetime if they were properly maintained.

In comparison, refurbishing the bins would have cost 6,000, but the committee agreed to replace them by five votes to three, with one abstention.

The second scheme was a six-month trial for two solar-powered compactor bins. These would be located outside Cook, at top of Friday Street, and opposite the Angel on the Bridge pub.

The Henley Society, a heritage group, will pay half the fee and councillor Stefan Gawrysiak agreed to fund the rest using his Oxfordshire County Council councillors grant.

A five-member motion opposing the scheme was submitted by councillor Eggleton, along with Will Hamilton, Lorraine Hillier, Ian Clark and Laurence Plant.

The trial was approved by six votes to two, with councillor Eggleton unable to vote having left the virtual meeting after he announced his resignation from HRG.

For the full story, see this weeks Henley Standard.
She is known for her stylish ensembles.

And Molly-Mae Hagu pulled it off once again as she wrapped up warm before heading out in Manchester on Tuesday.

The Love Island star, 21, protected herself from the winter chill in a metallic green puffer jacket.

Cosy: Molly-Mae Hague wrapped up warm before heading out on Tuesday, protecting herself from the winter chill in a metallic green puffer jacket and cream scarf

She paired the outfit with a large cream scarf and mid-wash jeans, accessorising with various rings on her fingers.

The blonde beauty wore her usually curled tresses straight and hanging down past her shoulders.

She opted for a minimal make-up look, keeping around her eyes bare as she used bronzer and blush on her cheeks.

The TV personality later admitted she started watching Netflix's Bridgerton on Tuesday but soon turned it off because it 'wasn't her thing'.

On her Instagram Stories, she said: 'You guys love to judge me on my film and programme choices but I have just switched Bridgerton off to watch Serial Killer With Piers Morgan.

'Don't know what that says about me to be honest.

Not my thing: The Love Island star, 21, started watching Netflix's Bridgerton on Tuesday but soon turned it off because it 'wasn't her thing' and opted for a serial killer documentary instead

'But Bridgerton wasn't really for me - it was a bit slow and just a bit romantic and a bit - I like something with a bit more where you get really hooked into it, you know. So Serial Killer night it is'

Molly-Mae divided fans over the weekend after branding her 1,950 Gucci x The North Face jacket 'chav chic'.

The TV personality took to Instagram to show off her new designer outerwear in the controversial post, alongside the caption: 'Chav chic and I'm here for it' [sic]

Some social media users claimed the influencer is 'tone deaf' and 'disconnected from the world' for using the 'classist term', while others insisted naysayers should 'give the girl a break' and focus on 'bigger problems' instead.

Mixed reactions: Molly-Mae divided fans over the weekend for branding her 1,950 Gucci x The North Face 'chav chic'

Chav is a term usually used to describe a lower-class youth dressed in sportswear.

However, 'chav chic' also refers to the trend of athleisure loungewear - a look previously favoured by the likes of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, who made pink velour tracksuits and Von Dutch caps a staple in many noughties wardrobes.

On the topic, one slammed: 'molly mae calling her gucci tnf jacket 'chav chic' really does back my dissertation. saying stuff like that with the potential of 'influencing' her 5 mill followers to use classist terms like that really does not sit well with me.' (sic)

Others agreed: 'please tell me molly mae didn't actually say 'chav chic' ... ??? how can someone be so disconnected from the outside world.

'Calling out molly mae for using the words chav chic to describe a 2000+ coat is not 'jealousy', I absolutely love her but she is very tone deaf and so are a lot of you on here clearly ...

Luxurious: The TV personality took to Instagram over the weekend to show off her new designer outerwear

'Hoping this is the year the idolising of Molly-Mae slams to a grinding halt when we add classist slurs to the mix of dreadful film taste, sh** cooking skills and buying dogs from illegal puppy farm breeders.' (sic)

However, many of her fans saw the humour in her description and told the critics to 'be angry at something worth your time.' (sic)

They said: 'All these ppl hating on molly mae have defo said worse things than chav and are just using this for another reason to hate on her.

'I'm from a working class background from a council estate...i'm literally the epitome of the word and I can assure you the word isn't offensive.

'there's literally nothing offensive about the word 'chav' there's way bigger problems out there mate. get a grip.

'If you're on the internet greetin about molly mae saying chav you need to relax. Go for a walk. Clear your head. All will be okay, I promise.

What a collection: The YouTuber also revealed she's the proud owner of a sweatshirt from the recently released line

'Molly mae in a gucci north face jacket calling it chav chic had me rolling all day omg...People having a go at Molly Mae for saying 'chav chic' is mind blowing to me. Why not get angry at something worth your time?

'Why is it bad that Molly Mae has said chav? I've been getting called one my whole life just checking incase I deserve compensation.

'Is it surprising that the majority of the people kicking off about Molly mae saying the word chav all have 'Rose' in their twitter bios, lol no it is not.

'She is very tone deaf': Some social media users claimed the influencer is 'disconnected from the world' for using the 'classist term'

'swear no ones had an issue with the word chav until molly mae calls a coat chav chic? Give the girl a break.

'Can't believe molly mae is getting stuck for saying chav chic get a life man why are people so bothered anout EVERYTHING it's literally exhausting to even read

'Madness mate, folk offended over that Molly Mae bird using the word 'chav' i genuinely give up with people. Laughable.' (sic)

MailOnline contacted representatives for Molly-Mae for further comment.
It has been speculated that Israel will open a front with Iran in southern Syria, where they have been working to embed themselves report SY 24.

A Russian newspaper alluded to the fact that the areas controlled by Irans militia in southern Syria will turn into a battlefield in 2021.

An article in Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, said that Israel is preparing for war with Iran on the northern border.

Israeli newspapers also indicated that the Israeli army is working to further weaken Iran in Syria.

Commenting on the subject, the specialist in Russian affairs, Abdel Fattah Abu Tahoun, told SY 24 that, after the elimination of opposition forces in many of the areas they controlled, Iran is no longer wanted in Syria, specifically militarily, not only by Israel, which kept silent during the years of the suppression of the revolution, but also by Russia, which has come to see the Iranian presence as competition.

The Israeli escalation is in line with Russias desire, which might be enough to compel Iran to reduce its military presence, Abu Tahoun added.

Southern Syria has been witnessing security tensions since the regime took control of it in July 2018, due to Irans repeated attempts to infiltrate the areas previously controlled by the opposition, which contradicts the settlement agreement concluded between the factions and the regime under Russian auspices.

In 2020, SY 24 documented the killing of at least 150 members and officers of the regime forces and the militias loyal to them in Daraa Governorate. According to the database, the Fourth Division, loyal to Iran, was among the most prominent formations targeted, and dozens of former opposition members and leaders were killed at the hands of unknown persons.

Hundreds of Lebanese Hezbollah fighters are deployed in several areas in Quneitra Governorate, near the ceasefire line with the Israeli army in the Syrian Golan. They are also present at the military headquarters of the Fourth Division, led by Maher al-Assad, brother of the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad.

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.
In our day, there is a renewed interest in Satan. Hollywood has given us movies like The Exorcist and The Omen, along with a legion of other shows to whet every movie watchers appetite for the occult. Even in some Christian circles, there has been a renewed interest in ministries of deliverance. Lets now explore what the Bible says about this subject.

What Does the Bible Say about Satan and Where He Came From?

While the Bible is silent on the subject of the exact timeline of when the Lord created angels, what is known for sure is that the Lord created everything good because He is holy. When Satan, who was once the angel Lucifer, rebelled against God, he fell immediately from heaven (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28).

When Satan fell, one-third of the angelic host joined him in his rebellion (Revelation 12:3-4, 9). These angels who fell with Satan are now known as demons. "The first to rebel was Satan, who was promptly thrown out of heaven along with myriads of angels who followed his lead. The Bible says they 'did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling' (Jude 6). This is in contrast to 'the elect angels' (1 Timothy 5:21) who were given the grace to remain sinless. Satan is mentioned more frequently than all other evil angels combined. Twenty-nine times Satan is referred to in the Gospels, and of those twenty-nine, Jesus spoke of him twenty-five times."

- Satan is the prince of the demons (Matthew 12:24).

- Satan is the ruler of this world (John 12:31).

- Satan is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4).

- Satan is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

Thirty-five times Scripture refers to Satan as the Devil - accuser" or slanderer. Here are some other mentions in the Bible that describe Satan:

- The evil one (John 17:15)

- A roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8).

- Abaddon (destroyer, Revelation 9:11).

- A great red dragon (Revelation 12:3).

- That ancient serpent (Revelation 12:9).

Such descriptions of Satan help readers understand the influence he cleverly wields over those under his control.





Photo credit: Getty Images/serikbaib

Are Demons Real?

Jesus exercised authority, but he exercised it all the same way by his word. How did he exercise his teaching authority? By speaking an authoritative word. How did he exercise his authority over demons? By merely rebuking them. How did he exercise his authority over disease? He did it the same way: by telling the fever to come out. Words may not seem very powerful, but when they come from God, they have the power to transform peoples lives, to triumph over supernatural evil, and to overturn the effects of illness. The words of Jesus carry supreme divine authority over creation and all the powers of hell.

Some of them noticed how he exercised this power (Luke 4:36-37). This is how the gospel spreads: by word of mouth, from person to person. When we see what Jesus can do, we want others to know about it to see for themselves. In this case, people not only saw his power, but they also saw how he exercised it: by speaking his word. Just as God once spoke the universe into being, so Jesus spoke, and it was so. Here was a clear demonstration of his divine power. He spoke his words with the very authority of God.

Even if some people did not recognize the source of this authority, the demons certainly did. They knew exactly what they were up against, which is why they cried out against it. This happened at the synagogue, where the demon cried out with a loud voice, Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you arethe Holy One of God (Luke 4:33-34). Jesus provoked a similar response at the end of the day when he was healing the sick: And demons also came out of many, crying, You are the Son of God! (Luke 4:41).

These demons knew who Jesus was, and it terrified them. The Bible says, The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). And as Jesus began to do this devil-destroying work, the demons recoiled in terror. They were filled with unholy dread, shuddering at the power of his mighty word (James 2:19). There is no good news for the demons. Jesus has no gospel to save them but will only condemn them to hell.

Therefore, the demons asked if Jesus had come to destroy them. They knew that he was the Holy One of God, and they hated him for it. No doubt, this explains why Jesus told them to be quiet. This happened at the synagogue, where he said to the demon, Be silent and come out of him! (Luke 4:35). It happened again at Peters house, where Jesus rebuked the demons and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ (Luke 4:41).

Jesus did not want the demons to be the ones saying His deity. Jesus hardly needed the servants of hell to declare his true identity. When they said that he was the Son of God, they were not saying it for his glory, but for a wicked purpose. What matters is not merely knowing that Jesus is the Son of God, but also worshipping him as the Son of God. Yet, these demons were not worshiping Jesus at all. They were not treating him with reverence and respect. Instead, they were causing a commotion.

This is the violent conflict that the word of Christ always brings. Some people believe it by faith and begin to share it so that others can be saved. But the demons hate itthey hate it. There is nothing they hate more than Gods word, whether it comes from Christ himself or one of his servants. They know its holy power, and for that very reason, they cry out in fear against it.

Indeed, this explains why nothing in the world arouses so much spiritual opposition as does the proclamation of biblical truth. Anyone who shares the gospel of Jesus Christ can expect to face opposition and even hatred. And any church that takes a stand for God and his Word can expect to face the same. The devil hates the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he will stop at nothing in his ferocious and ultimately futile attempt to destroy them.

As we preach the Word of God, proclaiming the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit makes it the power of salvation to those who believe. And there is nothing the devil or any of his demons can say to stop it.

Should Christians Be Afraid of the Satan?

While Satan is real, we should not fear him because we have greater power in Jesus. Yet we must not underestimate his power. The Apostle Peter was one who underestimated Satan and his wiles. Jesus warned Peter beforehand about his impending betrayal, but Peter said in Luke 22:33, Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death. Peter was overconfident and didnt understand the strength of Satan. Moments before Jesus warned about the strength of Satan, Peter rejected the warning, and Jesus said in Luke 22:31, Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat (Luke 22:31).

Peter became putty in Satan's hands, for it was as easy for Satan to seduce Peter as it was to sift wheat in a sieve. With all that said, Satans power over Peter and the people of God are limited. Satan may be stronger than we are, but we have Jesus who defeated death and the grave and put an open shame to Satans plans in the Cross (Colossians 2:15).

1 John 4:4 says, Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. James 4:7 says, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. When the roaring lion Satan comes to deceive, Christians are to resist him in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Satan sifted Peter, but his victory over Peter was only temporary. With the warning Jesus gave, also came the teaching in Luke 22:32, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Jesus both predicted the fall and restoration of Peter.

Christians today are not to underestimate Satan and need to understand that pride goes before destruction. To overestimate Satan is to grant him more honor and respect than he deserves, for Satan is a created being and, as such, is finite and limited and subordinate to God.

Test All Spirits

John in 1 John 4:1 instructs his believing readers they are not to believe every prophet or spirit that comes their way. In succeeding verses in 1 John, John gives specific tests that help his readers and the people of God today to determine the orthodoxy of teachers with the Incarnation. In providing the test of the Incarnation, John is not saying that the Incarnation exhausts orthodoxy. It is possible to believe in the Incarnation and hold errant views on justification, such as the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodoxy does. John is focused here on the Incarnation because he was combatting this teaching in 1 John.

The Incarnation is critical to the Christian faith, and so we must test all spirits against the teaching of Scripture. Whatever our Pastor or a Bible teacher is teaching must be verified with Scripture. The Bereans in Acts 17 were commended because they tested what Paul taught with the Scripture. We must always confirm whatever our pastor or a Bible teacher says according to their faithfulness to the whole counsel of God.

The Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 11:14 warns the Corinthians Satan masquerades as an angel of light. Satan is a deceiver and will hide in the local church, influencing teachers to deny the Word of God. Sound biblical doctrine comes from the Word of God, which is why every Christian is to read, study, and grow in their handling of the Word of God (2 Timothy 2:15). Every Christian is to be a Berean so they can test the spirits and grow in the grace of God.

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Dave Jenkins is happily married to Sarah Jenkins. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon.

Cadet and her fiance, Pepi Blanco, were out in their yard when Cadet noticed Davey eating something. She immediately pulled it from his mouth but realized he had ingested some of the mushroom. The dog did not have an immediate reaction but started vomiting approximately seven hours after exposure and was "not moving" the next morning. That is when they realized it was serious.

"We have a big back yard, with deer and other animals, so we keep a very close watch on Davey when he's out there," said Blanco. "You've got to be really careful. If he had eaten the whole mushroom, he'd be gone." Cadet and Blanco ended up finding more than 20 other Destroying Angel mushrooms in the yard and removed them.

"The Destroying Angel mushroom is one of the deadliest mushrooms to grow in nature," said Dr. Ahna Brutlag, a board-certified veterinary toxicologist at Pet Poison Helpline. "It contains toxins known as cyclopeptides, or more specifically amatoxins. These basically target how the body makes life-essential proteins, with the main target organs being the liver and kidneys. Ingestion of small amounts can lead to severe and very rapid liver failure and death." The veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists at Pet Poison Helpline are highly trained to assist in all types of toxicities, including Davey's potentially fatal ingestion.

Animals that ingest these mushrooms will develop signs within 6-12 hours, which initially include vomiting and diarrhea. Next, they enter a 12-24-hour period of "false recovery" where they appear to be improving before they go into acute liver failure. At the end stage of the poisoning, their kidneys may fail as well. Death often occurs within several days of ingestion.

Davey was incredibly lucky. After 17 rounds of a liver protectant, along with IV fluids, vitamin K1 (to help blood clotting), anti-vomiting drugs, and round-the clock care, the veterinary staff at Veterinary Care of Mount Pleasant were able to save his life. His liver values and blood clotting ability began to improve significantly, and they were able to take him home after seven days.

"This family did not give up on their pet, and neither would we," said Dr. Williman from Veterinary Care of Mount Pleasant. "An unusual poisoning such as this can be very difficult for a general practitioner to diagnose, so quick medical attention by your veterinarian, followed by advice from the team at Pet Poison Helpline, can really help save a pet's life. Cases such as this can have quite different outcomes, so we are very pleased at Davey's recovery and prognosis for a long and healthy life."

Pet Poison Helpline created "Toxin Tails" to educate the veterinary community and pet lovers on the many types of poisoning dangers facing pets, both in and out of the home. All the pets highlighted in "Toxin Tails" have been successfully treated for the poisoning and fully recovered.

About Pet Poison Helpline

Pet Poison Helpline, an animal poison control center based in Minneapolis, is available 24 hours, seven days a week for pet owners and veterinary professionals who require assistance treating a potentially poisoned pet. The veterinarians and board-certified toxicologists provide treatment advice for poisoning cases of all species, including dogs, cats, birds, small mammals, large animals and exotic species. As the most cost-effective option for animal poison control care, Pet Poison Helpline's fee of $65 per incident includes follow-up consultation for the duration of the poison case. Pet Poison Helpline is available in North America by calling 800-213-6680. Additional information can be found online at www.petpoisonhelpline.com.

Contact: Maja Ferrell

Pet Poison Helpline

(952) 852-4608

[email protected]

SOURCE Pet Poison Helpline
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As Joe Biden took the lead in the vote count and then won Pennsylvania, some of the states top Republicans added their voices to President Donald Trumps baseless claims that the election was stolen and rife with fraud.

U.S. Rep. Scott Perry joined a Stop the Steal rally in Harrisburg and later went on Fox Business Network to blast Pennsylvanias election as a horrific embarrassment.

They say, Oh, you know, 100,000 votes just showed up, and oh by the way, they all just happen to be for Joe Biden, he said in one interview on Nov 6.

We had dead people voting. We had a lot of people voting two or three times, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly said during a Nov. 24 interview on Sean Hannitys Fox News radio program.

And U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler went on the far-right cable channel Newsmax to amplify unproven claims and said, We know there were individuals that were dead that miraculously registered to vote and mailed in a vote.

None of it was true.

The claims were false on their face and quickly debunked.

 READ MORE: Fact-checking false claims about Pennsylvanias presidential election by Trump and his allies

Yet the congressmen and others from Pennsylvania nevertheless spent months supporting the claim that widespread fraud, procedural decisions, or irregularities undermined the integrity of the election, lending their authority to the argument that the very foundation of American democracy was being corrupted.

That belief among some Trump supporters fueled an insurrection at the Capitol last week that left five dead and threatened the peaceful transfer of power, prompting a second impeachment vote set for Wednesday.

Each claim fell by the wayside: The Trump campaign did not allege even a single instance of voter fraud in numerous Pennsylvania lawsuits, courts repeatedly rejected complaints about procedures, and the vote counting Perry and others cited was the result, widely predicted before Election Day, of mail ballots taking longer to count and being used more heavily by Democrats.

Theres only evidence of one attempt to vote on behalf of a dead person: It was by a Trump supporter in Delaware County, and emerged well after Kelly and Reschenthaler made their claims.

So when eight Pennsylvania congressmen objected last week to accepting Pennsylvanias votes for president, a move that would have disenfranchised every voter in the state, they narrowed their arguments  instead citing administrative procedures and saying they were only trying to ensure the integrity of Pennsylvanias vote.

A week later  even as new videos and evidence emerge capturing the horror of the Capitol assault and the FBI warns of potential new attacks  none of the lawmakers have broken with Trump or voiced second thoughts about their votes.

U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser said Tuesday that he knew his objections wouldnt succeed in the Democratic-controlled House, but that he had to raise his concerns.

It does not change the facts as I understood them, and I think understood them pretty well, that our secretary of state acted outside of their authority and jurisdiction and I had to call them out on it, Meuser said in a phone interview.

 READ MORE: Pennsylvania Republicans showed Trumps grip on the party after the attack on the Capitol

In a Dec. 6 Facebook post, Meuser had written: The unfortunate legacy of this past election is the unlawful and suppressive actions taken. ... Things we typically read about in corrupt countries.

On Tuesday, he expressed only broad concern over the postelection rhetoric.

I can understand how that can fuel peoples emotions, but to fuel them to the point to storm the Capitol, I dont think anybody expected that, including the president, Meuser said. Asked about his Facebook post, he said he hopes both parties will soften their tones.

Our Capitol got stormed. What difference Dan Meuser made in the end? Im sure none, but if you dont think I feel a certain level  he paused, thats our United States Capitol, that perhaps I could have done more, sure I do.

On the House floor last week, hours after the insurrection as debate crawled from Wednesday night into Thursday morning, Meusers fellow objectors dropped their dramatic earlier claims.

Kelly said nothing about dead people voting. Instead, he reiterated claims he made in a lawsuit  shot down by the courts  that a 2019 state law expanding mail voting was unconstitutional. The law passed with broad bipartisan support and went unchallenged until Trump lost.

Perry argued that, when votes are accepted under unconstitutional means without fair and equal protection for all, the only result can be an illegitimate outcome.

 READ MORE: Lies sent Trump supporters to Washington. Can Big Tech bans stop the misinformation?

Perry, Kelly, Meuser, and Reschenthaler were joined by fellow Pennsylvania Reps. Fred Keller, John Joyce, Lloyd Smucker, and Glenn Thompson in opposing their states electoral votes. They raised their objections for weeks leading up to the vote, and again hours after a riot scarred the Capitol.

They were among 138 House Republicans, two-thirds of their caucus, who voted to block the state from having a say in the election.

Part of democracy is being willing to accept the results of a legitimate election, even when it doesnt favor you. Weve just lost sight of that, said Khalif Ali, executive director of Common Cause Pennsylvania, a nonpartisan advocacy group that supports voting rights. Now what were hearing is this rhetoric that is leading people to believe democracy doesnt work if it doesnt get me my outcome. ....That rhetoric is absolutely decimating confidence in our democracy.

Only 27% of Republican voters say they trust U.S. elections, down from 72% in late September, according to a Morning Consult poll released Tuesday.

The allegations of election irregularities and fraud have been investigated, said Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), who supported Trumps reelection but opposed efforts to throw out Pennsylvanias votes. Theyve been adjudicated. They were adjudicated in the states in which theyre alleged to have occurred.

Toomey, like the House Republicans, criticized some of the procedures used by state officials and authorized by the states Supreme Court, and said those questions need to be resolved for future elections. But he said disenfranchising the entire state would be wildly out of proportion to the purported offenses and very damaging to our republic.

Speaking on the Senate floor last week, hours after the insurrection, Toomey said: Certainly there were irregularities in this election, there always are, but theres no evidence of significant fraud, conspiracies, or even significant anomalies that cast any serious doubt on who actually won.

 READ MORE: Where Pa. and N.J. members of Congress stand on impeaching Trump after the Capitol attack

Meuser said he knew Republicans didnt have enough votes to overturn the results but still felt obligated to object to the election procedures.

A ballot that is accepted illegally, and I dont even want to use such strong language at this point, does suppress a legal ballot, Meuser said.

But when the Trump campaign challenged some of the rules in court  seeking to ban drop boxes and require signature verification of mail ballots  a Trump-appointed federal judge ruled that the campaign didnt prove a serious threat of voter fraud.

Election laws, like any law, are always subject to executive-branch decisions about how to implement them. And even if state officials had overstepped their authority, there has never been an instance of courts retroactively throwing out the votes of eligible voters who followed the rules as they were in place at the time, said Wendy Weiser, an election-law expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University

She added, The countrys just witnessed where this kind of brinkmanship can lead us and how toxic and dangerous it actually is when we reject the rules of the system, try to thwart our election results, try to promote and double-down on a lie, try to use certain institutions to misuse them to try to undermine our democracy.
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(CNN)  A COVID-19 vaccine developed by Chinas Sinovac Biotech was just 50.38% effective in late-stage trials in Brazil, significantly lower than earlier results showed, according to a statement published by the government of Sao Paulo Tuesday.

While the number meets the threshold required by global regulators for approval, it falls far below the 78% figure announced last week.

It is raising questions as to the veracity of the data and fueling skepticism over the apparent lack of transparency regarding Chinese vaccines.

The Butantan Institute and the Government of Sao Paulo report that the coronavirus vaccine achieved a 50.38% overall efficacy rate in the clinical study conducted in Brazil, in addition to [an efficacy rate of] 78% for mild cases and 100% for moderate and severe cases of Covid-19. All rates are higher than the 50% level required by the WHO (World Health Organization), the statement released Tuesday said.

RELATED: Philippines secures 25 million Sinovac doses

The razor-thin results for regulatory approval are likely to lead to concern among scientists, given that last week the Brazilian Institute released partial clinical efficacy results celebrating 78% to 100% efficacy in preventing infections. The vaccine was studied in 12,500 volunteers, all of them health professionals, across Brazil.

Why the data changed: In a summary of the clinical study published by the government of Sao Paulo and the Butantan Institute, data for another group of participants who reported very mild cases of infection was included, therefore yielding a lower efficacy rate for the vaccine.

"Regarding the overall efficacy of the analysis, we met the requirements of the World Health Organization with 50.38%," Ricardo Palacios, medical director for clinical research at the Butantan biomedical center in Sao Paulo said Tuesday during a news conference.

Questions over efficacy: However on Tuesday, high-ranking members of the Brazilian Health Ministry told CNN affiliate CNN Brasil that "the effectiveness is borderline," and that because "it is at the limit" they would need the countys health regulator agency, ANVISA, to evaluate.

A representative of Sinovac said the company is discussing the result but declined to give further comment.

Last week, ANVISA told the Butantan Institute that in order to approve the emergency use of a vaccine, the global efficacy rate had to be disclosed to the public -- information the institute did not receive from Sinovac at the time, according to CNN Brasil sources.
The federal government has executed a female inmate for the first time in nearly 70 years.

Kansas woman Lisa Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1.31am (6.31am GMT) on Wednesday after receiving a lethal injection at a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

Montgomery was the only woman on death row and was executed for killing a pregnant woman and cutting out her baby in Missouri in 2004.

She was the 11th death row inmate to be executed since July, when the Trump administration resumed capital punishment following an almost two-decades-long hiatus.

As the execution process began, a woman standing over Montgomery's shoulder leaned over, gently removed Montgomerys face mask and asked her if she had any last words. No, Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice. She said nothing else.

Montgomery was transferred to the all-male Terre Haute prison from an all-female jail in Forth Worth, Texas, following a failed bid by her lawyers to block the move.

Attorneys for Montgomery, who they say suffered repeated and sexual abuse since childhood, requested that she was not moved to a men's prison for her execution.

The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight, Montgomery's attorney, Kelley Henry, said in a statement following the execution. Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.

"The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman," Ms Henry added. Lisa Montgomerys execution was far from justice.

It came after hours of legal wrangling before the Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to move forward.

Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next week's inauguration of president-elect, Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.

Montgomery killed 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004.

She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife.

Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own as part of a custody dispute.

An appeals court on Tuesday granted Montgomery a stay of execution, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judges ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldn't comprehend she would be put to death.

But both appeals were lifted, allowing the execution of the only female on federal death row to go ahead. She was the first woman to be put to death by the US government since 1953.

The case came to national attention late last year when new evidence emerged about Montgomery's troubled childhood.

Her lawyers said she suffered sexual torture as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting that her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Montgomery was found guilty of kidnapping resulting in death and sentenced to death at her 2007 trial.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
By Diana Johnstone.

January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - What happened in the Capitol on Jan. 6 was not surprising. It could have been avoided. It could have been prevented if the Democratic Establishment which held onto keys of power throughout Trumps mandate had truly wanted a smooth presidential transition. For months prior to the election, the elite Transition Integrity Project was spreading the alarm, loudly echoed by liberal media, that Trump would lose and refuse to acknowledge his loss.

There was a simple, obvious way to avoid such a drama. In an article for Consortium News last August, I suggested how this could be done.

It seems to me that if the Democratic establishment gave priority to a peaceful election and transition, against the possibility that Trump might reject the results, the smart and reasonable thing to do would be to reassure him on the two counts which they suggest might incite him to balk: postal vote fraud accusations and the threat of criminal charges against him. [] As for postal balloting, it should be conceivable that Trumps misgivings are justified. [] In an age when anyone can photocopy any document, when mails are slow and when there are many ways in which ballots might be destroyed, such misgivings are not far-fetched. [] For the sake of domestic peace, why not try to find a compromise? Kamala Harris has introduced legislation to generalize postal balloting. Why not, instead, extend polling time, opening polls not only on the second Tuesday in November but on the preceding Saturday and Sunday? This would provide time to allow voters afraid of Covid-19 to keep distances from each other, as they do when they go to the supermarket. It would reduce the number of absentee ballots, the time needed for counting and above all the suspicions attached to postal voting. But the more wary Trump is of postal voting, the more Democrats insist on making it universal. It becomes clearer and clearer that hatred of Trump has reached such a pitch, that for the Democratic establishment and its hangers-on, defeating Trump at the polls is not enough. They are practically inciting him to contest the election. Then they can have something more exciting and decisive: a genuine regime change.

So indeed what we got was something more exciting. Not exactly regime change, because we are seeing instead a powerful reaffirmation of the regime that was really still there during Trumps largely deformed four-year term. The haste with which his aides and allies desert him in his last hour makes this clear. He was always a president without a team, operating on hunches, rhetoric and advice from his son-in-law and a few insiders who were really outsiders.

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But what we are getting is indeed exciting: an alleged insurrection supposedly incited by Trump to steal the election (which it had absolutely no way of doing). The scenes of disorder have been instantly exploited to plunge him and his followers into an abyss of ignominy, if not criminal proceedings and imprisonment.

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What happened on Jan. 6 was not an insurrection. Anyone wanting to know what an insurrection is should look up the U.S.-sponsored armed uprising that overthrew duly elected Chilean President Salvador Allende on Sept. 11, 1973. The Capitol disturbance was more like what happened when U.S.-trained Otpor militants broke into the Serbian parliament in the midst of that countrys 2000 presidential election and set fire to ballot boxes.

Or check out a particularly pertinent insurrection when truly violent demonstrators took over the Ukrainian Parliament in 2014 and overthrew the government, an event hailed by then U.S. Vice President Joe Biden as a great victory for democracy. Then there was the Hillary-endorsed coup in Honduras, the almost successful attempt to overthrow democracy in Bolivia, the U.S.-backed Guaido farce in Venezuela, etc., etc., etc.

No, an insurrection is not when a large crowd of people who feel their candidate has been cheated vent their indignation by managing to break into their parliament with no purpose in mind. Most of the intruders milled about taking selfies with no clear idea what to do next. By world standards, the violence on Jan. 6 was very mild indeed, the only gun violence being the fatal shooting of an unarmed Trump enthusiast, Ashli Babbitt, who could easily have been pushed back from her adventurous attempt to climb over a barricade.

The intrusion was so far from carrying out a pro-Trump plan that it had the opposite effect. The immediate political result of the eruption of the undisciplined crowd was to prevent Republican Senators who were so inclined from presenting their arguments against the legitimacy of the November vote. If anything, the action worked in the favor of President-elect Biden.

One might think that in his moment of victory, a true statesman would demonstrate the qualities it takes to lead a nation by offering to bring all people together as fellow Americans. He did quite the opposite.

The very next day after the Capitol happening, in his small fiscal haven home state of Delaware, Biden raged against his opponents as a terrorist mob, no less.

They werent protestors, he proclaimed. Dont dare call them protesters. They were a riotous mob. Insurrectionists. Domestic terrorists. Its that basic. Its that simple.

Trump, said Biden, has unleashed an all-out assault on our institutions of democracy from the outset, and yesterday was but the culmination of that unrelenting attack. Trump had poisoned the political environment by using language that autocrats and dictators use all over the world to hold on to power.

Bidens own language certainly sounded less like a magnanimous winner uniting his people than like that used by autocrats and dictators to hold onto power. Trump was trying to deny the will of the American people, he said, much as Trump said of him. The whole problem was that the will of the American people was far from unanimous.

The Authoritarian Center

So even before his inauguration, President-elect Biden has given us a bitter taste of days ahead. There is to be no sacred unity, but deepened division between The Good (woke liberals), the Bad (Russians and other enemies of Our Democracy) and the Ugly Americans, to be labeled Domestic Terrorists, White Supremacists and fascists.

The authoritarian center, ranging from opportunistic Republicans to The Squad, can rally around the necessary purge of Domestic Terrorists, silencing their communications and getting them properly fired from their jobs.

The Establishment has long been determined to crush Trump. But there is talk of purging all his followers as well. Biden is already speaking like a War President, calling for measures to combat the internal enemy such as accompany major wars.

The oligarchic nature of the American War Party is revealed by the haste with which privately owned social media enterprises silence dissent  even the still acting President of the United States. Indeed, who really rules the United States? Is the president only an agent of economic powers whose role is to serve their interests? And the trouble with Trump is that he had not been picked for the job.

Trump managed to appeal to millions of discontented Americans without offering any coherent practical program to replace the War Party with policies capable of transforming the nation into a haven of peace and prosperity. His confusion mirrored the ideological confusion of a population scandalously undereducated in history and political ideas. The illusion that Trump was the leader dissident Americans needed cost Ashli Babbit her life and led thousands of Trump voters into what amounts to a trap. Trump himself was led into the trap.

A completely different approach to politics is needed to restore democracy to America. All appeals to identities and ideologies can only deepen the confusion and divisions, because they prevent people from understanding each other.

The Biden administration appears intent on strengthening such confusion and divisions precisely by recourse to identities and ideologies. I firmly believe that only a scrupulously rational, open-minded, factual and pragmatic approach to clearly defined practical problems could bring peace to the United States, a peace that could favor peace in the world.

From outside the melee, it is easy to define the serious issues that should dominate political debate in the United States. But instead of that, we hear a torrential exchange of insults. The establishment elite cannot stoop to exchange viewpoints with populists denounced as deplorable, racist, misogynist, white supremacist, fascist and now even terrorist.

The populists unfocused denunciation of the elite describes Wall Street Democrats as socialists and veers off into accusations of genocidal vaccination campaigns, occult pedophile rites and Satanism. Instead of anything resembling a clear political division, America is increasingly split by blind, burning mutual hatred.

What American political life needs is not more censorship, but the self-censorship of reason. That is very far away.
MIAMI, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Caribbean International will for the first time call Barbados "home" next winter, offering travelers fresh ways to experience the southern Caribbean on Grandeur of the Seas. Three distinct 7- and 14-night itineraries will each feature a unique lineup of bucket-list destinations  including three new ports of call in the islands of Tobago, Trinidad and St. Vincent. Showcasing the natural beauty and cultures of the region, weeklong sailings will island hop to a different destination every day or offer late-night stays in the famed ABC islands  Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao. Grandeur's longer escapes will tout an overnight stay in Aruba coupled with visits to Cartagena, Colombia; Colon, Panama; and Puerto Limon, Costa Rica, among others.

January 2021 - Royal Caribbean International will call Barbados home for the first time beginning December 2021. The line will offer vacationers new ways to experience the southern Caribbean on board Grandeur of the Seas, including three new ports of call in the islands of Tobago, Trinidad and St. Vincent. January 2021 - Grandeur of the Seas offers guests a variety of experiences, from rock climbing and original entertainment to a poolside movie screen and 15 bars, restaurants and lounges

"We are excited to grow our longstanding partnership with Barbados and introduce Bridgetown as Royal Caribbean's newest home port. Sailing from the heart of the Windward Islands unlocks new memorable vacations to share with family and friends in breathtaking places, such as Grenada, St. Lucia, and now St. Vincent, Trinidad and Tobago," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. "The pink-sand beaches and unexpected adventures across Barbados also make it an ideal destination for our guests to experience even more of the Caribbean charm and culture before or after their cruise."

"After the year the industry and region have had, this is a shining light to look forward to this coming winter season. We have wanted to see for some time more homeporting operations from Barbados, the incorporation of pre- and post-stay vacations which expose cruisers to the best Barbados has to offer and at a regional level, the development of new itineraries that elevates the cruise experience throughout the Caribbean," said Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins, Minister of Tourism and International Transport for Barbados. "So, we are extremely pleased to extend the welcome mat for Grandeur of the Seas to Barbados. We are looking forward to displaying our Bajan hospitality, wide range of accommodations, rich culture, diversity of experiences, world class cuisine, unique attractions, and especially want to share the warmth of the Barbadian people. These are the things that keep visitors coming back for more!"

Barbados is known for its rich history and celebrated for its kind and hospitable people  a defining Bajan trait passed on for almost 400 years and still strong today. Adventure-seekers looking to discover the Bajan island vibe will have diverse experiences to choose from across the country's 11 parishes  a mix of coastal, rural and urban neighborhoods, some sophisticated and luxurious, others immersive and based in nature. Spanning 166 square miles between the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, the island affectionately known as "Little England" is chock-full of natural and cultural heritage to satisfy wanderlust of all types.

Royal Caribbean's new 2021-22 winter cruises from Bridgetown, Barbados open for sale today. The itineraries depart on Sundays and ports of call for each are:

7-night Southern Caribbean Island Hop : Departing Bridgetown, Barbados (new) and visiting Scarborough, Tobago (new); Port of Spain, Trinidad (new); St. George's, Grenada ; Kingstown, St. Vincent (new); Roseau, Dominica ; and Castries, St. Lucia

: Departing (new) and visiting Scarborough, (new); (new); ; (new); ; and 7-night Southern Caribbean Adventure : Departing Bridgetown, Barbados (new) and visiting St. George's, Grenada ; Kralendijk, Bonaire ; Oranjestad, Aruba ; Willemstad, Curacao ; and Port of Spain, Trinidad (new)

: Departing (new) and visiting ; Kralendijk, ; ; ; and (new) 14-night Ultimate Caribbean: Departing Bridgetown, Barbados (new) and visiting St. George's, Grenada ; Kingstown, St. Vincent (new); Kralendijk, Bonaire ; Oranjestad, Aruba (overnight); Willemstad, Curacao ; Port of Spain, Trinidad (new); Cartagena, Colombia ; Colon, Panama ; and Puerto Limon , Costa Rica

Royal Caribbean's inaugural season sailing from Barbados adds even more variety to the cruise line's current 2021-22 winter season. New departure ports and destinations will bring a breadth of fresh experiences for travelers to make the most of their highly anticipated vacations.

About Royal Caribbean International

Royal Caribbean International has been delivering innovation at sea for more than 50 years. Each successive class of ships is an architectural marvel featuring the latest technology and guest experiences for today's adventurous traveler. The cruise line continues to revolutionize vacations with itineraries to more than 270 destinations in 72 countries on six continents, including Royal Caribbean's private island destination in The Bahamas, Perfect Day at CocoCay, the first in the Perfect Day Island Collection. Royal Caribbean has also been voted "Best Cruise Line Overall" for 18 consecutive years in the Travel Weekly Readers' Choice Awards.

Media can stay up to date by following @RoyalCaribPR on Twitter and visiting RoyalCaribbeanPressCenter.com. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers can call their travel advisor; visit RoyalCaribbean.com; or call (800) ROYAL-CARIBBEAN.

Royal Caribbean International is applying the recommendations of its Healthy Sail Panel of public health and scientific experts to provide a safer and healthier cruise vacation on all of its sailings. Health and safety protocols, regional travel restrictions and clearance to visit ports of call, are subject to change based on ongoing evaluation, public health standards, and government requirements. U.S. cruises and guests: For more information on the latest health and travel alerts, U.S. government travel advisories, please visit www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates or consult travel advisories, warnings or recommendations relating to cruise travel on applicable government websites.

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The unprecedented assault on American democracy Jan. 6 will naturally have global ramifications and its predictable consequences do not bode well for the leaders around the world who have been embraced by outgoing President Donald Trump. Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is one of them.

Turkey's call for moderation on both sides as the riots were unfolding on TV came as a shock to many in America. Andrea Mitchell, senior Washington correspondent for NBC, reacted to the statement with outrage. Mitchell said Turkeys statement was ironic, coming from a country with such a poor record on human rights and freedom of press.

Mitchell said the reaction was "beyond shocking" while quoting a tweet by Turkeys parliament speaker, who had called for tolerance and moderation to prevail in Washington. Alleging that Turkey is a country run by a "dictator, Mitchell recalled how closely Erdogan and other authoritarian leaders across the world were embraced by Trump.

The Turkish reactions came while Turkish police were brutally dispersing a peaceful demonstration in Turkeys Bogazici University, where students were protesting Erdogans appointment of a member of his ruling party to head the prestigious institution. The police handcuffed the gate to the campus to prevent students from assembling on the university grounds. Pictures of the handcuffed gate have become a metaphor for repression and autocratic rule in Turkey.

As such, when the Turkish Foreign Ministry's statement calling for moderation and restraint in Washington came in, Erdogans Turkey was busy imprisoning more dissident voices, adding to the already long list of people jailed for their opposition to the government.

Meanwhile, in Washington, President-elect Joe Biden accused Trump of having "contempt" for the rule of law and called those who took part in the assault on democracy "domestic terrorists."

The day after the riots, Robin Niblett of the British Chatham House challenged Bidens description. "Those who assaulted the US Capitol may be fantasists, thugs, criminals. But they are not 'terrorists.' Reserve that for those who kill civilians for political purposes, he tweeted Jan 7. Otherwise, we legitimize Xi Jinping, Erdogan et al. using this term to justify repressing their opponents."

Trump will leave the office in disgrace on Jan. 20 and Biden will assume the presidency. But the Jan 6. riots will impact how he will set his countrys foreign policies as he works to repair the damage inflicted on American democracy, credibility and global standing.

Under such circumstances, Biden will likely have no patience for bullies around the globe, particularly those who were embraced by Trump. Erdogan falls in this category. Biden will also probably remember the damning words that came from Turkish officials after the then-presidential candidate labelled Erdogan an autocrat a year ago.

The analysis of Turkey by [Biden] is based on pure ignorance, arrogance and hypocrisy. The days of ordering Turkey around are over. But if you still think you can try, you can be our guest. You will pay the price, Ibrahim Kalin said Aug. 25, less than half a year ago.

More recently, Kalin has expressed a more optimistic view of Turkish-US relations under Biden, saying in a Jan. 10 interview, "Our contacts with the transition team so far are very positive."

Nowadays, both Ankara and Washington have no shortage of advocates for trying to mend the ties between the two countries. Those in favor of a reset usually base their argument on Turkeys much-vaunted strategic value and the need to prevent Turkey from drifting further from the West toward Russia.

For instance, Nathalie Tocci, director of the Italian Institute of International Affairs and an adviser to EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, has become one of the most prominent advocates of appeasement. "The purpose of our actions should be to peel Ankara away from Moscow, rather than push it deeper in its embrace," she wrote in a Dec. 14 article for Foreign Policy.

Erdogan also seems to be seeking a reset, as Ankara's recent attempts to mend ties with Western countries and their regional allies show.

In a compelling and controversial Dec. 29 Forbes article, however, Turkish-American contributor Melik Kaylan questioned the merits of appeasing Erdogan and raised some legitimate questions: "Does Turkey have much geo-strategic value anymore, and if so, what and how much? One could argue  that the West needs to repair the alliance in order to keep Moscow and Ankara apart. But then you'd have to itemize the concrete benefits of doing so.  Why not just make life difficult for Erdogan and indeed for Putin and other leaders of such regimes?

Now the incoming Biden administration will have Jake Sullivan as national security adviser and Brett McGurk as Middle East coordinator in the National Security Council. Both have reputations for a grasp of realpolitik. They both have engaged with many Turkish officials in the past. McGurk's name is particularly alarming to the Turkish side because of his outspoken criticism of Turkey's policy in Syria and his support for Syrian Kurdish groups that Turkey considers terrorist organizations.

With such officials decorating the Biden administration, a reset in bilateral relations could prove to be even more difficult in the wake of Jan. 6, as Biden and his team will be advised against appeasing Erdogan.

There is still a chance for a new beginning in Turkish-US relations under Biden, but only if Turkey restores democracy and the rule of law by respecting human rights and releasing the thousands of jailed intellectuals, journalists, human rights defenders and Kurdish politicians that fill its prisons.

The prospect does not seem realistic for the foreseeable future under the Erdogan regime.
ROME, JAN 13 - Premier Giuseppe Conte on Wednesday went to see President Sergio Mattarella for talks on an apparently looming government crisis, sources said. The sources described the talks as "interlocutory". Ex-premier and centrist Italia Viva (IV) leader Matteo Renzi has repeatedly threatened to pull IV out of the ruling coalition over alleged flaws in the government's 222.9-billion-euro COVID Recovery Plan. Political observers say Conte may resign, there may be a new Conte-led government or merely a reshuffle, or a snap election where the right-wing opposition is favoured. Renzi is set to address a press conference at 17:30 local (15:30 GMT) to announce his decision after IV's two ministers abstained in the approval of the Recovery Plan Tuesday night. Mattarella will be the arbiter of any government crisis. (ANSA).
The board of directors of the Egyptian Iron and Steel Company (EISC) passed on Tuesday a resolution liquidating the company and dividing it into two new entities.

The EISC has been one of the country's industrial icons since its establishment in 1954 and start of operations in the early 1960s.

The company currently employs 2,500 workers.

The resolution stipulated the EISC will be divided into a company for iron and steel and another for mines and quarries.

The move lays the groundwork for private sector investments to play a role in the two companies in the future, in light of the states plan to make use of its loss-making assets and untapped opportunities.

The EISC board said the decision was made as a result of the heavy losses that have been accumulating over the years, which hit EGP 9 billion, EGP 982.8 million of which was lost between July 2019 and June 2020.

According to the balance sheet of the EISC, which is listed in the Egyptian Exchange (EGX), the companys total value of assets witnessed a modest increase from 2017 through 2021.

The value of assets slightly rose to around EGP 3 million in 2021, up from EGP 2.9 million in 2017, incurring a net loss worth EGP 274.4 million in 2021 with a negative gross profit amounting to about EGP 215 million, according to EGX data.

In January 2020, Minister of Public Enterprise Hisham Tawfik told Ahram Online that the strategy to improve state-owned companies provides that companies will be liquidated if their losses exceed their capital.

The EISC's registered capital is estimated at EGP 500 million.

Egyptian lawyer Samir Sabry initiated on Tuesday a court action to stop the resolution that ends 67 years of one of the iron manufacturing icons in the Arab world.

Egyptian Iron and Steel Company HADISOLB, an affiliate of the Metallurgical Industries Company, is the major iron and steel production company operating in the public sector with total investments estimated at EGP 650.7 million, according to the companys data.

The company and its plant were founded in 1954 in the Helwan district in south Cairo as per a decree issued by then-president Gamal Abdel-Nasser.

The company was founded as a joint stock company with majority equity from the state as the first-ever iron industry complex in the Arab region.

The company started operations in 1961 and was listed in the EGX.

The key activity of the company is the manufacturing of iron and steel products with the highest quality and lowest cost based on the needs of the local and global markets at a rate of up to 2.1 million metric tons, according to the companys data.

The main products the company provided include hot rolled steel angles; hot round edge channels; hot rolled steel for general purposes; reinforced steel bar; hot rolled squares for general purposes; steel plates and steel sections; iron ore and iron oxides; green clay; oxygen convert slag and zinc doors; and industrial gases, such as oxygen, argon and nitrogen in both gas and liquid forms.

The company also produces spare parts and steel structures on customers' requests and provides testing, rewinding, repair and revamping services for electric motors.

State-owned enterprises in emerging markets, especially in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, are playing a major role in primary sectors in these economies, stated a report by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in November.

According to the report, state-owned enterprises and the broader public sector, over the years, remain a critical source of the social contract in those economies, a source of jobs, and a part of the social safety net and an engine for public investment.

The report cited Egypts privatisation experience that had been applied in the 1990s, saying that when the state-owned enterprise sector was downsized in Egypt, it caused a culling of unproductive but relatively well-paid employment, yet, it was not accompanied by sufficient strengthening of the social safety net or job creation in the private sector.

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How the riot ties in with climate disinformation

Last week, a mob incited by President Trump stormed the United States Capitol building. Rioters broke windows, beat law enforcement officers, vandalized offices and tried to track down members of Congress with mayhem in mind. At least five people died.

For those of us who cover climate change for a living, the blatant lies about election fraud that fed the mob felt very familiar. A big part of our job is dealing with the disinformation that people and institutions spread to muddy the waters about climate change.

Theres a long and sad history of efforts by industries and interest groups to reshape the discussion of climate science and undercut the overwhelming evidence that greenhouse gases produced by humans are leading us to global catastrophe.

The tools of deception are decades old, said the historian Naomi Oreskes, in the book she wrote with Erik Conway, Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Climate Change. In an interview, she told me that the tobacco industrys strategy was applied to environmental and health issues more broadly.
[January 13, 2021] American Tower Announces Telxius Towers Transaction

American Tower Corporation (NYSE: AMT (News - Alert) ) today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements with Telefonica, S.A. ("Telefonica"), under which it will acquire Telxius Towers, comprising approximately 31,000 existing communications sites in Germany, Spain, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Argentina. The total consideration for the transaction is approximately 7.7 billion (approximately $9.4 billion at current foreign exchange rates), subject to customary closing adjustments. In addition, American Tower (News - Alert) expects to spend approximately $500 million to construct a committed pipeline of approximately 3,300 new sites in Germany and Brazil through 2025. Tom Bartlett, American Tower's Chief Executive Officer stated, "This transaction is transformational for our European business and will establish American Tower as one of the largest independent communications infrastructure providers in Europe. It is also complementary for our Latin American portfolio and positions us to drive strong long-term organic growth across both regions while augmenting our new build programs and enhancing our relationships with key tenants. We are excited to broaden our partnership with Telefonica (News - Alert) by acquiring a high-quality, well-located portfolio of sites that will further diversify our global footprint and enhance our ability to help provide broadband connectivity for billions of people." American Tower expects the assets to generate approximately $775 million in property revenue, approximately $410 million in gross margin, and approximately $390 million in Adjusted EBITDA at current foreign exchange rates, in their first full year in its portfolio, pro forma for contributions from the committed future build-to-suits. This implies an Enterprise Value / Adjusted EBITDA multiple of less than 26x. The transaction is anticipated to be immediately accretive to Consolidated AFFO per Share and is expected to close in multiple tranches, beginning in the second quarter of 2021, subject to government and regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions. American Tower intends to finance the transaction in a manner consistent with maintaining its investment grade credit rating and has obtained committed financing from Bank of America, N.A. BofA Securities, Inc. is serving as lead financial advisor to American Tower, who is also being advised by CDX Advisors an EA Markets.



Conference Call Information American Tower will host a conference call today at 8:00 a.m. ET to discuss this transaction. Supplemental materials for the call will be available on the Company's website, www.americantower.com. The conference call dial-in numbers are as follows:

U.S./Canada dial-in: (877) 692-8955

International dial-in: (234) 720-6979

Passcode: 3930135 When available, a replay of the call can be accessed until 11:59 p.m. ET on January 27, 2021. The replay dial-in numbers are as follows: U.S./Canada dial-in: (866) 207-1041

International dial-in: (402) 970-0847

Passcode: 1953616 American Tower will also sponsor a live simulcast and replay of the call on its website, www.americantower.com. About American Tower American Tower, one of the largest global REITs, is a leading independent owner, operator and developer of multitenant communications real estate with a portfolio of over 183,000 communications sites. For more information about American Tower, please visit www.americantower.com. Cautionary Language Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements about future events and expectations, or "forward-looking statements," all of which are inherently uncertain. We have based those forward-looking statements on management's current expectations and assumptions and not on historical facts. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the proposed closing of the transaction described above, expected financial projections for the portfolio and the impact on our consolidated results, the expected consideration and the expected sources of funds to pay for the transaction described above. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. For important factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements, we refer you to the information contained in Item 1A of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as updated in our Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2020, each under the caption "Risk Factors" and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Adjusted EBITDA and Consolidated AFFO are non-GAAP financial measures. For more information, see our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020 under the captions "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations - Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "- Results of Operations." Additionally, Consolidated AFFO per Share is a non-GAAP measure, and is defined as Consolidated AFFO divided by the diluted weighted average common shares outstanding. We have not provided a reconciliation of any forward-looking non-GAAP financial measures, including Adjusted EBITDA, to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures because we are unable to quantify certain amounts that would be required to be included in the GAAP measure without unreasonable efforts, and we believe such reconciliations would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112006167/en/

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Agartala, Jan 13 : The Tripura High Court has asked the BJP-led state government and the election authority to hold the election to the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council (TTAADC) at the earliest, a court official said on Wednesday.

Hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), a division bench of Chief Justice Akil Kureshi and Justice Satya Gopal Chattopadhyay said: "We would expect the respondents (state government and State Election Commission) to complete the election process without any further waste of time, of course, subject to completion of statutory formalities and the mandatory period required to be granted for completing particular stages." The five-year tenure of the TTAADC expired on May 17 last year and the state government promulgated Governor's rule by appointing a retired IAS officer as Administrator next day for a period of six months and then extending the term for another six months on November 17 last year.

The opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist, which had been governing the TTAADC until May 17, and the Congress strongly criticised the BJP government for not holding the polls in due time under the excuse of Covid-19 pandemic.

The CPI-M, which has substantial base among the tribals, and the Congress contended that when various elections, including Bihar Assembly polls, have been held in many states, why was the BJP government reluctant to hold these polls.

CPI-M's veteran tribal leader and former minister Jitendra Chowdhury and state Congress President Pijush Biswas had separately asked the government to immediately conduct the elections to the TTAADC, which in terms of political significance is next to the Tripura assembly.

The Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT), the junior ally of the ruling BJP, has been agitating since 2009 for the creation of a separate state by upgrading the TTAADC, which has jurisdiction over two-thirds of Tripura's 10,491 sq km area and home to over 12,16,000 people, 90 per cent of whom are tribals. The IPFT's demand, however, is strongly opposed by all the political major parties including the BJP, the CPI-M and the Congress.

The TTAADC was constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in June 1985.

Wesgro has appointed Monika Iuel as its new chief marketing officer. David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of finance and economic opportunities comments: "We welcome Monika Iuel to the team. With the tourism industry hard-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, we are grateful to have someone of her calibre and experience on the team to promote Cape Town and the Western Cape so we can rebuild the industry and save jobs in the Western Cape."

Iuel will take lead of the destination marketing organisation and communications and marketing teams from 15 March 2021.

Monika Iuel

Iuels began her career in 1992 when she worked for an outbound tour operator in Berlin, followed by boutique DMCs in Johannesburg, and thirteen years at Tourvest Destination Management. Iuel then spent four years at South African Tourism (SAT), initially as regional director for the Americas, during which time she opened the office in Sao Paulo and ultimately as general manager for international marketing, supporting all international SAT offices in Europe, Americas and Australasia.Since 2016, Iuel has been CEO of Private Safaris Southern Africa - a destination management company owned by Fairfax Financial Holdings based in Toronto, where she led the reinvention of the business and helped it to weather the global Covid-19 pandemic in 2020."Marketing is key to ensuring that Cape Town is top of mind as a destination of choice for both local and international travellers. This has become even more vital as we navigate our recovery from the consequences of lockdowns due to Covid-19. The visitor economy is everyone's business and the economic lifeline for many businesses in Cape Town, supporting thousands of jobs."I, therefore, welcome the appointment of Ms Iuel and trust that her extensive experience will add to the province's impressive tourism recognition," adds Alderman James Vos, mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management.Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris, concludes: "Monika has had a stellar career that demonstrates extraordinary ability and passion for marketing and tourism. She has a deep knowledge of the destination marketing and communications space, and strong industry relationships locally and abroad. We look forward to having her as part of our team as we take Cape Town and the Western Capes wider economic and tourism offer to the world, to help drive a strong recovery."
Vietnam re-affirmed its commitment to joining common efforts of the international community in the fight against terrorism at a virtual open debate of the UN Security Council (UNSC) on January 12.

At the debate on the 20th anniversary of Resolution 1373 on counter-terrorism, chaired by the Foreign Minister of Tunisia, the UNSC adopted a presidential statement on combating international terrorism.

Speakers pointed out that over the last 20 years, terrorism risks around the globe have kept growing, international terrorist groups have ceaselessly sought new operating methods, stepped up using cyber space and information technology, and colluded with trans-national crimes.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov urged countries to reiterate their commitment to international solidarity against terrorism via international cooperation and capacity enhancement, deal with root causes of terrorism, strengthen the capacity of combating violent extremism, and engage the youth, women, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in common efforts.

He affirmed that the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism pledges to reinforce cooperation with the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), as well as other agencies and organisations, in this regard.

Michele Coninsx, UN Assistant Secretary-General and CTED Executive Director, stressed that the CTED pledges to promote monitoring the implementation of UNSC resolutions on the basis of a human rights-based approach.

She also recommended anti-terrorism policies and laws in countries align with legal regulations and ensure human rights.

UNSC member states voiced support for the council to focus on preventing violence and extremism and promoting a culture of peace and dialogue.

They underlined the importance of international and regional cooperation and the involvement of the entire society, including NGOs, in efforts against international terrorism.

They requested that counter-terrorism measures must be in conformity with the UN Charter and international law, and not take advantage of the terrorism combat to serve other purposes.

Addressing the debate, Minister Counsellor Nguyen Phuong Tra, deputy head of the Vietnamese mission to the UN, said since Resolution 1373 was issued in 2001, the UNSC has promoted an institutional framework for combating global terrorism in various areas, and the terrorism fight has reaped significant outcomes.

She pointed out the necessity to promote a comprehensive approach based on the UN Charter that should focus on preventing and eradicating conflict, eliminating conditions for terrorism, and boosting communities immunity from violent extremism and terrorism propaganda.

Solidarity and vigilance against terrorism risks will create the international communitys common strength in the face of risks and new developments of terrorism, according to Tra.

Resolution 1373 was adopted unanimously by the UN in 2001, following the tragedy of September 11 in the US. It imposes legal obligations on UN member states to fight against global terrorism and criminalises the financing of terrorists. It also features content about freezing terrorism-related accounts and funds, as well as about information sharing and international cooperation.

Under this resolution, the Counter-Terrorism Committee was set up with representatives from 15 UNSC member states. It is supported by the CTED that came into being in 2004.

The UNSC has adopted nearly 20 resolutions and dozens of presidential statements on counter-terrorism so far./.VNA

Vietnam calls for stronger cooperation against terrorism Vietnam condemns terrorism in any form, and calls on all countries to strengthen cooperation, share information on border management and control all risks of terrorist attacks and financing,
Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO, speaks at The Economic Club of Washington's Milestone Celebration in Washington, on Sept. 13, 2018. (Cliff Owen/AP Photo)

Amazon Responds to Parler Lawsuit, Claims Case Is Not About Suppressing Speech or Stifling Viewpoints

Amazon, in response to a lawsuit filed by upstart social media platform Parler, asserted that the company displayed an unwillingness and inability to remove violent content after its Monday morning suspension from Amazon Web Services.

This case is not about suppressing speech or stifling viewpoints. It is not about a conspiracy to restrain trade, Amazon Web Services said Wednesday. Instead, this case is about Parlers demonstrated unwillingness and inability to remove from the servers of Amazon Web Services (AWS) content that threatens the public safety, such as by inciting and planning the rape, torture, and assassination of named public officials and private citizens.

Parlers suit claimed Amazon engaged in hypocrisy by allowing Twitter to keep a trending topic on its website on the same dayHang Mike Pencereferring to the vice president.

AWS asserted that it does not host Twitters feed and added that it could not have suspended access to Twitters content, after the topic trended on Twitter for several hours.

Amazon Web Services suit claimed it told Parler repeatedly that content on its site violated the agreement between the two companies, saying that suspension is a last resort.

Parler founder and CEO John Matze speaks to The Epoch Times Jan Jekielek on American Thought Leaders in 2019. (Screenshot/The Epoch Times)

There is no legal basis in AWSs customer agreements or otherwise to compel AWS to host content of this nature, the response reads.

Parler had filed the suit in a Washington state court to also keep the website online, saying AWS violated the Sherman Antitrust Act. It noted that Parlers competitor Twitter has an agreement with AWS.

Google and Apple, in nearly simultaneous intervals, took action against Parler. The two took the site off their respective app stores.

In response to Parlers assertion that AWS breached its contract, Despite Parlers rhetoric, its lawsuit is no more than a meritless claim for breach of contract. But the facts are unequivocal: If there is any breach, it is Parlers demonstrated failure and inability to identify and remove such content, according to AWS.

Meanwhile, Parler CEO John Matze told Fox News on Tuesday that the platformwhich bills itself as a champion of free speech and has attracted conservativeswill come back in the future.

We want to come back and not only come back strong, but we want to do it and show that we have a better system for handling our own terms-of-service violations than our competitors. We want to make a bold statement when we come back and we want to do it strong. Thats my intention, he said.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Parler for comment on AWSs lawsuit.
The former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido has lashed out at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party has...

The former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido has lashed out at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party has failed Nigerians woefully.

Lamido claims the APC failed because it is a two-man political party, manned by persons with the same dearth of ideologies and built around Bola Tinubu and President Muhammadu Buhari.

The former governor said the Peoples Democratic Party did better and lasted for those years because it was built by the people and for the people.

Lamido who spoke on Sunday in Dutse, Jigawa State after the successful conduct of the PDP state congress said the APC being built around only two people was the reason for the failure of the Buhari led administration in almost all facets.

Meanwhile, the PDP state congress which took place on Sunday may have put to rest the lingering crises between the Sule Lamido led faction of the party and that of the Aminu Ibrahim Ringim led group.

Recall that the State Congress had exploded in crisis when a faction led by the former candidate of the party Aminu Ibrahim Ringim went to court to challenge the Sule Lamido led faction with a court injunction preventing his faction from continuing with the partys local government congress.

However, a High court sitting in Dutse presided over by Justice Musa Ubale had rescinded its earlier order restricting the Sule Lamido led faction from conducting the local government and state congress elections.

In a fresh court order, Justice Musa Ubale struck out the case and ordered the faction of the defendants, Lamido, to go ahead and conduct the party congresses.

The court order had said the matter dealt with the congress of the 1st defendant to choose or elect its leadership in the ward, local government and state levels in Jigawa which is purely an intra-party dispute and thereafter not Justiciable, it stated.

Lamido while speaking to the media said at the congress maintained that the PDP is the only party which has that kind of capacity to lead Nigeria and Jigawa State because it is a party that is owned by the people, not a party that is built around one personality.

In APC there are only two persons, It is only Buhari and Tinubu then after Buhari and Tinubu, they have nothing but in PDP wherever you go, you see PDP family, a party which is owned by the people, whoever leads the party will know he has to serve the people.

I have produced so many leaders, Presidents, Governors, Parliamentarians, ministers, commissioners including contractors. Remove the PDP virtue in Nigerian history there would be no Nigeria because PDP is Nigerian History.

Today, Nigeria like America is going through some turbulence; insecurity, poverty, division, hate and what have you.

We can not have a country where there is no mutual trust because in the absence of mutual trust there is no stability. If there is no stability there would be no development.

PDP has this advantage over every other party in Nigeria because we believe in one another, we love one another therefore trust is our watchword.

Mutual respect, a firm belief in one another. Only PDP can restore Nigeria. The Jigawa chapter of the PDP is going to be one of the building blocks to restore Nigeria to what it was 8 years ago, when there was security, stability, fuel, power, there was infrastructure development, stability, love, mutual respect, there was everything.

Lamido asked the new executives to convey the partys appreciation to the working committee and the NEC for taking the pain to go through the court process which he said has been laid to rest.

The chairman of the congress electoral Committee, Dr Umar Audu said: From what we have seen here from yesterday those who contested the elections of the state executives of Jigawa State PDP, were unopposed, that is to say, there was a consensus in the contest and that is the best for democracy.

But in conformity with the laws of the country we have allowed candidates to cast their votes and we inspected each and every ballot box to ensure that each office is contested for and we have ascertained that.
A Laois student was honoured as Accounting Technicians Ireland conferred membership to graduates in its first virtual conferring ceremony.

Therese Bowe, Borris-in-Ossory, was among those conferred as a Member of Accounting Technicians Ireland as well as receiving her Diploma for Accounting Technicians.

School-leavers, those changing career or looking to get back to work, can avail of Accounting Technicians Irelands recognised and respected qualifications, which open the door to a rewarding career in accounting.

Qualifications combine professional exams and assessments with practical work experience.
Free-to-play publisher Tilting Point has signed a $10 million publishing deal with South Korean developer Storytaco.

The cash will be spent on user acquisition for Storytaco's dating simulator Dangerous Fellows, as Tilting Point attempts to make the title a success in the West.

Beyond that, the company will also manage app store optimization, ad monetization, marketing creatives, platform relations, porting assistance, and potential future IP integration support.

Commenting on the partnership, Storytaco chief exec Jaeil Kim said the studio was keen to become active on the global market, and suggested Tilting Point has the credentials needed to help it achieve that goal.

"With Tilting Points support, we now have the opportunity to be active in more global markets, as well as create better gaming experiences that will be enjoyed by our female-centric audience," said Kim.

The news comes after Tilting Point made a string of notable deals in 2020, which included signing a $40 million publishing deal with Korean developer Joycity and purchasing both Plamee Studios and the TerrraGenesis franchise.
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The United States will mandate those traveling to the country to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19 prior to boarding.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced the new ruling on Tuesday after discussing with the White House coronavirus task force and other involved agencies, Breitbart News reported.

The order would take effect on Jan. 26, which marks the sixth day of President-elect Joe Biden's administration.

The CDC said they hope the new directive would help slow the spread of the virus, which is currently surging in the U.S. despite the states' vaccine rollout. CDC Director Robert Redfield said that testing does not eliminate all risk.

"But when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports and at destinations," Redfield noted in a USA Today report.

Related story: US, Mexico, Canada Extend COVID-19 Travel Restrictions; Immigrants Face Difficulties

The CDC said travelers must get a COVID-19 test within three days before their flight to the U.S. Travelers will have to show proof of their negative test to their airline before boarding.

According to the new CDC ruling, if a traveler fails to provide documentation showing a negative test or recovery from COVID-19, the airline must deny the passenger's boarding. The same goes if the passenger refuses to take a coronavirus test.

The CDC also suggests getting tested again three to five days after arriving in the U.S. and quarantining at home for seven days after the date of travel.

COVID-19 Testing Program for Travelers

According to a Conde Nast Traveler report, Airlines for America urged the U.S. government to establish a global program to require testing for travelers to the country with the current travel restrictions for international travelers.

Airlines for America said in its letter that they believe a well-planned program focused on increasing testing of passengers to the U.S. will be more effective than the travel restrictions currently in place.

Some U.S. states have already placed testing protocols for domestic travel. For instance, Hawaii's state requires travelers to show a negative COVID-19 test result, taken 72 hours before departure. An approved testing partner should also do it.

Travelers to Alaska must also show proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of departure. New York also mandates travelers to test within three days of departing for New York and quarantine for three days after arrival before a second COVID-19 test.

Meanwhile, others claim that the CDC order is unlikely to cause an immediate increase in international travel. Henry Hartevedlt, a travel analyst for Atmosphere Research Group, said people are being encouraged by their public health authorities not to travel, even domestically.

Hartevedlt said he does not expect air travel to start increasing again until summer when more people have already been vaccinated, the Associated Press reported.

Related story: CDC Drops 14-Day Quarantine Recommendation for Returning Travelers





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UW Professor Leads Study That Finds Physical Weathering of Rock Breakdown More Important Than Previously Recognized

Brad Carr, a UW associate research scientist in geology and geophysics, uses the Geoprobe instrument to sample the subsurface in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada in California. Carr contributed to a study that was published in the Jan. 12 issue of Geology. The research shows that physical weathering is far more important than previously recognized in the breakdown of rock in mountain landscapes. (Sarah Granke Photo)

Research led by the University of Wyoming shows that physical weathering is far more important than previously recognized in the breakdown of rock in mountain landscapes. Because it is difficult to measure, physical weathering has commonly been assumed to be negligible in previous studies.

Cliff Riebe, a professor in UWs Department of Geology and Geophysics, headed a research group that discovered that climate and erosion rates strongly regulate the relative importance of subsurface physical and chemical weathering of saprolite, the zone of weathered rock that retains the relative positions of mineral grains of the parent bedrock and lies between the layer of soil and harder rock underneath. Saprolite is much like the weathered granite found on the flat areas surrounding the hard granite of Vedauwoo.

Our work shows that physical strain can no longer be ignored in studies of subsurface weathering. Its not just a chemical process. It is physical as well, Riebe says. What we found is that anisovolumetric weathering is much more common than previously thought, and that variations in this process can be explained by climate and erosion.

Riebe is lead author of a paper, titled Anisovolumetric Weathering in Granitic Saprolite Controlled by Climate and Erosion Rates, which was published in the Jan. 12 issue of Geology. The journal publishes timely, innovative and provocative articles relevant to its international audience, representing research from all fields of the geosciences.

Others from UW involved in the research are Russell Callahan, a UW Ph.D. student from Floyd, Va.; Sarah Granke, from Sunnyvale, Calif., who graduated with a masters degree in geology this past summer; Bradley Carr, a UW associate research scientist in geology and geophysics; and Marlie Schell, of Hoback Junction, who received her masters degree in 2019. All are co-authors of the paper.

Other contributors to the paper were Jorden Hayes, a 2016 UW Ph.D. graduate and now an assistant professor of earth sciences at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa.; and Leonard Sklar, a professor in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

The study looked at three sites -- with differing climates and elevations of granitic bedrock -- of the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range in California.

In the lingo of geochemists, weathering has long been assumed to be isovolumetric, meaning without a change in volume caused by physical strain.

Russell Callahan and Sarah Granke (foreground, from left) wait for samples as Matt Elliot (left), a field assistant, and Brad Carr, a UW associate research scientist, operate the Geoprobe at the low-elevation site in the southern Sierra Nevada in California. (Megan Thompson-Munson Photo)

Our work shows that, to the contrary, weathering is commonly anisovolumetric, meaning that strain caused by physical weathering is important, Riebe says.

Riebe credits some of the tools and instruments that were purchased from the Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG) EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) project that ended a few years ago as the reason his team could measure both physical and chemical weathering at several sites in California.

The reason why weathering was difficult to measure in the past is you have to be able to access the deep subsurface and sample it without disturbing it, Riebe explains. You need a Geoprobe push coring system, which is basically a big track-mounted drill rig, to do this.

Its expensive work, especially if you do not happen to own a Geoprobe and have to hire someone to do the work, he continues. Fortunately, we have access to this equipment and the expertise to operate it through Wyomings Near Surface Geophysics facility, which is ably managed by Brad Carr, one of the studys co-authors.

The research was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Riebe says there is a direct correlation between the research in this paper and the $5.33 million NSF grant he received last September. The grant focuses on connections among rock, water and life at Earths surface.

This research is partly supported by that grant and also helped inspire it, Riebe says.
Seizure of Catholic Church assets by the State is being mooted in the Dail as a possible resort if its bodies will not pay compensation to the survivors of Mother and Baby Homes.

The religious orders of the Catholic Church must make appropriate contribution to the victims in atonement this time around, the Dail was told by various TDs.

Former FF Minister Michael Woods agreed a 120m gesture from the Church nearly 20 years ago after earlier reports of institutional abuse  but most of the commitment was reneged upon.

Read More

We need to ensure this time round, that those religious institutions make their contribution, said Labour Party leader Alan Kelly.

If they dont make their contribution, we will pass legislation  I will draft it myself  to ensure that we can take their assets to ensure that they make that contribution.

We cannot go through what happened in this country before, in relation to them not making their contribution this time around.

Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman repeated to the House that he had written to the religious orders involved. pointing out the need for a financial contribution to the Governments intended restorative justice scheme for survivors, asking also for an early meeting.

He said the Government intended to have a redress scheme in place by April. It would represent the State,seeking to start the process of rebuilding a relationship with those that it has so badly let down.

He added however: I hope and I believe that is essential that the religious congregations, charitable organisations and Catholic and Church of Ireland primates will also begin the work of rebuilding trust, both in terms of apologies to mothers and adoptees  but also in terms of concrete measures like contribution to the restorative recognition funds and making institutional papers available.

Tanaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar said: It is late in the day, but now is our opportunity to make restitution on behalf of the generations that preceded us.

The means by which we do so should be guided by the men and women who survived these institutions. They should be given time to read and reflect on the report and they should inform us as to the next steps.

But the Commission had pointed the way in its recommendations, he said, meaning a formal State apology, appropriate memorialisation, better access to health services, counselling and housing, access to records and information, including birth certificates and medical records, financial recognition, a repository to archive all documents relating to residential institutions, and assistance with advocacy.

Mr Varadkar added: We should not forget the survivors now living overseas and in Northern Ireland, where inquiries are less advanced.

This report teaches us that when good people believe bad things about others then terrible actions can be rationalised away.

There are lessons here for us as a society and a State today. A meaningful response has to go beyond denouncing the horrors of the past from the safety of the present.

A 70-year-old Trump supporter has been arrested after police allegedly uncovered homemade bombs inside of his pick-up truck while it was parked near the Capitol during last Wednesday's siege.

Lonnie Leroy Coffman, of Falkville, Alabama, was taken into custody last Thursday and has now been charged with weapons offences - the most serious charges that have currently filed over the attack on Congress.

According to a statement released by the Department of Justice, Coffman was found in possession of one handgun, one M4 Carbine assault rifle, ammunition, and 11 mason jars filled with an ignitable substance.

The MAGA fan reportedly confessed that the jars contained a mixture of melted Styrofoam and gasoline - an explosive concoction that has the effect of napalm 'because, when detonated, the substance causes the flammable liquid to better stick to objects that it hits.'

Additionally, investigators say they uncovered a notebook inside Coffman's truck with a list of 'good guys' and 'bad guys'.

One page purportedly featured the phone number for Republican Sen. Tex Cruz's office in Central Texas, as well as the contact details for Fox News star Sean Hannity and right-wing pundit Mark Levin.

Lonnie Leroy Coffman, of Falkville, Alabama, was taken into custody last Thursday and has now been charged with weapons offences following last week's siege of Congress. He is pictured at right in a black jacket and dark colored beanie

Coffman has one handgun, one M4 Carbine assault rifle, ammunition, and 11 mason jars filled with an ignitable substance inside of his red-pick up truck parked near Congress

Police allegedly uncovered homemade bombs inside of Coffman's pick-up truck while it was parked near the Capitol during last Wednesday's siege

Coffman reportedly confessed that 11 mason jars in his possession contained a mixture of melted Styrofoam and gasoline - an explosive concoction that has the effect of napalm 'because, when detonated, the substance causes the flammable liquid to better stick to objects that it hits.'

Additionally, investigators say they uncovered a notebook inside Coffman's truck with a list of 'good guys' and 'bad guys'

On his list of 'bad guys', Coffam had purportedly included the names Seventh Circuit Appeals Court Judge David Hamilton and Democratic Reo. Andre Cardon.

Coffman had allegedly written that Cardon was 'one of the two Muslims in the House of Reps'.

Meanwhile, a list of 'good guys' included the name of Susanne Posel, an independent journalist and Chief Editor of OccupyCorporatism

The same piece of paper also featured a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln which read: 'We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who would pervert the Constitution'.

Coffman has been charged with unlawful possession of a destructive device, which carries a maximum prison term of up to 10 years.

He has also been charged with one count of carrying a pistol without a license under D.C. law, which carries a maximum prison term of up to five years.

He is currently being held in custody pending an upcoming court date.

Coffman was also allegedly in possession of several firearms, including the one pictured

The same weapon is seen laid out on in an evidence photo later taken by investigators

Pictured above is an image of ammunition purportedly uncovered in Coffamn's red pick-up truck parked near the Capitol

A handgun allegedly found in Coffamn's possession is pictured. He has been charged with one count of carrying a pistol without a license under D.C. law, which carries a maximum prison term of up to five years

Other weapons were also uncovered in Coffman's red pick-up

Coffman is just one of 170 rioters who now been arrested following the riot which rocked the country last Wednesday.

Acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said his office would prosecute hundreds of people over their 'egregious' conduct at the Capitol.

'This is only the beginning,' he told reporters on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, an FBI official also spoke with reporters on Tuesday and pledged: 'The men and women of the FBI will leave no stone unturned in this investigation.

'This is a 24/7 full-bore extensive operation into what happened that day.'

So far, many rioters have been charged with misdemeanor offences.

However, Sherwin says he will increase charges as he gathers more evidence.

'The gamut of conduct is mind-blowing. The FBI is working with the US attorney's office. We're looking at significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy. Their marching orders are to build seditious and conspiracy cases. Those have prison terms of up to 20 years,' Sherwin said.

While the FBI and DOJ admitted a 'mind-blowing' number of crimes were committed last Wednesday, officials kept relatively tight-lipped about how effectively they shared intelligence they received prior to the attack.

Dozens of rioters stormed the Capitol last week (pictured), following a MAGA rally held by Donald Trump

Earlier on Tuesday, it was revealed that the FBI's office in Norfolk, Virginia, blasted an internal memo on January 5 - the day before the riot - which cited social media posts talking about spilling the blood of 'BLM slave soldiers' on the Capitol.

The memo was obtained by The Washington Post.

It read: 'As of 5 January 2021, FBI Norfolk received information indicating calls for violence in response to 'unlawful lockdowns' to begin on 6 January 2021 in Washington. D.C.

'An online thread discussed specific calls for violence to include stating 'Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and Pantifa slave soldiers being spilled.

'Get violent. Stop calling this a march, or rally, or a protest. Go there ready for war. We get our President or we die. NOTHING else will achieve this goal.'

At a press conference later, the head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, Steven DAntuono, said agents shared the information on the Joint Terrorism Task Forces communications system within 40 minutes of receiving it.

He did not say what time that was or even what day it was.

The Capitol Police, DC Metro Police and Park Police all have access to the JTTS communications system.

'When my office received that information, we briefed that within 40 minutes to our partners. It got ingested into the system and was shared with all our partners through that process that we have. That's the action that we took on that and that's it,' he said.

It's unclear what else the bureau did to raise the alarm other than post it on the database.


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NORFOLK, Va.  Fallout from the coronavirus pandemic is threatening a companys plans to retrieve and exhibit the radio that had broadcast distress calls from the sinking Titanic, according to a court filing made by the firm.

The company, RMS Titanic Inc., said Monday that its revenues plummeted after coronavirus restrictions closed its exhibits of Titanic artifacts, causing the firm to seek funding through its parent company. Some of the exhibitions, which are scattered across the country, are still closed, while others that have reopened are seeing limited attendance.

RMS Titanic Inc. recently missed a deadline with a federal admiralty court in Virginia to submit a funding plan for the radio expedition. The company left open the possibility that it may no longer seek the courts approval for the undertaking if a plan isnt submitted in the coming weeks.

The companys update, filed with a U.S. District Court in Norfolk, was made in the midst of an ongoing court battle with the United States over whether the expedition is legal.

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Lawyers for the U.S. government have argued that the mission is barred under federal law and an international agreement with Britain. The attorneys say the company must seek the governments permission to remove the radio because the sunken vessel is a recognized memorial to the roughly 1,500 people who died.

The luxury ocean liner was traveling from England to New York in 1912 when it struck an iceberg and sank. It was discovered in 1985 about 2.4 miles (3.8 kilometers) below the surface of the North Atlantic.

RMS Titanic Inc. owns the salvage rights and oversees a collection of items recovered from the wreck as the court-recognized steward of the artifacts. They include silverware, china and gold coins as well as the Titanics whistles and a piece of its hull.

Exhibiting the radio will help sustain the ships legacy while honoring passengers and crew, the company has argued. Known in 1912 as a Marconi wireless telegraph machine, the radio sent distress calls to nearby ships that helped save 700 people in lifeboats.

The U.S. governments effort to stop the expedition is pending in the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. But the companys funding woes appear to pose a more immediate threat.

The pandemic and resulting governmental restrictions forced the company to temporarily close its exhibitions to the public, effectively shutting off its primary source of revenue for six months, RMS Titanic Inc. wrote in Mondays filing.

The Atlanta-based company said only a few of its exhibits, including one in Las Vegas and another in Orlando, have reopened. Theyre operating at diminished capacity and revenues remain very low.

The company said it received more than $700,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program. And it expects to get $3 million in funding through its parent company, Premier Acquisition Holdings, LLC.

A federal admiralty judge in Norfolk had approved the planned expedition in May. But the approval was conditioned on the firm submitting a plan detailing costs and funding for the operation and conservation of the recovered equipment.

RMS Titanic said in Mondays filing that its still trying to finalize that plan despite missing a Jan. 10 deadline. It said the plan will depend on a complicated, multi-faceted commercial transaction between RMST, an international production company, and deep-sea salvage experts.

The company said it hopes to submit a plan by Jan. 29. But if its unable to, the firm said it would withdraw its original motion seeking the courts permission to retrieve the radio.


A landslide has closed eastbound Interstate 84 east of Troutdale indefinitely. The slide covered the roadway about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday near Dodson in the Columbia River Gorge.

First responders from the Multnomah County Sheriff and the Oregon Department of Transportation are on the scene assessing the damage, but the landslide remains active as of 5 a.m. and could continue to grow. The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for this area. Residents of the community of Dodson are being told to evacuate.

Crews are searching the area for anyone that may have been caught in the debris. Frontage Road and Ainsworth State Park are also closed due to this slide. Multnomah County Sheriff tweeted that the debris field is several feet deep in places. ODOT is on the scene with heavy machinery to clear the roadway. The agency said to expect a lengthy closure in a recent post at 9:45 a.m.

All eastbound traffic must exit at Troutdale, exit 17.

Detouring traffic may want to avoid SR 14 eastbound in Washington due to a slide blocking all lanes near Carson, Wash.

Both directions of SR 14 are closed about 7 miles east of Carson due to a slide blocking all lanes. The highway will remain closed at least through early Wednesday. There is currently no estimated reopening time. Traffic hoping to continue east can cross the Bridge of the Gods near Skamania and rejoin eastbound I-84 near Cascade Locks.

Both directions of SR 14 about 7-miles east of Carson are CLOSED due to a debris slide blocking all lanes. The highway will remain closed overnight & there is currently no ETA for reopening. Please use I-84 in @OregonDOT as an alternate route or delay travel. @wspd5pio #wawx pic.twitter.com/i192c65uFG  WSDOT SW (@wsdot_sw) January 13, 2021

A debris slide has closed all lanes of West Burnside Road between Skyline Boulevard and Tichner Road. The slide is reportedly near the footbridge at Pittock Mansion turnoff.

Update 12:45 p.m.: PBOT has determined that West Burnside will remain closed until trees, power lines and other debris can be cleared. The roadway may reopen early Monday, Jan. 18.

WHOA... big landslide has west Burnside CLOSED between Skyline Blvd. and Tichner Rd. Lots of trees and debris on road at footbridge near Pittock Mansion turnoff. Also lots of rocks and water all the way down street. Could be closed for extended period #LiveOnK2 #pdxtraffic pic.twitter.com/zo476dIQtP  Mike Warner (@MikeKATU) January 13, 2021

Fallen trees and debris have closed OR 219 south of Scholls at milepost 11 south of Hillsboro. Travelers are asked to choose an alternate route.

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STARK STREET BRIDGE 9:35 a.m.: Southeast Stark Street is closed in rural east county from the Historic Columbia River Highway to Kerslake Road. The closure includes the Stark Street Bridge over the Sandy River. Downed trees in power lines are blocking various locations. Use the Troutdale Bridge and Historic Columbia River Highway via downtown Troutdale as alternate route.

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BRIDGEPORT 8:55 a.m.: Signals near Bridgeport are dark due to power outages. Treat all dark traffic signals as all-way stops.

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EAST GRESHAM 8:30 a.m.: Southeast Lusted Road is closed eastbound at 302nd near Sam Barlow High School due to a downed tree in power lines. Westbound lane is open.

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OR 214 is closed in both directions between Silverton and Mt. Angel for downed power lines. A detour is available.

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SEASIDE 8:12 a.m.: High water on U.S. 101 south of Seaside is slowing traffic. The road is open but the speed limit has been reduced to 5 mph.

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GRESHAM 8 a.m.: Oxbow Drive westbound is closed from 322nd Avenue to Division Street due to a downed tree in power lines.

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TUALATIN 7:10 a.m.: Several trees in the roadway on Southwest Borland Road near Ek Road. Eastbound traffic only getting through.

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NW MULTNOMAH COUNTY 7:05 a.m.: Northwest Germantown Road is closed between Skyline Boulevard and U.S. 30 for debris in the roadway. Thompson Road is closed due to high water from Northwest Cornell Road to 53rd Avenue.

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Mount Hood 6:53 a.m.: Traffic on U.S. 26 near Government Camp is being diverted off the highway due to trees in the roadway. Travelers are being detoured onto Government Camp Loop Road to get around the closure. Expect long delays.

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OR 153 is closed about three miles west of Amity for high water.

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In Linn County, U.S. 20 is closed at its intersection with Albany/Lyons Highway OR 226, milepost 7 for power lines down.

#pdxtraffic U.S. 20 is closed just east of Albany for power lines down. pic.twitter.com/e0DEJBCHyz  PDX Traffic Alerts (@TrafficPortland) January 13, 2021

As many as seven roads are closed in Washington County including Rock Creek Boulevard, Fern Hill Road, and Old Highway 47. Check the county website for an updated list and specifics on road closure areas: wc-roads.com

A slide has closed the eastbound lanes of U.S. 30 about two miles east of Cornelius Pass Road. Eastbound traffic is using one westbound lane to get around the slide. Expected delays in the area.

Update 7:36 a.m.: Cleared. All lanes now open at the scene of this slide east of Cornelius Pass Road.

Update 10 a.m.: Another slide on U.S. 30 at Saltzman Road has been cleared.

There are TWO more slides along Hwy 30. One near Saltzman Rd., and this one west of the Sauvie Island Bridge. One lane getting by at both slides. USE CAUTION for crews cleaning these up #LiveOnK2 #pdxtraffic pic.twitter.com/i2Q5mIhSwR  Mike Warner (@MikeKATU) January 13, 2021

Additional Hazards



S Butte Creek Rd near Maple Grove Rd - trees/wires down



SE 137th blocked at SE Portland View - down tree



Boones Ferry Rd near Bonaire Ave - low hanging wire



SE Grahams Ferry Rd near Day Rd - Tree leaning on wires #alert #pdxtst pic.twitter.com/E5Ryd3g2qn  Clackamas Sheriff (@ClackCoSheriff) January 13, 2021

Widespread power outages have been reported in the Portland area. If you encounter a dark traffic signal, treat it as an all-way stop.

TIMBERLINE 10 a.m.: Timberline reports its resort is open Wednesday with limited terrain due to widespread power outages. Brunos and Pucci are running until 4 p.m. with a discounted lift ticket that can be purchased at the ticket window. Details: timberlinelodge.com

Check this link for a list of delayed schools due to power outages and other weather issues: oregonlive.com/weather/page/oregon_school_closures_delays

Check back throughout the morning for the latest commuting updates and follow us on Twitter: @trafficportland
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company

DENVER, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MRC Recruiting (MRC), headquartered in Denver and Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced today that Lindsey Schultz has been promoted to Chief Executive Officer of the company and will guide the company's strategic direction and operations for the future.

MRC, formerly known as Management Resource Consulting, is one of the leading recruiting and executive search firms in the precious metals mining and resource sector.

MRC CEO Lindsey Schultz

The firm was founded in 1984 by Robert Schultz, who continues with the company in his role of founder and president. "Lindsey has grown up in this business," said Robert. "It is her time to lead the direction of the company and work with our network of recruiters to grow the firm, working with even more mining companies and candidates around the world."

"Robert's not going anywhere," assured Lindsey. "He's not only my mentor, but he is so well known in the industry and he's a wealth of information that I look forward to learning from daily."

Lindsey, 37, has a bachelor's degree in Human Resources and Organizational Behavior from the University of New Mexico and an MBA from Arizona State University and lives outside of Denver.

In addition to the leadership and administrative team, MRC utilizes a team of contract global recruiters to assist in finding the right candidates for MRC clients.

Along with the leadership change, the company launched new branding and a new website which can be seen at www.miningsearch.com.

About MRC:

Management Resource Consulting Corporation is now MRC. MRC was founded in 1984 by Robert Schultz to provide resource companies with experienced and high-potential candidates to build sustainable workforces. MRC is a family run corporation with a global network of experienced recruiters. We bring our expertise directly to hiring managers in a collaborative effort to achieve their immediate recruitment goals. We know the resource/mining space and work to provide clients with the right candidates for every position.

Media Contact:

Ira M. Gostin

775-391-0213

[email protected]

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Lindsey Schultz

MRC CEO Lindsey Schultz

SOURCE MRC

Related Links

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Actor Bradley Whitford has made his feelings around President Donald Trump clear, tweeting, The President of the United States is a terrorist.

The Handmaid's Tale actor was no doubt referencing last week's violent Capitol Hill insurrection staged by pro-Trump supporters and encouraged by President Donald Trump himself. As of today (12 January), Trump showed no regret for instigating the mob that put Capitol Hill on lockdown last Wednesday (6 January) as Congress worked to certify President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory.

Following up his initial tweet, Whitford, 61, went on to post, Aside from @MittRomneys prescient warning about Putins threat (dismissed by Obama), is there anything Republicans have ever been right about? In my lifetime?

He then urged US citizens to unite against "republicans who have refused to recognize a certified election.

Earlier in the month, the Get Out actor participated in an ActBlue virtual fundraiser, organised to benefit the Democratic Party of Georgia prior to the state's special runoff elections. Speaking to Get Out director Jordan Peele, Whitford urged viewers call and text friends on the ground in Georgia, a tool he said was the "most powerful way" to get people to the polls. We need to win these two seats, he said.

Ultimately, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock won the Senate special runoff elections in Georgia against incumbents David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, giving Democrats control of the US Senate.

Ossoff's victory was somewhat overshadowed, however, by the right-wing riot that overtook Capitol Hill last week, which an overwhelming number of Hollywood voices have also condemned.

I hope we focus to impeach Trump so Congress has the constitutional authority to possibly disqualify him from future election  the #25thAmendment doesnt disqualify him, Lady Gaga wrote. He incited domestic terror  how much more violence needs to happen? This is terrorism.

Bette Midler also called for lawmakers to 25th Amendment him. He is unfit for even the next two weeks.
The Michigan National Guard is coordinating with various police agencies to protect Michigans Capitol, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wouldnt confirm whether the National Guard plans to be on the premises for potential protests this weekend.

Whitmer hosted her Wednesday, Jan. 13 press conference from the Capitol building in Lansing. A six-foot fence will be installed around the building on Friday.

The state police have secured the Capitol and Ive got confidence that we will continue to be able to, Whitmer said.

The U.S. Capitol was ransacked in Washington D.C. last week and the Michigan Capitol was shut down after a false bomb threat the next morning. The Charlotte man who made the threat has been arrested and charged with making a threat of terrorism and falsely reporting an act of terrorism, both punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

There has been chatter about protests at the Michigan Capitol and other state capitols this weekend leading up to President-Elect Joe Bidens inauguration Jan. 20.

As for a specific threat, there is not any to my knowledge, Whitmer said. But we can see that the conversation nationally is focused on the 17th.

Michigan State Police, the Michigan National Guard, the Ingham County Sheriffs Office and the Lansing Police Department are working together to keep the Capitol and downtown Lansing safe, Whitmer said.

Beyond that, we do not, as just a general matter, share more intricate details of what those preparations look like, Whitmer said. I can just say, we are prepared if something should arise and hopeful that it does not.

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Broadcaster Dame Joan Bakewell has said a decision to delay the second round of Pfizer's Covid-19 jabs for 12 weeks 'should be back up by data and it isn't.

Dame Joan, 87, is among the four groups prioritised by the Government to receive the vaccine after it started to roll-out in December.

Initially recipients of the Pfizer vaccine were told they would have to wait 21 days for a second dose of the jab, in order for it to work.

But in a bid to save doses, officials have ordered the second dose by delayed by up to 12 weeks.

Dame Joan Bakewell, who is bringing a legal challenge over the decision, told Good Morning Britain today: 'I'm interested in the fact that the vaccination delay should be backed up by data. And it isn't at the moment.

Dame Joan Bakewell is mounting a challenge against plans to delay the second round of Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine

'I'm interested in getting as many people vaccinated as possible. However, I don't want the fact that there's a delay in the Pfizer of vaccine of up to 12 weeks to in any way invalidate that vaccination.

'Pfizer themselves don't say that they haven't tested at that extension and the World Health Organisation also says that hasn't been demonstrated in the data.'

When asked whether there is data that shows that three weeks after the first Pfizer jab people are 89% protected, Prof Devi Sridhar, personal chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, said: 'The JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) have modelled this based on what they think will happen, so it's an estimation based on a scientific assumption about immunity.

The Pfizer vaccine was first rolled out in December, with Margaret Keenan the first person to receive it. Thousands of recipients may have to wait months to receive their second dose of the jab, as the Government looks to conserve numbers

'But I don't think Pfizer itself has released that data.'

Dame Joan yesteday launched a fundraising campaign to support her legal challenge, saying her intention was to establish whether the decision to delay giving the second dose of the Pfizer jab is 'lawful and safe'.

'I myself have been fortunate to have a second jab: but I am doing this on behalf of those waiting to have a second Pfizer Vaccine,' she added.

Dame Esther Rantzen said she wanted people like those who work in supermarkets and are forced to interact with others because of their work, to get her second jab.

Dame Esther, who was due to get her second vaccination today, told Good Morning Britain: 'I am not a frontline worker, and by frontline worker I don't just mean doctors and nurses, I mean Roy my postman gives me a cheery wave every morning, I mean the guys who deliver my groceries once a week to me, I mean the dustman and women, I mean all those people in that extraordinary lifesaving chain which means that they have to meet other people.

'I don't have to meet other people. I am self-shielding, I am of an age when I can do that.

'They have to meet other people.

'The people who stock shelves in supermarkets, I want them to have my second job.

'It's terribly important to me that they keep going. And for their own health we know this new mutation is starting to hit younger people. I want them to have this 89% protection.'
Researchers identify the 100 transnational corporations extracting the majority of revenues from economic use of the world's ocean

For the first time, scientists have identified the 100 transnational corporations (see table) extracting the majority of revenues from economic use of the world's ocean.

Dubbed the "Ocean 100", the group of companies generated US$1.1 trillion in revenues in 2018, according to the research published in the journal Science Advances.

"If the Ocean 100 was a country it would be the 16th largest on Earth," said Henrik Osterblom, a co-author on the study from Stockholm Resilience Centre at Stockholm University. "By revenue, the Ocean 100 is equivalent to the GDP of Mexico."

The researchers from the centre and Duke University assessed eight core ocean industries: offshore oil and gas, marine equipment and construction, seafood production and processing, container shipping, shipbuilding and repair, cruise tourism, port activities and offshore wind. Combined these industries had revenues of $1.9 trillion in 2018, the most recent year analysed. According to the study, the 100 largest companies took an estimated 60% of all revenues in these eight industries.

The Ocean 100 list is dominated by offshore oil and gas companies with a combined revenue of $830 billion. The only non-oil and gas company in the top ten is the shipping company A.P. Mller-Mrsk at No. 9.

The researchers found a consistent pattern across all eight industries. A a small number of companies account for the bulk of revenues. On average, the 10 largest companies in each industry took 45 percent of that industry's total revenue. The highest concentrations were found in cruise tourism (93 percent), container shipping (85 percent) and port activities (82 percent).

"Now that we know who has the biggest impact on the ocean this can help improve transparency relating to sustainability and ocean stewardship," said lead author John Virdin from Duke University.

"Why do such a small number of companies dominate this sector? This likely reflects high barriers to entry in the ocean economy. A lot of expertise and capital are needed to operate in the sea, both for the established industries and emerging one such as deep-sea mining and marine biotechnology," said Virdin.

The authors say that such high concentration is a risk to international goals for sustainable ocean use, but possibly also an opportunity. One risk is that a small number of companies headquartered in a few countries (by revenue, the largest companies are based in the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, France, the United Kingdom and Norway) could more easily lobby governments to weaken social or environmental rules for example to limit greenhouse gas emissions or stifle innovation. Conversely, with just a small number of companies it may be easier to coordinate action for ocean stewardship and harness private funding to support globally-agreed public initiatives in the ocean (e.g. ocean clean-ups, conservation, support for small-scale fishing communities).

One surprise in the study is the scale of offshore wind farms. This is now becoming a major sector in the ocean economy worth $37 billion in 2018 - and growing rapidly. "Since 2000, the capacity of offshore wind farms has seen a staggering 400-fold increase and this is expected to accelerate further as demand for renewable energy grows," said Jean Baptiste Jouffray, a co-author of the study from the Stockholm Resilience Centre.

The idea for the new analysis began four years back while John Virdin was providing advice for governments on the future of the ocean economy.

"The OECD had just published a report on the future of the ocean economy which included more clearly defined economic sectors. Around this time, someone handed me Henrik and Jean Baptiste's 2015 paper on keystone actors in the seafood industry. I wondered if we could apply the same keystone actor concept to the entire ocean economy using the OECD definitions," said Virdin.

The analysis did not explore the ecological impact of the Ocean 100. Future research will explore the Ocean 100 environmental footprint with a focus on carbon emissions.

###

The research contributes to UNESCO's Decade of Ocean Science (2021-2030).

Largest corporations by revenue in the ocean economy

Corporation:

1. Saudi Aramco 2. Petrobras 3. National Iranian Oil Company 4. Pemex 5. ExxonMobil 6. Royal Dutch Shell 7. Equinor 8. Total 9. A.P. Mller-Maersk 10. BP 11. Qatar Petroleum 12. Chevron 13. China National Offshore Oil Corporation 14. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company 15. Mediterranean Shipping Company 16. CMA CGM 17. Petoro 18. Eni S.p.A. 19. Carnival Corporation & plc 20. Petronas 21. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation 22. China State Shipbuilding Corp Ltd 23. COSCO Shipping 24. Hyundai Engineering and Construction 25. TechnipFMC 26. Hyundai Heavy Industries 27. Hapag-Lloyd 28. Ocean Network Express 29. Saipem 30. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. 31. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Equipment 32. Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation 33. General Dynamics 34. Huntington Ingalls Industries 35. State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic 36. Sonangol 37. Maruha Nichiro Corporation 38. ConocoPhillips 39. Var Energi 40. Inpex 41. China Shipbuilding Industry Company Ltd 42. Fincantieri Group 43. PTT Exploration and Production Public Company 44. Nippon Suisan Kaisha 45. Pertamina 46. Sinopec Group 47. Wartsila 48. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings 49. DP World 50. Shanghai International Port Group 51. Evergreen Marine Corporation 52. BHP 53. Occidental Petroleum 54. Repsol 55. Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. 56. Dongwon Enterprise 57. Wintershall Dea 58. Samsung Heavy Industries 59. rsted 60. Mowi 61. Yang Ming Marine Transport 62. Pacific International Lines 63. CK Hutchison Holdings 64. Naval Group 65. APM Terminals 66. Thai Union Group 67. Subsea 7 68. Perenco 69. PetroVietnam 70. Lukoil 71. BAE Systems 72. Chrysaor 73. Bahrain Petroleum Company 74. Aker BP 75. Hyundai Merchant Marine 76. Sembcorp Marine 77. Dragon-ENOC 78. Mubadala Development Company 79. Mitsubishi Corporation 80. Hitachi Zosen 81. Imabari Shipbuilding 82. Gazprom 83. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding (Holdings) Ltd 84. Zim 85. MSC Cruises 86. Dredging, Environmental and Marine Engineering 87. PSA International 88. Mitsui 89. Royal Boskalis Westminster 90. OUG Holdings 91. Aker Solutions ASA 92. Neptune Energy 93. Austevoll Seafood 94. OMV 95. Hess 96. Woodside 97. Meyer Neptun 98. Suncor Energy 99. Spirit Energy 100. Trident Seafoods

Publication

CITATION: "The Ocean 100: Transnational Corporations in the Ocean Economy," J. Virdin, T. Vegh, J.B. Jouffray, R. Blasiak, S. Mason, H. Osterblom, D. Vermeer, H. Wachtmeister and N. Werner. Jan. 13, 2021, Science Advances.

Paper available on request.

Graphics and table available on request.

Returned travellers previously quarantining at Brisbane's Hotel Grand Chancellor have been devastated by news they will need to spend a further 14 days confined in another hotel, after a COVID-19 cluster on the seventh floor forced an evacuation.

Some of the 129 evacuees have already begun settling in to at least one other site in the city, while others raised concerns they may have to spend another night in the building.

Guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor stand on their balconies ahead of an extended stay in hotel quarantine. Credit:Matt Dennien

After Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said they would be moved for their now-extended stays, Antonia McCahon, one of many who had been due to be released on Wednesday, said she was only told to pack her bags.

"The police, the health staff and the hotel workers have actually been fantastic while I've been here, I can't fault anything thats happened  up until today," said Ms McCahon, who arrived in Brisbane from France on December 30.
A press centre for the 13th National Party Congress is to be opened at the National Convention Centre in Hanoi on January 22.

Vo Van Thuong, Chairman of the Party Central Committees Commission for Information and Education, speaks at the meeting of the press centres organising board on January 12

At a meeting on January 12, Vo Van Thuong, Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, and Chairman of the Party Central Committees Commission for Information and Education, asked the press centres organising board to provide the best possible conditions for domestic and foreign media to cover the congress, slated for January 25 to February 2.

As this is the first time there will be foreign reporters registering to cover a national Party congress online, he especially requested that technical conditions be ensured for their activities.

He also told domestic press agencies to continue reporting on preparations for and peoples opinions on the once-in-five-years national event while increasing both information quality and quantity so as to contribute to its success.

A press conference on the congress is set for January 22, following the opening ceremony of the press centre.

On the same day, the Ministry of Information and Communications, in coordination with relevant agencies, will open a book and newspaper exhibition and launch a set of stamps celebrating the 13th National Party Congress.

A photo exhibition will be organised by the Vietnam News Agency at the National Convention Centre to give delegates and guests a glance at the 12 previous national Party congresses and Vietnams socio-economic achievements between 2015 and 2020.

According to the Information and Education Commission, nearly 500 domestic reporters and technicians and over 60 correspondents from foreign news agencies have registered to work at the press centre. More than 60 reporters have also registered to cover the congress online.

All reporters present at the congress will undergo COVID-19 testing, at the request of organisers./.VNA

Armed forces hold rehearsal ahead of 13th National Party Congress Relevant forces have embarked on the task of ensuring security and safety for the upcoming 13th National Party Congress which is scheduled to be held from January 25 to February 2 in Hanoi.
I am excited for us to be leading the firm into the future together side by side

Effective immediately, Brian Paul has been named Co-Managing Partner of Szaferman, Lakind, Blumstein & Blader, sharing the role with Barry Szaferman who has been the firms sole managing partner for the past 44 years. Brian has been a member of the firms Executive Committee for over 15 years and an integral part of the firms management, assisting with day-to-day operations as well as strategic planning. This announcement comes as part of the firms succession planning efforts as it moves to continue its role as a pillar of the Princeton-area community.

Founded in 1977 and centrally located in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Szaferman Lakind is a full-service, Martindale-Hubbell AV-Preeminent law firm that has been listed among U.S. News  Best Lawyers Best Law Firms* from 2014 through 2021 in the New Jersey Metro area. The firm was most recently recognized in the areas of Commercial Litigation, Family Law, Land Use & Zoning Law and Personal Injury Litigation  Plaintiffs. The firm practices throughout New Jersey and boasts 35+ attorneys who provide legal representation to businesses, investors, professionals, families and individuals in several areas, among them family law, general and commercial litigation, personal injury, estate and business planning and business law.

Brian is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney, and specializes in litigating, mediating and arbitrating financially complex high net worth divorce actions. During his twenty-five plus year career, Brian has been involved in many appellate cases that have helped shape New Jersey family law, with the New Jersey State Bar Association awarding him its Amicus Curiae Award on five separate occasions for his efforts in representing and advocating the NJ State Bar Associations position on family law cases before the New Jersey Supreme Court.

I am pleased to be sharing the role of Managing Partner with Brian, said Barry Szaferman. He is an incredible attorney with an exceptional business acumen, and I am excited for us to be leading the firm into the future together side by side.

To contact Szaferman Lakind please call 609.275.0400 or visit http://www.szaferman.com.

*Szaferman Lakind was selected to U.S. News  Best Lawyers Best Law Firms list. The Best Law Firms list is issued by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers. A description of the selection methodologies can be found at bestlawfirms.usnews
(Ad) Become legal

In 1980, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recognized the legalization of Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) in the United States.

LLC is an acronym for Limited Liability Company. It is a business entity where the business owner is not directly and personally responsible for the businesss liabilities or debts. The only exception is if you have made something that leads to the practice of piercing the veil.

If you choose to build this type of business structure, you might consider signing up for an online LLC service to make your transaction easier. In this article, we examine certain LLC service companies and list their details, pros, and cons. Find the best LLC services online, business formation service, and registered agent service for you!

Top 10 LLC Formation Services 2021

1. ZenBusiness

2. Better Legal

3. MyCompanyWorks

5. Harbor Compliance

6. Inc Authority

7. Northwest Registered Agent

8. LegalZoom

9. Rocket Lawyer

10. InCorp

Note: Check bestllcservice.org for better deals and coupons

Editors Choice

ZenBusiness

 Excellent customer feedback

 Simple and easy to use

 Affordable formation services

1. ZenBusiness  High Quality LLC Service



Pros

 Customization/personalization available

 User-friendly

 Good customer support

Cons

 No fixed turnaround time

 No legal and financial consultation

Click here to buy this service

ZenBusiness, featured by Discover Magazine and LAweekly, offers the best LLC formation services online. They make LLC transactions easy and convenient, especially legal matters.

The company consistently receives positive feedback from its customers. Their Google rating is 4.8 out of 5 stars, and 4.7 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot.

According to customer reviews, their platform is easy to navigate. Customers feel at ease in setting up their LLCs, saying that they did not need to put extra effort in to gain the results they were looking for. In addition, customers praised ZenBusiness for their excellent customer support, highlighting that they were able to guide business startups through the entire process.

ZenBusiness offers three LLC packages plans: Starter, Pro, and Premium.

The Starter package includes name availability search, preparation and filing of articles of organization, free registered agent service, LLC operating agreement, and CPA assessment.

The Pro package includes federal tax ID number (EIN), worry-free guarantee, and banking resolution.

The Premium package includes domain name registration and privacy, business email address and website, and rush filing service.

ZenBusinesss Worry-Free CPA service provides free accounting and tax assessment from CPA professionals. The Worry-Free Guarantee service provides preparation and filing of annual reports as well as two amendments per year.

ZenBusiness also allows you to customize your order with their a-la-carte offer. This is also known as a build-your-own package, where you choose only the services you need.

2. Better Legal  Best Customer Care Service



Pros

 Fixed price range

 Banking resolution service available

Cons

 Registered agent is not available

 Contact details are hard to find

Click here to buy this service

Better Legal is considered one of the better LLC service companies by Sfweekly and Benzinga. Some users may have a hard time finding customer support contact details; however, this is a small downside because their live chat support service performs very well. Moreover, the company is well known for their upfront pricing, fast turnaround time, and good user experience.

Better Legal offers their services at a flat rate. Membership/subscription includes services like preparing and filing, certificate of formation, LLC operating agreement, federal tax ID (EIN), and banking resolution.

They do not have a registered agent, but the company can find one for you. Other services include state compliance services, permits, and a license search service.

3. IncFile



Pros

 Possible discount

 Fixed pricing

Cons

 Lacks customization features

 Many upsells

Click here to buy this service

Incfile enables small business owners to form several business entities for a flat rate, one-time fee  or even for free. They offer three packages: Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

The Silver plan includes preparation and filing of LLC, preparation and filing of other company type, formation documents and paperwork (depending on state requirements), name availability search, one year of free registered agent services, business bank account set-up, business tax consultation, online access to incorporation documents, a business website, and procurement of federal tax ID (EIN).

The Gold includes preparation and filling with a custom/personalized operating agreement and express shipping. The Platinum plan adds two more services: access to many attorney-approved contract templates and free web domain name and business email.

According to customer reviews, they are one of the best LLC formation and incorporation services providers on the net. They grant access to many Incfile documents and business information updates, such as how to change your business name and/or registered agent. You can also file another LLC using the same account.

Incfile received an A+ score from BBB (Better Business Bureau), equivalent to 4.8 out of 5.0 stars, and they have maintained that rating ever since.

4. MyCompanyWorks



Pros

 Free unlimited name availability searches

 Free business startup funding and tax consultation

Cons

 High payment for registered agent services

 Less affordable

Click here to buy this service

MyCompanyWorks is another company with positive customer feedback and rating. Most of the reviews highlighted three primary reasons for the good reviews: customer service efficiency, quality of advice received, and speed and simplicity of processes.

MyCompanyWorks offers three packages: Basic, Entrepreneur, and Complete.

Their Basic package features includes free unlimited name availability searches, preparation and filing of articles of organization, personalized organizational minutes, LLC operating agreement, startup wizard, free business startup funding and tax consultation, and a small business banking offer through the Bank of America.

The Entrepreneur package includes federal tax ID, LLC kit and seal, LLC member certificates, and lifetime business forms and tax guide, as well as registered agent services and business license compliance package.

For the ratings, MyCompanyWorks got 4.8 out of 5 star from Google, a 4.8 satisfaction rating from ShopperApproved, and an A+ rating from BBB.

5. Harbor Compliance



Pros

 Comprehensive package

 Quick turnaround time

Cons

 More expensive

 Fewer online reviews

Click here to buy this service

Harbor Compliance offers a different packaging deal. In contrast to many of their competitors, they offer only two packages: Formation and Compliance. The Formation package is best if you are just starting out, whereas, predictably, the Compliance package focuses more on compliance services.

The Formation package includes preparation and filing of articles of organization, business name availability search, federal tax ID number (EIN), sample operating agreement, and a registered agent.

The Compliance package includes initial and annual report, a publishing/publication service, LLC kit and seal, as well as S and C Corp Tax election.

Many customer reviews notice that their packages are very comprehensive, and that the formation package is enough for most small business owners. Moreover, customers are quite impressed with their surprisingly quick processing time. Harbor Compliance got an A+ rating from BBB, 4.6 out of 5 stars from Google, and the same from Facebook.

6. Inc Authority



Pros

 Free plan available

 Mobile-friendly site

Cons

 Numerous upsells throughout the registration process

 Tycoon package is quite expensive

Click here to buy this service

Inc Authority is one of the best LLC formation services companies and is easy to use. Their web interface is excellent. A statement from one of the customer reviews says, Overall, I find Inc Authority to be incredibly easy to use. You can expect an easy time navigating the entire system on both mobile and PC. Moreover, they have earned 4.7 out of 5 stars from Google, 4.8 out of 5 stars from Trustpilot, and 5.0 out of 5 stars from BBB.

Inc Authority has four packages: Free plan, Starter, Executive, and Tycoon.

With Inc Authoritys free standard LLC formation package, you will get name availability search, preparation and filing of articles of organization, one year of registered agent services, and S Corporation tax election form. They also offer third-party services, including a business checking account through Bank of America, tax planning consultation, and business funding analysis.

With the Starter package, you will get the LLC operating agreement, record book and company seal, ownership certificates, federal tax ID Number (EIN), and one year from an Inc Authority protection advisor.

If you upgrade to Inc Authoritys Executive package, you will also get a business license report and a web domain.

Next is the Tycoon package, where you will receive express processing and BizCredit

Express, a collection of software, tools, and apps that might be helpful to the development of your business credit.

7. Northwest Registered Agent



Pros

 Fast LLC filing

 Caters to other business entities

 Good track record

Cons

 Fewer third-party reviews

 Starting price point is high

Click here to buy this service

Northwest Registered Agent is another LLC service company considered one of the better providers. Reviews praise them for their excellent customer support. A team of well-trained professionals is available to guide business owners through any problems they experience. In addition, Northwest offers formation for other business entities (S-Corp, C-Corp, partnership, sole proprietary, and non-profit).

Northwest Registered Agent has only one filing option available. It includes a name availability search, preparation and filing of articles of organization, one year of registered agent services, an operating agreement, and fast LLC filing.

Optional add-ons can be purchased, but only if you purchase Northwests LLC formation services first. These options include federal tax ID number (EIN), Northwest's compliance filing each year, S Corporation election with the IRS, a second telephone number, and corporate supplies.

Although Northwest has received fewer reviews than its competitors, most of the feedback is positive. They get 4.5 out of 5 stars from BBB, 4.5 out of 5 stars from Yelp, and 4.7 out of 5 stars from Google.

8. LegalZoom



Pros

 Legal consultation available

 Online Q&A with lawyers

 Good legal services provider

Cons

 More focused on legal services than formation

 Inconsistent customer service

Click here to buy this service

LegalZoom is a pioneer in the business formation and incorporation industry. Surprisingly, customer reviews reveal that they have experienced issues handling customer service needs. Nevertheless, LegalZoom still got high ratings; specifically, an A+ rating on BBB, 3.2/5 stars from Consumer Affairs, 3.2/5 from Sitejabber, and 4.1/10 from Trustpilot.

LegalZoom has three LLC formation packages: Economy, Standard, and Express Gold.

At the Economy level, you will get a business name availability check, preparation and filing of articles of organization, lifetime customer support, and banking resolution.

At the Standard level, you will get a deluxe organizer, membership certificates and seal, and VIP processing.

At the Express Gold level, you will experience expedited processing with the Secretary of State and express shipping.

The best thing about LegalZoom is its legal service plan. It includes business formation services, a registered agent service, legal forms, and a business advisory plan. The advisory plan includes phone consultations with a lawyer and tax professionals, unlimited access to legal forms, annual business evaluation, and intellectual property services (trademark registration, copyright application, and initial patent application).

9. Rocket Lawyer



Pros

 Services available even without membership

 Intuitive form builder

Cons

 30-minute legal consultation is brief

 Trial defense not available

Click here to buy this service

What I love about Rocket Lawyer is I can still ask for legal help. This customer review highlights the availability of their services even you do not sign up for a membership or subscription  something that many users like.

Many reviews showed that Rocket Lawyers service representatives are generally sincere in helping them with their concerns. As a result, they have positive scores on major websites. They have received 3.9 out of 5 stars form BBB, 4.8 out of 5 from ConsumerAffairs, a 9.7 out of 10 rating from Trustpilot, and 4 out of 5 stars from Sitejabber.

Furthermore, they have a 30-day money back guarantee and a seven-day free trial  certainly enough to try their service and spend nothing if you find it unsatisfying.

Rocket Lawyers provide an online Q&A and a 30-minute phone session, document defense (not available for trial), LLC formation, C-corp, S-corp or nonprofit incorporation, and a registered agent service. They also have a form builder to help you customize your documents.

10. InCorp



Pros

 License research service

 High BBB rating from 1989 up to present

Cons

 Can be costlier than other companies

 Pricing is a bit complex

Click here to buy this service

InCorp is another reputable company offering an online incorporation service. They have received many positive customer reviews and have attracted impressive ratings: from BBB and Google, they got 4.1 out of 5 stars, and 3.9 out of 5 stars from Facebook. Customers like their professional customer care.

The company is just one of the few that offer a single package, but many add-ons are available for purchase. However, this is the downside for some entrepreneurs, who find packages from alternative companies may save them money.

Incorps services include preparation and filing of articles of organization, name availability search, and domestic two-day shipping.

Their available add-ons include a Registered Agent, depending on how many years you want to avail. The more years you purchase in a one-time payment, the greater the discount you will receive. Other add-ons include LLC kit and seal, federal tax ID (EIN), preparation of IRS Form SS-4, domestic mail forwarding, annual report service, and license research service.

How to Choose an LLC Service

Many companies offer online LLC services. They all have pros and cons, as well as essential services that any LLC member needs. However, this does not mean that you can just choose any LLC service company right away.

Keep in mind that although companies are often quite similar, they still have something unique to offer. Examine the company and its services carefully before purchasing any of their products or packages.

Below are things to consider when selecting LLC services.

Price and Value

Dont merely ask if the price is high or low. Instead, ask if the feature is worth buying for the value it offers.

Understand your priorities. What services do you primarily need? Is it legal services, consultation, business tools for design and organization, or purely formation service? Define what you need before looking for a price.

To help you decide what LLC companies to work with, read reviews of the ten LLCs and incorporation service companies we have listed above.

Main Features

Before purchasing a package, familiarize yourself with its features. Will it meet your needs? Does it include everything necessary?

If your answer to both questions is yes, it is a good LLC service package for you.

Additional Services

You may also consider the additional services that the company offers, but dont buy services that are not essential to your business. The common additional features that LLC service companies offer include dissolution filing, virtual office or domain and website, office supplies, sellers permits, and an LLC kit.

Turnaround Time

Turnaround time is usually a top priority for business owners. While everyone aims for the fastest processing, check for a service that makes a realistic promise of service.

You will not want to pay a high price if the turnaround time is not quick enough. On the other hand, you would not want to pay a high price even if it promises you faster processing but turned out to be no better  or worse  than the others.

Company Reputation

Longevity is usually a sign that a company is legitimate. However, a long-standing presence in the industry is not the only basis on which to decide if a company has a trustworthy track record.

Examine customer feedback and reviews. Were there any unresolved complaints? Is there more negative feedback than positive? If the answer to these questions is both no, it is doubtful that the LLC services are high quality.

Customer Support

Customer support is the best basis on which to determine if the services are worth purchasing. Check reviews, and also visit the companys website and look for their contact information.

Do they offer multiple options for contacting them? Did most customers feel satisfied after they send a message to a support team? A yes answer to both indicates an excellent customer support service.

Reasons to Use LLC Services

Running a company, whether big or small, is a great responsibility. You also have to deal with your personal stuff. Thus, it is sometimes hard to manage both business and personal matters simultaneously. That is the reason why entrepreneurs hire employees.

Now, the question is, Why should we use online LLC services? Below are the answers.

Reduced work

The formation, filing, and maintenance of an LLC can be time-consuming and a hassle if you do it alone. Youre better to spend your time on business planning.

After your LLC has been approved and is ready to operate, you still have requirements to fulfill in order to avoid suspension. As you give your attention to those retention requirements, you also have to think of your marketing plan, customer retention, and attraction of new clients.

Avoid the risk of non-compliance

Many LLC service companies will send you alerts when your deadlines are approaching. Some even prepare your annual reports. LLC service plans or packages will certainly help you avoid non-compliance problems.

Stable communication

With LLC services, you do not have to worry about possible conflicting schedules. In case you are not available to meet with lawyers and other officials, a registered agent will always be there as a proxy. For peace of mind, choose a company with a good registered agent service.

Track record/Record tracking

Many LLC service companies keep track of records, from filing and formation up to the present. That includes your annual reports, tax documents, and legal notices. These documents are stored in encrypted servers, secured from attacks, and you can view them anytime you need to.

How LLC Services Work

LLC services make LLC formation and compliance easier and more convenient. These services include but are not limited to preparing and filing documents, registering an agent, creating an LLC agreement, publication, business name search, and annual reports. It may extend to sample documents or templates, consultation with professionals, intellectual property services, notification alerts, LLC kit and seal, and web hosting.

LLC service companies exist to deliver these services to business owners. A few examples of these companies include ZenBusiness, LegalZoom, Harbor Compliance, and InCorp. Other companies are available online. You can refer to this list as a guide to such services.

If you are planning to form your LLC, purchase a package that best suits your needs. After that, the company will process your order and they will start serving you right away.

How To Create An LLC?

You can create an LLC on your own, but you can also sign up for a formation package from an LLC service company. Regardless of what method you use, these are the steps you need to take to form an LLC.

Note that each state has its own Limited Liability law. Therefore, you might encounter additional requirements and processes before you finally reach the finish line.

LLC Formation

Here is how to start an LLC, step by step.

1. Choose a state in which to form your LLC

It is important to know where you want to form your LLC, so that you will know what additional requirements you have to fulfill. Every state has its own LLC Law, so there might be additional requirements for you to comply with. For example, in New York, you must have a publication in two local newspapers for six consecutive weeks. Moreover, the cost for LLC filing, state fees, and taxation also varies, as it is part of the written law.

2. Choose a name for your LLC

Before you can form and operate your LLC, it must have a name. The name must be unique; that is, the name should not already be in the Secretary of States records. In addition, most states also require your LLC name to have an LLC designator at the end. This is an indication that your company is a Limited Liability Company.

Conduct a trademark search to avoid intellectual property infringement. You can reserve a name by paying a small fee if you want to prevent other business owners taking your name before you file. This is especially suggested for those who want to file their LLC at a later time.

3. Choose a registered agent

Every LLC is required to have a registered agent. In some states, you can also stand as a registered agent for your LLC. However, it often requires more work and hassle on your part. Thus, we highly suggest looking for a registered agent who can handle documents on your behalf.

A registered agent is an individual or a company that agrees to receive or accept the companys important documents and handles them accordingly. These documents include but are not limited to legal notices, tax documents, and annual reports or statements from the Secretary of State and the states department of taxation.

4. Decide on member vs. manager management

In general, there are two types of LLC management: member manager and manager management.

Often, small business owners choose to manage their LLC themselves, and big businesses usually choose to have a group of people manage their company. In any case, you are free to decide whether you would want to appoint outsiders or manage the LLC yourself.

5. Create and/or prepare an LLC operating agreement

A few states do not require an operating agreement. In addition, almost all states accept oral agreements. However, having an operating agreement is a great advantage for an LLC.

An LLC operating agreement is a written statement of agreement between an LLC and its members as to how the company will operate. It includes the things that should happen or be done when certain circumstances occur, such as if you can no longer manage the business or you want to pass the business to someone else. It also allows you to opt out from certain LLC statutes default provisions. This document also shows your respect to LLC's separate existence and it helps you avoid what we call piercing the veil.

6. File your LLC with your state

For your LLC to operate legally, you must file or submit formation documents to the Secretary of States office or to whichever department is responsible for handling business filings. This formation document is also known as a Certificate of Organization, Certificate of Formation, or Articles of Organization.

An article of organization or formation documents generally includes your business name and location, principal and purpose, registered agents name and physical address, and LLC management system (member-managed or manager-managed). Note that your formation state might require you to attach additional documents.

7. Obtain an EIN ( Employer Identification Number)

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) can be obtained from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or through an LLC service company. An EIN is required for several business transactions, especially if such transaction involves finance. As such, most banks in the US need to see an EIN before you can create an account.

8. Obtain the necessary business licenses

You might have to obtain more business licenses if the nature of your business requires you to do so. Your business license can be local, state, or federal. For example, if your business sells alcohol or firearms, you must apply for a federal, state, and/or business license.

Conclusion

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) first recognized LLC or Limited Liability Companies in the year 1980. From that time, LLC began to grow and are now the most common business entity.

The primary reason for the popularity of this business structure is its liability protection. However, if used without proper care, you might end up fully liable for any losses your LLC produces.

If you want to form an LLC, do the following in sequence:

1. Choose a state where you want to form your LLC.

2. Choose a name for your company.

3. Choose a registered agent.

4. Decide whether your LLC will be member-managed or manager-managed.

5. Draft, prepare, or create your LLC operating agreement.

6. File all your documents with your state.

After those six steps, you can now obtain an EIN (Employer Identification Number). Then, if your business has additional requirements, all you have to do is comply with them.

If you think you cannot do the entire task on your own, there are companies that offer an LLC servicesometimes called an incorporation serviceto help you with LLC-related tasks such as filing and compliance.

Currently, the companies that offer the best LLC and incorporation services are ZenBusiness, IncFile, Northwest Registered Agent, Inc Authority, and LegalZoom. More companies include Rocket Lawyer, MyCompanyWorks, Harbor Compliance, Better Legal, and InCorp.

Note that some of these companies help keep track your records  from filing up to your latest status.

Lastly, when choosing the right LLC service company, keep in mind price and value, main features, additional services, turnaround time, company reputation, and customer support. Your needs will depend on the nature of your business and on the state where your LLC was formed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is an LLC?

A: An LLC is a type of business structure or business entity wherein the owner will not be personally responsible for the company's liabilities. It has become the most common entity used by entrepreneurs because of the liability protection, management flexibility, and tax advantages.

Q: Can I name my LLC anything I want?

A: You cannot use any name you want. Your LLC name must be unique. Moreover, you are required to put the LLC designation at the end of your company name.

Q: Why is it necessary to have an LLC operating agreement?

A: Having an LLC operating agreement will let you show your acknowledgement of the LLCs separate existence from you. It also frees you from the states default provisions, letting you operate your business smoothly. Moreover, it will support efficient management.

Q: Why do I need a registered agent for my LLC?

A: Every state requires all LLCs to have a registered agent. A registered agent will serve as the representative of your company, receiving and handling all your documents related to business, especially legal and tax documents. A registered agent will also be there when you are unavailable.

Q: Do I really have to avail myself of an LLC service?

A: No, you can process things independently. However, the process may be lengthy and may interfere with your other duties. The help of an LLC formation or incorporation service will lighten your workload.
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Vietnamese tech companies are slowly conquering foreign markets, but need to up their game to compete with other brands

With the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership coming into effect on January 15, Tran Tien Dong from the Vietnamese Association in Myanmar hopes that he can finally buy Vietnamese mobile phones at more affordable rates.

I like Vietnamese phones but so far I have bought Chinese models as they were cheaper, Dong explained, who also mentioned that although Vietnamese phones have been exported to Myanmar, Chinese and Thai devices have been dominating the market for a long time.

The first telecom companies from Vietnam crossed the border to Myanmar in 2016, with Viettel first and then VNPT. Both major telecom providers are licensed to offer their services in the countrys market, and Viettel even entered joint ventures with over 10 local companies to support its operations.

However, not every Vietnamese company can showcase similar successes when it comes to venturing abroad. In June 2019, Mobile Star Corporation, the owner of the Mobiistar smartphone brand, announced its departure from the Indian market, just one year after entering it. The main reason for the companys defeat in India was the bankruptcy of its partner, Vsun Technologies, a month earlier, which disrupted the supply chain of the Vietnamese smartphone maker.

At his last appearance in the media, CEO of Mobile Star Corporation Ngo Nguyen Kha explained that as Vsun Hong Kong and Shenzhen lost liquidity in the Chinese market, they could no longer support Mobile Stars operations in India.

Kha added that while many investors his company sought out were initially impressed by the rapid development of Mobile Stars presence in India as well as the companys brand identity, Vsuns massive debt frightened them, leading to failed negotiations.

After launching a total of nine different models in the Indian market during its short presence, Mobile Stars devices are now no longer available. Meanwhile, the companys smartphones are also nearly non-existent in the Vietnamese market, even though some larger distributors like Mobile World are still listing them, albeit without available stock.

Missed opportunities

Most national brands of other countries succeed by going global with their distinctive brands. Pham Thi Kim Loan, president of Ngan Ha Co., Ltd., a Ho Chi Minh City-headquartered company specialised in providing vertebrae-treatment products branded Doctorloan, commented, Although many Vietnamese products show a decent level of innovation, they miss out on inviting international investors onto their journey and thus dont make use of their full potential.

Up to now, Ngan Ha has been granted 236 patents globally and only focuses on production, application, and trade. Loan still remembers the proposal of a Chinese investor  an owner of a large Chinese brand. When she came to Taiwan and was introduced to our products, she was amazed at what we had. However, after that, she went to Vietnam and told me that it would be difficult for our products to be labelled as Made in Vietnam when exported to China, Loan explained. The investor asked us to set up a company in Singapore and use the Made in Singapore label or mix our production with that of Chinese manufacturers.

Loan said that, though she thought about following the investors suggestion, she decided to withdraw and continue to build her Vietnamese brand. However, to build a good brand one must go from a solid foundation, with high-quality products, sophisticated customer care, and innovative marketing. Just being Vietnamese alone is not good enough.

While many telecom companies are still confused with their internal problems, Hanoian security software and electronics company BKAV promoted its Bphone smartphones in Myanmar for more than a year, even setting up a branch called BKAV Myanmar.

According to the companys representative, one of its biggest advantages is the trust that the people from Myanmar have in Vietnamese brands, which are perceived of higher quality than Chinese or Thai products while offering affordable prices.

As high quality is not the only element that matters for the success of a product line, intangible factors such as brand value are increasingly respected by investors as they reflect the reputation of businesses in the marketplace and the fiercely competitive world today.

At the end of November, BKAV began exporting its AI View cameras to the US market, enabled by cooperation with tech giant Qualcomm.

Tommy Le, BKAVs vice president of US business development, said, At Qualcomms headquarters, our AI View cameras will be presented within a key project in the companys smart city strategy. BKAV got the first order after more than three months in the US, which represents a huge step forward that reaffirms our capabilities and the quality of our products. From here, we have the foundation to further develop in this market, towards becoming one of the top five camera manufacturers in the world.

However, to even be able to enter the US market, BKAVs AI View camera had to go through multiple tests and receive the FCC certification, a rigorous proof issued by the US Federal Communications Commission, which applies to electronic products sold in the US.

Finding the right market

Most international business experts agreed that branding becomes increasingly important. Aware of this trend, BKAV last year joined the Open Security and Safety Alliance along with leading names such as Bosch, Qualcomm, and Hanwha. The 150 members of the alliance aim to provide image and video analysis solutions as well as create a framework providing standards for operating systems, Internet of Things infrastructure, data security and privacy, and improved levels of performance.

Equally aware of the importance of branding, the Vietnamese government decided to work together with consulting firms such as Brand Finance to design the national branding programme Vietnam Value, thereby receiving the attention of the business community and investors at home and abroad. With the Vietnam Value Programme, the country is on the right path to progress in branding and economic development, according to analysts.

Every year, brand evaluation and strategy consultancy Brand Finance examines thousands of the worlds top brands. In December, the consultancy stated that the overall value of Vietnams top 50 most valuable brands increased by 28 per cent, growing from $18.8 billion in 2019 to $26.1 billion in 2020.

Additionally, Brand Finance stated, Viettel continues to dominate as the nations most valuable brand for the fifth consecutive year, with its brand value increased by $1.5 billion. Meanwhile, Vietcombank overtook BIDV to become Vietnams strongest brand with the brand strength rating AAA-, the consultancy stated.

Each brand in the companys assessment is assigned a Brand Strength Index score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on this, each brand is assigned a corresponding rating of up to AAA+, similar to credit ratings.

As such, the efforts of Vietnamese brands are being recognised increasingly. While in the early 2000s, Vietnamese enterprises did not appear in international rankings, latest since last year, the total value of the 50 leading brands reached over $9.3 billion.

However, the way to bring Vietnams technology brands to the global market is not entirely clear. Nguyen Thanh Son, branding expert and chairman of MVV Entrepreneur Academy said, One of the weaknesses of Vietnamese brands is the lack of a global vision, which is crucial when expanding worldwide. However, as it is not possible to dominate global markets immediately. Son added that Vietnamese brands have to consider their key markets before spreading too fast too thin.

Washington  Rep. John Katko joined a bipartisan House majority who voted today to impeach President Donald Trump, marking the first time in American history that a president has been impeached twice.

Katko, R-Camillus, and nine other House Republicans broke ranks to vote with a unanimous House Democratic conference to pass a resolution impeaching Trump for incitement of insurrection. The resolution passed by a vote of 232-197.

The vote came exactly one week after Trump incited an angry mob to storm the U.S. Capitol as members of Congress were certifying the Electoral College vote. The vote formally declared Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Five people died in the ensuing riot, including a Capitol police officer.

Katko announced his decision to vote for impeachment on Tuesday afternoon, becoming the first House Republican to publicly support impeachment.

In the end, he stood alone as the only New York Republican House member to vote for the impeachment resolution. All 19 Democrats in the states congressional delegation also voted for impeachment.

The six New York Republicans voting against impeachment were Reps. Elise Stefanik of Schuylerville; Tom Reed of Corning; Chris Jacobs of Orchard Park; Nicole Malliotakis of Staten Island and Andrew Garbarino and Lee Zeldin, both of Long Island.

Reed is the only member of the group who had suggested an alternative, censuring Trump and banning him from seeking federal elected office in the future.

Before the vote, Katko was among six House Republicans to speak out publicly about their decision to impeach Trump.

The others were GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan, and Jaime Herrera Buetler and Dan Newhouse of Washington state.

Katko gave a speech Tuesday night on the House floor, encouraging other members to join him in voting for impeachment.

The presidents role in the insurrection is undeniable, Katko told House members. Both on social media ahead of January 6th, and in his speech that day, he deliberately promoted baseless theories creating a combustible environment of misinformation and division.

Katko said members of Congress have a constitutional duty to respond and impeach Trump.

To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy, he said. For this reason, I will vote to impeach this president tomorrow.

Katko did not join dozens of members who spoke on the House floor today during debate of the impeachment bill.

Now in his fourth term in office, Katko co-chairs the Republican Governance Group, a coalition of about 50 moderate and center-right House Republicans. The groups members include Kinzinger, Herrera Buetler and Upton.

Cheney, the third-ranking House Republican leader, received pushback earlier Wednesday for her position on impeachment.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, called for Cheney to step down from her leadership role because of her vote. She is the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Jordan is co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and one of Trumps staunchest defenders.

No House Republicans have publicly criticized Katko for his vote. He was elevated this month to a leadership role as the top Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee.

Katko voted against impeaching Trump in December 2019 as House Republicans stood in a unanimous block opposing the measure.

At the time, Katko said he was not convinced the presidents attempt to pressure Ukraines leader into a political favor was an impeachable offense. But he said that that he believed some of Trumps actions were wrong and inappropriate.

The impeachment resolution now moves to the U.S. Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said senators wont begin considering the resolution until Jan. 19, a day before Biden is inaugurated as president.

Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact Mark Weiner anytime by: Email | Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
Agritech start-up Ergos on Wednesday said it has received Rs 22.5 crore (USD 3 million) from the UK's CDC Group as the closure to its Series-A round, which constituted Rs 81 crore (USD 11 million).

Earlier in March, the Ergos Series-A round of funds included Rs 35 crore (USD 4.9 million) investment from Aavishkaar Capital and Rs 23.5 crore (USD 3.1 million) from Chiratae Ventures, the company said in a statement.

The agri start-up has been building a grain bank model that has been piloted in Bihar, which enables farmers to digitise their foodgrain and also provides them doorstep access to end-to-end post-harvest supply chain solutions by leveraging its technology platform.

The Ergos platform operates like a bank and offers storage, digitisation, credit and liquidation facility to farmers and has consistently helped them achieve significantly higher incomes for their produce.

"We are building Ergos primarily to extend post-harvest support to small and marginal farmers on storage, credit and market linkages at farm-gate. We are leveraging technology to empower farmers and enable them to be key decision takers with respect to their crop produce," it said.

Ergos founder and CEO Kishor Jha said, "We are excited to have CDC onboard and along with the continued support from Chiratae Ventures and Aavishkaar Capital. We intend to rapidly scale our geographic footprint and remain steadfast in our desire to cater to millions of farmers directly at farm-gate over the next few years."



CDC GroupHead (South Asia Private Equity Funds) Craig Gifford also said, "Investing to support small-holder farmers and improve their livelihoods is a strong demonstration of how we use our capital at CDC.

(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 U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to impeach President Donald Trump. Democrats and a few Republicans are accusing Trump of inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last week while lawmakers were certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio as one of nine impeachment managers who oversee the process.

If the House votes to be impeach Trump, it will be the first time a president has been impeached twice. Last year, the House accused Trump of abuse of power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden and then obstructing Congress' investigation. The House voted to impeach Trump but the Senate did not convict him.

RELATED: What to watch as House moves to impeach Trump for 2nd time

For the first time in our nations history, the transfer of power has not been peaceful, Castro said in the San Antonio Express-News. To protect the American people and as a consequence for these deadly actions, President Donald J. Trump must be removed from office immediately and prevented from ever occupying the presidency again.

Impeachment managers play a vital role in the impeachment process and are responsible for convincing the Senate to convict the president. Here is what is expected of Castro and the eight other mangers:

Who are the impeachment mangers?

Castro will be joined by eight other Democrats: Jamie Raskin of Maryland; Diana DeGette of Colorado; David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Eric Swalwell of California; Ted Lieu of California; Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands; Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

All nine are lawyers with expertise in either constitutional law, civil rights or law enforcement, the New York Times reported.

What is their role?

If Trump is impeached, the managers are responsible for arguing their case before the Senate. Trump's lawyers will be allowed to provide a defense. The senators will act as the jury and are allowed to ask questions before voting. Two-thirds of the Senate must convict Trump in order to remove him from office.

The managers, however, do not control how the trial runs. The format and rules are decided by the Senate, which is able to introduce and pass motions with a majority vote.

How many managers can be selected?

There are no restrictions on the number of managers who can serve. During Trump's first impeachment, there were seven. When Bill Clinton was impeached, the Republicans had 13. Typically all managers come from the same party because they supported the impeachment.
On Jan. 13, Netflix dropped the trailer for To All the Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean. The movie will premiere on Netflix on Feb. 12 and will complete the rom-com trilogy based on the book series by Jenny Han. Lana Condor stars as Lara Jean Covey and Noah Centineo plays Peter Kavinsky.

In the third movie, the two characters spend their senior year together while wondering if they will stay together after their high school graduation. While this was the major plotline of Hans book, the trailer for the movie showed Netflixs version made a major change to Lara Jean and Peters college plans.

[Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Jenny Hans book To All the Boys: Always and Forever.]

Lana Condor and Noah Centineo | Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage

Netflix released the trailer for To All the Boys: Always and Forever

To give fans of the series an idea of what to expect, Netflix released the trailer for To All the Boys: Always and Forever. Condor also posted the trailer on her Instagram account and wrote a message for fans of the trilogy.

 TO ALL THE BOYS 3 is coming out February 12th on @netflix and Im already crying!!! Words cannot even begin to express how grateful I am to all of you for the love and support of these 3 movies and I know Lara Jean wishes she could write each and every one of you a love letter. Heres to the finale. Always and forever, Lana @toalltheboysnetflix, Condor wrote on Instagram.

RELATED: To All the Boys: Always and Forever: Where to Watch the Trailer for Netflixs Third and Final Movie

What happens in the To All the Boys: Always and Forever trailer

The trailer begins with Lara Jean on vacation in Seoul, South Korea with her family. As she narrates the trailer, fans are able to reminisce over scenes from the past two movies, To All the Boys Ive Loved Before and To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.

In the next scene, Peter and Lara Jean sit together in a diner and Peter asks Lara Jean to prom. It is then revealed the two of them are planning to attend Stanford University together after high school.

While on a school trip in New York City, Lara Jean falls in love with the city and considers attending college there.

I could really see myself living there, you know? Lara Jean says in the trailer.

Its hard to believe what all started with a letter, a hot tub, and a diner could turn into this



To All the Boys: Always and Forever premieres February 12! pic.twitter.com/fiTiemcdnE  Netflix (@netflix) January 13, 2021

We both know what 3,000 miles would do to us, Peter tells her, seemingly arguing against Lara Jeans choice to move to New York City.

As the trailer continues, Lara Jean finds out she did not get accepted into Stanford, and her college of choice and future with Peter is left unknown.

The colleges in the book are different

Filming for To All the Boys Ive Loved Before took place in Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, British Columbia. Oregon appears to serve as the primary setting of the film, while the books took place in Virginia.

In the trailer, Peter laments that Lara Jean could possibly move nearly 3,000 miles away from him. However, in the books, Peter has a lacrosse scholarship to the University of Virginia and Lara Jean only applied to schools close to her family.

RELATED: Lana Condor Said She Finally Got Her Cinderella Moment in To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You

While Lara Jean is rejected from the University of Virginia, she is accepted to the College of William & Mary and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Peter hopes that Lara Jean will attend the College of William & Mary, but she decides to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill instead.

Even though Lara Jean chooses to attend a college in a different state than Peter in the books, their chosen colleges in Hans book trilogy are just over three hours apart by car. It seems the movies have made Lara Jeans college choice have higher stakes when it comes to her relationship with Peter.
Warmongering lies Pompeo says al-Qaedas new home base is Iran with no evidence

By Al Jazeera

January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday al-Qaeda has a new home base in Iran, though he offered no evidence in a speech in Washington, DC, a claim Iran immediately rebuffed.

Pompeo said al-Qaeda had centralised its leadership inside Tehran and that deputies of leader Ayman al-Zawahiri are currently there. Such claims have been met with some scepticism within the intelligence community and Congress.

Al-Qaeda has a new home base. It is the Islamic Republic of Iran, Pompeo said in a speech at the National Press Club.

I would say Iran is indeed the new Afghanistan  as the key geographic hub for al-Qaeda  but its actually worse, he said. Unlike in Afghanistan, when al-Qaeda was hiding in the mountains, al-Qaeda today is operating under the hard shell of the Iranian regimes protection.

The secretary of state, who will leave office on January 20 when President Donald Trumps term ends, also urged more international pressure on Tehran, but stopped short of calling for military action, saying: If we did have that option, if we chose to do that, theres a much greater risk in executing it.

Warmongering lies

Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif swiftly accused Pompeo of warmongering lies in a tweet denouncing the claims.

The statements by Pompeo could represent an escalation in the USs ability to use force against Iran.

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US legislation, the 2001 Authorisation of Use of Military Force (AUMF) allows US forces to pursue al-Qaeda anywhere in the world.

Pompeos claim could allow the Trump administration to claim it already had Congressional approval for an attack on Iran under that authorisation if al-Qaeda were proved to be on Iranian territory.
Kang In-yup, head of Samsung Electronics' system LSI business, introduces the company's Exynos 2100 mobile application processor, Tuesday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics



By Kim Yoo-chul



Can Samsung Electronics really compete with TSMC of Taiwan? The probable answer is, it depends on how the world's top memory chip supplier will earn "trust" from foundry clients.



Samsung has long been chasing the foundry chip-making giant TSMC in terms of high-volume manufacturing (HVM) applying ultra-thin chip-fabrication technology at the below 7-nanometer level. It has recently unveiled a $116 billion investment plan to take on TSMC with the aim of catching up to the Taiwanese foundry giant by next year.



In this year's online Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Samsung released an advanced Exynos 2100 mobile processor in an octa-core CPU that includes one Arm Cortex-X1 core clocked at 2.9 gigahertz. Its main appeal, among others, is that it is capable of offering up to 10 percent more performance than its earlier 7-nanometer predecessor, and 20 percent less power consumption as it is produced using 5-nanometer tech.



From a business standpoint, the 2100 Exynos will primarily be used for Samsung's upcoming Galaxy 21 in South Korea as a litmus test for greater compatibility before selling it to other countries.



Samsung has a track record of releasing flagship handsets using Qualcomm-designed mobile processors in the United States. But this time, Samsung plans to increase the adoption of the 2100 chip for Galaxy devices for the European and Japanese markets.



It remains unclear whether or not the Samsung Exynos will be sold in high volume to Chinese handset manufacturers such as Oppo and Huawei. But amid the intensifying rivalry with TSMC in the foundry business, it is widely expected that Samsung will launch a massive marketing campaign for the upcoming Galaxy S21, according to sources.



"Samsung is clearly hoping to narrow the performance gap between its processors and those of Qualcomm's. Samsung has to ensure that its newest Exynos will be fine in terms of reliability and production yield. Plus, Samsung hopes the 2100 processor chip could attract more customers as the company will need to build a new ecosystem," said one source asking for anonymity. Trust in foundries mostly comes from the strong intellectual property (IP) resources and soundness of production.



Looking forward, Samsung and TSMC will be competing to lead in the development of 3-nanometer level technology.


January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - Critics of Silicon Valley censorship for years heard the same refrain: tech platforms like Facebook, Google and Twitter are private corporations and can host or ban whoever they want. If you dont like what they are doing, the solution is not to complain or to regulate them. Instead, go create your own social media platform that operates the way you think it should.

The founders of Parler heard that suggestion and tried. In August, 2018, they created a social media platform similar to Twitter but which promised far greater privacy protections, including a refusal to aggregate user data in order to monetize them to advertisers or algorithmically evaluate their interests in order to promote content or products to them. They also promised far greater free speech rights, rejecting the increasingly repressive content policing of Silicon Valley giants.

Over the last year, Parler encountered immense success. Millions of people who objected to increasing repression of speech on the largest platforms or who had themselves been banned signed up for the new social media company.

As Silicon Valley censorship radically escalated over the past several months  banning pre-election reporting by The New York Post about the Biden family, denouncing and deleting multiple posts from the U.S. President and then terminating his access altogether, mass-removal of right-wing accounts  so many people migrated to Parler that it was catapulted to the number one spot on the list of most-downloaded apps on the Apple Play Store, the sole and exclusive means which iPhone users have to download apps. Overall, the app was the 10th most downloaded social media app in 2020 with 8.1 million new installs, reported TechCrunch.

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It looked as if Parler had proven critics of Silicon Valley monopolistic power wrong. Their success showed that it was possible after all to create a new social media platform to compete with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. And they did so by doing exactly what Silicon Valley defenders long insisted should be done: if you dont like the rules imposed by tech giants, go create your own platform with different rules.

List of most-downloaded apps on Apple Store, Jan. 8, 2021

But today, if you want to download, sign up for, or use Parler, you will be unable to do so. That is because three Silicon Valley monopolies  Amazon, Google and Apple  abruptly united to remove Parler from the internet, exactly at the moment when it became the most-downloaded app in the country.

If one were looking for evidence to demonstrate that these tech behemoths are, in fact, monopolies that engage in anti-competitive behavior in violation of antitrust laws, and will obliterate any attempt to compete with them in the marketplace, it would be difficult to imagine anything more compelling than how they just used their unconstrained power to utterly destroy a rising competitor.

====

The united Silicon Valley attack began on January 8, when Apple emailed Parler and gave them 24 hours to prove they had changed their moderation practices or else face removal from their App Store. The letter claimed: We have received numerous complaints regarding objectionable content in your Parler service, accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021 that led (among other things) to loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property. It ended with this warning:

To ensure there is no interruption of the availability of your app on the App Store, please submit an update and the requested moderation improvement plan within 24 hours of the date of this message. If we do not receive an update compliant with the App Store Review Guidelines and the requested moderation improvement plan in writing within 24 hours, your app will be removed from the App Store.

The 24-hour letter was an obvious pretext and purely performative. Removal was a fait accompli no matter what Parler did. To begin with, the letter was immediately leaked to Buzzfeed, which published it in full. A Parler executive detailed the companys unsuccessful attempts to communicate with Apple. They basically ghosted us, he told me. The next day, Apple notified Parler of its removal from App Store. We wont distribute apps that present dangerous and harmful content, said the worlds richest company, and thus: We have now rejected your app for the App Store.

It is hard to overstate the harm to a platform from being removed from the App Store. Users of iPhones are barred from downloading apps onto their devices from the internet. If an app is not on the App Store, it cannot be used on the iPhone. Even iPhone users who have already downloaded Parler will lose the ability to receive updates, which will shortly render the platform both unmanageable and unsafe.

In October, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial, and Administrative Law issued a 425-page report concluding that Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google all possess monopoly power and are using that power anti-competitively. For Apple, they emphasized the companys control over iPhones through its control of access to the App Store. As Ars Technica put it when highlighting the reports key findings:

Apple controls about 45 percent of the US smartphone market and 20 percent of the global smartphone market, the committee found, and is projected to sell its 2 billionth iPhone in 2021. It is correct that, in the smartphone handset market, Apple is not a monopoly. Instead, iOS and Android hold an effective duopoly in mobile operating systems. However, the report concludes, Apple does have a monopolistic hold over what you can do with an iPhone. You can only put apps on your phone through the Apple App Store, and Apple has total gatekeeper control over that App Storethat's what Epic is suing the company over. . . . The committee found internal documents showing that company leadership, including former CEO Steve Jobs, "acknowledged that IAP requirement would stifle competition and limit the apps available to Apple's customers." The report concludes that Apple has also unfairly used its control over APIs, search rankings, and default apps to limit competitors' access to iPhone users.

Shortly thereafter, Parler learned that Google, without warning, had also suspended it from its Play Store, severely limiting the ability of users to download Parler onto Android phones. Googles actions also meant that those using Parler on their Android phones would no longer receive necessary functionality and security updates.

It was precisely Googles abuse of its power to control its app device that was at issue when the European Commission deemed Google LLC as the dominant undertaking in the app stores for the Android mobile operating system (i.e. Google Play Store) and hit the online search and advertisement giant with 4.34 billion for its anti-competitive practices to strengthen its position in various of other markets through its dominance in the app store market.

The day after a united Apple and Google acted against Parler, Amazon delivered the fatal blow. The company founded and run by the worlds richest man, Jeff Bezos, used virtually identical language as Apple to inform Parler that its web hosting service (AWS) was terminating Parlers ability to have AWS host its site: Because Parler cannot comply with our terms of service and poses a very real risk to public safety, we plan to suspend Parlers account effective Sunday, January 10th, at 11:59PM PST. Because Amazon is such a dominant force in web hosting, Parler has thus far not found a hosting service for its platform, which is why it has disappeared not only from app stores and phones but also from the internet.

On Thursday, Parler was the most popular app in the United States. By Monday, three of the four Silicon Valley monopolies united to destroy it.

====

With virtual unanimity, leading U.S. liberals celebrated this use of Silicon Valley monopoly power to shut down Parler, just as they overwhelmingly cheered the prior two extraordinary assertions of tech power to control U.S. political discourse: censorship of The New York Posts reporting on the contents of Hunter Bidens laptop, and the banning of the U.S. President from major platforms. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to find a single national liberal-left politician even expressing concerns about any of this, let alone opposing it.

Not only did leading left-wing politicians not object but some of them were the ones who pleaded with Silicon Valley to use their power this way. After the internet-policing site Sleeping Giants flagged several Parler posts that called for violence, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez asked: What are @Apple and @GooglePlay doing about this? Once Apple responded by removing Parler from its App Store  a move that House Democrats just three months earlier warned was dangerous anti-trust behavior  she praised Apple and then demanded to know: Good to see this development from @Apple. @GooglePlay what are you going to do about apps being used to organize violence on your platform?

The liberal New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg pronounced herself disturbed by just how awesome [tech giants] power is and added that its dangerous to have a handful of callow young tech titans in charge of who has a megaphone and who does not. She nonetheless praised these young tech titans for using their dangerous power to ban Trump and destroy Parler. In other words, liberals like Goldberg are concerned only that Silicon Valley censorship powers might one day be used against people like them, but are perfectly happy as long as it is their adversaries being deplatformed and silenced (Facebook and other platforms have for years banned marginalized people like Palestinians at Israels behest, but that is of no concern to U.S. liberals).

That is because the dominant strain of American liberalism is not economic socialism but political authoritarianism. Liberals now want to use the force of corporate power to silence those with different ideologies. They are eager for tech monopolies not just to ban accounts they dislike but to remove entire platforms from the internet. They want to imprison people they believe helped their party lose elections, such as Julian Assange, even if it means creating precedents to criminalize journalism.

World leaders have vocally condemned the power Silicon Valley has amassed to police political discourse, and were particularly indignant over the banning of the U.S. President. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, various French ministers, and especially Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador all denounced the banning of Trump and other acts of censorship by tech monopolies on the ground that they were anointing themselves a world media power. The warnings from Lopez Obrador were particularly eloquent:

Even the ACLU  which has rapidly transformed from a civil liberties organization into a liberal activist group since Trumps election  found the assertion of Silicon Valleys power to destroy Parler deeply alarming. One of that organizations most stalwart defenders of civil liberties, lawyer Ben Wizner, told The New York Times that the destruction of Parler was more troubling than the deletion of posts or whole accounts: I think we should recognize the importance of neutrality when were talking about the infrastructure of the internet.

Yet American liberals swoon for this authoritarianism. And they are now calling for the use of the most repressive War on Terror measures against their domestic opponents. On Tuesday, House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) urged that GOP Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley be put on the no-fly list, while The Wall Street Journal reported that Biden has said he plans to make a priority of passing a law against domestic terrorism, and he has been urged to create a White House post overseeing the fight against ideologically inspired violent extremists and increasing funding to combat them.

So much of this liberal support for the attempted destruction of Parler is based in utter ignorance about that platform, and about basic principles of free speech. Id be very surprised if more than a tiny fraction of liberals cheering Parlers removal from the internet have ever used the platform or know anything about it other than the snippets they have been shown by those seeking to justify its destruction and to depict it as some neo-Nazi stronghold.

Parler was not founded, nor is it run, by pro-Trump, MAGA supporters. The platform was created based in libertarian values of privacy, anti-surveillance, anti-data collection, and free speech. Most of the key executives are more associated with the politics of Ron Paul and the CATO Institute than Steve Bannon or the Trump family. One is a Never Trump Republican, while another is the former campaign manager of Ron Paul and Rand Paul. Among the few MAGA-affiliated figures is Dan Bongino, an investor. One of the key original investors was Rebekah Mercer.

The platforms design is intended to foster privacy and free speech, not a particular ideology. They minimize the amount of data they collect on users to prevent advertiser monetization or algorithmic targeting. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, they do not assess a users preferences in order to decide what they should see. And they were principally borne out of a reaction to increasingly restrictive rules on the major Silicon Valley platforms regarding what could and could not be said.

Of course large numbers of Trump supporters ended up on Parler. Thats not because Parler is a pro-Trump outlet, but because those are among the people who were censored by the tech monopolies or who were angered enough by that censorship to seek refuge elsewhere.

It is true that one can find postings on Parler that explicitly advocate violence or are otherwise grotesque. But that is even more true of Facebook, Google-owned YouTube, and Twitter. And contrary to what many have been led to believe, Parlers Terms of Service includes a ban on explicit advocacy of violence, and they employ a team of paid, trained moderators who delete such postings. Those deletions do not happen perfectly or instantaneously  which is why one can find postings that violate those rules  but the same is true of every major Silicon Valley platform.

Indeed, a Parler executive told me that of the thirteen people arrested as of Monday for the breach at the Capitol, none appear to be active users of Parler. The Capitol breach was planned far more on Facebook and YouTube. As Recode reported, while some protesters participated in both Parler and Gab, many of the calls to attend the Capitol were from YouTube videos, while many of the key planners have continued to use mainstream platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The article quoted Fadi Quran, campaign director at the human rights group Avaaz, as saying: In DC, we saw QAnon conspiracists and other militias that would never have grown to this size without being turbo-charged by Facebook and Twitter.

And thats to say nothing of the endless number of hypocrisies with Silicon Valley giants feigning opposition to violent rhetoric or political extremism. Amazon, for instance, is one of the CIAs most profitable partners, with a $600 million contract to provide services to the agency, and it is constantly bidding for more. On Facebook and Twitter, one finds official accounts from the most repressive and violent regimes on earth, including Saudi Arabia, and pages devoted to propaganda on behalf of the Egyptian regime. Does anyone think these tech giants have a genuine concern about violence and extremism?

Official Facebook page of the Saudi Justice Ministry

So why did Democratic politicians and journalists focus on Parler rather than Facebook and YouTube? Why did Amazon, Google and Apple make a flamboyant showing of removing Parler from the internet while leaving much larger platforms with far more extremism and advocacy of violence flowing on a daily basis?

In part it is because these Silicon Valley giants  Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple  donate enormous sums of money to the Democratic Party and their leaders, so of course Democrats will cheer them rather than call for punishment or their removal from the internet. Part of it is because Parler is an upstart, a much easier target to try to destroy than Facebook or Google. And in part it is because the Democrats are about to control the Executive Branch and both houses of Congress, leaving Silicon Valley giants eager to please them by silencing their adversaries. This corrupt motive was made expressly clear by long-time Clinton operative Jennifer Palmieri:

The nature of monopolistic power is that anti-competitive entities engage in anti-trust illegalities to destroy rising competitors. Parler is associated with the wrong political ideology. It is a small and new enough platform such that it can be made an example of. Its head can be placed on a pike to make clear that no attempt to compete with existing Silicon Valley monopolies is possible. And its destruction preserves the unchallengeable power of a tiny handful of tech oligarchs over the political discourse not just of the United States but democracies worldwide (which is why Germany, France and Mexico are raising their voices in protest).

No authoritarians believe they are authoritarians. No matter how repressive are the measures they support  censorship, monopoly power, no-fly lists for American citizens without due process  they tell themselves that those they are silencing and attacking are so evil, are terrorists, that anything done against them is noble and benevolent, not despotic and repressive. That is how American liberals currently think, as they fortify the control of Silicon Valley monopolies over our political lives, exemplified by the overnight destruction of a new and popular competitor.

Glenn Greenwald is a journalist, constitutional lawyer, and author of four New York Times bestselling books on politics and law. His most recent book, No Place to Hide, is about the U.S. surveillance state and his experiences reporting on the Snowden documents around the world. Prior to co-founding The Intercept, Greenwalds column was featured in The Guardian and Salon.

Glenn is one of the three co-founding editors of The Intercept. He left The Intercept in October 2020. https://greenwald.substack.com/ Suscribe to his newsletter
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The US House rushed ahead Tuesday toward impeaching President Donald Trump for the deadly Capitol attack, taking time only to try to persuade his vice president to push him out first. Trump showed no remorse, blaming impeachment itself for the tremendous anger in America.

Already scheduled to leave office next week, Trump is on the verge of becoming the only president in history to be twice impeached. His incendiary rhetoric at a rally ahead of the Capitol uprising is now in the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

The House convened Tuesday night to vote on urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove Trump with a Cabinet vote. But shortly before that, Pence said he would not do so in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

He said that it would not be in the best interest of the nation or consistent with the Constitution and that it was time to unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden."

Meanwhile, three three Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, announced they would vote to impeach Trump on Wednesday, cleaving the party's leadership.

The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack, said Cheney in a statement. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

Reps. John Katko of New York, a former federal prosecutor, and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran, said they, too, would vote to impeach.

As lawmakers reconvened at the Capitol for the first time since the bloody siege, they were also bracing for more violence ahead of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, Jan. 20.

All of us have to do some soul searching, said Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, imploring other Republicans to join.

Trump, meanwhile, warned the lawmakers off impeachment and suggested it was the drive to oust him that was dividing the country.

"To continue on this path, I think its causing tremendous danger to our country, and its causing tremendous anger," Trump said.

In his first remarks to reporters since last weeks violence, the outgoing president offered no condolences for those dead or injured, only saying, I want no violence.

Impeachment ahead, the House was first pressing Pence and the Cabinet to remove Trump more quickly and surely, warning he is a threat to democracy in the few remaining days of his presidency.

The House was expected to approve a resolution calling on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to declare the president unable to serve. Pence, who had a good meeting with Trump on Monday, their first since the vice president was among those sheltering from the attack, was not expected to do so.

After that, the House would move swiftly to impeachment on Wednesday.

Trump faces a single charge  incitement of insurrection  in the impeachment resolution after the most serious and deadly domestic incursion at the Capitol in the nations history.

During an emotional debate ahead of the House action, Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., urged her Republican colleagues to understand the stakes, recounting a phone call from her son as she fled during the siege.

Sweetie, Im OK, she told him. I'm running for my life.

But Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a top Trump ally just honored this week at the White House, refused to concede that Biden won the election outright.

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., tied such talk to the Capitol attack, interjecting, People came here because they believed the lie.

A handful of other House Republicans could vote to impeach, but in the narrowly divided Senate there are not expected to be the two-thirds votes to convict him, though some Republicans say its time for Trump to resign.

The unprecedented events, with just over a week remaining in Trump's term, are unfolding in a nation bracing for more unrest. The FBI has warned ominously of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of Bidens inauguration and Capitol Police warned lawmakers to be on alert. The inauguration ceremony on the west steps of the Capitol will be off limits to the public.

Lawmakers will be required to pass through metal detectors to enter the House chamber, not far from where Capitol police, guns drawn, had barricaded the door against the rioters.

The final days of Trumps presidency will be like none other as Democrats, and a small number of Republicans try to expel him after he incited the mob that violently ransacked the Capitol last Wednesday.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot a woman during the violence. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

In the Senate, Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to go away as soon as possible.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, did not go that far, but on Tuesday called on Trump to address the nation and explicitly urge his supporters to refrain from further violence. If not, he said, Trump will bear responsibility.

No member of the Cabinet has publicly called for Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment.

Biden has said it's important to ensure that the "folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage -- that they be held accountable.

Fending off concerns that an impeachment trial would bog down Biden's first days in office, the president-elect is encouraging senators to divide their time between taking taking up his priorities of confirming his nominees and approving COVID relief while also conducting the trial.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer suggested in a letter to colleagues Tuesday the chamber would do both.

As Congress resumed, an uneasiness swept the halls. More lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering during the siege. Many lawmakers may choose to vote by proxy rather than come to Washington, a process that was put in place last year to limit the health risks of travel.

Among Trump's closest allies in Congress, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was among those echoing the president, saying impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together.

Democrats say they have the votes for impeachment. The impeachment bill drafted by Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island and Ted Lieu of California, during the riot lockdown, and joined by Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden.

Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

The impeachment legislation also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to find him more votes, as well as his White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters last Wednesday to fight like hell and march to the building.

The mob overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalizing Bidens victory over Trump in the Electoral College.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent. In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.
UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's permanent representative to the United Nations on Tuesday called for efforts to consolidate the broadest united front to fight terrorism.

"We must deepen consensus and consolidate the broadest united front to fight terrorism," Zhang Jun told the Security Council open debate on the Threats to International Peace and Security Caused by Terrorist Acts.

Terrorism is the common enemy of humanity, and fighting terrorism is the shared responsibility of the international community, he said, adding unity is the most powerful weapon in defeating terrorism

"We must, under the leadership of the United Nations, work to build consensus and send a unified message to terrorists through our coordinated actions," said the ambassador.

Talking about how to fight terrorism, Zhang said that "we must abide by a unified standard and reject selectivity in counterterrorism."

"There are no good or bad terrorists. Any terrorist act, wherever, whenever, by whomever committed for whatever motivation, must be condemned and cracked down by us all," he said. "There must not be double standard. Nor should there be selectivity in counterterrorism."

"Our efforts must be better focused to respond effectively to new terrorist trends. In response to new and evolving terrorist challenges, we need new and flexible tools that produce results. We must give special attention to the economic and social fallout of COVID-19, guard against and prevent terrorists from taking advantage of the pandemic-induced opportunities and disruptions to incite and preach terrorism," said the ambassador.

Zhang added that terrorism prevention efforts must be made to eliminate the root causes of terrorism.

"It is necessary to take a holistic approach with a combination of political, economic, legal, and social measures to root out the breeding ground for terrorism and extremism," he noted.

The ambassador recalled that the 911 terrorist attacks that occurred 20 years ago in New York shocked the world and turned a new page in international counterterrorism cooperation.

"In the aftermath of the attacks, the Security Council took swift action to adopt Resolution 1373, and mandated the establishment of the Counterterrorism Committee, putting on full display the joint will and determination of the international community to fight terrorism," he said.

He warned that one must not lose sight of the fact that the international counterterrorism landscape remains grim and complex.

"Facts demonstrate that terrorism remains a real threat facing the international community in its entirety. The COVID-19 pandemic has accentuated economic and social challenges, which may worsen the vicious cycle of uncertainties, instabilities and violence and lead to resurgence of international terrorism," he said.

In view of this, the international community must maintain high vigilance, foster a sense of a community with a shared future for mankind, and take a holistic approach to jointly fight terrorism in all its forms, said Zhang.
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The mayor of the northern NSW town of Coonabarabran says he will never change the town's name despite mounting pressure due to racist connotations.

The defiance of mayor Ambrose Doolan comes after Saputo Dairy Australia changed the name of its famous Coon cheese brand, as coon is also an old racial slur directed toward black people.

Mayor Doolan said the push for name changes was a 'storm in a teacup', he told The Daily Telegraph on Wednesday.

Mayor Ambrose Doolan (pictured) will not change the name of his town Coonabarabran as a result of the racial backlash cheese brand Coon faced due to the Black Lives Matter movement

The popular 86-year-old Coon cheese brand will become Cheer Cheese from July, Canadian owner Saputo confirmed on Tuesday, sparking a divided reaction.

The much-loved dairy product got its original name from American pioneering cheese processor Edward William Coon, who died in 1934.

Mr Doolan believes the name switch is an overreaction and that he will not change the name of the town, Coonabarabran, which is often shortened to 'Coona'.

Coon cheese will now be named Cheer (pictured) as the name 'coon' is also used as a racial slur

'It's another move by cancel culture  an over-reaction. It's all really silly,' Mr Doolan told The Daily Telegraph.

'We won't change the name of our town.'

'When you know the name derives from the man who invented the brand of cheese, you shouldn't take offence out of it,' he said.

Aboriginal activists, including academic and former diplomat Dr Stephen Hagan, have spent the past two decades lobbying to have the cheese brand name changed as the word 'coon' is a slur against people of colour.

Mr Doolan believes the name change for the brand is an overreaction and that he will not be pressured by the public to do the same

The decision to ditch its well-recognised but controversial brand last year followed the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement worldwide.

The owner announced its decision last year to 'retire' the name of Australia's best loved cheese because of its historical use as a racist slur.

However, Mr Doolan said that he has never received complaints about the town's name and is not about to change it as a result of Saputo's decision.

Mr Doolan has said that the town's name Coonabarabran (pictured) has never received complaints on racial grounds

'People shouldn't be looking for offence when there's none intended,' Mr Doolan said.

The towns name Coonabarabran descends from the Indigenous word for 'inquisitive person.'

The new name for the beloved cheese brand has divided the Australian public and sent social media into meltdown.

While some welcomed the change, it was overshadowed by outpouring of anger.

'Another company kowtowing to the Woke mob. I never even thought of racism when I enjoyed my Coon Cheese. I certainly won't be eating Cheer. What a joke!' one man tweeted.

Aboriginal activists have spent many years lobbying for Coon cheese to change its name. Pictured are two women in an old ad for Coon cheese

Controversial media commentator Prue MacSween also weighed into the debate.

'Having my say on the latest cancel culture victim. Pretty cheesed off about it,' she tweeted.

Many others threatened to boycott Cheer, as an example of irrational political correctness.

'What a deadset joke this is! It's been 'Coon' cheese for 85 years straight and is the damn surname of the founder. What a world this has become - filled with sensitive f**k out there! Ain't buying this damn cheese no more!' one man tweeted.

Another added: 'For 53 years mum and dad's fridge always had Coon cheese as mine always had Coon cheese. When you change the name, we stop buying Coon cheese.'

Some Australians had mixed feelings.

'I'm indigenous and I still prefer Coon Cheese, it always has and always will be to me. It is sad that it had come to this. But we still need to come together as one,' one woman tweeted.

Pioneering Australian TV chef Peter Russell-Clarke, who was the face of the Coon cheese television ads in the 1980s slammed the changing of the name.

'It's ridiculous,' he told Daily Mail Australia last July.

'Are we going to change the name of the raccoon, do you think?

'Should we cut off the beaks of cockatoos to make sure the black beaks aren't offensive to the white of the cockatoo.'
A GRANDMOTHER who stole Christmas presents for her children and grandchildren has been given a four-month prison sentence.

Gwen Doherty (44) fell back into a drug habit during the Covid lockdown and was introduced to crack cocaine before she took the gifts from a Cabra supermarket, a court heard.

Judge Bryan Smyth imposed sentence but backdated it to the day she went into custody.

Doherty, a mother-of-four and grandmother-of-two with an address at Rory OConnor House in the north inner city, pleaded guilty to theft when she appeared before Dublin District Court.

The court heard Doherty stole 509 worth of gifts, food, clothing and cosmetics from Tesco on Navan Road, Cabra, last December 3.

She left the store without paying for the goods, which were recovered when she was stopped.

Separately, Doherty took 112 worth of groceries from Lidl on Moore Street last August 14.

Again, she was stopped as she left and all the goods were recovered in a saleable condition.

Doherty also admitted giving gardai false details when she was arrested and failing to appear in court on another date.

The accused, who had 49 previous convictions, had struggled with addiction for two decades, the court heard.

Doherty had previously worked in a sewing factory and at a hotel but had not worked in recent years, her solicitor Matthew De Courcy said.

She was supporting her family on very little means and was spending her social welfare on her children.

She had shoplifted to support her addiction, and on the day of the Tesco theft she had stolen Christmas presents for her children and grandchildren, the court heard.

Doherty realised this was unacceptable behaviour, Mr De Courcy added.

The accused had fallen into old habits during lockdown and was introduced to crack cocaine, he also said.

Doherty, who had the support of her partner, had been in custody for two weeks before her court appearance, the court heard.

Mr De Courcy asked the judge to be as lenient as he could in the circumstances.

Judge Smyth imposed a four-month sentence and backdated it to the day Doherty entered custody.


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 21:14:01|Editor: huaxia

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LUSAKA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- As Zambia prepares to reopen schools next week, a debate has emerged whether the schools should be reopened or not following a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Zambia has witnessed a surge in COVID-19 cases during the second wave of the pandemic, with health authorities warning that huge gatherings are fueling the surge.

Ministry of General Education Jobbics Kalumba said schools will reopen on Jan. 18 and that the second calendar will not be disturbed by the COVID-19.

However, the announcement has opened a debate, with people expressing various views.

While some have questioned the government's decision to reopen schools as it will put the learners at a high risk of contracting the pandemic, others believe that the decision is in the right direction.

The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC), a coalition of civil society organizations operating in the education sector, believes that there is no justifiable reason why schools should not go ahead and reopen.

George Hamusunga, the organization's executive director said there is no guarantee that if the reopening of schools is delayed, then COVID-19 cases will reduce.

According to him, failure to reopen schools will not help the learners who have affected academically when schools were abruptly closed last year due to the pandemic.

He urged schools to adapt to the new normal under the pandemic and start making preparations to ensure a safe learning environment for the learners.

However, Dr. Aaron Mujajati, one of the country's leading medical practitioners wondered whether it is appropriate for schools to reopen amidst a surge in COVID-19 cases.

He said authorities should reconsider the decision to reopen schools as the second wave of the pandemic is spreading rapidly and has affected nearly all parts of the country.

Dickson Jere, a lawyer and journalist said the Ministry of Health as the leading ministry in the fight against the pandemic should be in a better position to provide guidance on the matter.

"I think the Ministry of Health is the correct one to give directions on the reopening of schools next week amidst escalating COVID-19 cases. This is a public health pandemic and requires public health expertise," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Citizens have since provided various views on the matter.

Aaron Lungu, a resident of Lusaka, the country's capital says reopening schools is in the best interest of the learners because schools are the safest places for the learners unlike in the communities.

"This disease is meanwhile here to stay and for that reason we must learn to live with it hence life must continue," he said.

His views have been supported by Derrick Sitali who feels that the education sector is an important sector that is preparing young people for the future development of the country.

Sarah Banda believes that children will be saved from contracting the pandemic as they will be confined in school places unlike being left in the communities.

However, Lameck Sakala has advised the health ministry to ensure that there is strict adherence to preventive guidelines in all schools before they are reopened.

Schools, he said, should put in place available materials such as hand washing facilities, face masks as well as ensure social distancing in classrooms.

"The question should not be whether schools must open or not. It should be about what measures have been put in place to guarantee safety for the learners. COVID-19 is and will still be with us for the next coming months but that does not mean that pupils and students should just be made to roam about during this period," he said.

Indeed COVID-19 is here and adapting to it is vital for any sector. Enditem
I was shocked, resident Catalina Tercero, 68, said of the notice each of the remaining evacuees received. Standing outside her RV on Tuesday, she said she didnt know where else she could live.

We dont have a place to go, Tercero said. I dont even know how they found this place, but its been a blessing  until now. They want us out.

Tercero, like most of her neighbors, did not have homeowners insurance on her home at the park; fire took everything, she said. In the fires immediate aftermath, she bounced from hotel room to hotel room paid for by the county and then purchased an RV with emergency funds she received from FEMA. Shes receiving Social Security and, after losing her job in accounting at Napa Valley College amid the pandemic, unemployment insurance, but still feels as though shell never be able to afford to rent in Napa County again.

Hers is the story of most of the remaining evacuees, according to the former manager of the mobile home park, who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for his privacy. Even Abode, which has offered to pay first and last months rent on new rental properties the evacuees secure, cannot help them in the long term, the manager said. If forced to leave, he and his wife would be out on the street, he said.
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Romans 13 and revolution

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Author's note: The contemporary situation is perhaps the first time since the Civil War that talk of literal revolution is getting serious. It has been intensifying for the last four years. In 2018 I reflected on Romans 13. I Include some of those thoughts in the current column.



America in this desperate hour does not need bloody, anarchic chaos from left or right, but a constitutional, biblically grounded revolution.

Chaos kills the patient it claims to heal.

Americas founders, steeped in biblical knowledge and principles, and fresh from the chaos of the Revolutionary War, sought revolution that would be carried out with order rather than chaotic rampage like we have seen in 2020. (read John Eidsmoes Christianity and the Constitution and/or Democracy in America, by Alexis DE Tocqueville, and/or Wilfred M. McClays Land of Hope, and/or Revival, Revolution, Rebirth, co-authored by former House Majority Leader Tom Delay and myself).

When it comes to revolution there are two extremes among Christians. One embraces the view that revolution by any means is acceptable. The other extreme insists that Romans 13 forbids any resistance, even of a tyrannical government.

Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, opens with these words: Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

Does this mean the authors of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were going against the Word of God? Does this mean that people have no biblically sanctioned means of bringing down despotic regimes?

The key to understanding and applying Romans 13 lies in an important Greek word that appears there, exousia. This term is usually translated as authority, in contrast to dunamis (power) or kratos (might, or strength)

Power and might can only function properly when under proper authority. Therefore, the American Founders, in an age touched by the Great Awakening, and the thundering voices of prophetic preachers, placed healthy restraints in the founding documents. Gods transcendent authority is above all, as made clear in the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundations on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. (Italics added)

Therefore, powers can only be exercised under proper authority, flowing from God to the people, and through them to the government they choose, all under God. The People are the agents of Gods authority. That means they have a responsibility to know the heart and mind of God through relationship with Him. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people, said John Adams. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.

This is a major shift from the elitist monarchical-oligarchical-plutocratic governing styles that had dominated six thousand years of recorded history. (See, for example, William Federers book, Change to Chains)

Its important, then, to understand crucial differences between power and authority:

Authority is granted from the higher to the lower; power is seized by the strongest

Authority is accountable to its transcendent source; power is accountable only to itself

Authority is sustained through loving relationship and service; power is sustained by raw strength

Authority leads through example and the free choice of those who are led; power controls, as Dudley Hall puts it, through manipulation, intimidation, condemnation, domination.

Where mighty people try to use power without authority there is opportunity for the demonic to surge in. All the powers of darkness await is someone to open the door so the destroyers can find a stronghold from which they can accomplish their evil purposes.

Both King Saul and King Nebuchadnezzar learned this principle the hard way. Saul acted against the direction of God in the aftermath of a great battle and victory and seized authority that God had not granted him. The Lord spoke the result through the prophet Samuel: ... rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination as iniquity and idolatry... Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king of Israel. (1 Samuel 15:22-23)

The big lesson: Use power and might entrusted to you without yourself being under proper authority, and you will lose the right to lead and rule. This has concerning implications for Catholics in government who expand abortion despite the official beliefs of their Church.

Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar rejected the God of Daniel and lost his mind, spending years in the wilderness in an animal-like existence. But in his insanity, Nebuchadnezzar found God, and, at the end, declared Daniels God as the true God, the ruler over the realm of mankind, who sets over it the lowliest of people (because it is the lowliest who are humble enough to recognize their need to be under authority, and thus can be trusted with authority). (Daniel 3-4)

It would seem now that the whole of contemporary government has dashed off into Nebuchadnezzars wilderness of chaos. Pray that its minions find God in that mad realm and bring themselves under His authority.
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021 has rolled out a plethora of brand-new technologies we have never heard. One of them the highlights of the show is when InWith Corporation introduced its first-ever electronic contact lenses.

"The InWith technology being premiered at CES is a configuration to enable developers to place augmented vision display chip applications into any soft hydrogel contact lens that millions of people can wear daily." the company writes on its official website.

Claiming to be "the only company to publicly display this capability to integrate display circuitry into modern, soft contact lens materials," InWith has pioneered integrating reliable circuits into hydrogel material, which allows them to expand and contract in the normal manufacturing process.

Read also: CES 2021: Earin's A-3 Could Be Dubbed as the World's 'Smallest and Lightest Earbuds'.

How Does It Work?

Like any other contact lenses, InWith's electronic lenses help people have better sight for those who suffer from myopia or presbyopia, or for the latest AR/XR visual applications.

"As some very big name companies are seeking to develop augmented reality glasses and goggles," says InWith, "the soft contact lens remains the ultimate medium for discreet augmented reality, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing."

Furthermore, the company also assures that the product would enable connection and tunable mobile devices, and it's interesting how it will play out. Forbes crowned its development as one of the most popular tech stories of 2020.

For more coverage on CES 2021, click here or watch the full report from CES' official website here.

Long-Awaited Technology

The development of electronic contact lenses has been made for years, and InWith is more than proud to lead the pack.

Previously in 2020, Moho Vision rolled out prototypes of futuristic contact lenses that let you enhance your vision or even show your schedule right from the surface of your eyes. As Wired reported, the California-based company is still in its research and development phase, a few years away from becoming a real product on the market.

"We want to create a technology that lets you be you, lets you look like you; doesn't change your appearance; it doesn't make you act weird walking down the street," Mike Wiemer, Mojo Vision's co-founder, told the publication.

Tech behemoth Google also joined the conversation. In 2014, Google announced its ambitious "Contact Lens" project, with an aim to assist people with diabetes to measure their glucose levels in tears. To help propel the project, Google partnered up with Novartis' Alcon unit to develop the glucose-sensing smart contact lens.

Consisted of a wireless chip and a glucose sensor embedded between two soft layers of lens material, Google Contact Lens allows the tear fluid to automatically seep into the sensor to measure its blood sugar levels automatically.

Unfortunately, the project was discontinued in 2018 after researchers found that there there's a lack of correlation between tear glucose and blood glucose.

Related post: Parler Banned: Amazon Drops Support Following Google and Apple, What Can Users Do?.
The Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR) rejected on Wednesday the Government's notification on the law for the revision of the state social insurance budget for 2020, establishing that the normative act is unconstitutional.

"The Constitutional Court, by unanimous vote, rejected as unfounded the objection of unconstitutionality and found that the Law approving the Government's Emergency Ordinance no. 136/2020 for the reviusion of the state social insurance budget for 2020 is constitutional in relation to the criticism received. The criticized law regulates exclusively technical measures, and not the increase or decrease of the pension point, this issue not being the object of this notification. According to the constant jurisprudence of the Court, the appreciation of the sufficient or not character of the budgetary resources represents a problem exclusively of political opportunity, and not of constitutionality, so that it exceeds the competence of the Constitutional Court," the constitutional judges specify in the minute of the decision.

In mid-October last year, the Executive notified the CCR in view of exercising prior constitutional review of the Law approving Government's Emergency Ordinance 136/2020 - revision of the state social insurance budget for 2020.
The man wearing a "Camp Auschwitz" shirt who was photographed at last week's deadly pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol, was arrested in Virginia on Wednesday, officials said.

Robert Keith Packer, a 56-year-old Newport News resident, was booked into Western Tidewater Regional Jail by the U.S. Marshals Service at 8:53 a.m., according to inmate records.

A man wears a

The FBI's Norfolk Joint Terrorism Task Force "arrested Robert Keith Packer of Newport News and Douglas Allen Sweet of Grimstead, Virginia on federal charges related to their role in the events at the U.S. Capitol" last week, FBI spokeswoman Christina Pullen said in a statement.

During an initial appearance, Packer was told he was charged with two federal offenses: Knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to an arrest warrant signed Tuesday by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather in Washington, D.C.

A criminal complaint written by FBI Special Agent Paul Fisher included two pictures of Packer allegedly at the riot, wearing the "Camp Auschwitz" shirt.

The agent also included another image of Packer, appearing to wear the same shirt, at a Newport News store on Dec. 11

A stakeout of Packer's home on Monday showed he was driving the same car he used in that Dec. 11 store visit, Fisher wrote.

Packer was not asked to enter a plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Douglas E. Miller, who said Packer would be released without bail. Packer was ordered to stay out of Washington, D.C., for anything but his case.

His next court date was set for Tuesday afternoon. Packer did not speak other than acknowledging his name and agreeing to terms of his release.

A bearded white man wearing a long-sleeved "Camp Auschwitz" sweatshirt was among the most striking images snapped at last week's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, when mobs incited by outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the building in hopes of overturning President-elect Joe Biden's election victory.

Auschwitz was one the most notorious death camps run by Nazis during the Holocaust and World War II. Packers sweatshirt also includes the words Work Brings Freedom, in apparent homage to the German phrase Arbeit macht frei" which was at emblazoned at the gates of Auschwitz and other death camps.

Sydney Cohen, a Hampton, Virginia resident, said Packer owns the vacant lot near her home. She said the man pictured in the "Camp Auschwitz" shirt and defendant's mug shot listed in Western Tidewater Regional Jail records are the same person.

"I think seeing things on television is one thing, you can shake your head and be worried," Cohen told NBC News on Wednesday. "But it's a different feeling to have someone that you know personally to be involved (in the riots)."

Cohen said she shudders thinking about Packer possibly harboring anti-Semitic beliefs.

"He knows my name," said Cohen, 53. "It's a malice I didn't know about and it's scary."

It wasn't immediately clear if Packer had hired an attorney.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 15:15:32|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he won't invoke the 25th Amendment to oust President Donald Trump, hours before the House approved a resolution urging him to do so.

The vice president's rejection, though widely expected, will force the Democrats, who are resolved to remove Trump from office after his supporters stormed the Capitol last week, to impeach the president on Wednesday.

PENCE REFUSES

"Now with just eight days left in the President's term, you and Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote in a letter to Pelosi released Tuesday night.

"I do not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution," the vice president said, adding that he will not "yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games."

Pence argued in the letter that the 25th Amendment was designed to "address Presidential incapacity or disability," and that the law "is not a means of punishment or usurpation."

Urging Pelosi "and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame passions of the moment," Pence said that he will continue to do his work with the incoming administration "to ensure an orderly transition of power."

Despite Pence's refusal, the House on Tuesday night still voted for a resolution urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office in the wake of last week's Capitol Hill violence.

The resolution, passed 223-205 almost entirely along party lines, asked Pence to "declare what is obvious to a horrified Nation: That the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office."

Should the vice president refuse to do so, the House will push ahead with the impeachment proceedings against Trump, warned the Democrats, who control the House.

Also on Tuesday, Trump called the impeachment "ridiculous." "To continue on this path, I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger," Trump said.

He said later when inspecting the border wall in Alamo, Texas, that the 25th Amendment "is of zero risk to me."

2ND IMPEACHMENT UNDERWAY

House Democrats introduced the impeachment resolution on Monday, charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection."

Accusing the president of sparking an attack on a coequal branch of government and disturbing the peaceful transfer of power, the Democrats pointed to Trump's speech to supporters on Jan. 6 calling them to fight the election results, as well as his repeated baseless claims that there were widespread voter fraud in the election.

"If he won't resign and Vice President Pence and the Cabinet won't invoke the 25th Amendment, he will be impeached by the House, and as law requires, tried by the Senate," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said of Trump when addressing reporters in New York earlier in the day.

Now that Pence has refused to oust Trump through his constitutional power, the House is all but certain vote on the article of impeachment Wednesday.

Four Republican representatives explicitly said Tuesday that they will vote "yes" to the impeachment article, adding to the possibility that the House will impeach Trump for a second time during his presidency.

The third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney was among the House Republicans who announced their support for the impeachment. The Wyoming congresswoman was joined by John Katko of New York, Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, and Fred Upton of Utah.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to the The New York Times, said he believes Trump did commit impeachable offenses. However, he indicated earlier that the Senate, now in recess, would only be capable of holding the impeachment trial after the end of Trump's presidential term.

Schumer disputed McConnell's claim by citing a 2004 legislation that allows the Senate minority and majority leaders to jointly reconvene the upper house in times of emergency. "This is a time of emergency," Schumer said.

It remains unclear when the House will deliver the impeachment article to the Senate for the trial. Pelosi did not answer Tuesday when asked about a timetable for the transmission.

Pelosi on Tuesday named nine House impeachment managers to prosecute Trump during the Senate trial, with Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, being the lead manager. Enditem
STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. A serviceman of the Artsakh Defense Army suffered a gunshot wound when Azerbaijani troops breached the ceasefire and opened gunfire at a military base of the Defense Army stationed in the central direction.

The Artsakh Defense Army said the victim is 20-year-old serviceman Vardan Kirakosyan. He was immediately taken to a military hospital and successfully underwent surgery for his wounds.

His condition is assessed to be stable but serious. An investigation is underway to reveal details of the incident, the Artsakh Defense Ministry said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
ANN ARBOR, MI  An Ann Arbor council members allegation that an Airbnb property investor hinted at a potential bribe offer in exchange for her vote has been referred to the city attorney and police chief, officials said.

City Attorney Stephen Postema publicly discussed the issue with City Councils Administration Committee and City Administrator Tom Crawford on Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Its certainly an appropriate topic to discuss, Postema told the committee, which is now exploring whether the city should draft a new rule or policy concerning improper solicitations of council members and requirements for them to report such incidents when they happen.

The allegation of a potential bribe arose in a recent blog post from Council Member Elizabeth Nelson, D-4th Ward, who wrote about councils ongoing consideration of regulations for Airbnb short-term rental properties.

Nelson voted with a majority of council last September to ban them in residential neighborhoods, a move the new council is revisiting.

Nelson wrote in her Dec. 27 blog post she was stunned last summer when a short-term rental property investor, who she did not identify, tried influencing her vote on the issue.

Elizabeth, I need your help on this. If you can help me with this, I will make it up to you. I dont mean a bribe, but if you could just help me, Nelson recalled the investor telling her in a phone conversation last July.

Nothing about that remark was normal or appropriate, Nelson said.

I cannot know the experience of other council members, but this was the very first time that anyone offered to do anything for me, personally, in exchange for a policy decision, Nelson wrote. I hope that my new colleagues on council also understand: this is not normal or appropriate.

In a recent Facebook post responding to Nelsons blog, Council Member Jen Eyer, D-4th Ward, argued Nelson should have reported the matter to authorities.

Attempted bribery of an elected official is a felony, Eyer wrote, adding Nelsons allegations have now been referred to the appropriate officials and I expect that they will be looked into with all due diligence. If a bribery attempt happened, failure to report it would be a serious breach of duty. The public deserves to know what occurred.

Council Member Julie Grand, D-3rd Ward, shared Eyers concerns at Tuesdays meeting.

Nelson said last week she never reported the matter to authorities because she didnt think it was an explicit bribe. It was an invitation during a phone call to have a more specific conversation about what kind of favors would be offered, she said, adding she was shocked and ended the call.

It was very, very far from a specific bribe, but it almost felt like name your price, Nelson said, maintaining she still had no obligation to report it.

She didnt record the call, so she has no evidence of it except that she told people about it and there were other related text messages, she said. Nelson declined to name the person.

A representative of a group of roughly 50 local short-term rental property owners said theyre not aware of anyone in their group approaching Nelson with a bribe offer and they find the allegation hard to believe.

Airbnb property investors may sue Ann Arbor if council doesnt lift pending ban

In light of Nelsons allegations, Postema put the issue of reporting bribes on Tuesdays agenda for the Administration Committee, which includes Mayor Christopher Taylor and council members Eyer, Grand, Kathy Griswold and Ali Ramlawi. They agreed its a serious matter and Postema said hes still talking to Police Chief Michael Cox about it.

I do believe its an important issue that deserves attention, said Ramlawi, D-5th Ward.

Cox and Postema did not respond to requests for comment from The Ann Arbor News/MLive on whether the matter is being treated as a criminal investigation.

I do think theres some merit to the idea of letting either myself or the police chief know about something like this, Postema told the committee of what should happen when council members receive an improper solicitation.

Postema said he doesnt have a solution right now other than the possibility of a rule that would require reporting such incidents when they happen to warn other council members and allow things to be looked into. Looking into allegations after the fact may be difficult, he said.

Its proper that we articulate expectations in this area, Taylor agreed.

Ramlawi suggested incorporating it into the councils ethics rules and putting more responsibility on council members who are approached with an improper solicitation.

I know were all obviously not supposed to accept any kind of gifts or bribes, but thats something for legal to explain and whether there is a burden placed on the elected officials to report such activity, he said.

Postema said his staff is looking into that and Michigan ethics rules leave a lot to be desired.

He suggested the Administration Committee defer the matter for now and allow the rules subcommittee, which includes Eyer and Griswold, to talk about it.

Griswold, D-2nd Ward, and Eyer said they can put it on their list of things to do.

In the meantime, I will get some more information back, Postema told the committee. Its not something that I expected you to decide today, but just have it on your radar, and it will help give time to think through it all.

Eyer said she felt Nelsons blog post suggested council members who are now in favor of allowing existing short-term rental properties to continue may be being bribed.

That was the reason for my public statement, just to assure my constituents that I would take something very seriously, Eyer said, adding there seems to be a need to clarify what the proper steps should be when a council member has concerns they or a colleague may be being bribed.

Its pretty self-explanatory that if somebody tries to bribe you as a council member, you should report it. If we have to write that into our rules because some council members dont inherently understand that, then I think we should do that.

MORE FROM THE ANN ARBOR NEWS:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day being celebrated virtually in Ann Arbor area

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See which of Ann Arbors 144 miles of sidewalk gaps will get filled first

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Should Ann Arbor have a citywide sidewalk snow removal program?

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A powerful wind storm rolled through the Pacific Northwest Wednesday, triggering landslides and decimating homes in a destructive flurry that has left one dead, one missing and 500,000 without power.

Winds reached gusts 50 to 70 mph in parts of the Puget Sound region as the storm blew through on the tail end of several inches of rain that left the ground saturated and conditions ripe for trees to fall.

In Spokane, Washington State, a woman in her 40s was killed after a tree fell on her car at 27th Avenue and Post Street, trapping her inside, city Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said.

A second woman was also injured by a falling tree in the city on 63rd avenue at 6am, when it crashed through the roof of her home trapping her inside her bedroom. She was successfully freed by firefighters and was said to have suffered 'chest injuries'. She was taken to hospital to be evaluated.

We are experiencing areas of flooding, downed trees, and other impacts from the storm. Please be very careful, Schaeffer warned.

In Oregon, one person has been reported missing after a landslide was triggered near I-84 in Dodson, sweeping a person - who hasn't been named - away in a swell of debris.

Around 11 million Americans across 13 states - including Wisconsin and Minnesota - have now been put on alert for damaging winds, flooding and heavy snow as the storm moves East.

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In Spokane, Washington State, a woman in her 40s was killed after a tree fell on her car at 27th Avenue and Post Street, trapping her inside (above)

A second woman was also injured by a falling tree in the city on 63rd avenue at 6am, when it crashed through the roof of her home trapping her inside her bedroom

She was successfully freed by firefighters and suffered 'chest injuries', the extent of which were not disclosed

Winds reached gusts 50 to 70 mph in parts of the Puget Sound region as the storm blew through late Tuesday into Wednesday morning

A ponderosa pine is uprooted at a homeowners sidewalk on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, after a windstorm in Spokane

In Oregon, one person has been reported missing after a landslide was triggered near an interstate highway in Dodson, sweeping an person - who hasn't been named - away in a swell of debris

Around 11 million Americans across 13 states - including Nebraska and Wisconsin - have now been put on alert for damaging winds, flooding and heavy snow as the storm moves East

High winds blew down trees across the greater Spokane region. Avista, a Spokane-based utility, reported that more than 70,000 customers were without power Wednesday morning. About 430,000 customers elsewhere in Washington state and in Oregon also lost electrical service, officials said.

The city's public schools were closed for in-person and virtual learning Wednesday morning, and Eastern Washington University also cancelled both in-person and online classes.

An unofficial gust of 71 mph was recorded at Spokane International Airport on Wednesday  the second-highest ever and just 6 mph short of the all-time record of 77 mph, which was recorded during a ferocious storm in November 2015.

The driver of a UPS semi-truck said his vehicle was nearly blown off of a bridge as he attempted to cross the Deception Pass Bridge in Island Country, as gusts of up to 65pmh suddenly struck.

Jeff Myles vehicle did turn over under the strain of the high winds, leaving part of the truck dangling precariously over the edge of the bridge, 180 feet above water.

Myles said he escaped the terrifying incident unharmed but said he has been left incredibly shaken up.

'I just passed the middle of the bridge and a gust of ... I dont know how bad ... just picked up my trailer and my truck and just pushed it against the guard rail,' he told KOMO News. 'I slammed on my brakes, and I just laid over the guard rail. It tilted about 3 feet each way.'

Myles said his cab was leaning over the edge of the bridge, and he couldn't just open his door.

'I could look down at the water (out my window), so I wasn't going to open THAT door,' he said.

Im okay, just feeling a bit older, he joked. A few more gray hairs.

The driver of a UPS semi-truck said his vehicle was nearly blown off of a bridge as he attempted to cross the Deception Pass Bridge in Island Country, as gusts of up to 65pmh suddenly struck

Tacoma Fire Department crews also responded to an incident near the 6000 block of South Mason Street after winds caused a tree to fall on a residence, trapping an occupant in their bed.

The damage from inside the home is seen in the above image. The person trapped in bed reportedly escaped without significant injury

High winds blew down trees across the greater Spokane region. Avista, a Spokane-based utility, reported that more than 70,000 customers were without power Wednesday morning. About 430,000 customers elsewhere in Washington state and in Oregon also lost electrical service

Children climb around a large ponderosa pine that fell in Cannon Hill Park after Wednesday's windstorm passed through

Spokane County Fire District 8 and Spokane City Fire responded to a woman trapped when a tree fell on a house on 63rd ave

A winter storm watch has been issued for Wisconsin and Minnesota where some areas could see 6 to 12 inches of snow. Chicago too is likely to see snow by the weeks end too, according to forecasts

In Oregon, residents of the small community of Dodson were told to evacuate after the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning Wednesday morning.

The weather service told residents to call friends in the area to wake them up and tweeted that the situation has been 'deemed too dangerous to send in rescue crews.'

Near Dodson, part of Interstate 84 was closed after a landslide spilled onto the freeway before dawn.

As of Wednesday afternoon one person has been reported missing in the landslides wake.

Rescuers were searching through mud as deep as 10 feet in search of the person, who was not named but is thought to have been swept away by the debris flow.

Firefighters were not able to locate any heat sources using thermal-imaging cameras, the Multnomah County Sheriff's office said. It remains too dangerous for physical search.

The Red Cross was providing rooms for evacuees at a nearby hotel.

The National Weather Service in Portland said several rivers were at or above flood stage across the state of Oregon.

Huge waves along the coast of up to 32 feet caused some beach erosion and coastal flooding, officials said.

In the mountains, locally 4 to 5 feet of very wet snow fell in the last two to three days and closed some passes which made roads treacherous.

Near Dodson, part of Interstate 84 was closed after a landslide spilled onto the freeway before dawn

As of Wednesday afternoon one person has been reported missing in the landslides wake

Rescuers were searching through mud as deep as 10 feet in search of the person, who was not named but is thought to have been swept away by the debris flow

The Red Cross was providing rooms for evacuees at a nearby hotel as crews working to clear the area

Around 11 million Americans across 13 states - from Washington to Wisconsin - have been put on alert for damaging winds, flooding and heavy snow.

The storm is tipped to move east into the Midwest by tomorrow and Friday.

A winter storm watch has been issued for Wisconsin and Minnesota where some areas could see 6 to 12 inches of snow. Chicago too is likely to see snow by the weeks end too, according to forecasts

Additionally, winds could gust 40 to 60 mph causing blowing and drifting snow from the Dakotas down to Nebraska and Iowa.

The storm system will then move into the Northeast by Friday night and into Saturday, bringing heavy rainfall to New York City and Boston, and snow to Pennsylvania, New York State and New England.

In the East, the heaviest snow will be in western Pennsylvania, New York and into Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine where locally more than a half a foot snow is possible, according to ABC.

Fearful about returning to the halls of Congress? With the FBI warning of planned armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., in the run-up to Joe Bidens swearing-in next Wednesday, Schneider says he and his colleagues take those threats to heart. A lot of us have honest concern and fear about what we saw on Jan. 6 and whats being threatened, currently, for the days ahead. And were counting on our police, our local police, whether thats in Washington or in everyones home district and in many cases a National Guard to hold the line. These are domestic terrorists.
The closed Debenhams store on Henry Street in Dublin. Picture; Gerry Mooney

FORMER Debenhams workers have overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to set up a 3m fund in a last ditch bid to end a long-running dispute.

Mandate members have rejected a Government offer to set up the fund that was part of a dispute resolution process facilitated by Labour Court chair Kevin Foley.

A total of 393 former workers voted against the proposal and 37 voted in favour of the 430 workers who cast votes.

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The former staff have held sit-ins and mounted pickets in pursuit of a redundancy package worth two weeks pay per year of service on top of statutory redundancy.

They say this package was agreed with the company in a collective agreement in 2016.

The State has paid 13m in statutory redundancy entitlements.

Over 1,000 workers lost their jobs when the high street chain went into liquidation at the start of the pandemic last April.

The proposal document stated that the Government would establish a 3m training, upskilling and business start-up fund, but crucially, prevented the workers from accessing cash from the fund, said Mandate in a statement.

It said Debenhams shop stewards will meet to decide their next steps in their campaign for a fair redundancy package and changes to legislation to ensure workers are not treated like this in the future.

Mr Foley agreed to become involved in the dispute following a request from the Taoiseach and the Tanaiste.

The Government agreed due to exceptional circumstances it was willing to set up a fund administered by Solas, with an advisory committee to include union officials.

Emma Roberts joyously welcomed her first child with boyfriend Garrett Hedlund, 36, on Sunday, December 27.

And the actress, 29, shared the first image of her newborn son with her 15.5million Instagram followers on Tuesday.

'Thank you 2020 for getting one thing right  Our bright light Rhodes Robert Hedlund,' wrote Roberts, who could be seen cradling Rhodes in her arms.

First look: Emma Roberts shared the first image of her newborn son Rhodes with her 15.5million Instagram followers on Tuesday

Emma looked radiant in a stylish orange mini dress by Stella McCartney that she paired with some matching open-toed mules.

The American Horror Story star posed with her legs crossed and with her arms wrapped tenderly around her little one.

Rhodes, whose face was turned away from the camera, looked ultra cozy in a teddy bear inspired beanie.

His tiny body was comfortable wrapped up in a soft blanket that matched his mother's fashion forward ensemble.

Supportive circle: Shortly after sharing her sweet mother-son snapshot, Roberts received an influx of supportive comments from her A-list pals

Emma appeared to be enjoying some time outdoors with Rhodes from the comfort of her Los Angeles home's spacious backyard.

Roberts welcomed Rhodes into the world on December 27 at a Los Angeles hospital, a source told TMZ last month.

The insider also revealed that Emma and Garrett's son 'weighed in right around 9 lbs' and that the couple were 'doing great after the delivery.'

Neither had publicly confirmed Rhodes' arrival until Emma's surprise Instagram post on Tuesday.

A blessing: Roberts joyously welcomed her first child with boyfriend Garrett Hedlund, 36, on Sunday, December 27; Garrett and Emma pictured in August

Shortly after sharing her sweet mother-son snapshot, Roberts received an influx of supportive comments from her A-list pals.

'Oh baby!! Congrats!!' wrote fellow actress Reese Witherspoon, while Emma's Scream Queens co-star Billie Lourd left a string of bright pink heart emojis.

Ashley Tisdale, who is currently pregnant with her first child, joked that she loved Emma's post so much that she 'liked it twice.'

Roberts' good pal Rashida Jones commented that she 'cannot wait' to meet Rhodes, while Ashley Benson sent her love to the new mom.

Ready to go: Just a week before Rhodes' birth, Emma shared a slew of baby-related snaps with her followers

'Soooo happy for you,' continued the Pretty Little Liars star, 31.

Back in August, Emma used Instagram to publicly announce her pregnancy and to reveal her baby's gender, writing: 'Me...and my two favorite guys!'

Since then, Roberts has kept her devout fans up to date on her first experience with pregnancy, with her last baby bump pic appearing in mid-December.

'Emma and Garrett are getting more and more excited, which is so nice for them,' a source told UsWeekly in November of the pair's eagerness to meet their little one.

Expecting: Back in August, Emma used Instagram to publicly announce her pregnancy and to reveal her baby's gender, writing: 'Me...and my two favorite guys!'; Emma pictured in August

'Garrett is really looking forward to becoming a dad and feels as though this is something he needed.

'He is ready to take on all the daddy duties, and Emma getting pregnant has forced him to become more responsible. He thinks that's a blessing.'

The niece of Julia Roberts also recently made history - thanks to her bundle of joy - as she became the first pregnant star to pose on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.

She admitted in the interview that she always wanted to be a mother: 'Ever since I was little, I wanted to have a baby, in theory.

Growing: Since then, Roberts has kept her devout fans up to date on her first experience with pregnancy, with her last baby bump pic appearing in mid-December; Emma pictured on November 26

'When I was a kid, I begged my mom to have another baby. The day she brought my sister home from the hospital, I remember holding her, wanting to dress and play with her.'

Roberts also revealed that she had her eggs frozen in her late twenties, when she was diagnosed with endometriosis, after switching to a female doctor.

She added: 'It sounds cheesy, but the moment that I stopped thinking about it, we got pregnant.

The first: The niece of Julia Roberts also recently made history - thanks to her bundle of joy - as she became the first pregnant star to pose on the cover of Cosmopolitan magazine

'But even then, I didn't want to get my hopes up. Things can go wrong when you're pregnant. That's something you don't see on Instagram.

'So I kept it to myself, my family, and my partner, not wanting to make grand plans if it wasn't going to work out. This pregnancy made me realize that the only plan you can have is that there is no plan.'

Emma and Garrett started dating in early 2019, shortly after the actress ended her length engagement with ex Evan Peters.

Hedlund had previously been in a relationship with Kirsten Dunst from 2012 to 2016.
Approval granted from the Bank of England for ICE Clear Europe to clear IFAD markets

IFAD receives regulatory approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE), a leading operator of global exchanges and clearing houses and provider of mortgage technology, data and listings services, today provides an update on ICE Futures Abu Dhabi (IFAD).

ICE plans to launch IFAD and trading in ICE Murban Crude Oil Futures on March 29, 2021, subject to the completion of regulatory approvals.

"We are making good progress on securing the regulatory approvals necessary for launch. We have received approval from the Bank of England for ICE Clear Europe to clear contracts traded on IFAD and IFAD is now a Recognized Market Operator by the Monetary Authority of Singapore," said Jamal Oulhadj, President of ICE Futures Abu Dhabi. "We believe that the combination of our partners, ICE's extensive global energy network and customer base, and the capital efficiencies created by clearing Murban alongside Brent, WTI, and Dubai, mean that Murban futures should have a deep base of support as the market uses the futures to buy, sell and hedge Murban crude."

In addition to the approvals from the Bank of England and Monetary Authority of Singapore, ICE Futures Abu Dhabi has completed the relevant regulatory processes or analysis required to permit direct access to IFAD from a range of jurisdictions including Abu Dhabi Global Market, the United States, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Norway, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

In November 2019, ICE announced plans to launch IFAD, with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company and nine of the world's largest energy traders partnering with ICE on the launch. ICE Murban Futures will be complemented with a range of cash settled derivatives. These include outright, differential and crack differentials against Brent, WTI, Gasoil and Naphtha among others, as well as inter-commodity spreads, which will launch alongside Murban futures.

Contracts traded at IFAD will be cleared at ICE Clear Europe, a leading energy clearing house, and will clear alongside ICE's global energy futures platform covering oil, natural gas and the environmental complex, allowing customers to benefit from associated margin offsets.

About Intercontinental Exchange

Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE) is a Fortune 500 company and provider of marketplace infrastructure, data services and technology solutions to a broad range of customers including financial institutions, corporations and government entities. We operate regulated marketplaces, including the New York Stock Exchange, for the listing, trading and clearing of a broad array of derivatives contracts and financial securities across major asset classes. Our comprehensive data services offering supports the trading, investment, risk management and connectivity needs of customers around the world and across asset classes. As a leading technology provider for the U.S. residential mortgage industry, ICE Mortgage Technology provides the technology and infrastructure to transform and digitize U.S. residential mortgages, from application and loan origination through to final settlement.

Trademarks of ICE and/or its affiliates include Intercontinental Exchange, ICE, ICE block design, NYSE and New York Stock Exchange. Information regarding additional trademarks and intellectual property rights of Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. and/or its affiliates is located at http://www.intercontinentalexchange.com/terms-of-use. Key Information Documents for certain products covered by the EU Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products Regulation can be accessed on the relevant exchange website under the heading "Key Information Documents (KIDS)."

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 -- Statements in this press release regarding ICE's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of additional risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see ICE's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, including, but not limited to, the risk factors in ICE's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as filed with the SEC on February 6, 2020.

ICE- CORP

Source: Intercontinental Exchange

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005461/en/

Contacts:

ICE Media Contact:

Rebecca Mitchell

Rebecca.Mitchell@theice.com

+44 7951 057 351



ICE Investor Contact:

Warren Gardiner

Warren.Gardiner@theice.com

770-835-0114
Lobbyists for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the biggest K Street organization and a regular donor to congressional campaigns, said Tuesday they were evaluating which lawmakers to cut off from the groups political support after rioters stormed the Capitol last week.

There are some members who by their actions will have forfeited the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce  period, full stop, Neil Bradley, the chambers executive vice president and chief policy officer, said during a virtual news conference Tuesday. Were going to have a lot more to say about the members whose actions last week  and the actions over the next eight days and beyond  will have cost them the chambers support.

The chambers deliberations come amid a backlash from corporate America after President Donald Trump encouraged his supporters to fight Congress electoral certification last week. Some of the nations biggest companies and most recognizable brands have vowed to pause all their political donations, while others have said they will cut off the 140 GOP lawmakers who voted against certifying the electoral votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania last week, even after the deadly attempted insurrection.

Companies and associations are all tailoring the right response based on how they operate their political giving programs and their PAC programs, Bradley said. What youre seeing across the board is that business is stepping up and saying we have a role to play in help restoring democratic norms, and we want to play that role.

The Capitol riot of last week has sent shock waves through corporate ranks and has K Street lobbyists scrambling.

Corporations have become much more concerned about reputational risks, and what we are seeing is an admittedly unprecedented result of that, said Democratic lobbyist Lisa Kountoupes, president of the lobbying firm Kountoupes, Denham, Carr & Reid. Its extreme, but so were the events that precipitated it.

Liberal advocates of campaign finance overhaul said the companies responses show the influence of political spending and called for more disclosures of campaign spending, especially donations to nonprofit organizations such as the chamber that dont need to disclose all of their backers.

Companies and associations new abhorrence towards spending money to support politicians who helped incite violence or supported false election fraud claims is a pivotal change, said Lisa Gilbert of Public Citizen. The chamber, she added, should go further by supporting bans on or disclosures of secret political spending  something the chamber is unlikely to do.

The chambers longtime top lobbyist and CEO, Tom Donohue, noted during his annual State of American Business address on Tuesday that violence has no place in our democracy. During the news conference shortly after his speech, Donohue read from a prepared statement when a reporter asked if he viewed the events of last week as an attempted coup.

The presidents conduct last week was absolutely unacceptable and completely inexcusable. By his words and actions, he has undermined our democratic institutions and ideals, he read. It is for the vice president, the Cabinet, and Congress to decide whether or not to invoke the 25th Amendment or pursue impeachment or other measures  and we trust them to use those tools judiciously, if needed, to ensure our nations well-being and security.

The chamber has disclosed spending more than $55 million on federal lobbying during the first three quarters of 2020. It has, over the four years of the Trump administration, frequently backed the president on such matters as a reduction of tax rates and on business deregulation. But the group opposed the president on immigration policy and tariffs.

Donohue said the chamber was ready to work with President-elect Joe Bidens administration and the 117th Congress on a package to spur infrastructure projects as well as on immigration matters. It also is lobbying Congress to provide more economic relief to companies and Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Donohue and Bradley made clear the group will be at odds with Democrats over a push for a $15 federal minimum wage.

When it comes to the chambers political support, Bradley noted that two years ago the group started factoring in lawmakers commitment to governing and to bipartisan collaboration as part of its rankings.

The chambers PAC reported nearly $650,000 in donations during the 2020 election cycle, according to federal disclosures analyzed by the Center for Responsive Politics. Of that, nearly $500,000 went to Republicans, including some who voted to decertify the election results, such as Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama. The chambers PAC also donated to House members who voted that way, including Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, Matt Rosendale of Montana and Californias Mike Garcia, among others.

The chamber declined to say whether it would cut off specific senators, such as Missouris Josh Hawley, who was the first senator to say he would join House members in objecting to state electors. But Bradley did offer a verbal endorsement of some lawmakers, including GOP Sens. Todd Young of Indiana and Roy Blunt of Missouri, Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, GOP Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Rodney Davis of Illinois, and Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.

Part of governing is a respect for democracy, democratic norms and democratic institutions, Bradley said, noting that the chamber would take into account the totality of what candidates and elected officials do including the actions of last week and, importantly, the actions in the days ahead in determining whether or not we support them.

Rep. John Katko, a New York Republican and frequent target of Democrats, spoke on a panel Tuesday about forging bipartisan solutions to aid the economic recovery that was part of the chambers programming. He revealed after the program that he would support impeaching Trump if the House, as expected, takes the issue up this week.

Katko said at the chamber program that he had a personal connection to one of the injured Capitol Police officers, whom he said had been a former intern. Just before the panel, he said, he had met with the officers mother.

So its real and its very serious, and its a dark day in our history. But we need to band together as a country, he said.

The chamber, long associated as part of the GOP political milieu, rankled some of its own insiders during the 2020 cycle by endorsing a slate of two dozen freshman Democrats, some of whom lost in November. The chambers longtime political director, Scott Reed, left the organization last year.

I spent 20 years on Capitol Hill, 11 in that building, Bradley said Tuesday. I cant tell you the personal fury that I feel for whats happened.  So thats why were going to be methodical about holding people accountable but also rewarding those individuals who have earned our support and need to be recognized in this moment.

___

(c)2021 CQ Roll Call

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
2020 was a milestone year for the Black Lives Matter movement. Whats ahead for 2021?

In June, a contingent from the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB took part in a "White Coats 4 Black Lives" march.



The wave of that change has been seen all across the country, bringing people from all races together to demand symbolic and, more importantly, structural changes supporting the value of Black lives.  Kelly Patterson, PhD, associate professor of social work University at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y.  Rayshard Brooks. George Floyd. Daniel Prude. Breonna Taylor. These are the now-familiar names of just a few of the many Black people killed by police in 2020. It was a year that magnified many flaws in America, perhaps none more so than the nations mistreatment of people of color. With each killing, protestors flooded the streets in a unifying demand for change. 2020 was a difficult year in the nations long and complex history of race relations. But it was also a milestone year for the Black Lives Matter movement. Why? Because Black Lives Matter has become solidified in the American psyche, says Kelly Patterson, PhD, an associate professor in the University at Buffalo School of Social Work who studies the intersection of poverty and inequality, as well as race and class. Blackness matters, and always has. But now there is a heightened awareness of differential outcomes and disparate impacts based solely on the color of ones skin. That was evident, too, last week when a mob of President Donald Trumps supporters stormed the hub of democracy in the U.S., Patterson says. Even as we watched in horror the insurrection on the American Capitol, almost in unison across news outlets people were asking, What if those mobs had been Black?

Floyd killing propelled a fervency to make change

Kelly Patterson, PhD



The May killing of Floyd by police in Minneapolis was clearly the turning point in 2020, Patterson says. There was an awakening, mostly by white folks, to a reality that Blacks have been enduring for centuries: Our lives mean less, and are taken for nothing, she says. The Black Lives Matter movement itself is over 7 years old and has accomplished much in that time period, but George Floyds murder was a critical catalyst that shifted public opinion in favor of the movement. It propelled a fervency to make change, says Patterson. The wave of that change has been seen all across the country, bringing people from all races together to demand symbolic and, more importantly, structural changes supporting the value of Black lives. I feel that was a spiritual sacrifice that propelled us all to think deeper about ourselves and to think about the changes we need in the world, says Michael Mwenso, a UB visiting professor of the arts and leader of Mwenso & the Shakes, an internationally acclaimed troupe of musical artists. That moment really changed the whole world. To see that execution happen made whats going on in the world more real. While the movement has been based largely in the U.S., it has had global impact, says Mwenso, who was born in Sierra Leone and raised in London. You saw it in places all over the world, where people were reacting to a sort of trauma that I think weve been attuned to but never healed from, he says. 2020 was the year for it to be exposed and for Black people to be able to express themselves and have the space to say, We know theres been a lot of changes but we know theres still a lot of BS going on. Mwenso has been teaching a program through the UB Arts Collaboratory, in collaboration with Bronwyn Keenan, titled Protest, Hope and Resilience through Black Arts. Its a personally curated curriculum of history and music that explores how people of color have been agents of positive change and inclusion. These are the types of programs and conversations that will help push the Black Lives Matter movement forward, he says.

Moving forward in 2021

Michael Mwenso



If the events of 2020 created waves of support globally for Black Lives Matter, how can the movement maintain its momentum in 2021? For starters, When we say nothing, we are complicit, says Patterson. We need to hold ourselves and others accountable, especially those in power, like our employers and public officials at all levels. We need to continually talk about it so its not just a healing aid, says Mwenso, adding that hes been buoyed by the empathy he has heard in conversations with people from all walks of life over the past year. We need to find more allies who are white, who are in power, who are able to push forward what needs to change. Some of the biggest changes, Patterson says, must now go beyond the symbolic. There has to be real systemic change with a focus on housing, education, employment and the criminal justice system, she says. These changes would include increasing the production of affordable housing, expanding subsidized housing programs, prioritizing funding for schools and providing substantial funding for targeted job training while improving wages and working conditions. And finally, there must be a strong effort to dismantle our broken criminal justice system, she says. These changes would fundamentally improve the life chances of Black people in America. Both Patterson and Mwenso are optimistic about the movements future in 2021. While many may also find renewed hope that positive change may soon come in the U.S. with a new presidential administration, Mwenso says its important to remember who has the real power. We cannot rely solely on a new administration, he says. We have to realize the power that we have. And thats really whats going to change things.

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January 12, 2021

Split Third Circuit panel declares that planned safe injection site would be in violation of federal law

As noted in this post from 15 months ago, a federal district judge ruled a Philadelphia nonprofit group's plan to open a sef injection site would not violate the Controlled Substances Act. But, as reported in this local press piece, headlined "A federal court rejected the plan for a supervised injection site in Philly," a Third Circuit panel has now reversed this ruling. Here is the start of the majority opinion in US v. Safehouse, No. 20-1422 (3d Cir. Jan. 12, 2021) (available here):

Though the opioid crisis may call for innovative solutions, local innovations may not break federal law. Drug users die every day of overdoses. So Safehouse, a nonprofit, wants to open Americas first safe-injection site in Philadelphia. It favors a public-health response to drug addiction, with medical staff trained to observe drug use, counteract overdoses, and offer treatment. Its motives are admirable. But Congress has made it a crime to open a property to others to use drugs. 21 U.S.C. 856. And that is what Safehouse will do. Because Safehouse knows and intends that its visitors will come with a significant purpose of doing drugs, its safeinjection site will break the law. Although Congress passed 856 to shut down crack houses, its words reach well beyond them. Safehouses benevolent motive makes no difference. And even though this drug use will happen locally and Safehouse will welcome visitors for free, its safe-injection site falls within Congresss power to ban interstate commerce in drugs. Safehouse admirably seeks to save lives. And many Americans think that federal drug laws should move away from law enforcement toward harm reduction. But courts are not arbiters of policy. We must apply the laws as written. If the laws are unwise, Safehouse and its supporters can lobby Congress to 11 carve out an exception. Because we cannot do that, we will reverse and remand.

The dissenting opinion authored by Judge Roth starts this way:

The Majoritys decision is sui generis: It concludes that 8 U.S.C.  856(a)(2)  unlike  856(a)(1) or any other federal criminal statute  criminalizes otherwise innocent conduct, based solely on the purpose of a third party who is neither named nor described in the statute. The text of section 856(a)(2) cannot support this novel construction. Moreover, even if Safehouses purpose were the relevant standard, Safehouse does not have the requisite purpose. For these reasons, I respectfully dissent.

It will be interesting to see if Safehouse seeks en banc review and/or certiorari. It will also be interesting to see if the Justice Department under the Biden Administration might have a different view on safe injections sites than the Trump Administration.

January 12, 2021 at 10:11 PM | Permalink

Comments

A safe injection site house could ameliorate some of the problems caused by the use of illegal drugs, including heroin and fentanyl. They would not solve problems, but could be an interim step to reduce overdose deaths and other medical consequences of intervenous drug use, much as needle exchanges have reduced the spread of diseases associated with intervenous drug use, including Type C Hepatitis. Congress and state Legislatures might enact statutes to clearly facilitate a "Safe Harbor" for Safe Injection Site houses.

Posted by: Jim Gormley | Jan 13, 2021 8:04:43 AM

straight out of The Wire! HAMSTERDAM!

Posted by: jimmy | Jan 13, 2021 10:28:56 AM

jimmy, no doubt. Or, in this case, as one good TV reference deserves another, you could say Its Not Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Posted by: hardreaders | Jan 13, 2021 3:10:58 PM

Post a comment
The US government executed convicted murderer Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row, on Wednesday, after the Supreme Court cleared the last hurdle by overturning a stay.

Montgomery was the first female prisoner to be executed in by the U.S. government since 1953.

Challenges were fought across multiple federal courts on whether to allow the execution of Montgomery, 52, who was put to death by lethal injection of pentobarbital, a powerful barbiturate in the Justice Department`s execution chamber at its prison in Terre Haute, Indiana.

The U.S. Supreme Court, with its conservative majority, cleared the way for her execution after overturning a stay by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Kelley Henry, Montgomery`s lawyer, called the execution "vicious, unlawful, and unnecessary exercise of authoritarian power."

"No one can credibly dispute Mrs. Montgomery`s longstanding debilitating mental disease - diagnosed and treated for the first time by the Bureau of Prisons` own doctors," Henry said in a statement.

She was pronounced deceased at 1:31 a.m. EST (0631 GMT) on Wednesday, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said in a statement.

Montgomery was convicted in 2007 in Missouri of kidnapping and strangling Bobbie Jo Stinnett, then eight months pregnant. Montgomery cut Stinnett`s fetus from the womb. The child survived.

Some of Stinnett`s relatives traveled to witness Montgomery`s execution, the Justice Department said.

As the execution process began, asked by a female executioner if she had any last words, Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice, "No," according to a reporter who served as a media witness.

Federal executions had been on pause for 17 years and only three men had been executed by the federal government since 1963 until the practice resumed last year under President Donald Trump, whose outspoken support for capital punishment long predates his entry into politics.

Montgomery`s lawyers asked for Trump`s clemency last week, saying she committed her crime after a childhood in which she was abused and repeatedly raped by her stepfather and his friends, and so should instead face life in prison.

It was one of three executions the U.S. Department of Justice had scheduled for the final full week of Trump`s administration. Two other executions scheduled for Thursday and Friday have been delayed, for now at least, by a federal judge in Washington, to allow the condemned murderers to recover from COVID-19.

The American Civil Liberties Union and some liberal lawmakers had previously opposed the government`s plans to execute Montgomery, with ACLU saying her life had been "marred by unthinkable trauma that resulted in documented brain damage and mental illness".

Montgomery`s execution was the first of 2021 by the federal government and the 11th since last year.

In 2020, the U.S. government executed 10 people and it was for the first time ever that the federal government conducted more executions than all U.S. states combined, according to a database compiled by the Death Penalty Information Center.
Seattle, Washington--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Built In today announced that the company honored Lumotive with inclusion in the 2021 Best Places To Work Awards. Specifically, Lumotive earned a place on the "Best Small Companies to Work For in Seattle" list. The annual awards include companies of all sizes, from startups to the enterprise, nationally and in the eight largest tech markets.

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.

US President-elect Joe Biden announced on Wednesday Samantha Power, who served as the US ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017, as the nominee for the administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), elevating the position to be a member of the National Security Council, the presidential transition team reported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2021) US President-elect Joe Biden announced on Wednesday Samantha Power, who served as the US ambassador to the United Nations from 2013 to 2017, as the nominee for the administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), elevating the position to be a member of the National Security Council, the presidential transition team reported.

"Today, President-elect Joe Biden announced Ambassador Samantha Power as his nominee for Administrator of the USAID and elevated the position to become a member of the National Security Council," the transition team said in a statement.

Biden praised Power as "a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity."

"I know firsthand the unparalleled knowledge and tireless commitment to principled American engagement she brings to the table, and her expertise and perspective will be essential as our country reasserts its role as a leader on the world stage. As USAID Administrator, Ambassador Power will be a powerful force for lifting up the vulnerable, ushering in a new era of human progress and development, and advancing American interests globally," Biden went on to say.
RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das headed Sub-Committee of the FSDC on Wednesday reviewed the major developments in the global and domestic economy as well as financial markets that impact financial stability, the central bank said in a statement.

The virtual meeting of the Sub-Committee of the Financial Stability and Development Council (FSDC) was attended by various regulators, including SEBI and IRDAI.

The Sub-Committee also discussed scope for improvements in insolvency resolution under IBC, utilisation of data with the Central KYC Records Registry and changes in the regulatory framework relating to Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) set up in the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), among others.

It also reviewed the activities of various technical groups under its purview and the functioning of State Level Coordination Committees (SLCCs) in various states and Union Territories.

"The regulators reaffirmed their resolve to be alert and watchful of emerging challenges to financial stability," the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said.

The members of the panel who attended the meeting included Ajay Tyagi (chairman, SEBI); Subhash Chandra Khuntia (chairman, IRDAI); Supratim Bandyopadhyay (chairman, PFRDA); M S Sahoo (chairperson, IBBI); Injeti Srinivas (chairperson, IFSCA); and Debasish Panda (secretary, Department of Financial Services).

Rajesh Verma (secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs); Ajay Prakash Sawhney (secretary, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology); Krishnamurthy Subramanian (Chief Economic Adviser) and Shashank Saksena (secretary, FSDC) also attended the meeting, besides deputy governors and executive director of RBI.
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Northern Irelands Deputy First Minister has vowed to do whatever is required to secure justice for survivors of mother and baby homes.

The Stormont Executive is expected to receive a report around institutions run north of the border in the coming weeks.

Michelle ONeill said she is determined to do whatever is required to make sure that these women are no longer denied access to justice.

First Minister Arlene Foster said she looks forward to seeing the report and hearing recommendations on the way forward.

The pair will meet with Irish childrens minister Roderic OGorman next week to consider any issues which have a cross-border dimension.

Earlier in Dublin, Taoiseach Micheal Martin apologised to the survivors of the homes saying they had been failed by the state.

He was speaking after a report by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes found appalling levels of death.

The final Mother and Baby Homes report describes a dark, shameful chapter of recent Irish history.

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The survivors showed great bravery in sharing their stories.

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The Government is now focused on a comprehensive implementation of the recommendations in this report. pic.twitter.com/zF904LrvIE  MicheAl Martin (@MichealMartinTD) January 12, 2021

In Northern Ireland, former assistant chief constable Judith Gillespie chairs an inter-departmental working group on mother and baby homes, Magdalen Laundries and historical clerical abuse.

Academics from Queens University in Belfast and Ulster University have been examining the operation of institutions between 1922 and 1999.

Ms ONeill told Stormonts Executive Committee on Wednesday that the report is complete and a paper is expected to be brought to ministers shortly for consideration.

She said, subject to the Executives approval, it will be published before the end of January.

Alongside the publication of the research report, the Executive will also be asked to consider and agree recommendations on the way forward, she said.

The chair of the group has established a reference group, and that includes victims and survivors, and also their representatives, and they clearly have to play an important role in terms of this work programme.

She said she looked forward to receiving the report and turning around a response very, very quickly to provide a next step for victims and survivors.

I think what happened in the south yesterday was appalling, that the report was leaked to the public before the victims and survivors had sight of it, I think that was a further slap in the face. We need to make sure that that doesnt happen again here, she said.

May they rest in peace pic.twitter.com/yytrKc7GJ6  Michelle OaNeill (@moneillsf) January 12, 2021

Committee chairman Colin McGrath asked the ministers about a perception of a delay around the report, and whether an apology will be issued to survivors.

Ms ONeill said whatever is recommended in the report, whether that be a full public inquiry, an independent investigation, a statutory investigation, she is prepared to do whatever is required to make sure that these women are no longer denied access to justice.

Whether that be an apology, investigations, whatever is required, I am determined to do that, she said.

Mrs Foster paid tribute to the work of Ms Gillespie, saying she has made great progress.

Both Michelle and I were very taken when we met her recently by her energy and determination to get to the truth so I very much look forward to her report, she said.

And whilst I totally understand that some people will call for a public inquiry, I think its also recognised by others that because this is such a personal issue and such a private issue that others may not want that to take place, so well listen to all those arguments and hear what Judith has to say to us in relation to what is the way forward.

As Michelle says, we will want to take that forward, whatever that is.

Independent MLA Trevor Lunn said there is no border when it comes to the homes, adding only a full public inquiry will be sufficient.

DUP MLA Christopher Stalford described the report in the Republic as stark, and the death rate of children as scandalous, adding he believes the figures will be similar in Northern Ireland.
Uganda has blocked access to social media and messaging apps ahead of Thursday's hotly contested election.

A letter, seen by AFP and Reuters, was sent to all telecoms firms by the communications regulator ordering the immediate shutdown.

It comes a day after Facebook closed "fake" accounts it said were linked to the government, saying they were being used to boost the popularity of posts. The run-up to the election has been marred by tension and violence.

President Yoweri Museveni is seeking his sixth elected term in office after 35 years in power.

The 76-year-old faces 10 challengers, most notably 38-year-old pop star turned politician Robert Kyagulanyi, known by his stage name Bobi Wine.

The BBC's Patience Atuhaire in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, says the campaign period has been dominated by social media, as political parties have tried to reach the young, politically aware population.

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) has not responded to media requests to confirm the shutdown order, but internet monitoring group NetBlocks says it has noted restrictions on all major internet providers in the East African nation.

BBC correspondent confirms widespread reports of disruption on platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Snapchat, when using the country's data servers.

The AFP and Reuters news agencies quote industry sources as saying that telecoms executives were told the ban was in retaliation for Facebook blocking pro-government accounts.

On Monday, the government described Facebook's action as high-handed and said Thursday's elections would be free and fair.

One insider told AFP that internet service providers were also given a list by the UCC of 100 virtual private networks (VPNs) to block.

During the 2016 election, the government blocked social media on polling day and for several days after, which led to the proliferation of VPN use in the country, our reporter says. BBC
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Qualcomm just announced that it will acquire Nuvia for approximately $1.4 billion. You probably havent heard of Nuvia, which was founded in early 2019. So why is it worth that much? Because of who founded the company.

Gerard Williams III is CEO and President, John Bruno and Manu Gulati are SVPs of engineering. The three worked at Apple for years (two also at Google together). Previous jobs also include ARM, ATI, AMD, TI, Broadcom and others. These three are industry veterans.

The CEOs credentials especially are quite impressive. At ARM, he worked at the Corex-A8, A15 and other cores. Later he was the Chief Architect for Apple CPU and chipset development. He lead the work on core designs starting with the Cyclone and ending with Firestorm. Basically, this covers Apples chips starting from the A7 all the way to the current A14 (and was probably involved with the M1 too). Bruno and Gulati were on his team until leaving in 2017.

Nuvia's founders

Which brings us back to today and Nuvia. The company has a proven world-class CPU and technology design team, with industry-leading expertise in high performance processors, Systems on a Chip (SoC) and power management for compute-intensive devices and applications.

The CPUs that Nuvia has been cooking will be used in Qualcomms flagship smartphone chipsets, laptop chips and even in cars (where they will power digital cockpits, extended reality solutions and more).

Back in August of last year Nuvia published preliminary results from its Phoenix CPU, pitting it against the likes of the Apple A13 as well as mobile offerings from Intel and AMD. Each Phoenix core can consume between 1W and 4.5W and in that power band it offers double the performance per Watt than its competitors (using Geekbench 5).

Qualcomm has been using ARM Cortex designs as the basis for its CPUs for years now. With the Nuvia team on board, the company may start using in-house designs again. And given the track records of the three veterans, Apple may finally have some competition for the performance crown.

The Phoenix core was designed with servers in mind (with 64 to 128 cores), but 1-4.5W is perfect for smartphones too. Qualcomm could also use a server CPU, its Centriq efforts seem to have fizzled out.

Follow the Source link to read comments on the deal from Qualcomms partners. The list is pretty impressive and includes Samsung, Sony, Google, Microsoft, Acer, Asus, General Motors, Renault, Bosch, Continental and many others.

Source
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Roman is a trained violinist who signed up to fight Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region. He takes out his violin and plays for half an hour once or twice a week and says music distracts him from the war and the possibility of dying. According to the United Nations, more than 13,000 people have died as a result of the conflict -- including over 3,000 civilians -- since war broke out in April 2014.
Returned Australians are furious after being forced to spend another 14 days in quarantine after a mystery Covid cluster was linked to their Brisbane hotel.

Almost 130 returned travellers at the Hotel Grand Chancellor were told they were being moved out on Wednesday and must restart their two weeks isolation.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she held grave concerns about the hotel cluster after six people - four quarantining guests, a cleaner and her partner - contracted the highly-contagious UK strain of coronavirus.

Travellers who were just hours away from being allowed back into the community say they feel like prisoners trapped in a jail.

Others are angry at being forced to spend another night in the Covid cluster hotel before being moved to a different venue despite authorities being on high alert.

Returned Australian Jamie Large (pictured) is one of almost 130 people who are being evacuated from the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane due to a Covid cluster. He is pictured in the hotel waiting to be moved out

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she held grave concerns about the Hotel Grand Chancellor (pictured) cluster, which has grown to six cases of the highly-contagious UK strain of coronavirus

Returned travellers staying at the hotel took to social media to vent their fury over the way the situation was being handled

Paul Atta, who was due to released on Friday after arriving back from Canada, said he was told he may not even get to his new hotel until sometime on Thursday.

'If this hotel is as dangerous as they say, then why am I and others being made to stay another night - and on top of that expected to eat food prepared in the infected hotel,' Mr Atta posted on Facebook.

'Who's in charge here? This is madness.

'I haven't even been tested today due to an error. Are you kidding me? You can't even get the testing correct.'

Jamie Large was on day 12 of his quarantine when he received the letter under the door at breakfast informing him he had to be evacuated out.

He arrived back in Australia having had two flights cancelled and spending $6,500 on airfares.

'I feel like a prisoner. I don't know how I'm going to get through another two weeks,' Mr Large told Daily Mail Australia.

'No one's telling me anything. Imagine if this happens at the new hotel, then I have to do another two weeks.'

Mr Large, who was on Day 12 of his two weeks quarantine, said he was unsure how he was going to cope with another round of quarantine

Returned Australians were provided with a letter informing them they were being moved out of the Hotel Grand Chancellor

Mr Large, who was staying on the ninth floor, said he was told he would be moved out after dinner, dashing hopes of being reunited with family this weekend.

'I woke up this morning all excited. Then I got the note - it was like a slap in the face,' he said.

Mr Large said the prospect of doing two weeks quarantine again was difficult to process.

'I'm not looking forward to it, especially if I don't get a balcony for fresh air because I had a balcony here. If I don't get fresh air I think I'll go insane,' he said.

Mr Large said he believed the authorities could have done a better job of communicating with the returned travellers.

'I feel like because all my tests were negative, why do I have to do another two weeks? It seems very unfair,' he said.

'The people who tested positive should have been moved out... instead of making us do another two weeks.'

Another quarantined traveller, Umair Ahsan, was just about to finish his quarantine when he was delivered the news he would have to go through it all again.

Mr Ahsan said he was supposed to leave on Tuesday night and had his friend downstairs to pick him up.

'It feels like a jail now. We need to do another quarantine in another hotel,' Mr Ahsan told news.com.au on Wednesday.

About 600 people have been forced into quarantine due to the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster. Pictured are paramedics at the Brisbane hotel on Wednesday

Six cases of the highly-contagious UK strain of coronavirus have been detected at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane. Pictured is a quarantined guest at the hotel on Wednesday

Mr Ahsan said the situation was 'very tough' because despite doing 'everything right... you have to face another quarantine'.

The returned travellers were being transferred to alternative accommodation after the two guests staying on the same floor mysteriously caught the virus strain.

Some 226 employees who have worked at the hotel since December 30 must also be quarantined and tested.

An additional 250 guests who have left quarantine since December 30 and remain in Queensland are being contacted as they must undergo another 14 days of hotel quarantine.

'We now are concerned about this cluster,' Ms Palaszczuk said on Wednesday, apologising to those affected but stressing it was necessary.

Guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be moved to other hotels in Brisbane after the coronavirus cluster grew to six cases. Pictured is two guests on their balcony at Hotel Grand Chancellor on Wednesday

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured on Wednesday) expressed concern about the hotel cluster, despite the state recording no new locally-acquired cases

'What we are dealing with here is something that we've never had to deal with before.

'This is a new highly infectious strain. We do not want to see this getting out into the community and that's why we have taken these precautionary steps today in the interests of the public safety.

'This is of concern, it is of national concern. Everybody needs to be on higher alert with this particular strain.'

The six cases from the hotel cluster were linked by genomic sequencing.

'That is new information  we received the results of the last test at 10.30pm last night  but it's information we must act on,' Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.

The Hotel Grand Chancellor cases  A man aged in his 30s who arrived from the UK on December 30.  His partner  a woman in her 30s who arrived from the UK on December 30.  A hotel cleaner in her 20s.  Her partner  a man in his 20s.  A man in his 40s who arrived from Lebanon on January 1.  His daughter  a woman in her 20s, who arrived on January 1. Advertisement

'This morning we are putting in place a range of extra measures for people associated with quarantine in this hotel to help reduce any risk of spread.'

Health authorities are still scrambling to work out how a hotel cleaner contracted the virus from a man in quarantine who had returned from Britain.

The woman's later movements in Brisbane triggered a citywide three-day lockdown, which ended Monday night.

Dr Young said all defence force, police and maritime safety staff who were posted at the hotel were being contacted, including those who may have left Australia.

'We've immediately worked through the night to sort all that and have that process start first thing this morning, so it's in place,' she said.

'So we need to just find all those people and test them.'

She emphasised there was nothing to suggest that the hotel or any of its staff have done anything wrong.

No new guests have entered the Hotel Grand Chancellor since January 7.

'I want to compliment hotel management for their level of cooperation,' Dr Young said.

'It's important we understand the link. It's a mystery we need to solve.'

The returned travellers will not have to pay for their quarantine.

The concerning cluster has prompted both NSW and Victoria to urge anyone who had been at the hotel since December 30, either as a returned traveller or staff, but has since crossed back over the border, to get tested and isolate for 14 days.
A destructive bushfire season and drought killed thousands of wild horses in the last year, but even more may need to be culled.

The brumby population in Kosciuszko National Park dropped from 19,000 to 14,000 due to natural disasters, according to a National Parks and Wildlife survey.

New South Wales Environment Minister Matt Kean said there were 'still too many' horses and argued they should be trapped and rehomed, but a brumby lobby group warned many would end up in an abattoir.

A destructive bushfire season and drought killed thousands of wild horses in the last year, but even more may need to be culled. Pictured: A wild horse rests in a patch of Snow Gums in the Long Plains area of the Kosciuszko National Park on August 24, 2020

Bushfires, drought killed thousands of Brumbies, but more need to go says NSW government

Wild horses threaten the Snowy Mountains natural environment as they trample alpine ecosystems, erode waterways and destroy habitats for threatened species.

In NSW, wild horses are trapped and rehomed as a priority, but any horses that are not rehomed are euthanised.

Wild horse advocacy group Australian Brumbies Alliance (ABA) President Jillian Pickering told Daily Mail Australia it isn't realistic to expect many horses can actually be saved.

'The goal of rehoming brumby numbers above 200 annually cannot be achieved in a safe and humane manner, leaving many to be killed,' Miss Pickering said.

Brumbies in NSW that cannot be rehomed after being trapped are euthanised. Pictured: feral horses grazing in the Kosciuszko National Park in January 2020, just after the bushfires

Miss Pickering believes the brumbies should be desexed and there should be more support for rehoming groups.

She said the population should be at least 4,000, but Deputy Premier John Barilaro put the number as low as 600.

'There are parts of the park that should have zero horses,' the Monaro MP, whose electorate includes Mount Kosciuszko, told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Mr Kean said the government needed to get a balance between 'protecting the Snowies and retaining the heritage value of these wild horses.'

Nearly 1,000 horses from Kosciuszko National Park have been re-homed in the last eight years.

From July to October 2020, 92 per cent of the 193 horses trapped were taken in by individuals and rescue groups.

14 were sent to the knackery and one died in a trapping accident.

The government is working on a wild horse heritage management plan, with a draft to be released in the first quarter of the year.
Mindover and Century partner to bring streamlined credit card processing directly into Acumatica. Offering EBizCharge is a strategic decision to continue carrying out our mission to help our clients simplify business processes within their ERP, CRM, and accounting system. -- Lloyd Smith, President and Director of Operations at Mindover Software.

Century Business Solutions is excited to announce its partnership with Mindover Software, a technology consulting firm specializing in the sale, installation, and support of business ERP and CRM, to allow credit card processing directly within Acumatica.

Century Business Solutions development team has built a payment integration for Acumatica that uses Centurys proprietary payment gateway, EBizCharge, to provide credit card processing for thousands of merchants across the country.

Centurys credit card integration allows merchants to process credit cards from directly within Acumatica.

The powerful EBizCharge payment gateway is designed to lower processing fees by submitting line-item details directly to the bank. EBizCharge is fully PCI compliant and offers advanced data encryption and tokenization technology to ensure maximum transaction security within Acumatica. EBizCharge is compatible with over 100 leading ERP and accounting systems and major online shopping carts and provides unlimited transaction and batch history for reporting purposes.

Were thrilled to add EBizCharge for Acumatica to our suite of solutions, said Lloyd Smith, President and Director of Operations at Mindover Software. Offering EBizCharge is a strategic decision to continue carrying out our mission to help our clients simplify business processes within their ERP, CRM, and accounting system.

With EBizCharge, users can run custom reports, sort through transactions by category, and immediately release funds when issuing refunds.

The partnership between Mindover Software and Century Business Solutions will help streamline workflow, eliminate double data entry, and make payment processing more efficient within Acumatica.

About Century Business Solutions

Century Business Solutions is reinventing the way companies accept credit card payments with their all-in-one payment solution, EBizCharge. EBizCharge is one of the top payment gateway alternatives to its more expensive and inefficient counterparts and is specifically designed to reduce payment processing costs and inefficiencies. EBizCharge integrates seamlessly with over 100+ accounting, ERP, CRM, and shopping cart systems, including QuickBooks, Sage, SAP B1, Microsoft Dynamics, Acumatica, Magento, and WooCommerce. Century is partnered and certified with Microsoft Dynamics, Acumatica, SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks, WooCommerce, Magento, and many more. For more information, visit https://www.centurybizsolutions.net.

About Mindover Software

Mindover Software is a business software reseller which offers a broad range of accounting, ERP, and CRM software, including Acumatica, Sage 100, Sage 300, and Sage CRM. From offices in Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, San Diego, Boise, and Asheville, Mindover Softwares team of professional consultants helps companies achieve greater efficiency, cost savings, and profitability. For more information, visit http://www.mindovercorp.com.
Arrested Air Force Vet Pictured in Senate Hall Turned in by His Ex-Wife: FBI

A retired Air force colonel who was photographed inside the Senate Chamber wearing military gear and holding zip-ties during the protest at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was turned in by his ex-wife, according to a federal affidavit.

Larry Rendell Brocks ex-wife of 18 years, Milagro Garcia, contacted the FBI on Friday to support a criminal complaint that charges Brock with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to a DOJ release.

Garcia says in the affidavit: I just know that when I saw this was happening I was afraid he would be there. I think you already know he was there. It is such a good picture of him and I recognize his patch.

A witness reported to the FBI that he recognized Brock in a picture inside the Capitol and told them about his military background.

It looks like him, the witness said, he has pilot wings on his chest in this picture. He was an A-10 pilot. Worked at L3, and he still has contacts that work with L3 that knew he was flying to Washington D.C.

The Jan. 6 protests left 5 people dead, including one U.S. Capitol Police member, Brian Sicknick, and Air Force Veteran, Ashley Babbitt (also spelt Ashli), who was allegedly unarmed and shot at point-blank range by police.

D.C. Police and the FBI started an excessive force investigation over the shooting and killing of Babbitt.

A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed to The Epoch Times: The Metropolitan Police Department is conducting an investigation into the officer involved shooting that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. This is routine, standard procedure whenever an officer deploys lethal force. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of Columbia is overseeing the investigation.

A man in a widely circulated video of the shooting of U.S. Air Force veteran Babbitt, 28-year-old Thomas Baranyi, later gave a recount of what happened. The video has since been removed from Youtube.

A reporter from CBS affiliate WKRG interviewed him after he entered the Capitol with protestors and Babbitt.

A social media selfie photo shows Ashli Babbitt. (Twitter/Ashli Babbitt)

We had stormed into the chambers inside and there was a young lady who rushed to the windows, Baranyi said. A number of police and Secret Service were saying get back, get down, get out of the way. She didnt heed the call.

He said that he tried to pull her back when she got fatally shot.

And as we kind of raced up to grab people and pull them back, they shot her in the neck, and she fell back on me and started to say she was fine. Its cool. And then she started moving weird and blood was coming out of her mouth and neck and nose, Baranyi said.

Just make sure people know, because this cannot stand anymore. This is wrong. They dont represent anyone. Not Republican, Democrat, Independent, nobody. And now theyll just, theyll kill people, Baranyi added.

Melody Black, from Minnesota, visits a memorial set up near the Capitol Building for Ashli Babbitt in Washington, on Jan. 7, 2021. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A bride who wanted to look her best while walking down the aisle has been left with second-degree burns after trying a fat-freezing treatment.

Telithia Ha, a high school teacher from Adelaide, decided to try the beauty treatment because she wanted to get into better shape ahead of her nuptials.

But the 27-year-old was instead left with a permanent scar to her stomach after her skin began to bubble from the fat-freezing treatment.

'She [the beauty therapist] looked at me and said ''that's perfectly normal, that will go away''. I looked at her and i said ''I've got blisters, it's a second-degree burn, I don't think this is very normal'',' Ms Ha told A Current Affair.

Telithia Ha has been left with second-degree burns (pictured) after trying a fat-freezing treatment

Ms Ha, who said one session on the stomach area can set you back $600, is now coping with the emotional toll of the botched beauty treatment.

'For me it wasn't even a consideration that I would get scarred because I thought she was trusted,' she said.

'When I got those scars, I was a lot more emotional than I expected to be. Just because that was another thing I had to deal with.'

Mother-of-two Noor Gabriel is also facing a similar fate after suffering second-degree burns to her face from another beauty treatment gone wrong.

Ms Gabriel, who speaks limited English, put her trust in a beauty therapist at her local shopping centre and underwent a skin-lightening treatment called Hifu.

But four months after the treatment, her cheeks and chin remain scarred and she struggles to look at herself in the mirror.

The high school teacher from Adelaide decided to try the beauty treatment because she wanted to get into better shape ahead of her nuptials

'I can't go outside because everyone who sees me, ''what happened?'' she said.

The morning after her treatment Ms Gabriel said her face was swollen. She then visited a GP, who told her she had suffered second-degree burns.

The Australian Medical Association is calling for increased regulation of these types of treatments amid an increase in horror stories.

Those seeking beauty treatments are urged to consult medical professionals first.

'Have a talk to your doctor first and consider seeing a dermatologist, a cosmetic dermatologist, who you know has medical training,' AMA NSW president Dr Danielle McMullen said.

Mother-of-two Noor Gabriel is also facing a similar fate after suffering second-degree burns to her face when a skin-lightening treatment called Hifu went wrong

Last month, A Current Affair spoke to an MMA fighter who almost lost both her legs after she felt them burn during a muscle recovery treatment.

Athena Martinez from Sydney regularly undergoes cryotherapy sessions before her jiu jitsu competitions and decided to go to a different clinic for her treatment on November 26.

The athlete says she was left in the liquid nitrogen tank with temperatures of -140C for six minutes, which she claims is three minutes longer than usual.

Shocking images following the procedure show horrific burns to her lower legs and thighs.

Last month, A Current Affair spoke to an MMA fighter who almost lost both her legs after she felt them burn during a muscle recovery treatment

Allergan Aesthetics issued a statement following the airing of the A Current Affair episode on January 11.

'It was stated that a patient was treated with CoolSculpting. Following further investigation, it has been found that this patient was not treated with the a CoolSculpting system,' the spokesperson said.

'At Allergan the safety of our patients is a priority and we take any reports of adverse events seriously.

'As the leading non-invasive fat-reduction treatment worldwide, CoolSculpting has a well-established safety and efficacy profile which has been demonstrated in 60+ peer-reviewed publications.

'CoolSculpting systems are controlled cooling devices designed with inbuilt safety technology.

'If sensors detect that the skin is getting too cold, the system will stop the treatment automatically.'
Why on earth would you buy a condo, when you can own a house?

Lots of reasons, says US Navy Veteran Dennis Taylor, who recently bought a condo in Long Beach, California with his VA home loan benefits. Being single, I didnt need a lot of space, but I still wanted the American Dream. First of all a condo was in my budget, and I was blessed that the real estate market was low at the time. With a little patience and the help of a good real estate agent, Dennis found the right property in his price range.

Related: Looking for the right agent? We can help. Find a VA-specialized agent for veterans and military families.

In addition to often being less expensive, condos require less upkeepthat is, from the homeowners perspective. The homeowners association (HOA) usually handles the yard work and exterior maintenance. This can be especially useful for active duty military members. Whats more, condos often have amenities like pools, gyms and state-of-the-art playgrounds included in common areas. In Dennis case, the amenities were almost as important as the price.

Dennis goes on to explain, The condo I ended up buying has great amenities. The most important one for me is parking. For Dennis, parking was sometimes hard to come by in Long Beach, and he received a few parking tickets. His condo complex offered great parking along with excellent security. His HOA fees are relatively low compared to some. Thats because his complex doesnt have a pool or a gym. Those things can drive HOA fees higher, and they werent important to Dennis.

What Dennis was also attracted to was the common area barbecue patio complete with comfortable lounge chairs. Dennis has two grown children who visit often, and they have enjoyed cooking out as a family activity. The area is conveniently close to Dennis unit, which is on the third floor, and incidentally has a million-dollar view of the city lights at night. In the end, this place was the best choice for Dennis and his family.

What is a VA-approved Condo?

If youre planning to purchase a condo with a VA loan like Dennis, you should know that the development has to be VA-approved. VA-eligible borrowers need to do their homework before choosing a condo for purchase, or they may run into snags trying to get a loan.

To be on the VAs list, it means that the HOA has to have, at one point, applied and received approval. VAs goal is to help protect the interests of Veterans and the Government by ensuring that all properties located in an approved common interest community meet VA criteria. A full list of requirements for VA-approved condos can be found in Chapter 16 of the Department of Veterans Affairs Lenders Handbook.

How do I Find a VA-Approved Complex?

One easy way to find a VA-approved complex is by searching properties on the Veterans Information Portal, which can be found here. Just type in the city and state where you want to buy and get a list of approved properties. If you are working with a real estate agent who has experience with the VA loan program, they will most likely do that research for you. Regardless of who does the search, this step is about to get easier for buyers in a few states.

If you live in California, like Dennis, a new law effective on July 1, 2016 states that HOAs must disclose in their annual reports whether their common interest development (CID) has been approved by FHA and VA. Condos are considered CIDs. Once the effects of this new law kick in, all you have to do is ask to see the report.

Dennis Realtor, Joanna Rodriguez-Martinez with M.R. & Associates, welcomes the new law with open arms. It can be such a headache to find out if a condo is approved or not, says Joanna. She explained that sometimes the listing agent knows, but most of the time they dont. Its Joannas experience that even the HOA may not know. To be sure her clients with VA home loan benefits can buy a property, Joanna usually ends up doing the research herself.

She goes on to explain, The worst is when a client has fallen in love with the place only to find out its not VA approved. Then we have to go out and find another condo, always comparing it to the one they cant have. Now, with the new law, at least in California, its the HOAs job to know for sure, and Joanna believes the new law will help make it easier for her to show only approved [condos] to her military clients.

According to Assemblyman Ed Chau, the author of the bill that became California law, FHA and VA approval enhances the value of properties within a community. Loss of approval, or lack of it, can drive the value of each unit down. So this may give HOAs incentive to apply for VA approval.

What if your condo is not on the List?

Let say you find the perfect condo unit with all the features and amenities you want and, for whatever reason, its not on the VA-approval list. Does that mean you cant buy it? If your heart is set on a development thats not on the list, all is not lost.

First, make sure you know what type of property you are dealing with. Condos require prior VA approval, but other kinds of similar real estate like townhomes do not. You or your real estate agent can check easily enough with county records to confirm if its a condo. If you find out the property you want is a condo that is not yet VA-approved, you can go to the HOA and encourage them to apply. HOAs for condos in California would contact the Regional Loan Center in Phoenix to get started. This may delay your purchase, but it could be well worth the wait if you think its the one.

Ready to Get Started?

If you're ready to get started, or just want to get more information on the process, the first step is to get multiple rate quotes with no obligation. You can then discuss qualifications, debt to income ratios, and any other concerns you have about the process with the lenders.
IPS officer D. Roopa, who was the first woman home secretary of Karnataka has been transferred as the managing director of Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation amid her public spat with another IPS officer Hemant Nimbalkar, who, too, was transferred. Mr Nimbalkar was the additional commissioner (administration) in Bengaluru before being transferred to the internal security department.

Public spats are rarely pretty and the one between these two senior IPS officers of Karnataka over the tender process to procure CCTVs has brought out in the open the intense rivalries in the service. The two IPS officers locked horns after Ms Roopa accused Mr Nimbaklar of irregularities in the tender process of the Rs 619 crore Bengaluru Safe City project under the Nirbhaya scheme. Mr Nimbalkar, on the other hand, accused Ms Roopa of interfering with the tender process without jurisdiction.

Ms Roopa had written to state chief secretary T.M. Vijaya Bhaskar alleging that Mr Nimbalkar was trying to favour a private company in the Bengaluru Safe City Project and demanded a probe against Mr Nimbalkar, alleging, in turn, that while the Home Department has started an enquiry against her, it has hesitated to do the same against Mr Nimbalkar, even after months since the CBI sought sanction for his prosecution.

According to sources, Ms Roopa wrote to the chief secretary after media reports that suggested she was under investigation by the chief secretary for allegedly impersonating the home secretary and interfering with the tendering process for the multi-crore project. It is unclear where the question of impersonation arises, as Ms Roopa was the home secretary of Karnataka! The content of the report is on the lines of a complaint written by Mr Nimbalkar to the Karnataka chief secretary.

As the two trade charges, sources say that the government has started an inquiry in the matter. Expect more salvos in the days ahead!

Khemka digs in his heels

Haryana IAS officer and whistleblower Ashok Khemka never gives up on his first principles.

Now principal secretary in the states archaeological department, the indefatigable Mr Khemka continues to pursue the case which brought him into the national limelight. Last year, Mr Khemka had appealed to the Haryana State Information Commission under the Right to Information Act.

He had sought information relating to the inquiry commission that probed the grant of change of land use licences in Gurugram during the Congress governments tenure, including the alleged role of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi. He informed the information commission that the complete information sought had not been provided to him.

The commission has now issued notice to the office of chief secretary (political department) and the town and country planning department to give their response to the rejoinders filed by Mr Khemka. Sources say that the IAS officer has sought penal action under Section 20 of the RTI Act against those who failed to provide the information he had sought, claiming there is a cover-up attempt. This, too, is the letter of the law.



J&K babus defy instructions

The government has taken serious note of several IAS officers of the Jammu and Kashmir cadre openly flouting instructions on the online filing of immovable property returns (IPRs). Non-compliance can lead to disciplinary proceedings and denial of vigilance clearance.

According to sources, online filing of IPRs was introduced in 2017. In terms of the extant rules, the babus have to necessarily file IPRs electronically as there is no provision for manual submission.

But much to the disappointment of the department of personnel and training (DoPT) and the general administration department (GAD), several IAS officers have not acted on the instructions issued repeatedly since 2017. Now, sources say, the commissioner secretary of GAD, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, has issued a circular stating that failure to comply would constitute good and sufficient reason for the institution of disciplinary proceedings. The IAS officers have been advised to follow the instructions in letter and spirit or face the consequences. The government has clearly decided that it will not give further leeway to the defaulters.



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How will we explain to our children or grandchildren the horrific events that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th? Thats a question we should all be asking ourselves after our nations Capitol building was overtaken by a lawless mob.

I am writing this op-ed with the hope that those reading it will consider that although we live in the greatest nation in the world, we are standing at a dangerous precipice that we must carefully back away from.

As a country weve become angrier, more divided  and ultimately weaker. We are less tolerant of others and their beliefs, have put up walls of discrimination and hatred, and sadly have forgotten what brought this country together in the first place: UNITY  United We Stand, Divided We Fall.

Those words were written in a pre-Revolutionary War song from 1768, The Liberty Song, by one of our founding fathers, John Dickinson. In the song he wrote:

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Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all! By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!

What is interesting, though, is that Dickinson was a Continental Congressman known for refusing to sign the Declaration of Independence.

If that happened in todays political environment, he would have been smeared as a traitor and marginalized or destroyed by his colleagues who put their lives on the line by signing the document.

Dickinson was a constitutional loyalist and an American patriot. But even though he was not a signer of the document that propelled us into war with the British, he resigned his position as a Continental Congressman to become a solider in the Continental Army.

Heather Wilson, a former New Mexico congresswoman and secretary of the Air Force, tweeted a statement concerning the horrendous acts that occurred at the Capitol, which I believe encapsulates the heart and spirit of what our country was founded upon. She wrote, A mature self-governing country engages passionately and respectfully in healthy debate. We must begin to restore our ability to listen to each other  not listening to refute or to shame but listening to understand with an open mind and the loving hearts of countrymen. As we reflect and engage, each of us must demonstrate through our word and our behavior that those with whom we disagree are not evil and those with whom we agree are not always right.

For us to move forward with the healing we so desperately need as a nation, our leaders must invoke the spirit of compromise and respect our founding fathers adopted and exhibited as our country moved into revolution.

All Americans, no matter what political party they belong to, must remember that our battle is not amongst ourselves, but with those around the world who want to destroy our freedom and liberty.

The senseless and anarchistic uprising that occurred in our nations capital  which should never happen again  didnt threaten just Democrats or Republicans; it threatened every American who was there to do the work of the people and our American way of life.

Even though Dickinson didnt join his brothers in signing the Declaration of Independence, he wasnt their enemy. Ultimately, he united with them, putting his life on the line to fight for our great countrys freedom.

With the 2021 New Mexico legislative session around the corner, our states leaders have an amazing opportunity. I implore our legislators, Republicans and Democrats, to lead by example, work hard to put the needs of all New Mexicans first, and show our children that we can unite for the betterment of the Land of Enchantment.

Ryan Cangiolosi is a former chair of the Republican Party of New Mexico and a Navy Reservist.
Huntington, WV (25701)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High around 85F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Clear skies this evening will become overcast overnight. Low 63F. Winds light and variable.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Sabin Vaccine Institute (Sabin) announced today that it has awarded grants to research teams in four countries to explore the social drivers of COVID-19 misinformation, and its impact on routine immunization acceptance and the acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine.



The grants are part of Sabin's Social and Behavioral Interventions for Vaccination Acceptance Small Grants Program, which provides funding to researchers in low- and middle-income countries to better understand the social drivers of vaccination and design small-scale interventions to assess their impact on vaccination acceptance.

Five research teams in India, Kenya, Pakistan and Uganda will receive up to $30,000 to conduct this research and pilot a small-scale intervention in their respective communities over a period of 10 months.

Through this support, Sabin is encouraging collaborative, on-the-ground relationships between academic researchers, health officials and local communities. Grantees will have the opportunity to build relationships and have impactful conversations about their research and potential applications of social science for immunization with the Sabin-led interdisciplinary Vaccination Acceptance Research Network, an international group of social scientists and public health experts addressing vaccine acceptance and demand. Sabin will also support each research team in the compilation and dissemination of an open access journal publication, accessible to the communities in which the research is conducted. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, all components of the projects will be conducted virtually to ensure the safety of the research teams and the communities they work with.

"It is more important than ever to better understand vaccine acceptance in low- and middle-income countries," said Kaitlin Christenson, vice president of Vaccine Acceptance & Demand at Sabin. "The expected introduction of a COVID-19 vaccine furthers the need to learn more about driving acceptance and demand for vaccines and to work with community immunization programs on intervention strategies, while continuing to improve overall immunization uptake."

The 2020 Sabin grantees include:

In India, Dr. Rajeev Seth, MBBS, MD, DNB, a senior consultant pediatrician leading Bal Umang Drishya Sanstha, a non-profit organization in New Delhi focused on child health and welfare for marginalized children, will lead a team of researchers to study community health worker perceptions of and misinformation surrounding vaccines. Co-investigators from Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, represented by Baldeep Dhaliwal, MPH, and Dr. Anita Shet, MD, from the Department of International Health within the International Vaccine Access Center, will collaborate with Dr. Seth and a team of researchers on the project. The virtual study will employ multi-pronged community health worker interventions in the Mewat district of Haryana, India, to address barriers to vaccine acceptance.

In Kenya, Dr. Benson Wamalwa, MSc, PhD, research scientist and lecturer from the University of Nairobi, will lead a team to virtually study COVID-19 misinformation in trusted social networks with the goal of better understanding perceptions of COVID-19 and the community's willingness to accept a COVID-19 vaccine in Tans Nzoia, Kenya. The research team will then implement and evaluate an intervention that seeks to debunk COVID-19 misinformation through teleconsultations. Kenya Registered Nurse Chrysanthus Wamela, chief registrar of the maternal neonatal and child health unit of AMUA, joins the team as the co-investigator guiding the project.

In Pakistan, Abdul Momin Kazi, MPH, MBBS, assistant research professor in pediatrics and child health at Aga Khan University in Karachi, will lead a virtual research project to study the perceptions and barriers of childhood vaccination amongst health care workers and caregivers at a peri-urban site in Karachi. The research team will also explore the role of mobile health-based interventions and social media on improving childhood immunization during COVID-19. Dr. Fauzia Aman Malik, PhD, MSc, special advisor to the dean for global health research initiatives at Yale University, will serve as the co-investigator on the project.

Also in Pakistan, Rubina Qasim, MSc, a lead researcher and lecturer at Dow University of Health Science in Karachi, will lead a research team exploring misinformation surrounding COVID-19 and vaccination amongst urban slum dwellers in Landhi Town, Karachi. Following their research, the team will employ a co-design approach, working with community members to design and implement an appropriate intervention addressing COVID-19 misinformation and its impact on the acceptance of a COVID-19 vaccine. Dr. Mohammad Tahir Yousafzai, PhD, consultant epidemiologist and senior instructor at Aga Khan University, joins the project as the co-investigator.

In Uganda, Dr. Freddy Kitutu, PhD, a lecturer of health systems, pharmacist, and researcher and dean of the School of Health Sciences at Makerere University, will lead a team to study the prevalence and effect of misinformation in Buikwe District. Following their research, the team will train and empower community influencer groups to address COVID-19 misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. The virtual study will explore dialogue-based social mobilization intervention through community groups and influencers. Jacquellyn Nambi Ssanya, MPH, from Makerere University School of Public Health joins the project as the co-investigator.

About the Sabin Vaccine Institute

The Sabin Vaccine Institute is a leading advocate for expanding vaccine access and uptake globally, advancing vaccine research and development, and amplifying vaccine knowledge and innovation. Unlocking the potential of vaccines through partnership, Sabin has built a robust ecosystem of funders, innovators, implementers, practitioners, policy makers and public stakeholders to advance its vision of a future free from preventable diseases. As a non-profit with more than two decades of experience, Sabin is committed to finding solutions that last and extending the full benefits of vaccines to all people, regardless of who they are or where they live. At Sabin, we believe in the power of vaccines to change the world. For more information, visit www.sabin.organd follow us on Twitter, @SabinVaccine.

Media Contact:

Mary Beth Wooden

Sabin Vaccine Institute

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Celltrion's COVID-19 treatment Regkirona (CT-P59) / Courtesy of Celltrion



By Nam Hyun-woo



Celltrion said Wednesday that its Regkirona anti-COVID-19 drug, also known as CT-P59, has had its efficacy proven for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate symptoms of the coronavirus disease in global Phase 2 clinical trials. This bodes well for the company to win domestic approval for use of the treatment in Korea.



The biotech company filed for conditional approval for use with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Dec. 29. Given the ministry has shortened its review process to a maximum 40 days and the trials have shown a favorable outcome, the treatment is expected to be marketed here as early as late this month.



According to Celltrion, Regkirona reduced the number of patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms from progressing to the severe stage requiring hospitalization by 54 percent compared to a placebo, during Phase 2 trials on 327 patients in Korea, Romania, Spain and the United States. Among those aged over 50, the rate was 68 percent.



Also, the time required for clinical recovery was 5.4 days for the Regkirona group, while that of placebo group was 8.8 days, meaning the drug shortened the recovery period. The company added that recovery was five to six days shorter for moderately ill patients.



The company said the group taking Regkirona showed a significantly lower level of virus concentration seven days after injection, while it required 10 days for the placebo group to reach the same level.



"During the trials, Regkirona proved that it can significantly reduce the rate of patients progressing from the mild to severe stage, as well as helping patients recover quickly," said prof. Uhm Joong-sik of Gacheon University Gil Medical Center who led the Phase 2 trials. "We believe not only vaccines but also treatments are essential to contain the pandemic."



Celltrion said it has already produced 100,000 doses to supply the treatment as soon as the ministry gives it conditional approval.



Conditional approval is given to a new drug that has gone through a Phase 2 clinical trial successfully, if there is no other treatment for the disease. The drug developer is required to continue with and finish full clinical trials at the same time. Celltrion will launch Phase 3 studies in more than 10 countries.



Based on the Phase 2 trial data, the company said it will apply for similar approval from the health authorities in the U.S. and Europe, adding it is planning to manufacture up to 2 million doses to meet global demand.



When exported, Regkirona's cost is anticipated to be below 4 million won ($3,650), cheaper than that of other COVID-19 treatments from Eli Lilly or Regeneron.



So far, Remdesivir by Gilead Sciences is the only drug approved as a COVID-19 treatment in Korea. Should Regkirona win conditional approval, it will be the first Korean COVID-19 treatment.



The results of the Phase 2 trials will also be announced by Michael Ison of Northwestern Medicine at the Keystone Symphosia in the U.S., Wednesday (local time).




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Covid: problem of mobility to be solved by summer, Greece Mitsotakis, EU vaccination certificate to travel

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, JANUARY 13 - ''The next months will be crucial to guarantee the mass vaccination of EU citizens, and in lowering infection rates and throwing the basis for the return of a form of economic and social normality in 2021. In this regard, reestablishing freedom of movement among member States, as well as with third countries, is a fundamental priority'', Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in a letter sent to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, which ANSA viewed.



The premier urged to ''reach an agreement between States on a common certificate and its use, in order to push the issue at an international level, contributing to reestablish mobility on a global scale, which is key to restore economic activity to pre-crisis levels''.



''For countries like Greece, it is imperative that this issue is solved before the summer'', stressed Mitsotakis. (ANSAmed).




SALEM, Ore.  Oregon's vaccination efforts will expand to include people 65 and older, childcare providers, and school staff beginning January 23, Governor Kate Brown announced on Tuesday.

Brown's office attributed the acceleration to updated guidance from the CDC, and news that the federal government will release its full reserves of vaccine doses to the states instead of holding them in storage.

Those additional federal shipments are expected to begin arriving on January 23, providing the impetus to include seniors, child care providers and early learning and K-12 educators and staff.

While this is an unexpected change in course from the federal government, receiving more vaccines is welcome news for states  and Oregon is ready to devote all resources necessary to ramp up distribution with our health care partners, said Governor Brown. The Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon National Guard have already begun working with hospitals, pharmacies, and local public health partners to ensure Oregon seniors and educators have ready access to a vaccine. We will be detailing plans on Friday for the rapid deployment of vaccines to health care providers and mass vaccination sites across Oregon.

If you are an Oregonian who is newly eligible for vaccination, I am asking for your patience. Please, do not call your doctors office or health care provider with questions about when you can be vaccinated. Todays news arrived with no advance notice from the federal government. Oregon health care providers are working as fast as humanly possible to shift their vaccine distribution plans to meet this sudden change in national guidance.

Now, more than ever, I am determined to ensure that communities that have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 have access to a vaccine: Oregons Black, Indigenous, tribal, Latino, Latina, and Latinx, Pacific Islander, and communities of color. Reaching educators and individuals aged 65 and older from these communities is absolutely critical, as we strive to achieve equitable vaccine distribution in each phase of this process.

Brown's office said that she and the Oregon Health Authority would provide more details on the state's plan to distribute vaccines for seniors and educators on Friday.

Before Tuesday's announcement, Oregon was still largely focusing on vaccinations for the first groups in Phase 1a  largely medical staff, first responders, and the residents and staff at certain long-term care facilities.

VANCOUVER, BC, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Defense Metals Corp. ("Defense Metals" or the "Company") (TSXV: DEFN) (OTCQB: DFMTF) (FSE: 35D) is pleased to announce that it has commissioned the Saskatchewan Research Council ("SRC") to complete an X-Ray Transmission ("XRT") sorting amenability study with respect to mineralized feed sourced from its 1,708 hectare (4,220 acre) Wicheeda Rare Earth Element (REE) Property ("Wicheeda") located close to existing infrastructure near Prince George, British Columbia (BC).

Defense Metals and SRC have been awarded National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) funding, a Government of Canada funded program mandated to provide financial support for technology innovation. Funding awarded under the NRC IRAP will cover approximately 70% of the estimated cost of the XRT amenability study test-work.

The Wicheeda project has indicated mineral resources of 4,890,000 tonnes averaging 3.02% LREO (Light Rare Earth Elements) and inferred mineral resources of 12,100,000 tonnes averaging 2.90% LREO1. Flotation pilot-plant processing of a 26-tonne bulk sample of Wicheeda REE material yielded a mineral concentrate averaging 7.4% NdPr oxide (neodymium-praseodymium) critical magnet metals2.

The objective of the SRC amenability study is to investigate XRT sorting for the purpose of upgrading Wicheeda REE mineralization prior to downstream processing. Sensor based sorting has several advantages when applied to REE mining projects in that beneficiation occurs without water and with reduced grinding requirements. The investigation will assess how much gangue can be removed from the head feed. The investigation will then carry out an iterative study of different sorting sizes to process in the XRT sorter assessing both the grade of the upgraded concentrate and the grade of the waste for economic studies whereby the optimum operational parameters can be determined.

XRT sorting has the potential to realize several significant project benefits including:

Relatively low-cost gangue (unmineralized waste) removal and volume reduction at the front-end of the Wicheeda REE processing stream;

Potential to have a significant positive benefit on downstream flotation and hydrometallurgical processes via reduced water, heating, and reagent consumption costs; and

Depending on the success of the test-work these reductions may contribute to overall lower size / throughput and capital cost of potential future commercial REE concentration and refining facilities at Wicheeda.

Craig Taylor, CEO comments:

"Defense Metals looks forward to investigating the potential of low-cost front-end upgrading of Wicheeda REE mineralization via XRT sorting. We have already demonstrated the ability to produce a greater than 50% REO concentrate during flotation pilot plant test-work and we hope unlocking the benefits of XRT sorting will yield downstream processing benefits of increased head grade, flotation concentrate, and hydrometallurgical feed streams".

Details of XRT Study Methodology

X-ray Transmission (XRT) Analysis:

The XRT investigation requires the selection of large samples containing both gangue and REE mineralization for analysis. The samples are analysed using:

Dual energy X-ray transmission measurements (DE-CT), and

QEMSCAN for calibration and mineral identification and modal mineralogy.

Photographs of the polished QEMSCAN samples are used to verify the atomic differences measured by DE-CT. The modal mineralogy is used to determine REE grades.

Image Analysis:

The DE-CT images are analyzed using different sized grids to determine how much gangue can be removed for a range of particle sizes. This process determines the upgrading possibilities for different sorting sizes, the grade of the concentrate and the grade of the waste.

Wicheeda REE Project

The Wicheeda REE project has indicated mineral resources of 4,890,000 tonnes averaging 3.02% LREO (Light Rare Earth Elements) and inferred mineral resources of 12,100,000 tonnes averaging 2.90% LREO3.

Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release as it relates to the Wicheeda REE Property has been reviewed and approved by Kristopher J. Raffle, P.Geo. (BC) Principal and Consultant of APEX Geoscience Ltd. of Edmonton, AB, a director of Defense Metals and a "Qualified Person" as defined in National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

About Defense Metals Corp.

Defense Metals Corp. is a mineral exploration company focused on the acquisition of mineral deposits containing metals and elements commonly used in the electric power market, military, national security and the production of "GREEN" energy technologies, such as, high strength alloys and rare earth magnets. Defense Metals has an option to acquire 100% of the 1,708 hectare Wicheeda Rare Earth Element Property located near Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. Defense Metals Corp. trades in Canada under the symbol "DEFN" on the TSX Venture Exchange, in the United States, under "DFMTF" on the OTCQB and in Germany on the Frankfurt Exchange under "35D".

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

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Information

This news release contains "forwardlooking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, statements relating to the Company's plans for its Wicheeda project, XRT study and the expected benefits and results therefrom, the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its project and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which the Company will operate in the future, including the price of rare earth elements, the ability to achieve its goals, that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner, that financing will be available if and when needed and on reasonable terms. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions, adverse weather conditions, failure to maintain or obtain all necessary government permits, approvals and authorizations, failure to maintain community acceptance (including First Nations), decrease in the price of rare earth elements, the impact of Covid-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate increase in costs, litigation, and failure of counterparties to perform their contractual obligations. The Company does not undertake to update forwardlooking statements or forwardlooking information, except as required by law.

_____________________ Technical Report on the Wicheeda Property, British Columbia, effective June 27, 2020 and prepared by APEX Geoscience Ltd. (Steven J. Nicholls, B.A. Sc., MAIG and Kristopher J. Raffle, B.Sc., P.Geo) is available under Defense Metals Corp.'s profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) See Defense Metals News Release date September 23, 2020 Technical Report on the Wicheeda Property, British Columbia, effective June 27, 2020 and prepared by APEX Geoscience Ltd. (Steven J. Nicholls, B.A. Sc., MAIG and Kristopher J. Raffle, B.Sc., P.Geo) is available under Defense Metals Corp.'s profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com)

SOURCE Defense Metals Corp.
Microsoft on Monday introduced Surface Pro 7+ for Business, a new version of the Surface Pro 7 designed for business and education customers.

Today, we are pleased to share the next step in our journey to support our business and education customers with the introduction of Surface Pro 7+ for Business, Microsoft said in its announcement.

From small and medium size businesses to the largest organizations, Surface Pro 7+ is purpose-built with the needs of our business and education customers in mind. This next generation of Surface Pro stays true to its ethos  delivering on top customer requested updates while maintaining the same iconic design so customers can continue to leverage their existing investments.

The Surface Pro 7+ for Business features a 12.3-inch, 2736 x 1824-pixel PixelSense display with a 3:2 aspect ratio and a 267 pixels per inch density. Also, it has the same 11.5 x 7.9 x 0.3-inch chassis, aluminum look and chunky bezels like the Surface Pro 7 and weighs 1.7 pounds. Since its design is in-line with the consumer variant, the tablet works with accessories like the Surface Dock, Surface Pen and the Surface Type Cover keyboard.

Coming to specifications, the Surface Pro 7+ for Business is powered by Intels new 11th Gen Tiger Lake processors, starting from Core i3 (1115G4) to Core i5 (1135G7) to Core i7 (1165G7). According to Microsoft, the new processors give up to 2.1 times faster performance than the previous model, and longer battery life of up to 15 hours, which is nearly 50% more endurance than Pro 7. The battery also supports fast-charging via Microsoft proprietary charging cable, allowing the tablet to recharge up to 80% in just under an hour.

Microsoft is introducing optional LTE Advanced with the Surface Pro 7+ via the built-in Snapdragon X20 modem, which will help keep people stay connected at home if Wi-Fi bandwidth is limited or if they are in a remote location.

With both USB-A and USB-C ports, Surface Pro 7+ offers the adaptability to dock into external displays and leverage the needed peripherals for a full workstation setup. The 2-in-1 device has integrated front and rear-facing cameras with 1080p full HD video along with Dolby Atmos speakers and dual far-field Studio Microphones.

The 2-in-1 laptop also supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, a 3.5mm audio jack, Microsofts Surface Connect port, and a MicroSDXC card reader in the WiFi-only models (the LTE models will replace this with a nano-SIM). Further, LTE models will not have MicroSD card expansion. Besides, there is no 5G support and the USB-C input is neither Thunderbolt 3 nor Thunderbolt 4.

The Surface Pro 7+ will feature a removable SSD for data retention so that customers can be in control of their data. The SSD will also support the security and privacy needs of business and educational organizations. This feature, combined with Microsoft BitLocker protection, makes it easy for customers to retain sensitive data if something happens to their device. The tablet also features Windows Enhanced Hardware Security features enabled by default, which means it has protections against privilege escalation attacks that target the devices memory.

Further, the tablet is 23% lighter than the previous generation and is made from 99% natural fiber-based material, of which 64% is post-consumer recycled content.

The Surface Pro 7+ Intel Core i3 model (8GB RAM + 128GB SSD storage) starts at $899.99, while the highest-end Core i7 model (32GB RAM + 1TB SSD storage) costs $2,799.99. Only the Intel Core i5 models will have optional LTE Advanced configuration starting at $1,149.99 for 8GB RAM + 128GB SSD storage Core i5 model and $1,649.99 for 16GB RAM + 256GB SSD storage Core i5 model. No Surface Pro Signature Type Cover keyboard is included in any configuration.

The i3 and i5 models do not contain any fans, while the i7 model does need active cooling. Also, the Core i5 and Core i7 models will have Intels new Iris Xe graphics, while the Core i3 model will ship with Intel UHD graphics.

The new Surface Pro 7+ will start shipping for Enterprise and Education customers via authorized resellers in the U.S. on January 15th. It is expected to become available in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and a large number of European countries soon.

Ethiopia said on Wednesday its military had killed three members of the Tigray regions former ruling party, including former Ethiopian Foreign Minister Seyoum Mesfin.

The three Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) officials were killed, and five other party members were captured, after they refused to surrender to the military, the governments task force for the crisis in Tigray said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmeds government declared victory in its conflict with the TPLF on Nov. 28 last year after nearly a month of fighting.

Fugitive leaders of the TPLF had vowed to continue to fight from the mountains of the region in northern Ethiopia, but Reuters has been unable to contact them for weeks.

The military said last week it had captured Sebhat Nega, a founding member of the TPLF.

At the weekend, it said it had killed 15 members of the TPLF and captured eight others, according to state-run TV.

Seyoum was Ethiopias foreign minister from 1991 to 2010.

Air strikes and battles since early November in Tigray are believed to have killed thousands of people. Fighting is continuing in some parts and more than 2 million people need aid, the United Nations said this week.

Reuters has been unable to verify claims by either side since phone and internet connections to the Tigray region are down and access to the area is strictly controlled.

SOURCE: REUTERS
"We learned from each other. It was a wonderful experience."

Into this carnage stepped Canadian accountant Joyce Evans, who joined volunteers from all over the world in the rescue and re-building operation after the seas subsided and the true extent of the destruction revealed itself.

But when it comes to measuring the impact of a disaster, they are all we have to begin with. Statistics are the first, faltering step in coming to terms with the scale of suffering, and the figures which emerged from the tsunami which swept over Indian Ocean coastlines on Boxing Day 2004 were terrifying enough:

"It turned out to be the most worthwhile thing I have ever done in my life."

I was at work in the finance department at the City of Kitchener in Ontario, and an email arrived asking for volunteers, Joyce said. I decided at once Id really like to help, and at that moment my boss, the city treasurer, came in and said she was volunteering. So we both applied and were accepted. It turned out to be the most worthwhile thing I have ever done in my life.

Over the next couple of years Joyce joined six missions to Sri Lanka to help with reconstruction, her travel funded by the Canadian International Agency and the City of Kitchener.

There were other people better able to do the heavy lifting jobs, like building new schools, hospitals and houses, she said. But I could help in other ways.

Joyce used her accountancy skills and training to help restore the nervous systems and networks of local government, working alongside the Sri Lankans to re-build record keeping capability and computer operations which were disrupted by the disaster.

The country had suffered terribly, said Joyce. As well as the tsunami, there was civil unrest and the working conditions were so difficult.

We learned from each other, said Joyce. It was a wonderful experience.

For her efforts, Joyce was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.

Old friend

Although Joyce has made her home and career in Canada, her roots lie deep in the town of Hartlepool in north-east England. Thats where she first stumbled into public sector finance, which turned out to be her joy as well as her job.

Id left school and didnt know what to do, she said.

I heard that there were jobs at West Hartlepool council, so I went along and ended up in the treasury.

Joyce emigrated to Canada and gave up on accountancy studies for a while, but she always yearned to return to the profession, and to complete her qualification.

My mind was made up when I was back home in Hartlepool for a visit, and I met an old friend on the bus, Joyce said. She was on her way to collect her degree, and I thought If she can do it, I can. So I set about qualifying, finally, when I was 38.

Greatest honours

That bus ride was a ticket to a new life for Joyce. She qualified with Certified General Accountants back in Canada, and added the ACCA designation when the organisations formed a partnership. In time, Joyce would play a major part in strengthening the bonds between the professions in Canada and the UK.

I was a member of CGA Ontario Board of Governors and was honoured to be invited to recognition ceremonies. I immediately felt at home with ACCA colleagues from many parts of the globe.

I am so pleased I found my way to ACCA, even if it might have taken a little longer than it has for others. It is a pleasure to do my bit in supporting our profession, especially in the public sector, she said.

That is where my love lies, and I will always be a proud champion for ACCA and for civic values.
The 5G logo is pictured during the launch of Vodafone UK's 5G mobile data network in London on July 3, 2019. (Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Epoch Times Among Websites Blocked When Using Vodafone Devices in UK

When connected to the internet using Vodafone Wi-Fi routers and sim cards, the Chinese version of The Epoch Times, among other websites, cant be accessed unless the customer confirms he/she is over 18, several Vodafone customers said.

According to Vodafones website, age-restricted content includes pornography, violence, discrimination, drugs, or crime.

Stefanos Matrakoukas, one of the persons who couldnt access the website after turning on Vodafones adult content filter, said that he found it strange.

Why would you block a news website in the UK? Matrakoukas said on Tuesday during an interview with The Epoch Times.

Matrakoukas friend, Natalia Nutting, a teacher, first made the discovery last month, after she couldnt access websites related to Falun Gong, (also called Falun Dafa)a spiritual practice she does that originated in China but was banned by the Chinese regime in 1999.

I got this Wi-Fi device on a Sunday, Nov. 30, I got it here at home on Tuesday, Dec. 2. I used it all day  and everything was okay, Nutting told NTD, an affiliate of The Epoch Times.

And in the evening  I typed in the website falundafa.org, and it was blocked. It said like, it was a red message of adult content, she added.

A screenshot from a video showing a warning message from Vodafone saying the content is age-restricted. (Courtesy of Natalia Nutting/Screenshot)

Nutting said it felt weird as she had been accessing the website every day for the last 17 years.

I felt really sad. I felt violated, of my rights, she said, because I really empathise with people in China that cant access these websites, but I never thought that would happen to me, being in the UK.

I immediately opened another website related to Falun Dafa, which is minghui.org, and it was blocked. And then I opened epochtimes.com and it was blocked, Nutting said. She used to work for The Epoch Times.

A video Nutting recorded, and seen by The Epoch Times, showed that she typed in epochtimes.com, which is the URL for the Chinese Edition of the website.

The English edition, theepochtimes.com, can be accessed, NTD and The Epoch Times have verified.

The video also showed that Nutting had no problem accessing the blocked sites once she switched to Sky broadband.

Vodafone told Nutting that she could have the age-restriction turned off, but she opted to cancel her contract.

Amy Isabelle Duncan (C) and two others practice the Falun Dafa meditation at a park in Sydney on June 26, 2017. (Courtesy of Emma Morley)

Matrakoukas, also a Falun Gong practitioner, bought a Vodafone mobile sim card at around the same time. He also had trouble accessing falundafa.org and minghui.org.

When I first clicked to go to the websites Falun Dafa and Minghui, I was very surprised that they were blocked. Because I know that theyre blocked like in China, right? Why theyre [sic] blocked in the UK? And again, they dont contain any content that is questionable. Definitely appropriate for any age, he told NTD.

Matrakoukas didnt think too much of it at the beginning.

At the very first moment, I didnt think it was a huge problem, because I thought Im going to deactivate the filter, and thats it. So I didnt think about this too much, he said.

Only after the 14-day cooling period had lapsed had Matrakoukas realised it would be more than an inconvenience for some.

Then I realised  if I had a family, and we needed a filter then, and we had Vodafone, then we would block out the Falun Dafa websites as well, and the Minghui website, he said. It would be hugely problematic.

At The Epoch Times request, Matrakoukas turned the age filter back on last weekend to check if he could now access the websites.

According to a video he recorded on Friday, seen by The Epoch Times, Chinese and English versions of Falun Dafa and Minghui websites, and the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times, could not be accessed.

NTD had also independently verified that the websites are blocked by purchasing a Vodafone Wi-Fi router and tried it between Dec. 7 and Dec. 12.

Nutting told NTD that when she called Vodafone, a staff member in charge of cancellations confirmed her suspicion that some of Vodafones devices may come with certain restrictions.

Many of the Huawei devices come with this restriction. Unfortunately, we have to accept that, Nutting said the staff member told her.

The staff member did not specify if restrictions on Huawei devices were related to this particular case.

Vodafone did not respond to The Epoch Times request for comment.

The EU flag and a smartphone with the Huawei and 5G network logo are seen on a PC motherboard in this illustration taken on Jan. 29, 2020. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters)

A petition on change.org that was started eight months ago stated that all Falun Dafa related domains, including at least 16 domains with more than 100 Falun Gong related websites are blocked when the adult content blocker was activated on the Vodafone home broadband router.

The petition is accompanied by a video that demonstrates failed attempts to access Falun Gong related websites in multiple languages.

It is absolutely wrong and inappropriate to categorize Falun Gong as Adult content, the petition reads.

For the last 21 years, Falun Gong practitioners in China have been harassed, imprisoned, tortured, killed by the state apparatus in communist China. According to the China Tribunal, adherents of Falun Gong have been one of the main sources of organ supply in the large-scale forced organ harvesting committed throughout China.

The China Tribunal was an independent peoples tribunal that examined allegations and criminal complicity of forced organ harvesting in 2019. The tribunal issued its final judgment on March 1, 2020.

Falun Dafa parade in Manhattan, New York City, on May 16, 2019. (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Casey Fleming, a top cybersecurity expert said that according to his experience in the field, such censoring is done with software, and that it wouldnt have happened by accident.

Its a software issue. And its called listing a blacklist, or listing an organisation or a website on a blacklist, Fleming, chairman and CEO of cybersecurity firm BlackOps Partners, told NTD.

Those blacklists are typically managed by the carrier. And sometimes those carriers contract that out to a third party to manage those blacklists, he added. But for a company or a website to be on a blacklist or an organization to be on a blacklist, thats not done by accident. Thats done by decision.

Similar Restrictions in the US

Fleming said that other companies in the United States such as retailers and ISP carriers have also been found blocking websites that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) doesnt like.

I can speak from opinion and from experience  that if the Chinese Communist Party doesnt like what youre saying, then they will kill your business relationship with them, your business partnership with them, they will limit the access to the Chinese market, which a lot of companies believe is really the future of their companies, he told NTD.

The Chinese Communist Party wants to control absolutely every facet of the Chinese peoples lives and the Chinese country, he said.

So they dont want anybody with a different narrative. They dont want anybody that doesnt fall directly in line with the Chinese Communist Party, he added.

So thats really the reason that they have blocked the Falun Gong and other organisations with not just Vodafone, but with other carriers around the world that weve experienced.

Levi Browde, the executive director for the New York-based Falun Dafa Information Centre, also said there has been censorship against Falun Gong in the United States.

One of the ways it happens in the United States, Browde said, is that companies are pressured by Chinese nationals.

What weve seen here in the U.S. is, sometimes very pro-Beijing Chinese nationals, either spurred on by the consulate, or just in their own group, will call these software vendors who would do restrictions on either phone or a corporate network, or what have you, and tell them all kinds of lies about Falun Gong, it scares the software company, he told NTD.

And so they start putting Falun Gong websites on age-restricted, you know, categories, which is completely false. This is being driven by essentially official or unofficial agents of the CCP, he added.

In other cases, there might be some technology companies that have some financial interest in China and theyre being pressured to do that, he said.

In either case, they really need to be called out on that.

Jane Werrell of NTD contributed to this report.
The list of COVID-19 symptoms has grown since the coronavirus pandemic began nearly a year ago.

Yahoo Life reports that the long list of symptoms now includes a disturbingly wide range of complications that can accompany the virus.

The report noted that a loss of smell and taste is one of the most common symptoms among COVID-19 patients - especially those with mild cases.

The time-frame for the return of these senses, ranges from a couple of weeks, to months, and in the worst case scenarios some COVID-19 patients lose their senses of smell and taste permanently, Yahoo Life explained.

Loss of sense of smell and taste are common COVID-19 symptoms

Yahoo Life cited a Jan. 5 study from the Journal of Internal Medicine, which found that of patients with mild cases of COVID-19, 86% experienced a loss of their sense of taste and smell. And, while a significant number of these patients senses do come back in time, thats not always the case.

Yahoo Life also cited The Wall Street Journal, which reported that doctors say in some cases peoples senses might never return.

From Harvard Healths site, Yahoo Life cited cognitive and neurological expert Leo Newhouse, LICSW, who wrote: Some of us might never regain our sense of smell or taste at all.

Most COVID-19 patients senses of smell and taste return after six months

The Yahoo Life report cited an April 6 study published by the European Archives of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, which found that long after other symptoms had dissipated, the majority of patients loss of taste and smell lingered. The study noted that a quarter of participants ability to taste and smell returned within two weeks of their other symptoms disappearing.

The Journal of Internal Medicine, study concluded that after 60 days, 15.3% of patients still had not recovered their senses, and at the 6-month mark, 4.7% of peoples senses hadnt yet returned.

If senses do come back, they may not come back the same

The report again cited neurological expert Leo Newhouse who wrote: The good news is that olfactory neurons are capable of regeneration. But added, The bad news is that not everyone will return to his or her pre-COVID level of functioning.

If your senses are still gone, you shouldnt lose all hope.

According to Yahoo Life, experts say theres a significant chance that senses will recover within the first year of loss. The report cited Assistant professor Jessica Grayson, MD, who told the University of Alabama at Birmingham that patients with post-viral smell loss have roughly a 60 to 80 percent chance of regaining some of their smell function at one year.

Loss of smell and taste can lead to adverse emotions

Yahoo Life cited a 2016 study published in Chemical Senses which found that patients with olfactory dysfunction have symptoms of depression that worsen with severity of smell loss.

The report cited The Wall Street Journal, which was told by Chemosensory scientist Pamela Dalton, PhD, that when our sense of smell and taste disappear, weve scooped out a whole piece of our consciousness that we didnt even realize we were using every day.
Joey Bunch: "We educate children to take on the future, agreed? That shouldn't mean they should have to take on four years of crushing college debt for a degree that might not support the loan payments, a new family and a mortgage."
[January 13, 2021] TIG Advisors Acquires Minority Interest in Arkkan Capital

TIG Advisors, LLC ("TIG"), a New York-based alternative asset manager with approximately $7 billion in assets that provides growth capital, comprehensive infrastructure support and management services to investment teams, today announced that it has acquired a minority revenue share interest in Arkkan Capital ("Arkkan"), a Hong Kong-based alternative asset manager with approximately $1 billion of assets under management, from a fund managed by a Blackstone advisor. Such fund, which seeded the firm, remains an investor in Arkkan's fund. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded in 2013 by Jason Brown, Arkkan focuses on credit and special situations investments across Asia Pacific. Mr. Brown will continue to lead the firm as Chief Investment Officer and retain control over Arkkan's day-to-day operations and investment processes. As a growth-oriented partner, TIG will work collaboratively with Arkkan, focusing primarily on marketing and business development. "Arkkan has a well-earned reputation for its ability to navigate Asia's dynamic and growing credit markets, investing successfully in a broad range of performing, stressed and distressed situations," said Spiros Maliagros, President of TIG. "We believe the Arkkan team has the expertise and disciplined approach required to continue generating attractive returns, and are excited to partner with the firm as it builds upon its leading position in the region." Mr. Brown added, "TIG has a proven track record of helping alternative asset managers achieve their business objectives, and I am pleased to form a strategic partnership with them as we seek to scale our distribution network. I thank Blackstone for the support they ave provided since day one and for their continued commitment to Arkkan as an investor in the fund."



The investment in Arkkan is the third successful transaction for TIG following its minority interest acquisitions in Romspen Investment Corporation in 2018 and Zebedee Capital Partners in 2020. About TIG Advisors, LLC

TIG Advisors is a New York-based alternative asset manager with approximately $7 billion in assets, focused on making growth equity investments in global alternative specialists. TIG has a strong track record of identifying uncorrelated investment opportunities in both public and private markets, utilizing its long-standing operating platform to assist managers with growth. The firm's alpha driven investment strategies align with the needs of a diverse global investor base. For more information, please visit: www.tigfunds.com. About Arkkan Capital Founded in 2013 by Jason Brown, Arkkan Capital is a Hong Kong-based alternative asset manager focused on credit and special situations investments in the Asia Pacific markets. Investment team members have an average of 20 years' experience investing in Asia Pacific credit markets. The firm's global institutional investor base includes sovereign wealth funds, pension plans, family offices and foundations. For more information, please visit: https://arkkancapital.com. About Blackstone Blackstone is one of the world's leading investment firms. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $584 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter (News - Alert) @Blackstone. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005388/en/

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Officials in Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya have registered names of dead people for the coronavirus vaccination drive. The Health Department of Ayodhya's Dufferin hospital prepared a list of health workers that will get vaccines in the first phase of the inoculation. However, it was found that most registered healthcare workers, especially nurses were either dead, retired or had resigned.

Several lapses have been found in the preparation of the list of healthcare workers who will receive coronavirus shot in Ayodhya, an India Today report highlighted.

Consequently, the state's health minister, Jai Pratap Singh has ordered a probe into the matter and has assured that action will be taken against the responsible staff.

A local official told the channel that the names were mistakenly entered as the list was prepared months ago and since then it has not been updated.

Yesterday, the first consignment of coronavirus vaccine reached the Lucknow airport. The vaccines would be reaching cold storage facilities at eight places in the state soon and from there they would be sent to districts various and subsequently to the block-level public and community health centres.

According to the state's health minister, 1,298 centres have been set up in the state for the safekeeping of vaccines. In UP, nine lakh workers have registered themselves on the Co-WIN portal.

Also read: Bharat Biotech inks pact with Precisa Medicamentos to sell Covaxin in Brazil

Also read: Tata, HDFC groups surge past record set by Reliance
EUGENE, Ore. -- As Oregonians 65 and older will soon be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, health care workers are hoping that their experience getting the vaccine can help inspire confidence in those who are next in line.

Oregon Medical Group family nurse practitioner Elizabeth Dhungana got the vaccine on Saturday and said the process should be familiar to anyone who's gotten a flu shot.

"Walking right into the clinic, it was a very organized process," she said. "One of our nurses came in. It was super fast. They monitor you for about 15 minutes afterward to make sure there's no significant adverse effect."

Dhungana said she experienced a sore arm and some fatigue the next day, both of which are normal short-term reactions to the vaccine.

According to Dhungana, the administration of the vaccine is largely just like the flu shot, but there are some unique elements to getting the COVID-19 shot.

"So this is a little bit different in regards to you will go home with a specific card for you to keep a record of, but the administration is exactly the same," she said.

That card serves as a reminder of when a patient will need to return for their next dose. Dhungana got the Moderna vaccine and will need to get her second dose in four weeks. It's a privilege she said she and her colleagues are hopeful will help convince the public of the vaccine's safety.

"I feel proud to be one of the first to get the vaccine as a health care provider so we can provide reassurance to our patients," she said.

Older Oregonians and educators will be able to start lining up for the vaccine on Jan. 23, when the state expects to receive additional doses from the federal government.

Contact Energy (Contact) CEO Mike Fuge welcomed the news that the life of New Zealands Aluminium Smelter (NZAS) at Tiwai Point will be extended until at least the end of 2024 while an economic transition for Southland is developed.

Todays announcement of the deal between Meridian and NZAS ensures sustainable smelter operations in the medium term and allows time to plan for an ultimate exit of New Zealands largest energy user. This is great news for Southland and New Zealand, global carbon emissions, and Contacts shareholders.

As part of the arrangement announced today, Contact has agreed to supply Meridian Energy with a portion of the electricity required to power the NZAS smelter at Tiwai Point. Contact will provide an average of 100 megawatts of baseload electricity through until the end of 2024 (assuming the smelter requires 572 megawatts of electricity).

We are pleased to have played our part in helping secure the financial sustainability of the unique low-carbon smelter at Tiwai and retain the 1,000 high-paying jobs in Southland and the 1,600 associated contractor and supplier roles too, Mr Fuge said. Many other jobs around New Zealand would also have been lost if there was a disorderly exit.

He said Contact was continuing to advance its world-class Tauhara project in readiness for an investment decision. The Tauhara geothermal project is New Zealands best low-carbon renewable electricity opportunity. It will operate 24/7, is not reliant on the weather and is ideal for displacing baseload fossil fuel generation.

See the link below for more details:

Contact says extension for NZAS is good news

Source: Contact Energy Limited

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / GGX Gold Corp. (TSXV:GGX)(OTCQB:GGXXF)(FRA:3SR2) (the "Company" or "GGX") is pleased to provide an update on its exploration drilling program at the Gold Drop property in the Greenwood Mining Camp of south-central British Columbia.

Diamond drilling is now complete for the year 2020 at the Gold Drop property. A total of 3,865 metres was drilled in 37 holes. This includes one hole (AMT20-01) to test a deep geophysical porphyry target (786 metres), 19 holes (1,894 Metres) drilled to test the C.O.D. vein structure, and 17 holes (1,185 metres) drilled to test the Perky vein.



Map of Gold Drop Property showing areas of interest.

The Perky vein is a new discovery vein where high-grade assay results were obtained from surface trenching. This vein is located 200 metres west of C.O.D Grab and channel sample results ranged up to 54.0 grams per tonne gold, 303 grams per tonne silver and 134.0 grams per tonne tellurium. Channel samples assays averaged 22.7 grams per tonne gold, 107.6 grams per tonne silver and 67.0 grams per tonnes tellurium over a sampled length of 10.3 metres (refer to news release dated November 11).

Drilling was done to test the Perky vein at shallow depths beneath the surface trench and two of these holes were extended eastward underneath the projected extension of the C.O.D. vein. The drilling to date on the Perky structure was positive in that multiple vein intersections were obtained. Visually, best intercepts were holes PKY20-07 and 08, which contained visible gold and pyrite +/- telluride mineralization in quartz veins (see table below).

Hole From To Length Minerals PKY20-07 0.00 2.34 2.34 gold, pyrite PKY20-08 0.00 2.89 2.89 gold, telluride, pyrite

All of the assay results for the 2020 program have not yet been received. Results were received for AMT20-01 and the first 7 holes on the C.O.D. vein. A total of 80 samples were assayed for hole AMT20-01, which returned locally anomalous gold values ranging up to 0.53 grams per tonne gold for intersections of quartz veinlets carrying pyrite. The first 7 holes on the C.O.D. vein were drilled to test its depth extension, for which anomalous gold values ranging up to 0.89 grams per tonne gold were obtained. Assays are pending for all remaining holes.

Additional drilling is planned to further explore the Perky and C.O.D. veins and to test the Lively and Rhoderick Dhu prospects. On the eastern part of the property, the Ken vein, which contains visible gold, remains to be tested. Three-dimensional modeling of the Gold Drop and North Star mine workings is also underway from which additional drill targets will be generated.

Analyses disclosed in this release were conducted by ALS Global - Geochemistry Analytical Lab in North Vancouver, BC, Canada. ALS is an independent, fully accredited commercial laboratory. Gold was determined by the fire assay method using a 50-gram sample weight and AA finish, with over-limits checked using a 50-gram sample weight and gravimetric finish. Other metals were analyzed as part of a 48-element package using a four-acid digestion and determination by ICP-MS.

David Martin, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and consultant to the Company, approved the technical information in this release.

On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Barry Brown, CEO

604-488-3900

Office@GGXgold.com

Forward Looking Statement

This News Release may contain forward-looking statements including but not limited to comments regarding the acquisition of certain mineral claims. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements and Revolver undertakes no obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.

Forward-looking statements are based on the then-current expectations, beliefs, assumptions, estimates and forecasts about the business and the industry and markets in which the Company operates, including that: the current price of and demand for minerals being targeted by the Company will be sustained or will improve; the Company will be able to obtain required exploration licences and other permits; general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner; financing will be available if and when needed on reasonable terms; the Company will not experience any material accident; and the Company will be able to identify and acquire additional mineral interests on reasonable terms or at all. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions which are difficult to predict. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including: that resource exploration and development is a speculative business; that environmental laws and regulations may become more onerous; that the Company may not be able to raise additional funds when necessary; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; fluctuating prices of commodities; operating hazards and risks; competition; potential inability to find suitable acquisition opportunities and/or complete the same; and other risks and uncertainties listed in the Company's public filings. These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements and information, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information, or the material factors or assumptions used to develop such forward looking information, will prove to be accurate. The Company does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable securities law.

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

SOURCE: GGX Gold Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/624119/GGX-Gold-Corp--Diamond-Drilling-Update-Gold-Drop-Property-Greenwood-BC
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STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Search and rescue teams looking for the remains of the Karabakh war victims have found the bodies of 7 servicemen in Fizuli and Jabrayil, as well as the section between Artsakh and the Syunik province, bringing the total number of retrieved bodies since the war ended to 1229, the Artsakh authorities said.

Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations spokesperson Hunan Tadevosyan told ARMENPRESS that they are now conducting search operations in Karintak, Mataghis and Talish.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
 Flash

China on Tuesday rebutted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's slanderous comments about the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying that blaming and stigmatizing China will never "make America great again."



Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Pompeo's recent tweet, in which he claimed that the CPC is the biggest threat to the United Nations (UN).

"Pompeo has taken great pains to spread political viruses and is really good at telling lies and calling white black," the spokesperson said in response.

Stigmatizing and blaming China will never make America great again, nor will it make the United States' unilateral bullying legitimate, Zhao said, adding that the wrong acts will do no good to the image and global reputation of the United States.

China has always been a contributor to world peace and a defender of the international order, Zhao said, citing the country's recent actions in supporting multilateralism, including providing $50 million to the UN's COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan and establishing a third-phase South-South Cooperation Trust Fund with the Food and Agriculture Organization totaling $50 million.

On the contrary, as the biggest destabilizing factor for global peace and security, the United States undermined multilateral cooperation, pursued unilateralism, wantonly pulled out of treaties and organizations, and arbitrarily resorted to the use or threat of sanctions, Zhao said.

To date, it has withdrawn from a dozen international treaties and organizations, which seriously weakened joint cooperation in many fields of the international community, undermined the existing international order and mechanisms, and harmed world peace, stability and security, he said.

Pompeo's "lying diplomacy" once again shows how the United States uses double standards, Zhao said, calling on the international community to distinguish right from wrong to protect the unity and cooperation of the international community from being harmed.
Trump toured areas where a border wall is being built near Alamo, Texas, yesterday.

Bernie Sanders will control the reconciliation process in a divided Senate.

A below-the-radar story in Washington is that Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia has just become the most powerful guy in town. With the Senate split 50-50 and Democrats in control, their most conservative member may find himself in the position of playing Solomon on major legislative items.

But a closely divided Senate also raises the importance of another figure: Senator Bernie Sanders. Thats because, as the chambers budget committee chairman, he controls the process of reconciliation, whereby certain kinds of laws can be passed by a simple majority and cannot be filibustered.

As the incoming head of the budget committee, Sanders will be in a position to exert major influence over a range of domestic policy measures. High on that list will be passing another economic recovery package, and Sanders has expressed his intention to seek an additional $1,400 in stimulus payments for Americans who recently received $600 federal checks.
Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said on Wednesday that the 'Covishield' vaccine will not be administered to people under 18 years of age, pregnant women and those with allergies, as per the Centre's protocols.

"We have decided to give the full two-doses to the selected persons, the first dose now and the second after 4-6 weeks. However, those below 18 years, pregnant women or people with allergies shall not be administered the vaccine," Tope told mediapersons.

He said so far, Maharashtra has received 963,000 doses of the expected 17,50,000 - which is around 55 per cent of the state government's quota - from the manufacturers Serum Institute of India (SII), Pune.

Since Tuesday night, these vaccine doses are being dispatched all over the state, including the main depots in Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Kolhapur, Nashik, Akola, Nagpur and other places for onward distribution to the 511 designated vaccination centres.

Of these 511 centres, the maximum - 129 - have been allotted to the thickly-populated Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), which has recorded a staggering 19,274 Covid-19 fatalities and 677,220 cases in the past 10 months till date.

The worst-hit in the country by the Covid-19 pandemic with the maximum 11,200 deaths so far, the country's commercial capital has got the lion's share of 72 vaccination centres in the state.

The first lot of the 'Covishield' vaccine for Covid-19 reached Mumbai early on Wednesday morning, BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner I.S. Chahal said.

"The vaccine was brought from Pune to Mumbai by a special vehicle of the BMC with health officials and police security. The stock has already reached the BMC F/South Divisional Office in Parel," Chahal told IANS.

The SII has given about 139,500 doses to BMC for the vaccination drive to be held at 72 centres in Mumbai, and from the F/South Divisional Office, it will be dispatched to various vaccination centres in Mumbai over the next couple of days.

"It will be possible for us to start the vaccination in Mumbai on January 16, coinciding with the national launch of vaccination drive," Chahal added.

As per current plans, around 100 persons - or nearly 7,200 in Mumbai city - shall be administered the vaccine jab daily, Tope said.

Earlier this morning, the civic staff at the BMC F /South Division office welcomed the life-saving vaccine with cheers, claps, garlands and 'poojas'.

Then, it was taken for storage in the temperature-controlled vaccine strong room on the ground floor, as per the prescribed Centre and state government protocols.

--IANS

qn/kr

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


With the Tamil Nadu assembly polls due by May, and the ruling BJP at the Centre playing hard to get for its partner AIADMK in the state, the question arises if the party is hoping to cash in on the possible success of the probable Covid-19 vaccination campaign, expected to commence later this month.

By the same stretch, what may be applicable to Tamil Nadu may also be true for the other states - West Bengal, Kerala and Assam - where assembly polls are also due.

There is no denying the electoral advantage accruing to the BJP from the Covid-19 vaccination drive, prima facie, but a lot will also depend on the success rate and the vaccination coverage in the states where polls are due.

For its part, the AIADMK government in Tamil Nadu, too, has rolled out vaccination plans, acting on the Centres periodic advice and guidelines, with the bureaucracy now immersed as much in the preparations now as they were in Covid management until now.

If and when it came to that, Covid vaccination could well have the same positive effect for the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the poll-going states, just as demonetisation and surgical strikes were in their time, through the past years.

It is, however, too early to predict the electoral outcome if the vaccination plan does not work, or the vaccine does not work as efficiently as being projected to be. Either way, a lot will depend also on the social media campaigns in local languages, which could well at times reach individual voters, at times more than PM Modis hypnotic voice and mesmerising packaging do.

Three options

With the vaccine on hand  rather, the vaccine-jab on the hand of individual voters, or a substantial number of them, even if it covers only the frontline medical and sanitary workers in the first phase  the BJP would have a lot to show by way of fighting the pandemic. The expected boost to PM Modis global image could be as much as after demonetisation and surgical strikes, or even more than that.

But then there are inherent limitations to what the BJP could ask of its allies, big and small, especially in Tamil Nadu, because of its existing inherent weaknesses. At the bottom of it should be the BJPs worst-case scenario calculations on what if it ended up having to go it alone in the elections, if it were to arm-twist its ally AIADMK, with or without the vaccine.

The party may be able to improve its vote-percentage, with or without any ally, and may even be able to open its account in terms of assembly seats in the state, but that would have been possible in a multi-cornered contest even otherwise. The advantage of a Covid vaccine could have been lost in such a case.

It is not unlikely that some BJP strategists may be counting on the possibility of the party emerging as a replacement for one or the other of the Dravidian majors, namely, the ruling AIADMK and the forgotten DMK parent, pushing one of them to the third place. Be that as it may, even if for argument sake, if there is going to be erosion of votes from the DMK/AIADMK kitty, it could well be in terms of the non-committed voters from both sides  and not just one of them.

In a situation of equal erosion of Dravidian party votes, there could well be an accretion to the BJP votes without it actually coming second, other than in select constituencies, just as it may win one or more seats elsewhere.

Third Front under BJP?

The BJP leadership, in the state as well as national observers and visitors from Delhi like Union Minister Prakash Javdekar, have kept the state unit, the cadres and the allies guessing on its next move.

This stance was adopted ever since the AIADMK unilaterally endorsed incumbent Edappadi K Palaniswami (EPS) as the partys chief ministerial candidate after an internal patch-up with Deputy CM O Panneerselvam (OPS) some weeks ago.

Union Home Minister and BJPs No. 2, Amit Shah, was present at the government function, where OPS announced the decision. If the AIADMK had thought that Shah would endorse the choice on the spot, it did not materialise. The endorsement has not come even weeks later. Instead, the BJP has been only sending signals that have confused the AIADMK even more.

Should the BJP rope in the PMK and DMDK allies in the state NDA, purportedly under the AIADMKs watch, then, yes, things are not going to be easy, especially for the ruling party in the state. But can that make the BJP the number two, if not one, in state politics, especially if the PMK, with its committed five per cent vote-share were to walk out of the combine at a time of its choosing, post-poll.

Though that question may remain far-fetched at the moment for the BJP to worry about, the party, with its national presence and continuing ambitions cannot afford to upset the apple-cart, even if it is way ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, which are not due before 2024.

That way, even a pro-BJP call from superstar Rajinikanth who exited the polls scene even before entering it, may not make much difference to the partys vote-share if Covid vaccine became its poll mascot. That is because swing voters, other than a small section of his fans, who might have voted the BJP on Rajinis call, would have anyway done so, even without him, no, thanks to the propaganda impact of Covid vaccine.

(The writer is Distinguished Fellow and Head-Chennai Initiative, Observer Research Foundation, the multi-disciplinary Indian public-policy think-tank, headquartered in New Delhi. email: sathiyam54@nsathiyamoorthy.com)
In the end, President Donald Trumps hold on the Pennsylvania Republican Congressional delegation  and perhaps state GOP politics  was reaffirmed Wednesday as all nine of the states Republican U.S. House members voted against Trumps unprecedented second impeachment.

Democrats had moved for the sanction, arguing that Trump incited violence against the United States government during a Washington D.C. rally on Jan. 6.

Trump encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol, where the final certification of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.s victory was taking place, and when the crowd arrived there, the protest accelerated into a full-on mob attack as the House and Senate were in session.

At least six deaths have now been attributed to the riots and their aftermath, and Democrats have argued that Trump  after two months of making unproven allegations that the presidential election was tainted by fraud  needs to be held accountable not just in the name of political justice, but also to reset guideposts for what is acceptable conduct in a representative democracy.

Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Pa., holds a copy of the U.S. Constitution as she speaks during a House Judiciary Committee markup of the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Dec. 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)AP

U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean, from Montgomery County, served as one of the House impeachment managers and said it is a necessary response to the Capitol riot.

The attack on the Capitol will never be forgotten, Dean said. The president and many in this chamber have shamelessly pedaled dangerous untruths about the election despite the warnings of where those lies would lead. And last Wednesday those lies and dangers found themselves inside this Capitol.

To heal, we need accountability and truth. That begins by acknowledging the presidents dangerous lies and their deadly consequences, Dean concluded. Removing Donald Trump is the beginning of restoring decency in democracy. What happened last week will not be forgotten, and what we do this week will long be remembered.

Pennsylvania Republicans, meanwhile, joined in condemnation of the mobs attacks during the House debate. But they also argued that by trying to impeach Trump again, the Democrats were on the cusp of punishing political speech and only driving a deeper wedge into American society at a time when the focus should be on healing.

President Trump has committed to a peaceful and uninterrupted transfer of power, but thats not good enough for my colleagues across the aisle, said Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, R-Allegheny County. With just seven days left in President Trumps term they are fast-tracking impeachment proceedings, a move which will no doubt further divide an already fractured nation.

At his rally, President Trump urged attendees, quote, unquote, peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. There was no mention of violence, let alone calls to action. ... President Trumps words would not even meet the definition of incitement under criminal statutes, Reschenthaler continued.

The measure before us today sets a dangerous precedent whereby political parties can justify impeachment simply because they do not agree with the president.

Reschenthaler did not mention that Trump, throughout his speech last Wednesday, co-mingled peacefully and patriotically with several exhortations to his followers about not letting Bidens presidency happen, or arguments that when you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules.

And then, there was Trumps closing line, as he released his supporters for their march on the Capitol: If you dont fight like hell, or else youre not going to have a country anymore.

Congressman Scott Perry. Sean Simmers |ssimmers@pennlive.com/file

Rep. Scott Perry, R-York County, took a different tack, arguing that emerging evidence shows that some of those who stormed the Capitol had been planning their attack for weeks.

Perry said its therefore unfair to blame Trump for an attack that was likely pre-meditated, and argued by the standard the Democrats had adopted, they should be held accountable for the violence that spun out of some of this summers protests following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.

How does the president incite an attack that was pre-planned and already underway before his speech concluded? Perry asked. Now I know my colleagues on the left want America to believe that the president incited a spontaneous riot that theyd like to call an insurrection. But the facts are stubborn things even if you choose to ignore them.

The truth is the multiple lawless and violent events last summer - including monthslong siege of a federal courthouse, burning, looting and physical violence in so-called sanctuary cities - more closely fits the definition of insurrection than anything the president said last week, and the Democrats in this very chamber did nothing to discourage it.

Democrat Chrissy Houlahan, a Chester County Democrat, said the impeachment vote reaffirms a needed message to Americans, and the world, that in America, no one is against the law.

He (Trump) has endangered this nation. He has betrayed his oath. I do this now for all of us, for our Constitution and for this republic. I do this to tell the world that this great democracy will stand, and no one is above the law. And I do this for our future generations, Houlahan said.

Wednesdays vote now sets the stage for a Senate trial of Trump, which in another first, will have to occur after he has left office  Trumps term expires on Jan. 20.

Besides Dean and Houlahan, Pennsylvania Democratic Reps. Brendan Boyle, Matthew Cartwright, Mike Doyle, Dwight Evans, Conor Lamb, Mary Gay Scanlon and Susan Wild all voted to impeach.

Pennsylvania Republicans Brian Fitzpatrick, John Joyce, Fred Keller, Mike Kelly, Dan Meuser, Lloyd Smucker and Glenn Thompson joined Perry and Reschenthaler in opposition.

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com/file

After Wednesdays vote, Smucker, a Lancaster County Republican, qualified his no vote on the impeachment resolution with criticism of Trumps posturing on the election results. Smuckers statement said, in part:

It was wrong for President Trump to give false hope that led many people to believe that the election results still could have been overturned last Wednesday. As Ive stated previously, my vote against the Pennsylvania electors was due to a still existing legitimate constitutional question regarding changes made to Pennsylvanias election law. It was absolutely clear to me last week that the election results would stand, and irresponsible and damaging that many were led to believe otherwise.

America needs President Trump to continue to unequivocally condemn violence, those who participate in it and those who spread harmful propaganda. He must verbalize his full commitment to the peaceful transfer of power to President-elect Joe Biden. These steps must be taken to ensure that we avoid any more violence associated with the end of President Trumps term and the start of President-elect Bidens Administration.

Fitzpatrick, R-Bucks County, was part of a bipartisan effort to promote a censure of Trump as an alternative to the Democrats drive to impeach. When that effort failed to gain traction, Fitzpatrick joined the majority of his caucus - only 10 Republicans supported the impeachment resolution - in voting no.

Todays action by the House is highly likely to result in a second acquittal of the President (by the Senate), which will just perpetuate and exacerbate the divide in our country, Fitzpatrick said in a statement released after the vote. Our country deserves closure, and the opportunity to begin anew with the incoming administration. And a censure resolution is the only unifying means for achieving this.

Other Democrats, however, said their vote sends the right message for Americas future.

This is now the fifth impeachment proceeding against a president of the United States and the second for President Trump, said Boyle, D-Philadelphia.

I recognize the severity of what Congress is doing today, but the factual evidence for inciting an insurrection is clear and convincing. He (Trump) acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law. Donald J. Trump is a clear and present danger to the American people now and thus warrants impeachment, removal from office, and disqualification to hold any office of honor and trust in the United States.

Rep. Conor Lamb (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, file)AP

And Rep. Lamb, D-Allegheny County, called it a matter of public safety.

Even though there is only one week left in his term, impeachment is necessary because Donald Trump is a clear and ongoing threat to our communities, to our military, and to our government, Lamb said in his statement.

There are heavily armed groups all over the country who look to Trump for direction and carry his flag, and they continue to plot because he continues to lie about the election. We all saw how quickly he can incite them to commit serious violence, even against a hard target like the Capitol. That could happen again at any second over the next week.

If that happens, the Senate must be ready to remove him from office immediately, at a moments notice, Lamb continued. Our vote today ensures that they have the power to do exactly that.

Evans, a Philadelphia Democrat, called on the Senate to swiftly consider the House action, even though its not scheduled to return to session in Washington until next week.

The Senate should join the bipartisan majority in the House who voted for impeachment and remove this threat from power, he said. We had a tragic wake-up call on January 6. A lengthy Senate trial is not needed when we all saw what happened.

In the Senate, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr., D-Pa., has said Trump has not only deserves impeachment but called on Vice President Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president.

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., has said Trump should resign, making him one of two Senate Republicans calling for the president to step down. Toomey said Trump has committed impeachable offenses but would need to review the articles of impeachment before making a final decision on his vote in a Senate trial.
They put the high in high school.

A Florida couple gave their babysitter free marijuana and alcohol while she watched their children dozens of times over the past two years, police said.

Adam Thayer, 38, and his wife, Misty Mitchell-Thayer, first hired the teenage babysitter in 2018, according to the Pinellas County Sheriffs Office. The unidentified girl was 15 years old at the time and charged with watching the Thayers 5-year-old twin boys.

Over the next two years, the couple gave the babysitter alcohol and weed around 30-40 times while she watched the kids, cops said. The babysitter admitted to investigators that she would get drunk and high and would not have been capable of caring for the children in an emergency.

Misty Mitchell-Thayer, 37, told the teenager in October 2020 to Get drunk! Pass the f--- out! one night, according to police.

The Thayers also encouraged the babysitter to invite her friends to their house to party, and she told cops she took them up on the offer, the sheriffs office said.

Adam Thayer, who is dean of Pinellas Academy for Math and Science, a public charter school, was arrested Jan. 7 and posted bond Jan. 8, according to online jail records. His wife was arrested Jan. 8 and posted bond Jan. 9. Theyre each charged with two counts of child neglect.
TEACHERS unions have made sensational claims that at least 200 of their members currently marking recently completed public examinations have tested positive for Covid-19.

As a result, the unions want Zimsec to stop the marking until it is safe to continue.

Teachers must use their brains, and not stomachs, during these hard times. Covid-19 is real and unless as teachers, we use our brains more than the stomach, we will be decimated.

Several teachers have reported for Zimsec marking and more than 200 teachers have now tested positive at the various marking centres across the country.

Zimsec, that has not invested in teachers health and safety, will simply discard those infected and hire other teachers. Our humble submission to all teachers is that life is more important than a few pieces of silver, Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe president Takavafira Zhou claimed yesterday.

Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union president Obert Masaraure said Zimsec must consider the safety of teachers first and stop examination marking. However, Zimsec spokesperson Nicky Dhlamini said they had not received any report of teachers testing positive. Daily News
CARGOTEC CORPORATION, PRESS RELEASE, 13 JANUARY 2021 AT 10 AM (EET)

Kalmar, part of Cargotec, and DMP, Kalmar's regional dealer, have signed a contract to deliver eight diesel-electric straddle carriers for use at the terminal of Iles de la Reunion. Four of the machines will be delivered to SGM Manutention and four to Societe De Manutention Et De Consignation Maritime (SOMACOM). The order was booked in Cargotec's 2020 Q4 order intake with delivery scheduled to be completed during Q3 2021.

Port of Pointe des Galets (Port Reunion), the busiest container port in the Indian Ocean, is situated on the North coast of Reunion Island. It is the island's only port, located some 20 kilometres from the island's capital St Denis. The main cargoes handled are petroleum products, building materials, sugar products, grain and food produce. The port's equipment fleet already includes Kalmar straddle carriers, reachstackers, forklifts and empty container handlers.

The new Kalmar Straddle Carriers delivered to SOMACOM and SGM will be powered by a highly efficient diesel-electric power unit and feature excellent manoeuvrability, quiet operation and easy maintenance. The spacious, ergonomic cabin and intuitive user interface will help to improve productivity by ensuring that operators benefit from the best possible driving experience.

Mr. Arnaud Brac, Chairman of SGM and Mr. Daniel Rigat, CEO of Somacom: "We have been relying on Kalmar equipment for many years and Kalmar has always delivered in terms of performance, availability and fuel efficiency. We have upgraded our existing Kalmar straddle carrier fleet with new units every few years, and we trust that these new machines will enable us to take advantage of the latest technological advances to enhance operational capabilities at Reunion."

Mikko Mononen, Vice President, Sales, EMEIA, Kalmar: "SOMACOM and SGM are important long-term customers for us in the region, and we are very pleased that they have once again put their faith in our proven straddle carrier solution. We are also happy to continue our fruitful collaboration with our regional partner DMP (Reunion-Mauritius- Madagascar), who is providing excellent support to the customers. We are continuously developing the Kalmar Straddle Carrier to ensure that it continues to meet the high level of quality and reliability that our container terminal customers expect when they choose Kalmar."

Further information for the press:

Mikko Mononen, Vice President, Sales, EMEIA, Kalmar, tel. +358 40 536 0596, mikko.mononen@kalmarglobal.com

Maija Eklof, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Kalmar, tel. +358 20 777 4096, maija.eklof@kalmarglobal.com

Kalmar offers the widest range of cargo handling solutions and services to ports, terminals, distribution centres and to heavy industry. Kalmar is the industry forerunner in terminal automation and in energy efficient container handling, with one in four container movements around the globe being handled by a Kalmar solution. Through its extensive product portfolio, global service network and ability to enable a seamless integration of different terminal processes, Kalmar improves the efficiency of every move.www.kalmarglobal.comKalmar is part of Cargotec. Cargotec's



Attachment
First-responders began receiving vaccinations this week. Gov. Baker said congregate care facilities will begin inoculations next week.

Baker Defends Phased Approach to Vaccine Distribution



The focus will be on at-risk populations getting the vaccine, the governor said. c BOSTON  Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday defended his administration's strategy of taking a phased approach to COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

"I really hope  and I know this isn't popular  but I really hope that, early on, we are able with the vaccine that is available, to hit the populations for whom life is most at risk and on whom the health-care system relies on and depends to provide care," Baker said.

On the day that he announced the start next week of statewide distribution to residents and staff at congregate care facilities, Baker pushed back against the idea that "regular people" are being unfairly excluded in the commonwealth's phased approach to vaccinations.

"I do know that in a lot of states, people who are the same age as my kids have gotten vaccinated before people who are home-health workers, or health-care workers or long-term workers or long-term care residents or some of these other populations or people who have multiple comorbidities or are over the age of 70," Baker said. "Honestly, I just don't think that's the way we should do this.

"I think the focus early on should be on those who have the most to lose or who are fundamental to our ability to take care of those who have the most to lose."

In Massachusetts, that meant starting with health-care workers and expanding on Monday to first-responders. Next week, the focus expands to include 94,000 individuals living and working in congregate care facilities.

"Congregate care sites include residential congregate care programs, group homes, residential treatment programs, community-based acute residential treatment programs, clinical stabilization programs, shelter programs  including homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters and veterans shelters  and approved private special education schools," Baker said.

It also includes correctional facilities, which drew another question from the media at Wednesday's announcement: whether it is fair to law-abiding Bay Staters to make the vaccine available to prisoners before the rest of the population.

"We made the decision early on that we were going to focus on what we considered populations that were most at risk," Baker said. "All the data and all the evidence makes pretty clear that congregate settings are at-risk communities, no matter how you define them. And I remind people that there are 4,500 public employees who work in the state's correctional system who are every bit as at risk as the people who are inmates there.

"I think from our point of view, congregate facilities are congregate facilities. We need to make sure that the people who work there and the people who live there, because of the possibility of outbreak and the issues associated with the heightened risk  the close quarters and all the rest  that should be a place where we focus early in this exercise, along with congregate care facilities for people with disabilities, congregate care facilities for seniors and other congregate care operations here in the commonwealth."

Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders on Wednesday announced that the state is moving residents of low-income and affordable senior housing facilities into Phase 2, Group 1 of the vaccine distribution plan.

"This change will ensure that the approximately 160,000 residents and staff of public and private low-income and affordable senior housing will be able to receive vaccines once Phase 2 begins," Sudders said.

Baker and Sudders on Wednesday were joined by the leaders of two non-profits that serve populations prioritized in the state's vaccination plan: Amy Shectman of 2Life Communities, which operates senior housing projects in three Eastern Mass communities, and Diane Gould of Advocates Inc., a Framingham-based agency serving residents with brain injuries, autism, addiction and other disabilities.

"We are very excited about this plan, as are the families we support," Gould said. "We had a family forum last night, and, to a person, family members spoke about their immense relief and appreciation. All in all, this is going extremely well. It's going to be a bright light in what has otherwise been a very dark time."

In other issues on Wednesday, Baker stopped short of saying he is in favor of President Donald Trump's impeachment but recognized that other options are off the table to accomplish what he has advocated for : transferring the reins of power to Vice President Mike Pence in order to ensure a seamless transition to the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden.

"Spend a minute on the COVID thing," Baker said. "Guidance from CDC on various populations. All kinds of vaccines that are in the process to receive an [emergency use authorization] that don't have one now.  We have a long discussion that's been going on for a couple of days now between the White House and the task force between the states and CVS and Walgreen's around distribution plans and this whole question about whether you go all in on everything you've got and assume you'll have second doses available for people when you need 'em or continue to pursue the policy that's been pursued to this point, which is to hold on to enough vaccine so they can guarantee they can deliver a second vaccine in the 21 days or 28 days that are required.

"These are really big issues. They're really big decisions. They're going to last way beyond Jan. 20. You talk to any governor, and I've been on calls with lots of governors on this, or you talk to any folks in the health-care world, and they want that transition to be as seamless as possible so people can plan and be able to make sure that what they hear what they hear right up until Jan. 20 is exactly the same trajectory that everything is on from Jan. 21 forward.

"From my point of view, anything that makes sure we have a very clear and very precise and very organized and coordinated transition  especially around these issues  is going to be critical to dealing what you all have talked about, the bumpiness that's been associated with this rollout in the first place-"

outgoing President on Tuesday (local time) said that the 25th Amendment poses "zero risk" to him but will "haunt and the Biden administration".

Trump speaking from the Mexico border wall in Alamo in Texas, in his first public appearance since his supporters attacked the Capitol.

"...The 25th amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt and the Biden administration. As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for," Trump said at the beginning of his speech.

The President's remarks come ahead of a vote in Congress that seeks to impeach him for his role in last week's riots and breach of Capitol, in which five people died. The House of Representatives is expected to vote on an article of impeachment on Wednesday.

"The impeachment hoax is the continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain, far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time," he further said.

On Monday, the House Republicans blocked a request by Democrats to unanimously pass a resolution seeking Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment.

Speaking on the riots in the Capitol, the President said, "Millions of people watched on Wednesday as a mob stormed the Capitol and trashed the halls of government. As I have consistently said throughout my administration, we believe in respecting America's history and traditions, not tearing them down. We believe in the rule of law, not in violence or rioting."

The President who is here to review work on his border wall project said that "Free speech is under assault like never before."

Days earlier, Trump was banned permanently from Twitter, which permanently suspended his account, following his speech last week that led to violence in the Capitol. Other social media giants like Facebook too announced that he was "indefinitely suspended" fr om the platform.

While emphasising his successes during the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, "Now is the time for the nation to heal."

During his address, he thanked the police and the immigration officials for being part of an "incredible success story" while speaking on his promise to build the 450 miles of border wall in Texas.

He said, "In every region that we have built the wall, crossings have plummeted... in the Rio Grande Valley, crossings have dropped nearly 80 per cent, in Arizona illegal entries have been slashed by 90 per cent.

(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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Algiers, 12 January 2021 (SPS)- Foreign Minister Sabri Boukadoum and South African Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor discussed Tuesday in Pretoria, the question of Western Sahara and reaffirmed their "full support" to the immediate appointment of a new personal envoy of the UN Secretary General for this occupied territory.



In a joint statement released on the occasion of Mr. Sabri Boukadoum's two-day working visit to South Africa, the two ministers expressed "their full support to the immediate appointment by UN Secretary General (Antonio Guterres) of a personal envoy for Western Sahara," a post vacant since the resignation of former envoy, German Horst Kohler, in May 2019.



The two ministers voiced their "serious concerns over the escalation of military tensions in the occupied territories," the statement said.



Boukadoum and his counterpart Pandor also reaffirmed in this regard "their position in favor of reaching a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will guarantee the self-determination of Western Sahara people, through the holding of a free and fair referendum, in accordance with Security Council resolution 690 (1991) and subsequent resolutions," according to the same source. (SPS)



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The UK's supermarkets have told Government urgent intervention is needed to prevent more disruption to Northern Ireland's food supplies.

Chief executives of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Iceland, Co-Op and Marks & Spencer have written to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove.

Depleted shelves have been seen in several supermarkets in the early days of the new year as trade from Britain has been affected while firms adjust to new requirements on moving produce across the Irish Sea.

Export health certificates are required for animal-based food products moving from Britain into Northern Ireland as a result of the region remaining in the EU's single market for goods.

With Northern Ireland also applying EU customs rules at its ports, customs declarations are needed on products being shipped in from the rest of the UK.

The UK's supermarkets have told Government urgent intervention is needed to prevent more disruption to Northern Ireland 's food supplies. Pictured: Depleted shelves in a Sainsbury's store at the Forestside shopping centre in Belfast yesterday

Firms are having to adjust to new requirements on moving produce across the Irish Sea. Pictured: Fruit shelves in a Sainsbury's store in Bangor, Co Down

Northern Ireland is following some of the EU's rules to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. It is part of the protocol which the UK agreed with Europe. Pictured: Flower buckets were left empty

A Sainsbury's spokesman said, 'A small number of our products are temporarily unavailable for our customers in Northern Ireland while border arrangements are confirmed.' Pictured: Sainsbury's store in Bangor, Co Down

A Government spokesman said: 'A new dedicated team in Government has already been set up and will be working with supermarkets, the food industry and the Northern Ireland Executive to develop ways to streamline the movement of goods in accordance with the protocol.'

Northern Ireland is following some of the EU's rules to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. It is part of the protocol which the UK agreed with Europe.

The Government added: 'The grace period for supermarkets and their suppliers is working well, goods continue to flow effectively between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and we are working intensively with industry as new requirements come in.'

Hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries back to Northern Ireland after outbound deliveries, an industry spokesman has said.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said, 'A small number of our products are temporarily unavailable for our customers in Northern Ireland while border arrangements are confirmed.

'We were prepared for this and so our customers will find a wide range of alternative products in our stores in the meantime and we are working hard to get back to our full, usual range soon.'

This Sainsbury's store in Belfast, pictured yesterday, is among those facing supply chain issues

Sainsbury's, Marks & Spencer and Tesco have all faced supply issues after the new customs paperwork came in following the transition period ending on January 1.

Fresh fruit, vegetables and chilled meat are among the products most affected as many food suppliers face delays on getting goods into Northern Ireland.

Seamus Leheny, boss of industry body Logistics NI, told how hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries to Northern Ireland.

He said exports of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain are doing well, but less is coming back across the Irish Sea as suppliers face new customs demands.

Seamus Leheny, of Logistics NI, said hauliers are spending tens of thousands of pounds bringing empty lorries to Northern Ireland

There is a varied picture at shops in Northern Ireland, with empty shelves evident in some parts of some supermarkets in Belfast - while others appear well stocked.

The extra red tape is part of the Northern Ireland protocol, which was agreed by the UK and European Union two years ago to avoid a hard border with Ireland.

It means Northern Ireland continues to have EU internal market and customs rules to ensure trade over the land border with the Republic can continue without issues.

Glyn Roberts, chief of industry group Retail NI, sad that a 'huge amount of Brexit bureaucracy' had caused major supply chain problems.

He told the Financial Times: 'I think at the end of the day it will collapse into place but these next few months are going to be critical.

'Ultimately this is not the wonderful land of milk and honey promised by the people who campaigned for Brexit but we've got to make the best out of a bad situation.'

M&S has taken 5 per cent of its range off shelves in Northern Ireland temporarily and the retailer has said it is now looking at sourcing more products locally.

Sainsbury is now stocking some Spar-branded food sourced locally for continuity of supply and said 'a small number' of products were temporarily unavailable.

Tesco admitted it has seen a 'short delay' on some products but is 'working with suppliers to get these back on the shelves as quickly as possible'.

Depleted shelves at the Marks and Spencer store in Donegall Place in Belfast, seen yesterday

Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, told the FT that 'all retailers' were under pressure to some extent after the new system came in.

Emily Waterworth, investment manager at Brewin Dolphin's office in Northern Ireland, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'My personal experience is very limited. There has been definitely in my local shop been a bit of a lack of fresh fruit and vegetables.

'The amount of red tape and bureaucracy that has come in, not surprisingly, but unfortunately not well enough trialled in advance for supermarkets to be able to have everything set up seamlessly come January 1 has inevitably led to some things falling by the wayside.

'I think it's important though  the director of the retail consortium here did keep it in perspective. It's a few hundred items that haven't been available  a large supermarket having maybe 40,000 items.

'So yes there have been some, to me, inevitable problems - but hopefully it's not something that we should be worrying about overly in the near future here.'

Speaking about the problems with empty lorries, First Minister Arlene Foster described it as 'entirely unacceptable that these issues continue to persist'.

Aodhan Connolly, of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said 'all retailers' were under pressure after the new system came in

'They have to be dealt with urgently, my colleagues at Westminster will be raising some of those issues this week and I'll continue to have those conversations with Michael Gove.

'We're asking for solutions to what are real meaningful problems affecting our haulage industry, affecting our car dealers, affecting people receiving parcels or rather not receiving parcels. All of those issues have to be dealt with.'

Ulster Unionist MLA Roy Beggs has urged other parties to back a recall motion for the Assembly to sit this week to discuss the matter, calling for urgent modifications to help businesses and consumers.

More than 100 haulage firms operate across the Irish Sea, ranging from large operators to smaller family run businesses.

Mr Leheny said one told him they had spent 24,000 bringing empty lorries from Great Britain due to less produce being transported to Northern Ireland.

'Exports are doing well. NI produce is hitting the shelves of supermarkets across GB,' he said.

This Marks and Spencer store in Belfast, pictured yesterday, has suffered from stock issues

'However that's creating a problem because hundreds of lorries are leaving NI every day for England, but because the suppliers in GB have these formalities to comply with to send their goods to Northern Ireland, a lot of them have either suspended or are delaying loads.

'So then they are having to ship loads back to Northern Ireland empty at their own expense, that's a terrible hit for any haulier, it's burning money, because there are driver wages, fuel and ferry costs.

'One haulier last week told me they spent 24,000 shipping empty trailers back to Northern Ireland, trailers that would normally be coming back laden. A hauliers business model is based on having a full load going out and full load coming back.'

Retailers are faced with more paperwork and checks following the end of the Brexit transition period.

'The work of a haulier is to have the right data in the right format at the right time, and a lot of the time, that isn't happening so it means loads can't leave GB and are delayed,' he said.

'The suppliers to Northern Ireland really need to get on top of this quickly. Some hauliers are managing better than others, a lot of that comes down to either their own preparation or the commodities and who the shippers are. Some commodities are more complicated to move than others.'

Empty freezer shelves at the Abbeycentre Tesco in Newtownabbey, north of Belfast, last Friday

Mr Leheny said work is ongoing to reduce the burden but said ultimately grace periods need to be extended and longer term solutions found.

He has called for action from the special joint committee of UK and EU officials which oversee the Northern Ireland Protocol.

'We need to see that committee take some pragmatic solutions, some could be short term, but it would alleviate pressures for industry and give us the breathing space to look at more long term solutions, but we need time to develop those,' he said.

'What is unique about Northern Ireland is that our high street is comprised of the same retailers as across the rest of the UK and that is why the nature of our supply chain is very unique, entering the single market. We're the only part of the EU single market which is part o the UK high street and that has to be recognised.'
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 12)  The national government is counting on the help of local government units and private companies to meet its target to vaccinate 70 million Filipinos against COVID-19 this year.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Tuesday said 13 million Filipinos are expected to be vaccinated through the procurement initiatives undertaken by different LGUs and the private sector.

"When you add the 13 million Filipinos that will be covered by various LGU and private sector vaccination efforts, a total of 70 million Filipinos should be able to receive the COVID-19 vaccine," he said in a media briefing.

Local governments and private businesses that wish to buy vaccines are required to enter into a tripartite agreement with the national government since vaccines granted emergency use authorization cannot be distributed commercially.

RELATED: Senators reject national gov't 'monopoly' in vaccine deals

LGUs all over the country and the private sector have secured vaccine supplies from pharmaceutical firms, majority of them closing agreements with AstraZeneca to buy doses for their constituents and employees. A good chunk of the private firm's first two batch of supplies will be given to the national government.

Nograles said the Finance Department has secured funds to vaccinate at least 57 million people, excluding minors  13 million short of the government's aim to vaccinate up to 70 million Filipinos. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said for the P75 billion budget for the immunization program, P12.5 billion will be coming from the 2021 budget and Bayanihan 2, while P62.5 billion will be coming from loans from the Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and World Bank.

"We expect the 13 million to be covered by the LGUs, the private sector. And of course, in there are the 'refusants', the guys who don't believe in vaccination. Basically, we are going to be covered," he said in a separate briefing.

The DOF pegged the vaccination to cost up to P1,300 per person, including the cost for other vaccination supplies, information campaign, and post-monitoring efforts.
Almost all air travelers will be required to present a negative COVID-19 test before entering the United States under the expanded testing requirements.

The CDC circulated rules for expanded COVID-19 testing

On Tuesday, it was announced that a new rule would require international air passengers to provide a negative result of the COVID-19 test, which will take effect on January 26. Nearly all passengers, including U.S. citizens, must present a negative test within three days of departure or documentation of recovery from the coronavirus. The rules were signed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Robert Redfield.

According to Reuters via Yahoo, travelers aged two and up must strictly comply except with passengers who will transit through the U.S. Besides, the CDC will consider waivers of COVID-19 testing requirements for airlines flying to other countries with little to no testing capacity, including places in the Caribbean.

The order broadens a requirement implemented on December 28 for travelers arriving from the United Kingdom.

Marty Cetron, director of CDC's global migration and quarantine division, said in an interview, "We have really up the ante... We have to take these mutations seriously."

Meanwhile, starting January 7, Canada will impose the same rules for almost all international arrivals, as many other countries did. Last week, the CDC confirmed it had circulated a proposal of expanding the testing requirements after discussing the idea for weeks.

Read also: Americans with Intellectual Disabilities Who Are High Risk of COVID-19 Still Waiting for Vaccines

White House officials opposed the requirements

Several White House officials mocked the rule and briefed on the matter, saying the U.S. public health officials had given up winning approval until President-elect Joe Biden took office. Redfield made an urgent case Monday at a White House meeting in adopting the COVId-19 testing requirements. The CDC Director raised his concern that the vaccines could not be as effective against other COVID-19 variants.

The industry trade group, Airlines for America, praised the testing requirement. It urged a ban to be dropped on non-U.S. visitors who have been in Brazil and most of Europe recently, but the White House chose not to end it.

The order prohibits anyone from taking air travel into the U.S. without presenting a negative COVID-19 test result, as per a press release from the CDC. Amid the surge in COVID-19 cases following a more contagious strain of COVID-19 discovered in the U.L., the travel requirement expanded. The Trump administration previously required all travelers flying out of the U.K. to show a negative test result before they can arrive in the states, Fox News reported.

Read also: CDC Reports More than 50 Cases of UK COVID-19 Strain in the US

CBS SF Bay Area via MSN says officials are hopeful of the negative COVID-19 test result before the departure in the U.S., the CDC's recommendations for travelers to get tested 3 to 5 days again after arrival, and the quarantine at home will help the country in combating the virus.

As of today, air passengers are required to get a viral test for the coronavirus infection within three days prior to flying to the U.S. and present either electronic or paper documentation proving a negative test result to the airline. Air passengers could also provide documentation of having recovered from the virus.

Read also: Washington DC Airports Tighten Security Following Suggestions to Ban Rioters From Flying

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Two LRAUVs (Aku and Opah) and one Wave Glider robot (Mola) formed a coordinated system to study the DCM. Opah and Mola followed the primary sampling robot, Aku, by acoustic tracking. Credit:  MBARI 2021

Researchers from MBARI, the University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UH Manoa), and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, after years of development and testing, have successfully demonstrated that a fleet of autonomous robots can track and study a moving microbial community in an open-ocean eddy. The results of this research effort were recently published in Science Robotics.

Autonomous robotic fleets enable researchers to observe complex systems in ways that are otherwise impossible with purely ship-based or remote sensing techniques. In a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is reducing opportunities for researchers to go to sea, autonomous fleets offer an effective way to maintain a persistent presence in features of interest.

Oceanic microbes are essential players in the global climate system, producing roughly half of the world's oxygen, removing carbon dioxide, and forming the base of the marine food web. Open-ocean eddies can be over 100 kilometers (62 miles) across and last for months. Phytoplankton (a kind of microscopic algae) thrive when these eddies spin counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and bring nutrient-rich water from the depths up toward the surface.

"The research challenge facing our interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers was to figure out a way to enable a team of robotscommunicating with us and each otherto track and sample the DCM," said Brett Hobson, a senior mechanical engineer at MBARI and a coauthor of this study. Researchers have struggled to study the DCM because at depths of more than 100 meters (328 feet), it can't be tracked with remote sensing from satellites. Moreover, the position of the DCM can shift more than 30 meters (98 feet) vertically in just a few hours. This variability in time and space requires technology that can embed itself in and around the DCM and follow the microbial community as it drifts in the ocean currents.

Scientists and engineers from MBARI and the University of Hawai'i deployed a trio of autonomous vehicles from the Schmidt Ocean Institute's R/V Falkor to investigate phytoplankton communities in an ocean eddy north of the Hawaiian Islands. The team is deploying an AUV on leg one of the mission. Credit: Thom Hoffman/courtesy of Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Ed DeLong and David Karl, oceanography professors in the UH Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) and co-authors of the study, have been researching these microbes for decades. DeLong noted that these teams of coordinated robotic vehicles offer a vital step toward autonomous and adaptive sampling of oceanographic features. "Open-ocean eddies can have a huge impact on microbes, but until now we haven't been able to observe them in this moving frame of reference," he explained.

During the Simons Collaboration on Ocean Processes and Ecology (SCOPE) Eddy Experiment in March and April 2018, researchers used satellite imaging to locate an eddy north of the Hawaiian Islands. They deployed a hi-tech team of three robotstwo long-range autonomous underwater vehicles (LRAUVs) and one Wave Glider surface vehiclefrom the Schmidt Ocean Institute's (SOI) research vessel Falkor.

The first LRAUV (named Aku) acted as the primary sampling robot. It was programmed to locate, track, and sample the DCM. Using an onboard 3rd-Generation Environmental Sample Processor (3G-ESP), Aku filtered and preserved seawater samples, allowing researchers to capture a series of snapshots of the organisms' genetic material and proteins.

The second LRAUV (named Opah) acoustically tracked Aku and spiraled vertically around it to collect crucial information about the environment surrounding the DCM. LRAUVs Aku and Opah carried a suite of sensors to measure temperature, salinity, depth, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll concentrations, optical backscatter, and photosynthetically active radiation. Aku remained submerged for several days at a time sampling the DCM, while Opah surfaced every few hours to relay information via satellite back to scientists on the ship. A Wave Glider surface robot (named Mola) also tracked Aku with sonar and communicated with the science team aboard the Falkor.

MBARI engineers Brett Hobson and Brian Kieft dunk-test a long-range AUV in Honolulu Harbor. Credit: Chris Preston  2018 MBARI

"This work is really the fulfillment of a decades-long vision," said MBARI President and CEO Chris Scholin. Scholin has been engaged in this effort since he was an MBARI postdoctoral researcher seeking to develop autonomous sampling technology for marine systems. "Coordinating a robotic fleet to show how microbial communities react to changing conditions is a game-changer when it comes to oceanographic research."

The researchers determined that Aku accurately and consistently tracked the DCM over the course of its multi-day sampling missions. By tracking the temperature corresponding to the peak of chlorophyll (an indicator of phytoplankton) in the DCM, the LRAUV maintained its position within the DCM even as this biological feature moved as much as 36 meters (118 feet) vertically in four hours.

"Building an LRAUV with an integrated ESP that could track this feature was a milestone. Combining that sampling power with the agility of three different robots autonomously working together over the course of the experiment is a significant engineering and operations achievement," said Yanwu Zhang, a senior research engineer at MBARI and the lead author of this study.

Beyond the extraordinary engineering feat of organizing this robot ballet, the study also offers key takeaways related to how the biological community behaves inside a swirling eddy. RNA measurements reveal that as the eddy weakened into the second leg of the experiment, the phytoplankton biomass in the DCM decreased. "Much like our own team of researchers, each of the robots in the fleet is a specialist contributing to the experiment," said John Ryan, a senior research specialist at MBARI and a coauthor of the study. "This adaptive approach gives us a new perspective on the environmental processes going on inside and around this plankton community."

These robotic fleets are now also being used to monitor other key disturbances to ocean health like harmful algal blooms and oil spills. "Given the rapid changes our ocean is undergoing as a result of human activities such as climate change, pollution and overfishing, this technology has the potential to transform our ability to understand and predict ocean health," said Scholin.

Explore further Self-driving robots collect water samples to create snapshots of ocean microbes

More information: Y. Zhang el al., "A system of coordinated autonomous robots for Lagrangian studies of microbes in the oceanic deep chlorophyll maximum," Science Robotics (2021). Journal information: Science Robotics Y. Zhang el al., "A system of coordinated autonomous robots for Lagrangian studies of microbes in the oceanic deep chlorophyll maximum,"(2021). robotics.sciencemag.org/lookup  /scirobotics.abb9138
Lucknow, Jan 13 : There will be no celebrations, no cake-cutting and no lavish lunch at the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) office this year to mark the 65th birthday of party president Mayawati.

Party sources said that Mayawati had decided not to celebrate her birthday this year due to several reasons --her father's demise in November last year, Covid pandemic and farmers' protest.

She has asked the party workers to observe January 15 as a day of austerity and distribute clothes and blankets among the poor.

Workers have been asked to distribute blankets, clothes and, if possible, to give financial aid to those in need. Senior party members will be overseeing the functions in various districts.

"This year will mark a huge change from previous years when Mayawati's birthday was celebrated in a huge way. Cakes were cut in every district and the weight of the cakes matched her age," said a party functionary.

This year, Mayawati is unlikely to visit Lucknow on her birthday.

"So far, we have not been informed of her programme to visit Lucknow. Probably, she will remain in Delhi on her birthday," the functionary said.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Pa. COVID-19 mask mandate will be lifted by June 28 or sooner

Pennsylvania announced Thursday that the commonwealth will eliminate its mask mandates by June 28 as COVID-19 cases drop and vaccinations increase.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Health Department on Wednesday said that a total of 9.63-lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine Covishield have been received for Maharashtra from the Serum Institute of India.

"All doses were received by the Health Department at Pune last night and from there they were distributed to different cities/districts of the state,'' the state's Health Department said.

Total 9.63-lakh doses have been received for Maharashtra from Serum Institute of India. All doses were received by Health Dept at Pune last night and from there they were distributed to different cities/districts of the state: Maharashtra Health Department #Covishield  ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2021

The first consignment of Covishield by Serum Institute of India has arrived in Mumbai earlier this morning. The vaccine was brought from Pune in a special vehicle of BMC.

Maharashtra: The first consignment of #Covishield by Serum Institute of India arrived in Mumbai, earlier this morning. The vaccine was brought from Pune in a special vehicle of BMC. #COVIDVaccination pic.twitter.com/zyQA3ICZHI  ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2021

Meanwhile, the transportation of COVID-19 vaccine from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) commenced on Wednesday with budget carrier GoAir airlifting 2,400 vials of Covishield to Goa.

The Wadia Group-owned no-frills airline has scheduled flights carrying vaccines to Lucknow, Cochin and Chandigarh as well, besides Goa, during the day, a GoAir spokesperson was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

GoAir's first flight carrying 2,400 vials (24,000 doses) of Covishield vaccine took off at 5.20 am and reached Goa at 6.30 am, the spokesperson said.

A massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 was set in process on Tuesday with more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine leaving Pune for 13 cities across the country, four days before the vaccinations are scheduled to begin on January 16.

Covishield is developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and manufactured by Pune-based pharma firm Serum Institute of India (SII).

GoAir said it will airlift a total of 69,600 vials of the vaccine.

Mumbai airport, which is the "largest pharma hub", is looking to cater to at least 16 destinations in the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccines, the private airport operator had said in a statement on Tuesday.

Live TV
The ripple effects of the mob attack in Washington continue to be felt in New York as the authorities investigate those involved, and as officials brace for renewed threats.

On Tuesday, the son of a Brooklyn judge was arrested in connection with last weeks Capitol riot. New York City said it was reconsidering its ties with the Trump family business. And a Republican congressman from New York announced that he would vote to impeach the president on a charge of inciting the riot.

Heres what else you need to know:

The judges son, Aaron Mostofsky, was taken into custody in Brooklyn. His father, Steven Mostofsky, sits on the Kings County Supreme Court.

The younger Mr. Mostofsky was seen in fur pelts and a bulletproof vest as he breached the Capitol last week. He is facing four charges, including stealing government property, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
A Milimani Law Court was Tuesday treated to a lighthearted moment when a suspect opened up about his love for his favorite brand of vodka, Blue Ice.

Appearing before Nairobi Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku, Wycliffe Aloys Orinda explained that when he is under the influence of the alcoholic drink, older women look more appealing and approachable.

Perhaps in an attempt to make light of his charges and get off easily, Orinda told the magistrate that he would not have met his older wife, Caroline Wambui, if not for Blue Ice.

Kama si hiyo pombe inaitwa Blue Ice, my dear singe deal na huyo wanamke, let me tell you the truth. Ni mzee kwangu lakini kwa vile hiyo pombe ilinipea nguvu nikaona Caroline ni mdogo, your honour.

Hata tukienda kwa bar your honour unaweza ona mama ni mzee lakini ukikunywa blue ice your honour, unaona ameanza kuwa kakitu kapoa, kaschana kazuri. So your honour Blue Ice si mbaya. Napenda team yangu Chelsea, Blue Ice your honour, said Orinda.

The suspect pleaded guilty to one count of creating a disturbance in a manner likely to cause a breach of peace. He said he caused a disturbance because he wanted to see his children.

One of the complainants was his wife Caroline Wambui. The other was his aunt Mary Nyangothi.

According to a police report, Caroline informed Nyangothi that the accused was creating a disturbance at her shop on Biashara Street in Nairobi by threatening to pull down their banners.

She quickly alerted officers from Central Police Station who arrived at the scene and arrested him.

The tout told the court that he only visited the shop to demand access to his children, not to disturb the peace.

Orinda said he used to live with Caroline and their three children in Eastleigh but she conspired to have him arrested and taken to Industrial Area Remand after he lost his job.

The accused was directed to return to court on January 28 for a probation hearing.

Heres a video of the tout telling the court about his love for Blue Ice.
London is suffering an unprecedented medical catastrophe. Last Saturday, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan declared a major incident in the capital.

Khan said in a statement, The situation in London is now critical with the spread of the virus out of control our hospitals are at risk of being overwhelmed. The stark reality is that we will run out of beds for patients in the next couple of weeks unless the spread of the virus slows down drastically.

In an interview with Sky News, he described the situation as like a theatre of war.

A patient is pushed on a trolley outside the Royal London Hospital in east London, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, during England's third national lockdown since the coronavirus outbreak began. Britain, with over 81,000 dead, has the deadliest virus toll in Europe and the number of hospital beds filled by COVID-19 patients has risen steadily for more than a month. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

Khans announcement is an admission that the Conservative governments herd immunity policy, which he has helped enforce, has brought the health service to the point of collapse in a city of almost nine million people.

Fifteen of Londons 32 boroughs are recording infection rates of more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 people, up to 1,569 in Barking and Dagenhamaccording to the latest figures for the week to January 6. The average figure for London is 1,052. Twenty-four boroughs recorded week-on-week increases in the rate of infection.

Official testing figures only scratch the surface. The Office for National Statistics estimates that one in 30 people are infected with the virus in London, up to one in 20 in the worst-hit areas.

These numbers are putting unsustainable pressure on health services. The London Ambulance Service is dealing with 8,000 calls a day, compared with 5,000 on a normal busy day, meaning people in need of emergency help are sometimes having to wait hours before paramedics arrive. More than 100 firefighters have been drafted in to drive ambulances.

Roughly 800 patients a week have to wait in the ambulance for more than an hour when they get to hospital because staff are too busy to admit them.

Roughly 40 percent of patients in London are ill with Covid-19. As of last week, six of Londons 18 acute National Health Service (NHS) trusts had unoccupied beds in the single figures. Several had no intensive care beds spare at all. Sixteen out of 21 London trusts had breached their safety threshold, with bed occupancy levels over 92 percent. Two of these were 100 percent full.

More than 800 coronavirus cases a day are currently being admitted to the citys hospitals. Close to 1,000 were admitted to intensive care in the last fortnight. These numbers will increase over the next weeks as the surging case numbers of the last few days produce more hospitalisations.

Last week, the Health Service Journal reported a dire warning given by NHS England London medical director Vin Diwakar in a briefing with the citys hospital trusts. He warned that in the best case scenario, Londons hospitals would be short 1,500 beds by January 19. They would be 2,900 short in the average case and 4,400 in the worse case. Speaking at the Downing Street press conference Tuesday Dr Diwakar said that the NHS Nightingale Hospital is now open to treat non-Covid patients but warned more patients may need to be treated outside the capital if rates continue to rise.

Besides beds, there are also severe shortages of staff. ICU nurses in major hospitals are being required to look after three patients at a time, rather than the normal one-to-one care.

Dr Zudin Puthucheary, a council member of the Intensive Care Society who works at Royal London Hospital, told Sky News Saturday, There are more patients than we have ever had, and we have less staff than we have ever had.

We've cannibalised staff from all around the hospitalvolunteers are pouring in to try and look after these patients and deliver the best care we can. Staff are breaking themselves to make this happen and keep our patients safeand it's not going to be enough.

He warned, The NHS is breaking in front of us and there is no plan to stop it breaking.

Nearly 1,000 people succumbed to the virus in London hospitals last week, taking the total for the city to 9,815 or one eighth of the UKs officially registered Covid-19 death toll. More deaths and long-term health complications will be caused by the forced cancellations of other treatments, including urgent cancer surgeries at multiple hospitals.

Khans announcement of a major incident and calls for more government support cover up his own criminal role in allowing this situation to develop.

When Prime Minister Boris Johnson ended the one-month November lockdown to save the Christmas profits of the shops and corporations, Khan said in a December 3 statement, The end of national lockdown will undoubtedly be a major boost for Londons struggling shops and hospitality venues which were forced to close just as preparations for the Christmas period began. At this crucial time of the year Im urging all Londoners to safely show their support for Londons high streets as we all make our decisions about where to shop this Christmas.

This was under conditions in which Londons case numbers had stopped falling during the latter part of the lockdown, holding at around 155 per 100,000, and then beginning to increase. Experts were warning that London should be placed under tougher restrictions.

On December 5, Khan went to Oxford Street to encourage people to go shopping in this golden month and this golden quarter. That week, the infection rate increased to 192. A week later it was 325 and a week later, in the seven days up to December 18, it was 602. London was only placed under enhanced but entirely inadequate Tier 4 restrictions December 20. In the week to December 30, the rate was 814 per 100,000 and it now stands at over 1,000.

Khan also worked closely with Transport for London and the private London bus operators to conceal information about Covid-19 infections and keep workers on the job in unsafe conditions.

The declaration of a major incident has serious implications. The BBCs home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani explains, In general terms, declaring a major incident, means public bodies can legally stop delivering some everyday services, so that their personnel, attention and resources can be diverted to the emergency confronting them.

Dr Puthucheary warned in his interview with Sky News that this could mean hospitals having their decision-making power taken away from them. Im scared because we are reaching a point where someone might tell us we can't prioritise our patients above everything elsethose decisions are going to be taken away from us and none of us have ever lived through that.

Casciani noted, At other times, the plans will lead to the military sending soldiers to aid the civilian effort

Essex, a county bordering London, specifically requested such a deployment two weeks ago, after declaring a major incident. Sir Bernard Jenkin, Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, said that local politicians were submitting a request for military assistance to the civil authority, a MACA request to assist with the construction of community hospitals, additional hospital capacity and supported by the armed forces and party staffed by the armed forces.

They would also like armed forces help with the roll-out of the vaccine to accelerate that in Essex and to assist with testing in schools.

Throughout the pandemic, the military has increasingly been brought forward to plug the gaps in essential and local services left by years of austerity and privatisation. 20,000 soldiers were reportedly placed on standby in March, of which 5,000 are currently deployed in what the Ministry of Defence (MoD) calls the biggest peacetime operation ever. The MoD adds that [t]housands more are supporting efforts through their day jobs in military planning, Defence Medical Services, Defence Science and Technology Laboratories and elsewhere.

But while they are currently dealing with the medical elements of the crisis, the armys fundamental role is to defend the capitalist state against popular opposition. In July, a sub-committee of the governments Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned of grave challenges to public order which were likely to require military support. It noted that [t]ensions resulting from the pandemic and lockdown have become inextricably bound with structural inequalities and international events.

As mass opposition develops, including strikes and protests, against the consequences of the governments murderous policies, the current military deployments will assume an openly repressive character.

The declaration of a major incident in the capital is a warning to the working class across Britain that they must take the response to the pandemic out of the hands of Johnson and his collaborators. The ruling class has no answer to this crisis outside of mass death and violent repression.

Workers must fight for their own independent interests. The Socialist Equality Party calls for the establishment of rank-and-file committees of workers in every workplace and neighbourhood to fight for effective lockdowns with full income, educational and social support, genuinely safe conditions for genuinely critical key workers, and a functioning test-and trace systemto be funded by the unearned fortunes of the super-rich.
Head of the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency Bagus Puruhito (R) hands over the just-retrieved flight data recorder (FDR), also known as black box, of Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ-182 in a case to Head of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Soerjanto Tjahjono at the Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT) in Jakarta, Indonesia, Jan. 12, 2021. Divers on Tuesday retrieved the FDR of the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 plane that plunged into the water off the coast of the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Saturday, Indonesian Military Commander Air Chief Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto said here. TO GO WITH "Black box of Indonesia's crashed plane retrieved" (Photo by Aditya Irawan/Xinhua)

JAKARTA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Divers on Tuesday retrieved a flight data recorder (FDR), also known as the black box, of the Sriwijaya Air Boeing 737-500 plane that plunged into the water off the coast of the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Saturday, Indonesian Military Commander Air Chief Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto said here.

The divers also found the underwater locator beacon (ULB) of the FDR and the ULB of the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) in the area which has been previously spotted, the commander said.

Tjahjanto believed that the position of the CVR would be in a spot around the area.

"I got information from the Navy chief of staff at 4:40 p.m. (Jakarta time) that a black box has been retrieved," he told a press conference at the Jakarta International Container Terminal.

Each FDR and CVR is equipped with an underwater locator beacon.

Head of the National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) Soerjanto Tjahjanto said that it would take between two days and five days to download all the contents of the FDR. Then it would be analyzed by the investigators to find out the cause of the fatal flight accident.

The Sriwijaya Airplane with flight number SJ-182 and operated by a budget airline crashed shortly after taking off from the international airport Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta on Saturday.

The plane with 62 people on board was heading to Pontianak city of West Kalimantan province.
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New Delhi, Jan 13 : Pakistan has launched a blanket offensive in Balochistan province in the name of counter-terrorism following the brutal killing of 11 coal miners belonging to the ethnic Hazara community. Balochistan's home minister Mir Ziaullah Langove said Monday that "a large-scale operation against terrorists" has been started in the province to find the real culprits of the gruesome murder of 11 coal miners from the Hazara minority community. The massacre took place in Machh area on January 3.

However, the Balochs fear that the entire 'large scale operation' is an exercise to deal a long-lasting blow to their freedom struggle movement which has been reignited in the last few weeks following the mysterious death of eminent activist Karima Baloch in Toronto, last month.

"Security personnel are storming the homes of poor Baloch blatantly and treating them like a citizen of occupied territory. Colonial thoughts and madness are still in their mind. This wouldn't work anymore. We will keep exposing the crooks through social media," said Ihtesham Afghan, a PTM activist.

Reports in the local media have revealed that Langove launched the latest operation after chairing a meeting on law and order situation following the Machh massacre.

Many prominent Baloch activists like Mama Qadeer Baloch, the vice chairperson of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), had already anticipated a big military operation in Balochistan which will target the innocent locals.

"Covert operations already continue across Balochistan but now Balochs will be openly targeted in the name of religious extremism," Qadeer was quoted as saying by The Balochistan Post, adding that the "Pakistani authorities were facing severe international pressure in addition to defamation, so they are blaming others for creating an atmosphere of resistance in Balochistan." Khalil Baloch, chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), had also said that the killing of Hazaras was done to divert the world's attention from the rising voices, both inside Balochistan and internationally, against the assassination of Karima Baloch.

"As a movement is rising against the killing and martyrdom of Karima Baloch, Pakistan has tried to divert international voices by targeting and killing the Hazara community through another form of terrorism. Such brutality will further embarrass Pakistan but will not be acquitted on any issue," the BNM had said in a statement.

The killing of the miners, besides inviting global condemnation, has also been criticised by a prominent Iranian cleric.

Senior Iranian Cleric Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, in a statement issued on Friday, had denounced the Mach attack.

"The recent crime in Bolan, Balochistan, filled the hearts of all followers of the Qur'an, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and His Household around the world with sorrow and filled their hearts with anger," the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quoted Shirazi as saying in the statement.

"Continuation of the crimes by the Takfiri groups in Pakistan and the targeted killing of the followers of the Ahl ul-Bayt (AS) in this Islamic land has grieved and affected me and all those who are interested in the religion greatly," he said.

As reported by the IndiaNarrative.com earlier, a new wave of brutal repression has begun, after Pakistan and China bonded to develop the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). The risk-averse Chinese have been prodding the Pakistanis to ensure the security of their project which passes through the entire length of the country, from Gilgit in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to the Gwadar port in Balochistan.

Meanwhile, the political unrest in Pakistan is expected to continue with the 11-party Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) opposition alliance planning its march to the country's capital Islamabad in the coming weeks.

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had announced on the very first day of 2021 that the planned long march will not only be directed at the Imran Khan-led government but also "his backers" sitting at the military's General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

Pakistan military's spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar said at a presser yesterday that the opposition alliance is wrong to think that the Army is meddling in the country's political affairs.

"I do not see any reason for them to come to Rawalpindi. If they ever come we will serve them 'chai-pani' (tea and water). We will look after them well," he said at the media briefing.

(This content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)


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China has decided to provide Myanmar with COVID-19 vaccines and is providing epidemic control supplies to help it fight the virus as State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi wrapped up his two-day visit to the Southeast Asian country on Tuesday. Beijing is also willing to discuss further vaccine cooperation with the country, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry. On Tuesday afternoon, epidemic control supplies were handed over to Myanmar at a ceremony held by the country's Ministry of Health and Sport. During a meeting with Wang on Monday, Myanmar State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi thanked China for the vaccines, and she hailed China's success in overcoming the impact of the virus and achieving positive economic growth. President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Myanmar in January last year and agreed with Myanmar President Win Myint on initiating a bilateral endeavor to build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future. During Wang's trip this week, both sides agreed in principle on the expected text of an action plan for translating the community into reality, and they will sign the text at an early date, the Foreign Ministry said. Major outcomes of his trip also included the signing of documents such as a five-year plan for advancing bilateral economic and trade cooperation. Both sides also agreed to jointly build the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor with great quality and speed up the construction of related projects. The trip, made despite the lingering pandemic, represents China's support for the successful operation of the new Myanmar administration as well as its efforts to seek national rejuvenation and long-term stability, Wang said. Win Myint said Myanmar is dedicated to realizing a consensus between the leaders of both nations, bolstering friendship and achieving common development. He expressed appreciation for China's support for Myanmar's national reconciliation process and China's backing for Myanmar in the international arena. Myanmar is the first leg of Wang's six-day tour of the region, which will also take him to Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines. After finishing this New Year tour, Wang will have visited all 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations since the outbreak of the pandemic. ASEAN replaced the European Union as China's largest trade partner last year. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the China-ASEAN dialogue relationship, and Myanmar will also assume the role of country coordinator of China-ASEAN relations this year. The country will also be co-chair of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism as well as the chair of the consultations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, an expected agreement to help preserve peace and order in the region. Myanmar is willing to play a proactive role in promoting China-ASEAN relations and Lancang-Mekong cooperation, Win Myint said. China is ready to strengthen teamwork with Myanmar to take China-ASEAN ties to a higher level and push for the early implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade pact, Wang said.


MEXICO CITY: Mexicos president will seek better terms for the government in private prison contracts signed by his predecessors, he said on Wednesday, adding that he could cancel them if better deals cannot be reached.

The private prison contracts were much too expensive and represented the worst of privatization, President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said at a regular government news conference.

We need to talk to the providers of these services so that an agreement is reached because we consider (the contracts) to be abusive," said Lopez Obrador.

He said a civil complaint is being drawn up to cancel the contracts if new terms are not reached. Lopez Obrador has previously put pressure on energy and chemical companies over contracts he considers unfair.

U.S. asset manager BlackRock Inc is among the investors that have been involved in prisons in Mexico.

During the government of Lopez Obradors predecessor, President Enrique Pena Nieto, payments for the Ramos Arizpe prison in the northern border state of Coahuila jumped by nearly 18% just before BlackRock purchased it, according to records reviewed by Reuters in 2017.

BlackRock at the time declined to comment. The asset manager did not immediately respond to a request for comment for this article.

Ex-President Felipe Calderon, who preceded Pena Nieto, launched the partial privatization of Mexican prisons during his 2006-2012 term with eight facilities.

Under Calderons model, the contractors did not manage security or healthcare at the facilities, but instead secured the land, built the prisons and then provided services like food and laundry over 20-year contracts.

Lopez Obrador, who ran and lost against both Calderon and Pena Nieto, routinely criticizes both men on a range of policy disagreements as well as for alleged graft during their terms.

The leftist Lopez Obrador said a renegotiated deal should benefit the governments finances.

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
Large restaurants providing prepared meals to supermarkets for sale is causing the Government some concern as it says this is adding to additional customer traffic at those supermarkets, as it wants less movement of people during the State of Emergency.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 20:02:20|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Transport has called on local authorities to strengthen control over passenger traffic plying in and out of areas designated medium- and high-risk for COVID-19 to curb the latest resurgence in cases.

In principle, inter-provincial and inter-city road passenger transportation, as well as inter-city public transportation in and out of such areas should be suspended, according to a notice issued by the ministry.

Passenger transport lines passing through the administrative area of the counties where the medium- and high-risk areas are located shall not pick up or drop off passengers in these areas, the notice said.

The ministry also asked cities with medium- and high-risk areas to suspend cross-city taxi services (including online ride-hailing) and intra-city carpooling.

Efforts should be made to ensure the travel needs of key groups such as medical and nursing personnel, and guarantee transport services for emergency supplies and people's daily necessities, according to the notice.

After the medium- and high-risk areas are downgraded to low-risk, transport authorities should steadily and orderly restore services, it added.

The Chinese mainland on Tuesday reported 115 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, of which 107 were locally transmitted and the rest arrived from outside the mainland, the National Health Commission said Wednesday.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 90 were reported in north China's Hebei Province, 16 in Heilongjiang Province and one in Shanxi Province, the commission said in its daily report. Enditem

Trump ultra-loyalist Rep. Jim Jordan said he wanted Republicans to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position over her push to impeach President Donald Trump.

'I think she's, I think she's totally wrong,' Jordan said. 'The conference should have a second vote on that,' the Ohio Republican told reporters, saying he believed lawmakers should get a say on removing Cheney from her No. 3 position.

Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, another top Trump ally, was circulating a petition to GOP members pushing for Cheney's removal, C-SPAN and CNN reported.

Rep. Jim Jordan told reporters Wednesday that he'd like to see the House's No. 3 Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney, ousted from her leadership position, as Cheney says she will vote yes on impeaching President Donald Trump

Rep. Liz Cheney (right), one of the five Republicans who've said they will vote for impeachment, conferred Tuesday night with Rep. Jamie Raskin (left), the Maryland Democrat who was named the House's chief impeachment manager

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED 'YES' ON IMPEACHMENT Liz Cheney - Wyoming. Republican royalty and House Number 3 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.' Adam Kinzinger - Illinois. Outspoken Trump critic and Air Force veteran 'If these actions are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?' John Katko - New York. Holds swing district and co-chairs moderate group 'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy.' Fred Upton - Michigan. 14-term rep who co-chairs moderate group 'It is time to say: Enough is enough.' Jaime Herrera Beutler - Washington Five-term rep in deep blue state 'The President of the United States incited a riot. That riot led to five deaths.' Dan Newhouse - Washington One of only two GOP reps from state 'Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republican is not an option.' Peter Meijer - Michigan Holds Gerald Ford's seat 'There was no such courage from our President who betrayed and misled millions.' Tom Rice - South Carolina Voted to overturn election results 'I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. This utter failure is inexcusable.' Anthony Gonzalez - Ohio 'The President of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties.' Former NFL starting wide receiver David Valadao - California 'His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. Its time to put country over politics.' Reclaimed district from Dems in 2020 Advertisement

The House Republican caucus held leadership elections for the 117th Congress on November 17, two weeks after Election Day.

Cheney, again, was selected to be the Republican Conference chairman, and ran for the position unopposed.

On Tuesday she announced she would side the the Democratic majority and vote to impeach Trump for 'incitement of insurrection.'

In an explosive statement, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney laced into Trump saying he 'lit the flame' of insurrection.

'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' Cheney said.

Four other GOP House members have said they will vote for Trump's impeachment: Reps. Adam Kinzinger, Fred Upton, John Katko and Jaime Herrera Beutler.

Trump spoke at a rally last Wednesday at the ellipse near the White House and encouraged his supporters to march on Capitol Hill.

Lawmakers were gathered in a joint session to certify the Electoral College results, which affirmed that President-elect Joe Biden was the victor.

A MAGA mob then violently stormed the Capitol, having believed Trump's false claims that the election was stolen from him.

Five people, including a Capitol Hill police officer, died in the immediate aftermath.

On the floor Wednesday, Democrats pointed to Cheney's statement as evidence they were in the right.

The Democrats' No. 2, Rep. Steny Hoyer, recited Cheney's words during his turn to speak.

'That is not some irresponsible new member of Congress of the United States,' Hoyer said. 'This is the daughter of the former Republican whip and former vice president of the United States of America.'

'She knows of which she speaks,' Hoyer argued.

Speaking to Capitol Hill reporters, Jordan was unsure if there was a mechanism to push a member out of leadership.

'I don't know about that - it's just where I'm at,' he told the press.

When asked if the conservative Freedom Caucus, of which Jordan is a leader, was supportive of pushing Cheney out, Jordan replied sarcastically, 'What do you think?'

'You know the answer. You know the answer to that question,' he went on. 'Of course.'

Jordan was also asked if Republicans had a 'cohesive leaderhip team' with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Cheney appearing to be in direct conflict.

'Leader McCarthy and whip Scalise have done a great job,' Jordan answered.

Rep. Steve Scalise is the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives.

Jordan was recently given a Presidential Medal of Freedom behind closed doors by Trump.
RTHK: Indonesian leader Joko Widodo gets Sinovac jab

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made Covid-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the worlds fourth most populated country.

After Widodo, top military, police and medical officials were vaccinated, as well as the secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the clerical body that last week had ruled the vaccine was halal and could be taken by Muslims.

This vaccine is the instrument we can use to protect us. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, our neighbour, Indonesian people and the human civilisation, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said.

This vaccine is given to achieve herd immunity. All 70 percent of the worlds people must be vaccinated for that to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of this programme, he said.

Conditional use of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine is scheduled to be rolled out in the coming months with healthcare workers, civil servants and other at-risk populations prioritised first. It will be free for all Indonesian citizens.

For Indonesia to vaccinate two-thirds of its population, 181.5 million people, to reach herd immunity, Sadikin said the two-shot vaccine would require almost 427 million doses, including the estimate that 15 percent may be wasted.

Distribution will not be easy in the vast archipelago where transportation and infrastructure are inadequate in places. Health officials have cited concerns about keeping the vaccine refrigerated at the required 36-46 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain its safety and effectiveness.

We know that the cold-chain distribution is not complete. This is the obstacle, Sadikin said on Tuesday. The cold-chain facilities are not enough so we are still distributing some of the vaccines. We are worried.

Indonesia received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccines on December 6 and locked it in cold storage surrounded by armed guards. Authorities began distributing the vaccines to key locations around the country while awaiting emergency use authorisation.

The vaccine was cleared for emergency use based on clinical trial data and after the Indonesian Ulema Council declared the vaccine holy and halal.

Indonesias vaccination programme is the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China.

Indonesia has recorded more than 846,000 cases of the virus, including over 24,600 deaths. (AP)

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
General Motors stole the show on Tuesday after unveiling the Cadillac Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicle and electric shuttle concepts in a virtual presentation at the CES expo, according to PCMag.

GM's vice president of global design, Michael Simcoe, said the car manufacturer is "preparing for a world where advances in electrics and autonomous technology make personal air travel possible."

Simcoe said the VTOL concept is GM's "first foray into aerial mobility." He added that other versions of the VTOL concept are in development, including air taxi prototypes.

The company provided no further information if there was a working VTOL or if testing has been conducted.

GM appears to be targeting the ultra-rich as they will be able to use these aircraft, sometime in this decade, to avoid traffic on the ground by flying from rooftop to rooftop.

"It's a concept for a moment when time is of essence and convenience is everything," Simcoe added.

He also unveiled a new electric vehicle described as a "mobile living room" designed for comfort.

Flying drones and robotaxis will absolutely disrupt the transportation of goods and people in the near term as this technology is being rushed into use.

Flying drones will be in the skies much quicker than anyone is anticipating...

By Zerohedge.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Jammu:

The Pakistani Army on Saturday night resorted to heavy shelling of Indias forward military posts and civilian areas in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Pakistani troops used mortar bombs and fired with automatic weapons from across the Line of Control (LoC) in Krishna Ghati sector, prompting Indian troops to retaliate, a senior army officer said.

Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 2030 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Krishana Ghati sector, a senior army officer said.

Reports said that the Pakistani troops also targeted civilian population and hamelts along the LoC in Krishna Ghati and Balnoie areas of Poonch district, triggering panic among the area dwellers.

The Indian Army is retaliating strongly and effectively, the officer said, adding the firing is presently on.

Also read: J-K: Six militants killed as Army foils 5th infiltration bid in Uri sector; terrorists hurled grenade at police station in Pulwama

Also read: J&K: Multiple attempts by Pak army to infiltrate armed groups into Kashmir foiled; 7 armed infiltrators killed



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On Monday, about 6,500 CPS students in prekindergarten and special education programs were expected to begin in-person learning across the city. And another 70,000 kindergarten to eighth grade students  or about 37% of that total enrollment  have said they will return to their school buildings on Feb. 1 in the next wave of the districts reopening plan. CPS high school students will continue remote learning indefinitely, though CEO Janice Jackson this week said the district hopes to welcome all students over the next few months.
Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown of the previous nights highlights that lets you sleep  and lets us get paid to watch comedy. Were all stuck at home at the moment, so here are the 50 best movies on Netflix right now.

Pences Choice: Have MAGA Nation Hate You

The House on Tuesday formally called on Vice President Mike Pence to remove President Trump from office using the 25th Amendment, an idea Pence had already rejected.

Though Pence did not yield to pressure from Trump to overturn the election results last week, which he did not have the authority to do anyway, he said that invoking the 25th Amendment would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment. Those passions include some of Trumps supporters, whose votes the vice president would probably need for his own White House run, chanting, Hang Mike Pence as they stormed the Capitol in an effort to stop the election certification.
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A special NIA court has allowed activist Sudha Bharadwaj, an accused in the Elgar Parishad- Maoists links case, to access books from outside Byculla prison, where she is lodged, according to an order made available on Wednesday. Special NIA court judge DE Kothalikar allowed a plea of Bharadwaj in this regard on Tuesday.

The judge directed the jail superintendent to allow Bharadwaj have access to five books a month from outside the prison in central Mumbai. Last month Bharadwaj, and co-accused Gautam Navlakha and Delhi University professor Hany Babu had filed separate pleas through their lawyer Chandni Chawla seeking access to books and newspapers from outside prison.

Navlakha and Babu are lodged in Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai. Thepleas ofBabu and Navlakha will be taken up in next hearing.

"The superintendent shall carefully examine the books and if, they contain objectionable material, which preaches violence, vulgar, obscene, pornographic or the material propagating the banned organisation namely Revolutionary Democratic Front or CPI (Maoist), in that case he shall not allow the applicant to accept such books," the court said. In a related development, academician-activist Anand Teltumbde, also an accused, in his fresh bail plea filed before the court on Tuesday, has said the prosecution theory that he was abetting others to wage war against the government is all "humbug".

Teltumbde, along with several other activists, has been booked under provisions of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly having links with the Maoists and conspiring to overthrow the government. He has sought bail on the merits of the case.

Teltumbde,in his bail plea, has given a detailed rebuttal to all the charges levelled against him. "Even after the NIA has taken over nothing could be found and thus theory of prosecution that accused are waging war or attempting to wage war or accused is abetting others to wage war or incite the public is all humbug," Teltumbde said in the bail plea.

The plea said the applicanthails from a poor family and due to his sheer brilliance and hard work has reached the position he has in Indian society. However, casteist forces cannot digest this fact and implicating him in the case is an attempt to belittle his achievements, Teltumbde added.

The court will hear his plea and other applications related to the case on January 27. The court had in July refused to grant "default" bail to Teltumbde (70), who is in jail for nearly nine months now.

He had sought bail under section 167 (2) of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on July 13 after the NIA failed to file a charge-sheet against him within 90 days as mandated under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Teltumbde and other activists were initially booked by the Pune police after violence erupted near Koregaon-Bhima, on outskirts of Pune city, a day after an Elgar Parishad conclave was organised.

Inflammatory speeches and provocative statements made at the Elgar Parishad meet held in Pune on December 31, 2017, triggered the violence at Koregaon-Bhima the next day, the police had alleged. According to the police, the event was "backed" by Maoists.

The NIA later took over the probe into the case.
Death In Bollywood

Rating:

New Lives In The Wild

Rating:

Struggling to fill its schedules, the Beeb could do a lot worse right now than to ditch the repeats of Mrs Brown's Boys and ancient episodes of Mock The Week, and run a season of Bollywood movie classics.

Light on plot but full of dazzling colour and surreal dance routines, these films might deliver the dose of winter escapism we all need. And few Brits, unless they have Asian ancestry, have ever watched more than one or two.

The name of Jiah Khan was not widely known either, though the 25-year-old actress was brought up in London. Her breakthrough role, opposite Amitabh Bachchan - India's answer to Sean Connery  made her a sensation in the Mumbai movie industry, in a version of Lolita, called Nishabd.

Actress Mandana Karimi was interviewed about the life of Jiah Khan for documentary Death In Bollywood

Now, seven years after Jiah was tragically found dead in her own apartment by her mother, the three-part documentary Death In Bollywood (BBC2) is analysing the case in forensic detail.

Concluding tonight, it consists of newsreel and in-depth interviews with those who knew the actress best  cut together so that the inconsistencies and contradictions leap out.

What emerges is a picture of a young woman whose life was controlled by others. Her forceful, domineering mother  also a Bollywood actress  is adamant that her daughter could not have killed herself, and will not rest until the authorities concur.

Her boyfriend, who comes across as an immature wannabe film star, has always denied having any influence on her suicide, but viewers are left with questions when he denies writing a series of apologies to Jiah, claiming they are forgeries.

Jiah was discovered hanged, but bruises on her arms and neck do not appear to match the ligature marks a pathologist might expect to see.

Bubble perm of the night: Keith Allen's portrayal of serial killer John Cooper, in The Pembrokeshire Murders (ITV), took centre stage as he was quizzed by detectives. He was almost as creepy as his own hairdo in that Seventies portrait, hanging in his bedroom. Advertisement

The boyfriend's father, Aditya Pancholi, argues that the story has attracted so much attention because he is a major star himself.

Surrounded by so many overbearing and charismatic figures, Jiah could easily have been all but erased from her own story.

This account does well to paint a rounded portrait  not a saint or a helpless victim, in the mould of Bollywood heroines, but a deeply anxious woman whose self-confidence was sapped to the point of despair.

There is more detail than most true-crime accounts usually provide, with the sense sometimes that we need to memorise entire dossiers of conflicting testimonies. We haven't peeled away all the layers yet, though. There's more to come.

Ben Fogle tried to peel away the layers and uncover the elusive personality of his host, Icelandic farmer Denni, as New Lives In The Wild (C5) returned. This format often gives Ben the chance to conduct some serious psychological interviews. But Denni, a former film-maker who worked in LA for years before retreating to the mountain wilderness of his homeland, was far too guarded to give much away.

He set up his lodge for trekkers, with a museum dedicated to the 19th-century pioneers who farmed this frozen outback, with his wife. But that relationship 'ran its course' and Denni now lives alone, though his three daughters do visit.

Ben lacks the steeliness to cut open this sort of character. He's great when people want to talk, because he's so likeable. But he isn't willing to ask difficult questions or make himself unwelcome, so we never learned why Denni needs to isolate himself from humanity.

The hot spring waterfalls looked marvellous, mind you. If you have to be a hermit, Iceland has its advantages.
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January 6, 2021 was a sad and dark day in America, but some of the reporting of what happened has been off the mark. To make crystal clear up front: As many of us condemned the rioting in America from early June until now, we fully condemn those who broke the law at the Capitol. I did so on Facebook as soon as I learned about it. Whether by assaulting law enforcement or violating property, that behavior was inexcusable. The vast majority of those who took part in the rally were peaceful, but that gives no excuse for those who broke the law. Those actions are why the day was such a sad and dark one.

However, on the bias of reporting, I am not referring to the factual reporting of what actually occurred on video in the Capitol. That was appropriate and proper journalism. The problem came with the hyperbolic criticism that included the complete failure to provide any criticism regarding the actions and hypocrisy of Democratic leaders in Congress. Let me explain.

After what happened, I think the president would agree the rally got out of hand. This will serve as a black eye to his legacy as president in the years to come. However, the reporting of the presidents role has been wildly off the mark. When the president spoke to the crowd about walking over to Capitol Hill, his exact words about it were them acting peacefully and patriotically. In actuality, many of those who went in to the Capitol building were not even at his speech in front of the White House. Anderson Cooper at CNN spoke similarly to many mainstream reporters in alleging Trump turned his mob on Capitol Hill in a direct incitement of insurrection. Nancy Pelosi went further with the hyperbole claiming, Yesterday, the president of the United States incited an armed insurrection against America in a seditious act. That charge was repeated and even exaggerated through various reporters throughout the coming days.

The hyperbolic charges are rich with hypocrisy coming from Democratic Congressional leaders like Pelosi and Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer. Trump condemned the violence and told protesters to go home that day. Yet, as Nick Arama of Red State noted about Democratic leaders including Pelosi and Schumer: These are the same people who ignored attacks on federal buildings for the last several months because they were perpetrated by those on the left, ignored over 700 law enforcement officers being injured and over 32 people being killed. These are the same people who celebrated the BLM radicals at their Democratic convention. Kamala Harris and 13 Biden staffers even donated and encouraged people to donate to a fund to bail out rioters.

Beyond the hypocrisy is a story ignored by the media about an arguably dangerous coup attempt on January 6 by Speaker Pelosi. As most are aware, the Constitution allows Congress to remove a president solely by way of impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate. This is to preserve the independent powers and checks and balances of the three branches of government. The Constitution also ensures civilian control of the military with the elected president as commander in chief, and the military subordinate to the president. Yet while Trump told his followers to act peacefully and patriotically, Speaker Pelosi attempted to foment and encourage a military coup against the president in violation of those Constitutional mandates.

According to the New York Times: In a phone call to the Chairman, Gen. Mark A. Milley, Ms. Pelosi appeared to be seeking to have the Pentagon leadership essentially remove Mr. Trump from his authorities as the commander in chief  But General Milley appears to have made no commitments. Short of the cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment or removing Mr. Trump through impeachment in the House and conviction in the Senate, it is unconstitutional to defy legal orders from the commander in chief  Mr. Trump, they noted, is still the commander in chief; unless he is removed, the military is bound to follow his lawful orders. While military officials can refuse to carry out orders they view as illegal  or slow the process by sending those orders for careful legal review  they cannot remove the president from the chain of command. That would amount to a military coup, the officials said.

In addition to that attempted military overthrow, Speaker Pelosi attempted to coerce the vice president to use the 25th Amendment to remove the president from power. The provision of the 25th Amendment relevant to the decision of the vice president and a majority of the cabinet removing the president leaves no power in that decision to Congress. It is for incapacity, and not for allegations of wrongdoing.

As President Trump has stated, he is transitioning the office to Joe Biden on January 20. In the meantime, the hyperbole and misinformation in reporting about the president needs to stop, and Speaker Pelosi and others need to be called out for their unconstitutional overreach. Each branch of government should be respected. Its time to rely upon God in getting us through these tough times, and not giving in to fear. In God We Trust is the motto we need to follow again.
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Starbucks has faced backlash in the past for reportedly banning employees from wearing Black Lives Matter shirts and paraphernalia, and now they are attempting to make up for it in a major way.

The Seattle-based, global coffee giant has selected 12 cities to benefit from the Starbucks Community Resilience Fund, with Houston among the metros selected.

TPG Telecom will review its portfolio of consumer brands which include Vodafone, iiNet and Lebara to assess whether they are serving customers effectively after hiring one of Foxtels key executives to lead its product and brand division.

Foxtels chief customer, marketing and sales officer Kieren Cooney will step down from the pay TV company after two years to lead TPG Telecoms brand and product division, a move which could result in the removal of some of the telcos most well-known brands from the market.

TPG Telecom chief executive Inaki Berroeta (pictured) has hired Foxtels Kieren Cooney to oversee the companys products. Credit:Louie Douvis

TPG chief executive Inaki Berroeta said Mr Cooney, who has held marketing leadership roles at NBN Co, Telecom New Zealand and Vodafone, would be in charge of reviewing the value each product gave to customers.

"The opportunity for us is to create a portfolio of brands that makes sense...and try to avoid every brand being everything for everybody," he said.
Kansas woman Lisa Montgomery was executed on Tuesday for strangling an expectant mother in Missouri and cutting the baby from her womb. This marks the first time in almost seven decades that the United States government has put to death a female prisoner.

Execution of Lisa Montgomery Halted

A federal appeals court on Tuesday issued a stay barring the execution of Montgomery, who was charged with the murder of a woman and cutting the baby out of her womb, which survived, back in 2004. In preparation, officials transferred her on Monday from the federal women's prison in Texas, where she was in custody for over a decade.

The 52-year-old woman has been pronounced dead at 1:31 AM on Wednesday upon receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Indiana's Terre Haute, reported New York Post.

Two other executions scheduled for later this week were also halted due to the fact that the prisoners tested positive for COVID-19.

The three executions were supposedly the last prior to President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week as he is an opponent of the federal death penalty.

The decision comes after Judge James Hanlon of the Southern District of Indiana had granted a stay of execution on Monday to determine if Montgomery was eligible to be executed as indicated by the Eighth Amendment. The number of additional executions under President Donald Trump is unclear. Trump resumed federal executions in July following a 17-year pause. Ten federal prisoners have since been executed, reported ABC News.

The family of the woman Montgomery killed traveled to Indiana to witness her execution.

The Indiana federal judge barred her death to allow a hearing on whether Montgomery is too mentally ill to be imposed the ruling.

Also Read: Judge Postpones Execution of Only Woman on Federal Death Row

Lawyers for Montgomery were also appealing to the Supreme Court to issue a stay of execution after the Indiana judge's ruling that had halted it pending a mental competency review was lifted.

According to Kelley Henry, a lawyer for Montgomery, the accused suffers from severe mental illness that was "exacerbated by the lifetime of sexual torture she suffered at the hands of caretakers," reported Yahoo.

As part of Henry's appeal, psychiatric experts submitted affidavits and claimed she is not able to understand the basis for her execution.

Henry stated, "Mrs. Montgomery is mentally deteriorating and we are seeking an opportunity to prove her incompetence."

In 2004, Montgomery killed then-23 Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore. She used a rope to strangle the victim, who was eight months pregnant and then knifed her daughter from her womb. Montgomery then abducted the child and attempted to pass the daughter off as her own.

Meanwhile, a federal judge for the United States District of Columbia halted the slated executions later this week of Dustin Higgs and Corey Johnson in a ruling on Tuesday. Higgs, convicted of ordering the killings of three women in Maryland, and Johnson, convicted of killing seven people connected to his drug trafficking in Virginia, both tested positive for COVID-19 in December 2020.

Montgomery was initially scheduled to be executed in December, but the date was delayed after her attorneys contracted COVID-19.

Related Article: Execution of Only Woman on Death Row Postponed, Attorneys Test Positive for COVID-19

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Indonesian search teams have retrieved one of the two "black boxes" from the ill-fated Boeing 737 plane that crashed into the Java Sea on Saturday, killing all 62 people on board.

The flight data recorder was brought ashore, but the teams are still trying to locate the cockpit voice recorder, the BBC reported on Tuesday citing officials.

The authorities hope that data from the black boxes can give vital clues on the possible cause of the crash.

The 26-year-old aircraft passed an airworthiness inspection last month.

It was still functioning and intact before it crashed, preliminary results showed.

Flight SJ182 was en route from the capital Jakarta to the city of Pontianak on Borneo island.

Separately, Indonesian police have identified the first victim - Okky Bisma, a 29-year-old flight attendant.

Indonesia's transport ministry on Tuesday said the aircraft had been grounded during the pandemic, and passed an inspection on December 14.

It made its first flight five days later with no passengers before resuming commercial flights on December 22.

The National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT) said that preliminary findings showed that the plane had reached the height of 10,900ft (3.3 km) at 2.36 p.m. local time on Saturday (07:36 GMT), then made a steep drop to 250ft at 14:40, before it stopped transmitting data.

KNKT head Soerjanto Tjahjono added that the plane's turbine disc had been found with a damaged fan blade - ruling out the theory that the plane had exploded mid-air.

"The damaged fan blade indicates that the machine was still functioning when it crashed. This (is) also in line with the belief that the plane's system was still functioning when it reached 250 ft," said Soerjanto in a written statement to reporters.

Search teams are continuing to comb the waters at the crash site, trying to retrieve the cockpit voice recorder.

Earlier on Tuesday, the KNKT said a device used to locate the black boxes had experienced "technical problems or equipment damage".

Several pieces of debris, body parts, wreckage and passengers' clothing have already been recovered.

Some 2,600 personnel were involved in the search operation on Monday, along with more than 50 ships and 13 aircraft.

Investigators are already analysing items which they believe to be a wheel and part of the plane's fuselage. An engine turbine has also been recovered.

Safety officials say this stage of the investigation could take up to a year.

--IANS

int/

(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.)
This activity has become professionalised, with private firms offering disinformation-for-hire services Credit: Shutterstock

Social media manipulation of public opinion is a growing threat to democracies around the world, according to the 2020 media manipulation survey from the Oxford Internet Institute, which found evidence in every one of the 80+ countries surveyed.

Organised social media manipulation campaigns were found in each of the 81 surveyed countries, up 15% in one year, from 70 countries in 2019. Governments, public relations firms and political parties are producing misinformation on an industrial scale, according to the report. It shows disinformation has become a common strategy, with more than 93% of the countries (76 out of 81) seeing disinformation deployed as part of political communication.

Professor Philip Howard, director of the Oxford Internet Institute, and the report's co-author says, "Our report shows misinformation has become more professionalised and is now produced on an industrial scale. Now, more than ever, the public needs to be able to rely on trustworthy information about government policy and activity. Social media companies need to raise their game by increasing their efforts to flag misinformation and close fake accounts without the need for government intervention, so the public has access to high-quality information."

The OII team warns the level of social media manipulation has soared, with governments and political parties spending millions on private sector 'cyber troops," who drown out other voices on social media. Citizen influencers are used to spread manipulated messages. These include volunteers, youth groups and civil society organisations, who support their ideologies.

OII alumna, Dr. Samantha Bradshaw, the report's lead author says, "Our 2020 report highlights the way in which government agencies, political parties and private firms continue to use social media to spread political propaganda, polluting the digital information ecosystem and suppressing freedom of speech and freedom of the press. A large part of this activity has become professionalised, with private firms offering disinformation-for-hire services."

Key findings the OII researchers identified include:

Private 'strategic communications' firms are playing an increasing role in spreading computational propaganda, with researchers identifying state actors working with such firms in 48 countries.

Almost $60 million has been spent on firms who use bots and other amplification strategies to create the impression of trending political messaging.

Social media has become a major battleground, with firms such as Facebook and Twitter taking steps to combat 'cyber troops," with some $10 million has been spent on social media political advertisements. The platforms removed more than 317,000 accounts and pages from 'cyber troops' actors between January 2019 and November 2020.

Cyber troops are frequently directly linked to state agencies. According to the report, "In 62 countries, we found evidence of a government agency using computational propaganda to shape public attitudes."

Established political parties were also found to be using social media to 'spread disinformation, suppress political participation, and undermine oppositional parties," say the Oxford researchers.

According to the report, "In 61 countries, we found evidence of political parties or politicians running for office who have used the tools and techniques of computational propaganda as part of their political campaigns. Indeed, social media has become a critical component of digital campaigning."

Dr. Bradshaw adds, "Cyber troop activity can look different in democracies compared to authoritarian regimes. Electoral authorities need to consider the broader ecosystem of disinformation and computational propaganda, including private firms and paid influencers, who are increasingly prominent actors in this space."

The report explores the tools and techniques of computational propaganda, including the use of fake accountsbots, humans and hacked accountsto spread disinformation. It finds:

79 countries used human accounts,

57 counties used bot accounts, and

14 countries used hacked or stolen accounts.

Researchers examined how cyber troops use different communication strategies to manipulate public opinion, such as creating disinformation or manipulated media, data-driven targeting and employing abusive strategies such as mounting smear campaigns or online harassment. The report finds:

76 countries used disinformation and media manipulation as part of their campaigns,

30 countries used data-drive strategies to target specific users with political advertisements,

59 countries used state sponsored trolls to attack political opponents or activists in 2019, up from 47 countries in 2019.

The 2020 report draws upon a four-step methodology employed by Oxford researchers to identify evidence of globally organised manipulation campaigns. This includes a systematic content analysis of news articles on cyber troop activity, a secondary literature review of public archives and scientific reports, generating country specific case studies and expert consultations.

The research work was carried out by Oxford researchers between 2019 and 2020.

Explore further Social media manipulation rising globally, new report warns

More information: Computational Propaganda project research studies are published at Computational Propaganda project research studies are published at comprop.oii.ox.ac.uk/publications/
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Drug giant AstraZeneca has submitted an application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to license its Covid-19 vaccine, which was co-developed with Oxford University.

The EU regulator said it had received a request for the approval to be expedited and it could be confirmed by January 29 "provided the data submitted on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine are sufficiently robust and complete".

The EMA, the drug agency for the 27-nation EU, has already approved two other coronavirus vaccines: one made by American company Pfizer and Germany's BioNTech, and another made by US biotechnology company Moderna.

Switzerland approved the Moderna vaccine yesterday.

Britain gave its approval to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in December, while India approved it this month.

As part of its strategy to obtain as many different Covid-19 vaccines as possible for Europeans, the EU said it had concluded early talks with French biotech company Valneva to secure up to 60 million doses of vaccine.

Error

Valneva previously signed a deal with Britain to provide tens of millions of doses.

The EU has sealed six vaccine contracts for up to two billion doses.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to be a key vaccine for many countries because of its low cost, availability and ease of use. It can be kept in refrigerators.

The company has said it will sell it for $2.50 (2) a dose.

Researchers claim the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine protected against disease in 62pc of those given two full doses and in 90pc of those initially given a half dose because of a manufacturing error.

However, the second group included only 2,741 people - too few to be conclusive.

Questions also remain about how the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
Generational Capital Markets Advises J-TEC Associates in its Sale to Rayser Holdings

Generational Capital Markets, Member FINRA/SIPC and a leading mergers and acquisitions advisor for privately held businesses, is pleased to announce the sale of its client, J-TEC Associates, Inc. to Rayser Holdings, Inc. The acquisition closed December 31, 2020 and details were not disclosed.

J-TEC Associates, Inc. (J-TEC), located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been providing vortex flow meters and sensors for automotive, military, industrial, and mining applications since 1968. J-TEC produces flow meters for internal combustion engine air-intake and crankcase blow-by flow measurement, along with a very specialized flow sensor used on military ground vehicles for accuracy of the large weapon systems.

The Company became notable for developing and perfecting the detection of vortex shedding through ultrasonic sensing. Their first development efforts resulted in a technique for measuring ocean currents and an anemometer for the National Data Buoy Program to aid in weather forecasting. This invention of a unique and proprietary technology has formed the basis of the principal products of the company and has led J-TEC into various flow measurement markets.

Also located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Rayser Holdings, Inc. (Rayser) was established in 2018 to diversify and enhance employee ownership. J-TEC joins CarePro Health Services, KELTEK, Inc., and Midwest Memorials as part of the portfolio. Rayser looks forward to welcoming future organizations that will enhance the portfolio. The experience of Rayser spans much more than the healthcare subsidiaries that started it all. Commitment to customers, employees and communities drives their team.

"For the past couple years I have been working on finding a way to gently exit the business that I have nurtured now for over 30 years. The discovery of Rayser as an option that might accomplish just that is the best thing that has happened to me and the J-TEC employee team sinceI started working there in 1988. I'm excited to see the next chapter of J-TEC unfold!" shared Gary Roling, J-TEC's President.







"We are excited to add another company to the Rayser family. J-TEC has a long and stable history in Cedar Rapids and their industry. We were honored to be considered as an option as Gary Roling, President, transitioned the company to its next stage of ownership," stated Michelle Jensen, President & CEO of Rayser Holdings.

Generational Capital Markets Managing Director Mergers & Acquisitions, Phil Pizzurro, with support from Vice President Mergers & Acquisitions, Andre Farahmandi, successfully closed the deal. Senior Managing Director, James Carr established the initial relationship with J-TEC.

"It was a great pleasure working on behalf of J-TEC throughout this process and getting to know the high-integrity folks at Rayser. There is great comfort knowing that the culture and legacy that Gary Roling built over the past 32 years will be preserved and enhanced under the capable leadership at Rayser," said Phil Pizzurro.

About Generational Capital, LLC

Generational Capital, LLC, is a Dallas, Texas-based merger and acquisition advisory firm. Generational Capital wholly owns Generational Capital Markets, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. More information can be found at www.gencm.com.

Generational Capital and Generational Capital Markets are part of the Generational Group and are affiliated with Generational Equity, LLC, which The M&A Advisor named Investment Banking Firm of the Year in 2016, 2017, and 2018 and Valuation Firm of the Year in 2020.

GCM's most recent awards include The M&A Advisor's 2020 Information Technology Deal of the Year ($10MM-$25MM) and 2020 Private Equity Deal of the Year ($25MM-$50MM).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005132/en/

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Donald Trump is being tried for impeachment in the Senate for a second time, after proceedings against the single-term US president kicked off on Tuesday.

The trial comes almost a month after Congress was besieged by his supporters, who wrongly claimed that last years election was stolen or rigged after Mr Trump lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Democrats  and some Republicans  afterwards said Mr Trump, who pushed those allegations in the months leading up to the attack on the Capitol, incited that very insurrection on 6 January.

Following his impeachment by the House on 13 January, a single article of impeachment was passed to the Senate on 25 January, paving the way for the trial to start two weeks later. Mr Trump in January became the first ever president in US history to be impeached twice.

What happens when the trial begins?

The Senate trial began on 9 February, under plans agreed to by the chambers Democratic and Republican leaders, Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell.

Read more: Follow live Trump impeachment updates

Senators convened around midday to begin proceedings, at which point impeachment managers  appointed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi  started presenting their case.

The impeachment managers, who are led by Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, are expected to take several days to set out their argument, with the segment concluding around 10 or 11 February.

The eight Democrats released an 80-page brief outlining their position on Tuesday, alleging the former presidents public actions and singular responsibility for that tragedy that occurred on 6 January.

Mr Trumps lawyers, also on Tuesday, were required to outline their arguments, and published a 14-page brief that incorrectly spelled United States in the opening lines, and argued for free speech.

Both parties appear to be aiming for a week-long trial.

What happens after the argument against Mr Trump has been made?

After the impeachment managers have finished their arguments to the Senate, the former US presidents lawyers will mount a counter-argument to allegations he caused the Capitol riot, also verbally.

That could come on 11 February, a Saturday, under rules dating back three decades that demand Senators sit for six days a week during the impeachment process, The Washington Post reported.

While they will have the same time as the impeachment managers to present to the Senate, it is not clear whether or not there will be an opportunity to object to points already made by the managers.

Senate president pro tempore Patrick Leahy, who will preside over the trial, would rule on, or allow, senators to debate Mr Trumps lawyers objections  which could take some time.

When do Senators start questioning?

After both sides set-out arguments, attention turns to senators themselves, who will act as jurors in the trial.

Senators will send arguments in written form to Sen. Leahy, who will direct questions to the impeachment managers or Mr Trumps lawyers.

Read more: How will Trumps second impeachment trial compare to his first?

They had only 16 hours to do so when Mr Trump faced his first impeachment trial in January 2020, and this time around, that point could come sometime around 15 or 16 February.

Around four hours were set aside on Tuesday for debate over the constitutionality of the impeachment hearings. Republican Senators have argued that the trial is unconstitutional because a former president cannot be impeached. In the end, 56 senators, including six Republicans, voted that the process was constitutional.

Will witnesses be called?

The Senate will then decide whether they will call on witnesses and documents, with a debate preceding a vote on whether to do so.

Democrats, who hold the deciding vote in the Senate, will be expected to win a vote on calling witnesses, and will begin tabling motions to subpoena them, to support their arguments against Mr Trump.

The former presidents lawyers would in this case also be expected to call on witnesses to support their defence.

Will the Senate vote to convict Mr Trump?

While Mr Trumps previous impeachment trials took three weeks, this trial could be shorter after a majority of Republicans recently voted to dismiss the trial outright.

The vote, which did not pass, was still a sign that the Senate will not vote by the two-thirds (or 60 votes) needed to convict the former president.

Read more: The 13 biggest takeaways from Democrats impeachment brief against Donald Trump

It means that Democrats, who are also keen to allow US president Joe Biden to pass his legislative agenda through Congress, will not spend too much time on the proceedings.

The argument that Mr Trump incited the mob who attacked Congress is also publicly evident  and so will be expected to take-up less time debating.

Following a vote on whether to convict the former president, the Senate will then likely vote separately barring Mr Trump from holding future office. This will require only majority support.
The disease still has a complicated course, the office said in a statement. President Sarkissian has symptoms typical of that condition, including a fever and double pneumonia.

Sarkissians office first reported the diagnosis on January 5. It said the 67-year-old president showed the symptoms and tested positive for the coronavirus following foot surgery which he underwent in London on January 3.

Sarkissian is a former British citizen who lived in London for nearly three decades prior to becoming Armenias largely ceremonial head of state in April 2018.

The presidential press service said on January 8 he will return to Armenia immediately after the stabilization of his condition.

It is not clear whether Sarkissian, who has consistently observed physical distancing rules during his official engagements, was infected with COVID-19 in Armenia. He travelled to Britain late last month and spent New Years Eve with his sons and grandchildren living in London.

Both Armenia and the United Kingdom have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. More than 163,000 coronavirus cases and at least 2,951 deaths have been officially confirmed in the South Caucasus country of about 3 million to date.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
The AAP government will provide coronavirus vaccine free to the people of Delhi if the Centre fails to do so, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday.

He said he has already appealed to the Centre for ensuring free vaccination in the country since there are many people who may not afford the life-saving shot.

"We will see what the Centre does. If need be and the Centre does not provide the vaccine free of cost, we will make it available free of cost for the people of Delhi," he told reporters.

The Chief Minister also appealed for not spreading rumours about the vaccine.

"I understand that the Centre and our scientists have brought the vaccine following all the protocols and safeguards. So, there should not be any doubt and people should come forward for vaccination," he said.

The Chief Minister said the coronavirus vaccine will be given first to healthcare and frontline workers, and he expressed hope it will provide relief to the people from the virus and the pain they suffered over the last one year.

The vaccination drive will begin in Delhi from Saturday at 89 centres.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine rollout: Adar Poonawalla says vaccine will be sold to private players at Rs 1,000 per dose

Also read: No option to choose preferred coronavirus vaccine, says Health Ministry
A sweeping overhaul of the criminal justice system in Illinois has passed, but is receiving a backlash from unions and law enforcement groups.

House Bill 3653, formerly House Bill 163, was passed by the Senate about 5 a.m. Wednesday and by the House in the waning minutes of a lame duck session. Gov. J.B. Pritzker must still sign it into law.
Walt Disney Cos Disneyland, which has remained closed since March, will become the first large site to provide COVID-19 vaccinations in Orange County, California, government officials announced late on Monday.

Disneyland will be the first Super Point-of-Dispensing (POD) sites in the county and become operational later this week, the district officials said in a statement.

The Disneyland Resort, the largest employer in the heart of Orange County, has stepped up to host the countys first Super POD site  undertaking a monumental task in our vaccination distribution process," said acting chairman Andrew Do, Orange County Supervisor, representing the First District.

The county will announce additional Super POD sites as agreements are finalized.

Disneyland Resort is proud to help support Orange County and the City of Anaheim with the use of our property, and we are grateful for all of their efforts to combat COVID-19," Pamela Hymel, chief medical officer of Disney Parks, said in an emailed statement.
Denver, CO January 13, 2021  The Colorado Authors' Hall of Fame will be holding their second induction in September this year. Their first induction, held in September of 2019, honored 22 authors of differing backgrounds and genres and featured writers both local and national. Among the first Inductees honored was local mystery author, Margaret Coel. She has authored the Wind River mystery series which prominently featured the Arapaho people, as well as the Catherine Macleod mysteries, which are set in her hometown of Denver.

The next Induction of the Hall of Fame will be held September 18, 2021 at the Renaissance Denver Stapleton Hotel. Information about the upcoming Induction event, donations, events, board members, and how to nominate an author can all be found at www.ColoradoAuthorsHallofFame.org Nominations will be open until February, 28th.

Born and raised in Colorado, Margaret Coel is descended from a Colorado pioneer family. She moved out of the state only two times, to attend Marquette University and to spend two years in Alaska. Before she made her living as an author, Coel graduated Marquette with a journalism degree and worked at the Boulder Daily-Camera.

The Wind River mystery series focuses on Jesuit priest Father John O'Malley and Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden as they solve various crimes and right injustices in Wyoming's Wind River Reservation. The series has 20 entries with the most recent one, Winter's Child, being released in 2016. The series has garnered Coel with five Colorado Book Awards. Along with a bestselling mystery series, Coel also published non-fiction books, including the acclaimed Chief Left Hand, which is a biography of an Arapaho chief and a history of the Arapaho people in Colorado.

Coel was joined by other acclaimed mystery and thriller writers like the late great Clive Cussler and local favorite Rex Burns.

When asked what advice she'd like to give to any writers looking to get into the business, Coel said this: "I am a professional writer, which means I work six days a week, whether I feel like it or not. In other words, I am not sitting around waiting for the muse to arrive. And don't overanalyze your workwhen you are finished and published, the PhDs will do it for you!"

Other Hall of Fame Inductions are planned for authors in Texas and Arizona. Nominations for authors to be inducted are now open to the public on the Hall's website, www.ColoradoAuthorsHallofFame.org.



The public is invited to visit the website, read the criteria for nominations, and nominate authors who they believe would be ideal to include in the 2021 celebration.

The Hall strives to educate the people of Colorado and the country about the stories of the authors who shaped their works using their personal presence and the environment of our State with courage, leadership, intelligence, compassion, and creativity. Inductees are authors who've made a major impact on others with their words. To make sure their legacies never die.

Press inquiries: Judith Briles, Judith@Briles.com or 303-885-2207.

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What do you get when you put together a lovely lady and a man named Brady? One of the most iconic sitcoms in television history. The Brady Bunch tells the story of one couple (and Alice!) as they raise three boys and three girls.

For some episodes, this family traveled away from their home. That includes the Hawaii episode of season 4. Heres what we know about some of the landmarks in the sitcom that still stand today.

Ann B. Davis as Alice Nelson, Maureen McCormick as Marcia Brady, Robert Reed as Mike Brady, Florence Henderson as Carol Brady, Eve Plumb as Jan Brady, and Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady in The Brady Bunch | CBS via Getty Images

The Brady Bunch traveled to Hawaii for one episode of their sitcom

Its the story of a lovely family traveling far away from their home. Mike has a business trip to Hawaii and decides to take the whole family with him. What these characters dont expect, however, is to get entangled with an ancient taboo.

It all starts when Bobby and Peter find a Tiki idol that is believed to bring bad luck to whoever touches it. Hawaii Bound is the first episode of The Brady Bunch season 4. Although it aired in 1972, many of the landmarks this dysfunctional family visited are still there today.

RELATED: The Brady Bunch Star Maureen McCormick Had a Crush on Another Co-Star Besides Barry Williams: I Used To Imagine Running off With Him

Fans can still stay at the Sheraton Waikiki hotel

With such a big family, it was only natural that the Brady clan stayed in a hotel. That was the Sheraton Waikiki, a location still located in Honolulu.

Since the 1970s, there have been major upgrades to the rooms, but with the views remaining the same, some visitors can have the same ocean view that this family had when they checked in.

This hotel also comes with a view of Diamond Head, or Dumb Head as Peter called it. Theres also access to Waikiki Beach, the same location where Greg Brady tried his hand at surfing.

Once settled in, the family went out to see natural wonders. That includes the still-active Halona Blowhole.

The Brady Bunch girls shared their love for Rabbit Island from Makapuu Beach Park, referring to the landmark by its nickname. The real name of Rabbit Island is Manana Island and it is still available to visitors.

RELATED: 1 Brady Bunch Actors Injured Nose Led To an Iconic Episode of the Sitcom

The Brady Bunch visited several iconic landmarks

Fans can see the same sights that The Brady Bunch saw with their tour guide, David. That includes the King Kamehameha statue in front of Aliiolani Hale (home to the Hawaii State Supreme Court). Even though there are, reportedly, several on the island, this is one of the best known.

For a piece of US history, the family visited the USS Arizona and Pearl Harbor Memorial, which was built on the remains of the sunken battleship. Visitors can even take the USS Arizona Memorial Tour to learn more about the countrys involvement in World War II.

Episodes of The Brady Bunch are available for streaming on Hulu.
Clackamas County will wait to swear in its new commissioners, after threats of violence followed the revelation of Islamophobic social media posts by one of the elected leaders.

The ceremony was originally set for Thursday, and county staffers said they have not set a new date.

County spokeswoman Kimberly Dinwiddie did not specify whether the threats were directed only to the commissioner who had made the posts, Mark Shull, or if other commissioners were also receiving threats. Dinwiddie said she didnt know the exact content of the messages, which she said were sent to county offices.

She said the county is forwarding all threats to law enforcement, so officers can investigate.

Shulls Islamophobic comments came to light after a community member, Cris Waller, published a blog post flagging his Facebook post. Shull, of Sandy, has faced calls to resign from advocacy groups such as the Oregon chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the entire Multnomah County board of commissioners and state representative Ricki Ruiz. A letter signed by 25 city councilors and mayors from Canby, Gladstone, Happy Valley, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie and West Linn, as well as three Metro councilors, also called for Shull to step down immediately.

His posts range from racist comments about his alleged experiences with Muslims to extreme comments about his views on the relationship between the U.S. and Islam.

Wallers blog also documented other racist, xenophobic or transphobic comments Shull made about immigrants and other marginalized groups, including transgender people. He also made derisive comments about the Black Lives Matter movement.

Shull released a written statement to The Oregonian/OregonLive on Monday night. He apologized for any concerns his comments might have caused, but not for the content of the comments.

I respect the freedom of religion that extends to members of the Islamic community, as well as to all religious beliefs, Shull said. I will work towards increasing understanding and cooperation amongst all new immigrants to our nation and to our County. I welcome member of the Islam community and I look forward to working with that community in the future. We are all Americans. We all need to be heard and to have our opinions and beliefs respected. I am here as the County Commissioner to serve everyone regardless of race, creed or religion.

-Jayati Ramakrishnan; 503-221-4320; jramakrishnan@oregonian.com; @JRamakrishnanOR
In July 2020, the Trump administration reinstated the federal death penalty after a de facto moratorium lasting 17 years. The US is among only 56 countries that continue to practice the death penalty, the majority of which are not democratic countries, such as China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. The use of the death penalty confuses retribution with justice.

Last year, the US federal government executed 10 individuals, the highest use of the practice in a year since 1896. This extraordinary action at the federal level runs counter to a historic decline in the use of the death penalty by states, including in Ohio where Governor, Mike DeWine on January 9th signed legislation that significantly curtails the use of the death penalty.

This week another three individuals were scheduled to be executed in an unparalleled rush to carry out long-delayed death penalties before the change in administrations. President-Elect Joe Biden is opposed to capital punishment and has promised to abolish it. Yesterday, new legislation was proposed to end the federal death penalty.

The death penalty strikes at the fundamental right to life. It is in clear contradiction to Catholic social teaching. In his encyclical The Gospel of Life, Pope John Paul II told us that we have an inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life. This Catholic campaign brings us together for common action to end the use of the death penalty, to reject a culture of death, and to build a culture of life. In September 2020, the leadership of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) called on President Trump and then Attorney General Barr, Enough. Stop these executions.

The practice of the death penalty in the US violates multiple human rights norms, including binding international laws that the US has signed and ratified. Racial bias and discrimination have proven to play a role in the use of the death penalty - which is more likely to be applied if the victim is white and the perpetrator is black - and has even lead to the death of innocent black men.

On January 12, 2021, the US federal government had planned to execute the first female since 1954. Lisa Marie Montgomery has been diagnosed with severe mental illness and permanent brain injury related to her history of physical abuse. She was also the victim of heinous systemic sexual and other forms of abuse, including child sex trafficking. These diagnoses and her past trauma were not fully revealed to her jury until after her conviction.

Many countries have called on the US to halt the use of the federal death penalty at the United Nations Human Rights Councils Universal Periodic Review in November 2020. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has explicitly held in the case of Lisa Montgomery that she is in a situation of serious and urgent risk of irreparable harm to her rights. As of this morning, a circuit court judge has granted a stay of her execution to determine her mental competence. This is welcome news, however, two more executions are scheduled to take place later this week.

Update:

Early morning on January 13th, the Trump administration executed Lisa Montgomery despite a series of court orders that briefly blocked her execution. We should recognize Lisa Montgomerys execution for what it was: the vicious, unlawful and unnecessary exercise of authoritarian power. We cannot let this happen again, says Kelley Henry, one of Lisas lawyers. Lisas death is a grim reminder of one of the most egregious aspects of federal executions in the US: that capital punishment harms the most vulnerable and marginalized.

What can you do?

As a community of faith and conscience, we are called to speak out and act. You can get engaged by:

Get involved with the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Sign a petition and write your member of congress:

Join a virtual conference: January 10 through 16: Ending the Death Penalty: A Virtual Conference

The End of Executions is a week-long, free virtual conference featuring amazing speakers with voices of experience on the death penalty, daily panel discussions, and virtual execution vigils.

Join a Vigil:

The Terre Haute vigils will start shortly before any execution appears likely to be taking place. Execution time to be announced - probably between 4-7 pm. Live stream on Facebook.

Virtual Prayer Vigils hosted by the Catholic Mobilizing Network will be live-streamed on their Facebook page:

Virtual Vigil for Lisa Montgomery: Tuesday, Jan. 12 | 2-3 p.m. EST

Virtual Vigil for Corey Johnson: Thursday, Jan. 14 | 2-3 p.m. EST

Virtual Vigil for Dustin Higgs: Friday, Jan. 15 | 2-3 p.m. EST

For more information visit: https://deathpenalty.org/
Customs officers have urged the government to prioritise vaccinations for staff and warned a Covid-19 outbreak could be 'disastrous' for the flow of goods into the UK.

One operator said workers were pulling 16-hour shifts to help companies deal with the post-Brexit rules.

Another said out of 14 employees two are self-isolating and if any more go down they will 'have to consider closing'.

It comes as Boris Johnson will be questioned on the rollout of the vaccine after warnings to abide by lockdown restrictions were stepped up to help the NHS.

One operator said workers were pulling 16-hour shifts to help companies deal with the post-Brexit rules. Pictured: A lorry in Dover on Monday

The first operator told the BBC: 'A Covid outbreak would be disastrous. Customs clearance staff should be identified as key workers and fast-tracked for vaccination.'

The other wrote to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and his MP Damian Green warning he may have to close.

He said: 'We have 14 staff. Two have already had to self-isolate, if we lose any more we would have to consider closing.'

The Road Haulage Association's Rod McKenzie backed the calls for customs officers to receive the jab soon.

He said: 'Customs agents are absolutely swamped, they are understaffed by tens of thousands and although volumes have been light thanks to pre-Christmas and pre-Brexit stockpiling, we are approaching a critical point.'

Another said out of 14 employees two are self-isolating and if any more go down they will 'have to consider closing'. Pictured: A woman swims in front of a ship at the Port of Dover on Monday

Friday is being seen as a 'moment of truth' as the amount of items flowing through the border is expected to reach normal totals.

The ports have so far stood up to the pressure but the BBC says that is because many traders are not getting that far due to incomplete documents.

The crossing between Dover and Calais in France only saw 40 per cent traffic last week compared to this time last year.

The Prime Minister will be grilled by senior MPs on the liaison committee after facing Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer during PMQs on Wednesday.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi and health bosses crucial to the jabs programme will also be questioned by the Commons science and technology committee.

With rolling out the vaccines key to easing lockdowns, the latest NHS figures showed 2,431,648 in the UK have received a first dose.

But the health service was under extraordinary pressure with the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England at a record 32,202 as of 8am on Tuesday - up 22 per cent on a week ago, and 82 per cent since Christmas Day.

Kent will have five customs check facilities up and running by July, which will monitor traffic using the Eurotunnel and the Port of Dover

Latest figures showed that as of Tuesday, a further 1,243 people in the UK had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, with a further 45,533 cases being confirmed by labs.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 99,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

The Scottish Government is considering further Covid-19 restrictions as the death toll from the virus passed 5,000. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will outline any changes to the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson told MPs the peak demand on the health service may not be reached until early to mid-February.

To offer some respite, hospital patients are to be discharged early from one London hospital in order to free beds for critically-ill Covid-19 patients.

The owners of the Best Western chain, the London Hotel Group (LHG), will accommodate patients deemed ready to leave King's College Hospital.

A hospital spokesman said: 'To create capacity in the hospital to care for the high number of patients requiring admission, we have partnered with a local hotel to temporarily accommodate mainly homeless patients who are ready to safely leave hospital and will benefit from further support from community partners.'

The Guardian reported an LHG spokesman saying the patients 'are recovered or recovering from Covid and who are medically fit for discharge' so do not need specialist medical supervision.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi (pictured) and health bosses crucial to the jabs programme will also be questioned by the Commons science and technology committee

Meanwhile, the NHS denied a report in the Telegraph that suggested the vaccine rollout was being paused in some areas to allow other parts of the country to catch up.

A spokesman said: 'Actually, all GP sites are getting vaccine deliveries this week and next.'

Scotland could vaccinate people against coronavirus round the clock in a bid to see people given protection against the virus as quickly as possible, Ms Sturgeon said.

She did not rule out younger people being offered vaccination appointments on a 24/7 basis, saying: 'We will look at anything and everything that allows us to get this vaccination programme done as quickly as possible.'

The latest pandemic lockdown in Northern Ireland is likely to last beyond February 6, the region's chief medical officer said.

Dr Michael McBride said restrictions will be required for a 'considerable number of months'.

Amid concerns the current restrictions in England may not sufficiently supress the virus, Home Secretary Priti Patel said a minority of the public are 'putting the health of the nation at risk' as she backed a tougher police approach to lockdown rules.

She told a Downing Street press conference on Tuesday that officers are moving more quickly to issuing fines where people are clearly breaching coronavirus regulations, with nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices issued across the UK since March.

Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Martin Hewitt said that more officers will be out on dedicated patrols to deal with rule breakers, while Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has also spoken to councils about enforcing the regulations.

But leaders of police groups called on the Government to clarify the 'incredibly vague' rules, which saw two women incorrectly fined for driving five miles from their Derbyshire homes to meet for a walk while the Prime Minister went for a bike ride seven miles from Downing Street.
City officials expect an injection of money to help needy San Antonians with housing costs and to increase COVID-19 vaccine distribution as more details emerge about what the city will get out of the latest $900 billion federal stimulus package.

Unlike the round of federal stimulus passed earlier in the coronavirus pandemic, San Antonio wont get direct financial aid designed for cities and counties whose coffers were hit by the economic downturn. Congressional Republicans shot down the idea of including that kind of aid in the latest package, which would have allowed local leaders to figure out how to spend the money and address needs in their respective communities.

The likelihood of that aid becoming a reality grew last week with the Democratic wins in the Georgia Senate runoffs, handing Democrats the majority in the U.S. Senate. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer pushed President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday to seek at least $1.3 trillion in another round of stimulus after he takes office.

But after a tumultuous week in Washington D.C.  the storming of the Capitol building by rioters followed a week later by the Houses second impeachment of President Donald Trump  city officials arent taking anything for granted.

We are going to be required to be comfortable with the fluidity and uncertainty of whats going to happen in D.C. over the next few months, District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez said during a City Council briefing Wednesday.

In the meantime, Metro Health is expected to get $13.9 million to prop up vaccination efforts out of the latest round of stimulus, the citys government affairs director Jeff Coyle told City Council members. Those dollars cant be used to buy more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine but can cover other costs associated with hosting the mega vaccination sites.

San Antonio officials expect about $6 million out of a $25 billion pot intended for emergency rental and utility assistance to boost the citys existing $76.6 million housing assistance program. The state is slated to pony up another $5.5 million to add to the fund, City Manager Erik Walsh said.

The city program  which helps needy households pay for rent, mortgages, utilities and internet fees as well as emergency cash assistance  has been in high demand throughout the pandemic. The programs remaining funds  about $7 million  had been expected to last until March.

San Antonio International Airport will likely get at least $8 million  nowhere near the $40 million the airfield received earlier in the pandemic, Coyle said.

VIA Metropolitan Transit expects to get $61 million for operations, Coyle told council members.

On ExpressNews.com: Weve got to find a way: Councilman wants more COVID aid for bars, restaurants

Local performance venues, independent movie theaters and similar cultural institutions will be able tap a $15 billion bucket aimed at supporting those kinds of businesses. Unknown is whether the city can seek those funds to make up for shortfalls at the city-owned Alamodome and Convention Center, Coyle said.

Texas food banks could get an estimated $35 million out of a $400 million pot intended for food assistance, but its not clear how much of that would go to San Antonio Food Bank.

Officials noted that San Antonio businesses  including restaurants and bars  will benefit from $284 billion Congress pumped into a second round of the Paycheck Protection Program, which provides businesses with forgivable loans for paying employees and utility bills. Applications for those loans opened this week.

During the programs last round, San Antonio businesses and nonprofits received more than $2.2 billion in those PPP loans. However, more than three-quarters of that money  $1.7 billion  went to firms on the North Side. That resulted largely because a business must have a relationship with a bank to apply for the loan. Many mom-and-pop shops on the East, West and South sides run on a shoestring and dont have that kind of connection.

City officials have said theyre working with outside groups to make sure businesses in other parts of town get the message that the funds are available  and to help them apply.

But theres still lingering resentment from businesses who felt jilted in the previous process.

We know a lot of our businesses here in District 2 feel like they were left out of a lot of the funding, Councilmember Jada Andrews-Sullivan said.

The stimulus bill also included a number of tax credits and deductions aimed specifically at restaurants and bars.

In the view of the Texas restaurant industry, the bill was a step in the right direction but didnt go far enough. Kelsey Erickson Streufert, who heads government relations and advocacy for the Texas Restaurant Association, told council members her organization views the stimulus as a down payment on relief.

Were very much of the opinion that restaurants need individualized and specific relief given the challenges that we face, Erickson Streufert said.

On ExpressNews.com: Further coronavirus relief for San Antonio may hinge on outcome in Georgia Senate runoffs

The debate over whether to pony up more city dollars for bars and restaurants has grown louder over the past week. Since June, the city has doled out more than 200 grants totaling $8.7 million to dining and drinking establishments as part of a broader $28 million small business grant program.

I think were all on the same page, ready to help one another, District 3 Rebecca Viagran said during Wednesdays committee meeting. We have been doing that.

District 1 Councilman Roberto Trevino thinks more is needed  and has been trying to convince Mayor Ron Nirenberg to advance a proposal Trevino made in October to find more city money to help bars and restaurants.

District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry agrees and called on the mayor Wednesday to schedule the proposal for a hearing before the councils governance committee  the agenda-setting panel chaired by the mayor. The idea hasnt been put on that committees agenda yet.

But Perry also said the city, in general, needs to find more of its own money to put toward small business relief.

Theyre hurting now, not two years from now, not four years from now, theyre hurting now, Perry said. Now is when we should be reaching deep into our pockets. No matter where that money is, we need to see about pulling that money out.

Nirenberg noted that the city has moved money around to pay for more small business grants and housing assistance throughout the pandemic. If council members have more ideas about how to pinpoint more money to pay for small business assistance, they should put it forward, Nirenberg said.

To the extent we have other ideas to be brought to the table, they dont need to wait, Nirenberg said.
Will talk to Shah if needed, fisherman to be released: B'desh HM on BSF Jawan's killing

BSF detects trans-border tunnel along Indo-Pak border

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Border Security Force (BSF) has detected a trans-border tunnel along the India-Pakistan International Border in Bobbiyan village in Hiranagar sector of Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir.

A senior officer said that a terror tunnel was detected by the BSF in Bobbiyan village of Hiranagar this morning. He said that the tunnel originated from Pakistan to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists.

Mobile data analysis: How BSF unearthed ISI engineered tunnel used by JeM terrorists

On November 22, a similar tunnel in the Samba sector used by four Jaish-e-Mohammad terrorists was detected. The terrorists were gunned down at the Ban toll plaza near Nagrota on November 19.
Bhopal, Jan 13 : The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government has made its intent clear to act tough following the deaths of 16 persons in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district due to consumption of spurious liquor. During a meeting with officials, Chouhan ordered the removal of the Morena Collector and the district Superintendent of Police.

The Chief Minister had called the meeting on Wednesday and expressed his displeasure over the Morena incident. Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Finance Minister Jagdish Deora, Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains and Director General of Police Vivek Johri were also present in the meeting. The CM stressed on running a campaign against illegal liquor across the state.

Chouhan said the Collector and the SP would be held guilty in such incidents.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Chief Minister had ordered a thorough probe into the incident following which the Morena station house officer and an excise official had been suspended.

The Gwalior-Chambal Police Commissioner had formed a team to probe the incident and assured that strict action would be taken against those found guilty, Chouhan had said on Tuesday.

Sixteen persons have died so far due to the consumption of spurious liquor in two villages of Morena district while more than 10 people are in critical condition and undergoing treatment at Morena and Gwalior hospitals.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text

Former Debenhams workers have voted down by a 91% majority a government deal which offered them a 3m training fund.

The landslide defeat of the insulting deal which offered workers no additional redundancy pay beyond their statutory entitlement, was announced this afternoon.

They have called for the 3m to be given as top-up redundancy pay instead. This, they said, would end the dispute which has raged since April when approximately 1,000 employees lost their jobs after Debenhams went into liquidation and failed to pay staff their previously agreed redundancy packages.

Former workers said that the 3m training fund was of little benefit as they were already entitled to State-funded training courses and many were nearing retirement.

Valerie Conlon, Mandate union shop steward with the shuttered Patrick Street store in Cork, was back on the picket line today as the 'ceasefire' ended when the vote came in.

She said:

The pickets are staying. Were still on strike.

"Mandate will be writing to Micheal Martin to tell him what has happened today and where we stand.

If the Government are willing to change the 3m training fund into cash then this could be finished.

They keep saying they didnt want to set a precedent. But if they could bring up 3m to pay people to do courses, why not give us the money?

Were also asking for the Cahill Duffy Bill to be implemented as soon as possible to help other workers coming down the road."

Read More Upskilling fund for Debenhams workers described as 'ridiculous' ahead of vote

Ms Conlon said she is very concerned that liquidators KPMG may try to remove stock in the coming days and weeks, despite Level 5 restrictions.

We literally do not know what theyre going to do.

"Were going to find it harder to get people at the pickets as the Covid numbers are so high. I can totally understand that, Im nervous myself, we all have to be very, very careful. But we still have people willing to do it so well carry on as long as we can."

The rejected deal had been proposed through the Chairman of the Labour Court, Kevin Foley, who was commissioned by Government to mediate the long-running dispute.

But some 430 of approximately 1,000 former workers voted, with 393 rejecting the proposals, Mandate confirmed.

Solidarity TD Mick Barry, who has been campaigning on this issue said: This is a really striking and overwhelming rejection of the offer made by the Taoiseachs mediator.

"It is a clear signal that the Government must now go back to the drawing board and come up with an improved offer to resolve this long-running dispute.

Ex #Debenhams workers have voted 393-37 tbc to reject the offer made by Taoiseach-appointed mediator Kevin Foley. After such an overwhelming rejection Govt must go back to the drawing board and prepare an improved offer. @SarahODwyer1 @ingridmileyRTE @OpinionLine96 @NeilRedFM  Mick Barry TD (@MickBarryTD) January 13, 2021

"For a start, the 3m which was to be put aside for an upskilling fund should now be made part of a new redundancy package which is fairer and more just than the one just rejected.

Sinn Fein TD Thomas Gould, has said the vote by ex-Debenhams workers shows that they will only accept a fair redundancy package.

The proposal document which stated that the Government would establish a 3 million training, upskilling, and business start-up fund was given fair consideration by the workers, but the final result, 393 votes against and only 37 for, is an indication of the strong feeling amongst the workers that the proposal fell far below their expectations.

Indeed, the caveat that workers could not access cash from the fund was certainly a significant barrier to attracting the workers' support.

The result of the ballot should be a wake-up call to the Government, the liquidators, KPMG, and the company, that the workers will only accept a fair redundancy package."

Taoiseach Micheal Martin previously defended his Government, saying that the State had supported workers paying 13m in statutory redundancy  it was the private sector that failed.

Last week, Debenhams halted its Irish online operation, saying that uncertainty over new Brexit trade rules forced the decision.
The central government has decided to sell up to 20.65 crore shares or 5% of total equity of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) through an Offer for Sale, the company said on Wednesday. Additionally, the government also has an option to sell up to 20.65 crore share of SAIL. With this, the government would divest 5% equity in the firm with a 5% greenshoe option, DIPAM Secretary said.

The floor price has been set at 64 per share. The OFS for non-retail investors opens on Thursday. While for retail investors, it will start on Friday, DIPAM Secretary said.

The total OFS size has been calculated at 206,526,264 equity shares of the face value of 10 each (Base Offer Size), with an option to additionally sell up to 206,526,264 equity shares of the firm (over-subscription option), according to ministry of steel. With this, the total OFS size stands at 413,052,528 shares, which is calculated at 2,664 crore.

At least 12.5% of the offer shares will be reserved for the allocation to retail investors. Apart from this, the government mentioned that no single bidder other than mutual funds registered with SEBI will be allocated over 25% of the Offer Shares being offering in the offer. A minimum of 25% of the Offer Shares will be reserved for the mutual funds and insurance companies, the company said.

Apart from these, the government stated that the allocation to retail investors will be made based on Cut-off price  lowest price at which the offer shares are sold in the non-retail category based on all valid bids received on transaction day at stock exchanges.

DAM Capital Advisors Limited (formerly known as IDFC) and ICICI Securities Limited as brokers on its behalf. DAM Capital Advisors Limited will act as the settlement broker on behalf of the seller's broker, SAIL said in the regulatory filing.

SAIL, under the Ministry of Steel, is India's largest steel producer with an annual capacity of about 21 million tonne per annum (MTPA). The government holds 75% stake in SAIL. It had last sold 5% stake in the steel CPSE in December 2014.

SAIL earlier posted 9% growth in crude steel output at 4.37 million tonne (MT) during October-December period of the ongoing fiscal year. The company had produced 4 MT crude steel in the year-ago period, SAIL said in a statement. During the period under review, its total sales were at 4.32 MT, up about 6 per cent from 4.09 MT in the corresponding quarter of the preceding fiscal year.





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A controversial Kildare-based doctor is to feature in the first episode of an award-winning documentary series on TG4. Finne returns to screens for a third series exploring the personal testimonies of those who have lived through trying times.

Dr Andrew Rynne was Irelands first vasectomy doctor, a pioneering contraceptive rights campaigner during the 1970s and 1980s and founder of Clane General Hospital.

In 1979, when condoms were permitted to be sold to married couples only, Dr Rynne vowed to expose the absurdity of the law by issuing contraceptive prescriptions to non-married couples.

When he himself brought this to the attention of the Gardai, he was duly fined 500 in Naas District Court. In this engaging and often hilarious documentary, Dr Rynne recalls his battle against the prevailing hypocrisy of the time.

Also covered is his bizarre encounter with a disgruntled patient who tried to shoot him in the testicles with a shotgun while he was working in his surgery in 1990.

Produced by Aisling Ni Fhlaitheartha for Galways Tua Films alongside series producer and originator Paddy Hayes and presented by RTEs courts correspondent, Orla ODonnell, Finne is a Netflix-inspired documentary series shining a light into the darkest corners of Irish society.

Through first person testimony, Finne recounts intimate stories of triumphs and traumas, of dogged resilience and human frailties.

Season One was awarded the Human Rights award at the prestigious Justice Media Awards in 2019.

The producers said: The six 60-minute original productions promise a gripping and rare insight into these high-profile stories as told through the eyes of those still bearing the scars and living with the consequences.

It reinforces TG4s reputation for fresh, bold programming featuring extraordinary Irish stories.

Other personalities to feature in the series include Liam O Maolaodha, director of the Irish language cultural festival Oireachtas na Gaeilge since 1996, Dublin-born neuroscience lecturer and Ted Talker, Brian Pennie and former champion boxer Kenneth Egan.

Also participating is Galway comedian Stevo Timothy who often refers to mental health issues in his stage shows and online sketches.

The first episode of Finne begins on January 13 at 9.30pm on TG4.
Saving Journalism: A Vision for the Post-covid World

Dozens of plans to help save journalism have emerged since the covid-19 pandemic decimated media outlets globally. Many of these initiatives involve increased support from foundations and discussion about how media business models can adapt to the current crisis. But desperate times require flexibility and innovation, and we are seeing a surprising number of proposals that break from past practices. Most promising are Australias efforts to get Google and Facebook to pay for news and legislative proposals in the US to pass laws and get investment that would support local news.

We examined initiatives from around the world, for our report Saving Journalism: A Vision for the Post-covid World.

The proposals that surfaced in 2020 fell into four categories: public subsidies, tech platforms taxes, new business models, and private funding.

1) Public support of journalism

As part of their broader covid-relief efforts, governments provided emergency funding that helped media outlets and freelance journalists. Norway, Singapore, Australia, and Canada, among others, all expanded government support for quality news.

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In the US, we saw renewed interest in support for government funding of journalism and efforts to shift government policy and develop legislation to help fund local news. The collapse in local commercial media that has accelerated during the pandemic has created an appetite for public policy solutions that were not on the table even nine months ago, says Tom Glaisyer, managing director of programs at the Democracy Fund, which spends more than $10 million a year supporting efforts to remake local news. He added that Black Lives Matter has also given new urgency to donors to address racism in the news media.

Free Press has long championed using taxes to fund journalism and in 2019 convinced New Jersey to allocate $2 million to local news. Robert McChesney, cofounder of Free Press, is working with others to draft a local journalism initiative that would help save local news by establishing a budget of $100 per person to support local nonprofit journalism, then let people vote to determine which media outlets get the money in their communities.

Report for America cofounder Steve Waldman is promoting a media voucher system (similar to what France did after 2008 when it gave newspaper subscriptions to eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds) and assisted with the design of the Local Journalism Sustainability Act, which gives federal tax credits to local media outlets. The idea is similar to policies that have already been implemented in France and Canada.

Glaisyer says that its crucial to get support for journalism written into any new economic recovery bills that may be introduced in the Biden presidency. Waldman has been proposing an ambitious replanting strategy that outlines a way to rescue 6,700 local newspapers that are owned by hedge funds. Waldman notes that a future bill could provide incentives for chains to donate newspapers to the communities they serve instead of closing them, while tightening antitrust law to discourage excessive consolidation.

2) Making tech companies pay for quality journalism

Among the most ambitious journalism rescue projects is Australias proposed new legal framework to diminish the power imbalance between media outlets and Google and Facebook. Europes attempts to use copyright laws have failed as Google has refused to pay, so Australia is using competition law. Australias competition authority, headed by economist Rod Sims, has drafted a code that would require Google and Facebook to pay for the news they carry. If the two sides cannot agree on a price, it would then be set by binding arbitration. Parliament will vote on the plan in coming months.

Regulators and organizations in Africa are looking for ways to adapt and implement Australias proposed code within their own countries. The EU and the US, similarly, are monitoring events as they consider Big Tech regulation. Google has fought hard against the code; its efforts include promoting an open letter to all Australian users on Googles homepage threatening to make their services dramatically worse.

3) New business models

Vast amounts of time and effort have been put into the problem of fixing the business model. For instance, the Digital Transitions Project put forth by Botswanan journalist Ntibinyane Ntibinyane and Zimbabwean reporter and editor Dumisani Muleya propose funding that could help twenty southern African newspapers transition to digital. This innovation is particularly urgent in southern Africa, as some countries only have a handful of print alternatives to government sources. If these newspapers close, thats the end of independent newspapers. If the outlets are not saved, what will then happen to independent media? To freedom of expression? The government could be the only print player left, Ntibinyane said in an interview.

Similarly, in Kenya, investigative economic journalist Mark Kapchanga argues that some Kenyan media outlets should receive financial assistance from the government but that the funds must be delivered in such a way that the outlets can safely maintain their independence, for instance, through the Media Council of Kenya.

In the US, several projects are disrupting traditional business models by uplifting traditionally marginalized voices. These include journalist and novelist Farai Chideyas 2020 report Reconstructing American News, which promotes making the grant application process more accessible and encourages investment in US news organizations led by people who are Black, Indigenous, or of color. Additionally, Media 2070 is a project that seeks to radically transform who has the capital to tell their own stories by 2070.

4) Philanthropic Funding

Many foundations and journalism organizations set up emergency funds during 2020, and many of these were overwhelmed with applications. In Australia, the AAP newswirewhich had been in danger of closingwas purchased by a consortium of philanthropists and impact investors in the middle of the covid crisis. According to economist Richard Denniss, the support for AAP is one of the most strategic acts of philanthropy in Australian historythe alternative would be a significant boost in News Corp market dominance. News Corp has since threatened to set up a for-profit newswire.

Conclusion

Philanthropic support has enabled hundreds of media outlets around the world to survive, but its increasingly clear that more systemic support is needed. Thats why were far more excited about increasing donor coordination, new laws, and government support aimed at shoring up existing outlets that need it. We believe there is a lot to learn from France and from the Nordic and Canadian governments about how governments can support a diverse and pluralistic media ecosystem.

This article is adapted from Saving Journalism: A Vision for the Post-covid World. commissioned by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. We used a taxonomy suggested by Nishant Lalwani, managing director of Luminate, a venture of the Omidyar Network that spends about $20 million annually supporting journalism.

The Journalism Crisis Project aims to train our focus on the present crisis, tallying lost jobs and outlets and fostering a conversation about what comes next. We hope youll join us (click to subscribe).

EXPLORE THE TOW CENTERS COVID-19 CUTBACK TRACKER: Over the past nine months, researchers at the Tow Center have collected reports of a wide range of cutbacks amid the pandemic. Now theres an interactive map and searchable database. You can find it here.

CONTRIBUTE TO OUR DATABASE: If youre aware of a newsroom experiencing layoffs, cutbacks, furloughs, print reductions, or any fundamental change as a result of covid-19, let us know by submitting information here. (Personal information will be kept secure by the Tow Center and will not be shared.)

Below, more on recent media trends and changes in newsrooms across the world, by Lauren Harris:

JOURNALISM JOBS AND OPPORTUNITIES: MediaGazer has been maintaining a list of media companies that are currently hiring. You can find it here. The Deez Links newsletter, in partnership with Study Hall, offers media classifieds for both job seekers and job providers. The Successful Pitches database offers resources for freelancers. The International Journalists Network lists international job opportunities alongside opportunities for funding and further education. And an organization of fifty writers called the Periplus Collective recently announced a mentorship program to serve early-career writers who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Anya Schiffrin, Hannah Clifford and Kylie Tumiatti, with Allynn McInerney and Lea Allirajah Dr. Anya Schiffrin is senior lecturer at Columbia Universitys School of International and Public Affairs. She wrote the report with her students: Hannah Clifford, Allynn McInerney, Kylie Tumiatti and Lea Allirajah. Further research was done by Chloe Oldham. Lauren Harris composed the remainder of this newsletter.
It was around midday Wednesday, Jan. 6, when Tara Muelleras phone started getting the texts concerned for her safety.

A

This was around the same time the Jerseyville resident started seeing the video and news reports coming from Washington, D.C., showing rioters storming the U.S. Capitol building, following a aSave Americaa rally. The rally took place a mile and a half west at the White House, where President Donald Trump and others continued to criticize the results of the election, claiming fraud and calling on legislators to vote against confirming President-elect Joe Biden.

A

But these texts only left Mueller confused.

A

She, like the other supporters of President Donald Trump she went with, was in the nationas capital specifically for that rally, but the images she witnessed personally were not of violence but of peaceful protest. Mueller had a different perspective of the events of that day. For her, the day was peaceful as all of the other events she attended were.

A

Mueller started following politics about a year ago.

A

aI was alarmed at what was happening in our country, and I wanted to educate myself on such matters,a Mueller said. aLittle did I realize at the time this journey would have me traveling the country in search for answers.a

A

She had not shied from joining in demonstrations.

A

aI have been to Washington D.C. on two other occasions in recent years, and both trips were with the local youth group for the March for Life Rally, which is very near and dear to my heart,a she said.

A

In July, her husband, Jake, and she made the trip to South Dakota for the firework celebration at Mt. Rushmore. There, she had an optimal view of the firework display, the numerous aircraft flying over which included Air Force 1, the Blue Angels and the Osprey aircraft that would land President Trump and his family at Mt. Rushmore.

A

aI had the mindset that I would be placed exactly where God needed me to be at all moments of the trip.a

It would be an experience that informed her perceptions of the media.

A

aThe atmosphere was very patriotic and emotions were felt by all surrounding usa I was given a lot of insight and information, and it became very clear why so many rally around this President so passionately,a she said. aAlso, my eyes saw first hand how the media can spin a story to fit their narrative as we were getting inside information from those nearby the riots at Mt. Rushmore.a

A

Mueller and her family were drawn to Washington D.C. once more, after Trump put out a call to Americans to take part in a rally for Trump and the aintegrity of our United States of America,a she said.

aIt was on Jan. 5 when my husband and 17-year-old son, Ethan, embarked on our trip to Washington D.C.,a she said. a...President Trump requested American patriots to show up for a Rally on January 6, 2021 and we wanted to be there. Just like our trip to Keystone, S.D., I felt very guided to make this trip.

We wanted to show Congress that we care about the integrity of our elections. Both now and in the future!a

A

She and her family met up with a group from Michigan and traveled into the city together. Along their travels, the election and the myriad of claims made against the validity the election were addressed.

A

They arrived at the rally early morning Jan. 6 along with thousands of others.

A

aWe peacefully gathered on the lawn around the Ellipse outside of the White House,a she described. aIt was a beautiful and breathtaking event. Good American people gathered from all over the country in hopes of obtaining an audit into the election statistics.a

A

There, they listened to several prominent figures including Rudy Giuliani, Eric and Lara Trump, Don Jr. and girlfriend Kim Guilfoyle and the president, himself.

A

aAs the speaking concluded, we stood at the base of the Washington Monument soaking in the breathtaking sea of flags that were making their way to begin the March to the US Capitol,a she said.

A

As they made their way down the streets of D.C., she witnessed a crowd of all ages championing the effort, including that of an older gentleman that made sure to attend, she remembered.

A

aWe came upon an older gentleman who needed the guidance of his walker to put one foot in front of the other.a

A

The march, she said, was a sight to behold.

A

aThe sight of this will forever be embedded in my memory and heart,a Mueller said. aThere were scattered bits of the crowd singing and chants such as astop the steala or aUSA.a It was a very peaceful gathering.a

A

As they arrived at the US Capitol, Mueller and her group positioned themselves in the area behind the reflecting pool with a centered view of the Capitol building in front of them.

A

At this time, groups continued to sing songs such as the aStar Spangled Bannera and chant aFreedom,a aUSA,a and aStop the steal,a an uplifting experience for Mueller to say the least.

A

They then received word that Vice President Mike Pence had refused to overturn the election, defying the wishes of the president, a hope of his supporters to stop the certification of the election.

A

aWe were crushed but still hopeful Congress would pull this through for America,a she said.

A

This was around the time she started getting word of the attack on the Capitol.

A

aA friend began texting me with video clips of the Capitol breach,a she said.

A

But the videos were nothing like what she was witnessing.

A

aAll seemed calm, and there was no one scaling any walls,a she said. aAgain, we were positioned directly in front of the US Capitol on the west side. Others around us were replaying the video clips watching in such confusion as it was not in any way a reality of what we were seeing in front of us.a

A

There were police cars aligned on the northeast side of the Capitol building when they arrived, which appeared to be parked along the roadway.

A

aWe could witness the Capitol police standing along the balcony of the Capitol, and there didnat appear to be any kind of emergency,a Mueller said.

A

It was around 2:45 p.m. when her phone went off with an emergency broadcast message stating that the D.C. Mayor was declaring a 6 p.m. curfew.

A

aWe stuck around for a little longer trying to figure out what was happening and still never witnessed any such violent acts,a she said. aAs we began walking back to return to our hotel, we witnessed a line of police cars with sirens approaching the Capitol building.

A

aIn that same area, we stopped to ask two police officers for directions and in no way did they seem alarmed or have any sense of heightened emergency.a

A

It was a strange experience for her family. Videos and photos poured of violence at and in the Capitol, and they were so close but saw nothing.

A

aWe began getting text messages asking if we were safe,a Mueller said. aAnd in a way, it was comical, because I wish all could have seen what I was seeing and feeling. Nothing like what was on the television.a

A

It was a surreal experience, but one that confirmed her perspective on news today.

A

aThe whole experience reconfirmed why I chose to turn off the news the day after the election,a she said. aMy experiences make it very difficult to believe what the media portrays.a

A

Still, the events of that day in parts of the Capitol she did not witness did prove violent, leading to the deaths of five and damages to the building, according to numerous reports. The breach was the only overtaking of the Capitol since the British burned the building in August 1814.

A

Looking back on the events of the day, Mueller asked only for truth and that athose creating this chaos be held accountable. Period.a

A

Although focus for the media has leaned on the rioters at the Capitol, Mueller felt only uplifted from what she saw in-person.

A

aMy entire experience was extremely uplifting and left me feeling very hopeful for the future of our country witnessing so many amazing Americans uniting as one that day,a she said. aMy heart felt connected to every American who stood for freedom that day. I ultimately believe that all Americans want truth and transparency for our country, no matter the results.a

A

aThis is no longer about a party line as there is corruption on both sides. We now stand in a time where people need to decide (if undecided) do they stand with America or with the traitors.a
The last piece of Nazi-looted art discovered among the collection of a German pensioner has been returned to its rightful owners eight years after it was found.

Carl Spitzweg's drawing 'Playing the Piano' was handed over to Christie's auction house on Tuesday at the request of the heirs of its rightful owner, Henri Hinrichsen, after being found in an apartment belonging to pensioner Cornelius Gurlitt in 2012.

The work had been seized from Jewish music publisher Hinrichsen in 1939, two years before he was killed at Auschwitz, and inherited by Gurlitt from his father.

German authorities have now handed over 14 works from a 1billion collection found at two homes belonging to Gurlitt after it was proven they were plundered by Nazis.

The last piece of Nazi-looted art discovered among a collection kept by German pensioner Henri Hinrichsen (right), Carl Spitzweg's drawing Playing the Piano (left), has been returned to its rightful owners eight years after it was found

The looted works included this Otto Dix painting. Hinrichsen inherited the works from his father Hildebrand, Nazi Germanys leading expert on modern art

It was bought by Gurlitt's father Hildebrand Gurlitt, an art dealer who traded in works confiscated by the Nazis, in 1940.

The reclusive Cornelius Gurlitt, who died in 2014, had squirrelled away more than 1,200 works in his Munich apartment and 250 at a property in Salzburg, Austria.

He inherited much of the collection from his father. Authorities first stumbled on the art while investigating a tax case in February 2012.

Gurlitt's will bequeathed the works to a Swiss museum, the Kunstmuseum Bern.

A German government-backed foundation has been working with it to ensure that any pieces looted from Jewish owners are returned to their heirs.

German authorities have now handed over all 14 works proven to be looted by Nazis, including this Henr Matisse painting (pictured), from Cornelius Gurlitt's 1billion hoard found at his homes in Munich and Salzburg in 2012

One of the pieces of work discovered in his flat was this masterpiece by Franz Marc

Gurlitt's will bequeathed the works to a Swiss museum, the Kunstmuseum Bern. Pictured: A terracotta caryatid with an urn by French sculptor Auguste Rodin on display in the exhibition Gurlitt: Status Report Nazi Art Theft and its Consequences at the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn in 2017

A trickle of works has been handed back in recent years as the painstaking process of provenance research made gradual progress.

Germany's culture minister, Monika Gruetters, said it was 'an important signal' that all the works so far identified as looted art have been restituted to their owners' heirs.

'Behind every one of these pictures stands a human, tragic fate such as that of Auschwitz victim Dr Henri Hinrichsen,' she said in a statement.

'We cannot make up for this severe suffering, but we are trying with the appraisal of Nazi art looting to make a contribution to historical justice and fulfil our moral responsibility.'

She stressed Germany's 'lasting commitment' to continue with that appraisal and provenance research.

A German government task force identified the drawing as looted in 2015 but legal complications meant its restitution could not be settled until now, Gruetters said.

Pieces by Picasso, Renoir, Cezanne and Matisse were found at the time.

Mr Gurlitt claimed all the paintings were legally acquired by his father, but at least 500 were previously thought to have been either stolen by the Nazis or strong-armed from Jewish collectors at rock-bottom prices.

His father was Nazi Germanys leading expert on modern art, personally tasked by Hitler to sell paintings he despised abroad to help fund the Third Reichs war effort.

However, Hildebrand Gurlitt secretly kept many of the pictures for himself.

The collection, which includes works by Picasso, Matisse and Dix was discovered inside his Munich apartment

Cornelius Gurlitt's house in Salzburg, Austria, where 60 works including Picassos, Renoirs and Monets were found

After the war, he was questioned by the American Armys Monuments Men unit but never charged with any crimes.

He lied that the bulk of his collection had been destroyed in the Allied bombing of Dresden in 1945.

In fact, the artworks survived intact and he passed them on to his son, a lifelong bachelor, who said before his death: I never loved anything or anybody in life but my paintings.

While only 14 of the 1,450 artworks have been proven to have been stolen by Nazis by the German Lost Art Foundation, the origin of around 1,000 pieces remain uncertain.

Gilbert Lupfer, director of the German Lost Art Foundation told DW: 'There is a large grey zone.

'Many questions remain unanswered since there are not many sources of information left, nearly a century later.'
Egyptian-Canadian actor Mena Massoud has visited the Giza pyramid complex, one of the worlds largest and most famous structures, expressing his pride in his Egyptian identity and for belonging to such an ancient culture.

The program for his visit to Egypt also includes a number of other prominent tourist attractions.

A statement by the Ministry of Emigration cited Massoud, the titular star of Disney's Aladdin, as saying that he considers Egypt the greatest country in the world and that our role is to promote Egypts tourist attractions.

Massoud was keen to take photos and videos of himself while visiting the ancient pyramids and the Great Sphinx in Giza and posting them on social media, the statement said.

Massoud said that this is his third visit to the pyramid complex, and that he is keen on going there every time he visits Egypt.

Massoud was accompanied by Minister of Emigration Nabila Makram and Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El-Enani.

Makram welcomed the stars visit to the pyramids, and said that he is considered the first ambassador of the presidential initiative dubbed Etkallem Araby (Speak Arabic), which aims to solidify the Arab-Egyptian identity among Egyptians abroad.

The minister also noted that Massoud has supported the initiative with a video, where he urges Egyptian youth abroad to speak Arabic so that they can preserve their Egyptian identity and culture.

We are proud of Egyptians abroad and are always happy for the successes they achieve, which hold Egypts name high, El-Enani said.

The tourism minister also said that Massoud was keen to listen to a detailed explanation on the construction of the pyramids and the epigraphic Dream Stele erected between the front paws of the Sphinx.

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BidExecs  a recently launched, first-of-its-kind, global business development and proposal management solutions franchise  announced it has appointed Edward James as Franchise Growth Director in addition to naming Hilary Berndt, Leonard Tharpe, Donald Richwine, and Gail Bassette the members of its Franchise Advisory Board.

BidExecs

Despite the challenges brought on by the global pandemic, the contracting industry is thriving as it exceeded $1.6 trillion in 2020. The announcement of five team members joining BidExecs comes on the heels of a tremendously strong year for the nation's first-ever business development and proposal management franchise company  having just appointed Dr. Ben Litalien as Chief Growth Officer while continuing strategic expansion across the country.

"We are thrilled to welcome Edward James to our leadership team," said Reena Bhatia, CEO and founder of BidExecs. "Edward brings extensive financial and operational expertise to our company, supported by a deep knowledge of the franchise industry. With Edward and our new Franchise Advisory Board members, we feel confident these individuals will help guide us through our next phase of growth. We see a great deal of opportunity ahead in 2021."

James brings over 15 years of experience to help drive the next phase of BidExecs franchise growth on a national scale. James previously served as Director of Franchise Development at Dickey's Barbecue Restaurants, Inc and Sr. Manager of Diversity and Inclusion at 7-Eleven Inc. The Franchise Advisory Board was carefully yet strategically selected by BidExecs Chief Growth Officer, Dr. Ben Litalien. Together, all team members will be the driving force behind the company's explosive success.

"I am greatly appreciative and thankful for being part of the BidExecs team," said Edward James, Franchise Growth Director of BidExecs. "I am looking forward to the future growth of the brand and the opportunities provided to entrepreneurs to further provide for their families and serve their immediate communities in this ever-growing industry."

BidExecs' Chief Executive Officer, Reena Bhatia, founded the company based on the success of her existing proposal management company, ProposalHelper . To learn more about BidExecs franchising opportunities, visit www.bidexecsfranchising.com or contact us at call 1-(866) THE-EXEC (1-866-843-3932).

About BidExecs

Founded by Reena Bhatia in 2020, BidExecs Franchising is a leading, global business development and proposal management solutions franchise. Headquartered in Fairfax County, Virginia, BidExecs is the nation's first business development and proposal management company, offering companies ways to identify and qualify the right opportunity to pursue, conceptualize the best-fit technical solutions and technical writing, to implementing a systematic full lifecycle proposal management process. To inquire about franchise opportunities, please visit www.bidexecsfranchising.com or contact us at call 1-(866) THE-EXEC (1-866-843-3932).

Media Contact:

Alexandra Domecq

Interdependence Public Relations

(949) 777-1354

[email protected]

SOURCE BidExecs

Related Links

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Western Australia would likely enter a sharp and short lockdown if a coronavirus outbreak was detected within the community, the state's Chief Health Officer Andy Robertson has revealed.

In a rare media interview with ABC Radio Perth on Tuesday, Dr Robertson said going hard and fast in response to an outbreak had fared well in Queensland and South Australia.

Perth CBD deserted in March when tough social distancing rules came into effect at the start of the pandemic. Credit:Sharon Smith

I think there is a very good rationale for [a hard and fast lockdown], he said.

It would depend on the circumstances, how many cases we had, how much community spread, whether its one outbreak, so theres a number of factors that would come into it, but certainly that would be a likely outcome if we had to do it in certain circumstances.
AGRIGENTO, JAN 13 - Italian police on Wednesday arrested 12 people in an operation against the Sicilian mafia, Cosa Nostra, near Agrigento. Those arrested are accused of infiltrating politics to land public contracts, as well as vote buying and a range of other mafia crimes. The arrests were made at Licata, Palma and Favara. hey included affiliates of jailed superboss Giovanni Brusca, who triggered the bomb that killed anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1992. Also arrested were members of a Stidda (a smaller Sicilian mafia) family that killed magistrate Rosario Livatino in 1990. A number of local politicians were also arrested. They included a town councillor at Palma di Montechiaro near Agrigento. Over 200 police carried out the operation, helped by helicopters and dogs. Among the crimes allegedly committed by those arrested is the attempted extortion of a group of firms that landed a 2.3 million euro construction contract, police said. The head of the Cosa Nostra gang was mobster Rosario Pace, who was among those arrested, police said. (ANSA).
New York, Jan 13 : Calling out Pakistan for its support for terrorism and China for providing terrorists cover against sanctions, India's External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has unveiled an eight-point plan against the global scourge.

Before his speech on Tuesday at a Security Council ministerial meeting, Tunisia's Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi, who presided, issued a consensus statement affirming the obligation of all nations to "to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism" and the need to strengthen international action against terrorism.

The meeting was convened by Tunisia, which holds the Council's rotating presidency this month, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the landmark anti-terrorism resolution adopted following the 9/11 attacks on the US.

The international community must collectively expose and hold accountable those countries that are "clearly guilty of aiding and supporting terrorism, and wilfully provide financial assistance and safe havens" for terrorists, he said speaking through a videolink.

Jaishankar did not name Pakistan or China, but he made the references to the countries contextually clear.

"We, in India, have seen the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts not just given state protection but enjoying 5-star hospitality," he said in one such reference that pointed to Pakistan hosting Dawood Ibrahim, the crime boss behind the attack that killed 257 people.

In his eight-point plan, he criticised the double standards advocated by Pakistan and some others and said: "Terrorists are terrorists; there are no good and bad ones. Those who propagate this distinction have an agenda. And those who cover up for them are just as culpable." As for China, he referred to "the practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reasons which, he said, "must end because this only erodes our collective credibility." Beijing blocked for a decade the listing of Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as an international terrorist by a Council sanctions committee. He was behind several terrorist attacks on India.

While calling for depoliticisation of the listing of individuals and groups as terrorists for imposing sanctions, Jaishankar also said, "Proposals in this regard merit due examination before circulation." Pakistan with China's backing floated the names of four Indians, Ajoy Mistry, Gobinda Patnaik, Appaji and Venumadhav Dongara, for inclusion in the al-Qaeda and allied groups sanctions list before the US and other western nations on the Council thwarted the move.

His eight-point plan starts off with a call for an unconditional commitment by all countries to combat terrorism.

Jaishankar suggested that the UN increase cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which should continue to identify and fix weaknesses in anti-money laundering and counter-terror financing mechanisms, he said.

He said that the UN and countries should act against "exclusivist thinking that divides the world and harms our social fabric" that fuel communal hatred and lead to radicalisation.

"The Council should be on guard against new terminologies and misleading priorities that can dilute our focus," he said.

Earlier, the under-secretary-general of the Counter-Terrorism Office, Vladimir Voronkov, warned: "Terrorists are adapting quickly, keen to exploit cyberspace and new technologies, linkages with organised crime, as well as regulatory, human and technical gaps in national capacities." He said that terrorist groups were exploiting the Covid-19 pandemic, which has led to greater polarisation and amplification of hate speech, while development has suffered.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
New Delhi: The Centre has also accepted the fact that Khalistan supporters have infiltrated the farmers' protest against the three farm laws. Zee News has been reporting about Khalistan's entry into this agitation from the outset. Attorney General KK Venugopal told the Supreme Court that the Khalistan supporters have infiltrated the farmers' protest against the three farm laws.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde along with Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian told the AG that if there is infiltration by a banned organisation, then the government has to confirm it. The apex court also asked the AG to file an affidavit. AG replied, "Yes, I will file an affidavit and the IB reports."

Not only this but the banned organization, Sikhs For Justice, further solidified the fact of its infiltration in the farmers' protest by writing a letter to the Chief Justice of India, stating that it wants to see Punjab as an autonomous nation i.e. an independent nation.

The letter stated that the referendum for this will commence in London on 15th August, and Sikhs present in any part of the world will be able to participate and express their opinion without fear. This will also convey the fact that how the world wants to see Punjab's future with India. The banned Sikh outfit has acknowledged that they are supporting this movement and will continue to do so.

Earlier on Tuesday, the DNA report showed you another letter from this organization, wherein, this organisation had announced over Rs 1 crore reward amount to those who will wave the Khalistan flag in the Republic Day parade. The outfit has also provoked the farmers from Punjab to take out a tractor rally in response to the Republic Day parade.

Since December 10, Zee News has continuously been trying to explain the fact that the Sikhs For Justice has nothing to do with the interests of farmers and new agricultural laws, but wants to propagate its agenda by infiltrating the farmers' movement.

The Kisan movement on Wednesday (January 13) completed the 49th day. On this day, farmers in Punjab celebrate the festival of Lohri which they did but in a different way. They burnt a copy of the new agricultural law on the borders of Delhi. On the Singhu border, some women once again raised objectionable slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi while singing Lohri songs.

It may be mentioned here that Zee News is constantly facing the wrath of some people for reporting the fact that Khalistanis have infiltrated into the protests. The reports only talked about the Khalistanis who are misusing the movement and serving the interests of Pakistan by sitting in countries like Britain, America, and Canada. The genuine farmers of the country, however, are not angry with the Zee News as the truth came forward.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the three farm laws and formed a four-member committee to hear farmers` grievances.


An Austin man is living up to the city's well-known slogan, "Keep Austin Weird," after he rode a paddle board shirtless on Lady Bird Lake during Sunday's snow.

Blogger 365thingsaustin posted a video of the man on its Instagram and Twitter, where many left hilarious comments and remarks.

Even the most optimistic could not have predicted that a vaccine against the Covid-19 would have been developed in such a short period of time. This is a battle that modern science has won. We were told it would take 18 months to two years or more to produce a coronavirus vaccine, but in fact it took less than a year.

It was only normal that the Covid-19 vaccines were developed by labs and scientific circles that saw huge investments directed towards accomplishing certain missions in the US, Europe, China and Russia.

The thing about these investments is that they are politically supported and backed by institutional work that supports scientists and research and puts together the work of scientific research centres, governments and companies amid active international cooperation between all these parties. This is what encourages the sustainability of such high-yield investments.

However, the threat of the pandemic continues, with an increasing number of infections and fatalities. The mutation of the virus poses a new threat that requires ongoing scientific efforts. For science to help people, it needs effective systems and adequate resources, as has been confirmed by a report of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) that warned of the coronavirus months before the outbreak based on its experience with previous pandemics.

The GPMB warning was not taken seriously, however, and as its report warned the world was then hit by negligence in the necessary preparations before the outbreak and panic and confusion after it.

A new report by the GPMB called A World in Disorder has now called for five urgent lessons to be learned in order to bring order out of the catastrophe.

These are that the political leadership is largely responsible for not making the protection of peoples lives a priority even in cases where that conflicts with their livelihoods, that effective preparations against pandemics are not limited to what governments do to protect people, but rather depend on what people do to protect each other, and that the impact of pandemics extends beyond health damages to social and economic dimensions that weigh heavily on the poorest and most vulnerable groups in society.

The efforts made to prevent the pandemic were not sufficient given the health and social considerations or the necessary response, and the return on investment in securing the global health system is very high, the report said.

The estimates of the return on investment in prevention systems can be described in terms of the proverb that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The money the world has lost due to the pandemic would have been sufficient to prevent it for a period of no less than 500 years, given that the cost of fighting the pandemic had exceeded $11 trillion up until the time the GPMB report was released, in addition to the $10 trillion in lost revenues due to the pandemic.

The cost of preventive measures to prevent the pandemic would not have exceeded $5 per person per year and a total of $39 billion annually for the entire worlds population. Even so, it seems that the lessons of the pandemic have not yet taken hold, as the World Health Organisations (WHO) COVAX facility, which targets making vaccines available in developing countries, has faced a deficit of 85 per cent of its total funding of $38 billion since its establishment last year.

Besides the financing challenges, it is important to stress that the global preparations required to prevent and deal with the pandemic are not the sum of individual initiatives. Dealing with the pandemic as a global shock should be dealt with within one integrated system. Any health system is measured by the strength of its weakest link, and one fatal error would be to believe that the coronavirus crisis will end if the most-vulnerable stratum is vaccinated and refrains from mingling with others.

The reason behind providing the vaccine for all, including the poor in lower income countries, is dictated by the concept of preserving personal interests  if it is not sufficient simply to adhere to the values of compassion and solidarity in the face of the most severe human, social and economic crisis humanity has experienced in the modern era.

However, the application of this simple approach to international solidarity, not necessarily absent from the general concept, has been impeded by practices such as politicising vaccines according to their country of origin or beneficiary country, reserving unneeded stocks of vaccines beyond the actual needs of countries able to procure the necessary funding, and procrastination in supporting the poorest countries.

To curb the spread of the pandemic in developing countries, including the Arab and African states, it is critical not to halt efforts to address the health and social repercussions of the pandemic and ways to ensure and recover from its economic impacts.

It is vital to prevent these countries from experiencing liquidity crunches resulting from shrinking growth and the contraction of their economies and to prevent them from suffering from debt crises in the light of what is known as the fourth wave of debt accumulation that has come on the back of the three waves that have taken place over the past five decades.

Debt accumulation has been responsible for two economic crises in developing countries and for the global financial crisis of 2008 that followed the third wave. Fears of a fourth wave of such accumulation have mounted after the rise in loans by seven per cent annually before the outbreak of Covid-19 and their recent increase by nine per cent, according to the recently released World Banks Global Economic Prospects report.

The pandemic hit as the Arab countries, with a few exceptions, were suffering from the repercussions of a lost decade of development due to low growth rates and a retreat of public and private investments and exports. Moreover, a number of Arab countries have been mired in domestic conflicts and tensions. For these and other reasons the region has been the only area in the world where extreme poverty has been on the rise.

The Middle East and North Africa region, which includes the majority of Arab countries, experienced an economic downturn of about five per cent last year, which will not be compensated for by limited growth of about two per cent this year. The situation requires setting out public-spending priorities to support the response to the pandemic, strengthening social security systems, and driving up vital public investments to pave the way for private domestic and foreign investments to generate job opportunities.

If public investments in developed countries and emerging markets by one per cent of GDP increase private investments by about 10 per cent, thereby increasing growth and employment opportunities, then such investments should be directed towards stimulating economic activity at a time when it is feared that a global economic slump could turn into a lingering recession as demand continues to decline in the light of the repercussions of the pandemic.

Sustainable investments compatible with the need to protect the environment and that do not exacerbate climate change, and smart investments that drive competitiveness in the digital age, have a positive impact on the general public and the economy. Such vital investments are the ounce of prevention that to the economy and its future are worth a pound of cure.

*The writer is an economist. An Arabic version of this article appeared on wednesday in Asharq Al-Awsat.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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PFAS investigation in Pellston completes second round of samples

Officials discovered polyfluoroalkyls in Pellston residential water sources in late 2019. The airport is believed to be the source of the substances.
A local MLA has criticised a delay in a Department for Economy scheme to provide financial support to company directors.

Mid Ulster MLA Emma Sheerin has called on the Minister for Economy, Diane Dodds to release details of a 'hardship fund' without delay.

It is really disappointing that there are still people who have had no financial support since the beginning of this pandemic, she said.

The criteria for the first few support schemes was such that there were a number of businesses and self employed people who were totally left out.

Diane Dodds ensured us for weeks that she would release a hardship fund to catch all the businesses which had fallen between the cracks.

Unbelievably, I am still receiving messages from people who have had little or no compensation, despite being out of work for much of 2020, and with 2021 set to look the same for some time.

The Sinn Fein MLA also criticised the criteria used for the scheme, which only caters for those who became self-employed between April 2019 and April 2020.

Those who started businesses without premises in the year preceding April 19 generally do not meet the income threshold for the SEISS scheme, and cannot qualify for any help, she said.

Similarly, those who started businesses after the first lockdown, many of whom may have invested money without the benefit of knowing how 2020 would conclude, have been left without support.

Ms Sheerin has submitted written questions to the Minister for Economy asking for clarity on the 'hardship fund' and called on her to 'stop dithering and reveal her plans'.
DUBLIN, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "1-Decanol Market by Source (Petrochemical Based and Oleochemical Based), Application (Plasticizers, Lubricants, Detergents & Cleaners, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Pharmaceuticals, Flavors & Fragrance), Region - Global Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The 1-decanol market size is estimated to grow from USD 207,516 thousand in 2019 to USD 264,356 thousand by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.9% between 2020 and 2025.

Market penetration of natural 1-decanol has risen in surfactant-based industries, such as personal care & cosmetics and soaps & detergents. Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there is increased awareness regarding the use of home & personal care products. The demand for surfactant-based products, such as detergents and washing soaps, has risen significantly. The demand for soaps, hand sanitizers, and other personal care products is increasing as a precautionary measure against the spread of coronavirus. 1-Decanol acts as a cosurfactant in various cleaning products.

The surface tension lowering is accelerated at the presence of 1-decanol. The high diffusion properties of 1-decanol help easy and rapid cleaning. Surfactants with 1-decanol differ high performance in terms of cloud point, density, viscosity, and flashpoint. 1-decanol-based surfactants are used as cleaning and wetting agents in the cosmetics and pulp & paper industries. The main application of 1-decanol surfactants in the textile and cosmetic industries is as a solubilizing and emulsifying agent. These functions and properties of 1-decanol are expected to drive their demand in the homecare and personal care industry.



Oleochemical based 1-decanol is estimated to account for the largest market share, in terms of value, in 2019



Oleochemical based 1-decanols are manufactured by the hydrogenation of decanoic acid. They are derived from natural sources, such as palm oil, kernel oil, coconut oil, and rapeseed oil. Due to bio-sourced and biodegradability, the oleochemical-based 1-decanols are preferred in different applications. The reason for the larger share is attributed to awareness and increasing preference for usage of bio-based or naturally derived raw materials for different end-products, especially in cosmetics, cleaners, detergents, flavors & fragrance.



The plasticizer application accounted for the largest market share in terms of value, in 2019



Plasticizers are substances added to other polymeric substances to aid the processing of the polymer and impart flexibility, plasticity, softness, and reduce brittleness. They are commonly used additives in PVC cables, PVC resins, wire jacketing, vinyl flooring, and so on. 1-decanols are used in plasticizers to improve the physical-mechanical properties and processability of polymers. They are commonly called plasticizer range alcohols. The larger share of plasticizer is attributed to the high production and consumption of plastics in the region and the use of plasticizers as a prominent ingredient in polymer processing to improve the physical and mechanical properties of finished plastics.



APAC is expected to record the highest CAGR in the 1-decanol market during the forecast period



The high demand for 1-decanol in APAC is mainly due to the huge industrial base in major economies, such as China, India, and Japan. The emerging industries and expansion of existing industries in the manufacturing of end-use products are driving the demand for 1-decanol in the region. High economic growth, coupled with increasing population, is expected to drive the region's industrial sector. This is expected to lead to an increase in the market penetration of surfactant-based industries, such as detergents & cleaners, cosmetics & personal care, and pharmaceuticals. The growing demand for surfactants is estimated to drive the regional market for 1-decanol.

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Premium Insights

4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the 1-Decanol Market

4.2 1-Decanol Market, by Application

4.3 1-Decanol Market, by Region

4.4 APAC: 1-Decanol Market, by Application and Country

4.5 1-Decanol Market, by Key Country



5 Market Overview

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Market Dynamics

5.2.1 Drivers

5.2.1.1 Increased Demand for 1-Decanols in Home & Personal Care Industry

5.2.1.2 Availability of Raw Materials and Growing Consumption of 1-Decanols in Emerging Countries of APAC

5.2.2 Restraints

5.2.2.1 Fluctuation in Supply of Raw Materials

5.2.3 Opportunities

5.2.3.1 Increase in Demand for Bio-Based and Renewable Resource-Based Products

5.3 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

5.3.1 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

5.3.2 Threat of New Entrants

5.3.3 Threat of Substitutes

5.3.4 Bargaining Power of Buyers

5.3.5 Intensity of Competitive Rivalry

5.4 Value Chain Analysis

5.4.1 Value Chain of 1-Decanols

5.5 Factors Impacting the Price of 1-Decanol

5.5.1 Raw Material Price

5.5.2 Manufacturing Process

5.5.3 Increasing Demand from Other Applications

5.6 Historical Price Trend of 1-Decanol

5.6.1 Supply

5.6.2 Demand

5.6.3 Environmental Impact

5.7 Price Analysis of 1-Decanol

5.8 Trends in 1-Decanol Market

5.9 Details on C8 and C10 Alcohols

5.9.1 Complex Manufacturing Process

5.9.2 Specific Applications

5.10 1-Decanol Market Scenarios, 2018-2025

5.11 Impact of Limited Supply on the Market

5.12 Patent Analysis

5.13 1-Decanol Ecosystem

5.14 Change in Industrial Shift Impacting the Future Revenue Mix

5.15 Trade Data Statistics

5.16 Macroeconomic Indicators

5.16.1 GDP Trends and Forecast of Major Economies

5.17 Case Studies

5.18 COVID-19 Impact

5.19 COVID-19 Economic Assessment



6 Production

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Overall Capacity

6.2.1 Capacity Share Between Synthetic V/S Oleo Chemicals

6.2.2 Ratio for C8 & C10 Alcohols

6.3 Amount of C8-C10 Fatty Acid Production Gets Converted into C8-C10 Fatty Alcohols



7 Technical Insights

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Usage of 1-Decanol Versus Other Alcohols

7.3 Insights on Different Qualities/Grades (Industrial, Consumer Product, Food Grade, Etc.)

7.4 Purity Level of 1-Decanol Determines Applications



8 1-Decanol Market, by Source

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Petrochemical Based (Synthetic)

8.3 Oleochemical Based (Natural)



9 1-Decanol Market, by Application

9.1 Introduction

9.2 Plasticizers

9.3 Lubricants

9.4 Detergents & Cleaners

9.5 Cosmetics & Personal Care

9.6 Pharmaceuticals

9.7 Flavors & Fragrances

9.8 Others



10 1-Decanol Market, by Region

10.1 Introduction

10.2 APAC

10.3 Europe

10.4 North America

10.5 Middle East & Africa

10.6 South America



11 Competitive Landscape

11.1 Introduction

11.2 Competitive Leadership Mapping, Tier 1 Companies

11.2.1 Star

11.2.2 Emerging Leaders

11.2.3 Pervasive

11.3 Strength of Product Portfolio

11.4 Business Strategy Excellence

11.5 Competitive Leadership Mapping (Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises)

11.5.1 Progressive Companies

11.5.2 Responsive Companies

11.5.3 Starting Blocks

11.6 Strength of Product Portfolio

11.7 Business Strategy Excellence

11.8 Market Share Analysis

11.9 Revenue Analysis of Top 5 Market Players, 2015-2019

11.10 Competitive Scenario

11.10.1 Expansion

11.10.2 Joint Venture



12 Company Profiles

12.1 Kao Corporation

12.2 Wilmar International Ltd

12.3 Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad

12.4 Sasol

12.5 Musim Mas Holdings

12.6 Emery Oleochemicals

12.7 The Vegetable Vitamin Foods Company (VVF) Ltd.

12.8 Royal Dutch Shell plc

12.9 BASF Se

12.10 Other Company Profiles

12.10.1 Oxiteno

12.10.2 Ecogreen Oleochemicals

12.10.3 Timur Oleochemicals

12.10.4 Teck Guan Holdings

12.10.5 Berg + Schmidt GmbH & Co. Kg

12.10.6 Oleon Nv

12.10.7 Global Green Chemicals Public Company Limited

12.10.8 Jarchem Industries Inc.

12.10.9 Cremer Oleo GmbH & Co. Kg

12.10.10 Kh Neochem Co. Ltd

12.10.11 Sabic

12.10.12 Arkema S. A.

12.10.13 New Japan Chemical Co. Ltd

12.10.14 Zhejiang Jiahua Energy Chemical Industry Co. Ltd.



13 Adjacent & Related Markets

13.1 Introduction

13.2 Limitation

13.3 Fatty Alcohols Market

13.3.1 Market Definition

13.3.2 Market Overview

13.4 Fatty Alcohol Market, by Type

13.5 Fatty Alcohols Market, by Region

13.6 Non-Phthalate Plasticizers Market

13.6.1 Market Definition

13.6.2 Market Overview

13.7 Non-Phthalate Plasticizers Market, by Type

13.8 Non-Phthalate Plasticizers Market, by Application

13.9 Non-Phthalate Plasticizers Market, by Region



14 Appendix

14.1 Discussion Guide

14.2 Knowledge Store: Subscription Portal

14.3 Available Customizations

14.4 Related Reports

14.5 Author Details

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5rn9hx

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



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The president of Seattles rank and file police union says he will not step down, despite growing calls for his resignation after he blamed, in part, the far left and Black Lives Matter activists for the pro-Trump siege on the U.S. Capitol.

In a letter to Seattle Police Officers Guild members, Mike Solan expressed regret for commenting on national politics, but said his comments have been spun intentionally for political reasons to hurt the union and limit its influence, The Seattle Times reported.

Solan is under fire from a state police group, the citys mayor and other public figures for his comments on social media this week suggesting Black Lives Matter and other liberal activists are partly to blame for Wednesdays deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by a mob supporting President Donald Trump.

His recent tweets  including one Friday saying the far right and far left are responsible for that sad day  also are now the subject of an internal investigation, said the civilian director of the citys Office of Police Accountability.

We have received complaints about the tweets and will be opening an intake, OPA director Andrew Myerberg said in an email Saturday.

Solan, a Seattle police officer since 1999, did not respond to several messages left for him Friday and Saturday but sent a letter to union members this week.

A separate police group, the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police, criticized Solans social media comments in a statement Saturday, saying they undermine our efforts to rebuild the trust needed between law enforcement and our communities.

We believe that when peace officers allow their personal biases to influence their perceptions of events and behavior, it severely compromises our ability to fulfill our duty to protect and serve, added the statement from the nonprofit advocacy group, which represents 3,000 officers statewide.

Eight of nine Seattle City Council members called for Solans resignation Monday. Mayor Jenny Durkan said he should retract his words and apologize or resign.

He has not.

His statements do not reflect the values of the City of Seattle but instead echo the failed lies of a failed presidency, Stephanie Formas, Durkans chief of staff, said in an email. In fact, every officer at the Seattle Police Department has an obligation to not post speech that negatively impacts the Departments ability to serve the public.

Formas added that Solan should retract his statements and apologize or resign.

Scott Lindsay, a former city adviser on public safety issues and a onetime city attorney candidate, said Saturday that Solan should step down.

I think he needs to resign, Lindsay said. Its really important to me that rank and file police officers have a credible, trustworthy voice representing them. I dont think that Solan can play that role anymore.

The SPOG president has been a vocal commenter on social media since Wednesdays siege.

A day after the insurrection, Solan retweeted a tweet from Andy Ngo, a conservative Portland blogger critical of Black Lives Matter and leftist causes, which identified one of the participants among the Capitol mob as an extreme BLM activist. Solan added his own comment to the retweet, saying that as the mainstream media tells us who to blame for yesterdays #troubles, @MrAndyNgo continues to be reliable.

Solans comment drew a response from Lindsay, who called on the SPOG president to apologize or resign for spreading misinformation. Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best weighed in to support Lindsay, tweeting: BLM was not the cause of yesterdays insurrection. We have to tell the truth.

Solan later responded to Lindsay: It is a major stretch for you to claim that I blame BLM solely. Not true. Far right and far left are responsible for that sad day. We all can do better as a nation. Conversation is the remedy.

In an interview Saturday, Lindsay, who has been a vocal critic of liberal activists Defund the Police initiative in Seattle, said he initially tried to give Solan a chance to apologize for making a mistake.

Instead, he doubled-down, Lindsay said. He said both the left and right are responsible.

Suggesting that there was dual responsibility here, to me that kind of spread of misinformation becomes disqualifying for the head of an officers union facing so many critical issues, Lindsay added. That organization clearly has some serious housecleaning to do if its going to be a serious part of the policing dialogue for this year. You just cant have someone that politically toxic leading you at this crucial time.

After Wednesdays violence, some right-leaning activists and Republican politicians contentions that leftist Antifa activists largely orchestrated the insurrection have been debunked. The FBIs assistant director said at a press briefing Friday theres no evidence Antifa played any role.

Groups and individuals who organized Wednesdays so-called March to Save America have been identified in various news reports to include dark money campaign allies of Trump, including Women for America First and Stop the Steal.

For weeks, plans for the rally drew chatter across conservative social media platforms and eventually mobilized thousands of conservatives and far-right extremists to the Capitol, including members of the Proud Boys and QAnon conspiracy theorists.

After Trump gave a speech to protesters, calling on them to march to the Capitol, photos and videos of the insurrection widely captured participants to include armed militants decked in MAGA gear, people brandishing Confederate flags and others flashing the OK hand gesture  a symbol for white power.

The rally also attracted police officers from across the nation, including employees of the Seattle Police Department. Two Seattle officers who attended have been placed on paid leave while the OPA investigates what role they played in events and determines whether and to what extent any other Seattle officers participated in protests that spawned the violence.
Employees work in a restaurant open for to-go or delivery orders only in Burbank, Calif., on Nov. 23, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

State Agency Hits Non-Compliant Restaurants With Warnings, Fines

Orange County officials might not be clamping down on local restaurants defying state health orders, but that doesnt mean the eateries are off the hook.

Californias Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has been penalizing noncompliant restaurants since July, and has cited 19 Orange County businesses for violating state health orders. It has issued several warnings that resulted in voluntary compliance.

Its clampdown continues during an ongoing regional stay-at-home order for Southern California. Under the state-mandated guideline, which began Dec. 12, restaurants are restricted to takeout and delivery only. However, many are ignoring the rule and have opened their patios and indoor dining rooms to patrons.

The Orange County Sheriffs Department as well as the Orange County Health Care Agency have said they wont enforce the health order.

But the ABC will. Since July, the agency has conducted more than 160,400 site visits to food and beverage locations with ABC licenses throughout California, spokesperson John Carr told The Epoch Times in an email. Statewide, the department has issued 184 citations for violations of the health orders.

Restaurant owners not complying with health orders can be cited with misdemeanor violations and fined up to $1,000 or sentenced up to six months in jail. Administrative action is taken against the owners ABC license as well, and the discipline can result in a suspension or revocation of the license, Carr said.

If the licensee gains immediate compliance, then the discipline can be stayed for one year, which is similar to a one-year probation period, he said.

Near the end of 2020, some Orange County restaurants remained open for in-person dining in defiance of Gov. Gavin Newsoms order amid the CCP virus surge. Some restaurant owners protested under the hashtag #OpenSafe, implying that they would continue providing distanced seating and requiring masks, while keeping their dining rooms open.

Despite some resistance by county restaurants, Carr said compliance with the emergency health orders has been high.

Most businesses are following the health orders, he said. ABC prefers voluntary compliance with the health orders, but it will take enforcement action when businesses refuse to comply. The department would rather gain compliance through conversation and in-person visits; however, when a business is not cooperative, then the department will issue a citation and forward the citation to a district attorney. The department will also move forward with administrative action.
LAC+USC Pharmacy Supervisor Kevin Weissman holds a vial of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Credit: Michael Owen Baker

The COVID-19 pandemic has spiraled out of control as a more contagious version of the virus spreads, increasing the urgency to quickly vaccinate as many people as possible. Just this week, Los Angeles County and Orange County designated Dodger Stadium and Disneyland as vaccination supersites.

Yet polling over the last several months has shown that many Americans have safety concerns and don't want the vaccine just yet. USC experts say that hesitancy can be overcome by normalizing the process surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine with straightforward information from trusted sources such as clinicians and pharmacists.

Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, a professor of preventive medicine and the associate dean for community initiatives at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, says mistrust and misinformation abound.

Among the false claims: vaccines cause infertility, vaccines give you COVID-19, vaccines alter your genetic makeup, vaccines are a ploy by the government to implant microchips to track people.

"We see a lot of concern about vaccines, fueled in part by an anti-vaccine movement that we happened to walk into with the COVID-19 pandemic," she said.

"We're seeing a trend where at first there was a high level of support for vaccines, but that started to diminish among the African American and Hispanic communities. Then we found health care providers were hesitant to get the vaccine.

"We see huge disparities in acceptance. Unless we get herd immunity with lots of people vaccinated, we're not going to get this disease under control."

To lessen hesitancy, bring the COVID-19 vaccine to the community

Tailoring the message to the audience, using simple information and making vaccination visible and accessible could go a long way toward creating buy-in, experts say.

"Converting Dodger Stadium from a testing center into a vaccine supersite, as L.A. is doing this week, makes COVID vaccination more visible in a positive way and helps normalize itespecially for a Black and Latino population that has historically been discriminated against in health care," said April Thames, an associate professor of psychology and psychiatry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

"Having a vaccination center in the heart of the community can open up lines of trust."

Pharmacists are well-positioned to lead the way in vaccine encouragementpartly because many of them get to know their customers personally, says Vassilios Papadopoulos, dean of the USC School of Pharmacy.

"Pharmacists are the most-contacted health professionals for people with chronic conditions such as diabetes and hypertensionthose at high risk for COVID-19," he said. "At many independent community pharmacies, pharmacists know their patients well enough to be proactive in urging them to come in for a vaccination.

"The plan is to open dozens of additional vaccination sites, many of which will be retail pharmacies. Pharmacists are in a good place to lead COVID-19 vaccine encouragement efforts; 90% of the population lives within five miles of a pharmacy."

Proper communication about COVID-19 vaccination is key, especially if the virus mutates

Using the wrong vocabulary can cause outreach efforts to misfire, says Wandi Bruine de Bruin, USC Dornsife Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science at the USC Price School of Public Policy.

In a 2008 study she conducted, she learned that parents seeking information about vaccination would search online using the word "shots." The search results pointed them to anti-vaccine websites instead of the information from sources like the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Using a nationally representative survey that we've been doing every two weeks, we've been asking people since March 2020 how likely they are to get the coronavirus vaccine if it's available. In March, 83% of our participants said they would get it. In December, that declined to 63%," Bruine de Bruin said.

"That suggests we really need to get in place a good vaccine allocation and communication strategy to encourage people to get vaccinated."

Recent news about the more contagious variant of the virus may cast doubt on the efficacy of the current vaccinebut those concerns aren't warranted.

"The good news about our immune response to vaccines is that it's multifaceted, creating antibodies, for example, that will recognize different parts of the virus spike protein," said Paula Cannon, a Distinguished Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine and an expert in how viruses are transmitted and controlled.

"Even if the virus mutates and perhaps becomes resistant to one antibody, there will be others lining up to take its place. So far, very early lab experiments suggest that the new strains will be just as sensitive to the immunity created by these vaccines."

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo described Iran as the new "home base" for al-Qaeda (the terrorist group banned in Russia)  without offering direct new evidence.

"Iran is indeed the new Afghanistan, as the key geographic hub for al-Qaeda," Pompeo said.

"They're partners in terrorism, partners in hate. This axis poses a grave threat to the security of nations and to the American homeland itself," US Today cited him as saying.

His remarks come just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office with promises to revive U.S.-Iran diplomacy, including the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal, aimed at curbing Tehran's nuclear program, which the Trump administration withdrew from in 2018. Pompeo has made it clear he opposes Biden's plans to return to nuclear negotiations with Iran.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 15:40:54|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese authorities across the nation investigated and dealt with over 11,000 cases involving pornography and illegal publications, among which 5,800 concerned online material, said a national office overseeing the work on Wednesday.

The statistics were made public by the National Office for the Fight Against Pornography and Illegal Publications, together with several other achievements made in this regard in the past year.

More than 12 million pieces of online pornography, as well as other harmful information, were blocked last year, the office said.

Regulators across the country confiscated over 17 million copies of illegal publications, as well as some 2.32 million copies of pirated textbooks and supplemental materials for primary and middle school students, according to the office.

The office added that 719,000 organizations targeting pornography and illegal publications had been established at the grassroots level to assist investigations into such cases, organize publicity activities and provide voluntary services. Enditem
The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has entered into a franchise agreement with Al Majed Hotel Management, a subsidiary of Al Majed Group Holding, announcing the signing of its newest property, Somerset Al Mansoura Doha, set to open in Qatars capital in Q4 2021.

The new serviced residence marks the groups second property in the country under the name of Somerset Al Mansoura Doha, and will operate as a franchised property, in partnership with Al Majed Group Holding, a family business established in 1943.

Vincent Miccolis, Ascotts Regional General Manager for the Middle East, Africa, Turkey & India, said: We are delighted to sign the franchise agreement with Al Majed Hotel Management WLL, to develop Somerset Al Mansoura Doha in one of the citys most prominent central districts. Doha is a modern and thriving city with rapidly developing infrastructure and progressive architecture, and we are confident that this new property  under our award-winning Somerset brand of serviced apartments  will provide exclusive extended-stay offerings for business and leisure travellers.

Located in the lavish Al Mansoura district, the property will comprise 158 keys, including 59 spacious two-bedroom units and 99 upscale one-bedroom units, across a total built-up area of 29,344-sq-m. Each room is beautifully decorated, with fully equipped separate living and dining areas, kitchenettes and more.

Standing seven storeys high, the newly built hotel apartment block features a uniquely classic design which, when viewed from the top, resembles the shape of a boat. It will benefit from its prime location, which is in close proximity to the metro station, parks, restaurants, shopping centres and schools, and is just a 20-minute drive to/from Hamad International Airport. The ideal property for both short- and long-stay guests, facilities will include a gymnasium, residents lounge, retail outlets and a 24-hour coffee shop.

Al Majed Group Holding CFO & VPA, Jacob V Jacob, said: We are honoured to sign the franchise agreement with one of the leading international lodging owner-operators, to develop Somerset Al Mansoura in Doha. Ascott is a reputed global brand and our association will ensure that Somerset Al Mansoura offers the best of serviced apartments in the country. Located in the heart of Doha, Somerset Al Mansoura serviced apartments are designed to provide the utmost in comfort and convenience with a range of leisure and recreation facilities."

"We are sure that guests will experience the true essence of Qatari hospitality blended perfectly with Ascott authenticity at Somerset Al Mansoura in Doha.

Ascott continues to accelerate its worldwide expansion and aims to reach its global target of 160,000 units by 2023 via a combination of strategic alliances, management contracts, franchises and investments. The groups worldwide footprint currently extends to more than 190 cities across 30 countries, totalling 118,000 units in over 760 properties. - TradeArabia News Service
(Natural News) Republicans are fighting constant battles with the media over policies, total slander from the media and other politically charged issues. Democrats like Kamala Harris in this case, wage wars with the media over the wrong cover photo of a magazine.

(Article by Collin Rugg republished from TrendingPolitics.com)

According to the New York Times, Kamala Harris and her team are extremely upset after Vogue Magazine decided to use a disrespectful photo of Harris as their cover photo which was allegedly not agreed upon.

Februarys issue features Ms. Harris in a dark jacket by Donald Deal, skinny pants, Converse and her trademark pearls. She stands against a leaf green backdrop bisected by a spill of pink curtain, colors meant to evoke her Howard University sorority, caught in what seems like mid-laugh, hands clasped together at her waist, the New York Times reported.

In the cover photo, Harris was wearing Converse shoes and didnt seem to be posing correctly. Harris team whined saying that the photo doesnt make her look professional.

Social media users also complained about the photo, claiming it was disrespectful.

Though Gabriella Karefa-Johnson receives credit as the sittings editor, a.k.a. the fashion editor in charge, Ms. Harris chose and wore her own clothes. The selected photo is determinedly unfancy. Kind of messy. The lighting is unflattering. The effect is pretty un-Vogue. Disrespectful was the word used most often on social media, the NYT said.

According to investigative reporter Yashar Ali, Harris was blinsided by the cover photo and wanted a more serious one with her facing forward wearing a Michael Kors powder-blue tailored suit. Can you just imagine if the Trump Administration spent so much time whining about utter BS?

[A]ccording to a source familiar with the publication plans, this is not the cover that the Vice President-elects team expected, Ali said on Twitter. In the cover that they expected, Vice President-elect Harris was wearing a powder blue suit. That was the cover that the Vice President-elects team and the Vogue team, including Anna Wintour, mutually agreed uponwhich is standard for fashion magazines.

Check out the not-so flattering cover photo of Harris below:

4. Here is the Vogue cover Kamala Harris team thought would be released. Im told this cover on the left will be the digital cover, but the much maligned cover on the right has already gone to print and will be the cover available for sale and sent to subscribers. pic.twitter.com/5eWjPMTbdP  Yashar Ali  (@yashar) January 10, 2021

Several news outlets, including the Associated Press and CNN, reported that Harriss team felt blindsided by Vogues selection and was unaware that the magazine switched out the cover photo from what the team originally agreed on, Vox added. Vogues intentions with its cover, as clarified in a public relations statement, were to highlight the vice president-elects authentic, approachable nature.'

The Daily Wire notes:

The New York Times reports, though, that Vogue believes it was in the right to select the photo they wanted. Vogue had not granted any kind of contractual cover approval rights to Ms. Harris, they said. That meant Ms. Harriss team had not seen the final choice, which was left to Vogue, and had not known the magazine had decided to swap the photos. Given that the controversy involved progressive social media, the issue eventually became Vogues racist history. For decades, the magazine has excluded and underpaid Black talent, and published racially insensitive images and stories. This casual image of the woman who will be Americas first woman vice president seems to add to the narrative of Vogues lack of respect for women of color, even one who has risen higher in the American power structure than any other woman in US history, Vox notes. There was considerable labor and forethought put into crafting the vice president-elects cover shoot, but the final product  through Vogues traditional editorial process  appeared perfunctory.

Read more at: TrendingPolitics.com and KamalaWatch.com
CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- G.H. Smart & Company, LLC was today ranked #1 in the 2021 Vault study of Best Consulting Firms to Work For in the categories of client interaction (for the third year in a row), level of challenge (second year in a row), overall satisfaction (second year in a row), and was named "Best Boutique Firm" for the first time.

The Chicago-based leadership advisory firm also ranked in the top five firms across seven categories, including hours in the office, work/life balance, compensation, internal mobility, selectivity, relationships with supervisors, and exit opportunities.

"I founded ghSMART in 1995 explicitly so that wildly talented people could do fulfilling, impactful and lucrative work at the level of the most elite firms, while enjoying the freedom to have a life outside of work," said Dr. Geoff Smart, founder and chairman. "Our company's success in an immensely difficult year and our continued growth in the rankings are a testament to this stellar team and only proves out our people strategy."

ghSMART counts bestselling authors, decorated military leaders, White House Fellows, a Harvard Law School Dean of Admissions, multiple Rhodes scholars, as well as alumni from the top graduate programs and professional services firms in the world among its international team.

"What I love about ghSMART is the level of freedom we have  choice in how we serve clients and colleagues, and the control over how we spend our time," said Maria Blair, partner at ghSMART and member of the firm's Management Committee.

Managing partner Randy Street said, "I have been at ghSMART for over 15 years. When I left my last job at Bain & Company, people told me that I would never work with as talented a group of people again. But I've found my colleagues at ghSMART to be among the most exceptional people, and we are all committed to helping leaders achieve success."

Chief People Officer Ellen Walpert said, "We aspire to give talented, thoughtful, diverse people an opportunity to learn and grow, and to develop the confidence to achieve their full potential. We offer a combination that is hard to find; it has allowed us to recruit the best and brightest, and we hope will continue to attract top talent as we grow in the immediate future."

About ghSMART: ghSMART is a leadership advisory firm. Forbes named ghSMART to its list of "Best Management Consulting Firms" for the past three years, and Harvard Business School has published two case studies on the firm as a pioneer in its industry. Firm leaders authored some of the top-selling and most-acclaimed books in the field of leadership. The firm published the New York Times bestseller Who: The A Method for Hiring (Smart & Street), The Wall Street Journal bestseller Power Score: Your Formula for Leadership Success (Smart, Street, and Foster), and the New York Times bestseller The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders (Botelho & Powell).

For more information about ghSMART, please visit www.ghsmart.com. Qualified candidates are encouraged to contact [email protected] to schedule a career discussion.

About Vault.com: Vault is best known for its influential rankings, ratings, and reviews on thousands of top employers. The data used to compile these rankings and reviews are collected and verified through directed surveys of active employees and enrolled students. Information about the 2021 Vault rankings is available here: https://www.vault.com/best-companies-to-work-for/consulting/vault-consulting-rankings-top-50.

Contact:

Myra Oppel, Partner

Copperfield Advisory

[email protected]

+ 1 603.667.7746

SOURCE ghSMART

Related Links

ghsmart.com




Products sold under Future Farm brand in UK

Fazenda Futuro, one of a number of meat-free businesses to have emerged in Latin America, has secured its first listing in the UK.

Sainsbury's, the UK's second-largest grocer by sales, is stocking four products made from a blend of peas, soy and chickpea proteins.

Fazenda Futuro's products are on sale in 15 markets and the company aims to double that amount by the end of the year.

Pedro Zuim, Fazenda Futuro's marketing director, said the company wants to build "a truly global brand".

He added: "Brazil is the third largest food producer in the world, and some day soon it will be the biggest, if there is a global meatless meat substitute it should be Brazilian."

The company's latest announcement of funding came in September. The firm, founded in Rio de Janeiro, said it had attracted BRL115m (then US$21.3m) in new financing, building on the $8.5m it received last year soon after its official launch.

The September round was led by Brazilian investment firm BGT Pactual, local wealth-management business Turim MFO, and Enfini Investments, part of PWR Capital Group.

Also taking part were Brazilian venture-capital fund Monashees and Go4it Capital in Rio de Janeiro, both of which participated in previous fundraising.
Married At First Sight's Seb Guilhaus has defended his ex-girlfriend Lizzie Sobinoff against online trolls in the wake of their split announcement earlier this week.

Despite no longer being romantically involved with the 29-year-old, Seb valiantly urged fans to treat her with respect in a post shared to Instagram Stories.

'Hey, I just want to thank everyone for all the supportive messages over the last few days. It really does make a difference,' he wrote on Wednesday.

'Please be kind': Married At First Sight's Seb Guilhaus (right) has defended his ex Elizabeth Sobinoff (left) against online trolls in the wake of their split announcement earlier this week

'Please be kind to Liz and myself over the next little while for the sake of our mental health,' he continued, adding a love-heart emoji.

Both Seb and Elizabeth have said their break-up was amicable and mutual, but have refused to reveal exactly why they called it quits.

On Monday, the couple broke the news that they'd split after one year of dating by uploading identical posts to Instagram.

Heartfelt: Despite no longer being romantically involved with Lizzie, Seb valiantly urged fans to treat her with respect in a post shared to Instagram Stories on Wednesday

Uploading a photo of the couple in happier times, the pair wrote: 'We have mutually decided to end our relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend.

'We want to thank everyone for the endless support we have received on our platforms. Please be kind and respectful.'

'We are aware you have followed parts of our journey, but please remember we are real people, and we are both navigating our way through this time to the best of our abilities.'

'We have decided to end our relationship': Elizabeth and Seb shared the sad news of their split on Instagram on Monday

Where it started: The exes debuted their relationship in March last year when they were introduced as an 'intruder couple' on Married At First Sight's seventh season

The couple went on to explain they were 'well aware' the announcement would spark 'countless rumours', and asked fans to respect their privacy.

'It is still fresh for us both, we just know there has been some curiosity as we have shared parts of our relationship online and we met on national television,' they wrote.

'We are both respectful of each other and are still involved in each other's lives. We both have cherished each other and have grown together. We would like to send love and well wishes to all.'

Taking the next step: After the show ended in April, the couple announced plans to move to Sydney's beachside suburb of Dee Why together

The exes debuted their relationship in March last year when they were introduced as an 'intruder couple' on Married At First Sight's seventh season.

Their romance quickly blossomed, and the lovebirds eventually decided to stay together as a couple during the final vows ceremony.

After the show ended in April, they announced plans to move to Sydney's beachside suburb of Dee Why together.

Ringing it in! In September, the couple confirmed their romance was stronger than ever when they shared this photo to Instagram of themselves wearing matching rings

Seb was based in South Australia at the time, while Elizabeth was in Sydney for work.

Their plans fell through due to the Covid-19 pandemic, however, and they were forced to continue their relationship long-distance.

In September, the couple confirmed their romance was stronger than ever when they shared a photo to Instagram of themselves wearing matching rings.

What went wrong? Neither Elizabeth nor Seb has revealed the reason for their break-up

'He said to me, "Is it S & L?" I said "Yeah, baby"... Corny but I love it,' Elizabeth captioned her post at the time.

Over on Seb's Instagram, he wrote: 'Compromise... give and take... melding of two worlds.'

In December, the couple were spotted holding hands and packing on the PDA when they arrived to film Married At First Sight's all-stars reunion in Lilyfield, Sydney.

The last photo of the couple was posted on December 26, which showed a festive-looking Elizabeth wearing a Santa hat while cosying up to Seb for a car selfie.
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LOS ANGELES and NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New publication, Dark Matters Magazine, covers the underbelly of what makes our world go round. From the crust of the earth to the cosmos of the universe, from Big Foot to Big Pharma, psychedelics to the supernatural, Dark Matters diving deep into the black hole of all that is subversivesex, drugs, and aliens.

The magazine is the brain child of attorney and writer Allison Margolin, who's collaborated with her sister Madison Margolin, as well as her co-publisher, legal partner at Margolin & Lawrence, Attorneys at Law, and longtime criminal defense, civil, and licensing attorney J. Raza Lawrence.

Allison has run a law practice for the past 18 years since graduating from Harvard Law School. She started her career in journalism at the age of 14, when she began writing for her high school newspaper. Since then, she edited her college daily paper's editorial section (for the Columbia Daily Spectator), authored a column for the Harvard Law Record, and has maintained a blog and contributed frequently to national publications. Allison has written about drugs since age 12 when she both authored a term paper on the politics of the drug trade in Columbia, and a speech criticizing DARE propaganda. In the mid and late '90s, Allison wrote her thesis at Columbia on the politics of cannabis, drug legalization, and civil liberties; and authored her thesis for Harvard Law School "On the Right to Get High" in 2002. Since then she has contributed to local and national publications and recently signed a book deal with North Atlantic books to publish a memoir/history of the drug war. Just Dope is set for release the summer of 2022.

Madison is a New York/Los Angeles-based journalist on the cannabis and psychedelic beats, with a subspecialty covering Judaism and spirituality (and specifically, the overlap between Judaism and altered states). Her work has been published in Rolling Stone, Playboy, Vice, High Times, and other publications. She currently works as editorial director for DoubleBlind, a magazine about psychedelics that she co-founded in 2018.

Raza has been interested in and an advocate for civil liberties since a young age. He has lived all over the world, including in the Midwest US, Africa, and Pakistan. Raza has been interested in psychedelics since his teenage years. He interned at the Cato Institute and ACLU while in college, and was an associate at Munger, Tolles, and Olson after law school, before joining up with Allison in 2010. He received his BA in Physics and Philosophy from Washington University in St. Louis in 2000 and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2003. Raza clerked for a federal appeals Judge Morris Arnold after law school and helped research a landmark case written by the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals protecting the rights of students from governmental searches.

Dark Matters will cover the politics of the land, sea, atmosphere, space, and everything in between, and underneath, including lizard people and psychedelic finance, as well as feature cartoonists and photographers. The publication aims to combine the interests of those who actively seek to make the planet a better place for themselves and others.

Contact: Allison B. Margolin Partner

323-653-9700

[email protected]

SOURCE Allison Margolin
One of the things that had the oil industry worried about a Biden administration was his opposition to fracking, and his promise to ban it on federal lands on his first day in office. In case you havent been following closely, American production has soared due to fracking over the last decade. The point must be made, no fracking, no shale oil.

Chart by author

I've made the point in several articles that I doubted whether he would really follow through on this threat, as it would lead to an eventual slowdown in drilling with a commensurate fall-off in oil production. With the first day of his administration nearing, I thought it worthwhile to review some of the companies we follow closely in shale to see what impact they thought this action might have, if he indeed follows through with it. Biden seems to have since backed off earlier position a teensy bit, which makes me even more confident that his position has moderated on this topic. We don't have long to wait to see which version takes office.

More importantly and the larger point of this article, does it even matter in the short term? With as much notice as the big shale frackers have been given about his proclivities vis a vis fracking, most have taken measures to insulate themselves from this impact. In this article, we will look at what a review of public data reveals about the impact of a potential fracking ban on federal lands for several key shale drillers.

The true political risk may not be all that bad

A review of several public companies with regard to preparedness for a ban on new permitting, reveals just what I mentioned above. Here are three where I was able to scan a transcript or view an investor deck and get some information.

Firstly, what we find is that federal lands are a relatively small fraction of most companys acreage portfolio. The ones I reviewed for this article like Devon, have been working the regulatory side of their portfolio fairly hard.

Related: Google Looks To Turn Data Centers Into Energy Storage



Devon for example, with federal acreage comprising about a third of their Delaware position, have compiled a massive bank of 650 permits- 520 approved, and another 130 in process. Even if we assume the last 130 don't see the light of day over the next four years, Devon can drill a hundred and twenty-five or so wells on their acreage before running out of inventory. The slide below highlights the new Devon, with acreage from WPX factored into the mix. Altogether, federal acreage only accounts for about 35% of their total acreage.

DVN

Dave Hagar, DVNs CEO commented on their permit inventory in the Delaware basin.

Federal permits are issued with a two-year term and then you have the ability to extend them for an additional two years. So certainly, permits that are out would be out past that two year-term, would require us to go through the extension process. But a couple of things Id point out to you there, weve never had an extension denied before. And its important to know that the permits are underlied by environmental assessment. Thats done as part of the permitting process and those environmental assessments are good for a period of five years. So the answer to your question is yes, but we dont foresee many material impacts from that.

DVN

Related: India Oil Demand Falls For First Time In 20 Years Due To COVID



I couldn't find as much data on Cimarex and COP, but each has two-three years of approved permits to carry them forward in case of a new permit ban. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the norm among the shale frackers. The risk has been out there for a year now. Any prudent manager, and I count oil company managers as among the best in the business, would assess the risk of a new permit ban, and staff up his regulatory affairs team to build up a solid buffer.

Your takeaway

As you can see the trend for U.S. shale is down from early 2020. This can be moderated with an increase in drilling that is now underway. I expect we will return to a 400-425 rig market by the end of 2021.

Chart by author- Data through 2020 is averaged, 2021 is specific

This is being driven by a conservative outlook by shale drillers about maintaining production, instead of increasing it. Although some shale companies have announced plans to grow production by single digits in 2021. This is still very much the exception and I expect shale production to decline as the year wears on.

What I am not concerned about as a result of my brief investigation is shale declines to be exacerbated by an inability to drill on federal lands any time soon. Shale drillers have prudently loaded the channel with approved permits, in many cases enough to carry them for several years. Perhaps to a time, four years hence when higher, perhaps much higher, oil prices change the dynamic from a perception of plenty to one of scarcity. In the last scenario, I do not expect that permits will be hard to obtain on any acreage within the continental United States.

By David Messler for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
New Delhi, Jan 13 : A Jaipur-based builder has been arrested by Delhi Police's Economic Offences Wing for cheating investors by taking money from them for plots in the Rajasthan capital, police said on Wednesday.

Anil Kumar Sharma was arrested from Jaipur on Tuesday.

During the course of investigation, it was revealed that Sharma started housing projects with the name "Ashiana Enclave" at NH-8, Ajmer Road, Jaipur and publicised them widelu with false promises. He took investments in the form of booking amounts and initial deposits for promised housing units without ownership and taking required approvals from the regulatory or government authorities. The total alleged cheated amount in this case is Rs 38 lakh approximately and number of total investors is 17.

"During investigation, bank details were verified and relevant records and documents were scrutinized. Investigation from government authorities revealed that no approval in the name of project 'Ashiana Enclave' has been given by them. Further, bank records revealed that accused was beneficiary of the cheated money," Joint CP, EOW, O.P. Mishra said.

The accused, a resident of Jaipur entered into the real estate business in 2000 by forming a company named A Class Prop Build Pvt. Ltd. In order to raise more and more money, he kept on launching new projects and used the funds raised from one project in the other projects, to dupe investors, police said.

Haryana's Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, amid the ongoing six-week-long farmers' protest and rumours of a rift in the state government.

Chautala is the leader of Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) which is an alliance partner in the BJP-led government in Haryana. A section of JJP MLAs is believed to have been facing pressure from the agitating farmers.

CNN-News18 reports that Chautala and Modi were set to discuss the agricultural laws and farmers' situation. The textile hub, east west corridor, and rail routes were also expected to be among the topics of discussion between the two.

Chautala, along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, had met Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday. The meeting came within hours after the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the three controversial farm laws till further orders and decided to set up a committee to resolve the impasse over them between the Centre and farmers' unions protesting at Delhi borders.

READ | Khattar, His Deputy Meet Amit Shah after SC Ruling on Farm Laws, Dushyant Says No Threat to Haryana Govt

Later, Khattar said, "Haryana is epicentre of farmers' agitation so we discussed law and order and security in the state. Chautala told reporters, "Our government will last its full five-year term. There is no threat to Haryana government."

Chautala further said now that the Supreme Court has set up a committee, hope things will be resolved soon. Before meeting Shah, Chautala met MLAs of his party Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) here at a farm house, in which a section of them said it would cost the ruling alliance heavily if the laws are not repealed.

Khattar also said that the farmers protesting at Delhi's borders should end their agitation now following the formation of a committee by the Supreme Court. "The ball is now in the court of the SC and I feel whatever is its decision, it will be acceptable to all," he said, welcoming the SC order.

The Supreme Court stayed till further orders the implementation the three central agri-marketing laws over which farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been protesting for weeks. The court also announced the formation of a four-member committee to resolve the deadlock over the new laws between the Centre and farmers' unions.

On the farmer unions' refusal to call off their protest after the SC order, Khattar said there was no reason now for them to continue with it. He said the farmers should lift their dharna' at Delhi's border and head back to the places they had come from.

Khattar has been targeted by farmer unions for supporting the new laws enacted at the Centre in September. On Sunday, protesters in Karnal vandalised the venue of the kisan mahapanchayat the chief minister had planned to address in support of the laws.

Also, a section of the MLAs from the Jannayak Janta Party, which is the BJP's partner in Haryana's ruling coalition, have opposed the central laws. The four members of the SC-appointed committee are Bhartiya Kisan Union's Bhupinder Singh Mann, Shetkeri Sangthana's Anil Ghanwat, International Food Policy Research Institute's Pramod Kumar Joshi and agriculture economist Ashok Gulati.

Farmers protesting outside Delhi are demanding the repeal of the laws and a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for their crops.

Khattar had to cancel a public meeting in Karnal on Sunday after the site was ransacked by the protesting farmers. A section of MLAs belonging to JJP, headed by Chautala, is believed to have been facing pressure from the agitating farmers.
For 50 years, Portrait of a Young Lady hung on the walls of the Allentown Art Museum attributed to someone working in 17th-century Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijns studio, likely an assistant or student. Then in 2018, the painting was shipped off to The Conservation Center at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University for conservation and cleaning.

Shortly thereafter, the truth was revealed  it was, in fact, by Rembrandt himself.

That news was all the buzz around the art world back in the late winter of 2019-20. The paintings true authorship had been restored, after it was donated to the museum in 1961 with attribution to Rembrandt, but which was later revoked in 1970. When it was announced that the master painter had been given back credit on the painting, the Allentown Art Museum naturally had big plans to display it.

The global coronavirus pandemic, of course, impeded the celebration.

"Portrait of a Young Woman," the restored Rembrandt painting, will be the centerpiece of a new "Rembrandt Revealed" exhibit at the Allentown Art Museum, open to the public on Jan. 24.Courtesy Allentown Art Museum

The exhibit, Rembrandt Revealed, was initially scheduled for last June, but with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, the museum remained closed with the exhibit indefinitely postponed. Last week, however, the art museum declared that Rembrandt Revealed would open to the public on Jan. 24, highlighting the restored painting and the journey its gone on since Rembrandt applied his last brushstroke.

We wanted this exhibit to really be revelatory for our visitors in the same way that this whole process has been for us, said Elaine Mehalakes, the museums vice president of curatorial affairs. It has a nearly 400-year history, so theres a lot to talk about.

The exhibit details the steps of conservation the painting went through, including x-rays and cross-section analyses of various sections of the painting. Mehalakes said that the technical imagery revealed through the process granted conservators the ability to see various paint layers, from what was first spread on the canvas to what was added later and how that obstructed the view of the original painting.

Well have all of that kind of material available for people to see and explained in terms of how it contributed to the whole process of what kind of decisions were made about the conservation itself and then how that prompted further exploration, she said.

It was a slow process, Mehalakes said. The research, technical analysis, cleaning and conservation took nearly two years.

Over those two years, she made periodic trips to New York to check in on the process. The tentative excitement that built up around the painting during its conservation process finally paid off when the news went public, but once the pandemic hit, the painting remained behind closed doors, and the excitement was put on hold once again.

So, its been a long time coming for the exhibit, though the painting itself had waited 50 years to be rightfully re-attributed. Its not ideal to open such a highly anticipated exhibit when indoor capacity is limited  there wont be an opening reception that would usually accompany such an unveiling  but the art museum has put together a safety plan for patrons, including timed ticket windows that allows for both safe social distancing and an intimate experience with the painting.

The exhibit will run until early May, when itll then be shipped to The National Gallery of Canada for an exhibit on Rembrandts work in Amsterdam before returning to Allentown for a second exhibit, this one focusing more on contextualizing Portrait of a Young Woman with Rembrandts subject matter.

Rembrandt painted Portrait of a Young Woman during a period in which he first moved to Amsterdam in the 1630s, and it shortly thereafter began a long, century-spanning journey. The painting eventually made its way to France and England during the 18th and 19th centuries before American art collector Samuel Kress purchased it, bringing it to the United States. Through the Kress Foundation, the painting finally made its way to the Allentown Art Museum where, nearly 60 years later, Portrait of a Young Woman has found both its authorship restored and, after a lengthy, 400-year journey, a permanent home and deserved spotlight.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Connor Lagore may be reached at clagore@njadvancemedia.com.
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Jan 18 update: The Federal Bureau of Investigations on Sunday raided the Stone Oak-area home of a San Antonio man allegedly involved in the deadly U.S. Capitol riots.

Agents arrested 37-year-old Matthew Carl Mazzocco of San Antonio. He is charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

The Federal Bureau of Investigations said Tuesday that it is aware of reports about a San Antonio man's alleged involvement in the deadly breach of the U.S. Capitol last week.

The FBI's San Antonio office confirmed in an email sent to MySA on Tuesday that the agency is "aware" of reports sent about Matthew Carl Mazzocco, but could not comment further since the investigation into the events at the Capitol are ongoing.

RELATED: TikTok calling out San Antonio loan officer for allegedly breaching U.S. Capitol

Mazzocco was identified by social media, largely on TikTok, as being at the Capitol the day of the riots. A selfie posted on Mazzocco's now deleted or deactivated Facebook page was used by social media sleuths to pin him outside the Capitol.

"The capitol (sic) is ours," Mazzocco captioned the photo.

Screenshots showing his job history, including employment at multiple local mortgage loan companies, were also included in the viral videos. Another showed a man fitting the image of Mazzocco's selfie. In that video, the man wearing a red jacket is seen inside the building and is instructing surrounding rioters not to break or vandalize anything.

The FBI is asking for the public's help in identifying individuals who made the unlawlful entry into the Capitol. Photos of the wanted persons can be found here. Mazzocco does not appear to be photographed in the collection of photos released by the FBI.

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye
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China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
Brattleboro, VT (05301)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 76F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 44F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
We are excited to welcome back guests to the Polynesian Cultural Center to again serve our community and visitors," said Alfred Grace, Polynesian Cultural Center president. Tweet this

The Polynesian Cultural Center will reopen committed to carrying out regular sanitization of all highly touched areas, commonly used spaces and other surfaces throughout all of its facilities and public areas. Self-use sanitizing stations will also be made available throughout the Center for guests to use.

"As we take this first step in the process of fully reopening the Polynesian Cultural Center, the health and well-being of our guests, employee 'ohana and our local community will always be our top priority," said Alfred Grace, Polynesian Cultural Center president. "It's why we are asking all of our visitors to follow CDC guidelines upon arrival, including the wearing face coverings and maintaining physical distance while at the Center."

Added Grace, "We are extremely excited to begin welcoming back our guests to the Polynesian Cultural Center after being closed since the beginning of the pandemic. We're also very much looking forward to again serving our local community and visitors as we, along with other attractions statewide, reopen our doors."

During the Center's initial weeks of reopening, interactive guest experiences with its employee 'ohana will be limited, though still fun and definitely memorable. These activities will include visits to the Center's Samoan Village, an extended format of the Center's new "Ali'i Lu'au featuring 'Onipa'a, A Tribute to Queen Lili'uokalani," a new canoe excursion exploring the Center's lagoon and villages, and the Center's award-winning evening show "HA: Breath of Life."

To make reservations or purchase tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center, please visit www.polynesia.com, or call (800) 367-7060. In Hawai'i, please call (808) 293-3333.

Hawai'i residents are encouraged to keep up to date with exclusive offers and promotions by joining the Polynesian Cultural Center's 'Ohana Club. 'Ohana Club members enjoy complimentary admission to members-only events, special offers and seasonal coupons from the Polynesian Cultural Center, a discount on Polynesian Cultural Center Kama'aina Annual Passes, and other loyalty rewards.

Membership is free for all Hawai'i residents with a valid Hawai'i ID. Registration for the 'Ohana Club can be completed online at www.polynesia.com/residents, or by calling the Center's Ticketing Office at (808) 293-3333.

For photos and videos, visit: https://anthology2.myqnapcloud.com/share.cgi?ssid=0pXrMty

# # #

ABOUT POLYNESIAN CULTURAL CENTER

Located on O'ahu's beautiful North Shore, the Polynesian Cultural Center is the only cultural tourist attraction of its kind in the world and a favorite of all visitors to Hawai'i. An engaging, interactive celebration showcasing the people, culture, arts and crafts of Polynesia, the Center has entertained millions of visitors from around the world since opening in 1963. A nonprofit organization, 100 percent of the Polynesian Cultural Center's revenue goes to daily operations and supporting the education of its student-employees from neighboring Brigham Young University-Hawai'i. For more information, visit www.polynesia.com.

SOURCE Polynesian Cultural Center

Related Links

http://www.polynesia.com/


Hayley Vernon treated herself to a luxury shopping spree on Wednesday, happily showing off her purchase on Instagram Stories.

The 33-year-old former Married At First Sight star revealed she'd bought herself a luxury bag to kick-start the New Year after joining adult content platform OnlyFans.

Hayley admitted she was doing 'laps' around the Gold Coast's Pacific Fair Shopping Centre to show off her purchase from Louis Vuitton.

Buying up big: Hayley Vernon [pictured] treated herself to a luxury shopping spree on Wednesday, happily showing off her purchase on Instagram Stories

'You know how people have good cars... How they go cruising down that main street like in their local area. Well, I'm basically doing laps of Pacific Fair with my Louis Vuitton bag. Such a flog,' she laughed in a series of videos.

She added: 'When I reach a certain savings, I treat myself. This girl from the 'burbs just rocked up in Louis Vuitton in her T and looking like sicker than your average.

'Just got a little milestone... Yeah, the girls.'

Treat yourself: The 33-year-old former Married At First Sight star revealed she'd bought herself a luxury bag to kick-start the New Year after joining adult content platform OnlyFans

Showing it off: Hayley admitted she was doing 'laps' around the Gold Coast's Pacific Fair Shopping Centre to show off her purchase from Louis Vuitton

The former MAFS star went on to explain that she'd been 'planning for years' how she would enter the luxury brand store.

'I purposely wore some of the loudest [shoes] I've got. I don't give a f**k,' she continued.

She then detailed her first time venturing into a Louis Vuitton store with her friend, Chanel, and admitted she mispronounced the name.

'You know how people have good cars... How they go cruising down that main street like in their local area. Well, I'm basically doing laps of Pacific Fair with my Louis Vuitton bag. Such a flog,' she laughed in a series of videos

'I remember going into Louis Vuitton with my girlfriend, Chanel, going, "Why am I in Louis Vuitton-T,"' she recounted.

'And she goes, "Hayley, the T is silent." That's what I've been saying. That's what I said to the guy in the shop. He's probably going, "Who is f**k is that?"'

Designer bags aren't the only things Hayley's splurging on - earlier this month, she revealed she would fly from Queensland to Sydney to see a celebrity plastic surgeon to get her 'nose done and some other stuff'.

Belfast's traditional St Patrick's Day celebrations have been cancelled - the second consecutive year the events have been axed due to the Covid-19 crisis.

Belfast City Council confirmed the parade, which starts from the City Hall and normally attracts a crowd of thousands, as well as a concert, will not be going ahead on March 17 this year.

Doubt has also been cast over Armagh's official celebrations, while Londonderry's events - one of the biggest in Northern Ireland - are under review.

Meanwhile, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council said it is considering its plans for its St Patrick's Day events, which are largely held in Downpatrick, in line with the current restrictions and ongoing response to the Covid crisis.

A Belfast City Council spokesperson explained there are plans under way to ensure the patron saint will be celebrated in some way.

"Belfast's usual St Patrick's Day Parade and concert will not be going ahead this year due to the ongoing pandemic," they told the Belfast Telegraph.

"Members of Belfast City Council have agreed to develop an alternative programme of activity to mark St Patrick's Day. The delivery and format of these events is being kept under review and will be dependent on the ongoing pandemic and any restrictions that may be in place at that time."

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Last year global dance act Cascada - known for their 2009 hit 'Evacuate the Dancefloor' - had been booked to headline the free gig at Custom House Square before concerns over the spread of Covid resulted in it being pulled at the last minute.

Similar events across the island of Ireland - including Dublin's parade which attracts 500,000 visitors - were also cancelled.

SDLP councillor Brian Heading said an upcoming meeting would give members the opportunity to shape future events post-pandemic.

"The council should be looking at all its upcoming cultural events, on the grounds that people need to have confidence to be able to go events. And that level of confidence may not be there, certainly this year," he said.

"It may not even be there next year. So there's an opportunity here to see how the council will mark cultural events that the community can get involved in."

Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council said it is likely its St Patrick's Day celebrations will go online instead.

A spokesperson explained: "Plans for the home of St Patrick's Festival are still being finalised, with a view to delivering an engaging programme of events online.

"The delivery plans for the festival are being kept under continual review in line with public health guidance, and if circumstances allow additional location based activities may be considered in due course."

A Derry City and Strabane District Council spokesperson said a report outlining options and plans for events for the forthcoming year, including St Patrick's Day, will come before its business and culture committee next month for consideration.

"Officers are proactively working with a range of partners to look at various options to facilitate events continuing this year," they said.

"Any proposals will include measures to ensure compliance with whatever government restrictions that may be in place."

Senior health officials have warned it will be many months before life returns to normal - despite the roll-out of a vaccine.
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(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2021) Telegram became the second-most downloaded app in the US after President Donald Trump was suspended from Twitter and Facebook, The Telegraph reports.

Around 545,000 people in the US downloaded Telegram between Wednesday and Sunday, almost three times as much as the same period a week earlier, the newspaper said on Monday, citing data company Sensor Tower, after the Parler social network was taken offline.

CEO John Matze said on Monday that Parler was likely to remain offline longer than expected after the Big Tech bans prompted other providers to ditch the service, which is popular with Trump's supporters.

Earlier, Google, Apple and Amazon suspended their services to the social network after accusing it of falling to act on posts related to the Capitol Hill violence.

On Saturday Telegram founder Pavel Durov said, as quoted by The Telegraph, that the companies "pose a much bigger problem for freedoms than Twitter.

" Durov said Telegram was working on a way to continue to work on iPhones even if Apple removes Telegram from the App Store.

Jen Goldbeck, a professor of information studies at the University of Maryland, told The Telegraph that Telegram could become a "longer-term home" for Trump supporters than Parler because it is less likely to be taken offline.

On January 6, a group of Trump's loyalists stormed the US Capitol building, clashing with police, damaging property, seizing the inauguration stage and occupying the rotunda. The unrest took place after Trump urged his supporters to protest what he claims is a stolen presidential election. The outgoing president has since been blocked on all major social networks at least until after he is out of office.
An artist's impression of quasar J0313-1806 showing the supermassive black hole and the extremely high velocity wind. The quasar, seen just 670 million years after the Big Bang, is 1000 times more luminous than the Milky Way, and is powered by the earliest known supermassive black hole, which weighs in at more than 1.6 billion times the mass of the Sun. CREDIT NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva

The most distant quasar known has been discovered. The quasar, seen just 670 million years after the Big Bang, is 1000 times more luminous than the Milky Way, and is powered by the earliest known supermassive black hole, which weighs in at more than 1.6 billion times the mass of the Sun.

Seen more than 13 billion years ago, this fully formed distant quasar is also the earliest yet discovered, providing astronomers with insight into the formation of massive galaxies in the early universe. The result was released today at the January 2021 meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS).

Quasars, which are powered by the feeding frenzies of colossal supermassive black holes, are the most energetic objects in the universe. They occur when gas in the superheated accretion disk around a supermassive black hole is inexorably drawn inwards, radiating light across the electromagnetic spectrum. The amount of energy emitted by quasars is enormous, with the most massive examples easily outshining entire galaxies.

At an AAS press conference today, January 12, 2021, an international team of astronomers announced the discovery of J0313-1806, the most distant quasar known to date with a redshift of z = 7.64.

The study, which includes data from several Maunakea Observatories in Hawaii - UKIRT, W. M. Keck Observatory, and the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF's NOIRLab - as well as Pan-STARRS1, a survey telescope on Maui operated by the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy, has been accepted in The Astrophysical Journal Letters and is available in pre-print format on arXiv.org.

"The most distant quasars are crucial for understanding how the earliest black holes formed and for understanding cosmic reionization -- the last major phase transition of our universe," said Xiaohui Fan, study co-author and Regents Professor of Astronomy at the University of Arizona.

The presence of such a massive black hole so early in the universe's history challenges theories of black hole formation.

"Black holes created by the very first massive stars could not have grown this large in only a few hundred million years," says Feige Wang, NASA Hubble fellow at the University of Arizona and lead author of the research paper.

The observations that led to this discovery were made using a variety of observatories around the world, including several world-class telescopes in Hawaii.

Data from Pan-STARRS1 and the UKIRT Hemisphere Survey helped to first identify J0313-1806. Once the team confirmed its identity as a quasar, they obtained high-quality spectra from Keck Observatory and Gemini North to measure the mass of the central supermassive black hole.

"Measurement of spectral lines that originate from gas surrounding the quasar's accretion disk allows us to determine the black hole's mass and study how its rapid growth influences its environment. For such distant quasars, the most important spectral lines are redshifted to near-infrared wavelengths and Keck's NIRES spectrograph is an excellent instrument for these observations," said co-author Aaron Barth, a professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.

"Observing infrared light requires low temperatures. The near-freezing climate prevailing at the sky-scraping summit of Maunakea (13,796 ft or 4205 m) make it one of the only sites on Earth with instruments sensitive enough to observe such red wavelengths," said Joe Hennawi, a professor at UC Santa Barbara who helped execute the observations with the Keck/NIRES spectrograph.

In addition to weighing the monster black hole, the Keck Observatory and Gemini North observations uncovered an extremely fast outflow emanating from the quasar in the form of a high-velocity wind traveling at 20% of the speed of light.

"The energy released by such an extreme high-velocity outflow is large enough to impact the star formation in the entire quasar host galaxy," said co-author Jinyi Yang, Peter A. Strittmatter postdoctoral fellow of Steward Observatory at the University of Arizona.

This is the earliest known example of a quasar sculpting the growth of its host galaxy, making J0313-1806 a promising target for future observations.

The galaxy hosting J0313-1806's is undergoing a spurt of star formation, producing new stars 200 times faster than the Milky Way. The combination of this intense star formation, the luminous quasar, and the high-velocity outflow make J0313-1806 and its host galaxy a promising natural laboratory for understanding the growth of supermassive black holes and their host galaxies in the early universe.

"This would be a great target to investigate the formation of the earliest supermassive black holes," concluded Wang. "We also hope to learn more about the effect of quasar outflows on their host galaxy -- as well as to learn how the most massive galaxies formed in the early universe."

###

ABOUT NIRES

The Near Infrared Echellette Spectrograph (NIRES) is a prism cross-dispersed near-infrared spectrograph built at the California Institute of Technology by a team led by Chief Instrument Scientist Keith Matthews and Prof. Tom Soifer. Commissioned in 2018, NIRES covers a large wavelength range at moderate spectral resolution for use on the Keck II telescope and observes extremely faint red objects found with the Spitzer and WISE infrared space telescopes, as well as brown dwarfs, high-redshift galaxies, and quasars. Support for this technology was generously provided by the Mt. Cuba Astronomical Foundation.

ABOUT W. M. KECK OBSERVATORY

The W. M. Keck Observatory telescopes are among the most scientifically productive on Earth. The two 10-meter optical/infrared telescopes atop Maunakea on the Island of Hawai?i feature a suite of advanced instruments including imagers, multi-object spectrographs, high-resolution spectrographs, integral-field spectrometers, and world-leading laser guide star adaptive optics systems. Some of the data presented herein were obtained at Keck Observatory, which is a private 501(c) 3 non-profit organization operated as a scientific partnership among the California Institute of Technology, the University of California, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Observatory was made possible by the generous financial support of the W. M. Keck Foundation. The authors wish to recognize and acknowledge the very significant cultural role and reverence that the summit of Maunakea has always had within the Native Hawaiian community. We are most fortunate to have the opportunity to conduct observations from this mountain.



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February 22, 2021 10.00 am

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Bazaar Corporate Radar is your window into the minds of top CEOs, Boardrooms, global economists, fund managers and sector analysts. If it?s making news, you?ll find it on Bazaar Corporate Radar.
Already considered to be at risk for possible extinction in the near future, Marin Countys native western monarch butterfly population has continued to plummet to yet another record low.

In the 1980s, an estimated 4.5 million of the colorful insects migrated to California, their mottled black and orange wings seen clustered together for warmth in trees along the coast. But a new report published by West Marins Environmental Action Committee using data from the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation recorded a near disappearance of the fragile species in 2020, with fewer than 2,000 of the butterflies counted in California, and fewer than 200 in coastal Marin County.

Thats a 99% drop from the Bay Area countys population of 38,708 butterflies in 2015  at the time considered to be the highest count on record by the Xerces Society, which conducts the annual Thanksgiving and New Years counts of the western monarchs. The count rapidly descended in subsequent years as a result of multiple contributing factors, including recent wildfires, habitat loss, pesticide use and climate change, according to the report.

One of the most important takeaways from this report is that individual actions matter, Morgan Patton, executive director of the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, said in a statement. Taking the right action, in the right place, right now, is essential if we are going to help the western monarch recover.

Yet, the decimated population still lacks protection from the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife under the Endangered Species Act. In December, the federal agency determined the listing was warranted, but precluded due to higher priority listings. (The monarch butterfly is currently filed behind more than 160 other species, a KQED report found.) One month prior to this decision, however, the Superior Court of Sacramento County ruled that the state of California did not have the legal authority to protect insects under the Endangered Species Act.

MORE: The Mexican monarch population blossomed as California's monarchs plummeted

The U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife said it would review the status of the monarchs every year. Unless the population experiences a comeback, it could receive endangered species status in 2024.

Meanwhile, the low count is expected to have greater implications. A single storm or disease could reduce the rate of survival for monarchs migrating to inland areas of Marin to reproduce in the spring, especially as the quality of overwintering habitats fail to provide sufficient shelter.

In response, the Environmental Action Committee advises those living in coastal areas of Marin  including residents of Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Point Reyes Station, Inverness, and Tomales  to support overwintering monarch populations by no longer planting milkweed. Instead, the organization recommends that people grow nectar plants, such as California goldenrod or black sage, that will provide them with the nutrition and protection they need to survive the colder winter months.

Likewise, people who reside in inland areas of Marin such as Mill Valley, Sausalito, Corte Madera, Larkspur, San Rafael, Ross, San Anselmo, Fairfax, Terra Linda and Novato can help bolster the monarch population by replacing tropical milkweed plants with native narrowleaf milkweed. Tropical milkweed is considered harmful to butterflies because it does not die in the fall, which encourages them to linger in the area and breed rather than migrating to other habitats where they will survive through the winter.

Recent counts at Pacific Grove's Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary in Monterey County yielded similar findings, KAZU reported last week. The sanctuary is one of 400 overwintering sites for the species, and over the years, the city has earned the title of "Butterfly Town U.S.A." because thousands of the monarchs typically fly through during the winter.

I've gone to 23 sites so far this year. I've seen 15 monarchs, Connie Masotti, the Monterey County regional coordinator for the count, told KAZU.

"I've actually sat in the parking lot the first couple of times and I cried in my car because I've seen it coming, but I did not think I would not be able to find one monarch," Masotti added, referring to her search at the Pacific Grove sanctuary.

Read the full report from the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin here.
"Post Reports" is the daily podcast from The Washington Post. Unparalleled reporting. Expert insight. Clear analysis. Everything you've come to expect from the newsroom of The Post - for your ears.

- - -

In this episode:

Michael Scherer explains how the Capitol riot is escalating a fight for the soul of the Republican Party, with pro-Trump conspiracy theorists on one side and the party establishment on the other.

The Washington Post has learned that a day before rioters stormed Congress, an FBI report warned of "war" at the Capitol. That information contradicts a senior official's declaration that the bureau had no intelligence indicating that anyone at last week's rally planned to do harm. Matt Zapotosky lays out what we know about why law enforcement didn't do more with the information.

The nation's first female vice president-elect has been photographed for the cover of February's Vogue magazine, and a vocal chorus on social media is displeased with the images. Robin Givhan explains why.
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.
Found: Sue Ann Bellucci of West Haven wrote, "I'm not a great cook (I'm more of a baker), but I am getting more interested now that my son is grown. Between the Food Network and columns such as yours, it has become an adventure when I do decide to try something new in the kitchen.

"Thank you for all you do to make eating fun. Could you please print the recipe for baked escarole and beans a la Bin 100 in Milford? We have always made "scadol and beans" the way my mother and her mother made it, on top of the stove, but since we tasted it baked, we have been trying to replicate it -- to no avail.
January 13 : Crime-thriller series Asur bagged a positive response from the audience and is still watched. Actor Ridhi Dogra who played the role of Nusrat Saeed, a CBI forensic expert in the series was appreciated and applauded by the people. Today the actor on receiving the International Iconic Award for her work expressed her gratitude. Ridhi penned down a few lines on her gram and also shared the quote of Oprah.

Ridhi wrote, There is no greater gift you can give or recieve than to honor your calling. It's why you were born, and how you become most truly alive' - @oprahThank you @internationaliconicaward for this token of appreciation for my work in #Asur @vootselect

P.s. This is for everyone out there who may feel like you're not appreciated enough...To celebrate your own self and to express gratitude for those who do is a gift. Please. Do it. And please don't decide your merit based on those who don't see your worth. Keep your nose in your work, in your lane, in your business and keep being better than who you were yesterday. Because you decide your worth. Esp when no one's looking. So here's a humble and grateful Cheers to me and my hard work

About the series, set against the backdrop of Varanasi, Asur revolves around the life of a forensic-expert-turned-teacher, Nikhil Nair, who returns to the Central Bureau of Investigation along with mentor Dhananjay Rajpoot to hunt down a serial killer.

The series showcases a spine-chilling cat-and-mouse game between the protagonists and the antagonist filled with suspense and action. Alongside Arshad and Barun, Asur cast boasts of Anupriya Goenka, Ridhi Dogra, Sharib Hashmi, Amey Wagh, Pawan Chopra and Gaurav Arora in pivotal roles. It premiered on the OTT platform Voot.
Jamieson brings extensive project development and finance experience to the firm, with a focus on power, energy transition and low carbon projects. He advises developers, financial investors, banks and multilaterals on all aspects of the project cycle, from structuring and negotiating the commercial contracts through to financing, refinancing and divesting relevant assets. Jamieson is a graduate of University of St. Andrews.

Low is an M&A/private equity lawyer with a focus on advising private equity and other financial investors as well as fund-owned businesses on renewable energy transactions. She advises on the establishment of fund-owned renewable energy platforms, joint venture/consortium arrangements, management incentive arrangements, and the corporate structuring and development of renewable energy projects, as well as the acquisition and disposal of fund-owned portfolios of renewable energy assets. Low is a graduate of the University of New South Wales and Columbia Law School.

Stewart is an energy infrastructure lawyer with a focus on advising financial investors, private equity houses, and corporates and their banks and funders on renewable energy and power transactions. He has worked on several first of their kind transactions, advising clients on their acquisitions, joint development arrangements and financing of renewable and low carbon assets, as well as related energy infrastructure. Stewart is a graduate of St. Catharine's College, University of Cambridge.

"Bracewell's London office has established itself as one of a very small group of leading firms in the oil and gas sector. Tom, Jo En and Gordon have different but complimentary practices. With their addition to our already well established renewable energy team, we now have depth on the renewable energy side that is the equal of any firm in this market," said Jason Fox, managing partner of Bracewell's London office.

With one of the largest dedicated energy teams in the world, Bracewell is strongly positioned to advise client on opportunities in the renewable energy space, including in Africa and other emerging markets. The firm recently represented an international investment consortium, comprised of Siraj Energy, Marubeni Corporation and Total Solar, on the development and implementation of the first utility-scale renewables independent power project in Qatar; Fotowatio Renewable Ventures in the first utility-scale renewables project in Armenia and its second utility-scale battery project in the UK; Eni is its acquisition of a 20 percent interest in the world's largest offshore wind farm project; and Equinor as US counsel in the $1.1 billion agreement to sell BP a 50 percent interest in the Empire Wind and Beacon Wind projects off the US East Coast.

"The evolving industry requires advisers who are nimble, creative and efficient, thereby maximizing value and certainty for clients," said Jamieson.

"We wish to build a business focused entirely on our clients, partnering with them to develop and deliver on their long-term strategic objectives," added Low.

"It is inspiring to be joining an entrepreneurial firm that shares our clients' optimism and enthusiasm to pursue the opportunities presented by the energy transition," Stewart also added.

Bracewell has significantly expanded its global energy team within the last 12 months, including in renewable energy. In addition to Jamieson, Low and Stewart, other recent additions to the firm's renewable energy practice include Danielle Garbien and Martha Kammoun in New York, and Don J. Lonczak, Timothy J. Urban and Danielle M. Varnell in Washington, DC. Alistair Calvert joined the London office in November as a partner in the firm's international energy disputes practice. Bracewell also expanded its energy offering in Dubai with Andrej Kormuth, who joined the firm from Clifford Chance, and Clint Steyn, who rejoined the firm from Alcazar Energy.

About Bracewell LLP

Bracewell is a leading law and government relations firm primarily serving the energy, infrastructure, finance and technology industries throughout the world. Our industry focus results in comprehensive state-of-the-art knowledge of the commercial, legal and governmental challenges faced by our clients and enables us to provide innovative solutions to facilitate transactions and resolve disputes.

Bracewell occupies a singular position in the UK market, as the only international law firm dedicated exclusively to the energy industry. For three years in a row, The Times has recognized Bracewell as one of the top 20 energy and renewables firms in the UK.

SOURCE Bracewell LLP
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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Ridgeline Minerals Corp. (TSXV: RDG) (OTCQB: RDGMF) (WKN: A2QBQ4) ("Ridgeline" or the "Company") is pleased to announce assay results from its Phase I drill program at the Swift project in Lander County, Nevada. The program was comprised of three, wide-spaced diamond drill core holes totaling 2,413 meters ("m"). Drill holes SW20-001 and SW2-002 successfully confirmed Ridgeline's re-interpreted geologic model and intersected several intervals of Carlin-Type mineralization and anomalous alteration with individual assays of up to 0.55 g/t gold ("Au"), 860 g/t silver ("Ag") and 392 ppm Arsenic ("As"). Phase I results further support the Company's belief that Swift exhibits the potential to host a Carlin-Type gold discovery and is significantly underexplored; with only five deep drill holes having tested Lower Plate target rocks across the 50 square kilometer project area. Data from the Phase I program will aid in vectoring towards higher grade gold targets in Ridgeline's 2021 Phase II drill program.

Phase I Highlights:

SW20-002 intersected several intervals of anomalous Carlin-Type alteration and narrow intervals of elevated gold-silver mineralization including: 0.2 m grading 0.22 g/t Au and 860 g/t Ag starting at 872.5 m 1.5 m grading 0.05 g/t Au and 19.2 g/t Ag starting at 908.8 m 0.9 m grading 0.55 g/t Au and 6.6 g/t Ag starting at 926.5 m



Significance - Narrow yet highest grade intercept drilled to-date (0.2m grading 0.22 g/t Au,860 g/t Ag) highlights discovery potential with additional targets to be drill-tested in Phase II program, 2021.

SW20-001 & SW2-002 intersected Lower Plate carbonate host rocks interpreted as the Wenban and Roberts Mountains formation starting at 425 m vertical depth. Hole SW20-003 exhibited encouraging trace element geochemistry in the Upper Plate but did not reach its intended Lower Plate target due to challenging drilling conditions along the DDF fault zone.



Significance - The Wenban formation had not previously been intersected with historic drilling at Swift and is considered the primary gold host (see Swift Stratigraphic Section) to the Nevada Gold Mines owned Cortez Complex (34.8 Moz. Au @ 3.08 g/t Au, historical resource) approximately 7 km to the southeast (see Cortez District Map).

SW20-001 & SW2-002 drilled the intrusive center of a large hydrothermal system evidenced by: Widespread high-temperature skarn alteration of Lower Plate carbonate host rocks was observed adjacent to numerous multi-phase intrusive dikes and sills Fossil debris flow beds that were not skarn altered typically exhibited weak to moderate decalcification textures



Significance - Many of the largest Carlin-Type gold deposits in Nevada are spatially associated with the margins of buried intrusives. Notable examples include the Nevada Gold Mines, (a joint venture between Barrick Gold and Newmont Mining Corp.) owned Goldstrike, Pipeline, Cortez Hills and Goldrush deposits.

Mike Harp, Ridgeline's Vice President, Exploration, commented, "We learned a lot from the Phase I drill program. This was the first drilling conducted at Swift in over 20 years and the intersection of the Wenban formation is a critical development for our geologic model. Phase I demonstrated that Swift has the right host lithologies and these rocks are altered and mineralized adjacent to a large buried intrusive, which we interpret as the potential heat and fluid source for the Carlin-Type gold system on the property. We will use this data to vector towards projected higher-grade gold mineralization in our Phase II drilling at the Goat Anticline and Mill Creek targets in 2021."







Figure 1: Map showing Phase I drill hole locations overlying Arsenic in soils contours

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7298/71901_634c0f1274d31abc_002full.jpg

Swift is located on the Cortez District of the historic Battle Mountain - Eureka Trend immediately adjacent to the historic Elder Creek gold mine and on trend to the Pipeline, Cortez Hills, and Goldrush deposits (view our Corporate Presentation), which comprise the multi-million ounce Cortez Complex owned by Nevada Gold Mines. The property is located approximately 30 km south of the town of Battle Mountain, in Lander County, Nevada.







Table 1: Phase I and historic assay results

To view an enhanced version of Table 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7298/71901_table1.jpg







Figure 2: Schematic X-Section A-A' showing Phase I drilling in relation to the Mill Creek and Goat Anticline targets to be tested in future drill programs

To view an enhanced version of Figure 2, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7298/71901_634c0f1274d31abc_004full.jpg

QAQC Procedures

All samples are submitted to Paragon Geochemical Assay Laboratories (PAL) of Sparks, NV, which is a certified and accredited laboratory, independent of the Company. Samples are run through standard prep methods and analysed using AU-OES30 (Au; 30g fire assay AQR digest/ICP+10ppb Hg by MS) and 35AR-OESm (35 element Suite; 0.5g AQR digestion/ICP-MS; 10ppb Hg) methods. PAL also undertakes its own internal coarse and pulp duplicate analysis to ensure proper sample preparation and equipment calibration. Ridgeline's QA/QC program includes regular insertion of CRM standards, duplicates, and blanks into the sample stream with a stringent review of all results completed by the Company's QP, Michael T. Harp, Vice President, Exploration.

Technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Michael T. Harp, P.Geo. the Company's Vice President, Exploration, who is Ridgeline's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 and responsible for technical matters of this release.

About Ridgeline Minerals Corp.

Ridgeline is a discovery focused gold explorer with a proven management team and a 125 km exploration portfolio across four projects in the highly prospective Carlin and Battle Mountain - Eureka Trends in Nevada, USA. More information about Ridgeline can be found at www.RidgelineMinerals.com.

On behalf of the Board

"Chad Peters"

President & CEO

Further Information:

Chad Peters, P.Geo.

President & CEO

Ridgeline Minerals Corp.

1-866-RDG-NVAU (734-6828) - toll free

info@ridgelineminerals.com

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 press release.

Cautionary Note regarding Forward Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts are "forward-looking information" or "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "Forward-Looking Information") within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation and the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-Looking Information includes, but is not limited to, the anticipated timing for release of additional drill results, plans to drill test prospective targets in 2021 and the potential advancement of mineral exploration, exploration drilling, development, and/or operating programs. The words "potential," "anticipate," "significant," "discovery," "forecast," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "may," "will," "project," "plan" and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify Forward-Looking Information. Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. In preparing the Forward-Looking Information in this news release, Ridgeline has applied several material assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions that the current objectives concerning its mineral projects can be achieved and that its other corporate activities will proceed as expected; that general business and economic conditions will not change in a materially adverse manner; and that all requisite information will be available in a timely manner. Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Ridgeline to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the Forward-Looking Information. Such risks and other factors include, among others, risks related to dependence on key personnel; risks related to unforeseen delays; as well as those factors discussed in Ridgeline's public disclosure record. Although Ridgeline has attempted to identify important factors that could affect Ridgeline and may cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from those described in Forward-Looking Information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that Forward-Looking Information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required by law, Ridgeline does not assume any obligation to release publicly any revisions to Forward-Looking Information contained in this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71901
Seoul, Jan 13 : Hyundai Motor on Wednesday released a teaser for the IONIQ 5, the first all-electric model in its IONIQ dedicated BEV lineup brand that would debut in a virtual world premiere event in February.

IONIQ 5 will be the first vehicle mated with Hyundai Motor Group's Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), an innovative system made exclusively for next-generation battery electric vehicles.

The IONIQ 5 midsize crossover vehicle comes with a battery that enables driving over 500 kms on a single charge and ultra-fast charging to 80 per cent capacity within 18 minutes.

"Beginning with IONIQ 5, our dedicated BEV lineup brand will redefine the relationship between people and their cars, establishing a new standard against which all BEV design experiences will be measured," said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Centre.

IONIQ 5's signature design elements include Parametric Pixels, the smallest unit of digital imaging, as well as its eco-friendly Colour Material Finish (CMF) direction that connects the analogue with digital emotions, showcasing the IONIQ brand's timeless design value.

IONIQ 5's front end is adorned with arrays of pixel-inspired lights suggestive of the digital technology within.

The electric car is also the first Hyundai vehicle to feature a clamshell hood that spans the entire width of the car, thus minimising panel gaps and creating a clean and high-tech overall look.

Hyundai Motor has also released four teaser videos to spark curiosity about the new model, each presenting viewers with a sneak peek at IONIQ 5's core technologies, raising expectations for the company's dedicated BEV lineup brand and its first entry.
Reuters

Government think tank NITI Aayog informed on January 13 that emergency use authorisation of vaccines does not allow its sale in private markets.

CNBC-TV18 quoted NITI Aayog officials as saying that the vaccine makers -- Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech - can start selling their coornavirus vaccines in the open market only after they are granted full market authorisation by government agencies.

Bharat Biotech is selling its COVID-19 vaccine Covaxin to the government at a nominal rate of 295 per dose. However, since the Hyderabad-based firm is charging the government for only 38.5 lakh of the total procurement of 55 lakh doses, the price of Covaxin comes down to only Rs 206 per dose.

SII on the other hand is selling Oxford-AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine Covishield at Rs 200 per dose. It has signed a purchase order for 1.1 crore doses of Covishield with the government.

However, SIIs Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla has clarified that he would be selling each dose of Covishield at Rs 1,000 in open market once it gets the nod of competent authorities.

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

Follow our coverage of the coronavirus crisis here
New Delhi:

Saif Ali Khan starrer 'Baazaar' which has been creating a buzz for long with all new speculations one after another, finally released its poster giving a kick start to the shooting of the movie.

But unfortunately while shooting an important sequence of the movie, Saif Ali Khan and team got into a triuble with BMC (the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) recently.

According to media reports the BMC officials received several complaints over the misuse of a public ground and decided to fine the Pataudi King after investigating the spot.

The cast and crew of the movie have even been ordered to stall the shoot and clear the spot.

Being asked about the same assistant commissioner of F-North ward, Vishwas Mote said that the the makers indeed did not possess any permission from the BMC even though they had taken the permission of the police to shoot in the public location. He also revealed that as soon as they received a complaint they immediately took action against them and got the tents as well as vehicles removed.

Also Read: Jacqueline to be featured opposite Salman Khan in Remo DSouza's next?

Also starring Rohan Mehra and helmed by filmmaker Gauravv K Chawla 'Baazaar' is currently scheduled to release in December 2017.

On the work front, Saif Ali Khan is also busy shooting his another upcoming project 'Chef'.

'Chef' which will be blessed with the musics of Ankit Tiwari, Amaal Malik and Raghu Dixit, is all set to hit the screens on 14th July 2017.

Also Read: Jagga Jasoos promotion: Katrina shares picture with ex beau Ranbir

The movie is expected to face a tight box office clash with Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif starrer 'Jagga Jasoos' which will also release on the same.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Nicole Kidman arriving at the GQ Men of the Year Awards 2019 in association with Hugo Boss, held at the Tate Modern in London

Oscar winning actor Nicole Kidman has said she would love to move to Belfast after her experience filming in Northern Ireland.

The Australian star is set to appear as Queen Gudrin in the upcoming Viking revenge epic The Northman which was filmed in Northern Ireland last year.

In an interview on Marc Marons WTF podcast, Kidman spoke of falling in love with Belfast despite visiting during a pandemic.

I was shooting in Belfast, I love Belfast now, she said.

Read More

The weirdest thing is Im in Belfast and Im like... maybe we should move here, Im that sort of person.

Im in Belfast going this place is really special. Theres something about it, I was just drawn.

I have Irish blood, my family came over to Australia in 1839 on the SS Susan as free settlers.

On the experience of filming during a pandemic, she had told director Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse) she was initially terrified to make the journey to Northern Ireland.

One because its a pandemic and flying into the middle of a lockdown to work on a film, she said.

Also just grateful to be doing the work... this is so important and thats why I went because... one, I didnt want to let down a huge production and two, I want to work with these people.

And if we can do it with safety, how fantastic and we did.

She added with a laugh: The film is finished and Im moving to Belfast.

On working with co-star Ethan Hawke (Training Day) in Northern Ireland, she added: He played my King, Im now crazy about Ethan. He was always a great actor, but just personally what a great guy and so much knowledge.

The all-star cast also includes Icelandic popstar Bjork, Anya Taylor-Joy (The Queens Gambit) as well as Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood).

Filming locations have included Helens Tower Wood in Co Down, the Mourne Mountains, Larne as well as the Inishowen peninsula in Co Donegal.
MBABANE  A police officer is reportedly threatening the executor of his mothers estate, Antoinette Charmaine Horton, who is also his sister.

Their mother, Jean Horton nee Johnston, died of COVID-19-related complications and her son Branham Horton, who is a police officer, is purportedly now refusing to grant the executor access to assets of the estate. Branham is also allegedly threatening the executor and further refusing to hand over the keys to her late mothers house for purposes of having it fumigated.

The executor has since moved an urgent application at the High Court, where she is seeking an order directing Branham to maintain peace and order towards her.

She contended that Branham was placing himself, as well as third parties, at risk of contracting the virus, as the premises had not been fumigated following the demise of their mother, who died of COVID-19 complications.

The executor is further praying for an order directing the police officer to forthwith hand over to her the keys to the deceaseds home situated at Farm 281 Grandvalley in the Manzini Region.

Other respondents in the matter are Brenda Phindi Horton, Charlotte Horton, the Master of the High Court of Eswatini and the national commissioner of police.

Antoinette averred that in terms of clause six of the Last Will and Testament of the deceased, she bequeathed her house at Grandvalley as well as property at Nhlambeni to Branham. According to the executor, from the point of reading of the Will to date, Branham had allegedly forcefully remained in possession of the keys to the premises and reportedly refused to allow anybody into the premises as he maintained it was in terms of the Will.

Our mother died of COVID-19, a fact known to the first respondent (Branham), the homestead at Farm 281 Grandvalley has not and cannot be fumigated as he continues to deny the executrix access to the premises, contended the applicant (executor).

Violent

She further brought it to the attention of the court that Branham was extremely violent towards any person who attempted to reason with him to hand over the keys.

On January 8, 2021 and out of sheer frustration and in fear for her own safety and that of third parties that may attempt to enter the premises, the executor approached the Master of the High Courts offices in Manzini to attempt to reason with Branham, alleged the applicant.

These are allegations whose veracity is still to be tested in court.

The Assistant Master, Makhosazane Mdluli, according to the executor, telephoned Branham to request audience with him to discuss the matter. She alleged that Branham refused to attend to the assistant masters request and instead reportedly hurled insults at her and persisted in his refusal to hand over the keys.

From that point until today, he continues to harass employees of the homestead and to refuse anyone access to the premises. In an attempt to mitigate the situation, the executrix has since hired a security guard and affixed chains to the gates in an attempt to keep third parties out of the premises, averred the executor.

It was further her submission that she had a prima facie right to access assets of the deceased in order to properly execute her functions as such.

The executor further narrated to the court as Branham was allegedly threatening her and refusing her access to the premises, she was unable to prepare an inventory or to fumigate the premises. She highlighted that there were also assets on the premises that had been bequeathed to third parties in terms of the Last Will and Testament of the deceased.

The matter is pending before Judge Nkosinathi Maseko and appearing for the executor is Michael Mngadi of MJ Hillary Attorneys in Manzini.
The remains were found on the Whitehill Industrial Estate in September (Jane Barlow/PA)

A man has been arrested after remains found on an industrial estate more than three months ago were identified.

The remains were found inside a unit on the estate in Whitehill Road, Glenrothes, on Sunday September 27 last year.

Police released a facial reconstruction created by experts at Liverpool John Moores University as part of their efforts to identify them.

They have now been identified as those of Ean Coutts, 61, who lived in the village of Kinglassie in Fife.

Police said his death is being treated as suspicious and appealed for information.

A 30-year-old man was arrested in connection with the death on Tuesday and released pending further inquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Houliston, from Police Scotlands Major Investigation Team, said: We received a significant number of responses following release of the facial reconstruction and I would like to thank all those who contacted us.

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Whatsapp The remains of Ean Coutts were found in Glenrothes (Police Scotland/PA)

This has allowed us to identify the man as Ean Coutts and my thoughts are with his family at this time. Ean had lived in Kinglassie for a number of years and was well known in the village.

We are treating his death as suspicious and officers will be carrying out inquiries in and around the Kinglassie and Glenrothes areas as part of our ongoing investigation.

It Is vital that we establish the events leading up to his death to provide answers to his family.

I am appealing to anyone who knew Ean, who may have had any contact with him from around August 2019, and anyone who has information that could assist with our investigation to contact us as a matter of urgency.

Investigations into what happened to Mr Coutts are continuing, including searches of a number of addresses in the Glenrothes and Kinglassie areas.

Police said his family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 2692 of Sunday September 27 2020, email operationrimau@scotland.pnn.police.uk, or make contact through the Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) website via https://mipp.police.uk/operation/SCOT20S26-PO1.

If someone wants to pass on information anonymously they can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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13 January 2021

ALTONA ENERGY PLC

("Altona" or "the Company")

ISSUE OF EQUITY

Altona (AQSE: ANR.PL), a mining exploration company with a focus on Rare Earth Elements ("REE") mining projects in Africa, announces it has issued a further 642,023 new ordinary shares ("Placing Shares") at a price of 6.5 pence per share, in relation to the Placing it completed in December 2020.

The Company has now raised, including the funds received in December, a total of 138,461 before expenses, through the placing of 2,130,178 new ordinary shares.

Admission and Total Voting Rights

Following this issue of 642,023 Placing Shares, which will rank pari passu with the Company's existing Ordinary Shares, the Company's enlarged share capital and total voting rights in the Company will comprise 5,303,463. The Company has no shares held in Treasury. This figure of 5,303,463 ordinary shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change in their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules. The new Placing Shares will be admitted to trading on Aquis Stock Exchange ("AQSE") on 14 January 2021.

-ends-

For further information, please visit www.altonaenergy.com or contact:

Altona Energy Plc

Christian Taylor-Wilkinson, Chief Executive +44 (0) 7795 168 157

Martin Wood, Non-Executive Chairman +44 (0) 7880 787 080

Alfred Henry Corporate Finance Ltd (AQSE Corporate Adviser )

Jon Isaacs / Nick Michaels +44 (0) 20 3772 0021

Company Information

Altona is a mining exploration company focused on the evaluation, rapid development and extraction of Rare Earth Element (REE) metals in Africa.

The Company was admitted to trading on AIM on 10 March 2005 and was subsequently admitted to Aquis Stock Exchange (previously NEX) on 1 February 2019. A copy of its Admission documents dated 4 March 2005 can be accessed on its website, www.altonaenergy.com. This website is where items can be inspected under Rule 75 of the Aquis Rules for Issuers, from 1 February 2019.
The owner of Melbourne's Cherry Bar says a $5 million state government rescue package to help music venues survive will be a big help but won't cover the "magnitude of losses" suffered from the COVID-19 shutdown.

Creative Industries Minister Danny Pearson on Wednesday named 68 venues  including Cherry Bar, Revolver Upstairs, Section 8, and Geelong's Barwon Club Hotel  that would share in the latest round of the live music venues program.

Musicians Isaiah Firebrace and Ella Hooper at The Espy on Wednesday. Credit:Penny Stephens

That's on top of a $3 million package to support the creation of new music, events and projects through 133 businesses, artists and venues.

We want to see 2021 be a year where the live music scene in Melbourne rebounds and comes back bigger and better than ever, Mr Pearson said while announcing the grant recipients at The Espy in St Kilda on Wednesday.
The Rs 4,634-crore Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) initial public offer (IPO) is scheduled to open on January 18, and close on January 20, 2021. Price band of the issue is Rs 25-26 per share. The shares of IRFC are proposed to be listed on BSE and NSE.

As per the red herring prospectus (RHP), the issue will comprise up to 178.20 crore shares with fresh issue of up to 118.80 crore shares and offer for sale of up to 59.40 crore shares by the government. IRFC received Sebi's approval for its public issue on 25 February 2020. The issue will constitute up to 13.64% of the post issue paid-up equity share capital of the company.

The bids for the issue can be made for a minimum of 575 equity shares and in multiples thereafter. Up to 50% of the net issue is reserved for Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIB). The company has reserved not more than 35% of the issue for the retail investors and the remaining 15% for non-Institutional category. The issue includes a reservation of equity shares worth Rs 50 lakh for subscription by eligible employees.

The company will utilise the net proceeds towards augmenting the company's equity capital base to meet future capital requirements arising out of growth in business and general corporate purposes. The company will not receive any proceeds from the offer for sale and the same will be received by the government.

DAM Capital Advisors Ltd, HSBC Securities and Capital Markets (India) Private Ltd, ICICI Securities Ltd and SBI Capital Markets Ltd are the book running lead managers to the offer.

KFin Technologies Private Ltd will be the registrar to the issue.

Set up in 1986, IRFC, which is the dedicated financing arm of the Indian Railways, will become the first NBFC from the PSU sector that is going public.

Oil prices rise as US crude gains for seventh day

Share Market News Live: Sensex hits new high, Nifty at 14, 640 for first time; M&M, Airtel, SBI top gainers

Stocks in news: SBI, Wipro, Tata Motors, Tata Elxsi, Airtel, Tech Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-12 22:26:32|Editor: huaxia

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Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac is partnering with Malaysian pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga for the supply of 14 million doses of its inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to Malaysia after the two companies signed an agreement on Tuesday. The agreement includes a fill and finish process of the Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccines by Pharmaniaga with the vaccines start to be distributed to the Malaysian public by the end of March, according to Pharmaniaga, one of Malaysia's leading pharmaceutical group and a government-linked company. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Malaysian Defence Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, Health Minister Adham Baba and Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, among others. The 14 million doses of vaccine would be enough for 7 million people, or around 20 percent of Malaysia's population, with each receiving two doses. The Malaysian government plans to eventually provide vaccines for over 80 percent of the country's population. Inactivated COVID-19 vaccines like the one developed by Sinovac are easier and cheaper to transport and store than alternatives, and use familiar and tested development techniques.
U.S. billionaire Sheldon Adelson speaks during a 2016 news conference for the opening of Parisian Macao in Macau. Adelson, the billionaire mogul, has died after a long illness.
Diana Casas, 35, moved to Australia from Columbia to study in February 2019

A few months later, she developed a persistent cough that lasted eight months

She went to doctors on numerous occasions and was repeatedly misdiagnosed

After a recent trip to hospital, she was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer

Ms Casas has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds to cover expenses

A fit and healthy student has opened up about how she learned she had incurable lung cancer despite being a non-smoker.

Diana Casas, 35, moved to Australia from Columbia in February last year and quickly formed close friendships as she settled into life in her new Sydney home.

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But a few months later she developed a persistent cough that was repeatedly put down to innocuous causes over numerous visits to doctors.

Diana Casas, 35, (pictured) was recently diagnosed with incurable lung cancer despite being a non-smoker

After suffering for eight months Ms Casas rushed herself to St Vincent's hospital in excruciating pain where doctors discovered six litres of fluid in her lungs.

While there for eleven days undergoing testing, doctors delivered heartbreaking news - her seemingly harmless cough was a symptom of terminal stage four lung cancer.

'As a healthy 35-year-old non-smoker this came as a huge shock to me,' Ms Casas said.

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'I [had gone] to the doctor numerous times, with many different diagnoses including sleeping in a humid room, my sinuses, and then asthma.'

Ms Casas shared her story in a GoFundMe campaign she launched last week to raise funds to cover the costs of medical and living expenses.

Her illness, Adenocarcinoma ROS1 Lung Cancer, is extremely rare, only occurring in one per cent of all lung cancers.

Ms Casas (pictured) was recently admitted to hospital in excruciating pain after suffering a persistent cough for eight months

The Columbian international student (pictured with her parents) shared her story in a GoFundMe campaign she launched last week to help cover the costs of her medical expenses

'At this stage my options are very limited, it is incurable and aggressive,' she wrote.

'Due to the diagnosis being so rare and so advanced, my only treatment option is Crizotinib which is a medicine that costs $7,300 per month and I will be required to take this for the rest of my life.'

'Through my oncologist I have been able to get funding from Pfizer  on compassionate grounds  and they will cover the cost of the medication.

'This treatment will extend my life expectancy to three to five years and may allow me to see my family and friends in Colombia again.'

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As a non-Australian resident, Ms Casas is not eligible for public medical benefits and can only access minimal financial assistance through her health insurance.

Adding to the difficultly of her situation, Ms Casas said she cannot return to Columbia as she will not be eligible for any health services and subsequently needs to fund her student visa to remain in Australia to seek treatment.

'I still have to cover medical and treatment costs for things like, doctor appointments, examinations, x-rays, blood tests etc. as well as school fees and general expenses which I am unable to cover as I am unable to work.'

Ms Casas said she hopes her story will encourage others to live their lives to the fullest

'Any assistance you can provide me, no matter how big or small, will be a huge help to me while I fight with this horrible disease.'

The fundraiser has reached more than $74,000 - almost double the $40,000 goal.

Ms Casas said the response was more than she had 'ever dreamed of' in an update on Thursday thanking those who had contributed.

She hopes her story will encourage others to live life to the fullest - and has issued a touching message to others.

'I would like to use my condition to remind everyone that life is very short and you should embrace life and make the most of every opportunity,' she wrote.

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'Spend as much time as you can with your family and friends  because you never know what tomorrow will bring.'
You can now view thousands of federal documents on UFOs online.

Those looking to learn more about unidentified flying objects can do so by visiting The Black Vault, a website that hosts declassified government documents. The site is operated by author John Greenewald Jr.

After a Freedom of Information Act request from Greenewald, the Central Intelligence Agency made thousands of documents on UFOs, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, according to the government, available. Greenwald has uploaded those to his site and made the documents available for download.

The documents were made available to Greenewald from the CIA on a CD-ROM.

The Black Vault spent years fighting for them, and many were released in the late 1990s, Greenewald writes of the documents on his site. However, over time, the CIA made a CD-ROM collection of UFO documents, which encompassed the original records, along with the ones that took years to fight for.

According to the CIA, this collection of documents is its entire collection of information. Greenewald, however, says there is no way to verify whether or not this is true.

Research by The Black Vault will continue to see if there are additional documents still uncovered within the CIAs holdings, he writes.

Greenewald has uploaded all of these documents to his site where they are available in PDF format for download.

In an interview with Vices Motherboard, Greenewald stated the CD-Rom format from the CIA was an intentional effort to make access and sharing of the documents difficult.

The CIA has made it INCREDIBLY difficult to use their records in a reasonable manner, Greenewald told Motherboard. They offer a format that is very outdated (multi page .tif) and offer text file outputs, largely unusable, that I think they intend to have people use as a search tool. In my opinion, this outdated format makes it very difficult for people to see the documents, and use them, for any research purpose.

In April of 2020, U.S. Department of Defense authorized the release of three previously unclassified videos captured by the Navy of UFOs.

The release of the documents comes ahead of the governments official Unidentified Aerial Phenomena briefing.

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Rank 2 | China | 2020 brand value: $18,764 billion | Fall in brand value: 3.7 percent (Image: Reuters)

China has recorded the biggest daily jump in COVID cases in more than five months, despite four cities in lockdown, increased testing and other measures aimed at preventing another wave of infections in the world's second biggest economy.

Most of the new patients were reported near the capital Beijing, but a province in northeast China also saw a rise in new cases, official data showed on Wednesday, amid a resurgence that has seen more than 28 million people under home quarantine.

The National Health Commission said in a statement that a total of 115 new confirmed cases were reported in the mainland compared with 55 a day earlier. This was the highest daily increase since July 30.

The commission said 107 of the new cases were local infections. Hebei, the province that surrounds Beijing, accounted for 90 of the cases, while northeastern Heilongjiang province reported 16 new cases.

Hebei has put three cities - Shijiazhuang, Xingtai and Langfang - into lockdown as part of the efforts to keep the virus from spreading further, while Beijing city authorities have stepped up screening and prevention measures to prevent another cluster from developing there.

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

Heilongjiang province on Wednesday declared a COVID-19 emergency. The city of Suihua, which borders the provincial capital Harbin, put its 5.2 million people under lockdown.

Most of the cases in Heilongjiang have been found in Wangkui county, under Suihua's jurisdiction, which had already been put into a lockdown earlier this week.

China's state planning agency has said it expects travel during next month's Lunar New Year period to be markedly lower than normal, with a bigger share of people taking cars instead of other forms of transportation. Many provinces have asked migrant workers to refrain from traveling during the break.

The number of new asymptomatic cases, which China does not classify as confirmed cases, fell to 38 from 81 cases a day earlier. Seven of those were reported in Jilin, another northeastern provicne that borders Heilongjiang, underscoring the risk of transmission into differnet parts of the country.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in mainland China now stands at 87,706, while the death toll remained unchanged at 4,634.
A Sharqiya criminal court sentenced on Wednesday two policemen to eight years in prison for beating an auto-rickshaw driver to death in Egypt's Nile Delta.

The case dates back to 2019, when the defendants wrongly arrested the driver of the auto-rickshaw, locally known as a tuk-tuk, and beat him in different parts of his body, according to the prosecutions investigations.

As a result of the beating, the victim's physical and mental condition deteriorated before he suffered from a heart attack that led to his death, according to the prosecution.

The verdict can be appealed.

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WASHINGTON  Democrats declared President Donald Trump an insurrectionist and aspiring tyrant as the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday made him the first president to be impeached twice.

Every Texas Democrat supported impeachment as expected. Even a few Texas Republicans said Trumps conduct may well be impeachable, though they didnt support the effort.

Texans offered some of the harshest condemnation of the president, who is accused of provoking the riot by continuing to deny that he lost the election, and who told his supporters to fight much harder at a rally outside the Capitol as members prepared to certify his loss to President-elect Joe Biden. Five people were killed as Trumps supporters stormed the building.

Donald Trump is the most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office, said U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio, who will serve on the team prosecuting Trump in the Senate. If inciting a deadly insurrection is not enough to get a president impeached, then what is?

The president of the United States is an insurrectionist, said U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Houston Democrat. He led an insurrection against the United States of America.

ERIN SCHAFF, STF / NYT

The historic 232-197 vote sends articles to the Senate, where a trial is unlikely to happen before Biden takes office.

A SOLEMN DUTY: Rep. Joaquin Castro to play key role in Trumps second impeachment

While 10 Republicans joined Democrats in voting to impeach the president  and many more GOP members chastised him  no Texas Republicans crossed party lines.

A few appeared close. U.S. Rep. Chip Roy of Central Texas called Trumps conduct impeachable, but said the articles of impeachment are too flawed to support.

I wish my Democratic colleagues had worked with us to draft better articles, Roy said in an interview on Fox News before the vote.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, a former federal prosecutor whose district stretches from Houston to Austin, said he opposed impeachment with a heavy heart because rushed justice is not the solution to mob violence.

I did not come to this decision lightly, McCaul said. And I truly fear there may be more facts that come to light in the future that will put me on the wrong side of this debate.

Impeachment trial possible, but not certain

The Senate is out until Jan. 19 and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he will not call senators back for an emergency session to hold a trial.

Theres some disagreement among experts about whether a president can be tried after leaving office. But even McConnell has not ruled out voting to convict Trump if Democrats launch a trial as they take control of the chamber after winning the majority a week ago.

I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented, said McConnell.

Few Republicans in the House defended Trumps actions on Wednesday, but they still blasted Democrats obsession with removing the president from office, going so far as to impeach him just days before Bidens inauguration. Republicans criticized the process, which lacked the typical investigations and committee hearings, saying it would set a new precedent.

Impeaching Trump, they warned, would martyr the president to his supporters.

You will have made him even stronger, said U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona.

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Houston in a statement said he couldnt support impeachment because the process lacked a sober review of the facts, even as he said Trump at his rally whipped many of those present into a frenzy that contributed, in part, to the assault on the Capitol resulting in the deaths of several American citizens, including at least one Capitol Hill police officer.

Crenshaw was one of several Texas Republicans who supported Attorney General Ken Paxtons failed lawsuit to overturn election results in four battleground states last month. On Wednesday he said in a statement also signed by Roy that no president should ever, among other things, promote clearly unconstitutional theories that risk the stability of our nation and, in particular, do so to the detriment of the peaceful transition of power.

Democrats, however, called Trump a clear and present danger and said swift action is necessary.

Pelosi invokes JFK in speech

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opened the debate by imploring members to search your souls. She quoted from the speech John F. Kennedy planned to give in Dallas before he was assassinated: We in this country, in this generation, are, by destiny rather than choice, the watchmen on the walls of world freedom.

The words resonate even more now, she said. We here in the House have a sacred obligation to stand for truth, to stand up for the constitution, to stand as guardians of the Republic.

After failing completely in his repeated attempts to intimidate both Republican election officials into committing fraud and Republican-appointed judges into ignoring our Constitution, he made a desperate attempt last week to block the final election count and prevent the peaceful transition of power essential to democracy, said U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a San Antonio Democrat. Today we not only demand accountability for his gross misconduct, but more importantly we declare to the next Trump-like aspiring tyrant: Not in America, we love our democracy too much.

In his first public appearance since the attack, Trump said Tuesday during his visit to South Texas that now is the time for our nation to heal, and its time for peace and calm.

Nevertheless, Tuesday he also called the impeachment proceedings a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of politics and blamed his foes for causing tremendous anger and division.

Which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time, Trump said, later adding: We believe in the rule of law not in violence or rioting.

As the House debated impeachment Wednesday, the White House sent out a new statement from the president: In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Tyler Republican who has gone further than perhaps any other member of the Texas delegation in seeking to overturn the election results, instead turned his attention to Pelosi and Democrats, who he accused of stoking tensions.

This is so dangerous what youre doing, said Gohmert, who had filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the election results. Youre using this as a weapon.

U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, a Houston Democrat, called such assertions by Gohmert and other Republicans gaslighting that is masquerading as debate in this chamber today.

I was in this chamber when the president assembled and unleashed a mob to attack the United States Capitol and the United States Congress, the elected representatives of the people, the moderate Democrat said in an unusually fiery speech on the House floor. By doing so, he incited an insurrection against our representative democracy itself.

ben.wermund@chron.com
Health watchdog says serious concerns remain over running of private mental health hospital in Wrexham

This article is old - Published: Wednesday, Jan 13th, 2021

A health watchdog has said that serious concerns remain over the running of a private mental health hospital in Wrexham.

Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW) has issued a second damning report regarding Ty Grosvenor, which provides care for up to 34 men and women with mental health conditions.

Inspectors paid a surprise visit to the independent hospital in July last year, which resulted in it being flagged as a service of concern after officials found safety risks were not being monitored properly.

A follow up inspection was carried out in October to check whether improvements were being made, with restrictions in place on new admissions.





However, inspectors said there were major issues still to be addressed after their findings were recently made public.

Elysium Healthcare Ltd, which runs the facility, said it accepted their recommendations and had taken on new senior staff to raise standards.

In their report, HIW officials said: Overall we remain not assured that the registered provider had adequate systems and processes in place to ensure patients were receiving effective and safe care.

Following up on actions from our previous visit, we noted Brenig ward had made some improvements in relation to patient care plans and risk assessments.

However, the learning had not filtered to Alwen ward, where we identified similar failings as those we found in July.

Issues regarding care plans found in July 2020 were again identified on this inspection.

Care plans for some patients with identified risks did not have sufficient detail in them to ensure these were being managed appropriately.

Some of the care plan audits reviewed were of a poor quality because they lacked detail.

Since their last visit, the inspectors said staffing numbers had improved at the hospital on Grosvenor Road, which opened in 2018.

But they raised outstanding concerns about a lack of staff meetings and supervision, as well as lapsed staff appraisals.

They added: Following the visit HIW held a service of concern review meeting where it decided, due to the findings of the follow up visit, that a non-compliance notice should be issued and that Ty Grosvenor would remain a service of concern.

In addition, due to the serious concerns identified within this report, a decision was made to issue a notice of decision to impose a condition preventing new admissions at Ty Grosvenor until HIW are satisfied that our concerns have been actioned.

They said they had received assurances since the inspection that appropriate action was being taken but would be monitoring the service closely.

A spokesman for Elysium Healthcare said: The safety and wellbeing of our patients remains our highest priority and we always welcome the scrutiny that comes from our partners at the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales.

We accept the findings of this report and have already implemented a quality improvement action plan.

The work on this has been led by a new senior quality assurance team member. We have also appointed a new hospital director to lead the service going forward.

We will continue to improve the quality of the service on an ongoing basis and ensure it is fully embedded across all of the wards.

By Liam Randall  BBC Local Democracy Reporter
Lynne Adrine is director of the D.C. graduate program and adjunct professor of broadcast and digital journalism at Syracuse Universitys Newhouse School of Public Communications. For 16 years, Adrine worked in a variety of producing roles at ABC News in Washington. She is based in Washington.

I fell in love with the city of Washington at the end of seventh grade. Not just the beauty of its broad avenues and majestic buildings. I fell in love with the energy of the District of Columbia and the sense that this was a place where people could effect change and make things happen.

I discovered a different lens for the power of the possible. Not just from the traditional corridors of power like the White House or the U.S. Capitol; I saw citizens exercise their First Amendment power to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

I joined a class trip to Washington in June 1968. Id just turned 13. The trip originally was scheduled for our April spring break, but the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., and the riots that followed changed our plans.

The school board of my majority-white suburban Cleveland school district chose to reschedule the trip if enough parents were willing to send their children. The District of Columbia was still Chocolate City back then; a population more than 70 percent African American. The numbers shrank, but the trip went forward.

Lynne Adrine is director of the D.C. graduate program and adjunct professor of broadcast and digital journalism at Syracuse Universitys Newhouse School of Public Communications. For 16 years, Adrine worked in a variety of producing roles at ABC News in Washington. She is based in Washington.Photo courtesy of Syracuse University

Washington, D.C., was still reeling in the aftermath of the MLK riots. Our hotel was nowhere near the riot corridor of 14th St., NW. Ironically, it was a Howard Johnsons lodge across the street from the Watergate office complex (before its later fame). That placed us in walking distance from parts of the National Mall, including the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool in front of it. The area on either side of the Reflecting Pool had been taken over by the Poor Peoples March, a group of a few thousand protestors (majority Black), who had created Resurrection City. It was a collection of tents and food stalls and meeting spaces for protestors demanding change in the wake of Kings assassination.

We walked or drove by Resurrection City many times during our visit. The ground around the pool had become a muddy mess. The turf was not designed to support that volume of foot traffic over a sustained amount of time. But the atmosphere was electric. These people took their anger, outrage and sadness at Kings murder and focused it on action.

I took in the Capitol, the White House, the monuments and most importantly, the people and made my own declaration: I want to live here.

First came a few college internships in Washington, including in the congressional office of the late Ohio Rep. Louis Stokes. Stokes was the first Black man elected to Congress from the state of Ohio. He also was a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus. During that summer, I had the opportunity to sit in on Congressional hearings  hearings where members actually listened to expert testimony in order to craft legislation. If I didnt have other responsibilities, I would stay for hours. There is an old text (1973) called The Dance of Legislation. I felt privileged to be a witness.

I have spent almost all of my adult life in Washington, with many hours in the U.S. Capitol: producing coverage of Ronald Reagans inauguration on the west front landing; interviewing numerous elected officials; covering hearings and news conferences.

No matter the issue, I always felt a thrill to be in the room where it happened, even as congressional hearings became more performance and theater, rather than forums for fact-finding and crafting the best legislative response to address the needs of Americans.

I segued from network news to academia in 2005. The graduate program in broadcast and digital journalism for the Newhouse School at Syracuse brings students to Washington to serve as television reporters for small and medium broadcast newsrooms around the country. Each summer, it has been my privilege to bring my students to the Senate Radio/TV gallery in the U.S. Capitol, across the entrance to the Visitors Gallery above the floor of the Senate Chamber. They get a history lesson on why there is an organization to protect journalists as they perform their First Amendment function. My favorite part: the expressions and awe as the students receive their credentials, which give them access as journalists to all parts of the Capitol complex. It elevates my belief in my profession, and in the process of the U.S. democratic government.

So, this is a very long lead up to why the images of Jan. 6, 2021, devastated me.

During my time living in the Washington area  as a journalist, as a resident, as a parent and everyday citizen  Ive watched how the peoples access to their government has become more and more restricted. When I first moved to Washington, motorists could drive cars up to the East Front of the Capitol, facing the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. The section of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was opened to vehicular traffic.

That seems to very long ago: before a light plane landed inside the White House barriers when Bill Clinton was president. Before the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The events of Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, most assuredly will lead to tightened restrictions on access to the Capitol. The peoples right to petition their government grows ever more narrow. High-paid lobbyists will be able to make their case for their clients, but other voters will be locked out.

I know exactly how we got to this place. I cannot forgive what has happened to my adopted city. But I pray that these events might eventually lead us to a different, better path.
Tonya Hughes, 48, needed to stop working so she could take care of her son and help him with virtual school. (Photo: Courtesy Tonya Hughes)

Tonya Hughes, a single mother in Rockville, Maryland, and a longtime substitute teacher, hasnt worked since March 13, when her state first announced shutdowns because of the coronavirus.

Previously, shed worked for 10 years as a substitute, making about $18 an hour. Now, like so many women around the country, Hughes is at home with her son, a second grader with a learning disability who needs help with virtual school.

The 48-year-old could go back to work, remotely, and teach over Zoom. But she cant juggle supporting her sons school day while running a classroom full of other kids at the same time, she said. Do I take my son out of school so I can get my work done? she asked, rhetorically.



Maybe she could get another job, outside the home after school, if she had child care. But Hughes is a single mother with no one to fall back on if she contracts COVID-19. If I get sick, if anything happens to me, forget it. Whos going to take care of my child? she asked. For now, the two of them are at home  only leaving to take the bus to the grocery store or walk over to the school, which provides free grab n go lunches.

Faced with shaky job prospects across so many industries and often with children home for virtual school, many women have simply given up on the idea of working. All told, 2.1 million women have left the workforce since this pandemic started, compared to nearly 1.7 million men.

In December, as coronavirus cases surged in the U.S., that dynamic got worse, according to data released by the Labor Department last Friday. All of the 140,000 jobs lost in December were held by women, according to the new data. Meanwhile, American men gained 16,000 jobs that same month.

And though the pandemic has hurt all women, women of color are bearing the brunt of the pain.The December job loss was definitely concentrated among Black and Hispanic women. No question, said Heidi Shierholz, an economist and director of policy at the Economic Policy Institute. For white women, its a total disaster, but thats dwarfed by whats happening in other demographic groups.

Do I take my son out of school so I can get my work done?Tonya Hughes, 48

The unemployment rate for women overall, 6.3%, is twice as high as it was before the pandemic started. The unemployment rate is 8.45% for Black women and 9.1% for Latina women, according to Fridays report.

In December, 154,000 Black women left the labor force entirely. Thats the largest drop in their employment since the beginning of the pandemic, the National Womens Law Center pointed out in a data brief released Friday. Meanwhile, 200,000 white women actually returned to the workforce.

Women have been leaving the workforce throughout the pandemic, though. Most notably, in September, 863,000 were forced out. But at the time, the majority of those workers were white women.

Now it seems to be Black womens turn. What happened is concerning, said Jasmine Tucker, director of research at the National Womens Law Center. The reasons for the mass exodus arent necessarily as obvious as in September when back-to-school caused a seismic shift for working women, she said.

But there are a few things going on: Because of systemic racism, Black and Hispanic women are concentrated in different occupations than white women, Shierholz explained. And those occupations are the ones that got hit harder by shutdown measures  the restaurant industry, for example.

Those were the industries hit in December, she said, in a smaller-scale version of what the economy experienced last spring. An uptick in COVID-19 cases spurred job loss and an economic slowdown. In December, 500,000 jobs vanished in the leisure and hospitality sector alone.

Meanwhile, the pandemic has caused a huge uptick in unpaid work. Mothers are now homeschool teachers, just like Hughes. And with COVID-19 rates disproportionately higher for Black Americans, it stands to reason that the burden of caregiving also falls hardest on their shoulders.

Hoping For Christmas, Part 2

I had to explain Santa was delayed because of COVID and the weather, Tonya Hughes said of not being able to provide Christmas presents to her 8-year-old son this year. (Photo: Courtesy Tonya Hughes)

Without a steady income stream, Hughes has been getting by on a mix of resources, including federal food stamp benefits and a local food bank when things get really tight. In the spring, there were stimulus checks and beefed-up unemployment benefits. Those ran out long ago, however. Hughes, who is a member of the activist group Center for Popular Democracy, has been advocating for an extension for months.

The group has provided her with some support, too. It helps to have people she can just talk to right now, she said.

This past Christmas, Hughes wasnt able to give her 8-year-old son any gifts under the tree. I had to explain Santa was delayed because of COVID and the weather, she said, explaining that it was rainy on Christmas Eve.

That was fine with him until he had to log back on for school and wasnt sure what to tell his classmates about the holiday, she said.

Hughes did get a little bit of money from a member of her activist group, so she and her son took the bus to CVS to buy a few treats for themselves, like new gloves, a toy piano you can play with your feet and Santa hats for him and her 18-year-old daughter who lives nearby.

She is now waiting on another stimulus check. Congress authorized $300 payments at the end of the year, and Hughes is hoping she gets one soon. On Monday, Marylands governor announced an aid package that would provide stimulus payments of $750 for families.

Hughes was pretty excited. She plans on buying extra groceries and stuff for her house; the money would also mean she could Uber to doctor appointments instead of taking the bus.

And there would also be some cash for a Christmas 2, she said.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
Since the earliest microscopes, scientists have been on a quest to build instruments with finer and finer resolution to image a cell's proteins - the tiny machines that keep cells, and us, running. But to succeed, they need to overcome the diffraction limit, a fundamental property of light that long prevented optical microscopes from bringing into focus anything smaller than half the wavelength of visible light (around 200 nanometers or billionths of a meter) - far too big to explore many of the inner-workings of a cell.

For over a century, scientists have experimented with different approaches - from intensive calculations to special lasers and microscopes - to resolve cellular features at ever smaller scales. And in 2014, scientists were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in super-resolution optical microscopy, a groundbreaking technique that bypasses the diffraction limit by harnessing special fluorescent molecules, unusually shaped laser beams, or sophisticated computation to visualize images at the nanoscale.

Now, as reported in a cover article in the journal Nature, a team of researchers co-led by the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (Columbia Engineering) has developed a new class of crystalline material called avalanching nanoparticles (ANPs) that, when used as a microscopic probe, overcomes the diffraction limit without heavy computation or a super-resolution microscope.

The researchers say that the ANPs will advance high-resolution, real-time bio-imaging of a cell's organelles and proteins, as well as the development of ultrasensitive optical sensors and neuromorphic computing that mimics the neural structure of the human brain, among other applications.

"These nanoparticles make every simple scanning confocal microscope into a real-time superresolution microscope, but what they do isn't exactly superresolution. They actually make the diffraction limit much lower," but without the process-heavy computation of previous techniques, said co-author Bruce Cohen, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry and Molecular Biophysics & Integrated Bioimaging Division. Scanning confocal microscopy is a technique that produces a magnified image of a specimen, pixel by pixel, by scanning a focused laser across a sample.

A surprise discovery

The photon avalanching nanoparticles described in the current study are about 25 nanometers in diameter. The core contains a nanocrystal doped with the lanthanide metal thulium, which absorbs and emits light. An insulating shell ensures that the part of the nanoparticle that's absorbing and emitting light is far from the surface and doesn't lose its energy to its surroundings, making it more efficient, explained co-author Emory Chan, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry.

A defining characteristic of photon avalanching is its extreme nonlinearity. This means that each doubling of the laser intensity shone to excite a microscopic material more than doubles the material's intensity of emitted light. To achieve photon avalanching, each doubling of the exciting laser intensity increases the intensity of emitted light by 30,000-fold.

But to the researchers' delight, the ANPs described in the current study met each doubling of exciting laser intensity with an increase of emitted light by nearly 80-million-fold. In the world of optical microscopy, that is a dazzling degree of nonlinear emission. And since the study's publication, "we actually have some better ones now," Cohen added.

The researchers might not have considered thulium's potential for photon avalanching if it weren't for Chan's study in 2016, which calculated the light-emitting properties of hundreds of combinations of lanthanide dopants when stimulated by 1,064-nanometer near-infrared light. "Surprisingly, thulium-doped nanoparticles were predicted to emit the most light, even though conventional wisdom said that they should be completely dark," noted Chan.

According to the researchers' models, the only way that thulium could be emitting light is through a process called energy looping, which is a chain reaction in which a thulium ion that has absorbed light excites neighboring thulium ions into a state that allows them to better absorb and emit light.

Those excited thulium ions, in turn, make other neighboring thulium ions more likely to absorb light. This process repeats in a positive feedback loop until a large number of thulium ions are absorbing and emitting light.

"It's like placing a microphone close to a speaker - the feedback caused by the speaker amplifying its own signal blows up into an obnoxiously loud sound. In our case, we are amplifying the number of thulium ions that can emit light in a highly nonlinear way," Chan explained. When energy looping is extremely efficient, it is called photon avalanching since a few absorbed photons can cascade into the emission of many photons, he added.

At the time of the 2016 study, Chan and colleagues hoped that they might see photon avalanching experimentally, but the researchers weren't able to produce nanoparticles with sufficient nonlinearity to meet the strict criteria for photon avalanching until the current study.

To produce avalanching nanoparticles, the researchers relied on the Molecular Foundry's nanocrystal-making robot WANDA (Workstation for Automated Nanomaterial Discovery and Analysis) to fabricate many different batches of nanocrystals doped with different amounts of thulium and coated with insulating shells. "One of the ways we were able to achieve such great photon-avalanching performance with our thulium nanoparticles was by coating them with very thick, nanometer-scale shells," said Chan, who co-developed WANDA in 2010.

Growing the shells is an exacting process that can take up to 12 hours, he explained. Automating the process with WANDA allowed the researchers to perform other tasks while ensuring a uniformity of thickness and composition among the shells, and to fine-tune the material's response to light and resolution power.

Harnessing an avalanche at the nanoscale

Scanning confocal microscopy experiments led by co-author P. James Schuck, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia Engineering who was a senior scientist in Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry, showed that nanoparticles doped with moderately high concentrations of thulium exhibited nonlinear responses greater than expected for photon avalanching, making these nanoparticles one of the most nonlinear nanomaterials known to exist.

Changhwan Lee, a graduate student in Schuck's lab, performed a battery of optical measurements and calculations to confirm that the nanoparticles met the strict criteria for photon avalanching. This work is the first time all the criteria for photon avalanching have been met in a single nanometer-sized particle.

The extreme nonlinearity of the avalanching nanoparticles allowed Schuck and Lee to excite and image single nanoparticles spaced closer than 70 nanometers apart. In conventional "linear" light microscopy, many nanoparticles are excited by the laser beam, which has a diameter of greater than 500 nanometers, making the nanoparticles appear as one large spot of light.

The authors' technique - called photon avalanche single-beam super-resolution imaging (PASSI) - takes advantage of the fact that a focused laser beam spot is more intense in its center than on its edges, Chan said. Since the emission of the ANPs steeply increases with laser intensity, only the particles in the 70-nanometer center of the laser beam emit appreciable amounts of light, leading to the exquisite resolution of PASSI.

The current study, the researchers say, immediately opens new applications in ultrasensitive infrared photon detection and conversion of near-infrared light into higher energies for super-resolution imaging with commercially available scanning confocal optical microscopes, and improved resolution in state-of-the-art super-resolution optical microscopes.

"That's amazing. Usually in optical science, you have to use really intense light to get a large nonlinear effect - and that's no good for bioimaging because you're cooking your cells with that power of light," said Schuck, who has continued his collaborative research at the Molecular Foundry as a user. "But with these thulium-doped nanoparticles, we've shown that they don't require that much input intensity to get a resolution that's less than 70 nanometers. Normally, with a scanning confocal microscope, you'd get 300 nanometers. That's a pretty good improvement, and we'll take it, especially since you're getting super-resolution images essentially for free."

Now that they have successfully lowered the diffraction limit with their photon avalanching nanoparticles, the researchers would like to experiment with new formulations of the material to image living systems, or detect changes in temperature across a cell's organelle and protein complex.

"Observing such highly nonlinear phenomena in nanoparticles is exciting because nonlinear processes are thought to pattern structures like stripes in animals and to produce periodic, clocklike behavior," Chan noted. "Nanoscale nonlinear processes could be used to make tiny analog-to-digital converters, which may be useful for light-based computer chips, or they could be used to concentrate dim, uniform light into concentrated pulses."

"These are such unusual materials, and they're brand new. We hope that people will want to try them with different microscopes and different samples, because the great thing about basic science discoveries is that you can take an unexpected result and see your colleagues run with it in exciting new directions," Cohen said.

###

Chan, Cohen, and Schuck co-led the study along with Artur Bednarkiewicz of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and Yung Doug Suh of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) and Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), South Korea. Their co-authors include Changhwan Lee (lead author), Emma Xu, and Kaiyuan Yao of Columbia Engineering; Yaiwei Liu (Chinese Academy of Sciences), Ayelet Teitelboim, and Angel Fernandez-Bravo of Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry; Agata Kotulska of the Polish Academy of Sciences; and Sang Hwan Nam of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology.

The Molecular Foundry is a DOE Office of Science user facility at Berkeley Lab.

This research was supported in part by the DOE Office of Science, including funding from Programmable Quantum Materials, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest scientific challenges are best addressed by teams, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and its scientists have been recognized with 14 Nobel Prizes. Today, Berkeley Lab researchers develop sustainable energy and environmental solutions, create useful new materials, advance the frontiers of computing, and probe the mysteries of life, matter, and the universe. Scientists from around the world rely on the Lab's facilities for their own discovery science. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory, managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.

DOE's 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. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
Portlands period of heavy rain, strong winds and flooding will ease Wednesday as cooler air moves in clouds clear.

The National Weather Service has not released its rainfall total information as of 6 a.m., but unofficial sources show several inches of rain fell in the last 48 hours in the metro area. This heavy rain coupled with high winds has caused flooded roadways, slides and downed trees and powerlines, including the closure of Interstate 84 eastbound east of Troutdale.

A cold front pushing into northwest Oregon will lower snow levels and lower rainfall amounts. Portland is likely to have morning showers followed by some clearing in the afternoon. We may even see the sun. Highs will be near 56 degrees.

The weather service reports some local rivers rose above flood stage, and some are still rising. Most rivers should crest by the afternoon and then recede.

630am Update: Several rivers remain above flood stage this morning. Orange, red, or purple dots indicate rivers currently at or above flood stage. For more info, check out https://t.co/3SFImIfeTg or the NW River Forecast Center at https://t.co/3q4g8ajcr3. pic.twitter.com/qnIiRPzxvY  NWS Portland (@NWSPortland) January 13, 2021

High pressure will build into the area for a dry day Thursday. Fog is likely in the early morning, followed by mostly sunny skies. Highs will be near 53.

Another round of fog is expected Friday morning. The next front will also arrive before noon and bring considerable cloudiness and a 50% chance for rain before about 10 a.m. Rain should move off by noon. Highs will be close to 52 degrees.
A London council has been hit by a backlash after renaming a road that honoured the hero of Lucknow Sir Major General Henry Havelock after the founder of Sikhism.

A section of Havelock Road - named after the military leader who has a statue in Trafalgar Square - was officially renamed Guru Nanak Road in Southall, Ealing, on Monday.

The change of the new road sign has sparked a furious row as critics called it 'airbrushing history' and say it is the latest bid to try and erase Britains cultural heritage.

General Havelock led the British army to recapture Cawnpore in India during the siege of Lucknow in 1857.

He won adulation for his violent putdown of the Indian mutineers, who were fighting to retake their homeland from the ruling British East India Company, before he died from dysentery days after the siege ended.

About 50 per cent of the 70,000 people who live in Southall, in Ealing, west London are of Indian heritage, leading the area to be dubbed London's 'Little India'.

A section of Havelock Road - named after Major General Sir Henry Havelock - was rebranded as Guru Nanak Road in Southall, Ealing, on Monday, sparking a row

General Havelock (pictured left) led the British army to recapture Cawnpore, also spelt Kanpur, during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. His name has been replaced on the section of road, which has now been named after the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak (pictured right)

One man called the removal of the General's name a 'scary' 'airbrushing of history' on social media

This user also commented on the Southall Street's renaming in a post on Twitter

The siege of Lucknow: Major General Sir Henry Havelock role in 1857's Indian Mutiny Henry Havelock was a British Major General who won fame during the Indian Mutiny of 1857. His military successes include his recapture of Cawnpore and the retaking of Lucknow before he died of dysentery shortly after the siege. The Indian Mutiny clash was sparked by an uprising of native soldiers against the ruling British East India Company. In 1857, growing tension was inflamed by rumours that Indian soldiers' rifle cartridges were being greased with pig and cow fat, offending Muslims and Hindus alike. The unrest erupted in earnest in May. Delhi soon fell and there were further uprisings elsewhere. In Lucknow, Chief Commissioner Sir Henry Lawrence fortified his home and prepared for a siege. Mutineers attacked the Residency and its 1,700-strong garrison in May and by July Sir Henry was dead. Garrison numbers dwindled until a relief force led by General Havelock fought its way into Lucknow in September. Havelock won adulation for his violent putdown of the Indian mutineers, who were fighting to retake their homeland. He died in the city from exhaustion and dysentery days after the siege ended. His family were awarded the title of 'baron' after his death in recognition of his exploits at the siege of Lucknow. The Residency was evacuated in November but was recaptured in March the following year and the uprising was crushed soon after. The East India Company was subsequently abolished and the government of India transferred to the Crown. Advertisement

But others applauded the removal of Major Havelock's name, claiming he was a 'oppressor' and 'colonial murderer'.

General Havelock led the British army to recapture Cawnpore, also spelt Kanpur, during the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

During the clash native soldiers fighting to retake their homeland were crushed by troops under British control.

Many Sikh soldiers also fought under General Havelock.

Ealing Council announced its decision to change the road name in July to instead honour Guru Nanak.

The move was announced last year by Councillor Julian Bell, the leader of Ealing Council, who said the move was a bid to move away from 'a frozen past'.

He said at the time: 'We need to make sure that our public realm, our statues, road names and buildings reflect our diversity, and not a frozen past where colonialism, racism and the slave trade were present and celebrated.'

The part of Havelock Road that has been renamed includes the Guwara - a Sikh place of worship - called Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall.

It is the largest Gurdwara organisation outside of India.

Some Sikhs living in the area expressed alarm that the road should be named after Guru Nanak.

Sabi Dhillon appeared to oppose the changes, writing: 'I have never come across any Jesus Christ Avenue, so...'

Even the head of the Gurdwara announced it was against changing the name to Guru Nanak, saying it was offensive to the Sikh community.

Davinderpal Singh Kooner, executive member of the Sikh temple, previously urged Cllr Julian Bell to 'immediately stop' the naming of the road.

He highlighted that there were no roads in the UK called 'Jesus Christ Road', and no others called 'Prophet Mohammed Road'.

He said: 'Please stop offending the Sikh community on behest of some misguided councillors.

'I urge you to immediately stop this step and take it back.'

His sentiments were echoed by people this week as the new sign was unveiled.

Another neighbour sarcastically quipped: 'That's it guys, racism/systemic issues within Southall have all been solved. Ealing Council, well done!'

Soldiers under the command of Major General Sir Henry Havelock recaptured the guns at Cawnpore from rebels during the Indian Mutiny of 1857

A statue to Major General Havelock stands in London's Trafalgar Square to mark his actions

The part of Havelock Road that has been renamed (pictured) includes the Guwara - a Sikh place of worship - called Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall

Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall (pictured) is the largest Gurdwara organisation outside of India

London's 'Little India': Why Sikhs flocked to Southall Southall in Ealing, west London is dubbed 'Little India' due to the high number of residents of Indian heritage. They currently account for about 50 per cent of the 70,000 people who live there. Southall also has the largest Punjab population outside of India. Punjabis can be Sikh, Hindu or Muslim, but the majority of Southall settlers happened to be Sikhs. Indians first started settling in Southall in the mid 1950s for work and local authority records show there were around 1,000 Punjabis living in Southall 10 years later. The population was partly boosted by a rubber factory in Hayes. The general manager had served with Sikh soldiers in World War II and hired them as employees, drawing more Indian workers to the area. The 70s brought widespread rioting in Southall as the growing Punjab community in Southall stood up against racism they experienced. At Little Punjabs peak, Punjabis made up almost 70% of Southalls population of 70,000. It remains a popular neighbourhood for Sikhs to this day. Advertisement

While another commented on social media that the road, which they claim is rife with drug dealing, drinkers and prostitution, is unsuitable to be named after the famous guru.

Jagit Singh said: 'This is so stupid. People drink, smoke weed, do drugs, prostitution on that road. What idiot thought that this is a good idea?'

Kam Basra added: 'Can't believe they did this. It is so disrespectful.

'You will get people Sikhs or non Sikhs walking down the road smoking or having a can of beer. It's so wrong.'

Last month, a descendent of General Havelock was trolled online and accused of having 'white guilt' after she endorsed the name change.

Brand strategist Emily McKenzie, 32, said: 'As a descendant of Henry Havelock, this news makes me really happy.

'My ancestor's story will always be part of British history, but his living relatives have a much different view on the world and are very happy to celebrate Sikh influences and culture in the UK.'

On Twitter, Thomas Johnson hit back at her: 'It's being expunged from British history you virtue signalling b***h!'

Ealing Council consulted on the name changing plans with residents, businesses emergency servuces and Royal Mail, and says most neighbours were in favour of the name change.

Its says the decision to renamed was taken in accordance with its 'street naming protocol' which stated changes should 'respect and balance cultural and historical identities, sensitivities, and heritage'.

Critics claim General Havelock - who also has a bust in Trafalgar Square, among other places - is intrinsically linked to colonialism and slavery and his statues have been targetted by vandals.

Labour's Ealing Southall MP Virendra Sharma, who has campaigned for the name change since 1992, last month said: 'This name change is about more than just a sign coming down, Sir Henry Havelock was a colonial oppressor, he ravaged India and her people for personal gain and imperial glory.

The road name change sparked a row between warring sides with some applauding the change

This social media user questioned why Ealing Council thought it was a 'good idea' to change the name

This individual highlighted the religious significance the new name has to Sikhs, and compared it to Christianity in a tongue in cheek way

This user mocked Ealing Council for 'solving racism' and 'systemic issues' within Southall

Some people claimed the road was an inappropriate choice for a rebrand, claiming Guru Nanak would be 'offended'

Another called the rebrand 'stupid' and said the behaviour on that street made it inappropriate to be named after such a significant figure in Sikhism

Last month, a descendent of General Havelock was trolled online and accused of having 'white guilt' after she endorsed the name change

Labour's Ealing Southall MP Virendra Sharma, who has campaigned for the name change since 1992, last month said: 'This name change is about more than just a sign coming down, Sir Henry Havelock was a colonial oppressor, he ravaged India and her people for personal gain and imperial glory

'To have a road named in honour of a colonial murderer in the heart of one of the UK's most diverse areas is an insult.'

Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha SouthallI is the largest Gurdwara organisation in Europq.

It moved to its current location in 1997 and was inaugurated by His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales.
Police at the scene of the explosion near Wattle Bridge in Co Fermanagh in August 2019.

A security alert in Co Fermanagh is continuing after reports a device has been left in the area.

Police on Thursday morning said they were working to establish an exact location of any such device.

No roads have been closed.

Members of the public living in, or travelling through the area have been asked to be vigilant and not to touch any suspicious objects.

Police are asking anyone who notices any suspicious objects not to touch them, but to contact police immediately by calling 999.

On Wednesday night police received reports that "some type of device" had been left in the Wattlebridge Road area of Newtownbutler.

PSNI Inspector Michael Patton said: "I am appealing to members of the public living in, or travelling through the area to be vigilant and not to touch any suspicious objects," he said.

"The safety of the community is of paramount importance, and we are appealing to anyone who notices any suspicious objects not to touch them, but to contact police immediately by calling 999.

Police and army technical officers narrowly escaped injury after responding to a security alert in the Wattlebridge Road area in August 2019.

After responding to initial reports that a device had been left in the area, a hoax device was inspected before a bomb then exploded on the main A3 Cavan Road.

Speaking at the time, then-Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Martin said dissident republicans were behind the attack.

"I am of the firm belief it was a deliberate attempt to lure police and army bomb disposal colleagues into the area to murder them," he said.

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Klete Keller of Club Wolverine takes a breather after his victory in the Men's 800 Meter Freestyle event during the 2005 ConocoPhilllips National Championship at the William J. Woollett Aquatic Center in Irvine, Calif. on Aug. 3, 2005. (Doug Benc/Getty Images)

Olympic Gold-Medal Swimmer Klete Keller Charged in Connection With Capitol Breach

Klete Keller, an Olympic gold medalist swimmer from the University of Southern California, was charged in a U.S. District Court in Washington, court documents show.

According to court documents (pdf), a photograph appeared to show the red and white Olympic patch on a jacket worn by Keller. Officials identified Keller in the group that entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, using video footage, while journalists spoke to more than a dozen people who identified Keller in a video that circulated on Twitter.

Second, Colorado state records and publicly available information list Kellers height at 6 feet, 6 inches tall, and [the individual in the video footage] appears to be one of the tallest individuals in the video depicting individuals in the Rotunda, said a special agent from the FBI in the court documents.

The agent also wrote that it is a crime to willfully and knowingly utter loud, threatening, or abusive language, or engage in disorderly or disruptive conduct, at any place in the Grounds or in any of the Capitol Buildings with the intent to impede, disrupt, or disturb the orderly conduct of a session of Congress.

The U.S. Olympic Committees Sarah Hirshland issued a statement on Tuesday, saying she condemns the group that breached the U.S. Capitol building.

Hirshland did not address claims that Kellers Olympic medals should be taken away. Keller won five medals, including two gold medals.

At home, and around the world, Team USA athletes are held to a very high standard as they represent our country on the field of play and off. What happened in Washington, D.C., was a case where that standard was clearly not met. The people involved attacked the very fabric of the democracy we all proudly represent and, in turn, also let our community down, according to Hirshlands statement.

Its not clear if Keller has a lawyer.

Keller got medals in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Olympics. He swam relay with other swimmers Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, and Peter Vanderkaay during some of the events.

The Colorado real estate company that had employed him for the past three years, Hoff & Leigh, told the New York Times that Keller had resigned.

Hoff & Leigh supports the right of free speech and lawful protest but we cannot condone actions that violate the rule of law, the company said.
[January 13, 2021] Abre Bringing on New CEO to Drive Next Stage of Growth

CINCINNATI, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Abre, the award-winning education management platform, has appointed Cincinnati native James Stoffer as chief executive officer, succeeding founding CEO Damon Ragusa. Abre announces hire of new CEO as the business grows Stoffer has spent his career in edtech, most recently at DreamBox Learning, where he successfully led sales, customer experience, and business operations. Under Stoffer's leadership, DreamBox experienced significant growth and user adoption across the business. Stoffer has also held leadership positions at Hobsons and MasteryConnect. Launched in 2018, Abre experienced rapid adoption and is now experiencing widespread market expansion. The expansion is, in part, due to the company's recent release of Abre Community Engagement - a category-creating solution that connects school and community partners to better serve students. Along with its award-winning learning and school management solutions, Community Engagement is a key add o the product portfolio.



"Abre's product breadth is impressive. Add to that an unequaled user experience that demonstrates a deep understanding of its K-12 customers, and Abre is an edtech offering well-positioned for disruption and growth," stated Stacey Browning, Managing Director at CincyTechUSA and Abre Director. "James's industry knowledge and commercial leadership will broaden Abre's ability to impact student outcomes." Ragusa said Stoffer's experience and track record of success made him a great fit to lead Abre. "My goal was to help launch this business, build the initial team and strategy, and ensure it had the capital to grow," said Ragusa. "The business is moving into another round of significant growth. I made the decision to bring on someone with deep experience in the K-12 software industry who has driven the kind of growth we're expecting. James fits all of the dimensions I was looking for to take Abre forward from here."

"Abre is poised to disrupt the K-12 learning and school management technology space as the balance of buying power for enterprise solutions is shifting even more to key users - teachers, families, and community partners," said Stoffer. "Given the strength of Abre's current client partnerships and the mounting product awards by industry experts like SIIA CODiE Awards and EdTech Breakthrough Awards, this is such an exciting time for the company, and I'm thrilled to be joining the team." Stoffer is motivated by what he sees as the ever-increasing technology scene in his hometown. "Knowing that I can contribute to the digital technology industry in Cincinnati is the icing on the cake for me," he said. About Abre

Abre.io provides a leading education management platform that delivers software solutions designed to be easily adopted and used by everyone in the learning community. Administrators and teachers can spend more time focusing on student growth and less time on navigating multiple software platforms. Families and community partners increase their engagement with schools through easy access to the information they need most. https://abre.io/ View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abre-bringing-on-new-ceo-to-drive-next-stage-of-growth-301207642.html SOURCE Abre.io Inc.

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Three flights carrying COVID-19 vaccines from Pune and Hyderabad landed at the on Wednesday, its spokesperson said.

"An Air India plane from Hyderabad arrived at 8.40 am with three boxes for Kurukshetra. A Vistara plane from Hyderabad arrived at around 10.30 am with three boxes for Delhi," the spokesperson noted.

A SpiceJet flight from Pune arrived at 10.40 am with 12 boxes for Bareilly, 13 boxes for Meerut and nine boxes for Agra.

India started movement of vaccines on Tuesday. The vaccination drive across the country will begin on Saturday.

The Delhi airport's spokesperson said an IndiGo flight is scheduled to come to Delhi from Mumbai with three boxes of vaccines in transit to Dimapur and a Vistara flight from Hyderabad with three boxes in transit to Lucknow will arrive on Thursday.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

[January 12, 2021] SnackVideo Kickstarts Its First Creator Academy in Pakistan with Inaugural Content Creators

ISLAMABAD, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- SnackVideo, launched its first Creator Academy in Pakistan to help ordinary people become the next top-tier KOL. More than 20 top KOLs signed with SnackVideo to be mentors at its Creator Academy. SnackVideo is a popular short video application in Pakistan, despite having launched only 1 month ago. Creators like Jannat Mirza, Alishbah Anjum, Hoor Mahaveera, Areeka haq, Sehar Hayyat, Nadeem Mubarak, Phoollu, etc. have joined SnackVideo and published fascinating videos that promote diversity. SnackVideo is organising a new campaign to find prospective creators like them in Pakistan. Winners in the campaign will get the chance to split PKR 1,000,000 in prizes. SnackVideo users can now go to the app and participate the #SnackActingStar campaign to win up to PKR 300,000. More than that, the top 10 users can get the chance to become signed creators at SnackVideo.The #SnackActingStar campaign ends on February 3.





Step-by-step guide to split PKR 1,000,000 reward Step 1 Download SnackVideo and create an account. Step 2 Shoot a video with a theme you like, for example, comedy, relationship story, social responsibility, etc. Step 3 Publish the video on SnackVideo with the hashtag #SnackActingStar. Creators like Phoolllu can make a difference in their lives through making videos. Phoolllu changed his life through a 15 seconds video. He said in an interview that "I joined SnackVideo because I think I can make good content to make people happy." Other signed KOLs said that they would create more original videos, and maintain a positive attitude to attract more followers. Aiman Zaman said, "As a content creator, I think about doing something different which attracts people towards me, with a positive attitude. When someone reaches a top-level, he needs to maintain a positive attitude, then everyone loves him." In the SnackVideo Creator Academy, users will get to understand and practice the best practices of the industry. They will be taught by formal and current KOLs, and supported in their careers. For many users in Pakistan, this can represent a positive change in their lives and enable them to support their families and communities. media_enquiries@snackvideo.com SOURCE SnackVideo

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Secondly, they also want to encourage the incoming President, Joe Biden, to stay engaged in the Indo-Pacific and send a message to regional allies that there will be a strong degree of policy continuity.

Although this has been the most bitter and unusual transition in history, the one area where there has been dialogue between the Trump administration and the Biden camp is on national security. These Trump officials clearly hope the release of such a document will provide cover for the Biden administration to continue with the strategy.

It is notable how instrumental Australia was in the US devising this strategy. The Turnbull government's banning of Chinese vendors in the rollout of 5G and introduction of legislation to counter foreign interference were a major impetus. The Americans also took note of a report written by then-senior adviser John Garnaut on China's intelligence and interference operations in Australia.

While the strategy aims to maintain US "diplomatic, economic, and military preeminence" in the region, it calls for the US to "align our Indo-Pacific strategy with those of Australia, India and Japan".

Where Trump was most successful in following this strategy was the forging of deeper relationships with Australia, India and Japan and the reformation of the Quad alliance. This is where Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison, Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi deserve a significant amount of credit.
Acquisition

Dunne: Schedule consolidation is paying off

The departing head of the General Services Administration's Federal Acquisition Service counts the significant progress her team has made on the agency's Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) consolidation and deepening its Federal Marketplace Strategy, as two of the services' top accomplishments in the last year.

"MAS consolidation is probably one of the most significant reforms for that program in 30 years," said Julie Dunne, FAS commissioner. The program is in its final stretch.

Dunne said in a Jan. 11 interview with FCW that in the last year, the MAS consolidation has helped spur sales even as the pandemic forced dramatic changes in workspace and agency needs. According to Dunne the consolidation increased sales from $32 billion in fiscal 2019 to $36 billion in fiscal 2020.

Dunne, who has worked in other senior GSA roles and on Capitol Hill, said she will leave GSA on Jan. 20 as the Biden administration takes over. She said she is still considering options for her next job.

"This job has been incredible. When I took this job in 2019, who thought we'd be managing through a global pandemic."

MAS consolidation entered its third and final stage in August. The consolidation process began in October, 2018, as the agency sought to consolidate 24 contract schedules into a single, simplified format, with streamlined terms and conditions, and new categories and Special Item Numbers. The final phase has vendors hammering their multiple contracts into a single unique contract identifier, which will allow federal customers to more easily find and use them, according to Dunne.

Catalog management

Keeping that process going is an important job for the next FAS commissioner, said Dunne, as well as moving ahead with the agency's catalog management effort.

Along with the MAS consolidation progress in the last year, Dunne said FAS has also been pushing ahead with its catalog management work that will help it get a better handle on contract data, allowing the agency to further hone its offerings.

FAS issued a contract for the Authoritative Catalog Repository (ACR) this past summer, said Dunne. The ACR, a scalable cloud-based master repository for all catalog data, will give users better accessibility to that data, she said.

"We're moving ahead this year on the front end-- the Common Catalog Platform," said Dunne. The platform will provide a web-based common user interface for GSA workers and MAS contractors to manage catalog offerings. The agency issued a request for information for the platform in November.

Additionally, Dunne said the Verified Products Portal, which will provide an authoritative source of standardized manufacturer names, part numbers, and specifications, was begun this past summer. The first phase is planned to be up and running in the coming months.

Another important effort in the last year, said Dunne, has been supply chain risk management. "That's becoming more important. We're focused on seeing how we can integrate that into the acquisition process."

GSA is increasingly incorporating requirements of the Defense Department's Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) into big contract vehicles. Dunne said the supply chain risk mitigation efforts are increasingly important moving ahead, particularly in light of the SolarWinds hack.

About the Author Mark Rockwell is a senior staff writer at FCW, whose beat focuses on acquisition, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy. Before joining FCW, Rockwell was Washington correspondent for Government Security News, where he covered all aspects of homeland security from IT to detection dogs and border security. Over the last 25 years in Washington as a reporter, editor and correspondent, he has covered an increasingly wide array of high-tech issues for publications like Communications Week, Internet Week, Fiber Optics News, tele.com magazine and Wireless Week. Rockwell received a Jesse H. Neal Award for his work covering telecommunications issues, and is a graduate of James Madison University. Click here for previous articles by Rockwell. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @MRockwell4.



"Supply chain security is something our customers want and need," she said. "With CMMC, there's a potential to use it at the ordering level" instead of at the master contract level, she said. "We're trying to initiate processes and understand what the threats are and how to deliver the best acquisition solution," she said.
International border closures have provided a small silver lining for the COVID-hit Queensland budget, with grounded politicians set to save taxpayers thousands of dollars.

Palaszczuk government ministers spent $269,531 on overseas travel in the 12 months to June 30, 2020, according to a public report of ministerial expenses.

International travel is off the cards, with Queensland ministers also prevented from leaving on trade missions. Credit:Rob Homer

In comparison, ministers spent $534,226 on overseas trips the previous year.

The Australian government banned citizens from leaving the country on March 20, 2020, with Queensland government ministers no exception.
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Thousands of healthcare workers could get vaccinated by next month. According to Vaccine Czar Carlito Galvez Jr., they will be the first to receive the Chinese Sinovac vaccine. But so far the vaccination plan is receiving mixed reactions from the public.
[January 13, 2021] Confirmit Names Noel Hamill as New CMO

NEW YORK and OSLO, Norway and LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Confirmit has today announced the appointment of Noel Hamill as Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for all aspects of the company's marketing strategy globally. Confirmit, who was last year acquired by private equity firm Verdane, recently announced its intention to merge with leading customer insights provider, FocusVision. The merger is conditioned on receipt of regulatory approvals. Hamill said: "I am delighted to be joining Confirmit at such a pivotal moment in its evolution. The planned merger with FocusVision will create a world class partner for research and insights professionals, and I am looking forward to helping to drive that vision forward. I am passionate about leading marketing teams through periods of change and high growth, and I'm excited about taking that journey with this team."



Hamill joins the business from Prevayl, a health tech company, where he led the marketing operation through its start up phase. Prior to that he was CMO at Ladbrokes Coral where he was responsible for brand development and strategy, social media, Voice of the Customer, CRM, PR and events. Kyle Ferguson, CEO at Confirmit said: "We are thrilled to welcome Noel to the team at this incredibly exciting time for our business. His proven expertise and experience will help us to define our position in the market, identify new opportunities to better serve our customers, and ensure that we are able to help researchers turn insights into stories that fuel action. Ultimately, he will help us drive global business growth."

The merger between Confirmit and FocusVision is conditioned on receipt of regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. About Confirmit Confirmit's solutions are built by insights professionals, for insights professionals. Market Research, customer experience and employee engagement consultants around the world rely on our solutions to turn insight into stories that fuel action. The heart of our business is the people behind our technology, and we work as a partner to deliver the flexibility and power you need to understand and manage experiences, emotions, and behaviors so you're always one step ahead. To find out more about us, visit www.confirmit.com Media Contact:

Sara Beth Fahey

Matter Communications

confirmit@matternow.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/confirmit-names-noel-hamill-as-new-cmo-301206922.html SOURCE Confirmit

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Ahead of Wednesday's voting in the House of Representatives to impeach President Donald Trump on charges of inciting his supporters to attack the US Capitol, cracks appeared in the Republican Party as three of its lawmakers announced their decision to vote in favour of the motion.

Congresswoman Liz Cheney, the third-most powerful Republican lawmaker in the House of Representatives, was the first GOP House leader to announce that she will vote to impeach Trump. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. I will vote to impeach the President," Cheney said.

"The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not," she said.

Cheney was soon followed by Congressmen Adam Kinzinger and John Katko. "There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection. He used his position in the Executive to attack the Legislative," Kinzinger said.

"I will vote in favour of impeachment," he said. To allow the President of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of democracy in the country, Katko said.

"For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this President," he said. The Democratic Party has 222 members in the 435-seat House of Representatives. The Republican Party has 211 seats, with two vacancies.

The impeachment legislation moved by the Democratic Party requires simple majority in the House. US media reported that the number of Republican lawmakers to vote in favour of impeaching Trump could be a few dozens. Co-authored by Congressmen Jamie Raskin, David Cicilline and Ted Lieu, the article of impeachment -- co-sponsored by 211 House members -- was tabled on Monday.

The article of impeachment charges Trump with a count of "incitement of insurrection" for his actions on January 6, when he delivered a speech, inciting his supporters to lay siege to the Capitol, an action that temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes and resulted in the death of five individuals, including an officer of the US Capitol Police.

Several Republican lawmakers, at the same time, spoke against the impeachment. Congressman Steven Palazzo said the Democrats were moving ahead with a destined-to-fail article of impeachment, dividing the nation further. "I earnestly believe this is the most inappropriate course of action at this time and will be voting against this partisan maneuver," he said.

"It is abundantly clear that America is experiencing a time of uncertainty and turmoil, and we do not need to add more fuel to an already burning fire. President-elect Biden will be sworn into office in a mere eight days and, as President Trump promised, there will be a peaceful transition of power on January 20," Palazzo said, announcing that he will be voting against the impeachment.

Congressman Ben Cline said the attempts to impeach the President in his final eight days in office will only further fuel the political divide among the citizens and will be detrimental to long-term efforts to unify the country.

"Both President Trump and President-Elect Biden have called for a peaceful transition of power, so I would urge Speaker Pelosi to reconsider pursuing articles of impeachment. Now is a time to get back to work on addressing the issues most important to the American people," Cline said.

Congressman Tom Tiffany said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's decision to move forward with another partisan effort to remove the President from office with just days remaining in his term is unnecessary.

"The House heard, debated and rejected constitutionally authorized challenges to the electoral college last week just as it did after the 2000, 2004 and 2016 elections when Democratic lawmakers lodged objections using the same framework in response to the concerns of their constituents. That is how our system of government works. Inflaming an already volatile situation, as this rushed and irresponsible 're-impeachment' push promises to, is exactly the wrong approach," he said.

"Unity can only be achieved by focusing on where we find common ground instead of drawing new battle lines. Sadly, the efforts to impeach a President with only a week remaining in his term will only tear us further apart," Congressman Mark Green said.

Also read: US Capitol protests: YouTube suspends Donald Trump's channel for a week citing policy violation
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 21:08:20|Editor: huaxia

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File photo shows Kelly Craft (front) , U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, addressing a Security Council meeting, at the UN headquarters in New York, Sept. 16, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

The abrupt decision was reportedly part of a wider cancellation of all travel by the U.S. State Department this week following the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump's supporters as lawmakers met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft's planned visit to China's Taiwan was cancelled on Tuesday, multiple media reported, citing a State Department statement released Tuesday.

Craft's scheduled visit to Taiwan from Wednesday to Friday, announced earlier in a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has drawn strong opposition from Beijing.

"The United States will not succeed in its attempt to harm China's core interests through political manipulation on the Taiwan question," said the spokesperson of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations. "We wish to remind the United States that whoever plays with fire will burn himself."

Photo taken on April 4, 2018 shows the entrance to the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Li He)

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing last week that Pompeo's statement seriously violated the basic norms of international relations, interfered with China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty, and violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and that China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it.

Michael Swaine, director of East Asia program at Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, called Pompeo's recent moves on Taiwan "dangerous and reckless."

"They threaten to destroy the foundation of normalized relations with the People's Republic of China, thereby greatly increasing the chances of conflict with Beijing," the renowned China expert warned in an article.

The abrupt decision was reportedly part of a wider cancellation of all travel by the U.S. State Department this week following the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump's supporters as lawmakers met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pompeo said that all travel this week had been canceled, including his final trip abroad to Europe, citing transition to the incoming Biden administration.

Meanwhile, multiple reports said that the cancellation was due to declination from European officials to meet with the outgoing top U.S. diplomat.

According to media reports, Pompeo originally planned to visit Luxembourg and Belgium. Reuters said that officials in Luxembourg "showed reluctance to grant him appointments," and Pompeo's stop in Brussels would not involve any meeting with the European Union or any public events at NATO.

CNN later confirmed that officials in Luxembourg cancelled planned meetings with Pompeo, citing sources from the State Department. 
A strange shark was found recently by scientists in the deep sea off the coast of Taiwan. The scientists pulled four of the viper dogfish sharks known as Trigonognathus kabeyai during a fish survey. Three out of the four died instantly after capture, but one survived for about 24 hours after which it died too.

Description of The Viper Dog Fish Sharks (Trigonognathus kabeyai)

Trigonognathus kabeyai is a strange-looking shark with a distinctive glowing belly, creepy, glass-like eyes, ink-black with gnarly, needle-like teeth and a protruding jaw.

The tiny shark has pointed teeth and a glowing underside, it also has slender canine-like teeth that are well spaced. This feature differentiates it from other sharks that have teeth designed to cut and shred. The tiny shark measures between 7 to 21 inches and is benthopelagic, meaning it lives close to the bottom or mid-depths of the ocean. It feeds mainly on bony fish and crustaceans as revealed by a Journal of Ichthyologic Research in a 2003 study.

There have been few sightings of the species so far, but not much information is available about the rare shark. The International Union for Conservation doesn't classify them as endangered either, rather they are listed under the "data-deficient" section.

READ MORE - Featured Species: Viper Dog-Fish

History

Trigonognathus kabeyai wasn't known until 1986 when it was first captured. The researchers initially discovered two at the time, both fished out from the waters of Japan. Since then, elusive shark has only been described by some fishy dossiers.

In the beginning, scientists gave the small shark the name "Trigonognathus". According to the 1990 Japanese Journal of Ichthyology, the name was as a result of the sharks' distinctive triangular jaw shape.

The name was later changed to Trigonognathus Kabaye in honor of Hiromichi Kabeya who was the captain of the bottom trawler used to cast the nets that caught the first species of the strange shark in 1986.

Trigonognathus kabeyai has also been spotted off the coasts of Japan, Taiwan, and Hawaii.

Taiwan News affirmed that foreign media and the locals are astonished by this latest discovery.

According to the journal PLOS ONE, the alien fish might have the ability to move its jaw forwards when it hunts for food, but this has not yet been observed. The fish could protrude its special jaws forward to reach out to crustacean fish and other seafood just like its counterpart Mitsukurina Owston- the deep-sea goblin shark. Another study in 1990 found that the shark has light-producing organs called photophores which is a line found on the underside of its trunk and head.

The Trigonognathus kabeyai is rarely the only shark that has a glowing body. It is a member of the lantern shark family famous for these peculiar capabilities. Other members of the lantern shark family include the ninja sharks, also known as Etmopterus Benchley and Etmopterus lailae.

RELATED ARTICLE - A Truck-Sized Shark Washed Up on a Maine Beach. How Did It Die?

For more news, updates about rare species and similar topics, don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Resentment has erupted within the



state BJP soon after Karnataka Chief Minister announced the list of seven Ministers to be inducted into his 17-month old cabinet on Wednesday.

The ruling party legislators have expressed serious reservations about MLCs not elected by the people being made Ministers, lack of representation to certain regions,with most Ministers still from Bengaluru and Belagavi districts and also on their "seniority or sacrifice" not being considered.

Yediyurappa earlier in the day announced that MLAs Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Nirani, C P Yogeshwar, S Angara, and MLCs MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar will be sworn-in as Ministers, following which several BJP MLAs, who were aspirants, expressed their serious discontent.

Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal,who has been critical of Yediyurappa, accused the Chief Minister of making appointments under blackmail, without considering seniority or honesty.

Alleging that the CM and his family have 'hijacked' the BJP in Karnataka, he also requested the PM to end dynastic from Yediyurappa's family in the state.

"CM is making those who are blackmailing him Ministers. Three people- one political secretary and two Ministers have been blackmailing with some of Yediyurappa's CDs for three months.

One who will become Minister today, along with CD blackmail, was also involved in payment of money to Vijayendra (CM's son)," the former union minister said.

Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura,Yatnal,who had stated that he did not want to become Minister under Yediyurappa, claimed three people who are blackmailing the CM had met him four months ago with a plan to depose Yediyurappa.

"I challenge you (Yediyurappa) ahead of Makara Sankranti that from Uttarayana your (political) end will begin and a new period will start under PM Modi in Karnataka," he said, as he demanded Yediyurappa's resignation following High Court dismissing his petition seeking quashing of FIRs against him in an illegal land denotification case.

His statement comes despite warnings by the BJP leadership against making statements in public on issues relating to the party and leaders.

Also making a reference to blackmail,Ministerial aspirant and MLC A H Vishwanth, who was among MLAs from the Congress- JD(S) coalition to resign in 2019 and switched over to BJP, hit out at Yediyurappa for not keeping his promise.

Demanding to know why Excise Minister H Nagesh was being dropped and RR Nagar MLA Munirathna was not inducted, he said, "it is because of their sacrifice you are CM today...instead, you are making Yogeshwar a Minister, who has fraud and cheating cases against him.

Why are you making him Minister, is he blackmailing you?", he asked.

Honnali MLA and Chief Minister's Political Secretary M P Renukacharya, another ministerial aspirant, has expressed his displeasure, stating that the government was limited to two districts and that the CM and party leaders have to look into it.

"Injustice has happened to Hyderabad Karnataka, central and coastal Karnataka regions.

It (government or cabinet) is limited to Bengaluru and Belagavi....I'm upset, to whom should I tell this," he told reporters, adding that he has never lobbied for a Ministerial post and cannot set aside his self-respect.

Considered a Yediyurappa loyalist, Renukacharya, who met party General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Kumar on his arrival at the airport today, also expressed reservations about five MLCs in the cabinet.

"We have been elected by the people (As MLAs), what's the use?"



Six time MLA G H Thippareddy, who represents Chitradurga constituency and has been sulking for some time now said he feels "let down" after being in for five decades and as legislator for 30 years, as he did not get an opportunity to serve the people as Minister.

Expressing surprise over MLC Yogeshwar being named as Minister, he said more than half the Ministers in the cabinet are either from Bengaluru or Belagavi and that some who worked against the interest of the party during elections have also been made ministers.

With the induction of Limbavali, Yediyurappas Cabinet will now have eight ministers representing Bengaluru, followed by Belgavi five, with the induction of Katti.

Bommanahalli MLA M Satish Reddy asked what yardstick Yediyurappa had adopted in selection of Ministers and said the absence of late Union Minister Ananthkumar, "who had an ear for our woes - is very clear."



"...you (Yediurappa), state and central leaders can't see honest young workers?" he questioned.

Senior MLA from Krishnaraja constituency S A Ramadass said he has been serving the party for 28 years.

"Injustice has happened to old Mysuru region. Any other party MLA from the Mysuru could have been made Minister."



From the beginning the cabinet expansion was being seen as a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard to Congress- JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators.

The cabinet currently has 27 members and seven berths are vacant.

With the induction of seven Ministers and dropping of H Nagesh from the Ministry there will be one berth that will be vacant in the state cabinet.

(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.)

Amazon and Indian carrier Airtel have announced a new mobile-only plan for prepaid customers called Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition (PVME). The subscription service starts at INR 89 ($1.22) per single user and offers access to standard definition (SD) content for 28 days with 6GB of mobile data bundled in the subscription. In addition, Amazon is offering a free month trial for PVME.

Announcing the worldwide-first launch of Prime Video Mobile Edition in India!



Mobile-only access to all Amazon Originals, movies and shows. Mobile Edition (ME) will be available starting today for @airtelindia prepaid customers! This is Prime Video built for ME. #PrimeVideoME pic.twitter.com/fKjv46IyZL  amazon prime video IN (@PrimeVideoIN) January 13, 2021

With its aggressive pricing strategies, Amazons goal with the new Prime Video subscriptions is to attract a larger base of Indian customers to its ecosystem which also includes Prime Music, Prime Reading, free in-game content for popular gaming titles as well as unlimited free delivery.

As the second-largest internet market, India is a major playing field for all major subscription service providers. Back in July of 2019, Netflix launched a similar mobile-only plan which starts at INR 199 ($2.72) per month.
Welcome to the January 2021 digital issue of CIO. In these pages, you'll learn how IT leaders can get more business value from analytics and navigate office politics for better collaboration, and how Equifax rebuilding its tech stack entirely on public cloud services. We also take a deep dive into how digital transformation initiatives accelerated during the pandemic as organizations were forced to find new ways to interact with customers, and how top-performing organizations are doubling down on digital transformation, creating new digital products and services to better position themselves for the future.

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Contents

GROW

Transforming analytics into business impact

Getting the most from analytics requires a laser focus on business outcomes. Here, IT leaders shed light on how they transformed their companys analytics practices into business assets.

LEAD

The CIOs guide to navigating office politics

The CIO role is rapidly changing. So too are the politics IT leaders encounter when collaborating on digital initiatives. Heres how to keep IT on task and above the fray.

COVER STORY

Accelerating digital transformation in the wake of covid-19

The pandemic has put the need for digital advancement in the spotlightand CIOs have responded by fast-tracking technical and cultural transformations.

VIDEO

CIO Leadership Live

Vipin Gupta, CIO at Toyota Financial Services, joins Maryfran Johnson to discuss reimagining IT budgets, accelerating digital transformation, and more.

RUN

Equifax goes all in on the public cloud

The consumer reporting agency's migration to public cloud continues unabated, says CTO Bryson Koehler, who has spent the past two years overhauling IT after a massive data breach rattled the company.

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 03:10:51|Editor: huaxia

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RAMALLAH, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian parliamentary elections are expected to be held in the Palestinian territories before May, a Palestinian official said Wednesday.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will issue decrees in the coming days to set specific dates for holding the parliamentary elections and then the presidential and the Palestinian National Council (PNC) elections, Sabri Seidam, a member of the central committee of Abbas' Fatah party, told Xinhua.

The Palestinian Central Elections Commission (CEC) informed Abbas that it needs at least 120 days to prepare for the elections after the decrees are issued, he said.

Seidam revealed that the Palestinian political factions will convene by the end of January to discuss an agreement on the mechanism for holding the elections as well as the preparations for holding them in the Gaza Strip.

Turkey, Qatar, Russia, and Egypt will monitor the entire process of the general elections held in the Palestinian territories, he noted.

Abbas earlier met with a CEC delegation in Ramallah and agreed that the presidential decrees for setting dates for holding the elections would be issued by Jan. 20.

The last parliamentary elections were held in the Palestinian territories in late 2006 when the Hamas movement, now ruler of Gaza, won a majority. Abbas was elected as the President of the Palestinian Authority in 2005. Enditem
Kolkata, Jan 13: A slum in north Kolkatas Bagbazar area was turned into ashes as a major fire broke out on Wednesday evening, leaving hundreds of people homeless, officials said. Twenty-seven fire tenders took around four hours to control the blaze that broke out around 6.55 pm in the Hazari Bustee on Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue beside the Bagbazar Womens College near the Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, they said.

Consecutive gas cylinder blasts in the shanties further added to the blaze, which soon spread to adjacent buildings, including the heritage Sarada Mayer Bari and a godown of books, officials said There were no reports of any casualty as most of the people were evacuated on time, they said. The entire Hazari Bustee has turned into ashes. The situation is now under control and cooling operations are underway. The entire slum, as well as the neighbouring buildings and residential houses, were evacuated on time," an officer of the Kolkata Police said.

The office of Sarada Mayer Bari, the residence of Sarada Devi  the wife of 19th century Hindu mystic Ramakrishna, was severely damaged in the fire as police rescued four-five monks stuck inside, he said. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but going by the evidence an electrical short circuit is suspected, a fire department official said.

A probe into the mishap will soon be initiated," he said. Electricity supply in the entire area was snapped.

There are at least 40 families whose houses have been gutted in the fire. A godown of books is also gutted," the police officer said. Locals alleged that firefighters reached the spot at least an hour late, because of which the blaze went out of control.

A couple of police vehicles were vandalised, following which a team of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to control the irate mob, the officer said. State urban development minister Firhad Hakim visited the site at night and assured people to rebuild their houses.

The fire is under control. Those who have lost their houses will be provided shelter at nearby community halls and also at the Bagbazar Womens College. We will also provide them with food. From tomorrow morning we will start clearing the place. Once its complete, we will try to build shelters for those who have lost their homes," said Hakim, who is also the chief of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Disaster management teams of the Kolkata Police were also deployed to tackle the blaze that threw traffic out of gear during the evening rush hours.

Traffic movement on the Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue as well as the Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, the lifeline of the people living in the northern fringes of the city, was totally stopped, leading to massive snarls in the north and central Kolkata. A Kolkata Traffic Police officer said that movement vehicles will be allowed in the area only after a clearance from the fire department, and electricity is restored.
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
Zara Holland appeared to be keeping a low-profile as she was pictured for the first time since returning to the UK after breaching Covid rules in Barbados.

The disgraced Love Island star, 25, was seen wearing a mask while sat in a Mercedes in East Yorkshire on Tuesday, after paying a 4,500 fine in the Caribbean for trying to flee the country despite her boyfriend testing positive for Covid.

Holland and her partner Elliot Love, 30, were arrested at the island's airport and faced a jail sentence of up to a year, before both being let off with fines.

The reality TV personality was reunited with her partner, who could be seen filling up the car with petrol, after he returned to the UK this week after paying his own fine and testing negative for Covid.

Low-profile: Zara Holland appeared to be keeping a low-profile as she was pictured for the first time since returning to the UK after breaching Covid rules in Barbados.

The former Miss Great Britain was believed to have returned home without Love last week, when she was seen sat alone before boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight to Manchester at the Grantley Adams International Airport.

Meanwhile, Love was forced to stay in the island's mosquito-ridden Paragon Isolation Centre until he was clear of the virus and had to pay a heavy fine to the country.

Following the offence Love managed to escape jail and received a reduced fine after his lawyer argued he was a 'simple guy', who owned a small demolition company and worked for 450-a week.

Love was fined 1,400 less than his famous girlfriend - despite him being prepared to get on a packed holiday jet while infected with the virus.

Zara was ordered to pay a heftier fine before fleeing the country due to her compliance in the offence, despite not testing positive herself.

Pictured: The disgraced Love Island star, 25, was seen wearing a mask while sat in a Mercedes in East Yorkshire on Wednesday, after paying a 4,500 fine in the Caribbean last week

Stepping out: Holland was reunited with her partner, who could be seen filling up the car with petrol, after he returned to the UK this week after paying his own fine and testing negative for Covid

Avoiding jail: Following the offence Love managed to escape jail and received a reduced fine after his lawyer argued he was a 'simple guy', who owned a small demolition company and worked for 450-a week

The former Miss England jetted back to Britain last week, just hours after she was ordered to pay her fine or go to jail for nine months for breaching the island's tough Covid rules.

One fellow traveller said: 'She was sitting well away from everyone else and trying to keep a very low profile. To say she looked sheepish is an understatement.

'We were shocked to see her because we know her boyfriend is still being detained while he battles Covid. I'm amazed she's left him behind.'

Homeward bound: The former Miss England jetted back to Britain last week, just hours after she was ordered to pay her fine or go to jail for nine months for breaching the island's tough Covid rules

One fellow traveller said: 'She was sitting well away from everyone else and trying to keep a very low profile. To say she looked sheepish is an understatement'

Love had to test negative twice for the virus over the space of five days before he was allowed out of the military base which has been turned into a coronavirus quarantine centre.

Holland, of North Ferriby, East Yorks, could have been jailed for up to a year but the magistrate instead imposed the fine, which many on social media condemned as a let off. The fine was paid immediately by her lawyer meaning she was free to leave.

A guest who had been staying at the luxury Hilton hotel, where Holland holed up after her arrest, spotted the former beauty queen scurrying out of the 350-a-night hotel several hours after she left court.

Andrew Pilgrim QC, Holland's lawyer, told MailOnline today: 'Zara left Barbados last night. The fine has been paid and she was free to go.'

Isolation Love was trapped in the island's mosquito-ridden Paragon Isolation Centre where he will stay until he is totally clear of the potentially fatal virus

A family friend added: 'Zara has gone home. She left last night by plane.'

At court on Wednesday, the shaken TV star had blamed her actions on a 'foolish error' and breathed a sigh of relief when she escaped with a fine of GBP 4,417 [B$12,000].

She had pleaded guilty to leaving the Sugar Bay hotel on December 29 while she was under quarantine.

Chief magistrate Ian Weekes admonished her for breaking the nation's tough rules that have prevented the holiday island being overrun by the virus.

At court on Wednesday, the shaken reality star had blamed her actions on a 'foolish error' and breathed a sigh of relief when she escaped with a fine of GBP 4,417 [B$12,000]. Holland was warned she would be jailed for nine months if she didn't pay within seven days

'We cannot tolerate that you breached the quarantine protocol, he said. 'You had been told to stay at your hotel and you should have done that.'

Mr Pilgrim blamed her 'lapse' on a 'foolish error,' telling the court she had two negative tests and became extremely nervous about her and Love's status in Barbados, which is why she decided to try and leave the island.

Love had already tested positive for Covid when the pair bought return flights to the UK.

Mr Pilgrim told the court Holland was involved in a lot of charity work in the UK, including helping children with cancer, and also helped with transportation for people in need.

He said she had the utmost respect for the people of Barbados and had been holidaying on the island twice a year for the last six years.

She had pleaded guilty to leaving the Sugar Bay hotel on December 29 while she was under quarantine. Chief magistrate Ian Weekes admonished her for breaking the nation's tough rules that have prevented the holiday island being overrun by the virus

Holland remained silent when she left court but stood beside Mr Pilgrim as he spoke on her behalf.

He said: 'We accepted the decision of the court. Miss Holland wants to express her sincere apologies to the entire nation of Barbados.'

Love tested positive for Covid after arriving on the island last Sunday.

The couple were given red wristbands and told to remain in their room at the 300-a-night Sugar Bay until they were taken to a quarantine centre on the north of the island.

Instead, they booked would have been a British Airways flight back to the UK packed with fellow British holiday makers, 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.

They were arrested as they made their way to departures after surveillance cameras captured the pair entering public bathrooms and exiting wearing different clothing.

Last week Jamaican tourist Dean George Scott, 49, admitted in court to leaving quarantine to 'buy Fanta' and other snacks after arriving on the holiday island at the beginning of December. He was jailed for six months.
"Drs. Ashikari and Kelemen, leading experts in compassionate breast surgery, join a multidisciplinary team at the NWH Breast Care Center that offers outstanding medical services, personized care and an exceptional patient experience."

Two of Westchesters leading breast surgeons, Andrew Ashikari, MD, FACS, and Pond Kelemen, MD, FACS of The Ashikari Breast Center in Dobbs Ferry and Cortlandt Manor, NY, have joined Northwell Health Physician Partners (NHPP) effective, Monday January 4th. They will now be accepting patients at two state-of-the-art locations: the Breast Care Center at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) in Mount Kisco and NHPP Breast Surgery at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow.

Drs. Ashikari and Kelemen join a talented team of breast specialists in Westchester as part of the Northwell Health Cancer Institute breast cancer program. They join Alice Police, MD; Anthony Cahan, MD; and Ranjana Chaterji, DO, in providing breast surgery services including nipple sparing procedures and will work with medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists and genetic specialists to develop individualized treatment plans that may include intraoperative radiation for appropriate candidates. Patients can promptly receive imaging, biopsy, surgical consultation, medical and radiation oncology consultations, and genetic information without leaving their community.

Drs. Ashikari and Kelemen are leading experts in compassionate breast surgery and we are delighted they will be joining the multidisciplinary team at the NWH Breast Care Center to offer advanced treatments for breast cancer and other breast health issues, said Marla Koroly, MD, Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief Medical Officer at NWH and Associate Ambulatory Physician Executive, Northwell Health Westchester region. This is the latest addition to the comprehensive breast programs at Northern Westchester Hospital and Phelps, which provide outstanding medical services, personalized care for the community and an exceptional patient experience.

Dr. Ashikari has been director of the Ashikari Breast Center since 1999. He is the former chair of surgery at Hudson Valley Hospital Center, and former director of surgery at Dobbs Ferry Pavilion/St. Johns Riverside Hospital. He was the assistant director of the surgical residency program at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center from 2001-2003. In addition, he is an associate professor of surgery at New York Medical College and adjunct clinical associate professor at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Dr. Ashikari is widely published and has completed research on a wide variety of topics and clinical protocols, including breast cancer, prevention for high-risk patients, breast reconstruction; implants; and nipple sparing mastectomies. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, the Society of Surgical Oncology; the New York Surgical Society; the American Society of Clinical Oncology; the New York Metropolitan Breast Group; and the American Society of Breast Surgeons. He completed a surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Chicago, and an internship and general surgery residence at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He is a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Wake Forest University.

Dr. Kelemen joined the Ashikari Breast Center in 2003 as research director and has served as the director of the Melanoma Program at Hudson Valley Hospital Center. Before that, he was director of clinical breast cancer research at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center. Prior to that, he was associate director of clinical activities at the Saint Louis University Cancer Center and director of the Breast Center at St. Louis University Hospital. In addition, he serves as an associate professor of surgery at New York Medical College and as adjunct associate professor of surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Dr. Kelemen is widely published and has served as primary investigator on several clinical trials, including a variety of TARGIT trials that compared intra-operative radiotherapy with post-operative radiotherapy for women with early breast cancer. He is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Medical Association, the American Society of Breast Surgeons, the American Society of Clinical Oncologists, and the Society of Surgical Oncology.

He completed his surgical oncology fellowship at the John Wayne Cancer Institute; a general surgical residency and research fellowship at University of Chicago Hospitals; and pathology residency at University of Illinois at Chicago. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Stonybrook and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the City University of New York- City College of New York six-year medical program.

To arrange an appointment with Dr. Ashikari or Dr. Kelemen, contact NHPP Breast Care Center at Northern Westchester Hospital, 400 East Main Street, Mt. Kisco, NY, at (914) 362-6270 or NHPP Breast Surgery at Phelps Hospital, 777 North Broadway, Suite 301, Sleepy Hollow, NY (914) 693-5025.

About Northern Westchester Hospital

Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), a member of Northwell Health, provides quality, patient-centered care that is close to home through a unique combination of medical expertise, leading-edge technology, and a commitment to humanity. Over 650 highly-skilled physicians, state-of-the-art technology and professional staff of caregivers are all in place to ensure that you and your family receive treatment in a caring, respectful and nurturing environment. NWH has established extensive internal quality measurements that surpass the standards defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA) National Hospital Quality Measures. Our high-quality standards help to ensure that the treatment you receive at NWH is among the best in the nation. For more information, please visit https://nwh.northwell.edu/ and connect with us on Facebook.

About Phelps Hospital

Phelps Hospital, part of Northwell Health, is a full-service 238-bed acute care community hospital located in Sleepy Hollow, NY. With more than 1,700 employees and 1,100 medical staff members representing 60 medical specialties, Phelps offers one of the broadest ranges of community hospital services in Westchester County. Caring for the community is at the heart of what Phelps does. Patients benefit from distinguished physicians, many of whom are pioneers in their field, offering the most advanced procedures using the latest technology. Visit https://phelps.northwell.edu/. Phelps' hospital is supported by Northwell Health Physician Partners, a primary and specialty care medical group, with practices located on the hospital campus and in the surrounding communities

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York States largest health care provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, nearly 800 outpatient facilities and more than 14,200 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 72,000 employees  17,000-plus nurses and 4,500 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners  are working to change health care for the better. Were making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit http://www.Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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A few weeks ago, a small rural hospital in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, received its first shipment of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and quickly began vaccinating the hospitals health care workers and skilled nursing facility staff and residents. After the Barnes-Kasson County Hospital immunized all the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) Class 1A workers and residents who requested the vaccine, it moved to the next level of eligibility and started immunizing Class 1B first responders and teachers who worked at two of the countys school districts.

On January 6, 2021, the Pennsylvania Department of Health ordered the hospital to stop immunizing all but Class 1A health care workers and nursing home personnel and residents. According to published reports, the state health department notified the hospital:

At this time, our top priority is vaccinating phase 1A individuals. However, our main goal remains ensuring all Pennsylvanians interested in receiving the vaccine will do so  The vaccine plan is designed to give the department and stakeholders a roadmap for distributing the vaccine to phases; the main issue remains that we are simultaneously building a road as we build the map.

While health departments continue trying to build a road and a map simultaneously, people will continue to acquire and die from COVID-19. Although the current Pfizer vaccine requires storage temperatures well below the capability of most medical offices and many hospitals, the Moderna vaccine can be easily refrigerated and stored as most other vaccines.

Rather than have the vaccine sitting on ice and possibly reaching its expiration date before being used, state health departments should be taking a lesson from a small rural hospital and start expanding their immunization guidelines and networks. The most logical and effective way to do this would be to start shipping the Moderna vaccine to primary care medical practices and allow the individual practices to start immunizing their patients according to the existing schedule.

After ACIP Class 1A patients who were health care workers or nursing home staff or residents were vaccinated, the medical practices would be allowed to vaccinate their Class 1B patients who were 75 years of age and older, and critical workers, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, grocery store workers, and postal employees. After all of their 1B patients were immunized, the medical practices would be allowed to vaccinate Class 1C patients who were 64 to 75 years old, 16 to 64 years old with high-risk medical conditions and additional critical workers.

What health departments are not allowing for is the age disparity in various locations. Many communities are made up of predominantly elderly patients, while other communities have a preponderance of middle-aged residents.

To vaccinate one community and force another to wait months for its turn is short-sighted. To vaccinate an entire nation in lockstep is even more so.

Many medical practices serve large Medicare populations, and acquiring the COVID-19 vaccine from their primary care physician would be a quick, convenient, and comfortable way for elderly and disabled patients to become immunized against COVID-19 and for the United States to achieve vaccine acceptance, compliance, and herd immunity much quicker than will be achieved by current methods. Although many practices would not be willing or able to vaccinate their patients, those practices that did agree to follow guidelines and immunize patients would be performing a critical service.

The sooner Americans are vaccinated against COVID-19, the sooner our nation will be able to lose the masks and get back to life as we once knew it. Instead of watching the COVID-19 vaccine aging on ice, the time has come to put our vaccination program into a higher gear and start using our ample resources to the best possible advantage of every American.

To date, only 27 percent of distributed vaccines have been administered. We can and must do better than this.

Bernard Leo Remakus is an internal medicine physician.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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SARS-CoV-2 (shown here in an electron microscopy image). Credit: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH

It took the coronavirus for scientists to finally question the standard ethics of the placebo controlled study. Even the top mainstream science journals, like Nature, have now at long last finally admitted that no one should be putting their elderly parents, children or essential co-workers in the line for a dummy injection against this virus.

Frankly, this is a stunning departure from the official medical narrative of double-blind placebo controlled trials at all cost. Science has spoken again, it would seem, and it says big pharma can keep their placebos. Instead, those willing to brave new vaccines can enroll in more fitting biomarker studies where everyone gets a shot to be saved. The observables in these studies are not simply whether you succumb or survive, but rather, which antibodies and what protections your own unique defensive systems mounted or failed to mount. One might imagine the rest of medicine is not too far behind.

But what if vaccines can't keep up with all the new variants, for example, the E484K variant first noted in South Africa, which are now thwarting attempts to control the spread? For that matter, how are these new viruses being propagated? Are they one-time founding events that then fly in from distant countries of origin, or are these multiregional mutations, arising de novo in local populations? Even more importantly, where did the first virus come from?

There may still be a lot of uncertainty regarding the origins of SARS, but there's one thing we can be confident of at this timeonly weak-minded fools let another person tell them what is real information and what is misinformation. In a healthy mind, the truth about SARS, as in other complex matters, is never something that is imposed from without; it must be something we each arrive at from within via experience. A recent well-publicized paper in Trends in Ecology and Evolution titled "Unraveling the Zoonotic Origin and Transmission of SARS-CoV-2," by virtue of its title alone, would appear to have special access to the coronavirus truth.

The authors note that a few bat SARS-related coronaviruses, such as the RaTG13 sequence, contain up to 96.2% sequence identity with SARS-CoV-2. This virus could therefore potentially be our source, or it could have simply evolved in parallel to it. In the case of the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003, the likely zoonotic source was civets (Paguma larvata), which carried a SARS virus with 99.8% identical sequence to that of the outbreak virus. The authors go on to describe how a virus that infects pangolins, a so-called intermediate host, possesses intriguing similarities to SARS-CoV-2 in the crucial ACE2 receptor binding region of its own spike protein. Interesting, although in fairness to the pangolin, at the whole-genome level, these viruses only have 85.592.4% similarity to SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, they would require no small measure of natural evolution or laboratory passaging to morph into the virus we are now confronted with.

In the face of ambient uncertainty, the average but inquisitive person must either become an expert themselves, or find experts whom they trust. In other words, they should identify of those sufficient boldness to push back against suspect official narratives when shortcomings are found. When searching for such learned individuals in the digital aether, new information comes to light regarding this particular anti-pangolin paper. Twitter user @WackyScience points out the Cell paper relies on a Nature paper for inspiration on these pangolin matters, into which an important addendum has quietly been slipped. Namely, that the pangolin samples were contaminated with human and mice material. For those who might want to dig deeper, @NoWackyScience offers a few neatly compiled motivational links:

The last entry above is co-authored by an outstanding post doc member of the Broad Institute, Alina Chan, who has done as much as anyone to elucidate the increasingly mysterious origins of the RaTG13 sequence. It seems there is more to the story than at first meets the eye. Chan is almost apologetic in arriving at her conclusions regarding the shenanigans in the Chinese promulgation of this RaTG13 sequence. She says that just because this "conspiracy theory" regarding the origin of these viral sequences could be true in her opinion, other conspiracy theories in other topics are still baseless. However, she says, saying that it is possible that a virus got out of a lab is actually not a conspiracy theory; it is simply a theory. Escape events are a real phenomenon, and they have happened so many times in recent history that it boggles the imagination to think that our bioweapons lab at homeand those we fund on more permissive foreign soilstill operate in the way they do.

While it is certainly possible, perhaps even likely, that all the unique transformations of the present coronavirus that enabled its unprecedented infectivity evolved naturally in other animals and seamlessly burst through species barriers to us (in other words, were entirely zoonotic), other logical explanations of the observed data do exist. Those other explanations, like escape from a lab that specializes in viral function transformations, are now being looked at more closely on several surprisingly mainstream venues. At this point, it is important to note that the official media narrativein fact, the existing scientific narrative on virus originsis that it could not possibly be an escape.

One bombshell story appeared the other day in New York magazine that made the hearts of many well-funded infectious disease lab heads skip a beat. The author, Nicholson Baker, is a novelist and essayist rather than an infectious disease virologist. Yet he has somehow managed to document the facts apparent in our present situation more thoroughly and succinctly than any of the experts. Some insight into why this is even possible today can be had by considering the process by which scientific knowledge is now packaged to the public at large. Today, scientists and even science writers are frequently given talking points, either directly or indirectly, about how to present scientific knowledge to the public. In other words, guidance on not just which science should be considered disinformation, but also how to properly respond to certain alleged disinformation.

For example, an esteemed team of academic scientists has now assembled something called the "COVID-19 Communication Handbook" to instruct on how to deal with vaccine conspiracists. Namely, how to respond to someone asking logical questions about which vaccines might successfully fight which viral variants. In a nutshell, the publication strongly condemns what they call "vaccine behaviors" that run counter to its own goals. Curiously, many folks who seem to exhibit these undesirable vaccine behaviours also question the official narrative of SARS origins.

Perhaps the only way to definitively prove that a bat virus in Chinese caves naturally mutated and transported itself 1000 miles to the Wuhan outbreak site, and that the world's most funded and advanced lab for converting uninfectious SARS viruses into human-infectious SARS variants was not involved, is to pool our existing knowledge of how individual DNA and RNA sequences actually mutate and transform.

This is something we already understand surprisingly well. In other words, which specific bases naturally tend to progress over time into other specific bases, and by what natural processes. We also have a fairly good idea of how sequences are maintained by various DNA repair mechanisms in more advanced organisms, and how mutations are often seemingly directed, or biased in some instances, according to the state of the organism or host. In the literature, these processes are called base transitions, and are frequently couched in terms of dynamic landscapes of maximum likelihood estimations of base substitutions.

They come in two general types: Transitions are interchanges of two-ring purines (A-G) or of one-ring pyrimidines (C-T), while transversions are interchanges of purine for pyrimidine bases. All told, we have 16 possible types of substitution scenarios, each with independent likelihoods. In human mitochondrial DNA, for example, we know that the transition to transversion ratio is very high. Mitochondria compete with nuclear DNA for access to nucleotides for replication, transcription and repair, and the relative abundances of each nucleotide in the cell influences the outcome of seemingly diverse random events. Much the same logic can be applied to evolving viral sequences. The time is ripe to start doing this type of analysis for the evolution of SARS sequences we obtain from animals or patient.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 Science X Network
New Delhi, Jan 13 : The farmers' agitation continued for the 49th day on Wednesday against the three new Central farm laws enacted last year. The agitating farmers have decided to burn copies of the farm laws on the occasion of Lohri.

Harinder Singh, General Secretary of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal), told IANS that on the occasion of Lohri on Wednesday farmers in Punjab, Haryana and other states of the country will burn copies of all three Union farm laws.

Asked about the committee set up by the Supreme Court to resolve the farmers' issue, Harinder Singh said the farmers are demanding repeal of the three laws so they have refused to appear before the committee.

He said the Central government had also suggested a solution by forming a committee which was unanimously rejected by all the farmers organisations.

The farmers have been sitting at the borders of the national capital since November 26, 2020. Singhu border is the main protest site where a special programme would be held to burn the copies of the farm laws.

Punjab farmer leader and BKU General Secretary, Pal Majra, who was present at the Singhu border, told IANS that a meeting of farmers organisations is being held from 12 p.m. in which the complete schedule for burning copies of the three farm laws would be decided.

The farmers unions leaders are demanding withdrawal of The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act 2020; The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020; and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020. They are also demanding a legal guarantee for procurement of crops at the the Minimum Support Price.

After hearing various petitions filed before the Supreme Court related to the new farm laws and the farmers' agitation, the apex court on Tuesday decided to put the implementation of these laws on hold and set up a four member committee comprising of agricultural experts to find solutions to the problems of the farmers.

However, after the Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday, the Samyukta Kisan Morcha said in a statement on behalf of the farmer organisations that all the four members of the committee constituted by the apex court are in favour of the farm laws. In a statement issued by the Morcha, farmer leader Darshan Pal said that we are satisfied that the Supreme Court has recognized the right of the farmers to protest democratically and peacefully.

The statement said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha welcomes the Supreme Court's order staying the implementation of all three 'anti-farmer laws' as the judgement validates their stand that all three laws are unconstitutional.

Darshan Pal said, "But this adjournment order is temporary which can be reversed any time. Our protest is to repeal these three laws and not their postponement. So only on the basis of this stay order by the SC we (farmer unions) can't change the various programmes announced by us." He added, "We respect the Supreme Court but we have not urged it for mediation in this matter and we have nothing to do with any committee. Whether this committee is meant to give technical opinion to the court or to mediate talks between the farmers and the Central government, the farmers have nothing to do with this committee." "All the members of the four member committee that the apex court has declared have been advocates of the three Central farm laws and for the past several months have been unsuccessfully trying to create an atmosphere in favour of these laws," Darshan Pal added.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
In the early 1980s as a student at Howard University, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris enjoyed the great diversity and culinary delights of living in Washington D.C. - eating Caribbean food in Adams Morgan and dining on plate-size pancakes at the iconic Florida Avenue Grill.

The young California native, a child of immigrants from Jamaica and India who had attended mostly White schools, reveled in the urban East Coast energy of the annual Georgia Avenue Day Festival along the gritty, three-block stretch that bordered the Howard campus.

While Harris sparred intellectually in the classroom, she also received a real-world education at historically Black Howard, volunteering with her sisters in the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in the mostly African American and then-struggling Shaw community that is home to Howard, according to friends from her Howard years.

Four decades later, Harris resides in a very different Washington than the one of her youth - the affluent, mostly White neighborhood of West End, where she and her husband, Doug Emhoff, purchased a luxury condominium for $1.7 million in 2017, the year the former California attorney general was elected to the U.S. Senate.

Before the presidential campaign, before a phalanx of sober-faced U.S. Secret Service agents began to surround her, before she made history as the first woman of color elected to be vice president, Harris brunched regularly at the Australia-inspired Bluestone Lane cafe in her neighborhood. She stopped in at the nearby Trader Joe's to do her grocery shopping. She was a familiar face at the critically acclaimed Blue Duck Tavern around the corner from her condo and the popular Cork Wine Bar on 14th Street in the now-gentrified Shaw/Logan Circle area.

Unlike many federal lawmakers, who treat the city more like a business stop than a second home, Harris has traversed the lines that separate the many versions of the nation's capital: Black and immigrant and White Washington; poor and rich Washington; official Washington and the "real" Washington whose residents have deep, often generational ties to D.C.

In the '80s and in recent years, Harris has managed to touch them all. She is as comfortable at Howard Homecoming or Black Lives Matter Plaza as she is in the halls of Congress.

Once Harris is ensconced as vice president in the imposing, white 19th-century home on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory, her friends expect her to become even more engaged in the life of the city.

"It was something that she really admired about President Obama, that he really got out in the community," said Khalid Pitts, who has been friends for 14 years with Harris and co-owns Cork Wine Bar with his wife, Diane Gross. "And because she has had a sort of extra relationship with the city, because she went to Howard, I think she may feel that way more."

Harris arrived at Howard University in fall 1982, a vivacious teen with a brilliant smile who quickly became known for her outsize sense of purpose, raucous laugh and adventurous spirit.

Melanie Wilcox Miles, a Houston attorney, met Harris at Howard's freshman orientation. Their first forays were to each other's rooms in the red brick Harriet Tubman Quadrangle, also known as "The Quad," consisting of five interconnecting residence halls. Soon, Miles, Harris and their freshman cohort began sharing a table in the cafeteria, but "that was very short-lived," Miles said. Harris, an accomplished home cook, was a budding foodie. "I remember her turning to me and saying, 'Okay, what kind of food are we going to eat today?' " Miles recalled.

Harris and her friends began exploring Washington together, dining on Ethiopian, Jamaican, Southern comfort food and other fare throughout the city. They frequented Cafe Lautrec, a now-defunct French bistro in Adams Morgan, where a performer named Johne Forges famously tap-danced on the bar, recalled Jill Louis, a Dallas attorney who, along with Harris and Miles, pledged AKA at Howard. Ben's Chili Bowl on U Street NW was a favorite late-night spot for a half-smoke or a burger, and for a quick, delectable treat, there was always Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen on the edge of campus.

"You would walk through the snow just to get a taste of that biscuit," Louis recalled.

But there was also more to life than food. On Sundays, Harris and her AKA sisters would sit in the pews at Rankin Chapel on campus, listening raptly as Howard alumna and fellow AKA Toni Morrison spoke or poet Gwendolyn Brooks performed a reading, Louis said. They went to St. Augustine Catholic Church near Meridian Hill Park to hear gospel music and Black priests preach. They'd also dip into services at New Bethel Baptist Church on Ninth Street NW. Denominations didn't matter to Harris, Miles recalled. "We were sampling. What we felt was not so much a sense of religion as a sense of spirituality," she said.

Like many college students in a new city, Harris also had a second home - the Kalorama brownstone of family friend Lenore Pomerance. Harris would bring her laundry there, babysit Pomerance's daughter, Lilah, and sometimes host her sorority sisters and friends for pizza and conversation while she housesat.

"This was a time when we really got to know each other as adults," said Pomerance, 78, who met Harris's mother, cancer researcher Shyamala Gopalan, while they were both students at the University of California at Berkeley.

"She was pretty much then what she is today," said Pomerance, a psychotherapist, who still lives in Kalorama. "She is the most authentic, natural person. Her ready laugh is just so genuine."

Harris and her friends would also take the Metrobus to Georgetown to try on clothes from United Colors of Benetton or popular designer Norma Kamali or listen to local jazz bands at Blues Alley. They'd paddleboat on the Tidal Basin, floating past the blooming cherry trees in early spring, Louis said.

In official Washington, the Howard women protested apartheid outside the South African Embassy and attended the 20th anniversary of the March on Washington. "We went to college in a place where you could touch the world," Louis said. "We never felt we existed in a vacuum."

Washington's diversity energized Harris, Miles said. She loved to explore the city's streets, buying gerbera daisies from flower vendors to brighten her dorm room.

"My fondest memories of her are at community festivals," Miles said, especially Georgia Avenue Day, which was started in the early '80s to promote small businesses along the economically depressed Georgia Avenue corridor. At the start of Harris's senior year, glamorous Hollywood actress Jayne Kennedy served as the parade marshal, dressed in white atop a Cadillac limousine.

"I remember Kamala just being so thrilled about going out and seeing all of the food vendors and artists. . . . She loved the realness of interacting with people on the street," Miles said.

"I think that an important thing to highlight in terms of Kamala's experience in D.C. is that at Howard she was in the community," Louis said. "When you are part of the community, you don't see people as 'other.' You realize they need some grace."

Even now, as Secret Service black Suburbans flank the sparkling glass condo building where Harris and Emhoff live, the folks at Bluestone Lane still view the vice president-elect as part of their West End community. On weekend mornings before Harris's own run for president, Emhoff would come downstairs from the couple's two-bedroom apartment and put his name on the waiting list. The restaurant would text him when it was time to come down and the pair would take their regular seats at table 201 near the bar. Harris would get a regular latte and an avocado smash. Emhoff ordered the Green Baked Eggs, said cafe manager Chanel Hammock.

"They were always very polite and very patient," Hammond, 29, said. "She always had a very genuine warmth." They'd stay 45 minutes or an hour, and appeared to be enjoying each other's company. "There was a genuine sense of love between them, you could tell."

At Cork Wine Bar, Harris has been quick to mingle with staff and guests eager to meet or snap a selfie with her. "She's very approachable. It's like she's saying 'I went to school here. I ran around with no money. I put my pants on one leg at a time just like you,' " Pitts said.

Unsurprisingly, Harris knows her California wines, because she genuinely enjoys wine - her palate is "above average," Pitts said - and also because she has represented her state's wine-growing industry.

Harris relishes learning the history of winemaking, especially how wines connect to countries and cultures, Pitts said. The friends recently discussed how the grape used for California zinfandels is a cousin of an Italian dark-skinned grape called primitivo.

"One of the things I found I appreciate about her is that just like with people, she sort of made the connections," he said. "It's not just a local thing. It's regional. It's global. We're all sort of interconnected."

He expects Harris will bring that ethos to bear as she expands her footprint in the city. "People who don't live here don't realize that there's more than one D.C.," he said. "There's Congress and the national D.C., and then there's the local folks here."

"I think people are excited about her and her personality to help bridge that gap," he said. "And I think she wants to do that because she has lived here. I think she knows the different parts of D.C."
COLUMBIA  Few appointments are available when South Carolinians ages 70 and older can start signing up Wednesday for the COVID-19 vaccine, so they should not expect to get a shot anytime soon, state health officials told lawmakers.

A webpage (scdhec.gov/vaxlocator) shows seniors where shots are available statewide. A green dot by a health care provider indicates it has doses to give. Red means it's already out or has booked appointments for its expected stock.

"There wont be a lot of appointments," Marshall Taylor, acting director of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, said during a state Senate hearing Tuesday. "If it's red, dont waste your time calling. Green will probably turn red pretty quick."

Taylor did not know long it will take before doses become more readily available to South Carolina's seniors.

The state Senate hearing came a day after Gov. Henry McMaster and DHEC announced expanding eligibility to anyone 70 and older.

Within an hour of the announcement, the webpage had crashed. The site and telephone hotline provided in the release weren't ready for the immediate inundation of clicks and calls, Taylor said.

"We thought when we said, 'Look on Wednesday,' people would start clicking on Wednesday," Taylor told senators questioning why people couldn't get through.

DHEC needed the two-day lag to prepare with health care providers, most of which didn't know about the eligibility change until the announcement, he said.

"What you're saying is, theyre going to call and try to make an appointment and an appointment wont be made?" asked Sen. Tom Davis, a Republican from retiree-laden Beaufort County.

Going to the DHEC site is the first of a two-step process. It will show in real time where shots are still available, but appointments must be made with providers. If a spot on the map is green, it will give contact information.

"Im afraid were setting them all up for a big disappointment," Sen. Sandy Senn, R-Charleston, said of seniors.

As of Tuesday, 65 percent of the 147,200 Pfizer vaccine doses shipped to South Carolina since mid-December have been given, compared to 23 percent of the Moderna doses set aside exclusively for long-term care facilities.

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Nearly 106,000 additional shots are already reserved for health care workers, officers and paramedics who've made appointments ahead of the Jan. 15 deadline McMaster set last week for employees eligible in the initial phase, according to DHEC.

"Weve seen a dramatic increase in appointments in hospitals with health care workers" due to the deadline, Dr. Brannon Traxler, DHEC's public health director, said during the hearing.

DHEC encourages any senior with the ability to access the website to do that instead of calling a hotline, or expect a long wait on the phone. And check back periodically for red squares to turn into green dots.

South Carolina receives roughly 64,000 doses weekly from the federal government. Whether a vaccine provider will schedule appointments for doses not yet received will vary by location, Taylor said.

Until this week, South Carolinians who don't live or work in long-term care facilities could get a shot only at hospitals around the state. Some large private doctors' offices can begin doling out shots this week to eligible residents.

Adding people 70 and older to the eligibility list came after lawmakers were inundated with complaints from worried seniors wanting to get a shot. About 70 percent of all South Carolinians who have died with COVID-19 since March were 70 and older.

Other states, including neighboring North Carolina and Florida, had already made seniors eligible.

An appointment will be required, Taylor said, adding South Carolina wants to avoid the long lines outside hospitals and pharmacies in states such as Florida, where people have waited for hours without being able to get a vaccine before the supply ran out.

Taylor called the two-step process of finding where shots are available, then calling the location for an appointment, a "short-term fix."

"I realize it's archaic," he said.

But it will have to do while DHEC works on an easier, online sign-up system that Taylor hopes will be running by next week, he said, adding that it will probably take longer.
The bloodied Capitol cop who was filmed screaming for help as he was being crushed against a metal door frame during the MAGA riots in Washington DC last week has been named by police.

Officer Daniel Hodges is now said to be recovering and doing well following the frightening ordeal on January 6, the DC Police Department confirmed in a Monday tweet.

While the exact nature of his injuries is unknown, the young cop was filmed being pinned between a metal door and a series of riot shields as a horde of pro-Trump rioters attempted to force their way through a line of police guarding an entrance to the legislature last Wednesday.

Amid the melee, rioters were seen pulling at Hodges face mask, pushing him and hitting him in the face.

The officer, with a pained expression on his face, was seen desperately calling out for Help! as blood dripped from his face.

In a video interview published by NBC4 Tuesday, Hodges said he was still suffering from 'a headache that wouldn't quit' but confirmed he was resting up and 'looking forward to getting back out there.'

Scroll down for video

Officer Daniel Hodges (shown above) is now said to be recovering and doing well following the frightening ordeal last week

The young cop was filmed being pinned between a metal door and a series of riot shields on January 6 as a horde of pro-Trump insurrectionists attempted to force their way through a line of police officers inside the legislature

The officer, with a pained expression on his face, was seen calling out for Help! as blood dripped from his face

Fourth-grader Emma Jablonski wrote a get-well note to officer Daniel Hodges, who was injured in last weeks attack at the Capitol. @annenbcnews shows how Emma's act of kindness has struck a chord around the world. pic.twitter.com/YlKeJA9Y9u  TODAY (@TODAYshow) January 13, 2021

In a press conference last week, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Robert Contee confirmed the officer had been injured but said his afflictions were not life-threatening.

Hell be out for a while, Ramsey told CNN. The officer is obviously very sore.

Hodges identity was later revealed Monday in a tweet responding to a heart-warming letter written to him by Emma Jablonski, a 10-year-old girl from Montana.

The letter was first shared on Twitter by Emma's mother, Johnna Jablonski, which was later re-posted by DCPD.

Dear Officer, Im Emma and Im 10 years old. I hope you heal from being crushed. I feel bad for you, the letter begins. Those people are really bad hurting you. I hope you and your family are nice and healthy.

When I saw the video on CNN about people crushing you with a door I almost cried, the young girl adds, before concluding: Get Well.  Emma.

The Metropolitan Police Department retweeted Jablonskis image of the note late Monday night and thanked Emma for her kind words.

Just wanted to let you know Officer Hodges is recovering and doing well, the PD wrote. Well [message] you an address of where to send it!

In a video call published Tuesday, Hodges (left) said he was still suffering from 'a headache that wouldn't quit' but was 'looking forward to getting back out there' and returning to duty

Hodges identity was revealed Monday in response to a heart-warming letter written to him by a 10-year-old girl from Montana

Dear Officer, Im Emma and Im 10 years old. I hope you heal from being crushed. I feel bad for you, Emma Jablonski letter begins. Those people are really bad hurting you. I hope you and your family are nice and healthy'

NBC Washington later set up a Zoom call between Emma and Officer Hodges, with the pair finally meeting digitally on Tuesday.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, Hodges is seen saying in the exchange. Im  kinda banged up but Im looking forward to getting back out there.

The pair reportedly exchanged words, with Hodges telling Emma that he has a headache that wont quit, but is doing alright all things considered, according to the station.

Johnna Jablonski later described to Fox 5 how Emma had become upset when the footage of Hodges first cropped up on the news.

As she was watching it, she started saying, What is happening? What are they doing to that man? Why are they doing this? And she started to cry, the mother recalled.

In an attempt to comfort her daughter, Jablonski said she came up with different ideas for Emma as to how she could demonstrate to the officer that she cared for him, before settling on a handmade card.

So she grabs her paper, her colored pencils and sat down on the table and just wrote what was on her heart, she added.

After the footage when viral last week, former Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Charles Ramsey credited the heroics of Hodges and his colleagues

A distress looking Hodges is seen calling for help as he's pinned between a metal door and a riot shield

NBC Washington later set up a Zoom call between Emma and Officer Hodges, with the pair finally meeting digitally on Tuesday

After the footage when viral last week, former Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Charles Ramsey credited the heroics of Hodges and his colleagues.

Saying that the Metropolitan Police officers depicted hadnt even been assigned to protect the door seen in the video, he said: That particular platoon came after the riot started.

They did a tremendous job. [The rioters] never breached that door.

In total, Metro Police Chief Contee said 56 officers were injured during the siege, and one US Capitol cop, Brian Sicknick died.

Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during a struggle, two law enforcement officials said. A suspect is being sought in connection to his death.

Dozens of Dozens of people have since been arrested for storming inside the Capitol. Hundreds more are being hunted by the authorities but are yet to be found, including 25 people who are being investigated on terrorism charges.

Among the group who laid siege to the legislature were white nationalists, neo-Nazis and QAnon conspiracy theorists, coming from states as far-flung as Arizona and Oregon, while photographs from the riot have shown people wearing clothes with a range of antisemitic messages.

Four demonstrators also died, including USAF veteran Ashli Babbitt, who was shot dead as she attempted to climb through a shattered window of a barricaded door near to the chamber. Three other protesters died from medical emergencies, officials have confirmed.
MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / Quebec Precious Metals Corporation ("QPM" or the "Company") (TSXV:QPM)(OTCQB:CJCFF)(FSE:YXEP) is pleased to inform that it has received recently payments totalling $ 300,000 in connection wih the monetization of two non-core assets as follows:

Tansim lithium project - final payment of $250,000 in reference to the exercise of the second option by Sayona Mining Limited and Sayona Quebec Inc. (collectively, "Sayona Qc") to acquire an additional undivided 50% interest in the project's mining rights forming part of the project. Sayona Qc now owns 100% interest in the project. In addition, Sayona has granted to QPM a 2% Net Smelter Return royalty on all payable metals from the mining rights; and

- final payment of $250,000 in reference to the exercise of the second option by Sayona Mining Limited and Sayona Quebec Inc. (collectively, "Sayona Qc") to acquire an additional undivided 50% interest in the project's mining rights forming part of the project. Sayona Qc now owns 100% interest in the project. In addition, Sayona has granted to QPM a 2% Net Smelter Return royalty on all payable metals from the mining rights; and Vulcain nickel project - payment of $50,000 in reference to the option Agreement between Fjordland Exploration Inc. ("Fjordland") and QPM to allow Fjordland to earn a 100% interest in the project's mining rights. QPM has also been issued 1,000,000 Fjordland common shares as part of the transaction and Fjordland will need to incur $1,000,000 in exploration expenditures on the project over a period of five years.

Other non-core assets that the Company expects to monetize over the short and medium term are Kipawa (rare earths and including the Zeus claims), La Loutre (graphite), Matheson Joint Venture (gold, Ontario) and Somanike (nickel). Information on these non-core assets is available on the Company's web site www.qpmcorp.ca.

About Quebec Precious Metals Corporation

QPM is a gold explorer with a large land position in the highly-prospective Eeyou Istchee James Bay territory, Quebec, near Newmont Corporation's Eleonore gold mine. QPM's flagship project is the Sakami project with significant grades and well-defined drill-ready targets. QPM's goal is to rapidly explore the project to advance it to the mineral resource estimate stage.

For more information, please contact:
The milder weather the country has been experiencing this week looks set to be short-lived, according to the latest reports from Ireland's Weather Channel.

Climate change researcher at UCC and CEO of Ireland's Weather Channel Cathal Nolan has said there are "increasingly robust indications" that from Sunday onwards the country will "enter into a period of much colder weather, with an increased risk of snow and some zero low temperatures".

In a post on Ireland's Weather Channel's Facebook page, Mr Nolan said this particular spell of weather "has the potential to be one of the coldest spells of weather since December 2010".

"The likely change in our weather is as a result of a number of sudden stratospheric warming events which are likely to have and will continue to weaken the polar vortex, eventually leading to its collapse and the spilling of some very cold air into lower latitudes.

"Such a scenario was responsible for the wintry outbreak associated with Storm Emma.

"However, there will be differences on this occasion.

"Currently this particular cold spell looks like originating across the Arctic region and not from Siberia," he continued.

Although all areas of the country will be "at risk of seeing wintry precipitation", the primary focus of any wintry showers will be across the north and northwest of the country.

Very cold temperatures are expected from Sunday onwards and day time temperatures by next Tuesday or Wednesday may struggle to rise above freezing.

Widespread severe frost is also expected to return next week, Mr Nolan has stated.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2021) Belgium will admit back 20 soldiers deployed to Niger through military operation New Nero as they tested positive for the coronavirus, the Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"About 20 soldiers positive for COVID-19 will be repatriated from Niger (Maradi) where they have been since October as part of the bilateral operation New Nero.

As a precautionary measure, around 30 soldiers exposed to high-risk contacts will also return to Belgium," the ministry's statement read.

The statement specified that the next military delegation is scheduled to arrive on the site later in January.

In 2017, the Belgian army launched Operation New Nero in the Western African nation, designed to train Nigerien troops and assist them in the fight against terrorist groups and other security threats in the country.
MELBOURNE, Fla., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- MyFloodInsurance.com is now available for real estate agents and homebuyers to receive instant flood insurance quotes from multiple flood insurance companies, as well as the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). This expedited quoting and purchase process allows for smoother real estate transactions.

In just three simple steps, homebuyers and real estate professionals can instantly recieve multiple flood insurance quotes. The My Flood Insurance widget can be added to any website to allow for direct access to the quoting system.

The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 made flood coverage mandatory for federal mortgages on properties in high-risk flood zones. Aurora Insurance Technologies and National Flood Insurance developed My Flood Insurance to assist homebuyers and real estate agents in expeditiously quoting and securing the necessary coverage, thereby avoiding flood insurance-related closing delays.

"Flooding affects an increasing number of properties in the United States every year. Planning for the cost of flood insurance during the home-buying process will reduce the economic and societal impacts of future flood losses," said Amanda Bryant of Aurora Insurance Technologies. "We believe that providing access to multiple flood insurance products and options will help normalize the inclusion of flood insurance as a part of the typical real estate transaction."

According to recent studies , 41 million Americans live in high-risk flood zones, highlighting the nation's growing flood coverage gap. Currently, twenty-one states have no flood disclosure laws, meanwhile, the remaining states have varying levels of requirements for disclosing a property's flood history. The lack of flood disclosure laws often leaves homebuyers discovering their flood insurance requirement during the loan process, leading to closing delays or canceled contracts due to the uncovered additional expense.

My Flood Insurance also offers a widget of the tool that real estate professionals can place on their websites, giving clients direct access to quoting while searching for potential properties.

Learn more at www.myfloodinsurance.com .

About MyFloodInsurance.com

My Flood Insurance was developed by Aurora Insurance Technologies, a partnership between Shoothill Software, Inc and National Flood Insurance, LLC (NFI). Shoothill is an award-winning team of data and software experts. NFI is one of the largest flood-only insurance agencies in the nation and has provided coverage to property owners throughout the country for over a decade. This merging of flood insurance expertise and innovative technology allows users to obtain instant quotes from multiple carriers and purchase a flood policy online with a live agent.

Media contact:

Jennifer Scherff

[email protected]

888-900-0404

SOURCE MyFloodInsurance.com

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LANSING, MI - The first day of a new Michigan Legislatures session usually involves procedural votes and some introduction of new bills.

The start of the 2021 session Wednesday was a stark departure, as some Senate Democrats urged for a punishment for the 11 Republican colleagues that asked for further investigation of unfound claims of election fraud hours before Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol last week.

Sens. Adam Hollier, D-Detroit, and Erika Geiss, D-Taylor, introduced a pair of Senate concurrent resolutions seeking to end challenges to the 2020 presidential election win for President-elect Joe Biden, as well as censure those that did last week.

More than half of the current Republican state senators signed a Jan. 6 letter requesting Vice President Mike Pence and Congress to pursue every available option to investigate claims of election fraud. The co-signers were Sens. John Bizon, R-Battle Creek; Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte; Kim LaSata, R-Bainbridge Twp.; Kevin Daley, R-Lum; Dan Lauwers, R-Brockway Twp.; Rick Outman, R-Six Lakes; Jim Runestad, R-White Lake; Lana Theis, R-Brighton; Curtis Vanderwall, R-Ludington; Roger Victory, R-Hudsonville and Dale Zorn, R-Ida.

Read more: More than half of Michigans GOP senators air unfounded election concerns in letter to Congress

Senate Concurrent Resolution 3 condemns the attempted coup to overturn election results, and states that there is no place for further undermining the 2020 November election with baseless conspiracy theories. Senate Concurrent Resolution 4 asks for the Senate to acknowledge the role the 11 Republican senators played in contributing to the atmosphere that led to the violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol:

Why is this relevant in Michigan? Because the conspiracies and the lies started in Michigan, Hollier said on the Senate floor. They started saying this election was stolen here. It wasnt, and we know that. Should we do everything in our power to fix elections and make sure they are more secure and make sure every vote is counted? Yes, and we absolutely should do that. Right now, we need to come together and say it is unacceptable to continue to undermine our elections and disenfranchise (voters).

The two resolutions are largely symbolic and are unlikely to pass, as Republicans still hold a 20-16 majority in the Senate. Republicans have two seats to fill after former Sens. Pete Lucido and Peter MacGregor left to take offices in their local county governments.

The U.S. House and Senate certified the Electoral College win for Biden after rioters attacked the U.S. Capitol building. This certification followed months of lawsuits from President Donald Trump that were all dismissed in state and federal courts alike. Republicans lawmakers in Lansing have held multiple oversight hearings the last two months regarding unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud.

Geiss furthered tried to connect the Republican letter to undercutting the faith in our institutions.

The letter itself is part of a broad, dangerous campaign to usurp what voters decided, she said. It led to the physical and emotional injury of many, caused significant destruction of public property, shook the faith and stability of our Democracy at home and dealt a major blow to our nations image abroad.

While Geiss expressed grave disappointment in her 11 colleagues in her resolution to at a minimum censure them, Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, D-Flint, pushed further to call for them to not take their seats.

If you cannot stand here today, and state that a new President will be sworn in on Jan. 20 based on a fair and legitimate election, and that people lied when they said otherwise, you have no place in this chamber, Ananich said.

Only one Republican offered a response to his Democratic peers: Sen. Ken Horn of Frankenmuth. He said the storming of the Capitol led him to mourn the loss the life, a certain sense of innocence, a loss of trust, a loss of sense of self-governance.

Despite this, he urged his colleagues from both parties to work together and to understand that elected officials just want to make their little corners of the world better.

Theres nothing that happened in Washington, recently or in the past, that prevents us from working together, that prevents us as a body from unifying, Horn said.

In addition, Sen. Dayna Polehanki offered an impassioned plea for senators to support her newest bill to fully ban firearms in the Capitol building. The banning of open carry by the Michigan State Capitol Commission was an abdication of responsibility, she said, adding lawmakers are still at risk in the building from those carrying concealed firearms.

It was a half-measure that avails us nothing, because it gives us a false sense of security, she said. (This creates) the illusion that senators, staff members, journalists and visitors are safe in this Capitol. The reality is that guns are still welcome in this building...as long as we dont see them.

The Capitol Commission said it stopped short of a full firearms ban due to the $1.5 million cost of implementing new security measures. To deal with FBI warnings of armed demonstrators at the Michigan Capitol, the Michigan State Police have increased their presence around the campus. Additionally, a six-foot fences lines around the building for the first time since KKK marches in 1994.

Read more: D.C. riots inspire six-foot fence around Michigan Capitol before possible armed protests

The next chance for all of these resolutions to see a vote on the Senate floor is during session on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

Read more from MLive:

Whitmer hopes to reopen indoor dining Feb. 1 with capacity limits, curfew

Flint water crisis shows need for whistleblower protections against governors, House rep says

Lansing mayor wants National Guard at Michigan Capitol for possible armed protests

Full firearms ban at Capitol would come with $1.5 million price tag for new security measures


BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th January, 2021) Intensive care units in Peru are almost fully occupied by COVID-19 patients, the office of the Peruvian human rights defender, Walter Gutierrez Camacho, said on Wednesday, adding that some regions have no more beds with lung ventilation equipment.

"We warn that the regions of Huancavelica, Tumbes and Lima do not have intensive care unit beds with [lung] ventilation equipment," the office wrote on Twitter, citing a report by the national health ministry.

The office also said that the country was facing the second wave of infections "with 99.5 percent of the intensive care units in the capital being occupied."

According to the health authorities' data, the regions of Pasco, Cusco, Ucayali and Lambayeque have only one vacant bed in intensive care units, while there are 17 beds left in the capital region.

So far, Peru has confirmed more than 1 million cases of the coronavirus infection, including 38,399 fatalities and 971,000 recoveries.
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Global security company Hanwha Techwin has announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Benha Electronics, the Ministry of Military Production(MMP) in Egypt.

The ceremony was attended by the MMP Deputy Chief Mohamed Salah el Din, Benha Electronics Chairman General Fawzi Khalil, Hanwha Techwin Middle East & Africa Head Sung-Jae Lee, and officials at the South Korean Embassy of Egypt.

Under the MoU, Hanwha Techwin and the MMP will cooperate in expanding the depth and reach of cutting-edge security solution applications, particularly in video surveillance, within the Egyptian government organizations and their public projects taking place across Egypt.

Hanwha Techwin will supply security solutions to major projects in Egypt for a safety of utilities, prevention of crime and accident. And Hanwha Techwin will work with Benha Electronics to locally manufacture security cameras and help deploy advanced surveillance solutions in the region.

The partnership signifies the excellence of Hanwha Techwins solutions and technologies and reflects the trust from Egypts military organisations, where high-level security is required.

With the latest MoU, Hanwha Techwin is expected to partake in public work projects not only in Egypt but also in countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region in the future.

We are honoured to establish a partnership with the Egyptian government through this MoU. We will continue to work together for a high-level security in Egypt, said Lee. -- Tradearabia News Service
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Some 40% of urban green space in the city is covered by trees.

The capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, has made it to the TOP 100 of the world's greenest cities.

That's according to Hugsi Green ranking.

Urban green space in Kyiv makes up for 44% of the total area, including 40% covered by trees and 4%  by grass.

Urban green space per capita stands at 82.3 square meters, the ranking says.

Read alsoKyiv records highest-ever yearly temperature in 2020Charlotte, North Carolina (US), tops the list, while Durban (RSA) and Vilnius (Lithuania) rank second and third, respectively.

Memo

The ranking compiles data for 155 cities from 60 countries worldwide. The project analyzes satellite data using artificial intelligence to assess the environment and the level of urban green space.

Reporting by UNIAN
She's the Victoria's Secret model who is known for sauntering her incredible figure down the runway.

But Georgia Fowler was seen enjoying a well-earned day off at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday, as she soaked up some rays with a pal at the popular tourist hotspot.

The 28-year-old looked nothing short of sensational for the sun-drenched outing, wearing a maroon strapless bikini which showed off her tiny waist and muscular arms to perfection.

Sizzling! Georgia Fowler was seen enjoying a well-earned day off at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Wednesday, as she soaked up some rays while flaunting her sizzling physique at the popular tourist hotspot

The lower half featured a tie-up waist, which cheekily showed off Georgia's pert derriere and never-ending pins in the process.

She let her natural beauty soar through for the occasion, wearing nothing on her striking features and allowing her loose, short locks to cascade down her shoulders.

When she was finished soaking up the sunshine, Georgia packed up her towel and put on a pair of black shorts, before placing a bucket hat on her head for protection.

Wowza! The 28-year-old looked nothing short of sensational for the casual beach outing, wearing a tiny maroon bikini strapless bikini which showed off her tiny waist and muscular arms to perfection

Cheeky! The lower half featured a tie-up waist, which showed off her pert derriere and never-ending pins in the process

Stunner: Georgia let her natural beauty soar through for the occasion, wearing nothing on her striking features and allowing her loose, short locks to cascade down her shoulders

Her beachside outing comes just weeks after she adopted an adorable puppy with her boyfriend, Nathan Dalah last month.

The pair named their pet pooch Chilli, and introduced him to her fans by sharing a series of photos of the pup on Instagram.

'Welcome to the pack (best day of my life) @chillithegrood,' she captioned the post.

Gorgeous! The sun-kissed Victoria's Secret model is never one to shy away from showing off her figure - and this week was no different

Looking good! When she was finished soaking up the rays, Georgia packed up her towel and put on a pair of black shorts, placing a bucket had on her head for protection

All smiles: Georgia appeared in high spirits as she whipped a blanket around her neck for the walk home

Growing brood: Georgia and her boyfriend Nathan Dalah recently welcomed a new addition to their family - a puppy named Chilli

In one image, Georgia and Nathan posed together with the new addition to their family.

The New Zealand born beauty also shared several other snaps of her cuddling up to the dog along with a cute close up of his little paws.

The pair confirmed their romance back in February last year.
The IDA has defended it's record in rural Ireland and outlined plans for Kerry that included the construction of a new turnkey building for potential investors in Tralee.

Last week the agency published its annual results for 2020 and announced its new four year strategy which has a specific focus on regional development.

The 'Driving Recovery & Sustainable Growth 2021 - 2024' plan aims to attract 400 new investors in the period with a target of 118 for the IDA South West region that encompasses Kerry and Cork.

A key aspect of the plan is the provision of new 'Advanced Building Solutions (ABS)' around the country.

These are purpose built facilities that are designed to meet the needs of various business sectors and can be offered, on a turnkey basis, to potential investors with only minimal work required to adapt the buildings to meet client's specific needs.

One of such building - this time referred to as an 'advance manufacturing facility' - was completed at Kerry Technology Park in Tralee in March 2017 though it remains vacant.

Now the IDA is proposing to construct a second similar facility in Tralee which has been announced as one of 19 locations nationwide that are set to receive new ABS's over the four years of the new IDA plan.

While exact location of the planned building has not been revealed it is likely to be on a site adjacent to the existing IDA building at Kerry Technology Park which the agency has access to.

That existing building - built at a cost of 5 million- has become a source of concern locally as it remains empty almost three years after it was officially opened by then Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

In December 2018, Bedford-based Central Pharma - who provide outsourced medicine packaging and supply services - announced that it was to move into the facility.

At the time the company said it would create 100 jobs and invest some 2 million to bring the building up to the required standards, with the high-tech packaging plant expected to be up and running by July 2019.

A year-and-a-half after the plant was due to open, it remains empty and in January 2020 it emerged that the company had told the IDA it was delaying its plans for Tralee.

Since then there has been no official comment on the situation from Central Pharma or the IDA.

The planned plant is not referred to in the new IDA strategy document.

Another curious omission from the plan is Kerry Airport. While Cork Airport is specifically as a "key asset" in attracting investment to the South West - as it provides potential investors with "connectivity" and "ease of access" to the region - there is no mention, whatsoever, of Kerry Airport in the 57 page strategy document.

In the strategy plan the IDA also defend their record on attracting investment to the regions, something that has come in for considerable criticism in Kerry which tends to receive far fewer visit from potential investors than neighbouring counties.

According to the most recent figures, since 2016 the IDA's Kerry representatives - who are primarily Cork based - brought 28 potential investors to Kerry. In the same period it brought 251 to Cork and 201 to Limerick.

By the end of November 2020 just one IDA site visit had taken place in Kerry. While a reduction in visits in last year could be expected due to Covid-19, this sole visit to Kerry contrasts with 22 in Cork and 18 in Limerick in the same time period.

At the announcement of the new 2021 to 2024 Strategy IDA Ireland's Head of Regional Business Development, Anne-Marie Tierney-Le Roux defended the agency's record outside the major cities.

"47per cent of IDA Ireland's client base, 755 clients, are located in the regions, employing 144,689 people, which is 56 per cent of overall FDI employment. Our focus on regions continues to pay off and it is most encouraging that investment continued at this level into the regions in 2020, despite the upheaval caused by the global pandemic," said Ms Tierney-Le Roux.

"Our focus on regions will continue in our new strategy - our objective is to win half of the 800 target investments for regional locations," she added.

At present there are close to 2,000 people employed at IDA supported companies in Kerry while around 300 jobs have been lost at IDA client companies in the county in the last two years.

The largest of these job losses came at the Borg Warner Plant in Tralee the closure of which, and the loss of all 210 jobs, was announced last July.

News of the closure - and the loss of 10 per cent of all IDA supported employment in Kerry - caught the agency and Government completely off guard.
Some suppliers of Belgian beers are waking up to a post-Brexit hangover as exporting their brews to thirsty British drinkers across the Channel becomes more difficult and prices go up.

Rotsaert, a wholesaler stocking some of its country's most famous Trappist beers, sent off its last consignment to the UK on 29 December just two days before Britain left the EU's single market.

Now Filip Rotsaert, who runs the firm with his brother, tells AFP that they have had to temporarily halt shipments to the UK.

London and Brussels struck a trade deal on December 24 to stave off the damaging imposition of sweeping tariffs -- but the last-gasp agreement still didn't give the Bruges-based firm and the transporters it relies on enough time to prepare for the changes.

"The shipping companies we work with are not ready with the paperwork to ship to the UK," Rotsaert explains.

"We are working on it, and hopefully we can be ready at the end of January, beginning of February."

- Tax tops up prices -

After Belgium itself, the UK is the second-biggest market for the company that sends out its drinks across the whole of Europe.

But even when the paperwork is solved, clients in Britain now face an unpleasant surprise when deliveries restart as the UK is set to slap on VAT of 20 percent on top of a new export tax of 17.5 percent for orders over 150 euros.

That means a case of 18 bottles of top-end Deus beer will go up from 234 to 320 euros with the new added charges, Rotsaert estimates after tapping the figures into his calculator.

"For the export market, it will be complicated, yes, but there is no other way out so if they want to drink Belgian beer, I think they have to pay this," he says.

For now though he is not too concerned about the lack of sales for the whole of January.

He insists Britons stocked up sufficiently in November and December to be able to toast the holiday season with their favourite Belgian beers.

Story continues

- 'An ally and friend' -

For the BeerSelect brewery, in the northern region of Ghent, Brexit is also posing some new challenges.

The company works with hundreds of independent beer makers, including some from the UK, to help them produce their niche brews.

It focuses on natural beers with no added chemicals that can take up to eight weeks in huge vats to be ready, compared to just three weeks for other brands.

Founder Miel Bonduelle says that everyone is still trying to work out exactly what the long-term fallout from Brexit will be, although he does not expect to his current UK customers to pack up.

"Due to Brexit we see that it is hard to do some deliveries and see who has to pay which taxes," he tells AFP.

"We don't think we will lose our existing clients but the negotiations with some clients take longer because they don't know if it's still worth it to brew in Belgium. We'll see in the future."

One potential solution for small and medium business owners looking to make up for any hit from Brexit could be to search for new markets elsewhere.

But it will be difficult to make up for any losses to the huge market of beer-swilling Brits just across the Channel.

"It is mostly administrative costs, the logistics, the customs, stuff like that and of course those costs make the price of the products go up. And then you are in a difficult position on competing with British products, so that is the biggest challenge," says Matthias Diependaele, minister for finance in the Flemish regional government.

"We always search for new markets, that is clear. But with the UK, it still remains an ally, a friend, and an export partner."

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Businesses that already received Paycheck Protection Program loans can reapply for more forgivable funds beginning Wednesday.

The Second Draw PPP loans was made possible by the new $900 billion stimulus package passed in December. The bill created $285 billion in funds for PPP loans. The Second Draw program allows businesses that received a loan previously to apply for a second one with the same general loan terms as the first.

Under the stimulus package, the Paycheck Protection Program resumed on Jan. 11 for businesses looking to receive a loan for the first time. Businesses that already received a PPP loan can apply for a second loan on Wednesday.

The bill passed in December expands upon the eligible businesses for PPP loans, including non-profits, news outlets and churches.

Like the first loans, Second Draw PPP loans can be used to help fund payroll costs, including benefits, to pay for mortgage interest, rent, utilities, equipment costs related to COVID-19, uninsured property damage costs caused in 2020, and certain supplier costs and expenses for operations.

The Second Draw loans will be forgiven if the funding is spent on payroll costs and other eligible expenses with at least 60% covering payroll costs. Employee and compensation levels must also be maintained as was the case for the first round of PPP loans.

A businesses is eligible for a second draw loan if the borrower has used or will use the full amount of the previous loan, has no more than 300 employees and can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts in 2020 compared to 2019.

For most businesses, the loan amounts are capped at 2.5 times the average monthly payroll costs for 2019 or 2020 up to $2 million. For businesses in the accommodation and food services sector, the maximum loan amount is 3.5 times the average monthly payroll costs up to $2 million.

While businesses can start to apply on Jan. 13, the program is expected to run through March 31.

On Wednesday, the Small Business Administration announced that it so far has forgiven more than 1.1 million PPP loans worth more than $100 billion. For the smallest borrowers with loans up to $50,000, 88% of the loans were forgiven.

Related Content:
Pioneer Natural Resources has completed its $4.5 billion acquisition of Parsley Energy, creating a powerhouse in the prolific Permian Basin of West Texas.

Shareholders from both companies approved the merger at a special meeting on Tuesday. Parsley stockholders will receive 0.1252 shares of Pioneer stock for each share of Parsley stock owned. After today, Parsley stock will no longer be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

We are excited to close our transaction with Parsley and begin delivering on the significant synergies provided by this combination, Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield said in a statement. We appreciate the strong support from shareholders and are confident in the tangible and durable value created through this transaction, forming the premier Permian independent energy company.

CONSOLIDATION: Pioneer Natural Resources laying off 100 workers after Parsley acquisition

Consolidation is sweeping the energy sector as the industry pulls out of the oil bust caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Oil and gas companies are joining forces and acquiring assets to better weather such downturns.

Recent mergers and acquisitions deals include Chevrons $13.7 billion acquisition of Houston-based Noble Energy in October, Devon Energys $5.8 billion acquisition of WPX Energy and Southwestern Energys $193 million acquisition of Montage Resources in November.

Dallas-based Pioneer announced plans to take over rival Parsley in October. The combined company, which will have access to 930,000 acres in the Midland and Delaware basins, is expected to lead to annual savings of more than $325 million by 2021. Pioneer plans to cut costs by combining water resources, refinancing debt and streamlining operations.

Pioneer last month said it plans to cut 100 jobs in Midland after its acquisition with Parsley. The layoffs will occur over three months beginning in February at Parsleys headquarters in Midland. Some of the employees will be offered jobs with Pioneer outside of Midland.
Veteran Spotlight

SWAN VALLEY  Turning 18 in 1966, the height of the Vietnam War, Ray Haera figured he had the choice of getting drafted or voluntarily joining the military. He figured he had more options if he took the voluntary route. Though his father had served in the Navy in World War II and his older brother was also in the Navy, Haera was not sure he wanted to go that route.

On the other hand, Haera said, "Everybody I knew was getting drafted. I had so many friends in the Army and the Marines who had already gone to Vietnam  and gotten killed." So those military branches did not seem like good options either.

Haera decided to try his luck with the Air Force. He was hoping to become a military photographer. The Air Force decided he could better serve in the supply department.

From home in Livermore, California, Haera was sent to the other side of the United States, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to train on the complexities of ordering equipment and supplies in support of the fighting troops. Within the year he was deployed to the village of Ubon in Thailand. The Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base was situated on the Cambodia, Laos border, about 90 miles from the fighting in Vietnam. Planes from the base flew 24 hours a day in direct support of the war activities.

In 1967 both Haera and his older brother ended up in the war zone at the same time. He said, "My mom and dad were just going nuts because that wasn't supposed to happen. But," he added, "we both made it back."

Though Haera was never in combat, he was on a 12/12 schedule  busy dealing with supplies 12 hours a day and trying to get some sleep the other 12. He said the humidity over there was often 100% and it was constantly raining. It was six months before he finally got a day off.

In describing that day, he said, "You know, 18 years old, you're halfway around the world, you don't really know what's going on. A Thai friend said, 'Hey, I've got a boat, let's take a ride down this river.' And I'm thinking well that'll be a nice change. Little did I know he was talking about the Mekong River. We came around a bend and there was a village. All the women and children ran out to the edge of the water. But we never saw a man or a teenager. When that happened a second time, the Thai friend said, 'We've got to get out of here. This isn't good.' We thought maybe the men were waiting in ambush or something and we didn't have any guns or anything because we weren't allowed to take guns off base. So we came back  and that was my big river cruise."

Haera fared better on his R&R mini vacation to Bangkok. He enjoyed both the scenery on the flight, which covered practically the width of Thailand, as well as Bangkok itself. One of the things he found most unusual was a riverboat market.

"It was just all these boats with all these vegetables on them," he said. "They came up to the riverbank and you could just walk from boat to boat."

He also told of an unusual experience while touring Bangkok. He took a cab to visit a Buddhist Temple.

"There was this Buddha statue," he said. "I doubt it was gold, probably brass, but it was huge. And it was out in the middle of the jungle. Normally it was a familiar sight to see Buddhist monks walking around, but here we were in one of their major temples and there was nobody. And the Thai in the cab said, 'This isn't good.' We later found out a couple of people had been killed there the day before, so that's why nobody was around."

Haera said he would enjoy going back to visit Thailand, though he doubts he will ever have an opportunity to do so.

"It was interesting," he said. "Halfway around the world and a completely different culture."

When his tour of duty in Vietnam ended, he was sent to Travis Air Force Base in northern California where he worked for another year before his discharge in 1969.

Though Haera returned to Livermore and did seasonal construction work for a number of years, he also connected with a good friend recently returned from Vietnam. The friend had relatives in a logging camp 13 miles from Hungry Horse Reservoir and the two veterans came to Montana for hunting season. Haera said since that visit in 1969, he has never missed a year of hunting in Montana.

In 1977 California was getting too congested for Haera and he moved to Montana. He worked on a cattle ranch in Florence, Montana for a year and then worked another year and a half building logging roads in Drummond, Montana. He dreamed of owning land in Montana but was not making enough money to manage that, so he headed back to California and got work as a heavy equipment operator. In 1981 Haera finally could afford to buy five acres on the Swan River right across from Swan Peak, though he still needed to continue working in California.

His various jobs took a toll on his body and he was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease which forced early retirement when he was 55. He moved to Swan Valley full time in 2003.

"I love it here," he said. "You could find a town anywhere in the world. It could be a million-dollar mansion. I still would not want to leave where I'm at. It's just way too nice. So peaceful. And I love wildlife. I've been hunting and fishing since I was six years old."

Betty Vanderwielen, Pathfinder Ray Haera, thrilled to be living in the Swan Valley.

Haera related how he got his license so young. He said at that time in California the legal hunting age was nine if the child had taken the NRA safety course. When his nine-year-old brother went to take the course, six-year-old Haera was allowed to tag along. He passed the course at the top of the class. So he was given his hunting license also.

Though he enjoys his solitude and hunting and fishing, Haera has also found time to be active in the Condon community. He is Chairman of the Board of the Condon Volunteer Fire Department and has been on the board for 17 years. He is also an active member of American Legion Post 63 and regularly helps at their fundraisers including working at the beer booth every Fourth of July.

Haera said, "I'm proud to be a vet. I truly am."

As if that were not enough, Haera is president of the Shay Lake Road Users Association and captain of the Liquid Louie's pool team, which he hopes will be able to start up again at the first of the year.

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On January 13, 2021, Kiara Advani took to her official Instagram handle and shared a picture of herself using Instas filter. In the picture, she can be seen posing near a pillar in front of a house. She looked elegant in chiffon beige coloured outfit. Using the filter, the date displayed as a caption in the picture is 13/01/21. Kiara simply dropped a flower emoji in her caption.

Kiara Advani uses the latest Instagram filters for her recent picture

Also read: Kiara Advani & Sidharth Malhotra Arrive In Maldives, Share Pictures From Island

In the shared picture, Kiara flaunted her faded smile while looking in the opposite direction while capturing the picture. As soon as the picture was uploaded, many of her fans flooded the comments section with positivity. In just an hour of post, the picture received more than five million likes. Several of her fans dropped red hearts and fire emoticons.

Also read: Kiara Advani's First Workout Video Of 2021 Is All The Fitness Inspiration You Need; Watch

Photographer Dabboo Ratnani commented, Absolutely Stunning shoot today, which gives a hint that the said pic might be from their photoshoot. A fan commented, Cute with a kissing face and a fire emoticon. Another one simply called her Awesome and dropped fire emoticon. A user called the actor Beautiful with a red heart.

Kiara Advani's photos

Kiara Advani recently jetted off to the Maldives with her rumoured boyfriend Sidharth Malhotra to celebrate New Year. She is an avid Instagram user and constantly treated her fans with snippets from her getaway. In her another recent picture shared on December 30, 2020, Kiara can be seen posing near the beach while looking in the opposite direction of the camera. She wore a shimmery golden outfit flaunting her svelte body. In the picture, she can be seen holding a hat in her hand and kept her straight hair loose.

Also read: Kareena Kapoor Khan To Kiara Advani Round-up: How Bollywood Stars Spent 1st Week Of 2021

While sharing the picture, Kiara wrote, Looking at you 2021 with a shining star emoticon. Many of her friends from the industry dropped red hearts and fire emoticons. Kanika Kapoor, Navya Nanda, Hiral Bhatia, Faraz Manam, Eka Lakhani, Ruchi Narain, and others complimented the beauty. Akansha Ranjan Kapoor commented, Ummmmmmm. What is this bum with a heart-eyed face emoticon.

Even though Kiara didnt give picture credits to anyone, several fans speculated that the picture has been clicked by Sidharth Malhotra. A fan commented, Clicked by Sidharth Malhotra, while another one asked her, U n Sid are together? with a pair of black hearts. A user commented, AND TAKE NICE PICTURES OF SID ALSO. THANKS with a red heart.

Image Source: Kiara Advani's Instagram

Also read: Kiara Advani Shares Her Maldives Vacation Routine, Shares Stunning Pictures

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The repair work to restore damage to the gusts on the Horlivka-Toretsk water pipeline was completed, the system began to fill with water, the press service of the State Emergency Service reported.

"On January 12, the teams of the Voda Donbasu (Water of Donbas) municipal company completed the repair work. The system is being filled with water," the message says.

As reported, on Saturday, January 9, the employees of the Voda Donbasu municipal company examined the damaged water pipeline Horlivka-Toretsk where, due to gusts from January 4, the water supply to the population of Toretsk and four settlements of the Toretsk city council was stopped (37,923 people in total).

A Los Angeles home had its utilities cut Tuesday after at least 40 people attended a party at the property that had previously been cited for having wild functions, despite the city's ban on large gatherings.

The move to have the power cut by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was approved by Mayor Eric Garcetti's office, the Los Angeles Times reports.

At least 40 people were in attendance to the Saturday party at the home on the 800 block of North Curson Avenue in Fairfax, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

The home, located in the Fairfax district in California, had already been cited in September and in October

Responding officers arrived at the home at 11pm after receiving complaints that a gathering had taken place at a 'social media influencer residence.'

The party was cleared by the officer, a spokesperson from the LAPD shared.

Warning notices had already been issued to the property after police responded to party violations on September 12-13 and October 17.

In a statement, Garcetti spokesman Alex Comisar said that the residents of the home were notified they were violating the mayor's order each time they held a function.

Move to have the power cut by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was approved by Mayor Eric Garcetti's office

Following the October party, a 'mayor's office staffer spoke with both the property owner and a tenant to warn them that any future violation would result in a disconnection of utilities.'

Until the mayor's office decides to turn them back on, the utilities will stay off, LADWP spokeswoman Ellen Cheng shared.

Also on Saturday, the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's Superspreader Task Force arrested 182 adults at two commercial locations for breaking state lockdown orders on Saturday amid surging COVID-19 cases.

The sheriff's office shared shocking photos showing long lines of party goers awaiting citations after their underground events were busted on Saturday

The task force was alerted about an adults-only 'swinger's party' on 61st Street in South Central where middle-aged guests partied without a care, dressed to the nines in heels, dresses and suits.

The sheriffs department said arrests on Saturday were made at two commercial buildings  the swinger party took place in the 600 block of West 61st Street in Vermont-Slauson and the other in the 400 block of West Pico Boulevard in downtown LA.

The latest parties violated California's strict lockdown rules under which all citizens are ordered to stay home except for permitted work, local shopping and errands and are discouraged from meeting with other households.

LA County continues to grapple with rising coronavirus cases and increasing pandemic fatigue.

Now 10 county residents test positive for COVID-19 every single minute and on average one person dies from the virus every eight minutes, Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said.

Los Angeles County is an epicenter for the COVID-19 outbreak, accounting for some 40 per cent of California's virus-related deaths and a huge number of new cases.

On Monday, nearly 8,000 people were hospitalized in Los Angeles County, which had fewer than 50 intensive care units available in an area with a population of 10 million people, said Dr Christina Ghaly, county director of Health Services.

There is a sliver of hope, with new hospitalizations statewide down from about 3,500 a day earlier this month to about 2,500. Some forecasts have predicted the hospitalizations will level off by the end of the month.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 13:33:59|Editor: huaxia

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HAVANA, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel on Tuesday condemned the United States for including the island in a U.S. list of countries that sponsor terrorism.

"Cuba opposes terrorism: it has been a victim of this scourge, never a sponsor," he said on Twitter.

"The discredited Trump administration does everything in its power to hinder and avoid an improvement of relations during Biden's term in office," Diaz-Canel added.

The condemnation comes after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the designation of Cuba as a state-sponsor of terrorism.

Also, a statement by Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power rejected the U.S. decision, saying the U.S. administrations are responsible for terrorist attacks against the Caribbean nation.

The U.S. governments have caused human and material damage to the Cuban people over the past six decades, said the statement, adding that Cuba accuses them for "the 3,478 casualties and 2,099 disabled people" resulting from terrorist attacks.

Cuba was first designated by the United States as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1982 and was removed from the list in 2015 under the administration of then U.S. President Barack Obama as the two countries re-established diplomatic ties.

First imposed in 1962, the embargo against Cuba has been tightened by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration, which has forbidden U.S. flights to Cuban cities except Havana, barred U.S. cruise ships from visiting Cuba, and limited remittances Cuban-Americans send to their families on the island nation. Enditem
Reform plans for economic recovery, economic prospects for 2021, financing needs and the National Recovery and Resilience Plan were among the topics addressed on Wednesday by Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare and European Commissioner for Economy Paolo Gentiloni.

"We need to reduce the deficit so that we do not jeopardize the prospects for economic recovery, so we will continue to support the economy and the healthcare system, which remain a priority in these difficult circumstances," Nazare said.

According to a statement made by the Ministry of Finance, the Romanian official expressed the Government's commitment to implement all plans to support the economy and reform the systems that need attention, in the context of the political stability that Romania enjoys after last year's elections.Regarding the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni mentioned that he is optimistic about the evolution of the discussions on the Plan proposal from Romania and that he considers it a good basis for the discussions scheduled in the coming months.The European Commissioner stressed that the European Forum is available to provide assistance to Romania if deemed necessary, as well as confidence in good cooperation.The Ministry of Finance reminds that Romania will be a net beneficiary of the structural funds, taking into account the fact that only the subsidies under the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRF) represent approximately 6pct of the Romanian GDP for 2019, and a similar amount in loans is available.The conversation between the two officials is part of the series of dialogues that the Minister of Finance has started with European officials, in order to strengthen Romania's relations with the European Commission.
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EMILY ST. LAWRENCE, Chariho girls lacrosse, senior: St. Lawrence tied a school record for goals in a game with nine in a win over Smithfield. St. Lawrence scored 17 goals for the week and has 32 for the season.

CARLY CONSTANTINE, Stonington softball, sophomore: Constantine singled home Shea OConnor with the winning run to hand Waterford, the states No. 2 ranked team at the time, its first loss of the season. For the week, Constantine was 5 for 15.

GREG GORMAN, Westerly baseball, junior: Gorman, a junior, hit a massive home run in a win against Barrington. The homer went over the fence in center field and landed in a nearby road. Gorman was 3 for 3 with four RBIs in the game. He is hitting .571 with 10 RBIs for the season.

BRADIN ANDERSON, Wheeler baseball, freshman: Anderson, a freshman, pitched a complete-game shutout to beat Grasso Tech. Anderson struck out three to earn the first win of his varsity career.

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DALLAS  A natural gas explosion at a Dallas home that killed a 12-year-old girl came after an energy company failed to find a damaged line despite two nearby homes being destroyed in gas-related fires on the two previous days, federal officials said Tuesday.

National Transportation Safety Board officials said that after those first two incidents, Atmos Energy should have isolated the natural gas line and evacuated residents.

The disaster could have been prevented if Atmos Energy had done what they needed to do, NTSB Chairman Robert Sumwalt said following a board meeting.

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NTSB officials said Atmos didnt adequately investigate the first two fires.

Linda Michellita Rogers was killed and four others were injured in the Feb. 23, 2018, explosion in a neighborhood near Dallas Love Field.

NTSB officials said that gas had leaked from a steel line running down an alley that had degraded after being dented, likely by heavy equipment during the replacement of a sewer line more than 20 years earlier. Officials said the gas migrated through the soil and into the house, where it was ignited by an unknown source.

Sumwalt said that in the weeks after the explosion, Atmos found about 1,260 leaks in area lines.

All together it is endemic of an organization that is not properly managing its pipeline system, Sumwalt said.

Atmos said in a statement Tuesday that their number one priority is the safety of the public, our employees, and our natural gas distribution system, and that they are resolved to learn from this tragic accident.

Atmos said they are reviewing the NTSBs complete findings and recommendations from the explosion, and say that but for the unreported damage, the pipe would not have failed.

In 2019, Atmos settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by Rogers family that accused the company of gross negligence by not fixing leaks in its mismatched Frankensteinian pipeline system ahead of the explosion. Terms of the settlement werent revealed.

The NTSB issued more than a dozen safety recommendations related to the explosion to Atmos and other organizations including regulatory agencies. Among the recommendations is that the Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates Atmos, conduct a comprehensive audit of the companys incident reporting practices and their policies and procedures for responding to leaks and fires and explosions and emergency calls.



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HONG KONG, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Premia Partners, a leading Hong Kong-based ETF issuer, today releases its latest whitepaper "Where to find growth: Tailwinds from Asia Megatrends & Playbook to participate in Asia Innovations and Technology-enabled Productivity Growth".

Contrary to developed markets, Asian ETFs still lack product breadth for secular growth coverage and are constrained by mainstream market capitalization-weighted approaches. This creates a void for investors seeking to benefit from the region's structural tailwinds in themes such as smart EV & new energy, 5G, AI, cloud computing, biotech & life science, digitalization transformation, IoT, robotic automation, eSports and more.

As investors are increasingly looking to Asia for growth opportunities, finding a relevant approach is more important than ever. Furthermore, it is vital to empower investors with use cases of how these growth themes fit into their broader portfolio strategies, especially when traditional asset allocation models often cannot sufficiently address such disruptive trends. This report aims to empower readers with a playbook to position ahead for tomorrow today by addressing:

Enormous growth opportunities as megatrends play out in Asia

How to break away from the conventional GICS sector mindset and re-think "Innovative Technologies" more holistically

How the Premia FactSet Asia Innovative Technology Index (AIT) captures growth from a broad array of innovative industries that disrupt their respective space

Use cases of AIT as a portfolio building block for global investors

"In the past it might seem only through alternative strategies can investors access opportunities in innovative leaders that are transforming Asia," said Rebecca Chua, Managing Partner of Premia Partners, "Now by leveraging the FactSet RBICS taxonomy, we are delighted to offer investors a low-cost, liquid and transparent tool to participate in these opportunities efficiently".

For the full year of 2020, the Premia Asia Innovative Technology ETF (3181 HK / 9181 HK) which tracks the AIT Index generated a total return of 59.8%, and is among the best performing Asia ETFs globally. The ETF charges a total expense ratio of 0.5% p.a., with no performance fee, and zero stamp duties, withholding, or capital gains taxes.

To download the whitepaper, please click here



About Premia Partners

Founded in Hong Kong in 2016, Premia Partners has emerged as one of the leading independent, pure-play ETF asset managers in Asia. Dedicated to building and curating best practice ETFs and rule-based solutions for Asia, our goal is to contribute to a better ETF ecosystem in Asia and for Asia. As of December 31st 2020, Premia Partners manages 6 ETFs including Premia CSI Caixin China New Economy ETF which is the 4th largest China A-shares ETF in Hong Kong, and winner of the HKEx 2019 Top Performing ETF - Total Return Award. For more information on Premia or Premia ETFs including strategies covering China, Emerging ASEAN, Asia Innovative Technology, Vietnam and US Treasury, please visit www.premia-partners.com

SOURCE Premia Partners
Researchers at the University of York are calling for more stringent regulatory measures to reduce the health burden of smokeless tobacco, a product often found in UK stores without the proper health warnings and as a result of illicit trading.

Smokeless tobacco is particularly popular in Asia and Africa and includes chewing tobacco as well as various types of nasal tobacco. They contain high levels of nicotine as well as cancer producing toxic chemicals, making head and neck cancers common in those who consume smokeless tobacco products.

In a study of 25 wards across five boroughs - Birmingham, Bradford, Blackburn, Leicester, and Tower Hamlets - researchers looked at the types of products sold in local shops and assessed their compliance with UK regulations.

They found that small amounts of smokeless tobacco are smuggled into the UK through domestic luggage, and larger amounts came through land and sea routes via Europe, whilst others are produced locally through small scale setups. In 52% of the local shops surveyed, products were sold under different brand names, none of which are legally permitted for sale in the UK.

Many people of South Asian origin use smokeless tobacco products, and it is particularly popular among women. Continued use of these products is known to lead to several oral and general health conditions, including cancers. It is imperative that smokeless tobacco products, which are directly implicated in head and neck cancers, are regulated in the same way that cigarette smoking is. And yet despite 181 countries agreeing to a common approach to controlling the demand and supply, there is still a serious lack of regulations in place." Faraz Siddiqui, Research Fellow, University of York's Department of Health Sciences

The research, funded by Cancer Research UK, showed that almost half of identified products did not match packaging requirements. These were often sold in colourful packaging resembling confectionery items, and carried misleading information on taste and experience. Only 15% of these products were found to have health warnings.

Products were also considerably cheaper than cigarettes, and some varieties were available for as low as 70p. Approximately 18% of surveyed shopkeepers were aware of laws that applied to smokeless tobacco.

Professor Kamran Siddiqui, from the University's Department of Health Sciences, said: "In a study we conducted earlier this year, we found that the number of deaths globally due to smokeless tobacco has gone up by a third in just seven years to an estimated 350,000 people.

"Plain packaging and graphic health warnings applicable to cigarettes, for example, do not currently apply to smokeless tobacco, which is why we found so many products resembling sweet wrappers, readily accessible on shop countertops.

"Stricter laws and regulations of smokeless tobacco products in England are needed as a matter of urgency, as the absence of these policies will only see the health risks for South Asian people rise still further."

The researchers have suggested that a holistic approach to improving smokeless tobacco regulation could be the best way forward in communities with high numbers of South Asian people. This includes community engagement activities to raise awareness of health risks and offering dedicated cessation support services for smokeless tobacco in the same way that it is for smoking.
Heavy betting is unlikely because of non-arrival of well-heeled software engineers, cine actors etc this time due to travel restrictions.  Representational DC Image

KAKINADA: Contrary to perceptions, a last-minute surge is witnessed in sale of Prize Cocks as a prelude to the three-day Sankranti festival beginning Wednesday. In spite of the Covid-19 situation and less of money supply, punters are getting set for the traditional cockfight sport.

Heavy betting is unlikely because of non-arrival of well-heeled software engineers, cine actors etc this time due to travel restrictions. Growers of fighter cocks are worried prize cocks might not fetch good money this time. Yet, there is a sudden surge in sales in the past two days. Many have done the purchase at the rate of Rs.10,000 to Rs.50,000 per cock, a source said.

This year, there is more enthusiasm in East Godavari compared to West Godavari that was usually on top in organising cockfights. Youths in East Godavari are more enthused because of the much-trumpeted campaign for cockfights there; and they are already going in for betting.

According to sources, a huge ground was being readied in Kesanakurru in Konaseema. Two prominent communities are participating in the cockfight on Wednesday and Thursday. A community from Konaseema area and another from Kakinada will reach the village to participate in the traditional sport.

They are reportedly planning 20 contests a day and the betting range may be between Rs.10,000 and Rs 3 lakh.

Many communities will go for co-betting with bigwig punters. Cockfight grounds are being prepared at Kandrakota, Vetlapalem, G. Medapadu, Madhavapatnam, Achampet in limited numbers.

A general feeling is that the government may allow cockfights as freely this time as in the past. But, the government is still vigorously campaigning against the blood-letting sport. The Telugu Desam and the YSRC are conducting cockfights separately. This is fine. The government is implementing welfare schemes without political bias. Hence, why should we create any hindrance to the TD cadre vis-a-vis organising cockfights, a former MLA of the YSRC reasoned.

He said no government can stop the cockfight as it is a matter of prestige to local leaders. Local body elections would be held this year. If the government does not support this traditional sport, the ruling party may face reverses in the elections, he said.

Some ruling party workers in Undi constituency met their party leader and asked about the government stand on cockfights. The leader assured them that this may be allowed for three days and the cadre need not worry over this in West Godavari district.

Meanwhile, demand for cock-knives has increased. Many of these knives had been seized by the police in East and West Godavari districts in the past 20 days as part of a drive against cockfight sport. Now, price of the knives has gone up. Gamblers playing cards, Gundata and others are also getting ready to go places for the cockfight.
I thought I was up to the challenge of a long-distance home purchase during a pandemic. After all, I was moving back to my hometown after only three years away. I knew the area. Family members could fill in the rest. I had a trusted real estate agent from my last house purchase. Plus, I look at real estate listings as a hobby even when Im not in the market for new property. What could go wrong?

But after purchasing a midcentury modern ranch sight unseen and trekking 1,800 miles across the country to finally get an in-person look at it, my husband and I couldn't be more shocked.

The front of the house. Wendy Schuchart

There were so many shoddy details that hadnt translated through video and photos. The ceilings were lower and the rooms were narrower than they seemed in photos. The countertops that had looked like granite in photos were actually laminate. Every single counter and bathroom fixture was customized for a short person. After seeing broken fixtures and a layer of grime over everything, it was clear that I would have to cure decades of bad maintenance.

Grime discovered in the kitchen on move-in day. Wendy Schuchart

And then there was the constant noise pollution from the nearby interstate. Our ground team thought the sound was minimal, but a month after we moved in, the surrounding trees dropped their leaves and the dull murmur grew to a roar heard through closed windows.

So what were our mistakes?

Don't depend on listing photos

In general, experts agree that buying a home without setting foot in it can be a dicey proposition at best and a nightmare at worst. And online listing photos, while helpful in narrowing down your property search, won't give you the full picture of a house's condition.

Ive visited homes only to discover that the yard is steeper than it looked online, the rooms are smaller, and you couldnt tell there were power lines right behind the house, says Steve Heard, a Realtor with The Heard Group in the Sacramento, CA, area.

There were so many deal breakers that I would have noticed had I been able to set foot inside the home instead of relying so heavily on listing photos and videos. Case in point: Visitors at the front door of my new home have a direct sightline to the main bathrooms toilet.

Much like anything you buy online, a home's listing is created to sell, not inform. Theyre marketing," says Shana OBrien, owner of Cascadia NW Real Estate in Washington and Oregon.

Go beyond standard due diligence

A home inspection is standard operating procedure for anyone buying a home, but a long-distance purchase should always go through rigorous vetting to make sure you're not buying a money pit.

Typically, the buyer pays for the home inspection during the escrow period. This can cost around $300 to $500, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But to cover your bases and make sure there aren't any major system failures before you sign a purchase agreement, experts advise bringing in an additional pair of eyes.

Go to the American Society of Home Inspectors, where you can search by your home's address for a local inspector who can examine the house on your behalf.

Barton L. Slavin, a senior litigation and transaction attorney on Long Island, NY, advises hiring an experienced licensed and insured engineer to inspect the premises before the purchase.

That would have been great in my own long-distance home purchase. After the home inspection, the seller had "fixed" some conditional electrical work that my home inspector found, but those fixes broke other things, which resulted in an electrician visit on my dime. And on the first cold day, when I turned on the furnace, it failed to heat, which was another big repair bill that would have been covered by a warranty.

In my first two months in this house, I've also found faulty plumbing hacks and a massive rodent infestation.

How to beat the odds

The key to success is extreme buyer due diligence, O'Brien says. "That means having a team of trusted boots on the ground to physically visit and inspect the home.

In retrospect, my live-video walk-through was fairly quick, less than 15 minutes. At the time, it felt like it was enough, but now I realize it wasn't nearly long enough.

Our experts advise an extensive live-video walk-through with a long-distance home purchase.

FaceTime works great, OBrien says. If buyers see something they have questions about during the walk-through, the real estate agent can zoom in. They can even take still photos and close-ups, which have better detail than streaming video.

Pay attention off-property, too.

Walk around the block, video camera on, and capture the neighborhood, the condition of the sidewalks, the level of pride of ownership in the surrounding homes," says O'Brien. "Is the narrow street jammed with parked cars? Are the sounds from the elementary school super loud at recess? Whats the street traffic and street noise like? The buyer will not know unless their agent does the investigation."

Be realistic

Despite all of your best efforts, though, there's still a chance your long-distance home purchase will not be all you bargained for. When that happens, O'Brien suggests taking it all in stride.

Real estate is almost always a good investment," she says.

As for me, Im already planning out my investment strategy and making the best of my midcentury modern surprise fixer-upper.

The post We Bought a House Sight Unseenand It Turned Out To Be a Total Nightmare appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
Donald Trump Jr has urged Elon Musk to come up his own social media platform that can blow Twitter away and save free speech in America as he complained about his fathers permanent ban from the microblogging site following the US Capitol siege.

The eldest son of Donald Trump hit out at Twitter for what he called its bias and one-way targeted censorship, and invited the SpaceX chief to create a rival social networking site which gives a platform to neural arbiters, seemingly categorising his father as such.

Wanted to come up with something to deal with nonsense on the censorship thats going on right now and obviously, targeted one way, said Mr Trump.  Why doesnt Elon Musk create a social media platform?

This guy put manned people into space. He did so privately. He took on big government and did it better, cheaper, faster than they ever could. This is the guy to do it, he said in the video clip shared on Instagram late on Tuesday.

Don Jr said he considered Mr Musk to be the right person to stand up against Twitter after the tech mogul took on West Coast high tech for turning into the de facto arbiter of free speech. His comments came after Amazon, Apple and Google blacklisted right-wing social media network Parler.

Twitter and Facebook also permanently banned the outgoing president on 8 January after his supporters marched on the US Capitol  at his request  before overrunning police and rioting inside the Capitol Building. The attack left five people dead, including a police officer.

Someone like him has the brilliance to come up with something that blows Twitter away, said Mr Trump about Mr Musk.

He suggested that the new platform can regulate against hate speech or violence but at the same time provide a platform to neutral commentators and not turn into a leftist organisation that de-platforms people with conservative thoughts.

I am not looking for a conservative echo chamber, I want a platform to argue my ideas vs someone elses and not just people in a place telling me what I want to hear, Mr Trump said.

He showed dismay and shock at Russias opposition leaders speaking up in a recent debate over American tech giants and censorship, saying that Russians are lecturing America on free speech today. Thats how scary it has become.

Elon why dont you do that. Get out there and come up with a concept. I think you are literally the guy to save free speech in America, he said, while concluding without evidence that the incoming Biden administration would trample free speech in the country to meet its political ends.
Meat processing workers must be given priority access to Covid-19 vaccination because of their susceptibility to infection by the virus, SIPTU has claimed.

The union has also called for the resumption of serial Covid-19 testing of all workers in meat factories.

Greg Ennis of SIPTU said the union remained extremely worried about the potential for workers in the Meat Processing Industry to contract the new and more transmissible variant of Covid-19.

The Industry has been proven beyond doubt to contain multiple vectors for the transmission of Covid-19, Mr Ennis pointed out.

Pointing out that nearly 2,500 workers were infected in the pandemic so far, the union official called again for the Department of Agriculture to convene an industry taskforce involving all stakeholders to combat the threat Covid-19 posed to the industry and workers health.

Mr Ennis explained factors such as the close proximity working, the use of industrial air cooling and circulation systems in plants, noise pollution causing workers to shout to communicate, and bottlenecks in canteen and toilet facilities combined to make meat factories the ideal environment for the spread of Covid-19.

He said these factors were exacerbated by the relatively low wages in the industry which forced workers to car pool and share accommodation; and by the fact that just 10pc of 15,000 meat sector employees received sick pay.

SIPTU is extremely worried about the potential for workers in the meat processing industry to contract the new and more transmissible variant of Covid-19, as the Industry has been proven beyond doubt to contain multiple vectors for the transmission of Covid-19, Mr Ennis warned.

He said that if the Government considered meat factory staff to be essential workers then they deserved priority access to Covid-19 vaccination and testing.

Meat may be perishable, workers must not be so, Mr Ennis insisted.

However, a Meat Industry Ireland (MII) official claimed that its members remained highly vigilant in the context of what he described as the worrying incidence of Covid-19 in the community.

Robust Covid mitigation measures which were introduced at the beginning of this pandemic continue to be enforced in meat processing plants, the MII official said.

He maintained that regular serial testing of staff in meat plants was continuing despite the pressures on the health service and that MII was working closely with the HSE to maintain this testing programme.

Meanwhile, Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) confirmed that business continuity processes (BCP) have been escalated at milk processing sites in the wake of the latest spike in Covid-19 cases.

Since the beginning of this pandemic, we have managed the challenges arising from Covid-19 to ensure that our suppliers and staff are protected, said Conor Mulvihill of DII.

We have been somewhat lucky that this current major spike comes at a time where the Irish dairy industry is at the bottom of its volume supply peak, but we still have significant manufacturing ongoing in the liquid milk and the vital specialised nutrition sector which must be protected, Mr Mulvihill said.

Dairy Industry Ireland is continuing to monitor this situation on a proactive basis and is working with member companies taking all appropriate measures as the pandemic evolves.
-- Two years after a detailed development plan for the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center was approved by the central government, the district has become a front-runner in attracting foreign investment and a highland clustering emerging industries.

-- The district has made a preliminary review of over 600 major projects with a total investment of more than 800 billion yuan, covering infrastructure, public service, and industries, according to Zeng Zanrong, Party chief of Tongzhou District.

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Despite the freezing cold, construction on a museum, a theater, and a library in eastern Beijing's Tongzhou District is progressing in full swing.

The projects are set to be the landmarks of the district, designated as the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. Two years after a detailed development plan for the administrative center was approved by the central government, the district has become a front-runner in attracting foreign investment and a highland clustering emerging industries.

Workers install the component of a shield tunneling machine at the road transformation site in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

In 2020, 71 foreign-invested enterprises landed in the district with multiple industries such as finance, culture and tourism, and science and technology gathering in the area.

OPEN AND INTERNATIONAL

The Universal Beijing Resort, a China-U.S. joint venture, is expected to start operation in Tongzhou in May this year.

Tom Mehrmann, president and general manager of the Universal Beijing Resort, said over 100,000 people have participated in the construction of the park, with the collaboration of more than 500 top international and Chinese designers and artists.

The resort is the epitome of the opening-up of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. More and more foreign companies are optimistic about the location advantages of the administrative center and choose it as the first stop to settle in China.

Landmark projects of Beijing's sub-center are under construction in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 25, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

"We chose to settle in the administrative center because we have confidence in the governance ability and efficiency of the local government, as well as China's financial development," said Huang Hong, head of the preparatory team of Ueda Yagi Money Broking (China) Co., Ltd, the first wholly foreign-owned money brokerage company in the Chinese mainland. It was established in the administrative center on Nov. 26.

"We believe we will be successful here," Huang said.

"During the company's application for the establishment, the relevant authorities, despite COVID-19, completed the review of the company and approval of the establishment within a very short period of time, which was hailed by the Japanese parent company," Huang added.

Huang, who has worked in European and Asian financial markets for many years, said China has resolutely contained the COVID-19 epidemic and its economy has taken the lead in recovery, adding that the current openness and activity of China's financial market are unprecedented and attractive to foreign investors.

In the future, the company will take advantage of the incentives for innovation in the administrative center and continue to improve product lines and business systems to provide well-rounded services to both domestic and foreign customers.

In addition to Ueda Yagi, the Refinitiv Financial Technology Information Services (China) Group Co., Ltd. has also recently completed its registration, becoming the first China headquarters of a wholly foreign-owned financial technology company in the administrative center.

With its positioning as a national comprehensive demonstration zone of service industry opening-up and pilot free trade zone, the Beijing administrative center is increasingly attractive to overseas financial institutions.

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows the business district along the Grand Canal in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

In the first 10 months of 2020, the actual utilization of foreign investment totaled 565 million U.S. dollars, exceeding the annual target in advance, statistics showed.

CLUSTER OF COMPETITIVE INDUSTRIES

Hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak at the beginning of 2020, Terminus Group, a high-tech company engaged in the research on artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, received timely help from local authorities of the administrative center where the company had moved in earlier 2019.

As stated in the district's preferential policies, companies will be rewarded with incentive payments in the early and later stages of their development since their settlement in the area.

Terminus was offered 6 million yuan (about 926,400 U.S. dollars) to tide over the difficulties, said Xie Chao, vice president of the company.

"What we value most are the opportunities in the administrative center. Especially under the backdrop of the digital economy, the district will become a pioneer in building a new-type digital eco-city," Xie said.

Photo taken on July 21, 2020 shows a park in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Over the years, the district has phased out backward production capacity and undertaken some of the functions of the central urban area of Beijing to help address problems including traffic congestion and air pollution.

"Companies like ours will benefit from a string of policies that focus on expanding the opening up of the service industry and setting up a free trade pilot zone in Beijing," Xie added.

As one of Beijing's "two new wings" along with the Xiong'an New Area, the administrative center has become a model of quality-driven development by gathering a variety of superior resources.

People visit the Grand Canal Forest Park in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, July 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

The district, which aims to accommodate 1.3 million permanent residents by 2035, has witnessed the settlement of headquarters of centrally-administered state-owned enterprises, branches of state-owned commercial banks, high-tech companies, a national cybersecurity industrial park, and a human resource service park.

The district has made a preliminary review of over 600 major projects with a total investment of more than 800 billion yuan, covering infrastructure, public service, and industries, according to Zeng Zanrong, Party chief of Tongzhou District.

"In the following five years, we aim to maintain an annual investment of over 100 billion yuan," Zeng said.
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Employees at Chinese tech giant Huawei face the sack if they marry a European or apply for citizenship in the West, an investigation has found.

Huawei operatives stationed in Europe will be summoned back to China 'as quickly as possible' if they breach the policy and dismissed if they fail to return, according to the Daily Telegraph which says putting down European roots is 'seen as a betrayal'.

The controversial telecoms firm - which insists it does not take orders from China's Communist rulers - is said to be anxious that its workers should remain subject to Chinese law and to stop them leaking sensitive information overseas.

Huawei also tries to stop its employees from settling down by moving them to a new country every five years, sources at the company said.

Huawei is said to want its employees to remain subject to Chinese law (pictured, women walking past a Huawei store in Beijing)

Huawei's presence in Europe is politically charged because of the fears raised by Western governments that Beijing will use the firm's technology for espionage.

While Huawei has always denied it would spy for Beijing, a national security expert said the employee rules undermined its claim not to be a 'state agency'.

'These are stipulations that no normal commercial company would make of its employees and that is alarming and disturbing,' Professor Anthony Glees said.

'It would seem to me to contradict the market interest of the company which is to sell its kit, not give people the impression that its some kind of state agency.'

An employee handbook seen by the Telegraph says the rule applies to Chinese expats who take up citizenship in Europe or get married to an EU resident.

If they fail to return, they will be deemed to have 'breached their employment contract' and ordered to 'resign from the company or its subsidiary'.

'The internal atmosphere at the company is that if you marry a local person and get citizenship rights then this is seen as a betrayal,' one former Huawei worker said.

Another expat said he was kicked out of the firm after 10 years' service in 2019 after his manager discovered he was planning to marry a European woman.

The employee said he believed Huawei was trying to stop its workers from 'using the company as a tool to emigrate to Western Europe'.

Huawei has always denied taking orders from China's Communist Party rulers (pictured, Chinese president Xi Jinping at a Communist meeting on Monday)

Huawei claimed in response to the story that the policy was 'no longer valid', saying that taking up residency in Europe was a 'personal matter' for employees.

The firm added that the policy had never been in place in the UK.

Rotating people between overseas postings is 'very popular with employees who value the rich mix of experience,' a spokesman said.

Huawei says it has more than 13,300 employees in Europe including at 23 research and development sites, but its presence has become a heated political issue.

Under Donald Trump's presidency, the US has pressured its allies to cut Huawei out of their 5G mobile networks because of fears of espionage.

US officials have said that Huawei is duty-bound by Chinese law to spy for the Communist Party through alleged 'backdoors' in its technology.

Huawei maintains that it 'has never and will never covertly access telecom networks, nor do we have the capability to do so'.

Britain fell in line last year with Boris Johnson announcing that Huawei equipment would be banned from the 5G network by 2027.

The U-turn last July was welcomed by the US State Department but condemned as 'groundless' by Beijing.

Germany, Europe's largest economy, has stopped short of banning Huawei outright but is planning tougher oversight of the firm.

China's relations with the West are already strained over a host of issues, including a security crackdown in Hong Kong following the mass protests in 2019.

Western politicians have accused China of undermining the 'one country, two systems' formula under which Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997.

China has also reacted angrily to US and Australian criticism over the coronavirus, which first surfaced in Wuhan in late 2019.

The incoming Joe Biden administration is likely to maintain pressure on China over Hong Kong and the treatment of ethnic-minority Uighur people in Xinjiang.

Biden has also described 'unfair trade practices by China' as a 'key priority' for his presidency, which begins on January 20.
We were reliably informed that Brexit wouldnt really impact our lives in Spain. I am sad to say that these reliable sources were wrong. Slowly, it is becoming evidently clear that Britons will not enjoy the same rights in Spain that they had almost taken for granted. The first Brexit bombshell was that non-residents can only stay for 90 days in a 180 day period in Spain (and across the European Union) which will make life difficult for those residents who have holiday homes and want to enjoy an extended stay. The second is qualifications.

As you will have read in yesterdays newspaper British yacht captain will not be able to skipper Spanish flagged yachts and certain other professional qualifications may not be accepted in Spain. You can no longer bring meat and milk products into Spain from the UK, which in some cases will dent the appetite for British expats returning from the UK with a big food shop. There is also plenty more red-take for those companies who want to take products in and out of the UK.

Now, a great deal of work is being done on many of these issues by the British Foreign Office in Spain and Chambers of Commerce and business organisations and hopefully things will change in the not too distant future. Brexit may have past slightly under the radar as a result of Covid but it has made a difference with new laws and regulations and unfortunately this is just the start.
How neglected is India's services sector can be easily determined by asking a simple question to policymakers, planners, or economists: What was the services sector's contribution to the GDP in 1950-51?

It is highly unlikely that anyone would even guess it right: 36%. Its contribution then was next to agriculture but it surpassed agriculture in mid-1960s, crossed 50% in mid-1960s, zoomed past 60% in FY05, and continues its lofty perch since then. It has also been the main engine of India's growth for several decades and, going by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) projections, it became the largest employer in 2019 (closest to India's FY20), surpassing agriculture.

Yet there is no national policy, department, or ministry dedicated to services or national debate on it. It has grown virtually on its own, as India's IT sector would vouchsafe. But before going further, here is a reality check.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy 57: When and how will industry take India to next level of growth?

The invisible sector that contributes the most to GDP

The following graph maps the GDP share of services and manufacturing since 1950-51 using the 2004-05 and 2011-12 GDP series at constant prices.

Why this comparison with manufacturing?

That's because traditionally economic growth is associated with manufacturing, not services. The developed nations of the west (like the UK, US, Germany, and others) and the success stories of the east (Japan, South Korea, China, and others) have had a manufacturing-led high growth story.

In sharp contrast, India's growth story has been riding on services for several decades, but that has made little difference to the perceptions of policymakers, planners, and economists.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy 56: Why India should follow agricultural development-led industrialisation growth model

The remarkable element of the above graph is the huge gap in the contribution of services and manufacturing to the GDP. In the 2004-05 GDP series (constant prices) the services' share was four times more in 1950-51 and increased to 4.3 times in 2013-14. After the new series (2011-12) was introduced and some sub-components of 'Trade, Hotels, Transport and Communication (THTC)' were shifted from services to manufacturing, raising the latter's share, the services' share of the GDP was still 3.6 times more than manufacturing's in 2019-20.

Services is the main driver of India's growth

When it comes to sectoral contributions to the GDP growth, the services sector provides the maximum thrust.

Between 1950-51 and 2013-14, its annual average contribution to the GDP growth was 54.4% (2004-05 series at constant prices). Between 2011-12 and 2019-20, its contribution to the growth increased to 67.7% (2011-12 series at constant prices).

In sharp contrast, the manufacturing sector's contribution was 13.1% and 18.1% for the corresponding periods.

Services is the largest employer too

In 2019 (closest to India's FY20), services surpassed agriculture for the first time as the largest employer, according to the ILO's projections, which even the RBI and Economic Surveys use in their reports because no government agency provided such estimates after the Planning Commission was dismantled in 2014.

According to the ILO database, services provided employment to 44.2% of the total employment in 2019 as against agriculture's 43.2%. In contrast, manufacturing's share was just 11.4%.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy 55: Farmer producer organisations best bet for small, marginal farmers

The earlier years' sectoral shares of employment have been taken from the Planning Commission and Economic and Political Weekly's December 1966 issue.

Global bias against the services sector

Unlike other sectors of economy, there is a paucity of literature on services not just in India but globally, reflecting poor faith of economists in its ability to drive growth.

A World Bank's working paper released in 2014, "Can Service Be a Growth Escalator in Low Income Countries?", tried to explain this while endorsing its role as the main growth engine. It said: "It has been argued for more than 200 years that economic growth is associated with the manufacturing sector. Services have been considered non-tradable, menial, low productivity, and low-innovation."

It sought to impress that the conventional path of manufacturing-led growth and development seems to have hit a roadblock in many parts of the world, especially in low-income countries in Africa and South Asia. Some of these countries, like the Lions of Africa (Tanzania and Ethiopia) and India have witnessed growth driven by services, unlike the East Asian Tigers or the western developed economies.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy 54: Will bypassing APMC-based procurement improve farmers' income, ensure food security?

The working paper does not argue that services is superior to manufacturing in driving growth, or the other way round, but that the latecomers to development now have more levers to pull because of globalisation and the Third Industrial Revolution that brought information technology (IT) and information communications technology (ITC).

It argued that the Third Revolution led by services can upset five long-held tenets of economic development: (i) traditional thinking that the services sector is a product of growth and can't drive growth on its own is no longer valid; services can be produced and traded just like manufacturing goods and is contributing more than manufacturing to growth and jobs in both low and high-income countries (ii) global trade in services has exploded and is growing faster than trade in goods (iii) technology, trade, and supply chains have changed services from being lower in productivity than manufacturing; innovation in communication and transport have contributed to global supply chain in services just like in manufacturing (iv) it is no longer true, in both low and high-income countries, that goods jobs are created only in manufacturing and (v) services-led growth is also compatible with greener, inclusive and more gender-friendly growth.

How India treats its services sector

India belatedly recognised the services' sector's contributions and is yet to devote time or energy to develop it.

The earliest recognition perhaps came with the working paper published by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2013, which is well reflected in its title, "The Service Sector in India".

It said: "The service sector is the largest and fastest growing sector in India and has the highest labour productivity, but employment has not kept pace with the share of the sector in gross domestic product and has not produced the number or quality of jobs needed. There is no policy leading to inclusive growth, and multiple, uncoordinated governing bodies adversely affect the growth of the sector...

Also Read: Rebooting Economy 53: Why crop insurance is losing traction in India

"Most of the poor in India do not have access to basic services such as healthcare and education and infrastructure is weak so the cost of service delivery is high. Although India wants to be a knowledge hub, there is no uniformity in the quality and standards of education and formal education does not guarantee employability. Policy measures are suggested for inclusive growth that will also enhance India's global competitiveness in services."

The 12th Five-Year Plan's Volume II (also published in 2013) was devoted to "Economic Sectors", but did not even have a chapter on services. Various components of the service sector were treated as adjuncts to eight sectors, each of which had a dedicated chapter: Agriculture, industry, energy, transport, communication, rural development, urban development, and other priority sectors.

The Economic Survey of 2019-20 devoted an entire chapter to services and said, among others: (a) the services sector's significance in the Indian economy has continued to increase with it contributing around 55% of the total size of the economy and GVA growth (b) its share exceeds 50% of Gross State Value Added in 15 out of 33 states and UTs and more than 80% in Delhi and Chandigarh (c) it accounts for two-thirds of total FDI inflows and 38% of total export and (d) services' exports have outperformed goods export in recent years, raising India's share in world's commercial services exports to 3.5% in 2018, twice that of merchandise export at 1.7%.

It also recorded that high-frequency data and other economic statistics suggested "a moderation in services sector activity during 2019-20" with bank credit to the sector, air passenger traffic, and rail freight traffic witnessing "a deceleration".

It offered no solution, devoting the entire chapter to analysing the data for different components, other than expressing optimism for improvement.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy 52: The unfinished agenda of land reforms nobody talks about

That was not to be. The pandemic hit and the AatmaNirbhar Bharat packages of more than Rs 20 lakh crore also ignored it, in keeping with the traditional approach to the sector.

In August 2020, Geetanjali Nataraj, director of a central government body, Services Export Promotion Council (SEPC), wrote in a national daily with an apt sub-head "An Unserviced Sector".

In it, she wrote how the AatmaNirbhar Bharat packages had overlooked the plight of the services sector even though it was the main driver of India's growth and was "struggling hard to keep its head above water".

She issued a warning: "From tourism, aviation, shipping, space to call centres and delivery services, the standstill in activities is bound to have a knock-out effect on employment, production, and the economy as a whole. The big picture suggests that the current relief provisions for the primary and secondary sectors would also be nullified as a consequence of neglecting the tertiary sector (services)."

She also pointed out that due to this neglect, the services sector contracted for the fifth successive month in July 2020.

Also read: Rebooting Economy 51: Where is India's vision, plan for sustained agriculture growth and farmers' welfare?

How services would perform in FY21

Now that the 'First Advance Estimates of National Income 2020-21' is out, released on January 7, 2021, here is what Nataraj anticipated.

The National Statistical Office (NSO) estimates the overall GVA to shrink to minus 7.2% in FY21 (GDP to shrink to minus 7.7%).

About sectoral performances, it provides a mix picture. The agriculture-GVA and utilities-GVA (component of industry) would register positive growth (3% and 2.7%, respectively). The manufacturing-GVA (main component of industry) will shrink by minus 12.4%.

When it comes to services, all its four components will shrink.

Also Read: Rebooting Economy 50: Economic reforms for whom and for what?

The GVA of 'Financial, Real Estate, and Professional Services' will shrink to minus 0.8%, 'Public Administration, Defence and Other Services' to minus 3.7%, 'Construction' to minus 12.6% and 'Trade, Hotels, Transport, Communication, and Broadcasting' to minus 21.4% (all at constant prices).

How long will India ignore the services sector?
Ms. Plaskett moved to the Virgin Islands, where she worked in the private sector, before being elected in 2014 to represent the group of islands that lies southeast of Florida in the Caribbean Sea. During her career in Congress, Ms. Plaskett has prioritized economic development in the Caribbean. She is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

In a 2019 letter to Ms. Pelosi in which Ms. Plaskett asked to be made a House impeachment manager in the first trial of Mr. Trump, she cited the weight the decision would carry for her constituents, who do not have full voting rights, as well as her years of experience working in public service and as a prosecutor.

The party says that Black women are the base and our primary support, and there are five Black women in the House who are attorneys and only two of us are former prosecutors, Ms. Plaskett said in the letter, according to BuzzFeed News.

Ms. Plaskett was not chosen the first time around. But Ms. Pelosi announced on Tuesday evening that Ms. Plaskett would help make the second case against Mr. Trump.
Mr. Crow, a former Army Captain, asked the comptroller general of the United States, who is part of the agency, last week to initiate a broad investigation into many aspects of the security breach, including the roles members of Congress played.

Mr. Crow, whose request letter was signed by 107 of his colleagues, said Wednesday that he has been informed the investigation is underway.

To the extent there were members of the House that were complicit, and I believe there were, we will pursue appropriate remedies including expulsion and a prohibition from holding elective office for the rest of their lives, Mr. Crow said in an interview. They will of course be subject to criminal investigation and prosecution if thats what the facts of the investigation show.

The tours on the eve of the riot came to light after Representative Mikie Sherrill, Democrat of New Jersey and a former Navy pilot, said Tuesday night on Facebook without offering evidence that she knew of members of Congress who gave reconnaissance tours to rioters ahead of the attack.

Those members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5, a reconnaissance for the next day, those members of Congress that incited this violent crowd, Ms. Sherrill said, those members who attempted to help our president undermine our democracy, Im going to see that theyre held accountable.

HIDALGO COUNTY - President Donald Trump sought refuge in South Texas on Tuesday, brushing off threats of impeachment and calls for his resignation following last weeks storming of the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.

During his first speech since those riots in D.C., Trump briefly spoke out against the violence that left five people dead, including a police officer, and trashed the U.S. Capitol.

We believe in respecting Americas history and traditions, not tearing them down, Trump said. We believe in the rule of law and not in violence or rioting.

But Trumps visit had the region on edge on Tuesday.

Hundreds of Trumps supporters organized a Trump Train in a show of solidarity and critics of the president warned his appearance so close to last week's violence was a danger to the community. Some Democrats were warning their supporters to stay away from Trumps route to prevent clashes.

Hes just bringing trouble, said Santos Chavarria, a 59-year-old resident of nearby Mission.

AT THE TEXAS CAPITOL: Lawmakers shun masks in Texas Senate chambers as session opens

Chavarria was among dozens that gathered at a protest rally a few miles from a section of border wall south of Pharr where Trump delivered his speech. Chavarria said that instead of talking about his divisive border wall, Trump should be helping fight COVID-19, which has ravaged Hidalgo County. More than 1,900 people have died from the disease in the county of about 870,000 people. Thats more deaths than all but two Texas counties: Harris and Dallas.

Chavarria said he will sleep better at night once Trump is out of office.

Others, including U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Harlingen, pleaded with Trump to cancel his visit, saying it was just too dangerous given the mood of the nation.

The president should cancel this trip and focus on bringing harmony to this country in his waning days, Vela said before Trump arrived.

Belying accusations that Trumps popularity rests mainly with white, working-class voters, the crowd awaiting the president on the border Tuesday was heavily Mexican American. While well-wishers had driven in from elsewhere, many in the crowd identified themselves as being from McAllen and other nearby border towns.

Everything he was going to do, he did it.

Although the general public was kept away from where Trump spoke, hundreds lined the roads near where he was speaking in hopes of catching a glimpse of the president near the border wall.

Its his legacy, said Teresa Dial, who retired to Pharr two years ago and was part of a group that gathered just outside the security perimeter where Trump was speaking.

Dial said concerns that Tuesdays events could spark another round of violence were ridiculous. She said she had no concerns that there would be any trouble.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

Michigan resident Jim Bloomfield, another Trump supporter, said the president has taken way too much criticism from the media and should get more credit for building the wall and other accomplishments.

Everything he said he was going to do, he did it, said Bloomfield, who changed plans for his vacation in Brownsville when he learned Trump was going to be nearby.

For Trump, the two-hour stop in South Texas was a chance to highlight what he sees as one of his biggest accomplishments.

We worked long and hard to get this done, Trump told the small group of supporters and border patrol agents at the base of a section of newly constructed wall. They said it couldnt be done. And we got it done.

But as much as Trump wanted to tout the wall as an example of a promise made, promise kept as the White House declared, much of the construction near where he stood remains incomplete, leaving large gaps in a 10-mile stretch on either side.

When Trump ran for the White House in 2015, he promised a wall from Texas to California  more than 1,900 miles that would be paid for by Mexico. Instead, the Trump administration has mostly refurbished existing walls and fences and added only about 30 miles of barriers where there previously had not been any. Mexico did not pay for any of it.

The Trump administration says 450 miles of border wall have been built during his administration.

Melissa Cigarroa, a landowner along the border near Laredo who is also an activist with the No Border Wall Coalition, said construction crews are working faster now as they try to get as much wall built as possible before Joe Biden can take office, hoping that the new president wont tear it down.

Not one more foot, she said is her message to the Biden administration.

Trump made clear hes worried about what Biden will do.

We cant let the next administration even think about taking it down, Trump said.

And as he did earlier in his administration, he warned of caravans of immigrants from Central and South America looking for the gravy train who are heading to the border already in anticipation of his tough policies being reversed.

If our border security measures are reversed, it will trigger a tidal wave of illegal immigration, he said

Election was lost fair and square

Critics say the real damage has been the border wall and Trumps immigration policies as a whole.

The border wall construction work has done irreparable harm to the environment, Indigenous people, and communities along the southern border, said Frankie Miranda, President and CEO of the nonprofit Hispanic Federation.

Trumps damage goes beyond just the wall, said Astrid Dominguez, director of the Border Rights Center with the Texas American Civil Liberties Union.

Trump brought our asylum system to a halt, separated children from their parents, destroyed protected lands to further border wall construction, and emboldened CBP agents to operate with impunity, Dominguez said.

While Trump made the border wall a top priority from his first days in office, he never had full support from Congress on it. After Congress refused to give the White House $5 billion for the construction of the wall, Trump turned to using past Defense Department appropriations to cover some construction. Almost $10 billion was diverted from Pentagon programs in 2019 and 2020, a controversial transfer that has been challenged in federal lawsuits.

Trumps stop in Texas marked his 18th time visiting the state. Only eight states have seen Trump more than Texas.

In visiting Hidalgo County, Trump was in one of the Texas counties where he did the worst in the November election. Biden beat Trump in the county by 17 percentage points.

Trump carried Zapata County, a lightly populated border district upriver from McAllen.

The election was lost fair and square, I suppose, but Im here to support the president, said Emede Tovar, 36, who had driven 60 miles from another border city with his wife and young daughter. I wanted my daughter to see him. Were here to say hi and bye.

Several other Trump supporters pointed out that the president has never used the word concede in agreeing to a change in the White House. They insisted that Biden would somehow be removed from office in short order, perhaps leading to Trumps return to power.

I hope he is able to continue carrying the movement forward, said Joe Garcia, 47, a middle school teacher. What he stands for are conservative values, against abortion. against the illegals taking all the benefits, for making America great again. Thats what I like.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said incorrectly that Trump won Starr County.

Dudley Althaus contributed to this report.

jeremy.wallace@chron.com

Outspoken Kremlin critic Aleksei Navalny says he will return to Russia this weekend after spending almost five months in Germany to receive emergency medical care to survive a poison attack.

The opposition politician's January 13 announcement on social media sets up a potentially dramatic new showdown between the Kremlin and Navalny, who is one of President Vladimir Putin's most prominent foes and could face prison following his return.



"The question 'to return or not' never stood before me as I didn't leave on my own. I ended up in Germany in an intensive-care box. On January 17, Sunday, I will return home on a Pobeda flight," he said in a tweet on January 13, referring to a Russian airline whose name means "victory."



Navalny fell ill on a flight from Tomsk to Moscow on August 20 and was treated and placed in an induced coma in a Siberian hospital before being transferred to a world-class facility in Germany.



Lab tests in three European countries, confirmed by the international Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, have established that Navalny was poisoned with a toxin from the Russian-made Novichok group of Soviet-era nerve agents. The findings led the European Union to impose sanctions on six Russian officials and a state research institute.



Russian authorities have claimed that no trace of poison was found in Navalny's body before he was airlifted to Germany, and have refused to open a criminal investigation into the incident. Navalny has blamed Putin for his poisoning.

Navalny said that his convalescence from the ordeal had reached a point where he felt it was time to return home.



"When I first got out of the hospital, I did this exercise. The hardest part for me. You have to stand, then lie on the floor, then get up again. It was very, very difficult. My maximum was three times. Then I had to rest," he said in a post on Instagram.



"This morning I did push-ups, squats and even a few burps (hell of a thing). Then I realized that the moment I had been waiting for had come -- perhaps I am almost healthy and can finally return home," he added.



Late last month Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service (FSIN) told Navalny to return immediately from Germany or face jail in Russia for violating the terms of a suspended prison sentence relating to a 2014 fraud conviction and of evading criminal inspectors -- a case widely seen by international activists as politically motivated.



Navalny's probationary period for his suspended 3 1/2-year prison term expired on December 30.



The suspended sentence could be changed to a real jail term if the alleged violations are determined by Russian officials to be valid.



At the time, Navalny, who had vowed to return home at some point after he recovered, said that the demand showed that the Russian government was accepting that he was poisoned.



On January 12, Navalny said he had received a notice saying the FSIN had asked a court to switch his suspended prison sentence to jail time.



"Putin is so enraged that I survived the poisoning that he ordered the FSIN to demand that the court changes my suspended sentence into actual time in jail," Navalny tweeted on January 12.



"This despite the fact that my suspended sentence ended on December 30," he said in the message that also contained the screenshot of an official document of the FSIN's motion registered at a Moscow court.



According to the website of Moscow's Simonov district court, the move to change Navalny's suspended sentence had been registered on January 11.



The official reason to change the sentence is shown in the document as "due to a failure to carry out imposed obligations, evading the payment of compensations, or committing another crime."

Exiled former oligarch and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, whose prosecution, and decade in prison on financial-crimes charges he denies, are among the hallmarks of Putin's long rule, said he hopes Navalny will remain free upon returning to his homeland.



"I hope he will be more fortunate and his return will not result in a ten-year imprisonment or a new poisoning for him," Khodorkovsky said in an interview with Open Media, an online investigative resource funded by the Kremlin foe and former oil tycoon.
In a nutshell: Sony teased its entry into the drone market with the 'Airpeak' brand a few months ago and has now given a brief first look at its four-rotor model at CES this week. The company plans to launch the new Airpeak drone in spring and is targeting it at professional filmmakers and content creators.

There are a few crucial details still under wraps for Sony's upcoming drone, such as its price and specs. However, it does appear to be a high-end, expensive piece of kit considering that Sony has designed the drone around its Alpha series of mirrorless cameras.

Drone hobbyists might find the Airpeak out of their reach, but it could prove popular among filmmakers, videographers, and seasoned photographers that are already invested in Sony's ecosystem. The company says it's the smallest drone capable of carrying an Alpha camera in its payload and should enable high-quality, full-frame aerial footage thanks to the Airpeak's flight-stabilizing and image-steadying tech.

Sony also shared a behind-the-scenes video of the drone chasing its Vision-S EV prototype during a test drive in Austria where a few noticeable features of the Airpeak can be seen, such as the quadcopter design, an array of onboard cameras and sensors, and the motorized landing gear extensions.

Although Sony is debuting in the drone industry with a high-end model catering to moviemakers and professional content creators, it could expand into consumer-grade hardware down the road considering that DJI, the current market leader for commercial drones, recently found itself added to the US Entity List amidst the ongoing US-China trade war.

A man accused of assaulting someone in a Massachusetts town and threatening police while barricading himself in his home was arrested Tuesday evening, authorities said.

Officers in Wakefield were called to an apartment complex at 41 Richardson Ave. around 3 p.m. for a report of a man who authorities said assaulted another person and then barricaded himself in his apartment, according to a statement from the towns police department.

The 31-year-old man, who is also accused of making threats toward law enforcement, was taken into custody without incident around 6:30 p.m., the statement said. Nobody was injured.

The individual will be evaluated and face criminal charges, according to the departments statement.

Wakefield police with the assistance of their mental health clinician and the mutual aid support of the Northeast Massachusetts Council were able to bring the situation to a peaceful end, authorities noted.

Were grateful that what could have been a very volatile situation was swiftly and peacefully resolved, said Wakefield Chief of Police Steven A. Skory. Thanks to the negotiation efforts of the Wakefield Police Department and NEMLEC we were able to bring this incident to a close.
A Mexico City street surveillance camera captured the horrifying moment an alleged gang member pretended to be disabled before he gunned down a 49-year-old businessman on Monday.

Footage leaked on Twitter by a local reporter shows the gunman being pushed down a street by an accomplice in the Merced Gomez neighborhood at 6.53am while other gang members wait nearby inside two vehicles.

The video shows victim Daniel Miranda pulling out of condominium's parking in an SUV. As he pulls out, the hitman is seen rising from his wheelchair and walking round the corner where he opens fire on Miranda' car.

Mexico City investigators at the scene of Monday morning's shooting after an assassin pretended to be wheelchair-bound and executed Daniel Miranda, the owner of a local gym who refused to be extorted by a local gang led by Jonathan 'Lenin' Canchola

A Mexico City street surveillance camera captures the moment assassins gunned down the owner of a local gym who was the target of extortions made by a local gang

The security camera shows other gang members firing at Miranda's vehicle, which is blocked from the camera's view.

The attackers can be seen rushing to their vehicles and speeding off.

Miranda was found slumped on the driver's seat and was declared dead by paramedics at the scene.

Police investigators said they recovered at least 31 bullet casings, 19 which struck Miranda's SUV.

Mexico City authorities recovered 31 bullet casings from the shooting

Authorities in Mexico City said the SUV was struck by 19 bullets after a gang launched an attack that left a local gym owner dead

Jonathan 'Lenin' Canchola leads a local gang in Mexico City that is tied to a string of crimes that includes kidnappings, extortions, robberies and drug dealing

According to Mexican newspaper El Grafico, Miranda's murder was carried out by members of local gang led by Jonathan 'Lenin' Canchola for refusing to pay extortion fees for the right to operate his fitness center, Olympia.

Canchola, whose gang reportedly operates out of the Mexico City boroughs of Cuajimalpa y Alvaro Obregon, is wanted authorities for long list of crimes that include kidnappings, extortions, robberies and drug dealing.

Miranda survived an August 2018 assassination attempt that left his brother, Juan, dead, when Canchola's gang assassins shot up the same vehicle Miranda was driving at the moment of his death.
Kuwaits cabinet submitted its resignation after a cycle of clashes between the government and lawmakers on Tuesday, January 12. This came after 30 lawmakers backed a no-confidence motion against the government this month, revealing the instability within the country. The ministers decided to quit after recently elected members of parliament grilled the Prime Minister to protest his new Cabinet appointments.

Kuwait Prime Minister will now be submitting the resignations to Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who is the countrys ruling emir. According to local media reports, the prime minister has been accused of staffing the Cabinet with "provocative and unqualified members". Other points of conflict include choices for interior minister and justice minister, who opposed a draft law on Kuwaits stateless people that the parliament had hoped to pass.

Read: 'What A Shame!': Kuwait Appoints Only Men To Women Parliamentary Committee, Netizens Upset

According to AP reports, Mohammed al-Yousef, an independent Kuwaiti political analyst said, "The lawmakers are trying to bring reforms, but they feel their hands are tied because the government keeps bringing in the same old faces." He added, "The system is designed to create deadlock." However, the resignation has led to various concerns, including that the Emir may dissolve parliament and force a second election in as many months.

Read: Kuwait's Government Quits, Deepening Political Deadlock

Women's Parliamentary Committee row

Earlier, Kuwait was trolled for appointing just men to the Women's Parliamentary Committee. The information was shared online by The Council, a Kuwaiti electronic newspaper licensed by the country's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. According to The Council, Saleh Theyab al-Mutairi, Osama Ahmad al-Munawar, and Osama Essa al-Shaheen have been appointed to the committee.

The Kuwaiti National Assembly, the country's parliament, is a 65-member body, 50 of whom are elected every four years by the people, while the remaining 15 are appointed, making it a semi-democratic system. There are no political parties in Kuwait and members often run as independents. After the National Assembly elections are concluded, members form parliamentary committees.

Read: Kuwait's Key Reformer, Son Of Late Emir, Dies At 72

Also Read: UAE FM On End Of Qatar Dispute, US, Iran, Turkey

(Image Credits: AP)
The DUP's Westminster leader has accused the UK Government of not taking into account the impact of the Northern Ireland protocol on the region.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson was speaking following reports of empty shelves at some supermarkets as a result of issues with goods going from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

Chief executives of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Iceland, Co-Op and Marks and Spencer have written to Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove calling for urgent intervention to prevent further disruption to food supplies here.

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Sir Jeffrey is also to ask Mr Gove an urgent question on the issue in the Commons on Wednesday afternoon and will quote 17 examples of disruption his party claims are due to the Northern Ireland protocol.

The protocol has resulted in the 'Irish Sea Border' and means the majority of commercial goods entering NI from GB require a customs declaration.

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As well as food supplies, he is to address a 20% VAT increase on cars imported from GB and documentation issues with lorries arriving in NI.

Speaking to the BBC, Sir Jeffrey said his party are calling on the protocol to be revoked and said it shows the Tory government have not taken into consideration its impact here.

"It is not like they weren't warned. They were warned by myself and others in the House of Commons... I talked about the risk of empty supermarket shelves, I talked about the risks to manufacturing and so on," he said.

"The Government were warned about this, we had meeting after meeting with Michael Gove and his colleagues. We told them that if they were not able to address the issues that were likely to arise in the NI protocol in the free trade agreement then it would have significant implications for the Northern Ireland economy and so, it has come to pass.

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"I think the Government have been ill-prepared. What we are finding now is the Northern Ireland businesses have done their preparatory work, but businesses in GB have not, and the result of this is, for example, people trying to order items online and not having them delivered, people who want to bring commodities into Northern Ireland.

"Businesses in GB simply weren't prepared for the NI protocol and its impact. I have to say, that is the fault of the Government for failing to properly inform those businesses," he added.

The DUP stalwart said the protocol needs to be opened and examined to ensure there is a "long-term fix" for these issues, including it being replaced entirely.

It was put to Sir Jeffrey that his party fought for Brexit and this issues were inevitable going to arise as a result of it, he replied: "This is not what we voted for at any time.

"Why is it that Brexit hasn't caused these problems in England, Scotland and Wales, but it's caused a problem in Northern Ireland?

"Well, the reason is - not Brexit - it's the Northern Ireland protocol. That is what distinguishes Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK."
Seyeonjeong Pavilion in Bogil Island, a birthplace of poet Yun Seon-do's iconic literary works / Korea Times File



Author Michael Gibb goes island hopping in Korea's unpredictable, alluring sea



By Park Han-sol



Fueled by the "sugary, milky, hot, completely unhealthy" taste of Korea's homegrown instant coffee label Maxim Gold, an English backpacker starts another of his days on a rattling ferry that takes him to some of the most isolated islands along the coastline of South Korea.



Perhaps for Michael Gibb, a man born in the British Isles, and now living on an island off Hong Kong, the trip across the treacherous sea and thick fog to reach the islands strewn around the Korean peninsula in the year 2018 was destined from the start.



"It was a mixture of 'Can I get there?' and 'Will there be anything interesting when I get there?'" Gibb told The Korea Times explaining how he came to select a total of 30 islands to visit  among thousands to choose from  for his book "A Korean Odyssey: Island Hopping in Choppy Waters," although some didn't make the final cut.





"A Korean Odyssey: Island Hopping in Choppy Waters" by Michael Gibb / Courtesy of Camphor Press

One thing was important: they had to pass the "accessible by ferry only" test. Hence, Jeju Island, eastern Ganghwa Island and southern Jin Island were out. The bridges and airports connecting islands to the mainland "crush island identities, create tourism hubs, homogenize island life, and eradicate distinction," he writes in his book.



The bits and pieces of Korea's historical and cultural trivia that accompany each of his trips are always a delight to come across. They don't feel like unwelcome, in-your-face, classroom history lessons that jolt you out of your fascination with the story.



Instead, from Korean's iconic yet complex sentiment known as "han," which Gibb says carries a "sense of resignation, a sense of permanent sorrow like a never-ending winter's afternoon," to heavier political, historical incidents that shaped the Joseon Kingdom and modern-day Korea, their peeking faces are just enough to provide insightful answers to questions you will naturally come to harbor during your read.



Some of the more well-known events the author covers in his chapters include the Incheon landing operation during the Korean War (1950-1953) aided by the lighthouse on Palmi Island, the tragic Sewol ferry disaster in 2014 in the waters off Gwanmae Island and the ongoing Korea-Japan dispute over Dok Island (more commonly referred to by its Korean name, Dokdo, or its Japanese name, Takeshima).



But he also dabbles in the topic of modern day slavery on the salt farms of Sinui Island, the history of early missionaries on Godae Island and Oe Island's transformation from a nearly barren land mass into a garish European-style botanical estate.



With a sprinkle of self-deprecating jokes here and there, he doesn't shy away from exposing unpleasant, sometimes downright dreadful, sides that one grudgingly comes to accept to be a part of a solo backpacking trip. Sometimes, he missed the island buses that come only to meet the ferries to take people to the village, leaving him stranded in the rain. Other times, his trip was interrupted by either the red-faced tourists overindulging in soju, island kids harassing him for being a foreigner, or a swollen ankle rendering a few days of nice walks impossible. But in the end, these elements are what make his unconventional trip all the more real and fascinating.





Hong Kong-based journalist and writer Michael Gibb / Courtesy of Michael Gibb
Queensland police have accidentally released details of hundreds of firearms owners in an embarrassing privacy and security breach, which is under investigation.

Compounding the error, the move was an attempt to warn firearms owners to secure their properties following a spate of thefts of guns.

An email from the Queensland Police Service with the subject line weapons audits included the email addresses of all 500 recipients, information that could be used to work out the physical addresses and other details of firearms owners. Credit:iStock

The Queensland Police Service has acknowledged the breach "has caused confusion and anguish and the service apologises for this", saying it had launched an immediate inquiry into how it happened.

"The inquiry into how this error occurred is on-going.," the service said in a statement, "however, the Moreton District has immediately contacted all officers within the district to remind them of the importance of double-checking emails and the high value and importance the QPS places on maintaining the privacy of our stakeholders."
Washington, Jan 13 : The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a new requirement for a negative Covid-19 test to all air passengers entering the US.

The new order, signed by CDC Director Robert Redfield on Tuesday, will become effective on January 26, Xinhua news agency reported.

"Testing before and after travel is a critical layer to slow the introduction and spread of Covid-19. This strategy is consistent with the current phase of the pandemic and more efficiently protects the health of Americans," said a statement of the CDC.

Air passengers are required to get a viral test within the three days before their flight to the US, and provide written documentation of their laboratory test result to the airline or provide documentation of having recovered from Covid-19.

Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers or documentation of recovery before they board, the new order requires.

Before departure to the US, a required test, combined with the CDC recommendations to get tested again 3-5 days after arrival and stay home for 7 days post-travel, will help slow the spread of Covid-19 within US communities from travel-related infections, said the CDC.

Pre-departure testing with results known and acted upon before travel begins will help identify infected travellers before they board airplanes, said the agency.

The new order comes as variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to emerge in countries around the world, and there is evidence of increased transmissibility of some of these variants.

"With the US already in surge status, the testing requirement for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public," said the CDC.

Last month, the CDC announced that all air travellers arriving in the US from the UK would be required to test negative for Covid-19 before departure.

"Testing does not eliminate all risk," said Redfield, "but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations."

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Hong Kong: Return2hk booking to open 24 hours

The Government announced today that the Return2hk Scheme's online booking system will be open all day and night from January 14 to facilitate applications for available quotas by members of the public anytime.

The round-the-clock arrangement for the scheme is made having regard to the booking and immigration clearance situation since its implementation.

Once the new arrangement is in place, people can apply for quotas for the period between January 14 and 24. Thereafter, the system will make available the quotas for the seven-day period of the following week for booking every Wednesday.

The Government reminded residents who return to Hong Kong under the scheme to fulfil all the specified conditions to gain exemption from the 14-day compulsory quarantine, including not having been to places other than Hong Kong, Guangdong or Macau in the past 14 days.

The returnees should transmit their valid negative nucleic acid test result to the Department of Health's electronic health declaration system through the "Yuekang Code" or "Macao health code" and fill in other required information to obtain the "Green" QR code within 24 hours before setting off for Hong Kong.

The Return2hk Scheme's online booking system will be suspended for about 30 minutes from midnight on January 14 for a system upgrade.

Click here for details or call 3142 2330 for enquiries.

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
The UK Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee met last Saturday under conditions of a pandemic escalating out of control. The UK has the highest death rate in the world, with a catastrophic 1,325 daily deaths reported immediately prior to the meeting and now totalling over 95,000. Hospitals are days away from being overwhelmed.

Special needs teacher Tania Kent explained, the belated and misnamed national lockdown announced January 5 will have little impact in the surge of infections. The new variant of Covid is taking prisoner after prisoner in a one-sided battle.

After months of claims that schools are the safest place that children could be, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was forced declare that not only are schools not safe, but they are the main vector for the escalation of the virus and specifically the new variant.

Faced with mass walkouts and boycotts that could spread to other sections of workers, Johnson announced a third lockdownto contain opposition while continuing to enforce a back to work agenda

Schools, however, are packed with children between 40 and 60 percent of pupils attending, because the list of those deemed essential workers has been extended, while nurseries and Special Educational Needs schools are fully open. Schools have been told they cannot limit numbers. Children who do not have access to a laptop have been told they can return to school.

The National Education Union [NEU] agreed to abandon their members in early years and special schools [which are open]. The mandate of its members to close schools to protect lives is being overturned!

The NEU, NASUWT and Unison trade unions have called for another letter writing campaign. They have called on the government to clarify and provide a more precise definition of key worker and the vulnerable. Meanwhile the virus is allowed to run rampant within schools and communities and no call for walkouts or industrial action.

Kent ended by calling for a political rebellion against the unions. New organs of struggle must be built which fight for policies that defend the health and welfare of workers and not the profits of the rich.

The time has come for workers and educators to intervene on the basis of an independent programmeto take matters out of the hands of the criminally negligent Conservative government and its accomplices in the Labour Party and trade union bureaucracy.

An immediate walkout must be organised, she said and the closure of all non-essential industries. All education workers must be paid a full salary and millions provided to ensure proper online learningpaid for by seizing the mega-profits of the major corporations and banks.

The fight for this programme demands the political mobilisation of the entire working class in the struggle for socialism.

The pandemic is both a political and a global crisis. It cannot be tackled on a national basis. International Youth Students for Social Equality member Gregor Link from Germany said, An independent intervention of the working class is required to save countless lives.

Germany internationally has been hailed as a model for how to cope with the pandemic, but, The German elite acted in an entirely criminal manner

Germany is leading Europe when it comes to the number of COVID deaths with more than 1,000 deaths for many days  the pandemic is raging out of control. This is a result of the policy of leaving schools and daycare centres open  The German government has not closed one single factory or office. The situation resembles a major war. Many crematoriums are overwhelmed by the amount of dead bodies. Clinics and hospitals are nearing collapse.

But education ministers and state prime ministers of all parties are determined to get back to face to face teaching as soon as possible.

Leading virologists and epidemiologists are warning that the novel strain may become dominant in all European countries, unless there is a total lockdown across all Europe. The only force able to realise this is the international working class. Governments, including unions, are opposed to all such steps.

SEP member and teaching assistant (TA) Harvey Thompson spoke about the deaths of educators from COVID-19 and the coverup of the figures to facilitate the governments unsafe opening of schools.

The twitter page ToryFibs released the names of eight educators who had died of COVID-19 in schools in the recent period. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has not updated its published data since June, showing 148 education workers in the UK had died of COVID-19.

Ruth, a teacher from the Isle of Wight, explained that she has been doing research into how many educators and pupils have died from COVID. It is being covered up in the UK. Ive found out that since September [there were] nine staff deaths. The child and student deaths are more difficult to find.

The DfE [Department for Education] say they dont have information about teacher deaths, only teacher absences. They are keeping teacher absence figures secret!

When a member of the public asked [the ONS], How many education staff have died of coronavirus?, they answered using figures from March to May 2020. They have figures more recent, as they have them for other occupations and the whole country. There is a major cover-up going on.

You have to ask yourself, if the risk to teachers, TAs and support staff was no more than the risk to anyone else of dying from this virus, then why would they not be open with that information?

Some research found there were 75 confirmed education staff COVID deaths in the six weeks from March 20 to April 20. During that time there were 238 in-service teacher deaths. In 2018, there were 130 in-service deaths. This is ringing alarm bells.

Frontline nurse Rory described the terrible impact of the pandemic on the National Health Service (NHS).

London Mayor Sadiq Khan in Trafalgar Square on June 8 2019 (credit: David Holt Wikimedia Commons)

There are 31,624 patients with the virus in hospitals. In London, Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan had to declare a major incident. There are 35 percent more people in hospital with the virus than at the peak of the pandemic in April.

Ambulance services were getting more than 8,000 calls a day. Normally in the peak of a busy winter day they have around 5,500. Firefighters and the police have been called to drive ambulances.

Intensive care professionals are at breaking point. Nurses are compelled to look after not one critically patient but two or three. Hundreds of staff have been infected with the virus due to inadequate personal protective equipment. More than 650 health and social care workers have died.

Even before the pandemic hit, decades-long underfunding, slashing of services, reducing bed capacity including ICU beds, not addressing the staff crisis and the privatisation of services had crippled the NHS.

Both the Tories and Labour Party are responsible. None of the health unions raised a finger to fight this.

After schools reopened, so did universities and colleges. Student Danny Knightley, an IYSSE member, told the meeting universities across the country informed students they would not be returning to campuses next week, and would be forced to spend yet another term at home, with no access to resources, libraries or their teachers, and undergo the third term in a row of online learning.

While this is the best course of action under the present dangerous circumstances, we are only in this situation due to the chronic mismanagement of the pandemic by the government.

University students are still expected to pay the exorbitant university fees of over 9,000 a year, and some international students are forced to pay 36,000, purely for online learning. This has led to a spree of rent strikes across the country.

This last year has shown that university institutions and student unions are not willing to fight for the rights and the safety of their members. It is the task of students and educators to form their own independent action committees. These committees must stand in solidarity with workers in all industries across the UK and internationally.

One of the attendees asked, Why are there more key workers children in school than in the first lockdown?

Kent emphasised this is because parents are forced to work and therefore have to send their children to school: The problem is the government and unions, who don't want schools to close, not parents.

The definition of key worker is broad, she explained. During the first lockdown schools could limit attendance by saying both parents must be key workers  Now its one. Also, if you cannot work from home, you can go to work.

There are stories in the media blaming parents for sending kids to school when they didnt need to. We are not blaming parents. They are under tremendous strain financially. They send their kids in even if they dont want to, because of government and union policy. Thats where our hostility and anger must be directed.

All those looking for a way forward should join the Educators Rank-and-File Safety Committee , attend its meetings and sign up to receive our regular newsletter here.
Bengaluru, Jan 13 : Disgruntlement among BJP leaders came to the fore the moment Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Wednesday read out the list of seven ministers to be inducted into his 17-month old cabinet.

Several BJP legislators expressed serious reservations over three MLCs -- C.P. Yogeshwara, M.T.B. Nagaraj and R. Shankar -- being made ministers, exposing the lack of representation of the coastal and central regions in the cabinet, with most ministers still coming from Bengaluru and Belagavi districts, not consideraing the seniority or sacrifice made by some party leaders.

The decision to induct MLAs Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Rudrappa Nirani and S. Angara, and MLCs C.P. Yogeshwara, M.T.B. Nagaraj and R. Shankar into the state cabinet has given rise to discontent across social media platforms.

From the beginning, the cabinet expansion was seen as a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there were too many aspirants, from the party's old guards to Congress-JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators.

"These MLCs have been rejected by the people, whereas we are elected by the people but our seniority and sacrifices have not been taken into consideration while carrying out such an important exercise," said several BJP MLAs, who were aspirants for a cabinet berth.

Another big grouse is that with the induction of Limbavali, Yediyurappa's cabinet will now have eight ministers representing Bengaluru, followed by five from Belgavi with the induction of Katti. The move has again brought to the fore the debate over regional imbalance.

Even six-time BJP legislator from Karkala and party chief whip Sunil Kumar could not hide his discontent, as he tweeted, "Loyalty to the party, development of the constituency and Hindutva are my agendas. I don't know any other path. I don't understand glorifying caste politics nor have I blackmailed for any post, nor will I do so in future." While expressing discontent, senior BJP MLA from the Krishnaraja constituency, S.A. Ramadass, said he has been serving the party for 28 years now. "Injustice has happened to the old Mysuru region. Any other party MLA from Mysuru could have been made the minister." M. Satish Reddy, long time BJP MLA representing Bommanahalli, asked what yardstick Yediyurappa had adopted while selecting the ministers and said the absence of late Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who had an ear for their woes, is being felt very badly.

Continuing his tirade against the ruling dispensation, Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, who has been critical of Yediyurappa, accused the Chief Minister of making appointments under blackmail, without considering seniority or honesty. He refused to name anyone though.

Making a similar reference to blackmail, ministerial aspirant and MLC A.H. Vishwanth, who was among the 17 MLAs from the Congress-JD(S) coalition who had defected in 2019 and switched over to the BJP, hit out at Yediyurappa for not keeping his word.

Expressing displeasure over Excise Minister H. Nagesh being dropped and Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA Munirathna Naidu not getting inducted, Vishwanth said, "It is because of their sacrifice that you are the CM today. Instead, you are making Yogeshwara a minister, someone who has fraud and cheating cases against him. Why are you making him a minister? Is he blackmailing you?" Honnali MLA and Chief Minister's political secretary M.P. Renukacharya, another ministerial aspirant, also expressed his displeasure, stating that the government has been limited to two districts and the CM and the party leaders must look into the matter.

"Injustice has happened to central and coastal Karnataka regions. It (the cabinet) is limited to Bengaluru and Belagavi. I am upset, but to whom should I tell this," he told reporters, adding that he has never lobbied for a ministerial post as he can't set aside his self-respect.

Considered a Yediyurappa loyalist, Renukacharya, who met Arun Kumar, party General Secretary in-charge of the state, on his arrival at the airport on Wednesday, also expressed reservations over the presence of five MLCs in the cabinet. "We have been elected by the people (as MLAs), but what's the use," he told reporters.

Six-time MLA G.H. Thippareddy, who represents the Chitradurga constituency and has been sulking for some time now, said that he feels 'let down' after being in politics for five decades and being a legislator for 30 years, as he did not get an opportunity to serve the people as minister.
Sign our online petition backing local pharmacists to lead the charge for our communities - TAP HERE

The Dundalk Democrat, along with all our sister titles in the Iconic Newspaper group, is backing local pharmacies to deliver the Covid 19 vaccines to our communities - and we need you to sign a petition to help make it happen.

With soaring cases and hospital admissions, the need for an effective vaccine rollout to see our community open up once again will be vital. Louth has the second-highest 14-day incidence rate of the virus in Ireland, currently standing at 2,302.1, well above the national average of 1,410.3. The vaccine rollout in the county began among nursing home residents and healthcare staff last week but there is widespread public frustration at the perceived slow pace of Ireland's rollout.

To that end, Iconic Newspapers, publisher of the Dundalk Democrat, have started a petition - http://chng.it/dsbxr4gy - to the Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly so the people of Louth can let the government know that they believe that the vaccine should be delivered straight to our local communities - through our local pharmacies.

Talking to all our editors, while Covid 19 is dominating news coverage, and will continue to do so, with a vaccine there is hope. But many believe that it could be done better, that we are lagging behind and want more information on what is happening. It is obvious why we need a vaccine. We now know what needs to be done. Its all about the how and the when now, said Brian Keyes, Editorial Operations Director for Iconic Newspapers.

We need to put our communities front and centre in this rollout, and that means local pharmacies. They are still open, still there for locals, and they have a proven track record with administering the flu vaccine. Between pharmacists and GPs, 1.1m flu vaccines have been administered since September last. They are trusted, and thats important. They need PPE, they need to be informed and they need to lead the charge.

We cant be left behind, in particular our rural communities. In many villages, a pharmacy is one of the few places open, and its important for communities. The AstraZeneca vaccine will hopefully be here in a matter of weeks, but we need to plan now, we need to give people hope and the government needs to get our pharmacies involved right away, he added.

Its the only thing people are talking about, and there is frustration when we see rollouts in other countries moving ahead at pace. We know what we can do here and the potential that pharmacies, in particular, have to lead the rollout. We need to get back to meeting family and friends again, to playing together again, back to school, opening up our businesses again. Enjoying the simple pleasures. We have started a petition, calling for our pharmacies to lead the charge in getting this vaccine to our communities. You can comment on the Dundalk Democrat Facebook, or follow us on Twitter - #bestshot.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE
[January 13, 2021] Soluno acquires cloud telephony division from NetNordic

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The agreement reflects both companies' ambition to be leaders within their core businesses, which also means consolidating the markets. "We're honored to welcome associates and customers from NetNordic to our business," says Mattias Ohde, CEO Soluno Sweden. "It's a fantastic opportunity to leverage the skills and talents of this team, honor their legacy, and strengthen our footprint." Soluno will leverage NetNordic's excellent cross-border expertise to its increasingly international customer base and benefit from the senior experience in sales, support, and product. "It is a natural move for both companies," says Fredrik Rosman, CEO NetNordic Sweden AB. "NetNordic's ambition is to be a market leader within the business areas in which we are active. The UCaaS market is getting consolidated, and the opportunity for a leading role is limited. Soluno is a market leader in Cloud Telephony, and we believe that Soluno is a great owner long term for this division, for both customers and employees." Both companies assure he customers that nothing will change in the short term and that Soluno will communicate any future changes with good foresight.



"Soluno's growth and innovation strategy includes both organic growth and an M&A strategy. The consolidation pace has accelerated fast during the last couple of years, and we are likely to see most of the smaller providers getting acquired by the leading 20 in Europe," says Mattias Ohde, CEO of Soluno Sweden. Download a free copy of the top 20 leaders in UCaaS by Frost & Sullivan in the 2020 UCaaS Frost Radar report here.

For more information, contact details:

Christian Hed, CMO Soluno, +46(0)8-562 696 03, Christian.hed@soluno.com About Soluno

Soluno is one of the leading UCaaS providers in Europe with +200.000 users in the cloud. Driving the future of Business Communications by offering a mobile-first concept through wholesale partners in Europe.

For more information about Soluno, visit www.soluno.com and follow us on LinkedIn. About NetNordic

NetNordic is a Nordic system integrator, specialized in the area of network, security, data center and business communication. NetNordic deliver customer specialized solutions and services. We always strive to be our customers' "Best Companion", we want to help our customers with their digital enablement through design, delivery and management of next generation services and solutions. NetNordic is headquartered in Oslo. NetNordic had approximately 1.8 billion NOK revenue (pro forma) in 2019. The company has approximately 460 employees, and our solutions are distributed through subsidiaries in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Majority shareholder in NetNordic is Norvestor. Read more at www.netnordic.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1418061/netnordic_Logo.jpg

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Gospel music filled the room inside a midcentury church on Detroits west side on a bleak February morning. But people didnt come here for worship. They came for water. The former sanctuary is now Brightmoor Connection Food Pantry, a food distribution center that also doubles as a de facto water station. Located in Brightmoor, a Black community, its where scores of women have, for years, come daily for cases of bottled water.

Brightmoor is one of the neighborhoods hardest hit by the citys decision to shut off water to some 140,000 residents who can no longer pay their utilities. The mass shutoffs began in 2014 but paused at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Unprecedented in modern American history, the shutoffs put families at risk of dehydration, contagious diseases, and water-borne illness.

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The Rev. Roslyn Bouier, the pantrys director, greets each person individually as they arrive. Bouier feels it is her duty to provide water if the city wont.

Its about dignity, she said, before welcoming the next person in line.

One of the women who relies on this pantry is Akiva, a young single mother with hazel eyes and waist-length braids who asked that her last name be withheld to protect her familys privacy. One day in October 2019, she woke up to get her daughter ready for school, and her faucet ran dry. For an entire brutal Midwestern winter, Akiva and her young daughter and son lived without running water.

She took things day by day, but her daughters desperation got to her.

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My baby girl used to always ask me, Akiva recalled. Mommy, are we ever going to get a new house? Is this always going to be this way?

Her frustration grew into depression, which she hid from friends and family except for her grandmother, whom she credits as a source of strength.

Determined to improve her situation, Akiva found part-time work as an assistant to a hairdresser, shampooing and braiding hair. Now with pandemic closures and quarantines, part-time work is all but gone. But the bills keep coming.

When she was able to procure water, there was the problem of prioritization: Would her family drink it, bathe with it, or cook with it?

For years, Detroits city government cut water to thousands of homes, pressuring residents to pay past-due water bills. The hardest hit have been Black households, where 60 percent of homes with children under the age of 18 are run by single Black women.

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Weeks into the pandemic, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan reluctantly suspended the controversial water shutoffs and offered a temporary discounted water rate. But it hasnt been simple to turn the water back on. As the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department began to restore service to homes whose water had been shut off for months, and in many cases, years, the city ran into an unexpected cascade of overdue repairs for meters that froze during the winter, leaky plumbing heads, and sewage in the basements.

On Dec. 8, Duggan, who is now running for reelection, extended the moratorium through 2022 (though that does not mean there will be amnesty for payments). A permanent fix is still out of reach. Recently, Rep. Rashida Tlaib wrote a letter asking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to protect people from water shutoffs nationwide. Some advocates and lawmakers are calling for water access to be recognized as an essential need.

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The citys government has been resisting this realization for years. When the shutoffs began, media reports insisted that people were being irresponsible and deserved the shutoffs for not paying their bills. But the bills themselves are unaffordable. According to a 2018 University of Michigan study, Detroit residents reported paying 10 percent of their income in water bills on averagemore than double the Environmental Protection Agencys estimate of an affordable rate. Most households said they were making trade-offs to pay their bills, switching between paying for electricity and water. In 2016, a civil rights lawsuit demanding the city create income-based payment plans to restore water failed, allowing water blackouts to continue. This July, the ACLU filed yet another lawsuit on behalf of six plaintiffs for constitutional violations and racial discrimination.

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As for Akiva, her days revolved around a miserable quest for water, and the fear of not having it. When she was able to procure water, there was the problem of prioritization: Would her family drink it, bathe with it, or cook with it?

This calculus is very familiar to other Black women across the world.

In Soweto, South Africas largest Black city, Tebogo Modisane steps into the kitchen each morning and drinks water with lemon. Next, she determines if there is enough water to bathe. If so, its a quick bath with a sponge and baking soda. Modisane doesnt use soap. She stopped using it to bathe some time ago.

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Soap contaminates the water, she explained to me. Once the water is beyond all hygienic use, it can be used one last time to flush the toilet.

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As a 41-year-old freelance event producer in Johannesburg, she finds that gigs arent steady, keeping Modisane, her familys breadwinner, on a tight budget. Water is hardly a necessity she can eliminate from her budget.

Ive got four 25-liter buckets of water in the house just in case, she said. Like most Soweto families, Modisane purchases water through a controversial prepay meter system, which automatically cuts off water when the prepaid limit is reached.

Johannesburg Water, which controls the water to 3 million residents, installed meters in homes in 2004. Regulating water through meters and their associated costs of installation meant a massive increase in the price of water, hitting poor communities and families like the Modisanes the hardest.

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Before such meters were installed, residents paid based on usage. Now they purchase a set amount of water using a prepaid token. This way of living is divided along racial lines. While Black residents pay before they use water, most white families live in wealthier areas of Johannesburg where they pay for water after they use it. Meanwhile, the poorest travel to one of the free water taps Soweto offers in townships.

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Not far from Modisanes home, its common to see lines of Zulu women walking along a dirt road, balancing colorful buckets filled with water on their heads, heading home from the tap. These taps are a lifeline for those unable to pay for a meter or without the money to prepay for water. Before COVID-19 hit and South Africa banned gatherings, the spout was also a gathering place where children played and workers waited for the bus.

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Elizabeth Ncube, 72, is one of the women who rely on these taps.

When you find a working tap, you know there will be a lot of people there waiting in line, she told me. Ncube is her family matriarch; she treks to the tap several times each day to secure enough water for cooking, cleaning, bathing, and washing clothes. Trudging heavy buckets of water is an everyday fact of life for thousands of Black women in Soweto. Its also backbreaking.

I am old now, and my body is sore, Ncube said.

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Like in Detroit, water is a dominant social and political issue in South Africa. Access to water had long been part of the anti-apartheid movement. The fight against systemic segregation and discrimination wasnt just about political freedom, it was about socio-economic freedom and resources. The countrys wealth was held in the hands of a select few, and the poor and working-class activists wanted the redistribution of national wealth, which included water.

After the election of the African National Congress, the Republic of South Africas new post-apartheid ruling government began to abandon that populist idea of redistribution of all national wealth, deciding instead to shrink the state to ensure greater private-sector participation and to corporatize public services.

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Modisane purchases 2,500 gallons of water a month. Its not enough.

That led to the creation of a public-private partnership with a multinational water corporation, now called Johannesburg Water. Investors and corporations pushed the new system, saying it would bring about efficiency. The politicians, activists, and academics who opposed the meters say it only hurts the poor.

By 2009, the battle against the installation of prepayment meters ended up in constitutional court. Four years earlier, a fire broke out in Phiri, a neighborhood in Soweto. Neighbors scrambled to douse the blaze using prepaid water. As the fire raged, the prepaid meter cut the water due to insufficient credit. The home burned to the ground. The high court judges ultimately ruled against Sowetans.

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Through that same prepay system, Modisane purchases 2,500 gallons of water a month. Its not enough. For comparison, a U.S. family of four averages 9,000 gallons per month. With great effort and planning, Modisane has managed to effectively ration the familys water consumption.

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In low-income communities around the world, women like Modisane and Akiva tend to be responsible for handling a households water supply, sanitation, and health.

U.N.-Water, a United Nations office focused on freshwater and sanitation, explicitly recognizes this fact, noting that addressing the needs of females in relation to water, sanitation and hygiene is a critical driver in achieving gender equity that is locking out the potential of half of global society.

Many Americans think of water shortages as something that happens in third-world countries. But the same model of policies that force the poor to cover the cost of water and water infrastructure in South Africa is now being used in Detroit to pay off decades of debt.

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In Detroit, the push to make people who live below the poverty line pay water bills they cant afford stems from a classic neoliberal framework, which treats Detroit like a company instead of a city of people. Detroit was forced to declare the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. Clearing debt and turning the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department into a revenue-generating agency became part of the bankruptcy settlement.

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And just like in Johannesburg, Detroit decided to use water as a pressure point to collect money from mostly poor residents who have little legal recourse.

Detroit and Johannesburg both suffer from catastrophic segregation. Jonathan Silver, a professor of postcolonial urbanism at the University of Sheffield in the U.K., ties water shortages in Detroit and Johannesburg to a lengthy history of racist disenfranchisement.

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In South Africa, apartheid forced Black people out of Johannesburg and pushed them into a township outside of the city, Silver explained. Redlining kept African Americans out of the suburbs and concentrated the Black community in Detroit, cutting Black people off from cities that had state and governmental funding.

Both cities have a population thats around 80 percent Black. Although they are on opposite sides of the globe, the women in these two cities are living with a grim reality: When officials decide to cut or ration waterwhether for profit, necessity, or bothwomen who are poor and Black are the ones who must wait.

Its not just that Detroit and Johannesburg both have remarkably grave racial histories, said Malini Ranganathan, professor at American Universitys School of International Service and a scholar of environmental racism, but they also have eerily similar discourses of pathologizing, criminalizing, and dehumanizing Black households for a culture of nonpayment. 

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For as long as U.S. cities have been rigidly segregated by race, officials have found ways to deprive communities of color of access to essential water services. In 1969, the first lawsuit against discriminatory practices of public services was filed in Shaw, Mississippi, a poor town with a majority-Black population. After two appeals, the courts ultimately determined that Shaw violated the 14th Amendment by failing to provide equal services to Black neighborhoods.

More recently, local governments in cities like Cleveland and Baltimore have taken punitive action against Black residents who cant afford their water bills.

Theyre targeting Black people, said Mary Grant, the public water for all campaign director at Food and Water Watch. The data shows that communities with majority-Black populations in particular had the highest water burden.

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And the costs keep rising. From 2007 to 2018, the cost of water doubled in Detroit. Homeowners pay a staggering $1,151 annually compared with Phoenix, where residents of the golf coursestudded desert city pay about two-thirds less. Back in Johannesburg, water tariffs rose nearly 10 percent in the past financial year, a blow to the Black residents who make up 72 percent of Johannesburgs poor.

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Ranganathan says cities must reimagine how they charge for water. The current system, she says, makes the poorest members of society pay the highest rate. But a progressive water tariff would upend that status quo.

The wealthier or higher income or with larger property have to pay more for water per unit, she said. We can get to that situation if we use sound social justiceoriented economics.

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That would mean shifting the costs to heavy water users in sectors such as the meat industry, manufacturing, and the beverage industry as well as people with pools and golf courses, and away from Black women, who already bear a disproportionate burden of poverty and unemployment.

The ongoing pandemic has slowly started to shift peoples ideas about water.

So far, more than 1 million South Africans have been infected with the virus, the largest number of cases of any country in all of Africa. The government dispatched 10,000 water tankers across the country to go into poor communities and provide water where it was not being made available, said Dale McKinley, a South African researcher and activist at the International Labour Research and Information Group.

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As the coronavirus cases began to climb in Detroit, human rights activist Monica Lewis-Patrick, CEO of We the People of Detroit, closely monitored the situation. Since late February, she and other Detroit activists pressured city and state officials to restore water to thousands of Detroit homes.

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For years, they had argued that citizens must have access to running water to be able to wash their hands multiple times a day and prevent the spread of disease. In 2016, Detroit experienced the worst outbreak of hepatitis A in the United States. Activists felt it was directly related to the water shutoffs, which made it harder for residents to wash their hands. Detroit officials never recognized that the two were connected.

After so many years, Detroits leadership is finally starting to change its tune, with the mayor now saying the citys goal is to stop water shutoffs to low-income Detroiters once and for all. But its still not clear how the city plans to do that.

For now, Black women are getting some water relief, but theres no telling when the grace period will end.

The global coronavirus pandemic and the work of advocates is forcing governments to reconsider the decision to treat water as an economic privilege, said McKinley, and instead begin to look at water as an essential need.
People

NASA names permanent CIO

NASA has elevated acting CIO Jeff Seaton to the post of permanent CIO. The change was announced in a Jan. 13 email to staff.

Seaton has served as the space agency's deputy CIO and before that was CIO of NASA's Langley Research Center from 2011 to 2018. Seaton was also CTO at Langley before moving to the CIO post there. He joined the agency in 1991 as an engineer.

Seaton takes over as NASA's CIO shop is struggling to implement the control over enterprisewide technology spending mandated in the Federal IT Acquisition Reform Act legislation. The agency recently scored an F grade in the CIO authorities section of the biannual FITARA report card. An August 2020 report from NASA's Office of Inspector General found that the agency had issues policing shadow IT devices connected to agency networks.

The agency is slated to spend $2.2 billion on IT in fiscal year 2021.

NASA also announced that Mike Gold, who joined the agency in 2019, will serve as associate administrator for space policy; Karla Smith Jackson was tapped for the role of assistant administrator for procurement; and Karen Feldstein will be associate administrator for international and interagency relations.
Amid the pages of the harrowing Mother and Baby Homes report, two things stand out: the deaths and the complacency.

As the report makes clear, mother and baby homes were not set up to save the lives of the children of unmarried mothers. In fact, children born in those grim institutions had a significantly reduced chance of survival.

The infant mortality rate in Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork, at its peak in 1943, reached 75pc.

Three out of every four children born there that year perished within 12 months. By contrast, it has been estimated that 85pc of those incarcerated in the most notorious concentration camp in human history, Auschwitz, perished.

Auschwitz was a death camp set up with the express purpose of exterminating those who were imprisoned there.

In Ireland, we managed to nearly match its gruesome genocidal tally when it came to the deaths of vulnerable children who had one overriding debility. They were born into an austere society that viewed them as impure and profane.

Bessborough was the worst, but other institutions had similarly shocking mortality rates.

In the Bethany Home in Dublin, 62pc of children born there in 1943 died. In Sean Ross mother and baby home in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, the mortality rate reached a peak of 50pc.

Blame for the callous and shameful treatment of women and children cannot be lumped solely at the feet of the Catholic Church.

Bessborough may have been owned and operated by a religious order, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, but the dire fate of these children was not a secret.

Even though all the relevant authorities  the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the Cork county manager, the Cork board of assistance and the Department of Local Government and Public Health (DLGPH)  were aware of the high infant mortality rate in Bessborough, no concrete steps were taken to address it, notes the report.

A number of female inspectors in the DLGPH tried to sound the alarm. In particular, one inspectors name, Alice Litster, peppers the report. She was an inspector between 1922 and 1957 and assiduously documented her serious concerns with mother and baby homes, including distressing mortality rates, throughout her tenure.

However, her appeals fell on deaf ears.

Nobody, in a position of authority, in local authorities, the church or the government acted to improve the lives, or prospects, of the unfortunate residents in these institutions.

In fact, the report notes the primary concern of the Department was not the safety of the women and children but rather the cost of their upkeep.

Society, too, turned a blind eye. Maternity units were set up in these homes because unmarried mothers were not welcome in county hospitals.

Galway County Council, for instance, banned them from the local hospital as their mere presence deterred respectable married women from giving birth at the facility.

Throughout the 3,000-page report, not a scintilla of evidence could be found to show an iota of public concern about the conditions in these homes or the appalling mortality rates among the children born there.

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The authors of the report could also find no evidence that unmarried mothers were ever discussed at cabinet during the first 50 years after independence, despite successive governments being made aware of the deplorable conditions in these institutions throughout that time.

Ireland, as a society, was happy to lock these women and children up, away from prying eyes. Nobody cared what went on behind the high walls and closed doors of these imposing buildings.

Those lucky enough to make it out alive were rewarded with taunts and disdain. Many were unable to speak about their experiences for many decades.

The report is a sickening indictment of an Ireland in which religiosity trumped empathy and piety trumped compassion.

As unmarried mothers were shunned and children died, or were fostered and adopted, the fathers of those children simply got on with their lives  free of responsibility and devoid of stigma.

This is not a dim and distant Ireland, lost in the mists of time. It exists in living memory. The last of these institutions was closed in 1998, just 23 years ago.

As Micheal Martin rises to his feet in the Dail today, to give what will undoubtedly be a heartfelt apology, he should remember the States conscience is not yet clear.

Mother and baby homes may have closed, but the State is still institutionalising thousands of men, women and children in the direct provision system.

Meanwhile, lone-parent families remain the most disadvantaged in the country.

It is actions, not words, that prove the worth of an apology. The State has much to do to demonstrate it is truly sorry.

One conclusion to be drawn from the 2020 parliamentary elections in which many businessmen stood is that business is seeking greater representation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, reports Gamal Essam El-Din.Political analyst Gamal Zahran divides the businessmen who ran for election into two categories. One group, he said, are not members of high-profile business organisations and own or run small businesses.The main thing they are seeking from parliament is immunity.A second group, who are mostly members of the pro-government Mostaqbal Watan Party, comprise figures that head large-scale enterprises. According to Zahran, they are seeking greater influence in the formulation of new legislation that directly affects their interests.At a time when the government of Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouli is increasingly dependent on the private sector to raise investment, and the newly elected parliament is expected to discuss new legislation dealing with the stock exchange, mortgages, electronic trade, investments and taxes, it is only natural that businessmen would seek a greater say in shaping economic policy, says Zahran.Ahmed Samir, head of the outgoing Economic Affairs Committee, told reporters he expects that businessmen will form some kind of lobby because the committee is expected to deal with a great deal of economic legislation, including an anti-trust law, laws regulating foreign exchange, the unified investment law, the commercial markets law and a foreign trade law.The Planning and Budget Committee, which deals with customs regulations and taxes, is also likely to be of particular interest to business-oriented MPs.The majority of the 18 high-profile businessmen who won seats in parliament are members with either the Egyptian Businessmens Association (EBA) or the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).EBA members include MP Sherif Al-Gabaly (a fertiliser producer), Senator Mohamed Al-Manzalawi (industrialist), Senator Hassanein Tawfik (an information technology expert), and Senator Ahmed Sabbour (contractor). Adel Al-Lamie, Hani Al-Assal, Ahmed Yosri Qotb, and Ahmed Al-Taibi are also EBA members.AmCham parliamentarians include Mohamed Abul-Enein (owner of Ceramica Cleopatra Group), Mohamed Al-Sallab (a distributor of ceramic products), Talaat Al-Sewedy (producer of electric cables), Moetaz Mohamed Mahmoud (a private contractor), Amr Al-Sonbati (a private contractor), Sahar Talaat Mustafa (owner of an Alexandria-based tourist company) and Mohamed Abdel-Maqsoud (owner of a tourist village in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada).The AmCham list also includes senators Mohamed Al-Morshedi (a private contractor), Ahmed Abu Hashima (a steel tycoon), and Mohamed Abu Ghali (a car dealer).The Industrial Committee is of a direct interest to businessmen involved in productive activities and so it is important they have a strong voice there, said Zahran.Businessman Talaat Al-Sewidi, who headed the Energy Committee in the 2015-2020 parliament, is expected to retain his position.Leading contractor Moetaz Mohamed Mahmoud is tipped to chair the Housing Committee at a time when it will discuss a new housing law intended to overhaul the old apartment rental system and encourage greater private investment in housing.Sahar Talaat Mustafa, a businesswoman who was a deputy in the 2015-2020 parliament, is expected to chair the House of Representatives Tourism Committee.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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A Sydney father whose naked body was found in a vacant lot had been stabbed through the heart after arguing with three men over a quantity of pilfered methylamphetamine, a court has been told.

Jamie Phillips, 46, was involved in an altercation in a bedroom during a gathering in a home in the south-western Sydney suburb of Ambarvale, near Campbelltown, in the early hours of October 25, 2018, after two men  Sean O'Keefe and Barry Cavanagh  stole his drugs.

Jamie Phillips was found dead in a vacant lot in Rosemeadow in October, 2018. Credit:NSW Police

It's alleged Mr O'Keefe and Mr Cavanagh were joined by Nathan McIvor in the bedroom, where the trio bashed Mr Phillips and one of the men inflicted a fatal 14-centimetre stab wound to the heart.

Mr O'Keefe, Mr Cavanagh, and Mr McIvor are on trial together in the NSW Supreme Court for Mr Phillips' murder. Mr Cavanagh and Mr McIvor deny involvement in the killing, while Mr O'Keefe will argue, contrary to the Crown case, that he carried out the stabbing in self-defence.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 11:25:34|Editor: huaxia

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PYONGYANG, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 8th congress of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) closed here on Tuesday, reported official media on Wednesday.

Kim Jong Un, the re-elected general secretary of the WPK, concluded the congress with a speech, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

In his speech, Kim clarified the main idea and spirit of the congress and stressed the need for the whole party to deeply cherish and uphold the ideas of "believing in people as in Heaven", "single-minded unity" and "self-reliance," according to the report.

Kim said the party's eighth congress "brought up the immediate plan of struggle for opening up a period of fresh upsurge, a period of great changes in the revolution and construction" and important issues arising from the party's development, said the report.

The congress unanimously adopted the resolution to thoroughly carry out the tasks set forth in the report on the work of the 7th Central Committee of the WPK, it said.

The eight-day congress put forth a new five-year economic development plan and its new policy on military affairs and foreign relations, according to the report. Enditem
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A doctor who previously treated dozens of Ebola patients in West Africa now fears she may need a wheelchair after coronavirus 'damaged her spinal cord'.

Nathalie MacDermott, 38, originally from Cardiff but now based in south London, has Long Covid and is only able to walk about 200 metres without some form of assistance.

She told how neurologists believe the virus, which she contracted while working in a children's ward, has damaged her spinal cord. It's has also affected her bladder and bowel, causing urinary tract infections.

Speaking at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus, Dr MacDermott said in addition she experiences pain in her arms and has weakness in her grip.

While rehabilitation clinics have been established across England to treat thousands of patients with Long Covid, they represent a tiny portion with only one per cent of patients still ill six months later. The proportion is likely a lot lower when everyone who never tested positive or realised they had the illness is taken into account.

Nathalie MacDermott, 38, from Cardiff, has Long Covid and only walk about 200 metres without some form of assistance

Dr MacDermott, a clinical doctor sub-specialising in paediatric infectious diseases in the NHS, told MPs there needs to be 'better recognition' from employers that long Covid is a 'genuine condition' and that people may need to be off work for a significant period of time.

She added: 'I think we need better recognition in the public, particularly the younger public who think that they're invincible.

'I'm 38 and I wonder if I'll ever be able to walk properly without crutches again. Will this continue to get worse? Will I end up in a wheelchair?'

Dr MacDermott said she has been able to work from home in her academic research role but does not know how she will return to clinical work.

Dr MacDermott, pictured in September, said she has been able to work from home in her academic role but does not know how she will return to clinical work

Dr MacDermott, pictured in 2014, said she has been able to work from home in her academic role but does not know how she will return to clinical work

'There will need to be quite significant modifications in place for me to be able to be on the wards,' she explained.

In 2014 Dr MacDermott spent a fortnight in Liberia with relief organisation Samaritan's Purse, treating victims of the Ebola epidemic. During that time she watched as two colleagues, Americans Dr Kent Brantly and aid worker Nancy Writebol fell ill with the deadly virus.

Just three out of the 100 patients she helped that fortnight survived, and she described it as 'one of the most traumatic experiences of my life'. On her return, she confined herself to her flat for three weeks before being given the all-clear.

Painful palpitations, chronic diarrhoea, brain fog and only being able to walk very short distances were among the symptoms described to MPs this week by three Long Covid patients in their thirties.

Dr MacDermott previously spent a fortnight in Liberia with relief organisation Samaritan's Purse, treating victims of the Ebola epidemic

Dr Linn Jarte, a 33-year-old anaesthetist, said even just taking a couple of steps would make her feel 'absolutely horrendous' at the start of her experience with Long Covid.

'I felt as if my whole body was just filled with lead, but at the same time I had this sort of painful burning situation, and it also made my heart rate just shoot through the roof,' she said, adding that she had painful pins and needles.

Dr Jarte was affected by brain fog, describing it as a 'thick cloud that just fills the brain', adding: 'I just stopped being able to think.'

She said she could not tolerate stimulation, with even soft music being too much for her.

Dr Linn Jarte, a 33-year-old anaesthetist, said even just taking a couple of steps would make her feel 'absolutely horrendous' at the start of her experience with long Covid

'I spent a lot of time during those first few months when I was the sickest just sort of staring into thin air,' she said.

Dr Jarte said that before this happened to her, she was very fit and active.

Geraint Jones, 30, an advanced pharmacist specialising in HIV and homecare, described 'crying on the floor' of his living room after medics were unable to figure out what was wrong with him.

He told MPs that he suffered from chronic diarrhoea and abdominal pain for seven or eight hours per day at one point - a symptom which went on for 14 or 15 weeks.

Geraint Jones, 30, an advanced pharmacist specialising in HIV and homecare, described 'crying on the floor' of his living room after medics were unable to figure out what was wrong with him

Mr Jones said this continues to be an ongoing issue, adding that he has also been left with brain fog where he is unable to recall the most basic of words or phrases.

He said he also has tinnitus in one ear and painful palpitations.

Who's most likely to have long Covid? Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College London is leader of the Covid Symptoms Study, published in July. He said in a BMJ panel discussion that Long Covid is about twice as common in women as in men, according to data. He added the average age of someone presenting with it was about four years older than people who had what might be termed as 'short covid.' Advertisement

Dr Jarte said she has been unable to work at all since she became ill, due to physically not being able to and also the brain fog, while Mr Jones said he worked from home from July to September 'just out of stubbornness' and a desire to keep going.

He added: 'I woke up one morning in September and I just thought, "How long can I live like this? How long can I sustain this for?"'

He said he has been off work since undergoing a number of investigations, but medics seem unable to determine the cause of his multiple and ongoing symptoms.

Mr Jones said he does not know if he has the physical and mental capacity to be safe to practice as a pharmacist at the moment.

'Which is unfortunate because I love my job and I want to get back to helping my colleagues during these difficult times really, but I just physically can't do it at the moment,' he said.

Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, told MPs Britain probably has more than 300,000 cases of Long Covid.

He said it is a case of 'Russian roulette' because people do not know whether they are going to be one of the people who is better in two weeks or one of the people who is going to be on crutches or in a wheelchair 'for months or years or forever'.

Prof Altmann added: 'How many of us want to take that risk?'
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Chinese soldiers train in -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit) conditions in Kashgar in northwestern Chinas Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region on Monday, Jan. 4, 2021. An official from Chinas Communist Party signaled last December that there would likely be no letup in its crackdown in the remote Xinjiang region, but said the governments focus is shifting more to addressing the roots of extremism. (Chinatopix Via AP)

China has vowed to defend itself against a UK Government demand that companies ensure their supply chains are free from forced labour in the north-western Chinese region of Xinjiang, or face punishing fines.

The comment came after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said officials had issued guidance to British firms with ties to Xinjiang on how to carry out due diligence checks.

The UK Government intends to exclude suppliers and review export controls to prevent the shipping of any goods that could contribute to such violations in Xinjiang, where China is accused of widespread rights violations against Uighurs and other Muslim minority groups.

China denies allegations of rights abuses and forced labour, saying it aims only to raise incomes among minorities and stamp out radicalism.

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Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said Beijing will take all necessary measures to defend national interests and dignity and firmly safeguard its sovereign, security and development interests.

Individual countries including the UK have funded, concocted and deliberately spread lies and rumours to smear and discredit China on the pretext of so-called human rights issues, he told reporters.

It fully exposes their hypocrisy and sinister intentions to curb the development and progress of Xinjiang and interfere in Chinas internal affairs.

In his announcement, Mr Raab said Britain sought to ensure that no company that profits from forced labour in Xinjiang can do business in the UK, and that no UK business is involved in their supply chains.

He said mounting evidence, including first-hand testimony and reports from non-profit groups, supports claims of unlawful mass detention in internment camps in Xinjiang, widespread forced labour and forced sterilisation of women on an industrial scale.

The evidence paints a harrowing picture and showed the practice of barbarism we had hoped lost to another era, Mr Raab said.

China has denied mass internments of Uighurs, saying it merely operates voluntary centres for deradicalisation and job training, and that all participants have since graduated.

Beijing says its policies in the vast, resource-rich region bordering several Central Asian countries have put an end to anti-government violence that claimed thousands of lives over recent years.
Alexei Navalny has announced he will return to Russia on Sunday, five months after he was poisoned with Novichok in a failed assassination.

The Russian opposition leader and fierce Kremlin critic was airlifted to Germany for treatment in August after collapsing on a plane.

Navalny claims Putin has 'told his servants to do everything they can' to stop his return, including ordering him jailed for allegedly breaching the terms of a suspended prison sentence.

But in a video released today on his Instagram account, the 44-year-old vowed he would return to his home country despite the threats.

Alexei Navalny has announced he will return to Moscow, Russia, on Sunday, five months after he was poisoned with Novichok in a failed assassination and taken to Germany

Navalny said: 'The question "to return or not" never stood before me. Just because I didnt leave.

'I ended up in Germany, having arrived in it in an intensive care box, for one reason: they tried to kill me.

'I survived. And now Putin, who gave the order for my murder, screeches all over his bunker and tells his servants to do everything so that I do not return.

'The servants act as usual: they fabricate new criminal cases against me.

'But what they do there is not very interesting to me. Russia is my country, Moscow is my city, I miss them.

Airlift: Navalny arrives in Berlin two days after his poisoning on August 20, by which time his heart had slowed to 33 beats per minute and his body temperature was down to 33.5C (92.3F)

'Therefore, this morning I went to Pobeda company website and bought tickets. On January 17, Sunday, I will return home on a Pobeda flight.'

Navalny fell ill on a plane in Siberia on August 20 and was airlifted two Germany two days later, where a military lab found evidence of the Soviet-era nerve agent.

The Kremlin has rejected calls to open a full investigation into the poisoning, and denied Navalny's claims that the FSB security agency was behind the plot.

Navalny Tweeted yesterday: 'Putin is so mad at me for surviving his poisoning that he ordered the Federal Penitentiary Service to replace my suspended sentence with a real one.'

Last month, Russia's prison service ordered him to fly back from Germany and report at a Moscow office or be jailed if he failed to return before a deadline.

Navalny with his wife and children after waking from his coma at the Berlin hospital where doctors say his previous good health contributed to his recovery

The country's federal prison service accused him of violating the terms of a suspended sentence dating from 2014.

It came just a day before the end of a probation period for the three-and-a-half-year prison term over a theft case which Navalny says was politically motivated.

'The convicted man is not fulfilling all of the obligations placed on him by the court, and is evading the supervision of the Criminal Inspectorate,' a statement said.

The prison service stated no deadline, but Navalny posted a screenshot of a message to his lawyer which said he had until 9am on December 29 to show up at a Moscow office.

His spokeswoman Kira Yarmysh said it was impossible for Navalny to return in time and accused the prison service of acting on orders from the Kremlin.

Last month, Russia's prison service ordered Navalny to fly back from Germany and report at a Moscow office or be jailed if he failed to return before a deadline

Navalny's allies have pointed the finger at Russian president Vladimir Putin (pictured) after the opposition leader fell ill, but the Kremlin has dismissed the claims

She said at the time: 'There's no way he could appear at the Moscow Criminal Inspectorate tomorrow.

'But does the [prison service] really care about common sense? They were given an order, they are fulfilling it.'

Navalny has been a thorn in the Kremlin's side for more than a decade, exposing what he says is high-level corruption and mobilising protests.

He has been repeatedly detained for organising public meetings, sued over corruption investigations and was barred from running against Putin in the 2018 presidential election.

The 44-year-old has also served several stints in jail in recent years for organising anti-Kremlin protests.

The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that Russia's arrests and detention of Navalny in 2012 and 2014 were politically motivated.
But employers can refuse these requests. A CBA spokesman said staff in January had the option to work from home or come into the office. "We continue to monitor the situation and are currently looking to a hybrid return for many of our people in February, pending no new health concerns or restrictions are advised by the Victorian or NSW governments," he said. "Were currently seeing an average of around 20 per cent of our people in our offices this week in Victoria and NSW." The NSW government backed away from a plan to "lead the way" in returning workers to the office. Credit:Louise Kennerley GPT introduced a rotating roster in July and said a majority of staff had returned three to four days a week.

PwC Australia chief operating officer Liza Maimone said, before the pandemic, more than 80 per cent of its workforce worked from home occasionally or opted for flexible conditions, including alternative start and finish times. The proportion of employees returning to the office was determined by NSW rules and up to half of the staff in Victoria were likely to return on January 18. Loading Westpac said corporate office employees were being asked to work from home "unless it is business-critical to be in the workplace". We plan to progressively increase the number of people working in our corporate offices when it is safe to do so, and are monitoring the current situation closely, a Westpac spokeswoman said. A NAB spokeswoman said the bank's advice to staff in NSW and Victoria was "if you can work from home, please continue to do so". "Only business-critical and frontline teams that are required to work on-site, in branches and Business Bank Centres should be coming into a NAB building."

Innes Willox, chief executive of the national employer association Ai Group said for businesses with staff working from home, "all bets were off on planned returns to offices given the uncertainty created when the states responded to a relatively few cases with hard city-wide lockdowns and border closures". Businesses that were looking to ramp up office numbers are having a rethink given the ever-changing restrictions and limitations on movement," Mr Willox said. The NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet said the state government's long-standing flexible working arrangements would continue and include COVID-safe return to office measures, such as staggering office hours and remote working. Public transport numbers are down 50 per cent on this time last year. Credit:Kate Geraghty University of Adelaide law professor Andrew Stewart said employees generally do not have a right to insist on working from home.

"But nor can they be obliged to obey an unlawful or unreasonable instruction to attend a particular workplace," he said. "If an employee reasonably believes that it is unsafe to go to work, for example, because the employer has not taken appropriate measures to combat the risk of infection, they could lawfully insist on staying home. But if an employer is complying with relevant health directives, or if any risk of infection is negligible, that might be hard to establish." Loading Maurice Blackburn senior associate Patrick Turner said workers were increasingly aware of their rights and were willing to request flexible working conditions. He said employers had a duty of care to provide a safe workplace and workers concerned about whether a direction to return to the office was reasonable should first contact their union or a lawyer. "The consequences for refusing a reasonable and lawful direction are potentially serious and so that's why you should seek advice first before making the call," he said.
(Philadelphia, PA) - Like a failing fuel pump that causes a loss of engine power in a car, a diseased heart can take a serious toll on the body's performance. For some patients, tasks like walking up a flight of stairs or walking across a room eventually turn into exhausting endeavors. This is because, over time, regardless of the underlying cause, heart damage typically progresses, owing to a constant barrage of oxidative stress and toxic lipids that alter heart cell energetics and, ultimately, the ability of the heart to function normally.

Oxidative stress occurs when harmful oxygen-containing molecules outnumber helpful antioxidants, leading to damaging reactions with proteins, DNA, and other cell components. Now, in two new studies, researchers at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University (LKSOM) show that in the heart, one molecule in particular, Kruppel-like factor (KLF)-5, single-handedly fuels both the generation of oxidizing molecules and the accumulation of toxic lipids known as ceramides in the heart, exacerbating heart dysfunction. The studies are the first to identify KLF5 as a common mediator of cardiac damage in animal models of different diseases that lead to abnormal heart function, including diabetes and heart attack.

"Our findings expose KLF5 as a new target for different types of cardiac disease," said Konstantinos Drosatos, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the Center for Translational Medicine, the Center for Metabolic Disease Research, and Alzheimer's Center at Temple at LKSOM. "As a unifying factor driving oxidative stress and accumulation of toxic lipids in the heart, the implications of targeting KLF5 could be far-reaching, opening up treatment for a broad range of diseases involving heart dysfunction."

In the first study, published online December 2 in the journal Circulation Research, Dr. Drosatos and colleagues investigated the involvement of KLF5 in a mouse model of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Diabetic cardiomyopathy is a major complication of diabetes and is characterized in particular by altered heart cell metabolism and oxidative damage. The new study showed that patients with diabetes have high levels of KLF5 expression in the heart.

The researchers found that mice with diabetic cardiomyopathy similarly have high KLF5 expression, and they discovered that elevated KLF5 is linked to the build up of ceramides in the heart. Ceramides, which occur naturally in the cell membrane, are known to reach toxic levels in the presence of insulin resistance and severe heart damage, such as that inflicted by heart attack.

The Temple team showed that in mice, however, these harmful effects could be halted. "Inhibiting KLF5 with a drug, as well as with genetic interventions, not only reduced oxidative stress and prevented ceramide accumulation but also restored cardiac function," Dr. Drosatos explained.

In the second study, published online January 12 in the journal Circulation, which was driven by LKSOM MD-PhD student, Matthew Hoffman, Dr. Drosatos's team investigated the role of KLF5 in mice with heart failure induced by cardiac ischemia, a sudden, severe blockage of blood flow to the heart. Cardiac ischemia characteristically is followed by extensive increases in toxic lipids, particularly ceramides. The researchers were able to show that KLF5 is involved in causing the production of ceramides that underlies damage to the cardiac wall. Ceramide buildup was driven by KLF5-induced overexpression of a molecule known as SPT1.

"The next step is to determine whether the severity of heart disease or the way patients respond to treatment is associated with increased KLF5," Dr. Drosatos said. "We know from clinical observations, for example, that some patients with heart failure are less responsive than others to therapeutic interventions. We want to know whether KLF5 is a factor that defines how well the patients will respond to treatments."

In addition, Dr. Drosatos and colleagues plan to search for proteins that regulate KLF5, which could broaden understanding of the role and pathway of activation of KLF5 in the heart and other tissues.

The studies also mark new ground in individual and collaborative research efforts at Temple University.

###

Notably, lead author of the paper in Circulation Research, Ioannis D. Kyriazis, PhD, a post-doctoral researcher in the Drosatos laboratory, was recognized as a finalist for the prestigious Melvin L. Marcus Early Career Investigator Award in Cardiovascular Sciences of the American Heart Association for his studies of KLF5 in diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Other investigators who contributed to the studies included Anna Maria Lucchese, Eftychia Markopoulou, Dimitra Palioura, Walter J. Koch, Maria Cimini, Sudarsan Rajan, Erhe Gao, Raj Kishore, Center for Translational Research at LKSOM; Lea Gaignebet, Charite? - Universita?tsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Chao Wang and Thomas D. Bannister, The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, Florida; Melpo Christofidou-Solomidou, Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Division, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia; Shin-ichi Oka and Junichi Sadoshima, Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School; Ira J. Goldberg, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, New York University School of Medicine; Vincent W. Yang and Agnieszka B. Bialkowska, School of Medicine, Stony Brook University; Georgios Kararigas, Charite? - Universita?tsmedizin Berlin, DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research) partner site Berlin, and Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland; Rachit Badolia and Stavros G. Drakos, University of Utah, Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine; Nikolas Nikolaidis, Department of Biological Science, Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies, and Center for Computational and Applied Mathematics, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, California State University; P. Christian Schulze, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Angiology, Intensive Medical Care and Pneumology, University Hospital Jena, Germany; and Craig H. Selzman, University of Utah, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

The studies were funded in part by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the W.W. Smith Charitable Trust, and the American Heart Association.

About Temple Health

Temple University Health System (TUHS) is a $2.2 billion academic health system dedicated to providing access to quality patient care and supporting excellence in medical education and research. The Health System consists of Temple University Hospital (TUH); TUH-Episcopal Campus; TUH-Jeanes Campus; TUH-Northeastern Campus; The Hospital of Fox Chase Cancer Center and Affiliates, an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center; Temple Transport Team, a ground and air-ambulance company; Temple Physicians, Inc., a network of community-based specialty and primary-care physician practices; and Temple Faculty Practice Plan, Inc., TUHS's physician practice plan comprised of more than 500 full-time and part-time academic physicians in 20 clinical departments. TUHS is affiliated with the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

Temple Health refers to the health, education and research activities carried out by the affiliates of Temple University Health System (TUHS) and by the Katz School of Medicine. TUHS neither provides nor controls the provision of health care. All health care is provided by its member organizations or independent health care providers affiliated with TUHS member organizations. Each TUHS member organization is owned and operated pursuant to its governing documents.

It is the policy of Temple University Health System that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Nutritional High International Inc. (CSE: EAT) (OTC PINK: SPLIF) ("Nutritional High" or the "Company") provides this bi-weekly default status report in accordance with National Policy 12-203 - Cease Trade Orders for Continuous Disclosure Defaults ("NP 12-203"). In the Corporation's initial default announcement of October 30, 2020 (the "Default Notice"), the Corporation announced the delay in the filing of its audited annual financial statements for the year ended July 31, 2020 (the "2020 Annual Financial Statements") and related management discussion and analysis and certifications (collectively, the "Annual Filings") by the prescribed filing deadline.

As previously announced in the Company's December 1, 2020 press release of the Corporation, the Corporation applied for and was granted a management cease trade order in respect of the delayed Annual Filings (the "MCTO") by the Ontario Securities Commission. The MCTO prohibits the chief financial officer and the chief executive officer from trading in the Corporation's securities for so long as there are filings that are outstanding under applicable securities laws. The MCTO does not affect the ability of the general investing public to trade in the Corporation's listed common shares.

The audit of the 2020 Annual Financial Statements is in progress and the Corporation continues to expect to file the Annual Filings on or before January 31, 2021.

The Corporation confirms that since the Default Notice: (i) there is no material change to the information set out in the Default Notice that has not been generally disclosed; (ii) there has been no failure by the Corporation in fulfilling its stated intentions with respect to satisfying the provisions of the alternative information guidelines set out in NP 12-203; (iii) there has not been any other specified default by the Corporation under NP 12-203; and (iv) there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Corporation that has not been generally disclosed.

Furthermore, the Corporation anticipates that its interim financial statements for the three-month period ended October 31, 2020, the accompanying management's discussion and analysis and the related CEO and CFO certifications will not be filed by the prescribed filing deadline and will be filed after the Annual Filings are completed and filed.

The Corporation will continue to comply with the provisions of the alternative information guidelines under NP 12-203 by issuing bi-weekly default status reports in the form of news releases for so long as it remains in default of the filing requirements set out above.

About Nutritional High International Inc.

Nutritional High is focused on developing and manufacturing branded products in the cannabis industry, with a specific focus on edibles and oil extracts for medical and adult recreational use. The Company works exclusively in jurisdictions where such activity is permitted and regulated by state law. Nutritional High has brought its flagship FLI edibles and vape product lines from production to market in various markets including Colorado where its award winning FLI products are manufactured by Palo Verde, LLC. The Company signed a purchase agreement for Palo Verde and is awaiting regulatory approval.

The Company also owns Psychedelic Science which is working with Rangsit University in Thailand to consider the medical benefits of various psychedelic cacti.

For updates on the Company's activities and highlights of the Company's press releases and other media coverage, please follow Nutritional High on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or visit www.nutritionalhigh.com.

For further information, please contact:

Robert Wilson

Chief Financial Officer

Nutritional High International Inc.

416-666-4005

Email: rwilson@nutritionalhigh.com

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information:

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR OTC MARKETS GROUP INC., NOR THEIR REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDERS HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Risks that may have an impact on the ability for these events to be achieved include completion of the 2020 Filings. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

The Company's securities have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act"), or applicable state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold to, or for the account or benefit of, persons in the United States or "U.S. Persons", as such term is defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act, absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of the securities in the United States or any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful.

Additionally, there are known and unknown risk factors which could cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information contained herein. All forward-looking information herein is qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement, and the Company disclaims any obligation to revise or update any such forward-looking information or to publicly announce the result of any revisions to any of the forward-looking information contained herein to reflect future results, events or developments, except as required by law. Some of the risks and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking information expressed in this press release include, but are not limited to: obtaining and maintaining regulatory approvals including acquiring and renewing U.S. state, local or other licenses, the uncertainty of existing protection from U.S. federal or other prosecution, regulatory or political change such as changes in applicable laws and regulations, including U.S. state-law legalization, market and general economic conditions of the cannabis sector or otherwise.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71922
Impeachment is a lengthy process, however, and it may be practically impossible to convene a trial before Jan. 20. As my colleague Nicholas Fandos explains, the Senate is not in session, and all 100 senators would have to agree to change the schedule, a highly unlikely prospect. Trying to remove Trump from office for a second time would be a fitting way to signal how many Americans consider him a dangerous demagogue, Yascha Mounk writes in The Atlantic. But it would likely fail.

As an alternative, David E. Kendall argues in The Washington Post, Congress should instead move to censure the president, which it could do in a matter of days. While not entirely satisfying, a strong bipartisan censure resolution is the most effective way of forging a speedy, clear and enduring public sanction against Trumps conduct, he writes. While admittedly symbolic, it is what is needed at this moment: an immediate bipartisan judgment that is strong, unequivocal, indelible and undeniable, a clear judgment that Trumps conduct was a profound betrayal of both his duty and the basic legal rules of our democratic republic.

But if Congress has only symbolic gestures at its disposal, it might as well choose its grandest, Benjamin Wallace-Wells argues in The New Yorker. Congress should impeach Trump, even  and maybe especially  if the act is only symbolic, he writes, noting how, as the historian David Blight told him, the impunity former Confederates enjoyed in the wake of the Civil War paved the way not for reconciliation but for white revanchism. Congress has a similar opportunity to the one it had in 1865: to punish a political crime, and so to shape its memory.

And that punishment, the Times columnist Jamelle Bouie argues, must come from Congress. That the president himself incited the mob, he writes, makes it an actual attack on the separation of powers: an attempt, by the executive, to subvert the legislature by force and undermine the foundation of constitutional government. Such an attack, in his view, compels the legislative branch to reassert its strongest power to check the presidency, and that power is impeachment: Here, Congress doesnt need courage. It just needs a sense of self-preservation.

But even some who believe the case for impeachment is right on the merits caution that it could backfire for Democrats. As Markus Wagner notes in The Conversation, Mr. Biden himself is lukewarm about the prospect, no doubt because a Senate trial would eat into the first days of his term. This would distract from the critical goals Biden has for his first 100 days and beyond, he writes. Last, but not least, it would make confirmation of Bidens cabinet picks more difficult.

That seems to be the view of James Clyburn, the third-most powerful Democrat in the House, who told CNN on Sunday that Democrats ought to wait until the spring to pursue impeachment further. Senator Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, struck a similar note, maintaining that President Bidens going to want the Senate to spend their time, at least near term, getting his cabinet approved.

But other lawmakers insist that waiting simply isnt an option. If we allow insurrection against the United States with impunity, with no accountability, we are inviting it to happen again, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told ABC on Monday. This is an immediate danger right now.
PHOENIX, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB) ("Item 9 Labs" or the "Company"), a vertically integrated cannabis operator that produces premium products, today reported the Company's operating and financial results for the fiscal year (FY) ended September 30, 2020.

Key Financial Highlights for FY 2020

Revenue increased 65% to $8.1 million

Gross profit increased 39% to $3.3 million

Operating loss decreased 46% to $5.4 million

Operating expenses as a percentage of gross profit declined from 526% to 265%

Adjusted EBITDA loss decreased 9% to $2.1 million

Key Business Highlights for FY 2020

Ramped up cultivation and production operations

Continued to improve the operating capacity of cultivation and processing facilities

Signed definitive merger agreement with ONE Cannabis Group

Named Mike (Mic) Keskey , retired former President of U.S. Retail for Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), and Doug Bowden , a 30-year consumer electronics veteran with extensive experience in real estate investment and development, to Board of Directors

, retired former President of U.S. Retail for Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE: BBY), and , a 30-year consumer electronics veteran with extensive experience in real estate investment and development, to Board of Directors Appointed Andrew Bowden as Chief Executive Officer

as Chief Executive Officer Earned one Errl Cup and four 710 Degree Cup awards, Arizona's largest cannabis competitions

largest cannabis competitions Qualified to trade on OTCQX Market (upgraded from OTC Pink to OTCQB, then from OTCQB to OTCQX, both in August)

Management Commentary

"This past year has been an exciting and successful time for our team," commented Item 9 Labs Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bowden. "We've seen strong, steady performance with sequential quarter-over-quarter growth rates of nearly 20% since my appointment as CEO at the start of our 2020 fiscal year. Our team continues to exceed expectations and has efficiently ramped production to meet heightened demand for our products, setting the stage for key strategic and operational developments in 2021. We anticipate increased business activities as we continue to pursue opportunities that position the company for growth and profitability."

Bowden continued, "We are still in the early stages of our growth and are already seeing an acceleration with Arizona's adult-use marijuana market opening in the first half of 2021, which we estimate will increase our consumer base by 500%. We're prepared to meet this demand through our streamlined production process and by expanding our operational cultivation footprint by more than 300% in the year ahead."

"In addition to continued growth in Arizona, we look forward to closing our pending merger with ONE Cannabis Group and their cannabis franchise, Unity Rd. We expect the combination of our premium, award-winning cannabis products with the nation's leading dispensary franchise will elevate our brand footprint through national distribution across Unity Rd.'s locally owned and operated dispensaries. This will ease new market product entry and create recurring revenue streams through franchise royalty fees," Bowden concluded.

Subsequent to the End of FY 2020

Item 9 Labs' 45-acre marijuana cultivation site expansion was approved by Coolidge, Arizona officials in November 2020. Local city council supports the Company's master site expansion plan that will create 650,000+ square feet of marijuana operations. Known for its award-winning, premium cannabis products, Item 9 Labs is expected to expand its marijuana operations space by more than 3,000% at the conclusion of the expansion. Currently, the Company has two 10,000 square-foot facilities on its 50-acre site. The site will see expansion on 45 of its acres to include six additional buildings, 12 greenhouses and six greenhouse support buildings (head houses). Seven of the buildings will be for indoor cultivation and one will be for expansion of the Company's lab and support space for finished product. In addition to the above uses, the Company is currently awaiting state approval for five acres of on-site outdoor cultivation. Upon breaking ground, ongoing construction will take place over three years in six phases, with the initial phase beginning in early 2021. Phase one includes the construction of two 26,000 square-foot greenhouses, one head house and two 10,000 square-foot buildings - one for indoor cultivation and one for the lab and packaging. This phase adds 72,000 square feet of operations space. Construction on phase two is anticipated to begin in summer 2021.

The Company finalized its merger agreement with ONE Cannabis Group (OCG Inc.) in December 2020 and expects to close the merger in early 2021. Based in Colorado, ONE Cannabis Group is the parent company to the dispensary franchise Unity Rd. The cannabis franchise pioneer helps eager operators enter the complex cannabis industry with ease by offering its franchise partners the knowledge, resources, and ongoing support needed to compliantly and profitably operate a dispensary. Currently, Unity Rd. has agreements signed for the development of more than two dozen franchisee owned and operated shops across multiple states and expects the first store to open within the next six months.

Item 9 Labs raised $5.667 million in equity at $0.85 per common share in preparation for the cultivation site expansion, recently approved adult-use legislation in Arizona and the ONE Cannabis Group merger.

Financial Results for FY 2020, Ended September 30, 2020:

Revenue: For the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 , revenue was $8.1 million , an increase of $3.2 million or 65%, compared to $4.9 million for the 12 months ended September 30, 2019 . This increase was primarily due to operational improvements that increased production outputs as well as an overall increase in monthly sales as product demand grew.

For the 12 months ended , revenue was , an increase of or 65%, compared to for the 12 months ended . This increase was primarily due to operational improvements that increased production outputs as well as an overall increase in monthly sales as product demand grew. Gross Profit: For the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 , gross profit was $3.3 million , an increase of $0.9 million or 39%, compared to $2.4 million for the 12 months ended September 30, 2019 . The resulting gross margin was 41% for the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 , compared to 48% for the 12 months ended September 30, 2019 .

The increase in gross profit was due to the ramp up in operations and continued improvement in the operating capacity of the Company's cultivation and processing facilities. With the Company's continued increase in capacity and focus on efficiencies and cost reduction, management expects gross profit to continue to grow going forward.

Item 9 Labs increased operational efficiency throughout fiscal year 2020, and management believes costs of revenues will increase at a lower rate than revenues in future periods, which will lead to higher profit margins than these historical figures illustrate. Through bulk purchasing, increasing efficiencies in production, and investments in equipment, management believes that the Company will continue to improve gross profit margins.

Total Operating Expenses: For the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 , total operating expenses were $8.7 million , a decrease of $3.8 million , or 30%, compared to $12.5 million for the 12 months ended September 30, 2019 . Operating expenses as a percentage of gross profit decreased from 526% to 265% for the years compared. Management believes this ratio will decrease going forward as the expectation is that revenues will continue to grow at a higher rate than operating expenses.

Of note, $0.9 million of the Company's operating expenses for the year ended September 30, 2020 were depreciation of fixed assets and amortization of other intangible assets, and $0.4 million is a provision for bad debt; management does not believe the latter to be indicative of future results. Additionally, $1.8 million of the Company's operating expenses in fiscal year 2020 were paid through the issuance of shares of common stock of the Company and employee stock options. $5.8 million of the Company's operating expenses for the year ended September 30, 2019 were a loss on impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets, and $0.4 million is a provision for bad debt, both items that management does not believe to be indicative of future results. Additionally, $1.1 million of the Company's operating expenses in 2019 were paid through the issuance of shares of common stock of the Company.

Operating Loss: For the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 , operating loss was $5.4 million , a decrease of $4.7 million , or 46%, compared to operating loss of $10.1 million for the 12 months ended September 30, 2019 .

For the 12 months ended , operating loss was , a decrease of , or 46%, compared to operating loss of for the 12 months ended . Adjusted EBITDA Loss: After adding back non-cash operating expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest and stock-based compensation, Adjusted EBITDA loss for the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 was $2.1 million , a decrease of $0.2 million , or 9%, compared to $2.3 million for the 12 months ended September 30, 2019 .

After adding back non-cash operating expenses, depreciation and amortization, interest and stock-based compensation, Adjusted EBITDA loss for the 12 months ended was , a decrease of , or 9%, compared to for the 12 months ended . Net Loss: For the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 , net loss was $12.3 million , a decrease of $2.4 million , or 24%, compared to $9.9 million for the 12 months ended September 30, 2019 . The resulting loss per share for the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 was ($0.20) per share, compared to ($0.16) per share for the twelve months ended September 30, 2019 . $2.2 million of the net loss for the 12 months ended September 30, 2020 relates to the warrants issued to debtholders during the year, and $2.6 million relates to the related beneficial conversion features. The five founding members of Item 9 Labs returned 10 million shares to treasury to make the transaction non-dilutive to the remaining shareholders.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the Company's financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, Item 9 Labs provides Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure of its performance.

To provide investors with additional insight and allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the information used by management in its financial and decision-making surrounding pro forma operations, Item 9 Labs supplements its consolidated financial statements presented on a basis consistent with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, Adjusted EBITDA as a non-GAAP financial measures of earnings. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA plus stock-based compensation and change in fair value of derivative liabilities. Item 9 Labs management uses Adjusted EBITDA as financial measures to evaluate the profitability and efficiency of the business model. The Company uses these non-GAAP financial measures to assess the strength of the underlying operations of the business. These adjustments, and the non-GAAP financial measures that are derived from them, provide supplemental information to analyze its operations between periods and over time. Item 9 Labs finds this especially useful when reviewing pro forma results of operations, which include large non-cash amortizations of intangible assets from acquisitions and stock-based compensation. Investors should consider its non-GAAP financial measures in addition to, and not as a substitute for, financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP.

About Item 9 Labs Corp.

Item 9 Labs Corp. (OTCQX: INLB) is a vertically integrated cannabis operator headquartered in Arizona. The Company creates best-in-class products and canna-business solutions designed to help people become the best versions of themselves. With an award-winning CPG brand and nationally recognized application team, Item 9 Labs improves the cannabis experience while providing transparency, consistency, and well-being for those relying on them. For additional information, please visit: item9labscorp.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, risks and effects of legal and administrative proceedings and governmental regulation, especially in a foreign country, future financial and operational results, competition, general economic conditions, proposed transactions that are not legally binding obligations of the company and the ability to manage and continue growth. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those indicated. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this news release include the introduction of new technology, market conditions and those set forth in reports or documents we file from time to time with the SEC. We undertake no obligation to revise or update such statements to reflect current events or circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Media Contact:

Item 9 Labs

Jayne Levy

Director of Communications

Email: [email protected]

Investor Contact:

IRTH Communications

800-403-1140

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Item 9 Labs Corp.
The unpredictability of todays business environment has accelerated the need for companies to better manage their data, so getting a better handle on data can have a significant impact on better business decisions.

A modern data architecture enables businesses and IT leaders to consume and interpret information so they can anticipate market changes and improve business outcomes. Achieving actionable insights from corporate data stores is, in many ways, the ultimate competitive advantage.

Its no small task. The total amount of data organizations across the globe created, captured, and consumed is expected to reach 59 zettabytes this year, according to market researcher Statista.

Its not just structured data such as documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs; now there are blog posts, videos, and even Twitter posts thrown into the mix. The variety of unstructured data generated is practically eclipsing the amount of structured data. This brings up not only storage challenges, but the challenges of processing those myriad data types.

Modern Data Governance

As corporate data stores continue to grow, the modern business has to develop data retention and governance policies around all that data. How much data will you store? What types of data will you store? How can you best architect your data platform to ensure optimal current and future performances? Every modern business must face these questions head-on.

This makes data modernization an even more pressing task. A modern business must focus on updating and building out the data architecture to modernize the data core. It is important to determine and deploy a framework of data solutions, as well as data privacy and governance methodologies to construct and manage a scalable, modern data platform to gain optimal value, expedite operations, and reduce capital expenditures.

While moving data storage, management, and analytics to the cloud is an urgent component of modernizing the data core, nearly all midsize to large enterprises still operate physical, on-premises data centers, and likely will continue to do so for some time. So how does that fit into the overall strategy? What is the most effective percentage of cloud-based vs. data-center-based storage? These are some of the other strategic considerations organizations must address.

Controlling Costs

Of course, cost always is a factor. Legacy infrastructure costs can be 55% higher than cloud data costs.1 Modernizing the data core can reduce data storage and management costs, and improve data access speeds. Data modernization can enable organizations to quickly capitalize on the benefits of moving to the cloud to deliver analytics and intelligence that inform everything from operations process automation to customer experiences.

Example: A global life-sciences company sought to lower its IT operational costs while providing faster, more flexible access to mammoth amounts of global health data.

In business for more than 100 years, this company had accumulated a vast repository of global human health data, which it relied on to address questions and concerns, respond to legal inquiries, and incorporate in ongoing research. It is a potentially enormous competitive advantage  and a regulatory and compliance necessity.

However, the company did not have the flexibility to use that data the way it wanted, given its legacy mainframe environment, which inhibited rapid access to the data. In a world of data mining and rapid innovation, that posed a time-consuming and expensive operational challenge. It also threatened the companys viability in the new digital marketplace.

The company partnered with Cognizant to deploy a cloud-based solution using the Cognizant Data Modernization Method based on Amazon Web Services (AWS). Doing this resulted in the following:

Reduced mainframe data hosting costs by more than 95%

Saved $3.6 million annually by migrating to the cloud

Improved data access and retrieval speeds by 50%

Provided a unified security model that ensures active data governance

Partner Up

While modernizing data management and analytics tactics may seem overwhelming, expensive, and outside the range of your in-house staff, partnering with a seasoned managed service provider (MSP) can ease the burden. Working with an MSP such as Cognizant to provide cloud-based data modernization services can help consolidate siloed data sources and migrate legacy systems to the cloud.

That adds up to more valuable data strategies, cost savings, and better business outcomes.

For its part, AWS has the most comprehensive, secure, scalable, and cost-effective portfolio of services to build your data lake and analytics solutions. AWS-powered data lakes can handle the scale, agility, and flexibility required to combine different types of data and analytics approaches to gain deeper insights in ways traditional data silos and data warehouses cannot do.

For more information, click here.

1 https://blogs.gartner.com/marco-meinardi/2018/11/30/public-cloud-cheaper-than-running-your-data-center/
The site of a mass grave for children who died in the Tuam mother and baby home, Galway. Photo: PA Wire

THE order of nuns that ran the infamous Mother and Baby Home at Tuam have apologised for the treatment of women and children at the institution and the "disrespectful and unacceptable" way infants who died were buried.

The Sisters of Bon Secours also confirmed to Independent.ie that they will participate in the Government's planned redress scheme for survivors.

The scandal of what happened in the various Mother and Baby homes around the country was revealed due to the work of historian Catherine Corless.

Read More

A Commission of Investigation was set up in the wake of her claims that up to 800 babies were interred in an unmarked mass grave at a former home in Tuam.

Sister Eileen O'Connor, the Area Leader of the Sisters of Bon Secours Ireland released a statement this morning.

The statement said: "The Commissions report presents a history of our country in which many women and children were rejected, silenced and excluded; in which they were subjected to hardship; and in which their inherent human dignity was disrespected, in life and in death.

"Our Sisters of Bon Secours were part of this sorrowful history."

The statement says that the Bon Secours ran St Marys Mother and Baby Home in Tuam from 1925 to 1961.

"We did not live up to our Christianity when running the Home.

"We failed to respect the inherent dignity of the women and children who came to the Home. We failed to offer them the compassion that they so badly needed.

"We were part of the system in which they suffered hardship, loneliness and terrible hurt.

"We acknowledge in particular that infants and children who died at the home were buried in a disrespectful and unacceptable way. For all that, we are deeply sorry."

The statement adds: "We offer our profound apologies to all the women and children of St Marys Mother and Baby Home, to their families and to the people of this country."

It concludes: "Healing is not possible until what happened is acknowledged.

"We hope and we pray that healing will come to all those affected; those who are living and those who have died. We hope that we, our church and our country can learn from this history."

Ms Corless responded to the release of the statement from the Sisters of Bon Secours saying: "I was amazed really and truly.

"I couldnt believe my ears because I didnt expect that. I thought it would take a lot more lobbying, a lot more begging you could say."

She told RTE Radio's Today with Claire Byrne show that it was an "honest" and "clear" statement "that they are taking the responsibility and the onus of what they did and they have admitted that they werent following the proper teaching of Christ.

"And they did admit especially about the burials that they buried those babies in an indecent way  or words to that effect."

She said the statement is "a great relief" adding: "I know that it will mean quite an awful lot to the survivors who went through the home.

"Thats the one thing they had asked for, for them to say sorry.

"One man, he kept saying that I want to go to the grave and tell my mother that the nuns said they were sorry for what they did to us.

"Thats how much it meant to them and that has been my passion for the last few years for people to acknowledge and to own up to what happened."

Ms Corless said she hopes the orders of nuns that ran other Mother and Baby homes will "follow suit" adding: "that has to come first and foremost to admit that they were wrong for dishing out cruelty to these poor people."

The Commission's report was published yesterday and Taoiseach Micheal Martin is to make a State apology today.

On Tuesday, the Taoiseach said those religious orders associated with mother and baby homes should make a financial contribution to a redress scheme.

The religious orders concerned in particular should make a financial contribution to any scheme that the Government will be developing, particularly where lands would have been sold, for example, Mr Martin said.

There are plans for the remains of hundreds of infants buried at Tuam to be exhumed for DNA testing and possible identification.

Children Minister Roderic O'Gorman has said that he hopes the legislation allowing for this to happen will be passed by the end of the year.

The Sisters of Bons Secours are making a voluntary contribution of 2.5m towards the cost of the excavation process.

The overall costs are estimated at between 6m and 13m.

Mr O'Gorman last night announced that the Government is planned to set up a Restorative Recognition Scheme for survivors of Mother and Baby homes.

He has written to the religious congregations involved seeking a meeting to discuss whether they will make a contribution to a proposed redress scheme.

Mr O'Gorman said he a "significant contribution" from the religious organisations would be appropriate.

The Sisters of Bon Secours confirmed that they will participate in the scheme.



On the Tolerable and Intolerable Vices of Authors

At the beginning of January, 2020 (I was tempted to write At the beginning of January, 2020 BC, that is, Before Covid), a book was published in France that caused a great stir. It was written by Vanessa Springora, a publishing executive, and it was called Le Consentement, Consent.

It recounted her sexual exploitation as an adolescent girl by Gabriel Matzneff, a writer respected by a literary coterie but not with a wide readership. Springora was 14 and Matzneff 50 when their affair began.

Springoras book was impressive: it was well-written and immediately struck one as truthful. She did not exaggerate her sufferings, as memoirs of misery are apt to do to gain attention; she made it clear that her mother, who also worked in publishing, had been complicit in Matzneffs exploitation of her.

Matzneff was a serial seducer of adolescent girls. He lost interest in them as soon as they appeared fully adult. He claimed that, as a sophisticated intellectual and sensualist, a Latinist with an interest in Russia and Russian literature deriving from his Russian descent, he was almost doing the adolescent girls a favor by inducting them into a richer life. He also patronized 10-year-old male prostitutes on visits to the Philippines.

What perhaps is most unusual about him is that he was always quite open about his sexual relations with adolescent girls and prepubescent boys and made them the subject of many of his books.

In 1974, he published Les moins de seize ans (Those Less than Sixteen), and in 1977 Passions schismatiques (Schismatic Passions). At the time in France, many intellectuals spoke up in favor of paedophilia, and until Springoras book was published he enjoyed the protection and patronage of powerful people.

Both Presidents Pompidou and Mitterrand praised him and his work. In 2016 a large and laudatory volume was dedicated to his oeuvre, without any mention of its dubious moral qualities. He won literary prizes and was allowed to live in a flat belonging to the city of Paris.

Sudden Change

Suddenly, almost overnight, all that changed. His main publisher, the most famous of all French publishers, withdrew his books.

Having been intrigued by the story, I attempted to buy some of the offending volumes. I managed to buy a couple on the largest second-hand book site on the internet before they disappeared from it, a few of them to reappear at a price so inflated as to have made investors in Bitcoin envious.

A book that I bought at $25 was now available (and only one copy at that) at $300: a 1200 per cent increase in a matter of days.

I found Matzneffs writing tedious and narcissistic; he seemed to me very satisfied with his own erudition, to say nothing of his conduct. I found little of great interest (apart from its distastefulness) in the little of his work that I read, though I freely admit that I read only a very small part of his total output.

However, in 1990, when a French-Canadian journalist, Denise Bombardier, criticized himwith great force and eloquencein a program on French television, she was treated as if she were a mere provincial bumpkin: for there is a kind of self-congratulatory sophistication among metropolitan intellectuals that consists mainly of being shocked or appalled by nothing.

The suddenness with which former allies and admirers turned on Matzneff was almost as disgusting as their previous support for him had been. Rats leaving a sinking ship are models of fidelity by comparison.

Dissociate?

The case of Matzneff was discussed in an interesting book, Peut-on dissocier luvre de lauteur? (Can We Dissociate the Work from the Author?), by Gisele Sapiro, about the relation of art, particularly literature, to the moral qualities of its creators, and the extent we should assess a work in the light of its authors character and opinions.

There is, it seems to me, no straightforward answer to this question, at least in most cases. Celine, generally agreed to be one of the greatest French writers of prose of the twentieth century, was a rabid anti-Semite and pro-Nazi, but few people would suggest that all his books should be withdrawn from circulation on that account.

Ben Jonson was a killer, albeit a long time ago (does the passage of time attenuate blame, excuse or exonerate?), but anyone who campaigned against a performance of one of his plays because of it would surely be regarded as mad. Many talented authors held repellent views or behaved very badly, but we still read them.

By contrast, a film by Roman Polanski about the Dreyfus affair, which was said to be very good, was not shown in America or Britain because Polanski was a convicted statutory rapist. Was this right? Polanski, who survived both the Nazis and the Communists in Poland, and whose wife was murdered in California by Charles Manson, openly identified himself as a modern Dreyfus, though there is an obvious difference: Dreyfus was innocent while Polanski was guilty, albeit having lived a much more difficult life up to the time of his conviction than Dreyfus.

Gisele Sapiros book includes a kind of menagerie of writers and other artists who have either committed illegal sexual acts or have held (and expressed) ideas now deemed, often rightly, beyond the pale of decency.

Not long ago there was a controversy over an exhibition in London of Gauguins portraits, including those of his young Tahitian lovers, making him the Matzneff of post-impressionism. Should they have been shown?

Omissions

What is most striking in Sapiros book, however, are the omissions from its catalogue of writers who held vile views, Dostoyevsky and his antisemitism and Nietzsche and his misogyny, for example.

This is probably because these authors are so admired by intellectuals that they enjoy a kind of intellectual untouchability akin to the legal impunity that Matzneff long enjoyed.

But there is an omission even more glaring, surely of the greatest cultural significance. The author finishes her book: It remains to be decided if one ought to tolerate, indeed reward, artists when they abuse their position of authority, like Polanski, or use their fame to propagate racist or sexist ideologies.

There is no mention here of the support of many writers, artists, and intellectuals for communism, as if such support posed no problems at all.

The author quotes Jean-Paul Sartre as a moral authority without mentioning that he was prepared to overlook the total suppression of freedom and the deliberate murder or starvation of tens of millions of people, provided it was carried out in the name of an ideal, communism, of which he approved.

And this omission in the book suggests to me that the penny still has not fully dropped in the minds even of clever and otherwise decent intellectuals (Sapiro is an eminent academic, a specialist in the relation between literature and the political engagements of authors) that communism was evil root and branch, intrinsically as it were, from the very first, and not merely an ideal that went a little haywire in its application.

Obviously, it still has its attractionsfor those who have always been safe from its ravages.

Theodore Dalrymple is a retired doctor. He is contributing editor of the City Journal of New York and the author of 30 books, including Life at the Bottom. His latest book is Embargo and Other Stories.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
There are growing fears a coronavirus case will seep out of hotel quarantine in Western Australia after the more infectious UK strain spread to isolating guests and a cleaner at a Brisbane medi-hotel.

On Wednesday, Queensland authorities moved quickly to evacuate 129 quarantining guests from Hotel Grand Chancellor after genomic sequencing revealed five cases of coronavirus at the hotel were linked  two in a couple from the UK, believed to be the source of the virus, one in a hotel cleaner, and two in a father and daughter from Lebanon.

Returned travellers at Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane have been moved to other quarantine hotels. Credit:AFR

The isolating guests all stayed on the hotel's seventh floor, however how the virus spread remains under investigation.

Hundreds of hotel workers have been placed in quarantine and the positive returned travellers have been moved to negative pressure rooms in hospital.
GREENWICH  As in-person classroom learning resumed this week in the Greenwich Public Schools, the district is continuing to chart the spread of COVID-19 cases among students, teachers and staff.

According to the school districts online tracker, as of Tuesday morning, 19 new coronavirus cases had been reported in the district. There were also 29 active cases among in-person students, faculty, outside providers, nonteaching staff and administrators. Contract tracing has linked all of those cases to outside activities or family contact.

Of those current cases, 19 are students, five are teachers, two are non-teaching staff and two are outside providers, according to the tracker.

The majority of those cases, 11 in total, involve Greenwich High. Among the 18 other cases, there are three each at Hamilton Avenue School and Western Middle School; two each at Eastern Middle, Glenville and North Mianus Schools; and one each at Central Middle, Cos Cob, New Lebanon, Old Greenwich, Parkway and Riverside schools.

The districts tracker reports that there have been 260 cases of COVID-19 in the school district since the start of the scholastic year, with 231 cases that have been resolved.

We have consistently updated the GPS COVID tracker twice a week and appreciate our families diligent reporting of positive cases and exposures to their principals and school nurses, the district said in a statement Tuesday. Our students and staff seem genuinely excited to be back to school this week. We constantly monitor the situation and will make adjustments, if necessary.

The school district is continuing to ask its students, staff and families to complete a COVID-19 symptom checklist before every day of classes and to follow all health and safety protocols to mitigate the spread of the virus during the pandemic.

Last week, all students in the Greenwich Public Schools were on full-time remote learning in an effort to curb the potential spread of the virus from any exposures during the holiday break. On Monday, students returned to the classrooms at the elementary and middle schools.

Greenwich High continues on its hybrid model, with half the students attending in-person classes on Mondays and Tuesdays and remote classes on Thursdays and Fridays. The other cohort attends in-person on Thursdays and Fridays with remote learning on Mondays and Tuesdays. On Wednesdays, all students at GHS are in remote learning.

First Selectman Fred Camillo and Greenwich Hospital President Diane Kelly are expected to provide a briefing on Wednesday afternoon to update residents on the towns coronavirus levels.

kborsuk@greenwichtime.com
Photo: (Photo : Unsplash/Brittani Burns)

A dad loses 40 pounds to save a sick son who badly needs a liver transplant. The father and son are currently recovering after they underwent the "complex and challenging" transplant.

He wanted to save his baby boy, so he decided to lose weight

Sean Kelley decided to lose weight so that he could check if his liver matches his infant son. He told "Good Morning America" that parents want to see their children thrive and happy. He explained that he wanted to give his children every chance so they could succeed in life.

Kelley and his wife, Josie, are parents to seven children: 19-year-old Dylan, 11-year-old Meara, 11-year-old Christina, five-year-old Tristan, three-year-old Asher, and one-year-old twins, Silas and Sawyer.

READ NEXT: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Softens up When Daughter Wants to Bond

Three other children also have the same condition

The West Almond, New York, couple also lives with Alagille syndrome. It is a genetic disorder that also affects three of their kids. The syndrome affects multiple organs in a person's body, including the liver and heart, based on the National Institutes of Health. Besides being linked with several heart problems, the condition also causes liver damage.

At just three months old, Tristan had already undergone open-heart surgery. Meara suffers from itchy skin and has problems with her heart and liver functions. One of the twins, Sawyer, also has the condition and required a liver transplant immediately.

UPMC Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh chief of pediatric transplantation Dr. George Mazariegos explained why Sawyer needed an immediate liver transplant. He said that the baby boy could not survive more than one month without it because his liver had to compensate.

READ NEXT: Mom Whose Son Died of Ultra-Rare Disease Finds First Treatment to Help Others Born with the Same Disease

Kelley and his wife initially planned to find a donor for their baby. Then he realized that he could also be of help when he could slim down to be a liver donor. He explained that he also had to lose weight even for the evaluation before knowing if his liver matches Sawyer's.

Started a weight-loss process

In August 2019, Kelley started a weight-loss process. He is grateful to his wife for supporting him in his weight loss journey. Josie kept reminding Kelley to eat right and exercise to reach his ultimate goal.

Kelley exercised as much as he could, and he would even go on extra walks during his lunch breaks. He was happy when he received the confirmation for donor evaluation. On December 19, Dr. Mazariegos performed transplant surgery.

READ NEXT: Girl Donates Birthday Money to Homeless Man After He Returned Her Grandma's Wallet

The doctor believes that Sawyer would be much healthier with his new liver. He explained that the baby boy could now withstand infections and things that were big setbacks for him before the transplant.

Kelley told the outlet that he and Sawyer are recovering smoothly two weeks after the surgery, although there were some post-surgery complications. He is hoping to help others know about how being a living donor could help save lives.

Kelley said that being evaluated and going through the process of organ donation is an "incredible feeling."
In the United States, the number of women CEOs among Fortune 500 companies hit a historic high of 39 in 2020. The US is also set to hit a historic number of 41 women CEOs running top companies in 2021, which will be an all-time high, according to a Wall Street Journal report. In contrast, India had one woman chief executive officer among Nifty50 companies in 2020, just as in the previous year.

A Moneycontrol analysis of Nifty50 companies showed that HDFC Life Insurance was the only company that had a woman CEO (Vibha Padalkar) in 2020 as was the case in 2019.

Even if one were to look at the top 50 companies in the Fortune 500 companies list, a report by Catalyst, which is a global gender-equality non-profit firm, showed that there are three women chief executives among the top 50.

This list by Catalyst had 39 women CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies in 2020. The WSJ report said that a few more will be added to this list in 2021.

Human resource experts said that the reasons for the low numbers in India are a mix of women dropping out of the workforce at the mid-management level to unconscious biases at the workplace.

A study by diversity and inclusion consulting firm Avtar showed that women constitute 33 percent of the workforce at the entry level.

By the time they reach manager level, the number of women drops to 23 percent, and to 16 percent at mid-manager level. At the corporate executive level, they make up only 14 percent.

This data only pertains to the 100 best companies for women in India, which includes the likes of Accenture, Barclays in India, EY, Genpact India, IBM India, Infosys, KPMG, Novartis Healthcare, Target Corporation India and Tech Mahindra. These figures would be lower in other companies and is a direct result of women dropping out of the workplace.

Dropping out would be a result of increased household responsibilities post the maternity break. As per law, women get six months of paid maternity leave.

A recent study by human resources firm TeamLease Services found that the Maternity Benefits Act is yet to deliver the advantages of improving job opportunities for women.

Women likely faced a net job opportunity loss between 0.91 million and 1.36 million over FY20 compared to 1.3 million to 1.8 million jobs lost in FY19, the study said.

Have women always missed out?

Women CEOs are not completely alien to Indian companies. At its peak between 2013 and 2017, the banking sector had many women CEOs: ICICI Banks Chanda Kochhar, Axis Banks Shikha Sharma and SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya. Royal Bank of Scotland country chief executive, the late Meera Sanyal, who later joined the Aam Aadmi Party, was another example.

Former HSBC India country head Naina Lal Kidwai, former Britannia Industries MD Vinita Bali, former HPCL CMD Nishi Vasudeva and former NSE CEO Chitra Ramakrishna are other prominent examples.

If you look beyond the Nifty50 companies currently, there are close to a dozen leaders. In the IT/ITeS sector, there is Roshni Nadar Malhotra , who is the chairperson of HCL Technologies and Aruna Jayanthi, Capgeminis Asia Pacific and Latin America Business Unit Managing Director.

In the pharma sector, there is Biocon Chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (also its founder) and Lupin CEO Vinita Gupta. SAIL got its first-ever woman chairperson in Soma Mondal (she took over on January 1, 2021). There are others such as Godrej Consumer Products chairperson Nisaba Godrej, Housing Development Finance Corporation MD Renu Sud Karnad, TAFE CMD Mallika Srinivasan and Omidyar Network India MD Roopa Kudva.



Endless struggle

There are also examples of women struggling to make it to the board in companies. The recent example of Murugappa Groups Valli Arunachalam being denied a board seat grabbed eyeballs especially since she alleged that the group only mentors the sons for leadership roles.

Ambadi Investments Ltd (AIL), which is the holding company of the Rs 36,893-crore Murugappa Group, voted against giving a board seat to Valli Arunachalam, daughter of former executive chairman MV Murugappan. At the companys annual general meeting (AGM), held on September 21, over 90 percent of the shareholders voted against a board position for Arunachalam.

She also said that the restructuring exercise at the Murugappa Group was unfortunate as it failed to let women become a part of the board.

Delhi-based human resource consultant Prachita Gupta said that when women like Valli, who are part of family-run businesses, are denied board seats, it shows a clear bias.

How can the board and shareholders deny the right to a board seat only based on the gender of the candidate. Isnt this a clear bias? If senior board members are supporting this decision then it is a reflection of their own prejudices against women leaders, she added.

Private sector lender Yes Bank had also faced a boardroom tussle over the appointment of Shagun Gogia, daughter of co-founder Ashok Kapur (who died in the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack) and Madhu Kapur (sister of Rana Kapoors wife, Bindu Kapoor).

The reason cited was that Shagun, nominee of Madhu Kapurs family to the Yes Board, lacked the necessary experience to hold that position. The Kapurs contested this and moved the court in 2013. After a long battle, Shagun was appointed as Additional Director (Non-Executive, Non-Independent) on the Yes Bank board in April 2019.

In May/June 2020, Madhu Kapurs family consented to reclassify their shareholding in the bank as non-promoter shareholders and withdrew the suit filed against the bank management in the Bombay High Court.

Why are women missing at the top?

A leaky pipeline of woman leaders could be cited as one of the top reasons why there are very few women CEOs among Nifty50 companies.

Saundarya Rajesh, FounderPresident of diversity and inclusion strategy firm Avtar Group, said that there are some sectors such as banking and insurance that have seen a significant number of women leaders at the top.

The significant talent-drain of women, specifically at peri-leadership levels, results in skewed talent availability for the top spot. When the process of succession planning does not undergo an audit for gender equity, there is a strategic lack of intent in identifying women for the top role, she added.

But she said that there are reasons for optimism now. According to Avtar & Working Mothers 100 Best Companies for Women in India study , womens representation has not only risen, but womens participation at the leadership level has seen a surge.

In this study, about 16 organisations are led by women. Further, 26 percent of all corporate executives with profit and loss responsibilities in these 100 Best companies were women. Rajesh said that overall availability of gender-balanced talent pools across levels can further fuel this number.

Rituparna Chakraborty, co-founder and Executive Vice President, TeamLease Services, said companies in India cannot have more representation when the pipeline itself is weak.

If they (women) drop out, how will there be adequate female candidates available for leadership levels. We are far from the levels that developed markets like US have achieved, she said.

Internal HR heads of companies also admitted to Moneycontrol on condition of anonymity that there are concerns about women taking breaks due to maternity and not returning to the workforce.

We start leadership and succession planning when a mid-management employee is in the 32-35 years age bracket. So if women take six months of maternity leave exactly at this time then they lose out on this key mentoring process. I am not saying they are at fault but this is the reality, said the human resources head of an electrical goods firm.

Echoing a similar view, the senior-vice president HR at a financial services firm said that there have been three cases in his organisation where women groomed to be CXO leaders didnt come back after maternity leave. This, he said, left a bitter taste and now they only consider women for CXO role training after they have come back from their leave.

Could mentorship help?

Human resource experts are of the view that mentorship by senior women leaders and also male CEOs could help bridge the gap between the demand and supply of qualified women leaders.

While career slowdowns that happen due to work-life integration demands at the mid-career stage result in fewer women pursuing their leadership aspirations, the lack of mentors and fewer role-models prevent women from chasing their dreams. Top leadership that believes in the power of inclusion and strong mentorship channels can pave the way for more women leaders in the future, explained Rajesh.

A similar effort that is often ignored is encouragement by family members along with the men also taking responsibility for the child at home.

According to a 2019 Time Use Survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, 81.2 percent of Indian women spent their daily time in unpaid activities at home while only 26.1 percent men spent time on this. Here, only 5.6 percent of men cooked compared to 75.2 percent of the women.

Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO of CIEL HR Services, said that while the situation in terms of support structure for women talent at home is improving, it isnt changing at the pace that is required.

This includes encouraging women to work even late nights if required, without hesitation, and celebration of work promotions and achievements by family members.

Maternity leave Act: Are women losing out?

The Maternity Benefits (Amendment) Act 2017 increased the paid leave for maternity from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. It also called for creche facilities for the benefit of new mothers to be arranged by the workplace when they rejoin the organisation.

However, this change in law has also resulted in an adverse reaction from companies, especially traditional manufacturing, construction and MSME firms, in not hiring women or paying less attention to their L&D needs.

The TeamLease study quoted above said that the increase in cost for retaining women and increased burden on fellow employees are some of the fallouts employers are attributing to the Act.

Time spent on domestic duties, social stigma against women in employment and the regressive attitudes of employers are some of the main reasons cited by women for choosing to stay away from work.

Mishra of CIEL HR Services added that a woman could lose one year of productive work if she has two children (maternity leave of six months each) and added that this is the reason women could lose out on leadership positions. He also added that six months of paid leave is not a cost that every company can bear.

If the government steps in and says that it is ready to bear the cost of the maternity leave, then more companies will hire women and also encourage them to move up the leadership ladder, he added.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  On Aug. 14, David Smith and Yuko Ova boarded a 28-foot boat at a dock in Brooklyn for what was supposed to be a relaxing fishing excursion.

Shortly after departing from the dock, however, the voyage devolved into a disaster when the boat went up in flames.

The couple is now several months into recovery after suffering life-threatening injuries in the explosion.

Im still in a lot of pain, said Smith of Brooklyn, who was released from Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze in mid-September following skin grafts and other treatment for mostly third-degree burns on both legs.

Also suffering from four broken bones in his back, Smith said he probably wont achieve complete recovery until August.

He credits Dr. Michael Leslie Cooper, director of the Burn Unit at the hospital, and the rest of the hospital staff for saving his life.

Amazingly, even though Smith still is in rehabilitation for his injuries, he has gone fishing since the boating disaster in the waters between Brooklyn and Staten Island.

I havent given up, Smith said, adding that since the tragedy, I actually went fishing a couple of times on a big party boat.

Yuko Ova and David Smith were rescued from a boat fire in the waters off of Staten Island in August. They were treated for their injuries at Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze. The photo was taken prior to the fire. (Courtesy of David Smith and Yuka Ova)

Ova, who has returned to her home country of Japan, suffered mainly second-degree burns on her legs, arms and back.

DAY OF THE EXPLOSION

The day of the incident, the couple boarded his 1970 Lang boat at a dock off of Knapp Street in Brooklyn.

Shortly after departing from the dock, there was a fiery blast.

You could see the smoke from everywhere, Smith said, triggering a large emergency response of fire trucks, rescue boats and helicopters.

Smith recalled, I cranked the boat up and I backed out of the dock, then when I put it in drive, thats when it exploded.

He was seated above the engine that was located inside the boat.

It blew me up, blew me back down, he said of the explosion. Im laying on top of the engine. All I see is fire around me and my girlfriends standing at the back of the boat, so she got blown up in the air.

Shes laying in a hole in the back of boat, fire coming all around her, so I got myself out, then I got to her and then I pulled her out.

We both jumped in the water and we both had to swim about a 100 feet and there was people at the dock that pulled us out of the water.

His boat drifted into other vessels, damaging them before sinking.

David Smith and Yuko Ova were rescued from a boat fire in the waters off of Staten Island in August. They were treated for their injuries at Staten Island University Hospital in Ocean Breeze. The photo of Ova was taken prior to the fire. (Courtesy of David Smith and Yuka Ova)

Smith wasnt sure what caused the fire.

My guess is there was a gas leak somewhere in it, he said of his boat.

Smith has heard of other fires involving gasoline-powered inboard engines. He suggests that people buy boats that are stoked by diesel fuel or propelled by outboard engines.

I wont get back on a gasoline small boat like that again, Smith said.
Alabama U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks of Huntsville is confronting rare political waters: He could become the first Alabama member of Congress to be censured.

The rarities also place Brooks in some unsettling company: If his censure is approved in the House of Representatives, the Huntsville Republican would become the first Congressman to face disciplinary action for inciting an insurrection since the Civil War more than 160 years ago.

In the modern era, over the last 100 years, the only censures in the House have been for scandals, either financial or sexual scandals, said Allan Lichtman, a professor of history at American University in Washington, D.C. If Brooks was censured for inciting insurrection, that would be unprecedented in the modern era for the United States.

He added, You have to go back to the Civil War when some were censured for supporting the Confederacy. It would be a profound statement of reprimand against the representative to be censured for such an unpatriotic act.

Brooks, on Tuesday, released a lengthy news release defending himself against the censure resolution that was introduced by Democratic Reps. Tom Malinowski of New Jersey and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. In the statement, Brooks denied prior knowledge about the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol building following a fiery speech in which he implored American patriots to start taking down names and kicking ass.

I defend my honor and reputation. Read my statement: https://t.co/UukqxhoiMG  Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) January 12, 2021

Brooks, in defending himself as a square who never smoked tobacco and has never been in trouble with the law, said he is not associated with nor has he communicated with the anti-government groups that breached the Capitol and ransacked the historic building while Congress was in session. Brooks said he was in the building at the time it was inundated by violent Trump supporters, and that his remarks at the rally were taken out of context by Democrats and the media.

But Malinowski, during an appearance on CNN Monday, said he felt confident he has enough votes to censure Brooks. He said that he anticipates Republicans supporting his resolution. It is unclear when the resolution could come up for a vote or whether it will be voted ahead of the Inauguration next week, or if it will be held off to a later date.

A shaming

A censure vote also only requires a simple majority vote from the House of Representatives.

Thomas Shaw, an associate professor of political sciences at the University of South Alabama, said its likely to happen considering Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheneys statements that accountability is needed to address the violence at the Capitol that result in five deaths, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick who was reportedly struck in the head with a fire extinguisher by rioters.

It wont be extensive, but there will be some bipartisan support for this, said Shaw. Its very likely it will happen. It was a watershed moment in U.S. history that the Capitol was attacked in what is described as an act of terrorism.

Shaw said censorship against Brooks will represent a stain on his record, but wont be horrible in that it doesnt mean the congressman will be expelled from participating in his typical congressional duties.

The resolution requires Brooks to present himself in the well of the House of Representatives for the pronouncement of the censure.

Over his career, he has not had ethical violations, said Shaw. But Republicans, being the minority in the House, he would not have chairmanships that could be striped of him. Otherwise, he retains his powers, voting ability and his office.

Shaw added, Its kind of a public shaming. The question is how bad is it? Outside the shaming aspects, it doesnt mean much.

Constitutional applications

If the House votes to censure Brooks, it will mark the first time that the same disciplinary procedure allowed in the U.S. Constitution has been used since 2010, when Democratic U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel of New York was censured for his role in financial misdeeds.

Lichtman said Brooks has no other recourse to battle against the censure than in the Democratic-controlled House. The Constitution prescribes that censure resolutions be focused on members of their respective houses.

There have been only eight instances of censure in the Senate, with the most notable occurring in 1954 against Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy who made baseless allegations that numerous Soviet spies and sympathizers infiltrated the federal government, universities and elsewhere.

Members of Congress can also face reprimand, which is viewed as less of a severe punishment but has been more often used since the 1970s. A dozen lawmakers have been reprimanded in the House including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich in 1997 for providing false information to the House Oversight Committee. A reprimand does not require the lawmaker to stand before the House and have the resolution read to them.

Expulsion is the most serious punishment against a member of Congress and requires a two-third vote from the majority from the members of the legislative body. Only five members of the House have been expelled, and three of them were related to supporting the Confederate rebellion in 1861.

Four representatives-elect have been expelled before taking office, but the most recent instance was challenged in federal courts. In 1967, longtime New York Rep. Adam Clayton Powell  embroiled in a financial scandal at the time  was denied the oath of office by then-House Speaker John William McCormick. Powell, who won re-election to his congressional seat in 1966, sued McCormick and a host of others arguing that his inability to take the oath of office amount to an exclusion that would require two-thirds vote by the House. The Supreme Court ruled that Powell was wrongfully expelled from his seat.

Allen Linken, an assistant professor of political sciences at the University of Alabama, said Powells case illustrates the finite considerations of being seated as a member of the House of Representatives  The Constitution requires its members to be at least 25 years of age, a U.S. citizen for seven years and live in the same state they represent.

It doesnt matter what the ethical considerations are or the issues you are facing outside the (legislative) body, said Linken. You have been seated.

He said one constitutional issue that could be interesting in the Brooks case is whether Article 1, Section 6 of the Constitution could apply if the congressman faces a criminal charges for inciting a riot. The District of Columbias attorney general is contemplating whether to charge Brooks and others with inciting violence at the Capitol.

The Constitution states that in all cases  excluding treason, felony, and breach of peace  a member of Congress is privileged from arrest during their attendance at a congressional session on the Capitol floor. But the Constitution also states that privilege is extended to members of Congress in going to and returning from the same.

What a member says generally on the floor of the House is privileged, said Linken. Going to and from the scene, I think there is a decent discussion that should be had whether or not Representative Brooks was going to a joint session of Congress (when he spoke during the Trump rally).

But Linken notes that the Constitutional clause does not apply to the censure resolution.

An action of the House is not an arrest, he said. Its a consequence of your employer as opposed to a criminal charge.

Historical comparisons

The censoring of Brooks, if it occurs, is something that Alabama has never experienced before with one of its members of Congress.

Steve Flowers, a political commentator in Alabama who served with Brooks in the Alabama Legislature in the early 1980s, said the state has had very erudite senators and congressmen since the Civil Rights era of the 1960s, highlighted by Senators John Sparkman and Lister Hill who were both well-respected. He said there has not been any past actions, in recent history, that would lead to disciplinary action against a member of Congress from Alabama.

Other Southern states like South Carolina and Mississippi, their senators were considered more racist who would demagogue the race issue (during the Civil Rights era) and our senators would never do that, said Flowers. They would vote for segregation because they had to. But no one has been as controversial as Brooks has been. Its just been in the last decade or more when the Mo Brooks of this world, the reactionary bomb throwers who are really ideologues, have been elected.

The Brooks censorship also stands out because other controversial moments involving Alabama congressmen did not result in a similar rebuke from colleagues.

Former Alabama Congressman Tom "Cotton" Heflin. ((The Birmingham News/Alabama Media Group/AL.com)

The most horrific moment involving a member of the Alabama congressional delegation occurred close to 113 years ago and involved Democratic Rep. Thomas Cotton Heflin, who served in the U.S. House from 1904 to 1920. During that time, Heflin  a prohibitionist and racist  saw a Black man sitting on a streetcar in Washington, D.C., sipping whiskey with a white woman, according to a historical account. Heflin, during the confrontation, tossed the man off the streetcar and shot him in the leg. The bullet also struck a white bystander. Heflin was arrested, but the Black man did not show up for the trial and charges were dropped. Heflin paid for a portion of the bystanders medical bills, and then bragged about the incident as he campaigned for the U.S. Senate. Heflin served in the Senate from 1920-1931.

Other members of Congress have had questionable backgrounds before they were elected. Democratic Senator Hugo Black, before he was elected to the Senate in 1927, resigned as a member of the Ku Klux Klan in 1925.

The Tom Heflin incident was the most egregious event, said Wayne Flynt, an Alabama political historian and professor emeritus at Auburn University. The only others that might have led to censorship is one of those retrospective ways some judge history, applying the standards of one generation to a previous one. By that standard, antebellum Alabama senators owned slaves, and the states most liberal senator, Hugo Black, was briefly a member of the KKK during the 1920s, as were almost all ambitious Alabama politicians.

Related content: Huntsville mayor offers no support to Mo Brooks: Words have meaning
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 21:58:13|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The industrial strike by Kenyan nurses and clinical officers that commenced in early December 2020 over remuneration and inadequate access to protective gear could jeopardize efforts to flatten COVID-19 infections and related deaths.

The country's public health facilities have been grappling with staffing challenges for more than a month since frontline workers downed their tools citing failure by their employer to honor a deal on improving terms of service.

The strike by nurses and clinical officers who are employed by county governments has paralyzed service provision in public health facilities that cater mainly to low-income patients.

Senior union officials acknowledged the negative impact of a prolonged health care workers strike on the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when the government had eased containment measures including the full reopening of schools.

George Gibore, secretary-general of Kenya Union of Clinical Officers (KUCO), said that the absence of frontline healthcare workers in public hospitals could undermine response to a pandemic that has taken a heavy toll on livelihoods.

"The strike by critical health care providers like nurses and clinical officers could worsen the COVID-19 crisis in the country," Gibore told local television on Wednesday.

"Nevertheless, dialogue among key stakeholders like the national and county governments as well as unions is urgently required to break the impasse and stabilize operations in public health facilities," he added.

Gibore said that frontline health workers were at higher risk of contracting the COVID-19 hence the need to provide them with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

He said that clinicians on the frontline of combating the pandemic deserved a risk allowance, an insurance scheme and compensation in case they were infected or succumbed to the virus.

"COVID-19 remains a threat to healthcare workers yet they are critical in its containment through provision of testing, contact tracing and management of the disease," said Gibore.

More than 2,000 Kenyan healthcare workers have tested positive to COVID-19 and dozens have succumbed to the disease since the first case was reported in the country in mid-March, 2020.

Seth Panyako, secretary general, Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) said that frontline health workers are willing to resume duty upon the availability of a comprehensive medical cover, protective gear and risk allowance.

"We appeal to the devolved units which employ the bulk of nurses in public health facilities to honor the return to work agreement that lay emphasis on improved remuneration and enhanced protection from COVID-19 risk," said Panyako during a live interview at a local television station.

He said that 34 nurses had succumbed to COVID-19 while on duty adding that the provision of quality protective gear is key to minimize infections.

Panyako said that nurses who comprise 80 percent of workers in Kenya's healthcare system have been instrumental in the implementation of COVID-19 containment measures like hygiene education, testing and contact tracing.

Kenya's COVID-19 caseload reached 98,432 on Tuesday while the number of people who succumbed to the disease rose to 1,716 amid optimism the country was on course to flatten the curve as the positivity rate hovered around 3.5 percent in the last two weeks.

Mutahi Kagwe, cabinet secretary for health said in early January that the national government was committed to ending the industrial strike by frontline health workers to minimize disruptions in the COVID-19 response. Enditem
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Texas Republicans would like to move on from the deadly events in Washington, D.C. last week  and surely from Donald J. Trumps presidency.

Hes in office, what, another week? said Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, when asked about calls for Trumps removal in the wake of the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

He defended the president, albeit not particularly vigorously, when asked if Trump bears any responsibility for inciting the riot, which left four rioters and one Capitol Police officer dead.

Violence always, obviously, is unacceptable, Abbott said. But the people responsible for that violence are the people who did it, and theyre the ones who should be punished for it.

Thats a conclusion that many Republicans have swiftly embraced over the past week while calling on Democrats, including President-Elect Joe Biden, to move forward in the name of healing and unity.

Its a line of argument that is bound to cast a pall over this years regular session of the Texas Legislature, which began on Tuesday.

The first day of the session is usually a festive one; that wasnt the case this year, thanks to the ongoing COVID pandemic. Although the Texas Capitol is open to the public, a negative COVID test is required to enter, and most members have adopted some sort of social distancing policies for visitors to their offices.

In addition to that, there was a heavy Department of Public Safety presence at the Capitol Tuesday  which was welcome, given that the FBI is warning of armed protests at all 50 state capitols in the days leading up to Bidens Jan. 20 inauguration.

All things considered, however, it was a smooth opening day for the 87th Legislature. Under different circumstances, it might well be described as auspicious. Democrats and Republicans are mostly on the same page about the need to address the coronavirus pandemic, as well as continuing to build on the investments made in public education education two years ago, along with other mainstream priorities.

And Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar had good news for lawmakers when he released his Biennial Revenue Estimate Monday: the Lege faces a budget shortfall of some $950 million  significant, but much less severe than analysts had feared as the pandemic and shutdowns battered the state economy.

There will no doubt be some pitched partisan scuffles as the session goes on. Im hopeful that Republicans will remember what their party stands for and enact policies accordingly, state Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Republican who represents part of Harris County, told me Tuesday.

But as it stands, the pet populist issue du jour for Republicans, who control both the House and the Senate, seems to be passing legislation that would allow Texans to purchase alcohol to go  a pandemic-era innovation intended to support the struggling restaurant industry  permanently. Freedom!

And a nice display of comity came from the Texas House, where state Rep. Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican was elected Speaker with the support of all of the chambers Democrats, and all but two of its Republicans.

As legislators were taking their oaths of office, however, Trump was on his way to Texas to tour a section of the border wall erected in the Rio Grande Valley during the course of his presidency. The trip may have been planned as a way to keep the temperamental president busy, if not happy, during the grim denouement of his one term in office. Still, it struck many Texas Democrats as sending quite a different message .

Trump is like a criminal who returns to the scene of a crime, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat from El Paso. Escobar represents a city where 23 people were shot and killed at a Walmart store in 2019 by a white nationalist from suburban Dallas who had posted an online manifesto that echoed Trumps immigration statements.

The president who launched his 2016 presidential bid warning of rapists from Mexico would surely reject Escobars characterization, as hes rejected all calls for him to take any responsibility for his role in the Jan. 6 mayhem. In brief remarks to reporters Tuesday morning, he insisted his comments calling on thousands at a rally outside the White House to march on the Capitol were totally appropriate.

After arriving in the Rio Grande Valley, Trump expressed displeasure about the fact that he is likely to become the first president in history to be impeached twice.

The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country, he said, and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain  far greater than most people will ever understand  which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time.

Former state Rep. Poncho Nevarez, a West Texas Democrat, told me legislators shouldnt be naive about the risk of mischief that might be perpetrated by Texans who are, even now, having their grievances stoked by Trump and his allies. He thinks the 2021 session really requires a day-to-day strategy.

It is up to the members to tamp down constituency nonsense that would bring them to the (state) Capitol, putting others in harms way, Nevarez said.

Credit is due to Phelan, the new speaker, who acknowledged the dark side of political and social division weve all seen, and encouraged his colleagues to confront it directly.

History is born out of adversity, Phelan said, and legacies are made by doing what is right.

Thats a better approach than the dismissive attitude Abbott embodied Monday.

Listen, all the political machinations in Washington, D.C., about the last few days of his presidency are nothing more than political machinations, Abbott said.

The governor may well believe that. Its hard to tell, these days, what Republican leaders actually believe.

But those who hope that Americans will simply forgive and forget what weve witnessed in these final days of Trumps presidency are likely to find that healing wont be so easyand unity may require some work.

erica.grieder@chron.com

A former Miami Beach cop has been outed as a Capitol rioter after filming himself surrounded by Trump supporters and vowing to 'take back power' during the siege.

Nicholes Lentz, 41, a former Marine, worked for North Miami Beach police department until last August when he resigned two months after a Twitter user accused him of racism.

He attended Wednesday's riot at the Capitol during which five people died, including a police officer who was allegedly struck over the head with a fire extinguisher.

In the footage Lentz declares: 'America has spoken. You cannot stop millions of people, you cannot stop it. You can't. It's impossible.

Nicholes Lentz, 41, a former Marine, worked for Miami Beach Police Department until last summer. He attended Wednesday's riot at the Capitol during which five people died, including a police officer.

Lentz's footage shows red-hatted Trump supporters marauding through the halls of American democracy

The swearing in ceremony for Nicholas Lentz (left) and other officers posted by the North Miami Beach police department on social media in June, 2016

'America has a voice, we give them the power, we give the power, the people give the power. And we're here to take it back.'

Lentz is surrounded by the yelling Trump mob in the halls of the Capitol as he says he's 'not here to hurt any cops.'

'I love my boys in blue,' he says, 'But this is overwhelming for them. There's no way they can hold us back.'

The Facebook video was leaked to the Miami Herald before Lentz could delete it.

The footage doesn't show him engaging in any violence or reveal how he entered the building.

Lentz has not commented.

North Miami Beach confirmed he worked for the department until last summer but declined to comment on why he stopped working there.

Records show he voluntarily resigned on August 17, 2020.

Last June, a Twitter user accused Lentz of making a racist comment on Facebook and tagged the North Miami Beach police department - calling for him to be fired.

'I was truly disgusted and heart broken yesterday as I shared my experience with police brutality [and] this officer Nicholes Lentz said it's ok. Next, I will share with my 12k followers @myNMBPolice,' the tweet said.

Lentz had engaged in a discussion with the accuser, telling them that there is no systemic racism in the United States and citing the success of black athletes.

The cop wrote: 'You didn't get racially profiled by the police, you look like a f------ criminal with your stupid a-- beard and your pants hanging off your a-- and your corn rolls and talking like an uneducated person. That's why they stop you.'

He had previously worked for the Fort Pierce police department in St. Lucie County from 2014 to 2016.

A news story from September 2017, describes how Lentz saved a mother and her baby from floods during Hurricane Irma.

The public side of his Facebook profile, which is partially private, does not reveal him to be overtly political, it includes pictures of his motorbike and videos of him playing the guitar and singing.

Lentz is the latest from the ranks of former and current law enforcement and the military to be outed for his participation in the riot on Capitol Hill.

Yesterday it was revealed that LAPD Chief Michel Moore had ordered one of his officers to report his attendance at the Trump rally preceding the siege to the FBI.

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC.

Hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6 in a bid to block the certification of Joe Biden's victory

The unnamed officer told officials that he listened to Donald Trump's speech at the National Mall but left 'prior to any other activity and did not participate in anything that occurred at the Capitol.'

The officer was back in his hotel in D.C. when he first learned of the riots on the TV, Moore said.

The Department said it would assist its colleagues in the FBI in any way possible.

So far, at least 90 people have been arrested in connection with the riots which the Democrats say Trump incited.

Among them are West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans, 35, who was newly sworn in when he streamed himself entering the Capitol on Facebook Live; Adam Johnson, 36, was was photographed carrying off Speaker Nancy Pelosi's podium, and Richard Barnett, 60, who was pictured with his feet on Pelosi's desk.

Charges in the cases include assaulting police officers, entering restricted areas of the Capitol and stealing federal property.

Other cases are said to be sealed, while authorities search for dozens of other people.

The US attorney in Washington, DC, said that 'all options were on the table' when it came to charging the riots, including possibly sedition.

Artist and writer Regina Moya migrated from her home in Mexico City to San Antonio in 2003, shortly after marrying her husband Juan Fernandez. Since then, shes become a passionate advocate for the plight of refugees and migrants in the U.S. and around the world.

That passion can be seen in her latest work, transforming the exterior what had been a white, peeling 1995 Ford E-350 bus with north of 200,000 miles on it into a rainbow coalition of faceless refugees and migrants also inspired others. The bus is now a little library on wheels that sits in the parking lot of the San Antonio Mennonite Church in King William.

I feel strongly about how migration is being handled all over the world, she said. Im a migrant myself, and Ive met many asylum seekers that the church has helped. Theyre wonderful people.

She named the bus La Peregrina (The Pilgrim) to reflect the churchs work caring for refugees and migrants. Moya volunteered to take on the project, working on it from September until mid-October. Although not a congregant at the church, she and the pastor are acquaintances.

This isnt Moyas first work to address the plight of migrants and refugees. In 2019, she displayed a large skull covered in bright orange butterflies during the citys Day of the Dead festival in La Villita.

The decision to keep the migrant images faceless was deliberate. I wanted the faces to not have eyes, noses or mouths so they represent the faceless migrants who are often on the move in search of a better life, she said.

On ExpressNews.com: Passion Project: Dad builds an escaramuza arena for his Mexican rodeo-loving daughters

In addition to the faces, she painted plenty of monarch butterflies, which, because of their annual migration from the U.S. and Canada to California and Mexico, have become symbolic of migrants and refugees.

Every time you hear about migration stories theyre always so sad and so devastating, she said. For me I wanted the bus to be a joyful expression of what migration could look like from all over the world.

As she was painting the truck, people from the neighborhood would stop by and ask if they or their children could help paint. Welcoming them in small, pandemic-safe groups, Moya estimated that as many as 50 people were involved in the five-week project.

I outlined the figures in chalk and told the kids they could choose the face color, their clothes and the backgrounds, she said. She also allowed the volunteers to pick one face to add their own personal touch. Her daughter Isabel, for example, painted hers with a pony tail like the one she wears while another face wears the same kind of glasses the painter does.

One volunteer estimated he worked about 14 hours scraping, sanding and painting the bus.

Once the paint job was complete, church members converted the inside into a cozy little library by removing the seats and outfitting it with bamboo flooring, a couch, rocking chair and table and shelving for books. The books hew to the bus painted theme and include stories of migrants, self-help and spirituality. Theres not a Grisham in the bunch.

Anyone visiting the church plaza is welcome to peruse the books, reading there or checking them out on the honor system.

On ExpressNews.com: Passion Project: Making art was once a career goal; now its a way to cope

For now the bus sits in the church parking lot which, since the pandemic began, has been turned into an outdoor community gathering place, with food trucks that serve coffee and pupusas, a flatbread from El Salvador. Theres also a small stage for concerts.

The bus itself has a long history of aiding refugees. Back when immigration across the border was surging, it was used to ferry 20 to 25 people a night from the downtown bus station to the church.

Helping immigrants, Mennonite Church pastor John Garland said, is a prime mission of the church.

We see Christianity as a pilgrim religion, he said. We see ourselves as helping these pilgrims, these incredible examples of loving, self-sacrificing faith.

With both new migration policies and COVID-19 closing the border to migrants, the bus wasnt needed as desperately, so church members decided it was time to do something different with it.

With the outside finished, Moya said shes thinking about removing the carpeted ceiling and painting the inside walls and ceiling.

Maybe Ill do a migration of butterflies, she mused, her passion apparently not yet fully spent.

rmarini@express-news.net | Twitter: @RichardMarini
For the first time in five and a half decades Republic Day unlikely to have chief guest

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 13: With UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson cancelling his visit to India on Republic Day, this may be for the first time in five and half decades that there would be no chief guest at the parade.

Johnson, who had initially accepted the offer cancelled his visit owing to the new strain of the COVID-19 virus in the United Kingdom.

The last time that the Republic Day did not have a chief guest was in 1966, the Indira Gandhi was sworn in as the prime minister following the death of Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Brave martyrs of Galwan Valley clash to be honoured at Republic Day parade

The years 1952 and 1953 too did not have a chief guest during the Republic Day parade.

India has decided to go ahead with the Republic Day celebrations without a chief guest. The decision was taken after UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson decided to cancel his visit due to the rise in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

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.

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.

SC notice to farmer unions on plea to stop R-Day tractor rally

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

Around 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.
Last week, during a dry run drill for the Covid-19 vaccination programme, authorities in Chhattisgarhs health department came across a peculiar problem. The Co-Win application, which will be the backbone for the mega vaccination drive, didnt accept registrations for Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district. The newly formed district in Chhattisgarh, carved out of Bilaspur in February 2020, does not have a pincode and this brought to the fore the issue on the app, said TS Singh Deo, the states health minister.

When we started working on the CoWin App, it did not accept registrations because that district has not yet been given a pincode. This may not have been in our minds when we were planning. These sorts of things come up during a dry run, Deo told News18.

This peculiar issue from Chhattisgarh is indicative of the challenges, small and big, that states will face as India begins its vaccination drive against Covid-19 from January 17. This will be Indias first vaccination drive involving adults as the existing universal immunization programme only covers children and pregnant women.

The first phase of the vaccination will cover 30 crore Indians  three crore healthcare workers and frontline workers and about 27 crore people who are above the age of 50 years and person below 50 years with associated comorbidities.

As part of the preparations for the inoculation drive against Coronavirus, state governments were asked to register a comprehensive list of healthcare workers, frontline workers, those above the age of 50-55 and those below 50 years of age with pre-existing comorbidities.

Dry runs and vaccination capacities

Between 2-8 January, all districts of the country went through a dry run for testing vaccination preparedness at least once. These dry runs involved mock vaccination, testing of the Co-Win platform for registrations of beneficiaries and data uploading, microplanning and checking for preparedness of the session sites, where the actual vaccination will take place.

Officials said that two-three key issues came to the fore during the dry runs. These included ensuring beneficiaries are made to wait for 30 minutes following vaccination to monitor them for side effects and identifying the right capacity for vaccinations per day.

During the whole vaccination process, the third and fourth vaccination officer will have to be alert to ensure that a beneficiary has waited for 30 minutes post vaccination, said Hussan Lal, Principal Secretary, Health Department, Punjab. These officers should maintain a log chart to record the entry and exit of the beneficiary, this would confirm that they have waited for 30 minutes.

It is imperative for a beneficiary to wait for 30 minutes in the observation room to tackle any side effects or adverse effects that may occur following vaccination.

We have to be careful that nobody walks off after vaccination and that people wait for 30 minutes, said TS Singh Deo, echoing the views of Hussan Lal.

A few state officials told News18 that about 5-7 people can be administered the vaccine in 30 minutes and that it was important to balance the number of vaccinations based on the available human resources.

Punjab health secretary Hussan Lal said that an estimated four lakh people could be vaccinated in a day if all 4,000 vaccinators are available. We have that capacity. So, we can vaccinate all our 1.57 lakh healthcare workers in one day. However, we would like to see how many doses we would get and we will go a bit slow initially to ensure a smooth rollout, Lal said.

Punjab gas 729 cold chain points, 4,000 vaccinators and 11,000 session sites or locations such as schools or government buildings where the actual vaccination would happen.

During the dry run, states have also identified issues such as provisioning of emergency ambulances in remote areas as an important requisite for the actual vaccination period.

Identifying beneficiaries

Top officials from a few key states with a high number of cases told News18 that while details of healthcare workers have been uploaded on Co-Win digital platform, data was being compiled on other frontline workers such as police, paramilitary and revenue officials. States are also yet to fully compile data of those above 50 years of age and of those with comorbidities.

Officials said that voter lists and the Aadhaar database will come in handy for compiling these lists. West Bengal health secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam said that the state has already compiled data on comorbidities among the state population based on a survey and information from hospitals.

Chhattisgarh has identified 2.54 lakh healthcare workers; Karnataka has identified 6.4 healthcare workers which includes ASHA (Accredited social health activist) workers; Punjab has identified 1.57 lakh healthcare workers and West Bengal has identified 6 lakh healthcare workers, top officials from state health department told News18.

Meanwhile, Haryana has estimated that about 67 lakh people will be vaccinated in an year. This would include 1.89 healthcare workers, about 4.5 lakh frontline workers, 58 lakh people above the age of 50 and about 2.25 lakh people below 50 years of age with comorbidities.
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Dr. Gregory A. Toback, New London, CT Periodontist, Publishes Groundbreaking Research Dr. Toback provides advanced laser dentistry and revolutionary periodontal care in New London, CT and Westerly, RI.

Renowned periodontist, Dr. Gregory A. Toback of Shoreline Periodontics and Dental Implants, recently published groundbreaking research regarding the use of laser dentistry to treat intrabony defects caused by progressive gum disease. Dr. Toback not only helped author the research, but served as a participating investigator collecting data for the research. Dr. Toback provides advanced laser dentistry and revolutionary periodontal care in New London, CT and Westerly, RI.

Published in the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) Journal, Dr. Tobacks research compared the use of laser dentistry to the minimally invasive surgical technique (MIST) in the treatment of advanced gum disease. The research analyzed patients from the private practices of six periodontists at five locations in the continental United States. The six investigating doctors varied in experience with laser dentistry, from novice to highly experienced.

With the dental laser, all six doctors were able to achieve repeatable outcomes that compare with traditional methods. While both groups reported low post-operative pain, procedure times were less with the dental laser. Additionally, patients who received the laser dentistry treatment reported less bleeding, swelling, bruising, and use of ice following the procedure.

Dr. Toback has served as an industry leader for over two decades. In addition to maintaining a membership in many dental organizations throughout the country, he is one of only 10 periodontists in the Society for Contemporary and Progressive Periodontists (S.C.P.P.) and his practice is one of 23 participants in the prestigious McGuire Institute. In fact, to share this knowledge and stay on the cutting-edge, his practice also holds its own study clubs, the Shoreline Periodontics Synergy Study Club and the Shoreline Periodontics Hygiene Study Club. Additionally, Dr. Toback holds certifications in the most advanced periodontal treatments available today.

Dr. Toback has training and certification with multiple dental laser technologies. He can provide laser dentistry for gum disease, gum recession, and gummy smiles. He is also certified in conscious sedation, allowing him to treat patients with anxiety and apprehension toward dental care. Dr. Toback works alongside periodontist Dr. Marianne Urbanski at Shoreline Periodontics. Together, they provide care that is as compassionate as it is skilled at offices in New London, CT and Westerly, RI.

Those interested in learning if they are eligible for laser dentistry in New London, CT and Westerly, RI can connect with Dr. Toback and Dr. Urbanski for a consultation. To schedule an appointment visit http://www.shorelineperio.com or call 860-443-2428 for the New London, CT location, or 401-596-0000 for the Westerly, RI office.

About the Periodontists

Shoreline Periodontics is a periodontal practice offering personalized dental care for patients since 1998 and is located in New London, CT and Westerly, RI. Leading board-certified periodontist, Dr. Gregory A. Toback, received his B.A. from St. Johns University and his Doctorate of Dental Medicine from the University of Connecticut. He also received advanced training in periodontics and dental implants at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. Dr. Marianne Urbanski has been voted one of Connecticuts top dentists for more than seven years by Connecticut Magazine. Dr. Urbanski graduated cum laude from the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts where she earned a Bachelors degree in Biology. She also received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree and her Masters of Dental Science degree from the University of Connecticut Dental School. Dr. Urbanski and Dr. Toback pride themselves on offering caring, professional treatment to each patient. Dr. Toback and Dr. Urbanski focus on minimally invasive surgeries including LANAP laser gum surgery and are certified to offer the Chao Pinhole Surgical Technique for treatment of gum recession. To learn more about Shoreline Periodontics and their dental services visit their website at http://www.shorelineperio.com or call 860-443-2428 for the New London, CT location, or 401-596-0000 for the Westerly, RI office.


After almost four hours of play on Day 3 of the PokerStars Blowout Series: $530 NLHE [8-Max, The Big Blowout!], the second Big Blowout title has been captured for the Netherlands as "Gwolde" defeated "Escapemissio" heads-up after agreeing to a deal.

The Dutch player laid claim to $721,692 for their victory in the 12,938-strong entry field which had a prize pool of $6,469,000 which easily surpassed the $5,000,000 that was set for this tournament.

"Gwolde" is no stranger to success on the PokerStars tables as they have won the Sunday Kickoff in the past for example. The Dutch player also came out victorious in Event 20-M: $109 NLHE Deep Stacks Freezeout on January 3 for $35,856 so must be having a great start of 2021 on the PokerStars virtual tables.

They started the day second in the counts and hovered at the top of the counts for most of the night with a few dips in between. In actual fact, of the top ten players at the start of the day, only two of them didn't make the final table with Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro bubbling the last table of the day and "sp3edy14" falling in twelfth place.

Blowout Series: $530 NLHE [8-Max, The Big Blowout!] Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 "Gwolde" Netherlands $721,692* 2 "Escapemissio" United Kingdom $680,231* 3 Mathias "mdf92" Duarte Uruguay $415,895 4 "end2end17" Canada $296,465 5 "DrawindDead" Poland $211,331 6 Andrew "dawhiteninja" Wool United Kingdom $150,644 7 "Kudgel" Germany $107,385 8 Andras "probirs" Nemeth Hungary $76,548 9 "Uivelo88" Finland $54,566

*reflects a heads-up deal

Battle to the Final Table

Sixteen players returned to compete for the original first-place prize of $818,484 but Marc-Andre "FrenchDawg" Ladouceur had an uphill battle ahead of him as the shortest stack. He couldn't make things work as he busted within the first ten minutes of the day to Mathias "mdf92" Duarte. Even though he was ahead when they both flopped a pair, Duarte hit the river for trips to bust the Canadian as the first player of the day. A few minutes later, "Pharmo81" was next to go thanks to "Escapemissio".

It would take almost 45 minutes filled with double-ups before "FivebetGAMER" lost their last chips to "sp3edy14" before "Aalexxs" was taken out by "Gwolde". "sp3edy14" couldn't keep hold of their chips and they lost them all to the Day 2 chip leader, "DrawindDead" with the lower kicker. Shortly after, "taartjekomt" was taken out by Nemeth to get the tournament down to the final table bubble.

In the end, it would be Kelopuro who would be kicked to the curb by Duarte when he called the three-bet shove of the latter with aces. Duarte's ace-deuce suited rivered the flush to get everyone else combined onto one final table.

Duarte's Demise, "Gwolde"'s Gain

Duarte led the final table, followed by "DrawindDead" and "Gwolde" as the only players to have a stack above the 50 million mark. What followed was 30 minutes of the shorter stacks doubling up before "Uivelo88" was eliminated by Duarte who by then held an even bigger chip lead holding almost double of what "DrawindDead" had. Nemeth's stay at the final table was tumultuous, in the end, he fell in eighth place with pocket sixes to the ace-king of "DrawindDead".

Andras Nemeth finished in eighth place for $76,548

Another 30 minutes of double-ups ensured before "Kudgel" busted in seventh place to "Escapemissio". Andrew "dawhiteninja" Wool had doubled up a few times too before falling victim to "Gwolde" for his biggest score ever. "Escapmissio" clashed twice with Duarte to wrestle the chip lead away before bluffing most of it away against "Gwolde". "Escapemissio" shoved a missed straight draw smack dab into "Gwolde"'s nut-flush to hand the latter a huge chip lead.

"DrawindDead" didn't do too well on the final table and ended up finishing in fifth place thanks to Duarte with "end2end17" falling to him too. But the Uruguayan player didn't manage to make it to the heads-up battle as he first lost a chunk to "Escapemissio" before tripling up his short stack and then still losing it all to "Gwolde".

The two players agreed to a deal with "Escapemissio" holding a chip lead of 6 big blinds to continue heads-up play for the $50,000 that was set aside. "Gwolde" quickly took the chip lead and kept the pressure on their opponent without having to show any hole cards. Eventually, "Escapemissio" called the turn-raise of "Gwolde" on the trey-five-jack-six board as they had flopped top pair with jack-eight. But "Gwolde" held six-five for two pair and held when the deuce completed the board for the win and the extra $50,000.

This concludes the PokerNews coverage for this week's Big Blowout but we'll be back for the PokerStars Blowout Series: $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, The Big Blowout!] on Sunday, January 17 at 6:05 p.m. GMT which also features a whopping $5,000,000 guaranteed prize pool so make sure to come back for all the exciting updates right here.
No Time To Die's release date is reportedly set to be delayed again, according to reports on Tuesday.

The film is currently slated to be released on April 2, but Dutch publication BN DeStem claimed that according to cinema owner Carlo Lambregts it will be delayed to November.

Deadline also reported that promotional partners have already been informed that Daniel Craig's final outing as 007 is poised to change release dates.

Changes: James Bond film No Time To Die's release is 'set to be delayed again' amid the COVID-19 crisis according to reports on Tuesday (pictured Daniel Craig)

Despite the claims from Lambregts, the publication suggested that while a delay is to be expected a new release date has not been set in stone yet.

Deadline added that while a specific date has yet to be decided, they did report it would be moved to a new date in autumn.

The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, was originally scheduled for release in April 2020, but was pushed back to November before the release was changed once again to April 2021 in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

MailOnline has contacted EON Productions for comment.

Delays: BN DeStem claimed the film will be delayed to November, while Deadline reported promotional partners have already been informed the film is poised to change release dates

No Time To Die is the 25th film in the franchise, and finds Bond after he has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica when his old friend Felix Leiter, played by Jeffrey Wright, from the CIA turns up asking for help.

Leaving his seemingly happy life with Madeleine (Lea Seydoux), Bond returns to the field to face Safin (Rami Malek) who is armed with a new dangerous technology that could impact the world.

After pushing the film's release back to April 2021 in October, MGM quashed rumours about whether it was thinking of offering the film to streaming services for a $600 million one-year licensing deal.

Not coming soon: MGM quashed rumours in October last year about whether it was thinking of offering the film to streaming services for a $600 million one-year licensing deal

'We do not comment on rumors. The film is not for sale. The film's release has been postponed until April 2021 in order to preserve the theatrical experience for moviegoers,' an MGM spokesperson told Variety.

Bloomberg had reported that Netflix, Amazon and Apple had all been approached about the possibility of the movie being offered up for Premium VOD.

However, according to Deadline.com, none of the streaming services were willing to put up more than half the amount the studio was seeking.
Federal investigators are chasing thousands of leads in twin efforts to prosecute people involved in last week's attack on the US Capitol and to try to prevent feared follow-up attacks in Washington and around the country.

But while the FBI has opened more than 160 case files in the six days since pro-Donald Trump rioters breached the US Capitol building, officials acknowledged Tuesday that the evidence gathered so far "is just the tip of the iceberg."

"People are going to be shocked by some of the egregious contact that happened in the Capitol," acting US Attorney Michael Sherwin said in reference to assaults on federal and DC police officers.

"So the picture is going to build. I think there's a lot of misconceptions about what happened within the Capitol, and it's going to come into laser focus I think over the next weeks and days," he added.

At the same time, officials from the FBI and Department of Justice sought to reassure the American public Tuesday that they are up to the task on both fronts during a news conference that also laid bare the enormity of the challenge currently facing law enforcement agencies involved in both efforts.

"The FBI is quite familiar with large-scale, complex investigations ... we are up to the challenge," FBI Washington DC field office assistant director Steven D'Antuono said.

Sherwin echoed that point, telling reporters, "The scope and the scale of this investigation into these cases are really unprecedented not only in FBI history but probably DOJ history in which essentially the Capitol grounds outside and inside are essentially a crime scene."

"It is not going to be solved in the coming months," he added.

FBI director absent from briefing

FBI Director Christopher Wray did not attend the news conference, the first held by law enforcement officials since the attack took place nearly one week ago.

His absence has fueled questions about whether the Trump administration is treating the incident with the seriousness it requires, particularly after the President said earlier Tuesday that he believes he bears no responsibility for the attack carried out by his supporters.

Still, the officials who were present Tuesday vowed to leave no stone unturned as they treat the investigation of Capitol rioters similar to terrorism.

They also emphasized the fact that investigators have already charged 70 cases, and Sherwin said he believes that number will grow into the hundreds, and already arrested individuals may face more serious crimes.

"The numbers are going to geometrically increase," Sherwin said.

Sherwin said he gave his prosecutors "marching orders" to pursue significant sedition and conspiracy cases as well related to the insurrection.

The FBI is also tracking money, travel records, movements of people and communications in addition to following tips from the public and footage and photos from the scene last Wednesday.

'Grave concerns about ongoing and violent threats to our democracy'

After Tuesday's presser, the Democratic chairs of five House oversight committee issued a joint statement to express their "grave concerns about ongoing and violent threats to our democracy."

"It is clear that more must be done to preempt, penetrate, and prevent deadly and seditious assaults by domestic violent extremists in the days ahead."

The House lawmakers did applaud FBI and DOJ officials for insisting they will prosecute every individual associated with the attack, but made clear that they viewed that promise as a good first step.

Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio Republican, said "Trump bears some responsibility for what happened on January 6."

"If our nation experiences additional violence and destruction at the hands of his supporters in Washington DC and state capitols around the country, and he does not directly and unambiguously speak out now when threats are known, he will bear responsibility," Portman added.

'The chatter is off the charts right now'

Portman's comments reflect a growing concern among law enforcement officials in recent days that violent mobs' success in breaching the Capitol has increased the potential for attacks because people may be emboldened to carry out violence.

"The chatter is off the charts right now," one official said.

The sprawling probe spanning all 50 states in some ways is unprecedented, even in comparison to the investigations after the 9/11 attacks. That's because federal investigators are grappling with a domestic radicalization problem, that presents complications due to First Amendment protections of political speech, different from radicalization tied to foreign terrorist groups.

Some of the intelligence the FBI, ATF and other agencies shared before last week's attack has taken new importance, and has prompted federal investigators to conduct visits with people already on their radar and who have raised concerns about violence. Much of the online threats found in social media and other forums is thought to be aspirational, but the FBI and other agencies now are treating them more seriously, officials said.

Some of that occurred before the January 6 Trump rally, federal officials have said. The FBI worked with Washington's Metropolitan Police to arrest a leader of the Proud Boys in the days before the Trump rally on a relatively minor charge, and then added charges when they found him carrying extended ammunition magazines that are illegal in the city. Prosecutors monitored hotels where some attendees were staying.

But there were efforts by some of the groups of concern to try to evade detection. On the day of the rally, members of the Proud Boys ditched their normal yellow and black attire and donned orange hats, and they were seen gathering near the Capitol grounds to coordinate their march to the building, according to a federal law enforcement official and video from the day.

D'Antuono also said agents are still investigating whether participants in the January 6 riot were looking to take members of Congress as hostages.

He noted the FBI is pursuing information about a person or people who helped to plant pipe bombs outside the Republican and Democratic headquarters last week.

He said the bombs were real and had timers. "We don't know exactly why they didn't go off," he added.

Strike force for sedition charges

Meanwhile, Sherwin said national security and public corruption prosecutors on Monday organized into a "strike force" in the DC US Attorney's Office to build sedition and conspiracy cases. Prosecutors had also spent all of Monday working with a federal grand jury to prepare indictments as well.

"Just yesterday our office organized a strike force of very senior national security prosecutors and public corruption prosecutors. Their only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol, and these are significant charges that have felonies with a prison terms of up to 20 years," Sherwin said.

He said the grand jury in Washington was "up and booked throughout the day" so prosecutors could present significant cases for indictment.

This story has been updated with additional developments.
Health Minister Greg Hunt has slammed medics who have repeatedly made incorrect predictions throughout the coronavirus pandemic amid controversial claims Australia's vaccine strategy will not work.

The government furiously hit back after a doctor and two university professors said rolling out the AstraZeneca vaccine will not wipe out coronavirus in Australia because it is not effective enough.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said the only experts that should be listened to are the ones advising the government, whom he called the 'real' experts.

Health Minister Greg Hunt (pictured last month) has slammed medics who have repeatedly made incorrect predictions throughout the coronavirus pandemic

Mr Hunt criticised UNSW Professor Raina McIntyre (pictured) who predicted in February that 400,000 Aussies would die of Covid

'All the way along we have been guided by the real medical experts in relation to immunisation. They're hand-picked experts on these matters, they held us in very good stead for many, many years,' he told ABC News on Wednesday morning.

His rebuke came after Mr Hunt slammed UNSW Professor Raina McIntyre who predicted in February that 400,000 Aussies would die of Covid and claimed that Sydney's Northern Beaches outbreak would cause 3,000 cases by January 8.

'I know there are differing views. There are some widely quoted commentators who may have predicted 400,000 lives lost, and that was clearly incorrect,' Mr Hunt said.

'And there are some commentators that predicted that there'd be 3,000 cases in New South Wales on the eighth of January, and I believe there was one case detected that day.'

Dr Norman Swan(pictured) has made incorrect predictions about deaths and cases

Mr Hunt also criticised James Cook University lecturer Megan Higgie who wrote a paper in March predicting that Australia would run out of ventilators by April.

'There are some widely quoted commentators who said we would run out of ventilators in April and that was clearly false,' he said in a press briefing on Tuesday.

'So there will be different views from many people. Our advice comes from what I believe are the best medical advisers in the world. That's what's protected Australia and that's what we're going to continue to do,' Mr Hunt added.

The decision over which vaccines to use rests with a body of government experts led by Health Secretary Dr Brendan Murphy called The Covid-19 Vaccines and Treatments for Australia  Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group.

When questioned by Daily Mail Australia, Mr Hunt defended the government scientists and backed the vaccine strategy.

'The Australian Government's decision to invest in vaccines is being driven by the combination of scientific advice from medical experts,' he said in statement provided by his office.

'The Covid-19 Vaccines and Treatments for Australia  Science and Industry Technical Advisory Group (SITAG) chaired by Dr Brendan Murphy has considered available scientific evidence to inform Government decisions to date.

'SITAG will continue to provide clear advice to inform the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines in Australia based on the most current data and epidemiology.'

The calls to change Australia's vaccine strategy - which involves vaccinating 5million with the Pfizer jab and everyone else with the AstraZenaca jab - were led by Dr Andrew Miller, the head of Australian Medical Association in Western Australia.

He expressed concerns that the AstraZeneca vaccine is between 60 and 90 per cent effective, whereas Pfizer's vaccine is 95 per cent effective and Moderna's is 94 per cent.

'With the AstraZeneca vaccine, on current data, if we rely on that vaccine we're not going to get to herd immunity,' Dr Miller told The Australian.

'Current expectation is we're going to be able to get back to normal life, but if we don't get herd immunity there's no guarantee that we won't have rolling epidemics.'

In March Dr Swan predicted Australia was two weeks behind Italy which was suffering hundreds of deaths per day. Pictured is his tweet on 21 March

Mr Hunt also criticised James Cook University lecturer Megan Higgie (pictured) who wrote a paper in March predicting that Australia would run out of ventilators by April

The calls to change Australia's vaccine strategy - which involves vaccinating 5million with the Pfizer jab and everyone else with the AstraZenaca jab - were led by Dr Andrew Miller (pictured), the head of Australian Medical Association in Western Australia

Dr Miller said it was important to get the vaccine strategy right because once some-one is inoculated with one jab, they may not be able to have another.

But the anesthetist has been wrong in the past. In February he falsely predicted that tens of thousands of Australians would be hospitalised in a 'tsunami' of Covid-19 cases.

'Tens of thousands of people will need to be admitted to hospital during the course of something like this,' Dr Miller said.

'Some of those are going to be critically ill. About 10 per cent of affected people could need intensive care support.'

Vaccine efficacy rates AstraZeneca 62 - 90 per cent Moderna 94 per cent Pfizer 95 per cent Advertisement

Another commentator who has been consistently wrong is former GP turned ABC journalist Norman Swan who in March predicted Australia was two weeks behind Italy which was suffering hundreds of deaths per day.

He said there would be 80,000 cases in Australia within days - but to this day there have only been 28,647.

Dr Swan also called for Sydney to totally shut down on 30 December due to the Northern Beaches outbreak, which he claimed had 500 cases which had not been found.

In the end, the cluster was contained without a city-wide lockdown.

Professor Kelly called for patience on Wednesday morning, telling Sunrise he is waiting for the Therapeutic Goods Administration's (TGA) evaluation.

'I will say this: people should be wary about making statements especially in relation to incomplete data,' Professor Kelly said.

'Most importantly, we are waiting for the TGA, the independent regulator, to make their full assessment of the data, not just one paper on December 8.'

AstraZeneca's 62 per cent efficacy rate comes from interim results from the phase three trials, he said.

Efficacy hit 90 per cent when volunteers were given a half dose of their first shot during trials.

'There will be more results from more data that the TGA will look at,' Professor Kelly said.

'One thing is clear from those interim results is that this vaccine is very effective against severe disease.

'Just exactly the same as the Pfizer and Moderna data.'

A big advantage of the AstraZeneca vaccine is that it will be manufactured in Melbourne, meaning Australia can roll it out without waiting for overseas shipments.

Professor Kelly said the downside of the Pfizer vaccine is that it needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees.

'They are both effective vaccines and again we will be waiting for the TGA to make their full assessment on quality, safety and efficacy and that's when we will use them,' he said.

'The choice of the vaccines was based on the best medical advice that we had last year. We had to take a chance, in a sense, about several vaccines. We picked a [diverse] portfolio.

'There's enough to vaccinate the entire population of Australia twice.'
California is starting to vaccinate residents 65 and older as demand subsides for health care workers, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday.

There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences, Newsom said in a statement. To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state.

Bay Area counties and health care providers are gearing up to vaccinate seniors and here's a rundown of what we know on where, when and how to get vaccinated.

Health care providers

If you have health insurance, your health care provider will alert you when you're eligible to receive a COVID vaccine. We checked in with some of the largest providers in the Bay Area to find out when they will begin inoculating seniors and heard back from UCSF and Kaiser Permanente.

UCSF

UCSF may start vaccinating seniors as early as next week. Due to limited vaccine doses, the health care provider will start with patients 75 and older, said Elizabeth Fernandez, a spokesperson for UCSF.

"Patients are to be notified via MyChart  for those who are not signed up on MyChart, they will be contacted through other means, but MyChart is the best path," Fernandez wrote in an email.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser said in a statement it has administered 120,000 doses to people eligible as part of Phase 1a, but has yet to move onto Phase 1b that includes seniors. The health care provider did not provide a timeframe for inoculating seniors.

"We encourage Kaiser Permanente members to check kp.org/covid for updates on vaccine eligibility and availability and answers to frequently asked questions," Kaiser said in a statement.

Sutter Health

Sutter launched an online appointment system Thursday morning: Visit sutterhealth.org.

"Sutter patients who are healthcare workers or aged 75+ can now schedule COVID-19 vaccination appointments," the health care provider said in a statement. "Were currently vaccinating these groups. While we wait for new guidance from CDPH, were continuing our work to further expand vaccination to more patients, including those 65+."

Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE

Counties

Your county is also a resource for vaccine information. Many are posting forms online to start the process to sign up for a vaccine appointment. You can also look to the county health department to get vaccinated if you are non-insured, underinsured, on Medicaid (or Medi-Cal), or are signed up with a county public health program.

Alameda

The county hasn't said when it will begin vaccinating seniors, but you can fill out a form on the Alameda County Department of Public Health website to receive notification when you're eligible  find it here.

Contra Costa County

The county is beginning to assign vaccines to Phase 1b, which includes everyone over the age of 75, through its online registration system. Even those with insurance can get vaccinated through the county at this time, officials said.

"People with other insurance can make appointments and be vaccinated through Contra Costa Health Services," Karl Fischer, a spokesperson for Contra Costa County Health and Human Services wrote in an email. "As other providers in our county begin vaccinating this population, we may shift appointments made by their patients back to the home health provider. Any patient with an appointment would be notified of any change in advance."

You can find the appointment request form here.

Marin

The Marin County Department of Public Health said it hopes to complete Phase 1a by the end of January. This would mean they could move onto Phase 1b  which includes seniors  in February, but this depends on allocations from the California Department of Public Health, the county said.

The county sends a daily status update and is encouraging the public to subscribe (click here).

Napa

The county's public health department website said the projected date for vaccinating seniors, those age 65 and over, is February 2021, but this could happen sooner.

"It may start as early as the end of this week or next week as we may begin some concurrent Phase 1B (along with ongoing 1A) vaccinations pending dose availability," Janet Upton, a spokesperson for the county wrote in an email.

Find more information online.

San Francisco

San Francisco's Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax announced in a Tuesday press briefing that the San Francisco Health Network will begin vaccinating its patients age 65 and over as early as the end of this week.

The network provides primary care in 14 locations across the city, including Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center and Laguna Honda Hospital.

"More than 14,000 people 65 or older are served by the San Francisco Health Network," S.F.'s COVID Command Center said in an email. "They include the non-insured, underinsured, Medicaid (or Medi-Cal), and those enrolled in Healthy SF and other city programs."

For more information, visit sf.gov/covidvax.

San Mateo

The county hasn't announced when it will begin vaccinating seniors. For vaccine updates in the county, visit the county health department website here.

Santa Clara County

Some health systems in the county are now allowing residents age 75 and older to receive the COVID vaccine.

"Individuals age 75 and older who receive their primary care through the Countys Health and Hospital System can now register for appointments through links available on the countys website at sccfreevax.org," the county said in a statement. "Other systems, including Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Stanford, and Kaiser expect to expand access to vaccine appointments to their older patients in Santa Clara County soon."

For more information, visit the county's vaccine website at sccfreevax.org.

Solano

"We have already started providing the vaccine to seniors living in Skilled Nursing Facilities and Memory Care Facilities," Jayleen Richards,

public health administrator for the county, wrote in an email. "We will likely have the vaccine supply and capacity to provide the vaccine to seniors (75+) next week (general population)."

Find updates on the Solano County COVID-19 vaccine page: SolanoCounty.com/CovidVaccine.

Sonoma

The county is on track to start vaccinating seniors and residents can find updates here.

"Seniors 75 and older that dont live in long-term care facilities are included in Phase 1b, so we hope to begin vaccinating them by the end of January," the county said in a statement.

The county opened a drive-thru vaccination site with Safeway Pharmacy employees administering shots at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa on Wednesday. To sign up to receive updates on the timing availability visit safeway.com/pharmacy/covid-19.

Do you have questions about getting the COVID-19 vaccine? Send an email to SFGATE News Editor Amy Graff who is tracking the vaccination process in the Bay Area.

Editor's note: This story was updated Jan. 13, 2021, at 3:30 p.m. to include new information from the Santa Clara Public Health Department. The story was updated again on Jan. 14 at 7:50 a.m. after hearing back from Solano County Health & Social Services. The story was also updated on Jan. 14 at 10 a.m. to include new information provided by Sutter Health.
01/13/2021

Photo (c) Andrei Stanescu - Getty Images Here we go again. Lyft and Uber drivers in California have filed a lawsuit to try to overturn Prop 22, a ballot measure passed in November that allowed ride-hailing companies to avoid classifying drivers as employees.

Under the new law, benefits given to drivers for ride-sharing companies would be less than those afforded to real employees. Opponents say it also strips the state legislatures ability to empower workers to organize a union and illegally cuts ride-hailing drivers from Californias state workers compensation program.

Every day, rideshare drivers like me struggle to make ends meet because companies like Uber and Lyft prioritize corporate profits over our wellbeing, plaintiff Saori Okawa said in a statement. With Prop 22, theyre not just ignoring our health and safety  theyre discarding our states constitution.

Uphill battle

As it is with many ballot initiatives, getting the word out can produce yays or nays at the polls. Companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash poured over $200 million into the Yes on 22 campaign, claiming that Prop 22 would strip the flexibility of gig drivers, increase consumer prices, and extend wait times.

Unfortunately for Prop 22 opponents, they simply didnt have the campaign funds to compete and sell their side of the story to the public.

Overturning Prop 22 is an uphill battle. In reviewing the lawsuit, The Verges Andrew J. Hawkins says the measure was written in such a way that it could withstand challenges down the road -- one of the more problematic ones being a provision that requires a seven-eighths majority of the state legislature for any modification.

Hawkins says that gig drivers are trying to argue that Prop 22 was illegal from its get-go. And while other groups have been lucky enough to get certain California ballot measures repealed in the past, theyve achieved that through additional ballot measures -- a step that drivers and supportive unions are going to have to take if the lawsuit fails.
[January 13, 2021] RiverMeadow becomes the only Cloud Migration Company to offer Platform Support for Google Cloud and GCVE to drive faster cloud onboarding

LOS GATOS, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- RiverMeadow Software Inc., a leading provider of Cloud Migration Services and Migration Platform Capability, today announced Platform support for migrations to Google Cloud. This now makes RiverMeadow the only Cloud Migration Platform to support automated migrations to both Google Cloud and Google Cloud VMware Engine (GCVE). The Migration Platform offers a rich suite of features and capabilities to help customers plan, manage and execute their migration projects faster, more cost effectively and with lower risk than any other Migration Platform in the market.



Key benefits include: Flexibility of Deployment: Public SaaS, Private SaaS or installed behind customer firewalls (on-premise or in cloud)

Public SaaS, Private SaaS or installed behind customer firewalls (on-premise or in cloud) Ease of Deployment: Minimal requirements; fully automated; be up and running in under an hour regardless of Migration Deployment Model

Minimal requirements; fully automated; be up and running in under an hour regardless of Migration Deployment Model Flexibility of Migration Types: Agent or Agentless; Block-based or File-based transfers; Delta-Sync and Data-only Migration

Agent or Agentless; Block-based or File-based transfers; Delta-Sync and Data-only Migration Speed: Market leading transfer speeds

Market leading transfer speeds Multi Cloud Support: Ability to support migrations onto Google Cloud or GCVE with one pane of glass

Ability to support migrations onto Google Cloud or GCVE with one pane of glass Live Migrations: No down time required; user acceptance test your applications in isolation in Google Cloud or GCVE before you cut over

No down time required; user acceptance test your applications in isolation in Google Cloud or GCVE before you cut over Advanced Capabilities :

: Automated In-place OS Upgrade capability for Windows Server and Linux distributions to help you retire technical debt as part of a migration to Google Cloud or GCVE in one automated step



Post-migration scripting to automate operational readiness tasks such as adding or removal of software and agents



Migrate by CSV to quickly ingest data from 3rd party discovery and cloud right-sizing tools into actionable migration planning and execution "We have witnessed increasing demand and customer requests for our market-leading Platform to be extended to Google Cloud," states Jim Jordan, President and CEO of RiverMeadow. "There was a consistent message around a lack of migration platform options, inadequate capability and complexity of existing tools. We believe we have addressed these challenges."

RiverMeadow was recently fast-tracked to Google Premier Partner Status and was recently awarded VMware as a Service Expertise competency, a testament to the company's deep domain expertise. About RiverMeadow Software Inc. RiverMeadow provides a broad range of fixed-price Multi Cloud Migration Services and Product capability to dramatically reduce the time, cost and risk of moving physical, virtual and cloud-based workloads into and between public or private clouds. Press Contact: emma.tompkins@rivermeadow.com Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/694644/logo_stacked_color_Logo.jpg

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
An expert from Australian consumer company CHOICE has settled an age-old debate as to whether cutlery should be placed up or down in the dishwasher.

While instruction manuals and brands may have alternative opinions, CHOICE's resident dishwasher guru Ashley Iredale provided a thorough explanation on the best option.

He said the difference between placing the cutlery up or down is 'marginal', but it's best to place the cutlery facing down for health and safety reasons.

While instruction manuals and brands may have alternative opinions, CHOICE's resident dishwasher guru Ashley Iredale provided a thorough explanation on the best option

Poll Which way does your cutlery face in the dishwasher? Up Down A mix of both! Which way does your cutlery face in the dishwasher? Up 459 votes

Down 238 votes

A mix of both! 145 votes Now share your opinion





Safety first

Placing the cutlery facing down will likely prevent more injuries than compared to facing up, the expert explained.

'The last thing you want to do is get your clean knives and forks dirty again by bleeding all over them because you stabbed yourself reaching into the tub without due care and attention,' he said.

Although placing the utensils upwards may seem like the better option, Ashley said it's not worth risking hurting yourself on a sharp knife or fork.

Placing the cutlery facing down will likely prevent more injuries than compared to facing up, the expert explained

Easier to unload

Having the utensils placed downwards also makes it easier to unload the dishwasher basket, as the cutlery can be popped back in the drawer swiftly.

'It goes slightly smoother if everything's facing the same direction from the outset,' Ashley said.

'It's not a huge deal - you're saving seconds, not days. But hey, the whole point of a dishwasher is to save time and effort in the kitchen, so every little bit counts.'

Tips for stacking cutlery and utensils in the dishwasher: 1. Avoid cutlery 'nesting' together too close 2. Exclude chef's knives 3. Exclude wooden cutlery and utensils 4. Place larger utensils go on top 5. Consider whether the cutlery tray or basket is easier for you to unload, as both do the same job Source: CHOICE Advertisement

Fewer germs

With the handles facing upwards, the cutlery heads will remain untouched and so fewer germs will spread.

'Your fingers are covered in germs and bacteria, so obviously you want to minimise touching any surface that's going to come into contact with your food if you can,' Ashley said.

The less the cutlery is touched, the fewer fingerprint marks will be on the handles too.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty ImagesBy AARON KATERSKY and CELIA DARROUGH, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- The man who was photographed Wednesday inside the Capitol wearing fur pelts and a bulletproof police vest while holding a Capitol Police riot shield was arrested Tuesday and later released on bond in connection with the Capitol riot led by pro-Trump supporters.



The FBI arrested Aaron Mostofsky, son of a prominent New York judge, at his brothers home in Brooklyn on Tuesday morning.



Hours later, he appeared in a Brooklyn federal court where prosecutors called his alleged actions "a mob attack and a rampage through the U.S. Capitol."



Mostofsky, 34, is facing four charges, including felony theft of government property, knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, engaging in disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds with intent to impede government business, and unlawful entry and disorderly conduct, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday.



At the Tuesday court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Hafetz said there is video of Mostofsky "inside of the Capitol with a police officer's riot shield and appearing to wear a police officer's bulletproof vest, neither of which he had the right to."



"We have concerns about Mr. Mostofsky," Hafetz added.



Mostofsky's attorney, Jeffrey Schwartz, told the court he believes the evidence will show his client was not part of the mob.



"He was not rampaging. He got caught up in it," Schwartz said. "He understands how the whole thing in Washington got totally out of hand."



Judge Sanket Bulsara agreed to release Mostofsky on a $100,000 bond, with restrictions that require him to stay in the New York City area and prevent him from having any contact with any co-defendants or co-conspirators, participating in political gatherings or entering any state capitols.



Regarding the ban on state capitols, Hafetz noted there is a "potential for such gatherings. It is important for Mr. Mostofsky not to engage in the behavior he engaged in yesterday."



The criminal complaint filed by the FBI included an image captured from a video interview Mostofsky gave to the New York Post, which shows him with the police vest and shield.



The police riot shield and police vest are items of value belonging to the United States, specifically the US Capitol Police," the complaint read, noting that the vest is valued at $1,905 and the shield at $256.65.



The complaint cited the Post interview, which appeared to have been conducted inside the Capitol building. During the interview, the complaint pointed out, Mostofsky explained his actions by stating he believed the election was stolen, adding "We were cheated. I dont think 75 million people voted for Trump -- I think it was close to 85 million."



According to the complaint, Mostofsky indicated in the Post interview that he found the bulletproof vest and the shield on the floor.



Mostofsky's father, Shlomo Mostofsky, is a Kings County Supreme Court judge.



A spokesman for the judge said the elder Mostofsky had "no knowledge of what happened in Washington, D.C. The judge declined to comment on his son's arrest.



A search warrant for Mostofsky's Instagram account was executed, and records of conversations show Mostofsky confirming the fur-pelted man is him, according to the complaint. A Facebook search also showed that in November 2018, Mostofsky wrote, "Since the republicans lost the house I have the following questions 1 when and where are we protesting/rioting ..." the complaint stated.



Many arrests have been made since Wednesday's riots, including the man photographed in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office with his feet on her desk, the man photographed carrying Pelosi's lectern and the man wearing a horned fur hat, as well as a state lawmaker from West Virginia.



Mostofsky faces a maximum of 10 years in prison if convicted of the top charge, 18 USC 641, theft of government property.



"While we all respect each other's ability to peacefully exercise their First Amendment rights, acts in violation of federal law will not be tolerated," William F. Sweeney, Jr., assistant director in charge of the FBI's New York field office, said in a statement. "For those in this area considering participating in future activity similar to Mr. Mostofsky's alleged behavior, let me be clear: The FBI will find you, arrest you, and do our part to ensure you face the full force of the federal criminal justice system."



Five people died during the violent siege on the Capitol, including a Capitol Police officer who died from injuries sustained during the attack.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
[January 13, 2021] CI Global Asset Management Files Preliminary Prospectus to Re-Open CI Galaxy Bitcoin Fund

CI Global Asset Management ("CI GAM") announced today it has filed and obtained a receipt for a preliminary prospectus relating to a new issue of CI Galaxy Bitcoin Fund (the "Fund"), which trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange ("TSX") in U.S. dollars and Canadian dollars under the symbols "BTCG.U" and "BTCG.UN", respectively. The new issue consists of Class A units priced in U.S. dollars (the "Offering") and will be priced so as not to be dilutive to the Fund's net asset value at the time of pricing. The closing of the Offering is subject to regulatory and TSX approval. The Fund is a closed-end investment fund that seeks to provide unitholders with exposure to bitcoin through an institutional-quality fund platform. The Fund invests directly in bitcoin with the Fund's holdings of bitcoin priced using the Bloomberg (News - Alert) Galaxy Bitcoin Index (the "BTC"), which is designed to measure the performance of a single bitcoin traded in U.S. dollars. The BTC is owned and administered by Bloomberg Index Services Ltd. CI GAM is the manager of the Fund and Galaxy Digital Capital Management LP ("Galaxy Digital") acts as the bitcoin sub-advisor for the Fund. As sub-advisor, Galaxy Digital executes all bitcoin trading on behalf of the Fund. Galaxy Digital is a diversified financial services and investment management company in the digital asset and blockchain technology sector. The team has extensive experience spanning investing, capital markets, venture capital, asset management and blockchain technology. Class A units of the Fund are being offered on a best-efforts basis in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. The syndicate of agents for the Offering is being led by CIBC Capital Markets. The Offering is only made by the preliminary prospectus of the Fund dated January 11, 2021. The preliminary prospectus containing important information relating to these securities has been filed with the securities commissions or similar authorities in each of the provinces and territories of Canada. The preliminary prospectus is still subject to completion or amendment. Copies of the preliminary prospectus may be obtained from CIBC Capital Markets or hrough www.sedar.com. There will not be any sale or any acceptance of an offer to buy the securities until a receipt for the final prospectus has been issued by the relevant securities commissions in Canada. Investors should read the prospectus before making an investment decision.



About Galaxy Digital Galaxy Digital Capital Management LP is an affiliate of Galaxy Digital Holdings Ltd. (TSX: GLXY) ("Galaxy Digital Holdings"). Galaxy Digital Holdings is a diversified financial services and investment management company in the digital asset, cryptocurrency and blockchain technology sector, and currently operates four distinct business lines, which include: Trading, Asset Management, Principal Investments and Investment Banking. Galaxy Digital Holdings' CEO and Founder is Michael Novogratz. Galaxy Digital Holdings is headquartered in New York City, with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, the Cayman Islands (registered office) and New Jersey. Additional information about Galaxy Digital Holdings' businesses and products is available on www.galaxydigital.io.

About CI Global Asset Management CI Global Asset Management is one of Canada's largest investment management companies. It offers a wide range of investment products and services and is on the Web at www.ci.com. CI GAM is a subsidiary of CI Financial Corp. (TSX: CIX, NYSE: CIXX), an independent company offering global asset management and wealth management advisory services with approximately $231 billion in total assets as at December 31, 2020. The securities offered have not been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or any applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities nor will there be any sale of such securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. No offering is being made by this material. This communication is provided as a general source of information and should not be considered personal, legal, accounting, tax or investment advice, or construed as an endorsement or recommendation of any entity or security discussed. Individuals should seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding any particular investment. Investors should consult their professional advisors prior to implementing any changes to their investment strategies. CI Global Asset Management is a registered business name of CI Investments Inc. CI Investments Inc. 2021. All rights reserved. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005895/en/

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed the law on electronic communications, according to the Telegram channel of the Verkhovna Rada.

According to the report, the law establishes the legal basis for activities in the field of electronic communications and the radio spectrum. It defines the powers of the state to manage and regulate these activities, as well as the rights, obligations and responsibilities of individuals and legal entities that participate in the activities or use electronic communications services.

On December 16, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed the law "On Electronic Communications" with the president's proposals.

Initially, the parliament adopted the law on September 30, 2020, but on October 29, the president returned the law to parliament and proposed revisions to bring its provisions into line with the Constitution, eliminate gaps and shortcomings.

On December 1, the Verkhovna Rada sent the law on electronic communications (No. 3014) to the parliament's committee on digital transformation for revision with the president's proposals.

op


The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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The choice facing Republicans isn't just about the immediate fate of the outgoing president, but also whether the party's elected leaders are ready to move on

Republicans offered only modest reproach when President Donald Trump said there were very fine people on both sides of a white supremacist rally. They stayed in line when Trump was caught pressuring a foreign leader and later defended his handling of a deadly pandemic.

But with a sudden force, the wall of Republican support that has enabled Trump to weather a seemingly endless series of crises is beginning to erode.

Trump's weakened standing among his own party will come into sharper focus today as the House begins impeachment proceedings against the president for inciting a riot at the US Capitol last week.

A handful of Republicans have already said they'll join the effort, a number that could grow as the final vote nears.

The choice facing Republicans isn't just about the immediate fate of Trump, who has just seven days left in his presidency. It's about whether the party's elected leaders are ready to move on from Trump, who remains popular with many GOP voters but is now toxic in much of Washington.

How they proceed could determine whether the party remains viable in upcoming elections or splinters in a way that could limit their relevance.

Were at the moment now where were seeing a fracturing, a breaking, because of the unprecedented situation  the sedition, the violence, the death, said Steve Schmidt, a longtime Republican strategist who left the party because of Trump.

The stunning nature of the deadly insurrection  and Trump's role in fueling it  has shaken many lawmakers. Liz Cheney, the No 3 Republican in the House, gave rank-and-file conservatives the green light to abandon Trump in a scathing statement Tuesday evening.

"There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution, she charged.

More ominously for Trump, The New York Times reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thinks Trump committed an impeachable offense and is glad Democrats are moving against him.

Citing unidentified people familiar with the influential Kentucky Republicans thinking, The Times reported McConnell believes moving against Trump will help the GOP forge a future independent of the divisive, chaotic president.

While stunning, the fast-moving developments do not ensure Trump will be forced from office before Democrat Joe Biden's 20 January inauguration. The timing of a Senate trial is unclear and could spill into Biden's presidency.

But for the first time, there are real signs that a significant faction of Republicans want to purge Trump from their party.

Already, three Trump Cabinet members have resigned in protest. Former attorney-general Bill Barr, who left the White House less than a month ago, accused his former boss of a betrayal of his office.

It took almost a week for Vice-President Mike Pence, whose relationship with Trump has soured considerably since he and his family were forced into hiding during the Capitol siege, to publicly declare he would not to invoke the 25th Amendment of the Constitution to remove Trump from office.

Despite the defections, Trump remains popular with a significant portion of his political base. The president's remaining allies warn that Republicans who cross him publicly risk a conservative backlash in their next elections.

Public and private polling shows Republican grassroots voters strongly oppose impeachment, said Jason Miller, a Trump senior adviser. Any Republican senator or congressman voting for impeachment will be held accountable in their next primary election.

Trump emerged from his White House fortress for the first time since the riots for a trip to the wall his administration built along the Texas border. As he left Washington, he was careful to insist we want no violence," but denied any responsibility for the insurrection.

Once he reached the border, his remarks to a small crowd were fairly muted. In the end, he spoke for just 21 minutes and spent less than 45 minutes on the ground in what was expected to be the final trip of his presidency.

Before leaving, he offered an ominous warning to Democrats leading the charge to remove him from office:

Be careful what you wish for.

That veiled threat came as the nation  and members of Congress  braced for the potential of more violence ahead of Biden's inauguration. The FBI warned this week of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington.

Capitol security officials made the extraordinary decision to require members of Congress to pass through metal detectors to enter the House chamber beginning on Tuesday, although some Republicans resisted the new rule.

It's unclear whether the chaos in Washington represents an existential threat to the party, but it almost certainly threatens to undermine the GOP's short-term political goals.

Several major corporations, many of them reliably Republican donors, have promised to stop sending political donations to any of the 147 Republicans who perpetuated Trump's false claims of election fraud by voting to reject Biden's victory last week.

The fundraising challenge comes at a bad time for the GOP. History suggests that the Republican Party, as the minority party in Washington, should regain control of the House or Senate in 2022.

At the same time, a collection of ambitious Republicans are trying to position themselves to run for the White House in 2024. They are also contending with Trump's legacy.

One of them, Maryland governor Larry Hogan, reminded reporters on Tuesday that he's condemned the Trump presidency from the very beginning.

Ive been in the same place Ive been for the whole four years. A lot of people have just changed their position, Hogan said, while vowing not to leave the GOP. I dont want to leave the party and let these people who did a hostile takeover four years ago take over.

Despite Hogan's confidence, he is far less popular among Trump's loyal base  a group likely to hold great sway in the selection of the party's next presidential nominee  than the likes of senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Josh Hawley of Missouri, two other 2024 prospects who voted to reject Biden's victory last week, even after the uprising.

Republican leaders do not know how to move forward, Republican pollster Frank Luntz said. Everybodys afraid that Donald Trump will tell people to come after them, but they also realize theyre losing the center of America. Theyre trapped.
Motilal Oswal Real Estate (MORE), the real estate private equity arm of Motilal Oswal Financial Services, is looking to raise up to Rs 800 crore through its recently-launched fifth real estate fund India Realty Excellence Fund V (IREF V).

While the earlier three funds (IREF II, IREF III and IREF IV) focused on early-stage investments, IREF V would focus on construction finance in post-approval projects.

The fund plans to deploy the capital in mid-income/ affordable residential projects across the top 7 cities in India (Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad) while selectively investing in commercial projects. IREF V would focus on structured debt investments with established developers and undertake 12-15 transactions of Rs 6080 crore each.

MORE till date has invested capital in the real estate sector through four real estate funds and PMS/NCD investments. Today, cumulative AUM under MORE stands at over Rs 3,700 crore spread across IREF (Rs 200 crore), IREF II (Rs 500 crore), IREF III (Rs 1,030 crore), IREF IV (Rs 1,150 crore) and balance under PMS/NCD Investments, the company said.

The Fund has been set up as an alternate investment fund (AIF Category II) registered with stock market regulator SEBI. MORE expects to achieve first close by March 2021 and conclude fundraising in the next 6-9 months.

MORE is part of Motilal Oswal Private Equity (MOPE), which is the alternative investments platform of Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited. The cumulative AUM under MOPE is more than Rs 7,000 crore.

Our real estate private equity business has scaled up over the last decade. We believe that the sector is undergoing a structural shift and is at the cusp of a transformation. We will continue to grow our presence in this space through value investing over the coming years, said Vishal Tulsyan, MD & CEO, MOPE.

The last few years have been challenging for the industry, which has been grappling with a prolonged slump due to the impact of regulatory reforms and the liquidity crisis created by IL&FS starting September 2018. With NBFCs putting brakes on new lending and banks becoming selective, there has been a huge gap in construction finance available in the sector over the last two years, said Sharad Mittal, Director and CEO of MORE.

In the last six months following the nationwide lockdown, we have seen a strong recovery in demand fuelled by multi-decade low mortgage rates, five-year stagnated prices, reducing the demand-supply gap in inventory, Government support through stamp duty reductions and the genuine need of staying in an owned home during the COVID pandemic.

These factors will lead to a resurgence in residential demand over the next few years. We believe this is an opportune time to launch our next fund which will focus on construction finance and post-approval funding, he said.

With the launch of this fund, MORE will provide a full financial solution to their developer partners; early-stage financing through their earlier funds and post-approval stage/construction financing through this new fund.

The Indian market has typically seen private equity financing in the early stages of the project (land and approvals). However, due to the liquidity crunch that the sector is witnessing over the last two years, there is a funding gap even in the post-approval stage, the company said.

In our earlier funds, our investment strategy has been to partner with established developers in early-stage investments through structured debt in their mid-income/ affordable housing projects. We have focused more on IT cities and largely stayed out of Mumbai and Delhi NCR due to the high leverage in these cities. This strategy has worked well for us over the last few years. In our upcoming fund, however, the focus will be to provide construction finance in post-approval projects. We shall continue to work with our preferred partners and capitalize on our existing strategy, he added.

This is our fifth fund. Majority of our investors would be repeat investors from our previous funds. We would like to thank them for reposing their faith in us and partnering with us over the last few years.

MOREs second fund, IREF II, which achieved its final close in 2015, has till date made 14 investments and secured 11 exits at an investment level IRR of 21.3 percent. The Fund has returned around 126% of the money back to its investors.

MOREs third fund, IREF III, which achieved its final close in 2017, has till date made 24 investments and secured 6 exits at an investment level IRR of 22.4 percent. The Fund has returned around 41 percent of the money back to its investors.

MOREs fourth fund, IREF IV, which achieved its final close in 2020, is currently under deployment and has till date made 10 investments.
Ukraine and Moldova intend to develop cooperation in the energy sector, in particular, the sides are considering the possibility of increasing gas storage in Ukrainian underground facilities, as well as gas transit from the EU to Ukraine through Moldovan territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said

KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2021) Ukraine and Moldova intend to develop cooperation in the energy sector, in particular, the sides are considering the possibility of increasing gas storage in Ukrainian underground facilities, as well as gas transit from the EU to Ukraine through Moldovan territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

On Tuesday, Zelenskyy met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu, who made her first official visit to Kiev. These are the first high-level talks between the two countries in four years.

"There are many projects for deepening our cooperation in the energy sector. This is increasing the storage capacity of natural gas by the Moldovan side in Ukrainian storage facilities; a project for the transit of European gas through Moldova to Ukraine; restoration of electricity supplies to Moldova; and electricity transit from Ukraine to Romania, which will take place through the territory of Moldova," Zelenskyy said.

In July 2020, the Energy Resources of Ukraine Group (ERU), conducted its first supply of natural gas to Romania with transit through Moldova. Based on the agreement reached between Moldovatransgaz, Moldovagaz and the ERU Management Services to use the Moldovan gas transmission system opens the way for gas transit from Ukrainian underground storages to Romania and other Balkan states.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  All seven lanes of the Skyway Stage 3 project will officially be open to the public starting 5 a.m. on Friday.

The project goes from the South Luzon Expressway in Alabang up to the North Luzon Expressway.

The Skyway management will close the 18-kilometer elevated expressway from 10 p.m. of Wednesday until Thursday for the full inspection and setting up for the opening ceremonies.

San Miguel Corporation funded the project and said motorists will finally be able to use all seven lanes of the Skyway 3, which it soft-opened, free to the public for one month, last December 29.

"We ask for the kind understanding of motorists, as we prepare to officially open Skyway 3. Following the opening, motorists will be able to experience the benefits of all seven lanes and all the features of this game-changing expressway that will reduce travel time from SLEX to NLEX and vice-versa, to only 30 minutes," the Skyway management said.

Skyway 3 will remain toll-free until January 29, the company said.
Last summer's daring firefighting efforts to save the world's last stand of Wollemi pines prevented significant loss of the larger, mature trees but left many juvenile plants severely burnt, prompting expert calls for permanent fire-dampening measures to protect the ancient grove.

Of the total of 49 large trees, just four escaped without some scorching but most of the stems of less than two metres in height were badly burnt, with only a small portion so far beginning to resprout.

An aerial view of the main Wollemi Pine grove immediately after the bushfire. Credit:Phil Lamrock / NPWS

One year on from the remarkable attempt to shield the secret location from the giant Gospers Mountain fire, the Herald can reveal researchers studying the trees' recovery fear more frequent and intense bushfires from climate change could doom a species that dates from the age of dinosaurs.

Berin Mackenzie, a member of the fire crew and one of the ecologists leading the post-fire study, said "extraordinary efforts" by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Rural Fire Service definitely prevented the fire reaching the canopy of most of the larger trees.
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Members of Southern California's GOP Congressional delegation joined nearly all of their Republican colleagues Tuesday night in voting against a House resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence and members of the cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Trump from office.

The resolution passed 223-205 with only a single Republican -- Adam Kinzinger from Illinois -- voting yes. Newly-installed Congresswoman Michelle Steel from Orange County abstained from voting after testing positive for COVID-19 last week.

Democrats argued the action was necessary because Trump incited the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol last week, and poses a continued risk to national security.

"He told the mob, we are going to the Capitol and to fight like hell, and they did," said Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, speaking from the House floor. "Five died. Many more were hurt, and we were seconds away from something much worse."

But by the time members began voting on the resolution authored by Jamie Raskin of Maryland, Pence had already rejected the idea in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The vote was "no more than political theater," Congressman Mike Garcia, who represents Simi Valley, Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley, said in a statement. Garcia was one of seven California Republicans who voted to challenge the electoral college votes of Arizona and Pennsylvania last week after rioters broke into the Capitol. "I am confident that Vice President Pence would have invoked the 25th Amendment had he felt it necessary," he added.



Some Republicans echoed calls for unity from Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield.

"The first step towards that healing is for all Americans to support the Constitutional transfer of power on January 20th without any additional violence," said GOP Rep. Ken Calvert of Riverside. "Invoking the 25th Amendment or pursuing impeachment in the final hours of this administration will only tear our country further apart."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to bring a single article of impeachment to the floor on Wednesday. Pelosi named Los Angeles-area Congressman Ted Lieu as one of nine impeachment managers.

Honored and humbled to be selected by @SpeakerPelosi to serve as an impeachment manager. pic.twitter.com/uLtTfHCPL8  Rep. Ted Lieu (@RepTedLieu) January 13, 2021

If the measure passes, Trump will be the first president in history impeached twice by the House of Representatives.

Reportedly, as many as a dozen Republicans may vote for impeachment, though there's no sign of support from California GOP members. But one Southern California Republican appears to be carving a path to officially rebuke the president while stopping short of impeaching him.

On Tuesday, Orange County Republican Rep. Young Kim helped introduce a concurrent resolution to censure Trump "for trying to unlawfully overturn the 2020 Presidential election and violating his oath of office on January 6, 2021."

"The president also misled many Americans to believe that the outcome of the election could change on January 6th, when that simply was not true, and must be held accountable for his role," Kim said in a statement. "I believe censuring the president after his actions helps hold him accountable and could garner wide bipartisan support, allowing the House to remain united during some of our nation's darkest days.

The California Republican Party on Tuesday snapped back at the Sacramento Bee editorial board, which called for several GOP members of California's congressional delegation to resign, including McCarthy, for their role in objecting to the electoral college certification and perpetuating Trump's false claims of a stolen election.

"McCarthy will be remembered as an architect of failed insurrection and a servile opportunist who led House Republicans off of a cliff to impress a madman," the Editorial Board said.

"Republicans have and will continue to denounce the violence that took place at the United States Capitol," state party chair Jessica Millan Patterson said in a joint statement with State Senate Republican leader Shannon Grove. "Those responsible for this attack on our democracy do not speak for the Republican Party or reflect our values, which include above all else, freedom, respect, and personal responsibility."

Last week, Grove deleted a tweet falsely claiming the attack on the Capitol was carried out by the leftist anti-fascist movement known as antifa.
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President Donald Trump took no responsibility for his part in stoking a violent insurrection in Washington last week, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol and praise for them while they were still carrying out the assault.

People thought that what I said was totally appropriate, President Trump said.

He made the comments during his first appearance in public since the Capitol siege, which came as lawmakers were tallying Electoral College votes affirming President-elect Joe Bidens victory.

President Trump arrived in Texas on Tuesday to trumpet his campaign against illegal immigration in an attempt to enhance his legacy with eight days remaining in his term, as lawmakers in Congress appeared set to impeach him this week for the second time.

In Alamo, Texas, a city in the Rio Grande Valley near the US-Mexican border  the site of the 450th mile of the border wall his administration is building, President Trump brushed off Democratic calls on his Cabinet to declare him unfit from office and remove him from power using the 25th Amendment.

The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration, President Trump said.

As the expression goes, be careful of what you wish for.

The rampage through the halls of Congress sent lawmakers of both parties and President Trumps own vice president into hiding, as crowds called for Mike Pences lynching for his role overseeing the vote count.

The scene also undermined the hallmark of the republic  the peaceful transition of power. At least five people died, including one Capitol Police officer.

President Donald Trump tours a section of the US-Mexico border wall (Alex Brandon/AP)

In the days leading up to the January 6 certification vote, President Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington DC, promising a wild rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administrations findings to the contrary.

Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd on the Ellipse, President Trump encouraged supporters to fight like hell and suggested that Republican lawmakers would need more courage not to step up and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office.

He also suggested he would join them in marching on the Capitol.

As President Trump wrapped up, thousands of his supporters were already heading to the Capitol, where lawmakers convened to count the electoral votes.

As rioters were still in the building and lawmakers sheltered in secure locations, President Trump, at the urging of aides who were shocked by the violence, released a video seemingly excusing the events, saying of the rioters: We love you. Youre very special. Go home.

Speaking on Tuesday, President Trump said the real problem was not his rhetoric, but the rhetoric that Democrats used to describe Black Lives Matter protests and violence in Seattle and Portland this summer,

Everybody to the T thought it was totally appropriate, President Trump said of his own comments.

He angrily lashed out at lawmakers push for his second impeachment this week, claiming: Its causing tremendous anger and division and pain far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time.

Alamo is named after the San Antonio mission where a small group of Texan independence-fighters fended off Mexican forces during a 13-day siege.

Most of them died, but the mission became a symbol of resistance for Texans, who eventually defeated the Mexican army.

Mr Trumps visit there  no doubt a symbol of the presidents defiance  comes as he spends the final days of his presidency isolated, aggrieved and staring down the prospect of a second impeachment.

Aides have been urging the president to spend his remaining days in office highlighting what they see as the chief accomplishments of his presidency: a massive tax cut, his efforts to roll back federal regulations and the transformation of federal courts with the appointment of conservative judges.

But President Trump has been consumed by baseless allegations of voter fraud and conspiracies.
A Polish butcher raped and murdered a "drunk and vulnerable" student before throwing her body into a river, a court has heard.

Pawel Relowicz approached 21-year-old Libby Squire when he saw her intoxicated, shivering and in deep distress after she had been refused entry into a Hull nightclub, jurors were told.

The father-of-two drove his victim to an isolated playing field where he raped her before dumping her in the adjacent River Hull, it was said. The youngster may have still be alive when she was thrown into the water.

Her body was only recovered seven weeks later after being spotted in the Humber Estuary by the skipper of a fishing boat.

Relowicz, of Raglan Street, Hull, denies raping and murdering Squire.

Richard Wright, prosecuting on the opening day of the trial on Tuesday, said the philosophy student had "seemingly disappeared" on the freezing cold night of 31 January 2019 after being refused entry to The Welly nightclub.

He said: "She was drunk, she was likely hypothermic, and she was in deep distress. She had lost her house keys, she was crying, she had fallen repeatedly to the floor as she tried to walk and she was extremely vulnerable."

He said: "From there she seemingly vanished. One man knew very well where Libby had gone. That man is the defendant, Pawel Relowicz.

Mr Wright said that Relowicz drove Squire to nearby playing fields at Oak Road, a place he chose specifically "so that he would not be disturbed".

He continued: "Having exited his vehicle, we say that Pawel Relowicz raped Libby and that he killed her, causing her death during that act of sexual violence, which culminated in his putting her, dead or dying, into the cold waters of the River Hull that bordered the edge of that playing field.

"It was from there that Libby's body travelled into the Humber and then out to sea to be recovered by the lifeboat on 20 March."

Mr Wright told the jury at Sheffield Crown Court how Squire had drinks with friends and was said to be in "good spirits", before she was put in a taxi after being denied entry into the city venue.

On being dropped near her home, the youngster  who was originally from High Wycombe  fell and landed face first on the ground. When she got up, apparently disorientated, she walked "away from the safety of her front door.

A group of students heard Squire crying and let her in to their house but she left, insisting she wanted to go home. Instead, she headed to the citys still-busy Beverley Road.

It was there that Relowicz struck, Mr Wright said. CCTV footage showed the pair coming into contact.

We will see how the two of them coincide just after midnight on 1 February, he told the court. We will then follow them from there in the defendant's car to the Oak Road playing fields. We will never see Libby again in the footage We will invite you to conclude that is because he raped and killed her there and put her in the river.

The jury was also told that CCTV clips of Relowicz's silver Vauxhall Astra showed him cruising around the student area of Hull that night.

"These early clips are important because we suggest that they demonstrate the defendantwas effectively on patrol, looking for an opportunity to present itself to him, said Mr Wright.

The trial continues.
A fallen tree has completely blocked a road in a Laois town, this morning Wednesday January 13.

The mature tree is blocking the Acragar road, yards from a montessori school.

The busy road leads to the Ridge road to Portlaoise.

This photo was taken by Lauren Scott from Mountmellick, this morning at 9.16am.

"I just live a house down from it. We all heard the bang and all the neighbours ran out to see we thought it was a crash at first as there as been many crashes on that road. We were all shocked by it, with all the storms and it never budged a bit. Thank god no-one was hurt," she told the Leinster Express.

Cllr Paddy Bracken has confirmed to the Leinster Express that a Mountmellick Fire Station crew is now working to clear the tree from the road.
About a quarter of the 28 million Yemenis depend on food aid to avoid malnutrition or starvation. Most of the food aid comes in via the Red Sea port of Hodeida. The Shia rebels are still close enough to Hodeida to fire machine-guns or mortar shells into parts of the city where there is resistance to rebel movement or operations. This sort of thing punishes neighborhoods that dont cooperate. The rebel forces are still close enough to the port to fire on and hit ships trying to enter the port. The rebels are using this veto power over port access to try and extract more money from the UN, which now runs the port. Ships entering the port pay user fees and, before the rebels were forced to withdraw from the port in May 2019, they considered the port user fees part of their income. The rebels also imposed many other fees on the foreign aid groups and paid for the supplies brought in as well as for moving these items, by truck, to areas where the food and other items were desperately needed. The rebels can still impose higher checkpoint fees, as long as they are not so high that traders realize that it would be cheaper to hire smugglers to get the shipments past the rebel toll keepers.

The rebel extortion efforts have backfired. T wo major donor nations (U.S. and Britain) are reducing food and other aid because the Shia rebels refuse to eliminate restrictions on auditing and supervising what happens to aid in rebel-controlled areas. American aid for rebel held areas stopped in early 2020s. The UN continues to document rebel practices that involve destroying, diverting or delaying distribution of aid in rebel held areas where the local civilians will not cooperate with the rebels. Since 2019 the rebels have been recruiting teenagers for their combat forces and many families and tribes will not cooperate. Other tribes continue to oppose the rebels for any number of reasons. No food or medicine for these either. A growing number of hostile tribes are cooperating with the rebels to avoid starvation. What it came down to what that the aid was prolonging the war. In response a lot of the aid is being halted, at least for the rebel-controlled areas.

Since the rebels were driven out of Hodeida, Saudi and UN aid groups were able to repair infrastructure that the rebels were unable or unwilling to maintain during the five years they controlled the port. Same situation in the capital, Saana, which the rebels have also controlled and not maintained. This lack of infrastructure maintenance in large urban areas was the main reason for the return of cholera.

This self-destructive attitude by the Shia rebels was also present among the separatist Sunni tribes in the south. Despite all the fighting since 2014, and similar activity in the 1990s, there are still factions in the north and south who believed unity was overrated and two Yemens was the way to go. After a few years of recent fighting, with most of the population surviving on foreign food aid, regional autonomy or national unity no longer seems relevant. Many of those hungry Yemenis have to pay Shia rebels for this free food. The foreign aid NGOS and the UN complain about this but the Shia rebels are armed and dangerous and the UN is not. Not armed that is. That has led to foreign donors reducing their contributions. The aid-per Yemeni fell 50 percent between 2019 and 2020. Part of that was due to the covid19 economic recession, but most of the decline was about the rebels using the aid as a source of income and using the threat of withholding all aid to Yemenis who did not cooperate.

There is resistance to admitting that Yemen is a failed state, one of those areas (like Somalia and Afghanistan) that were never united for long and are basically several smaller entities that are not really interested in unity with neighbors who are supposed to be their countrymen. And then there is the corruption problem, where Yemen ranks as one the most corrupt nations in the world.

Most Iran-backed Shia rebels still believe time is their side as long as the Iranian support continues. Iran understands this as well and is willing to finance the expensive smuggling effort at a reduced level because of the distress it causes the Saudis. The problem with this strategy is that Iran can afford to abandon the Shia rebels while the Saudis cannot afford to have an Iranian ally on their southern border. This fighting in 2020 has left about 4,000 people dead or wounded. Most of the casualties have been civilians victimized by the rebel tactic of trying to hide combat units and supplies in residential areas to discourage air strikes. That only works some of the time.

The Shia rebels are going broke because it costs a lot of money to maintain a force of several thousand gunmen and also pay for the staff of the temporary government the rebels have established in the north. The rebels control access to over a third of the Yemeni population and these are among the most in need of foreign food and medical aid. The Arab Coalition has been taking apart the legal income sources the rebels had because they captured the national capital in 2014 and held on to it. That meant they maintained control over vital, and profitable (via taxation) industries. One of the most valuable, the telecommunications business, has been generating about $60 million a month in taxes since the rebels seized the capital. The Arab coalition created a rival national telecommunications authority in 2019 and persuaded most of the foreign telecommunications firms to abandon the Shia rebels and pay the legitimate government operating from the temporary capital of Aden. As long as Iran is able or willing to make up enough of the lost rebel income, the rebels will continue. That is difficult for Iran because the revived (in 2018) economic sanctions turned out to be more of a burden that the religious dictatorship of Iran expected. That was made worse by covid19, which the Iranian clergy initially declared as something that only killed infidels (non-Moslems). This attitude enabled the virus to spread rapidly throughout Iran before the government took action. That led to more anti-government demonstrations and calls for less spending on foreign wars.

In Yemen there is also a war going on with Islamic terrorists. The remaining ones in Yemen belong to AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) or ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant). Both these terrorist groups are still around but largely keeping their heads down in rural hideouts. Most of these are in central Yemen and areas to the east. Baida province used to be a major AQAP base area but not so much now as more AQAP factions disperse to other areas in central and eastern Yemen. Anywhere an Islamic terrorist can find a hospitable tribe, they can usually arrange refuge . AQAP has few active members left in Yemen and the only remaining local support is from some separatist Sunni tribes in the south and east. Since 2017 AQAP has been under heavy attack by the Americans and Arab coalition so the Islamic terrorists responded by shifting more of their attacks from Shia rebels to the government and Arab coalition forces. ISIL and AQAP were fighting each other a lot after mid-2018 but since early 2020 ISIL has not been very active. ISIL lost this war and some ISIL factions are known to be hiding out in Shia rebel territory. That requires offering some cooperation with the Shia rebels and that apparently includes useful intel on what is going on in the rest of Yemen, where ISIL still has fans. ISIL and AQAP are both trying to rebuild, especially after the losses (including defections) during its battles with each other. Thats another reason why Yemen is a slow-motion war made slower by hunger, disease and poverty.

January 10, 2021: The U.S. labeled the Yemeni Shia rebels international terrorists. The rebels, also known as the Houthis or Ansar Allah, are sponsored by Iran and regularly attack Saudi Arabia and ships from all nations in the Red Sea. Because the rebels are so dependent on Iran, the new the Iranian ambassador to the rebel government is IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) general Hassan Irloo, who had similar sanctions imposed on him two days ago. Many Western politicians, especially in Europe, oppose the designation of the rebels as terrorists and favor trying to negotiate with Iran and the rebels to achieve a peace deal. The American government and most Arab point out that the main reason Iran backs the Shia rebels is because it gives them a base from which to attack Saudi Arabia, a nation they are at war with. Iran is also at war with Israel and the United States. Iran has a record of not complying with agreed-to treaties and the Yemeni rebels do the same. Unless blocked by the U.S. Congress the Yemeni rebel designation and impact with take effect January 19th.

January 7, 2021: In the southwest (port city of Aden) a large explosion, heard throughout the city, occurred outside the main prison. There was some damage to a prison wall but nothing serious. In response the new Yemeni government, which uses Aden as a temporary capital, imposed more security measures on Aden to suppress dissident separatists or Islamic terrorist groups that are still carrying out assassinations and bombings in the city.

January 6, 2021: Israel is sending an Iron Dome battery to its Red Sea coast and may deploy other anti-missile systems there as well. Israel believes that an Iranian attack from Yemen or Iraq is more likely than one from Syria, where the Israeli military is free to attack Iranian military preparations.

January 1, 2021: In the northwest (the Red Sea port of Hodeida) a Shia rebel rocket fired into the city hit a banquet hall and killed five women attending a wedding. Such random rebel attacks are common and government forces usually respond with artillery aimed at where the rocket or mortar shell was fired from.

December 30, 2020: In the southwest (port city of Aden) three Iranian cruise missiles hit the airport shortly after members of the new Yemeni government arrived from Saudi Arabia. The officials were not harmed but the missiles killed 25 and wounded 110. The airport remained closed until January 3rd. These Iranian missiles are used by the Shia rebels more frequently indicating that the Iranian smuggling network is growing again. The rebels denied that they were responsible for the airport attack and blamed it on Saudi Arabia. Fragments of the three missiles were collected so that precise identification of the cruise missiles could be made. UN investigators are involved in the identification process and have confirmed the Iranian origins of the rockets and missiles (cruise and ballistic) used by the rebels. Also employed are Iranian UAVs equipped with explosives but these are being replaced by Iranian cruise missiles. One such UAV was shot down today as it headed for the Presidential Palace in Aden. Saudi Arabia responded with several air strikes against rebel facilities, including at least one involved in assembling cruise missiles using Iranian components.

The new government incorporates ministers from the STC (South Transitional Council), a group representing southern tribes that want autonomy but claim they are willing to fight and defeat the Islamic terrorists as well as the Shia rebels first. The Saudis and UAE (United Arab Emirates) worked out a compromise that resulted in a new Yemeni government willing to grant the southern tribes autonomy and possibly offer the northern tribes (both Shia and Sunni) a similar deal as long as Iranian influence was eliminated in the north. The southern tribes agreed to make a deal in part because the UAE backed the deal.

The UAE had been in charge of security (and aid delivery) in the south since 2015 and supported the formation of Aidarous al Zubaidi, the STC leader who was more popular in the south than Abdrabu Mansur Hadi the last and current elected president of united Yemen. Hadi has only briefly visited Yemen a few times since 2015 and spends most of his time in the Saudi capital. This is for Hadis safety, given the number of assassinations going on in Aden, where the Hadi government was moved to in 2015. The Saudis and the UAE do not agree on dividing Yemen once more but for the moment it is more convenient to support the STC and efforts to defeat the Iran backed Shia rebels. The new cabinet ministers, especially those from the STC, are willing to operate from Aden and the south in general.

December 25, 2020: In the southeast (Hadramawt province) a n unexpected outbreak of cholera in the last few months led to an emergency vaccination of vulnerable populations in remote areas. Cholera tends to be seasonal and more common in urban areas. But now it has reached remote villages and it takes a while for UN or Saudi health officials to find out and take actions. There was some religious resistance to these Western medicines but because Saudi are recognized as conservative Moslems that resistance to vaccines was not a problem this time.

While the covid19 crises was little noticed in Yemen that was because the new virus turned out to be much less of a problem than the cholera epidemic, which has been going on since 2016. So far over a million people have been infected and over 2,000 of those infected dying, about half of them children. Naturally Yemenis are more concerned with cholera than with the covid19 pandemic. The cholera epidemic has been largely contained even though there were less than a hundred deaths in 2020. That is expected to decline further in 2021 because of the continuing vaccination program. The only unknown is whether the Shia rebels will again try to extort cash from foreign aid groups carrying out the vaccinations.

December 14, 2020: In Saudi Arabia a tanker off the coast near Saudi oil export facility in Jeddah an explosion occurred on a Singaporean tanker. The crew of 22 got off safely and there was some oil leakage. While fighting the fire it was obvious that the cause of the explosion was external, not internal. This is the latest of several successful Shia rebel attacks on Red Sea shipping. These attacks are the result of Iran changing its tactics in Yemen. The Shia rebels are slowly losing territory to more numerous government forces. Saudi air defenses continue neutralizing ballistic and cruise missile attacks. In response Iran has switched to attempting to disrupt Red Sea commercial traffic by damaging tankers and cargo ships using mines and remotely controlled bomb boats. The Iranians shifted to this naval strategy in early 2020 and it is starting to pay off as more and more commercial ships are suffering damage, What the Iranians need is more successful attacks on Red Sea shipping, including a few large ships being sunk. Saudi Arabia and Egypt are very vulnerable to this Iranian strategy. D isrupting Red Sea traffic interferes with the growing percentage of Saudi Arabian imports and exports that move though Red Sea ports. The Saudis want to reduce reliance on Persian Gulf ports. Red Sea security is even more critical for Egypt. Nearly 20,000 ships a year pass through the Red sea headed for the Suez Canal, which earns Egypt nearly $6 billion a year in transit fees. The new Iranian offensive is made possible because Iran successfully shifted its smuggling operations to northern Somalia where the experienced Somali smugglers were looking for work and Iran paid well and on time. The Arab naval blockade has not yet found out how to foil the smuggling boats, which hide among the many fishing boats and coastal cargo ships operating between Somalia and Yemen and north into the Red Sea.
LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - Corb Lund, perhaps Canada's pre-eminent singer about rural life and cowboy culture, is warning Albertans.

Corb Lund tips his hat during the Fire Aid for Fort McMurray concert in Edmonton on Wednesday, June 29, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - Corb Lund, perhaps Canada's pre-eminent singer about rural life and cowboy culture, is warning Albertans.

"I've seen this coming for a while," he said from his home in Lethbridge, Alta., the day after posting a Facebook video lambasting the province's plans to open a vast stretch of its Rocky Mountains to open-pit coal mining.

"I wrote this song about 15 years ago. It's called "This Is My Prairie."

In it, a rancher laments the industrialization and destruction of the landscape  exactly what Lund fears may happen to his beloved Alberta foothills as coal companies snap up thousands of hectares of previously unmined mountaintops and valleys.

"The scope of this thing  it's huge," Lund said in an interview. "I'm from the foothills and it threatens the hell out of our water. And the mountains. It's a big one."

Lund has released 11 albums documenting the life and culture of those who ride horses to work, labour outdoors, and know what it means when the truck gets stuck in spring gumbo. He regularly tours Canada and around the world and is just as popular with the boots-and-Wranglers set as he is with urban hipsters.

In his video, Lund talks about the province rescinding coal policy dating from 1976, which made those landscapes off-limits to that kind of development.

"There's a lot of bad things about it," he said on Facebook. "It's scary. I'm spooked."

Lund, a sixth-generation southern Albertan, points out the area contains the headwaters for freshwater on which millions depend. Coal mining can release selenium, a highly toxic element that is already poisoning watersheds downstream of coal mines in British Columbia.

Perhaps just as bad is the way the change was made, he said.

"I don't like how it was done, with seemingly no public consultation of potentially affected parties."

That's one of the reasons he made the video  to let people know what was happening.

"Not many people know about it. My friends that irrigate in southern Alberta didn't know about it, and I didn't know about it until December."

Lund said his concerns aren't political.

"I've talked to people in three different political parties about this, federal and provincial. I've talked to ranchers and farmers. I've talked to all sides here."

He's met with Alberta Environment Minister Jason Nixon and Energy Minister Sonya Savage.

"I asked them why this is a good idea. I wasn't satisfied with the answers,'' he said.

"They're basically asking us to trust them but I don't trust anyone on this stuff."

The Alberta government did not immediately comment.

Lund said coal mining is not a divisive issue in his circles. People oppose it.

"I haven't really run into too many people who think it's a good idea to rip up the mountains and poison the water."

"I understand (the government is) trying to help the economy, but this is short-term, silly thinking."

The eastern slopes, where the prairies vault into the spires of the Rocky Mountains, are too close to Alberta's sense of itself to mess with, he said.

"I've travelled a lot. Every time I get off the airplane in Calgary and start driving south, it's a magical feeling for me. It's a pretty damn special place and anyone who visits and hasn't seen it is like, 'Oh my God.'"

Alberta has a long history of taking shots from entertainment figures who disagree with its environmental policies. The list includes Jane Fonda, James Cameron, Neil Young and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Lund doesn't want to be added to that folder.

"I live here," he said. "My family's been here since the 1800s. It's different."

Lund isn't sure what his next step will be, or if there is a next step.

"I don't know," he said. "I've always stayed out of current events because I feel I have a different role to play.

"But this one's such a big deal I just can't stay out of it."

-- By Bob Weber in Edmonton

-- Follow @row1960 on Twitter

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2021.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
It is a bit early for Tamil Nadu to go into election mode with at least four more months left for the AIADMK to relinquish power. But it has happened as the principal contender to the throne, the DMK, launched an all-out war to storm Fort St George quite early, forcing the ruling dispensation to quickly respond. Thus, the battle lines have been drawn between the two traditional rivals, who have been ruling the state alternately since 1967, after that indistinct threat that loomed for about a year in the form of actor Rajinikanth dissipated and the other actor, Kamal Haasan, is not expected to play a big role.

Of course, Mr Haasan is around and has already started going around spouting rhetoric and another actor, Seeman, with his Naam Tamilar Katchi is, as usual, spewing chauvinistic vitriol. But there is no scope for a third front to take on the might of the DMK and AIADMK as a plethora of smaller parties in the state, which include the BJP and Congress that are otherwise political giants at the national level, have started rallying around the Dravidian majors, in the run-up to the state Assembly elections. But the same small parties are now promising to provide scope for some political drama.

The rumblings of discontent in the two coalitions, forged during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, are signs of potential wrangling, triggered by the overt ambitions of the two lead parties that want to rule the state. Both DMK and AIADMK are keen on contesting in an extremely high number of seats, as both are averse to sharing power with allies. For them, alliances are for winning elections and not ruling the state and hence they expect at least a simple majority to form the government on their own. And the fallout is allies not getting the desired number of seats.

In the past, as it happened in 2016, disillusionment over seat allocation had united small parties to form alternative alliances. But this time there is no sign of such rebellions as the small parties seem to be prepared to accept whatever is given, though they have started asserting themselves in a different way. Almost all the parties want to retain their individual identity by contesting in their own symbols and names. Since that goes against the wishes of both the alliance leaders, who want smaller allies to opt for their popular election symbols, thus marking ally candidates, at least in Election Commission records, as their representative, there is bound to be friction and action.

Another thorn in the flesh of the AIADMK is the PMK bargaining for an assurance to provide 20 per cent exclusive reservation for the Vanniyar community that it represents to remain in the alliance. How the AIADMK deals with the belligerent PMK and how both the lead partners coax allies to settle for low numbers of seats would form the next act of the long drawn electoral drama, whose climax is, as said earlier, four months away.
We now have what Venezuela has made itself famous for: a stolen election. The Democrats even used the very same Dominion software the corrupt rulers of Venezuela rely on. That's a wow!

There will be consequences. To steal elections  and to allow elections to be stolen  is to invite civil unrest and distrust of government of the precise kind that other countries with fraudulent elections experience.

A fair election is what gives a government of the people its claim to legitimacy. A politician who is elected by fraud has no more claim to office than a carjacker has to the car he has taken from the car's rightful owner. Theft is theft.

American voters traditionally accepted their candidate losing an election because they believed that the election was fair. Take that belief away, and America moves into a different political and social condition from what we have known for all our lives.

Congress failed to stand up for the most basic requirement of the American system of government: a clean election. What happened and what did not happen in Congress revealed a most unwelcome truth. Evidently, there are two main groups in Congress. One group is ready, willing, and able to steal elections, and the other group is unwilling even to try to defeat the theft of an election.

Allowing the Democrats to get away with stealing this election puts the future of the bewildered and bewildering other political party in doubt. Because of that fact, you would think every Republican in Congress  even Mitt Romney  would have at the very least gone down heroically fighting this brazen attempt to put an end to the American Idea of government by, for, and of the people under the Constitution.

In light of what Congress did and did not do on January 6, we must come to the most unwelcome conclusion imaginable: America's majority party is willing to steal elections to hold on to power, and the minority party, remaining frozen in its traditional defensive crouch, is unwilling to fight back or else incapable of it.

Consequently, saving the American system is up to the American people. It belongs to us, and it is ours to save or to lose. If we sit passively by, waiting for America's deeply flawed political parties to do what must be done, you know and I know what will happen.

The American people can put a stop to this criminal enterprise, if only we will. Overcoming the widespread fraud that is now baked into the system won't be easy, but what must be done can be done.

In any event, win or lose, let's conduct ourselves in a way that would make the Founders proud.

Robert Curry serves on the Board of Directors of the Claremont Institute. He is the author of Reclaiming Common Sense: Finding Truth in a Post-Truth World and Common Sense Nation: Unlocking the Forgotten Power of the American Idea. Both are published by Encounter Books.

Image: Jeff Turner via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.

President-elect Joe Biden will begin his term seeking to confirm his cabinet and seize hold of the coronavirus response while the Senate most likely moves ahead with an impeachment trial of his predecessor.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has decided not to use his position to bring the Senate back into session for an immediate impeachment trial  putting the start date of a trail off by days, and throwing the start of Biden's tenure into doubt.

McConnell's office confirmed Wednesday that the leader, who is reportedly infuriated with Trump following the MAGA mob that ransacked the Capitol, would not use special emergency authority to bring colleagues back to consider an impeachment article against Trump.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has 'not made a final decision on how I will vote' on impeachment, he told colleagues. He has decided not to use emergency powers to call the Senate back in question for a quick impeachment trial

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer of New York had hoped to get McConnell on board to act sooner.

That means the chamber is likely to be back in session only on January 19th  the day before Joe Biden is set to take the Oath of Office.

With Republicans still holding the majority this week, Biden has been able to secure hearings for a group of his nominees at key cabinet departments of Treasury, Defense, Homeland Security, and State  but Biden plans to name 'acting' heads from among career officials.

But there is a real concern impeachment will soak up both floor time and attention during the start of his term. Schumer, who will become majority leader after Biden takes office, is seeking to carry out a plan to split days between legislative and confirmation work and the impeachment trial.

Trump supporters gather on the second day of pro-Trump events fueled by President Donald Trump's continued claims of election fraud in an to overturn the results before Congress finalizes them in a joint session of the 117th Congress on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump a ''clear and present danger' and called for his impeachment

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, gathers her papers before entering the House chamber, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The House of Representatives is pursuing an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week

National Guard soldiers taking a break inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC, USA, 13 January 2021. Today the House starts impeachment proceedings against US President Donald J. Trump for inciting the insurrection that lead to the storming of the US Capitol by Trump partisans

Biden has said he raised the issue of a 'bifurcated' issue with McConnell, who has reached out to the Senate parliamentarian.

McConnell wrote colleagues Wednesday following press reports of his fury over the Capitol riots and that he might even back impeachment.

'While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate,' McConnell told colleagues.

He explained his reasoning in a statement issued publicly Wednesday afternoon.

'The House of Representatives has voted to impeach the President. The Senate process will now begin at our first regular meeting following receipt of the article from the House,' said McConnell. He said there was 'no chance' of acting in a way that would remove Trump from office before the end of his term.

'Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week. The Senate has held three presidential impeachment trials. They have lasted 83 days, 37 days, and 21 days respectively,' he continued.

'Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office. This is not a decision I am making; it is a fact. The President-elect himself stated last week that his inauguration on January 20 is the 'quickest' path for any change in the occupant of the presidency,' he said.

'In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration. I am grateful to the offices and institutions within the Capitol that are working around the clock, alongside federal and local law enforcement, to prepare for a safe and successful inauguration at the Capitol next Wednesday.'

His words that he has made no final decision on how to vote on impeachment  a remarkable statement from the man who held organized Trump's defense during his first impeachment last year  came after Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the House GOP conference chair, announced her support for impeachment in a blistering statement that House Democrats quoted on the floor.

Biden is developing a coronavirus relief plan to revive $2,000 checks to Americans, with a plan of crafting a bipartisan package rather than using special budget reconciliation rules to jam it through with Democratic votes, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

Schumer has called the package 'our first order of legislative business.'

McConnell's office confirmed the decision as the House was debating an article charging Trump with 'incitement of insurrection,' with Democrats accusing Trump of fueling a 'deadly insurrection' and Republicans calling for 'unity' in Trump's final days.

The president himself issued a statement from the White House urging that there be 'NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind.'

The timing of a trial was raised as an obstacle even before House Democrats decided to go ahead with impeachment, with some harboring doubts about impeaching Trump after he leaves office. House Republicans argued it could bring martyrdom to Trump, even at a time when he was suffering resignations and denunciations.

McConnell's decision impacted the House impeachment debate as it was still going on. House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who spoke against impeachment Trump despite saying he 'bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters,' invoked the Senate decision as a reason not to go ahead with impeachment.

'The Senate will not even take this up until President Trump is out of office,' said House Republican Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), who like McCarthy voted not to accept electoral votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania last week.
Company ends successful year with 200% growth in revenue, and over 150% increase in personnel despite worldwide turbulence

NEW YORK and RISHON LETZION, Israel, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Cymulate , the only SaaS-based Continuous Security Validation platform to operationalize the MITRE ATT&CK framework end-to-end, today announced it has achieved 200% revenue growth in global 2020 new bookings following its 240% growth performance of 2019. The company attained 90% customer retention and 300% growth in North America with the number of employees increasing by over 150% over the last 12 months as operations extended across Europe and the US to support sales.

New partnerships established in 2020 with Pax8, a cloud solutions provider and Ingram Micro, one of the largest technology solution enablers as well as more expected partnerships, are one of the key factors expected to fuel 2021's growth. Cymulate became the only BAS vendor to offer its solution through the AWS Marketplace, enabling security validation customers to immediately assess, evaluate and gain real visibility into their security posture.

Cymulate took BAS customization and automation to the next level with the launch of the industry's first Purple Team module. This new open security validation framework empowers companies to orchestrate attacks exactly as they would experience in real life without requiring highly skilled experts, and offers customization for more advanced users. The company also achieved System and Organization Controls 2, Type II (SOC2 Type II) compliance in addition to ISO 27001 certification, which ensures adequate measures and procedures to protect its clients' sensitive data.

Cymulate's survey with the Ponemon Institute highlighted that 78% of companies do not have high confidence in their security controls and 43% either do not test them or do so only when an incident occurs. While 62% acquired new security technologies and 59% had to relax some security policies to support working from home, only 38% tested the security that protected the new attack paths created by remote work. To help bolster company security defenses during the pandemic, Cymulate offered a complimentary 60 day-free license for new customers. The offer, which has been leveraged by hundreds of enterprises to date, is currently valid for a short time period for those wanting to validate and optimize their security at the outset of 2021.

"The end of 2020 saw the culmination of an unprecedented year with an increasing magnitude of cyber-attacks. Our solid growth proved the value for organizations to adopt our unique approach of continuous security assessments," said Eyal Wachsman, Co-Founder and CEO of Cymulate. "Together with the dedication and hard work of our team, we succeeded in providing our customers with advanced platform capabilities that solve critical security needs. We look forward to helping more companies navigate an increasingly complex and hostile environment in 2021."

Cymulate is deployed by hundreds of customers. These include non-profits and healthcare organizations, public and private healthcare companies, general institutions, companies in the space of IOT and communication, financial companies and stock exchanges and critical infrastructure and manufacturing.

"Cymulate's continuous security validation assists companies with a mature security posture in understanding the need for frequent validation. As cyber-attacks increase in sophistication, identifying the security gaps in a timely manner is becoming a critical component of every organization's security program. Automating security risk assessments across the kill chain enables CISOs and their teams to challenge, assess and simply optimize their cyber posture and control the dynamic environment they operate in," said Hilik Kotler, CISO, FICO and Advisory Board member, Cymulate.

Additional 2020 company highlights include:

Discovery of a method for attackers to run malicious code via Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) using a technique known as DLL Side-Loading

Protocol (RDP) using a technique known as DLL Side-Loading The appointment of Brian Stone as the Company's Chief Revenue Officer to accelerate worldwide growth

as the Company's Chief Revenue Officer to accelerate worldwide growth Established a North American based advisory board of seasoned industry leaders

of seasoned industry leaders Won several awards including:

- Cymulate's Co-founder and CTO Avihai Ben Yosef included in Forbes Israel 30 under 30

- Gold in the Breach and Attack Simulation, Detection and Protection category by Info Security's PG Global Excellence Awards

- First place in the Breach and Attack Simulation category in the InfoSec Awards 2020 by Cyber Defense Magazine

About Cymulate

Cymulate's Continuous Security Validation enables companies to challenge, assess and optimize their cyber-security posture against the evolving threat landscape, simply and continuously. The platform provides out-of-the-box, expert and threat intelligence led RISK assessments that are simple to use for all skill levels, and constantly updated. It also provides an open framework for ethical hackers to create and automate red and purple team exercises and security assurance programs tailored to their unique environment and security policies. Cymulate helps security professionals to know and control their dynamic environment.

For more information, visit www.cymulate.com and register for a Free Trial .

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1336659/Cymulate_Logo.jpg
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Symons State Scenic Viewpoint, N. Oregon Coast: Oceanside's Secret in Plain Sight

Published 01/11/21 at 7:56 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Oceanside, Oregon)  Like the little engine that could, there's one little viewpoint tucked away on the north Oregon coast that can and does  and keeps on doing so. Minuscule Symons State Scenic Viewpoint at Oceanside just keeps on giving  giving out incredible views. And yet most driving through the tiny town in Tillamook County essentially whiz past it and head straight for the beach accesses.

So by default, Symons State Scenic Viewpoint becomes a kind of secret hiding in plain sight. People are just too busy to bother.

It doesn't help that it's simply a gravel pullout at one of those white-knuckled twists in the road coming from Netarts, so everyone is truly paying attention to their driving. Then, it's right across the street from some sort of town water facility, which makes it a bit easier to overlook.

Yet it's a small place of big beauty, with gorgeous views of Oceanside, Maxwell Point, the sands below and the attractions to the south. From here, Cape Lookout juts out into the ocean and interrupts the seascape, sometimes with dazzling qualities like a giant cloud enveloping it (see why headlands wear a hat).





In fact, somewhat weirdly, it's a small state park  perhaps the smallest in all of Oregon, but certainly along the coast.

Symons is also a place of big Oregon coast skies. Photographing the Three Arch Rocks in the distance from here gives you a unique angle, especially if the sun is kind of winding down the day. The Great Orb is often well to the south, keeping sand, sea and rock structures well and evenly illuminated. It's not hard to get a good photo here. Also, this slightly elevated viewpoint lets you take in the beach and whatever the sky is doing with compositional ease. For more amateur photogs it's good for the ego.

Shooting to the south, however, is a bit more difficult. The sun tends to get in the way there.

Symons State Scenic Viewpoint is really supposed to be just that: an overlook. There's a chunk of the cliff that fell away here years ago; the resulting debris at the bottom was rather interesting before it was washed out. This leaves a massive dent, and some are able to amble down it onto the beach. Yet this is not advisable, as that chunk is definitely too steep and the risk of injury is increased. If you're tempted  don't. Just don't. Besides, doing so adds to the geologic instability of the weak spot and you could loosen things up enough that the next person gets injured here.

Instead, take in the scenery and take the selfies. It's a good, safe place to watch Oregon coast storms kick the beaches around. Those magnificent Three Arch Rocks (see the Oceanside connection to President Roosevelt) dominate the scenery with grandness, and they seem more a part of Maxwell Point than ever.

In the end, Symons State Scenic Viewpoint is really a place where the scenery makes a scene: a loud, boisterous visual outburst of wildly diverse layers.

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People wear coats and masks as temperature falls to 19 degrees in HCMC, January 13, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Ha An.

HCMC recorded 19 degrees Celsius on Wednesday morning, the lowest temperature since last year.

The Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Center said a mass of cold air moving southward was responsible for temperatures in southern Vietnam falling by 2-3 degrees since.

In some places, including at a station in Dong Nai Province which borders HCMC, temperatures have dipped to as low as 14.4 degrees Celsius, it said.

The coldest it got in the city last year was 20 degrees Celsius.

In the next 72 hours the mass of cold air is expected to weaken, bringing warmer and less rainy days, but the cold is expected to persist at least until Thursday morning, it forecast.

On the citys streets, many people could be seen wearing coats and scarves.

Many also expressed surprise at the sudden fall in temperature.

Truong Quang Danh of Binh Tan District said: "I shiver as I ride on the street, but I like it. Its like Im in Da Lat." He was referring to the Central Highlands town known for cool climate.

In the last decade the coldest temperature recorded in the city was 17 degrees Celsius in 2009.

The lowest ever recorded since after the war (1976) was 16.4 degrees Celsius on December 25, 1999.

Vietnam is expected to experience a colder winter than usual this year as the Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature drops, forming the La Nina phenomenon, the weather office had said last year.
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SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's private sector vaccine clinics will be able to give customers a COVID-19 shot developed by India's Bharat Biotech once Brazil's federal health regulator has approved the drug, the head of the Brazilian Association of Vaccine Clinics (ABCVAC) said on Wednesday.

Speaking after a trip to visit Bharat Biotech executives in India, ABCVAC President Geraldo Barbosa said that private sector talks to acquire Bharat's COVAXIN vaccine would not interfere with the Brazilian government's efforts to acquire vaccines for the public sector.

Barbosa said that private clinics would only be able to buy the vaccine once health regulator Anvisa has signed off on the drug. He did not say whether a deal with Bharat had been signed, nor did he provide specific numbers on the size of any order.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is under mounting pressure because of the slow pace of the country's vaccine rollout. Inoculations have yet to begin in Latin America's largest country and Anvisa has yet to approve any vaccine for use.

Bharat Biotech said on Tuesday that it had signed an agreement with a Brazil-based pharmaceutical seller, Precisa Medicamentos, to supply the vaccine even though it has yet to be approved.

(Reporting by Eduardo Simoes; Writing by Ana Mano; Editing by David Goodman)
By Mimi Lang

On Jan. 22, the Ban the Bomb movement is coming to a town, city, state or country near you. This is a momentous occasion in relation to protecting the world from the disaster of nuclear weapons. Since the dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki 75 years ago, countries throughout the world have been advocating for a ban on nuclear weapons. It has been 51 years since the United Nations General Assembly passed the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. 191 countries signed it. The treaty is reviewed and renewed every five years. It does not ban nuclear weapons.

Under the treaty, nonnuclear countries agreed never to acquire nuclear weapons. The nuclear weapons-owning countries agreed to share the benefits of peaceful nuclear technology and to pursue nuclear disarmament and the elimination of their nuclear arsenals. Although nuclear arsenals worldwide have decreased, as of 2019 there were approximately 3,750 active nuclear warheads and 13,890 total nuclear warheads in the world.

To relate to the excitement generated by the importance of the new Ban the Bomb plan, you may have to familiarize yourself the alphabet soup of acronyms surrounding nuclear disarmament. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) is a coalition of non-governmental, international organizations whose goal is to stigmatize, prohibit and eliminate nuclear weapons. Their work involves inspiring countries to adhere to and implement the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, TPNR.

ICAN won the Noble Prize for Peace in 2017 for its work helping the world come to terms with the catastrophic harm and existential threat of the most inhumane and indiscriminate weapons ever created. ICAN is a broad, inclusive campaign, inspired by the urgency and feasibility of abolishing nuclear weapons. Its members focus on mobilizing civil society around the specific objective of achieving, entering into force, and implementing a global nuclear weapons abolition.

In July 2017, 122 nations signed on to the Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, TPNW. In order for the treaty to become official, it had to ratified by 50 nations. Honduras was the 50th state to sign on Oct. 24, 2020. The date for implementing the TPNW, the first international treaty banning nuclear weapons, will take effect Jan. 22.

The commitment for the U.S. to disarm is questionable, as we know that current planning includes at least $1.7 billion to rebuild the U.S. nuclear arsenals. Prior to the TPNW, documents were written to prevent the use of biological and chemical weapons, land mines and cluster bombs, but no restrictions were provided for nuclear weapons.

The United States and the eight other nuclear weapon states have refused to sign the TPNW. Along with the U.S., Russia, the UK, China, France, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel did not sign the treaty. The U.S. discourages its allies from signing the treaty and demands that countries it protects through NATO also not sign it. It is discouraging that the nuclear-armed states continue to resist disarming. However, it is felt that pressure from the 122 signing countries and 50 ratifying ones will eventually pressure cooperation from non-signing states, especially as more countries ratify the TPNW.

You might wonder, how this can happen? The challenge to those dedicated to the abolition of nuclear weapons is to keep disarmament in the public eye. We need to be aware of the investments that corporations and organizations make in the nuclear industry, especially indirectly. For example, Honeywell is a producer of nuclear weapon components but its website doesnt mention nuclear weapons. A country that has ratified the TPNW can divest from Honeywell aircraft or other Honeywell materials. Countries, cities, universities, banks, pension funds can also divest from any of the 26 companies that have a role in producing nuclear weapons and/or support nuclear weapons research.

Local activists from the LEPOCO Peace Center will be visiting mayors and councils in the Lehigh Valley to ask them to sign on to the TPNW. Consider asking your religious group or school to sign on.

You might notice several signs throughout the Lehigh Valley celebrating Ban the Bomb. To join the effort or find out more go to https://www.icanw.org/ or lepoco@fast.net

Mimi Lang is a member of LePoCo and a Lehigh Valley Quaker. She lives in Bethlehem.
Revell Nabs Podcaster Duo

Kelsey Bowen, acquisitions editor with Revell, has inked a world rights deal with Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers, podcast hosts of Pantsuit Politics and authors of I Think Youre Wrong (But Im Listening) (Thomas Nelson, 2019). The new yet-to-be-titled book, scheduled for summer 2022 release, will help readers see themselves as part of a larger community and encourage them to create a better world. The deal was negotiated by Sharon Pelletier of Dystel, Goderich, and Bourret.

Zahnd Moves to IVP

Andrea Heinecke at Alive Literary sold world rights to Elissa Schauer, managing and associate trade editor at IVP, for Brian Zahnds next book. Tentatively titled What Can We Do When Everything In On Fire?, the book is slated for publication in winter 2022. In the new book, Zahnd, pastor and author of Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God (WaterBrook, 2017), addresses those who are trying to hold on to Christian faith in a secular age.

Eerdmans Takes Every Little Thing

Kathleen Merz at Eerdmans Books for Young Readers took world rights to For Every Little Thing: Prayers and Poems to Celebrate the Day by June Cotner and Nancy Tupper Ling, illustrated by Helen Cann. The anthology, scheduled for publication in fall 2021, encourages gratitude for everyday moments through classic and contemporary prayers, poems, and interfaith blessings. Anne Marie OFarrell at her eponymous literary agency represented the editors, while the illustrator was unagented.

Lenten Cookbook Lands at Sophia Institute

Sophia Institute Presss Charlie McKinney took world rights to The Vatican Lenten Cookbook by former Swiss Guard and acclaimed chef David Geisser, who offers original recipes for the Lenten season. Geisser, who collaborated with Sophia on the bestselling The Vatican Christmas Cookbook (2020), brokered the deal directly. Publication is set for February 2022.

Broadleaf Questions Normal

Valerie Weaver-Zercher at Broadleaf Books bought world rights to Is This Normal? by Niro Feliciano, a cognitive psychotherapist and podcast host. Feliciano unpacks eight daily practices, grounded in therapeutic approaches, neuroscience, and spirituality, that move us away from anxiety and fear and toward equilibrium and calm. No agent was involved in the sale. The book is slated for publication in spring 2022.
Image by Doug Mills/The New York Times

The US House of Representatives is all set to vote on articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on Wednesday, thus opening the possibility of him becoming the only president in American history to be impeached twice.

The article of impeachment charges Trump with a count of 'incitement of insurrection' for his actions on January 6, when he delivered a speech inciting his supporters to lay siege to the Capitol, an action that temporarily halted the counting of Electoral College votes and resulted in the deaths of five individuals, including an officer of the US Capitol Police.

On Tuesday night, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named the Managers of the impeachment trial of Trump. The Lead Manager is Congressman Jamie Raskin, who is the main author of the articles of impeachment.

The other managers are congresswomen Diana DeGette, Stacey Plaskett and Madeleine Dean and congressmen David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu and Joe Neguse.

It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the President's impeachment and removal. They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution. Our Managers will honour their duty to defend democracy 'For The People' with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency, Pelosi said.

The move came after the House passed a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to strip Trump of his duties. Pence in a letter to Pelosi, a top Democratic leader, declined to do so.

Earlier, the House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler released a majority staff report for the impeachment of Trump. The 50-page report made a strong case to impeach the Republican president.

In the words of Vice President Pence, the 'Presidency belongs to the American people, and to them alone.' President Trump has falsely asserted he won the 2020 presidential election and repeatedly sought to overturn the results of the election. As his efforts failed again and again, President Trump continued a parallel course of conduct that foreseeably resulted in the imminent lawless actions of his supporters, who attacked the Capitol and the Congress, the report said.

This course of conduct, viewed within the context of his past actions and other attempts to subvert the presidential election, demonstrate that President Trump remains a clear and present danger to the Constitution and our democracy, the report alleged.

The House must reject this outrageous attempt to overturn the election and this incitement of violence by a sitting president against his own government.

"President Trump committed a high Crime and Misdemeanor against the Nation by inciting an insurrection at the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election. The facts establish that he is unfit to remain in office a single day longer and warrant the immediate impeachment of President Trump, the report said.

In Texas, where he was travelling, Trump said that the impeachment 'hoax' is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of the country. It is causing tremendous anger and division and pain -- far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time, Trump said.

Former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, who defended Trump a year ago in the Senate trial after the House impeached him, decried the latest impeachment move.

It comes within core political speech. And to impeach a president for having exercised his First Amendment rights would be so dangerous to the Constitution. It would lie around like a loaded weapon ready to be used by either party against the other party, Dershowitz told Fox news in an interview.

The Democratic-led House of Representatives on December 18, 2019 had approved the articles of impeachment against Trump, charging him of pressuring Ukraine to smear Joe Biden, using nearly USD 400 million in military aid as leverage.

However, the Republican-controlled Senate in February 2020 acquitted him of the two charges -- abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Impeachment is about preserving the Nation from a threat to the constitutional order, not imposing punishment. Nowhere did the Framers suggest that a President must be allowed to remain in office if his abuses involved speech that would otherwise be shielded from criminal regulation by the First Amendment, said the House Judiciary majority report released on Tuesday.

This would be a strange and irrational limitation: Presidents would be free to openly advocate the overthrow of the United States government, or the adoption of fascism, and Congress would be powerless to remove them on that basis, it said.

Moreover, given that many prior impeachable offenses have involved at least some conduct that might rank as protected speech, applying a rigid First Amendment rule in this field would risk obfuscating Presidential conductwhether involving speech or notthat menaces the American democratic system, said the report.
Teton County Reporter

Previously the Scene editor, Billy Arnold made the switch to the county beat where he's interested in exploring Teton County as a model for the rest of the West. When he can, he still writes about art, music and whatever else suits his fancy.
Seoul: Where is Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader's influential sister? That is a question many who watch the cloistered, nuclear-armed country are wondering after she failed to appear in absolute leader Kim Jong Un's newly released line-up for the country's powerful Politburo in recent days.

Some say Kim Jong Un may have demoted his sister over general policy failures. Others, however, believe he could be worried about her rapid rise and increasingly high profile as he tries to bolster his domestic authority in the face of growing economic challenges.

Rumours that Kim Yo Jong is her brother's heir apparent could be dangerous because they "raise the issue of Kim's hold on power and health inside North Korea," said Oh Gyeong-seob, an analyst at Seoul's Korea Institute for National Unification. This, he said, is why Kim Jong Un is slowing down her rise in power.

The development is a surprise because Kim Yo Jong, who became an alternate member of the Politburo last year, was widely expected to receive a full bureau membership during a ruling Workers Party congress that ended Tuesday.

Live TV

A Politburo membership is viewed as crucial for high-level officials hoping to thrive in Kim Jong Un's government because he's made key decisions at bureau meetings, including the 2013 move to execute his powerful uncle Jang Song Taek, and the 2012 purge of military chief Ri Yong Ho.

When the eight-day congress, the first of its kind since 2016, opened last week, Kim Yo Jong, who is thought to be about 32, sat on the leadership podium, standing out amid the often elderly, overwhelmingly male party cadres. But when the congress on Monday announced a list of 30 alternate and full members of the Politburo, including the 37-year-old Kim Jong Un, her name wasn't there.

Kim Yo Jong hasn't been purged or forced to quit politics, a fate that some officials have met under Kim Jong Un, and she still retains her membership in the party's Central Committee, also a high-level body. But when she released a statement criticising South Korea on Wednesday, state media identified her as a "vice department director" of the party, a lower rank than her previous title of "first vice department director."

Kim Jong Un is urging his 25 million people to rally behind his leadership to overcome what he has called his nation's "worst-ever" difficulties. North Korea has faced coronavirus-related economic shocks, a spate of natural disasters last summer and persistent US-led sanctions over its pursuit of illicit nuclear weapons. During the congress, Kim vowed to expand his nuclear arsenal and build a stronger, self-reliant economy.

"The congress purpose is to solidify Kim Jong Un's leadership. If Kim Yo Jong had become a full Politburo member, all eyes would have been on her...And Kim Jong Un likely felt that as a burden," Ko Young-hwan, a former deputy head of the Institute for National Security Strategy, a think-tank run by South Korea's spy agency, said during a TV news programme on Monday.

Previously little known to outsiders, Kim Yo Jong has soared politically since her brother inherited power after their father, Kim Jong Il, died in late 2011.

The current Kims are the third generation of their family to rule North Korea, and their leadership is based on a personality cult established after their grandfather Kim Il Sung founded the country in 1948. Their mythical "paektu" bloodline, named after the North's most sacred mountain, allows only direct family members to rule the country.

Kim Yo Jong rose to international prominence after her brother's high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with US President Donald Trump and other world leaders in 2018 and 2019. In those meetings, her proximity to Kim Jong Un sparked speculation that she was serving as her brother's chief of staff.

In South Korea, she built an image as "a peace messenger" after she attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, becoming the first member of the North's ruling family to visit the South.

Last year, however, she abruptly changed course by launching harsh diatribes against South Korea and putting pressure on the United States to make concessions amid deadlocked nuclear diplomacy. North Korea's state media said she was in charge of relations with South Korea, and outside experts speculated that she might be handing US affairs as well.

In her statement on Wednesday, she slammed South Korea for provoking the North by announcing that it had detected intelligence that North Korea held a military parade or a rehearsal for such a parade this week.

When unconfirmed global rumours about Kim Jong Un's health rose last year, some observers said Kim Yo Jong was next in line to rule North Korea if her brother became incapacitated. South Korea's spy agency said later that she was virtually the North's No. 2 official but hadn't been anointed as her brother's heir.

"Kim Jong Un likely held his sister responsible for worsened (external) ties, as she had no achievements in relations with the US and South Korea," said Kim Yeol Soo, an analyst with South Korea's Korea Institute for Military Affairs.

Whatever the reason for her apparent loss of the Politburo job, many experts say her political clout likely remains unchanged thanks to her direct link to the paektu bloodline. There's also a feeling that Kim Jong Un could eventually give her another high-profile job.

Oh, the analyst, said Kim Yo Jong is likely the second-most powerful woman in North Korean history after Kim Song Ae, the late second wife of Kim Il Sung.
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VECA is one of 15 startups to be accelerated in the fund-raising process under JICAs Ninja Accelerator Program

The teams will start the programme with the Acceleration Bootcamp  an intense training camp which equips the early-stage startups with the necessary skills and knowledge to define their development strategies as well as progress to successful fundraising.

In the Acceleration Bootcamp, each team will be assigned a dedicated mentor who will guide them on their business validation, go-to-market strategy, while building network and positioning them for fundraising.

Previously, through the Investment Game  a gamified simulation of the actual fundraising process held online in mid-November 2020  30 shortlisted startups from the Preliminary Round had the opportunity to pitch to investors on their businesses, experience the intensity of the virtual fundraising process and compete to be the best 15 to qualify for the Acceleration Program in 2021.

The 15 teams in NINJA Accelerator in Ho Chi Minh City are in the fields of education, environment, agriculture, health, user behaviour research, and AI to develop products in the digital economy.

They include prominent initiatives such as local economic social network SORA, which allows in-kind trading and promotes a money-free economy; scrap collecting application VECA where anyone can make money from scrap and contribute to environmental protection; or high-tech equipment for dermatology application AMED, a "Made in Vietnam" invention with international quality to support domestic dermatology.

Lim Boon Chow, deputy director of Entrepreneur Education of Nanyang Technical University  NTUitive Pte., Ltd. shared, "Vietnam is forecast to remain an economic 'spark' owing to her ability to maintain a positive economic growth in 2020 despite the challenges of the global pandemic. We hope that NINJA Accelerator in Ho Chi Minh City will have a positive impact on the startup community and will produce more successful and well-funded startups from our future programmes conducted by our Vietnam Program Partners starting from the second half of 2021."

NINJA Accelerator in Ho Chi Minh City is an online programme that lasts for 11 weeks from January 12 to April 9, 2021. Each team will have time to develop under the guidance of their own mentors, in addition to the general training programme on market research and idea evaluation. After three months, startups will have validated their customers and developed their growth paths, built strong teams, understood how investors work, and developed their own fundraising strategies. The capstone of the programme is the NTUit.io Investment Game on April 9, 2021 where the 15 teams will prepare to win over investors.
Kim Yo-jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, attends the congress of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang on Tuesday, state media reported Wednesday. Yonhap



The influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un slammed authorities in Seoul over their tracking of a possible military parade in Pyongyang at the weekend, the North's state media reported Wednesday.



"The southerners are a truly weird group hard to understand," Kim Yo Jong, a key adviser to her brother, said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.



"They are the idiot and top the world's list in misbehaviour."



Her comments accompanied the end of the North's ruling party congress, a key political event at which Kim Jong Un pledged to further develop his country's nuclear capabilities and admitted mistakes over the handling of the economy.






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Texas Republicans would like to move on from the deadly events in Washington, D.C. last week  and surely from Donald J. Trumps presidency.

Hes in office, what, another week? said Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday, when asked about calls for Trumps removal in the wake of the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol.

He defended the president, albeit not particularly vigorously, when asked if Trump bears any responsibility for inciting the riot, which left four rioters and one Capitol Police officer dead.

Violence always, obviously, is unacceptable, Abbott said. But the people responsible for that violence are the people who did it, and theyre the ones who should be punished for it.

Thats a conclusion that many Republicans have swiftly embraced over the past week while calling on Democrats, including President-Elect Joe Biden, to move forward in the name of healing and unity.

Its a line of argument that is bound to cast a pall over this years regular session of the Texas Legislature, which began on Tuesday.

The first day of the session is usually a festive one; that wasnt the case this year, thanks to the ongoing COVID pandemic. Although the Texas Capitol is open to the public, a negative COVID test is required to enter, and most members have adopted some sort of social distancing policies for visitors to their offices.

In addition to that, there was a heavy Department of Public Safety presence at the Capitol Tuesday  which was welcome, given that the FBI is warning of armed protests at all 50 state capitols in the days leading up to Bidens Jan. 20 inauguration.

All things considered, however, it was a smooth opening day for the 87th Legislature. Under different circumstances, it might well be described as auspicious. Democrats and Republicans are mostly on the same page about the need to address the coronavirus pandemic, as well as continuing to build on the investments made in public education education two years ago, along with other mainstream priorities.

And Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar had good news for lawmakers when he released his Biennial Revenue Estimate Monday: the Lege faces a budget shortfall of some $950 million  significant, but much less severe than analysts had feared as the pandemic and shutdowns battered the state economy.

There will no doubt be some pitched partisan scuffles as the session goes on. Im hopeful that Republicans will remember what their party stands for and enact policies accordingly, state Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Republican who represents part of Harris County, told me Tuesday.

But as it stands, the pet populist issue du jour for Republicans, who control both the House and the Senate, seems to be passing legislation that would allow Texans to purchase alcohol to go  a pandemic-era innovation intended to support the struggling restaurant industry  permanently. Freedom!

And a nice display of comity came from the Texas House, where state Rep. Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican was elected Speaker with the support of all of the chambers Democrats, and all but two of its Republicans.

As legislators were taking their oaths of office, however, Trump was on his way to Texas to tour a section of the border wall erected in the Rio Grande Valley during the course of his presidency. The trip may have been planned as a way to keep the temperamental president busy, if not happy, during the grim denouement of his one term in office. Still, it struck many Texas Democrats as sending quite a different message .

Trump is like a criminal who returns to the scene of a crime, said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat from El Paso. Escobar represents a city where 23 people were shot and killed at a Walmart store in 2019 by a white nationalist from suburban Dallas who had posted an online manifesto that echoed Trumps immigration statements.

The president who launched his 2016 presidential bid warning of rapists from Mexico would surely reject Escobars characterization, as hes rejected all calls for him to take any responsibility for his role in the Jan. 6 mayhem. In brief remarks to reporters Tuesday morning, he insisted his comments calling on thousands at a rally outside the White House to march on the Capitol were totally appropriate.

After arriving in the Rio Grande Valley, Trump expressed displeasure about the fact that he is likely to become the first president in history to be impeached twice.

The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country, he said, and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain  far greater than most people will ever understand  which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time.

Former state Rep. Poncho Nevarez, a West Texas Democrat, told me legislators shouldnt be naive about the risk of mischief that might be perpetrated by Texans who are, even now, having their grievances stoked by Trump and his allies. He thinks the 2021 session really requires a day-to-day strategy.

It is up to the members to tamp down constituency nonsense that would bring them to the (state) Capitol, putting others in harms way, Nevarez said.

Credit is due to Phelan, the new speaker, who acknowledged the dark side of political and social division weve all seen, and encouraged his colleagues to confront it directly.

History is born out of adversity, Phelan said, and legacies are made by doing what is right.

Thats a better approach than the dismissive attitude Abbott embodied Monday.

Listen, all the political machinations in Washington, D.C., about the last few days of his presidency are nothing more than political machinations, Abbott said.

The governor may well believe that. Its hard to tell, these days, what Republican leaders actually believe.

But those who hope that Americans will simply forgive and forget what weve witnessed in these final days of Trumps presidency are likely to find that healing wont be so easyand unity may require some work.

erica.grieder@chron.com
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WASHINGTON  Representative Eric Swalwell approaches his impeachment manager duties as both an experienced prosecutor and a vocal critic of President Trump over the past several years.

After graduating from law school, Mr. Swalwell spent seven years in the district attorneys office in Alameda County, Calif., and was the offices lead prosecutor on hate crimes.

Since his election to Congress in 2012, he has risen to prominence through posts on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, roles in which he helped investigate evidence against the president during his first impeachment in 2019.

Mr. Swalwell has often come into public conflict with Mr. Trump over what he has described as the presidents lack of leadership during moments of crisis. In 2018, as the deadliest wildfires in Californias history blanketed his district with smoke and ash, Mr. Swalwell was among the loudest voices demanding action from Mr. Trump on climate change and made regular television appearances to berate the president for not doing more to support the state.
ELI IMADALI/AMERICAN-STATESMAN, MBR / TNS

A petition is circulating calling for Sen. Ted Cruz to be disbarred for his objections to certifying President-elect Joe Biden's win, which many believe contributed to the violent attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.

More than 9,000 lawyers and law students have signed a petition calling for the disbarment of Cruz and Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who joined Cruz in objecting to the certification of the election results. Cruz and Hawley continued with their objections even after a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, forcing representatives to evacuate and causing 5 deaths, including the death of a Capitol police officer.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Access the Experts: Elizabeth Tolliver Are there external factors that lead to depression and mental illness, and how can a person manage those factors to achieve optimum mental health, especially during the winter months?

In This Installment of Access the Experts Elizabeth Tolliver, Ph.D., assistant professor of counseling, answers the question: Are there external factors that lead to depression and mental illness, and how can a person manage those factors to achieve optimum mental health, especially during the winter months?" About Tolliver An expert in counseling, mental health, and counselor education, Tolivers teaching interests include counseling theory; counseling skills and techniques; school counseling specific courses; substance dependence; multicultural and diversity counseling; as well as grief and loss counseling. She is a recent graduate from the doctoral Counselor Education and Supervision program at the University of Northern Colorado.

Access the Experts

Access the Experts is an innovative partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and News Channel Nebraska (NCN), where viewers submit their questions to be answered by UNO faculty members.

New segments of Access the Experts air every Tuesday and Thursday at 6:46 A.M. and 6:46 P.M. If youre not sure how to tune in, visit News Channel Nebraskas website to view their coverage areas.

View all segments on our Access the Experts page.

About the University of Nebraska at Omaha

Located in one of Americas best cities to live, work and learn, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) is Nebraskas premier metropolitan university. With more than 15,000 students enrolled in 200-plus programs of study, UNO is recognized nationally for its online education, graduate education, military friendliness and community engagement efforts. Founded in 1908, UNO has served learners of all backgrounds for more than 100 years and is dedicated to another century of excellence both in the classroom and in the community.

Become a fan of UNO on Facebook and follow UNO's Twitter updates.
A 25-year U.S. Coast Guard Veteran with more than 20 years of experience at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), David recently completed a ten-year tenure as Program Director at the VA Acquisition Academy, where he created and led the award-winning Warriors to Workforce (W2W) Program to hire, train, and transition Veterans to careers with the Federal government. The Program received numerous accolades, including the Secretary's Commendation, Secretary's ICARE Award, Chancellor's GEM Award, and Chief Acquisition Council's Award for Innovation.

Driven by its vision to Continue to Serve, Halfaker established its Veteran Fellowship Program in 2019 to provide the opportunity for Veterans to gain the experience and training to support their post-military careers. Halfaker Veteran Fellows support all departments, gaining technical and back-office experience while learning new skills across the Company's core capability areas of Digital Services, Data Analytics, Cybersecurity, and Cloud Services. With his tailored experience, David is uniquely positioned to scale the Program's success and maximize the value to Veterans.

"It is a privilege to welcome David to the team," said Halfaker President and CEO Dawn Halfaker. "With his deep experience designing and executing Veteran transition programs at the VA and his perspective as a Veteran, David will enrich and evolve the VFP so we can serve and support transitioning Veterans."

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China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
Theres a sense among Australians that the political chaos and growth of the far-right movement in the United States is some kind of faraway spectacle, disconnected from our own realities. We watch, we shake our heads, we say to each other Gee, Im glad I live in Australia, and we move on.

But the reaction of senior government figures in Australia to that final, violent spasm of the Trump-era last week, when protesters stormed the Capitol, should be a wake-up call to all of us. Australian politics isnt at risk of mimicking Trumps embrace of white nationalism, far-right conspiracies and hate speech. It already has. Most of us just havent wanted to accept it.

Michael McCormack is under fire for comparing the Black Lives Matter protests with the Capitol riot. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

While senior Republicans in the US have condemned the way President Donald Trump fanned the flames of violent insurrection last week, Australias acting Prime Minister has deliberately downplayed the horror of what played out in Washington DC.

Over three separate media appearances on Tuesday, Michael McCormack compared the Capitol riots to the Black Lives Matter protests, described those who supported the Black Lives Matter campaign as bleeding hearts who were confecting outrage, and declared that all lives matter, adopting a favourite phrase of the far-right that is used to write off valid concerns about police brutality and structural racism in the US and Australia.
Kate Hoey has accused the Conservative Party of "betraying" Northern Ireland with its Brexit deal.

Taking aim at the Northern Ireland protocol, the 'Irish Sea Border', the effects on the second-hand car market and other issues, the County Antrim-born peer said the words 'and Unionist' no longer apply to the name 'the Conservative and Unionist Party'.

Ms Hoey is a fierce Eurosceptic and frequently rebelled against her former party, Labour, during Brexit negotiations and votes in the Commons.

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In July 2019 she announced she was retiring from the Commons and would not seek re-election as a Labour candidate, later putting her support behind the DUP in the general election in Northern Ireland that December and endorsing the Tories.

She was made a life peer in September 2020.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Ms Hoey said Secretary of State Brandon Lewis's claim that there is no trade border down the Irish Sea "puts in mind the joke about the emperor with no clothes".

Read More

She said Michael Gove caused anger among unionists by not guarding their interests, pointing out no one in Northern Ireland voted to change the constitutional position of the region.

"The 44% of people in Northern Ireland who voted for Brexit voted for the UK to leave as it stated on the ballot paper, not for some of the UK to leave and certainly not to find the province left to the diktats of Brussels," she said.

"Even among Remainers, most did not want economic and societal barriers within their own country, the UK. Bluntly, the Northern Ireland protocol signed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement has shown that, when it suits the Government, Northern Ireland can be sacrificed."

Under the agreement with Brussels, Northern Ireland is still bound by many EU rules, such as those in ports. This has resulted in reports of lorries being held up before they were due to cross the Irish Sea because of incorrect paperwork.

Ms Hoey said this shows Northern Ireland was becoming "a place apart" and extra rules, such as those on pets coming here from GB.

She also criticised the effect the Northern Ireland protocol could have on the second-hand car market, as now VAT at the usual 20% rate was being charged on the amount paid by a dealer for a car from Britain, instead of just the amount of profit they make from it, as was the case before.

"These are just a few examples of the way, drip by drip, Northern Ireland is being separated from the rest of the UK. This is happening under a Conservative and Unionist Government," she added.

"Many were fearful of a Corbyn-led government, citing his support for the IRA. Yet there is no way he would have dared put through this betrayal. If he had tried, there would have been no louder howls of outrage than from the Tory opposition.

"Yet a Tory government caved in to an Irish government which in turn was devotedly loyal to the EU. A border between Northern Ireland and a foreign country - the Republic of Ireland - was unthinkable but it was acceptable to put one between the province and Great Britain."

Concluding, Ms Hoey said every Conservative needs to ask themselves: "What has a law-abiding Northern Ireland citizen done to deserve being treated differently to their fellow citizens in the rest of the country?

"Why did years of terrorist violence against them, and the threats of its return, matter more than voting? Why is the Conservative and Unionist Party only Unionist when it is in Opposition?"

The Conservative Party has been contacted for a comment.
NURSES have accused the government of depriving them of the COVID-19 risk allowance several months after they were promised the stipend.

Government offered to pay allowances for health workers who contract the virus while on duty, but NewsDay gathered that nurses have not yet received the promised allowances.

According to the agreement, any worker Grade E5 and below will be entitled to US$650 if they contract the virus while on duty, while those Grade F and above will get US$1 000.

The nurses told NewsDay that the risk allowance promise was a hoax because some of them had fallen sick from the virus and had recovered, but no risk allowance money was given to them despite having applied for the money.

They said they have been ordered to apply for the allowance several times, but no money had been deposited into their bank accounts.

In some cases, the nurses said they were having difficulties in accessing the risk allowance application forms.

Zimbabwe Nurses Association (Zina) president Enoch Dongo yesterday said he was no longer in a position to pacify his members on the issue of the risk allowance as efforts to get into a dialogue with Vice-President and Health minister Constantino Chiwenga and secretary Air Commodore Jasper Chimedza over the welfare of health workers were in vain.

After efforts to convene for a dialogue with Chiwenga failed, Zina approached the High Court for intervention in several cases which are pending.

Ever since the ministry was taken over by the Vice-President (Chiwenga) and the current permanent secretary (Chimedza), dialogue over health workers welfare is difficult, Dongo said.

They are needlessly tough. Right now, I dont even know what to report to our members over the COVID-19 risk allowance.

But if we continue under the current circumstances, the virus is going to wipe away all nurses at health institutions because as frontline workers, they are highly exposed to the virus.

He said government should show that it was concerned with the welfare of the nurses by providing the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to the frontline workers.

Added Dongo: In the event that a nurse has fallen victim to the virus, government should show concern by making sure that the health worker accesses the required care and drugs. As it is now, Zina has lost count of health workers who have contracted the virus and many of them are exposed to unsafe working environments.

So pathetic is the situation that COVID-19 positive nurses have resorted to creating social media groups where they console each other.

The nurses also accused government of abandoning them once they tested positive to the virus and authorities were not even showing compassion to those who would have contracted the virus.

Teachers union leaders recently also accused the government of neglecting their members infected with the virus by replacing them with healthy teachers, without showing any concern about the welfare of those who would have fallen ill.

Since the country was hit by the virus early last year, health workers have been going on recurrent strikes demanding risk allowances, PPE and equipped health facilities to help deal with the deadly virus.

They returned to work after government promised to address the complaints, but most of their demands have not been met.

The government seems not to be even concerned about us when we contract the virus, a nurse who tested positive to the virus said.

The moment we become incapacitated to be on duty after contracting the virus, we appear useless to the authorities. This is despite the fact that our duties expose us to the virus more than any other ordinary citizen. After falling ill, with the meagre salary, I cant even afford to buy the prescribed drugs.

Health deputy minister John Mangwiro said he was attending to a medical emergency and promised to call back. Chimedza declined to comment, and requested written questions.

The ministrys spokesperson Donald Mujiri said he was not at work and referred NewsDay to the Health Service Board (HSB).

HSB chairperson Paulinus Sikosana dropped calls, and repeated efforts to get a comment from him were futile. Newsday
Panaji, Jan 13 : A day after differences emerged between Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Health Minister Vishwajit Rane over the proposed construction of the Indian Institute of Technology's (IIT) Goa campus in North Goa's Melaulim village, the opposition Congress on Wednesday announced the launch of a 'Tiranga Yatra' at the controversial site.

The 'Tiranga Yatra', according to state Congress President Girish Chodankar, would be held on January 17 and was being staged to "express solidarity with the protesting villagers of Melaulim and nearby villages".

"The peaceful and democratic protests of the villagers from Melaulim has been met with police action, torture and harassment. Through the yatra we want to show the rest of Goa is with them. The Tiranga is a symbol of peace, equality and brotherhood," Chodankar said.

Ever since an IIT was allotted to Goa by the Central government in 2014, the institute has been functioning from a temporary campus shared by the Goa Engineering College in Farmagudi village in South Goa.

The two sites previously identified by the state government in Canacona and Sanguem sub-districts, for setting up a permanent campus for the IIT were dropped in the face of protests from local residents, and after pressure from the Opposition, which had alleged a land scam in the shortlisting of sites for the technology institute.

The villagers of Melaulim, many of whom are tribals, claimed that they are being forcibly evicted from their landholdings by the Goa government to make way for the IIT.

The protests took a violent turn last week forcing the Goa Health Minister and local MLA Vishwajit Rane to oppose the IIT campus project.

Rane has blamed the police department under the Chief Minister Pramod Sawant-led Home Ministry for lending a violent edge to the protests last week.

More than 100 protestors have already been booked, many of them under non-bailable sections, including attempt to murder charges.
Journal-Courier

CARROLLTON  A Carrollton man has been sentenced after pleading guilty last year to burying an infant in a shallow grave in rural Carrollton.

Ryan L. Wheeler, 36, was sentenced last week to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections and one year of mandatory supervised release in connection with the death of 6-month-old Jabari Ellis in late 2018.
U.S. Border Patrol agents from the Freer Station locate two lost individuals south of Texas 44, authorities said.

On Monday morning, a missing person hotline from Tucson, Arizona, informed Border Patrol about two lost individuals. Agents, including an EMT, responded and located the individuals on a ranch east of Freer, authorities said.
The Jersey City Council is calling for President Donald Trumps impeachment after inciting last weeks deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The council will vote on a resolution Wednesday that condemns the mob of Trump supporters that broke into the Capitol and tried to derail the certification of President-elect Joe Bidens victory. Five people died during the brazen assault on the Capitol, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, a New Jersey native.

The councils resolution also calls for the resignations of U.S. Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri, Ted Cruz of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, Roger Marshall of Kansas, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming and Rick Scott of Florida for trying to overturn election results.

We condemn President Trump for inciting a riot and insurrection, and support impeachment as a clear message: no President who incites an attack on our nation shall remain in their seat, the resolution reads.

The (eight) Senators who attempted to overturn the election results have disrespected American Democracy and the electoral process through which they attained their seats, and should resign from their positions as elected officials.

Council President Joyce Watterman said America could never take a chance at democracy being overthrown  especially because the United States is a world leader, she said.

We want to make sure something like this never happens again, Watterman said. It didnt just affect the Capitol, it affected everyone because our democracy is at stake and we are a republic. We should never carry ourselves in that light.

Councilman at large Rolando Lavarro said the resolution speaks for itself. He said the events that took place last week were a truly frightening moment for our nation.

Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey said called Trumps actions irresponsible and nobody likes to lose but there is always a peaceful transition of power.

Despite having one week left in office, he needs to be held accountable for his actions, she said.

Although Trumps tenure will be over when Biden is sworn in, the Senate could vote to prevent him from taking political office ever again, the Washington Post reported.

Ward E Councilman James Solomon said the attack on the Capitol was one of the darkest days in U.S. history. It occurred because Trumps ego was so fragile; he couldnt handle losing an election.

There has to be a clear and decisive message that this can never happen again in [the United States of] America, Solomon added. If we dont send that message  four years from now anyone who loses an election can do the same thing.
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By Arthur I. Cyr





President Vladimir Putin of Russia held his traditional year-end press conference on Dec. 17. The annual show is certainly preferable to the grotesque show trials of Stalin's Soviet Union, and provides real information.







Putin dismissed United States elections as flawed. Later, when rioters invaded the U.S. Congress on Jan. 6, Russia's media reacted with scripted condemnation. In reality, Putin's press conference is one highlight within a repressive political environment.







Putin held forth for over four hours, impressively well informed. In deference to the continuing pandemic, he met with the media remotely from his home outside Moscow.







Russia's autocrat emphasized economic matters. He cited statistics indicating pandemic reversals have been lower than in other industrial nations.







However, Russia began from a much lower, weaker baseline. Despite the end of old-fashioned Communist control, extensive state involvement in industry remains. This facilitates producing relatively positive statistics, at least for a while.







Above all, stay mindful that Putin not only survived but also advanced professionally in the KGB, the ruthless, murderous Soviet secret police. He spent significant formative years in Communist East Germany, a disciplined totalitarian state that grew directly from Nazi Germany. He is one tough, shrewd and capable adversary.







Russian mischief in other countries is ongoing, with the United States a prime target, and the regime is ruthless toward critics. Last summer, Alexei Navalny, a prominent influential Russia opposition leader, was poisoned and survived only because of emergency evacuation to Germany in a secure aircraft.







For the U.S. as well as our allies, effective policy must reflect historical context. George Kennan, probably the most perceptive American analyst of Russia, wrote in 1954 that Soviet leaders "are not like  us."







Russia lacks great power, but uses advantage and influence skillfully. The 2014 annexation of Crimea, which was part of the Soviet Union until 1954, reflects traditional Russian insecurity about reliable access to the global oceans. A home port of Russia's Black Sea fleet is in Crimea, where support for Russia is strong.







The Obama administration and the European Union protested the invasion and imposed sanctions, no idle gesture given the structural weakness of Russia's economy. That however did not escalate to a return to the Cold War.







Ethnic instability is endemic throughout the former Soviet Union. One example is Ukraine's complex history of relations with Russia. The Russian revolution in 1917 sparked an independence movement. After years of struggle, Ukraine eventually was absorbed into the Soviet Union.



Given this history, caution with alertness should define U.S. policy. Kennan insightfully advocated "containment" of Soviet communism, and that remains the best approach. Russia remains weak economically. That provides opportunity for the U.S., especially with the many ethnic populations within and surrounding Russia.







Meanwhile, Putin steadily expands Russia's influence in the Middle East. President George H.W. Bush orchestrated victory in the First Gulf War, and followed up with brilliant diplomatic leadership. Today, Russia has successfully reduced U.S. influence.







Putin's press conference comments on Navalny showed a flash of the brutal KGB killer: "Who needs him anyway? If we had really wanted, we would have finished the job."







Political and media criticism of Donald Trump for being too friendly and accommodating to Putin has been constant. However, the administrations of George W. Bush and Barack Obama were also guilty of naivete about Russia.







Let us hope the Biden administration will be more realistic.









Arthur I. Cyr (

) is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of "After the Cold War" (NYU and Palgrave/Macmillan).






As shuttered businesses in Manitoba bide their time before a possible reopening, the province is expanding emergency support to help them survive Code Red pandemic restrictions.

As shuttered businesses in Manitoba bide their time before a possible reopening, the province is expanding emergency support to help them survive Code Red pandemic restrictions.

At a news conference Tuesday, Premier Brian Pallister announced hes pushing the deadline for the $5,000-a-pop Bridge Grant program by a month to Jan. 31, while expanding eligibility criteria to include more types of businesses.

Hotels, resorts, lodges, travel agencies, janitorial services and operators of licensed passenger-transportation companies  impacted by the public-health orders  will now be allowed to apply for the grants.

"This will never make up for the profit opportunities that have been lost and the hardship, emotionally or psychologically, to those folks who have dedicated themselves to their small businesses. We know that," Pallister told reporters. "But we also know that some support is essential."

Calling the new stream of funding "part two of our assistance," Pallister once again incorrectly touted Manitobas emergency programs as "the most generous in Canada" on Tuesday. A Free Press provincial comparison from coast to coast has shown that claim to be false.

Pallister also incorrectly claimed those programs proffer funds "with limited red tape." Emails between the province and business owners, previously shared with the Free Press, have shown long exchanges of government employees questioning "time sheets" for small-firm workers, proof of pay stubs or bank deposits in workers accounts, and bank statements dating back to last spring before even considering to provide them with aid.

The Bridge Grant program was first announced on Nov. 10 to provide $5,000 to businesses, not-for-profits and charities directly impacted by the provinces pandemic response. It was later extended to Dec. 8 and expanded to support indirectly impacted home-based businesses, with the promise that a second payment would be made if health orders remained in place past Jan. 1.

Since code-red measures have now been extended until at least Jan. 22, the premier said those payments were made by the province this past weekend.

"To make sure people dont fall through the cracks or miss the opportunity to apply for supports, were extending supports," said Pallister, while remaining mum about whether those assistance programs  many of which have expired or are set to expire this month  will be extended, should restrictions continue.

Reaction from the business community about Pallisters announcement Tuesday was mixed.

Stakeholders were glad to hear about the expansion, but they said businesses would rather be allowed to safely reopen than given more emergency funding. Rules should have been adjusted to allow capacity limits or appointment services for storefronts, said advocates.

"Its a favourable first step to acknowledging our industry," said Scott Jocelyn, president of the Manitoba Hotel Association, who wishes the provincial aid to continue after January.

"Unfortunately, the reality is, we have big obstacles ahead and we wont find a new normal before many, many other businesses," he said. "Right now, we cant do anything wed normally be able to do."

Chuck Davidson, president of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, said hes not sure the funding will be enough after more than 10 weeks of closures.

"Its a very little bit of help right now," he said. "But I want to be clear: business owners know they can safely open things up. And thats why were pushing, at the very least, for soft reopenings to give them a chance."

"Its hard to get everyone the help the need, so I have to give the government credit for that," said Jonathan Alward, Prairies director for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. "Now we want to make sure all those allocations go to the hands of businesses."

Last week, the province said it has spent $180 million in total towards emergency funding. But that figure is a far cry from whats been allocated to those programs.

According to provincial data, only $16.2 million has been paid out of the initial combined $120-million budget for the Back to Work in Manitoba, Back to Work This Summer and Student Wage Subsidy programs. Out of the Gap Protection program, $59 million has been paid from an earlier budget of at least $120 million.

The Manitoba Bridge Grant has so far paid approximately $104 million to 10,740 eligible applicants, which includes the first payment Nov. 16 to Dec. 31 and second deposits this past weekend. However, that number is out of a total of $200 million allocated towards the program.

"These unprecedented economic challenges aside, at a bare minimum, what we dont want to see is any allocated funding left by the end of this," said Loren Remillard, CEO and president of the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce.

Remillard said there is a "soft spot" that has been indicated through recent research in the U.S., whereby transmissions can be limited while keeping the economy running (through 25-per-cent capacity limits with people physically-distanced and wearing masks).

"Our hope is that this will be the last lockdown blanketed for our businesses," he said.

But Pallister said he doesnt want a "yo-yoing" with COVID-19 restrictions.

"Id like to see a sustainable reopening that doesnt have to go jumping around back and forth," he said. "Were in this together, and were doing it all to bend the curve for each other  business or not."

Twitter: @temurdur

Temur.Durrani@freepress.mb.ca
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Azerbaijan has been invited to take part in the next G20 Summit, according to Inter Press Service (IPS).

Until now, 38 countries have been invited, from Azerbaijan to Chad, from Denmark to Laos, from Sweden to Zimbabwe.

The Global Health Summit, called from the G20 together with the EU in May, will be the occasion to verify what will happen with vaccinations.

But in the same month, Portugal has called for the very important Social Summit of the European Union. Portugal has taken the much more substantial chairmanship of the EU, and this is a very positive contribution to a positive 2021.

The IPS said outgoing German chairmanship was fundamental in abandoning the austerity dogma and move to an unprecedented plan of solidarity and institutional strengthening, made also possible by the blessed departure of England, and its anti-European historical bias.
Listen to each other

Regarding Trump rioters arent patriots, (A14, Jan. 7): Democrats, you need to give your Republican friends, neighbors and co-workers respect and treat their concerns seriously. Otherwise the dangerous divisions will continue. Swallow your indignation and do what your country needs! Republicans, maybe some Democrats do want to march the U.S. off toward communism, but tearing apart the Republican Party is surely not the way to prevent that. Even if you still doubt the election results, it is time to accept that the review process was followed. Donald Trump had his shot!

Now it is time for us all to get back to ending this pandemic, together. Maybe both sides do think the other side is full of dangerously deluded traitors  but there is just no useful path forward starting from there. If we cant get beyond that, we all lose.

Joe Dellinger, Houston

Regarding Trump is a threat who must be removed, (A12, Jan. 8): I, like so many Americans, am anxiously awaiting the start of the new administration. These next couple of days cannot go fast enough. Having said that, I disagree with your assessment that the next thing we must do is have the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet oust the president. Thats a ridiculous effort. Instead of a meaningless symbolic ouster, what we really need is a smooth transition, an inauguration of optimism and a positive fresh start!

Chris Tripoli, Houston

Regarding Texans react to chaos in the nations Capitol, (Jan. 6): I logged on to Twitter last Wednesday, shocked at what I was seeing. The capital of my country, my America, was being invaded by extremists. I love this country because America accepted my family when they were escaping religious persecution at the hands of extremists. Even though these extremists looked different, the turmoil felt similar to the situation my family escaped from. It pained me deeply to see how division and hatred is increasing here at home to such levels. As a Muslim, I believe the solution for our country in this defining time is coming together as brothers and sisters in humanity, praying to our creator for his mercy on our beloved home, and focusing on uplifting one another rather than tearing each other down.

Rahman Nasir, Bellaire

Nehls is no hero

Regarding Sheriff-turned-lawmaker Nehls faced off with rioters in viral photo, (A3, Jan. 8): Rep. Troy Nehls a hero? Shame on the Houston Chronicle for publishing what was clearly a blatant PR exercise by Nehls. Fact is that Nehls and the rest of his fellow anti-certification Republican lawmakers fueled the fire that caused the riot in our Capitol. Its the congressional enablers who are the real culprits. Donald Trump was merely the marketing genius who exploited the leadership vacuum in Congress. Its time Nehls tells his constituents the truth  that the numerous hand counts, audits and legal challenges proved once and for all that our election was fair and accurate. Now that would be heroic!

Imtiaz Munshi, Sugar Land

The article on Rep. Troy Nehls makes him sound like a hero during Wednesdays insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In fact, Nehls was one of those responsible for spreading falsehoods about the election. In his statement as to why he objected to the electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania, he says the he was sent to Congress to fight for the president. I thought our representatives were sent to Washington, D.C., to serve their district, not to stir up Trumps crusaders by supporting his incessant lies and conspiracies.

John Kachelmeyer, Sugar Land

So Troy Nehls thinks he was elected to fight for President Donald Trump? Since the majority of Fort Bend County voted for Joe Biden  Biden won Fort Bend County with 54.6 percent of the vote  and the vast majority of voters in District 22 are in Fort Bend County, who exactly does Nehls think he is representing? He was not elected to fight for the defeated Trump. He was elected to fight for our country, our state, our fellow Americans and his constituents. He was elected to fight for our democracy and our Constitution. If Nehls thinks he was elected to fight for Trump, yet Trump will be out of office in days, is there any real reason for Nehls to continue as a congressman? Can his constituents recall him and elect someone who is there to fight for us?

Valerie Tolman, Missouri City

Real heroes

Something wonderful happened Wednesday in the U.S. Senate Chamber. A small group of young men and women, in the midst of an attack by a rioting mob, before fleeing in fear of their lives, thought to grab the three boxes that held the will of the American people and save them from virtually assured destruction at the hands of the rioting mob. These young men and women, all Senate aides, were part of Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonoughs staff. We need to get their names and award each of them the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal for their heroic acts in the most momentous political emergency in this country since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. They are national heroes and history needs to remember their names.

Carol Nash, Houston

Regret

Regarding Resign, Sen. Cruz. Your lies cost lives, (A16, Jan. 10): Thank you, Houston Chronicle, for your recent editorial demanding that Sen. Ted Cruz resign from office. As a Texan living in Hawaii and a former 2016 RNC alternate delegate for Cruz, I am ashamed of how Cruz went from being a morally relevant, clear-minded alternative to candidate Donald Trump, to being one of the most craven co-enablers of the outgoing president's narcissism and bad behavior. At the 2016 RNC, other Cruz social conservatives and I faced scorn and bullying from Trump delegates who felt Cruz wasnt full-throated enough in his endorsement of Trumps nomination. Yet, at the time, we endured it with pride because we believed Cruz would hold Trump accountable. That did not happen, and instead, Cruz became a court jester for the Trump administration. I regret having supported Cruz and am ashamed of his actions in office. One should never trade integrity for access, because being a Republican, and more importantly, a Texan, is about showing leadership by example. We do not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do, and Cruz has tolerated far too much of President Donald Trump. I lost a friend in San Antonio to COVID-19 because of Trumps denial of the disease, and now America has lost lives in Washington, D.C., because of Cruzs denial of the election results. Cruz must resign or be expelled from the Senate at once. A false prophet should inherit a false prophets reward.

Daniel P. de Gracia II, Waipahu, Hawaii
India on Wednesday crossed 100-mark on new and 'highly infectious' Covid-19 strain infections to reach 102, said the Union Health Ministry.

Till January 11, the number of people affected by this strain of the coronavirus was 96.

On Wednesday, the ministry said, "The total number of persons found to be positive with the new UK variant genome stands at 102 today."

All these people were kept in single-room isolation in designated healthcare facilities by respective state governments. Their close contacts have also been put in quarantine and comprehensive contact tracing has been initiated for co-travellers, family contacts and others.

Genome sequencing on other specimens is going on, the ministry said, adding 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 (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium) labs, the ministry said.

After the new strain of coronavirus was detected in Britain, the Central Government had imposed a ban on flights coming to India from the UK with effect from 22 December, 2020. However, the flight operations between India and the UK resumed from 8 January. Passengers will have to undergo an RT-PCR test both in the UK before boarding their flight and after arriving in India.

The Central Government has also reduced the number of flights to Britain from 60 per week to 30 to curtail the faster-spreading mutant strain in the country.

Presence of the new UK variant has already been reported by several countries including Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Sweden, France, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Japan, Lebanon and Singapore.

Meanwhile, India added 15,968 new cases to its COVID-19 tally in the last 24 hours taking the total cases to 1,04,95,147, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Wednesday.

With 17,817 more discharges, the cumulative recoveries reached 1,01,29,111. As many as 202 deaths were also reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 1,51,529.

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Washington: The US House of Representatives has voted to demand that Vice-President Mike Pence use the constitution's 25th Amendment to remove US President Donald Trump from office, a largely symbolic act leading up to a vote on Wednesday to impeach the President for a second time.

The House went ahead with the non-binding resolution, which passed 223-205, even though hours earlier Pence told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he wouldn't comply because he didn't believe "that such a course of action is in the best interests of our Nation or consistent with our constitution".

In happier times: US President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence. Credit:AP

But with emotions running high after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol last week, Democrats framed it as a last-ditch tactic before going ahead with a historic impeachment vote on Thursday (AEDT) just eight days before Trump leaves office and President-elect Joe Biden in inaugurated.

The assault on the Capitol and Trump's role have unified Democrats and caused major rifts in the Republican Party.
Airline travel will continue to suffer in the first half this year and will only recover, and jet fuel consumption with it, in the back half of 2021, when mass vaccinations are poised to allow traveling to more destinations quarantine-free, according to the worlds largest independent oil trading firm, Vitol.

Vaccination passports could be inevitable for the tourism and airline industries to rebound from the pandemic hit, Mike Muller, the head of Vitols operations in Asia, said at the online Gulf Intelligence conference, as carried by Bloomberg.

Until a critical mass of people are vaccinated, and probably vaccination passes are introduced, jet fuel demand will continue to be a drag on global oil demand recovery, according to Muller.

Until theres a roll-out and until we introduce the inevitable -- which is, alongside your regular passport, probably a vaccination pass -- this demand is not set to recover, Muller said, noting that holiday booking activity in all regions, including the Americas, Europe, and Asia is all flat on its back still.

Jet fuel demand will not recover to pre-crisis levels by the end of this year, and at the end of 2021, it will still be 1 million barrels per day (bpd) to 2 million bpd lower than what was before the pandemic, Vitols chief executive Russell Hardy told Bloomberg in an interview at the Gulf Intelligence conference.

Continued low demand for jet fuel will account for 80 percent of the 3.1-million-bpd gap in oil demand this year compared to pre-pandemic levels, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said last month. The IEA expects global oil demand to rebound in 2021 and rise by 5.7 million bpd compared to 2020 levels. Yet, this is a smaller rebound than earlier expectations because of continued weakness in the aviation sector, the IEA said in its latest monthly report.

Vitol is a bit more optimistic about global oil demand growth this year, with Muller expecting oil consumption to rise by over 6 million bpd in 2021 from 2020.

More production from OPEC will be needed later in 2021, and probably more production out of the United States, Vitols CEO Hardy told Bloomberg.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Civil rights attorney Roy L. Austin, Jr., who focused on policing in the Obama administration, first at the Justice Department and then at the White House, is Facebook's new vice president of civil rights charged with helping the social media giant curb the racial hatred and violence on its platforms that over the summer led to a month-long boycott by civil rights groups and major advertisers.

Austin will establish a new civil rights organization inside Facebook, one of the key recommendations of an internal audit of Facebook's practices released in July which warned that Facebook's failure to rein in toxic speech, racism and misinformation could have serious repercussions on the presidential election.

"Technology plays a role in nearly every part of our lives, and it's important that it be used to overcome the historic discrimination and hate which so many underrepresented groups have faced, rather than to exacerbate it," Austin said in a statement.

Pressure on Facebook escalated amid national protests over racial injustice and police brutality after the death of George Floyd under a white officer's knee. The results of a years-long civil rights audit heightened scrutiny of the spread of racism and hate on Facebook and Instagram.

Austin will take on the role of vice president of civil rights and deputy general counsel starting Jan. 19 in Washington, D.C. where he will build a small team, Facebook said. He joins Facebook from the law firm of Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP, where he was a partner specializing in criminal defense and civil rights law.

Civil rights advocate Laura Murphy who led the Facebook audit praised the appointment.

"Facebook will now be taking a systematic and structural approach to addressing the many civil rights concerns that I laid out in the Facebook Civil Rights Audit," she said in a statement provided by Facebook. "Roy Austin is a great choice for this role; I worked with him extensively during his tenure at the White House. I urge Facebook to give him the latitude and resources to tackle the audit recommendations and any other civil rights issues that arise."

The audit called for Facebook to bring in an experienced civil rights executive to guide policies and vet products, steps the auditors said were long overdue.

Hundreds of companies, including top brands Unilever, Ford and Pfizer, pulled advertising from Facebook over the summer to protest the spread of racial hatred, white supremacy and violent threats on Facebook and Instagram. The boycott organized by civil rights leaders known as #StopHateForProfit followed a push back from Facebook employees who staged a virtual "walkout."

Black users have grown increasingly frustrated with how Facebook deals with racially motivated hate speech against the Black community and the erasure of Black users' speech. They told U.S. TODAY harassment worsened as nationwide protests following Floyd's death in police custody drew renewed attention to historic racial inequities.

One of the problems, they complained, is the dearth of underrepresented minorities at Facebook, particularly in positions of influence. Despite repeated pledges to close the racial gap, 3.7% of Facebook's U.S. employees and 3% of senior executives are Black, according to a U.S. TODAY analysis of 2018 figures, the most recent data available.

The other is the company's policy of protecting all racial and ethnic groups equally, even if they do not face oppression or marginalization, centuries of systemic racism.

Neil Potts, public policy director at Facebook, told U.S. TODAY in 2019 that applying more "nuanced" rules to the daily tidal wave of content rushing through Facebook and its other apps would be challenging. Since then, Facebook has said it is taking steps to address mistakes in content moderation.

Austin will report to Facebook's general counsel Jennifer Newstead.

"It's hard to imagine anyone better qualified to help us strengthen and advance civil rights on our platform and in our company," she said in a statement.

Austin began his career as a civil rights trial lawyer with the Justice Department. From 2014 to 2017, he worked on the White House Domestic Policy Council as deputy assistant to the president for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity. In this position, Roy co-authored a report on big data and civil rights, worked with President Barack Obama's Task Force on 21st Century Policing and helped develop the Police Data Initiative.

Rashad Robinson, president of online racial justice organization Color of Change, said Austin's addition was long overdue.

"He will bring deep expertise to a company that has demonstrated a disturbing lack of investment in understanding and tackling key civil rights issues," Robinson said in a statement.

He called on Facebook to give Austin the authority inside Facebook to make significant change.

"Facebook's top leaders must empower Austin to deliver the results our communities need," Robinson said.

Explore further Facebook and Instagram to study racial bias against African Americans, Hispanics on their platforms

(c)2021 U.S. Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
We have been involved with AFWERX since its beginning and are quite excited by this opportunity to meet high-performance communication requirements for advanced air mobility vehicles. This funding will help transition critical new capabilities to Warfighters. - Jerrold Prothero, Ph.D., Astrapi CEO

The United States Air Force has awarded Astrapi Corporation a Phase I STTR contract for Advanced RF using Spiral Modulation through the new AFWERX Agility Prime program. RF communication links have multiple impacts on air mobility vehicle capabilities  stronger links support a wider area of operations, lower power requirements can reduce weight and increase mission time, and higher data throughput permits the use of higher-resolution sensing devices.

Astrapis Spiral Modulation communications technology provides an innovative, structured way to dramatically improve the utilization of the electromagnetic spectrum for telecommunications. The additional capabilities address key problems in contested environments faced by the USAF such as Low Probability of Interception and Detection (LPI/LPD) and anti-jamming of signals, as well as providing additional data throughput enabling high-definition Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Lower required signal power also enables reduced Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) requirements for both manned and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Spiral Modulation is a breakthrough technology that for the first time is capable of pushing spectral efficiency to unprecedentedly high levels by fully exploiting the capabilities provided by the use of a continuously non-stationary spectrum. Classical channel capacity theory, the foundation of all current communications technologies, implicitly assumed the spectrum that was used was at least approximately stationary  meaning constant power was placed into each frequency used  leading to a sharp unbreakable upper bound on communication performance. By deliberately side-stepping this constraint, however, Astrapi has shown, with independent external validation, a 2-4 dB power advantage (a factor of two improvement) for matched parameters over traditional signal modulation.

Astrapis Spiral Modulation makes use of symbol waveform alphabets designed using polynomials instead of traditional sinusoids. The use of these Polynomial Symbol Waveform (PSW) alphabets makes available a very large symbol waveform design space that contains an almost unlimited number of polynomials that may be used to create symbol waveform alphabets with greater inter-symbol distinguishability, and therefore greater noise resistance, than traditional signal modulation symbol waveforms. Patented PSW design techniques are applied to ensure excellent signal characteristics such as low occupied bandwidth.

Further improvements in the occupied bandwidth used by a signal are anticipated through hardware implementation of Astrapis Instantaneous Spectral Analysis (ISA) technology, a component of Spiral Modulation. Mathematically and in software simulation, ISA has shown, with peer-reviewed publication, the ability to dramatically reduce the range of frequencies into which it is necessary to put power, and thus the required occupied bandwidth.

Astrapi and Morgan State University have collaborated previously in the application of Machine Learning to the improvement of the design of Spiral Modulation waveforms. Dr. Kofi Nyarko, Director of MSUs Engineering Visualization Research Laboratory (EVRL), will be the academic lead for this project, and MSU will continue to seek improvements in the design of these waveforms.

Dr. Jerrold Prothero, Astrapi Founder and CEO, stated, We have been involved with AFWERX since its beginning and are quite excited by this opportunity to meet high-performance communication requirements for advanced air mobility vehicles. This funding will help transition critical new capabilities to Warfighters.

Spiral Modulation is a dual-use technology that is also being developed for numerous commercial applications, including satellite VSAT applications, funded in part by an SBIR Phase II grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Additional Spiral Modulation markets are in such uses as backhaul, terrestrial wireless, and the Internet-of-Things.

ABOUT Astrapi Corporation

Astrapi is the pioneer of Spiral Modulation, which opens an unexplored area for innovation at the core of telecommunications. Currently Astrapi has twelve US patents issued, with more pending and with corresponding international patent coverage. Based on a generalization of Eulers formula, the foundational mathematics for telecommunications, Astrapi provides fundamentally new ways to optimize the use of the spectrum. By applying this new mathematics to signal modulation, Astrapi is able to improve the trade-off between the four fundamental parameters in telecommunications: bandwidth, signal power, data throughput, and error rate. The resulting efficiency translates into higher spectral performance with more bits available at a lower cost. Further information at http://www.astrapi-corp.com

ABOUT Morgan State University

Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution providing instruction to a multiethnic, multiracial, multinational student body and offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan fulfills its mission to address the needs and challenges of the modern urban environment through intense community-level study and pioneering solutions.

Morgan has graduated more than 50,000-degree candidates since its establishment more than 150 years ago, producing a passionately devoted corps of alumni who have found success in all areas of endeavor, in the U.S. and beyond. Among the nation's most diverse Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the largest in Maryland, Morgan seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. The Morgan State University Engineering Visualization Research Laboratory provides tools, technology and techniques that offer insight into complex data or concepts. We engage in a wide area of research involving engineering visualization, computational engineering and general electrical engineering principles. By providing the means to fully realize ideas, concepts or data through visual, tactile and auditory means, one can enhance comprehension, improve awareness and stimulate innovation.

ABOUT the United States Air Force Agility Prime program

The Air Force recently launched Agility Prime, a non-traditional program seeking to accelerate the use of commercial capabilities for advanced air mobility vehicles (i.e., "flying cars"). Leveraging unique testing resources and revenue generating government use cases for distributed logistics and disaster response, the government plans to mitigate current commercial market and regulatory risks. Agility Prime also aims to bring together industry, investor, and government communities to establish safety and security standards while accelerating commercialization of this revolutionary technology. The Innovative Capabilities Opening establishes a rapid contracting mechanism beginning in 2020 with a Race to Certification series to drive government procurement of operational capability by 2023.
Last Wednesday, the U.S. Capitol was overrun by a mob of Donald Trump supporters. Some of them were armed; some carried flex cuffs, as if planning to restrain hostages; some reportedly attacked a police officer, who later died, with a fire extinguisher.

A number of far-right Republican representatives have, in the past, celebrated the extremist groups (the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers and so forth) whose members were among those who occupied the building. Two members, Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks and North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn, spoke at the Stop the Steal rally near the White House that directly preceded the attack. It is, incredibly, not completely out of the question at the moment to wonder whether there are members of the House who might want to participate in violent action against Democrats, should it occur again. It is in this context that Capitol police are now asking representatives to walk through metal detectors before entering the House floor.

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At the same time, the Republican Party is experiencing internal tensions that have few precedents in the modern era of American politics. Current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly considering a vote to convict Donald Trump in the impeachment trial that now looks inevitable, and if McConnell makes that choice, more than a dozen establishment Republican senators might be expected to follow. Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-ranking Republican in the House, says she will be voting to impeach. If Trump is removed with GOP votes, it will be because the partys previous tolerance of violent extremism has made it toxic to independent voters and corporate donors. There is a divide opening up inside the GOP between the legitimately crazy and the strategically ruthless.

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The House metal detectors provide an excessively symbolic means of sorting out whos on which side. Less than a week after Capitol Police officers were swarmed and bludgeoned, one of them fatally, as they tried to hold back a mob from the chamber, Republican members of Congress were barking at them or shouldering past them at the security checkpoints. Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis told officers that the metal detectors were bullshit; Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack shouted something about being physically restrained; Idaho Rep. Russ Fulcher was reportedly so assertive with a female officer who tried to stop him that she was left on the verge of tears.

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As of this point, police and congressional leaders arent sanctioning or removing anyone who walks around the detectors or ignores the alert that sounds when theyre set off. Those who cooperate with the security measures anyway might as well be walking into McConnells camp. The representatives who evade them, or denounce them as an atrocity like Florida Rep. Greg Steube did, are signaling that theyre with the militias.*

As of Wednesday, hard-line right-wingers in the House are already moving to strip Cheney of her position, while multiple outlets are reporting that Republican members who are undecided about impeachment say they are afraid they or their families will be attacked if they vote against Donald Trump. The battle for the party is extremely, unsettlingly close to being literal.
A booth displaying China's Sinovac Biotech shows a Covid-19 vaccine candidate during the 2020 China International Fair for Trade in Services at Beijing Olympic Park on Sept. 5. Photo: Bloomberg

(Bloomberg)  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.

Contact editor Yang Ge (geyang@caixin.com)

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Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
A new rule is important . . .

CDC expands Covid vaccination guidelines to everyone 65 and older

Accordingly, here's the best resource we've seen with local health links for more info . . .

KANSAS CITY METRO - As pharmaceutical companies race to pump out COVID-19 vaccinations, municipalities across the metro are trying to figure out how to distribute their limited supplies of the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. Some have created surveys to help the rollout process, while others must decide internally how to distribute inoculations.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has designated Yemen's Houthi rebel group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization despite warnings that such a move will exacerbate Yemen's humanitarian crisis and make peace harder to achieve.

Why it matters: The Houthis ousted the Yemeni government in 2014 and still control large swathes of the country after six years of war with a Saudi-led coalition. The people of Yemen are facing what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian disaster, with 80% of the population lacking sufficient food or clean water, and millions on the brink of famine.

Driving the news: The U.S. is a major source of humanitarian aid to Yemen, but has cut back in the last year after accusing the Houthis of interfering with aid disbursement. That move has slowed the flow of medicines and supplies, the Washington Post reports.

The terror designation will make it difficult for aid groups operating in Houthi-controlled areas  where most Yemenis live  because it will criminalize alleged cooperation with the group.

David Miliband, President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, called the move "pure diplomatic vandalism" and said it would make the urgent work from groups like his that operate in Yemen "all but impossible."

"After four years of a failed war strategy that has created the worlds largest humanitarian catastrophe, the last thing the Yemeni people need is further interruption of aid and economic flows," Miliband said in a statement provided to Axios.

The State Department acknowledged those concerns in its statement about the designations, saying it was "planning to put in place measures to reduce their impact on certain humanitarian activity and imports into Yemen."

The designation will also make it more difficult to conduct diplomacy with the Houthis as part of the ongoing peace process in Yemen, the International Crisis Group contends.

The other side: For Pompeo, this appear to be less about Yemen than about Iran, the main patron of the Houthis.

The Trump administration considers the Houthis a proxy for Iranian influence, and sees Monday's announcement as part of the "maximum pressure" strategy on Iran  a strategy that the administration has attempted to make it difficult for President-elect Biden to deviate from.

What to watch: The Trump administration has resisted efforts from Congressional Democrats to end U.S. support for the Saudi and Emirati bombing campaign in Yemen, but Biden said during the campaign that he would withdraw support.

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies signs low-carbon cement supply agreement

13 January 2021

Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has signed a partnership contract with French property developer Ouest Realisations.

From 2021 and for the next five years, Hoffmann Green will supply Ouest Realisations with its clinker-free low-carbon cement resulting from H-UKR technology for the construction of collective housing and commercial buildings. This amounts to a total volume of 75,000m3 of concrete manufactured by concrete plants distributing Hoffmann Green cement, equivalent to 20,000-30,000t of cement.

Hoffmann Greens low-carbon cement will be used within the framework of the construction of the four-story 103-apartment 'La Croix Blanche' senior citizens' residence in Les Sables dOlonne, which has already begun and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022.

Ouest Realisations will also use Hoffmann Green cement within the framework of the 'Batignolles 2025' project, the Nantes regions largest private home and commercial building construction project. This large-scale new mixed-use development covering 12ha will include 700 homes, as well as schools, training centres and businesses. Work is expected to begin in early 2021.

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A day before the Capitol insurrection, a New Caney woman allegedly threatened with a Taser two people crossing a Washington, D.C., intersection as police officers tried to separate two groups with opposing political views that were yelling at each other near Black Lives Matter Plaza, according to court records.

Prosecutors charged Alysia Hargrave, 42, with simple assault in connection to the Jan. 5 incident, which occurred amid First Amendment demonstrations that prompted street closures throughout the nations capital, according to authorities and charging documents filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

Attempts to contact Hargrave in recent days were unsuccessful.

The filing of charges was the among the first against individuals from the Houston region who were in Washington, D.C., last week.

Its unclear how many individuals who on Wednesday stormed the Capitol were area residents, however none of those charged by federal authorities immediately appeared to be.

Authorities arrested a retired Air Force officer, Larry Rendall Brock Jr., in Texas after being photographed on the Senate floor wearing a vest and helmet and carrying zip ties.

He was charged Sunday in federal court with one count of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and one count of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, the Associated Press reported.

On Tuesday, federal authorities said they had opened more than 160 case files over the last six days, which marked just the tip of the iceberg as they continued searching for people and sifting through more than 100,000 pieces of digital media they received after a call-out for tips, videos and pictures.

The significance of this investigation is not lost on us. This is a 24/7, full-bore, extensive operation into what happened that day, Steven M. DAntuono, assistant director in charge of the FBI Washington field office, said at a press conference.

The night before the insurrection, trying to prevent violence from erupting, Metropolitan Police Department officers had just established a barrier around 6:30 p.m. between the groups when they heard the distinct sound of a stun gun crackling while standing in a line parting the crowd, records show.

They saw Hargrave standing at the intersection of 16th and I Streets NW, holding a pink flashlight-Taser.

One of the two victims of the alleged crime told an investigator they had been walking in the intersection when they observed Hargrave standing on the west side of the intersection, yelling vulgarities at them.

When the two were about 15 feet away from Hargrave, the individual told authorities, she raised her hand and brandished the stun gun. The victim said they heard the Taser go off and saw a flash.

Authorities arrested Hargrave on suspicion of possessing a prohibited weapon and simple assault.

While talking to an officer at the scene, a detective asked about the circumstances of the arrest when, according to the charging document, Hargrave spontaneously uttered I had it for self-defense.

Hargrave declined to be interviewed by two detectives upon being read her Miranda rights.

The two victims could not be reached for comment.

Court records do not list an attorney representing Hargrave. She is scheduled to be arraigned June 8.

A Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson, Alaina Gertz, confirmed the arrest was in connection to First Amendment demonstrations that occurred throughout the day in the district.

Authorities do not release crowd size estimates, Gertz said, adding they did not have more details to share.

Images posted on social media and taken by photojournalists show crowds of varying sizes throughout the day. In some, there are hundreds of people, Trump hats and flags. In pictures and videos taken once the sun had set, dozens of police officers in highlighter yellow jackets stand between two groups of people at Black Live Matter Plaza outside of the White House.

alejandro.serrano@chron.com
(Newser)  In July 1846, 85 people became members of the Donner Party with a single ill-fated choice: They turned left at a crossroads that they believed would trim three weeks from their trek to California. Instead, it added four, putting them at the Sierra Nevada in a year where winter came atypically early. In a choose-your-own-adventure-style piece for Wired, Cody Cassidy looks at the subsequent choices the party had to makefrom the perspective of which ones you should make had you happened to be a part of the group. Your first big decision: When on Nov. 1 you reach the snow-filled Truckee Pass, which your oxen and wagons cannot traverse, do you abandon them and make way for California on foot or retreat to cabins at nearby Truckee Lake? The experts are split, writes Cassidy.

story continues below

One thinks you'd make it to California; another says the month-long snowshoeing journey would be deadly. "So play it safe," writes Cassidy. Retreat. But with the knowledge the Donner Party didn't have: Unlike Midwestern peaks that open once the weather clears, there's no getting out until winter is over. Once you're at the cabins, hope you're not "a twentysomething single man in peak physical shape." If you are, ta-ta! As Cassidy explains, you're in trouble because your metabolism is high (doubly so if you're doing the hard work for the group) and your low bodyfat is a liability. Your best bet: Put your metabolism on ice by essentially not moving; one party member who was injured and bedridden survived longer than most of the men his age. But what you really need to do to survive is what some of the party did: resort to cannibalism. If this idea makes you squirm, read the full piece, which outlines how our opposition to it is cultural rather than Darwinian. (Read more Longform stories.)
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(CNN) -- An Australian food company has officially renamed a famous snack brand after years of complaints that it shared its name with a racial slur.

"Coon Cheese," which has been sold in Australia for more than 80 years, will now be known as "Cheer Cheese," its manufacturer said Wednesday. The new brand will roll out to Australian supermarkets in July.

Owner Saputo Dairy Australia bills itself as the country's largest dairy processor. It made the decision to rebrand its cheese line last summer, joining other major food companies that were forced to revisit the titles of some of their most well-known products.

Several big brands, such as Quaker Oats' Aunt Jemima and Mars-owned Uncle Ben's, also announced last year they would change or retire branding that was considered racially offensive.

In Australia, Nestle has rebranded its Red Skins and Chicos sweets, saying that their names were out of step with the company's values. The candy is now sold under the names "Red Ripper" and "Cheekies."

For Saputo, "Coon" cheese had been the focus of criticism for decades. The company has insisted that the brand name paid homage to its founder, Edward William Coon. But the word is also a deeply insulting racial slur directed at people of color.

The change came after more than two decades of campaigning by Indigenous activist Stephen Hagan, according to CNN affiliate 9News. Saputo called the decision an attempt to "eliminate racism" from its brand.

The new name aims to align "with current attitudes and perspectives," the company said in a statement Wednesday.

"Cheer Cheese is a cheese for everyone, and we trust our valued consumers and those who are new to our products will embrace this new name," Cam Bruce, the company's commercial director, said in the statement.

 CNN's Amy Woodyatt contributed to this report.

This story was first published on CNN.com "Australian company renames racially offensive cheese brand."
BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China firmly opposes the United States imposing political suppression and economic sanctions on Cuba under the pretext of fighting terrorism, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.

According to media reports, the U.S. announced Monday a decision to designate Cuba as a "state sponsoring terrorism" once again more than five years after removing the country from the list, and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has strongly condemned the U.S. decision as a hypocritical move full of "political opportunism."

China has always been of the view that the international community should join hands in fighting terrorism, but firmly opposes the United States using anti-terrorism as an excuse to impose political crackdown and economic sanctions on Cuba, Spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily press briefing in response to a related query.

The U.S. side should develop normal state-to-state relations with Cuba on the basis of equality and mutual respect, Zhao said. "This will serve the fundamental interests of the two countries and the two peoples, and help maintain peace and stability of the Latin American region."
[January 13, 2021] Medable Hires Andrea Valente as Chief Operating Officer to Scale Global Delivery of Decentralized Clinical Trials

Medable Inc, the leading cloud platform for patient-centered drug development, today announced the hiring of Andrea Valente as chief operating officer. Valente is a veteran life sciences technology leader who brings deep experience delivering clinical trial technologies to patients at global scale. She has managed operations, product and service delivery for Oracle, IBM, ERT, Siemens (News - Alert) and Phase Forward. As research and patient care move from the controlled environment of the clinic to the home, focus on operational excellence is paramount. Valente is a proven expert in operationalizing patient technologies in clinical research. She played an early role driving adoption and scale of electronic Clinical Outcome Assessments (eCOAs), one of the first technology categories to interact directly with patients outside of clinical settings. She most recently led development and launch of Oracle's (News - Alert) public health platform to address COVID-19 pandemic response and vaccine trials in the U.S., UK and several developing nations. "Andrea is not only an accomplished leader but she has industry-leading experience delivering technologies directly to patients, all over the world. This is very different than delivering solutions into the confines of a clinic," said Dr. Michelle Longmire, CEO and co-founder of Medable. "Andrea knows what it takes to achieve operational excellence at global scale. She will be an invaluable addition to our leadership team as we continue to execute on our mission to build a highly impactful life sciences technology company." Medable experienced record growth in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic drove demand for remote clinical trial technologies. By minimizing the need for in-person site visits, Medable customers have achieved unprecedented results - including 3X faster enrollment and over 90 percent retention rates. Medable launched five new products and onboarded more than 50 new clients during the year, growing revenues by more than 400 percent - and fueling $118 million in new funding to accelerate digital and decentralized clinical trial adoption.



"I'm thrilled to join a leadership team that looks at this space with fresh eyes, while learning from the past - and not necessarily repeating it," said Valente. "Medable is truly transforming clinical research with a relentless focus on the patient experience and end-to-end process efficiency. We are scaling globally with consulting and implementation services that are grounded in science, clinical research and data analysis - across multiple therapeutic areas." Medable executives are participating in several events at this week's J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, sharing insights, advice and lessons learned from the front lines of decentralized trial adoption. Please click here for more information about Medable's presence at JPM 2021, or to schedule a meeting with Medable's executives.

For ongoing insight about decentralized trial adoption and patient-centered research, follow Medable via our blog, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook channels. About Medable Medable is on a mission to get effective therapies to patients faster by transforming clinical drug development with disruptive technologies. The company's digital platform streamlines design, recruitment, retention and data quality for decentralized trials, replacing siloed systems with integrated digital tools, data and interfaces to accelerate trial execution. Medable connects patients, sites and clinical trial teams to improve patient access, experience, and outcomes. Medable is a privately held, venture-backed company headquartered in Palo Alto (News - Alert) , California. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005786/en/

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The common Australian phrases that get lost in translation around the world have been listed by thousands in an amusing post - including 'bring a plate', 'grog' and 'flat out'.

Hundreds were asked to share the the terms on social media - and one of the most commonly mentioned was 'bring a plate', a phrase used by Australians when asking friends to contribute a dish to a dinner party or barbecue.

Many living abroad admitted they would most likely bring a physical plate to a party if they heard this.

'I was very glad when someone stopped me from rocking up at a gathering with an empty plate. I assumed they didn't want to have to deal with all the dishes and thought it would be easier if everyone brought their own,' one woman wrote.

A second said: 'Bringing a plate to a party friends thinking these poor people don't have enough plates,' while a third added: 'I literally brought just a plate when I was new here in Australia donkey years ago.'

The common Australian phrases that get lost in translation around the world have been listed by thousands in an amusing post - including 'bring a plate', 'grog' and 'flat out'

The Australian phrases that often gets lost in translation Bring a plate: Bring a plate of food to share with everyone at gathering Flat out: Extremely busy Grog in the boot: Alcohol in car boot Chalk and cheese: Two people who are very different from each other and they have nothing in common Carrying on like a pork chop: Behaving foolishly Thongs: Flip flops To see a man about a dog: When you don't want anyone knowing what you're up to Kill a brown dog: When food is disgusting or unpalatable How are you travelling: How are you going? Duck to the servo: Head to a petrol station See you later or see ya: Goodbye Advertisement

Another term people mentioned was 'flat out' or 'flat out like a lizard drinking', which simply means 'extremely busy'.

One woman said she received an amusing response when she asked a new colleague at work 'how are you travelling', which meant 'how are you going with the work load?'.

'They answered "by bus",' she said.

Many Australians reflected back to their childhood when their parents used to say to them 'to see a man about a dog' every time they asked where they were going.

The phrase is a term used when the person doesn't want to reveal where they are going or what they are actually doing.

'This was often my parents' response if they were going somewhere they didn't want to disclose,' one wrote.

Another person added: 'My dad would say this all the time. I'd get excited because I thought he was going out to buy a dog.'

Another term people mentioned was 'flat out' or 'flat out like a lizard drinking', which simply means when someone is extremely busy (stock image)

One Australian woman living in New York suffered an unfortunate gaffe when she 'happily announced at a school pick up': 'I loved being able to wear my thongs again because they were cooler and more comfy'.

'Only later realised the mortified and embarrassed looks from the other parents was because in the US "thongs" are g-strings,' she said.

Another added: 'Just using the word "thongs" for footwear is enough in other countries.'

Others shared the 'funny' looks they received when they talked about 'grog', which is slang for alcohol.

'Buying alcohol with some Americans in Iceland last year, and I told them to put the grog in the boot. They looked at me as if I was mad,' one woman recalled.

One UK woman who lived in Australia at the age of 23 revealed she was left confused when a worker at a corner shop said 'see you later', which meant 'goodbye'.

'I'm thinking how will she see me later? Does she know where we live? What will I do when she shows up? Because in Birmingham... seeing someone later meant exactly that, we would've said see you around, or similar,' she said.

Others shared the 'funny' looks they received when they talked about 'grog', which is slang for alcohol (stock image)

One man said his previous American boss couldn't 'get his head around' the term 'chalk and cheese', which is an expression to describe two people who are very different from each other and they have nothing in common.

'Servo', which is slang for a petrol station, was another term that left many foreigners scratching their heads.

'I told an American friend that "I just have to duck up the servo", they had absolutely no idea what I was saying,' one man said.

One woman said the expression 'carrying on like a pork chop' was always a 'mystery' to her, to which some explained it meant when someone behaved foolishly.

'Why wouldn't the saying be "carrying on like a squealing pig" then? I agree, it makes no sense,' one man said, while another added: 'I always wondered why it was a pork chop specifically.'

Another expression that topped the list was 'kill a brown dog', which is used to describe food when it tasted disgusting or unpalatable.

'I never really understood why brown dogs were singled out for this,' one said.
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Supreme Court to decide if Christian students banned from preaching deserve compensation

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The United States Supreme Court will soon decide whether a college that ordered a Christian student to cease preaching on campus can be punished even though the administration has since changed the institution's free speech policies.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Tuesday in the case of Uzuegbunam v. Preczewski, which is centered on George Gwinnett Colleges treatment of student Chike Uzuegbunam.

Gwinnett punished Uzuegbunam for preaching outside of an on-campus free speech zone, prompting the student to file a lawsuit which resulted in Gwinnett changing its policies.

At issue was whether the college was responsible for compensating Uzuegbunam for its previous policy restrictions. Another student named Joseph Bradford joined the lawsuit.

Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the plaintiffs, argued before the high court that the students lost forever the chance to get those days back and speak their message to their peers.

No policy change can ever restore that lost opportunity, said Waggoner, the appropriate remedy to redress those past times is nominal damages.

For centuries, English and American courts have awarded nominal damages when no future threat exists, even after a plaintiff waives compensatory damages.

In response, Justice Clarence Thomas asked if the plaintiffs were only asking for a dollar or nominal damages if that seems to undermine the real and substantial requirement?

I don't think so, responded Waggoner. This court has held that vindicating constitutional rights is of the highest importance and that it is an injury in and of itself to have the government engage in misconduct and not redress that injury, no matter how insignificant the damage award might be.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor critically asked why Bradford was part of the lawsuit, as there was never enforcement against him when the college had stricter free regulations.

Waggoner replied that his injury was that his speech was chilled, citing Susan B. Anthony List v. Driehaus, in which the Supreme Court unanimously ruled against an Ohio law barring supposed false statements during political campaigns.

Andrew Pinson, arguing for the defendants, said that nominal damages can't serve as independent redress for purely past injuries, such as those experienced by the students.

Petitioners haven't cited a single common law case that decided the merits of a legal claim where a plaintiff had sought only nominal damages and awarding them couldn't affect the plaintiff's ongoing legal rights or interests, continued Pinson.

Without a working theory for how nominal damages can actually redress past injuries or historical evidence for that claim, the conclusion has to be that they aren't retrospective relief that saves the case from mootness when there's no longer a threat of continuing injury.

Justice Stephen Breyer talked about the challenge of quantifying damages, citing as an example a college saying that a student cannot pray at a given location, which is unconstitutional.

And suppose he was stopped from praying. What's the damage? Can you say there was no damage? There was. But what is it? How do you measure it? I don't know, Breyer said.

And the same with speech. He wanted to speak there. He was  unconstitutionally forbidden to do it. Well, he was about to give his speech. What's the damage? Now, don't nominal damages have a place right there where there is damage but it's just impossible to measure?

Pinson responded that nominal damages do not, adding that he believed the plaintiffs want nominal damages to redress harms that are difficult or impossible to quantify.

In July 2019, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit issued a per curiam decision against the students, affirming a lower court decision labeling the case moot.
Larsen & Toubro (L&T) rose 1.14% to Rs 1,365.10 after the company said its construction arm secured 'significant' orders for its various businesses.

As per L&T's classification, the valuation of the 'significant' contract lies between Rs 1000 crore to Rs 2500 crore.

L&T Construction's Metallurgical and Material Handling (MMH) business received orders to construct a metallurgical plant in the domestic market, add on orders from an overseas package and product supply orders from various customers. L&T said traction in metal prices gives a good outlook for the business in the near and medium term.

L&T's Power Transmission & Distribution business won an Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) contract to construct a 500kV transmission line in Malaysia that comes at the heels of the successful completion of a similar 500kV project in West Malaysia. The proposed overhead line will facilitate power evacuation from an upcoming combined cycle power generating facility in the region.

L&T is an Indian multinational engaged in engineering, procurement and construction projects, manufacturing, defence and services with over $21 billion in revenue.

On a consolidated basis, the company's net profit surged 118.43% to Rs 5,520.27 crore on 12.15% decline in net sales to Rs 31,034.74 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q2 September 2019.

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Pioneer Natural Resources has completed its $4.5 billion acquisition of Parsley Energy, creating a powerhouse in the prolific Permian Basin of West Texas.

Shareholders from both companies approved the merger at a special meeting on Tuesday. Parsley stockholders will receive 0.1252 shares of Pioneer stock for each share of Parsley stock owned. After today, Parsley stock will no longer be traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

We are excited to close our transaction with Parsley and begin delivering on the significant synergies provided by this combination, Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield said in a statement. We appreciate the strong support from shareholders and are confident in the tangible and durable value created through this transaction, forming the premier Permian independent energy company.

CONSOLIDATION: Pioneer Natural Resources laying off 100 workers after Parsley acquisition

Consolidation is sweeping the energy sector as the industry pulls out of the oil bust caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Oil and gas companies are joining forces and acquiring assets to better weather such downturns.

Recent mergers and acquisitions deals include Chevrons $13.7 billion acquisition of Houston-based Noble Energy in October, Devon Energys $5.8 billion acquisition of WPX Energy and Southwestern Energys $193 million acquisition of Montage Resources in November.

Dallas-based Pioneer announced plans to take over rival Parsley in October. The combined company, which will have access to 930,000 acres in the Midland and Delaware basins, is expected to lead to annual savings of more than $325 million by 2021. Pioneer plans to cut costs by combining water resources, refinancing debt and streamlining operations.

Pioneer last month said it plans to cut 100 jobs in Midland after its acquisition with Parsley. The layoffs will occur over three months beginning in February at Parsleys headquarters in Midland. Some of the employees will be offered jobs with Pioneer outside of Midland.
Israeli night raids targeting arms depots and military positions in eastern Syria killed at least seven Syrian soldiers and 16 allied fighters, in the deadliest raids since 2018, a war monitor said Wednesday.

The Israeli air force carried out more than 18 strikes against multiple targets in an area stretching from the eastern town of Deir Ezzor to the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The raids killed seven Syrian soldiers and 16 non-Syrian militia fighters whose nationalities were not immediately known, the Britain-based monitoring group said.

Paramilitaries belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah movement and the Fatimid Brigade, which is made up of pro-Iranian Afghan fighters, operate in the region, the Observatory said.

The raids also wounded 28 troops and militiamen, some of them critically.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment.

Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman called the Israeli raids the "deadliest since June 2018" when strikes on the same region killed at least 55 pro-government fighters, including Iraqis as well as Syrians.

In November, similar raids on eastern Syria killed at least 19 pro-Iran militia fighters, the monitor said.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported the latest strikes but gave few details.

"At 1:10 am (2310 GMT Tuesday), the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial assault on the town of Deir Ezzor and the Albu Kamal region," SANA said, citing a military source.

"The results of the aggression are currently being verified," it added.

It was the second wave of Israeli raids in Syria in less than a week.

The last strikes on January 7 targeted positions in southern Syria and in the southern outskirts of the capital Damascus, killing three pro-Iran fighters.

Israel routinely carries out raids in Syria, mostly against targets linked to Iran in what it says is a bid to prevent its arch foe from consolidating a foothold on its northern border.

Israel hit around 50 targets in Syria in 2020, according to an annual report released in late December by the Israeli military.

Israel has carried out hundreds of air and missile strikes on Syria since civil war broke out in 2011, targeting Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah forces as well as Syrian government troops.

Israel rarely acknowledges individual strikes but has done so when responding to what it describes as aggression inside Israeli territory.

The war in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and displaced millions more since it erupted after the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

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The Central probe agency had carried out searches at the premises of Singh and those linked to him in September 2019 in connection with two PMLA cases

New Delhi: A Delhi court on Wednesday sent former TMC MP KD Singh, arrested in a money laundering case, to three days ED custody after the agency said he was needed for custodial interrogation.

Singh, who was arrested Tuesday night was produced before Special Judge Anuradha Shukla Bhardwaj, who accepted the ED's contention for former MP's custodial interrogation.

ED's Special Public Prosecutor NK Matta told the court that Singh's statements during the questioning were contradictory and he was also evasive in his replies.

He further told the court that two letters of rogatory were sent to two countries seeking assistance in the case and their replies are awaited.

He was evasive in replies, has a non-cooperative attitude. From bank statements it can be seen that funds were diverted to own companies, Matta told the court, seeking 14-day custodial interrogation.

Singh was arrested under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The central probe agency had carried out searches at the premises of Singh and those linked to him in September 2019 in connection with two PMLA cases.

Singh has been the chairman of the Alchemist group and while he resigned from the post in 2012, he is stated to be the Chairman, Emeritus, and founder of the business group.

The ED is probing him as part of two money laundering cases.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  The new coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, and which is believed to be more contagious, is now in the Philippines, the Department of Health reported on Wednesday.

The DOH, together with the Philippine Genome Center, confirmed that the B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant, also known as the UK variant, has been detected after samples from a Filipino who returned home from the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 7 yielded positive genome sequencing results.

The said patient is a male resident of Quezon City who departed for Dubai on December 27, 2020 for business purposes and arrived in the Philippines last January 7, 2021 via Emirates Flight No. EK 332, the department said.

In a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials aired Wednesday night, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also bared that the patient is a 29-year-old real estate agent from Brgy. Kamuning.

He was tested for COVID-19 and was quarantined in a hotel upon arrival, the DOH said. After testing positive for the virus a day after, he was referred to an isolation facility in Quezon City, while his samples were sent to PGC for whole genome sequencing. He also underwent x-ray and was found to have pneumonia.

The DOH said the patient was with his girlfriend during the trip, but she tested negative for COVID-19 upon arrival. She is currently under strict quarantine and monitoring.

Both of the returning Filipinos had no exposure to a confirmed case prior to their departure to Dubai nor had any travel activities outside Quezon City, the DOH said.

According to Duque, the patient attended a business meeting in Dubai with another individual on Dec. 30. He and his girlfriend also reportedly visited malls, groceries, and tourist sites while there.

Contact tracing was immediately done by authorities, and initially identified contacts are now under strict home quarantine. None of them are currently exhibiting symptoms, according to the DOH. Meanwhile, the other passengers who were with the patient during the flight are also being located. Those aboard Emirates Flight No. EK 332 are advised by the DOH to get in touch with their barangay health emergency response teams.

As an added precautionary measure, the QC government said the patients immediate household contacts have also been brought to an isolation facility where they were tested.

Following the development, the DOH said weekly genomic biosurveillance among incoming passengers, local cases, re-infected patients, and those with reported clustering of cases will be intensified. It added that it has already coordinated with the Department of Interior and Local Government for the expansion of contact tracing to include third-generation close contacts for known cases of the UK variant. All close contacts of these cases will be required to undergo strict 14-day facility-based quarantine.

The DOH also reiterated its call to the national and local governments, as well as the public, for the stricter implementation and observance of protocols against COVID-19.

An expert earlier warned that the new UK variant could result in a 15-fold increase in infections in just a month if it becomes the dominant variant in the country. This means that from over 30,000, new cases per month could surge to as high as nearly 300,000, he said.

READ: PH can see 15-fold increase in infections if new COVID-19 variant takes over  expert

In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Wednesday, medical expert Dra. Lulu Bravo said she was already expecting the detection of the UK variant in the country due to the nature of viruses.

"Viruses have mutations as a form of defense for themselves. They have to mutate because they have to adapt in an environment," said Bravo. "The higher the incidence of the virus in a place, the more there can be mutations."

Bravo explained the UK variant is not as deadly as the old COVID-19 variants but is "highly more transmissible" according to initial scientific studies.

"We need really more preventive measures to try and reduce the transmissibility. It can be done by doing your (wearing of) face masks, washing hands, and distancing," the expert advised.

Earlier, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH is also monitoring global developments on three other reported COVID-19 variants, including the ones found in South Africa and Sabah, and another supposedly detected in Nigeria.

The Philippines suspended all flights from the United Kingdom beginning Dec. 24, a ban that later included 31 other countries and territories, following reports of the new COVID-19 variants. To date, the country has recorded 492,700 cases, which include 9,699 deaths and 458,523 recoveries.
New Delhi: With just a week left for the end of the term of President Donald Trump, the administration has declassified one of the most crucial documents, the United States Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific that gives an overarching view of Washington's policy for the region and India.

The declassified document sees India as a net provider of security with the object to solidify an enduring strategic partnership with India. The document states that the partnershi with India is "underpinned by a strong Indian military able to effectively collaborate with the US".

The document was released by the US National Security Council. The White House said, the aim was to communicate to the American people and to our allies and partners about Washington's enduring commitment to keeping the "Indo-Pacific region free and open long into the future."

The declassified document calls for offering 'support to India--through diplomatic, military, and intelligence channels--to help address continental challenges such as the border dispute with China and access to water, including the Brahmaputra and other rivers facing diversion by China'.

The document, calls for building "a stronger foundation for defense cooperation and interoperability" between New Delhi and Washington with a focus on the expansion of "defense trade and...increase cooperation on shared regional security concerns".

The focus is also on enhancing connectivity by "working with India and Japan to help finance projects that enhance regional connectivity". This comes even as China under its mega belt and road initiative has been expanding connectivity in south Asia and the wider region but leaving a trail of debt, being referred to as Beijing's "debt-trap diplomacy".

India and US, have built closer ties in the last two decades, under the leadership of former presidents Bill Clinton to George W Bush to Barack Obama and up to the Donald Trump administration. But it was only during the current dispensation, the focus has increasingly been on the Indo-Pacific region backed both by New Delhi and Washington.

While this document was approved in February 2018, the support on intelligence-sharing in China stands out amid the dispute at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India-China.

On China, the document has been scathing, with a focus on "countering Chinese predatory economic practices that freeze out foreign competition" and working closely with "allies and like-minded countries to prevent Chinese acquisition of military and strategic capabilities".

The year 2020 was one of the worst years in the New Delhi-Beijing relationship as an aggressive Chinese force tried to change the status quo in Eastern Ladakh.
Love Island star Jamie Jewitt smiled as he posed with his jailbird brother Luke after he was released from prison early after serving five years for drug offences.

Luke, 35, was jailed for running a 5.2million drug gang in 2016, a year before his younger brother Jamie, 27, entered the Love Island villa.

The elder brother of the Love Island hunk was sentenced in July 2016 as one of 11 members of a gang, after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Brotherly support: Love Island star Jamie Jewitt smiled as he posed with his jailbird brother Luke after he was released from prison early after serving five years for drug offences

Although Jamie previously said he would 'never defend' his brother's actions, the siblings have since rebuilt their relationship following Luke's release.

New dad Jamie was on hand to support Luke's new business venture on Wednesday, following the launch of his 'revolutionary hair loss concealer business, called Luxe SMP Clinic.

He wrote: 'A few weeks ago I welcomed @jamiejewitt_ into the clinic. Myself and Jamie spoke about the knock in confidence brought on through losing our hair. Even though like mine his was the inevitable generic MPB/thinning via age.

Court case: The elder brother of the Love Island hunk was sentenced in July 2016 as one of 11 members of a gang, after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine

Thumbs up! New dad Jamie was on hand to support Luke's new business venture on Wednesday, following the launch of his 'revolutionary hair loss concealer business, called Luxe SMP Clinic

'Nevertheless for some, it still causes the same problems. Then I enlightened him on the concept of SMP. A journey I had gone through myself. And the rest is history. Jamie was converted!

'With a few sessions I managed to give him back some of the confidence he lost with his hair! Stick around for Jamie's SMP journey thats on its way...'

Jamie and Luke have led very different lives, as Jamie was thrown into the spotlight following his reality TV stint as well as a successful modelling career.

At the time of his conviction, Jamie said of his brother: 'I'll never defend him for what he's done and nor will our family. It tore us apart emotionally and it was horrific.'

Convicted: Luke, 35, was jailed for running a 5.2million drug gang in 2016, a year before his younger brother Jamie, 27, entered the Love Island villa

Detectives seized 600,000 worth of cocaine imported from Malaga, Spain, in a taxi, leading to the arrest of multiple members of the group.

Luke was already suspicious he was being tailed by undercover police officers and had found bugs in his car. Months later his home was ram-raided by cops at 5am.

At the time, Detective sergeant Daren Guess from ERSOU said: 'This was a sophisticated drugs importation and distribution network which had the potential to flood the eastern region with cocaine and cannabis.'

Speaking about his experience as part of the gang, Jewitt said: 'I've had some of my close friends shot dead, just executed. It's a dangerous playing field.'

Love life: Calvin Klein model Jamie was a runner-up on the show with girlfriend Camilla

Former builder Jewitt admitted he was lured into a life of crime after some vital construction deals fell through.

He said many of the guys involved in the drugs ring were childhood friends of his, meaning the murky lifestyle 'fell into his lap'.

He claimed prison has made him realise that taking a 'short cut' to try to make something of himself was wrong - and he's since become a Samaritan and studied philosophy.

He revealed he has persuaded fellow inmates not to take their own lives - though he wasn't able to save everybody, revealing he's encountered some people 'hanging dead' in their cell.

Jailed: Luke (right) - the elder brother of Jamie (left) - was sentenced in July 2016. Jamie and Luke have led very different lives, as Jamie was thrown into the spotlight following his reality TV stint as well as a successful modelling career

Much like the BBC hit Line of Duty, a film based on Jewitt's life - The Corrupted - features a plot laced with corrupt police officers and government officials.

But many of the dodgy deals and backhanders cited in the film aren't fiction; instead they're based on the eye-witness accounts provided by Jewitt, who claims he saw corruption 'on all levels'.

Jewitt was visited by Sam Claflin in prison, who described the experience as 'eye-opening' - though Jewitt played down the glamour of meeting a Hollywood movie star.

'Afterwards he went off to film and I went back to my cell,' he said bluntly.

Former Calvin Klein model Jamie and bomb disposal expert Camilla Thurlow are one of the few remaining Love Island couples who are still going strong, and recently welcomed a little girl - Nell - together.
Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti is one of the hardest products to find in retail stores and other online shops since they are always out of stock. The new PC hardware is Nvidia's affordable mid-range graphics card.

Nvidia RTX 3060 TI graphics cards. How hard can it be to find a few cards??? This is getting frustrating...You got a reliable source? Let me know! Please.. Pretty please with sugar on top!! And cream! pic.twitter.com/bnNZd7MJxF  Ulf Josefsson (@JosefssonUlf) January 7, 2021

Since the RTX 3060 hasn't gone on sale, the RTX 3060 Ti is currently the cheapest Nvidia RTX 3000-series graphic card. It is also very popular since the product is always out of stock.

On the other hand, the RTX 3060 is expected to go on sale in late February. According to Toms Guide's latest report, retailers and online shops usually replenish the stocks in small amounts.

This means that the units will quickly go out of stock once they are restocked. To help you further, here are the retailers you can visit that have Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti.

Where to Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti

Many retailers and online shops restocked their Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti units. Here is the list of shops you can visit.

Best Buy is currently offering the product version of Nvidia itself, MSI, EVGA, and more. This is just one of the retailers in the United States you can visit.

I spent a good amount of time trying to get the new #Nvidia RTX 3060 ti. Only to see the card dissappear from my cart, errors at @Newegg and a coiming soon to out of stock at best buy. But now look the price at Amazon. Nice going @nvidia #pcgamer#pcmasterace #gaming pic.twitter.com/1Ge2I5NYTo  Emmanuel W. (@DarkEmmanuel) December 2, 2020

Also Read: Zotac Unveils Magnus One Mini PC with Intel Core i7-10700 and Nvidia GeForce RTX 30 Series Graphics

On the other hand, you can also visit Newegg. However, it is important to remember that only a few units are currently available for pre-order. If you want to get the site's latest updates, you need to sign up for automatic notifications.

Here are other retailers you can visit that are selling Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti in the United States. You can also click here for the websites' links.

Overlockers

Scan

eBuyer

CCL

Micro Center

B&H

Nvidia's official store

Cheapest graphic cards currently

According to TechRadar's latest report, there are other cheaper graphic cards compared to Nvidia RTX 3060 Ti. A graphic card is the PC hardware that enhances your game's visual effects. It is also the one that provides your screen with great color displays.

Since Nvidia is already mentioned, it is suggested that people could also try buying the graphic cards of Geforce, Radeon, and AMD. Here's the complete list you can check.

AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 Super

AMD Radeon RX 5600 XT

AMD Radeon RX 5700

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1660 OC 6G

For more news updates about Nvidia, AMD, and other giant graphic card manufacturers, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Intel Reveals Core i9 11900K Chip's 2021 Release Date, Specs, and More!

This article is owned by TechTimes.

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 15:39:32|Editor: huaxia

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Workers assemble vehicles at the general assembly line of FAW Jiefang, a truck-manufacturing subsidiary of First Automotive Works (FAW) Group Co. Ltd., in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Having successfully navigated the extreme hardship brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, manufacturers across China are kicking production into high gear to make use of every minute of the new year.

The latest data showed that China's producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, rose 1.1 percent month on month in December, indicating a steady recovery in China's manufacturing sector. Yet, challenges remain ahead amid the capricious epidemic at home and the complicated external environment.

"The opportunities outweigh the challenges," Xiao Yaqing, minister of industry and information technology, told Xinhua in an interview, adding that the fundamentals for the sustained and sound development of China's industrial sector will not change in 2021.

Xiao urged efforts to modernize industrial chains and "crack hard nuts" such as bottlenecks in technological advancement to develop the country into a manufacturing powerhouse.

China has assumed the mantle of the workshop of the world for many years now, driven by its sheer size, complete industrial system and cheap labor force.

As the country pushes forward the transformation of its economic growth model and heads for more efficient and high-quality growth, China aims to move up the value chain to make its manufacturing sector not only big but also smart and tech-savvy.

The digitalization of China's manufacturing industry has seen continuous improvements in recent years, said Fang Xiaoxia, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

However, China's digital transformation of its manufacturing sector remains largely in its infancy, such as the use of industrial software, and data mining and utilization at production sites, Fang noted.

To further enhance its manufacturing prowess, China will build more independent and controllable industrial and supply chains, with efforts to achieve breakthroughs in key and core technologies, according to the tone-setting Central Economic Work Conference that took place in December.

The automobile industry, for example, could emerge as a crucial sector for China's industrial upgrading. The country has outlined a roadmap for developing automated vehicles, aiming to achieve scale production of driverless cars of conditional automation by 2025.

A driverless vehicle runs on a road during a driverless vehicle winter challenge competition at a forest park in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Jan. 12, 2021. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

China will establish a basic ecosystem for driverless vehicles by 2025, said a document released last year, adding that the system should be continuously improved to build the country's strength in automated vehicles by 2050.

Green industry is another area that China is hoping to build on its advantages. To ensure green growth of the automobile sector, China unveiled a development plan for its new energy vehicle industry for the 2021-2035 period. By 2035, purely electric automobiles are likely to dominate new purchases, while vehicles used in public transportation will be exclusively electrified, according to the plan.

Digital transformation of China's industrial sector has also accelerated during the epidemic. The boom of the online economy amid the epidemic-induced lockdowns has shifted many companies' traditional practices such as office meetings and marketing online.

China's digital infrastructure also saw notable achievements, with a total of 580,000 5G base stations built last year and 600,000 more to be added to the network in 2021.

The country vows more breakthroughs for the industrial application of 5G technology, with over 1,100 projects on the integration of 5G and industrial internet under construction, covering key fields such as raw materials, equipment manufacturing and consumer goods.

Apart from promoting technological advancement domestically, China also encourages foreign firms to engage in the country's industrial upgrading.

In December 2020, China released a revised industrial catalog, opening up more sectors for foreign investors. Scheduled to take effect on Jan. 27, 2021, the new catalog encourages more foreign capital to pump into high-end manufacturing such as artificial intelligence, integrated circuits and new material.

Opening up cutting-edge sectors not only creates more opportunities for foreign investors but also brings strategic factors such as talent, technology and capital to China, which will contribute to the establishment of the new development paradigm, said Zhao Ping, a researcher with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. 

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Students wait on marked lines outside Lee Elementary School, until they are led in on the first day of in-person classes in September. Lee has moved temporarily to remote learning for all schools amid a post-holiday spike in COVID-19 cases.
CONWAY  Melton Gore, a longtime Horry County Police Department officer in the environmental services unit, died in an incident near Highways 22 and 31 on Tuesday afternoon, the HCPD announced.

According to preliminary reports from HCPD officials, Gore was removing debris from the roadway when he was struck by a vehicle. The South Carolina Highway Patrol will investigate the incident, with more information expected in the coming days.

Gore was a 23-year veteran of the HCPD, while he worked in the medical, golf course, cooking and construction fields prior to that.

"I will forever miss picking up on the phone to say Fox Baby. We always had a good time joking around. I will miss your smile and jokes man. I really hate this. You always knew how to brighten everyones day. Rest In Peace Fox, we have it from here, said Lynn Strickland, a 911 dispatcher who had answered calls from Gore for years.

Gore was also well known for his skills in the kitchen, according to HCPD Chief Joseph Hill, a topic he had discussed with Gore earlier on Tuesday.

"Officer Gore paid us a visit today in the executive suite, just to drop in to say hello. And if you knew Fox, and thats what we call him, one heckuva cook. If you never forgot if you took in one of his meals or one of his events, you knew that he put a lot of love into what he did for Horry County, for the Horry County Police Department, and his cooking," Hill said.

"I will never forget the conversation we had today. He told me, Cant wait until I can cook for you again. Unfortunately, that wont happen.

Hill also plead with the community to be aware of their surroundings while on the roadways, asking for drivers to be "vigilant" and "be aware of the workers working in the roadways."

Hill couldn't comment on whether the driver would face any charges for striking Gore.

"I will tell you that I'm pretty sure that person didn't start the day thinking they were going to kill a police officer. Our hearts and prayers go out to that driver," Hill said.

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As part of his duties, Gore would respond to animal welfare checks, which made him a popular person with the local animal community.

In October, Gore sat down with the Horry County Animal Care Center for a short social media Q&A session.

In the interview, he admitted to working all the time and that if he could tell the public one thing about his job, it would be the number of incidents we deal with in a given moment or throughout the day  can be huge. Its never slow.

When Gore changed careers and went into law enforcement, he did it with an eye on his future.

I wanted to be an officer because it has retirement benefits that I knew would be good for me, Gore said.

It is the second death in two weeks among law enforcement in Horry County, with the North Myrtle Beach Police Department losing Sgt. Gordon Best on New Year's in a single-car accident near Barefoot Landing.

Richard Caines and Hannah Strong contributed to this report.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- An eighth medical marijuana provisioning center is opening this week in Grand Rapids.

Gage Cannabis Co. is slated to begin its first sales of medical marijuana at 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 15. The provisioning center is located at 3075 South Peregrine Road, near Celebration Cinema Grand Rapids North off of the Beltline.

At this time, the store will only offer curbside pick-up. Store hours will be 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday.

We are starting 2021 off right by opening our first store on the western side of the state, Mike Finos, president and executive vice president of operations at Gage, said in a statement. We aim to leave an impactful impression on the hearts of the citys citizens by providing the finest products, attentive customer service, quality community service and steadfast commitment to our social equity initiatives.

When the 4,018-square-foot provisioning center opens Friday, the first 100 patients will receive a prize bag filled with apparel, rolling papers, a marijuana storage container with a built-in grinder and other items. Patients can also participate in a giveaway that includes prizes like AirPods and an iPad.

The provisioning center features a selection of 40 strains of flower, pre-rolled joints, edibles, concentrates, topicals, tinctures, CBD products, accessories and apparel. A government-issued medical cannabis card and government-issued ID are required to shop.

One-eighth of an ounce of marijuana flower is generally billed around $40 to $55 depending on the strain, according to the prices at Gages Lansing location.

According to the company, Gage will be giving patients vouchers to encourage them to visit and shop at local businesses in Grand Rapids. The vouchers are limited.

I think local businesses in Grand Rapids were drastically impacted by COVID19 and unfortunately some of my favorite places had to shut their doors for good, Drew McCarthy, Gages store manager and a local Grand Rapids media personality, said in a statement. I think Grand Rapids businesses have shown their strength and resilience during this time and Im thrilled to see Gage making the effort to support them.

Gage company officials also say they will be offering grants of up to $50,000 to cannabis entrepreneurs that reside in communities, such as Grand Rapids, identified by the Michigan Regulatory Agency as having been disproportionately affected by prior marijuana prohibition policies.

Gage operates six dispensaries in Michigan and anticipates having over 20 locations by the end of 2021. The company also operates three grow operations in the state.

The other seven provisioning centers open in the city are:

Joyology at 3769 28th St. SE.

Fluresh at 1213 Phillips Ave. SW.

High Profile - Boutique Cannabis at 2321 44th St. SE.

3Fifteen Cannabis at 3423 Plainfield Ave. NE.

3Fifteen Cannabis at 2900 Division Ave. S.

Pharmhouse Wellness at 831 Wealthy St. SW.

Michigan Supply & Provisions at 2741 28th St.

There are also three recreational dispensaries in the city:

PharmHouse Wellness at 831 Wealthy St. SW

Fluresh at 1213 Phillips Ave. SW.

Michigan Supply & Provisions at 2741 28th St.

Read more:

Suspect surrenders after hour standoff

Michigan shifts strategy on vaccine program, with heightened focus on shots in arms

Alleged leader in Gov. Whitmer kidnap plot faces first Michigan court appearance

Nine years ago, terrorists attacked U.S. diplomats and contractors in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans died, and Republicans spent years investigating why. Those investigations found no wrongdoing by President Barack Obama or thenSecretary of State Hillary Clinton, but they succeeded in painting Clinton as soft on terrorism, thereby damaging her 2016 presidential campaign. Now the same Republicans who decried Benghazi are downplaying President Donald Trumps culpabilityand their ownin the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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The Republican frenzy over Benghazi spanned two presidential elections. In October 2012, Darrell Issa, the chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, opened hearings on the Obama administrations security failures. In a letter issued two weeks before that years presidential election, Issa and a fellow Republican lawmaker accused the administration of endangering American lives by ignoring the escalating violence that had preceded the attack. The letter also criticized Obamas team for blaming the attack, erroneously, on unrelated protests over an anti-Muslim video.

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After the election, Republicans launched more investigations. They created a House committee on Benghazi, whichas Issa and others would later admitaimed to tarnish Clinton and cripple her candidacy. In hours of public interrogation and in the committees final report, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan said Clinton had neglected warning signs before the attack and had played up the protests to avoid acknowledging the terrorism. At the 2016 Republican National Convention, Sen. Marco Rubio alleged that Clinton had turned her back on the fallen heroes in Benghazi. Sen. Ted Cruz, taking Clintons words out of context, accused her of shrugging off the death of Americans at Benghazi.

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Five years later, at least five people are dead after last weeks attack on the U.S. Capitol. Thats more than the number of Americans killed in Benghazi. But this attack wasnt inspired by radical Islamists. It was inspired by Republicans. For weeks leading up to the storming of the Capitol, Cruz told his followers that Democrats were trying to steal the election. Issa pledged to challenge the amazing discrepancies in state ballots counts, and Jordan constantly promoted allegations of fraud. The night before the attack, Fox News host Lou Dobbs asked Jordan, Are you absolutely convinced  that there was fraud and an effort to steal this election on the part of the radical Dems? The congressman replied, Certainly fraud. Over 200 affidavits and declarations.

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Even after the Jan. 6 assault, these lawmakers continued to spread the propaganda that had provoked it. Rubio said state officials had mutilated election integrity laws to help the Democrats. Cruz noted that millions of Americans believe the election was rigged, and he scoffed that Democrats who dismiss those claims did so because they like the outcome. When an interviewer pointed out that other lawmakers had found no evidence of significant fraud, Cruz retorted, Voter fraud has been a persistent problem in our elections. We have seen it over and over again. And when colleagues challenged Jordan to concede that the election was not rigged or stolen, he ducked, saying only that the results had been officially certified.

During the Benghazi hearings, Republicans lambasted Clinton for suggesting, even tangentially, that understandable grievances might have played a role in the Libyan attack. Now those Republicans are suggesting that legitimate grievances were behind the attack on Congress. Issa says the Americans who assembled to march on the Capitol were just people who passionately believe that there was an injustice in the election. Rubio says 99 percent of the people who came here [to Washington] had nothing to do with that mob, nothing. The senator blames media bias for causing a crisis of confidence in elections, which in turn helped create an environment that lead[s] to this, meaning the attack. Such blatant bias from the media, according to Rubio, is one of the reasons why so many Americans have sought political shelter in divisive political movements.

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The same Republicans who blamed Islamic clerics for inspiring Islamic terrorism refuse to hold Trump responsible for inspiring the attack on the Capitol. Cruz says proposals to impeach the president or remove him through the 25th Amendment are just vindictiveness and partisan spite from people who hate Donald Trump. Jordan says impeachment would be a slap at the 75 million Americans who supported the president. Issa brushes off Trumps incendiary rhetoric as a misstep, and he argues that impeachment would be kicking him when hes down. When an interviewer asked Issa whether Trump bore any responsibility for the violence at the Capitol, the congressman pleaded, I dont make it my practice to judge anything other than the outcome.

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Meanwhile, Jordanwho hounded Obama administration officials mercilessly for revising their story about Benghazi (initially they thought protests had driven the attack on the consulate; later they retracted that theory)is now trying to whitewash his own record. In October, he tweeted, Democrats are trying to steal the election. A day before the attack, he blamed Trumps loss on fraud, and he warned that 60 million Americans think the election was stolen. But at a House hearing on Tuesday, the congressman piously insisted, Ive never said that this election was stolen.

The response of these Trump apologists to last weeks insurrection makes a mockery of their hysteria over Benghazi. Theyre doing exactly what they previously denounced: changing their story, rationalizing the motives behind the attack, and excusing the demagogue who inspired it. After four years of inquisitions into the deaths of four Americans in Libya, theyre accusing Democrats, in Issas words, of overplaying a lot of things, including the death of these people on Capitol Hill. Republicans stand firmly against terrorism, it seems, until the terrorists are Republicans.
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VILNIUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th January, 2021) Lithuania will establish a government commission with the task of blocking electricity supplies from third countries in line with the regional plan to synchronize with the European electricity grid, Lithuanian news portal Elta reported on Wednesday, citing the government.

According to the report, the Lithuanian government approved at a meeting on Wednesday the proposal of the Ministry of Energy to form a government commission to coordinate issues concerning the implementation of the power synchronization project and work out protective measures against the threats emanating from unsafe nuclear power plants in third countries.

Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys was quoted as saying that "the launch of the Belarusian nuclear power plant made it necessary to effectively prevent the feeding in of electricity from third countries and ensure unhindered operations of the [domestic] energy system."

According to Kreivys, as cited in the report, the commission will be led by Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte and include officials dealing with energy, environment, finance, foreign affairs and agriculture, as well as representatives of the State Nuclear Power Safety Inspectorate and the National Energy Regulatory Council. The commission will also reportedly include the heads of state-owned power companies EPSO-G, Ignitis and Litgrid.

The energy systems of the Baltic countries  Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia  have historically been synchronized with those of Belarus and Russia, primarily due to the geographic proximity and common past within the Soviet Union. In 2007, the Baltics, together with Poland, launched an initiative to synchronize their electricity grid with the European Union instead. The plan is to achieve it by 2025.

Lithuania has been opposed to the Belarusian nuclear power plant (NPP) since the time it was still a project on paper. The Lithuanian parliament even legislated that the plant threatened the country's national security. The plant has passed all standard and additional checks of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The plant is located in Astravets, a town in Belarus' northwestern part in the close vicinity of Lithuania's border.

The Belarusian NPP is a joint Russian-Belarusian project, with the construction under the supervision of a subsidiary of Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear agency. The plant has two reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400 Megawatt. The first unit is expected to become fully operational by March of this year, and the second one in 2022.
New Delhi: Government on Wednesday clarified that full initial procurement amount of 1.65 crore doses of Covishield and Covaxin vaccines have been allocated to all States/UTs in proportion of Health Care Workers database.

On Twitter, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare reacted to Maharashtra Health Minister's claim that the state received lower amount of Covid vaccine doses.

Maharashtra has received a total of 9,83,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses, of which 9,63,000 have come from Serum Institute of India and the remaining from Bharat Biotech, said Rajesh Tope on Wednesday.

"Maharashtra needs a total of 17.5 lakh vaccine doses, but we have been able to acquire 55 per cent of the required number as of now," he said, adding that a gap of four to six weeks will be necessary between the two required doses.

"There is no question of discrimination against any state in allocation of vaccine doses. This is the initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come. Therefore, any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded," the ministry clarified.

"Eight centres have been set up across the state where vaccines have been dispatched. Doses will be sent to district, sub-district and rural hospitals across Maharashtra," said Tope.

The minister said eight lakh health workers are to be vaccinated first and vaccine shots will be administered at 350 centres. Also, Tope assured everyone that the two vaccines are completely safe.

Tope expressed hope about receiving more consignment of vaccine doses in coming days. He said, "We will think on giving vaccine to critical patients on priority basis.

"States have been advised to organize vaccination sessions taking into account 10% reserve/wastage doses and average of 100 vaccinations per session per day. Therefore, any undue haste on the parts of states to organize unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day is not advised," the ministry further said on Twitter.

"The states and UTs have also been advised to increase the number of vaccination session sites that would be operational every day in a progressive manner as the vaccination process stabilizes and moves forward," added MoHFW.

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General Assignment Reporter

Chris Mays is a general assignment reporter for the Brattleboro Reformer. He has been with New England Newspapers Inc. since 2012.



He announced on Instagram in November that he and his wife Liv Lo are expecting their first child together.

And on Tuesday, Henry Golding and Lo were seen enjoying a walk together in LA.

The Crazy Rich Asians star, 33, was dressed in a dark ensemble of t-shirt, jeans and zipper jacket.

Outing: Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding and his wife Liv Lo were spotted running some errands in LA on Tuesday. The couple are expecting their first child together in 2021

Lo, 35, wore a long v-neck gray sweater over a pink top and black Lycra shorts and she went bare-legged in brown Ugg boots.

The couple, who wed in 2016, wore face masks as COVID-19 cases continue to rage out of control in Los Angeles County.

During Tuesday's outing, Golding was seen sitting on the open hatchback of his white Tesla eating a sandwich.

Snack time: During Tuesday's outing, Golding, 33, was seen sitting on the open hatchback of his white Tesla eating a sandwich

Golding had excitedly revealed he is going to be a dad by sharing photos of his wife's baby bump.

'2021 is already looking brighter,' he wrote on Instagram.

The British-Malaysian actor told Good Morning America that thee baby news 'definitely came at the appropriate time.'

He explained: 'We've been together for about 10 years now, married for the past four years. We've gone to a place in our lives where we were ready and so we were actively trying.

'It's a miracle when you do find out that you're pregnant. We were very lucky and I think a lot of people don't often get to our stage, so we're very grateful.'

'2021 is already looking brighter': Golding had excitedly revealed in November that he is going to be a dad . He shared photos of his wife's baby bump to Instagram
Update: Sheffield Fire Chief David J. Ullrich, Sheffield Police Chief Eric R. Munson III, and State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said the cause of the Jan. 13, 2021 fatal fire at 1715 Hewins Street in Sheffield was accidental.

Investigators determined that a failure of the chimney and wood burning furnace caused the fire that took the lives of two residents. The Berkshire District Attorney's Office has identified the victims as 75-year-old James Boltrom and 66-year-old Dorene Boltrom.

"On behalf of our firefighters and the town of Sheffield, I offer our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the victims," Chief Ullrich said. "We're all neighbors in this small town."

The fire in the log cabin style home started inside the chimney and spread to nearby combustibles. Investigators were able to find several areas where smoke and heat breached the chimney and piping system from the furnace and entered the home. There was a significant amount of wood and kindling next to the wood-burning furnace in the basement.

"Sadly, there were no signs that this home had working smoke alarms," Ullrich said. "Smoke alarms provide the early warning needed when you may have less than three minutes to wake up and escape."

Members of the Sheffield Fire and Police Departments and State Police assigned to both the Office of the State Fire Marshal and to the Office of the Berkshire District Attorney jointly investigated the fire. Assistance was received from other State Police Units and the Department of Fire Services' Code Compliance Unit.

Nicola Sturgeon raised fears that England could be facing a stricter lockdown as she plunged millions of Scots into tighter restrictions today.

The First Minister, whose actions have often been copied hours or days later by Boris Johnson, banned Scots from drinking outside and making non-essential click-and-collect orders from Saturday.

People picking up takeaway meals will be barred from entering eateries, instead having to wait outside, she told the Scottish Parliament.

And new laws will be brought in to put a legal requirement on businesses to force them to allow staff to work from home if they can do so.

Mr Johnson this afternoon refused to rule out tightening lockdown further in England but hailed 'early' signs that the brutal restrictions are bringing coronavirus under control.

The PM was grilled at PMQs and then by the cross-party Liaison Committee, with Downing Street considering options ranging from limiting takeaways and click-and-collect, to closing more workplaces and nurseries and banning people from exercising with friends.

The premier insisted the measures in England were being kept 'under constant review' but warned that the NHS was at 'substantial risk' of being swamped, and the 'only way' of protecting it was to follow the 'current rules'.

Britain today recorded its deadliest day since the Covid pandemic began with another 1,564 victims  but cases have dropped once again with 47,525 new infections.

From Saturday people picking up takeaway meals will be barred from entering eateries, instead having to wait outside, she told the Scottish Parliament.

The PM was grilled at PMQs and then by the cross-party Liaison Committee, with Downing Street considering options ranging from limiting takeaways and click-and-collect, to closing more workplaces and nurseries and banning people from exercising with friends

What is classed as an 'essential item' for click-and-collect? Nicola Sturgeon today set out in the Scottish Parliament that click-and-collect would be limited to a range of essential items from specific stores. They are: Clothing and footwear stores

Homeware stores

Garden centres/plant nurseries

Baby equipment shops

Electrical goods (including repairs)

Key cutting and shoe repair shops

Book shops Advertisement

Addressing MSPs at Holyrood Ms Sturgeon said new lockdown restrictions appear to be having an effect, with the rise in new daily cases seen around the turn of the year slowing down.

However, she said there is 'no room for complacency', adding: 'It is too soon to be entirely confident that the situation is stabilising.

'Even if it is, this will only be because of lockdown - it is not, unfortunately, an indication that it is safe to ease it yet in any way.'

Pressure on the NHS, Ms Sturgeon said, was likely to continue 'for some time' as she urged people to continue to adhere to the new regulations.

Alcohol consumption outdoors in all Level 4 areas of Scotland will be banned, under new regulations, meaning anyone who buys takeaway alcohol must consume it in their own home.

Only retailers selling essentials, such as clothing, baby equipment and books, will be able to offer collection services in Scotland from this weekend.

For those allowed to continue, the First Minister said 'staggered appointments' will be needed to end queuing, as well as not allowing people inside premises.

The First Minister said: 'I know that businesses affected by this change will be disappointed and that many have gone to great lengths to make services as safe as possible.

'But we must reduce as far as is possible the reasons people have just now for leaving home and coming into contact with others.

'I welcome the actions of those businesses that have voluntarily suspended click and collect and tightened their procedures in relation to face coverings.'

Scotland has recorded 79 deaths of coronavirus patients and 1,949 new cases in the past 24 hours. It's coronavirus death toll now stands at 5,102.

The Scottish Government will seek to close a loophole allowing people to do non-essential things during lockdown.

The First Minister told MSPs regulations would be changed, forbidding people from leaving home for an essential purpose and then doing something considered not to be essential after they have left the house.

While the list of essential reasons for leaving home will not change, the First Minister said: 'It does mean that if the police challenge you for being out of the house doing something that is not essential, it will not be a defence to say you initially left the house to do something that was essential.'

Mr Johnson today hailed 'early' signs that the brutal lockdown is bringing coronavirus under control in England as he clashed with Keir Starmer at PMQs - but refused to rule out tightening the rules there further.

Did England pass its peak BEFORE lockdown? England's coronavirus outbreak could have started to slow down before the national lockdown started on January 4, data suggest as infection numbers appeared to peak in the worst-hit regions at the start of the year. The tide appears to have turned in parts of the country experiencing the worst outbreaks  London, the South East and the East of England  in the first week of 2021, with cases coming down since then. Millions of people living in those areas were forced into gruelling Tier 4 restrictions the weekend before Christmas, ordered to stay at home for two weeks to try and control the new variant before the national lockdown started. Infection rates fell in most parts of the country at the start of January, suggesting local lockdown rules in place in December were having an effect but it wasn't fast enough to satisfy ministers, who called a drastic national shutdown just days into the new year. National figures paint a similar picture, with the 45,533 new positive tests announced today marking a 25 per cent fall on this time last week and representing the third day in a row that the country's infection rate has come down. It's still too soon for the effects of national lockdown to show up reliably in data but cases starting to come down in some of the worst-affected places suggests that Tier 4 rules were working before they were abandoned. Data from Kent, at the heart of the most recent outbreak, showed that cases were still fluctuating even in Tier 4, coming down in all of the 13 local authorities put into Tier 4 before Christmas, then spiking again in January before declining again around the time when lockdown was announced. In Liverpool, meanwhile, which was the only part of the country to be downgraded from Tier 3 to Tier 2 in December after officials claimed a mass-testing programme had got the city's outbreak under control, cases skyrocketed at the end of the year and are still rising, although the increase has slowed in lockdown. Advertisement

The premier insisted the measures in England were being kept 'under constant review' as the Labour leader demanded to know why they were looser than last spring despite cases being higher.

He also angrily denied dragged his heels over introducing the national squeeze before Christmas, with Sir Keir swiping that 17,000 people had died since then and another million people been infected.

But Mr Johnson sounded a notably optimistic tone about the emerging impact of the restrictions.

Although he said the situation was 'troubling' and accepted the NHS was under huge pressure, the PM said that the country was 'now starting to see the beginnings of some signs' that the crackdown was having an effect in parts of the country. He stressed it was 'early days' and urged people to 'keep their discipline'.

Tracy Black, director of CBI Scotland Director, said: 'Following the First Minister's announcement, businesses have a clear responsibility to help all employees who can work from home to do so.

'Firms have worked relentlessly to keep their shops, offices and factories Covid secure.

'Click and collect is a lifeline to many businesses, particularly smaller firms, as one of their few remaining revenue streams. When well organised, click and collect services instinctively feel like a safe way for firms to keep trading.

'Of course, firms can choose to suspend click and collect if that makes sense for them, but for many others it could mean the difference between business survival or not.

'It's really important that the Scottish Government sets out compelling evidence that these services are a source of transmission and provides additional, urgent support to compensate for what would be a further loss of revenue in increasingly challenging times.'

Minister said yesterday that bolstered restrictions are being looked at in a number of areas amid concerns people are still mixing too much in person.

She suggested takeaway restaurants could be instructed to change the way they serve customers to prevent mixing indoors while click and collect could be restricted to only essential services.

Ms Sturgeon has repeatedly beat Mr Johnson to the punch throughout the pandemic, often announcing policy shifts just hours or days before the PM.

Mr Johnson warned today that the NHS was at 'substantial risk' of being swamped, and the 'only way' of protecting it was to follow the 'current rules'.

But despite the latest huge death toll, Mr Johnson sounded a notably optimistic tone about the emerging impact of the restrictions. He said the country was 'now starting to see the beginnings of some signs' that the crackdown was having an effect in parts of the country, while stressing it was 'early days' and urged people to 'keep their discipline'.

The daily case numbers were down nearly a quarter on last Wednesday at 47,525.

MailOnline analysis suggests the outbreak in England could have started slowing before the imposition of the blanket lockdown on January 4, with infection numbers peaking in the worst-hit regions at the start of the year.

The tide appears to have turned in parts of the country experiencing the worst outbreaks  London, the South East and the East of England  in the first week of 2021, with cases coming down since then.

Coronavirus hospital admissions have also started to fall in London and the South East, although the numbers of patients are still rising as the level has been so high.

The PM was grilled at PMQs and then by the cross-party Liaison Committee today as he faced another barrage of demands for the national clampdown to be tightened even further - something that Nicola Sturgeon has announced is happening in Scotland.

Downing Street is considering options mirrored in Scotland, ranging from limiting takeaways and click and collect, to closing more workplaces and nurseries and banning people from exercising with friends. Matt Hancock said this morning that the 'next few days' would be key to understanding whether the lockdown is working, with the PM set to wait until the weekend to make a final decision on new measures.

However, scientists have cautioned that critical capacity in the NHS will still be under enormous strain into March due to the lag between infection and people getting ill, with up to 250,000 people a day said to be catching the virus.

London Councils and Mayor Sadiq Khan today appealed for Mr Johnson to bring in new measures such as closing places of worship immediately, or risk putting an 'unsustainable strain' on services.

Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament this afternoon that from Saturday she is banning drinking outdoors and non-essential click-and-collect, as well as going inside eateries to pick up a takeaway.

Earlier, Mr Hancock defied mounting Tory calls to guarantee that the draconian restrictions will be eased from March 8 - around three weeks after the government is due to have vaccinated the 14million most vulnerable.

Vaccine minister and AstraZeneca bosses REFUSE to reveal how many doses of Covid jabs the UK is getting Britain's Covid vaccine minister was branded 'very annoying' by MPs today for refusing to say how many doses the UK has available and would get in the next week as the immunisation programme ramps up. Nadhim Zahawi, No10's minister for Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment, and bosses of drug firm AstraZeneca said they couldn't put numbers on the vaccine deliveries because of 'national security'. Speaking to MPs on Parliament's Science and Technology Committee this morning, AstraZeneca's UK president, Tom Keith-Roach, said the UK's Vaccines Taskforce had told the company not to publicly reveal any numbers, and Mr Zahawi later refused to do it on behalf of the Government. Mr Keith-Roach said AstraZeneca  which is manufacturing Oxford University's Covid jab  had delivered at least 1.1million doses to the NHS so far and would hit 2million per week 'imminently'. He said he was 'confident' there would be more than a million doses given out next week but refused to be any more specific. Mr Keith-Roach said AstraZeneca would definitely hit the weekly target before mid-February, by which time Boris Johnson has pledged to get vaccines to the 13million most vulnerable people in England and to review the lockdown rules. Labour MP Graham Stringer told Mr Zahawi 'these answers are very annoying' as he also refused to put numbers on the progress of the vaccine roll-out, and the chair of the science committee, Conservative MP Greg Clark, urged him to 'be more forthcoming' in future. The secrecy around how fast the vaccine doses are being produced means it's impossible to tell whether Britain is delivering on its pledge to dish out jabs as quickly as it gets them or whether supply issues are truly to blame for the slow start to the huge NHS drive, as ministers have claimed. Figures suggest more than 150,000 people are now getting vaccinated each day, with the number yesterday increasing by 165,000 from 2.3m on Monday to 2.4m on Tuesday. In the week between Sunday, January 3, and Sunday, January 11, the total number of people vaccinated across the UK doubled from 1,296,432 to 2,431,648, suggesting they were given out at an average rate of 162,174 per day. Ministers have repeatedly said the manufacturing and quality-testing process, which takes around three months per batch, is the 'rate-limiting factor' that is slowing down the process. They insist the NHS is equipped to give out vaccinations as fast as it can get its hands on them. And one member of the Government has taken a hands-on approach to making sure this happens  deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam was pictured working at the vaccine clinic in Nottingham at the weekend. Advertisement

Boris Johnson warns a THIRD Covid strain could be heading to the UK: PM says No10 is 'taking steps' to stop Brazilian variant which experts fear is similar to highly contagious Kent and South African strains

Boris Johnson today claimed No10 is 'taking steps' to protect the UK from a Brazilian Covid variant which experts fear is similar to the highly contagious Kent and South African strains.

The Prime Minister revealed officials were looking at ways to stop the variant found in travellers from Brazil  but dodged questions about whether Britain would adopt a travel ban.

Speaking to MPs this afternoon, he said: 'We are concerned about the new Brazilian variant.

'We already have tough measures, as you know, to stop from new infections come from abroad. We are taking steps to do that in response to the Brazilian variation.'

It is normal for viruses to mutate and early signs don't suggest that any of the new variants of coronavirus are more deadly than others, but in some places it is evolving to be able to spread faster.

If the virus is faster spreading it will inevitably lead to more cases which will in turn lead to a higher death count, even if the strain itself isn't more dangerous.

The variant that emerged in Kent, now estimated to be around 56 per cent more transmissible than its predecessor, has quickly become the dominant form of the virus in England and has led to the country's longest and toughest lockdown since March 2020.

The Prime Minister revealed ministers were looking at ways to stop a variant of the variant found in Brazil  but dodged questions about whether Britain would adopt a travel ban

The mutant strain of coronavirus was discovered in Japan last week in four people who had arrived on a flight from Brazil.

Scientists said it had similarities to that of the highly contagious variants in Britain and South Africa.

Namely, it has a genetic mutation called N501Y, which changes the shape of the spike proteins found on the outside of the virus.

This mutation makes the virus more able to latch onto the receptors inside the body that it targets, essentially meaning it successfully makes it past the body's natural defences more often.

Therefore people who are exposed to the virus become infected more often than they would if the other person was infected with an older, less contagious strain.

A World Health Organization report on the variant last week said: 'The variant was identified when whole-genome sequencing was conducted on samples from 4 travellers from Brazil who were tested at the airport...

'Through our regional offices, we are working with both Japanese and Brazilian authorities to evaluate the significance of these findings.

'We are also working with our Viral Evolution Working Group to assess the significance of this, and if this variant as well as others identified in recent months result in changes in transmissibility, clinical presentation or severity, or if they impact on countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.'

It added: 'The same comprehensive approach to controlling Covid-19 works against these variants.

'At an individual level, protective measures work for all identified variants: physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue.'

Connor said that Stahura has taken responsibility for his actions and that he paid back the majority of the money he took out of his campaign account. While it is true Stahura used the money he took to gamble and for personal expenses, the issue is the misuse of the funds not what it was spent on.
A man who pushed for 21 years to have Coon cheese renamed, saying the label was racist, is disappointed Indigenous people werent consulted about the product's new name, Cheer.

Author and anti-racism activist Stephen Hagan said he was glad and relieved that the cheese's manufacturer had announced the name change on Wednesday, to take effect in July, as he would no longer have to see the word "coon"  a derogatory term for a black person  every time he went to the supermarket.

Dr Stephen Hagan campaigned for decades for the Coon cheese brand, which he considered racist, to be changed. Credit:Hannah Paulsen

Dr Hagan is not sure what the new name, Cheer, stands for. "I would have liked it to be something a bit more inclusive of First Nations people," he said. "We werent even consulted on names. We would like to have contributed."

Cam Bruce, the commercial director of Coons owners, Saputo Dairy Australia, said consumer research had helped decide the name, which is meant to signify happiness.
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.
After the excesses of Christmas and New Year, were all looking for ways to cut down on waste and make our food go a little further. And so are our food producers.

Last January, the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) revealed that the UK throws away 9.5 million tonnes of perfectly edible food a year. For firms, such waste is also likely to harm profitability and inflate food prices.

WRAP has estimated that the cost of avoidable food waste can vary from 38p to 1 for every meal served in the hospitality sector. So no wonder theres been a surge in start-ups focusing on re-inventing food waste and turning it into tasty, inventive products.

From a beer made from crumpets to gin distilled from supermarket grapes, we test the upcycled foods that taste good as well as do good

CRACK OPEN A YEASTY COOKED CRUMPET BEER

Warburtons & Toast Crumpet Beer: At only 2.8 per cent alcohol, its perfect for those looking to limit their drinking

Warburtons & Toast Crumpet Beer (28 for 12 x 300ml bottles, toastale.com)

What is it? A light, yeasty beer made from Warburtons crumpets that are not the proper shape and would otherwise be wasted. At only 2.8 per cent alcohol, its perfect for those looking to limit their drinking.

Toast Ale has also launched Chocolate Stout, brewed with Divine cocoa powder which supports sustainable forestry.

How eco is it? In the UK, an estimated 24 million slices of bread go to waste every day, according to WRAP. The bread used to make Toast Ale replaces a third of the malted barley used in the brewing process, saving on emissions. All profits go to charities tackling food waste.

Tastes like: The Crumpet Beer is the perfect refreshing accompaniment to a casserole or toasted cheese sandwich. With the richness of Guinness, the Chocolate Stout boasts undertones of vanilla and dark fruits. 5/5

SIP A HERBAL TEA MADE FROM COFFEE

Cascara: Neither a true tea nor a coffee, cascara, which means husk in Spanish, is a delicate herbal drink made from dried pulp taken from the coffee cherry

Cascara (14 for 100g, lecafe-alainducasse.com)

What is it? Neither a true tea nor a coffee, cascara, which means husk in Spanish, is a delicate herbal drink made from dried pulp taken from the coffee cherry. It is collected after the beans have been removed. This version comes from the West Valley region of Costa Rica.

How eco is it? The cascara is usually discarded after the coffee bean has been harvested.

Every year, millions of tonnes are just left to rot, then turned into fertiliser or taken to landfill. But some farmers are now sun-drying the remaining fruit to collect the cascara flakes, which look like the shells of a nut.

Tastes like: A delicate tea similar to a fine white oolong with notes of hibiscus and cherry.

To prepare, pound 12g of cascara flakes in a pestle and mortar to release the aromas. Place in a teapot and add 100ml of hot water. Wait a minute or so, then pour over a further 200ml and brew for four-and-a-half minutes.

Its a refreshing mid-afternoon livener, and ideally paired with some posh French patisserie. 4/5

DIP INTO SOME NEARLY BINNED VEG

ChicP: A range of hummus dips made from vegetables that would otherwise have been binned

ChicP (2.50 per pot, chicp.co.uk)

What is it? A range of hummus dips made from vegetables that would otherwise have been binned. Using produce from a range of farmers and wholesalers, ChicP (pronounced chickpea) manufactures five dips, including a herby hummus and a beetroot and horseradish hummus.

How eco is it? ChicP sources vegetables considered not perfect enough for supermarkets. The dips have a seven-day shelf-life and the firm works with the Too Good To Go food-waste app to sell almost out-of-date hummus at a discount. Founder Hannah McCollum is a passionate campaigner on educating children about food waste and how to snack healthily.

Tastes like: The carrot hummus is a punchy dip with added superfoods such as fresh ginger and turmeric. The dips are made from 30 per cent vegetables  a far higher content than most shop-bought hummus  plus theres plenty of protein.

These have a considerably lighter mouthfeel than most hummus. Dunk vegetable crudites in them, use them in sandwiches or even have them as a pasta sauce. 5/5

JUICE UP LONDON MARKET SCRAPS

Rejuice: Cold-pressed, juices made from leftover fruit from some of Londons biggest food markets

Rejuice (1.50 for 250ml, rejuce.co.uk)

What is it? Cold-pressed, juices made from leftover fruit from some of Londons biggest food markets. Once rescued, the produce is peeled, juiced and bottled in 100 per cent compostable packaging.

You can get orange, apple and berry juices, and new carbonated juice waters in cans.

How eco is it? Rejuce has saved more than 300 tonnes of fruit and veg from going to landfill. Founder Tom Fletcher, a former chef, has even experimented with drying the pulp left over from the juicing process and turning it into paper and loo roll.

Rejuce keeps its prices low and stocks less than it can sell, so theres no waste.

Tastes like: The orange juice has a bright, zesty aroma, a fresh, zingy flavour and well-balanced acidity. It would work well in smoothies or cocktails, too. 4/5

TASTE A GIN CRAFTED FROM SPARE GRAPES

Hyke Gin: Gin distilled with surplus table grapes (the ones you eat, not the ones that make wine) from the supermarket supply chain

Hyke Gin (30, foxholespirits.com)

What is it? Gin distilled with surplus table grapes (the ones you eat, not the ones that make wine) from the supermarket supply chain.

Hyke gets its distinctive character from both the grape spirit and the unique blend of botanicals inspired by the grapes origins in Africa and South America.

How eco is it? When packaging grapes, some fruit is trimmed off so the bunch fits in the punnet, leaving loose bunches that cant be sold as fresh. The discarded grapes are pressed and the resulting juice is made into wine.

This wine is sent to the distillery and turned into grape spirit, which is then used to make Hyke, along with some of the more usual grain spirit.

Tastes like: Lively, aromatic and herby with a touch of flint and warming citrus notes, as well as juniper, vanilla and fragrant cardamom. It has a long, dry, spicy finish, too. 5/5

FRUIT CRISP SNACK'S ONE OF YOUR 5-A-DAY

Spare Snacks: Air-dried fruit and vegetable crisp-like snacks, made from surplus produce from food markets

Spare Snacks (20 for a pack of 30, sparesnacks.com)

What is it? Air-dried fruit and vegetable crisp-like snacks, made from surplus produce from food markets.

Spare has now transformed hundreds of tonnes of fruit and veg into high-fibre, gluten-free snacks with no added sugar and only 79 calories a pack.

The range includes apple crisps, which you can also get with added cinnamon, and beetroot crisps, which can come with added vinegar.

For children, theyve introduced Scrapples  smaller packs of apple crisps that can also come with a squeeze of mango or strawberry.

How eco is it? The snacks are made only from otherwise wasted fruit and veg, and the packaging is recycle-ready, too.

The new Scrapples are a good way to teach children about food waste, and they meet the School Food Trust guidelines for a one-a-day healthy snack (they have less than 44 calories per pack).

Tastes like: The apple crisps seem quite sweet, even though it is only their natural flavour. The beetroot crisps have a good balance of sweetness and acidity, and are wonderfully crunchy. They are even better with added vinegar. Eat as a snack, on cereal or even in salads. 3/5

FISH FOR A SALTY SEASIDE TREAT

Sea Chips: Hand-crafted salmon skin crisps pioneered by avant-garde chefs from the likes of Copenhagens Noma restaurant

Sea Chips (1.50 a pack, ocado.com, Wholefoods and amazon.co.uk)

What is it? Hand-crafted salmon skin crisps pioneered by avant-garde chefs from the likes of Copenhagens Noma restaurant.

Created by chef Dom Smith and businessman Daniel Pawson, who appeared on Dragons Den in 2019 and turned down investment from Touker Suleyman.

How eco is it? The salmon skin comes from Grants Smokehouse, next door to Sea Chips new factory  all the salmon skins from the smokehouse were previously discarded as waste.

To make the crisps, the skin is simply cut, baked and flavoured with Cornish sea salt. Sea Chips supports local clean ocean initiatives and charities.

Tastes like: Properly crisp and intensely savoury, yet not overly fishy. I particularly liked the salt and vinegar crisps redolent of fish and chips by the seaside.

The crisps also come plain or with chilli and lime. They are carbohydrate-free, boast 62 per cent natural protein and are packed with nutrients, including all important omega-3. 5/5
Twenty-one more are currently undergoing treatment in Morena and Gwalior, said a senior police official. Police also said they have registered a case against seven people and launched a search for them

Bhopal/Morena: Six more people have died after consuming spurious liquor in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district, raising the toll to 20, a police official said on Wednesday.

Taking serious cognisance of the incident, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ordered the removal of Morena's collector and superintendent of police, after holding a review meeting on the situation on Wednesday, another official said.

Police said they have registered a case against seven people in connection with the incident and launched a search for them.

"The death toll is now 20 as six more people died after consumption of spurious liquor by villagers in Morena," Deputy Inspector General, Chambal range, Rajesh Hingankar told PTI.

Besides, 21 other people are currently undergoing treatment in Morena and Gwalior, he said.

"An initial autopsy report revealed the cause of death as consumption of excess liquor which damaged vital body parts. The viscera have been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Sagar for examination," Morena's in-charge Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr RC Bandil said.

The forensic science lab's report will reveal the exact nature of poison in the liquor, he said.

Meanwhile after chairing a high-level meeting at his residence in Bhopal, Chouhan directed for the removal of Morena collector and SP, a public relations department official said.

The collector and SP would be held directly responsible in such matters, the chief minister warned and said he will not remain a "mute spectator" over such issues.

"It is a painful and very inhuman incident. A campaign should be launched against illegal liquor sale in the state," the official said quoting Chouhan.

     ,                             Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) January 13, 2021



State Home Minister Narottam Mishra, Chief Secretary IS Bains, DGP V K Jouhri, Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Rajora were among those present in the review meeting.

Meanwhile, the police registered a case against seven persons in connection with the incident and declared a reward of Rs 10,000 each for their arrest, an official said. The case has been registered under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and provisions of the Excise Act, the police said.
A woman in Sherbookea city in the Canadian province of Quebecunsuccessfully attempted to get around a curfew meant to curb coronavirus case numbers by passing her husband off as a pet.

The woman, 24, had decided to walk her dog at around 9 p.m on Saturday., an hour after the curfew had taken effect. Turns out her dog was actually her husband, 40, whom she had simply put on a leash.

The New York Post reports that the curfew allows for individuals to walk their pooches outside of the allotted hours if they remain within a half mile radius of their homes. Otherwise, people are restricted to remain indoors.

The woman and her husband evidently thought their plan was a foolproof loophole in the areas mandate. Luckily, the police officers who spotted the couple werent fooled by this flawlessly executed charade.

CTV News states the couple was hit with $1,500 (USD) in fines each. They two were reportedly uncooperative with the police officers that apprehended them at first approach. According to Insider the woman later stated she did not intend to pay the fines she and her husband were served.

The same CTV article reports that since the 8 p.m. curfew was enacted in Quebec, police officers have handed out approximately 750 tickets for similar violations. Quebec premier, Francois Legault, implored citizens to comply with the regulation in light of the countrys rising COVID-19 cases.

I know its difficult, but Quebeckers are able to work as a team when necessary, he said, as reported by the BBC.

Whether the husband was later found to be a good boy is unclear.
Wilkes University Professor Michael A. Steele Publishes Book: Oak Seed Dispersal: A Study in Plant-Animal Interactions

Michael A. Steele, Professor of Biology and H. Fenner Chair of Research Biology at Wilkes University, published his latest book, "Oak Seed Dispersal: A Study in Plant-Animal Interactions" on Jan. 5, 2021. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press, the book is touted as the definitive examination of oak forest evolutionary ecology.

One of the world's foremost authorities on oak seed dispersal and on tree squirrels, Steele's work demonstrates how animals store acorns in the ground and how certain ecological processes prevent the recovery of some acorns, allowing them to germinate, oak seedlings to take root and forests to grow.

In "Oak Seed Dispersal," he draws on three decades of global research in the United States, Mexico, Central America, Europe and China to describe the interactions between oaks and their seed consumers. Rodents, birds and insects, he writes, collectively influence the survival, movement and germination of acorns, as well as the establishment of seedlings, often indicating a coevolutionary bond between oaks and their seed consumers. This bond can only be understood by unraveling the complex interactions that occur in the context of factors such as partial seed consumption due to acorn chemistry, scatter hoarding, predation of the seed consumers by other organisms, and the limiting effects of masting on insect, rodent, and jay damage.

In 2016, Steele received an OPUS Award, one of the National Science Foundation's most prestigious grants, to write the book. Steele was the first faculty member at a small liberal arts university to receive the honor.

The OPUS Award, which stands for Opportunities for Promoting Understanding through Synthesis, is presented by the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology. Often awarded to mid- to late-career researchers, the awards are given to help integrate work that will produce significant insights for the scientific community. Instituted in 2013, the awards have traditionally been given to researchers at larger, research-focused institutions.

About Johns Hopkins University Press

Johns Hopkins University Press provides authors with a reputable forum for evidence-based discourse and exposure to a worldwide audience. With critically acclaimed titles in history, science, higher education, health and wellness, humanities, classics, and public health, the Books Division publishes 150 new books each year and maintains a backlist in excess of 3,000 titles. With warehouses on three continents, worldwide sales representation, and a robust digital publishing program, the Books Division connects Hopkins authors to scholars, experts, and educational and research institutions around the world.

About Wilkes University

Wilkes University is a private, independent, non-sectarian institution of higher education dedicated to academic and intellectual excellence through mentoring in the liberal arts, sciences and professional programs. Founded in 1933, Wilkes is on a mission to create one of the nation's finest doctoral universities, offering all of the programs, activities and opportunities of a large university in the intimate, caring and mentoring environment of a small college, open to all who show promise. The Brookings Institution ranked Wilkes 14th in the nation for middle-class mobility. In addition to 45 majors, Wilkes offers 24 master's degrees programs and five doctoral/terminal degree programs, including the doctor of philosophy in nursing, doctor of nursing practice, doctor of education, doctor of pharmacy, and master of fine arts in creative writing.
In the process, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park brought together many leading enterprises in integrated circuits, AI technology, cloud computing, big data and internet-related service industries to promote integrative development. With the aim of forming industrial clusters and building an industrial ecology, it is now one of the largest hubs of the digital economy in Shanghai as well as a hub of innovation, service, headquarters and flow-based open economy.

This Year's Hi-Tech Carnival

Integrated circuits are the cornerstone of the digital economy, of which fintech plays an important role. A forum themed "Finance Improves Chips: Capital Innovation Empowers the Future of the Semiconductor Industry" was held as part of the event. Investors, scholars and other industry leaders were invited to share the insights. Meanwhile, featured guests discussed the topic of "who will lead industrial innovation" from a capital and IC industry perspective and shared thoughts on urban digitalization and digital economy.

In his remarks, Lv Ming also noted that Lingang Group is now focusing efforts on building the "Oriental ChiPort" featuring integrated circuits and the "Information Flying Fish" global digital economy innovation island, which enjoys strong similarities with and complements Caohejing Hi-Tech Park. Lv said: "In the future, the event will join hands with the World Laureates Forum, "Star of Lingang" contest and other major events to create a favorable environment for innovation."

The carnival also marked the celebratory launch ceremony for the 10th anniversary of Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone. Hou Jin, Deputy Director of Shanghai Office for the Promotion of Science and Technology Innovation Center, said that he hoped that in the context of comprehensive urban digitalization, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park will persist in increasing the park's scale and achieving a larger economic aggregate and increased innovation.

The event was sponsored by Shanghai Lingang Group and organized by Shanghai Caohejing Hi-Tech Park Development Corp and Assets Management Co., Ltd of Shanghai Lingang Group, under the guidance of the Shanghai Office for the Promotion of Science and Technology Innovation Center, Xuhui District People's Government and Minhang District People's Government of Shanghai.

SOURCE Caohejing Hi-Tech Park
Sakuratube.com scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 28 Mar 2013, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

The total number of people who shared the sakuratube homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the sakuratube homepage on StumbleUpon. The total number of people who shared the sakuratube homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the sakuratube homepage on Twitter + the total number of sakuratube followers (if sakuratube has a Twitter account). This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the sakuratube homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if sakuratube has a Facebook fan page).

Basic Information

PAGE TITLE SakuraTube.com DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS views, cum on, asian, today, views today, views yesterday, videos



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Domain and Server

DOCTYPE XHTML 1.0 Transitional CHARSET AND LANGUAGE UTF-8 DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER lighttpd/1.4.32 (PHP/5.4.9) OPERATIVE SYSTEM

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Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for sakuratube.com by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

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Twitter account link

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Alex Salmond has rejected an invitation to appear in front of the committee looking into the Scottish government's botched handling of harassment complaints against him.

The former first minister was due to appear before the committee on January 19 but argued it would 'send the wrong message' to attend in person amid the Covid lockdown.

The former first minister was invited on Tuesday by Linda Fabiani, convener of the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, to appear next week.

Plans were made to have Mr Salmond testify under oath in person before the committee as part of the inquiry into the way harassment complaints about him were dealt with by the Scottish government.

Alex Salmond has rejected an invitation to appear in front of the committee looking into the Scottish government's botched handling of harassment complaints against him saying it would 'send the wrong message' amid Covid restrictions

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon's appearances in front of a Holyrood inquiry have previously already been delayed by Covid curbs.

But in a letter published on Wednesday from Mr Salmond's lawyer David McKie, he rejects the invite due to public health concerns.

His letter said Salmond believes a personal appearance would 'send the wrong message', the letter said.

Alex Salmond and current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's (pictured) appearances in front of a Holyrood inquiry have previously already been delayed by Covid curbs

'Our client cannot accept your invitation to attend your committee in person next week,' the letter said.

'He remains willing to attend and give evidence, however.

'As we understand it, the Presiding Officer has advised against all in-person committee meetings on health and safety grounds.

'Our client feels very strongly that it would send a very bad message to the rest of the country if he were to flout that, particularly at a time when the present First Minister is set to further tighten restrictions on everyone else.'

The letter said Mr Salmond would instead be willing to appear on 16 February.

The letter was revealed shortly after tighter restrictions were announced by Nicola Sturgeon in the Scottish Parliament.

In addition to the current rules, people picking up takeaway meals will be barred from entering eateries, instead having to wait outside, from Saturday.

And new laws will be brought in to put a legal requirement on businesses to force them to allow staff to work from home if they can do so.

In Mr Salmond's letter, his lawyer Mr McKie also goes on to raise doubts about the effectiveness of meeting virtually.

Alex Salmond (centre) was previously pictured with his solicitor David Mckie (left). Beverley Atkinson (right) and adviser Campbell Gunn (second right) are also members of his legal team

The committee previously met virtually on Tuesday when Permanent Secretary Leslie Evans returned to the committee.

Ms Fabiani bemoaned the 'particularly difficult' session in which a number of MSPs had 'substantial difficulties' and struggled to be heard due to connection issues.

Mr McKie said in the letter: 'According to widespread reports in today's press it is clear that the remote committee format had very substantial difficulties and we cannot imagine any disagreement between us that it would not be at all suitable for a significant evidence session.'

Mr Salmond's team has also been in a legal wrangle with the Crown Office over the disclosure of documents obtained by him during his trial at the High Court last year where he was cleared of a series of charges of sexual misconduct.

The Crown Office said he would be committing a criminal offence by divulging the information to the committee, and the letter said an extension would allow more time to sort any issues out.

The letter asks that the committee seeks Crown Office assurances that Mr Salmond will not face prosecution for the evidence he gives on the day.

Mr McKie suggested, in principle, Mr Salmond appearing before the committee on February 16, allowing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to appear the following week and a further month for a report to be drafted by the committee.

His letter added: 'Our client understands your anxiety to finish your hearings and therefore we can suggest 16 February (in principle at this stage) for an in-person evidence session.

'That will give the clerks time to work out the feasibility of a safe hearing in light of the review of lockdown due at the end of the month and to recover the further material evidence.

'Assuming you still want to call the first minister the week after our client then, as we understand it, the parliamentary timetable would still give a full month for the committee to agree and publish a report to parliament'.

In the last year, Americans have worked through a deadly pandemic, social isolation, racial injustice protests, a presidential election and, now, an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Why it matters: Laboring through this string of crises is exacerbating employee burnout and pushing CEOs to turn into wartime leaders.

I asked HR experts and CEOs about the best ways to lead through crisis. Here's what they said:

1. The most important move for CEOs is to acknowledge chaos  such as the events in D.C.  instead of ignoring it.

"Being silent is the biggest mistake," says Lars Schmidt, founder of Amplify, an HR consulting firm. "All your employees are thinking about it. And the idea of continuing to have meetings and expecting employees to be productive while this profound moment is taking place is shortsighted."

Burnout is already high as many people have now spent nearly a year in isolation.

Without a break room to hang out in or a watercooler to gather around, companywide communications during national events are even more essential. Hearing leaders or managers empathize with feelings of loneliness or stress can improve employees' mental health, experts say.

Those who say nothing appear tone-deaf, says Deidre Paknad, CEO and co-founder of the software company Workboard.

CEOs have to choose their words carefully, too, says Schmidt. Some companies shied away from addressing the difference between how police treated last week's white mob and how they treated Black Lives Matter protestors last summer. "And their employees of color noticed."

2. It's also important to remain optimistic, Paknad says. CEOs can point to signs of hope, such as the vaccine rollout, or help employees refocus by speaking about the company's greater mission or purpose.

"Acknowledge the fray and the fraction and the friction and the destruction, but dont dwell on it."

3. A good culture is now a company's strongest asset."Employee wellbeing has crawled out of the corner of the benefits department, and it has crashed onto the CEO's desk," Josh Bersin, an HR industry analyst and author, tells Axios.

As the pandemic has dragged on, American workers have ranked "a sense of belonging at work" higher and higher on their list of workplace priorities. It's becoming as important to employees as getting promoted.

And America's compounding crises are just going to make fostering belonging and wellbeing even more key to recruiting and retaining talent.

"Most businesspeople are trained that customers are No. 1, shareholders are No. 2, and employees are No. 3," says Bersin. "But what were now realizing, thanks to the pandemic, is that if the employees are not happy, we dont have a company."

The bottom line: As the nation wades through public health and political crises, CEOs have the opportunity to fill a leadership vacuum.

But those who avoid confronting the events head-on risk shedding talent.

Go deeper: How CEOs became the fourth branch of government
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A new doughnut and burger restaurant will soon open in downtown Charleston.

Hero Doughnuts & Buns is expected to open in February at 145 Calhoun St., in the former ground-floor location of Panera Bread across from Marion Square.

The Alabama-based shop will offer burgers, sandwiches, salads and doughnuts.

The company recently applied for an alcohol license for the on-premise consumption of beer, wine and liquor.

The new diner will be founder Will Drake's fifth location. Two others are in Birmingham with another on the way in its home base while another shop is in Atlanta.

Floor it

A flooring store in Goose Creek plans to open a new location in Mount Pleasant.

Flooring Factory LLC recently leased 8,450 square feet of retail space at 1119 Johnnie Dodds Blvd., according to the commercial real estate firm Lee & Associates. It's in the same retail center as Stuckey Furniture just south of the Bowman Road interchange.

The retailer operates in part of the same building at 205 St. James Ave. in Goose Creek where discount grocer Aldi plans to open a new store.

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Flooring Factory owner Livia Sousa said the Mount Pleasant location is under renovation and is expected to open in March.

As for the current location in Goose Creek, she said the company is looking for another site in the city for its flooring, kitchen and bathroom remodeling business.

The business employs about five people but will double its workforce when the new store in Mount Pleasant opens, Sousa said

Now open

Skincare products store Motherland Essentials recently snipped the ribbon on its new store in Summerville. The shop, owned by Andrea Davis, carries handcrafted, small-batch items made with natural ingredients at 405 N. Maple St.

Cleaning up

A new car-cleaning business is being proposed for James Island. Fins Car Wash wants to locate at 1325 Folly Road on an undeveloped outparcel near Publix supermarket in Riverland Market.

The proposed business is near two new restaurants that opened over the past couple of months in the new retail center. California Tortilla is in a building on an outparcel while Fire Grill Sushi & Hibachi is in a smaller space a few doors down from Publix.

The proposed car wash is still making its way through the city of Charleston's review process.
Argo Blockchain (LSE: ARB), the leading cryptocurrency miner based in the UK, is pleased to announce that it has received approval from the OTC Market Group Inc. to commence trading on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol "ARBKF" at the opening of the trading day on 13 January 2021. Argo's shares will continue to trade on the London Stock Exchange.

The OTCQB offers transparent trading in entrepreneurial and development stage companies that have met a minimum bid price test, are current in their financial reporting and have undergone an annual verification and management certification process.

Trading on the US OTC market has no impact on existing Argo ordinary shares trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and no new ordinary shares will be issued as part of the cross-trade. Argo will continue to rely on the announcements and disclosures it makes to the London Stock Exchange and will have no Sarbanes-Oxley or SEC reporting requirements.

Peter Wall, Chief Executive of Argo Blockchain, said: "Argo is delighted to begin trading on the OTCQB Venture Market. The cross-trading of the ordinary shares from London will provide the Company with increased access to US institutional and retail investors and a broader shareholder base. US investors will now have the opportunity to share in the Company's growth as the cryptocurrency market gains momentum. US investors can find real-time quotes and market information for Argo at www.otcmarkets.com and access current company news and developments."

Jonathan Dickson, VP of International Corporate Services at OTC Markets, said: "We are delighted to welcome Argo Blockchain plc to the OTCQB Market. The OTC Market supports international companies seeking to strengthen visibility and transparency in the US public market. Trading on the London Stock Exchange and on the OTCQB Market will enable Argo to efficiently build global investor awareness and provide US investors with a seamless trading facility, enabling them to more easily trade through the broker of their choice."

About Argo:

Argo Blockchain plc is a global leader in cryptocurrency mining with one of the largest and most efficient operations powered by clean energy. The Company is headquartered in London, UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker: ARB.

argoblockchain.com

See Argo's largest facility in Quebec:

https://youtu.be/LDWWaZ75Zbk

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005545/en/

Contacts:

Salamander Davoudi

Tel: +44 7957 549 906

salamander@tancredigroup.com



Emma Valgimigli

+44 7727 180 873

emma@tancredigroup.com
IONIQ 5's distinctive and innovative design provides a unique experience that can only be enjoyed in dedicated BEVs, suggesting a fundamental shift in design approach.

IONIQ 5's signature design elements include Parametric Pixels, the smallest unit of digital imaging, as well as its eco-friendly Color Material Finish (CMF) direction that connects the analogue with digital emotions, showcasing the IONIQ brand's timeless design value.

IONIQ 5's front end is adorned with arrays of pixel-inspired lights suggestive of the digital technology within. IONIQ 5 is also the first Hyundai vehicle to feature a clamshell hood that spans the entire width of the car, thus minimizing panel gaps and creating a clean and high-tech overall look.

Aero-optimized wheels further echo the Parametric Pixel design theme, offered in a super-sized 20-inch diameter, the largest rims ever fitted to a Hyundai EV. These complete IONIQ 5's perfected proportions, optimized for Hyundai's new signature dedicated EV architecture.

"IONIQ 5 presents an all-new customer experience through innovative EV design that is evocative of the icon that established Hyundai's design DNA," said SangYup Lee, Senior Vice President and Head of Hyundai Global Design Center. "Beginning with IONIQ 5, our dedicated BEV lineup brand will redefine the relationship between people and their cars, establishing a new standard against which all BEV design experiences will be measured."

Hyundai Motor has also released four teaser videos to spark curiosity about the new model, each presenting viewers with a sneak peek at IONIQ 5's core technologies, raising expectations for the company's dedicated BEV lineup brand and its first entry.

Three 'Ultimate Camping' videos show a camper using various electrical appliances powered by IONIQ 5's Vehicle to Load (V2L) technology that functions as a general power supply (110/220V). In each video, the camper is seen using IONIQ 5's 3.5KW of V2L-supplied power to roast a turkey in a large oven, listen to music on high-end audio speakers, and exercise on a treadmillall at a camping site.

The '5 Min Challenge' video highlights IONIQ 5's ultra-fast charging capability that enables it to drive more than 100km with only a 5-minute charge (WLTP Standard). To showcase this extraordinary performance, a movie trailer-style challenge was set up featuring IONIQ 5 and three devicesa smartphone, laptop and action camerathat were each charged for 5 minutes and competed to be the last to survive.

Beginning with these videos, Hyundai Motor plans to release even more engaging content that highlights the enhanced lifestyle that new IONIQ 5 customers will experience.

IONIQ 5 will debut in a virtual world premiere event in February 2021.

* Teaser Videos:

IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser)  Scene 1. Cooking: Link IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser)  Scene 2. Sound: Link IONIQ 5: Ultimate Camping (teaser)  Scene 3. Running: Link IONIQ 5: 5 Min Challenge  Trailer: Link

About Hyundai Motor Company

Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company offers a range of world-class vehicles and mobility services in more than 200 countries. Hyundai Motor sold more than 4.4 million vehicles globally in 2019, and currently employs some 120,000 personnel worldwide. The company is enhancing its product lineup with vehicles designed to help usher in a more sustainable future, while offering innovative solutions to real-world mobility challenges. Through the process Hyundai aims to facilitate 'Progress for Humanity' with smart mobility solutions that vitalize connections between people and provide quality time to its customers.

More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at:

http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com

Disclaimer: Hyundai Motor Company believes the information contained herein to be accurate at the time of release. However, the company may upload new or updated information if required and assumes that it is not liable for the accuracy of any information interpreted and used by the reader.

SOURCE Hyundai Motor Company

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The UGT union in Andalucia has called for three days of strike action at all ITV vehicle testing stations stations in Andalucia on 25, 26 and 27 January if negotiations with the management company, Veiasa, fail.

In a statement released this Monday the union said their workers would strike if "the meetings scheduled with the management company do not result in firm agreements to solve the problems that have led us to strike".

"The problem of delays in appointments to take the ITV in Andalucia has not yet been resolved and the average delay time to inspect a vehicle is between two and five months in most stations," said the union.

According to UGT the lack of personnel is the main reason for this delay, with a shortage of 450 workers across Andalucia.

The appointment delays at the regional government-owned but privately-operated test centres have considerably worsened during the coronavirus pandemic.

Rogelio Velasco from the Junta de Andalucia said they were optimistic about the negotiations that are being held with the workers' representatives and hopes that an agreement can be reached this week.
In September 2020, a group of highly endangered Yangtze finless porpoises were seen in the Yangtze River in Wuhan, central Chinas Hubei province. The rare scene was recorded in a short video by a local resident and soon attracted attention online.

A finless porpoise is seen in the Yangtze River in Yichang, central China's Hubei Province, Aug. 3, 2020. The finless porpoise, an endemic species in China, is an important indicator of the ecology of the Yangtze. (Xinhua/Lei Yong)

The appearance of Yangtze finless porpoises is a result of declining interference from human activities or an increase in food availability, experts say.

According to statistics, in the 1990s, there were about 2,700 finless porpoises in the Yangtze River, with the number dropping to 1,012 in 2017 according to a scientific research on the species. However, no finless porpoise was spotted in the Wuhan section of the river in the 2017 research, or two research activities before that.

Researchers discovered that interruption from human activities, such as extensive fishing practices, have affected the activeness of the species in the Wuhan area.

In 2020, the Wuhan government issued 10 measures to protect Yangtze finless porpoises. The city strengthened the fishing ban to increase food supply for the species, built a habitat along the Yangtze River for the species to breed, and improved the quality of water in designated areas.

Data showed that there are more than 4,300 kinds of aquatic life living in the Yangtze River basin, including more than 400 types of fish. Not only Yangtze finless porpoises, but the population of other endangered animals as well, such as Yangtze alligators and milu deer, also known as Pere David's deer, have expanded in recent years as well.

In September 2020, two caves for Yangtze alligators were discovered at a reservoir in Xuancheng, east Chinas Anhui province, indicating that the captive Yangtze alligators released into the wild had adapted to their new habitat.

Yangtze alligators are released into the wild in Jingxian county, Anhui province on May 20, 2020. (Xinhua/Han Xiaoyu)

Wild Yangtze alligators mainly live in the southeastern part of east Chinas Anhui province and Zhejiang province. A research carried out by a conservation center showed that there were 113 Yangtze alligators in the wild in the area of the center in 2018, compared with 63 in 2015.

The Xuancheng Yangtze alligator national conservation area, a place built to rescue the first-class protected animal in China, has been actively conducting research on the breeding of wild alligators and releasing the animal into the wild.

Between 2003 and 2020, the center released 508 captive alligators into the wild, while continuously monitoring and researching the animals to see how they have adapted to the natural habitat. As they have found, most of the alligators have adapted well to the wild environment.

The East Dongting Lake Milu Deer and Bird Rescue Center has been protecting milu deer since its founding in Yueyang, central China's Hunan province. Currently, there are more than 210 milu deer under the care of the center, according to Song Yucheng, a deputy chief engineer at the center, noting that five years ago, the number was only 113.

A milu deer (Xinhua/Cai Xiaoxiao)

Every year, generally over eight times, the center conducts joint patrol with the local forestry department to record the population, habits, habitat, and migratory route of the animal to better protect the species.

Behind these positive changes are the efforts of relevant departments to protect aquatic life in the Yangtze River basin. On Jan. 1, 2020, the country began a 10-year fishing ban on key areas of the Yangtze River to protect the rivers biodiversity. Starting from that day, the ban was observed in 332 conservation areas in the Yangtze River basin.

Over the past five years, the country has earmarked more than 1.3 billion yuan to cover financing needed to release fingerlings into the river and released a total of 26.6 billion fingerlings into the river.
(Newser)  Bruce Willis says he made a bad call after he was photographed Sunday inside a Los Angeles pharmacy without a face mask. Photos of Willis wandering the Hollywood Rite Aid with only a scarf around his neck spread on social media on Tuesday, with onlookers criticizing his obvious breach of mask requirements, per People. Some called him a "Covidiot," per the BBC. Reporting that a store employee had asked Willis to leave the store after he "refused" to wear a mask, Page Six notes the Die Hard actor would "rather live free."

story continues below

The 65-year-old actorwho gave the employee a "disgruntled" look before leaving without buying anything, per E!doesn't explain his move other than to say it was "an error in judgment" in a statement to People. "Be safe out there, everyone, and let's continue to mask up," he adds. Ten people in Los Angeles County test positive for COVID-19 every minute on average, with up to 12% of those eventually needing hospitalization, according to the health department. Residents have been required to wear masks outside of their homes since November, with certain exemptions. (Read more Bruce Willis stories.)

The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Eleven coal miners from Pakistans Shiite Hazara minority were brutally killed in a sectarian attack Sunday, January 3.

The latest atrocity against this oppressed minority triggered protests in Quetta and Karachi, while the families of the miners refused to bury their dead for an entire week. They demanded that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan meet with them and end Islamabads indifference towards widespread violence against the Hazara.

In a demonstration of pent-up frustration and anger, the Hazara protesters in Quetta kept the miners coffins on a highway despite the Muslim tradition of burial within 24 hours. Following week-long continuous protests amid bitterly cold temperatures, the miners funerals were held on Saturday after Prime Minister Imran Khan agreed to meet the protesters the same day.

People attend the funeral prayer of coal mine workers who were killed by gunmen near the Mach coal field in Quetta, Pakistan, Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Arshad Butt)

The heinous crime took place in Mach, a mining town about 30 miles southeast of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. In the early hours of January 3, gunmen woke up sleeping miners in a shared residence room near a coal mine, identified and separated the Shiite Hazara workers among them, blindfolded and tied their hands and feet, then slit their throats and shot them. Six died on the scene, while the others succumbed before they could reach a local hospital.

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the barbaric attack, which was aimed at terrorizing the Shiite Hazara community and intimidating other minorities in Pakistan.

However, they are far from the only culprits. If sectarian attacks on minorities, some of which have claimed the lives of scores, even hundreds, of people including women and children, are a regular occurrence in Pakistan, it is due to the longstanding promotion of communal animosity and Islamist reaction by the countrys venal ruling elite. Moreover, this is inextricably bound up with Pakistans reactionary partnership with US imperialism.

The Hazaras are an impoverished and persecuted minority in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Balochistan, because of repeated deadly attacks they are largely forced to reside in two fortified ghettos in Quetta.

The miners killings predictably became the occasion for routine condemnations of Islamist terrorism by the political establishment in Islamabad. Khan condemned it as yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism, in a Twitter message. Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan received numerous angry complaints after he posted a crudely crafted message, consisting of only a few words, which condemned the incident, but denied any responsibility for the states failure to protect the Hazara. Many of those who responded demanded that he step down.

On Friday, while the protesters were continuing to blockade the highway and refusing to bury their dead, Imran Khan issued a testy warning to the protesters not to blackmail him.

In response to Khans arrogant remarks, Amna Bibi, who lost both her son and brother in the attack, told Al Jazeera, We are only calling him to come here and look at our martyrs bodies so he can understand that every year we have more martyrs. Thats the only reason. Because we voted for him, this is our right,

When Khan arrived in Quetta on Saturday, family members and community leaders complained to him about their precarious existence, living under constant threat of attack. This time you will see that it is different, Khan assured them. He promised his government would look after the impacted families and provide security to the community.

Those responsible for previous attacks have hardly faced any consequences. In this case, as in many others, no arrests have been made. In May 2018, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa promised enhanced security for Hazara in Quetta. Bajwa was attempting to appease protests that continued for five consecutive days following a series of targeted killings of Hazara. However, neither targeted killings, nor large-scale attacks ceased. In April 2019, for example, 20 people were killed and 48 injured in Quetta in a bomb attack targeting Hazara.

Leaders of the two main opposition parties, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), also issued pro forma condemnations of the miners murder. In addition, they exploited Khans blackmail remark to claim that a government headed by their parties would be different. In reality, the PPP and PLM-N are long-standing representatives of Pakistans bourgeoisie, having held office for multiple terms prior to Khans Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) coming to power in 2018. They have a long record of promoting and conniving with communalist forces and are staunch supporters of the partnership between the military and Washington, and thus share responsibility for the plight of the Hazara and other minorities in the country.

A report by the National Commission for Human Rights in Pakistan in 2018 revealed that 509 Hazara were killed and 627 injured in sectarian attacks between January 2012 and December 2017. The PML-N and PPPs newfound concerns for Hazara can only be understood in the context of their ongoing efforts to force Khan to step down and call new elections.

Khan himself is a right-wing Islamist. He has been a champion of Pakistans draconian blasphemy laws and supported the disenfranchisement of the several-million-strong Ahmadi religious minority. Soon after assuming office, his government bowed to violent protests led by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) against the overturning of the death sentence imposed on Asia Bibi, an impoverished Catholic woman, for blasphemy. The government appealed the ruling to the countrys highest court.

The TLP, tacitly supported by the military, successfully secured the resignation of the previous PML-N governments minister for law and justice, Zahid Hamid, after he attempted to amend the religious oath taken by election candidates.

Balochistan is occupied by the military as part of its brutal repression of Balochi separatist nationalist militias. Any opposition to its domination is met with enforced disappearances, torture and extra-judicial killings. However, the Islamist fundamentalists have been able to carry out attacks, including in Quetta.

The widely read English-language daily Dawn in its editorial on January 5 observed that the state has long abandoned the Shiite Hazara. Seeking to explain their plight, the editorial noted, In a cynically calculated move, it [the state] decided to turn a blind eye to violent extremists depredations against the [Hazara] community in the province as long as these murderous groups also served to counter the Baloch insurgency that began during [General Pervez] Musharrafs regime.

While Dawn was compelled to acknowledge the criminal indifference of Islamabad towards the fate of the Shiite Hazara and its equally criminal security policies, the editorial nevertheless covered up Islamabads chief responsibility for the flaring up of sectarian violence in the country. This process is inseparable from its reactionary partnership with US imperialism.

On Sunday, Khan sought to shift responsibility for the attack on the miners away from the Pakistani elite and its promotion of sectarianism and Islamic reaction. Instead, he pointed the finger of blame at Pakistans arch-rival India. Boosted by its ever-deepening global strategic partnership with Washington, New Delhi has intensified military pressure on Pakistan in recent years, including twice mounting provocative surgical strikes inside Pakistan.

Khan said that the opinion of his government and Pakistans security agencies is that India is backing the Islamic State. He claimed he had received intelligence as long ago as last March demonstrating that India wants to inflame sectarianism in Pakistan.

The Pakistani bourgeoisie has always sought to gain financial benefits and geopolitical influence by serving imperialist interests, while at the same time fostering communalism and religious fundamentalism to divert popular anger over its inability to meet the basic needs of the working class and toilers into reactionary channels. This pedigree is rooted in Pakistans very creation in 1947 as an explicitly Muslim state though the communal division of South Asia.

The coming to power of the US-backed dictator Zia-ul-Haq in 1977 marked a turning point, as he shifted politics sharply to the right during the 1980s under his policy of Islamization and, at Washingtons behest, extended logistical and political support to the Islamist Mujahideen in Afghanistan. This turn right rested on the foundation laid by the PPP government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Its 1973 constitution had granted significant concessions to the religious right, such as the declaration of the Ahmadis as non-Muslims, making the Muslim Sabbath a holiday, and outlawing alcohol.

A servile tool of US imperialism, Zia made Pakistan the linchpin of Washington and Riyadhs efforts to nurture and arm the Mujahideen to fight the Soviet-backed government in Afghanistan. Not only did this result in the spawning of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, but also, under Islamabads patronage, in the growth of Islamist fundamentalist networks and militia within Pakistan, which were subsequently used as pawns in its geo-political maneuvers and to push politics domestically far to the right. The Islamists served as a bulwark against worker opposition to privatization and other pro-market reforms, and they were mobilized to attack the rights of women and push through the draconian, anti-minority blasphemy laws.

The US invasion and occupation of Afghanistan beginning in October 2001, together with Pakistans launching of war in the semi-autonomous Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) along the northwest border with Afghanistan, had an explosive impact on simmering sectarian tensions. Like the US and its allies in Afghanistan, the Pakistani state used carpet-bombing, colonial-style collective punishments, kidnappings and extra-judicial killings to suppress pro-Taliban elements, while US forces terrorized the people of FATA with its own Predator-drone war.

Islamist fundamentalists sought revenge by turning their weapons on minorities, especially Shiite Hazara and Christians. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan emerged in FATA as a product of these wars and continues to fight the Pakistan military to this day. It has mounted some of the bloodiest attacks on minorities.

Sectarian tensions in Balochistan intensified when its geo-strategic importance was significantly boosted by the launch of the US$60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, centered around the Arabian Sea port of Gwadar. Balochi nationalist militants, oriented to gaining the support of US imperialism and the Indian bourgeoisie for their reactionary struggle to create a separate Balochi state, have also mounted violent attacks on Pashtun workers and other non-Balochi residents in Balochistan.

The slain Hazara workers shared a brutal working regime with tens of thousands of miners and equally oppressed workers across Balochistan. Mach alone is estimated to be home to 10,000 to 20,000 mine workers, including many children forced to work in the mines due to abject poverty. According to a February 2020 Guardian report, an adult worker makes about US$6.75 a day while a child makes only US$2.50. The mines are notorious for safety violations. One hundred to two hundred miners die in accidents across Pakistan every year.
Running for president has already cost Joe Biden at least one friend. Back in the Obama era, Biden spent dozens of hours with Chinas president, Xi Jinping. On one occasion, they ate noodles at a Beijing restaurant with Bidens granddaughter, and Xi once called Biden an old friend. As recently as May 2019 Biden insisted that Chinas Communist leaders are not bad folks.
As an immigrant to this country I would like to say a few words to my fellow Americans, and to our friends around the world, about the events of recent days.

I grew up in Austria. I'm very aware of Kirstallnacht, or the Night of Broken Glass. It was a night of rampage against the Jews carried out in 1938 by the Nazi equivalent of the Proud Boys.

Wednesday was the Day of Broken Glass right here in the United States. The broken glass was in the windows of the united States Capitol. But the mob did not just shatter the windows of the Capitol: they shattered the ideas we took for granted.

They did not just break down the doors of the building that housed American democracy, they trampled the very principles on which our country was founded.

I grew up in the ruins of a country that suffered the loss of its democracy.

I was born in 1947 two years after the Second World War. Growing up, I was surrounded by broken men drinking away the guilt over their participation in the most evil regime in history.

Not all of them were rabid anti-Semites or Nazis. Many just went along step-by-step down the road. They were the people next door.

Now, I've never shared this so publicly because it is a painful memory but my father would come drunk once or twice a week and he would scream and hit us, and scare my mother.

I didn't hold him totally responsible because our neighbor was doing the same thing to his family, and so was the next neighbor over. I heard it with my own ears and saw it with my own eyes.

Famous sword: The Conan the Barbarian star wielded the sword from the movies as he compared American democracy to the tempering of a sword

In the movie: This was Schwarzenegger with the sword in Conan the Barbarian in 1982

They were in physical pain from the shrapnel in their bodies and in emotional pain from what they saw or did.

It all started with lies, and lies, and lies, and intolerance. So being from Europe I've seen first hand how things can spin out of control.

I know there is a fear in this country - and all over the world - that something like this could happen right here.

Now I do not believe it is, but, I do believe that we must be aware of the dire consequences of selfishness and cynicism.

President Trump sought to overturn the results of an election and of a fair election. He sought a coup by misleading people with lies.

My father and our neighbors were misled also with lies. I know where such lies lead.

President Trump is a failed leader. he will go down in history as the worst president ever. The good thing is he will soon be as irrelevant as an old tweet.

But what are we to make of those elected officials who have enabled his lies and his treachery?

I would remind them of what Teddy Roosevelt said: 'Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president.'

John F. Kennedy wrote a book called Profiles in Courage. A number of members of my own party, because of their own spinelessness, would never see their names in such a book, I guarantee you.

They're complicit with those who carried the flag of self-righteous insurrection into the Capitol.

But it did not work. Our democracy stood firm. Within hours the Senate and the House of Representatives were doing the people's business, and certifying the election of President-elect Biden.

What a great display of democracy.

Now, I grew up Catholic. I went to church, went to Catholic school, I learned the Bible and my catechism, and from those days I remember a phrase that is relevant today: 'A servant's heart.'

It means serving something larger than yourself. See, what we need right now from our elected representatives is a public servant's heart.

We need public servants that serve something larger than their own power or their own party. We need public servants who can serve higher ideals: the ideals in which this country was founded, the ideals that other countries look up to.

Over the past few days friends from all over the world have been calling and calling and calling me, calling me distraught and worried us as a nation.

One woman was in tears about America, wonderful tears of idealism, about what America should be. Those tears should remind us of what American means to the world.

Now I've told everyone who has called that, as heartbreaking as this all is, American will come back from these dark days and shine our light once again.

Now you see this sword? This is the Conan's sword. Here is the thing about swords: the more you temper a sword, the stronger it becomes. The more you pound it with a hammer then heat it in the fire, and then thrust it into the cold water, and then pound it again, and then plunge it into the fire and the water, and the more often you do that, the stronger it becomes.

I'm not telling you all this because I want you to become an expert sword maker. But our democracy is like the steel of this sword: the more it is tempered, the stronger it becomes.

Our democracy has been tempered by wars, injustices and insurrections.

I believe, as shaken as we are about the events of recent days, we will come out stronger because we now understand what can be lost.

We need reforms of course, so that this never, ever happens again. We need to hold accountable the people that brought us to this unforgivable point.

And we need to look past ourselves, our parties and disagreements, and put our democracy first.

And we need to heal, together, from the drama of what has just happened.

We need to heal, not just as Republicans or as Democrats, but as Americans.

Now to begin this process, no matter what your political affiliation is, I ask you to join me in saying to President-elect Biden: 'President-elect Biden, we wish you great success as our president. If you succeed our nation succeed. We support you with all our hearts as you seek to bring us together.'

And to those who think they can overturn the United States Constitution, know this: You will never win.

President-elect Biden, we stand with you today, tomorrow and forever in defense of our democracy from those who would threaten it.

May God bless all of you and may God bless America.
Sri Lanka: Seafood exported to Ukraine from Mattala

January 13,2021 | Source: BIZ English

SkyUp Airlines PQ-555 outward flight to Ukraine carried 658.5kg fish and seafood from Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) on 8 January 2021. This fish and seafood exports were comprised of edible Tuna, Prawns and Mullets. MRIA is positioned to utilizing its strategic geographical location to boost passenger movements, and is now aggressively marketing its capability to attract cargo exports while establishing an international market for the local producers to market fresh vegetables, fisheries, fresh fruits and ornamental fish which brings in foreign remittances," Shehan Sumanasekara, Director of Operations, Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited said.



Sri Lanka has emerged as a quality fish and seafood exporter, addressing such opportunities, MRIA is ready and equipped to handle increased volumes of seafood air freight cargo in the future, he added. Sumanasekara further stated that plans have been set to promote MRIA as a cargo transshipment hub in the future linking the airport and seaport via bonded trucking and rail.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Bam Bam Resources Corp. (CSE: BBR) (OTC PINK: NPEZF) (FSE: 4NPB) ("Bam Bam" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that its board of directors has approved a three for one stock split of the Company's common shares (the "Stock Split") held by shareholders as of February 23, 2021 (the "Record Date"). Consequently, shareholders as of the Record Date will receive, on March 2, 2021 (the "Payment Date"), two additional common shares for each common share held. In accordance with the Company's Articles, shareholder approval was not required for the Stock Split. The Company will not be changing its name, CUSIP or its current trading symbol in connection with the Stock Split.

The Company's common shares are expected to begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on or around February 22, 2021.

David Greenway, President & CEO commented: "We initiated this share split to enhance trading volume for the stock and assist in acquiring new shareholders for the three exchanges we are listed on. This split will also grant existing shareholders a larger position with the Company and add to the excitement for the upcoming year and our initiative."

Shareholders do not need to take any action. The Company's transfer agent will send to all registered shareholders, on the Payment Date, a notice under the direct registration system indicating the number of additional common shares that they received as a result of the Stock Split. These additional common shares will be held in book-entry form and registered electronically in the transfer agent's recordkeeping system, unless a physical share certificate is requested by the registered shareholder. Currently outstanding share certificates representing common shares of the Company will continue to be effective. They should be retained by registered shareholders and should not be forwarded to the Company or its transfer agent. Non-registered shareholders will have their brokerage accounts automatically updated to reflect the Stock Split.

After giving effect to the Stock Split, the Company will have approximately 64,994,853 common shares outstanding. The Company's authorized share capital will remain unchanged.

Outstanding stock options, RSUs and share purchase warrants will also be adjusted by the Stock Split ratio and the respective exercise prices of outstanding stock options and share purchase warrants will be adjusted accordingly.

About Bam Bam Resources Corp.

Bam Bam Resources Corp. (CSE: BBR) (OTC PINK: NPEZF) (FSE: 4NPB) is engaged in the identification, review and acquisition of latter stage copper and copper/gold assets. The flagship project is the Majuba Hill copper gold project located 156 miles outside Reno, Nevada, USA. Management has been mandated to focus on safe, mining friendly jurisdictions and government regulations supportive of mining operations.

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.

On Behalf of the Board of Bam Bam Resources Corp.

"David Greenway"

David C. Greenway

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Joel Warawa

VP of Corporate Communications

E: jw@bambamresources.com

P: 1 (855) 475-0745

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking" statements. Forward looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "potential" and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "could" or "should" occur. Although Bam Bam Resources Corp. believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in forward looking statements. Forward looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of Bam Bam Resources Corp. management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, Bam Bam Resources Corp. undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71911
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New York, Jan 13 : As US Vice President Mike Pence continued to defy calls to oust President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives launched the impeachment process on Wednesday.

With only seven days left for him in office, Democrats raced against time to impeach Trump on charges of inciting the storming of the Capitol last Wednesday, dispensing usual procedures to try to vote on the articles of impeachment by afternoon.

Trump has been unrepentant about the riot that resulted in the deaths of five people, including one police officer, after his rally of supporters against the election of Joe Biden as President and Kamala Harris as Vice President alleging fraud in the voting.

Late Tuesday night, the House passed a resolution demanding that Pence assume the presidency by invoking Article 25 of the Constitution that allows him, acting with a majority of the cabinet, to remove Trump.

Even before the House voted the resolution, Pence wrote to Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation." "I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment," he said.

Despite the word having a menacing ring to it, an impeachment is only the framing of charges of by the House for a judicial-style trial in the Senate with the Senators acting as jurors. A two-thirds majority of the Senate - 67 members -- will have to vote to convict.

Trump's impeachment failed in 2019 in the Republican-controlled Senate.

To convict and throw his out of office, 17 Republican Senators will have to vote for it.

If after impeachment is passed by the House, the Senate trial stretches beyond next Wednesday, when Trump will be out of office, and a conviction, if it comes about, may only have the effect of preventing him from running for office in future, besides being a ringing condemnation.

To speed up the impeachment process, most Representatives gave short speeches of one to two minutes, with Democrats recalling the horror of the riot that reached into the Senate chamber and the Speaker's Office and asserting that Trump incited an "insurrection." Democrat Jim McGovern said: "What Trump did fill me with rage. We were terrorised." "Words have consequences and ignoring words also have consequences," he said referring to Trump's statements at a rally last Wednesday that turned into the riot.

The draft of the impeachment of Trump has the single charge of "inciting violence against the government of the United States" for his role in the storming of the Capitol by his supporters, who overcame the security and muscled themselves into the Senate chamber, from where Pence had to be taken away by security to a safe zone, and into the office of Pelosi.

Trump telling his supporters "we fight, we fight like hell" before telling them to go to Congress is cited as words of incitement.

The Republicans' arguments against the impeachment was to raise procedural questions and assert that it would divide an already polarised nation further.

Republican Representative Tom Cole said the House should does not rush to judgment and should look for ways to unite the country when the new President takes over.

An impeachment of Trump failed in 2019 when the Senate failed to convict him.

After the experiences of last week, the Capitol building was ringed with high security with National Guard troops deployed at entrances to the Capitol.

(Arul Louis can be reached at arul.l@ians.in and followed on Twitter at @arulouis)
PARIS: A painting of comic book hero Tintin that for years was kept folded in a drawer is to go on sale at a Paris auction house on Thursday with an estimated sale price of more than 2 million euros.

The painting is the work of Belgian illustrator Georges Remi, better known by his nom de plume Herge, who was the author of the Tintin comic books. He died in 1983.

Herge submitted the painting for his editor as a proposed cover for the pre-World War Two Tintin album The Blue Lotus," according to the Artcurial auction house.

But Herges publisher rejected the painting, on the grounds that the colours chosen would make it too expensive to print.

A different Herge image was used for the cover, and the illustrator instead gave the rejected image as a gift for Jean-Louis Casterman, heir to the publishing house that published the Tintin books.

The painting was kept by Casterman, folded in a draw. Until his death, he declined offers to sell the work, saying he treasured it as a gift from Herge, according to Eric Leroy, comic book expert at Artcurial.

The work has never before been offered for sale, said Leroy. The estimate for the auction is set at between 2.2 million euros and 2.8 million euros.

The image shows the intrepid young reporter Tintin, in oriental dress and flanked by his dog, Snowy, hiding in a vase from a rampant red dragon.

The painting, in ink, watercolour and gouache, still bears the marks where it was folded.

Its the most beautiful item thats on the market in private hands," said Leroy.

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
SALEM, Ore.  The Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccines are actively being distributed in Oregon, but administration has been admittedly slow so far  and clear information about the process can be hard to find. Here's what you need to know about the vaccines and the state's progress.

Oregon's vaccine sequence plan

Vaccinations have been divided into different priority tiers, beginning with health care staff, long-term care facility staff and residents, and first responders. At the outset, vaccinations were being administered by a limited roster of providers  like hospital networks and local public health agencies  but doses are now going to community health clinics and some retail pharmacies.

Efforts to vaccinate the first group, Phase 1A, started in December. The process was opened to the first group of Phase 1B  childcare workers, pre-K through 12th grade teachers, and other school staff  on January 25.

Under Oregon's plan, seniors became eligible over a series of four weeks. The first group, those 80 and older, became eligible on February 8. On March 1, all seniors 65 and older became eligible.

On February 26, Governor Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority outlined what groups will be eligible during the remainder of Phase 1b and through Phase 2, and that timeline received a major update on March 19.

Some counties began opening vaccinations to further groups on May 22, but the next major dates for eligibility are March 29 (adults 45 and older with underlying conditions, agricultural and certain food workers, others), April 5 (all frontline works, and younger adults with underlying conditions), and May 1 (all Oregonians 16 and older). The graphic below provides more details on these dates and categories.

Regardless, the short supply of vaccine doses at a national level remains an issue, and eligibility for the vaccine will not necessarily translate to being able to receive it, potentially for a matter of weeks.

CLICK HERE for FAQs about the COVID-19 vaccine and responses to common concerns

CLICK HERE for daily data on the number of COVID-19 doses administered, and where they are being administered

Expanding the vaccination effort in Oregon

At the beginning of January, Governor Kate Brown set a goal of administering 12,000 vaccine doses in Oregon per day by mid-January, as the state lagged behind roughly two-thirds of other U.S. states in vaccinations. By the third week of January, daily vaccinations were regularly hitting or exceeding that goal.

Both state and local public health officials have been working toward organizing larger vaccination events to more easily administer doses to larger numbers of eligible people during the current phase. The Oregon National Guard has helped with vaccination efforts at the state fairgrounds in Salem, and similar events around the state.

Governor Brown announced on January 15 that the state had adjusted its timeline for vaccinating groups beyond Phase 1a. Vaccinations were set to be opened to grade-school educators and school staff beginning January 25. Instead of opening vaccinations up to all seniors 65 and older in January, the process was opened up to seniors 80 and older beginning on February 8, following by progressively younger groups.

These decisions on educators and seniors marked something of a departure from the state's original tiered model, so it is likely that this model will change as time goes on.

Because it is not currently known how quickly those shipments will arrive and be distributed, local providers may not be able to vaccinate new groups immediately when those dates come.

Beginning March 29, a number of groups become eligible for the vaccine  including adults 45 and older with underlying health conditions, certain frontline workers, displaced victims of the September wildfires, wildland firefighters, people living in low-income and congregate senior housing, and people experiencing houselessness.

By April 5, all other frontline workers, people 16 and older with underlying health conditions, and members of multi-generational households become eligible. All Oregonians 16 and over will be eligible by May 1.

As the vaccination efforts continue, local public health officials are increasingly transitioning away from mass vaccination events and toward more centralized, ongoing vaccination centers. Jackson County has one already in place, and Josephine County is expected to follow suit. More rural counties may continue with some mixture of the two models.

Information about the COVID-19 vaccine from public health officials

Clinical studies showed both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines to be more than 94 percent effective when both doses are received. Neither vaccine showed serious common safety issues, and tended to protect people from getting COVID-19 and from getting seriously ill if they did get the virus.

These vaccines were tested in large clinical trials and research studies with tens of thousands of people to make sure they met the safety standards. In fact, both vaccines were tested in many more people than a typical vaccine trial. Many people were recruited to participate in these trials to see how the vaccine offers protection to people of different ages, races, and ethnicities, as well as those with different medical conditions. Every study, every phase and every trial was reviewed by the FDA and a safety board.

Most people do not have serious problems after being vaccinated. Your arm may become sore, red, or warm to the touch. These symptoms usually go away on their own within a week. Some people report getting a headache or fever when getting the vaccine. These side effects are a sign that your immune system is doing exactly what it is suppose to do. It is working and building up protection to the disease.

Everyone who receives the vaccine will stay at the clinic for 15 minutes after they receive the vaccine, in case they need help for any reaction.

Experts do not know yet how long the immunity lasts once a person receives the COVID-19 vaccine. They also do not know whether a person who has received the vaccine can still spread the virus to other people. More information about the vaccines is being collected and reported every day.

Karol Ciesluk/iStockBy MINA KAJI and AMANDA MAILE, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- The coronavirus pandemic ravaged the airline industry -- plummeting demand to historic lows which resulted in the loss of billions in revenue and thousands of jobs. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has estimated that air travel won't return to pre-pandemic levels until 2024, but some experts are now seeing indicators that air travel may make a more rapid recovery.



Pent-up demand



For almost a year, many travelers have avoided flying because of COVID-19 concerns, quarantines and travel restrictions. But even promising news about a coronavirus vaccine caused booking sites like Kayak to see an uptick in flight searches. As the vaccine rollout continues, industry analysts predict we will see a spike in passenger confidence.



"The availability of vaccines and testing will get people comfortable with traveling," Raymond James airline analyst Savanthi Syth told ABC News. "You'll see the leisure and the visiting friends and relative travel should come back, relatively quickly."



Syth explained that there is hope that the airlines will see this pent-up demand translate to bookings by late summer when most Americans are expected to have access to the vaccine.



Last summer, travel was down by 50%, but she is estimating this summer there will be a 70 to 80% return in leisure travel.



According to Kayak, the locations that have recovered the most in terms of searches since the pandemic began are beach locales, such as St. Thomas, Key West and Cancun. One of their recent surveys indicated that nearly half of Americans said taking a trip is among the three top social activities they look forward to most once a vaccine is widely available.



Low fares



Another factor that could generate a surge in travel is predicted cheap fares.



"I think this will be another good year for those who are wanting to fly," Syth said, "and, especially, I think they'll be a lot more bargains in what we consider off peak periods, that September, post-summer low, and before holiday periods."



Kayak said domestic fares are almost 20% cheaper than they were this time last year.



Airline analyst Brett Snyder, who writes the Cranky Flier blog, believes airlines will have to keep fares low to fill their planes.



"They want to get people going again and get people comfortable, make things move," he said. "You know, if they can raise fares, they will, they're airlines. But you know whether they'll actually be able to do that or not is unclear."



Snyder referenced U.S. airlines eliminating change fees as things airlines have been willing to do to generate business that would never have happened pre-pandemic.



"For people that are looking to plan travel this summer, there are some deals to be had," Snyder said, "But more of what we've been seeing is more short-term deals."



International travel struggles



The resurgence of international air travel is still obstructed largely by restrictions and quarantine requirements.



Many countries' borders remain closed to U.S. citizens and international travel among U.S. carriers is still down around 70% compared to last year, according to Airlines for America (A4A), an industry trade organization that represents major U.S. airlines.



"International travel is obviously going to be a lot tougher to recover than domestic," Syth said. "Each government is going to have their own rules as to who can travel if you look at a lot of the places."



Last month, the U.S. instituted a new policy that requires passengers coming from the United Kingdom to obtain a negative test result before flying into the country. In addition, A4A sent a letter to Congress pushing for a global program that would require negative test results for inbound passengers coming to the U.S. The group argued such a program would not only ensure the health and safety or passengers and workers, but would also continue 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," the letter said.



Most recently Delta Air Lines established the first quarantine-free travel corridors between the U.S. and Europe as airlines continue to turn to testing as a way to safely reopen international travel routes that have been cut amid the pandemic.



In September, United Airlines saw passenger loads double after the airline established a testing protocol within the U.S. that allowed passengers traveling from San Francisco to Hawaii to bypass quarantine restrictions.



Countries without strict entry or quarantine requirements like Mexico have seen an increase in travelers from the U.S.



"Depending on how the different borders are opened up, and the rules around it, will have a large part in dictating how that recovery to international travel happens," Syth said.



Business travel lag



Business travel previously accounted for a third of U.S. carrier's profits. With most companies having employees work from home, the demand for business travel has declined tremendously and its recovery is predicted to lag behind leisure travel.



Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly told CNBC in October it could take 10 years for business travel to recover. Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastion said in an interview with the Associated Press that once business travel does recover, it will be 10 to 20% lower than pre-pandemic levels.



"There's a bigger debate as to how much business demand travel will recover," Syth said. "We've had almost a year of getting used to doing things differently. But there's a potential for things to overshoot, a little bit and see pent-up demand, and then settle back down because so many people have not visited their clients in a long time."



Quarantine restrictions in various countries could hinder the resurgence of international business travel, Syth said.



"The requirement for testing will not be as big of an impediment for business travel," Syth said. "But on the flip side for business you really don't have time to quarantine."



ABC News' Sam Sweeney contributed to this report.



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Items seized during a search at an apartment in the Mayfield Housing Authority North Project after an investigation into possible drug trafficking. PHOTO:Graves County Sheriff's Office

Three in Mayfield Charged With Meth Trafficking

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - A drug investigation in Mayfield led to charges of trafficking in methamphetamine for three people Tuesday.Graves County deputies and detectives searched an apartment in the Mayfield Housing Authority North Project and reportedly found 22 grams of crystal meth. They also found scales, syringes, baggies, and other items.Deputies said one suspect was found hiding in a bathroom where methamphetamine had been hidden in the toilet tank.Thirty-one year old Levon Whitt and 28-year old Krystal Mayrovitz, both of Mayfield, were arrested on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Whitt also faces charges of tampering with physical evidence.Twenty-eight-year-old Nikki Blake of Mayfield was cited and released due to a medical condition. Blake is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Served more than 22,000 Medicare beneficiaries across Tennessee ;

; Achieved an overall quality score of 99%; and,

Generated $15.9 million in shared savings  a 200% increase from performance year 2018.

"We are proud to report the ACC of Tennessee has generated savings for our providers and the Medicare program for the second consecutive year," said Dr. Bhavana Vora, Medical Director for the Accountable Care Coalition of Tennessee and a partner in Summit Medical Group. "We remain committed to providing high-quality care and services to our patients and are grateful the CMS program allows us to demonstrate how we can provide increasing value in our local communities."

"Our continued success in striving for clinical excellence and improving care for Medicare beneficiaries is a reflection of the strong partnership we have with CHS," said Ed Curtis, Chief Executive Officer of Summit Medical Group. "The Next Generation ACO Model continues to help us lead the way to higher quality, more affordable healthcare, and set the pace nationally as a leader in the movement to value-based care."

"The ACC of Tennessee continues to demonstrate how physicians committed to efficiency and enhancing patient care can succeed by embracing value-based models that increase accountability, lower costs, and improve quality of care," said Anthony Valdes, President of Collaborative Health Systems. "We look forward to our continued partnership as we work to achieve quality health outcomes, healthier patient populations, and lower costs in Tennessee communities."

The Next Generation ACO Model was designed under the CMS Innovation Center to test whether strong financial incentives for ACOs can improve health outcomes and reduce expenditures for Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) beneficiaries. Under the Model, groups of doctors and other healthcare providers come together voluntarily to provide coordinated, high-quality care at lower costs to their Medicare FFS beneficiaries. Provider groups in this Model assume higher levels of financial risk and reward than are available under the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). The Model engages beneficiaries in their care through benefit enhancements designed to improve the patient experience and rewards seeking appropriate care from providers and suppliers participating in ACOs.

For more information about the ACC of Tennessee and Collaborative Health Systems, visit www.CollaborativeHealthSystems.com.

About the Accountable Care Coalition of Tennessee, LLC

The Accountable Care Coalition of Tennessee, Inc. is a Next Generation ACO focused on value-based healthcare. Our providers, who are located in East Tennessee, are dedicated to improving the quality of healthcare and lowering the growth rate of healthcare costs. The Accountable Care Coalition of Tennessee participates in the CMS Innovation Center's Next Generation ACO initiative under an annual participation agreement with CMS. For more information, visit accoftennessee.com.

About Summit Medical Group

Summit Medical Group, founded in 1995, is East Tennessee's largest primary care organization with more than 300 providers at more than 65 practice locations in 15 counties. Dedicated to providing comprehensive quality care and value, Summit also consists of four diagnostic imaging centers, mobile diagnostic services, eight physical therapy centers, four express clinics, central laboratory and a sleep services center. Summit provides healthcare services to more than 280,000 patients, averaging over one million encounters annually. For more information, visit www.summitmedical.com.

About Collaborative Health Systems

Collaborative Health Systems (CHS) is a management services organization that partners with independent primary care physicians as they move to value-based models. Its core belief is that primary care physicians are in the best position to influence the quality and cost of healthcare. CHS provides comprehensive support for its physician partners by providing management services, risk contracting, and population health capabilities, including actionable data and other tools, to deliver care coordination and closure of gaps in care. CHS provides additional services to secure and deliver favorable value-based contracts with commercial and other health plans. As of August 2020, CHS manages two Next Generation ACOs, nine MSSP ACOs, a Care Transformation Organization, and three Independent Practice Associations. CHS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Centene Corporation. For more information, visit www.CollaborativeHealthSystems.com.

Collaborative Health Systems operates Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET. For more information, call 866-245-7043.

SOURCE Collaborative Health Systems

Related Links

http://www.CollaborativeHealthSystems.com


Local School Employees Can Get Vaccine Next Week

By Tim Brockwell

PADUCAH - Beginning next week, COVID-19 vaccine doses will be available to area school employees who choose to be vaccinated.Purchase District Health Department Director Kent Koster said McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman and Fulton County schools will be vaccinated next week. Paducah Independent Schools, Community Christian Academy and St. Mary will be vaccinated the following week.All who get vaccinated will receive a second dose 28 days after they get their first shot to complete the inoculation process."As it stands right now, we're gonna be getting in vaccine beginning next week to vaccinate all school personnel. We'll receive some additional vaccine the week after next to complete all school personnel. So, in all five counties all school personnel will have been vaccinated within two weeks." Koster said.The original plan was to make the vaccine available to school employees at local pharmacies and health departments, but Koster says that has changed. He says the vaccine will be now administered at the schools through a partnership between public health departments, Baptist Health and school personnel.Koster said a total of 982 school employees are set to be vaccinated in McCracken County, but he could not provide exact numbers from other counties in the district. He said it's an all hands on deck situation to get all of those shots in arms to help limit further spread of the virus."In McCracken County it's a team approach. Baptist is getting the vaccine, and we're working together as a team between Baptist, the public health department and the schools to coordinate the vaccinations," Koster said.
(Natural News) President Donald Trump has exhorted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to designate Antifa as a terrorist organization. In a letter addressed to Pompeo, the president said he wanted to restrict the movements of any migrants associated with the organization. Trump also claimed that Antifa has been responsible for recent lawlessness and has exploited tragedies to push a radical, anarchist and violent agenda.

According to Trumps letter, the designation aimed to prevent Antifa reinforcements from other nations from entering the U.S. in light of federal laws that restrict the entry of aliens associated with terrorist organizations.

The effect of Trumps letter to Pompeo is unclear as it only advises the state secretary to review certain criteria. It instructed: The Secretary of State shall, in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, review information received from the Department of Justice and other authorities to assess whether to classify Antifa as a terrorist organization.

The president also slammed Antifas involvement in riots in Portland, Ore. and Louisville, Ky. Originally intended as protests against police brutality and racism organized by the Black Lives Matter movement, Antifa agitators goaded participants to destroy nearby properties. Trump noted that Antifa has partnered with BLM to push its own nefarious agenda.

Trump mentioned two particular instances of Antifa violence in his letter. Demonstrators wearing black outfits assaulted Trump supporters at protests in Berkeley, Calif. during February and August 2017. The attacks resulted in 13 arrests on a range of charges, including assault with a deadly weapon and obstructing a police officer. Furthermore, 50 Antifa members caused an estimated $100,000 worth of damages to property.

He also cited the June 2019 attack on journalist Andy Ngo. Rioters attacked the conservative journalist while he was covering the protests in Portland, which led to Ngo being hospitalized. The attackers were counter-protesting members of the Proud Boys right-wing fraternity who gathered in the city.

Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray told Congress in September 2020 that Antifa was an ideology rather than an organization. He testified before lawmakers that the bureau has seen Antifa working together in  small groups and nodes and it is investigating some anarchist violent extremists  [operating] through these nodes.

However, Trumps letter to Pompeo noted that the Justice Department has already deemed that actions by Antifa and similar groups meet the standard for domestic terrorism.

The presidents letter to Pompeo comes amid pro-Trump rallies in Washington, D.C.

Trumps Jan. 5 letter to Pompeo preceded hundreds of Trump supporters gathering in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Congress convened Jan. 6 to affirm Democratic nominee Joe Bidens Electoral College victory. Meanwhile, Trump spoke to crowds of his supporters at the Stop The Steal rally a few blocks from the White House on the same day.

The president tweeted Jan. 5: Washington is being inundated with people who dont want to see an election victory stolen by emboldened Radical Left Democrats. Our country has had enough, they wont take it anymore. We hear you (and love you) from the Oval Office. Make America Great Again!

He subsequently warned Antifa to stay away from the Capitol: Antifa is a terrorist organization. Law enforcement is watching you very closely! (Related: Police escorts receive chartered Antifa buses in D.C. ahead of Jan. 6 Trump rally.)

Back in September 2020, Trump announced a measure designating Antifa as domestic terrorists. The measure followed the presidents tweet three months prior, saying the U.S. will be designating Antifa as a terrorist organization.

Many businesses in downtown Washington, D.C. boarded up their windows for fear of vandalism. Business owners expressed concern that the protests could turn into riots like the city saw in May and June last year.

District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser called in troops from the D.C. National Guard to augment the citys police force. She urged residents to avoid the downtown area and any confrontations with anyone looking for a fight. Bowser warned: We will not allow people to incite violence, intimidate our residents or cause destruction in our city.

Visit Uprising.news to read more on protests about the confirmation of the fraudulent November 2020 general elections.

Sources include:

DailyMail.co.uk

TheEpochTimes.com

Twitter.com 1

Twitter.com 2

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The rapper YFN Lucci is wanted by police on suspicion of an alleged murder in Atlanta last month.

Homicide investigators in Atlanta, Georgia, yesterday appealed to the public for help locating the 29-year-old, whose real name is Rayshawn Lamar Bennett.

The rapper is wanted on suspicion of murder, aggravated assault, participation in criminal street gang activity and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.

YFN Lucci is wanted for his alleged role in the murder of one man and for the alleged shooting of another on December 10.

The rapper YFN Lucci (pictured) is wanted by police on suspicion of an alleged murder of a 28-year-old in Atlanta on December 10

In a statement, Atlanta police said: 'Bennett is wanted on multiple charges for his role in the shooting death of 28-year-old James Adams.'

Officers discovered the mortally injured Adams in the middle of the street after being called out around 5.20pm and he was taken to Grady Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A second victim, aged 32, was shot in the abdomen but survived the attack and arrived at Atlanta's Fire Station 14 in a private vehicle.

Police allege that the two shootings are connected but the investigation is ongoing.

In a statement, Atlanta police said: 'Bennett is wanted on multiple charges for his role in the shooting death of 28-year-old James Adams'

Police are currently offering a $5,000 reward for any information which could lead to the rapper's arrest.

Two other suspects, aged 23 and 17, have been arrested by police for their alleged involvement.

MailOnline has approached YFN Lucci's representatives for comment.

YFN Lucci is an Atlanta-native who is known for his 2017 hit 'Everyday We Lit' and 2020's 'Wet. (She got that...)'.

Last month YFN Lucci released new material under the title Wish Me Well 3.
Large restaurants providing prepared meals to supermarkets for sale is causing the Government some concern as it says this is adding to additional customer traffic at those supermarkets, as it wants less movement of people during the State of Emergency.

We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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(Newser)  An "immersive historical saga" with a lovestruck heroine is on its way to readers, and though the author is a rookie at writing romance novelsor any novels, for that matterit's a name you'll recognize. Sky News reports the Duchess of York herself, Sarah Ferguson, has signed a book deal with UK publisher Mills & Boon, with the main character based on Fergie's great-great aunt, Lady Margaret Montagu Douglas Scott. Ferguson, the ex-wife of Prince Andrew, had been doing some research on her ancestor, and she became frustrated at not being able to hunt down many details. That's when "my imagination took over," Ferguson says. "I invented a history for her that incorporated real people and events, including some of my other ancestors."

story continues below

The result of these labors: Her Heart for a Compass, which she co-wrote with author Marguerite Kaye. The Victorian-era tale "sweeps the reader from the drawing rooms of Victoria's court and the grand country houses of Scotland and Ireland to the slums of London and the mercantile bustle of 1870s New York." Ultimately, though, the novel is about "daring to follow your heart against the odds," Ferguson tweeted. Although this is the duchess' first crack at such "racy endeavors," per Good Housekeeping, she's no stranger to writing: She's penned several children's books, as well as her own memoirs. Her Heart for a Compass is due out in August. (Read more Sarah Ferguson stories.)
WhatsApp is forcing all users to agree to its controversial new privacy policy by 8 February, or else lose access to the app.

The move has led many users to seek alternatives, with high-profile figures like Elon Musk and Edward Snowden urging users to switch to more privacy-focussed services.

Even WhatsApps creators, who sold the app to Facebook in 2014 for $18 billion, have turned their back on the app, with co-founder Brian Acton saying in a 2018 interview: I sold my users privacy for a larger benefit.

Read more: How to leave WhatsApp without losing all your data

The Facebook-owned app has more than 2 billion users worldwide, so even if millions of people decide to migrate it is unlikely to have a major impact on WhatsApps overall popularity.

But for those unhappy with the new terms and conditions, or who simply want to leave the Facebook ecosystem of apps behind, weve put together a list of the best alternatives in 2021.

Telegram

Arguably the most like-for-like messaging app to WhatsApp is Telegram, which supports many of the same features and even some extras.

Telegram founder Pavel Durov has consistently criticised WhatsApp for perceived security and privacy issues, describing it as dangerous and claiming it will never be secure under Facebook ownership.

WhatsApp users have been migrating to Telegram due to the familiar format (The Independent)

"There hasn't been a single day in WhatsApp's 10 year journey when the service was secure," he wrote in a 2020 blog post after it was revealed that Jeff Bezos was allegedly hacked through a security flaw in the app.

With more than 400 million users, Telegram is therefore already a popular and familiar alternative for more privacy-focused users.

Signal

Similar to Telegram and WhatsApp, Signal is free, simple to use and available on all major platforms.

Unlike these two apps, however, Signal uses open-source encryption that allows security developers to test it for flaws and find bugs.

This additional security comes at the cost of some of the features supported by other messaging apps, meaning it is a bit more stark in its appearance and functionality.

Popular among billionaires and dissidents alike, Signal offers arguably the most secure method to communicate of any mainstream messaging app.

Viber

With around 260 million users, Viber is even more popular than Telegram. Its users tend to be more concentrated to certain regions, however, meaning it might be difficult to find friends using it unless you are from there.

Its core user base is in eastern Europe, north Africa and the Middle East, though there is a scattering of users elsewhere in the world.

Recommended WhatsApp will force users to agree to new terms in 2021 or lose app

It comes with group chat, instant voice and video messaging, as well as support for audio and video calls.Similar to both Telegram and WhatsApp, all messages on Viber are end-to-end encrypted, while it also allows users to send timed self-destruct messages.

Threema

Switzerland-based Threema describes itself as the instant messenger designed to generate as little user data as possible.

It allows users to use an 8-digit ID rather than their own phone number to connect with other users, while contacts can be verified using a QR code.

It offers a few features not available in WhatsApp, such as liking individual messages and password-protecting individual chats.

Unlike the other options listed here, however, Threema is not free to use. This could be seen as a plus  even WhatsApp used to charge users 1 per year to use  with one of Threemas slogans being, dont pay with your data.

Another downside for an otherwise excellent app is that with less than 10 million downloads on Google Play, users may struggle to find other people to connect with.
Our company is a leading wood-processing company located in Uzhgorod, Ukraine, 25 km from border with Hungary. We're leading producer of quality wood briquettes and woodchip for cellulose and chipboards plants in the EU. We produce our briquettes from hardwood (beech) and softwood (pine and spruce). Right now we're selling mixed briquetts and conifer briquettes. Currently we're exporting our wood briquettes to Slovakia.SGS certificate is available. We sell by trucks, 23 pallets in the truck, 960 kg per pallet, 100 plastic bags on a pallet, 9.6 kg per plastic bag. Please let me know if the specifications in the attachement work for you. Also please let me know what type of briquettes you may be interested in (mix of hardwood and softwood or softwood (conifer) and I will provide you with the quote.
China's fifth distressed-assets manager opens for business

From:ChinaDaily | 2021-01-13 16:29

BEIJING -- China's fifth national asset-management company opened for business on Jan 9 and joined its four predecessors established in 1999 to handle distressed assets, Shanghai Securities News reported.

This came after the company received an operating permit in December 2020.

China Galaxy Asset Management Co Ltd morphed from Beijing-based Jiantou Citic Asset Management Co Ltd with its transformation and name change approved in March 2020, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said last month.

With a registered capital of 10 billion yuan ($1.55 billion), China Galaxy will deal with business such as the acquisition and entrusted operation of the non-performing assets of financial institutions, along with the management, investment and disposal of non-performing assets.

In 1999, China established four asset-management companies -- Cinda, Huarong, Great Wall and Orient -- to deal with the toxic assets of the country's four big state-owned banks, in a bid to help them transform into market-oriented financial institutions.

The four companies finished their state-assigned task of dealing with toxic assets in 2006, and have since developed into financial groups operating in fields such as banking, trusts and insurance.
Republican senators are already coming out in opposition to House Democrats planned impeachment of Donald Trump, saying that removing the outgoing president from office in the days before he is slated to leave would do more harm than good for the social fabric of the country.

Senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Roger Wicker of Mississippi both voted to certify President-elect Joe Bidens electoral victory last week after a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, where they interrupted the certification proceedings, menaced lawmakers, and ransacked the building.

But impeaching and removing Mr Trump for his role in encouraging his supporters to march on the capitol is something they just cant stomach for the country, the senators explained on Monday.

In light of President Trumps Thursday statement pledging an orderly transfer power and calling for healing in our nation, a second impeachment will do far more harm than good, Mr Graham tweeted about the video posted to the presidents since-shuttered @realDonaldTrump account on Thursday promising a peaceful transition to a Biden administration.

However, according to The New York Times, Mr Trump has regrets about releasing that video statement and has vowed not to resign in the coming days nor fade quietly into political oblivion in the coming years.

Still, Mr Graham is taking the president at his word from Thursdays video, the one statement Mr Trump has released that runs counter to dozens upon dozens of previous sets of remarks urging his supporters to fight back against a stolen election. Roughly 90 federal judges  including Supreme Court justices  have ruled against Mr Trump and Republicans challenges to the legitimacy of the 2020 elections, saying there is virtually no evidence of widespread fraud.

Mr Graham cited the short timeline of impeachment and a subsequent Senate trial as one of the reasons he would not be supporting it.

Im disappointed to hear the House is proceeding with a second impeachment given there are only nine days left in a Trump presidency. It is past time for all of us to try to heal our country and move forward. Impeachment would be a major step backward, the South Carolina Republican wrote.

Mr Wicker outlined a similar mindset for opposing impeachment.

In accordance with our Constitution, the orderly transfer of power will occur at noon on January 20. The best way for our country to heal and move past the events of last week would be for this process to continue, the senator said in a statement on Monday.

Some Republicans have signalled they are open to impeaching and removing the president over the coming days, arguing that he is too unstable to lead the executive branch and must face consequences for his actions over the last several months that fuelled the insurrection at the Capitol last week.

The riots left five people dead, including a US Capitol Police officer.

Politico reported on Monday that as many as 10 House Republicans, including GOP conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, are considering voting in favour of impeachment when it is brought to the floor on Wednesday.

Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine has written in a recounting of Wednesdays insurrection at the Capitol that Mr Trump incited [the insurrectionists] in the first place.

The House impeachment article officially condemns Mr Trump for incitement to insurrection.

GOP Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, and have both called upon Mr Trump to resign, although their stances on impeachment and removal are unclear.

Senator Ben Sasse has said he would consider removing Mr Trump at an impeachment trial, The Hill reported.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Mr Trump at his first impeachment trial. He has not said how he would vote at a second impeachment trial later this month.
TEL AVIV - A research in Israel on the results obtained after the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine is encouraging, according to the newspaper Yediot Ahronot. The daily reported about the research conducted by the country's main welfare agency Clalit on 200,000 people aged over 60 who received the first dose.

Compared with another 200,000 people who were not vaccinated, over an initial period of 12 days the two groups showed the same characteristics. But starting on the 13th day onwards the number of new infections among those who received the first shot dropped by 33% compared to the other group. The first inoculation appeared to have reduced the risk of contagion in that age group, according to preliminary data, the newspaper said.

The research will continue over the next weeks among those who have in the meantime received the second dose, which according to Pfizer is the key one for immunization.


VIRGINIA  A Virginia man is facing six counts of first-degree murder and other charges after two people were shot to death Sunday and a third person was shot but survived.

Charges were filed Tuesday in Cass County court against Robert D. Harris, 71, of Virginia after Kathleen G. Wzientek, 68, and Brenda G. Crum, 64, were killed and David Miller was injured.

Other charges filed against Harris by Cass County States Attorney Craig Miller include one count of attempted murder and one count of aggravated assault with a firearm.

The charging documents allege that Harris without lawful justification and with the intent to kill Wzientek and Crum discharged a firearm causing their deaths.

Charging documents also allege that Harris discharged a firearm in the direction of David Miller, shooting him in the head with a .22-caliber handgun.

Each first-degree murder count carries a potential sentence of 20 to 60 years, Craig Miller said.

If found guilty, he will have to serve 100% of the sentence, Craig Miller said. Because a firearm was used and discharged, there is an automatic 25-year enhancement.

Because there was more than one victim involved, there also is an automatic sentencing of natural life, Craig Miller said.

The attempted murder charge carries a penalty of six to 30 years, with an enhancement for the use of a firearm.

The charge of aggravated assault with a firearm carries a potential sentence of six to 30 years.

Deputies were called about 1 p.m. Sunday to a report of a shooting at 140 S. East St.

Crum and Wzientek were pronounced dead at the scene, while David Miller suffered minor injuries.

Harris was arrested Sunday afternoon. He is being held without bond in the Morgan County jail pending a Bischof evaluation, which assesses risk when criminal allegations involve a domestic relationship.

Harris is scheduled to appear in court at 9 a.m. Jan. 20.
Photo: (Photo : Pixabay/fernandozhiminaicela)

A couple has allegedly faked multiple COVID-19 test results in order to delay their trial for drug possession and sale. They sent out positive COVID-19 test results to the court twice and altered the test date so that they could evade the trials set to happen. They are now charged with felony accounts of forgery and many other misdemeanors.

Forged positive test results to delay the trial

On Monday, Devon Lewis and Blair McDermott are charged after they faked their coronavirus infection test results. According to Suffolk County District Attorney Timothy Sini, the New York City couple forged multiple positive test results to delay Lewis' trial.

Attorney Sini noted that Lewis was set to trial on the sale and possession of heroin and cocaine. He said that it is reprehensible for someone to claim the deadly virus to avoid the consequences of the criminal actions he did.

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Sent a photo of the document showing positive test results

The indictment said that Lewis sent a document photo to the court showing that McDermott tested positive with the coronavirus. Because of that, the trial got suspended. Lewis told the judge on October 1 that he and McDermott were in their Manhattan apartment quarantining.

The next week after that, he also sent another positive test result showing that McDermott contracted the deadly virus for the second time. In November, the trial finally resumed when Lewis got convicted.

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Saying she was positive even though she tested negative

According to the district attorney's office, McDermott has altered the documents the couple submitted to the court. She stated she tested positive for the virus, although she had tested negative. Apart from that, she also changed the date of her initial test.

Investigators analyzed Lewis's phone, which led them to realize that they were not honest with the results they sent to the court. They found that the duo went to three states and traveled to different hotels when they should have been spending time at home quarantining.

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The couple pleaded not guilty

Pleaded not guilty, Lewis was remanded without bail. McDermott also pleaded not guilty and got released on her recognizance.

Attorney Sini explained that what the couple did was "completely" a selfish act. He noted that the two attempted to subvert the criminal justice system senselessly and tried to delay the inevitable. Other than that, he also said that no one would be able to escape justice in Suffolk County.

He said that a criminal would surely get caught and will be persecuted for his wrongdoings.

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Since 11 January Luxembourg has sufficient vaccine doses in stock for at least 7,887 people. Around 2,000 people have been vaccinated thus far (as of 11 January 2021).

The first vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer arrived in Luxembourg on 26 December. These 9,700 doses should cover 4,850 people. As of 11 January, however, only around 2,000 people have gotten their first jab in the Grand Duchy. Three weeks after the first delivery arrived, 60% of these doses are yet to be administered.

In the meantime, additional vaccines have made their way to Luxembourg, both from BioNTech/Pfizer as well as the first doses from Moderna. Since 11 January, Luxembourg has vaccines for at least 7,887 people.

In the light of a new rise in daily infections, experts are calling on the government to make use of the available vaccines as quickly as possible. Minister of Health Paulette Lenert said last week that the lack of vaccines at this stage has nothing to do with the European Commission's orders and distribution, but with the vaccine production. This does not explain why so many doses remain yet to be administered.

To date there has not been a timeline published by the government as to when which groups will receive the jab.

An overview of the deliveries

26 December 2020: 9,700 doses from BioNTech/Pfizer

11 January 2021: 1,200 doses from Moderna

11 January 2021: 4,875 doses from BioNTech/Pfizer

For the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine it is possible to extract six instead of five doses from one vial as of last week. This translates to a 20% increase in vaccinations overall.

Read also: Opinion - Luxembourg, as always, is late to the show

Amazon has said booting Parler from the web was a 'last resort' after the social media site sued the web host for antitrust violations.

The tech giant said in legal filings that the app - favored by Donald Trump supporters - was 'unwilling' to 'remove content that incites and plans the rape, torture and assassination of named public officials'.

Users called for Barack Obama, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nancy Pelosi to 'fry' and also labelled Stacey Abrams 'good target practice', the filing claims. One post allegedly read: 'We are going to fight in a civil War on Jan.20th, Form MILITIAS now and acquire targets.'

Amazon also looks to Section 230 - the law much maligned by the president - as a defense in scrubbing the site from the web Monday.

Section 230 allows social platforms to moderate their services by removing posts that are obscene or violate the services' own standards, so long as they are acting in 'good faith.' Amazon argue: 'That is precisely what AWS did here: removed access to content it considered 'excessively violent' and 'harassing'.'

Apple, GooglePlay and Amazon Web Services (AWS) removed Parler from their platforms for allowing messages to be shared inciting violence even after the January 6 riot where a Trump-inspired mob stormed the Capitol building.

Parler on Monday then announced plans to sue Amazon, filing an 18-page lawsuit.

Twitter last week banned the president and tens of thousands of right-wing accounts after Trump loyalists attacked the U.S. Capitol, and the crackdown later extended to competing platform Parler, which is offline after Amazon removed hosting services.

Scroll for Amazon's response in full

Amazon has said booting Parler from the web was a 'last resort' after the social media site sued the web host for antitrust violations

Shortly after 3am EST Monday, Parler disappeared from the web with an error message saying 'we can't connect to the server' after Amazon pulled the plug

Parler filed a 18-page suit in U.S. District Court in Seattle against Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Monday. It claims: 'AWS's decision to effectively terminate Parler's account is apparently motivated by political animus. It is also apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter.'

It notes: 'Friday night one of the top trending tweets on Twitter was 'Hang Mike Pence.' But AWS has no plans nor has it made any threats to suspend Twitter's account.'

In their filing Amazon list examples they said they flagged to Parler, including threats to its CEO Jeff Bezos as well as Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter's Jack Dorsey. They call Parler's lawsuit 'meritless'.

The post read: 'Death to @zuckerberg @realjeffbezos @jackdorsey @pichai.'

Another said: 'After the firing squads are done with the politicians the teachers are next.'

Amazon also claim to have raised concerns about posts threatening the deaths of Democratic lawmakers including Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Chuck Schumer as well as calls for a civil war.

They add: 'This case is not about suppressing speech or stifling viewpoints. It is not about a conspiracy to restrain trade.

'Instead, this case is about Parler's demonstrated unwillingness and inability to remove from the servers of Amazon Web Services ('AWS') content that threatens the public safety, such as by inciting and planning the rape, torture, and assassination of named public officials and private citizens.'

Parler sued Amazon for antitrust violations. The app's CEO John Matze, pictured with his family, said Tuesday that pulling his app is unconstitutional

Hailed by Donald Trump supporters as a conservative-friendly alternative to Twitter, Parler is seen as a magnet for the far right and was accused by Apple, Google and Amazon of continuing to allow messages inciting violence after Wednesday's attack at the Capitol

What are Parler's options now? Losing access to the app stores of Google and Apple  whose operating systems power hundreds of millions of smartphones  severely limits Parler's reach, though it had continued to be accessible via web browser. The decision by Amazon Web Services to remove Parler means it now needs to scramble to find another web host in addition to 'rebuilding the site from scratch'. Google and Apple both booted Gab from their app stores in 2017 and it was left internet-homeless for a time the following year due to anti-Semitic posts attributed to the man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Microsoft also terminated a web-hosting contract. It now hosts through its own servers, so that is an option. Or it can find another server willing to host the site. Max Aliapoulios, a computer science Ph. D candidate told Business Insider: 'It is realistic to expect that Parler will find another provider to host their services like AWS. 'That being said, now the precedent is set and Parler will likely always have an uphill battle with finding a home to host them on the internet.' On Monday it was reported that the site has since moved its domain name from DreamHost to right leaning web hosting company Epik. Advertisement

Parler CEO John Matze said Tuesday that pulling his app is unconstitutional.

'I think it's sick. That's not what the Constitution said. That's not what the Constitution stands for, banning 10-plus million U.S. voters from the internet, barring people from free speech,' he told Fox News.

Amazon was on Saturday forced to warn its employees to 'be vigilant' following far right threats to blow up its data centers, a leaked memo reveals.

In an email to staff Saturday, Chris Vondehaar, Vice President of Infrastructure at Amazon Web Services (AWS), said: 'We all need to [be] vigilant during this time to keep one another and our facilities safe.

'If you see something, say something  no situation or concern is too small or insignificant.'

Amazon has also blocked service updates on their systems in an effort to avoid a cyber attack by those upset at the decision to remove the right leaning social media site used by Donald Trump fans.

While Parler itself is a non-partisan company, it has become a place of refuge for Trump supporters and QAnon conspiracy theorists kicked off Facebook and Twitter.

The app is popular among political conservatives and became the most downloaded app the weekend of November 8  when the election was called for Biden, and has been criticized for allowing hateful, violent speech to run free on the app.

Matze says it's not just his company that has suffered in the wake of the protests, but he's received multiple death threats in the past week.

The social media crackdown has revived a debate over whether tech giants should be treated as 'publishers' with the same liability as news providers.

Critics have slammed the move as a purge on free speech and pointed to Amazon 'holding the keys to the internet'.

Elon Musk has torn into the 'West Coast high tech' who have turned into the 'de facto arbiter of free speech' after Amazon scrubbed Parler from the internet.

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO had replied to a satirical tweet about Twitter and Facebook banning Donald Trump from their platforms. Twitter also permanently banned Trump loyalists as part of a broader purge of accounts.

Musk said Monday: 'A lot of people are going to be super unhappy with West Coast high tech as the de facto arbiter of free speech.'

Replying to another user who said 'West Coast high tech has to make the distinction between banning hate speech and banning speech it hates', Musk added: 'This is an important distinction.'

In his final post before the 3am deadline, Matze said that 'most people with enough servers to host us have shut their doors to us'

The app was removed from the Google app store after conservative social media users flocked to the site in the wake of the Capitol attack

Pro-Trump protesters storm into the U.S. Capitol during clashes with police, during a rally to contest the certification of presidential election results by on January 6

Conservative commentator Glenn Beck on Tuesday compared recent social media crackdowns to WWII 'ghettos'. His remarks drew swift condemnation from Jewish advocates and left-wing critics.

Libertarian journalist Glenn Greenwald blasted Twitter for condemning political internet censorship in Uganda after banning President Donald Trump and his allies.

He accused Twitter of 'doing exactly that which they are lecturing the Ugandans you cannot do.'

Discussing the removal of Parler from AWS, American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Ben Wizner told The New York Times: 'There is a difference between a social media platform like Twitter...deciding who its members are and what its guidelines should be, and a company like Amazon that really hold the keys to the internet.'
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

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Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

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Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

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NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

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President Donald Trump cursed out Vice President Mike Pence in a furious phone call demanding that Pence overthrow the presidential election results, it has been revealed.

On January 6, hours before his mob of loyalists stormed the U.S. Capitol as Pence presided over a joint session of Congress, Trump called the vice president's residence with a final, desperate plea.

'You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a p***y,' Trump warned Pence on the call, two people briefed on the conversation told the New York Times.

Pence, who had remained a quiet and loyal No. 2 throughout Trump's term, was finally at the breaking point - and likely realized that his refusal to go along with Trump's illegal plan would cost him politically with Trump's base and scuttle any chance of a future presidential bid.

'You can either go down in history as a patriot, or you can go down in history as a p***y,' Trump warned Pence on a call the morning of January 6, as Congress was set to convene

Pence, who had remained a quiet and loyal No. 2 throughout Trump's term, was finally at the breaking point and rejected Trump's plea, refusing to overturn the election

For days, Trump had been pressuring Pence to intervene in Congress and block the certification of the Electoral College vote naming Democrat Joe Biden as the next president.

After his flurry of election lawsuits were all thrown out, somehow Trump came to believe that Pence had the power to select the next president.

Pence's counsel, Greg Jacob, researched the matter and concluded the vice president had no such authority. But Trump continued to press the matter, and Pence sought further outside counsel from John Yoo, a conservative legal scholar at the University of California at Berkeley who served in George W. Bush's administration.

On January 5, Trump harried Pence in a string of encounters, including one meeting that lasted more than an hour, sources told the Times. Lawyers present in the meeting tried to convince Trump that Pence had no power to overthrow the election.

On the morning of January 6, Pence's personal attorney called J. Michael Luttig, a conservative former appeals court judge, and asked him to write his opinion about Pence's ability to intervene.

Luttig quickly shared his opinion that Pence had no such ability, and Pence cited it in a public letter shortly before the joint session of Congress convened, saying he would not intervene in the election.

Trump, seen on Tuesday, harried Pence in a string of encounters before January 6 and begged him to illegally intervene in Congress to overthrow the election results, sources say

Throughout Trump's term, Pence had specialized in remaining quietly in the background, avoiding anything that would draw the president's rage. They are seen above last March

Pence's decision infuriated the president and the crowd of Trump supporters gathered around the Capitol. As the mob stormed the building, some were heard chanting 'hang Mike Pence!'

Secret Service agents whisked Pence out of the Senate chamber as the mob rampaged, taking him first to his offices and then to a basement-level bunker.

Trump himself had egged on his supporters at a rally with demands that they 'fight,' calling the election fraudulent, and putting pressure on Pence, whose only role was ceremonial and involved opening and reading from envelopes containing electoral votes.

Trump was glued to the television as the storming of the Capitol was broadcast.

As the attack unfolded and Pence huddled in the basement, Trump did not call Pence, instead tweeting out insults of the vice president at 2.24pm.

As Trump's loyalists stormed the Capitol, Pence was whisked to a basement bunker. Trump, watching the events on TV, did not call Pence, but tweeted insulting him during the attack

Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi resume presiding over a Joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after the Capitol attack

After the Capitol was secured, Congress reconvened and stayed after midnight to certify the election.

Pence and Trump did not speak the following day. But on Monday night, they reached an uneasy truce, as an increasingly isolated Trump met with Pence to beg him not to exercise the 25th Amendment to remove him from office in his final days.

Sources told the Times the hour-long Oval Office meeting was 'nonsubstantive' and 'stilted.'

On Tuesday, Pence sent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a letter saying he would not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from power as the House was taking its first votes on a resolution urging him to do so.

'I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution,' Pence said of the Democrat-led removal effort.

Vice President Mike Pence released the letter he had sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the House was taking its first vote on the resolution that pressures him to invoke the 25th Amendment

'Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation.'

Experts say that Pence's decision last week may have permanently cost him any future shot at winning the White House, by enraging Trump's base.

'Pence had a choice between his constitutional duty and his political future, and he did the right thing,' Yoo told the Times.

'I think he was the man of the hour in many ways  for both Democrats and Republicans. He did his duty even though he must have known, when he did it, that that probably meant he could never become president.'
New Delhi, Jan 13 : In its latest supplementary charge sheet in the 2016-17 targeted killings in Punjab, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has named three Uttar Pradesh youths for having links with Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF) in providing arms to the culprits involved in the murder of Sri Hindu Takht chief Amit Sharma.

The NIA took over the case in 2017 after a request from the Punjab government and Ministry of Home Affairs' order.

The anti-terror agency filed the charge sheet before the special NIA court naming Ashish Kumar, Javed and Arshad Ali - all residents of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.

In the charge sheet, the NIA named the three under charges of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Arms Act in connection with a case being probe by it since December 10, 2017 arising out of an FIR filed by Punjab Police on January 15, 2017 related to the killing of Amit Sharma.

Sharma was president of Sri Hindu Takht, Ludhiana in 2017.

On January 14, 2017, two unknown motorcycle-borne assailants killed Sharma as a part of an organised conspiracy hatched by terrorist outfit Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF). This murder was one among eight such cases of serial killings and attempted killings that took place in Punjab in 2016-2017 with a view to create terror and communal disturbance.

Earlier, NIA had filed charge sheet on May 14, 2018, against 15 people.

Investigation has established that Ashish, Javed and Arshad had facilitated the other accused persons in the killing of Sharma by supplying illegal firearms used in the crime, the NIA said.

"They had supplied illegal arms including .32 bore pistols which, along with other weapons or firearms, were used in targeted killing cases in Punjab. Further investigation in the case continues."
Bahrain's Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism has signed a memorandum of understanding, establishing an American Trade Zone in the kingdom.

Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Alzayani sealed the deal yesterday with US Secretary for Trade Wilbur Ross, said a Wam news agency report.

The availability of economic opportunities in our region is an ideal opportunity for American companies to invest and expand their business by establishing in the Kingdom of Bahrain,'' said Alzayani.

He said that the deal would usher in wider horizons for strengthening the joint trade relations in accordance with the advantages of the Free Trade Agreement binding Bahrain and the USA.

Ross stressed the importance of Bahrain as a strategic and commercial partner of the USA, adding that the platform would maintain the stability and ensure the progress of the American trade in the Gulf region.

The signing of this memorandum comes to reinforce this common commitment and the close relationship between the two countries, he added, affirming the commitment of the Department of International Trade at the US Department of Commerce, to work with Bahrain to achieve the American Trade Zone.

The establishment of the zone is expected to contribute to enhancing economic, commercial and industrial cooperation and pushing the bilateral trade between the two countries to further horizons, the report said.

The US and Bahrain will promote the American Trade Zone as a regional centre for trade, manufacturing, logistics and distribution among American companies in the Kingdom, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) markets and beyond.

The American Trade Zone in Bahrain will allow US companies to operate in an area equipped for goods exchange activities and comprehensive logistical solutions, in addition to facilitating export operations through Khalifa Bin Salman Port, Bahrain International Airport and King Fahd Causeway or through any other ports to be established in the future in the Kingdom via specialised customs solutions, the report added.

Shripad Naik to be discharged from Goa Medical College in four to five days

Union minister Shripad Naik taken off ventilator, shifted to high flow nasal oxygen

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Panaji, Jan 13: Union minister Shripad Naik, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Goa following an accident, has been taken off from the ventilator and shifted to high flow nasal oxygen on Wednesday, Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said.

Taking to reporters late Tuesday night, an official from the AIIMS said they are satisfied with Naik''s breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters.

The team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, arrived in Goa on Tuesday evening and visited Naik at the government-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) located in Porvorim.

Karnataka: Union minister Shripad Naik injured in road accident; wife, aide dead

They later held discussions with doctors of the GMCH over the line of treatment for the 68-year-old Union Minister of State for Defence and AYUSH, a senior official from the Goa-based hospital said.

State Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was also present along with the team at the GMCH.

Talking to reporters late Tuesday night at the GMCH, one of the members from the AIIMS team said, "We are satisfied with his breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters. We have seen him and given advice to take him off the ventilator tomorrow (Wednesday)."

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday visited Naik at the GMCH and later said his condition is stable and he is out of danger.

Naik received injuries, while his wife Vijaya and an aide died on Monday when their car met with the accident near Ankola in Uttar Kannada district, while he was returning to home state Goa from Dharmasthala in neighbouring Karnataka.

Naik was admitted to the GMCH late Monday night.

GMCH Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar on Tuesday said when Naik was brought to the GMCH, he was critical but later he responded to treatment and is gaining consciousness.

Four major surgeries were performed on him, he said.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

Bandekar said Naik will continue to be in the hospital for another 10 to 15 days after which it will take at least three to four months for him to recuperate completely.
Adopted Texas Woman Meets Birth Parents for First Time in 62 Years Using DNA Test Kit

A Hunt County, Texas, woman says she has a lot to be thankful for in 2020, even though its a year that brought hardship to so many.

For Anna Taylor, this is the year she was reunited with her birth parents, more than six decades after being put up for adoption.

And she has since found a whole new family that have welcomed her into the fold with open arms. Its something she never had growing up.

Despite the challenges presented by the global pandemic, Anna was able to meet both of her birth parents late last year and has begun a journey to forge relationships with them.

Anna, 62, says that reuniting with her birth parents has been a wonderful emotional roller coaster.

Miracles do happen, she told The Epoch Times. Never in my wildest dreams of this would happen but it did. And Im so thankful that it did.

In 2019, Annas children got her a 23andMe DNA testing kit for Christmas. She took the test, excited to find out if she was really Italian as her family said, but didnt expect it would lead to identifying her birth mother, Ada.

At first, Anna didnt have the nerve to message her mom, but eventually worked up the courage and made the call. Things took off from there, and at the end of October 2020, Ada, 85, flew out from Connecticut to meet her biological daughter. They had a tearful reunion at the Terminal C baggage claim at DFW Airport.

Words cant express how I felt after 62 years meeting her, Anna told The Epoch Times. It was, other than having my grandchildren, my children, the best thing that ever happened in my life.

She kind of kept all this bottle up for 62 years, she added. She never told anyone but her husband. No one knew about me.

After their reunion, Ada shared who Annas father is: Nicholas, who is 87 and lives in New Orleans.

He lives in a VA nursing home, where Anna met him in person for the first time, while maintaining a 6-foot social distance requirement, due to concerns over the virus. Despite having had a stroke, Nicholas is in good health.

Hes a young 87, Anna explained. He had a little mini stroke that paralyzed the left part of his body. So thats why hes in a nursing home.

Anna has since kept in contact with both parents and her new extended family. Going forward, there is a lot to look forward to.

All the hard emotional parts are over with, she shared. Now its all just making memories.

For Christmas, Anna had planned a trip to Connecticut to visit her mother, but due to the pandemic, she had to cancel her trip, which she said was a little disappointing.

But she was able to make the trip to Louisiana, where her dad lives, and was able to visit him, her sister, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Anna only got to spend 45 minutes with her father at the home where he lives due to concerns of the virus. But she said that during that time, he seemed funny and a loving little character.

She added that her family has grown at a seemingly exponential rate this past year.

Its been crazy, Anna said. Weve had a lot of people that have entered my life in the last eight months.

As someone who didnt have much of a family growing up, the experience has been incredible for Anna. She says shes grateful to be welcomed into such a loving family. Because you hear all these horror stories about finding their family and they dont want anything to do with you.

Its been a very emotional and wonderful journey, Anna added. Now I have a mom and dad.

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
S. Roger Schane, 74, of Madison Twp., passed away in his sleep on Monday, Jan. 11, 2021, at his home from COPD complications. He and his wife, the former Jeanne (Kosinski), celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary on Sept. 7, 2020.

Born in Stroudsburg, he was the son of the late Stanford and Katherine (Geary) Schane. Roger graduated from Pocono Mountain High School in 1964 and served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War. Roger retired as a supervisor from PennDOT after 30 years of service and he was proud of the fact that he worked his way to his supervisory position.

Roger enjoyed being outdoors and could be found just walking in the woods or patiently waiting for that big buck while hunting. He also liked to tinker on all of the projects in his barn and was working to restore his vintage Farmall tractor. Most important to Roger was the time he spent with his family; his wife, daughters and son-in-law were the light of his life and the memories they created together will be cherished forever.

In addition to his wife, Jeanne, Roger is survived by his children, Susan Schane, of Covington Twp.; and Tammy Schane and her husband, Vince Haas, of Doylestown; his siblings, Charlie Schane and his wife, Sherry, of North Carolina; and Carol Lovering, of North Devon, England; his brother-in-law, Bernie Kosinski, of Quakertown, who was like a brother to him; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was also preceded in death by his sister, Barbara Dailey; and his sister-in-law, Audrey (Hrobchak) Kosinski.

The funeral service will be held on Friday, Jan. 15, at noon at Brian Arthur Strauch Funeral Homes and Cremation Services LLC, 3 First St., Spring Brook Twp., to be conducted by Pastor Eric Luczak. Interment will follow in Fairview Memorial Park in Elmhurst Twp.

Viewing will held on Friday from 11 a.m. until the time of the service, also at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Griffin Pond Animal Shelter, 967 Griffin Pond Road, Clarks Summit, PA 18411.

To share your fondest memories of Roger, please visit the funeral homes website or Facebook page.
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Five groundbreaking self-portraits by women

Jennifer Higgie  author of a new book about womens self-portraits to be published in March  on female artists whose depictions of themselves helped secure their place in history

The museums of the world are filled with paintings of women  by men. Ask around and youll find that most people struggle to name even one female artist from before the 20th century. But women have always made art, even though, over the centuries, every discouragement  from laws to religion and convention, the pressures of family and public disapproval  was, and in some places still is, put in their way. Until the advent of modernity, women were expected to be wives, mothers or nuns, not artists or writers; they had no political agency and, unless their father was a painter, they had very little or no access to any kind of artistic training. (My focus here is the European tradition: in many indigenous cultures around the world, womens creativity has been, and continues to be, central to individual and community self-expression.)



I like to think of van Hemessens self-portrait as an act of defiance. I am a woman painting, she seems to be saying, and you can't stop me

As it was in the financial, cultural and, we can assume, emotional interests of men to discourage women from pursuing a career, women were denied access to materials, to training and to the essential space and time every artist needs to nurture their talent.



Although women were active in the Middle Ages in crafts and illumination, we know very few of their names. In the Renaissance, women were forbidden to work on scaffolds, so they couldnt be commissioned to make frescoes. Public art schools for women didnt exist until the late 19th century; and even if they studied with a private tutor, in the main women were forbidden to work from life models and so were prevented from learning a central skill required by the professional artist. That is why so many female artists specialised in botanical and scientific studies, still life and self-portraiture: you might not be allowed to study a naked man, but your own body was another matter.



Over the past 500 years or so, there are countless stories of women struggling to be accepted as serious artists in the face of mass exclusion. Here are some of them.

1

Catharina van Hemessen Self-Portrait at the Easel, 1548

Catharina van Hemessen, Selbstbildnis an der Staffelei (Self-Portrait at the Easel), 1548. Oil on panel. 32 x 25cm. Kunstmuseum Basel, Schenkung der Prof. J.J. Bachofen-Burckhardt-Stiftung 2015, Inv. 1361

Almost 500 years ago, in Antwerp, a young woman painted a self-portrait on an oak panel. Once done, she carefully inscribed some Latin words on its surface. Translated, they declare: I Catharina van Hemessen have painted myself / 1548 / Here aged 20. To our 21st-century eyes, van Hemessens self-portrait could be dismissed as a charming, slightly clumsy curio painted by a woman at a time when few women were professional artists. However, this small picture is in fact a groundbreaking work of art: it is widely believed to be the earliest surviving self-portrait of an artist of any gender seated at an easel  and van Hemessen, who was to become a court artist in Spain, is the first female Flemish painter whose work we know of. I like to think of it as an act of defiance. I am a woman painting, the artist seems to be saying, and you cant stop me.

2

Judith Leyster Self-Portrait, circa 1630

Judith Leyster (Dutch, 1609-1660), Self-Portrait, c. 1630. Oil on canvas, overall: 74.6 x 65.1 cm (29 x 25 in). Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss. 1949.6.1. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

In 1633, the 24-year-old Judith Leyster became the only woman, alongside 30 men, to be accepted as a member of the Haarlem Guild of St Luke. This meant that she could sell her work, establish a workshop and take apprentices. Although celebrated during her lifetime, she was largely forgotten after her death. Until 1893, her paintings were assumed to be by Frans Hals or her husband, Jan Miense Molenaer. Her delight and pride in her craft are evident. Wielding 18 brushes, she is in the midst of painting her earlier work, Merry Company (a canvas that realised 1,808,750 in December 2018 when it was sold at Christies in London). She is dressed in her finest clothes, a sartorial celebration of her craft and the wealth it has afforded her. She turns to greet us, smiling; it is as if she is speaking directly to us. After centuries of silence, now we can hear her: this brilliant self-portrait, which for centuries was assumed to be by Hals, was only definitively attributed to Leyster when the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. acquired it in 1949.

3

Elisabeth-Louise Vigee Le Brun Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat, after 1782

Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun (1755-1842), Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat, after 1782. Oil on canvas. 97.8 x 70.5 cm. Photo:  The National Gallery, London

Marie Antoinettes favourite artist, Elisabeth-Louise Vigee Le Brun is now best known for her scandalous self-portraits. In 18th-century France, according to the historian Colin Jones, a smile that showed the teeth suggested the subject was plebeian, insane... or else in the grip of some particularly powerful passion. It also might have had something to do with the fact that King Louis XIV had no teeth left by the time he was 40, and it wasnt done to gloat. Self-Portrait in a Straw Hat is the young artists playful homage to Peter Paul Rubens 1622 painting of Susanna Lunden, Le Chapeau de Paille (The Straw Hat). Despite the title, her hat is felt, not straw. In her painting, Vigee Le Brun  a brilliant self-promoter  has corrected Rubens mistake: a luxurious straw hat, decorated with flowers and a feather, adorns her golden curls. Holding a large palette and a fistful of brushes, she smiles out at us, allowing us a glimpse of her dazzling white teeth.

4

Paula Modersohn-Becker Self-Portrait on 6th Wedding Anniversary, 1906

Paula Modersohn-Becker, Self-portrait on 6th Wedding Anniversary, 1906. Museen Bottcherstrae, Paula Modersohn-Becker Museum, Bremen, Germany



In Paula Modersohn-Beckers life-size self-portrait, she pictures herself cradling her pregnant belly, her head at a quizzical angle, with a soft expression of curiosity. Her features are raw, free of makeup or artifice; her brown eyes shine with intelligence and personality. Like Catharina van Hemessens self-portrait centuries earlier, the painting is inscribed. Translated, it reads: I painted this at age 30 / on my 6th wedding day. P.B.  a return to her maiden name, Paula Becker.

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However, the pregnancy depicted here is symbolic. Modersohn-Becker had, in fact, just abandoned her husband in Worpswede, Germany, and moved to Paris in order to paint full-time. At a time when women artists were often sidelined or ignored, what she was expecting was not a child but the fulfilment of her creativity. Today, the painting is admired not just for its modernity, but because it is considered to be the earliest known naked self-portrait by a woman.

5

Amrita Sher-Gil Self-Portrait as a Tahitian, 1934

Amrita Sher-Gil, Self-Portrait as a Tahitian, 1934. Oil on canvas. Collection of Vivan and Navina Sundaram


The United States House of Representatives voted Wednesday to impeach President Trump on charges of incitement of insurrection for his role in the Jan. 6 siege of the Capitol building by his supporters that left five people dead.

Before Wednesday, no U.S. president had ever been impeached twice.

The impeachment article was passed by a vote of 232-197 with 10 Republicans joining Democrats in the chamber.

Under the Constitution, the next step would be a trial in the Senate, which could result in his removal from office. But with just a week left in his term, the issue appeared to be moot  although nothing is certain in the head-spinning developments that have engulfed Washington, D.C. since Trump was defeated in the presidential election on Nov. 3.

The article of impeachment charged that he gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government, by promoting false election fraud claims, seeking to illegally manufacture a different election outcome, and by inviting his supporters to attend the Jan. 6 rally in Washington that turned violent.

He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government, the impeachment article stated. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a speech on the House floor that the aim of the pro-Trump mob was to overturn the duly reported will of the American people, and laid blame at the feet of the president.

We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country. He must go, Pelosi said.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) (C), surrounded by a security detail, walks to her office from the House Floor at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

Unlike the almost entirely party-line vote on Trumps first impeachment in the House on Dec. 18, 2019, on charges of obstruction of justice and abuse of power, the president could not portray the House vote as simply a partisan exercise. Republicans Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan, Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Rep. David Valadao of California, Rep. John Katko of New York, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, Rep. Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio, Rep. Tom Rice of South Carolina, and Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler and Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington all voted in favor of impeachment.

A vote against this impeachment is a vote to validate the unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nations capital. It is also a vote to condone President Trumps inaction, Newhouse said in a statement released as Congress debated impeachment. He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed. Our country needed a leader, and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office.

Even some of the Republicans who voted against impeachment acknowledged that Trump shouldered at least some blame for the unrest last week.

"The president bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob rioters," House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said. After McCarthy had challenged the Electoral College certification at the center of the insurrection at the Capitol, he also signaled for the first time that Trump had lost.

Joe Biden will be president, McCarthy says, because he won the election.

As the vote was taking place, Trump released a statement about reports of further protests that the FBI and the Justice Department warned Tuesday could involve further violence.

In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind, Trump staid in a written statement. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what American stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank you.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, read the statement on the House floor moments after it had been released.

Another striking difference between the two votes was apparent just outside the House chamber, where thousands of U.S. National Guard troops were posted to protect the Capitol from threats by Trump supporters aimed at the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

The buildup of troops at the Capitol had not been witnessed in Washington since 1861, when seven Southern states seceded from the Union, precipitating the Civil War.

President Donald Trump. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: AP, Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

Before Wednesdays vote, Rep. Cheney, the third most powerful Republican in the House, issued a forceful declaration in favor of impeaching Trump.

The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack, Cheney wrote in a statement. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

With news reports swirling Tuesday night that Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell favored convicting Trump on the incitement of insurrection charge and removing him from office, more House Republicans stepped forth to announce that they would also vote to impeach the president.

But on Wednesday, Trumps Republican supporters moved to punish Cheney for what they saw as her betrayal of the president. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, said he would seek a vote to remove Cheney from her position as House Republican Conference Chair.

With just seven days remaining before Biden is set to be inaugurated, the Senate has little time to debate Trumps removal. Since the U.S. Constitution mandates that a two-thirds majority in the Senate is required to remove a president, at least 17 Republicans and every sitting Democrat would need to vote in unison to do so.

Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Ben Sasse of Nebraska have all stated that they would vote to convict Trump and remove him from office. Reports circulated on Wednesday that as many as 20 Senators might vote in favor of conviction.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holds the key to what happens next. McConnell and Trump, who worked closely for Trumps entire term, have fallen out over the presidents disruptive antics since the Nov. 6 election, which he reportedly believes cost the Republicans two Senate seats in Georgia, reducing McConnell to minority leader for at least the next two years. Reports circulated that McConnell was open to allowing a vote to convict Trump.

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) hugs U.S. President Donald Trump at a campaign rally at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, U.S., November 4, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

As the House debated whether to impeach Trump, McConnell sent a letter to his Senate colleagues indicating he had not decided on the matter of convicting the president.

While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate, McConnell said in his letter.

But convening a trial before Jan. 19, when the Senate is scheduled to return to session, would require a declaration of a national emergency by the two Senate leaders, McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Before the House even voted on Wednesday, McConnell rebuffed Schumers call for an emergency session.

A trial could still take place after Jan. 20, although Trump will no longer be president then. If he is convicted, the Senate could impose a lifetime ban on him holding office again, which would preclude any intention on his part to run for president again in 2024.

Wednesdays vote to impeach Trump came the day after the House passed a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment in concert with the presidents cabinet to oust Trump from office.

In a Tuesday night letter to Pelosi, Pence declined to do so.

I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution, Pence said in the letter, adding that invoking the amendment would set a terrible precedent.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:

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[January 13, 2021] LexaGene Initiates Program to Identify UK and South African COVID Sequences

BEVERLY, Mass., Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LexaGene Holdings, Inc., (TSX-V: LXG; OTCQB: LXXGF) (the Company), a molecular diagnostics company that develops fully automated rapid pathogen detection systems, is pleased to announce that it has initiated a program that uses the rapid configurability of the MiQLab system to investigate novel variants of SARS-CoV-2, the pathogen that causes COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 is a pathogen that mutates quickly. New variants were recently identified in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7)1 and South Africa (B.1.351).2 Both new strains appear to be about 70% more contagious, making containment that much more challenging.3 Also, some scientists are concerned that the South African strain may not be a good match for developed vaccines and antibody-based therapeutics.4,5,6 Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGenes CEO and Founder states, It is hard to estimate the impact of a new variant that can re-infect those who have already been infected or vaccinated. It is critical that we have the capability to not only detect whether the patient is COVID-19 positive, but also whether they are, in fact, infected with a new variant. We need to be able to more quickly and accurately identify new strains at the point-of-care, as this potentially could have helped better contain SARS-CoV-2 at the start of the outbreak. LexaGene is pursuing FDA EUA for COVID-19 testing using assays that are predicted to detect >99.9% of the strains circulating today based on published sequences, including the UK and South African variants. Given the suspected higher rate of transmissibility of these variants, it is of clinical importance to be able to distinguish these new variants from the original strain. LexaGenes MiQLab can be easily configured to run tests for both coronavirus detection and strain identification as it is capable of screening for up to 27 genetic targets at once. Dr. Regan continues, We founded LexaGene to fill a critical technology gap in our defenses against new pathogens. LexaGenes MiQLab is designed to be a point-of-care system that is open-access in nature. Once a pathogen emerges or mutates, the MiQLab system is designed to quickly onboard new tests to detect a desied target, which would speed up timelines for point-of-care testing. Detecting these variants quickly inside hospitals, clinics, and other testing locations maximizes the chances of successfully containing these new threats.



To date, there is no FDA approved device that is designed for point-of-care usage and is open-access. LexaGene has designed and ordered components for tests to distinguish the UK and South African strains from the traditional coronavirus strain and will confirm these work as expected on the MiQLab system.

At this time, LexaGene has no plans to incorporate these new tests into the FDA studies for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 testing, which began late last month. As is standard practice, until the FDA grants LexaGenes instrument EUA for COVID-19 testing, all work using LexaGene instruments is classified as Research Use Only and cannot be used for human clinical diagnostics. The Company is not making any express or implied claims that its product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the COVID-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. To be added to the LexaGene email list, please subscribe on the Company website. On Behalf of the Board of Directors

Dr. Jack Regan

Chief Executive Officer & Director About LexaGene Holdings Inc.

LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that develops molecular diagnostic systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing and biodefense. End-users simply need to collect a sample, load it onto the instrument with a sample preparation cartridge, enter sample ID and press go. The MiQLab system delivers excellent sensitivity, specificity, and breadth of detection and can return results in approximately one hour. The unique open-access feature is designed for custom testing so that end-users can load their own real-time PCR assays onto the instrument to target any genetic target of interest. For further information, please contact: Media Contact

Nicole Ridgedale

Director of Corporate Marketing, LexaGene

800.215.1824 ext 206

nridgedale@lexagene.com Investor Relations

Jay Adelaar

Vice President of Capital Markets, LexaGene

800.215.1824 ext 207

jadelaar@lexagene.com The TSX Venture Exchange Inc. has in no way passed upon the merits of the proposed transaction and has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release contains forward-looking information, which involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual events to differ materially from current expectation. Important factors -- including the availability of funds, the results of financing efforts, the success of technology development efforts, the cost to procure critical parts, performance of the instrument, market acceptance of the technology, regulatory acceptance, and licensing issues -- that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations as disclosed in the Company's documents filed from time to time on SEDAR (see www.sedar.com). Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. The company disclaims any intention or obligation, except to the extent required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. __________________________________________ 1 https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/SARS-CoV-2-variant-multiple-spike-protein-mutations-United-Kingdom.pdf

2 https://www.eatthis.com/news-cdc-mutant-covid-south-africa/

3 https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/covid-mutations-all-the-major-strains-we-know-about.html

4 https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-vaccine-new-strain-south-africa/?ftag=CNM-00-10aag7e

5 https://www.livescience.com/amp/south-african-coronavirus-variant-antibody-resistant.html

6 https://www.livescience.com/south-africa-variant-coronavirus-vaccines.html



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Jordans Ministry of Social Developments so-called committee for the dissolution of the countrys branch of the Muslim Brotherhood issued Dec. 21 an official announcement in Jordanian newspapers on the decision of the Court of Cassation, whereby the judge declared that the group has been dissolved and lost its legal status.

Based on the Court of Cassations ruling, the ministry also called upon creditors and debtors to refer to the ministry regarding any financial or legal claims from the Brotherhood.

The Muslim Brotherhood responded to the ministrys announced in a statement Dec. 21 saying that the decision of the ministrys committee came as part of a broad official campaign to undermine the path of reform, democracy, freedoms and human rights in the country. There has been strict implementation of the Defense Law against a wide range of forces, parties, and unions, as well as national figures. The official measures aimed at ending political life, bypassing freedoms and human rights, and disrupting the path of national reform are still ongoing.

These statements summarize a history of twisted relations between Jordan and the Muslim Brotherhood, which emerged with the countrys independence and the establishment of the state. The group was founded on April 19, 1945, under the direct sponsorship of the founding King Abdullah bin Al-Hussein, who welcomed the group.

At that time, King Abdullah met with Abdel Hakim Abidin, the husband of Hassan al-Bannas daughter, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. The Emirate of Transjordan needs the efforts of the Muslim Brotherhood, Abdullah said back then. At the inauguration ceremony of the groups headquarters in Amman, Abdullah also met with Hazza al-Majali who was a Brotherhood member before he left the group and who became Jordans prime minister in 1955.

These twisted relations were forged through a narrow political window and were based on political interests and regional political competition in a region where pre-globalization conflicts raged and where the consequences of World War I and World War II had a role to play. This is not to mention the emergence of the liberation and independence movements, and the nonstate actors, especially political groups and organizations that shaped international politics and interstate relations. It appears that these relations will exit from the political door now as well, given the existing backgrounds and contexts.

Omar al-Raddad, a strategic security expert and CEO and founder of Middle Path for Strategic Consulting in Amman, told Al-Monitor that despite the official announcement of the dissolution of the group, two important points must be heeded.

First, the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood is primarily a security issue subject to coordination between political and security apparatuses in Jordan. Second, decisions toward the group are subject to general and objective political contexts that the Brotherhood contributed to their establishment, throughout decades of organizational ties to the international Muslim Brotherhood, he said.

Raddad noted that the government decision is not at bay from the local and international contexts. At the local level, it appears [that the decision] is a message from the Jordanian government to put an end to the ambiguous organizational formation of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is politically embodied by the Islamic Action Front. The party participated in the elections that took place on Nov. 10 and suffered a resounding defeat, adding to other defeats in professional unions, student unions and other representative bodies.

He added, At the international and regional levels it is likely that the decision reflects the Jordanian governments step to end what was called the no peace and no war relations with the Muslim Brotherhood. In fact, there was no complete rupture between the government and the group in Jordan as is the case in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Jordanian government did not forge alliances with the group as is the case with Turkey and Qatar."

Today, questions arise on a large scale whether or not the Jordanian step comes within the framework of preparing for the arrival of Democrats to power in the United States, and an attempt to prevent US criticism of steps to clamp down on political Islam, as was seen in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Mansour Mala, a Jordanian writer and journalist, told Al-Monitor, The announcement came in the context of Jordans [political] repositioning, paving the way for a new ruling strategy that goes beyond the so-called state and Brotherhood dichotomy. This is not to mention the framework of redefining the political actors in the state and the return to the states previous political levers, namely, the tribes and the army.

It appears that the current government debate and gradual escalation have come to an end between the two sides and that Jordan has officially settled this matter once and for all.

Ibrahim Gharaibeh, a Jordanian researcher and writer, told Al-Monitor, The announcement constitutes a decisive stage in the history of the Brotherhood that had been engaged in the public sphere for over 70 years. The group had four members of parliament in 1956, which resulted in the formation of a political cabinet headed by Suleiman al-Nabulsi  who was the head of the National Socialist Party and was premier from 1956 to 1957. The Muslim Brotherhood had won one or two seats in parliament in every election. This number doubled in 1984, and the Brotherhood had 22 seats in 1989.

This announcement has ended the group legally and on the ground. The Muslim Brotherhood will have to accept now that it is a legally dissolved party, which is its way out of any financial and legal claims. It will not be able to take this to courts because it simply cannot face off with pro-government agencies, Gharaibeh concluded.
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

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Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

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Spain Tourism has appointed two new executives to its GCC team.

Daniel Rosado Bayon has been appointed Director of the Spanish Tourism Office - GCC region as well as Tourism counselor of the Spanish Embassies in the GCC and Namratha Rose joins as Manager- Marketing & Trade Relations- GCC region.

Bayon is a Senior Civil Servant of the Spanish Administration and has served in Tourspain headquarters in several positions such as Deputy Assistant Director for budget, administrative affairs and IT.

Previously, he has served in the International Affairs Ministry in various positions and as market analyst in the Trade commission of Spain in New York.

With over 10 years of experience as a travel specialist, specialised in VIP-luxury travel, product designing, contracting, supplier relations, hotel representation, and trade partnerships, and project handling, Rose has been an active member of the UAE travel industry.

After completing her Masters in Tourism Administration (MTA) from Christ College, Bangalore, India, Rose has worked with established organisations like KUONI Travel, Kanoo Travel, Airlink International & The Travel Collection in India & UAE respectively. Her last position was with Nasser Air travel/Experienz Holidays, Dubai, where she was spearheading the Holidays division and has been instrumental in establishing trade relationships with various Tourism Boards and also in marketing and promoting Mauritius as a sought after destination from the UAE.

Rose has joined the Tourism Office of Spain in UAE as Manager- Marketing & Trade Relations and will be actively involved in implementing online marketing plans, social media, press management and B2B & B2C engagement for promoting Spain as a tourist destination for the Gulf Regions(UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, and Iran). - TradeArabia News Service

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Samsung Galaxy S21 series launch event is scheduled for January 14. The Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 launch will be announced at the Galaxy Unpacked 2021. Samsung will host an online event for the launch, where it will also unveil the Galaxy S21 series price and availability details. We can also expect the company to announce the Samsung Galaxy S21 series India price immediately after the global launch.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series launch event: Where to watch the live-stream

Samsung is hosting the Galaxy Unpacked 2021 for the Galaxy S21 series launch event. Due to the pandemic, the Galaxy Unpacked 2021 launch event will be held virtually. The Galaxy Unpacked 2021 livestream is scheduled to begin at 8 pm IST.

Interested viewers can watch the Samsung Galaxy S21 launch live-stream on the Samsung India newsroom and Samsungs global website. The company will also stream the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra launch event on its official Youtube channel.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series specifications

The Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 specifications have leaked multiple times in the past. The Galaxy S21 Ultra camera module will house a 108MP primary sensor, whereas the other two Galaxy S21 smartphones will feature a 12MP triple-camera setup with a 64MP telephoto sensor.

The standard Galaxy S21 will have a 6.2-inch Full HD+ display, whereas the Galaxy S21+ will come with a 6.7-inch Full HD+ panel. Both the models will come with a flat-screen and support up to 120Hz refresh rate support. The Galaxy S21 Ultra will come with a 6.8-inch WQHD+ display. It will have an adaptive 120Hz LPTO panel, which will adjust the refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz depending on the task.

Under the hood, the devices will run on Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 or Exynos 2100. The India variant is likely to get the latter.

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021: Galaxy S21 series price (rumoured)

As per rumours, Samsung Galaxy S21 price will start at 879 (roughly Rs 79,000). For the price, users will get 128GB internal memory. There is likely a 256GB storage variant as well.

The Galaxy S21+ price in Europe is said to start at 1049 (roughly Rs 94,500) for the 128GB storage option. The 256GB storage option will be priced at 1099 (roughly Rs 98,500).

Lastly, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra price will start at 1399 (roughly Rs 1,26,000) for the 128GB model. Samsung is expected to launch the device in 256GB and 512GB storage options as well. Prices in Europe are generally higher due to the countrys high taxes on smartphones and electronics.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 India price is expected to be relatively lesser than the European pricing. Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S21 price in India shortly after the global unveiling.

Former head of the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) Alina Bica will serve a 4-year-in-prison sentence handed to her in 2019 in a case in which she was accused by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) of favouring businessman Ovidiu Tender, as a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected an appeal in cassation filed by Bica.

"The panel is hereby denying as unfounded the appeal in cassation filed by the defendant appellant Bica Alina Mihaela against the criminal sentence 284 of November 27, 2019 pronounced by a five-judge panel of the Supreme Court of Justice and Cassation in case 3067/1 / 2018. Final and binding," reads the court's ruling.

There was also a separate opinion of a magistrate, in the sense of admitting the appeal in cassation and acquitting Bica.

Bica fled Romania before sentencing, initially tracked in Costa Rica, after which she left the country, currently being located in Italy, where she asked not to be extradited to Romania.

According to media reporting, an Italian lawyer representing Bica announced that a court in Italy - the Court of Appeals in Bari - refused Bica's extradition to Romania and allowed her to serve her sentence in Italy.

On November 27, 2019, Bica was handed a final and binding 4-year-in-prison sentence by the Supreme Court of Justice and for having favoured businessman Ovidiu Tender.
Washington: US Vice President Mike Pence has ruled out using the 25th Amendment to remove outgoing President Donald Trump. According to reports, Pence told the House leaders on Tuesday that he does not support invoking the 25th Amendment process to remove Donald Trump, all but guaranteeing an imminent impeachment vote against the president.

"With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, referring to the process that would declare Trump unable to fulfill his duties and install Pence as acting president for the remainder of the term.

US Vice President Mike Pence said in a letter to House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi that he is opposed to invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office: Reuters (File photos) pic.twitter.com/HQl3FCrZyG  ANI (@ANI) January 13, 2021

"I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution," he said, hours before the House was to vote on a measure calling on him to initiate the 25th Amendment process or risk an impeachment vote against Donald Trump.

This came as the US House pressed forward toward impeaching President Donald Trump for the deadly Capitol Hill attack, taking time only to try to persuade his vice president to push him out first. Trump, however, showed no remorse, blaming impeachment for the tremendous anger? in America.

Already scheduled to leave office next week, Trump is on the verge of becoming the only president in history to be twice impeached. His incendiary rhetoric at a rally ahead of the Capitol uprising is now in the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

As lawmakers reconvened at the Capitol for the first time on Tuesday since the bloody siege, they were also bracing for more violence ahead of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, January 20.

All of us have to do some soul searching, said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., during a House rules debate, pleading for a change of heart among colleagues still backing Trump.

Two Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and John Katko of New York became the first to announce they would vote to impeach Trump.

To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy, Katko said in a statement. Trump, meanwhile, warned the lawmakers off impeachment and suggested it was the drive to oust him that was dividing the country. "To continue on this path, I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger," Trump said.

In his first remarks to reporters since last week's violence, the outgoing president offered no condolences for those dead or injured, only saying, I want no violence. Impeachment ahead, the House was first pressing Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to remove Trump more quickly and surely, warning he is a threat to democracy in the few remaining days of his presidency.

The House was expected to approve a resolution calling on Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to declare the president unable to serve. Pence, who had a good meeting with Trump on Monday, their first since the vice president was among those sheltering from the attack, was not expected to take any such action.

After that, the House would move swiftly to impeachment on Wednesday. Trump faces a single charge incitement of insurrection in the impeachment resolution after the most serious and deadly domestic incursion at the Capitol in the nation's history.

The impeachment legislation also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to find him more votes, as well as his White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters last Wednesday to 'fight like hell' and march to the building.

The mob overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalising Biden's victory over Trump in the Electoral College.

Live TV
Before he found fame as Don Draper in Mad Men, Jon Hamm struggled to succeed in auditions for some of TV's hottest shows.

In the early 200's, Draper auditioned for a part in the Fox series The O.C.

However, he lost out to actor Peter Gallagher who went on to play Sandy Cohen, the father of Adam Brody's character Seth Cohen, in the hit show that ran from 2003 to 2007.

Missed opportunity: Jon Hamm revealed that before he landed the lead role in Mad Men, he auditioned in 2003 for the part of Sandy Cohen in The O.C. but lost out to actor Peter Gallagher

'I was probably 31 or 32,' Hamm recalled on Rolling Stone's new podcast series Too Long; Didn't Watch. 'I think it was me and Harry Hamlin [auditioning].'

Hamm went on: 'I remember walking in and going, 'Is that Peter Gallagher? Why am I here?' I love Peter Gallagher, but I was just like, 'Dang!''

The Mad Men star went on to share that he always felt he was at an 'in-between' age when it came to casting.

'I never looked young enough to be in high school, even when I first got out [to L.A.] and I was 25, so I missed out on all of the Dawson's Creek and all the early WB shows,' he said.

'So then they were like, 'Come play one of the dads,' but I wasn't old enough to be that, either. I had to wait around a long time.'

Famous part: Gallagher, fourth from left on back row, went on to play the father of Adam Brody's character Seth (seated in front of Gallagher) in the show that ran from 2003 to 2007

Struggled: 'I had to wait around a long time,' Hamm said of trying to make it in Hollywood during an interview on Rolling Stone 's new podcast series Too Long; Didn't Watch on Tuesday

Breakthrough: In 2007, Hamm landed the lead role of Don Draper in the AMC series Mad Men and starred on the show for seven seasons until it came to an end in 2017

In 2007, Hamm landed the lead role in the AMC series Mad Men and starred on the show for seven seasons until it came to an end in 2017.

He's gone on to star in several high profile movies including Keeping Up With The Joneses, Baby Driver, Beirut, The Report and the upcoming Top Gun: Maverick.

Next up, he'll take on the role of Fletch in a reboot of the character made famous by Chevy Chase.

If the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic allows, filming is set to begin in New York in the spring.

'We've got an excellent script, and an excellent director attached, and we're going to start casting soon,' Hamm told Collider last month.

'It's big shoes to fill, obviously. But.... it's a reboot, it's not a remake, so we're going back to the novels and really breaking it down but hopefully bringing what people want to see.'

The O.C. is available to stream on Stan in Australia
Karnataka lockdown: Minister bats for extension for few more days; BS Yediyurappa to take final call

Karnataka: Resentment in BJP after Yediyurappa announces new list of ministers

India

oi-Deepika S

Bengaluru, Jan 13: Resentment has erupted within the state BJP soon after Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced the list of seven Ministers to be inducted into his 17-month old cabinet on Wednesday.

The ruling party legislators have expressed serious reservations about MLCs not elected by the people being made Ministers, lack of representation to certain regions,with most Ministers still from Bengaluru and Belagavi districts and also on their 'seniority or sacrifice' not being considered.

Yediyurappa earlier in the day announced that MLAs Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Nirani, C P Yogeshwar, S Angara, and MLCs MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar will be sworn-in as Ministers, following which several BJP MLAs, who were aspirants, expressed their serious discontent.

Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal,who has been critical of Yediyurappa, accused the Chief Minister of making appointments under blackmail, without considering seniority or honesty.

Karnataka receives first consignment of COVID-19 shots

Alleging that the CM and his family have 'hijacked' the BJP in Karnataka, he also requested the PM to end dynastic politics from Yediyurappa's family in the state.

'CM is making those who are blackmailing him Ministers.

Three people- one political secretary and two Ministers have been blackmailing with some of Yediyurappa's CDs for three months.

One who will become Minister today, along with CD blackmail, was also involved in payment of money to Vijayendra (CM's son),' the former union minister said.

Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura,Yatnal,who had stated that he did not want to become Minister under Yediyurappa, claimed three people who are blackmailing the CM had met him four months ago with a plan to depose Yediyurappa.

'I challenge you (Yediyurappa) ahead of Makara Sankranti that from Uttarayana your (political) end will begin and a new period will start under PM Modi in Karnataka,' he said, as he demanded Yediyurappa's resignation following High Court dismissing his petition seeking quashing of FIRs against him in an illegal land denotification case.

His statement comes despite warnings by the BJP leadership against making statements in public on issues relating to the party and leaders.

Also making a reference to blackmail,Ministerial aspirant and MLC A H Vishwanth, who was among MLAs from the Congress- JD(S) coalition to resign in 2019 and switched over to BJP, hit out at Yediyurappa for not keeping his promise.

Demanding to know why Excise Minister H Nagesh was being dropped and RR Nagar MLA Munirathna was not inducted, he said, 'it is because of their sacrifice you are CM today...instead, you are making Yogeshwar a Minister, who has fraud and cheating cases against him.

Why are you making him Minister, is he blackmailing you?', he asked.

Honnali MLA and Chief Minister's Political Secretary M P Renukacharya, another ministerial aspirant, has expressed his displeasure, stating that the government was limited to two districts and that the CM and party leaders have to look into it.

'Injustice has happened to Hyderabad Karnataka, central and coastal Karnataka regions.

It (government or cabinet) is limited to Bengaluru and Belagavi....I'm upset, to whom should I tell this,' he told reporters, adding that he has never lobbied for a Ministerial post and cannot set aside his self-respect.

Considered a Yediyurappa loyalist, Renukacharya, who met party General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Kumar on his arrival at the airport today, also expressed reservations about five MLCs in the cabinet.

'We have been elected by the people (As MLAs), what's the use?' Six time MLA G H Thippareddy, who represents Chitradurga constituency and has been sulking for some time now said he feels 'let down' after being in politics for five decades and as legislator for 30 years, as he did not get an opportunity to serve the people as Minister.

Expressing surprise over MLC Yogeshwar being named as Minister, he said more than half the Ministers in the cabinet are either from Bengaluru or Belagavi and that some who worked against the interest of the party during elections have also been made ministers.

With the induction of Limbavali, Yediyurappas Cabinet will now have eight ministers representing Bengaluru, followed by Belgavi five, with the induction of Katti.

Bommanahalli MLA M Satish Reddy asked what yardstick Yediyurappa had adopted in selection of Ministers and said the absence of late Union Minister Ananthkumar, 'who had an ear for our woes - is very clear.' '...you (Yediurappa), state and central leaders can't see honest young workers?' he questioned.

Senior MLA from Krishnaraja constituency S A Ramadass said he has been serving the party for 28 years.

'Injustice has happened to old Mysuru region. Any other party MLA from the Mysuru could have been made Minister.' From the beginning the cabinet expansion was being seen as a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard to Congress- JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators.

The cabinet currently has 27 members and seven berths are vacant.

With the induction of seven Ministers and dropping of H Nagesh from the Ministry there will be one berth that will be vacant in the state cabinet.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 16:21 [IST]
Rep. Lucy Mcbath (D-Ga.) (C) walks while wearing a mask through the Canon Tunnel to the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 12, 2021. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)

House Approves Fines for Members Who Dont Wear Masks

The House of Representatives on Jan. 12 passed a rules amendment implementing fines against members who dont wear masks.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had implemented rules requiring members to wear a mask on the House floor, but some legislators have been ignoring the rules.

According to the resolution passed Jan. 12, the sergeant-at-arms is authorized and directed to impose a fine against a Member, Delegate, or the Resident Commissioner for the failure to wear a mask in contravention of the Speakers announced policies of January 4, 2021.

The resolution was embedded as an amendment to H.R. Res. 21, which called on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office. The House approved that resolution 223205, even though Pence told Pelosi directly he wouldnt invoke the amendment.

The amount of the fines wasnt outlined. Reports indicated that violators would be penalized $500 for a first offense and $2,500 if they violate the rules again.

Democrats have increased pressure on Republicans to wear masks after four members tested positive for COVID-19 following the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress. Three of them, all Democrats, blamed Republican colleagues for the diagnoses. They pointed to video footage showing members sheltering in place in a room in the Capitol after protesters stormed it that day.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) looks on during a hearing in Washington on July 29, 2020. (Graeme Jennings/Pool/Getty Images)

One of the Democrats, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), didnt wear a mask during part of the session. In addition, Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) returned to the Capitol after testing positive despite not finishing the quarantine period recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

People can contract COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, from people who are or arent wearing masks, but mask proponents have repeatedly portrayed transmission as more likely if people arent wearing masks.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told colleagues on the House floor on Jan. 12 that in the new rule, they say if you dont wear a mask, you can get fined, no regard to whether youve already had COVID, whether youve had the vaccination.

Your mask slips down a little bit, you get fined, in a rule with no debate? he added.

But others said they supported the fines.

I just voted for a rule that imposes a fine against members of Congress who refuse to wear a mask. My colleagues who arent following CDC guidelines are actively endangering us ALL, Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.) wrote in a tweet. Cases are spiking and we need to do our part now.


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A team from the World Health Organization (WHO) will arrive in the central Chinese city of Wuhan on Thursday to begin investigating the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following is a timeline looking at key events in the relationship between China and the WHO since the outbreak began.

2019

December 31: World Health Organization first notified by China of "pneumonia of unknown cause". WHO says its China office picked up a report of "viral pneumonia" from Wuhan Municipal Health Commission website and asked Chinese authorities for more information.

2020

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

January 3: China begins regular briefing with WHO about the outbreak of "viral pneumonia of unknown cause" in Wuhan.

January 5: WHO says it has asked China for more information and advises other member states to take precautions.

January 9: China tells WHO a newly discovered coronavirus is the cause of the outbreak.

January 10: Chinese officials hold phone meeting with WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. China shares information about how the coronavirus is detected.

January 11: After reporting the first official fatality from the disease, China shares genome sequence of the coronavirus with WHO.

January 14: WHO tweets that "preliminary investigations conducted by China have found no clear evidence of human-to-human transmission". WHO expert Maria Van Kerkhove tells news conference the same day "it is certainly possible that there is limited human-to-human transmission".

January 20-21: WHO sends delegation to Wuhan. Chinese experts share detection and treatment protocols with WHO delegation.

January 25: China's National Health Commission said in a letter to WHO's Tedros that it would welcome international experts to China to help "strengthen epidemic prevention and control".

January 28: President Xi meets Tedros in Beijing and says China has responded in a timely, open, transparent and responsible manner, and is ready to work with the WHO and the international community.

January 30: WHO declares outbreak to be a public health emergency of global concern  its highest alert level.

February 16: 25-member China-WHO team begins nine-day field trip in China. They arrive in Wuhan on Feb. 22 and learn about epidemic control measures and medical treatments.

February 24: Joint team holds news conference in Beijing and says China's actions slowed the spread of the epidemic and prevented or delayed hundreds of thousands of cases.

February 28: Joint team publishes report praising the "remarkable speed" at which China isolated the virus, established diagnostic tools and learned how the virus was transmitted.

April 14: President Donald Trump announces halt to U.S. funding for WHO, accusing it of being biased towards China and failing in its duties.

April 18: Senior diplomat Wang Yi rebukes U.S. criticism of WHO in phone conversation with Tedros.

April 22: Australia calls for independent investigation into COVID-19 origins, further angering Beijing. China's ambassador to Australia Cheng Jingye says the call is "politically motivated".

May 19: Annual ministerial meeting of WHO's 194-member states passes resolution calling for an "impartial, independent and comprehensive evaluation" of global COVID-19 response to be launched at the earliest opportunity. Evaluation should include the "zoonotic source of the virus and the route of introduction to the human population." China and the United States also sign.

May 20: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accuses China of denying investigators access to facilities, withholding virus samples and censoring discussion.

July 8: United Nations says it received formal notice from the United States to withdraw from WHO. President Trump accuses WHO of "alarming lack of independence" from China.

July 9: WHO sets up independent panel chaired by former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark and former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf to examine global pandemic response.

September 17: Independent panel sets terms of reference for inquiry, saying it aims to establish "the timeline and events which culminated in COVID-19 becoming a global pandemic".

December 18: WHO says it will send a team of 10 scientists to Wuhan "next month". Independent panel says it is now "well advanced" in its preparation of chronology about the global spread of COVID-19.

2021

January 6: WHO's Tedros expresses disappointment WHO experts have not yet been granted visas to begin the investigation.

Chinese health authorities confirm a WHO team will arrive in Wuhan on January 14.
A triptych portrait of Vicky Phelan, which was unveiled on the Late Late Show on Friday night, is to be auctioned for the charity Heroes Aid by Sheppard's of Durrow next month. The charity supports frontline workers battling Covid-19.

The stunning portrait, which has been described as a summation of the life of the women's health advocate, is by Tullamore based artist, Vincent Devine.

In an emotional interview Vicky Phelan revealed on the Late Late Show spoke about her decision to travel to the United States to participate in a clinical trial in a bid to combat new tumours.

The only pain I get is in my back... If I stand for too long I get an unmerciful pain in my back, she told Ryan Tubridy.

Vicky spoke about her battle with cancer and how treatment has helped her in the last three years.

She said she will be leaving her family behind and staying for up to six months in Maryland while the treatment is ongoing.

If this trial works I will get more time with my kids.

The Pembro drug has helped her for three years and she is hoping that the next phase of treatment will extend her life by at least the same length of time.

Vicky has written a bestselling book about her life and her experience during the cervical check controversy since she was diagnosed in 2014.

She told Ryan Tubridy that the three-part portrait represents the past, present and future, with each element, especially the horses, one black and one white, representing parts of her life, including a car crash which happened before she developed cancer.

The inclusion of a shamrock in the centrepiece, which depicts Vicky sitting on a chair on Doonbeg beach, was her idea.

That's to represent the Irish people who have taken me to their heart, she said. It's a painting of hope and I hope that's the way people will see it.

Elsewhere in the portrait the bird resting on her left hand is a crimson rosella and represents her daughter Amelia, who is 15.

The oak leaf in her left hand is for her boy, Darragh aged nine. He is a sapling and will grow big and strong.

Vicky Phelan sat for the portrait on Doonbeg beach, one of her favourite places. Artist Vincent Devine mixed some of the sand of Doonbeg with paint for one portion of the portrait.

Sheppard's Auction House was hired by Heroes Aid to auction the painting which Philip Sheppard described as a really, really important work of art.

It will come up for auction at 2pm on Thursday, February 4 and the sale will be live online and open to a global audience of bidders.

We're absolutely delighted. The work that frontline workers are doing is incredible. They're under huge pressure and anything we can do to support them, we're happy to do so and it's a privilege to do so, said Philip.

We think that Vincent is an up and coming and talented artist and it's great to see it happening in the Midlands.

Vincent has built up a very good relationship with her and that's reflected in the artwork which is full of symbolism.

The auction house has waived all fees. Our fees will be donated along with the hammer price, said Philip.

Anyone can watch or bid online at sheppards.ie
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.

Daniel Kaluuya delivers a powerful performance that could vault him among Oscar contenders this awards season as shown in the new trailer for Judas and the Black Messiah.

Kaluuya (Get Out) portrays iconic Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, who was betrayed by FBI informant William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), who infiltrated the group as part of a plea deal.

As he rises to power within the Black Panther party and is seen as a threat to the U.S. government, he is also getting ready to raise a family with his pregnant fiancee Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback).

Black Messiah: Daniel Kaluuya delivers a powerful performance that could vault him among Oscar contenders this awards season as shown in the new trailer for Judas and the Black Messiah

Judas: Kaluuya (Get Out) portrays iconic Black Panther leader Fred Hampton, who was betrayed by FBI informant William O'Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), who infiltrated the group as part of a plea deal

The trailer begins with Deborah telling Fred, 'I wanna share something with you,' as she begins to recite Fred a poem.

'Like the masses, I was in awe, when I first laid eyes on all the things you are,' she begins, as we see footage of Hampton arriving at an event where he delivers a powerful speech.

'When I heard that speech, I knew we'd make noise. I just thought it'd be in the streets,' she continues.

Poem: The trailer begins with Deborah telling Fred, 'I wanna share something with you,' as she begins to recite Fred a poem

Speech: 'Like the masses, I was in awe, when I first laid eyes on all the things you are,' she begins, as we see footage of Hampton arriving at an event where he delivers a powerful speech

We also hear FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) proclaiming in front of a packed room of agents that the Black Panthers, 'are the single greatest threat to our national security.

'Our counter-intelligence program must prevent the rise of a Black Messiah,' Hoover adds, while FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) watches in the crowd.

Mitchell tells O'Neal in an interrogation room that he's facing 18 months for the stolen car plus five years for impersonating a federal officer, 'or you can go home.'

J. Edgar: We also hear FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Martin Sheen) proclaiming in front of a packed room of agents that the Black Panthers, 'are the single greatest threat to our national security

Threat: 'Our counter-intelligence program must prevent the rise of a Black Messiah,' Hoover adds, while FBI agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons) watches in the crowd

Interrogation: Mitchell tells O'Neal in an interrogation room that he's facing 18 months for the stolen car plus five years for impersonating a federal officer, 'or you can go home'

O'Neal becomes Mitchell's eyes and ears within the Black Panther party, as he's told to, 'get close to Hampton.'

Hampton is seen delivering another rousing address where he reveals the Black Panther is, 'forming a rainbow coalition of oppressed brothers and sisters of every color,' as both Black and white people respond to his message.

Hampton is heard saying, 'America is on fire right now, and until that fire is extinguished, nothing else means a damn thing. Imagine what we can accomplish together. We can heal this whole city.'

Get close: O'Neal becomes Mitchell's eyes and ears within the Black Panther party, as he's told to, 'get close to Hampton'

Heal: Hampton is heard saying, 'America is on fire right now, and until that fire is extinguished, nothing else means a damn thing. Imagine what we can accomplish together. We can heal this whole city'

O'Neal is seen in an interrogation room with Mitchell again, with O'Neal making it clear, 'these aren't no terrorists.'

One of Hampton's close associates then tells him, 'We've got a rat,' as O'Neal gets worried he's been exposed, though Mitchell says, 'no one knows your identity.'

Johnson continues her poem amid a gun battle with Chicago cops, poignantly adding, 'We scream and we shout and we live by this anthem/but is power to the people really worth the ransom.'

Not terrorists: O'Neal is seen in an interrogation room with Mitchell again, with O'Neal making it clear, 'these aren't no terrorists'

Hampton responds to the poem by telling Johnson, 'When I dedicate my life to the people, I dedicate my life,' seemingly knowing his fate before it happened.

Johnson argues he gets to, 'go out there and talk about dying a revolutionary death because you don't have another person growing inside your body.'

The trailer ends with Hampton telling O'Neal, 'Anywhere there's people, there's power.'

Life: Hampton responds to the poem by telling Johnson, 'When I dedicate my life to the people, I dedicate my life,' seemingly knowing his fate before it happened

Growing: Johnson argues he gets to, 'go out there and talk about dying a revolutionary death because you don't have another person growing inside your body'

Hampton was just 21 years of age when he was killed in December 1969 in a pre-dawn raid on his Chicago apartment, just 25 days before his son Fred Jr. was born.

Judas and the Black Messiah will premiere on Monday, February 1 at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, We are delighted to welcome these powerful works into our program, said Festival Director, In a year where our Festival already exemplifies the vanguard of bold, visionary storytelling from around the world, they help further expand our boundaries.

Shaka King (Newlyweds, High Maintenance) directs from a script he co-wrote with Will Berson (Scrubs).

Warner Bros. will release Judas and the Black Messiah in theaters and on the HBO Max streaming service simultaneously on February 12.

Death: Hampton was just 21 years of age when he was killed in December 1969 in a pre-dawn raid on his Chicago apartment, just 25 days before his son Fred Jr. was born
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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The Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole on Tuesday eliminated scores of Boko Haram terrorists and destroyed three of the terrorists gun trucks in an air raid at Mainok in Borno, Defence Headquarters said.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Mr Enenche said the air operation was executed as a sequel to intelligence reports which indicated that the terrorists were traversing the Jakana-Mainok axis of the state in several gun trucks.

He said the Air Task Force scrambled the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) helicopter gunships to engage the convoy of the terrorists gun trucks and logistics vehicles.

According to him, the helicopters delivered accurate hits in the target area, resulting in the destruction of three of the vehicles, some of which were seen engulfed in flames.

Several of the terrorists were also eliminated in the process.

The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not relent until all enemies of the nation are neutralised and normalcy is restored to all troubled zones of the country, he said.

Borno, since the inception of Boko Haram insurgency in 2009, has remained the epicentre of the murderous activities of the Islamic extremist group.

(NAN)


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ZHENGZHOU, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists in central China have uncovered a jade item carved to resemble a cicada from a tomb dating back to the Xia Dynasty (2070-1600 BC).

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) said the 4-cm-long jade item was found in a tomb in the Erlitou relics site in the city of Yanshi, Henan Province.

Experts speculate that the jade cicada may have been inspired by imaginations stemming from insect molting, including deeming it a new life after death and a way to communicate with the gods.

Zhao Haitao, a researcher with the CASS, said the jade was among the first group of artifacts unearthed from the tomb, which is likely to have the largest collection of burial objects at the site.

"As we continue cleaning the tomb (to identify objects), it is highly likely that we'll have more important discoveries," Zhao said, adding that the discovery of numerous kallaite pieces in the tomb indicated the existence of a large kallaite artifact yet to be revealed.

Previously, a rare dragon-shaped artifact consisting of over 2,000 kallaite stones was discovered at another tomb at the site.
Detroit: The former governor of the US state of Michigan, Rick Snyder, his health director and other ex-officials have been told theyre being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal, which devastated the majority black city with lead-contaminated water and was blamed for a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires disease in 2014-15.

Two people with knowledge of the planned prosecution said that the Attorney-Generals office had informed defence lawyers about indictments in Flint and told them to expect initial court appearances soon. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly.

Volunteers load cases of water into vehicles in Flint, Michigan, in April. Credit:The Flint Journal/AP

The AP could not determine the nature of the charges against Snyder, former health department director Nick Lyon and others who were in his administration, including Rich Baird, a friend who was the governor's key troubleshooter while in office.

Courtney Covington Watkins, a spokeswoman for the office, said only that investigators were working diligently and will share more as soon as were in a position to do so.
WESTPORT, Conn., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mary G. Lundstrom, CFP, CLU, ChFC has joined Bleakley Financial Group as a Partner and Wealth Advisor, launching an affiliate office in the town of Westport, CT. Lundstrom becomes the 9th advisor to affiliate with Bleakley, establishing the 5th new office location in the last six months.

Lundstrom operates a planning-focused wealth management practice. She speaks six languages (Swedish, Polish, German, French, Spanish, and English), allowing her to effectively serve business executives, affluent families, and foreign nationals across the country, as well as US Expatriates located around the world. Prior to joining Bleakley, Mary spent twelve years in corporate finance and business development with a major Swedish bank, Svenska Handelsbanken, in New York, Frankfurt Stockholm and Warsaw. Upon returning to the United States, she then spent nineteen years with Northwestern Mutual as a financial advisor; the last twelve as Managing Director of the Westport District Network Office. Mary developed and expanded the office into one of Northwestern Mutual's top performing offices in the United States.

Says Lundstrom, "When exploring options for the next chapter of my career, the opportunity to partner with Bleakley was very appealing. My familiarity with the organization and my relationships with the firm's owners gave me great confidence in the ability to achieve my practice goals - leveraging the framework they have created. The vision of the firm, along with the advisor support model they have built, provides the flexibility I was seeking and offers access to the necessary resources to expand my practice and serve my clients well."

According to Andy Schwartz, co-founder and principal of Bleakley Financial, "We couldn't be more excited to partner with Mary in the next phase of her practice. In the many years I have known her, I've always admired her strong leadership, her commitment to personal and professional growth and her passion for helping others achieve their financial goals. We are confident that the great financial planning work she does today for clients will only be enhanced by accessing the expanded support services and open architecture investment platform available through our affiliation. We look forward to a successful and mutually beneficial partnership with Mary in the years ahead."

Vince Nauheimer, Managing Director at Bleakley Financial added, "With our expanded advisor service model, we believe affiliating with Bleakley opens more options for advisors like Mary to execute on their ambitious business goals while being more responsive to industry changes and technology advancements that will ultimately benefit the client. We're excited to partner with Mary in opening the Bleakley Westport office and stand ready to support her future growth."

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through Private Advisor Group a registered investment advisor. Private Advisor Group and Bleakley Financial Group are separate entities from LPL Financial.

CONTACT:

Vincent Nauheimer

973-575-4180

[email protected]

SOURCE Bleakley Financial Group

Related Links

https://www.bleakley.com






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The chaos last week at the U.S. Capitol showed the dangerous consequences that can result from politicians inciting mobs with lies and false narratives. Unfortunately, were seeing plenty of signs that Oregon politicians are happy to encourage such animosity here as well.

First, theres Rep. Mike Nearman, R-Independence, who was shown on video opening the doors of the closed state Capitol building to a group of right-wing protesters last month during the special legislative session. The footage shows people in the group trying to force their way past law enforcement, even apparently using pepper spray against state troopers and police officers to unlawfully gain entry.

As a criminal investigation continues, Nearman has temporarily surrendered his badge to access the Capitol and has agreed to give advance notice to his colleagues when he will be entering the building. Meanwhile, House Speaker Tina Kotek has rightly stripped him of his committee assignments and has called on him to resign.

As we wrote on Sunday, if Nearman cant provide a reasonable explanation for his actions, he should be expelled. As of Tuesday evening, he failed to do so, providing instead a statement that complains about perceived safety threats to him while failing to apologize for his role in allowing a violent mob to enter the closed state Capitol. If Nearman wont resign on his own, his colleagues in the House  including Republicans  must oust him themselves. They cannot and should not endorse the intimidation, lawlessness and violence that Nearman encouraged. Democrats and Republicans have a duty to uphold our states democratic processes and should collectively condemn efforts to diminish them.

Nearman, however, isnt the only legislator who is contributing to a toxic and dangerous environment. Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Roseburg, has been fomenting opposition to the states coronavirus restrictions, challenging the governors authority amid the public health crisis and ripping off his mask on the Senate floor last month in a tantrum akin to a toddler declaring Youre not the boss of me.

But it goes beyond that. According to media reports, Heard is associated with the Citizens Against Tyranny group, which has published the names of citizens who allegedly reported businesses to OSHA for coronavirus violations, such as not enforcing mask wearing. Two Douglas County women, both senior citizens, were listed as supposed complainants on the groups website and marked as filthy traitors, the words spattered in red, as if to simulate blood.

Speaking at a Friday gathering, Heard defended sharing the names of complainants  even though OSHA has focused on encouraging compliance and has rarely fined businesses during the pandemic. Those kinds of people need to be known, publicly, Heard said, according to a Roseburg News-Review article. They are cowards. They are bullies. They have no right to anonymity.

Its beyond ironic that Heard, who vilifies those who make lawful complaints and supports a site labeling them as filthy traitors, would accuse constituents like these two senior citizens as the bullies in this situation.

Douglas County has a long four years ahead if Heard, who recently won re-election to his senate seat, fails to learn some better leadership skills. But here are a couple lessons: Dont sic your supporters onto other constituents who are simply following the law. Dont increase the danger of a worldwide pandemic by ignorantly flouting public health guidelines. And dont forget your obligation to all your constituents to lead with respect. Douglas County  and Oregonians  deserve better from an elected official.

- The Oregonian/OregonLive Editorial Board

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When is it enough? When do we put our politics aside and remember that were all human beings and when we come here every day, we have to work together, he said. While we might not always agree with each other, why do our politics have to be about negativity and destruction? I hope we can open a new chapter in this great state where we can work together to help families who have lost jobs, access to employment, heck, access to the employment office and health care.
WESTPORT  Younger students could return to in-person learning this month due to the districts successful mitigation measures, officials said, even as COVID cases rise again.

Were still following the same course of action that I had recommended on Dec. 21, Superintendent Thomas Scarice said to the Board of Education this week. We still have time to review things between now and as we get towards the end of the month.

Scarice said he didnt want to name a date, but is looking at late January as a possibility for when students in kindergarten through eighth grade may return. He said the decision on a full return will be predicated on the district continuing to show resilience through its mitigating measures.

Administration will also continue to watch case numbers, which have been on the rise since winter break.

Sue Levasseur, the districts health supervisor, said the rate of new cases per 100,000 rose from 43.8 to 50 in Fairfield County, and 21.6 to 27.2 in town in the past two weeks.

I anticipate these numbers are going to go up next week, Levasseur said. Certainly Westport has seen an increase of numbers in their health department and the state is expecting a little bit of a surge too, probably still from the holiday and people getting together.

She said officials will continue to look at trends over the next couple of weeks, but noted most, if not all, of the districts nurses have been able to get vaccinated or have a pending vaccination. The states next stage of vaccinations is for seniors and essential workers, including teachers, she said.

Scarice said principals submitted possible plans last week for the administration to review some of the lingering concerns, including lunch at the elementary level.

He said parents and staff have continued to be split on a possible full return, with some worried about safety while others highlighted students challenges due to a lack of in-person learning.

However, I do think based on our experience and our mitigating measures were doing really good jobs as a profession of preventing and minimizing spread within our schools, Scarice said.

Concerns from staff were reiterated in a joint statement from the Westport Education Associations leaders.

We the membership of the WEA do not feel that it is prudent to move to a full-in model at this time, John Horrigan and Karen Defelice, co-presidents of the WEA, said. Until the vaccination can be administered and provided opportunity for efficacy, the membership feels the loss of the mitigating measure will compromise the safety of all students and staff.

But some residents voiced support of a full return for students.

Dorie Hordon, a Westport resident, said she supported a full return and was surprised elementary students were still off each Wednesday.

We now have two middle schools open so we should take advantage of the space, Hordon said. We also need a plan for the high school. There seems to be no movement forward and this is disappointing.

Some board members also questioned the possibility of a full return at the high school.

BOE member Jeannie Smith said she feels the urgency to get high school students more than one day a week for in-person learning. She said students needed connection not just with their peers, but with their teachers.

We know that they need their guidance she said. Online learning is not cutting it for most of these high school kids that Im engaged in talking with, and have in my own home.

The districts administration plans to continue reviewing how to implement a full-return. The BOE may discuss reopening plans again at its next meeting on Jan. 19.

I think its important to make the best decision and not necessarily by a specific deadline or timeline, were doing the best we can, Scarice said. But I do think were going to stay the course at this point in time.

dj.simmons@hearstmediact.com
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Kuwaits Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah has submitted his resignation and that of his government.

According to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), the prime minister submitted the resignation letter to Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednesday.

The prime minister had met on Tuesday with the deputy prime minister and Defence Minister Sheikh Hamad Jaber Al-Ali Al-Sabah and the ministers.

Mr Hamad Jaber Al-Ali tendered resignation of all the cabinet members in light of current developments regarding the relations between the National Assembly and the government, and what the national interest may warrant, KUNA said.

(Xinhua/NAN)
Two Michigan Republicans and all seven of the states Democratic representatives voted Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for inciting an insurrection at the nations Capitol one week earlier.

The U.S. House impeached Trump for the second time by a 232-197 vote, charging him with incitement of insurrection. Michigan representatives said Trump must be held accountable for misleading supporters about his loss to President-elect Joe Biden and encouraging protesters to overturn the election, resulting in a violent riot as Congress certified the election on Jan. 6.

Republicans argued that impeaching Trump one week before Biden will be inaugurated on Jan. 20 would further divide a polarized country. Democrats said Trump must be held accountable for violating his oath of office and undermining the Constitution.

There must be consequences for his reckless and dangerous behavior, said U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills. There is no unity without accountability.

U.S. Reps. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph, and Peter Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, said they decided to support impeachment when it became clear to them that Trump showed no remorse for his role in provoking the attack. They cited Trumps statement that his reaction to the riots was totally appropriate after expressing admiration for the mob.

Trump encouraged his supporters to fight like hell against the election results in a speech near the White House on Jan. 6. He also told the crowd to march peacefully on the Capitol.

Ten Republicans joined all Democrats in the U.S. House to impeach Trump. The article of impeachment passed Wednesday states Trump represents a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution is allowed to remain in office.

In all this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government, the resolution states. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Now its up to the Republican-majority U.S. Senate to conduct an impeachment trial to determine whether Trump is guilty of the charge levied against him by the House. The Senate is not scheduled to be back in session until Jan. 19, one day before Bidens inauguration.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement affirming that the trial will take place during the Biden administration. Michigans two Democratic senators said they support a conviction.

Representatives shared their experience fleeing the Capitol while insurrectionists broke into the building and clashed with police. Five people died in the chaos, including a Capitol Police officer who was attacked by protesters, and a woman who was shot by police. A second Capitol Police officer died by suicide after the riots.

National Guard troops were stationed inside the Capitol to reinforce security while the House of Representatives debated impeachment.

Rioters intended to disrupt the process of certifying Electoral College votes after Trump called on Vice President Mike Pence to violate the Constitution and discredit the result of several swing states that Biden won. Protesters chanted hang Mike Pence after the vice president announced he would not prevent electoral votes from being counted in any states.

When Congress reconvened after insurrectionists were cleared from the Capitol, U.S. Reps. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet; Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, and Lisa McClain opposed the certification of electoral votes in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Bergman, Walberg and McClain voted against impeaching Trump Wednesday, along with U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland.

In a statement, Bergman said denounced riots and everyone who participated in them but said the House moved too quickly to impeach Trump.

Todays vote to impeach the President, without even a single hearing, is unprecedented and simply more of the same divisiveness - making no effort to heal our wounds, Bergman said in a statement. Its time for our nation to move forward to find solutions to our problems, continue our efforts to protect our liberties, and build on our collective successes.

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, said Republicans have encouraged and benefitted from Trumps tactics and called for members of Congress to be held accountable for inciting riots by contesting the election. Tlaib also called Trump a tyrant and racist-in-chief.

As white nationalists, unhinged conspiracy theorists, and other Trump loyalists continue to plot armed insurrection on social media platforms and the twice-impeached president insists hes done nothing wrong, we cannot wait and hope a peaceful transition of power happens on January 20th, Tlaib said in a statement. Trump and his supporters have already displayed that peace is nowhere in their minds. Its time for the Senate to act and remove Donald Trump from office.

Meanwhile, law enforcement officials are looking ahead to additional protests being planned by anti-government extremists. Michigans Capitol is receiving heightened security measures, including a six-foot fence that will be installed Friday, to protect against possible armed protests on Jan. 17 through Jan. 20.

The president issued a statement urging protesters not to engage in violence while the House debated impeachment Wednesday. The statement was read on the House floor by U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind, Trump said. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank you.

Moolenaar signed a bipartisan letter calling on Trump to address the nation and urge all Americans not to disrupt the transfer of power.

Radical groups have posted videos, statements, and graphics calling for people to return to the Capitol to, once again, forcefully contest the presidential election results and disrupt our democratic process, Moolenaar said. We are deeply concerned that this dangerous propaganda, left unchecked, will lead to mass violence and put lives at risk.

READ MORE ON MLIVE:

Congressman Meijer will vote to impeach Trump for inciting Capitol riots

D.C. riots inspire six-foot fence around Michigan Capitol before possible armed protests

Domestic terrorism represents growing threat to United States
By Catherine Shakdam

If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.  George Washington

January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - As of January 6, 2021 Twitter decided to suspend US President Donald Trumps account, for all intents and purposes putting a sock into the mans mouth for IT didnt feel like entertaining his political rants. And though many will argue that such measures to silence Mr Trump were wielded in the publics best interest, in the context of the violence we all saw unravel at Capital Hill this Wednesday, Id like you to consider for a moment the implications of such a unilateral move.

And for those who missed it, Jo Bidens presidency was certified by Congress late last night.

Twitter, however familiar the platform has become, remains forever a private entity, a corporate body that cannot claim to legislate or in this particular instance rule over our realities by shutting out certain voices and/or certain ideas. Such powers are far too great for any one individual or corporation to exercise without oversight and lawful recourses. One does not simply suspend a democratically elected presidents opinions on the basis that they clash with the CEOs own personal views and interests.

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Let us not pretend that Twitter was incensed by Wednesday violence  lets not be so blind and egregiously naive as to believe that Twitter fancies itself the guardian of all things virtuous and fair: like freedom, democracy and civil liberties. Maybe more to the point let us remember that it is not Twitters job to moderate our views and shape our thoughts process. If free we are, and indeed free we want to stay, then we ought to defend our rights to free speech  however vile such speech may at times be.

To silence is to dictate and to any form of diktat sits contarian to democratic principles.

I will quote here another US President, President Harry S. Truman, who, in a speech before Congress, warned:

Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear.

He was of course referring to calls by state agencies to monitor and contain certain dissident voices to preserve the integrity of the State, but the essence of his speech applies here perfectly still  only now it seems the power to silence, monitor, and repress lies now in the hands of corporations as opposed to state agencies. I find the idea slightly more unnerving 

Whatever anyone may think of Trump: hate him, loathe him, mock him, adore him, support him, idolise him, he ought not to be shut out so that others voices could rise above to better dominate the landscape. This is not how healthy democracies function, this is now how you defend a nations democratic future, and it is certainly not an example you want to set out to the world and still argue that America is the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.

Back in 2018, University of Detroit Mercy law professor Kyle Langvardt wrote a pertinent commentary in the Georgetown Law Journal on the matter. She said, It seems obvious to me that this is an unacceptable way for a liberal society to do business  What concerns me is that we entrust a few unaccountable and self-interested tech companies to govern online discourse.

Twitter most definitely overstepped its bounds, thus setting a precedent few have even bothered to challenge for they are only too glad the target was Trump. I often marvel at peoples ability to rationalise their lack of intellectual consistency  call it cognitive dissonance if you will. To hold to the principles of free speech is to agree to bear the poison of opposite views and opinions.

There is another important point Id like to make, one which too few have even bothered looking into so busy they were to blame Mr Trump for the chaos we all witnessed on our screens. To accuse is one thing, to prove beyond the shadow of a doubt is another. Those agents provocateurs we saw commit acts of vandalism and violence may not have been Trumps MAGA army  until we know for sure, we should not assume; especially since it so conveniently fits the very narrative which rationalises censorship.

But then again the whole point of this blame exercise was exactly that: to muddle half facts with fast-made conclusions to better manipulate public thinking and thus justify ones decision to self-righteously silence the proverbial Opposition- in this case Trump and his supporters, so that the field would be cleared.

I will leave you here to ponder over the words of John Stuart Mill  undoubtedly one of the greatest thinkers of our Western philosophical canon.

The basic thrust of his argument on Free Speech is set out in a remarkably succinct form in the following passage of his essay, On Liberty:

the peculiar evil of silencing the expression of an opinion is that it is robbing the human race; posterity as well as the existing generation; those who dissent from the opinion, still more than those who hold it. If the opinion is right, they are deprived of the opportunity of exchanging error for truth; if wrong, they lose, what is almost as great a benefit, the clearer perception and livelier impression of truth produced by its collision with error.

Catherine Shakdam is a research fellow at the Al Bayan Centre for Planning & Studies and a political analyst specializing in radical movements. She is the author of A Tale of Grand Resistance: Yemen, the Wahhabi and the House of Saud. She writes exclusively for the online magazine New Eastern Outlook.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A woman was taken to a hospital after being shot in a leg about 6:10 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12 in Southeast Grand Rapids.

Grand Rapids police responded to the Stuyvesant Apartments, near Cherry Street at Madison Avenue, on a report of a shooting.

Police said a woman was taken to Mercy Health St. Marys Hospital with a gunshot wound to a leg.

The injury was not considered life-threatening, police said.
Many big investors from the EU have expressed a willingness to invest $1 billion in a logistics center in Phu My.

The Ba Ria  Vung Tau provincial Peoples Committee has sent a report to the Government Office about the Cai Mep Ha Logistics Center project in Phu My.

The report says the project has caught attention from the Netherlands and Belgium. The two countries have sent documents to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, asking the EU-Vietnam investors, including Besix  IPEI (Belgium), Hateco (Vietnam) and Boskalis (the Netherlands), to implement the project.

Phuc, at a recent reception of the Dutch and Belgian Ambassadors to Vietnam and investors from the EU last September, applauded the investors determination to invest $1 billion in Cai Mep Ha Logistics Center.

The PM has asked the Ba Ria  Vung Tau provincial Peoples Committee to join forces with the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) to consider the proposal by investors and report related issues to him.

The interest in the large project shows the active reponse of European countries to the EVFTA which took effect on August 1, 2020.

During his working visit to Belgium in 2018, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel witnessed the signing of an MOU between Hateco Logistics and IPEI N.V on the cooperation of the two sides to study the project.

In 2019, the Dutch Embassy also sent a document recommending cooperation between Vietnam, Belgium and the Netherlands to implement the project. Later, the Belgian Embassy sent a document on Vietnam-Belgium cooperation to develop Cai Mep Ha logistics center.

Reports show that as of early 2020, Vietnam had increased the number of harbors to 34 and expanded harbor areas by 8 times in the last 20 years.

Of these, Cai Mep Port in Phu My, Ba Ria  Vung Tau, is capable of receiving container vessels with tonnage of up to 214,000 tons. Hai Phong Port in the north is capable of receiving vessels with tonnage of up to 132,000 tons.

Vietnam strives to increase the volume of goods to go through the ports to 1.14-1.42 billion tons a year in the time to come. Therefore, it will focus on developing the Hai Phong and Cai Mep Ports to meet international standards.

Most recently, Vietnam received the largest container vessel in the world with tonnage of 214,000 tons and carrying capacity of 18,300 containers, 400 meters long and 59 meters wide, which docked at Cai Mep Port (CMIT) on December 26, 2020.

CMIT has become one of the 20 largest ports in the world capable of receiving large vessels.

Hai Minh

Fresh port charges hit HCM Citys logistics Despite strong objections among businesses, Ho Chi Minh City will start collecting infrastructure and service fees at seaports from July 2021, triggering concerns over logistics cost increases.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 11:54:20|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he will not invoke the 25th Amendment to oust President Donald Trump, shortly before the House was set to vote on a resolution urging him to do so.

"Now with just eight days left in the President's term, you and Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote in a letter to Pelosi released Tuesday night.

"I do not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution," the vice president said, calling on Pelosi and "every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame passions of the moment."

"I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power," he added.

Pence's rejection came as the House was set to vote on a Democratic-proposed resolution urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office in the wake of last week's Capitol Hill violence.

Should the vice president refuse to do so, the House will push ahead with the impeachment proceedings against Trump, warned the Democrats, who control the House.

House Democrats introduced the impeachment resolution on Monday, charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection."

Accusing the president of sparking an attack on a coequal branch of government and disturbing the peaceful transfer of power, the Democrats pointed to Trump's speech to supporters on Jan. 6 calling on them to fight the election results, as well as his repeated baseless claims that there was widespread voter fraud in the election.

"If he won't resign and Vice President Pence and the Cabinet won't invoke the 25th Amendment, he will be impeached by the House, and as law requires, tried by the Senate," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said of Trump when addressing reporters in New York earlier in the day.

Now that Pence has refused to oust Trump through his constitutional power, the House is all but certain to vote on the article of impeachment Wednesday.

Also on Tuesday, Trump called the impeachment "ridiculous," saying later while inspecting the border wall in Alamo, Texas, that the 25th Amendment "is of zero risk to me." Enditem


The Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal for mega mineral reforms, a move that will boost mineral production in the country and bring more mineral blocks into auction, according to sources.

These reforms will be implemented through an amendment to the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 for which a bill will be placed in Parliament in the upcoming session, highly placed sources said.

With the approval of the proposal for reforms, legacy issues related to the mines will be resolved, making a large number of mines available for auctions. It will help strengthen the auction-only regime and boost transparency in the system.

"It will require an amendment in section 10A (2)(b) and 10A (2)(c) of the MMDR Act," a source said.

The reforms include removing the distinction between captive and non-captive mines and introduction of an index-based mechanism by developing a National Mineral Index (NMI) for various statutory payments, among others.

In order to boost exploration, there will be review of functioning of the National Mineral Exploration Trust (NMET). NMET will be made an autonomous body.

Private entities will also be engaged in exploration works now.

Simplification of exploration regime will also be done to facilitate seamless transition from exploration to production.

Approval has also been given for amendments to be made in the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) guidelines. The amendments are aimed at spending DMF funds on people living in directly affected areas.

"These funds are intended to be utilised better with more visible outcomes," the source said.

Local Member of Parliament (MP) will be a member of the DMF Governing Council.

"Captive mines will be allowed to sell up to 50 per cent of the excavated during the current year. Based on the experience in the coal sector, it has been proposed to provide 50 per cent rebate in the quoted revenue share for the quantity of mineral produced and dispatched earlier than scheduled date of production," the source said.

Based on wide consultation with various stakeholders comprising states, ministries, industry associations, public consultation and NITI Aayog, it was felt that only major structural reforms can help India become 'Aatmanirbhar' in the mineral sector, sources said.

The major objective of the reforms is to generate huge employment opportunities, reduce imports and increase production by bringing large mineral blocks into auction.

The government had last month said the country's mining sector will see "hectic activity" in the new year.

"The year 2021 will see hectic activity on the mining side because the reforms which have been in waiting for some time, they (reforms) are likely to be approved in the month of January which will involve some changes in the MMDR Act and some changes in the rules, all meant to liberate the sector," Mines Secretary Anil Kumar Jain had said.

"It is going to bring into play a large number of mining blocks so the production in most of the resources will see quantum jump because of these mines which will become available for interested parties in the calendar year 2021," he had added Under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme, the Centre had in May last year announced enhancing private investments in the mineral sector and bringing in other reforms.

The mines ministry had proposed legislative amendments to the MMDR Act, 1957 for undertaking structural reforms with the objective of accelerating growth and employment generation.

They are also aimed at resolving legacy issues to move towards an auction-only regime for allocation of mineral resources, removing the distinction between captive and non-captive mines, developing a transparent National Mineral Index and clarifying the definition of illegal mining, among others. (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.)
Lindsey Graham slammed Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders in the Senate on Wednesday as the House began debate to impeach President Donald Trump a second time.

In a lengthy statement, delivered the day after Graham traveled to Texas with President Trump to visit a new section of the border wall, the senator argued: 'The last thing the country needs is an impeachment trial of a president who is leaving office in one week.'

Graham, a staunch Trump ally, warned another impeachment trial 'could invite further violence' and decried Democrats for wanting to do a 'do-over impeachment.'

'The House impeachment process seeks to legitimize a snap impeachment totally void of due process. No hearings. No witnesses. It is a rushed process that, over time, will become a threat to future presidents. As to Senate leadership, I fear they are making the problem worse, not better,' he said.

Senator Lindsey Graham slammed Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders in the Senate as the House debating impeaching President Trump

Senator Mitch McConnell's office said Wednesday that the Senate will not come back early to hold Trump's impeachment trial

Senator Lindsey Graham jumped back on the Trump plane - literally - on Tuesday as he accompanied the president on Air Force One to Texas

Graham jumped back on the Trump plane - literally - on Tuesday as he accompanied the president on Air Force One to Texas.

Senator Lindsey Graham Statement 'Supporting the impeachment of President Trump under these circumstances will do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence at a time the President is calling for calm. If there was a time for America's political leaders to bend a knee and ask for God's counsel and guidance, it is now. The most important thing for leaders to do in times of crisis is to make things better, not worse. 'The process being used in the House to impeach President Trump is an affront to any concept of due process and will further divide the country. The President, who will be leaving office in less than a week, has committed to an orderly transfer of power, encouraging calm and rejecting violence. 'The House impeachment process seeks to legitimize a snap impeachment totally void of due process. No hearings. No witnesses. It is a rushed process that, over time, will become a threat to future presidents. As to Senate leadership, I fear they are making the problem worse, not better. 'The last thing the country needs is an impeachment trial of a president who is leaving office in one week. 'Democrats have already impeached the President once over a matter which was not worthy of that process. Now they seek to do it again, believing that this effort will wash for history the fact that the first impeachment was based on the thinnest of pretenses: a phone call with the leader of Ukraine. Impeachment should never be a 'do-over,' but that is what Democrats are seeking to do today. 'To my Republican colleagues who legitimize this process, you are doing great damage not only to the country, the future of the presidency, but also to the party. The millions who have supported President Trump and his agenda should not be demonized because of the despicable actions of a seditious mob. The individuals who participated in the storming of the Capitol should be met with the full force of the law. They should and will be held accountable.' Advertisement

The trip comes after Graham broke with the president last Wednesday, refusing to join a Trump-backed effort to contest Electoral College counts in the hours after the MAGA riot.

'All I can say is count me out, enough is enough,' Graham told his Senate colleagues then. 'When it's over it is over.'

But his tune changed.

Graham on Wednesday called out Republicans who are voting for impeachment. Ten Republican House members supported impeaching Trump under the charge he violated his oath of office by inciting the mob of insurgents that attacked the Capitol on Wednesday.

'To my Republican colleagues who legitimize this process, you are doing great damage not only to the country, the future of the presidency, but also to the party,' Graham said.

The House approved the articles of impeachment against Trump on Wednesday afternoon, 232-197.

Republican leaders in the Senate were weighing whether to launch a trial on Friday to consider removing him from office, a source familiar with the deliberations told Reuters.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ruled it out.

'Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week. The Senate has held three presidential impeachment trials. They have lasted 83 days, 37 days, and 21 days respectively,' he said in a statement after the House vote.

'Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office. This is not a decision I am making; it is a fact. The President-elect himself stated last week that his inauguration on January 20 is the 'quickest' path for any change in the occupant of the presidency,' he noted.

He said the trial would begin after Biden took the oath of office.

'In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration,' McConnell said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had pressured McConnell to agree to bring the Senate back sooner under emergency circumstances - to no avail.

That means the first days of Biden's presidency will be taken up with impeaching his predecessor.

If impeached, Trump would not be able to run for president again. Several Republican senators are thought to be considering 2024 presidential bids.

To impeach Trump, a two-thirds majority is needed to convict him, meaning at least 17 Republicans would have to find him guilty.

And there's a better than 50-50 chance that McConnell will vote to convict President Trump, according to a new report.

McConnell appears to be more set on convicting Trump in an extraordinary turn against the president in the wake of last week's Capitol riot, which left five people dead and destruction in the Capitol.

A Tuesday night report from Axios cited a top Republican close to McConnell saying, 'The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution' to Trump.

McConnell has been signaling support for the House Democratic impeachment effort that includes an article charging the president with 'incitement of insurrection'.

The news comes on the heels of a New York Times report that McConnell told associates he believes Trump 'committed impeachable offenses' and he's 'pleased' by the move to impeach him.

McConnell worked successfully to scuttle the impeachment effort during a trial last year on different charges.

His current view follows reports that McConnell never wants to speak to Trump again after the Capitol riots that had Trump supporters invading the Capitol, trashing leadership offices, and endangering the lives of lawmakers.

McConnell backs the effort because it will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, the New York Times reports.

McConnell has made clear in private discussions that 'now is the moment to move on the weakened lame duck, whom he blames for Republicans losing the Senate,' according to the report.

Last Wednesday, on the day of the MAGA riot, Senator Graham explained that he would not be backing an effort to challenge Electoral College votes, which Trump was pushing as a way to prolong his election loss

Sen. Graham (third from right) with President Trump in Texas to visit a newly finished section of the border wall

His view emerged as Trump, rather than express contrition, called impeachment a 'hoax' and a 'witch hunt,' and defended his pre-riot comments that Democrats have already said was incitement.

Trump called his speech minutes before the siege 'totally appropriate.'

McConnell's wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, quit the Trump cabinet after the riots, which included an angry mob getting blocked steps from the door to the Senate chamber that McConnell uses when he normally strolls from his leadership office.

A source told CNN McConnell 'hates' Trump and is 'furious' with him after the Capitol riots.

Trump was also a factor in the two special Senate elections in Georgia - both of which were won by Democrats and lost Republicans their majority in the upper chamber, removing McConnell from power.
LONDON  Insurers are set to raise the cost of providing cover for merchant ships through the Red Sea after a series of incidents that have hit vessels around Saudi Arabian waters, industry sources said.

The possibility of more attacks on commercial shipping carrying oil and commodities through these waterways is growing after the outgoing U.S. administrations move to designate Yemens Iran-aligned Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization.

Related: Marsh Sees Hike in Demand for Political Violence Insurance in Gulf After Tanker Attacks

We are seeing increased rates for vessels making port calls in the Red Sea due to concerns over risk of attack by militia groups, whereas previously this was of an issue of more concern in the Arabian Gulf, said Mike Ingham with insurance broker Gallagher. This will be impacting vessels traveling to Red Sea ports such as Jeddah.

Every ship needs various forms of insurance, including annual war-risk cover as well as an additional breach premium when entering high-risk areas. These separate premiums are calculated according to the value of the ship, or hull, for a seven-day period.

Breach rates have ticked up to around 0.015% of insurance costs from about 0.012% in late December, equating to tens of thousands of dollars for a seven-day voyage, according to market estimates.

The real debate is on the Red Sea side after the incidents involving explosive devices. Everyone is watching what happens next, one war underwriter said.

Saudi Arabia said last month that a tanker anchored at Jeddah port was hit by an explosive-laden boat in what it called a terrorist attack. This followed a separate incident at another Saudi terminal on the Red Sea where a tanker was damaged by an explosion.

The U.S. Maritime Administration warned seafarers last week that heightened military activity and increased political tensions in this region continue to pose serious threats to commercial vessels.

The Red Sea is one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes leading up to the Suez Canal, with thousands of transits made annually through the Bab al-Mandab waterway at its southern tip.

There are wider tensions after the seizure by Iran last week of a South Korean tanker further away in the Strait of Hormuz.

(Editing by Jane Merriman)

In this Monday, Jan. 4, 2021 file photo released by Tasnim News Agency, a seized South Korean-flagged tanker is escorted by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats in the Persian Gulf. Iranian state television acknowledged that Tehran seized the oil tanker, MT Hankuk Chemi, in the Strait of Hormuz. Photo credit: Tasnim News Agency via AP, file.

Topics Carriers
New variants of the coronavirus circulating globally appear to increase transmission and are being closely monitored by scientists.

Driving the news: The highly contagious variant B.1.1.7 originally detected in the U.K. could become the dominant strain in the U.S. by March if no measures are taken to control the spread of the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

Why it matters: Countries are being overwhelmed by surges in cases that have led to border closures, quarantines and more aggressive pushes for the public to get vaccinated. So far, the variants do not appear to be resistant to the existing vaccines or cause more severe disease.

The state of play: Public officials are tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the B.1.1.7 variant detected in the U.K., the 501.V2 variant in South Africa and a newly discovered variant in Brazil.

The B.1.1.7 variant has been identified in about 45 countries, but nations without routine genetic surveillance, including the U.S., may not fully know the extent of the spread, sparking calls for increased monitoring.

Public Health England released a new study of B.1.1.7 that estimated the variant is 30% to 50% more transmissible than other forms of the virus.

12 U.S. states have detected the B.1.1.7 variant. The CDC estimates it's linked to about less than half a percent of cases in the U.S. so far and isn't the dominant variant.

The 501.V2 variant is "a little bit more concerning regarding the possibility of interfering with some of the monoclonal antibodies," based on preliminary findings, top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci told Axios last week.

The variant carries a number of mutations that show changes to some of the virus' spike protein, which experts say is cause for concern since the spike protein is what coronavirus uses to gain entry into human cells, BBC reports.

Japans Health Ministry detected a variant on Sunday after travelers returned from Brazil. There are still many unknowns, but scientists say it has 12 mutations and studies are underway into the efficacy of vaccines against the new variant.

Brazil's Health Ministry has asked Japan for information such as the genetic sequence of the new strain, according to the Japan Times.

The big picture: Viruses mutate, often without impacting the severity of disease or how the virus spreads. But sometimes mutations are consequential for public health and scientists say it's important to monitor them.

Both Pfizer and Moderna are in the process of testing their vaccines against the variants. Pfizer and BioNTech said Thursday the mutation N501Y found in both variants B.1.1.7 and 501.V2 was tested against their vaccine and found no reduction in neutralization activity against the virus.

But there are multiple mutations and more studies are underway.

What to watch: On Friday, CDC officials pushed back on reports of a U.S. variant of the virus, the New York Times reports.

To date, neither researchers nor analysts at CDC have seen the emergence of a particular variant in the United States, the CDC said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The bottom line: Viruses mutate and evolve and the coronavirus is no different. So far, public health officials still say wearing a mask, socially distancing, testing and contact tracing, and hand washing are best practices for stopping the spread of COVID-19.

Bob Saroya, a Member of Parliament from Markham-Unionville, Canada condemned the ethnic cleansing of Kashmiri Pandits in January 1990 and supported the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's plan to resettle them in the Valley.

In a statement on the 31st anniversary of the attack on the Hindu population of Kashmir, he wrote, "I ask the international community to take effective measures to prevent this and similar types of crimes against humanity. I support the Government of India plans to help Kashmiri Hindus to return safely back to their homes".

Remembring the gruesome genocide and ethnic cleansing of the Kashmiri Pandit in January 1990, he wrote, "I would like to express my condolences to the families and friends of all those who were killed, raped and injured in this massacre."

Bob also condemned the desecration of old Hindu temples in Kashmir and lauded the resilience and courage of the local Pandit community.

"I condemn the desecration of thousands of years old Hindu places of worship in Kashmir. I condemn the resilience and courage shown by the members of the Kashmiri Pandit community who survived this gruesome genocide and ethnic cleansing," added Bob.

Earlier, Kashmiri Pandits had demanded a reversal of exile and had urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to grant them the territory for return, restitution, rehabilitation and political empowerment.

They had also demanded the creation of a single-window nodal authority under Chief Secretary for addressing all the Kashmiri Pandits issues and implementing all the schemes in place.

The displaced Kashmiri Pandits across the world commemorate January 19 as 'holocaust day'. This is the 31st anniversary of the attack on the Hindu population of Kashmir valley in January 1990 by cross-border Islamic militants, sponsored by Pakistan.

(ANI)
A mother who became one of the first people in the UK to have a double hand transplant has thanked Prince William for raising awareness of her charity to support amputees.

Cor Hutton, 50, from Renfrewshire, was the first patient in Scotland and the third in the UK to successfully have the procedure, after having both her hands and feet amputated in 2013 when she fell ill with acute pneumonia and sepsis, which nearly killed her.

In May last year, she chatted with the Duke of Cambridge after her organisation Finding Your Feet benefited from emergency grants from the National Emergencies Trust, to help cope with the Covid crisis.

Appearing on Lorraine today, she told how 'kind and complimentary' William was during the call, and how important it is for the charity to raise awareness.

Cor Hutton, 50, (pictured) from Renfrewshire, was the first patient in Scotland to have a double hand transplant

She underwent the 12-hour operation in 2019 after having both her hands and feet amputated in 2013 after suffering acute pneumonia and sepsis which nearly killed her. Pictured Cor in hospital

She said: 'He was very kind actually, very complimentary - made me blush! But it was great to get the nod there and a bit of notice of the charity.

'It could help us find another amputee, it could help find us another cooperation invest, another grant, its all really important.'

Finding Your Feet works to provide physical and emotional support to individuals and families who have been affected by amputation or limb absence.

In 2018, before Cor underwent her hand transplants, Cor became the first female quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of the charity.

In May last year, she and other charities chatted with the Duke of Cambridge after her organisation Finding Your Feet benefited from emergency grants from the National Emergencies Trust

'That's really my job,' said Cor. 'To encourage them to climb their own mountains, they don't have to do what I wanna do.

'But for some of them, its a mountain to get out of bed in the morning, to make that phone call, join that club. '

Cor underwent the 12-hour operation on January 9 2019, and says she will forever be grateful for her donor.

She said: 'I'm quite pleased that no matter how much I am celebrating, how kind everyone has been congratulating me, there is always the same conversation in my head.

Appearing on Lorraine today, she told how 'kind and complimentary' William was during the call, and how important raising awareness to the charity is

'It could help us find another amputee, it could help find us another cooperation invest, another grant, its all really important', she told host Lorraine Kelly (pictured left)

'There is another family with a very different experience, and I will always be aware of that and never forget her and how brave she was to make that decision.'

It took Cor five years to find a match, because doctors had to find hands with a physical resemblance as well as a donor with a blood match.

'With hands there is also the physical match', said Cor, 'I didn't want to be sexist or racist or ageist - but they want the best match they can get and they've got it, these hands belong to me, they're just fantastic, they've got a great match.'

In 2018, before Cor she underwent her hands transplant, Cor became the first female quadruple amputee to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of the charity. She is pictured putting on her prosthetic legs

Cor has had near 'perfect' results with her hands, but told how 'lucky' she was last year to notice the psychical signs of her body rejecting her transplant.

'I'm on medication for the rest of my life, I had a bit of a rejection on New Year. I've had perfect results with my hands, it was just at New Year I had a bit of a rejection.

'Because its physical you can see straight away the early warning signs that an organ transplant would not get, they would just feel sick.

'I'm very lucky I got that warning and was able to take a very big dose of steroids to allow my body to accept the hands again.'
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 03:20:21|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. President Donald Trump leaves the White House in Washington D.C., on Aug. 1, 2019. (Photo by Ting Shen/Xinhua)

President Donald Trump said what he said in the Jan. 6 speech was "totally appropriate," calling the impeachment "absolutely ridiculous," and "causing tremendous anger."

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke publicly for the first time since House Democrats moved to impeach him, calling the impeachment "ridiculous."

Referring to his speech on Jan. 6 that the Democrats said fomented the subsequent riot on the Capitol Hill on the same day, Trump said what he said in the speech was "totally appropriate."

The president was addressing reporters before departing for Alamo, Texas, to inspect the border wall.

On the impeachment, Trump said it's "absolutely ridiculous," and that it's "causing tremendous anger ... causing tremendous danger to our country." The president said he wanted "no violence."

House Democrats on Monday formally introduced the article of impeachment against Trump, charging him with "incitement of insurrection."

The House will hold a floor vote later Tuesday on a Democrats-proposed resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. If Pence doesn't respond within 24 hours, according to the resolution, the Democrats will push the impeachment proceedings ahead. 
Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:22 am

Ridership aboard Washington State Ferries (WSF) last year fell to its lowest level since 1975, a drop caused by the coronavirus pandemic that kept workers and tourists at home, the agency said.

Nearly 14 million passengers sailed with WSF in 2020, down by 41%  about 10 million  from 2019.

"We're lucky compared to just about every other transit agency or mass transit system," said Ian Sterling, spokesperson for Washington State Ferries, saying that ridership has rebounded at a faster rate than many other transportation agencies.

"We expect the numbers to continue to recover as we approach summer," Sterling said.

Ferries revenue plunged $68 million this past year, but the agency received $39 million in federal aid and expects to get $20 million in the latest stimulus package, he said.

Last spring, the agency reduced routes serving the central Puget Sound area in response to fewer travelers and fewer crew available due to the pandemic. Some routes remained on a winter sailing schedule for several months, and certain trip sailing times were suspended.

The Seattle-Bremerton route saw the largest drop, with ridership down 64% to just under 875,000 passengers. Ridership between Seattle and Bainbridge Island fell 59%, knocking the route off the top spot as the system's busiest for the first time since 1958. Walk-on ridership, which typically includes workers headed to jobs in downtown Seattle, fell about 74%.

These rankings exclude the route between Anacortes and Sidney, British Columbia, which has been suspended since March due to border restrictions.

The Mukilteo-Clinton and Edmonds-Kingston routes both carried about 3 million passengers each, replacing Seattle-Bainbridge as busier routes, despite large ridership decreases of their own. A new ferry terminal opened in Mukilteo last month.

Those routes also benefited from attracting drive-on passengers. Across the entire system, WSF carried more vehicles than walk-on passengers  about a 1.2 million difference.

Passengers who board a state ferry in a vehicle have been advised to remain inside their car or truck throughout the sailing due to the pandemic.

However, walk-on passengers can spread out and maintain social distancing guidelines. All riders must wear a face covering inside the ferry, a mandate the agency struggled to implement this summer.

State ferries may limit the number of walk-on passengers on a sailing to allow for social distancing.

More than 100 employees have tested positive for the virus or have quarantined because of exposure to someone who has COVID-19, Sterling said. At least one employee, Esther Bryant-Kyles, a 25-year veteran who most recently worked as a ticket seller at Colman Dock, died from COVID-19 complications.

The agency also saw a decrease in ridership in 2019, down 3.2% from the year before due to snow, construction and other ferry options, the agency said.

Ridership has begun to climb back up in recent months, WSF said. It is expected to further rebound when more sailings are restored as the infection rate declines.

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
WASHINGTON D. C., Wash. - WASHINGTON, D.C.  Following last week's "day of fire," another historic reckoning arrived Wednesday for Donald Trump as members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach the U.S. president for the second time in just over a year.

President Donald Trump arrives on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Washington. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Gerald Herbert

WASHINGTON D. C., Wash. - WASHINGTON, D.C.  Following last week's "day of fire," another historic reckoning arrived Wednesday for Donald Trump as members of the House of Representatives voted to impeach the U.S. president for the second time in just over a year.

Lawmakers, many of them emotionally scarred and still seething after surviving a Trump-spurred rampage on Capitol Hill, spent the bulk of the day debating a resolution accusing the president of inciting an insurrection.

In the end, Trump became the first president in American history to be impeached twice, this time by a margin of 232-197, with four abstentions. Ten Republicans  including Rep. Liz Cheney, the third-highest ranking House GOP member  broke ranks.

House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland closed the debate with a searing rebuke of the president that urged members on the opposite side of the aisle to open their eyes to the perils Trump poses.

"There can be no mistaking any longer the kind of man sitting in the Oval Office, or his intentions and capabilities," Hoyer said.

"Donald Trump has constructed a glass palace of lies, fearmongering and sedition. Last Wednesday on Jan. 6, the nation, the world watched it shatter to pieces."

Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose legendary battles with Trump made her a likely target for the mob, was no less equivocal when she opened debate earlier in the day.

"He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love," Pelosi said.

A conviction by the Senate, she said, would be "a constitutional remedy that will ensure that the republic will be safe from this man who was so resolutely determined to tear down the things that we hold dear and that hold us together."

She pilloried the president for his relentless and fictional claims of a stolen presidential election, sowing doubt about democracy and urging state officials to "repeal reality."

"And then," she said, "came that day of fire we all experienced."

After the dust finally settled Wednesday, Trump  widely pilloried for his silence during last week's riots  issued a prepared video statement from the Oval Office, claiming to be "shocked and deeply saddened" by the violence and urging his supporters to stand down.

"Violence and vandalism have absolutely no place in our country, and no place in our movement ... mob violence goes against everything I believe in," he said, a measured statement that appeared aimed at pulling focus away from impeachment.

"I am asking everyone who has ever believed in our agenda to be thinking of ways to ease tensions, calm tempers, and help to promote peace in our country."

Meanwhile, the city where he spoke was on edge, with between 15,000 and 20,000 National Guard soldiers expected in town by the time Joe Biden takes the oath of office on Jan. 20. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has urged people to stay away.

"There are more troops right now in Washington, D.C., than there are in Afghanistan," said Rep. Seth Moulton, a former Marine who now represents a district in Massachussetts.

"They are here to defend us against the commander-in-chief, the president of the United States and his mob."

Throughout the afternoon, Republicans argued in vain against the resolution, most of them seeking to curry favour with their Trump-friendly constituents at home rather than convince their colleagues to change their votes.

"It will only serve to further divide a nation that is calling out for healing," said Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the House minority whip.

"In times like these, let us not reach out to our darkest demons, but instead  like Lincoln  seek the higher ground."

Other Trump loyalists, including Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, California Rep. Tom McClintock and Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, made similar arguments as they denounced the Democratic effort and defended their president's record.

"We should be focused on bringing the nation together," said Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, one of the president's staunchest House allies.

"Instead, Democrats are going to impeach the president for a second time, one week before he leaves office. Why? Politics, and the fact they want to cancel the president."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who used his time to pay tribute to the Capitol Police officers and others who put their lives on the line to protect lawmakers, said he would vote against impeachment.

But he broke with Trump by saying the president "bears responsibility" for the riot, which he called "undemocratic, un-American and criminal," and urged him to embrace the fact that Joe Biden will be president next week.

Wednesday's debate took place in a Capitol precinct transformed into an armed fortress in the days since enraged Trump supporters, convinced by the president's lies of a grand conspiracy to deny him a second term, overpowered a meagre police presence and forced their way into the building.

Five people died in the mayhem, including Brian Sicknick, a Capitol Police officer who was assaulted in the melee, and Ashli Babbitt, 35, an air force veteran who was shot by police as she tried to get to the House chamber.

Since then, the entire complex has been surrounded by a two-metre fence and concrete barriers and flooded by National Guard troops, who spent the day patrolling the perimeter. Metal detectors greet anyone trying to enter the complex or the legislative chambers.

Lawmakers arriving early were met with a striking spectacle: armed soldiers, riot gear at the ready, temporarily camped out on the floor of the visitors centre  the first military bivouac on Capitol Hill since Abraham Lincoln was president more than 150 years ago.

Cheney, the daughter of former vice-president Dick Cheney, issued a seismic statement Tuesday supporting the Democratic effort that may have encouraged other GOP members to vote against Trump.

"The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," Cheney said. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the constitution."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected calls for an emergency trial, all but ensuring the Senate would not take up the matter until after Biden is inaugurated and power in the chamber has reverted to the Democrats.

Conviction in the Senate, which would still require more than a dozen Republican votes, would bar Trump from ever seeking public office again, thwarting any plans he may have to run again in 2024.

And in an eyebrow-raising statement delivered to his Republican colleagues, McConnell made clear he hasn't yet made up his mind whether he will vote to convict  a cue that might encourage others in the party to consider their options as well.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2021.
Image: Wheaton College Billy Graham Center, National Institutes of Health

Earlier today, I interviewed Dr. Francis Collins on Facebook Live. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D. has served as Director of the National Institutes of Health since August 17, 2009, appointed by two presidents. In this role, Dr. Collins oversees the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, spanning the spectrum from basic to clinical research. Below, you will find an abridged version of our conversation, which has been edited for clarity. You can hear the full interview at the Stetzer Leadership Podcast here. The interview here is abridged and edited for clarity and brevity. In the longer interview, Dr. Collins also shares his faith and more details about timelines.

Ed Stetzer: [Church leaders] are asking questions about when we might be back together. Help us understand the timeline a bit more, knowing thing might not go the way that we expect.

Dr. Francis Collins: Ive been working from home for almost a year and I expect Im going to be in my home office for a few more months. Here we are at the beginning of 2021, and this pandemic across our country is the worst its been, with 3,000 people or more losing their lives every day.

The bright spot, of course, is the development of vaccines. We do now have two such vaccines that are carefully reviewed, shown to be safe and effective by rigorous means, and authorized by the FDA for emergency use. Were doing everything we can to get those dosages into peoples arms because that is how we are going to get past this.

I know people may have mixed feelings about the vaccine. For me, as a scientist, it feels to me that God gave us the skills to be able to understand how these things work, to identify this pathogen, and to (in record time) be able to come up with the vaccine, which has 95% efficacy. Theyre actually a lot better than most of us dreamed we would have at the present time. So this is a gift from God, and a gift we all need to embrace to get past this.

To be able to immunize 300 million people is not something that can be done in less than a few months. I do think, by June or thereabouts, we might be getting close to that point where 80-85% of the country is immune. At that point, the virus has to start fading away, because there arent enough new people to infect.

I dont think that well be able to bring churches together for an Easter celebration this year, though I would love if that were the case. It is going to take all of us to get there.

I am concerned that people of faith, in some instances, seem reluctant to embrace this as a gift. If only half of Americans take this vaccine, we will not be past this any time soon. We have to get to the point where most of the population is immune, or we havent really ended things.

Stetzer: What would you say to those who think this vaccine was rushed?

Collins: We did move this more quickly than has ever happened. Partly this is because of new technologies that were developed in the last 25 years. Let me assure you, as a physician and scientist who has been in the middle of these vaccine developments for the past year, the only corners that have been cut were the bureaucratic ones.

The science is as rigorous as anything we have ever done, in terms of vaccine development. The ultimate conclusion about safety and efficacy, which is in the public domain, is incredibly compelling. 30,000 people enrolled in these trials, and 95% efficacy showed up with no real evidence of any safety concerns. The data is there! So, ignore the conspiracy theories and look at the evidence. That is what we are all called to do.

[Dr. Collins also addressed question about stem cell lines, the process, and conspiracy theories. Listen to the full interview here]

Stetzer: Youve said elsewhere that taking the vaccine is not something you do for your just yourself, but as a way to love other people. Can you tell us more about that?

Collins: There are two primary ways.

First, this virus is so hard to manage because you can carry it and spread it without even knowing. Vaccination is a way to reduce that risk.

Second, on a larger scale, if we are all part of a community, we really need all of us engaged in the effort to generate herd immunity.

We need everyone to succeed. This isnt so different from putting on a seatbelt or not drinking and driving. We dont want to make the vaccine a law, but it is a moral responsibility.

Stetzer: What do you think the level of mitigation will be at by summer?

Collins: I wish I could be more precise. Some of this depends on whether other vaccines get approved. There are six more being studied. The more that get approved, the quicker we can vaccinate.

We also have to study whether or not the vaccine is safe and effective for children. There is still a lot of uncertainty.

Dont have your heart set on June, but by the fall we ought to be in a pretty good place. I dont think it would be totally unrealistic to think that by June or July that we might be in a place to have a lot more public gatherings, including churches, but I cant promise that.

If 30% or 40% of Americans dont take it, we dont get out of this.

Stetzer: When you say its going to be different in the fall, what will it look like?

Collins: There is a big unanswered question.

We are intensely investigating whether or not those who have received the vaccine can still spread the virus even if they dont get sick. If the vaccine means they dont get sick and they cant convey the virus, mask wearing wont be expected. If you can still spread the virus even after the vaccination, youll still have to wear a mask.

I dont think so, but we have to keep the option open.

Stetzer: To close, give us a short vision on why Christians should be engaged with the vaccine, and should advocate for it.

Collins: This is not the first plague that weve had to deal with. Christians have always had the courage to figure out how to help. We should do that now.

We wont help the situation if we dont get the vaccine and continue to spread the virus or ignore protective measures.

One of the ways we evangelize is through our actions. Are we creating a positive public witness? Are we a group people want to be a part of? Are we helping our neighbors? Are we reaching out to the lonely? Are we being a listening ear, virtually?

Lets focus on being a part of worldview that others want to be a part of. We can get through this, but we have to get through this together.
Attorneys trying to block a Mississippi medical marijuana program say the state is using a zombie law about old congressional districts to defend how an initiative landed on the ballot.

Voters in November approved Initiative 65, which requires the state Health Department to establish a medical marijuana program by the middle of this year.

A lawsuit by Madison Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler seeks to block the program, arguing that Mississippis initiative process is outdated because the state constitution says petitioners must 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.

In papers filed Dec. 28, state attorneys argued that Mississippi has two sets of congressional districts  one set used for congressional elections and one set used for other purposes.

Federal judges drew four congressional districts when legislators failed to agree on a redistricting plan after the 2000 Census. Although the state has been using the federal order for congressional elections, legislators did not clean up state laws to remove descriptions of the five old districts.

Attorneys representing Secretary of State Michael Watson argued Dec. 28 that the five old districts may be used for anything but congressional elections, including for gathering signatures for initiatives.

Butlers attorneys ridiculed that argument in papers filed Thursday. They said the law describing the five old congressional districts is dead. They note that the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has referred to any law that remains on the books but is unenforceable as a zombie law.

The Secretary of States argument depends on this zombie laws reanimation, Butlers attorneys wrote about the five old districts.

Butler opposed Initiative 65 because it limits cities ability to regulate the location of medical marijuana businesses.

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.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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A plane carrying the third batch raw materials for Sinovac coronavirus vaccines arrives at Sukarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Jan. 12, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the COVID-19 vaccine shot developed by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech.

The president, widely known as Jokowi, is the first Indonesian vaccinated to show that the vaccine is safe.

After the president, the Indonesian military chief, the national police chief and the Health Minister, among others, were also vaccinated.

Indonesia, through its Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM), on Monday approved Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine for use.

The agency issued an emergency use authorization for the vaccine after interim results of its late-stage trials in the country which showed an efficacy rate of 65.3 percent.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Indonesia had recorded a total of 846,765 COVID-19 infections, according to the Health Ministry.

The virus has claimed more than 24,000 lives across the country, the ministry said.

Possibly western Gerygone, Gregories George, Fortesque River, spring 2012. Credit: Wikimedia commons/Jim Bendon from Karratha, Australia

Native Western Australian birds are the composers and stars of an engaging new music project at Edith Cowan University.

Western Australian Performing Arts (WAAPA) Ph.D. candidate Jean-Michel Maujean's research is focused on birdsong, celebrating some of the rich repertoire naturally occurring in WA. The birds are the composers of the music, complemented by an array of self-made instruments.

"I'm writing a suite of works and in each one the bird will play and act like a melody with DIY instruments complementing what the bird is doing," Mr Maujean said.

"I hope that my research will help people to engage with the environment. By appreciating and seeing how rich and beautiful it is, we might be encouraged to care more about nature," he said.

Mr Maujean's recordings so far have focused on four native Western Australian birds: the Western Gerygone, the Pied Butcherbird, the Australian Magpie and the endangered Noisy Scrub-birdwhich is only found near Albany.

Australian birds are noisy, aggressive and intelligent

Mr Maujean said songbirds evolved in Australia some 33 million years ago before spreading throughout the world around 10 million years later.

Native Western Australian birds are the composers and stars of an engaging new music project at Edith Cowan University. Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts PhD candidate Jean-Michel Maujean is using birdsong to create new music, celebrating some of the rich repertoire naturally occurring in WA. The birds are the composers of the music, complemented by an array of self-made instruments. Credit: Edith Cowan University

"The relative isolation of Australia along with an abundance of nectar has contributed to great diversity in Australian songbirds," he said.

"Australian birds are so distinctivethey're more likely to be noisy, aggressive and are more intelligent than birds anywhere else in the world."

DIY instruments complement birdsong

Self-made instruments including a PVC cello, 3-D printed flutes and a simple-to-use scoring technique (similar to "Guitar Hero') accompany the birdsong and make it easy for audiences to follow along and play at the same time.

"The main goal is for the community to understand, and potentially be inspired in their own individual creative or scientific adventure, or even just simply go for a bushwalk," he said.

Mr Maujean said community input to the research project is welcome.

"I would love to hear from anyone who would like to share their own insights on birdsong, species and locations or perhaps collaborate on compositions and performance," Mr Maujean said.

Explore further No leg to stand on for Australia's flamingos
They need to be held accountable, but we should all be connecting with our young people to prevent this from happening in the first place, Brown said in a separate tweet. We have to inspire them to find their purpose in the world.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gestures at the congress of the ruling Workers' Party in Pyongyang on Tuesday, state media reported Wednesday. Yonhap



North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to strengthen his country's nuclear arsenal in his closing address to a top ruling party meeting, state media reported Wednesday, days before Joe Biden takes office as US president.



Kim is looking to grab the attention of the incoming Biden administration, analysts say, with his country more isolated than ever after closing its borders to protect itself against the coronavirus pandemic.



A nuclear summit between Kim and outgoing US President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February 2019 broke down over sanctions relief and what Pyongyang would be willing to give up in return.



"While strengthening our nuclear war deterrent, we need to do everything in order to build the most powerful military," the official Korean Central News Agency cited him as telling the Workers' Party congress.



Earlier in the eight-day congress  twice as long as the previous meeting in 2016  Kim called the US "the fundamental obstacle to the development of our revolution and our foremost principal enemy".



"The real intention of its policy toward the DPRK will never change, whoever comes into power," he added, without mentioning Biden by name.



The North had completed plans for a nuclear-powered submarine, he said  which would be a strategic game-changer  and offered a shopping list of weapons goals, including hypersonic gliding warheads, military reconnaissance satellites and solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles.



The North's weapons programmes have made rapid progress under Kim, including by far its most powerful nuclear blast to date and missiles capable of reaching the entire continental United States, at a cost of increasingly stringent international sanctions.



At a military parade in October, it showed off a huge new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that analysts said was the largest road-mobile, liquid-fuelled missile in the world.



Kim and Trump had a tumultuous relationship, first engaging in mutual insults and threats of war, before an extraordinary diplomatic bromance featuring headline-grabbing summits and declarations of love by the US president.






Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville has been selected as the preferred location for the Space Command headquarters, according to Air Force spokesperson Sarah Fiocco.

According to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, this would bring 1,400 jobs that are a combination of uniformed and civilian positions.

The other sites being considered were Kirtland Air Force Base (New Mexico), Offutt Air Force Base (Nebraska), Port San Antonio (Texas), Peterson Air Force Base (Colorado), and Patrick Air Force Base (Florida).

Read the official announcement below:

The Secretary of the Air Force, on behalf of the Office of Secretary of Defense, selected Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, as the preferred location for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.

The Department of the Air Force conducted both virtual and on-site visits to assess which of six candidate locations would be best suited to host the U.S. Space Command Headquarters based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense.

Huntsville compared favorably across more of these factors than any other community, providing a large, qualified workforce, quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity, and low initial and recurring costs. Additionally, Redstone Arsenal offered a facility to support the headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent facility is being constructed.

Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bellevue, Nebraska; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and San Antonio, Texas, will remain reasonable alternative locations for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.

The preferred and reasonable alternative locations were chosen from amongst twenty-four states that were evaluated as potential locations for hosting the headquarters.

The Department of the Air Force anticipates making a final decision for the location of U.S. Space Command Headquarters in spring 2023, pending the results from the required environmental impact analysis.

Colorado Springs, Colorado, remains the provisional headquarters until the permanent location is ready to support the mission.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle issued this statement:

"The City of Huntsville, Alabama is honored that Redstone Arsenal has been named as the site for the United States Space Command.

"We are grateful to Senator Richard Shelby for his confidence in Huntsville. Senator Shelby has been front and center of this space effort from its inception. As one of our nations strongest defense advocates and most knowledgeable leaders in defense matters, Senator Shelby recognized the value of a program that would focus on space assets and threats. It is his vision to protect our country in space with a dedicated command.

"We thank the U.S. Air Force site selection team for choosing Redstone Arsenal from its final six candidate cities. This group was meticulous in its review and assessment of potential sites, and they put us through the paces in their research these past two years. We will make you proud of your decision.

"The site selection team recognized what we know to be true - Huntsville is a natural choice. We are space. We do space. From the Redstone Arsenal installation to the Space and Missile defense assets that are here, Huntsville has been the leader in all thing space since day one. From the 1950s when Explorer I went into space to the birthplace of NASA, space is in our DNA. We have built the space infrastructure and technical expertise to lead this effort.

"The site team learned about the Redstone regions proven track record in relocating military commands to our community. Army Aviation moved here in 1995 and Army Materiel Command moved here in 2011. Our low cost of living and doing business means the countrys tax paying dollar will stretch much farther, providing more valuable resources for our space effort and warfighter.

"We look forward to the partnership with U.S. Space Command and pledge to make them a success from day one."

Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong issued this statement:

Once again, the selection of Redstone Arsenal for US Space Command demonstrates what regional partnerships can do when we collectively work together to reach our goals.

This objective process by the Department of Defense, and in the best interest of national security, thoroughly and objectively reviewed workforce, transportation, force protection, and quality of life. I congratulate all of our local, state, and federal leaders from Alabama, particularly United States Senator for Alabama Richard Shelby for his leadership and work to bring Space Command to Alabama, along with our neighbors in Tennessee that have worked together to prove Redstone Arsenal is the true and best choice for the United States Space Command Headquarters.

Alabama Gov. Kay released this statement:

I couldnt be more pleased to learn that Alabama will be the new home to the United States Space Command!

Our state has long provided exceptional support for our military and their families as well as a rich and storied history when it comes to space exploration. This combination only enhances the outstanding relationships we have with the 65 diverse federal agencies on Redstone Arsenal, not to mention the growing presence of the FBI and other federal installations. The bottom line is simple, the Redstone Region is the most natural choice to become home to such an important mission for our country.

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby issued this statement:

Redstone Arsenal will be the new home to U.S. Space Command. This is outstanding news, not only for our state but also for the Air Force. This long-awaited decision by the Air Force is a true testament to all that Alabama has to offer. Huntsville is the right pick for a host of reasons  our skilled workforce, proximity to supporting space entities, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life, among other things. I am thrilled that the Air Force has chosen Redstone and look forward to the vast economic impact this will have on Alabama and the benefits this will bring to the Air Force,

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt released the following statement:

This decision is not only a good one for North Alabama, but also good for America. Locating the United States Space Command in Huntsville is smart, because its already the center of much of our nations space, military and strategic command capabilities. Its also located near Washington; just one hour and 15 minutes by plane. The area also has a high quality, low cost of living for those who will be stationed here as part of the Command.

Our space program was born, raised and came to greatness from Alabama soil. So, its only fitting that the next great incarnation on our leadership in space would be firmly planted here as well.
Key benchmark indices are trading firm in early trade on buying demand in index pivotals. At 9:25 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was up 198.14 points or 0.4% at 49,715.25. The Nifty 50 index was up 66.70 points or 0.46% at 14,630.15. The Sensex scaled record high above 49,750 mark in early trade. The Nifty also hit record high a tad below 14,650 level.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index was up 0.51%. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index was up 0.65%.

The market breadth, indicating the overall health of the market, is strong. On the BSE, 1464 shares rose and 646 shares fell. A total of 80 shares were unchanged.

Key Q3 results:

IT majors Infosys and Wipro will announce their quarterly earnings today, 13 January 2021.

Stocks in news:

Tata Motors advanced 3.36%. Tata Motors Group global wholesales in Q3 FY21, including Jaguar Land Rover, were at 278,915 units, higher by 1%, as compared to Q3 FY20. Global wholesales of all Tata Motors' commercial vehicles and Tata Daewoo range in Q3 FY21 were at 90,365 units, lower by 4%, over Q3 FY20. Global wholesales of all passenger vehicles in Q3 FY21 were at 1,88,550 units, higher by 4% as compared to Q3 FY20.

Hero MotoCorp rose 0.78%. Hero MotoCorp has reinforced its presence in Central America by appointing new distributor partners in Nicaragua and Honduras, with aggressive expansion plans for both countries. Hero MotoCorp has lined up a slew of new launches, including its range of premium motorcycles, in both countries and will also expand its network with extensive customer touch-points and flagship stores in key markets.

Bharti Airtel surged 4.26%. Bharti Airtel said that in compliance of the FDI approval dated 20 January 2020 granted to the company by the Department of Telecommunications, the company has received approvals for its relevant downstream investments. Accordingly, the company is initiating the process to revise its foreign investment limit, as notified to its depositories, to 100% with immediate effect.

Tech Mahindra rose 0.67%. Tech Mahindra has agreed to acquire 100% shareholding of Payments Technology Services for $9 million. The transaction is expected to close by 31 March 2021.

Tata Elxsi jumped 8.44%. The company's net profit jumped 39.5% to Rs 105.20 crore on 10.9% rise in total income to Rs 492.20 crore in Q3 December 2020 over Q3 December 2019. Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortization (EBITDA) rose 52.4% to Rs 143.60 crore in Q3 December 2020 over Q3 December 2019. EBITDA margin expanded to 30.1% in Q3 December 2020 from 22.2% in Q3 December 2019.

Bharat Rasayan rose 1.98% to Rs 10,555.40. The company said its board of directors approved the proposal of buyback of 93,472 equity shares or 2.2% shares at Rs 11,500 per share.

On the macro front, the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) contracted 1.9% for November 2020, data released on Tuesday showed. The factory output in the country had grown at 3.6% in October. India's Consumer Price Index (CPI) eased to 4.59% in December from 6.93% in November.

Global Markets:

Overseas, Asian stocks are trading mixed on Wednesday morning trade as investors watch for developments on the coronavirus front. In corporate news, Hong Kong-listed shares of Lenovo jumped after the firm announced Tuesday a proposed issuance and admission of Chinese depositary receipts on the Shanghai Stock Exchange's Science and Technology Innovation Board.

The Japanese government is set to expand the state of emergency to more areas on Wednesday, as per reports. That comes after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga recently declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other areas in a bid to stem a rise in coronavirus infections. Meanwhile, local Chinese authorities in regions near Beijing are reportedly stepping up restrictions on social activity following a rise in new coronavirus cases.

In US, stocks closed along the flatline on Tuesday as traders weighed higher rates, possible stimulus and political turmoil.

Investors will watch for developments from Washington, with the U.S. House set to push ahead with efforts to remove President Donald Trump from office over his role in sparking last week's deadly attack on the Capitol. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, however, said Tuesday night he will not remove Trump from office. The developments came just days ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20.

Back home, the domestic equity benchmark ended near the day's high on Tuesday. The barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, jumped, 247.79 points or 0.50% to 49,517.11. The Nifty 50 index added 78.70 points or 0.54% to 14,563.45.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 571.47 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net sellers to the tune of Rs 1,334.50 crore in the Indian equity market on 12 January, provisional data showed.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The team discussed various issues like electoral roll, EVM/VVPAT, polling stations, transportation, security and COVID-19 with officials from all districts

A six-member team of the Election Commission of India held elaborate discussions with senior government officials during their three-day visit to Assam to oversee preparedness for the Assembly polls due in March-April.

The visit of the ECI team, led by director general Dharmendra Sharma, concluded on Wednesday, a state government press release said. The ECI director general and Assam Chief Electoral Officer Nitin Khade conducted review meetings with divisional commissioners, district deputy commissioners-cum-district election officers, range DIGs and superintendents of police of revenue districts on Monday and Tuesday. Various issues like electoral roll, EVM/VVPAT, polling stations, transportation, security and COVID-19 issues were discussed at length and feedback was taken from the district officials, the release said.

On Wednesday, the ECI director general held discussions with Chief Secretary Jishnu Baruah, Assam CEO and senior officials to take stock of the preparations for

conducting the Assembly polls. Sharma also held detailed deliberations with the state director general of police, senior officers of income tax, narcotics control bureau and representatives of political parties.

Sharma was accompanied by senior officials of the poll panel, including senior principal secretary Narendra N Butolia, director of expenditure Pankaj Shrivastava, director of IT Ashok Kumar, director of law Vijay Pandey and EVM consultant Vipin Katara, the release said.
While Mr Morrison maintains greater consistency would be welcomed, he has repeatedly acknowledged the authority of states to make their own public health decisions, a point federal Health Minister Greg Hunt echoed on Tuesday when asked about the definition of a national hotspot. "We would invite all to feel free to use that, but we respect it if others chose to go a different way," Mr Hunt said. Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon says the Prime Minister has made a political decision to retreat from the border wars. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Joel Fitzgibbon, a federal Labor MP who has previously argued for the abolition of the states, said the Prime Minister's retreat from the border wars was largely a political calculation. "There is no doubt in my mind that in terms of constitutional powers there is more he could do but he is not interested," Mr Fitzgibbon said. "It has become, not a political opportunity, but a political landmine.

Loading "He should be taking every opportunity to force a co-ordinated position so a premier or a territory leader isn't making decisions [based] on when the next election is. He has got no interest in showing that leadership because to do so would be to take more ownership of these very tough decisions, something the state premiers to their credit have been prepared to take on." The federal government argued before the Federal Court during Clive Palmer's challenge to Western Australia's border closures that limiting the movement of people across internal borders  even during a pandemic  was unconstitutional. The government withdrew from the case before it reached a full hearing of the High Court. The High Court rejected Mr Palmer's challenge, but has not yet published its reasons. University of Melbourne professor Cheryl Saunders, an expert in constitutional and public law, said it was unclear whether any government  state or federal  controlled Australia's internal borders. She said that instead of exposing the weakness of the federal system, the pandemic had shown our multiple levels of government working "astonishingly well".

"What we have seen with the pandemic is different approaches being crafted, in many cases to deal with the exigencies of the states themselves, which is the way you'd hope a federal system would work," Professor Saunders said. These differences continue to aggravate business. At the start of Sydney's northern beaches lockdown, the Business Council of Australia, the National Farmers' Federation and leading airlines, retailers, transport businesses, tourism operators and restaurant and caterers issued a joint statement calling for the establishment of "nationally consistent and predictable rules" for managing outbreaks. The governments of Gladys Berejiklian and Daniel Andrews have different approaches to the question of border closures. Credit:Christopher Pearce/Darrian Traynor Instead, every state and territory has tailored their own response to outbreaks in other jurisdictions. Victoria this week revealed its three-tiered "traffic light" travel permit system that, for now, keeps closed the border to people who have been in Brisbane and Sydney. Western Australia has a hard border against the entire eastern seaboard and its own criteria about what constitutes very-low, low and medium-risk areas.

Tasmania has employed the national hotspot definition to restrict travel from five Brisbane local government areas. Queensland has its land border closed to anyone who has been in a NSW hotspot. NSW currently has no border restrictions in place. While the Commonwealth definition of a hotspot includes a three-day average of 10 locally acquired daily cases in metropolitan areas and an average of three locally acquired cases in regional areas, Western Australia closes its borders to any area with a 14-day average of five or more community cases. Brisbane was declared a national hotspot because of uncertainty surrounding a single case of the UK strain.

Deakin University epidemiologist Catherine Bennett said outbreaks were best managed from the inside out and all governments should have confidence in our capacity to trace and contain clusters without resorting to border closures. "That has been my point all along  we should have confidence in our systems," she said. "Even with border closures you can't prevent this completely, as we found in Victoria. You have got to assume you will have some virus in the community and know you can manage it." Professor Blakely disagreed. Having just run the summer holiday gauntlet from Queensland's Sunshine Coast to his home in Melbourne, he believes border controls are the simplest way of segmenting the population to limit the spread of the virus. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video He said the different approaches of the states, although seemingly chaotic, had encouraged innovation and built flexibility into Australia's pandemic response.
[January 13, 2021] Sysco Canada Rallies to Support its Customers and Communities through "Keep Restaurants on the Menu" Campaign

-- Commits to 50,000 Meal Donation -- TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2021 /CNW/ - Sysco Canada, the country's largest foodservice company, announced today the launch of its "Keep Local Restaurants on the Menu" campaign. This is the company's latest effort under its Foodies Unite initiative which aims to help heal the restaurant industry in Canada and support communities impacted by the pandemic. As part of the campaign, Sysco Canada encourages Canadians to support the restaurant industry, which continues to be heavily impacted by the pandemic. Canadians can help simply by ordering a delicious meal from a favourite local restaurant, whether for takeout, curbside pick-up or dine-in (where available). Patrons can magnify their support by sharing a photo of their meal on social media using the hashtag #foodiesunite and tagging the restaurant. Anyone can download Sysco Canada's social media tool kit for unique and fun graphics to spice up their social media posts. The economic impact of the pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in the need for hungr relief throughout Canada, in part due to the increased numbers of restaurant workers that have become food insecure during the pandemic. To support the increased need for hunger relief in our communities and in our industry, Sysco Canada will also make a contribution to Food Banks Canada equating to 50,000 meals.



"As restaurant operators continue to navigate changes in demand and COVID-19 restrictions, the industry needs our help more than ever," said Randy White, President of Sysco Canada. "Together with our friends, families and neighbors, we can support these local businesses that are so important to the economic health of our communities and to the culture of the neighborhoods we call home." Sysco Canada is leading the industry in supporting the success of restaurants, providing operators significant flexibility in managing their business and providing marketing and business support. The company has eliminated minimum delivery size requirements for non-contract customers' regularly scheduled delivery days as part of the company's Restaurants Rising campaign, as well as offering many free Foodie Solutions Toolkits to help operators enhance their business strategies

The company is also helping market its restaurant customers' business through several avenues: Customers always receive free social media, digital and print marketing services. For more information visit www.sysco.ca. In addition, a new webpage launched by Sysco Canada provides a central location for communities to understand which restaurants are open, with hundreds of great restaurants in each province listed as "Open for Business." Lastly, Sysco Canada is telling customer stories of resilience on the Sysco Virtual Kitchen program in January & February on Facebook @syscocanada. About Sysco & Foodies Unite

Foodies Unite, powered by Sysco, is a Community Initiative of Sysco Canada that is committed to Healing our Industry, Helping our Customers and Nourishing Canadians. Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing and distributing food products to restaurants, healthcare and educational facilities, lodging establishments and other customers who prepare meals away from home. Its family of products also includes equipment and supplies for the foodservice and hospitality industries. With more than 57,000 associates, the company operates 326 distribution facilities worldwide and serves more than 625,000 customer locations. For fiscal 2020 that ended June 27, 2020, the company generated sales of more than $52 billion. Information about our CSR program, including Sysco's 2020 Corporate Social Responsibility Report, can be found at www.sysco.com/csr2020report. Connect with Sysco Canada:

Twitter: @SyscoCanada

Facebook: @SyscoCanada

LinkedIn: Sysco Canada Inc.

Instagram: @SyscoCanada For more information, please visit: www.sysco.ca

To learn more about the program visit: www.foodiesunite.ca SOURCE Sysco Canada

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In the 1950s, a salesperson at US food storage maker Tupperware hit upon a great idea: "Instead of wasting time building networks, why don't we get our consumers to sell products to people they already know?" From this, the 'Tupperware Party' was born; a private gathering of friends, with one enlisted by Tupperware - on commission - to sell as many resealable plastic storage containers as possible.

Sinha says beverage companies are behind the curve in digital retail penetration

The parties were a huge success, but have since largely passed into marketing history. However, as businesses race to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic and look for new ways to reach consumers, has Tupperware's time come again?

Sudip Sinha thinks so. The Rabobank senior analyst has spent the past few months looking into a sales channel emerging in the Chinese beverage industry that carries echoes of those Tupperware parties of old. 'Community commerce' - first trialled by domestic brewer Tsingtao at the start of the pandemic in China - leans on the Tupperware philosophy of enlisting brand aficionados to sell within their own community, but with a modern digital twist. In Tsingtao's approach, the company signs up consumers to become "distributors" of its beer. These distributors promote Tsingtao on social media and messaging apps and offer discounts and coupons on purchase. In return, the seller receives a commission for each sale they create.

Payments are online and delivery is via local beer sellers such as convenience stores and the myriad of mom-and-pop shops in Chinese neighbourhoods. Tsingtao has even set up distribution points around cities - a designated delivery site marked out by a Tsingtao sign. Thanks to the ubiquitous WeChat - which combines messaging and payment services in one app - consumers can order the beer and pick it up, all on the same platform.

The new channel, says Sinha, has been a "win-win" for Tsingtao, which had suddenly found itself sitting on a lot of stock and fewer routes to market. At the beginning of last year, China's on-premise was almost completely closed as the first wave of the coronavirus led to strict lockdown measures. The community distributors turned out to be a potent selling force, packing a greater punch than the more traditional e-commerce delivery apps available in China.

Tan is the guy I go out for a drink with every Friday night, so it's a very different conversation

"Community commerce is different [to a regular delivery app]," Sinha explains to just-drinks. "It's your friend who's selling it to you. The trust level of a delivery app selling to me versus my friend Mr Tan is very different. Tan is the guy I go out for a drink with every Friday night, so when he comes back and says he has a special delivery for you with a certain amount of money off, it's a very different conversation."

The project, says Sinha, proved such a success during lockdown that it has become part of Tsingtao's long-term strategy, even though bars and restaurants in China are now operating (almost)as normal. Bottled water producer Nongfu Springs is another Chinese beverage company that has set up its own community commerce initiatives.

For drinks brand owners worldwide that may also want to emulate the programme, there is a further angle to consider.

The coronavirus pandemic has already seen a large shake-up of distribution channels in developed markets, leading a number of beverage companies to launch their own bespoke direct-to-consumer channels. In May, for example, PepsiCo unveiled PantryShop.com and Snacks.com in the US. A matter of weeks later, direct-to-consumer stores for a number of major brewers appeared.

But, says Sinha, these DTC innovations - which, during the height of the coronavirus, aimed to circumnavigate grocery channel bottlenecks and improve proprietorial data collection - are hugely expensive to set up and operate. For the mainly FMCG beverage market, the cost of attracting consumers to stores in terms of in money and time is high, especially when compared to listing products on e-commerce retail giants such as Tmall and Amazon. Also, even a multi-product FMCG producer such as PepsiCo faces massive challenges in terms of products offering.

"If I'm only going to get Lay's potato chips, then maybe I'd shop in PantryShop once," Sinha says. "A second time? Forget it."

Meanwhile, community commerce allows beverage companies to access the so-called "fragmented" retail market made up of countless local off-licences and wine stores; shops that in many parts of the world may well be operated by just one person. Often, these stores are not digitally connected so remain out of reach of the major beverage companies.

"These [stores] do not have the capability or the finance or the inclination to invest in these kinds of different technologies. That's why you see a lot of interest in bringing the fragmented retail into the digital value chain," Sinha says, explaining that both The Coca Cola Co and Heineken are researching ways to target the hinterland of fragmented retail without having to invest in new technology. "You don't have to develop WhatsApp, for example - it's already there. There are tonnes of business applications you can use off the shelf and use your existing distribution network to connect it all. That's the value proposition of this kind of [community commerce] model, and which is why it's very exciting."

Whether the model catches on outside of China is still open to question. Many other regions lack an equivalent of WeChat, which in China has driven a startling exodus from cash to online payments and neatly ties social media and messaging apps to the digital shopping aisle. But, says Sinha, beverage companies must improve their e-commerce footprint as they are "actually pretty backward, as far digital penetration is concerned".

According to the analyst, the coronavirus arrived "to bite [the beverage industry] in the backside" when the pandemic disrupted traditional channels. Today, as the race continues to find a more suitable DTC model, perhaps the lessons of those 1950s Tupperware parties can point the way to a wholly modern solution.

Direct-to-Consumer no match for Amazon consumer base - e-commerce expert
Teton County Reporter

Previously the Scene editor, Billy Arnold made the switch to the county beat where he's interested in exploring Teton County as a model for the rest of the West. When he can, he still writes about art, music and whatever else suits his fancy.

A new world record for high air pressure has provisionally been set in a high mountain valley in Mongolia.

An automatic weather station in Tsetsen-Uul, in western Zavkhan province, recorded a mean sea-level pressure of 1,094.3 millibars along with bitter temperatures of -45.5C.

If verified by scientists, it will top the previous world record of 1089.4 millibars, which was also set in Mongolia exactly 16 years ago on 30 December.

Stephen Burt, a research fellow in meteorology at the University of Reading, told The Independent: This looks as if its a genuine record, its from an official synoptic reporting station.

There are other stations that are reporting very high pressures as well. So this isnt just a reading error or a transmission error.

It is normal for Mongolia, Siberia and other parts of Russia to see episodes of high pressure and extreme cold at this time of year, Mr Burt said.

Its common at this time of year, right in the mid-winter, to get these very large extensive high pressure areas right over the continent, he added.

Mongolia is a long way away from the sea, its got very little influence from the relatively warm ocean. The air gets very cold, the pressure gets very high and very sluggish, so it ends up sitting in an area.

Because the high pressure tends to have little to no cloud in it, the air tends to get colder and colder because all the heat is escaping out into space. So, the pressure tends to get a bit higher every day and that goes on until spring, when the sun comes back and starts to warm the ground and the pressure begins to drop.

Though such weather conditions are expected at this time of year, Mr Burt said its not normal for it to get as cold as this or for the pressure to get as high.

There are some caveats to the record that are worth noting, however, he added. The potential record occurred high up in a mountain valley. Because air pressure decreases with altitude, calculations had to be made to understand what the pressure reading would have been at sea level.

What is standard for meteorological purposes is to report the barometric pressure at sea level, said Mr Burt.

The calculations used to convert the pressure recorded at the weather station to mean sea-level pressure are very sensitive to changes in temperature, he said.

Thats not to say the reading isnt correct, he added. All these records are examined by the World Meteorological Organisation before they are accepted as a world record, and that will take a little time.

Prof Randy Cerveny, a scientist at Arizona State University who studies extreme records for the WMO, told The Independent that his research team will need to ascertain what the raw pressure and temperature values recorded in Mongolia were and how the mean sea-level pressure was calculated before a new world record can be declared.

Calculation of mean sea-level pressure involves the use of fairly involved mathematical formulae which involve some assumptions, he said.

Unfortunately at this time there is no one single accepted formula for doing so although we at the WMO are working to try to establish a single method.

If the new record is verified, it is important to note that it does not mean that the climate crisis isnt affecting the region, Mr Burt added.

Climate change is more likely to lead to more warm extremes than cold extremes, but it certainly doesnt mean that cold extremes will never happen, he said.

He added that, over the past decade or two, far more automatic weather stations have been installed in remote parts of Mongolia, meaning that new cold extremes are more likely to be identified than they were before.

If you have more sites, youre more likely to pick up cold spots, he said. Climate change certainly doesnt mean that cold extremes are a thing of the past.

Tech prowess key to surviving completion



The Consumer Electronic Show (CES) 2021, the world's largest annual gadget show, is drawing a global attention after it kicked off for a four-day run Monday. It is underway online for the first time in its 55-year history amid the lingering coronavirus pandemic. Highlighted at the event are state-of-the-art technologies  artificial intelligence (AI), 5G communications, digital health and mobility.



The annual CES has been a global gala in the IT sector with companies desperate to lead the market by showing off their most up-to-date technologies alongside their strategies to cope with rapidly changing consumer trends. The ongoing session is also focusing on changes in daily lives caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic including social distancing and quarantine measures.



Of particular note is the growing importance of mobility, which has emerged as a key area of future business and human life. Major global carmakers and IT companies are showcasing their ultramodern technologies for smart cars including autonomous electric vehicles.



For instance, Mercedes Benz unveiled its next-generation "hyperscreen" as a possible alternative to the current dashboard with extended width and wider range of view. With the AI-infused technology, drivers and passengers can enjoy diverse leisure activities such as listening to music and browsing tour information, for instance, by simply touching the screen.



Intel's affiliate Mobileye unveiled an ambitious plan to test operate autonomous vehicles with a high degree of safety in five cities around the globe  Detroit, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and Paris  during the first quarter. Germany's mobility startup Sono Motors came with a solar energy electric car "Sion" which runs on 248 solar batteries.



Japan's home appliances maker Panasonic said the automobile has virtually become a "second house" especially during the pandemic. It unveiled a plan to adopt camera and augmented-reality (AR) technologies to help produce safe vehicles that are convenient to use. All these and others show more and more global firms are engaged in a harsh competition to develop innovative future cars.



Ahead of the looming change in the global market, companies have begun to realign themselves. Hyundai Motor, the nation's No. 1 carmaker, is allegedly seeking to join hands with Apple in the production of an electric car. Hyundai released a statement Jan. 8 that it has been receiving numerous calls from global companies for collaboration for the production of self-driving cars. Later, it said these business talks were in their initial stages and nothing was fixed yet. Gigantic IT firms such as Google and Amazon are also throwing their hats into the ring.



GM has already announced a plan to invest $27 billion by 2025 for the development of smarter vehicles. In a nutshell, Korean companies are facing grave challenges and need to sharpen their technological edge. Toward that end, they should make bold investments to be equipped with unrivalled technology prowess. The government, for its part, needs to lay the legal and institutional foundation and infrastructure for the production of smarter cars.


Solomon Akuma, the father of Emmanuel Akuma, a pharmacist, who has reportedly been detained by the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) in Abuja for about nine months, has narrated to PREMIUM TIMES how the police deceived him to get his son arrested.

The father, who is a senior pastor at the Truevine Evangelical Mission based in Delta State, said his son, a pharmacist intern with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), was arrested on April 2, 2020, in Aba, Abia State.

The 29 years old Emmanuel was arrested for tweeting that he would pay a Russian sniper to eliminate Buhari and Kyari, apparently referring to President Muhammadu Buhari and his then Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari, who later died of complications attributable to COVID-19 later in the year.

The tweet was in response to a Twitter post asking respondents what their next move would be if they got $1 million.

The father said he thereafter received a call from a person who disguised to be a person seeking to reward him for praying for him in the past.

It was me they used as bait to get to my son. They used me as their link. Someone must have dug up my profile and they found out that I was a pastor, he said.

The cleric added, Someone called me that I had prayed for him at a place. He said he wanted to honour me and that he and others would be coming on a particular date.

They also said that they would visit me and give me an honorarium. I said I was not really aware of what they were talking about.

They said I should not bother that they knew me as a pastor. I said, okay, no problem. They said I had once ministered in their church.

I was not around at the time because I went for burial in my hometown. So I lodged in my in-laws place.

I said no problem, but something ministered to me that those guys were not what they said they were and as it turned out to be, they were policemen.

He said he reluctantly agreed to meet with them and took them to his in-laws place, where they arrested everybody and collected all our phones at gunpoint, and marched us into a red jeep they parked outside.

He said the policemen later used his phone number to call his son telling him that his father lost the phone.

In fact, because of all the weapons they had I couldnt react because I could not ascertain who they were, he said.

The cleric said when his son arrived at the scene, the men immediately arrested him.

So, at that point, they gave us back our phones, and they took him to the police station, down to Umuahia, to Enugu and the next day, they went to Abuja, he said.

Detained

He said he initially took them for kidnappers until after two days when his son called to inform him that he had been detained at the FCID at Area 10 in Abuja.

He said he had to defy the COVID-19 lockdown that was in place at the time to travel to Abuja the following day.

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The pharmacist was reportedly detained at the FCID in Abuja forabout three months before they eventually charged him with terrorism, sedition, criminal intimidation, and threat to the life of the President and arraigned him at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

His father told PREMIUM TIMES that he had yet to come to terms with how his son, a 2018 graduate of Pharmacy from the University of Port Harcourt, could be accused of such offences.

He said it had been hard to cope with the absence of Emmanuel, his only son among three siblings, for nine months.

He said the trial was being delayed by the police, who continued to keep his son in custody since April 2020.

He said his son had posted the tweet for which he was arrested out of frustration about the circumstances of his mothers death in 2017.

He said, I would say that it was his annoyance against the Federal Governments that made him write what he wrote, because the government had been owing the mother since her retrenchment from the federal service.

She worked at the Nigeria Airways and the workers had been retired since 2002, and they didnt pay them until my wife fell sick for four years.

We spent everything in our hands until she died in 2017. So, it pained my son so much.

PREMIUM TIMES efforts to contact the Force Public Relation Officer, Frank Mba, on Tuesday were unsuccessful as repeated calls to his telephone line failed to connect and a message sent to him was not replied.
A key panel of experts on Gov. Ned Lamonts Vaccine Advisory Group wants to add about 720,000 Connecticut residents to the list of people next in line for COVID-19 vaccinations.

The group on Tuesday recommended that people ages 65 and older and those of all ages with conditions that put them more at risk for COVID-19 should be included in the next round of vaccinations.

But the panels decision stopped short of outlining a specific order for how the new populations will be prioritized in the next wave, known as Phase 1B and set to begin next week.

The panel instead recommended that the state Department of Public Health develop a phased approach to ensure the vaccine is administered.

The push to expand the list of eligible recipients in the next phase came as Connecticut recorded 3,689 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday while the daily positivity rate hit 10.72 percent, according the governors office.

The state reported 12 new COVID hospitalizations, bringing the statewide total to 1,154 and 31 more deaths attributed to the illness, increasing Connecticuts death toll to 6,449. That means the state will likely surpass 6,500 deaths in the coming days, around two weeks since Connecticut surpassed 6,000.

U.S. and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said people 65 and older and those with two or more medical conditions outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should be added to the next phase of vaccinations.

However, the Connecticut groups recommendations include people of any age with one or more medical conditions on the CDC list.

Nichelle Mullins, one of the allocation subcommittees co-chairs, said the group was concerned that the CDC guidelines would not include at-risk people who only have one condition. She cited people with Down syndrome and people with organ transplants as two examples.

I understand that the population size is increasing, but I trust the Department of Public Health to come up with a fair, phased, roll-in approach that will address all of the concerns that the committee has mentioned, Mullins said.

Waterbury Mayor Neil OLeary said he has received messages from people advocating for those with Down syndrome as well as those who are immune-compromised due to an organ transplant.

Both of those groups have a high morbidity rate, and again were talking under 3,000 of those individuals, he said.

The panels latest recommendation significantly broadens the number of people expected to be vaccinated in the next phase.

Connecticut officials have urged patience, saying they want to avoid the long lines of people waiting to receive the shot seen in other states.

Again, let me just reiterate, please be patient, Lamont said Monday during his press briefing. I think youve seen the pictures from Florida and other places  first come, first served, everybody over 55 come and join  thats not the way its gonna work, and there are more dissatisfied people in those states that have done it that way.

The CDC originally called for those 75 and older to be vaccinated in the next wave, which also included front-line essential workers like first responders, school staff, child care workers, grocery store employees and correctional staff.

Last week, Connecticuts advisory panel added residents of congregate settings  including prison inmates  to the list, and expanded the list of essential workers.

The panels Tuesday meeting was originally billed as a way to add a slim population to the next wave of vaccine distribution intended to address concerns about some people having limited access.

In a two-hour meeting last week, members failed to reach a consensus on how to ensure the vaccine went to younger people with underlying medical conditions and communities of color that have been hard hit by the pandemic.

But Tuesdays recommendations would add 720,000 Connecticut residents to the next round of vaccinations, according to Marwan Haddad, a member of the panel and medical director for Community Health Center.

The governors office announced people 75 and older who are not residents of long-term care facilities can start registering to get vaccinated this week, with the first appointments set to begin Monday.

That will mark the start of Phase 1B in Connecticut.

The state is vaccinating those who are part of Phase 1A populations, which include residents and staff of long-term care facilities like nursing homes, front-line medical staff and certain first responders.

State Rep. Harry Arora said Tuesday he believes its the right move to vaccinate those 75 and older next.

But he also advocated for vaccinating those with serious medical conditions at the same time, before moving to those ages 60 and older. Essential workers should then follow sometime in the spring, he argued.

The Greenwich Republican last month called for seniors to be first vaccinated against the disease in an op-ed.

Arora said the other challenge is explaining to his constituents how to register to receive the vaccine, particularly for those over age 75.

A lot of the questions Im getting are how? he said Tuesday. He suggested the process for getting a vaccine appointment should be outlined on a simple document officials can post on their websites, or doctors offices should assist patients in registering for a vaccine appointment.

That community, that age group  we need to start communicating now, he said.
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Wednesday on whether to impeach President Donald Trump. Democrats and a few Republicans are accusing Trump of inciting the deadly insurrection at the Capitol last week while lawmakers were certifying President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro of San Antonio as one of nine impeachment managers who oversee the process.

If the House votes to be impeach Trump, it will be the first time a president has been impeached twice. Last year, the House accused Trump of abuse of power by pressuring Ukraine to investigate Biden and then obstructing Congress' investigation. The House voted to impeach Trump but the Senate did not convict him.

RELATED: What to watch as House moves to impeach Trump for 2nd time

For the first time in our nations history, the transfer of power has not been peaceful, Castro said in the San Antonio Express-News. To protect the American people and as a consequence for these deadly actions, President Donald J. Trump must be removed from office immediately and prevented from ever occupying the presidency again.

Impeachment managers play a vital role in the impeachment process and are responsible for convincing the Senate to convict the president. Here is what is expected of Castro and the eight other mangers:

Who are the impeachment mangers?

Castro will be joined by eight other Democrats: Jamie Raskin of Maryland; Diana DeGette of Colorado; David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Eric Swalwell of California; Ted Lieu of California; Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands; Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

All nine are lawyers with expertise in either constitutional law, civil rights or law enforcement, the New York Times reported.

What is their role?

If Trump is impeached, the managers are responsible for arguing their case before the Senate. Trump's lawyers will be allowed to provide a defense. The senators will act as the jury and are allowed to ask questions before voting. Two-thirds of the Senate must convict Trump in order to remove him from office.

The managers, however, do not control how the trial runs. The format and rules are decided by the Senate, which is able to introduce and pass motions with a majority vote.

How many managers can be selected?

There are no restrictions on the number of managers who can serve. During Trump's first impeachment, there were seven. When Bill Clinton was impeached, the Republicans had 13. Typically all managers come from the same party because they supported the impeachment.
The 2021 GMC Yukon is now available at Carl Black Kennesaw. The SUV leads its class when it comes to technology features and the available Head-Up Display.

Drivers in the Kennesaw area who are looking for a new and larger vehicle can now view the 2021 GMC Yukon in the Carl Black Kennesaw showroom. The SUV received many updates, and they are nothing short of stunning. The SUV leads its class when it comes to technology features and the available Head-Up Display.

The 2021 GMC Yukon is available in four trim levels which include the SLE, SLT, AT4 and Denali. There are three engines available depending on the trim level that is chosen. The three options are a 5.3-liter V8 engine, a 6.2-liter V8 engine and a 3.0-liter Duramax Turbo-Diesel engine. The outputs are 355 horsepower, 420 horsepower and 277 horsepower respectively.

Behind the wheel of the 2021 GMC Yukon, drivers will have access to some great technology features. Some of these include a 10.2-inch diagonal premium infotainment system, an 8-inch driver information center, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capabilities, available 4G LTE Wi-Fi Hotspot and a wireless charging station.

There are many driver-assist systems that come available and standard in the 2021 GMC Yukon. Some of these include Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, Enhanced Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Front Pedestrian Braking, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, Following Distance Indicator and Adaptive Cruise Control.

Potential customers in the Kennesaw area who would like to learn more about the 2021 GMC Yukon can visit the dealerships website https://www.carlblackkennesaw.com/. Individuals who would like to speak with someone from the dealership can do so by calling 888-457-2417. Finally, for those who would like a more personal experience, Carl Black Kennesaw is conveniently located at 1110 Roberts Boulevard.
nityamb wrote:

Hi Nisha,

Thanks a ton for your insight on this. I am considering in Applying in Round 1 2021 and Round 2 2021-2022 to have more work experience under my belt.

I am extremely torn between 2 possible paths:



1) Stay at my current profile: My current profile offers me a perks of good projects with good audience for the same. Other upsides include a possible rotation to US for

month or more in which I can even visit some B schools, I can work more my profile (I was always interested in joining toastmasters club nearby) and focus on another attempt at GMAT followed by CFA L2 in May. Also I am well established in my team and should be able to get a good LOR. However the down side is that its not "Client Facing" in the traditional sense. I am not talking to stakeholders outside the firm and for us the main client is the firm itself.



2) Switch to a front office role in the same firm: Would be more client facing which I have been led to believe is better for application process. At the same time it would be a new and exciting set of problems to deal with. However it would also mean more hours, leading to less time for extra-curriculars and exam prep. Also, as I would be newer in my role, not sure about the quality of LOR i may get.



Any suggestions you may have on the same would be very helpful.



Thanks again for your immensely valuable input. I feel loads better after your reply!

Nisha Trivedi

mbaMission Senior Admissions Consultant

35 positive reviews on GMATClub, 2020 Top 20 of admissions consultants across the industry per P&Q: https://poetsandquants.com/2020/08/26/best-mba-admission-consultants-of-2020/



Sign up for a free 30-minute consultation at https://www.mbamission.com/consult/mba-admissions/

Read our Insider's Guides to the top b-schools: http://www.mbamission.com/guides.php?category=insiders Signature Read More

Hi again - great, glad my response was helpful! There are upsides to both roles - don't feel that you absolutely have to be client-facing to be in a strong position for the application process. The most important thing is the level of impact you feel you can make in the role, as well as how holistically strong your profile can be at the time of application.A rotation in the U.S. would be great - I've seen that Indian applicants who are most successful in the process are those that have international experience.Regarding LORs - if you switch roles, you can still get both LORs from your current role.Thanks!Nisha_________________

PayPal Holdings Inc said late on Monday it had blocked a Christian crowdfunding site, GiveSendGo, after it helped raise funds for people who attended last week's event in Washington when supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol.

The digital payments processor also confirmed to Reuters that it closed an account held by Ali Alexander, one of the organizers of the gathering. The news was reported earlier by Bloomberg, which cited an unidentified source.

Online platforms and social media companies are distancing themselves from, and taking action against, those that encouraged or engaged in last week's violence in the U.S. Capitol.

Twitter said it had suspended more than 70,000 accounts since Friday that were primarily dedicated to sharing QAnon content after the assault on the Capitol building. QAnon backers push baseless conspiracies on social media.

A number of large U.S. companies, including AT&T Inc, American Express and Dow Inc, have said they would cut off campaign contributions to those who voted to challenge President-elect Joe Biden's victory, with Republicans in the U.S. Congress facing growing consternation from corporate America.

Supporters of Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, trying to halt the certification by Congress of Biden's election win.

Trump, who has without evidence challenged the validity of Biden's election win, initially praised his supporters but later condemned the violence.

Bloomberg reported last week that PayPal had closed an account held by Joy In Liberty, one of the groups that paid for supporters of Trump to travel to Washington.

GiveSendGo, which describes itself as "A place to fund hope. A place to work together with the body of Christ around the world to make a difference," said it had moved its payment processing away from PayPal and was going to shut its PayPal account anyway.

"We have created and are using alternative payment solutions for our platform", GiveSendGo's co-founder and Chief Financial Officer Jacob Wells said in an email.
R epublican lawmakers are breaking ranks on the eve of the historic impeachment vote against Donald Trump to say they would support his removal from office.

Five senior Republicans - including the partys number three in the House of Representatives, Liz Cheney - have come out publicly to say they will vote to impeach. More are expected to follow as the bid to cast the president into the political wilderness gathered momentum.

The Republican rebellion, reportedly with the tacit backing of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, was being seen in Washington as a move to purge the disgraced president from the party following last weeks mob attack on the Capitol.

Democrats are pushing ahead to impeach Mr Trump a second time after Vice President Mike Pence snubbed a call to invoke the 25th Amendment.

The House of Representatives passed a resolution urging Mr Pence to take action to remove the president on the grounds that he is unfit for office, but the vice president rejected the call in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he didnt want to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation.

Lawmakers from both parties were escorted by armed guards into the heavily fortified Congress where rioters overcame police to rampage through the halls nearly a week earlier.

Just one Republican, Adam Kinzinger, crossed the aisle to support the resolution, which passed by 223 votes to 205.

But five senior Republicans, including Ms Cheney, said they will join Democrats in voting to impeach Mr Trump.

Ms Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said in a statement: There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

She added that Mr Trump had summoned this mob, assembled the mob, lit the flame of this attack.

Her remarks were seen as an invitation for a larger group of Republicans, estimated by the New York Times as around two dozen, to follow suit and vote in favour of the Republican presidents impeachment.

Republican New York Congressman John Katko also said he would vote to impeach, saying: To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy.

The presidents offences, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have, said Republican Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler.

ABC News claims Mr McConnell has privately admitted that Mr Trump committed impeachable offences and is pleased the Democrats are going after him.

Mr Trump showed no signs of remorse when he broke his silence on a visit to a border wall in Texas on Tuesday.

He insisted that his remarks at a rally urging supporters to march on the Capitol last Wednesday were totally appropriate and claimed the new impeachment effort had provoked tremendous anger.

The latest vote is unprecedented - no US president has ever been impeached twice.

The first impeachment a year ago over Mr Trumps alleged attempt to blackmail Ukraine into investigating Joe Biden failed after Republicans voted along party lines in the Senate.

Washington analysts believe that Republican discontent over Mr Trump could now lead to both houses of Congress backing this second effort to unseat him.

Mr Trump is almost certain to be impeached by the Democrat-led House. It would take a two-thirds majority to convict him in the Senate.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said the country has bought 10 ultra-low temperature freezers, which will be used to store COVID-19 vaccines from the US drugmaker Pfizer.

"Ang kasalukuyan po talagang tinututukan natin na medyo nagkukulang, ito pong [What we're currently lacking and focusing on acquiring now are these] minus 70 to minus 80 degrees Centigrade," Duque said in a televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials on Wednesday.

"We imported 10 ultra-low temperature freezers at ipapa-repurpose ko nalang [I will have it repurposed] for vaccine use," he added.

Unlike other brands, Pfizer's vaccine needs to be stored in ultra-cold freezers with temperatures of about minus 70 degrees Celsius or below, which are not yet widely available nationwide. Adhering to the temperature requirements during storage and distribution is crucial in ensuring the vaccines' efficacy.

Because of this, Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the distribution of Pfizer vaccines may be limited to Metro Manila, Cebu City, and Davao City for now, as these urbanized areas can meet the storage requirements. The national government is also in talks with private firms to establish cold storage rooms and walk-in freezers.

"'Yung pagpunta naman po dito ng Pfizer ay in tranches, by the hundred thousand lang po. Hindi po yan in bulk na 20 million o 2 million kaagad, in tranches po yan," Galvez said.

"Gagawa po tayo ng tranche chart at synchronization matrix, i-synchronize lang po natin na pagdating, i-deploy natin kaaagad," he added.

[Translation: The arrival of Pfizer vaccines in the country would be done in tranches, which is by the hundred thousand. It will not be delivered in bulk of 20 million or 2 million. We will make a tranche chart and synchronization matrix to ensure that vaccines will immediately be deployed upon arrival.]

The Philippines has not yet formally secured vaccines from Pfizer, but Galvez earlier said the country may receive more or less 40 million doses from the American firm this year as they continue to finalize negotiations. Pfizer doses could also arrive this quarter if the Philippines' application for an early rollout under the World Health Organization's COVAX facility is granted.

Pfizer has already secured emergency use authorization from the United States and the United Kingdom, among other countries, and emergency use listing from the World Health Organization after its phase 3 clinical trial showed it was 95% effective in preventing infections after a person received two shots.
Saputo Dairy Australia announces new name for COON Cheese products. CHEER Cheese celebrates the extra little bit of happiness found in your every day. (Saputo)

Coon Cheese Rebrands as Cheer Following Pressure by Activist

The makers of Coon cheese have announced that Cheer will be the rebranded name for its famous Australian product following pressure from an Aboriginal activist who said the original name was racist.

Saputo Dairy Australia on Jan. 13 said the name change to Cheer was to honour its consumers by aligning with current attitudes and perspectives.

The move comes after Aboriginal activist Stephen Hagan reignited his campaignfirst attempted in 1999after seeing Nestle rebrand Allens Red Skins and Chicos lollies to Red Rippers and Cheekies in 2020.

Amid the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movements resurgencewhich was founded by Marxist organisersin July 2020 Hagan was successful in convincing Saputo to change the name.

The cheese-making company made no mention in its media release that the Coon name came from founder Edward William Coon, who patented its unique cheese process in the 1920s.

Treating people with respect and without discrimination is one of our basic principles, and it is imperative that we continue to uphold this in everything we do, Lino A. Saputo, chair and CEO of Saputo Inc. said.

Our decision to change the name of Australias much-loved cheese reinforces this commitment to build a culture of acceptance, inclusion and respect where everyone feels a sense of belonging, he said.

A packet of Coon cheese is photographed in Sydney, Australia, on July 24, 2020. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi) and Saputo Dairy Australia announces new name for COON Cheese products. CHEER Cheese celebrates the extra little bit of happiness found in your every day. (Saputo)

Cam Bruce, commercial director of Saputo Dairy Australia, said CHEER Cheese is a cheese for everyone, and we trust our valued consumers and those who are new to our products will embrace this new name.

CHEER Cheese is the same recipe that millions have come to love, and will continue to grow up with, for generations to come. We remain committed to our Australian farmers who continue to produce the high-quality milk that goes into all of our products, including CHEER Cheese, he said.

Anthony Albanese speaks to media at Henson Park Oval in Sydney, Australia, on May 21, 2019. (Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

National Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese told 2GB Radio that while he doesnt agree with re-writing historyreferring to attacks on statues of historical figures by radical left activistshe thinks Saputo made a commercial decision.

In this case, frankly I think it is a commercial decision by the company and fair enough, Albanese said.

Certainly, they were named after apparently some American cheesemaker, he said noting that the cheese was not intended to eulogise a racist term.

But the good news is the cheese will be the same, itll taste the same, and I think everyone will know its the same product. So I think its probably a commercial decision whereby the company has decided that its in their interest, theyll sell more cheese and good luck to them, he said.

The cheese will be sold under the new name from July.
Cllr Eamon Aylward raised concerns at this months Piltown Municipal District Council meeting about the old N25 road from County Kilkenny to New Ross being handed over to the Council to maintain, significantly impacting the District road budget.

The issue has arisen from the fact that this cited stretch of old N25 road has been reclassified from national road status to regional road status following the construction of the new  N25 New Ross Bypass and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Bridge.

Its a very wide road, many times wider than the regional roads were used to dealing with, Cllr Aylward explained.

The cost of resurfacing a road of that size is most definitely a cause for concern.

Cllr Aylward revealed that he has been in touch with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) in a bid to resolve the issue.

Something has to be done to make the road manageable to maintain going forward so weve been onto TII about the possibility of maybe getting the road narrowed but theyre exploring all the options at the moment, Cllr Aylward added.
Billionaire Elon Musks Tesla has officially entered the Indian market as the company registered its first office in India.

The registration comes from a subsidiary company as the EV maker looks to get a fitting in one of the most lucrative and untapped automobile market in the world.

 Reuters

According to a Registrar of Companies (RoC) filing, the new company is called Tesla India Motor and Energy Private Limited and is registered in Bengaluru, Karnataka.



The company has been mentioned as a subsidiary of a foreign company. It has also registered a company at Lavelle Road, a business district in Bengaluru with paid-up optima of 1 lakh and authorised capital of 15 lakh, according to the filing.

Tesla has also named three directors for the Indian outfit of the county namely Vaibhav Taneja, Venkatrangam Sreeram and David Jon Feinstein.

The new office registration was also greeted with a welcoming message by the Chief Minister of Karnataka on Twitter.

Mr Yediyurappa tweeted: "Karnataka will lead India's journey towards Green Mobility. Electric Vehicle Manufacturer Tesla will soon start its operations in India with an R&D unit in Bengaluru. I welcome Elon Musk to India and Karnataka and wish him all the very best.

 Reuters

Tesla is also planning to open offices in other states and is in talks with Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.



Elon Musk confirmed the entry of Tesla into the Indian market earlier this month and said "Next year for sure to a reply on a post on Twitter that had a photograph of a T-shirt with the message: "India wants Tesla.

Tesla will be launching the Model 4 first in India, as confirmed by Union and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari.

It is the cheapest model offered by Tesla at the moment with prices starting at  55 lakhs. Bookings for 'Model 3' are expected to open in January according to reports.
As part of its regional CSR activities, Consolidated Bank Ghana (CBG) has donated medical beds to the Ledzorkuku Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) Hospital in Accra.



Presenting the items to the hospital, General Manager, Branches and Digital Channels, Edward Antwi, said the donation is relevant to the banks strategy to stand with its customers and the community at large.



Hospitals serve the community, and as part of our corporate social responsibility and our tagline to stand with our customers, we deem it important to contribute towards selected hospitals. We believe this donation will go a long way to help the people in these communities.



Again, this is one of the many initiatives aimed at helping the countrys fight against COVID-19. We are committed to supporting the COVID-19 fight through a number of interventions and we will continue to invest in needy communities nation-wide, he assured.



Receiving the items on behalf of the hospital, Dr. Akua Agyemang Asante, Acting Medical Superintendent of LEKMA Hospital expressed gratitude to CBG for their support.



We convey our deepest appreciation to Consolidated Bank Ghana for thinking of us. We are most grateful to them. This really came at an opportune time when we needed more beds for the sick. We believe that this is the beginning of a deep relationship between us.



The donation is aimed at supporting selected medical institutions and providing critical equipment necessary for the delivery of effective health care.



Consolidated Bank Ghana since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana, has supported medical institutions including the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, the Covid-19 National Trust Fund, the Ministry of Health and the University of Ghana Medical Centre.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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A guard watchtower rises along a perimeter fence of what is officially known as a 'vocational center' in Urumqi's Dabancheng district, in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Sept. 4, 2018.

A young Uyghur doctor at a hospital in the capital of northwest Chinas Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) who went missing in 2017 was detained in an internment camp that year, her overseas relatives have learned, but her current situation remains unknown.

Sayarra Nijat, a doctor who had worked at the Urumqi Friendship Hospital for three years following her graduation from medical school, was detained in May 2017. On Sept. 17 of that year, her parents, who live in Ghulja (in Chinese, Yining)the seat of Ili Kazakh (Yili Hasake) Autonomous Prefecture and the XUARs third largest cityreceived a notification that she was being held in the No. 3 Detention Center in Urumqi, relatives living abroad recently learned.

Information about the situation in the XUAR, where authorities are believed to have held up to 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in a vast network of internment camps since early 2017, is notoriously difficult to get out of China, where all media are state controlled and produce only official narratives.

Authorities lock down communications into and out of the region as part of a bid to avoid international scrutiny of Beijings repressive policies there, and residents found to be in contact with relatives abroad are often detained.

Sayarra Nijats family members overseas, however, recently learned of the young doctors situation from her parents, who said they had made multiple visits to police stations in both Ghulja and Urumqi to search for answers about her detention but, as of last month, had been unable to determine her whereabouts and current condition.

Rahi Haji, one of Sayarra Nijats relatives who now lives in the U.S., told RFAs Uyghur Service that her parents had been too afraid to share the news with family members living abroad.

She disappeared on May 17, 2017  They came in [to her home] and said they had something to talk about with her, and they took her away.

I have a female relative in Australia who heard the news and shared it with me ... [Her parents] cant just pick up the phone to get information about her. We dont know anything about her case at this point.

Haji said Sayarra Nijats parents were both detained shortly after her arrest but have since been releasedher mother after several months and her father after a year and a half.

Sayarras older sister Nadira Nijat, who currently lives in Turkey, told RFA that their parents received the notice of her sisters detention from the Urumqi Tengritagh (Tianshan) District Police Bureau four months after she went missing. The written notice reportedly stated that Sayarra had been in possession of illegal materials related to terrorism and extremism, and thus was being held on suspicion of criminal activity.

And so, my parents took this paper notice and went to the work unit that had issued it to inquire [about my sister], but they were unable to get any response, she said. [The staffers] said, We dont know this person, this Sayarra Nijat. We dont know. So, we havent been able to get any information from anywhere.

Nadira noted that the families of detainees in the XUAR are in some cases able to see them, speak with them via video chat, or talk to them on the phone once a month.

But my family hasnt heard my sisters voice for [almost] four years now, she said.

Detention center for women

RFA made a series of calls to the Urumqi Friendship Hospital, as well as to relevant police stations and other offices, but was unable to confirm any of the information provided about Sayarra by her relatives.

A staffer at the hospital claimed no knowledge of an employee by the name of Sayarra Njiat. The staffer claimed that this particular matter was outside the scope of their work responsibility and rejected a request for further information from other divisions of the hospital.

A jailer from the Tengritagh District No. 3 Detention Center refused to answer questions about Sayarras case. The chief of the Urumqi Bureau of Police deferred inquiries to the Tengritagh Disctrict Police station, where an employee said he could not even discuss whether Sayarra was alive or not.

However, RFA spoke with an officer at a police station in Sayarras neighborhood in Urumqi who said the young woman was taken into custody by national security officers and is currently being held at a detention center in the southern part of Tengritagh district.

National security put a black hood over her head and took her in, the officer said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

He said he had not heard of Sayarra receiving a sentence for any kind of crime, but acknowledged that his police station hadnt received any updated information from the authorities who detained her.

They havent checked in with us, and we havent checked in with them, he said.

The officer said he had tried to find more information on Sayarras case, but only saw her name on a list that showed where she is being detained.

Shes being held in a detention center for women, in Dawan, he said.

When asked why her family had not been told of her current situation, the officer said he did not know.

We cant look into that, he said. We dont have the power [to do that].

RFA was unable to learn anything about Sayarras health. It was also not immediately clear if the Dawan Womens Detention Center and Urumqis No. 3 Detention Center are located at the same site.

Mass incarceration

Reporting by RFA and other media outlets in recent years has found that while many Uyghurs have been detained in internment camps, others have been funneled into the regions prison system, and others still have been placed in forced-labor schemes in factories and workshops. Some have reportedly been moved between multiple forms of detention.

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. Like Sayarra, many have professional careers and need no job training.

According to Sayarras family, authorities in Urumqi and Ghulja have instructed her parents to stay quiet about the case, using intimidation and threats in an attempt to stop them from telling the story to community members, as well as to the international community.

Nadira told RFA she had long stayed silent about her sisters case in an attempt to protect their parents, but ultimately decided to come forward with the story because she sees that silence has done nothing to help.

I thought about testifying, but my family, my parents back in the homeland, didnt agree to it, she said.

They said it would be problematic, that it would cause trouble for them or for my sister. So, I didnt have the courage to do it  [but] Ive finally reached my limit with this silence. Ive reached my limit and Ive decided  to go public.

Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by the Uyghur Service. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Xplore Resources Corp.(TSXV: XPLR) ("Xplore or "the Company"), announces today that it has signed a non-binding letter of intent ("LOI") with Abitibi Royalties Inc. ("Abitibi") to earn a 100% interest in the 1,750 Ha Upper Red Lake Gold Project (the "Upper Red Lake"), located in the Red Lake Mining Division, ON., Canada.

Summary of the terms of the proposed transaction:

Under the terms of the LOI and subject to the completion of satisfactory mutual due diligence by Xplore and Abitibi within 30 days of signing of the LOI, and subject to certain conditions, including the subsequent entry into a formal option agreement (the "Acquisition Agreement"), Xplore will acquire a 100% ownership in the Upper Red Lake by completing the following:

The Company obtaining all necessary approvals from the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSX.V" ); and,

On execution of the LOI, Xplore shall issue to Abitibi CDN$62,500 in common shares of Xplore based on the daily volume weight averaged (the "VWAP" ) price of Xplore's shares as reported by the TSX.V, for the 14 day period preceding execution of the LOI; and,

On or before the first anniversary date of signing the Acquisition Agreement, Xplore shall issue to Abitibi CDN$125,000 in common shares of Xplore based on the VWAP price of XPLR's shares as reported by the TSX.V, for the 14 day period preceding execution of the anniversary date; and,

On or before the second anniversary of signing the Acquisition Agreement, Xplore shall issue to Abitibi CDN$150,000 in common shares of Xplore based on the VWAP price of Xplore's shares as reported by the TSX.V, for the 14 day period preceding execution of the anniversary date; and,

Xplore agrees to complete sufficient exploration work on the property to maintain the claims in good standing; and,

On completing the share issuance obligations, Xplore shall have earned a 100% interest in the Upper Red Lake minus a 1.5% net smelter return ("NSR") on any future metal production from the Upper Red Lake.

Wes Hanson, President and CEO of Xplore, stated, "We are excited to have an opportunity to acquire a property in one of Canada's most recognized gold districts. We believe that the prospective trends identified to the east may extend onto the Upper Red Lake claims. Prosper Gold Corp's Golden Sidewalk gold in till anomaly extends for over 3.0 kms and may be spatially related to a regional scale, sinuous unconformity that appears to trend onto the Upper Red Lake claim block. Historical gold in till sampling along the southern portion of the Upper Red Lake claims suggest similar gold in till results to those reported by Prosper. Exploration in this area is seeing increased interest due to recent, new discoveries and the Birch-Uchi greenstone belt offer highly favourable geology. Recent road construction reduces exploration costs and allows for year round exploration activity. We look forward to completing our due diligence and finalizing our agreement with Abitibi within the next thirty days. We plan to initiate exploration of the property as soon as possible once field work can resume in the spring."

About Upper Red Lake Gold Project

The Upper Red Lake Gold Project consists of 12 contiguous mineral claims (1,720 Ha) located in the Birch-Uchi Greenstone Belt, within the Red Lake Mining Division of Ontario. The project, located approximately 60 kilometers ENE of Red Lake ON, is road accessible and largely lies along the NW boundary of Prosper Gold Corporations ("Prosper"), Golden Sidewalk Project (Ref. Figure 1.0). Prosper has identified several W to WNW trending anomalous gold trends within their land package, many of which to trend on to the Upper Red Lake claim package.





Figure 1.0 - Location Map - Upper Red Lake Claim Group

To view an enhanced version of Figure 1, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/7519/71885_eb57611f34bfcb1d_002full.jpg

About Xplore Resources (TSXV: XPLR)

Xplore Resources is a Toronto based mining exploration company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under symbol XPLR and is focused on the acquisition and development of copper and gold projects in the Americas. The Company is led by a highly experienced management team and is comprised of industry experts with executive and senior management experience in geology, banking, private equity, investor relations and law.

Valk Project

The Valk Project consists of 1,614 Ha and is located within the Nanaimo Mining Division, British Columbia, approximately 20 Km NW of Port Hardy. The Project is road accessible via an extensive network of provincial highways, local roads, and logging roads. Soil geochemistry and surface rock sampling have identified anomalous copper, vanadium, and gold mineralization within rocks of the Karmutsen Formation. Valk is located 25 km north of the historic Island Copper Mine (345 Mt @ 0.41% Cu) and the North Island Copper and Gold Project (Indicated resource of 305 Mt @ 0.21% Cu).

Qualified Persons

Mr. Wes Hanson, P. Eng. President & CEO of Xplore and registered in the Provinces of Ontario is the "Qualified Person" under National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is responsible for the technical contents of this news release and has approved the disclosure of the technical information contained herein.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Wesley C. Hanson"

President & CEO

For further information, please contact:

Phone: +1 647-362-9675

Email: info@xploreresources.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.

ANY SECURITIES REFERRED TO HEREIN WILL NOT BE REGISTERED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE "1933 ACT"), AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED OR SOLD IN THE UNITED STATES OR TO A U.S. PERSON IN THE ABSENCE OF SUCH REGISTRATION OR AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE 1933 ACT.

THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE INC. HAS IN NO WAY PASSED UPON THE MERITS OF THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND HAS NEITHER APPROVED NOR DISAPPROVED THE CONTENTS OF THIS PRESS RELEASE.

Notice on forward-looking statements:

Information set forth in this news release contains forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. Xplore cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond Xplore's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to Xplore's ability to complete the proposed Transaction; and other risks and uncertainties, including those to be described in the Filing Statement to be filed by Xplore on SEDAR.com. 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, Xplore undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking information.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO US 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/71885
Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly has been slapped down for advocating alternative cures for COVID-19 in a warning from the nation's top medical officer that there is no evidence to show the treatments work.

After days of growing debate over the backbencher's claims, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the latest medical studies had not found drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were useful in preventing or treating COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly has rejected claims by Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly that drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine were useful in preventing or treating COVID-19. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Professor Kelly was reluctant to criticise the backbencher by name, other than to say they were not related, but he rejected Mr Kelly's key claims for coronavirus cures as well as his complaints about rules that require people to wear masks.

The Liberal backbencher, who represents the seat of Hughes in south-western Sydney, has repeatedly challenged government policy in dozens of Facebook posts supporting alternative treatments for the coronavirus.
Bengaluru, Jan 14 : Even as the crew members of "K.G.F. Chapter 2", an upcoming Kannada period action film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, are basking in the glory of its teaser receiving over 132 million views on YouTube since its release on January 7, the Karnataka health department has issued a showcause notice to Yash, the lead actor of the film, who plays protagonist Rocky Bhai in the movie.

The teaser has a scene where Yash blows up a row of automobiles with a machine gun and goes on to light a cigarette with the barrel of the red-hot gun.

According to the notice, as per the statutory requirement, it is mandatory to display a warning on the screen with the caption "Smoking is injurious to health", but neither the teaser nor the publicity posters display any such message.

"Both the teaser and the posters encourage cigarette smoking," the notice stated and appealed Yash to take steps to remove this teaser from social media platforms.

"Yash, you are a heart-throb and you have immense fan following. Your actions should not mislead the youngsters. We want you to join our campaign against cigarette smoking," the notice said.

Meanwhile, the scene in question has gone viral on social media and fans of Yash are sharing the screenshots of the scene.

Soon after the teaser was out on various online platforms, the Karnataka State Anti-Tobacco Cell had taken exception to the visuals showing Yash lighting a cigarette.

In its letter to the health department, the cell had contended that the visuals depicting the actor smoking a cigarette violated Section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) 2003, also referred to as COTPA 2003, and sought deletion of the teaser from online platforms.

"The actor has a large number of fans, particularly among the youth. If he smokes (on screen), people will emulate him. So, we are asking them to remove the teaser from the online platforms and also the posters of the movie," the letter had stated.

A letter objecting the visuals in the teaser has been despatched to director Prashant Neel, Yash, producer Vijay Kiragandur, and the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce.

The cell, however, is not going to ask the filmmakers to take away the scene from the film.

The film will release in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. "K.G.F. Chapter 1", which was released in 2018, had won two National Awards in 2019 for Best Action and Best Special Effects.
The Wednesday sought response of Kishore Biyani-led Ltd (FRL) on Amazon's plea challenging the prima facie observations by a single judge that the US e-commerce giant's attempt to control the Indian entity was violative of FEMA and FDI rules.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh issued notice to FRL, Future Coupons Pvt Ltd (FCPL), Reliance Retail and the Biyanis seeking their stand on the plea by against the observations made by the single judge in a December 21, 2020 interim order.

has sought setting aside of the observations as they have a bearing on its case in arbitration proceedings that were initiated before the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC).

The US firm, represented by senior advocateGopal Subramanium, has contended that the observations are inconsistent with the findings in the SIAC emergency arbitral (EA) order of October 25, 2020 against FRL's asset sale under a Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail.

It has also contended in its appeal that the observations in the December 21, 2020 order "effectively resulted in allowing FRL to collaterally bypass the EA order".

"The Respondent 1 (FRL) has been relying on these prima facie observations to misconstrue the true import of the impugned order in an effort to mislead regulators to grant approval to the potential transaction, which has constrained the appellant to file the present appeal to quash and set aside the prime facie observations as set out in detail in the appeal," has said.

Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for FRL, told the court, "We have serious objections to the appeal. It is misconceived. We will file our reply as a lot of things have been said (in the appeal) to which we have to respond."



The court then listed the matter for hearing on February 12.

The December 21, 2020 interim order had come on FRL's plea seeking to restrain Amazon from writing to the SEBI, Competition Commission of India and other authorities about the SIAC arbitral order.

The SIAC on October 25, 2020 had passed an interim order in favour of Amazon barring FRL from taking any step to dispose of or encumber its assets or issuing any securities to secure any funding from a restricted party.

The single judge had upheld the validity of the SIAC order and had also declined to grant FRL's plea to restrain Amazon from writing to the statutory authorities and regulators about the arbitral award.

However, the judge had made some prima facie observations like the August 29, 2020 FRL board resolution approving the deal with Reliance was not invalid or void as claimed by Amazon and the e-commerce giant's representations to that effect to statutory authorities and regulators was "based on incorrect assertions" which meant that its action was based on "unlawful means".

Therefore, FRL has made out a prima facie case of "tortious interference", the judge had said and added that "the act of Amazon would fall foul of the freedom of FRL and Reliance to enter into the transaction thereby causing loss to both FRL and Reliance which would be a civil wrong actionable by both FRL and Reliance in case they suffer any loss".

The judge had also observed that FRL's suit to permanently restrain Amazon from interfering with the deal was maintainable and a combined reading of the shareholding agreements (SHA) of FRL and FCPL and the share subscription agreement (SSA) between Amazon, FCPL and the Biyanis show that they not only protect Amazon's rights in respect of investments it made in FCPL, they also "transgress" to control over which requires government approvals and in absence thereof, were contrary foreign direct investment (FDI) rules framed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Amazon has said it was constrained to initiate arbitration proceedings in SIAC "on account of grave and material contractual breaches" committed by FRL, FCPL and the Biyanis.

It also claimed that it had parted with substantial sums of money as investment in FCPL which is controlled by the Biyanis, "on the express inducement that certain special, protective and material rights in respect of FRL, including a requirement to seek the prior written consent of the appellant (amazon) prior to disposal of the retail assets of FRL".

The e-commerce giant has further claimed that there was also an absolute prohibition on dealing with a limited set of persons, including entities from the Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani (Reliance Industries Limited) Group.

In August last year, Future had reached an agreement to sell its retail, wholesale, logistics and warehousing units to Reliance.

As per the SIAC interim order, a three-member arbitration panel needs to be set up within 90 days (from the date of the judgement) with one judge each being appointed by Future and Amazon, along with a third neutral judge.

On November 10, 2020, Amazon had told the court that it and FCL have appointed their respective arbitrators.

(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 Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia has died after contracting Covid-19.

Tributes have poured in for the religious leader, described as a 'fine man' who was a 'huge' fan of Scottish giants Celtic FC.

The 70-year-old, who had served as Archbishop of Glasgow since 2012, tested positive for coronavirus shortly after Christmas and was self-isolating at home.

The Catholic Church in Scotland said the cause of his death was not yet clear.

The Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia has died after contracting Covid-19

It will be for Pope Francis to appoint a new Archbishop to succeed Archbishop Tartaglia, but until then the Archdiocese will be overseen by an administrator

In a statement, Bishop Hugh Gilbert, president of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland, said the archbishop was a 'gentle and caring pastor who combined compassion with a piercing intellect'.

He said: 'His loss to his family, his clergy and the people of the Archdiocese of Glasgow will be immeasurable but for the entire Church in Scotland this is a day of immense loss and sadness.

'His contribution to the work of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland over the past 16 years was significant and we will miss his wisdom and wit very much.'

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was also among those paying tribute to the archbishop.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament, she said: 'It has just been drawn to my attention that the Archbishop of Glasgow, Archbishop Tartaglia, has passed away this morning.

'I want to put on record my deep sadness at this news.

'I'm sure that is sadness shared by everybody across this chamber - and to send my deepest condolences to his loved ones and of course everybody in his community.'

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said he was 'deeply saddened' at the news.

He wrote on Twitter: 'Have many fond memories of conversations we shared over years.

'He was a regular visitor to Catholic Schools in my constituency, he spent time engaging with pupils & staff. Prayers with our Catholic community.'

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was also among those paying tribute to the archbishop

Celtic FC said the archbishop was a 'huge supporter of the club', writing on Twitter that he regularly attended matches

The 70-year-old had served as the Archbishop of Glasgow for nearly a decade, since 2012

He was appointed Archbishop of Glasgow on July 24, 2012 and installed at St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow, on September 8

Celtic FC said the archbishop was a 'huge supporter of the club', writing on Twitter that he regularly attended matches.

'Everyone at Celtic offers their sincere condolences to Philip's family and Scotland's Catholic community at this sad time,' it added.

Archbishop Claudio Gugerotti, the Pope's Ambassador to Great Britain, has been informed of the death.

A spokesman for the Church said the Archdiocese will be overseen by an administrator until the Pope appoints a successor.

Philip Tartaglia was born in Glasgow on January 11, 1951.

He was ordained a priest by Archbishop Thomas Winning in the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Dennistoun, on June 30, 1975.

Pope Benedict XVI nominated him Bishop of Paisley and he was ordained on November 20 2005.

He was appointed Archbishop of Glasgow on July 24, 2012 and installed at St Andrew's Cathedral, Glasgow, on September 8.

He died on January 13, the Feast of St Mungo - the patron saint of Glasgow.
Thousands of people flooded into London's Chinatown today after a 'vaccine bus' promised Covid-19 jabs with no appointment, NHS number or ID needed. Adults crowded onto a pavement outside a barbershop next to the small van, after an advert was posted on the Chinese Information and Advice Centre charity's website and said 'undocumented migrants' were welcome. The advert said: 'A vaccine bus is available in London Chinatown to offer free vaccine jab to the Community without appointment. Date: 27 May 2021 (Thursday) Time: 12 - 5pm. You DO NOT need to have: NHS number, any proof of address, personal identification. Undocumented migrants also welcomed. Stay safe! Get vaccinated!' Vaccine buses have popped up around the UK with volunteer groups enlisted to help run them in areas where take-up has been low such as Luton and Bolton, but the demand in Chinatown is the highest seen so far. Covid-19 jabs can only be booked via the NHS website or at a GP surgery, and it is not clear if the vaccine being offered was one of the three approved ones. Those who are not eligible have been told to wait to be contacted. Currently, people in England can an only get their jab if they are aged 30 or over, will turn 30 before July 1, are classed as clinically vulnerable, have a learning disability, or are a frontline health or social care worker. You can also have one if you get a carer's allowance, get support following a council assessment or your GP record shows you are a carer. Patients have been warned not to take up offers of the jab from non-official providers. But the bus is an official service, run by Westminster Council in partnership with NHS England and goes to different locations within the area.
China's Sinovac Biotech defended the safety and efficacy of its experimental COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, after researchers in Brazil released late-stage clinical data showing efficacy that was much lower than initially announced.

The vaccine was just 50.4% effective at preventing symptomatic infections in the Brazilian trial, including data on "very mild" cases, researchers said on Tuesday.

Last week, they said the vaccine, called CoronaVac, showed 78% efficacy against "mild-to-severe" cases.

The news prompted Malaysia and Singapore, which have purchase agreements with Sinovac, to say on Wednesday that they would seek more data from the Chinese firm on efficacy rates before they approved and bought supplies.

"These Phase III clinical trial results are sufficient to prove that CoronaVac vaccine's safety and effectiveness are good around the world," Sinovac Biotech Chairman Yin Weidong told a news conference.

Different countries used vaccines from the same batch in their trials, but the countries don't have identical testing protocols, he said.

Piecemeal disclosures from Sinovac's trials as well as those from studies of other Chinese vaccines have raised concerns that they are not subject to the same public scrutiny as US and European alternatives.

The data from Brazil was released just as Indonesia rolled its vaccination campaign, with President Joko Widodo being the first to be inoculated with Sinovac's CoronaVac.

Malaysia said on Wednesday it would only go ahead with procurement if the vaccine satisfied the safety and efficacy standards of local regulators.

On Tuesday, Malaysia's Pharmaniaga Bhd signed a deal with Sinovac to purchase 14 million doses of CoronaVac and later to manufacture it domestically.

Singapore, the only high-income nation with which Sinovac has struck a deal, said it would go through official data when Sinovac releases it, rather than depending on efficacy reported so far, and then decide whether to approve it.

Thailand, which has ordered 2 million doses of CoronaVac said it was still on track to receive and administer the vaccine starting next month, but added it would ask for information directly from Sinovac.

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OAKLAND, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Everlaw , the cloud-based ediscovery and litigation platform, today announced the launch of Storybuilder by Everlaw, the industry's first free narrative building toolkit that provides legal teams with a fully collaborative environment to build their cases and prepare remotely for litigation.

The legal industry lacks accessible tools for collaboration and remote work, a pain point that Covid-19 has only further heightened, leaving many legal teams without valuable case-building resources. Organizations require a turnkey solution allowing users to organize their key case documents and collaborate on crafting compelling narratives remotely and securely. Everlaw's platform bridges this gap.

Now with Storybuilder, legal teams and investigators have access to a free, collaborative toolkit to prepare their arguments and build cases. With Storybuilder, users can upload key documents into a Story; organize them into a cohesive case timeline annotated with people and events; integrate evidence into deposition prep and other work product; coordinate live deposition settings; and upload deposition transcripts and identify key pieces of testimony. All of this can be done in a real-time collaborative environment suitable for both remote and in-office work.

Storybuilder also helps reach new groups of legal professionals who may not have the budget for technology and collaboration resources, such as law students or lawyers who don't have their own subscriptions.

"As the digital universe continues to expand at exponential rates, it only becomes more difficult to devote the necessary time, budget and resources to uncovering key data and facts to help get to the truth," said AJ Shankar, Everlaw's CEO and founder. "Lawyers are relying on technology to reimagine workflows and build cases in a timely and efficient way. Storybuilder by Everlaw takes this a step further by simplifying how teams can collaborate together on cases remotely. Now teams are able to craft compelling narratives from anywhere instead of being confined to conference collaboration -- at no cost."

In addition to Storybuilder, through its Everlaw for Good program, Everlaw offers its full product suite to pro bono lawyers, journalists, educators, and nonprofits, in their pursuit for justice. With the ability to process up to 900K documents per hour at a speed five times faster than the nearest cloud competitor, Everlaw has helped to exonerate wrongfully convicted prisoners, investigate naval shipyard pollution, and bring justice to victims of the opioid epidemic and California's deadly wildfires.

Storybuilder by Everlaw is available now. To learn more visit everlaw.com/storybuilder .

About Everlaw

Everlaw blends cutting-edge technology with modern design to help law firms, government entities, and corporations solve the toughest problems in the legal industry. Everlaw is used by 76 out of the AM Law 100, Fortune 100 corporate counsels, and all 50 U.S. state attorneys general. Everlaw's North American headquarters is in Oakland, CA and European headquarters is in London, UK. The company is funded by top-tier investors, including CapitalG, Menlo Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, and K9 Ventures.

Learn more at https://www.everlaw.com .

CONTACT:

Mary Jenkins

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The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon enjoins government and separatist forces to embrace peace amid an unfortunate series of killings and increasing civilian casualities.

By Vatican News staff writer

Leaders of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon have condemned the series of recent killings by armed separatist forces and the military in the country, which have led to the deaths of about twenty persons.

In a statement released on Monday, the Presbyterian Church said that the "dreadful" killings of civilians have seemingly blurred the ray of hope for the year 2021 after 2020, which was a very challenging year for Cameroonians and the world at large.

The Presbyterian Church also notes that the killings defy some ongoing moves towards peace and the nationally organized Ecumenical/Inter-religious march for peace held on 2 January 2021 by religious leaders in Cameroon.

We the Religious Leaders will not be deterred in our prophetic role as the conscience of the Nation. We condemn forcefully and unequivocally all those who perpetrate violence in our Nation. Violence will never win, but justice and peace will, read the statement signed by Rt. Rev. Fonki Samuel Forba, Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon and the President of Cameroons Council of Protestant Churches, as well as the Council of Inter-Religious Dialogue in Cameroon.

Unfortunate killings

Listing the latest attacks in Cameroon, the statement highlighted the killing of five people, including a female journalist, on 6 January by a roadside bomb that exploded on a convoy of government officials being escorted by the military between Andek and Mbengwi. Two days later, on 8 January, four military personnel and two civilians were killed in an attack on an army post at Matazem-Santa.

On 9 January, unidentified men killed the five-year-old son of a pastor behind his house in the Wum-Menchum Division; and on 10 January, at least nine civilians, including a child, were killed in Mautu-Muyuka Sub-Division.

Concern about continuous cycle of violence

Citing the complex nature of the attacks and counter-attacks and the further use of explosives by both the military and the "armed separatist forces," the Presbyterian Church leaders expressed concern that the prevalence of these gruesome and inhuman acts on Cameroonians indicates that this cycle of violence is in no way near the end" and "insinuates the determination of both sides to continue on the path of war."

In this regard, the Presbyterian leaders called for peace, stressing that the cycle of violence is "a worrisome concern. They further stressed that justice, dialogue and not war leads to sustainable peace.

Appeal against violence

Appealing to political authorities, the Presbyterian leaders called on the government to take up her responsibility to bring the conflict to an end and earn her rightful place as the custodian of national life and welfare.

The statement also called on the leaders of the armed separatist forces to value human life and stop the torment and killings.

As religious leaders, the statement continued, we condemn in the strongest terms all forms of violence that continue to bring untold pain and torture to Cameroonians. We condemn all those who waste life made in the image of Godlet them be reminded that God will hold each one of us accountable for acts that contradict His will and wisdom behind creation. Furthermore, history will not pardon the main actors of this epoch of blood and war.

Concluding the statement, the Presbyterian leaders reaffirmed that they would continue to lead their adherents in prayers for the nation and would make themselves available as mediators in the search for durable peace and justice. They also urged Cameroonians to give a thought to peace and justice for this New Year 2021.
Both India and the United Arab Emirates will soon start exchanging experience and research focused on climatic information services and tropical cyclone forecasting to avoid damage to public infrastructure due to tsunami activity in the Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman.

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday gave its approval to a memorandum of understanding on Scientific and Technical Cooperation between National Centre of Meteorology (NCM), UAE and India's Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

Weather services make critical contributions in enhancing efficiency of weather dependent sectors of economy and in managing risk in weather-dependent economic sectors such as agriculture, transport, and water which underpin the economic growth in the region.

The MoU provides for sharing of knowledge, data and operational products for meteorological, seismological and oceanic services, such as radar, satellite, tide gauges, seismic and meteorological stations.

Both the countries will exchange experience of their scientists, research scholars and specialists for the purpose of research, training, and consultation focused on climatic information services.

India and UAE will also share experience on satellite data utilisation for tropical cyclones forecasting, and exchange scientific and technical information related to common interest activities.

Both the parties will deploy meteorological observation networks on mutual agreement over ocean waters and cooperate in sharing inputs on development of special capacities of tsunami model researches for faster and more reliable forecasts.

Tsunamis propagate through the Oman Sea and Arabian Sea and affect the coastal areas of India and northeast of UAE. The two countries will support the Tsunami Early Warning Centre (TEWC) in the form of forecast modelling software, specifically designed to support the tsunami forecasting operations.

They will share the real-time seismic data of some of seismic stations situated in south and west of India and north of the UAE for monitoring the seismic activities which may generate tsunamis in Arabian Sea and Sea of Oman.
The seven-day suspension from YouTube was an important and necessary first step that should become permanent, said Jim Steyer, chief executive of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit news media watchdog group. While it is disappointing that it took a Trump-incited attack on our Capitol to get here, it appears that all the major platforms are finally beginning to step up.

In a separate action on Wednesday, Google said it would suspend political ads on its platforms until after Inauguration Day because of last weeks violent rampage at the Capitol.

In a letter to advertisers, the company said the move applied to any ads that referred to candidates, the election or its outcome, the upcoming presidential inauguration, the impeachment process, the Capitol riots, or planned protests about any of these subjects. The pause will take effect on Thursday and extend until at least Jan. 21.

Speaking at the Reuters Next conference on Wednesday, Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Googles parent company, Alphabet, said that the company has made significant changes to how it handles political ads and election misinformation around the election, but acknowledged that more work was needed. We are constantly learning through these moments, and the internet, as a whole, needs to come to terms with what kind of information can spread, said Mr. Pichai. Definitely, theres more to do on our side.

During his presidency, Mr. Trump has used YouTube differently from Twitter or Facebook. His YouTube channel is filled mostly with clips from speeches and rallies, as well as videos of supporters defending him on Fox News. The videos lack the punch of his minute-by-minute commentary on Twitter and Facebook.

YouTubes suspension followed months of foot-dragging by the company. In the weeks after the Nov. 3 election, Mr. Trumps channel was filled with videos showing him and his supporters challenging the outcome. YouTube refused to act on those videos even as critics called on it to do so, saying that questioning the election results was not a violation of its policies.

Last month, after most states certified their election results, YouTube said it would start removing videos that misleadingly said there had been widespread voting fraud or voting errors. But the company said it would not penalize channels for posting such content with suspensions until Jan. 21, after Inauguration Day. YouTube said it had removed thousands of videos spreading misinformation about the 2020 election.
"We send their best wishes to those who came to their rescue, those who did everything they could to see them, they'll carry the burden of that experience, they and their families, for many, many years." Life Saving Victoria is also urging swimmers emerging from lockdown to approach the water with extra caution following the multiple Victorian water tragedies on Wednesday. Liam Kirge, Lifesaving Services general manager at Life Saving Victoria, said beachgoers emerging from restrictions imposed in the coronavirus pandemic needed to take extra caution. "What we've got to remember is that during restrictions there were five million-odd swimming lessons that were missed and their [swimmers'] fitness probably wasn't where it may have been," Mr Krige said.

"We've had a really busy summer this year and seen incidents right across Victoria's coastline  it highlights the need to remain vigilant around water  it's really easy to become complacent. "There was a lot of activity in a very short space of time. We are just the rescue element  we need to encourage people to keep themselves safe before they get to that point." The day's first fatality occurred when a man in his 80s died after being pulled unconscious from the water at Rye front beach before a 45-year-old woman died and five others were rescued after a group was swept off rocks at Bushrangers Bay near Flinders. Several helicopters were deployed to the dramatic scene at Bushrangers Bay at Cape Schanck on the Mornington Peninsula where two men had jumped into the water trying to rescue a group of four women and girls who were swept into the sea by a large wave. Victoria Police confirmed the 45-year-old woman, a 47-year-old woman, a 19-year-old woman and a 13-year-old girl were swept into the sea about 3.30pm. They were followed by two men, aged 28 and 47, who entered the water to assist the group of four in distress.

Multiple helicopters from Victoria Police, Life Saving Victoria and Air Ambulance scoured the water for the six people, alongside water police and local lifesavers. The same spot where the group of four were washed away, according to an eyewitness. All were pulled from the water, including the deceased woman. Paramedics transported the five survivors to hospital: four to Frankston Hospital and one to Rosebud Hospital. Mornington Peninsular Local Area Commander Inspector Janene Denton said if two bystanders, a 24-year-old lifeguard and 48-year-old man, didnt jump in to assist the four family members that had been swept into the surf, there may have been more fatalities. "If they hadnt done that, I think more people drowned, more people lost their life, Inspector Denton said.

Loading "It can be very, very hazardous  these waves crept up in this situation." Inspector Denton said one of the men grabbed his surfboard and huddled the imperilled swimmers together to keep them afloat until they could be winched out of the surf by rescue helicopters. In January 2019, Melbourne musician Jjay De Melo drowned while swimming with a friend at Bushrangers Bay. In 2017 seven people were swept off the rocks by a large wave, with one man airlifted to hospital in a critical condition. The day's third drowning happened on Wednesday night at Venus Bay in Gippsland where, police said, a teenage girl was seen struggling in the water about 7.30pm and a number of people entered the water to help her. One of those who went to help, a woman in her 20s, got into trouble herself.



(Newser)  Anyone flying to the US will soon need to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19, health officials announced Tuesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirement expands on a similar one announced late last month for passengers coming from the United Kingdom. COVID is already widespread in the US, with more than 22 million cases reported to date, including more than 375,000 deaths. The new measures are designed to try to prevent travelers from bringing in newer forms of the virus that scientists say can spread more easily. The CDC order is to take effect in about two weeks, on Jan. 26, the AP reports.

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The order requires air passengers to get a COVID-19 test within three days before their flight departs to the US, and to provide written proof of the test result to the airline Travelers can also provide documentation that they had the infection in the past and recovered. Airlines are ordered to stop passengers from boarding if they dont have proof of a negative test or a prior infection. "Testing does not eliminate all risk," CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said in a statement. "But when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations."

(Read more coronavirus stories.)
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Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa expanded his Cabinet on Wednesday with the induction of seven new ministers who were sworn in. Governor Vajubhai Vala administered the oath of office and secrecy to the Ministers at a ceremony at the Raj Bhavan.

The new Ministers are MLAs Umesh Katti (Hukkeri), S Angara (Sullia), Murugesh Nirani (Bilgi) and Arvind Limbavali (Mahadevapura), and MLCs R Shankar, M T B Nagaraj and C P Yogeshwar. Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa, his cabinet colleagues, BJP leaders and office bearers, including General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Arun Singh, state unit President Nalin Kumar Kateel, senior state government officials, family members and supporters of the new Ministers, among others, were present.

This is the third expansion of the cabinet since Yediyurappa assumed charge in July 2019 after the collapse of the Congress-JDS government in the wake of revolt by 17 MLAs of the coalition partners.

Resentment erupted within the state BJP soon after Yediyurappa announced the list of the seven ministers. The ruling party legislators have expressed serious reservations about MLCs not elected by the people being made Ministers, lack of representation to certain regions, with most Ministers still from Bengaluru and Belagavi districts and also on their "seniority or sacrifice" not being considered.

Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal,who has been critical of Yediyurappa, accused the Chief Minister of making appointments under blackmail, without considering seniority or honesty.

Alleging that the CM and his family have 'hijacked' the BJP in Karnataka, he also requested the PM to end dynastic politics from Yediyurappa's family in the state. "CM is making those who are blackmailing him Ministers.

Three people- one political secretary and two Ministers have been blackmailing with some of Yediyurappa's CDs for three months. One who will become Minister today, along with CD blackmail, was also involved in payment of money to Vijayendra (CM's son)," the former union minister said.

Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura,Yatnal,who had stated that he did not want to become Minister under Yediyurappa, claimed three people who are blackmailing the CM had met him four months ago with a plan to depose Yediyurappa. "I challenge you (Yediyurappa) ahead of Makara Sankranti that from Uttarayana your (political) end will begin and a new period will start under PM Modi in Karnataka," he said, as he demanded Yediyurappa's resignation following High Court dismissing his petition seeking quashing of FIRs against him in an illegal land denotification case.

His statement comes despite warnings by the BJP leadership against making statements in public on issues relating to the party and leaders. Also making a reference to blackmail,Ministerial aspirant and MLC A H Vishwanth, who was among MLAs from the Congress- JD(S) coalition to resign in 2019 and switched over to BJP, hit out at Yediyurappa for not keeping his promise.

Demanding to know why Excise Minister H Nagesh was being dropped and RR Nagar MLA Munirathna was not inducted, he said, "it is because of their sacrifice you are CM today...instead, you are making Yogeshwar a Minister, who has fraud and cheating cases against him. Why are you making him Minister, is he blackmailing you?", he asked.

Honnali MLA and Chief Minister's Political Secretary M P Renukacharya, another ministerial aspirant, has expressed his displeasure, stating that the government was limited to two districts and that the CM and party leaders have to look into it. "Injustice has happened to Hyderabad Karnataka, central and coastal Karnataka regions.

It (government or cabinet) is limited to Bengaluru and Belagavi....I'm upset, to whom should I tell this," he told reporters, adding that he has never lobbied for a Ministerial post and cannot set aside his self-respect. Considered a Yediyurappa loyalist, Renukacharya, who met party General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Kumar on his arrival at the airport today, also expressed reservations about five MLCs in the cabinet.

"We have been elected by the people (As MLAs), what's the use?" Six time MLA G H Thippareddy, who represents Chitradurga constituency and has been sulking for some time now said he feels "let down" after being in politics for five decades and as legislator for 30 years, as he did not get an opportunity to serve the people as Minister. Expressing surprise over MLC Yogeshwar being named as Minister, he said more than half the Ministers in the cabinet are either from Bengaluru or Belagavi and that some who worked against the interest of the party during elections have also been made ministers.

With the induction of Limbavali, Yediyurappas Cabinet will now have eight ministers representing Bengaluru, followed by Belgavi five, with the induction of Katti. Bommanahalli MLA M Satish Reddy asked what yardstick Yediyurappa had adopted in selection of Ministers and said the absence of late Union Minister Ananthkumar, "who had an ear for our woes - is very clear." "...you (Yediurappa), state and central leaders can't see honest young workers?" he questioned.

Senior MLA from Krishnaraja constituency S A Ramadass said he has been serving the party for 28 years. "Injustice has happened to old Mysuru region. Any other party MLA from the Mysuru could have been made Minister." From the beginning the cabinet expansion was being seen as a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard to Congress- JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators.

The cabinet currently has 27 members and seven berths are vacant. With the induction of seven Ministers and dropping of H Nagesh from the Ministry there will be one berth that will be vacant in the state cabinet.

Barbara Weisberger, who founded the Pennsylvania Ballet in Philadelphia with a steadfast vision that transformed the troupe into a nationally acclaimed company, died on Dec. 23 at her home in Kingston, Pa. She was 94.

Her death was reported by her family.

Originally trained in ballet in New York and Philadelphia, young Barbara, like many children, loved studying dance but never had a career as a dancer in a professional company. Instead, she became an influential ballet teacher who played an important role in the development of regional ballet in America.

She had also been the first child accepted by George Balanchine in the school he opened in Manhattan in 1934. It was a link that was renewed after her family moved to Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where she opened a ballet school in 1953 and attended seminars that Balanchine organized for teachers associated with small community troupes.

Ms. Weisberger went on to establish another school, in Philadelphia, in 1962 and the Pennsylvania Ballet the following year. By 1974, the company was, as Clive Barnes wrote in The New York Times that year, absolutely one of the best troupes in the country.
Great American Insurance Group, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, promoted Jason M. Cohen to divisional group president within its Property & Casualty Group.

Cohen will continue as the divisional president of Strategic Comp, a leading provider of Workers Comp insurance, and assume reporting responsibilities for the Alternative Markets and Public Sector Divisions.

Cohen joined Great American in 2006 as divisional vice president and claims counsel within Corporate Claims. In 2008, he joined Strategic Comp as divisional vice president and led the Divisions geographic expansion. In 2009, he was promoted to divisional senior vice president, and in 2012, he assumed the role of divisional executive vice president with responsibility for Operations. In 2016, he assumed the role of divisional president of Strategic Comp.

Source: Great American Insurance Group

Topics Property Casualty
Midlands city planning commission met for the first time this year on Tuesday, Jan. 12 and not only took care of formal agenda items, but discussed the future of Midland developments.

Notably, Director of Planning and Community Development Grant Murschel shared his excitement for some business news, including the confirmation that Harbor Freight Tools is moving into the former Planet Fitness location on Joe Mann Boulevard; Old Navy will move into the former Bed, Bath and Beyond space next to ALDI; and AutoZone is moving into the former Pier 1 Imports location near the Midland Mall.

Its nice to see spaces that were recently vacated be able to be repurposed for other types of retail services out in that corridor, Murschel said.

Chair of the Commission, Greg Mayville, asked Murschel whether AutoZone was relocating from its current location in Center City or opening a second location, to which Murschel was unsure.

"I don't know, definitively, that answer" he said. "I know we haven't had any inklings that they'd be closing the one in Center City so this could be a second location but I don't know for sure."

In addition, Murschel is anticipating a good year, from a site plan perspective. He said he believes there will be action downtown, in Center City, the Eastman Road corridor, and potentially changes out at the Midland Mall.

I dont really have a lot of details on this  this is sort of my gut instinct based off of some of the chatter that has been happening around some projects here in the community, he said. But I wanted to mention that because I do think we have reason to be optimistic about what the economy will do in 2021 here locally, especially from different type of entities that are wanting to make some additional investments.

Extension for Bickford Senior Living

The Midland planners took care of a formal agenda item Tuesday  granting a nine-month extension for a Bickford Senior Living site plan. The site plan, which was approved in 2019, is for a 10,663-square-foot addition to the existing building on Joseph Drive.

However, the approval is only valid for two years and due to various delays, the project will not begin until March of this year, so the site plan needed an extension.

Director of Development at Bickford, Richard Eby, explained in a letter to the city that the coronavirus pandemic has taxed their physical and financial resources, causing a delay. However, he said they are actively proceeding with final design and will soon apply for a building permit.

Im surprised that we havent seen a little bit more of this type of request given the situation weve been in here the last year, so it seems entirely reasonable, said Commissioner Ted Sajbel.

Planners kick off master planning process

On Tuesday, the commission officially launched its master planning process, City Modern, with a formal notice of intent to plan. The planning process has been branded as City Modern and will include engaging residents  online and hopefully in person  to help plan the future of Midland developments.

Its really exciting to be able to provide a platform for the community to come together and be able to craft that vision for the next 30 years, Murschel said.

One detail Murschel hopes unfolds as part of the process is the assigning of identities to various Midland neighborhoods. He explained that in recent years, the Midtown neighborhood has taken up its own identity, while downtown and Center City are a few other examples.

I know we do talk a lot about downtown; we talk a lot about Center City and thats not to mean we dont care about other parts of the city, but we certainly have a little bit easier identifiable names to go with those places, Murschel said.
Apple Inc.s Taiwanese manufacturing partner Foxconn Technology Group is setting up a car venture with Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, strengthening its automotive capabilities at a time when technology companies including Apple are looking to expand into vehicles. Geely is parent company of brands including Volvo Cars, Lynk and others.

The companies officially announced today that Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding) and Foxconn Technology Group (Foxconn) signed a strategic cooperative agreement and will establish a joint venture company to provide OEM and customized consulting services relating to whole vehicles, parts, intelligent drive systems, automotive ecosystem platforms to global automotive enterprises and ridesharing companies.

The new joint venture will revolutionize the automotive industry model by introducing the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) division of labor to help automakers accelerate their transition to new innovative and efficient manufacturing processes and business models based on CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electrified) technologies.

Terry Gou, Founder of Foxconn, and Li Shufu, Chairman of Geely Holding Group, attended and witnessed the digitally held signing ceremony. Young-way Liu, Chairman of Foxconn and An Conghui, President of Geely Holding Group, President and CEO of Geely Auto Group, signed the agreement on behalf of the two companies.

Each party to hold equal 50% stake in new joint venture. The board of directors will consist of five members with Foxconn appointing three including the Chairman and Geely Holding appointing two.

Statement by Young-way Liu, Chairman of Foxconn Technology Group: "This alliance between Geely Holding and Foxconn represents a milestone in cooperation between the automotive industry and ICT industry.

With Foxconns globally leading R&D technologies, intelligent manufacturing, and hardware-software integration capabilities, the two parties form a highly complementary partnership which allows us to better serve and meet the diverse needs of different customers, and offer the most advanced, fastest, cost-effective full value-chain vehicle production service platform.

The partnership with Geely Holding does not just align with our companys vision of 3+3= which symbolizes the infinite possibilities created by Foxconns industrial advancement and emerging technologies, it will also result in tremendous change in the development of the automotive industry. I look forward to the great potential that this partnership will bring about.

Statement by Daniel Donghui Li, CEO of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group: "This cooperation is of great significance to both parties. The current global automotive industry is undergoing profound changes. We must actively embrace change, build alliances, and synergize resources to create greater value for our users. Foxconns professional capabilities, rich experience, and global layout in the ICT industry offer important insight for the transformation and evolution of the automotive industry. Geely Holding Group will give full play to its advantages in the automotive fields of design, engineering, R&D, intelligent manufacturing, supply chain management, and quality control while joining forces with Foxconn to develop together and explore new pathways for transforming, improving, and achieving high-quality development of the manufacturing industry."

Earlier this week Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), Chinas leading privately-owned automotive group, announced that it intends to establish a new strategic partnership focusing on the development of connected and intelligent electric vehicles with Baidu, the countrys pre-eminent search engine, information-centered internet platform and AI company.

The strategic partnership will focus primarily on the joint research and development and production of intelligent and connected electric vehicles.

The formation of the partnership comes as Geely Holding  the parent company of brands including Volvo Cars, Lynk & Co and LEVC, and lead shareholder in Geely Auto, Proton and Lotus  continues its transformation from being a traditional manufacturer into a leading transport-technology company focused on electrified mobility. Geely Holding and its brands have continued to invest in cutting edge technologies such as Internet of Vehicles, intelligent driving, mobility services, vehicle processors and low orbit satellites whilst collaborating with global partners on next-generation mobility ecosystems.

Earlier this month we noted that Hon Hai's shares gained more than 13% in the first two trading sessions of the year, propelled further by news it had sealed a manufacturing deal with embattled Chinese electric-vehicle startup Byton Ltd.

With Apple having a long standing relationship with Foxconn for manufacturing iPhones and other devices, it stands to reason that when and if Apple is ready to move their Project Titan forward, they may have a partner that is ready and able to execute manufacturing in a timely manner.

Hundreds of National Guardsmen deployed to protect Washington, D.C. after loyalists to President Donald Trump last week breached the U.S. Capitol in an attack that left five dead were spotted resting on the buildings marble floors beside their weapons and gear in advance of the unprecedented second House vote to impeach the president.

Reporters and photographers from The New York Times and The Washington Post shared several photos of National Guard members filling the halls of the Capitol on Wednesday morning.

Meanwhile, Matt Fuller of HuffPost and others highlighted several lawmakers, predominantly Republicans, continuing to sidestep newly installed metal detectors and brushing off police in the building.

These are National Guard members in the Capitol on Wednesday, as the House is poised to impeach President Trump for a second time.



The Pentagon says about 15,000 troops will be in Washington in preparation for President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration. https://t.co/xMbza6aaET pic.twitter.com/h3kwiyu6MJ  The New York Times (@nytimes) January 13, 2021

Youve seen the pictures, but the extent to which the Capitol  and some of the office buildings  are a makeshift barracks now is truly something. Ive easily seen more than a thousand national guard on my normal walk thru campus. pic.twitter.com/szBT0fWMBE  Karoun Demirjian (@karoun) January 13, 2021

After last weeks unprecedented Trump-incited vandalism of the American seat of power, which Democrats and Republicans alike have denounced as an insurrection, the entire U.S. Capitol complex is currently ringed by thousands of National Guardsmen, Capitol Police and Washington, D.C. Metro Police.

I'm told there are about 3,000 total national guard troops sheltering in the Capitol right right now. Had to stay here overnight because there was nowhere to put all 15,000 troops being brought into DC for inauguration from various state national guards (eg New York sent 1,000) pic.twitter.com/okRAQozo7U  Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) January 13, 2021

As an added safety measure, metal detectors were installed in the Capitol building, prompting lines, delayed votes and complaints by GOP members of Congress. The Post, CNN, HuffPost and others reported that some Republicans refused to go through the detectors or pushed past police after setting them off, sparking standoffs.

HuffPost reported that Rep. Russ Fulcher of Idaho spotted reporters near the door where he went through police, and tried to enter the House floor through a different door, thinking hes out of sight. He wasnt.

Rep. Russ Fulcher sees reporters staking out the door where he pushed past a cop to get through to the House floor.



He walks to a different door and does it again, thinking hes out of sight. (But I followed him.)  Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 13, 2021

GUARDING THE CAPITOL: Hundreds of National Guard troops are seen in sped-up footage taken in front of the Capitol building, ahead of president-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. https://t.co/DOCmJQIsuX pic.twitter.com/1gBHkJ9HX7  ABC News (@ABC) January 13, 2021

A 7-foot non-scalable barrier surrounding the Capitol will remain in place over the next several weeks as local and federal officials brace for demonstrations that the FBI warns could turn violent. National Guardsmen have been authorized to carry lethal weapons in the wake of credible threats of violence, according to multiple reports.

Massachusetts officials say there are no direct threats to the State House.

The FBI and federal prosecutors have established a sedition task force and said Tuesday that arrests linked to Wednesdays attack on the Capitol could reach the hundreds. Multiple pipe bombs were found near the Capitol and several Trump supporters threatened to execute Vice President Mike Pence and other lawmakers.

National Guard members sleep in the Capitol Vistor's Center on Capitol Hill before Democrats begin debating one article of impeachment against President Donald Trump at the Capitol, in Washington. Photo by Joshua Roberts pic.twitter.com/MO7QH99mpw  corinne_perkins (@corinne_perkins) January 13, 2021

Inside the Capitol this morning where Speaker Pelosi usually walks to her office. pic.twitter.com/BQIEf5b2s4  Erin Schaff (@erinschaff) January 13, 2021

National Guard are sleeping in the rotunda pic.twitter.com/yG9qF0cru1  Erik Wasson (@elwasson) January 13, 2021

Bloomberg reported that according to House security, Tuesday and Wednesday marked the first time troops bivouacked in the U.S. Capitol since the Civil War.

The attack of the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob was the first breach of the American Capitol since the War of 1812.

House Majority Leader Hoyer walks past members of the National Guard sleeping along the halls as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol ahead of the House debate on an article of impeachment against President Trump.



 Saul Loeb / AFP pic.twitter.com/R5qvMJaojg  NBC News (@NBCNews) January 13, 2021

Security is tight at the U.S. Capitol today, with barricades surrounding the Capitol building, hundreds of National Guard personnel stationed in and around the Capitol and enhanced security screenings. https://t.co/sq0u1ajdhc pic.twitter.com/3QkZvCeSgd  NPR Politics (@nprpolitics) January 13, 2021

Compare and contrast



Left: Last Wednesday

(By Ashley Gilbertson, NY Times)



Right: This Wednesday pic.twitter.com/X8b4pwpZnO  Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) January 13, 2021

This is the scene in the Capitols Rotunda this morning, less than an hour before the impeachment debate begins. 20+ members of the National Guard. (A week ago there were violent clashes here). pic.twitter.com/9bGTMMMjcM  Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) January 13, 2021

While the House was debating the rule for the impeachment resolution, US Army veteran Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) gave an impromptu tour outside the House chamber in Statuary Hall to some National Guard troops, who were providing security in US Capitol. Photo via @elwasson. pic.twitter.com/eu8XVHTFkl  Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) January 13, 2021

The House expects to vote Wednesday afternoon in favor of impeaching the president for the second time.

At least a handful of Republicans have pledged to join Democrats, saying they must hold the president accountable for his remarks encouraging followers to march on the Capitol and fight like hell against the certification of Joe Bidens victory in Congress.

Bipartisan local, state and federal election officials say no fraud or irregularities impacted the outcome of the presidential race. Scores of courts have ruled against Trump and his allies attempts to overturn the results, and even Trumps own Department of Homeland Security and former attorney general have publicly made clear that Biden won a free and fair election.

Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, who opened House debate Wednesday, described the Capitol as a crime scene, saying every second that Trump remained in office is a danger to the nation. The majority of Republicans, several of whom parroted Trumps baseless claims that fraud and irregularities led to Bidens win, claim impeachment would further divide Americans. Several GOP members called for a censure of the president instead of impeachment.

But a handful of Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, favor impeachment or have called for Trump to resign in the wake of the Capitol attack.

For details on the article of impeachment, read here.

Related Content:
On today's episode of absurd insurgent entitlement, it turns out that ridiculous requests along the lines of "no red M&Ms" aren't only reserved for rockstars or, well, allegedly world-famous drag queens. It seems one rioter who reportedly participated in Wednesday's deadly act of domestic terrorism can also have a diva-esque demand -- all from the comfort of their jail cell. Jake Angeli a.k.a. Jacob Chansley, a.k.a. the buffalo head-clad "QAnon Shaman" who was arrested on Saturday for his involvement in last week's capitol siege is now on a hunger strike -- not to further a political cause, but because prison food apparently isn't organic, Complex reported. Since being taken into custody, Angeli, who now faces several charges including disorderly conduct and violent entry, has allegedly refused to eat anything at the Arizona detention center where he is being held, at least according to Martha Chansley, Angeli's mother and potential roommate.

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"He gets very sick if he doesn't eat organic food," Ms.Chansley told reporters of her 33-year-old son's tummy troubles. "He needs to eat." To paraphrase several of his likely comrades, that sure as heck sounds like some snowflake behavior.

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But of course, Angeli, who over the past six days has become a poster child for violent, rioting yahoos, is no ordinary inmate and therefore, is entitled to the white-glove incarceration experience once thought to be reserved for famous felons like Martha Stewart and good ol' Aunt Becky. After Judge Deborah Fine learned of Angeli's non-organic hunger strike, which she said she found "deeply concerning," she ordered his public defender to work with the U.S. Marshal's Office in finding a suitable menu for the insurgent's refined palate. "We will abide by the judge's orders," The District of Arizona's U.S. Marshal told Phoenix ABC News affiliate, ABC15.

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The move to provide Angeli with organic meals comes as the United States' justice system continues to shrug off consistent reports of incarcerated people reported growing disproportionately ill with food-borne sicknesses like Clostridium perfringens and Salmonella, after consuming regular prison chow, according to The Atlantic.

So readers, remember -- If you want to avoid a bad case of food poisoning if you ever find yourself behind bars, try getting arrested for partaking in a deadly act of domestic terrorism at our nation's Capitol instead of, well, taking $50 from a bakery 35 years earlier or, allegedly stealing a backpack at age 16, without seeing your day in court. The U.S. Justice System -- works great if you're white!

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.

Top Image: Shutterstock
Ambulances line up outside Maimonides Medical Center, as the spread of the CCP virus continues, in the Borough Park area of Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 25, 2020. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

CCP Virus Updates: Cases Surging in Northeast China

China is seeing a new surge in CCP virus cases in its frozen northeast.

Officials said Thursday that Heilongjiang province in the region traditionally known as Manchuria recorded 43 new virus cases, most of them centered on the city of Suihua. The northern province of Hebei just outside Beijing has seen Chinas most serious recent outbreak and reported 81 more cases.

Its been widely reported that China has underreported cases of the virus in a bid to safeguard its image both nationally and internationally.

Chinese Vaccine Shows 50.4 Percent Efficacy

A leading Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been found to be 50.4 percent effective, according to the results of a late-stage trial in Brazil, a potential setback to the Chinese regime as it seeks to leverage the vaccine to boost its global image.

This 50 percent is good, is it? All the [criticism] I got for my comments, and now they are seeing the truth. Four months of being lambasted because of the vaccine, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro told supporters outside his residence.

Putin Orders Mass Vaccinations in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials on Wednesday to begin mass CCP virus inoculations next week and to open up the vaccination program to all Russians.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia reported 22,850 new cases in the previous 24 hours, pushing the national tally to almost 3.5 million since the pandemic began.

Russia has also been suspected of underreporting its case numbers.

Japan Widens Emergency to 7 More Areas

Japan expanded a virus state of emergency to seven more prefectures Wednesday, affecting more than half the population amid a surge in infections across the country.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga also said Japan will suspend fast-track entry exceptions for business visitors or others with residency permits, fully banning foreign visitors while the state of emergency is in place.

Montana Governor Lifting Pandemic Restrictions

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte is removing pandemic mandates issued by his predecessor. He said Wednesday that the restrictions are harmful to the states businesses.

Under the new rules that take effect Friday, restaurants, bars, breweries, distilleries, and casinos will no longer be required to close at 10 p.m. They will also no longer be required to limit capacity to 50 percent.

New Outbreak in China Spreads Quickly

An outbreak of the CCP virus in Heilongjiang Province is quickly spreading, despite authorities attempts to contain it.

The viruss resurgence, occurring throughout parts of northern China, has resulted in millions being locked down at home, while tens of thousands of suspected patients were moved to quarantine centers.

US Reports New High in Deaths

The United States reported another new one-day high with over 4,300 people who have died after contracting the CCP virus, despite millions of people being vaccinated in recent weeks.

The nations overall death toll from the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II, or about 407,000. Confirmed infections have topped 22.8 million.

UK Pledges 24/7 Vaccine Program

Britains CCP virus vaccine program will operate around the clock seven days a week as soon as we can, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged Wednesday as the UK accelerates efforts to inoculate millions of its most vulnerable people against the virus.

Johnson said at the moment, the limit is on supply of the vaccines rather than on the ability of the countrys health service to deliver jabs quickly. The push to inoculate millions quickly comes as a more contagious variant of the virus is sweeping across the UK and driving hospitals to breaking point.

China Places Millions More in Lockdown

China posted its biggest daily jump in CCP virus cases in more than five months on Wednesday, stepping up containment measures that have seen four cities put under lockdown, as the Asian country scrambles to head off a new wave of infections.

Most of the new cases were reported near the capital Beijing, but a province in far northeast China also saw a rise in infections, official data showed, amid a resurgence that has seen more than 28 million people placed under home quarantine.

Herd Immunity Not Attainable in 2021: WHO

Despite vaccines rolling out in different countries, no one should expect herd immunity to the CCP virus this year, according to the World Health Organizations (WHO) Chief Scientist Soumya Swaminathan.

Swaminathan stressed the need for the world to continue to implement measures to protect against the CCP virus, as the emergency roll-out of vaccines would not stop the need for physical distancing, hand washing, and mask-wearing, Al Jazeera reported.

Lorenz Duchamps, Eva Fu, Victoria Kelly-Clark, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dublin, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis by Grade (Electronic Grade, UHP Grade), End-user (Power and Energy, Electronics, Metal Manufacturing, Medical, and Others)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The sulfur hexafluoride market in Europe is expected to grow from US$ 39.12 million in 2019 to US$ 57.35 million by 2027; it is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.9% from 2020 to 2027.



Rising demand for sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) in the electronics industry is bolstering the growth of the market. Sulfur hexafluoride possesses excellent properties that make it compatible with electrical appliances. The thermal stability and high dielectric strength of sulfur hexafluoride offer outstanding cooling and insulating properties. The application of sulfur hexafluoride in the form of a dielectric medium in capacitors, switchgear, circuit breakers, and other electric appliances is a factor driving the growth of the sulfur hexafluoride market. Several appliances having an operating range of 33 KV to 800 KV can be made with the help of sulfur hexafluoride. These appliances are utilized in the power and energy generation plants, which further propels the demand for sulfur hexafluoride in the energy and power industries. Various uses of sulfur hexafluoride in medical equipment is among the other factors expected to positively influence the demand for sulfur hexafluoride.



Based on end user, the power and energy segment led the sulfur hexafluoride market in 2019. The power & energy sector is considered to be one of the largest consumers of sulfur hexafluoride in several application bases. SF6 is mainly used as an insulating medium for a diversified range of high voltage electrical and electronic equipment, including circuit breakers, switch gears, and particles accelerators. This attracts a significant number of consumers across the world. Increasing adoption of SF6 in the power and energy industry ensures the growth of sulfur hexafluoride market. In the current era, focus has been shifted over use of gas insulated high-voltage cables as well as tubular transmission lines for distribution of high-power in heavily concentrated industrial areas. Owing to this, the demand for power and energy is high, thereby catalyzing the growth of the sulfur hexafluoride market. Sulfur hexafluoride is regarded as the most powerful greenhouse gas. Applications of this gas have been rising rapidly in recent years, with the boom in the green energy, which ultimately drives the growth of the sulfur hexafluoride market.



The COVID-19 pandemic has been hampering the businesses related to the chemical industry; it has also affected the sulfur hexafluoride market in Europe. The major countries in the European region are under lockdown. The governments of countries that have experienced high infection spread have imposed isolation and social distancing measures to contain disease transmission. The lesser production of goods and commodities is hampering the growth of the Europe sulfur hexafluoride market. Germany has the largest number of COVID-19 cases in Europe, followed by Italy and France. Italy was the first country in this region to report a confirmed case of COVID-19 infection.



Reasons to Buy

Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride market.

Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies.

The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies.

Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets.

Scrutinize in-depth Europe market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the Sulfur Hexafluoride market, as well as those hindering it.

Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution.

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1 Study Scope

1.2 Report Guidance

1.3 Market Segmentation



2. Key Takeaways



3. Research Methodology

3.1 Scope of the Study

3.2 Research Methodology

3.2.1 Data Collection

3.2.2 Primary Interviews

3.2.3 Hypothesis formulation

3.2.4 Macro-economic factor analysis

3.2.5 Developing base number

3.2.6 Data Triangulation

3.2.7 Country level data



4. Sulfur Hexafluoride Market Landscape

4.1 Market Overview

4.1.1 Europe PEST Analysis

4.2 Expert Opinion



5. Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market - Key Market Dynamics

5.1 Market Drivers

5.1.1 Increasing demand of Sulfur Hexafluoride from in Electronics Industry

5.1.2 Varied Application of Sulfur Hexafluoride in Medical Equipment

5.2 Market Restraints

5.2.1 Sulfur hexafluoride is dangerous for environment and humans

5.3 Market Opportunities

5.3.1 Adoption of HDVC transmission in developing nations

5.4 Future Trends

5.4.1 Mitigating options pertaining to Sulfur hexafluoride emissions

5.5 Impact Analysis Of Drivers And Restraints



6. Sulfur Hexafluoride- Europe Market Analysis

6.1 Sulfur Hexafluoride Market Overview

6.2 Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market -Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)

6.1 Market Positioning - Key Market Players



7. Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market Analysis - By Grade

7.1 Overview

7.2 Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market Breakdown, By Grade, 2018 & 2027

7.3 Electronic Grade

7.3.1 Overview

7.3.2 Electronic Grade in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)

7.4 UHP Grade

7.4.1 Overview

7.4.2 UHP Grade in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)

7.5 Standard Grade

7.5.1 Overview

7.5.2 Standard Grade in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)



8. Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market Analysis - By End Users

8.1 Overview

8.2 Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market Breakdown, By End Users, 2018 & 2027

8.3 Power and Energy

8.3.1 Overview

8.3.2 Power and Energy in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)

8.4 Electronics

8.4.1 Overview

8.4.2 Electronics in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)

8.5 Metal Manufacturing

8.5.1 Overview

8.5.2 Metal Manufacturing in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)

8.6 Medical

8.6.1 Overview

8.6.2 Medical in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)

8.7 Others

8.7.1 Overview

8.7.2 Others in Sulfur Hexafluoride Market, Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Mn)



9. Sulfur hexafluoride Market - Country Analysis

9.1 Overview

9.1.1 Europe Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown, by Country

9.1.1.1 Germany Sulfur hexafluoride Market Revenue Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

9.1.1.1.1 Germany Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by Grade

9.1.1.1.2 Germany Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by End-User

9.1.1.2 France Sulfur hexafluoride Market Revenue Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

9.1.1.2.1 France Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by Grade

9.1.1.2.2 France Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by End-User

9.1.1.3 UK Sulfur hexafluoride Market Revenue Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

9.1.1.3.1 UK Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by Grade

9.1.1.3.2 UK Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by End-User

9.1.1.4 Italy Sulfur hexafluoride Market Revenue Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

9.1.1.4.1 Italy Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by Grade

9.1.1.4.2 Italy Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by End-User

9.1.1.5 Russia Sulfur hexafluoride Market Revenue Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

9.1.1.5.1 Russia Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by Grade

9.1.1.5.2 Russia Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by End-User

9.1.1.6 Rest of Europe Sulfur hexafluoride Market Revenue Forecasts to 2027 (US$ Mn)

9.1.1.6.1 Rest of Europe Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by Grade

9.1.1.6.2 Rest of Europe Sulfur hexafluoride Market Breakdown by End-User



10. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Europe Sulfur Hexafluoride Market

10.1 Europe: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic



11. Company Profiles

11.1 Fujian ShaowuYongfei Chemical Co., Ltd.

11.1.1 Key Facts

11.1.2 Business Description

11.1.3 Products and Services

11.1.4 Financial Overview

11.1.5 SWOT Analysis

11.2 SHOWA DENKO K.K.

11.2.1 Key Facts

11.2.2 Business Description

11.2.3 Products and Services

11.2.4 Financial Overview

11.2.5 SWOT Analysis

11.3 Solvay S.A.

11.3.1 Key Facts

11.3.2 Business Description

11.3.3 Products and Services

11.3.4 Financial Overview

11.3.5 SWOT Analysis

11.4 Air Liquide

11.4.1 Key Facts

11.4.2 Business Description

11.4.2.1 Products and Services

11.4.3 Financial Overview

11.4.4 SWOT Analysis

11.5 Iwatani Corporation

11.5.1 Key Facts

11.5.2 Business Description

11.5.3 Products and Services

11.5.4 Financial Overview

11.5.5 SWOT Analysis

11.5.6 Key Developments

11.6 Linde plc

11.6.1 Key Facts

11.6.2 Business Description

11.6.3 Products and Services

11.6.4 Financial Overview

11.6.5 SWOT Analysis

11.6.6 Key Developments

11.7 Matheson Tri-Gas, Inc.

11.7.1 Key Facts

11.7.2 Business Description

11.7.3 Products and Services

11.7.4 Financial Overview

11.7.5 SWOT Analysis



12. Appendix

12.1 About the Publisher

12.2 Word Index



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wsfmuy

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
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Anheuser-Busch InBev and SAB Beer announced their merger in Viet Nam on January 12 following the approval of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In 2016 the two breweries had made what was described in the media as the deal of the century, with the merged entity, Anheuser-Busch InBev, becoming the largest beer producer in the world and owner of eight of the 10 top global beer brands.

All SAB employees will become Anheuser-Busch InBev Vietnam employees with their labour contracts intact, the companies said.

SABs brewery in VSIP Binh Duong will produce Budweiser and Beck's while Anheuser-Busch InBevs My Phuoc Brewery will continue to brew Hoegaarden beer and some others to export to Japan and Southeast Asia.

AB InBev believes this merger in Viet Nam would enable it to increase capacity, simplify resources in the supply chain, logistics and most importantly, market expansion.  VNS
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

Pelosi Names House Impeachment Managers Ahead of Vote

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday named nine House impeachment managers ahead of a Wednesday vote to remove President Donald Trump from office.

The managers, all lawyers, would present the Houses case for impeachment during a Senate trial. Pelosi did not state when the House will send the article of impeachment to the Senate.

Tonight, I have the solemn privilege of naming the Managers of the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi named Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) as the lead impeachment manger. Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette (Colo.), David Cicilline (R.I.), Joaquin Castro (Texas), Eric Swalwell (Calif.), Ted Lieu (Calif.), Joe Neguse (Colo.), Madeleine Dean (Pa.) and Del. Stacey Plaskett (Virgin Islands) are named as the other impeachment managers.

It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the Presidents impeachment and removal. They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution, Pelosi said. Our Managers will honor their duty to defend democracy For The People with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency.

The House of Representatives first released a resolution to impeach Trump on Jan. 11, charging him with incitement of insurrection, over the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol building.

In all this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government, the resolution states. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One, in Washington on Jan. 12, 2021. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The document criticized Trump for reiterat[ing] false claims that we won this election, and we won it by a landslide, and accuses him of willfully [making] statements that, in context, encouraged  and foreseeably resulted in  lawless action at the Capitol.

The statements to which they attribute his inciting violence are vague.

The resolution mentions one: If you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

The president, during his Jan. 6 speech, called on the protesters to remain peaceful. A video released later last week from Trump included condemnations against the violence and Capitol breach.

It is unclear who instigated the breach of the building. A video of the event shows a left-wing activist encouraging and convincing Capitol police to let trespassers through at several points.

Im honored to be on a team with extremely distinguished lawyers and representatives, Raskin said. We have a tremendous responsibility on our shoulders right now.

Vice President Mike Pence said in a letter to Pelosi Tuesday that he will not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office, saying that it would set a terrible precedent and that he doesnt believe it is in the best interest of the nation or consistent with the Constitution.

The 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967, states that if a sitting vice president and a cabinet majority agree that the president is not fit to perform his duties, the president can be removed and the vice president can take over the presidency.

As you know full well, the 25th Amendment was designed to address Presidential incapacity or disability, Pence wrote in his letter, later adding, Under our Constitution, the 25th Amendment is not a means of punishment or usurpation. Invoking the 25th Amendment in such a manner would set a terrible precedent.

Pence said that the Trump Administrations energy is now directed to ensuring an orderly transition.

Mimi Nguyen Ly and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company

by Stefano Caprio

He was 85 years old. He had been hospitalized for a month, suffering from Covid-19. He was in the group of "Brezhnevian hierarchs". As bishop he had been an agent of the KGB, with the code name of "Ostrovskij". He revived theological studies, catechesis, the formation of the clergy, ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. The last years of his ministry saw him in close collaboration with the Catholic archbishop Msgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz.

Rome (AsiaNews) - Metropolitan Filaret (Vakhromeev), 85, one of the most authoritative hierarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church in the last 50 years, died yesterday in hospital in Minsk due to the coronavirus. The Orthodox spokesman, protoierej Aleksandr Shimbalev, recalled that the elderly prelate had been hospitalized for almost a month after contracting Covid-19, which he initially seemed to be able to overcome.

Filaret was born in Moscow in 1935 and entered the seminary in 1953, the year of Stalin's death. He was ordained a priest in 1961 by the then patriarch Aleksei I. Only four years later, in 1965, was he consecrated bishop and joined the group of "Brezhnevian hierarchs", who were asked to represent political interests in the internal and international ecclesiastical world Soviet. The young bishop carried out his service in Berlin, also becoming patriarchal exarch for Central Europe and therefore for Western Europe. He also chaired the Moscow Patriarchate's Department for External Ecclesiastical Affairs for eight years. Like all high-ranking Orthodox clergy of that period, he was counted among the active members of the KGB, codenamed "Ostrovsky".

In 1978 Filaret arrived in Belarus and became metropolitan, remaining at the head of the exarchate of Minsk for 35 years. He was the nations spiritual guide through the years of independence after the end of the USSR, emerging as the main protagonist of its religious rebirth, reopening the seminary in Minsk as early as 1989. In the past, he supported President Aleksandr Lukashenko in defending the interests of Belarus, and in 2006 he was also awarded the title of "hero of Belarus".

Twice his name entered the triad of candidates for patriarch of Moscow, the last time in 2009, as opposed to the current patriarch Kirill (Gundjaev), for whom he renounced his candidacy before the last vote. He retired in 2013, and has not spoken in public since, not even in the last troubled year of protests in the country.

Since the 1990s, Filaret has been the head of the Synodal Biblical Commission and of numerous other institutions of the Russian Church for the revival of catechesis, theological studies, the formation of the clergy, and cultural and ecumenical dialogue. Author of numerous publications and interventions in international fora, he was undoubtedly one of the most charismatic figures of Russian Orthodoxy.

He was loved not only by his faithful and by Belarusians, but also maintained excellent relations with Catholics and Protestants, Jews and Muslims. The last years of his ministry saw him in close collaboration with the Catholic Archbishop Msgr. Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz.

Filaret's favorite motto was "remain steadfast in the faith" and he often repeated it in homilies and interviews. Referring to his own experience in the difficult Soviet years, he taught to "form spiritual foundation for the soul, from which to nurture ones personality, character and personal tastes in order to attain an understanding of events and to always be ready to respond from ones faith".

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Accommodation providers and businesses in the NSW South Coast holiday region of Jervis Bay have been swamped by hundreds of cancellations and attempted cancellations to bookings following confusion over coronavirus border restrictions.

A Shoalhaven City Council spokeswoman said "hundreds if not thousands" of people had been trying to cancel their bookings this week based on a misunderstanding that all of Jervis Bay was classified as the Jervis Bay Territory and governed by the ACT's Public Health Order, which had banned Sydneysiders.

"After bushfires decimated the January trade for the whole of the Shoalhaven in 2020, tourism operators in the Jervis Bay area are now facing another blow. Its important that visitors dont panic and cancel their bookings in Jervis Bay," the spokeswoman said.

She added that some of the holidaymakers had called the council to say they had cancelled their bookings.
Barn destroyed by Wednesday morning fire

Fire destroyed a barn about five miles southeast of Watertown Wednesday, according to a report from Watertown Fire Rescue.
Cayman Islands, Oman Removed From EU Tax Blacklist

by Ulrika Lomas, Tax-News.com, Brussels

13 January 2021

On October 6, 2020, the EU announced that it has added Anguilla and Barbados to its list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes and has removed the Cayman Islands and Oman.

The list was first established in December 2017. It lists non-EU jurisdictions that either have not engaged in a constructive dialogue with the EU on tax governance or have failed to deliver on their commitments to implement reforms to comply with a set of tax good governance criteria, concerning tax transparency, fair taxation, and the implementation of international standards against base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS).

Anguilla and Barbados were added to the "blacklist" in response to reports published by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. The Forum downgraded Anguilla to "non-compliant" and Barbados to "partially compliant" with the international standard on transparency and exchange of information on request.

The Cayman Islands was added to the list in February 2020, with the EU citing its failure to implement reforms within the agreed deadline. It has now been removed from the list, following the adoption of changes to its framework on Collective Investment Funds in September.

Oman was added to the list in March 2019, also for having failed to implement commitments made to the EU. The EU said that Oman is now considered as compliant with all its commitments, following its ratification of the OCED Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, the enactment of legislation to enable the automatic exchange of information, and the activation of exchange-of-information relationships with all EU member states.

Following the October 2020 update, there are 12 jurisdictions on the blacklist: American Samoa, Anguilla, Barbados, Fiji, Guam, Palau, Panama, Samoa, Seychelles, Trinidad and Tobago, the US Virgin Islands, and Vanuatu.

Alongside the "blacklist," the EU operates a "grey list" of jurisdictions cooperating with the EU to reform their tax policies. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU has extended several deadlines for meeting these commitments. It has also removed Mongolia and Bosnia and Herzegovina from the list after these countries ratified the OECD Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters.
The nation's top health officer has rejected calls to pause the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine and declared it to be "100 per cent" effective in preventing death from COVID-19, despite claims it would not be as effective as the Pfizer alternative in preventing coronavirus infection.

Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the Pfizer vaccine was likely to be distributed first but stood by plans to rely on the AstraZeneca product to shield most Australians from the coronavirus.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Professor Kelly questioned the focus on the efficacy rate based on an interim paper in The Lancet on December 8, after the Society of Immunologists said the AstraZeneca option could not be relied upon to establish herd immunity.

The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported the concerns, given the paper showed the AstraZeneca vaccine was 62.1 per cent effective at preventing disease when given in standard doses. Trials suggest vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are about 95 per cent effective.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed the law on the establishment of the Azerbaijani embassy in Afghanistan (in Kabul city), Trend reports.

The president also signed an order to ensure the activity of the Azerbaijani embassy in Afghanistan (in Kabul city).

The Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to resolve the issues of material and technical support and financing related to the activity of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Kabul), as well as resolve other issues arising from the order.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry will approve the structure and staff table of the embassy.
Friday star Tommy 'Tiny' Lister legally changed his middle name to pay homage to his most famous character shortly before his death in December.

Lister's death certificate revealed the actor's name was changed from Tommy Duane Lister Jr. to Tommy Debo Lister, according to TMZ who obtained a copy of the document.

Deebo (spelled differently) was the name of the neighborhood bully Lister played in the 1995 Ice Cube and Chris Tucker comedy Friday.

Homage: Friday star Tommy 'Tiny' Lister legally changed his middle name to pay homage to his most famous character shortly before his death in December, according to TMZ who obtained a copy of the document (Pictured in 2013)

Lister's manager told TMZ that the six-foot-five actor decided to make the official switch to honor his character about six months before he died.

Tommy's cause of death was listed as 'deferred' on the death certificate, meaning that nothing has been determined yet and more tests are being conducted.

In early December, the actor was found dead at his apartment in Marina del Rey at the age of 62.

At the time, those close to Tommy believed he passed away due to COVID-19 related symptoms thought that has yet to be confirmed by the medical examiner.

Key role: Lister's manager told TMZ that the six-foot-five actor decided to make the official switch to honor his character about six months before he died

Lister appeared visibly ill in his last interview which was give just days before his death and exclusively obtained by DailyMailTV.

The actor spoke to TV and radio personality Brandon Jay on December 4 and during the conversation had a hoarse voice with a cough.

The star also wore a mask for the entire interview which was conducted over Zoom from his apartment - the same location where his body would be found a short while later.

'I've got so much stuff on my plate. Hollywood gonna crank all the way back up to January. Hollywood gonna go all over the world, gonna crank it up,' he said during the interview. 'And they got the vaccine right. So the vaccine gives you 12 months, I'm taking that vaccine, I'm taking it.

Questions: While Tommy's manager said in December that he died of COVID related symptoms, Tommy's cause of death was listed as 'deferred' on the death certificate (Pictured in 2012)

After his death, Tiny's manager Cindy Cowan told DailyMailTV that Lister died of Covid related symptoms and confirmed he had been diagnosed with having the virus earlier this year.

The L.A. County Sheriff's Department said that Lister was discovered during a welfare check after his friends and associates didn't hear from him.

In addition to his role as Deebo, Lister also appeared in films such as Austin Powers in Goldmember, Jackie Brown, The Fifth Element and The Dark Knight. He was also involved with professional wrestling, and played opposite Hulk Hogan in 1989's No Holds Barred.
Joe Biden's presidential campaign message, 'Americans United,' will also be the theme of his inauguration on the twentieth of January. This theme, however, seems to contradict what the Biden administration might work towards based on its policies and promises to the American people.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee of Biden announced last Monday that the theme for his inauguration will be, "Americans United," The AP reported. CEO of the Presidential Inauguration Committee Dr. Tony Allen hopes that the Biden presidency will bring healing and reunification among the Americans.

Due to the coronavirus and continuous spread of the virus throughout the country, many of the accompanying inauguration events will be done virtually rather than the usual in-person. However, the duo of Biden and Kamala Harris, along with their spouses, plan to visit the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery to make a symbolic gesture of unity by placing a wreath at the Tomb.

Joining the Biden-Harris tandem in the National Cemetery are former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and their wives. Outgoing Vice President Mike Pence and his wife plan to join and attend the inauguration.

"The inaugural activities will reflect our shared values and serve as a reminder that we are stronger together than we are apart, just as our motto, 'e pluribus unum,' reminds us--out of many, one." Allen shared.

However, the policies that Biden has adopted suggest that he is not listening to most Americans. His pro-abortion stance has been very obvious. This is seen in the leaders he has chosen to help run his administration - they do not seem to be representing American values.

Biden mentioned that the Hyde Amendment cannot stay and he agreed when he was asked if "he'd commit in abolishing" the said amendment. The Hyde Amendment has been barring taxpayers to fund for the elective abortions in Medicaid. The said amendment has been a unifying policy for decades, with both Parties supporting it, even those who identify pro-choice has supported it as well.

Additionally, Biden's choice of Harris as his vice president has been controversial. Harris has prosecuted pro-life undercover journalists whom exposed the baby body parts trade of Planned Parenthood. Aside from Harris, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra was also a choice as Biden's Vice President. Becerra, a known radical abortion activist or "abortion extremist," tried to put pro-life journalists in jail, LifeNews reports.

Multiple polls have shown that majority of the Americans are not willing to pay for abortions using their tax dollars. Ironically, Biden has supported the Hyde Amendment up until 2019--abandoning his moderate position once he was urged to the powerful pro-abortion lobby.

Biden even called the killing of unborn babies in abortions as an "essential medical service" during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With his health care plan, he would expand it up to abortion. Aside from this, forcing insurance companies to cover abortions, claiming it was an "essential" health care under Obamacare.

Every year, about 900,000 unborn babies are aborted in America--62 million since 1973 when the Supreme Court forced the states to legalize abortion on demand. Exactly why the Hyde Amendment is important is because an additional 60,000 more unborn babies could be in the statistics each year. President-elect Biden would also undo all of President Donald Trump's pro-life choices--restoring the funding for the abortion chain Planned Parenthood.

Religious freedoms

Aside from these, several groups have also called on Biden to enact policies against Christians and Religious groups, even conservatives in general. He himself promised to censor pro-life conservatives if he wins the election.

Some LGBT groups asked him to remove the accreditation of Christian schools. He has also pledged to fulfill all of the LGBT community's wishes, which will prove problematic and dangerous for religious liberties in America.

Some have even gone as far as to urge him to remove God Almighty from America, a nation founded on Judeo-Christian beliefs.

Communist China also previously published bold demands for Biden should he become President of the United States of America. Biden has some very questionable ties with China.

More recently, while President Donald Trump called for peace and while his wife the First Lady Melania Trump called for healing, Biden on the other hand called the President's supporters in Capitol Hill -who were infiltrated by Antifa, Black Lives Matter and other leftists-- "Domestic Terrorists."
Mumbai, Jan. Jan 13 : In a huge embarrassment, the NCB on Wednesday arrested Sameer Khan, the son-in-law of Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik, in a drugs-related case.

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede said Khan was arrested after his detailed interrogation whole day.

The arrest follows the seizure of a large quantity of 200 kgs Ganja from one courier at Bandra West last week.

In the follow-up operation, huge stash of imported strains of Ganja was recovered from the residence of one Karan Sajnani at Khar.

Sajnani, along with two other sisters - Rahila Furniturewala, Shaista Furniturewala and Mr. Ramkumar Tiwari of Muchhad Paanwala, were arrested under the provisions of the NDPS Act and produced in the court.

During their investigations, the role Sameer Khan, a resident of Bandra also came to light, and after his questioning he was arrested late tonight.

Wankhede said tha follow up action and investigation are underway.
NEW CANAAN  Two residents have died from COVID-related complications as the town endured a spike in cases over the past week, First Selectman Kevin Moynihan said.

Moynihan said last week saw the expected spike in cases from Christmas and New Year holiday gatherings of family and friends that produced our highest weekly positive test results with 89 cases.

Our health director urges residents to eliminate all unnecessary social gatherings to try to bring our case numbers back down and control the spread of COVID-19 in our community, Moynihan said, adding that there have been 30 new cases in the first two days this week.

Moynihan said most cases continue to be college-age young adults, high school teenagers and middle-aged parents.

The two deaths were residents that, according to Moynihan, had significant co-morbidities. Both individuals resided at home, and one was early 50s and the other over 90.

The towns community testing at Lapham Center continued last week with some adjustments due to public schools reopening testing. With all results back from last weeks Monday through Saturday testing, Moynihan said there were 11 positives out of 351 tests for a positivity rate of 3.13 percent.

Our local testing data continues to trend well below the fluctuating state of Connecticut positivity rate that varies around 7 percent daily, Moynihan said.

The state Department of Public Health reports through Monday that 908 residents  856 confirmed  have tested positive for COVID since the onset of the pandemic nearly a year ago. State data shows that 39 town residents have died from COVID-related complications. State data also shows that more than 12,000 tests have been administered on town residents.

The town will continue its six-days a week community testing in collaboration with Waveny LifeCare Network at Lapham Center. Testing will be offered from 7 to 10 a.m. through Jan. 16. The link for the upcoming Thursday to Saturday and next Tuesday and Wednesday (Jan. 19 and 20) test dates are in the red COVID-19 alert box on the town website at www.newcanaan.info.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
When Omar Hazem, a young Egyptian engineer working in Qatar since 2015, knew that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain had agreed to restore full diplomatic ties with Doha at the 41st Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) meeting last Tuesday after more than three years of boycott, he was hopeful.In June 2017, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of meddling in their affairs and of inciting terrorism. The four countries then closed off access to the Gulf country, with a boycott on air, sea, and land traffic to and from Qatar.Hazem was particularly looking forward to the resumption of direct flights between the two countries. Since June 2017, Hazem has had to travel to a third country whenever he was coming to Egypt. He would either travel to Kuwait or Lebanon to catch a flight to Cairo. That was a major inconvenience, especially with his toddler daughter.The tension in relations was taxing not only because of the difficult travel arrangements, but also because of a general feeling of insecurity. There was no discrimination against Egyptians in the workplace or by people in general in Qatar, Hazem stressed, but the political tension between the two countries was a shadow on their residence in the Gulf country.The political tensions also affected hiring regulations for Egyptians. First, he said, hiring Egyptians into the country had become very difficult. Then Egyptians residing there who lost their jobs had difficulty getting their kafala (work permit) transferred to another employer and accordingly were compelled to leave the country.Many Egyptians had left because of these regulations, Hazem said. There were around 300,000 Egyptians working in Qatar in 2018, according to a statement by Minister of State for Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates Affairs Nabila Makram.Hazem is not sure how things will differ now, as no further details have been released. One businessman speaking on condition of anonymity also said it was not clear how business and investment relations would be resumed. Unless the government gives the go ahead, nothing would change, he said.Ambassador Gamal Bayoumi is also adopting a wait-and-see attitude. He said there has not been any official statement outlining the different aspects of the agreement. Egypt was being reserved about the arrangement despite endorsing it because it has always been a supporter of stability and peace in the region, he added.There were sincere efforts to preserve the unity of Arab ranks and to reach a reconciliation that will reinvigorate the Arab region and create a space for constructive cooperation and the preservation of the interests of all parties, said a statement from Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Hafez shortly after the summit began.The statement stressed the need for good faith in order to achieve a genuine reconciliation that revives the special qualities of Arab relations, stimulates solidarity and the preservation of joint interests, enshrines the commitment to non-intervention in the domestic affairs of others, combats threats to the security and stability of Arab nations and peoples, and safeguards Arab national security.Nonetheless, on the day of the meeting, Qatari Minister of Finance Ali Sharif Al-Emadi flew to Cairo to take part in the inauguration of the St Regis Hotel in Cairo, an investment by the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company.The inauguration was in the presence of Al-Emadi and his Egyptian counterpart Mohamed Maait. The visit of the Qatari minister to Egypt was the first by a Qatari official in more than three years.Despite the boycott, economic relations continued, and Qatari investments were not pulled out of Egypt. Any investor would want to benefit from the Egyptian market, Bayoumi said, adding that while economic relations could survive political discord, having good political relations always served to better them.According to Allen Sandeep, director of research at Naeem Brokerage, the three-year boycott did not have much impact on foreign direct investments, as investments from Qatar are predominantly private and centred round two main projects: Qatari Diar and the Egyptian Refining Company.These investments had continued without regard to the sovereign issues, he said.Total gross investment inflows from Qatar amounted to $1.2 billion in the three fiscal years 2018-2020, less than three per cent of Egypts total gross inflows for the three-year period. Pre-blockade, it was about one per cent of inflows, he added.According to Sandeep, total Qatari investment in Egypt amounts to about $5 billion, mostly related to tourism, real estate, petroleum refining and financial services. We do not expect any major changes in the near term, either on the private or the public side, he said.In terms of international trade, Qatar accounted for less than three per cent of the total for Egypt in 2017, Sandeep said, adding this this figure would have dropped sizably since then as the country no longer features as one of Egypts main trade partners.Should relations resume normally, Sandeep said that Egypt stands to benefit indirectly through income from tourism and remittances.Egyptian expatriates in Qatar amount to about six to seven per cent of the total abroad, according to recent figures, he said.

Meanwhile, Qatar stands to benefit through international trade, as its export shipments would be granted access through the Red Sea.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) invites third-graders across Pennsylvania to show their creativity this February in celebration of National Children's Dental Health Month (NCDHM).

The theme for 2021 is: "Water, Nature's Drink!" The American Dental Association (ADA) emphasizes that the attitudes and habits established at an early age are critical in maintaining good oral health throughout life. By participating in the annual celebration of NCDHM, members of the dental team, parents, teachers and others can help keep children's smiles beautiful now and for years to come.

Those who participate in PDA's poster contest will have a chance at winning several different prizes. Three statewide winners will be selected from the entries. The first-place winner will be awarded $500. In addition, the first-place winner's school and teacher will each receive a $250 prize. The second-place winner will receive $250, while the third-place winner will receive $100.

PDA offers classroom resources, including a lesson plan featuring information on dental health, classroom activities and fun worksheets for the students. These lesson plan kits are distributed electronically. Please contact Michelle Berrones at [email protected] to receive these materials along with the contest rules. Complimentary NCDHM posters are also available by request.

All entries for the poster contest must be submitted by Friday, March 5. Please mail the entry to: Pennsylvania Dental Association, Attn: NCDHM Poster Contest, 3501 N. Front Street, Harrisburg, PA 17110. PDA will announce the top three winners in early April.

About the Pennsylvania Dental Association

Founded in 1868, the Pennsylvania Dental Association (PDA) is comprised of approximately 5,100 member dentists. It is a constituency of the American Dental Association (ADA), the largest and oldest national dental society in the world. PDA's mission is to improve the public health, promote the art and science of dentistry and represent the interests of its member dentists and their patients. PDA is the voice of dentistry in Pennsylvania. For more information on PDA, visit our website at www.padental.org.

SOURCE Pennsylvania Dental Association

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Zelensky looks forward to meeting with President of Portugal to discuss bilateral cooperation

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held a conversation with President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, during which he noted promising areas for cooperation between the countries, such as trade, energy, space, digitalization.

"I am glad to talk with Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Thank you for the support of Ukraine's European integration aspirations. Ukraine and Portugal are European countries. We have many subjects for cooperation, namely, trade, energy, space, digitalization. I am looking forward to a personal meeting," Zelensky wrote on his Twitter page.
The mother of two boys allegedly killed by an unlicensed driver has made a harrowing confession from her hospital bed.

Shayleen Frail woke from a coma to learn her two sons died after allegedly being hit by Jacob Steven Donn's out-of-control vehicle in Wellington, central west NSW.

A heartbroken Ms Frail, 34, who suffered spinal and leg injuries, told a friend she wished she had died instead of her two boys Sheldon, six, and Shane Shorey, seven.

Ms Frail and her young sons had just left the Wellington Leisure Centre when they were allegedly hit by a Holden sedan being driven by Donn.

She was airlifted to Westmead Hospital in Sydney, while her sons died at the scene.

'Oh my girl wish it was me and not my babies,' Ms Frail wrote to the friend on Facebook.

Shayleen Frail has made a heartbreaking confession from her hospital bed. She lost her sons Sheldon, 6, and Shane Shorey, 7, in a horror crash but her first thought was to thank friends and family for sending in well wishes

A distraught Ms Frail told a friend: 'wish it was me and not my babies'. Pictured, her two young sons Sheldon and Shane Shorey

She had begged to borrow her friend's phone in hospital so she could thank friends and family for sending her messages of support.

'I gotta keep fighting to make my babies proud,' Ms Frail wrote to another friend.

The 25-year-old driver allegedly fled the scene following the crash on January 5, which also saw the boys' family friend Mataya Ah See, 10, lose a leg.

After having plates and screws inserted into her left knee during surgery, Ms Frail stunned doctors by managing to sit up in her hospital chair and smile for a photo while doing a magazine crossword.

'You can imagine my surprise when I walked in and found her sitting up in a chair not long after surgery. Even the doctors are amazed at her strength and resilience,' the young mother's friend Bec Clarke said on Monday night.

Ms Clarke shared a moving photo of the mother smiling beside her hospital bed and revealed she had begged to borrow her phone so she could thank friends and family for sending their well wishes on Facebook.

Ms Clarke said she ended up having to take the phone off her 'as she would have been sitting up all night on it.'

'Shay knows the hardest part is yet to come but knows she has the love and support of her family, friends, community and even strangers,' Ms Clarke added.

'She really does want to thank everyone personally for their well wishes and support during this tough time.'

Jacob Steven Donn, 25, broke down in tears as he was refused bail in Dubbo Local Court. He is facing 14 charges over a horror crash at Wellington, in central west NSW, last Tuesday

Donn sobbed as he was refused bail in Dubbo Local Court on Tuesday, charged with 14 offences including dangerous driving occasioning death.

He had allegedly been doing skids and burnouts in the moments before the crash.

Police prosecutor Michelle Bartlett said in court that he had been deliberately driving poorly and had 'a clear disregard for the rules'.

'The actions of the accused  were intentional,' she said, The Dubbo News reports.

Donn's defence lawyer Ivy Johnson told the court her client had taken responsibility for his actions and accepted he was the driver.

She said despite the allegations he had fled the scene, he had not skipped town.

But Magistrate Theresa Hamilton refused his bail application, telling the court that it was fair to consider Donn a potential flight risk.

Brothers Sheldon, six, and Shane Shorey, 7, (pictured, left) were killed instantly when a car allegedly driven by Donn mounted the gutter and hit them with considerable force in Wellington, NSW

Police allege Donn was performing burnouts on Warne Street when he lost control, mounted the gutter and hit the group of five pedestrians

'Although he has a very limited history as an adult, it is a matter of concern that he has been dealt with previously for unlicensed driving,' she told the court.

'In view of his failure to respect the fact that he has no licence and is not allowed to drive, there is also a risk he will commit further serious offences and endanger the safety of the community.

'The facts outline dangerous manoeuvres being undertaken by the defendant prior to the impact. It seems to me in all the circumstances there are risks that he would fail to appear if given bail.'

Donn was supported in court by his great-grandmother Dawn Donn, who had taken him in as a young boy and raised him, and his great-aunt Tracey.

Outside court Mrs Donn told The ABC: 'I love him and I support him. I miss him every minute of every day.'

Mrs Donn last week told Daily Mail Australia her great-grandson had visited her just an hour before the crash.

'I'm devastated, I'm so sorry for those boys and Jacob is too. He loves kids,' she said.

'I've spoken to him on the phone, he's rung me twice. He's upset, he's crying all the time.

'He was here yesterday about 3pm to 4.30pm... it was like normal, and when he came here yesterday we told him get out of the car, you should not be driving, but he didn't listen.

Joseph Shorey (pictured above) visits the scene where his two sons were killed last Tuesday

On what should have been Shane's eight birthday party, his family and friends farewelled the little boy at a local pool in Dubbo on Friday

Family and friends gathered together for an emotional farewell to Shane Shorey who was killed in a horror car crash last Tuesday

'He's so sad. He is a kind loving boy, he's only got us. I might not ever get to see him in this home ever again if he goes to jail.'

At the scene last Wednesday, just 24 hours after the crash, Joseph Shorey visited and paid an emotional tribute to his two sons.

Mr Shorey had last seen his sons on Monday when they told him they loved him and would see him in just a few weeks upon their return to Queensland, where they lived.

'I only saw them the day before and they gave me big hugs and cuddles and said: 'Dad, we love you, we'll see you on the 17th',' Mr Shorey said.

'Now I've lost my two youngest boys.

'Sheldon was a little show off, always being like 'look at me, look at me', but he's a little cutey - all the girls loved him.'

Shayleen Frail was trapped up against a fence by the Holden as she walked from the pool with her two sons, a family friend, and another boy. She remains in hospital in a stable condition

Wellington residents lay flowers and toys at the scene in Warne St where Shane and Sheldon were killed

The tragedy has shocked the tight-knit community in country New South Wales where locals flocked to the scene with balloons and teddy bears

Donn had never held a drivers licence but still allegedly got behind the wheel of this Holden sedan on Tuesday afternoon

Sheldon, 6, and Shane Shorey, 7, had been in Wellington to visit their mother after spending Christmas at home in Queensland with their father (The pair are pictured, left, at a Santa photo with their dad and stepmother)

Last Friday, on what would have been Sheldon's eighth birthday, his family gathered at the Dubbo Pool to celebrate in his memory.

Balloons spelling out his name were released into the sky and his father told those in attendance it was the party he had dreamed of.

In heartwarming footage shared to Facebook, Mr Shorey lit the candles on his late son's birthday cake while other children in the group sang Happy Birthday.

A GoFundMe page set up to assist Mr Shorey pay for funerals for his two boys has so far seen more than $23,500 donated.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 76F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Low near 45F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.

[January 13, 2021] EZconn Corporation Defeats PCT International's Patent Challenge

EZconn Corporation recently defeated a patent challenge brought by PCT International (News - Alert) , Inc., a former customer with whom EZconn has done no business since March 2014. In an April 2019 press release, PCT noted that it had filed an action with the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office to cancel EZconn's Patent No. M416249, which PCT claimed "copied the significant features and claims of a prior PCT patent" and was "based on the misuse of PCT's trade secrets." In a recent decision, the TIPO upheld EZconn's patent and dismissed PCT's invalidation action. PCT has been in bankruptcy proceedings in the United States since November 2019. PCT's debts to EZconn arise from prior lawsuits in which PCT alleged that EZconn copied PCT's technology and misused PCT's confidential information. After reviewing PCT's allegations and evidence, the court not only entered judgment for EZconn but also awarded EZconn's attorneys' fees incurred to defend against PCT's claims, which the court held lacked merit and were not tenable. The court also awarded more than US $9.4 million to EZconn for produt that PCT had ordered and accepted but did not pay for. EZconn's judgments were upheld on appeal.



Allen Chuang, spokesperson and CFO of EZconn, said, "PCT's patent invalidation action was just another baseless effort to falsely accuse EZconn and deflect attention from PCT's self-imposed business failures. We are gratified that the Taiwan Intellectual Property Office sustained the validity of EZconn's patent and rejected PCT's arguments, just as the United States court rejected them. Rather than squandering resources on relitigating meritless allegations against EZconn, PCT should focus on turning its business around and paying its creditors." EZconn continues its collection efforts and remains hopeful that PCT, operating under oversight of the bankruptcy court, will satisfy its obligations to EZconn and its other creditors.

About EZconn Corporation is headquartered in, and organized under the laws of, Taiwan. EZconn is publicly traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (6442.TW). It operates manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, China, and Philippines, as well as research and development facilities in Taiwan and the Czech Republic. EZconn manufactures a variety of advanced RF and fiber optics communications products. Its innovations are protected by more than 130 patents in Taiwan, the United States, and other countries. To learn more, visit http://www.ezconn.com/. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112006198/en/

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The first batch of Covid vaccine will arrive in the state on Wednesday. The first consignment of 4,33,500 doses will arrive at Kochi airport by late afternoon.

Another consignment of vaccine is expected to arrive at Thiruvananthapuram airport in the evening.

According to Health Minister K K Shailaja, Keralas consignment will arrive from Chennai, which is one of the four national regions earmarked for the distribution of vaccines nationwide. 

The consignment of Covishield vaccine developed by the Serum Institute of India will be taken to the three regional centres in Kozhikode, Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram from the airports, she said.
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San Francisco restaurants Blue Light, Tin Cactus and Toy Soldier have joined a lawsuit against the County of San Francisco, the citys public health department and the states Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.

Filed on Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court, the lawsuit seeks refunds for permits, licenses and other annual fees the restaurants paid to all three entities throughout the pandemic in 2020.

Similar lawsuits are being filed in San Diego, Orange, Sacramento and Los Angeles counties. In the coming weeks, restaurants in Alameda, Contra Costa, Monterey, Placer, Riverside and San Bernardino counties would also file lawsuits seeking repayment of fees paid during the pandemic, according to Brian Kabateck, who represents the suing restaurant groups. He expected thousands of restaurants to join the lawsuits.

John Cote, a spokesman for the San Francisco City Attorneys Office, said the city has supported local restaurants, financially, through numerous efforts including providing more than $24 million in grants and loans, and recently waived $5 million in fees, for some of the hardest-hit local small businesses, including restaurants. On Monday, Mayor London Breed announced a new $62 million small business relief plan.

This global pandemic has been hard on everyone, particularly small businesses, Cote said. These particular businesses who sued chose to take this matter to court, so that is where we will address their lawsuit.

Kabateck said the point of the lawsuit was not to dispute health orders that restricted indoor and outdoor dining and forced the restaurants to close.

Its simply that restaurants that have followed the law and complied with county, local and state orders to close, should not have to pay the same government that closed them a permit fee for that period of time when theyre closed, whole or in part, he said.

The lawsuit in San Francisco bookends a process that began in late 2020 when San Francisco restaurateur Johnny Metheny, who owns Blue Light in Cow Hollow, and other restaurant owners filed a claim against the city seeking repayment for local fees, including liquor licenses and health permits, for which Kabateck said most independent restaurants in the state pay between $5,000 and $10,000. At the time, Metheny and the other owners said if their issues werent addressed, they would file lawsuits on behalf of all California restaurants.

I didnt actually expect it to get to a point where there was a lawsuit, honestly, he said. I think San Francisco has been taking steps to help restaurants lately. But the main thing is trying to get back some of the money weve spent on fees. It could help a lot of businesses.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Though it doesnt address shelter-in-place restrictions, the lawsuit reflects the increasing frustration Bay Area restaurants owners have over them. In Marin County, a restaurateur recently got more than 5,000 signatures in support of a petition that argued outdoor dining should be reinstated. Restaurateurs in Napa and Danville have been openly defying dining restrictions, including hosting indoor services. In December, San Francisco extended indefinitely its shelter-in-place and travel quarantine orders.

The California restaurant industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic. San Francisco alone was home to more than 4,000 restaurants before the pandemic, according to recent data, and many have since permanently closed, or shut down temporarily for hibernation periods. Many said they were losing money as a result of indoor and outdoor dining restrictions.

Justin Phillips is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jphillips@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @JustMrPhillips

Ukraine's SBU State Security Service has closed criminal proceedings on alleged treason committed by former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma and Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak during talks in Minsk.

Volodymyr Viatrovych, an MP from the European Solidarity party, wrote this on his Facebook page. The relevant proceedings were opened on the basis of his statement.

Viatrovych published a resolution of the SBU investigator stating that the criminal proceedings had been closed "due to the absence of a criminal offense."

"In the course of the pretrial investigation in these criminal proceedings, no factual data were obtained on whether persons who were members of the Ukrainian delegation during the negotiations in Minsk, the Republic of Belarus, on March 11, 2020, including Kuchma and Yermak, committed a crime under Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the SBU said.

As was reported earlier, the SBU, in pursuance of a Kyiv Shevchenkivsky District Court ruling of April 23, 2020, and on the basis of a request from MP Viatrovych, opened criminal proceedings on possible treason committed by representatives of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks in Minsk.

Viatrovych demanded that proceedings be opened following a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk on March 11, 2020, at which the parties, with the participation of Yermak and Kuchma, as well as Russian Presidential Executive Office deputy head Dmitry Kozak, agreed to establish a "Consultative Council" with representatives of certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions (ORDLO).

On March 13, representatives of the Servant of the People party said the participation of ORDLO representatives in Ukraine's talks with Russia within the Trilateral Contact Group was unacceptable.

Yermak said later that the format of the TCG talks in Minsk, consisting of representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the OSCE, remained unchanged.

op

DENVER, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumen Technologies * (NYSE: LUMN) announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Level 3 Financing Inc. ("Level 3 Financing"), completed its previously-announced private offering of $900 million aggregate principal amount of its unsecured 3.750% Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes due 2029 (the "Sustainability-Linked Notes"). The Sustainability-Linked Notes are aligned with Lumen's science-based emission reduction targets and its commitment to environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives.

Level 3 Financing intends to use the net proceeds from the offering, together with cash on hand, to redeem all $900 million aggregate principal amount of Level 3 Financing's 5.375% Senior Notes due 2024 (the "2024 Notes") on the terms described below.

The Sustainability-Linked Notes are unsubordinated, unsecured obligations of Level 3 Financing, and are guaranteed on an unsecured basis by Level 3 Financing's direct parent, Level 3 Parent LLC. The Sustainability-Linked Notes were privately placed without being registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

In connection with completing the offering, Level 3 Financing today issued notices to redeem all $900 million aggregate principal amount of its outstanding 2024 Notes. Pursuant to these notices, on Feb. 12, 2021, the 2024 Notes will be redeemed at par plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding, the redemption date. Additional information regarding the redemption of the 2024 Notes is available from Bank of New York Mellon. This press release does not constitute a notice of redemption with respect to any of Level 3 Financing's outstanding senior notes.

Additional information on the Sustainability-Linked Notes will be available in the Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed later today.

About Lumen

Lumen is guided by our belief that humanity is at its best when technology advances the way we live and work. With approximately 450,000 route fiber miles and serving customers in more than 60 countries, we deliver the fastest, most secure platform for applications and data to help businesses, government and communities deliver amazing experiences.

Lumen and Lumen Technologies are registered trademarks of Lumen Technologies LLC in the United States. Lumen Technologies LLC is a wholly-owned affiliate of CenturyLink Inc.

* The Lumen brand was launched on Sept. 14, 2020. As a result, CenturyLink, Inc. is referred to as Lumen Technologies, or simply Lumen. The legal name CenturyLink, Inc. is expected to be formally changed to Lumen Technologies, Inc. on Jan. 22, 2021. Effective as of Jan. 22, 2021, the CUSIP number for the company's common stock is scheduled to change to 550241 103.

Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical and factual information, the matters set forth in this release and other of our oral or written statements identified by words such as "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "plans," "intends," "will," and similar expressions are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and are based on current expectations only, are inherently speculative, and are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. Actual events and results may differ materially from those anticipated, estimated, projected or implied by us in those statements if one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect. Factors that could affect actual results include but are not limited to: changes in the cash requirements, financial position, financing plans, credit ratings or investment plans of Level 3 Financing or its affiliates; changes in general market, economic, tax, regulatory or industry conditions; and other risks referenced from time to time in the filings of Lumen Technologies or Level 3 Parent LLC with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events or developments, changed circumstances, or otherwise. We may change our intentions, strategies or plans (including our plans expressed herein) without notice at any time and for any reason.

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I want to take this opportunity to respond to Executive Editor Brian Lalines January 8 Editorial about my votes to object to Arizona and Pennsylvanias electors for the 2020 Presidential Election.

First, this process is not new. In fact, Democrats have objected to electoral votes of every elected Republican President since 1989.

In 2005, while objecting to electoral votes in President George W. Bushs election, the Speaker, like me, stated that this debate is fundamental to our democracy. She went on to explain that the right to vote is sacred; that a representative has a duty to represent his or her constituents; and that the rule of law is the hallmark of our nation.

I agree and I was not alone in this belief; 146 other Republicans, including House GOP leaders Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise cast the same vote representing roughly 70% of Republicans in the House.

The fact of the matter is the divisiveness in American politics today is a major problem. It was exhibited when champions of the defund the police movement hijacked what would have been peaceful protests, when Democrats backed arsonists and looters across America over the summer and when so called patriots stormed the capitol in one of the most disgusting displays in recent American history. Americans need to slow down, take a deep breath and remember the first two words of Lalines January 8 editorial: Dear Neighbor.

It is the duty of Congress to oversee the certification of electoral votes and taking the lead of current Speaker of the House in 2005, have robust and respectful debate. It is not our duty to simply serve as rubber stamps.

In the current case, the results from Arizona and Pennsylvania were contested, and as precedent has set, the objective was not to overturn the election. In fact, had the objections of these two states passed, President-Elect Joe Biden would still have 275 electoral votes, five votes over the threshold to clinch electoral victory.

As Mr. Laline said, Any thinking American knows voting irregularities exist. He even went further to say, Poll workers make mistakes. Yes, dead people sometimes vote. Yes, there are instances of non-citizens making their way into the voting booth. Yes, absentee ballots get mangled, lost or sent to the wrong people.

Is this something we as Americans should accept?

According to her remarks from 2005, Speaker Pelosi and I would say no. Americans, including our editor of the Staten Island Advance, acknowledge that election fraud exists. I reject the thought that we should just accept it as part of the American electoral system. Our elections are the single most sacred thing in our Democratic Republic. We need to erase these irregularities and make the system better.

Twenty-five days before the certification votes, I joined several of my colleagues in penning a letter to Speaker Pelosi requesting there be a bipartisan investigation looking into irregularities and alleged fraud conducted during the 2020 Presidential Election. The Staten Island Advance wrote about this on December 17th, 2020. Our letter and our request for an investigation, to this day, have been ignored.

Instead of working with Republicans, Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats are pushing for much worse. The Speaker even attempted to include, in the COVID-19 relief bill no less, provisions for ballot harvesting, same day registration and prohibiting states from having voter identification laws.

Closer to home, Senator Diane Savino was the only local elected to endorse a law that would require automatic voter registration. This law would cause the automatic voter registration of a non-citizen, who applies for a New York drivers license with a foreign identification.

Isnt it in all our best interest to give every American, regardless of political affiliation, peace of mind? If not through an investigation, through a robust conversation on the House floor? If Mr. Laline, Speaker Pelosi and myself share concerns on this premise  then we should all be behind the Save Democracy Act.

The Save Democracy Act would enhance federal election integrity by addressing three key areas of concern during the 2020 election to eliminate all doubt in the future. These three areas include securing voter registration by requiring citizenship verification and prohibiting automatic registration by states. It protects ballot casting by prohibiting states from issuing unrequested absentee ballots and halts questionable harvesting tactics. It safeguards ballot tabulation by requiring that at least two representatives of each Presidential campaign observe polls and vote counting operations and prohibits delays or pauses in ballot tabulation once counting has begun. This legislation allows us to demand accuracy, timeliness and excellence in our elections. These three values are the basis of what I seek to deliver to the American people.

Americans need to heal; we need to be respectful of our neighbors and we need to solve problems that ail us all. With this in mind, I will be an original co-sponsor of the Save Democracy Act to once and for all strengthen and secure our elections. We must not find ourselves back in this situation, and we must realize this is more important than party affiliation. Let us come together, wish our president-elect the best and work in a bipartisan fashion to ensure that election security is something that is no longer debated.

(Nicole Malliotakis represents Staten Island and part of Brooklyn in the United States House of Representatives.)
Arkansas man Richard Barnett, 60, made his first court appearance Tuesday

The Arkansas MAGA rioter who was photographed sitting with his feet on House Speaker Nancy Pelosis desk during last weeks Capitol siege, had his first court appearance on Tuesday.

Richard Barnett, 60, who has proudly referred to himself as a white nationalist on social media, turned himself into police on Friday January 8 after the photo of him at Pelosi's desk went viral.

He appeared before a federal judge via video conference on Tuesday.

He faces charges including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building or restricted grounds without lawful authority while carrying a dangerous weapon, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds and theft of public property.

A judge ordered Barnett, of Gravette, to be held until at least Friday, when it will be determined whether bail will be set.

He's being held at the Washington County Detention Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas, authorities said.

Barnett was photographed during the Wednesday Capitol riot inside Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office with his feet on her desk. He smiled and laughed as he lounged in her chair and he allegedly left a threatening note on her desk

He appeared before a federal judge via video conference on Tuesday. He faces charges including knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

In the photo he smiles and leans back in her chair with his foot on her desk.

The DoJ announced on a call with reporters on Friday afternoon that 13 people had been charged including Barnett, who had also left a threatening note on Pelosi's desk Wednesday.

He also allegedly stole a letter from Pelosid office meant for US Rep. Bill Long of Missouri and flashed the envelope to reporters outside the Capitol.

In a video interview shared on YouTube from outside the Capitol Barnett appears to hold the envelope from Pelosis office. But he claims he didnt enter the office on purpose.

'I didnt break in. I got pushed in,' he said to YouTuber Brandon Buckingham.

He is one of dozens of people facing criminal charges for their actions in storming the Capitol building on January 6 in a violent protest against the joint Congress session seeking to certify the presidential election.

The chaos led to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol Police man and a QAnon conspiracy theorist.

On Wednesday January 6 a Trump-inspired mob stormed into the Capitol building to protest Congress' certification of the presidential election. A view of flash bangs being used to disperse the massive Trump crowd that gathered

A view of Trump supporters including Jacob Anthony Chansley (in fur hat) who was arrested Saturday and charged with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

The sea of Trump supporters: A view of Trump fans storming into the Capitol, climbing on top of one another, and clashing with police as Congress convened to certify the election results

On Tuesday the Justice Department announced it is considering sedition and conspiracy charges against some of the arrested.

'We're looking at significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy, Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for Washington D.C., said.

His office has organized a team of senior national security and public corruption prosecutors.

'They're only marching orders from me are to build seditious and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts that occurred in the Capitol,' he added.
D onald Trump has refused to take any responsibility for the US Capitol riot as he said his speech for a mob of supporters was totally appropriate.

The presidents comments appeared to encourage the protesters to march on the Capitol building, and he praised them while they were still carrying out the assault.

People thought that what I said was totally appropriate, Mr Trump said during his first appearance in public since the Capitol siege last week.

President Trump arrived in Texas on Tuesday to trumpet his campaign against illegal immigration in an attempt to enhance his legacy with eight days remaining in his term.

Pro-Trump supporters storm US Capitol 1 /43 Pro-Trump supporters storm US Capitol U.S. Capitol Police with guns drawn watch as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Police officers use pepper spray on pro-Trump protesters during the clashes REUTERS U.S. Capitol Police hold protesters at gun-point near the House Chamber inside the U.S. Capitol AP An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington REUTERS A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber Getty Images Smoke fills the walkway outside the Senate Chamber as supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers inside the Capitol AP A supporter of US President Donald Trump struggles with a riot policeman after the protester pushed a line of police outside the Capitol building AFP via Getty Images People shelter in the House gallery as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Supporters of President Donald Trump are confronted by U.S. Capitol Police officers outside the Senate Chamber inside the Capitol AP Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier AP Supporters of President Donald Trump puts water in his eyes after U.S. Capitol Police deployed a chemical agent outside of the U.S. Capitol AP Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, AP Police keep a watch on demonstrators who tried to break through a police barrier AP Donald Trump President Donald Trump speaks at a rally AP With the Washington Monument in the background, people attend a rally in support of President Donald Trump near the White House AP Demonstrators break TV equipment outside the the U.S. Capitol AP Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, REUTERS Police confront supporters of President Donald Trump as they demonstrate on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defenses, in Washington REUTERS Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump clash with police officers in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington REUTERS Law enforcement officers push back against supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump attempting to enter U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress REUTERS Protesters clash with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress REUTERS Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol AP U.S. President-elect Joe Biden clasps his hands in prayer as he speaks about the violent protests in and around the U.S. Capitol in Washington REUTERS A supporter of President Donald Trump carries a Confederate battle flag on the second floor of the U.S. Capitol near the entrance to the Senate after breaching security defences in Washington, REUTERS Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump cover their faces to protect from tear gas during a clash with police officers in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington REUTERS Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they push barricades to storm the US Capitol AFP via Getty Images A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask as he protests after storming the US Capitol AFP via Getty Images Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol AFP via Getty Images Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Vice President Mike Pence talk before a joint session of the House and Senate convenes to count the Electoral College votes cast in November's election, at the Capitol in Washington AP The House Chamber is empty after a hasty evacuation as protesters tried to break into the chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington AP Damage is visible in the hallways in the early morning hours after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington AP Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images Tear gas is released into a crowd of protesters during clashes with Capitol police at a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, at the U.S. Capitol Building REUTERS Congress staffers hold up their hands while Capitol Police Swat teams check everyone in the room as they secure the floor of Trump suporters in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask and holds a bust of him after he and hundreds of others stormed stormed the Capitol building AFP via Getty Images Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol in Washington, DC AFP via Getty Images A pro-Trump protester carries the lectern of U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi through the Roturnda of the U.S. Capitol Building after a pro-Trump mob stormed the building Getty Images Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda AFP via Getty Images A pro-Trump mob gathers inside the Senate chamber in the U.S. Capitol after groups stormed the building Getty Images Police with guns drawn stand near a barricaded door as protesters try to break into the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol AP Members of the Oath Keepers are seen among supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol during a protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress REUTERS Getty Images

It came as lawmakers in Congress appeared set to impeach him this week for the second time.

Mr Trump brushed off Democratic calls on his Cabinet to declare him unfit from office and remove him from power using the 25th Amendment.

The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration, President Trump said.

Donald Trump signs a plaque on the border wall in Alamo, Texas / AFP via Getty Images

As the expression goes, be careful of what you wish for.

His remarks came during a visit to the site of the 450th mile of the border wall his administration is building.

The rampage through the halls of Congress sent lawmakers of both parties and President Trumps own vice president into hiding, as crowds called for Mike Pences lynching for his role overseeing the vote count.

The scene also undermined the hallmark of the republic  the peaceful transition of power. At least five people died, including one Capitol Police officer.

In the days leading up to the January 6 certification vote, President Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington DC.

He promised a wild rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administrations findings to the contrary.

Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd on the Ellipse, Mr Trump encouraged supporters to fight like hell.

He suggested that Republican lawmakers would need more courage not to step up and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office.

He also suggested he would join them in marching on the Capitol.

As President Trump wrapped up, thousands of his supporters were already heading to the Capitol, where lawmakers convened to count the electoral votes.

As rioters were still in the building and lawmakers sheltered in secure locations, President Trump, at the urging of aides who were shocked by the violence, released a video seemingly excusing the events, saying of the rioters: We love you. Youre very special. Go home.

Speaking on Tuesday, President Trump said the real problem was not his rhetoric, but the rhetoric that Democrats used to describe Black Lives Matter protests and violence in Seattle and Portland this summer,

Everybody to the T thought it was totally appropriate, President Trump said of his own comments.

Italy's health minister calls for 'united effort' to fight covid-19.

The Italian government is to extend the nation's covid-19 state of emergency until 30 April, health minister Roberto Speranza announced today, 13 January.

"This week there has been a general deterioration in the epidemiological situation in Italy," Speranza told the lower house, stating that the epidemic is "in a phase of expansion again."

Yesterday Speranza called for a "united effort to fight the virus," adding that "We are at the last mile of this battle" but that the "next few months will be difficult."

Speranza was reporting to the chambers on the new measures contained in Italy's latest emergency decree which will come into force on 16 January.

The minister affirmed that the government intends to confirm the ban on moving between regions and to prohibit takeaway from bars after 18.00, as well as reopening museums in yellow zones.

He said the government will add a fourth category to the current three-tiered system of restrictions, with the creation of a low-risk 'white zone,' where all businesses can open, including gyms and swimming pools.

What is Italy's state of emergency?

The state of emergency grants special powers to national and regional authorities in tackling the fallout from the covid-19 crisis quickly, cutting through red tape to implement, modify or revoke emergency measures if and when required.

Italy's state of emergency to deal with the covid-19 crisis was introduced on 31 January 2020. Currently due to expire on 31 January 2021, the government will extend the measure until 30 April 2021.

Since the outbreak came to light on 21 February, Italy has registered 79,819 coronavirus-related deaths, the second-highest toll in Europe and the sixth-highest in the world, according to Reuters.

Photo: Marti Bug Catcher / Shutterstock.com.
While banning fracking dominated the discussion during last years election, an equally pressing issue was largely ignored: What should we do with all the gas produced from fracked wells?

With the U.S. market saturated and prices languishing, the industry has focused on one big alternative  exports. But liquefied natural gas has an Achilles heel, one the industry ignores at its peril.

New research my colleagues and I recently published demonstrates that the rapid increase in LNG exports is incompatible with efforts to address our climate crisis. If you include pollution emitted at drilling sites and during transportation, LNG releases far more emissions than the low-cost wind and solar technologies available today. And, in fact, the leaks and other associated emissions from LNG can be so high that in some cases the climate impact of LNG is on par with coal.

With science telling us that we need to zero out carbon emissions over the next 30 years, we cannot rely on a technology that locks in millions of tons of emissions over that period  or long after it. After siding with the Trump administrations regulatory rollbacks, the oil and gas industry now says it wants to be part of the solution on climate change. But modest measures like preventing methane leakage are not enough; its time to transition off of fossil fuels.

Nations around the world are already doing so, adopting bold promises to slash their emissions and reliance on fossil fuels. Whether its China or France, South Korea or the United Kingdom, nations that are now importing U.S. LNG are moving quickly to decarbonize.

In the U.S., President-elect Joe Bidens incoming administration has made bold climate pledges that are incompatible with new investments in LNG. Our research found that just producing, transporting and liquefying this gas will generate up to 213 million metric tons of new GHG emissions annually in the U.S. by 2030, equal to the yearly emissions of up to 45 million cars. And that doesnt even include the emissions that will be released when that gas is eventually consumed and burned overseas.

With U.S. gas so cheap, the industry may prefer to ignore these risks and keep pumping away. U.S. exports of LNG reached record highs in November, with the federal government projecting that exports will rise by another 30 percent in 2021. The Gulf Coast has been at the forefront of this expansion, with four of the six largest LNG export facilities in Texas or Louisiana. All five export terminals currently under construction are located in the Gulf Coast, with another 12 terminals approved, but not yet under construction across the region.

The recent decision by France to reject U.S. LNG from the proposed Rio Grande LNG terminal should alarm anyone counting on 30 or more years of continued and growing LNG exports. Market conditions can change quickly, especially as the costs of renewable energy and storage continue to plummet, and zero-carbon alternatives in industrial sectors are scaled up.

All the gas industry needs to do is look at what happened to coal. A little over 10 years ago, nearly half of U.S. electricity was generated by coal; today its less than a quarter  despite overwrought efforts by the Trump administration to prop up this industry. Some analysts are looking at the comparative costs of wind and solar and predicting that in the U.S., gas may be where coal is today within the next decade or so.

The oil and gas industry prefers to point to those analysts saying half of our energy will still come from oil and gas by 2040, but a decade ago analysts were predicting the same bullish future for coal. And even if oil and gas remain part of the mix, theres no reason to add to that infrastructure now when we know we should be ramping up investments in cleaner, more cost-effective alternatives.

Countries are already projected to produce more emissions from fossil fuels in 2030 than what would be required to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, according to the UN. We cannot keep investing in this polluting infrastructure and expecting a low-carbon future to emerge.

Its not just the industry that needs to grapple with these risks.

In recent years, federal regulators have short-changed their environmental reviews of LNG projects, failing to either adequately consider the life-cycle emissions of LNG projects or apply a climate test for measuring the significance of those emissions. The Biden administration should appoint regulators committed to doing so.

Secondly, the Biden administration needs to move swiftly to control methane leakage and gas flaring, a problem especially acute in the Permian Basin. As the example of France rejecting U.S. gas shows, repealing these common sense rules was counterproductive for the industry. While this will not and cannot save LNG in the long term, it will ensure that LNG isnt actually worse for the climate today.

Third, investors need to consider these climate risks when considering support for LNG projects. Many investors are finally realizing that climate change is a true financial risk, and so evaluating the full direct, indirect and cumulative emissions of these projects is necessary before they pour in billions of dollars. So far, investors are jettisoning these projects because they dont make financial sense; but increasingly financial issues and climate issues are becoming one and the same. Just look at how Wall Street banks have sworn off investments in Arctic drilling.

These changes and more will help ensure that white elephant projects dont end up abandoned along the Gulf Coast in the future. With the stunning expansion of wind and solar power in recent years, Texas has shown that it can be an energy superpower while moving beyond polluting fossil fuels.

It wont be a simple transition, but the sooner we start the better off we all will be.

Levin is a senior policy analyst in the Climate & Clean Energy Program of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
New Delhi:

The terrorists involved in the London Bridge attack on June 3, in which eight people lost their life, had tried to hire a seven-and-a-half tonne lorry in order to cause more damage, police said.

However the three men failed to provide payment details and the vehicle was not picked up, causing them to use a smaller van instead, the BBC reported.

The men then drove into pedestrians on the bridge before randomly stabbing people at the nearby Borough Market on the night of June 3.

According to police, the terrorists tied 30cm pink ceramic knives to their wrists and had petrol bombs in the van.

Khuram Shazad Butt, Rachid Redouane, and Youssef Zaghba have been named as the attackers, who were all shot dead.

Scotland Yard wants more witnesses to come forward and is also appealing to companies who hire out vans to report any suspicious activity, the BBC report said.

On Friday night, a 27-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, after carrying out a raid in Ilford, east London.

In the early hours of Saturday, the police arrested another man, 28, at a residential address in Barking, also on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts.

In its most detailed description of the attack yet, the Metropolitan Police said the men had also rented a flat in Barking, east London, to use as a safe house.

Inside, they found a copy of the Quran opened at a page describing martyrdom.

They also discovered equipment for making petrol bombs, plastic bottles and duct tape for constructing fake suicide bomb belts, and an ID card for Redouane.

The investigation has concluded that 27-year-old Butt was the ringleader. He is thought to have driven the van, with Redouane and Zaghba in the back.

ALSO READ | London terror attack: Islamic State claims responsibility; 12 arrested



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President Donald Trump broke his silence and condemned the "witch hunt" impeachment efforts against him, a report says.

One America News Network reported that the remarks came after Congress has announced its plans to impeach Trump who is being accused of inciting the violence that occurred in the Capitol last January 6.

"On the impeachment, it's really a continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics...it's absolutely ridiculous," he said when he boarded Marine One before Air Force One on his way to check the border wall in Texas, as per Daily Mail.

Daily Mail said that this is his first public remarks Trump had since the U.S. Capitol incident, during which he also condemned Democrats for the impeachment since it will only bring more anger amongst the people.

"This impeachment is causing tremendous anger and you're doing it, and its really a terrible thing that they're doing," Trump said.

As per Daily Mail, the Democrats are pushing the use of the 25 Amendment by Mike Pence through a motion that will be voted on today, January 12. Trump actually had a "tense" conversation with Republican senior officials last Monday on the matter that lasted for thirty minutes, during which he confided to Kevin McCarthy that the "ANTIFA people" spearheaded the violence of January 6.

Daily Mail raised doubts on Republicans' support of the said impeachment.

CBN, on the other hand, reported that Trump declared a state of emergency and stressed his call for peace amidst the anger the impeachment is causing the people.

"I want no violence," CBN quoted Trump in saying.

Trump, as per CBN, has basically been silent after his accounts were totally banned by Big Tech Twitter and Facebook and has also acknowledged "some blame for the riot at the US Capitol," which he told McCarthy during their Monday phone call.

OANN cited a tweet from Anchor-Journalist Jennifer Franco who was present when Trump spoke to reporters outside the White House on his way to board the plane.

The tweet, which is a retweet of CSPAN's post that included the clip of the actual interview, involved a reporter asking the question, "What is your role in what happened at the Capitol? What is your personal responsibility?"

"If you read my speech...people thought that what I said was totally appropriate," Trump responded.

NEW: Reporter: "What is your role in what happened at the Capitol? What is your personal responsibility?"



President Trump: "If you read my speech...people thought that what I said was totally appropriate."pic.twitter.com/EdSr8bQJ0P  Jennifer Franco (@jennfranconews) January 12, 2021

The speech the president is actually referring to was the one he gave during the Save America Rally held at the White House Ellipse last Wednesday while members of the ANTIFA were already heading to the Capitol and wreaking havoc, as reported here previously in Christianity Daily.

In the said speech, Trump reviewed the election irregularities, acknowledged the efforts of those who fought for it, hit on the media for not reporting news truthfully, decried the efforts of Big Tech to "rig the elections", thanked the voluminous people who gathered to fight for the credibility of elections, and provided the next steps of the gathering, which was to go to the Capitol to voice out "peacefully" the need to object the electoral votes.

"After this, we're going to walk down and I'll be there with you. We're going to walk down. We're going to walk down any one you want, but I think right here. We're going walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women. We're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong," Trump said at the 16:25 mark of his speech that Rev provided a transcript of online.

"We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slated, lawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard," he stressed by 18:16 of his speech. "Today we will see whether Republicans stand strong for integrity of our elections, but whether or not they stand strong for our country, our country."
The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has today been notified of 63 additional deaths related to COVID-19.

5 of these deaths occurred in November 2020, 1 of these deaths occurred in December 2020, and the remaining 56 occurred in January 2021. The date of death for one reported death remains under investigation.

There has been a total of 2,460 COVID-19 related deaths in Ireland.

As of midnight, Tuesday, 12th January, the HPSC has been notified of 3,569 confirmed cases of COVID-19. There is now a total of 159,144* confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ireland.

Of the cases notified today:

1,616 are men / 1,924 are women

54% are under 45 years of age

The median age is 42 years old

1,119 are in Dublin, 416 in Cork, 200 in Galway, 182 in Louth, 169 in Waterford, and the remaining 1,483 cases are spread across all other counties.

As of 2pm today, 1,770 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 172 are in ICU. 133 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

In Leitrim, there were less than 5 new cases as of midnight on January 12, bringing the total number of cases in the past 14 days to 226. This gives the county an incidence rate of 705.3 per 100,000 population, the lowest in the country.

In neighbouring counties the figures are:

Donegal - 136 new cases, showing a 14-day total of 2,359, and a rate of 1,481.9

Roscommon - 27 (new cases), 655 (14-day total), 1,014.8 (rate)

Cavan - 66 (new cases), 1,142 (14-day total), 1,499.2 (rate)

Sligo - 14 (new cases), 730 (14-day total), 1,113.9 (rate)

Longford - 28 (new cases), 399 (14-day total), 976.2 (rate)

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: We are seeing some early signs of progress with daily cases numbers and positivity rates. We can take some hope in them, but we have a long, long way to go. In the coming weeks ahead, we will need to draw upon our reserves of resilience from springtime as we can expect to see hospitalisations, admissions to ICU and mortality related to COVID-19 increase day on day.

The best way that we can all support one another now is to stay apart. Sadly, what we are seeing now is a result of the very high daily confirmed case numbers we experienced for successive weeks. To ensure our hospitals and loved ones remain protected, and stay alive to receive the vaccine, please continue to follow public health advice and stay home.

At this challenging time, it is important to remind those that need acute care that hospitals are there for those that need them. No one should ignore any worrying signs they may need medical attention, such as lumps, chest pain or other new symptoms. Phone your GP if you have any concerns, not just those related to COVID-19.

The COVID-19 Dashboard provides up-to-date information on the key indicators of COVID-19 in the community.
Sanford firefighter and paramedic, Andrew Williams (pictured), was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday

A Florida firefighter has been arrested by the FBI after he was spotted wearing a Trump hat inside the Capitol while it was under siege by MAGA supporters.

Sanford firefighter and paramedic, Andrew Williams, was taken into custody on Tuesday, according to a statement from the fire department's chief Crag Radzak.

Following his arrest, Radzak said Williams was placed on administrative leave without pay pending the results of the criminal investigations.

Radzak said the Sanford Fire Department was made aware of information regarding the possibility of a firefighters involvement in events that took place last week at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

'Along with the information, a photograph was submitted that depicts a male, identified as Andrew Williams. The picture appears to show Williams inside the Capitol Building during the unlawful entry made by protesters,' Radzak said in the statement.

Williams has been charged with one count of unlawful entry of a restricted building and one count of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

'We hold the men and women in this department to the highest standards. It saddens me that the actions of one individual have tarnished the hard work and dedication that the rest of the department puts forth on a daily basis,' Radzak said in the statement.

Williams was arrested after he was identified in a photo that was sent anonymously to the WKMG news station. Williams is seen wearing a 'Trump 2020' hate while pointing to a placard with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi written on it

'Our investigation will continue in conjunction with the current federal criminal investigation,' Radzak said.

'As is policy with any type of policy violation, including a criminal violation, an internal administrative process must be followed in order to ensure a thorough investigation with a just conclusion. I ask for the publics patience as we move through this process,' he added.

Williams was arrested after he was identified in a photo that was sent anonymously to the WKMG news station.

In the image, Williams is seen wearing a Trump 2020 hat while pointing to a sign for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

During the riot, Pelosi's office was vandalized and several rioters were seen taking pictures at her desk. According to WKMG, Williams appeared in court on Tuesday and a judge set his bond at $25,000.

He was released from custody under the restrictions that he would need to surrender his passport and travel. Williams was also ordered to surrender any firearms in his possession and submit to mental health evaluations and drug tests.

He appeared in court on Tuesday and a judge set his bond at $25,000. Now that he has been released from custody, he will need to surrender any firearms and his passport, restrict his travel and submit to mental health evaluations and drug tests.

Williams could receive a fine or up to six months in prison if he's convicted.

And Williams isn't the only firefighter that was photographed at the Capitol last week. Federal agents are investigating claims that New York City firefighters participated in the Capitol siege

Several people have been charged in the incident. Among them are West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans, 35, Adam Johnson, 36, who was photographed carrying off Pelosi's podium, and Richard Barnett, 60, who was pictured with his feet on Pelosi's desk

And Williams isn't the only firefighter that was photographed at the Capitol last week.

Federal agents are investigating claims that New York City firefighters participated in the Capitol siege.

One rioter was spotted wearing an FDNY jacket - which read FDNY Squad 252 -outside the Capitol. Squad 252 is based out of Brooklyn. The firefighter has not been named but is said to be retired.

FDNY told New York Daily News that they had received anonymous tips offs about at least one current New York firefighter who was not wearing his uniform during the siege but was recognized from the footage.

FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer told the newspaper that 'The department received anonymous allegations that active or retired members were present at the events at the United States Capitol on January 6 and, as required, has provided that information to the FBI.'

It's unclear what information was given to federal agents, but officials told the newspaper no arrests or suspensions have been made in association with the riot.

Several people have been charged in the incident. Among them are West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans, 35, who was newly sworn in when he streamed himself entering the Capitol on Facebook Live; Adam Johnson, 36, was photographed carrying off Pelosi's podium, and Richard Barnett, 60, who was pictured with his feet on Pelosi's desk.

Charges in the cases include assaulting police officers, entering restricted areas of the Capitol and stealing federal property.
Iran's navy began a short-range missile drill in the Gulf of Oman today and inaugurated its largest military vessel, state TV has reported.

It comes amid heightened tensions over Tehran's nuclear program and a U.S. pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The two-day missile drill was being held in the gulf's southeastern waters and two new Iranian-made warships joined the exercise: The missile-launching Zereh, or 'armor,' and the country's largest military ship the Makran, a logistics vessel with a helicopter pad named for a coastal region in southern Iran.

Iran's navy began a short-range missile drill in the Gulf of Oman today and inaugurated its largest military vessel, state TV has reported

An Iranian Navy warship during a navy military drill in the Gulf of Oman in Iran

Iran's navy began a short-range missile drill in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, state TV reported, amid heightened regional tensions over Tehran's nuclear program and a U.S. pressure campaign against the Islamic Republic

President Donald Trump in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran's nuclear deal, in which Tehran had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Trump cited Iran's ballistic missile program among other issues in withdrawing from the accord.

When the U.S. then ramped up sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal's limits on its nuclear development as a series of escalating incidents pushed the two countries to the brink of war at the beginning of the year.

In recent weeks, Iran has increased its military drills. On Saturday, the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard held a naval parade in the Persian Gulf and a week earlier Iran held a massive drone maneuver across half the country.

Troops standing in formation on an Iranian Navy warship during a navy military drill in the Gulf of Oman in Iran

Iran on occasion announces military achievements that cannot be independently verified. The country began a military sufficiency program in 1992 under which Tehran says it produces mortars to fighter jets.

State TV said the 121,000-metric ton Makran is Iran's largest military ship at 748 feet long, 138 feet wide and 70 feet tall. The Makran, a logistics ship that supports combat ships in the fleet, can travel for nearly three years without docking and carries information collection and processing gear.

Video footage released by the military showed helicopters carrying commandos to the Makran as part of the exercise.

The two-day missile drill was being held in the gulf's southeastern waters and two new Iranian-made warships joined the exercise

Last week, Iran seized a South Korean oil tanker and its crew members in the Gulf, and continues to hold the vessel at an Iranian port. The Islamic Republic has apparently sought to increase its leverage over Seoul ahead of negotiations over billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen in South Korean banks tied to U.S. sanctions on Iran.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of having secret ties with the militant al-Qaida network and imposed new sanctions on several senior Iranian officials. Iran has denied the accusation.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said in a televised speech during a Cabinet meeting that U.S. sanctions will fail. 'We are witnessing the failure of a policy, the maximum pressure campaign, economic terrorism,' he said.
At least 80 people were killed on Tuesday when unidentified gunmen stormed through a village in western Ethiopia in the latest of a series of ethnically driven massacres in the area, the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and witnesses said on Wednesday.

The massacre in Benishangul-Gumuz region, along the border with Sudan, is the latest challenge to the regime of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who came to power in 2018 promising to unite Ethiopia but has struggled to contain a growing wave of ethnic violence.

The attacks further threaten the stability of Africas second-most populous nation at a time when Mr. Abiy is already embroiled in an escalating conflict in the northern Tigray region, where he launched a major military operation on Nov. 4 that he said was intended to capture defiant local leaders.

Analysts say the campaign in Tigray has hampered Mr. Abiys ability to stem clashes like the recent one in Benishangul-Gumuz, because it has forced him to divert soldiers from across Ethiopia to Tigray. As a result, ethnic clashes that had already been growing for months have only gotten worse.
US President Donald Trump (Source: Reuters )

At least four Republicans said on Tuesday they would join Democrats in voting to impeach President Donald Trump over the attack on the U.S. Capitol, as Vice President Mike Pence rejected calls to use a constitutional maneuver to oust him.

With eight days remaining in Trump's term in office, the House of Representatives was poised on Wednesday to pass an article of impeachment accusing the Republican of inciting insurrection in a speech to his followers last week before a mob of them stormed the Capitol, leaving five dead.

That would trigger a trial in the still Republican-controlled Senate, although it was unclear if enough time or political appetite remained to push Trump from office.

Even as the Democratic-led House debated a resolution that urged Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to expel Trump from office, Pence sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that said he would not comply.

"I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution," Pence said.

Despite the letter, the House moved forward on Tuesday with a vote on the resolution after it cleared a procedural hurdle.

At the same time, Trump's iron grip on his party was showing

further signs of weakening as at least four Republicans, including a member of the House leadership, said they would vote for his historic second impeachment.

Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said: "There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack" on the Capitol last Wednesday, Cheney, the daughter of former Republican Vice President Dick Cheney, said in a statement, adding: "I will vote to impeach the president."

Three other Republican House members, John Katko, Adam Kinzinger and Fred Upton, said they would also vote for impeachment.

Their announcements came as Republican leaders in the House refrained from urging their members to vote against impeaching Trump, saying it was a matter of individual conscience.

'DEMONSTRATED NO REMORSE'

In his first public appearance since last Wednesday's riot, Trump showed no contrition on Tuesday for his speech, in which he repeated his false claim that President-elect Joe Biden's victory was illegitimate. Biden will be sworn in as president on Jan. 20.

"What I said was totally appropriate," Trump told reporters as he left for a trip to the U.S.-Mexico border wall near Alamo, Texas, his first public foray since the assault on the Capitol.

At a meeting to set the rules for Wednesday's impeachment vote, Democratic Representative David Cicilline told the House Rules Committee that the impeachment drive had the support of 217 lawmakers - enough to impeach Trump.

Cicilline, who helped craft the impeachment measure, said Trump "has had almost a week to do the right thing. He has refused to resign, he has failed to take responsibility, he has demonstrated no remorse.

The New York Times reported that the Republican majority leader of the U.S. Senate, Mitch McConnell, was said to be pleased about the Democratic impeachment push, suggesting Trump's party was looking to move on from him after last week's stunning attack on Congress.

McConnell believes the impeachment effort will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, the Times said.

If Trump is impeached by the House, he would have a trial in the Senate to determine his guilt. A two-thirds majority of the Senate is needed to convict him, meaning at least 17 Republicans in the 100-member chamber would have to vote for conviction.

"I don't think you would have a hard time finding 17 Republicans to convict" with a tightly drawn article of impeachment, a former Senate Republican leadership aide told Reuters. "I think for McConnell, there's a very strong impulse for this (the Capitol assault) not to define the party."

Pelosi on Tuesday named nine impeachment "managers," who would present the House's case for impeachment during a Senate trial, but it remained unclear how swiftly such a trial would take place if the House votes to impeach.

McConnell has said no trial could begin until the chamber returns from its recess on Jan. 19.

But Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is set to become the majority leader after two Democrats from Georgia are seated and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is sworn in, told reporters the Senate could be recalled to handle the matter.

PARTISAN FIGHT

In a debate ahead of the House vote on the 25th Amendment resolution, Democrats pushed Republican lawmakers to disavow Trump's false allegation that Biden's victory was illegitimate. That claim enraged Trump's supporters and prompted the violence in Washington that killed five including a police officer.

Republicans refused to concede the point and said their unsuccessful effort last week to challenge the results of the election was justified.

The resolution calls on Pence to invoke Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, a never-before used power that allows a majority of the Cabinet to strip the president of power if he or she is deemed unable to discharge the office's duties.

But Democrats say Trump's actions demand a response.

Democrats could also use an impeachment trial to push through a vote blocking Trump from running for office again.

Rather than a two-thirds vote, only a simple Senate majority is needed to disqualify Trump from future office. There is disagreement among legal experts as to whether a conviction on an impeachment charge would be needed before a disqualification vote. A different part of the Constitution, the 14th Amendment, also provides a procedure for disqualifying Trump from future office with a simple majority of both chambers.

Trump has said he plans to run again in 2024.

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

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Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

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Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

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Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

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Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

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Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

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Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

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Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director
The virtual event was attended by ministers, senior officials and representatives from Yemen, including the Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr. Waed Abdullah Badhib, the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour, Dr. Muhammad Al-Zaouri and Minister of Public Works and Infrastructures, Manea Bayamain.

Ambassador Mohammed bin Saeed Al Jaber, SDRPY Supervisor, said: "The initiatives are part of our ongoing efforts to assist the Government in Yemen by restoring housing, and offering placement programs, job trainings, and self-employment opportunities to youth, under the directives of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman."

Commenting on the announcement, HRH Princess Lamia bint Majed Saud Al Saud, Secretary General of Alwaleed Philanthropies said, "Adequate housing and proper job placements are vital in economic, social, and civic development. If addressed properly, a myriad of socio-economic benefits can be reaped and business opportunities will grow."

HRH added: "Today's agreements with the Saudi Development and Reconstruction Program for Yemen, UN-Habitat and Education for Employment demonstrates our continuous efforts towards providing long-term solutions and achieving sustainable impact in a way that supports the most vulnerable segments of society. We are delighted to have partnered with institutions that share both our core values and ethos for creating real change within societies."

In coordination with the Yemeni government and local authorities, and in cooperation with civil society organizations, the "Adequate Housing Project" aims to restore 600 housing units for low-income households in Aden and other areas with low living standards in Yemen.

Studies conducted by the vested parties indicate that the project is expected to benefit up to 4,200 people directly, in addition to indirect beneficiaries of the improvements to the urban landscape of the residential neighborhoods, and the general improvement of the social and economic conditions. Moreover, the project will benefit more than 200 unemployed youth by providing vocational training, while 1600 new job opportunities will be created during the implementation period.

The second project, entitled: Building the Future for Yemeni Youth, will aim to provide occupational training and job opportunities for 660 youth and their families, to improve the living standards and achieve economic stability in targeted areas.

Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director of UN-Habitat, noted: "This partnership will enhance our contributions in Yemen and will enable us to provide assistance and support for these underprivileged groups." While Andrew Baird, EFE's CEO, commented, "Since 2006, EFE has linked over 114,000 Arab youth to a job or the world of work. We are extremely pleased to be part of this effort to support Yemeni youth."

For four decades, Alwaleed Philanthropies has supported and spent more than 4 billion dollars on social welfare and initiated more than 1000 projects in over +189 countries, managed by 10 Saudi female members, reaching more than 1 billion beneficiaries around the world, regardless of gender, race, or religion. Alwaleed Philanthropies collaborates with a range of philanthropic, governmental, and educational organizations to combat poverty, empower women and youth, develop communities, provide disaster relief, and create cultural understanding through education.

SOURCE Alwaleed Philanthropies
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Turkey on Wednesday approved the emergency use of a coronavirus jab developed by China's Sinovac, paving the way for a national vaccination drive that will start with healthcare workers.

Health Minister Fahrettin Koca rolled up his sleeve and received the first shot of CoronaVac after announcing plans to start administering it nationally on Thursday.

"Everyone should get vaccinated because it is the only way to get rid of this pandemic," Koca said in televised comments.

Turkey said last month that preliminary domestic testing showed 91.25-percent efficacy for CoronaVac.

But more robust trials in Brazil demonstrated an efficacy rate of around 50 percentmuch lower than those of rival shots from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZenica.

A third trial in Indonesia showed an efficacy of 65.3 percent.

"This is a safe vaccine. The safety studies have been completed," said Koca without elaborating.

Turkey has signed up for 50 million doses of CoronaVac. Twenty million of them are due to arrive by the end of the month.

It is also expected to receive 4.5 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech jab by late March, although negotiations are still ongoing.

The vaccinations will start with Turkey's 1.1 million health workers before moving on to those aged 65 or over and people with chronic illnesses.

Turkey has seen its official daily death tolls from the virus slip back down to under 200 after imposing weekend lockdowns and other daily restrictions in November.

The nation of 83 million people has recorded 23,325 COVID-19 deaths and more than 2.3 million virus infections.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
The Conversation

For years, US President Donald Trump pushed the limits of Twitters content policies, raising pressure on the platform to exercise tougher moderation. Ultimately, the violent siege of the US Capitol forced Twitters hand and the platform permanently banned Trumps personal account, @realDonaldTrump. But this doesnt mean the 26,000 or so tweets posted during his presidency have vanished. They are now a matter of public record  and have been preserved accordingly.



The de-platforming of Donald Trump

The loss of public access to Trumps original Twitter posts means every online hyperlink to a tweet is now defunct. Embedded tweets are still visible as simple text, but can no longer be traced to their source.

Adding to this, retweets of the presidents messages no longer appear on the forwarding users feed. Quote tweets have been replaced with the message: This Tweet is unavailable and replies cant be viewed in one place anymore.

But even if Trumps account had not been suspended, he would have had to part with it at the end of his presidency anyway, since he used it extensively for presidential purposes.

Under the US governments ethics regulations, US officials are prevented from benefiting personally from their public office, and this applies to social media accounts.

Former US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, also used her personal and political Twitter accounts to conduct official business as ambassador. The account was wiped and renamed in 2019 once her role ended.

Where did all the information go?

Despite being permanently suspended, Trumps prolific Twitter record is not lost. Under the Presidential Records Act, all of Trumps social media communications are considered public property, including non-public messages sent via direct chat features.

The act defines presidential records as any materials created or received by the president (or immediate staff or advisors) in the course of conducting his official duties.

It was passed in 1978, out of concern that former president Richard Nixon would destroy the tapes which ultimately led to his resignation. Today, it remains a way to force governments to be transparent with the public.

And although Trump tweeted extensively from his personal Twitter account created in 2009, @realDonaldTrump, it has undoubtedly been used for official purposes.

From banning transgender military service to threatening the use of nuclear weapons against North Korea, his tweets on this account constitute an important part of the presidential record.

As such, the US National Archives says it will preserve all of them, including deleted posts  as well as all posts from @POTUS, the official presidential account.

The Trump administration will have to turn over the digital records for both accounts on January 20, which will eventually be made available to the public on a Trump Library website.

Still, the president reserves the right to invoke as many as six specific restrictions to public access for up to 12 years.

We dont know whether Trump will invoke restrictions. But even if he does, grassroots initiatives have already archived all of his tweets.

For example, the Trump Twitter Archive is a free, public resource that lets users search and filter through more than 56,000 tweets by Trump since 2009, including deleted tweets since 2016.





Screenshot



A matter of public record

In 2017, Trump told Fox News he believed he may have never been elected without Twitter  and that he viewed it as an effective means for pushing his message.

Twitter also benefited from this relationship. Trumps 88 million followers (as of when his account was suspended) generated endless streams of user engagement for the social media giant.

Trumps approach to using Twitter was unprecedented. He bypassed traditional media channels, instead tweeting for political and diplomatic purposes  including to make important policy announcements.

His tweets set the agenda for US politics during his presidency. For example, they influenced foreign relations between the US and Mexico, North Korea, China and Iran. They were also used to endorse allies and attack rivals.

The closest thing to a town square

For all the reasons listed above, the value of Trumps Twitter record extends beyond historical research. Its a way to hold him accountable for what he has said and done.

And this will soon be on display as the US Democratic Party looks to impeach him for the second time for inciting insurrection.

Trumps administration of alternative facts has continuously stonewalled a number of enquiries  going as far as refusing to testify before Congress on certain matters.

From this frame of view, Trumps Twitter feed was arguably one of few places where his claims and decisions could really be scrutinised. And indeed, news coverage of the president often relied heavily on this.

The amplification effect

The medias reliance on president Trumps tweets ultimately highlights a key aspect that governs todays hybrid media system. That is, its highly responsive to a populist communication style.

Trumps use of Twitter indirectly contributed to his election success in 2016, by helping boost media coverage of his campaign. Researchers also observed him strategically increasing his Twitter activity in line with waning news interest.

Through a constant stream of provocative remarks, Trump exploited news values and continuously inserted himself into the news cycle. And for journalists under pressure to churn out content, his impassioned messages were the perfect sound bites.

Now, stripped of his favourite mouthpiece, its uncertain whether Trump will find another way to exert his influence. But one thing is for sure: his time on Twitter will go down in history.

Audrey Courty, PhD candidate, School of Humanities, Languages and Social Science, Griffith University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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We warmly congratulate Laos on the glorious success in the cause of national liberation and defence as well as the historic great and comprehensive accomplishments that the Lao people have gained during the 35 years implementing the renewal policy and five years implementing the Resolution of the LPRPs 10th national congress, which have further elevated the role and position of the Lao party and the Lao country in the international arena, the message read.

It went on to say that those achievements again testified to the clear-sighted leadership and the sound and creative policies of the LPRP, demonstrating the partys revolutionary mettle and firmness against all difficulties and challenges as well as its dedication to the goal of national independence, a prosperous and powerful country and happiness for the people, as well as to the global cause of peace, national independence, democracy and social progress.

The 11th national congress of the LPRP marks a new period of development of the Lao revolution, the message noted, stressing that as a close friend and comrade sharing the same ideal, the Communist Party of Vietnam is always willing to share difficulties and hardship with the fraternal LPRP and Lao people.

It said the relations between the two Parties, States and peoples of Vietnam and Laos are of vital significance to the cause of safeguarding national independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and socialism building in each country, positively contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world as a whole.

The Party, State and people of Vietnam will, in any circumstances, do their best together with the Lao Party, State and people to preserve, foster and pass on to later generations the special solidarity relationship between Vietnam and Laos, the message read.

The Vietnamese Party took the occasion to express the sincere and deep gratitude for the great and valuable support and assistance that the Lao Party, State and people have given to Vietnam in the struggle for national liberation and reunification in the past and the cause of renewal, national construction and defence at present.

On the occasion of the Lao partys 11th national congress, Party agencies, ministries, sectors, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, mass organisations and the Vietnam-Laos Friendship Association also sent messages of congratulations to their Lao counterparts.
LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, a dual-island Caribbean nation located just over two hours away from Southern Florida, has been encompassed in the Caribbean Journal's ranking of the region's best islands to visit in 2021. According to the publication, the Federation was included due to its "uncrowded, calm and beautiful" nature  elements enticing for seasoned travellers. St Kitts and Nevis also boasts the lowest coronavirus rate in the Caribbean, reporting only 34 total cases and zero deaths. This makes it the perfect off-the-grid destination for American holidaymakers.

Before the pandemic, St Kitts and Nevis enjoyed a thriving tourism sector with a popular cruise season. The nation soon welcomed one million cruise passengers for two years consecutively, and it was recognised as a marquee destination by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association. In recent years, St Kitts and Nevis have quickly become a popular destination for travellers and those seeking second citizenship.

With the coronavirus pandemic still imposing global lockdowns and triggering uncertainty amongst investors, many Americans are looking to acquire alternative citizenship as a 'Plan B' to protect their families from future unpredictability. "COVID-19 has unveiled the weaknesses of Governments and their ability to deal with a crisis. Having a Plan B for one's family is worth a lot than the actual cost of investing in a safe, happy country," says Micha Emmett, CEO of CS Global Partners, a London-headquartered legal advisory and marketing firm.

Under its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, St Kitts and Nevis welcomes high net-worth individuals and their families to become citizens after investing in its economy. Established in 1984, it is the longest-running CBI Programme in operation and is acknowledged within the industry as a 'Platinum Standard' brand.

Once successfully passing the multi-tiered vetting checks, applicants can invest in the Sustainable Growth Fund  the fastest and most straightforward route to a second citizenship. After gaining citizenship, investors gain access to a wide range of benefits including visa-free travel to 156 destinations across the world, the right to live and work in the country, and the ability to pass citizenship down for generations to come. A single applicant must only make an investment of US$150,000 to unlock a range of life-transforming benefits which also include a second home in a safe paradise.

Contact:

[email protected]

www.csglobalpartners.com

SOURCE CS Global Partners

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Hemostats are the medical devices that compress blood vessels and reduce the flow of blood or other fluids. They are majorly used during surgical procedures to control bleeding in patients. Hemostatic agents enable faster wound healing, reduce operative time, enhance patient's recovery, and help in treating anticoagulated patients. Various surgical hemostatic agents are available based on different compositions, immunogenicity, and the mechanism of action, application and adherence.

According to IMARC Group's latest report, titled Hemostats Market Report: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2020-2025, the global hemostats market to continue its moderate growth during the next five years.

Market Trends

The growing prevalence of chronic blood-related disorders, cesarean deliveries, fatal injuries, organ surgeries, etc., is primarily driving the demand for hemostats to reduce blood loss. Moreover, several technological advancements have led to the development of absorbable adjunctive hemostats that help in controlling disruptive bleeding more efficiently than the conventional devices. Additionally, the growing utilization of nano- and micro-materials for treating uncontrolled hemorrhage and internal bleeding is also augmenting the market growth. Several manufacturers have introduced advanced laparoscopic hemostats to enhance surgical operations quality and facilitate less invasive procedures, which are further expected to drive the global market.

Request for a free sample copy of this report:

https://www.imarcgroup.com/hemostats-market/requestsample

Some of these key players include:

Arch Therapeutics Inc. Baxter International Inc. Braun Melsungen Aktiengesell R. Bard Inc. GELITA MEDICAL GmbH Integrates LifeSciences Corporation Johnson & Johnson Pfizer Inc. Stryker Corporation Teleflex Incorporated Z-Medica LLC.

Breakup by Product:

Thrombin Based Combination Based Oxidized Regenerated Cellulose Based Gelatin Based Collagen Based

Breakup by Application:

Orthopedic Surgery General Surgery Neurological Surgery Cardiovascular Surgery Reconstructive Surgery Gynecological Surgery Others

Breakup by Formulation:

Matrix and Gel Hemostats Sheet and Pad Hemostats Sponge Hemostats Powder Hemostats

Explore full report with table of contents: https://www.imarcgroup.com/hemostats-market

Breakup by Region:

North America Asia Pacific Europe Latin America Middle East and Africa

Browse Related Report:

https://www.imarcgroup.com/vital-signs-monitoring-devices-market

https://www.imarcgroup.com/capnography-devices-market

About Us

IMARC Group is a leading market research company that offers management strategy and market research worldwide. We partner with clients in all sectors and regions to identify their highest-value opportunities, address their most critical challenges, and transform their businesses.

IMARC's information products include major market, scientific, economic and technological developments for business leaders in pharmaceutical, industrial, and high technology organizations. Market forecasts and industry analysis for biotechnology, advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, travel and tourism, nanotechnology and novel processing methods are at the top of the company's expertise.

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The House voted Wednesday 232-197 to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time for 'incitement of insurrection,' exactly a week after the MAGA mob stormed Capitol Hill.

The Democratic majority was joined by 10 Republicans, making the House's move bipartisan - unlike Trump's first impeachment less than 13 months ago.

But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that he would not bring the Senate back before January 19, the day before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration. It means that Trump cannot be removed from office before he leaves anyway.

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED 'YES' ON IMPEACHMENT Liz Cheney - Wyoming. Republican royalty and House Number 3 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.' Adam Kinzinger - Illinois. Outspoken Trump critic and Air Force veteran 'If these actions are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?' John Katko - New York. Holds swing district and co-chairs moderate group 'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy.' Fred Upton - Michigan. 14-term rep who co-chairs moderate group 'It is time to say: Enough is enough.' Jaime Herrera Beutler - Washington Five-term rep in deep blue state 'The President of the United States incited a riot. That riot led to five deaths.' Dan Newhouse - Washington One of only two GOP reps from state 'Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republican is not an option.' Peter Meijer - Michigan Holds Gerald Ford's seat 'There was no such courage from our President who betrayed and misled millions.' Tom Rice - South Carolina Voted to overturn election results 'I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. This utter failure is inexcusable.' Anthony Gonzalez - Ohio 'The President of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties.' Former NFL starting wide receiver David Valadao - California 'His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. Its time to put country over politics.' Reclaimed district from Dems in 2020 Advertisement

McConnell's move was revealed as the House debated the impeachment article. Then he added to the drama with a statement suggesting he could convict, saying: 'While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate.'

Just before he entered history as the first president to be impeached twice, the White House put out a statement from Trump, which called for peace but did not address his impeachment.

'In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You,' the president's statement said.

Later, after the impeachment vote, Trump put out a video message.

The call for calm did nothing to quell a Republican rebellion against him, led by the House number three Liz Cheney, which ended with a total of 10 GOP members voting to impeach Trump.

Halfway through the debate another defiant Republican, Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, said: 'Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option.

'A vote against impeachment is a vote to validate this unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation's capital. It is also a vote to condone President Trump's inaction. He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed.'

'Our country needed a leader and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office,' Newhouse added. His floor speech got Democratic applause.

The 10 votes make the impeachment the most bipartisan ever, another historical marker which also creates a deep split in the Republican party which is unlikely to end with Trump's departure.

The vote ended with Nancy Pelosi, the House Speaker, in the chair, declaring the count of 232 to 197 - but with silence from the Democrats and handful of Republicans still present. Pelosi had warned her members not to celebrate the outcome.

'We're heartbroken over what this means to our country,' Pelosi said at the engrossment ceremony for the article of impeachment that took place Wednesday evening. 'To have a president who incites insurrection.'

She said she 'sadly' signed the documents.

It concluded a day of debate in which Pelosi had called Trump a 'clear and present danger,' as Democrats said they were standing in a 'crime scene' and demanded that Trump pay a price for a campaign of 'lies and conspiracy theories' which had fomented violence.

Trump's Republican allies did not defend Trump's behavior, but instead pitched censuring the president or launching a 9/11-style commission, more fitting punishments they argued for someone who was already leaving office.

Rep. Chip Roy, a Texas Republican, went as far to say Trump's conduct was impeachable, but wouldn't vote for the article, calling it 'flawed.'

The Republican revolt was led by Cheney, the number three in the caucus and party royalty as the daughter of the former vice president Dick Cheney.

She had issued a fiery denunciation of Trump when she announced her vote 24 hours earlier, saying he 'lit the flame on insurrection' but did not speak on the floor.

In the Senate, which will have to hold a trial of Trump in the wake of the vote as soon as it receives the article, McConnell's announcement that he is willing to convict raises new questions about how Republicans will vote when the trial happens.

So far only Sen. Mitt Romney appears certain to back conviction, while on Wednesday Sen. Lindsey Graham accused McConnell of risking more violence by backing impeachment. No other Republican senator has made their position public.

Impeachment is by a two-thirds majority of the Senate, which in principle means the 50 Democrats have to be joined by 17 Republicans, but in fact it is only a majority of those present, meaning some GOP members could stay away to let a vote go through without actively taking part.

In a statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer continued to push McConnell to reconvene the Senate sooner - but said there would be a trial no matter what.

'A Senate trial can begin immediately, with agreement from the current Senate Majority Leader to reconvene the Senate for an emergency session, or it will begin after January 19th,' Schumer said.

'But make no mistake, there will be an impeachment trial in the United States Senate; there will be a vote on convicting the president for high crimes and misdemeanors; and if the president is convicted, there will be a vote on barring him from running again.'

Bringing down the hammer: Nancy Pelosi gavels the end of the voting and declares that Donald Trump has been impeached again 232-197 - 10 of the majority votes coming from Republicans

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signs the article of impeachment against President Donald Trump at an engrossment ceremony after the vote Wednesday night

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi holds up the article of impeachment after signing it at an engrossment ceremony Wednesday night on Capitol Hill

The article of impeachment against President Donald Trump sits on a table before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at an engrossment ceremony after Wednesday's vote

Photographers lean over the article of impeachment Wednesday on Capitol Hill trying to get a good shot before an engrossment ceremony with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Republican House number three Liz Cheney (right) led 10 of the House GOP into voting for impeachment - but is now facing a backlash from Trump ultra-loyalists. She was see n speaking to Jamie Raskin, one of the key Democrats pushing for Trump's impeachment and removal

The House Republicans who voted 'yes' on the impeachment are: (clockwise from top left) Dan Newhouse, Peter Meijer, Tom Rice, Anthony Gonzalez, David Valadao, Jaime Herrera Beutler, Fred Upton, John Katko, Adam Kinzinger and Liz Cheney

READ THE FULL ARTICLE OF IMPEACHMENT Advertisement

IMPEACHMENT TIMETABLE Wednesday afternoon: House passed single Article What happens next? Nancy Pelosi decides when to transmit Article to Senate. When she does, it must begin trial on the next sitting day and sit six days a week until it concludes Tuesday January 19: Earliest date Mitch McConnell has said Senate can begin considering Article. Senate procedures may mean trial will not begin until the following day at 1pm Wednesday January 20, noon: Trump leaves office What happens next? If a trial is under way, it can continue. Most legal experts say if it has not begun, it can, but there is a minority who say impeachment cannot continue if the president is not in office Advertisement

Rep. Tom Cole, the first GOP lawmaker to speak, argued against a hasty impeachment vote 'not because of the president's inappropriate and reckless words are deserving of defense but because the presidency itself demands due process.' Cole had himself voted to overturn the election results.

Republicans also warned impeaching Trump for a second time would only make partisan hostilities worse.

'This is a reckless impeachment,' complained Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri. 'This will only bring up the hate and fire more than ever before.'

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona charged Democrats with wanting 'complete destruction of your nemesis.'

'Instead of stopping the Trump train, his movement will go stronger, for you would have made him a martyr,' Biggs warned.

Democrats described the terror of last week's attack.

'We are debating this resolution at an actual crime scene and we wouldn't be here if not for the president of the United States,' said Rep. Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat.

'People were sending text messages to their loved ones, telling them they loved them. They thought they were saying goodbye,' he added.

Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the House's lead impeachment manager, referred to the rioters as a 'bloodthirsty mob.'

'They wounded dozens of people, hospitalizing dozens of people,' he said. 'They may have been hunting for Pence and Pelosi to stage their coup, but every one of us in this room right now, could have died.'

Rep. Joaquin Castro echoed Raskin's description.

'Let me ask you a question? What do you think they would have done if they had gotten in? What do you think they would have done to you? And who do you think sent them here?' he asked his fellow members. 'The most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office.'

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, speaking to an InstagramLive audience Tuesday night since she was proxy voting, said, 'I can tell you that I had a very close encounter where I thought I was going to die.'

'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive,' the high-profile progressive lawmaker said.

On the floor Wednesday, the Democrats pointed to the Republicans' high-profile defection: the No. 3 House Republican, Cheney.

Cheney, the Republican Conference Chair, laced into Trump in her statement, saying he 'lit the flame' of insurrection - and Democrats repeated her words back to the Republicans.

The House's No. 3 Democrat, Rep. Jim Clyburn, walks into the Capitol Building surrounded by members of the National Guard

Armed National Guard troops are seen outside the U.S. Capitol Building as members inside debate impeaching President Donald Trump for a second time in 13 months

Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, a top Trump ally, speaks on the House floor Wednesday as impeachment proceedings began

HOUSE REPUBLICANS WHO VOTED 'YES' ON IMPEACHMENT Liz Cheney - Wyoming. Republican royalty and House Number 3 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.' Adam Kinzinger - Illinois. Outspoken Trump critic and Air Force veteran 'If these actions are not worthy of impeachment, then what is an impeachable offense?' John Katko - New York. Holds swing district and co-chairs moderate group 'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy.' Fred Upton - Michigan. 14-term rep who co-chairs moderate group 'It is time to say: Enough is enough.' Jaime Herrera Beutler - Washington Five-term rep in deep blue state 'The President of the United States incited a riot. That riot led to five deaths.' Dan Newhouse - Washington One of only two GOP reps from state 'Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republican is not an option.' Peter Meijer - Michigan Holds Gerald Ford's seat 'There was no such courage from our President who betrayed and misled millions.' Tom Rice - South Carolina Voted to overturn election results 'I have backed this President through thick and thin for four years. This utter failure is inexcusable.' Anthony Gonzalez - Ohio 'The President of the United States helped organize and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties.' Former NFL starting wide receiver David Valadao - California 'His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent, and absolutely an impeachable offense. Its time to put country over politics.' Reclaimed district from Dems in 2020 Advertisement

'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' she said.

The decision to back impeachment by Cheney, a member of Republican royalty as the daughter of Dick Cheney, and seen as a future contender for the party's House leadership and the Speaker's chair, means that impeachment would be bipartisan.

On the floor Wednesday, Democrats pointed to Cheney's statement as evidence they were in the right.

The Democrats' No. 2, Rep. Steny Hoyer, recited Cheney's words during his turn to speak.

'That is not some irresponsible new member of Congress of the United States,' Hoyer said. 'This is the daughter of the former Republican whip and former vice president of the United States of America.'

'She knows of which she speaks,' Hoyer argued.

Cheney never gave her own floor speech.

Reps. Jim Jordan and Paul Gosar, two of Trump's top GOP House allies, were pushing to have Cheney removed from her leadership position.

JIM JORDAN SAYS DEMOCRATS WANT TO 'CANCEL' THE PRESIDENT

Jordan gave two fiery floor speeches Wednesday.

He yelled '19 minutes!' into the microphone Wednesday afternoon, charging Democrats with waiting just 19 minutes into the Trump administration to start their impeachment hunt.

He said Democrats were pursuing removal again because of 'politics and the fact that they want to, they want to cancel the president.'

'This is about getting the president of the United States,' Jordan said.

'They spied on his campaign before he was elected, 19 minutes into his presidency they started the impeachment push, three year Mueller investigation, 19 lawyers, 40 agents, 500 witnesses, 2,500 subpoenas, $40 million to find nothing,' Jordan went on.

The Ohio Republican said impeachment 'round one' was based on information from a 'biased' whistleblower.

'Now it's impeachment round two,' he said. 'It's always been about getting the president, no matter what. It's an obsession, an obsession that's now broadened. It's not just about impeachment anymore it's about canceling ... canceling the president,' Jordan argued.

'IT BREAKS MY HEART' SAYS HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI

Pelosi, who opened the formal impeachment articles debate, said she wasn't pursuing the measure with glee.

'It gives me no pleasure to say this, it breaks my heart. It should break your heart. It should break all of our hearts,' the top Democrat said.

Pelosi encouraged the Senate to act, calling the president a 'clear and present danger.'

'I believe the president must be convicted by the Senate, a constitutional remedy that will ensure that the republic will be safe from this man, that was so resolutely determined to tear down the things that we hold dear, and hold us together,' she said.

She also slammed those who engaged in the riot.

'Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed. They were domestic terrorists and justice must prevail,' the House speaker said.

TOP HOUSE REPUBLICAN SAYS ANTIFA NOT RESPONSIBLE

Pelosi's Republican counterpart, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, let other, more pro-Trump members speak before he took a turn on the floor, where he cleared up some right-wing misinformation.

'Some say the riots were caused by Antifa,' McCarthy said. 'There is absolutely no evidence of that. And conservatives should be the first to say so,' he advised.

McCarthy said he planned to vote no on impeachment because it was too hasty.

'I believe impeaching the president in such a short timeframe would be a mistake,' McCarthy argued. 'No investigations have been completed. No hearings have been held.'

'What's more, the Senate has confirmed that no trial will begin until after President-Elect Biden is sworn in,' McCarthy added, a nod to the breaking McConnell news.

TRUMP'S TOP ALLIES POINT FINGERS BACK AT DEMOCRATS

Most of the Republicans lining up to speak were Trump hard-liners - and pointed to what they considered to be Democratic hypocrisy.

'The left in America has incited far more political violence than the right for months. Our cities burned police stations burned or businesses were shattered. And they said nothing,' Rep. Matt Gaetz yelled.

'Well they lit actual flames. Actual fires,' Gaetz exclaimed.

That comment cued boos from the Democratic side.

Rep. Ken Buck compared the capitol assault to Trump administration officials being harassed at restaurants.

'The press secretary Sarah Sanders was kicked out of a restaurant for being a Trump employee, the DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen harassed at her home,' Buck said on the floor.

Nielsen was confronted by a crowd at a D.C. restaurant over the Trump administration's child separation policy.

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has openly supported the QAnon conspiracy theory, called for 'accountability on the left.'

'After encouraging and normalizing violence,' she said.

'I call bull crap when I hear the Democrats demanding unity. Sadly they are only unified in hate,' she blasted.

the other 'QAnon congresswoman,' Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green gave her floor remarks wearing a 'CENSORED' mask.

Rep. Brian Mast, a Florida Republican, used a dramatic pause to make his point.

'Has any one of those individuals who brought violence on this capitol been brought here to answer whether they did that because of our president?' Mast asked.

He stood unanswered for 30 seconds until his time elapsed. 'It appears I will receive no answer,' he said.

Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican from Washington state, became the sixth GOP member to say he would vote to impeach President Donald Trump

(SOME) REPUBLICANS REVOLT

Joining Cheney in voting for the Democratic-prepared article of impeachment was Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, John Katko of New York, Fred Upton of Michigan, Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington, Rep. Dan Newhouse of Washington, Peter Meijer of Michigan, Tom Rice of South Carolina and Anthony Gonzalez of Ohio.

'My vote to impeach our sitting president is not a fear-based decision,' Herrera Beutler said during her floor speech. 'I am not choosing a side I am choosing, it's the only way to defeat fear.'

Newhouse announced Wednesday mid-debate that he would vote yes on impeachment.

'Turning a blind eye to this brutal assault on our Republic is not an option,' Newhouse said.

'A vote against impeachment is a vote to validate this unacceptable violence we witnessed in our nation's capital,' Newhouse said in a statement. 'It is also a vote to condone President Trump's inaction. He did not strongly condemn the attack nor did he call in reinforcements when our officers were overwhelmed.'

'Our country needed a leader and President Trump failed to fulfill his oath of office,' Newhouse added.

His remarks were applauded on the House floor.

Cheney's decision came minutes after McConnell was revealed to believe that Trump had committed impeachable offenses.

The New York Times' bombshell was still echoing in Washington D.C. when the House started its 25th Amendment debate - and as it dragged to a close Tuesday night, Axios reported that McConnell was leaning towards a vote to convict the president and was 'more than 50/50' on it.

Cheney was seen speaking to Raskin on Tuesday night as he led the Democrats arguing for a resolution urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment removing Trump from power.

The House passed it late Tuesday despite Pence sending a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he'll refuse.

Hundreds of National Guard troops wer sleeping on the stone floor of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning as security in Washington intensified a week out from Joe Biden's inauguration

The troops could be seen spreading out inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning

The troops cradled their weapons and huddled together as they slept inside the Capitol on Wednesday

In a vote that wrapped up around 11.30pm Tuesday, the House voted 223-205 to approve the resolution, which can't actually force the vice president's hand.

'I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution,' Pence said in his letter to Pelosi, refusing to pull the trigger on the 25th.

'Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation,' Pence added.

Pence's letter came as the House was holding procedural votes on the resolution.

No Republicans joined on until the final vote - with Rep. Adam Kinzinger joining Democrats in the push to have Pence to use the 25th.

Trump ultra-loyalist Jim Jordan says he will try to oust Liz Cheney from her position as party's House number three in revenge for voting to impeach president Jim Jordan said he wanted Republicans to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position over her push to impeach President Donald Trump. 'I think she's, I think she's totally wrong,' Jordan said. 'The conference should have a second vote on that,' the Ohio Republican told reporters, saying he believed lawmakers should get a say on removing Cheney from her No. 3 position. Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, another top Trump ally, was circulating a petition to GOP members pushing for Cheney's removal, C-SPAN and CNN reported. The House Republican caucus held leadership elections for the 117th Congress on November 17, two weeks after Election Day. Cheney, again, was selected to be the Republican Conference chairman, and ran for the position unopposed. On Tuesday she announced she would side the the Democratic majority and vote to impeach Trump for 'incitement of insurrection.' In an explosive statement, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney laced into Trump saying he 'lit the flame' of insurrection. 'There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' Cheney said. Four other GOP House members have said they will vote for Trump's impeachment: Reps. Adam Kinzinger, Fred Upton, John Katko and Jaime Herrera Beutler. Speaking to Capitol Hill reporters, Jordan was unsure if there was a mechanism to push a member out of leadership. 'I don't know about that - it's just where I'm at,' he told the press. When asked if the conservative Freedom Caucus, of which Jordan is a leader, was supportive of pushing Cheney out, Jordan replied sarcastically, 'What do you think?' 'You know the answer. You know the answer to that question,' he went on. 'Of course.' Jordan was also asked if Republicans had a 'cohesive leaderhip team' with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Cheney appearing to be in direct conflict. 'Leader McCarthy and whip Scalise have done a great job,' Jordan answered. Rep. Steve Scalise is the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives. Jordan was recently given a Presidential Medal of Freedom behind closed doors by Trump. Both voted to overturn the election. Advertisement

That set the scene for an impeachment debate and vote Wednesday entirely different from the first impeachment vote on October 31, 2019.

Then the only non-Democratic vote was from Justin Amash, who was essentially forced out of the Republican party before he even cast it.

But after a day in which they feared for their lives, the mood in Congress had changed rapidly.

LINDSEY GRAHAM IN BITTER PUBLIC SPLIT WITH MITCH MCCONNELL OVER IMPEACHMENT Lindsey Graham slammed Mitch McConnell and other Republican leaders in the Senate on Wednesday as the House began debate to impeach President Donald Trump a second time. In a lengthy statement, delivered the day after Graham traveled to Texas with President Trump to visit a new section of the border wall, the senator argued: 'The last thing the country needs is an impeachment trial of a president who is leaving office in one week.' Graham, a staunch Trump ally, warned another impeachment trial 'could invite further violence' and decried Democrats for wanting to do a 'do-over impeachment.' Senator Lindsey Graham jumped back on the Trump plane - literally - on Tuesday as he accompanied the president on Air Force One to Texas 'The House impeachment process seeks to legitimize a snap impeachment totally void of due process. No hearings. No witnesses. It is a rushed process that, over time, will become a threat to future presidents. As to Senate leadership, I fear they are making the problem worse, not better,' he said. Graham jumped back on the Trump plane - literally - on Tuesday as he accompanied the president on Air Force One to Texas. Senator Lindsey Graham Statement 'Supporting the impeachment of President Trump under these circumstances will do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence at a time the President is calling for calm. If there was a time for America's political leaders to bend a knee and ask for God's counsel and guidance, it is now. The most important thing for leaders to do in times of crisis is to make things better, not worse. 'The process being used in the House to impeach President Trump is an affront to any concept of due process and will further divide the country. The President, who will be leaving office in less than a week, has committed to an orderly transfer of power, encouraging calm and rejecting violence. 'The House impeachment process seeks to legitimize a snap impeachment totally void of due process. No hearings. No witnesses. It is a rushed process that, over time, will become a threat to future presidents. As to Senate leadership, I fear they are making the problem worse, not better. 'The last thing the country needs is an impeachment trial of a president who is leaving office in one week. 'Democrats have already impeached the President once over a matter which was not worthy of that process. Now they seek to do it again, believing that this effort will wash for history the fact that the first impeachment was based on the thinnest of pretenses: a phone call with the leader of Ukraine. Impeachment should never be a 'do-over,' but that is what Democrats are seeking to do today. 'To my Republican colleagues who legitimize this process, you are doing great damage not only to the country, the future of the presidency, but also to the party. The millions who have supported President Trump and his agenda should not be demonized because of the despicable actions of a seditious mob. The individuals who participated in the storming of the Capitol should be met with the full force of the law. They should and will be held accountable.' Advertisement The trip comes after Graham broke with the president last Wednesday, refusing to join a Trump-backed effort to contest Electoral College counts in the hours after the MAGA riot. 'All I can say is count me out, enough is enough,' Graham told his Senate colleagues then. 'When it's over it is over.' But his tune changed. Graham on Wednesday called out Republicans who are voting for impeachment. Ten Republican House members supported impeaching Trump under the charge he violated his oath of office by inciting the mob of insurgents that attacked the Capitol on Wednesday. 'To my Republican colleagues who legitimize this process, you are doing great damage not only to the country, the future of the presidency, but also to the party,' Graham said. The House approved the articles of impeachment against Trump on Wednesday afternoon, 232-197. Republican leaders in the Senate were weighing whether to launch a trial on Friday to consider removing him from office, a source familiar with the deliberations told Reuters. But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ruled it out. 'Given the rules, procedures, and Senate precedents that govern presidential impeachment trials, there is simply no chance that a fair or serious trial could conclude before President-elect Biden is sworn in next week. The Senate has held three presidential impeachment trials. They have lasted 83 days, 37 days, and 21 days respectively,' he said in a statement after the House vote. 'Even if the Senate process were to begin this week and move promptly, no final verdict would be reached until after President Trump had left office. This is not a decision I am making; it is a fact. The President-elect himself stated last week that his inauguration on January 20 is the 'quickest' path for any change in the occupant of the presidency,' he noted. He said the trial would begin after Biden took the oath of office. 'In light of this reality, I believe it will best serve our nation if Congress and the executive branch spend the next seven days completely focused on facilitating a safe inauguration and an orderly transfer of power to the incoming Biden Administration,' McConnell said. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had pressured McConnell to agree to bring the Senate back sooner under emergency circumstances - to no avail. That means the first days of Biden's presidency will be taken up with impeaching his predecessor. If impeached, Trump would not be able to run for president again. Several Republican senators are thought to be considering 2024 presidential bids. To impeach Trump, a two-thirds majority is needed to convict him. Advertisement

Rep. Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, criticized the Democrats' effort to have Vice President Mike Pence utilize the 25th Amendment. He also complained about the House's new fines for lawmakers who don't wear masks - and the metal detectors outside the House chamber

HOW TRUMP'S SECOND IMPEACHMENT WILL UNFOLD The House is expected to impeach President Donald Trump for his encouragement of supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol, a vote that would make him the first American president to be impeached twice. While the previous three impeachments - those of Presidents Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Trump - took months before a final vote, including investigations and hearings, this time it will have only taken a week. After the rioting at the Capitol, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said 'we must take action,' and Democrats - and some Republicans - share her view ahead of Wednesday's vote. For now, the Republican-led Senate is not expected to hold a trial and vote on whether to convict Trump before Democrat Joe Biden is sworn in as president Jan. 20. Still, Democrats feel that action by the House would send an important message to the country. A look at what will happen as the House moves closer to impeaching Trump in his last week in office: THE BASICS OF IMPEACHMENT: In normal order, there would be an impeachment investigation and the evidence would be sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which would hold hearings, draft articles and send them to the full House. That's what happened in 2019, when the House impeached Trump over his dealings with the president of Ukraine. It took three months. This time, with so few days to act - and a feeling among Democrats that there is little need to investigate what happened, since most members of Congress heard Trump speak to his supporters and were in the Capitol when the mob broke in - impeachment is going straight to the House floor for a vote, which would come as soon as Wednesday. Once the House votes to impeach, the articles and evidence would be sent to the Senate, where a trial would be held and there would be final votes to convict or acquit. That's what the Senate did in early February of last year after Trump was impeached the first time. THE ARTICLES Democrats will begin debate Wednesday on a single impeachment charge: 'incitement of insurrection.' 'President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government,' reads the four-page impeachment article, which was introduced by Democratic Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California and Jamie Raskin of Maryland. 'He will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office,' it reads. The article says the behavior is consistent with Trump's prior efforts to 'subvert and obstruct' the results of the election and references his recent call with the Georgia secretary of state, in which he said he wanted him to find him more votes after losing the state to Biden. Trump has falsely claimed there was widespread fraud in the election, and the baseless claims have been repeatedly echoed by congressional Republicans and the insurgents who descended on the Capitol. Just before the riots, Trump spoke to the supporters near the White House and encouraged them to 'fight like hell.' As the protesters broke in, both chambers were debating GOP challenges to the electoral vote count in Arizona as part of the process for certifying Biden's election win. REPUBLICAN SUPPORT On Tuesday, five Republicans said they would support impeachment. No Republicans supported Trump's first impeachment in 2019. Republican Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 Republican in the House and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, said she would vote to impeach Trump because 'there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.' Cheney said Trump 'summoned' the mob that attacked the Capitol last week, 'assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.' New York Rep. John Katko was the first Republican to say he'd vote to impeach. A former federal prosecutor, he said he did not make the decision lightly. 'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,' Katko said. 'I cannot sit by without taking action.' Also saying they would vote for impeachment were Reps. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, Fred Upton of Michigan and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington. SENDING TO THE SENATE Once the House passes the articles, Pelosi can decide when she sends them to the Senate. Under the current schedule, the Senate is not set to resume full sessions until Jan. 19, which is the day before Biden's inauguration. Some Democrats suggested Pelosi might wait to send the articles and allow Biden to begin his term without impeachment hanging over him. But many other Democrats have urged Pelosi to move immediately. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who will be in charge once Biden is sworn in, suggested in a letter to colleagues Tuesday the chamber might divide its time between confirming Biden's nominees, approving COVID relief and conducting the trial. If the trial isn't held until Trump is already out of office, it could still have the effect of preventing him from running for president again. Biden has said it's important to ensure that the 'folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable.' SENATE POLITICS It's unlikely, for now, that enough Republicans would vote to convict, since two-thirds of the Senate is needed. Yet some Republicans have told Trump to resign, including Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, and few are defending him. Republican Sen. Ben Sasse has said he would take a look at what the House approves, but stopped short of committing to support it. Other Republicans have said that impeachment would be divisive. South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, long a key ally of the president, has been critical of his behavior in inciting the riots but said impeachment 'will do far more harm than good.' Only one Republican voted to convict Trump last year  Utah Sen. Mitt Romney. WHAT IMPEACHMENT WOULD MEAN Democrats say they have to move forward, even if the Senate doesn't convict. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders tweeted on Friday that some people might ask why they would try to impeach a president with only a few days left in office. 'The answer: Precedent,' he said. 'It must be made clear that no president, now or in the future, can lead an insurrection against the U.S. government.' Advertisement

In the hours after the riot, Pence did his Constitutional duty and certified President-elect Joe Biden, something he had been pressured by Trump not to do.

'You can either go down in history as a patriot,' Trump had told Pence by phone before he headed to the Capitol Wednesday, according to The New York Times. 'Or you can go down in history as a p****.'

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his support for impeachment, The New York Times reported Tuesday evening

Pence was inside when the violent mobbed attacked, with some Trump supporters calling out, 'Hang Mike Pence.'

The Times reported that Trump had invited Pence to the Oval Office Monday night to try to smooth things over in the run-up to the House's 25th Amendment vote.

The official description of the meeting was 'good,' according to the newspaper.

Unofficially sources called it 'nonsubstantive' and 'stilted.'

Tuesday night's vote on the 25th Amendment is considered the appetizer for Wednesday's main course: the House pursuing impeachment again.

Nowhere in his letter did Pence say he objected to that move.

Shortly after Pence sent out his letter, Pelosi sent out the names of impeachment managers.

She picked Raskin, who introduced the 25th Amendment resolution, as the head manager.

'I think every member of this body should be able to agree that this president is not meeting the most minimal duties of office,' Raskin argued Tuesday night.

Raskin also warned his fellow lawmakers that Trump could pardon the Capitol Hill attackers during his waning days.

Raskin, a Maryland Democrat, recently lost his son.

Additionally, Democratic Reps. Diana DeGette, David Cicilline, Joaquin Castro, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Stacey Plaskett, Joe Neguse and Madeleine Dean were also chosen.

Earlier Tuesday, McConnell signaled his support for the impeachment effort that includes an article charging the president with 'incitement of insurrection.'

The view of the GOP powerbroker emerged shortly before Rep. Liz Cheney, a member of the House GOP leadership, announced that she would vote for impeaching President Trump.

'On January 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes. This insurrection caused injury, death and destruction in the most sacred space in our Republic,' wrote Cheney, the daughter of the former vice president.

'Much more will become clear in coming days and weeks, but what we know now is enough. The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution,' she continued.

'I will vote to impeach the President,' Cheney concluded.

Neither Cheney nor McConnell backed Democrats impeachment effort a year ago.

McConnell worked successfully to scuttle the impeachment effort during a trial last year on different charges.

His current view follows reports that McConnell never wants to speak to Trump again after the Capitol riots that had Trump supporters invading the Capitol, trashing leadership offices, and endangering the lives of lawmakers.

McConnell backs the effort because it will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, the New York Times reports.

One feature of impeachment  which can grind the Senate to a halt and lead to furious partisan arguments  is that it allows lawmakers to vote to prohibit the person being impeached from ever holding public office with the U.S. government.

Trump may run for president in 2024, and many of his potential rivals happen to hold Senate seats.

McConnell has made clear in private discussions that 'now is the moment to move on the weakened lame duck, whom he blames for Republicans losing the Senate,' according to the report.

Trump ignored McConnell's advice and launched his election challenge despite two run-off elections in Georgia which the GOP lost  stripping the party of its majority.

A source told CNN McConnell 'hates' Trump and is 'furious' with him after the Capitol riots.

The siege left five people dead, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer who was based on the Senate side.

McConnell's wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, quit the Trump cabinet after the riots, which included an angry mob getting blocked steps from the door to the Senate chamber that McConnell uses when he normally strolls from his leadership office.

McConnell's view emerged as Trump, rather than express contrition, called impeachment a 'hoax' and a 'witch hunt,' and defended his pre-riot comments that Democrats have already said was incitement. Trump called his speech minutes before the siege 'totally appropriate.'

Cheney's statement denouncing the president comes after Trump told supporters they need to 'get rid' of people like her.

'We got to get rid of the weak Congresspeople, the ones that aren't any good, the Liz Cheneys of the world. We got to get rid of them,' Trump said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised her, amid speculation numerous House Republicans might follow her lead.

'Good for her for honoring her oath of us. Would that more Republicans would honor their oaths of office,' Pelosi said.

GOP Rep. John Katko also announced he would back impeachment Tuesday night.

'To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy,' Katko said in a statement, Syracuse.com reported. 'For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action. I will vote to impeach this president,' he said.

During floor debate, Katko said he wasn't supporting the 25th Amendment resolution because it was 'non-binding,' calling it 'merely a symbolic gesture.'

Katko confirmed his plans to vote for impeachment.

Michigan Republican Rep. Fred Upton also told Forbes he would vote to impeach.

As midnight approached, Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler also said she was a yes.

Convicting Trump on an impeachment article requires a two-thirds vote of the Senate, where Republicans hold 50 votes  a high bar to meet.

Assuming passage in the House, it has not been determined when Democratic leaders will transmit the impeachment article, or when the Senate might take it up.

A McConnell memo that emerged over the weekend cited scheduling challenges for impeachment  a trial might not even begin until after Jan. 19th, since the Senate is not in session.

President-elect Joe Biden said Monday there was the possibility of dual-tracking an impeachment and Senate session that would be needed to get his cabinet confirmed.

Biden phoned McConnell on Monday, according to the Times on the subject of a trial, and McConnell said he would consult the Senate parliamentarian and get back.

There are Senate rules and precedents governing impeachment, but leaders also might be able to negotiate a way to handle it, with the possibility of a special impeachment committee taking up some of the burden.

Trump has continued his usual pattern of lashing out at political adversaries when under attack.

'Free speech is under assault like never before. The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden Administration. As the expression goes, be careful what you wish for,' Trump said Tuesday, before lawmakers cast their votes Tuesday night.

Post-riot accounts from last Wednesday reveal that not only did President Trump egg on supporters who wreaked havoc in the Capitol  but he was glued to the television as the events unfolded, incapable of responding to desperate pleas to use influence to stop it and enjoying seeing it unfold.

There were two major areas where the president fell dramatically short of what was being asked of him: using his personal popularity with his followers to urge them to vacate the Capitol immediately; and using the vast powers of his office to try to speed a federal response.

But when key current and former aides and family members tried to reach him, he was 'busy enjoying the spectacle,' according to a Washington Post account.

What Trump told supporters before they ransacked the Capitol in 'totally appropriate' speech

We're going to have to fight much harder 'Republicans are constantly fighting like a boxer with his hands tied behind his back. It's like a boxer. And we want to be so nice. We want to be so respectful of everybody, including bad people. And we're going to have to fight much harder.' We're going to walk down to the Capitol 'We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong. 'Get tougher' / You are allowed to go by very different rules 'The Republicans have to get tougher. Youre not going to have a Republican Party if you dont get tougher. They want to play so straight. They want to play so serious. The United States, the Constitution doesnt allow me to send them back to the states. Well, I would say yes, it does, because the Constitution says you have to protect our country, and you have to protect our Constitution, and you cant vote on fraud, and fraud breaks up everything, doesnt it? When you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do, and I hope he doesnt listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that hes listening toWhen you catch somebody in a fraud, you are allowed to go by very different rules. So I hope Mike has the courage to do what he has to do, and I hope he doesn't listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that he's listening to.' Takes 'more courage not to step up' 'I also want to thank our 13 most courageous members of the U.S. Senate ... I actually think, though, it takes, again, more courage not to step up, and I think a lot of those people are going to find that out. And you better start looking at your leadership, because your leadership has led you down the tubes.' Never concede 'We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn't happen. You don't concede when there's theft involved. Our country has had enough.' On 'fake news' and 'Big tech' 'They rigged an election, they rigged it like they have never rigged an election before.' 'All of us here today do not want to see our election victory stolen by bold and radical left Democrats, which is what they are doing, and stolen by the fake news media. That is what they have done and what they are doing. We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesnt happen. You dont concede when theres theft involved.' 'We will not take it anymore' 'Our country has had enough. We will not take it anymore, and that is what this is all about.' And to use a favorite term that all of you people really came up with, we will stop the steal.'

Denied Biden's vote count 'He had 80 million computer votes. Its a disgrace. Theres never been anything like that. You can take Third World countries, just take a look, take Third World countries, their elections are more honest than what we have been going through in this country. Its a disgrace. Its a disgrace. Even when you look at last night, they were all running around like chickens with their heads cut off with boxes, and nobody knows what the hell is going on. Theres never been anything like this. We will not let them silence your voices. Were not going to let it happen.' [Note: Biden got more than 81 million votes; Trump rounded up his own total to 75 million.] Call for military and law enforcement to join 'And I would love to have, if those tens of thousands of people would be allowed, the military, the Secret Service and we want to thank you  and the police and law enforcement  great, youre doing a great job. But I would love it if they could be allowed to come up with us. Is that possible? Can you just let them, please?' Pressure on Mike Pence: Says it takes 'courage' to do nothing 'I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so. I hope so because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election ... All Vice President Pence has to do is send it back to the states to re-certify, and we become president, and you are the happiest people.' 'And I actually, I just spoke to Mike. I said, Mike, that doesnt take courage, what takes courage is to do nothing. That takes courage, and then we are stuck with a president who lost the election by a lot, and we have to live with that for four more years. Were just not going to let that happen.' Won't stand for Biden win 'We want to go back, and we want to get this right, because were going to have somebody in there that should not be in there, and our country will be destroyed. And were not going to stand for that.' 'You're not the people that tore down our nation' 'If this happened to the Democrats, thered be hell all over the country going on. Thered be hell all over the country. But just remember this, youre stronger, youre smarter. Youve got more going than anybody, and they try and demean everybody having to do with us, and youre the real people. Youre the people that built this nation. Youre not the people that tore down our nation.' March peacefully ... we will see whether Republicans stand strong 'I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. Today, we will see whether Republicans stand strong for the integrity of our elections. But whether or not they stand strong for our country  our country, our country has been under siege for a long time. Far longer than this four-year period' 'Ashamed ... throughout eternity' 'Today, we see a very important event, though, because right over there, right there, we see the event thats going to take place, and Im going to be watching because history is going to be made. Were going to see whether or not we have great and courageous leaders or whether or not we have leaders that should be ashamed of themselves throughout history, throughout eternity. Theyll be ashamed. And you know what? If they do the wrong thing, we should never, ever forget that they did. Never forget.' Calls Republicans who voted not to count certified votes 'warriors' 'I want to thank the more than 140 members of the House. Those are warriors.15 Theyre over there working like youve never seen before, studying, talking, actually going all the way back studying the roots of the Constitution because they know we have the right to send a bad vote that was illegally gotten.' Biden will be 'illegitimate' 'But think of this: If you dont do that, that means you will have a president of the United States for four years with his wonderful son, you will have a president who lost all of these states, or you will have a president, to put it another way, who was voted on by a bunch of stupid people who lost all of these states. You will have an illegitimate president. That is what you will have, and we cant let that happen.' Call to 'do something' about radical left 'The radical left knows exactly what they were doing. They are ruthless, and its time that somebody did something about it. And Mike Pence, I hope youre going to stand up for the good of our Constitution and for the good of our country. (APPLAUSE) And if youre not, Im going to be very disappointed in you. I will tell you right now. Im not hearing good stories.' Election was 'stolen' 'Make no mistake, this election was stolen from you, from me, and from the country, and not a single swing state has conducted a comprehensive audit to remove the illegal ballots. This should absolutely occur in every single contested state before the election is certified.' Alleges 'criminal enterprise' 'So, when you hear  when you hear, While there is no evidence to prove any wrongdoing, this is the most fraudulent thing anybodys  this is a criminal enterprise. This is a criminal enterprise.' Fight like hell

'And again, most people would stand there at 9 oclock in the evening and say, I want to thank you very much, and they go off to some other life. But I said something is wrong here, something is really wrong, cant have happened, and we fight. We fight like hell, and if you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a country anymore.' Advertisement

As the historic mob invasion of the U.S. seat of legislative government unfolded, a variety of people with influence over Trump sought to get to him to urge action.

The routes they took were typical of the loosely organized web of influence within the Trump White House.

Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham  who only after the riot firmly declared Joe Biden the winner of the election  reached out to the president's daughter, Ivanka Trump.

'It took him a while to appreciate the gravity of the situation,' Graham told the Post. 'The president saw these people as his allies in his journey and sympathetic to the idea that the election was stolen,' Graham said of the rioters who took the Capitol.

House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who Trump believes is so much under his wing that he has publicly called him 'My Kevin,' was pleading for action.

Pro-Trump supporters storm the U.S. Capitol following a rally with President Donald Trump on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC.

Protesters attempt to enter the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building after mass demonstrations in the nation's capital during a joint session Congress to ratify President-elect Joe Biden's 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. One Capitol Police officer died in the action

Police officers in riot gear line up as protesters gather on the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. It took hours to regain control of the building

McCarthy phoned Trump directly to try to plead for assistance  but also called the president's son in law, Jared Kushner, who was returning form a trip to the Middle East.

Former counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway, who doesn't even work for Trump anymore, tried to get through to him to urge action.

She phoned an aide she knew was in close proximity to Trump.

The office of the Mayor of Washington, desperate to get more National Guard forces amid logistical and jurisdictional hurdles, also reached out to Conway.

Chief of staff Mark Meadows urged Trump to speak out after an aide told him: 'They are going to kill people,' in reference to the rioters.

A primary area of the pleas related to something Trump was capable of doing on his own without engaging with the bureaucracy: issuing simple Twitter or video pleas for protesters to get out of the Capitol.

The appeals he finally made either lacked a direct call to fall back, or sprinkled in approving language even as the riot that would become deadly unfolded.

At 2:30 pm, about half an hour after the Capitol breach, Trump told his supporters to 'Please support our Capitol Police' and to 'Stay peaceful!'

His next message was more explicit, writing 'No violence!'  but claimed 'WE are the Party of Law & Order.'

After he finally put out a video at about 4 pm, Trump finally told his backers to 'go home.' But he also called them 'very special,' called the election 'fraudulent,' and said: 'You see the way others are treated that are so bad and so evil. I know how you feel. But go home, and go home in peace.'

Trump himself had egged on his supporters with demands that they 'fight,' calling the election fraudulent, and putting pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, whose only role was ceremonial and involved opening and reading from envelopes containing electoral votes.

Trump was glued to the television as the storming of the Capitol was broadcast.

Prior reporting has revealed that the Washington D.C. government had requested a National Guard presence, but Guard were assigned to traffic and other assistance and weren't issued ammo or riot gear.

The now resigned chief of Capitol Police says he wanted more Guard support in advance of Wednesday but had been told by superiors to ask for it informally. The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, says there were delays getting approval to send Guard forces from the Pentagon.

But it wasn't mere distraction that kept Trump from springing into action. It's not atht he was too busy because he was so consumed, which he was,' the New York Times reported.

'He was pleased because it was people fighting on his behalf. He was pleased because he liked the scene. And he was pleased because it was delaying the certification of the Electoral College vote,' the New York Times reported. 'He knew what was happening... He just didn't want to do anything.'

Although McCarthy told colleagues on a call Monday Trump had accepted 'some responsibility' for the riot, on Tuesday the president was back to his defiant posture familiar from impeachment and the Russia probe.

Trump said a second impeachment Democrats are lining up is a 'continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics.'

House Democrat accuses Republican lawmakers of leading MAGA rioters on Capitol 'reconnaissance' before riot as Stop the Steal organizer revealed to have boasted of help from three GOP congressmen

Rep. Mikie Sherrill said Tuesday she saw lawmakers giving tours she perceived to be 'a reconnaissance to groups Tuesday, January 5

A Democratic representative revealed Tuesday she witnessed members of Congress leading 'reconnaissance' tours through the Capitol the day before the mob stormed the building  as more details emerged over the attack indicating three Republican lawmakers may have helped protesters get inside.

Mikie Sherrill, who represents New Jersey's 11th district, said during a Facebook Live video Tuesday night that she wants members of Congress who 'abetted' President Donald Trump and the violent crowd who descended on the Capitol to be held accountable and prevented from running for office in the future.

'We can't have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the elections results,' Sherrill said of her colleagues she claims assisted Trump in inciting a crowd to storm the Capitol last Wednesday, January 6.

'Not only do I intend to see that the president is removed and never runs for office again and doesn't have access to classified material,' she continued in her straight-to-camera remarks.

'I also intend to see that those members of Congress who abetted him; those members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5  a reconnaissance for the next day; those members of Congress that incited this violent crowd; those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy  I'm going to see they are held accountable, and if necessary, ensure that they don't serve in Congress.'

At the same time, new revelations are surfacing that a pro-Trump activist, Ali Alexander, claimed he was assisted by three GOP representatives to help organize the January 6 assault on the Capitol to disrupt the election certification.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live video Tuesday night that she feared for her life during the riots, specifically expressing her concerns that some GOP lawmakers would give away her location to the mob.

Sherrill's comments come as pro-Trump activist Ali Alexander revealed in a video on Periscope that three GOP lawmakers helped in organizing the disruption of Congress certifying the election for Joe Biden on January 6

In the video, Alexander said Representatives Paul Gosar (center), Andy Biggs (left) and Mo Brooks (right) were planning something big. 'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,' Alexander said

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn walks past members of the National Guard Wednesday morning as they try to get some sleep inside the U.S. Capitol

'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive, and not just in a general sense but also in a very, very specific sense,' the progressive lawmaker said during the hour-long live stream.

She called the close encounter 'traumatizing' and claimed her 'near assassination' is 'not an exaggeration'.

'There were QAnon and white supremacist sympathizers, and frankly white supremacist members of Congress, in that extraction point who I have felt would disclose my location and would create opportunities to allow me to be hurt, kidnapped, etc.,' Ocasio-Cortez said.

She did not name any of the lawmakers she felt could have jeopardized her situation.

It is now known that Alexander told his followers on Periscope late last month that Republican Representatives Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona and Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama were planning something big.

Alexander helped organize one of the demonstrations that converged on the Capitol lawn Wednesday  since then, his Facebook and Twitter accounts have been locked and he is banned from the social media platforms.

He said in a since-deleted video: 'I want to let you guys know how we're responding because I was the person who came up with the January 6 idea with Congressman Gosar, Congressman Mo Brooks and then Congressman Andy Biggs.'

All three lawmakers are hard-line Trump supporters.

'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting so that who we couldn't lobby, we could change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body hearing our loud roar from outside,' Alexander detailed.

In the video to Periscope, he said the purpose of the rally was 'to build momentum and pressure' on the day Congress moved to certify the election for Joe Biden. He also vowed that his group 'Stop the Steal' would find rooms in the nation's capital if hotels shut down in the midst of the unrest.

Alexander, pictured here with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones during a demonstration in Georgia in November, helped organize the 'Stop the Steal' protesters who gathered near the Capitol before the chaos broke out last Wednesday

WHO IS ALI ALEXANDER? Ali Abdul-Razaq Ali, 35, is a far-right activist who who goes by Ali Alexander. He identifies as black and Arab, according to Politico. He helped organize 'Stop the Steal' movement, which oppose Joe Biden's election win and is pushing to prove that President Donald Trump won reelection on November 3. Ali also takes responsibility for organizing the January 6 rally that convened outside the Capitol before it was stormed by thousands of pro-Trump protesters. He said in a live-streamed video that GOP Representatives Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Mo Brooks assisted with the effort to disrupt the join session of Congress moving to certify the Electoral College results for Biden. 'I want to let you guys know how we're responding because I was the person who came up with the January 6 idea with Congressman Gosar, Congressman Mo Brooks and then Congressman Andy Biggs,' Ali said in the now-deleted video. 'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting so that who we couldn't lobby, we could change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body hearing our loud roar from outside,' he continued. Alexander, pictured here with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones during a demonstration in Georgia in November, helped organize the 'Stop the Steal' protesters who gathered near the Capitol before the chaos broke out last Wednesday Ali Alexander pleaded guilty to two separate felony charges in 2007 and 2008 in Forth Worth Texas The activist runs with with Trump's circle. In the summer of 2019 he gathered at the White House for the president's 'social media summit' to bash platforms for their supposed anti-conservative and anti-Trump bias. This week, following reports of his involvement in the storming of the Capitol, Ali was banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and his accounts were removed. Ali Abdul-Razaq Ali, 35, who goes by Ali Alexander, is a far-right activist from Fort Worth, Texas Ali raised questions during the Democratic primary race over then-candidate Kamal Harris's 'black-ness', sparking speculation he was waging a 'birther'-like campaign against her. The now vice president-elect is half Indian and half Jamaican. 'Kamala Harris is implying she is descended from American Black Slaves,' he wrote on Twitter in June 2019. 'She's not. She comes from Jamaican Slave Owners. That's fine. She's not an American Black. Period.' Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. retweeted and then deleted the post, asking if it was true, and helping it go viral. Ali resides in Forth Worth, Texas. In 2007 he pleaded guilty to felony property theft in the Lone Star state and the next year also pleaded guilty to to a credit card abuse felony  also in Texas. Advertisement

Alexander did not specifically call for violence and instead claimed the left is 'trying to push us to war.'

Biggs' office sent out a statement claiming the congressman has not met or spoken with Alexander.

Biggs' office responded to CNN, claiming he has not met or spoken with Alexander.

'Congressman Biggs is not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point -- let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest,' the representative's spokesperson said.

'He did not have any contact with protestors or rioters, nor did he ever encourage or foster the rally or protests,' they continued. 'He was focused on his research and arguments to work within the confines of the law and established precedent to restore integrity to our elections, and to ensure that all Americans -- regardless of party affiliation -- can again have complete trust in our elections systems.'

Biggs, Gosar and Brooks all came under fire after going forward with objecting to the election results even after the violent Capitol riot forced them to evacuate the chamber and delayed proceedings for hours.

Sherrill, in her thirteen-and-a-half minute video posted to Facebook Tuesday, did not reveal which lawmakers she saw showing constituents around the Capitol last week  but she did make the shocking claim that the January 5 tours were part of some effort to get protesters familiar with the building before storming it the next day.

While some GOP lawmakers have come under fire for inciting the riots  whether directly or indirectly  or standing idly by as they unfolded, this is the most serious charge yet against sitting members of Congress regarding the unprecedented attack last week.

The six-hour riot resulted in hundreds of injuries and five deaths, including one Capitol Police officer and a female Trump supporter.

The House voted Tuesday evening on a non-binding resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to get Trump out of office now. The vote passed 223-205, with Sherrill voting in favor of it, even though Pence notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier Tuesday that he would not comply with the measure.

With the 25th Amendment off the table, and no hope of Trump resigning before his last seven days are up, House Democrats are likely to move forward Wednesday on impeaching the president for the second time.

Sherrill said in her video that she intends to support the effort.

She also voiced the sharp divide, which is widening in Congress, claiming those who do not agree with Democratic ideals of democracy are 'now on different sides of this line.'
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday procurement of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 Trainer aircraft at the cost of 45,696 crore along with design and development of infrastructure sanctions worth 1,202 crore.

The CCS chaired by PM today approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about 48000 Crores to strengthen IAFs fleet of homegrown fighter jet LCA-Tejas. This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing," Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted on Wednesday evening.

The CCS chaired by PM Sh. @narendramodi today approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about 48000 Crores to strengthen IAFs fleet of homegrown fighter jet LCA-Tejas. This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing.  Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 13, 2021

The defence minister said Tejas is going to be the backbone of the fighter fleet of the Indian Air Force in years to come.

Around three years back, the IAF had issued an initial tender for procurement of 83 Tejas aircraft, a four-and-half generation combat jet.

"LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50 percent in Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60 percent,' Singh said.

The defence minister said that aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has already set up second-line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru divisions.

"Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF," he said.

Singh said the Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant, self-sustaining one.

"I thank the Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi for this historic decision taken by the CCS today, " the defence minister said.

Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A variant is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured 4+ generation fighter aircraft. This aircraft is equipped with critical operational capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force, IAF.

It is the first Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)" category procurement of combat aircrafts with an indigenous content of 50% which will progressively reach 60% by the end of the programme, defence ministry said in a statement.

The Cabinet has also approved infrastructure development by IAF under the project to enable them handle repairs or servicing at their base depot so that the turnaround time would get reduced for mission critical systems and would lead to increased availability of aircraft for operational exploitation.

This would enable IAF to sustain the fleet more efficiently and effectively due to availability of repair infrastructure at respective bases.

Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, India is continuously growing in its power to indigenously design, develop and manufacture advanced cutting edge technologies and systems in the Defence Sector, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.

The manufacturing of Light Combat Aircraft by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, HAL will give a further push to Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and boost indigenisation of defence production and the defence industry in the country. About 500 Indian companies including MSMEs in the design and manufacturing sectors will be working with HAL in this procurement.

The programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem, the ministry addded.

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ROSTOCK (dpa-AFX) - German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex Group (NRDXF.PK) announced Wednesday that it has received a major order for a 518.7 MW wind farm project from Statkraft in Brazil.



Nordex will equip the wind farm project, named 'Ventos de Santa Eugenia', with 91 N163/5.X turbines. It is the highest volume order for N163/5.X turbines since market launch 2019.



It is also the first order for N163/5.X outside Europe, and marks the market entry in Brazil with turbines of the 5 MW class.



The order from Statkraft, the Brazilian unit of renewable energy producer Norwegian Statkraft, also includes a Premium Service contract covering three years as well as a technical support agreement for the customer and the turbines over a period of 20 years.



The wind farm's commissioning is scheduled for early 2023. The turbines will be supplied in an optimised operating mode of 5.7 MW and will be installed on 120-metre concrete towers.



For the 'Ventos de Santa Eugenia' project, Nordex will be manufacturing the N163/5.X in Brazil. The concrete towers will likewise be made in one of the company's own local plants near the site.



In addition to this, Nordex is purchasing the rotor blades from Brazil in order to include a maximum of local value added in the project.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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Two more Vietnamese dairy producers have been granted with transaction codes for exporting their products to China by the Chinese General Administration of Customs, said the Ministry of Industry and Trades Asia-Africa Market Department on January 11.

Accordingly, Binh Duong Nutifood Nutrition Food JSC is now permitted to export sterilized milk, modified milk and flavored fermented milk products to China.

Meanwhile, Truong Tho Dairy Factory, a member of Vietnams largest dairy company Vinamilk, is licensed to ship to the neighbouring country sterilized milk, modified milk, sweetened condensed milk and other condensed milk products.

So far, China has granted transaction codes to seven Vietnamese dairy companies and factories, including TH True Milk, Hanoimilk, Bel Vietnam, Nutifood, and three Vinamilk factories.

China is the biggest milk importer in the world. In 2019, the country imported 39.43 million tonnes of milk and milk products. Of which, imported fresh milk was about 750,000 tonnes and milk powder was 650,000 tonnes.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation predicted that the demand for milk and milk products of this market would increase around 45 percent by 2025./.

Read original article here
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reported to be furious and done with President Donald Trump. McConnell, the emerging thinking goes, is an institutionalist, and seeing the institution he presides over literally come under attack at the direction of his political ally, hes at long last had enough. If youre McConnell, you want to be remembered for defending the Senate and the institution, a Republican in McConnells circle told Axios. Being remembered for defending the Senate, of course, isnt quite the same as actually defending the Senate. As weve seen over the last weeks (and years), collective American understanding and memory of an event doesnt always reflect what actually took place. This daylight, however, between principled, clear-eyed action in the name of the public interest and the appearance of such action in the service of his own political self-interest is where McConnell, as an institutionalist, has made his career.

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So it is unsurprising that headlines like this one are now being splayed across the New York Times: McConnell is said to be pleased about impeachment. That is not the same as supporting impeachment, mind you, and it definitively falls short of actively pursuing impeachment and removal of Trump from office. When it comes to McConnell, these distinctions matter. As the next days and weeks unfold, lets not confuse being pleased with something with fighting for that something. The Times reporting, which has been seconded by other outlets, is that McConnell believes Trump has committed impeachable offenses and has said as much, privately. McConnell is pleased about impeachment, the Times reports, because McConnell blames [Trump] for causing Republicans to lose the Senate and thinks impeachment will make it easier to purge him from the party.

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Purges and blame are without a doubt a good start when it comes to Donald Trump and his continued role in American public lifethey are the adolescent version of responsibility and consequences, both of which are welcome. And if responsibility and consequences are suddenly en vogue in the Republican Party, even if its self-serving to the GOP elite, the right thing to do is still the right thing to do, even if done for the wrong reasons. If McConnell ends up doing the right thing, lets not confuse it with valor. McConnell got what he needed out of Trump: hundreds of federal judges, three Supreme Court justices, stunning environmental deregulation, tax cuts for the rich, and the list of pet perks goes on and on.

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In the meantime, McConnell covered for Trump, propping up his presidency, even as Trump tried to undo an election. McConnell did not acknowledge Joe Bidens electoral victory until mid-December, nearly six weeks after the tally was clear and decisive. That six weeks of silence, along with comments legitimizing Trumps legal disputes as his right to avail upon the courts, gave oxygen to the stop the steal madness. If Trumps responsible for inciting the crowd on Jan. 6, McConnell is culpable for fomenting the Big Lie that got the rioters to Washington in the first place. Ive supported the presidents right to use the legal system, dozens of lawsuits, perceived hearings in courtrooms all across our country, McConnell said on the Senate floor last week in defense of the result before conceding this election actually was not unusually close. Yet for months he said nothing as his party led Americans to believe the opposite.

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When McConnell finally acknowledged Bidens victory, he urged Republicans to avoid the Electoral College certification charade that was brewing ahead of Jan. 6, the very one that was underway when rioters stormed the Capitol. McConnells warning underscores how the last-ditch bid to overturn the election is putting the GOP in a bind, Politico reported in December. On the one hand, Republicans are facing pressure from Trump and his allies to support his attempt to remain in power. And party leaders want to keep the base energized ahead of a pair of critical Georgia runoff races on Jan. 5 that will determine control of the Senate. Doesnt really sound like much of a bind when it comes to the public interestjust one for McConnell in maximizing his own self-interest and his partys political interest, which have been one and the same since he took over its leadership in 2007.

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Now McConnell is in a new bind, one of his own making. If there was any question of the GOP leaders ability to control his partyand even his partys feral presidentheres what GOP sources said this week of the majority leaders power to influence the Republican caucus. Several GOP sources said on Tuesday that if McConnell supports conviction, Trump almost certainly will be convicted by 67 senators in the impeachment trial, CNN reports. If Mitch is a yes,  a Senate GOP source said of Trumps fate, hes done.

Self-government, my colleagues, requires a shared commitment to the truth, McConnell said on the Senate floor last week before it was stormed. And a shared respect for the ground rules of our system. After four years of fantastical thinking, and wringing every last political win out of it despite the consequences, the truth now, suddenly, best serves Mitch McConnells interests. In his floor speech, McConnell asked his colleagues if we can still muster the patriotic courage that our forebears showed not only in victory but in defeat. The answer is almost certainly no; McConnell and the GOPs reservoir of courage ran dry long ago. But they can still do the right thing, even if for the wrong, self-interested reason. And that, at the moment, will have to be good enough.
The Azerbaijani embassy in Russia has addressed the citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan in this country, according to the embassy.

"Taking into account the current situation related to the spread of coronavirus infection, the passports of citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan who are abroad, which expired from January 1, 2020, and later, will be automatically renewed and considered valid until July 1, 2021, for the citizens of Azerbaijan not to be illegal migrants and to be able to continue their activity legally," the message said.

The ministry added that when returning to their homeland, these categories of citizens will have to apply to the relevant diplomatic missions of our country for getting a certificate related to the return to the Republic of Azerbaijan.
A hot potato: More bad news for PC owners looking to upgrade their graphics cards: in addition to the GPUs being in extremely short supply, the expected price rises are starting to appear, with EVGA and Zotac becoming the latest firms to make their products more expensive.

This month, we heard that the Trump administration was imposing a 25 percent tax on graphics cards imported from China. The cards and motherboards were granted exemptions from import taxes in September, but that expired without renewal at the end of last year.

The taxes have exacerbated a market already suffering from supply shortagesgrabbing an RTX 3000 series or Radeon RX 6000 card has proved almost impossible since they launched. The problem has become even worse as the value of virtual currencies such as Bitcoin rise, leading to more demand from miners; a situation that caused massive GPU price increases during 2017 and 2018.

Now, The Verge reports that EVGA and Zotac have raised their RTX 3000 series prices. The latters RTX 3070 XC3 Ultra Gaming has gone from $559 to $629, while the RTX 3080 XC3 Black Gaming leaped from $729 to $799.

EVGA has acknowledged the price jump at the top of its website.

Due to ongoing events, EVGA has made price adjustments on the GeForce RTX 30 Series products. This change was necessary due to several factors and will be effective January 11, 2021. EVGA has worked to reduce and minimize these costs as much as possible. For those who are currently in the EVGA.com Notify Queue system or Step-Up Queue, EVGA will honor the original MSRP pricing through April 16th, 2021 if your purchase position is processed before this date, the company writes.

Zotac's RTX 3000 cards have seen an even larger price hike. Most are now between $90 and $100 more expensive, while the RTX 3090 has jumped by around $350 to $1,900.

Asus last week also raised the price of its graphics cards and motherboards.

The graphics card shortages are expected to last at least a few more months. But when availability does finally improve, dont be surprised to find prices are still inflated.

Make sure to check out CES 2021 keynotes from Nvidia and AMD.
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This is the new Nio ET7 - an electric family car from a Chinese maker that has Tesla set firmly in its sights.

The plug-in saloon not only looks phenomenally futuristic but also has some seriously big claims, headlined by a driving range of more than 620 miles on a single charge.

Not only that, the priciest version is to go on sale in China from next year at a cost of around 60,000.

That's less than half the price of Elon Musk's forthcoming Tesla Model S Plaid, which will have the longest driving range of all the Tesla variants with a claimed distance of 520-plus miles on one charge. Should the man who was briefly the world's richest person be concerned?

China's latest challenge to Tesla: This is the Nio ET7 - an electric family car with impressive claims that would make it a real rival to Elon Musk's EV models

This isn't the first time we've covered details of a new electric car from Chinese manufacturer Nio.

Back in 2016, we brought you full details of its EP9 electric hypercar, which had lapped the legendary 14.17-mile Nurburgring circuit in Germany in a then record 6 minutes and 46 seconds - a time that's only since been trumped by an electric-powered car when the Volkswagen ID R racer bettered the lap in 2019.

The ET7, while boasting more than ample performance, is more about extending the capabilities of electric vehicles for families rather than lap times.

In its native China, it will go head-to-head with proven European rivals including the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class - though it's the Tesla Model S that most will pin it against for a direct comparison.

While it might look like something from the future, drivers in China can order one today, with the cheapest version costing from 448,000, which is around 51,000.

The most affordable ET7 will come with a 70kWh battery, which is the smallest of three options available and provides a claimed range of 310 miles.

Three variants of the ET7 will be available with varying battery capacities. The smallest pack is a 70kWh battery offering a claimed 310-mile range and the car will cost around 51,000 in China

The flagship model has a massive 150kWh battery pack, which is said to be able to cover over 1,000km (620 miles) on a single charge

The top of the line car with the longest range - and capable of accelerating from 0-62mph in 3,9 seconds - will cost around 60,000

A mid-range version with a 100kWh pack has a 435-mile range, but it's the 150kWh flagship variant that is making the biggest promises.

This includes a range in excess of 1,000km - more than 620 miles - on a fully charged battery.

However, Tesla and Elon Musk - who was briefly the world's richest man for four days before Tesla stocks dipped on Tuesday - shouldn't be too panicked by these claims just yet.

That's because the Nio range figures quoted are based on the outdated NEDC test cycle, rather than the latest WLTP assessment which the US electric car maker's stats are based on.

The current test is a far more accurate representation of how far an EV can travel and is far less generous than the defunct NEDC cycle.

That means the Nio's figures are likely to fall by quite a substantial amount, bringing it closer in line with the Tesla Model S line-up, which offers ranges of 396, 405 and the forthcoming tri-motor Plaid's 520-plus miles.

That said, even at 526,000 - which works out at around 60,000 - the longest-range ET7 will be far less pricey than the 130,980 Tesla that's due to arrive in the UK at the end of the year.

As for driving performance, the flagship ET7 uses a 180kW motor at the front axle and a 300kW electric motor at the rear, which together produce a combined 644bhp - more than a Lamborghini Huracan Evo but much less than the Tesla Model S Plaid's 1,100bhp claim

Tesla shouldn't be too panicked by the arrival of the ET7 just yet. That's because the Nio range figures quoted are based on the outdated NEDC test cycle, rather than the latest - and far more accurate and realistic - WLTP assessment which the US electric car maker's stats are based on

Elon Musk's net worth in the last week has soared to $188.5billion after a 6 per cent surge in Tesla shares. It made him the world's richest person briefly this week

The Tesla Model S Plaid will arrive in the UK later this year with some incredibly impressive figures. Though the asking price is a steep 130,980

The Nio won't be delivered to the earliest of Chinese customers until 2022 - and it is scheduled to come to Europe, though at a so-far undisclosed date.

When it does arrive on the continent, the vehicle maker says it will comply with Euro NCAP crash test requirements, which are the most stringent in the world and said to be far more painstaking than those in China.

As for driving performance, the flagship ET7 uses a 180kW motor at the front axle and a 300kW electric motor at the rear, which together produce a combined 644bhp - more than a Lamborghini Huracan Evo but much less than the Model S Plaid's 1,100bhp claim.

There's enough silent potency for the Nio to hit 62mph from a standstill in 3.9 seconds, which is twice as long as it will take the ultra-expensive Tesla but still more than rapid enough to pin you into the seat.

The chassis is a combination of high-strength steel and aluminium and it sits on a state-of-the-art air suspension system that uses sensors to detect when the road conditions are less than ideal and actively adjusts the ride settings accordingly.

While no official weight for the electric vehicle has been quoted, the Chinese firm says the hefty family car will come to a halt from a speed of 62mph in just 33.5 metres, which is less than seven times its own length.

The ET7 measures in at 5,098mm long, 1,987mm wide and 1,505mm high - all dimensions that marginally eclipse those of a Tesla Model S

Left: The Nio has an electric motor on both the front and rear axles and the battery pack is contained in the chassis floor. Right: The chassis is a combination of high-strength steel and aluminium and it sits on a state-of-the-art air suspension system

The interior uses a 'Karuun' renewable rattan for some of the furnishings, is dominated up front by a high-definition 12.8-inch display and will feature Nio's 'Nomi' AI assistant

The ET7 measures in at 5,098mm long, 1,987mm wide and 1,505mm high - all dimensions that marginally eclipse those of a Tesla Model S. A 3,060mm wheelbase means there should be ample interior space, too.

The cabin itself is described as an 'interpretation of the second living room concept' with frameless soft-closing door and a world first use of 'Karuun' renewable rattan for some of the furnishings.

The seats will have massage, heating and ventilation as standard for every passenger, wile the cockpit is dominated by a 12.8-inch high-definition central display.

The ET7 also retains Nio's worlds first in-car AI (artificial intelligence) system called 'Nomi' to help drivers adjust settings on the move and features a booming sound system made up of 23 speakers and 1,000W total output.

Nio's designers have most definitely opted for the minimalist approach, with a very clean dashboard with not a single function button

All seats come as standard with massage, heated and ventilated functionality, so no passengers have to miss out on luxuries

The car will also be capable of fully autonomous driving in the future. Much of the technology to power the system is housed in what Nio calls a 'Watchtower' above the windscreen, which scans the road ahead

Nio has made the saloon future-proof and prepped it for self-driving functionality when it eventually becomes legal around the globe.

The car's autonomous package is operated by 11 external cameras, a long-range LiDAR system, 12 ultrasonic sensors and a plethora of processors that can run through 8GB of data per second.

Much of the technology is housed in what Nio calls a 'Watchtower' above the windscreen, which scans the road ahead.

It is yet to be confirmed if the self-driving capabilities will be available on cars delivered from next year; a software update unleashing the autonomous mode is more likely.

While the current claimed range figures remain in question and with no official launch date in Europe and other markets outside China, Tesla's boss won't be concerned just yet. But it does signal that rivals from the far east are rapidly playing catch-up and will be on Mr Musk's coattails soon enough...
MASON CITY, Iowa  Two people accused of using a dead womans checkbook are pleading not guilty.

Tyler Mejia, 27, and Lauren Johnson, 29, are both charged with one count of forgery. Authorities say the duo from Latimer were arrested in early November 2020 at Mills Fleet Farm for trying to pay with a check belonging to a woman who died in 2016.

Mejia allegedly said the check was his aunts and he had permission to use it. The check was from an account that was closed in 2017.

Mejia is now set to stand trial beginning March 9. Johnsons trial is scheduled to begin on March 2.
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

6 Armenian soldiers captured: situation in Armenia-Azerbaijan border is tense, May 27 digest

Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

Armenia defense ministry: Azerbaijan MOD continues disseminating disinformation

Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

Armenia parliament manages to have quorum in 2nd attempt

World oil prices falling

Newspaper: Armenia acting PM Pashinyan popularity rating consistently drops over the past week

Newspaper: Russia peacekeepers commander does not return from Azerbaijan with encouraging news for Armenia

MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

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EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

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Patrick Rousseau France

Patrick grew up in Poitou-Charentes and has had a passion for drawing since his childhood. He studied at the Fine Arts School in Angouleme where he learned different techniques. He focused on painting, which particularly appealed to him.

An avid traveler, he began visiting his native region and the Atlantic coast. Then he lived for some time in the heart of the mountains of Argentina. There he learned to understand people, their customs, their inner worlds and found that despite cultural differences the same desires drive all men. He then visited Prague, Florence, Venice, Rome ... and of course Paris, where he now lives.

Patrick has sketchbooks from his travels, and he paints his sketches and enriches the colours with a spatula. He always works in oils with a palette of pastel shades. Recently, he dared using reds and blues, while still maintaining a whimsical atmosphere.

Oil paint is the only constant in his work. He never ceases to research subjects; everything around him is there to be painted. The city is life, and Patrick integrates the characters who inhabit it into his work. They often represent the artist himself, but also strangers and common citizens which the artist allows to escape to happier worlds. There is a street here, a sky there, a memory, a landscape ... bridges have privileged positions; they reach the other shore and take us to new horizons.

Patrick paints and sculpts and cannot imagine his life without color and movement. He is his own character on the canvas, and he watches every movement. Painting and music are daily passions of the artist.

The city is an essential universe for the artist. He tries to guess the secrets and stories behind every window. Through images, Patrick offers to share a moment of escapism.
Quantum particles lined up in a lattice form the basis for an error-tolerant quantum processor. Credit: Uni Innsbruck/Harald Ritsch

For the first time, physicists from the University of Innsbruck have entangled two quantum bits distributed over several quantum objects and successfully transmitted their quantum properties. This marks an important milestone in the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers. The researchers published their report in Nature.

Even computers can miscalculate; small disturbances change stored information and corrupt results. So computers use methods to continuously correct such errors. In quantum computers, the vulnerability to errors can be reduced by storing quantum information in more than a single quantum particle. These logical quantum bits are less sensitive to errors. In recent years, theorists have developed many different error correction codes and optimized them for different tasks.

"The most promising codes in quantum error correction are those defined on a two-dimensional lattice," explains Thomas Monz from the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck. "This is due to the fact that the physical structure of current quantum computers can be very well mapped through such lattices." With the help of the codes, logical quantum bits can be distributed over several quantum objects. The quantum physicists from Innsbruck have now succeeded for the first time in entangling two quantum bits coded in this way. The entanglement of two quantum bits is an important resource of quantum computers, giving them a performance advantage over classical computers.

A kind of quantum sewing machine

For their experiment, the physicists use an ion-trap quantum computer with ten ions. Into these ions the logical quantum bits are encoded. Using a technique that scientists refer to as 'lattice surgery,' two logical qubits encoded on a lattice can be 'stitched together.'

"A new, larger qubit is created from the qubits stitched together in this way," explains Alexander Erhard from the Innsbruck team. In turn, a large logical qubit can be separated into two individual logical qubits by lattice surgery. In contrast to the standard operations between two logical qubits, lattice surgery only requires operations along the boundary of the encoded qubits, not on their entire surface. "This reduces the number of operations required to create entanglement between two encoded qubits," explain the theoretical physicists Nicolai Friis and Hendrik Poulsen Nautrup.

Key technology for fault tolerant quantum computers

Lattice surgery is considered one of the key techniques for the operation of future fault-tolerant quantum computers. Using lattice surgery, the physicists led by Thomas Monz and Rainer Blatt, together with the theoretical physicists Hendrik Poulsen Nautrup and Hans Briegel from the Department of Theoretical Physics at the University of Innsbruck and Nicolai Friis from the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, have now demonstrated the generation of entanglement between two encoded qubits. This is the first experimental realization of non-classical correlations between topologically encoded qubits. Furthermore, the researchers were able to demonstrate for the first time the teleportation of quantum states between two encoded qubits.

Explore further Researchers develop data bus for quantum computer

More information: Entangling logical qubits with lattice surgery, Nature (2021). Journal information: Nature Entangling logical qubits with lattice surgery,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03079-6
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ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 12th Jan, 2021) The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the worlds first graduate-level, research-based artificial intelligence university, has officially welcomed its first student cohort at a virtual event with students from across the world beginning their studies in Abu Dhabi this week.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of the MBZUAI board of Trustees, delivered a welcome speech emphasising the critical importance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), especially during the pandemic, as well as in transforming industries to achieve greater outcomes.

He was joined by Professor Dr. Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, as well as the student body, faculty, and staff from the University.

The event welcomed 78 students who have joined the University from 29 countries. MBZUAIs first students were selected from thousands of applications received by the University from nearly 100 countries. The first cohort includes 13 PhD students and 65 MSc students, who have enrolled in MBZUAIs Machine Learning and Computer Vision programs.

Dr. Al Jaber said, "I am delighted to welcome the first cohort of MBZUAI students, who represent a milestone in delivering our promise to establish a centre for AI development and research at a critical time as the world looks to technology to help power the post-COVID-19 recovery. With global expertise and a truly international student body hailing from 29 countries, the University will empower the UAE to become a leader in the field of AI, in alignment with the wise vision of the countrys leadership."

Al Jaber added, "We are on the path towards leveraging AI as a truly transformative tool to support the UAEs socio-economic development, taking advantage of and developing Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, while leading the way forward in the use of AI to address some of the worlds greatest challenges."

In addition to delivering world-class education, MBZUAI will apply its resources towards research and development, with a focus on four pillars: Services and Quality of Life, to improve services offered by the public and private sectors; Industrial and Manufacturing Technologies, to enhance efficiencies and improve productivity; Future Game Changers, to nurture the growth of new and emerging high value sectors, and Sustainability of Vital Resources and Environment, using AI to optimise the consumption of water and energy, in order to protect the environment for future generations.

Members of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees, composed of international experts, joined the event from around the world and commented on the progress of the University so far, while offering words of encouragement to the first cohort. The Board of Trustees comprises Professor Sir Michael Brady, professor of Oncological Imaging at the University of Oxford, UK; Professor Anil K. Jain, a University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University, USA; Dr. Kai-Fu Lee, a technology executive and venture capitalist based in Beijing, China; Professor Daniela Rus, Director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), USA, and Peng Xiao, CEO of Group 42.

Professor Dr. Eric Xing, set out his vision for the University, noting, "AI is one of the most transformational technologies of the modern age, providing tremendous opportunities for humankind. The vision for MBZUAI is to nurture a new generation of leaders in science, engineering, policy and business with the necessary understanding to unlock the potential of AI through their academic research and industrial applications. MBZUAI will address the national strategic priorities of the UAE and propel the country to become a pioneer in AI worldwide, setting the pace for the region in innovation and technology development."

Prof Xing added, "We will deliver excellence in the field of AI education, research and development, through a world-class curriculum and collaborative projects with industry leaders. I would like to urge all of the students to develop the essential qualities of a technologist by challenging existing results from established researchers, thinking creatively, putting knowledge into practice and aspiring to become leaders who will change the world. I warmly welcome our first cohort of students, and look forward to working alongside them as we explore the future of AI."

The student body, including 14 Emiratis, were given a detailed orientation to the University prior to the beginning of the academic year, and participated in a variety of academic activities. International students began arriving in Abu Dhabi in November to receive a cultural introduction to the UAE, and to complete COVID-19 health and safety precautionary measures as set out by Abu Dhabi health authorities.

MBZUAI offers a purpose-built, high-tech and eco-friendly campus, which includes smart classrooms and research laboratories, an AI-specialized knowledge center, and recreational facilities. All programs are taught by a distinguished faculty of subject experts from around the world.

Since the University was founded in October 2019, MBZUAI has achieved numerous milestones. These include several strategic partnerships for AI research and excellence with internationally-renowned organizations and educational establishments; hosting numerous delegations of political and academic leaders, and launching a series of expert-led webinars to build awareness and understanding of AI amongst the global community.

As the first academic year commences, the University is already accepting applications for the Fall 2021 start in MBZUAIs Computer Vision and Machine Learning MSc and PhD programs. These programs are taught by a world-class faculty, overseen by the Universitys Board of Trustees. Early admission closes on 15 January and regular admission deadline is on 15 April, with the next academic year starting in August 2021.

Eligible students must have at least a Bachelors degree in a relevant field in order to be considered for MBZUAIs programmes. Full admissions requirements and application details can be found on the Universitys website, www.mbzuai.ac.ae.
W.H.O. Finally Lands in China to Begin Tracing the Coronavirus A glimmer of hope from one California region emerging from lockdown. More people have moved toward the front of the U.S. vaccination line, but that raises its own complications.

A W.H.O. team is in China to investigate the virus. Its already meeting obstacles. Experts from the World Health Organization at the airport in Wuhan, China, on Thursday. Credit... Ng Han Guan/Associated Press More than a year after a new coronavirus first emerged in China, a team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived on Thursday in the central city of Wuhan to begin hunting for its source. But in a sign of Beijings continuing efforts to control the investigation, the team of scientists and W.H.O. employees almost immediately ran into obstacles. Two scientists were unable to enter China at the last minute and remained in Singapore because they had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, the W.H.O. said on Twitter. The Chinese authorities required the remaining 13 experts to undergo two weeks of quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in late 2019. The investigation, which aims to gain an understanding into how the virus jumped to humans from animals, is a critical step so that another pandemic can be avoided. But getting answers is likely to be difficult. Heres what to know about the investigation. China set up hurdles and pushed for control. Apparently worried about drawing renewed attention to the countrys early mistakes in handling the pandemic, Chinese officials have used a variety of tactics over the past year to hinder the W.H.O. investigation. After resisting demands from other countries that it allow independent investigators onto its soil to study the origin of the pathogen, China let two W.H.O. experts visit in July to lay the groundwork. They were not allowed to visit Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. For months, China delayed approving a visit by a full team of experts, frustrating the health agencys leaders. When the visit seemed to be finalized this month, it fell apart when Beijing declined to provide visas for the visitors, according to the health agency. Now that the investigators have arrived, critics say Beijings desire for control means the inquiry will probably be more political than scientific. Tracing the virus will be a painstaking task. The team that has come to Wuhan will face a city radically transformed from when the virus first emerged, in late 2019. The city, which went into lockdown on Jan. 23 last year and became a symbol of the viruss devastation, has since been held up by Chinese officials as a success story in vanquishing the virus. The W.H.O. experts have decades of experience plumbing the depths of viruses, animal health and disease control. But tracing the source of the virus that as of Thursday had killed almost two million people worldwide and infected more than 92 million will be painstaking. While experts believe the virus originated naturally in animals, possibly bats, little else is known. How much access the team gets in China will be critical, public health experts say. The team will have to sidestep attempts to politicize its inquiry. The pandemic has hurt Chinas reputation, with many foreign governments still angry that Beijing did not do more to contain the crisis in its earliest stages. So Chinese propagandists are trying to use the W.H.O. inquiry to help shore up Chinas image and portray the country as a mature superpower. Complicating that effort could be new virus flare-ups in recent weeks that have prompted fresh lockdowns in China. In all, more than 22 million people have been ordered to remain inside their homes  double the number affected a year ago in Wuhan. On Thursday, Chinas National Health Commission reported a coronavirus death in the mainland for the first time since May. The major concern here is the origin of the outbreak has been so politicized, said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. That has really narrowed the space for the W.H.O. to have an independent, objective and scientific investigation.

There are some good things to report: One California region is emerging from lockdown. Waiting in line for coronavirus testing in Los Angeles this week. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times The overwhelming Covid-19 surge in California is as deadly now as it has ever been, and hospitals in much of the state are still full to bursting. But officials see signs that the situation may soon stop getting worse. There are some good things to report, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a video message posted late Tuesday night. Were starting to see some stabilization both in I.C.U.s as well as in our positivity rate. One region of the state, the area around Sacramento, has improved enough to lift a strict stay-at-home order and allow some businesses to reopen at partial capacity, including restaurants offering outdoor dining and hair salons. Three other large regions, home to tens of millions of people, remain under the most stringent tier of restrictions, which shut down nearly all nonessential businesses and ban residents from gathering with anyone they do not live with. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the states secretary of health and human services, said Tuesday that the number of Covid-19 patients being admitted to hospitals each day was dropping. He called that the biggest signal to me that things are beginning to flatten and potentially improve. Nationwide, the numbers largely remained grim, though in the Northern Plains, cases this week were about a quarter of their peak in mid-November, when the region was among the hardest hit in the country. A day after the U.S. recorded yet another daily record for deaths  more than 4,400  reported deaths remained high on Wednesday. And even as the pressure eased in some parts of California, hospitals across Southern California and the Central Valley were full, and the state reported a record total of more than 720 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database. California has struggled to get its vaccination program into high gear, and had only used one-quarter of its available doses by Tuesday. Governor Newsom said Wednesday that the state would start a new system to alert residents when theyre eligible. There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences, he said in a statement. To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state. Dr. David Lubarsky, the chief executive of U.C. Davis Health, said Tuesday that the top priority should be getting shots into arms, rather than spending resources to ensure that people dont cut the line. If you are so hellbent on making sure Patient A should come before Patient B, before Citizen C, you cant get people in the door in a sufficient manner, he said. Dr. Lubarsky said that as of Tuesday, roughly 12,000 of U.C. Davis Healths 13,000 employees had received at least a first vaccine dose. New Covid cases among the staff plummeted to about 20 in the last week, from a recent average of 135 a week. Setting up mass vaccination centers and opening up eligibility are positive steps for the state, he said. I think they are moving 100 percent in the right direction, Dr. Lubarsky said.

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Results are expected soon with Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine, though production lags. Despite manufacturing delays, health experts are optimistic about Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine. Credit... Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its coronavirus vaccine trial in as little as two weeks but probably wont be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of manufacturing delays. If the vaccine can strongly protect people, as some outside scientists expect, it will offer big advantages over the two vaccines authorized in the United States. Unlike those, which require two doses, Johnson & Johnsons could need just one, greatly simplifying logistics for local health departments and clinics struggling to get shots in arms. Its vaccine can also stay stable in a refrigerator for months, whereas the others have to be frozen. But the encouraging prospect of a third effective vaccine is tempered by apparent lags in the companys production. In the companys $1 billion contract signed with the federal government in August, Johnson & Johnson pledged to have 12 million doses ready by the end of February, ramping up to a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and wont catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to have delivered more than 60 million doses, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Dr. Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnsons chief scientific officer, said he expected to see clinical trial data showing whether the companys vaccine is safe and effective in late January or early February. He declined to provide details about the companys production capacity. Carl Zimmer, Sharon LaFraniere and Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker A look at all the vaccines that have reached trials in humans.

Which Americans can get a vaccine now? Heres a look at the new guidance. A vaccination center in Teaneck, N.J., on Wednesday. Credit... James Estrin/The New York Times The federal government, faced with an unrelenting surge in Covid-19 cases, issued a new appeal on Tuesday regarding which Americans should be vaccinated first. Here is what it might mean. Who is now eligible to be vaccinated, according to federal guidance? On Tuesday, Alex M. Azar II, the health secretary, urged all states to open up eligibility to everyone 65 and older and to adults of any age with medical conditions that put them at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19. In all, that is more than 150 million people  almost half the population. They now join millions of health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities who had previously qualified. Mr. Azar did not specify which conditions would make someone eligible for vaccination now; presumably it will be up to governors to decide, as will the question of what documentation to require. But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a list of particularly high-risk conditions, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. How does eligibility vary by state, and why? Although the C.D.C. issued recommendations last month for which groups states should vaccinate initially, while the vaccine supply is still relatively low, the priorities are not binding and each state has come up with its own groupings. Nor can the federal government require states to change the prioritization plans they have already announced, although the new pressure from Mr. Azar, and growing public impatience as deaths from the virus keep hitting new peaks, may sway many to do so. In coming up with priority groups, state officials considered criteria like who is most likely to die if they contract Covid-19  including people of color as well as the elderly and the sick  and which professions are critical to helping the economy fully reopen. Each states unique demographics also played a role. I qualify now. How do I sign up? This depends very much on what state or even what county you live in. Some local public health departments have set up portals where people can make appointments; others are holding mass vaccination events and inoculating people on a first-come, first-served basis. Generally, doctors offices and pharmacies have asked that patients and customers not call them seeking vaccine appointments just yet, and instead wait to be contacted. Most pharmacies are not yet offering the vaccine, but CVS, Walgreens and a number of other chain pharmacies, including some in grocery and big-box stores, will soon start doing so through a partnership with the federal government. With the federal government saying that older people and those with underlying medical conditions should get vaccinated next, what happens to essential workers whose jobs require them to come face to face with other people? Are they eligible now, too? In some states, yes. Health care workers in every state were the first to be offered the vaccine. And before Mr. Azars directive this week, several states had already opened vaccination to certain categories of frontline essential workers, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, child-care workers and public transit employees. But other states that had planned to start offering the vaccine to some essential workers in the coming weeks may reprioritize now, based on Mr. Azars new guidance. There is nothing stopping states from opening vaccination to a new priority group before they have reached everyone in an earlier group, but supply is an important consideration. How many vaccine doses does the United States have access to? So far, Pfizer and Moderna, the only two companies whose vaccines have been approved for emergency use here, together have pledged to provide 400 million doses over the next seven months. Both vaccines require two doses, so that will be enough for 200 million people, out of roughly 260 million who are eligible at this point to be vaccinated. Children younger than 16 are not yet eligible for Pfizers vaccine, and those younger than 18 cannot yet take Modernas. Johnson & Johnson, which has a single-dose vaccine candidate in late-stage clinical trials, has a contract with the federal government to provide 12 million doses by the end of February, and a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. But the company has fallen behind on its production schedule. How many people have been vaccinated so far? The publicly available data lags by at least a few days, so it is hard to know for sure. But the C.D.C. reported on Wednesday that about 10.3 million people had received an initial dose, out of a total 29.4 million doses distributed around the country so far. That includes nearly 1.1 million doses that have been given to residents and staff members in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Infections remain comparatively rare among children but are rising, the C.D.C. says. Students in Murphy, Texas. Young children are less likely to be infected by the coronavirus, new research confirmed. Credit... LM Otero/Associated Press After falling over the summer, coronavirus infections among children, teens and young adults rose steadily from September through mid-December, paralleling the viruss trajectory among older adults in the U.S. population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday. Of 2.8 million coronavirus infections diagnosed in children and young adults under the age of 25 between March 1 and Dec. 12, 2020, the incidence was lowest among children ages 10 and younger, who accounted for 18 percent of the cases. The majority of infections in those under 25  nearly 60 percent  were among young adults aged 18 to 24, the study found. The authors said the findings lend support to the argument that child- care centers and elementary schools can operate safely when community transmission rates are low and mitigation measures are followed. Were recommending that child care centers and schools, especially elementary schools, be the last settings to close after all other mitigation measures are deployed, and the first to reopen, said Erin K. Sauber-Schatz, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. and team lead of the agencys community interventions and critical populations task force. The study was one of two published this week that also looked at how often children have been hospitalized. In the C.D.C. study, which drew data from 44 states, the District of Columbia, two territories and an associated state, 2.5 percent of infected children and adolescents under 25 were hospitalized, compared with 16.6 percent of sick adults, and just 0.8 percent were transferred to intensive care. The largest percentage of hospitalizations in this group occurred among children under 5 years old. Some 654 patients under the age of 25 died, about 0.1 percent. But another study of children, adolescents and young adults, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, has come to a very different conclusion. Researchers at the University of Minnesota found a troubling increase in hospitalizations among infected children and adolescents. The study was based on data from 5,364 patients aged 19 and under who were hospitalized in 22 states between May 15, 2020, and Nov. 15, 2020. The cumulative average rate rose to 17.2 hospitalizations per 100,000 children in November from 2 per 100,000 children in May. The increase was not surprising in itself, simply because more children were becoming infected over time. But the percentage uptick was more than double the rise in adult hospitalization rates over the same period, said Pinar Karaca-Mandic, an expert in health economics at the University of Minnesota and the senior author of the research report. This demonstrates that Covid still has the potential to cause serious illness in children, said Dr. Karaca-Mandic, who also is co-lead of the universitys Covid-19 Hospitalization Project. Its not like children are immune. Its not like children are not at risk. While older adults continue to be at the greatest risk, some hospitals may not be properly equipped to care for the youngest patients, she added. Sometimes I feel like the message of lower risk in children may have been misinterpreted as no risk by many, she added. Our study is showing that is not the case.

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More than 10 percent of the U.S. Congress has tested positive. Representative Pramila Jayapal tested positive after the siege on the Capitol. Credit... Pool photo by Graeme Jennings At least 60 sitting members of Congress  more than one in 10  have tested positive for the coronavirus or are believed to have had Covid-19 at some point since the pandemic began. The list includes 44 Republicans and 16 Democrats. Thats a higher proportion than the general population. As of Wednesday, a bit fewer than one in 14 Americans were known to have had the virus, according to a New York Times database, though many more cases have probably gone undetected. Five House members have reported positive tests since the attack on the Capitol last week, when many lawmakers were holed up in a secure location together and some refused to wear masks  a situation that angered several Democrats, including Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, one of those who has since tested positive. And on Wednesday, Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said that her husband, Conan Harris, who was at the Capitol to see her sworn in, has also tested positive. In a statement, Ms. Pressley said that Republican colleagues who had refused to wear masks while in a confined space had displayed an arrogant disregard for the lives of others. Congresss attending physician warned members afterward that it was possible they were exposed while sheltering and recommended that they be tested. Congress has struggled to stem the spread within its ranks in recent weeks. Most members who have tested positive have done so since the election in November, as cases have surged across the country. Representative Jake LaTurner, Republican of Kansas, said he received word just after the attack on the Capitol last Wednesday that he had tested positive. He did not return to the House floor for a vote early on Thursday. Representative Gus Bilirakis of Florida and Representative Michelle Steel of California, both Republicans, were absent from the House floor when the mob entered the Capitol because each had received positive test results earlier that morning. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, Republican of Tennessee, said on Sunday that he had tested positive after exposure to Mr. Bilirakis, with whom he shares a residence. Which Members of Congress Have Tested Positive for the Coronavirus At least 66 members of the 117th Congress have reported positive coronavirus tests, many of them in recent weeks.

N.Y.C. works with the Yankees on a vaccine site, and more virus variant cases are found statewide. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:41 - 0:00 transcript Yankee Stadium to Become Mass Coronavirus Vaccination Site Mayor Bill de Blasio said the New York Yankees were working with the city to turn Yankee Stadium into a mass Covid-19 vaccination site. No opening date has been set. Were speeding up the process of giving vaccines all the time. Yesterday, 28,599 doses given. We are opening up mega-sites, 24/7 mega-sites. We talked yesterday about CitiField, and again, thanks to the New York Mets for stepping up. Thats fantastic. Thats going to serve a lot of people. Well, weve heard back from the New York Yankees. And we welcome them into the fold too. Were working with them now to work out a plan to use Yankee Stadium as well. And thats got to be great for the people of the Bronx. So that plan is in motion, well announce it when the details have been worked through. But theres going to be more and more sites, not just stadiums, but more sites of all kinds, more hours reaching more people. And now anyone 65 years old or over does qualify. So if youre 65 or over, regardless of your health situation  obviously, youre vulnerable, weve talked about this before  you have the right to be vaccinated. You can sign up now. We have sites, as I said, 24/7 sites, and sites with other hours, extended hours, all over the five boroughs. On the 24/7 sites, yesterday, we opened a site at 125 Worth Street, right here, in the City Hall area, Lower Manhattan. Today, Staten Island, the Vanderbilt Clinic on Staten Island open 24/7 from this point on. And again, more sites coming in Staten Island. Saturday, the Health and Hospitals Corona Clinic in Queens will go to 24/7. And obviously, CitiField will be right behind that. Were going to just keep building and building out capacity. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the New York Yankees were working with the city to turn Yankee Stadium into a mass Covid-19 vaccination site. No opening date has been set. Credit Credit... Corey Sipkin/Associated Press An additional three cases of a variant of the coronavirus, which has been surging in the United Kingdom, have now been identified in New York, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 15, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday. State officials have narrowed down the new cases of the more contagious variant to two clusters, one on Long Island and another stemming from a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs, where the first case of the variant was discovered on Jan. 4. Amid mounting evidence that the variant is continuing to spread in New York, hospitalizations statewide continued to climb  more than 8,920 people reported Wednesday  and state and city officials scrambled to accelerate a sluggish rollout of the vaccine. Were locked in a footrace between its quick distribution and the spread of new cases, Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, said in a statement. Both New York City and the state have added large vaccination sites in recent days. On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city was working with the New York Yankees to use their home stadium, in the Bronx, though there is no opening date yet. The announcement followed the mayors reveal on Tuesday that Citi Field, the Mets stadium in Queens, would become a mass vaccination site starting the week of Jan. 25. The site at Citi Field will operate seven days a week and is expected to have the capacity to vaccinate 5,000 to 7,000 people a day. The stadiums are the latest large sports venues across the country to be converted into vaccination sites, including the home stadiums of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres baseball teams, the Arizona Cardinals of the N.F.L., the San Antonio Spurs of the N.B.A., and the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. New York State also opened its first three state-run vaccination sites on Wednesday morning: in the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan, in the Westchester County Center and at the New York State Fair Expo Center, where eligible New Yorkers can get a shot after booking an appointment online. The list of eligible New Yorkers was expanded to include people 65 and older on Tuesday; individuals in those groups could immediately schedule appointments on the states website. So far, demand has far outpaced supply, with state officials warning people to be prepared to receive an appointment weeks in the future. On Tuesday, New York City administered 28,599 doses, Mr. de Blasio said. He added that the city plans to reach its goal of administering one million doses by the end of the month. But the mayor also warned on Wednesday that unless the city gets a major resupply of the vaccine soon, it will run out of doses at some point next week. In New Jersey, residents 65 and older and people ages 16 to 64 with certain medical conditions will be eligible to the vaccine as of Thursday, Gov. Philip D. Murphy at a news conference on Wednesday. Luis Ferre-Sadurni and

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KEY DATA OF THE DAY Oklahoma, with no statewide mask mandate, grapples with a surging caseload. Paramedics taking a patient to an emergency room in Shawnee, Okla., last month. Many Oklahoma hospitals are inundated with Covid-19 patients. Credit... Nick Oxford/Reuters Oklahoma is in the grip of a frightening surge of the coronavirus, the worst it has yet seen and one of the worst in Americas winter. Mercy Hospital Ardmore, in rural Oklahoma, has so many Covid-19 patients that some people are being cared for in curtained-off areas of hallways and the emergency departments waiting room. It has been this way for weeks. The people coming in are very, very sick, and they dont quickly get better, said Paula Pfau, the hospitals nursing director. Oklahoma is averaging nearly 4,000 new cases each day, an increase of almost 50 percent from two weeks ago. Rural counties in the southern part of the state, including around Ardmore, are now among the hardest hit in the country relative to their populations. Family gatherings and parties over the holidays are at least partly to blame, according to hospital officials and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Nationally, the country is facing its worst days of the pandemic: There were over 4,400 Covid-19 deaths reported in the United States on Tuesday, a record, according to a New York Times database. Hospitalizations are at a near-record high of 131,326, according to the Covid Tracking Project. And more than 380,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19. Oklahoma is experiencing the third worst outbreak in the country, behind Arizona, which is enduring a surge even worse than its summer peak, and California, where a weekslong flood of cases is wearing hospitals and their workers thin. There is no statewide mask mandate in Oklahoma, although the city of Ardmore has had one since November. A crush of new Covid-19 patients emerged seven to 10 days after Thanksgiving, and another after Christmas and New Years Eve. In rural Oklahoma, we didnt get our first case for a long time, Ms. Pfau said. We kind of decided the surge couldnt happen here. We dont have public transportation. We dont have Uber. Were in the middle of the country, with all this space. So we kept on with business as usual. And now its just a full-force hit. Coronavirus cases were relatively low in Oklahoma until the summer, when the daily number of new cases spiked in June, then surpassed 1,000 each day in September. An indoor rally in July held by President Trump in Tulsa was linked to a spike in cases there by the director of the Tulsa Health Department, Dr. Bruce Dart, who had pleaded with attendees to wear face masks, which were not worn by most at Mr. Trumps rally. Now, pretty much everyone in the state knows someone who has been sick, said Dr. Jennifer Clark, a physician and former hospital administrator who is helping lead an effort by Oklahoma State University to keep rural health care providers updated on the pandemic. Theres a heavy sense of grief, she said. Patricia Mazzei and

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Researchers in Ohio find preliminary evidence of two virus variants that may be more contagious. A pharmacist administers the Covid-19 vaccine to a health care workers last month in Columbus, Ohio. Credit... Brian Kaiser for The New York Times Two new variants of the coronavirus that may be more contagious have been detected in Ohio, researchers announced on Wednesday. Evidence for both variants is still preliminary, other experts cautioned, and warrants further study. As we sequence more, we will find more variants and we will see more mutations, said Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland. But very few mutations we are looking at today have never appeared before. One of the variants was spotted in an elderly woman during routine genetic surveillance by scientists at Ohio State University. The variant carries a mutation called N501Y, which has been linked to greater contagiousness; it is present in variants discovered in Britain, South Africa and Japan. But the variant in Ohio is distinct from those others, and appears to have emerged from a version of the coronavirus that has been circulating in Columbus since September, said Daniel Jones, a molecular biologist at Ohio State University, who led the research. The research has been submitted to the preprint server bioRxiv, where it is expected to appear on Wednesday, but has not yet been reviewed carefully by other experts. The fact that its occurring in that background suggests an independent arising in the U.S., Dr. Jones said. Now obviously, that has consequences for travel restrictions and all that, if were now seeing the same mutation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that starting on Jan. 26, the United States will require all international travelers arriving in the country to show proof of a negative coronavirus test or recent recovery from Covid-19. Some experts urged caution in interpreting the impact of the variants discovery in Ohio. The worrisome mutations at N501 have appeared and disappeared multiple times, so Im not sure finding isolated cases of 501 mutations on their own is worth getting too excited about, Dr. Hodcroft said. A second virus variant, also in Ohio, first cropped up around Christmas during routine surveillance. The numbers of known infections are small, because the team analyzes only about 10 samples per week. Among those samples, the variant was detected in one case the first week, about 30 percent of cases the following week, and 60 percent last week, Dr. Jones said. The variant contains three alterations in the spike protein on the surface of virus, which it uses to enter human cells. One of those mutations may increase contagiousness, but theres not been a lot of biology on it at this point to know what it does, he said. Dr. Hodcroft said the emergence of this second variant is potentially more significant, because it may be the same as a version reported in Massachusetts and West Virginia. It would be great to know if other states are reporting increases as well, she said. Surveillance of the virus in the U.S. has been limited, with labs sequencing only a tiny fraction of samples. But the C.D.C. has said it will sequence more samples to gain a clearer idea of variants that are emerging. The Ohio team has sequenced a total of 222 samples of the virus since April, but stepped up their efforts about six weeks ago, following reports of the more contagious variant in Britain. The scientists now plan to ramp up the numbers to as many 50 samples per week to assess how widely the variants might have spread.

Elders Covid deaths create a cultural crisis for Native Americans. On the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, four Lakota elders from one family have died in the pandemic, including the parents of Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre, right, and her sister Nola Taken Alive, who placed a bundle of sage in their mothers coffin. Credit... Victor J. Blue for The New York Times Native Americans, who are dying of Covid-19 at nearly twice the rate of white people, are also facing a cultural crisis: The coronavirus is tearing through the ranks of tribal elders, inflicting an incalculable toll on bonds of language and tradition that flow from older generations to the young. Its like were having a cultural book-burning, said Jason Salsman, a spokesman for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in eastern Oklahoma whose grandparents contracted the virus but survived. Were losing a historical record, encyclopedias. One day soon, there wont be anybody to pass this knowledge down. Native Americans and volunteer groups are trying to protect the elders as a mission of cultural survival, and putting elders and fluent Indigenous language speakers at the head of the line for vaccinations. But the efforts face huge obstacles. Elders who live in remote locations often have no means to get to the clinics and hospitals where vaccinations are administered. And there is deep mistrust of the government in a generation that was used as medical guinea pigs, shipped off to boarding schools and punished for speaking their own languages. Activists say there is still is no reliable death toll of Native elders. They say the deaths are often overlooked or miscounted, especially off reservations and in urban areas, where about 70 percent of Indigenous people live. Adding to the problem, tribal health officials say their sickest members can essentially vanish once they are transferred out of small reservation health systems to larger hospitals with intensive-care units. We dont know what happens to them until we see a funeral announcement, said Abigail Echo-Hawk, the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute. The virus has claimed fluent Choctaw speakers and dressmakers from the Mississippi band of Choctaws. It took a Tulalip family matriarch in Washington State, then her sister and brother-in-law. It killed a former chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in California who had spent decades fighting to preserve Native arts and culture. Remote meetings of the Dine Hataaii Association, a group of Navajo medicine men and women, now regularly include updates on members who have died. When they pass on, all that knowledge is gone forever, never to be retained, said Avery Denny a member of the association and professor at Dine College. Its just lost.

The death of a Miami doctor who received a coronavirus vaccine is being investigated. Dr. Gregory Michael in a photo posted to Facebook by his wife. Credit... via Facebook Health authorities are investigating the case of a Florida doctor who died from an unusually severe blood disorder 16 days after receiving the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Dr. Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynecologist in Miami Beach, received the vaccine at Mount Sinai Medical Center on Dec. 18 and died 16 days later from a brain hemorrhage, his wife, Heidi Neckelmann, wrote in a Facebook post. Shortly after receiving the vaccine, Dr. Michael developed an extremely serious form of a condition known as acute immune thrombocytopenia, which prevented his blood from clotting properly. Pfizer said in a statement that it was actively investigating the case, but we dont believe at this time that there is any direct connection to the vaccine. There have been no related safety signals identified in our clinical trials, the post-marketing experience thus far, or with the technology used to make the vaccine, the company said. Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved family. About nine million people in the United States have received at least one shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine, the two authorized in the United States. Serious reported problems have included 29 cases of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, though none were reported as fatal. Many people have had side effects like sore arms, fatigue, headache and fever, which are usually transient. Local and federal agencies are investigating Dr. Michaels death. Several experts said the case was highly unusual but could have been a severe reaction to the vaccine. The Florida Department of Health referred Dr. Michaels death to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for investigation. Kristen Nordlund, a C.D.C. spokeswoman, said in a statement that the agency would evaluate the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and any necessary actions. Denise Grady and

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With expanded rosters and no fans in the stands, the N.H.L. season is about to begin. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, foreground, at a practice in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday. Credit... Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post, via Associated Press The N.H.L. season will begin on Wednesday with some drastic modifications to its format and at least one delayed opener because of the coronavirus. The myriad challenges of the pandemic will keep fans out of the stands at most arenas, expand rosters in the event of outbreaks and force the league to maintain flexibility. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Monday that he did not expect the league to have access to vaccines for players, staff members and other personnel this season. Commissioner Gary Bettman said that he expected losses from a lack of attendance to exceed $1 billion, but that he believed the league would have lost less money if it had canceled the season. One player agent, Allan Walsh, dismissed that claim, calling it a deliberate and intentionally misleading statement. For hockey players and fans, there may not be a sense of normalcy until the playoffs, which are set to return to their usual format of 16 teams and four rounds of best-of-seven series. And although there will be no traditional January Winter Classic, there will be outdoor hockey in Nevada. Bettman said Lake Tahoe would host the league for the first time, with two games against a backdrop of snowy mountains and the lake, but no spectators. The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Colorado Avalanche there on Feb. 20, and the Philadelphia Flyers will play the Boston Bruins on Feb. 21. All 31 franchises will have to navigate an abbreviated season with long odds of being completed smoothly. Rather than the traditional 82-game schedule, each team will play 56 games. And each will carry three goalies and a four-to-six-player taxi squad in case of injury or a coronavirus-related absence. There will not be any cross-border travel because of restrictions between the United States and Canada.

Facing new outbreaks, China puts more than 22 million under lockdown. Coronavirus testing in Shijiazhuang, China, on Tuesday. The city has been locked down amid a resurgence in cases. Credit... China Daily/Reuters When a handful of new coronavirus cases materialized this month in a province surrounding Beijing  apparently spread at a village wedding party  the Chinese authorities bolted into action. They locked down two cities with more than 17 million people, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. They ordered a testing regime of nearly every resident there, which was completed in a matter of days. They shut down transportation and canceled weddings, funerals and, most significantly, a provincial Communist Party conference. By this week, the lockdowns had expanded to include another city on the edge of Beijing, Langfang, as well as a county in Heilongjiang, a northeastern province. Districts in Beijing itself, the Chinese capital, also shut down. More than 22 million people in all have been ordered to remain inside their homes  double the number affected last January when Chinas central government locked down Wuhan, the central city where the virus was first reported, in a move that was then seen as extraordinary. The flare-ups remain small compared with the devastation facing other countries, but still threaten to undercut the success that the countrys Communist Party has had in subduing the virus, allowing its economy to surge back after last years slump and its people to return to something close to normal lives. The urgency of the governments current response stands in contrast to that of officials in Wuhan last year who feared a backlash if they disclosed the mysterious new illnesses then emerging. Local officials there had gone ahead with a Communist Party conference like the one now canceled in Hebei, despite knowing the risk of the disease spreading among people. Since Wuhan, the authorities have created a playbook that mobilizes party cadres to quickly respond to new outbreaks by sealing off neighborhoods, conducting widespread testing and quarantining large groups. China, a country of 1.4 billion people, has reported an average of 109 new cases a day over the past week, according to a New York Times database. Those would be welcome numbers in countries experiencing far worse  including the United States, which is averaging more than 250,000 new cases a day  but they are the worst in China since last summer.

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The state of the pandemic in America. Medical tents outside a hospital in Los Angeles on Monday. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times In todays edition of the Morning newsletter, David Leonhardt writes: Last weeks attack on the Capitol has understandably dominated the news. But I want to take a few minutes to focus on the other vital story right now  the pandemic. Below is a three-point summary of where we are, with help from my colleagues covering the story and from a couple of charts. Ill warn you up front: The situation is not good. 1. The new variants are scary. Scientists are still learning about new versions of the coronavirus, including variants that emerged in Britain, South Africa and Brazil. The evidence so far indicates that they are much more infectious than the Italian strain, which has been circulating here since February, my colleague Donald G. McNeil Jr. told me. Thats a game changer. Behavior that may once have been only moderately risky  say, airplane travel  may now be more so. The variants seem to be one reason cases worldwide are spiking: Image Credit... By The New York Times | Sources: Governments and health agencies 2. The mass vaccination campaign in the U.S. is off to a terrible start. The Trump administration promised that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by Jan. 1. Instead, fewer than three million were  and only about nine million have now had their shots. The Deep South has the countrys lowest vaccination rates. But this isnt just a Republican failure: California, Virginia and some other Democratic-run states have also been slow. (Heres data for every state.) Vaccinations will probably accelerate in coming weeks, especially because President-elect Joe Biden and his team seem much more focused on the problem than President Trump has been. Goldman Sachs forecasts that about one-quarter of Americans will have received their first shot by April 1, half by June 1 and three-quarters by mid-autumn. The coming vaccination speedup is the one good piece of good news right now. 3. Things are likely to get worse before they get better. The virus is spreading so rapidly that hospitals are struggling to keep up. About 130,000 Americans are hospitalized with Covid symptoms, more than double the number two months ago. The strain on hospitals raises the possibility that many people will not receive the best available treatments. Los Angeles has recently had to ration oxygen. And Esteban Trejo, an executive at a company in El Paso, Texas, that provides oxygen to temporary hospitals, told Kaiser Health News, Its been nuts, absolutely nuts. The recent data on cases and deaths is noisy, because diagnoses artificially slowed during the holidays, says Mitch Smith, a Times reporter who follows the numbers. Still, deaths have already hit a record this week  more than 3,000 a day, on average  and the recent explosion of cases suggests they may be heading to above 3,500 and perhaps to 4,000. Image Credit... By The New York Times The bottom line: Biden will be taking office next week during the nadir of the coronavirus crisis. His administration will need to both accelerate vaccine distribution and persuade more people to change their behavior  and the second goal is even more urgent than the first. Unless Americans start wearing masks more often and spending less time together in cramped spaces, many more people are going to die.

Indonesias president receives a Chinese-made vaccine that produced disappointing trial results. President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, left, received a coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday. Credit... Agus Suparto/Indonesian Presidential Palace, via Associated Press Indonesias president, Joko Widodo, received an injection of a Chinese-made vaccine on live television on Wednesday as health officials prepared for a nationwide rollout. Human trials in Indonesia have found that the vaccine, CoronaVac, was safe and has a 65.3 percent efficacy rate. But scientists in Brazil said on Tuesday that it had an efficacy rate there of just over 50 percent  far lower than the 78 percent efficacy rate announced last week. Mr. Joko was the first in Indonesia to receive the inoculation, health officials said, because he wanted to assure the public that it was safe, effective and halal, meaning that it is approved under Islamic law. Behind him as he received his injection was a red sign with white lettering proclaiming the vaccine to be safe and halal. Covid vaccination is important for us to break the chain of transmission of this coronavirus and provide health protection for all of us, the people of Indonesia, and help accelerate the process of economic recovery, Mr. Joko said after getting his shot. Indonesia, which authorized emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine on Monday, had previously ordered 125.5 million doses from the company and smaller amounts from several others. Indonesia, the worlds fourth-largest country with 270 million people, hopes to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating two-thirds of the population within 15 months. But there are still questions around the Sinovac vaccine, which China began administering last year before human trials were completed. The company has yet to release data publicly on the results of its trials. And the vaccines efficacy rate, as measured in Brazil and Indonesia, is still far below the 90-plus-percent rates achieved by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that have been approved in the United States and other countries. Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said the relatively low efficacy rate for CoronaVac should prompt Indonesia to look for alternatives. He also questioned the transparency of the various trials and the data being released. At least Indonesia has one vaccine as a tool to protect its health care workers and prevent staff shortages, he said. Of course, the government should do its best in getting other vaccines. Indonesia plans to give the vaccine first to medical staff, police officers and soldiers. It also has begun a national promotion campaign to persuade members of the public to get the vaccine, which will be free. Following Mr. Joko to be vaccinated in front of the cameras were the head of the army, the national police chief and the newly appointed health minister, along with other dignitaries and so-called influencers. Indonesia has reported nearly 850,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 25,000 deaths, Southeast Asias highest tallies in both categories. Richard C. Paddock and

A South Korea church leader receives a suspended prison term after virus fallout. Lee Man-hee, a leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, leaving a detention center in Suwon, South Korea, in November. Credit... Hong Ki-Won/YONHAP, via Associated Press The leader of a secretive religious sect that was at the center of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea last year received a three-year prison term on Wednesday on charges of embezzling church money. But Lee Man-hee, 89, the founder of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was acquitted on a charge of conspiring to impede the health authorities efforts to fight the coronavirus. Mr. Lees prison term was suspended for four years, which means that he will remain free unless he commits a crime within that time. The rapid spread of the virus among the churchs worshipers in Daegu, a city in the countrys southeast, in February and early March last year briefly made South Korea home to the worlds largest coronavirus outbreak outside China. A total of 5,213 cases have been found among church members and their contacts, according to government data. Prosecutors arrested Mr. Lee in August on charges that he and other church officials had obstructed the governments efforts to fight the epidemic by not fully disclosing the number of worshipers and their gathering places. Mr. Lee was also accused of embezzling 5.6 billion won, or $5.1 million, from church funds to build a luxurious peace palace north of Seoul, the capital. He was also accused of using public facilities for religious activities without permission from the local authorities. Mr. Lee was released on bail in November. On Wednesday, a judge in the district court of Suwon, south of Seoul, ruled that a failure to provide a full list of worshipers and church facilities did not amount to impeding the governments disease-control efforts. Mr. Lees church welcomed the acquittal and said he would appeal to a higher court to try to reverse his conviction on embezzlement and other charges.

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At the most recent review before Dungannon Magistrates Court a prosecution lawyer said the investigation file has been received and a timetable on progress is imminent

A lawyer acting for a group of suspected dissident republicans arrested after a surveillance operation has said that MI5 appears to be ignorant of the rule of law.

He hit out at what he says is the ongoing failure to reveal whether evidence from MI5 and the PSNI has been supplied to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS).

The accused are husband and wife David and Sharon Jordan; Damien Joseph McLaughlin from Dungannon; Kevin Murphy from Coalisland, Amanda McCabe and Shea Reynolds from Lurgan; Joseph Barr, Patrick McDaid and Gary Hayden from Londonderry.

All face various offences, including belonging to the New IRA, directing terrorism and preparing terrorist acts.

McLaughlin and McReynolds are also accused of conspiring to possess Semtex and 100 rounds of ammunition.

Dr Issam Bassalat from Edinburgh is charged with intending or assisting to commit acts of terrorism by attending and addressing a New IRA meeting.

Offending allegedly occurred in Omagh between February and July.

At the most recent review before Dungannon Magistrates Court a prosecution lawyer said the investigation file has been received and a timetable on progress is imminent.

However, a defending solicitor pointed to ongoing concerns over MI5 evidential material.

While accepting the police file has been submitted, he said: We remind the court this was a joint investigation and MI5 are equally responsible under their statutory obligations to comply. We see no justifiable reason why MI5 fail to answer whether they have provided all their up-to-date evidential material.

He continued: We mark the PPS card now of our extreme concerns, should it turn out only police material has been provided. That will inevitably cause delay, prejudicing our clients and have ramifications, not least the potential that the court has been misled.

The defence asked the PPS to confirm in open court for the purpose of the record, that the files provided contain all material, including that of MI5.

The prosecutor replied: Im not in a position to detail what is contained within the files submitted by the PSNI. Correspondence from the defence has been replied to. I cannot comment on what these files do and do not contain.

The defence asked the court to direct the PPS to answer the question  has MI5 material been provided as part of the investigation file? I imagine that could be answered very easily.

District Judge Michael Ranaghan refused stating: All I can ask is that correspondence is answered. The court will keep a very close eye going forward, as in every case to ensure there is no undue delay.

The defence concluded: My pessimistic view, which experience dictates, is that MI5 appear to be ignorant of the rule of law. I can put it no higher. The court shouldnt acquiesce and should ensure an investigative body takes all steps of compliance. But I note the court will not issue a direction.

The case will be reviewed later this month.
- Breakthrough year of performance continues with 6.6% YoY CC growth in Q3

- Digital crosses 50% of revenues

BENGALURU, India, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Infosys (NSE: EQINFY) (BSE: 500209) (NYSE: INFY), a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting, delivered its highest Q3 sequential growth of 5.3% in 8 years in constant currency. On a year on year basis, revenues grew by 6.6%, digital revenues grew by 31.3% and overall digital revenue crossed more than half of total revenues. Large deal TCV was at all time high of $7.13bn with 73% being net new. Strong and steady operating margin at 25.4%. Revenue and margin guidance band increased to 4.5%-5.0% and 24.0%-24.5% respectively on the back of continued strong performance.

"The Infosys team has delivered another quarter of excellent results. Execution of client relevant strategy focused on digital transformation continues to drive superior growth, well ahead of the industry. The scale of new client partnerships with leading global companies such as Vanguard, Daimler and Rolls-Royce demonstrate the depth of digital and cloud capabilities of Infosys. The commitment and skills of our employees to support and drive the digital journey of clients are matters of great pride for me", said Salil Parekh, CEO and MD. "With the intense focus on client needs and the comprehensive foundation built on differentiated capabilities, I remain confident about the future."

$7.13bn 31.3% YoY 6.6%YoY 25.4% 16.5% YoY

Large deal signings Digital CC growth CC growth Operating margin Increase in EPS (INR terms)



Q3 revenues grew year-on-year by 8.4% in USD; grew by 6.6% in constant currency

Digital revenues cross 50% of total revenue, year-on-year growth of 31.3% in constant currency

Q3 operating margin at 25.4%, year-on-year increase of 350 bps

Robust Q3 net profit at $705 million , year-on-year growth of 12.6%

, year-on-year growth of 12.6% Continued strong Q3 free cash flow at $772 million , year-on-year growth of 15.1%; FCF conversion at 109.0% of net profit

, year-on-year growth of 15.1%; FCF conversion at 109.0% of net profit Q3 voluntary attrition for IT services declined to 10.0% from 15.8% in Q3 20

Year-to-date revenues grew by 3.5% in constant currency

Year-to-date operating margin at 24.5%, an expansion of 310 bps

FY 21 revenue growth guidance increases to 4.5%-5.0% in constant currency

FY 21 operating margin guidance increases to 24.0%-24.5%

In Q3, Infosys further enhanced its digital investments in Infosys Cobalt - the cloud services, platforms and solutions portfolio launched last quarter. The company expanded the Infosys Cobalt portfolio by unveiling Infosys Modernization Suite to help enterprises modernize their legacy systems and Infosys Live Enterprise Application Management Platform to deliver cloud-powered, managed services for IT operations. Infosys Applied AI converges the power of AI, analytics and cloud to deliver new business solutions and perceptive experiences.

Infosys also reached a significant milestone in its ESG journey by becoming carbon neutral in 2020, thirty years ahead of 2050, the timeline set by the Paris Agreement. Infosys reiterated its commitment to Environment, Social and Governance causes by announcing its ESG 2030 vision and ambitions.

1. Financial Highlights Consolidated results under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS)

For the quarter ended December 31, 2020

Revenues were $3,516 million, growth of 8.4% YoY and 6.2% QoQ



Operating profit was $893 million, growth of 25.6% YoY and 6.4% QoQ



Basic EPS was $0.17, growth of 12.5% YoY and 7.9% QoQ

For nine months ended December 31, 2020

Revenues were $9,948 million, growth of 3.8% YoY



Operating profit was $2,441 million, growth of 19.1% YoY



Basic EPS was $0.45, growth of 10.6% YoY

"The resilience of Infosys has been severely tested over the past several quarters and I am delighted with our response marked by strong revenue performance, large deal wins, healthy operating metrics and continued low attrition," said Pravin Rao, COO. "This outstanding performance has been made possible by reimagining Infosys, over the last three years, as a live enterprise with fully transformed digital infrastructure  Infosys Lex for learning, InfyMe for employee engagement, Infosys Meridian for collaboration, and Infosys DevSecOps platform to empower application teams to rapidly build and deploy new features. These highly differentiated systems and processes, redesigned for a digital-first world, are built on a strong foundation of robust connectivity to customer networks and fully secured personal devices. Not only does this give us an advantage in these times of distributed working but also a distinct long-term lead into the future."

"Navigating your next strategy coupled with razor sharp focus on our operating model and efficiencies continues to deliver superior shareholder value creation," said Nilanjan Roy, CFO. "I am also delighted with the announcement of Infosys ESG vision 2030 simultaneously with our climate neutrality achievement, a journey we had embarked on ten years ago. As a responsible corporate citizen, Infosys is committed to its vision of shaping and sharing solutions that serve the development of businesses and communities."

2. Client wins & Testimonials

The unstinting support extended to Infosys by clients motivates our teams to bring greater benefits of digital transformation and the best of Infosys to their business.

Infosys formed a strategic partnership with Daimler AG , one of the world's most successful automotive companies, to support a technology-driven IT infrastructure transformation. Jan Brecht , Chief Information Officer, Daimler and Mercedes-Benz , said, "Software becomes modular and IT infrastructure becomes big. Daimler will take three steps at once to transform its IT infrastructure: consolidation, scaling and modernization. We need to think infrastructure beyond the size of our company. With Infosys we found a partner to scale, to innovate and to speed up. Moreover, this is a strategic partnership for Daimler's IT capabilities and Infosys' automotive expertise. Infosys wants to grow with us in the automotive industry, which gives career opportunities for our employees. With this partnership, Daimler also strengthens its overall technology investment and partnership strategy."

, one of the world's most successful automotive companies, to support a technology-driven IT infrastructure transformation. , said, "Software becomes modular and IT infrastructure becomes big. Daimler will take three steps at once to transform its IT infrastructure: consolidation, scaling and modernization. We need to think infrastructure beyond the size of our company. With Infosys we found a partner to scale, to innovate and to speed up. Moreover, this is a strategic partnership for Daimler's IT capabilities and Infosys' automotive expertise. Infosys wants to grow with us in the automotive industry, which gives career opportunities for our employees. With this partnership, Daimler also strengthens its overall technology investment and partnership strategy." Infosys was selected by El Paso Water , a municipal utility in El Paso, Texas , to transform its legacy customer information systems (CIS) with Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter (C2M). Marcela Navarrete , Vice President at EPWater, said, "This is an ambitious undertaking with multiple system upgrades simultaneously, but it's a necessary project to help us make a leap forward to improve both efficiency and customer satisfaction."

, a municipal utility in , to transform its legacy customer information systems (CIS) with Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter (C2M). said, "This is an ambitious undertaking with multiple system upgrades simultaneously, but it's a necessary project to help us make a leap forward to improve both efficiency and customer satisfaction." Infosys partnered with Rolls-Royce , one of the world's leading aerospace and defence technology companies, for sourcing engineering and R&D Services for Rolls-Royce's Civil Aerospace business. Kishore Jayaraman , President, Rolls-Royce India & South Asia , said, " India has grown to become a key contributor to the Rolls-Royce global engineering ecosystem, delivering high levels of technical capability to support a broad range of complex business demands. Our vision is to continue this high capability engineering work in India , in partnership with Infosys. Infosys has been a valued partner to Rolls-Royce for many years, and we now look forward to building on this strategic partnership to secure the full range of our engineering capabilities here, while ensuring future growth potential for our engineering talent. We are committed to India and remain positive about the long-term prospects in this market."

, one of the world's leading aerospace and defence technology companies, for sourcing engineering and R&D Services for Rolls-Royce's Civil Aerospace business. said, " has grown to become a key contributor to the Rolls-Royce global engineering ecosystem, delivering high levels of technical capability to support a broad range of complex business demands. Our vision is to continue this high capability engineering work in , in partnership with Infosys. Infosys has been a valued partner to Rolls-Royce for many years, and we now look forward to building on this strategic partnership to secure the full range of our engineering capabilities here, while ensuring future growth potential for our engineering talent. We are committed to and remain positive about the long-term prospects in this market." Resimac , a leading non-bank lender in Australia and New Zealand , selected Infosys Finacle's Digital Banking SaaS to achieve end-to-end digital modernization for providing enhanced customer experience across all its brands in Australia and New Zealand . Scott McWilliam , Chief Executive Officer, Resimac, said, "At Resimac, we are engineering for the future. Our 'customer first' digital strategy recognizes that lending in the future will look fundamentally different from today. Our partnership with Infosys Finacle will enable us to seamlessly adapt to the dynamic and complex lending landscape, while serving our customers' financial needs in a secure manner. We are confident that Finacle's solutions delivered on the cloud will accelerate our transformation into a digital-first lender and help deliver a range of multi-accessible, flexible and innovative financial solutions."

, a leading non-bank lender in and , selected Infosys Finacle's Digital Banking SaaS to achieve end-to-end digital modernization for providing enhanced customer experience across all its brands in and . said, "At Resimac, we are engineering for the future. Our 'customer first' digital strategy recognizes that lending in the future will look fundamentally different from today. Our partnership with Infosys Finacle will enable us to seamlessly adapt to the dynamic and complex lending landscape, while serving our customers' financial needs in a secure manner. We are confident that Finacle's solutions delivered on the cloud will accelerate our transformation into a digital-first lender and help deliver a range of multi-accessible, flexible and innovative financial solutions." Mobile Health AG , a Switzerland -based Health Tech startup, selected Infosys to enhance the go-to-market (GTM) strategy for its electronically patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) platform, Consilium Care. Frank Gulitz , CIO, Mobile Health AG, said, "After a rigorous selection process we selected Infosys as strategic partner for our Cloud Provider Due Diligence, the global setup of Microsoft Azure, as well as partner for the Infrastructure Operation and Platform Application Managed Service. Infosys was leading against competitors by their well-established Cloud Management Services combined with strong Security Consulting Offerings and Health Industry Insight. We are looking forward to commonly develop new markets for Consilium Care, our award winning CE-marked platform."

, a -based Health Tech startup, selected Infosys to enhance the go-to-market (GTM) strategy for its electronically patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) platform, Consilium Care. said, "After a rigorous selection process we selected Infosys as strategic partner for our Cloud Provider Due Diligence, the global setup of Microsoft Azure, as well as partner for the Infrastructure Operation and Platform Application Managed Service. Infosys was leading against competitors by their well-established Cloud Management Services combined with strong Security Consulting Offerings and Health Industry Insight. We are looking forward to commonly develop new markets for Consilium Care, our award winning CE-marked platform." "We embarked on our finance transformation journey in 2018 with an aspiration to save and automate one million hours of manual work. We have now achieved this goal with the help of Infosys BPM in enabling digital transformation. This is among the largest and most complex automation programs undertaken, and the collaborative efforts between the Philips and Infosys BPM teams was key for the success of the program. Infosys BPM defined and implemented the automation program, with formal design principles to standardize and automate the selected use cases. The AssistEdge RPA platform (EdgeVerve) from Infosys was leveraged to enable digital workers deployed globally with bots concurrently managing finance processes, including complex record-to-report month-end reconciliations" - Abhijit Bhattacharya , Chief Financial Officer, Member of the Executive Committee, Royal Philips , a global leader in health technology.

Awards & Recognitions

Ranked as a leader in The Forrester Wave: Multicloud Managed Services Providers, Q4 2020

Rated as a leader in Everest - System Integrator (SI) Capabilities on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021 NEW

Positioned as a leader in Everest - System Integrator (SI) Capabilities on Microsoft Azure Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021

Rated as a leader in Everest - System Integrator (SI) Capabilities on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Compendium 2021

Positioned as a leader in NelsonHall - Cloud Infrastructure Brokerage, Orchestration & Management 2020

Ranked as a leader in Everest - ServiceNow Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021

Ranked as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific Salesforce Implementation Services 2020 Vendor Assessment

Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Professional Services Firms for Mining Operational Process Optimisation 2020 Vendor Assessment

Ranked as a leader in HFS Research Top 10 Healthcare Sector Service Providers

Positioned as a leader in Everest - Next-generation Application Management Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021

Ranked as a leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Testing Services, Worldwide

Ranked as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Retail Commerce Platform Service Providers 2020 Vendor Assessment

Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Headless Digital Commerce Applications 2020-2021 Vendor Assessment

Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Manufacturing Service Life-Cycle Management Systems Integrators/Business Process Outsourcing 2020 Vendor Assessment

Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape Worldwide Oracle Cloud Implementation Services

Positioned as a leader in Everest - Application and Digital Services in Capital Markets PEAK Matrix 2020

Won 1st Runner up for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in SHRM HR Excellence Awards

Infosys Finacle was awarded 'Best Use of IT in Corporate Banking with Bank of the West BNP Paribas'

Infosys Finacle received the award for 'Most Impactful Project in the use of Blockchain in Banking: Infosys Finacle and Royal Bank of Scotland '

' Infosys achieved over 1,000 Mulesoft certifications. As a strategic MuleSoft partner, Infosys is committed to helping mutual customers accomplish cloud-first outcomes in transforming legacy apps, modernizing integration on cloud, developing digital apps, and building API-led ecosystems



About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com to see how Infosys (NYSE: INFY) can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

"Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law."

Infosys Limited and subsidiaries

Extracted from the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet under IFRS as at: (Dollars in millions)







December 31, 2020 March 31, 2020 ASSETS



Current assets



Cash and cash equivalents 3,022 2,465 Current investments 454 615 Trade receivables 2,629 2,443 Unbilled revenue 1,050 941 Other Current assets 832 748 Total current assets 7,987 7,212 Non-current assets



Property, plant and equipment and Right-of-use assets 2,483 2,361 Goodwill and other Intangible assets 1,155 950 Non-current investments 1,094 547 Other non-current assets 1,150 1,190 Total non-current assets 5,882 5,048 Total assets 13,869 12,260 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY



Current liabilities



Trade payables 339 377 Unearned revenue 544 395 Employee benefit obligations 278 242 Other current liabilities and provisions 1,905 1,743 Total current liabilities 3,066 2,757 Non-current liabilities



Lease liabilities 600 530 Other non-current liabilities 342 272 Total non-current liabilities 942 802 Total liabilities 4,008 3,559 Total equity attributable to equity holders of the company 9,800 8,646 Non-controlling interests 61 55 Total equity 9,861 8,701 Total liabilities and equity 13,869 12,260

Extracted from the Condensed Consolidated statement of Comprehensive Income under IFRS for: (Dollars in millions except per equity share data)











3 months ended December 31, 2020 3 months ended December 31, 2019 9 months ended December 31, 2020 9 months ended December 31, 2019 Revenues 3,516 3,243 9,948 9,583 Cost of sales 2,275 2,159 6,471 6,420 Gross profit 1,241 1,084 3,477 3,163 Operating expenses:







Selling and marketing expenses 156 169 459 502 Administrative expenses 192 204 577 612 Total operating expenses 348 373 1,036 1,114 Operating profit 893 711 2,441 2,049 Other income, net (3) 77 110 203 294 Profit before income taxes 970 821 2,644 2,343 Income tax expense 263 194 718 597 Net profit (before minority interest) 707 627 1,926 1,746 Net profit (after minority interest) 705 626 1,916 1,741 Basic EPS ($) 0.17 0.15 0.45 0.41 Diluted EPS ($) 0.17 0.15 0.45 0.41

NOTES:

1. The above information is extracted from the audited condensed consolidated Balance sheet and Statement of Comprehensive Income for the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2020 which have been taken on record at the Board meeting held on January 13, 2021.

2. A Fact Sheet providing the operating metrics of the Company can be downloaded from www.infosys.com .

3. Other Income includes Finance Cost.

Download the INR & Factsheet link here - https://www.infosys.com/investors/reports-filings/quarterly-results.html

SOURCE Infosys

A third 'more infectious' strain of coronavirus similar to the British and South African variants has been identified after mutating in Brazil.

The mutated variant of Covid was discovered in Tokyo, Japan last week in four people who had arrived on a flight from South America.

Scientists have said that the strain has similarities to those of the highly contagious variants found in England and South Africa.

Namely, it has a genetic mutation called N501Y, which changes the shape of the spike proteins found on the outside of the virus.

The mutation makes Covid more able to latch onto the receptors inside the body that it targets, meaning it makes it past the body's natural defences more often.

People who are exposed to the virus therefore become infected more often than they would if the other person was infected with an older, less contagious strain. However, there is no evidence to suggest the mutation makes the virus more deadly.

A World Health Organization report on the variant last week said: 'The variant was identified when whole-genome sequencing was conducted on samples from 4 travellers from Brazil who were tested at the airport.

'Through our regional offices, we are working with both Japanese and Brazilian authorities to evaluate the significance of these findings.

All three of the mutated versions of the coronavirus found in recent weeks  the ones from Britain, South Africa and Brazil  have had a change on the spike protein of the virus called N501Y, which scientists say makes it better able to latch onto the body and spread

This new variant (shown in light green) was first spotted in Brazil in October and accounted for a growing share of infections there in November

'We are also working with our Viral Evolution Working Group to assess the significance of this, and if this variant as well as others identified in recent months result in changes in transmissibility, clinical presentation or severity, or if they impact on countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

'The same comprehensive approach to controlling Covid-19 works against these variants. At an individual level, protective measures work for all identified variants: physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue.'

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BRAZIL VARIANT? Name: B.1.1.248 or P.1 Date: Discovered in Tokyo, Japan, in four travellers arriving from Manaus, Brazil, on January 2. Is it in the UK? Public health officials and scientists randomly sample around 1 in 10 coronavirus cases in the UK and they have not yet reported any cases of B.1.1.248, but this doesn't rule it out completely. Why should we care? The variant has the same spike protein mutation as the highly transmissible versions found in Kent and South Africa  named N501Y  which makes the spike better able to bind to receptors inside the body. What do the mutations do? The N501Y mutation makes the spike protein better at binding to receptors in people's bodies and therefore makes the virus more infectious. Exactly how much more infectious it is remains to be seen, but scientists estimate the similar-looking variant in the UK is around 56 per cent more transmissible than its predecessor. Even if the virus doesn't appear to be more dangerous, its ability to spread faster and cause more infections will inevitably lead to a higher death rate. Another key mutation in the variant, named E484K, is also on the spike protein and is present in the South African variant. E484K may be associated with an ability to evade parts of the immune system called antibodies, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said in a scientific paper published online. However, there are multiple immune cells and substances involved in the destruction of coronavirus when it gets into the body so this may not translate to a difference in how people get infected or recover. Will our vaccines still protect us? There is no reason to believe that already-developed Covid vaccines will not protect against the variant. The main and most concerning change to this version of the virus is its N501Y mutation. Pfizer, the company that made the first vaccine to get approval for public use in the UK, has specifically tested its jab on viruses carrying this mutation in a lab after the variants emerged in the UK and South Africa. They found that the vaccine worked just as well as it did on other variants and was able to ignore the change. And, as the South African variant carries another of the major mutations on the Brazilian strain (E484K) and the Pfizer jab worked against that, too, it is likely that the new mutation would not affect vaccines. The immunity developed by different types of vaccine is broadly similar, so if one of them is able to work against it, the others should as well. Advertisement

The new variants from South Africa and Brazil have the world on edge because they may not respond as well to vaccines, but they are still relatively rare.

A new variant in Brazil was first identified in Rio de Janeiro, the sprawling but densely populated city on the country's seaside in October.

At first, it was mostly isolated to the city, but already driving cases and infections back again in the hard-hit city, which has seen 470,138 cases to-date.

But, by December 23, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro researchers who discovered it were becoming concerned.

'The significant increase in the frequency of this lineage raises concerns about public health management and the need for genomic surveillance during the second wave of infections,' they wrote.

At the time, it was clear that the variant was becoming more common, but how exactly it differed an might be more dangerous wasn't clear.

But by December 26, the potential risks of its mutations were becoming clearer.

It is too early on in the variant's discovery for politicians or scientists to be confident about how the changes to the virus will affect outbreaks.

Lab testing suggests its N501Y mutation could make it more transmissible  the UK variant with the same change is estimated to be around 56 per cent more infectious, but other changes to the virus may affect this, too.

And another key mutation in the variant, named E484K, which is also on the spike protein, may be associated with an ability to evade parts of the immune system called antibodies, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said in a scientific paper published online.

However, there are multiple immune cells and substances involved in the destruction of coronavirus when it gets into the body so this may not translate to a difference in how people get infected or recover.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan said in its report that the people infected with the variant were found in airport screening in Tokyo on January 2.

They had travelled from Amazonas, a state in the north of Brazil which contains the city Manaus, home to two million people and the first place the variant was found.

The disease institute (NIID) said: 'Information on the variant isolate is limited to viral genome sequence data.

'Further investigation is necessary to assess infectivity, pathogenicity, and impact on laboratory diagnosis and vaccine efficacy of this variant strain.

'NIID recommends that persons infected with the variant isolate should be monitored in an isolated room and active epidemiological investigation should be initiated including contact tracing (with source investigation) and monitoring of the clinical course.'

Ministers and experts have said the repeated emergence of new variants is a warning sign that the coronavirus is evolving frequently and that some of the evolutions make significant changes to how the virus works.

Although the variants spotted already don't seem to make the virus more deadly or have the ability to get past a vaccine, the more different variants there are, the more likely it is than one will have a mutation that spells disaster.

Professor Tulio de Oliveira, a virologist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in Durban, South Africa, told The Telegraph: 'This variant is a wake up call that we should try to really decrease transmission of SARS-CoV-2 [coronavirus].

'It is clear that if you leave it circulating, the virus has the ability to outsmart us and become better at transmission and evasion of the antibody response.'

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today revealed officials are looking at ways to stop the variant from arriving in the UK. He told MPs: 'We are concerned about the new Brazilian variant.

'We already have tough measures, as you know, to stop from new infections come from abroad. We are taking steps to do that in response to the Brazilian variation.'

Scientists working in Britain have not yet announced any coronavirus cases caused by the variant on UK soil, although it is likely widespread in Brazil already.

The variant that emerged in Kent, now estimated to be around 56 per cent more transmissible than its predecessor, has quickly become the dominant form of the virus in England and has led to the country's longest lockdown since March 2020.

There is no evidence to suggest vaccines will be any less effective against this variant. Pfizer, maker of the first jab to be approved, tested theirs on the similar UK and South Africa variants and said it still worked just as well.

American 'super-covid' is here: Ohio reports TWO homegrown coronavirus strains- including one that has become dominant in Columbus - as US shatters new daily death record with 4,300 fatalities The US now has its own homegrown 'super-covid' variants that are more infectious than the most common coronavirus types in the US - and the new variants are spreading like wildfire in at least one state, Ohio scientists revealed Wednesday. One of the new, more infectious variants has already become dominant in Columbus, Ohio, where it was discovered. This unique US variant has three mutations not seen in the others from the UK and South Africa. So far, this homegrown variant has been seen in about 20 samples since Ohio State University (OSU) scientists first detected it in December. It's now present in most of the samples they are sequencing. A second variant has mutations identical to the UK variant's, but arose completely independently on American soil, according to Ohio State University scientists. Just one person with this variant has been found. 'It has a variant backbone that is in common with the UK and South African variants,' but is separate, said Dr Daniel Jones, one of the Ohio State University (OSU) scientists involved in the discovery of the variants. 'We are now in a period where the virus is changing quite substantially...so we are concerned,' at least over the transmissibility, said Dr Jones. It comes after Dr Deborah Birx warned over the weekend that the patter of COVID-19 case spikes suggested the US could already have its own 50 percent more infectious 'super-covid' variant. Scientists are quite sure both American variants are more infectious, but don't know yet whether they will be immune to vaccines. The Columbus variant is not currently thought to be deadlier, but scientists are ramping up their search for cases of it to monitor how sick people who catch it get. Advertisement

As the British coronavirus variant occupies countries' pandemic plans, other mutations to the Sars-CoV-2 are provoking concern among scientists who are scrambling to work out if they will still respond to vaccines.

In particular, one mutation, known as E484K, detected initially in South Africa and on subsequent variants in Brazil and Japan, has raised alarm among researchers.

Ravi Gupta, professor of microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said it is this mutation - and not the British variant - that is 'the most worrying of all'.

Although research into the new variant is limited, a Brazilian study this month looked at a patient who had recovered from Covid-19 only to become reinfected with the new, mutated strain.

The paper has yet to be peer-reviewed, but the authors found that the E484K mutation could be 'associated with escape from neutralising antibodies' - meaning it could bypass the body's natural defence memory that bestows immunity.

As countries accelerate their vaccination programmes, there is concern that the new mutation may render certain vaccines less effective.

The Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, for example, use mRNA technology to deliver instructions to the body to produce a harmless coronavirus spike protein, which the immune system then learns to kill in anticipation of a genuine infection.

With E484K, as with the British variant, the mutation occurs on the virus' spike protein, which allows it to bind more easily with human cell receptors, potentially heightening its infectiousness.

Gupta said the mutation 'could be the start of problems for spike vaccines'. 'They should all be effective at the moment but we worry about further mutations occurring on top of these ones,' he told AFP.

Pfizer and German partner BioNTech said last week that their vaccine was effective against the N501Y mutation found on the British virus variant, known as B117.

Francois Balloux, professor of Computational Systems Biology and Director of University College London's Genetics Institute, said it was unlikely that the South African variant had mutated sufficiently to 'bypass the protection provided by current vaccines'.

But, he warned: '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.'

There have been several mutations to the novel coronavirus since it emerged in late 2019, and most have had a negligible effect on its transmissibility or severity.

But the British variant has shown in several studies to be up to 70 percent more infectious than normal virus strains.

And the South African variant appears to be more effective at avoiding the body's natural response.

One pre-print study in December concluded that the two new variants show that Sars-CoV-2 'has the potential to escape an effective immune response'.

Researchers studied what happened to the virus when it was left in contact with plasma taken from a patient who had recovered from Covid-19.

Within three months, the virus had taken on several mutations, including E484K.

The authors suggested that 'vaccines and antibodies able to control emerging variants should be developed.'

Lead researcher Rino Rappuoli, an immunologist at pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, told AFP that the current spike protein mutations should not pose a problem for existing vaccines, however.

And even if the virus mutates to better evade immune response, vaccines should bestow at least some level of effective immunity.

'Even if you lower the efficacy, there would normally still be some neutralisation of the virus,' Vincent Enouf, from Paris's Pasteur Institute, told AFP.

To be on the safe side, Gupta advocated an accelerated vaccination programme, bestowing as much immunity as current vaccines can deliver 'as fast as possible all over the world.'
With schools and universities in the UK closed, the UCAS deadline has been extended from January 15 to January 29. So, applicants have a little more time to finish their applications, but it will also help the many teachers in Ireland who were contacted for last-minute references.

Potential applicants do not need to worry about how Brexit may affect their opportunities to study in the UK or Northern Ireland. Agreements are in place that will allow EU students, but especially Irish students in Northern Ireland, to continue to study in this region without difficulty.

The UCAS application process is more challenging and extensive than the CAO application. In addition, UCAS colleges begin reviewing applications as soon as they are received. Therefore, if you have not already submitted your UCAS application, there is limited time to do so. The deadline for application to Medicine, Veterinary, Dentistry, Oxford University and Cambridge University have already passed.

The form and process vary greatly from the CAO and involves a lot more work and preparation. All UCAS applications are made online through ucas.com. Students should first use this site to search for courses and institutions. Secondly, they should contact the institution to enquire about Irish Leaving Cert entry requirements, fees and any other requirements such as aptitude testing. They may find that many courses have lower entry requirements than in the CAO system . Students may apply for up to five courses in a normal UCAS application. Applicants are required to submit information on their education, including Junior Cert results and Leaving Cert subjects. The main difference from applying to the CAO is the emphasis placed on the personal statement, academic reference and predicted grades. Personal statements will benefit from redrafting and input from adults such as parents and teachers. A personal statement is an applicants chance to sell themselves to the college. While including work experience or extra-curricular activities relevant to the course is important, applicants must also give an idea of their academic interests and work style. If applying as an individual, applicants will be required to enter the email address of a referee. It is essential that the applicants ask the person they would like to be their referee before providing their email address. The referee can be any person who knows the student well, but they should be able to comment on their academic ability, work rate, style of learning and problem solving etc. Most applicants ask a teacher. This person will also be asked to enter predicted grades for Leaving Cert subjects the student is taking. The applicant should check with their school on how they might collate this information. Aoife Walsh, guidance counsellor at Malahide Community School, Co Dublin
The Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) has called on the Government to as a matter of urgency and on humanitarian grounds, increase the daily feeding allowance for the upkeep of prisoners across the country.



Even though we appreciate the effort of the government, we are still asking for more in order to cater for the basic needs of inmates. The current feeding grant of GH1.80 per inmate is woefully inadequate and we are pleading with the government to review the rate.



Superintendent Vincent Ziniel, Central Regional Public Relations Officer of the Service who made the appeal, said the increment would ensure adequate and nutritious meals for inmates at all times.



He was speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Cape Coast on Tuesday.



Notwithstanding, Supt. Ziniel appreciated the efforts by government to reform the Service to deliver its mandate of providing safe custody of prisoners and to ensure their welfare, reformation and rehabilitation.



Currently, the Central Region has more than 2000 male inmates in seven prisons at Kasoa (Awutu Prison), Osamkrom, Winneba and four clusters at Ankaful, namely the Maximum Prisons, Annex Main Camp and Communicable Disease Prisons.



Furthermore, Sup. Ziniel urged the government to resource the various prison infirmaries with the right quantities of pharmaceuticals, logistics and personnel to provide medical care for both inmates and officers of the Service.



Citing challenges at the Ankaful Maximum Prison to buttress his appeal, Sup. Ziniel said the facility lacked drugs to support its infirmary services, mattresses, logistics and infrastructure to deliver on its mandate.



"Currently, we have some drugs but they are not enough to cater for inmates here. Our mattresses, food, logistics and infrastructure are woefully inadequate to support our inmates services," he added.



In the absence of these essential items, Sup. Ziniel assured that the Deputy Director of Prisons, Dominic Nicholas Arthur, the Central Regional Commander and team were determined to go all out to ensure the health and welfare of inmates across the Region were improved.



"The Regional Commander has been buying drugs for inmates when the infirmary run out of stock. Other times, we take sick inmates to designated hospitals and look for money by ourselves to pay for their bills because we can't watch sick inmates die," he revealed.



We have also been getting support from religious organizations, corporate entities, individuals and families of inmates, he said, and pleaded with all to support the Service.



Sup. Ziniel reiterated the Command's commitment to ensure that the Service purged itself of all miscreant officers who connive and condone with criminals to dent the reputation of the Service.



He announced that the Service in the year 2020, succeeded in arresting more than 10 officers and some civilians.



Some of the officers were interdicted and some together with the civilians were processed for court for various offences, to serve as deterrent to others.

Source: GNA









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Featured Video
More restaurants in Pennsylvania have been ordered to close for not following the states COVID-19 enforcement orders.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture announced today 24 restaurants received closure notices for defying Gov. Tom Wolfs measures. The inspections took place Jan. 4-10.

In the one week period, the department conducted 729 inspections of which 171 visits were prompted by complaints about COVID-19 mitigation orders not being followed. An additional 130 of those visits were deemed followups for COVID-specific complaints.

Enforcement currently targets the states 50% indoor capacity, and mandated use of masks by employees to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

In recent weeks, the department had given closure notices to more than 100 restaurants for violating a temporary indoor dining ban. The ban was lifted on Jan. 4.

Devils Eye Brewing Co. in Dillsburg and Country Store Cafe in Newburg are among the latest round of restaurants ordered to close.

The department noted that two restaurants - Sharkys Cafe and Tin Lizzys, both in Westmoreland County - later requested new inspections and were permitted to reopen after being found to be in compliance.

READ MORE:

Other agencies in the state including the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement oversee COVID-19 enforcement. The agency recently cited dozens of licensed establishments in the state.

Restaurants that continue to defy the closing orders and operate in any manner, according to the Department of Agriculture will be referred to the Pennsylvania Department of Health for further legal action.

On Jan. 6, the Department of Health, filed injunctions in Commonwealth Court against 28 restaurants that continued to offer dine-in services during the states indoor dining ban.

Complaints, whether general food safety concerns or those related to COVID-19 mitigation efforts, can be filed online.

The following restaurants were ordered to close between Jan. 4-Jan. 10: The numbers do not reflect data from the 140 local health departments plus six counties whose health departments enforce the food code.

83 Travel Plaza at 5208 N. Susquehanna Trail in York County

Bella Italia Restaurant in Altoona, Blair County

Coffee Co. in New Holland, Lancaster County

Courtyard Cafe on Main in Denver, Lancaster County

Country Store Cafe in Newburg, Cumberland County

Damiens on the Lake in Harveys Lake, Luzerne County

Danas Diner in Lawrenceville, Tioga. County

Katies Kitchen in Ronks, Lancaster County

Devils Eye Brewing Co. in Dillsburg, York County

Franks Pizza in Reading, Berks County

Hometown Pizza & Grill in Sandy Lake, Mercer County

Interstate 83 Diner in York County

Lettermans Diner in Kutztown, Berks County

Mad Dogs Hot Dog in Macungie, Lehigh County

Mad Dogs Kutztown in Kutztown, Berks County

Mikes Place in Clearville, Bedford County

Rough Cut Tavern and Hotel in Burgettstown, Washington County

Route 220 Diner in Bedford, Bedford County

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The following were ordered to shutdown but requested new inspections and were permitted to reopen:
A Kill woman has raised over 2,000 for St Brigids Hospice on the Curragh in memory of her late mother, who sadly passed away last summer.

Sonya Carey organised a hamper raffle of donations from several generous local businesses to raise the cash in aid of the service which helped her beloved mother through her final days.

Christina Lally was diagnosed with lung cancer in August 2019, and unfortunately had a rare reaction to immunotherapy. Having lost all her mobility by last March, the Birr woman, aged just 55, went to live with Sonya, her husband Raymond and family in Kill last April. Sonya was six months pregnant at the time.

Sonya gave birth to our son, who we named Christopher in memory of Christina, on July 2. Sadly, Christina passed away exactly one week later, on July 9. We strongly believe that Christina held on to see the arrival of her new grandchild, said Raymond.

The Carey family paid tribute to the palliative care team from St Brigids Hospice, who visited every couple of days and made it possible for Christina to spend her final days with loved ones.

We received great support and care from St Brigids Hospice, particularly from Mary Boyce, our palliative care nurse, said Raymond.

In memory of her late mother, Sonya last October organised a hamper raffle to raise money for St Brigids in Christinas memory, and the draws were held virtually on Christmas Eve.

Donations flooded in from Xpert Naas, Marks & Spencer, Newbridge; Arnotts; Lidl; Iceland; SuperValu Newbridge, All Occasions by LA, to name but a few.

The family raised a grand total of 2,085 for the hospice, and wish to thank everyone involved in donating items or buying tickets for the raffle.


YouTube has temporarily blocked Donald Trump from uploading a video from his Texas speech on Tuesday where he said he was at 'zero risk' of 25th amendment removal and warned Democrats 'be careful what you wish for'.

It is the latest platform to silence Trump since last week's riot on the Capitol. Big tech and big business, along with countless politicians, say Trump is to blame for inciting the riot by whipping up a crowd beforehand.

He insists he did nothing to drive them to violence.

YouTube will not specify which of Trump's remarks broke their rules. They would only say that the offending statement incited violence.

Among his remarks at the event on Tuesday was that it was the 'impeachment hoax' that is causing 'tremendous anger'.

'The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration. As the expression goes: Be careful what you wish for.

'The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country, and it is causing tremendous anger and division and pain - far greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time,' he said.

Lawmakers will vote on Wednesday on invoking the 25th Amendment to impeach Trump.

The decision by YouTube fuels the ongoing war between Trump and his fans and big tech. He has been banned by Twitter, Facebook and Instagram already. His fans say he is being censored by left-leaning Silicon Valley.

Trump on Tuesday spoke in Alamo, Texas, where he said the 'impeachment hoax' was causing 'tremendous anger' and told Democrats: 'Be careful what you wish for'. He then uploaded a video of the speech to YouTube. That is what led to him being suspended

Donald Trump on Tuesday night had his YouTube channel blocked for seven days

Trump, pictured returning to the White House on Tuesday night, cannot access the page

YouTube says the temporary block, lasting seven days, was as a result of the 'first strike'.

If a channel receives a second strike within 90 days it will be suspended for two weeks; a third strike results in a permanent ban.

'After review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to Donald J. Trump's channel for violating our policies,' the company said.

'It now has its 1st strike & is temporarily prevented from uploading new content for a *minimum* of 7 days.'

In addition, comments were permanently disabled under his videos.

'Given the ongoing concerns about violence, we will also be indefinitely disabling comments on President Trump's channel, as we've done to other channels where there are safety concerns found in the comments section,' they said.

YouTube's action came after the president's accounts were shut down by Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitch and others citing the risk of inciting violence from his posts.

The moves were made following his incendiary rhetoric encouraging and supporting the insurrectionist mob that occupied the U.S. Capitol on January 6 in a deadly clash with police.

Last Wednesday, YouTube removed Trump's video post to rioters in which the president told them to 'go home' and said that 'We love you, you're very special.'

Eric Trump, the president's son, on Tuesday said that his father was a victim of 'cancel culture', but the social media giants insist their actions are necessary to prevent further bloodshed.

The mob overran the Capitol Police shortly after Trump urged them to 'fight' on his behalf

On Monday Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer, said they had no plans to lift Trump's ban from their platform. He will remain cut off until at least the inauguration, and likely beyond.

YouTube has been taking down content since Wednesday's violent unrest, which cost the lives of four rioters and a member of the Capitol Police.

ELON MUSK DEFENDS TRUMP AS DON JR ASKS HIM TO SET UP HIS OWN TWITTER Elon Musk fumed at big tech on Tuesday after Amazon removed Parler, the site favored by Trump fans, from the internet. Musk said Silicon Valley had become the 'de facto arbiter of free speech' and that it had no right to rule over political discourse as it has done for years. Before Wednesday's riot, Trump had already been flagged and censored by Facebook and Twitter multiple times. He has now been banned from the sites. As Musk spoke out in his defense, Don Jr. urged him to set up his own social media website to go against the left-leaning titans. 'Why doesnt Elon Musk create a social media platform? This guy put manned people into space. He did so privately. 'He took on big government and did it better, cheaper, faster than they ever could. This is the guy to do it. 'Someone like him has the brilliance to come up with something that blows Twitter away,' Don Jr. said. Advertisement

The YouTube account for Steve Bannon's War Room podcast was taken down Friday for violating the platform's Terms of Service.

A Friday evening search for the podcast brought up an error message reading: 'This page isn't available. Sorry about that. Try searching for something else.'

YouTube had warned earlier in the week that it would ban accounts that continued to spread misinformation about voter fraud.

Giuliani, Donald Trump's personal attorney and the man who spearheaded his failed legal battle to overturn the presidential election, appeared on the show earlier Friday where he defended Wednesday's rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol.

He pointed the blame for the attack, which sent lawmakers fleeing for their lives, on 'the fascists now running the Democrat Party'.

He also continued to push unfounded claims of voter fraud despite Trump's own administration saying the election was legally conducted and done fairly and Congress certifying the Electoral College votes in the early hours of Thursday.

'Most of them hadn't come there with implements to do it and also led on by people from, you know, groups that are experts at it. Believe me, Trump people were not scaling the wall. So there's nothing to it that he incited anything,' said Giuliani of the rioters, who senior Democrats have labeled 'domestic terrorists'.

Instead, Giuliani pointed the blame to the Democrats who he said 'imposed censorship' on Trump's supporters. He did not back up this claim with any reasoning.

'And also there's equal if not more responsibility on the fascists who now running the Democrat Party, who have imposed censorship on these people, who have been singling them out for unfair treatment since the IRS started going after conservative groups,' he said.

'The media may deny it, but those people know it. They know their freedom of religion is being taken away. They know their freedom of speech is virtually decimated.'

'And then they have phonies get up and say there's no fraud.

'It's like hearing someone saying they didn't rob your home and they did rob your home and they took all your belongings. So are they angry? Of course they're angry.'

Giuliani said that it was a 'credit' to anyone who was not violent and, despite the mob being supporters of the president, pushed the blame for their actions onto the opposition party.

'They're very, very angry. And I think in light of that, the mere fact that 99.9 percent of them did nothing but act appropriately is a credit to them,' he said.

'The responsibility here has to be put also on the left, who has conducted a reign of terror all this year.

'So a lot of responsibility comes from the people that are imposing the suppression. It's like the kind of thing that happens in a government where people are suppressed; they rise up.'

Giuliani even went as far as to suggest he was aware that Wednesday would turn violent saying he found it 'surprising' that there were 'so few people' storming the Capitol building.

'And given that, it was quite surprising to me that it was so few people, that the consequences were terrible,' he told Bannon.

Steve Bannon's podcast has been removed from YouTube just hours after Rudy Giuliani appeared on the show blaming the MAGA mob riot that left five dead on the Democrats for 'censoring and suppressing' Trump supporters

A Friday evening search for the podcast brought up an error message reading: 'This page isn't available. Sorry about that. Try searching for something else'

Giuliani, Donald Trump 's personal attorney and the man who spearheaded his failed legal battle to overturn the presidential election, had appeared on the show earlier Friday where he defended Wednesday's rioters who stormed the US Capitol

EVERYONE WHO HAS CANCELED TRUMP OVER MAGA RIOT Banks Deutsche Bank, Signature Bank and the Professional Bank of Florida - which gave Trump an $11million loan in 2018 to buy his sister's home in Palm Beach. The loan has a 4.5 percent interest rate and expires in 2048. He also has between $5million and $25million with them in a revocable trust. Deutsche Bank was the first to cut ties after years of controversial dealings. It was Deutsche Bank that continued giving Trump loans in the 1980s and 1990s as others cut him off. Signature Bank in New York followed suit. Citigroup has also paused all political donations until March. 'We want you to be assured that we will not support candidates who do not respect the rule of law,' Candi Wolff, the banks head of government affairs, wrote in an internal memo. Visa, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have all suspended donations through their PACS. Big tech Social media giants Facebook and Twitter have been censoring Trump throughout his presidency whenever they say he breaches their rules. In the past, they have merely flagged his tweets or posts as fake or accused him of spreading misinformation. After the riot last week, they blocked his accounts. Facebook says it stands by the decision not to let him use either his Facebook page or Instagram page indefinitely. Twitter - which Trump used to communicate with his followers - says it has permanently banned him. YouTube has also now suspended his account for a week. Parler, the website where many of his supporters openly discussed their plot to storm the Capitol, was scrubbed from Amazon Web Services which in essence, banished it from the internet. Parler sued Amazon for anti-trust violations. Amazon hit back, accusing the website of inciting violent behavior. Big business Businesses that have suspended political contributions in response to the riot include; AT&T

Amazon

Comcast

Blue Cross Blue Shield

Ford

Best Buy

Marriott International The New York State Bar Association is also investigating whether to strip Rudy Giuliani of his ability to practice the law after he appeared at the rally which preceded the riot last Wednesday. Golf The PGA has canceled plans to host its 2022 tournament at Trump's Bedminster New Jersey club. 'It's become clear that conducting the PGA championship at Trump Bedminster would be detrimental to the PGA of America brand,' PGA President Jim Richerson said. The Trump Organization raged against the move, calling it a 'disappointing decision'. 'This is a breach of a binding contract and they have no right to terminate the agreement,' the organization said in a statement. The British Open golf championship is no longer being held at Trump Turnberry in Scotland. Bryson DeChambeau also got rid of the Trump logo that was on his bag. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday that the city of New York would no longer do business with Trump or the Trump Organization. He is ending the city's 30-year-old contracts with the Trump Organization to manage the Wollman and Laserk skating rinks in Central Park, and the Central Park carousel. He is also ending the city's contract with the organization for Trump's golf course in the Bronx, Trump Links Ferry Point. Eric Trump retaliated, saying de Blasio has no right to end the contracts and that the city will owe them $30million if he does. Advertisement

'And there were no doubt that there were professionals and activists that were helping to make it worse.'

Giuliani's defense of the mob that desecrated the US Capitol and his denial of Trump's role in egging it on comes as the Washington DC Attorney General suggested the former New York City mayor could also be investigated for inciting Wednesday's violence.

Less than two hours before hundreds of Trump supporters stormed the capitol Wednesday, Giuliani took to the stage at Trump's rally and urged demonstrators to pursue a 'trial by combat'.

DC AG Karl Racine told Good Morning America his office was investigating who was behind Wednesday's attack - both the perpetrators on the ground and those who encouraged them.

'The real question is how far up does it go? Clearly the Capitol was ground central in all of this mob's behavior,' he said.

'Donald Trump Jr, Giuliani, even the president of the United States were calling on their supporters and hate groups to go to the Capitol and in the words of Rudy Giuliani 'exercise combat justice'.

'We're going to investigate not only the mobsters but also those who invited the violence,' he said.

On Friday night, Twitter announced it had permanently banned Trump's account due to the risk of 'further incitement to violence'.

'After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them  specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter  we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence,' the company wrote.

Earlier on Friday, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and attorney Sidney Powell - two Trump loyalists - were also permanently banned by Twitter.

Discord also announced Friday that it had banned the server The Donald which was connected the TheDonald dot Win and the Donald subreddit.

Facebook and Instagram had already banned the president's account 'at least' until his term is over on January 20, if not indefinitely.
Sir Frederick Barclay has paid tribute to his brother Sir David, who has died after a short illness aged 86.

He said everything they had done had been a 'great journey' and they had been 'twins from the beginning until the end'.

The Barclays built a business empire, making them two of Britain's richest men with an estimated shared wealth of around 7billion.

The Daily Telegraph, which they co-owned, reported last night Sir David passed away on Sunday.

The brothers were knighted in 2000 in the first 'double knighting' ceremony in recent history.

Together with his identical twin Sir Frederick Barclay (right), Sir David (left) launched a business empire making him one of Britain's richest men with an estimated shared wealth of around 7billion

The Queen with David Barclay (centre) and Frederick Barclay (right) at the opening of the new headquarters of The Scotsman Publications Ltd in Edinburgh

The Barclays bought a joint home on the rocky outcrop of Brecqhou, off the Channel island of Sark. They had bought the island for 2.3million in 1993, building a fortress like neo-Gothic mansion, symbolising their preference for privacy

Sir Frederick said in a statement: 'It was a great journey in everything that we did, the good, the bad, the ugly... we experienced it from being bombed out of our beds in Coventry to the deals that we made and the ones that got away.

'We were twins from the beginning until the end. He was the right hand to my left and I was his left hand to his right. We'll meet again.'

Boris Johnson paid tribute to the Daily Telegraph joint-owner, who with his brother made Mr Johnson their star 250,000-a-year columnist until he became PM.

The PM, who previously worked as a columnist for the paper, tweeted: 'Farewell with respect and admiration to Sir David Barclay who rescued a great newspaper, created many thousands of jobs across the UK and who believed passionately in the independence of this country and what it could achieve.'

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has paid tribute to the Daily Telegraph's joint owner Sir David Barclay, who has died aged 86 after a short illness

Sir David's first wife was Zoe Newton, the 'Drink more milk' model, pictured with their son Aidan

The twins, commonly known as 'The Barclay Brothers', launched their business investing in hotels before expanding into shipping, retail and the media.

Born into a poor west London family, the brothers left school at 14, with Sir David working as a painter and decorator, running a newsagents and an estate agents.

It was only when they started redeveloping old boarding houses as small hotels they began making huge sums, building a huge hospitality business that included the Ritz until last year.

How the Barclay brothers started out in a corner shop before building billion pound media empire Along with his identical twin Sir Frederick, Sir David built a vast business empire which began with hotels and expanded to include shipping, retailing, and, since 2004, ownership of the Telegraph Media Group. The twins' had a tough childhood as they were evacuated several times during The Second World War, witnessing first hand the bombing of Coventry. Aged 14, the brothers left school leading David to often claim he had been educated in the 'University of Life.' He first worked in accounts at the General Electric Company, before taking on jobs as a decorator and running a corner shop. By 1961 the twins had launched an estate agents in Notting Hill, where they began buying and trading properties. Soon they started redeveloping dilapidated boarding houses as small hotels. The Telegraph said the Barclay brothers had 'operated as one' throughout their business career, while steadfastly avoiding personal publicity and media scrutiny. They had turned to media ownership in 1992 by buying the weekly newspaper The European, which closed in 1998, while they had also owned The Scotsman from 1995-2005. After first expressing interest in The Daily Telegraph to its Canadian owner Conrad Black in May, 2003, and while a private deal was overruled by a US court in November of that year, the Barclays eventually acquired the paper at auction seven months later for 665 million. The paper quoted a colleague of the brothers as saying Sir David was distinct from Sir Frederick in that he was 'more attuned to taking a risk, and Frederick was generally willing to have a look but would never bet the farm'. Advertisement

In July 2004, the Barclays bought The Telegraph Media Group from British businessman Conrad Black. Its stable of titles included The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, and The Spectator.

The brothers had previously bought out other media outlets, first in 1992 when they acquired The European, a weekly newspaper which closed in 1998, followed by The Scotsman, which they purchased in 1995 before selling it a decade later.

They quickly emerged as major players in the media industry and brought former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil into their fold to help guide their interests.

In 1997 they acquired The Sunday Business in 1997, relaunching it as a competitor to the weekend Financial Times.

But the brothers had long harboured interest in buying The Telegraph and in May 2003 approached its beleaguered owner Lord Black, who was battling shareholders.

Sir David faxed him from Monte Carlo simply saying: 'I wish to register our interest should you contemplate any serious change in your UK interests'. Lord Black replied: 'Conditions are quite manageable. No assets are for sale.'

But hushed negotiations for The Barclays' takeover began months later as Lord Black's predicament worsened.

After early legal complications blocked an initial agreement, the twins finally bought The Telegraph Media Group at auction in 2004, with a winning bid of 665million.

In recent years, the brothers increasingly delegated leadership of the media group and wider empire to Sir David's sons Aidan and Howard.

Sir David in particular has been admired as an astute reader of political rhythms and was described by a friend as 'able to read the economic tea-leaves like few people of his generation'.

But he resisted applying an pressure on his editors, who, although aware of the twins' support for Margaret Thatcher's small-state policies, were given free reign over the content of the paper.

Born David Rowat Barclay, he is 10 minutes older than his twin Frederick Hugh Barclay.

They were born into a large family in Hammersmith on October 27 1934.

Their first major hotel purchase was Hyde Park North and Hyde Park West. They acquired more than 15 hotels within a decade and in 1995 bought the Ritz for 75 million making a suite available to Margaret Thatcher for the last weeks of her life.

Last year the twins sold the Ritz to a brother-in-law of the ruler of Qatar. It led to an infamous row between the brothers over the hotel's sale process and price, which ended in court proceedings.

In happier times, the Barclays bought a joint home on the rocky outcrop of Brecqhou, off the Channel island of Sark.

They had bought the island for 2.3million in 1993, building a fortress like neo-Gothic mansion, symbolising their preference for privacy.

Pope Benedict XVI made Sir David a papal knight. Later in life he became closer to the Catholic Church after first experimenting with several denominations, from Pentecostalism to Anglicanism.

He married much-photographed model Zoe Newton in 1955, when he was 20 and she was 19. They had three sons, Aidan, Howard and Duncan.

They divorced in the 1980s before he first remarried Reyna Oropeza, in 1989, with whom he had another son, Alistair. He had nine grandchildren.

The Barclay brothers' businesses are now run by Aidan and Howard Barclay (pictured)
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Chinese Christians, missionaries falsely blamed for COVID resurgence

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In Chinas Hebei province, local Christians and foreign missionaries are being blamed for a resurgence of COVID-19 infections that resulted in a strict lockdown enacted on Jan. 6.

Asia News reported on a conversation between a local priest and a member of his parish, showing that there has been a post circulating on social media singling Christians out as the source of the new coronavirus epidemic.

The post reads: the village of Xiao Guozhuang, near Gaocheng is a Catholic village; 20 days ago, there was religious activity here, there were several priests from Europe and the United States [], implying that the Christians caused the newest outbreak in Hebei.

Despite the rumor, the local priest of Shijiazhuang, who goes by the pseudonym Shanren Shenfu, told Asia News that the accused villages have no Christians and the church body's religious activities have been banned since Christmas Eve.

Religious activities were suspended mid-December following orders from the Patriotic Association and the Administrative Commission [of the National Catholic Church in China].

The village of Xiao Guozhuang, Liu Jiazuo, Nan Qiaozhai are not Catholic villages, there are only a few Catholic residents, he said. These villages do not have a Catholic place of prayer; they do not organize Catholic religious meetings. To participate in the usual religious activities, all the faithful go to the adjacent village of Bei Qiaozhai, etc

Priest Shanren Shenfu said the blame-shifting reminded him of emperor Nero, who was looking for a scapegoat for his own misdeeds and persecuted Christians as a result.

Confused people, in truth, don't care what the truth is! he wrote.

Fortunately the Church of Shijiazhuang this time reacted in time, immediately issuing a statement to break through the lies and block the negative consequences."

"But I still want to ask the question again: where does this evil wind blow from? the priest asked.

Shijiazhuang is the largest metropolis in northern Chinas Hebei Province with 11 million residents. Last week, authorities barred all residents from leaving the city after it reported 63 coronavirus infections.

There were 103 new COVID-19 cases reported in mainland China Sunday, 82 of which were in Hebei.



China has been heavily criticized for its response to the coronavirus pandemic, from demonstrating a lack of transparency regarding positive infections to imposing overly harsh lockdowns.

Chinese officials have also been accused of trying to cover up the origins of COVID-19 and silencing whistleblowers. In December, Chinese Christian journalist Zhang Zhan was sentenced to four years in prison for her coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Additionally, the Chinese Communist Party has repeatedly perpetuated claims the virus was imported into China from overseas.

But amid the latest spike in cases, Chinese authorities are finally allowing an expert team of World Health Organization scientists into the country to investigate the origins of the virus, Reuters reports.

The expert team "will conduct joint research cooperation on the origins of COVID-19 with Chinese scientists," the Chinese health authority said.
Industrial lawyers say workers could be sacked if they refuse a request from their employer to return to the office once their workplace is deemed safe and the Victorian government relaxes restrictions on attendance.

A scheduled return of up to 50 per cent of private sector staff and 25 per cent of public sector employees this week was delayed after the emergence of the Black Rock coronavirus cluster.

CBD workers Naomi Lions and Teri Tran returned to their office on Tuesday, but would like to continue working from home part-time. Credit:Joe Armao

The government is expected to confirm its updated recommendations on Thursday for an increased cap on workers in office buildings, to commence as soon as Monday.

However, a survey for the Fair Work Commission found that since most Australian workers were sent home to prevent the spread of coronavirus, only 5 per cent want to return to the office full-time.
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A New York state senator was arrested in the Bronx on Tuesday on a charge that he choked his estranged wife during a fight over the weekend, the police said.

The senator, Luis R. Sepulveda, 56, turned himself in to police at about 11 a.m. at the 48th Precinct station in Claremont to face a charge of criminal obstruction of breathing, a misdemeanor, the police said.

His wife called 911 on Saturday around 6 a.m. after an argument with her husband escalated to a physical fight inside their Daly Avenue apartment in West Farms, the police said.

When officers arrived, the husband and wife both claimed the other had assaulted them. Mr. Sepulveda said his wife had punched him in the face, and she told the police that he had put his hands around her neck and choked her, the police said.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A Chinese province of more than 37 million declared an "emergency state" on Wednesday to snuff out a handful of COVID-19 cases, as the country moved decisively to contain infections.

China had largely brought the coronavirus under control since its emergence in Wuhan late in 2019.

But recent weeks have seen smatterings of cases, prompting localised lockdowns, immediate travel restrictions and widespread testing of tens of millions of people.

More than 20 million are now under some form of lockdown in the country's northern regions.

On Wednesday, the government of northeastern Heilongjiangwith a population of 37.5 million peopledeclared an "emergency state", telling residents not to leave the province unless absolutely necessary, and to cancel conferences and gatherings.

That was in response to finding 28 COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, including 12 that were asymptomatic.

Three infections were found in the provincial capital Harbin, which is hosting a famous ice sculpture festival that is usually a big draw for tourists.

The festival, featuring glittering ice palaces and fantastical scenes, has drawn millions over the years to one of China's coldest cities, where temperatures are set to dip to minus 30 degrees Celsius over the next few days (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit).

Suihua city, a short car journey north and home to more than 5.2 million people, was sealed off on Monday after reporting one confirmed case and 45 asymptomatic cases.

Several other small cities near Suihua were also sealed off or placed under travel restrictions, authorities said Wednesday.

While numbers remain small compared with many other countries, China is trying to squash infections ahead of next month's Lunar New Year festival, when hundreds of millions of people are expected to be on the move across the country.

There are fears those highly anticipated annual journeys will be curtailed if clusters continue.

China's National Health Commission reported 115 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, with 90 more cases in a cluster in Hebei province, which surrounds the capital Beijing.

But Feng Zijian, a senior official at the Chinese Center for Disease Control, said the country was unlikely to experience "large-scale spread" of the disease.

"After fighting against COVID-19 for more than a year, we have a better understanding of the virus," Feng said at a press conference.

Authorities last week launched a mass testing drive and closed transport links, schools and shops in the Hebei city of Shijiazhuangepicentre of the latest outbreak.

Thousands of residents from one village on the outskirts of the city are being sent to a quarantine facility, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

Villagers in masks and surgical gowns worn over their winter clothes boarded buses to the facility, while officials in hazmat suits took down their details.

Neighbouring Xingtai, home to seven million people, has also been locked down since last Friday.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
Remember the ladies. They have stood alongside this president, amplifying his lies and coddling his ego. They have tried to overturn a fair election. They have spread lies. They have preened with immoral ambition in front of TV cameras and on social media. They've puffed out their chests and expressed righteous indignation over the accolades that didn't come their way.

And they, too, came gunning for democracy - crawling over shattered glass and demolished woodwork in the U.S. Capitol while a co-ed chorus chanted "Hang Mike Pence!" and "Stop the steal!"

The mob was dominated by men, but the ladies were all over this mayhem, from the start to the present, from Congress to the White House and out in the hinterland. And the first lady, the most prominent of all, has been doing as she has always done. She has proved herself to be one with the president's worst nature and his darkest impulses.

On the day of this national tragedy, she was absent when the country needed her most. She never called for peace. She did not simply say that the election was fairly decided. She was silent while smoke was in the air. She was silent for days as the depths of the horror mounted.

And in the aftermath, when Melania Trump finally uttered a peep, she made the unloading of her personal grievances about a former friend and aide a priority.

"I find it shameful that surrounding these tragic events there has been salacious gossip, unwarranted personal attacks, and false misleading accusations on me - from people who are looking to be relevant and have an agenda. This time is solely about healing our country and its citizens. It should not be used for personal gain," she said in a statement that was, in large part, for her personal gain.

The most memorable image of Melania Trump in these past few months is not one of her cast in the warm light of a visit to Children's National Hospital during the holiday season or delivering donations to Toys for Tots. It was the sight of her standing alongside her husband on election night in November, when the lies about who won and who lost began to take this dark and deadly turn.

She walked into the party at the White House wearing her signature stilettos along with a black suit and white blouse. It was her business look. And she was engaged in the business of claiming four more years in the White House, no matter the cost.

She didn't say anything that night, but she didn't have to. She had campaigned for her husband. She'd heard his petty insults, his request to the radical Proud Boys to "stand by," his tepid ability to rebuke white nationalists and his attacks on racial justice demonstrations. And every time she promised a crowd that her husband was working for them to make America great, it was clear the kind of America he envisioned.

Democracy is ablaze. Melania Trump helped set the kindling and threw her own matches onto the pile. All the while, supporters were calling her beautiful and classy and delighting in the fact that she was once a model. Because she embodied their ideal of a woman, they declared her good and kind.

In the meantime, critics of the president just couldn't stop themselves from indulging in Internet memes and GIFs - from a hand swat to a scowl - that suggested she was somehow an unwilling participant in his disregard for truth and facts or someone who was holding her nose while doing the dirty work that kept a fancy roof over her head.

Both sides were influenced by the packaging, reluctant to believe that the former model and the pudgy politician could have the same moral compass.

Women have been out there rioting and terrorizing; and they were using stilettos, false eyelashes, a professional blowout and their fair skin as camouflage. The right kind of pretty can sometimes be as protective as a flak jacket.

Amid the siege, the president's daughter Ivanka Trump called the rioters "American patriots" on social media as she asked them to desist, until it became impossible to deny the pall it might cast on her brand. She deleted her tweet. But still, lawmakers, hiding from harm in their secret location, were telephoning the president's fair-haired daughter with the breathy voice to persuade her father to quell the violence when she had been coaxing it along.

One of the lead rabble-rousers onstage during the president's pre-riot rally on the Ellipse was Kimberly Guilfoyle. After yelling a good morning to the crowd, the former Fox News host and current girlfriend of the president's eldest son continued to preach the lie of a fraudulent election.

"Here's the best news: Look at all of you out here, God-loving, freedom-loving patriots that will not let them steal this election," she shouted. "We will continue to hold the line across this incredible country because we finally have a president in the White House that knows what it means to put America first."

Guilfoyle stood there on that cold, sad day with the glittery-green glint of her sleeves shining brightly just below the hem of her black cape, exhorting the crowd to defend an election that had long been lost. She paced onstage, and the louder she yelled the raspier her voice became in her grand performance of outrage. She paused just behind a lectern adorned with a placard printed with "Save America." And indeed, in a few hours the country would need rescuing from the fires that Guilfoyle was helping to stoke.

Lara Trump was onstage, too, serving up grievance and then asking the crowd to sing "Happy Birthday" to her husband Eric, as if they were all just one jubilant gathering of liars and conspiracy theorists, anti-maskers and election deniers.

"This fight has only just begun," she said. "We're in this fight until the bitter end. We're going to take our country back." But all one really wanted to do was remind all of those folks they've already gotten hold of a good chunk of the country. Is this really what they wanted to do with it?

After the raid on the Capitol, lawmakers returned to the business of the day, which was to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The hapless attempt to interfere with this formality was what had lured the angry masses to Washington, and while some Republicans who had planned to protest the certification were chastened after the attack on democracy, others were unmoved.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., one of the president's most devoted defenders, argued vociferously against letting the will of the voters stand, even after she and her colleagues had been forced to hide from fellow Americans stirred up, in part, by the very outlandish doubt she was intent on memorializing for history.

The storming of the U.S. Capitol was dominated by men. And in all those videos and photographs from the scene of the crime, it is mostly men who are wielding weapons and shimmying up walls and hauling out pieces of furniture.

But the women are there in all the ways that matter. We've just been stubbornly refusing to see them.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has handed down more than 15 years jail term each to two close aides of Mumbai terror attack mastermind and banned Jamat-ud Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, including the outfit's media face Yahya Mujahid, in a terror-financing case.

The anti-terrorism court in Lahore on Tuesday also sentenced Saeeds brother-in-law Abdul Rehman Makki to six-month in jail.

"Judge Arshad Hussain Bhutta awarded 15-and-half-year imprisonment each to Yahya Mujahid and Zafar Iqbal, and six-month term to Prof Abdul Rehman Makki in a case registered by the Counter-Terrorism Department of Punjab Police, a court official told PTI on Wednesday.

Earlier, the court had handed down a 47-year jail term to Mujahid in three terror financing cases.

Similarly, Iqbal was sentenced 26 years imprisonment in three such cases.

Both Mujahid and Iqbal will be kept in jail for about 15 years as their sentences will run concurrently.

The official said the three convicts were present in the court when the judge announced the verdict. Strict security measures were taken during the appearance of the JuD leaders in the court.

Last week, Mumbai attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operation commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi was sentenced to 5 years in jail in a terror-financing case, amidst mounting international pressure on Islamabad to bring to justice terrorists roaming free in the country.

Lakhvi was sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment each on three counts with a fine of PKR 100,000 (approximately USD 620) each on three counts. His punishment will run concurrently.

The CTD had registered as many as 41 FIRs against the leaders, including Hafiz Saeed, in different cities.

The anti-terrorism court has sentenced Saeed for a collective imprisonment of 36 years on terror finance charges in five cases so far.

The 70-year-old radical clerics punishment will run concurrently in these cases. There are reports that he is given "VIP protocol" in the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore.

Saeed, a UN-designated terrorist on whom the US has placed a USD 10 million bounty, was arrested on July 17 last year in the terror financing cases.

Saeed-led JuD is the front organisation for the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) which is responsible for carrying out the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, including six Americans.

The US Department of the Treasury has designated Saeed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. He was listed under the UN Security Council Resolution 1267 in December 2008.

The global terror financing watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is instrumental in pushing Pakistan to take measures against terrorists roaming freely in Pakistan and using its territory to carry out attacks in India.

The FATF had placed Pakistan on the grey list in June 2018 and asked Islamabad to implement a plan of action to curb money laundering and terror financing by the end of 2019 but the deadline was extended later on due to COVID-19 pandemic.

With Pakistan's continuation in the 'grey list', the country may find it difficult to get financial aid from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, thus further enhancing problems for the cash-strapped nation.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)
MONACO, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scorpio Tankers Inc. (NYSE:STNG) (Scorpio Tankers, or the Company) announced today that it has received a commitment to sell and leaseback three MR product tankers (STI Memphis, STI Soho, and STI Osceola) and one LR2 product tanker (STI Lombard) to AVIC International Leasing Co., Ltd. Upon completion, the Companys liquidity is expected to increase by about $32 million in aggregate after the repayment of outstanding debt. The terms and conditions of these arrangements are similar to those set forth in the Companys existing lease financing arrangements. These new lease financing arrangements are subject to certain conditions precedent and the execution of definitive documentation.

In addition to the above, the Company received a commitment from a European financial institution for a $21.0 million term loan facility to refinance the outstanding debt on an LR2 product tanker, STI Madison. Upon completion, the Companys liquidity is expected to increase by about $5 million after the repayment of outstanding debt. This loan facility is expected to mature in December 2022. The remaining terms and conditions of this loan facility, including financial covenants, are similar to those set forth in the Companys existing credit facilities. The loan facility is subject to certain conditions precedent and the execution of definitive documentation.

The above financing arrangements are part of the Companys new financing discussions that were announced on November 5, 2020.

About Scorpio Tankers Inc.

Scorpio Tankers is a provider of marine transportation of petroleum products worldwide. The Companys fleet consists of 135 owned, finance leased or bareboat chartered-in product tankers (42 LR2 tankers, 12 LR1 tankers, 63 MR tankers and 18 Handymax tankers) with an average age of 5.2 years. Additional information about the Company is available at the Companys website www.scorpiotankers.com, which is not a part of this press release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Matters discussed in this press release may constitute forwardlooking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides safe harbor protections for forwardlooking statements in order to encourage companies to provide prospective information about their business. Forwardlooking statements include statements concerning plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events or performance, and underlying assumptions and other statements, which are other than statements of historical facts. The Company desires to take advantage of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is including this cautionary statement in connection with this safe harbor legislation. The words believe, expect, anticipate, estimate, intend, plan, target, project, likely, may, will, would, could and similar expressions identify forwardlooking statements.

The forwardlooking statements in this press release are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, including without limitation, managements examination of historical operating trends, data contained in the Companys records and other data available from third parties. Although management believes that these assumptions were reasonable when made, because these assumptions are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies which are difficult or impossible to predict and are beyond the Companys control, there can be no assurance that the Company will achieve or accomplish these expectations, beliefs or projections. The Company undertakes no obligation, and specifically declines any obligation, except as required by law, to publicly update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

In addition to these important factors, other important factors that, in the Companys view, could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forwardlooking statements include unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, length and severity of the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, including its effect on demand for petroleum products and the transportation thereof, expansion and growth of the Companys operations, risks relating to the integration of assets or operations of entities that it has or may in the future acquire and the possibility that the anticipated synergies and other benefits of such acquisitions may not be realized within expected timeframes or at all, the failure of counterparties to fully perform their contracts with the Company, the strength of world economies and currencies, general market conditions, including fluctuations in charter rates and vessel values, changes in demand for tanker vessel capacity, changes in the Companys operating expenses, including bunker prices, drydocking and insurance costs, the market for the Companys vessels, availability of financing and refinancing, charter counterparty performance, ability to obtain financing and comply with covenants in such financing arrangements, changes in governmental rules and regulations or actions taken by regulatory authorities, potential liability from pending or future litigation, general domestic and international political conditions, potential disruption of shipping routes due to accidents or political events, vessels breakdowns and instances of offhires, and other factors. Please see the Companys filings with the SEC for a more complete discussion of certain of these and other risks and uncertainties.

Contact Information

Scorpio Tankers Inc.

(212) 542-1616
She got her start playing a teen mom opposite Julia Stiles in this 2001 dance film.

And Kerry Washington marked the 20th anniversary of Save The Last Dance on Tuesday, with a behind-the-scenes photo and eye-opening message about playing the role of Chenille.

The Scandal star, 43, posted a set photo from the movie to her Instagram, featuring herself with Stiles, male lead Sean Patrick Thomas and Garland Whitt.

Looking back: Kerry Washington marked the 20th anniversary of Save The Last Dance on Tuesday, with a behind the scenes photo and eye-opening message about playing Chenille

'OH EM GEE!!!!! Save the Last Dance turns 20 years old today!' Washington wrote, adding a string of scream face emojis.

'Playing Chenille changed my life. I read that script and I felt like I KNEW her,' the actress continued.

'At the time, I also knew the narrative that was being served in culture about who Black teen moms are. And I knew that if done right, this was an opportunity to transform some stereotyped thinking and make this young woman REAL. And human. And deserving of love and attention,' Kerry added.

'Playing Chenille changed my life. I read that script and I felt like I KNEW her,' the actress reminisced; seen here in February 2020

In conclusion, she wrote, 'I loooooved being a part of this film This cast. This crew. So many "slammin" memories!'

Save the Last Dance is centered around a white midwestern girl named Sara (Stiles), who moves to Chicago to live with her dad after a family tragedy and meets Derek (Thomas) at school.

Lost in a world not her own, Sara befriends Derek's sister Chenille (Washington), and as she pursues her dream of going to Juilliard as a ballet dancer, she finds herself falling for Derek.

Busting moves: Save the Last Dance is centered around a white midwestern girl named Sara (Stiles), who moves to Chicago to live with her dad after a family tragedy and meets Derek (Thomas) at school

Thomas, 50, also posted in the film's honor on the occasion of its anniversary, sharing two black and white photos and an effusive caption of his own.

'Save The Last Dance premiered 20 years ago and we shocked the world, including myself,' he wrote. 'Never imagined the film would be as beloved as it is.'

'Thank you @missjuliastiles for being an incredible partner...to @fatima_noir & @rtbrothas & @punchcity1 for pushing me..to my castmates @kerrywashington, @fredro_starr, #VinceGreen, what fun...my man #JeffRoda,' Sean added. 'Very proud today. We did good...#SaveTheLastDance.'

China has lashed out at Australia for blocking a $300million deal that would have seen a Beijing-backed firm with links to the Chinese military in control of a major construction company.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg shot down the offer made by state-owned China State Construction Engineering Corporation to acquire Australian-based company Probuild over national security concerns.

It's the latest escalation in a diplomatic spat between the two countries which have been at loggerheads since Australia called for an independent inquiry into the role of Chinese officials back in April, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which began in Wuhan in November 2019.

Since that time the authoritarian state has brought in a litany of tariffs and unofficial bans on billions of dollars worth of Australian exports including barely, wine, beef, seafood, copper, coal, cotton and timbre.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg (pictured right) blocked a $300million deal that would have seen a Beijing-backed firm with links to the Chinese military in control of a major construction company (Chinese President Xi Jinping pictured left)

Probuild built major national infrastructure including Victoria's police headquarters' design and vaccine laboratories

On Tuesday, Mr Frydenberg said the government does not comment on the application of the foreign investment screening arrangements.

But Probuild's South African owners Wilson Bayly Holmes said in a statement the Australian government made the decision based on national security grounds.

In response, the Chinese Embassy accused Australia of 'weaponising' national security.

'If the reports proved true, this is the latest case that Chinese investment is discriminately targeted,' a spokesman said.

'We are deeply concerned about the relevant reports on Probuild.

'Weaponising the concept of national security to block Chinese investment is detrimental to mutual trust as well as bilateral economic and trade relations.

'We urge the Australian government to provide a fair, open and non-discriminatory environment for all foreign investors including Chinese enterprises as promised.'

Relations between Australia and China have soured since Prime Minister Scott Morrison last year called for an independent investigation into the origins of Covid-19. Pictured: Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, Premier Li Keqiang, second from left, and other top leaders attend a New Year gathering on December 31, 2020

The comments come as Beijing continues to threaten billions of dollars in Australian exports as retaliation for Canberra speaking out on China's human rights abuses in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

Probuild executive chairman Simon Gray slammed the Australian government's decision as a 'joke'.

He said the decision was political and that no reason was given as to why the deal poses a national security risk.

Construction firms are a major focus of the Foreign Investment Review Board as intimate access to blueprints can reveal major weaknesses for those who occupy the building.

Probuild constructed the Victoria Police headquarters and are currently in the process of knocking up CSL's Melbourne centre where the biomedical giant will produce Covid-19 vaccines.

The Victoria Police headquarters in Melbourne (pictured) was constructed by Probuild

Probuild are currently in the process of knocking up CSL's Melbourne base (pictured) where the biomedical giant will produce Covid-19 vaccines

With the lingering threat of bugging and surveillance by the Chinese Communist Party, it is speculated that no state-owned enterprises will be granted acquisitions any time soon.

The Australian government has rejected several other Chinese takeovers in the past six months, beyond traditional critical infrastructure sectors, including in the construction and technology industries, the Australian Financial Review reported.

Mr Frydenberg last year rejected China Mengniu Dairy Co's proposed $600million bid for Lion Dairy & Drinks and the CK Group's $13billiion bid for Australia's east coast gas pipeline owner APA Group in 2018.

Australia also sensationally blacklisted China's Huawei in 2018 from participating in the construction of the country's national 5G network.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian who recently made headlines for posting a doctored image of an Australian soldier cutting the throat of an Afghan child accused Australia of 'politicising' trade.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian who recently posted this image to Twitter to accused Australia of 'politicising' trade.

'The Australian government has been politicising trade and investment issues, violating market principles and the spirit of the China-Australia free trade agreement, and imposing discriminatory measures on Chinese companies,' he said.

'We hope Australia will adhere to the principle of open market and fair competition and provide a fair, open and non-discriminatory business environment for foreign companies including Chinese ones.'

Australian Strategic Policy Institute executive director Peter Jennings told The Australian that rejecting CSCEC's takeover bid was the right call given almost all state-owned companies in China have links to the military.

'We are going to see more and more of these types of refusals,' he said.
One week before Inauguration Day, there are growing threats of further far-right fascistic violence, even as the military-intelligence agencies and Republican Party are withholding critical information from the public regarding the January 6 coup attempt.

There is an extreme level of instability and conflict within the state apparatus itself. Yesterday afternoon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff issued a military-wide memo stating that the position of the military was that Biden had been elected. This remarkable memo, which is without precedent in American history, indicates that the military brass is unsure it will be able to control its own forces.

The memo states that members of the military must support and defend the Constitution. Any act to disrupt the Constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values and oath; it is against the law. Last year, a military survey found that one third of military members had personally witnessed fascist activity within the armed forces.

Members of the National Guard stand inside anti-scaling fencing that surrounds the Capitol, Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alan Fram)

Politico reported that Colorado Democratic Congressman Jason Crow spoke to Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy over the weekend about the loyalty of the 20,000 National Guard soldiers being deployed to Washington DC for the inauguration to ensure that deployed members are not sympathetic to domestic terrorists. The prospect of pro-Trump demonstrations in various state capitols, however, means it may not be possible to vet all units deployed across the country.

The threat against elected officials is also growing. Congressional Democrats revealed that intelligence officials briefed them Monday night about a right-wing plot to carry out mass violence if Vice President Pence and the cabinet invoke the 25th Amendment, as well as to disrupt the inauguration on January 20.

Democratic Congressman Conor Lamb told CNN:

They were talking about 4,000 armed "patriots" to surround the Capitol and prevent any Democrat from going in. They have published rules of engagement, meaning when you shoot and when you don't. So this is an organized group that has a plan.

According to a Huffington Post report, security officials also told call attendees that there was a need to put every member of Congress through a metal detector before the inauguration. One congressperson told the Huffington Post that this triggered an eyes wide-open realization that security officials felt all these members who were in league with the insurrectionists who love to carry their guns posed a threat against the lives of Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and congressional Democrats.

Despite these threats, the FBI and Justice Department gave a defensive press conference yesterday afternoon in which officials downplayed prior awareness of January 6, saying this was the product of public misperceptions. Leading FBI and Justice Department officials snubbed the press conference, leaving it to lower-ranking subordinates. FBI Director Christopher Wray has not appeared in public since last Wednesdays riot.

A Washington Post article yesterday revealed that the FBI was well aware in advance of the extraordinary danger posed by fascist plans to rally at the Capitol but refused to act. The article, titled, FBI report warned of war at the Capitol, contradicting claims there was no indication of looming violence, quotes a report from the agencys Norfolk, Virginia office warning of specific calls for violence.

NBC News also reported yesterday that 50 armed personnel from the Department of Homeland Security were loitering 13 blocks away from the Capitol as the far-right mob overran the chambers, but they failed to deploy. Acting Director of the Department of Homeland Security Chad Wolf resigned Monday without warning, leaving the relatively unknown FEMA administrator Pete Gaynor in charge of the department.

Yesterday, Donald Trump delivered what can only be construed as threats of violence against his political opponents. Speaking to reporters from the White House before leaving for a rally in Texas, Trump called his speech on Wednesday instigating the coup attempt totally appropriate and warned that Wednesdays planned impeachment vote was causing tremendous danger to our country and tremendous anger. Like a mobster addressing his victim, he added, I want no violence.

In Texas, Trump spoke several yards from the militarized US-Mexico border wall on a platform draped with combat camouflage netting. He said the 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration. Be careful what you wish for.

At the same time, Trump, with an eye to his position if he is not in office after Inauguration Day, echoed calls from other Republicans for healing. He denounced moves in Congress to impeach him, saying, Now is the time for our nation to heal.

The call for healing and peace and calm parallels statements by Democratic Party officials, led by Biden. Biden has asked Congress to deprioritize any impeachment hearingsand by implication any investigation into the events of January 6so his administration can fill national security cabinet positions and right the ship of American imperialist foreign policy.

The New York Times reported yesterday that the transition team hopes to persuade Senate Republicans to help him quickly confirm his top national security nominees with the goal of having them confirmed on Inauguration Day, next Wednesday.

Citing an interview yesterday with incoming Biden press secretary Jen Psaki, the Washington Post reported that Biden and his advisers have held firm to his belief that the countrys partisan nerves will eventually calm. Those around him say he remains unconcerned that a majority of House Republicans tried to overturn the election results last week even after the attack on the Capitol.

The Post cited the comments of Hilary Rosen, head of a consulting firm with close ties to Biden, stating that Biden is appointing officials to jobs in his administration who take the Biden commitment of healing much more seriously.

Biden has consistently opposed any broader investigation into the forces behind the January 6 coup, including top Republicans who provided Trump with political cover through their legitimization of the lie that the election was stolen. Last week, he insisted on the need for a strong Republican Party and rejected calls for the resignation of top Trump supporters like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley.

These statements are a warning that the warring sections of the ruling class are preparing to work out a compromise that will integrate even further the extreme right into the fold of the American political establishment.

After all, the forces who mobilized to kidnap and kill Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer were promoted by powerful forces within the ruling class who opposed any coronavirus-related restrictions on corporate production and profit. This back to work movement had bipartisan support.

If an agreement is arranged, it would be met with unanimous praise in the corporate political-media establishment, whose aim is to maintain record corporate profits and force workers back to work in the midst of the pandemic. This basic dynamic shows that it is the working class which is the target of this process.

In the absence of the independent intervention of the working class on a socialist program, such an arrangement can only prepare for even greater crimes. In its January 12 statement, Mobilize the working class against Trumps conspiracy! Prepare for a political general strike!, the Socialist Equality Party wrote:

The working class must respond with a general strike to attempts by ultra-right mobs, instigated by the political criminal Donald Trump and his Republican Party accomplices in the Senate and Congress, to threaten the lives of elected representatives and seize government buildings and other strategic sites, whether in Washington DC or in state capitals throughout the country.

Events have confirmed the urgency of this call. The independent intervention of workers must be combined with the demand for a full and open investigation into all aspects of the coup of January 6, 2021 and the ongoing incitement of fascist violence.
China in Focus (Jan. 12): 20,000 People Forced to Move for Quarantine

Data on hundreds of studies by Wuhans virology lab have reportedly been wiped. The news comes just before health experts from the World Health Organization are set to visit China to investigate the origins of the virus.

Chinese authorities recall thousands of bottles of baby lotion. Thats after parents found the cream causes growth defects and other health problems.

Some Chinese dissidents say theyre worried about Big Techs silencing of dissents. According to them, it could fuel a movement similar to Chinas Cultural Revolution.

And the Chinese Communist Party is reportedly paying a handful of British YouTubers. Thats so theyll promote the regimes use of re-education camps where ethnic minorities are detained.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel for more first-hand news from China.

For more news and videos, please visit our website and Twitter.
Calgary, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Trican Well Service Ltd. (TSX: TCW) ("Trican" or the "Company") announced today that Robert Skilnick, Trican's Chief Financial Officer, has resigned in order to pursue another business opportunity. Mr. Skilnick plans to remain with the Company to complete the year-end financial reporting process and to provide for an orderly transition period, which is anticipated to be completed in March 2021.

Brad Fedora, Trican's President and Chief Executive Officer commented: "On behalf of Trican, I would like to thank Rob for his contributions during his tenure at Trican and the entire staff wishes him the best in his new venture".

The Company has initiated an executive search process, including a review of strong internal candidates. Further information will follow once an appointment is made.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements and other information contained in this press release constitute "forward-looking information" and/or "statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (collectively "forward-looking statements"), including, but not limited to, statements regarding the timing for Mr. Skilnick's departure. All statements in this press release other than those relating to historical facts or current conditions are forward looking statements. Forward-looking statements are often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "achieve", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "contemplate", "plan", "planned" "intend", "continue", "propose", "might", "may", "will", "shall", "project"', "should"', "could", "would", "believe", "predict", "forecast", "pursue", "potential", "capable", and other similar terms and phrases. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors (many of which are beyond our control) that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements. We believe the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable but no assurance can be given that these expectations will prove to be correct. Therefore, the forward-looking statements included in this press release should not be unduly relied upon.

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this news release. Our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of general economic, market and business conditions, as well as the risk factors set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of our most recent Annual Information Form and annual MD&A. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing lists of factors are not exhaustive. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such statements and information but which may prove to be incorrect. Although management of Trican believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because Trican can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct.

Except as required under applicable Canadian securities legislation, Trican disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Additional information regarding Trican including Trican's most recent Annual Information Form is available under Trican's profile on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

About Trican

Headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Trican provides a comprehensive array of specialized products, equipment and services that are used during the exploration and development of oil and gas reserves.

Requests for further information should be directed to:

Bradley Fedora

President and Chief Executive Officer

E-mail: investors@trican.ca

Robert Skilnick

Chief Financial Officer

E-mail: investors@trican.ca

Phone: (403) 266-0202

2900, 645 - 7th Avenue S.W.

Calgary, Alberta T2P 4G8

Please visit our website at www.tricanwellservice.com for more information on Trican.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71883
A paramedic works in the back of an ambulance, parked outside the Royal London hospital in London on Jan. 12, 2021 as surging cases of the novel coronavirus are placing health services under increasing pressure. (DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)

CCP Virus Resurgence Occurring in Countries Across Globe

A resurgence of the deadly CCP virus is occurring across the globe, spanning European and African nations to countries such as Canada, China, and Japan, while the United States reported a record-breaking daily death toll on Jan. 12 of 4,300.

A litany of measures such as lockdowns, curfews, and school closures have been put in place in an attempt to stem the spread of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, while some countries are starting to roll out vaccines. Meanwhile, an increasing number of countries are reporting new variants of the virus, which could affect how its transmitted.

China

Chinese authorities throughout Northern China have struggled to contain the CCP viruswhich originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019despite enacting stringent lockdown measures. Hebei Province is the hardest-hit, with two cities, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai, seeing the biggest surges in new infections.

Areas of Hebei, Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Henan, and Ningxia provinces, as well as Inner Mongolia and Beijing, announced that they entered wartime mode over the weekend as a result of surges in CCP virus cases. Wartime mode typically means that draconian restrictions are placed on when residents can leave their homes, and almost all public facilities, such as schools, stores, stadiums, and parks, are closed.

At present, diagnosed patients and cluster outbreaks are happening all around the country, Xu Hejian, a spokesperson for the Beijing city government, said at a press conference on Jan. 8.

Its been widely reported that China has underreported cases of the virus in a bid to safeguard its image both nationally and internationally.

The central government advised against travel for the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls on Feb. 12 this year. Millions usually make trips to their hometowns to reunite with their families.

Over the weekend, city governments across the country also announced a new rule requiring those who wish to travel during the holiday to receive prior approval from their employers.

United Kingdom

The UK is entering the worst weeks of the CCP virus pandemic, Englands chief medical officer said on Jan. 11.

Professor Chris Whitty said the country must double down on lockdown measures before the vaccine rollout begins to have an impact on the spread of the disease. Witty blamed the grave situation on a new variant of the CCP virus, which the government said has a 50 to 70 percent faster rate of transmission.

This new variant is really pushing things in a way that the old variant, which was already very bad, was not able to, he told the BBCs Breakfast program.

Data published by the Office for National Statistics show that on average, one in 50 people have the CCP virus in England, with around 1 in 30 for London, where infections have been rising the fastest.

Across the UK, countries such as England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales are all under lockdown, meaning that people arent allowed to leave their homes unless they have a reasonable excuse which can range from shopping for essentials, religious worship, and medical appointments. Police are issuing fines for those that leave their homes without a valid reason.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock said on Jan. 11 that the government needs to assess the impact of the vaccines before they can say more about when to ease the restrictions to curb the CCP virus.

The government plans to vaccinate everyone in the four groups that have the highest death rate from the CCP viruscare home residents and their caregivers, everyone over the age of 70, all front-line health and social care workers, and everyone who is clinically extremely vulnerablewith the first dose by mid-February.

Canada

On Jan. 12, Ontario declared an emergency after the latest modeling put Canadas most populous province on track to have more than 20,000 new CCP virus cases per day by the middle of February, a nearly tenfold increase from the current count.

Ontario, which is battling a coronavirus surge that has swamped its hospitals and triggered a province-wide lockdown, could also see roughly 1,500 more deaths in its long-term care homes through mid-February under a worst-case scenario, according to modeling from experts advising the government.

New restrictions that take effect on Jan. 14 mandate that residents must stay at home except for essential activity, while outdoor gatherings will be limited to five people and non-essential construction work will be restricted.

I know the stay at home order is a drastic measure, one we dont take lightly. Everyone must stay home to stay lives, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said at a media briefing. Enforcement and inspections will increase.

Ontario, the countrys economic engine, has been under lockdown since Dec. 26, with non-essential businesses shuttered and schools closed for in-person learning.

The daily number of CCP virus cases has spiked above 3,500 on average over the past seven days, government data showed. On Jan. 12, Ontario reported 2,903 new CCP virus cases.

Under the worst-case scenario with 7 percent case growth, there would be 40,000 new cases daily by mid-February, while the best-case scenario with 1 percent growth would result in 5,000 new cases every day, Ontarios data showed. Case growth has recently been over 7 percent on the worst days, the data showed.

Japan

Japans Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said on Jan. 13 that seven additional prefectures would be placed under a state of emergency, according to Kyodo News. The prefectures are Osaka, Aichi Tochigi, Gifu, Hyogo, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.

The announcement came as Japans total number of virus cases topped 300,000 amid a recent spike in infections.

The total passed 200,000 in late December, but despite the recent and rapid increase, Yasutoshi Nishimura the minister in charge of Japans coronavirus response, expressed reluctance to expand the emergency nationwide, the outlet reported.

Japan continues to be in a very serious situation when it comes to infections, Health minister Norihisa Tamura told an expert panel.

It comes as a new variant of the CCP virus, which is distinct from the ones found in the United Kingdom and South Africa was detected in Japan, health officials announced on Jan. 10. According to Takaji Wakita, the Director-General of Japans National Institute of Infectious Diseases, the variant was found in four people who arrived from Brazil.

United States

The overall U.S. death toll from the CCP virus has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Confirmed infections have topped 22.8 million in the United States.

The United States recorded 4,327 deaths on Jan. 12 by the universitys count. Arizona and California have been among the hardest-hit states.

The daily figure is subject to revision, but deaths have been rising sharply over the past 2 1/2 months, and the country is in the most lethal phase of the outbreak yet, even as the vaccine is being rolled out. New cases are running at nearly a quarter-million per day on average.

Nicole Hao, Alexander Zhang, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A former San Antonio campaign worker was arrested Wednesday and charged with election tampering, the state attorney generals office announced.

The allegations surfaced last fall after the conservative activist group Project Veritas posted an edited video of the woman, Raquel Rodriguez, in which she appears to be helping an elderly person fill out a mail-in ballot form and discussing unlawful tactics, including assisting people at the polls.

The video included only snippets of what appear to be multiple conversations, and it was not clear who Rodriguez believed she was speaking to or under what context.

Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said in a statement that his office reviewed dozens of hours of unedited footage, and that Rodriguez says at one point that she knows her actions are illegal.

IN-DEPTH: Project Veritas activists release San Antonio video purporting to show voter fraud

This is a victory for election integrity and a strong signal that anyone who attempts to defraud the people of Texas, deprive them of their vote, or undermine the integrity of elections will be brought to justice, Paxton said.

Rodriguez was charged with four counts, all felonies. She did not respond to a request for comment, and it was not immediately clear whether she had an attorney.

RELATED: Candidate sues San Antonio woman who appears in secretly recorded Project Veritas video

In October, Rodriguez, who also goes by the first name Rachel, posted on Facebook that the group had approached her saying it represented an anonymous candidate with money looking for help in a future City Council race.

I immediately suspected something was wrong with this conversation, she said, adding: I chose to continue the conversation and play along in order to discover the source and gather my own evidence that I could submit to legal authorities.

At the time of the video, she appeared to be working on behalf of a Republican congressional candidate, and mentioned working for several other San Antonio area political figures, including former Republican state Sen. Pete Flores, newly elected state Rep. Elizabeth Liz Campos, a Democrat; and former state District Judge Renee Yanta, a Republican.

Flores and Campos listed payments to her in prior campaign expenditure reports.

Paxton routinely targets election fraud, an issue he and other conservatives contend is widespread, without evidence. His office spent nearly twice as much time working on voter fraud cases last as it did in 2018, yet resolved half as many prosecutions, just 16.

Project Veritas, which is known for deceptive sting operations intended to expose supposed liberal bias and corruption, spent much of 2020 trying to delegitimize mail-in balloting in the lead-up to the presidential election. In September, researchers at Stanford University found that a video the group released about Democratic U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omars campaign was likely part of a coordinated disinformation effort.

In 2015, Republican state officials used a now-discredited Project Veritas video to drop Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program, which serves low-income women. A conservative appeals court upheald the decision last fall and it takes effect next month.

It was unclear what evidence the attorney generals office reviewed in the case beyond the raw video footage. Nicole Garza, a Democrat elected to be judge of the 37th Civil District Court, was named in the video by Rodriguez as someone who had hired her, but Garza said state investigators did not contact her about it.

Allen Blakemore, speaking for Flores, also said the former senator has not been contacted by the Attorney Generals Office.

Yanta sued Rodriguez days after the video was released, saying Rodriguez defamed her by claiming to the Veritas interviewer that she had Yanta and several other judges in her pocket. The suit is pending.

Attempts to reach Yanta and her attorney, Art Martinez de Vara, were unsuccessful Wednesday. A Campos spokeswoman said she would not be able to comment on the case.

Staff writer Elizabeth Zavala contributed to this report.
Comedian Hamish Blake, 38, and his millionaire beauty guru wife Zoe Foster Blake, 40, recently relocated from Melbourne to Sydney.

The couple and their two young children - son Sonny, six, and daughter Rudy, three - moved into a $9million home in the upmarket suburb of Vaucluse in late December.

But now Hamish has become separated from his family due to filming commitments in Melbourne.

Duty calls: Hamish Blake (pictured) will be separated from his Sydney-based wife Zoe Foster Blake and two children 'for a few weeks' as he was required to stay behind in Melbourne to film the third season of Channel Nine's Lego Masters

'My family moved to Sydney after Xmas however Ive had to stay behind in Melbourne for a few weeks to finish shooting LEGO Masters S3 (which is coming up a treat BTW),' Hamish explained in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

Hamish shared a few screen grabs from a FaceTime call with his young daughter, adding that he would 'be home soon'.

'To keep me company for our time apart, my daughter left me her little bunny. Sometimes I talk to her on the phone (pic 1), sometimes Little Bun does (pic 2). Its hard to tell who she misses more,' the funnyman joked.

'My family moved to Sydney after Xmas': Hamish's wife Zoe, and children - son Sonny, six, and daughter Rudy, three - have remained in their new home in Sydney as Hamish travels for work

Adorable: Hamish shared a FaceTime with her daughter on Instagram and said she had lent him her bunny to keep him company for their time apart

Before the family's big move, Hamish did suggest it was likely he would be travelling back to Melbourne 'a lot' for different media opportunities and commitments.

'I will of course still be podcasting with Ando [Andy Lee] in 2021, and I have several half full coffee loyalty cards I'm not giving up on, so I'm also tipping I'll be back to Melbourne a lot,' he noted.

'For a long time I have known that stealing my wife from Sydney would mean one day we'd venture there to live for a while,' wrote the Lego Masters host.

'The loose plan is for a few years, but however long it's for, we're excited for this adventure with our little family.'

Money moves: Zoe and husband Hamish spent $8.925 million on a property in the upmarket suburb of Vaucluse just before Christmas and moved into the home in late December

'We're excited for this adventure with our little family': Hamish said the loose plan was for the family to reside in Sydney for 'a few years' as he will always see Melbourne as his true home

Going strong: The couple celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary in November

The couple, who wed in 2012, bought their new $9million Vaucluse home shortly after Zoe debuted on the Young Rich List in November 2020.

Zoe founded Go-To six years ago, and now has an estimated net worth of $36million after her skincare company enjoyed a boom in sales during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Blake family's five-bedroom, six-bathroom estate sits on 885 square metres and features two sets of garages.

While the four-level home does not have ocean views, it is considered architecturally noteworthy and was featured on Grand Designs Australia in 2013.
Police have warned of a plot in which 4,000 armed protesters could descend on Washington in the coming days, encircling the US Capitol and potentially assassinating politicians.

It was one of three extremist plots picked up by security services that were detailed in a phone call between US Capitol Police and Democrat members of Congress, according to politicians who were on the call.

It also emerged that the FBI had warned extremists were planning for war the day before the storming of the Capitol on January 6.

FBI agents were aware that plotters had shared maps of the tunnels under the Capitol online, and arranged locations to rendezvous in states including Kentucky and South Carolina before heading to Washington.

But still the National Guard was not called in beforehand.

The disclosures came as 15,000 National Guard troops were activated to protect the Capitol in the lead up to Joe Bidens inauguration next Wednesday.

Following requests from Democrats, some National Guard members were being subjected to additional background checks to ensure they were not sympathetic to domestic terrorists.

Read More

Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer, the Democrat leader in the Senate, called for anyone in the mob that entered the Capitol on January 6 to be put on a no-fly list to stop them returning to Washington ahead of the inauguration.

He said: We cannot allow these same insurrectionists to get on a plane and cause more violence and more damage.

Donald Trump declared a state of emergency in Washington and the citys Democrat mayor, Muriel Bowser, pleaded with Americans to stay away.

In a police phone call with members of Congress on Monday night, politicians were warned of a series of threats that had been made ahead of the inauguration and detected by police. One plot outlined was described as the largest armed protest ever to take place on American soil.

Another was a protest planned to remember Ashli Babbitt, who died after being shot during the invasion of the Capitol last week. A third would see thousands of armed people surrounding Congress to stop Democrat politicians from going in, which could result in assassinations.

Extremists might also surround the US Supreme Court and the White House, politicians were told. Rules of engagement were being drawn up for how the National Guard should deal with armed insurrectionists.

Conor Lamb, a Democrat congressman from Pennsylvania and former US Marine, who was on the phone call with police, said: They were talking about 4,000 armed patriots to surround the Capitol and prevent any Democrat from going in. They have published rules of engagement, meaning when you shoot and when you dont. They are committed to doing what theyre doing because, I think, in their minds they are patriots and theyre talking about 1776. So this is now a contest of wills.

The internal FBI warning before January 6 was issued after agents picked up online communication. It included comments such as Be ready to fight. Congress needs to hear glass breaking, doors being kicked in, and blood from their BLM and [Antifa] slave soldiers being spilt.

Read More

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Were truly honored HSS has recognized Keet as the right partner to extend care beyond clinic walls and seamlessly gather patient reported outcomes, both of which serve to improve the quality of care and accelerate patient recovery.

Keet Inc., (Keet), a leading patient engagement and clinical outcomes company, today announced a strategic partnership with Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the worlds leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health.

Through this partnership, rehab therapy providers at the more than 200 clinics within the HSS Rehabilitation Network will have access to Keets patient outcomes reporting software, further advancing HSS mission to provide access to the highest quality care while supporting the advancement of scientific research and education.

Its an incredible privilege to be selected by the world leader in musculoskeletal health in helping providers deliver rehabilitation services and achieve high-quality outcomes, explained Holly Taylor, President and GM of Keet. Were truly honored HSS has recognized Keet as the right partner to extend care beyond clinic walls and seamlessly gather patient reported outcomes, both of which serve to improve the quality of care and accelerate patient recovery.

The use of evidence-based patient reported outcomes is essential to not just improving the health of an individual but also to developing clinical guidelines and educational materials that impact treatment outcomes for patients all over the world.

The combination of HSS clinical excellence and the formidable capabilities of the Keet platform will uniquely enable us to transform the way the industry delivers care, said JeMe Cioppa-Mosca, HSS Senior Vice President of Rehabilitation. The unprecedented aggregation of outcomes data will be translated into continuous clinical advancements that will be widely available through the HSS Rehabilitation Network and Keet customers everywhere.

Keet customers will have access to more than 50 HSS clinical treatment guidelines, as well as patient education and home exercise programs that will be incorporated into Keets automated, mobile clinical workflows. The aforementioned have been developed from HSS Rehabilitation best practices and evidence-based literature in collaboration with the HSS physician community.

The addition of the HSS Rehabilitation Network to Keets community of clients demonstrates the organizations commitment to elevating physical therapists in the broader healthcare ecosystem.

We believe this partnership will facilitate the development of critical research and thought leadership with the potential to influence legislation and reshape the industry, particularly in the realm of remote patient management, said Taylor. With an ever-increasing number of people working from home, the impact could be astounding. Were incredibly excited to gain HSS as both a customer and partner and look forward to sharing our collective knowledge with the market.

About Keet:

Keet, Inc., is a health tech company on a mission to restore humanity in healthcare. Since 2015, Keet has been committed to helping providers, employers, and health systems facilitate and deliver more connected, higher-quality care through our digital delivery platform for patient engagement and clinical outcomes. Keet, Inc. operates independently as a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Clinicient, Inc. For more information, visit http://www.keethealth.com.

About HSS:

HSS is the worlds leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 11th consecutive year), No. 4 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2020-2021), and named a leader in pediatric orthopedics by U.S. News & World Report Best Childrens Hospitals list (2020-2021). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest complication and readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center four consecutive times. The global standard total knee replacement was developed at HSS in 1969. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. The HSS Global Innovation Institute was formed in 2016 to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 130 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. http://www.hss.edu.
Dua Lipa's latest outfit has been likened to Gina Riley's iconic Kath & Kim character.

The English pop star turned heads earlier this week when she wore a revealing cut-out dress that showed off her G-string.

Australian fans compared the look to a dress fictional character Kim Craig wore in the classic ABC comedy series.

Seeing double! Dua Lipa's (left) latest outfit has been likened to Gina Riley's iconic Kath & Kim character (right)

Kim was famous on the show for wearing tight jeans with her G-string showing, and in one memorable episode rocked a backless dress with a bedazzled thong visible.

Dua wore her daring cut-out 'thong-dress' in a number of sexy images from her recent trip to Mexico, which were shared to Instagram on Monday.

The One Kiss hitmaker, 25, looked incredible in the stunning dress from Lebanese fashion house Monot as she packed on the PDA with her boyfriend, Anwar Hadid, 21.

Confident: Dua wore her daring cut-out 'thong-dress' in a number of sexy images from her recent trip to Mexico, which were shared to Instagram on Monday

Placing his arm around her, he looked smitten as he posed in a Disney-branded designer shirt and black trousers.

Dua showed off some serious tan lines in her revealing dress in one of the snaps in which she posed showing off her colourful manicure and 'L' tattoo.

She also posed for a back shot, showing off the intricate design of her dress which scooped down to just above her bottom and had an attached 'thong' detail.

Couple goals! The One Kiss hitmaker, 25, looked incredible in the stunning dress from Lebanese fashion house Monot as she packed on the PDA with her boyfriend, Anwar Hadid, 21

Kath & Kim, which ran on the ABC and Channel Seven from 2002 to 2007, also starred Jane Turner, Glenn Robbins, Magda Szubanski and Peter Rowsthorn.

The sitcom produced two spin-off movies: Da Kath & Kim Code (2005) and Kath and Kimderella (2012).

Kath & Kim has recently seen a resurgence in popularity after it was made available on the streaming service Netflix.
- ADSW 2021 will explore the social, economic and technological opportunities for delivering a green recovery, bringing together global leaders from policy, industry and technology

- The ADSW Summit will broadcast online across different time zones to engage audiences from around the world

ABU DHABI, UAE, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), the global platform for accelerating sustainable development, hosted by Masdar, will be held from 18 to 21 January 2021 and reimagined virtually.

ADSW 2021 will feature a series of high-level virtual events, including the ADSW Summit, IRENA Assembly, Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, Youth 4 Sustainability Virtual Forums and the World Future Energy Summit Webinars.

His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber,UAE's Minister of Industry and Advanced Technologyand Special Envoy for Climate Change and Chairman of Masdar, said: "As our economies and industries begin to recover from the impact of the global pandemic, we have an opportunity to set ambitious goals, invest in new technologies and put the necessary policies in place that will deliver a sustainable recovery. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week embodies the United Arab Emirate's proactive and forward-thinking approach to climate change and sustainability and underlines the UAE's role as a responsible, solutions oriented global citizen, enabling dialogue to be turned into action."

H.E. Dr Sultan Al Jaber will be delivering a keynote speech at the ADSW Summit, which will feature more than 70 high-level speakers from around the world, including H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Head of State, Principality of Monaco, who will give a keynote speech on national resilience in the context of Coivid-19.

The speakers at the one-day virtual ADSW Summit will also include: H.R.H Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal Al Saud, Founder and CEO, KBW Ventures; H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO Mubadala Investment Company; H.E. Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment of the Republic of Singapore; H.E. Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder & CEO, Kalimat Publishing Group; H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Energy, Francesco La Camera, Director General, IRENA; Maimunah Mohd Sharif, Executive Director UN-Habitat; Noel Quinn, Group Chief Executive Officer, HSBC Holdings;Laurence Fink, Chairman and CEO BlackRock; and Dr. Lucas Joppa, Chief Environmental Officer, Microsoft, in addition to many other high - level speakers.

Taking place virtually on Tuesday 19 January, Masdar will host the ADSW Summit, which will over three two-hour sessions focus on the pillars of "Live & Move," "Care & Engage," and "Work & Invest," with each pillar exploring social, economic and technological opportunities to achieve a 'green recovery' post COVID-19.

H.E. Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), said: "The Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is a testament and extension of ADGM's commitment towards fulfilling the UAE and Abu Dhabi's vision of an innovative, sustainable, and knowledge-based economy. As the world strives towards recovery, we can all do our part in advocating greater adoption of sustainable practices and climate change action to the benefit of our people and future generations. At ADGM, we will continue to work closely with partners to double-down on efforts and knowledge-sharing, such as the annual Abu Dhabi Sustainable Finance Forum, to accelerate sustainable financing and innovative activities that boost robust economic development and growth in the UAE, and support the wider region."

H.E. Eng. Awaidha Murshed Al Marar, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Department of Energy,ADSW's Principal Partner said: "The social and economic challenges posed by Covid-19 have emphasized the need to act collectively to push the sustainability agenda and scale up the green transition as an engine for a healthy recovery. Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week is an ideal platform to deploy the strength of the global community as it brings together world leaders and industry experts to discuss the most pressing issues that impact our environment and sustainable growth. We look forward to insightful discussions that uncover the combined effect of energy, water, food and environment policies, and to decisive global action for sustainable development in the post-pandemic era."

Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency, said: "The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause unprecedented levels of disruption to lives all over the world. But the recovery period offers energy policy makers and the investment community a moment to realign their decisions and actions with sustainable growth, economic resilience, and shared prosperity. The IRENA Assembly and Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week represent a starting point for a year that we must come to define as pivotal in our pursuit of a sustainable future."

Through initiatives and events, ADSW is committed to the sharing of knowledge, implementation of strategies and the delivery of real-world solutions to address the challenges related to sustainability and climate change. As the first global event in the UAE's Golden Jubilee year, ADSW 2021 will help galvanize further collaboration among government, business and community stakeholders to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

For over a decade, Abu Dhabi has provided a sustainable platform for the global community that has grown through its initiatives and events to emerge as a thought leader and catalyst that accelerates sustainable development around the world.

The 2020 edition of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week hosted around 45,000 attendees from 170 countries, with more than 500 high-level speakers from around the world.

To ensure the safety of all participants, ADSW 2021 and all related high-level events will take place virtually. The physical program of ADSW will return in 2022.

Register now for the ADSW Summit at www.adsw.ae

For more information please visit: http://www.masdar.ae and connect: facebook.com/masdar.ae and twitter.com/masdar

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YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a consultation today to discuss the situation related to the change of the border environment of Syunik province and the actions taken in the direction of ensuring security.

Dear colleagues, our todays consultation is dedicated to the issues of the Syunik Province, and today we must discuss a rather broad range of issues. Due to the known events, Syuniks border environment was subjected to significant changes, and today we must discuss the actions which are being implemented in Syunik for ensuring the security of the Republic of Armenia, we must discuss the work that has been done so far and how and in which directions we should continue these works. Certainly, socio-economic and communication issues are very important, environmental issues are also important, and we have a rather broad circle of issues to discuss.

Ive had numerous occasions to say that I find Syunik to be our statehoods backbone, and we must take all measures to ensure the security of the Republic of Armenia in Syunik, not only in Syunik, but in the territory of the entire republic, but in this regard Syunik has special significance. Firstly, we must discuss the types of social and economic programs that we should implement in the communities which have gained a new border status, basically having appeared in a status of a border town. And today we will make decisions, we will reach agreements and we will agree on the further course of implementation of these agreements, the PM told the officials in his opening remarks.

PM Pashinyan was then briefed on the process of ensuring the security of Syuniks border communities and roads, the work on positioning border points, the process of compensating the potential property damages suffered by residents and the process of solving other issues.

The improvement of roads, communication infrastructures, solution of socio-economic problems and other directions of activities were discussed.

Pashinyan tasked government officials dealing with the process to continue working as part of the inter-departmental task force, which in turn will rapidly respond to the issues and give solutions.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Mumbai, Jan 13 : The Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday announced the setting up of a 428-strong Social Media Department (SMD) to combat and thwart the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party's "propaganda army", officials said here.

The SMD team of 428 office-bearers, including 29 women, comprises a 10-member Core Committee, 48 District Presidents, 252 Assembly Presidents and 118 State Executive Members.

"These are our Social Media Warriors who will do the job of exposing the lies and fakes perpetrated by the BJP propaganda machinery to misguide the nation and the state," Social Media Department Chairman Abhijeet Sapkal told IANS.

The decision follows the directives of the All India Congress Committee's SMD Chairman Rohan Gupta, and State Congress President Balasaheb Thorat for a strong organised setup to counter the misleading disinformation campaign of the BJP at all levels, he added.

"Unlike the BJP, our SMD has only committed Congress workers and cadre who are also very active on the social media, have technical prowess and can effectively counter the daily falsehoods of the Opposition, working without any compensation," Sapkal pointed out.

In the past, the Congress' SMD has worked hard to convey the party's messages to the last man in the society during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, besides the 2019 Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly elections, he said.

"The new SMD team will work positively towards spreading the party's message and goals to the maximum number of people in multiple languages and counter the distortions and deception spread by the Opposition," Sapkal assured.


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Visa veteran Damien Gough, who most recently served as Head of Issuer Processing and Enablement Partnerships at the digital payments giant, will oversee GPS' partnerships and drive its commercial success in the region

Leading payments issuer processor, Global Processing Services (GPS), today announces the appointment of Damien Gough as Head of Asia Pacific.

With more than 14 years' experience working with fintechs across the region, Gough was previously Head of Issuer Processing and Enablement Partnerships, Asia Pacific, at Visa, where he was responsible for forging regional and global partnerships with third-party processors and BIN sponsors. Whilst there, he also spearheaded sales activities and solutions with leading regional fintech issuers.

Prior to that, Gough was Head of Prepaid Products, Asia Pacific, and Head of Issuer Processing Services, Australia and New Zealand, at Visa, where he spent nine years working with the digital payments giant.

Commenting on the appointment, Joanne Dewar, Chief Executive Officer of GPS, said: "We are thrilled to welcome Damien to the GPS team. His in-depth experience with supporting the launch and growth of many of the largest fintech issuance programmes in Asia Pacific, both prepaid and debit, will be immensely beneficial to the growth of GPS in the region. Damien has an excellent track record of effectively engaging ecosystem partners across Asia Pacific, including sponsor banks, eKYC vendors, fintech investors and various processors which will be pivotal to the strength of our partnerships in the fastest-growing fintech market in the world."

With the support of the UK Department for International Trade's Fintech Bridges and the Singaporean Economic Development Board, GPS successfully expanded into the APAC region in November 2019, and has already delivered successful programmes for WeLab Bank, the first homegrown virtual bank in Hong Kong, and Razer Fintech, the largest offline-to-online ("O2O") digital payment network in South East Asia aiming to establish the world's first global youth bank.

Commenting on his decision to join GPS, Gough said: "GPS is rising to the challenge of helping clients navigate global and local complexities, by building out agile regional support teams with award-winning product launches sitting on top of a highly flexible platform that supports most fintech issuance use cases. The expertise, experience, breadth of APIs, and local support agility provided by GPS to fintechs and digital banks, are helping to make what was once a complex process simple.

It is an honour to join GPS to lead and support its rapidly expanding Asia Pacific team, to further help and empower our customers to deliver leading payment products in a highly diverse region that is rapidly embracing and adopting fintech services. From high-growth emerging countries to mature markets, we are witnessing strong demand and I am incredibly excited about our bright future in the region."

To find out more about GPS, visit: https://www.globalprocessing.com/

About Global Processing Services (GPS)

Global Processing Services (GPS) is the trusted and proven go-to payments processing partner for today's leading challenger brands, including Revolut, WeLab Bank, and Razer Fintech.

Founded in 2007, GPS's highly flexible and configurable platform places the control firmly in the hands of global fintechs, digital banks and e-wallets, enabling them to deliver rich functionality to the cardholder.

GPS is certified by Mastercard and Visa to process and manage any credit, debit or prepaid card transaction globally, with offices in London, Newcastle, Singapore, Sydney and Dubai. It is equipped to meet the stringent standards required by Tier 1 banks and has integrated with more than 40 issuing banks and operates programmes for 180+ clients in 60 countries, using over 150 currencies.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112005894/en/

Contacts:

Josh Goldie

team@skyparlour.com

07803204780
Susanne Salvestrin, a businesswoman and community volunteer with a passion for St. Helena history, died Dec. 16 at the age of 79.

Salvestrin died after fighting pancreatic cancer for two and a half years, her family announced Friday.

Salvestrin helped run Salvestrin Winery and the Inn at Salvestrin (formerly Sunny Acres Bed & Breakfast), served as president of the St. Helena Historical Society and the St. Helena Cemetery Association, operated the Creative Needle shop downtown in the 1980s, was highly regarded as a baker and pastry chef, and was active with the St. Helena Junior Women, Federated Women of Upper Napa Valley, Napa Valley Quilt Guild and St. Helena Catholic Church.

Salvestrin received the St. Helena Chamber of Commerces Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

She had an effective but gentle way of persuading people to support her cause, said Mariam Hansen, research director for the St. Helena Historical Society, who nominated Salvestrin for the Lifetime Achievement Award. She was always so enthusiastic about everything that she did. She made you feel like you were a really special person, and your gifts were needed in this cause.

Born Susanne Austin in Honolulu in February 1941, Salvestrin and her family moved to St. Helena during World War II while her father was stationed at Mare Island. Her family moved frequently, but after high school she returned to St. Helena, where she worked for Olneys Gifts & Hardware, where she met mail carrier Ed Salvestrin. They married in 1961 and had three children: Mark, Richard and Lynn.

She was a family matriarch  a wonderful family that worked together tirelessly to make their business a success, Hansen said.

In 1990 the Salvestrins restored the Victorian house on their property that had been built in 1859 by Dr. George Belden Crane, an early St. Helena pioneer and one of the founders of the local wine industry. The meticulous work brought Salvestrin into contact with Cranes descendants and inspired her fascination with local history.

Salvestrin started inviting local pioneer families to her house to talk about history. When then-Library Director Larry Hlavsa placed an ad in the Star about forming a St. Helena Historical Society, Salvestrin jumped in with both feet, becoming a founding boardmember and encouraging other people to get involved, Hansen said.

For the rest of her life Salvestrin was dedicated to preserving St. Helenas history and educating the public through events like Museum for a Day and the Spirits of St. Helena cemetery tour, Hansen said. She also chaired the historical societys History Becomes Art fundraiser.

Salvestrin was skilled at arts and crafts, once giving Hansen a baby quilt for Hansens first grandchild. She was also a renowned cook and baker, teaching a cake decorating class, competing alongside other members of the historical society in Hall Wines Cabernet Cookoff in 2011, compiling a cookbook published by the Federated Women, and winning a Peoples Choice award in a salsa contest at the St. Helena Public Library.

She had the most wonderful kitchen with every gadget you could think of, Hansen said.

Bonnie Thoreen, another longtime member of the historical society, said Salvestrin faced her illness and death as she did her life  with determination, thoughtfulness, fearlessness and humor.

She made my life richer, and I treasure the time I was able to work with her as a mentor, leader and friend, Thoreen said, calling Salvestrins death a loss not only to the St. Helena Historical Society but to the entire community.

Energetic, impossible to intimidate, and never afraid to speak her mind, Salvestrin had big visions and didnt settle for anything less, Thoreen said.

Salvestrin lived long enough to see one of her most ambitious visions realized, with last years establishment of the St. Helena Heritage Center at the former St. Helena Catholic School.

Salvestrin lobbied hard to secure a permanent home for the St. Helena Historical Societys vast but scattered collection of memorabilia. Before the historical society moved into the Catholic school, Salvestrin pursued several other sites, including the former Thrifty Manor behind the St. Helena Catholic Church, the Carnegie Building, and the citys Adams Street property.

Skip Lane, who served with Salvestrin on the historical society board for 15 years, said he didnt always see eye to eye with her, but he always respected her indefatigability.

She just wouldnt quit, he said. She was a firebrand.

Salvestrin stayed involved in the establishment of the Heritage Center even as she battled cancer, Lane said.

Everyone knew she was sick, but it didnt seem to affect her much, Lane said.

According to her obituary, Salvestrin will be laid to rest at the St. Helena Cemetery during a private gathering in February. A celebration of life will be held at a later date when outdoor gatherings are permitted.

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HEART OF THE VALLEY: MEET OUTSTANDING MEMBERS OF THE NAPA COUNTY COMMUNITY

You can reach Jesse Duarte at 967-6803 or jduarte@sthelenastar.com.

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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South-South Leader of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, has urged the Sole Administrator of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Effiong Akwa, to operate within the laws establishing the commission.

Mr Clark gave the charge on Wednesday while receiving the management of the commission at his residence in Abuja.

The elder statesman said the commission had been under pressure lately from the people of Niger Delta for operating outside the law.

He said the appointment of Mr Akwa was based on his qualification and urged him to live up to expectations during his tenure.

There is a law governing NDDC and no one should breach that law. Not even the president has the power to do so unless it is amended by the National Assembly.

Any attempt to breach the law becomes illegal, null and void.

There have been many arguments on the legality of a sole administration over the years. They are appointed over time to oversee the commission.

I wish you the best of luck, we support your appointment, he said.

Mr Clark appealed to the federal government to intervene in the East West Road by allocating special funds for its completion.

According to him, there is no provision in the NDDC budget for the road.

He also appealed to youth in the region to give peace a chance and allow the commission carry out its mandate.

Mr Clark said he believed in the ongoing forensic audit of the commission, adding that the earlier a board was constituted in accordance with the law the better.

Earlier, Mr Akwa said the visit was aimed at presenting his work plan to the elder statesman whom he described as a father of the Niger Delta region.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his appointment, assuring that he would do his best towards alleviating the sufferings in Niger Delta.

According to him, Niger Delta people have suffered a lot as some people cannot visit their homes due to flood and environmental degradation.

The administrator said the National Assembly had approved the commissions budget and that a lot would be done to transform the region within the shortest time possible.

We are to collaborate with the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and within six to one year, the East West Road and all bridges would be completed and handed over for use.

We have youths abroad on scholarship and we have paid all the fees up to 2020 and anybody left may be based on technical hitches.

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We met a headquarter building on the ground, but right now it is 98 per cent ready, and we will be inviting Mr President to commission it soon.

In the next few months, we want to identity those who has executed a contract that have not been paid.

We want to pursue payment of contractors from ecological funds to ensure everyone is paid.

Within the next three months, we shall commission hostel building projects in our universities that have been abandoned for about 20years, he said.

Mr Akwa said there was no imposition in his appointment to head the commission and called for support from leaders and youth to allow peace to reign and for the transformation of the region into a new world.

(NAN)
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind.  A Kansas woman was executed Wednesday for strangling an expectant mother in Missouri and cutting the baby from her womb, the first time in nearly seven decades that the U.S. government has put to death a female inmate.

Lisa Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the 11th prisoner executed at the facility since July when President Donald Trump, an ardent supporter of capital punishment, resumed federal executions following 17 years without one.

As a curtain was raised in the execution chamber, Montgomery looked momentarily bewildered as she glanced at journalists peering at her from behind thick glass. A woman standing over her shoulder leaned over, gently removed Montgomerys face mask and asked if she had any last words.

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No, Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice. She said nothing else.

One of Montgomerys lawyers, Amy Harwell, expressed surprise that Montgomerys spiritual adviser wasnt inside the chamber. An official told her Montgomery didnt want the spiritual adviser there.

I insisted that she did  as I was present when (the spiritual adviser) discussed with her his plan to sing Jesus Loves You to her while the chemicals flowed, Harwell said.

Harwell said that since Montgomery was still alive and the spiritual adviser still in the building, it should have been easy to arrange for him to enter. But the guard said it was too late to arrange.

Asked about Harwells account, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons said the spiritual adviser was afforded an opportunity to be inside the chamber.

Montgomery tapped her fingers nervously for several seconds  a heart-shaped tattoo on her thumb  showed no signs of distress, and quickly closed her eyes. As the lethal injection began, Montgomery kept licking her lips and gasped briefly as pentobarbital, the lethal drug, entered her body through IVs on both arms. A few minutes later, her midsection throbbed for a moment, but quickly stopped.

Montgomery lay on a gurney in the pale-green execution chamber, her glasses on and her grayish brown hair spilling over a green medical pillow. At 1:30 a.m., an official in black gloves with a stethoscope walked into the room, listened to her heart and chest, then walked out. She was pronounced dead a minute later.

The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight, another Montgomery lawyer, Kelley Henry, said. Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.

The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman, Henry added. Lisa Montgomerys execution was far from justice.

The family of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, the 23-year-old Montgomery killed in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004, declined to comment on the execution, prisons officials said.

Her execution came after hours of legal wrangling before the Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to move forward. Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next weeks inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.

In a separate ruling Tuesday, which the government can still seek to overturn, another federal judge halted the scheduled executions later this week of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs after both tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

The mens attorneys argued lung damage caused by the coronavirus made it more likely that the lethal injection would cause them severe pain. If they arent executed before Biden becomes president, they may never be put to death.

Montgomery used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.

An appeals court granted Montgomery a stay Tuesday, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judges ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldnt comprehend she would be put to death. But both appeals were lifted, allowing the execution to go forward.

As the only woman on federal death row, Montgomery had been held in a prison in Texas and was brought to Terre Haute on Monday night.

Montgomerys legal team says she suffered sexual torture for years, including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Henry balked at that idea, citing brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness. She said the issue at the core of legal arguments was not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasped why she was to be executed.

According to her lawyers, Montgomery suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. At around the time of the killing, they say she had a rare condition called pseudocyesis in which a womans false belief she is pregnant triggers hormonal and physical changes as if she were actually pregnant.

Montgomery also experienced delusions and hallucinations, believing God spoke with her through connect-the-dot puzzles, defense experts said.

Details of the crime at times left jurors in tears during her trial.

Prosecutors told the jury Montgomery drove about 170 miles (274 kilometers) from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett. She strangled Stinnett, performed a crude cesarean and fled with the baby.

Prosecutors said Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband from Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a birthing center.

Montgomery was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasnt spoken publicly about the tragedy.

Prosecutors said the motive was that Montgomerys ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.

___

Hollingsworth reported from Kansas. Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report.

GRANTS PASS, Ore.  The Josephine County District Attorney's office says it has cleared seven officers who used deadly force in a December standoff at an Illinois Valley property that resulted in the death of the gunman and a hostage.

The hostage situation escalated from a domestic violence incident on the morning of December 7, prompting a major response from multiple law enforcement agencies. It ended in gunfire later that day. The two fatalities were later later identified as 56-year-old Donald Guest and 70-year-old Sandra Reynolds.

Because the deadly standoff saw multiple officers fire their weapons, it has been under a multi-agency investigation led by the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the Medford Police Department, and the Oregon State Police Crime Lab.

According to Josephine County District Attorney Josh Eastman, local dispatch received a call from a neighbor of 400 Pinewood Way just before 7 a.m. that Monday morning, with the neighbor reporting that a woman had run from the property, leaving behind her phone. Her husband, Donald Guest, and property owner Sandra Reynolds were still inside.

"Through the neighbor, the wife reported that her 'husband has a gun and is threatening violence,'" the DA's office said. "As the call continued, the wife informed the neighbor who informed dispatch that it had been both physical and verbal and Guest had pointed firearm at her and Reynolds and threatened to hurt [Reynolds and himself]."

While deputies from the Josephine County Sheriff's Office were beginning to respond to the property, another call came in to dispatch, this one transferred from Florida. Guest's son told dispatchers that his father had called, saying that he'd pointed a gun at Reynolds and was contemplating suicide.

A third call, this one from Reynolds' sister in California, reported that Guest had called her and said there "was a problem," but would not let her talk to Reynolds.

A final call came in from Guest himself, transferred from the Ashland Behavioral Health Unit. During the conversation, Guest reportedly told dispatchers that he was "sitting holding someone at gunpoint and was fixing to go to prison or kill myself  one or the other.

According to the DA's office, the Sheriff's Office began working with Guest's family over the next several hours in an attempt to talk him down. During that time, Guest's sons reported that Guest had said he was going to put two in her chest and one in her head, and one in himself. The Sheriff's Office also reportedly tried to contact Reynolds directly under the guise of being a repair company, but to no avail.

Just before 10 a.m., the Grants Pass Department of Public Safety called in SWAT support, both from the local agency and Oregon State Police. Snipers, entrance teams, negotiators and mental health professionals went to the scene.

"Based on the information known at the time of the SWAT call-out as outlined above, SWAT and the other units on scene were working under 'target of opportunity' paradigm  meaning that deadly physical force had been authorized," the DA's office said. "Despite this authorization, a SWAT sniper monitored Guests behavior within the house for more than two hours."

Over the next several hours, negotiators tried to get Guest to come out or release Reynolds.

Around 1 p.m., the DA's office says that a OSP SWAT sniper was able to spot Guest inside the house with a gun in his hand. As an armored vehicle drove up the street, another SWAT sniper saw Guest becoming increasingly agitated, "so the sniper decided to take the shot if the opportunity presented itself."

Just before 1:30 p.m., the sniper fired into the house at Guest, but Guest was still alive. Nine seconds later, the DA's office said, police heard multiple shots from inside.

Seconds after the first shots, SWAT teams converged on the house and "incapacitated" Guest. The DA's office said that four members of GPDPS used lethal force, as well as three members of the OSP team. Both Reynolds and Guest could not be revived.

"Reynolds was in a reclining chair with her small dog that was also deceased," the DA's office said.

The resulting investigation  including ballistics assessments and autopsies  concluded that Guest had fired multiple shots at Reynolds, striking her a number of times. Guest was hit and killed by law enforcement, the DA's office said. The investigation also found that Guest had "potentially" fired a shot in the direction of SWAT officers as they came in.

"Additionally, due to grain weight differences amongst the bullets, Detectives confirmed that Reynolds was not hit by any of the SWAT members rounds," the DA's office said.

The Josephine County DA's office reviewed the investigation and found that all seven officers were justified in using deadly force, and no further action is "anticipated nor merited."
Two homegrown, new variants of coronavirus have been found in Ohio, scientists said Tuesday

One is completely unique and has become dominant in Columbus, a second is identical to the UK variant but scientists believe it evolved completely separately, in the US, rather than being imported

The UK-like variant was identified in just one person, said Ohio State University researchers

The United States recorded a staggering 4,327 deaths on Tuesday, which is three Americans every minute

The total US death toll has now surpassed 380,000 - more than the past 10 flu seasons combined

Hospitalizations and case numbers also remain precariously high with 131,000 patients currently being treated for COVID nationwide and 230,000 new cases recorded on Tuesday

The pandemic has brought hard-hit Los Angeles to its knees, with intensive care units at capacity and patients being treated in parking lots

Nearly one million residents in LA County have contracted COVID-19, and one local is currently dying from the virus every eight minutes

LA County health officials have urged residents to wear masks indoors to stop spread among family members

Children in the city are apologizing to elderly dying relatives for spreading the virus during family holidays

The US now has its own homegrown 'super-covid' variants that are more infectious than the most common coronavirus types in the US - and the new variants are spreading like wildfire in at least one state, Ohio scientists revealed Wednesday.

One of the new, more infectious variants has already become dominant in Columbus, Ohio, where it was discovered. This unique US variant has three mutations not seen in the others from the UK and South Africa.

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So far, this homegrown variant has been seen in about 20 samples since Ohio State University (OSU) scientists first detected it in December. It's now present in most of the samples they are sequencing.

A second variant has mutations identical to the UK variant's, but arose completely independently on American soil, according to Ohio State University scientists. Just one person with this variant has been found.

'It has a variant backbone that is in common with the UK and South African variants,' but is separate, said Dr Daniel Jones, one of the Ohio State University (OSU) scientists involved in the discovery of the variants.

'We are now in a period where the virus is changing quite substantially...so we are concerned,' at least over the transmissibility, said Dr Jones.

It comes after Dr Deborah Birx warned over the weekend that the patter of COVID-19 case spikes suggested the US could already have its own 50 percent more infectious 'super-covid' variant.

Scientists are quite sure both American variants are more infectious, but don't know yet whether they will be immune to vaccines. The Columbus variant is not currently thought to be deadlier, but scientists are ramping up their search for cases of it to monitor how sick people who catch it get.

'Super-covid' variants are not yet dominant in the broader US, but three Americans died of COVID-19 every minute yesterday. The death toll spiked to a record high cases and hospitalizations continue to surge and hard-hit Los Angeles says children are apologizing to their dying relatives for spreading the virus.

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The United States recorded a staggering 4,327 deaths on Tuesday, bringing the total death toll to more than 380,000 - more than the past 10 flu seasons combined.

The seven-day rolling average for deaths is now at more than 3,200 per day.

In the first 12 days of this month, 34,534 Americans have already died of COVID. That toll is more than the entire monthly totals recorded from June to November last year.

A staggering 4,470 deaths Americans succumbed to the virus in the 24 hours to Tuesday evening, according to new data obtained by Johns Hopkins University. Pictured above health care workers tend to a COVID patient at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley, California on Monday

WHAT ARE THE NEW AMERICAN COVID-19 VARIANTS AND WHAT WILL THEY MEAN FOR US CASES, DEATHS, TRAVEL BANS AND VACCINES?

ANOTHER 'MORE INFECTIOUS' COVID VARIANT FOUND IN BRAZIL Yet another new 'more infectious' strain of coronavirus similar to the British and South African variants has been identified after mutating in Brazil. The mutated variant of Covid was discovered in Tokyo, Japan last week in four people who had arrived on a flight from South America. Scientists have said that the strain has similarities to those of the highly contagious variants found in England and South Africa. Namely, it has a genetic mutation called N501Y, which changes the shape of the spike proteins found on the outside of the virus. The mutation makes Covid more able to latch onto the receptors inside the body that it targets, meaning it makes it past the body's natural defences more often. People who are exposed to the virus therefore become infected more often than they would if the other person was infected with an older, less contagious strain. However, there is no evidence to suggest the mutation makes the virus more deadly. A World Health Organization report on the variant last week said: 'The variant was identified when whole-genome sequencing was conducted on samples from 4 travellers from Brazil who were tested at the airport. 'Through our regional offices, we are working with both Japanese and Brazilian authorities to evaluate the significance of these findings.

With the 'super-covid' variant from the UK already in 10 US states, OSU scientists went looking for it, or a similar, more infectious variant in Ohio.

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They found neither.

But they did find two variants that evolved in the US.

These new strains 'didn't arrive on a plane or a boat,' said Dr Peter Mohler, chief scientific officer at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center during a Wednesday press briefing.

'These are spontaneous or natural mutations that happened over the last six to eight weeks.'

Scientists saw the first signs of a new variant in December.

They had begun spot-checking samples taken from covid-positive people to test them and see whether they matched any of the new variants detected in the UK, South Africa and Brazil - the latter of which UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Wednesday could soon arrive there.

To do so, they have to sequence the viral genome of each sample. OSU scientists started seeing three mutations in the samples they were checking.

These three mutations hadn't been seen in any of the variants circulating around the globe.

One mutation does affect the spike protein on the virus's surface that allows it to infect human cells, but it is a different mutation to this part of the virus than is seen in the UK or South African variants.

The Columbus variant has two additional mutations.

By mid-January, the OSU scientists said the new variant was appearing in most of the viral samples from Columbus they were sequencing.

OSU had been sequencing about 10 samples a week, but is stepping those up. About 20 samples have come up positive for the new variant in recent weeks, suggesting it is now dominant in Columbus.

So far, the Columbus variant hasn't been reported outside Ohio, but the OSU team admitted its emergence could alter policymakers' recommendations on travel restrictions.

On one hand, homegrown super-covid variants mean that banning international travelers - as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to do - won't stop more infectious forms of the virus from infecting Americans.

On the other, having two new super-covid variants could mean Ohio's borders should be close to incoming and outgoing travel.

Their findings on the other new variant back up the former policy.

An elderly woman was recently admitted to an Ohio hospital and diagnosed with COVID-9.

Genome sequencing revealed that the variant infecting her had all the hallmarks of the UK variant.

But genome sequencing also allows scientists to look at the evolutionary history of each sample of virus.

The virus infecting the woman had no UK or South African relatives - despite its resemblance.

The implication of that is a creepy new phase of the pandemic: the virus may be evolving in similar ways in separate countries, completely independently, perhaps because the spike mutation seen in four lineages now - in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and, now, the US - are advantageous.

Cases have been picking up in Ohio - and especially in Franklin County, where COlumbus is located (dark blue, center), perhaps fueled by the new variants there

Dr Anthony Fauci said the curve of US infections 'looks a bit like the curve in the UK.' Pictured: The rise of COVID-19 cases in the UK

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'This is the moment, as we're starting to see changes, where the vaccine is being introduced and the virus has been in the population for some months,' said Dr Jones.

SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, has been stable, for a virus, since the pandemic began year ago. But now, it's starting to change in more dramatic ways.

TWO NYC RESIDENTS ARE AMONG THE STATE'S 15 CASES OF UK 'SUPER-COVID' Two New York City residents have contracted the highly contagious coronavirus variant first identified in the UK. This makes the two cases, announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday, among the 15 infections recently confirmed across the state. The two people live in Manhattan and Queens, respectively, and one of them had recently traveled to the UK. With cases of the new variant spreading, now infecting least 83 people in 11 states, de Blasio called once again for a complete travel ban from the UK.

'To-date, we have no data that the vaccine will not be effective on these viral [variants] and they do not lead to a loss of protection against a related virus,' said Dr Jones.

But the team, as well as scientists at the CDC and abroad, will be watching these variants closely.

US HITS ANOTHER RECORD HIGH DAILY DEATH TOLL OF 4,300 FATALITIES AS LA OFFICIALS BEG PEOPLE TO WEAR MASKS AT HOME TO CONTROL ITS DIRE OUTBREAK

Meanwhile, hospitalizations and case numbers also remain precariously high with 131,000 patients currently being treated for COVID nationwide and 230,000 new cases recorded on Tuesday.

And with cases of the UK 'super-covid' variant on the rise in the US, cases could be set to surge further. At least 85 Americans in 10 states have now been infected with the more contagious UK variant.

Those states include: Colorado, California, Florida, Georgia, New York, Texas, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Indiana.

The situation is dire in Los Angeles with LA County health officials now urging residents to wear masks inside their own homes to stop the virus spreading between family members.

Officials say the surging rates of COVID-19 in the city is likely tied to family gatherings that have taken place over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

They also say children are apologizing to their elderly residents who have become sickened with the disease.

'One of the more heartbreaking conversations that our healthcare workers share is about these last words when children apologize to their parents and grandparents for bringing COVID into their homes for getting them sick,' County Supervisor Hilda Solis told The Los Angeles Times.

'Please, for your loved ones, stay home. Stay safe. Keep your loved ones alive.'

Doctors in the city fear that reports of overcrowding have been keeping some sickly people from seeking medical care.

Medics are urging those who are elderly and are experiencing a shortness of breath to contact their healthcare provider.

'Even if hospitals are full, you have to go seek care or call your doctor,' one doctor urged. The longer you wait for this disease. The less chance we have to give you some of the therapies that can help you get through this.'

As of Monday. Los Angeles County alone had clocked 932,908 cases, with 10 residents testing positive to the virus every minute.

One person is dying from the virus every eight minutes in the county.

Health officials there are scrambling to speed up the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, with plans to open large centers in order to have 500,00 healthcare workers receive their first jab by the end of the month.

More than 9 million people across the country have now had their first dose of the vaccine with 27 million doses have been distributed.

The Trump administration moved on Tuesday to accelerate vaccinations of Americans against COVID-19, releasing the rest of the doses it had been keeping in reserve and recommending states immediately open inoculations to those aged 65 and over.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID deaths recorded in the first 12 days of January alone has already eclipsed the number of virus fatalities recorded in each month from June to October last year

The United States has set a grim new record for daily COVID deaths as the pandemic continues to worsen across the country. Pictured: Patients waiting in a hallway at an overcrowded hospital in Apple Valley, California, on Tuesday

Los Angeles hospitals dealing with the surge of COVID-19 cases are using refrigerated trailers to temporarily store the deceased - as seen above Tuesday

AMERICA'S DEADLIEST DAYS OF THE PANDEMIC January 12, 2021: 4,327 January 7, 2021: 4,194 January 8, 2021: 3,939 January 6, 2021: 3,854 January 5, 2021: 3,767 Source: Johns Hopkins University

Federal and state health officials have scrambled in recent days to step up vaccination programs that had given shots to only 9.3 million Americans as coronavirus infections remain at record highs in many U.S. states nearly two weeks into the new year.

Many U.S. states had strict rules in place giving shots to healthcare workers and nursing home residents first, telling 'non-essential workers' they might wait months for their turn.

'We've already distributed more vaccine than we have healthcare workers and people in nursing homes,' U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told ABC News. 'We've got to get to more channels of administration.'

Roughly 27.5 million doses have been distributed by the U.S. government to states so far, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Azar said the outgoing administration, which had been keeping doses in reserve to make sure that all those who got a first inoculation receive their second shot on schedule, was now confident enough in the supply chain to release that stockpile.

It comes as Dr. Anthony Fauci conceded that some state officials were too worried about adhering to the rules, which is slowing the vaccination process down.

'Guidance from the CDC may have been a bit too rigid,' CNN quoted Fauci as saying on Tuesday during a webcast hosted by Schmidt Futures and Social Science Research Council.

Meanwhile, the US on Tuesday announced all air travelers entering the country will need a negative Covid-19 test before departure. The policy takes effect on January 26 and expands an existing measure targeting Britain where the mutant strain known as B117 has been tied to a drastic spike in cases.

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'Testing does not eliminate all risk, but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer,' said CDC director Robert Redfield.
You are here: China

China's State Council announced the appointment and removal of officials Tuesday.

Wang Shaofeng was appointed vice minister of human resources and social security.

Song Yuanming was appointed vice minister of emergency management and head of the National Workplace Emergency Management Center, replacing Sun Huashan. Song no longer serves as deputy head of the National Mine Safety Administration.

Zhuang Guotai was appointed head of the China Meteorological Administration, replacing Liu Yaming. Zhuang no longer serves as vice minister of ecology and environment.

Li Shulei was appointed vice president of the National Academy of Governance, replacing He Yiting.

Zhao Dacheng was removed from the post of vice justice minister.

Sun Meijun was removed from the post of deputy head of the State Administration for Market Regulation.
Auburn, N.Y.  An Auburn nursing home says a national groups claim that Covid-19 vaccine may have killed some of its residents is blatantly false.

A website post published Sunday by the Ron Paul Institute suggests without any evidence that the Covid-19 vaccine may have caused 24 deaths at The Commons on St. Anthony. The post provided a link to a Syracuse.com story published Saturday that reported a Covid-19 outbreak at the 300-bed nursing home had infected 137 residents, 24 of whom died. The Syracuse.com story also reported the nursing home, operated by Loretto, had begun vaccinating residents against the virus.

The nursing home says the groups claim is misleading, the outbreak began before the vaccine was administered and some of the residents who died were not vaccinated.

The Ron Paul Institute post says:

Things seem to be working backwards at The Commons on St. Anthony nursing home in Auburn, New York. Vaccinating people is supposed to reduce or end coronavirus deaths. Right? But, at The Commons, such deaths are reported to have occurred only after residents began receiving coronavirus vaccinations.

Julie Sheedy, a Loretto official, said the website was spreading false and dangerously misleading information.

She said the nursing home outbreak began in December before the Covid-19 vaccine was available. The first resident tested positive Dec. 16 and an outbreak of additional cases was confirmed Dec. 21, Sheedy said. The nursing home started vaccinating residents Dec. 22.

We certainly wish the vaccines had been available sooner to help prevent the devastation caused by this virus, Sheedy said. But the claims and the timelines on this website are dangerously speculative and factually incorrect. We hope the community knows not to trust unverified information - whether on the web, social media, or heard in-person.

The first resident deaths from Covid-19 at the nursing home were reported Dec. 29 by the Cayuga County Health Department. Sheedy said some of the residents who died had been vaccinated, but wouldnt say how many.

Given the incubation period that we know for this virus, our facility was affected before vaccines were available to be administered, she said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it takes a few weeks for the body to build immunity to Covid-19 after vaccination. The Covid-19 vaccines require two doses administered about four weeks apart. The CDC says it is possible for someone to get infected with Covid-19 and get sick after theyve been vaccinated if the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection.

The website is named after former congressman, presidential candidate and medical doctor Ron Paul, known for his conservative and libertarian views. The website post was shared widely on social media by some anti-vaccination groups.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham discusses a Covid-19 outbreak at an Auburn nursing home.

Conservative TV host Laura Ingraham also talked about the Auburn nursing home outbreak on her Fox News show Monday night. Why did an outbreak of Covid deaths at one nursing home coincide with an explosion of vaccine distribution? she said with a screenshot of the Syracuse.com story in the background.

Ingraham then interviewed Dr. Harvey Risch, a Yale epidemiologist, who said the Covid-19 vaccine is effective at protecting people from getting sick and dying from Covid-19, but does not prevent people who are vaccinated from spreading the virus to others.

The Covid-19 death toll at The Commons increased to 32 as of Monday, according to the state.

Cayuga County has been hit with a post-Thanksgiving surge of Covid-19 cases. The countys total number of Covid-19 deaths increased from 13 on Dec. 21 to 58 as of Tuesday.

Cayuga County had 3,924 confirmed Covid-19 cases as of Tuesday. That number has more than doubled over the past three weeks.

James T. Mulder covers health and higher education. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
Los Angeles: Hollywood veteran Bruce Willis has responded to the reports of him not wearing a mask at a pharmacy here, calling the decision an error in judgement" on his part. The Die Hard" star was photographed sans a facemask in a Rite Aid pharmacy here Monday, leading to outrage on social media as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in the Los Angeles county.

Willis, who had a bandanna tied around his neck, was asked to leave the drug store after he refused" to cover his mouth. The 65-year-old actor later issued a statement to People magazine: It was an error in judgement. Be safe out there everyone and lets continue to mask up." According to reports, Willis is said to have walked out of the pharmacy without making a purchase.

Last year, the action star had been quarantining in Idaho with actor-former wife Demi Moore and their daughters Rumer, Scout, and Tallulah earlier in the pandemic. Los Angeles, the epicentre of the health crisis in California, has crossed 10,000 COVID-19 deaths.
BOSTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Capchase, a Boston-based provider of non-dilutive capital for Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies, has today announced $60M in additional funding, led by specialty finance firm i80 Group. Founded in early 2020, Capchase has quickly established itself as an alternative to dilutive venture capital and venture debt for recurring revenue companies. The new funds will be used to expand the number of companies it can extend financing to, and the amount of revenue prepayment it provides.

Founded by a team of former SaaS operatorsMiguel Fernandez, Luis Basagoiti, Ignacio Moreno, and former VC Przemek GotfrydCapchase helps recurring-revenue companies unlock cash that is otherwise tied up in future subscription-based payments. This allows founders to either reinvest the upfront capital in profitable growth initiatives, or secure cash on hand to extend their runway.

"The capital we've raised through i80 Group will enable us to rapidly grow the number of startups that we work with and establish our position as the leading provider of alternative financing solutions for early- and growth-stage SaaS companies," said Capchase co-founder and CEO, Miguel Fernandez.

Capchase has a significant impact on the businesses it finances. Founders who partner with Capchase delay equity raises by about eight months, raise capital on more favorable terms, and can become cash flow positive. As a result of working with Capchase, founders save 16% in dilution on average while avoiding costly discounts for upfront cash.

"Capchase has created a phenomenal solution, and we are proud to welcome them into our growing portfolio," said Marc Helwani, Managing Partner at i80 Group. "Securing non-dilutive capital is critical for startups and Capchase offers a meaningful alternative."

This funding comes on the heels of a $4.6M seed round, announced in August of 2020. Since its inception, Capchase has disbursed tens of millions of dollars to fast-growing businesses with recurring revenue.

"The successful closing of this financing during a period of extreme financial and political uncertainty demonstrates the appetite among institutional investors for alternative credit providers that mitigate risk appropriately," said Aishwarya Dahanukar, Head of Capital Markets at Capchase.

To learn more about Capchase, visit www.capchase.com . To learn more about i80 Group, visit www.i80group.com .

About Capchase

Capchase is a platform for recurring-revenue companies to secure non-dilutive capital. It provides financing by bringing future expected cash flows to the present day  thereby extending an immediate line of credit. It was founded in 2020 in Boston, MA.

About i80 Group

i80 Group is a specialty finance firm providing capital and support to breakthrough fintech, proptech and other innovative companies. We provide creative and flexible asset-based facilities used to fund origination of loans and other collateral, and design bespoke solutions specific to the unique needs of our partners. The company is headquartered in New York with offices in San Francisco.

Media Contact

Przemek Gotfryd

631-464-8307

[email protected]

SOURCE Capchase

Related Links

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Amanda Burke covers Pittsfield City Hall for The Berkshire Eagle. An Ithaca, New York native, she previously worked at The Herald News of Fall River and the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise. Find her on Twitter at @amandaburkec.
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Publicity Secretary of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Barrister Yinka Oguntimehin, has warned Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria(MACBAN) to desist from its plot to infiltrate the Southwest Security Network, codenamed Operation Amotekun.

Speaking against the backdrop of the call made by the group for the inclusion of its members and other ethnic groups in the southwest outfit, OPC expressed worry that MACBAN has created the greatest security challenges in Nigeria, adding that the call by the group was a ploy to weaken the south west security outfit and also put the region in perpetual security threat.

The OPC publicity scribe described the call as an attempt to overrun all the security architectures of the region.

OPC will never allow Miyetti Allah to set our region on fire. We cannot afford to see the southwest facing the kind of security challenges faced daily in the North East and North West.

Our group will never fold its arms and see the southwest being overrun by herdsmen and marauders. That is why we are warning leaders of the group to desist from their sinister motives and leave Amotekun alone in the region.

Oguntimehin lambasted the leader of the Oyo State chapter of the Fulani herders, Ibrahim Jiji for making such unrealistic request, maintaining that the group lacked the credibility to call for its inclusion into Amotekun.

He also urged the Federal Government to beam a searchlight on Jiji for making such requests, adding that no Yoruba group has ever called for inclusion into the Northern security outfits like HISBA, or the Middle Belt security outfit.

What does these Fulani herders want from us? Do they want to weaken or polarise our security outfit? The call was irrational and unjust, and we will resist any attempt to soil the name of Amotekun

Operation Amotekun is a child of circumstance, it is the southwest arrangement to curb the spate of insecurity ravaging the region, and since its inauguration in Oyo, Ondo and Ekiti respectively, the response has been encouraging. So, we need to support and encourage them in their quest to curb insecurity in the southwest.

Oguntimehin, however, charged all Yoruba traditional rulers across the southwest to support Amotekun in their respective domains,stressing that the efforts of the Oyo State chapter of Amotekun to secure the state is yielding positive results.

I want to commend the Director General of the Oyo State Amotekun, for standing firm in ensuring that Oyo state is safe for residents.I will also commend the governors of Ondo, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ogun states for championing the cause for southwest safety and security. And I want to appeal to the Lagos state governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwoolu to fast track the recruitment of the Lagos State Amotekun because from our investigations, it is sad that Lagos State still remains the most volatile state.

There are signals that killer herdsmen have invaded Lagos state. But it is also sad that southwest is full of hypocrites. From our findings, a large percentage of the enemies of Yoruba race are within the nucleus of the south west. Many of those behind the media propaganda against Amotekun are Yoruba and their target is to soil the image of the region

Many of those opposing Amotekun are prominent sons and daughters of the Yoruba race. And I want to assure all honest Yoruba sons and daughters that OPC will soon expose those behind the verbal attacks against the southwest security outfit, he said. (Daily Independent)

By TEMIDAYO AKINSUYI
CPS has said it approved 100% of accommodation or leave requests from staff members with underlying medical conditions who applied under the Americans with Disabilities Act. But as of late last year, less than 20% of requests had been approved from those who said they live with someone with a serious medical condition, and less than half of the total requests had been granted.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  The Manila City government will prohibit crowd-drawing activities during the commemoration of the Feast of the Santo Nino in Manila on Jan. 16 and 17.

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno signed Tuesday an executive order disallowing "street party, stage show, parade, and similar activities that draw crowd" for the religious event this weekend. He noted in EO 2, Series of 2021 that the "activities during the fiesta celebration, if not regulated, can be surely an easy medium of COVID-19 spread and transmission."

Moreno also prohibited the sale of liquor and other alcoholic beverages in Pandacan and Tondo during the celebrations. The curfew hours between midnight and 3 a.m. will also be strictly implemented in the said areas, he added.

Thousands of devotees usually swarm the Santo Nino churches in Tondo and Pandacan to join the annual feast of the oldest religious image in the Philippines.

The Manila government earlier drew flak after allowing devotees to visit the Quiapo Church to attend mass celebrations for the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Jan. 9. Masses were held in lieu of the Traslacion or grand procession of the Black Nazarene image, which traditionally draws millions of Catholic faithful. Experts have warned of a surge in coronavirus cases that might lead to stricter movement restrictions after up to 400,000 devotees visited the Quiapo area on the eve and on the day of the Black Nazarene feast.

Syracuse, NY  There were times when Mitayah Donerlson worried her infant son wouldnt make it.

Kasen qualified for a liver transplant, but had to wait for a suitable donor. During that wait, he contracted Covid, pushing his eligibility back a month.

Being completely honest, I immediately thought of death,' said Donerlson, who lives in Syracuse. He was already fighting for his life, and then he gets Covid. My heart just dropped.

But little Kasen, who will turn 1 on Thursday, is a fighter. He survived Covid-19, and then underwent a successful liver transplant. Hes now recovering in his hospital room at UPMC Childrens Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Its a complete miracle,' said his mom, who is renting a two-bedroom apartment in Pittsburgh so she can back and forth to the hospital.

Once Kasen is discharged from the hospital next week or the week after, he has to complete a series of clinical visits. That means Kasen and his mom will be in Pittsburgh for the next three to six months.

I am just so very grateful,' said his mom, who also has a 5-year-old son.

Kasens ordeal started after his birth at Crouse Hospital, where he was extremely jaundiced. He came home, but wasnt gaining weight. He was diagnosed in March with biliary atresia, a congenital condition which occurs when the bile ducts inside or outside the liver do not develop normally for some unknown reason.

Doctors decided to try surgery, which is called a Kasai procedure. The problem bile ducts are removed, and the small intestine is attached to the liver to give the bile a path to drain from the liver.

Donerlson said she was told it would take several weeks to see if the procedure worked.

We went back and forth to the hospital,' she said. It seemed endless.

Doctors told her the procedure wasnt working, and Kasen would need a liver transplant. In July, she traveled to Pittsburgh so Kasen could be evaluated, and then he was placed on the waiting list.

As Kasen waited, his liver function continued to decline, Donerlson said.

On Nov. 21, Kasen woke up with a fever.

His whole body felt like it was on fire from head to toe,' his mom said.

She rushed him to Upstate University Hospital, where a test showed he had Covid.

I just prayed he would be OK and able to come out of the hospital again,' Donerlson said. I knew there was this potential all along he wouldnt make it, but I prayed.

Donerlson also wound up with Covid, but once Kasens fever broke, he had no other symptoms.

Kasen Donerlson just had a successful liver transplant Jan. 3

But having the virus meant he wouldnt be eligible to have a transplant for 30 days. Donerlson was worried hed miss his opportunity.

On Jan. 2, Donerlson got a call saying they had a deceased donor whose liver would be a good fit for Kasen. Donerlson packed their suitcases, got in the car and drove to Pittsburgh for the surgery.

Kasen got a new liver Jan. 3 in a nine-hour surgery, his mom said. He did well, and after a week she looked at him and noticed for the first him his eyes were clear, and not yellow.

Its a complete miracle,' she said. Theres no sign of rejection. Now we just take it one day at a time.

Kasen needs to remain in the hospital, but hes alert and playful. Donerlson will stay there, and a fundraising campaign has been set up to help the single mom with expenses.

We are so blessed,' Donerlson said.

Kasen Donerlson after his successful liver transplant.

***

The shortage of livers for transplants

In 2017, about 8,000 liver transplants were performed in the United States among both adults and children, according to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. But there are almost 17,000 patients on the waiting list in the United States for liver transplantation.

What to know about being a liver donor

Elizabeth Doran covers education, suburban government and development, breaking news and more. Got a tip, comment or story idea? Contact her anytime at 315-470-3012 or email edoran@syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y.  Rep. John Katko made a small bit of history Tuesday night, becoming the first Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives to publicly back an effort to impeach President Donald Trump.

Within minutes, Katkos announcement became national news. It scrolled across the ticker on CNN and political correspondents from major networks shared it on social media. An image of Katko -- who has kept a mostly low profile in national politics -- played on screens as cable news networks shared his decision.

On social media, national figures from both major political parties chimed in, offering mostly praise.

House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) quoted Katko in a fact sheet aimed at building support for impeachment.

Barbara Comstock, a former Republican Congresswoman from Virginia, called Katko the future of the Republican Party.

Thank you @RepJohnKatko, she tweeted. A smart lawyer, homeland security expert and the future of our party -- in New York and beyond!

Thank you @RepJohnKatko -- a smart lawyer, homeland security expert and the future of our party -- in New York and beyond! https://t.co/QQUkBW07qM  Barbara Comstock (@BarbaraComstock) January 12, 2021

Donna Brazile, former chair of the Democratic National Committee, shared Katkos statement along with a single word: Leadership.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) also thanked Katko with a tweet.

State Sen. Rachel May, a Democrat from Syracuse, called it welcome news.

Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick, a Democrat, said bipartisan impeachment was a path to unity.

Kudos to the Republicans standing up to say the President must be impeached, he tweeted.

Several of Katkos more vocal critics in Central New York offered varying levels of praise for the decision.

I have not always agreed with @RepJohnKatko, but right is right - thank you for voting to #impeach, wrote Mark Spadafore, upstate political director for 1199SEIU.

It only took this long, hedging multiple times and pressure, tweeted Yusuf Abdul-Qadir, head of the local chapter of the NYCLU. Better late than never I guess.

Alex Burns, national political correspondent for The New York Times, noted the contrast between Katko and his Republican colleague in the North Countrys 21st Congressional District, Elise Stefanik. Stefanik objected to the results of the Electoral College in a vote last week and has been one of Trumps most vocal supporters.

The Katko/Stefanik contrast  they are not quite neighboring districts but close  basically encompasses the entire spectrum of the House GOP, Burns wrote on Twitter.

Many of Katkos party leaders have been mum, so far, on his decision, including the president, who was banned last week from Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Jodhpur:

In a new twist to the sensational Bhanwari Devi murder case, accused Indira Bishnoi on Saturday told a court that she is alive and living in Bengaluru.



The councel for Bishnoi, who was arrested on June 3 from Madhya Pradeshs Dewas, supported her claim saying the bones recovered from a canal by the CBI were not of Bhanwari and that the forensic report was not conclusive on this.



While the assertion left the CBI officials in the court amused, the defence counsel said, It is only the version of the CBI that Bhanwari has died and that too on the basis of the statements of the witnesses.



He said that the CBI had claimed that some bones had been found in a canal and that too after four months of Bhanwari disappearance. Even the examination report of those bones is not clear, which means Bhanwari may be alive, he added.

ALSO READ: Bhanwari Devi murder case: Jodhpur court sends Indira Bishnoi to CBI custody



The court also sent Bishnoi to judicial custody after the CBI said that it no longer needed her remand. Among the accused in the case, 16 are now in judicial custody, one is out on bail.



Bhanwari, posted as an auxiliary nurse midwife at a sub-centre in Jaliwada village, around 120 km from Jodhpur, had gone missing on September 1, 2011. She disappeared after a CD allegedly showing then Rajasthan minister Mahipal Maderna in compromising position with the 36-year-old nurse was aired by some news channels.



The CBI had said Bhanwari was allegedly abducted from Jodhpurs Bilara area on September 1, 2011 and murdered. Her body was handed over to another gang which burnt it in a limestone quarry and dumped the remains in a canal, it alleged.



Maderna (65), who then represented the Osian Assembly constituency, was arrested on December 2, 2011 in Jodhpur by the CBI.

ALSO READ: Bhanwari Devi murder case: ATS arrests accused Indira Bishnoi from Madhya Pradesh

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The unprecedented push to inoculate the world's population against Covid-19 has got off to a sluggish start, triggering a storm of criticism.

Here's a look at the major obstacles that have hampered the vaccine rollout, and what's being done about them.

Insufficient supply

While the coronavirus vaccines have been developed and approved at record-breaking speed, deliveries of the first batches have been smaller than many had hoped, notably in the European Union.

Many governments have stressed that supply was always going to be tight at first before the pace accelerates in the coming months.

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

Large vaccination centres opened later than expected in cities from Berlin to New York, contrasting with faster inoculation drives in Israel and Britain.

Under pressure for not having ordered more from Pfizer/BioNTech, whose jab was the first to be approved in the West, the 27-member EU recently doubled its order to 600 million doses.

To boost supply, BioNTech is readying a new manufacturing site in Germany.

The EU has also approved a vaccine by US firm Moderna. A third shot, by AstraZeneca/Oxford, is expected to be greenlit at the end of January.

In the United States, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo accused the federal government of delivering insufficient doses, saying that by January 11 the state had only received one million doses for four million eligible people.

Logistical headaches

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is based on novel messenger RNA technology and needs to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius (minus 94 degrees Fahrenheit), requiring special freezers. Once thawed, it can be kept at fridge temperates (2-8 degrees) for five days.

Other vaccines also need to be kept cool, but at less Arctic temperatures.

The cold-chain requirements have led to a few stumbles. In the German state of Bavaria, hundreds of Pfizer/BioNTech doses were thrown out over fears they were incorrectly stored in camping coolers.

A "temperature control" problem at Pfizer's Belgian production plant led to a delayed shipment to Spain.

The Spanish rollout was further complicated by record snowfall in Madrid, which forced a plane carrying vaccines to be diverted.

The cold-chain logistics are likely to prove challenging in warmer and poorer countries.

India, which aims to inoculate 300 million by July, plans to use 29,000 cold storage sites and 41,000 freezers to keep vaccines at the right temperatures.

Questions have also been raised about whether the world will have enough vials to hold the vaccines. The little bottles, made of high-quality borosilicate glass, are manufactured by just a handful of firms.

Germany's Schott, a leading glassmaker, told AFP they remained on track to deliver enough vials to hold two billion Covid-19 doses this year.

Follow our LIVE blog for latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

Red tape ('Don't call us')

Several EU countries have chosen to first vaccinate elderly people in care homes, deemed most at risk from the virus.

Famously bureaucratic France quicky fell behind its neighbours as health workers had to wade through a 45-page guide and a laborious consent process for each patient. The guide has since been slimmed down to 20-odd pages.

Austria and Germany have also said the work of mobile vaccination teams has been slowed by efforts to ensure each care home resident is educated about the jab before they agree to it.

It didn't help that the arrival of vaccines coincided with the Christmas holidays, when medical services had fewer staff on hand.

There have been complaints that vaccine hotlines and appointment websites have been overrun with inquiries, leading to long waiting times.

"Don't call us, we'll call you," said German Health Minister Jens Spahn.

Wastage

Vaccinators quickly realised they could extract six instead of five doses from each vial of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. But with the extra dose not authorised, it technically had to be thrown away.

Regulators responded by amending their guidelines so as not to waste a single drop.

Nevertheless, doses are still being discarded.

Reports have emerged of New York hospitals throwing out vials because they expired before they found enough people in the priority groups to inject, prompting calls for local authorities to allow more flexibility.

"There's a lack of guidance as to what do with leftover doses," Dr Saad Omer, director of Yale's Institute for Global Health told AFP. "There could have been national guidance... I think it's criminal to throw away doses."

One solution might be to make back-up reservations in case the intended recipients don't show up, like rush tickets for Broadway shows, he said.

In Bulgaria, a hospital caused outrage when it injected four municipal councillors before their turn, reportedly because the doses would have otherwise been binned. The health ministry has opened an investigation.

Vaccine sceptics

A vocal and growing movement of "anti-vaxxers" has fuelled scepticism of Covid-19 jabs, despite scientists' assurances that the approved vaccines are safe.

Surveys suggest eastern European countries have some of the highest rates of vaccine refuseniks, including Hungary and the Czech Republic.

Even health workers have shown hesitation. Less than half of doctors in France said they were certain they would take the jab.

In Japan, which has long grappled with deep mistrust of vaccines, not a single jab has been approved to date.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga plans to be among the first to be vaccinated once the campaign gets going, to bolster public confidence.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
The gap between first and second doses of coronavirus vaccines could be stretched beyond the 12-week target, health chiefs said today.

When the Pfizer Covid jab was approved it was on the condition that people would get a second dose three weeks after their first one, as was done in clinical trials.

But UK regulators claimed there was enough data to prove it could be stretched out to three months, allowing No10 to deliver first doses to twice as many people before bigger deliveries of the jabs arrive in spring. Pfizer hit back and said there was no proof the vaccine worked when the two doses were given so far apart.

Now, however, elderly people who have already had their first jabs could face even longer and potentially open-ended gaps between the two doses.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has given approval for the second jab to be given any time after 21 days after the first one, with no outer limit.

And Public Health England's head of immunisation, Dr Mary Ramsey, today said: 'It may well be that we can afford to be more relaxed.' But regulators will only allow the gap to be stretched even further if data shows that protection from the first dose lasts longer than expected.

Speaking in a meeting with MPs on the Science and Technology Committee, Dr Ramsay said it was possible that the priority in the spring could be getting jabs to younger people instead of giving the elderly a second dose.

It comes as England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said today that the country is in a 'constrained supply situation' but reassured the public second doses hadn't been cancelled.

The JCVI's Dr Wei Shen Lim said the Pfizer vaccine appeared to be good enough after one dose that that could eventually become the norm, but it wasn't yet the official advice.

Britain is scrambling to use up all its supply of vaccines to get first doses to as many people of possible, and has successfully vaccinated 2.43million people so far.

Dr Mary Ramsay, from Public Health England (left), and the JCVI's Dr Wei Shen Lim (right), today said it was possible that people's second Covid vaccine doses would be extended beyond the 12 week limit outlined by the Government

Vaccines are now being offered to people one dose at a time to overcome a slow start to supplies, and second doses will be given out from the spring when there are more jabs available and the outbreak has calmed down (Pictured: A man gets vaccinated in Stevenage, Hertfordshire)

Speaking about second doses Dr Ramsay told the committee: 'My understanding now is that people are being scheduled at the sort of 12-week mark...

'The information they are being given now is that you will be vaccinated between three and 12 weeks after the first dose so it doesn't promise them the vaccine at three to four weeks.'

She added: 'The current advice from the JCVI is that they go back and do the second dose for the first group so I am expecting that to happen in parallel that we'll be carrying on rolling out the next groups at the same time and that's an operational consideration for NHS England...

'The JCVI is saying at the moment that the second dose should be given no later than 12 weeks.

'If we have additional data then it may be that the balance again is actually in favour of doing more first doses so it may be that the situation changes as the science changes. This is a very fast-moving field.'

Dr Ramsay said that, depending on what data shows about levels of protection from a single dose of the vaccine, officials might be able to be 'more relaxed' about giving out second jabs.

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION REFUSED TO APPROVE 12-WEEK GAP BECAUSE THERE'S NO EVIDENCE The World Health Organization has refused to give its blessing to Britain's plan to space the two doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine by more than a month. Officials in the UK decided to use all available doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, which was the first to be approved, to get a single dose to as many people as possible. In the process they will leave people waiting up to 12 weeks for their second jab. Covid cases started to fall around 12 days after people got their first dose in studies but, because everyone got a second shot just 10 days later, scientists don't know how long immunity from the initial jab would last. The WHO said last week that governments should be giving people their second dose within 21 to 28 days of having the first, to make sure the vaccine works long-term. But it did not attack Britain's decision not to do this, admitting the Government had been forced to make a difficult decision because of spiralling infections and deaths in recent weeks. One of the experts said they 'totally acknowledge that countries may see needs to be even more flexible in terms of the administration of the second dose'. In a meeting to discuss how doses are spaced out yesterday, WHO experts concluded that, with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, people should get their second dose 21 to 28 days after the first, with an 'outer limit' of six weeks. This maximum limit is still only half as long as the UK plans to leave it, with hundreds of thousands of people being told they could have to wait three months. Advertisement

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, deputy chief medical officer for England

Asked if this could mean people waiting longer than 12 weeks, Dr Ramsay added: 'I think that's unlikely but it's always possible  as you know in the Covid situation everything has changed when new evidence comes around.'

The choice to extend the second dose period to more than three weeks triggered controversy among scientists and doctors when it was announced because it wasn't tested in clinical trials.

In Pfizer and BioNTech's trials, everybody who received the vaccine got their second jab around three weeks after the first, and the results showing how effective it is are all based on this.

Although data showed evidence of protection starting around two weeks after the first dose, with Covid cases in the group slowing to a stop from that point, scientists cannot say how long this one-dose protection would last.

But the JCVI has said it is satisfied there is enough evidence that a high level of immunity would carry on after the first dose.

Dr Wei Shen Lim said the data may even be strong enough to move to a one-dose schedule in the future.

He told MPs this morning: 'We noted that the vaccine had a very high level of protection after the first dose.

'And we had also considered whether the first dose provided sufficient protection that one eventually might consider using a single dose.

'But we also felt that at that time [before Christmas] there were insufficient data to suggest a single-dose regimen.

'Even now the JCVI's advice is that the schedule is a two-dose schedule, that hasn't changed  we maintain that a two-dose schedule is the right schedule - the difference is that we have been more permissive to when the second dose can be given.'

He reiterated that the JCVI's advice is that the Pfizer second dose is given between three and 12 weeks, and the Oxford second dose is between four and 14 weeks.

Dr Lim added: 'The EMA [European Medicines Agency] approval is that the second dose can be given at a minimum of 21 days, with no upper limit to that regulation.

'The MHRA then followed and changed their regulatory approval such that the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine is approved to be given from 21 days with no upper limit. So that then allows further flexibility.'

Their comments as deputy medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the UK is in a 'constrained supply situation'.

There is some confusion over whether companies making the vaccines are slowing down the programme by not producing fast enough, or whether the NHS's network is not working fast enough to deliver the doses it has.

Professor Van-Tam said it was on the manufacturers, who in turn have said they're slowed by rigorous quality checks before they can be used.

Professor Van-Tam told LBC Radio today: 'I do understand the concerns that people are raising about this, but I want to make it clear that the second dose is not cancelled, it is deferred.

'We will definitely come back to the second dose and it is very important to come back to it.

'But, moving from the outside in, we are in a constrained supply situation.'


For the second time in less than two years, Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts on Wednesday opened debate on the impeachment of President Donald Trump on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Trump faces the prospect of becoming the first president to be impeached twice, with Democrats joined by at least a handful of Republicans poised to charge him with inciting an insurrection on his own Capitol. The debate and likely successful vote come a week after Trump urged loyalists to march on the U.S. Capitol and fight like hell to curtail Congress from sealing Joe Bidens election win.

To read the article of impeachment, read here. Lawmakers expect roughly two hours of debate and a final vote between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.

McGovern, chair of the House Rules Committee that established the debate process for impeachment, said Trump stoked the anger of a violent mob last Wednesday after repeating baseless election fraud claims following a free and fair election that hed lost.

The signal was unmistakable, McGovern said, arguing Trump urged thugs to stage a coup so Donald Trump can hold onto power. The peoples will be damned.

McGovern cited a noose and gallows were built a stones throw from the Capitol steps and that attackers hunted down lawmakers to hold them hostage or worse. These were not protesters. These were not patriots. These were traitors ... acting on the orders of Donald Trump.

Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, said a quick impeachment, without investigation and discussion among legal scholars and lawmakers, would only fuel division.

Instead of moving forward as a unifying force, the majority of the House is dividing us further, Cole said.

He called for a bipartisan commission, modeled after the 9/11 Commission, to investigate the assault on the Capitol and make recommendations to Congress and the president.

McGovern reiterated that every second Trump remains in office is dangerous.

According to the single article of impeachment, Trump engaged in high crimes and misdemeanors by inciting violence against the government of the United States, willfully making statements that, in context, encouraged  and foreseeably resulted in  lawless action at the Capitol, such as: if you dont fight like hell youre not going to have a county anymore.

Trump has shrugged off arguments that he incited an insurrection among his followers and belittled the attack on the Capitol compared to unrest in cities like Portland and Seattle. He claimed Tuesday that the real problem was rhetoric around racial justice protests this summer in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

The House previously impeached Trump after he pressed the Ukrainian government to dig up dirt on Biden while withholding military aid to the country. The Senate later acquitted him.

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

In the midst of a third wave of coronavirus infections, Ireland now holds the unhappy title of the nation with the highest transmission rate in the world.

The country of five million has suffered only 2,397 virus deaths to date and gained plaudits for the way it handled two previous pandemic waves.

In December, it had the lowest incidence rate in the European Union after becoming the first member country to launch a second lockdown.

But now it sits atop a world table tracking fresh infections.

There were 1,288 confirmed cases per million of the population on Monday according to data compiled by Oxford Universityplacing Ireland first, ahead of the Czech Republic and Slovenia.

'Tsunami of infection'

Ireland had officially registered just over 93,000 cases on January 1 but that figure jumped to more than 150,000 by Monday.

On Tuesday, Switzerland announced a quarantine on Irish travellers as World Health Organization (WHO) emergencies director Michael Ryan said the nation has "one of the most acute increases in disease incidence of any country".

The head of Ireland's health service has warned that hospitals were "beyond strain".

According to Tuesday's figures, there are 1,700 patients hospitalised with the virus, nearly double the peak registered in Ireland's first wave early last year.

The third lockdown has seen schools, non-essential retail and the hospitality sector totally shut.

Prime Minister Micheal Martin said last week healthcare workers were facing a "tsunami of infection".

"Unless you are involved in absolutely essential work you have no reason to be away from your home," he warned the public.

Hectic Christmas

However, just weeks earlier, Ireland was one of the nations to dramatically relax coronavirus restrictions around the festive period.

Pubs, restaurants, gyms, hairdressers and non-essential shops were permitted to reopen in December.

The decision reportedly cut against the advice of Ireland's National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET), which recommended more stringent measures remain in place.

Ireland further relaxed restrictions in late Decemberallowing up to three households to mingle as Martin aimed to give citizens a "meaningful Christmas".

Ireland's chief medical officer Tony Holohan has said there was "a significant change in the patterns of socialisation" as a result of the December alterations.

He said before the Christmas period there were "pre-pandemic levels of socialisation", abetting the spread of the virus.

UK variant

Ireland is also reporting a spike in cases of a new variant of coronavirus first identified in neighbouring Britain.

The new strain, which is believed to be up to 70 percent more transmissible, was first identified in the south of England.

Ireland announced the first confirmed case of the variant on Christmas Day.

On Monday health officials said data from the first week of 2021 showed the new variant now accounts for 45 percent of samples tested.

Ireland banned flights from Britain from December 20 until January 9 and now requires arriving travellers to present a negative test.

However there has been some suggestion from media that Ireland's unique border arrangements hamper efforts to quash the spread of the new variant from Britain.

Ireland borders the UK province of Northern Ireland, the site of a sectarian conflict known as "The Troubles" which ended in 1998.

Under a peace deal the 500-kilometre (310-mile) border was opened and it has been deemed too politically sensitive to shut it down.

Prime Minister Micheal Martin said Monday it was "very hard" to seal the border.

He also said it was also "overly simplistic to just focus on one area" to blame for Ireland's vertiginous infection rate.

"I'm accepting socialisation, I would add the UK variant and I would add other factors as well," he told Newstalk radio.

Explore further Follow the latest news on the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak

 2021 AFP
The impacts of climate change on human, natural and business systems are well documented, as is the need to act to leave a healthier world for future generations. Many C-Suite executives, technology leaders and line-of-business teams are asking themselves whether they are fully exploiting sustainability to modernise and stimulate their businesses.

Businesses need to ensure their digital transformation strategies incorporate sustainability objectives, or risk missing opportunities and costing themselves new business and revenue.

Many businesses are doing so by using suppliers that can drive improved sustainability and environmental performance while enabling digital transformation. At Google Cloud, we want to achieve carbon-free energy, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at all of our data centres worldwide by 2030.

Businesses that move into Google Cloud can dramatically reduce the net emissions associated with their compute and data storage, while accessing the agility, performance and availability of cloud services.

However, businesses that view sustainability as an opportunity are looking beyond shifting technology infrastructure into our cloud. They recognise the chance to complement sustainability with innovation across the organisation, impacting functions beyond IT such as marketing and finance.

These businesses also understand that consumers demand sustainable products, investors are moving to brands and funds with strong environmental, social and governance principles and nations are prioritising a sustainable economic recovery.

For businesses yet to acknowledge the environmental threat, ignoring or dismissing sustainability is not an option. As Mark Carney, former Governor of the Bank of England, stated recently, Firms that align their business models to the transition to a net zero [emissions] world will be rewarded handsomely. Those that fail to adapt will cease to exist.

In addition, a recent resilience report prepared by global bank HSBC noted the impetus to become more sustainable is coming from several sources: 43% of businesses surveyed anticipated customer demand would be a source of pressure in the next 1-2 years, while 38% anticipated pressure from government regulations and 32% from employees.

Achieving sustainability with Google Cloud

Many businesses are already achieving considerable sustainability returns from investing in cloud. For example, shipping and logistics business UPS created algorithms to continually optimise the routes its trucks travel to deliver packages to consumers.

The project saves UPS $US400 million a year and reduces fossil fuel consumption by more than 37 million litres a year. In addition, France-based retailer Carrefour used the cloud to optimise its inventory ordering process, increasing sourcing efficiency while dramatically impacting food waste.

Customer experience specialist Wingify is another customer to have reaped considerable environmental benefits from cloud. Ankit Jain, Vice President of Engineering, Wingify, says "By migrating to Google Cloud, our carbon footprint was reduced by 30% as a company, because most of our footprint is the technology we use. It brings us great satisfaction to be building innovative customer relations tools for clients around the world, while being friendly to the planet."

At Google Cloud, we have a roadmap available to help businesses combine improved sustainability with innovation. This roadmap guides businesses to make IT operations more sustainable by moving workloads to our efficient data centres to take advantage of our renewable energy approach, before extending to leveraging cloud to tackle the challenges facing individual businesses or industries.

Bringing sustainability into a conversation early gives businesses perspective on where to focus technology efficiencies, opportunities or innovations, to achieve the greatest environmental benefit.

Learn more here about building a sustainable business with Google Cloud.
"Unlimited power in the hands of limited people always leads to cruelty."

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago

COVID and the resulting restrictions on our essential freedoms have been crippling  to the economy, to education, to the psychological well-being of millions of Americans. The communist tactic so clearly depicted in books like Koestler's Darkness at Noon, Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago, and Orwell's 1984 is in play: the indoctrination of the masses by fear in order to effect the wholesale subjugation of the people.

Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and Mao all ruled by fear. The merest expression of disagreement with those regimes would mean the camps, prison, or death. Truth was irrelevant. Guilt was assigned arbitrarily without a shred of actual evidence of any crime. Think of Kafka's The Trial. The concept of individual freedom was anathema to these dictators. They all used concentration camps just as the Chinese do today; nearly a million Uighurs live in camps in China. They are denied basic human rights and are used for slave labor, organ harvesting, and medical experimentation. This is the country that owns, and will manipulate to its own ends, Joe Biden. With what the Chinese have on Hunter Biden, Joe will be as easy a tool to use as a dime-store screwdriver.

While we were sleeping, the Democrat party has been advancing its own form of population control. First it was political correctness on college campuses. That doctrine was quickly adopted by all the social media sites. Use a wrong word, express an "incorrect" idea, misuse a gender pronoun, and one will be viciously harassed online. The next step in this process is canceling people who make a verbal slip, even if a breach of P.C. etiquette was committed years in the past. They would be attacked, then canceled. That means they might lose their job, be kicked off a college campus, publicly reviled and ruined. The whole notion is totalitarian, anti-freedom.

And now, after five years of the left's numerous unconscionable attempts to vilify and destroy President Trump, leftists are using what happened at the Capitol on January 6, the intrusion of the building by a tiny fraction of all the people who had shown up to protest the Electoral College results, to impeach him again! There were Antifa instigators in their midst, and one woman was shot to death by a Capitol officer. Four others died of "natural causes," whatever that means in this case.

Trump had nothing whatever to do with the ensuing chaos. There was not a single word that could be construed as incitement in his speech. But leftists jumped at what they saw as another opportunity, as COVID was an opportunity ("never let a crisis go to waste," the left's mantra) to blame Trump for the incident. Never mind that they loved riots in the streets throughout the summer. They encouraged them. Those arsonists, looters, and killers were not charged with their crimes because the riots all occurred in Democrat-run cities. They did a couple of billion dollars in damage but were given a pass. But for the left, "[t]he principle that the end justifies the means is and remains the only rule of political ethics; anything else is just a vague chatter and melts away between one's fingers" (Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon).

Now, with Trump just days away from the end of his administration, and D.C. about to be run once again by the swamp-dwellers who work only for themselves and not their constituents, the entire digital infrastructure is piling on. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube have all been cleansed of all things Trump. Amazon took down Parler, the main competitor to Twitter. Big businesses and banks are joining in, further canceling the president. They could not control him because he did represent the American people, an unforgiveable sin in our capital city. There is not a moral sense or a spine in any of these companies so willing to turn on the man who brought about the best economy in decades. The despicable anti-Trump Lincoln Project is compiling a list of all those who worked or spoke in favor of the Trump administration. Their goal? To prevent any of them ever getting work again. The editor of Forbes has suggested the same; every person who worked for Trump should be canceled permanently. Then there is Michael Beller, a lawyer for PBS. Project Veritas got his vicious sentiments on camera. Beller is a perfect representation of who and what the left has become. These people want to put us in camps, to reprogram our children! They would all be right at home in Stalin's repressive and genocidal regime. They actually mean to punish all of us who have supported Trump, those of us for whom Biden will never, ever be a legitimate president. The election was stolen and the steal was planned over the last four years. Corrupt Hillary lawyer Mark Elias filed three hundred lawsuits in the swing states, under the radar, to ensure the success of the steal, to secure mail-in voting, ballot-harvesting, no signature verification, out-of-state voting, illegal aliens voting, and fake ballotprinting if needed. They were needed. Again, they underestimated Trump's support.

No American should send his kids to college right now, unless it is Grove City or Hillsdale. Our universities have been transformed into Soviet-style mini-states. They teach and employ Herbert Marcuse's theory of "repressive intolerance." From Marcuse's perspective, Western society as a whole is thoroughly corrupted. Liberating tolerance, then, would mean intolerance against movements from the right and toleration of movements from the left. He rejected what he termed "indiscriminate tolerance"  a tolerance that accepts all viewpoints  in favor of "liberating tolerance" or "discriminating tolerance." To put it succinctly, cancel culture is absolute; conservative views must be thoroughly and officially invalidated. In fact, as Solzhenitsyn wrote, "intolerance is the first sign of an inadequate education. An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility."

President Trump, the most pro-American president since Reagan, had to be cancelled. Dr. Lee Meng Yan, the heroic woman who fled Hong Kong to share what she knows about the Wuhan virus spoke to Steve Bannon about the Chinese way of "disappearing" people. First they destroy a target person, in public, online. They erase any positive achievements. Then they rebuke the person by going after his family to finish the job of deleting, canceling the person. That is exactly what we see happening here, and it is happening very, very fast. We are living in a Big Tech tyranny that has used its vast power to steal an election, to cancel any and all undesirable views, and now to declare the Trump presidency null and void. Again from Koestler's Darkness at Noon about the utter failure of the Russian Revolution, Lenin, and Stalin: "The arbitrary power of the Government is unlimited, and unexampled in history; freedom of the Press, of opinion and of movement are as thoroughly exterminated as though the proclamation of the Rights of Man had never been." It seems that is exactly where we in America find ourselves today.

Who among the mostly cowardly Republicans will stand up to this attempt to abrogate the United States as founded? There are some great ones: Nunes, Jordan, Johnson, Gaetz, DeSantis, Cruz, Hawley, to name a few. We need many, many more like them, and we need to be rid of the traitors: McConnell, Cheney, Romney, Toomey, Kinzinger, for example. These craven pols need to be gone. The Trump presidency has done us a great favor by exposing the greedy and faint-hearted among the GOP.

True conservatives would be wise to remember the words of Machiavelli:

And what physicians say about disease is applicable here: that at the beginning disease is easy to cure but difficult to diagnose; but as time passes, not having been recognized or treated at the outset, it becomes easy to diagnose but difficult to cure. The same thing occurs in affairs of state; for by recognizing from afar the diseases that are spreading in the state they can be cured quickly; but when, not having been recognized, they are not recognized and are left to grow to the extent that everyone recognizes them, there is no longer any cure.

We are at a tipping point.

Image: Tom Hilton via Flickr, CC BY 2.0.
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A father whose son vanished without a trace more than 13 years ago has issued a fresh appeal for information to put an end to the 'torture' of not knowing if he is even alive.

On 14 September 2007, 14-year-old Andrew Gosden skipped school, emptied his bank account and bought a one-way ticket from his hometown of Doncaster to London - refusing a return even though the cost was about the same.

The last sighting of Andrew, who would now be 27, is CCTV footage from Kings Cross station  a slight boy dressed in dark clothes, vanishing on to the busy streets of the capital.

Despite national TV and radio appeals, poster and e-mail campaigns, he has not been seen since.

Now his father Kevin, who discussed Madeleine McCann's disappearance with his son weeks before his own, has issued a fresh appeal for information on The Missing Podcast in the hope renewed publicity might finally lead to answers.

Vanished: On 14 September 2007, 14-year-old Andrew Gosden skipped school, emptied his bank account and bought a one-way ticket from his hometown of Doncaster to London - refusing a return even though the cost was about the same. Pictured, Andrew in 2007

Appeal: His father Kevin, pictured in 2019, has spoken about his son's disappearance on The Missing Podcast in the hope renewed publicity might finally lead to the answers

Describing how it feels to still be searching all these years later, he said: 'You know when your kids are little and you're in a shopping centre, or on the beach or on the park or something and you lose sight of them for a minute? And you get that heart in your mouth, heart-wrenching, "oh my god, where are they" sensation?

'It's that sensation just prolonged for hours, days, weeks, months and years, where you're just absolutely panicking about making sure you're kid's safe.

'The not knowing, the waking up every day for ever and ever wondering about his existence, even... It's an extended torture.'

Kevin, his wife Glenys and daughter Charlotte first realised something was amiss when Andrew failed to turn up for their family dinner on the Friday night.

After initially thinking their son had simply lost track of time while at a friend's place, it later emerged that Andrew, a diligent student with perfect attendance, hadn't made it to school that day and hadn't been seen since leaving home that morning.

The teenager had left the house in his school uniform as usual but returned once his parents had left for work, stopping off at a local cash point on the way to empty his savings account (a sum of about 200).

How he might look: An age-progression image of what Andrew might look like now in his late 20s, released in 2019

'He then circled back to our house and changed into casual clothes,' explained Kevin. 'He even put his uniform in the basket ready for washing, hung his jacket and tie up as he normally would. And then he walked down to Doncaster station and bought a one-way ticket to King's Cross.'

CCTV footage and witnesses reveal Andrew boarded a train at Doncaster and spent the journey playing on his handheld PlayStation. By around 11.45am, the 14-year-old was in London, hundreds of miles away from home and his family.

The contradictions in Andrew's behaviour that day has led to conflicting theories about whether he had decided to runaway, or if he was on a day trip that went horribly wrong.

One theory is that Andrew had arranged to meet a friend or attend a concert in the capital when something or someone happened to him, but no evidence of a plan has ever been uncovered.

A more sinister suggestion is that Andrew was groomed by someone who had arranged to meet him in London that day. But again, no evidence of any communication with anyone on his plans has ever come to light.

'No traces were ever found of him communicating with anybody,' Kevin said. 'We never have found one shred of evidence that he had an event or destination in mind that he was communicating with anybody. It genuinely seems that whatever was going on in his head was only in his head.'

Last seen: The last sighting of Andrew, who would now be 27, is CCTV footage from Kings Cross station  a slight boy dressed in dark clothes, vanishing on to London's busy streets

Some of the clues, like the 200 and the one-way ticket, suggest Andrew had planned to leave home, maybe never to return again. However Kevin struggles to believe this was his son's plan.

Andrew had left behind extra birthday and Christmas money he had stashed away in his room, as well as emergency bus fare money the family kept handy at home.

'If he was planning to do something longer term it would seem very strange not to pick that up,' Kevin said.

Can YOU help find Andrew Gosden? Did you make arrangements to meet Andrew in London in September 2007?

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'He also didn't take a jacket, jumper or anything. He just wondered off in a skinny jeans and a t-shirt. He also picked up his portable PlayStation but didn't take the charger - how long is that going to last on one charge?'

And if Andrew was battling mental health issues, being bullied or struggling with a relationship, there were no obvious sings.

'Andrew was going through a quieter patch and was pretty much a home bird,' Kevin said. 'But really nothing to write home about. He seemed perfectly okay.'

He continued: 'The absolutely baffling thing about Andrew is that no one we have ever spoken to, no one had any idea that anything was bothering him, let alone what it might have been. There was nothing amiss in any context. Which makes him vanishing all the more baffling.'

Kevin also struggles to accept that his son would put his family through the heartache of running away. Just a few weeks before his own disappearance, Andrew and Kevin spoke about Madeleine McCan, who had gone missing in May 2007.

'I remember sitting on the sofa in our front room seeing the news of Madaleine McCan's disappearance unfolding and going "it must be every parent's worst nightmare",' Kevin recalled. 'And Andrew goes, "yeah, that's awful". And a few weeks later he disappears off the face of the Earth.'

As well as appealing for information, Kevin urged parents to remain vigilant and to discuss the issue of going missing with their own children.

He added: 'This could happen to anybody. Like us, everything might seem perfectly comfortable and normal and yet, out of the blue this happens.

'I encourage people to talk about this with their kids. It never, ever crossed our minds to talk about going missing.'
AMHERST  The results of a four-month investigation into allegations of inappropriate conduct by Holyoke Mayor and former congressional candidate Alex B. Morse involving college students is expected to be released Wednesday.

Sources familiar with the reports findings say it is critical of the 31-year-old Morse, a onetime lecturer at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, for using dating apps to aggressively pursue dates and sexual relationships with students.

The report, prepared by a Boston law firm at the request of UMass, notes Morse didnt violate any UMass policy then in place, but it recommends the university tighten its rules concerning faculty-student relationships, according to the sources.

The investigation also found no evidence U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, played any role in revelations of Morse behavior. The allegations surfaced early in August during the final weeks of the congressional primary campaign in which Morse challenged Neal.

Morse is said to have not answered questions posed during the investigation conducted by attorney Natashia Tidwell, a partner at the Boston law firm Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr. At the time UMass announced plans for the independent and comprehensive review, Morse said he would fully cooperate with any investigation.

Efforts to reach Morse on Tuesday were unsuccessful.

The allegations were brought to light when the UMass student-run newspaper, The Daily Collegian, reported the Massachusetts College Democrats and its chapters had sent Morse a letter saying his communications with UMass College Democrats members over dating apps made some members uncomfortable and disinviting him from future events. Morse had influence both as an instructor, as a local mayor and as a standard bearer of regional progressive politics.

Morse initially acknowledged his actions might have been misconstrued and he needed to be more aware of the power dynamic. However, he said his relationships were consensual and did not violate school policies.

Within days, however, Morse announced he would stay in the race and proceeded to blame Neal and his campaign for the letter, claiming he was a victim on what Morse called the Springfield political machine. Morse also described the accusations as homophobic.

Morse came out while in high school. He returned to Holyoke while still a senior at Brown University to run for, and win, the office of mayor in his hometown.

A Morse supporter, who was a member of the UMass Democrats, has said one student behind the allegations was a Neal supporter and that the student hoped to get a job with Neal.

Hayley Fleming, an Amherst College student who was president of the College Democrats of Massachusetts, said at the time in a message to membership that there were several students who brought forth concerns. Fleming said the College Democrats wont share individual stories out of concern for their safety.

A separate inquiry prepared by the Massachusetts Democratic Committee also contains excerpts from interviews with members of the College Democrats of Massachusetts. They told the state committee that college students had been pushing for a public statement ... for years on Morses practice of flirting with and trolling young men online after meeting them through campus events.

At least four members of area college Democratic clubs told an investigator hired by the Democrats that Morse had engaged with them on social media, sending heart emojis to one student and sending a provocative message over a Halloween costume to another, according to the report to the Democrats.

That report also said that Democratic state Chairman Gus Bickford and Executive Director Veronica Martinez violated a key committee bylaw, interfering in the primary when they advised members of the College Democrats of Massachusetts on how to handle allegations

Morse is not a current UMass employee and wasnt on the payroll there when the letter came to light. He previously served as an adjunct instructor in urban government and politics from 2014 through fall 2019.

UMass rules dont ban all romantic relationships between faculty and students, but such relationships are strongly discouraged. The only relationships that are banned are those where the faculty member has direct involvement with the students instruction, evaluation, advising, grading or employment.

Neal handily won reelection by a 59% to 41% margin  nearly 25,000 votes, including a more than 400-vote win for the congressman in Holyoke.

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Members of the National Guard stand inside anti-scaling fencing that surrounds the Capitol (Alan Fram/AP)

President Donald Trump is on the verge of becoming the first president to be impeached twice, as politicians move quickly to punish him over last weeks deadly US Capitol attack.

Mr Trumps fiery speech at a rally just before the January 6 riot is at the centre of the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread for months about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege.

Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

What to watch as the Democratic-controlled House moves to impeach Mr Trump for the second time in 13 months, now with just days left in the defeated presidents term.

 Were there any alternatives to impeachment?

Before proceeding with impeachment, the House pressed Vice President Mike Pence and the Cabinet to remove Mr Trump more quickly and surely, warning that he is a threat to democracy in the few remaining days of his presidency.

The House approved a resolution late on Tuesday calling on Mr Pence and the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to declare the president unable to serve.

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Mr Pence, who was among those forced to take shelter inside the Capitol complex during the attack, said before the vote that he would take no such action, leaving politicians with impeachment as their only option to remove Mr Trump from office before January 20, when President-elect Joe Biden is set to be sworn in as president.

 What is the Democrats case for impeachment?

Mr Trump faces a single charge, incitement of insurrection, after the deadly Capitol riot in an impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating on Wednesday.

It is a stunning end for Mr Trumps presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that ransacked the Capitol.

President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of Government, reads part of the four-page impeachment bill.

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He will remain a threat to national security, democracy and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said impeachment is needed despite the limited number of days left in Mr Trumps term.

The presidents threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action, she said.

Mr Trumps actions were personal for Ms Pelosi and many other politicians.

She was among those forced to huddle in a bunker during the Capitol riots, and armed rioters menaced staffers with taunts of Wheres Nancy?

 How many Republicans will support the move?

Unlike the last time Mr Trump was impeached, when no House Republicans supported charges against Mr Trump over a call he made to Ukraines new president, the current impeachment effort has drawn support from some Republicans.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California and his deputy, Louisiana Representative Steve Scalise, are again expected to oppose impeachment, but Wyoming Representative Liz Cheney, the third-ranked House Republican, said Tuesday she will support it.

Ms Cheney, whose father, Dick Cheney, served as vice president under George W. Bush, has been more critical of Mr Trump than other Republican leaders.

Staff and members are showing our appreciation for @CapitolPolice. Thank you for your service! pic.twitter.com/whlKwsmwkp  House Admin. Committee GOP (@HouseAdmnGOP) January 12, 2021

She said in a statement on Tuesday that Mr Trump summoned the mob that attacked the Capitol, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack.

She added: Everything that followed was his doing and noted that Mr Trump could have immediately intervened to stop his supporters from rioting but did not.

Representatives John Katko and Adam Kinzinger also said they would back impeachment, and some other Republicans seem likely to follow.

Mr McCarthy, one of Mr Trumps closest allies in Congress, echoed Mr Trump in declaring that impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together.

 Will the house censure Mr Trump?

In a move short of impeachment, Mr McCarthy and other Republicans have floated the idea of a House censure of Mr Trump.

Although it was not clear how much support the proposal has, Mr McCarthy said censure or some other mechanism  such as a bipartisan commission to investigate the attack  would ensure that the events of January 6 are rightfully denounced and prevented from occurring in the future.

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Democrats, with the votes to impeach in hand, are not minded to support the move.

 How will Mr Trump respond?

So far, Mr Trump has taken no responsibility for his part in fomenting the violent insurrection, despite his comments encouraging supporters to march on the Capitol and praising them while they were still carrying out the assault.

People thought that what I said was totally appropriate, he said on Tuesday.

In the days leading up to the January 6 certification vote, Mr Trump encouraged his supporters to descend on Washington, DC, promising a wild rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administrations findings to the contrary.

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Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd assembled near the White House, Mr Trump encouraged supporters to fight like hell and suggested they march down to the Capitol to encourage Republican politicians to step up and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office.

He also said he would join them in marching on the Capitol, although he returned to the White House immediately after the speech and watched the riot on TV.

One significant difference from Mr Trumps first impeachment: He no longer has a Twitter feed to respond in real time.

 Has security been increased at the Capitol?

In a sign of the increase tensions in the wake of the attack, House politicians will for the first time be required to go through a metal detector before being allowed to enter the chamber.

This new security measure will stay in effect every day the House is in session for the foreseeable future, according to a directive by Timothy Blodgett, the acting House sergeant-at-arms.

Mr Blodgett replaced the longtime sergeant-at-arms who resigned after widespread criticism about poor security planning for the January 6 certification vote.

Expand Close Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of President Donald Trump, passes through a metal detector before entering the House chamber, a new security measure put into place after a mob stormed the Capitol (J. Scott Applewhite/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Marjorie Taylor Greene, an ally of President Donald Trump, passes through a metal detector before entering the House chamber, a new security measure put into place after a mob stormed the Capitol (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Members of Congress have previously enjoyed nearly free roam at the Capitol, able to bypass security screening stations at most entrances to the building.

In the House chamber, there have been Capitol Police officers and civilian door monitors but no screening stations.

Mr Blodgett also told politicians they must wear masks during the Covid-19 crisis and that they face removal from the chamber if they fail to do so.

 Will politicians rein in emotions on the floor?

While debate on the House is often impassioned, emotions are expected to run unusually high as lawmakers debate impeachment.

Not only is it the second time they have voted on such a measure, the debate comes exactly one week after a majority of House Republicans objected to the certification of Mr Bidens victory, setting the stage for the hours-long siege that rocked the Capitol and the nation.

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In the end, 121 House Republicans voted against Arizonas certification of Mr Bidens victory  and 138 Republican politicians opposed Pennsylvanias certification  even after the assault on the Capitol, an unprecedented break with tradition that has Democrats seething.

A recent breakout of Covid-19 among politicians who were held in lockdown with others who refused to wear masks has only heightened tensions.
Judge Patrick Lynch QC said the actions of Constables Samuel David Beattie (23) and Paul Coulter (24) were inexplicable (stock photo)

Two police officers who were heavily intoxicated when one fired the others gun through the ceiling at a party had their suspended jail sentences replaced with fines totalling 3,060 on Wednesday.

At Craigavon County Appeal Court, Judge Patrick Lynch QC said the actions of Constables Samuel David Beattie (23) and Paul Coulter (24) were inexplicable given the fact that as part of their jobs, both mustve had some form of basic training in how to handle and secure firearms, that being a rather fundamental matter.

In any event, common sense would dictate that a person with alcohol taken should not have a firearm in their possession, let alone pointing it in any direction, said the judge.

Fining each of them 1,500, Judge Lynch also ordered them to pay 30 offender levies and allowed them three months to pay.

At an earlier hearing in Lisburn Magistrates Court Coulter and Beattie, both with address given as c/o PSNI Headquarters, entered guilty pleas to having a loaded firearm while drunk or under the influence of drugs on June 7 last year.

While Coulter also admitted supplying a loaded gun to a person he knew or had reasonable cause to believe was drunk or under the influence of drugs, Beattie confessed to the further charge of causing criminal damage to a roof belonging to a female.

Initially, they were handed six month prison sentences, suspended for two years, by District Judge Rosie Watters who described their offences as a grossly stupid thing to have done.

Conceding that I know thats a terrible thing, the judge continued that the reality is that this offence has brought the police into disrepute.

We expect officers to be squeaky clean and the type of people we can rely on in times of trouble and I just dont think that these particular young men have demonstrated that they come up to the mark, said the judge.

Those sentences were appealed however and prosecuting lawyer Joseph Murphy rehearsed the facts again, describing how the defendants called their colleagues at around 6.30am that morning to report a shot being fired through the kitchen ceiling from Coulters legally-held weapon.

Day light was visible through the hole as the bullet had passed through the ceiling and exterior roof tiles and the spent casing was recovered from under the cooker.

It was also noted the lawyer said, that both Coulter and Beattie were heavily intoxicated and were slurring their words having been drinking from 8.30pm the previous evening.

Interviewed separately, Coulter said that having drunk ten beers and three whiskeys, he had taken his gun from a locked box inside a hold-all, handing it to Beattie while he went to the toilet and it was while he was in the adjacent bathroom that he heard a shot being fired.

He said he thought Beattie would be fine with it as he knew how to handle a gun, although he did not tell him it was loaded.

Coulter said that when he went back into the kitchen, Beattie was standing in a state of shock.

Beattie, the court heard, told cops he had drunk a large bottle of Buckfast and three whiskeys and that he had pointed the gun at the ceiling of the property, believing that was the safest direction and that he pulled the trigger believing the firearm was not loaded.

Both were remorseful and both accepted they had been drunk at the time.

Ian Turkington, defence counsel on behalf of Coulter, revealed that his life ambition for many years was to be a police officer and that immaterial of the outcome of a full powers disciplinary hearing, he will carry the stigma of his criminal convictions.

Put simply his career hangs in the balance, declared the lawyer, a sentiment echoed by Eoghan Devlin on behalf of Beattie.

Mr Devlin argued that while one can understand the sentence of the lower, the offences had to be seen in the context of a few moments of stupidity, submitting that the outcome of the disciplinary hearing may depend on the judges sentences.

Rescinding the jail sentence and replacing them with fines, Judge Lynch conceded that while the careers of Beattie and Coulter are in jeopardy which was a tragedy for their point of view, the outcome of the full powers hearing is not for me to determine.

Taking everything into account, the judge said I have determined that the offences, grave as they are, can properly be met by a fine.


The Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard police blotter of arrests from police agencies around Central New York has been updated today.

Most of the new arrests are from the last couple weeks.

The police blotter is searchable by name, charge, date and agency. You can search current dates or find arrests made in the past.

Our database contains arrests from the current year and two years in the past.

>>SEARCH THE POLICE BLOTTER

Among the new arrests are:

1 person facing charges related to unstamped cigarettes

32 people charged with DWI by drugs and/or alcohol

1 person charged with identity theft

6 people charged with criminal possession of a firearm, a felony

1 person charged with bail jumping

Information in the police blotter is provided by the arresting agencies. Arrests are also published in the Neighbors pages of The Post-Standard.

Contact Brenda Duncan anytime: 315-470-2265 | Email | Twitter
After nearly a 10-month hiatus, the highly-anticipated film 'Master' released on January 13, 2021. From cutting cakes, dancing to foot-tapping numbers to bursting firecrackers the ardent fans of 'Thalapathy' Vijay and 'Makkal Selvan' Vijay Sethupathi left no stone unturned to celebrate the release. (Image: Special Arrangement)
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Fig.1. Number of publications mentioning glacial hazards (Web of Science, data from 1990 to October 2020). The red dashed lines indicate the high altitudes where land cryosphere widely distributed. The red triangle indicates the Kilimanjaro Mountain in Africa. Credit: DING Yongjian

The cryosphere is an important component of the global climate system. In a narrow sense, it mainly refers the glaciers, permafrost, snow cover, and sea ice because these components are continuously distributed below the freezing point with a certain thickness. Cryospheric components are sensitive to climate warming, and changes in the cryosphere can lead to serious hazards to human society.

Recently, researchers led by Prof. Ding Yongjian from the Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources (NIEER) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) comprehensively analyzed hazards related to the atmospheric, oceanic and land cryosphere and their phenomena, mechanisms and impacts. They also evaluated the future trends of the risks of cryospheric hazards.

In this study, the researchers found that the recorded frost hazards show a decreasing trend, and the hail hazards distribution showed great heterogeneities in the frequency and magnitude. The frequency of freezing rain events may decrease in the future, but the changes in ice load, duration of freezing rain events remains poorly understood. The probability of cold heavy snowfall, ice storms, and blizzards may increase during the weak polar vortex events.

Therefore, it's getting more and more difficult to predict hazards from the atmospheric cryosphere in the future, while property loss is expected to increase due to the increases in population density and wealth.

For the hazards from the oceanic cryosphere, they found that the sea ice extent is declining rapidly, making it possible for the human activities extend further into high latitude areas. The iceberg numbers will likely increase, which will increase icebergs hazards.

Fig. 2. Process and effects of the Zhuonai Lake (a lake in lowland terrain) outbursts on environment and engineering on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Credit: DING Yongjian

Besides, climate change also accelerates the erosion of permafrost-dominated coastlines. Due to the rapid melting of mountain glaciers and ice sheets, the sea level rise is expected to continue in the next decades and will cause threats to low coastal lands.

The hazards from glaciers attracted many attentions. The glacier collapse, glacial lake outburst, and dynamics in recently deglaciated environments will increase in the future because of the melting of the glacier. Although the total area of snow cover shows a decreasing trend with the warming climate, the heavy snow events, snow avalanches, and snowmelt floods will not decrease simultaneously because snowfall has large spatial heterogeneities. The permafrost-related rock and debris flow and thaw slump will increase with permafrost degradation.

In addition, permafrost-dammed lakes in low terrains also at the risk of outbursts due to the rapid thaw of permafrost.

"It is clear the cryosphere is shrinking, while cryospheric hazards will likely increase in the future," said Ding Yongjian, "although the cryospheric hazards remain highly uncertain, climate change and destabilization of the cryosphere will exacerbate our social and economic risks. Therefore, the prediction and warning of the hazards are important to minimize harm for human society."

This work has been published in Earth-Science Reviews, titled "Increasing cryospheric hazards in a warming climate."

Explore further Scientists summarize hydrological basis and discipline system of cryohydrology

More information: Yongjian Ding et al. Increasing cryospheric hazards in a warming climate, Earth-Science Reviews (2020). Yongjian Ding et al. Increasing cryospheric hazards in a warming climate,(2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103500
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A snowy owl spotted Tuesday in Cumberland County has been drawing birders and others hoping to catch a glimpse or a photo of a bird that makes infrequent appearances at best in Pennsylvania.

The snowy owl is native to the tundra of the Arctic. Most years see only a dozen or so of the big, white birds showing up this far south.

A decent irruption of the birds is under way, according to Scott Weidensaul, co-founder of Project SNOWStorm, a snowy owl-tracking organization run in part through the Millersburg-based Ned Smith Center of Nature and Art. (SNOW is the record-keeping code used by licensed bird-banders for snowy owls.)

An irruption is the movement of a species from an area where they naturally occur into a region where it is not normally present.

Weidensaul explained, We were a little unsure what to expect this winter, because even the limited amount of field work in the Arctic in a normal year was largely cancelled out of fear of bringing Covid to remote bush communities, many of which still bear scars from the 1918 flu pandemic. We were hoping that (Jean-Francois) Therrien at Hawk Mountain (Sanctuary) would be able to deploy six small satellite transmitters on fledgling snowies on Bylot Island north of Baffin Island, but that trip was canned.

What we did hear suggested at least a moderately good breeding season in the northern Ungava Peninsula of Quebec, and in fact weve seen a decent irruption of mostly young-of-the-year owls down in the mid-Atlantic.

The owls showed up a good deal earlier, farther south, than usual this fall, with a few spotted on the Eastern Shore and New Jersey coast by early November, much earlier than even the mega-irruption in 2013-14 that prompted us to launch SNOWstorm.

In winter 2013-14 about 400 snowy owls showed up in Pennsylvania, an epic increase over the 10 or so that visit the state most winters.

Weidensaul noted, That made us wonder if we were in for another huge flight, but it appears to be a moderately good, normal flight year, with the bulk of the owls along the New England coast, the St. Lawrence and Ottawa river valleys in southern Canada, and around the Great Lakes.

Lesser numbers are in the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest and Plains.

At least one snowy owl was spotted previously  in 2012  in Cumberland County.

Winter 2020-21 is not aligned with the 4-year, boom cycle of lemmings - preferred prey of the owls - and snowy owls in northern Quebec that preceded the 2013-14 mass irruption of snowy owls south into the U.S. It was an irruption of snowy owls beyond any witnessed since the 1920s, or maybe the 1890s.

The irruption of 2013-14 was historically huge, the biggest invasion since at least 1926-27, and possibly as far back as the 1890s, Weidensaul explained. Its a little hard to be precise, because no one was trying to accurately count owls back in those days, but the 13-14 invasion was clearly orders of magnitude bigger than anything wed seen for decades.

It was the result of historically high peaks in the lemming cycle in northern Quebec, exceptional high productivity among nesting owls, which likely gathered there from a wide area of the Canadian Arctic, and possibly weather or snow cover conditions that prompted many of the young birds to move south.

Any of the owls that survive the many manmade pitfalls  motor vehicles, fences, energy-burning pressure from throngs pushing for a close-up look at the birds, and more  while in the south will return to the north to join the breeding population in the spring.

While the birds are with us, there are several things we can do to be better hosts, according to Project SNOWstorm.

Snowy owls, coming down from the Arctic, can be remarkably approachable, especially young birds early in the winter. But because they are often so naive around humans, its easy for birders, photographers and the general public to approach them too closely.

What is an exciting encounter for people can be continual, and at times even dangerous, harassment for the owl. The bird may be chased into traffic and a flushed owl is liable to be attacked by another raptor like an eagle or mobbed by crows.

Our tracking data confirms that these owls are primarily nocturnal, and when undisturbed by humans they rarely move much in the daytime. An owl flying from spot to spot in daylight usually isnt just moving around like a lot of people assume, but responding to pressure and harassment, even if its not immediately evident to observers.

Just because the owl may tolerate a fairly close approach doesnt mean you should push the envelope. If the owl is visibly reacting to your presence  fidgeting, repeatedly staring at you, head-bobbing or changing position  youre too close and need to back off immediately.

Needless to say, if youve flushed the owl you were much too close and should reconsider your behavior next time.

A vehicle makes a terrific blind, so stay in your car whenever possible. Use a spotting scope and a telephoto lens and be content to watch from a safe distance.

Be patient, and if you can time your visit late in the day, when the owl typically will become more active, it may approach you, especially if youre positioned near a favorite perch.

In addition, the project notes, many landowners who host snowy owls report problems with visitors ignoring common courtesy, and sometimes even obvious No Trespassing signs, to get close to owls.

Do not cross private property without permission.

One of the worst behaviors sometimes exhibited by owl observers is feeding the bird. The offending human usually does it to attract the bird for a close-up photo, but sometimes out of a misplaced belief that the owl is starving.

Project SNOWstorm explains, Because they have little innate fear of humans, snowy owls can very quickly become very habituated to people tossing them mice. Once they associate people with food, the owls are drawn into dangerous situations, such as swooping close to roads. They may also approach people who may harm them, either from fear and ignorance, or from malice.

Founded in 2013, Project SNOWstorm has grown into one of the worlds largest collaborative research projects focusing on snowy owls, staffed by a largely volunteer team of scientists, banders and wildlife veterinarians. It is funded entirely by tax-deductible donations from the public. For more information, visit the Project SNOWstorm website.

The snowy owl is one of the largest species of owl and the only owl with largely white plumage. The worldwide population is estimated at less than 100,000.

Contact Marcus Schneck at mschneck@pennlive.com.

Novel ability could further understanding and treatment of diseases such as cancer

Irvine, Calif., Jan. 5, 2021 -- Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have developed a new deep-learning framework that predicts gene regulation at the single-cell level.

Deep learning, a family of machine-learning methods based on artificial neural networks, has revolutionized applications such as image interpretation, natural language processing and autonomous driving. In a study published recently in Science Advances, UCI researchers describe how the technique can also be successfully used to observe gene regulation at the cellular level. Until now, that process had been limited to tissue-level analysis.

According to co-senior author Xiaohui Xie, UCI professor of computer science, the framework enables the study of transcription factor binding at the cellular level, which was previously impossible due to the intrinsic noise and sparsity of single-cell data. A transcription factor is a protein that controls the translation of genetic information from DNA to RNA; TFs regulate genes to ensure they're expressed in proper sequence and at the right time in cells.

"The breakthrough was in realizing that we could leverage deep learning and massive datasets of tissue-level TF binding profiles to understand how TFs regulate target genes in individual cells through specific signals," Xie said.

By training a neural network on large-scale genomic and epigenetic datasets, and by drawing on the expertise of collaborators across three departments, the researchers were able to identify novel gene regulations for individual cells or cell types.

"Our capability of predicting whether certain transcriptional factors are binding to DNA in a specific cell or cell type at a particular time provides a new way to tease out small populations of cells that could be critical to understanding and treating diseases," said co-senior author Qing Nie, UCI Chancellor's Professor of mathematics and director of the campus's National Science Foundation-Simons Center for Multiscale Cell Fate Research, which supported the project.

He said that scientists can use the deep-learning framework to identify key signals in cancer stem cells - a small cell population that is difficult to specifically target in treatment or even quantify.

"This interdisciplinary project is a prime example of how researchers with different areas of expertise can work together to solve complex biological questions through machine-learning techniques," Nie added.

###

Collaborators were Laiyi Fu, a visiting scholar in UCI's Department of Computer Science who is now a researcher in the School of Electronic and Information Engineering at China's Xi'an Jiaotong University; Lihua Zhang, a postdoctoral scholar in mathematics; and Emmanuel Dollinger, a graduate student in mathematical, computational & systems biology.

About the University of California, Irvine:

Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 222 degree programs. It's located in one of the world's safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County's second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit http://www. uci. edu .

Media access:

Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.

The US has asked those flying into the country to present negative COVID-19 test results before departure. The directive is containe...

The US has asked those flying into the country to present negative COVID-19 test results before departure.

The directive is contained in an order issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and signed by Robert Redfield, its director.

According to the new order, travellers into the US must possess a negative COVID-19 test result or a proof of recovery  for those who earlier tested positive for the virus.

The order, which takes effect on January 26, 2021, applies to both US citizens and foreigners.

It prohibits the introduction into the United States of any aircraft passenger departing from any foreign country unless the passenger: (1) has a negative pre-departure test result for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (Qualifying Test); or (2) written or electronic documentation of recovery from COVID-19 after previous SARS-CoV-2 infection in the form of a positive viral test result and a letter from a licensed health care provider or public health official stating that the passenger has been cleared for travel (Documentation of Recovery).

The negative pre-departure test must be a viral test that was conducted on a specimen collected during the 3 calendar days preceding the flights departure from a foreign country (Qualifying Test), the order reads.

Alternatively, if the passenger has recovered from COVID-19, the passenger may instead travel with written or electronic documentation of a positive viral test result that confirms previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and a letter from a licensed health care provider or public health official stating that the passenger has been cleared for travel (Documentation of Recovery).

A passenger must retain written or electronic documentation reflecting the negative Qualifying Test result or Documentation of Recovery presented to the airline or other aircraft operator. A passenger must also produce such Qualifying Test result or Documentation of Recovery upon.

requiring proof of a negative COVID-19 test or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 for all air passengers arriving from a foreign country to the United States including U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens. It will become effective on January 26, 2021.  U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) January 13, 2021

The CDC noted that the directive is given to preserve lives and prevent further spread of the virus.

With more than 23 million confirmed cases and over 380,000 deaths, the US remains the coronavirus worst hit country globally.

A second wave of the infection has been recorded in various countries with new COVID-19 variant found in the United Kingdom.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Axinn is pleased to announce that trial lawyer Denise Plunkett joined the firm's Antitrust Group as partner in New York on January 1. Denise has served as lead trial counsel in well over a dozen jury trials and brings more than 25 years of experience handling high-profile antitrust matters and other high-stakes commercial disputes to the firm.

"We are pleased to start the New Year on such a positive note with Denise's arrival," said John Harkrider , Co-Chair of Axinn's Antitrust Group and a founding partner of the firm. "Her successful record with high-stakes antitrust litigations, and complex trial experience, will be significant assets to our team."

Plunkett joins the firm from Ballard Spahr LLP, where she was a Co-Managing Partner of the New York office, head of the Payments Industry Group, and leader of the firm's women's initiative. Notably, Plunkett has a successful history of representing Mastercard in some of its most significant antitrust and commercial cases, including challenges to its currency conversion and chargeback practices, and a recent federal jury trial win concerning the termination of a Mastercard membership. She also has advised players in the pharmaceutical industry in multi-billion dollar antitrust and commercialization disputes and license agreement negotiations.

"Axinn is highly-regarded among the antitrust community, and I'm looking forward to joining such a talented team of lawyers," stated Plunkett. "The courtroom experience I've gained over the course of my career aligns with Axinn's reputation as a litigation force, making the firm the perfect place for an exciting new chapter."

"I'm delighted to welcome another powerhouse trial lawyer to the firm," added Axinn Antitrust Group partner and member of the firm's executive committee Rachel Adcox. "With her impressive antitrust experience and leadership roles relating to women's initiatives, Denise has all of the qualities we look for in Axinn partners."

Plunkett is the sixth woman to join Axinn's Antitrust partnership over the past three years, which includes Lisl Dunlop , Jeny Maier , Leslie Overton , Tiffany Rider , and Koren Wong-Ervin .

About Axinn

Axinn combines the skills, experience and dedication of the world's largest firms with the focus, responsiveness, efficiency and attention to client needs of the best boutiques. The firm was established in the late 1990s by lawyers from premier Wall Street firms with a common vision: provide the highest level of service and strategic acumen in antitrust, intellectual property and high-stakes litigation. Axinn's lawyers have served as lead or co-lead counsel on nearly half a trillion dollars in transactions and, in the last 10 years alone, have handled more than 250 litigations.

SOURCE Axinn
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 12:59:46|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi he will not invoke the 25th Amendment to oust President Donald Trump, shortly before the House was set to vote on a resolution urging him to do so.

"Now with just eight days left in the President's term, you and Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote in a letter to Pelosi released Tuesday night.

"I do not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution," the vice president said, calling on Pelosi and "every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame passions of the moment."

"I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power," he added.

Pence's rejection came as the House was set to vote on a Democratic-proposed resolution urging him to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office in the wake of last week's Capitol Hill violence.

Should the vice president refuse to do so, the House will push ahead with the impeachment proceedings against Trump, warned the Democrats, who control the House.

House Democrats introduced the impeachment resolution on Monday, charging Trump with "incitement of insurrection."

Accusing the president of sparking an attack on a coequal branch of government and disturbing the peaceful transfer of power, the Democrats pointed to Trump's speech to supporters on Jan. 6 calling on them to fight the election results, as well as his repeated baseless claims that there was widespread voter fraud in the election.

"If he won't resign and Vice President Pence and the Cabinet won't invoke the 25th Amendment, he will be impeached by the House, and as law requires, tried by the Senate," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said of Trump when addressing reporters in New York earlier in the day.

Now that Pence has refused to oust Trump through his constitutional power, the House is all but certain to vote on the article of impeachment Wednesday.

Also on Tuesday, Trump called the impeachment "ridiculous," saying later while inspecting the border wall in Alamo, Texas, that the 25th Amendment "is of zero risk to me."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell -- who, according to a Tuesday report by The New York Times, believed Trump committed impeachable offenses and was pleased about the House's effort to impeach the president -- has indicated that the Senate, now in recess, is only capable of holding the impeachment trial after the end of Trump's presidential term.

Schumer disputed McConnell's claim that calling the Senate back in session would require unanimous consent.

"Leader McConnell is saying you can't call the Senate back after the House votes for impeachment because it requires unanimous consent -- the consent of every senator. That's not true," Schumer told reporters in New York.

"There was legislation passed in 2004 that allows the Senate minority and majority leader to jointly reconvene the Senate in times of emergency. This is a time of emergency," he said.

"I've asked him to call the Senate back -- all he needs is my agreement," Schumer added.

It remains unclear when the House will deliver the impeachment article to the Senate for trial. Pelosi did not give an answer on Tuesday when asked about a timetable for the transmission.

"That is not something I will be discussing right now as you can imagine. Take it one step at a time," she told reporters at the Capitol.

Pelosi on Tuesday named nine House impeachment managers for the Senate trial, with Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, being the lead manager.

Effectively serving as prosecutors for the trial, House managers will make the case that the president, given the charges levied on him in the impeachment resolution, should be convicted and removed. They may also respond to arguments presented by the president's defense team and answer written questions from senators during the trial. Enditem
The recently released European Parliament report on the state of human rights in Egypt has elicited strong reactions in the regular and social media in Egypt and abroad.

Many have charged that the report is biased and disseminates misinformation, while others have greeted it approvingly, less out of their support for human rights than out of their animosity towards Egypt.

Regardless of where one stands, it is important to discuss the report and its impartiality, considering such factors as which European Parliament (EP) blocs drafted it and brought it to a vote in a plenary session and whether the process was routine or prompted by circumstances that were blown out of proportion for reasons not directly related to protecting human rights.

In formal terms, all texts on the situation of human rights in Egypt adopted by the EP over the past decade have been resolutions with no legislative force. EP terminology draws a distinction between resolutions, which are essentially declarations of opinion, and legislation adopted by codecision (also termed ordinary legislative process) and special legislative process.

The EPs powers as a legislative body are relatively limited, especially when it comes to EU foreign policy. It is the European Commission that holds an effective monopoly on the power to introduce legislation. Therefore, resolutions adopted by the EP on the state of human rights in Egypt essentially remain position papers and cannot lead to punitive measures unless the Commission acts to introduce a bill of law to that purpose.

There are three reasons why such a step would be difficult to conceive. First, the reports adopted by the resolutions are not solid enough to serve as the basis for legislation or binding resolutions. They lack sufficient detail, and much of the information they contain is derived from sources that are difficult to corroborate or that may lack credibility, such as the media or NGOs.

Second, the EU suffers from a chronic inability to formulate a common foreign policy, which hampers mustering the necessary consensus on legislative proposals, both in the Commission and the EP, especially on matters of this nature.

Third, there is a complex weave of relations and interests between European and non-European states, in which human rights often become a tool to facilitate consensus on other less complex areas such as economic and security policy.

THE KEY PLAYERS: According to EP procedures, a member of the European Parliament (MEP) or group may ask for a one of the parliaments specialised committees (there are 20 committees and two sub-committees) to prepare a report on a particular issue raised by another EU body.

After the committee draws up and makes any necessary amendments to the required report, it turns it over to another committee to formulate it in legalese. The text is then submitted to the EP for a vote in a plenary session. But, as mentioned above, even if it is adopted by a majority, it has no legal force and remains a declaration of opinion and solely that of the EP.

According to the EP website, four blocs of MEPs requested a report on the state of human rights in Egypt:

- The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (the S&D Group). Describing itself as centre-left, this group controls 145 seats in the EP;

- The Alliance of Liberal Parties, or the Renew Europe Group, a centrist group that espouses conventional liberal ideas and supports European unity and the protection of democracy in Europe. Renew, as it is abbreviated to, controls 96 seats in the EP;

- The Greens-European Free Alliance (Greens-EFA), which is represented by 73 MEPs;

- The Independents, or Non-Inscrits, who have 29 MEPs.

The same website reports that of the 685 MEPs who were present for the vote (there are 705 MEPs in all), 434 voted in favour of the text, 49 voted against it and 202 abstained.

On the basis of the ideological outlooks of the groups that requested the report, we can conclude that leftist and centrist parties were the driving force behind the resolution and made up the majority of the votes in favour.

This reflects a profound problem, namely the extent of these parties awareness of the political situations in non-European countries, especially those in the Middle East. European liberal and left-wing parties tend to reduce political conflicts in this part of the world to the dictatorship versus democracy dichotomy and believe that all the woes in these countries stem from the existence of dictatorships that persecute pro-democracy forces.

This erroneous and reductionist approach ignores the fact that the leaders of the opposition in most of these countries do not hail from liberal-leaning schools, as those European groups seem to believe, but from an alliance of Islamist trends that advocate exclusivist, totalitarian doctrines and, sometimes, violence and terrorism, on the basis of deviant interpretations of Islam (the Muslim Brotherhood is the prime example) or far-left and ultranationalist trends bent on overthrowing governments because they believe that government is inherently corrupt or because they seek to revert to outdated government systems on the lines of the socialist or Arab nationalist models of the 1950s and 1960s, the outlooks, structures and practices of which were also exclusivist in nature.

What the above-mentioned European parties refuse to acknowledge is that democratisation is not a question of slogans or practices that can be imposed from above. It is a problem involving the complexities of different cultures at different levels of social development and, therefore, a problem that cannot be solved through the simplified perceptions reflected in reports on the state of human rights in the non-European countries of the world.

The problem becomes clearer when we consider the detrimental effects of politicising human-rights principles and defending individuals and NGOs that the EP describes as human-rights defenders when, in fact, they are politicians who espouse anti-democratic views antithetical to humanitarian values and advocate anarchy and the overthrow of government heedless of the consequences such actions may have on the stability and cohesion of their societies.

We have only to point to the present anarchy, strife and warfare in Syria, Yemen and Libya as evidence of what inciting grassroots rebellion in the name of freedom and democracy can lead to. A decade after the so-called Arab Spring, people in these countries continue to experience a fully-fledged humanitarian tragedy. Even the countries that managed to avert that fate still face domestic terrorism.

WHAT NOW? Scepticism over the objectivity of the EP stance towards Egypt is rooted in more than some European parties unwitting or even deliberate ignorance about domestic realities in Egypt, the interweave between these realities and regional conflicts, and how human rights issues are exploited in these contexts to attain political ends.

The timing that the EP groups chose to issue the report on the human-rights situation in Egypt also raises questions. Work on the report began at the time when the electoral battle in the US was nearing its resolution in favour of President-elect Joe Biden, who has vowed to make human rights a priority for his administration, as was the case during the administration of former US president Barack Obama, during which the Arab Spring erupted.

It is widely believed that Europe welcomes the incoming US president with optimism and is keen to come to terms with him on issues that had been the object of transatlantic disputes during the period in office of outgoing US president Donald Trump, such as the Paris Climate Accord, the policy towards Iran and human rights. Therefore, we cannot rule out the possibility that the EP took this step against Egypt as a means to demonstrate that the EU is ready to work with Biden on human rights.

There is also the possibility that the years-old alliance between the European left and the Islamists wanted to lend moral support to Egyptian civil society activists eager to stage a repeat of the Arab Spring as Egypt approaches the tenth anniversary of the Egyptian edition of that phenomenon this month.

The EP resolution argued that growing security clampdowns on human rights activists in Egypt and a surge in death sentences since November last year had led it to accelerate this action against Egypt.

However, this cannot be regarded as a reasonable justification. The arrested activists from the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), a NGO, were only three, and they were soon released after the first hearing of the charges against them. The death sentences against persons convicted of terrorist acts that have killed hundreds of innocent people were also only carried out after extensive judicial processes some of which lasted more than five years.

In other words, the defendants were accorded every opportunity to prove their innocence, which they could not do because of the proof that they had perpetrated the crimes for which they were condemned.

OBJECTIVITY AND METHODOLOGY: The brief statement the EP released to the European, Arab and international media does not reveal such hidden motives.

But an examination of the relatively short, approximately 3,600-word text as it appears on the EP website reveals an insistence on a number of formulas that are incompatible with the objectivity one might expect when dealing with such an issue.

The following observations are useful:

- The 14-point preamble refers to a range of reports and statements, some dating back more than 15 years, in order to give the impression that the alleged human rights violations in Egypt are part of a long and systemic policy.

The drafters purpose here is to win sympathy and support from those who know nothing about the developments in Egypt during this period, such as how the country fell victim to waves of violent terrorist attacks. A secret alliance between the Muslim Brotherhood and an array of takfiri groups were behind these attacks, as became clear in 2013 when Muslim Brotherhood Guidance Council member Mohamed Al-Beltagui threatened that the terrorist attacks that were taking place in the Sinai at the time would not cease until former Muslim Brotherhood president Mohamed Morsi was reinstated.

In other words, the EP resolution overrode the fact that those it seeks to defend in the name of democracy were the very people who sought recourse to violence, even while in power, in order to attain their ultimate goal of establishing a theocratic state in which there would be no room for political opponents or people who did not fall in line with their version of Islam.

In like manner, the resolution ignored how, several months before Morsi was dismissed, the Muslim Brotherhood spurned the armys efforts to mediate between it and the political opposition and rejected a compromise proposal calling for early elections as a means to resolve the disputes. It was this intransigence that led the armed forces to heed the calls of millions of Egyptians who feared a descent into anarchy and civil war and to side with the peoples demand to dismiss Morsi and to initiate a new one-year interim phase to restore stability and safeguard the Egyptian state.

- The report makes extensive use of value judgements in its references to what it calls human rights violations. For example, it speaks of the continuing deterioration of the human rights situation as the authorities intensify their crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders, health workers, journalists, opposition members, academics and lawyers, etc, while deliberately ignoring the fact that those who fell into these and other mentioned categories were not arrested in the course of the practice of their professions, as regulated by law, but because they were affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned by law, or because they had used social networking sites to disseminate rumours, falsehoods and calls for illegal demonstrations, all of which are acts punishable by law in any country that wants to protect its citizens from the dangerous outcomes of such activities if they are left uncontrolled.

Nor did the drafters of the EP resolution take the trouble to study trends among more than 50 million Egyptian social media users. If they had done so, they would have learned that 10,000 of these users attack the government and its officials, sometimes in terms punishable by law, yet they were not arrested and their accounts were not suspended.

What this means is that freedom of expression is fully available in Egypt, including on electronic media. Ultimately, only a few hundred people were arrested and had their accounts suspended for having committed crimes that are punishable by law anywhere in the world, and not because they exercised their freedom of expression, as the resolution claims.

- While the resolution speaks of mass arrests and more than 60,000 people in detention, it fails to corroborate such figures. When it comes down to specifics, it only mentions 29 individuals whom it categorises as prisoners of opinion even though they were tried and convicted on charges related to disseminating rumours and falsehoods, operating without a licence, or incitement to demonstrations without a permit.

As the universal legal principle states, the burden of proof falls on the accuser, not on the defender. The authors of the resolution should abide by this rule, reassess their claims and spend more effort corroborating them, for example by listing the names and dates of arrest of the alleged 60,000 detainees.

- In an attempt to legitimise certain practices unacceptable to Egyptian culture, such as homosexual marriage, the EP resolution includes such practices in the human rights regime, disregarding not only factors of cultural specificity but also how pressure to incorporate such practices in the legal structures of certain countries could precipitate dangerous social problems with disastrous consequences.

It also appears that the authors of the resolution do not sense how they contradict themselves when they call, on the one hand, for the protection of cultural diversity and, on the other, for the inclusion of homosexuals in society and allowing them to practise their sexual preferences as though these were normal and religiously and socially acceptable in this culture.

In fact, the attempt to impose such values is a flagrant assault on the culture of the majority, who have a right to express their culture which rejects and abhors such practices.

- Two points in the resolution address the subject of Giulio Regeni, the Italian researcher found murdered in Egypt in 2016.

The text reiterates unsubstantiated allegations that several Egyptian security personnel were involved in his murder despite the fact that the Egyptian authorities have categorically denied any taint of wrongdoing on the part of the Egyptian security apparatus in connection with this murder.

The authors of the report had the right to ask the Egyptian authorities to make further investigations in order to unearth those guilty of the crime, but they did not have the right to adopt the spurious narrative circulated by the media of countries hostile to Egypt and level accusations against the Egyptian authorities on that basis.

If anything, the report should have urged the Italian authorities to clarify what evidence they have of the guilt of the Egyptian security personnel and to submit such evidence to the Egyptian authorities or to an international body, thereby substantiating or putting to rest claims concerning the involvement of Egyptian security personnel in the incident.

- A comparison between the EP resolution on the human rights situation in Egypt and similar resolutions it has adopted on other countries reveals considerable disparities in tone and substance, such as the use of references to previous reports and statements to give the impression that human rights abuses in a particular country are systemic and chronic.

Take for example, the EP resolution of 8 February 2018 on the human rights situation in Turkey (2018/2527 RSP). One is immediately struck by how impartial the language is in the case of the resolution on Turkey, how frequent the affirmations are that Turkey is an important partner of the EU and a candidate for EU accession, and how gently it urges Turkey, in these capacities, to comply with EU norms.

On the subject of the mass arrests of army officers and supporters of the opposition leader Fethullah Gulen in the aftermath of the failed coup attempt in July 2016, the resolution basically asks the Turkish government to scale back such practices. Even as the resolution mentions how more than 100,000 civil servants were dismissed from their posts for allegedly having abetted the coup, the wording remains tempered as though the authors have shrunk from accusing the Turkish authorities of gross and sustained violations of the rights of hundreds of thousands of Turkish citizens.

Nor does the resolution call on the European Commission or the European Council to impose sanctions on Turkey, in contrast to the resolution on Egypt which urges a penalty of dubious intent: a halt to all exports of arms, surveillance technology and other security equipment to Egypt. The disparity is ironic given that Egypt is fighting a wide-ranging battle against the terrorists that Turkey has been sending to Libya, the Sinai, Somalia and elsewhere in the vicinity of Egypts borders.

CONCLUSIONS: The report and statements that the EP has issued beneath the rubric of monitoring the state of human rights in the Middle East and elsewhere are no more than contributions to strengthening the weaponising of human rights in political conflicts within states or between them.

Europe will find, over time, that it is not in its interests if the peoples of the Middle East reach the conclusion that Europe has not been sincere in its defence of human rights and is not prepared to shoulder the consequences of the civil wars ignited by its democracy versus dictatorship approach to this regions issues.

Those peoples who have fallen for this reductionist dichotomy have paid a catastrophic price. Now Europe is paying Turkey six billion euros to contain the refugees from the subsequent wars, while simultaneously turning a blind eye to Ankaras recruitment of mercenaries from among those refugees to feed the militias it sends to destabilise Turkeys rivals, including peace-loving countries such as Egypt that are cornerstones in the global battle against terrorism.

*The writer is an expert at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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BRIDGEPORT  A Milford man was in custody after police said he allegedly stole numerous bottles of sanitizing wipes from a Stratford supermarket and bit a store employee during a struggle in the parking lot.

Nicholas Goerig, 41, of Summit Avenue, Milford, was charged Monday with third-degree robbery, third-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, breach of peace and sixth-degree larceny.

This was more than your usual shoplifting case, he bit a store employee, Senior Assistant States Attorney Nicholas Bove said during Goerigs arraignment hearing Tuesday afternoon as Goerig watched on video from his cell in the courthouse lockup.

This could have been much more serious, Superior Court Judge Peter McShane agreed.

He ordered Goerig held in lieu of $50,000 bond and continued the case to March 23.

Stratford police said shortly after 4:30 p.m. Monday, officers were called to the C-Town supermarket on Boston Avenue for a robbery complaint.

Police said a store employee told them he had attempted to stop a man later identified as Goerig who had left the store with nine bottles of Clorox disinfecting wipes, valued at $32, without paying for them.

The two men got into a struggle as Goerig attempted to drive away in a Buick sedan, police continued. During the struggle, Goerig allegedly bit the employee on the hand as the employee attempted to pull the keys from the cars ignition, police said.

Police said Goerig was stopped by police a short distance away. They said he denied stealing the wipes and contended he had picked them up while shopping in the store when he noticed a large crowd gathered around his car in the parking lot.

Police said Goerig told them he ran outside, forgetting to pay for the wipes, to see what the ruckus was about, intending to return later to pay for the wipes.

Police said the stores video surveillance supported the employees claims.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Odgers Berndtson, a leading global executive search firm, is pleased to announce the successful recruitment of Dr. Robert (Rob) F. Smith as President of Government Operations of BWX Technologies (BWXT). In this newly created position reporting to Rex Geveden, BWXT's president and chief executive officer, Smith will be responsible for all of BWXT's U.S.-based nuclear business lines that report through the nuclear operations and nuclear services segments, including the company's work for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Nuclear Security Administration, NASA and other government customers.

Rex Geveden, BWXT's CEO commented, "Rob's impressive technical and management credentials and sustained record of success in the aerospace and defense markets demonstrate his value to BWXT as we pursue new avenues of growth and exceptional operational performance."

Jon Barney, Managing Partner, Aerospace, Defense & National Security Practice of Odgers Berndtson, said of Smith's appointment to the BWXT executive management team, "Rob Smith's deep expertise in Aerospace, Defense, and National Security and his previous global business experience with Lockheed Martin, as well as with the National Security Agency (NSA), makes him a uniquely qualified successful candidate. We were delighted to help BWXT with its search for an innovative and transformational executive to lead this new position as the firm develops future value for its customers."

Smith was most recently vice president and general manager for Lockheed Martin's Radar and Sensors Systems Market Segment, where he had full responsibility for a multi-billion-dollar business with revenue from a broad portfolio of programs and products across 45 countries. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin in 2008, he was vice president of Nantero's Government Business Unit before it was acquired by Lockheed Martin. He also worked for the National Security Agency in multiple operations, engineering and leadership positions.

Smith holds a doctorate in chemical engineering from Auburn University and a Master of Business Administration from Johns Hopkins University. He has been published multiple times and has been awarded numerous patents.

Commented Steve Potter, CEO of Odgers Berndtson U.S., "Thanks to Jon Barney's leadership and deep knowledge of the Aerospace, Defense, and National Security industry, Odgers was able to recruit an executive with unparalleled global experience to take on a newly created position."

About Odgers Berndtson

For more than 50 years, Odgers Berndtson has delivered executive search, leadership assessment, and development strategies to the world's biggest and best organizations. Odgers Berndtson's 250+ partners cover more than 50 sectors and operate out of 59 offices in 29 countries. The U.S. wing of the firm launched in 2011 and is one of the fastest growing search firms in the Americas. Odgers Berndtson currently has U.S. offices in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, and Washington DC.

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Ayesha Jhulka Regrets Turning Down Mani Ratnam's Roja

Speaking about the film offers she had turned down, Ayesha told ETimes, "There were a lot of films that I couldn't do. I couldn't do Mani Ratnam's Roja due to date issues and I regretted it." The role eventually went to Madhoo. She further added, "Then there was a Rama Naidu film, Prem Qaidi which I had to reject because I was supposed to be introduced in a bikini in the film."

Ayesha Jhulka On Staying Away From The Limelight

On being asked what kept her away from Bollywood, the actress said, "I am still a part of Bollywood; just not on screen. There is a lot of work coming my way in films, web-series, and also TV, but if I can't take it up unless I fit in. I am looking forward to doing roles that can give satisfaction as an actor. Otherwise I keep busy doing work for animals. Also, I am writing a script, and reading a few which I am considering for acting prospects. So a lot is happening right now.

Ayesha said that she deliberately kept away from films post marriage and told the tabloid, "I started working at a very young age, so when I got married, I wanted a normal life. I quite enjoyed it! Being away from Bollywood after marriage was a good decision."

Ayesha Jhulka Wants To Work With Aamir Khan Again

Talking about the actors she wishes to work with, Ayesha told ETImes, "There are a lot of good actors--from Ranveer Singh to Ranbir Kapoor--whom I would like to work with. But I want to work with Aamir again because he is so fantabulous!"

Further, she was all praise for her Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander co-star and said, "He is the one actor who always has his head on his shoulders. He works really hard to get into the character. Even now, if you see his films, he just blends into the character, which is amazing!"

Ayesha Jhulka Reveals Which Bollywood Stars She Remains In Touch With

"I am in touch with Jackie Dada, who does a lot of social work, especially towards the betterment of animals as he is also an animal lover. I wanted to start an animal ambulance in Lonavala and he recently donated a van to us. I am also in touch with Bhagyashree, Raveena Tandon, Hema Malini ji and a few more. Recently, I had a little mishap with my dog, and realised that a lot of people support me. It is like a family. Here I would like to mention a person whom I have never worked with but who reached out to me--John Abraham. I really appreciate his support as not many people do that. I had met Aamir after years and nothing had changed; even when I meet Govinda, it's like no time has passed," the senior actress told ETimes.
John O'Connell of the FSU wants the Government to step in on Ulster Bank

The secretary general of the Financial Services Union (FSU) has called on the Minister for Finance to go over the head of NatWests chairman and deal directly with the UK Chancellor to keep Ulster Bank in Ireland.

The FSUs John OConnell met with Minister of State for Financial Services Sean Fleming yesterday to press the unions case for preventing Ulster Bank from exiting the Irish market.

He said he wanted the Irish Government persuade the UK government to use the leverage of its 62pc stake in NatWest to prevent Ulster Bank pulling out.

We would welcome direct engagement with the Chancellor, said Mr OConnell told the Irish Independent after the meeting. The UK government has a stake in NatWest and we think it is appropriate to engage at the government level. So much is at stake that it would justify such a high-level intervention.

Read More

However, a spokesperson for the Department of Finance indicated the idea was unlikely to go anywhere. Commercial decisions of Ulster Bank are a matter for the Board and Management of the Bank and its parent company, NatWest, he said.

He added that Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe had met with NatWest management and was keeping the matter under review.

The FSU has been sounding the alarm on Ulster Bank privately since last July when it met senior figures at the bank to discuss what could be done to keep it open.

NatWest confirmed in September that it was considering winding down the bank, Irelands third largest, as part of a strategic review which is due to finish in the coming weeks. It was later reported in the Irish Times that NatWest was in talks with US private equity group Cerberus about selling Ulster Banks 20.5bn loan book  a claim NatWest denied at the time.

Banking analysts have said that a wind-down of Ulster Bank would release significant capital that is currently locked up in the bank due to strict regulations that apply to the Irish market.

NatWest was paid 500m in a dividend last year, but Ulster Bank still holds 4bn in core capital against risk weighted assets of 15bn, giving it a much higher capital ratio than competitors AIB and Bank of Ireland.

The FSU warned in a statement yesterday that the exit of Ulster Bank would leave the remaining two major Irish banks vulnerable to foreign takeovers and reduce competition, leading to higher prices.
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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
DURHAM, N.C. -- Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised an algorithm to remove contaminated microbial genetic information from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). With a clearer picture of the microbiota living in various organs in both healthy and cancerous states, researchers will now be able to find new biomarkers of disease and better understand how numerous cancers affect the human body.

In the first study using the newly decontaminated dataset, the researchers have already discovered that normal and cancerous organ tissues have a slightly different microbiota composition, that bacteria from these diseased sites can enter the bloodstream, and that this bacterial information could help diagnose cancer and predict patient outcomes.

The results appear online on December 30 in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

TCGA is a landmark cancer genomics program that molecularly characterized over 20,000 primary cancer and matched healthy samples spanning 33 cancer types. It has produced more than 2.5 million gigabytes of "omic" data. The atlas includes which DNA is present, what epigenetic markers are on the DNA, which DNA is turned on and which proteins are being produced. It is freely available for public use.

One study from the atlas data revealed an abundance of Fusobacterium nucleatum in colorectal cancer, which has since been shown to be indicative of stage, survival, metastasis and even drug responses of this kind of cancer. Many more studies have searched for such bacterial biomarkers, however few have been discovered. A large reason for this is contamination. When bacteria get introduced into the samples accidentally by the laboratories, it becomes difficult to discern which species were actually in the samples to begin with. While similar microbiome studies using microbe-rich material such as feces can overcome small amounts of contamination, the relatively miniscule samples taken from live human organs and tumor samples cannot.

When examining a subset of TCGA sequencing data, previous analyses found that microbial DNA from a number of species was the result of lab contamination.

"All microbiota studies are plagued by the notion that if you find a microbe, was it really in the tissue or was it contamination introduced during processing?" said Xiling Shen, the Hawkins Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Duke. "We've invented a method that can extract the microbes that were truly in each sample and used it to build what we've called The Cancer Microbiome Atlas, which will be a tremendous resource for the community and allow us to understand how cancer alters an organ's microbiome."

The method for removing contamination from TCGA data was invented by Anders Dohlman, a graduate student in Shen's laboratory. Dohlman first compared the microbiome signatures between cancer tissues from different organs and blood, and ruled out contaminant species that showed up indiscriminately. He then compared the microbiome signatures of identical samples that were processed at separate sites, ranging from Harvard to Baylor. Dohlman concluded that the microbial species that can only be detected from a specific site would be the contaminants, allowing him to assign a unique contamination signature for each site.

"A big challenge in this process was mixed-evidence species, which are bacteria that are both a contaminant and endogenous to the tissue," said Dohlman. "But because TCGA has so many different types of data, we were able to tease it out. Big data really helps!"

The effort is already paying dividends in a variety of ways. After using Dohlman's decontamination algorithm, the researchers took a close look at the microbiota signatures of samples taken from colorectal cancer patients. They discovered two unique groups of bacteria frequently found together, one of which appears to be associated with patient survival.

The researchers also discovered that some cancers do indeed alter the microbiome of their resident organs. It might be, Shen reasons, that tumors alter an organ's microenvironment, making it more or less hospitable to different microbial species. And by looking for microbial signatures within patient blood samples, they also found that, despite conventional wisdom to the contrary, some bacteria does find its way into the bloodstream, which could also provide an indication of a cancer's progress.

"There has been a sort of crisis in the field about whether or not high-profile papers can be reproduced, owing to the challenge of contamination," said Shen. "For example, while one center would be able to reproduce its results, another center would not. This explains why: Each center has its own very consistent bias. (Its own resident microbe contaminants.) In the future, new studies can use our method to remove this bias and reproduce results, and research centers might be able to use their bias we've identified to mitigate their contamination."

###

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (R35GM122465, DK119795) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (W911NF1920111).

CITATION: "The Cancer Microbiome Atlas: A Pan-Cancer Comparative Analysis to Distinguish Tissue-Resident Microbiota from Contaminants." Anders B. Dohlman, Diana Arguijo Mendoza, Shengli Ding, Michael Gao, Holly Dressman, Iliyan D. Iliev, Steven M. Lipkin, Xiling Shen. Cell Host & Microbe, 2021. DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2020.12.001
Schools will reopen for students of class 10 and 12 from January 18, said the Delhi government on Wednesday. Students are expected back at campus for practical work and other pre-board preparations.

However, schools in containment zones will not be allowed to reopen and students, teachers, and staff living in these zones will not be allowed to attend. Schools have been asked only to call students with the consent of the parents and follow all the Covid-19 precautions.

Students will be returning back to the school premises post a long 10-month gap after the lockdown was imposed in March.

The Directorate of Education (DoE) issued a circular on Wednesday which said that while the records of children coming to school be maintained, the same should not be used for attendance purposes as sending the child to school is completely optional for parents.

The circular also instructed schools to not hold any assembly and physical outdoor activities. The principals have been asked to guide children not to share books, copies and stationary items.

While the pre-board exams of Class 12 will be conducted between March 3 and April 15, Class 10 exams will be held between April 1 and April 15, according to the circular. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has already announced the timeline of practical and written examinations. While practical exams will begin from March 1, written exams will be conducted between May 3 and June 10.

The DoE has asked schools to provide emotional and trauma support to students and teachers upon their return to the campus.

The schools have been asked to maintain social distancing of six feet, have staggered timings and maintain hygiene, among other Covid-19 appropriate guidelines already issued by the government.Earlier this week, Tamil Nadu government also announced reopening of schools for students of Class 10 and 12 from January 19.

Also read: 'Bowled over by this delivery': Amul wishes Anushka, Virat in adorable doodle

Also read: Amazon Prime Video starts first mobile-only plan for Rs 89 in India
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India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader B. S. Yeddyurappa flashes the victory sign after taking oath as Chief Minister of the southern state of Karnataka inside the governor's house in Bengaluru,karnataka lok sabha polls 2019,yeddyurappa dynasty watch,yeddyurappa family

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday said seven new Ministers will take oath of office later in the day, as he expands his 17-month old cabinet. Indicating that Excise Minister H Nagesh will be dropped from the Ministry, he said one berth will be kept vacant.

"The list of seven new ministers who will take oath today has been sent to the Raj Bhavan. Their names are Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, MTB Nagaraj, Murugesh Nirani, R Shankar, C P Yogeshwar and S Angara," Yediyurappa said.

Speaking to reporters here, he said other things will be discussed with party central leaders who are coming. "We have kept one post vacant, and (regarding) Nagesh... I will discuss with him and try to convince," the Chief Minister said, indicating that he will be dropped from the Ministry.

The cabinet currently has 27 members, and seven berths are vacant. According to a state Information Department release, Governor Vajubhai Vala will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new members who will be inducted to the Cabinet at 3.50 pm at the Glass House of Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

BJP General Secretary in-charge of state Arun Singh is in the city to attend the swearing-in. This would be the third expansion of the cabinet since Yediyurappa assumed charge in July, 2019 after the collapse of the Congress-JDS government in the wake of revolt by 17 MLAs of the coalition partners.

It's a mix of old guards and new entrants from Congress and JDS who are making into the cabinet. Keeping up the promise, Congress-JD(S) rebels-turned BJP MLCs R Shankar and M T B Nagaraj, who helped the saffron party come to power, are being inducted by Yediyurappa.

Another MLC Yogeshwar, who is said to have played a key role by managing Congress-JD(S) rebel MLAs, during the political turmoil in the state in 2019, is also being inducted into the Ministry. Among the party oldguards making it to the cabinet include Umesh Katti (Hukkeri), S Angara (Sullia), Murugesh Nirani (Bilgi) and Arvind Limbavali (Mahadevapura).

While Katti (eight time MLA), Nirani and Limbavali (state BJP Vice President) have been Ministers in the previous BJP government, for Angara (six times MLA) this will be his first stint as the Minister.

However, RR Nagar MLA N Munirthna not making it to the list has come as a surprise, as Chief Minister while campaigning during the November, 2020 bypolls to the constituency has announced that he will be made Minister on being elected.

Munirathna was also among the Congress-JD(S) rebels who switched over to the BJP. Induction of Shankar, Nagaraj and Yogeshwar will take the number of MLCs in the Ministry to five, with Deputy Chief Minister Laxman Savadi and Muzrai Minister Kota Srinivas Poojari already in the cabinet.

This has led to some amount of resentment within the party, as many MLAs are upset that those not elected directly by the people are being made Ministers.
Vanessa Kirby's new Netflix film Pieces of a Woman has left viewers in tears after opening with a 20 minute-long home birth which ends with the baby dying.

The Crown actress, 32, from London, stars alongside Shia LaBeouf in the gripping drama, with the pair playing a married couple who are set to become parents.

But audiences at home were left distressed after the duo's home birth ends with the loss of their baby, with one viewer branding it a 'painful watch'.

The Netflix film was released in the UK last week and follows Martha (played by Vanessa) as she mourns the death of her little one, while relationships fracture and a court case over the midwife's decisions is heard.

Vanessa has already been reaping in the plaudits for her performance, having received the best actress prize at the Venice Film Festival, and is expected to secure an Academy Award nomination, alongside Ellen Burstyn, who plays her mother.

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Vanessa Kirby's (pictured) new Netflix film Pieces of a Woman has left viewers in tears after opening with a 20 minute-long 'tragic' home birthing scene

The Crown actress (pictured right), 32, from London, stars alongside Shia LaBeouf in the gripping drama, with the pair playing a married couple who are set to become parents

Viewers also praised Vanessa's portrayal, and admitted her performance left them in tears throughout the film.

'Watched Pieces of a Woman on Netflix and still amazed by Vanessa Kirby acting. The scene when Kirby was giving birth was breathtaking and unbelievable,' one person wrote. 'The Academy should land a gold statue of her hand this year.'

A second said: 'Pieces of a Woman has no business making me cry real tears in the first 20 minutes like this. That was rough.'

'I highly recommend Netflixs Pieces of a Woman. Vanessa Kirby is brilliant. I am in tears,' a third Twitter user wrote.

A fourth viewer added: 'This home birth scene in Pieces of A Woman is painful to watch. I really dont know how yall do it.'

Reaction: But audiences at home were left distressed after the duo's home birth ends with the loss of their baby, with one viewer branding it a 'painful watch'

'Vanessa Kirby deserves every single award for acting after that birth scene in Pieces of a Woman. Im in actual tears,' another wrote.

Pieces of a Woman begins by showing Martha and her partner Sean (played by Shia LaBeouf) preparing to welcome their baby.

She is seen saying farewell to her co-workers and packing up her things, while her mother is signing the papers on a practical minivan, and they're hanging up the final photos in the nursery.

But then, Martha is suddenly experiencing a very difficult labour, with audiences witnessing a 20 minute-long birthing scene at the couple's Boston home.

As the planned home birth continues, Martha's husband calls for help, but their chosen midwife is unavailable and a replacement is sent.

The Netflix film was released in the UK last week and follows Martha (played by Vanessa, pictured) as she mourns the death of her little one, while relationships fracture and a court case over the midwife's decisions is heard

However, the midwife who arrives appears to become increasingly erratic, with Martha's screams of agony rising as the baby comes under more stress.

The harrowing and painful scenes end in tragedy, with the baby girl living for just a matter of minutes, dying before any help can arrive.

Following the birth, viewers see Martha as she tries to return to 'everyday life' but struggles with the constant reminders of what happened - such as seeing children out and about, or the physical postpartum changes her body is experiencing.

She also has to deal with legal action over the home birth, with the babys death appearing to be the consequence of poor decisions by the substitute midwife.

Her relationship with her mother starts to break down as she becomes obsessed with getting justice, while Martha wants to ignore it and move on.

Pieces of a Woman is available to stream on Netflix now.
People are afraid to speak out on issues today the same way as they were when injustice was being done to women in mother and baby homes, Kildare North TD, Reada Cronin has said.

In a comment on the Mother and Baby Homes report, Deputy Cronin (Sinn Fein) said: Government after government apologise for the wrongs done. But they keep perpetuating those wrongs in how they treat poor women and their children to this very day. Even now social welfare inspectors are targeting single mothers. Instead of showing respect and kindness to women in claiming their rights as citizens, it selects them for special attention over a pittance, while public billions are squandered elsewhere. Social welfare is not the gift of any party or any government. It is a citizens right. 

As to why nobody spoke out about the old culture she says: For the same reason people are afraid to speak out today. Who would be a whistleblower when they see what the State and its agents did to Sgt Maurice McCabe. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael governments have not learned, they have not changed and no apology in the world, however well stage-managed, can change that fact 

Deputy Cronin said Fianna Fail and Fine Gael saw fit to bail bankers for billions. They should now grow a backbone, pay these innocent people for their incarceration and separation in the State. The Church too must pay its proper share. Nothing can compensate them, but payment would signal that the State is learning from the grievous wrongs it allowed against them as citizens.

Deputy Cronin said tha 50 years from now there will be another apology about how we had up to 4,000 children homeless, poor families shoved out of sight into hubs and B&Bs, people dying in tents on our wealthy streets, poor mothers scared of losing their children, our Traveller community excluded, families and individual men and women rotting in Direct Provision. These are political and social wrongs being committed right now. So, there is no change. The government today can have the mercy that was missing in the past but it chooses not to show it. The common thread between Mother and Baby Homes and now is poverty and how in Ireland we like to degrade groups of people, present them as lower than the rest of us and therefore deserving of lower standards. Until we address that, we will perpetuate and deepen the wrongs. Only this time it will be worse, because government will have looked at the lessons of the past, cried about them, made videos about them, apologised for them, but decided to learn and institute none of them.Until we treat our poor and marginalised with the respect and dignity that are their entitlement as citizens of this republic, there is no change, she concluded.

Jennifer Whitmore TD, Social Democrats spokesperson for Children, has said that the apology from the Taoiseach today, while necessary, is not enough and that the Government will be judged by its actions, not words.The commissions report  and the Governments response to it  fails to acknowledge that the fundamental responsibility for protecting its citizens lies with the State. It is not acceptable to suggest that the brutal regime described in the report is something we did to ourselves as a society.



For decades, the State and church operated hand in glove to implement a policy of shame, blame and misogyny that facilitated and oversaw the horrific treatment of women and children. It is simply not good enough to point the finger at families and wider society and say that they failed the survivors and victims of Mother and Baby Homes.

If the Governments first reaction to the commissions report is to suggest we were all complicit in the appalling treatment of these women and children, then we have learned nothing at all.

Todays apology must be followed up with swift action that addresses the needs of survivors. Restorative justice can only be truly achieved when outstanding issues such as access to personal data and financial redress are expedited in a manner that is not unwieldy. Survivors should not be retraumatised by having further bureaucratic or legislative barriers placed in front of them.

Ireland has a poor track record when it comes to dealing with victims of institutional abuse. This Government must not repeat the mistakes of the past in helping the survivors of Mother and Baby Homes achieve closure on this traumatic chapter of their lives.

This report only represents a step in the journey that these women and their families are taking. We need to listen to what survivors are saying and be led by their needs and voices, she concluded.
Panaji, Jan 13 : Union Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik, who was hospitalised after a road mishap, has been taken off a ventilator and is being administered high flow oxygen, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said on Wednesday.

Sawant also said that the North Goa MP's health parameters were stable and he need not be shifted to the national capital for further treatment.

"He has been shifted from a ventilator and is being administered high flow oxygen for now," Sawant told reporters at the Goa Medical College campus on Wednesday.

Earlier, a three-member team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences examined the Union MoS in presence of the Chief Minister.

"Shripad bhau was examined by three AIIMS doctors today morning. All of his parameters are stable. They are closely monitoring. But he will have to be minutely monitored on account of the major trauma which he has suffered," Sawant said.

When asked if he would have to be airlifted to Delhi for further treatment, Sawant said: "They (AIIMS team) have said that he need not be shifted for treatment".

Vijaya, Naik's wife, and Deepak Ghume his personal secretary, died from injuries after their car met with an accident in Yellapur in Karnataka on Monday night.

The two other occupants of the car, the driver and the Union Minister's personal security officer are recuperating at the Goa hospital.

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text



CES 2021 revealed new exciting robots that have great features and can do different human tasks easier. Some of them are weird while others are cute.

The CES event this year is quite different from other Consumer Electronics Shows that took place a few years ago. Why? Because the audiences are not actually in the venue to watch the bots up close.

Although this is the case, there are many YouTube channels that could help you know the robots that were revealed. According to CNET's latest report, some of the unveiled machines are specifically designed to keep people safe during the ongoing pandemic.

They can disinfect and sanitize many surface areas more efficiently compared to a human being. Other robots are designed to entertain and educate since people are usually at home, conducting remote work and online classes. To help you further, here are some of the unique robots of CES 2021.

Moflin

Some of the unveiled bots seem to do less compared to other machines. One of these is called The Moflin. According to USA Today's latest report, Vanguard Industries' new tiny bot can act as an artificial pet.

Finalmente, y por supuesto, porque Japon, mostraron algunos robots, de compania con IA y de comunicacion.

Moflin

Petit Qoobo

Booco emo

Y un kit educacional para crear un robot: Kurikit pic.twitter.com/q90pRgbtiq  David Ochoa B. (@BytePodcast) January 7, 2021

Also Read: British Expert Will Send a Robotic Space Spider to the Moon in Summer 2021; First Rover with Built-In Wi-Fi

The manufacturer explained that it has emotional capabilities that evolve like living animals. The Moflin is furry and has a personality of its own. What's great about it is the robot doesn't poop anywhere in your house!

Samsung's Bot Care

Samsung previously announced three kinds of robots. These include its latest R2-D2 and C-3PO, which are inspired by the popular film "Star Wars." The first one is called The Bot Care, which is more focused on acting as your artificial personal assistant. The second one, Bot Handy, is more of a hands-on robot.

In development, #Samsung Bot Handy will help you do chores around the house. Its a one-armed robot that can recognize household items to help you load the dishwasher, pick up laundry, or tidy a room. Also pictured is Samsung Bot Care, a robot assistant. pic.twitter.com/G58MfBMoFv  Drew Kozub (@DrewKozub) January 11, 2021

This means that the Bot Handy can do physical work since it has one arm. it can lift light objects or pick up things that are hard to reach for a human being.

Petit Qoobo

Another cute pet-like robot in the CES 2021 is called Petit Qooboo. This looks like the creature in an anime developed by the Japanese animation film studio called Studio Ghibli.

However, unlike in Studio Ghibli's animes, where the creatures are somewhat creepy, this cute but doesn't have sharp teeth or wide eyes. It also looks like Wild Mike from Looney Tunes, except for its tail. Petit Qoobo is a furry whoopee cushion with a long tail. Its smaller version has a small acanthus-like tail. If you want to see more cute and weird robots, just click here.

For more news updates about CES 2021 and other technology events, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: CES 2021 to Showcase 6 Next-Gen Robots a"From COVID-Fighting Bot to 'Guinea Pig' That Expresses Emotions!

This article is owned by TechTimes.

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Source: Reuters

Chinas COVID-19 cases crossed the 100-mark for the first time in recent months, ahead of Thursdays visit of the WHO team to Wuhan to probe the origins of the coronavirus.

The number of coronavirus cases in China climbed to 115 on Tuesday, the National Health Commission (NHC) said on Wednesday, adding that 107 of the infections were locally transmitted and the rest arrived from outside.

Of the locally transmitted cases, 90 were reported in north Chinas Hebei Province, which neighbours Beijing; 16 in Heilongjiang Province and one in Shanxi Province, the NHC said.

As of Tuesday, China reported a total of 87,706 COVID-19 cases and 4,634 deaths due to the virus.

The sudden spike in cases after China contained the virus raised concern as the surge comes ahead of the Spring Festival, the biggest annual holiday in the Chinese lunar calendar.

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 week-long festival, which also marks the Chinese New Year, will commence on February 12 during which millions of Chinese travel to home and abroad to celebrate the holidays.

Follow our LIVE blog for latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

While Beijing, which has reported few cases, is tightening control because of the surge in infections in neighbouring Hebei province where millions of people are under lockdown due to the fast spread of the virus, provinces across the country are taking measures to contain the disease.

Local governments across China are shutting down funerals and weddings to cut down the risk of coronavirus spreading across rural areas, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

Funerals and weddings in Chinas rural areas sometimes involve hundreds and maybe even thousands of guests.

They are an important element of traditional Chinese culture and low attendances involve a huge loss of face for the families.

The surge of the virus comes ahead of the long-awaited visit of the 10-member World Health Organisation (WHO) team to Wuhan, where COVID-19 first emerged in December 2019.

The team will directly fly from Singapore to Wuhan, Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

It is not clear whether they would go through 14-day quarantine.

The WHO teams visit has become a bone of contention as Beijing, which questions the widely-held view about the virus origins in Wuhan, had delayed granting permission to it.

China has been proactively questioning the view that the deadly outbreak took place in a wet market in Wuhan where live animals, birds and reptiles are sold and spread to humans.

The market remained closed and sealed since early last year.

Observers say it is to be seen what comes out of the visit as China is asserting that the virus has emerged in several places in the world and it only reported first and wants WHO team to visit other countries as part of the world health bodys investigations into the origins of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, another team of WHO officials is assessing compliance with international quality manufacturing practices ahead of potential emergency approval for Chinas COVID-19 vaccines Sinovac and Sinopharm, state-run China Daily quoted WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus as saying.

China has granted emergency approval for Sinopharm. Over nine million people in China have already been administered the vaccine.

A number of countries, including Egypt, the UAE, Jordan and Indonesia, have authorised the COVID-19 vaccines produced by China for emergency use.

And many more countries, including Brazil, Chile, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Nigeria, have ordered the vaccines or are cooperating with Beijing in procuring or rolling out the vaccines, the China Daily reported.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the COVID-19 vaccine shot developed by Chinas biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
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Humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years, and they are a key feature of the region's prehistoric artwork, particularly during the Ice Age. (Photo:AFP)

WASHINGTON: Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia.

The finding described in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region.

Co-author Maxime Aubert of Australia's Griffith University told AFP it was found on the island of Sulawesi in 2017 by doctoral student Basran Burhan, as part of surveys the team was carrying out with Indonesian authorities.

The Leang Tedongnge cave is located in a remote valley enclosed by sheer limestone cliffs, about an hour's walk from the nearest road.

It is only accessible during the dry season because of flooding during the wet season -- and members of the isolated Bugis community told the team it had never before been seen by Westerners.

Measuring 136 by 54 centimeters (53 by 21 inches) the Sulawesi warty pig was painted using dark red ochre pigment and has a short crest of upright hair, as well as a pair of horn-like facial warts characteristic of adult males of the species.

There are two handprints above the pig's hindquarters, and it appears to be facing two other pigs that are only partially preserved, as part of a narrative scene.

"The pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs," said co-author Adam Brumm.

Humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years, and they are a key feature of the region's prehistoric artwork, particularly during the Ice Age.

Aubert, a dating specialist, identified a calcite deposit that had formed on top of the painting, then used Uranium-series isotope dating to confidently say the deposit was 45,500 years old.

This makes the painting at least that age, "but it could be much older because the dating that we're using only dates the calcite on top of it," he explained.

"The people who made it were fully modern, they were just like us, they had all of the capacity and the tools to do any painting that they liked," he added.

The previously oldest dated rock art painting was found by the same team in Sulawesi. It depicted a group of part-human, part-animal figures hunting mammals, and was found to be at least 43,900 years old.

Cave paintings such as these also help fill in gaps about our understanding of early human migrations.

It's known that people reached Australia 65,000 years ago, but they would probably have had to cross the islands of Indonesia, known as "Wallacea."

This site now represents the oldest evidence of humans in Wallacea, but it's hoped further research will help show people were in the region much earlier, which would resolve the Australia settlement puzzle.

The team believes the artwork was made by Homo sapiens, as opposed to now extinct human species like Denisovans, but cannot say this for certain.

To make handprints, the artists would have had to place their hands on a surface then spit pigment over it, and the team are hoping to try to extract DNA samples from residual saliva.

Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.
Miguel Acosta Jr. forged his own identity in a legendary San Antonio family of luthiers, craftsmen who make stringed instruments. He was the go-to guy when a guitar needed fixing.

The renowned guitar and instrument repairman, who had been in declining health, died at home Jan. 5 after a brief illness. He was 81.

Acosta ran the family business, Acosta Music Co. on Bandera Road, until his retirement a few years ago. His customers ranged from superstar George Strait to actor Ann B. Davis of The Brady Bunch fame and included members of Van Halen and Texas Tornados.

He made me feel like family, said Jenn Alva, the bass player in Girl in a Coma and Fea, who posted a tribute on Facebook about how Acosta kept her instruments roadworthy. He always took care of me.

Most people knew Acosta as Mike, and to his family and closest friends he was Mickey. He liked it that way.

Miguel H. Acosta Jr. Born: July 18, 1939 in San Antonio Died: Jan. 5, 2021 in San Antonio Survivors: Wife, Olga Acosta; children Michael Acosta, Bernice Acosta Hinnant and Belinda O'Connor; siblings Sylvia Ramirez, Guadalupe "Sonny" Acosta, Irma Miller, Louis Acosta, Santiago "Jimmy" Acosta, Cynthia Acosta and Yolanda Heinz; and grandchildren Randy Johnson, Brad Johnson and Evan Shelton. Services: Services are pending. See More Collapse

In the San Antonio music community, the Acostas were renowned. The history of the family business, which began in 1920, is intertwined with some of Texas greatest musicians.

Guitars built by his grandfather Guadalupe Acosta were played by Lydia Mendoza, who strummed an Acosta 12-string guitar on her hit Mal Hombre, Celia Mireles, Rita Vidaurri and bluesman Alonzo Lonnie Johnson, who improvised single-string solos on his 1928 Acosta guitar while playing with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

The instruments  guitars and bajo sextos  were medium size and ranged from simple to ornate with hand-cut checkerboard binding. The musicians who play them say they rival the quality of Martin guitars, a famous American brand, and cite their playability, how they stayed in tune and how their use of woods  mahogany, walnut and long leaf pine  created a rich sound.

The bajo sextos by Acosta and Martin Macias were the best, said Santiago Jimenez Jr., a San Antonio traditional conjunto musician and National Medal of Arts recipient.

Macias was the patriarch of another San Antonio family of instrument makers. Tejano Conjunto Festival founder Juan Tejeda has called him the Stradivarius of bajo sexto.

Acostas father, Miguel Acosta, was a guitar and bajo sexto luthier and innovator. He built an electrified double-neck bajo sexto-guitar combination in 1947, long before Gibson introduced the double-neck electric guitar that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin popularized. His uncle Jesse Acosta taught him how to repair instruments.

The last to work in the family business, Acosta is remembered for his humility, quiet sense of humor and perfectionism. He was dedicated to putting his customers first.

The original Acosta Music Co. opened in 1920 at 504 W. Houston St. downtown, selling handmade guitars and bajo sextos, other stringed instruments and sheet music. In the late 1940s, Guadalupe Acosta moved it to the corner of Smith and Travis streets on the West Side.

The business closed in the 1960s. Mike Acosta opened his own shop on Bandera Road in 1974, reviving the Acosta Music Co. name. Over the course of 40 years, he would operate the storefront at three locations on Bandera; the final spot was not far from another San Antonio landmark, Randys Rodeo. He ran Acosta Music Co. with his wife, Olga.

Family photos from the old days hung in his shop. The small space had a few guitars hanging on the walls and glass cases filled with accessories. One wall usually was lined with amps awaiting repair. Acostas workshop was behind the humble front room.

Growing up, he didnt have a lot of things, Olga Acosta said via email. And he didnt want us to do without, so that is why he worked so hard. Three jobs at one point.

Acostas son, Michael Acosta, said his father was a positive and encouraging force who put his three children through college by working as a machinist at Kelly Air Force Base and repairing and customizing band instruments for Caldwell Music on North Main Avenue in addition to his work at his own shop.

He had a great ear, he said. He could tune an instrument without a pitch pipe or a tuning fork. He could just about fix anything.

Guitarist Steve Owens, a founder of the San Antonio band the Mo-Dels, was a teenager when he met Acosta decades ago because he needed his grandfathers vintage acoustic guitar repaired. Owens, who now runs his own repair shop, said he saw how much Acosta enjoyed his job and strives to emulate his dedication.

The reward is in reviving an instrument thats in disrepair or old, Owens said, or making a guitar play really well, to really dial it in.

Acosta graduated from Lanier High School in 1957. He played drums and sometimes performed in combos at teen dances at Patio Andaluz and Salon Tea, at West Commerce and Colorado Streets. But the musicians life wasnt for him.

Neither was building guitars like his father or grandfather. He had built a few as a young apprentice at Acosta Music Co. but got turned on to fixing electric guitars with the advent of the Beatles.

It was a very different era from the one in which his grandfather had founded the family business. He chafed at being called a luthier.

My dad would say, I dont know what that is. Im just a damn guitar repairman. He used to laugh at that, Michael Acosta said. He never boasted. But he had a saying, Do it right the first time.

Fernando Fern Hernandez, a guitarist who played with the San Antonio metal band Paradox in the 90s, worked for Acosta for years, starting in the mid-70s when Hernandez was a long-haired kid. He looked at me like I was a caveman, he said.

His first job was to sweep and mop. Then he got to clean the guitars.

He drilled me like Sgt. Carter, said Hernandez, who came to consider the Acostas mentors and second parents. He was a big-time dude, but he didnt care about being famous.

Madison, Wisc., guitar builder Todd Cambio, owner of Fraulini Guitars, was a friend of Acostas. He has repaired vintage Acosta guitars and replicated the Lydia Mendoza 12-string guitar. He calls them handmade works of art with a rich tone.

People dont understand the impact they had on Mexican American music, Cambio said. The quality was excellent.  And Mike was very knowledgeable of that family history. It was a point of pride.

Even after he retired, bringing Acosta Music Co.s illustrious run to an end, Acosta maintained a guitar repair workshop in his garage for the rest of his life.

Hector Saldana is the curator of the Texas Music Collection at The Wittliff Collections at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Editors note: This story has been updated to correct the Acosta Music Co. timeline.
By Janice Phelan, January 12, 2021

Students at the Missouri Innovation Center in Lee's Summit, MO, connect with students in Kenya via video conference in 2019.

Representatives from the University of Central Missouri (UCM) and the Government of Makueni County-Kenya, a member of the South Eastern Kenya Economic Bloc (SEKEB) and Global Classroom Exchange (GCE) celebrated a unique international partnership at a Jan. 8 virtual event. The early morning Zoom session included representatives from the university, Government of Makueni County-Kenya, the Economic Bloc and Global Classroom Exchange.

Officials signing the partnerships memorandum of understanding were the governor of Makueni County, Hon. Professor Kivutha Kibwana; Dr. Phil Bridgmon, UCM provost and vice president for Academic Affairs; Dr. Laurel Hogue, vice provost for UCM Extended Studies; and John Musau, founder and CEO of Global Classroom Exchange.

From our experience when we came to the university, the focus is really on the students, said Kibwana during the virtual signing. Even more exciting is creating this new nuance in education, this virtual education.

Critical aspects of the partnership include leveraging technology to enhance academic learning, developing career pathways with joint workforce programs for global markets and establishing dual credit and concurrent programs with Makueni County-Kenya, Hogue said. Today is the result of a lot of work and collaboration, and we are really excited about the work ahead, she added.

The initiative is resulting in meaningful collaboration and project-based learning, Musau said. We talk about having borders, and we talk about creating opportunities and sometimes those two dont go hand-in-hand. I feel this is one opportunity for us to make a difference.

Also attending the ceremony was Rick MDowell of the Lees Summit Economic Development Council. Workforce is a major initiative for Lees Summit and the regional area in Kansas City, he said. Now we see this as throughout the world as a major initiative.

Through the partnership, UCM Extended Studies will work with the universitys Kenyan peers on education and workforce development. The partners are leveraging technology to foster global collaboration in resolving local challenges. The organizations are working together to develop real-world sustainable solutions for students and adults. Students will also gain hands-on experiences in areas such as Internet of Things, virtual reality, telehealth and entrepreneurship -- just to name a few -- while working on industry-recognized certifications and accelerated degree programs.

This is an important engagement in workforce development that will provide career pathways in an area that is growing and emerging, said Dr. Phil Bridgmon, UCM provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

The partnerships foundation began in 2019 with Summit Technology Academy (Lees Summit R-7 School District) meeting virtually with students in Kenya to become acquainted and begin planning their combined efforts. During fall 2019, Kenya Governor Kivutha Kibwana and a delegation from Kenya visited Lees Summit to tour the Missouri Innovation Campus and meet with officials from UCM and Summit Technology Academy.

This new partnership has benefitted from the involvement of Digloso Ltd, a company focusing on providing emerging populations with technological infrastructure and modular application platforms. Digloso is headquartered in Kenya.

Business, individuals and organizations have the opportunity to collaborate in the project, which is actively seeking partners to help with solutions. For more information, contact Joe Mullins at jmullins@ucmo.edu or Dr. Laurel Hogue at lhogue@ucmo.edu.

The University of Central Missouri operates campuses in Lees Summit and Warrensburg, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as certificate programs, professional education courses and customized corporate curriculum. UCM and Summit Technology Academy have shared space and resources in the award-winning Missouri Innovation Campus facility since its opening in fall 2017. The South Eastern Kenya Economic Bloc includes three counties: Kitui, Machakos and Makueni with a combined estimated population of 4.7 million. The Bloc was created to provide social and economic development for its citizens.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
The changing norms in the world post-COIVD-19 have forced businesses to change their ways of doing business. As India gradually turns towards the road to recovery, consumers, businesses, and industries are expecting measures and relief in the Union Budget 2021 that can help them outmanoeuvre pandemic-related challenges and thrive in the future. We expect the government to focus on three key issues.

Infrastructure, health, skills, and defence to spur activity, demand, and jobs

The government will likely focus on investing in building a robust infrastructure and productive assets, which will be key in realising India's self-reliance ambition. Infrastructure is one area where India needs to scale up significantly to compete with its peers globally.

According to Oxford economics, India spends around 4% of GDP on infrastructure as against China that spends over 6% of GDP. India needs to spend at least 1.5% annually more to meet UN sustainable development goals. Disputes around infrastructure contracts between the government and contractors often result in implementation delays and cost escalations.

Also Read: Budget 2021: Where can the govt raise resources from?

This year, the finance minister must emphasise on infrastructure investment, which will translate into employment generation, livelihood for low- and semi-skilled workers, and demand for goods and services offered by MSMEs. Allocation for judiciary infrastructure will result in swift justice and resolution of pending cases leading to improved investment sentiments.

The infrastructure development plan may also involve boosting health and social care. To make the country ready to deal with similar challenges in the future with higher resilience, the government must increase spending on healthcare infrastructure from the current 3.5% of GDP to at least 5% this year and target to reach the world average of 10% over the next 10 years. The government may spend some amount on upgrading and procuring defence resources to support operational capacities amidst geopolitical tensions.

To tackle demand and job creation, there may be a focus on allocating resources to address structural challenges obstructing MSMEs' growth; skill development opportunities, including upskilling and reskilling talent, to empower the workforce with the changing nature of jobs; as well as announcing more schemes and incentives for the agriculture sector.

Additionally, tax cuts (for both personal and corporate income) may get introduced. However, keeping in mind that revenue income is low this year, the benefit may be given to those who have been most hit by the pandemic.

Also Read: First time in history, Union Budget 2021 to be paperless

Funding expenses and managing the fiscal deficit will be key

While the government may adopt the Keynesian economics theory of spending during a recession to prioritise growth with social objectives, the nature of spending will be crucial. Rationalising spending by reducing spending on revenue expenditure and raising capital expenditure will be welcomed in this budget by investors even if it means a higher fiscal deficit for the initial few years. Once the momentum picks up, the government can consolidate its expenses in the future.

That said, the government must figure out how to fund its expenses and it must do so immediately. Investments with lagged returns such as infrastructure often face funding challenges. The likely proposal to create a bank to fund infrastructure spending is a great step forward.

External borrowing, strategic disinvestments, and public-private participation could be a few other options to explore. With equity prices at an all-time high, this might be a ripe time for the government to disinvest. For revenue buoyancy, a stabilisation of the GST rates, broadening the tax base while finding new sources of revenues, improving the basic IT infrastructure hurdles for filing taxes, and plugging loopholes that encourage tax evasion could be a few smarter ways.

Improve the ease of doing business environment

The second important focus will likely be on improving the business ecosystems and ease of doing business. Some of the announcements may involve rationalising the tax structure (change the GST rate structure and ease compliance requirements); investing in improving logistics; allocating resources to ensure social and health protection to workers, inclusion, and better implementation of labour and land laws; and spending on digitisation.

Also Read: Budget 2021: How will govt fund COVID-19 vaccination? There's a cess coming!

Increasing export footprint in the world

Enhanced value addition in industries, including MSMEs, might be the third focus to enhance India's share in the global export market and move up the global value chain. The government may promote specialisation and investment in sectors where India has a competitive advantage and that are labour intensive. Schemes to improve local networks and efforts to expand economic corridors in Tier 2 and 3 cities should be considered, especially when virtual working is opening up opportunities. Sops and incentives to scale-up facilities, allocations for building IPR and promoting innovation, favourable trade policy announcements, and measures to address logistics and coordination costs associated with world-class transport and communication may get addressed in the budget.

All eyes are on the budget as the government walks a tightrope of balancing growth and fiscal concerns. Effective implementation of the proposed budget will be key.

(The author is Economist, Deloitte India.)
When it comes to footwear, formalwear or The Queens English, Australians are endearingly relaxed. But lord help any airline that aggrieves Aussie business class flyers.

As we discovered last year, Australian pointy end flyers despise disappointment. While you could write this off as snobbishness (maybe fliers should give airlines more leeway because of the pandemic?), you could also look at it another way.

You could see it as an admirable refusal to ever have the wool pulled over ones eyes. A smart way to keep airlines in check. Common sense, even. Now, before you throw your United MileagePlus card at us, or soil your linen pants with rage; a disclaimer.

Were well aware holding business class to a high standard can come across as irritatingly pedantic, or involve brewing a storm in a two-minute noodle cup.

RELATED: Entitled Business Class Passenger Reports Invasion Of Their Toilet By Economy Peasants

Were also well aware Australia has a much smaller domestic aviation market than America, with just two main competitors (one being now far more dominant), and the vast majority of the remainder of flight options comprising of these two competitors (Qantas and Virgin Australias) subsidiaries.

America has a more cutthroat scene, which lends itself less to luxurious domestic seats, and more to commercial competition (not to mention crushed kneecaps; passenger altercations). Indeed, theres no such thing as business class domestically in the US, with plane sections being broken into economy and first (first being the rough equivalent of Australian business class).

Australian business class passengers fear of this dynamic making its way across the pond was demonstrated various times last year.

Virgin Australias transition to a leaner, meaner airline (post voluntary administration) had Australian business class passengers nervous, furious and teary all at once, with tributes to its domestic business class  a favourite in everyones book  rolling in (when news broke it could be on the chopping block).

Then there were Qantas repatriation flights. Though many whinged there werent enough of them, others argued they prove why its so important to have accountable airlines which, cheesy as some of the advertising campaigns are, use being quintessentially Aussie as a marketing tool (and then feel the heat to help out in moments like pandemics).

Finally; Noodlegate. How could we forget? Arguably the turning point when people really started talking about the Americanisation of business class in Australia.

Frequent flyer and Flight Hacks founder Immanuel Debeer told DMARGE Noodlegate was part of an appalling cost-cutting trend.

I think Bain is on a cost cutting spree and these days you can get away with almost anything in the name of Covid.

Virgin used to have (in my opinion) the worlds best domestic business class product in terms of food, service and seats. Now were seeing the Americanisation of business class.

Aussies are used to getting better so its no wonder the Bain budget carrier approach wont go down well unless the prices of the tickets reflect the actual service.

Virgin Australia quickly rectified the situation (they claimed to have run out of food the day this happened) and are now serving snack boxes including baked Lavosh crackers (with a new and improved challenger menu to Qantas still to be revealed).

Need further evidence Americans should consider adopting a bit of the Australian business class culture?

Check out the clamouring for memorabilia  and the outpouring of grief and nostalgia  we saw when Qantas retired the Queen of the Skies last year. We rarely see an American airline go to such elaborate lengths to appeal to customers historical sensibilities either (see: Secret Message Behind Qantas Last Ever 747 Flight), and  as far as weve seen  there is rarely such a response from customers in return.

Then there are articles like the following (which describes one passengers disgruntled experience of 15 hours in the worst seat in A380 business class), which show Australians maintain their high standards even when soaring internationally on non-Aussie airlines.

Looking to the future of Australian aviation, Rico Merkert, USYD Professor of Transport and Supply Chain Management, told DMARGE late last year he believes Virgin Australia will continue to transition to a middle-market carrier, while Qantas will mostly stay business as usual (though not necessarily immune to cutbacks).

The new CEO of Virgin will position to airline closer to the LCC business model and passengers (say business) will be able to add extra services to their seat a la carte and will be expected to pay for those add-ons.

As such, you could argue that Qantas has won the business traveller market in the domestic Australian market. There may be a little bit of competition with Rex and Alliance though and to some extent even with Virgin as some corporate travellers may now at least initially be price sensitive.

International[ly], however, Merkert told us, it is a totally different picture as Qatar, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand and a few others pose strong competition to Qantas, in particular as they are currently flying in and out of Australia while Qantas is not.

Whats next? Watch this (air) space.

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WASHINGTONOn Jan. 6, supporters of President Donald Trump gathered in the nations capital for a demonstration, called the Save America March.

The plan was to hold a rally in The Presidents Park just south of the White House and then march to the Capitol building to demand that Congress and Vice President Mike Pence reject electoral votes for former Vice President Joe Biden from states where election results were marred by irregularities, allegations of fraud, and unconstitutional voting rule changes.

By the end of the day, the Capitol went through several rounds of lockdown after a sizable group of protesters broke inside. Four people died in or around the Capitol, including Ashli Babbitt, a woman who was shot dead by a Capitol Police officer. Three others died due to medical emergencies, authorities said. One man died of a heart attack and another of a stroke, and one woman was crushed by the crowd, several media reported.

A Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, died the next day. He was injured while physically engaging with protesters  returned to his division office and collapsed, Capitol Police said in a statement.

ABC News reported that authorities believe Sicknicks death was driven by a medical condition, referring to anonymous sources familiar with the situation. Some reports said he was hit with a fire extinguisher at the Capitol. Authorities are investigating those reports, the sources said, but they remain unconfirmed.

At least 57 officers were injured and 68 people were arrested by the next day, authorities said, while announcing that the chief of Capitol Police had resigned. At least a dozen more arrests have since been announced.

The dramatic and unprecedented events shook the nation; lawmakers and officials across the board denounced the violence. Trump repeatedly called for peace, but was later shut down by social media companies. His aide put out a statement in which the president committed to a peaceful transfer of power after Congress certified Biden as the next president.

In a short address on Jan. 7, Trump condemned the storming of the Capitol. He called it a heinous attack that defiled the seat of American democracy.

To those who engaged in acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay, he said. We have just been through an intense election and emotions are high. But now, tempers must be cooled and calm restored.

Heres how events unfolded on Jan. 6, based on information collected from video clips, live video streams, and accounts collected from people on the ground by The Epoch Times.

The day started like many other recent Trump rallies. His supporters began to gather in the early hours of the morning, growing into a crowd of at least tens of thousands. A lineup of conservative personalities gave speeches, some focusing on demands for rejecting the current election results, while others focused more on the future of the Republican Party.

At about noon, Trump gave a speech to a crowd of what appeared at the time to be more than 100,000 people.

He said several state legislatures wanted to claw back the certification of their electoral votes, due to accumulating evidence of irregularities and fraud. Pence, he said, had the power to reject the votes that those state lawmakers no longer consider legitimate.

Republicans are constantly fighting like a boxer with his hands tied behind his back, Trump said to the crowd. Its like a boxer. And we want to be so nice, we want to be so respectful of everybody, including bad people. And were going to have to fight much harder. And Mike Pence is going to have to come through for us. And if he doesnt, that would be a sad day for our county. Because youre sworn to uphold our Constitution.

Now, it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault on our democracy. And after this, were going to walk down, and Ill be there with you  were going to walk down to the Capitol and were going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women. And were probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because youll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.

We have come to demand that Congress do the right thing and only count the electors who have been lawfully slatedlawfully slated. I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.

Today, we will see whether Republicans stand strong for the integrity of our elections.

Breach of the Capitol

Before Trump had finished his speech, many people had set off on the mile-long walk to the Capitol. Some said they needed to be there in time for the electoral vote count, which started at 1 p.m.

Hundreds of people, carrying Trump flags and wearing MAGA (Make America Great Again) hats and other Trump gear, had already gathered around noon near 1st Street, where police set up a fence about 500 feet from the Capitol. Some people wore helmets and other protective gear. Most stood around or chanted slogans.

Shortly before 1 p.m., a group of protesters approached the northwest part of the outer perimeter near the Peace Monument and demanded that they be let through the portable fence, which was guarded by a handful of police officers, one video shows. One man appeared to try to pick a fight with an officer, but another man stopped him and pulled him away.

As more people approached, several rioters in the front started to yank the fence and quickly pushed it over, pinning one female officer underneath. Two protesters immediately came to her rescue and helped pull her up and walked her to her colleagues. One rioter climbed over the fence and was immediately grabbed by two officers. Two rioters tried to pull the first one back, but another officer rushed in and punched one of the rioters. It appears none of the three rioters were wearing any Trump gear.

Meanwhile, a stream of people poured over the downed fence. The perimeter was broken.

Another video appears to have captured the same moment from a different angle near the center of the outer perimeter behind the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial. A thin crowd of protesters is seen on the street, with more and more coming. A section of fencing is already broken. A handful of police are seen standing on the lawn further behind the fence. A woman with a loudspeaker starts to shout Patriots go!, urging people to jump the fence.

Break the law! Hey, were breaking the law. Were breaking the law! [Expletive] them! [Expletive] the police! she shouts. Only a handful of people cross the fence. The videographer uses the hole in the fence to go in and heads to the northwest part of the perimeter, capturing the moment when the crowd breaks through.

Another clip of this moment was posted on Twitter at 1 p.m., about 12 minutes before Trump finished his speech.

Two more layers of the portable fence were placed on the pathway and in front of the first few Capitol steps, but the police werent guarding them at this point and people quickly dismantled or knocked them over. Police tried to form a line in front of another short fence near a second layer of steps, but as the crowd grew, the officers withdrew behind it. It took less than two minutes for the crowd to knock that barrier over. A few scuffles broke out and police used pepper spray.

The officers formed another line and a group of riot police arrived to fortify it.

The officers then pushed the crowd back, occasionally using pepper spray, and set up a layer of portable fencing. One man put his hands on an officer, who immediately punched him in the face. Another officer sprayed the mans face with mace.

While the police line held, many people started to climb the scaffolding on the side of the steps leading to the west side entrance to the Capitol, as well as at least one secondary entrance.

At around 2:20 p.m., police were still blocking people on the ground level, but a large group had already formed on the upper levels and broken inside through a window they broke and a secondary entrance to the north of the main entrance. The crowd started to push through the police line near the southern staircase, an expletive-laden video shows.

One man slipped through, but was quickly knocked to the ground and apprehended by police; one officer proceeded to punch him into submission. Two more men got through and also were knocked to the ground.

Meanwhile, the police line near the northern staircase began to collapse, allowing a crowd to push through and pour into the space between the two staircases. Fights broke out between some rioters and the police. While some people were pulling rioters away from the police, the aggression continued. One officer was knocked down from behind; a rioter threw a fire extinguisher at a group of riot police, hitting an officer into the back of his helmet.

Videos from the scene taken by people who arrived with the main group of protesters from the rally show a group of rioters already clashing with police at the west Capitol entrance, above the steps, while a large group of protesters watches. At that point, it appears, hundreds have already made it inside the building and some can be seen through one of the windows.

Another video shows a crowd of rioters trying to force their way in through the west entrance. A large group of riot police eventually pushes them out. At least one rioter sprays the officers with what looks like pepper spray.

One video shows a heap of media equipment, some of it damaged, in front of the Capitol building, with protesters standing around.

At about 2:25 p.m., Capitol Police reported shots fired; only a handful of people knew what had just happened.

At about 2:30 p.m., lawmakers and staff were evacuated. At 2:31, Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed a 6 p.m. curfew.

Some media blamed talk show host Alex Jones, head of Infowars, for inciting the Capitol breach. Infowars then published a video that shows Jones trying to convince the crowd to remain peaceful, avoid confrontation with police, leave the Capitol steps, and go to the other side of the building, where an event with speakers was supposed to take place. (The Wall Street Journal has retracted its claim about Jones.)

The video shows a large group of protesters did move to the other side of the building. There was no sign of the event, however, according to one of the protesters on site who later spoke to The Epoch Times.

Instead, a large group of protesters was walking to the central east side Capitol entrance. Smaller groups of protesters were also seen on the upper levels near the left and right secondary entrances on the east side of the building.

Police set up temporary fencing and formed a line behind it, about 250 feet from the east entrance. As the crowd grew, those in the front started to yank the fence and scuffle with police. The perimeter collapsed shortly after 2 p.m.

The protester said he was on the front lines as the crowd approached the steps leading to the central entrance. Only a handful of officers were there, and looked completely unprepared for the situation, he said. The crowd started to push its way up the stairs.

It appeared to the protester that some of the people around him and even some of the officers werent taking the situation very seriously, although one female officer was visibly upset and began to cry. She grabbed the protesters hand, he said, but it appeared to him that she didnt apply much force to stop him.

He took hold of her hand in return, quipping, Are we going to dance here?

The crowd swarmed up the stairs until the police line broke and people approached the door. Some were banging on the door, before it was opened; its not clear how, the protester said. Photos taken by the protester indicate the door had a magnetic lock, which could be forced open if the door handle was pulled strongly enough.

I was kind of cattled in with the rest of the crowd, the protester said.

One video shows people trying to keep the door open, while officers both inside and outside try to close it. One officer is pushed and collapses to the ground. Several people help him get back on his feet and usher him away.

At one point, Jones is seen at the steps of one of the east entrances, urging people to come down.

More footage shows a young man with no clear affiliation breaking a window next to the entrance on the right. He manages to smash one pane before hes taken down by police, who handcuff him. The officers took him away, said the videographer, Bobby Powell, in a commentary to the video. The video shows the officers leaving, with nobody left to guard the broken window.

As Powell picks a few shards of glass from the windowsill, one man is heard saying, Why dont you guys open up the rest of it?, apparently talking about the partly broken window.

Because I think thats probably illegal, Powell is heard responding. The man makes another comment that is hard to understand. Powell said he was the same man who then came by and tore out another pane from the window. A man with an American flag pushes him aside as he approaches the window, apparently to stop others from going in.

Do not go in there, Powell says. No, the man replies. The man who tore out the pane shoves the other man back before saying something to him and shoving him again.

Overall, it appeared that several hundred people entered the building through different entrances and broken windows; the police needed several hours to clear them out.

Many of the Trump supporters in the main crowd outside the Capitol were unaware of what was going on inside, according to Ed Martin, president of the Eagle Forum Education and Legal Defense Fund and one of the events organizers.

I walked toward the Capitol. I got there a little bit later, he told The Epoch Times. All I saw was people protesting and actually kind of celebrating. There was a lot of joy and a lot of encouragement. The people that did terrible things and violence and all, I dont know who they were. I dont like that. Thats not something that I wanted to see. It makes everyone look bad.

An affiliate of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization, bussed more than 300 students to the event, but they left right after Trumps speech and didnt participate in the march to the Capitol, said Andrew Kovlet, the groups spokesman, in an interview with The Epoch Times.

Intruders

Among those who entered the building, there appears to have been several distinct behavior patterns.

One group seemed to just be wandering about without any apparent purpose.

Another group was walking through the corridors looking for lawmakers, whom they sought to confront with their concerns or demands. These groups appeared splintered and disorganized, with each smaller group seemingly led by several aggressive individuals willing to kick down doors and smash window panes in the process. There were some people trying to hold these people back in confrontations with police, but nobody was stopping them from trying to break through closed doors, some footage indicates.

The interviewed protester said he took the opportunity to get inside to find and talk to one of his representatives. Some others voiced similar intentions, he said.

Some individuals engaged in vandalism and stealing. Some stole small objects, apparently as souvenirs, but more valuable items also were pilfered. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)s spokesman said that somebody stole a laptop belonging to her office from a conference room. It was only used for presentations, the spokesman said. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) also reported a stolen laptop. A video shows that the office of the Senate parliamentarian was possibly ransacked. It also appears some of Pelosis mail was stolen.

A number of individuals appeared eager to fight with the police; they repeatedly provoked and scuffled with the officers at multiple locations, various videos indicate.

It appears there also was a group of people coming with a more defined plan. They came wearing various combinations of helmets, black or camouflage outfits, backpacks, and protective gear. Some had earphones and walkie-talkies. At least three men were carrying zip-tie-style handcuffs commonly used by law enforcement, including one identified online as a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel. It appears one of the zip ties was used to block a door, though its not clear by whom, since police were also equipped with the zip ties.

While some people had posted online about plans to storm the Capitol and disrupt the vote certification, it isnt clear if those were the same people who entered the building.

The people who stormed the building didnt appear to be carrying firearms, although at least one was carrying what looked like a Taser. Some people also built gallows near the Capitol Reflecting Pool. The interviewed protester said that while some people were yelling things about killing people, the crowd shouted them down.

Some people have speculated that the intrusion was a coup attempt. However, its not clear how that was supposed to happen without firearms.

Police Conduct

The Capitol Police has been criticized for failing to prevent people from entering the building. Unidentified people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the police rejected several offers of help, while Steven Sund, the chief of the Capitol Police who has resigned effective Jan. 16, says House and Senate security officials rejected or slow-walked multiple requests by the agency to call in the National Guard to assist.

One video clip circulated online shows several police officers allowing a crowd of protesters to breach a fence with minimal resistance; the video appears to be from a perimeter farther away from the Capitol.

Another video shows people entering a door and walking inside the building with police officers on both sides of the narrow corridor standing by, making no attempt to stop the people.

You cant go inside, one of the officers says. Another appears to be shaking his head in disbelief.

The police appeared unprepared for crowd control at multiple points around the building. Bowser mobilized the National Guard ahead of the protest for logistical support, but, on Jan. 5, sent a letter to the Justice Department and the Pentagon saying she wasnt requesting any extra federal personnel and that none would be deployed without coordinating with the D.C. police first.

Sund told The Washington Post that he asked the House and Senate sergeant-at-arms, his supervisors, for permission to get the National Guard on call ahead of the protest. He was denied.

At 2:26 p.m., he said, he joined a conference call to the Pentagon and asked for additional backup. He was denied. Pentagon officials said the National Guard isnt suited for an immediate deployment and couldnt be engaged in law enforcement actions. The troops eventually reached the Capitol after 5:40 p.m., the report said.

The behavior of the police inside the Capitol varied widely.

Videos from the House chamber show doors barricaded with furniture and officers guarding doors with guns drawn. In the Senate chamber area, it appears somebody used a fire extinguisher to try to stop the intruders.

Some videos show lawmakers visibly shaken, kneeling on the ground and hiding under desks. Some tried to contact law enforcement and even the military for help, but were told that police were already doing what they could, The Washington Post reported.

Lawmakers and staff were eventually evacuated through underground tunnels.

The interviewed protester said that upon entering, he and about a dozen others tried to go down a corridor from the Capitol Rotunda, but were almost immediately stopped by a group of police in riot gear. The officers first used pepper spray with no effect and then another irritant and tear gas, which quickly forced the trespassers back.

Eventually, a larger group of riot police came in from inside the building and cleared the area.

Other videos show officers standing or walking around among the protesters inside the building. One protester took a selfie with an officer, who was later suspended. Hes under investigation as are several other of his colleagues, including one who was reportedly seen wearing a MAGA hat and was seen directing people around, Acting Capitol Police Chief Yogananda Pittman said in a Jan. 11 statement.

It isnt uncommon for protesters to enter government buildings en masse or to disrupt meetings of elected officials. In 2018, a crowd protesting the nomination of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh took over the atrium and some corridors of the Hart Senate Office Building, just northeast of the Capitol.

We were planning to shut down the Capitol Building but the authorities were so scared of this #WomensWave that they shut it down for us, reads a tweet from the official account of Womens March, one of the organizers.

An actual storming of the Capitol by the United States own citizens, however, is unprecedented. A group of intruders had never before caused an interruption of the joint session of Congress that certifies the president.

Some lawmakers, including Pelosi, have called for fundamental reforms of Capitol Hill security. Both the House and Senate sergeants-at-arms have resigned, while the Capitol Police union has blamed a failure on the part of the leadership for the breach of the Capitol.

Antifa-Style Tactics Used, Involvement Unconfirmed

Videos indicate that some of the protesters acted as provocateurs and agitators, whipping up ire and urging people to push through the police, according to Michael Yon, a war correspondent with extensive experience covering violent protests, who was on site.

Yon described the actions of some individuals as a mixture of agents provocateur and direct action attacks under cover of protest.

He told The Epoch Times he identified at least three small groups of individuals engaged in behavior that aligns with that of Antifa cells.

Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) spoke of an advance warning that Antifa might infiltrate the protest.

Congressman told me he was warned on TUESDAY by Capitol Police officer that intelligence suggested fascist ANTIFA was going to try to infiltrate the Trump rally by dressing like Trump supporters, he said in a Jan. 7 tweet.

At least two Antifa supporters were spotted at the protest, an anonymous law enforcement source told The New York Post. FBI Assistant Director Steven DAntuono said on Jan. 8 that there hadnt yet been an indication of a role by Antifa, BuzzFeed reported.

An NTD cameraman captured the moment when a crowd of protesters spotted a man trying to break a window at the west side entrance with a club. The crowd started booing the man. Another man in a red Trump hat grabbed the man from behind and pulled him away from the window, to cheers from the crowd, which then started to chant, [expletive] Antifa.

Three men standing around the one who was banging on the window immediately came to his rescue. That aligns with Antifa operations, in which several individuals provide cover for the one engaged in illegal activity, Yon said.

A similar thing happened at another door, a video shows, where two people were trying to break in, until one protester stopped them, again followed with chants of [Expletive] Antifa from the crowd.

One of the people inside the building was John Sullivan, an opponent of Trump and a self-professed supporter of violent revolution. He said on Twitter that he was only there to report the events and tried to blend in, although a video that he published online shows him egging on intruders and convincing police officers to let them through during several impasses.

He was closely followed inside by a female videographer. At one point, she turns to Sullivan and says: Let me give you a hug now. We did it. You were right. We did it.

Dude, I was trying to tell you. I couldnt say much, he replies.

The woman also says, You arent recording, right?

Ill delete that [expletive] up, he replies. But I didnt record you, I mean.

He told The Epoch Times he was referring to plans for storming the Capitol he saw on undergrounds chats and things like that. He posted information about the plans on his social media, but didnt inform the law enforcement. Im not a snitch, he said in a phone call.

Photos of some intruders from inside the Capitol were circulated online with the claim that three of the men pictured are Antifa adherents, which appears to be incorrect.

One of the men was Jake Angeli. He appears to be a regular at different kinds of protests and has frequented pro-Trump events. He has professed sympathies to Q, the anonymous online persona that makes cryptic posts insinuating that Trump and others are fighting against a global cabal engaged in corruption and child trafficking. The Arizona Republic described Angeli as a shamanic practitioner at a climate activism march in 2019.

Ive been practicing shamanism for over a decade, he told Infowars in a recent interview, when Jones excoriated him for his actions at the Capitol.

His tattoos appear to be largely related to folk spirituality. Theres no indication that he has any connection to Antifa, and he also has denied having any. He used to have an actors profile on Backstage.com.

The other two men accompanying Angeli bear a resemblance to two people tied to neo-Nazism. One was involved in the Traditionalist Workers Party, a now-defunct national socialist group. It isnt clear whether the pictures indeed show the same man. The other man has in the Capitol photo a visible tattoo on his hand that at first looks similar to a hammer and sickle, a communist symbol. On closer inspection, however, it seems the symbol is actually from a video game and doesnt appear to be tied to any political group.

Some protesters started to manhandle an AP photographer outside the building, mistaking him for an Antifa follower as he was dressed in all black with a gas mask on, which aligns with an Antifa tactic called black bloc. The crowd let him go after he produced his press pass.

The FBI has released photos of dozens of people, asking for help with identification (pdf). Most face charges of unlawful entry. The bureau also asked for help with identifying a masked man who officials say placed pipe bombs at the Republican and Democratic National Committee headquarters. One of the devices was found around 12:45 p.m. and the other at about 1:15 p.m. on Jan. 6, according to a Jan. 7 National Explosives Task Force report obtained by CBS News reporter Catherine Herridge.

Another 11 suspected improvised bombs were found in a vehicle near Republican National Committee headquarters around 6 p.m., the report said.

Woman Shot

A tragic moment took place at about 2:24 p.m. One graphic video shows a group of protesters in a corridor being approached by several officers wearing tactical gear and armed with rifles. The officers are interacting with a man in a black suit with a pin on his lapel and a black mask covering a respirator on his face. Some of the protesters were standing in front of a door marked Speakers Lobby, which is located in the south wing behind the House chamber. Glass panels in the door and on both sides of it are broken or missing.

A young woman wearing a Trump flag on her back is seen climbing into an empty frame on the right side of the door. A single gunshot is heard. The woman falls back out of the empty frame. With blood on her mouth, she seems to try to get up, but unsuccessfully. The officers and the protesters both realize what has happened and try to stop the bleeding and get the woman out. She was transported to a hospital in critical condition.

Several hours later, a police spokeswoman said the woman had died. She was identified as Ashli Babbitt, a U.S. Air Force veteran. The shooting is under investigation.

Another graphic video, taken by Sullivan, shows that the door was blocked from the other side by a pile of furniture while three officers stood in front of the door guarding it as the crowd rushed in. While some shouted at the police, Sullivan tried to convince them to leave voluntarily.

Bro, Ive seen people out there get hurt. I dont want to see you get hurt.  Please, let us make a path. Just let us make a path. I want you to go home, he says.

The officers seem to talk to each other briefly and then walk away.

Go. Go. Lets go. Get this [expletive], Sullivan shouts.

Three rioters proceed to break the doors window panes with kicks, a flag pole, and a helmet.

Yo! Theres a gun! Theres a gun! Theres a gun! Sullivan shouts, while his video shows a man in a white shirt and dark suit and mask behind the door. The man is aiming a handgun in the direction of the empty frame for about nine seconds. As soon as Babbitt climbs in, he fires a single shot.

One of the protesters at the scene described the situation in a WUSA interview:

We had stormed into the chambers inside and there was a young lady who rushed to the windows and a number of police and Secret Service were saying, Get back, get down, get out of the way. She didnt heed the call and as we kind of raised up to grab people, pull them back, they shot her in her neck, and she fell back on me and started saying she was fine, its cool and then she started kind of like moving weird, and blood was coming out of her mouth and neck and nose, and I dont know if shes alive or dead anymore.

That protester identified himself as Thomas Baraniy from New Jersey. He said he and others entered the building after climbing the scaffolding and were eventually ushered out of the building by riot police.

We tore through the scaffolding, the flashbangs, and tear gas, and blitzed our way in through all the chambers just trying to get into Congress or whoever we can get to and tell them that we need some kind of investigation into this, he said. And what ends up happening is someone might [have] ended up dead and thats not the kind of government we can have. People have to do something about it.

He said he wasnt injured, but noted that it might have been him who was shot if the woman hadnt been the first to try to climb in.

The police managed to clear the protesters and rioters out of the building by about 5 p.m., and the Senate session resumed shortly after 8 p.m. In the early hours on Jan. 7, Congress certified Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Correction: A previous version of the timeline in this article placed several events at incorrect times. The Epoch Times regrets the error.

Update: The has been updated with a response form John Sullivan.

NTD contributed to this report.
KYODO NEWS - Jan 13, 2021 - 13:40 | All, Japan, Coronavirus

Residents of a southwestern Japan town have erected a giant straw scarecrow in the shape of a fierce-looking gorilla to encourage people to tough out the coronavirus pandemic.

Since being unveiled in December in a local park, the 7-meter-tall figure has become a much-photographed landmark of Chikuzen town in Fukuoka Prefecture.

With the gorilla's mouth open in a roar, the idea is to "project toughness," according to Tsuyoshi Kaneko, the 42-year-old head of a local association that created the statue.

"It is detailed and well-made," said Shuhei Taguchi, a 9-year-old boy who visited the park with his family from Ogori in the prefecture. "It looks like it's going to start moving at any moment," he enthused.

The town has built giant straw scarecrows since 2015 as a symbol of its annual fall festival.

The event was scaled down last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but organizers, including the municipal government, decided to create the gorilla statue to help people forget about the pandemic, even if only for a moment, according to Chikuzen town officials.

Local volunteers completed the scarecrow, which uses an iron frame, in December after two months' work. It will be on display through the end of January and illuminated in the evening on Friday and Jan. 25 with its eyes and head lit up in red, the officials said.

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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham outlined more than a dozen legislative priorities Wednesday, with a heavy focus on economic recovery and education.

In a written statement, she said she supports legalizing marijuana use for adults, revising the state procurement code to promote spending within New Mexico and allowing restaurants to deliver alcohol.

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The governor also is urging lawmakers to support budget changes aimed at delivering more money to school districts that serve low-income communities.

New Mexico will recover from this challenging year, said Lujan Grisham, a Democrat. The question is what kind of future we want to make for ourselves after we put these crises behind us.

Her priority list comes as New Mexico lawmakers prepare for a 60-day session with strict health protocols to limit the spread of COVID-19. The Capitol will be closed to the public, and legislators are preparing to conduct much of their work online.

The session starts at noon Tuesday.

Democrats maintain substantial majorities in each chamber, but 11 of the Senates 42 members will be new this session, driven in part by primary challenges that ousted some of the Senate leadership.

Lawmakers are free to introduce bills on any topic, although Lujan Grishams priority list may influence the agenda set by legislative leaders.

Republican legislators have assailed many of the governors priorities, and some have questioned the legality of holding much of the session online.

The proposals Lujan Grisham cited as priorities include:

 Boosting distributions out of New Mexicos largest permanent fund to expand early childhood programs. The legislation is a proposed constitutional amendment that would also require voter and congressional approval.

 Repealing the states 1969 anti-abortion law, now largely unenforceable because of the Roe v. Wade decision.

 Establishing a clean fuel standard to reduce emissions.

Her economic priorities include overhauling a state program that provides loans to small businesses and nonprofit groups struggling amid the pandemic.

The state, she said, should also revise its procurement code to help businesses owned by Native Americans, minorities and women secure state contracts and to promote spending within the state.

Lujan Grisham said she would support allowing restaurants to deliver alcohol, among other changes to liquor laws. The legalization of recreational cannabis, she said, could also boost state revenue and promote job creation.

Her education initiatives include financial support for new scholarship programs, revising the funding formula for public schools and creating an ombudsmans office dedicated to special education.
Weeks before a mob of President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, right-wing activist Ali Alexander told his followers that he was planning something big for Jan. 6.

Alexander, who organized the "Stop the Steal" movement, said he hatched the plan - coinciding with Congress's vote to certify the electoral college votes - alongside three GOP lawmakers: Reps. Andy Biggs, Ariz., Mo Brooks, Ala., and Paul Gosar, Ariz., all hard-line Trump supporters.

"We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting," Alexander said in a since-deleted video on Periscope highlighted by the Project on Government Oversight, an investigative nonprofit. The plan, he said, was to "change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body, hearing our loud roar from outside."

After riots inside the Capitol left five people dead - and Alexander and his group were banned from Twitter this week - those three GOP lawmakers are now under increasing scrutiny over their role in aiding the right-wing activist.

In a statement to The Washington Post, a spokesman for Biggs said the congressman had never been in contact with Alexander or other protesters and denied that he had helped organize arally on Jan. 6.

"Congressman Biggs is not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point - let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest," the statement said.

Neither Brooks nor Gosar responded to requests for comment from The Washington Post. But in a lengthy, defiant statement on Wednesday, the Alabama lawmaker insisted he also bore no responsibility for the riot.Brooks added that he would not have promoted any action that could undermine GOP efforts to block the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's electoral college victory.

"I take great offense at anyone who suggests I am so politically inexperienced as to want to torpedo my honest and accurate election system effort I spent months fighting on," Brooks wrote.

Videos and posts on social media suggest links between all three Republicans and the right-wing activist.

Alexander, a felon who has also been identified in media reports as Ali Akbar, gained a large following by live-streaming monologues in which he professed his conservative views and support for Trump. Speaking to Politico Magazine in 2018, he called himself an "interpreter of energy for this period."

In June 2019, Donald Trump Jr. retweeted Alexander's false claim that Vice President-elect Kamala Harris is not an "American Black." The following month, Alexander attended a "social media summit" at the White House, alongside a number of far-right figures who had accused companies of anti-conservative bias.

After Trump lost in November, the Daily Beast noted, Alexander positioned himself as a leading voice behind the movement to support the president's challenge to the election results. He was labeled "a true patriot" by Gosar on Twitter, and on Dec. 19, the two both spoke ata "Stop the Steal" rally in Phoenix.

"We will not go quietly. We'll shut down this country if we have to," Alexander told the crowd, later leading them in a chant of "1776."

Later on at the event, Alexander played a video message from Biggs, calling him a "friend" and "hero." In the recording, Biggs said he wished he could have attended the event and vowed to challenge the certification of President-elect Joe Biden's electoral victory.

"When it comes to January 6, I will be right down there in the well of the House with my friend from Alabama representative Mo Brooks," Biggs said in the recording. A tweet from Alexander, including the message from Biggs, was retweeted by Trump on Dec. 26.

A Biggs spokesperson told CNN that the congressman recorded the video following a request from Gosar's staff.

By late December, Alexander said he was planning a protest outside the Capitol on Jan. 6. His event appears to be one of at least four competing rallies that had sought permits for that date. But far-right online forums indicated Trump supporters were preparing for more than just a rally - and Alexander, too, appeared to suggest protesters might do more than just wave signs.

If Democrats got in the way of an objection from congressional Republicans, "everyone can guess what me and 500,000 others will do to that building," he wrote on Twitter in December, according to the Daily Beast. "1776 is *always* an option."

At a rally the night before the vote, Alexander led the crowd in chanting, "Victory or death!" The following morning, Gosar tagged the activist in several tweets.

Recounting the riot in a video on Periscope over the weekend, Alexander said he wished that people had not entered the U.S. Capitol or even gone on the steps. He also argued that the rioters had not necessarily violated the law, even though dozens have now been charged by federal prosecutors.

In an email to The Post, Alexander said he had "remained peaceful" during the riots and claimed that his earlier speeches "mentioned peace" and were being misrepresented.

"Conflating our legally, peaceful permitted events with the breach of the US Capitol building is defamatory and false," he said. "People are being misled and then those same people are fomenting violence against me and my team."

At around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday - about two hours after rioters breached the Capitol - Alexander posted a video of himself overlooking the crowd outside the building, claiming that the majority of protesters were peaceful and praising those who didn't go inside.

But, he said in the video, "I don't disavow this. I do not denounce this."

- - -

The Washington Post's Kim Bellware contributed to this report.
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that the Ukrainian authorities will find common ground with the new US administration at all levels, including the highest one.

"I am convinced that we will find common ground with the new administration, which understands Ukraine very well. I am convinced that when President Zelensky and President Biden meet and talk, an excellent contact will be established between them," the diplomat said in an interview with the Obozrevatel online media outlet.

Kuleba also noted that, in his opinion, no one would mind if the newly elected president of the United States strictly demanded that the Ukrainian authorities should fulfill their anti-corruption commitments.

"Who is against? The priorities of President Biden and President Zelensky regarding the functioning of the anti-corruption infrastructure in Ukraine completely coincide," the foreign minister said.

According to Kuleba, Ukrainian diplomats make efforts to ensure that the presidents of Ukraine and the United States will be able to meet and talk as soon as possible as it is during such talks that strategic agreements and mutual understanding can be reached.

As reported, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Volodymyr Yelchenko will officially represent Ukraine at the inauguration of the newly elected US President Joe Biden on January 20.

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The U.S. government wants states to offer vaccines to millions more Americans as covid-19 infections continue to soar, in a bid to bolster an immunization campaign that's off to a rocky start.

In recommending that states start immunizing all residents 65 and older, along with all those between 16 and 64 with medical conditions that make them more vulnerable to serious disease, U.S. health officials are clearing a path for about 128 million more Americans to be vaccinated.

About 10 million people have received the first dose of a covid vaccine since immunizations started in late December, according to Bloomberg's vaccine tracker. The rapid shift in strategy has raised worries that an accelerated rollout, for which many states may not be ready, could lead to new shortfalls down the road.

"The first couple of weeks it was all: Why aren't they all done, why aren't you getting them out fast enough?" Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said in a briefing Tuesday. "The next story is going to be: There's hundreds of thousands of people waiting for the vaccines and we don't have any."

Expanding eligibility is intended to speed up vaccination by increasing demand and giving providers more flexibility, resulting in fewer wasted doses. Yet such a strategy with supplies still limited risks exacerbating the frustration and chaos already playing out in some states. Striking a balance between immunizing quickly and establishing confidence in the U.S. vaccination campaign will be crucial in the weeks ahead.

In a briefing Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar also urged states to open up vaccination to younger people with medical conditions that put them at higher risk of severe illness from covid-19. States can ultimately decide how to prioritize the shots they receive.

If the entire country follows the guidelines Azar recommended, another 128 million Americans would immediately become eligible for vaccinations, according to population estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That would expand the pool to 58% of those 16 and older in the U.S.

Demand likely will outstrip supply if states expand immunization to these groups. The U.S. has made about 25 million doses of the vaccine available so far, Azar said, enough to give the first shots to priority groups of health-care personnel and long-term care residents. Both of the vaccines currently available require two shots.

Some states have already expanded vaccination to seniors and other priority groups. Scenes of older people camped out in Florida awaiting a vaccine have become a symbol of the chaos that can ensue when large groups of people suddenly become eligible.

Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, said he never wants to see images like those in his state. The current system is slow, but it's working, he said, and shouldn't be thrown out given the limited supply.

"I don't want to lie to people and open the floodgates," Hogan said.

Other states are embracing expansion. In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday in a briefing that the state is opening vaccinations to those 65 and older, as well as those who have compromised immune systems. Hospitals must still prioritize health-care workers and New York City must do the same for essential workers, he said.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said infrastructure is already in place to make vaccine available to people ages 65 and older, and the state will start doing so in the next few weeks. "It's not a major change for us," Polis said during an online news briefing. "We're already doing 70 and up. Running the numbers, that'll add maybe 20-to-30% to that group."

The number of doses available increases by a few million each week. The Trump administration on Tuesday also announced it will release second doses of the vaccines it had been holding back to ensure people would receive the full course.

Azar said the administration is confident in the manufacturing and quality control processes and therefore feels comfortable shipping shots as they become available. Others disagreed, citing concerns about future supplies.

The U.S. has spent billions of dollars to secure initial supplies of 200 million shots each from Moderna and Pfizer. Those doses are scheduled to arrive through June and July. Vaccines from other manufacturers still in trials may further boost supply in the months ahead. Despite the supply commitments, health systems and state officials have been frustrated with week-to-week uncertainty about how many doses they'll receive.

"There's nothing to make me think that we have a supply chain right now that allows us to be more aggressive in the long term," said Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. "We can get a few more people vaccinated because we've got a surplus right now, but that surplus is going to dry up."

Officials Tuesday stressed their view that the federal government's responsibility is to get shots and supplies to providers. Once they're out, it's the responsibility of the states to make sure they get into arms.

Federal leaders suggested local officials start sending shots to pharmacies and other vaccination sites where people can more easily access them than in hospitals. Louisiana, for example, has started immunizing people in pharmacies across the state.

Operation Warp Speed plans to start allocating doses to states based on their vaccination rates, in a shift from its current policy of distributing shots based on population size, Azar said. The new policy would take effect in two weeks so states have time to prepare, he said, meaning the incoming Biden administration would be in charge of implementing it.

Carlos del Rio, executive associate dean at the Emory University School of Medicine, said he supports the vaccination of those 65 and older. Yet simply making the vaccine available is not enough, he said, as states must have funding for distribution.

"That's a little bit like saying we're going to send the states bullets and now it's up to the states to hire soldiers, to find rifles, to train the army and then you can fight a war. You wouldn't like to be fighting a war like that, right?" he said. "This is the same thing. The Trump administration is releasing bullets to the states, but that's not going to get us to winning the war."
San Antonio's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day march is virtual this year, but organizers are doing their best to keep the energy alive in its two-hour film.

MLK Commission Chair Renee Watson said the movie highlights Martin Luther King, Jr.'s history and the city's annual MLK route. She said the audience will see special appearances and remarks from community activists, elected officials, ministers and MLK Commission award winners.

Watson added the film also features frontline workers, grocers, churches, middle school and video submissions from citizens who have marched in the past. Additionally, there will be sounds from local choirs, jazz bands and hip-hop artists. Conversations around the Black Lives Matter movement are also included.

READ ALSO: San Antonio's 2021 Martin Luther King Day march will go virtual

"We are bringing something to the community that will still keep you encouraged," Watson said. "We can't march alongside physically, but can watch the film together and still feel that feeling you get when you are out there."

The city's MLK Commission voted in August to cancel its in-person march on the East Side due to COVID-19 concerns. It was the first time in 37 years the 2.75-mile march has been canceled.

The unifying event typically draws tens of thousands of people from across the city to the East Side, rain or shine. Last January, more than 100,000 people marched along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive during the event, believed to be the largest in the nation.

"We knew back in April we probably weren't going to have a physical march," she said. "So, we are asking everyone to stay home and watch the movie with their families."

The MLK Commission brought in San Antonian Ya'Ke Smith to create the film set to air at 10 a.m. on Monday on News4, TVSA and social media.

Check out the trailer below for the 2021 virtual march:

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | priscilla.aguirre@express-news.net | @CillaAguirre
Highlights:



EarthRenew intends to acquire an approximately 38% interest in Replenish Nutrients, a leading regenerative fertilizer and nutrient formulation and marketing company

This transaction will support the marketing and distribution strategy for EarthRenew, providing access to regenerative agriculture markets in Western Canada and the United States (North Dakota and Montana)

The Replenish Nutrients team will also support the engineering and operations of EarthRenews Strathmore facility given their previous history with the design and operation of this facility when originally built



TORONTO, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EarthRenew Inc. (CSE:ERTH) (EarthRenew or the Company) is pleased to announce that is has signed a non-binding letter of intent effective December 11, 2020 (the LOI), pursuant to which, subject to execution of a definitive agreement, completion of customary conditions precedent and regulatory approvals, the Company will acquire (the Proposed Acquisition) 38% of the issued and outstanding shares of Replenish Nutrients Ltd. (Replenish Nutrients, or the Target), a privately held regenerative fertilizer and nutrient company located in Okotoks, Alberta, from certain of its existing shareholders (the Vendors). The Proposed Acquisition plays directly into the Companys objective to offer a suite of soil health solution growth assets.

The Replenish Nutrients opportunity is intended to bring in both experienced management as well as a mature customer list: two integral components the Company intends to leverage as it continues to grow as a mid-market fertilizer and soil solution provider. Specifically, the management of Replenish Nutrients has been a prominent force in the regenerative fertilizer and nutrient industry, with over 35 years of experience and a vast wealth of knowledge and experience in researching, innovating, manufacturing, and selling all-natural, bio-safe fertilizers and plant nutrients.

The Replenish Nutrients team is intended to support all aspects of the marketing, distribution and sales of the EarthRenew products into the regenerative agriculture space. Replenish Nutrients currently has an established product line that it sells across Western Canada and the U.S. (North Dakota and Montana) generating strong revenues.

Further, the Proposed Acquisition is projected to help accelerate phase two of EarthRenews Strathmore construction and marketing plans. One of the Vendors was a former consultant to the development of the original Strathmore facility. He would bring with him an extensive history with the design and operations of the technology.

EarthRenews CEO, Keith Driver, commented, We are extremely excited to announce the signing of the LOI and the proposed acquisition of Replenish Nutrients. If consummated, we expect that the Proposed Acquisition will allow us to add top line revenue and accelerate phase two of our construction plans. He further added, Replenish Nutrients has a broad customer list with an appetite for soil solutions. Sharing that list is anticipated to allow us to quickly open new sales channels following closing. We look forward to the potential of having Replenish Nutrients management team join EarthRenew in an enhanced operational capacity. We believe that the combined efforts of the proposed new management team will help EarthRenew accelerate the Companys growth following closing.

Replenish Nutrients Managing Partner, Gerard Philpott, echoed Drivers enthusiasm about the Proposed Acquisition. This proposed investment by EarthRenew is anticipated to provide us access to the capital required to accelerate the expansion of our existing facility and regenerative nutrient product line. Our technology utilizes organic waste streams combined with natural minerals to enhance soil health, increase organic matter and biological activity with minimal impact on soil salinity.

The Proposed Acquisition is an arms length transaction and remains subject to certain closing conditions including, without limitation, (a) execution of a definitive agreement between the parties (the Definitive Agreement), (b) the receipt by the Company of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, (c) each party's representations and warranties in the Definitive Agreement being true and correct in all aspects as of the Closing Date, and (d) each party satisfying its covenants and obligations as contained in the Definitive Agreement. No finders fees are payable in connection with the Proposed Acquisition. There can be no guarantees that the Proposed Acquisition will be completed as contemplated or at all. The Proposed Acquisition is anticipated to close on or before February 15, 2021.

About Replenish Nutrients

Replenish Nutrients mission is uprooting mindsets: as growers who question the status quo, the company develops and sources new and innovative products from around the world to help growers earn more, with greater ease. Replenish Nutrients, based in Okotoks, Alberta, provides economical nutrient soil health solutions, in the form of fertilizers, for regenerative and sustainable agriculture systems across North America.

About EarthRenew

EarthRenews mission is to support a farm system that puts healthy soils and grower profitability back on the table. EarthRenew transforms livestock waste into a high-performance organic fertilizer to be used by organic and traditional growers in Canada and the United States. Located on a 25,000 head cattle feedlot, our flagship Strathmore plant is capable of producing up to four megawatts (MW) per hour of low-cost electricity powered by a natural gas fired turbine. The exhausted heat from the turbine is used to convert manure into certified organic fertilizer.

For further information, please visit our website at www.earthrenew.ca or contact:

Keith Driver

CEO of EarthRenew

+1 (403) 860-8623

Email: kdriver@earthrenew.ca

Cautionary Note regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the Proposed Acquisition, including the Companys ability to enter into the Definitive Agreement and complete the Proposed Acquisition, the expected timing of completion of the Proposed Acquisition, the receipt of corporate and regulatory approvals, and other matters related thereto, the business and operations of the Company, and the Companys ability to execute its business plan, including its growth strategy. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, geopolitical and social uncertainties; regulatory risks; and other risks of the energy and fertilizer industries. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Neither the Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The Biodiversity Conservation Agency is completing a draft directive on strengthening the management of migratory birds in Vietnam for submission to the Prime Minister for approval.

Cat Ba island has been clear of birds due to the illegal migratory bird trapping

Deputy head of the agency Hoang Thi Thanh Nhan said the hunting and consumption of migratory birds has become serious in several parts of the country over recent years, damaging biodiversity and the environment, presenting a risk from epidemics, and affecting the delivery on international commitments in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, to which Vietnam is a member.

The agency recently held a technical meeting with bird preservation experts and representatives from the WWF and VietNature to discuss how to protect wild birds, especially migratory birds.

Hundreds of birds are caught in each trap

After VietnamPlus reported on the illegal hunting and trading of migratory birds in Cat Ba archipelago in the northern port city of Hai Phong, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment have instructed relevant agencies to work with the Peoples Committee of Hai Phong on the matter.



The Prime Minister has also required Hai Phong to crack down on wildlife poaching, especially at the Cat Ba World Biosphere Reserve.

Hai Phong authorities have urged relevant departments, agencies, and units to determine the responsibility of individuals and collectives regarding the issue.

Bui Thi Ha, Vice Director of Education for Nature Vietnam, said that to curb and prevent illegal hunting, a combination of measures is needed, including better communications, increased public understanding, and an improved legal framework and better law enforcement.

Asking people not to hunt wild birds and remove trapping nets is not enough, she said. Strict punishment of violators is needed. People must be shown the legal penalties they face if they are involved in illegal wild bird hunting and trading./. VNA

Wildlife conservation contributors to be honoured The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will honour organisations and individuals that have made great contributions to wildlife conservation between 2010 and 2020.

 "Legitimacy Matters: The Case for Public Financing in Prosecutor Elections" | Main | "More states need to use their 'good time' systems to get people out of prison during COVID-19" 

January 13, 2021

After SCOTUS reverses stays by 6-3 votes, US complete early morning execution of only woman on federal death row

As reported here via SCOTUSblog, the "Supreme Court on Tuesday night cleared the way for the execution of Lisa Montgomery, the first woman to be executed by the federal government in 68 years. Montgomery was convicted in 2008 of strangling Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a Missouri woman who was eight months pregnant, and extracting the premature baby to pass off as her own child." Here is more:

In a series of brief, unsigned orders, the Supreme Court reversed a pair of rulings from federal appeals courts that had put Montgomerys execution on hold, and it denied two other last-minute requests in which Montgomery argued she was entitled to a postponement. In two of the orders, the courts three liberal justices indicated that they dissented and would not have allowed the execution to proceed. Soon after the court issued its final late-night order, Montgomery was put to death by lethal injection at the federal execution facility in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. Four separate cases relating to Montgomerys execution reached the justices in emergency litigation over the past several days.... Montgomery was the first woman to be executed by the federal government since 1953. No other women are currently on federal death row. Montgomery also became the 11th person to be put to death by the federal government since last July, when the Trump administration ended a 17-year moratorium on federal executions. The Justice Department has scheduled two more executions in the waning days of the Trump administration. It wants to execute Corey Johnson on Thursday and Dustin Higgs on Friday, but both men recently tested positive for COVID-19, and a federal judge on Tuesday halted their executions based on a risk that lung damage associated with the virus could cause them to suffer severe pain during a lethal injection.

I had been following all the litigation in the run up to the scheduled execution, but I did not blog about any of the stays because it seemed to me quite likely that the Supreme Court would ultimately clear the path for the feds to move forward. In most of the previous 10 federal executions over the last six months, the condemned defendant secured or argued forcefully for a stay; in every single case, SCOTUS has allowed the execution to go forward. I will be surprised if this pattern does not repeat itself again twice more this week with the scheduled executions of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs.

As the SCOTUSblog post notes, Montgomery was the first woman executed by the federal government in the modern death penalty era. She is also the first woman executed anywhere in the US in more than five years; Georgia executed Kelly Gissendaner for orchestrating the murder of her husband back in September 2015. Montgomery is also the first person executed in 2021. This DPIC page details that she is the 17th woman executed in the modern death penalty era (out of a total of 1530 total executions).

January 13, 2021 at 09:22 AM | Permalink

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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.
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The govt hinted that vaccine recipients, for now, will not have the option to choose from the two vaccines -- Covishield and Covaxin

All 1.65 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines -- 1.1 crore of Covishield and 55 lakh of Covaxin -- procured by the Centre have been allocated to all states and UTs in proportion to their healthcare workers database. (Photo:AP)

New Delhi: Around 3 lakh healthcare workers will be inoculated at 2,934 sites across the country on the first day of the massive nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive which is set to begin from January 16, official sources said.

Each vaccination session will cater to a maximum of 100 beneficiaries and the Union Health Ministry has advised states not to organise "unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day".

"States have been advised to organise vaccination sessions taking into account 10 per cent reserve/wastage doses and an average of 100 vaccinations per session each day.

"Therefore, any undue haste on the part of states to organize unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day is not advised," the ministry said on Wednesday.

It also said that states and UTs have also been advised to increase the number of vaccination session sites that would be operational every day in a progressive manner as the vaccination process stabilizes and moves forward.

"Around 3 lakh frontline healthcare workers will be inoculated at 2,934 sites across the country on the first day of January 16," a source said.

The government on Tuesday hinted that vaccine recipients, for now, will not have the option to choose from the two vaccines -- Oxford COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, manufactured by Serum Institute of India (SII) and indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech -- that have been approved for restricted emergency use in India.

According to the Health Ministry getting vaccinated for COVID-19 will be voluntary.

In a response to a question, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan at a press conference on Tuesday said, "At many places in the world more than one vaccine are being administered. But, presently, in no country vaccine recipients have the option of choosing the shots."

According to the government, the shots will be offered first to an estimated one crore healthcare workers, and around two crore frontline workers, and then to persons above 50 years of age, followed by persons younger than 50 years of age with associated comorbidities.

The cost of vaccination of healthcare and frontline workers will be borne by the central government, officials had said.

All 1.65 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccines -- 1.1 crore of Covishield and 55 lakh of Covaxin -- procured by the Centre have been allocated to all states and UTs in proportion to their healthcare workers database, it said.

According to official sources, most of the 1.1 crore Covishield doses from Pune-based SII have been shipped to 60 consignee points across India from where they will be sent to smaller centres.

Of the 55 lakh doses of indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech ordered by the Centre, the first tranche of 2.4 lakh doses has been dispatched to 12 states.

Covaxin has been sent to 12 sites --- one each in Ganavaram, Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bengaluru, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai, Lucknow and Hyderabad, an official source said.

Covaxin has been developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

Health Ministry officials said that there will be a gap of 28 days between two doses of COVID-19 vaccines and its effectiveness can be seen only after 14 days, and urged people to keep following COVID appropriate behaviour.

The ministry which has listed series of frequently asked questions (FAQs) on COVID-19 vaccine also stated that it was advisable to receive a complete schedule of the anti-coronavirus vaccine irrespective of past history of coronavirus infection as this will help in developing a strong immune response against the disease.

On whether a person with an active COVID-19 infection be vaccinated, AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said a person with active and symptomatic COVID-19 infection may increase the risk of spreading the same to others at the vaccination site and thus infected individuals should defer vaccination for at least 14 days after the symptoms are resolved.

Elaborating on the possible side-effects of COVID-19 vaccine, Guleria said that as is true for other vaccines, some will have some degree of side effects in some individuals which could be in form of mild fever, pain at the site of injection, body ache, etc.

States have been asked to making arrangements to deal with any COVID-19 vaccine-related side effects as one of the measures towards safe vaccine delivery.
MILL VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Glassdoor , the worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies, has announced the winners of its 13th annual Employees' Choice Awards, honoring the Best Places to Work in 2021 across the U.S. and four other countries. Unlike other workplace awards, the Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards are based on the input of employees who voluntarily provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer over the past year.

The Glassdoor Employees' Choice Awards feature six distinct categories, including honors for the Best Places to Work across the U.S. , Canada , UK , France and Germany . In the U.S., Glassdoor has revealed the 100 Best Places to Work (honoring employers with 1,000 or more employees) and 50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For (honoring employers with fewer than 1,000 employees). Winners are ranked based on their overall rating achieved during the past year. (Ratings based on a 5-point scale: 1.0=very dissatisfied, 3.0=OK, 5.0=very satisfied; Actual calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place).

"COVID-19 is in the driver's seat and every employer has been impacted. This year's winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, they'll rise to the challenge to support their people," said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. "A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritized the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this year's outstanding Employees' Choice Award winners."

The top ten Best Places to Work in 2021 are:

The top five Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For in 2021 are:

Glassdoor's 100 Best Places to Work in 2021 list features winning employers across a range of industries, including technology, health care, biotech and pharmaceuticals, retail, travel and tourism, consulting, finance and more. Notably, with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are six biotech and pharmaceutical employers on this year's list, a 200 percent increase from last year's list, including Johnson & Johnson (No. 24, 4.4), Pfizer (No. 39, 4.3) and Eli Lilly and Company (No. 87, 4.2). Bain & Company claims the top spot with a 4.6 rating and is one of three employers to make the list every year for the past 13 years. The other two are Google (No. 6, 4.5) and Apple (No. 31, 4.4). Nineteen employers are newcomers to the U.S. large list in 2021, including Royal Caribbean Group (No. 30, 4.4), Universal Orlando Resort (No. 52, 4.3), PayPal (No. 59, 4.3), Northwell Health (No. 65, 4.3) and Discover (No. 92, 4.2). Twenty-two employers are rejoining the list in 2021, including Zoom Video Communications (No. 22, 4.4; Last recognized in 2019), Walt Disney Company (No. 53, 4.3; Last recognized in 2018) and Marriott International (No. 80, 4.3; Last recognized in 2010).

Among the 50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For in 2021, 33 employers are newcomers and four are rejoining the list this year.

This year, only one employer appears on five lists: Salesforce (U.S. large, Canada, UK, France, Germany).

When employees submit reviews about their employer on Glassdoor, they are asked to share their opinions on some of the best reasons to work for their employer (pros), any downsides (cons) and are encouraged to provide advice to management. In addition, employees are asked to rate how satisfied they are with their employer overall, rate their CEO as well as rate key workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, work-life balance, senior management and culture and values. Employees are also asked whether they would recommend their employer to a friend and whether they believe their employer's six-month business outlook is positive, negative or if they have no opinion.

Among the 1.3 million employers reviewed on Glassdoor, the average company rating is 3.5.

Employees' Choice Award winners for the Best Places to Work and Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For in 2021 are determined using Glassdoor's proprietary awards algorithm, and each employer's rating is determined based on the quantity, quality and consistency of Glassdoor-approved company reviews submitted by U.S.-based employees between October 22, 2019 and October 19, 2020. During the year-long eligibility period, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 75 ratings and employers considered for the small & medium list must have received at least 30 ratings, respectively, for each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) taken into account as part of the awards algorithm. For reporting simplicity, ratings are displayed to the nearest tenth, though calculations extend beyond the thousandth decimal place to determine final rank order. Complete awards methodology can be found and downloaded here: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/index.htm

SEE THE 2021 WINNERS: All winning employers across this year's six categories can be found by visiting:

100 Best Places to Work  U.S .

50 Best Small & Medium Companies to Work For  U.S.

25 Best Places to Work  Canada

50 Best Places to Work  UK

25 Best Places to Work  France

25 Best Places to Work  Germany

VIDEO + EDITORIAL + EMPLOYEE COMMENTARY: Glassdoor is offering video and editorial content  see links below to download and embed the video and source the Glassdoor Blog .

VIDEO: Announcing the Best Places to Work in 2021

EDITORIAL: Empathy Helped Zoom Earn A Spot Among the Best Places To Work In 2021

EDITORIAL: Flexibility is Key: Inside Best Places to Work Winner Salesforce

EDITORIAL: 18 Remote Jobs That Pay $100,000+ At The Best Places To Work

ECONOMIC RESEARCH: The Best Places to Work 2021: Great Employers Amidst COVID-19

Employee commentary about winning employers are also available upon request. Please email: [email protected] .

About Glassdoor

Glassdoor combines all the latest jobs with millions of reviews and insights to make it easy for people everywhere to find a job and company they love. As a result, Glassdoor helps employers hire truly informed candidates at scale through effective recruiting solutions like employer branding and employee insights products. Launched in 2008, Glassdoor now has reviews and insights for more than 1.3 million companies located in more than 190 countries. For more information, visit glassdoor.com.

Copyright  2008-2020, Glassdoor, Inc. "Glassdoor" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor, Inc.

SOURCE Glassdoor

Related Links

https://www.glassdoor.com


NEW YORK  Anyone flying to the U.S. will soon need to show proof of a negative test for COVID-19, health officials announced Tuesday.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention requirement expands on a similar one announced late last month for passengers coming from the United Kingdom. The new order takes effect in two weeks.

COVID is already widespread in the U.S., with more than 22 million cases reported to date, including more than 375,000 deaths. The new measures are designed to try to prevent travelers from bringing in newer forms of the virus that scientists say can spread more easily.

The CDC order applies to U.S. citizens as well as foreign travelers. The agency said it delayed the effective date until Jan. 26 to give airlines and travelers time to comply.

International travel to the U.S. has already been decimated by pandemic restrictions put in place last March that banned most foreigners from Europe and other areas. Travel by foreigners to the U.S. and by Americans to international destinations in December was down 76% compared to a year earlier, according to trade group Airlines for America.

The new restrictions require air passengers to get a COVID-19 test within three days of their flight to the U.S., and to provide written proof of the test result to the airline. Travelers can also provide documentation that they had the infection in the past and recovered.

Airlines are ordered to stop passengers from boarding if they dont have proof of a negative test.

Testing does not eliminate all risk, CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said in a statement. But when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations.

The CDC order is a reasonable approach to reducing the risk of new variants from abroad entering the U.S., said Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of Brown Universitys school of public health.

Its likely that the recently identified version of the virus from the United Kingdom is probably in every state or most states. This is going to do nothing for that, Jha said. So far, 10 states have reported 72 cases of the variant.

But the new order may stop or diminish spread of other new versions of the virus, like one recently identified in South Africa.

I can imagine other countries are going to impose (preflight testing) on us, he added.

Airlines have been lobbying for preflight testing to replace broad travel restrictions between the U.S. and the rest of the world. In some cases, they have arranged for passengers to avoid quarantines after arrival by getting tested before their flight.

Testing is key to unlocking international borders and safely reopening global travel, said Nicole Carriere, a spokeswoman for United Airlines, one of three major U.S. carriers that flies to Europe and Asia.

Others say the CDC order is unlikely to cause an immediate spike in international travel.

People are being encouraged by their public health authorities to not travel, even domestically, said Henry Hartevedlt, a travel analyst for Atmosphere Research Group.

He doesnt expect air travel to pick up until the summer when more people have been vaccinated.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 76F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Low near 45F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday indirectly slammed both China and Pakistan on terrorism during his address at the UNSC meeting. Asking UNSC members to not make false distinctions of "good terrorists" and "bad terrorists", he said that the countries that cover up for such countries are as culpable.

Union Minister of External Affairs Dr S Jaishankar on Tuesday indirectly slammed both China and Pakistan on terrorism during his address at the UNSC meeting. Asking UNSC members to not make false distinctions of good terrorists and bad terrorists, he said that the countries that cover up for such countries are as culpable.

In his indirect reference, EAM Jaishankar hit out at China and Pakistan for slowing the process of identifying terrorist individuals and entities, the two countries had tried to delay the process of designating Pakistan based terrorists which also includes the name of Masood Azhar, Chief of Jaish-e-Mohammad. He pointed out that they have also been unable to stop terror funding in the states.

Calling for zero tolerance against terrorism, Dr Jaishankar said that the practice of placing blocks and holds on listing requests without any rhyme or reason must end, it only eroded the collective credibility. Referring to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, Jaishankar said that the crime syndicate responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts is not just given State protection but is enjoying 5-star hospitality.

Also read: Amid Bird Flu scare across India, China imposes ban on poultry import from European nations

Also read: Ahead of 1st phase of vaccine rollout from January 16th, Covid-19 vaccines shipped to several states

Tuesdays UNSC meeting was held virtually and the members had convened to mark the 20 years since the 1373 resolution was adopted by the United Nations Security Council. Resolution 1373 was adopted by the UN Security Council on September 28, 2001, in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in New York. Resolution 1373 is a counter-terrorism measure that calls on the United Nations member states to execute steps to prevent terrorism at home and around the world.

Also read: Farmer protests: SC stays 3 farm laws, to set up committee after review
The breakdown of attorney L. Lynn Wood's relationship with his longtime client, casino mogul Steve Wynn, has been revealed in a new report, as Wood faces increasing scrutiny for his incendiary tweets leading up to the attack on the U.S. Capitol last week.

Wood and Wynn, both longtime supporters of President Donald Trump, apparently haven't spoken except through attorneys since last March, and Wood is suggesting he will spill Wynn's legal secrets in a legal battle, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

Best known for defending security guard Richard Jewell in defamation cases against false claims he was the 1996 Olympic bomber, Wood apparently blamed Wynn for derailing his push for Trump to posthumously award Jewell the Presidential Medal of Honor.

It comes after Wood was banned from Twitter last week after suggesting Vice President Mike Pence should face execution by firing squad for treason, while a Delaware judge kicked Wood off a case there this week for spewing a 'toxic stew of mendacity, prevarication, and surprising incompetence.'

Lin Wood met with Donald Trump in the Oval Office at White House on March 11, 2020. He hoped to convince Trump to posthumously award Richard Jewell the Medal of Honor, but claims that casino mogul Steve Wynn derailed the push by questioning his competence in conversations with the president

Wood represented Wynn (above) for years, including in in defamation cases and private settlements involving women who alleged sexual misconduct, and now suggests he might spill the casino mogul's legal secrets in a potential court battle

Wood did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Tuesday evening, requesting comment on the Journal article and the Delaware judge's remarks.

Wood was for years considered one of the nation's foremost defamation attorneys, representing the family of JonBenet Ramsey and, more recently, Covington Catholic teen Nicholas Sandmann in suits against the media.

Over the course of 2020, Wood began to stake out more extreme positions, pushing increasingly dubious conspiracy theories linked to QAnon on his Twitter account.

A strong Trump supporter, Wood backed the president's unfounded claims that the election was stolen through widespread fraud, and partnered with 'Kraken' attorney Sidney Powell in failed lawsuits to overturn the election results.

He also asserted that sex predator Jeffrey Epstein, who died behind bars in 2019, is still alive, and accused Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts of shocking sex crimes, without offering evidence.

And he tweeted that U.S. government agencies were conspiring with Communist China in a blackmail scheme involving child rape.

Wood was banned from Twitter on Friday after suggesting that Pence should 'face execution by firing squad' for 'treason', and claiming that Antifa secretly orchestrated the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump loyalists.

No evidence has emerged that left-wing extremists were involved in the attack, which came after Trump told his supporters to march on the Capitol from a nearby rally. Wood said Friday that he had 'never advocated violence or civil war.'

Wood said his falling out with Wynn began at a dinner at Wynn's Palm Beach mansion (above) on March 6, after the attorney delivered a long-winded toast at dinner

Lin Wood, a staunch ally of Donald Trump, suggested that Mike Pence could 'face execution by firing squad' for 'treason' for refusing to overturn the election results in Congress

In an interview with the Journal, Wood said his falling out with Wynn began at a dinner at Wynn's Palm Beach mansion on March 6.

By his own admission, Wood says he gave a long-winded toast at the dinner, going around the table and praising everyone present for their accomplishments.

'I said Steve was a visionary, and that he made people's dreams come true,' Wood recalled of his toast to his client, a billionaire who made his fortune in the casino industry.

After the dinner, Wood says that Wynn expressed his displeasure with the toast.

Wood says he had a conversation with Wynn, who is Jewish, about his own Christian faith, saying that the two men were 'getting to that point in life where it might not be that important to have another $45 million home,' and urging Wynn: 'Maybe you ought to spend some of that on other people.'

The following day, Wynn fired Wood through another of his attorneys and ordered him to leave his house, Wood said.

The following week, on March 11, Wood had a meeting with Trump at the White House to push his campaign to honor Jewell, but nothing came of the plan.

Wood now says he heard through a friend months later that Wynn had questioned his sanity in a conversation with the president, and now blames the casino mogul for derailing his plan to honor Jewell.

Richard Jewell (left), the man falsely accused in the press as the 1996 Olympic bomber, speaks to CBS journalist Mike Wallace at the time of the controversy

Through his attorney, Wynn declined to comment on Wood's account to the Journal.

'Since the day Mr. Wood ceased representing me, I have avoided making any comment about him. My silence should not be considered as confirming any part of this narrative,' Wynn said.

Wood was Wynn's lawyer in defamation cases and private settlements involving women who alleged sexual misconduct, and is now suggesting that a potential defamation battle could reveal Wynn's legal secrets.

'I would tell everything I could to defend myself,' Wood told the Journal.

Wood said that in a demand letter, he has asked Wynn to pay millions in damages for allegedly disrupting his relationship with Trump. Wood said that he warned Wynn's attorneys that a full-blown court battle could risk the exposure of his work for Wynn.

'I told him it stood a chance of opening attorney-client privilege. If your client is saying you're not mentally stable, that might raise issues about what you did for that client and why,' Wood said.

Meanwhile, on Monday a Delaware judge harshly rebuked Wood and revoked his right to represent former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page in a defamation suit stemming from the Mueller probe.

Judge Craig A. Karsnitz slammed Wood's recent tweets, saying they partly 'incited' the storming of the U.S. Capitol, according to Bloomberg.

On Monday a Delaware judge harshly rebuked Wood and revoked his right to represent former Trump campaign advisor Carter Page (above) in a defamation suit

'At least one tweet called for the arrest and execution of our vice-president,' and 'another alleged claims against' Chief Justice Roberts that are 'too disgusting and outrageous to repeat,' Karsnitz wrote in a ruling.

'No doubt these tweets, and many other things, incited these riots,' he continued.

However, Karsnitz said that it was ultimately Wood's participation in lawsuits challenging the presidential election results that disqualified him to represent Page.

The judge cited Wood's involvement in lawsuits in Wisconsin and Georgia, saying that the suits were frivolous and had clear deficiencies.

'The Georgia case was textbook frivolous litigation,' and one of the Wisconsin complaints 'would not survive a law school civil procedure class,' he wrote.

'The conduct of Mr. Wood, albeit not in my jurisdiction, exhibited a toxic stew of mendacity, prevarication, and surprising incompetence,' he wrote.

'I acknowledge that I preside over a small part of the legal world in a small state. However, we take pride in our bar.'
7,000 people have already been arrested for not wearing masks and most of them now have criminal records.

This is feedback from police minister Bheki Cele who was speaking to ENCA about the enforcement of the new lockdown regulations.

Cele said 342,000 people have been arrested since the lockdown started in March last year.

Between 28 December 2020 and 7 January 2021, when the new level 3 lockdown rules kicked in, 20,116 people have been arrested.

Most of the arrests over the last two weeks were related to alcohol offences or not wearing a mask.

Cele highlighted that it is now a criminal offence not to wear a mask in public and that 7,000 people have been arrested for this crime.

This follows a warning from President Cyril Ramaphosa in December that people who arent wearing masks in public can be arrested.

Given the grave danger our country now faces, the adjusted level 3 regulations will make every individual legally responsible for wearing a mask in public, said Ramaphosa.

A person who does not wear a cloth mask covering over the nose and mouth in a public place will be committing an offence, he said.

A person who does not wear a mask could be arrested and prosecuted. On conviction, they will be liable to a fine or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding six months or to both a fine and imprisonment.

This is a drastic measure but is now necessary to ensure compliance with the most basic of preventative measures, Ramaphosa said.

What happens when you are arrested for not wearing a mask

Cele said when people are arrested for not wearing a mask, they are taken to a police station, charged, and have their fingerprints taken.

They are then given a choice:

Pay an admission of guilt fine, which typically range between R300 and R1,500.

Appear in the Magistrate Court and plead to the charges.

There are some cases where there are no admission of guilt fines and where a court appearance is compulsory. This includes:

Not wearing a face mask while using or operating public transport like a bus or taxi.

Not wearing a face mask when entering or be in a building, place or premises used by the public to obtain goods or services.

For people who opt to go to court, there will be a trial where the magistrate decides whether the person is guilty and what their sentence should be.

If a person is found guilty, the sentence imposed by the magistrate may include a fine which can be higher than the initial admission of guilt fine.

Cele highlighted that both admission of guilt fines and being found guilty by the magistrate will result in a person getting a criminal record.

Police minister Bheki Cele interview

Now read: Not wearing a mask is now a criminal offence in South Africa
NEW MILFORD  At the John J. McCarthy Observatorys virtual Second Saturday Stars & Special Event on Jan. 9, a preview of 2021 missions and milestones in space exploration was provided by volunteer Bill Cloutier.

The presentation included an overview of the three spacecraft launched last summer and are now approaching Mars.

Several countries are also planning to return to the Moon in 2021 with robotic missions, including Russia, India and the United States.

The Curiosity rover has been exploring the Gale crater since its landing in 2012. It will be soon joined on the surface by the Perseverance rover when it lands in Jezero crater on Feb. 18 to search for signs of ancient life.

Volunteer Marc Polansky recounted the history of SpaceXs Starship development program and the results of the latest test flight from its Cameron County, Texas, launch pad.

The event was free and open to the public. It can be viewed on the observatorys YouTube channel.

The observatory, on the campus of New Milford High School on Route 7, is an educational and research facility. Its a nonprofit charitable organization with all proceeds going directly towards the observatorys mission of furthering science appreciation and literacy in the community and beyond.

For more information and to access its monthly newsletter, visit mccarthyobservatory.org.
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America has always believed in headlines which create hysteria, but it also has unleashed a brand of unlimited freedom, which it was unable to contain when the Corona virus struck the US unprepared in March 2020?

by Victor Cherubim

The storming of the Bastille, oh no, but the US Capitol last Wednesday night,06 January 2021, some experts in the US say, has only emboldened conspiracy theories of Corona virus by the radical far right.

The world has watched in disbelief what they saw on their TV screens of what President Trump supporters can do as they clashed with security guards to dismount law and order in Capitol Hill, Washington D.C.

For some others, this episode was an expectation after the Black Lives Matter movement earlier in the U.S.

Around the world, in Berlin in August 2020, we saw protestershad gathered hundreds of radical activists to storm the steps of the historic German Parliament building, the Reichstag.

We also saw what happened in Hong Kong, when white shirts wanted to claim their so called civil rights and had to be cordoned off, to protect public law and order.

Is this a malaise of the times?

It appears, it is a triumphalist mood among extremists in many countries sparking fears of spurring them on to more radical action, or pent-upunrest due to all the restrictions placed during the pandemic. Its your pick?

It may also be a feature of discontent against all sorts of other issues, poverty, unemployment, inability to communicate their grievances with governments, which has grown, noticed or unnoticed over time, which spills on to streets or seats of power.

Who then are these radicals?

Psychologists state that they consist of a mixed bag of persons, that society has left behind. It may consist of a rag-tag mix of conspiracy theorists, some Anti-Vaxxers, far right extremists, and protesters against Corona virus restrictions.

But the Big Question after the event in Washington D.C.is how very unprotected, unguarded, Congress building was, to be open to such a monstrous scene of attack by protesters, radicalists, young and old, as if they were invited in.

Whilst in Germany, these demonstrators were only able to be a few minutes on the stairs of the Reichstag, the historic building that houses Germanys Federal Parliament. On the other hand, in Washingtons Capitol Hill, these rioters, were able tobreakin with impunity. Blame has poured in for inciting this mob violence, but what were the security forces doing to stop this mob rule?

Was it the fault of Government or was it civil unrest?

The shutdown backlash is classed by observers and for all intents and purposes labelled as populist liberalism. It is ant-science, anti-intellectual, anti-movement and anti-government. It thrives on conspiracy theories, easily amplified by the mainstream conservative media outlets. It poses a serious public health threat to society at a time of an uncontrollable pandemic when the cry is leave me alone movement by an overburdened public.

How far is Trump responsible for the situation?

What price has President Donald Trump paid for his ideological dynamics, his impulsive, personality driven politicsover four years in office?

Trump has no doubt cultivated this personality cult during his tenure of office. His administrations tardiness regarding the pandemic may be faulted. He hardly believed, there was a pandemic, even though he underwent hospitalisation for treatment of the pandemic.

But he was also responsible for taking away the power from his Administration - a clear case is his dismantling the State Department, and even other departments of State. He had control in every way with all actions of his administration. He was surprisingly a One Man Band, with his call Make America Great Again and he had a following of many millions who were mesmerised by his repeated gestures and actions. This posture of Donald Trump suited America, as other analysts may state, at a time when he was elected as President.

America has always believed in headlines which create hysteria, but it also has unleashed a brand of unlimited freedom, which it was unable to contain when the Corona virus struck the US unprepared in March 2020?

Was Donald Trump chosen as President to do a difficult job and discarded after having done his part of the job? Your guess is as good as mine?
RTHK: Ireland apologises for mother and baby homes scandal

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin formally apologised on Wednesday for the state's "profound failure" in its treatment of unmarried mothers and their babies in a network of Catholic Church-run homes from the 1920s to the 1990s.

A government-commissioned report published on Tuesday found an "appalling" mortality rate of around 15 percent among children born at the homes, reflecting brutal living conditions. Around 9,000 children died in all.

"On behalf of the government, the state and its citizens, I apologise for the profound generational wrong visited upon Irish mothers and their children who ended up in a Mother and Baby Home or a County Home," Martin told parliament.

"I apologise for the shame and stigma which they were subjected to and which, for some, remains a burden to this day," Martin said. "The state failed you."

The report detailed how many infants were taken from mothers and sent overseas to be adopted, while a number of children were vaccinated without consent.

Anonymous testimony from residents compared the institutions to prisons where they were verbally abused by nuns, while women suffered through traumatic labours without any pain relief.

Relatives have alleged babies were mistreated because they were born to unmarried mothers who, like their children, were seen as a stain on Ireland's image as a devout Catholic nation.

The inquiry said those admitted included girls as young as 12.

A coalition of survivors' groups on Tuesday said the report was "truly shocking", but it had mixed feelings because it did not fully account for the role the state played in running the homes and in separating single mothers from their babies.

The head of the Irish Catholic Church on Tuesday "unreservedly" apologised for its role.

The religious order that ran a care home for unmarried mothers in the Irish town of Tuam, where almost 800 children died, on Wednesday said the order "did not live up to our Christianity when running the Home." (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
-Development of smart cities has put tremendous pressure on government authorities to elevate the bar of quality across the electrical and power management industry.

-Development of new and advanced residential and commercial towers has played an integral role in popularising the use of high-end power management technologies such as synchrophasors.

ALBANY, N.Y., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The demand within the global synchrophasors market is slated to increase at a stupendous rate in the years to come by. The use of these systems in power operating nodes has created new opportunities for growth within this market. The electrical industry has undergone formidable disruptions in recent years, and has encapsulated new technologies for management electric and power systems. Therefore, synchrophasors have become a central part of the power ecosystems and have been graded as a sound safety technology. It is worthwhile to note that the need for synchrophasors is felt across building power systems as well large industrial units. In light of these factors, it is safe to expect the inflow of fresh revenues into the global synchrophasors market.

The total worth of the global synchrophasors market is expected to reach 930 Mn by the end of the forecast period ranging between 2020 and 2030. The growth of this market is a direct function of advancements in electrical engineering and management. A number of entities have emerged as a sound platform for promoting the services offered by electrical service providers. Implementation of synchrophasors is an important process that has lately gained traction from key entities and stakeholders. Henceforth, the popularity of electric power services are boding well for the growth of the global synchrophasors market.

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Key Findings of the Report

Advancements in Smart City Infrastructure

The emergence of smart cities has also led to the development of high-end, smart grids and smart meters. These automated grids and meters are a part of an extensive ecosystem characterised by various electric supply lines and utilities. The use of synchrophasors to preserve the integrity of these grids has created humongous opportunities for growth and advancement in recent years. It is worthwhile to note that all major nations are overhauling their grid infrastructure by moving from traditional grids to smart, integrated grids. This is directly driving sales across the global synchrophasors market.

Development of Central Power Management Systems

Installation of central power units across mall, healthcare units, and other large infrastructural entities has created a plethora of opportunities for growth and advancement in recent years. In addition to this, the unprecedented demand for ensuring seamless revenue inflow within the electrical industry has caused an uptick in the use of synchrophasors. The proactive nature of building planners has played a crucial role in bringing synchrophasors to the fore. Therefore, the total volume of revenues generated within the synchrophasors market over the past years is estimated to be of formidable value.

New-Age Industrial and Commercial Systems

The advent of core building management systems is also playing an underhanded role in driving sales across the global synchrophasors market. The use of these systems to increase the reliability of the power grid has sent ripples across the electrical industry as several units begin to implement synchrophasors. In addition to all of this, the load shedding capability of synchrophasors has also given an impetus to market maturity.

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Global Synchrophasors Market: Growth Drivers

The frequency of power outages in the residential and commercial sectors has created concerns for several entities and stakeholders. This has necessitated the use of synchrophasors.

The use of synchrophasors for the purpose of power control has also gained popularity.

The need to increase the power quality across various echelons of the residential, commercial, and industrial sectors has also emerged as a resilient dynamic of market maturity.

Analyze Global Synchrophasors 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

Global Synchrophasors Market: Competitive Landscape

Arbiter Systems Inc.

Siemens AG.

Schneider Electric

FUJI ELECTRIC FRANCE S.A.S.

Explore 149 pages of superlative research, current market scenario, and extensive geographical projections. Gain insights into the Synchrophasors Market (Component: Hardware and Software; and Application: Fault Analysis, State Estimation, Stability Monitoring, Power System Control, Operational Monitoring, Improve Grid Visualization, and Others) - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2020-2030 at https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/synchrophasors-market.html

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Paubox We think Paubox is the best product on the market. High NPS and terrific customer retention is a fantastic combination and were excited to be partnering with them.

Paubox, a market leader in the HIPAA compliant email space, announced today a $4 million Series A funding led by Arthur Ventures (AV). Patrick Meenan, Partner at AV, led the investment and joined the Companys board of directors.

Paubox is used by over 3,000 paying customers to solve their email security and compliance requirements in U.S. healthcare. Unlike incumbent solutions that force recipients to login to a portal to read a secure message, Paubox allows the recipient to read a secure, compliant email in their inbox, just like a normal message.

With a Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 80 and HITRUST CSF certification for its core products, the company has uncovered strong product-market fit in the healthcare vertical. The company was founded by Hoala Greevy in 2014 and employs 34 people out of its headquarters in San Francisco.

Hoala Greevy, Founder CEO of Paubox said: The timing of our Series A funding is impeccable. We will continue to provide market leadership in the HIPAA compliant email space, as more Americans than ever depend on their healthcare providers to provide secure and frictionless communication.

Patrick Meenan, Partner at Arthur Ventures said: We think Paubox is the best product on the market. High NPS and terrific customer retention is a fantastic combination and were excited to be partnering with them.

About Paubox

Paubox provides secure email for modern healthcare. Right out of the box. Paubox leads the HIPAA Compliant Email industry in three categories of the G2 Winter 2021 report: Best Email Encryption Software, Best HIPAA Compliant Messaging Software, and Best Secure Email Gateway Software. Coupled with its HITRUST CSF certification, customers can trust Paubox to provide them with seamless, secure, and compliant email solutions.

About Arthur Ventures

Arthur Ventures leads investments in B2B software companies in every region across North America and Western Europe.

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The Secret Service, the FBI and the National Guard are among 50 agencies and private companies that have formed a 'Multi-Agency Command Center' (MACC) to fortify Washington, D.C. ahead of next week's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

The task force will meet for the first time on Wednesday at the Secret Service's Washington field office where hundreds of people will work in 12-hour shifts to protect the city amid three new violent threats against the Capitol, which was attacked by a mob of MAGA supporters last week.

Private companies that have joined the task force include Amtrak, whose fleet of trains frequently travel through the nation's capitol.

'Everyone can just rest assured they are throwing the kitchen sink at this event,' one Secret Service official involved in the planning told The Washington Post.

Another former Secret Service agent told the publication that the establishment of the MACC ensures proactive security measures are being taken, and help will be on hand in the event a volatile situation erupts.

'Unlike January 6 [when the Capitol came under siege], nobody has to ask for the National Guard anymore,' they stated.

'Nobody has to send out an emergency call for the FBI SWAT team. They're all there, pre-positioned and ready. Radiation protection. Bomb detectors. Amtrak sweeps. All the security personnel - they're all now in place.'

Up to 15,000 National Guard members will also be on hand to protect D.C.

The Secret Service, FBI and the National Guard are among 50 agencies and private companies that have formed a 'Multi-Agency Command Center (MACC)' to fortify Washington, D.C. ahead of next week's inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Thousands of National Guard troops have already arrived in the city. Some are pictured outside the Capitol on Tuesday

At least 10,000 National Guard troops will be in place by Saturday with a remaining 5,000 on standby in the event of an uprising. Pictured: thousands of troops arriving in D.C. on Tuesday

Stores have boarded up their windows amid fear of further violence in D.C. in the lead up to Inauguration Day

Members of the National Guard have been deployed to D.C. They are pictured arriving late Tuesday night

Members of the National Guard are seen armed and protecting the US Capitol Building following the violent siege which took place there last week

A map of Washington, D.C. showing security measures and road closures that are in effect ahead of Inauguration Day next Wednesday

Fences have been erected outside the Capitol Building, The White House and the Supreme Court, while road closures in the are have now gone into effect. The Supreme Court is seen closed off on Tuesday

A protester holds signs near the fenced-off Capitol Building at sundown on Tuesday evening

At least 10,000 of those troops will be in place by Saturday with the remaining 5,000 on standby.

Fences have been erected outside the Capitol Building, The White House and the Supreme Court, while road closures in the are have now gone into effect.

The beefed-up security measures come as authorities revealed three separate plots to attack the Capitol ahead of the inauguration, including one described as the 'largest armed protest in American history.'

The most concerning is said to involve armed rioters encircling the Capitol and blocking Democrats from entering - killing them if necessary - so that Republicans can take command of government.

Another protest is being planned in honor of Ashli Babbitt, the USAF veteran who was shot at point blank range by a police officer as she tried to clamber into the Speaker's Lobby during the Trump mob's siege.

An FBI internal memo warned of a group that was calling for the 'storming' of state, local and federal government buildings, as well as court houses if Trump is removed from office.

That has prompted all 50 states to go on alert, increasing security around their own capitol buildings.

HARRISBURG, PA: A member of the Pennsylvania Capitol Police Special Response Team stands outside the Pennsylvania State Capitol on Tuesday following the release of the FBI memo

HARRISBURG, PA: A heavily armed officer is seen standing outside the Pennsylvania Capitol Building

AUSTIN, TX: Texas State Troopers stand alert for protesters outside of the Texas State Capitol in Austin

An FBI bulletin published on Tuesday stated: 'Armed protests are being planned at all 50 state capitols from 16 January through at least 20 January, and at the US Capitol from 17 January through 20 January.

'On 8 January, the FBI received information on an identified group calling for others to join them in 'storming' state, local and federal government courthouses and administrative buildings in the event POTUS is removed as President prior to Inauguration Day,' the bulletin continued.

'This identified group is also planning to 'storm' government offices including in the District of Columbia and in every state, regardless of whether the states certified electoral votes for Biden or Trump, on 20 January.'

Officials across the country are taking the threat extremely seriously, as evidenced by increased security at government buildings across the country on Tuesday.

AUSTIN, TX: Dozens of Texas State Troopers were seen with tactical gear as they stood guard outside the Capitol on Tuesday

AUSTIN, TX: State Troopers protect the north entrance of the Texas State Capitol

AUSTIN, TX: Texas Dept. of Public Safety riot police stand guard at the Texas Capitol in Austin Tuesday. The heavy police presence was prompted by rumors of armed Texans plans to take over the building

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania members of the Pennsylvania Capitol Police Special Response Team were seen patrolling the exterior of the State Capitol on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in Texas, dozens of state troopers in tactical gear formed a protective barrier at the outside of their Capitol Building in the city of Austin.

Members of the Texas Dept. of Public Safety riot police were also on hand and standing guard.

In Washington state, there was also additional security.

Members of the Washington National Guard were deployed to Olympia to protect that state Capitol Building, as snipers stood on the roof.

And in Madison, Wisconsin, the windows of the historic state Capitol were boarded up amid fears of violence in the days ahead.

OLYMPIA, WA: Members of the Washington National Guard surround the Washington State Capitol Tuesday

OLYMPIA, WA: Members of the Washington State Patrol stand guard as security is beefed up amid rising political tensions

OLYMPIA, WA: A member of the Washington State National Guard stands behind security fence erected outside the Capitol
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  With a new president onboard, Albuquerque Economic Development will begin a planning project next week to determine how the city can better compete with its peers.

Danielle Casey, who replaced Gary Tonjes as AEDs president in October, acknowledged during the Economic Forum of Albuquerques meeting Wednesday that the city lags behind its neighbors in growing certain key industries. However, she said Albuquerque has momentum and appeal as people look to leave crowded cities in the wake of the pandemic.

Having an updated strategic plan, Casey said, will help the organization determine whether the growth sectors its targeted in the past are the right choices, and understand what other mid-sized cities are doing well.

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We want to determine how competitive we really are, Casey said.

Casey, who worked most recently for the Greater Sacramento Economic Council, said Albuquerque saw a 24% decline in information-sector jobs in the previous five years, and has lagged behind cities like Phoenix in job growth in professional, scientific and technical services. Casey said Albuquerque improved its job total in that industry by 23% in the past two decades, while Phoenix increased by 52% over the same period.

These are things were going to be thinking about in our strategy, she said.

Still, Casey said Albuquerque has plenty of momentum with new arrivals to the city. She pointed to a 2019 study from United Van Lines, which noted that more people moved to the city than away from it that year. With more businesses and employees looking at remote-work opportunities, Casey said the city has a chance to capitalize on interest from crowded Western cities, including Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

I think theres tremendous opportunity  in LA and the Bay Area, she said.

Casey added that she would love to see a concerted strategy to lure remote workers to Albuquerque, pointing to the success that cities like Tulsa have had with incentive programs and other efforts designed to attract remote workers.

Id love to make sure we go further, Casey said.

Casey acknowledged that shes new to Albuquerque, and said she will have a better idea of where the city can better compete once the strategic planning process begins. AED is planning on beginning the process with a webinar next Thursday, and will present the plan approximately 16 weeks later.

We are not doing this to reinvent the wheel and re-do really great research, Casey said.
Vice President Mike Pence said Tuesday he wouldnt invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office, writing in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that its time for the nation to heal after last weeks attack on the Capitol.

Pences letter comes in response to a resolution House Democrats will put to a vote Tuesday night urging him to use his constitutional authority to end Trumps term early. Pence said hes asking members of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment."

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

The vice president said the U.S. Constitutions 25th Amendment was designed to address presidential incapacity or disability" and accused the House of Representatives of playing political games." Democrats plan to vote on the non-binding 25th Amendment resolution anyway.

Democrats have also set up a vote as soon as Wednesday to impeach the president for the second time.

We will act with urgency, because this president represents an imminent threat," Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues over the weekend. The horror of the ongoing assault on our democracy perpetrated by this president is intensified and so is the immediate need for action."

Democrats had hoped that Pence - who drew Trumps ire for rebuffing his calls to reject the results of the presidential election, saying such a move was unconstitutional - would call on the cabinet to remove Trump from power. The president has been widely rebuked for his role stirring the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, which left five people dead and dozens more injured.

Trump and Pence met Monday night at the White House -- their first conversation since the intrusion by the presidents supporters forced the vice president to hastily evacuate from the Senate floor.

A senior administration official said after the meeting that they had agreed to continue working on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term, indicating that Pence didnt intend to invoke the 25th Amendment. Earlier Tuesday Trump said he was at zero risk" of removal under the constitutional provision.

Pence would have needed support from half of the cabinet had he decided to proceed.

Trump on Tuesday also said he should not be held responsible for the attack on the Capitol. He added that his remarks to supporters that day were totally appropriate," and he blamed Democrats impeachment effort for causing tremendous anger" around the nation.

Congressional Republicans are divided on how to respond to Trump after last weeks attack. Representative Liz Cheney, the No. 3 Republican in the House, said earlier Tuesday she would join with Democrats and vote to impeach the president.

On Jan. 6, 2021, a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes," the Wyoming lawmaker said in a statement. The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing."

If Trump is impeached by the House, two-thirds of the Senate would be needed to convict him. Trump escaped removal from office last year when only one Republican senator - Mitt Romney of Utah - voted with Democrats.

Even though the Senate probably wont be able to conclude the trial before Trump leaves office on Jan. 20, Democrats plan to push forward with Trumps second impeachment because the process could include a vote to prohibit him from again seeking federal office.





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Airbnb will cancel and block all reservations in the Washington, D.C., metro area during the week of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration, the company said on Wednesday.

After President Trump incited last weeks deadly rampage at the U.S. Capitol, officials have asked people not to travel to the capital during inauguration week, hoping to forestall further violent uprisings. Officials had previously urged people to stay away because of the coronavirus.

We are aware of reports emerging yesterday afternoon regarding armed militias and known hate groups that are attempting to travel and disrupt the Inauguration, the San Francisco vacation-rental company said.

Airbnb said it had already banned people confirmed to have participated in the Jan. 6 rampage or associated with known hate groups.

Senate leaders have called for all Capitol rioters to be placed on the federal no fly list.

Airbnb said it will refund guests if they already had a reservation and will reimburse hosts what they would have earned. It is also canceling bookings made through its HotelTonight division.

On social media, some Airbnb hosts applauded the move. I appreciate (Airbnb) taking this stand and not making their hosts individually address the issue and subject themselves to potential retaliation, wrote a Florida host.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

David Sherwyn, professor of hospitality human resources and law at Cornell University, said Airbnbs move underscored the distinctions between it and hotels  the largest being that it doesnt own or manage the lodging.

The cost to Airbnb is some lost revenue and risk reduction, he said in a statement.The cost to hotels are their place in the economy, their employees compensation (tipped employees, housekeepers, etc.), and their duty to their guests who need to be in town.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
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This article first appeared on the Boston Business Journals website.

For craft beer brewers struggling through the hardest season in their history, the law Baker signed on Tuesday couldnt have come too soon.

The bill finalized a compromise that has taken brewers and distributors nearly a decade to agree on, allowing any brewer producing fewer than 250,000 barrels of beer annually  which effectively means every Massachusetts brewery except Boston Beer, the maker of Sam Adams  to leave lifelong contracts with distributors in exchange for fair market value of the portfolio.

The deal was initially forged by both sides last July and was passed by the Senate quickly thereafter. House lawmakers signed off on the bill in a last minute flurry at the end of the session in the early morning on Jan. 6.

I think it will save some breweries, said Sam Hendler, president of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild, who helped negotiate the final compromise, and co-founder of Jacks Abby.

Breweries and the distribution companies that help truck and deliver their products throughout Massachusetts had long fought over the states so-called franchise law, which gave distributors who had worked with breweries for more than six months a lifelong monopoly on that brand in their service area. Breweries could only leave contracts through a lengthy, convoluted process, during which the distributor could effectively stop selling their product.

Brewers say the law put them at the mercy of a company that frequently worked with their competitors.

Distributors argued that the law protected what are mostly family-run businesses that invest heavily in brands up front.

According to Jim Koch, founder of Boston Beer, distributors tried to push through a law that would benefit the wholesalers in 2007. At the time, there werent many breweries and they werent well organized. Many didnt even know about the proposed bill until a state representative asked Harpoon founder Dan Kenary about it at a party. The Mass Brewers Guild was formed to contest the legislation, bringing brewers together for political purposes for the first time.

By 2009, the guild started trying to use the group to change the franchise law, kicking off a battle that lasted more than a decade. But despite hearings and discussions year after year, the sides remained far apart deciding which brewers would be able to leave a distribution contract, and the methods by which they could do so.

By early 2020, brewers had gained momentum. According to Koch, there were enough votes in the Senate to pass reform, and hope for a pending change in House leadership. My feeling, all of the brewers feeling, was ok we will get this done, Koch said.

Then coronavirus happened. Taproom business all but dried up as capacity restrictions and social distancing guidelines prevented crowds from coming together. Brewers turned to distribution and wholesale to survive.

If youre a brewer that doesnt have a productive relationship with your wholesaler, that is an existential threat right now, said Hendler, the guild president. In years past, you might have pivoted and focused more on taproom or direct to consumer sales. Its just not an option today. That is the dynamic that brought this to a head and got everyone to the table and across the finish line.

The guild reached out to the wholesalers to form a deal. Wholesalers offered their most generous compromise yet  any brewer producing under 250,000 barrels annually could leave distributor contracts. But the compromise wouldnt apply to to one brewer in Massachusetts, its largest. Boston Beer produced 5.3 million barrels in 2019. The decision rested with Koch.

It didnt take me long to think about it, Koch said. I was at every hearing, and at every meeting, I spent a lot of time and we were key financial supporters of the effort involved. This is bittersweet. But at the end of the day, you think about it, and say this is the right thing. I can rationalize other courses, but i know this is the right thing for the industry and for all of us as a community.

Hendler credited Koch for not only allowing the deal to succeed, but pushing it forward.

Jim got on board and helped get this across the finish line, Hendler said. He was an active champion of this. That was critically important. Without that, i dont think it happens.

Distributors applauded the deal as well, with William Kelley, president of the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts, saying in a statement that the compromise will help breweries to grow.

The deal was forged in the third week of July. Knowing the legislative session could expire that month, the Senate passed the measure quickly.

Coronavirus kept the legislative session humming, giving House lawmakers more breathing room to sign off on the deal. Yet elation of reaching a compromise was replaced with dread, as the end of the session drew close without a House vote.

It never felt like there was opposition. It was just, would we be able to cut through the chaos of a Covid-effected session? Hendler said. There was not much that was easy to count on this fall.

At 3 a.m. on the final day of the session, with Hendler anxiously watching from home, lawmakers had finally sealed the deal. Baker signed it into law this week.

Hendler said he hopes that brewers use their newfound freedom to raise concerns and work with their distributors, rather than holding back out of concerns it would jeopardize their access to the market.

What it really changes is the whole dynamic between brewer and distributor, Hendler said. I hope we dont see brewers change distributors over the coming months, but see brewers be more willing to be honest with their wholesalers.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind.  A Kansas woman was executed Wednesday for strangling an expectant mother in Missouri and cutting the baby from her womb, the first time in nearly seven decades that the U.S. government has put to death a female inmate.

Lisa Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. She was the 11th prisoner to receive a lethal injection there since July when President Donald Trump, an ardent supporter of capital punishment, resumed federal executions following 17 years without one.

As a curtain was raised in the execution chamber, Montgomery looked momentarily bewildered as she glanced at journalists peering at her from behind thick glass. As the execution process began, a woman standing over Montgomerys shoulder leaned over, gently removed Montgomerys face mask and asked her if she had any last words. No, Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice. She said nothing else.

She tapped her fingers nervously for several seconds, a heart-shaped tattoo on her thumb, showed no signs of distress, and quickly closed her eyes. As the lethal injection began, Montgomery kept licking her lips and gasped briefly as pentobarbital, a lethal drug, entered her body through IVs on both arms. A few minutes later, her midsection throbbed for a moment, but quickly stopped.

Montgomery lay on a gurney in the pale-green execution chamber, her glasses on and her grayish brown hair spilling over a green medical pillow. At 1:30 a.m., an official in black gloves with a stethoscope walked into the room, listened to her heart and chest, then walked out. She was pronounced dead a minute later.

The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight, Montgomerys attorney, Kelley Henry said in a statement. Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame.

The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman, Henry said. Lisa Montgomerys execution was far from justice.

It came after hours of legal wrangling before the Supreme Court cleared the way for the execution to move forward. Montgomery was the first of the final three federal inmates scheduled to die before next weeks inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who is expected to discontinue federal executions.

But a federal judge for the District of Columbia halted the scheduled executions later this week of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs in a ruling Tuesday. Johnson, convicted of killing seven people related to his drug trafficking in Virginia, and Higgs, convicted of ordering the murders of three women in Maryland, both tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

Montgomery killed 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.

An appeals court granted Montgomery a stay of execution Tuesday, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judges ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldnt comprehend she would be put to death. But both appeals were lifted, allowing the execution of the only female on federal death row to go forward.

As the only woman on federal death row, Montgomery had been held in a federal prison in Texas and was brought to Terre Haute on Monday night.

Montgomerys legal team says she suffered sexual torture, including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting that her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Henry balked at that idea, citing extensive testing and brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness. She said the issue at the core of the legal arguments are not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasps why she is slated to be executed now.

U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon, who had halted Montgomerys execution before the stay was overturned on appeal, cited defense experts who alleged Montgomery suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Montgomery, the judge wrote, also suffered around the time of the killing from an extremely rare condition called pseudocyesis in which a womans false belief she is pregnant triggers hormonal and physical changes as if she were actually pregnant.

Montgomery also experiences delusions and hallucinations, believing God spoke with her through connect-the-dot puzzles, the judge said, citing defense experts. The government has acknowledged Montgomerys mental issues but disputes that she cant comprehend that she is scheduled for execution for killing another person because of them.

Details of the crime at times left jurors in tears during her trial.

Prosecutors told the jury Montgomery drove about 170 miles (274 kilometers) from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett. She strangled Stinnett performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby.

Prosecutors said Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a Long John Silvers in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing center.

Montgomery was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasnt spoken publicly about the tragedy.

Prosecutors said the motive was that Montgomerys ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

Anti-death penalty groups said Trump was pushing for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.

The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.

The last woman executed by a state was Kelly Gissendaner, 47, on Sept. 30, 2015, in Georgia. She was convicted of murder in the 1997 slaying of her husband after she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.
Getty Images / Contributed Photo

HARTFORD  A man indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a 2013 homicide pleaded not guilty on Tuesday, officials said.

Antwane Buck Williams-Bey, 30, was charged in connection with what authorities described as the drug-related killing of 21-year-old Valentin Santos Jr. in Hartford on Aug. 12, 2013.
President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday conferred Hilal-i-Pakistan, the country's second highest civil award, on Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu in recognition of his contribution to strengthen Pak-Turkish ties

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jan, 2021 ) :President Dr Arif Alvi Wednesday conferred Hilal-i-Pakistan, the country's second highest civil award, on Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu in recognition of his contribution to strengthen Pak-Turkish ties.

The conferment on the Turkish foreign minister was made at a special investiture ceremony held here at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Besides delegations of the visiting foreign minister, the ceremony was attended by Federal ministers, diplomats and senior officers.

The ceremony was started with recitation of Quranic verses, featured with playing of national anthems of both the countries.

Reading out the citation, Secretary Cabinet Division Sardar Ahmed Nawaz Sukhera recounted the services of Turkish foreign minister for enriching the bilateral ties. He said in his capacity as Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had taken various initiatives for peace and security.

Moreover, he also played vital role for strengthening Pak-Turkish ties and their transformation into a strategic partnership The Hilal-i-Pakistan awards is conferred to recognize the meritorious contribution to the national interests of Pakistan, orcultural,socialcontribution.

Among other dignitaries to have achieved the honour included now US President-elect Joe Biden, Ruth Pfau, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and recently Chinese former ambassador in Islamabad Yao Jing.

After the investiture, the Turkish foreign minister also introduced two renowned Turkish actors including Nurettin Snmez, known for his role as Bamsi Beyrek in Ertugrul and Ayberk Pekcan, who played Artuk Bey. Both the celebrities were warmly received by the audience and took full advantage of the rare photo-op.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is visiting here for the second Pakistan-Turkey-Azerbaijan Trilateral Meeting being held on the day.

Prior to the investiture ceremony, he called on the President and discussed the bilateral as well as regional matters of mutual interest.
Australia is set to miss out on two coronavirus vaccines after companies refused to sell them, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said on Wednesday.

The government has supply agreements in place for the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Novavax vaccines and will start rolling out the Pfizer jab next month.

But unlike many other nations, Australia has not managed to get hold of vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson & Johnson.

Australia is set to miss out on two coronavirus vaccines after companies refused to sell them, Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly (pictured) said on Wednesday

Moderna's vaccine is 94 per cent effective at protecting from infection and the efficacy of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which unlike the others has been trialled with one shot instead of two, will be announced this week.

Asked why Australia has not signed deals to buy the Moderna jab, Professor Kelly said: 'A contract takes two parties to sign.

'We have continued conversations with Moderna. But it needs their agreement to sign such a contract. I will leave it there. A lot of these issues are commercial in confidence and I can't really talk to them.'

Asked about why a deal has not been signed for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, he said: 'In terms of contracts of pre-purchasing agreements, I'm not at liberty to talk in detail.

'There were issues we were not able to agree on with Johnson and Johnson, mainly in their court.'

The government plans to vaccinate 5 million Australians with the Pfizer jab, which is imported from overseas, and give everyone else the AstraZeneca jab, which is being made in Melbourne.

Doctors have raised concerns about the strategy because the AstraZeneca vaccine is between 62 and 90 per cent effective whereas the Pfizer jab stops infection 95 per cent of the time.

Asked why Australia has not bought more Pfizer jabs, Professor Kelly said: 'I don't have an answer to that.

'We're in virtually constant discussion with Pfizer. If there were more doses available to us then we would look into whether that was a feasible option for us to get more. So far that's not the case.'

But he stood by plans to distribute the AstraZeneca to most Australians and challenged the focus on efficacy rates.

Brisbane residents exercise near Southbank as a rule mandating masks outside remains in place

'In terms of preventing death, it works 100 per cent of the time. In terms of preventing severe illness, it works 100 per cent of the time,' he told Sky News on Wednesday.

'That's exactly the same as Pfizer on that interim information.'

Professor Kelly admitted that no-body knows how long the vaccines provide immunity for.

'We're embarking on a long-term journey in relation to vaccination against Covid. We don't have any information about how long any of the vaccines last in terms of immunity,' he said.

'The main reason for that is they're brand new vaccines and we don't have the follow-up data in relation to that. So I don't know how long these will last, any of the vaccines we have in our portfolio.'

Professor Kelly also said there is no evidence to suggest people cannot have two different jabs if a more effective one becomes available.

'There's also no evidence that you cannot... follow up with any of the other vaccines next year, once they become available,' he said.

Labor health spokesman Chris Bowen rejected calls to pause the AstraZeneca rollout but criticised the government for not having more options available.

'A pause only works if you've got something to replace it with,' he told ABC radio.
The chief federal judge in the Southern District of Texas has set an emergency hearing Friday to address concerns from the Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez that the jail is nearing peak capacity amid climbing COVID-19 infections in the region.

Theyre running out of beds, said the sheriffs attorney, Murray Fogler, who requested the courts intervention. Its pretty dire.

The facilitys population has now surpassed 9,000, more residents than it had prior to the virus. Bookings are down 25 percent since 2019. Still, under pandemic protocols, the second largest jail in the country now has just 25 beds left, said Jason Spencer, spokesman for the sheriff.

Fogler told the court the sheriff reached out on Monday to the stakeholders urging them to do what they can on particular cases to make room at the jail.

Specifically, Gonzalez exhorted the district court judges, the district attorney, the public defenders office to help figure out a way to free up some beds in the jail. He also put together lists for each court of people accused of state jail felonies and third-degree nonviolent felonies who could be eligible for release.

The sheriff was dismayed that no action was taken to address his concerns.

The hearing, in a federal civil rights case challenging felony bail practices, will give Chief U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal another chance to tackle the growing public health challenge with all the key players  the sheriff, the district attorney, the felony judges, the Attorney General, who represents the bulk of the judges, and plaintiffs counsel who represent thousands of indigent pretrial inmates.

Fogler also alerted the judge that staffing at the jail has been crunched due to the pandemic and detention workers being vulnerable to the virus.

Its a crisis experts hired by the county warned about months ago.

The courts are not moving, Spencer said. Thats creating a logjam at the jail of people waiting for their cases to be heard.

Congregant living settings are especially susceptible to the spread of COVID-19, especially as population increases, said Scott Packard, spokesman for the City of Houstons public health department, which oversees the jail.

Brandon Wood, at the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, said he was grateful Gonzalez was being proactive before the commission had to step in. If the jail hits its maximum capacity, Wood said, it could move inmates to contract facilities. But it can avoid that step through a range of actions  including rocket dockets, good time credit and pretrial releases that are in compliance with Gov. Greg Abbotts executive order prohibiting bail for anyone convicted or charged with violent offenses.

To date, 2,609 inmates have tested positive and six have died of COVID. Among jail staff, 1,196 have been infected and two have died.

gabrielle.banks@chron.com

As Gov. Charlie Baker weighs a possible veto of climate legislation on his desk, House Speaker Ronald Mariano is preparing to refile the bill in its entirety on Thursday should the governor reject the bill as passed, according to the speakers office.

The step is intended to send a message to Baker that House Democrats stand behind the proposal, which would require Massachusetts to go carbon-neutral by 2050 and set a series of interim benchmarks intended to keep Massachusetts on the path.

The bill would also direct utilities to purchase more offshore wind power, set efficiency standards for appliances and increase the amount of renewable sources that feed the states electricity supply to 40 percent by 2030.

This is meant to send a strong message to people supportive of the bill to stand firm, and that theres not a lot of appetite for changes, said someone close to the speaker, who asked to speak anonymously. Mariano also intends to approach Senate President Karen Spilka on Wednesday to discuss his plan.

Both the House and Senate unanimously passed the climate legislation on Monday, Jan. 4, a day before the Legislature brought its two-year session to a close.

Baker supports the broad objectives of the bill, but has concerns with details and is said to be frustrated with the Legislature that it waited until so late in the session to send him such a complex bill for review.

Sources who have spoken to officials within the administration told the News Service on Tuesday that Baker was seriously considering a veto of the legislation, which would force the Legislature to start the process again in the new year. The governors office says he is still reviewing the bill.

Environmental groups, however, worry that a veto would send the wrong message to states around the country who are watching Massachusetts. The bill, if it becomes law, would establish the most aggressive timeline for emission reductions in the country.

Because of the bills late arrival, Baker can either sign or veto the legislation, but no longer has the option of returning it with amendments since a new Legislature has been seated. He could also sign the bill as it is, and file a new bill with his recommended changes.

If Baker doesnt sign the bill either Wednesday or Thursday, it will expire on his desk in what is known as a pocket veto.

Baker has concerns with some of the interim emission reduction targets set by the bill, including the requirement that Massachusetts reduce emissions by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. The governors own plan calls for a 45 percent reduction by the end of the decade, and the administration worries that anything more aggressive would be costly and disruptive to the economy.

The state still doesnt know whether it has met an existing requirement to reduce 2020 emissions by 25 percent compared to 1990 emissions levels. The Baker administration in October released its latest update to the Massachusetts Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory which showed emissions in 2018 were 22.2 percent below emissions in 1990, compared to 2017 emissions that were 22.7 percent below 1990 levels.

The governor is also being pressured by developers to veto the bill over a provision that would allow cities and towns to adopt building codes that would require new construction to be carbon neutral.

The Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and NAIOP, the commercial real estate development association, oppose changes to the building code that they say would make construction more costly and drive up already high prices for housing and office space.
According to the results of clinical trials in Brazil, the effectiveness of the coronavirus vaccine from the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech has exceeded 50%, Ukraine is awaiting a summary report from the company, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday.

"Yesterday it was reported that the overall effectiveness of the vaccine is a little over 50%. But first, we want to get the final conclusions of the studies that are published by the manufacturer. These clinical studies were performed in different countries, and we should see a summary report. A vaccine efficiency of over 50% is enough for confirmation of it by most regulators. But we laid down in the contract that the effectiveness of products at the time of delivery must be at least 70% and be confirmed in a placebo-controlled clinical trial," he said.

"If the company does not meet these standards, it will reimburse the public funds in full, that is, we have a bank guarantee," the minister said.

Stepanov also said that Ukraine will in any case begin mass vaccination at a previously specified date, i.e. in February 2021.

"Over the next few days, we expect to sign contracts with other companies," he said.
Members of the European Union could see economically-relevant COVID-19 restrictions lifted by May or June, according to an estimate from Capital Economics.

We assume that governments will start to lift the restrictions once the vulnerable are vaccinated  probably in April in most cases, it said in a report on Tuesday.

Despite these measures being removed in some cases, wider social distancing guidelines rules, such as mask wearing on public transport and working from home advice, will remain in place, the group added.

The news comes as a number of European nations continue to be plunged further into lockdown restrictions. Germany has already extended its lockdown, with the Netherlands also expected to follow with further restrictions. France is facing a case rise as the new UK variant spreads there.

The EU has secured enough orders of the vaccines to cover the whole population twice over. Its total confirmed orders amount to roughly 1.9 billion doses from six suppliers, though only the Pfizer (PFE)/BioNTech (BNTX) and Moderna (MRNA) jabs have been authorised for use by the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The Oxford University-AstraZeneca (AZN) vaccine is expected to be approved on 29 January.

A number of nations have faced criticisms over their rollout of the vaccines, with Capital Economics calling delivery schedules frustratingly opaque at this stage. Storing the Pfizer/BioNTech jab has also proven to be a problem due to its low temperature threshold, in addition to vaccine hesitancy that has taken hold in some nations, such as France.



Distrust in government has followed health scandals in recent decades, including those involving mismanaged vaccines, according to the Associated Press.

The other immediate threat is that the virus transmission could accelerate due to the spread of more transmissible variants, resulting in more intense pressure on healthcare systems, said Capital Economics.

Despite this, the group said that expectations are that most countries will have finished vaccinating their vulnerable groups in Q2, but delays into Q3 are possible.

Global markets are also anticipating a gradual reopening of economies in the near term.

We think the ECB is now essentially done in terms of pandemic-related support, said Reinhard Cluse, chief economist for Europe at UBS Investment bank, in a recent note about the central banks next policy move.

Growth should pick up meaningfully as of Q2, thus easing the latest concerns on the economic outlook. Against this background, we do not expect the PEPP [Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme] to be extended beyond the current horizon of March 2022  although we believe that the old QE programme (APP) will continue to run for longer, potentially with increased flexibility.

SOURCE: Yahoo / Kumutha Ramanathan
In the harrowing personal stories of how desperate Irish women were forced to enter through the unwelcoming doors of mother and baby homes, their partners in pregnancy are cast as mere bit players.

The men at the heart of this wide-ranging tragedy that spanned decades feature merely as the shadowy instigators of misfortune, before being allowed to disappear into the backdrop, unseen and largely untraceable.

In a deeply conservative Ireland that pre-dated contraception and where parish priests sometimes turned up at dance halls to ensure couples were not dancing too closely, punishment fell on the woman for falling pregnant and for falling to safeguard her chastity.

The attitudes of the time allowed the fathers of their children, meanwhile, to seize, or be granted, permission to get on with the rest of their lives; in parallel with the suffering of the woman and child, who were left to deal with the devastating, life-long consequences.

Read More

Respectability trumped all. Becoming a mother outside wedlock carried stigma. Being an illegitimate child carried stigma. Becoming a father outside wedlock is not even an expression with which we are familiar .

We are left with just the briefest of descriptions of these nameless men, whom the report does not even refer to as fathers but rather, in the legally precise language of such academic studies, as putative fathers. It is a term that is, notably, far less emotive than mothers and babies.

Still, we do learn some details about the men who lie silently at the heart of the mother and baby homes saga, amid a litany of briefly described back stories of the women confined there.

And certainly in some cases, the details hint of tragedy on both sides and of men who were sometimes not given the choice but to give up their loved one and child.

Most files record information about putative fathers, though not the names, the Commission tells us. They were farmers sons, labourers, factory workers, commercial travellers, plus an occasional married man or older man, it states.

During the Emergency, some were men who were in the military service in Ireland or Britain, including members of the American or Canadian forces. One woman named a German prisoner of war who was held in Ireland.

One case that speaks volumes of the double standards at play in the Ireland of that time is of a woman who fell pregnant by a TD in 1933.

Notes from the institution speak snidely of how she had turned up at Leinster House, saying: A TD is responsible for her trouble. She had been going to Leinster House and creating scenes there, trying to see him. A porter at Leinster House had directed her to Regina Coeli, a hostel for homeless and unmarried mothers.

The women were not encouraged to share their personal stories with others in these institutions, we are told  and here, the tone of the report is one of regret, because such sharing of common circumstances might well have proved consoling.

Of course we know that heartbreak about their situation and how they had ended up in such a place was often bitterly combined with romantic devastation in the majority of cases. But the stern record-keepers of such places had no truck with romance and so the details are sketchy. But sometimes, the women simply did not wish to tell. It was, perhaps, just too painful.

The Commission sounds almost wistful as it says: One of the serious shortcomings of the material available to the Commission is the absence of the mothers voices from the time they were pregnant and making decisions about their children and the shortage of contemporary information about their lives, the circumstances of their pregnancy and the attitudes of family and putative fathers. Many pregnant women went to England, as did many of the putative fathers, we are told, with some men fleeing there to avoid the anger and retribution of the womans family and local community.

Emigration also meant they could avoid interrogation by local authority officials and demands for a contribution towards the cost of maintaining mother and child, the report adds.

Even reading between the lines, we can sense the individual heartbreak of each desperate situation.

Stories of men accompanying a pregnant girlfriend to England having promised to marry her, only to abandon her there, are all too common.

We hear of the cattle dealer who gave his pregnant girlfriend 50. Of the woman who went to England, believing she was pregnant and was followed by her boyfriend. She turned out not to be pregnant  but became pregnant in England.

And of the 17-year-old girl who had been completely taken in by the father of her child, who has since had to marry another girl.

In another case, a wedding had been arranged three months earlier, but on the eve of the wedding the groom absconded to England.

Then there was the farm labourer who followed the mother of his unborn child to England, apparently anxious they marry, only to change his mind. She returned to Ireland and ended up in either Castlepollard or Bessborough, the report reveals.

And when the daughter of a small farmer in Kerry announced that she was pregnant, the putative father, a local farmer said he was sorry, but he had a girl in America whom he intended to marry.

Sometimes marriage was agreed as the ideal solution to the difficulty and the Commission notes that sometimes plans for the womans admission to a home were dropped.

However, in one situation the man was willing to marry but would not accept the baby  an indication, the report says, of the stigma associated with fathering a child outside marriage.

Another woman was engaged to marry a man who was not the father of her baby and while her fiance was aware of the pregnancy, he would not take the baby and neither would her family. In this case, the authorities hoped to arrange an adoption fairly quickly.

Some families saw legal pressure as the solution, with several files recording that the father of the putative father would not agree to marriage, matter in the hands of a solicitor.

One pregnant woman who went to England disclosed that the father of her child was a temporary national teacher in her home parish  the parish priest met the young man, but he refused to marry her. It is unlikely that he secured a permanent post in that parish, the report drily comments.

When an Irish woman working in England became engaged to the father of her future child  an RAF officer  her parents made contact with him independently and discovered he was married.

On the other hand, we have the cases where the womans parents were utterly opposed to marriage, with the Commission telling us these are at least as common as reports that her parents were trying to arrange one. These cases speak of tragedy on both sides, with the widowed mother of one pregnant woman dismissing the putative father as a featherhead and wouldnt agree to their marriage.

In one situation, neither set of parents would agree to the marriage of a pregnant woman to a man who was unemployed and unwell  probably from t uberculosis, the report comments, adding that TB was a common reason for families to refuse to marriage.

And there was the woman who was living with a widower who was the father of her child. They had arranged to marry and had bought a wedding dress and furniture, but she was now unwilling to marry him as he has begun to ill- treat her.

Social distinctions between families could prevent couples from marrying, the report tells us, reminding us that matchmaking and dowries had not yet disappeared in rural Ireland.

While it also tells us that in the early and mid-20th century the Irish marriage rate was the lowest in the western world, with an extensive literature in fiction and non- fiction about the reluctance of Irish bachelors to marry. It seems possible the proportion of men who married their pregnant girlfriend may have been lower than elsewhere, the Commission says of this country, which was still a land of match made marriages and economic deprivation.

An illegitimate birth might affect the inheritance of a family farm or even the familys standing in the community, it said.
If not for our ongoing pandemic, Mount Pleasant would probably throw a parade for Sen. Larry Grooms.

The local lawmaker has proposed banning beach communities from charging for parking without state Department of Transportation approval. Which the Isle of Palms considered last year, enraging most of its neighbors.

Folks around here get pretty touchy about that sort of thing.

When you eliminate access, youre indirectly limiting access to the public beach, Grooms says.

Yes, thats a problem. But IOP Mayor Jimmy Carroll says the island has its own problems, and Grooms should come out and see for himself any Saturday or Sunday between Memorial Day and July Fourth.

Id like to invite Sen. Grooms and all state lawmakers to come out for lunch, on me, to see what were dealing with before they pass this law, Carroll says. We are not trying to limit access. Everybody has a right to come to the beach  but not at the same time.

And that is the real problem. Theres no easy fix when unbridled growth meets finite resources, but we need to find one. For everybodys sake.

Of course, both these public officials make excellent points. Grooms speaks for residents around the Lowcountry, who point out the beach belongs to everyone. Charging to park, particularly on public roads, seems like paying for access to your own backyard.

Grooms says hes not opposed to all paid parking, but when it comes to any limit on beach parking, this becomes an issue of fairness. And also, politics.

When the state budget is divvied up, there is bipartisan support for Lowcountry beach renourishment, Grooms says. But when legislators come down and have a hard time parking, it doesnt help our case.

Hes right. Hard as this may be to believe, Charleston isnt universally beloved at the Statehouse.

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Many local officials share Grooms view, which is why Mount Pleasant officials have been particularly supportive. Town Council passed a resolution in favor of the senator's legislation Tuesday night.

Local beach access is a quality of life issue that played an important role in the decision of many to choose Mount Pleasant as their residence, Mayor Will Haynie says. Sen. Grooms bill recognizes the rights of all South Carolina citizens to have access to the beaches they own via the roads they own.

Mayor Carroll gets that, he really does. And City Council has backed off limiting or charging for parking. But make no mistake, the island is taking a loss. Just last July, the city hauled off a record amount of beachgoers trash. And that was during a pandemic.

Traffic backs up every weekend in season to the point residents  or emergency vehicles  cant get through. Its a quality of life issue for IOP, too, one Carroll compares to the cruise ship conundrum in downtown Charleston. Fair point.

Grooms legislation is likely to pass  and not just because hes the Senate Transportation Committee chairman. Everybody in the state eventually comes to the beach, and no one likes to pay for parking.

But even though this legislation is aimed at IOP, it could have an impact on other islands  since the state owns just about every road in South Carolina (which is a whole other issue).

On Sullivans Island, it could derail plans from some local officials to charge for parking. Which would delight the gang at Dunleavys Pub and most other Middle Street businesses.

And Folly Beach Mayor Tim Goodwin says his island, which offers its fair share of free parking, could end up sued for the spots it does charge for.

Goodwin says Grooms legislation didnt look too bad until the part that says parking on state highway facilities located on barriers is free and any restrictions may only be made by the DOT.

My question is, if we cant charge for parking, is the state going to come and provide services? Goodwin says. Im not going to spend my taxpayers money.

And that, in a nutshell, is Carrolls point. The beaches belong to everyone, but island residents pick up the tab for all the public safety and clean-up that those folks depend on. That isnt fair, either.

Perhaps Grooms and other lawmakers should take lunch at IOP with Carroll. We need all hands on deck to figure out how South Carolina fits an ever-increasing population onto the same amount of beach we had 25 years ago.

Because that is everyones problem.
Los Angeles, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Founded in 2018 and based out of Austin, Texas, Ziggys Naturals is one of the countrys leading family-owned sellers and distributors of purely organic CBD products. Cannabidiol, or CBD as it is often abbreviated, is one of the active ingredients found in the Hemp plant and has shown efficacy in treating a variety of symptoms associated with anxiety, depression, PTSD, cancer, and more. Since being legalized in the United States in 2018, CBD-based products have taken off in consumer markets with everything from CBD-based vape pens, tinctures, and gummies to relieve anxiety and depression, to topical creams and salves that treat pain and inflammation.

Though Ziggys Naturals is only one of the many CBD companies formed since 2018, few are able to deliver the high-quality products that really enable people to see actual benefits from their use. Ziggys Naturals Co-Founder, Jordyn Pollack, who identifies as a transgender man, understands and exemplifies the companys motto of Discover, Indulge, Thrive.

Jordyn, who is nearly three years past his top surgery, admits that he was extremely lucky to have the support system he did when he came out about his gender identity. His family, friends, and fiance Ziggy, all accepted his transition and began referring to him by his preferred pronouns. They reaffirmed to Jordyn that their primary concern was his happiness and well-being. Now married, the unwavering support from Ziggy played a big role in the decision to name the company after her.

There are millions more like Jordyn who identify as LGBTQ+ that do not have a similar support system when they come out - if they are fortunate to have a support system at all. In those who dont, especially youths that identify as LGBTQ+, feelings of anxiety and depression are frighteningly commonplace and often arise out of a single factor: the fear to be their true selves. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anywhere from 30-60% of LGBTQ+ people experience feelings of anxiety and/or depression at some point in their lives - a statistic that is nearly doubled compared to their gender-conforming or straight counterparts, and is even higher in LGBTQ+ minorities.

With such a high percentage of LGBTQ+ people suffering from anxiety and depression and given the ability of CBD to help relieve the symptoms of these afflictions, having a CBD company founded by a transgender man sounds almost poetic. After all - who better to understand the benefits CBD treatment can have, especially for anxiety and depression that disproportionately affects the LGBTQ+ community?

Ziggys Naturals motto of Discover, Indulge, Thrive underpins the branding message associated with the company and its array of CBD-based products. Even more importantly, however, is the deeply personal message the motto offers. By falling into the journey of self-Discovery and Indulging in the wonders you find within yourself, you can begin Thriving when you realize and accept the reality of who you truly are.

This realization is often an uncomfortable one. Change is scary. Facing our fears, worries, and anxieties - facing ourselves - is scary. When those worries are exponentially multiplied by the fact that we are hiding our own truth from ourselves, it can seem like an impossible barrier to overcome. This is just one of the many reasons why Jordyn not only embraces his identity as a trans man to help others Discover, Indulge, and Thrive in themselves; he uses his platform and privilege as a successful entrepreneur to offer millions of others like him - those who have, and will continue to face the challenge of thriving in the reality of themselves - access to a line of ethical and safe CBD products to help them Discover, Indulge, and Thrive in themselves.

I would tell someone struggling with their identity, Jordyn said in a 2018 interview, to for one second try not to worry about anything else in the world besides themselves and in that moment how do they want to look when they see themselves. How do they want to feel? How do they want to be treated? If you are struggling just give yourself time to find who you truly are. Dont let anyone tell you otherwise, YOU are the only person that knows how YOU feel inside and out.

Jordyn Pollack is the Co-Founder of Ziggys Naturals which offers supreme quality, pure, pharmaceutical-grade and eco-friendly CBD hemp oil products. For more information, please visit ziggysnaturals.com.

Follow Ziggys Naturals and Jordyn Pollack on Instagram @ziggysnaturals and @jojopollack,



Media Contact: help@ziggysnaturals.com









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Over the recent holiday season, airlines  and San Antonio International Airport and other such U.S. facilities  took in more passengers than in any stretch since the pandemic began 10 months ago.

But the increase in travel isnt expected to continue in the weeks ahead, and the temporary bump probably didnt stem the airlines financial losses.

Airlines received $15 billion in federal stimulus money from Congress in late December, but the aid only lasts until March 31.

After that, airlines are hoping the distribution of coronavirus vaccines will persuade more Americans to fly.

Despite health officials warnings not to travel because of the spreading virus, 8,700 passengers passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints on Jan. 3 at the San Antonio airport, and more than 1.3 million passengers flew nationally.

On ExpressNews.com: Wary Traveler: Dearth of travel guides reflects travel industry slump

Still, the numbers were down 49 percent in San Antonio, and 45 percent nationally, from a year earlier. But it was the biggest number of passengers since the pandemic began in March.

San Antonio International saw 11 other days in the last two weeks of December in which more than 7,500 passengers boarded planes per day. Nationally, more than a million passengers passed through security checkpoints on those days.

But with the holidays over and COVID-19 cases continuing to spike, many travelers once again again staying home.

From Jan. 5 to Jan. 9, the number of departing passengers at San Antonio International and other airports were about 60 percent of last years total for that period.

The number of passengers could continue to drop in coming weeks.

Some travelers want to wait it out until more people get vaccinated, said Brian Pratte, chief air development service officer at San Antonio International Airport..

San Antonio Aviation Director Jesus Saenz Jr. remains optimistic.

Airlines are looking to increase the number of flights and capacity as the months move forward, especially if the vaccine becomes widely distributed, he said in a statement.

On ExpressNews.com:Wary Traveler: Boeings Max flies again, like it or not

U.S. airlines lost a combined $20 billion in the second and third quarters of 2020. More losses are expected when the airlines announce fourth-quarter results this month.

Stock analysts say United, Southwest and Delta may return to profitability by this years second quarter as more leisure travelers come back. American Airlines might not see profits again until mid-2022, the analysts predict.

But the carriers earnings likely will be smaller than in 2019  particularly for American, Delta and United because of the lack of overseas flights, said Colin Scarola, an airline analyst at market research firm CFRA.

International travel will be a trickle in 2021, he said.

Most international travel from the U.S. continues to be shut down due to border restrictions.

In the meantime, airlines that added extra domestic flights during the holiday season are down again to bare-bones schedules for the rest of January and February.

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines, the largest carrier at the San Antonio airport, has cut the number of flights to 16 a day from more than 30 during the holiday period.

Fort Worth-based American, the second largest airline at the airport, is flying to only three cities from San Antonio  Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte and Phoenix.

American spokeswoman Andrea Koos could not say when the carrier would resume service to Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Philadelphia.

Airlines are scheduled to operate a total of 55 daily flights a day out of San Antonio in February, down from 140 a year earlier, Pratte said.

In March, Pratte said, the number of flights is set to climb to 98 a day. However, he added: We fully expect reductions to that.

In a Jan. 1 letter to employees, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian predicted the first part of 2021 will look a lot like 2020, with travel demand deeply depressed.

The second phase will begin only when we reach a turning point with widely available vaccinations that spur a significant return to travel, particularly business travel, he said. We continue to expect that we will achieve positive cash flow by the spring.

United spokesman Jonathan Guerin said the Chicago-based airline is flying 49 percent of the schedule it maintained a year earlier. A recent spike in COVID-19 cases has caused a slight reduction in bookings, he added.

While it will take time for the vaccine to be widely distributed, Uniteds confidence is even stronger in the recovery and the trajectory of the rebound in 2021 and beyond, he said.

randy.diamond@express-news.net
Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:25 am

A Washington legislative committee Tuesday heard testimony on a sweeping bill that would ban a range of police tactics, from chokeholds, neck restraints and tear gas, to use of military gear and no-knock warrants.

It's part of an ambitious push by Democratic lawmakers and community advocates seeking accountability in the deaths of people of color at the hands of police, which sparked nationwide protests after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year.

But Republican lawmakers and law enforcement groups raised a slew of questions and objections to House Bill 1054, saying it could have unintended consequences for public safety.

They asked whether it was wise to ban chemical agents like tear gas for crowd control, and why law enforcement shouldn't use tactics like neck restraints when their lives are in danger.

Tuesday's hearing came on the second day of the legislative session and as Washington and the nation wrestles with increasingly high political tensions, spurred in part by deep divides over racism and law enforcement.

Family members whose loved ones have been shot by police are urging lawmakers to clamp down on aggressive tactics used disproportionately against people of color, and make deadly force a truly last resort.

"My son was killed after a routine traffic stop. Another senseless murder of an innocent Black man," said Sonia Joseph, whose 20-year-old son, Giovonn Joseph-McDade, was shot dead by Kent police in 2017 after driving away when officers stopped him for an expired registration.

"Running away does not warrant a death sentence," said Joseph, who has filed a federal civil-rights lawsuit in her son's death. HB 1054 would create a statewide policy prohibiting police from initiating car chases unless in pursuit of probable violent or sexual offenders.

Sponsored by Rep. Jesse Johnson, D-Federal Way, HB 1054 takes on a range of concerns about police tactics that have been highlighted by, among others the deaths of Floyd in Minnesota and Manuel Ellis by Tacoma police.

"We believe the vast majority of our law enforcement officers do their jobs with honor and with respect to the profession," said Johnson during the committee hearing that took place remotely due to the pandemic. "However, we know that systemic racism exists across all of our institutions, including law enforcement."

"In many cases, bad policing is a result of bad policy," added Johnson.

HB 1054 would prohibit law enforcement from using neck restraints and chokeholds, tear gas and some military-style equipment, as well as ban the use of unleashed dogs for arrests and apprehensions, according to a legislative analysis of the bill.

The bill also would prohibit officers from intentionally concealing identifying information on their badges, and would ban the use of so-called "no-knock" warrants.

"Let's step up to this problem. These tactics have been used to intimidate and terrorize communities of color for generations," said Joseph.

At the hearing, Republican lawmakers raised questions and asked to give input on the legislation, and several law enforcement groups testified against it.

Notably against the bill as it stands is the Washington Association of Sheriffs & Police Chiefs (WASPC), which has worked in recent years to find compromise between lawmakers, community groups and law enforcement unions to pass changes to policing laws and policies.

During the hearing, WASPC policy director James McMahon told lawmakers the topics covered by the bill "are worthy of discussion, consideration and action by the Legislature."

But the language of the bill "creates unacceptable consequences and unreasonably places members of the public and law enforcement in unnecessary danger," said McMahon.

Organization members believe that if a neck restraint or chokehold could be used to avoid deadly force, it should be allowed in the interest of public safety, he said. The group is open to limiting the use of police dogs and no-knock warrants, he said, but not banning them outright.

The organization objects to prohibitions on chemical agents like tear gas, he said. While the public may think of those as crowd-control munitions, "their primary use of these is ... on barricaded subjects," he said.

WASPC has no objections to banning some types of military-style gear, McMahon said. But prohibitions on armored vehicles "is something we will always object to."

The organization wants to work to improve HB 1054 before it advances to a floor vote, McMahon said.

Arman Barros of Teamsters Local 117 said he supported banning chokeholds, and "police must commit to several changes if they are to rebuild trust within the communities they serve."

"However, the vascular neck restraint, when an officer is properly trained, is an effective technique to safely gain compliance for an individual resisting lawful police commands," said Barros, who is an officer for Port of Seattle Police Department.

He called on lawmakers to expand training for police and increase the number of training hours for defensive tactics.

Johnson said he was open to talking about amendments to the bill, saying "this is obviously a democratic process."

___

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BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have bred a number of new varieties of major crops during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), providing solid support for the country's food security, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS) said Tuesday.

The CAAS has made remarkable scientific and technological progress in staple crop breeding in recent years.

A series of significant achievements have been made in genome analysis, cloning of new genes and key breeding technologies for crops including wheat, rice, corn, soybean and coarse cereals, Wan Jianmin, vice president of the CAAS and also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said at a press conference.

The research results have been published in top international journals such as Science, Nature, Nature Biotechnology and Nature Genetics, providing the theoretical basis and technical support for genetic improvement and precise breeding, Wan said.

According to him, the CAAS has made breakthroughs in breeding new crop varieties of staple crops that are of high quality, more tolerant for tough conditions and more suitable for machine reaping.

He also mentioned that a research center for protecting and utilizing crop germplasm resources has been set up, preserving the second-largest amount of crop germplasm resources in the world.

With science and technology making more contribution to agriculture, China saw solid progress in modernizing its seed industry.

The coverage rate of improved crop varieties in the country has exceeded 96 percent, Wan said.

China's independently cultivated varieties occupy more than 95 percent of the total crop planting area, he said, adding that China is completely self-sufficient in the production of rice and wheat, two staple grains of the country.

China's total grain output reached 669 million tonnes in 2020, exceeding 650 million tonnes for the fifth consecutive year. Its per capita grain supply has reached 478 kilograms, higher than the world average of 400 kilograms.

The CAAS said it has unveiled a series of programs to boost the development of seed industry with the help of science and technology in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).

It will promote the third national survey and collection of crop germplasm resources, and speed up the building of a modern, automated and intelligent national crop seed bank.

It also plans to enhance basic research on biotechnological breeding, according to Wan.

He also said that the CAAS plans to accelerate the cultivation of new crop varieties that are environment-friendly, resource-efficient, high-quality, and suitable for simple cultivation and mechanized production for major grain-producing areas in China.

The CAAS will focus on developing new varieties such as green super rice, water-saving wheat, scab-resistant wheat, drought-tolerant corn, and high-yield and high-protein soybean, providing scientific and technological support for improving the quality and efficiency of the country's agriculture, said Wan. Enditem

[ Editor: SRQ ]
Institutional tools measuring stock sentiment now available to retail investors

Sentifi, an award winning alternative data provider, has today announced that it is launching a new intelligence platform for retail investors.

The platform, Portfolio Intelligence for Retail Investors, will enable retail investors to monitor sentiment shifts for their equities portfolio as a whole, or for individual positions in real-time, and make informed decisions on when to enter, increase, decrease or exit a position. Through the platform, users will be able to detect valuable intelligence among large volumes of unstructured data, and make faster and better-informed investment decisions.

Sourcing investment opportunities and managing investment risk in today's volatile market means monitoring a constantly expanding universe of stock-related updates on social media, news and blogs from credible sources of intelligence. Whilst institutional investors have deep pools of capital to source and monitor these data sets, these types of signals have previously been unavailable to retail investors.

Using its mature AI engine, Sentifi is able to take a unique approach to screening a vast pool of structured and unstructured data sets, and present them to retail investors in a dynamic and modern web-based solution. Its analytics cover over 50,000 stocks, currencies, commodities and indices, and monitors allocation decisions across 150,000 active and passive funds. It also tracks stock level sentiment from over 8 million financially relevant tweets, and 800,000 news and blogs daily.

The new platform equips investors with the tools to:

Track when the risk profile of stocks in a portfolio is changing in real time

Understand how institutional investors are shifting their allocation to sectors, regions, market caps and stocks, and assess whether an investor should follow their lead

Detect outliers in a portfolio that represents an investment opportunity or risk signal

Understand the portfolio's exposure to market- moving events as they occur

"Alternative data offers investment insights previously unavailable in traditional data sets, and Sentifi is democratizing access to these insights with this platform,' said Marina Goche, CEO of Sentifi.

"When it comes to investing, information or trading signals that does not come directly from the issuing company is crucial when looking to make informed investment decisions. Sentifi's new platform now enables non-institutional investors to monitor investment signals from a diverse range of sources including Twitter, news outlets and blogs to formulate their investment strategy and monitor their portfolios," added Goche.

Note for editors

About Sentifi

Established in 2012, Sentifi is an award-winning alternative data provider boasting a mature AI platform suitable for all types of retail and institutional investors. Sentifi's investment analytics are leveraged by leading institutional investors to make informed investment decisions to generate above benchmark returns.

Sentifi ingests unstructured data from social media, news, and blogs, capturing and making sense of investment signals using its mature AI platform. Its analytics cover over 50k stocks, currencies, commodities and indices, and monitors allocation decisions across 150k active and passive funds. The Sentifi platform can also drill into investment and allocation trends across different regions and industries, and can track how top funds have shifted allocation.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005337/en/

Contacts:

Media contact:

Sophie Hamilton

Email: Sentifi@cognitomedia.com

Mobile: +44 (0) 794 305 0820
Sawant told reporters that a team from AIIMS has reviewed the treatment being given to Naik at the Goa Medical College and Hospital, and is happy with the line of treatment

Panaji: Union minister Shripad Naik, who is admitted in a Goa hospital after he met with an accident, is conscious and recovering, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said, adding that there is no need to shift him to New Delhi for further treatment.

Sawant told reporters that a team from the Delhi-based AIIMS, led by Dr S Rajeshwari, in the morning reviewed the treatment being given to Naik at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH).

"The AIIMS team is happy with the line of treatment. Naik is recovering. There is no need to shift him to Delhi," the chief minister said.

He also said that Naik, the Union Minister of State for Defence and AYUSH, is conscious and speaking.

"He spoke to me in the morning. We are giving him the best treatment at the GMCH," Sawant said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who visited the GMCH on Tuesday, had said that if required, Naik will be shifted to New Delhi for further treatment.

The team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has advised to take Naik off the ventilator on Wednesday, an official from the team said.

Taking to reporters late Tuesday night, the official also said they are satisfied with Naik's breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters.

The AIIMS team arrived in Goa on Tuesday evening and visited Naik at the government-run GMCH located in Porvorim.

They later held discussions with doctors of the GMCH over the line of treatment for Naik, a senior official from the Goa-based hospital said.

Chief Minister Sawant was also present along with the team at the GMCH.

Talking to reporters late Tuesday night at the GMCH, one of the members from the AIIMS team said, "We are satisfied with his breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters. We have seen him and given advice to take him off the ventilator tomorrow (Wednesday)."

Naik received injuries, while his wife Vijaya and an aide died on Monday when their car met with the accident near Ankola in Uttar Kannada district, while he was returning to home state Goa from Dharmasthala in neighbouring Karnataka.

Naik was admitted to the GMCH late Monday night.

GMCH Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar on Tuesday said when Naik was brought to the GMCH, he was critical but later he responded to treatment and is gaining consciousness.

Four major surgeries were performed on him, he said.

Bandekar said Naik will continue to be in the hospital for another 10 to 15 days after which it will take at least three to four months for him to recuperate completely.
Russians show aggression, rudeness and maneuvering at the talks on Donbas.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has said Russians show aggression, rudeness and maneuvering at the talks on Donbas.

"We have two live tracks where we can communicate with them. The first is the advisors to the leaders of the Normandy format. The second is the Trilateral Contact Group. If we bring them together, these negotiations have everything: aggression, rudeness, maneuvering," he told the Ukrainian online news outlet Obozrevatel.

Read also President's Office names priorities in 2021 Normandy Four advisors' meeting

The latest round of talks of political advisors to the Normandy Four leaders took place in Berlin on January 12.

Ukraine at the meeting of political advisors was represented by Head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak, while Russia was represented by Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Dmitry Kozak.

The previous meeting of advisors was held on September 11, 2020.

Reporting by UNIAN
Exports were down because many items with high export value saw volumes fall sharply, such as dragon fruit, which accounts for about 36% of total export value but fell nearly 10% in volume, bananas (down 13%), durian (56%), lychee (22%), and watermelon (36%).

Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT), attributed the result to declining imports from China, saying it imported 25% less fruit and vegetables than in 2019.

He noted, however, that exports to other countries still posted stable growth, such as Thailand (140%), the US and the Republic of Korea (both 11%), and Japan (5%).

Fruit and vegetable exports were severely influenced by the development of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, Nguyen said.

According to MARD, Vietnam also spent US$1.29 billion on importing fruit and vegetables last year, down 27.5% against 2019.

China, the US, and Australia are Vietnams largest providers, the ministry said.
Climate change protest/rally at BlackRock Headquarters in New York, New York on October 29, 2019. Photo: Rainmaker Photo/MediaPunch /IPX/AP

BlackRock (BLK), the worlds largest money manager, has been accused of greenwashing its investment activities in a report that claims the company has as much as $85bn (62.1bn) invested in coal.

NGOs Reclaim Finance and Urgewald published a report on Wednesday that said BlackRock has $85bn of money invested in companies on the Global Coal Exit List. The list, compiled by German group Urgewald, details companies around the world that have some sort of exposure to the coal industry.

The reports findings come a year after BlackRock chief executive and chairman Larry Fink wrote to clients saying sustainability would be the firms new standard for investing.

There is no denying the direction we are heading, Fink wrote in his annual letter. Every government, company, and shareholder must confront climate change.

Since then, BlackRock has ditched all its actively managed investments in companies that make more than 25% of their money from coal and added a raft of new ESG (environmental, social, and governance) fund options for clients to invest in. Investments in sustainable assets are up 41% on 2020, BlackRock says, and the company has pressed hundreds of companies to come up with green plans for the future.

READ MORE: BlackRock vows to address climate change: 'Climate risk is investment risk'

However, Reclaim Finance and Urgewald said BlackRock wasnt going far enough or fast enough. Lara Cuvelier, a sustainable investment campaigner at Reclaim Finance, said Finks letter amounted to greenwashing  the process of falsely making business seem more environmentally friendly than they really are.

One year on, its hard to see Larry Finks sustainability commitment as anything other than greenwashing, Cuvelier said in a statement.

If he really wants BlackRock to be a climate leader instead of a climate pariah, he needs to start aligning green words with green deeds, and direct BlackRocks awesome financial power towards a sustainable future.

Story continues

After the hottest year on record, the bare minimum for BlackRock is to get out of coal once and for all.

WATCH: HSBC Grooms Leaders for China Push

READ MORE: Investors pressure HSBC to ditch coal

Coal, when used as a fossil fuel, is one of the biggest contributors to climate change. BlackRock publicly pledged to stop investing in companies involved in thermal coal  one of the most polluting forms of coal  but critics say exclusions from the policy mean it captures only a fraction of the industry. Coal-fired power plants are exempt from the investment ban, for example. Reclaim Finance and Urgewalds report estimates the ban covers just 17% of the coal industry.

In order to effectively exclude the coal industry, BlackRock should drop all companies that are planning to expand existing or build new coal infrastructure, said Katrin Ganswindt, finance campaigner at Urgewald.

At the very least, companies with a coal share of revenue of 20% and a coal share of power production of 20% should be excluded from BlackRock's portfolios. Lastly, BlackRock needs to define a concrete phase-out date for all coal investments.

BlackRock is the worlds largest money manager, with more than $7tn under management. About two thirds of that is managed through passive tracker funds, limiting BlackRocks ability to sell-out based on climate criteria.

Our conviction is that climate risk is investment risk, BlackRock said in a statement. We ask all companies to disclose how their business model will be compatible with the transition to a low-carbon economy. Where we do not see sufficient progress, we take voting action.

BlackRock pointed to recent votes against firms like PGE, Uniper, and Fortum. A recent climate update said 244 climate intensive firms were at risk of BlackRock voting against them unless they made significant progress on climate.

Finance firms are facing increasing pressure from campaign groups over investments in polluting industries. Barclays (BARC.L) faced a successful pressure campaign from climate groups last year and activist organisation ShareAction recently launched a similar campaign against HSBC (HSBA.L).

A report by Morningstar in October found BlackRock voted against investor climate resolutions in 80% of case last year.

WATCH: Interest in Green Investing Is Rising, Says Octopus Groups Hulatt
Mumbai, Jan 13 : The Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to take action against a Minister Dhananjay Munde, accused of alleged rape by a woman.

BJP women's wing leader Chitra Wagh demanded that Munde should be asked to resign and the police should conduct an impartial probe.

Similarly, ex-MP Kirit Somaiya shot off a complaint to the Election Commission of India (ECI) demanding a probe into and appropriate action against Munde for suppressing information about "his two wives and all children and properties in their names" in his 2019 assembly election affidavit.

Munde, 45, has been under fire after a woman lodged a written complaint with Mumbai Police on January 11 accusing him of raping her for the last several years.

While the Oshiwara Police have not yet taken cognizance or lodged a First Information Report in the matter, Munde, who is the nephew of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde and quit the BJP to join the NCP, late on Tuesday sought to clear the air in a detailed social media post. The NCP has not yet commented on the controversy.

Detailing the issue, Munde - among other things - said that the allegations against him are false, defamatory, and he has SMS proofs that the woman made calls from her mobile demanding billions of rupees as blackmail.

He admitted that he was in a relationship with a woman since 2003, through whom he has a son and daughter and he looks after them with the full knowledge and consent of his wife and family.

Munde said he had arranged a house for her and an insurance policy, etc.

"But, from 2019, she and her sister blackmailed me and started demanding money. A complaint has also been filed with the police regarding all these matters that are happening since November 12, 2020," Munde claimed.

He said that he was threatened by their brother, and in November 2020, the elder sister published certain personal and private material related to him on social media and blackmailed him.

"That's why I am trying to get justice for myself in this case. A petition has been filed against her in the high court. The high court has passed orders against her banning the publishing of such material. The petition is pending for further hearing, meanwhile the process of reconciliation by lawyers on both sides is also going on," Munde wrote.

However, he said that since the past couple of days, her younger sister has made false claims of alleged rape with the promise of marriage, which is part of the blackmail plan perpetrated by the two sisters and their brother.

Prominent human rights activist Advocate Asim Sarode said that Munde was in a 'marriage-like' relationship with a woman who was not his legal wife, and in his case his first wife and the other woman have no complaints.

The information a candidate has to give to the ECI should include about the legal wife, but he has probably created a serious legal error by hiding the children's information in his poll affidavit.

"If anyone complains, the EC can cancel Munde's representation (election) in this case. There are no examples of the ECI itself taking such cases seriously, and there is a general perception that the ECI is not doing anything," Sarode said.

Sarode cited the instance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's affidavit without informing he had a wife, but in the next election he announced he was married, but even then no action was taken against him.

"Therefore, it is doubtful that the ECI will take strict action against Munde for not providing information about the children. However, CM Uddhav Thackeray, who has political and moral powers, can take action and remove Munde from the ministry," Sarode said.

On her part, the sister on January 12, took to social media claiming that she had earlier approached Oshiwara Police Station but her complaint was not accepted.

She claimed that Munde -- who is reportedly her brother-in-law and had married her sister in 1998 -- first raped her in 2006 when she was alone at home and then repeated the act multiple times over the years on the pretext of marriage and helping her get Bollywood singing assignments.
The Army plans to remove a second lieutenant at Fort Stewart, Ga., from the service over his anti-Semitic social media post last year that went viral and resulted in his suspension from leadership roles, a service spokesman said Monday.

Army Lt. Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, the commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, recommended 2nd Lt. Nathan Freihofer for separation after an investigation into his TikTok post on Aug. 28 about Jewish people killed in the Holocaust, said Col. Joe Buccino, a spokesman for the XVIII Airborne Corps. In Freihofer's post to some 3 million followers, he said those who were offended by the comment should "get the f-- out, because it's a joke."

The Army launched a probe into the post, which was removed from TikTok, and stripped Freihofer of leadership roles within the 3rd Infantry Division, where he is a field artillery officer. In a statement on Sept. 1, Maj. Gen. Tony Aguto, the commander of the 3rd ID, called the junior officer's remarks "vile."

Kurilla found "Freihofer's anti-Semitic statement on TikTok inconsistent with the values of Army service and inappropriate for anyone in a position of leadership over American soldiers," Buccino said in a statement issued Monday. "As a result, last month, the Corps commander initiated the process of removing Freihofer from the Army."

During the probe, Kurilla spoke with others in Freihofer's chain of command, reviewed his military service and his TikTok statement, Buccino said.

Freihofer has two weeks to present Kurilla with a final argument defending himself before he can be removed from uniform, Buccino said. Freihofer did not immediately respond Monday to an email seeking comment.

Freihofer has remained a prolific social media user, posting thousands of photos and videos -- often in uniform -- to TikTok and Instagram.

Since Freihofer's anti-Semitic post went viral, he has amassed some 800,000 more fans on TikTok, a Chinese-owned app for sharing short videos. Freihofer's account briefly disappeared from the platform, but he has continue to post almost daily. A video that he shared Sunday shows him briefly in his Army uniform.
A Goose Creek lawmaker is calling on the state to reclassify hospitality workers as members of Phase 1A under South Carolinas vaccine distribution plan, moving them to the front of the line for coronavirus vaccines.

S.C. Rep. JA Moore on Tuesday introduced the concurrent resolution, which he says represents an opportunity for elected officials to serve the people who have served them throughout the pandemic.

We have so many men and women in our industry who have been risking their lives to feed people in South Carolina, so I think its important we protect them, said Moore, a working caterer who has spent nearly two decades in the food-and-beverage sector.

Restaurant workers are in the Phase 1C group, along with people aged 65-70 and younger people with designated underlying health conditions. Agricultural workers and grocery store workers are classified as Phase 1B.

It is not clear exactly when restaurant employees will be eligible for vaccinations if they remain in Phase 1C, although the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control is targeting the early spring.

Prior to the state expanding Phase 1A this week to include people 70 and older, that top priority group was estimated to include 353,000 people. South Carolina has thus far received 233,600 vaccine doses.

Most states rollout plans generally mirror the plan adopted by South Carolina, which is based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. But some municipalities are trying to fast-track food service employees: Washington, D.C., for example, is aiming to start vaccinating people who work in the citys restaurants by Feb. 1.

When the CDC released its recommendations, the National Restaurant Association lobbied for hospitality workers to be upgraded to Phase 1B so they would be safe selling and serving healthy food.

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The staggered vaccination schedule has contributed to restaurant workers safety concerns, Moore said. He said hes heard from front-of-house workers who fear that guests wont observe COVID-19 protocols once theyre vaccinated.

According to Moore, theres also an economic rationale for vaccinating restaurant workers right away. He points out that restaurants and bars coping with severely diminished revenue cant afford to lose operating days to an employee outbreak.

Still, he acknowledges that other workers interacting with the public on a regular basis can make a good case for why they should be vaccinated sooner. Since he started floating his proposal, hes been contacted by many educators who believe they deserve a higher slot on the states priority list.

Those calls and emails make a difference, Moore said. The Democrat is counting on his fellow food-and-beverage workers to contact their representatives, since hed like to see the S.C. House approve his resolution before its session ends this week.

John Zucker, owner of Cru Cafe, said he's been closely monitoring vaccine releases: Nationwide, 25.5 million doses have been distributed, although just under 9 million doses have been administered.

"They seem to be so far behind on the vaccine that I honestly fear my staff will not be able to get it until at least the summer," he said.

"I accepted long ago that we are on our own to get through this, but my anger has come out recently with our government's lack of empathy for the people of this country," he said.

If restaurant workers can't access vaccines until the summer, Zucker said, he doesn't foresee getting back to normal before the very end of 2021.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has activated about 200 Illinois National Guard members in support of the 59th presidential inauguration at the request of District of Columbia officials.

About 100 military police soldiers from the Bloomington-based 404th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade 33rd Military Police Battalion will be sent to the nations capital. The battalion has units in Springfield, Freeport and Fort Sheridan. About 45 Security Forces airmen from the 183rd Wing based in Springfield, the 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott Air Force Base and the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria will be activated. Thirty airmen from the Illinois Air National Guard will help provide communication, logistics and religious support.
Blizzard Warning

Areas Affected: Adair; Adams; Audubon; Boone; Calhoun; Carroll; Cass; Cerro Gordo; Clarke; Crawford; Dallas; Decatur; Emmet; Franklin; Greene; Guthrie; Hamilton; Hancock; Hardin; Humboldt; Kossuth; Madison; Palo Alto; Pocahontas; Polk; Ringgold; Sac; Story; Taylor; Union; Warren; Webster; Winnebago; Worth; Wright

NWS DesMoines (Central Iowa)

...Blizzard to Near Blizzard Conditions Continue to Significantly Impact Travel Across the Western Half of Iowa... .Strong and gusty northwest winds coupled with moderate to at times heavy snowfall will continue to produce blizzard to near blizzard conditions into the daylight hours today over the western half of Iowa. Significant travel impacts are occurring or expected, especially along Interstate 35 and Interstate 80 in western Iowa. Over the eastern half of Iowa, lighter winds and lower snowfall amounts are forecast, but hazardous travel is anticipated. ...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Blizzard conditions. Additional snow accumulations of 3 to 5 inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph.

* WHERE...Areas along and west of Interstate 35 in central Iowa.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Travel could be very difficult due to areas of blowing snow, which could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning and evening commutes today.

Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Winter Weather Advisory

Areas Affected: Dodge; Mower; Olmsted; Wabasha

NWS LaCrosse (Southwestern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northeast Iowa)

...Areas Of Snow...Slippery To Hazardous Travel For Commute... .The main snow bands continue to shift north and west early this morning, mostly impacting northern Wisconsin into south central Minnesota. Locally, much of the snow has ended for central and southwest Wisconsin, into parts of northeast Iowa. As we move through daybreak, the snow bands will stay fairly stationary to where they are now, bringing additional accumulations to those locations. Meanwhile, scattered snow showers are expected to develop over southeast Wisconsin, moving westward into southwest parts of Wisconsin along with northeast Iowa. These snow showers would have the potential for rapid reductions in visibility and a quick 1/2 inch of snow. Morning travelers...exercise caution and take it slow. Check on road conditions before heading out. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING... ...WINTER STORM WARNING IS CANCELLED...

* WHAT...Snow. Additional accumulations of 1 to 3 inches.

* WHERE...Wabasha, Dodge, Olmsted and Mower Counties.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning commute.

Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Winter Weather Advisory

Areas Affected: Black Hawk; Bremer; Butler; Grundy; Marshall; Tama

NWS DesMoines (Central Iowa)

...Blizzard to Near Blizzard Conditions Continue to Significantly Impact Travel Across the Western Half of Iowa... .Strong and gusty northwest winds coupled with moderate to at times heavy snowfall will continue to produce blizzard to near blizzard conditions into the daylight hours today over the western half of Iowa. Significant travel impacts are occurring or expected, especially along Interstate 35 and Interstate 80 in western Iowa. Over the eastern half of Iowa, lighter winds and lower snowfall amounts are forecast, but hazardous travel is anticipated. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Snow. Additional snow accumulations of up to two inches.

* WHERE...Areas east of Interstate 35 in central Iowa and along and north of Highway 30.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning and evening commutes today.

Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Blizzard Warning

Areas Affected: Blue Earth; Brown; Chippewa; Douglas; Faribault; Freeborn; Kandiyohi; Lac Qui Parle; Le Sueur; Martin; McLeod; Meeker; Nicollet; Pope; Redwood; Renville; Sibley; Steele; Stevens; Swift; Waseca; Watonwan; Yellow Medicine

NWS Minneapolis (Southern Minnesota)

...WINTER STORM CONTINUES TODAY... .Snow will continue across all of central and southern Minnesota and western Wisconsin today. Another 2 to 4 inches of snow accumulation is expected across central and southern Minnesota into western Wisconsin. Meanwhile, western and southern Minnesota will have gusty north winds of 40 to 50 mph in addition to the falling snow. This will lead to whiteout conditions, making for hazardous travel. A Blizzard Warning remains in effect through Friday for areas along and west of a line from Alexandria to Litchfield to Arlington to Owatonna. This includes the Interstate 90 corridor and Interstate 35 from the Owatonna area southward. East of the Blizzard Warning, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect. The Winter Storm Warning that was in place for Scott, Dakota, Goodhue and Rice counties has been replaced by a Winter Weather Advisory. Gusty winds and snow will continue through Friday, but conditions will slowly improve this afternoon through this evening. The main impacts will be to travel. ...BLIZZARD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Blizzard conditions expected. Additional snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches. Winds gusting as high as 50 mph.

* WHERE...Portions of central, south central, southwest and west central Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. Areas of blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning commute.

Travel should be restricted to emergencies only. If you must travel, have a winter survival kit with you. If you get stranded, stay with your vehicle. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1. Road conditions can also be found at 511mn.org for Minnesota or 511wi.gov for Wisconsin.

Winter Weather Advisory

Areas Affected: Chickasaw; Fayette; Floyd; Howard; Mitchell; Winneshiek

NWS LaCrosse (Southwestern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northeast Iowa)

...Areas Of Snow...Slippery To Hazardous Travel For Commute... .The main snow bands continue to shift north and west early this morning, mostly impacting northern Wisconsin into south central Minnesota. Locally, much of the snow has ended for central and southwest Wisconsin, into parts of northeast Iowa. As we move through daybreak, the snow bands will stay fairly stationary to where they are now, bringing additional accumulations to those locations. Meanwhile, scattered snow showers are expected to develop over southeast Wisconsin, moving westward into southwest parts of Wisconsin along with northeast Iowa. These snow showers would have the potential for rapid reductions in visibility and a quick 1/2 inch of snow. Morning travelers...exercise caution and take it slow. Check on road conditions before heading out. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Snow. Additional accumulations of up to 1 inch.

* WHERE...Portions of north central and northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning commute.

Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Winter Weather Advisory

Areas Affected: Fillmore

NWS LaCrosse (Southwestern Wisconsin, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northeast Iowa)

...Areas Of Snow...Slippery To Hazardous Travel For Commute... .The main snow bands continue to shift north and west early this morning, mostly impacting northern Wisconsin into south central Minnesota. Locally, much of the snow has ended for central and southwest Wisconsin, into parts of northeast Iowa. As we move through daybreak, the snow bands will stay fairly stationary to where they are now, bringing additional accumulations to those locations. Meanwhile, scattered snow showers are expected to develop over southeast Wisconsin, moving westward into southwest parts of Wisconsin along with northeast Iowa. These snow showers would have the potential for rapid reductions in visibility and a quick 1/2 inch of snow. Morning travelers...exercise caution and take it slow. Check on road conditions before heading out. ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM CST THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Snow. Additional accumulations of up to 1 inch.

* WHERE...Portions of north central and northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota.

* WHEN...Until 6 PM CST this evening.

* IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous conditions will impact the morning commute.

Slow down and use caution while traveling. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
In the end, there was nothing.

No unfurled arms or lingering embrace. No choked-back tears or joyous smiles. No soothing whisperings or long-lost stares.

They were finally together, but somewhere, in the dark abyss of the 40 years that had passed, the shame that had taken root all those years ago had strangled all sense of hope.

I thought it would be like it is in the movies, says Colleen Anderson of her reunion with her birth mother in 1999.

The big moment when the mother and daughter meet each other for the first time  but it was nothing like that. My mother just stared at the ground. She was so quiet and timid. She would look at me from the corner of her eye the odd time and I could see the shame in her eyes. It was still there and thats because it never left her. Ever.

****

Colleen Anderson was born on August 4, 1965, at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea.

Her birth mother was 14 when she found herself pregnant as a result of rape. Punishment for such a crime, as was the norm at the time, saw the child victim bundled off to the local mother and baby home.

It was there, under the watchful eye of Sister Hildegarde McNulty, a nun brought to international notoriety in the movie Philomena that the first die was cast on a life filled with sadness ever since. Sister Hildegarde, who arranged the US adoption of Philomena Lees birth son as depicted in the 2013 film, also arranged Colleens adoption to a couple living in Chicago. Margaret McNulty Anderson, the adoptive mother, was Hildegardes niece.

Read More

I lived in Niles (near Chicago) when I was younger, then we moved to as suburb called Park Ridge, recalls Colleen.

My adoptive parents had a natural daughter, my older sister, and it was just the four of us.

While many children fared much better in the US than in 1960s Ireland at the time, Colleen was one of the unlucky ones. For her, the notion of a better life on the other side of the pond couldnt have been farther from the truth. Her adoptive mother  who died in 2003  had a long history of mental illness, and Colleen says she was often a target of her rage.

It was just constant verbal and physical abuse, she says.

Hitting, slapping, beatings. I was in and out of hospital with head injuries. My adoptive mother told me I was adopted when I was about five, a fact that she used to taunt me. She would say, Youll end up like your mother or Ill send you back to the orphanage as she called it.

Ironically, Colleen hankered for just that.

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Anything was better than where I was, she says.

I hoped she would send me back because I absolutely had no idea what it was like and the life I was living was just so sad. I was in and out of group homes, running away, even living on the street for a time. I dropped out of school and at 17 I left Chicago for Wisconsin and never saw my family again.

Did she ever experience love?

Honestly? No, she says, wistfully.

The only one who ever showed me any kindness was my aunt on my fathers side. We would go to her house for Christmas  me and my older sister  and my mum wouldnt come. Those are the only happy memories of childhood I have. Other than that, I just remember the beatings and verbal demoralisation.

Years after leaving her life in Chicago behind, Colleen was in her 30s when she began to probe into her past.

I didnt have a relationship with my mother, but I thought I had a chance of one with my real mother,

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So I reached to Sister Hildegarde for information. I know she kept a lot of things from a lot of people but she told me who my mother was. I think that because I was adopted by her niece I had the luxury of getting information. She told me that my mums sister used to come to Sean Ross to visit me and my mum. I was able to contact one of them (the sisters) and we started to write to each other.

The letters went back and forth between Colleen and her aunt for two years.

She decided to tell my mum that I wanted to meet her, she says.

In the meantime, I had been in touch with the childrens charity Barnardos, who arranged the meeting in Dublin. I was told that I couldnt go to meet her where she was living because I looked so much like her and I was still a secret.

In 1999 Colleen flew to Dublin, but the meeting did not go well.

I had this anticipation of a happy reunion but my mum was totally shut down, she says.

She was stoic, so quiet. The woman from Barnardos was asking the questions, just to break the ice, but it was very formal and there was no emotion.

Her birth mother had subsequently had four other children and had buried this piece of her past, Colleen recalls.

My mother said she was raped in a cemetery, she says.

She said the worst thing about it wasnt the rape, it was the way the nuns treated her. The woman asked her if she would tell the children, my siblings, and she said no, that she would rather die than tell them. That left me heartbroken. We went for lunch and it was more informal, but she was very shy. The last thing she said to me when we parted ways was maybe someday. And that was the last I saw of her. She died in 2009.

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Colleen has since moved to Ireland, a place she feels a connection to, even in the midst of so much rejection and pain.

I knew if I didnt come I would have regretted it, she says.

Its like the meeting with my mother, I dont regret it, even though she was too traumatised to continue contact, because I know there are a lot of people who didnt get that chance. The first week I came back to Ireland in 2018, I met with the Commission and I told them my story.

Since then, life in Ireland, for one of the many that became known as the banished babies, has not been easy. Colleen is currently housed in emergency accommodation, living in a small room in a hostel that she is grateful for.

I stay in my room on my own, she says.

I dont use the kitchen because of the pandemic and the risk of being infected. I have always been on my own and I know how to survive. I still feel more at home here in Ireland than I have ever felt, and maybe someday I will be truly settled.
In the final years of data analysis, researchers recommended the State Police conduct a more detailed review to determine which stations had the greatest racial disparities in search rates and then interview the commanders there to better understand why those disparities might exist. In response to questions from Spotlight PA last year, State Police officials said they didnt know what, if anything, was done in response to those recommendations.
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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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OROVILLE, Calif.  Authorities arrested one man Tuesday after a search warrant revealed a pill lab and an illegal assault weapon.

On Jan. 12, 2021, Detectives from Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF) with assistance from Butte County Sheriffs Office Special Enforcement Unit (SEU) served a search warrant on the 1400 block of 21st street in Oroville.

The premise where Alex Herrera, 41, was found in was searched and detectives say they found firearms, one being an illegal assault weapon, a pill press, and items used to produce counterfeit pills like Oxycodone and other miscellaneous pills.

Herrera was put under arrest for possession of an opiate for sales, possession of an illegal assault rifle, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of ammunition by a felon, armed in the commission of a felon, and a felony warrant for his arrest for a past Butte County Sheriffs Office vandalism case, according to BCSO.

Herrera is being held at Butt County Jail with a bail amount of $143,000.

Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force wants to remind people that fentanyl, the drug commonly used to make counterfeit pills can cause an overdose in small amounts. The lack of measurements used in these operations means a chance of a lethal amount of fentanyl is very high.
Colorado's legislative leaders said they would preserve their vision for the future of the state until the pandemic and political crises have waned, as the 100-member General Assembly reconvened Wednesday in Denver.

Senate Minority Leader Chris Holbert, a Republican from Parker, said the legislative branch must take a more firm role in managing the COVID-19 emergency. Sen. Paul Lundeen, a Republican from Monument, will introduce legislation to ensure the legislative branch has a stronger role in the next statewide emergency.

"Now more than ever in an economy so controlled by executive orders from the executive branch, we should stand opposed to increasing the burden on working men and women of Colorado," the upper chamber's minority leader said, referring to Polis and the power he's wielded by fiat during the COVID-19 emergency.

Nonetheless, he thanked Polis and his staff for their "endurance in these unprecedented times."

He said lawmakers need to talk about the balance of power before the next emergency, however, no matter how uncomfortable it might prove to be for the current governor.

Holbert said "blue sky promises" by majority-holding Democrats would not be fulfilled, as a result, and voters haven't been generous with passing new taxes.

He said a decade of prosperity had turned the General Assembly into gluttons before the virus-fueled economic crash.

"If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it's how abundance in the best of times must be appreciated," he said.

Start and stop

The 73rd General Assembly opened Wednesday, a shell of itself for the annual return to the gold dome that normally attracts hundreds of spectators, lobbyists and public officials.

The Legislature is expected to adjourn after Friday and return for pomp, circumstance and the business of running state government on Feb. 16.

"This doesn't feel like the opening days we're used to," said new House Speaker Alec Garnett, a longtime Democratic leader from Denver, stating the obvious amid the masked and plexiglass-partitioned lawmakers.

He said only the most pressing matters and constitutional responsibilities are on the agenda this week.

Lawmakers paused their session last March as the deadly virus spread across the country. They came back in May, then returned again after Thanksgiving to work on a relief package.

Legislators are working under the threat of armed conflicts at statehouses and government offices across the country, as an encore to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol that caused five deaths from injuries or medical emergencies in the melee and the Saturday suicide of a Capitol Police officer who responded to the rioting that ransacked the Capitol and threatened members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence.

That prompted Garnett to say he hoped lawmakers would join him as a steward of democracy privileged to serve their community.

He said he would try to live up to the standard of House leaders who came before him.

"I look forward to being the speaker for everybody, not just one side of the aisle," he said in his opening remarks, promising his door would always be open. "... And those who know me know I'm true to my word."

INSIGHTS | Its time to rethink how the sausage is made Joey Bunch on the legislative session, which starts this week: "Much of this pomp and circumstance is a stage production taxpayers are underwriting, whether they care to watch or not."

Respecting opposition

House Republican leader Hugh McKean of Loveland spoke off the cuff to the chamber, calling for cooperation on both sides.

"The majority gets their way," said the GOP leader, setting up a political axiom. "But the minority gets a say, and you're going to find that's actually the truth."

McKean said the oath to the U.S. Constitution applied to all the lawmakers.

"There are things in this world that divide us," he said. "There are things in this world that make us make a choice one way or the other, and we all want to have the choice, whether it's this can of spaghetti or that can of spaghetti, whether it's a Republican or a Democrat for speaker, we all want a choice.

"But the things that bind us are so much stronger."

He spoke to the value he sees in every lawmaker, regardless of party.

"I don't care if my counterparts belong to a different party," he said. "I care that they are here to represent their constituents. I care that we are here to shepherd the state of Colorado through one of the hardest times this state has ever seen."

McKean pledged to respect those he would disagree with as much as he would challenge their proposal if he thinks there's a way to make a solution better.

He urged his fellow lawmakers to show love for their state, respect for one another and an appreciation of the institution they're fortunate enough to be part of.

"What we get to do is put our brand on this little moment in time," the minority leader said.

Not Washington

Senate President Leroy Garcia, a Democrat from Pueblo, also spoke to the urgency and strife of the times.

"Peoples jobs have disappeared, their life savings bled dry, and their lives thrust into a seemingly endless barrage of tragedy and unrest," he said of the pandemic's economic and political challenges. "We have seen small businesses suffer, devastating  often unrecoverable  damage, our kids turned victim to an ever-changing learning schedule and environment, as well as a storm of mental health issues resulting in increased suicide and overdose deaths.

"And in the midst of all this heartbreak, we have watched a president and his enablers cause unimaginable destruction to our democracy  sowing lies and distrust into the minds of vulnerable people and ultimately radicalizing them to engage in violent and seditious behavior."

Colorado General Assembly to start 2021 session Wednesday with three working days But legislative leaders will "play it by ear" on that return date, based on the data on COVID-19 infection rates available at that time, according to Senate Majority Leader Steve Fenberg of Boulder.

Garcia reminded lawmakers that the fights of D.C. don't belong in Denver.

"Colorado is not Washington D.C.," he said in his address to the chamber. "We are independent, forward-thinking problem-solvers that refuse to allow party affiliations to turn us into mindless soldiers of myopic ideologies."
DAKAR: Cameroonian soldiers opened fire on villagers during a weekend raid in the countrys southwest, killing up to nine people, including civilians, and injuring others, witnesses, health workers and a human rights lawyer said on Wednesday.

An army spokesman denied there were civilian casualties during the incident on Sunday in the village of Mautu in the South West region, home to a separatist insurgency. He called the accusation propaganda".

For four years the army has clashed with Anglophone separatist fighters among the forests and cocoa farms of western Cameroon. Over 3,000 people have died in the violence, which has intensified since the start of this year.

Sundays attack was described to Reuters by three villagers who said they fled into nearby cocoa plantations or cowered at home while soldiers rifled through their belongings.

They said they saw nine dead people, including a child and an old woman. None of the dead were separatist fighters, they said.

Medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said it was treating four people from the village, all with gunshot wounds: a young child, two elderly patients and a young woman.

This incident is the latest in a significant upsurge in violence since the year began," said Gisa Kohler, MSFs emergency coordinator in South West Cameroon.

Unverified videos shared by sources with knowledge of the attack showed several dead bodies with gunshot wounds, including a woman and a child laid out on a bamboo stretcher, as well as several young men.

This is an unconventional conflict," said human rights lawyer Agbor Balla, who said he had confirmed at least eight deaths in Mautu on Sunday, based on his own sources.

Civilians were killed. It was done by the military. We dont know if others killed were separatists."

In a statement on Monday, the military said it was conducting a raid on separatist positions when it came under fire and had killed what it labelled terrorists". It did not say how many died.

In response to Reuters questions about the incident, army spokesman Atonfack Guemo on Wednesday dismissed the witness accounts.

Small terrorist groups and their foreign supporters have engaged in a battle of disinformation. We will not give in," he said.

The army has struggled to uproot the insurgency, which is made up of dozens of small armed groups and has become a thorn in the side of President Paul Biyas 40-year rule.

BULLETS FLYING

The violence in Mautu comes as three soldiers face trial for their alleged involvement in the killing of 21 civilians last year in a village in the North West region.

The separatists have committed their own abuses, including attacks on police and the army, and school kidnappings.

Louis, a cocoa farmer, said he was sitting outside when the soldiers opened fire in Mautu.

Bullets were flying everywhere," said Louis, who like other witnesses did not want to use his last name for fear of reprisal. They chased me into the bushes and kept shooting."

Fellow resident Enow said he was in a church meeting when the gunfire began. He ran into the surrounding bushes and hid.

Not everyone got away. One 60-year-old farmer was at home when soldiers broke down his door searching for fighters and weapons. They found neither, and smashed his television, he said.

None of the witnesses said they saw separatists that day. They all said that a woman and her young granddaughter were killed by the military.

They were people I knew," the farmer said. What have they done that they can be killed in this way?"

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She is a successful film star with a career spanning 40 years.

And Meg Ryan cut a casual figure as she stopped off at a gas station before going on a hike in Los Angles on Tuesday.

The A-list actress, 59, kept a low profile on the outing as she sported a pair of sunglasses and a beige hat.

Out and about: Meg Ryan cut a casual figure as she stopped off at a gas station before going on a hike in Los Angles on Tuesday

The Sleepless In Seattle star donned a black long-sleeved top along with a pair of dark blue jeans.

Letting her blonde locks fall loose down her shoulders, Meg appeared to be solo on the outing.

The film star put safety first as she also sported a face mask amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

It comes after Meg and and her partner John Mellencamp, 69, called off their engagement in October of 2019.

Casual: The A-list actress, 59, kept a low profile on the outing as she sported a pair of sunglasses and a beige hat

The exes had been in a long-time relationship since 2010, announcing their engagement in November of 2018.

After the split, Mellencamp began dating skincare expert Jamie Sherrill, 50, but he and the Sleepless In Seattle star reportedly still talk.

A source told OK! Magazine in September: 'Meg's recent move to Montecito, California brought her closer to John, who's been in LA a lot more since that's where Jamie's business is... John and Meg have been talking and reminiscing about the good times.'

It didn't come as a surprise to friends, as the couple has gone through several breakups in their long love story.

Relationship: Meg and John Mellencamp, 69, called off their engagement in October of 2019 (pictured in December, 2017)

The insider added: 'It's the same thing every time. He makes her mad, they break up, she misses him, and they eventually start talking again.

'Sure, John thinks Jamie's a lovely lady, but he and Meg are soulmates. The feeling among their friends is that it's a matter of when, not if, they'll get back together.'

Meg was previously married to Dennis Quaid, 66, from 1991 to 2001, and they share son Jack Quaid, 28, who stars in Prime Video's The Boys.

The You've Got Mail actress also adopted her daughter Daisy Ryan, 17, from China back in 2006.
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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size On November 7 Philadelphia time, at the exact moment the US election was called for Joe Biden, President Donald Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani was giving a press conference at the Four Seasons  the landscaping store, not the luxury hotel. He had his own version of history too: Trump had won, not Biden. And, on fringe corners of the internet, this alternative reality has been playing out ever since, fuelled by baseless and now thoroughly debunked claims of voter fraud as well as Trump's own false claims of victory. Then, on January 6, the online mob broke out into real-world violence, storming the Capitol building to stop lawmakers from certifying Biden's win in a historic occupation that lasted four hours and left five people dead. Whipped up by Trump and Giuliani at a rally in Washington, rioters live-streamed and narrated their rampage on the very platforms on which they had organised, including alt-right favourites Parler, DLive and Gab. Prominent Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were top of online "hit lists" as users debated how best to get into offices, smash through windows and even which weapons to bring. During the riot, when Trump tweeted that Vice-President Mike Pence lacked courage for refusing to overturn the verified results of the election, chants of "Hang Mike Pence" broke out. A gallows was swiftly erected. Masked men in full tactical gear carried cable ties onto the Senate floor. Police would later find explosive devices at nearby Republican and Democrat headquarters. But this self-styled revolution failed. Once the rioters had been arrested or expelled, lawmakers emerged from hiding to finish certifying Biden's win. Trump has now become the only President in US history to be impeached for a second time and banned from almost all the big social media platforms, from his beloved Twitter to Facebook, for his part in inciting the riot. Parler itself has gone dark after Amazon pulled its hosting services and it was dropped from Android and Apple app stores. For experts who saw the mob coming online, January 6 raises serious questions not only of Capitol security, but of the long unregulated "Wild West" of social media. To others, including some politicians in Australia, Trump's "deplatforming" by the tech giants carries its own threat: censorship. So, can these platforms simply turf people out and should they be able to? Do we need new laws to protect us on social media? And will fringe sites and Trump's accounts  survive?

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Late on January 6, when the riot was mostly over, Trump released a video telling his supporters to go home even as he told them 'we love you'. It was removed from many platforms, but stayed up on Parler, pictured here on a Team Trump campaign account. Trump himself does not have a personal account on Parler. Credit:Parler What is Parler and what did it have to do with the US riot? In the months leading up to the storming of the Capitol, researchers of online extremism, such as Griffith University's Audrey Courty, were spending more and more time on Parler and Gab. The big platforms Facebook and Twitter, long criticised for being too passive in policing dangerous content, had become more aggressive about fact-checking and shutting down radical groups. That meant some users were migrating to these smaller sites, which look similar enough but bill themselves as "free speech havens" with very little moderation.By early January, Parler was Apple's most downloaded free app. But Courty says it wasn't just getting more popular, it was becoming more extreme. "Suddenly there were posts calling for the death of politicians and journalists, you didn't see that a couple of months ago," she says. "They were taking things to the next level, it was very concerning." Parler is like a clunkier hybrid of Twitter and Instagram, only with less photos of brunch and more conspiracy theories. Instead of tweets, you can post "parleys" of up to 1000 characters each and share other users' posts in "echoes" rather than retweets. With a much smaller user base of almost exclusively conservative voices, Courty says it feels more like an echo chamber than the "bipartisan town square" it claims to be  almost like an online Trump rally. On signing up, she was immediately prompted to follow high-profile, right-wing personalities such as Fox News host Sean Hannity. "But that might be because they are the main people on Parler. There's a lot of virtual fist-bumping going on, but not a whole lot of conversation. It's not a serious replacement to Twitter or Facebook." The site does have some rules  nothing illegal, no spam or porn and, very specifically, no images of fecal matter. Content reported as problematic may face a "jury" of random volunteer users to decide if it breaks the community's standards or not and, buried in its user terms and conditions, is the caveat that Parler still reserves the right to "remove any content or terminate your access  at any time and for any reason or no reason".

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"Free speech doesn't mean no moderation, not even it seems to Parler,"Courty says. Likewise, while Parler promises not to sell user data to advertisers, in the fine print of its privacy policy she notes that it still admits to harvesting it ("but they don't say why"). In the days since the riot, activists have been scraping this data, like "a bunch of people running into a burning building trying to grab as many things as we can" and the FBI are also combing through related images, videos and posts. In June, Parler chief executive John Matze said he wanted more diverse debate on the platform, even offering a "progressive bounty" of $US20,000 ($25,750) to a prominent left-wing influencer who signed up, but by the time Parler had been unplugged by Amazon on January 9, the reward still appeared unclaimed. Matze has sworn the site will return soon. The Wall Street Journal recently revealed Parler is bankrolled by some deep-pocket conservatives, most notably Rebekah Mercer, a former Trump adviser and daughter of the billionaire investor behind the now disgraced political consulting company Cambridge Analytica. Courty says it's unclear whether the site's executives really want to further the cause of the right or if they are simply capitalising on a frustrated demographic to grow users fast. However, she says the strategy will likely harm Parler in the long term, keeping its user base (and so its influence) narrow and its advertiser and investor pool shallow. "It's tainted now." Parler is just the tip of the iceberg. Dr Olga Boichak To survive, Parler needs to find a new host or invest in its own servers and infrastructure  no small feat, says digital cultures expert at the University of Sydney Dr Olga Boichak. Gab, itself a notorious hotbed for white supremacy and conspiracy theories, managed to find a new home with controversial hosting company Epik within a week when it was unplugged in 2018 following revelations a shooter who murdered 11 people at a US synagogue had first posted his plans to Gab. The notorious messageboard 8chan, which helped radicalise the Christchurch shooter with alt-right ideology, was reborn as 8kun. Parler has already moved its domain name registration to Epik. In a statement, the host company said it had not yet discussed the shift with Parler, even as it hit out against big tech "deplatforming" and ostracising the right.

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With Parler down, Gab now claims to be clocking up its own surge in new users. But when the big platforms close their doors to such groups, they inevitably limit their reach, pushing them further to the fringes of the internet. Boichak says we shouldn't get too sidetracked by any one platform. Groups will migrate where they need to. "Parler is just the tip of the iceberg." Members of alt-right groups such as the Proud Boys as well as the cult conspiracy Qanon descended on the US Capitol on January 6. Credit:AP Why was Trump banned from social media? On January 8, after dozens of warnings (and more than a few international incidents), Twitter finally banned one of its most famous and prolific Tweeters  for good. Trump had just Tweeted that his followers were "great American patriots" who "will not be disrespected, or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form" and then announced that he would not attend Biden's inauguration. Twitter said this could be a signal to Trumps base that he was disavowing the (begrudging) election concession and promise of an "orderly transition" he had made a day earlier  it could even be interpreted by those already threatening more violence that the inauguration was now a "safe target" for a second attack. Previously, Twitter had erred on the side of keeping Trump's tweets up, as matters of public interest given their use as official statements by the leader of the free world. His removal is now sure to cause headaches for those in charge of the administration's record-keeping. Reflecting on the ban in a tweetstorm of his own on January 14, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said he took no pride in the decision, seeing it ultimately as a "failure" to create a service that could sustain civil discourse and healthy conversations. He stood by the move as the right one for public safety but worried it now set a dangerous precedent.

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Indeed, Facebook and other big social networks soon followed Twitter with bans and suspensions of their own against the President, though Dorsey rejected suggestions by Matze and others that the bans were coordinated. Some such as Snapchat are permanent but most are temporary. In a series of fiery (and since removed) Tweets sent from his little-used official POTUS account, Trump lashed the ban and said he is now considering creating his own platform. Loading "Trump and co could even team up with Parler to develop something new," Courty says. "Trump, it's a brand right? It's like the Kardashians. If he comes out with his own, or joins with Parler that would be something to watch." So could he sue over the ban? At the Australian National University's College of Law, Dr Jelena Gligorijevic says no  while the US has explicit free speech protections under its First Amendment, these are designed to stop censorship from governments, not private companies. If you signed the terms and conditions that say Twitter can kick you off, then there's no legal remedy, including in Australia, where the right to free expression is implied, rather than explicitly codified, in law. 'Social media doesnt radicalise in a vacuum. Theres always other factors at play.' Audrey Courty But in Italy, it's a different story, Gligorijevic says. Facebook was forced by the courts in 2019 to unblock a fascist political party spouting the beliefs of former dictator Mussolini and restore its content, even though the company had deemed them to be dangerous. "So, if Facebook were to ban the Italian President  it would likely be actually breaking the law," she says. In the case of a figure as influential as Trump, still in the White House and likely to remain in headlines even after he leaves it, the social media blackout won't actually silence him.

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At the start of the pandemic, many doctors on the front lines turned to Twitter and other social media platforms to find guidance and solace directly from their peers. In early 2020, information on COVID-19 had yet to be studied and published in peer-reviewed journals or printed in medical textbooks.

Since then, social media has been characterized as both a boon to medical communities seeking real-time information and a major driver of misinformation on the virus and its spread.

A new study from researchers at the University of Paris provides support for social media as a potentially useful tool in the doctor's diagnostic toolkit and a way for general practitioners with questions to connect to specialists who may have the answers.

In France, some general practitioners have turned to social media for help diagnosing common dermatological conditions. They post a deidentified photo of a skin condition to Twitter or MedPics, a private social networking site for doctors, and other clinicians can respond with their diagnosis.

In a retrospective observational study, researchers compared the accuracy of using social media to crowdsource a dermatological diagnosis to the accuracy of asking a dermatologist using more traditional telemedicine methods.

Researchers found that diagnoses suggested by doctors on social media generally agreed with teledermatology results, and diagnoses were even more strongly aligned when dermatologists were active in the crowdsourced response.

When the images posted to social media were reviewed by an expert committee of dermatologists, the researcher found that primary diagnoses from social media were accurate about 60% of the time, whereas teledermatology consultations were correct about 55% of the time, with no significant difference between the two studied methods.

These results suggest that social media can be as useful as teledermatology services for doctors when diagnosing common and minor dermatological conditions, but consultation with an expert dermatologist may still be necessary.

The authors acknowledge that social media is less secure than standard medical communications technologies and that Twitter and other public platforms do not take the same measures to protect patients' privacy.
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The state Children, Youth & Families Department has introduced a much-needed, innovative lifeline for New Mexico kids who may be suffering from abuse and neglect  or are aware of someone else who is.

Knowing that youth today are most comfortable communicating via text message, CYFD recently launched a first-in-the-nation text-based platform that allows reporting directly to CYFDs Statewide Central Intake.

We tried to recreate the #SAFE experience, where people call that number from their cellphones, said spokesman Charlie Moore-Pabst. Now, they have the option of reporting to Central Intake with a text message at 505-591-9444.

Its no surprise that reports of child abuse and neglect in New Mexico and elsewhere dropped precipitously with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside family and caregivers, kids spend more time at school than anywhere else. And with schools closed for in-person learning, they have far less contact with teachers, school nurses and social workers who might spot issues within a family. Instead, kids are spending more time in high-stress, cooped-up home environments where more people are out of work and alcohol and drug consumption often are up.

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Nationally, about one-fifth of child abuse reports originated from schools. In New Mexico, The Associated Press reported a drop as high as 42% in abuse and neglect reports last spring. And its safe to assume thats not because abuse and neglect arent happening.

A week or so after launching, the program had been having text interactions with about 10 people daily. A quarter of them generated a report for further investigation, with most of the others expressing concerns or questions about services and resources.

Reach NM allows us to connect at a one-on-one level to offer support and resources in a way that is natural to our kids, CYFD Secretary Brian Blalock said.

People who report through Reach NM can remain anonymous. And one kid can help another. Moore-Pabst said a text from one youth conveyed a concern that a friend was being abused. He provided us with enough detail for us to assign it to an investigator.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the proposal for what would become Reach NM evolved after a senior staff member received a late-night text message from a young person in distress. My staff was able to connect that child to the help they needed, and that led to the idea of a text-based reporting and support system available to young people at any time, day or night, the governor said.

And its a bargain: funding is expected to be less than $15,000 a year for updating CYFDs phone and computer systems and for staff training, Moore-Pabst said.

The Lujan Grisham administration deserves credit for thinking outside the box and coming up with another way to help kids in distress.

Help for abuse

Text 505-591-9444 to reach Children, Youth & Families Department intake workers Text 505-591-9444 to reach Children, Youth & Families Department intake workers

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.
Qualcomm said Wednesday that it plans to buy startup Nuvia for $1.4 billion, potentially as a way to beef up its own CPU efforts and challenge Apple more directly in the Arm computing space.

Nuvia was founded by an ex-Apple chip architect, Gerard Williams III, who was reportedly pushed into designing server chips because of a non-compete clause that he had signed with his former employer. Nuvias mission is, in its words, to reimagine silicon design to create a new class of processor that delivers the step-function performance and energy efficiency improvements needed to power the next era of computing. Nuvia has never announced a product, though it was suspected to be developing its own Arm CPU for data centers.

Nuvia CPUs are expected to be integrated across Qualcomm Technologies broad portfolio of products, including PCs. Qualcomm said Nuvias technology would be involved in powering flagship smartphones, next-generation laptops, and digital cockpits, as well as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, extended reality and infrastructure networking solutions.

Qualcomm lined up support from well over a dozen partners, including Microsoft, Google, OnePlus, Sharp, Sony, Xiaomi, and others to support the move. The deal still has to be approved by regulatory agencies.

"Together, we are very well positioned to redefine computing and enable our ecosystem of partners to drive innovation and deliver a new class of products and experiences for the 5G era, said Cristiano Amon, the newly appointed chief executive-elect of Qualcomm, in a statement.

For about the past two years, Qualcomm has released versions of its Snapdragon processors for the PC space, including the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 5G last September. But the companys promises of performance that would compete with traditional X86 chips like the Intel Core lineup didnt pan out. Meanwhile, Apple overturned the traditional CPU market with its release of the M1 chip, powering its MacBook and Mac mini computers and competing very well against Intels 11th-gen Core chips.

All of those efforts raised questions about how Qualcomm would continue to compete against an Apple M1 chip that significantly outperformed what Qualcomm had to offer. With its purchase of Nuvia, Qualcomm appears to be working on an answer.
Naseej, a leading real estate development company in Bahrain, has signed an agreement with Ithmaar Holding to develop a BD40 million ($105 million) residential project in the northern governorate area of Barbar.

The project, which will come up on a 150,000 sq m area, boasts a total of 400 units - 300 villas and 100 residential plots, thus covering the development of the suburb in its entirety.

It is mainly targeted at the beneficiaries of the Ministry of Housings Mazaya programme, said senior officials at the signing ceremony.

The agreement was signed by Ithmaar Holding CEO Ahmed Abdul Rahim and Naseej General Manager Ahmed Mohammed Al Hammadi at Ithmaar Holdings headquarters in the Seef District in the presence of Naseej Managing Director Mohammed Khalil Al Sayed and Ithmaar Bank Deputy CEO Abdul Hakeem Al Mutawa.

Located in a quiet area in Budaiya, 400 m away from the Northern Governorates north coast, the project will enjoy easy access from main roads and Al Nakheel Highway, said the statement from Ithmaar.

On the key project, Al Sayed said: "This latest addition to our investment and development portfolio is Naseejs sixth in the kingdom and its second in the northern governorate. We recognise the growing demand for this type of housing and hope to meet it with high quality design, construction, and finishing."

This project is also in line with Naseejs ongoing efforts to develop even more residential units across the Kingdom, and offer them to a wider segment of its customers, he stated.

"It follows the development of more than 2,600 housing units in Salman Town and Al Lawzi in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing at a cost of BD170 million," he added.

According to Al Sayed, the Barbar project is also in line with Naseejs strategy to seek out projects that are in high demand and with business viability.

"The company has considerable experience in developing housing units in the kingdom, including the completed Yasmeenat Saar, Basateen, a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) project with the Ministry of Housing, Canal View at Dilmunia, and other projects falling under a range of housing categories," he added.

According to him, Naseejs partnership with the public sector is a major contributor of housing units to government housing programmes beneficiaries, helping to alleviate the pressure faced by the Ministry of Housing.

"It also helps meet growing demand for housing units in line with the directives of Bahrains senior leadership, the objectives of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030, and the Kingdoms sustainable development strategy. The partnership enhances the role of the private sector in the countrys developmental process," he added.

Abdul Rahim said Ithmaar was proud to support Bahrains strategy for affordable housing, in association with its partners, Naseej.

"Our subsidiary, Ithmaar Bank will be providing all beneficiaries competitive, flexible sharia-compliant financing as per our arrangements with the Ministry of Housing. These homes will help meet the growing demand for high quality housing in the kingdom," he stated.

These are being designed according to the tastes of young Bahraini families, including their requirements for privacy," noted Abdul Rahim.

"They will provide a sense of community to the future residents and also include all the necessary amenities to ensure a comfortable and secure lifestyle," he added.

Al Hammadi said Naseejs broad development experience ensures high standards and quality in the projects execution, while also taking into consideration Bahraini citizens unique requirements and privacy needs.

"The Barbar housing project will include residential units with modern designs, and the material used in its construction will be in accordance with the highest construction standards," explained the top official.

"This is in line with our support for the development of the Kingdom by providing housing units that meets the aspirations of all Bahraini citizens seeking home ownership," he added.

A St. Theresa Point First Nation man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for a killing described by a judge as a tragic end for far too many Indigenous women.

A St. Theresa Point First Nation man has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for a killing described by a judge as a tragic end for far too many Indigenous women.

Jonathan Wood, 38, was convicted of manslaughter following a trial last year in the January 2018 killing of his wife, Kathleen Wood.

Jonathan Wood, 38, was convicted of manslaughter following a trial last year in the January 2018 killing of his wife, Kathleen Wood. (Facebook)

The couple had spent the night drinking "super juice" homebrew at Jonathans brothers home when Jonathan beat her so violently that he fractured all but one of her ribs, broke her jaw and severed her tongue.

"The commonness of Indigenous women dying at the hands of men means, tragically, Mrs. Woods death is not unique," Queens Bench Justice Chris Martin said Tuesday. "Nonetheless, it is by any means horrible, perhaps more so because of how often these senseless deaths occur."

Jonathan Wood stood trial charged with second-degree murder, but Martin had ruled Woods extreme intoxication left him unable to determine if he had the necessary intent to kill.

The killing occurred against a familiar backdrop of poverty, isolation, alcoholism and repeated acts of domestic abuse, Martin said.

"The context of the killing starkly personifies the plight of many Indigenous families struggling with the lingering effects of Canadas historical treatment of its First Peoples and the seeming inability, or neglect, to meaningfully repair the damage with a sense of urgency," he said.

At trial, Jonathan Wood testified he remembered just "bits and pieces" of the night Kathleen, 35, ended up dead on the floor of his brothers home.

Tanya Wood, girlfriend of homeowner Scotty Wood, testified she and Scotty had moved to a bedroom when they heard loud arguing and the sound of stomping feet coming from the living room. She looked through a hole in the door to see Jonathan Wood punching Kathleen in the head.

When Scotty later made a move to check on Kathleen as she lay dying on the floor, Wood told him to "leave her alone," Scotty testified.

Wood, who testified he had also been snorting ground-up Percocets and smoking marijuana that night, said he had no memory of assaulting Kathleen, but remembered performing CPR on her.

Prior to the fatal attack, Wood had been convicted of assaulting Kathleen four times, most recently in 2016, when he was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Court records show Wood was still on probation for a prior assault on Kathleen when he punched her about the face and body whiel she was in bed, leaving her with a broken arm and orbital bone, a partially collapsed lung and three cracked ribs.

In December 2017, a month before she was killed, Kathleen posted Woods bail as he sat in jail charged with assaulting a man.

At the time of Kathleens death, Wood was still bound by a probation order to have no contact with her and was banned from staying in St. Theresa Point until he had completed a residential alcohol treatment program.

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca
2020 may have been one of the most challenging years the automotive industry has ever faced, but AC Motors (Ayala Corporation) is looking to bounce back this 2021.

How does the company plan to do it? According to Antonio Toti Zara, president of AC Motors, they will be launching at least 6 new models this year. Unfortunately, it was not mentioned what exactly will they be launching this 2021. But, we do have some pretty good ideas as to what they will be.

Perhaps one of the most obvious cars the company will be launching is the Maxus D60. First teased by the company late last year, the D60 will serve as Maxus' first crossover in the country. Exact specifications are not yet available. A quick look at the Chinese-spec, however, reveals it's available with either two rows or three rows of seats, along with an array of turbocharged engines. Once it arrives here, the D60 will go up against the likes of the CR-V, X-Trail, as well as the Tiggo 8.

Another car that is set to arrive this year is the 2021 Volkswagen Santana. While the sedan will relatively look the same, the refreshed Santana will likely get some key upgrades like bigger alloy wheels, updated headlights and taillights, and a power moonroof that might be available across the range. Under the hood, the 1.5-liter MPI engine could be the sole engine option as the 1.4-liter has already been discontinued.

Aside from Maxus and Volkswagen, AC Motors could also bring in two new models from Kia. The likeliest of vehicles that may arrive in PH include the all-new Sorento and the next-generation Carnival.

Both the SUV and minivan get a brand new look that features a more chiseled appearance, and a more upmarket look and feel. Production of the Sorento has already started in Korea last year, while the Carnival is now being offered in Thailand. This could mean that the Philippine market may be next on the list to get the two new Kias.

The last two models that AC Motors could bring to the country may come in the form of new Volkswagen SUVs. Back in April 2019, Volkswagen Philippines president Felipe Estrella III said that the upcoming SUVs will start with the letter 'T'. Looking at the possible models, it's highly likely the automaker could bring the 7-seater Teramont. Other models that could make their way to the country are the T-Cross, Tayron, Tharu, and the T-Roc, all of which are compact crossovers.

Apart from launching more models this year, AC Motors is also looking to put up six new showrooms across the country. That means we might see more dealerships from Kia, Maxus, and Volkswagen.

Which models do you think AC Motors will launch first? And could the company actually bring the latest-generation Kia Sorento and Carnival later this year? Chime in your comments below.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Blackford Capital, a private equity firm based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, today announced an investment in Aqua-Leisure Industries, a leader and pioneer in water sport leisure product development and aquatic goods.

Headquartered just outside of Boston, Aqua-Leisure was founded in 1970 and primarily serves the aquatic consumer products industry. The company is one of the largest and most innovative designers and distributors of multiple lines of high quality, performance-based products under a variety of brand names and proprietary designs, including swim goggles, "Learn to Swim" products for children, and pool floats, among other categories.

"Aqua-Leisure has appealed to premier sporting goods and value channel consumers throughout our 50-year history. Our organization's overall approach to market assessment, product design, supply chain logistics and product positioning, whether through brick and mortar or e-commerce channels, has consistently delivered robust performance," said Steve Berenson, CEO of Aqua-Leisure. "We serve some of the largest and most demanding customers in the world. We are excited about our partnership with Blackford Capital as it will create accelerated growth opportunities through expansion of current relationships and product lines as well as evolving new categories and sales channels."

Aqua-Leisure's execution and growth through the COVID-19 crisis significantly enhanced its credibility with key existing and prospective customers. Blackford intends to help Aqua-Leisure seize these opportunities to gain market share and capitalize on key industry trends, including unprecedented consumer demand through e-commerce and online sales channels. The company's management team will continue in their current roles.

"We are thrilled to add Aqua-Leisure to our portfolio as another diversified consumer products business with a vision for continued evolution," said Martin Stein, founder and managing director of Blackford Capital. "The company has impressive and decades-long relationships with excellent customers, which have strengthened recently as Aqua-Leisure's products have experienced tremendous consumer demand for backyard use and 'staycations' driven by the uncertainty brought about by the pandemic. Throughout this period, Aqua-Leisure has proven itself to be an incredibly reliable partner and supplier. We are excited to partner with Steve Berenson and the rest of the Aqua-Leisure management team to promote organic growth, pursue new distribution opportunities, and execute meaningful add-on acquisitions over the coming years."

Varnum LLP served as legal advisor, Grant Thornton served as the financial and tax advisor, and Rush Street served as debt financing advisor to Blackford. Mercantile Bank provided debt financing and Muzinich & Co. provided debt and equity financing in support of the transaction.

Aqua-Leisure was advised by Tully & Holland and Jon Pratt, Managing Director at Duff & Phelps.

About Blackford Capital

Founded in 2010, Blackford Capital is a private equity investment firm headquartered in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Blackford Capital makes majority control investments in founder and family-owned, lower middle-market manufacturing, industrials, and distribution. Currently, Blackford Capital has eleven portfolio companies. Blackford and their team members have received a number of recognitions over the past several years, including M&A Adviser Private Equity Firm of the year, Corp. Magazine Small Company of the Year (Michigan), GR Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year (West Michigan), numerous recognitions on the Inc. 5000 fastest growing private companies list and M&A Adviser Private Equity Professional of the Year (Martin Stein). For more information, visit blackfordcapital.com.

About Aqua-Leisure Industries

Founded in 1970, Aqua-Leisure is dedicated to designing, developing, manufacturing, and marketing performance, recreational, and relaxation orientated products within the water sport and leisure-time categories. Aqua-Leisure is proud to support family, friends, and recreational activities that bring people together through everyday fun, providing a strong foundation for success and growth. Aqua-Leisure is focused on consistently delivering proprietary designs, high product quality, dependable supply chain logistics, and value-add to both customers and end-consumers. For more information, visit aqualeisure.com.

About Mercantile Bank

Mercantile Bank is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mercantile Bank Corporation. Mercantile Bank provides banking services to businesses, individuals and governmental units, and differentiates itself on the basis of service quality and the expertise of its banking staff. Mercantile Bank has assets of approximately $4.4 billion and operates 39 banking offices.

About Muzinich & Co.

Muzinich BDC, Inc. is a direct investment fund focused on providing senior debt, mezzanine debt, and equity co-investment capital to growing lower middle market companies backed by families, founders, and/or private equity firms. It is part of Muzinich & Co., a privately owned, institutionally focused investment firm specializing in public and private corporate credit with $37.6 billion of AUM as of September 30, 2020. The firm was founded in New York in 1988 and has offices in London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Manchester, Milan, Paris, Singapore, Zurich and Dublin.

About Varnum LLP

Varnum is a leading Michigan law firm providing a broad range of legal services to meet the complex needs of its clients. With more than 180 attorneys in nine offices, Varnum serves as counsel to growing businesses and institutions throughout Michigan, the Midwest and Florida. Varnum's web site address is www.varnumlaw.com.

About Grant Thornton

Founded in Chicago in 1924, Grant Thornton LLP (Grant Thornton) is the U.S. member firm of Grant Thornton International Ltd, one of the world's leading organizations of independent audit, tax and advisory firms. Grant Thornton, which has revenues of $1.92 billion and operates more than 50 offices, works with a broad range of dynamic publicly and privately held companies, government agencies, financial institutions, and civic and religious organizations.

About Rush Street

Based in Chicago, Illinois, Rush Street Capital provides debt and equity capital markets, mergers and acquisition, financial restructuring, and valuation services to world-class, industry-leading companies. With extensive investment and commercial banking experience, Rush Street has developed significant industry expertise, deep relationships, and a keen understanding of how to address a company's corporate finance and investment banking needs. Our clients include private equity firms, private business owners, and some of the largest corporations in the United States. (www.rushstreetcapital.com)

Contact:

Tyler Deur

Lambert & Co.

(616) 233-0500

[email protected]

SOURCE Blackford Capital

Related Links

https://www.blackfordcapital.com


Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  Over 54,000 private school students have benefited from the subsidy institutionalized under the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2.

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said on Tuesday that a total of 54,761 private school students who have unpaid tuition and miscellaneous fees each received a 5,000 grant under the Bayanihan 2 for Higher Education Tulong Program.

CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera III said around 300-million funds were released to 927 private schools to help the students continue their education amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHED thanks President Duterte, as well as the members of the Congress and the Senate, for listening to the plea of students during the COVID-19 pandemic and including an amelioration package for affected students, particularly in private universities and for helping our affected students continue their studies, De Vera said.

Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan 2 Act mandates the provision of subsidies and allowances to qualified public and private school students in elementary, secondary, and tertiary education whose families are facing financial difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations (COCOPEA) thanked CHED for ensuring the continuity of education despite the health crisis.

The timely government assistance to students in private higher education institutions (HEIs) through the Bayanihan 2 has complemented the efforts of the private higher education sector, particularly on innovation while also looking after the health and welfare of their students, said COCOPEA managing director Joseph Noel Estrada.

Public and private educational institutions in the country are implementing blended learning for the Academic Year 2020-21 due to the movement restrictions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are attending their classes through video conferencing apps and dedicated radio and television shows. Modules are also provided to the students to aid their learning.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 21:03:52|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- E-commerce has helped bump up the income of Chinese farmers, contributing to the country's efforts on rural vitalization, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said Wednesday.

In 2019, rural online retail sales neared 400 billion yuan (about 61.9 billion U.S. dollars), said ministry official Zeng Yande at a press conference.

"Quite a few farmers in China have turned to short videos or live streaming to sell their homegrown produce, and they managed to get high prices," Zeng said.

Conditions for rural e-commerce development, including communication facilities and logistics, have witnessed continued improvements in recent years, with 4G network coverage for 98 percent of villages in the country, according to the ministry.

More than 10 million people have engaged in entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas so far, serving as an important force supporting the development of the rural e-commerce sector.

Over the past three years, China has implemented its rural vitalization strategy. Farmers have seen continuous growth in their incomes and a narrowed income gap relative to urban residents.

The country detailed plans to fully promote the strategy of rural vitalization in the Chinese leadership's proposals for formulating the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for National Economic and Social Development and the Long-Range Objectives Through the Year 2035.

Under this development blueprint, China will push the development of industries with distinctive rural characteristics, cultivate new industries and modes of business, and encourage entrepreneurship and innovation in rural areas. Enditem
Maybe now is the time for New York Yankees fans to start to panic about free-agent second baseman DJ LeMahieu.

SNYs Andy Martino reports the Mets and LeMahiueu have mutual interest.

Btw, amid increased chatter about DJ LeMahieu and the Mets, it remains a tricky fit for the same reason that George Springer now does: After Lindor/Carrasco trade, Mets dont have $25 of luxury cap space. There is some mutual interest between Mets and LeMahieu. But theres a long way from that to a big contract. As reported the other day, the Mets do have salary-shedding deals they could make if they really want to execute another big signing.

Introducing Yankees Insider: Get exclusive news, behind-the-scenes observations and the ability to text message directly with beat writers

ESPNs Jeff Passan reported Tuesday that the Yankees are daring LeMahieu to leave.

On Monday, MLB Network Radio analyst and former MLB GM Jim Duquette said that right now, Toronto would be, in my opinion, a real threat to the Yankees re-signing LeMahieu.

Talks between the Yankees and LeMahieu are not making progress, MLB Networks Jon Heyman reported Monday, opening the door for the Los Angeles Dodgers as well.

Heymans reporting came one day after Yahoo Sports Tim Brown reported LeMahieu has become dismayed by the slow-play tactics of the Yankees, along with other clubs.

LeMahieu, who finished third in voting for the American League MVP Award, led the majors with a .364 batting average in 2020. That made him the first person in the modern era to win batting titles in both leagues. LeMahieu led the National League with a .348 batting average for the Colorado Rockies in 2016.

Get Yankees text messages: Cut through the clutter of social media and text during games with beat writers and columnists. Plus, exclusive news and analysis every day. Sign up now.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.
Business owners are being reminded they are required to work with WorkSafe inspectors carrying out site visits or they run the risk of facing enforcement action.

Manawatu dairy farmer Daniel Reuel Sproull has been fined $4000 after WorkSafe says he prevented inspectors from accessing his property, failed to attend or make alternative arrangements to complete a required interview at WorkSafes offices.

Sproull entered no plea to two charges under Section 176 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), a deemed not guilty plea was entered by the court at a pre-trial hearing.

Sproull was convicted on both charges and was sentenced earlier this week at the Palmerston North District Court.

WorkSafe Area Manager Danielle Henry says WorkSafe inspectors were meeting with farmers across the Palmerston North region to help educate and upskill them about hazardous substances in November 2018.

As part of this work inspectors visited Sproulls property on more than one occasion. However he would not allow inspectors onto the work site without proof of proper authority to do so. He was shown WorkSafe identification cards by inspectors but did not accept these as proof of their appointments and turned inspectors away.

He was then provided further confirmation of their appointments but still refused to assist them, or allow them onto his property. In one instance he blocked access to areas of his business, and he failed to attend a required interview.

During sentencing, the judge confirmed that he had found his behaviour to be deliberately obstructive.

This resulted in Sproull being ordered to pay a contribution to prosecutions legal costs totalling more than $4000, says a statement from WorkSafe.

Henry says under HSWA all reasonable assistance must be given to WorkSafe inspectors who are entering or inspecting a site.

There was no indication or belief at the time of the visit that Sproull was in breach of HSWA  our inspectors simply wanted to ensure Sproull knew how to keep workers safe when working with or storing hazardous substances.

Sproull unlawfully prevented the inspectors from carrying out their role leaving us no option but to prosecute.

Our education work is critical to lifting health and safety performance and deliberately obstructing our inspectors from carrying out their work at any time makes no sense at all.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) meets with Indonesian government's Coordinator for Cooperation with China Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, January 12, 2021. /Chinese Foreign Ministry

China is willing to strengthen medical and health cooperation with Indonesia and promote the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing and Muslim countries.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the remarks during a meeting with the Indonesian government's Coordinator for Cooperation with China Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Tuesday.

Wang said that he hoped the two sides can sign cooperation documents on the Belt and Road Initiative and Global Maritime Fulcrum at an early date and called for more efforts to promote big projects, such as the Jakarta-Bandung highspeed railway and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Corridor.

To inject strong impetus into the economic development of the two countries, Wang stressed cooperation in tourism, agriculture, vocational education and training, and digital economy.

China is willing to import more products from Indonesia and is positive about expanding the scale of bilateral currency swap, Wang added.

In terms of maritime cooperation, he stressed joint efforts in navigation safety, marine scientific research, maritime search and rescue, disaster prevention and mitigation, and environmental protection.

For his part, Luhut said that Indonesia is willing to work with China in these areas and welcomes China to expand investment in his country, adding that Indonesia is looking forward to Chinese electric vehicle companies coming to the country.

He also expressed hope that the two sides would launch a working group on bilateral trade as soon as possible, hold a meeting of the Maritime Cooperation Committee, promote the export of agricultural and fishery products to China, and deepen cooperation in the financial sector.

Prior to the talks, the two sides witnessed the signing of two memorandums of understanding on development of cybersecurity capacity building and technical cooperation, and regional economic and trade cooperation.
EgyptAir announced on Tuesday evening plans to operate a daily flight to the Qatari capital Doha, a day after Egypt lifted a three-and-half-year airspace ban on the Gulf country.

The national flagship carrier may operate a second flight to Doha if demand increases, according to an official statement by Roshday Zakri, the chairman and CEO of EGYPTAIR holding company.

The flight's operation date is due to be announced once the permits necessary for operation between both countries' civil aviation authorities are completed, the statement added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Head of Egypt's Civil Aviation Authority Ashraf Noweir announced the resumption of direct flights between Cairo and Doha.

In June 2020, the country's Emigration Minister Nabila Makram said there are roughly 70,000 Egyptian nationals in Qatar according to official records, but that the real number probably exceeds 300,000.

Last year, Egypt operated repatriation flights -- through Omans capital Muscat -- to bring home a number of nationals who were stranded in Qatar over the halt of the international flights due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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The Egyptian decision to lift the airspace ban on Qatar comes a week after Egypt signed the Al-Ula agreement for Arab reconciliation with Qatar, which ended a diplomatic and travel boycott by the Arab Quartet - Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain - on Doha.

The agreement was inked last week by the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) at their summit in Saudi Arabia, after intense Kuwaiti and US efforts to mend fences between the quartet and Doha.

The quartet cut diplomatic, economic and travel ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing Doha of interfering in their internal affairs and supporting terrorist groups, charges denied by Qatar.

Saudi Arabia had restored full ties with Qatar and reopened its airspace to Doha last Monday.

The United Arab Emirates reopened all its land, sea and air entry points with Qatar on Saturday.

Bahrain also reopened its airspace to Doha on Monday.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Shoukry stressed after the signing of the agreement the need to build on this step of reconciliation with Qatar to enhance joint Arab work and relations.



Shoukry said that these relations should be based on goodwill and non-interference in the Arab countries domestic affairs.

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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
China is using a combination of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 amid the latest resurgence of the virus in Beijing and provinces including Hebei, Liaoning and Heilongjiang.



The number of confirmed and asymptomatic infections of COVID-19 in north China's Hebei Province has continued to increase since the province reported a new locally transmitted confirmed case on Jan. 2. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, a total of 326 locally transmitted confirmed cases and 234 asymptomatic cases had been reported, vice governor of Hebei Xu Jianpei said Tuesday.

The provincial capital Shijiazhuang, where more than 300 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been found since the beginning of this year, launched the second round of citywide nucleic acid testing on Tuesday, said Meng Xianghong, vice mayor of the city.

The testing is expected to take only two days, Ma Yujun, acting mayor of the city, told a press conference. There will be sufficient professional staff for sampling, information input and maintaining order at every sampling site to ensure that work is carried out in an orderly and efficient manner.

On Jan. 8, a nucleic acid test laboratory named Huoyan, or Fire Eye, was built in only 10 hours and put into use in 21 hours in Shijiazhuang. It can test up to 1 million samples a day, significantly improving the city's testing capability.

"In the process of combating the epidemic, early and accurate detection is particularly important," said Du Yutao, board member of BGI Group, a Shenzhen-based biotech company which has established Huoyan labs in 16 cities across China and in 17 countries and regions across the world.

Du, together with an experienced working group sent by BGI Group, arrived in her hometown Shijiazhuang on Jan. 6.

"I don't know how to describe my feelings when I saw my hometown fall into silence," said Du. "But we have accumulated rich experience and improved testing capacity. I believe the city will surely succeed in fighting the epidemic."

Elsewhere in China, the northeastern cities of Dalian and Shenyang in Liaoning Province have also conducted several rounds of citywide nucleic acid tests following a resurgence of COVID-19 cases since December last year.

"Through large-scale testing, infections can be detected at the earliest," said Zhao Lian, deputy director of the Dalian municipal health commission.

"We're carrying out scientific and accurate disinfection of the public environment in the city, including disinfection of areas which have seen resurgence of the virus and preventive disinfection of other areas," said Liang Chunbo, director of the Dalian City Administration Bureau, adding that sanitation facilities such as garbage stations shall be sterilized at least three times a day.

"After scientific research and accurate prevention and control, the epidemic situation in Dalian is currently under control," said Zhao. As of Monday, no new confirmed cases were reported in the city for six consecutive days.

The province has decided to further extend the health observation period to 28 days for all inbound travelers from abroad. In addition to the current 14-day centralized medical quarantine and seven-day home observation, the new "14+7+7" model will enforce another week of health monitoring, during which the quarantined individual must regularly report body temperature to the local community.

Similarly, Beijing has also extended the COVID-19 observation period for inbound travelers to 21 days following sporadic locally-transmitted cases. The capital has further laid out requirements for COVID-19 prevention and control in public transport services, including taxis and road passenger transportation.

Meanwhile, China is administering domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines to specific groups with high infection risks, including medical workers, airport staff and people handling cold-chain imported products.

Over 1 million people in Beijing had received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of 11 a.m. Monday. The city is expected to complete administering the first dose of the jab among specific groups by Friday.

Activities at city parks and squares have been suspended in Hebei as part of the province's efforts to tame the latest outbreak.

Upon the implementation of stricter COVID-19 prevention and control measures, Shijiazhuang has taken a raft of measures to ensure supply of staple food, as well as heating, gas and water supply, as all residents of the city have been told to stay home for two weeks since Jan. 6.

Authorities said they have arranged 59 supermarkets and over 300 convenience stores in Shijiazhuang to directly supply over 2,000 residential complexes.

About 25,000 couriers are returning to work to supply daily necessities to stay-at-home residents in the city after a second round of nucleic acid tests among couriers.

"I actually feel proud to be on the front line, to deliver the daily supplies to residents," said Yang Donghai, a 33-year-old courier. "All clients thanked me on receiving their parcels, which is more important than anything else."
ATLANTA  The impeachment charge that House Democrats have filed against President Trump stems from his role in inciting a mob to attack the U.S. Capitol last week. But included in the resolution is another element of Mr. Trumps behavior that is also drawing condemnation as an abuse of presidential power: His pressure campaign to persuade Georgia officials to overturn his electoral loss in the state.

Before inspiring a throng of supporters to attack the Capitol, Mr. Trump had previously sought to subvert and obstruct the results of his failed re-election effort, a draft article of impeachment released Monday reads, citing in particular the presidents extraordinary intervention in Georgia.

Even if Democrats second effort to remove the president from office fails or fades, Mr. Trumps efforts to subvert the will of Georgias voters will continue to resonate, both for the president and for politicians in Georgia. State elections officials continue to face harassment and death threats. A number of Georgia Republicans are now blaming Mr. Trumps baseless accusations of election fraud for the losses by the states two Republican senators this month.

And in Atlanta, the Fulton County district attorney is weighing whether to start a criminal investigation into Mr. Trump for a phone call to Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, in which the president exhorted him to find the votes that would deliver Mr. Trump victory.
MOSCOW: Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said on Wednesday he would fly back to Russia on Jan. 17 from Germany where he has been convalescing after being poisoned.

Navalny, one of President Vladimir Putins leading critics, was airlifted to Germany for treatment in August after collapsing on a plane in what Germany and other Western nations say was an attempt to murder him with a Novichok nerve agent.

Russian authorities deny any involvement in the incident.

Navalny wrote on Instagram that he had probably almost fully recovered his health now and said it was time to return to Russia despite various legal threats hanging over him.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
A five-year-old girl allegedly murdered by her parents sustained "absolutely appalling" injuries, a court heard yesterday.

Prosecutors stressed the severity of Nadia Kalinowska's head and abdominal injuries as her mother and stepfather were both refused bail.

The child died at the family's Fernagh Drive home in Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, in December 2019.

Aleksandra Wahab (26) and her 32-year-old husband Abdul Wahab are jointly charged with her murder. They also face further counts of causing or allowing Nadia's death, and grievous bodily harm with intent over a year-long period.

The couple, from Poland and Pakistan respectively, deny all allegations against them, insisting she sustained the fatal injuries falling down stairs in the middle of the night.

With the two defendants having now spent more than a year in custody, they sought release based on delays in the case.

Belfast Magistrates Court was told that a final post-mortem report is now expected at the end of this month.

But defence barristers expressed doubt that it will be ready by that stage due to ongoing Covid-19 pressures.

Gavyn Cairns, representing Aleksandra Wahab, asked: "Has there ever been a case in Northern Irish legal history where, 13 months from the date of charge, the prosecution are still absent of a post-mortem report in a murder case?"

During his client's time in custody she gave birth to a third child, which was then taken into care. Mr Cairns contended it was "fanciful, if not bordering on the ridiculous" to suggest she may flee.

Counsel for her co-accused husband described the case against the couple as "flimsy" and claimed insufficient attention has been given to the possibility they are innocent.

However, Crown lawyer Fiona O'Kane said five consultant forensic pathologists have backed the opinion of the prosecution's medical expert that the accused's accounts were unlikely to be accurate, she told the court.

With Nadia said to have had multiple fractures, Mrs O'Kane stressed: "The injuries that this deceased child sustained are absolutely appalling.

"The amount of injuries she sustained, pre-existing injuries prior to the death injuries, are extensive. We know what the cause of death was, it was an appalling head injury and an appalling abdominal injury."

Bail was denied with both defendants remanded in custody to appear again in four weeks time.
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New Delhi: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday (January 13) said that the AAP government will provide coronavirus vaccine free to the people of Delhi if the Central government fails to do so. Arvind Kejriwal told reporters that he has already appealed to the Centre for ensuring free vaccination in the country since there are many people who may not afford the life-saving shot.

The Delhi CM said, "We will see what the Centre does. If need be and the Centre does not provide the vaccine free of cost, we will make it available free of cost for the people of Delhi."

He further said, "I understand that the Centre and our scientists have brought the vaccine following all the protocols and safeguards. So, there should not be any doubt and people should come forward for vaccination."

The Chief Minister said the coronavirus vaccine will be given first to healthcare and frontline workers, and he expressed hope it will provide relief to the people from the virus and the pain they suffered over the last one year.

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The first batch of Covishield vaccine containing 2.64 lakh doses reached Delhi's central storage facility at Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital (RGSSH) on Tuesday amid high security. The vaccination drive will begin in Delhi from Saturday at 89 centres.

Special Commissioner of Police (Operations and Licensing) Muktesh Chander told PTI that the security force ensured smooth transportation of vaccines from the airport to RGSSH where adequate police arrangements have been made. "When the vaccines will be distributed, we will ensure adequate security arrangements. They will be escorted smoothly and necessary security arrangements will be made at the 89 vaccination centres in Delhi," Chander said.

From RGSSH, the vaccine will be transported in a special vehicle under heavy security to the vaccination centres. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Sadarjung Hospital, LNJP Hospital, GTB Hospital, Apollo Hospitals and Max Hospital will be among the vaccination centres in the national capital.

Notably, a SpiceJet flight carrying the vials landed at the Delhi airport around 10 am on Tuesday, four days ahead of the launch of a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination roll-out exercise.

Meanwhile, the Serum Institute of India (SII) has dispatched over 90 per cent of the COVID-19 vaccine, Covishield, order by the Government of India. Official sources confirmed to ANI that about 10.99 million doses have been already dispatched from SII facility in Pune and only around 90,000 doses are left to be dispatched.

Sources have also confirmed that the remaining volume of the vaccines will be dispatched either on Wednesday or Thursday from the SII facility. The Government of India had placed an order for 11 million doses from the SII earlier at a price of Rs 200 per dose (only for first 11 million doses).

Dispatch of the vaccines started on Tuesday from the SII facility in Pune and was taken to almost 13 locations with nine different flights from Pune International Airport.

(With Agency Inputs)
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Olive Hall before a meeting at the Foreign Ministry office in Beijing on Feb. 11, 2015. (Andy Wong - Pool/Getty Images)

Senate Committee Schedules Confirmation Hearing for Bidens Secretary of State Nominee

The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations scheduled a hearing for Jan. 19 for the confirmation of Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Bidens nominee for secretary of state. The hearing will take place one day prior to the inauguration on Jan. 20.

Blinken served as the Democratic staff director for the committee from 2002 to 2008. From 2009 to 2013, he served in the Obama administration as the deputy assistant to the president and national security adviser to the vice president.

The first hearing in the confirmation process usually consists of introductions from people who know the nominee, a statement from Blinken himself, and remarks from committee members.

Once the confirmation process advances to the questioning phase, Blinken is likely to face inquiries about his role with WestExec, an advisory firm he founded after his tenure in the Obama administration.

WestExec recently deleted a portion of its website that advertised the companys work in helping American universities solicit donations from China without compromising their Department of Defense research grants.

One of the deleted sentences stated, WestExec can advise on strategies to screen foreign research partners and donors, reduce risk associated with operations in China and  navigate these issues with the Defense Department.

Avril Haines, Bidens nominee for director of national intelligence, also worked for WestExec.

A spokeswoman for WestExec told the Washington Free Beacon that the firm previously offered a service targeted to U.S. research universities to help them avoid inadvertently becoming involved with the Chinese government.

The firm still lists managing China-related risk in an era of strategic competition as one of the services it provides.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea, on April 19, 2016. (Lee Jin-man/AP Photo)

WestExec said it helped a major U.S. manufacturing firm to continue to provide capability to and remain a trusted partner of the [U.S. government] while pursuing commercial activities in China. The firm said it advised on a communications strategy for engagements with U.S. national security officials.

In 2017, the year he co-founded WestExec, Blinken wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled Trump Is Ceding Global Leadership to China. The editorial glorified Xi Jinping and derided President Donald Trump.

While Mr. Trump is obsessed with building walls, Mr. Xi is busy building bridges, Blinken wrote.

WestExec hasnt disclosed its clients to the Senate, and at least one senator has indicated that may become a roadblock for the confirmations of Blinken and Haines.

The Senate is not obligated to confirm anyone who hides this information, Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) wrote on Twitter on Nov. 29, 2020.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) wrote on Twitter on Nov. 30, 2020, America will not be stronger or safer if its foreign policy & national security agencies are led by people who just finished getting paid to help American companies do business with the Communist Party of China.

Democrats will likely control the Senate by the time a confirmation vote is held. Currently, Vice President Mike Pence holds the tiebreaking vote with Democrats and Republicans splitting the Senate seats 5050.

Three Republican senators sought documents on Blinken in 2019 in connection to Hunter Bidens work for Ukrainian gas giant Burisma. Hunter Biden, Joe Bidens son, held a paid position on the board of Burisma when his father served as the vice president and the Obama administrations point man on Ukraine.

Not long after joining the board of Burisma in 2015, Hunter Biden contacted Blinken for advice on a couple of things, according to the senators. Blinken replied absolutely, but the meeting appears not to have taken place as scheduled, according to emails obtained by Fox News.

On Feb. 4, 2016, Ukraines top prosecutor seized the assets of Burisma owner Mykola Zlochevsky. On the same day, Hunter Biden followed Blinken on Twitter. The action may have been a signal that Blinken and Biden got in contact with each other, according to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), one of the three senators who requested documents on Blinken in 2019.

Joe Biden has bragged publicly about forcing the ouster of Ukraines top prosecutor by threatening to withhold $1 billion in loan guarantees from the struggling nation. The prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, has said in a sworn affidavit that he was fired after refusing to drop the Burisma investigation.
Gardai expect to make a number of new arrests, including of suspects who are currently serving jail sentences, in the coming months in relation to the murder of a teenager whose dismembered body parts were found this week last year.

The development comes as it has emerged that a suspect in the gruesome murder of the youth has recently relocated to the capitals north inner city from his Drogheda home which has been attacked by rivals.

The home of the man who was badly damaged in a petrol bomb attack when he was arrested by officers probing the shocking murder.

Two men have already been charged in connection with the murder of the 17-year-old who cannot be currently named for legal reasons.

There will be more arrests in this investigation and the expectation is that suspects will be brought out of prison. This remains a massive investigation and more charges are expected, a senior source said.

The chief suspect in the case was notorious north Dublin gangster Robbie Lawlor who was shot dead last April in Belfast.

Meanwhile senior sources say that gardai continue to closely monitor the activities of criminals involved in the deadly Drogheda feud which has claimed four lives with officers having major success against the feuding mobs over the past year.

Officers received intelligence that a 22-year-old criminal who is a key player in the so-called Anti-Maguire faction in the feud was due to fly home from his Mexican hideaway over the Christmas period but he never arrived back into the country.

An alert was put in place but there was no sighting of him. He was probably best advised as he would be arrested on sight as there are outstanding warrants out for him, the source said.

He fled Ireland with his 25-year-old gang boss brother almost a year ago in the chaotic aftermath of the brutal murder of the teenager but neither man is a suspect in that case.

They are mortal enemies of the gang led by paralyzed mob boss Owen Maguire who was left with life altering injuries after being shot multiple times by Robbie Lawlor in 2018.

Since last Januarys murder gardai have continued with a major clampdown on the feuding gangs with 1.2 million worth of drugs and 1.5 million in cash seized in Co Louth in the past year with 200 people being arrested for drug dealing.

In Drogheda alone, 95 drug dealing suspects were arrested and over 500,000 worth of drugs were seized in the Co Louth town under Operation Stratus.

Gardai keep on plugging away at these gangs and seizures are being made every week, the senior source.

It is not always seizures that get national headlines but they are often very significant on a local level. For example in the most recent surveillance operation, 2,500 in cash was seized at a house in Dunleer on Tuesday and this would be typical of what is constantly going on.

Every day gardai are attempting to chip away at the gangs  out of the 95 drug dealing arrests in Drogheda the past year it seems pretty much an arrest ratio of 50/50 between both factions, the source added.
Earth to reach temperature tipping point in next 20 to 30 years, new NAU study finds

Earth's ability to absorb nearly a third of human-caused carbon emissions through plants could be halved within the next two decades at the current rate of warming, according to a new study in Science Advances by researchers at Northern Arizona University, the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Using more than two decades of data from measurement towers in every major biome across the globe, the team identified a critical temperature tipping point beyond which plants' ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon--a cumulative effect referred to as the "land carbon sink"--decreases as temperatures continue to rise.

The terrestrial biosphere--the activity of land plants and soil microbes--does much of Earth's "breathing," exchanging carbon dioxide and oxygen. Ecosystems across the globe pull in carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and release it back to the atmosphere via the respiration of microbes and plants. Over the past few decades, the biosphere has generally taken in more carbon than it has released, mitigating climate change.

But as record-breaking temperatures continue to spread across the globe, this may not continue; the NAU, Woodwell Climate and Waikato researchers have detected a temperature threshold beyond which plant carbon uptake slows and carbon release accelerates.

Lead author Katharyn Duffy, a postdoctoral researcher at NAU, noticed sharp declines in photosynthesis above this temperature threshold in nearly every biome across the globe, even after removing other effects such as water and sunlight.

"The Earth has a steadily growing fever, and much like the human body, we know every biological process has a range of temperatures at which it performs optimally, and ones above which function deteriorates," Duffy said. "So, we wanted to ask, how much can plants withstand?"

This study is the first to detect a temperature threshold for photosynthesis from observational data at a global scale. While temperature thresholds for photosynthesis and respiration have been studied in the lab, the Fluxnet data provide a window into what ecosystems across Earth are actually experiencing and how they are responding.

"We know that the temperature optima for humans lie around 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit), but we in the scientific community didn't know what those optima were for the terrestrial biosphere," Duffy said.

She teamed up with researchers at Woodwell Climate and the University of Waikato who recently developed a new approach to answer that question: MacroMolecular Rate Theory (MMRT). With its basis in the principles of thermodynamics, MMRT allowed the researchers to generate temperature curves for every major biome and the globe.

The results were alarming.

The researchers found that temperature "peaks" for carbon uptake--18 degrees C for the more widespread C3 plants and 28 degrees C for C4 plants--are already being exceeded in nature, but saw no temperature check on respiration. This means that in many biomes, continued warming will cause photosynthesis to decline while respiration rates rise exponentially, tipping the balance of ecosystems from carbon sink to carbon source and accelerating climate change.

"Different types of plants vary in the details of their temperature responses, but all show declines in photosynthesis when it gets too warm," said NAU co-author George Koch.

Right now, less than 10 percent of the terrestrial biosphere experiences temperatures beyond this photosynthetic maximum. But at the current rate of emissions, up to half the terrestrial biosphere could experience temperatures beyond that productivity threshold by mid-century--and some of the most carbon-rich biomes in the world, including tropical rainforests in the Amazon and Southeast Asia and the Taiga in Russia and Canada, will be among the first to hit that tipping point.

"The most striking thing our analysis showed is that the temperature optima for photosynthesis in all ecosystems were so low," said Vic Arcus, a biologist at the University of Waikato and co-author of the study. "Combined with the increased rate of ecosystem respiration across the temperatures we observed, our findings suggest that any temperature increase above 18 degrees C is potentially detrimental to the terrestrial carbon sink. Without curbing warming to remain at or below the levels established in the Paris Climate Accord, the land carbon sink will not continue to offset our emissions and buy us time."

###

Funding for this research was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (grant NNX12AK12G), National Science Foundation (NSF) East-Asia Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship (1614404), the Royal Society of New Zealand Foreign Partnership Programme (EAP- UOW1601) and the New Zealand Marsden Fund (grant 16-UOW-027). This work used eddy covariance data acquired and shared by the FLUXNET community, including AmeriFlux, AfriFlux, AsiaFlux, CarboAfrica, CarboEuropeIP, CarboItaly, CarboMont, ChinaFlux, Fluxnet-Canada, GreenGrass, ICOS, KoFlux, LBA, NECC, OzFlux-TERN, TCOS-Siberia and USCCC networks.

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
This post appears here courtesy of the Carolina Journal . The author of this post is Mitch Kokai The N.C. Supreme Court opened the door in 2018 to a potential seismic shift in state government power. Now the same court has closed that door  at least partially.One justice is responsible for writing majority opinions that point toward two different paths in an ongoing fight. The battle pits the governor against the legislature. It involves the separation of powers.The same justice, Sam Ervin IV, is likely to play a key role as that fight plays out over the next two years.Before delving into Ervin's potential impact, it's important to note that conflicts among the various branches of government are as old as the concept of separation of powers itself. Fans of the Federalist Papers might recall James Madison devoting portions of Federalist No. 47 to Montesquieu's musings on the subject. By the time of Madison's citation in 1788, the Frenchman's writing was already four decades old.So there's plenty of history of intergovernmental power struggles. North Carolina has seen its share of fights between the executive and legislative branches. Both sides have disputed the proper role each should play in determining state government policy.The current governor, Democrat Roy Cooper, and Republican lawmakers such as Sen. Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, have added their own chapters to the story in recent years. Multiple lawsuits dubbed Cooper v. Berger have thrust the conflict into the state's courts.Here's where Ervin enters the story.In January 2018, he wrote the majority opinion in a split 4-3 ruling in one Cooper v. Berger dispute. This one focused on whether the General Assembly could write a new law reconstituting the state elections board.Lawmakers hoped to replace a system that had guaranteed the governor's political party three seats on a five-member board. Under the new law, an expanded board would feature four members each from the two major parties.Cooper objected. When the case reached the state's highest court, Ervin and three other Democratic justices sided with the Democratic governor. The three Republican justices all dissented.Ervin wrote of the new elections board.by the state constitution.Ervin's opinion prompted a strong rebuke from dissenting Republican Justice Paul Newby.Such a "novel" and "sweeping" new power could have opened the door to many more legal victories for the governor over the General Assembly over the next three years. That hasn't happened.Near the end of 2018, a unanimous state Supreme Court ruled against Cooper in another fight with legislators. The court affirmed the General Assembly's confirmation power over appointments to the governor's Cabinet. Nor did Cooper win his battle to keep political party labels out of judicial elections.Just last month, the governor faced his latest legal defeat at the state's highest court. Justices ruled, 6-1, that Cooper could not dictate the way state government would spend federal block grant funds.The author of the majority opinion in that case? Ervin.Nearly three years after being accused of creating a new constitutional power for the governorErvin spelled out why he and five colleagues  including Newby  rejected Cooper's argument that the governor alone could determine how to spend millions of dollars in federal aid.Ervin wrote.Unlike the 2018 Cooper v. Berger ruling, the December 2020 case did not split Supreme Court justices along party lines. Ervin and four other Democratic justices joined Newby in ruling in favor of the legislature. Only Democratic Justice Anita Earls sided with the governor.With Newby installed now as chief justice, and two new Republicans on the state's highest court, Democrats still outnumber Republicans, 4-3. It will be interesting to see whether party labels play a significant role in future fights over powers and duties of the executive and legislative branches.However those battles turn out, we should expect to see a major contribution from the author of two major Cooper v. Berger rulings: Justice Sam Ervin IV.

POTTSVILLE  Schuylkill Countys mental health program has almost $144,000 more to spend on its services, as the commissioners last week approved an increase in the agencys budget.

However, the increase in the Mental Health & Developmental Services Agencys budget will not cost county taxpayers anything, as the money is coming from the state and federal governments.

The commissioners approved $143,949 the agency will receive. County Administrator Gary R. Bender said the supplemental budget appropriation is needed for bookkeeping purposes.

When additional moneys come in, you cant just put them in the budget without a supplemental budget appropriation, he said.

Bender said the additional money includes a $120,611 grant from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for violence prevention and a $23,338 grant of federal money funneled through the state Department of Human Services to boost other agency programs.

The commissioners also approved an additional appropriation of $16,470 to improve security at the Human Services Building.

Also on Wednesday, the commissioners approved the following budget adjustments for 2020.

 911 Center, $24,000.

 Administration, $75,350.

 Children & Youth, $1,930.

 Clerk of Courts, $70.

 Coroners Office, $29,509.

 Election Bureau, $8,238.

 Human Services, $35.

Magisterial District Judges, $200.

 Maintenance, $490.

 Prison, $13,707.

 Public Defenders Office, $350.

 Sheriffs Office, $15,493.

 Tax Assessment, $2,500.

Tax Claim Bureau, $9,000.

Financial Analyst 1 Christopher Kerns said part of the money going to the coroners office came from the county contingency fund. Otherwise, all of the adjustments involve moving money from one line item to another without any increase in spending, he said.

They had significantly more autopsies than expected due to the countywide drug problem, Kerns said.

In other business, the commissioners:

 Awarded a contact to AMC Enterprise for a Community Development Block Grant demolition project at 527-529 Arlington St., Shenandoah. Bender said the building is a single house.

 Delegated authority to Bender, Kerns and Director of Finance Paul E. Buber to approve contracts for county business involving amounts below the bid limit and telephone quote thresholds of $21,300 and $11,500, respectively.

These thresholds are set by the County Code, Bender said.

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 key equity indices sharply pared gains in mid-morning trade. At 11:26 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex, was down 28.06 points or 0.06% to 49,489.05. The Nifty 50 index added 13.90 points or 0.10% to 14,577.35.

Investors monitored the developments on the US political front as the US House of Representatives is expected to vote on an impeachment motion against President Trump today.

In the broader market, the S&P BSE Mid-Cap index shed 0.10% while the S&P BSE Small-Cap index rose 0.12%.

The market breadth was almost even. On the BSE, 1398 shares rose and 1379 shares fell. A total of 159 shares were unchanged.

Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) bought shares worth Rs 571.47 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs), were net sellers to the tune of Rs 1,334.50 crore in the Indian equity market on 12 January, provisional data showed.

COVID-19 update:

Total COVID-19 confirmed cases worldwide stood at 91,577,327 with 1,962,017 deaths. India reported 214,507 active cases of COVID-19 infection and 151,529 deaths, according to the data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

Buzzing Index:

The Nifty FMCG index rose 0.69% to 34,726.35. The index lost 0.56% in the previous session.

ITC (up 2.06%), United Breweries (up 1.29%), Godrej Consumer (up 1.04%), Nestle India (up 0.67%), United Spirits (up 0.64%) and Hindustan Unilever (up 0.52%) advanced.

Jubilant Foodworks (down 1.22%), Varun Beverages (down 0.66%) and Britannia Industries (down 0.33%) declined.

Stocks in Spotlight:

Adani Green Energy tumbled 1.85% to Rs 908.08. The counter clocked a volume of 193.23 lakh shares, a 247.73 fold spurt over two-week average daily volume of 0.78 lakh shares.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) rose 0.39% to Rs 1355 after the company said its construction arm secured 'significant' orders for its various businesses. As per L&T's classification, the valuation of the 'significant' contract lies between Rs 1000 crore to Rs 2500 crore.

Bharti Airtel added 3.79% to Rs 587.20. The telecom operator said that it has received approvals for its relevant downstream investments and it is initiating process to revise its foreign investment limit to 100% with an immediate effect.

Global Markets:

Asian stocks were trading higher on Wednesday morning trade as investors watch for developments on the coronavirus front.

The Japanese government is set to expand the state of emergency to more areas on Wednesday, as per reports. That comes after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga recently declared a state of emergency in Tokyo and three other areas in a bid to stem a rise in coronavirus infections.

Meanwhile, local Chinese authorities in regions near Beijing are reportedly stepping up restrictions on social activity following a rise in new coronavirus cases.

In US, stocks closed along the flatline on Tuesday as traders weighed higher rates, possible stimulus and political turmoil.

Investors will watch for developments from Washington, with the U.S. House set to push ahead with efforts to remove President Donald Trump from office over his role in sparking last week's deadly attack on the Capitol. U.S.

As per reports, Vice President Mike Pence told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday that he does not support invoking the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump.

Pence's letter came as the House is preparing to vote on a resolution calling on Pence to "convene and mobilize" Trump's cabinet to remove the president from power, using the powers granted by the amendment, the reports added.

House Democrats reportedly are moving forward with efforts to remove Trump from office following last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol, which they charge he incited. An impeachment vote is reportedly expected on Wednesday.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Kerri-Anne Kennerly has been replaced by an understudy in the stage musical Pippin, after the TV host broke her collarbone midway through a performance at the end of last year.

The 67-year-old was singing No Time At All on a trapeze at Sydney's Lyric Theatre when she fell on December 30.

She was rushed to St Vincents Hospital and has been left unable to perform because of her injuries. She will undergo surgery on Thursday.

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Replaced: Kerri-Anne Kennerly has been replaced by an understudy in the stage musical Pippin, after the TV host broke her collarbone midway through a performance at the end of last year

Cast dance captain Angelique Cassimatis has replaced the former Studio 10 host as Berthe, and will continue her role for the remainder of the production, until January 24.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph's Confidential, Angelique recalled Kerri-Anne's terrifying fall and said she sprung into action as her 'cover' the moment she saw it happen from front of house.

'Obviously I am her (Kennerley's) cover so I went and assumed that she would be going straight to hospital, which she did, so I prepped, got ready and was back on stage as soon as they needed me,' she explained.

Angelique added that producers have since made a few changes to the performance to ensure safety onstage, including reducing the height of the trapeze about 20cm.

Who's her replacement? Cast dance captain Angelique Cassimatis (left) has replaced the former Studio 10 host as Berthe, and will continue her role for the remainder of the production, until January 24. Pictured with co-star Simon Burke, who plays Charlemagne in Pippin

'We have just lowered it slightly and we have a couple more people spotting around,' she told the publication.

'And there's a few tweaks to the very end of the routine so that there is no way anything could happen again ever.'

Kerri-Anne reunited with the cast and crew of Pippin on Monday.

How it happened: Kerri-Anne was singing No Time At All on a trapeze at Sydney's Lyric Theatre when she fell on December 30

Poor KAK! Footage obtained by Daily Mail Australia showed the shocking moment the former Studio 10 host dropped to the floor as the audience gasped in horror. An X-ray also showed the full extent of her injuries, which left her in a 'significant amount of pain'

She shared pictures of the reunion to Instagram, where she smiled ear-to-ear as she posed with her team and had her arm in a sling.

'It was so nice to see my @pippinaustralia family,' Kerri-Anne captioned the post.

'They have been so supportive and I miss performing with them and being a part of the show.'

Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, was found dead at his home in Alpharetta

His wife called 911 Saturday, telling authorities there was 'blood everywhere'

Georgia's body was found in the basement; the cause of death was suicide

Officers also removed two semi-automatic SKS rifles from Georgias home

He worked as a regional portfolio manager at BB&T bank, online records show

He was a 'man who loved his family and his daughters dearly', one friend said

Georgia had been charged with attempting to enter certain property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will [of police]

He was out in violation of a 6pm curfew and arrested after refusing to leave

Unlawful entry is a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum penalty of up to 180 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000

Do you know Christopher? Email lauren.fruen@mailonline.com

Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, shot himself dead at his home in Alpharetta on Saturday morning

The Georgia banker who killed himself after being arrested at the violent Capitol Hill siege in Washington DC last week has been described by one friend as a 'dedicated family man'.

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Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, shot himself dead at his home in Alpharetta on Saturday morning. The father-of-two was found with a gunshot wound to the chest and died by suicide, The Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed Tuesday.

High school friend Ashley Gunnin told DailyMail.com Wednesday: 'I am deeply saddened by his death. I hope he can be remembered as the man who loved his family and his daughters dearly.

'The Chris I knew was nothing like what we have been watching out of DC on tv for a week. Nothing. He loved his family and daughters.'

Georgia worked as a regional portfolio manager at BB&T bank, online records show. DailyMail.com has reached out to the company for comment.

Documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com Tuesday had shown Georgia's wife called 911 on Saturday morning, telling authorities there was 'blood everywhere'. His body was found in the basement of the home they share.

Family members on the scene were described by police as 'extremely distressed' in a police report. Officers also removed two semi-automatic SKS rifles from Georgias home, the report added.

According to documents from the Superior Court of DC, Georgia had been charged with attempting to enter certain property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will of the United States Capitol Police.

Georgia has been described friends as a 'dedicated family man who loved his daughters'

Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, was found dead at his home, pictured, in Alpharetta

Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, had been charged with attempting to enter certain property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will of the United States Capitol Police'. Pro-Trump supporters are pictured storming the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday

At around 7:15pm last Wednesday, on the night of the riots, Georgia was reportedly among a group outside in violation of the Districts 6pm curfew that had been put in place earlier that day to stem the chaos wreaked by the pro-Trump mob.

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When officers gave the group several warnings to disperse, Georgia and his group reportedly refused, according to the documents. They were then placed under arrest as a result.

Unlawful entry is a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum penalty of up to 180 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000.

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The attack on the US Capitol Wednesday happened as members of Congress met to certify Joe Bidens Electoral College victory.

So far, at least 82 people have been arrested and more than 55 have been charged over the insurrection. Hundreds more are being hunted by the authorities but are yet to be found, including 25 people who are being investigated on terrorism charges.

Others from Georgia arrested so far following the riots are Cleveland Meredith, Grant McHoyt Moore, of Buford, and Eric Munchel, of Dunwoody who is known on social media as zip tie guy.

So far, at least 82 people have been arrested and more than 55 have been charged over the insurrection, with dozens more being sought after

Rioter Ashli Babbit was shot dead after attempting to climb through a shattered window of a barricaded door

Cleveland Meredith

Eric Munchel

Five people also died. One protester, Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead as she attempted to climb through a shattered window of a barricaded door near to the chamber. Three protesters died from medical emergencies and one officer, Brian Sicknick, died 'from injuries sustained' while responding to the attack.

One USCPD officer, Brian Sicknick, died 'from injuries sustained' while responding to the attack

Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during a struggle, two law enforcement officials said.

A second member of the Capitol Police, Howard Liebengood, was on duty on Wednesday and died by suicide on Saturday.

Two US Capitol Police officer spoke out yesterday about being subjected to vile racial abuse from members of the MAGA mob as they worked to protect the legislature.

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One officer, a veteran of the department, said he was called the N-word upwards of 15 times, while another described being beaten by insurgents, some of whom were wielding Blue Lives Matter flags.

Both of the officers said they encountered out law enforcement officials in the mob, who had flown from all over the country to join in with the rioting.

[One guy] pulled out his badge and he said, Were doing this for you. Another guy had his badge. So I was like, Well, you gotta be kidding, one of the officers said.

Police department across the country  including in Texas, Washington State, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and California  have opened investigations into whether any of their own officers took part in the Capitol siege. So far, several officers and at least one police chief are facing potential termination or suspension.
Opposition parties have criticised the Government over its handling of the apology to survivors of mother and baby homes.

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald said hopes that the report would bring truth and accountability were dashed for many victims and many were instead left deflated and angry.

There was still a slight hope it would bring hope and real accountability, but for many that hope was dashed, she told the Dail.

Many are deflated and angry by what they read in the report.

Ms McDonald added: The overarching attempt to shift responsibility from State and church has left them shocked and outraged.

They are furious that barriers to accessing information are placed in their way by the State.

The circulating of wagons only adds to their trauma and exacerbates the failures of the State.

Ms McDonald added it was plainly untrue to suggest the whole of Irish society was responsible.

That is a distortion of history, she said.

Any idea we did this to ourselves is deeply insulting to survivors and is a cop-out.

The death rate was multiple of the infant mortality rate in Ireland at that time.

While acknowledging the Taoiseachs apology to victims on behalf of the State, she said it was not true to say what was witnessed was simply a failure of empathy and compassion in Irish society.

More profoundly it was an abuse of power, she said. It was the ultimate abuse of authority. It was a brutality inflicted on women and girls and on the poor in particular.

Ms McDonald added that the value of any sincere apology was always found in the actions that followed.

She called on the Government to ensure survivors received full redress and compensation as well as access to information, adding that the Governments commitment to establish a national archive of institutional, adoption and other care-related records must be fully realised.

The Dublin Central TD also said it was crucially important that provision was made for excavation of sites at former homes where she said families know their relatives were buried.

She described the legacy of the mother and baby homes as one of shameful crimes by the State, by the churches and other institutions.

For the tens of thousands of women robbed of their futures, for the children robbed of their childhoods, to those who died behind those high walls and iron gates in unmarked graves, for those who made it out and survived to tell the harrowing tale, let today though imperfect, and unfinished, be the start of the final length of that long road to justice. she said.

This is not over.

She said Ireland owed the greatest debt to historian Catherine Corless.

Labour leader Alan Kelly also paid tribute to Mrs Corless for her tireless work, describing her as a hero to this nation.

Mr Kelly said the Dail should introduce legislation to secure assets from religious institutions if they do not contribute to the States redress scheme.

We need to ensure that this time around that those institutions make their contribution in relation to the redress for all of the families and women affected, he said.

If they do not make the contribution we will pass legislation, I will draft it myself, to ensure we can take their assets to ensure they make their contribution.

Mr Kelly also said the Governments deadline of the end of the year for the introduction of tracing legislation to give survivors access to information needed to be revised.

I am concerned, he said. We cannot wait until the end of the year for this legislation. Weve bailed out banks, weve brought in Covid legislation. Lets prioritise it in the coming weeks. Well all work with you to ensure its brought through as quickly as possible.

The Tipperary TD also said he supported a call from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties for a separate investigation to examine the system of secret adoption and family separation to add to our knowledge about this shameful history.

He described the treatment of the women and children as horrendous.

When this State was founded, there were warnings about the level of mortality in these institutions and nothing was done. A blind eye was thrown, he added.

It continued for another 60 years. Politically, we are all at fault.

Women and children, their families, have no blame at all.

The institutions, the Catholic church, have a lot to answer for and we must look at our relationship between the State and the religious institutions.

Mr Kelly said that society went along with what happened, which he described as our collective shame.

He added that he hoped the Commission of Investigations report would belatedly put some of the truth on the record.
Amaravati, Jan 13 : Giving a political twist to 'Sankranti' festivities, TDP chief Nara Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday burned copies of some Andhra Pradesh government orders in a 'Bhogi' bonfire.

"Naidu participated in 'Bhogi' event at Paritala in Krishna district. He joined the locals who burned draconian, anti-people, and anti-farmers orders issued by the Jagan Mohan Reddy government," said a Telugu Desam Party statement.

The customary event to burn old wood on 'Bhogi', which symbolises burning of the old and ringing in the new, was shared on the social media in the early hours of Wednesday.

A large number of TDP activists were in attendance at the event as Naidu was welcomed by some priests. Joining TDP supporters, Naidu also tossed order copies into the fire.

The TDP supremo later alleged that people could not celebrate Sankranti, the biggest Hindu festival in Telugu culture, last year because of the news about trifurcation of state capital.

Image Source: IANS News

"After a series of cyclones, heavy rains and floods, farmers suffered losses but the government did not rescue them, taking the sheen off Sankranti celebrations this time also," claimed Naidu.

The former Chief Minister alleged that the festivities suffered this fate for two years as the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) was in power.

"As rulers do not have the resolve that people should be happy, these kinds of things are happening. I wish prosperity to farmers this year and extend my Bhogi greetings," he added.

-- Syndicated from IANS
In this Dec. 22, 2020, file photo, registered nurses Robin Gooding, left, and Johanna Ortiz treat a COVID-19 patient at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in the Mission Hills section of Los Angeles. Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. hit another one-day high on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, at over 4,300 with the country's attention focused largely on the fallout from the deadly uprising at the Capitol. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Coronavirus deaths in the U.S. hit another one-day high at over 4,300 with the country's attention focused largely on the fallout from the deadly uprising at the Capitol.

The nation's overall death toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II, or about 407,000. Confirmed infections have topped 22.8 million.

With the country simultaneously facing a political crisis and on edge over threats of more violence from far-right extremists, the U.S. recorded 4,327 deaths on Tuesday by Johns Hopkins' count. Arizona and California have been among the hardest-hit states.

The daily figure is subject to revision, but deaths have been rising sharply over the past 2 1/2 months, and the country is now in the most lethal phase of the outbreak yet, even as the vaccine is being rolled out. New cases are running at nearly a quarter-million per day on average.

More than 9.3 million Americans have received their first shot of the vaccine, or less than 3% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is well short of the hundreds of millions who experts say will need to be inoculated to vanquish the outbreak.

Several tents are set up so people who have registered can get their COVID-19 vaccinations as they drive-thru the parking lot of the State Farm Stadium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Glendale, Ariz. The Arizona Cardinals' stadium opened as a vaccination site Monday that will be a 24-7 operation. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Residents Ken Fishman, 81, left, and Esther Wallach, 82, hold hands as they wait in line for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the The Palace assisted living facility, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Resident Gail Nanning, 83, receives the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the The Palace assisted living facility, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Residents wait to be cleared after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the The Palace assisted living facility, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Coral Gables, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

James Lennox, IT technical support specialist for the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind gets the COVID-19 vaccine at the Davis County Legacy Center Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Farmington, Utah. Utah began vaccinating teachers and school staff across the state. They are aiming to have all teachers and school staff vaccinated by the end of February. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Cars pull in to nursing stations for the COVID-19 vaccine roll out at the Davis County Legacy Center Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Farmington, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

The effort is ramping up around the country. Large-scale, drive-thru vaccination sites have opened at stadiums and other places, enabling people to get their shots through their car windows.

Also, an increasing number of states have begun offering vaccinations to the next group in linesenior citizenswith the minimum age varying from place to place at 65, 70 or 75. Up to now, health care workers and nursing home residents have been given priority in most places.

And the Trump administration announced plans Tuesday to speed up the vaccination drive by releasing the whole supply of doses, instead of holding large quantities in reserve to make sure people get their second shot on time.

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.
FREDERICTON, NB, Jan. 13, 2021 /CNW/ - PLATO Testing, Canada's only Indigenous-led and staffed software testing company, is celebrating the new year with a significant investment of $500,000 from investment firm Raven Indigenous Capital Partners. The funding will support the training and employment of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit students as software testers, boosting the Indigenous economy and creating jobs from coast to coast.

PLATO Testing Trains and Employs Members of First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Communities As Software Testers Across the Country (CNW Group/PLATO Testing)

With its unique train-and-employ model, PLATO Testing is changing the face of technology in Canada. Since launching in 2015, PLATO has held 15 training programs and trained more than 175 Indigenous students in software testing, creating a significant impact in over 50 communities and injecting almost $8 million directly into the Indigenous economy.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the PLATO Testing training program has continued. In November, the first ever hybrid in-person/virtual class began in Sault Ste. Marie and Regina. Students receive five-months of in-class training on the fundamentals of software testing, then undertake a three-month internship with one of Canada's leading corporations.

Following the successful completion of the program, students are guaranteed full-time, stable jobs with PLATO Testing. With corporate partners including Suncor and FortisBC, PLATO Testing is introducing some of the country's industry leaders to the capabilities of Indigenous technology workers.

"Since inception, PLATO has demonstrated a singular commitment to lifting up Indigenous Peoples by providing low barrier pathways to skills development and careers in the technology sector," said Jeff Cyr, Managing Partner of Raven Indigenous Capital Partners. "Raven is excited to support the next phase of PLATO's growth and development as it scales across Canada."

The Raven Capital investment will support PLATO's future growth as it expands into other regions of the country to provide meaningful career opportunities for Indigenous Peoples. This partnership highlights PLATO's positioning for growth and the scalability of their model, and signals to the Indigenous business community their readiness to secure other Indigenous investors in order to become a majority-owned Indigenous company.

"Despite the challenges of COVID-19, it has been a good year for our PLATO team and today's news has us looking positively toward the future," said PLATO Testing CEO and founder Keith McIntosh. "While PLATO was developed in response to the 92nd Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action on jobs and training, it's always been about more than that. Representation matters, and we have seen time and time again that when you provide the next generation with leaders in their own communities who have gone into a new industry and excelled, they are inspired to go even further."

In 2020, PLATO Testing founder Keith McIntosh was awarded the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business Award for Excellence in Aboriginal Relations, joining the likes of former Prime Minister Paul Martin and Senator Murray Sinclair as champions for Indigenous economic participation.

"Keith's commitment to growing Indigenous participation in tech continues to have a profound impact on not only the people he employs and their families and communities, but on long-held mainstream beliefs about who Indigenous people are and where we belong," said Tabatha Bull, President and CEO, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. He is dismantling some of the harmful narratives that have kept Indigenous people from taking their rightful place in the Canadian economy."

For more information about PLATO Testing, visit www.platotesting.com.

About PLATO Testing

PLATO Testing was founded in September of 2015 by Keith McIntosh, CEO of testing firm PQA Testing Ltd. PLATO is striving to build a network of 1000 Indigenous software testers across Canada. PLATO currently employs more than 30 full-time Indigenous software testers, making a positive impact for clients from coast-to-coast. PLATO Testing has offices on or near Indigenous communities across Canada, in Fredericton, Miramichi, Sault Ste. Marie, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver.

SOURCE PLATO Testing

For further information: MEDIA CONTACT: Brit Mockler, Director, Marketing and Communications, [email protected], 506.440.2919

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LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon UK, a unit of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), alongside strategic partner Capita, received a contract award to provide the Royal Navy with transformative technology, training and learning solutions over the next 12 years.

The contract, which will be led by Capita, has an initial contract value of 200 million to Raytheon UK and will ensure the Royal Navy offers best-in-class training to all its service personnel. It will accelerate the use of new technology, processes and learning solutions, aligning with the Royal Navy's transformation agenda and positioning it to thrive in the 21st century.

"This announcement allows the team to begin efforts to transform the Royal Navy's training and learning solutions, and to modernise and transform the way training is delivered across the Armed Forces," said Jeff Lewis, chief executive of Raytheon UK. "Our extensive experience in leading large and complex transformative change programmes around the world will provide the Royal Navy with tailored, digitally enabled training, fit for the future."

Raytheon UK will play a key role in modernising and transforming the Royal Navy's training analysis, design, delivery, assurance, and management/support services, helping to make the UK Armed Forces more agile and adaptable than ever to tackle future challenges.

"We are committed to investing in the UK and helping to keep the country secure and our Armed Forces equipped with the best affordable sovereign solutions, creating highly skilled jobs across the UK," Lewis said. "We look forward to delivering these solutions to the Royal Navy over the coming years."

Rear Adm. Phil Hally MBE, the Royal Navy's director of people and training, said, "The award of this 12-year contract marks a major milestone for Navy transformation. It will see the modernisation of the RN training system at scale to deliver the operational capabilities of the future, unlock more opportunities for our people, and get better trained people to the frontline, quicker."

About Raytheon UK

With facilities in Broughton, Waddington, Glenrothes, Harlow, Gloucester and Manchester, Raytheon UK is invested in the British workforce and the development of UK technology. Across the country the company employs 1,700 people. As a prime contractor and major supplier to the U.K. Ministry of Defence, Raytheon UK continues to invest in research and development, supporting innovation and technological advances across the country.

Raytheon UK is a unit of Raytheon Technologies and sits within the Raytheon Intelligence & Space business.

About Raytheon Technologies

Raytheon Technologies Corporation is an aerospace and defense company that provides advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. With four industry-leading businesses  Collins Aerospace Systems, Pratt & Whitney, Raytheon Intelligence & Space and Raytheon Missiles & Defense  the company delivers solutions that push the boundaries in avionics, cybersecurity, directed energy, electric propulsion, hypersonics, and quantum physics. The company, formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace businesses, is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Media Contact

Sen Sami

+44 (0)1279 407600

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SOURCE Raytheon Technologies
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Posted Tuesday, January 12, 2021 4:12 pm

The crazy never seems to go away.

Those are Kristi Lougheeds words.

Shes speaking last week from her office in the Tenino Police Department where she took up residence recently as Teninos new police chief  and, according to the city, became the first female police chief in Thurston County history.

And shes a little bit, well, nuts about her job  but in a good way  in the same way, for instance, you might ask a question, hear the answer, and think, You know, thats just crazy enough to work!

Thats Lougheed.

If first impressions are any indication, the 51-year-old is enthusiastic, dedicated, friendly and professional  the kind of crazy that just might work in the Stone City.

This job kind of becomes a big part of who you are, and it was hard to walk away, she said last week from her cozy abode in the Tenino Police Department. I guess its in the blood.

Lougheed, sworn into office in mid-October by Tenino Mayor Wayne Fournier, had been talking about her 26-year law enforcement career and how it had come to an abrupt halt on Oct. 1, 2019  perhaps never again to be pursued.

At least she thought.

Shed been a detective and patrol officer at the Aberdeen Police Department for the previous nine years when a certain feeling began stealing over her that became harder and harder to ignore.

She was burned out, plain and simple.

In investigations (for the Aberdeen Polie Department) I had a lot of cases involving children  sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect  and I just burned out, she said. I decided I was going to do something completely different.

It didnt help her stress level that during her tenure in Aberdeen, Lougheed perservered and subsequently won a lawsuit in 2017 against the city of Aberdeen claiming she had been hired and paid at a lower rate than her male counterparts, which violated state law.

That was a really hard three years in Aberdeen, she said. But Im very proud that my case can now be used as a precedent for future cases.

So after this boatload of stress finally sunk her law enforcement enthusiasm, it was, indeed, time for a change, and a desk job seemed like a good place to start.

Lougheed ended up securing a human resources consultant position with the Washington Health Care Authority in Olympia where she primarily worked on issues involving employee protected leave.

And that was OK for a while  at least she didnt have to wear a gun.

But when Fournier  a firefighter with the Aberdeen Fire Department whod known Lougheed for 10 years  contacted her about the open police chief position, Lougheeds cop juices suddenly ran like water over a dam.

Wayne contacted me and said, I know youre doing something else now, but this opportunity is available, and so I put in my application, Lougheed recalled. I knew I could do the job, but I was surprised how fast the desire came back, and I really wanted to return (to law enforcement.)

The police chief position had become available after Chief Robert Swain, 60, left the department in early September before his official retirement. He died on Sept. 20 from stage 5 kidney disease.

Swains death  and the fact he had participated in Lougheeds job interviews  played into Lougheeds psyche as she considered whether to accept the Tenino job.

I knew how much the community respected and cared for him (Swain), so I knew I had big shoes to fill, she said.

But becoming the countys first female police chief didnt cause her a moments indecision. Her womens size shoes would be plenty big enough, she figured.

I think its weird that Thurston County hasnt had a female chief, yet, she said. But ultimately it doesnt matter. The only criteria is if you can do the job effectively.

And so far shes doing just fine, said Sgt. Seth Sharp, who along with two patrol officers, three reserves and an administrative assistant round out Lougheeds police crew.

Shes (Lougheed) completely honest, doesnt beat around the bush, and tells it like it is, said Sharp, 42, whos been with the TPD for a bit less than three years. Shes listening to us about what we would like to see changed or keep in the department, and she seems very interested in getting to know the people in the community.

Lougheed echoed that sentiment.

Ive been getting together with the employees and figuring out where we want to go and how to get there, she said. I have been so impressed with the training and experience of the people here for such a small department, noting that every TPD officer has completed field training officer school in firearms instruction and defensive tactics.

The departments camaraderie has also impressed her.

Just getting to know the employees here is much like a friends and family situation, she explained. I appreciate the way they take care of each other, and I want it to be a place where people want to stay despite not being able to offer the largest wage package.

Though shes on call every night for whatever comes up, administrative duties have consumed much of Lougheeds early days on the force, so she hasnt had chances to get out as much as shed like.

I havent had much time to do actual policing in the community, which Im really looking forward to, she said. From talking to people, I know that the support for the police department is pretty strong.

Lougheeds interest in community policing could partly derive from her upbringing and longtime relationships with people in Western Washington. Plus shes gregarious, which could pave the way for strong community relationships.

I have an easy time talking to people, she said, smiling. I was a bartender for two years before becoming a cop and learned how to talk to anybody, regardless of their state of inebriation. It was great training.

Growing up in a small city may have helped, too.

Lougheed had lived her whole life in Aberdeen until 2  years ago when she and Jason Lougheed, her husband of 28 years, moved to a home on 7 acres near Tumwater. The couple have a son, 20, and a daughter, 22.

Jason, a construction foreman who works in Seattle, possesses just the right mix of qualities to sustain a successful marriage  and to a cop, no less, Kristi said.

Hes been married to me for 28 years, so hes very patient and tolerant, she said with a laugh.

In addition to her husband and children, Lougheeds also blessed to be surrounded by other family members. Her parents, both in their 80s, live in a Lacey retirement home, her older sister lives minutes away in Tumwater and her older brother lives in Port Angeles.

Lougheed, who earned a bachelors degree in human resources management in 2016 from Western Governors University in Salt Lake City, has kept the Western Washington homefires burning throughout her career. Before the Aberdeen Police Department, she worked for a year as a police officer at the Cosmopolis Police Department and before that spent 14 years as a deputy sheriff at the Grays Harbor County Sheriffs Office.

And now shes immersed in her newest adventure, just taking things one day at a time.

Said Fournier: Chief Lougheed is settling in nicely and developing a good rapport within her department. This is an atypical time for our city, and I look forward to things opening up and for more people to get to meet her.

Getting rid of COVID-19 would certainly help the new police chief interact with constituents. But the encounters these days are constrained. Citizens may currently make appointments to see police officers, but the TPD building  like many other municipal facilities in Washington towns  is closed to the public.

Lougheed has missed that citizen interaction, and from a personal standpoint is suffering from coronavirus fatigue just like everyone else on the planet. She longs for a normal existence  going out to dinner, drinking an occasional beer at a tavern, and most importantly visiting her elderly parents.

But the virus, itself, doesnt necessarily scare her as it does others.

Maybe I have a different threshold for being scared, she said. And, Im very happy that we have a vaccine.

What has unnerved her, however, in this era of COVID-19 is the racial unrest shes witnessed since the May 25 arrest and death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. The brutality of the incident horrified her.

When I see someone on the ground with a knee on his neck, that makes me physically ill as a human and as a police officer, she said. I dont want to be painted with the same brush as the guy who did that. The racial unrest was definitely a consideration as to whether I wanted to return to law enforcement at all.

But now that shes back in the fold, its clear what she and her fellow officers must do: We need to listen and hear what people are saying and try to understand it, she said. I think there are things we can do better in law enforcement, and there are issues we need to treat with the amount of urgency they deserve. But if we think were doing something well, we need to let people know why were doing things that way.

And being a female cop can be an asset, especially when potential conflicts arise.

I have very few physical confrontations with people, she said. Ive noticed that in my interactions with male suspects its less confrontational with females. Sometimes when suspects see a male officer they want to prove how macho they are, but they dont have to do that with me.

Yes, maam, thats Kristi Lougheed  embracing the crazy thats in her blood.

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Girls as young as 12 were among the 56,000 mothers in Ireland's mother and baby homes, whose harrowing experiences have been laid bare by the disturbing report revealed yesterday.

They and their children were subjected to very high infant mortality rates, poor nutrition, overcrowded sleeping quarters and emotional abuse.

However, the Commission of Investigation does not lay all the blame at the door of the Churches, or the State, pointing the finger also at families and fathers who turned their backs on the unmarried, pregnant women.

It noted that while Ireland was a cold, harsh environment for many during the last century, it was especially cold and harsh for women. It stated: 'All women suffered serious discrimination. Women who gave birth outside marriage were subject to particularly harsh treatment.

'Responsibility for that harsh treatment rests mainly with the fathers of their children and their own immediate families.

'It was supported by, contributed to, and condoned by, the institutions of the State and the Churches. However, it must be acknowledged that the institutions under investigation provided a refuge  a harsh refuge in some cases  when the families provided no refuge at all.'

The commission's final report observed that while mother and baby homes were not a peculiarly Irish phenomenon, the proportion of Irish unmarried mothers who were admitted to such homes or county homes in the 20th Century was 'probably the highest in the world'.

Girls as young as 12 were among the 56,000 mothers in Ireland's mother and baby homes, whose harrowing experiences have been laid bare by the disturbing report revealed yesterday. Pictured: A mother and daughter pay their respects at a memorial for the mothers and daughters of Tuam, Co. Galway, where a mass grave of 796 babies was uncovered six years ago

Among the victims are Mary Harney (left), who tracked down her mother whom she was told had died after giving birth to her at the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork in 1949, and Catherine Coffey O'Brien (right), who suffered physical abuse and was treated 'like a prostitute' after being duped into entering the same baby's home by a social worker

A total of 9,768 women and 8,938 children passed through the doors of Bessborough House, Co. Cork, run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The burial sites of the 923 children who died here still remain a mystery, largely due to the failings of local health authorities

Following harrowing revelations of the suffering, cruelties and shocking number of early deaths in mother and baby homes, Micheal Martin denounced Ireland's 'perverse religious morality' of previous decades

It reported that there were about 56,000 unmarried mothers and about 57,000 children in the 14 mother and baby homes and four county homes investigated by the commission.

The greatest number of these admissions was in the 1960s and early 1970s. The commission said it was likely that there were a further 25,000 unmarried mothers and a larger number of children in other county homes which were not investigated.

The women ranged in age from 12 years old to those in their 40s. The majority, 80%, were aged between 18 and 29, but 5,616, 11.4%, were under 18 years of age.

Catherine Coffey O'Brien: 'Nuns treated us like prostitutes, told us we were worthless' I grew up in an orphanage and fell pregnant at the age of 16, which was one of the worst things you could do in Irish society back then. After an argument with my baby's father and desperate for help, a social worker referred me to Bessborough Sacred Heart Convent in Blackrock, Co. Cork. I was told that I would be living independently, have my own apartment and go back to education. I was shocked when I saw a nun come to pick me up and I knew I had been duped. Before I went in, I was contemplating how I was going to get out because I had no intention of giving away my baby. When I arrived, my name was changed to Jane on the records. They thought they were blessing me with a favour, not taking away my identity. I was told to have limited conversations with the other girls and we were to never reveal our real names. I was expected to polish brass, floors, the chapel, wash and clean for the girls, and watch over certain babies in the nursery. The food was also abysmal  Some heavily pregnant girls were starting to lose their teeth due to the calcium deficiency. However, physical abuse was heavily outweighed by the mental abuse we felt every day. The nuns thought of us as prostitutes, even the 11-year-old pregnant girls, who had clearly been raped. They made sure to remind us we were worthless and would humorously attempt to comfort the girls once their babies had been taken away. Regarding my own pregnancy, the nun told me: 'If you have a boy, we won't have a problem. We have beautiful families waiting for him. 'But if you have a girl, we will definitely have a problem and she'll probably end up in the orphanage you were in.' In the baby selection process, babies weighing under 10kg and mixed-race babies were seen as not fit for adoption. Those babies ended up in industrial schools where they would be open to torture and sexual abuse among other horrors. Like everyone else, my pregnancy was far from pleasant and with my due date growing nearer I was petrified for the outcome. The births that the mothers were subjected to  without pain relief or sedation  were described as punishment from God . I decided to run away with another girl, but she ended up being taken back to Bessborough. The punishment for her was torture beyond words. The first night I slept in a bush and the next day, I went to the mother of my baby's father and told her everything. She refused to have her grandchild taken away and told my baby's father to take responsibility, which he did. I don't like using the word traumatised but I still lived in fear. I was so scared for doctor appointments, worrying that they would contact Bessborough. I was never given a scan in Bessborough, but I got plenty of injections and blood taken from me from an ancient woman. When I would ask her what she was injecting me with, she wouldn't even know. The nuns did find out where I was but by then it was too late as I was engaged to my baby's father. I was one of the very few lucky ones who got out and delivered a baby boy. But at 48 today, I'm still overcome with guilt that life allowed for my escape when so many others died in that place. At the end of the day what we really want is answers. They annihilated generations of women and children. Now they are erasing us from history. Advertisement

The commission said the number of under-18s rose sharply in the early 1960s, and remained at a high level for the next two decades.

'Some pregnancies were the result of rape; some women had mental health problems, some had an intellectual disability,' the report stated.

'However, the majority were indistinguishable from most Irish women of their time. The only difference between the women in mother and baby homes and their sisters, classmates and work companions was that they became pregnant while unmarried.

'Their lives were blighted by pregnancy outside marriage, and the responses of the father of their child, their immediate families and the wider community.

'Women were admitted to mother and baby homes and county homes because they failed to secure the support of their family and the father of their child.

'They were forced to leave home, and seek a place where they could stay without having to pay. Many were destitute.'

Women who feared the consequences of their pregnancy becoming known to their family and neighbours entered the homes to protect their privacy. Some travelled to Britain for the same reason, but were often forced to return by the British authorities.

The commission said the profiles of the women in the homes changed over the decades, mirroring changes in Irish women's lives.

In the early decades most women who were admitted were domestic servants or farm workers or they were carrying out unpaid domestic work in their family home. In later years, however, many were clerical workers, civil servants, professional women and schoolgirls or third-level students.

'There is no evidence that women were forced to enter mother and baby homes by Church or State authorities. Most women had no alternative,' the report said.

Many pregnant, single women contacted the Department of Local Government and Public Health, later the Department of Health, their local health authority, or a Catholic charity seeking assistance because they had nowhere to go and no money.

Women were also brought to mother and baby homes by their parents or other family members without being consulted. The report says: 'In many cases, they were cut off from the world and some were assigned a 'house name'. The homes gave women some assurance that 'their secret would be protected'.

Up to 9,000 children died in 18 institutions between 1922 and the closure of the last such home in 1998. The commission said the very high rate of infant mortality, defined as a death within a baby's first year, 'is probably the most disquieting feature of these institutions'.

The death rate among 'illegitimate' children was always considerably higher than that among 'legitimate' children, but it was higher still in the mother and baby homes.

Between 1945 and 1946, the death rate in the homes was almost twice that of the national average for 'illegitimate' children.

About 9,000 children died in the institutions under investigation, about 15% of all the children who were in the homes .

'In the years before 1960 mother and baby homes did not save the lives of 'illegitimate' children; in fact, they appear to have significantly reduced their prospects of survival,' the report said.

It added that the very high mortality rates were known to local and national authorities at the time and were recorded in official publications.

The high death rates were attributed, by the commission, to the poor nutrition of their mothers during pregnancy, their lack of ante-natal care if they were only admitted shortly before giving birth, and the cramped conditions in the homes, allowing infections to spread.

Poor standards of hygiene in many of the homes, a lack of professional healthcare training for religious members, and 'a general indifference to the fate of the children who were born in mother and baby homes', contributed to the appalling levels of infant mortality, the report said.

What happened to survivors?

The 'illegitimate' children born in the institutions who survived went on to suffer discrimination for most of their lives, the commission said.

Most had no memory of their time there, but some stayed in the institutions after their mothers left and a small number were in institutions until the age of seven.

Before legal adoption was introduced in 1953, children who left the homes usually ended up in other institutions such as industrial schools or were boarded out or nursed out.

While many survivors have reported having their babies taken from them, the commission found little evidence of forced adoption.

A woman holds a poster at a funeral procession in remembrance of the bodies of the infants discovered in a septic tank, in 2014, at the Tuam Mother and Baby Home, in Dublin, Ireland October 6, 2018

These photographs are the first glimpse of life inside Ireland's largest mother and baby home St. Patrick's on the Navan Road in Dublin

The notorious Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, Tipperary, which was mother and baby home operated by the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary from 1930 to 1970

It stated: 'Some former residents and lobby groups have suggested that 'adoption' should be renamed 'forced adoption'. The commission does not agree.

'The commission found very little evidence that children were forcibly taken from their mothers; it accepts that the mothers did not have much choice but that is not the same as 'forced' adoption.'

The commission said the principle reason why adoption became so popular after it was formally introduced in 1953 was the lack of family and community support for mothers who wished to keep their child. Its availability also meant that women did not have to stay as long in the institutions.

Mary Harney: 'When I was 11, nuns told me my mother was dead. Then I tracked her down.' Survivor Mary Harney has told how she tracked down her mother, despite having been lied to and told she was dead. Ms Harney was born in the Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork, in February 1949. Her mother had arrived there just the day before she was born, and Ms Harney went on to live there for two-and-a half years, before being fostered to a local family. She said: 'That was not a good situation. When I was taken from my mother, and I use the word taken because I do not believe there was any legal explanation for what happened to me I was handed over to two middle-aged people who seemed to know nothing about children. While with that couple, Ms Harney was subject to harsh discipline and a lack of proper care and feeding. They were reported for neglect when she was just five. She told RTE's Today With Claire Byrne: 'I learned to open the front door and sneak into the neighbours, who would feed me and also noticed bruises on me and realised how thin I was.' The neighbours reported her plight, believing they were doing the right thing. But Ms Harney then found herself in the Good Shepherd industrial school in Cork. Shockingly, she could have been returned to her mother instead. 'The lie that was told in court was that the whereabouts of my mother was unknown,' she recalled. 'At that time the nuns knew exactly where she was. They had put her there. They had sent her to Wales, the same order of nuns as Bessborough, to work in one of their hospitals.' A second, even worse, lie was told when she was 11, and she was informed her mother had died. 'The lie continued all the way through until I managed to trace my mother myself when I was about 17. And then I found out that my mother did not abandon me and together we pieced what happened to us,' she said. Ms Harney said she then went to live with her mother, to try to rebuild their relationship. 'It was very awkward. We couldn't put the bond back together. But we became lifelong friends and my mother has always been my heroine,' she said. She added that her mother had always been reluctant to speak about the reasons she went to Bessborough, and that she had learnt to respect that. Ms Harney said the leak of the report was no surprise to survivors, who were already disappointed that their report in 2018 to advise the Department of Children about their issues of concern had never been published. She believes that although there was collusion by the Church and society, the ultimate responsibility for the homes lay with the State. She added: 'I am immune to apologies... An apology is not worth the paper it is written on unless you have commitment from the Government to the action that is needed for redress and justice. We must have the right to unfettered access to our identities.' Advertisement

It noted that until 1973, when the Unmarried Mother's Allowance was introduced, most women had no realistic prospect of keeping their child, unless they were assisted by their family.

It also said that great care should be taken not to denigrate the families who adopted children from the institutions, believing it to be in the best interest of the child.

'There is no doubt that the option of legal adoption was a vastly better outcome for the children involved than the previous informal adoption or nursed out arrangements, and it resulted in fewer children spending their early lives in an institution,' the report said.

It said that 1,638 children who were resident in the mother and baby homes and county homes under investigation were placed for foreign adoption. The vast majority, 1,427, started new lives in the United States of America.

Conditions in the Homes

The report noted that there were different types of institutions with different governance, financial arrangements and practices.

Some were owned and run by the local health authorities, such as the county homes, Pelletstown, Tuam and Kilrush. Others were owned and run by religious orders, for example, the three homes run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary  Bessborough, Sean Ross and Castlepollard. The Bethany Home was founded by a Protestant evangelical group.

The commission observed that some of the county homes, like Kilrush and Tuam, had 'appalling' physical conditions.

Most county homes had no sanitation, no running water, heating and no place for children to play.

Such homes admitted women with special needs, mental health problems, venereal disease or a criminal conviction, who would be rejected by a number of mother and baby homes. They had children with special needs, including the children of married families.

'The accommodation and care given to these children in county homes was grossly inadequate; some of the descriptions are extremely distressing,' it said.

Conditions in the other mother and baby homes were considerably better and improved over time, it said. The women and children were subject to strict rules, but there was no evidence of the sort of gross abuse that occurred in industrial schools, with just a small number of complaints of physical abuse, the report said.

The women worked, but they were generally doing the sort of work that they would have done at home. However, women in county homes did arduous work for which they should have been paid.

Some county homes were unwilling to let women go after having their babies, preferring to keep the free labour.

Trauma and emotional abuse

Many women did suffer emotional abuse and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks. 'It appears that there was little kindness shown to them, and this was particularly the case when they were giving birth,' it said.

'The atmosphere appears to have been cold and seemingly uncaring. They offered little sympathy or counselling to women who may have been rejected by their family and by the father of their child.

'There were no qualified social workers, or counsellors attached to these homes until at least the 1970s, and until that time, there is no evidence that women were given opportunities to discuss the circumstances of their pregnancy or future options for their child.

'Women were dissuaded from sharing their stories with fellow residents, because of concerns to protect their privacy.'

Many found childbirth traumatic. The overwhelming majority were first-time mothers and probably uninformed about childbirth.

'First-time childbirth can be frightening for any woman; it was undoubtedly worse for women whose pregnancy had devastated their normal life and resulted in their removal from home, family and friends,' it said.

'The trauma of childbirth must have been especially difficult for the many women who had no prospect of keeping their child.'

Influence of the Church

Local authorities often deferred to the views of the religious orders that ran homes or the local bishop.

However, there was no evidence that the Catholic hierarchy played a role in the day-to-day running of mother and baby homes.

Yet their influence was strong. In one example, the Archbishop of Tuam objected to efforts to move the Tuam home to the outskirts of Galway in the late 1950s, as the new area was close to a busy road,

He said that homes must be in 'a place that is quiet, remote and surrounded by high boundary walls' He added: 'In many cases they are on the look out to get in touch with men, and some of them cannot repress their excitement even when a man comes to the home to deliver a message.'

He was eventually overruled by the Health Minister.

Funding came first from local rates, and later general tax. The Commission said it saw no evidence that the religious orders made a profit running the homes.

'At various times, it is clear that they struggled to make ends meet and their members were not always paid for their work,' it said. 'This was a particular problem when occupancy levels fell and women stayed for shorter periods. Payments by local authorities were not always on time.'

The capitation rates, while not generous, were more generous than welfare payments for an adult and a child in the community.

Under regulations, the women (or, if they were under 16, their parents) could have been charged for their stay in the homes, but this does not appear to have happened in most of the larger institutions. Residents in county homes were charged if they had an income.

The report said it was probable that the number of Irish unmarried mothers in mother and baby homes was the highest in the world.

Large numbers gave birth there in the 1970s, by which time most mother and baby homes in other countries had closed. The report said Ireland was not unique in believing illegitimacy should be regretted and disowned  it was a view shared by most countries in the early and mid-20th century.

Few men contributed to the maintenance of their child or acknowledged their existence. In the first half of the century many would have been unable to do so, because they were farm labourers or unpaid workers on family farms or in family businesses.

A woman and her daughter pay their respects at the Tuam graveyard today, where the bodies of 796 babies were uncovered at the site of a former Catholic home for unmarried mothers and their children

At another notorious home, Bessborough in County Cork, 75 percent of the children born or admitted in a single year, 1943, died. The girls of Bessborough are pictured above.

One Irish woman released a photo of herself as a baby in a desperate bid to trace her birth mother. 'I am full of tears and the revelations about the TuamHome have caused me even greater despair,' said the 60-year-old

These photographs are the first glimpse of life inside Ireland's largest mother and baby home St. Patrick's on the Navan Road in Dublin. The first ever memorial day for children who died in the home will be held on August 13

A group of children at the Tuam home in 1924, the site of a mass grave of up to 800 children at the former Mother and Baby home in Tuam, County Galway

While mothers had the right to apply for maintenance under the Illegitimate Children (Affiliation) Orders Act 1930, it generally proved impossible to secure evidence.

The most common response to pregnancies outside marriage in other countries was to try and arrange a quick marriage between the woman and the father. Yet in Ireland, in the early and mid-20th century, the marriage rate was the lowest in the western world, and fathers seemed very reluctant to marry. Many disappeared on hearing of the woman's pregnancy.

In other cases the man or the woman's parents opposed their marrying because of difference in social background or religion.

There were many accounts in the report of parents willing to welcome their daughter back but not her child. The commission said an explanation for this might be that Irish families were the largest in the developed world. Many were poor and living in overcrowded homes, so an other child would have put them under pressure.

Such a child would have been especially unwelcome in a farm house where the marriage of the inheriting son depended on clearing the home of noninheriting siblings.

There was also the question of a family's standing in the community. Many Irish marriages until the 1960s involved an element of match-making and a dowry and these processes were reliant on a family's respectability.

Many women who concealed their pregnancy were conscious of such attitudes.

Vaccine trials

The commission identified seven vaccine trials which took place in the institutions between 1934 and 1973 and has identified a number of the children involved.

It said there was not compliance with regulatory and ethical standards of the time as consent was not obtained from the mothers or their guardians and the necessary licences were not in place.

However, there was no evidence of injury as a result of the vaccines.

THIS IS A COP OUT, SAY SURVIVORS: REPORT 'IGNORES ILLEGAL ADOPTIONS AND GIVES FREE PASS FOR PEOPLE TO ESCAPE THEIR CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR'

By Helen Bruce

SURVIVORS of the mother and baby homes have said they are disappointed with the Commission's report, which they said 'ignored' illegal adoptions.

An umbrella group consisting of Adoption Rights Now, The Bethany Home Survivors, Beyond Adoption Ireland, Adopted Illegally Ireland, The Castlepollard Mother & Baby home group, Survivors and Victims of Institutional Abuse and the Adoption Coalition Worldwide said the report was 'fundamentally incomplete'.

'It ignores the larger issue of the forced separation of single mothers and their babies since the foundation of the state as a matter of official state policy,' the group said in a statement.

'While much of this policy was implemented in Mother and Baby homes, tens of thousands who were born outside the institutions investigated by this inquiry, have been excluded; particularly those who were illegally adopted.

'The numbers are staggering as up to 15,000 people may have been illegally adopted by rogue adoption agencies who were allowed free rein back in the day, and now have been given a free pass to escape their criminal behaviour.'

The group said it was a 'cop out' to explain what happened in the homes as misogyny, or a massive societal failure.

'What occurred was but an aspect of the newly established State which was profoundly anti-women both in its laws and in its culture and out of which emerged the Mother and Baby Homes,' it said.

'While it was wrong for families and others to send vulnerable unmarried pregnant girls to be incarcerated in Mother and Baby Homes, the homes were handsomely paid by the taxpayers of Ireland, and the nuns and Protestant women who administered them on behalf of the state were not entitled to deprive the young girls of their legal and Constitutional rights and the right to be treated with dignity and respect.'

The group called on the Government to honour its commitments to enhanced medical cards and the long overdue funds for memorials.

Paul Jude Redmond, of the Castlepollard Mother and Baby home group, said: 'The Taoiseach has let it be known that he intends to issue an apology on behalf of the State, but they will be hollow words without concrete action to back them up.

'Illegally adopted people must have their basic human rights vindicated by the state immediately. They are entitled to the truth without further delay.'

Theresa Hiney Tinggall, of Adopted Illegally Ireland, said: 'Illegally adopted people have been left out of this investigation without any explanation, therefore this report is not fully inclusive.'

Catherine Corless, whose work in uncovering the deaths of babies in Tuam Mother and Baby Home led to the report, said the survivors had felt let down by the report and the Taoiseach's response to it.

Speaking on RTE's Six One News, she said Micheal Martin had put the blame on society.

'Micheal Martin has let them down again, and from the reaction I am hearing, they are very disappointed,' she said.

Babies 'carried out in shoe boxes to be buried': The stories behind the homes St Patrick's Navan Road, Dublin, 1919-1998 The majority of the 18,829 children admitted to St Patrick's Navan Road were alone at the time of their death. Originally known as Pelletstown and later operated as Eglinton House, this institution was run by the Daughters of Charity who were employed by the relevant local authority at the time. A total of 15,382 women and 18,829 children were admitted here between 1919 and 1998, according to commission's report. Facilities at Pelletstown were described as 'inadequate' with just four lavatories provided for 140 women in 1950. In 1966, women were sleeping in dormitories with 52 and 30 beds respectively that offered no privacy. A total of 3,615 children died; 78% of deaths occurred between 1920 and 1942, but unlike at many mother and baby homes, the burials of these infants are properly recorded in Glasnevin Cemetery. Belmont Flatlets, Donnybrook, Dublin, 1980-2001 This was not a traditional mother and baby home but rather a hostel type short-term accommodation for a small number of women and children, about nine or ten at any one time. It was opened by the Daughters of Charity and was financially supported by the Eastern Health Board. The women lived independently, but got support from social workers and public health nurses. The commission stated: 'The mothers were there with their babies and left with their babies so the issue of tracing would not have arisen.' Kilrush Nursery, Co. Clare, 1922-1932 The commission estimates that there were between 300 and 400 unmarried mothers and a much larger number of children in the west Clare facility. It was run by the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy nuns up to 1928, and afterwards by lay staff, and conditions were described as 'very poor', with leaking roofs, no baths, and no inside sanitary accommodation. The mothers who lived there were also described as neglected, with no proper clothing or comfort of any kind. The number of child deaths in this institution, however, is not known, but the medical officer described the death rate in 1927 as 'appalling'. Bessborough House, Co. Cork, 1922-1998 The burial sites of the 923 children who died here still remain a mystery, largely due to the failings of local health authorities. A total of 9,768 women and 8,938 children passed through the institution's doors, run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. One young mother described how she was stripped of her name, belongings and life's savings when she became a resident. 'It would have been impossible to leave; all of our things had been confiscated, we had no clothes and no money,' she said. 'From time to time we were allowed outside, but were always escorted by nuns... They marched us around like soldiers.' Sean Ross, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, 1931-1969 The Sean Ross mother and baby home was among the homes run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Within 38 years, 6,414 women were admitted and 6,079 babies were born there. One such resident was Philomena Lee, whose story was turned into an award-winning film in 2013. During her stay, her son was forcibly taken from her and adopted by US parents in the 1950s. A total of 1,090 of the 6,079 babies who were born or admitted at Sean Ross had died, but the registers of burials were not maintained. However, there is a burial ground, and the commission has established the remains of some children under the age of one are buried in coffins there. Castlepollard, Co. Westmeath, 1935-1971 Several women told the commission of investigation that they witnessed nuns leaving the hospital with up to ten dead babies in shoe boxes and bringing them for burial on the grounds nearby. The burial sites were later marked by the presence of nails in the wall of a cemetery nearby. The facility was run by the Congregations of the Sacred Heart, and a total of 4,559 babies were born here, but there is no register of burials for the 247 infants who died. Regina Coeli, North Brunswick Street, Dublin, 1930-1998 A total of 734 children had died at this hostel accommodation with the peak of mortalities occurring in the early 1940s. A 1948 report claimed that infant mortality at the facility was three times the rate in Pelletstown and that the hostel lacked 'almost every proper facility in regard to both nursing and structure'. Dunboyne, Co. Meath, 1955-1991 The Dunboyne Mother and Baby home had the highest proportion of women under 18, with minors making up 23.4% of admissions. Over one in ten admissions to Dunboyne were aged between 12 and 16, which was under the legal age of consent. There were a total of 3,156 mothers and 1,148 children, with 37 infant mortalities. Bethany, Dublin city and Rathgar, 1922-1971 This facility was run mainly for Protestant women, and a total of 262 children associated with the Bethany Home in Dublin died. During its 50-year operation in Blackhall Place and later Rathgar, this mother and baby home accommodated 1,584 women and 1,376 children. The commission found that the decision to no longer admit Catholic women meant that it was less overcrowded than the other mother and baby homes in the 1940s. Other homes mentioned in the report included: Denny House (formerly the Magdalen Asylum), 1765-1994; Miss Carr's Flatlets, Dublin, 1972-present; St Gerard's, Dublin, 1919-1939; Cork County Home, 1921-1960; Kilkenny County Home, Thomastown, 1922-1960. Advertisement

Ireland's homes of shame: Horrifying report reveals 9,000 babies  one-in-six children there  died in Catholic homes during 20th Century as religious orders are urged to compensate victims

ByCraig Hughes For The Irish Daily Mail

Ireland's Taoiseach has launched an unflinching criticism of homes run by the country's Catholic Church in the past.

Following harrowing revelations of the suffering, cruelties and shocking number of early deaths in mother and baby homes, Micheal Martin denounced Ireland's 'perverse religious morality' of previous decades.

As pressure grew on the religious orders who ran the homes to compensate survivors, he said Ireland must 'face up to the full truth of our past'.

Almost a century of abuse at the homes for unmarried women, where thousands of infants died, was laid bare yesterday in a damning report that detailed how around 9,000 children died in all, adding up to a mortality rate of 15%. The proportion of children who died before their first birthday in one home, Bessborough, in Co. Cork, was as high as 75% in 1943, it found.

The Commission of Investigation that exposed the appalling details said that before 1960, the homes did not save the lives of 'illegitimate' children; in fact they were more likely to die there.

Mr Martin said: 'We had a completely warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy. Young mothers and their sons and daughters paid a terrible price for that dysfunction.' He said he would make a formal apology on behalf of the State in the Dail today.

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland last night apologised to the survivors of the mother and baby homes.

Following harrowing revelations of the suffering, cruelties and shocking number of early deaths in mother and baby homes, Micheal Martin denounced Ireland's 'perverse religious morality' of previous decades

Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said the Church was clearly part of a culture in which people were frequently stigmatised, judged and rejected.

He said the survivors must be helped and supported, but made no mention of compensation.

However, the Government has committed to providing compensation to some survivors, with the Taoiseach saying the Church should make 'a significant contribution' towards the State redress scheme.

He said: 'I've taken the first step today by writing to the religious organisations, seeking to meet them on that issue. And I think it is appropriate that there is a significant contribution from religious organisations, towards the State's restorative recognition scheme, and I look forward to engaging with them on that issue.'

He declined to say what percentage of the costs he believed the Church should pay.

However, there was also no mention of compensation in the statements issued yesterday by the various religious charities involved in the running of the homes decades ago.

And there was no response from either the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the Daughters of Charity, or the Good Shepherd Sisters yesterday when the Irish Daily Mail pressed the question of compensation.

All issued statements of apology and sympathised yesterday with the women and families affected.

The report, which covered 18 mother and baby homes where, over decades, young pregnant women were hidden from society, has laid bare one of the Irish Catholic Church's darkest chapters.

Historian Catherine Corless watches Taoiseach Micheal Martin speaking during a Government webinar meeting for survivors and supporters of Church-run mother and baby homes where he outlines the first look at the report by the Commission of Investigation into the institutions before it is formally published, in Tuam, Ireland, January 12, 2021

Infants were taken from their mothers and sent overseas to be adopted. As well as this, in some cases, children in the homes were given trial vaccines without consent. Anonymous testimony from residents compared the institutions to prisons, and they said they were verbally abused by nuns as 'sinners' and 'spawn of Satan'.

Reviewers said Ireland was a cold, harsh environment for many, probably the majority, of residents during the earlier half of the period under consideration.

The report said: 'It was especially cold and harsh for women. All women suffered serious discrimination. Women who gave birth outside marriage were subject to particularly harsh treatment.'

In his statement, the Taoiseach acknowledged that it was a time of societal and Church pressure on unmarried mothers and that it dated back decades. Women were admitted to mother and baby homes and county homes because they failed to secure the support of their family and the father of their child, the report stated.

The commission said that they had no other option but to enter the institutions.

'Their lives were blighted by pregnancy outside marriage, and the responses of the father of their child, their immediate families and the wider community,' it added.

Women also suffered through traumatic labours without any pain relief.

One survivor recalled 'women screaming, a woman who had lost her mind, and a room with small white coffins'.

Relatives have alleged the babies were mistreated because they were born to unmarried mothers who, like their children, were seen as a stain on Ireland's image as a devout Catholic nation. The inquiry said those admitted included girls as young as 12.

IRISH INQUIRIES INTO ALLEGED ABUSE AT CHURCH-RUN HOMES An Irish inquiry into alarming death rates among newborns at church-run homes for unwed mothers will hand down its final report on Tuesday, laying bare one of the Catholic Church's darkest chapters. There have been a series of reports into allegations of abuse and mistreatment by priests and members of religious orders. Here are some details of their findings: FERNS REPORT INTO CLERICAL SEXUAL ABUSE, OCTOBER 2005 - The first official inquiry into the activities of abusive priests - in the diocese of Ferns in County Wexford - detailed the Church's handling of 100 allegations, including of rape, against 21 priests dating back to the mid-1960s. It found that for 20 years the bishop in charge of the rural diocese did not expel priests but simply transferred them to a different post. COMMISSION TO INQUIRE INTO CHILD ABUSE, MAY 2009 - The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse issued a five-volume report which found that priests abused children between the 1930s and the 1970s in Catholic-run institutions. It described orphanages and industrial schools in 20th century Ireland as places of fear, neglect and endemic sexual abuse. Generations of priests, nuns and Christian Brothers - a Catholic religious order - beat, starved and, in some cases raped, children, the inquiry found. Some of the testimonies spoke of children scavenging for food from waste bins, being flogged, scalded and held under water. MURPHY REPORT INTO CLERICAL SEXUAL ABUSE, NOVEMBER 2009: - The Murphy report investigated widespread child abuse by priests in the Dublin archdiocese between 1975 and 2004 that the Church 'obsessively' concealed under a policy of 'don't ask, don't tell' about abuse. The archdiocese was preoccupied with protecting the reputation of the Church over and above protecting children's welfare, the report said. CLOYNE REPORT INTO CLERICAL SEXUAL ABUSE, JULY 2011: - The report into the handling of sex abuse claims in the County Cork diocese of Cloyne showed that senior clergy were still trying to cover up abuse allegations almost until the present day, a decade after it introduced rules to protect minors, and that the Vatican was complicit in the cover-up. Then-Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny accused the Holy See of obstructing investigations into sexual abuse by priests. The Vatican responded by recalling its ambassador to Ireland. MAGDALENE LAUNDRIES REPORT, FEBRUARY 2013 - An official report compiled by an inter-departmental government committee into Ireland's notorious Magdalene Laundries found that 10,000 women and girls, some as young as nine, were put through an uncompromising regime of unpaid work from the foundation of the Irish state in 1922 until 1996. The report found that many of the women - some of whom were subjected to the harsh discipline of the institutions for simply becoming pregnant outside wedlock - were sent there by the Irish state. MOTHER-AND-BABY HOME REPORT, JANUARY 2020 - Following the 2014 discovery of an unmarked grave with the remains of hundreds of babies on the grounds of a former so-called 'mother-and-baby home', the Irish government ordered an investigation into the treatment of children at the church homes for unmarried mothers. The report was expected to detail a level of infant mortality far higher than the average in the country at the time and accusations of physical and emotional abuse of women and children. Advertisement

Government records show that the mortality rate for children at the homes, where 56,000 women and girls, including victims of rape and incest, were sent to give birth, was often more than five times that of those born to married parents.

'The report makes clear that for decades, Ireland had a stifling, oppressive and brutally misogynistic culture, where a pervasive stigmatisation of unmarried mothers and their children robbed those individuals of their agency and sometimes their future,' Children's Minister Roderic O'Gorman said.

The Government said it would provide financial compensation and advance long-promised laws to excavate some of the remains and grant the residents, including many adoptees, greater access to personal information that has long been out of their reach.

However, reacting yesterday, a coalition of survivors' groups said that while the report was 'truly shocking', they still had mixed feelings because it did not fully account for the role the State played in running the homes.

'What occurred was but an aspect of the newly established State which was profoundly anti-women both in its laws and in its culture,' the group said, describing Mr Martin's statement that Irish society was to blame as a 'cop-out'.

The investigation was launched six years ago after evidence of an unmarked mass graveyard at Tuam was uncovered by amateur local historian Catherine Corless.

Speaking to RTE, Ms Corless said the Taoiseach had 'let survivors down again'.

The local historian, who watched a virtual presentation by Mr Martin for survivors and relatives, from her kitchen, ahead of the publication of the report, said she felt 'quite deflated' for the survivors, who had expected 'an awful lot more' from the Taoiseach.

She said: 'There isn't a lot in it for us really In particular, we need to know what happened as regards all the deaths how did the burials take place, in regards Tuam, who was responsible for discarding the babies and little toddlers in a sewage area. We need answers to that.'

Other survivors and advocate groups criticised the inquiry for concluding that it was impossible to prove or disprove allegations that large sums of money were given to agencies in Ireland that arranged foreign adoptions from the homes.

The report found no statutory regulations were in place for the foreign adoptions of 1,638 children, mostly sent to the United States.

Vaccine trials for diphtheria, polio, measles and rubella were also carried out on children without consent.

Archbishop of Armagh and all-Ireland primate Eamon Martin last night apologised in a statement. 'I accept that the Church was clearly part of that culture in which people were frequently stigmatised, judged and rejected; for that, and for the long-lasting hurt and emotional distress that has resulted, I unreservedly apologise to the survivors and to all those who are personally impacted by the realities it (the report) uncovers,' he said.

Mr O'Gorman has written to the religious orders seeking a meeting to discuss whether they will make an apology, contribute to the redress scheme and release records from the homes to be preserved.

In a statement, the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, who ran the Bessborough home in Cork in the early 1920s, and later at Roscrea and Castlepollard, said women were sent to their home due to 'societal and family pressure to have their babies in secret'. The order said it wanted to 'sincerely apologise' to those who 'did not get the care and support they needed'.

The retired Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin, last night said: 'The Church out-stepped its role and became a controlling Church', in relation to how women and children were treated in mother and baby homes.

Speaking on RTE's Drivetime, the former archbishop said those involved in the abuse 'betrayed vulnerable women, they betrayed themselves and their calling and they betrayed the caring message of Jesus Christ'.

'That should not have happened and there's no half-way of interpreting reality to try and justify that,' he said.

Head of the Irish Catholic Church apologises to survivors of brutal homes

by SOPHIE TANNO for MailOnline

The head of the Catholic church in Ireland has apologised to the survivors of the mother and baby homes.

Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said the church was clearly part of a culture in which people were frequently stigmatised, judged and rejected.

Archbishop of Armagh Eamon Martin said the church was clearly part of a culture in which people were frequently stigmatised, judged and rejected. File image of the Archbishop above

He added: 'For that, and for the long-lasting hurt and emotional distress that has resulted, I unreservedly apologise to the survivors and to all those who are personally impacted by the realities it uncovers.'

Ireland's senior cleric said the church should acknowledge sustaining what the commission of investigation report described as a harsh, cold and uncaring atmosphere.

He said: 'The commission's report helps to further open to the light what was for many years a hidden part of our shared history and it exposes the culture of isolation, secrecy and social ostracising which faced 'unmarried mothers' and their children in this country. '

He said witnesses had given courageous testimony.

'We must identify, accept and respond to the broader issues which the report raises about our past, present and future.

'Above all we must continue to find ways of reaching out to those whose personal testimonies are central to this report.

'They have shown determination in bringing to light this dark chapter in the life of church and society.

'We owe it to them to take time to study and reflect on the findings and recommendations of the report, and commit to doing what we can to help and support them.'

He said the rights of all survivors to access personal information about themselves should be fully respected and again urged the State to ensure that any remaining obstacles to information and tracing should be overcome.

'The commission believes that there may be people with further information about burial places who have not come forward. I appeal to anyone who can help to do so,' he said.

'All burial grounds should be identified and appropriately marked so that the deceased and their families will be recognised and never be forgotten.'

He said this report will stir many emotions as it further uncovers disturbing and painful truths about the past.

'I commend those who have fought to have this story told and I thank those who have already been supporting survivors through various organisations and providing a platform for their voices to be heard,' he said.
I wrote this morning about the ugly racist comments that Kristen Clarke, Joe Biden choice to head the Civil Rights Division of all things, made while she was a student at Harvard. I also pointed out that Clarke invited a notorious anti-Semite to speak at Harvard and then endorsed his attacks on Jews.

Clarkes defenders will no doubt emphasize that she did these things as a student. They will insist that her student writings shouldnt factor into a decision about her fitness for office so many years later.

Im not sure theres a statute of limitations on the hate-filled behavior of anyone old enough to attend college  not for the head civil rights job at the Department of Justice. Furthermore, I will show in my next post about Clarke that she remains a racist, though perhaps less virulently so.

The point I want to highlight in this post is that Kristen Clarke has a very clear position on the racially offensive and/or insensitive college writings of presidential nominees. She believes they are disqualifying.

That position is set forth in this letter that was sent to members of the Senate in 2018. The letter is signed by Vanita Gupta, Bidens selection for the number three job at the Justice Department.

It was sent on behalf of the so-called Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Kristen Clarke was part of the Leadership Conference and her name appears on the letterhead of Guptas Dear Senator letter.

Here, in part, is what Gupta, Clarke, and the others said about Ryan Bounds, President Trumps nominee for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals:

When he was a student at Stanford University in the 1990s, Mr. Bounds wrote a series of op-eds in the Stanford Review, a conservative newspaper. He was highly critical of his classmates who joined racial affinity groups and of university efforts to make students of color feel welcome on the historically discriminatory and nondiverse campus. Mr. Bounds didnt just criticize such efforts, he did so with a mix of insensitivity and disdain that calls into question his temperament and ability to be impartial. On at least two occasions, he likened the universitys multicultural efforts to Nazi Germany.

Would an apology or a retraction make Bounds an acceptable nominee? Not according to Gupta and Clarke:

While [Bounds] recently apologized for those comments, the timing of that apology suggests it is one of convenience rather than remorse, offered in a last-ditch effort to salvage his nomination and win the support of his home-state senators.

Note that, even as a student, Bounds never endorsed the view that one racial group is superior to the other. Clarke did.

And Bounds never attacked a religion. Clarke brought to campus a notorious anti-Semite who did just that. Then, she endorsed his views as base[d] on indisputable facts.

Bounds views on the desirability of racial affinity groups were substantially less toxic than Clarkes Black Supremacist writings. Nonetheless, they led to the withdrawal of his nomination by President Trump.

Lets hope that Clarkes nomination is also withdrawn and, if not, that it is defeated on a bipartisan basis.
Russian prosecutors say they have opened an investigation into a circus performance that featured a monkey wearing a Nazi uniform and goats with swastikas.

The prosecutor's office for the Udmurtia region said on January 13 it had launched a probe into "the display of Nazi symbols" after they became aware of the performance from social media.

The January 8 performance was part of a show at a state-run circus in the regional capital, Izhevsk, that was commissioned by the local branch of the Russian Orthodox Church a day after celebrating Christmas.

According to video published by the circus, the performance showed a monkey being led around the ring by a woman in a Soviet military uniform and two goats with red blankets on their backs displaying swastikas.

The Orthodox diocese in Izhevsk defended the show by saying it was intended to be "a symbol of not just the victory over fascism, but also of the spurning and the global condemnation of the ideals of Nazi Germany."

The diocese also pointed to an amendment passed last year lifting a blanket ban on the display of Nazi symbols as long as they are intended to "create a negative attitude to Nazi ideology."

Izhevsk is the capital of Udmurtia, a republic in Russia's Volga Federal District some 1,250 kilometers east of Moscow.

Based on reporting by AFP and the BBC
This year our dine and drink business locations throughout the Gorge have suffered with closures. You can help support your favorites by purchasing take out and gift cards. Many of these business will offer curb-side delivery and some will deliver to your home. Lets keep the Gorge going strong!
London: The financial crime watchdog has issued a grovelling apology after accidentally telling Parliament that the Vatican transferred $2.3 billion to Australia over seven years when the actual amount was less than $10 million.

The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre's claim prompted alarm and confusion in the Holy See, where Cardinal George Pell has been caught up in an ugly internal war over its financial affairs.

But AUSTRAC has now conceded the figure was 242 times higher than the true total of $9.5 million and blamed software for the bungle.

AUSTRAC's claim threatened to worsen the turmoil facing Pope Francis over the Vatican's finances. Credit:AP

In a letter to a Senate committee, chief executive Nicole Rose said "quality assurance processes should have identified" the error and promised a review to make sure the mistake could not happen again.
Bengaluru:

Congress in Karnataka demanded for a national policy on farm loans from the central government on Sunday.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President G Parameshwara said that if there was a national policy, all states which now have different polices, would follow it. There would be uniformity in approach by both central and state governments when they waive such loans, he said.

We in Karnataka are committed to address farmers issues. Central government should formulate a national policy in this regard, so that states also follow it. I demand a national policy on these kinds of issues, Parameshwara said.

When you (central government) can overnight formulate a law banning read beacons, why cant you formulate a national policy when farmers from across the country are demanding for loan waiver faced by drought? he questioned.

Pointing out that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led UPA government had waived farmers loans amounting to about Rs 72,000 crore, he said the central government cannot just wash their hands off by leaving it to the states.

As a national government it should come out with a national policy so that everyone agrees to it, he added.

Asked about Congress government in Karnataka not announcing a farm loan waiver for farmers when their leader Rahul Gandhi was demanding the same in Madhya Pradesh, he said we are holding discussions in this regard and our government is committed to address the issues faced by farmers.

Parameshwara reiterated Karnatakas demand that the Centre first waive loans availed by farmers through nationalised banks, adding that such loans got through state run cooperative banks was very small compared to nationalised banks.

He was speaking to reporters while briefing them of party Vice President Rahul Gandhis visit Bengaluru on Monday to attend National Heralds event to celebrate 70 years of independence with release of a commemorative publication.

Gandhi will also attend a Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committees extended general body meeting, where he will address about 1,500 party workers and office bearers about the preparations for the 2018 assembly polls in the state.

First launched in 1938 as a daily in the vanguard of the Freedom Movement, the Congress-owned newspaper National Herald had in November, 2016 staged a comeback with a digital version, eight years after it had downed shutters.

The publication has come in the midst of a legal battle over its past, which has ensnared Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi.

Parameshwara termed as deplorable, BJP President Amit Shahs statement that Mahatma Gandhi was a chatur baniya, a reference to the mercantile caste to which he was born and said it was not just an insult to Mahatma Gandhi, but to the entire nation. He demanded an unconditional apology from Amit Shah.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
A handful of the most powerful U.S. defense contractors have joined a growing corporate backlash against the deadly Jan. 6 pro-Trump U.S. Capitol siege, pausing all political contributions until further notice.

On Monday, aerospace and defense technology company Northrop Grumman was the first of the defense giants to announce a halt on donations from its political action committee, or PAC. Raytheon Technologies, Leidos and the British BAE Systems followed suit Tuesday.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, the nation's largest shipbuilding company, has also announced that contributions from its employee PAC were put on hold recently for a budget review, and "any governance changes to possibly implement in the new cycle."

Read Next: Army Identifies NCO Killed in Vehicle Accident in Kuwait

When asked whether the pause is related to the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol, Beci Benton, director of corporate affairs for Huntington Ingalls, said via email Wednesday, "I will not go into details."

In a statement Wednesday, Northrop, which has contracts to develop the Air Force's B-21 Raider long-range bomber and the new intercontinental ballistic missile, called the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent, said the company is "pausing political action committee giving and evaluating the way forward."

Roger Krone, chairman and CEO of the Leidos information technology and research firm, said in a statement Tuesday that company leaders were, like all Americans, "shocked and appalled by the behavior that took place on Capitol Hill last week" when a mob overwhelmed security and swarmed into the Capitol.

"In light of these events, Leidos' Political Action Committee has decided to temporarily pause all political donations," Krone said. "It's time to unite as one nation, promoting decency, understanding and a commitment to the common good."

While these defense firms paused political giving across the board, some large non-defense companies, such as Walmart, specifically targeted the eight senators and 139 House members who voted against certifying President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the November elections.

"In light of last week's attack on the U.S. Capitol, Walmart's political action committee is indefinitely suspending contributions to those members of Congress who voted against the lawful certification of state electoral college votes," the company said in a statement Tuesday.

Other firms that halted contributions to those who voted against certifying Biden include Amazon, Dow Inc., General Electric, Marriott International Inc. and Comcast.

Firms that paused all political contributions include Facebook, Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Goldman Sachs.

In the last election cycle, all corporate PACs gave a total of $91 million to members of the House and $27 million to senators, according to OpenSecrets.org from the Center for Responsive Politics.

Contributions from Northrop Grumman's employee-funded PAC were about $4.8 million last year, according to OpenSecrets.org. Leidos contributed about $2.3 million; Raytheon, $6.5 million; and BAE Systems, $1.7 million.

The pause in political contributions by defense firms that have profited from higher defense spending and foreign military sales may be "potentially significant," depending on how long it lasts, said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a campaign finance reform advocacy group.

"If this is just a pause and then they go back to business as usual when things quiet down, then it's more of a public relations action," Wertheimer said.

However, he said the firms are "sending a signal of strong objection to what's going on" in the aftermath of the riots.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Related: Pentagon Authorizes National Guard Troops Around Capitol to Carry Lethal Weapons
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 20:41:53|Editor: huaxia

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Jin Liqun, president of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), speaks at a press conference in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 13, 2021 Climate financing will account for half of the total financing approvals of the AIIB by 2025, the bank's president said Wednesday. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Climate financing will account for half of the total financing approvals of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) by 2025, the bank's president said Wednesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unprecedentedly impacted the global economy and the infrastructure development pattern will undergo important changes in the post-pandemic era, Jin Liqun told a press conference, adding that AIIB will focus on five key areas including building green and social infrastructure in the future.

Green infrastructure will help relevant countries and regions to accelerate economic transformation and upgrade, as well as move toward carbon neutrality, Jin said.

Such infrastructure will facilitate economic and social development without "leaving footprints" on the environment, he added.

Although the recent investment trend in green infrastructure has been positive, actual investment is still well below the desired target, Jin noted.

The AIIB began operations in January 2016 and currently, it has 103 approved members worldwide. Over the past five years, the bank approved a total of 22.02 billion U.S. dollars in loans and 108 projects. Enditem
If you are 65 years and older, you are now eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine. Those 64 and younger with underlying health concerns are eligible as well, the U.S. Department of Public Health announced.

Even though more people are now eligible to receive the vaccine, it doesn't mean they will be able to right away.

The whole country is seeing a big change in who's eligible to receive the vaccine, but the change we're not seeing in North Alabama is the shortage of health care workers who can give the vaccine to people.

For months, we've been told hospitals are facing a nursing shortage. So, even though we now have two COVID-19 vaccines, and more people eligible to receive the vaccines, we are still facing the problem of not enough health care workers to administer it.

Dr. Karen Landers with the Alabama Department of Public Health said they will still have difficulties administering the vaccine to everyone eligible, even once they update the state's vaccine distribution plan.

I think the biggest challenge still remains ensuring that we have enough providers to give the vaccine to persons who qualify," said Landers. "Keep in mind, the Alabama Department of Public Health, again, is not able to give everyone a vaccine in the state of Alabama for COVID-19. We just dont have the staff to be able to do that.

Landers said expanding the number of locations where the COVID-19 vaccine can be administered will help this problem some.

She said people who are young and overall, pretty healthy, but have asthma or other less severe underlying health conditions, won't be the first to get an appointment once the state updates its distribution plans.

The state will still look at an individual's risk factor when determining who can get the vaccine first. Landers said frontline workers and people 75 years and older will still be at a higher priority to get vaccinated.

She said ADPH is waiting to receive guidance on the new distribution plans.

We have to be aware that there still will be a supply and demand issue here, and we want to be able to cover as many persons as possible, but also ensure that we look at the risk in context of the overall picture," said Landers. "In other words, persons who have multiple co-morbidities and are closer to 65 years of age, versus a person who is otherwise healthy but has a co-morbidity.

Landers said she doesn't know when they will have the new distribution plans, but they hope it's soon.
As more people get vaccinated and states begin to roll back some of the restrictions put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic  schools, agencies and workplaces are working on a plan on how to safely return to normal.
Brian and Shelby have played a critical role in the growth of our Transaction Advisory and Process, Risk & Governance practices, they are outstanding examples of delivering excellence in client experience.

Frazier & Deeter, one of the nations Top 50 accounting and advisory firms, is pleased to announce that two members of the firm have been named as Partner. Brian Dermott has become a Partner in the Transaction Advisory Services (TAS) practice, and Shelby Nelson has become a Partner in the Process, Risk & Governance (PRG) practice.

We are excited to name Brian Dermott and Shelby Nelson to our partnership to support the growth of our advisory practices, said Seth McDaniel, Managing Partner of Frazier & Deeter. Brian and Shelby have played a critical role in the growth of our Transaction Advisory and Process, Risk & Governance practices, they are outstanding examples of delivering excellence in client experience.

Brian Dermott, CPA, is a member of Frazier & Deeters Charlotte office. As a Partner in the Transaction Advisory Services practice, Dermott leads a team of transaction professionals in the execution of financial due diligence on behalf of private equity groups and strategic corporate buyers. He has over 14 years of diversified financial leadership experience, including public accounting and executive leadership of a high-growth private equity platform investment. Previously, Dermott served as the Chief Financial Officer and Business Unit Leader of FM Expressions, a private equity backed manufacturer and e-commerce retailer. He also led financial advisory services teams at other national accounting and consulting firms, serving a variety of industries including manufacturing and distribution, technology and healthcare.

Dermott holds both his Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Accounting from the University of North Carolina, Charlotte.

Shelby Nelson, CISA, CISSP, CDPSE, Cyber SOC, Advanced SOC, is a member of Frazier & Deeters Atlanta office. As a Partner in Frazier & Deeters Process, Risk & Governance practice, Nelson brings clients the benefit of 23 years of diverse experience in external and internal audit, as well as project and operational risk management. Her career includes responsibility for the successful creation, execution, implementation, optimization and testing of operational and IT controls, as well as specialization in SOC consulting, lecturing and reporting. Nelson has worked with a variety of institutions and industries, assisting clients with reviewing and establishing internal controls over IT environments, regulatory compliance and industry framework assessments. Prior to Frazier & Deeter, she was an IT Audit Manager of a global company and Chief of Staff for a multi-billion-dollar investment organization, where she was the longest-tenured and first female Chief of Staff for the fixed income investment business. Nelson began her career as a dual-track auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Nelson is a frequent subject matter expert speaker at local and national events regarding SOC reporting. She is an AICPA SOC Peer Review Specialist and the 2020 AICPA SOC School curriculum author and instructor. She is a board member of the Atlanta Chamber Players and Audit Committee Community Advisor for Atlanta Public Schools. Nelson holds both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Accounting from the University of Mississippi.

About Frazier & Deeter

Frazier & Deeter is an award-winning accounting and advisory firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The firm provides a wide range of tax, audit, accounting and advisory services to serve the emerging needs of clients as they evolve. Frazier & Deeter and its FD family of brands have nine offices across the United States and one in the United Kingdom. The firm has been recognized repeatedly as a Best of the Best Accounting firm, a Best Firm to Work For in the U.S. and a Best Firm for Women in Leadership. Frazier & Deeters brand promise is Investing in Relationships to Make a Difference.
Democrats, 10 Republicans Vote for 2nd Impeachment of Trump

Democrats in the House of Representatives, joined by 10 Republicans, voted to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time, in a 232197 vote on Jan. 13. The single article of impeachment alleges that the president incited an insurrection that resulted in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

The impeachment, accomplished in a single seven-hour session, was the fastest in U.S. history. It is also the first time in the nations history that a president has been impeached twice.

Republicans criticized the rush, arguing that it offered no due process to the president and no confidence in the proceedings to the American people. Democrats justified the truncated process by alleging that Trump poses a danger to the nation every day he is in office.

We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion, against our common country, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) alleged. He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.

Every Democrat voted in favor of impeachment.

Republicans who voted to impeach the president were Reps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), John Katko (R-N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.), Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), Anthony Gonzalez (R-Ohio), Tom Rice (R-S.C.), David Valadao (R-Calif.), and Peter Meijer (R-Mich.)

Some Republicans argued that moving forward with impeachment would further divide the nation.

Instead of moving forward as a unifying force, the majority in the House is choosing to divide us further, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said. I can think of no action the House could take thats more likely to further divide the American people than the action we are contemplating today.

Some of the Republicans who opposed impeachment didnt explicitly defend the president. Others opposed the charge and argued that the presidents actions didnt amount to incitement.

At his rally, President Trump urged attendees to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard. There was no mention of violence, let alone calls to action, said Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.), a former Navy prosecutor. President Donald Trumps words would not even meet the definition of incitement under criminal statutes.

Thats impeachable? Thats called freedom of speech, Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) said, noting that the president also threatened to oppose Republicans in future elections, including McClintock, who didnt support objections to slates of electors. Well, so what? Thats called politics. If we impeached every politician who gave a fiery speech to a crowd of partisans, this Capitol would be deserted.

House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that Trump holds responsibility for the attack on Congress, but opposed a rushed impeachment.

He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding, McCarthy said.

The mob had already breached Congress when Trump was giving a speech to a large crowd of supporters more than a 30-minute walk away, a timeline by The Epoch Times shows. After news of the breach of the Capitol was reported, the president issued a video message calling on the crowd to support the police and to go home. The day after, he said there will be an orderly transition on Jan. 20. The president later said he will not attend the inauguration.

Cole pointed out that every impeachment in modern history was preceded by a committee investigation that included testimony from witnesses and experts. He argued that a truncated process affords no due process to the president and does little to offer confidence in the process to the American people. Reschenthaler cautioned that charging Trump would lower an already low bar for impeachment.

Republicans proposed forming a bipartisan commission to investigate the breach as an alternative to impeachment. A pair of Republicans who spoke in favor of the commission characterized the Capitol breach as a domestic terror attack. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) cautioned that foreign adversaries witnessed how easy it is to take out a branch of the U.S. government. The commission, if formed, would prepare a report for the president advising how to prevent a future breach, Davis said.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) noted that rioting was not isolated to the breach of the Capitol on Jan. 6, but has gone on for months, with politicians on both sides to blame. Mace appeared to refer to the nationwide riots fomented and executed by the Antifa extremist group and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The riots, arson, and looting caused up to $2 billion in damage across the nation and resulted in the deaths of two dozen people. McClintock suggested that if Antifa and BLM rioters had been diligently prosecuted, the events at the Capitol might not have occurred at all.

Democrats repeatedly cited the remarks by Republican Conference Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), the third-highest-ranking Republican in the House. Cheney had earlier said that she would vote to impeach Trump and alleged that Trumps actions amounted to the biggest betrayal of any president of the United States in our history.

Not a single Republican in the House joined the Democrats when they impeached Trump for the first time in 2019. The House investigation and the Senate trial at that time turned up no firsthand witnesses to the allegation that the president abused his power by withholding foreign aid from Ukraine in a bid to force the nations president to start an investigation into the Ukrainian business dealings of Hunter Biden, son of President-elect Joe Biden.

Hunter Biden held a paid position on the board of a Ukrainian gas firm Burisma when Joe Biden served as the vice president. Joe Biden has bragged that he forced the firing of Ukraines top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, by threatening to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees. Shokin has alleged in a sworn statement that he was fired because he refused to drop an investigation into Mykola Zlochevsky, the owner of Burisma.

The breach of the Capitol took place while the two chambers debated whether an objection to the counting of presidential electors from Arizona should be affirmed. After the building was secured, both chambers voted to overrule the objection. More than one hundred Republicans voted to uphold the objection.

Democrats criticized the Republicans who voted in favor of the objection. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), who coordinated the floor speeches prior to the impeachment debate, had, himself, objected in 2017 to the counting of the electors from Alabama. The lead manager of the impeachment proceedings, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), had objected in 2017 to the counting of the Florida electors.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said: Americans are tired of the double standard. They are so tired of it. Democrats objected to more states in 2017 than Republicans did last week, but somehow were wrong.

Democrats, including Pelosi, selectively quoted from Trumps speech on Jan. 6, in which the president said we fight like hell in regards to his teams legal battle to challenge the legitimacy of the election in several states.

I think one of our great achievements will be election security, because nobody, until I came along, had any idea how corrupt our elections were, the president said, before noting that others would not have taken a stand. We fight like hell, and if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

The impeachment follows an unprecedented wave of censorship against the president by U.S. social media giants. Facebook, Twitter, and Google had all banned Trump from their platforms as of Jan. 13.

Jordan said: Its not about impeachment anymore. Its about canceling the president and anyone that disagrees with them.
Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday said that India''s new 2021-2026, under formulation, will come into effect from April 1, 2021, for five years and will strive to make the country a leader in international trade.

The Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry held a meeting on the subject ''New 2021-26'', the commerce ministry said in a statement.

It was chaired by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri, and attended by Members of Parliament (MPs) and senior officers of the ministry.

"It was informed that the District Export Hubs Initiative will form an important component of the new FTP," the commerce ministry said.

The Department of Commerce through the Regional Authorities of Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has engaged with state/Union Territory governments to take forward this initiative in the districts and enable its implementation in a phased manner, with the objective of mobilizing the potential of each district of the country to achieve its potential as an export hub, the ministry said.

"It was informed that the new FTP will come into effect from 1 April 2021 for a period of five years and will strive to make a leader in the area of international trade and channelize the synergies gained through merchandise and services exports for growth and employment with a goal to make a USD 5 Trillion economy," the ministry statement said.

A key driver for to achieve the USD 5 trillion mark in an expedited time frame would be boosting exports, both merchandise and services, it further added.

This has to be done through systematically addressing domestic and overseas constraints related to the policy, regulatory and operational framework for lowering transaction costs and enhancing the ease of doing business, and creating a low-cost operating environment through efficient logistical and utility infrastructure, the ministry said.

Improvements in the operations of the domestic manufacturing and services sectors in combination with efficient infrastructure support by the government would result in correcting the imbalances within India and feed into the trade policy, it added.

For the formulation of the new Foreign Trade Policy, meetings have been held with stakeholders. In December 2020, a Board of Trade meeting was held where State Governments and other stakeholders' inputs were received, it said.

Further meetings were held with the Chambers of Commerce, Industry Associations, and Export Promotion Councils to provide their inputs, the ministry said.

A Trade Notice, inviting suggestions from various stakeholders was issued and more than 2000 suggestions have been received. All the suggestions will be examined while formulating the new FTP, it said.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Hardeep Singh Puri invited all MPs to also give further inputs and suggestions.

(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 Defense Army said that the 20-year-old soldier, Vartan Kirakosian, was rushed to a Karabakh hospital and underwent successful surgery there.

His condition is assessed as serious but stable, read a statement issued by it.

The statement added that the army has launched an investigation into the blatant violation of the Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped the war in Karabakh on November 10.

Azerbaijan did not immediately comment on the reported incident. Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Karabakh also did not react to it as of Wednesday evening.

The Russian Defense Ministry insisted on Tuesday that the ceasefire regime is being observed along the entire Line of Contact in and around Karabakh.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Armenian counterpart Ara Ayvazian spoke by phone later on Wednesday. Statements on the phone call issued by their press offices did not mention the reported shooting.

They said Lavrov and Ayvazian discussed the implementation of fresh agreements reached by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a trilateral meeting held in Moscow on Monday.

In particular, Aliyev and Pashinian reaffirmed their plans to open the Armenian-Azerbaijani border for commercial traffic as part of the truce accord that was brokered by Putin.

In a phone call reported on Wednesday, Putin briefed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the results of the Armenian-Azerbaijani summit hosted by him.

According to the Kremlin, the two leaders also discussed some aspects of the upcoming opening of a Russian-Turkish center that will monitor the ceasefire regime in the Karabakh conflict zone.
Venezuela will receive the first consignment of 10 million doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 in the upcoming weeks, President Nicolas Maduro said during his speech to the nation on Tuesday.

"The Russian ambassador has just given me the good news that the first 10 million Sputnik V vaccines will come to Venezuela very soon to ensure mass vaccination of those sectors of the population who need it most," Maduro said.

The president also added that the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) is assessing the effectiveness of four vaccines, including the Cuban Soberana 02 vaccine against COVID-19.

In October 2020, Venezuela received Sputnik V as part of phase 3 clinical trials. In December, the Latin American country signed an agreement with Russia on the vaccine's delivery to start mass vaccination.

AirAsia leverages digital platform to focus more airline partnerships

Pak, China mutually form potent threat, their collusivity cannot be wished away: Gen Naravane

Egypt resumes airspace to Qatar: State media
Triple threat megastar Jennifer Lopez looked red hot on a tropical beach last week in a remarkably affordable burgundy bikini from an Australian swimwear label.

The age-defying 51-year-old wore the $135 Macia set from Triangl, an iconic brand headquartered five minutes' walk from Bondi Beach in Sydney, on holiday in Turks and Caicos with fiance Alex Rodriguez, 45.

The grape coloured two-piece showcased J Lo's impossibly lithe limbs and washboard abs, honed to perfection through decades of dancing, gym sessions and on-stage performances.

Shielding her face from the hot Caribbean sun with a $875 Dior bucket hat, the mother-of-two - who shares 12-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony - looked blissfully content in the sparkling swimwear.

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Jennifer Lopez wears a $875 Dior bucket hat and a $135 bikini from Australian swimwear label, Triangl, on a beach in Turks and Caicos last week

Australian shoppers can order the bikini in sizes XXS through XL from the brand's official website.

But lucky Sydneysiders also have the option of stopping by the flagship store on Campbell Parade in North Bondi.

Founded in 2012 by Craig Ellis and Erin Deering, Triangl swiftly amassed a legion of celebrity fans with its signature neoprene design which was once hailed the 'world's most popular bikini'.

The brand was widely touted as the official swimwear of summer 2015, when it was seen on the likes of Beyonce, Kendall Jenner, Chiara Ferragni and a slew of Victoria's Secret models including Joan Smalls and Frida Aasen.

The megastar mother-of-two (left), who shares 12-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, wades into the turquoise ocean in the sparkling swimwear (right)

J Lo's beauty and skincare secrets * Olive oil, only: Jennifer exclusively uses cosmetic and skincare products that have a base made with olive oil, an antioxidant that deeply hydrates skin and is believed to prevent premature ageing. * Eight hours sleep: The pop sensation gets a minimum of eight hours a night and never goes to bed with a scrap of makeup left on her face. * Greens and seven glasses: Jennifer, who never smokes or drinks coffee and rarely drinks alcohol, eats a diet rich in green veggies such as asparagus, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach, celery and kale. She also downs at least seven large glasses of water a day - the recommended daily intake for adults. * No Botox, just placenta: The two-time Grammy nominee has famously never had Botox or fillers, but reportedly swears by an anti-ageing facial from Beverly Hills aesthetician Dr Lancer which infuses stem cells from placenta into the skin. Advertisement

Shifting a reported 1,500 bikinis a day earned the business an estimated turnover of $60million in that year alone.

Two years later the range expanded with a best-selling $107 velvet one-piece which flew out of stock almost immediately.

Velvet separates followed in the 2018 spring/summer collection, which featured 1990s inspired bikinis in striking colours such as black, aquamarine and neon pink.

At $135 for a set, considerably less than the price of styles from other cult favourite designer labels, fans are still snapping them in droves up three years on.
Kathmandu, January 13

The Ministry of Health and Population has informed that the countrys Covid-19 tally has reached 266,143 as of Wednesday afternoon.

The ministry says 445 new cases were confirmed in the country in the past 24 hours. 246 positive cases were reported in the Valley.

In this period, 4,154 swab samples were tested. So far, 1 million and 997,009 people have been tested in the country.

As of today, 4,434 cases are active.

Of the total cases so far, 259,772 people have achieved recovery whereas 1,937 died, according to the ministry. In the past 24 hours, 414 people have been discharged whereas five deaths have been reported.

Over 200 people are quarantined across the country.
Dated pig painting at Leang Tedongnge. Maxime Aubert Credit: Maxime Aubert

Archaeologists have discovered the world's oldest known cave painting: a life-sized picture of a wild pig that was made at least 45,500 years ago in Indonesia.

The finding described in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday provides the earliest evidence of human settlement of the region.

Co-author Maxime Aubert of Australia's Griffith University told AFP it was found on the island of Sulawesi in 2017 by doctoral student Basran Burhan, as part of surveys the team was carrying out with Indonesian authorities.

The Leang Tedongnge cave is located in a remote valley enclosed by sheer limestone cliffs, about an hour's walk from the nearest road.

It is only accessible during the dry season because of flooding during the wet seasonand members of the isolated Bugis community told the team it had never before been seen by Westerners.

Measuring 136 by 54 centimeters (53 by 21 inches) the Sulawesi warty pig was painted using dark red ochre pigment and has a short crest of upright hair, as well as a pair of horn-like facial warts characteristic of adult males of the species.

There are two hand prints above the pig's hindquarters, and it appears to be facing two other pigs that are only partially preserved, as part of a narrative scene.

Leang Tedongnge rock art panel left to right. Credit: AA Oktaviana

"The pig appears to be observing a fight or social interaction between two other warty pigs," said co-author Adam Brumm.

Humans have hunted Sulawesi warty pigs for tens of thousands of years, and they are a key feature of the region's prehistoric artwork, particularly during the Ice Age.

Early human migration

Aubert, a dating specialist, identified a calcite deposit that had formed on top of the painting, then used Uranium-series isotope dating to confidently say the deposit was 45,500 years old.

This makes the painting at least that age, "but it could be much older because the dating that we're using only dates the calcite on top of it," he explained.

"The people who made it were fully modern, they were just like us, they had all of the capacity and the tools to do any painting that they liked," he added.

Leang Tedongnge rock art panel right to left. Credit: AA Oktaviana

The previously oldest dated rock art painting was found by the same team in Sulawesi. It depicted a group of part-human, part-animal figures hunting mammals, and was found to be at least 43,900 years old.

Cave paintings such as these also help fill in gaps about our understanding of early human migrations.

It's known that people reached Australia 65,000 years ago, but they would probably have had to cross the islands of Indonesia, known as "Wallacea."

This site now represents the oldest evidence of humans in Wallacea, but it's hoped further research will help show people were in the region much earlier, which would resolve the Australia settlement puzzle.

Dated pig painting at Leang Tedongnge. Credit: AA Oktaviana

The team believes the artwork was made by Homo sapiens, as opposed to now extinct human species like Denisovans, but cannot say this for certain.

To make handprints, the artists would have had to place their hands on a surface then spit pigment over it, and the team are hoping to try to extract DNA samples from residual saliva.

More information: A. Brumm el al., "Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi," Science Advances (2020). Journal information: Science Advances A. Brumm el al., "Oldest cave art found in Sulawesi,"(2020). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup  .1126/sciadv.abd4648

 2021 AFP
The House of Representatives is poised to impeach President Donald Trump for a second time as the nation faces threats of additional violence from his supporters. Trump loyalists are threatening more mayhem for the nation. And the FBI continues to hunt down and arrest rioters who took over the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Well discuss it all 1 p.m. Wednesday on Facebook Live with Republican analyst Jeffrey Lord, Democratic pundit Rogette Harris and PennLives Outreach and Opinion Editor Joyce M. Davis. Theyll be joined by Pennsylvania Capital-Star Editor-in-Chief John Micek to engage our readers in thinking through the events of the past few days and what lies ahead.

Harris and Lord are regular analysts on PennLives Battleground PA podcast, which will continue through the inauguration Jan. 20 as a Facebook Live event.

In addition to the political development in Washington, the analysts will discuss the Jan. 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, as well as the extensive security precautions underway to ensure a safe inaugural event.

Bring your respectful questions and comments to the discussion on PennLives Facebook page.

Quality local journalism has never been more important. You deserve the best. Not a subscriber yet? Please consider supporting our work.
Give me a break. The president of the United States instigated an attempted coup in this country, people died. Everybody should be outraged, whether youre a Democrat or a Republican. If this is not an impeachable offense, I dont know what the hell is. President Trump is committed to a peaceful and uninterrupted transfer of power, but thats not good enough for my colleagues across the aisle. With just seven days left in President Trumps term, they are fast-tracking impeachment proceedings, a move, which will no doubt further divide an already fractured nation. Even House Democrats last impeachment effort  I hid in an office for hours, terrified to open the door because I did not know if a rioter was on the other side, ready to attack, kidnap or murder me. You cannot, consistent with the rule of law, punish that which the Constitutions First Amendment declares protected. If you do it, the violators of duty to this Constitution. Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed, they were domestic terrorists, and justice must prevail. But they did not appear out of a vacuum. They were sent here, sent here by the president, with words such as a cry to fight like hell. Words matter. Truth matters, accountability matters. If we impeached every politician who gave a fiery speech to a crowd of partisans, this Capitol would be deserted. Thats what the president did. That is all he did. Let me ask you a question: What do you think they would have done if they had gotten in? What do you think they would have done to you? And who do you think sent them here  the most dangerous man to ever occupy the Oval Office. And you want to just go after a president, just go straight to the floor  no investigation, no judiciary committee, go straight to the floor, use it as a political weapon, as you wish. This is so dangerous what youre doing. If we fail to remove a white supremacist president who incited a white supremacist insurrection, its communities like Missouris First District that suffer the most. The 117th Congress must understand that we have a mandate to legislate in defense of Black lives. The president took an oath to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Last week, there was a domestic threat at the door of the Capitol, and he did nothing to stop it. That is why with a heavy heart and clear resolve, I will vote yes on these articles of impeachment. [applause] On this vote, the ayes are 232. The nays are 197. The resolution is adopted without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table.
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ABERDEEN, Miss. (WTVA) -- If you qualify, you can get the vaccine at a number of Mississippi hospitals.

People who can receive vaccines now are those 65 and older, per Governor Reeves' announcement on Tuesday, January 12.

The Monroe Regional Hospital in Monroe County is one of several hospitals in Mississippi to start giving the coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday. People register at this hospital must register by phone. Workers told WTVA there is no website to register.

It feels alright, vaccine recipient Ed White said after getting shot one of two at the hospital.

He said the process wasnt too hard at all.

Came in the office, signed my name, and filled out some papers, and went and got the shot.

Were gonna give around 300 doses initially. Weve given about 150 since we started with healthcare professionals until now with the 75 and older, Vaccine Coordinator Morgan Allen said.

Its gone very well, she said, describing the first day.

Allen added all appointments are booked through Thursday, but said that people do sometimes cancel.

She explained new patients have to fill out new paperwork, and that caused the longest wait.

It takes a little bit of time, but after that, we havent had anybody thats had to wait very long, waiting to get the vaccine, Allen said.

She added there is one way to sign up for the vaccine at Monroe Regional Hospital: Call. You cannot register online at Monroe Regional Hospital.

One WTVA reporter tried calling the number, and a lady picked up immediately.

They just call here and theyll get our outpatient number back there, and they will get em scheduled, Allen said.

Allen explained the hospital is trying to vaccinate 65-70 people per day.

She said workers update the hospitals Facebook page as they get new information. The link to the hospitals Facebook page is here.

For White, by getting the vaccine, he felt like he was doing his part.

Im 89 years old and Im supposed to have it, so I got it.

Monroe Regional Hospital closes between noon and 1:00 p.m. for lunch, but outside of that, workers will give coronavirus vaccines Monday through Thursday between 8 a.m. AND 4 p.m., and Fridays from 8 a.m. until 3 in the afternoon.



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Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has cut more than half of the workforce at its North American unit, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing legal tussle. The sources did not give a figure for the number of jobs lost at the business, which had over 500 employees in early 2020, according to its website. However, one of the sources said hundreds of workers had been laid off since mid-2020 as part of a restructuring, and that the cuts were as high as two-thirds of Mahindra Automotive North Americas ...
New strains have emerged in the UK and South Africa (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

A new coronavirus jab could be manufactured within just 30 to 40 days if a variant of the virus is found to be less responsive to the vaccines available, according to a minister.

Nadhim Zahawi, vaccine development minister, told the Commons Science and Technology Committee that measures have been put in place to produce the next iteration of jabs if needed.

The emergence of more infectious strains of Covid-19 in the UK and South Africa has raised concerns about the ability of the vaccines to continue to offer protection.

But Mr Zahawi stressed there is no evidence to suggest the vaccines currently being rolled out will not be effective against these two current variants.

It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there are concerns about a new strain of the virus identified in Brazil and the Government is taking steps to protect the UK.

Mr Zahawi told MPs: We want to be able to rapidly be able to produce the next iteration, manufacture it, and be ready for if the vaccine does mutate to a level where we do need the next iteration of a vaccine.

Mr Zahawi said that as well as identifying the best candidates available, the UKs vaccine taskforce had also made preparations in the event of the virus mutating.

Expand Close The vaccine development minister said there is no evidence to suggest the available jabs are not effective against the current mutations (Victoria Jones/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp The vaccine development minister said there is no evidence to suggest the available jabs are not effective against the current mutations (Victoria Jones/PA)

Theres no evidence to suggest that the current vaccines will not be effective against the current mutations that we have, he told the committee.

Scientists at Porton Down are looking at both the Kent variant  which has been so infectious  and the South African variant.

We have to be ready for that what if question: what if there is a variant that the vaccines dont work as well on?

We have to be ready for that and we can be ready within a period of sort of 30 to 40 days, we would have the next vaccine being manufactured.

Weve invested, not just in infrastructure, but in thinking through how we would do that.

Mr Zahawi said the ability to do this at speed is because it would be a variation of a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine  such as the jab from Pfizer and BioNTech  so the approval process would be shortened.

He paid tribute to pharmaceutical company Pfizer, who he said was engaging with us to be ready to produce and manufacture iterations of the vaccine if needed.

Appearing before the Commons Liaison Committee on Wednesday, Mr Johnson said many questions remain about the coronavirus strain identified in Brazil, including whether it will be resistant to the vaccines available.

We are concerned about the new Brazilian variant, he told MPs.

We already have tough measures to protect this country from new infections coming in from abroad.

We are taking steps to do that in respect of the Brazilian variant.
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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Provenance Gold Corp. (CSE: PAU) (FSE: 3PG) (the "Company" or "Provenance") is pleased to announce that the Company has signed a definitive Joint Venture Agreement (the "JV") with Palayan Resources, Inc. (OTC Pink: PLYN) ("Palayan"), to drill and explore its Silver Bow property in Nye County, Nevada. The companies believe the property hosts several excellent gold and silver exploration targets.

Under the terms of this definitive agreement Palayan will receive a 49.5% interest (the "Palayan JV Interest") upon funding of an initial 20-hole drill program on Provenance's Blue Horse claim, within Silver Bow property. Under the terms of the agreement Palayan will commit up to USD$450,000.00 to earn its 49.5% interest in the property by way of a Phase I drill program anticipated to commence in February. Historically miners produced high-grade gold ores from veins on the claim. Provenance confirmed this with surface samples that returned 293 g/t Au, 12.4 g/t Au and 10.2 g/t Au, respectively, and silver values up to 785 g/t.

Rauno Perttu commented, "We are delighted to have entered into this JV which will enable us to drill and explore a strongly mineralized gold and silver system that is exposed on the surface for at least 500 meters before it goes under a shallow alluvial cover. This wide mineralized zone occurs along a structure that we have intermittently traced for more than two kilometers. We anticipate that our drilling will confirm strong continuous mineralization beginning at the surface along a width of up to 300 feet and extending the 1,500-foot length of the claim and beyond. We are excited about this program and believe it is the start of confirming a large gold and silver system on the Silver Bow property, while also enabling us to advance our White Rock property. This further helps to mitigate shareholder dilution while enabling us to explore and develop what we feel could become two very significant projects."

Because of slight delays related to weather and scheduling of the drill rig, drilling is planned to begin in mid-February.

The Company further announces that it intends to conduct a private placement of up to 3,000,000 units (each, a "Unit"), at a price of $0.10 per Unit. Each "Unit" will be comprised of one common share of the Company, and one common share purchase warrant exercisable at a price of $0.15 for a period of sixty months. Proceeds of this proposed placement will be used to advance its White Rock property and for general working capital purposes. In connection with the placement, the Company may pay finders' fees to eligible third parties that have assisted in introducing subscribers to the Company. All securities to be issued in connection with the placement will be subject to a four-month-and-one-day statutory hold period in accordance with applicable securities laws.

Please refer to the Company's website for further information and to review its reports on both the White Rock property and Silver Bow property in addition to assay and other key exploration data @ https://www.provenancegold.com .

Rauno Perttu, P . Geo., a Qualified Person (as defined by National Instrument 43-101), and the Chief Executive Officer of the Company, has reviewed and approved the technical contents of this News Release.

On behalf of the Board,

Provenance Gold Corp.

Rauno Perttu, Chief Executive Officer

For further information about the Company or this proposed private placement please contact the Company at: rclark@provenancegold.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange, nor its regulation services provider, accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

This news release may contain certain "Forward-Looking Statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities laws. When or if used in this news release, the words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target, "plan", "forecast", "may", "schedule" and similar words or expressions identify forward-looking statements or information. These forward-looking statements or information may relate to proposed activities at the White Rock gold project, and other factors or information. Such statements represent the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social risks, contingencies and uncertainties. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements and information other than as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71898
Awful though it was that thugs smashed their way into the U.S. Capitol last week, it might do the United States good in the end. Heres how.

Inspiring violence, which I study through my organization, the Dangerous Speech Project, doesnt happen in one speech or tweet. Its a steady insidious process that Donald Trump carried out for years until it was interrupted by last weeks display of what such language can do. The riot laid bare the urgent duty of Trumps influential allies: to clearly repudiate his incendiary lies.

Arnold Schwarzenegger did it this weekend, in a video denouncing Trumps rhetoric by describing his own childhood in Austria right after World War II, surrounded by broken men drinking away their guilt over their participation in Nazism. It all started with lies, and lies, and lies, and intolerance ... Schwarzenegger said. I know where such lies lead.

 READ MORE: Does Twitters ban violate Trumps free-speech rights? Likely not, but it raises questions about social media platforms, Philly experts say.

A witness in a trial at the United Nations Tribunal for Rwanda, after the 1994 genocide, also knew. Explaining how a radio station had groomed its listeners to commit and condone unthinkable violence, the witness said, In fact, what RTLM [Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines] did was almost to pour petrol, to spread petrol throughout the country little by little, so that one day it would be able to set fire to the whole country.

Trump set his crowd on fire last week by saying, You will never take back our country with weakness. But thats not what really brought about the attack on the Capitol. It was the steady flow of Trumps love and lies over the past five years. It started with his 2016 campaign, when he told the audience at a rally to knock the crap out of protestors and said he would pay the legal fees.

Every time Trump has made an inflammatory, hateful, and/or false remark since, journalists and Democrats called it out. But not Republicans, with the rarest of exceptions like Gabriel Sterling. This brave, infuriated Georgia elections official demanded on Dec. 1 that Trump stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. As Sterling predicted, Someones going to get hurt, someones going to get shot, someones going to get killed, and its not right.

He was correct. But he was alone as a Republican publicly calling out the president, and the predictable result came.

Dangerous speech is potent precisely because it is gradual, so its easy to get inured to the dribbling, like a slow gas leak. The philosopher John Stuart Mill gave a famous but incomplete description of a single speech: a leader encouraging a hungry mob to break into the house of a corn-dealer and help themselves to the food inside. In D.C., the mob helped itself to Nancy Pelosis mail and other trophies. But they would never have done that if they had heard only one speech or even just a few.

 READ MORE: Philly-area immigrants who have lived through coups see American democracys fragility in Capitol attack

Today we have a national oil spill, not genocide-inciting but violence-inciting. It is our urgent task as Americans to work on cleaning it up. Banning Trump from Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms will help to stop him from spilling more gasoline, or at least decrease the flow, but it wont clean up what is already there in the minds of millions of his followers. And Trumps opponents can try, but they cant succeed. Trumps allies can. Trumps supporters need to hear his messages repudiated by other leaders they admire, such as ministers, media figures, and celebrities.

Almost all of those have so far remained silent, or have decried the violence, but not its catalyst. They should now explain that Trump was wrong to teach them to see Democrats, Muslims, immigrants, and journalists, among others, as their enemies.

Public censure is a stronger tool than we often imagine, and a vital one in this country where First Amendment jurisprudence (wisely) protects freedom of expression more than any other law in the world. It is strong enough to protect the republic  if the right people use it well.

Susan Benesch is the founding director of the Dangerous Speech Project and faculty associate at Harvard Universitys Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Astronauts on the International Space Station said goodbye to a dozen bottles of French Bordeaux wine after it flew back to Earth on a SpaceX Dragon on Tuesday.

The wine, as well as hundreds of snippets of grapevines, spent a year orbiting the planet were launched by Luxembourg start-up Space Cargo Unlimited.

SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the ISS with the wine, vines and thousands of pounds of other gear and research - including mice on Tuesday.

The spaceship is currently scheduled for splashdown on Wednesday night in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tampa, Florida.

The astronauts didn't get the opportunity to sample the wine as all 12 bottles remained corked as they spent a year ageing around the Earth.

Two bottles will be propped open at the end of February for a tasting event in Bordeaux, with the remaining bottles used to test any impact zero gravity has on the sedimentation, bubble composition and taste of the wine.

The wine, as well as hundreds of snippets of grapevines, spent a year orbiting the planet were launched by Luxembourg start-up Space Cargo Unlimited

The carefully packed wine - each bottle nestled inside a steel cylinder to prevent breakage - remained corked aboard the orbiting lab - none for the astronauts to try.

Space Cargo Unlimited wanted the wine to age for an entire year in space to better understand how zero gravity environments change the taste and sedimentation.

None of the bottles will be opened until the end of February - when the company will pop open a bottle or two for an out-of-this-world wine tasting in Bordeaux by some of France's top connoisseurs and experts.

Months of chemical testing will follow - with scientists eager to see how space altered the sedimentation and bubbles in the drink.

Agricultural science is the primary objective, stresses Nicolas Gaume, CEO and co-founder of Space Cargo Unlimited, although he admits it will be fun to sample the wine. He'll be among the lucky few taking a sip.

'Our goal is to tackle the solution of how we're going to have an agriculture tomorrow that is both organic and healthy and able to feed humanity, and we think space has the key,' Gaume said.

With climate change, Gaume said agricultural products like grapes will need to adapt to harsher conditions.

Through a series of space experiments, Space Cargo Unlimited hopes to take what can be learned by stressing the plants in weightlessness and turn that into more robust and resilient plants on Earth.

SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the ISS with the wine, vines and thousands of pounds of other gear and research - including mice on Tuesday

There's another benefit. Gaume expects future explorers to the moon and Mars will want to enjoy some of Earth's pleasures.

'Being French, it's part of life to have some good food and good wine,' he said.

The wine hitched a ride to the space station in November 2019 aboard a Northrop Grumman supply ship. The 320 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vine snippets, called canes in the grape-growing business, were launched by SpaceX last March.

SpaceX is the only shipper capable of returning space station experiments and other items intact. The other cargo capsules are filled with trash and burn up when reentering Earth's atmosphere.

DENVER, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ("Mercer Advisors"), a national Registered Investment Adviser ("RIA"), today announced the acquisition of Rowland Carmichael Advisors, Inc. ("RCA"), a respected wealth management firm located in Scottsdale, Arizona. RCA serves approximately 240 clients with assets under management / advisement (collectively "AUM") with over $850 million. Tim Rowland ("Tim"), CFP, MBA, and David Carmichael ("David"), founded RCA in 1986 delivering comprehensive wealth management services to its high net worth (HNW) clients, including a robust retirement plan service business and attendant corporate clientele. RCA has four shareholders that include Tim and David, and a strong next generation leadership team in Jaron Carmichael, CPA, CFP, Masters in Tax, and Corey Bird, CFP, MBA in Finance, and Masters in Psychology. In all, nine (9) RCA team members will be joining the Mercer Advisors' team. The RCA transaction closed December 31, 2020.

Like Mercer Advisors, RCA is a multi-family office of financial experts who have acquired generations of knowledge and diverse skill sets to provide industry leading financial guidance for their clients. Using their T.R.U.S.T. Process ("Tomorrow's Retirement Ultimately Starts Today"), RCA builds a tailored plan that puts their clients dreams within reach and offers peace of mind.

Commenting on the transaction, Tim Rowland, Founder, stated: "We are committed to serving the comprehensive wealth management needs of our clients. To that end, David and I have built a family office business with a team of dedicated professionals that share that level of commitment and excellence to our valued clients. While we have a strong team and great next generation talent and leadership, David and I realized that we needed to find a like-minded partner that could not only provide a business continuity plan for us, our clients, and staff, but also help us scale and leverage of our operation." Co-Founder David Carmichael added, "For us it was the choice of building it or joining it, and we decided to join it." Although we had other options, we found that Mercer Advisors was the best partner for us going forward. We loved that they offer in-house family office services including estate planning, tax return preparation, and corporate trustee services."

David Barton, who led this transaction on behalf of Mercer Advisors, added: "Tim and David have built a tremendous business. They also have a talented next generation team with co-shareholders Jaron Carmichael and Corey Bird leading the way. What they lacked, however, was the requisite scale and leverage they wanted so they could spend more time doing the things they loved like serving clients and winning new ones. Like many business owners, wearing multiple hats drains your time and talent, and it prevents high quality professionals from maximizing their highest and best use. Joining Mercer Advisors solved that issue for them. In addition, RCA has a strong retirement plan service business we believe can augment and energize our two billion-dollar plus AUM ERISA business. This is a great fit for both parties, and I'm thrilled we were able to consummate this transaction in a COVID impacted world."

Dave Welling, Chief Executive Officer of Mercer Advisors said, "I've known Tim and David for years and have great respect for the firm they have built and the service they provide to their clients. Tim, David, and their team bring 100+ years of deep industry knowledge and strong local and industry relationships to Mercer Advisors that will bolster our already strong presence in the Southwest. RCA will be combining with our existing local office in Scottsdale, Arizona, and contribute to our strong growth in Arizona. We are excited to join forces with the RCA team and look forward to serving their clients with expanded wealth management services for years to come."

About Mercer Advisors

Established in 1985, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ("Mercer Advisors") is a full service wealth management firm that specializes in providing investment advice, financial and estate planning, and taxes, and corporate trustee and trust administration services. It is one of the largest Registered Investment Advisers and financial planning firms in the U.S. with over $26 billion in client assets. Headquartered in Denver, Mercer Advisors is privately held, has over 500 employees, and operates nationally across the country with 45+ locations. Mercer Advisors, Inc. is a parent company of Mercer Global Advisors Inc. (RIA), majority owned by both Oak Hill Capital and Genstar Capital. Mercer Global Advisors has a related insurance agency. Mercer Advisors Insurance Services, LLC (MAIS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Mercer Advisors Inc. Employees of Mercer Global Advisors serve as officers of MAIS. For Mercer Global Advisors clients who wish to purchase insurance products, MAIS has entered into a non-exclusive referral agreement with Strategic Partner(s). More information about MAIS and our Strategic Partners may be found in our Form ADV 2A. Visit us at www.merceradvisors.com.

Data as of December 31, 2020. AUM includes affiliates and wholly owned subsidiaries announced to date.

Contact: Chris Tofalli

Chris Tofalli Public Relations, LLC

914-834-4334

SOURCE Mercer Global Advisors Inc.

Related Links

http://www.merceradvisors.com



US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on Tuesday after Luxembourgs foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet with him, European and U.S. diplomats familiar with the matter said.

The extraordinary snub of the top U.S. diplomat, first reported by Reuters, came days after the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump, an unprecedented attack on American democracy that stunned many world leaders and U.S. allies.

Pompeo, a close ally of Trump, had sought to meet Jean Asselborn in Luxembourg, a small but wealthy NATO ally, before meeting EU leaders and the blocs top diplomat in Brussels, three people close to the planning told Reuters.

But the initial plan to go to Luxembourg, which had not been officially announced, was scrapped after officials there showed reluctance to grant Pompeo appointments, a diplomatic source said. The Brussels leg was still on until the last minute.

But the thin itinerary of Pompeos final visit to Brussels raised questions about the merit of the trip. There were no meetings on his schedule with EU officials or any public events at NATO. A third diplomatic source said allies were embarrassed" by Pompeo after the violence in Washington last Wednesday that left five dead.

Trump encouraged his supporters at a rally earlier that day to march on the building that houses the Senate and the House of Representatives while lawmakers were certifying Democratic President-elect Joe Bidens Nov. 3 election victory. The Republican president claims, without evidence, that the election was stolen from him.

Pompeo condemned the violence but made no reference to the role that Trumps baseless claims played in galvanizing the march on the Capitol.

Appalled by the violence, Luxembourgs Asselborn had called Trump a criminal" and a political pyromaniac" on RTL Radio the next day.

Luxembourgs foreign ministry confirmed the previously planned stop there was cancelled, but declined to give further details. The EU declined to comment.

The U.S. State Department, in a statement, attributed the cancellation to transition work before Biden takes office on Jan. 20, even if Pompeo had been reluctant until recently to unequivocally recognize Bidens win. The State Department declined further comment on European officials rejection of meetings with Pompeo.

In Brussels, Pompeo was due to have a private dinner with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday evening at Stoltenbergs private residence, before meeting Belgian Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes, whose country is a NATO ally.

One of the sources said the lack of any public events at NATO was another reflection of European officials questioning the point of the trip. It was not immediately clear why Pompeo sought to go to Brussels so near to the end of Trumps term.

EAGER TO BUILD TIES WITH BIDEN

The cold shoulder was a contrast with Pompeos previous visits to Brussels, which is home to NATO and EU headquarters, over the past three years, where he has given keynote speeches on U.S. policy and met the EUs chief executive, even as Europe balked at Trumps foreign policy.

In 2018, Pompeo said in Brussels that Trumps America First policy was reshaping the post-World War Two system on the basis of sovereign states, not institutions such as the EU.

EU officials, who say they were exhausted by Trumps unpredictability, are eager to build fresh ties with Biden.

One source, while explaining why Pompeo chose to remain in Washington, cited his eagerness to roll out planned foreign policy tasks until the end of the term and help keep the continuity of government.

For nearly three years, Pompeo proved a loyal executor of Trumps unconventional style. His tenure did not include obvious successes in such long-standing U.S. foreign policy challenges as reining in the Iranian and North Korean nuclear programs, ending the U.S. war in Afghanistan or containing an increasingly assertive China.

Nevertheless on Jan. 1, Pompeo kicked off a daily Twitter thread, saying the United States was much safer" today than four years ago thanks to what he saw as the foreign policy accomplishments of the Trump administration.

He said he would showcase the results. Over the coming days, Im going to lay out the mission set, the huge wins, personal stories, and a lot more. Just me, Mike," he said.

The tweets, along with some of his foreign trips, have been largely seen as part of his bid to lay the groundwork for his much-anticipated 2024 run for the Republican nomination for president.

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, declared Tuesday in Abuja that the demons frustrating the passage and Presidential Assent to the...

The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, declared Tuesday in Abuja that the demons frustrating the passage and Presidential Assent to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) within the last 14 years, will be defeated this year by the 9th National Assembly.

Lawan, who made the declaration, while speaking to journalists on his 62 birthday celebration, said the patriotic zeal used by the National Assembly in October 2019, to pass the Amendment Bill on Deep Offshore Oil Production Sharing Contracts, will be deployed for expeditious consideration and passage of the PIB already before it, latest by the end of first quarter of this year.

PIB is like a demon. People both within and outside the country are ready to work against it as they have been doing for the past fourteen years but the 9th Senate and by extension, 9th National Assembly, will defeat the demon with the current bill before both Chambers.

The patriotic zeal, sheer determination and unity of purpose by all serving Senators across party lines, to do this latest by the end of first quarter of this year will be deployed on the bill immediately the Senate resumes on 26th of this month the way it did with Deep Offshore Oil Production Sharing Contracts, he said.

The Deep Offshore Oil Production Sharing Contracts Act, facilitated by the National Assembly in 2019, he disclosed, has increased remittances from the sharing contracts into the federation account from $216 million to $2 billion on yearly basis.

According to him, For 20 years, foreign forces and local collaborators, frustrated efforts to amend the Deep Offshore Oil Production Contract Act, but got defeated in October 2019 with passage of Amendment to the Act by both Chambers of the 9th National Assembly with attendant financial and economic gains for the country.

Those against the move in 2019, even threatened to leave the country, but the 9th National Assembly stood its ground in getting the previously fraudulent Act, amended with passage of the bill which was assented to, by President Muhammadu Buhari on a Sunday in London.

He, however, assured the various International Oil Companies (IOCs), working in Nigeria that the PIB to be passed this year, will not run them out of business.

The main purpose of PIB which will later become an Act, when passed and assented to, by President Muhammadu Buhari, is to make the oil sector investments friendly for both local and foreign investors with attendant economic gains for the country.

Through it, a required competitive environment will be provided for businesses to grow and investors to make their gains as well as Nigerians getting values for their money and the government getting more revenues, he explained .

He added that with massive injection of budget funds into the economy, Nigeria will get out of recession in a few months time.

According to him, to achieve that, while implementation of the N13.588 trillion 2021 budget commences this January, the capital component of the 2020 budget is extended to March 31 this year as requested by the executive.

This will no doubt ensure injection of massive funds into the economy and get it out of recess soonest, he said .

He also declared that the reversion of budget implementation cycle in Nigeria from unpredictable ones of the past to January- December now, by both the legislature and the executive, has increased the percentage of implementation and invariably delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigerians.
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"Are your legs okay?" This is usually the first thing her husband asks her when Le Thi Hong Tham is back home from work.

And quite often, Thams response is to roll up her pants above the ankles, revealing several bruises and scars  a result of accidents that happen frequently as she travels from Coc My Commune, Bat Xat District to Seo Phin Than Village in the northern highlands province of Lao Cai. Tham and another colleague stay in the village to teach local children.

"It is not that far, only 12 km, but the roads are very difficult. I have never seen such roads in my life," says Tham, smiling as she talked about the trouble she has to take to teach children of the Mong and Dao ethnic minorities in a remote area. The difficulties begin right from getting to the kindergarten.

With an old motorbike, Tham has to navigate rocky and steep roads to get to Seo Phin Than. One teacher decided to quit for good, local authorities say.

Teachers persevere with uphill task to teach highlands children Mot oan uong tu trung tam xa len iem truong Seo Phin Than The road to Seo Phin Than. Video by VnExpress/Anh Tuan.

Coc My Commune has 17 villages, four of them having borders with China. More than half of its 1,060 households are poor. Seo Phin Than village, home to Mong people, stands farthest from the commune center, 17 km away.

From the communes kindergarten, a local officer points his finger to a small spot among a sea of clouds, saying, "that is the kindergarten and primary school of Seo Phin Than."

Some people standing next to him think it is a joke. But after two hours of driving on a rocky road to get there, they discover otherwise.

In Seo Phin Than, the kindergarten and primary school are located at the villages highest point. The kindergarten consists of a classroom, a room for two teachers, and a dining area. The main area of 32 square meters serves as both classroom and a sleeping room for 37 children aged from 3-5.

Such special schools, having up to 3-4 classes for children of different ages, are a feature of many mountainous areas in Vietnam where children face a lot of difficulties in getting an education.

According to the Ministry and Education and Training, such schools are required to meet several criteria including play rooms, rooms for physical activities, including art work, and a playground with equipment for students outdoor activities.

The school in Seo Phin Than meets none of these conditions.

The kindergarten in Seo Phin Than Village, Lao Cai Province. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tuan.

The number of students attending the kindergarten usually increases to 42 since many children carry their young siblings, mostly aged two, to the school. At meal time, Tham and her colleague, Hien, often have to find bowls and spoons to feed the kids.

Teachers like Tham and Hien have become used to this unusual change in their class size. Last week, a Mong mother carrying a baby on her back took her older child to the school and asked Tham to take care of both of them. However, Tham could not accommodate this request since she was already overwhelmed.

The teachers 10-sq-meter "bedroom" has a bed and two small chairs. After lunch, they take wooden panels from their bed to the classroom and lie down there so as to keep an eye on the sleeping students.

The school, such as it is, was built with a lot of hard work by the community. Village head Lau A Va says that in 2012, the strongest men were asked to go to the forest and bring wood to build a classroom for local children.

The old school, a km away from the current one, was damaged by a storm. So locals decided to move it to the highest hill in the village. It took them six months to finish building the so-called new school, almost a makeshift structure.

The school should have been more solid, but trucks could not reach the village, so all cement bags and iron rods had to be carried by motorbikes, Va said.

"The cork roofs are a huge improvement," he said. The village has 58 households, 23 of which are poor. Their incomes mostly come from harvesting corn.

With more than 300 residents, the villages per capita income is less than VND1 million ($43.37) per month.

Last September, Tham visited many households and informed about fees of slightly more than VND100,000 ($4.34).

They nodded their heads and left for their farms without saying a word. Tham and Hien had to use their own money to help them.

Missing their own children

Sometimes, as she watches parents walk their children home at sunset, Tham cannot help crying as she longs for her son and daughter, living in Coc My Commune with her husband, a busy miner.

The couple have to ask the help of colleagues and friends in taking care of their own offspring.

"My colleagues take care of my children; I come here to take care of others children," Tham said, tears in her eyes.

The classroom of the kindergarten is decorated with colored paper and stickers. Photo by VnExpress/Anh Tuan.

There is no electricity in Seo Phin Than, so the night is dark and silent. After having dinner and cleaning the classroom, Tham walks to a higher point to "catch" some signal and call her children.

"A package of rice, a package of vegetables and meat, and a phone with a full battery" are indispensable items Tham and Hien carry when they return to Seo Phin Than from their homes. Sometimes, they also bring some candy, colored paper and national flags.

The small building with a heavily damaged roof has not stopped Tham and Hien from making it become the most beautiful one on the way heading to the village.

Inside, they use floral wallpaper to cover peeling parts of the walls. Outside, dozens of sandals, covered with mud, are placed neatly on a shelf. Flowers always bloom in the front yard.

Many children in Coc My Commune are not fluent in Vietnamese, but they never forget the songs that Tham and Hien teach them.

The good thing about teaching these children, Tham said, is that they love going to school. Their parents, busy with farming, rarely have time for their minors during the day.

Apart from teaching them to read and sing, Tham and Hien also cut their fingernails, wash their faces, help them wear clothes, and clean their hands. Sometimes, when their parents come late, the teachers take care of the children until the evening.

Locals have found it easier to focus on their farming since Tham and Hien started working in Seo Phin Than. Thanks to the duo, their children now can sing, read, and greet their teachers.

The teachers still yearn for a better place for their students, a bigger classroom, a bigger kitchen and more firewood in winter.

And of course, they hope they will not have to refuse any parents who want to have their children taken care of by the teachers. Every child has the right to learn and the teachers say they are willing to shoulder all the extra work it entails in remote areas.

Unlike in urban areas, Tham and Hien receive no flowers and greeting cards from the parents, but they are always grateful for the occasional gifts of eggs, corn and meat.

Sometimes, when it rains hard, the parents rush to the school to see if the teachers are okay.

Tham said: "Their gratitude and concern is how they motivate us, and nothing can be more precious than that."
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 19:36:34|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan police confirmed Wednesday they seized several kilos of narcotics drugs destined for Australia and India.

The narcotics were concealed in books and hair braids when the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) detectives intercepted them on Tuesday at the country's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi.

George Kinoti, DCI Director, said after verification, the drugs were found to have been prohibited drugs, cocaine and Methamphetamine.

According to Kinoti, the first consignment destined for Australia from Zambia had been described as books, but on opening them, each book was found to contain an unestablished amount of Methamphetamine.

The second consignment en route to India from Juba in South Sudan was described as hair braids, but on inspection were found to contain a white powdery substance which on being tested turned out to be cocaine.

"Both consignments were seized pending further investigations, with ANU detectives seeking Interpol interventions to track down the traffickers and bring them to book," Kinoti said.

The value of both consignments is yet to be established. Enditem
BRUSSELS: Euro zone industrial production was much higher than expected in November, data showed on Wednesday, thanks to a sharp rebound in the output of intermediate and capital goods.

The European Unions statistics office Eurostat said industrial output in the 19 countries sharing the euro rose 2.5% in November against October for a 0.6% year-on-year decline.

Economists polled by Reuters had expected a modest 0.2% monthly rise and a 3.3% annual fall.

Ireland was the clear outlier, with a 52.8% surge in industrial output in the month. Production also rose in Germany, but was down in France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands.

The better than expected result was mainly due to a 7.0% monthly jump in output of capital goods and a 1.5% monthly rise in intermediate goods, which helped offset falls in the production of energy and durable and non-durable consumer goods.

Also year-on-year, capital goods production rose 0.1% in November after an 8% year-on-year slump in October. Intermediate goods output was up 1.1% after a 0.9% fall in October.

Intermediate and capital goods often give early indications of investment trends.

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

Following the kidnapping for several people, the Syrian army has launched an operation on the Jordanian border to find those responsible writes Al-Masdar.

The Syrian army launched a large-scale military operation in Suweida Governorate along the Jordanian border, following the kidnapping of several civilians by terrorist groups in the area.

According to a field report from Suweida Governorate, the Syrian Arab Army and other elements from the government security forces launched the large-scale operation at dawn on Jan. 11, 2021. They reportedly encircled the area near the Jordanian border, where the suspects were hiding out.

The reports said the Syrian armys primary purpose was to liberate the kidnapped civilians and arrest those responsible for the crime in southern Suweida.

A source in the Syrian army said that their forces are currently engaged in the operation, and they continue to comb through different parts of the cordoned border area in search of the terrorists behind the kidnappings and robberies in Suweida Governorate.

The kidnappings reportedly took place along the Damascus-Suweida Highway, which in the past, has witnessed similar events carried out by militants loyal to the Free Syrian Army and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

At the same time, the Russian Aerospace Forces continue their reconnaissance missions the along the Suweida-Deir ez-Zor-Homs border.

The Russian Aerospace Forces have been monitoring this desert region closely over the last few weeks, especially after the Islamic State carried out a string of attacks in this area.

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.
Lightcircle and CEO Morten Revill who are currently attending the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) are proud to announce that the Kokong and a special Isfjall (Norwegian for Iceberg) version, symbolizing how everyday power savings contribute to sustainability, are nominated for the Picks Awards Program for CES - produced by TWICE, Residential Systems and Tech Radar Pro.

Kokong and Isfjall both help reduce power consumption and the risk of fire or overheating when charging, without you having to do anything other than plug in.

Safety in your own home is one of the most important things for every human being and family. Fear of fire is global and Kokong allows you to charge safely day or night whether you are 5 or 105 years of age, and so provides peace of mind. We have high hopes for these products on the US market, says Morten Revill .

Launches in April

The story began when Lightcircle of Norway`s founder, Morten Revill, observed his daughter charging her tablet and smart phone on her bed at night.

This coincided with a news article about a child that could have died from an overheating charger emitting a toxic gas, had it not been for his mother checking in on him in time.

Morten Revill wanted to design a product that removed this human factor, so that anyone would be safe charging any device, night or day.

The result is Kokong, and the product is launching in the US in April this year, along with the special iceberg edition, Isfjall.

BBC has previously tested and broadcasted about Kokong on BBC World News program. Look here: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-46826795

Award-winning

Lightcircle of Norway and the Kokong socket has previously won awards for outstanding design, including Norway`s most prestigious design & architecture award, The Doga Award.

https://doga.no/aktiviteter/dogas-priser/doga-merket-design-arkitektur/tidligere-vinnere-av-doga-merket/vinnere-av-doga-merket-2019/kokong/

Lightcircle of Norway will be showing the US versions in their digital booth and online meetings at CES All-Digital from Jan 11-14th.

SOURCE Lightcircle of Norway
[January 13, 2021] SmartSearch U.S. Launches Enhanced Anti-fraud Solution

LEHI, Utah, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to Congress passing some of the most significant anti-money laundering (AML) legislation in decades, anti-fraud specialist SmartSearch U.S. has launched enhanced levels of protection against financial fraud for businesses. SmartSearch U.S.  a leading RegTech firm  believes its sophisticated facial recognition, document capture and liveness appraisal will give U.S. firms the confidence they need to comply with the new regulation, as well as protect themselves against potential fraud. The ongoing coronavirus crisis means it is also not safe for many businesses to onboard new customers using manual checks and having face-to-face meetings, due to the increased risk of infection. Chad Rawlings, national sale director at SmartSearch U.S. based in Lehi UT, said there had been a surge in money laundering activity worldwide, as criminals seek to exploit the coronavirus crisis, and that firms in the property, legal and finance sectors need enhanced protection. He added: "At SmartSearch U.S. we've developed and enhanced our solution, not only to respond to the growing threat but to stay a step ahead. "We are now able to place the most sophisticated facial recognition technology on the market in the hands of banks, law firms, accountants and real estate firms, to make quick and simple checks that protects them against money laundering. It also improves customer service as it speeds up the process and is much more accurate than a manual check. "Businesses need confidence right now that they are going to be able to move forward without further threats to their day-to-day operation, which is what this enhanced system does." The enhanced facial recognition, document capture and liveness appraisal combines optical character recognition (OCR) and the latest biometric facial recognition techniques to provide a true picture of a customer. This highly advanced technology performs an algorithmic check on phoo ID documents to ensure they are authentic. Then, using a customer 'Selfie Liveness Video' (SLV), it uses biometric and liveness detection to compare the 'real person' with the document provided to ensure the image and information is genuine.



Rawlings adds: "Our mission is to make compliance easy, particularly with the new legislation that is being introduced in the U.S. "But while the technology behind SmartSearch is highly advanced, the interface and the outputs have been designed with the user in mind, meaning staff at any level can easily do a SmartSearch and stay compliant."

To find out how SmartSearch can help your business, visit www.smartsearch.com/us or get in touch toll-free on 1-855-WeDoAML For further information please contact: Simon Peevers, bClear Communications

07773 417 066 | 289108@email4pr.com NOTES TO EDITORS About SmartSearch SmartSearch is a leading provider of anti-money-laundering software. Its anti-money-laundering verification platform conducts individual and business searches, both for the U.S. and international markets with automatic worldwide sanction and PEP screening. It is the only organisation with the ability to verify individuals and companies in a single platform via a browser or API, with full Sanction, PEP and adverse media screening, and then ongoing monitoring. With an office in Lehi, Utah, SmartSearch's very latest technology delivers an unrivalled user experience to over 4,500 client firms and 40,000 users, enabling them to comply with the latest AML regulations and fulfil their AML, Customer Due Diligence (CDD), and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance obligations. With no requirement for clients to provide identity documents, SmartSearch's automated verification approach is significantly more convenient for both users and their end customers, with individual AML checks taking two seconds from start to finish, while business checks take less than three minutes. For more information, please visit www.smartsearch.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smartsearch-us-launches-enhanced-anti-fraud-solution-301207521.html SOURCE SmartSearch

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A man who pushed for 21 years to have Coon cheese renamed, saying the label was racist, is disappointed Indigenous people werent consulted about the product's new name, Cheer.

Author and anti-racism activist Stephen Hagan said he was glad and relieved that the cheese's manufacturer had announced the name change on Wednesday, to take effect in July, as he would no longer have to see the word "coon"  a derogatory term for a black person  every time he went to the supermarket.

Dr Stephen Hagan campaigned for decades for the Coon cheese brand, which he considered racist, to be changed. Credit:Hannah Paulsen

Dr Hagan is not sure what the new name, Cheer, stands for. "I would have liked it to be something a bit more inclusive of First Nations people," he said. "We werent even consulted on names. We would like to have contributed."

Cam Bruce, the commercial director of Coons owners, Saputo Dairy Australia, said consumer research had helped decide the name, which is meant to signify happiness.
Ashanti Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sam Pyne has called on supporters of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to fall for the deception of their party leadership.



According to him, the NDC leadership has been throwing dust into the eyes of their supporters regarding their claims that their Presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama won the 2020 Presidential elections.



The NDC has petitioned the Supreme Court seeking a second election as they challenged the victory of the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



They claim the President didn't acquire the necessary votes to emerge victor in the elections.



Speaking to sit-in host Nana Yaw Kesseh on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo", Sam Pyne was alarmed by the NDC petition saying the party and their Presidential candidate are singing a different tune because they pray the court to grant them a run-off instead of holding on to their initial position that they won the elections.



This, to him, amounts to deception and therefore advised the NDC supporters to wise up and stop following their leaders blindly.



"We plead with the supporters not to listen to the NDC lies. Such false hope is what empowers some people to misbehave. Such things ruin the nation."



He also admonished the NDC leadership to "stop deceiving their supporters".







Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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Several on Wednesday wrote to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde seeking to resume regular physical hearing in the courts saying that the virtual hearing system has failed to adequately serve as the affective justice delivery system.

In a letter sent by the members of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), the also said they are suffering for about last ten months amidst this pandemic.

While contending that the the virtual functioning of courts system has more lacunaes than its benefits, the letter said "the virtual hearing system has failed to serve adequately as the affective justice delivery system."



Needless to say many of your lordships have expressed their annoyance regarding the effectiveness of this mechanism, it said.

The letter said that the members of the SCBA feels helpless because they have no accessibility to the judges, which they used to have earlier, to express their concerns before the judges.

Your Lordship is very much aware of this fact, that most of the members practising before this court are from diverse states and stay here on rent, but due to this pandemic condition and online system of this court, many of them are compelled to leave Delhi and their practice too.

This is also an undisputed fact that majority of members of this Bar are not well versed with this virtual system due to which they are suffering the most and also defeating the purpose of justice system, it said.

The letter pointed out various problems including network connectivity issues, no proper management by the Registry regarding virtual hearing, no response to the calls by the dealing officers in hand mentioning branch and dismissal of mentioning of urgent matters by the mentioning branch without providing any for the same.

More than 50 per cent of young practitioners of this Bar have been constrained to leave Delhi as they were unable to meet out their living expenses. Members staying in Delhi NCR, and practising before this Court have huge effect on their earnings due to which, either they have to depend on their family or on odd jobs, it said.

It further pointed out that all government as well as private sectors and offices, malls, marriage halls, movie halls, temples, election rallies, airports and train services etc. have now started working not only in Delhi but throughout the country



However, the members of this Bar are deprived of this privilege, it said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Huron County man who crashed his snowmobile in Chippewa County earlier this month died Jan. 8 at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.

Richard David Dufty, 55, of Caseville succumbed to injuries he suffered in the Jan. 2 crash along Snowmobile Trail UP 472 (Bobby Gay Truck Trail), in the Hiawatha National Forest, northeast of Trout Lake.

Dufty was riding a 2017 Ski-Doo MXZ XRS 800 E-tec snowmobile within a group of six riders traveling west on the trail.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Mike Olesen and Sgt. Calvin Smith were dispatched to the crash site at 3:35 p.m. EST.

Investigation showed Dufty had passed the other riders in the group at a high rate of speed. When they caught up, they saw a snow cloud in the air at the spot where Duftys sled left the trail.

Olesen said Duftys sled gradually went off the righthand side of the trail, traveling on a slight corner. Toxicology reports indicated alcohol was a factor in the accident.

Duftys snowmobile hit several trees alongside the trail before the snowmobile flipped end over end and Dufty was ejected.

Dufty, with attending EMS personnel, was transported in the back of Sgt. Smiths DNR patrol vehicle from the crash site along the trail to a waiting ambulance.

After forecasted poor weather conditions prevented air transport to Petoskey, Dufty was taken to McLaren Northern Michigan Hospital by Mackinac Straits EMS personnel. On Jan. 3, Dufty was transferred to the hospital in Royal Oak.

Additional agencies assisting at the scene of the crash included the Chippewa County Sheriffs Office and Michigan State Police.

Including Dufty, four snowmobilers have died from snowmobile crashes in Michigan this winter. Three of the four crashes have occurred in the Upper Peninsula. Last winter, the DNR logged a total of 14 snowmobile fatalities, 10 of which occurred in the U.P.

Conservation officers remind snowmobilers to ride safely, including traveling at safe speeds, not drinking and driving and staying on the right side of the trail.

For more information on snowmobile safety, visit Michigan.gov/RideRight. To learn more about snowmobiling in Michigan visit Michigan.gov/Snowmobiling.
A student who hosted a lockdown rule-breaking house party in Nottingham has become one of the first people in the country to pay a 10,000 super-fine.

Police said the 20-year-old is also the first person in the city to pay the sum - which is more than enough to cover an entire year's tuition.

The third-year Nottingham Trent University student was handed a fixed penalty notice (FPN) after officers were called to a gathering at an address in Lenton on October 20 - where they discovered more than 30 people hiding in breach of coronavirus rules.

At the time, police reported that students attending the party told officers they were 'spoiling our fun' by breaking up the event on the eve of Tier 3 lockdown restrictions being imposed.

By that stage, mixing of households indoors had already been banned after the city entered Tier 2 restrictions on October 14.

Young adults also reportedly told police: 'We should be having the time of our lives.'

Nottinghamshire Police said the 20-year-old had also become the first person in the force area to pay the sum - more than enough to cover an entire year's tuition. Pictured: The scene of the party on Kimbolton Avenue, Lenton

The third-year Nottingham Trent University (pictured) student was handed a fixed penalty notice (FPN) after officers were called to a gathering at an address in Lenton

The party was uncovered by Nottingham City Council-led community protection officers on a proactive patrol before police were called.

Nottinghamshire Police Assistant Chief Constable Steve Cooper said: 'This should send out a warning to people that it is really not worth breaking the law when it comes to Covid legislation.

'Most people in Nottinghamshire fully support and understand the reasons why the law is in place - to stop the NHS being overwhelmed by a wave of patients affected by the virus which thrives on social contact.

'Sadly there is a minority for whom enforcement is left as the only option.'

The student was among four to be fined 10,000 following the house party on October 20.

All were suspended by the university at the time and faced further disciplinary action including expulsion pending the outcome of an investigation.

A spokesperson for Nottingham Trent University said in October: 'We have been notified by Nottinghamshire Police this morning that they have imposed 10K fines on NTU students.

At the time, police reported that students attending the party told officers they were 'spoiling our fun' by breaking up the event on October 20 last year, on the eve of Tier 3 lockdown restrictions being imposed. Pictured: Nottingham Trent University

'On receipt of that notification we immediately launched an investigation, and each student has been suspended pending the outcome of our investigation.

'Any student who is found to have breached our disciplinary regulations can face a range of sanctions, up to and including expulsion.'

Up to December 20, 196 fines for gatherings of more than 30 people were handed out in England, and two in Wales.

It is understood that a small number have so far been paid, and around half still have time left in the 28-day payment period.

Police expect some to be challenged in court where the amount paid can be means-tested.

All FPN payments issued under coronavirus legislation on behalf of police in England and Wales are processed by the ACRO Criminal Records Office, with the money distributed to local authorities.

Those fined can choose to pay to avoid going to court, but recipients are also advised that a means-testing route is available in court.

On Tuesday, a senior police chief said almost 45,000 fines have been issued to people across the UK for breaching Covid-19 laws.

National Police Chiefs' Council chairman (NPCC) Martin Hewitt also warned that officers will not 'waste time' trying to reason with people who have 'no regard' for the safety of others.
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Located in the center of Kathmandu, the capital and largest city in Nepal, the newly built hotel opened earlier this week and is part of a vibrant rejuvenation project of the city's commercial center, close to top attractions and cultural wonders such as the base camp for Mount Everest, the Garden of Dreams, Ason Bazaar at Kathmandu Durbar Square and other popular destinations in the city.

This latest opening builds on Wyndham's continued commitment to growth for the sub-Indian continent. With more than 50 properties currently in the Indian sub-continent, the opening of Ramada Encore by Wyndham Kathmandu-Thamel is another welcome footstep towards the Company's continued expansion plans.

Nikhil Sharma, regional director, Eurasia, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts said, "We are thrilled to be expanding Wyndham's portfolio in this exciting new destination. Nepal is a beautiful country with huge potential and we are pleased to be making our footprint as part of our strategy to further expand our EMEA reach across the Indian sub-continent. With a growing portfolio of more than 50 operational hotels in the region and plans to develop around 30 additional properties across India, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Pakistan by 2025, the debut of the Ramada Encore by Wyndham brand brings us one step closer to our mission of making hotel travel possible for all in the Indian sub-continent and beyond."

Ramada Encore by Wyndham Kathmandu-Thamel features contemporary rooms designed with comfort and accessibility in mind. The hotel offers guests various on-site food and beverage outlets, including the Pateo restaurant and bar, the outdoor El Beso Caro offering scenic views of the city, as well as Chocos N Subs, serving light meals and coffee. Other amenities include a rooftop plunge pool, a spa and salon for rejuvenation and relaxation, as well as a fitness center. The hotel also features a versatile meeting room to accommodate up to 60 conference attendees or 80 banquet guests.

Ramada Encore by Wyndham hotels in the Indian sub-continent and around the world participate in Wyndham Rewards, the world's most generous hotel rewards program with more than 30,000 hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals worldwide.

About Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: WH) is the world's largest hotel franchising company by the number of properties, with approximately 9,000 hotels across approximately 90 countries on six continents. Through its network of 804,000 rooms appealing to the everyday traveler, Wyndham commands a leading presence in the economy and midscale segments of the lodging industry. The Company operates a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including Super 8, Days Inn, Ramada, Microtel, La Quinta, Baymont, Wingate, AmericInn, Hawthorn Suites, Trademark Collection and Wyndham. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is also a leading provider of hotel management services. The Company's award-winning Wyndham Rewards loyalty program offers 85 million enrolled members the opportunity to redeem points at thousands of hotels, vacation club resorts and vacation rentals globally. For more information, visit www.wyndhamhotels.com.

SOURCE Wyndham Hotels & Resorts

Related Links

http://www.wyndhamhotels.com


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Bogota, Colombia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Medcolcanna Organics Inc. (NEO: MCCN) ("Medcolcanna", "MCCN" or the "Company"), a leading Colombian and globally integrated cannabis company, is providing the following corporate update.

Key highlights include:

Capacity & Cost of Production:

MCCN received approval for extension of its cannabis cultivation licenses to its second location in Neiva for 32 hectares (approx. 79 acres) in October 2020. This farm is expected to allow MCCN to lower its cost of production by approximately four-fold, to compete in the commoditized CBD and CBG markets.

The increase in cultivation also comes with an increase in extraction of 500 tons of additional biomass processing capacity. MCCN has managed to complete this expansion saving cost in capital expenses using its proven proprietary technology.

Quality & Certifications:

Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP) certification granted in July 2020. This certification allows MCCN to pursue its strategy to produce pharma-grade medicinal cannabis products.

MCCN's Soluciones Magistrales Laboratory received INVIMA's Good Elaboration Practices for Magistral Preparations with Cannabis (GEP) authorizing the Company to manufacture high- and low- THC magistral preparations domestically was received in late 2020.

Commercial Exports & Partnerships:

MCCN successfully completed exports of several of its product lines to the US and multiple European countries, including Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. These products included cannabis derivatives in bulk, as well as several products from its INVIMA-approved cosmetics line.

MCCN SA, MCCN's Swiss entity, also launched its new smokable flower to its Cannav product line of vapes.

The Greenstein Group Partnership agreement successfully delivered three exports to Germany. This partnership is expected to begin to import at least 100kg per month beginning in January 2021.

The Grupo Curativa partnership provides MCCN with a clinically tested portfolio of magistral formulations for the Colombian market as well as an established patient network in Colombia. Through its network of clinicians that treat patients with the following conditions, amongst others; digestive, neurological, psychiatric, respiratory, dermatological, urological and orthopedic diseases, the Company will manufacture and distribute these formulations globally.

MCCN also recently opened Medicina Nueva clinics, offering a comprehensive suite of health and medical services which include magistral formulations manufactured by MCCN's Soluciones Magistrales GEP-certified laboratories.

In addition, the Company is pleased to announce a series of key achievements accomplished by the Company during 2020 that cements the Company's position as a leader in the cannabis industry. Medcolcanna expects to embark into 2021 with operational and commercial advantages to exploit the local and international markets.

MCCN secures approval for license extension into its second location in Neiva

This key accomplishment, achieved in October 2020, positions MCCN as the largest producer in Colombia with a total of 40 hectares (approx. 100 acres) under cultivation. This project should result in cost leadership in the region for the Company.

As commodity markets for products like CBD and CBG derivatives have been driven down by low hemp prices in the US, MCCN's expansion into fully automated cultivation positions the Company to continue to lead on costs and enables the firm to produce high quality hemp and cannabis well below the cost of US hemp growers, positioning MCCN to compete in markets globally and improve gross margins. The first harvest and export of this production is scheduled to begin by the end of February of 2021. This facility is expected to have an annual capacity of 15,000 kg of CBD isolate.

Management believes it must focus on competitive pricing in the commodities products as the engine driving innovation in MCCN's other product lines. The cost of production and the capacity of the Neiva hemp farm should allow Medcolcanna to be competitive and self-sustainable. This move also allows MCCN to focus its El Candil greenhouse operation to the development and supply of higher value products for its over the counter (OTC) and Pharma API businesses producing psychoactive products containing higher levels of THC. This focused cultivation plan puts MCCN on its 2021 target to self-sustainability by competing more aggressively for commodities contracts, thereby increasing recurring revenues while further reducing cash expenditures and boosting profitability.

Good Agricultural and Collection Practices Certification

Good Agricultural and Collection Practices ("GACP"), achieved in July of 2020, is the first certification required to provide Natural Health Products worldwide. It is also the basis for the production of Pharma-grade API which MCCN plans to offer to the market early in 2021.

Management also expects that the export of flower will be allowed by the Colombian government in 2021. This quality certification also positions MCCN to compete in key markets in Europe such as Germany and Poland which require this minimum standard to allow imports of this product. GACP is also the first step towards GMP certification that MCCN expects to obtain during 2021.

INVIMA Good Elaboration Practices for Magistral Preparations with Cannabis (GEP)

In November of 2020, the Company secured its Good Elaboration Practices for Magistral Preparations with Cannabis (GEP) certification from INVIMA, authorizing MCCN to manufacture high- and low- THC magistral preparations domestically. The rigorous application process validates MCCN's commitment to quality and positions it as one of the few cannabis companies in the country with a certified lab for finished medicinal products and enables the opportunity for the Company to produce and supply capsules, oils, sprays, transdermal gel, creams, and almost any other pharmaceutical form of cannabis.

Through Medicina Nueva, MCCN's network of clinics specializing in cannabis formulation, and Curativa's own network of clinics, more than 4,000 patients will have immediate access to MCCN's portfolio of medicinal cannabis products. MCCN expects to commence medical sales in Colombia by February of 2021.

COMMERCIAL EXPORTS

2021 was a year of commercial firsts for the Company with pilot shipments in Q2 and Q3 to the USA, Germany and the Czech Republic.

Subsequently, MCCN SA imported smokable flower and successfully commercialized this product in Europe as an extension of its Cannav Brand of consumer products.

In Q3 and Q4, MCCN successfully exported several commercial shipments into Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. These commercial shipments are the first of recurring orders in these markets where sales have been developing for the last few months. With the recent UN resolution and decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding removing CBD as a narcotic, the Company expects to increase exports significantly.

MANAGEMENT COMMENT

Felipe de la Vega CEO, stated: "We have accomplished very important milestones in our production process. Our new farm allows us to compete in a low-cost CBD and CBG international market with very large production, positioning MCCN as one of the larger producers in Colombia. Our GACP certification confirms our commitment to quality in order to access the more important international markets, and our Invima certification allows us to start selling our proprietary formulations in the Colombian market where relations with the medical community have been very well established, initiated with 4,000 patients already enrolled with cannabis prescriptions and regular use. These milestones allow us to forecast a great 2021 when we expect that the Company will reach self-sustainability and even profitability, based on the commodity business while simultaneously pursuing our pharmaceutical line of business to make high value added specific formulations and products through high R&D."

ABOUT MEDCOLCANNA

Medcolcanna is a Canadian integrated medical cannabis company, whose fully licensed operations are based in Colombia. Led by a proven and successful management team, Medcolcanna has facilities in optimal growing locations which positions the Company to become a global leader in the medical cannabis market. Medcolcanna employs state of the art organic agricultural technology and innovative pharmaceutical processes to produce high-quality products. The Company's scalable production model and network of pharmaceutical partnerships globally ensures that they remain at the forefront of the medical cannabis industry.

If you would like to receive News Releases via email as soon as they are published, please subscribe here: https://medcolcanna.com/contact-us/ or write to info@medcolcanna.com.

Additional information about Medcolcanna can be found on its web site at www.medcolcanna.com.

Medcolcanna Investor Relations Contact:

Chris Reid, CFO

Carrera 49b # 93-62

Bogota, Colombia

Phone: +571 642-9113

Email: info@medcolcanna.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; and the delay or failure to receive board, shareholder or regulatory approvals for any proposed transaction, including those discussed herein. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Medcolcanna assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71856
Already scheduled to leave office next week, Trump is on the verge of becoming the only president in history to be impeached twice

Washington: The US House rushed ahead Tuesday toward impeaching President Donald Trump for the deadly Capitol attack, taking time only to try to persuade his vice president to push him out first. Trump showed no remorse, blaming impeachment itself for the "tremendous anger" in America.

Already scheduled to leave office next week, Trump is on the verge of becoming the only president in history to be twice impeached. His incendiary rhetoric at a rally ahead of the Capitol uprising is now in the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

The House convened Tuesday night to vote on urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove Trump with a Cabinet vote. But shortly before that, Pence said he would not do so in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

He said that it would not be in the best interest of the nation or consistent with the Constitution and that it was "time to unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden."

Meanwhile, three three Republican lawmakers, including third-ranking House GOP leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, announced they would vote to impeach Trump on Wednesday, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself.

"The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack," said Cheney in a statement. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."

As lawmakers reconvened at the Capitol for the first time since the bloody siege, they were bracing for more violence ahead of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, 20 January.

"All of us have to do some soul searching," said Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, imploring other Republicans to join.

Trump, meanwhile, warned the lawmakers off impeachment and suggested it was the drive to oust him that was dividing the country.

"To continue on this path, I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger," Trump said.

In his first remarks to reporters since last week's violence, the outgoing president offered no condolences for those dead or injured, only saying, "I want no violence."

With Pence's agreement to invoke the 25th Amendment ruled out, the House will move swiftly to impeachment on Wednesday.

Trump faces a single charge  "incitement of insurrection"  in the impeachment resolution after the most serious and deadly domestic incursion at the Capitol in the nation's history.

During an emotional debate ahead of the House action, Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif., urged her Republican colleagues to understand the stakes, recounting a phone call from her son as she fled during the siege.

"Sweetie, I'm ok, she told him. "I'm running for my life."

But Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a top Trump ally just honored this week at the White House, refused to concede that Biden won the election outright.

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., tied such talk to the Capitol attack, interjecting, "People came here because they believed the lie."

Two Republicans, Reps. John Katko of New York, a former federal prosecutor, and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran, announced they, too, would vote to impeach.

A handful of other House Republicans could join in the impeachment vote, but it's not clear there would be a the two-thirds vote needed to convict from the narrowly divided Senate, though some Republicans say it's time for Trump to resign.

The unprecedented events, with just over a week remaining in Trump's term, are unfolding in a nation bracing for more unrest. The FBI has warned ominously of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of Bidens inauguration and Capitol Police warned lawmakers to be on alert. The inauguration ceremony on the west steps of the Capitol will be off limits to the public.

Lawmakers were required to pass through metal detectors to enter the House chamber, not far from where Capitol police, guns drawn, had barricaded the door against the rioters. Some Republican lawmakers complained about it.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot a woman during the violence. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

In the Senate, Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to "go away as soon as possible".

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, did not go that far, but on Tuesday called on Trump to address the nation and explicitly urge his supporters to refrain from further violence. If not, he said, Trump "will bear responsibility".

No member of the Cabinet has publicly called for Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment.

Biden has said it's important to ensure that the "folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage - that they be held accountable."

Fending off concerns that an impeachment trial would bog down Biden's first days in office, the president-elect is encouraging senators to divide their time between taking taking up his priorities of confirming his nominees and approving COVID relief while also conducting the trial.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer suggested in a letter to colleagues Tuesday the chamber would do both.

As Congress resumed, an uneasiness swept the halls. More lawmakers tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering during the siege. Many lawmakers were voting by proxy rather than come to Washington, a process that was put in place last year to limit the health risks of travel.

One of Trump's closest allies in Congress, House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy was among those echoing the president, saying "impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together."

House Democrats say they have the votes for impeachment. The impeachment bill drafted by Reps. David Cicilline of Rhode Island and Ted Lieu of California, during the riot lockdown, and joined by Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden.

Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

The impeachment legislation also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to "find" him more votes, as well as his White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters last Wednesday to "fight like hell" and march to the building.

The mob overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalizing Biden's victory over Trump in the Electoral College.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent. In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.
The iconic, prehistoric dire wolf, which prowled through Los Angeles and elsewhere in the Americas over 11 millennia ago, was a distinct species from the slightly smaller gray wolf, an international team of scientists reports today in the journal Nature.

The study, which puts to bed a mystery that biologists have pondered for more than 100 years, was led by researchers from UCLA, along with colleagues from Durham University in the U.K., Australia's Adelaide University and Germany's Ludwig Maximilian University.

"The terrifying dire wolf, a legendary symbol of Los Angeles and the La Brea Tar Pits, has earned its place among the many large, unique species that went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene epoch," said UCLA's Robert Wayne, a distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the study's co-senior author. The Pleistocene, commonly called the Ice Age, ended roughly 11,700 years ago.

More than 4,000 dire wolves have been excavated from the La Brea Tar Pits, but scientists have known little about their evolution or the reasons for their ultimate disappearance. Gray wolves, also found in the fossil-rich pits, have survived until this day.

"Dire wolves have always been an iconic representation of the last ice age in the Americas, but what we know about their evolutionary history has been limited to what we can see from the size and shape of their bones," said co-lead author Angela Perri of Durham University.

Those bones are now revealing much more. Using cutting-edge molecular approaches to analyze five dire wolf genomes from fossil bones dating back 13,000 to 50,000 years ago, the researchers were able to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the long-extinct carnivore for the first time.

Significantly, they found no evidence for the flow of genes between dire wolves and either North American gray wolves or coyotes. The absence of any genetic transference indicates that dire wolves evolved in isolation from the Ice Age ancestors of these other species.

"We have found the dire wolf is not closely related to the gray wolf. Further, we've shown that the dire wolf never interbred with the gray wolf," said co-lead author Alice Mouton, who conducted the research as a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in ecology and evolutionary biology in Wayne's laboratory.

The ancestors of the gray wolf and the much smaller coyote evolved in Eurasia and are thought to have moved into North America less than 1.37 million years ago, relatively recently in evolutionary time. The dire wolf, on the other hand, based on its genetic difference from those species, is now believed to have originated in the Americas.

"When we first started this study, we thought that dire wolves were just beefed-up gray wolves, so we were surprised to learn how extremely genetically different they were, so much so that they likely could not have interbred," said the study's last author, Laurent Frantz, a professor at Ludwig Maximillian University and the U.K.'s Queen Mary University. "This must mean that dire wolves were isolated in North America for a very long time to become so genetically distinct."

"Dire wolves are sometimes portrayed as mythical creatures -- giant wolves prowling bleak frozen landscapes -- but reality turns out to be even more interesting," said Kieren Mitchell of Adelaide University, a co-lead author.

The dire wolf was a 'lone wolf' when it came to breeding

Interbreeding is quite common among wolf lineages when their geographical ranges overlap. Modern gray wolves and coyotes, for example, frequently interbreed in North America. Yet the researchers, using a data set that included a Pleistocene dire wolf, 22 modern North American gray wolves and coyotes, and three ancient dogs, found that the dire wolf hadn't interbred with any of the others -- likely because it was genetically unable to reproduce with those species.

"Our finding of no evidence for gene flow between dire wolves and gray wolves or coyotes, despite the substantial range overlap during the Late Pleistocene, suggests that the common ancestor of gray wolves and coyotes probably evolved in geographical isolation from members of the dire wolf lineage," Wayne said. "This result is consistent with the hypothesis that dire wolves originated in the Americas."

Another hypothesis about the dire wolf -- one untested in the current study -- concerns its extinction. It is commonly thought that because of its body size -- larger than gray wolves and coyotes -- the dire wolf was more specialized for hunting large prey and was unable to survive the extinction of its regular food sources. A lack of interbreeding may have hastened its demise, suggested Mouton, now a postdoctoral researcher at Belgium's University of Liege.

"Perhaps the dire wolf's inability to interbreed did not provide necessary new traits that might have allowed them to survive," she said.

Uncovering the mystery of the dire wolf's DNA

While the dire wolves sequenced in this study possessed no ancestry from gray wolves, coyotes or their recent North American ancestors, a comparison of the DNA of dire wolves with that of gray wolves, coyotes and a wide variety of other wolf-like species revealed a common but distant evolutionary relationship.

"The ancestors of dire wolves likely diverged from those of gray wolves more than 5 million years ago -- it was a great surprise to discover that this divergence occurred so early," Mouton said. "This finding highlights how special and unique the dire wolf was."

Based on their genomic analyses, the researchers also concluded that there are three primary lineages that descend from the shared ancestry: dire wolves, African jackals and a group comprising all other existing wolf-like species, including the gray wolf.

Gray wolves, which today live mostly in wilderness and remote regions of North America, are more closely related to African wild dogs and Ethiopian wolves than to dire wolves, Wayne noted.

The study is the first ever to report genome-wide data on dire wolves.

The genomic analyses -- conducted in a joint effort at UCLA, Durham University, the University of Oxford, the University of Adelaide, Ludwig Maximilian University and Queen Mary University -- focused on both the nuclear genome and the mitochondrial genome, which is abundant in ancient remains.

"The decreased cost of sequencing analyses, in addition to state-of-the-art molecular biology methods for highly degraded materials, allows us to recover DNA from fossils," Mouton said. "Ancient DNA genomic analyses represent an incredible tool to better understand the evolutionary history of ancient and extinct species."

###

The study's 49 co-authors also include Blaire Van Valkenburgh, a UCLA distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology who holds the Donald R. Dickey Chair in Vertebrate Biology; Julie Meachen, who earned her doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA and is now an associate professor of anatomy at Des Moines University in Iowa; and Colin Shew, a UCLA laboratory technician in ecology and evolutionary biology; as well as dozens of other researchers from the U.K., Australia, Germany, Russia, Spain, France, Denmark and other countries.

Funding sources for the research included the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Marie Curie COFUND, the European Research Council, the Natural Environmental Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the Australian Research Council. The Nature paper lists many other acknowledgements.
Amazon India on Wednesday announced the launch of Amazon Academy to help students preparing for the JEE (Joint Entrance Examination) for entrance to engineering colleges. "The online preparation offering will equip students with in-depth knowledge and practice routines required for the JEE, through curated learning material, live lectures and comprehensive assessments in Math, Physics and Chemistry," the company said.

The beta version of Amazon Academy will be available free of cost on the web and the Google Play store.

"Amazon Academy will offer students a range of JEE preparatory resources at launch, including specially crafted mock tests by industry experts, over 15,000 handpicked questions with hints and detailed step by step solutions for practice", the statement said.

All learning material and exam content has been developed by expert faculty from across the country, it said. In addition to the JEE, those preparing for BITSAT, VITEEE, SRMJEEE, and MET exams will also benefit from the quality content resources available. The content is currently available for free and will continue to be for the next few months, the statement added.

Amol Gurwara, Director, Education at Amazon India, said, Amazon Academy aims to bring high quality, affordable education to all, starting with those preparing for engineering entrance examinations. Our mission is to help students achieve their outcomes while also empowering educators and content partners reach millions of students. Our primary focus has been on content quality, deep learning analytics and student experience. This launch will help engineering aspirants prepare better and achieve the winning edge in JEE."

All learning material and exam content has been developed by expert faculty from across the country. In addition to the JEE, those preparing for BITSAT, VITEEE, SRMJEEE, and MET exams will also benefit from the quality content resources available. The content is currently available for free and will continue to be for the next few months.

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Taoiseach Micheal Martin is to deliver an apology in the Dail to survivors of homes for unmarried mothers and their children (Niall Carson/PA)

Irelands Taoiseach is to apologise to survivors of homes for unmarried mothers and their children.

The institutions for women who fell pregnant out of wedlock produced high levels of infant mortality, misogyny and stigmatisation of some of societys most vulnerable, an independent report said.

Many mother and baby homes were run by Catholic nuns.

The Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes found appalling levels of death among the very youngest  more than one in 10 children.

Micheal Martin will deliver the public acknowledgement on behalf of the State in parliament, the Dail, in Dublin on Wednesday afternoon.

Childrens Minister Roderic OGorman said it is important that a clear and unambiguous apology is made by Mr Martin on behalf of the State to say sorry for what happened to the women who entered these homes, to the children who were born within these homes.

He said such an apology could be used as the basis to try to rebuild trust with survivors that has been so badly damaged.

Speaking on RTE Radio 1s Morning Ireland programme, Mr OGorman said: It is clear that the State and successive governments failed in any way to address this issue.

The Taoiseachs apology will make it very clear that the Government takes responsibility on behalf of the State for the failings that are manifestly clear within this report, he added.

However, survivors have called for Mr Martin to delay the apology to allow them time to read the extensive report in full.

Expand Close Labour leader Alan Kelly said survivor groups and families should have been given time to digest the mother and baby homes report (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Labour leader Alan Kelly said survivor groups and families should have been given time to digest the mother and baby homes report (Niall Carson/PA)

Labour leader Alan Kelly was also critical of the Governments decision to press ahead with the apology despite pleas from survivors.

(The apology) could have been made on a date agreed with the survivor groups and their families, he added.

Government have decided to proceed, but our view is that a date would be agreed whereby survivors and their families will have time to digest the report.

Mr Kelly said it is an important day in Irish history as the Dail discusses the report, which, he said, has lifted a lid on what happened in Ireland over many decades.

Today is the beginning of a process rather than a conclusion of a process, and its really about how the victims and their families are treated by the State that failed them, he added.

Not just the State, but also religious institutions and many other actors in this country who let down these people in such a terrible way.

Expand Close Micheal Martin said the mother and baby homes scandal was a dark chapter in the countrys history (Julien Behal/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp Micheal Martin said the mother and baby homes scandal was a dark chapter in the countrys history (Julien Behal/PA)

Mr OGorman also said that, from the end of February, his department will be in a position to address subject access requests regarding personal information contained in the archive of investigations, and that he will be prioritising new legislation giving people the right to access vital personal information about themselves.

He hopes the proposed legislation will be introduced in parliament for scrutiny by the end of the year.

But Mr Kelly said he is concerned by this timeframe.

I was very worried, and indeed many people are upset, when he (Roderic OGorman) said this legislation will take until to the end of the year.

For us that is not acceptable and it needs to be dealt with immediately.

We brought in emergency legislation on many different occasions and surely getting the entitlement to information and records is the least that these people deserve, so that should be absolutely prioritised.

On Tuesday, Mr Martin said the scandal over many decades was a dark chapter in the countrys history.

He added that the Republic had displayed a warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy in the past.

Some of the institutions were owned and run by the local health authorities  the county homes Pelletstown, Tuam and Kilrush.

Others were owned and run by religious orders; for example, the three homes run by the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary  Bessborough, Sean Ross and Castlepollard (the Sacred Heart homes).

Expand Close The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, has apologised to survivors (Niall Carson/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, has apologised to survivors (Niall Carson/PA)

The head of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Archbishop Eamon Martin, has apologised to survivors.

Some of the homes were in very poor physical condition.

Many of the women suffered emotional abuse and were often subject to denigration and derogatory remarks, the commission of investigations report said.

Almost 9,000 children died  approximately 15% of all youngsters who were in the institutions  it found.

Major causes included respiratory infections and gastroenteritis.

The proportion of women admitted to such homes in Ireland was probably the highest in the world in the 20th century, the commission of investigation said.

There were about 56,000 unmarried mothers and 57,000 children in the 18 mother and baby homes and county homes investigated.

The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien speaks during a press briefing in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, in Washington, on Aug. 13, 2020. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

US Indo-Pacific Strategy to Confront Beijings Threats Revealed in Declassified Document

The Trump administration on Jan. 12 declassified a U.S. national security document that outlines its strategy for working with regional partners and allies to confront Chinas threats to the Indo-Pacific region.

Laid out in a 10-page document with some redactions, the policy, known as the U.S. Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific, highlights Taiwans role in combating the Chinese regimes military aggression.

The strategy is part of the Trump administrations broader national security policy first disclosed in 2017, in which he called for a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Beijing is increasingly pressuring Indo-Pacific nations to subordinate their freedom and sovereignty to a common destiny envisioned by the Chinese Communist Party, national security adviser Robert OBrien said in a memo dated Jan. 5 that accompanied the declassified document. The U.S. approach is different. We seek to ensure that our allies and partners  can preserve and protect their sovereignty.

The document was declassified earlier than usual. In the United States, classified documents typically arent declassified for 25 yearsmeaning the 10-page document wasnt due for public release until 2043.

China and Taiwan

The document describes in detail how the Chinese regime poses a threat to the United States and like-minded partners in the Indo-Pacific.

China aims to dissolve U.S. alliances and partnerships in the region. China will exploit vacuums and opportunities created by these diminished bonds, according to the document. Chinese economic, diplomatic, and military influence will continue to increase in the near-term and challenge the U.S. ability to achieve its national interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

In terms of confronting the Chinese military, the U.S. strategy committed to devise and implement a defense strategy capable of three objectives: deny China sustained air and sea dominance inside the first island chain in a conflict; defend the first island chain nations, including Taiwan; and dominate all domains outside the first island chain.

The first island chain is an arbitrary demarcation from the southern Japanese island of Kyushu, Taiwan, the Philippines, to Indonesia. For decades, Chinas military strategists have seen the first island chain as a barrier before the regime can project its air and naval power to the second island chain and beyond. The second chain stretches from Japan to Guam and Papua New Guinea.

The U.S. strategy would enable Taiwan to develop an effective asymmetric defense strategy and capabilities that will help ensure its security, freedom from coercion, resilience, and ability to engage China on its own terms, the document adds.

Experts noted that the documents language on Taiwan is a deviation from the U.S. governments longstanding policy of strategic ambiguitymeaning not clearly stating whether the U.S. government would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack by China.

Beijing claims sovereignty over Taiwan despite its de facto nation-state status, with its own democratically elected government, military, and currency. The Chinese regime has repeatedly threatened to use military force to bring the island under its fold.

Kuo Yu-jen, professor at the Institute of China and Asia-Pacific Studies of Taiwans National Sun Yat-sen University, said this may be the first publicly released U.S. government document that has identified Taiwan as a key security partner in the first island chain.

He added that the point in making the document public is to show that the regime in China is a clear threat to the first island chain. The document also highlights the strategic importance of Taiwans location.

Dr. Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Canberra-based think tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute, said the document is clearly stating a different U.S. position on Taiwan.

It implies a clear US willingness to come to Taiwans assistance if #China tries to force its annexation against the will of the Taiwanese people, Davis wrote in a Twitter post.

On Jan. 13, at a daily press briefing, Chinas foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian accused the United States of using its Indo-Pacific strategy to oppress China and have a sinister intention to destroy regional stability.

Elsewhere

Aside from Taiwan, the document notes the importance of the United States aligning its Indo-Pacific strategy with those of Australia, Japan, and India.

India remains preeminent in South Asia and takes the leading role in maintaining Indian Ocean security, increases engagement with Southeast Asia, and expands its economic, defense, and diplomatic cooperation with other U.S. allies and partners in the region, the document states.

It adds: A strong India, in cooperation with like-minded countries, would act as a counterbalance to China.

According to the document, other countries that would play a vital role in the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy include the Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand.

NTD contributed to this report.
The province has sidelined Metis in matters related to COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Manitoba Metis Federation.

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The province has sidelined Metis in matters related to COVID-19 vaccination, according to the Manitoba Metis Federation.

In an interview in which he called Premier Brian Pallister cruel, the federations president David Chartrand said the premier is playing politics with the lives of his people.

In an interview in which he called Premier Brian Pallister cruel, the Manitoba Metis Federations president David Chartrand said the premier is playing politics with the lives of his people. Chartrand says there is no plan in place to vaccinate vulnerable Metis. (Winnipeg Free Press)

There is no plan in place to vaccinate vulnerable Metis, Chartrand said.

"Why are the Metis being left out," he asked. "This is supposed to be based on a distinct approach and youre leaving out 10 per cent of the population."

Chartrand said its political: Pallister doesnt want to recognize the federation as a representative government and he doesnt want to recognize Metis as a rights-bearing people of the province.

When asked during Tuesdays media briefing what, if any, work is being done with the federation by the Manitobas COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Task Force, Dr. Joss Reimer did not answer the question.

"We have a partnership in place and were working with First Nations experts on the roll up to the highest risk communities that weve seen disproportionate outcomes related to COVID so far, and thats also in compliance with the allocation of doses that are supposed to go to remote and isolated communities in Manitoba," Reimer said.

"We also have been engaging with the Manitoba Metis Foundation on some of the communications aspects that the government needs to do to ensure that we have good uptake and understanding about the process  the vaccine itself and when people can expect to be eligible."

While Chartrand is happy to know First Nations and Inuit are at the table with the province, and the federal government via the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, and he applauds the data sharing agreement between First Nations and the province  the same cant be said for Metis, who are as vulnerable, if not more.

"We did a four-year study, irrefutable, using the health data of 72,000 citizens in our province, and it showed a Metis have the highest chronic illnesses. We surpass First Nations when it comes to diabetes, arthritis, all these other chronic illness, asthma. We have now surpassed First Nations in our health conditions," Chartrand said.

"And thats scary. Thats what COVID seeks."

There is no data sharing agreement between the province and Metis. While the federation holds the information about its citizens, the province has wanted to use an aggregate system through self-identification, Chartrand said  pushing the federation out of the information loop.

Which means the only information the federation has about its people and COVID-19 rates are entirely by word of mouth. For example, Chartrands nephew contracted COVID-19, as did the rest of his household of seven.

"Not once was he asked if hes Indigenous," Chartrand said, adding his nephews last name is obviously Indigenous.

He also knows of other households within which COVID-19 spread, but because of the lack of cooperation between the federation and the province, there is no way to grasp the whole picture.

Meanwhile, the Manitoba First Nations COVID-19 Pandemic Response Coordination Team knows exactly what their big picture is  not good. Manitoba First Nations make up 61 per cent of active cases. As reported previously, this is due to poor health care, overcrowding in homes, food insecurity, among other troubling lacks most Canadians do not experience.

For Chartrand, thats especially concerning because, he repeated, Metis have even worse health outcomes than First Nations.

He said the federation was invited to a couple of committees. One was "cultural" he said  the one to discuss how to help out with community uptake.

"He (Pallister) cornered me. There was no purpose for us to be there. It wasnt about (Metis) getting vaccines. It was about helping convince those getting vaccines to not be afraid of vaccines and help find culturally appropriate ways to help First Nations get vaccines," Chartrand said.

The other invitation had to do with helping find buildings for future vaccination sites.

"So, were saying, why would you invite us to these meetings and we have no vaccines to talk about. Youre asking us to choose buildings. Youre asking us to help you and maybe negotiate and find spaces where vaccines can be given," Chartrand said.

"Then, we dont know when were even going to get them. Were going to create false hope out there with these Metis villages that are out there, mixed with all kinds of population. Youre saying to us that we have to go out there, help you find these buildings, but we have no clue if were even getting vaccines."

Chartrand has a plan B in the works, should the province continue to sideline Metis. He said he has been speaking with Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller, as well as Dan Vandal, Minister of Northern Affairs and MP for Saint Boniface-Saint Vital.

He said both agree there will be an alternative plan if the province doesnt step up.

"So there is a plan being discussed with them. But, theyre hoping, because they dont want to intrude in jurisdictions, that the province does the right thing. Theyre pressuring the province right now," he said.

Neither Indigenous Services Canada, Millers press secretary or Vandals office replied to queries by deadline.

In the spring or summer, when the pandemic settles down, Chartrand intends on getting a thorough independant review carried out on both the federations and the provinces performance related to Manitoba Metis and COVID-19.

 mletourneau@brandonsun.com

 Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism.
U.S. President Donald Trump yells as he visits the U.S.-Mexico border wall, in Alamo, Texas, U.S., January 12, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

The House has voted for US President Donald Trump to be impeached for a second time just a week after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

Members of the House voted to impeach President Trump on a charge of inciting violence against the US government, making him the first American president to be impeached twice.

During a debate in the House of Representatives, speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Republicans and Democrats to search their souls ahead of the historic vote.

Ms Pelosi called Mr Trump a clear and present danger to the nation we all love.

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Actual removal seems unlikely before the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

A spokesman for Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said the Republican leader would not agree to bring the chamber back immediately, all but ensuring a Senate trial could not begin at least until January 19.

But Mr McConnell did not rule out voting to convict Mr Trump in the event of a trial. In a note to his fellow Republican senators just before the House was to begin voting, he said he is undecided.

While the press has been full of speculation, I have not made a final decision on how I will vote and I intend to listen to the legal arguments when they are presented to the Senate, Mr McConnell wrote.

While Mr Trumps first impeachment in 2019 brought no Republican votes in the House, several Republican leaders are breaking with the party to join Democrats this time, saying Mr Trump violated his oath to protect and defend US democracy.

However, most Republicans planned to vote no and representative Tom McClintock of California said during debate that impeaching Mr Trump a week before he leaves office is a petty, vindictive and gratuitous act.

As for threats of more trouble from intruders, security was exceptionally tight at the Capitol with shocking images of massed National Guard troops, secure perimeters around the complex and metal detector screenings required for representatives entering the House chamber.

Though Mr McConnell is declining to hasten an impeachment trial, a Republican strategist told The Associated Press that he believes Mr Trump committed impeachable offences and considers the Democrats impeachment drive an opportunity to reduce the divisive, chaotic presidents hold on his party.

Mr McConnell called major Republican donors last weekend to gauge their thinking about Mr Trump and was told that the president had clearly crossed a line. Mr McConnell told them he was finished with Mr Trump, said the strategist.

The New York Times first reported Mr McConnells views on impeachment on Tuesday.

The stunning collapse of Mr Trumps final days in office, along with warnings of more violence ahead, leaves the nation at an uneasy and unfamiliar juncture before Mr Biden takes office.

Mr Trump faces a single charge of incitement of insurrection.

The four-page impeachment resolution relies on Mr Trumps own incendiary rhetoric and the falsehoods he spread about Mr Bidens election victory, including at a White House rally on the day of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, in making its case for high crimes and misdemeanours as demanded in the Constitution.

Mr Trump took no responsibility for the riot, suggesting it was the drive to oust him rather than his actions around the bloody riot that was dividing the country.

To continue on this path, I think its causing tremendous danger to our country, and its causing tremendous anger, Mr Trump said on Tuesday, in his first remarks to reporters since last weeks violence.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies.

The outgoing president offered no condolences for those dead or injured, only saying: I want no violence.

At least five Republican representatives, including third-ranking House Republican leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, were unswayed by the presidents logic. These Republicans announced they would vote to impeach Mr Trump.

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Tourists visit Zengpintang Aged Liquor Museum in Nanchang, capital of east China's Jiangxi Province, Jan. 6, 2021. Covering over 4,500 square meters, the museum with 18 exhibition halls showcases a collection of over 13,000 exhibits. (Xinhua/Wan Xiang)
FLINT, MI -- An attorney for Rick Snyder says Flint water crisis prosecutors have refused to share information with him about pending criminal charges tied to the Flint water crisis and says those prosecutors are engaged in a smear campaign against the former governor.

We have been told by several reporters that the Michigan Attorney Generals Office of Special Counsel plans to charge former Gov. Rick Snyder with crimes related to the Flint water investigation., the statement from attorney Brain Lennon says. That office has refused to share information about these charges with us, which is an indication that a public relations smear campaign is a higher priority than any official legal action.

It is outrageous to think any criminal charges would be filed against Gov. Snyder. Any charges would be meritless, the statement says. Coming from an administration that claims to be above partisan politics, it is deeply disappointing to see pure political motivation driving charging decisions.

The Associated Press first reported Tuesday, Jan. 12, that Snyder and others have been told they are being charged for crimes related to the water crisis.

Since that initial report, an attorney for Richard Baird, former senior advisor to Snyder, has also said prosecutors advised him his client would be charged as well.

A spokeswoman for Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who has led the Flint water criminal investigation since early 2019, declined to comment on the reports of imminent charges Tuesday.

The Snyder administration held power before and during the water emergency in Flint and for months downplayed to seriousness of problems with city water.

Snyder appointed a series of emergency managers who made decisions that led to the citys use of the Flint River as a cost-saving measure in 2014, triggering elevated levels of bacteria, lead and chlorination byproducts in tap water.

Lennon said water prosecutors clearly (need) a scapegoat after wasting five years and tens of millions of taxpayer dollars on a fruitless investigation.

Rather than following the evidence to find the truth, the Office of Special Counsel appears to be targeting former Gov. Snyder in a political escapade, the statement says.

Read more:

Former Gov. Rick Snyder to be charged with crime in Flint water crisis, AP reports

As Flint was slowly poisoned, Snyders inner circle failed to act

Top aide to former Gov. Rick Snyder calls for end to Flint water criminal investigation
Sanford firefighter, Andrew Williams, was taken into custody by FBI on Tuesday

Williams has been charged with one count of unlawful entry of a restricted building and one count of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds

Crag Radzak, the Sanford Fire Department chief, said Williams has been placed on administrative leave without pay as of Tuesday

Photo was submitted that depicts a man, identified as Williams who is seen inside Capitol wearing a Trump 2020 hat during riot on the building last week

Sanford firefighter and paramedic, Andrew Williams (pictured), was arrested by the FBI on Tuesday

A Florida firefighter has been arrested by the FBI after he was spotted wearing a Trump hat inside the Capitol while it was under siege by MAGA supporters.

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Sanford firefighter and paramedic, Andrew Williams, was taken into custody on Tuesday, according to a statement from the fire department's chief Crag Radzak.

Following his arrest, Radzak said Williams was placed on administrative leave without pay pending the results of the criminal investigations.

Radzak said the Sanford Fire Department was made aware of information regarding the possibility of a firefighters involvement in events that took place last week at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

'Along with the information, a photograph was submitted that depicts a male, identified as Andrew Williams. The picture appears to show Williams inside the Capitol Building during the unlawful entry made by protesters,' Radzak said in the statement.

Williams has been charged with one count of unlawful entry of a restricted building and one count of disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

'We hold the men and women in this department to the highest standards. It saddens me that the actions of one individual have tarnished the hard work and dedication that the rest of the department puts forth on a daily basis,' Radzak said in the statement.

Williams was arrested after he was identified in a photo that was sent anonymously to the WKMG news station. Williams is seen wearing a 'Trump 2020' hate while pointing to a placard with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi written on it

'Our investigation will continue in conjunction with the current federal criminal investigation,' Radzak said.

'As is policy with any type of policy violation, including a criminal violation, an internal administrative process must be followed in order to ensure a thorough investigation with a just conclusion. I ask for the publics patience as we move through this process,' he added.

Williams was arrested after he was identified in a photo that was sent anonymously to the WKMG news station.

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In the image, Williams is seen wearing a Trump 2020 hat while pointing to a sign for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Click here to resize this module

During the riot, Pelosi's office was vandalized and several rioters were seen taking pictures at her desk. According to WKMG, Williams appeared in court on Tuesday and a judge set his bond at $25,000.

He was released from custody under the restrictions that he would need to surrender his passport and travel. Williams was also ordered to surrender any firearms in his possession and submit to mental health evaluations and drug tests.

He appeared in court on Tuesday and a judge set his bond at $25,000. Now that he has been released from custody, he will need to surrender any firearms and his passport, restrict his travel and submit to mental health evaluations and drug tests.

Williams could receive a fine or up to six months in prison if he's convicted.

And Williams isn't the only firefighter that was photographed at the Capitol last week. Federal agents are investigating claims that New York City firefighters participated in the Capitol siege

Several people have been charged in the incident. Among them are West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans, 35, Adam Johnson, 36, who was photographed carrying off Pelosi's podium, and Richard Barnett, 60, who was pictured with his feet on Pelosi's desk

And Williams isn't the only firefighter that was photographed at the Capitol last week.

Federal agents are investigating claims that New York City firefighters participated in the Capitol siege.

One rioter was spotted wearing an FDNY jacket - which read FDNY Squad 252 -outside the Capitol. Squad 252 is based out of Brooklyn. The firefighter has not been named but is said to be retired.

FDNY told New York Daily News that they had received anonymous tips offs about at least one current New York firefighter who was not wearing his uniform during the siege but was recognized from the footage.

FDNY spokesperson Frank Dwyer told the newspaper that 'The department received anonymous allegations that active or retired members were present at the events at the United States Capitol on January 6 and, as required, has provided that information to the FBI.'

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It's unclear what information was given to federal agents, but officials told the newspaper no arrests or suspensions have been made in association with the riot.

Several people have been charged in the incident. Among them are West Virginia delegate Derrick Evans, 35, who was newly sworn in when he streamed himself entering the Capitol on Facebook Live; Adam Johnson, 36, was photographed carrying off Pelosi's podium, and Richard Barnett, 60, who was pictured with his feet on Pelosi's desk.

Charges in the cases include assaulting police officers, entering restricted areas of the Capitol and stealing federal property.


HARAPAN JAYA Farmer Group and the preparation of an area of 0.5 ha, Jahitan Village



HIJAU BAKUNG PERMAI Farmer Group with land preparation covering an area of 17 x 50 meters, Baung Village

Central Kalimantan, INDONESIA, Jan 14, 2021 - (ACN Newswire) - In November 2020, Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve conducted training sessions aimed at strengthening the capacity of Farmer Groups (KT). The goal of these sessions was to help farmers improve their skills in cultivation and agriculture through our Peatland Farmer Field School (Peatland-FFS). The sessions were attended by 2 Farmer Groups: Harapan Jaya from Jahitan Village, and Hijau Bakung Permai from Baung Village.This activity is a continuation of the Peatland-FFS training program held in September 2020, conducted by Rimba Raya in collaboration with the National Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). The farmer group from Rimba Raya working area participated at that time. Aside from focusing on improving farming skills, participants were trained in preparing their land for agricultural development without the use of traditional 'slash and burn' methods.During our most recent training sessions, Rimba Raya encouraged farmers to build on their traditional agricultural knowledge with a focus on non-destructive land use and the development of areas according to soil suitability. The efficient production of nutritious food while ensuring forest preservation was strongly encouraged.The farmers were taught how to make organic fertilizers and pesticides using organic waste from their immediate environment. "Crop and forest burning actually eliminates beneficial microorganisms and nutrients, as it releases unwanted carbon dioxide into the atmosphere," said Sylviana Andhella, Executive Director of Rimba Raya."Land preparation without burning and the use of organic fertilizers for agricultural practices will reduce carbon emissions and support the balance of microorganisms. This is in alignment with our project objective to reduce carbon emissions," Andhella explained.Additionally, the farmers were empowered to manage their own farmer organizations. This included the election of a chairman, secretary and treasurer by the group members. These positions were then ratified by the local village government.During the training sessions, farmer groups were encouraged to develop relationships for cooperation and networking with other farmer groups around the project area. This allows them to share information, experiences and valuable lessons learned which are beneficial to all farmers."I am thankful that Rimba Raya included our farmer group in this initiative. We learned how to make organic fertilizer and our understanding of horticultural farming techniques has grown. We are eager to develop our farms using these strategies with the hope that we will be more successful so that we can set an example to other community farmers," said Ardiansyah Ardian, head of Hijau Bakung Permai farmer group of Baung Village.About Rimba RayaThe Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve is the largest REDD+ project in the world, protecting nearly 65,000 hectares of peat swamp forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo and avoiding more than 130 million tons of carbon emissions. Rimba Raya is a living example of an economically viable alternative to deforestation.Rimba Raya develops livelihood programs in surrounding villages (addressing all 17 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals) to provide education, employment and hope for the future. Rimba Raya is also the world's largest privately-funded orangutan sanctuary, and an InfiniteEARTH Project. Please visit https://rimba-raya.com.Contact:Frita JunitaCommunication Officer - PT. Rimba Raya ConservationEmail: rimbarayajakarta@gmail.com, HP: +62 857-1743-7001*This Press Release was originally issued on December 5, 2020 with inaccurate Contact information. To contact Rimba Raya, please refer to the Contact information above.Source: Rimba Raya Biodiversity ReserveCopyright 2021 ACN Newswire . All rights reserved.
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New Delhi: India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is in Kabul, in the first high-level visit from Delhi to Afghanistan amid the peace process. During his 2-day visit, he met his counterpart Afghan NSA Hamdullah Mohib and called on Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.

During NSA's meet with President Ghani, counter-terror and building regional consensus for supporting peace in Afghanistan were the key topics.

President Ghani said the "Afghan Defense and Security Forces are guarantors of stability in Afghanistan and are at the forefront of the war against regional and global terrorism." Adding, "Afghanistan and

India in joint efforts with NATO and the United States will be able to succeed in the fight against terrorism."

Last year saw 3 high-level visits from Afghanistan. These are, visit by Abdul Rashid Dostum, former vice president of Afghanistan, Chairperson of Afghanistan's High Council for National Reconciliation Dr

Live TV

Abdullah Abdullah, and Senior Afghan politician Ata Mohammad Noor.

India and Afghanistan have had a close engagement with New Delhi being the biggest financial support of the country in the region. Other than mega infrastructure projects like the India Afghanistan friendship dam, and the Afghan Parliament, India has been helping the capacity building especially by providing scholarships to many Afghan students. During the COVID crisis, India sent 75,000 tonnes of wheat and

20 tonnes of life-saving medicines and other equipment to Afghanistan.
The horrific consequences of the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol continue to mushroom this week. On Tuesday, it was reported that Democratic New Jersey Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman would have to undergo monoclonal antibody therapy after contracting COVID-19 following being trapped with maskless members of the House Republican caucus during last weeks Capitol riot. Fellow Democrats Pramila Jayapal and Brad Schneider have also tested positive for COVID-19. Its quite likely that they were exposed during the lockdown, when some of their GOP colleagues refused to wear masks despite being huddled together in a confined space for hours. This video shows some of these Republican members seemingly mocking Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was offering them this simple protection. These representativesidentified as Marjorie Taylor Greene, Andy Biggs, Scott Perry, Michael Cloud, and Markwayne Mullin, all Republicanscould not be bothered to comply with this simple and effective public health measure. As Watson Coleman put it in an op-ed in the Washington Post on Tuesday, while we might have been protected from the insurrectionists, we were not safe from the callousness of members of Congress who, having encouraged the sentiments that inspired the riot, now ignored requests to wear masks.

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Those infected should sue their colleagues for their physical and mental injuries, which we must hope are not serious. (Watson Coleman is 75. Her symptoms are mild so far, but she is a cancer survivor.) They have a strong case. And they need to send a message about the need to act responsibly during a pandemic, since it doesnt appear that anything else will do the trick. As with the soon-to-be former president who inspired last weeks attack, its past time for bad actors to suffer consequences.

On Jan. 10, Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician for Congress, sent a memo urging all members to be tested for COVID-19 because they may have been infected by another occupant [of the confined space] with coronavirus infection. Of course, we dont know which of the unidentified possible COVID vectors might have infected Jayapal, Watson Coleman, and Schneider. Doesnt that make the case impossible to win?

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No. This could amount to a classic instance of alternative liability, a rarely applicable legal rule that might apply in this case. The rule comes from an old California case, Summers v. Tice, involving three hunting buddies. After Charles A. Summers flushed out a quail during a hunting trip, Harold W. Tice and the third man, Simonson, aimed and fired at the birdbut hit Summers in the eye, causing serious injury. Summers sued both Tice and Ernest Simonson, but had a major problem: He couldnt prove which of them had fired the shot that injured him. Under then-prevailing law, he would not have succeeded against either of them, because he couldnt prove it was more likely than not (the standard of proof in civil cases) that one or the other had fired the wounding shot. Each of the defendants was equally, not more, likely to have harmed Summers.

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This didnt seem fair to the court. After all, both Tice and Simonson had acted at least negligently (carelessly), and it was clear that one of them had caused the injury. So the California Supreme Court did something creative: It shifted the burden to the defendants to prove that it was the other guy who had deprived Summers of his vision. If they were unable to do so, they would both be held responsible.

This 1948 case established the principle, now generally accepted, that when two or more defendants act negligently, but only one of them could have injured the plaintiff, theyre all liableunless they can prove they didnt cause the harm. Subsequent cases have made clear that the alternative liability rule isnt limited to cases involving just two defendants. As long as all of them are members of the group that injured the plaintiff, theyre potentially on the hook.

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The current, perhaps still-growing cluster of infections fits this model of liability well enough to suggest itself as a final exam in a torts class. It features multiple infected representatives and a known group of likely vectors, all of whom acted worse than negligently. This looks like a case of recklessness, which the law defines as conscious disregard of a known risk. The distinction is important because defendants can be liable for punitive damages in that case. (Such damages go beyond compensating injured parties, and can amount to multiples of the actual damages suffered.) Recall that current House rules require representatives to wear masks even while in the large House chamber. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tried, with limited success, to enforce this sensible mandate approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; those who violate it are willfully exposing others to risk, and the situation was much worse in the close confines of the small rooms in which the representatives were sheltering in place. The refuseniks know this, so their conduct during the insurrection is textbook recklessness.

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Im not suggesting that the case is a slam dunk, even given the Summers rule. The defendants would of course try to sow doubt about the source of infection. Theres some evidence of at least one of the infected representatives, Jayapal, exposing herself to some level of risk by not wearing a mask herself. (But that was in the much larger House chamber, with what looks like appropriate social distancing, and at the start of a confusing and chaotic attack.) Yet given the timing of the positive tests of these three representatives, the closeness of the space, and the duration of the lockdown, the infected group looks to have a strong caseespecially given Monahans memo warning that at least one person present was infected.

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This would be a great case for the affected representatives to bring to trial without settling, because the likely prospect of punitive damages creates a vehicle for accountability andIll say itnecessary public shaming. Let these heedless representatives get on the stand and try to defend their conduct.

Greene, the newly elected Georgia representative, mask opponent, and QAnon cheerleader, has trumpeted her stance with the misappropriated slogan My body, my choice. Yes, but this maddeningly irresponsible choice appears to have had entirely predictable, quite possibly dangerous consequences. She and the other bad actors might not care. If theyre made to pay millions in damages, that might finally change.
Union minister Shripad Naik, who is admitted in a Goa hospital after he met with an accident, is conscious and recovering, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said, adding that there is no need to shift him to New Delhi for further treatment.

Sawant told reporters that a team from the Delhi-based AIIMS, led by Dr S Rajeshwari, in the morning reviewed the treatment being given to Naik at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near here.

"The AIIMS team is happy with the line of treatment. Naik is recovering. There is no need to shift him to Delhi," the chief minister said.

He also said that Naik, the Union Minister of State for Defence and AYUSH, is conscious and speaking.

"He spoke to me in the morning. We are giving him the best treatment at the GMCH," Sawant said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who visited the GMCH on Tuesday, had said that if required, Naik will be shifted to New Delhi for further treatment.

The team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has advised to take Naik off the ventilator on Wednesday, an official from the team said.

Taking to reporters late Tuesday night, the official also said they are satisfied with Naik's breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters.

The AIIMS team arrived in Goa on Tuesday evening and visited Naik at the government-run GMCH located in Porvorim.

They later held discussions with doctors of the GMCH over the line of treatment for Naik, a senior official from the Goa-based hospital said.

Chief Minister Sawant was also present along with the team at the GMCH.

Talking to reporters late Tuesday night at the GMCH, one of the members from the AIIMS team said, "We are satisfied with his breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters. We have seen him and given advice to take him off the ventilator tomorrow (Wednesday)."



Naik received injuries, while his wife Vijaya and an aide died on Monday when their car met with the accident near Ankola in Uttar Kannada district, while he was returning to home state Goa from Dharmasthala in neighbouring Karnataka.

Naik was admitted to the GMCH late Monday night.

GMCH Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar on Tuesday said when Naik was brought to the GMCH, he was critical but later he responded to treatment and is gaining consciousness.

Four major surgeries were performed on him, he said.

Bandekar said Naik will continue to be in the hospital for another 10 to 15 days after which it will take at least three to four months for him to recuperate completely.

(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.)
Visits to general medical wards at hospitals in Northern Ireland will not be permitted from this Friday, Health Minister Robin Swann has confirmed.

Mr Swann, speaking at an Executive press conference on Wednesday, said that the move has been taken due to the continued prevalence of the virus in our communities.

"In response to the levels of transmissions across the country, the four UK chief medical officers recommended that we now move into alert level 5," he said.

"This impacts on the implementation of visiting guidance in all care settings across NI. So today unfortunately I can confirm that my department has produced revised visiting guidance which will be placed on the departmental website and which the trusts will be highlighting locally.

"Whilst there are areas where I have been assured visiting will still be permitted- that will be such as our hospices and our care homes- visits to general medical wards will no longer be permitted."

Mr Swann said the new visiting policy will be implemented from this Friday and will be kept under review.

However, the UUP MLA added that Northern Ireland has now vaccinated more than 100,000 people, with 91,419 people having received their first dose.

He said that 458 care homes out of 483 have received their first doses and that close to 20% of all over 80s have received their first jab.

It comes after a further 19 people in Northern Ireland have died after testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the death toll to 1,517.

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Each of the deaths occurred within the reporting period between 10am on January 12 and 10am on January 13, the Department of Health confirmed.

Another 1,145 people have also tested positive for the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of infections since the pandemic began to 91,809.

The are 869 Covid patients in hospitals across Northern Ireland, with 56 in intensive care and 40 requiring ventilation.

Hospitals are at 99% occupancy. A total of 142 care homes are dealing with outbreaks of the virus.

Read More

Here's how Wednesday unfolded:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the novel coronavirus mutation first discovered in the UK has now spread to at least 50 countries. While the South African variant has now spread to at least 20 territories. Further, as some nations have even begun COVID-19 vaccination drives, United Nations (UN) health agency noted that a third new coronavirus "variant of concern", that is found in Japan, might also affect the immune response and requires more research on its behaviour. The WHO said that more the SARS-CoV-2 spreads across the world, the more it will change. SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that causes COVID-19.



"The more the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change. High levels of transmission mean that we should expect more variants to emerge," said the WHO.

More than 1,750 experts from 124 countries - convened by WHO - discussed critical knowledge gaps and research priorities for emerging variants of the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes #COVID19



 https://t.co/7ehrabasSs pic.twitter.com/uxGwDHoZCd  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 13, 2021

In a statement on January 13, following the day-long meet with 1,750 experts from 124 countries to exchange information on the COVID-19 pandemic, UN agency noted that it is normal for viruses to mutate. However, of all the significant variants reported by several nations till now, only some are associated with increases in transmissibility but not disease severity. WHO said that the research is currently underway to determine if the virus mutations have an impact on public health tools and measures.

So far an astounding 350 000 sequences have been publicly shared, but most come from just a handful of countries. Improving the geographic coverage of sequencing is critical for the world to have eyes and ears on changes to the virus, said Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO Technical Lead on COVID-19.

Read - France Detects Two Clusters Of UK Coronavirus Variant, Borders With UK To Remain Shut

Read - USA Variant Of Covid-19 Found, New Strain More Transmissible Warns White House Task Force

'Escape mutant' could decrease vaccine efficacy

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists have now identified escape mutant that might have the ability to decrease the efficiency of vaccines. The mutation named E484K has been reportedly found in the variant of the novel coronavirus that was first spotted in South Africa nearly two months ago but has now spread to at least 12 more countries. As per the CNN report, Penny Moore, associate professor at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa called the mutation alarming.

"We fear this mutation might have an impact, and what we don't know is the extent of the impact," she said.

Read - 'Vaccine Less Effective': WHO Chief Scientist Raises Concern Over South African Variant

Read - Pfizer Study Suggests Vaccine Works Against Virus Variant


The Lima Group represents a key tool in the hybrid war arsenal: diplomatic war.

by Vijay Prashad and Carlos Ron

On January 5, 2021, the newly elected National Assembly took its seats in Venezuelas capital. That day the Lima Group released a statement most of its members signed saying that they did not recognize the legality of the assembly. They called upon countries around the world to disregard the assembly and to recognize instead the leadership of a former member of the assembly, Juan Guaido. The Lima Group felt that it was appropriate for its signatories to call for a transition process inside Venezuela; in other words, the Lima Group affirmed its mission, which is to overthrow the government of Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro and the Bolivarian Revolution.

What Is the Lima Group?

On August 8, 2017, 12 countries in the Americas came together in Lima, Peru, to create this group. Led by Canada, these countries had right-wing governments with a close relationship with the United States of America (from Brazil to Colombia, from Honduras to Paraguay). This group was formed to contribute to the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, which meantin factto contribute to the overthrow of the elected government of Venezuela.

The founding declaration made two related points. First, that Venezuela was in the midst of a critical situation, which included the breakdown of the democratic order in Venezuela. Second, that the remedy for this breakdown is the restoration of democracy, to be conducted by a peaceful and negotiated process.

The problem faced by the Venezuelan people in 2017 was not a deficit of democracyin fact, the country has had 26 elections since Hugo Chavez came into office in 1999but the suffocating U.S. illegal sanctions regime against Venezuela. Sanctions are only part of the range of U.S.-imposed hybrid war techniques, which include sabotage and armed insurrection. The Lima Group says that it rejects violence and any option that involves the use of force. Since 2017 there have been many conventional attempts to overthrow the government in Venezuela, and in none of these instances has the Lima Group made a statement against the use of force.

The Lima Group represents a key tool in the hybrid war arsenal: diplomatic war. In the years before 2017, the United States did not have a sufficient majority in the Organization of American States (OAS) to use that body to isolate Venezuela; therefore, the U.S. worked with its oligarchic allies in the Americas to form a fake regional bloc with Latin American countries alongside Canada. The United States has hovered at the Lima Group meetings, setting the agenda and driving the policy.

Is the Lima Group Legal?

Each of the members of the Lima Group is a member of the United Nations (UN), which means that they have to abide by the UN Charter of 1945. That charter says that regional arrangements are perfectly legal and that such arrangements could assist in the maintenance of international peace and security (UN Charter, Chapter VIII, Article 52, Paragraph 1). If the Lima Group was set up to further the goals of the UN Charter, there would be no illegality.

Where the Lima Group strays into illegality is when it decides collectively to enforce decisions upon Venezuela, which is a member state of the UN. The UN Charter says explicitly that no enforcement action is permitted by a regional arrangement without the authorization of the Security Council. The UN Security Council can use these regional bodies to take enforcement action under its authority; to do so, however, would require a UN Security Council resolution (UN Charter, Chapter VIII, Article 53, Paragraph 1). There is no UN Security Council resolution that provides the Lima Group with the authority to pressure Venezuelas government to resign and agree to a transfer of power.

If there is no UN Security Council resolution, then it is illegal for a regional arrangement of UN member states to attempt to take enforcement actionincluding regime changeagainst another member state of the UN. The Lima Groups declarations and statements do not cite any UN Security Council justification for its actions. Since there is no such UN Security Council resolution, based on the specific language in the UN Charter, the Lima Groups existence is in violation of the UN Charter.

Non-Interference

The members of the Lima Group are also members of the UN and the Organization of American States, formed in 1948 as a regional arrangement. Both the UN and the OAS charters explicitly oppose interference in the domestic matters of another UN and OAS member state.

The UN Charter says that it does not authorize its members to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state. The only exception to this is if there is a UN Security Council resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which allows such intervention. If there is no such resolution, then the UN member states are obliged to respect the domestic jurisdiction of other members. This is the concept of non-interference, violated by the Lima Group in each of its meetings.

The OAS Charter twice takes a position against interference and intervention. First, in the opening sections of the Charter, member states pledge to follow the principle of non-intervention (OAS Charter, Chapter I, Article 2, Section b). Second, later in the charter there is a long explanation of non-intervention, which extends beyond military attacks to include a range of interventions:

No State or group of States has the right to intervene, directly or indirectly, for any reason whatever, in the internal or external affairs of any other State. The foregoing principle prohibits not only armed force but also any other form of interference or attempted threat against the personality of the State or against its political, economic, and cultural elements. (OAS Charter, Chapter IV, Article 19)

Both the UN Charter and the OAS Charter are clear that any conspiracy to overthrow another member of the UN and the OAS is illegal. There is no other way to understand the actions of the Lima Group than that its members are in breach of its obligations to these two foundational charters.

Ottawa or Bogota Group?

By the start of this year, the original 12 countries in the Lima Group were joined by five others to make 17. However, for the statement against Venezuela on January 5, there were only 13 signatories (including two non-member countries). Key Lima Group member countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, and Mexico had not signed this statement. Part of the reason is that most of these countries are now governed by left-wing governments who do not believe in the regime change policy against Venezuela. They understand the Lima Group for what it is, namely a conspiracy against the UN Charter.

Since 2017, Peru has lurched through one political crisis after another from corruption cases implicating politicians and overthrowing governments; massive protests, including recently over an agrarian law, have gripped the country in its own democratic convulsions. Perus presidents, often charged with corruption, came in and out of office in quick succession, and yetin a very forced and insincere waythey called for democratic processes in Venezuela; Pablo Pedro Kuczynskicharged with corruptionwas out of office seven months after the Lima Group was created, while his successor Martin Vizcarra was impeached for permanent moral incapacity. Manuel Arturo Merino who came next lasted for five days before handing over the reins to Francisco Sagasti. Sagasti, whose hold on the presidency is fragile, took time out of the crisis in Peru to attack Venezuela in late December 2020; nonetheless, Peru seems to be losing its appetite for this operation against Venezuela.

More fundamentally committed to regime change in Venezuela are Canada and Colombia, which is why the Lima Group could be more accurately known as the Ottawa Group or the Bogota Group. Whatever the group is called, there is no doubt that it isbased on the UN and OAS Chartersan illegal conspiracy against Venezuela. The sooner the group is disbanded, the better. Venezuela, with a new National Assembly, is exercising its political sovereignty against the hybrid war attempt to destabilize the country.

This article was produced by Globetrotter.

Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian, editor and journalist. He is a writing fellow and chief correspondent at Globetrotter. He is the chief editor of LeftWord Books and the director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He is a senior non-resident fellow at Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. He has written more than 20 books, including The Darker Nations and The Poorer Nations. His latest book is Washington Bullets, with an introduction by Evo Morales Ayma.

Carlos Ron is Venezuelas vice minister of foreign affairs for North America and president of the Simon Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity Among Peoples.
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President Donald Trump says he opposes violence in a statement read on the House floor as members debate impeaching him for his role in fomenting the violent insurrection at the Capitol last week.

Trumps message was read Wednesday by GOP Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

Trump says in a statement: In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. Trump adds: That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers.

Trump is on the verge of being impeached for a second time in a fast-moving House vote, just a week after he encouraged loyalists to fight like hell against election results and then a mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol. Five people died, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer.

The president falsely claimed widespread voter fraud cost him the election won by Democrat Joe Biden.

24 National Guard in US Capitol

From earlier:

WASHINGTON (AP)  Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday rejected a Democratic attempt to swiftly call the Senate into emergency session to hold an impeachment trial of President Donald Trump, all but assuring that those proceedings wont occur until after Trump leaves office.

The decision came even as a GOP strategist said the Kentucky Republican has told people he thinks Trump perpetrated impeachable offenses. McConnell also sees House Democrats drive to impeach Trump as an opportune moment to distance the GOP from the tumultuous, divisive outgoing president, said the strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

McConnells souring on Trump is significant because as Washingtons most powerful Republican once Democrat Joe Biden is inaugurated next week, his view could make it easier for other GOP lawmakers to turn against the outgoing president. The New York Times first reported McConnells view on Tuesday.

The Senate is currently in recess and isnt scheduled to return to hold a business session until Jan. 19, the day before Bidens inauguration. By law, the Senate can be summoned to return for an emergency session if the two party leaders, McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., agree to do so.

Schumer has called for an emergency Senate meeting so it can remove Trump from office before his term expires, citing potential, unpredictable problems that Trump could cause.

A McConnell spokesman confirmed Wednesday that McConnell aides had told Schumers office that McConnell would not agree to an emergency session. The spokesman offered no explanation of McConnells reasoning.

The Democratic-led House was moving Wednesday toward certain approval of an impeachment article accusing Trump of inciting insurrection, an unprecedented second impeachment of his clamorous presidency. Trump exhorted a throng of his followers to march on the Capitol last Wednesday, where they disrupted Congress formal certification of Bidens win in a riot that resulted in five deaths.

The Republican strategist said McConnell hasnt said if hed vote to convict Trump when the Senate holds an impeachment trial. Nonetheless, McConnells thinking  and the certainty that modest but significant numbers of House Republicans were ready to vote to impeach Trump  underscored how the GOPs long reflexive support and condoning of his actions was eroding.

Last weekend, McConnell spoke to major Republican donors to assess their thinking about Trump and was told that they believed Trump had clearly crossed a line, the strategist said. McConnell told them he was finished with Trump, according to the consultant.

McConnell is looking out for his partys long-term future, but the short-term political pain for Republican senators is clear, said a GOP aide granted anonymity to discuss the situation. The aide called a Senate vote on removing Trump a big risk for Republican senators, with many of them almost certain to face challenges in GOP primaries.

It is unclear how many Republicans would vote to convict Trump in a Senate trial, but it appears plausible that several would do so. So far, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has said she wants Trump to resign and Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., has said he would definitely consider House impeachment articles.

Complicating GOP thinking about Trumps second impeachment is the fact that Republicans will be defending 20 of the 34 Senate seats up for election in 2022. Thanks to Democratic victories this month in two Georgia runoffs, Democrats are about to take control of the chamber by 50-50, with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking votes.

Speaking out against impeachment Wednesday was Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. A once-bitter Trump foe, Graham became one of his closest allies during his presidency, then lambasted him over last weeks Capitol invasion but has since spent time with Trump.

Impeaching Trump now would do great damage to the institutions of government and could invite further violence, Graham said in a statement. He said Trumps millions of backers should not be demonized because of the despicable actions of a seditious mob, but he did not specifically defend Trumps actions last week.

If there was a time for Americas political leaders to bend a knee and ask for Gods counsel and guidance, it is now. The most important thing for leaders to do in times of crisis is to make things better, not worse, Graham said.

When the Senate voted against removing Trump in February after the House impeached him for pressuring Ukraine to provide political dirt on Biden, Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, was the only Republican who cast a vote to oust him.

With the House in session to debate impeachment on Wednesday, the Capitol increasingly resembled a heavily defended compound as law enforcement braced for the possibility of more attacks by armed Trump supporters. The Capitol and nearby office buildings were surrounded by seven-foot-tall fencing and armed National Guard troops patrolled its grounds.

Trump has falsely insisted that Novembers presidential election was stolen from him by fraud. Those allegations have been rejected by state officials of both parties, state and federal courts and members of his own administration.
Covered in protective gear from head to toe, Dr. Julio Rodriguez worries about what he is seeing as he walks around the maxed-out intensive care unit of a hospital in Lima, Peru, which like other countries in Latin America is experiencing a new wave of coronavirus cases.

These days, 20 patients are vying to get a bed in the unit where the struggle between life and death is fought every moment.The dire situation has pushed Peruvians to beg for a bed on social media as daily cases have reached 1,500."Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to take care of them," Rodriguez said.A month ago, only five patients were waiting for a bed at the ICU of the "Alberto Sabogal" hospital.

The shortage of beds is the result of the increasing number of cases and the fact that it may take a COVID-19 patient up to a month to leave the unit - alive or dead.Hospitals in Peru's north, south and central regions have no beds left in their ICUs.In the capital city of Lima, only six intensive care beds are left, according to the Ombudsman's Office. Decades of underinvestment in public health measures have left Peru as one of the countries in South America with the fewest intensive care beds.

The entire country has 1,656 ICU beds, less than the more than 1,800 available in the capital of neighboring Colombia, according to official data.Peru has recorded more than 38,200 deaths and more than a million cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic reached the country in mid-March.On Monday, Rodriguez checked on his patients, all sedated.Nurses recorded vital signs on a clipboard, and that data was then entered into a computer.

Some patients are related to each other, such as a mother and son who were infected at the young man's wedding.The sounds of the monitors that measure oxygen saturation and other vital signs of the 30 patients of the "Alberto Sabogal" hospital accompany the doctors, nurses and health technicians every shift.All their patients are intubated.

Experts say the increase in cases was driven by the large protests in November that generated political chaos in Peru, and led to the naming of three presidents in a week, as well as holiday gatherings.Doctors like Rodriguez, nurses and technicians are working under intense pressure, balancing the risk of getting infected, stress and sleep deprivation."The patients keep increasing and they don't stop," Rodriguez said.

(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)
Patna, Jan 13 : The Nitish Kumar government drew flak on Wednesday, a day after an Indigo Airlines station manager was shot dead by some unidentified bike-borne assailants near the Shastri Nagar police station area here.

Police said that Rupesh Kumar Singh (40) was entering his Kusumvila apartment at Punaichak locality at around 7.30 p.m. on Tuesday when the assailants opened fire at him. Singh sustained 20 bullet injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Nitin Naveen, BJP MLA from Patna's Bankipur, who visited the incident site on Wednesday said that Bihar police should adopt Uttar Pradesh's model of encounters to deal with the criminals.

Following the killing, several political leaders cutting across party lines reached Singh's home and extended their condolences to his family members.

BJP leader Vivek Thakur said that Patna police should either crack the case within 3 to 5 days, or it should be transferred to the CBI.

Thakur also lashed out at the Nitish government saying that he has no faith in it.

"People like Singh have no criminal background. Still, assailants gunned him down outside his home and that poses a question to the state government," the BJP leader said.

"If we delay in handing over the case to the CBI, it might turn out to be like the Sushant Singh Rajput case where the agency has failed to make any headway due to inadequate evidence," he added.

"Who are behind Singh's murder? He was a private firm employee. The state government should ascertain the reason for his death." BJP's Maharajganj MP Janardan Singh Sigriwal said: "I have known Singh's family for long. I pulled some strings to get him transferred from Kolkata to Patna. I demand that the DGP arrest his killers soon."

President Trump vowed to build 450 miles of border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, which is more of a series of barriers erected by a succession of U.S. presidents, by the end of his first term.

Trump can say he fulfilled that promise, according to information provided to Yahoo Finance by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), establishing one of the more expensive and permanent aspects of his legacy.

As much as the Trump administration is able to construct is going to be the amount thats there pretty permanently, Jessica Bolter, an associate policy analyst for the Migration Policy Institute, told Yahoo Finance. This is a serious permanent infrastructure project thats going to remain. And while many of the other actions that Trump has taken on immigration can be rolled back through executive action, this is something that it looks like is not going to be rolled back anytime soon.

US President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall in Alamo, Texas, on January 12, 2021. (Photo: MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the latest CBP data, 453 miles of new primary and secondary border wall system were built during Trumps term  though much of that construction involved replacing dilapidated of outdate designs as opposed to building wall where it had not been built previously. Another 211 miles are under construction while 74 miles are in the pre-construction phase.

Overall, the $15-billion initiative was a key promise of Trumps 2016 presidential campaign and became a point of contention with Congress  a funding dispute over the border wall led to a 35-day government shutdown in 2018  and landowners whose properties have been greatly impacted by the construction.

President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to freeze construction of the wall, a move that would save roughly $2.6 billion.

453 miles of wall have been completed so far. (Source: CBP)

Its a gigantic waste of government resources

Experts have argued the entire project was a waste of taxpayer money (in addition to being a magnet for alleged fraud).

Its a gigantic waste of government resources, taking billions of dollars away from other priorities and has zero benefit to the United States, David Bier, an immigration policy analyst at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, told Yahoo Finance. The difference between the Trump law and the existing fences that he replaced is the Trump wall is more expensive and thats pretty much it. Its certainly more intrusive to the environment and to the landowners and to the residents of the areas in which the border wall is being built as well.

The wall built under Trump has been incredibly costly, particularly compared to other presidencies.

Between 2007 and 2015, CBP spent a total of $2.4 billion constructing 535 miles of the border wall. Part of the reason for that, she explained, is because Trumps wall is a taller, more fortified wall being constructed in a lot of areas. Bolter noted that fencing under the GWB administration cost an average of $3.9 million per mile. Under Trump, it averaged about $20 million per mile.

There are approximately 701 miles of primary barriers along the border. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

Another reason for the exorbitant cost is that its not clear that building a wall in all of these places was necessary, Bolter said. A report from the Department of Homeland Security inspector general found that when CBP was setting its border wall priorities, it didnt consider alternatives.

Gil Kerlikowske, who served as CBP commissioner during the final three years of the Obama administration, has argued that the money would be much better invested in technology than barriers. He noted that much of the cost for the barriers stems from maintenance and repair.

I mean, its really significant, Kerlikowske told Yahoo Finance. You have flooding, you have other kinds of damage, people, of course, cutting them. So people shouldnt look at this just as the cost of this fixed wall or barrier. They should look at the long-term costs. They are going to be replaced over the years, plus maintenance costs, so its incredibly expensive.

The former CBP leader suggested technological alternatives like integrated fixed towers, which have infrared and camera sensors. But according to Bier, the CATO analyst, its still just another form of wasted taxpayer money.

Its certainly better than taking peoples land but its another gigantic sinkhole of government money that you spent billions upon billions, spending more money on technology, whether its border journals or surveillance cameras, Bier said. Really at the end of the day, you have reports from the OIG, the GAO, the drones and balances are ineffective. That virtual fence they tried to build with the cameras and sensors was useless, a waste of taxpayer money. I dont support any more money for this effort.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a picture of border wall being installed along the U.S.-Mexico border as he participates in a roundtable briefing on border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Yuma Station in Ariz., June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Biden freezing construction of the wall is just one of the several necessary steps needed to fix this, Bier argued.

A freeze is better than continuing to waste taxpayer money on something that were getting no benefit from, he said. But I think that we should go further than that and transfer that land and the structure as well  if the people who own the land want the structure, let them keep it, but it should really be their decision and not the decision of Border Patrol to foist a structure on somebody elses property.

New versus old wall

Trumps CBP claimed that 453 miles of border wall were built since January 2017, though less than 100 miles of the wall is actually new and not replacing outdated structures.

[Acting Secretary of Homeland Security] Chad Wolf and CBP are counting anything as new thats new construction, Ohio State University Professor Ken Madsen, who tracks border wall progress on his personal website, told Yahoo Finance. But most people are making a distinction between new versus replacement. There was a wall there before and yes theres a new wall now, but its the same place thats covered. But then you can even narrow that down more.

New sections of the border wall are in process of being built in Hidalgo, Texas on January 11, 2021. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)

Much of the construction is to replace existing barriers, many of which are old and/or dilapidated in quality.

Once you distinguish new from replacement, then you have to distinguish if its a pedestrian barrier, or replacement pedestrian barrier, Madsen said. In other words, is it just a newer model thats taller, more see-through, more durable, stronger foundation? And then theres some places where theyre replacing vehicle barriers with pedestrian barriers.

Pedestrian barriers, he explained, are much more effective at stopping people than vehicle barriers. And they make more sense in urban areas rather than more rural areas.

When you see new fences or walls going in those very rugged areas, it seems to me it really is for show, Madsen said. Its not really doing anything to stop anybody because very few people were crossing there in the first place.

US President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall in Alamo, Texas, on January 12, 2021. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

With pedestrian barriers, its going to stop people, or at least intended to stop people, Madsen said. People can go over, under, around, but its generally solid. You cant fit through it. And a vehicle barrier is like what you see in these kind of Normandy-style barriers, particularly farther west. You might even see a post on rail thing. That will stop a car from going over it. Again, Ive seen ramps be put on top of those and Ive seen cars go over them. But as a general rule, its meant to stop cars. A person could go right through a vehicle barrier. Its intended to slow people down and slow traffic down, particularly in the rural areas.

With 738 miles of wall funded and 438 miles constructed so far, CBP is just 59% of the way done. Approximately 344 miles of new primary wall and 21 miles of new secondary wall have been erected in places of dilapidated/outdated designs, while approximately 40 miles of new primary wall and 33 miles of secondary wall have been built in locations where no barriers previously existed, according to data provided to Yahoo Finance by CBP.

From the perspective of CBP and national security, theres a qualitative improvement regardless of what its replacing, Madsen said. But a lot of people would say, and I would tend to come down on that argument that a replacement pedestrian barrier is still a pedestrian barrier. It may be bigger, it may be fancier, but its still a pedestrian barrier. But a pedestrian barrier replacing a vehicle barrier, thats quite an upgrade. Thats substantially changing the dynamic more so here. And again, because its all new, its being counted by CBP as new. Ive heard the vast majority is replacing barriers that are already there. Thats for sure. So most of whats being constructed is just replacing whats already there.

U.S. President Donald Trump talks with U.S. Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott as he tours a section of the U.S.-Mexico border wall in San Luis, Arizona, U.S., June 23, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

Building a wall will do little to deter criminals

President-elect Biden has been critical about the border wall, singling out Trump for the walls lack of efficiency.

His obsession with building a wall does nothing to address security challenges while costing taxpayers billions of dollars, Bidens immigration plan states, noting that most illegal drugs come through legal points of entry, that asylum seekers are asking for refuge legally, and that nearly half of undocumented immigrants are in the U.S. because they overstayed their visas.

Building a wall will do little to deter criminals and cartels seeking to exploit our borders, his plan says. Instead of stealing resources from schools for military children and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, Biden will direct federal resources to smart border enforcement efforts, like investments in improving screening infrastructure at our ports of entry, that will actually keep America safer.

Construction crews work on the United States-Mexico border wall on December 1, 2020 in Jacumba, California. (Photo by Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images)

Bidens decision to halt construction of the wall will save billions of dollars, but could still cost roughly $700 million, according to the Washington Post. This is because withdrawing crew, materials, and equipment can be billed as demobilization fees.

But, it will come as a relief for those whose lands were seized by the government through eminent domain to be used as part of the border wall. According to the New York Times, the Trump administration brought 78 lawsuits against landowners along the southern border, with 30 of them in 2020.

Despite the havoc along the border soon coming to an end, the project still leaves behind a lasting legacy.

I think that the border wall is one of the most permanent parts of President Trumps legacy after he leaves the office, Bolter said. President-elect Biden has said that hes not going to construct any additional border wall, but hes also said that hes not going to take down any of the wall that President Trump has built.

Adriana Belmonte is a reporter and editor covering politics and health care policy for Yahoo Finance. You can follow her on Twitter @adrianambells and reach her at adriana@yahoofinance.com.

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Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, shot himself dead at his home in Alpharetta on Saturday morning

The Georgia banker who killed himself after being arrested at the violent Capitol Hill siege in Washington DC last week has been described by one friend as a 'dedicated family man'.

Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, shot himself dead at his home in Alpharetta on Saturday morning. The father-of-two was found with a gunshot wound to the chest and died by suicide, The Fulton County Medical Examiner confirmed Tuesday.

High school friend Ashley Gunnin told DailyMail.com Wednesday: 'I am deeply saddened by his death. I hope he can be remembered as the man who loved his family and his daughters dearly.

'The Chris I knew was nothing like what we have been watching out of DC on tv for a week. Nothing. He loved his family and daughters.'

Georgia worked as a regional portfolio manager at BB&T bank, online records show. DailyMail.com has reached out to the company for comment.

Documents obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com Tuesday had shown Georgia's wife called 911 on Saturday morning, telling authorities there was 'blood everywhere'. His body was found in the basement of the home they share.

Family members on the scene were described by police as 'extremely distressed' in a police report. Officers also removed two semi-automatic SKS rifles from Georgias home, the report added.

According to documents from the Superior Court of DC, Georgia had been charged with attempting to enter certain property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will of the United States Capitol Police.

Georgia has been described friends as a 'dedicated family man who loved his daughters'

Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, was found dead at his home, pictured, in Alpharetta

Christopher Stanton Georgia, 53, had been charged with attempting to enter certain property, that is, the United States Capitol Grounds, against the will of the United States Capitol Police'. Pro-Trump supporters are pictured storming the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday

At around 7:15pm last Wednesday, on the night of the riots, Georgia was reportedly among a group outside in violation of the Districts 6pm curfew that had been put in place earlier that day to stem the chaos wreaked by the pro-Trump mob.

When officers gave the group several warnings to disperse, Georgia and his group reportedly refused, according to the documents. They were then placed under arrest as a result.

Unlawful entry is a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum penalty of up to 180 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000.

The attack on the US Capitol Wednesday happened as members of Congress met to certify Joe Bidens Electoral College victory.

So far, at least 82 people have been arrested and more than 55 have been charged over the insurrection. Hundreds more are being hunted by the authorities but are yet to be found, including 25 people who are being investigated on terrorism charges.

Others from Georgia arrested so far following the riots are Cleveland Meredith, Grant McHoyt Moore, of Buford, and Eric Munchel, of Dunwoody who is known on social media as zip tie guy.

So far, at least 82 people have been arrested and more than 55 have been charged over the insurrection, with dozens more being sought after

Rioter Ashli Babbit was shot dead after attempting to climb through a shattered window of a barricaded door

Others from Georgia arrested so far following the riots are Cleveland Meredith (left) and Eric Munchel (right), of Dunwoody who is known on social media as zip tie guy.

Five people also died. One protester, Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead as she attempted to climb through a shattered window of a barricaded door near to the chamber. Three protesters died from medical emergencies and one officer, Brian Sicknick, died 'from injuries sustained' while responding to the attack.

One USCPD officer, Brian Sicknick, died 'from injuries sustained' while responding to the attack

Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during a struggle, two law enforcement officials said.

A second member of the Capitol Police, Howard Liebengood, was on duty on Wednesday and died by suicide on Saturday.

Two US Capitol Police officer spoke out yesterday about being subjected to vile racial abuse from members of the MAGA mob as they worked to protect the legislature.

One officer, a veteran of the department, said he was called the N-word upwards of 15 times, while another described being beaten by insurgents, some of whom were wielding Blue Lives Matter flags.

Both of the officers said they encountered out law enforcement officials in the mob, who had flown from all over the country to join in with the rioting.

[One guy] pulled out his badge and he said, Were doing this for you. Another guy had his badge. So I was like, Well, you gotta be kidding, one of the officers said.

Police department across the country  including in Texas, Washington State, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and California  have opened investigations into whether any of their own officers took part in the Capitol siege. So far, several officers and at least one police chief are facing potential termination or suspension.
Covid-19: U.S. to Require Negative Virus Tests From International Air Travelers The Trump administration expanded vaccine eligibility to all Americans over 65 as part of an effort to accelerate distribution. New York is setting up a mass vaccination site at the Mets home stadium. This briefing has ended. Follow our latest coverage of the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. will require negative virus tests from international passengers arriving by air. International passengers entering into the United States will need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test. Credit... Brittainy Newman for The New York Times Before boarding their flights, all international passengers headed to the United States will first need to show proof of a negative coronavirus test, according to a new federal policy going into effect on Jan. 26. Testing does not eliminate all risk, Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a statement describing the new policy. But when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations. Dr. Redfield is expected to sign the order detailing the new rules on Tuesday. The new policy requires all air passengers, regardless of vaccination status, to get a test for current infection within the three days before their flight to the United States departs, and to provide written documentation of their test results or proof of having recovered from Covid-19. Proof of immunization will not be sufficient, because the vaccines have only been shown to prevent serious illness, said Jason McDonald, a spokesman for the C.D.C. Vaccinated people may still become infected, in theory, and transmit the virus on a flight. The agency will not require further testing in the three months after a positive test, so long as the traveler has not had any symptoms. In this situation, a passenger may travel with documentation of the positive test result and a letter from a health care provider or a public health official stating that the traveler now has been cleared for travel. Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers or the documentation of recovery before they board. If a passenger does not provide proof of a negative test or recovery, or chooses not to take a test, the airline must deny boarding to the passenger, the agency said. Testing before and after travel is a critical layer to slow the introduction and spread of Covid-19, agency officials said in a statement. With the U.S. already in surge status, the testing requirement for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public. The policy expands on a similar rule, implemented in late December, that required travelers from Britain to show proof of a negative result on a test for the virus. The Trump administration introduced that restriction following reports that a more contagious variant of the coronavirus had become the source of the majority of infections in much of that country. That variant has since been detected in several American states and is likely to have spread even more widely, scientists have said. The United States genetically sequences only a tiny proportion of its virus samples, however  too few to have an accurate estimate for the variants spread in this country. The new travel policy comes on the heels of an announcement by the Japanese government on Tuesday that four travelers from Brazil had imported another new variant of the virus into Japan. Two other so-called variants of concern are said to be circulating in South Africa and in Brazil. The White House coronavirus task force and federal agencies, including the C.D.C., have been debating the expanded requirements for weeks. The C.D.C. currently recommends that all air travelers, including those flying within the United States, get tested one to three days before travel, and again three to five days after the trip is complete. Many airlines offer optional testing for passengers, but mandate it only when destinations require them to do so. But last week, a group representing major U.S. airlines backed a policy that would require all passengers to get tested. In a statement Tuesday, the group, Airlines for America, said it supports a national testing standard set by the federal government. Since the onset of this crisis, U.S. airlines have relied on science to help guide decisions as they continuously reevaluate and update their processes, procedures and protocols, the group said in a statement. Recognizing that this regime will provide an additional layer of safety in the travel journey, we encourage the administration to move forward with recommendations to concurrently lift existing entry restrictions on travelers from Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Niraj Chokshi contributed reporting.

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Heres how state and local leaders reacted to the Trump administrations shift in vaccine deployment. Anthony Lopes, security guard at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, receives a Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine shot on December 16, 2020. Credit... Saul Martinez for The New York Times Amid a nationwide struggle to vaccinate even limited groups of people, the Trump administrations announcement on Tuesday  that it would release all available vaccine doses and instruct states to immediately vaccinate every American 65 and older  threatens to create more confusion, particularly for the state and local leaders who had already laid out different plans for who should receive the vaccine next. As part of the shift, the federal government will send all available doses to states to provide the first of the two doses required by both vaccines authorized in the United States. Previously, the Trump administration had been reserving roughly half of the vaccine supply to provide the second inoculations. Now, second doses are to be provided by new waves of manufacturing. Health officials also recommend that the vaccines be given to all adults with various pre-existing conditions. Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who prioritized people 65 and older from the start, said he believed making all older people eligible was always the right thing to do. The initial guidelines would have allowed a 20-year-old healthy worker to get a vaccine before a 74-year-old grandmother, he said on Tuesday at a news conference in the sprawling retirement community of The Villages. That does not recognize how this virus has affected elderly people. In New York, which began vaccinating people 75 and older and more essential workers this week, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said that the state will accept the new federal guidance to prioritize those 65 and older, though he criticized the administration for not clearly defining who should be considered immunocompromised. The new guidance will make a total of more than 7 million New Yorkers eligible for the vaccine, Mr. Cuomo said, though the state only receives 300,000 doses a week. The federal government didnt give us an additional allocation, he said. At 300,000 per week, how do you effectively serve 7 million people, all of whom are now eligible, without any priority? But earlier this week  after reports from medical providers that they had been forced to throw out doses because of difficulties finding patients who matched precisely with the states strict vaccination guidelines  Mr. Cuomo loosened vaccine restrictions, allowing medical providers to administer the vaccine to any of their employees who interact with the public if there are extra doses in a vial and no one from the priority population can come in before the doses expire. A pharmacys store clerks, cashiers, stock workers and delivery staff could qualify, the guidelines said. California last week took a similar step. New Yorkers 65 and older are immediately able to schedule appointments on the states website, according to Melissa DeRosa, a top aide to the governor, who added that the state was working with the C.D.C. on who is considered immunocompromised. In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed concern of the possibility that there might not be enough supply of the second dose as the pool of eligibility widens. So long as we have the supply, we intend to keep both efforts going, first dose and second dose, Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference on Tuesday. Amanda Rosa, Patricia Mazzei, Juliana Kim and

Experts urge caution in delaying the second dose of the vaccine. Credit... Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times The Trump administration is abandoning its policy of reserving roughly half of its vaccine supply to guarantee that second doses would be available, instead opting to release all available doses in an effort to ramp up slow and complicated vaccine efforts across the country. The announcement on Tuesday raised some concerns  including from Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City  that the move could cause a delay in administering the required second dose for those who had already received the first shot. (New waves of manufacturing will provide enough supply for the second doses, the administration said.) New guidelines released on Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now note that while people should get their second shots as close to the recommended 3-week or 1-month interval as possible, there is no maximum interval between the first and second doses for either vaccine. The update perplexed experts, who said that while other, previously licensed vaccines that involve multiple doses can be administered months or even years apart, no evidence yet exists to clearly support this strategy for Covid-19. They will need to back this up with data, said Marion Pepper, an immunologist at the University of Washington. Dr. Leana Wen, an emergency physician at the George Washington School of Public Health, echoed the call for an explanation. With skepticism of vaccines already hindering the rollout of some shots, the last thing we want to do is give the impression that there are shortcuts being taken in the approval process. On Tuesday afternoon, Kristen Nordlund, a spokeswoman for the C.D.C., defended the agencys guidance as allowing flexibility as the vaccine rollout continues. The guidance, she said, was intended to deter people from seeking out unnecessary doses of the vaccine if they dont get their second injections on schedule. We are not trying to promote delays of the second dose as a strategy to get more people vaccinated with the first dose, Ms. Nordlund said. Health officials in Britain are now allowing intervals between the first and second doses of Pfizers vaccines of up to 12 weeks. Last week, the World Health Organization said the injections could be given up to six weeks apart. The agencys Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization considers the administration of both doses within 21 to 28 days to be necessary for optimal protection, said Saad Omer, a vaccine expert at Yale University who helped draft the WHOs position on the matter. In response to queries about dose delays, representatives from Pfizer and Moderna have repeatedly pointed to the companys clinical trials, which tested dosing regimens of two shots, separated by 21 days for Pfizer, and 28 days for Moderna. Two doses of the vaccine are required to provide the maximum protection against the disease, a vaccine efficacy of 95 percent, Steven Danehy, a spokesman for Pfizer, said earlier this month. There are no data to demonstrate that protection after the first dose is sustained after 21 days.

Imposing strict measures faster could have saved tens of thousands of lives in Europe, a C.D.C. report says. Coffins holding the bodies of people killed by the coronavirus were stored in preparation for burial or incineration in an underground parking lot at a funeral home in Barcelona in April. Credit... Samuel Aranda for The New York Times Countries in Europe that quickly implemented stringent measures to control the spread of the new coronavirus saw lower death rates through June 2020 than those imposing such policies later, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study, published on Wednesday, is the latest volley in a continuing debate among researchers and public health officials over which containment measures are effective and when should they be put in place. The question is not easy to answer: Every analysis contains assumptions, and it can be difficult to compare one state or country with another. The C.D.C. analysis involves data from 37 countries that instituted measures like closing nonessential businesses, canceling public events, closing schools, restricting the size of gatherings and asking people to stay at home. The countries differed in how many of these measures they implemented and when. To assess how rigorously countries attempted to control the spread of the virus, the C.D.C. researchers used the Oxford Stringency Index, which includes nine policies thought to prevent the viruss spread. The index is weighted to account for the strictness of each policy, like closing businesses or limiting the size of gatherings. Stringent measures prevented thousands of deaths, despite the severe costs in unemployment and social isolation, the study concluded. In 26 countries, more than 70,000 deaths might have been averted if the most stringent measures had been implemented when the pandemic began. Most of the preventable deaths were in the United Kingdom, France and Spain.

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The first Covid-19 vaccines have reached the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. A member of the military during a media tour of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay in 2019. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times The first 100 members of the prison staff at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have received initial vaccines against the coronavirus, the U.S. military disclosed Tuesday evening, declining to say whether any of the 40 wartime prisoners at the detention center were offered or received vaccines. Capt. Garrett Kasper, a Navy spokesman at the prison, said in a statement that a shipment of Moderna vaccines arrived at the base on Friday, and 100 people assigned to the detention operation with 1,800 staff members were vaccinated the next day. More vaccinations were scheduled to take place Wednesday morning inside a ballroom adjacent to the bases Irish pub, OKellys, according to an announcement posted by the bases small community hospital on Tuesday evening. Recipients were to include emergency room and urgent care workers as well as some other emergency workers described as first responders. About 6,000 people live at the base but the detention center apparently received a separate supply of the vaccines for its personnel. The military did not say whether the first 100 people to receive the vaccine included civilian workers in the prison zone, such as translators, or were given exclusively to U.S. forces, such as National Guard troops on temporary assignment as prison guards and Navy medics who care for the detainees in the cellblocks. Captain Kasper said the prison headquarters was expected to receive a second shipment of Moderna vaccines later this week and our medical personnel are prepared to swiftly administer the vaccines in an organized fashion. Both the prison spokesman and a spokesman for the U.S. Southern Command, which supervises detention operations, declined to disclose if any prison personnel were offered but refused the vaccine on Saturday. The current Pentagon policy makes vaccination voluntary because the Food and Drug Administration has only has authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines on an emergency basis. The spokesmen also declined to say whether any of the prisoners had been vaccinated, or were offered the shots. They referred the question to the public affairs division of the Office of the Acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher C. Miller, whose spokesmen did not respond to a query on Tuesday night. In the first months of the pandemic, Guantanamo disclosed that two service members had tested positive for the virus and were isolated. It provided no further updates on cases because the Pentagon banned base-by-base disclosures. Most legal visits and military commission proceedings involving the prisoners  including Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other men accused of conspiring in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks  have come to a standstill during the pandemic. Troop rotations have continued and some base families have traveled to and from Guantanamo on military leaves and vacations. To control any possible spread, people arriving on the base are required to individually quarantine for two weeks before having contact with other residents. The commissary, gym, church compound, 245-pupil school system and Irish pub are all open, the last with a 50-patron limit and a requirement that waiters and waitresses wear masks.

Trump visited the Texas border, where the virus is surging. President Donald Trump speaks near the construction of the southern border wall near Alamo, Texas, on Tuesday. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times The U.S.-Mexico border region in Texas, where President Trump traveled to on Tuesday, is struggling with a spike in coronavirus infections. Mr. Trump was not in the state to discuss the virus, though. He was there to visit and show his support for the partially built border wall in Alamo, along the Rio Grande in southern Hidalgo County. The county, however, was devastated by the virus last summer. Now, the border towns of Del Rio, Eagle Pass and Laredo, in other counties, are seeing major spikes as Texas nears two million total coronavirus cases, according to a New York Times database. South Texas has been one of the hardest hit areas of the country all year, said Dr. Peter J. Hotez, a vaccine scientist at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. The virus has disproportionately hurt Hispanic communities. A perfect storm of tragedy has been created by the fact that many communities in the region are made up of low-income essential workers who often do not have adequate access to health care or testing, Dr. Hotez said. Thirty-five percent of Covid-19 deaths in the Hispanic community in Texas have been people under the age of 65, he added. Its really hitting mothers and fathers and brothers and sisters, he said. In Hidalgo County, hospitals have experienced an uptick in patients but nothing like the awful crush of infections and deaths from last summer, said Richard F. Cortez, the countys top elected official. Our medical people are doing a better job of caring and managing the disease  or the disease isnt affecting our people as severely as before, said Mr. Cortez, 77, who caught the virus last month. He has since recovered. Still, Mr. Cortez, a Democrat, said he would have advised the president against visiting. It brought people from other parts of Texas to this area, supporters that he had, he said. We dont know what those people brought. We dont know the care that they were taking. It presented some potential risk for us. What was the benefit to the general public for him to come here?

Indonesias president receives a Chinese-made vaccine that produced disappointing trial results. President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, left, received a coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday. Credit... Agus Suparto/Indonesian Presidential Palace, via Associated Press Indonesias president, Joko Widodo, received an injection of a Chinese-made vaccine on live television Wednesday, as health officials prepared for a nationwide rollout. Human trials in Indonesia have so far found that the CoronaVac vaccine was safe and 65.3 percent effective. But scientists in Brazil said on Tuesday that it had an efficacy rate there of just over 50 percent  far lower than the 78 percent efficacy rate announced last week. Mr. Joko was the first in Indonesia to get the inoculation, health officials said, because he wanted to assure the public that it was safe, effective and halal, meaning that it is approved under Islamic law. Behind him as he received his injection was a red sign with white lettering proclaiming the vaccine to be safe and halal. Covid vaccination is important for us to break the chain of transmission of this coronavirus and provide health protection for all of us, the people of Indonesia, and help accelerate the process of economic recovery, Mr. Joko said after getting his shot. Indonesia, which authorized emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine on Monday, had previously ordered 125.5 million doses from the company and lesser amounts from several others. Indonesia, the worlds fourth-largest country with 270 million people, hopes to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating two-thirds of the population within 15 months. But there are still questions around the Sinovac vaccine, which China began administering last year before human trials were completed. The company has yet to release data publicly on the results of its trials. And the vaccines efficacy rate, as measured in Brazil and Indonesia, is still far below the 90-plus-percent rates achieved by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that have been approved in the United States and other countries. Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said the relatively low efficacy rate for CoronaVac should prompt Indonesia to look for alternatives. He also questioned the transparency of the various trials and the data being released. At least Indonesia has one vaccine as a tool to protect its health care workers and prevent staff shortages, he said. Of course, the government should do its best in getting other vaccines. Indonesia plans to give the vaccine first to medical staff, police and soldiers. It also has begun a national promotion campaign to persuade members of the public to get the vaccine, which will be free. Following Mr. Joko to be vaccinated in front of the cameras were the head of the army, the national police chief and the newly appointed health minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, along with other dignitaries and so-called influencers. Indonesia has reported nearly 850,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 25,000 deaths, Southeast Asias highest tallies in both categories. Sulfikar Amir, an Indonesian associate professor of disaster sociology at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said Indonesia appeared to be hurrying the vaccine into use rather than doing a better job with social restrictions, testing and tracing. Brazils latest results showing a much lower efficacy rate are cause for concern, he said. Why doesnt Indonesia wait for a better vaccine? he asked. The government feels that the situation now is very severe in Indonesia and they look at vaccination as the silver bullet, which actually it is not. My impression, he added, is that this is rushed and forced. Richard C. Paddock and

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The worst is yet to come for Britains battle with the virus, officials warn. Ambulance crews transported a patient into City Hospital in Birmingham, England, on Tuesday. Credit... Jacob King/Press Association, via Associated Press More people died in Britain last year than in any year in the past century, surpassing even the toll during the 1918 pandemic, the governments statistical agency reported on Tuesday. And with around 90,000 more deaths than expected, it was the highest number of excess fatalities recorded since World War II. But as terrible as the toll has been, officials are warning that the worst is yet to come. As a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus continues to tear through Britain  with an estimated one in 30 people in London currently infected  hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed, even as authorities struggle to convince the public of the urgency of the moment. Prime Minister Boris Johnson  who came under criticism Tuesday for cycling seven miles from his home despite orders that people stay close to where they live  met with his cabinet on Tuesday to discuss ways to tighten what are already some of Europes most sweeping restrictions. All pubs, restaurants and retail stores are already closed, school reopenings have been delayed and public gatherings are forbidden. People have been told they should leave their homes only for essential reasons like food shopping and exercise. Police have said they have issued some 45,000 fines and will increase enforcement. Even now, mask wearing in Britain is far from universal. It is not required outdoors and is not always enforced indoors. The next few weeks are going to be the worst weeks of this pandemic in terms of numbers into the N.H.S., Englands chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, said Monday, referring to the National Health Service. Ambulance crews are stretched to the breaking point. Hundreds of police and firefighters have been diverted to their ranks to keep the services running. Exhausted health care workers are struggling to cope with the surge in patients at the same time as they are being asked to help carry out the most ambitious vaccination campaign in the nations history. There has been one recent encouraging sign. After rising steeply for weeks, the number of infections has begun to drop. Around 45,000 were reported on Tuesday  significantly less than the recent peak of more than 80,000. Still, officials warned that the full effects of gatherings held around the Christmas holiday had yet to be felt, and as hospitalizations continue to rise, the crisis in the hospitals is growing more acute by the hour.

Brazilian researchers find a Chinese vaccine once hailed as a triumph is far less effective than thought. Inspecting vials containing the CoronaVac vaccine, made by the Chinese company Sinovac, at the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Credit... Amanda Perobelli/Reuters Scientists in Brazil on Tuesday provided a markedly less enthusiastic assessment of the efficacy of a Chinese coronavirus vaccine that they hailed as a major triumph last week. Officials at the Butantan Institute in Sao Paulo said a trial conducted in Brazil showed that the CoronaVac vaccine, manufactured by Beijing-based Sinovac, had an efficacy rate of just over 50 percent. That rate was far lower than the 78 percent efficacy rate announced last week. Officials have since clarified that the higher figure pertained to the protection the vaccine offered against developing symptoms of Covid-19 significant enough to require medical treatment. While officials had asserted last week that the vaccine provided absolute protection against moderate to severe symptoms, they acknowledged on Tuesday that the data underpinning that claim was not statistically significant. The 50 percent efficacy rate is just over the threshold the World Health Organization and the Food and Drug Administration use to assess the efficacy of vaccines. Scientists and world leaders regard CoronaVac as a potential game-changer in fighting the pandemic because it could be rapidly produced and distributed in countries in the developing world. Unlike other vaccines, it does not require storage in freezing temperatures. Natalia Pasternak, a microbiologist and the president of Instituto Questao de Ciencia, told reporters on Tuesday that the results of the trial meant it will not be a panacea. It is not the best vaccine in the world, she said at the news conference during which the efficacy rate was disclosed. But she called it a perfectly acceptable vaccine that would reduce the number of patients who develop serious cases or die from the virus. Brazils health regulatory agency, Anvisa, is reviewing data from the trial, which relied on volunteers who are health care professionals. If Anvisa approves emergency use of CoronaVac, officials hope to start giving out shots in Brazil late this month. Dimas Covas, the director of Butantan Institute, called the vaccine an excellent tool waiting to be used in a country where currently 1,000 people are dying per day. President Jair Bolsonaro has spoken derisively about CoronaVac, fueling an growing anti-vaccination movement in Brazil, where more than 200,000 people have died from Covid-19. The vaccine has been championed by the Sao Paulo governor Joao Doria, who is widely expected to run for president in 2022 and is among the presidents most vocal critics. Denise Garrett, a Brazilian-American epidemiologist and vaccine expert, said there was no reason to doubt the vaccines safety, adding that the data presented so far suggests it will provide a satisfactory level of protection. But Dr. Garrett said the vague and at times misleading manner in which information about the vaccine has been presented to the public stands to shake peoples confidence in its reliability and fuel the political battle over the vaccine. The lack of transparency really damages peoples trust, she said. Theyve just reinforced the narrative that this vaccine is not good. Ernesto Londono, Manuela Andreoni and

A new virus variant is found in Japan. Commuters at Shinjuku station in Tokyo last week. Credit... Noriko Hayashi for The New York Times Another new coronavirus variant has been detected in four people who traveled to Japan from Brazil. Japans health ministry said that the people who arrived this month at Tokyos Haneda Airport had tested positive for the coronavirus and that it was a separate variant with similarities to those detected in Britain and South Africa. It is also distinct from another variant recently identified in Brazil, according to experts who have analyzed the data. Makoto Shimoaraiso, an official with Japans Cabinet Secretariat and Office for Covid-19 Preparedness and Response, said on Tuesday that the country was consulting with the World Health Organization. It is not unusual for viruses to accumulate mutations or for new variants to emerge. But scientists are calling for greater surveillance of variants, particularly after those from Britain and South Africa proved to be more contagious. Mr. Shimoaraiso said epidemiologists were not sure whether the variant identified in Japan was more infectious or likely to cause more severe illness. According to Japans health ministry, one of the passengers infected with the new variant, a man in his 40s, was admitted to a hospital after having breathing difficulties. Of the other cases, a woman in her 30s and a teenage boy are experiencing sore throats and fever, and a teenage girl is asymptomatic. Motoko Rich and

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The 2021 Masters will allow a limited number of spectators after prohibiting them in 2020. Dustin Johnson teeing off the 17th tee during round two at the Masters golf tournament in Augusta, Ga., in November. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times This years Masters tournament in April will be attended by a limited number of spectators, the Augusta National Golf Club announced Tuesday. The club, which prohibited fans from the event two months ago, did not specify how many fans would be allowed in 2021, adding that spectators would be permitted if it can be done safely. The 2020 Masters was postponed from its usual April date to November because of the coronavirus pandemic and was contested with protocols that included virus testing before the event for all players, caddies, club members, staff and other personnel, including a reduced number of media members. Fred Ridley, the club chairman, said in a statement issued Tuesday that similar health standards would be instituted for this years tournament, which is scheduled to be contested from April 8 to 11. The club, based in Augusta, Ga., made the announcement as the state reported 16 new coronavirus deaths and 7,957 new cases on Jan. 11. Over the past week, there has been an average of 9,604 cases per day, an increase of 55 percent from the average two weeks earlier. Following the successful conduct of the Masters Tournament last November with only essential personnel, we are confident in our ability to responsibly invite a limited number of patrons to Augusta National in April, Ridley said. As with the November Masters, we will implement practices and policies that will protect the health and safety of everyone in attendance. The Augusta National statement said the club was in the process of communicating with all ticket holders and that refunds will be issued to those patrons not selected to attend.

Judge halts executions for two prisoners who tested positive for the coronavirus. The federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. Credit... Michael Conroy/Associated Press A federal judge in Washington, D.C. has halted the executions of the last two men scheduled to die under the Trump administration  both of whom tested positive for the coronavirus last month  citing their risk of suffering a sensation of drowning akin to waterboarding with the governments lethal injection protocol. U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a preliminary injunction until March 16, postponing any new execution dates for the two inmates  Corey Johnson and Dustin John Higgs  until well into the Biden administration. If the ruling remains in effect, the order could effectively stop their executions altogether; President-elect Joseph R. Biden has said he would work to eliminate the federal death penalty as part of his criminal justice platform. But the government has already appealed the order, and a higher court could overturn it, as has been done in the cases of previous inmates executed under the Trump administration. Mr. Johnson and Mr. Higgs, two men convicted of numerous federal crimes, including multiple counts of murder, contracted the coronavirus in December, amid an outbreak on federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind. At least 22 of the roughly 48 men held on death row there have tested positive, according to lawyers for the men and others with knowledge of the cases, although that number may be much higher. Their lawyers had claimed that they would risk suffering excruciating pain from the lethal injection protocol  which uses a single drug, pentobarbital  given the complications caused by the coronavirus. Judge Chutkan concluded that the prisoners would undergo the effects of flash pulmonary edema one to two seconds after injection and before the pentobarbital has the opportunity to reach the brain. The resulting sensation, caused by the rapid accumulation of fluid in the lungs, will resemble waterboarding, she added. The court order purports to give enough time for the prisoners to recover from the virus. The judge said she was deeply concerned about the governments intent to execute two prisoners who suffered from the coronavirus and underscored the dangers of conducting executions for those performing and witnessing them in a facility with an active outbreak. The Bureau of Prisons has reported 108 active coronavirus cases among inmates at the Terre Haute complex. In statements, lawyers for Mr. Johnson and Mr. Higgs maintained that the recent spate of executions, which draws witnesses, Bureau of Prisons staff, lawyers and others to the prison complex, caused their clients infections. Shawn Nolan, a lawyer for Mr. Higgs, called the events super-spreader executions and added that Mr. Higgs continues to suffer from debilitating symptoms.

Heres what to know about the South African and U.K. virus variants. London last week. A coronavirus variant that emerged in Britain has been found in about 50 countries. Credit... Andrew Testa for The New York Times In recent weeks, scientists have raised concerns about a coronavirus variant first detected in December in South Africa, noting that this version of the virus may spread more quickly than its cousins, and perhaps be harder to quash with current vaccines. Their worries are compounded by skyrocketing Covid-19 cases in the United States and another highly infectious new variant that is driving a surge in Britain. Scientists still have a lot to learn about these variants, but experts are concerned enough to warn people to be extra-vigilant in masking and social distancing. Heres what you need to know: The British variant has been found in about 50 countries, including the United States, where dozens of cases have been identified. The South African variant has spread to about 10 countries but has yet to be detected in the United States.

Both variants carry genetic changes in the viruss spike protein  the molecule used to unlock and enter human cells  that could make it easier to establish an infection. Researchers estimate that the British variant is about 50 percent more transmissible than its predecessors. Julian Tang, a virologist at the University of Leicester, said that researchers didnt yet have a good estimate for how much more contagious the South African variant is.

There is no evidence that any of the new variants are more deadly on their own, but an uptick in the spread of any virus creates ripple effects as more people become infected and ill. That can strain already overstretched health care systems and undoubtedly lead to more deaths.

It is unlikely that either variant will completely evade the protective effects of the new Covid vaccines. A recent study, not yet published in a scientific journal, found that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is still effective against a virus carrying a mutation common to both new variants. The South African variant does carry genetic changes that could make vaccines less effective: One mutation appears to make it harder for antibodies produced by the immune system to recognize the coronavirus, which means they may be less effective at stopping the variant. But it is important to note that doesnt mean vaccines wont be functionally protective, said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist affiliated with Georgetown University. Vaccines use multifaceted immune responses, and while some antibodies may be confused by the variant, others probably wont be. In addition, antibodies are only one sliver of the complex cavalry of immune cells and molecules that battle infectious invaders. Also, if the virus accumulates more genetic changes, many of the authorized vaccines, including Pfizers and Modernas, can be adjusted fairly quickly.

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Next steps for New York: A 24/7 vaccination site at the Mets home stadium and an attempt to revive the arts. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:10 - 0:00 transcript New York City to Open Mass Vaccination Site Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City announced on Tuesday that CitiField, the Mets home stadium in Queens, will be a 24/7 mega-vaccination site starting the week of Jan. 25. We have won the freedom to vaccinate, and were reaching thousands and thousands of people already  our seniors over 75 and over, our first responders, our essential workers, our teachers and school staff, were reaching them all, right now. Were going to have a 24/7 mega-vaccination site at CitiField. This is going to be fantastic. This is going to help so many people to get vaccinated. Now, I want to tell you, the Mets organization has stepped up to the plate to help us out. And I am so grateful for that. I really appreciate the fact that the Mets wanted to do this. They wanted to be part of solving this problem, and helping the Queens community and helping all of New York City. So this site will be run by our city health and hospitals. Theyll  our professionals will be out there at CitiField. Tremendous capacity  well be able to do between 5,000 and 7,000 vaccinations a day. And I want to be clear: We welcome Queens residents. We welcome all New Yorkers. We even welcome Yankees fans. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City announced on Tuesday that CitiField, the Mets home stadium in Queens, will be a 24/7 mega-vaccination site starting the week of Jan. 25. Credit Credit... Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York Times Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City announced on Tuesday that CitiField, the Mets home stadium in Queens, will be a mass vaccination site starting the week of Jan. 25. The same day, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced efforts to reopen office buildings and revive the arts scene, looking ahead even as the city rushes to meet its inoculation goals. The vaccination site at CitiField will operate around the clock, seven days a week, with the capacity to vaccinate 5,000 to 7,000 people a day, Mr. de Blasio said. The location is ideal, the mayor said, because it is right next to a subway and railroad station and has plenty of parking. Its going to be big, and its going to be a game changer, Mr. de Blasio said at a news conference on Tuesday. Not to be outdone, Yankee Stadium may soon become a second site. De Blasio spokesman Bill Neidhardt told The New York Post on Tuesday, We confirm that were working with the Yankees organization to turn Yankee Stadium into a vaccination site. Large sports venues across the country have been used as sites for mass coronavirus testing, and more recently for vaccination, including the home stadiums of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres baseball teams, the Arizona Cardinals of the N.F.L. and the San Antonio Spurs of the N.B.A. Testing and vaccination efforts at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami were temporarily suspended on Monday to allow the college football championship game between Alabama and Ohio State to be played there. The pool of people eligible for the vaccine in New York has recently expanded to include teachers and a range of other essential workers, as well as any resident who is 65 or older. At first, the vaccine was limited to frontline health care workers and nursing home residents. The CitiField location is part of New York Citys initiative to establish mass inoculation sites in each of the citys five boroughs. Vaccination centers opened in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx earlier this week; and a site in Staten Island will launch on Friday. More than 26,000 vaccine doses were administered in the city on Monday, according to Mr. de Blasio, who is trying step up the pace of inoculations. The mayor has said his goal is to have one million doses administered by the end of January. Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, said on Tuesday that the state intended to set up a series of rapid testing sites in areas where restrictions have closed indoor dining and arts events, and closed offices. Some of these sites would be located in vacant retail spaces or shuttered businesses, he said, promising hundreds of pop-up testing sites. At the same time, Mr. Cuomo wants to reopen office buildings  a major element of New York Citys economy, both for their tenants and developers  saying he had received assurances from their owners that they could ramp up testing for workers. Bringing workers back safely will boost ridership on our mass transit, bring customers back to restaurants and stores, and return life to our streets, he said. Mr. Cuomo also said that bringing back art and culture was crucial  not just to help artists, who have suffered some of the worst unemployment in the nation, but to keep New York City a vital, exciting center where people will want to live and work. Mr. Cuomo said that the state would begin a public-private partnership to offer a series of statewide pop-up concerts featuring artists such as Amy Schumer, Chris Rock, Renee Fleming and Hugh Jackman; begin a pilot program exploring how socially distant performances might be held safely in flexible venues whose seating is not fixed; and work in partnership with the Mellon Foundation to distribute grants to put more than 1,000 artists back to work and provide money to community arts groups. Juliana Kim, Jesse McKinley and

Elders Covid deaths create a cultural crisis for Native Americans. On the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, four Lakota elders from one family have died in the pandemic, including the parents of Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre, right, and her sister Nola Taken Alive, who placed a bundle of sage in their mothers coffin. Credit... Victor J. Blue for The New York Times Native Americans, who are dying of Covid-19 at nearly twice the rate of white people, are also facing a cultural crisis: The coronavirus is tearing through the ranks of tribal elders, inflicting an incalculable toll on bonds of language and tradition that flow from older generations to the young. Its like were having a cultural book-burning, said Jason Salsman, a spokesman for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in eastern Oklahoma whose grandparents contracted the virus but survived. Were losing a historical record, encyclopedias. One day soon, there wont be anybody to pass this knowledge down. Native Americans and volunteer groups are trying to protect the elders as a mission of cultural survival, and putting elders and fluent Indigenous language speakers at the head of the line for vaccinations. But the efforts face huge obstacles. Elders who live in remote locations often have no means to get to the clinics and hospitals where vaccinations are administered. And there is deep mistrust of the government in a generation that was used as medical guinea pigs, shipped off to boarding schools and punished for speaking their own languages. Activists say there is still is no reliable death toll of Native elders. They say the deaths are often overlooked or miscounted, especially off reservations and in urban areas, where about 70 percent of Indigenous people live. Adding to the problem, tribal health officials say their sickest members can essentially vanish once they are transferred out of small reservation health systems to larger hospitals with intensive-care units. We dont know what happens to them until we see a funeral announcement, said Abigail Echo-Hawk, the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute. The virus has claimed fluent Choctaw speakers and dressmakers from the Mississippi band of Choctaws. It took a Tulalip family matriarch in Washington State, then her sister and brother-in-law. It killed a former chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in California who had spent decades fighting to preserve Native arts and culture. Remote meetings of the Dine Hataaii Association, a group of Navajo medicine men and women, now regularly include updates on members who have died. When they pass on, all that knowledge is gone forever, never to be retained, said Avery Denny a member of the association and professor at Dine College. Its just lost.

Pre-existing weaknesses hindered the U.S. pandemic response, researchers find. A coronavirus testing site in Los Angeles on Monday. The United States was one of the poorest-performing countries in a study of responses to the pandemic. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times How well a country has responded to Covid-19 is not explained by the countrys economic power or scientific capacity, but by how its people relate to one another and their government, according to preliminary findings of a research study. Countries with traditions of acting in concert against social problems, and countries with histories of deference to public authorities, fared better on compliance than countries lacking either or both, the researchers wrote. Investigators compared characteristics of 23 countries on six continents, considering outcomes related to disease burden, economic impact and disparities. In the United States, rated as one of the poorest-performing countries, the virus exploited pre-existing weaknesses in public health, the economy and politics. Before the pandemic, numerous reports and congressional testimony recognized vulnerabilities that became apparent during Covid-19, another study found, including threats of viruses emerging from animals, economic disruption, inadequate stockpiles and vulnerability to global supply shortages. For that study, researchers compiled more than 1,200 pre-pandemic records in an expanding online library that was introduced on Tuesday  Health Security Net  in the hopes that it will inform future planning and response efforts. Another team, studying five countries in Africa, found that national leaders there had quickly recognized the threat from the virus and imposed measures to limit its importation and spread. That managed to at least curtail the outbreak, said Wilmot James, a Columbia University research scholar who was one of the studys principal investigators, but the impacts on the economies were quite devastating. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a four-year-old institution modeled in part on its U.S. counterpart, was unique in providing technical assistance for an entire continent. The research reports were released Tuesday in conjunction with a two-day symposium, the Futures Forum on Preparedness, supported by Schmidt Futures and the Social Science Research Council.

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Alabama college football fans partied like the pandemic didnt exist  now officials fear another surge. Thousands of Alabama fans crowded onto the streets, forming a massive crowd in Tuscaloosa after the Crimson Tide football team won the national championship game on Monday night. Credit... Charity Rachelle for The New York Times About 5,000 football fans packed a popular boulevard in Tuscaloosa after the University of Alabama won its 18th college football national championship on Monday night, ignoring the citys pleas before the game to stay home and inflaming worries about an influx of coronavirus cases in a city already straining to contain the pandemic. The scene on the street of bars and restaurants known as the Strip was precisely what health officials wanted to avoid after the Crimson Tide routed Ohio State, 52-24. Fans, many not wearing masks, could be seen bumping into one another, tossing beer bottles and reveling as if the pandemic did not exist. Mayor Walt Maddox of Tuscaloosa said 14 people were arrested after fights broke out in the crowd. The city reached a critical point in the pandemic, Maddox said last week, with just four intensive care unit rooms available at the citys main hospital and a police force limited to about 69 percent because of the number of officers who had either contracted or been exposed to the virus. The city had urged fans to not create a block party environment if Alabama won. Cases in Alabama had already increased 30 percent over the past week compared to two weeks ago, according to a New York Times database. Now, health officials are preparing for a post-championship spike. A surge on top of a surge, like most places in the country, can have devastating consequences, Maddox said.

The coronavirus will come to resemble the common cold, scientists predict. Pre-kindergarten students listening as their teacher reads a story at Dawes Elementary in Chicago on Monday. Credit... Pool photo by Ashlee Rezin Garcia As millions are inoculated against the coronavirus, and the pandemics end finally seems to glimmer into view, scientists are envisioning what a post-vaccine world might look like  and what they see is comforting. The coronavirus is here to stay, but once most adults are immune  following natural infection or vaccination  the virus will be no more of a threat than the common cold, according to a study published in the journal Science on Tuesday. The virus is a grim menace now because it is an unfamiliar pathogen that can overwhelm the adult immune system, which has not been trained to fight it. That will no longer be the case once everyone has been exposed to either the virus or the vaccine. Children, on the other hand, are constantly challenged by pathogens that are new to their bodies, and that is one reason they are more adept than adults at fending off the coronavirus. Eventually, the study suggests, the virus will be of concern only in children younger than 5, subjecting even them to mere sniffles  or no symptoms at all. In other words, the coronavirus will become endemic, a pathogen that circulates at low levels and only rarely causes serious illness. The timing of how long it takes to get to this sort of endemic state depends on how quickly the disease is spreading, and how quickly vaccination is rolled out, said Jennie Lavine, a postdoctoral fellow at Emory University in Atlanta, who led the study. So really, the name of the game is getting everyone exposed for the first time to the vaccine as quickly as possible.

KEY DATA OF THE DAY Oklahoma, with no statewide mask mandate, grapples with a surging caseload. Paramedics taking a patient to an emergency room in Shawnee, Okla., last month. Many Oklahoma hospitals are inundated with Covid-19 patients. Credit... Nick Oxford/Reuters Oklahoma is in the grip of a frightening surge of the coronavirus, the worst it has yet seen and one of the worst in Americas winter. Mercy Hospital Ardmore, in rural Oklahoma, has so many Covid-19 patients that some people are being cared for in curtained-off areas of hallways and the emergency departments waiting room. It has been this way for weeks. The people coming in are very, very sick, and they dont quickly get better, said Paula Pfau, the hospitals nursing director. Oklahoma is averaging nearly 4,000 new cases each day, an increase of almost 50 percent from two weeks ago. Rural counties in the southern part of the state, including around Ardmore, are now among the hardest hit in the country relative to their populations. Family gatherings and parties over the holidays are at least partly to blame, according to hospital officials and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Nationally, the country is facing its worst days of the pandemic: There were over 4,400 Covid-19 deaths reported in the United States on Tuesday, a record, according to a New York Times database. Hospitalizations are at a near-record high of 131,326, according to the Covid Tracking Project. And more than 380,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19. Oklahoma is experiencing the third worst outbreak in the country, behind Arizona, which is enduring a surge even worse than its summer peak, and California, where a weekslong flood of cases is wearing hospitals and their workers thin. There is no statewide mask mandate in Oklahoma, although the city of Ardmore has had one since November. A crush of new Covid-19 patients emerged seven to 10 days after Thanksgiving, and another after Christmas and New Years Eve. In rural Oklahoma, we didnt get our first case for a long time, Ms. Pfau said. We kind of decided the surge couldnt happen here. We dont have public transportation. We dont have Uber. Were in the middle of the country, with all this space. So we kept on with business as usual. And now its just a full-force hit. Coronavirus cases were relatively low in Oklahoma until the summer, when the daily number of new cases spiked in June, then surpassed 1,000 each day in September. An indoor rally in July held by President Trump in Tulsa was linked to a spike in cases there by the director of the Tulsa Health Department, Dr. Bruce Dart, who had pleaded with attendees to wear face masks, which were not worn by most at Mr. Trumps rally. Now, pretty much everyone in the state knows someone who has been sick, said Dr. Jennifer Clark, a physician and former hospital administrator who is helping lead an effort by Oklahoma State University to keep rural health care providers updated on the pandemic. Theres a heavy sense of grief, she said. Patricia Mazzei and

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Global roundup Malaysias king declares a virus emergency, and other news from around the world. Coronavirus testing at a clinic outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Monday. Credit... Fazry Ismail/EPA, via Shutterstock Malaysias king declared a national state of emergency on Tuesday to stem a surge in coronavirus cases, suspending Parliament, closing nonessential businesses and locking down several states and territories, including the largest city, Kuala Lumpur. The emergency declaration could last until Aug. 1, and some critics said the main beneficiary would be the prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, the head of an unelected government who for months has barely maintained his hold on power. Mr. Muhyiddin, who asked the king to issue the declaration, went on television to assert that the emergency measure was necessary to contain the virus  and that it was not about extending his political career. Let me assure you, the civilian government will continue to function, he said. The emergency proclaimed by the king is not a military coup. Mr. Muhyiddin promised to hold a general election after the virus was brought under control. Malaysia was mostly successful in containing the virus for much of last year, but the number of infections began rising in October and reached a daily peak of more than 3,000 new cases on Thursday. The surge was caused in part by an election campaign in the state of Sabah and by an outbreak among migrant workers. The government reported a total of more than 141,000 cases and 559 deaths as of Tuesday. Mr. Muhyiddin came to power in March after the previous government collapsed. He formed a new coalition and the king appointed him prime minister without a parliamentary vote. Opponents have since questioned whether he has the support of a majority of Parliaments 222 members. Now, the kings declaration means that no parliamentary vote or general election can be held for more than six months, as long as the virus persists. James Chin, professor of Asian studies at the University of Tasmania, said the declaration gave Mr. Muhyiddin extraordinary powers, including the authority to pass laws that override existing ones and to use the military for police work. Politically he will benefit the most from this Covid emergency, he said. This will give him what he wants without any scrutiny from Parliament. Other global developments: Taiwan on Tuesday reported two locally transmitted coronavirus infections: a doctor and a nurse at a hospital in the northern part of the island that treats coronavirus patients. They are Taiwans first locally transmitted cases since Dec. 22, when it reported the first such case since April.

The European Unions top drug regulator said it would assess the coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University under an accelerated timeline, after receiving an application for emergency authorization of the drug.

The leader of the German state of Bavaria has urged health care workers to do their civic duty by getting vaccinated, and called on the government to consider making coronavirus vaccinations for medical personnel mandatory in some cases. And about half of the staff at Charite, Germanys largest research hospital, has refused to receive vaccine shots, according to Dr. Andrej Trampuz, a department head at the facility.

Because of high infection numbers, Berlin residents will be restricted from traveling more than about 9 miles outside the city, under new rules agreed to by German lawmakers. The distance of travel within Berlin is not being limited.

A couple who were out walking on Saturday night in Sherbrooke, Quebec, told the police that they were in compliance with a new overnight curfew because the wife was walking her crawling husband on a leash like a dog, CTV News reported. People walking their dogs are excluded from the provinces curfew, which is in effect from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., as are essential workers and those seeking medical care. The pair were fined 1,500 Canadian dollars each. The provinces leader, Francois Legault, said on Monday that 740 people were fined over the weekend for violating the curfew, the first of its kind in Canada. Richard C. Paddock and
Businesses yesterday called for tougher lockdown measures, with some going as far as proposing a long curfew spanning from 6 p.m to 6 a.m.

The curfew now starts at 9 p.m. and goes till 5 a.m. Businesses also called on the Government to free up the importation of Covid-19 vaccines to allow private sector participation and to allow people to travel overseas to get vaccinated.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 15:44:20|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's fifth national asset-management company opened for business on Jan. 9 and joined its four predecessors established in 1999 to handle distressed assets, Shanghai Securities News reported.

This came after the company received an operating permit in December 2020.

China Galaxy Asset Management Co., Ltd. morphed from Beijing-based Jiantou Citic Asset Management Co., Ltd., with its transformation and name change approved in March 2020, the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission said last month.

With a registered capital of 10 billion yuan (1.55 billion U.S. dollars), China Galaxy will deal with business such as the acquisition and entrusted operation of the non-performing assets of financial institutions, along with the management, investment and disposal of non-performing assets.

In 1999, China established four asset-management companies -- Cinda, Huarong, Great Wall and Orient -- to deal with the toxic assets of the country's four big state-owned banks, in a bid to help them transform into market-oriented financial institutions.

The four companies finished their state-assigned task of dealing with toxic assets in 2006, and have since developed into financial groups operating in fields such as banking, trusts and insurance. Enditem
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Last Wednesday evening, as soldiers went room to room clearing the United States Capitol of seditionists, I was on the phone with Michigan State Sen. Dayna Polehanki, who recalled the April 2020 day when men with long guns showed up at the statehouse in Lansing to pressure lawmakers to repeal a COVID-19 emergency law. Like last weeks siege, that incursion was egged on by Donald Trump, who tweeted in support, LIBERATE MICHIGAN! Some observers even thought the presidents tweet constituted insurrectionthe offense for which he is now being impeached.

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The intimidation in Michigan worked: Lawmakers did repeal the law, and though Polehanki did not vote with the majority, she told me the threat was clear: When I cant speak freely and press my vote button because someone is standing over me with a rifle, youre infringing on my First Amendment rights. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel agreed that the protesters had crossed the line from simply carrying weapons to brandishing themmaking a threat. (Later, it turned out that several men present were plotting to kidnap the governor.)

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On Monday, the Michigan State Capitol Commission decided to prohibit open carry inside the statehouse, citing the attack on Congress. It was an acknowledgment thatbeneath the conspiracy theories, the presidential cult of personality, and the craven Republican Partythe big challenge to returning to any kind of political sense of normal is guns.

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To be sure, at the siege of the Capitol, the only shots appear to have been fired by U.S. Capitol Police (though several guns were found nearby). But this was the miraculous exception that proves the rule. Capitol Polices relative deference to the mob should be seen not just in the context of law enforcements cozy relationship with Trump, the way police treat white people, or their general unpreparednessbut also in light of the expectation that the crowd could be armed.

Next time, it will be. The FBI is warning of armed protests in all 50 state capitals and in D.C., leading up to Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

In Madison, Wisconsin, contractors are boarding up the windows of the statehouse. Additional security measures are underway in Annapolis, Maryland. The U.S. Capitol will be lined with 15,000 National Guard troops, and much of the National Mall will be closed until Jan. 24, according to the National Park Service, and that may be extended if conditions persist.

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How long will conditions persist?

For a decade, weve been slowly adjusting to the new role of guns in public life. Weve redesigned schools, installed metal detectors at every theater and arena, and endured horrific massacres at events including a Brooklyn block party, a California garlic festival, an El Paso, Texas, Walmart, and a Dayton, Ohio, nightlife district. And that was just over eight days in 2019. While the pandemic has brought some respite from headline-grabbing massacres such as school shootings, the toll of gun violence in 2020 was even worse than the year before. Shootings almost doubled in New York City. Murders in both Chicago and New York rose by 50 percent. This trend was consistent across most U.S. cities.

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And while Americas trigger-happy policing is not new, police departments justify the warrior-cop equipment on display at this summers protests by citing the heavily armed populace. Indeed, police are more likely to kill and to be killed in parts of America where more people own guns.

So in a way, confronting the role of guns in political lifefrom Washington to Lansing to beleaguered county commissionsis long overdue. After Michigan, the issue flared again this summer as militia groups confronted Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; and Kenosha, Wisconsin. Several people were killed.

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When the rioters entered Speaker Nancy Pelosis suite in the Capitol last week, staffers hiding in her conference room had turned off the lights and barricaded the doortechniques, she told 60 Minutes, they learned from active shooter drills in high school.

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Liberals used to scoff when gun rights advocates justified their assault rifles by invoking the Second Amendments well-regulated militia. But the ubiquitous presence of large, organized groups of gun carriers in American public life is changing the way government works. Most pressingly, the thinly veiled threat of violence appears to be motivating the way the Republican Party governs. Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois who will vote to impeach the president, says his colleagues are afraid. Rep. Peter Meijer, a Republican from Michigan, said some of his GOP colleagues voted against certifying the election for Joe Biden because they felt that vote would put their families in danger. Both parties have extremists, a GOP lawmaker told Politico. Theres a difference in our crazy people and their crazy people. Our crazy people have an excessive amount of arms. They have gun safes. They have grenades. They believe in the Second Amendment. They come here and Trumps made them think this is the Alamo. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy reportedly warned members not to verbally attack one another over their upcoming impeachment votes for fear of endangering their lives.

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So far, most of the faceoffs between Trump loyalists and federal lawmakers have occurred in airports, in whose rarified, gun-free confines disputes can be freely, if not calmly, aired. Many government buildings have been closed this year because of COVID, leaving angry Americans to confront their representatives on Zoom instead of in hallways and parking lots.

But sooner rather than later, were going to have to deal with the oxymoron of open-carry democracy. How do we permit a populace armed to the teeth to safely march, to rally, to watch its government in action, to confront and engage with politicians at will? When does the mere presence of a gun become a threat?

One possible future is taking shape in D.C., where both the White House and the U.S. Capitol have expanded their security fencing to take in acres of streets and parkland, and some members of Congress are beginning to doubt whether their insurrectionist peers can be trusted in the presence of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. For the first time, members of the House will have to pass through metal detectors to reach the floor.

Like lawmakers in Michigan, we are only beginning to see just how much the fullest expression of the Second Amendment curtails the fullest expression of the First.
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For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
The Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) announced it will invest PEN15 billion ($415 million) as part of measures to bring 4G connectivity to over a million citizens who have never had access to mobile services before.

In a statement, the MTC said it had a target to connect 2,600 underserved areas of Peru to connectivity services for the first time. In measures outlined in the statement, the regulator pledged to optimise the structure of its auction for AWS-3 and 2.3GHz spectrum bands, renew qualifying titles in telecommunications and promote the conversion of the mobile canon.

Also under new proposals, for the process of charging fees for rented spectrum, MTC is aiming to increase its investment into this process to more than PEN130 million this year, up from PEN7 million in 2020. By this action, MTC explained 240 locations will see significant upgrades to connectivity, in contrast to the 27 that were boosted last year.

MTC head, Eduardo Gonzalez said the governments priority was accelerating the expansion of telecommunications services in the short term, as the connectivity gap between urban and rural areas creates limitations for development and integration into the digital world.

The regulator recently announced radio waves emitted in the city of Cusco are within international guidelines and safe to the public. It also issued a draft proposal to encourage infrastructure sharing among operators to further enhance connectivity in the country while keeping costs down.
The Indian intelligentsia has an incredible propensity to swallow the self-serving arguments of metropolitan capitalism that are typically supposed to constitute economic wisdom, and nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Indias food economy.

by Prabhat Patnaik

Editors Note: Since late November, braving the bitter cold, hundreds of thousands of farmers have set up protest camps at various points on the borders of Indias capital, New Delhi. Their main demand is the withdrawal of the three farm laws rammed through parliament by the right-wing Narendra Modi government in September. Farmers fear these laws will drive down the prices they get for their produce and pave the way for greater corporatization of agriculture. Noted economist Prabhat Patnaik analyzes some of the key arguments being made in this context.

The Indian intelligentsia has an incredible propensity to swallow the self-serving arguments of metropolitan capitalism that are typically supposed to constitute economic wisdom, and nowhere is this more evident than in the case of Indias food economy. There are a plethora of center-page articles in newspapers these days suggesting that Indian kisans (farmers) should move away from producing food grains toward other crops, which is actually a demand that metropolitan countries have been making for quite some time. These countries have a surplus of food grains, and so they want India to import food grains from them to meet the excess of Indias domestic demand over domestic production. This would take the country back to the pre-Green Revolution days, and now members of the Indian intelligentsia are echoing, in various ways, this metropolitan demand to diversify away from food grains.

One of their arguments is that the kisans from the states of Punjab and Haryana are caught in a cereal trap where they keep producing cereals that are not very profitable for them and of which the country now has a surplus because they are lured by the provision of a minimum support price (MSP) that reduces their risk. Sometimes the argument is put differently: the Punjab and Haryana kisans have to move away from MSP-supported activities to other more lucrative ones, for which Modi, perhaps precipitately, is providing a way through his three agriculture laws.

This entire position, apart from echoing the demand of advanced countries, and supporting the Modi government implicitly or explicitly, also shows the same contempt for kisans as shown by the government; these intellectuals are of the view that a bunch of ignoramuses cannot see what is good for them, but Modi can. But let us ignore the motives and prejudices of these intellectuals and just examine their argument.

There is no gainsaying that there are massive food grain stocks with the Food Corporation of India (FCI) at present and that this has become a regular feature of the Indian economy of late. But to conclude from this that India grows more than enough food grains for its requirements is the height of folly. A country that in 2020 ranked 94th among 107 hunger-afflicted countries, according to the Global Hunger Index, cannot be said to be self-sufficient in food grains even if it has surplus stocks. This is not just an arbitrary judgment. Whenever the amount of purchasing power in the hands of the people has increased, stocks have tended to dwindle, which means that the stock buildup has been caused by a shortage of purchasing power in peoples hands rather than their having as much food as they want.

The solution to the stock buildup, therefore, is to put purchasing power in the hands of the people through transfers and through an enlargement in the scope of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Ironically, doing so would not cost the government anything. If the government borrows say Rs 100 (a little more than a dollar) from banks to make these transfers, and if this amount that comes into the hands of the working people is spent on food grains, then it would come back to the FCI. The FCI, in turn, would repay this amount to the banks from whom it had borrowed for buying food grains from the kisans. As the FCI is part of the government itself, this means that what the right hand of the government would have borrowed from banks (for transfers), the left hand of the government would be paying back (through the FCI); there would be no net increase in the indebtedness of the government as a whole. But because the FCI, though government-owned, is off-budget (it was not till the early 1970s), there would be an increase in the fiscal deficit in the budget, which, however, is utterly inconsequential.

In other words, once the crop has been bought from the kisans, handing it to people rather than holding it as stocks will have no ill effects whatsoever; on the contrary, it is immensely beneficial for multiple reasons: it allays hunger, improves peoples living standards and reduces the cost of stockholding.

We assumed above that all the purchasing power coming into the hands of the people is spent on food grains, but even if a part of it is spent on other goods, it still remains entirely beneficial in a demand-constrained economy. True, the fiscal deficit will go up in this case in an authentic sense and not just spuriously as in the previous case, but this would have no ill effects whatsoever; on the contrary, it would provide a stimulus for economic recovery by increasing the degree of capacity utilization in non-food grain sectors.

But if instead of putting purchasing power into the hands of the people to lift food grain stocks, the land that is currently growing food grains is devoted to some other use, then that would amount to condemning the people forever to mass hunger. Since hunger is because of the lack of purchasing power with the people, a change in land use, from food grains to other uses, can reduce hunger only if the total employment generated directly and indirectly by such a shift is higher than before. Now, even if we assume that employment per acre is the same whether the acre is devoted to food grains or some other crop, such a shift in land use will not reduce hunger, as the purchasing power in the hands of the people will remain the same as before. So the panacea for reducing hunger is not a shift of acreage away from food grains but putting purchasing power in peoples hands. And as for the argument that kisans should move toward agro-processing, that is unexceptionable, but does not constitute an argument for reducing acreage under food grains.

There is, in fact, a very common misconception here. If an acre devoted to producing food grains fetches less income than the same acre devoted to some other crop, then a shift away from food grains is supposed to be beneficial. The misconception lies in the fact that it is not the income earned per acre that matters for society but how much employment is generated directly and indirectly through such a shift (assuming all along that food grains can be imported without any problems at the going prices, which itself is a completely false assumption in a world of imperialism). If the shift of an acre from food grains to some cash crop for export doubles the income for the landowning kisan but halves the employment generated on that acre, including what gets generated through multiplier effects, i.e., the expenditure of the higher incomes, then there would be a massive increase in destitution in the countryside. This will lead to the landowning kisans losing their higher income since the corporates who buy from them for exporting would bid down their purchase price because of the much greater destitution around. It is therefore not the apparent income gain but the employment effect of a shift of acreage that must be taken into consideration. (And even that is not enough because of imperialist arm-twisting of any country that becomes food-import-dependent.)

If the solution to stock accumulation lies in putting purchasing power in peoples hands, the solution to lack of profitability for kisans in food grain production lies in raising the MSP and the procurement prices for food grains. It would be argued of course that if the MSP and procurement prices are raised, then that would raise food prices for the consumers, but this is a non-sequitur. Procurement prices can be raised without raising issue prices through an increase in the food subsidy. And anyone objecting to such an increase in food subsidy on the grounds that there is a shortage of resources to meet the subsidy bill should remember that any redistribution in society, any attempt to improve income distribution, entails taxing some to subsidize others. Anyone who cries over the peasants meager income but is unwilling to advocate the use of fiscal means for rectifying it is being utterly dishonest, merely shedding crocodile tears for the peasants while actually carrying forward, unwittingly perhaps, an imperialist agenda. And all this is quite apart from the fact that what appears at first sight as the easy way to raise peasants income, through a shift toward more lucrative cash crops, can make them pauperized when the prices of these crops crash in the world market, as they inevitably would since they are subject to wide fluctuations (from which the MSP system protects peasants).

The peasants gathered on the Delhi border understand all these issues much more clearly than either Modi or the intelligentsia advocating a shift away from food grains. Ironically, it is the latter group who are suggesting that the peasants are ignoramuses!

This article was produced by Globetrotter.

Prabhat Patnaik is an Indian political economist and political commentator.
(@FahadShabbir)

NEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jan, 2021 ) :Highlighting its leading role in the global campaign against terrorism, Pakistan has proposed an action plan in the UN Security Council to deal with the recent growth of violent nationalists ideologies, including Hindutva, which constitute new threats to global peace.

"These violent extremist supremacist groups pose a clear and present danger to regional and international peace and security," Ambassador Munir Akram told the 15-member Council, which met on Tuesday to review global cooperation in combatting terrorism in the 20 years since it adopted a resolution following the September 11 attacks against the United States.

"They (the extremist outfits) must be outlawed by the Security Council like other terrorist groups," the Pakistani envoy stressed in his statement submitted to the Council.

"Such violent racist and extremist terrorism will inevitably breed counter-violence and validate the dystopian narrative of terrorist organizations such as ISIS/Daesh and Al-Qaeda".

Pointing out that such neo-fascist groups now rule India, Ambassador Akram said the violent extremist ideology of "Hindutva", practiced by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its militant parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), posed an existential threat to the 180 million Muslims of India, with Delhi's pogrom of April 2020 a manifestation of that ideology.

"International observers have warned against potential genocide in occupied Jammu and Kashmir and against India's Muslims," he said.

The Pakistani envoy called for immediate steps to arrest the rise of the violent nationalism, proposing that the Council, in this regard, take measures that should include: --Call on states to designate acts of such violent nationalists' groups, including white supremacists and other racially and ethnically motivated groups, including Hindutva militants, as terrorism, just as we have done in case of Al-Qaeda/ISIS and their affiliated groups; -- Initiate immediate domestic actions to prevent the propagation of their violent ideologies, recruitment to and financing of these groups; -- Request the Secretary-General to present a Plan of Action to confront and defeat these violent extremists and their terrorist ideologies.

-- Expand the mandate of the 1267 Sanctions Committee to include such violent nationalist terrorist groups, like the RSS.

While having been at the forefront of the global campaign against terrorism, Ambassador Akram also said that Pakistan was a victim of externally sponsored terrorism aided, financed and perpetrated by India through its mercenary terrorist groups.

The Pakistani envoy said that terrorism will not be defeated without eliminating its root causes foreign occupation and intervention, political and economic injustice and inequality.

"It is also essential to address certain neglected manifestations of terrorism one of these phenomenon of 'State terrorism'," Ambassador Akram said, citing the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IIOJK)  "where the occupation forces are perpetrating war crimes, crimes against humanity, and against the occupied peoples in order to terrorize them into submission.

"Yet, as history attests, the colonial and foreign occupying powers justifying state terrorism portraying the freedom struggle of the oppressed and occupied peoples as terrorism." State terrorism, he added, must be addressed urgently and effectively.

Amidst a new era of threats posed by emerging forms and manifestations of terrorism, the Pakistan envoy said the scope of the international community's counter-terrorism strategy must be expanded and adjusted to cooperate and defeat terrorism in all forms and manifestations.
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ProBlow officially debuts January 13th at ChemicalGuys.com and Detail Garage locations nationwide, retailing for $89.99.

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SOURCE Chemical Guys

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The injectable single-dose Ebola vaccine (rVSVG-ZEBOV-GP, live) is manufactured by Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Corp and developed with financial support from the from the government of the US

A global Ebola vaccine stockpile to ensure outbreak response has been established. The effort was led by the International Coordinating Group (ICG) on Vaccine Provision, which includes the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), with financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

The injectable single-dose Ebola vaccine (rVSVG-ZEBOV-GP, live) is manufactured by Merck, Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Corp and developed with financial support from the from the government of the US. The European Medicines Agency licensed the Ebola vaccine in November 2019, and the vaccine is now prequalified by WHO, and licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration as well as in eight African countries.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, WHO said, This new stockpile is an excellent example of solidarity, science and cooperation between international organisations and the private sector to save lives.

The stockpile is stored in Switzerland and ready to be shipped to countries for emergency response.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director said, This Ebola vaccine stockpile is a remarkable achievement - one that will allow us to deliver vaccines to those who need them the most as quickly as possible.

IFRC Secretary General, Jagan Chapagain said, With this stockpile, it is my hope that the impact of this terrible disease will be dramatically reduced.

Dr Natalie Roberts, Programme Manager, MSF Foundation said, An Ebola vaccine stockpile can increase transparency in the management of existing global stocks and the timely deployment of the vaccine where its most needed, something MSF has called for during recent outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

An initial 6890 doses are now available for outbreak response with further quantities to be delivered into the stockpile this month and throughout 2021 and beyond.
The Pfizer vaccine may be the first vaccine Georgia uses to combat the coronavirus in the near future, Georgian Health Minister Ekaterine Tikaradze said.

"The Pfizer vaccine could be the first vaccine we receive, followed by the AstraZeneca vaccine - the two closest we can get through the Covax platform," First Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia said.

Gabunia noted that in the long run, it will be technologically easier for Georgia to get a vaccine that needs to be kept at 2 to 8 degrees and does not need to be kept at 70 degrees of celsius, which is Pfizer. She said that taking into account this, storing AstraZeneca will be technologically simpler.

Khunadadze noted that at this stage the country has the opportunity to store this type of vaccine for about 100,000 citizens as the needed infrastructure for keeping this vaccine are in Tbilisi, Kutaisi and Batumi only.

Khundadze noted that on January 18, countries including Georgia will submit an application to Covax, which must reflect the interest and desire to use the vaccine.

"On January 19-28, the WHO and UNICEF will consider applications for a vaccine introduction plan submitted by the country. At the end of the month there will be the first stage regarding distribution decisions. We hope that Georgia will be in the leading position and we will get the vaccine quickly," said Khundadze.

Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is used in the USA, UK, Canada, and the EU. It is approved by the World Health Organization.

Deputy Health Minister Tamar Gabunia said yesterday that at this level only Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Moderna vaccines are considered to be brought in Georgia, Agenda.ge reported.
[January 13, 2021] ThoughtWorks Acquires Gemini Solutions Inc

CHICAGO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ThoughtWorks , a global software consultancy today announced it has agreed to acquire Gemini Solutions Inc. , a privately-held software development and consulting services firm. The acquisition will strengthen ThoughtWorks' foundation and overall European expansion. Founded in 2005 by a group of Silicon Valley technologists, Gemini Solutions is dedicated to delivering world-class software product development services. Today, it has over 170 team members that include software engineers and operations staff based in Romania covering a broad spectrum of technologies across the entire software product development lifecycle. Their technical teams are recognized not only for their fast-paced delivery but also for their product development discipline. Gemini Solutions offers a unique blend of creativity, agility, discipline, and technical excellence which has resulted in enduring partnerships with clients. The close of the acquisition will see the establishment of ThoughtWorks Romania with the Gemini Solutions team at its core. The acquisition will strengthen ThoughtWorks' foundation and overall European expansion. The team will provide nearshore support for ThoughtWorks' clients in the UK and Germany as well as continue to support Gemini's exiting clients in North America, France, and Germany.



Serban Tir, previously the chief technology officer of Gemini, will serve as the general manager (GM) of ThoughtWorks Romania. "We are delighted that Gemini Solutions Inc will be joining the ThoughtWorks family. The team will form a key part of ThoughtWorks' global as well as European expansion plans. We have been seeking a premium partner to help increase our nearshore delivery capability and capacity, especially in Europe, and Gemini is a perfect fit. We're excited about taking on the baton from the Gemini founders and taking the business to the next level of its evolution. The team brings with them a wealth of experience and will also accelerate growth in our key strategic focus areas of digital transformation, enterprise modernization, data, and customer experience. Gemini's talent, cultural fit, commitment to delivery, ability to grow, and existing client relationships fit nicely with our own," said Guo Xiao , president and chief executive officer, ThoughtWorks.

"Since our inception, we have worked to help leading organizations regardless of size or maturity to flourish and thrive by providing exceptional software solutions. ThoughtWorks and Gemini Solutions have a common philosophy and dedication to client success. We are excited to have the opportunity to become part of a leading player in the global IT industry. This acquisition is also a testament and validation of the great talent and capability of the Romanian IT sector that a global organization like ThoughtWorks would look to invest in this market," said Theo Nissim, chief executive officer & founder, Gemini Solutions Inc. This acquisition will significantly improve ThoughtWorks' ability to support and service clients, especially in Europe. The Gemini team brings with them a wealth of experience in IoT, big data, AI, data science, mobility, and cloud that will enhance and strengthen ThoughtWorks' offer in this space. The transaction is expected to close in January 2021, subject to the satisfaction of closing conditions. Financial details are not being disclosed. About Gemini Solutions

Founded in 2005 in San Francisco by a core group of Silicon Valley technologists and having a development center in Romania, Gemini Solutions delivers world-class software product development services. With over 170 team members that include software engineers and operations staff working in Bucharest, Cluj and Iasi, Gemini Solutions covers a broad spectrum of technologies across the entire software product development lifecycle. Gemini Solutions is committed to support its clients and partners with a unique blend of creativity, agility, discipline, and technical excellence. About ThoughtWorks

We are a software consultancy and community of passionate purpose-led individuals, 7,000+ people strong across 46 offices in 15 countries. Over our 25+ year history, we have helped our clients solve complex business problems where technology is the differentiator. When the only constant is change, we prepare you for the unpredictable. Contact

Reyne Quackenbush

rquacken@thoughtworks.com

M +1 732-261-7420 View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/thoughtworks-acquires-gemini-solutions-inc-301207688.html SOURCE ThoughtWorks

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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 20:27:16|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka has detected the new strain of the COVID-19 virus after a British national who recently arrived in capital Colombo tested positive for the new variant, Chief Epidemiologist of the Health Ministry's Epidemiology Unit Dr. Sudath Samaraweera told local reporters on Wednesday.

This is the first case of the new variant to be reported in the island country.

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KABUL -- Afghanistan on Wednesday reported 84 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases after health authorities conducted 2,109 tests within a day, bringing the number of total cases to 53,774, the country's Ministry of Public Health said.

Meanwhile, 199 people recovered during the past 42 hours, taking the overall number of recoveries to 44,810, while six deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 2,314, according to a ministry's statement.

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KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia recorded 2,985 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, bringing the national total to 144,518.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that two of the new cases were imported and the 2,983 others were local transmissions.

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BEIJING -- China will expand the target population for COVID-19 vaccination to include elderly people aged over 60 years old, a health official said Wednesday.

The expansion is due to increasing data from clinical research on vaccines, a growing supply of vaccines, and the need to better control the outbreak, said Wang Bin, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference.

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MOSCOW -- Russia recorded 22,850 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, slightly down from 22,934 a day earlier, the country's COVID-19 response center said Wednesday.

The national tally has thus increased to 3,471,053 with 63,370 deaths and 2,854,088 recoveries, the center said.

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BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan reported 92 more COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the national tally to 82,587, health authorities said.

With 177 more recoveries reported, the nationwide count amounted to 78,358 with 810 hospitalizations, according to data of the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19. Enditem
FOXs new comedy series, Call Me Kat, is a joint venture by The Big Bang Theory co-stars Mayim Bialik and Jim Parsons. The show opened to high expectations but ended up with mixed reviews. Bialik recently opened up about the show and addressed some of the negative criticisms it received.

Mayim Bialik in Call Me Kat | Lisa Rose/FOX

Mayim Bialik is the star of Call Me Kat

After working together on The Big Bang Theory, Bialik and Parsons teamed up to bring the UK sitcom Miranda to American television. The original show stars comedian Miranda Hart as a single joke shop owner who finds herself in awkward situations and talks to the audience by breaking the fourth wall.

Based on the same premise, Call Me Kat stars Bialik as Kat, the single cat cafe owner who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. Like Miranda, Kat also breaks the fourth wall and talks to the cameras to tell the audience whats really on her mind.

The show also stars Leslie Jordan, Cheyenne Jackson, Kyla Pratt, Swoosie Kurtz, and Julian Gant in supporting roles. Call Me Kat premiered on Jan. 3, 2021.

RELATED: The Big Bang Theory: An Improvised Moment Drastically Changed 1 of the Shows Main Characters

The show opened to mixed reviews

Call Me Kat comes from Bialik and Parsons  award-winning actors who were on one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. So, when the show premiered, many had high expectations. But the series premiere didnt open to critical acclaim and instead received mixed reviews from some of Hollywoods leading critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the sitcom sits at 17 percent for its critics ratings and 43 percent for its audience score. More gimmick than sitcom, the critics consensus on the website reads, Call Me Kat buries a charming Mayim Bialik in a sandbox of toothless jokes and shallow characterizations.

RELATED: The Big Bang Theory: 1 Star Was at the Unemployment Office on the Day of Their Audition

Mayim Bialik responds to the negative reviews

On her Youtube channel, Bialik responded to some of the criticism she received for Call Me Kat. She started out by mentioning that the sitcom is an adaptation of Miranda, a show she and Parsons wanted to bring to American TV.

The reason that Call Me Kat exists is because Jim Parsons, who played Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory, his production company, Thats Wonderful Productions, got the rights to Miranda which was a very popular BBC series in the UK for three years, she explained. [Its] about a very unusual woman and we absolutely made the decision to adapt that story into an American version with me as the main character.

RELATED: The Big Bang Theory: The Heartbreaking Reason Mayim Bialik Stopped Playing the Harp on the Series

Bialik noted that many of the things critics were commenting on were elements taken from Miranda. The things that some critics didnt like about our show, which is totally fine, are things that we specifically lifted from the original Miranda because thats how we paid tribute to this show that we were based on, she said.

The actor also noted that the sitcom is being filmed and produced during the pandemic. So the writers remain separate from the cast and dont come to the set to work script kinks out.

It is not a small thing to put a show together during a pandemic, Bialik added. We are not able to have writers on stage  we dont have the ability to do things like you do when youre not in a pandemic. So its been a really interesting challenge.

You know critics say a lot of things, but mostly what Ive heard is that people laughed and its been a heck of a year, she added. Our show has a lot of heart and I hope people will give us a chance to show what more we can do.

Call Me Kat airs Thursday nights on FOX.
Donald Trump took no responsibility yesterday for instigating a violent insurrection at the US Capitol last week.

Despite encouraging supp- orters to march on the building and praising them while they were carrying out the assault, he said: "People thought that what I said was totally appropriate."

He made the comments during his first appearance in public since the siege, which came as lawmakers were tallying Electoral College votes affirming president-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Lynching

Trump was heading to Texas yesterday to campaign against illegal immigration as Congress appeared set to impeach him for the second time.

During the rampage through the halls of Congress, crowds called for vice president Mike Pence's lynching for his role in overseeing the vote count.

At least five people died, including a police officer.

In the days leading up to last Wednesday's certification vote, Trump encouraged his supp- orters to descend on Washington, promising a "wild" rally in support of his baseless claims of election fraud, despite his own administration's findings to the contrary.

Speaking for more than an hour to a crowd on the Ellipse, Trump encouraged supporters to "fight like hell" and suggested Republican lawmakers would need "more courage not to step up" and overturn the will of voters to grant him another term in office.

As Trump wrapped up, thousands of his supporters were already heading to the Capitol.

While the mob were still in the building and lawmakers sheltered in secure locations, Trump, at the urging of aides who were shocked by the violence, released a video seemingly excusing the events, saying of the rioters: "We love you. You're very special. Go home."

Speaking yesterday, he said the "real problem" was not his rhetoric, but the rhetoric that Democrats used to describe Black Lives Matter protests and violence in Seattle and Portland last summer.

Trump was headed to Alamo, near the US-Mexico border, the site of the 450th mile of the border wall his administration is building.

A few dozen Trump supporters rallied hours before his visit to the Rio Grande Valley near Harlingen airport, where he was scheduled to land.

They planned to stage a caravan of vehicles flying flags that support the president and far-right causes.

Four people interviewed yesterday morning all said they believed antifa and Black Lives Matter activists staged the Capitol riot, although federal authorities have uniformly identified far-right activists as responsible.

Two people said they still believed Trump would be inaugurated for a second term next week, even after Congress certified Biden's victory and courts at every level dismissed his baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

"If he's able to see us, we hope it would encourage him and lift his spirits," said Sharon Katie Taylor, from Iowa."

Over the past four years, Trump and his administration have taken extreme and often unlawful action to try to curb illegal and legal immigration.

Reverse

Their efforts were aided in his final year by the coronavirus pandemic, which ground international travel to a halt.

However, the number of people stopped while trying to cross the southern border il- legally has been creeping back up in recent months.

Biden has said he will halt construction of the border wall and take executive action where possible to reverse some of Trump's restrictions on legal immigration and asylum-seekers.

However, the president-elect and his aides have acknowledged the possibility of a new crisis at the border if they act too quickly.

Lawyers for the 'womb raider' killer Lisa Montgomery have said she was 'disconnected from reality'

Lawyers for the 'womb raider' killer Lisa Montgomery - the first female federal death row inmate to be executed in nearly 70 years - have said she was 'disconnected from reality' and that guards refused to allow her spiritual adviser into the death chamber as she was put to death.

Montgomery, 52, was put to death by lethal injection in the early hours of Wednesday morning after an 11th-hour order from the Supreme Court cleared the way for her execution despite arguments from her lawyers that she was not mentally competent and didn't understand what was about to happen to her.

Montgomery was convicted of kidnapping and strangling 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, then eight months pregnant, in Missouri back in 2004.

Montgomery then cut Stinnett's fetus from her womb. The child miraculously survived and is now 16 years old.

The killer, dubbed the 'womb raider', was convicted of the brutal slaying in 2007 and has been on death row ever since.

She was pronounced dead at 1.31am EST on Wednesday at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana in what could be the final federal execution under Donald Trump.

Montgomery's lawyer Amy Harwell, who fought to get her a stay until her mental health could be evaluated, hit out at the 'unconscionable' move to plow ahead with her execution despite the questions around her mental state.

She told the Huffington Post less than an hour after Montgomery's death that the killer was 'so not with us' and was 'severely dissociated' in the hours leading up to her execution.

'Lisas baseline state is pretty severely dissociated. From the moment we got there today, she was very detached from reality, much more so even than we had ever experienced before,' said Harwell.

'One of the first things I said to her was, Lisa youre so far away from me. Can you get here with us? She was just so not with us.'

Harwell said Montgomery 'was not following conversations' or 'processing the information I gave her'.

Montgomery was convicted in 2007 in Missouri for kidnapping and strangling 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett (left) who was eight months pregnant at the time. She strangled Stinnett with a rope before performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby Victoria Jo (right)

'At one point I asked her to repeat back to me what I just said, and she was not able to do that,' she said, adding that she planned to use this as 'proof' for Montgomery's mental health evaluation.

Under the Eighth Amendment, the government is banned from executing an inmate if the individual cannot rationally understand why it is happening to them.

On Monday night, the US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana granted Montgomery a temporary stay for her mental health to be evaluated.

Harwell described the ruling by US Judge James Patrick Hanlon as a 'very well reasoned' 28-page order.

But the government appealed the decision and the stay was overturned by the Court Of Appeals Tuesday, paving the way for her execution.

'The idea that a judge says this rings the bell and somehow we dont even get to go to court?' Harwell said, slamming the move as 'unconscionable'.

Anti-death-penalty activists protest against the execution of Lisa Montgomery Tuesday

Protesters outside the federal penitentiary. Montgomery's lawyer Amy Harwell hit out at the 'unconscionable' move to plow ahead with her execution despite the questions around her mental state

Aside from arguing the federal government executed a mentally ill woman, Harwell also blasted Montgomery's treatment in the moments leading up to her death.

She told the Huffington Post Montgomery was denied her right to have her spiritual adviser John Francisco present in the chamber where he was going to sing to her as she was put to death.

'He told her that after the execution started, he intended to sing Jesus Loves Me and Amazing Grace while the chemicals flowed. That was the plan,' she said.

'But when we arrived at the execution house, [Bureau of Prisons staff] did not allow him to be with her.

'I explained that he was her designated spiritual adviser and needed to be in the chamber with her.

'A woman said shed go check, and then she came running back and said it was too late. Lisa was on the gurney, all strapped in.'

Harwell said Francisco, who had known Montgomery since she was a little girl, had given her communion and spoken to her in the hours before her death saying 'he hoped to care for her while in the execution chamber'.

Instead, she said Montgomery was 'deprived' of this and Montgomery simply looked at them through the glass wiggling her fingers in a final wave.

An artist's sketch of Montgomery at her first hearing in US Federal Court in Kansas City, Kansas, 2004. Harwell said Montgomery was 'deprived' of having her spiritual adviser John Francisco present in the death chamber where he was going to sing to her as she died

'It was a needless indignity, and a deprivation of really her basic humanity,' said Harwell.

'That in her final moments they tried to take her sense of herself as a loved child of God is an insult beyond comprehension.'

Harwell was speaking from a hotel where she said she learned that 65 of the governments employees who 'participated in tonights event - as they refer to it euphemistically' were also staying.

In an emotional statement released after Montgomery's death, her team of attorneys said: 'The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight.'

Originally scheduled for 6pm on Tuesday, Montgomery's execution was delayed after last-ditch appeals from her attorneys, who had argued that she was mentally incompetent and had suffered a lifetime of horrible sexual abuse.

As a curtain was raised in the execution chamber early Wednesday morning, Montgomery looked momentarily bewildered as she glanced at journalists peering at her from behind thick glass.

As the execution process began, a woman standing over Montgomery's shoulder leaned over, gently removed Montgomery's face mask and asked her if she had any last words.

'No,' Montgomery responded in a quiet, muffled voice. She said nothing else.

She tapped her fingers nervously for several seconds, displaying a heart-shaped tattoo on her thumb, but she otherwise showed no signs of distress, and quickly closed her eyes.

The Department of Justice issued a new notice of execution, dated January 13, informing Montgomery that her death sentence would be carried out on January 13

Lisa Montgomery 's execution came in the final days of the government of US President Donald Trump, which pushed forward with her execution despite a legal battle

LAST WOMEN EXECUTED BY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT Montgomery is the first woman to be executed by the federal government since 1953. In that year the government executed two women, Ethel Rosenberg for espionage on June 19, and Bonnie Heady for murder on December 18. ETHEL ROSENBERG: In 1952, Ethel Rosen, 37, and her husband Julius, 35, were convicted of spying for the Soviet Union. The pair were accused of providing the Communists with intelligence on radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and nuclear weapons. Julius had worked for the Army Signal Corps but was fired in 1945 when they discovered his membership of the Communist Party USA. But he continued to help the Soviets and recruited Ethel's brother David Greenglass, who was working on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Prosecutors admitted that their case against Ethel was 'not too strong', but believed it was 'very important that she be convicted too, and given a stiff sentence.' The pair were convicted at the height of the Cold War and executed together by electrocution at Sing Sing Correctional Facility on the Hudson River on June 19, 1953. BONNIE HEADY: In September, 1953, Bonnie Heady, 41, and Carl Hall, 34, kidnapped a multimillionaire auto dealer's six-year-old son in Kansas City, Missouri. Bobby Greenlease, son of Robert Greenlease Sr., was at Notre Dame de Sion that day, a Catholic school for small children. Heady told the nuns she was Bobby's aunt and urgently needed to take him home because his mother had fallen ill. Sister Morand recalled how Bobby went with Heady without hesitation and the woman put her arm around the child's shoulder and took hold of his hand. Heady and Hall, both drug-addicted alcoholics, then drove the child across state lines to Johnson County, Kansas. Hall shot the boy dead with a revolver. They then took the child's corpse to Heady's house in St. Joseph where they buried him in the backyard. Afterwards they sent messages to Bobby's father demanding $600,000. Greenlease asked law enforcement not to interfere and paid out - the largest ransom ever paid in history at the time. The killers collected the ransom money and fled to St Louis. Hall later tried to flee with the cash, leaving $2,000 for Heady after she fell asleep drunk at the apartment they had rented. A cab driver later tipped off the police to the whereabouts of Hall - who had travelled out to St Louis County in an attempt to bury the money. Hall later led police to the apartment where Heady was staying in the city. On November 19, a jury at the federal court in Kansas City recommended the death penalty after a little over an hour of deliberations. Judge Albert L. Reeves remarked: 'I think the verdict fits the evidence. It is the most coldblooded, brutal murder I have ever tried.' The pair were executed together in Missouri's lethal gas chamber at the State Penitentiary, Jefferson City, on December 18, 1953. Advertisement

Montgomery's gruesome crime unfolded when she introduced herself to her victim via an online chat room for rat terrier owners called Ratter Chatter.

She gave Stinnett, a 23-year-old dog breeder, a false name and pretended that she too was pregnant - the pair exchanged emails about their pregnancies.

Montgomery then drove about 170 miles from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004.

She arrived at Stinnett's Missouri home on December 16 2004, under the guise that she was going to purchase a rat terrier puppy.

But Montgomery strangled the eight-months pregnant mother with a rope and then used a knife to cut her baby out of her womb before making off with the infant.

The victim's mother, Becky Harper, discovered her daughter lying in a pool of blood with her womb slashed open.

Sobbing, she told the 911 dispatcher: 'It's like she exploded or something.'

The killer was arrested at her home in Kansas the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who survived and turned 16 last month.

The girl has not spoken about the tragedy.

Montgomery was sitting in her living room holding the baby and watching the news when police entered her home - an amber alert for her arrest was flashing on the screen.

'As we walked across the threshold our Amber Alert was scrolling across the TV at that very moment,' recalled Randy Strong, who was part of the northwest Missouri major case squad at the time.

He looked to his right and saw Montgomery holding the newborn and was awash in relief when she handed her over to law enforcement.

Prosecutors said her motive was that Montgomery's ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children.

Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

Montgomery's lawyers, though, have argued that sexual abuse during Montgomery's childhood led to mental illness.

In 2007, a jury convicted Montgomery and recommended the death penalty, which was upheld by the judge.

Just before midnight on Tuesday, the Supreme Court issued an order removing the final legal barriers to the execution, and minutes later it became clear it was proceeding immediately as witnesses were moved to the execution area.

The Department of Justice issued a new notice of execution, dated January 13, informing Montgomery that her death sentence would be carried out on January 13.

Kelley Henry, Montgomery's lawyer, in scathing remarks, called the execution a 'vicious, unlawful, and unnecessary exercise of authoritarian power'.

'Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame,' Henry said in a statement. 'The government stopped at nothing in its zeal to kill this damaged and delusional woman.'

'No one can credibly dispute Mrs. Montgomery's longstanding debilitating mental disease - diagnosed and treated for the first time by the Bureau of Prisons' own doctors,' Henry added.

The Supreme Court ruling removed the final legal barriers to the execution, which Montgomery's attorneys had hoped to delay until the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, a death penalty opponent.

Some of Stinnett's relatives traveled to Indiana to witness Montgomery's execution, the Justice Department said.

In Tuesday night's ruling, the Supreme Court's three liberal justices - Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan - dissented, saying they would grant the stay that Montgomery's attorneys sought.

Montgomery's legal team says she suffered 'sexual torture,' including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting that her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Henry balked at that idea, citing extensive testing and brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness.

Anti-death-penalty activist Glenda Breeden holds a lamp on Tuesday while protesting against the execution of Lisa Montgomery at Terre Haute Federal Prison

Henry said the issue at the core of the legal arguments are not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasps why she was slated to be executed now.

Montgomery's execution is the first of a woman a federal level since 1953.

Following her execution, there are now 51 inmates on federal death row, all of them men.

She had originally been scheduled to be killed by lethal injections of pentobarbital, a powerful barbiturate, at 6pm EST on Tuesday, but last minute legal challenges delayed the execution.

The St. Louis-based 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a stay of the execution on Monday, siding with her lawyers that the government had scheduled her execution in violation of the original sentencing court's judgment issued in 2007.

That stay was vacated by the Supreme Court late on Tuesday.

Separately, a federal judge on the 7th Circuit in Indiana had ordered the execution to be postponed to allow for a hearing on whether she was too mentally ill to be executed.

'The record before the Court contains ample evidence that Ms. Montgomery's current mental state is so divorced from reality that she cannot rationally understand the government's rationale for her execution,' Judge Hanlon wrote in his ruling.

'Both the (government) and the victims of crime have an important interest in the timely enforcement of a sentence,' he said, citing precedent.

But 'it is also in the public interest to ensure that the government does not execute a prisoner who due to her mental condition 'cannot appreciate the meaning of a community's judgement.''

But the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago overturned the stay on Tuesday afternoon.

Montgomery's lawyers asked the Supreme Court to overturn that ruling, which they declined.

Montgomery faced execution Tuesday at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, (pictured) Indiana , just eight days before President-elect Joe Biden , an opponent of the federal death penalty, takes office

Montgomery's execution was one of three that were to supposed be the last before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the federal death penalty, is sworn-in next week.

Now following legal challenges it's unclear how many additional executions there will be under President Donald Trump, who resumed federal executions in July after 17-year pause. Ten federal inmates have since been put to death.

Separately from Montgomery's case, a federal judge for the U.S. District of Columbia halted the scheduled executions later this week of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs in a ruling Tuesday.

Johnson was convicted of killing seven people related to his drug trafficking in Virginia, and Higgs was convicted of ordering the murders of three women in Maryland.

Both tested positive for COVID-19 last month, and a judge ruled they should be allowed to recover before facing execution.

The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on December 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.

The last woman executed by a state was Kelly Gissendaner, 47, on September 30, 2015, in Georgia.

She was convicted of murder in the 1997 slaying of her husband after she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.

Montgomery's shocking crime: Killer strangled pregnant mother and stole her child through crude C-section

In 2004, Montgomery drove about 170 miles from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Bobbie Jo Stinnett, a 23-year-old dog breeder.

She strangled Stinnett with a rope before performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby.

She was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who survived and is now 16 years old and hasn't spoken publicly about the tragedy.

In 2007, Montgomery was convicted of kidnapping resulting in death and handed a death sentence. She would have been the first woman executed by the federal justice system since 1953.

'As we walked across the threshold our Amber Alert was scrolling across the TV at that very moment,' recalled Randy Strong, who was part of the northwest Missouri major case squad at the time.

He looked to his right and saw Montgomery holding the newborn and was awash in relief when she handed her over to law enforcement.

The preceding hours had been a blur in which he photographed Stinnett's body and spent a sleepless night looking for clues - unsure of whether the baby was dead or alive and no idea what she looked like.

But then tips began arriving about Montgomery, who had a history of faking pregnancies and suddenly had a baby. Strong, now the sheriff of Nodaway County, where the killing happened, hopped in an unmarked car with another officer.

He learned while en route that the email address fischer4kids(at)hotmail.com that was used to set up the deadly meeting with Stinnett had been sent from a dial-up connection at Montgomery's home.

Left: Expectant mother Bobbie Jo Stinnett at a dog show. Right: Zeb Stinnett and baby Victoria Jo Stinnett, who was cut from her mother's womb by Montgomery in the gruesome attack

A group shot from the dog show in Abilene, Kansas. Lisa Montgomery (second from left), Bobbi Jo (second from right) and Zeb Stinnett (far right) pose with their dogs

'I absolutely knew I was walking into the killer's home,' recalled Strong, saying rat terriers ran around his feet as he approached her house. Like Stinnett, Montgomery also raised rat terriers.

Bobbie Jo Stinnett's mother, Becky Harper, sobbed as she told a Missouri dispatcher about stumbling across her daughter in a pool of blood, her womb slashed open and the child she had been carrying missing.

'It's like she exploded or something,' Harper told the dispatcher on December 16, 2004, during the desperate yet futile attempt to get help for her daughter.

Prosecutors said her motive was that Montgomery's ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children.

Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

Montgomery's lawyers, though, have argued that sexual abuse during Montgomery's childhood led to mental illness.

Attorney Kelley Henry spoke in favor of Monday's decision, saying in a statement to the Capital-Journal that 'Mrs. Montgomery has brain damage and severe mental illness that was exacerbated by the lifetime of sexual torture she suffered at the hands of caretakers.'

Montgomery, now 52, was abused by her stepfather, who built a room in the back of a trailer where they lived in which he and his friends raped her from about the age of 11, and where her mother pimped her for sex, Montgomery's lawyers said.

Montgomery in a 2004 booking photo

Diane Mattingly, Montgomery's older sister, previously told reporters at a briefing that she was also repeatedly raped, sometimes with Montgomery in the same room, until authorities removed her to foster care.

'So many people let her down,' Mattingly said. 'Yes, I started out the same way, but I went into a place where I was loved and cared for and shown self worth. I had a good foundation. Lisa did not and she broke. She literally broke.'

Her stepfather denied the sexual abuse in videotaped testimony and said he didn't have a good memory when confronted with a transcript of a divorce proceeding in which he admitted some physical abuse.

Her mother testified that she never filed a police complaint because he had threatened her and her children.

But the jurors who heard the case, some crying through the gruesome testimony, disregarded the defense in convicting her of kidnapping resulting in death.

Prosecutors argued that Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb.

Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a Long John Silver's in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing center.

She eventually confessed, and the rope and bloody knife used to kill Stinnett were found in her car. A search of her computer showed she used it to research Cesareans and order a birthing kit.

Montgomery was convicted of killing 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in December 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife, authorities said. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own, prosecutors said

Pictured: Demonstrators protest federal executions of death row inmates, in front of the US Justice Department in Washington, DC, on December 10, 2020

Stinnett's husband, Zeb, told jurors his world 'crashed to an end' when he learned his wife was dead.

He said he didn't return for months to the couple's home in Skidmore, a small farming community that earlier gained notoriety after the 1981 slaying of town bully Ken Rex McElroy in front of a crowd of people who refused to implicate the killer or killers.

That crime was chronicled in a book, 'In Broad Daylight,' as well as a TV movie, the film 'Without Mercy' and the miniseries 'No One Saw a Thing.'

President-elect Joe Biden's stance on the death penalty After current president Donald Trump resumed the federal death penalty in 2020 - for the first time in 17 years - president-elect Joe Biden has signalled his intention to eliminate capital punishment at a federal level. On Joe Biden's website outlining the policies of the in-coming commander-in-chief, he instead proposes that individuals on death row should 'serve life sentences without probation or parole.' 'Over 160 individuals who've been sentenced to death in this country since 1973 have later been exonerated,' his website says. 'Because we cannot ensure we get death penalty cases right every time, Biden will work to pass legislation to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, and incentivize states to follow the federal government's example. 'These individuals should instead serve life sentences without probation or parole.' Advertisement

Recently, on Victoria Jo's birthday, he sent Strong, the sheriff, a message through Facebook Messenger thanking him.

'I just wept,' Strong recalled. 'He is going to constantly be reminded of this whether in his nightmares or somebody is going to call and want to interview him.

'The family doesn't want to be interviewed. They want to be left alone. The community of Skidmore has had a troubling past and history. They didn't want this. They didn't deserve this.'

Montgomery originally was scheduled to be put to death on Dec. 8. But the execution was temporarily blocked after her attorneys contracted the coronavirus visiting her in prison.

Without denying the seriousness of her crime, Montgomery's lawyers last week sought clemency from US President Donald Trump.

But Trump, an outspoken supporter of the death penalty, has so far failed to act on their request. He has allowed more executions in a year than any other U.S. president has done since the 19th century.

Despite the decline of capital punishment in the US and around the world, Trump's administration, revived the punishment in the federal system in 2020 after a 17-year hiatus even as the novel coronavirus spread to infect prison employees, inmates' lawyers and two other inmates facing execution.

Biden - who takes office on January 20 - has promised to work with Congress to try and abolish the death penalty altogether.

Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo has said the president-elect 'opposes the death penalty now and in the future' and would work as president to end its use.

But Ducklo did not say whether executions would be paused immediately once Biden takes office.
Researchers evaluating whether an investigational oral drug, vadadustat, can help prevent acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in COVID-19 patients were awarded $5.1 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to expand the Phase II clinical trial at The University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonQ (UTHealth).

Vadadustat is an investigational oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor, or HIF-PHI, designed to mimic the physiologic effect of altitude on oxygen availability. At higher altitudes, the body responds to lower oxygen availability with stabilization of HIF, which can lead to improved oxygen delivery to tissues. Stabilization of HIF can help to dampen alveolar inflammation, a key problem that patients with COVID-19-associated lung disease are facing when they develop ARDS. The drug is investigational in the U.S. but has been approved for use in Japan.

"It's wonderful that we have COVID-19 vaccinations available now, but they won't directly help patients who are already sick in the hospital or who will become sick in the future," said Holger Eltzschig, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Anesthesiology with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. "In addition to vaccination, we direly need treatments to prevent ARDS, one of the deadliest complications of severe COVID-19. If we can arrest coronavirus infection at an earlier stage before the onset of lung complications that cause mortality, COVID-19 outcomes would be so much better." Eltzschig is also director of the UTHealth Center for Perioperative Medicine and the John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished University Chair.

The award was given through the DOD's Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program as a COVID Clinical Trial Award. Only 4.2% of all applications submitted were awarded funding.

"This study could be critical for people in active duty with the armed forces as well as veterans," Eltzschig said. "COVID-19 has had a particular impact on the Navy, where personnel on vessels such as aircraft carriers are in close environments and are unable to socially distance. If an innovative oral investigative therapy could prevent ARDS, that would be wonderful. Also, our country's veterans tend to be older, have comorbidities, and are particularly suffering from dire consequences of COVID-19, so it would be fantastic to be able to help them as well."

Vadadustat, being developed by Akebia Therapeutics, Inc., recently completed its global Phase III clinical trial development for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease in patients on dialysis and not on dialysis, and Akebia expects to submit a New Drug Application (NDA) for vadadustat to the FDA for these indications as early as possible in 2021.

Previously published preclinical studies led by Eltzschig, showed HIF stabilization can protect lungs in mice with ARDS. His basic and translation science team in anesthesia is collaborating with the clinical team of Ben Bobrow, MD, chair of Emergency Medicine at McGovern Medical School, to move the idea from bench to bedside to see if it can help COVID-19 patients.

"Dr. Bobrow and his clinical team of nurses and researchers helped us build up the trial quickly. I've never seen a clinical trial go from just an idea in March to enrolling patients in four months. It's really remarkable and we couldn't have done it without Akebia, UTHealth's Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences, and the collaboration between Bobrow's clinical group with my translational group," Eltzschig said.

"So many people and departments at UTHealth, Memorial Hermann, and Harris Health have come together to bring this cutting-edge trial together faster than ever before to try to help people suffering from COVID-19 acute lung injury. Dr Eltzschig and I are inspired by the potential for this novel trial to make a major impact on COVID-19 patients," said Bobrow, who is the John P. and Katherine G. McGovern Distinguished Chair in emergency medicine. Bobrow and Eltzschig are attending physicians at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

The randomized trial began enrolling patients at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in July. The DOD funding helped the trial expand to Memorial Hermann-Southwest Hospital, Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, and Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center, as well as Harris Health's Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital. Currently, 75 patients have enrolled.

"It's unclear how long COVID-19 will be prevalent so it is critical to expand the single center trial to other sites," Eltzschig said.

###

The trial was initially funded by Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. and a donor grant to UTHealth's Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.

Other McGovern Medical School faculty involved in the study include Elizabeth Jones, MD; Samuel Luber, MD; George Williams, MD; Paulina Sergot, MD; David Robinson, MD; Marie-Francoise Doursout, PhD; Misha Granado, MPH, MS; Misty Ottman, RN; Yanyu Wang, PhD; Xiaoyi Yuan, PhD; Tingting Mills, PhD; Boyun Kim, PhD; Christian Noval, RN; James Wang, BS; Marka Lyons, MS; Robert Suchting, PhD; Charles Green, PhD; Victor Guaregua, BS; Synthea Horton, MS; Seungwon Choi, MD; Nabras Abdulrahman, MS.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

Media inquiries: 713-500-3030
Almost half of intensive care staff working on NHS Covid wards are suffering from severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or have a drinking problem, new research suggests.

The study found poor mental health was common among intensive care unit (ICU) staff and more pronounced in nurses than in doctors.

Over half (59 per cent) of staff said their wellbeing was good but 45 per cent were classified as having at least one mental health issue.

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Over half (59 per cent) of Covid-19 ICU staff working for the NHS said their wellbeing was good but 45 per cent were classified as having one of the three mental health conditions (file photo)

For the study, 709 healthcare workers from nine ICUs in England completed anonymous web-based surveys in June and July 2020.

Some 291 of the staff (41 per cent) were doctors, 344 (49 per cent) were nurses, and 74 (10 per cent) were other healthcare staff.

PTSD, which is caused by stressful, frightening or distressing events and symptoms include repeated nightmares and flashbacks, accounted for 40 per cent of all mental health conditions affecting ICU staff.

Six per cent had severe depression, seven percent suffered from problem drinking while one in nine (11 per cent) were diagnosed with severe anxiety.

One in eight (13 per cent) staff reported having frequent thoughts pertaining to self-harm or suicide, the data reveals.

Lead author, Professor Neil Greenberg, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, said: 'Our results show a substantial burden of mental health symptoms being reported by ICU staff towards the end of the first wave in July and July 2020.

'The severity of symptoms we identified are highly likely to impair some ICU staffs ability to provide high quality care as well as negatively impacting on their quality of life.

'The high rate of mortality amongst Covid-19 patients admitted to ICU  coupled with difficulty in communication and providing adequate end-of-life support to patients and their next of kin because of visiting restrictions  are very likely to have been highly challenging stressors for all staff working in ICUs.'

Almost half of intensive care staff working during the coronavirus crisis are suffering from problem drinking, severe anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), new research suggests (file photo)

Data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of 2004, the most recent data available, found four per cent of people in the general population screened positive for PTSD, rising to 13 per cent of young women aged 16 to 24.

Only six per cent of the public have an anxiety disorder while only four per cent have depression.

Professor Greenberg said that while the results of his new study were not surprising, 'they should serve as a stark reminder to NHS managers of the pressing need to protect the mental health of ICU workers now in order to ensure they can deliver vital care to those in need'.

He added: 'If we protect the mental health of healthcare workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, staff will be better able to sustainably deliver high quality care to the large numbers of patients seriously unwell with Covid-19.'

The researchers on the paper, including experts from University College London and the University of Oxford, said further work was now needed.

'In the worst-case scenario, what we could see is that staff could start making mistakes and that people's lives are not saved when they could have been because staff members unfortunately have not been able to think clearly and do their best because of their mental health symptoms,' Professor Greenberg told BBC Radio 4.

They said self-report questionnaires can sometimes overestimate the rate of clinically relevant mental health symptoms.

Dame Donna Kinnair, chief executive of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), said: 'The unprecedented demand on nursing staff during the pandemic is having a huge impact on their own wellbeing.

'The nurses I speak to every day tell me that they have no fuel left in the tank and their resilience is being seriously tested.

'It is vital the support is available where and when it is needed and that managers encourage and support staff to seek help.

'Nursing staff need help now to deal with unimaginable levels of anxiety and stress, but there must also be a long-term plan to tackle problems, like PTSD, which may re-occur over many years.'
New Delhi: Amitabh Bachchan has wrapped up his shooting schedule for the last episode of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati 12. Taking to his official blog post, Big B shared the news with his fans.

He wrote, I am tired and retire .. my apologies .. its been a very long last day of KBC shoot .. I shall make up tomorrow. But remember this .. work is work and must be accomplished with the entire sincerity at one's disposal," Amitabh wrote in his blog post.

The affection and love created gives a farewell to the last day of the shoot .. they all assemble together .. the wish is to never stop but to keep going on .. I do hope this can happen again soon .. the crew and the team were so caring and hard working .. it was quite a stretch to pull away from the sets .. and all the team gathered round in fond remembrance of the months spent together and the efforts made by each," Amitabh added in his post.

"Love, care, affection and gifts of appreciation exchanged hands and there is extreme gratefulness for the gesture from the entire team... its moving .. and tears up...but tomorrow is another day," the Sholay actor concluded.

Meanwhile, the actor also shared a throwback picture with son, actor Abhishek Bachchan on Instagram. He captioned the post as, Tashkent , Soviet Union .. 1900s .. where he signed his first autograph, Abhishek.

Have a look at young Big B and Abhishek:

Amitabh has Ajay Devgns MayDay and Ayan Mukerjes Brahmastra, along with Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor and Mouni Roy in the pipeline.
Inspired by the psychopathic assassin Villanelle, real name Jodie Comer, in a British dark comedy-drama spy thriller TV series, Killing Eve, Lawrence Simon Warunge had planned to clear all his family members on Saturday January 2.



Warunge, 22, who has confessed to the murder of his parents, two siblings and a farmhand, and had described his parents to police as satanic and killers had planned the murder for about three months.



He had, however, told the girlfriend that there was something he wanted to do that would make them live in peace, for the rest of their life.



During this period, even as he watched movies, he also practiced how to camouflage, and commit the horrendous act without being noticed.



Read Full Story .... www.k24tv.co.ke >>> :

















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U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday spoke publicly for the first time since House Democrats moved to impeach him, calling the impeachment "ridiculous."



Referring to his speech on Jan. 6 that the Democrats said fomented the subsequent riot on the Capitol Hill on the same day, Trump said what he said in the speech was "totally appropriate."

The president was addressing reporters before departing for Alamo, Texas, to inspect the border wall.

On the impeachment, Trump said it's "absolutely ridiculous," and that it's "causing tremendous anger ... causing tremendous danger to our country." The president said he wanted "no violence."

House Democrats on Monday formally introduced the article of impeachment against Trump, charging him with "incitement of insurrection."

The House will hold a floor vote later Tuesday on a Democrats-proposed resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. If Pence doesn't respond within 24 hours, according to the resolution, the Democrats will push the impeachment proceedings ahead.
Sheriffs officers stationed outside the Hudson County executives home in the wake of protests there have cost taxpayers nearly $20,000 in overtime in one month, according to records obtained by The Jersey Journal.

The Hudson County sheriffs officers have been stationed at Tom DeGises house in the Jersey City Heights since demonstrations protesting the renewal of a county jail contract to detain illegal immigrants began early last month. Between Dec. 3 and Jan. 4 those officers have racked up 368.5 hours of overtime at a cost of $19,291.94, records obtained through an Open Public Records Act show.

The Hudson County Sheriffs Office has been conducting necessary overtime in the vicinity of the county executives home due to the current tense political situation witnessed around the county in recent weeks; in addition to the high alert concerning public buildings and officials recently issued by the FBI to local law enforcement agencies, Hudson County Sheriff Frank Schillari said in an emailed statement.

You cant put a price on public safety and my office will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our elected officials and all those who live, work and travel in Hudson County are safe during these trying times.

The extra security stems from a series of protests by activists angered by the countys renewal of its contract with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

In November, county commissioners voted to renew the countys contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for up to 10 years after dozens of speakers urged them not to, and they pointed out that many of the same commissioners promised in 2018 that they would not renew the pact.

County officials have said that the contract with ICE, though controversial, makes financial sense for the county.

Under the terms of the agreement, ICE pays the county to hold detainees at the Hudson County Jail at a rate of $120 per person per day. In an op-ed published last month in The Jersey Journal explaining his position, DeGise said the contract helps employ hundreds of correctional officers and balance our budget.

It protects the detainees by preventing them from being shipped to potentially far worse facilities and it protects Hudson County taxpayers, he said.

But, as the sheriffs officers overtime shows, the ICE contract has its own costs. The decision to renew the contract enraged activists, who organized a series of protests against county officials. Protestors picketed a fundraiser for County Commissioner Anthony Romano and chanted outside DeGises home.

County officials have said that some commissioners have received death threats over their decision to approve the contract, and county spokesman Jim Kennelly said that the county executive received a threatening package that shot confetti and made a loud popping noise.

DeGise has filed a restraining order to prevent protestors from coming within 200 feet of his home, and Kennelly confirmed that there is still a sheriffs car stationed outside DeGises house. Its unclear if officers are still accruing overtime.

The county executive does feel safer having the sheriffs officers car outside for himself, his family, his neighbors, Kennelly said.

Amy Torres, a member of the Hudson County Progressive Alliance who is named in the restraining order, said she was unaware of any protests that have taken place at DeGises house since the order took effect. The actions there were vigils that showed no signs of escalation, said Torres. These were never marches. They were not disruptive.

In his op-ed, DeGise dismissed the protestors as isolated, radical extremists who dont understand Hudson County and never will.

I say to them, bring it on, he added.
The joys and agonies of a ministry expansion

India

oi-Dr. Sandeep Shastri

The Yedyurappa Council of Ministers will finally expand later today! In what has been a tantalizing hide and seek for several months, the Ministry will have seven new incumbents. One minister (Excise Minister Nagesh) is expected to resign thus resulting in one more vacancy. The carrot of one slot has often been used by the leadership to keep the hopefuls waiting in anticipation and preventing them from rebelling! In the past, Karnataka has often noticed that reshuffle of the Ministry has often opened the floodgates of rebellion.

In the late 1980s Bommai's government collapsed soon after the expansion of the Council of Ministers. Between 2008 and 2013, the BJP government under three different Chief Ministers faced serious internal rebellions before and after the reshuffling of the ministerial pack. Chief Minister Yedyurappa finds himself in a truly unenviable situation.

The threat of dissidence looms large without a Cabinet expansion....the fear of a possible rebellion is very much apparent after the expansion! With the Chief Minister being able to have only a 34 member Council of Ministers and with nearly every ruling party legislator seeing themselves as potential ministers, a Ministry expansion and reshuffle is a double edged sword - creates headaches and ill-will if not undertaken and has the potential to trigger off a new wave of dissidence once completed.

The Chief Minister has preferred the route of transparency and announced the seven names to be included as Ministers well in advance. Four of those joining are those who have been with the party for many years.

Karnataka Cabinet rejig soon: Yediyurappa

Three of those accommodated include the legislators who resigned to switch sides and one is a Legislative Council member who lost the Assembly elections. Umesh Katti was seen as a definite entrant. The Chief Minister had, during the last expansion, made it clear that Katti should have been included the last time around. Angara is among the longest serving MLA's having won the Sullia Murgesh Nirani is an influential Lingayat leader from Bagalkot in Northern Karnataka and had served as Industry Minister when the BJP was in power from 2008-13.

Arvind Limbavalli's name was doing the rounds for quite some time but given the over-representation of Bengaluru city in the Council of Ministers it was anticipated that there would not be any new entrants from Bengaluru. His critical role in the party and his involvement in the frontal organisations connected to the BJP could have been a key factor that went in his favour.

MTB Nagaraj was expected to be included as he had resigned as a Congress MLA, contested and lost and then got elected to the Council. Similarly, R Shankar had also resigned as an MLA and been convinced not to contest the by-election and elected to the Council. Both had been promised Ministerial berths for having played their role in the collapse of the Congress-JD(S) government. The inclusion of C P Yogeshwar will surely cause a lot of heart-burn both among the party loyalists and the new entrants. One would recall that the last time around, in the Cabinet expansion the central leadership of the party did not approve the induction of anyone other than the Congress/JD(S) MLA's who had resigned and returned to the Assembly on the BJP ticket, simply because of the dissidence on including Yogeshwar.

The Chief Minister appears to have secured the consent of the central leadership on this key issue, especially in the light of his role in the facilitating the resignation of some of the key Congress/ JDS MLAs.

The expansion of the ministry is likely to cause a new round of dissidence and rebellion. There are already reports of a few senior leaders who were hoping to become Ministers raising the banner of revolt. Muniratna becomes the second MLA, who crossed over, won the election but has not been accommodated in the Ministry. The fact that his inclusion would have increased the quota of Bengaluru city could have been a factor.

It may also be important to recall that in the by-election there was a debate within the party whether he should be given the ticket and the issue was finally resolved in his favour at the last minute. There would be many among the party loyalists who would be unhappy with the composition of the Ministry and the party leadership would fervently hope that the one seat left could be held out as the bait to prevent any rebellion. Yet one has seen history repeating itself and it will be interesting to see whether the expansion of the Ministry quells or further fuels dissidence. When there are too many claimants to a limited number of pieces of the cake, this is bound to be the challenge!

(Dr Sandeep Shastri is a keen student and observer of Karnataka politics)

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Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 14:20 [IST]
The major biotech company ModernaTX, Inc. has been one of the forerunners in the race to develop an effective and safe vaccine against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The company's COVID-19 vaccine, called mRNA-1273, has received an emergency use authorization (EUA), by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2020. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended Modernas COVID-19 vaccine for authorization in the European Union (EU).

Now, the firm has announced that it is brewing new mRNA-based vaccines against other viruses, including the influenza virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and the Nipah virus.

What is an mRNA-based vaccine?

The coronavirus pandemic prompted companies to develop effective and safe vaccines against SARS-CoV-2. One of the promising new vaccines used as a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine, which differs from traditional vaccines that use live-attenuated or weakened viruses.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that mRNA vaccines can protect the body against infectious disease. To do this, the vaccine contains instructions to teach the cells how to make a protein, or a piece of a protein, that induces an immune response in the body against this protein. As a result, the body produces antibodies that can protect from infection by targeting the wild-type version of this protein if the body comes into contact with it.

Moderna moves to develop a range of mRNA vaccine candidates following its development of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine model. Image Credit: LookerStudio / Shutterstock.

Specifically, mRNA vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 provide instructions for the cells to produce a harmless piece of the Spike protein (S protein), which is found on the surface of the virus itself and is the mechanism by which the virus latches onto and infiltrates host cells. After this antigen triggers an immune response, the body produces neutralizing antibodies, which become primed and ready to fight off the real virus if it ever enters the body.

Modernas plans

The biotechnology company, which has played a role in this pioneering use of mRNA in vaccines, announced that it is expanding its pipeline of innovative vaccines to target other pathogens by the same means. The company hopes to roll out three new development programs, which include new mRNA vaccine models against flu, HIV, and Nipah virus.

Even as we have shown that our mRNA-based vaccine can prevent COVID-19, this has encouraged us to pursue more-ambitious development programs within our prophylactic vaccines modality, Stephane Bancel, Modernas chief executive officer, explained.

Today we are announcing three new vaccine programs addressing seasonal flu, HIV, and the Nipah virus, some of which have eluded traditional vaccine efforts, and all of which we believe can be addressed with our mRNA technology, she added.

She also said that the company aims to extend its mRNA development work to 24 programs in five therapeutic areas.

The companys flu vaccine, called mRNA-1010, mRNA-1020, and mRNA-1030, will target seasonal flu types A and B. These types of flu occur seasonally and vary in severity each year. Globally, there are about 3 to 5 million severe cases of flu, with 290,000 to 650,000 flu-related respiratory deaths.

The company wants to explore potential combination vaccines against flu, SARS-CoV-2, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and the human metapneumovirus (hMPV).

Moderna also plans to roll out its vaccine against HIV, the mRNA-1644 and mRNA-1574. HIV infection may lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which is responsible for about 690,000 deaths each year. There are about 2 million new HIV infections each year across the globe. The phase 1 study is expected to begin this year.

Lastly, the company also developed a vaccine against the Nipah virus, called the Nipah virus (NiV) vaccine or mRNA-1215. The virus is usually spread to humans from animals, contaminated food, or direct human-to-human transmission.

Apart from these vaccines, Moderna has also developed mRNA-based vaccines against the Zika virus, and pandemic influenza or H7N9 vaccine. Also, the company is developing vaccines against other infections, such as the cytomegalus virus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV), and the parainfluenza type 3 (PIV3) vaccine (mRNA-1653), to name a few.

To date, there are more than 91.77 million COVID-19 cases now reported globally. Of these, 1.96 million have already died.

Modernas COVID-19 vaccine has a reported 94.1% efficacy at preventing Covid-19 illness, including severe disease.
Trump Calls on Americans to Help Ensure Peaceful Transition: NO Violence and NO Lawbreaking

President Donald Trump on Wednesday called on all Americans to not engage in any violent demonstrations, vandalism, or lawbreaking ahead of the Jan. 20 inauguration.

In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking, and NO vandalism of any kind, Trump said. That is not what I stand for and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You.

The Epoch Times reached out to the White House for comment. Trumps statement will go out as an email from the White House press office and the White House will post the statement through the presidents social media accounts. The report also cited an advisor as saying that the president wants Big Tech companies to assist in disseminating his message of non-violence.

It came after the president was suspended from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other tech platforms.

Other Republicans and Trump surrogates have called for no violence following the U.S. Capitol breach.

Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel stated Wednesday that violence has no place in our politics. Period.

I wholly condemned last weeks senseless acts of violence, and I strongly reiterate the calls to remain peaceful in the weeks ahead, McDaniel remarked. Those who partook in the assault on our nations Capitol and those who continue to threaten violence should be found, held accountable, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

She added: Let me be clear: Anyone who has malicious intent is not welcome in Washington, D.C. or in any other state capitol. The peaceful transition of power is one of our nations founding principles and is necessary for our country to move forward.

The breach occurred during the Jan. 6 Joint Session of Congress as members were counting to certify the results of the Nov. 3 election. Critics have said Trump incited violence with his rhetoric during a speech to supporters, leading to House Democrats introducing articles of impeachment this week. A vote on impeachment is scheduled for later this week, although its unclear when the Senate might take it up.

McDaniel noted that now is the time to come together as one nation, united in the peaceful pursuit of our common democratic purpose.

Trump attorney Jenna Ellis said that it is possible (and correct) to support election integrity, the Constitution, and free speech and also condemn violence, adding: We are a nation under the rule of law.

Ellis remarked that some leftists and media outlets are attempting to create a narrative that the Trump teams support for election integrity is supporting violence against and disdain for the Constitution.

Some on the right are trying to build a false narrative that support for the Constitution is condemning election integrity, Ellis remarked.

New Delhi, Jan 13 : Jamiat Ulema-i-Hind President Arshad Madani has emphasised the need for higher education for the Muslim community and said the current situation in the country can only be countered through education.

"The kind of religious and ideological war that has now started in the whole country cannot be countered with any weapon or technology but the only way to win this war is to equip our new generation with higher education. We should enable them to use their knowledge and consciousness to defeat their opponents in this ideological war and to reach the milestones of success and prosperity," said Madani.

He alleged that all the post-independence governments had excluded Muslims from good education through their policies. The report of the Sachar Committee discloses this bitter truth which clearly states that Muslims lag far behind even Dalits in the field of education, he said.

He asked if this happened spontaneously or Muslims deliberately withdrew themselves from education. "All the governments that have come to power have kept us backward in education, as they may have realised that if Muslims move forward in the field of education, they will rise to the highest positions with their abilities and talents. Efforts have been made to isolate Muslims from the national mainstream of education through tricks and obstacles." He stressed that now is the time for Muslims to get their children educated at any cost. "We urgently need schools and colleges in which our children can get higher education with religious identity in the world without any hindrance or discrimination." "Unfortunately, Indian Muslims, especially the wealthy Muslims of northern India, are not paying attention to what is most important to us at this moment," he said.

He cautioned the community that today Muslims are more interested in spending on other things but they are not paying enough attention to education.
EDWARDSVILLE  A man shot by a Madison County deputy in Missouri Dec. 30 following an alleged armed robbery in Glen Carbon and subsequent car chase now faces additional charges for two similar incidents in local store parking lots.

Earl A. Barber, 41, of Ferguson, was charged Jan. 12 with two counts of attempt armed robbery, both Class 1 felonies; unlawful possession of weapons by a felon, a Class 3 felony related to a Dec. 27 incident in Collinsville; and three separate charges of theft from the person, all Class 3 felonies, stemming from incidents in Collinsville on Dec. 1, Glen Carbon on Dec. 4 and Edwardsville on Dec. 14.

Bail for the new charges was set at $250,000.

Barber had previously been charged in Illinois with two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, robbery, and unlawful possession of weapon by a felon, all Class 2 felonies, stemming from the Dec. 27 incident in Glen Carbon. He faces charges of resisting arrest by fleeing, a Class E. felony, in St. Louis County.

These additional charges stem from the excellent police work of Collinsville, Glen Carbon, and Edwardsville Police Departments, who have been investigating multiple unsolved purse-snatchings across the area, Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine said. Today we charged Barber with two attempted armed robberies and three other purse-snatching thefts.

We are working hard to stop the flow of cross-river criminals into Madison County, Haine added. I encourage citizens to notify the police of any additional information of criminal activity.

According to Madison County court documents, on Dec. 27 Barber attempted to steal two womens purses in the Walmart parking lot at 1040 Collinsville Crossing, while armed with a handgun. Because of prior drug-related felony convictions, Barber cannot possess firearms.

The other charges stem from a Dec. 1 incident in the parking lot of the Collinsville Walmart, on Dec. 4 in the Glen Carbon Walmart parking lot, and Dec. 14 in the Edwardsville Target parking lot, where he stole purses from different women.

The Dec. 30 incident Glen Carbon police received a report of a strong-arm robbery near the Glen Carbon Walmart, and were later told the two suspects had fled and were shooting at witnesses from their vehicle.

The victim was identified as a 45-year-old woman. The two had allegedly attempted to steal her purse.

Glen Carbon, Pontoon Beach and Madison County officers pursued the pair to Shardell Drive and Poggemoeller Avenue, where Barber, the passenger, got out of the vehicle and was shot by a Madison County sheriffs deputy. A handgun was recovered at the scene.

He was taken to a St. Louis area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The second suspect, Benjamin N. Smith, 48, of St. Louis, was taken into custody without incident.

Both remain in custody in St. Louis County.

Because the shooting occurred in Missouri, the St. Louis County Police Departments Bureau of Crimes Against Persons is leading the investigation.

Media Relations Officer Tracy Panus said Tuesday there were no updates on the status of the investigation.
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - Faced with an upsurge in the number of covid-19 positive cases in Burkina Faso, the army on Wednesday issued a statement making it mandatory for its ranks to wear masks, PANA learned from an official source

The press office of the Presidency reported through a statement that President Sebastian Pinera and the first lady, Cecilia Morel, were notified of being in close contact with a person who tested positive for Covid-19.

Both were in close contact with a person who works at the household of the couple. Further information on the matter wasnt provided, nor did they say if there are ministers or other government officials who may be affected for being in contact with the President.

According to La Moneda, both the President and his wife had a PCR test performed this Monday, which tested negative. However, as indicated by health standards, they will be in a preventive quarantine while maintaining their telematic activities.

Both President Pinera and the first lady dont have symptoms and the PCR test that was conducted yesterday, Monday, January 11 at 8:00 p.m., had a negative result, was stated through the document.

During this Tuesday morning, President Pinera participated in an activity along with Interior and Public Security Minister, Rodrigo Delgado, and Defense Minister, Baldo Prokurica, who still dont know whether or not they are also considered to be close contacts.

In regards to this, the Minister Secretary General of the Government, Jaime Bellolio, explained that having a PCR test performed is part of an active search of the President. An asymptomatic person who works at his home tested positive, but he and the first lady tested negative, which is why people who have been with the President recently dont have to quarantine, except for other measures that we all know: social distancing, wearing a mask and washing your hands as often as possible.

The spokesman also pointed out that there is no point in having a PCR test performed soon, since the recent PCR test was negative. They could have another performed in a few more days, although the protocol says that the President must be in quarantine for 14 days. Therefore, even if a PCR test were to be conducted in three or four days and it had a negative result again, even so, he would still have quarantine for 14 days.
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A 'bloody, violent attack' by a patient at a regional NSW hospital has left workers with 'flesh torn from (their) body', bite wounds, concussion, broken ribs, torn cartilage and other injuries, the health workers' union says.

Five staff were hurt in the incident at Port Macquarie Base Hospital at 4am on Saturday morning, which NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard has described as 'atrocious'.

The man had been brought to the hospital's emergency department in handcuffs by police and was under the supervision of one health and security assistant.

Mental health patient has injured five hospital workers after he became aggressive and wanted to leave the Port Macquarie Base Hospital. Pictured: worker who had 'flesh torn from their body'

He had already absconded earlier in the morning and was placed in the emergency department's mental health room after police brought him back.

Five more assistants were called to restrain the patient when he became aggressive and tried to leave.

They were injured in a violent struggle.

One worker has five broken ribs and torn cartilage, and one has concussion after being slammed to the ground.

Another has deep bite wounds on his shoulder, another has cuts and bruises, and the fifth is being assessed for a broken arm, the Health Services Union (HSU) says.

HSU NSW Secretary Gerard Hayes says it was a miracle nobody was killed.

'One of our members has literally had flesh torn from his body. Another had his head slammed to the ground. This horrific, unforgettable act of violence will deeply affect everyone injured and also those who witnessed it,' Mr Hayes said in a statement.

A spokesperson for Mr Hazzard told AAP the minister was 'appalled' by the attack.

The spokesperson said the minister shared the HSU's concerns and had requested a full investigation.

The incident left the workers with bite wounds, concussion, broken ribs, torn cartilage and other injuries. Pictured: Port Macquarie Base Hospital

'To have health and security staff attacked when they are doing their job of looking after patients and the community is nothing short of atrocious,' the spokesperson said.

'If it is found the safety protocols need to be changed, they will be.'

Security staff stopped work on Wednesday morning to discuss the issue and call for an urgent review of the protocols for transferring patients from police custody to hospitals.

Violence in hospitals happens 'virtually on a daily basis, definitely on a weekly basis' throughout the country, Mr Hayes said.

His first thought when he heard about the incident was 'oh no, here we go again'.

'It's just awful, it's nearly in their job description that you've got to be belted every now and then.'

Police officers (pictured) had brought the man to the hospital's emergency department in handcuffs after he was absconded earlier in the morning

Mr Hayes sheeted blame to NSW Health, saying it was not the role of police to ensure the safety of staff, patients and visitors at hospitals.

'Unless there is a serious commitment from the Ministry of Health and the local health districts to deal with security and safety within hospitals proactively by enhancing resourcing, training and qualifications, we're just going keep seeing this stuff and it's going to get worse,' he said.

'I'm just so sick of having this discussion.'

The HSU is renewing its calls for security staff numbers to be increased by the hundreds at hospitals.

Hospital security staff should also be able to restrain and detain violent patients without a doctor's direction, the HSU says.

Mr Hayes will meet with the health ministry and the chief executive of the mid north coast local health district to discuss the issue in the coming days.

Mr Hazzard's spokesperson said it was important that the alleged offender is held to account, and that he would hopefully receive a penalty that reflects the injuries sustained.
A 33-year-old New Jersey man was arrested Tuesday at Newark Liberty International Airport after being found with a handgun at a security checkpoint, authorities said.

The Florham Park residents firearm was found as it went through an X-ray machine in Terminal A, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.

He told TSA officers that he forgot that he had his handgun with him.

Michael J. McGovern was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon, according to a Port Authority police spokeswoman.

McGovern faces a fine that can range from $4,100 to $13,669 in addition to criminal penalties.

The TSA noted the inconvenience to other travelers.

When an individual shows up at a checkpoint with a firearm, the checkpoint lane comes to a standstill until the police resolve the incident, the statement said. Guns at checkpoints can delay travelers from getting to their gates.

The gun was the first confiscated at Newark Liberty International Airport this year.

Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JGoldmanNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Tensions with China escalated again today as Tories warned the 'Golden Age' in relations is over - and Beijing accused the UK of 'spreading lies' about human rights abuses.

A war of words is raging after Boris Johnson lashed out at 'demented' Chinese medicine for helping trigger the coronavirus pandemic, and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab threatened fines for firms that profit from slave labour.

A damning report backed by a slew of senior Conservatives today highlights a slew of issues including 'violations of freedom of expression, freedom of religion or belief, arbitrary disappearances and detention, and force television confessions'.

Ex-Cabinet minister Lord Hague said the UK must have its 'eyes fully open' in its ties with China, while Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat said: 'It is clear the Golden Era is over and the UK, and our allies, need to rethink our relations with China's dictatorship.'

Tory MPs have been pushing ministers to take a more robust approach to the Asian superpower, including relying less heavily on Huawei for the UK's 5G network.

But Beijing delivered a stinging rebuke to the government over the measures announced by Mr Raab yesterday, saying it will 'take all necessary measures to defend national interests and dignity and firmly safeguard its sovereign, security and development interests'.

Beijing has accused the UK of 'spreading lies' about human rights abuses. Pictured, President Xi Jinping this week

Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Tugendhat (left) said: 'It is clear the Golden Era is over.' Boris Johnson (pictured right in 2018) risked the wrath of China this week by lashing out at 'demented' medicine that grinds up pangolin

What has Covid got to do with pangolins? Pangolins - which have been illegally traded for centuries and used in traditional Chinese medicine - have been implicated in the emergence of coronavirus in China last winter. Scientists are almost certain the virus first emerged in bats. But, because bats are not usually able to infect humans directly, they believe the virus was passed to an intermediate species before jumping to people. Pangolins appear to be immune to Covid-19, which makes them a prime carrier of the virus and would have allowed them to act as an unharmed vector carrying the virus from bats deep in the wild, where they live, to public markets where the scaly creatures are illicitly traded. All eight species of pangolin are supposed to be protected from trafficking by international law. Yet they are one of the most bought and sold mammals in Asia and Africa, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Based on reported seizures between 2011 and 2013, more than 230,000 pangolins are killed every year. But experts believe the official seizures represent as little as 10 per cent of the actual number being traded on the black market. In Asian countries, particularly China and Vietnam, pangolin meat is a delicacy and their scales are used as ingredients for traditional medicine, to treat ailments such as skin diseases, menstrual disorders and arthritis. Chinese law states that selling pangolins is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. The prevailing theory is that Covid-19 emerged in Wuhan's infamous wet market, where hundreds of different species of animals were kept in cramped cages dangerously close to one another, sometime last winter. Scientists have described such markets as the perfect breeding ground for new, pandemic-causing viruses. Pangolins were not listed on an inventory of items sold at the Huanan Seafood Market, however the illegality of trading pangolins could explain their exclusion from the list. The black market trade in the creature has also been previously implicated in oubreaks of bird flu. World Health Organization experts will visit the city of Wuhan, where the coronavirus was first detected in late 2019, on Thursday at the start of their investigation into the origins of the pandemic, Chinese authorities have said. China has denied that the market - or pangolins - are involved in the spread of the virus, and its authoritarian regime has blamed other countries such as India for the outbreak. Another theory is that the virus was engineered at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a high-security biochemical lab in the city. One of America's most senior government officials last week claimed this was the most 'credible' origin theory. Matthew Pottinger, president Donald Trump's Deputy National Security Adviser, told politicians from around the world that even China's leaders now openly admit their previous claims that the virus originated in a Wuhan market are false. Mr Pottinger said that the latest intelligence points to the virus leaking from the top-secret Wuhan Institute of Virology, 11 miles from the market, saying: 'There is a growing body of evidence that the lab is likely the most credible source of the virus.' In a zoom call with UK MPs he claimed the pathogen may have escaped through a 'leak or an accident', adding: 'Even establishment figures in Beijing have openly dismissed the wet market story.' Like the wet markets, China has denied the lab having anything to do with the outbreak. The visit to Wuhan by the WHO team is already mired in controversy after it published terms of reference revealing it will not investigate the Wuhan institute  the only laboratory in China with the highest international bio-security grading  as a possible source of Covid-19. Scientists have previously said that Covid-19 unique spike protein and its ability to latch onto human cells so efficiently mean generic engineering shouldn't be ruled out. Advertisement

Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said: 'Individual countries including the UK have funded, concocted and deliberately spread lies and rumours to smear and discredit China on the pretext of so-called human rights issues.

'It fully exposes their hypocrisy and sinister intentions to curb the development and progress of Xinjiang and interfere in China's internal affairs.'

In an environmental speech to world leaders earlier this week, Mr Johnson tore into people who 'grind up the scales of a pangolin' in a bid to become more 'potent' - a thinly veiled attack on Chinese remedies.

He said: 'Obviously it's right to focus on climate change, obviously it's right to cut CO2 emissions, but we won't achieve a real balance with our planet unless we protect nature as well.

'One final thought, don't forget that the coronavirus pandemic was the product of an imbalance in man's relationship with the natural world.

'Like the original plague which struck the Greeks I seem to remember in book one of the Iliad, it is a zoonotic disease.

'It originates from bats or pangolins, from the demented belief that if you grind up the scales of a pangolin you will somehow become more potent or whatever it is people believe, it originates from this collision between mankind and the natural world and we've got to stop it.'

But China hit back at the PM after his comments, with a spokesman saying: 'We've said many times that origin tracing is a scientific matter.

'There is no room, no place, for people making speculations, hyping up - otherwise it will only disrupt international co-operation.'

Conservative insiders detected the influence of the PM's fiancee Carrie Symonds in his incendiary remarks.

Ms Symonds has been vocal in her opposition to wet markets, where the animals are sold, gaining praise from Peta as it announced her as one of its most influential activists of 2020

Former Tory aides told MailOnline she was 'definitely' behind Mr Johnson's conservation push and are growing concerned that her enthusiasm for such issues are eating up too much of the Government's bandwidth at the expense of other policy areas.

One Tory insider said: 'When the f*** was he talking about the environment before he got with her? I've never seen Boris talk about the environment.

'It's also a tangential issue. It is completely lacking any political antennae. it is not mission critical. This government should be about the public's agenda, not Carrie's agenda.'

The Tory said there was a 'time and a place' to talk about conservation issues, and this was 'not it'.

Mr Johnson made the remarks in a virtual speech to the One Planet Summit, hosted by France's President Macron, citing the illegal trade in the scaly anteater-like creatures.

They are widely used in Chinese medicine and their trafficking has been blamed for transmitting the virus from bats found in the wild to humans.

The first documented cases of the Covid-19 were in the Chinese city of Wuhan, with a wet market trading in exotic animals being seen as the probable source.

Mr Raab announced yesterday that British firms will face heavy fines if they are lined to Chinese human rights abuse and companies will have to meet requirements showing their supply chains are free from forced labour in the Xinjiang province.

The Beijing government has been accused of widespread abuse in the area, home to the Muslim Uighurs, including allegations of forced sterilisation, slave labour and mass internment.

Members of the Uighur minority group have reportedly been made to pick cotton in Xinjiang province, leading to concerns British consumers could inadvertently be buying tainted goods.

Mr Raab said companies will be given robust guidance on how to carry out due diligence checks to make sure they are not sourcing products tainted by the human rights violations in the province.

He told MPs the picture of human rights abuses in Xinjiang was 'harrowing' and the UK had a 'moral duty to respond'.

Pangolins inhabit tropical forests in India, China, south-east Asia and parts of Africa.

Out of the eight existing sub-species, three are critically endangered, and all of them are protected by international treaty.

The general hunting and trading of pangolins have been banned in China since the late 1980s, but the exotic mammals are still trafficked by the thousands for their perceived nutritional value.

Their scales are deemed as a previous ingredient by believers of traditional Chinese medicine and its than 123 tons were sold in 2019 on the black market.

People also eat their meat for the supposed health benefits and the animals' blood is seen as a healing tonic.

China has previously denied pangolin are a vector for moving the virus from bats to humans.

Last year researchers in the Communist state found that the animals are indeed natural hosts for various coronaviruses, but do not appear to be the direct source of Covid-19.

Pictured: A map showing the nine countries China has blamed for the outbreak of Covid-19

In November a different team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences claimed the virus likely originated in India in summer 2019 - jumping from animals to humans via contaminated water - before travelling unnoticed to Wuhan, where it was first detected.

Mr Johnson has previously called for greater protection for pangolins.

In 2018 he wrote a newspaper article calling for greater efforts to track down on hunting and smuggling the mammal.

He wrote: 'As we get older we human beings are capable of all manner of self-deception. We go under the knife in the hope of looking younger. We take pills and potions of dubious efficacity.

'But in the annals of human folly there is surely nothing more delusional than the belief still prevalent in large parts of Asia that a man can somehow rectify his waning virility by grinding and eating the scales of a pangolin.

'And yet that is what they do. The tragedy is that all eight species of pangolin are now endangered, two of them critically so.

'We are losing them to poachers at a rate of 100,000 a year. They are smuggled, butchered and cooked  all for the sake of their mythical medicinal qualities.'

The 2021 Martin Luther King Jr. Oratorical Contest will give five students a chance to discuss what they believe King would see as today's most important social justice issues and how to address them.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event will be held virtually via Zoom from noon to 1 p.m. Jan. 27. Students, faculty and staff can register for the free event in UNG Connect.

"We're very proud of the students we have selected and their ideas. It's so very important for us as an institution to give students a voice," said Dr. Robert Robinson, UNG's director of Multicultural Student Affairs. "Once they have that voice, they can take it into society and grow and develop from there."

Nathalia Ingles, a sophomore from Buford, Georgia, pursuing a degree in communication with a public relations concentration, was the winner of last year's Gainesville Campus event. Though the contest traditionally is split into separate events on the Dahlonega and Gainesville campuses, the virtual format will bring students from all five campuses together.

In this year's contest, Ingles plans to discuss how students can expand their social justice efforts beyond simply engaging topics on social media. She said this requires a selfless approach centered on compassion.

"Every social justice issue we fight for is not a matter of minutes. It's not something that's going to go away in a few days. It's something we need to continue to fight for until we get results," Ingles said. "We should fight for what we believe is important in social justice, not just what's the major story at the time."

Coleman James, a dual-enrolled student from Ellijay, Georgia, taking classes on UNG's Blue Ridge Campus, will talk about how to preserve the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals through voting and contacting legislators.

"I'm very passionate about this because this is my life. This is not a hashtag," James said. "This is people's lives that need to be protected. As a society, we can help people by making small changes that help in a big way."

Madison Walker, a junior from Dacula, Georgia, pursuing a degree in interdisciplinary studies, said COVID-19 has exposed some of the inequalities in income and health care. Walker will discuss potential ways to address these issues, which are magnified for minorities.

"The pandemic has shown who has the privilege to stay at home and who doesn't," Walker said. "Without grocery store, fast food, and health care workers, we wouldn't have much of a society left."

The Communication, Media and Journalism Department helps provide judges for the contest.

Robinson is eager to see the students present their ideas.

"We are excited to give students this platform after a summer of social awareness and awakening," he said.
Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has announced a package of measures to help ensure that British organisations are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in Xinjiang

The UK government has announced tougher restrictions for companies to prevent goods linked to China's Xinjiang region from entering the supply chain.

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has outlined a package of measures to help ensure that British organisations, whether public or private sector, are not complicit in, nor profiting from, the human rights violations in Xinjiang.

These include launching a review into which UK products can be exported to Xinjiang and the introduction of financial penalties for businesses that do not comply with the Modern Slavery Act. Further measures include increasing support for UK public bodies to exclude businesses complicit in human rights violations from their supply chains. Together these measures will help UK organisations ensure that they are not contributing to the abuse of the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, according to the government.

Specifically, the measures include:

A review of export controls as they apply to Xinjiang to ensure the Government is doing all it can to prevent the exports of goods that may contribute to human rights abuses in the region. This review will determine which additional specific products will be subject to export controls in future.

The introduction of financial penalties for organisations who fail to meet their statutory obligations to publish annual modern slavery statements, under the Modern Slavery Act.

New, robust and detailed guidance to UK business setting out the specific risks faced by companies with links to Xinjiang and underlining the challenges of effective due diligence there.

The Government will provide guidance and support for all UK public bodies to use public procurement rules to exclude suppliers where there is sufficient evidence of human rights violations in supply chains. Compliance will be mandatory for central government, non-departmental bodies and executive agencies

A Minister-led campaign of business engagement to reinforce the need for UK businesses to take action to address the risk.

"The evidence of the scale and severity of the human rights violations being perpetrated in Xinjiang against the Uyghur Muslims is now far reaching. Today we are announcing a range of new measures to send a clear message that these violations of human rights are unacceptable, and to safeguard UK businesses and public bodies from any involvement or linkage with them," said Raab.

"This package will help make sure that no British organisations, Government or private sector, deliberately or inadvertently, profit from or contribute to the human rights violations against the Uyghurs or other minorities in Xinjiang."

Home Secretary Priti Patel added: "Britain will always stand up for those suffering dreadful human rights abuses and today we are bringing forward measures which will help protect the minority populations in Xinjiang.

"Businesses and public bodies must be more vigilant than ever before and ensure they are not inadvertently allowing forced labour in their supply chains."

While Trade Secretary Liz Truss said the new measures demonstrate "that we will not turn a blind eye nor tolerate complicity in the human rights abuses taking place in Xinjiang."

She added: "Forced labour, anywhere in the world, is unacceptable. This government wants to work with businesses to support responsible practices, and ensure British consumers are not unwittingly buying products that support the cruelty we are witnessing against the Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang."

Last week, UK retailer M&S became one of the first brands to formally sign the Call to Action on human rights abuses  "Brand Commitment to Exit the Uyghur Region"  as it looks to drive meaningful change at scale in the Xinjiang region.

A report from the Center of Global Policy revealed last month upward of half a million people were forced to pick cotton through the government's coercive labour training and transfer scheme.

While the Call to Action by a coalition of civil society and trade unions outlines a series of asks of businesses in order to ensure that their supply chains are not linked to these human rights abuses. It has been backed by the Ethical Trade Initiative.
Quebec racing has lost one of its most active boosters with the passing of Michel Leduc, age 63, on Tuesday (Jan. 12).

Leduc was a racehorse owner and longtime organizer and Standardbred Canada representative on Quebec's regional racing circuit, which had inducted him into its Hall of Fame.

"We've lost a major figure," said Paul-Andre Lavigne, president of the regional circuit. "He was dynamic, outgoing, full of ideas, and really helped establish our circuit."

Originally from Montreal, Leduc had moved to the Gaspe region in recent years and was active in the organization of the regional circuit races in the town of Nouvelle.

In 2020, he contracted COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a time in Quebec City. He was released and went back to the Gaspe, but other health complications forced a return to hospital.

"He'd been sick for a while, but that's not something he wanted to talk about," Lavigne said. "What he wanted to talk about was racing. That's what lit him up."

Gilles Fortier of the provincial horsemen's association, ATAQ, spoke with Leduc by telephone during his hospitalization.

"He was so devoted to racing, always ready to lend a hand, always present," Fortier said.

Funeral plans are still indeterminate.

Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the friends and family of Michel Leduc.

(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)

Islamabad:

A Pakistani lawmaker has called for thorough investigations into the countrys nuclear proliferation to Iran and North Korea during former military ruler Pervez Musharrafs regime.

Pakistan Peoples Party senator Farhatullah Babar said on Friday that the father of Pakistans nuclear programme A Q Khan had been singled out for nuclear proliferation and demanded that the entire network be exposed.

Seeking thorough investigations into nuclear proliferation, Babar said 73-year-old Musharraf, in his book In the Line of Fire, concedes that several tonnes of nuclear material and drawings had been smuggled from Pakistan to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

But only 81-year-old Khan was singled out for nuclear proliferation, he was quoted as saying by Dawn News.

Babar argued that it was impossible for any single individual to smuggle out huge centrifuge machines and other nuclear material without connivance and assistance of other players.

He called for an enquiry into the matter and bringing to book all those involved in the scam. He said that the entire network should be exposed and insisted that it must include big names, the report said.

Also read: Three men, 96 children: Tale of Pakistan's growing population

Babars demand came after Hafiz Hamdullah of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl asked during a Senate session why Khans name had not even been mentioned during Yaum-i-Takbeer celebrations on May 28.

Hamdullah said that Khan was a national hero but had been degraded and insulted by Musharraf.

Musharraf ruled Pakistan till 2008 after toppling the government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999 to come to power.

Also read: Pak's US envoy laughed at for saying 'no safe terror sanctuaries in his nation'

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Energy Minister Yuriy Vitrenko calls on NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy to more actively seek the transfer by Gazprom of the point of sale of resources to the border with the Russian Federation, which would make it possible to form the gas price on the basis of the "hub minus" principle.

Naftogaz, both before and now, must work for this option to be available. And while there is no perfect competition, the state determines the level [of gas prices] ... So that vulnerable consumers do not suffer from the fact that Naftogaz does not do something in the national interest," he said on Facebook commenting on pricing on the gas market.

At the same time, Vitrenko noted that European companies, having received the opportunity to buy gas on the Russian-Ukrainian border, will be able to sell it in Ukraine at a "hub minus" price, and Ukraine will buy it not from Gazprom, but from the same companies, but on the eastern border.

He also stressed that the terms of the contract with Gazprom in 2019 fully allow for gas supplies on the basis of the "hub minus" principle, noting that the first step towards this was the decision of the Stockholm arbitration to establish the "hub" principle for Ukraine.

"I first made a hub, and this brought Ukraine $ 2 billion, then a new contract for $ 7.2 billion, which finally removed even technical barriers for 'hub minus'," Vitrenko wrote, noting that the dismissal from Naftogaz did not allow him to reach the next stage, namely the establishment of the "hub minus" principle.

At the same time, the minister drew attention to the strategic need to switch from gas imports to exports, which would make it possible to form the price of gas at export parity.
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Participation in junior ROTC and interactions with officers in high school inspired Sara Obermeyer to join the military. The University of North Georgia (UNG) provided the ideal venue to chase that goal.

When she discovered the UNG Military Scholarship, an $85,000 value over a four-year period, it was a no-brainer. Obermeyer received one of the state-funded scholarships given to Georgia residents who enlist in the Georgia Army National Guard while at UNG. Forty-two UNG Military Scholarships (UNGMS) are available annually and recipients commission as National Guard officers upon graduation.

Obermeyer was one of 48 cadets who began their time as UNG cadets with Freshman Recruit Orientation Group (FROG) Week during Jan. 5-10. Among that group were 35 National Guard soldiers who completed basic training in the fall before starting at UNG.

"It means a lot because I definitely would not be able to pursue my dreams and passions if I didn't get that scholarship," said Obermeyer, a freshman pursuing a degree in psychology.

Dillon Evans, a senior from Columbus, Georgia, pursuing a degree in modern languages with a concentration in Chinese for global professionals, is the Headquarters Company commander in UNG's Corps of Cadets and the executive officer for the National Guard detachment on UNG's Dahlonega Campus.

Three years ago, Evans was in the same position as Obermeyer as a freshman. He can appreciate the transition from basic training to FROG Week.

"Going to basic training was a really great primer for coming here," Evans said. "But it's nothing like getting acclimated to being led by your peers for a week straight, always under supervision."

That element of the corps, where cadet leaders plan and execute all events under the guidance of the commandant staff, makes UNG stand out.

"We're a 24-hour leadership laboratory, which is going to help you be a great officer and a great leader in the community, as well," said Mike Ivy, director of Cadet Admissions.

Receiving UNGMS funds has helped Evans succeed.

"I've been able to focus completely on my academics and making sure that I get as many leadership opportunities as possible," Evans said.

The scholarship application deadline is Feb. 15. High school seniors may still apply for the UNGMS after the deadline. However, qualified and completed applications received after the deadline will be put on the waitlist.

Applications, which are open to accepted students, include a recommendation from a Georgia congressional representative and an essay about why the applicant would be a good recipient. Applicants must have a 3.0 GPA and be interviewed.

More than a third of UNG's roughly 700-member corps serves in the National Guard, and the university commissions about 40 officers into the Georgia Army National Guard annually. Brig. Gen. Dwayne Wilson, '93, became the latest UNG alumnus to lead the Georgia Army National Guard when he took command in October.

The scholarship pays for room, meals, tuition, books, uniforms, and fees. In addition, recipients earn National Guard weekend drill pay, GI Bill, and pay for attending Army basic and advanced training.
"These are the communities that have been hit the hardest because sometimes these patients have pre-existing conditions that they're not even aware that they have, Bell says. They have to travel longer distances to see even their primary care providers. Combine that with inflexible work schedules and lack of transportation, and it increases your chances of missing that appointment, Bell adds.

Underlying health conditions play a big role in increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19. If left unmanaged, the consequences can be deadly. A CDC report found that hospitalizations for people with COVID-19 were six times higher for patients with underlying health conditions, compared to otherwise healthy individuals. Deaths were 12 times higher.

Chronic health conditions are more common in older adults, and many are also more prevalent in Black Americans. What's more, older adults across all races suffer from weaker immune systems, which makes them more susceptible to infections and less capable of fighting them off.

Jobs, housing play a role in virus spread, too

While many COVID-19 patients at Howard have been older Black adults, Bell and her colleagues have also cared for severely ill individuals in their 30s and 40s  and she points to their jobs as the reason.

"A lot of those patients are essential workers, the people who work in the grocery stores or work in health care facilities. Those are the people who have had to keep working in spite of stay-at-home orders, she notes.

In fact, Black workers are more likely than other workers to be in front-line jobs where they are at increased risk for exposure to the coronavirus, according to an analysis from the Economic Policy Institute. And this affects older adults because African Americans are more likely to live in extended family households, Taylor explains. The essential worker may be more likely to spread the disease within a particular household, especially to the more vulnerable older person, he adds.

Often, these essential jobs pay low wages, and because of that, they're not only more likely to have more exposure to the virus and bring it home, they're also more likely to work in two or three different facilities, further increasing exposure to the virus and their risk for contracting and spreading it, Taylor notes.

Like Black Americans, Hispanics also make up a significant share of the essential workforce and are more likely than whites to live in multigenerational households, according to research from Pew Research Center. Their rates of coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths are higher than their white peers, as well, especially among Black Hispanics, a recent study out of Boston Medical Center shows.

Older Black people who don't live with family members are much more likely to live in nursing homes that have poor levels of quality that are probably less likely to be able to do the types of rigorous training protocols and social distancing measures that others can implement, Taylor says. A New York Times analysis found that nursing homes with a high number of Black and Hispanic residents have been twice as likely to get hit by the coronavirus, compared to facilities where the population is mostly white, regardless of the home's government rating.

Solutions lie in improving baseline health care for everyone'

The disproportionate burden that COVID-19 has had on older Black adults isn't limited to physical health; the virus has had a harmful effect on their mental well-being, as well. With churches, community centers and long-term care facilities limiting in-person gatherings and visits, many have relied on smartphones and computers to keep in touch with loved ones.

"But there is a digital divide between African Americans and whites, with African Americans having lower access to the internet, which obviously means lower access to things like Zoom and other communication devices, Taylor says. Plus, while nearly 80 percent of younger adults have access to high-speed internet at home, only 59 percent of adults 65 and older do, according to a report from Pew Research Center.

Just as there isn't one factor to blame for the high rate of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths among older Black Americans, there isn't one single solution that can reverse the trends. But more standardized reporting on race and ethnicity among COVID-19 patients is a good place to start, experts say.

"If we can't measure it, it's really hard to explain what's going on and capture it in a way that forces change, says Sarah Kimball, M.D., an assistant professor at Boston University School of Medicine and codirector of the Immigrant & Refugee Health Center at Boston Medical Center.
BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's recently-unveiled plan on building the rule of law in the country has laid out systematic arrangements for promoting a law-based society and provided a road map for its overall promotion in the coming years, law experts noted.

The plan to build the rule of law in China (2020-2025), issued by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, states that the rule of law is a hallmark of human civilization's progress, as well as the basic way of governance.

This is the first time since the founding of the People's Republic of China and the founding of the CPC that the CPC Central Committee has directly formulated and implemented a plan for building the rule of law in China, making systematic plans and arrangements from a comprehensive strategic perspective, said Hu Jianmiao, a law professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee (the National Academy of Governance).

Calling the release of the plan a new chapter for building the rule of law in China, Mo Jihong, a law expert with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said in order to advance the rule of law, China must continue to strengthen the leadership of the Party and encourage state organs, social organizations and individual citizens to actively participate in the process.

Experts also agreed that the plan is clearly problem-oriented and reflects a response to public needs.

Taking into consideration the common concerns of the society in recent years, the plan has put forward systematic and targeted legal measures and corresponding goals, said Fu Zitang, president of Southwest University of Political Science and Law.
An independent postmortem was expected to be carried out yesterday on the body of George Nkencho, the man shot by gardai outside his home on December 30 while allegedly armed with a knife.

One postmortem has been carried out to determine the circumstances of his death but the second postmortem is being ordered by the solicitor for the Nkencho family.

It is independent of the one that will form part of the State's investigation by An Garda Siochana and the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission into the fatal shooting.

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It had been unclear if the current Level 5 Covid restrictions would hamper the second postmortem. It was feared a pathologist would be unable to travel from England.

But the independent postmortem was due to be carried out on Tuesday by Professor Jack Crane, the North's former state pathologist.

It remains unclear when Mr Nkencho's body will be released to his family who are anxious to arrange his funeral.

But the family's solicitor, Phelim O'Neill, said it was expected that there would be an update soon.

"George's family would hope that his body would be released to them later this week," he said.

Mr Nkencho (27) was followed by gardai from the Eurospar shop at Hartstown, west Dublin, after the alarm was raised by staff following an alleged confrontation in which it is said he was armed with a knife and assaulted a staff member.

He walked towards his home at Manorsfield Drive in Clonee, a journey of around 10 minutes, as gardai ordered him to stop and put down the knife.

Armed gardai arrived at the scene and tried to use non-lethal force, including pepper spray and a taser, to disable and disarm him.

This was unsuccessful. As Mr Nkencho went to enter his home he was fired on a number of times.

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He was taken to Connolly Hospital in Blanchardstown but was pronounced dead a short time later.

Sources close to the family have said George's sister Gloria had urged gardai to stop before he was shot, and that armed gardai knew there were people in the hallway of the house when they opened fire, with two bullets hitting the window beside the door close to where they were standing.

They say the family will tell investigators they saw their brother being pepper-sprayed at close range by gardai, and will ask why he could not have been disarmed by gardai if they could get that close.

The family has said George was suffering from mental illness at the time of his death.

"The family will say that if the gardai are issuing statements saying they feared George would harm them, then why did they fire shots in their direction and put them in danger," the sources said.

Read More

"They will also say that there was a four-second delay between the fourth and fifth shot.

"They know George was hit more than once, so they will say the fifth shot was not necessary and that George had already been disabled by the time it was fired," they added.

"Three of George's siblings were in the house when he arrived surrounded by gardai.

"His sister opened the door and urged gardai to stop, saying she could talk to George and that he was ill, but she was told to get back inside and then the firing started," the source explained.

Gardai have said they tried non-lethal force first and feared for the safety of themselves and others when the armed garda fired his garda- issue weapon.




Sheriff Mark Garber will award a $500 scholarship on behalf of the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office and the Louisiana Sheriff's Association.

The scholarship will be awarded to a graduating Lafayette Parish high school student who meets the criteria of the scholarship program.

All applications must be received before April 1st.

Mail completed applications to: Lafayette Parish Sheriffs Office

Attn: Sgt. Juliet Stern

316 W Main St.

Lafayette, LA 70501.

Contact Sgt. Juliet Stern at (337) 232-9211 or email at juliet.stern@lafayettesheriff.com with questions.

Full application details: https://www.lsa.org/scholarship
CUNA and the African-American Credit Union Coalition (AACUC) announced a strategic alliance to further diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) within the credit union movement. The collaboration agreement focuses on a scholarship program and an online community for black credit union professionals.

The AACUC is a leading agent of change in the credit union industry. This alliance is an important avenue to bring diverse perspectives and voices to our organizations, said CUNA President/CEO Jim Nussle. We look forward to working alongside the AACUC to strengthen diversity in the credit union industry.

The collaboration agreement between the two organizations includes:
By Kim Petersen

January 12, 2021 " Information Clearing House " - The coverage of groups of people, described as mobs, rioters, or protestors depending on ones prejudice or adherence to accurate reporting, who stormed the Capitol in Washington and the Legislative Council in Hong Kong is revealing for how media and politicians react.

The American media ran headlines such as:

Trump supporters storm Capitol, Washington Post

Inside the mob that swarmed the US Capitol, CNN

A pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol in Washington, LA Times

In Photos: Mob Storms U.S. Capitol Building New York Times

Pro-Trump mob sends US Capitol into chaos, Chicago Tribune

State/corporate media headlines were similar in Canada and the UK.

The mob was encouraged by the words of president Donald Trump. Included in the mob were extreme right-wingers and white-supremacist groups. Of note were the participation of the Falun Gong and Trump-supporting Tibetan sovereignists. The raising of the Tibetan flag at the Capitol Hill imbroglio caused outrage and alarm among some in the Tibetan online community. Imagine what would be the reaction if sovereignist Hawaii flags were raised in Beijing.

CCTV surveillance, for which China is often criticized in the West, has led to some Capitol hill rioters being identified and losing their jobs.

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Wei Ling Chua, author of Democracy: What the West Can Learn from China, commented that unlike US government trained Hong Kong terrorists, Trump supporters did not use arrows, fire bombs, throw stones, or attack the public who expressed different opinions.

Political leaders were quick to condemn the violence that erupted on Capitol Hill Wednesday after protestors stormed buildings and at least one woman was injured in a shooting.

UK PM Boris Johnson said, Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power.

Earlier when speaking of the Hong Kong protestors, Johnson said, So yes I do support them and I will happily speak up for them and back them every inch of the way.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau told the News 1130 Vancouver radio station, Obviously were concerned and were following the situation minute by minute. I think the American democratic institutions are strong, and hopefully everything will return to normal shortly.

Speaking of the protests in Hong Kong, Trudeau directed his criticism at Beijing, We have worked with some of our closest allies including the U.K., Australia and others to condemn the actions taken by China in Hong Kong.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the people who stormed the US legislature were attackers and rioters and that she felt angry and also sad after seeing pictures from the scene.

When it came to the Hong Kong protestors, Merkel focused on the rights of the protestors; she pointed out that these rights and freedoms must of course be guaranteed.

David Sassoli, president of European Parliament, tweeted, Deeply concerning scenes from the US Capitol tonight. Democratic votes must be respected. We are certain the US will ensure that the rules of democracy are protected.

Concerning the unruly situation in Hong Kong  where rioters disrupted the passengers and flights at the international airport, ruined the LegCo, vandalized the metro, trashed university campuses, etc.  the European Parliament put forth a resolution that reads in part: whereas the people of Hong Kong have taken to the streets in unprecedented numbers, peacefully exercising their fundamental right to assemble and to protest; whereas on 12 June, tens of thousands of protesters assembled around the Legislative Council building and its nearby roads, calling on the government to drop its proposed amendments to Hong Kongs extradition law

What triggered the protests in Hong Kong? Some citizens were opposed to extradition of alleged criminals? How has China responded to rioting, sabotage, terrorism, separatism, and even murders by the so-called protestors? Hong Kong is a territory that was under British colonial administration from 1841 to 1997. There was no democracy until 18 directly elected seats were introduced to LegCo in 1991, shortly before the handover to China. When Hong Kong reverted to mainland China as a special autonomous region; it must be noted that once the original demands for rescinding the extradition bill were met, the goal posts of the NED-supported protestors transformed into a purported democracy movement.

Hong Kong democracy fighters face a dire choice: Go abroad or go to jail, Washington Post

Hong Kong police fire tear gas on pro-democracy protesters, CNN

China is desperate to stop Hong Kongs pro-democracy movement, LA Times

Hong Kong Police Arrest Dozens of Pro-Democracy Leaders  New York Times

Hong Kongs pro-democracy protest movement left reeling by Chinas recent power grab, Chicago Tribune

Did China respond with military force? No. With arrests of law-abiding journalists? No. With police brutality? Many observers will acknowledge that police have been incredibly restrained, some would say too restrained in the face of protestor violence.

The protestors, largely disaffected youth, as is apparent in all or most video footage, by and large employ random violence as a tactic, which some of them do not condemn.

I agree that individuals and the citizenry should have the right to protest against acts/measures/situations that are perceived to be unjust. However, when the goal of the protests has been achieved, for subsequent demands to be added by the protestors creates an appearance of disingenuousness.

Furthermore, whether one section of a citizenry have the right to inconvenience, disrupt, create conditions of insecurity, economic hardship for another section of the citizenry calls into question the legitimacy of protests. This is especially called into question when authorities have acceded to the initial demand(s) of the protestors.

A 2017 poll found that 78.4% of Hong Kongers responded affirmatively to the statement Belief that activities demanding political reforms in Hong Kong should be peaceful and non-violent.

Chinese media have tried to expose the western mass media disinformation about the Hong Kong protests. The Global Times, an English-language Chinese newspaper, notes, with a hint of Schadenfreude, the hypocrisy in the pronouncements of western politicians and mass media comparing rioters at the Capitol Hill and in Hong Kong.

Kim Petersen is a former co-editor of the Dissident Voice newsletter. He can be reached at: kimohp@gmail.com. Twitter: @kimpetersen.

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Boris Johnson's pledge of hitting 200,000 vaccinations a day has been met by hard-working medics - as ministers refused to reveal the size of the UK's jab stockpile.

Government figures released this afternoon showed that 223,726 inoculations were carried out yesterday, up from 165,844 on Monday, the first day for which the daily information was available.

The Prime Minister had pledged the 200,000 figure would be reached by Friday as he seeks a way to ease the lockdown as quickly as it is safely possible.

The pressure will now be on to make sure the target is regularly met, but ministers and pharmaceutical bosses were branded 'number phobic' today for keeping the size of the UK's stockpile a secret.

Nadhim Zahawi, No10's minister for Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment, and bosses of drug firm AstraZeneca said they couldn't put numbers on the vaccine deliveries because of 'national security'.

Speaking to MPs on Parliament's Science and Technology Committee this morning, AstraZeneca's UK president, Tom Keith-Roach, said the UK's Vaccines Taskforce had told the company not to publicly reveal any numbers, and Mr Zahawi later refused to do it on behalf of the Government.

Their refusal angered Labour MP Grahame Stringer, who blasted Mr Zahawi, saying: 'You seem phobic to numbers. Why can you not tell us in detail the vaccine capacity that is online?

'People are intelligent, they can recognise there might be hitches - batches might get contaminated in some way. Why can you not tell us those figures, why can you not give us predictions, day-by-day and week-by-week?

'There is a huge national interest in this and you are keeping the figures secret and spending huge amounts of money. Thats an extraordinary position, why are you so phobic to numbers.'

Mr Keith-Roach said AstraZeneca  which is manufacturing Oxford University's Covid jab  had delivered at least 1.1million doses to the NHS so far and would hit 2million per week 'imminently'. He said he was 'confident' there would be more than a million doses given out next week but refused to be any more specific.

Nadhim Zahawi, the Government's minister for Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment (left), and AstraZeneca's UK president, Tom Keith-Roach (right) both refused to reveal the number of doses of the Oxford jab that will be available to use in the UK next week

Deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam  a trained doctor  is now taking a personal stake in the vaccine roll-out by joining front-line medics in Nottingham where he helped to immunise people on Sunday

JONATHAN VAN-TAM JOINS NHS VACCINE DRIVE IN NOTTINGHAM England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, helped the vaccine roll-out first hand on Sunday when he volunteered at a medical centre in Nottingham, giving jabs to elderly local centres. Professor Van-Tam, a trained doctor, was pictured working in full scrubs and protective equipment at the Richard Herrod Centre in Nottingham on Sunday. When not advising the Government he works as a medicine lecturer at Nottingham University and is a flu and viruses expert and former hospital doctor. Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group posted pictures on social media of Professor Jonathan Van-Tam. Professor Van-Tam, left, is shown helping out at the Richard Herrod Centre's vaccination clinic in Nottingham The tweets said that despite helping to lead the national pandemic response, Professor Van-Tam was supporting the vaccine roll-out as a volunteer in his spare time. Professor Van-Tam, known affectionately as JVT, said: 'Thank you to all the volunteers and staff for the professional and warm welcome. 'We are at the worst stage of the pandemic so far and the situation is extremely concerning but your contribution will make a positive difference'. Advertisement

Mr Keith-Roach said AstraZeneca would definitely hit the weekly target before mid-February, by which time Boris Johnson has pledged to get vaccines to the 13million most vulnerable people in England and to review the lockdown rules.

Mr Stringer told Mr Zahawi 'these answers are very annoying' as he also refused to put numbers on the progress of the vaccine roll-out, and the chair of the science committee, Conservative MP Greg Clark, urged him to 'be more forthcoming' in future.

The secrecy around how fast the vaccine doses are being produced means it's impossible to tell whether Britain is delivering on its pledge to dish out jabs as quickly as it gets them or whether supply issues are truly to blame for the slow start to the huge NHS drive, as ministers have claimed.

The number of people in the UK to have been given a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine is 2,639,309 million, according to Government data released on Wednesday, a rise of 207,661 from Tuesday's figures.

Some 91,417 first doses have been given in Northern Ireland, on top of the 2,254,556 in England, 101,371 in Wales and 191,965 in Scotland.

So far, 428,232 second doses have been administered in the UK, including 407,294 in England, 108 in Wales, 17,820 in Northern Ireland and 2,990 in Scotland.

In Northern Ireland there was a day-on-day rise of 7,230 first doses and 2,552 second doses.

In the week between Sunday, January 3, and Sunday, January 11, the total number of people vaccinated across the UK doubled from 1,296,432 to 2,431,648, suggesting they were given out at an average rate of 162,174 per day.

Ministers have repeatedly said the manufacturing and quality-testing process, which takes around three months per batch, is the 'rate-limiting factor' that is slowing down the process.

They insist the NHS is equipped to give out vaccinations as fast as it can get its hands on them. And one member of the Government has taken a hands-on approach to making sure this happens  deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam was pictured working at the vaccine clinic in Nottingham at the weekend.

When asked by members of the science committee to explain how many doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine were being delivered in Britain, Mr Zahawi tried to deflect the question before saying it was a national security issue.

He said: 'The NHS plan has built a deployment infrastructure that can handle the volume that the manufacturers can deliver, that's the assurance I can give you.'

Mr Zahawi explained that batches of vaccines must be tested both by the manufacturer and then the MHRA before they can be used.

On why he wouldn't give a weekly number he said: 'Batches could move week by week because a batch may fail, so it would be, I think, misleading to say to this committee and the house 'this is what we're getting' because the batches do move around and this is part of the supply chain challenge that we have...'

He added: 'It's not about wanting to withhold information from a committee, although there is a consideration here because the whole world is looking to acquire vaccines at the moment and the more we say or, dare I say, show off about how many vaccines [or] batches we're receiving, the more difficult life becomes for the manufacturers.'

Chair of the meeting Greg Clark laughed and said: 'They're not going to zoom into the country and confiscate them from us'.

At the end of the meeting, during which Mr Zahawi had repeatedly refused to put numbers on the roll-out, Mr Clark added: 'We do think that, in keeping with the scientific tradition, that openness and transparency to allow people to be treated as adults and to understand the ups and downs of processes, I think has served us well so far...

'I hope when it comes to some of these figures, and some of these schedules, that you will find the confidence to perhaps be a little more forthcoming in terms of what's in store in the future  if we ask questions about it it's because we have the same interest as you do in making it work.'

Boris Johnson today waded into the confusion over the speed of the vaccine roll-out as he caved into pressure to confirm the UK will dish out vaccines 24/7 'as soon as we can'.

Announcing his latest U-turn in Prime Minister's Questions, the PM claimed the current hold-up was caused by a limited supply as manufacturers can't produce enough to keep all the vaccinators working constantly.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock also hinted a lack of supply was behind the move to get GPs to delay jabs to allow other less-vaccinated parts of the country to catch up.

Number 10 promised to dish out the jabs as quickly as it gets them, in the hope of vaccinating the 13.9million most vulnerable residents by February 15 and getting the UK out of lockdown. But Department of Health statistics show Britain still needs to inoculate 340,000 people a day to have hit the target  nearly 2.4million per week.

With a successful roll-out of the inoculation drive the light at the end of the endless lockdown tunnel, health chiefs have pledged to deliver jabs at 2,700 sites dotted across the UK  including at 50 mass centres and hundreds of local pharmacies.

And Asda today revealed one of its Birmingham stores will dish out the Covid jab, becoming the first supermarket to offer the dish out the jabs on January 25. Superdrug and Boots are expected to begin administering jabs at one site each tomorrow, despite mounting pressure on the NHS to let all 11,000 pharmacies across Britain dish out jabs to help the scheme pick up pace.

Mr Zahawi also said that it was his 'instinct' that frontline key-workers would be next in line for the vaccine after the most at-risk were immunised but said the Government would be guided by the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisations (JCVI).

It comes as Boris Johnson today hailed 'early' signs that the brutal lockdown is bringing coronavirus under control as he clashed with Keir Starmer at PMQs  but refused to rule out tightening the rules further.

Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed on Tuesday that 2.43million people have now had their first dose, up from 2.29m yesterday. Another 20,000 second doses were also added onto the cumulative total

How the Government's vaccine plan breaks down PHASE 1 (FEB 15 TARGET) CARE HOME RESIDENTS - 300,000 CARE HOME WORKERS - 500,000 AGE 80+ - 3,300,000 HEALTHCARE WORKERS - 2,400,000 SOCIAL CARE WORKERS - 1,400,000 AGE 75-79 - 2,300,000 AGE 70-74 - 3,200,000 CLINICALLY EXTREMELY VULNERABLE (UNDER 70) - 1,200,000 PHASE 2 (SPRING) 65-69 2,900,000 AT-RISK UNDER 65 7,300,000 60-64 1,800,000 55-59 2,400,000 50-54 2,800,000 PHASE 3 (AUTUMN) REST OF ADULT POPULATION 21,000,000 Advertisement

On another day of coronavirus chaos in Britain:

England's deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam shot down calls for No10 to adopt a three metre social distancing rule and masking masks compulsory outdoors;

Matt Hancock admitted the NHS is planning to discharge Covid patients into hotels to free up hospital beds, after it was revealed care homes may have to admit patients who haven't had a negative test for the disease;

Shoppers and commuters travelling through London during rush hour were pictured not wearing face masks, hours after the Home Secretary backed a tougher police approach to lockdown rules;

Locked-down Brits questioned if the crackdown has gone too far after a jogger was stopped by a marshal for 'breathing heavily', while a daughter was slapped with a 60 fine for visiting her dementia-suffering mother;

England's outbreak could have started to slow down before the national lockdown started on January 4, data suggested as infection numbers appeared to peak in the worst-hit regions at the start of the year;

Gavin Williamson admitted some schools in England could remain closed beyond the middle of February, as the Education Secretary also refused to guarantee that nurseries will continue to be allowed to stay open.

Mr Keith-Roach told the Commons Science and Technology Committee: 'We are scaling up very rapidly  and this will happen imminently  to releasing two million doses a week.

'We're absolutely on track to do that and therefore deliver tens of millions of doses in the first quarter of the year.

'If we average two million a week through the course of the year, that gets us to the 100 million doses that we're committed to the UK through the course of 2021.'

Later, he added: 'We are scaling up to two million doses a week imminently and we'd certainly hope to be there on or before the middle of February.'

He said the middle of February was a 'conservative position' and said the firm had been asked by the UK Vaccines Taskforce 'not to share in public forum in detail daily delivery schedules and locations for security reasons'.

Boris Johnson confirmed the Government was planning to roll out the vaccine 24/7 'as soon as we can' at Prime Minister's Questions today. Tom Keith-Roach (right), president of AstraZeneca UK, pledged to hit the bold target by mid-February but said he hoped it would reach the goal before then

GPs say they have been told to SLOW vaccine roll-out to over-70s because of a lack of supply GPs leading Britain's great vaccination drive have been forced to pause inoculations to allow other parts of the country to catch up, it was claimed today. Practices that have already vaccinated every patient over the age of 80 and are now looking to dish the jabs out to the over-70s have had their deliveries cancelled by NHS leaders, according to The Telegraph. Government sources claim ministers are deliberately trying to spread out limited supplies in case the immunisation programme is accused of being a postcode lottery. Dr John Bedson, a GP in Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, claimed today that his practice had not yet been able to vaccinate a single patient, despite sugeries in more affluent areas of North Staffordshire already administering 'thousands' of doses. Matt Hancock hinted today that a lack of supply was behind the decision to delay jabs despite the vaccination scheme desperately needing to get up to speed to reach its goal of jabbing 13million Brits by mid-February. Quizzed over reports that GPs are having to pause vaccinations to let other practices catch up, the Health Secretary told BBC Radio's 4 Today Programme: 'The rate-limiting step on the rollout is the supply of the vaccine itself. Advertisement

'As you can imagine it's very sensitive, but I can reassure you that we will scale to two million doses per week very quickly.'

Later, he said the firm could not commit to doses above 2million per week but it may be they could 'increase that somewhat as we move into quarter two'.

Mr Keith-Roach also told MPs the 'vast majority' of the fill-and-finish packing around the vaccines is done in the UK.

He said the manufacture of the vaccine depends on a complex biological process which cannot be carried out more quickly.

'Drug substance manufacture is a 58 to 60-day process that you cannot speed up  that is a complex biological process of actually growing the adenovirus vector,' he said.

Mene Pangalos, executive vice president of biopharmaceuticals research and development at AstraZeneca, added: 'You have to grow cells and cells divide at a certain speed, and you can't do any faster than the speed at which the cells divide.'

Mr Keith-Roach added: 'From drug substance, you have to actually manufacture the drug product. That includes filling and finishing, packaging, batch release  that takes a further 28 days.

'If you look in total, you're talking about a three to four-month process. Within that you have, as you'd imagine, extensive quality testing on every batch  actually there's more than 60 quality tests that are performed.'

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi was accused by Labour MP Graham Stringer of being 'phobic' to the numbers and keeping data on vaccine supplies 'secret'.

Mr Zahawi said 'this idea that we are sitting on lots of stock is not true', adding that deliveries of central stocks were unpredictable at the moment.

He told MPs the initial vaccination supply had been 'lumpy' but he now had 'line of sight' of deliveries to the end of February.

'In any manufacturing process, especially one where you're dealing with a biological compound, a novel vaccine is lumpy at the outset,' he said.

'There's no doubt that it was, but getting better. It begins to stabilise and you get much clearer line of sight.

Lee Ullha receives an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Depaul homeless centre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, today

An Asda store in Birmingham will become the first in Britain to host a Covid vaccination centre. The supermarket is yet to be named. Pictured: An Asda in Birmingham

Minister have promised o dish out 2million jabs a week by the end of January through 2,700 centres dotted across the country. The map shows the sites that are currently up and running, including seven mass centres (green), more than 100 hospitals (blue), as well as GP practices and pharmacies (purple)

Boris Johnson says UK will dish out Covid jabs 24/7 'as soon as we can' Boris Johnson has confirmed Britain will dish out Covid-19 vaccines 24 hours a day 'as soon as we can' amid mounting pressure to ramp up the immunisation scheme. Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, the Prime Minister said: 'I can tell Sir Kier that we'll be going to 24/7 as soon as we can. And (the Health Secretary) Matt Hancock will be setting out more about that in due course. He added: 'As he rightly says, at the moment the limit is on supply.' Ministers were today preparing to rubber-stamp plans for trials of round-the-clock vaccinations, according to reports, after bowing to immense pressure to turbo-charge the roll out. A senior Government source said No10 was considering a 'pilot where vaccinations are offered for longer hours' to gauge whether there is enough demand to keep jab hubs open through the night. But there are serious doubts over whether they can deliver the scheme amid mounting concerns over vaccine supply - with Mr Hancock hinting this morning this was behind the decision to delay jabs in parts of the country. Advertisement

'I now have line of sight of deliveries all the way through until end of February and getting more confidence about March as well.

'We have millions of doses coming through in the weeks and then next month and the month after.'

He added that 'day by day, what you'll see is greater volumes going out', saying there would be 'day-by-day' improvements in the notice given to vaccinators of when supplies will arrive.

And he denied reports that vaccines could not be supplied to the NHS on a Sunday, adding there was a 98.5 per cent accuracy to date in the timing of deliveries.

Earlier, Mr Pangalos said research had begun to examine the mixing of different vaccines to allow greater flexibility in the system. '(It's) something that we're starting to investigate already, both pre-clinical and clinically.'

He also called for people working in the vaccine process to be prioritised for jabs.

England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, helped the vaccine roll-out first hand on Sunday when he volunteered at a medical centre in Nottingham, giving jabs to elderly local centres.

Professor Van-Tam, a trained doctor, was pictured working in full scrubs and protective equipment at the Richard Herrod Centre in Nottingham on Sunday.

When not advising the Government he works as a medicine lecturer at Nottingham University and is a flu and viruses expert and former hospital doctor.

Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group posted pictures on social media of Professor Jonathan Van-Tam.

The tweets said that despite helping to lead the national pandemic response, Professor Van-Tam was supporting the vaccine roll-out as a volunteer in his spare time.

Professor Van-Tam, known affectionately as JVT, said: 'Thank you to all the volunteers and staff for the professional and warm welcome.

'We are at the worst stage of the pandemic so far and the situation is extremely concerning but your contribution will make a positive difference'.

A LIFE COULD BE SAVED 'FOR EVERY 25 CARE HOME RESIDENTS VACCINATED' One of the UK's vaccine chiefs said today that a life could be saved for every 25 to 45 care home residents who get a Covid vaccine. Illustrating the return on investment of vaccinating different groups against coronavirus, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's Professor Wei Shen Lim said targeting care home residents was the most efficient way to bring down deaths. Their risk of dying if they catch the virus is so high, he said, that between 25 and 45 vaccinations would be enough to stop one death. This is not based on all 45 of those people catching coronavirus, but represents their relative risk of dying compared to other members of society. Targeting lower risk front-line workers, although they might have a high chance of catching the disease, would be less efficient, he said. Some MPs are calling for people such as teachers, shop staff and police officers to be bumped up the priority list. Professor Wei Shen Lim said in the science and technology committee: 'In terms of protecting people within a constrained vaccine supply, the estimates are that we have to vaccinate only about 250 people aged over 80 to save one life. 'For care home residents, we only need to vaccinate somewhere between 25 to 45 care home residents to save one life. 'If you were trying to vaccinate, for example, train operators, then you would have to vaccinate many thousand train operators to save a life. 'It doesn't mean that that's not important, but it's weighing up the values there. That's a policy decision as to what value one wants to weigh up.' Advertisement

In the science and technology committee this morning, medical chiefs told MPs that the gap between first and second doses of coronavirus vaccines could be stretched beyond the 12-week target.

When the Pfizer Covid jab was approved it was on the condition that people would get a second dose three weeks after their first one, as was done in clinical trials.

But UK regulators claimed there was enough data to prove it could be stretched out to three months, allowing No10 to deliver first doses to twice as many people before bigger deliveries of the jabs arrive in spring. Pfizer hit back and said there was no proof the vaccine worked when the two doses were given so far apart.

Now, however, elderly people who have already had their first jabs could face even longer and potentially open-ended gaps between the two doses.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has given approval for the second jab to be given any time after 21 days after the first one, with no outer limit.

And Public Health England's head of immunisation, Dr Mary Ramsey, today said: 'It may well be that we can afford to be more relaxed.' But regulators will only allow the gap to be stretched even further if data shows that protection from the first dose lasts longer than expected.

Dr Ramsay said it was possible that the priority in the spring could be getting jabs to younger people instead of giving the elderly a second dose.

The JCVI's Dr Wei Shen Lim said the Pfizer vaccine appeared to be good enough after one dose that that could eventually become the norm, but it wasn't yet the official advice.

Speaking about second doses Dr Ramsay told the committee: 'My understanding now is that people are being scheduled at the sort of 12-week mark...

'The information they are being given now is that you will be vaccinated between three and 12 weeks after the first dose so it doesn't promise them the vaccine at three to four weeks.'

She added: 'The current advice from the JCVI is that they go back and do the second dose for the first group so I am expecting that to happen in parallel that we'll be carrying on rolling out the next groups at the same time and that's an operational consideration for NHS England...

'The JCVI is saying at the moment that the second dose should be given no later than 12 weeks.

'If we have additional data then it may be that the balance again is actually in favour of doing more first doses so it may be that the situation changes as the science changes. This is a very fast-moving field.'

Funeral homes in the Bay Area are reportedly being forced to deny families the opportunity to grieve their loved ones due to an onslaught of COVID-19 deaths in recent weeks.

Reports this week have found that local mortuaries and funeral homes are reaching a breaking point just weeks after the holiday season.

While state officials have expressed cautious optimism over the expected surge being less severe than anticipated  and that cases will hopefully stabilize within the coming weeks  the death toll is only growing more severe statewide.

Per Johns Hopkins, California reached a record-high 677 COVID-19 related deaths Tuesday, a number set less than a month after the state reached its peak number of cases.

Oakland's Baker Prado Mortuary, for example, has had to turn away dozens of families because they have run out of room, KTVU-TV found. Elsewhere in the Bay, a staffer from the Sunset View Cemetery and Morgue in El Cerrito told the San Francisco Chronicle that they've nearly run out of refrigeration to store bodies "a couple of times."

Alameda County Coroner's Bureau spokesman Sgt. Ray Kelly told KTVU that the morgue is being forced to keep bodies for a longer period of time.

The Bureau did not immediately respond to a request for comment from SFGATE.

In Santa Clara County, at least three morgues have reached their capacity, the Bay Area News Group found  and a few others are broaching the limit.

This is my 50th year in the funeral business, and Ive never experienced anything like this, Harry Green, the funeral director at Alameda Funeral and Cremation Services, told the Chronicle.
Cancun recording highest number of new infections as vaccine reaches the state

Cancun, Q.R.  Coronavirus figures continue to increase throughout the state with Cancun, Chetumal and Playa del Carmen recording the highest amount of new cases.

State governor Carlos Joaquin said that COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Quintana Roo, noting that with the December holidays, infections have rebounded in the last week.

The city of Chetumal is back on his radar after four of the 10 colonies known for the increase in infections was found there. He detailed four residential neighborhoods in Chetumal that have been recording positive cases of Covid-19.

Residential areas with the highest recording of new infections

In his latest address, Joaquin also noted that Cancun tops the list, having five residential neighborhoods recording 26 new positive Covid-19 infections over the past week. Playa del Carmen, he says, has one area where six new infections have been recorded.

On Tuesday night, the first doses of vaccines arrived in the state. A Hercules plane from the Mexican Air Force arrived at Terminal 1 of the Cancun International Airport with 4,875 vaccines of which 3,205 were unloaded for Cancun and 1,670 flown to Chetumal.

Carlos Joaquin meets the plane carrying the states Covid-19 vaccines

In this first stage, the vaccine will be applied to the states medical personnel in 20 hospitals which make up the SARI (Serious Acute Respiratory Infection) information network.

A total of 439,725 doses of the Pfizer vaccine arrived in Mexico City early Tuesday, which personnel immediately distributed among the 32 states.
Are states now defying the Centre's authority on GST matters? A recent circular issued by Department of GST in Maharashtra clearly indicates that the state will have a last say on applicability of a circular issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).

A circular issued on 12 January 2021 by the Office of the Commissioner of State Tax, Maharashtra, says that whenever CBIC issues any circular, the Maharashtra GST Department, on its examination, would issue a separate circular regarding its applicability for the implementation of the MGST Act.

The circular withdraws an earlier circular - Circular 39T of 2019 -- by the state GST department which had stated that "if GST circular was issued by the CBIC and separate circular regarding the same subject matter was not issued by the state GST department then, GST circular issued by CBIC was applicable, mutatis mutandis, for the implementation of MGST Act, 2017."

But now the state GST department has changed its stance. It now says it has withdrawn Circular 39T of 2019 in order to maintain the integrity of communication and to avoid confusion. The confusion pertains to cases where circulars are issued by CBIC as well as MGSTD.

"Henceforth, whenever CBIC issues any circular, MGSTD, on its examination, would issue a separate circular regarding its applicability for the implementation of the MGST Act," says the new circular. This is already causing a lot of mess and confusion among taxpayers. Pritam Mahure, a Pune-based chartered accountant, asks if it was a pre-cursor to diversion between the Centre and States.

He raises more questions. "What happens to unanimity and GST Council then? What if half of the points are accepted by Maharashtra GST department and the rest are not, then what should GST payers do? Whom should they approach?," asks Mahure. Vivek Jalan, a Kolkata-based chartered accountant, told Business Today that going by the Maharashtra government's circular, it seems the states are going against CBIC. "It does not look like one nation, one tax," says Jalan.

Also read: 11 Indian firms make it to Hurun's top 500 list

Also read: Three key issues Budget 2021 should focus on

Also read: Rs 700 crore recovered, 215 arrested in crackdown on fake GST bills scam
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shared more details of his plan to legalize marijuana, which he says will help offset the economic damage done by COVID-19 by creating 60,000 jobs and $300million in tax revenue.

In his State of the State address earlier this week, Cuomo laid out how he hopes to push through the legalization plan.

'New York will do its part, we will legalize adult-use recreational cannabis, joining 15 other states who have already done so.

'This will raise revenue and will end the over criminalization of this product that has left so many communities of color over policed and over incarcerated.'

In a subsequent press release, his office said that it would 'spur' $3.5billion in economic activity, which would raise $300million in tax revenue.

In his State of the State address earlier this week, Cuomo laid out how he hopes to push through the legalization plan

He has not yet given a timeline for when it could become legal.

New York decriminalized cannabis possession in August 2019 but legalizing it as an industry would monetize it in way that has never happened in New York before.

Fifteen other states have legalized it.

Cuomo has championed marijuana-legalizing bills before but they have been rejected by the New York Senate.

Now, with an enormous $15billion budget gap and an urgent need to raise tax revenue, it is more likely to be passed.

New Jersey, Arizona, Montana and South Dakota all voted to legalize marijuana in the November elections.

The details of New York's marijuana plan have not yet been ironed out but last week, Senator Liz Krueger filed an identical bill to one that was rejected last year that suggests all sales be taxed at 18 percent.

The bill is now being reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee.

The marijuana industry welcomed Cuomo's comments with open arms.

'New York has the opportunity to create a dynamic, long-lasting, vibrant and successful cannabis industry.

'And luckily for New York, they have the experience of o many states that have come before them,' Adam Goers, vice president of Corporate Affairs at medical cannabis provider Columbia Care, told Fox Business on Tuesday.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh have no information on the purported Azeri ceasefire breach. According to several media reports the Azerbaijani military has opened gunfire from the town of Shushi in the direction of a military position of the Artsakh Defense Army, resulting in victims. However, an official representative of the Russian peacekeeping contingent told ARMENPRESS that they dont possess such information.

We do not have such information, Russian peacekeeping contingent representative Nikolay Kruchinin told ARMENPRESS when asked whether or not the reports are true.

The Defense Ministry of Artsakh wasnt immediately available for comment.

UPDATES:

16:57 - Artsakh Defense Army confirms that the Azerbaijani military breached the ceasefire and opened gunfire. One Artsakh serviceman was wounded in the shooting.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
The Trump administration has scrapped plans to blacklist Chinese tech giants Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu, four people familiar with the matter said, providing a brief reprieve to Beijing's top corporates amid a broader crackdown by Washington. Senior officials in the administration had been considering plans to add the firms to a list of alleged Chinese military companies, which would have subjected them to a new US investment ban. But Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who is widely seen as taking a more dovish stance on China, pushed back, freezing the plans, the people ...
In its long and esteemed history as one of the most respected newspapers in the world, the New York Times apparently has a blind spot: Texas lingo.

It's not necessarily shocking. We can't expect New York city slickers to understand all of our intricacies. But this one seemed like a weird and obvious oversight.

Texas Monthly editor Forrest Wilder found a gem in a story from the New York Times chronicling President Donald Trump's visit to Alamo, Texas (not to be confused with the Alamo in San Antonio).

The writer referred to the Rio Grande, Texas's major border river, as "the Rio Grande River."

NOT THAT ALAMO: Twitter has field day with Trump's visit to Alamo, Texas

I didn't take Spanish in high school or grow up in a community where Spanish was as widely spoken as it is in other parts of Texas (shout out to rural suburban Fort Worth), but I do know "rio" means "river." So according to the New York Times, Texas is on the banks of the "Big River River." Repetitive, no? Like how people say "shrimp scampi," even though scampi literally means shrimp.

This isn't the paper's first faux pas in covering the Lone Star State, as Texas Monthly writer Dan Solomon has pointed out.

The New York Times once referred to San Antonio as being part of "a swath of south-central Texas called the Alamo." Like many Texans, I have never referred to a region of Texas as "the Alamo." The Alamo Region was not included in my fourth-grade map project showing the Texas region varieties.

I'd like to note that the Times has several writers and reporters based in Texas. They are respectfully excluded from this observation, and I hope their New Yorker colleagues start calling them up more.
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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 12, 2021) - SKRR Exploration Inc. (TSXV: SKRR) (OTC Pink: SKKRF) (FSE: B04Q) ("SKRR" or the "Company") announces the granting of incentive stock options ("Options") to certain of its directors, officers and consultants to purchase up to an aggregate 1,608,870 common shares of the Company at a price of $0.25 per common share for a period of three (3) years. The Options vest on the date of grant.

About SKRR Exploration Inc.:

SKRR is a Canadian-based precious metal explorer with properties in Saskatchewan - one of the world's highest ranked mining jurisdictions. The primary exploration focus is on the Trans-Hudson Corridor in Saskatchewan in search of world class precious metal deposits. The Trans-Hudson Orogen - although extremely well known in geological terms has been significantly under-explored in Saskatchewan. SKRR is committed to all stakeholders including shareholders, all its partners and the environment in which it operates.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Sherman Dahl

President & CEO

Tel: 250-558-8340

For further information contact:

Rich Matthews, Investor Relations

Integrous Communications

rmatthews@integcom.us

+1 6047577179

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

Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains "forward-looking information or statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws, which may include, without limitation, other statements relating to the technical, financial and business prospects of the Company, its projects and other matters. All statements in this news release, other than statements of historical facts, that address events or developments that the Company expects to occur, are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies, including the price of metals, the ability to achieve its goals, and that general business and economic conditions will not change in a material adverse manner. Such forward-looking information reflects the Company's views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, continued availability of capital, general economic, market, business conditions, failure to maintain all necessary government permits, the impact of COVID-19 or other viruses and diseases on the Company's ability to operate, approvals and authorizations, and failure to maintain community acceptance (including First Nations). The Company does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71892

Thank you for reading!

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A man has been charged after a bizarre incident in which he allegedly threatened a Melbourne animal shelter worker with an assault rifle and demanded to know 'where the cats were'.

The 44-year-old man from Langwarrin in the city's south-east is charged with kidnapping, aggravated burglary, armed robbery, false imprisonment and firearm offences.

The alleged victim, 23, was parked outside The Lost Dogs' Home in Cranbourne West about 10.20pm on Monday when the man, dressed in military tactical gear, allegedly threatened her with the gun.

Police allege the man walked her into the animal welfare property at gunpoint, tied her hands with cable ties and asked 'where the cats were' before leaving without taking anything.

A worker at the Melbourne animal shelter (pictured) was held at gunpoint by a man on Monday night who demanded to know where the cats were

The incident sparked a manhunt by Victoria police though noone was harmed in the incident at the animal shelter (pictured right)

The man, described as white, more than 1.83m tall and solidly-built, was dressed in 'tactical style camouflage clothing' including a mask and helmet,

The woman, who wasn't physically injured, was able to free herself and raise the alarm.

The man is due to face Melbourne Magistrates Court on Wednesday morning.

As part of the investigation police also raided properties in Langwarrin and Carrum Downs and seized three firearms.

On Tuesday, Senior Sergeant Glen Cruse said the man's motivations were unknown but appeared to be linked to a desire to rescue animals.

'He was asking about where the cats were stored and talking about (how) a lot of animals are killed,' Sgt Cruse said.

'(He) seems to have the belief that potentially animals are treated in a cruel way and killed on the premises.'

He said the ranger wound down the window of her vehicle, thinking the man was an officer.

Sgt Cruse said she didn't suffer any injuries but had been left shaken by the incident.

'It's very traumatising to be confronted like that in a dark, remote location,' he said.

'What she's gone through and ... how she was able to deal with the situation and communicate with the offender and notify police - it's very brave.'

The man left with nothing after demanding to know where the cats were. He has been charged with a number of offences (stock image)

'The circumstances are a little bizarre but it's really concerning (he) has confronted someone like that in the middle of the night, dressed the way he was and armed with a firearm,' Sgt Cruse told reporters.

'He threatened to use the firearm on her if she didn't comply.'

The incident has left the Lost Dogs' Home 'shocked and extremely concerned', with the company thanking the community for the outpouring of support for its staff.

'The home has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to violence against our staff in any shape or form,' it said in a statement to AAP.

'Our main priority is the welfare of our staff and we are providing all the support possible to the animal transport team member who was a victim in this horrendous ordeal.'
Making such publication mandatory would invade the fundamental rights of liberty and privacy, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court ruled

In a judgement that is likely to bring relief to inter-faith couples, the Allahabad High Court Wednesday declared as optional the mandatory publication of notice of intended marriages under the Special Marriage Act, saying it violated the Right To Privacy.

Making such publication mandatory would invade in the fundamental rights of liberty and privacy, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court said.

It would also affect the couple's freedom to choose marriage "without interference from state and non-state actors", Justice Vivek Chaudhary said in his 47-page order.

He said it shall be optional for the parties to the intended marriage to make a request in writing to the marriage officer to publish or not to publish such a notice.

If the couple did not intend so, the marriage officer has to solemnise their marriage forthwith without publication of 30 days notice, the order said.

A section of the Special Marriage Act, 1954, requires an inter-faith couple to give written notice of the marriage to the district marriage officer.

The court was considering a habeas corpus petition alleging that an adult girl is being detained against her wishes to marry her lover who belongs to a different religion.

The judgement comes against the backdrop of a recent controversial law enacted by the Uttar Pradesh government which prohibits forcible conversion for the sake of marriage.

The Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, prohibits conversion of religion by marriage to be unlawful.

The single judge bench, however, clarified that it would be open for the marriage officer to verify the identification, age and valid consent of the parties or otherwise their competence to marry under the Act.

"In case, the marriage officer has any doubt, it shall be open for him to ask for appropriate details or proof as per the facts of the case," the court noted.

The judgement came following a petition filed by Abhisek Kumar Pandey, who said that his wife Sufia Sultana, who had changed her religion to become a Hindu and renamed as Simran, married him as per Hindu rites.

He alleged that her father was keeping her in illegal detention and prayed that she should be put at liberty.

On an earlier direction of the court, Simran appeared before the court along with her father.

In the course of hearing, the couple stated that they were major and married out of their free will and wanted to live together.

Finally, Simran's father agreed with their marriage.

The controversy between the parties ended but the court took notice of the fact that under Special Marriage Act, 1954, it was mandatory to publish 30 days' prior notice before the marriage officer solemnised the marriage of the intending couple.

Interpreting various pronouncements of the Supreme Court, the high court concluded that forcing the intending couple to publish the said notice infringed upon their fundamental rights of personal liberty and privacy.

It said that marriages in all religions are made either under personal laws or under the Special Marriage Act, 1954.

"Under any personal law, no such notice is required and the priest solemnises the marriage on the will of the intending couple and if legal objections arise later, they are free to move the competent court for redress.

"Then no reasonable purpose is achieved by putting the provision of 30 days' notice publication under the Special Marriage Act," the court ruled.

"Thus, this court mandates that while giving notice under the Special Marriage Act, it shall be optional for the parties to the intended marriage to make a request in writing to the Marriage Officer to publish or not to publish a notice of 30 days and follow the procedure of objections as prescribed under the Act," justice Chaudhary said.

"In case the intending couple does not make such a request for publication of notice in writing, the marriage officer shall not publish any such notice or entertain objections to the intended marriage and proceed with the solemnisation of the marriage," the judge said.

The Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, which was notified by the Uttar Pradesh government on November 27, provides for a jail term of up to 10 years for any violations.

Under the law, which deals with different categories of offences, a marriage will be declared "null and void" if the conversion of a woman is solely for that purpose.

The onus to prove that the conversion has not been done forcibly will lie on the accused and the convert.

The Supreme Court has, however, agreed to examine controversial new laws of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand regulating religious conversions due to inter-faith marriages.

But the bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde refused to stay the controversial provisions of the laws and issued notices to both state governments on two different petitions and has sought response from both the state governments within four weeks.

The Uttar Pradesh law seeks to curb 'love jihad', a term coined by BJP leaders and right-wing activists to describe the crime against which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also spoken out publicly.

Addressing bypoll rallies in Jaunpur and Deoria, Adityanath had used the Hindu funeral chant of 'Ram Naam Satya Hai' to threaten those who do not respect daughters and sisters.

New Orleans City Councilmember Helena Moreno will not run for Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District, and will instead focus on her re-election to the council, she said Tuesday.

Moreno was one of nearly a dozen people considering a bid to replace U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, who is relinquishing his seat to become senior advisor to President-elect Joe Biden.

Three candidates  State Sens. Troy Carter and Karen Carter Peterson, both New Orleans Democrats, and Gary Chambers Jr., a social-justice activist and Democrat from Baton Rouge  have already announced their bids. Qualifying for the March 20 primary is from Jan. 20 through 22.

Even though many of her supporters encouraged her to get into the race, Moreno, also a Democrat, said her decision to pass comes after "much prayer and reflection."

"I know that I would fight hard to deliver real results for our district and it would truly be an honor to represent our city and district in Congress," Moreno said in a statement. "But... it is clear to me that my true calling now is here, at home, serving the city of New Orleans as your City Council president."

The 2nd Congressional District, which includes most of New Orleans as well as a string of communities all the way upriver to Baton Rouge, is reliably Democratic. As its representative since 2011, Richmond was the state's lone congressional Democrat and its highest elected Black official.

Moreno, who along with Carter is an an ally of Richmond's, ran for the seat unsuccessfully in 2008 against Bill Jefferson.

A challenge for Moreno would have been expanding her support and name recognition outside of New Orleans, particularly in a race with two other candidates who claim New Orleans as their base, said Silas Lee, a pollster and veteran New Orleans political strategist.

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She would have only had a few months to do so, with qualifying in mid-January and an election in the spring, he said, and that would have been time consuming and expensive, needless to say.

Moreno, who is White and Hispanic, also might have been dogged somewhat by her race, Lee said, because the district was designed to elect an African American.

The district covers most of New Orleans, a majority-minority city. It also cuts through predominantly African-American precincts along the Mississippi River, and curls into the majority Black neighborhoods of north Baton Rouge.

Karen Carvin Shachat, a political consultant who has worked on numerous campaigns, including Mayor LaToya Cantrell's successful 2018 run, echoed Lee's view, adding that while Moreno "could easily have made the runoff" winning the seat would have proven a challenge.

Moreover, her position on the council gives her a high political perch in city politics that would set her up for an eventual run for mayor, Shachat said.

Moreno said Tuesday that instead of running for Congress, she will instead focus on creating a "safer, more equitable, and more affordable New Orleans," and that she plans to work with new District Attorney Jason Williams, her former council at-large colleague, to improve public safety in the city.

The primary election for mayor and council in New Orleans is Oct. 9.
The 38-mile-long Delaware & Hudson Rail-Trail situated in Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wayne counties beat out trail systems spanning 12,000 miles throughout the state to win Pennsylvanias 2021 Trail of the Year award.

Were thrilled, weve been working on this trail as a nonprofit organization for 30 years, said Lynn Conrad, D&H Rail-Trail executive director.

Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn announced the win Tuesday. Since 2014, the departments Pennsylvania Trails Advisory Committee designates a Trail of the Year to help build enthusiasm and support for trails and raise public awareness about the value of Pennsylvanias trail network, according to DCNR.

The D&H Rail-Trail begins in Simpson and extends through Lackawanna, Susquehanna and Wayne counties, ending near the New York border. It traces the former corridor of the Delaware & Hudson Railway, which primarily carried anthracite coal out of the Lackawanna Valley during the second half of the 19th century, according to a news release from DCNR. Walkers, bikers, equestrians and snowmobilers use the trail, managed by Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which also hosts a variety of programs year round along its route.

Conrad said she was hesitant at first to apply for the award and worried the trail wouldnt have a chance since the competition was statewide but was encouraged by Cain Chamberlin, executive director of the Endless Mountains Heritage Region based in Towanda.

Endless Mountains made the nomination, said Chamberlin, who added the nonprofit is ecstatic the trail won. The outstanding trail offers outdoor recreation and a glimpse of the regions history, he said.

Conrad provided pictures and a dozen letters of support from not only trail users but also a local snowmobile group and local businesses, including Cables General Store which is located next to the nonprofits office and the trail in Union Dale. The store has become a stopping point for hikers and bikers.The award tops off a banner year for the trail council, which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in April. The nonprofit has experienced a 200% increase in trail use and its membership, which is not required to use the trail, has increased by 50%, said Conrad.Conrad, who began as a volunteer with the nonprofit in the early 90s, hopes the increased attention helps the nonprofit raise money to complete several big projects they have planned, including creating a trail head at Stevens Point,cq improving about 7.5 miles of trail in northern Susquehanna County and putting in a bridge over Starrucca Creekcq around mile 31cq map.This past year has shown us the importance of having trails close to home with a tremendous increase in trail users who have discovered the D & H, she said.The Rail-Trail Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania was organized in 1991. Tuesdays announcement marks the first time a trail in Northeast Pennsylvania has won the award. Previous winners include the Ghost Town Trail is in Cambria and Indiana counties; the Mid State Trail, Pennsylvanias longest trail which stretches from the Maryland border to the New York border; Forbidden Drive in Wissahickon Valley Park in Philadelphia; and the Montour Trail system in Allegheny County.

For more details on the trail or to donate, visit www.neparailtrails.org.

As a Nebraska-based company and a leader in the CSPM space, OpsCompass is proud to help University of Nebraska  Lincoln students gain real-world experience across a broad cloud landscape, said Manny Quevedo, co-founder and CEO of OpsCompass.

OpsCompass, a leader in Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), today announced it is working with the University of Nebraska  Lincoln to help advance the study of agile engineering processes, lean business development, and interdisciplinary design thinking, giving students a real-world introduction to enterprise multi-cloud management.

OpsCompass is providing its SaaS-based enterprise software to the Universitys Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management and its Design Studio capstone project, which integrates concepts from its computer science and business curriculum for students to gain a head start in their careers.

Student-led product development teams are using OpsCompass as part of their work with real clients to understand and address complex cloud requirements across multiple platforms including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Office 365, and Google Cloud. Through this business immersion, students in the Raikes School are gaining valuable experience by participating in the full software product development life cycle - from concept inception to deployment.

As a Nebraska-based company and a leader in the CSPM space, OpsCompass is proud to help University of Nebraska  Lincoln students gain real-world experience across a broad cloud landscape, said Manny Quevedo, co-founder and CEO of OpsCompass. We are committed to doing our part to establish the heartland as a regional powerhouse for innovation and new product development.

OpsCompass gives our students a glimpse into what it takes to monitor and manage complex cloud environments, said Mark Antonson, Director of Design Studio at the Raikes School. With the OpsCompass software, our students will be able to experience the issues that force cloud environments to fall outside of industry regulations and company budgets. This will be a vast improvement of the manual processes our students used to rely on.

About OpsCompass

OpsCompass, a leader in Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), offers an enterprise SaaS product that drives operational control, visibility, and security in and across cloud platforms including Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Office 365, and Google Cloud. Purpose-built for the cloud, OpsCompass replaces legacy controls that were not designed for contemporary, API-driven, cloud infrastructure. To learn more, visit OpsCompass.com
CRAFT: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft speaks next to Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, during a news conference to announce the Trump administration's restoration of sanctions on Iran, at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 21, 2020. Patrick Semansky/Pool via Reuters
YEREVAN.  After the meeting with Gagik Jhangiryan, the My Step faction consulted and unanimously decided to nominate him as a candidate for a member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) of Armenia. Lilit Makunts, head of the majority My Step faction of the National Assembly (NA), told about this to reporters after Wednesdays meeting between former military prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan and the My Step faction in the NA.

"Whether or not to nominate Gagik Jhangiryan, also the invitation was conditioned by the fact that we consider Mr. Jhangiryan a professional in his field, and this played a primary role. Of course, all the questions related to the comments circulating in the public sphere, various positions, all those questions were raised, and the impression of the faction in that respect was that Gagik Jhangiryan gives thorough answers. I think that the public will have the opportunity to receive clarifications on all these issues already in the plenary sessions hall [of the NA]," Makunts said.

As for the statement of the SJC chairman that there is an age limit for being a candidate for an SJC member and Jhangiryan is above that age limit, Makunts said. "You know that the requirements for judges and lawyer-scholars to be nominated as an SJC member candidate are different. There is an age limit for judge candidates, but not for lawyer-scholars. It is not accidental that years ago a judge was elected on the same basis, in which case no problem arose; its about Gagik Harutyunyan [former president of the Constitutional Court]."

Lilit Makunts added that they will submit their proposal Wednesday and will discuss the issue of approving Gagik Jhangiryan as a candidate for an SJC member in the next four-day session of the NA.

Farmers in Nghia Trai hamlet in Tan Quang commune in Hung Yen province have been growing cuc chi (Chrysanthemum indicum), used for herbal medicine and tea, for hundreds of years.

The fields in Nghia Trai hamlet have turned yellow these days. The color is from the cuc chi flowers, which local farmers are ready to harvest. The tiny beautiful flowers give a gentle and pleasant scent.

Young and old people work in the fields all day, busy picking flowers. Meanwhile, the flower drying ovens work at full capacity.

Nguyen Thu Thuy is believed to be the biggest cuc chi grower there with 3,600 square meters of growing area. This is the major source of income for her family.

Thuy said growing cuc chi for herbal medicine is a longstanding profession of locals, transmitted from generation to generation.

Thuy married a man in Nghia Trai, and has undertaken the traditional career of her husbands family for 20 years.

Cu chi flowers grown in the village are bright yellow, round, with beautiful blooms and pleasant scents, which are different from flowers grown elsewhere.

Farmers there begin growing daisies in July and harvest five months later. The harvest lasts 1-1.5 months.

Anh, Thuys husband, said cuc chi has become more expensive in recent years. In 1991, he sold it at just over VND10,000 per kilogram. The price later rose to VND100,000-200,000. In the last 3-4 years, the prices at times have reached VND400,000-500,000.

But as they have a poor crop this year and flowers are not as beautiful as previous years, they have sold flowers for VND300,000.

In general, 6-7 kilograms of fresh flowers are needed to make one kilogram of dry flowers. It is estimated that the dry flower output is 50 kilograms per 360 square meters. With the current price, flower cultivation can bring revenue of VND15 million per 360 square meters.

The demand for cuc chi flowers has been increasing. They are transported to the south to be made into herbal medicine.

Thuy and her family have been living well from the traditional profession. Despite the poor crop, they still can earn VND150 million a year from the flowers.

Tran Thi Duong, whose flower field is near Thuys, said that she has had a poor crop this year because of little rain. She anticipated slow sales this year because of Covid-19. Do Thi Le, head of Nghia Trai hamlet, estimates that local farmers can earn VND7-8 billion from the crop.

Nhat Thanh

Da Lats largest flower village unusually quiet before Tet Van Thanh, the largest flower village of Da Lat, is quiet these days, with no flower collectors, though Tet will start in one month.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Australian researchers who have conducted the first study looking at the direct health impacts of predicted carbon dioxide levels say the results are worrying and highlight the urgent need for more research into the issue.

Researcher Associate Professor Alexander Larcombe, who is a member of the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centrewhich is a powerhouse partnership between Telethon Kids Institute, Perth Children's Hospital Foundation and Perth Children's Hospitalsaid humans had evolved to breathe atmospheric carbon dioxide at about 300 parts per million.

"Current levels are just over 400ppm, and climate change modeling predicts that within our lifetimes it is likely to increase to about double that," Assoc Prof Larcombe said.

"There is a lot of research that looks at the environmental and health impacts of climate change, but none that focus solely on the health effects of breathing in higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere."

Conducted in micewhich the researchers say are naturally able to better tolerate increased CO 2 levels due to their burrowing habitsthe study found that exposure to about 900ppm of CO 2 had a direct impact on both the lung function and structure of mice that had been living in that environment throughout pregnancy, early life, and into early adulthood.

"The lung damage included altered alveoli, which is the critical part of the lung that helps with gas exchangemeaning they could have had more difficulty breathing," Assoc Prof Larcombe said.

"We also saw some changes in the actual physical structure of the lungs and both of these changes meant the lungs weren't functioning as they should."

Interestingly, the lungs of adult mice that were not exposed to elevated CO 2 during early life did not show signs of impairment, which the researchers believe is because their lungs were fully formed before being exposed to the higher levels of CO 2 .

The University of Western Australia researcher Dr. Caitlin Wyrwoll, who is a co-author on this study, described it as important work because it offered "the first insight into the fact that these higher levels of CO 2 exposure were indeed affecting the health of developing lungs."

"This work has shown us that exposure to these predicted CO 2 levels in pregnancy and early life is likely driving changes in lung function when the mice are adults. This therefore could be an opportunity to focus in on this period and help to protect lung development, and therefore improve the health outcomes later in life," Dr. Wyrwoll said.

She said more research in this area was critical to fully understand the potential health impact on our children in the future.

"The lungs are the first organs that we would expect to see affected, and it gives us a clue that other systems in the body might also be affected," Dr. Wyrwoll said.

"We need to do further research into how it affects the respiratory system, as well as how the bones and the kidneys are developing, but also how the brain is working."

Perth Children's Hospital Foundation chief executive Carrick Robinson said the Foundation was proud to support the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre.

"This is another example to highlight why it is so important to fund respiratory researchers here in WA. The Wal-yan powerhouse partnership is dedicated to funding the very best peopleand Associate Professor Larcombe is an exemplary example of that," Mr Robinson said.

Explore further Long-term exposure to air pollution linked to impaired breathing in children
When my marriage broke down in 2015, one of my first priorities was separating my finances from my ex-husband.

Over 17 years, he had been abusive and had a number of addictions, including to drugs, alcohol and gambling.

I visited NatWest and poured my heart out. I was reassured our joint accounts would be closed and new accounts opened in my name.

Then, last August, I discovered 23,500 was missing from my account.

Sometimes joint finances can become tricky when relationships end, as one reader reveals

After a number of fretful phone calls to the bank, I was told my ex-husband, with whom I had not been in contact since the split, had made the withdrawal using online banking. NatWest asked me if I had made the transfer, then froze all my accounts with no explanation.

It told me his name had been on the account all along and it was my fault for not checking. I also reported it to the police but it said it was a civil matter. I dont know what else I could have done, and it just feels like the bank does not want to know.

S. S., Essex.

A: This is a terrifying example of what can happen with joint finances when relationships end. You have spent the past five years rebuilding your life for you and your four children.

Covid-19 prevented you working as a childminder for six months, so you were forced to sell your motorhome to support your family and pay for roof repairs. It was after the sale that your ex-husband took the money.

You say you have no idea how he knew about the sale of the motorhome, nor how he accessed your account. Even when you were together, he did not use online banking.

I asked NatWest why he was still able to access your account, despite the bank assuring you otherwise five years ago. It told me that when you filled out the forms, you did not include the joint savings account.

You say you do not remember this and, as far as Im concerned, its irrelevant - NatWest was fully aware of your circumstances and I believe if a joint account had been left off a form, it should have double-checked that you did not want it included.

Regardless, in 2019, when you received a car insurance renewal with your ex-husbands name on it, you called NatWest to double-check he was no longer linked to any of your familys accounts. You say it confirmed this was the case.

I am pleased to say NatWest has now done the right thing and repaid you the 23,500. A spokesman says: We are glad we have been able to help Ms S get all her money back.

One reader was left mystified after receiving eBay bills for a car they listed but didn't sell

Q: I listed my granddaughters Fiat 500 on eBay for 4,900, but it did not sell. Later, I received a bill for around 20. My son explained this was the listing fee, so I paid.

Then I received another bill, this time for 55. I had no idea there were big charges for listing cars and I cannot afford to pay. V. P., Kent.

A: eBay charges a 14.99 fee each time you list a vehicle, which applies whether or not it sells. There are also additional fees for optional extras, such as subtitles and a large photo that appears on the search page, to attract more buyers.

You listed the car four times and you were charged 18.47 for each. This included the listing fee, plus extra features you chose. I went through the listing process and the fees are made clear through - out. They are also on the eBay Motors Listing Fees help page. eBay has now agreed to refund you 55.40 as a gesture of goodwill.

Q: My brother and I were named joint executors after my father died in November. To deal with the estate, we need a joint current account. As my father had accounts with Bank of Scotland and my brother is also a customer, I went to my local branch to make enquiries.

A member of staff told me I could only open a joint account by phone. This would require my brother and I to be together in the same place at the same time to undergo the interview.

We live 60 miles apart and, under current restrictions, we would be breaking the law if we entered one anothers homes. Bank of Scotland could not offer any alternative.

B. O., Perth, Scotland.

A: At a time when are you are grieving, you should not have to deal with banks that lack common sense. Even if the law allowed you to visit your brothers home, it is hardly reasonable to ask you to make a 120-mile round trip to open a bank account.

Not when other banks, such as Santander, Royal Bank of Scotland and Nationwide, let you open joint accounts online, with no need for the account holders to be in the same room.

Bank of Scotland says both parties must visit a branch together to verify their identities. Then they both need to be present on a phone call to open the account.

But, in this instance, it will arrange for appointments for you both in separate branches at the same time to verify your identities. Then you could set up a conference call from your homes with the bank to finish.
Kelly, charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics, filed a plea agreement later that year and, according to a transcript of his June 26, 2017, change of plea hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Philip Simon, admitted his role in selling large amounts of marijuana for the Latin Kings. Kelly also admitted during the hearing that he assisted in the sale of cocaine for the gang and used a firearm during the commission of the crimes.
Morneau Shepell's Mental Health Index for December continues to trend below the pre-2020 benchmark, with optimism lower than it was in April 2020

Morneau Shepell, a leading provider of total wellbeing, mental health and digital mental health services, today released its monthly Mental Health Index report, revealing a consistently negative mental health score among Britons for the ninth consecutive month. The findings show that ongoing lack of optimism, depression and anxiety continue to impact the mental wellbeing of Britons.

The Mental Health Index score is -12.8, an improvement from November (-13.7). The score measures the improvement or decline in mental health from the pre-2020 benchmark of 75. The Mental Health Index also tracks sub-scores against the benchmark, measuring financial risk (5.3), psychological health (-5.3), isolation (-11.7), work productivity (-12.1), anxiety (-14.6), depression (-15.0) and optimism (-17.3). When compared to the previous month, all sub-scores observed slight increases in December except for financial risk, which declined 0.2 points when compared to November. Optimism has declined by 0.9 points since April 2020 and overall psychological health has declined by 3.1 points, while financial risk has improved by 4.0 points due to an increase in savings. Financial risk continues to be the strongest of all sub-scores and is currently above the pre-pandemic benchmark.

"Despite the beacon of hope provided by COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out in many parts of the world, the increase in cases across several regions in the United Kingdom and newly imposed lockdown restrictions in some areas are taking a serious toll on Britons' mental health," said Philip Mullen, managing director, U.K. and Europe. "Britons continue to experience immense mental strain both inside and outside the workplace, and it is essential that employers continue to provide ongoing resources and support to ensure employee wellbeing remains strong. This is a critical time for employers to demonstrate that mental health continues to be a top priority, in order to both support employees and improve their bottom line."

Many Britons concerned about the impact of the pandemic on co-workers

As the pandemic persists into its ninth month, Britons are seeing its impact on others, including their co-workers. Overall, 33 per cent of respondents report being concerned about a co-worker's mental health. Faced with the additional strain of managing a prolonged turbulent period in their workplace, 30 per cent of supervisors indicate concern about the mental health of employees and 26 per cent report that their employees are less productive than in 2019.

Encouragingly, despite ongoing non-essential travel restrictions, nearly half (49 per cent) of respondents report using all their vacation time in 2020, compared to 40 per cent who are not using all their vacation time. This is a significant factor in terms of employee mental health, as individuals who are not using all their vacation have the lowest mental health score (-13.8), compared to those who have used their vacation time (-11.5) or do not have any paid time off (-13.3).

For nine months, since significant measures were taken in managing the pandemic, Britons have had to adapt to changing conditions in all aspects of their lives, including at work. Individuals report that the most stressful part of adapting at work during the pandemic is health and safety protocols (32 per cent), followed by job uncertainty (28 per cent), and work strain/overwork (25 per cent). The lowest mental health score (-21.6) is observed among the 25 per cent of individuals who report work strain/overwork as the most stressful part of adapting at work during the pandemic.

"Even as we deal with concern about increasing infection, we are still adjusting to significant impact of the pandemic so far," said Paula Allen, global leader and senior vice president, research and total wellbeing. "Those employers who have supported their mental health employees well and consistently have had a significant positive impact and will benefit from that for some time to come."

Brand loyalty dependent on treatment of stakeholders and response to social justice issues

The pandemic has upended organisations across the country. The treatment of employees and customers, along with an organisation's response to social justice issues, have been essential to brand loyalty. The perception of how an organisation has treated its employees during the pandemic could have both immediate and long-lasting impacts on its success, given 50 per cent of respondents report that the way they think about and interact with brands and companies has been influenced by how their employees have been treated during the pandemic. Customer treatment also plays a significant role, with 57 per cent of respondents also indicating that how an organisation has treated its customers during the pandemic has influenced the way they think about and interact with brands and companies.

The way organisations have responded to social justice issues has had a similar impact on consumer perception, with 37 per cent of respondents reporting that the way they think about and interact with brands and companies has been influenced by the way they respond to social justice issues. This is especially true for individuals under the age of 40 (52 per cent), when compared to those 40 and older (31 per cent), corresponding with the influx of anti-Black racism awareness following the high-profile death of Black American, George Floyd, in June 2020.

Upcoming event: Members of the media who are interested in attending Employers Connect, Morneau Shepell's annual mental health summit that will be held virtually on Wednesday, February 17 at 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. GMT, should RSVP to media@morneaushepell.com.

About the Mental Health Index

The monthly Mental Health Index by Morneau Shepell was conducted through an online survey from November 20 to November 30, 2020, with 2,000 respondents in the United Kingdom. All respondents reside in the United Kingdom and were employed within the last six months. The data has been statistically weighted to ensure the regional and gender composition of the sample reflect this population. The Mental Health Index is published monthly, beginning April 2020, and compares against benchmark data collected in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The full U.K. report can be found at https://www.morneaushepell.com/permafiles/93202/mental-health-index-report-united-kingdom-december-2020.pdf.

The Mental Health Index is owned by Morneau Shepell the wellbeing company that acquired LifeWorks in 2018.

About Morneau Shepell

Morneau Shepell is a leading provider of technology-enabled HR services that deliver an integrated approach to employee wellbeing through our cloud-based platform. Our focus is providing world-class solutions to our clients to support the mental, physical, social and financial wellbeing of their people. By improving lives, we improve business. Our approach spans services in employee and family assistance, health and wellness, recognition, pension and benefits administration, retirement consulting, actuarial and investment services. Morneau Shepell employs approximately 6,000 employees who work with some 24,000 client organizations that use our services in 162 countries. For more information, visit morneaushepell.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005045/en/

Contacts:

Heather MacDonald

Morneau Shepell

media@morneaushepell.com

00-1-855-622-3327

Angela Pinzon

Kaiser Partners

angela.pinzon@kaiserpartners.com

00-1-647-295-0517

NAY PYI TAW, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China and Myanmar have reached consensuses on an array of issues ranging from bilateral relations to the joint fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The consensuses and outcomes were achieved during Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to Myanmar on Monday and Tuesday.

Both sides reached consensus in principle on the action plan to jointly build a China-Myanmar community with a shared future on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the announcement by leaders of the two countries to jointly build such a community.

They agreed to cement anti-epidemic cooperation and improve the "fast tracks" and "green lanes" for personnel and goods movement.

China will donate a batch of COVID-19 vaccines to Myanmar.

Both countries pledged to dovetail their development strategies and push forward cooperations such as jointly building the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor, the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone, the New Yangon City and the China-Myanmar Border Economic Cooperation Zone.

Both sides agreed to implement the five-year plan for economic and trade cooperation and upgrade the bilateral trade.

Given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, they agreed to extend the celebratory events marking the 70th anniversary of their diplomatic ties and the China-Myanmar Year of Culture and Tourism to 2021.

China welcomed Myanmar's assumption of the role of the country coordinator of China-ASEAN relations, and is ready to work with Myanmar to elevate the China-ASEAN relations, build a China-ASEAN partnership on blue economy, and strive to put into force the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement at the earliest possible date.

As this year marks the fifth anniversary of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), the two countries vowed to play their role as the co-chair of LMC and promote water resources cooperation.

Both countries backed the Global Initiative on Data Security and pushed for the establishment of a China-ASEAN community of cybersecurity.

China supported Myanmar in properly addressing the Rakhine state issue, supported the talks between Myanmar and Bangladesh on the issue, and the early repatriation of displaced people to Myanmar from Bangladesh.

The two sides also signed or announced eight documents or outcomes, including the China-Myanmar five-year plan for economic and trade cooperation, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the feasibility study of a railway linking Mandalay and Kyaukphyu, and the launch of the Myanmar National Center of Disease Control (CDC) and Medical Training Center project, among others.

Wang is on a four-nation tour to Southeast Asia on Jan. 11-16, which will also take him to Indonesia, Brunei and the Philippines.
Los Angeles, California--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Brookmount Explorations, Inc. (OTC PINK: BMXI) ("Brookmount"), a Nevada incorporated company is pleased to announce the appointment of an independent director, Mr. Frederick C. Kempson to its board of directors. Mr. Kempson is a highly experienced international banker who commenced his career with the Reserve Bank of Australia, and was integral in the development of the official money market and brokerage industry in Australia prior to holding a variety of senior positions in the banking and financial market including Managing Director of Australian Investment Finance Ltd (AIFC), a consortium merchant bank whose shareholders included Mitsubishi Trust, ANZ Bank and Bank of Montreal and Managing Director of Security Pacific Australia Ltd, wholly owned subsidiary of Security Pacific Bank of California. Whilst with Security Pacific, Mr. Kempson was instrumental in orchestrating the acquisition and merger of 3 international stockbroking firms, London based Hoare Govett, Toronto based Burns Fry and Sydney based Mcintosh Hamson. In association with the London desk of the conglomerate, Mr. Kempson completed the first Australian dollar denominated Eurobond issue. He also arranged for the acquisition of Kleinwort Benson Australia, which included a significant gold bullion trading operation.

In addition to his extensive experience in the banking and finance industries, Mr. Kempson has a depth of knowledge, experience and relationships in the mining industry in Australia. He worked closely with Geoff White, the chairman and major shareholder of White Industries in expansion of the Ulan Coal joint venture with Mitsubishi and the rail link and upgrade of the Newcastle coal handling terminal. He also arranged financing for the Bayswater Coal mine in the Hunter valley of New South Wales which was subsequently sold to the Shell Corporation, and the sale of the Australian listed Parry Corporation, to the Hang Lung group of Hong Kong in order to secure its sizeable gold tenements in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Mr. Kempson is a director of Norseman Gold PLC (UK) and its Australian subsidiary CNGC Pty Ltd covering a JV with the Australian listed gold producer Pantoro, Ltd., and AHA Retail Partners PLC (UK).

In announcing the appointment, CEO Brett Morley commented: "The Board is delighted that Fred has accepted our invitation. With his wealth of experience and relationships in both the mining and finance sectors, he will be an outstanding asset to our company going forward. He has been instrumental in developing opportunities for our Australian expansion platform and we look forward to a long and fruitful association."

Brookmount currently conducts its gold mining and processing operations through its Indonesian subsidiary incorporated in Sulawesi Province, Republic of Indonesia, one of Asia most dynamic and rapidly expanding economies with extensive reserves of natural resources and minerals including timber, coal, gold and hydrocarbons. The Company has also established an office in Melbourne, Australia and is actively seeking opportunities in what is one of the worlds leading gold producers.

Safe Harbor Statements:

Except for the historical information contained herein, certain of the matters discussed in this communication constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "should," "could," "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "predict," "project," "future," "potential," "intend," "seek to," "plan," "assume," "believe," "target," "forecast," "goal," "objective," "continue" or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding benefits of the proposed license, expected synergies, anticipated future financial and operating performance and results, including estimates of growth. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. For example, the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the pending transaction, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the pending transaction that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the negotiations, the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the proposed transaction in a timely manner or at all, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the proposed transaction, the risk that any announcements relating to the proposed transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of Brookmount's common stock. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond our control. We disclaim and do not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement in this report, except as required by applicable law or regulations.

For more information:

Brokers and Analysts

Chesapeake Group

info@chesapeakegp.com

410-825-3930

Brookmount Explorations, Inc.

Tel: 213.266.7661

bmxicorporate@gmail.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71924
Southeast Asia premiums remain global high point

Shanghai EQ moves back to premium from discounts

US market foresees more active 2020.

Fastmarkets copper grade A cathode premium, cif Shanghai , was assessed at $48-68 per tonne on Tuesday January 12, slightly up from $48-66 per tonne a week earlier. The benchmark copper premium was now at its highest level since late August 2020.February cargoes of top-brand ER copper cathodes were reported being sold for prices in the high $60s per tonne, with the copper grade A cathode ER premium, cif Shanghai , being assessed at $63-68 per tonne, also on January 12.

As for bonded cargoes, Chinese brand ER cathodes were sold in the low $70s per tonne, but with a few offers at slightly higher levels. The copper grade A cathode ER premium, bonded in-whs Shanghai, was assessed at $68-72 per tonne on Tuesday,...

A Syrian war monitor says at least 40 government soldiers and allied paramilitaries have been killed in alleged Israeli air strikes apparently targeting positions and arms depots of Iran-backed forces.



The Israeli Air Force carried out more than 18 strikes in an area stretching from the eastern town of Deir Ezzor to the Iraqi border, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on January 13.



The British-based group said the overnight raids killed nine Syrian soldiers and 31 pro-government fighters, whose nationalities were not immediately known.



More than 30 others were wounded in the attack, it added.



Fighters belonging to the Lebanese Shi'ite Hizballah movement and the Fatimid Brigade, a militia mainly made up of pro-Iranian Afghan fighters, operate in the region, the Observatory said.



The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that "the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial assault on the town of Deir al-Zor and the Albu Kamal region." It did not provide further details.



Israel's military did not immediately comment.



Along with Russia, Iran has provided crucial military support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during Syria's civil war, which began with a crackdown on anti-government protesters in March 2011. More than 400,000 people have since been killed and millions displaced.



Israel has pledged to stop Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, carrying out hundreds of air strikes there against what it describes as Iranian targets and those of allied militia.



The Israeli Army rarely acknowledges individual strikes.



Reuters quoted Western intelligence sources as saying that the latest raids focused on the most important land route for deliveries of Iranian weapons and fighters into Syria.



A senior U.S. intelligence official told the Associated Press that the strikes were carried out with intelligence provided by the United States and targeted a series of warehouses in Syria that were being used in a pipeline to store and stage Iranian weapons.

With reporting by AFP, dpa, Reuters, and AP

[January 13, 2021] UCB Announces Launch of Nile AI, Inc., a Digital Health Company Set to Transform the Course of Epilepsy

- Nile is developing a digital epilepsy care management platform and bringing together data to make the epilepsy journey predictable - UCB invested 25 million ($29.3 million) and as majority shareholder, will sit on the Board of Directors of Nile with future opportunities to acquire insights and data from Nile's platform BRUSSELS and ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- UCB today announced the launch of Nile AI, Inc., a new independent company created to improve care for people living with epilepsy, their caregivers, and healthcare providers (HCPs). Nile was founded with a clear mission in mind: to make the journey of every epilepsy patient predictable. To that end, Nile is developing an epilepsy care management platform that serves as a digital extension of the healthcare provider (HCP) and provides patients with peace of mind between consultations, with the ultimate goal of shortening the path to optimal treatment. UCB's 25 million ($29.3 million) investment is part of UCB's overall commitment to improving the lives of people living with severe diseases, including epilepsy, as digital technologies continue to change and impact the way healthcare is delivered. As a majority shareholder, UCB will will sit on the Board of Directors of Nile with future opportunities to acquire insights and data from Nile's platform. "UCB has a deep understanding of epilepsy and the challenges that people living with the disease face every day, including how patients communicate with their healthcare providers. We think Nile's platform can provide valuable insights and foster a better care management experience for people living with epilepsy," said Charl Van Zyl, Executive Vice President, Head of Neurology Solutions and International Markets, UCB. "The launch of Nile is a further illustration of UCB's commitment and leadership in epilepsy, and how digital platforms can help provide transformational outcomes and experiences for patients." Nile's digital platform consists of a patient app and HCP portal. The patient app is an intuitive, smart tool for patients to feel connected with their care team, learn about their journey, and understand their progress. The HCP portal shows the status of their patients at a glance, virtually informs and supports their patients in between appointments, and allows data-driven decisions on treatment and care. Nile is currently testing the platform in usability studies with two U.S. healthcare systems, Massachusetts General Hospital and Michigan State University Healthcare. The platform is expected to be commercially available in 2021. "We know that patients suffering from epilepsy struggle with the unpredictable nature of their lives," said Dr. Leo Petrossian, Chief Executive Officer of Nile AI, Inc. "Every single day they awake uncertain of what they can expect. At Nile, we believe that all of the data to predict the path of an epilepsy patient exists, though it is fragmented and disconnected. We are building a comprehensive care management system for addressing this uncertainty in the lives of people suffering from epilepsy." Nile is a collaboration-driven organization and is welcoming partners n this mission. To create lasting impact in the lives of patients, Nile aims to identify the essential work in the epilepsy ecosystem, align efforts across various fields, and amplify them under one roof. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. For more information, visit www.Nile.ai.



UCB supports new digital platforms in its mission to transform the way care is delivered and accelerate better outcomes for people living with severe diseases as part of its digital business transformation now and in the future. About UCB

UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases of the immune system or of the central nervous system. With more than 7 500 people in approximately 40 countries, UCB generated revenue of  4.9 billion in 2019. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Twitter: @UCB_news

About UCB in Epilepsy

UCB has a rich heritage in epilepsy with over 20 years of experience in the research and development of anti-epileptic drugs. As a company with a long-term commitment to epilepsy research, our goal is to address unmet medical needs. Our scientists are proud to contribute to advances in the understanding of epilepsy and its treatment. We partner and create super-networks with world-leading scientists and clinicians in academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and other organizations who share our goals. At UCB, we are inspired by patients, and driven by science in our commitment to support patients with epilepsy. About Nile

Nile is an independent company that seeks to improve care for people living with epilepsy, their caregivers and healthcare providers. Nile is on a mission to make the journey of every epilepsy patient predictable. Its digital epilepsy care management platform will provide tools for people living with epilepsy and providers to progress to data-driven, personalized care. Nile is a collaboration-driven organization and is welcoming partners in this mission. For more information, visit www.Nile.ai and email info@Nile.ai. For further information, UCB: UCB Communications

Erica Puntel

Digital Business Transformation, UCB

T 404.938.5359, erica.puntel@ucb.com Laurent Schots

Global Communications, UCB

T: +32 (0)2 559 92 64, laurent.schots@ucb.com Investor Relations

Antje Witte

Investor Relations, UCB

T +32.2.559.94.14, antje.witte@ucb.com Isabelle Ghellynck

Investor Relations, UCB

T+32.2.559.9588, isabelle.ghellynck@ucb.com For further information, Nile: Nile AI, Inc.

T 818.351.9744, info@Nile.ai Forward looking statements  UCB This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current plans, estimates and beliefs of management. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial information, expected legal, political, regulatory or clinical results and other such estimates and results. By their nature, such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions which could cause actual results to differ materially from those that may be implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Important factors that could result in such differences include: changes in general economic, business and competitive conditions, the inability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals or to obtain them on acceptable terms, costs associated with research and development, changes in the prospects for products in the pipeline or under development by UCB, effects of future judicial decisions or governmental investigations, product liability claims, challenges to patent protection for products or product candidates, changes in laws or regulations, exchange rate fluctuations, changes or uncertainties in tax laws or the administration of such laws and hiring and retention of its employees. UCB is providing this information as of the date of this press release and expressly disclaims any duty to update any information contained in this press release, either to confirm the actual results or to report a change in its expectations. There is no guarantee that new product candidates in the pipeline will progress to product approval or that new indications for existing products will be developed and approved. Products or potential products which are the subject of partnerships, joint ventures or licensing collaborations may be subject to differences between the partners. Also, UCB or others could discover safety, side effects or manufacturing problems with its products after they are marketed. Moreover, sales may be impacted by international and domestic trends toward managed care and health care cost containment and the reimbursement policies imposed by third-party payers as well as legislation affecting biopharmaceutical pricing and reimbursement. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419316/Nile_Devices.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/677397/With_Tag_Logo.jpg

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Raise your hand if you are exhausted from the incessant political turmoil that continues to unfold in the United States. While almost everyone is hoping for a quieter 2021, experience tells us the road to a better democracy will not be quick or automatic. In addition to holding our political leaders accountable for this morass, we (the people) must also abandon the notion that only politicians can fix the ills of this country.

As a professor of government, and someone that spent 11 years working for the U.S. Department of State, this last sentence may seem odd considering my career choices. Yet after working to try and build democracy in countries such as Kosovo and Macedonia, and after dedicating myself to understanding various systems of governance, I am convinced a democracy can only be as strong as those it serves.

Following the criminal and unpatriotic acts that occurred at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 (by this I am referring to the riot), I heard many of our elected officials comment that this is not America. Although I understand their response, to some degree this is what we have become. We are a polarized polity, and the events and rhetoric during the Trump Administration exacerbated this divide.

Consequently, to hope that the same political elites that led us down this road are going to be the same leaders to bring us out of this quagmire is questionable. While President Trumps incitement to violence is more blatant and egregious than what we have seen in the past, both Republicans and Democrats share in the degradation of politics, which has transpired into a zero-sum game, i.e., my win means your complete, total defeat.

Recently, I visited several young democracies in Southeastern Europe as part of an ongoing research project. Despite our best-efforts in the State Department and local civil societies tireless attempts to improve their systems of governance, I discovered that many politicians in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina are unwilling to abandon the politicization of ethnicity as a platform because it is politically advantageous. Voters, while they express apathy and mistrust of politicians in general, return nationalist leaders to office because they have been taught to fear and hate the other side. Subsequently, little gets done. Sound familiar?

Although we have a longer history of democracy, politicians in the United States also win elections by creating an us vs. them mentality. While I teach my students that politics is fundamentally a competition over who gets what, when, and how, the manner under which this competition unfolds is important. Presently, this process is neither balanced nor civil. In this regard, we must demand more from those in elected office. In two years, we return to the ballot box, and it will be our responsibility to hold accountable those that govern by division and fear.

Clearly, I believe that what our leaders do and say matters. But my experience tells me that we, the people, are also responsible and must change.

Robert Putnam, in his book Making Democracy Work, identifies the importance of a civic community for well-functioning democratic institutions. This civic community entails not only citizen participation in politics, but it also recognizes the value of inter-personal relationships through non-political forums (churches, recreational associations, etc.). Through these non-political engagements, people develop trust in others, tolerance for other viewpoints, and a degree of political moderation.

Unfortunately, a civic community with a common understanding of what it means to be an American is generally absent in the United States. Likewise, we do not need, nor should we strive for homogeneity of thought and action in order to restore our democratic vitality. As someone responsible for helping others learn about politics and democracy, I am challenged to reevaluate my teaching during moments of crises.

One thing I plan to share with my students this semester is the need for all of us to not only demand more from our leaders but to demand more of ourselves.

Craig Lang is a visiting scholar of government at Franklin & Marshall College.
Blue Yonder Again Named a Top Glassdoor Best Places to Work

Blue Yonder is #BYProud to announce that the company was honored for the second year in a row with a Glassdoor Employees' Choice Award, recognizing the Best Places to Work in 2021. The award showcases the company's unwavering commitment to its associates particularly during a year challenged by a pandemic that included a shift to a remote work environment.

The Employees' Choice Award, now in its 13th year, is based on the input of employees, who elect to provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their roles, work environment and employer on Glassdoor, the worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies.

"Being named a Glassdoor Best Places to Work for the second year in a row is a tremendous honor and one that shows the resilience of our company culture - and our associates - even through a pandemic that challenged how we work," said Nathalie Carruthers, chief associate success officer at Blue Yonder. "In early 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic, we introduced empathy as a new Core Value. Our associates took it to heart supporting one another and our customers throughout the pandemic - showcasing that our culture is what makes Blue Yonder such a great place to work."

Based in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona with headquarters in Scottsdale, Blue Yonder and its associates embrace a 'Sonoran Spirit' based on the premise it must deliver customer value; foster its ecosystem of partners, customers and associates; and respectfully collaborate as a united front.

With a culture based on collaboration and respect, Blue Yonder is dedicated to promoting an inclusive atmosphere that fosters innovation, encourages creativity, and supports personal and professional growth. At the heart of the company are its Core Values - Results, Relentless, Teamwork and Empathy - which unite and engage associates. In addition, Diversity, Inclusion, Value and Equality (DIVE) is Blue Yonder's commitment to creating an inclusive and diverse environment where associates can grow and thrive with the freedom to be unique and authentic.

"COVID-19 is in the driver's seat and every employer has been impacted. This year's winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, they'll rise to the challenge to support their people," said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. "A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritized the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this year's outstanding Employees' Choice Award winners."

This award adds to Blue Yonder's recognition as a Great Place to Work Certified in the U.S. and India for 2020-2021, a 2020 azcentral.com Top Companies to Work for in Arizona and a 2020 Arizona's Most Admired Companies by Az Business magazine and BestCompaniesAZ.







Glassdoor 2021 Best Places to Work

On Glassdoor, current and former employees voluntarily and anonymously share insights and opinions about their work environments by sharing a company review, designed to capture a genuine and authentic inside look at what a specific job may be like at a particular company. When sharing a company review on Glassdoor, employees are asked to rate their satisfaction with the company overall, and key workplace factors like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management and work/life balance. In addition, employees are asked to describe the best reasons to work at their companies as well as any downsides.

Glassdoor's Best Places to Work were determined using company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between Oct. 22, 2019, and Oct. 19, 2020. During the year-long eligibility period, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 75 ratings for each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) taken into account as part of the awards algorithm. The final list is compiled using Glassdoor's proprietary algorithm, led by its Economic Research Team, and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews.

See the complete list of the Glassdoor 2021 Best Places to Work winners.

Additional Resources:

About Blue Yonder

Blue Yonder is the world leader in digital supply chain and omni-channel commerce fulfillment. Our intelligent, end-to-end platform enables retailers, manufacturers and logistics providers to seamlessly predict, pivot and fulfill customer demand. With Blue Yonder, you can make more automated, profitable business decisions that deliver greater growth and re-imagined customer experiences. Blue Yonder - Fulfill your Potential blueyonder.com

"Blue Yonder" is a trademark or registered trademark of Blue Yonder Group, Inc. Any trade, product or service name referenced in this document using the name "Blue Yonder" is a trademark and/or property of Blue Yonder Group, Inc.

Blue Yonder

15059 N. Scottsdale Road, Ste. 400

Scottsdale, AZ 85254

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Mohamed Abdel-Alleem Dawoud, an MP representing the opposition Wafd Party, has demanded the Egyptian House of Representatives hold an urgent session to discuss the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic in Egypt.

"The government is not moving as it should, and the doctors are attacked [in hospitals] because the government is isolated from what is happening in the hospitals, Dawoud said during the second session of the newly elected legislative body on Wednesday.

Dawoud claimed that there is a shortage in medical oxygen supplies and medications in a number of hospitals, adding "the situation is so dangerous at all hospitals nationwide."

"The matter will be discussed," House Speaker Hanafy El-Gebaly replied.

The oxygen challenges have also surfaced domestically, since patients reportedly died in two public hospitals earlier this month due to the lack of oxygen, a matter that the health ministry later denied in an official statement, while the public prosecutor is still investigating the matter.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly demanded on Saturday that the government double the production of medical oxygen to fulfil public and private hospitals' needs to face the pandemics second wave.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Hala Zayed stressed on Monday that the shortage in oxygen supplies is not a challenge only for Egypt but also for all the countries dealing with the pandemic.

However, she assured the public of the availability of oxygen tanks, noting that oxygen supply at all hospitals has increased by 50 percent after doubling the production rate at a number of factories producing medical oxygen, and also doubling the number of oxygen transport vehicles to meet hospital needs.

The minister attributed problems in transportation of oxygen tanks to hospitals to delays caused by recent foggy weather conditions in Egypt, which, she added, led to the suspension of transportation operations from 8 hours to 12 hours on some days.

The current spike in coronavirus infections and death tallies comes after almost five months of reporting lower daily infections and death tolls.

However, less than 1,000 new cases have been reported over the past four days.

Egypt has had a total of 151,723 cases officially, including 119,635 recoveries and 8,304 fatalities, since the outbreak started in February 2020.

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Its not always humans were called to save. Sometimes its mans best friend. Today we responded to an ice rescue of a... Posted by Alpena City Firefighters L623 on Friday, January 8, 2021

ALPENA, MI  Northern Michigan firefighters rescued a scared and exhausted dog after it fell through the ice on a river last week.

Its not always humans were called to save; sometimes its mans best friend, Alpena City Firefighters said in a Facebook post about the incident.

On Friday, Jan. 8, Alpena firefighters were dispatched to an ice rescue for a dog that had gone through the ice on a river. Firefighter Chris Morrison, secured with ropes, broke a path through the ice to reach the dog.

Just before he got to the dog, it gave out a crying-type howl and as soon as he grabbed it, it went completely limp from exhaustion, the post says.

The post includes a video that shows Morrison being pulled back to the riverbank by a rope while cradling the dog in his arms. A photo in the post comments shows the dog wrapped in a hypothermia blanket and towels.

Whether human or not, the Alpena City Fire Department cares for them all as if they were our family, the post says. We train each season for these emergencies to be proficient and quick and this one was no different.

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British entrepreneur Mike Lynch

Boris Johnson must block American attempts to extradite the technology tycoon once dubbed 'Britain's Bill Gates' on fraud charges, former Cabinet ministers and business leaders have said.

Mike Lynch, the founder of Cambridge software giant Autonomy, has been accused of cooking its books before it was sold to Hewlett Packard (HP) for 7 billion. He denies the allegations  and the case was dropped after a UK probe  but could face a decade in jail if extradited under a 2003 Anglo-American treaty and found guilty in the US.

The case has prompted calls for the Government to intervene, backed yesterday by former Cabinet ministers, including Tories David Davis, Andrew Mitchell and Lord Maude of Horsham, and Liberal Democrat Sir Vince Cable.

Former Rolls-Royce boss Sir John Rose, tech entrepreneur Brent Hoberman and former Barclays chairman Marcus Agius also joined them. In a letter to The Times newspaper criticising the extradition law, they said: 'This is not justice. Politicians on all sides want it changed. We've surrendered sovereignty over our own justice system for too long. The Government cannot stand by as another Briton risks being delivered like this to the US system.'

Dr Lynch is due to appear before magistrates next month to contest his extradition. His lawyers say the US is trying to exert extra-territorial jurisdiction over a British company governed by English law. The US has jailed former Autonomy finance chief Sushovan Hussain and claims Dr Lynch was involved in a massive fraud. Dr Lynch made hundreds of millions of pounds from the sale of Autonomy.
Even before Mr. McConnells position was known and Ms. Cheney had announced her plans, advisers to the Senate Republican leader had already privately speculated that a dozen Republican senators  and possibly more  could ultimately vote to convict Mr. Trump in a Senate trial that would follow his impeachment by the House. Seventeen Republicans would most likely be needed to join Democrats in finding him guilty. After that, it would take a simple majority to disqualify Mr. Trump from ever again holding public office.

In the House, Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader and one of Mr. Trumps most steadfast allies in Congress, has asked other Republicans whether he ought to call on Mr. Trump to resign in the aftermath of last weeks riot at the Capitol, according to three Republican officials briefed on the conversations. While he has said he is personally opposed to impeachment, he and other party leaders did not mount an official effort to defeat the push, and Mr. McCarthy was working on Tuesday to build support for a censure resolution to rebuke the president for his actions.

Taken together, the stances of Congresss two top Republicans  neither of whom has said publicly that Mr. Trump should resign or be impeached  reflected the politically fraught and fast-moving nature of the crisis the party faces. After four years of backing the president at nearly every turn and refusing to condemn even his most extreme behavior, party leaders were racing to distance themselves from a president many of them now regard as a political and constitutional threat.

Mr. McCarthy backed the electoral challenges Republicans lodged last week during Congresss electoral count, voting twice to overturn Mr. Bidens victory in key swing states even after the siege at the Capitol. Mr. McConnell had broken with Mr. Trump just as the rioters were breaching the building, warning of a descent into a death spiral for democracy if the efforts were to prevail.

Mr. Trump has shown no trace of contrition. On Tuesday, in his first public appearance since the siege of the Capitol, he told reporters that his remarks to supporters at a rally that day  in which he exhorted them to go to the Capitol and fight so Republicans would reject the election results  had been totally appropriate. It was the specter of his impeachment, he said, that was causing tremendous anger. But with Twitter having suspended his account for good, Mr. Trump no longer has his favorite weapon to train on lawmakers who cross him, which could curtail the blowback they face for voting against him.
Tesla Model Y recently passed the NHTSA Safety Rating with flying colors and a whole lot of stars, five to be exact, with the latest release variant of the car this 2021. The Model Y is the latest addition to the lineup of Tesla, taking on the compact SUV's namesake, having a refreshed version for this year, including a standard option for RWD, 7-seater, and cheaper price.

This safety rating is no joke as the government's test poses a massive influence on the vehicle's popularity and appeal to the public as it almost guarantees safety in case of accidents or unfortunate events.

Tesla boasts to be the safest cars in the world, making most of its innovations one of the highest-rated cars that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has tested in their experience with the vehicle. Across all of its variants and lineup, from the Model Y to the Model S, each Tesla car has surpassed expectations and ranked highly on safety tests.

Read Also: Lordstown Endurance Electric Pickup Hits 100,000 Preorders this 2021-Specs, Price,Release Date, and MORE?

Tesla 2021 Model Y Safety Test: 5-Star Rating on All Categories

According to Tesmanian, Tesla has submitted its 2021 Model Y to the NHTSA for crash testing and safety inspection last November 2020, completing and publicizing its findings and results at the start of the new year. There were six (6) tests which the Model Y has taken and in each category, the Tesla EV gave satisfactory results and ratings.

Overall Front Collision Rating

Front collision includes the safety of the driver and passenger, combining both in a single test conducted by the NHTSA. The simulation made two similar vehicles crash head-on cruising at the speed of 35 mph.

Tesla Model Y Rating: 5 Stars

Overall Side Barrier and Pole Rating

This test combines both front driver's side and rear passenger's side seats, combining both safety tests into one. The rating for overall side barrier and pole star rating was also aced by the Model Y.

Tesla Model Y Rating: 5 Stars

Overall Side Collision Rating

The combination of both sides and pole stars are rated as one, in this test that determines Tesla Model Y's capability in controlling side crashes.

Tesla Model Y Rating: 5 Stars

Overall Side Rating

The Side Barrier rating is a test that puts the Tesla Model Y in a still motion, while it would receive a collision with a moving vehicle running at 38.5 miles per hour. Both sides of the driver and passenger's seat were tested.

Tesla Model Y Rating: 5 Stars

Overall Pole Rating

The Pole rating is the test that determines Model Y's rating in the instance that it crashes on a fixed object like a tree, pole, etc.

Tesla Model Y Rating: 5 Stars

Rollover Rating

Rollover is the term used whenever a vehicle tips and rolls to its side after suffering a slide or slip while performing a sudden turn while driving or braking.

Tesla Model Y Rating: 5 Stars

Rollover risk: 7.90 percent

The results of Tesla's latest Model Y release tops all of the six categories it was thrown to and made to crash. Despite the gruesome procedures, Tesla came out with astonishing results that perfect the test regarding its safety during an unplanned event.

Related Article: Tesla Model Y: Third-Row Seats Are Cramped and Has No Legroom from First Photo Looks!

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Written by Isaiah Alonzo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SAN MATEO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- IXL Learning , the K-12 personalized learning platform used by 11 million students, has been approved by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) for use under two statewide initiatives. Schools and districts in the state can now support blended learning with IXL and implement the Real-Time Diagnostic to assess students' knowledge levels in math and reading. IXL serves approximately 67,000 students in Rhode Island, which accounts for more than 40 percent of learners in the state.

IXL's Real-Time Diagnostic pinpoints each learner's grade-level proficiency in math and English language arts. With anaccurate portrait of every students abilities, IXL can provide smart skillrecommendations to help you target individual needs every day.

RIDE's mission is to provide equitable educational experiences to more than 300 K-12 public schools and 140,000 students across Rhode Island. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, state leaders began searching for a digital assessment that would reliably measure student growth during distance learning and identify potential knowledge gaps throughout the year. RIDE also recognized it needed a flexible, skills-based program to supplement daily instruction and fit seamlessly into any educational environment.

Pinpoint knowledge with the Real-Time Diagnostic

RIDE deeply valued how the Real-Time Diagnostic accurately measures students' growth, helping teachers understand exactly what learners know and what they can do to improve at any time. The department realized the diagnostic would be essential for determining which skills students retained over the past year, so teachers could quickly address learning loss stemming from school closures. Furthermore, the data provided by the diagnostic can be used for district- and state-level reporting, making it easier to develop educational plans for upcoming years.

"Schools need technology that paints vivid pictures of student knowledge levels so they can meaningfully evaluate and teach every learner," said Paul Mishkin, CEO of IXL Learning. "RIDE's adoption of the Real-Time Diagnostic clears a path for educators to make significant strides towards boosting learning outcomes."

Individualizing learning for every student

RIDE also turned to IXL for a skill-building program to bolster its blended learning initiative and support the Real-Time Diagnostic. Through IXL, educators and students will access a comprehensive K-12 curriculum with more than 8,500 interactive skills across all core subjects to supplement instruction. Skills align to the Common Core State Standards and Rhode Island Early Learning and Development Standards, so teachers know students are mastering material that keeps them on track to graduation. In addition, IXL Analytics provides teachers with real-time insights about students so they can make more informed instructional decisions.

About IXL Learning

Currently used by 11 million students and by schools in 95 of the 100 top districts, IXL is an integrated learning platform that supports personalized learning in math, English language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. With more than 80 billion questions asked and answered around the world, IXL is helping schools successfully boost student achievement. The IXL family of products also includes Education.com , ABCya and Vocabulary.com . To learn more about IXL, visit www.ixl.com , facebook.com/IXL and twitter.com/IXLLearning .

Press Contact:

Eric Bates

IXL Learning

[email protected]

650-436-5534

SOURCE IXL Learning

Related Links

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[January 13, 2021] EIB Supports Eutelsat for the Procurement and Launch of the KONNECT VHTS Satellite

Regulatory News: This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005391/en/ The European Investment Bank (EIB), the long-term lending institution of the European Union, and Eutelsat (News - Alert) (Paris:ETL), one of the world's leading satellite operators, announced a 200 million financing agreement at the European Space Conference today. This eight-year loan will back investments related to the procurement and launch of the KONNECT VHTS satellite for the provision of advanced broadband services in Europe and neighbouring areas. KONNECT VHTS is an advanced satellite providing unprecedented upload and download speed capacity for both fixed and mobile broadband services. With a weight of 6.3 tonnes and a Ka-band capacity of 500 Gbps, this next generation satellite will carry the most powerful on-board digital processor ever put into orbit, offering capacity, allocation flexibility, optimal spectrum use, and progressive ground network deployment. It will deliver cost-effective, competitive broadband connectivity allowing notably the provision of ubiquitous and affordable very high-speed fixed broadband access to European households, businesses and public administrations in remote areas that remain beyond the reach of terrestrial infrastructure. Commenting on the agreement, Rodolphe Belmer, CEO of Eutelsat, said: "This long-term financing with the EIB ensures that major players in the space sector like Eutelsat have access to diversified and compelling sources of funding. It is very positive that the European Union has an agenda in support of the space sector that places space connectivity at the centre of its priorities. This commitment also underlines the EU's belief in eostationary satellites as an indispensable complement to the provision of connectivity to unserved or poorly served regions significantly more quickly and cheaply than deploying terrestrial infrastructure in remote areas."



"I am very pleased about this agreement with Eutelsat. It is an important step in the launch of a new generation satellite able to deliver accessible, cost-effective and competitive connectivity to all," said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. "Space is an important driver of innovation in Europe. This investment illustrates how the EU can support researchers, innovators and entrepreneurs in catalysing the development of advanced technologies to the benefit of end-users, customers, service providers and public authorities." The transaction follows the EU and EIB's commitment to strengthen their support for European space companies. It is in line with the Gigabit Society targets of the European Commission stating that all households in Europe will have access to at least 100 Mbps internet connectivity by 2025.

Background information About Eutelsat

Founded in 1977, Eutelsat Communications is one of the world's leading satellite operators. With a global fleet of satellites and associated ground infrastructure, Eutelsat enables clients across video, data, government, fixed and mobile broadband markets to communicate effectively with their customers, irrespective of their location. Over 6 600 television channels operated by leading media groups are broadcast by Eutelsat to 1 billion viewers equipped for DTH reception or connected to terrestrial networks. Headquartered in Paris with offices and teleports around the globe, Eutelsat assembles 1 000 men and women from 46 countries who are dedicated to delivering the highest quality of service.

For more about Eutelsat go to www.eutelsat.com About the European Investment Bank

Created by the Treaty of Rome and founded in 1958, the EIB is the European Union's bank, which, together with its dedicated SME support subsidiary the European Investment Fund (EIF), forms the EIB Group. The EIB Group is a key player in reviving Europe's - including France's - economy through investment. Thanks to its reliable expertise and the financial attractiveness of its AAA rating, the EIB Group has strengthened its activities in France since 2012 (reaching 8.5 billion of investment in 2019), not only supporting businesses and innovation but also financing projects in strategic sectors such as climate action, energy, healthcare, housing, education for young people and training infrastructure. The EIB Group is the operator of the Investment Plan for Europe.

To find out more about the EIB: www.eib.org View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005391/en/

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Attorney and developer John Anderson on Tuesday filed suit against the town of Walden and its three council members just before the new council was set to act to reject approval of his controversial grocery store complex.

He gained a restraining order against the town prior to a Jan. 27 hearing.

As a result, Mayor Lee Davis said the council would not be taking up the issue for at least 30 days.

Mayor Davis, who is also an attorney, had voted against the grocery complex when he was vice mayor and Bill Trohanis, who supported the project, was mayor.

The project is planned for the former Lines Orchids property.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Yelp launched a new feature that lets users give feedback on the safety practices a business may or may not be implementing related to the coronavirus pandemic.

Customers can only comment on whether a business consistently enforces social distancing and if its employees wear masks as part of the update. This feedback is displayed on a business's Yelp page under the "Health & Safety Measures" in the COVID-19 section.

"At this time, 'social distancing enforced' and 'staff wears masks' are the only properties where detailed user feedback can be displayed because these are the health and safety precautions that can be most easily observed by customers," said Akhil Kuduvalli Ramesh, Yelp's head of consumer product, in a statement.

Several criteria must be met before the safety practices feedback is displayed. The business must receive several user responses with consensus from multiple users on these safety practices, and only Yelp users who are logged into their account may provide this feedback.

Only user responses received within the previous 28 days are counted. If a business has multiple locations or franchises, the feedback is only displayed on the page for the relevant location.

A green check mark will be displayed along with texts that read "Social distancing enforced according to most users" or "Staff wears masks according to most users" when the majority of responses from users confirm that these safety measures are being enforced.

When the response consensus is that the measures are not being enforced, an orange question mark will be displayed with text that reads, "Social distancing might not be enforced according to most users" or "Staff might not wear masks according to most users."

Users can provide feedback via survey questions or through the "Edit" icon at the top right of a business page's COVID-19 updates section.

Google Maps offers a similar feature when users search for restaurants and stores. A business can add to its description what safety precautions they a taking, such as if they require customers to wear masks and make reservations, if there's plexiglass onsite, or if their staff takes regular temperature checks.

Explore further Facebook to advise use of masks amid latest virus spike

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Mississauga, ON, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Maple Ridge Community Management President Craig McMillan recently attended the Association of Condominium Managers of Ontario (ACMO) virtual luncheon and industry awards as its featured speaker.

Participants at the lunch enjoyed an educational session, opportunities to network with peers and virtual exhibitors, and an award presentation honouring the years industry award winners. Mr. McMillan spoke during the Ask an Expert educational session, alongside Brian Antman of Adams & Miles LLP and Sally Thompson of Synergy Partners. Together, these industry experts answered questions about the changes to condominiums and their management, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. The session covered the following topics:

The new normal for communication and relationship building with residents

Reserve Fund challenges

Completing work in buildings

Completing audits and having virtual AGMs

Maple Ridge Community Management understands that the COVID-19 health crisis has significantly impacted condominium residences and their operations, stated Craig McMillan, Maple Ridge Community Management president. The opportunity to share knowledge, best practices, and helpful information alongside other industry leaders at this event is an example of MRCMs continued commitment to providing expert guidance during these uncertain times.

With more than 200 branch offices across North America, Associa delivers unsurpassed management and lifestyle services to nearly five million residents worldwide. Our 10,000+ team members lead the industry with unrivaled education, expertise and trailblazing innovation. For more than 40 years, Associa has provided solutions designed to help communities achieve their vision. To learn more, visit www.associaonline.com.

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ANDREW HARNIK/POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesBy CONOR FINNEGAN, ABC News



(WASHINGTON) -- Hours before he was expected to depart, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled his final overseas trip amid a torrent of global criticism against President Donald Trump, including by the U.S. allies that Pompeo was expected to meet.



The top U.S. diplomat was scheduled to see NATO's secretary-general and Belgium's foreign minister in Brussels, according to the State Department. But he also reportedly canceled a second stop to Luxembourg, whose foreign minister called Trump "a political pyromaniac" after the president's remarks led to the violent assault on the U.S. Capitol last week.



Pompeo has faced backlash of his own, including from U.S. diplomats, for standing by Trump even as other Republicans condemned his speech, blamed him for the violence and called on him to recognize Joe Biden as the president-elect. For weeks, Pompeo has at times boosted Trump's false claims of widespread voter fraud or declined to acknowledge Trump's electoral loss, even as he has overseen the agency's transition and met with Biden's pick to succeed him, Anthony Blinken.



While he has condemned the violent mob and called for prosecutions, Pompeo has also defended Trump's time in office as a boost for the U.S.



"History will reflect on the good work that this president and our administration has done," he told a conservative talk radio host Tuesday.



Top European officials declined to meet Pompeo in the Trump administration's final days. An European Union spokesperson told ABC News that there were never any plans for Pompeo to meet E.U. officials like Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, or Josep Borrell, the E.U.'s top diplomat.



Neither the Luxembourgish embassy in Washington nor the Foreign Ministry responded to questions. Reuters reported Tuesday that its foreign minister Jean Asselborn declined to meet Pompeo and that Pompeo canceled a stop there, while AFP reported the visit was canceled by the American side over Asselborn's condemnation of Trump, given Pompeo's staunch loyalty to the president.



"Mr. Trump is a criminal, a political pyromaniac who should be sent to criminal court," Asselborn told broadcaster RTL Luxembourg last Thursday. "The sixth of January 2021 was a 9/11 attack on democracy itself, and Trump was the one who egged it on."



The State Department cited the transition to the Biden administration in canceling all official travel this week, including Pompeo's trip to Brussels, home to NATO and E.U. headquarters.



"We are fully committed to the completion of a smooth and orderly transition process to be finalized over the next 8 days," spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement, adding the agency was "pleased with the level of cooperation and professionalism that has been displayed."



Just one day earlier, Ortagus announced that Pompeo would meet NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg and Sophie Wilmes, Belgian foreign minister and deputy prime minister.



The decision also grounded U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft's scheduled trip to Taiwan. She would have been the third senior Trump official to do so in recent months, with each visit angering the Chinese government that considers Taiwan a breakaway province. A spokesperson for Taiwan's representative office in Washington told ABC News they "understand and respect the transition priorities of the U.S. Department of State."



It's unclear why Pompeo wanted to make the quick trip to Brussels with less than a week in the administration. His brief time left in office is likely one reason European officials declined to meet him, but that opposition was compounded by the pro-Trump mob ransacking the Capitol last week and interrupting Congress' certification of Biden's victory.



That violence, fueled by Trump and other Republicans' weeks of attacks on the election's credibility, was met with widespread criticism by U.S. allies, including both Stoltenberg and Wilmes.



"Shocking scenes in Washington, DC. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected," Stoltenberg tweeted Wednesday as the siege unfolded in Washington.



But like Asselborn, Wilmes had gone further and specifically cited Trump's role in inciting the mob.



"Some kind of speeches as a result of dividing a society can really create this kind of problematics," she told BBC News last week. "I was saddened to see that President Trump, when things were evolving really badly and it took so much time to calm down people, still kept saying that the election were a fraud."



Leaders of other top U.S. allies said the same.



"I regret very much that President Trump since November has not conceded his defeat -- and not yesterday either. Doubts about the outcome of the election were stoked, and that set the atmosphere that made last night's events possible," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday.



Even Trump's closest friends on the world stage denounced him. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday, "In so far as the president consistently has cast doubt on the outcome of a free and fair election, I believe that that was completely wrong. What President Trump has been saying about that has been completely wrong, and I unreservedly condemn encouraging people to behave in the disgraceful way that they did in the Capitol."



Copyright  2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

President-elect Joe Biden is taking office in a deeply divided country  a point dramatically brought home by the violence President Trump invited into the Capitol.

Biden has promised to bring a divided electorate together. Is this even possible?

Social divisions may take a generation to heal. But with enough political will, the answer on policy questions should be a resounding yes.

Despite our divisions, progressive responses to bread and butter issues enjoy broad, bipartisan support. Majority support exists for everything from cash relief payments during the COVID-19 crisis to increasing the minimum wage and expanding health care.

The most acute crisis facing the nation is the continuing pandemic and its fallout. Communities of color and low-income families have suffered the most, but Americans of all backgrounds and political parties have suffered sickness, death and growing economic insecurity.

The number of people officially living in poverty has risen by at least 8 million during the pandemic, but this is a vast undercount.

The actual level of hardship, the Poor Peoples Campaign and the Institute for Policy Studies found, is far higher  at more than 140 million people in the United States. Meanwhile our death toll approaches an unthinkable 400,000.

Voters of all stripes are demanding action. COVID-19 relief took center stage in Georgia, with Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff campaigning for $2,000 cash payments and ousting Republican incumbents whod helped GOP Senate leader Mitch McConnell squash them.

But support for relief goes even deeper than that. A recent Data for Progress poll found 65 percent support nationally not just for the one-time $2,000 payments McConnell has resisted, but for monthly $2,000 payments to support Americans through the crisis.

After months of resistance, McConnell agreed to an eleventh-hour relief package late last year. Many Americans were relieved to see their unemployment insurance continued and an extra $600 in their pockets, but these measures were too little, too late for millions behind on their bills. State and local governments have meanwhile been starved just when resources are needed the most.

McConnell held up cash payments and aid for local governments because he wanted immunity for corporations whose negligence gets their workers or customers infected during the pandemic. But a December Vox poll showed that 81 percent of Americans cared more about COVID-19 relief than liability protection for businesses.

Incoming President Biden has promised a Marshall Plan from the federal government to promote the needed distribution for state and local governments. Now, with a Democratic House and Senate, he should engage this broad bipartisan support to get one.

Theres also broad bipartisan support about who should pay their fair share to support it: billionaires.

According to the Institute for Policy Studies, the combined wealth of Americas billionaires has increased by more than $1 trillion during the pandemic. Poll after poll shows overwhelming support for raising taxes on this group, who got a huge tax cut under Trump. A recent Reuters poll found 77 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Republicans supporting taxing billionaire wealth.

Other polls show support for popular ideas progressives have championed for years.

A recent CNBC poll found broad bipartisan support for raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour (60 percent), making public college free (57 percent), and Medicare for All (54 percent). Majorities of Republicans joined Democrats in supporting paid maternity leave and federally supported child care. More than 40 percent of GOP voters support increasing food assistance for people in poverty.

Even on hot-button issues where Trump has stoked partisan divides, Republican and Democratic voters are often united. A majority of Trump voters told pollsters this year they support protecting undocumented immigrants brought here as children from deportation, and majorities of both Democrats and Republicans support taking more action on climate change.

Finally, theres the U.S. Postal Service, which was badly battered and politicized under the Trump administration. Yet it remains the most popular federal agency of all, with over 90 percent of voters supporting crisis aid for the vital public service.

Bipartisanship wont solve all our problems. Republican support for racial equality and transgender rights still remains absent, so executive orders may be necessary to address these critical issues.

Yet its clear that possibilities for bringing together such a deeply divided country not only exist but abound. Biden, Congress and voters must work hard to make sure the policies the majority of us support become law.

Karen Dolan directs the Criminalization of Race and Poverty Project at the Institute for Policy Studies. She wrote this for InsideSources.com.
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I am honored to be able to continue to be part of Divorce With Dignity's amicable divorce services in the San Francisco community.

Today, Divorce With Dignity Network, Inc., the leader in helping couples achieve an amicable divorce, is excited to announce that Divorce with Dignity-San Francisco, has relocated to a brand new office in the Flood building in downtown San Francisco.

Bronwyn Kay Galloway said, I am honored to be able to continue to be part of Divorce With Dignity's amicable divorce services in the San Francisco community. I am tremendously excited to assist and be a part of a wonderful alternative to litigated divorces, and providing options that many people may not have considered. I aim to facilitate a working dialogue with families to help them make their own arrangements and agreements in their difficult transition.

Ms. Galloway was previously located a mile away at 275 Battery St, Suite 1300 in San Francisco. At her new address located in the historic Flood Building, Ms. Galloway will continue to offer a convenient meeting place for her clients residing in the downtown San Francisco area, and surrounding communities. Her new address is:

The Flood Building

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Ms. Galloway added, I am so happy to be able to provide a safe, convenient and peaceful environment to assist with personal life changes, and offer resources and relevant guidelines for those wanting to save money, avoid frustration and retain their dignity.

For more information on the option of peaceful divorce you can visit the Divorce With Dignity website. There is a wealth of information about divorce on its peaceful divorce blog. You can also find a Divorce With Dignity Network Affiliate in your area.

About Divorce With Dignity Network, Inc.

The Divorce With Dignity Network, Inc. helps legal professionals across the United States to own and operate a successful peaceful divorce services business. The Divorce With Dignity Network offers a proven method and a superior lifestyle opportunity for those legal professionals seeking their own independent business or it can create a new value-add and incremental revenue stream to an existing family law or mediation practice. The Divorce With Dignity Network, Inc. began licensing its peaceful divorce services business model in 2008.

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A mother-of-two has relived the terrifying moment she was dragged out to sea in the dead of the night before miraculously being rescued.

Oksana Samkova, 45, was rescued on Monday night after a strong current dragged her out into the open ocean during her first time scuba diving at night.

She had set off at Port Noarlunga jetty in South Australia with six other divers, but quickly found herself in trouble swimming with huge swells and strong winds.

A mother-of-two was rescued after spending three hours alone at sea during a night time scuba dive gone wrong (pictured)

It wasn't long before Ms Samkova was swept out to sea, an experience she described as 'terrifying'.

'Let's say the most terrifying experience of my life, I would say,' she told 9News.

'I was bobbing up and down and the surf was just taking me up again and I was trying to get down and it was taking me up again,' Ms Samkova told 9News.

A few moments later, Ms Samkova was swept further away from her group and left alone for three hours at sea with nothing but a small flashlight and her scuba gear.

Oksana Samkova, 45, spent two nights in hospital (pictured) and had water in her lungs

The 45-year-old diver kept her thoughts solely on her two sons as she battled with extreme fatigue.

'It was scary because I wanted to see my children, I wanted to be alive for my children as well so that was quite emotional,' she said.

Ms Samkova was able to use her torch - which was low on batteries - to alert search crew of her location as they desperately searched for her.

'I was praying for the torch not too die, it was scary', she said.

The mum-of-two was taken to hospital for two nights with water in her lungs.

Despite the scary ordeal, Ms Samkova hasn't been deterred by scuba diving and is grateful to her rescuers for saving her life.
Stephenson has launched its first solid conditioning bar as a part of the companys ongoing commitment to sustainability in the personal care market.

Related: Stephensons Reveals First COSMOS-approved Personal Care, Base C

The solid conditioner base is the latest addition to Stephensons Melt and Pour range, designed to bypass the need for plastic containers and reduce the use of water during hair washing. The formulation, which can be tailored using additives, includes natural ingredients such as: behentrimonium chloride, a cationic surfactant to help condition the hair; shea butter and coconut oil, which provide hydration; and hydrogenated ethylhexyl olivate, a natural emollient within the base.

Stephensons Melt and Pour range has been expanded to include more than 30 products ranging from Crystal Donkey Milk to Crystal Hemp and more. All of Stephensons crystal melt and pour products are paraben-, preservative- and PEG-free.

Our melt and pour range of personal care products has been constantly evolving for the past seven years, in line with the increase of eco-demands and changing consumer trends, said Richard Musgrave, marketing manager at Stephenson. The development of our first-ever conditioning bar as part of this range is in direct response to these trends and presents a solid bar conditioner that is not only great for hair but the environment, too.

For more information, contact Stephenson.
Brad Carr, a University of Wyoming associate research scientist in geology and geophysics, uses a Geoprobe instrument to sample the subsurface in the foothills of the southern Sierra Nevada in California. Carr contributed to a study that was published in the Jan. 12 issue of Geology. The research shows that physical weathering is far more important than previously recognized in the breakdown of rock in mountain landscapes. Credit: Sarah Granke

Research led by the University of Wyoming shows that physical weathering is far more important than previously recognized in the breakdown of rock in mountain landscapes. Because it is difficult to measure, physical weathering has commonly been assumed to be negligible in previous studies.

Cliff Riebe, a professor in UW's Department of Geology and Geophysics, headed a research group that discovered that climate and erosion rates strongly regulate the relative importance of subsurface physical and chemical weathering of saprolite, the zone of weathered rock that retains the relative positions of mineral grains of the parent bedrock and lies between the layer of soil and harder rock underneath. Saprolite is much like the weathered granite found on the flat areas surrounding the hard granite of Vedauwoo.

"Our work shows that physical strain can no longer be ignored in studies of subsurface weathering. It's not just a chemical process. It is physical as well," Riebe says. "What we found is that anisovolumetric weathering is much more common than previously thought, and that variations in this process can be explained by climate and erosion."

Riebe is lead author of a paper, titled "Anisovolumetric Weathering in Granitic Saprolite Controlled by Climate and Erosion Rates," which was published in the Jan. 12 issue of Geology. The journal publishes timely, innovative and provocative articles relevant to its international audience, representing research from all fields of the geosciences.

The study looked at three siteswith differing climates and elevations of granitic bedrockof the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range in California.

In the lingo of geochemists, weathering has long been assumed to be "isovolumetric," meaning without a change in volume caused by physical strain.

"Our work shows that, to the contrary, weathering is commonly 'anisovolumetric,' meaning that strain caused by physical weathering is important," Riebe says.

Riebe credits some of the tools and instruments that were purchased from the Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics (WyCEHG) EPSCoR (Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) project that ended a few years ago as the reason his team could measure both physical and chemical weathering at several sites in California.

"The reason why weathering was difficult to measure in the past is you have to be able to access the deep subsurface and sample it without disturbing it," Riebe explains. "You need a Geoprobe push coring system, which is basically a big track-mounted drill rig, to do this.

"It's expensive work, especially if you do not happen to own a Geoprobe and have to hire someone to do the work," he continues. "Fortunately, we have access to this equipment and the expertise to operate it through Wyoming's Near Surface Geophysics facility, which is ably managed by Brad Carr, one of the study's co-authors."

The research was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), NASA and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Riebe says there is a direct correlation between the research in this paper and the $5.33 million NSF grant he received last September. The grant focuses on connections among rock, water and life at Earth's surface.

"This research is partly supported by that grant and also helped inspire it," Riebe says.

Explore further Study explores how rock expands near soil surface in Southern Sierra Nevada

More information: Clifford S. Riebe et al, Anisovolumetric weathering in granitic saprolite controlled by climate and erosion rates Geology (2021) Journal information: Geology Clifford S. Riebe et al, Anisovolumetric weathering in granitic saprolite controlled by climate and erosion rates(2021) doi.org/10.1130/G48191.1
The Fox News meteorologist who blames Andrew Cuomos nursing home policy for the deaths of her parents-in-law slammed the governors COVID-19 vaccine rollout in New York, saying hes more interested in being a celebrity.

Janice Dean appeared on the Fox News Channel on Tuesday where she blasted the governor for the botched vaccination rollout, which she called a disaster.

It is just another leadership failure from this governor, Dean said.

Richard Azzopardi, a spokesperson for Cuomo, told DailyMail.com in response: 'Every state has had issues with vaccine distribution because of lack of federal funds but we're rapidly ramping up distribution and currently have administered more than 60 percent of the vaccines we have.

'Last I checked she's not a credible source on anything except maybe the weather.'

Last spring, Dean emerged as a critic of Cuomo after the parents of her husband, Sean Newman, died in March after contracting COVID-19.

Dean first lost her father-in-law, Michael Newman, in late March just hours after the family received a phone call that he had been feeling unwell.

Janice Dean (left), the Fox News meteorologist who blames Andrew Cuomos (right) nursing home policy for the deaths of her parents-in-law last March, slammed the governors COVID-19 vaccine rollout in New York, saying hes more interested in being a celebrity'

Cuomo has been blamed for the state's sluggish rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine. The image above shows a woman receiving a dose of the Moderna vaccine at a vaccination site in The Bronx on Sunday

A couple days later, her mother-in-law Dolores Newman became sick at another nursing home and was rushed to the hospital. She died a few days after she tested positive.

Dean told DailyMailTV in November that she didn't blame anyone for their deaths initially, until she learned Cuomo had signed an executive order to move COVID-positive patients into age care facilities.

'That's when my back went up a bit because I remember not long before his [her husband's] father died, getting a phone call from his nursing home saying: "We're going to move your father-in-law to a different floor so we can put more patients in", she said.

During the early days of the pandemic last March, Cuomo ordered nursing homes to take back COVID-19 patients as part of an effort to free up hospital beds.

But the decision proved controversial as the virus spread like wildfire in old-age homes. It is estimated that more than 6,000 elderly New Yorkers died in nursing homes during that period.

Cuomo eventually reversed course and lifted the requirement. He has since resisted bipartisan calls for an independent investigation into the nursing home fiasco.

Dean also blasted Cuomo for publishing a book touting his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic - even as most of the state still remains under varying degrees of lockdown and the vaccination rollout has been considered a failure.

Dean's mother-in-law Dolores Newman (pictured far right next to her husband, Sean Newman) died a few days after she tested positive at a nursing home last March. Dean later learned Cuomo had signed an executive order to move positive patients into aged care facilities

Dean first lost her father-in-law Michael Newman in late March just hours after the family received a phone call that he had been feeling unwell

Dean also criticized Cuomo for focusing on his eventual success in flattening the curve of infections instead of questions about his misguided policies. She is pictured right next to her late mother-in-law and her husband

In October, Cuomo released a book titled American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic - despite the fact that New York State reported the most COVID-19-related deaths of any other state in the country.

Dean told Fox News on Tuesday that Cuomo appears distracted from his job.

Aside from the book release, the governor also received an Emmy Award in November.

Cuomo was widely praised last year for the empathy he showed during his press conferences and daily briefings related to the pandemic.

Last month, Cuomo was criticized for hosting a virtual birthday party in which he charged up to $10,000 for anyone willing to contribute to his campaign so they could attend the event via Zoom.

In October, Cuomo published a book touting his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, though critics charge he was prematurely patting himself on the back

The governor turned 63 years of age on December 6.

I have been covering him for about 10 months, and I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he is interested in being a celebrity instead of being a governor, Dean told host Dana Perino on Tuesday.

Writing a book, doing a COVID poster, winning an Emmy, hosting a birthday party for himself ... he's doing four state of the state addresses this week. Instead, he should be talking about this massive failure trying to get the shot into arms of New Yorkers, especially the vulnerable.

Dean wrote an op-ed on Fox News in which she slammed Cuomos leadership as anything other than a success.

If you ask those who lost loved ones in nursing homes, as my family did in 2020, his leadership has been a failure starting with his March 25 order to put COVID-positive patients into nursing homes for 46 days, and the subsequent cover-up of the total number of seniors weve lost since then, she wrote.

Dean urged Cuomo to ramp up vaccination distribution and actually lead and talk to people and answer important questions instead of going out there and celebrating himself, warning that this is going to be the next tragedy if he doesn't get his act together.

Cuomo's vaccine rollout gets worse: Gov. says it will take SIX MONTHS for priority groups - now including 65+ and the immunocompromised - to get shot as state gets just 300,000 doses from feds each week - but has used up only 61.7% of its vials so far

Cuomos vaccine rollout timeline got worse on Tuesday, with the governor saying it could take six months for all 'priority' groups to get an appointment as the state has used only 61.7 percent of the doses it's gotten so far.

Cuomo blasted the federal government's allocation of the vaccine, saying the 300,000 doses New York gets each week isn't enough for a state with a population of 7 million eligible residents.

The governor bowed to pressure on Monday to include people aged 75 and older in the current phase of the vaccine rollout after previously insisting the elderly come after healthcare workers.

On Tuesday, the CDC then recommended expanding eligibility to people aged 65 and over, as well as people who are immunocompromised - a recommendation Cuomo took on.

Andrew Cuomo's vaccine rollout timeline nosedived even further Tuesday, with the governor now saying it could take six months for all priority people to get an appointment

As the state loosened up rules, its percentage of vaccinated people improved, though some said the state should still be doing more to get shots in peoples' arms faster.

New York had used 665,172 doses as of 3 pm Tuesday afternoon, according to the state, meaning it's used 61.7 percent of the vaccine in its possession.

While this marks a major increase of 60,000 shots in arms in the last 24 hours and is better than the national average of 36.4 percent, it's little comfort as states around the country struggle with the rollout of the vaccine.

In a conference call Tuesday, the New York governor upped his attack on the federal government over the slow vaccine distribution, saying around 7 million New Yorkers are now eligible for the shots.

Cuomo warned that with the expanded eligibility, people can now expect to wait a staggering six months for a shot if the federal government continues to send just 300,000 doses per week to the Empire State - up from the already dismal 14-week timescale he warned of Monday, with the smaller list of eligible people.

But while Cuomo has several times relaxed the rules as to who can get the vaccines and is pointing the blame for slow take-up at the federal government, critics have said the state needs to be doing more to use the shots that it has.

New York City endured one of the longest lockdowns during the first wave of the pandemic and many business owners such as restaurants and bars are teetering on the brink of closure with indoor dining closed.

Vaccine distribution is being touted by the governor as the key to getting the city back up-and-running.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday urged Cuomo to add food delivery, deli and bodega workers to the priority list

De Blasio also announced he was opening the 24/7 Citi Field site to boost rollout in the Big Apple

But Cuomo has been accused of 'playing politics' with the vaccine as he hits out at the federal government's delivery of doses to the state while his own distribution plan is facing issues - including a narrow allocation of first phase doses leading to vials being unused and tossed.

The governor's top aide, Melissa DeRosa, defended the state's rollout, saying hospitals with unused doses are required under New York law to have standby lists, so that if someone doesn't show up for an appointment, there are still people ready for shots - making sure nothing gets wasted.

Fellow Democrat New York Assemblyman Ron Kim slammed the governor for 'punt[ing] this to under-funded hospitals in the first place' and organization Voices for Seniors accused him of viewing the elderly as 'disposable', as he stuck to rules that limited vaccines to people 75 and over until the feds came out with their 65-and-over rule on Tuesday.

The governor is also tussling with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio over the issue. The mayor on Tuesday urged him to add food delivery, deli and bodega workers to the priority list and announced he was opening Citi Field in Queens 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for vaccination appointments.

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer pointed out Sunday that hundreds of vaccination appointments were left unfilled as 'bewildered' residents - many of whom are elderly - struggle to navigate the 51-question online survey and technical issues.

Meanwhile, Cuomo announced Tuesday that the CDC added people who are 65-plus and immunocompromised to its recommended priority list for people eligible to get the vaccine now.

De Blasio at Queens Police Academy in the Queens borough where people received the Moderna Covid-19 vaccination Monday

The Democrat said the change made things 'extraordinarily difficult' for states and said he was looking forward to the Biden administration taking the reins.

'The CDC made another change in vaccine policy,' he said in the conference call.

'Seems change is constant and to tell you the truth, I'm looking forward to the new administration because the federal policy is making things extraordinarily difficult.

'The CDC just announced that states should open up vaccines to 65-plus. This is another major change in a very short period of time. It's not just 65-plus, it's 65-plus and immunocompromised and they don't define immunocompromised.'

The addition of this group takes the number of New Yorkers currently eligible for the vaccine up to around 7 million, he said.

However, the governor said the increase in eligible people does not correspond with an increase in vaccine supply from the federal government.

At present, the state receives about 300,000 doses of the vaccine per week.

Which means, if the supply continues along the current trajectory, it will take up to six months for all those in the priority list to be able to get their hands on a dose.

'At our current rate of supply, it will take close to six months to vaccinate everyone who's currently eligible,' Cuomo said.

'Is that helpful? I don't think so. I don't think this creates national confidence. I think it creates national frustration.'

New York state moved into Phase 1B of its vaccination plan on Monday, allowing for residents over the age of 75, teachers, transit workers and police to begin receiving shots,

This is in addition to healthcare workers who were covered in Phase 1A.

The new phase also broadened the types of healthcare workers that can receive the vaccine to include anyone who interacts with the public, such as licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, dentists and podiatrists.

Cuomo had previously been adamant that all healthcare workers should be inoculated before the state moved on to other categories but finally bowed to pressure from medics and the likes of de Blasio to expand the category.

'Phase 1a was 2.1 million, Phase 1b was 3.2 million, and you just added 1.8 million, plus the immunocompromised number we don't even have yet because it depends on how you define it, but you have a population now of 7 million,' Cuomo said Tuesday.

He added: 'We are going to accept the federal guidance of the 65 plus and immunocompromised. I don't want New Yorkers to think were not doing everything we can.'

Cuomo said healthcare workers are still the priority while supply remains limited saying 'I don't care how old we are, we're not walking into the emergency room dealing with COVID patients all day'.

'Hospitals must still prioritize healthcare workers. That is everyone's priority, and by the way, from a moral point of view, everyone celebrated the nurses and doctors,' he said.

'You and I, I don't care how old we are, we're not walking into the emergency room dealing with COVID patients all day.

'And if we get COVID we're not super spreaders. If my office closes down people won't die, if a hospital closes down people will die.'

Cuomo insisted that with the current expansion any hold-up getting shots in arms will now be down to the federal government.

'I don't understand how you could have 7 million people chasing 300,000 vaccines every week and anyone not be over-subscribed. Everyone will be oversubscribed. The problem is going to be the opposite,' he said.

As of Tuesday morning, New York City had administered just over a third of the doses delivered to the city.

Just 239,324 doses - including 216,014 first doses and 23,310 second doses - out of 669,175 delivered have actually gone into the arms of residents, data from the city's health department shows.

De Blasio on Tuesday announced that Citi Field in Queens - home to the New York Mets - will be turned into a new 24/7 vaccination hub by the end of the month to ramp up rollout in the city.

'The Mets organization has stepped up to the plate to help us out,' the mayor said at a press conference with Mets owner Steve Cohen.

The site will be able to administer around 7,000 shots a day helping the city reach its target distribution, de Blasio said.

The mayor described the city's rollout as 'unbelievable' saying 'we are reaching thousands and thousands of people already'.

De Blasio said the Big Apple administered 26,528 doses Monday meaning it is on track for the week's goal of 175,000 shots.

'Freedom to vaccinate is what allowed us to do this and we're now going to take full advantage of that and reach New Yorkers,' he said, pointing to the expansion of Phase 1B.

He welcomed the changes but said he was now calling on Cuomo to 'go farther' and include food delivery workers and deli and bodega workers.

'We want to make sure that all the delivery workers who work in these [grocery] stores get vaccinated, in fact all delivery workers of all kinds get vaccinated,' he said.

'They are coming into contact with so many people. They're serving us, we depend on them - they deserve the right to be vaccinated.

'We want the freedom to vaccinate delivery workers. We want the freedom to vaccinate folks that work in bodegas and delis.

'They're there again on the frontline making sure every neighborhood in New York City has the food it needs. They deserve the right to be vaccinated so we're asking the state to help us clarify the rules in 1B.'

However, the downside of the city ramping up its rollout of the vaccine is that - if it reaches its target vaccination - it could run out of doses in just two weeks, de Blasio warned late Monday.

Stringer said when he checked the sign-up website, which can only be accessed after creating an account on a separate site, there were over 200 slots available for January 12

Stringer shared this screengrab of an issue he encountered on the sign-up website

The process for signing up for appointments in New York City is especially arduous, including a 51-question survey (pictured) on a website rife with technological issues

'In the real world, problems could be lack of vaccine,' de Blasio told NY1's Inside City Hall.

'At the rate we're going, we're going to be out in two weeks or so.'

De Blasio said that New York City's goal is to reach 400,000 doses per week by the end of January - 100,000 more than the entire state receives in a single week.

While the data shows New York state is not receiving the number of doses from the federal government it needs to hit its targets, the state is also failing in its role to distribute shots once it receives them.

Hospitals have complained of having to throw doses out because they could not find eligible people to take them - and did not want to risk hefty fines for getting a shot in the arm of someone not included in the narrow first phase of the rollout.

And, while hospitalizations top levels not seen since March, vaccines are sitting unused in hospitals and vaccination appointments are going to waste due to the cumbersome process by which eligible residents can sign up for a shot.

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer highlighted glaring issues in the city's process to sign up for a vaccine appointment in a Twitter thread late Sunday.

Stringer said when he checked the sign-up website, which can only be accessed after creating an account on a separate site, there were over 200 slots available for January 12 at one of the sites.

He pinned the large number of vacancies on both the 'bewildering' complexity of the sign-up process - which includes a 51-question gauntlet rife with technical issues - and on city officials' failure to mobilize people to seek appointments.

'The @NYCHealthy site for signing up for a COVID vaccination is complex, burdensome, and buggy,' Stringer tweeted.

'It will present an obstacle for too many people  particularly seniors  trying to sign up. This is a major problem.'

Stringer pointed out that the system is especially challenging given the fact those currently eligible are elderly workers who are typically less tech-savvy.

New York Assemblyman Kim, who is also the chairman of the Aging Committee, and Voices for Seniors also hit out at Cuomo for the vaccine rollout

'We should be #1 in vaccinations in the nation from day one  and we should be using every tool at our disposal to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible as quickly as possible,' he added.

It is unclear if any of the technical issues have been ironed out.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Stringer's office, Cuomo's office and de Blasio's office for comment on the issues.

On Monday, Stringer revealed the city had created an option for people to call 311 for an appointment but warned that people were on hold for almost half an hour on the line.

'Good news: The City now has 311 as an option to make a vaccination reservation. Bad news: The current hold time is 27 minutes. We can and must do better than this,' he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Cuomo is also facing a backlash over his handling of the rollout from within his own party with New York Assemblyman Kim, who is also the chairman of the Aging Committee, questioning the entire process.

'First, it should be a two-step verification process to vaccinate older adults. But fixing hospital vaccination screening process is not the issue,' he tweeted Monday.

'Why did the governor punt this to underfunded hospitals in the first place? Why didn't the governor trust local protocols?'

DailyMail.com has reached out to Kim's office for comment.

Voices for Seniors, an activist group lobbying for change for the elderly, said the vaccine distribution is just the latest sign from Cuomo that he doesn't care about the elderly.

'Governor Cuomo and Dr. Zucker have made it clear: They feel our seniors are disposable,' the group tweeted Monday.

'There's no other explanation for their continued and criminal mismanagement of everything COVID; from nursing home policies to vaccine distribution.'

COVID-weary New Yorkers are also growing frustrated with Cuomo's handling of the vaccine rollout accusing him of playing politics with lives

Cuomo has been blasted for releasing a book praising his own leadership during the pandemic and failing to address the thousands of patient deaths at New York nursing homes under his watch.

A senior medical professional said the fault for the slow vaccine rollout lies with Cuomo for not preparing a plan prior to shots being authorized by the federal government.

'Getting 8.3 million New York City residents organized to do anything is going to be hard. I'm struck by the lack of preparation. They could have foreseen the need for a registration system months ago. As it is, they seem to be managing things on the fly,' Bill Hammond, Senior Fellow for Health Policy at Empire Center, told Fox News Monday.

'He should have been working on exactly these issues since the summer or early fall. Not involving the counties  who had already done some the prep work  seems like a major mistake,' he told me.

COVID-weary New Yorkers are also growing frustrated with Cuomo's handling of the vaccine rollout accusing him of playing politics with lives.

'I hate to say that I really think Cuomo is slow-walking the vaccines so that Biden can take credit. The very fact that I'm thinking a man would be so evil as to play politics with peoples' lives is horrifying to me,' one person tweeted.

'Is Cuomo going to write a book on how efficient his vaccine distribution has been?' another wrote in reference to his memoir.

Another raged: 'Governor's run states. Cuomo of New York(nursing home scandal) threw loads of vaccines out through waste and total incompetence.'

While others singled out the governor for the slow distribution.

'New York's COVID-19 #vaccine rollout is an utter disaster, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is to blame,' one person tweeted.

The New York Department of Health is setting up 20 mass distribution sites throughout the state over the next several weeks.

Two sites opened in New York City on Sunday, one at the Brooklyn Army Terminal and another at the Bathgate Contract Postal Station in the Bronx.

Another three will be open on Wednesday, Cuomo said, at the Jacob K Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, the Westchester County Convention Center and the State Fairgrounds in Onondaga County.


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Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, addresses the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee attended by provincial and ministerial-level officials, Jan. 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday called for ensuring a good start for fully building a modern socialist country.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when addressing the opening of a study session at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee attended by provincial and ministerial-level officials.

Xi stressed the need to resolutely implement the guiding principles of the fifth plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee and urged the officials to accurately understand the new development stage, act on the new development philosophy and accelerate the establishment of the new development paradigm to drive high-quality development during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) period.

NEW STAGE

Xi said the new development stage remains in the primary stage of socialism, but it is also a new starting point built on decades of development.

"We have laid a solid material foundation to embark on a new journey and achieve new and higher goals by our unremitting endeavors since the founding of the New China, especially over the four decades since the reform and opening up," he said.

Xi said that the new development stage spans the next 30 years, during which China is expected to complete modernization.

Xi stressed that the primary stage of socialism is not static, but rather dynamic, active, promising and permeated with vigorous vitality.

For China's socialism to advance from the primary stage to a higher one, it is necessary to fully build a modern socialist China and basically realize socialist modernization, he said.

"The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, but time and situation are in our favor," Xi said.

He pointed out that there are unprecedented challenges and opportunities both at present and for some time to come, but in general opportunities outweigh challenges.

Xi stressed the need for the Party to deliver in its work and perseverance in realizing set goals.

NEW PHILOSOPHY

Since the 18th CPC National Congress, many major theories and concepts on economic and social development were put forward, with the new development philosophy being the primary and most important one, which has led China to make historic achievements and transformations in economic development, Xi said.

He ordered Party members to fully and faithfully practice the new development philosophy, whose "roots" and "soul" lie in striving for people's well-being and national rejuvenation.

Xi also stressed a problem-oriented approach in implementing the philosophy, calling for more targeted and pragmatic measures in addressing the issue of unbalanced and inadequate development.

Efforts should be made to strengthen awareness of potential dangers, persist in considering the worst-case scenario and always be ready to cope with even more complex and difficult situations, said Xi.

"We must be brave to fight and be good at it. We must comprehensively strengthen ourselves," he said.

NEW PARADIGM

Xi said it is a major strategic task for China's overall development to establish at a faster pace the new development paradigm featuring dual circulation, in which domestic and overseas markets reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay.

Only by smoothing the domestic circulation can China withstand the rapid changes in the international arena, he noted.

Xi underscored the necessity to keep economic circulation unobstructed, further emphasize independent innovation, strengthen arrangements for scientific innovation and push forward the establishment of mechanisms that facilitate innovation and technological breakthroughs.

Xi also called for setting up an effective system to boost domestic demand, unleashing the potential of domestic demand and encouraging consumer spending, thus making the formation of a super-sized domestic market a sustainable course of history.

New advantages must be created for China to engage in international cooperation and competition, and attention should be paid to using the international circulation to boost the efficiency and quality of domestic circulation, Xi said.

Stressing the Party's overall leadership over China's socialist modernization, Xi urged officials at all levels, especially senior ones, to keep improving their political judgment, understanding and execution for the effective implementation of the Party leadership's decisions and plans.

Monday's event was presided over by Li Keqiang and attended by Li Zhanshu, Wang Yang, Wang Huning, Zhao Leji and Han Zheng -- who are all members of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Vice President Wang Qishan also attended.

Presiding over the opening ceremony, Li Keqiang called for an in-depth study of Xi's speech which is of great and profound significance and efforts to fully implement the CPC Central Committee's major decisions and plans for the 14th Five-Year Plan period.

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[ Editor: WPY ]

Washington: Joe Bidens inauguration ceremony next Thursday (AEDT) was already going to be a dramatically scaled-back affair because of coronavirus concerns. The deadly assault on the US Capitol building last week, and fears of further violence in Washington, have only added to the complexities of staging what is usually a packed and pomp-filled event.

Democratic congressman James Clyburn, a close ally of Biden, has said that he expects 75 to 80 per cent of the event will be held virtually.

A two metre fence has been erected around the US Capitol ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration. Credit:Bloomberg

"If anybody saw the Democratic convention [in August] I think you saw a bit of what you will see for the inauguration," Clyburn told CNN recently.

Tickets to the swearing-in ceremony have been limited to members of the Senate and House of Representatives, who will be allowed to bring one guest each.

Days after Facebook-owned WhatsApp updated its privacy policy to what was interpreted by many to mean that the chat app will be sharing data with its mother company, the exodus continues.

In many countries around the world, including here in Kenya, apps that emphasize on privacy have seen incredible amounts of downloads.

The biggest beneficiaries are Signal and Telegram.

Telegram has been on the scene for years, and is now only getting renewed attention. In a statement, Telegram founder Pavel Durov revealed that the app had now surpassed 500 million monthly users, with 25 million new users joining in just the last 72 hours.

Heres part of the statement.

In the first week of January, Telegram surpassed 500 million monthly active users. After that it kept growing: 25 million new users joined Telegram in the last 72 hours alone. These new users came from across the globe  38% from Asia, 27% from Europe, 21% from Latin America and 8% from MENA. This is a significant increase compared to last year, when 1.5M new users signed up every day. Weve had surges of downloads before, throughout our 7-year history of protecting user privacy. But this time is different. People no longer want to exchange their privacy for free services. They no longer want to be held hostage by tech monopolies that seem to think they can get away with anything as long as their apps have a critical mass of users. With half a billion active users and accelerating growth, Telegram has become the largest refuge for those seeking a communication platform committed to privacy and security. We take this responsibility very seriously. We wont let you down.

In Kenya, Signal has topped the Google Play store as well as the App store charts. Telegram comes ninth, and it has been like this for 3 days in a row so far. WhatsApp has dropped to number 12 on Android and 6 on iOS, a reversal from just a week ago when it topped all charts.

On January 1, Telegram was not even top 50 and Signal did not even appear in top 100.

While they have not released their figures, Signal is also believed to be bringing in tens of millions of new users. It owes its latest success, to a large part, to an endorsement from Elon Musk.

The newly-crowned richest man in the world, who also comes with a very influential Twitter account with over 42 million followers urged everyone to Use Signal once news of WhatsApp privacy update broke.

Use Signal  Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 7, 2021

Just to show how much of an influence Elon wields, his tweet sent the stock price of an unrelated medical devise company called Signal Advances soaring nearly 12,000%.

Before his tweet on Thursday, the stock of the company was trading at $0.60. On Monday, the stock price had peaked at $70.85.

In the process the market cap of the company went from $6 million to $300 million overnight.
New York State will distribute the COVID-19 vaccine in phases based on need and risk. Phase 1B opened up vaccinations to a wide range of essential frontline workers including teachers. Many teachers like substitute teacher, Maryanne Krasinski, came to the MVCC Jorgenson Center to get their vaccine.

"The spots are going very fast, and it took me quite a while to get a spot, so you know you cant delay. You have to move quickly," she said.

SUNY Morrisville teacher, Gregory Sydoriw, and several other people said it took about an hour and a half before receiving the vaccination.

"It was a little bit longer than I thought it was going to be considering they were only scheduling 7 appointments at any given time, but Im sure it didnt help that people were showing up early before their actual scheduled time," he said.

Time is what County Executive Anthony Picente is hoping for. He believes the Countys COVID-19 numbers should come down before schools consider reopening their doors.

"With the limited vaccines, and as they come in this overall sporadic way, you know do a specific vaccination pod for teachers. Maybe somewhere down the road. Later on that could occur, but right now its a matter of getting the vaccine to as many people as we can, and thats in really the most vulnerable and the frontline people," said Picente.

The County Executive is planning on meeting with school districts throughout the area on Thursday, Jan.14. Ultimately it is up to each individual school district to decide on whether to return to in-class learning or not.
Shocking details of a shameful chapter of Irish history reveal 177 babies died in just 38 years at the Kilkenny County Home.



Their individual graves are unmarked and many institutional records have been destroyed. It has also been revealed that many Kilkenny mothers were sent to the now infamous Bessborough home in Cork and Sean Ross Abbey in Tipperary, from the County Home.



The heartbreaking figures reflecting the stories of mothers and their babies have been set out in the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission, published on Tuesday.



The County Home was located in Thomastown where the mother and baby section was just one department in the home that cared for many of the infirm and vulnerable in the community, and had evolved from the earlier workhouse. It was controlled by the local authority.



Many burial records from the home no longer exist - a groundsman having been told to incinerate records around 1990. However, the Commission visited the graveyard in 2019. It had been levelled and grassed, is well-maintained and now has a single cross marking its status as a former graveyard, with the inscription Remembering those who died. This graveyard operated from 1854 until 1978 and the Commission considers it likely that children who died in Thomastown County Home were buried there.



According to the report more than half of the mothers who lived at the County Home (54%) experienced the death of at least one child. Between 1919 and 1962, 764 live births at the County Home were attributed to single women. Of that, 140 infants subsequently died.

A report from a medical officer in the 1920s blamed mothers for careless and indifferent mothering.

Conditions at the Thomastown facility were very poor with the nursery section the worst part of the institution, although all residents were affected.

Many women from the County Home were sent on to other homes, such as Sean Ross in Roscrea or Bessborough in Cork, although some remained in Thomastown, doing unpaid work in the other sections of the home.



Admissions of single pregnant women to Thomastown county home were highest in the years 1920 to 1923 and fell by around 50% thereafter. The report says this decline is most probably associated with the opening of Bessborough in 1922. Kilkenny was one of the first local authorities to engage with that institution.



Infant mortality at the home was worst in the 1920s, peaking in 1927 at a rate of 30%. The average death rate in the 1930s was 11%; in the 1940s it was 15.4%; and mortality dropped by the 1950s, with no infant deaths in 1953 or 1954.

The worst year for infant mortality at Thomastown was 1922, when 20 children born in the institution, or admitted there, died.



The average length of stay of children who were born in, or admitted to, Thomastown in the 1920s was 97 days, but this rose to 224 in the 1930s.

In the period 1920-1972, the registers record almost 60,000 admissions. The Commission identified the admissions of 75 married maternity cases, 970 single expectant women and unmarried mothers and 1,241 illegitimate children.



In 1926, the Kilkenny board of health deemed the practice of admitting pregnant married women to Thomastown county home as contrary to the working of the Scheme and married pregnant women remain largely absent from the records thereafter.



According to the Commission: The unmarried mothers and children who were in county homes have attracted much less attention than those in the mother and baby homes but there is conclusive evidence that they experienced much worse physical conditions than the women who were in mother and baby homes.



Local TD Kathleen Funchion has paid tribute to survivors and their families: I want firstly to commend the bravery of survivors and their families who time and time again have been overlooked and subjugated by church, State and society, she said.

Deputy Funchion said the Government needs to act urgently to ensure the human rights of survivors are protected.

Helplines

Several helplines have been opened for those who are affected by this report.

Former residents of mother-and-baby homes can call the HSE National Counselling Service, open Monday to Friday, 9.30am and 5pm. For the Kilkenny, Waterford, Wexford, Carlow and South Tipperary area the number is  1800 234 118.

Details can also be found on a dedicated, HSE website - click here.

Outside of office hours, Connect Counselling provides telephone support. This service is available between 6pm and 10pm each day every day on 1800 477 477.

Support is also available in the UK and the USA.

UK

Immigrant Counselling & Psychotherapy (ICAP) - 0207 272 7906, www.icap.org.uk

The London Irish Centre - 0207 916 2222, www.londonirishcentre.org

Irish Community Services - 0208 854 4466, www.irishcommunityservices.org

Leeds Irish Health and Homes - 0113 262 5614, www.lihh.org

USA

For people based in the United States, the Coalition of Irish Immigration Centers can be contacted for support. To find your local centre go to the CIIC website - click here to find your nearest centre.

Full Report

You can download the full Final Report of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes on Gov.ie - click here to go to the summary and individual chapters.
Boeing Co. got a bump in orders and deliveries of new planes in December, but it wasn't enough to salvage a poor year for the big aircraft maker.

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020 file photo, workers stand near a Boeing 737 Max airplane parked at Renton Municipal Airport next to the Boeing assembly facility in Renton, Wash., where 737 Max airplanes are made. On Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, the company reported final 2020 numbers for airplane orders and deliveries, and they are down from 2019 even though the 737 Max is flying again. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Boeing Co. got a bump in orders and deliveries of new planes in December, but it wasn't enough to salvage a poor year for the big aircraft maker.

Chicago-based Boeing still reported more cancellations than new orders for its 737 Max jet, which was grounded for 21 months after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people.

The market for new planes remains depressed by the pandemic, which has devastated air travel and caused airlines to reconsider aircraft purchases. Despite the December numbers, Boeings full-year numbers for 2020 still declined from 2019.

Boeing finished 2020 with 157 deliveries, including planes handed over to cargo airlines and military customers. That was down from 380 deliveries in 2019. European rival Airbus finished the year with 566 deliveries.

Deliveries are crucial because aircraft makers get much of their cash when planes are delivered. Short on cash during the Max grounding, Boeing has borrowed billions and cut thousands of jobs to reduce costs.

The Federal Aviation Administration's decision in November to approve changes to a flight-control system on the Max allowed Boeing to resume shipping previously built Maxes to airline customers. Boeing delivered 39 planes in December, including 27 Maxes, of which 10 went to American Airlines and eight to United Airlines.

However, Boeing delivered none of its larger 787 jets as it worked to fix manufacturing problems where sections are the fuselage come together.

Boeing reported 90 new orders in December. The bulk, 75, came in a single previously announced order by Irish discount airline Ryanair. The total included cargo carrier DHL's order for eight Boeing 777 freighters, which was announced Tuesday.

However, Boeing also reported cancelled orders for 105 Max planes, all but five by leasing companies that fear it will be difficult to find operators to take the planes.

The totals don't include Alaska Airlines' decision to buy 23 more Max jets. That deal was announced last month but will be reported with January orders, a Boeing spokesman said.

For 2020, orders fell to 184 from 246 in 2019.

Airbus reported 383 orders in 2020.

Boeing said it has a backlog of nearly 3,300 unfilled orders for the Max and about 4,200 for all planes, including cargo freighters.

This story has been updated to correct that Boeing delivered 27 Max planes in December, not 28.
BEIRUT - Israeli warplanes struck eastern Syria overnight on Wednesday, Syria's state-run news agency said, hitting targets that a local monitoring group said included Iranian military positions and forces loyal to Syria President Bashar al-Assad.

Shortly after 1 a.m., the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported an Israeli attack on the cities of Deir al-Zour and Bukamal in eastern Syria, without mentioning deaths or damage. Bukamal sits on the Syrian-Iraqi border and is a vital route for transporting Iranian weapons and fighters into Syria.

A monitoring group called Deir al-Zour 24 that has an extensive network in the eastern Syrian province, said the raids targeted at least four positions of Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization by the United States.

Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Assad Lebanese channel that has extensive field access in Syria, said that "the Israeli aggression targeted positions that had been emptied before the bombardment." The channel said that only material damage was sustained - a common line by the Syrian government after Israeli attacks - and published grainy photos of twisted metal, fallen concrete facades and soldiers digging into the rubble.

The channel also said warehouses in western Deir al-Zour were hit, as well as other positions inside the city and in other locations, including the border crossing. Omar Abu Layla, head of the monitoring group Deir al-Zour 24, said the warehouses are some of the largest that Iranian military units have in Syria.

The bombardment lasted for 35 minutes, according to al-Mayadeen, and was one of the largest-scale attacks on Syria in years. The Israel Defense Forces said it does not comment on reports in foreign media.

Abu Layla said the attack killed no more than 40 members of local and foreign forces loyal to Assad. In a phone call with The Washington Post, he said Iranian units had brought a shipment of missiles into Syria to be stored at the warehouses in the past three weeks.

"This means the Israelis have been monitoring the movement heavily, and the reason behind the massive attack was to target these missiles," he said, speaking from Germany where is he based.

"We have not noted any huge attacks like the one last night in two years," he said, adding that this is the largest Israeli attack on Iranian positions in Syria in the past decade. The attack largely targeted two cities and the 53-mile stretch of desert between them, controlled by Iranian forces. Abu Layla noted that the fierceness of the attack came at the tail end of the Trump administration, a time when Israel might be more emboldened to attack such targets.

Israeli warplanes have been flying low over Lebanon almost daily for three weeks, occasionally venturing into Syria for an attack. The thundering sound and buzzing of drones have especially unnerved residents of Lebanon's capital Beirut, which suffered a blast in August that killed 200 people and destroyed much of the city's center.

Israel has stepped up its attacks on Syria recently. In 2020, it conducted 50 strikes in Syria, according to the IDF's statistics. Last month, the IDF chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, said, "The Iranian entrenchment in Syria is in a clear showdown as a result of IDF activity, but we still have a long way to go to complete our goals in this arena."

The stepped-up Israeli attacks in Syria come as forces in the region are on alert during the final chaotic days of the Trump administration.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reportedly pressed President Donald Trump, who has strongly supported Israel's campaign to put pressure on Tehran's nuclear program, to deliver a final military blow to the program before turning Iran policy over to President-elect Joe Biden. That prospect was dampened by reported objections of Pentagon officials.

But the mounting upheaval in Washington, with an embattled Trump facing the likely prospect of a second impeachment, has heightened the sense the unpredictability. The IDF has been on high alert in recent days and has deployed a battery of its Iron Dome air defense missiles to the Red Sea city of Eilat to protect against possible strikes from Iranian-backed forces in Yemen, according to a report in the daily Haaretz newspaper.

Defense analysts believe that Israel may be taking advantage of the uncertainty of Trump's final days as well as the failure, so far, of Iran to respond to recent provocations. Israel is widely believed to have been behind the killing of a top Iranian nuclear scientist in November. And Jan. 3 was the first anniversary of the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Revolutionary Guard's elite expeditionary Quds Force. So far, none of Iran's promised revenge attacks have materialized.

"Israel seems to have been exploiting Iran's comparative weakness in Syria and the waiting game Tehran is playing prior to U.S. President Joe Biden's inauguration," defense analyst Amos Harel said in a Haaretz commentary.

- - -

The Washington Post's Steve Hendrix in Jerusalem, Shira Rubin in Tel Aviv and Nader Durgham in Beirut contributed to this report.
The United States would be prepared to militarily defend Taiwan from Chinese attack which could potentially drag Australia into a war, newly declassified White House documents reveal.

The documents show outgoing President Donald Trump's national security advisers were in favour of standing by the First Island Chain in East Asia.

This area covering the disputed South China Sea, snaking from Vietnam and between Taiwan and The Philippines, is a key shipping route for Japan and South Korea.

The documents, obtained by the ABC's 7.30 program, reveal the US would be prepared to deploy its military for the purpose of 'defending the First Island Chain nations, including Taiwan'.

The United States would be prepared to militarily defend Taiwan from Chinese attack which could potentially drag Australia into a war. Newly declassified documents from the White House show outgoing President Donald Trump's national security advisers were in favour of standing by the First Island Chain in East Asia

While the US has had a one-China policy since 1979 when it established diplomatic relations with the Communist power, it regards Taiwan as a beacon of democracy.

The fall of autonomous Taiwan to authoritarian Chinese rule would see the island country's advanced semi-conductor industry controlled by a nation intent on replacing the US as the world's biggest military and economic power.

The document explains how the US would have a defence strategy based on 'denying China sustained air and sea dominance inside the "First Island Chain" in a conflict'.

The documents, signed off by President Trump's former national security adviser H.R. McMaster in 2018, state the US would work with democratic nations, including Australia, whose biggest trading partner is China.

'Align our Indo-Pacific strategy with those of Australia, India and Japan,' it said.

The declassified documents are being released on Wednesday, 30 years earlier than usual, and follow comments from Australian Liberal senator Jim Molan, a former Army major-general, predicting a war between the US and China within a decade that would most likely involve Australia.

The fall of autonomous Taiwan to authoritarian Chinese rule would see the island state's advanced semi-conductor industry be controlled for a nation intent on replacing the US as the world's biggest military and economic power. Pictured are People's Liberation Army troops in Beijing

'We are likely in the next three to five years or in the next five to ten years to be involved in a war between China and the United States,' he told the Seven Network in December.

With the US also 'primed for war', Senator Molan said an armed conflict with China could occur if the authoritarian Communist state invaded Taiwan.

Australian Liberal senator Jim Molan, a former Army major-general, is predicting a war between the US and China within a decade that would most likely involve Australia

'The possibility of this war occurring by a legitimate reason such as a Chinese invasion of Taiwan ... which might have some kind of reaction from the US and from us and from the other good nations in the region, or by accident, is fairly high,' he said.

'They are threatening Taiwan every day of the week, they're interfering in Japanese air space, they have stolen the South China Sea, contrary to any international rules and laws.'

Australia participated in the US-led Korean War between 1950 and 1953 and had troops in the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1973 to fight Communist forces.

American Democrat presidents Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson deployed resources to counter Communist insurgencies in Asia more than five decades ago and in 2021, president-elect Joe Biden from the same party would, most likely, also be focused on at least containing Communist China.

A US-China war would potentially involve Australia which backed American forces against Communist insurgents in Korea and Vietnam during the 1950s and 1960s. Pictured are Australian Defence Force soldiers in Melbourne in July 2020

Intriguingly, the US was hopeful of a truce with Communist North Korea, with President Trump, a Republican, in 2019 meeting with the rogue state's supreme leader Kim Jong-un on his home soil in the Demilitarised Zone.

'Desired end states: North Korea no longer poses a threat to the US homeland,' the document said.

As an ally of the United States, Australia also joined the Afghanistan War in 2001 to oust the Taliban and the Iraq War in 2003 to overthrow secular Muslim dictator Saddam Hussein.

Nonetheless on Chinese diplomatic policy, the US has followed Australia from the 2018 ban on telecommunications giant Huawei installing 5G mobile networks to a call for an inquiry into the origins of COVID-19.
Kathy Willens / Associated Press

Wondering whether that restaurant you're thinking of checking out for takeout tonight is taking all the COVID-19 precautions? As of Tuesday, Yelp is now displaying user feedback on health and safety measures at local businesses, from the enforcement of social distancing to staff wearing masks.

Crowd-sourcing safety information seems great ... until you consider how many jerks love to wreck restaurants' ratings on Yelp with petty comments about how a server wouldn't indulge their ridiculous off-menu request or massage their back or something.
Car dealers here are concerned their trade will be crippled by higher VAT for motors imported from Britain under the NI Protocol, as it will push up prices for the public.

There are around 600 local used car dealerships employing thousands of people. Many others also work in the trade, including in haulage firms who transport the vehicles over.

Ballymena dealer Malcolm Beattie is leading members of the trade here in lobbying politicians over the changes.

"This has come as a complete shock and it's really got dealers up in arms, as they can't afford to replace their stock. They don't know whether they're coming or going," he said.

"A lot of dealers have gone to their MPs and MLAs for help, and they've said they're looking into it and are aware.

"I understand there's Covid and they're up to their eyes, but this is going to put some car dealers out of business.

"The car market is one of biggest industries in NI and it's going to cripple it, and cripple it for retail customers. They will have to buy an older vehicle than what they anticipated for the budget they have."

Some suppliers in Britain have now halted sales across the Irish Sea.

Under the protocol, VAT at the usual 20% rate is being charged on the amount paid by a dealer for a car from Britain, rather than just the amount of profit they make from it, which had been the case before.

Mr Beattie said the costs will exert a heavy toll on dealers, some of whom import up to 90% of their cars from Britain.

Despite the lockdown, some dealers are still able to sell online.

It means that a dealer buying a model costing 10,000, which they would sell for 11,000, will be liable for 2,000 in VAT, instead of the 200 they would have to pay when being charged tax on the profit margin.

Mr Beattie said imports from Britain accounted for 80% of models he sold.

"Regardless of what value the car is, it's still going to affect the dealers. Anybody who has any common sense and saw this would surely to goodness think something's wrong here.

"What's really annoying, if a car goes from NI to GB, that charge doesn't apply.

"To me, it's discrimination against Northern Ireland, which is supposedly part of the UK."

The protocol means we are aligned to some EU VAT rules applying to traders moving goods to, from and within the province. That includes the second-hand margin scheme, which formerly enabled local dealers to pay VAT on the profit margin of second-hand cars.

But the EU rules only permit the scheme to be applied to second goods from within the EU VAT area, and Britain is no longer within that area.

That means the VAT margin rule does not apply to goods purchased in Britain since January 1 and then sold here.

However, the margin scheme still applies to stock bought in Britain during the transition period, even if it is not sold on until after the period.

A spokesman for HMRC, which is responsbile for the new customs regime, said: "The Government is aiming to minimise disruption for Northern Ireland traders and we are continuing to explore options to address the impact of the removal of the VAT margin scheme under the protocol."
Travellers somehow caught Covid-19 while in hotel quarantine in Brisbane

Grand Chancellor Hotel has been evacuated and 129 must isolate again

Queensland government wants to use mining camps instead of hotels

Queensland wants to use Outback mining camps instead of Brisbane hotels to quarantine returned travellers, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Thursday.

The state will propose the option to National Cabinet after coronavirus spread from a returned traveller in hotel quarantine, infecting a cleaner and two other travellers.

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Brisbane's Grand Chancellor Hotel was evacuated on Wednesday as officials scrambled to work out how the UK super-strain of Covid-19 was transmitted on the seventh floor.

Annastacia Palaszczuk said the mining camps she wants to use instead of hotels were comfortable and had balconies or outside space. Pictured: Stock image of a camp

Premier Palaszczuk said the mining camps would be similar to the Northern Territory's Howard Springs quarantine camp (pictured)

Police are investigating by checking CCTV and engineers are checking if virus particles travelled in the air conditioning.

A total of 129 travellers, some of whom were just an hour from being released, have been forced to restart their two-week quarantine in new hotels.

On Thursday Queensland recorded four more cases of coronavirus, all in hotel quarantine but not linked to the Grand Chancellor Hotel.

Some 226 employees who have worked at the hotel since December 30 must also be quarantined and tested.

An additional 250 guests who have left quarantine since December 30 and remain in Queensland are being contacted as they must undergo another 14 days of hotel quarantine.

Premier Palaszczuk said the evacuation and re-quarantining process has been backed by Health Minster Greg Hunt and the AHPPC.

She said the mining camps she wants to use instead of hotels were comfortable and had balconies or outside space, just like the Northern Territory's Howard Springs quarantine facility.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the idea to use camps could be more dangerous because they are far away from major airports and the virus could transmit in buses on the way there.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said said held grave concerns about the Hotel Grand Chancellor (pictured) cluster, which has grown to six cases of the highly-contagious UK virus strain

Guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be moved to other hotels in Brisbane after the coronavirus cluster grew to six cases. Pictured is two guests on their balcony at Hotel Grand Chancellor on Wednesday

NSW Minister Hazzard rejected the idea of using mining camps in his state.

He said about 3,500 staff worked in the quarantine system and lived in Sydney, and transporting travellers to regional areas was dangerous because the virus could transmit in buses.

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Minister Hazzard also said he wants Covid-19 patients to be near major hospitals in case they deteriorate.

Also in the Queensland press briefing, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the ambulance transfer of 129 patients to new hotels on Wednesday was 'perfectly safe'.

'My concern was that I did not know how it spread in the hotel. So I didn't want the virus to potentially spread to more people in the hotel. So that's why I wanted them all out of there,' she said.

A returned traveller from the UK and his wife arrived at the Grand Chancellor Hotel on 30 December. He tested positive on 2 January before she also tested positive.

A hotel cleaner, who only worked in the hotel on 2 January and did not enter their room, then tested positive on January 7.

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Her case sparked a three-day lockdown of Brisbane after she visited shops and took trains and buses. She also gave the virus to her partner.

Then on January 13 genomic sequencing showed that a father and daughter who returned from Lebanon and were also quarantined on the hotel's seventh floor, had somehow caught the same strain of the virus.

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No guests have entered since January 7, a review of infection control measures occurred on January 8, and there have been increased cleaning measures including a deep clean of communal areas on January 12.

Around 600 people have been forced into quarantine due to the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster. Pictured are paramedics at the Brisbane hotel on Wednesday

Queensland health authorities are concerned about the growing cluster as life slowly returns to normal in Brisbane after a three day lockdown. Pictured are Brisbane residents returning to their normal lives in the city's CBD on Tuesday
The Ministry of Religious Endowments reopened on Wednesday Cairo's well-known El-Nour Mosque after a two-week closure over the non-compliance of worshippers with coronavirus precautionary measures.

The ministry, which runs mosques nationwide, urged worshipers to adhere to wearing a face mask, using personal prayer rugs, and maintaining social distancing, the statement added.

On 29 December, the countrys religious endowments minister, Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa, ordered the closure of the mosque shortly after learning that several worshippers were seen during the prayers not wearing face masks or using personal mats.

The ministry punished all imams and employees working in the mosque by imposing a 10-day pay deduction.

The closure decision was the first by the ministry since Egypt entered the second wave of coronavirus in December.

A host of similar decisions were taken during the first wave of the pandemic, including the closure of Cairo's iconic Al-Hussein mosque in July, when some prayer-goers at the mosque violated mandatory precautions of physical distancing and also remained in the mosque past the end of prayer times.

Egypt reallowed worshippers to perform daily prayers at mosques starting July after a four-month closure, provided they adhered to the virus-related precautions, foremost of which is wearing a mask when praying, bringing personal prayer mats, and keeping at least 1.5 meters apart for the daily prayer services.

A month later, Friday prayers were allowed to resume at major mosques.

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China has unveiled new regulations, encouraging more medical institutions and retail pharmacies to link up with the country's medical insurance system for reimbursements.

Licensed medical institutions and retail pharmacies that have been in operation for at least three months can apply for a tie-up with the medical insurance scheme, said the National Healthcare Security Administration.

The new regulations, which will go into effect from Feb. 1, have simplified the application requirements, with the aim of expanding the supply of medical resources and providing more quality medical and pharmaceutical services for the public, the administration added.




Motihari:

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev on Saturday advised India to immediately reclaim Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) as it was the root cause of all the problems emanating from Pakistan.

"All the problems emanating from Pakistan is because of PoK and hence India should immediately reclaim PoK," Ramdev said.

He said India should destroy all terrorits camps operating from PoK.

Yoga guru was talking to reporters on the third and concluding day of a three-day yoga-cum-meditation camp organised by his Patanjali as part of Champaran Satyagrah centenary celebrations here at historic Gandhi Maidan.

Holding terrorists like Azhar Masood, Hafiz Sayeed, Dawood Ibrahim responsible for bloodshed at the Indo-Pak border, Ramdev said that these terrorists should be handed over to India, dead or alive.

Also Read| Motihari: Baba Ramdev inaugurates three-day free yoga camp

He, however, praised the people of Pakistan saying that they were good and peace loving people except some bad elements who believe in bloodshed.

Replying to a query on human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, Ramdev said that Indian army personnel too had their human rights.

In reply to another question, he said that Patanjali Yogpeeth would set up a unit in Bihar to process products like jaggery, honey and litchi among others this year.

Besides, Ramdev said that Patanjali would also start work on cow research and promotion centre in Bihar in near future.

Ramdev heaped praise on the Nitish governments decision to implement prohibition in the state and said that yoga education be included in the government and private schools in the state.

Also Read: UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Baba Ramdev perform Yoga in Lucknow

Inclusion of yoga as part of education would help better the future of students, he said while making it clear that "Yoga is not a political agenda at all."

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.

The four-member committee of the Supreme Court (SC), which stayed the implementation of farm laws on Tuesday, January 13, happens to be a votary of the legislations and has sided with the Centre on the issue all along, said the protesting farmers.

The panel set up to break the logjam in talks between the government and farmers protesting against the laws includes Bhupinder Singh Mann, the national president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, agricultural economists Dr. Pramod Kumar Joshi and Professor Ashok Gulati, and Anil Ghanwat, the chief of Shetkari Sanghatana - a Maharashtra-based farmer organisation.

Gulati, who is the former chairman of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), the advisory body of the Centre on food supplies and pricing policies, has written opinion pieces in national dailies, and also supported farm laws in the media. He was also honoured with the Padma Shri in 2015.

Also Read: Farmers' protest: 'Can't, won't repeal farm laws,' says govt to unions

Joshi has also written several opinion pieces in the past favouring the new farm laws. He has served as the Director of the National Academy of Agricultural Research Management, Hyderabad and the director of the National Centre for Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi.

Ghanwat is the president of Shetkari Sanghatana, a Maharashtra-based outfit which has been said to back the government on the issue. He said on Tuesday that the legislations partially implement what his group has been demanding for years and his endeavour will be to improve them. Ghanwat, however, also claimed that "we are not lauding the Centre's three acts" adding that the Centre should have consulted the farmers before passing the three laws.

The fourth member of the committee, Mann, is a leader of the farmer union Bhartiya Kisan Union and was a part of a group of farmers that met with Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar in December last year to express support the legislations.

The members of the committee were named on Tuesday evening through an order of the apex court, which was hearing a clutch of pleas challenging the government's farm laws passed in parliament in September last year.

SC, in its order, said the panel will hear the "grievances of the farmers relating to the farm laws and the views of the government and make recommendations."

Also Read: Farmers' protest: SC stays implementation of farm laws until further orders

However, farmers' unions articulated that they would not accept the farm laws, claiming that all the members of the committee "have been pro-government" and have been "justifying the laws", according to news reports.

The farmers' groups had in fact categorically cleared on Tuesday that they won't accept any committee formed by the SC. Addressing a briefing on Tuesday evening, the farmers' unions had claimed that the members of the committee are pro-government.

"We'd issued a press note last night stating that we won't accept any committee formed by Supreme Court for mediation. We were confident that Centre will get a committee formed through Supreme Court to take the burden off their shoulders," said Darshan Pal, the president of the Krantikari Kisan Union.

"We had said yesterday itself that we won't appear before any such committee. Our agitation will go on as usual. All the members of this Committee are pro-government and had been justifying the laws of the government," said Balbir Singh Rajewal, a member of the Bhartiya Kisan Union.
New Delhi: A Pakistani court sentenced three men for vandalising Gurdwara Nankana Sahib in the country's Punjab province.

The case pertains to an incident in January 2020 when a violent mob attacked the Gurdwara and pelted stones threatening to destroy the place of worship (Gurdwara Janamasthan) to build Ghulaman-e-Mustafa shrine there.

The sentence was handed by Pakistani Anti-Terrorism court on Tuesday handing a two years jail term to the three accused.

On Tuesday a Lahore's ATC handed down two years jail term to prime accused Imran Chishti and imposed a fine of 10,000 Pakistani Rupees. Two other accused  Muhammad Salman and Muhammad Ahmed  were convicted for six months. However, four other accused were acquitted for want of evidence, PTI quoted a court official in a report.

The accused were arrested under sections 295A, 290, 291, 341,506, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and 7-ATA (anti-terrorism act).

The FIR states that Imran Chishti, a government employee working in the Fisheries Department, had incited the mob led by Muslims against the Sikhs in the name of religion.

Chishti wanted to settle his family issue and created such a situation in the Nankana city. Police accused Chishti of deliberately misleding the Muslim people in the area for a family matter.

Chishti and other suspects were arrested under terrorism and blasphemy charges for the attack on the Gurdwara in 2020.

India had in the strongest language condemned the incident and had called upon the Pakistan government to ensure the safety and security of the members of the Sikh community in that country.

The Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, also known as Gurdwara Janam Asthan, is located near Lahore and it the birthplace of first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak.
Kim Cattrall has famously refused to take part in the upcoming revival of Sex And The City.

And Sarah Jessica Parker just revealed that there is no filling Samantha Jones' stilettos.

The 55-year-old actress confirmed there will not be a fourth character in the recently announced Sex And The City revival.

Making moves: Sarah Jessica Parker was seen heading to the Seaport location her SJP shoe boutique in New York City on Wednesday morning

Big news: The 55-year-old actress confirmed there will not be a fourth character in the recently announced Sex And The City revival, as original castmembers ) Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Sarah, and Kristin Davis are seen left to right on set of Sex And The City 2 in 2009

The entrepreneur made the revelation as she was seen heading to the Seaport location her SJP shoe boutique in New York City on Wednesday morning.

Though there isn't an actual fourth main castmate, Sarah insisted that the fourth star is the city itself.

She said: 'We're not looking to create a fourth character, we have New York City as a fourth character and it will be an interesting new character that we are excited about,' when asked by Adam Glyn of YouTube page Adam's Apple.

Sarah looked stylish as always as she sported a pair of her own SJP Busker knee-high boots in black suede which featured a studded detailing and retail for $795.

These boots were made for... Sarah looked stylish as always as she sported a pair of her own SJP Busker knee-high boots in black suede which featured a studded detailing and retail for $795

Bundling up: While arriving to the boutique she sported a black parka featuring a large fur-lined hood

She teamed the fashionable footwear with a pair of light blue jeans rolled up along with a plain grey T-shirt.

While arriving to the boutique she sported a black parka featuring a large fur-lined hood.

She accessorized with a pair of large wireless Beats Studio headphones in black and gold along with designer shades and a black protective face mask.

Her signature highlighted tresses were pulled back in a ponytail as she showed off her natural looks with complementary make-up.

Sarah was in good spirits as she waved to fans before heading into the store before helping with customers.

Casual cool: She teamed the fashionable footwear with a pair of light blue jeans rolled up along with a plain grey T-shirt

Simply stunning: Her signature highlighted tresses were pulled back in a ponytail as she showed off her natural looks with complementary make-up

Helpful hand: She was even on her hands and knees

This came just a day after former castmate Cattrall threw some thinly-disguised shade at her former Sex and the City castmates by 'liking' a fan tweet that 'applauded' her decision to 'put herself first' and refuse to take part in the upcoming reboot of the HBO show.

The 64-year-old actress has yet to make a public statement about the news of the series' revival, but she made her feelings about it perfectly clear with her reaction to the tweet, which praised the star for 'doing what is best for her'.

The tweet read: 'I absolutely love Sex and the City and whilst I am saddened that Samantha will not return, I applaud doing what is best for you and think this is great example of putting yourself first. Well done @KimCattrall.'

Keeping it classy: The previous day Kim Cattrall, 64, took a thinly-veiled swipe at her former Sex and the City castmates by 'liking' a fan tweet that applauded her for refusing to take part in the revival

'Well done': The tweet praised Cattrall for 'putting herself first' and 'doing what is best for her'. She quit the role after the second movie amid reports of a feud with Sarah

The news of the Sex and the City reboot was announced on Sunday, when Sarah took to Instagram to share a teaser clip for the new series, which is called And Just Like That...

Fans were of course quick to note that the new poster for the show, did not include Kim's sex-mad character Samantha Jones, reigniting long-running reports of bitter tension between the actress and her fellow castmates.

The rumors plagued the four women throughout much of their time filming - however each of the actresses shut down speculation of a rift time and time again.

Since walking away from the role of Samantha once and for all however, Kim has been much more open about the fact that she was 'never really friends' with any of her former castmates.

She also hit out at Sarah, insisting that she 'could have been nicer' about Kim's decision not to continue taking part in the popular franchise.

Thus far, those involved in the Sex and the City reboot have remained mum about how it will address Samantha's absence, refusing to confirm whether the role will be re-cast, or whether she will be written out of the script altogether.

When one Instagram commenter suggested Jennifer Coolidge be cast as Samantha, Sarah wrote vaguely: 'We have some new stories to tell. We are excited.'

She clarified in another comment: 'No, I don't dislike [Samantha/Kim]. I've never said that. Never would. Samantha isn't part of this story. But she will always be part of us. No matter where we are or what we do. X.'

She also expressed her regard for Kim as when another commenter wrote they 'will miss Kim/Samantha,' Sarah Jessica replied: 'We will too. We loved her so.'

Looking fab: Kim became a TV icon as sex-mad publicist Samantha Jones on Sex And The City during its original run on HBO from 1998 to 2004

The original series created by Darren Star, and adapted from a column by Candace Bushnell, ran on HBO and its revival will have a home on HBO Max.

Kim and her co-stars, Sarah, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon all became TV icons on the original run of the series from 1998 to 2004.

Afterward Kim appeared in both of the movie adaptations - including the critically-panned sequel that featured Liza Minnelli singing Beyonce's song Single Ladies.

Despite the negative critical reception, fans were desperate for a third movie - which was said to have been in the works with all four ladies back in September 2017, until tensions between Kim and Warner Bros executives 'torpedoed' the project, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed.

At the time, sources involved in the production of the third movie exclusively told DailyMail.com that Kim was the reason why the sure-to-be blockbuster had been shelved, claiming that she had 'demanded' Warner Bros put its weight behind other projects that she had in development before she would agree to begin filming.

Warner Bros refused to meet her demands and had to cancel production as the company decided it wouldn't be fair to fans to produce a movie with only three of the four main characters.

Appearing on Life Stories the following month, Kim told MailOnline columnist Piers Morgan that she had turned down the role at the end of 2016.

'This isn't about more money. It's not about more scenes. It's not about any of those things. This is about a clear decision, an empowered decision in my life, to end one chapter and start another. I'm 61. It's now. The other girls are 10 years younger than me, you know, and that is their choice,' said Kim.

The way they were: Kim and her co-stars (from left) Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon are pictured at the London premiere of Sex And The City 2 in 2010

She stressed that she had 'never been friends' with her co-stars and took issue with being branded a 'diva' for refusing to star in a third film.

'This is really where I take to task the people from Sex and the City and specifically Sarah Jessica Parker, is that I think she could have been nicer. I really think she could have been nicer. I dont know what her issue is, she said.

The thing that still bothers me is this feeling of being in some way made to be the baddie. I never asked for any money, I never asked for any projects, to be thought of as some kind of diva is absolutely ridiculous.

Fashionable in France: Although Sarah Jessica has denied feud rumors, Kim has said her old co-star 'could have been nicer' and that their rapport was only ever professional

Sarah Jessica has denied feud rumors, saying in 2018 that she was 'heartbroken' by Kim's comments about their relationship after years of working together.

'I found it really upsetting because thats, you know, thats not the way I recall our experience,' she told Andy Cohen on his talk show Watch What Happens Live. 'Soits sadI always think that what ties us together is this singular experience is the thing.

'It was a professional experience but it became personal because it was years and years of our lives,' she continued. 'So Im hoping that that sort of eclipses anything thats been recently spoken. That many years spent doing something so special that people had a connection with is such a privilege.

When Kim's younger brother Chris committed suicide in 2018, the actress released a statement about his death online.

'It is with great sadness that myself and my family announce the unexpected passing of our son and brother, Chris Cattrall. At this time we ask for privacy. We want to thank you all on social media for your outpouring of love and support in this trying time,' she wrote.

Sarah Jessica responded with a message on Kim's Instagram, writing: 'Dearest Kim, my love and condolences to you and yours and Godspeed to your beloved brother. Xx'

A furious Kim hit back at her former co-star, accusing her of 'exploiting' her family's tragedy in a follow-up post.

'I couldn't help but wonder... where are they now?': Sarah Jessica posted a brief cryptic trailer this Monday for the new show which is called And Just Like That...

'My Mom asked me today "When will that @sarahjessicaparker, that hypocrite, leave you alone?" Your continuous reaching out is a painful reminder of how cruel you really were then and now,' wrote Kim on Instagram.

'Let me make this VERY clear. (If I havent already). You are not my family. You are not my friend. So Im writing to tell you one last time to stop exploiting our tragedy in order to restore your "nice girl" persona.'

She then linked to the New York Post story 'Inside the mean-girls culture that destroyed "Sex and the City,"' from 2017.

The article alleged that Sarah Jessica, Kristin and Cynthia formed their own friend group on-set to the exclusion of Kim.

Near the conclusion of the show's run an insider told Page Six that Kim's three main co-stars would not speak to her 'even in the makeup room.'

Last year Kim, who was born in England and raised mostly in Canada, became an American citizen and starred in the short-lived soap opera Filthy Rich.
(TNS)  A North Idaho Internet service provider is blocking access to Facebook and Twitter for customers upon request in response to claims of censorship after President Donald Trump's accounts were suspended on both platforms.Twitter suspended Trump's account Friday, a day after indefinite suspensions of Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts were announced in the name of promoting a peaceful transition to President-elect Joe Biden.On Sunday afternoon, YourT1Wifi circulated an email to customers about calls from users to have those sites blocked. In response, representatives said YourT1Wifi would block Facebook, Twitter "and any other website that may also be Censoring" effective Wednesday, according to the email. Customers could be added to a no-block list upon request.While the YourT1Wifi email said the decision wasn't partisan  "just a moral high ground of fair and decent communication"  customer Krista Yep said she believed the move showed support for last week's Capitol riots in Washington, D.C. She shared the email exchange in a Twitter post that has since gone viral."I was shocked," she said in an interview, "but it was just clear like, OK, awesome: My Internet service provider supports the insurrection."When Yep informed the company of her desire to cancel service, however, YourT1Wifi owner Bret Fink said in a reply that a customerwide blockage was not taking place.He said YourT1Wifi would block the sites upon request. More than two-thirds of the company's customers requested firewalls, he wrote.In his email to Yep, Fink said he "probably could have worded that a better way as some people are getting confused and thinking everyone is getting blocked." They reiterated the option in a customerwide email shared Monday morning."As a lot (of) customers have stated," the email read, "they do not want their children or their family connecting to these sites and do not have the knowhow to stop them from appearing so they asked us to do it for them."Established in 1996, YourT1Wifi's coverage area extends to parts of the Idaho panhandle and the Spokane area, according to the company's website.Fink did not immediately return a request for comment.Yep  who still plans to cancel her services  said she believes YourT1Wifi is "gaslighting" customers with how the company has flip-flopped on its offerings."They probably thought they were making a stand for their ideals, which are probably seemingly in line with Trump's ideals with the insurrection and 'being censored,' " she said.Jim Alves-Foss, professor of computer science for the University of Idaho, said providers have been known to block sites upon request as a service to customers."I know some (Internet service providers) offer 'family friendly' services where they block certain sites," Alves-Foss said. "It is more work for an (Internet service provider) to manage individual lists of sites to block. They have to have that infrastructure in place."Generally, service providers routinely censor and block certain websites, such as sites that are known cyberthreats, Alves-Foss said. With the repeal of net neutrality rules in June 2018, Federal Communications Commission regulations allow providers to block sites as long as they are transparent with their disclosures, he said.The move could conflict with Washington's net neutrality law, however. Under the law, providers are prohibited from blocking "lawful content, applications, services, or nonharmful devices, subject to reasonable network management." Idaho does not have a net neutrality law.A spokesperson for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's office said the Attorney General's Office Consumer Protection Division is aware of the situation.Meanwhile, a spokesperson from the Attorney General's Office said Attorney General Bob Ferguson "takes enforcement of Washington's net neutrality law very seriously."
LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The Residences at Secret Bay, a luxury resort in the Commonwealth of Dominica, has reported that 27 percent of its Citizenship by Investment (CBI) contracts came from African nationals. Industry experts forecast the number to rise to 35 percent in 2021 as Nigeria, the continent's fastest-growing market, continues to seek second citizenship.

Investments worth at least USD 200,000 into pre-approved real estate like Secret Bay is a popular option for applicants under the Dominican Citizenship by Investment Programme. This route is highly attractive to African buyers who not only get visa-free travel access to over 140 destinations worldwide, but their ownership of estate elsewhere can result in a place to escape with family in times of turmoil.

"We've seen immense interest from the African market this year, particularly from buyers who want future mobility," says Gregor Nassief, the proprietor of Secret Bay. "In addition to being granted citizenship, our buyers are investing in Dominica's only Citizenship by Investment opportunity with completed villas, proven financial performance and a competitive exit strategy with a robust market for resale, so they have great confidence in their investment."

Dominica's Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit and Ambassador Emmanuel Nanthan, Head of Dominica's Citizenship by Investment Unit have also praised the Programme and its appeal to Nigerians. "We've seen an increased positive interest coming from Africa and in particular Nigeria," said Prime Minister Skerrit. "There are shared cultural circumstances between ourselves and Africa."

Ambassador Nanthan also recently said that "Dominica offers a unique opportunity to Nigerians where they can invest in a country that is very solid. Our brothers and sisters in Nigeria are beginning to understand the process, understand what is on offer, and they are taking advantage of that now, and we welcome them with open arms."

Dominica's CBI Programme is hailed as the world's best offering for economic citizenship in the last four CBI Index reports. Experts at the Financial Times' PWM magazine cite affordability, certified vetting standards and efficiency as key reasons for Dominica's leadership in the investor immigration industry. The processing of eligible applicants takes three months or less, provided all due diligence checks and other requirements are successfully completed.

Register here to see PM Skerrit and Ambassador Nanthan explain the Programme for Nigerians on Jan 15th.

pr@csglobalpartners.com, www.csglobalpartners.com
Police have released the last known photo of a 'high risk' mother who mysteriously vanished before New Year's Eve.

Amy Schulkins' family reported her missing after she was last seen at a home in Caboolture South, north of Brisbane, on the night of December 30.

Queensland Police said the 36-year-old appears to have 'vanished off the face of the earth'.

Police on Tuesday shared a photo of the mother-of-five driving her white Nissan Patrol at Caboolture just before midnight on the night she went missing.

The four-wheel drive was clocked on CCTV travelling along Lower King Street heading towards the Bruce Highway.

Police released the last known photos of the mother-of-five, showing her behind the wheel of her white Nissan Patrol at Caboolture just before midnight on the night she went missing

Amy Schulkins' (left, with partner Rebecca) family reported her missing after she was last seen at a home in Caboolture South, north of Brisbane, on the night of December 30

Queensland Police said the 36-year-old appears to have 'vanished off the face of the earth'

Ms Schulkins was last seen leaving a home at Caboolture South after previously visiting a property on Morayfield Road at Burpengary.

The mother's disappearance has sparked a state-wide police search and has gained the attention of more than 17,000 people across the country.

Police described Ms Schulkins as a 'high risk' person, and said they had no 'starting point' to work with in their search for her.

Ms Schuklins had about $300, food and a tank of petrol with her before she disappeared.

Ms Schulkins' sudden disappearance has captured the hearts of thousands of Australians who have banded together to find her

'We have followed up every reported sighting and there's been a lot of incorrect feedback,' Sergeant Richard Curran told the Sunshine Coast Daily.

'Zero positive sightings, either not been here or someone else. It's frustrating.

'We are doing all we can but it's like she completely vanished off the face of the earth.'

Ms Schulkins' sudden disappearance has garnered an outpouring of community support from Australians who have banded together to find her.

Seventeen thousand people have joined The Search Team for Amy Schulkins Facebook group, with locals offering to pay for drones to canvass the area for traces of the missing mother.

Ms Schulkins' wife Rebecca took to the page to address theories about her wife's disappearance.

'Has she run away with another woman? Maybe. Doubtful, but maybe. We don't see her abandoning her children (or me for that matter),' she wrote.

Rebecca didn't shed any light on why Ms Schulkins rammed someone's gates on the night she vanished.

'Whatever transpired that night doesn't lessen the fact that my wife is still out there,' she wrote.

She said that while the couple had been drinking on the night of her disappearance, Ms Schulkins wasn't drunk.

Volunteers have already combed through bushland across Mount Hallen, Crossdale, Lowood and Atkinsons Dam - 100km west of Brisbane.

The campaign describes Ms Schulkins as a 'loving and devoted' wife and mother with the 'most infectious spirit and laugh'.

'Although the financial strain of searching for someone could never compare to the emotional one, it is a significant additional stress at a time when a family should be able to focus only on their missing loved one,' the page reads.

Volunteers have already combed through bushland across Mount Hallen, Crossdale, Lowood and Atkinsons Dam - 100km west of Brisbane

Creators of a Go Fund Me said Ms Schulkins said they won't stop until Ms Schulkins is found.

They created the page on behalf of Ms Schulkins' partner Rebecca.

'We need all the support we can find from generous and kind hearted people just like the 6000 new friends on our search team,' the page reads.

'We won't stop until we find Amy, and we believe someone out there has seen or knows something that will help us find her.'

Anyone who has seen Amy or has further information about her whereabouts is urged to contact police

Ms Schulkins has a large distinctive sleeve tattoo on her arm of a woman's silhouette against a sunset

Sgt Curran said Queensland Police's investigation will focus on doorknocking and looking over Bribie Island beach CCTV footage.

Officers have spoken to her family and friends, who have been assisting police with their enquiries.

Ms Schulkins is caucasian, about 160cm tall and of a larger build with short spiky brown hair and blue eyes. She was last seen wearing boxers and a white singlet.

She has a large distinctive sleeve tattoo on her arm of a woman's silhouette against a sunset.

Anyone who has seen Amy or has further information about her whereabouts is urged to contact police.
KYIV. Jan 13 (Interfax-Ukraine)  The Lekhim group of pharmaceutical companies (Kyiv) plans to register in Ukraine a vaccine against coronavirus (COVID-19) disease produced by the Chinese company Sinovac Biotech until February 5, after the vaccine is registered in Brazil, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Lekhim group of pharmaceutical companies Valeriy Pechayev said at a press conference held at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.

"The company received confirmation from the Health Ministry that when registering a vaccine in Brazil, Ukraine will register the vaccine as well. From January 25, Brazil will start immunization with the Sinovac vaccine, they should register the vaccine by January 25. As soon as registration in Brazil is completed, we will submit documents to the State Expert Center. I think we will register the vaccine before February 1-5," he said.

Pechayev said that Lekhim received from Sinovac a quota of 5 million doses of vaccines for sale in Ukraine in the first half of 2021, of which 1.913 million doses are planned to be purchased by the Health Ministry.

"Until February 15, Lekhim is receiving applications from enterprises for the supply of vaccines. Lekhim will check customers for compliance with the cool chain. The price for customers will be UAH 504 per one dose of vaccine. The profitability of the deal for Lekhim is 4-5%," he said.

In turn, Director of the Department for Development of the Lekhim group of pharmaceutical companies Mykhailo Rensky said that it is difficult to talk about the timing of vaccine supply, since they are prescribed only for a contract with the Health Ministry.

According to Head of the National Technical Group of Experts on Immunoprophylaxis, pediatric immunologist Fedir Lapiy, as clinical studies in Brazil have shown, the effectiveness of the vaccine to prevent mortality was 100%.

Lapiy said that there is no generalized report on clinical trials for any of the COVID-19 vaccines. "After clinical studies, manufacturers take data from different countries and combine them. There is no such data from any manufacturer yet," he said.

At the same time, Lapiy said that it is impossible to assess the effectiveness of the Russian vaccine against COVID-19, since it failed the third phase of clinical trials.

Sinovac Biotech is a Chinese vaccine producing company founded in Beijing in 2001 with a capacity of 300 to 500 million doses of six types of vaccines for humans and animals per year. Sinovac's main products are vaccines against hepatitis A (prequalified by the WHO) and B, influenza, mumps, chickenpox, which are registered and approved for vaccination in 34 countries around the world.

The Lekhim group of pharmaceutical companies was founded in 1992. It includes three enterprises: PJSC Technolog (Uman) (at the final stage of obtaining WHO prequalification), JSC Lekhim-Kharkiv (Kharkiv) and the management company JSC Lekhim (Kyiv).

CoronaVac is an inactivated vaccine. It uses a traditional vaccine mechanism in which a non-living virus that cannot replicate in human cells is used to activate the immune system. Phase 3 trials of the Chinese vaccine have already taken place in Brazil and Indonesia. Tests are ongoing in Turkey and Chile.
Anyone over 40 has probably had trouble understanding what a companion is saying in a noisy restaurant or bar. Noopl, from a new company of the same name, is an Apple MFi Certified accessory that, in conjunction with an app dubbed Noopl Listen, is specifically designed to address this problem.

Mentioned in this article AirPods Pro See it

Using technology licensed from the National Acoustics Laboratory in Sydney, Australia, Noopl plugs into the Lighting port on an iPhone or iPad. It has three digital MEMS (microelectromechanical system) microphones arranged in a triangular array, a sophisticated digital signal processor (DSP), and a head-tracking system that works with Apple AirPods Pro earbuds (more in a moment). Using a technique called beamforming, the microphones amplify sounds coming from a particular direction while reducing the level of sounds from other directions.

The app provides a super-simple user interface that lets you control the width and direction of the beam as well as the volume of the output. In Automatic mode, Noopl establishes two-way communication with one or two Apple AirPods Pro earbuds and tracks your head movement, adjusting the beam direction to stay in front of you.

Noopl The Noople hearing assistant plugs into the Lightning dock on an iPhone 7 or above. An Android version is in the works.

You can also select manual mode, which works with any headphones or earbuds. In that case, the beam direction does not move with your head; instead, you manually point the beam on the app screen. In both cases, you can also adjust the width of the beam. The DSP also automatically detects if the device is being held in the hand or sitting on a table top, which changes the acoustics.

During a Zoom meeting at the Pepcom Digital Experience during CES, the company played a recording of Noopls CEO, Tim Trine, using the system while surrounded by speakers simulating a noisy restaurant. One of the speakers played someone talking to him, while the others played the background noise youd hear in such an environment. When he looked at the speaker carrying the conversation, you could clearly hear what the person was saying, but when he looked away, you couldnt hear it at all. Very impressive!

High-end hearing aids often have a similar feature, but it typically doesnt work as well as Noopl, because hearing aids are very small, so they cant have widely spaced microphones to facilitate effective beamforming. Even worse, hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars, while the Noopl will retail for $199 when it becomes available in early February. There will be an Android version by the third quarter of 2021. I look forward to reviewing this one!

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As well-received as Gal Gadot has been playing Wonder Woman, one might think that Gadot can have any role she wants without obstacles. That has proven not to be the case with her planned role as Cleopatra.

In recent years, Hollywood has made efforts to be more diverse and inclusive after decades of perceived failures in those arenas. However, some people contend that simply casting someone who is not white is not always the best solution.

Who was Cleopatra?

Do we know what Cleopatra looked like? YES! (as much as any ancient ruler). We have coins and sculptures/busts of her, and Elizabeth Taylor/ Gal Gadot she was not, with a hooked nose and sharp chin. However, she was a GENIUS 5:? pic.twitter.com/kuQ8AVQ5M6  Dr. Sarah Parcak (@indyfromspace) October 11, 2020

According to History.com, Cleopatra was the ruler of Egypt from about 51 BC to 31 BC. She was particularly well known for her romantic entanglements with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, the latter of which propelled her downfall.

She was said to have died by suicide using a poisonous snake. After her death, Egypt became part of the Roman Empire.

Such a dramatic story was bound to attract Hollywood, and it has done so on multiple occasions, as noted by Grunge. One version, starring Claudette Colbert, came out in 1934 and was directed by Cecil B. DeMille, famous for biblical epics such as The Ten Commandments.

Probably the most notorious version was the 1963 movie with real-life lovers Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor as Antony and Cleopatra. That version was so outlandishly costly and such a troubled production, it practically sank 20th Century Fox.

Other Cleopatras include the woman billed as the first movie star, Florence Lawrence, silent film star Theda Bara, and Oscar winners Vivien Leigh and Sophia Loren. Gadot is next in line, and she is unlikely to be last in line. Her version will be directed by Patty Jenkins, who helmed both Wonder Woman movies.

What does Gal Gadot say about Cleopatra?

Gal Gadot | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

RELATED: Gal Gadots Controversial History of Smoking Cigarettes: I Try Not to Think About Being a Role Model

The 1963 Cleopatra attracted attention for its protracted, calamitous shoot, but the 2022 version, with a story by Gadot per IMDb, has generated controversy simply by being announced. The New York Post reports that some parties have criticized Gadots casting because they believe Cleopatra should be played by an Arab or African actress. Gadot hails from Israel.

Gadot herself countered: First of all, if you want to be true to the facts, then Cleopatra was Macedonian. We were looking for a Macedonian actress that could fit Cleopatra. She wasnt there. And I was very passionate about Cleopatra.

At least one historian, Kathryn Bard, professor of Archaeology and Classical Studies at Boston University, says that Gadot is correct about Cleopatra being from Macedonia. Egyptologist Sally Ann Ashton said: She probably wasnt just completely European. Youve got to remember that her family had actually lived in Egypt for 300 years by the time she came to power.

While its true historians debate Cleopatras ancestry and appearance, the fact that Hollywood has consistently chosen white-passing actors to portray the part spotlights the industrys problems. After all, if Cleopatra could have been African or Arab, why has no major adaptation of the story featured an Arab or Black star?

What are other examples of Hollywood diversity issues?

Concerns over Gadots casting are part of a growing movement in Hollywood to cast actors who match the roles. For example, Hispanics should play Hispanics, trans actors should play trans people, etc. Scarlett Johansson recently drew fire for insisting she should be able to play a trans person in the movie Rub & Tug until she eventually withdrew from the project when people asserted the role should go to a trans actor.

In the past, the typical argument went that an established actor would get a role playing a person of color because the movie needed star power  someone to sell it. An example of this would be West Side Story. Natalie Woods performance in that movie as the Puerto Rican Maria has been cited as an example of whitewashing, but in 1961, she was the only above the title star of that movie. Steven Spielberg, with his upcoming remake of West Side Story, made a point of casting a Hispanic as Maria.

Such concerns about star power are not as prevalent today because theres a perception that stars dont sell movies anymore  franchises such as superhero movies.
File photo shows China's WJ-700 UAV. (Photo Credit: CASIC)

By Guo Chaokai

BEIJING, Jan. 13 -- The maiden flight of WJ-700, a high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance integrated unmanned air vehicle (UAV) capable of surveillance and strike, was successfully conducted on January 11, according to its developer, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC).

Adopting multiple advanced technologies, the WJ-700 UAV is in a leading position at home and internationally advanced in terms of key performance indicators such as flight time, range and payload, compared with UAVs of the same take-off weight.

Focusing on both domestic and international market needs in the next 5 to 10 years, the WJ-700is characterized by high altitude, high speed and high payload capability. It can perform a wide range of tasks on risky battlefields,including air-to-ground standoff strikes, air-to-surface precision strikes, as well as wide-area surveillance.

As a hit product among the advanced UAVs developed by the CASIC, the WJ-700 is currently unique at home and rarely seen in the world for its performance. It is sure to create new modes of UAV-involved operations, and is to go into combat with the completion of subsequent system-level tests and verifications.
Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
Federal officials warned police chiefs in major cities during a call on Wednesday (Thursday AEDT) to be on high alert and generous with intelligence as police departments around the country ramped up preparations for the week leading into the inauguration.

In a roughly 45-minute call, Christopher Wray, the FBI director, and Kenneth Cuccinelli, the acting director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, expressed great concern about the potential for extremist violence, according to participants. Failing to identify any specific threats, the officials called on law enforcement officers across the country to watch for signs of trouble.

Wray said that "we need to continue to overshare intelligence," Chief Jorge Colina of the Miami Police Department said in an interview. "So they don't want for us to assume anything that they already know  anything that we come across to please forward it."

The officials said they would be issuing a national threat bulletin urging all Americans to be cautious in the coming days, according to a police chief who listened to the call but requested anonymity because they were asked not to share details of the call.
Another victim of police brutality, Tomori Gbolagade, recounted his ordeal to the Lagos Panel of Judiciary Inquiry on cases of police brutality on Wednesday.

The victim told the panel how he was shot by a drunk officer on September 30, 2011, while on his way home from work.

Mr Gbolagade, who worked as a visual effects expert, said the ordeal he was subjected to has compelled him to switch from using his right hand to the left and the right side of his brain to the left, which has caused him great damage.

Ordeal

Narrating the incident to the panel on Wednesday, Mr Gbolagade said on September 30, 2011, himself and friends worked late at the office, the following day being a national holiday to mark Nigerias independence.

I left around 10 p.m. heading home. I took the Oshodi- Dopemu road to lead to where I live which was Egbeda. On getting to the road block at Dopemu police station, there were some officers there and they requested that I park and I trafficated.

He said prior to getting to the checking point, he picked up a friend before the police stopped them.

The police stopped me, I was trafficating to park when we heard gunshots repeatedly, two gunshots. They were very loud and I immediately slammed the brake and asked what happened.

Then suddenly, the third gunshot that we heard came through the boot of my car, and hit my right arm, went into the dashboard.

My friend who was beside me quickly jumped out to save himself. Being fully aware that it was the police that were around us, I quickly came out of the car, blood gushing out. The bullet hit an artery on my right hand and blood gushing out, he told the panel.

Immediately this happened, I came down and ran towards the police that I have been shot and to my surprise, the police took off right in front of us. They were about four, my friend that was beside me came and we were like, why are police running from civilians?

He said since the checkpoint was in front of a police station, they went into the station to lodge a complaint.

The police were questioning myself and my friend and I concentrated on putting pressure on the blood gushing out of my hand. As I turned to pick my phone from my car to call my family, I blanked out but I was still conscious because I could hear some conversation.

At that time, peoole have started coming out and they were saying the officers were drunk and have been drinking from 7 p.m. to celebrate on October 1st, and that was September 30th, he said.

Hospitalised

Mr Gbolagade said he was taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) where he was left in the emergency room for two days before he was attended to because they were on holiday. His hand was swollen by the time a doctor came to attend to him, he said.

The victim reportedly spent one month in the hospital and lost the use of the hand throughout the period.

As of this moment, there is no tendon in the hand and I cannot use it, he said, showing the panel his injured hand.

The doctor that operated on me recommended I research an international hospital in India for a reconstruction, which was what I did.

During that period, the police from the Dopemu station came once and told me the officer that shot me has been apprehended. His name is Ayuba Philip with a tag number 257745.

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Mr Gbolagade said he sold all his belongings and borrowed a lot of money to sort out his hospital bills. He also raised money to go to India for treatment.

On getting to the hospital in India, I was billed $10,000 for an operation I thought was going to be a one time procedure.

The victim said on getting to India, it was a different ballgame as the doctors said he would undergo nine different procedures which they cannot do once but in three phases.

The first one has to do with blood supply. The second stage has to do with flexibility and the third stage is when they will reinsert the tendons. They gave me hope that the hand can still function.

They advised me that when I get back to Nigeria, I should sue the doctor and the hospital that they made the situation worse, he said.

Mr Gbolagade told the panel that while at LASUTH, two operations where doctors took tissues from his left thigh to help the hand failed and the arteries burst after two days.

The hospital billed me $10,000 for each stage. I did the first one, hoping that I will be able to raise money for the second one, which they gave me nine to 10 months but I couldnt go back for the second surgery since 2012.

He said he had been living on painkillers since then.

Seeking justice

The victim further narrated that when he got back from India, he went to the DPO to see if they could help.

But he said after waiting for six months, he hired a lawyer after which they wrote to the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General of Police, but no response was received.

When there was no response from any quarters, we had to go to court. Four years down the line, on September 30, 2015, the same day I was shot, I got judgement from the Federal High Court in 2015 for the police to pay for the expenses incurred locally and the first and second stages.

The court awarded $31,562 and another $15,000 for the third stage and N5 million for the general damage, physical and emotional. That was in 2015, six years later, nothing has still happened, he told the panel.

Mr Gbolagade said with the help of his lawyer, he had written to different quarters, including the Attorney General in respect of the judgment, but since 2015, the sum has not been paid.

I dont have the financial capacity to go back to India, since 2012. I have been finding a way out to see if I can make use of my right hand. But if I dont get the cash, I cant go out of the country to continue the treatment, he said.

Police reaction

The counsel to the police, Cyril Ajifor, did not cross-examine the victim.

We have listened to the petitioners case, we will not be joining issue with the petitioner. In his suit at the Federal High Court, there is proof that there was also medical brutality and not just police brutality.

My Lord, we are only begging for a date to reach the mentioned DPO and get back to address the court on that, Mr Ajifor said.

Doris Okuwobi then adjourned the matter till January 27 for the hearing of the case.
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For those looking toward turning the page on the coronavirus in the new year, 2021 has instead brought with it a severity never before seen in the Gateway City.

Coming off a single-day record 577 positives on Tuesday, Laredo obliterated that figure and then some Wednesday. Officials from the City of Laredo and Webb County announced a staggering 2,066 new cases of COVID-19 along with three deaths.

There have now been 32,658 positive cases and 543 deaths throughout the pandemic in Webb County.

Every day for the past week, Laredo has experienced an unprecedented number of new COVID-19 cases. Each of the last seven days over 400 cases have been reported. This occurred on only three other days during the pandemic, all in December.

But Laredo had never seen anything like it did on Wednesday.

These over 2,000 new cases include backlogged cases as well, which were tested weeks ago but were only just relayed to the Laredo Health Department. Of Wednesdays reported cases, only 457 are backlogged.

The 1,609 remaining new cases were not all from tests taken on a single day. However, this is still far and away the most cases ever reported in the Laredo area at one time.

On Tuesday, Laredo had already broken its record for cases in a single week with still three days to go. This only further pushes this record to new heights, now sitting at 3,937 positives this week with two days left, or 787.4 per day. The previous record was 1,763. The area is judged on a Saturday through Friday format to accurately account for the time Laredo previously stopped providing updates during weekends.

There are now 2,843 active cases in Webb County as of Wednesday, more than 1% of the countys entire population.

This huge surge of new cases is as a result of the compounding gatherings between Christmas and New Years Eve, Laredo Health Director Richard Chamberlain said.

Coronavirus patients already occupy 46.8% of Laredos staffed hospital beds. That figure, announced by the DSHS Wednesday corresponding to Tuesday, is a record high for the state of Texas. Laredo has led the state in this rate since Dec. 10. Gov. Greg Abbott previously described being above 15% as a red flag.

Laredo Medical Center has had to convert more of their intensive care units to treat acute COVID-19 cases, of which there are 77 as of Wednesday.

There are now only 30 non-COVID ICU beds between Laredos two major hospitals, according to Laredo Health Authority Dr. Victor Trevino.

And Laredo Medical Center has had to double up COVID-19 patients in the ER rooms, Emergency Management Coordinator Guillermo Heard confirmed.

With the news of 2,843 active cases in the community, the situation at the hospital is now untenable, Trevino said.

Our hospitals can no longer support this trend of hospitalizations and are unfortunately going down the same road of El Paso, he said.

The city is now imploring that the state set up an alternate care site for lower acuity COVID-19 patients. Heard said the Haynes Recreation Center has been identified as a possible location.

Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz told local media on Wednesday that if the community does not immediately change its behavior, there will be catastrophic consequences. The city is considering sending out robo-calls again to warn the public to wear masks and not gather or socialize with others.

Im pleading, do your part, he said.

The City of Laredo Health Department is designated as a vaccine hub, but received only 1,200 doses this week. The only other provider to receive the vaccine this week was Clear Choice ER, which was allotted 200 doses.

Chamberlain said the City of Laredo, along with every other city and county in Texas, is requesting more doses. However, theyre all at the mercy of the vaccines manufacturing chain.

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
When the U.S. House of Representatives votes on an unprecedented second impeachment of President Donald J. Trump Wednesday evening, for Pennsylvania voters it may feel a little like deja vu all over again.

With one wild card.

Pennsylvanias nine House Democrats appear ready to roll the vote, with all nine having voiced support this week for the impeachment of Trump for inciting violence against the government of the United States in his speech to supporters and other protestors who turned out Jan 6 for a last-gasp protest of President-elect Joseph R. Bidens election win.

That rally, as the world knows now, devolved into the mob attack on the U.S. Capitol building while the House and Senate were in session. Two people were killed, including one Capitol Police officer who died of injuries received in the attack, and three others who are said to have died due to related medical emergencies.

Most of the states nine Republican House members, with one notable exception, still appeared to be likely to oppose impeachment as of Tuesday evening, though there were a handful of members from the broader Republican majority who said they will support the resolution.

But a third option was laid on the political table Tuesday night, as Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a moderate Republican from Bucks County, introduced with some other members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus a resolution calling for the public censure of Trump, as an alternative to impeachment.

Censure supporters rationale is that impeachment will likely drive most members back to their partisan corners, hurting efforts to heal the wounds of the 2020 election cycle, even as theres little chance - in the moderates view - that the 50-Democrat, 50-Republican Senate could ever muster a two-thirds majority vote needed to convict Trump.

Censure, Fitzpatrick said, is a way to hold Trump squarely accountable for his role in instigating the Capitol attack while he is still in office, and in a way that he believes could draw broad bipartisan support.

Our country must both hold the President accountable and provide closure and the opportunity to begin anew with the incoming administration, Fitzpatrick said in a statement released by his office. A concurrent censure resolution... is the only immediate, appropriate, and effective means for achieving this.

Fitzpatrick did not say Tuesday how he would vote on an impeachment resolution, if it came to that.

The big question is, can the moderates in the middle stop an impeachment train that already appears to have a lot of momentum in the majority Democratic caucus?

There is no question that the president incited the attack on our Capitol that attempted to stop the peaceful transfer of power, Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Lackawanna County, said in a statement this week that seemed to sum things up for most of the Pennsylvania Democrats. His unfounded claims of election fraud and incendiary rally resulted in a threat to a core Constitutional process and cannot go unanswered.

I will support articles of impeachment this week. This is a Constitutional emergency that should be taken very seriously. We need to make clear that presidents cannot use their power or influence to attack our democracy.

Another Pennsylvanian, Rep. Madeleine Dean, D-Montgomery County, is a co-sponsor.

Most of the states nine Republicans, meanwhile, were keeping their strong opinions to themselves Tuesday.

Still, three GOP Congressmen representing portions of the midstate, Reps. Fred Keller, Perry, Juniata and Mifflin Counties; Dan Meuser, Lebanon County; and John Joyce, Franklin, Adams and western Cumberland counties, all issued statements saying that as much as the attack on the Capitol had appalled them, they still dont see impeachment as the right response.

Meuser spoke for many of his colleagues in condemning the violence, but arguing that its a stretch to say that Trump triggered it.

What occurred on January 6th was tragic in many ways. I was there and saw the bad actors up close. They were intent on creating mayhem and nothing else. I do not believe the Presidents words were intended to incite individuals to act in such a hostile manner, Meusers statement said.

Nevertheless, the result speaks for itself. Lawlessness and violence in any form and from any group must be condemned.

As for impeachment, Meuser continued: President Trump is leaving office in eight days. An impeachment proceeding will do nothing but divide us further, rather than preparing for President-elect Biden to be sworn in, and spending this time on important matters to our nation like vaccine distribution and economic recovery.

Pennsylvanias House Republicans stood almost united in objecting to the certification of Pennsylvanias 20 Electoral College voted for President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. last week, with all but Fitzpatrick supporting the unsuccessful objections to the certification.

It was that final certification that the rioters were ostensibly trying to stop.

So on a day when national reports suggested that the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, is pleased that the House is moving forward with impeachment, it was curious that many of the Pennsylvanians who fought the 2020 election battle to the end were now staying mum on the impeachment question.

But one top GOP aide, who spoke to the press on the condition he not be named because hes not authorized to speak for the entire Pennsylvania delegation, told PennLive Tuesday evening that he would surprised if any of the eight objectors here wind up voting for impeachment.

The quiet may be more a recognition that, in. vote that Trump is expected to lose on Wednesday, theres little gain in drawing any more attention to this debate then it will get on Wednesday.

The new charge against Trump alleges that he incited violence against the government of the United States in his address to supporters and other protestors who turned out for the Jan 6 protest.

In all this, President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government, the article read. He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government. He thereby betrayed his trust as president, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.

Criminal investigations into the attack are ongoing, presumably including whether the presidents exhortations to the crowd to fight like hell, among other things, were a trigger.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, has scheduled a vote for Wednesday on the new impeachment case, marching toward a vote late in the day unless Vice President Mike Pence agrees to invoke the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and seek a Cabinet vote to find Trump incapable of executing the duties of his office.

Pence has said he will not do so.

If the impeachment resolution passes, the onus would be on the Senate to hold a trial, almost certainly after Trump leaves office Jan. 20. A two-thirds majority of the Senate would be required to convict.

Pennsylvanias Democratic House members said they support impeachment because, in their view Trump took steps that threatened the core of American democracy, and it is of vital importance - both now and for the historical record - to bolster the tenets that our society must operate on facts on the rule of law.

Some impeachment supporters also like the potential penalty - in the case of a conviction - of barring Trump from ever being able to hold federal office again.

Trumps supporters in the House, meanwhile, have said they see the Democrats move as political grandstanding designed to make the most of a tragedy. They continue to argue that there were real problems with the election in Pennsylvania, and the actions of the rioters - which they have all condemned - can not wash that away.

Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler County, was probably the Pennsylvania delegations most vocal defender of Trump earlier this week.

I dont believe President Trump committed an impeachable offense when he told those at the rally to protest peacefully and make their voices heard, Kelly told The Philadelphia Inquirer in a report published Tuesday.

He did not tell them to commit violence, and he and all Congressional Republicans have rightfully condemned the rioters who breached the U.S. Capitol. Democrats will be setting a dangerous precedent by... impeaching a president for First Amendment protected speech just days before he leaves office, Kelly continued.

PennLives attempts to check in with Kelly on Tuesday were unsuccessful.
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"Gwolde" Wins the PokerStars Big Blowout for $721,692; Vieira Ships 6-Max High Roller

The inaugural Blowout Series has been a massive success PokerStars thus far.

The festival comes with a whopping $60 million guaranteed across 88 events, with the customary PokerStars Low, Medium, and High tiers.

On Wednesday, Jan. 12, "Gwolde" from the Netherlands became the biggest winner thus far after shipping the Blowout Series: $530 NLHE - The Big Blowout for a massive payday of $721,692 after agreeing to a heads-up deal at the final table.

This marks the second time a player waving the Dutch flag won The Big Blowout out of three total events. Two weeks ago, Netherlands' "pilaa" won the Blowout Series: $109 NLHE  The Big Blowout! for a whopping $381,174.

Meanwhile, Portugal's Joao "Naza114" Vieira and Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro shipped High Roller events during the last week.

Niklas "Lena900" Astedt managed to become the second player to win two Blowout Series events during the inaugural festival to add to his many other huge accomplishments.

Check out below for everything that transpired during the past week of Blowout Series events at PokerStars.

Follow all the latest from the Blowout Series - LIVE! The PokerNews live reporting team is on top of all things Blowout Series. Don't miss a beat! FOLLOW HERE

"Gwolde" Wins the PokerStars Blowout Series: $530 NLHE [8-Max, The Big Blowout!] ($721,692)

After almost four hours of play on Day 3 of the PokerStars Blowout Series: $530 NLHE [8-Max, The Big Blowout!], the second Big Blowout title has been captured for the Netherlands as "Gwolde" defeated "Escapemissio" heads-up after agreeing to a deal.

The Dutch player laid claim to $721,692 for their victory in the 12,938-strong entry field which had a prize pool of $6,469,000 which easily surpassed the $5,000,000 that was set for this tournament.

"Gwolde" is no stranger to success on the PokerStars tables as they have won the Sunday Kickoff in the past for example. The Dutch player also came out victorious in Event 20-M: $109 NLHE Deep Stacks Freezeout on January 3 for $35,856 so must be having a great start of 2021 on the PokerStars virtual tables.

They started the day second in the counts and hovered at the top of the counts for most of the night with a few dips in between. In actual fact, of the top ten players at the start of the day, only two of them didn't make the final table with Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro bubbling the last table of the day and "sp3edy14" falling in twelfth place.

Blowout Series: $530 NLHE [8-Max, The Big Blowout!] Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 "Gwolde" Netherlands $721,692* 2 "Escapemissio" United Kingdom $680,231* 3 Mathias "mdf92" Duarte Uruguay $415,895 4 "end2end17" Canada $296,465 5 "DrawindDead" Poland $211,331 6 Andrew "dawhiteninja" Wool United Kingdom $150,644 7 "Kudgel" Germany $107,385 8 Andras "probirs" Nemeth Hungary $76,548 9 "Uivelo88" Finland $54,566

*Reflects a heads-up deal

Read more about the PokerStars Blowout Series: $530 NLHE  The Big Blowout! in the PokerNews live report

Joao "Naza114" Vieira Wins the PokerStars Blowout Series 36-H: $5,200 NLHE [6-Max, High Roller] ($123,068)

Joao Vieira wins Blowout Series 36-H: $5,200 Six-Max High Roller

Joao "Naza114" Vieira made it two players waving the flag of the Netherlands to win big events at PokerStars last week. The Portuguese native registered in the Netherlands at PokerStars navigated through a star-studded field to win the Blowout Series 36-H: $5,200 NLHE [6-Max, High Roller] for $123,068 after besting online poker legend Niklas "lena900" Astedt (second - $94,486) in heads-up play.

While Astedt narrowly missed out on a Blowout Series title in this event, he did managed to become the second player to win two Blowout Series titles later in the week when he shipped the Blowout Series 39-H: $530 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout] for $44,314.

Bert "girafganger7" Stevens (fifth - $42,760), Mark "AceSpades11" Radoja (sixth - $32,829), and Timothy "Tim0thee" Adams (seventh - $25,205) were the first three players eliminated at the final table. Adams was looking to follow-up an impressive win in last week's Blowout Series 26-H: $5,200 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, High Roller] for $167,591 to no avail.

Bulgaria's "milennial" (third- $72,542) and Russia's "GangstaZab" (fourth - $55,695) were the other two players at the final table to collect big paydays.

PokerStars Blowout Series 36-H: $5,200 NLHE [6-Max, High Roller] Final Table Results

Place Player Country Prize 1 Joao "Naza114" Vieira Netherlands $123,068 2 Niklas "Lena900" Astedt Sweden $94,486 3 milennial Bulgaria $72,542 4 GangstaZab Russia $55,695 5 Bert "girafganger7" Stevens United Kingdom $42,760 6 Mark "AceSpades11" Radoja Canada $32,829 7 Timothy "Tim0thee" Adams Canada $25,205

Blowout Series Recent Results

Blowout Series 33-L: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 23,327 Prize Pool $114,302 Winner pow17 (Chile) First-place Prize $7,251 (four-way deal)

Blowout Series 33-M: $55 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout, Mini Super Tuesday SE]

Entries 5,467 Prize Pool $273,350 Winner DeM!st3r (Germany) First-place Prize $38,871

Blowout Series 33-H: $530 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout, Super Tuesday SE]

Entries 508 Prize Pool $254,000 Winner Simon "simon1471" Higgins (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $45,113

Blowout Series 36-L: $55 NLHE [6-Max]

Entries 7,416 Prize Pool $370,800 Winner AfranioMM (Brazil) First-place Prize $43,756 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 36-M: $530 NLHE [6-Max]

Entries 616 Prize Pool $308,000 Winner Serebity_p (Romania) First-place Prize $54,153

Blowout Series 37-L: $22 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 11,002 Prize Pool $220,040 Winner flynthehouse (Ireland) First-place Prize $12,354 + $7,269 in bounties

Blowout Series 37-M: $215 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 1,590 Prize Pool $318,000 Winner Jakub "Olorionek" Michalak (Poland) First-place Prize $20,749 + $18,280 in bounties

Blowout Series 37-H: $2,100 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO]

Entries 145 Prize Pool $290,000 Winner Juanki "B4NKR0LL3R" Vecino (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $26,999 + $42,203 in bounties

Blowout Series 38-L: $5.50 NLHE [Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 9,329 Prize Pool $45,712 Winner VivirCuestaVida (Argentina) First-place Prize $5,608 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 38-M: $55 NLHE [Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 3,054 Prize Pool $152,700 Winner bdmaly (Romania) First-place Prize $22,035

Blowout Series 38-H: $530 NLHE [Turbo]

Entries 347 Prize Pool $173,500 Winner Azolla (Netherlands) First-place Prize $31,980

Blowout Series 39-L: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 11,152 Prize Pool $54,645 Winner Fehim "rbh4970" Hajdari (Denmark) First-place Prize $7,169

Blowout Series 39-M: $55 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 3,970 Prize Pool $198,500 Winner Claudiu "diw.2303" Jianu (Romania) First-place Prize $28,384

Blowout Series 39-H: $530 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 499 Prize Pool $249,500 Winner Niklas "Lena900" Astedt (Sweden) First-place Prize $44,314

Blowout Series 40-L: $22 NLHE [Progressive KO]

Entries 20,250 Prize Pool $405,000 Winner James "Cottonbud07" Williams (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $18,034 + $6,439 in bounties

Blowout Series 40-M: $215 NLHE [Progressive KO, Mini Thursday Thrill SE]

Entries 3,621 Prize Pool $724,200 Winner Ricardo "Kakiers04" Pinto (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $44,394 + $29,117 in bounties

Blowout Series 40-H: $2,100 NLHE [Progressive KO, Thursday Thrill SE]

Entries 218 Prize Pool $436,000 Winner Samuel "uropan" Vousden (Finland) First-place Prize $37,657 + $54,406 in bounties

Blowout Series 41-L: $11 NLHE [Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 11,652 Prize Pool $114,190 Winner ElHive (Germany) First-place Prize $13,039 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 41-M: $109 NLHE [Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 2,185 Prize Pool $218,500 Winner Leonardo "leoduarte13" Duarte (Brazil) First-place Prize $32,597

Blowout Series 41-H: $1,050 NLHE [Turbo]

Entries 222 Prize Pool $222,000 Winner Gianluca "Tankanza" Speranza (Austria) First-place Prize $42,697

Blowout Series 42-L: $2.20 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 11,797 Prize Pool $25,000 Winner morir811 (Ukraine) First-place Prize $1,468 + $691 in bounties

Blowout Series 42-M: $22 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 7,723 Prize Pool $161,797 Winner Paddy zu (Germany) First-place Prize $10,134 + $4,733 in bounties

Blowout Series 42-H: $215 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Progressive KO]

Entries 1,644 Prize Pool $336,625 Winner Caio "pessagno" Pessagno (Brazil) First-place Prize $22,213 + $23,176 in bounties

Blowout Series 43-L: $2.20 PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO]

Entries 6,350 Prize Pool $14,446 Winner BamBasty (Germany) First-place Prize $740 + $429 in bounties

Blowout Series 43-M: $22 PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO]

Entries 3,273 Prize Pool $65,460 Winner mitiyy (Bulgaria) First-place Prize $4,001 + $3,860 in bounties

Blowout Series 43-H: $215 PLO [6-Max, Progressive KO]

Entries 464 Prize Pool $92,800 Winner Andrew "UlDuffer" Sweeney (Hungary) First-place Prize $7,110 + $7,234 in bounties

Blowout Series 44-L: $11 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 13,723 Prize Pool $134,485 Winner Alan "sharkbie" Tsang (Philippines) First-place Prize $7,007 + $4,430 in bounties

Blowout Series 44-M: $109 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 2,934 Prize Pool $293,400 Winner volodimir24 (Ukraine) First-place Prize $18,256 + $13,742 in bounties

Blowout Series 44-H: $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO]

Entries 203 Prize Pool $203,000 Winner Pedro "pvigar" Garagnani (Brazil) First-place Prize $17,663 + $28,711 in bounties

Blowout Series 45-L: $5.50 NLHE

Entries 28,108 Prize Pool $137,729 Winner Ruden1987 (Russia) First-place Prize $11,497 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 45-M: $55 NLHE

Entries 7,694 Prize Pool $384,700 Winner TurnOnTuneIn (Brazil) First-place Prize $54,373

Blowout Series 45-H: $530 NLHE

Entries 456 Prize Pool $228,000 Winner dodi papa (Hungary) First-place Prize $40,698

Blowout Series 46-L: $11 NLHE [4-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO]

Entries 20,422 Prize Pool $200,136 Winner albunprof (Romania) First-place Prize $5,775 (four-way deal) + $4,246 in bounties

Blowout Series 46-M: $109 NLHE [4-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO]

Entries 3,248 Prize Pool $324,800 Winner molodnyak (Latvia) First-place Prize $19,053 + $14,946 in bounties

Blowout Series 46-H: $1,050 NLHE [4-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO]

Entries 159 Prize Pool $159,000 Winner Dalton "daltonhb" Hobold (Brazil) First-place Prize $13,545 + $21,520 in bounties

Blowout Series 47-L: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 9,695 Prize Pool $48,960 Winner valmonty (Romania) First-place Prize $6,670

Blowout Series 47-M: $55 NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 2,817 Prize Pool $147,554 Winner cynicalfish (Croatia) First-place Prize $21,419

Blowout Series 47-H: $530 NLHE [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, HRC Daily Supersonic SE]

Entries 258 Prize Pool $131,456 Winner Kashmir_uzi (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $25,277

Blowout Series 48-L: $5.50 NLHE [Deep Stacks, Freezeout]

Entries 14,418 Prize Pool $70,648 Winner scarface7745 (Russia) First-place Prize $8,634

Blowout Series 48-M: $55 NLHE [Deep Stacks, Freezeout]

Entries 3,985 Prize Pool $199,250 Winner $partan4ik (Russia) First-place Prize $25,611 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 48-H: $530 NLHE [Deep Stacks]

Entries 408 Prize Pool $204,000 Winner RickyMorty10 (Ukraine) First-place Prize $31,712 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 49-L: $11 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Mini Saturday KO SE]

Entries 37,445 Prize Pool $366,961 Winner Aurel 124 (Russia) First-place Prize $14,965 + $6,891 in bounties

Blowout Series 49-M: $109 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Saturday KO SE]

Entries 6,875 Prize Pool $687,500 Winner Hamish "lR2C2l92" Crawshaw (New Zealand) First-place Prize $41,553 + $15,587 in bounties

Blowout Series 49-H: $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, HRC Saturday KO SE]

Entries 305 Prize Pool $305,000 Winner Jamil "Jamil11" Wakil (Canada) First-place Prize $25,106 + $37,555 in bounties

Blowout Series 50-L: $55 PLO [6-Max]

Entries 1,824 Prize Pool $91,200 Winner Arshik07 (Russia) First-place Prize $13,790

Blowout Series 50-M: $530 PLO [6-Max]

Entries 253 Prize Pool $126,500 Winner jokkee_apart (Norway) First-place Prize $24,443

Blowout Series 50-H: $5,200 PLO [6-Max]

Entries 75 Prize Pool $400,000 Winner d.apollo777 (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $107,964

Blowout Series 51-L: $5.50 NLHE [Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 14,295 Prize Pool $70,046 Winner [email protected] (Brazil) First-place Prize $8,561

Blowout Series 51-M: $55 NLHE [Turbo, Freezeout]

Entries 4,109 Prize Pool $205,450 Winner adi_sure (Russia) First-place Prize $29,344

Blowout Series 51-H: $530 NLHE [Turbo]

Entries 326 Prize Pool $163,000 Winner Dominik "Bounatirou" Nitsche (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $30,665

Blowout Series 52-L: $5.50 NLHE [Progressive KO, Freezeout, Mini Sunday Kickoff SE]

Entries 15,294 Prize Pool $74,941 Winner ARIAS335 (Greece) First-place Prize $3,615 + $1,566 in bounties

Blowout Series 52-M: $55 NLHE [Progressive KO, Freezeout, Sunday Kickoff SE]

Entries 5,905 Prize Pool $295,250 Winner Miroslav "Nethos" Forman (Czech Republic) First-place Prize $17,805 + $8,095 in bounties

Blowout Series 52-H: $530 NLHE [Progressive KO]

Entries 658 Prize Pool $329,000 Winner Leocir "leocir25" Carneiro (Brazil) First-place Prize $24,784 + $31,161 in bounties

Blowout Series 53-L: $22 NLHE [6-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 10,261 Prize Pool $205,220 Winner Lanttupoika (Finland) First-place Prize $23,012 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 53-M: $215 NLHE [6-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 1,835 Prize Pool $367,000 Winner Ole "wizowizo" Schemion (Austria) First-place Prize $55,417

Blowout Series 53-H: $2,100 NLHE [6-Max]

Entries 206 Prize Pool $412,000 Winner Marius "DEX888" Gierse (Austria) First-place Prize $67,896 (three-way deal)

Blowout Series 54-L: $109 NLHE [8-Max]

Entries 5,838 Prize Pool $583,800 Winner Ramiro "ramastar88" Petrone (Uruguay) First-place Prize $82,972

Blowout Series 54-M: $1,050 NLHE [8-Max]

Entries 483 Prize Pool $483,000 Winner Erdawi98 (Netherlands) First-place Prize $85,786

Blowout Series 54-H: $10,300 NLHE [8-Max, High Roller]

Entries 119 Prize Pool $1,190,000 Winner Sami "Lrslzk" Kelopuro (Finland) First-place Prize $260,831

Blowout Series 55-L: $11 NLHE

Entries 20,585 Prize Pool $201,733 Winner ac3play (Austria) First-place Prize $20,860

Blowout Series 55-M: $109 NLHE

Entries 4,785 Prize Pool $478,500 Winner dadowiec (Poland) First-place Prize $55,495 (heads-up deal)

Blowout Series 55-H: $1,050 NLHE

Entries 401 Prize Pool $401,000 Winner Andras "probirs" Nemeth (Hungary) First-place Prize $73,050

Blowout Series 56-L: $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Freezeout, Mini Sunday Cooldown SE]

Entries 13,705 Prize Pool $67,155 Winner cvaismann15 (Brazil) First-place Prize $3,502 + $1,900 in bounties

Blowout Series 56-M: $55 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, Freezeout, Sunday Cooldown SE]

Entries 7,204 Prize Pool $360,200 Winner RFN1986 (Brazil) First-place Prize $21,907 + $11,129 in bounties

Blowout Series 56-H: $530 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Progressive KO, HRC Sunday Cooldown SE]

Entries 1,152 Prize Pool $576,000 Winner Tr!pleeeee (Poland) First-place Prize $39,546 + $49,072 in bounties

Blowout Series 57-L: $11 NLHE [Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 17,094 Prize Pool $167,521 Winner checkrais86 (Canada) First-place Prize $7,660 + $4,326 in bounties

Blowout Series 57-M: $109 NLHE [Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 4,796 Prize Pool $479,600 Winner yagrebulave (Russia) First-place Prize $29,069 + $18,984 in bounties

Blowout Series 57-H: $1,050 NLHE [Progressive KO]

Entries 664 Prize Pool $664,000 Winner Aalexxs (Netherlands) First-place Prize $50,020 + $48,984 in bounties

Blowout Series 58-L: $2.20 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 9,260 Prize Pool $18,150 Winner giimeyochipz (New Zealand) First-place Prize $2,527

Blowout Series 58-M: $22 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 6,412 Prize Pool $129,240 Winner creepers74 (Russia) First-place Prize $18,227

Blowout Series 58-H: $215 NLHE [8-Max, Freezeout]

Entries 1,231 Prize Pool $246,200 Winner Freshmannn (Bulgaria) First-place Prize $38,719

Blowout Series 59-L: $5.50 NLHE [Heads-Up, Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]

Entries 11,730 Prize Pool $57,477 Winner TiltMeHarder (Sweden) First-place Prize $2,944

Blowout Series 59-M: $55 NLHE [Heads-Up, Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]

Entries 4,531 Prize Pool $226,550 Winner Gumerovv (Russia) First-place Prize $14,604

Blowout Series 59-H: $530 NLHE [Heads-Up, Turbo, Progressive Total KO, Zoom]

Entries 443 Prize Pool $221,500 Winner Ognyan "cocojamb0" Dimov (Bulgaria) First-place Prize $39,326

Blowout Series 60-L: $2.20 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 13,822 Prize Pool $27,091 Winner bojko111 (Bulgaria) First-place Prize $1,417 + $871 in bounties

Blowout Series 60-M: $22 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 9,608 Prize Pool $193,960 Winner batari12 (Russia) First-place Prize $11,297 + $6,147 in bounties

Blowout Series 60-H: $215 NLHE [8-Max, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 1,239 Prize Pool $247,800 Winner TonyCipolla9 (Mexico) First-place Prize $16,688 + $17,477 in bounties

Blowout Series 62-L: $11 8-Game

Entries 3,269 Prize Pool $32,036 Winner SerMaxPro (Ukraine) First-place Prize $4,206

Blowout Series 62-M: $109 8-Game

Entries 686 Prize Pool $68,600 Winner CharlieDewey (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $11,766

Blowout Series 62-H: $1,050 8-Game

Entries 99 Prize Pool $125,000 Winner Matthew "MUSTAFABET" Ashton (United Kingdom) First-place Prize $29,871

Blowout Series 63-L: $5.50 NLHE [Turbo, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 10,362 Prize Pool $50,774 Winner lidis7 (Greece) First-place Prize $1,946 (four-way deal) + $1,577 in bounties

Blowout Series 63-M: $55 NLHE [Turbo, Progressive KO, Freezeout]

Entries 4,130 Prize Pool $206,500 Winner AljT94 (Latvia) First-place Prize $12,514 + $7,861 in bounties

Blowout Series 63-H: $530 NLHE [Turbo, Progressive KO]

Entries 602 Prize Pool $301,000 Winner Perenterol (Germany) First-place Prize $23,189 + $26,149 in bounties

PokerStars Blowout Series Remaining Schedule

Date Start Time (ET) Event Buy-in Format Guarantee Wed 13 Jan 13:05 64-L $5.50 PLO8 [Midweek Freeze] $100,000 Wed 13 Jan 13:05 64-M $55 PLO8 [Midweek Freeze] $175,000 Wed 13 Jan 13:05 64-H $530 PLO8 [Midweek Freeze] $200,000 Wed 13 Jan 14:05 65-L $11 NLHE [8-Max] $15,000 Wed 13 Jan 14:05 65-M $109 NLHE [8-Max] $50,000 Wed 13 Jan 14:05 65-H $1,050 NLHE [8-Max] $70,000 Wed 13 Jan 15:05 66-L $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO] $125,000 Wed 13 Jan 15:05 66-M $55 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO] $250,000 Wed 13 Jan 15:05 66-H $530 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO] $275,000 Wed 13 Jan 17:05 67-L $11 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo] $30,000 Wed 13 Jan 17:05 67-M $109 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo] $100,000 Wed 13 Jan 17:05 67-H $1,050 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo] $150,000 Thu 14 Jan 13:05 68-L $11 HORSE [Prog KO] $125,000 Thu 14 Jan 13:05 68-M $109 HORSE [Prog KO, Mini Thursday Thrill SE] $350,000 Thu 14 Jan 13:05 68-H $1,050 HORSE [Prog KO, Thursday Thrill SE] $400,000 Thu 14 Jan 14:05 69-L $2.20 NLHE $15,000 Thu 14 Jan 14:05 69-M $22 NLHE $30,000 Thu 14 Jan 14:05 69-H $215 NLHE $50,000 Thu 14 Jan 15:05 70-L $5.50 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Prog Total KO] $12,500 Thu 14 Jan 15:05 70-M $55 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Prog Total KO] $75,000 Thu 14 Jan 15:05 70-H $530 NLHE [6-Max, Turbo, Prog Total KO] $100,000 Thu 14 Jan 17:05 71-L $5.50 PLO [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo] $30,000 Thu 14 Jan 17:05 71-M $55 PLO [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo] $100,000 Thu 14 Jan 17:05 71-H $530 PLO [8-Max, Hyper-Turbo, HRC Daily Supersonic SE] $125,000 Fri 15 Jan 08:00 72-L $2.20 NLHE [6-Max] $12,500 Fri 15 Jan 08:00 72-M $22 NLHE [6-Max] $35,000 Fri 15 Jan 08:00 72-H $215 NLHE [6-Max] $70,000 Fri 15 Jan 10:30 73-L $11 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO] $15,000 Fri 15 Jan 10:30 73-M $109 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO] $80,000 Fri 15 Jan 10:30 73-H $1,050 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO] $85,000 Fri 15 Jan 13:05 74-L $5.50 NLHE $125,000 Fri 15 Jan 13:05 74-M $55 NLHE $300,000 Fri 15 Jan 13:05 74-H $530 NLHE $150,000 Fri 15 Jan 15:05 75-L $2.20 NLHE [4-Max, Turbo] $40,000 Fri 15 Jan 15:05 75-M $22 NLHE [4-Max, Turbo] $125,000 Fri 15 Jan 15:05 75-H $215 NLHE [4-Max, Turbo] $200,000 Fri 15 Jan 17:05 76-L $2.20 NLHE [7-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Prog KO] $12,500 Fri 15 Jan 17:05 76-M $22 NLHE [7-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Prog KO] $100,000 Fri 15 Jan 17:05 76-H $215 NLHE [7-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Prog KO] $125,000 Sat 16 Jan 10:30 77-L $11 NLHE [Deep Stacks] $30,000 Sat 16 Jan 10:30 77-M $109 NLHE [Deep Stacks] $100,000 Sat 16 Jan 10:30 77-H $1,050 NLHE [Deep Stacks] $115,000 Sat 16 Jan 13:05 78-L $11 6+ Hold'em [8-Max, Prog KO, Mini Saturday KO SE] $175,000 Sat 16 Jan 13:05 78-M $109 6+ Hold'em [8-Max, Prog KO, Saturday KO SE] $350,000 Sat 16 Jan 13:05 78-H $1,050 6+ Hold'em [8-Max, Prog KO, HRC Saturday KO SE] $250,000 Sat 16 Jan 14:05 79-L $5.50 NLHE [8-Max] $25,000 Sat 16 Jan 14:05 79-M $55 NLHE [8-Max] $50,000 Sat 16 Jan 14:05 79-H $530 NLHE [8-Max] $75,000 Sat 16 Jan 15:05 80-L $5.50 NLHE [Turbo, Prog KO] $50,000 Sat 16 Jan 15:05 80-M $55 NLHE [Turbo, Prog KO] $150,000 Sat 16 Jan 15:05 80-H $530 NLHE [Turbo, Prog KO] $125,000 Sun 17 Jan 08:00 81-L $22 NLHE [6-Max, Mini Sunday Kickoff SE] $35,000 Sun 17 Jan 08:00 81-M $215 NLHE [6-Max, Sunday Kickoff SE] $125,000 Sun 17 Jan 08:00 81-H $2,100 NLHE [6-Max] $225,000 Sun 17 Jan 10:30 82-L $1,050 NLHE [Prog KO] $150,000 Sun 17 Jan 10:30 82-M $11 PLO [Prog KO, Sunday Warm-Up SE] $300,000 Sun 17 Jan 10:30 82-H $109 PLO [Prog KO] $350,000 Sun 17 Jan 13:05 BIG BLOWOUT $1,050 NLHE [8-Max] $5,000,000 Sun 17 Jan 15:05 83-L $2.20 NLHE [6-Max] $100,000 Sun 17 Jan 15:05 83-M $22 NLHE [6-Max] $175,000 Sun 17 Jan 15:05 83-H $215 NLHE [6-Max] $200,000 Sun 17 Jan 17:05 84-L $5.50 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Prog KO] $50,000 Sun 17 Jan 17:05 84-M $55 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Prog KO, Mini Sunday Cooldown SE] $150,000 Sun 17 Jan 17:05 84-H $530 NLHE [8-Max, Turbo, Prog KO, Sunday Cooldown SE] $300,000 Sun 17 Jan 18:05 85-L $11 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Mini Sunday Supersonic SE] $65,000 Sun 17 Jan 18:05 85-M $109 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Sunday Supersonic SE] $250,000 Sun 17 Jan 18:05 85-H $1,050 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, HRC Sunday Supersonic SE] $300,000 Mon 18 Jan 13:05 86-L $2.20 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO, Series Saver] $175,000 Mon 18 Jan 13:05 86-M $22 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO, Series Saver] $500,000 Mon 18 Jan 13:05 86-H $215 NLHE [8-Max, Prog KO, Series Saver] $1,000,000 Mon 18 Jan 15:05 87-L $5.50 NLHE [Turbo] $10,000 Mon 18 Jan 15:05 87-M $55 NLHE [Turbo] $100,000 Mon 18 Jan 15:05 87-H $530 NLHE [Turbo] $150,000 Tue 19 Jan 15:05 88-L $5.50 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Series Wrap-Up] $40,000 Tue 19 Jan 15:05 88-M $55 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Series Wrap-Up] $125,000 Tue 19 Jan 15:05 88-H $530 NLHE [6-Max, Hyper-Turbo, Series Wrap-Up] $175,000

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GREENSBORO, N.C., Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Board for Certified Counselors ("NBCC") today is providing information about a recent event that may impact the privacy of some personal data related to individuals associated with NBCC.

What Happened? On September 7, 2020, National Board of Certified Counselors, Inc. ("NBCC") became aware of unusual activity on its network. NBCC conducted an immediate investigation and determined that the network was impacted by malware which prevented access to certain files on the system. In response, NBCC began working with third-party forensic investigators to investigate the nature and scope of the event and to determine what information may have been impacted by this event and to whom the information relates. NBCC also notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") and is assisting, as needed, in the FBI's investigation.

The investigation determined that the malware was introduced into the system by an unauthorized actor who also accessed and acquired certain files within NBCC's system. The unauthorized access occurred between August 31, 2020 to September 7, 2020.

NBCC, with the assistance of the forensic specialists, began a thorough, lengthy, and labor-intensive process to identify sensitive information that may have been contained within impacted files, and to identify the individuals whose information may have been impacted. This review completed on December 28, 2020. NBCC then took steps to notify potentially impacted individuals.

What Information Was Involved? The following information was potentially impacted: name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, and credential information. Importantly, there is no indication that any information was subject to actual or attempted misuse as a result of this event.

What NBCC Is Doing. Upon discovery of the event, NBCC moved quickly to investigate and respond to the incident, secure its systems, and notify potentially affected individuals. As part of its ongoing commitment to the privacy of personal information in its care, NBCC reviewed its existing policies and procedures, and is working to implement additional safeguards to further secure its information systems. NBCC also notified regulatory authorities, as required by law. NBCC is providing those whose personal information may have been exposed by this incident with access to complimentary credit monitoring services through TransUnion.

NBCC encourages potentially impacted individuals to remain vigilant against incidents of identity theft and fraud, to review account statements, and to monitor their credit reports and explanation of benefits forms for suspicious activity. NBCC is providing potentially impacted individuals with contact information for the three major credit reporting agencies, as well as providing advice on how to obtain free credit reports and how to place fraud alerts and security freezes on their credit files. The relevant contact information is below:

Experian TransUnion Equifax PO Box 9554 P.O. Box 160 PO Box 105788 Allen, TX 75013 Woodlyn, PA 19094 Atlanta, GA 30348-5788 1-888-397-3742 1-888-909-8872 1-800-685-1111 www.experian.com/freeze/center.html www.transunion.com/credit-freeze www.equifax.com/personal/credit-report-services

Potentially impacted individuals may also find information regarding identity theft, fraud alerts, security freezes and the steps they may take to protect their information by contacting the credit bureaus, the Federal Trade Commission or their state Attorney General. The Federal Trade Commission can be reached at: 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20580, www.consumer.gov/idtheft, 1-877-IDTHEFT (438-4338), TTY: 1-866-653-4261.law enforcement. Instances of known or suspected identity theft should also be reported to law enforcement or the individual's state Attorney General.

We understand some people may have additional questions concerning this incident. Individuals can direct questions to our dedicated assistance line by dialing 800-578-4417 Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm ET, excluding U.S. holidays. Information about this incident can also be found at nbcc.org.

SOURCE National Board for Certified Counselors, Inc.
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - The Very Good Food Company Inc. (CSE: VERY) (OTCQB: VRYYF) (FSE: 0SI) ("VERY" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has taken possession of its highly anticipated Vancouver-based production facility (the "Rupert Facility"). In addition, VERY provides an update on changes to its Senior Leadership team.

Rupert Facility Commencement

As of January 11, 2021, VERY has officially taken custody of the Rupert Facility, initially announced on November 11, 2020. After an initial ramp-up period, the leased Rupert Facility is expected to be capable of producing up to 37,000,000 lbs of annualized product to be phased in over the next year, representing an approximate increase of 2,690% over expected annualized production capacity of the Company's Victoria facility of 1,375,000 lbs per year.

Already built-out as a food production facility by its previous plant-based operator, Daiya Foods, the Rupert Facility spans approximately 45,000 sq. ft. and comprises production, refrigeration, warehousing, R&D and office space. Over the next few months, the Rupert Facility will require minor upgrading and retrofitting to accommodate the production requirements for the Company. Equipment for the first production line will start to arrive in late January with commissioning to begin in late February and food production to commence shortly thereafter. The Facility is anticipated to be fully operational in the second quarter of 2021 and capacity will be systematically scaled upwards over the following months.

Mitchell Scott, CEO of VERY, commented: "Custody of the Rupert Facility represents our first significant milestone in 2021. Over the last couple of years, our ability to meet consumer demand has been restricted due to capacity constraints. The Rupert Facility allows us to increase the availability and reach of our products to consumers not only in Canada, but also in the United States, through both our retail and our eCommerce sales channels. We are excited about all of the potential opportunities this milestone creates."

Commissioning of the Rupert Facility is dependent on, among other things, the mitigation of identified operational risks such as, but not limited to, onboarding the necessary labour and expertise, securing new wholesale relationships and meeting COVID-19 protocols going forward.

Executive Team Update

As of January 4, 2021, Ana Silva has commenced her role with the Company as President directly focusing on operations, supply chain and logistics, and procurement to ensure a seamless initial production launch of the Rupert Facility. In connection with the newly appointed President, VERY also announces that Brian Greanleaf has stepped down from the Company in his role as Chief Operating Officer effective January 31, 2021. The Senior Leadership team extends their sincere thanks to Brian for his service since the Company's initial public offering in June 2020.

Kyle Marancos has been appointed Director of Marketing with his employment commencing January 18, 2021. Kyle has an extensive pedigree in the food and beverage industry where he spent the last six years as the Director of Marketing with Earth's Own Food Company Inc., well known for their Happy Planet Products. Prior experience also includes twelve years working with Unilever, where he was the Senior Global Brand Development Manager for their Bertolli Brand.

In her capacity as President, Ms. Silva has been granted 500,000 options exercisable at a price of $6.21 until March 4, 2026.

About The Very Good Food Company

The Very Good Food Company Inc. is an emerging plant-based food technology company. Our mission is to use progressive food technology to create plant-based meat and other food products that are delicious while maintaining a wholesome nutritional profile. To date we have developed a core product line under The Very Good Butchers brand.

For further information, please contact:

Mitchell Scott

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Kevan Matheson

Corporate Communications and Investor Relations

Email: invest@verygoodbutchers.com

Phone: +1 855-472-9841

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This news release contains forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements or information are provided for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Any such forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "proposed", "expects", "intends", "may", "will", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information contained or referred to in this news release includes, but is not limited to: the expected production capacity of the Rupert Facility, the nature of the required upgrading and retrofitting at the Rupert Facility and the timing therefor; the anticipated timing for commencement of operations at the Rupert Facility and the Company's ability to increase the availability and reach of its products to consumers in Canada and in the United States.

Forward-looking statements or information are based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such statements and information, but which may prove to be incorrect. Certain assumptions in respect of continued strong demand for our products; that added production capacity will enable us to increase our sales volume, that we do not experience material interruptions or supply chain failures as a result of COVID-19, our ability to retain key personnel, the availability of labour, and changes and trends in our industry or the global economy are material assumptions made in preparing forward-looking statements or information and management's expectations. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements or information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to: negative cash flow and future financing requirements to sustain operations; dilution; limited history of operations and revenues and no history of earnings or dividends; competition; economic changes; and the impact of and risks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic including the risk of disruption at the Company's facilities or in its supply and distribution channels. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available to the Company.

Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made and, except as may be required by applicable securities laws, the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71915
During a recent press conference, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel talked about taking the pandemic's impacts on mental health into account when deciding on the new Covid-19 regulations, indirectly making it a reason for not imposing a hard lockdown. This argument was at best poorly worded and at worst additional proof for Luxembourg's poor handling of mental health issues.

At first, Bettel's statements may sound fairly reasonable: Luxembourg is doing everything it can to avoid going into another hard lockdown for the sake of the mental well-being of its residents.

However, a quick look on my Twitter feed the following day revealed that this particular argument had left a lot of people with a bad taste in their mouths.

Why did so many people, myself included, take issue with the Prime Minister's statements? In order to lay out the problem in the most comprehensive way, I decided to tackle three main points: The factual truth behind the statement, the problematic framing, and a look at some actual solutions to the mental health problem that are currently being discussed.

I. The very real issue

It is important to acknowledge that the Prime Minister is referring to a very real problem. The pandemic and the various restrictions introduced to fight it have taken a concerning toll on practically all social classes.

In a study published by Statec and TNS Ilres in July 2020, 37% of participants stated that their mental health had deteriorated over the course of the first wave.

While the Ministry of Health repeatedly stated that there has been no significant increase in suicides in Luxembourg since the beginning of the pandemic, MP Marc Baum from the leftist party (Dei Lenk) was right to point out that it may be too early to make such an assessment due to suicide cases often being handed over to the public prosecutor's office for investigation.

What we do know, however, is that especially young people are increasingly struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. According to figures by the Centre for Information and Prevention (CIP), the children and youth helpline registered more than twice as many calls relating to depression and suicidal thoughts in 2020 compared to 2019. Anxiety and self-destructive behaviour are also on the rise, with the latter even quadrupling.

The CHL's Children's Clinic (Kannerklinik) also reported that they had noticed an increase in psychological and even psychiatric problems among the youngest children, some even going as far as actual suicide attempts.

Regarding the adult population, the helpline SOS Detresse reported that 2.5% of calls registered in the first eight months of 2020 were related to suicidal thoughts. An increase compared to 2019, when that figure was under 2%.

What one should keep in mind when reading these figures is that mental health problems are still a taboo subject in many parts of society. A lot of people tend to bottle their problems up, and as a result it is likely not too far fetched to assume that only a small part actually reaches out for help. Such noticeable increases in the numbers of people that contact helplines or seek medical help should set off alarm bells regarding those that do not.

II. The mental health crisis goes beyond the pandemic

All of this data indicates that the Prime Minister is acknowledging a very real issue when he is talking about the importance of considering the lockdown's effects on the population's mental health.

However, one problem that I personally have with the timing and framing of the Prime Minister's statements is that it all feels too short-sighted and even a bit cynical.

We should be unambiguous about this: Luxembourg's mental health situation has not suddenly become "concerning" following the beginning of the pandemic. This would imply that it had previously been acceptable, which could not be any further from the truth.

In terms of mental health, Luxembourg's situation has been nothing short of abysmal for a long time. A study published in the Journal of Health Monitoring in December 2019 found that Luxembourg has the EU's highest overall proportion of prevalence of depressive symptoms.

In February 2020, the Ministry of Health revealed that 47.9% of those who decided to take the online self-test for depression on the prevention-depression.lu website turned out to be suffering from severe depression. In total, 92% of those who took the test found out that they are struggling with some form of depression. It should be pointed out that this website is not exclusively consulted by IP addresses registered in Luxembourg, but they do make up the majority (46.33% as of February 2020).

On a more personal note, quite a significant number of my friends and family members have suffered or are still suffering from some sort of mental health issue and I myself went through a burn-out in mid-2018.

While the coronavirus crisis may have dominated headlines for almost a year now, the mental health crisis has been creeping through the Grand Duchy's society for many years and its victims have often suffered in silence.

It is nice to hear the Prime Minister say that the impact on the population's mental health played an important role in the government's latest decisions. However, I am at the very least very sceptical as to whether the recent relaxations were really introduced to prevent residents from being crushed by crippling anxiety and depression.

Of course, I cannot read the minds of our leading politicians. Maybe it really and earnestly was Bettel's intent to open up some shops because he thought that a little bit of consumerism would do us all some good  especially after Christmas.

If this is the case, however, then the government's actions to improve the mental health situation in Luxembourg will undoubtedly fall flat on their face once again.

While it is not the purpose of this article to assess the government's current strategy in the fight against the coronavirus, I do want to share the following question with you: Undoubtedly, the pandemic takes a toll on people's mental health. However, are the main catalysts for this really the personal liberties temporarily taken away from us, or are they not rather the inner fears fuelled by the pandemic? Fears of infection, fears of spreading the disease to vulnerable loved ones, fears of losing livelihoods, fears of being forced to decide who to save and who to let dieetc

III. What would actually help

But enough of the criticism, let us instead conclude this piece by talking about some things that are actually going well and some possible, and actually not that difficult, solutions for the future.

Mental health is a complex issue, and it requires efforts from both the societal and the political sphere. In regard to society, it does seem like the situation is improving  slowly, but surely, nonetheless. This is not to say that the stigma associated with mental illnesses has been completely lifted, but the public and especially members of the younger generations seem to be more aware and, most importantly, accepting of the issue.

Survey after survey shows that stigmatisation is one of the worst parts for those suffering from any sort of mental health problems. This trend must thus be encouraged until we treat someone suffering from depression just the same as we would someone suffering from heart disease.

Important work is also being done in schools. Teachers receive specialised training in order to become better at noticing warning signs and knowing how to properly handle specific situations. I still remember my school days quite well, and looking into what structures and services exist today, I do notice a lot of improvements that have been done over the past five years or so alone. However, schools are at the same time often at the root of mental health problems. My colleague Ian wrote a very insightful op-ed on the health impacts of social media in August of last year, and in it he cited a study which found that Luxembourg had experienced an increase in perceived school pressure and stress over a ten-year period. Besides mental health training, discussions about fundamental school reforms must therefore also continue.

Luxembourg also has a serious problem regarding a lack of mental health professionals. The Luxembourgish Society of Psychiatrists, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists and Psychotherapists (SLPPP) drew attention to this issue in October 2020, stating that one of the main reasons for this was the overall difficult working conditions for psychiatrists. The government could remedy this by following the SLPPP's demands and introduce legislation to improve working conditions, raise salaries, and work alongside the University of Luxembourg to introduce a doctorate programme in psychiatry in the Grand Duchy.

The Parliamentary Committee on Health discussed a number of problems and potential solutions in December 2020. While the government has yet to release an official evaluation of its Suicide Prevention Plan 2015-2019, it seems only logical to not only maintain it, but further improve it. The introduction of a "psychiatric autopsy", as demanded by opposition party CSV, would make it possible to better understand the causes and triggers that lead to suicides.

Probably most outrageous remains however the fact that the fees of psychotherapy are still not reimbursed in Luxembourg. At this point, this relic of a time when mental health issues were not regarded as "real health problems" is nothing short of a national embarrassment and needs to be fixed as soon as possible.

Luxembourg's mental health crisis is serious and has very real consequences. Every year, we lose too many friends and family members either emotionally or, in the worst cases, physically to the frightening power that these illnesses can hold over us.

Interestingly, I found myself adjusting that last sentence just now. I initially wanted to write "in the most tragic cases". This adjective and its respective noun  tragedy  is often used when talking about mental health issues. However, there is actually nothing tragic about them. A tragedy, at least in the traditional, literary sense, implies a misfortune somehow brought about by fate against which we are powerless. But we are not powerless. We can do something against this problem unless we neglect to do so, either out of ignorance or carelessness.

I have no problem with the Prime Minister taking mental health into account when thinking about policies. In fact, I am happy that he does so. However, I do believe that this crisis must be addressed in its entirety and not merely as a side effect of a different, equally serious, crisis.

If you struggle with any sort of mental health issues yourself, consider checking out prevention-depression.lu or covid19-psy.lu (both available in English) for information on how and where to get help.

A San Antonio police officer was arrested Wednesday after allegedly giving a suspected domestic abuser details about a case in exchange for compensation, according to the police department.

Erik Rodriguez, a 14-year veteran of the San Antonio Police Department, was charged with misuse of official information, a felony offense.

A detective investigating allegations of dating violence learned that the victim believed her abuser's friend was providing him with information about the ongoing investigation, police said.

The detective discovered that the suspected abuser had received case information from Rodriguez, who was compensated by the suspect for providing the information, according to SAPD.

Preventing family violence and providing services to victims has been and remains a priority for the San Antonio Police Department," said Chief William McManus, in a statement. "I am bitterly disappointed and frustrated that an SAPD Officer would violate his oath of office and the public trust by placing a survivor in jeopardy."

McManus said the detective's response "reinforces that there will be swift and serious consequences" for misconduct. The chief said the investigation will continue and additional charges may be filed.

Rodriguez will be placed on administrative leave, police said. The Bexar County District Attorney's Office has been briefed, SAPD said.
The cooler weather we've been experiencing in North Alabama has many people in Madison County noticing a spike in their utility bill.

People on social media voiced their concerns with some saying their bill increased more than $300 since the month before.

WAAY 31 talked to Huntsville Utilities on Tuesday about what they suggest you do to keep your bill from skyrocketing.

"It was about $100 more than it has been for the last 6 months, but compared to last December, because we did look back on that just to see, it's like $60 more, and this December felt like it was about the same," Amy Ashburn-Forest, who lives in Hazel Green, said.

People in the northern part of Madison County said they have questions as to why their utility bills are becoming so much more expensive.

"One lady said hers went from $175 to $520. Like, that's a little bit of a jump there," Jeffrey Stoner, who lives in Madison County, said.

Huntsville Utilities' spokesman, Joe Gehrdes, said the low temperatures are to blame. He said the demand for electricity is up all over the Tennessee Valley.

"As customers react to the weather, particularly with their air conditioning, their heating, you're using more utilities to make up for how cold it might be outside," Gehrdes said.

Gehrdes explained two numbers on your bill can help explain why your utility bill might have gone up.

"There's a thing on your bill called 'degree days.' That number just tells you what our departure from the average temperature is. When those numbers are high, that total number is high. That means we've been dealing with extreme weather, extreme temperatures from our average," he said.

Gehrdes explained if you keep the temperature in your house closer to 68 degrees, you will see less of an impact on your bill. But, if you're keeping your temperature closer to 75 with these cold temperatures, you can expect your bill to be expensive.

Gehrdes said heat pumps are a big driving factor that also could be driving your bill up.

"Heat pumps don't function very well in the very cold weather. And so often times, what will drive a utility bill up remarkably is when your auxiliary heat or your emergency heat kicks on, so that's electric heat. And that's very expensive. It's sometimes more than 5 to 10 times more expensive than your heat pump when it's running efficiently," he said.

Recently, Ashburn-Forest's home and Stoner's home both got smart meters, and they questioned if the meters were causing the increased rate.

"It's not just in our neighborhood. It's something in our area that people want to know why their bill is over $100 more than they normally have been," said Ashburn-Forest.

Gehrdes said "I know there have been some questions about the new meters. The new meters actually help customers be able to see how they're using electricity more closely. Rather than on a monthly basis, they can get hourly data. And you'll see how on a cold day like this, your usage is sustained higher."

Ashburn-Forest said she still has questions.

"It makes you wonder, if they're saying the new meters are more accurate, then who wasn't doing their job previously?" she said.

Huntsville Utilities said any customers who have questions about their bills are asked to contact them.
-- Infosys formed a strategic partnership with Daimler AG, one of the world's most successful automotive companies, to support a technology-driven IT infrastructure transformation. Jan Brecht, Chief Information Officer, Daimler and Mercedes-Benz, said, "Software becomes modular and IT infrastructure becomes big. Daimler will take three steps at once to transform its IT infrastructure: consolidation, scaling and modernization. We need to think infrastructure beyond the size of our company. With Infosys we found a partner to scale, to innovate and to speed up. Moreover, this is a strategic partnership for Daimler's IT capabilities and Infosys' automotive expertise. Infosys wants to grow with us in the automotive industry, which gives career opportunities for our employees. With this partnership, Daimler also strengthens its overall technology investment and partnership strategy." -- Infosys was selected by El Paso Water, a municipal utility in El Paso, Texas, to transform its legacy customer information systems (CIS) with Oracle Utilities Customer to Meter (C2M). Marcela Navarrete, Vice President at EPWater, said, "This is an ambitious undertaking with multiple system upgrades simultaneously, but it's a necessary project to help us make a leap forward to improve both efficiency and customer satisfaction." -- Infosys partnered with Rolls-Royce, one of the world's leading aerospace and defence technology companies, for sourcing engineering and R&D Services for Rolls-Royce's Civil Aerospace business. Kishore Jayaraman, President, Rolls-Royce India & South Asia, said, "India has grown to become a key contributor to the Rolls-Royce global engineering ecosystem, delivering high levels of technical capability to support a broad range of complex business demands. Our vision is to continue this high capability engineering work in India, in partnership with Infosys. Infosys has been a valued partner to Rolls-Royce for many years, and we now look forward to building on this strategic partnership to secure the full range of our engineering capabilities here, while ensuring future growth potential for our engineering talent. We are committed to India and remain positive about the long-term prospects in this market." -- Resimac, a leading non-bank lender in Australia and New Zealand, selected Infosys Finacle's Digital Banking SaaS to achieve end-to-end digital modernization for providing enhanced customer experience across all its brands in Australia and New Zealand. Scott McWilliam, Chief Executive Officer, Resimac, said, "At Resimac, we are engineering for the future. Our 'customer first' digital strategy recognizes that lending in the future will look fundamentally different from today. Our partnership with Infosys Finacle will enable us to seamlessly adapt to the dynamic and complex lending landscape, while serving our customers' financial needs in a secure manner. We are confident that Finacle's solutions delivered on the cloud will accelerate our transformation into a digital-first lender and help deliver a range of multi-accessible, flexible and innovative financial solutions." -- Mobile Health AG, a Switzerland-based Health Tech startup, selected Infosys to enhance the go-to-market (GTM) strategy for its electronically patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) platform, Consilium Care(TM). Frank Gulitz, CIO, Mobile Health AG, said, "After a rigorous selection process we selected Infosys as strategic partner for our Cloud Provider Due Diligence, the global setup of Microsoft Azure, as well as partner for the Infrastructure Operation and Platform Application Managed Service. Infosys was leading against competitors by their well-established Cloud Management Services combined with strong Security Consulting Offerings and Health Industry Insight. We are looking forward to commonly develop new markets for Consilium Care(TM), our award winning CE-marked platform." -- "We embarked on our finance transformation journey in 2018 with an aspiration to save and automate one million hours of manual work. We have now achieved this goal with the help of Infosys BPM in enabling digital transformation. This is among the largest and most complex automation programs undertaken, and the collaborative efforts between the Philips and Infosys BPM teams was key for the success of the program. Infosys BPM defined and implemented the automation program, with formal design principles to standardize and automate the selected use cases. The AssistEdge RPA platform (EdgeVerve) from Infosys was leveraged to enable digital workers deployed globally with bots concurrently managing finance processes, including complex record-to-report month-end reconciliations" - Abhijit Bhattacharya, Chief Financial Officer, Member of the Executive Committee, Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology.

Awards & Recognitions

-- Ranked as a leader in The Forrester Wave(TM): Multicloud Managed Services Providers, Q4 2020 -- Rated as a leader in Everest - System Integrator (SI) Capabilities on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021 NEW -- Positioned as a leader in Everest - System Integrator (SI) Capabilities on Microsoft Azure Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021 -- Rated as a leader in Everest - System Integrator (SI) Capabilities on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Compendium 2021 -- Positioned as a leader in NelsonHall - Cloud Infrastructure Brokerage, Orchestration & Management 2020 -- Ranked as a leader in Everest - ServiceNow Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021 -- Ranked as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific Salesforce Implementation Services 2020 Vendor Assessment -- Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Professional Services Firms for Mining Operational Process Optimisation 2020 Vendor Assessment -- Ranked as a leader in HFS Research Top 10 Healthcare Sector Service Providers -- Positioned as a leader in Everest - Next-generation Application Management Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2021 -- Ranked as a leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Application Testing Services, Worldwide -- Ranked as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Retail Commerce Platform Service Providers 2020 Vendor Assessment -- Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Headless Digital Commerce Applications 2020-2021 Vendor Assessment -- Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Manufacturing Service Life-Cycle Management Systems Integrators/Business Process Outsourcing 2020 Vendor Assessment -- Positioned as a leader in IDC MarketScape Worldwide Oracle Cloud Implementation Services -- Positioned as a leader in Everest - Application and Digital Services in Capital Markets PEAK Matrix 2020 -- Won 1st Runner up for Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in SHRM HR Excellence Awards -- Infosys Finacle was awarded 'Best Use of IT in Corporate Banking with Bank of the West BNP Paribas' -- Infosys Finacle received the award for 'Most Impactful Project in the use of Blockchain in Banking: Infosys Finacle and Royal Bank of Scotland' -- Infosys achieved over 1,000 Mulesoft certifications. As a strategic MuleSoft partner, Infosys is committed to helping mutual customers accomplish cloud-first outcomes in transforming legacy apps, modernizing integration on cloud, developing digital apps, and building API-led ecosystems

About Infosys

Infosys is a global leader in next-generation digital services and consulting. We enable clients in 46 countries to navigate their digital transformation. With nearly four decades of experience in managing the systems and workings of global enterprises, we expertly steer our clients through their digital journey. We do it by enabling the enterprise with an AI-powered core that helps prioritize the execution of change. We also empower the business with agile digital at scale to deliver unprecedented levels of performance and customer delight. Our always-on learning agenda drives their continuous improvement through building and transferring digital skills, expertise, and ideas from our innovation ecosystem.

Visit www.infosys.com [https://www.infosys.com/] to see how Infosys can help your enterprise navigate your next.

Safe Harbor

"Certain statements in this release concerning our future growth prospects, financial expectations and plans for navigating the COVID-19 impact on our employees, clients and stakeholders are forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the 'safe harbor' under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties relating to these statements include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties regarding COVID-19 and the effects of government and other measures seeking to contain its spread, risks related to an economic downturn or recession in India, the United States and other countries around the world, changes in political, business, and economic conditions, fluctuations in earnings, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates, our ability to manage growth, intense competition in IT services including those factors which may affect our cost advantage, wage increases in India, our ability to attract and retain highly skilled professionals, time and cost overruns on fixed-price, fixed-time frame contracts, client concentration, restrictions on immigration, industry segment concentration, our ability to manage our international operations, reduced demand for technology in our key focus areas, disruptions in telecommunication networks or system failures, our ability to successfully complete and integrate potential acquisitions, liability for damages on our service contracts, the success of the companies in which Infosys has made strategic investments, withdrawal or expiration of governmental fiscal incentives, political instability and regional conflicts, legal restrictions on raising capital or acquiring companies outside India, unauthorized use of our intellectual property and general economic conditions affecting our industry and the outcome of pending litigation and government investigation. Additional risks that could affect our future operating results are more fully described in our United States Securities and Exchange Commission filings including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020. These filings are available at www.sec.gov [https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%...]. Infosys may, from time to time, make additional written and oral forward-looking statements, including statements contained in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and our reports to shareholders. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements that may be made from time to time by or on behalf of the Company unless it is required by law."

(CONTINUA)
Education Minister Norma Foley remains determined that schools will reopen for special needs students as soon as possible.

Last week the Tralee-based Kerry Fianna Fail TD was forced to abandon plans for a limited opening of schools - from Monday - to cater for 18,000 special-needs pupils and 60,000 Leaving Cert candidates when teacher unions instructed members not to turn up, arguing they had health and safety concerns and were not consulted about the Government's plans.

Following the u-turn, Minister Foley this week met with three organisations advocating for children with special needs who are seeking "urgent progress to protect the country's most vulnerable students".

After the meting on Monday, a spokesperson for Ms Foley said she had listened to the organisations concerns and is fully aware of the damage that was done to children with special needs during the first lock-down.

While she has not publicly criticised the teaching unions, Minister Foley is understood to be extremely disappointed that her attempt to reopen schools for special needs pupils and leaving cert candidates failed in the face of union opposition.

Minister Foley said last week that she wanted to put measures in place immediately to ensure a meaningful continuity of education for these pupils.

Minister Foley has said she deeply regrets that special needs students and Leaving Cert students cannot attend classes in person during the lock-down.

She also defended her position on in-person learning for these students and her Department's interaction with unions ahead of last week's ill fated announcement.

"It remains my strong belief that this period of time is crucial for the mental well-being of all children with special needs," she said.

"I also felt it was the right thing to extend in-class teaching to our Leaving Certificate students who are approaching a crucial time in their exam year," said Minister Foley.

"My department engaged with the unions and public health officials with a view to maintaining on-site learning for this vulnerable group of students. Unfortunately, I was left with no alternative but to pause the limited reopening on Monday to allow further engagement with all education stakeholders," she said.

Minister Foley and education stakeholders, including teacher unions, had a "constructive" meeting on Friday, with Leaving Cert students and special needs pupils to be treated as a priority when it comes to reopening schools.

There is to be further engagement between the sides but, as yet, no one is speculating on when progress can be expected.

At Friday's meeting with teaching union leaders Minister Foley questioned what the school closure could mean for the Leaving Cert.

Sources involved in the discussions said that Ms Foley's main message was that if exam candidates don't get back to school soon, there will need to be a talks about a 'Plan B' for the Leaving Cert.

A spokesman for Ms Foley has confirmed that reopening schools remains a priority for special needs pupils and in the meantime she is examining options for a suite of support measures that can be put in place until in person teaching can resume.

Asked how long school closures may last, the spokesman said this was "impossible to say" at this point.

The spokesman said Minister Foley's preference was to get schools open as soon as possible, but this will require the agreement of staff unions and school communities.
A New York Police Department vehicle parks at Fifth Avenue Synagogue in New York, N.Y., on Dec. 30, 2019. (Jeenah Moon/Reuters)

NY State Lawmaker Arrested for Allegedly Assaulting Wife

A New York lawmaker was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly choking his estranged wife, police said.

State Sen. Luis Sepulveda, a Democrat who represents part of the Bronx, was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing, NYPD spokesperson Detective Sophia Mason said, reported The Associated Press.

Mason added that police were called to the state senators Bronx home on Saturday morning over a domestic incident.

Sepulveda, 56, and his wife, 40, both filed separate reports accusing each other of assault during the incident on Saturday, the New York Post reported, citing police sources. Sepulveda allegedly strangled his wife after she punched him, and on Tuesday morning turned himself in to the NYPD, the outlet reported.

Sepulveda and his wife, Elizabeth, are amid an ongoing divorce settlement. The senators lawyer, Marvin Ray Raskin, called the allegation false, adding that it was a calculated attempt by a disgruntled party to leverage a divorce settlement from a case she filed in Florida this past November, the AP reported.

Elizabeth Sepulveda had previously sought an order of protection against her husband in 2015. Sepulveda at the time noted that it was a temporary order that his wife later withdrew. Both acknowledged that the incident of concern involved an argument that never became violent.

Raskin said in a statement to media out that Sepulveda was the victim of recurring physical violence at the hands of his wife and that he was enduring the alleged abuse for nine years, in part because the couple have a young child.

All allegations must be taken seriously and investigated to the full extent of the law, which is why the Senator is committed to and will proactively provide full transparency as this matter is resolved, he added.

Sepulveda was removed from being the chair of the states Senate Crime Victims, Crime & Correction Committee, and was stripped of all of his committee assignments, following the charge.

We learned of this disturbing incident this morning I am immediately removing Senator Sepulveda as chair of his committee and from all his committee assignments. I take these allegations extremely seriously and will be monitoring this situation closely, New York Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, a Democrat, said in a statement.

MD. MBA Tran Thi Lan Huong, Medical Director at Bayer Vietnam delivered welcome remarks at the hybrid medical scientific event New Progress in the Management of Peripheral Artery Disease

On this occasion, Bayer has collaborated with Bach Mai Hospital to organise a hybrid medical scientific event for the medical community specialising in cardiology and vascular medicine, called New Progress in the Management of Peripheral Artery Disease. The seminar was held in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, as well as was broadcast online at the same time, providing a forum to discuss medical practices, unmet needs, and recent scientific data related to the management of PAD. At the event, Bayer introduced a new indication of NOAC as a solution for reducing major adverse cardiovascular and limb events in patients with PAD, marking a major milestone in the management of PAD in Vietnam.

PAD is a chronic, progressive disease in which narrowed arteries reduce blood flow, usually to the lower extremities. It is a growing concern that most patients with peripheral artery disease are asymptomatic. PAD patients often have disease in other arteries, such as the heart and brain. Patients are at risk for severe complications like stroke, myocardial infarction, and amputation.

According to statistics from Nature Review Cardiology, globally, 200 million people were estimated to have PAD in lower extremities in 2010. These studies indicated that the number of PAD patients accounted for the highest percentage in the middle-income and low-income countries in Southeast Asia, and the Western Pacific. In fact, PAD patients in Vietnam often get diagnosed only when they have leg pain even at resting, therefore, their prognosis tend to be worse than those of early diagnosed patients. In 2020, the field of peripheral artery disease has witnessed many new solutions and new treatment approaches for patients.

At the seminar, Bayer introduces new indication of NOAC for the treatment of PAD. The novel antithrombotic therapy for the management of PAD, termed dual pathway inhibition, combines vascular dose of NOAC with aspirin (ASA). The therapy has been recommended in the 2019 Global Vascular Guidelines jointly developed by the Society of Vascular Surgery (SVS), the European Society for Vascular Surgery (ESVS), and the World Federation of Vascular Societies (WFVS), as well as the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for NSTE-ACS in 2020.

The new indication of NOAC vascular dose as the first and unique in its class has proven the possibilities for the simultaneous prophylaxis of cardiovascular and limb complications in PAD patients. NOAC, in combination with aspirin, has shown many advantages in the treatment of PAD patients compared to traditional therapy. In fact, compared to aspirin alone, the combined therapy reduces the risk of cardiovascular death, stroke, or myocardial infarction by 28 per cent and that of major adverse limb events, including amputation by 46 per cent, without increasing the rate of fatal or intracranial bleeding. As a result, PAD patients using NOAC with Aspirin can prevent some severe complications of the disease.

Panel discussion and Q&A on New Progress in the Management of Peripheral Artery Disease

In recent years, Bayer has put great effort into developing treatments for patients suffering from PAD. In November 2017, the company applied for NOAC in combination with aspirin for approval by the European Medicines Agency for the management of PAD. In Vietnam, the collaboration between Bayer and Bach Mai Hospital is the first time the new indication of NOAC has been officially introduced. The new indication reflects Bayers long-standing commitment to improved prognosis and a better quality of life for PAD patients.

MD. MBA Tran Thi Lan Huong, medical director at Bayer Vietnam shared, Cardiovascular diseases have become a severe problem in our society. Bayer is working in a wide range of areas on new treatment approaches for cardiovascular diseases. Globally, Bayer cooperates with research institutes and supports clinical research activities to ensure doctors have access to the latest treatments, so that patients will have access to the best possible medical therapies and services.

With this goal, we are honored to cooperate with Bach Mai Hospital to organise the scientific event New Progress in the Management of Peripheral Artery Disease. The seminar provided useful information to the medical community in Vietnam. We hope that Bayer's new solution can help reduce the number of patients suffering from thrombotic diseases, thereby helping Vietnamese people improve their quality of life, she said.

Prof. Dr. Nguyen Quoc Thai, Head of C4 Department, Cardiology Institute, Bach Mai Hospital shared about unmet needs and solution for antithrombotic treatment in Peripheral Artery Disease

Prof. Dr. Phan Quoc Hung, Deputy Head of the Department Vascular Surgery, Cho Ray Hospital discussed how to improve the prognosis of patients with PAD post revascularization
Posted Wednesday, January 13, 2021 10:20 am

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler on Tuesday evening became the fifth GOP House member to announce her support for impeaching President Donald Trump. The House is to vote Wednesday, a week after the president's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

Herrera Beutler, of Vancouver, said in a statement Tuesday that she "believe(s) President Trump acted against his oath of office, so I will vote to impeach him.

"The President's offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have," she wrote. "I understand the argument that the best course is not to further inflame the country or alienate Republican voters. But I am also a Republican voter. I believe in our Constitution, individual liberty, free markets, charity, life, justice, peace and this exceptional country. I see that my own party will be best served when those among us choose truth."

The House is expected to vote Wednesday on a single article of impeachment accusing the president of inciting the mob that attacked the Capitol.

Herrera Beutler's statement comes almost a week after a mob of Trump supporters started a riot inside the Capitol, interrupting lawmakers during a joint session to certify Electoral College results and confirm Joe Biden's presidential win. The attack led to the deaths of five people, including a Capitol police officer.

After the attack, Herrera Beutler wrote on Twitter that she "was on the House floor as the protestors overran police and pounded on the doors."

She made a plea for Trump supporters to stand down.

"The reports you are hearing about the chaos, panic and dangerous actions by protestors are not exaggerations," Herrera Beutler wrote. "I witnessed them. Is this the America we want to give to our children? A country of lawlessness and mob rule?"

Herrera Beutler supported Trump's reelection last year, after saying she couldn't vote for him in 2016. She issued no formal statements ahead of certifying the election, but told The Columbian she would vote to uphold the Electoral College results.

On Tuesday, she accused Trump of inciting the riot to "halt the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next."

"Hours went by before the President did anything meaningful to stop the attack," she wrote. "Instead, he and his lawyer were busy making calls to senators who were still in lockdown, seeking their support to further delay the Electoral College certification."

When Trump finally denounced the violence, she added, his statement "served as a wink and a nod to those who perpetrated it."

Earlier Tuesday, Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican leader, surprised her party when she also announced she would vote to impeach Trump.

"On Jan. 6, 2021 a violent mob attacked the United States Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes," Cheney, of Wyoming, said in a statement. "The president of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack. Everything that followed was his doing."

Republicans Joining Herrera Beutler and Cheney on Tuesday were Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger, Michigan Rep. Fred Upton and New York Rep. John Katko.

Staff reporters David Gutman and Jim Brunner contributed to this report.

___

(c)2021 The Seattle Times

Visit The Seattle Times at www.seattletimes.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Spc. Vanessa Guillen's entire chain of command has been fired during the disciplinary action hearing that took place last month at Fort Hood, an army official said on Thursday.

Sgt. Major of the Army Michael Grinston told soldiers at the base that all people in the chain of command responsible for Guillen's death, from her squad to the battalion, were fired.

Grinston cited the firings of the chain of command as an example of how the Army should handle leaders who allow harsh behavior to persist in their ranks, a report from Stars and Stripes said.

Members of Vanessa Guillen's platoon and company were also taken off their ranks, Grinston said. Initially, only leaders at the brigade level of Guillen's chain of command were known to be fired in the disciplinary action hearing last Dec. 8 as part of the Army's personnel privacy policy.

Related Story: Army Fires, Suspends 14 Fort Hood Leaders Following Probe Into Vanessa Guillen's Death

But Grinston confirmed that there were at least two dozen more enlisted soldiers with 14 leaders who were fired as well, Hip Latina reported.

Poor Leadership in Chain of Command was Root of Fort Hood 'Climate, Culture'

Previously named officials fired in the chain of command included Gen. Scott Efflandt, acting base commander at the time of Vanessa Guillen's disappearance and death, and Col. Ralph Overland and Command Sgt. Maj. Bradley Knapp.

Maj. Gen Jeff Broadwater and Command Sgt. Maj. Thomas Kenny were also suspended, pending the results of a new investigation on the unit's climate and actions against sexual harassment. Kenny was not part of Vanessa Guillen's chain of command.

During the December hearing, an independent committee for the base, Fort Hood Independent Review Committee, cited poor leadership at the base that stemmed from "climate and culture" problems in Fort Hood's chain of command.

Changes to Fort Hood After Vanessa Guillen's Death Won't Last, Soldiers Say

Last month's firings were discussed by Grinston in a visit to Fort Hood. He noted that leaders couldn't act on problems that they don't know about, so they encouraged soldiers to report any misconduct.

However, many soldiers in the base candidly expressed their belief that if there would be changes in Fort Hood, they aren't bound to last. Many of them believe that Grinston was only visiting to "check the box," reported Military.com.

"The whole U.S. is watching Fort Hood. They want to see you here," one soldier asserted. But another thought Grinston's intentions in his visit was actually out of genuine concern.

"Most people don't ask us questions," she said. "You asked. I think you care."

Read also: Congress Launches Investigation Into Recent Fort Hood Deaths

With these comments, Grinston said he appreciated the soldiers' honesty and told the group, "There's a lot going on in the world right now... but I'm here. I don't want to go back to what it was three months from now."

Vanessa Guillen served as a small arms repairer in a Fort Hood engineer squadron. She was reported missing from the base in April 2020.

A two-month-long search for her started, but many questioned these efforts, the conditions of the base, and its sexual assault and harassment program. Investigators identified Spc. Aaron Robinson as the killer after they found her body on June 30, 2020, about 20 miles away from the base.
The following essay was written by Dr. Karen Weaver, a Child & Family Clinical Psychologist and the former Mayor of Flint, Michigan.

Enjoy.

Though I have not seen President Trump as a patient, as a licensed mental health professional, I am compelled to speak to the danger he currently poses. This is neither a partisan issue, nor is it about a stolen election. This is a crisis in mental health for our country. I hope to use my training to explain why I believe our President is unfit for public service and a few ways Americans have been harmed.

In my professional opinion, President Trump shows evidence of genuine psychopathy. The term, psychopath should not be used carelessly, even when we disagree with a person, policy, or political philosophy. Psychopathy is a serious mental health condition. One is not a psychopath because one commits sins, breaks the law, is greedy, or has random flaws. President Trump is a psychopath because he delights in cruelty, vindictiveness and violence; lacks empathy; displays excessive, compulsive antisocial behavior; and because he is myopically focused on self gratification, served by a pattern of pathological lying, threats and other manipulative actions towards others. He is a psychopath because he doesnt understand right versus wrong as healthy people do. Right is whatever he desires.

The world is shocked that an American President masterminded a war on his own country, sending an army of thousands to attack our first branch of government. He used tax-funded staffing to carry out criminal activity. His loyalists promised Trump or war! They showed up in tactical gear, with maps of the Capitol Buildings layout, bombs and zip ties. Legislators fled for their lives. Five people died, including an officer, who was violently bashed in the head with a fire extinguisher. As the Capitol was overrun, he watched on television, amused. He pledged to his Confederate flag waving supporters that this was only the beginning of our fight. He owns this.

Yet, simply leading an army is not a sign of psychopathy. The disorder is in the act of manipulation, lies, lack of restraint, disregard for consequences, gaslighting and amusement in the midst of chaos. The disorder is seen in his inability to tolerate election data which disagrees with his goals. The swift action Wednesday by Twitter and Facebook was an act of corporate responsibility to protect American lives.

That President Trump embraces extremes is no surprise. Wednesdays coup attempt was one of many actions which demonstrate his inability to put the best interest of Americans ahead of ambition. Throughout 2020, he intentionally misrepresented the coronavirus, dismissing its danger, waving off urgency to take aggressive action, politicizing CDC recommendations, holding large rallies, discouraging the use of masks at his events, and bullying Governors who sought to keep citizens safe. His words have encouraged domestic terrorists to plot to kidnap two Governors who disagreed with him about how to slow the spread of the virus.

Today, the United States leads the world in coronavirus cases. We are 4% of the worlds population, yet 1 out of 5 global COVID-19 deaths is in the U.S. While 76,000, the number of deaths if the nations death toll was consistent with the global average, is a tragic number, instead, over 374,000 Americans have died. Victims included Herman Cain, one of his most ardent believers, who contracted COVID-19 after attending the Presidents rally without facial covering.

Post election, the President was too busy to focus on defeating COVID-19. As the virus surged, he exerted his influence to reverse the election, even if it meant disenfranchising voters, threatening lawmakers to find votes, and leading a coup against Congress. After 200 years of peaceful transition between administrations, Trump became the weakest link in our democracy. He not only weaponized misinformation, but he monetized it too, with hourly texts sent to Americans, like these:

November 24: The Fake News wont report on evidence of voting irregularities! Pres. Trump needs YOU to EXPOSE THE TRUTH! 1000%-IMPACT for 1 HOUR! Act Now

December 3: Pres. Trump: I texted you. My sons texted you. Now Im texting you AGAIN. Ive EXTENDED your 1000% offer. Will you step up? Donate now.

December 7: President Trump: We will not bend. We will not break. We will never give in. We will never give up. We will never surrender! Stand with us NOW

January 6: HAPPENING NOW, Congress is voting to certify or OBJECT TO, the Election results. President Trump needs YOU to STAND WITH HIM! 1000% IMPACT. Donate

President Trump is like a 74-year-old toddler acting out on the worlds stage. He believes that he is entitled to win. He lives by a motto that one can do anything one wants to when one is a star. He told us he was unaccountable when he declared he could shoot someone on 5th Avenue and not be arrested. He describes good ole days as a time when protesters were beaten and dragged. Unconcerned with the Senators safety, he joked, I wonder if Romney enjoyed his flight last night? knowing the lawmaker had been harassed by Trump believers on an airplane. Fit for the office? No. Donald Trump isnt able to be loyal to our institutions and traditions. As Messiah of the QAnon Stop the Steal misinformation campaign, his loyalty is to himself.

Its natural to be disappointed with loss considering the time and energy invested in running for office. Yet, the most important person in our democracy is the losing candidate who upholds the peoples will over personal goals, and practices grace in the face of defeat. Peaceful transition is the cornerstone of a stable democracy.

A good leader doesnt Tweet everytime the wind blows, or ignore a pandemic. President Trump may be a master of marketing, director of disruption, and Pied Piper of chaos. However, he has no ability to keep an oath, or uphold the Constitution of the United States. He is not fit for public service. He hasnt the capacity to understand the meaning of the words, public service. Our children are watching. Its important that we dont normalize unhealthy behavior.

Dr. Karen Weaver served as Mayor of Flint, MI from 2015 through 2019, advocating for clean water during the Flint Water Crisis. She has a doctorate in clinical psychology from Michigan State University.

[CC image credit: Thomas Hawk | Flickr]
Dr Zahid Chauhan said the group should be prioritised as they are more at risk

Oldham Council and GPs said homeless people should be made a priority group

Homeless people will get Covid-19 jabs in the first scheme of its kind in the UK - after a council took matters into its own hands and prioritised them for the vaccine.

Oldham Council and local GPs decided the town's homeless people should be made a priority group to get the vaccine at the start of the rollout, alongside those over 80.

A clinic was organised at a shelter for the homeless in Oldham, Greater Manchester, where around 30 people were given the jab - with more planned.

It comes after others claimed there is 'no uniform process' across England with regards to who is prioritised for the vaccine, claiming GPs and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) seem to be using their 'own discretion'.

Dr Zahid Chauhan, who is also an Oldham councillor with responsibility for health and social care, said homeless people should be on the priority list because, along with those aged 80 and over, they are more at risk from the virus.

Kelly Heney pictured with NHS staff giving her an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Depaul UK homeless shelter in Oldham, Greater Manchester, as the council and GPs launch an effort to vaccinate homeless people in the town to protect them from the virus

Lee Ullha receives an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Depaul UK homeless shelter in Oldham. Around 30 people were given the jab after a clinic was organised at the shelter

THE UK'S VACCINE PRIORITY GROUP LIST 1 Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults 2 All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers 3 All those 75 years of age and over 4 All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals (not including pregnant women and those under 16 years of age) 5 All those 65 years of age and over 6 Adults aged 16 to 65 years in an at-risk group (see below) 7 All those 60 years of age and over 8 All those 55 years of age and over 9 All those 50 years of age and over 10 Rest of the population (to be determined) Advertisement

He told MailOnline: 'We don't know if we can or can't decide, but with such a low life expectancy of 43-45, homeless people are an extremely vulnerable group in our opinion.

'So they will come in the highly vulnerable group anyway and people in this group can be identified by our GPs. It is the right thing to do.'

He earlier said: 'I'm absolutely delighted.

'It is setting an example for the rest of the country, rest of the world, and saying, 'Please, please don't ignore these people.''

Dr Chauhan continued: 'We can protect them, and if they catch Covid they become ill and if they become ill, that's where you end up in hospitals, if you are lucky, your hospital beds go, your ICU beds go.

'So it makes absolute sense from all directions to actually vaccinate these people and I'm still requesting Government, please consider again, it is my plea to you, these are extremely vulnerable people.

'Please put them in a priority group.'

He added: 'You don't give up on people because they don't have resources and they have not been privileged like me and you.

'You don't give up, that's not what we do as British, these are not our British values. We help people, we pull them together.

'It could be any one of us tomorrow.'

Baroness Campbell tweeted this morning: 'There isn't a uniform process across the country sadly.

NHS staff are pictured preparing to administer an Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the Depaul UK homeless shelter in Oldham, Greater Manchester, as part of a new initiative

An NHS worker holds up a vial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine at the clinic in Oldham. Oldham Council and local GPs decided the town's homeless people should be made a priority

'It seems that GP practices and CCG's are behaving under their differently, using the own discretion.

'Personally, I made a good case to my GP who then agreed that the guidance empowered him to get me vaccinated.'

The decision has sparked debate over whether the homeless should be a priority for the vaccine.

Oldham local Maria Balde, 20, said: 'Everyone should be treated equally and be offered the jab if they want it'

Louise Wilkinson, 42, an office worker from Oldham, said: 'It seems a strange decision.

'If these people are homeless, they lead an isolated existence already and probably don't come into contact with many other people.

'I'm not saying they are any less worthy than anyone else, I just think priority should be given to all frontline workers first.

'Supermarket workers come into contact with hundreds of people a day. They should be near the front of the queue.

'Teachers should be one of the first to be vaccinated so schools can re-open as soon as possible.

'The emergency services should be given priority too.'

But local resident Maria Balde, 20, a support worker at a care home, said: 'I think it is a sensible idea.

'If they are the most vulnerable and at risk, then they should have the vaccine. Some people in the care home I work in have had the jab today.

'I don't think homeless people should necessarily get the jab ahead of others. I think everyone should be treated equally and be offered the jab if they want it.'

Mechanic Scott Cotterill, 32, said: 'You're never going to please everyone.

'Some will say it's a good idea, while others won't.

'If they want to get children back into schools and the economy up and running again, then they should vaccine teachers and workers first as they are needed to do that.

'If you want to protect the vulnerable and the ones most likely to die and put a strain on the NHS, then the homeless fall into this category.

'I personally think vaccine workers, teachers and emergency staff first but it's a difficult choice.'

Homeless couple say they're excited to get the Covid-19 vaccine Couple Kelly Heney, 38, and Lee Ullha, 46, stay at the homeless shelter where they were vaccinated with the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab. Mr Ullha said: 'We got evicted when this Covid thing kicked in, that's why we were living in the park so we didn't really watch TV, so we didn't really know much about it. 'It's scary, especially with the new strain of Covid, I don't think people take it as serious as it is. 'It's important to get it done. It's for your own safety.' Ms Heney said: 'I'm excited and so happy that we have actually just had the Covid injection because it's a big thing.' Ms Heney and Mr Ullah were each fined 120 and ordered to pay 85 costs and 95 to victim services for credit card theft and attempted fraud in December last year, according to the Oldham Times. The couple, who gave the magistrates' court an address, used the stolen card to try and obtain more than 500 worth of goods. When sentenced, Mr Ullah was also ordered to undertake treatment for drug dependency. Advertisement

Others took to Facebook to share their opinion with one woman writing: 'Oh my days I don't begrudge anyone a vaccine but shouldn't we be concentrating on getting our kids and parents back?

'I'd love a vaccine - I'm a foster carer who has medical conditions and has vulnerable kids 24/7 they need to go back to school.'

Another man added: 'Yes good idea give the elderly who don't work and the homeless who don't work, and leave the ones who have to go out and work to die. Good idea!'

One woman wrote on social media: 'Sorry but think supermarket staff should be before these they risk there lives daily and those of there families.'

However, some people were supportive of the idea with one man commenting: 'I cannot believe people criticising.

'There are many armed forces veterans on the street - do they deserve criticism?

'Probably done more for this country than most of the whingers.

'Get a grip and have some empathy, stay in your house where you're supposed to and thank your lucky stars you have a home.'

Another woman added: 'The elderly certainly deserve to be given priority along with the NHS, and if someone thinks the homeless should be vaccinated as well then so be it.

'I go to work every day and risk catching Covid and my husband is in the at risk category but I will happily wait my turn so long as the more in need get some protection first.'

Couple Kelly Heney, 38, and Lee Ullha, 46, stay at the homeless shelter where they were vaccinated with the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab.

Mr Ullha said: 'We got evicted when this Covid thing kicked in, that's why we were living in the park so we didn't really watch TV, so we didn't really know much about it.

'It's scary, especially with the new strain of Covid, I don't think people take it as serious as it is.

'You see people walking round without their masks and it's, they're all saying, 'It's not a real thing, it's all make believe.'

'It's important to get it done. It's for your own safety.'

Ms Heney said: 'For me, I can't believe it's just happened. I'm excited and so happy that we have actually just had the Covid injection because it's a big thing.'

NHS staff prepare to administer the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine at the Depaul UK homeless shelter in Oldham, Greater Manchester

Dr Salim Mohammed, an Oldham GP helping with the vaccinations, added: 'It's hard not to see their reaction and feel very warm inside because they were so happy and you could see it.

'It's just another day in medicine.

Dr Salim Mohammed added: 'We've been vaccinating people in Oldham over the last few weeks, starting with the most at risk group, the over 80s.

'It's important that we continue to vaccinate those most at risk from COVID-19, and this includes people impacted by homelessness.

'We are in the process of planning how we can vaccinate this group. They are already some of the most vulnerable people in our society and it's important their risk of contracting COVID is reduced.'

A spokesman for Oldham Council confirmed that while not all of those from priority groups 1 to 3 have been vaccinated at this stage, they are hopeful to have achieved this by mid-February.

A spokesperson for Oldham Council and NHS Oldham CCG said: 'Our homeless people are particularly vulnerable, and one of the hardest groups to reach when it comes to accessing medical care.

'That's why, here in Oldham, we've worked with local charities to ensure those sleeping rough and most at risk were vaccinated as soon as possible.

'Meanwhile, roll-out of the vaccine among priority groups is progressing well. All of those in care homes will be vaccinated by next week, while we aim to have all those people in the top four priority groups vaccinated by the middle of February.'

The council said more than 3,700 residents have taken up the offer of the vaccine since the mass vaccination programme started in December.

Earlier this month, the Government announced 10million funding to help local councils house rough sleepers and ensure they were registered with a GP.

The Government said this would ensure they can be protected from the virus and contacted to receive vaccinations.

Councils were instructed to work closely with local health partners to ensure those sleeping rough 'are able to access the COVID-19 vaccine in line with the priority groups outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation'.

Communities minister Robert Jenrick announced additional funding to help local councils house rough sleepers and get them registered with GPs earlier this month

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP said: 'At the start of this pandemic we made sure that the most vulnerable in society were protected.

'This winter, we are continuing in this vein and redoubling our efforts to help those most in need.

'Our ongoing Everyone In initiative is widely regarded as one of the most successful of its kind in the world, ensuring 33,000 people are safe in accommodation.

'We are now going further and focusing on GP registration of rough sleepers.

'We are also extending the ban on bailiff evictions  helping to protect the most vulnerable renters.'

Reacting to the Government initiative, Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: 'These renewed efforts to protect people who are homeless in the pandemic will save lives.

'The highly infectious new strain of coronavirus alongside the cold weather makes this the most dangerous moment of the pandemic for those without a home.

'What is very welcome here is the two-pronged approach  a continued commitment to getting everyone into safe accommodation but also now making sure people are registered with a GP so they can quickly access the vaccines.

'We know through our services that people facing homelessness often are not registered with a doctor's surgery.

'Addressing this issue will be a lifesaving intervention and a step towards ensuring people who are homeless are protected in the longer-term.'

According to the Government guidelines, people who are 'clinically extremely vulnerable' - which would place them in priority group 4 - are defined as at very high risk of severe illness from coronavirus.

Guidance states you may fall into this category if you suffer from one of a number of listed illnesses on the Government website which includes certain types of cancer, severe respiratory conditions and rare diseases that significantly increase the risk of infections.

However, the guidance does go on to state that it could include 'other people who have also been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable, based on clinical judgement and an assessment of their needs.'

It adds that GPs and hospital clinicians have been provided with guidance to support these decisions.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: 'This continues to be a challenging period for people right across the country, particularly vulnerable people who are homeless and we have invested over 700 million on concerted efforts to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping through a range of initiatives.

'The NHS is working tirelessly to bring an end to this pandemic through vaccinations.

'The Government is following the independent advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which agrees priority groupings for vaccine.

'Anyone who is homeless and falls into these groups is eligible for the vaccine and we are working closely with partners to ensure they can access it.'
Supreme Court Reinstates Rule Requiring Women to Pick Up Abortion Pill in Person

The Supreme Court has granted a Trump administration request to reinstate a rule requiring women to go in person to obtain abortion pills.

The nations top court voted 63 on Jan. 12. to remove a lower courts preliminary injunction on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule that requires women to pick up the abortion medication mifepristone from a hospital, clinic, or medical office and to sign a disclosure form. Mifepristone, also known as Mifeprex, is usually taken together with the medication misoprostol in order to end pregnancies up to 10 weeks after conception.

Mifepristone is subject to distribution restrictions to ensure the safe use of the drug, according to the FDA. The pill is only supplied directly to health care providers that meet certain qualifications, and theyre required to ensure that the woman has access to medical facilities for emergency care. The provider must also review and sign an agreement form with the patient.

In July, a district court judge issued an order that suspended the FDAs in-person requirement for the drug for the duration of the CCP virus pandemic.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and other groups sued the Trump administration to block the enforcement of the rule, arguing that it poses serious and unnecessary risks due to the virus.

The court ruled along ideological lines, with Chief Justice John Roberts writing a concurring opinion in granting to lift the lower court ruling. Roberts said that it isnt about a womans right to access abortion, but rather whether the district court had properly ordered the FDA to waive its in-person requirements.

Roberts wrote that he didnt think courts had the background, competence, and expertise to assess public health to substitute its own evaluation over that of experts.

In light of those considerations, I do not see a sufficient basis here for the district court to compel the FDA to alter the regimen for medical abortion, he wrote.

Meanwhile, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a dissenting opinion saying that she believes the policy imposes an unnecessary, unjustifiable, irrational, and undue burden on women seeking an abortion during the current pandemic. Justice Elena Kagan joined in her dissent.

The mifepristone pill has been part of the national dialogue over abortion. Over the past year, many states have introduced and defended in court laws known as heartbeat bills, which make it a crime to perform an abortion, except in a few circumstances, after a fetal heartbeat has been detected, which is generally at six weeks.

In September, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), 19 Republican senators, and 71 House Republicans wrote a letter to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn asking the department to ban the use of the pill.

They argued that the abortion pill has been used to terminate the lives of an estimated 3.7 million unborn babies, caused 24 maternal deaths, and resulted in nearly 4,200 adverse reactions in women, including bleeding, extreme abdominal pain, and life-threatening infections, the lawmakers wrote (pdf).

The FDA fact sheet also reported such adverse side effects.

The case at the Supreme Court isnt the only legal challenge against the FDA rule. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is pushing for courts to permanently remove the restrictions, which they say impose significant burdens on women seeking abortion with no medical basis.
They are longtime friends and seasoned Hollywood veterans.

Eva Longoria and Mario Lopez were spotted hanging out in West Hollywood, California on Monday, before going into a business meeting.

The Desperate Housewives star, 45, looked gorgeous in athleisure wear, which consisted of a light heather grey zip top and matching pants.

Catching up: Eva Longoria and Mario Lopez were spotted hanging out in West Hollywood on Monday, before going into a business meeting

Her outfit featured coordinated black and white piping along the sides.

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Eva held onto a large black leather tote bag, and sported a black N95 face mask.

Click here to resize this module

On her feet, she wore a pair of Adidas Yeezy Boost 350 Zebra sneakers, which can retail in the vicinity of $400 to $500.

Her auburn hair was down in wavy curls.

Stunner as usual: The Desperate Housewives star looked gorgeous in athleisure wear, which consisted of a light heather grey zip top and matching pants

Saved by the Bell star Mario, 47, was mask-free, wearing dark tones including a dark grey knit sweater.

His footwear was white.

Mario looked happy to see Eva, as he held a water bottle and his face mask in one hand and smiled at her on the street.

Happy to see her: Saved by the Bell star Mario was mask-free, wearing dark tones including a dark grey knit sweater, as he smiled at Eva on the street

The former Extra host echoed that sentiment on his Instagram on Monday as well, when he posted a cute smiling selfie with Longoria to his Instagram.

Eva pulled down her face mask as she leaned in for the photo, clutching hand sanitizer.

'Always great conversation when I catch up with this one' Mario captioned the snap.

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Saved by the Bell is available to stream on Stan in Australia

Too cute: The former Extra host echoed that sentiment on his Instagram on Monday as well, when he posted a cute smiling selfie with Longoria to his Instagram
Queensland wants to use Outback mining camps instead of Brisbane hotels to quarantine returned travellers, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said on Thursday.

The state will propose the option to National Cabinet after coronavirus spread from a returned traveller in hotel quarantine, infecting a cleaner and two other travellers.

Brisbane's Grand Chancellor Hotel was evacuated on Wednesday as officials scrambled to work out how the UK super-strain of Covid-19 was transmitted on the seventh floor.

Annastacia Palaszczuk said the mining camps she wants to use instead of hotels were comfortable and had balconies or outside space. Pictured: Stock image of a camp

Premier Palaszczuk said the mining camps would be similar to the Northern Territory's Howard Springs quarantine camp (pictured)

Police are investigating by checking CCTV and engineers are checking if virus particles travelled in the air conditioning.

A total of 129 travellers, some of whom were just an hour from being released, have been forced to restart their two-week quarantine in new hotels.

On Thursday Queensland recorded four more cases of coronavirus, all in hotel quarantine but not linked to the Grand Chancellor Hotel.

Some 226 employees who have worked at the hotel since December 30 must also be quarantined and tested.

An additional 250 guests who have left quarantine since December 30 and remain in Queensland are being contacted as they must undergo another 14 days of hotel quarantine.

Premier Palaszczuk said the evacuation and re-quarantining process has been backed by Health Minster Greg Hunt and the AHPPC.

She said the mining camps she wants to use instead of hotels were comfortable and had balconies or outside space, just like the Northern Territory's Howard Springs quarantine facility.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the idea to use camps could be more dangerous because they are far away from major airports and the virus could transmit in buses on the way there.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said said held grave concerns about the Hotel Grand Chancellor (pictured) cluster, which has grown to six cases of the highly-contagious UK virus strain

Guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be moved to other hotels in Brisbane after the coronavirus cluster grew to six cases. Pictured is two guests on their balcony at Hotel Grand Chancellor on Wednesday

NSW Minister Hazzard rejected the idea of using mining camps in his state.

He said about 3,500 staff worked in the quarantine system and lived in Sydney, and transporting travellers to regional areas was dangerous because the virus could transmit in buses.

Minister Hazzard also said he wants Covid-19 patients to be near major hospitals in case they deteriorate.

Also in the Queensland press briefing, Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said the ambulance transfer of 129 patients to new hotels on Wednesday was 'perfectly safe'.

'My concern was that I did not know how it spread in the hotel. So I didn't want the virus to potentially spread to more people in the hotel. So that's why I wanted them all out of there,' she said.

A returned traveller from the UK and his wife arrived at the Grand Chancellor Hotel on 30 December. He tested positive on 2 January before she also tested positive.

A hotel cleaner, who only worked in the hotel on 2 January and did not enter their room, then tested positive on January 7.

Her case sparked a three-day lockdown of Brisbane after she visited shops and took trains and buses. She also gave the virus to her partner.

Then on January 13 genomic sequencing showed that a father and daughter who returned from Lebanon and were also quarantined on the hotel's seventh floor, had somehow caught the same strain of the virus.

No guests have entered since January 7, a review of infection control measures occurred on January 8, and there have been increased cleaning measures including a deep clean of communal areas on January 12.

Around 600 people have been forced into quarantine due to the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster. Pictured are paramedics at the Brisbane hotel on Wednesday

Queensland health authorities are concerned about the growing cluster as life slowly returns to normal in Brisbane after a three day lockdown. Pictured are Brisbane residents returning to their normal lives in the city's CBD on Tuesday
Oil major Total and energy provider Engie have applied for subsidies which, if obtained, would allow them to build the largest green hydrogen facility in France that will use only solar power to produce hydrogen.

Total and Engie have signed a cooperation agreement to design, develop, build, and operate Frances largest renewable hydrogen production site, which will be located in southern France and will meet the needs of Totals La Mede bio-refinery, the supermajor said on Wednesday.

The companies plan to put the facility into operation in 2024, subject to obtaining subsidies from the French and European Union (EU) authorities, for which they had already applied.

The green hydrogen facility will be powered by solar farms with a combined capacity of more than 100 MW. The 40 MW electrolyzer will produce 5 tons of green hydrogen per day to meet the needs of the biofuel production process La Mede biorefinery, avoiding 15,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually.

This renewable hydrogen production facility, combined with our expertise in solar energy, is a further step in our commitment to get to net zero by 2050, Philippe Sauquet, President Gas, Renewables & Power at Total, said in a statement.

Total is the latest oil major that is stepping up efforts to develop a green hydrogen economy. Shell is also developing several projects for renewable hydrogen production, including a plan to build the largest European green hydrogen project in the Netherlands by 2040, NortH2.

Last November, BP created a partnership with offshore wind giant rsted to develop an industrial-scale electrolyzer project for green hydrogen production in Germany. Italys oil and gas major Eni and utility giant Enel announced last month they would work together to develop green hydrogen projects.

At the end of last year, the UK and Scottish authorities announced they would fund the worlds first pilot project for heating homes with green hydrogen. While proponents of green hydrogen cheer this world-first trial, the structure of the projects funding offers a glimpse into what green hydrogen desperately needs to become a feasible solution to emission reductionssolid government support.

By OPC Markets

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. (CSE:CNFA) (the "Company") has received notice from the British Columbia Securities Commission (the "BCSC") that the BCSC will be converting the Company's previously received management cease trade order (the "MCTO") into a failure to file cease trade order (the "FFCTO").

Further to its press releases dated October 19, 2020, October 29, 2020, November 12, 2020, November 26, 2020, December 10, 2020, December 24, 2020 and January 7, 2021, the Company has not yet filed its audited annual financial statements for the year ended June 30, 2020, the related management's discussion and analysis and CEO and CFO certifications (the "Annual Filings"), which were required to be filed on October 28, 2020. On January 7, 2021, the Company requested an extension to the time provided in the MCTO. Under the MCTO, the Company had previously represented that it expected to be able to file its Annual Filings on or before January 8, 2021. However, as a result of continued complications caused by COVID-19, the Company estimates that it will require up to an additional two weeks for the completion of the Annual Filings and Q1 Filings (as hereinafter defined).

Further to the Company's press releases dated November 12, 2020, November 26, 2020, December 10, 2020, December 24, 2020 and January 7, 2021 the Company also has not yet filed its unaudited interim financial statements for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and the related management's discussion and analysis and officer certifications (the "Q1 Filings") by the deadline set forth in National Instrument 51-102 - Continuous Disclosure Obligations.

The FFCTO, issued effective January 12, 2021, will prohibit the trading by any person of any securities of the Company in Canada, including trades in the Company's common shares made through the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE"). The Company expects the FFCTO to remain in place until such time as the Annual Filings and Q1 Filings have been filed and a full revocation of the FFCTO has taken effect.

The Company will issue a further press release when the Annual Filings and Q1 Filings have been made. The Company's board of directors and its management confirm that they are working expeditiously with the Company's auditors to have the Company's Annual Filings and the Q1 Filings completed. The Company confirms as of the date of this news release that there is no insolvency proceeding against it and there is no other material information concerning the affairs of the Company that has not generally been disclosed.

About CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp.

CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp. is a full-service company operating in the hemp industry offering a full range of hemp-related products and services to the consumer wellness market. These products and services include growing top-quality hemp, providing hemp-processing services, and offering hemp-based products to consumers utilizing a well-established direct-to-consumer marketing approach.

For further information, please contact:

CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp.

David Lonsdale

Chief Executive Officer

Tel: + (214) 704-7942

Email: david@canafarmacorp.com

Forward Looking Statement

This news release contains statements and information that, to the extent that they are not historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information may include financial and other projections, as well as statements regarding future plans, objectives or economic performance, or the assumption underlying any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by terms such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "except", "anticipate", "believe", "intend", "plan", "forecast", "project", "estimate", "outlook", or the negative thereof or other similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Examples of such statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the Annual Filings and Q1 Filings, the revocation of the FFCTO, and the listing and/or trading of its common shares. Forward-looking information is based on the assumptions, estimates, analysis and opinions of management made in light of its experience and its perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors that management believes to be relevant and reasonable in the circumstances at the date that such statements are made, but which may prove to be incorrect.

Forward-looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the Company may not complete its audit and file the Annual Filings and/or the Q1 Filings as currently anticipated, or at all; and other related risks as set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking information. Further, any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for the Company's management to predict all of such factors and to assess in advance the impact of each such factor on the Company's business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect information or events after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law, including securities laws.

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: CanaFarma Hemp Products Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/624101/CanaFarma-Hemp-Products-Corp-Provides-Update-on-Management-Cease-Trade-Order
Lisa Montgomery, who killed a pregnant woman by strangling and cutting the unborn baby from her womb, was executed by lethal injection at a federal prison in Indiana before dawn Wednesday.

The Associated Press reported that she was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. The 52-year-old Kansas killer was the first woman executed by the federal government since 1953 and the only female on death row.

Her execution happened after the Supreme Court gave the Justice Department the green light to carry out the act.

On Tuesday, the high court ditched the defense attorneys' argument that Lisa Montgomery must be given a competency hearing to prove her mental illness. It will have made her ineligible for the death penalty if she's proven suffering from a severe mental disorder.

The Supreme Court relayed its decision after midnight on Wednesday, which grants the federal Bureau of Prisons to proceed with the execution of Lisa Montgomery, according to a KRMG report.

Lisa Montgomery was the 11th federal death row inmate to be executed since July when President Donald Trump resumed federal executions after a 17-year pause.

Her execution comes as another court holds two other executions set later this week because the prisoners tested positive for coronavirus.

Montgomery's execution was among the last before President-elect Joe Biden sworn-in next week. Biden is a staunch critic of the death penalty.

Reports said that a woman standing near Montgomery's gently removed her face mask and asked her for any last words as the execution process started. She replied, "No," in a quiet and subdued voice and said nothing else.

Related story: Execution of Only Woman on Federal Death Row Postponed





Lisa Montgomery's Lawyers Claims

Montgomery's lawyers have long claimed that she was mentally ill and cannot comprehend that she would be put to death. Many courts had issued injunctions. However, there were all later lifted by appeals courts or the Supreme Court.

One of Montgomery's lawyers, Kelly Henry, said her client was transferred from a Texas prison to the Terre Haute facility in Indiana late Monday night.

Henry said this was due to the lack of facility for female inmates, and Montgomery stayed at the execution-chamber building.

"I don't believe she has any rational comprehension of what's going on at all," Henry told The Associated Press. According to Henry, Lisa Montgomery made gloves, hats, and other knitted items to give as gifts for her lawyers and others.

She added that Montgomery has not been able to continue that activity or read as her glasses were taken away from her over claims that she could harm herself.

Montgomery's legal team said she suffered sexual torture, including gang rapes, when she was a child. Her lawyers also claimed that these incidents permanently scarred her emotionally and worsened her mental health issues that ran in her family.

The prosecutors had accused Montgomery of faking her mental illness at a trial, ABC News reported.

Lisa Montgomery's Crime

Lisa Montgomery allegedly killed Bobbie Jo Stinnett on Dec. 16, 2014 in her Missouri home. Stinnett was eight months pregnant when Montgomery strangled her to death with a rope and cut her baby from her womb with a kitchen knife.

The baby girl survived, and Montgomery went on to claim it as her own, according to a KMBC report. Stinnett was a dog breeder, and her husband was working when she was killed.

Montgomery met Stinnett online and said that she was interested in buying a rat terrier. Montgomery also pretended to be pregnant to bond with her victim.

The suspect had researched home births and how to perform cesarean sections online before the attack. Police found Montgomery in her Kansas farmhouse sitting in the living room with a newborn in her arms. Police rescued the baby, and they returned her to her dad.

Bonnie Brown Heady was the last woman executed by the federal government on Dec. 18, 1953 for kidnapping and killing a six-year-old boy in Missouri.

Related story: Judge Postpones Execution of Only Woman on Federal Death Row




When it comes to COVID-19, the initial public health goal for Australia should not be herd immunity but rather a rapid vaccine rollout that protects front-line workers and limits the risk of major illness, especially as winter approaches. This will allow us to return to a relatively normal life and avoid a major wave of illness like that being experienced right now in the northern hemisphere.

In terms of preventing severe COVID-19 that requires hospitalisation, both the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines hit the jackpot, with 100 per cent effectiveness. So while these vaccines may not stop all infections, they can stop people from getting very sick. They should turn COVID-19 into another mild coronavirus, like other strains that already circulate in the community, causing the common cold.

A row of ambulances outside the Royal London Hospital last week. Credit:Getty

That is why the call by many scientists to pause Australias proposed COVID-19 vaccine rollout is concerning. A misunderstanding about what Australia's COVID-19 public health goal is could delay the promise of vaccination and a pathway out of ongoing restrictions that have presented itself considerably earlier than anyone predicted.

Our success in suppressing COVID-19 in Australia appears to have raised the bar for much of the community so that even in a post-vaccine rollout era, infections of any type will not be tolerated. The major argument against using the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is that it is not as effective at preventing COVID-19 disease as the Pfizer mRNA vaccine (60-70 per cent effectiveness versus 95 per cent) and its rollout will make it harder to achieve herd immunity. But this does not take into account the severity of the disease or its capacity for prevention of infection.
My view is that the time has passed for Madigans style of leadership, and that it was at best a catastrophic failure of leadership that he didnt recognize ComEds efforts and put a stop to them. He has substantial but not complete responsibility for the states unusually poor economic condition, and his name has become so toxic that its now hurting Democrats at the ballot box.

Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Brad Schneider announced they have tested positive for COVID-19, the second and third Democrats to do so after legislators were locked down together in close quarters during the siege of the Capitol.

Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them, the congresswoman from Washington said in a statement released late Monday night. Only hours after President Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a damn mask in a crowded room during a pandemic  creating a superspreader event on top of a domestic terrorist attack.

I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wife's health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and staff, said Schneider, who said he drove back to Illinois and has yet to experience any symptoms. He said he received his positive result on Tuesday morning.

While Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in an attempt to stop the formal counting of electoral votes affirming President-elect Joe Bidens victory, legislators of both parties were in a secure location for hours with many Republicans who refused to wear masks. On Monday afternoon, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., announced she had tested positive for the virus and blamed her GOP colleagues for not wearing masks.

Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died due to injuries sustained during the assault. Congress confirmed Bidens victory a few hours later.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., in a Capitol Hill hearing in July. (Graeme Jennings/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

Last week, Jayapal had expressed concerns about being exposed to the virus, telling New York magazine, Im quarantining now because I am convinced that where we ended up, in the secured room  where there were over 100 people and many were Republicans not wearing masks  was a superspreader event.

In her statement following the positive test, Jayapal said she wanted members fined for not wearing masks in the Capitol and removed from the floor for not covering their mouth and nose.

Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy, she concluded.

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., was filmed during the lockdown attempting to hand masks to a number of Republican colleagues, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, Andy Biggs of Arizona, Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Michael Cloud of Texas and Doug LaMalfa of California. They all refused.

By the end of passing them out, I only had one left in my hand offering them to everyone, Rochester told CNN. I was disappointed in those who didnt accept the masks but was encouraged by those who did. At least we were a little bit safer.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene with President Trump at a campaign rally in Dalton, Ga., on Jan. 4 in support of Georgia Senate candidates. (Brynn Anderson/AP)

In a statement to HuffPost, Greenes office said, Congresswoman Greene is a healthy adult who tested negative for COVID at the White House on 1/4. She does not believe healthy Americans should be forced to muzzle themselves with a mask. America needs to reopen and get back to normal.

Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Friday that the storming was a potential superspreader event.

I do think you have to anticipate that this is another surge event. You had largely unmasked individuals in a non-distanced fashion, who were all through the Capitol, Redfield said in an interview with McClatchy.

On Sunday, Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., announced he had tested positive for the virus and had been quarantining since Wednesday night. A spokesperson for his office told the Washington Post that he was not in the lockdown area.

More than 376,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States. Last week, the nation crossed 4,000 in the single-day death total for the first time.

_____

Read more from Yahoo News:
UPDATE Feb. 10, 5:30 p.m.: Tom Mentzer, communications director for Sen. Diane Feinstein, clarified the paperwork that the senator filed with the Federal Election Commission, in an email to SFGATE.

"In short, all senators must maintain a campaign committee, whether they plan to run again or not," Mentzer wrote. "In order to keep that account active, the senator has to maintain current filings with the FEC. The situation you wrote about was in fact a change-of-address form for the campaign committee that had already been established. It doesnt speak to the senators future plans at all."

-----

Dianne Feinstein 2024.

That appears to be a real possibility after L.A. Magazine reported that the 87-year-old U.S. senator from California filed the initial re-election paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday.

By the 2024 election, Feinstein, who is already the oldest sitting senator, will be 91. If she were to win re-election and serve her entire term, she would be 97.

It was just last month that prominent liberal commentators suggested that Feinstein should retire, citing "cognitive decline."

"It's time for Sen. Feinstein to retire," wrote UC Irvine law professor and CNN contributor Rick Hasen. "She did some great work in Senate. But it's been clear for last few years that her cognitive decline is serious. Let Gov. Newsom appoint someone who can fully represent CA's interests until election."

According to a New Yorker article in December, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y., had to ask Feinstein twice to step down from her role as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee because she forgot the first conversation. The article cites an aide to another Democratic senator who stated, Shes an incredibly effective human being, but theres definitely been deterioration in the last year. Shes in a very different mode now.

The article also cites several unnamed sources close to Feinstein and the Senate who say "her short-term memory has grown so poor that she often forgets she has been briefed on a topic," and that her "staff has said that sometimes she seems herself, and other times unreachable."

Feinstein stepped down from her position as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee in late November after facing criticism for her handling of Amy Coney Barrett's Supreme Court confirmation hearings just weeks before the election. Some Democrats wanted Feinstein to be more aggressive in efforts to stop Barrett's confirmation.

Feinstein has said she hasn't considered retiring early.

We do get things done and we do pass bills. You do get older, thats true. But I have been productive, she told the Los Angeles Times last month.

Eric Ting and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Lisa Montgomery Executed for 2004 Murder, Cutting Baby From Womb

Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row in the United States, became the first woman to be executed by the federal government in 67 years early Wednesday.

After the Supreme Court cleared the last hurdle for her execution by overturning a stay, Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. at the U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. She received a lethal injection seven-and-half hours after her originally scheduled time of execution, according to The Associated Press.

Montgomery was scheduled to be put to death on Jan. 12 for murdering a pregnant woman and cutting the baby out of her womb. In 2004 she strangled Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant at the time, before cutting out the baby, which survived. Stinnett succumbed to her wounds.

She became the 11th prisoner to receive a lethal injection at the facility since the Trump administration in July pushed forward with its plans to resume federal executions after a 17-year pause.

The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for the 52-year-olds execution after issuing a pair of orders just before midnight.

Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame, Montgomerys attorney, Kelley Henry said in a statement. Lisa Montgomerys execution was far from justice.

Lisa Montgomery, a federal prison inmate, at the Federal Medical Center Fort Worth in an undated photograph. (Courtesy of Attorneys for Lisa Montgomery via Reuters)

Her lawyers had asked President Donald Trump to grant clemency, saying Montgomery committed her crime after a lifetime of being abused and raped.

Henry had earlier called Montgomerys pending execution a vicious, unlawful, and unnecessary exercise of authoritarian power.

No one can credibly dispute Mrs. Montgomerys longstanding debilitating mental diseasediagnosed and treated for the first time by the Bureau of Prisons own doctors, Henry said.

Montgomery was convicted in 2007 of kidnapping resulting in death. After the jury heard additional evidence during the sentencing phase, they found that a death sentence was warranted and that Montgomery committed the offense in an especially heinous or depraved manner, the order states.

During Montgomerys trial, prosecutors argued that Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery tried to cut the baby girl from her womb. Montgomery eventually confessed, and the rope and knife used to kill Stinnett were found in her car. A search of her computer showed she used it to research cesareans and order a birthing kit.

Two more executions have been scheduled by the U.S. Department of Justice this weekthe execution of Corey Johnson on Thursday and Dustin Higgs on Friday. Both executions have been temporarily delayed by a Washington judge as they are recovering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to halt federal executions after he is sworn in on Jan. 20.

Tom Ozimek and The Associated Press contributed to this report.





By Kim Hyun-bin







Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) has been on a roll, inking 11 shipbuilding deals this year alone worth 1.3 trillion won.







The company signed the latest deal with a European company to build two oil tankers worth 200 billion won ($182 million).







The KSOE acts as the subholding company for Hyundai Heavy Industries in the shipbuilding sector.







The 300,000-ton oil tankers  330m long, 60m wide and 29.7m high  are set to be built by its affiliate Hyundai Heavy Industries and scheduled to be delivered to an unidentified customer within the first half of 2022, KSOE said.







KSOE announced its first procurement of the year on January 5 and within a week it inked a total of 11 deals consisting of six container ships, one LNG transport ship, one LPG ship, one PC ship and two VLCC vessel worth 1.3 trillion won.







This comes as a continuation of last year's success with Korea Shipbuilding receiving 27 very large crude-oil tanker orders, which accounts for 65 percent of global orders in the shipbuilding sector.







Korea Shipbuilding has three shipbuilders under its belt  Hyundai Heavy Industries, Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard.







"Starting this year we have continuously been successful in procuring shipbuilding deals and we hope it can lead to the recovery of the stagnant global shipbuilding market," a KSOE official said. "With our technology and construction expertise we will work to procure more deals."




Ex-Mari El head to be sentenced in $3 mln bribery case in February

 Moskva city news agency

15:20 13/01/2021

MOSCOW, January 13 (RAPSI)  A court in Nizhny Novgorod will announce sentence against ex-Governor of Mari El Republic Leonid Markelov charged in a 235 million-ruble ($3 million) bribery case on February 8, RAPSI has learnt from the United press service of the Nizhny Novgorod Regions courts.

In November, prosecutors urged to jail Markelov for 17 years, his attorney Igor Trunov told RAPSI. According to the lawyer, the prosecution demanded 10 and 4.5 years behind bars for two other defendants businessperson Natalia Kozhanova and Markelovs ex-deputy Iraida Dolgusheva respectively.

Investigators believe that Markelov acting as the republics governor received through Kozhanova 235 million rubles from the founder of Akashevskaya factory Nikolay Krivash as a bribe for common protection and assistance in the property payment of funds provided by the state support for development of the agricultural complex.

According to defense lawyer Sergey Sevruk, Markelov is also a defendant in another criminal case over illegal possession of ammunition. Media also reported that there is the third case against the former official over abuse of power.

Markelov pleads not guilty to all accusations.




Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 19:33:07|Editor: huaxia

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NAIROBI, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) segment is finally picking up as hospitality players seek to market conference tourism in global markets amid the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said on Wednesday.

Hasnain Noorani, chairman of the Kenya Coast Working group said the hospitality industry players are hopeful that the MICE segment will recover after a sharp decline in 2020 and the first two weeks of 2021.

"Before the outbreak of COVID-19 virus and the subsequent introduction of travel restrictions and social-distancing guidelines, the MICE segment in Kenya presented a promising growth avenue for the industry seeking to diversify tourism offerings," Noorani said in a statement issued in Nairobi.

MICE tourism is one of the growing segments that the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) has continued to market in line with the strategy of product diversification.

Industry players said the MICE has presented Kenya with an excellent opportunity to establish competitive advantage within this niche segment.

According to Noorani, Christmas and New Year holidays gave the tourism sector a sigh of relief and after experiencing a long dry spell, the sector has however seen a decline in business in the first two weeks of 2021 attributed scarcity of foreign arrivals owing to prolonged restrictions resulting from COVID-19 and other competing priorities locally.

He said the stakeholders are now hoping for a sector comeback in the MICE tourism as it remains the only alternative hope after foreign tourist arrivals significantly decline in 2020 due to the pandemic.

According to Noorani, many local, regional and international companies are now booking their conferences for 2021.

Kenya's tourism industry which was once mainly sustained by international visitors, is repositioning itself to appeal to the domestic marketplace in the face of COVID-19.

"We are facing an uphill task in bringing hospitality business to where it used to be before the pandemic," said Victor Shitakha, chairman, Kenya Coast Tourism Association.

Shitakha said Kenya's MICE industry was among the continental leaders before the COVID-19 pandemic occurred.

He said as a result of severe quarantine measures that had to be put in place, the majority of destinations all over the world introduced COVID-19-related travel restrictions that were valid until late 2020.

The east African nation has identified MICE as one of the key drivers for the economic development and diversification of tourism in the country. Enditem
CARO, MI  The day before his trial was to begin, an ex-Michigan probation officer facing nearly 60 sexual assault charges had his case dismissed, though prosecutors subsequently refiled the charges.

In dismissing the case on Monday, Jan. 11, the presiding judge had some strong words for the prosecution, accusing them of being unprepared.

The trial of Ryan C. Purdy, 48, was to begin Tuesday before Tuscola County Circuit Judge Amy Grace Gierhart. Prosecutors in August 2019 charged Purdy with 58 charges  29 counts each of first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

First-degree is a life offense and third-degree is a 15-year felony.

On Monday, Gierhart presided over a hearing after prosecutors on Friday submitted a request for the judge to dismiss Purdys charges.

In support of the dismissal request, Tuscola County Assistant Prosecutor Erica K. Walle said she received a cellphone from the defense in February and sent it to the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit for analysis.

Since that time, the people have requested the analysis of the phone dump from the Michigan State Police on various occasions, Walle said. Weve sent over written requests, email requests, and text message requests. Finally, we received the phone dump on Monday of last week. It is 1,200 pages in length.

Walle said she finished reviewing the documents on Sunday night and sent part of it to defense attorney Brian H. Jean. She was unable to send all of it as some of the material is believed to be child pornography, she said. She further said the phone dump appears to have evidence that would be beneficial to both parties, including messages on the phone that could be exculpatory for Purdy.

Needing more time to review the documents, Walle submitted a request to adjourn the Jan. 12 trial date. That request was denied.

Our only option at this point would be to dismiss and reauthorize, Walle said.

Before granting the request, Judge Gierhart told Walle she wanted to see copies of emails between the prosecutors office and the state police since February regarding the phone dump analysis. After a recess for Walle to provide those materials, the judge reconvened the hearing and voiced her displeasure of the prosecutions handling of the case.

Gierhart said she had set the Jan. 12 trial date back on Sept. 10, 2020, after prior trial dates were adjourned.

That was after the Court was able to secure another location to conduct jury trials, Gierhart said. It is very offensive what is occurring here to the Court. I guess it would be OK if it was isolated. It is not at all isolated. It is pretty commonplace.

I dont know whats going on but all I know is, when I set a court date, thats when its going to trial, she continued. I dont care who calls. If I set it for jury trial, its going. And to see that nobody even followed up on this between March and December 30 is really mind-blowing. Mind. Blowing. The people represent the people of the state of Michigan, OK? That includes me. That includes Mr. Purdy. What Im seeing is, Im not very happy with it.

Gierhart then referenced Walles boss, elected Prosecutor Mark E. Reene.

Every single time that this happens from now on  the people of the state of Michigan represented by Mark E. Reene are coming to court to explain why they are not ready to proceed, she said.

Gierhart ended up granting Walles request and dismissed the case against Purdy without prejudice, meaning the prosecution can refile charges.

Speaking with MLive, Reene said his office reauthorized all 58 charges against Purdy later on Monday and Purdy was rearraigned on them Tuesday morning. Purdy waived his right to a preliminary examination and his trial has been reset for March 9.

Reene defended his staff regarding Judge Gierharts claim that they come to court unprepared.

Our staff is extraordinarily professional, Reene said. We have an extraordinary emphasis on courtesy, respect, and professionalism. Those are the pillars of how we go about our business. Our assistants work extremely hard at doing their jobs well.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has affected Reenes office and law enforcement agencies, something Reene said may have contributed to the new cellphone evidence in Purdys case being received only recently despite months of requests.

Often times, its not understood by the average citizen that the prosecuting attorney is as responsible for a fair trial as a court, Reene said. We have the obligation to ensure that a defendant has all the information available to them and an opportunity to review it, and thats what was done last week. As a result of that, there was a joint request to have the trial adjourned. That was denied by the court.

Prosecutors previously said a 21-year-old woman in May 2019 filed a report with the state police alleging Purdy had sexually abused her between 2013 and 2018, from the time she was 15 to 18.

Walle previously alleged that Purdy has made admissions to the acts and there is a recorded phone conversation in which Purdy says he had sex with the victim.

Purdy worked as a probation officer with the Michigan Department of Corrections from September 1995 until his resignation in April 2003.

Defense attorney Jean previously said the victim was a willing participant in the alleged sex acts, adding the defense would dispute such acts began before the girl turned 16. At 16, the girl would have been legally able to consent to sexual activity.

Read more:

Ex-probation officer faces nearly 60 sexual assault charges

Man wanted in Saginaw County murder case found dead in area park

State police find stolen rifles, meth, heroin during search in Arenac County
The owner of Melbourne's Cherry Bar says a $5 million state government rescue package to help music venues survive will be a big help but won't cover the "magnitude of losses" suffered from the COVID-19 shutdown.

Creative Industries Minister Danny Pearson on Wednesday named 68 venues  including Cherry Bar, Revolver Upstairs, Section 8, and Geelong's Barwon Club Hotel  that would share in the latest round of the live music venues program.

Musicians Isaiah Firebrace and Ella Hooper at The Espy on Wednesday. Credit:Penny Stephens

That's on top of a $3 million package to support the creation of new music, events and projects through 133 businesses, artists and venues.

We want to see 2021 be a year where the live music scene in Melbourne rebounds and comes back bigger and better than ever, Mr Pearson said while announcing the grant recipients at The Espy in St Kilda on Wednesday.
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President Donald Trump issued a White House statement on Wednesday calling for no more violence amid reports his supporters could try and disrupt Joe Biden's inauguration.

His pronouncement came while the House of Representatives debated impeaching him a second time and House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy urged him to accept responsibility for last week's MAGA riot.

'In light of reports of more demonstrations, I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind. That is not what I stand for, and it is not what America stands for. I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers. Thank You,' the statement read.

The White House blasted the statement out to its press list after Twitter, Facebook and Instagram froze Trump's social media accounts for inciting violence. Spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany also tweeted it from her official press secretary account and the Trump campaign texted it to followers.

The statement contained several words in ALL CAPS - which was a regular feature of Trump's tweets.

President Donald Trump issued a White House statement calling for no more violence amid reports his supporters could try and disrupt Joe Biden's inauguration

Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, in a statement on the House floor, called on Trump to accept his share of responsibility for last week's MAGA riot

Security has visibly increased on Capitol Hill ahead of January 20th, when Biden takes the oath of office. An eight-foot anti-climbing fence has been installed around the Capitol Complex and has been extended down the National Mall, the area where a president-elect's supporters watch him be sworn in.

The FBI has warned of armed protests being planned in Washington and all 50 state capitals in the run-up to the inauguration, including three separate plots to attack the Capitol.

'The FBI received information about an identified armed group intending to travel to Washington, DC on 16 January,' read a memo, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News. 'They have warned that if Congress attempts to remove POTUS via the 25th Amendment, a huge uprising will occur.'

There will also be no public access to the Capitol grounds during the inauguration. And officials are increasing the number of National Guard members who will be deployed in Washington from 15,000 to 20,000, about three times the number of U.S. troops currently deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

About 3,000 National Guard troops bunkered down in the Capitol on Tuesday night, with MREs and water bottles on hand, sleeping on camouflage blankets on the cold, marble floors.

Hundreds of National Guard members, who were deployed to D.C. in the wake of last week's MAGA mob riots, were spotted cradling their rifles and riot gear as they slept.

Trump's call for peace also came as the House was debating impeaching him for a second time with at least six Republicans planning to support the resolution.

The charge is inciting violence with last Wednesday's attack on the Capitol by pro-Trump insurgents.

And if followed a statement from Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, who, while speaking on the House floor, called on Trump to accept his share of responsibility for last week's MAGA riot, which resulted in five dead and destruction in the Capitol.

'The President bears responsibility for Wednesday's attack on Congress by mob rioters,' McCarthy said. 'He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.'

'These facts require immediate actions by President Trump: Accept his share of responsibility. Quell the brewing unrest. And ensure President-Elect Biden is able to successfully begin his term,' he added.

President Trump on Tuesday denied all responsibility for last week's riot

Hundreds of National Guard troops were sleeping on the stone floor of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning as security in Washington intensified a week out from Joe Biden's inauguration

The troops could be seen spreading out inside the Rotunda of the US Capitol on Wednesday morning

Trump on Tuesday denied all responsibility for last week's riot, saying his fiery speech to his supporters before they marched on the Capitol was 'totally appropriate.'

In his first public remarks since Wednesday's MAGA storming of the Capitol, the president slammed Democrats, accusing them of creating 'tremendous danger' with their attempt to remove him from office but said repeatedly he wanted 'no violence.'

The president defended his speech at a rally on ellipse, where he encouraged his thousands of supporters to 'march' on the Capitol.

They did so, leaving five dead and a path of destruction in their wake in the form of busted windows, broken furniture and destroyed office space. Dozens have now been rounded up by police and FBI.

'If you read my speech - and many people have done it and I've seen it both in the papers and in the media, on television, it is been analyzed - and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate,' he said as he boarded Air Force One to head for Alamo, Texas, on the Mexican border, to inspect his wall.

'They've analyzed my speech and my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence and everybody to a tee thought it was totally appropriate,' he continued. He offered no indication of who 'they' are.

Trump also denounced the Democrats' efforts to remove him from office, which has been joined by some Republicans, to remove him from office - and called it a 'danger,' not his supporters' actions.

But, he said he wanted no violence from his supporters. Trump reportedly had initially enjoyed the sight of his supporters on Capitol Hill last week, fighting for him to illegally take a second term in the White House. He changed his tune and called on them to stand down when he warned he could be held legally responsible for their actions.

'We want no violence, never violence. We want absolutely no violence,' he said repeatedly Tuesday before he left for Texas to tout the completion of a section of his border wall.

'And on the impeachment, it's really a continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics. It's ridiculous. It's absolutely ridiculous. This impeachment is causing tremendous anger,' he said.

He denounced Democratic leaders but made no mention of the Republicans who have called on him to leave office.

'It's really a terrible thing that they're doing for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to continue on this path. I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger, I want no violence,' he said.

The House is expected to approve the impeachment charge in Wednesday afternoon's vote.

The House - led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi - is expected to approve the impeachment charge in Wednesday afternoon's vote

Senator Mitch McConnell's office said Wednesday that the Senate will not come back early to hold Trump's impeachment trial, meaning it will start January 19th

Security has increased at the Capitol ahead of January 20th's inauguration ceremony

President Donald Trump on last Wednesday had told his supporters they needed to 'fight' to overturn the election

At least 10,000 troops will be deployed in Washington by the end of the week, with the possibility of five thousand more, to help secure the Capitol area ahead of more potentially violent unrest

Guard members are pictured sleeping at the foot of a Abraham Lincoln statue; the last time U.S. troops stayed in the Capitol was during the Civil War

But Trump caught a break when Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell announced the Senate will hold off on the trial version of impeachment until lawmakers return to Washington D.C. on January 19th.

Trump leaves office January 20th, meaning the early days of Biden's presidency will be taken up with his predecessor's trial.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer had pressured McConnell to agree to bring the Senate back sooner under emergency circumstances with reports a trial could begin as soon as Friday.

But McConnell's office shot down that idea, meaning Trump will finish out his term in the White House.

If impeached, Trump would not be able to run for president again. Several Republican senators are thought to be considering 2024 presidential bids.

To impeach Trump, a two-thirds majority is needed to convict him, meaning at least 17 Republicans would have to find him guilty.

And there's a better than 50-50 chance that McConnell will vote to convict President Trump, according to a new report.

McConnell appears to be more set on convicting Trump in an extraordinary turn against the president in the wake of last week's Capitol riot, which left five people dead and destruction in the Capitol.

A Tuesday night report from Axios cited a top Republican close to McConnell saying, 'The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution' to Trump.

McConnell has been signaling support for the House Democratic impeachment effort that includes an article charging the president with 'incitement of insurrection'.

The news comes on the heels of a New York Times report that McConnell told associates he believes Trump 'committed impeachable offenses' and he's 'pleased' by the move to impeach him.

McConnell worked successfully to scuttle the impeachment effort during a trial last year on different charges.

His current view follows reports that McConnell never wants to speak to Trump again after the Capitol riots that had Trump supporters invading the Capitol, trashing leadership offices, and endangering the lives of lawmakers.

McConnell backs the effort because it will make it easier to purge Trump from the party, the New York Times reports.

McConnell has made clear in private discussions that 'now is the moment to move on the weakened lame duck, whom he blames for Republicans losing the Senate,' according to the report.
Australians are being promised a two-stage strategy to protect the population from COVID-19 under a federal commitment to pursue herd immunity while making vaccines available as soon as possible.

Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the ambition on herd immunity after scientists raised questions over the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine to achieve the objective when compared to alternatives from Pfizer and others.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia will pursue a herd immunity strategy as it waits to see how effective the COVID-19 vaccines are. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In another day of debate over vaccine options, health giant CSL shot down talk about Australian production of the potential Novavax vaccine by saying it could not make it and the AstraZeneca vaccine at the same time.

The developments cement the government plan for a widespread roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine to most of the population and a more limited roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine to up to five million people, subject to final test results for both.

In a key concern over the interim results for AstraZeneca, scientists this week told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the vaccines efficacy rate was not high enough so far to achieve herd immunity.

The concept of herd immunity describes the objective of eliminating an epidemic by building up a communitys resistance to disease to the point where so many are protected it no longer spreads.

A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the government view was to deliver protection and herd immunity but that results so far offered no guarantee about the longer-term objective.

Read more here.
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Thinking you may have picked a bad year to attempt Dry January? We get it.

Let us help you get through what feels like the 13th month of 2020 with a batch of refreshing mocktails by Bay Area mixmasters.

Dry January Mocktail #1: Fresh Victor's Rad Red Refresher (H. Joseph Ehrmann) If you need an antioxidant-packed antidote to the toxic effects of doomscrolling, mix up a batch of this crisp mocktail, adapted from a recipe by Reza Esmaili for Rise Woodfire in San Mateo, and made with Fresh Victor's local cold-pressed juices. Preparation In a 16-ounce glass of ice, add: 3 ounces Fresh Victor Cactus Pear & Pomegranate

1/2 ounce lime juice

sparkling water to fill

3-5 mint leaves (garnish) Stir gently, garnish, and serve!

Dry January Mocktail #2: The Dorian's Refresh Since we can't currently grab drinks with friends at The Dorian, their mocktails at home feel like the next best thing. When you order food from the Chestnut Street restaurant, you can pair it with a Refresh, their splashy take on a classic mint lemonade. Or, DIY it at home.

Preparation 1 1/2 ounces watermelon juice

3/4 ounce lemon juice

3/4 ounce turbinado syrup

1/2 ounce cucumber juice

6-8 mint leaves (muddle and garnish) In a 12-ounce glass, gently bruise three to four mint leaves in the turbinado syrup. Add the watermelon and lemon juices. Add ice, then the cucumber juice as a float. Garnish with the remaining mint, and serve. // The Dorian, 2001 Chestnut St. (Marina), doriansf.com

Dry January Mocktail #3: Wunder's High January (Chris Greenwell) You can give your liver a rest this month but still answer the 911 call for cranial care. Wunder canned beverages feature Delta-8 THC, a cannabinoid designed for a clear-headed, relaxing body high. Cans are available at The Apothecarium and for local delivery via Sava, which is offering 20 percent off all month for Dry January. Preparation In a 16-ounce glass of ice, add: 1 can Wunder Grapefruit Hibiscus

1/2 ounce fresh lime juice

Soda water to fill

1 grapefruit wedge or lime (garnish) Stir gently, garnish, and serve.

Dry January Mocktail #4: Kamardine Toddy (Courtesy of Kazah) Muslim cultures have celebrated Dry January--and a dry every other month--for centuries. Kamardine syrup is an apricot-based concentrate used to make a cold drink that's typically consumed during the holy month of Ramadan. When added to hot water, it makes a soothing winter warmer perfect for evening sipping. In San Francisco, you can buy kamardine syrup at Samirami's Imports (2990 Mission St.). Preparation In an eight ounce cup, add: 1 ounce kamardine syrup

6 ounces hot water

1 lemon round

1 cinnamon stick (garnish) Stir until the syrup dissolves, then garnish with the cinnamon stick and serve.
A refugee who fled the war-torn Middle East after her relatives were killed says life in Hull is 'the same' as Iraq.

Intesar Hassan, 55, was sent to East Yorkshire with her children by the UN in 2012 as she fled war in Iraq and Syria.

Since arriving in the city, the mother says she has been left mostly bed bound and reliant on a wheelchair, after enduring squalor at her home and having to wash in her kitchen sink.

The mother-of-four says her life in Hull is in fact 'hell', adding: 'When I think about Iraq and Hull, they are the same to me.

'When I came here my health conditions worsened and are getting worse day by day in this house.

'I cannot walk, talk or eat due to the conditions I am living in. All night long I worry about the house.'

Mother-of-four Intesar Hassan, who is mostly confined to her bed, says Hull is 'the same' as Iraq. After fleeing two conflicts and seeking refuge in the North East, she is looking for the council to provide a home that is more accessible for her disabilities

Ms Hassan and her children moved to Syria after her relatives were killed in the Iraq War, where they were provided with food and shelter from the United Nations.

But when conflict broke out in Syria in 2021, the UN moved the family to Hull.

Ms Hassan explained: 'After war broke out, we were brought to Hull as we were under the threat of being killed. We had to escape for our lives.'

The family says it was placed into their private-rented house in west Hull on their arrival in the city eight years ago.

Since then, Ms Hassan claims there has been no maintenance carried out on the house, while also stating there is no heating and there's damp on the walls.

She said: 'I open the window at night because I can't breathe from the damp inside the house. This situation is reminding me and re-traumatising me from past experiences.

Ms Hassan's family fled Iraq after her family was killed during the war (US Army soldiers are pictured in a town south of Baghdad in 2005). The mother-of-four moved to Syria, but were then sent to Hull after war broke out in 2012

'I told the Refugee Council that the house is freezing but they didn't do anything.

'We have no heating and no maintenance work has been done on the house in the past eight years.

'I fell down the stairs in the house which led to me needing to have my gall bladder operated on.

'I have letters from Castle Hill Hospital, GPs and occupational therapists which recommends I am placed into a new house suitable for disabled people, but I have waited on Hull City Council's housing list since the day I arrived in Hull.'

the house was 'immaculate' upon the family's arrival, with the tenants denying access to maintenance workers.

A spokesman for Hull City Council said its environmental health team had also been denied access to the house, adding that council properties were allocated 'based on need'.

Ms Hassan, who uses a wheelchair, is now unable to climb the stairs so is forced to wash in the kitchen sink.

'Due to forcing myself up and down the stairs in this house I developed a hernia and piles problem, which in turn forced me to need to facilitate the bathroom more often,' she said.

'To make matters worse I went on to develop a breathing problem which the GP has said is an allergic reaction to the damp in the house.'

The family says the housing benefit paid directly to the landlord no longer covers the total rent after it was reduced, leaving them thousands of pounds in arrears.

Speaking of the mounting debt, Ms Hassan said: 'I am a disabled woman. If we are removed from the property where can we go?

'Is this worse than Syria? We were brought here to a safe and legal country but everywhere I go I am turned away. This house is unsafe.

'We thought we would be protected but we have instead been exposed to more hostility.

'As an ill woman I can't go out and enjoy life, but inside the house my life is even more miserable. I'd prefer to die but my worry is what would happen to my children.'

Ms Hassan's landlord said: 'The flat was in immaculate condition upon the tenants' arrival. I know it is mouldy but they haven't let us in to do maintenance.

'We have been doing maintenance on a regular basis until to 2017 until for some reason we were refused access and we haven't been back and felt intimidated.

'When we get in there we will do a full refurbishment.

'Exhaustive measures were put in place to ensure the a gas certificate was instated in 2020 as it is a legal requirement for us.

'They have racked up over 5,000 in arrears and they have allowed the housing benefit to be cancelled. They have told me they will be gone by the end of the month.'

Ms Hassan claims no work has been carried out on her home since arriving in eight years. Her landlord denies the claim, but says they have been unable to access the property since 2017

A Hull City Council spokesman said: 'The council's environmental health team has made contact with the family with a view to assessing the house, however the family has denied environmental health access to the property.

'Information has been provided in Arabic and the environmental health team has subsequently worked with the landlord of the property and the family's support worker to try to provide the advice and support needed.

'The council allocates council properties based on need, and looks to support those with the most pressing needs, whilst taking into account factors such as arrears and previous tenancy issues.'

Una Barry MBE, Executive Director of Services at the Refugee Council, said: 'The Refugee Council provides specialist integration support for resettled refugees, including health, education, welfare and English language support.

'We work closely with partners, including Hull local authority and community groups, to help refugees settle into their new communities and make steps towards independence.

'However, we do not find or procure housing for resettled refugees in Hull, and are not responsible for overseeing rental agreements for the refugees we support.'

HULL: THE HOME OF AUNT BESSIE'S Population: 261,149 Average salary: 30,000 Unemployment rate: 4.5% Murder rate: Two in 100,000 people History: Settlements around Hull date back to the Stone Age, but its growth as a town came in the 13th century when nearby monks used its river to transport wool. Since then it has been used a market town, a supply port for trade and military, as well as a fishing and whaling centre. Famous inventions: Hull is responsible for creating LCD displays (used in televisions and the iPhone) while its Aunt Bessie factory puts out more than 900m Yorkshire puddings a year. Renowned citizens: Hull's 18th century MP William Wilberforce is credited with helping abolish the slave trade. Former deputy prime minister John Prescott also represented the city, but was born in Wales. Weather The highest-ever recorded temperature in Hull is 34C. Average highs for the summer in East Yorkshire reach 21C. Advertisement
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The Taoiseach says the shame of those kept in Mother and Baby Homes was not theirs - "it was our shame,"

Micheal Martin said the Mother and Baby Home report was "the duty of a republic to be willing to hold itself to account", as he made a full apology to survivors of the institutions from the Dail on Wednesday and said the homes were "a profound failure of empathy, understanding and basic humanity".

Mr Martin read from testimonies of survivors who weretreated like a second class citizens" by family and society. One was told: Nobody will want you now at 14 years old.

He acknowledged how a dearth of sex education "often left young women confused and unaware of how and why they had even become pregnant. Some of these pregnancies were as a result of rape and/or incest."

He added that children born outside of marriage were stigmatised and were treated as outcasts and subsequently boarded-out where they experienced "heartbreaking exploitation, neglect and abuse within the families and communities in which they were placed. This was unforgivable."

He said the report raises profound questions, and that "a perverse religious morality and control, judgementalism and moral certainty.

"We honoured piety but failed to show even basic kindness to those who needed it most.

"We had a completely warped attitude to sexuality and intimacy, and young mothers and their sons and daughters were forced to pay a terrible price for that dysfunction.

"For the women and children who were treated so cruelly we must do what we can, to show our deep remorse, understanding and support.

"And so, on behalf of the Government, the State and its citizens, I apologise for the profound generational wrong visited upon Irish mothers and their children who ended up in a Mother and Baby Home or a County Home.

"I apologise for the shame and stigma which they were subjected to and which, for some, remains a burden to this day.

I want to emphasise that each of you were in an institution because of the wrongs of others. Each of you is blameless, each of you did nothing wrong and has nothing to be ashamed of. Each of you deserved so much better.

"The lack of respect for your fundamental dignity and rights as mothers and children who spent time in these institutions is humbly acknowledged and deeply regretted.

"The Irish State, as the main funding authority for the majority of these institutions, had the ultimate ability to exert control over these institutions, in addition to its duty of care to protect citizens with a robust regulatory and inspection regime.

"This authority was not exerted and the States duty of care was not upheld.

"The State failed you, the mothers and children in these homes."

"Throughout this report former residents talk of a feeling of shame for the situation they found themselves in.

"The shame was not theirs  it was ours.

Micheal Martin has apologised to the survivors of the Mother and Baby Homes

"It was our shame that we did not show them the respect and compassion which we as a country owed them.

"It remains our shame.

"I want to reassure survivors, their families and the country, that this Government is determined to act on all the recommendations of the Report and to deliver the legislative change necessary to at least start to heal the wounds that endure."

'Shame and secrecy'

Taniaste Leo Varadkar said there had been a "conspiracy of shame and secrecy" in a deeply misogynistic society.

He compared these children to Australia's "stolen generation" of Aboriginal children, taken from their parents.

"Too many children were seen as a stain on society, but the truth is that it was our society that was deeply stained," he said.

"As the report shows, this was a stifling, oppressive and deeply misogynistic culture. A cold house for most of its people.

"Its shocking to read that more than 9,000 babies died in these institutions but in some ways it is more shocking that this is not a revelation.

"The statistics were known at the time. It was known that children in Mother and Baby institutions were more likely to die in infancy than other children, including other children born outside of marriage. There was no public outcry, no Dail debates or motions, no media inquiries or interest.

"These were second class citizens, lesser mortals, to be treated as such, perhaps for their whole lives, solely due to the circumstance of their conception and birth. It was a conspiracy of shame and silence and cruelty."

The apology comes after the Commission of Investigation report in the homes was published on Tuesday.

In the mother and baby homes under investigation by the Commission, around 56,000 unmarried mothers, some as young as 12, passed through, and 57,000 children were born.

The report found that approximately 9,000 of the 57,000 babies born in these homes died.

'Circling of wagons' adds to trauma of survivors, opposition says

The opposition says "the buck stops with the state" regarding the mother and baby homes scandal.

In response to the Taoiseach's apology to survivors, in which he noted that all of society was to blame, many of Micheal Martin's political rivals said it was a "cop-out".

Some pointed out that Fianna Fail and Fine Gael leaders were in power during the time of the mother and baby homes operations and did nothing to raise any concern about the huge number of deaths in the institutions.

Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said survivors' "hopes were dashed" by the report.

"This circling of the wagons only adds to their trauma and exacerbates the failures of the State," she said.

"The purpose and the power of testimony is that it is given to be believed, but many survivors feel that they weren't heard, and they were not believed, even though we know that they were coerced, that they were forced to give up their children.

"They know that they were physically and mentally abused. They know that the State and churches are responsible for the violation of their most basic human rights.

It is plainly untrue to suggest that the whole of Irish society is responsible, that itself is a distortion of history.

Jennifer Whitmore from the Social Democrats said there was "shock" by the Taoiseach's response to the report.

"At each turn, the report and many of your comments failed to fully acknowledge that the fundamental responsibility of protection of its citizens lies with the State and that the culture of a society is moulded and shaped by the most powerful institutions in the state," she said.

Labour leader Alan Kelly said that "all of the political entities that served in governments that allowed this to happen" should apologise.

"Politically, we're all at fault," Mr Kelly said.

"The institutions, the Catholic Church, has an awful lot to answer for and we must really look at and continue to look at our relationship between the State and religious institutions."

'We did not live up to our Christianity'

Today, the nuns who ran the St Marys Mother and Baby Home in Tuam issued an apology in light of the report.

Our Sisters ran St Marys Mother and Baby Home in Tuam from 1925 to 1961, read the apology.

"We did not live up to our Christianity when running the home.

We failed to respect the inherent dignity of the women and children who came to the home. We failed to offer them the compassion that they so badly needed.

Tuam-based historian Catherine Corless, who helped to bring the scandal of that institution to light, said the initial response from survivors to the report has been one of disappointment.

Survivors have said the report "skimmed over" the issue of illegal adoptions.

Children's Minister Roderic OGorman said earlier today that he could not say when the survivors of Mother and Baby Homes will be given access to their personal records.

Mr OGorman said it is "essential" that legislation is brought forward on information and tracing following the publication of the report.

However, he confirmed that scrutiny on the new laws will only begin towards the end of the year.
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PORTLAND (AP)  Two environmental groups are threatening to file suit against Zenith Energy over construction work at its oil terminal in Portland.

On Monday, Willamette Riverkeeper and Columbia Riverkeeper filed a notice of intent to sue the company if it doesn't get a stormwater permit within 60 days, Oregon Public Broadcasting reported.





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The police in Lagos State said on Wednesday they arrested Owede Bruno, the owner of Club Victorias, located at Ajose Adeogun, Victoria Island, Lagos, for allegedly violating COVID-19 protocols in the state. He has been charged to court for same.

This was contained in a statement released by Olumuyiwa Adejobi, the Lagos police spokesperson.

According to the police, the suspect was charged on a four-count-charge using the provisions of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

He was arraigned at Ebute Metta Magistrate Court Wednesday.

He was granted bail in a sum of N2 million and is to provide two sureties, one of whom must have a land property in Lagos. The court also ordered that he provides a COVID-19 test result within seven days.

Reinforcing the commitment of the police in Lagos to bring violators of COVID-19 protocols to book, the police vowed to arrest more violators regardless of their status.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported how the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, Hakeem Odumosu, led a team of policemen to raid some clubs across the state on January 9.

A total number of 237 violators were apprehended including 143 clubbers and strippers at Club Victorias.

The police said it also impounded 34 vehicles belonging to the fun-seekers and the suspects were promptly charged to court.

The Commissioner of Police has vowed and ordered for the arrest of club owners who encourage fun seekers and clubbers to patronise them despite the spike in the recorded cases of the pandemic and preventive protocols put in place in Lagos State, the spokesperson said.

Mr Odumosu reiterated the readiness of the command to consistently go after violators of COVID-19 protocols including club owners who remain recalcitrant.

He also warned the general public against the violation and disregard for the preventive measures being put in place by the government to halt the spread of the pandemic in the state.

The police promised to intensify the enforcement of laws in Lagos State and COVID-19 protocols, while assuring that policing the state will be all-inclusive and people-oriented in accordance with international policing standards.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday named nine Democrats as managers of the impeachment trial of President Trump on charges of inciting a violent mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol, where rioters ransacked the seat of American government and killed a Capitol Police officer.

The nine managers, all lawyers, have expertise in constitutional law, civil rights and law enforcement. They will be the new faces of the impeachment drive after Americans last year grew accustomed to seeing Representatives Adam Schiff, Democrat of California and the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and Jerrold Nadler, Democrat of New York and the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, as the leaders of Mr. Trumps first impeachment trial.

The managers come from across the country and represent different ideological wings of the party. Of the nine, seven are people of color, L.G.B.T.Q. or women.

It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the presidents impeachment and removal, Ms. Pelosi said of the managers. They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution.
A Bengaluru city civil and sessions court has granted an ex-parte ad-interim order of temporary injunction restraining AMR Pictures from exhibiting, screening or releasing Web Series named Veerappan: Hunger for killing after his wife approached the court seeking a permanent injunction.

The plaintiff, V Muthulakshmi, in her affidavit stated that AMR Pictures headed by one AMR Ramesh planned on releasing the movie portraying the life of Veerappan as a villain based on 'false and fabricated stories' which could result in violation of her privacy and infringement on her private life.

V Muthulalkshmi says that people have made money in the past by making films on Veerappan and will bring a sense of shame to the family.

"It has been 16 years since my husband was killed. Last time, I approached the Chennai city civil court and later even the Supreme court had held that my right to privacy should be respected, but last time since the movie was already made, they only ordered to give me a compensation of Rs 25 lakhs. But again, they want to make another film and my family is repeatedly harassed by such portrayal of him", she said.

The move seems to have larger consequences. With the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu fast approaching, the timing of Muthulakshmi's plea raises eyebrows. Muthlakshmi's daughter Vidhya Rani is the vice-president of state BJP's youth wing and hopeful of getting ticket. However, Muthlakshmi denies the claims.

"I'm not doing this for elections or for money, the party high command will give tickets to whoever they think is deserving. But if such a movie releases at such a time it will impact her prospects. She wants to help people but they will only get to see this one side of the story" Muthulakshmi added.

Praveen Gowda, who is an advocate for Muthulakshmi argued that the release of the movie was against Article 21 which is the protection of life and personal liberty and hence needs to be restrained.

"There has to be an end of everything. Because Veerappan has done something we can't keep showing that. We don't have a problem if the movie is based on details that are in public records, but he (AMR Ramesh) is promoting this movie stating that he is going to bring the 'Truth of Veerappan' by documenting stories of his followers and police personnel, but that is just not true", he said.

With the temporary injunction granted, AMR Pictures will not be able to release the series on Youtube, OTT platforms or even on social media till the next hearing. The matter will be heard in the next hearing on February 6.
Spain reported a record rise in coronavirus infections over the weekend and the number of new cases measured over the past 14 days spiked to 436 per 100,000 people on Monday, from 350 on Friday, health ministry data showed.

More than 61,000 new cases were reported since Friday - the largest weekend increase since the pandemic began - bringing the cumulative total to 2,111,782, the data showed. Deaths rose by 401 over the same period to 52,275.

Health emergency coordinator Fernando Simon blamed the surge on lax restrictions over the Christmas holidays and said he expected the increase to continue for some time.

"We had a better Christmas than expected and perhaps better than we should have had, and now we are looking at the result," he told a news conference.

"It's a problem of people's behaviour over Christmas."

He played down the effect of the so-called British strain of the virus, which is more contagious and which has been detected across Spain, and said a return to confinement was not necessary just now, reiterating what ministry officials have said since cases began surging since the end of the festive period.

Regions have been toughening up measures, but they lack the power to enforce home confinement. Health ministry officials have repeatedly affirmed in the past week that a return to full lockdown should not be necessary.



President-elect Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he will nominate Samantha Power, the former US ambassador to the United Nations, to lead the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), citing her background as a crisis-tested public servant and diplomat.

In a statement, Biden described Power, 50, as a world-renowned voice of conscience and moral clarity  challenging and rallying the international community to stand up for the dignity and humanity of all people.

If confirmed, Power will oversee the US agency tasked with distributing billions in humanitarian assistance each year. After four years of an aid-skeptic administration that routinely sought to cut development dollars, the Biden administration is expected to view US assistance abroad as an important tool for advancing its foreign policy.

Biden also announced he would be elevating the position of USAID administrator to permanent membership on the National Security Council, a move long advocated for by the aid community and a sign his administration will make development a priority along with diplomacy and defense.

Power, currently a professor at Harvard Kennedy School, doesnt have a traditional background in foreign aid and development. She served on the National Security Council in a role focused on human rights from 2009 to 2013 before President Barack Obama named her US ambassador to the United Nations during his second term.

Power began her career as a war correspondent reporting from Sudan, Kosovo, Bosnia, Rwanda and other conflict-ridden countries. Shes written for outlets such as TIME, The Atlantic and The New Yorker, and was awarded the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction for a book she authored on American inaction to genocide.

Power and her family moved to Pittsburgh from Dublin, Ireland, when she was 9 years old, and she became a US citizen in 1993.

Power at the helm of USAID could put a greater emphasis on the importance of democracy and human rights in development, said Conor Savoy, executive director of the bipartisan advocacy group Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network.

The US has always provided support in this area, but its often overshadowed by our investments on the global health side of things, education or other basic needs," Savoy said, adding that it's encouraging to see someone of Power's stature nominated for the role.

Power has long argued the United States has a moral responsibility to protect, telling the Senate during her 2013 confirmation hearing that when foreign governments are murdering their own people, its incumbent on us to look for ways to stop the carnage.

As the top US diplomat at the United Nations, Power butted heads with Russia over its vetoes shielding the Syrian regime from accountability for its attacks on schools and hospitals. Are you truly incapable of shame? she famously asked her Russian counterpart during a December 2016 Security Council meeting.

But Power also found herself at odds with the administrations own Syria policy and Obamas failure to enforce his red line for intervention after a chemical attack killed more than 1,400 civilians in August 2013.

I did not think we could call the chapter a proud one in the annals of US foreign policy, Power wrote in her 2019 memoir, The Education of an Idealist.

If confirmed by the Senate, Powers Middle East agenda is expected to include restoring American assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), which Trump pulled all funding from in 2018. The UN agency has since been forced to scale back the services it provides amid what the UNRWA calls the worst financial crisis in its 70-year history. In November, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris suggested that aid to the Palestinians would be an early foreign policy priority, promising to take immediate steps to restore assistance and address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

War-torn Yemen is also likely to be high on the foreign assistance agenda. Last year, the Trump administration cut aid to Houthi-held parts of the country over concerns the Iran-aligned rebels were interfering with the distribution of food and humanitarian supplies. A former US government official who advised the Biden campaign on foreign policy told Al-Monitor that the incoming administration will likely move quickly to return aid to previous levels.

Power is the latest familiar face named to Bidens national security and foreign policy team after having served in the Obama administration. His nominee for secretary of state, Antony Blinken, has worked alongside Biden for nearly two decades and served as deputy secretary of state under Obama.

The president-elect has also tapped career diplomat Linda Thomas-Greenfield as UN ambassador, former Secretary of State John Kerry as a special climate adviser and foreign service veteran William Burns as CIA director.

To continue on this path, I think its causing tremendous danger to our country, and its causing tremendous anger, Trump said on Tuesday, his first remarks to reporters since last weeks violence. A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot and killed a woman during the siege. Three other people died in what authorities said were medical emergencies. Congress members had to scramble for safety and hide as rioters took control of the Capitol, delaying by hours the tally of Electoral College votes that was the last step in finalising Biden's victory. President Donald Trump would be the only president impeached a second time. Credit:AP The outgoing President offered no condolences for those dead or injured, only saying, I want no violence. At least five Republicans, including third-ranking House Republican leader Liz Cheney of Wyoming, were unswayed by the President's logic. The Republicans announced they would vote to impeach Trump, cleaving the Republican leadership, and the party itself.

The President of the United States summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack, said Cheney in a statement. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. Cheney's father was the vice-president under President George W Bush and a Republican leader in the House. She knows of what she speaks, said Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic majority leader. Unlike a year ago, Trump faces impeachment as a weakened leader, having lost his own re-election as well as the Senate Republican majority. Members of the National Guard outside of the US Capitol as the House prepares to vote. Credit:Bloomberg Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is said to be angry at Trump, and it's unclear how a Senate impeachment trial would play out. The New York Times reported that McConnell thinks Trump committed an impeachable offence and is glad Democrats are moving against him. Citing unidentified people familiar with McConnell's thinking, the Times reported McConnell believed moving against Trump would help the Republican Party forge a future independent of the divisive, chaotic President.

The President was said to be livid with perceived disloyalty from McConnell and Cheney, as calls mounted for her ouster. He was also deeply frustrated that he could not hit back with his shuttered Twitter account, the fear of which has kept most Republicans in line for years, according to White House officials and Republicans close to the West Wing who werent authorised to speak publicly about private conversations. The team around Trump has hollowed out, without any plan for combating the impeachment effort. Trump lent on Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina to push Republican senators, while chief of staff Mark Meadows called some of his former colleagues on the Hill. Yet Trump and his allies believed that the Presidents sturdy popularity with the GOP lawmakers constituents would prevent most from voting against him. After the riot at the Capitol, most House Republicans did go on that night to vote to overturn the election results. Trump was expected to watch much of Wednesday's proceedings on TV from the White House residence and his private dining area off the Oval Office. In the House, Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a top Trump ally, scrambled to suggest a lighter censure instead, but that option crumbled.

The House tried first to push Vice-President Mike Pence and the cabinet to intervene, passing a resolution calling on them to invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to remove Trump from office. Pence made it clear he would not do so, saying in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that it was time to unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden". Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Debate over the resolution was intense after legislators returned to the Capitol for the first time since the siege. Republican representative Jim Jordan of Ohio revived Trumps false claims about the election results at the heart of the impeachment charge, drawing sharp rebukes from McGovern and others that big lies were fuelling the nations divide.

Missouri representative Jason Smith called the swift proceeding a "reckless" impeachment. He said, "This will only bring up the hate and fire more than ever before. It's far from clear there will be the two-thirds vote in the evenly divided Senate needed to convict and remove Trump. Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to go away as soon as possible. With just over a week remaining in Trump's term, the FBI warned ominously of potential armed protests by Trump loyalists ahead of Bidens inauguration. Capitol Police urged lawmakers to be on alert. Charges of sedition are being considered for rioters. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer arrives at the House chamber ahead of the impeachment vote. Credit:AP With new security in place, Congress members were required to pass through metal detectors to enter the House chamber, not far from where Capitol police, guns drawn, had barricaded the door against the rioters. Some Republicans complained about the screening.

Biden has said it's important to ensure that the "folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable. Fending off concerns that an impeachment trial would bog down his first days in office, the President-elect is encouraging senators to divide their time between taking up his priorities of confirming his nominees and approving COVID-19 relief while also conducting the trial. Loading The impeachment bill draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden. Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and then attorney-general William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud. Like the resolution to invoke the 25th Amendment, the impeachment bill also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to find him more votes and his White House rally rant to fight like hell by heading to the Capitol.
A 15-year-old deaf and mute girl has been allegedly gangraped in Bihar's Madhubani district and her eyes were damaged with a sharp object so that she couldn't identify the perpetrators, police said on Wednesday. Both her eyes were damaged but it is yet to be ascertained whether she has completely lost her eyesight, doctors attending to the girl, who is in a critical condition, said.

Three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Kauwaha Barhi village in Harlakhi police station area on Tuesday when she took her goats for grazing, Superintendent of Police Satya Prakash said, adding all the accused hail from the same village. Village head Ram Ekbal Mandal said that the girl had taken her goats for grazing to a field outside the village with some other children.

One of the children informed the girl's family about the incident. They found her lying unconscious in a barren field in neighbouring Manoharpur village. The girl was admitted to the nearby Umgaon community health centre, where doctors referred her to Madhubani Sadar Hospital given her critical condition, Harlakhi police station SHO Prem Lal Paswan said.

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Brit Hume has told Tucker Carlson that 'radioactive' Donald Trump cost the GOP the Georgia run-offs by spouting 'utter balderdash' about election rigging.

But the Fox News veteran last night said that impeaching Trump was 'overkill' and pointless at this stage - Joe Biden will be inaugurated in a week.

It comes amid reports that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will vote to convict the president and is 'pleased' with Nancy Pelosi's impeachment trial and the chance to purge the MAGA wing of the party.

Another GOP heavyweight, Liz Cheney, the House's third-ranking Republican, is also going to convict, calling last week's deadly riot on Capitol Hill an 'insurrection.'

'What's the point of this?' Carlson asked Hume.

The Fox News analyst replied that the Republican party didn't want 'radioactive' Trump to be 'hanging around' and possibly even running at the next general election in 2024.

U.S. President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Harlingen, Texas, Tuesday

And, Hume added, Trump's voters 'are furious with him.'

'They believe in their bones that he cost them the two special elections in the state of Georgia, which they manifestly should not have lost,' Hume said.

'Both candidates were ahead and didn't quite get enough to avoid a runoff and then they lost in the runoff. A lot of Republicans stayed home, offended by Trump.

'So that's the reason Republicans are turning away from him. They think he's bad news politically.'

Carlson replied that he can 'certainly understand why they're mad at him,' but that he still couldn't see the point of impeaching him.

The Fox anchor also told his colleague that if Republicans impeached Trump they would drive a wedge between their voters.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell signaled his support for impeachment, The New York Times reported Tuesday evening

'If you want to make certain that a lot of your voters are reading off somebody else's script you'd impeach him wouldn't you?' Carlson said.

Hume appeared to agree - at least in the sense of the immediate effect of impeaching Trump - although he seemed less keen to admit the president wielded much power.

'It would be pretty hard to revive his fortunes politically at this time,' Hume said.

He also described how it was relatively straightforward to make the case for impeachment - certainly it is less complex than the attempt for the Ukraine phone call which was slapped down by the Senate last year.

Hume said: 'All of that stuff he said for weeks on end after the election, that he won it in a landslide and that was all stolen from him, and that Mike Pence had the authority, which he most certainly did not, of reversing the results of the last minute last week.

'That was utter balderdash and he fed it into the veins of his supporters, and one could make a pretty good case that that's part of what got them into a fever that led to last week's events.'

Rep. Jamie Raskin (left), who penned the 25th Amendment resolution the House voted in favor of Tuesday night speaks with Rep Liz Cheney (right), who didn't vote in favor of the resolution but has said she supports the president's impeachment

The House last night passed a resolution which urged Mike Pence to invoke the 25th amendment to oust Trump - despite the vice president already writing to tell Pelosi he wouldn't.

Debate over the resolution was intense after lawmakers returned the Capitol for the first time since the siege.

Today, House Democrats will start to make their case for impeaching Trump - their colossal majority will make it easy to vote through but it will the more hotly contested Senate.

The Senate's Republican leader McConnell is said to be angry with Trump and is keen to overthrow his dominance in the GOP.

'The Senate institutional loyalists are fomenting a counterrevolution,' a McConnell source said last night.

In the House, Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a top Trump ally, scrambled to suggest a lighter censure instead, but that option crumbled.

So far, Republican Reps. John Katko of New York, a former federal prosecutor; Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, an Air Force veteran; Fred Upton of Michigan; and Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington state announced they, too, would join Cheney to vote to impeach.

Despite the Republican leadership allowing its members a conscience vote - it's far from clear there would then be the two-thirds vote in the evenly divided Senate needed to convict and remove Trump.

The impeachment bill draws from Trump's own claims about his election defeat to Biden.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was informed by Vice President Mike Pence that he would not invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office as the House was taking its first vote Tuesday night on a resolution that urges him to do so

Vice President Mike Pence released the letter he had sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as the House was taking its first vote on the resolution that pressures him to invoke the 25th Amendment

Vice President Mike Pence sent a letter Tuesday night to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi saying he would not invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from power with eight days left in the Trump-Pence administration

Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud.

Like the resolution to invoke the 25th Amendment, the impeachment bill also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to 'find' him more votes and his White House rally rant to 'fight like hell' by heading to the Capitol.

While some have questioned impeaching the president so close to the end of his term, there is precedent.

In 1876, during the Ulysses Grant administration, War Secretary William Belknap was impeached by the House the day he resigned, and the Senate convened a trial months later. He was acquitted.
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ANCHORAGE (AP)  The Anchorage Assembly is expected to consider an ordinance proposing a formal government relationship between the municipality and the Native Village of Eklutna.

The prospective ordinance follows a 2019 assembly resolution seeking to establish the relationship with Eklutna's tribal government, Alaska's News Source reported Monday.





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The Trump administration has offered President-elect Joe Biden the use of Blair House, the official residence for guests of the president, on the eve of his inauguration.

Biden has accepted the offer to stay at the historic home, according to a spokesperson for the State Department, which oversees use of the property. Biden's inauguration committee declined several requests for comment, making it unclear whether he has made firm plans to stay there or simply accepted the invitation to keep the option open.

For decades, presidents-elect have spent the night before their swearing in at Blair House. Even Trump, who has not abided by many conventions of the office, kept to the tradition and stayed at the home rather than at his nearby hotel.

Inauguration Day typically begins with a breakfast for friends and family at the home before a church service and a meeting at the White House with the outgoing president. It is unlikely that Trump, who isn't planning to attend the inauguration, will meet with Biden; his inauguration planners have so far declined to provide further details on Biden's plans that morning.

Blair House is managed by the State Department's Office of the Chief of Protocol, but the invitation to stay at the home typically comes from the president.

"As is customary, the White House offered use of the Blair House for Jan 19th and it was accepted," said a State Department spokesperson.

The Secret Service and federal law enforcement agencies have been preparing for a possible violent assault on the inauguration, raising concern about safety in the aftermath of a pro-Trump insurrection on the U.S. Capitol last week.

Biden's inauguration is still expected to take place on the steps of the Capitol - the same location where violence began last week - and he has said several times that he is not concerned about his own safety.

Jimmy Carter started the pre-inaugural tradition of staying at Blair House in 1977. Since then, every incoming president has spent their last night as president-elect in the home at 1651 Pennsylvania Ave. The president-elect signs an official guest book the morning he takes office. In the afternoon, the space is used to host a reception for ambassadors and other diplomats, a practice that is also unlikely this year due to coronavirus protocols.

The home was built in 1824 and has a rich history. It was owned for more than a century by the Blair family, and presidents often used it to slip away from the White House.

But in the 1940s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was convinced to buy the house to use as a guesthouse for visiting dignitaries. Previously, heads of state would spend the night at the White House, but Eleanor Roosevelt convinced her husband to change that custom after Winston Churchill reportedly headed to the couple's bedroom, cigar in hand, for a 3 a.m. chat.

President Harry Truman lived at Blair House during a four-year White House renovation from 1948 to 1952.

Not every first family has enjoyed the experience. "Blair House really needs fixing up," Nancy Reagan wrote in her diary after a six-night stay in 1981.

The Bush family usually brought a large family entourage.

"Blair House was fairly formal," George W. Bush told The Washington Post. "Until we moved in."

The Obamas wanted to stay longer than customary, requesting to move in by Jan. 5, when their daughters were starting school at Sidwell Friends. But because President Bush had already had it reserved for diplomatic visits, the Obamas instead stayed at the Hay-Adams Hotel and moved over to Blair House on Jan. 15.

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The Washington Post's Carol Leonnig contributed to this report.
Some reports suggest that Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have filed fresh petitions in the Supreme Court on the Adjusted Gross Revenues (AGR) matter. Under their petitions, the telcos have reportedly asked the apex court to modify its previous order on the AGR dues. The telcos have argued that the actual AGR amount they have to pay is significantly lower than the amount demanded by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), on account of arithmetical errors in DoT's assessment.

Last September, the Supreme Court had asked Vodafone Idea and Airtel to clear their AGR dues in 10 annual instalments starting FY22, with 10 per cent upfront payment which is due to this March. Airtel has already paid dues of about Rs 18,000 crore in 2020 (out of total dues of Rs 43,980 crore) while Vodafone Idea has paid Rs 7,850 crore (out of total dues of Rs 58,254 crore).

ALSO READ: AGR dues: Airtel moves SC; cites 'arithmetical errors' by DoT

It may be noted that the last bench, headed by now-retired judge Arun Mishra, that was hearing this case had categorically directed the telcos to not interfere with DoT's AGR assessment. But since telcos have again come back with a petition, it would be interesting to see what stand the Supreme Court takes on the re-assessment issue.

Airtel had previously self-assessed its dues at just Rs 13,000 crore which was 70 per cent lower than DoT estimates, whereas Vodafone Idea self-assessed its dues at Rs 21,500 crore which was 63 per cent lower than DoT's assessed amount.

As per Goldman Sachs, Airtel could potentially save Rs 4,100 crore annually and Vodafone Idea Rs 5,800 crore annually if AGR liability is lowered to self-assessed levels. At the same time, the brokerage expects Airtel's and Vodafone Idea's net debt to drop by 30 per cent and 20 per cent, respectively, if AGR is reduced. Nevertheless, analysts at Goldman Sachs don't expect major respite for Vodafone Idea even if AGR amount is revised downwards.

ALSO READ: Telcos to earn Rs 220 per user; 11% sector growth in 2 years expected

"We believe AGR dues at the lower self-assessed levels would have little to no impact on the industry's competitive landscape. We expect Vodafone Idea's FCF [free cash flow] to remain negative for the foreseeable future, irrespective of the level of company's AGR dues," says a Goldman Sachs report.

It seems that there's no end to the AGR case that started way back in 2003 when association of telecom operators filed the first plea with the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) challenging the definition of AGR. The dispute arose from the difference of opinion between DoT and telcos on the definition of AGR. For instance, DoT has been arguing that it should include non-telecom revenues of telcos such as interest income, dividend, profits on the sale of assets, insurance claim and forex gains. Telcos, for obvious reasons, said that these items should be excluded.

In October 2019, the apex court ruled in favour of DoT that made telcos pay Rs 1.69 lakh crore to the government. Subsequently, telcos filed review petitions which were rejected by the Supreme Court, but it gave telcos relief by asking them to pay in instalments instead of lump-sum payment.

ALSO READ: Telcos' debt to rise to Rs 4.7 lakh crore by 2022 despite tariff hikes, says ICRA
~ Minister getting rid of foreigners thru backdoor says attorneys.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- In response to queries regarding the residency permit policy that is being executed by the IND at the Ministry of Justice, Minister of Justice Anna Richardson said on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing that the policy that was established in 2012 has not changed or amended.

Minister Richardson said the policy was not properly enforced in the past and that it is her responsibility as the current Minister of Justice to ensure that the policies in place are fully enforced.

Asked for further clarity as to who exactly was not fully enforcing the policy, the Minister said that she did not take the time to look-into who was not enforcing the policy but in fact has decided the letter of the law must be followed under her watch.

As for the policy, the Minister said that applicants who applied for residency whether it is a renewal or first-time applicant must be able to prove that they are self-sufficient by earning NAF2.000.00 monthly.

Research conducted by SMN News shows that there is no written policy in place but in fact, the former Ministers have a list of guidelines that were put in place by former Minister of Justice Roland Duncan in 2012. So far, there is no published policy that would allow the Minister or IND to deny permits for the lack of sufficient income from a spouse or even if the application was submitted while the applicant was residing on the island illegally.

Several persons including attorneys on the island have reported that the Ministry of Justice namely IND has been requesting additional documents and information from applicants and then these requests are being denied. One such document is a bank account showing the exact amount of funds the applicant or his or her spouse has saved. An attorney said that persons who applied for their wife or husband are being denied because the Minister feels they do not have enough money to support each other. This was never the case in the past, these applicants did not have to have a specific amount of money saved to be qualified. The additional questions and or demands were never requested when St. Maarten was part of the Netherlands Antilles neither since the island became a country.

According to information provided states that the Minister recently established a compliance committee that has been calling in applicants despite the COVID 19 and has been interrogating them about their financial status after which their requests are being denied. There are a number of court cases that have been filed and there are a number of decisions against the Minister simply because there is no written policy in place that was published.

Persons that applied for directors license or permanent residency are the ones that are being victimized after being interrogated by the committee. The attorneys said that the Minister made certain comments when she first took office about getting rid of foreigners and she received a backlash from the community. They said the Minister is using IND to get rid of these foreigners through the back door and this they said is illegal and against human rights.

Several business owners obtained loans to open their business and despite the terrible economic activity these entrepreneurs are doing their best to survive in St. Maarten, to repay their loans but the Minister of Justice has chosen to jeopardize the country because without the directors license or residency permits these persons would have to file for bankruptcy. They have since issued a call on parliament and the coalition government to look into the illegal activities taking place at the Ministry of Justice especially at immigration.
I understand when you run for office, youre opening yourself up, Clark said. You gave multiple Facebook posts like it was a movie preview. I dont know what your objective was, but I do believe that was outside this legal proceeding. I personally would not have handled myself in that way.
Chapman University law professor John Eastman (L) watches as Rudy Giuliani speaks to supporters from the Ellipse, near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Law Professor Who Spoke at DC Rally Retires From Chapman University

Law professor John Eastman has retired from his position at Orange Countys Chapman University, following a faculty uproar after he spoke at the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that resulted in protesters entering the U.S. Capitol.

Faculty members at the Southern California university released a letter calling for the administration to fire Eastman after he spoke at the event while standing next to Rudy Giuliani, a member of President Donald Trumps legal team. During his speech, the law professor discussed election fraud and asked Vice President Mike Pence to object to the certification of Electoral College votes.

On Jan. 13, Chapman University President Daniele Struppa announced that Eastman had retired.

After discussions over the course of the last week, Dr. John Eastman and Chapman University have reached an agreement pursuant to which he will retire from Chapman, effective immediately, Struppa said in a statement.

Dr. Eastmans departure closes this challenging chapter for Chapman and provides the most immediate and certain path forward for both the Chapman community and Dr. Eastman.

According to Struppas statement, the university and Eastman agreed to move forward without taking any legal actions against the other party.

On Jan. 8, 166 faculty members at the university had released a public letter asking the schools officials to fire Eastman.

Free speech is sacred, and tenured academics like Eastman have the privilege of speaking their mind without fear of repercussion. But Eastman abused that freedom, the letter states.

Participation in a riot that incited violence against the U.S. government and the death of a police officer, puts matters into a different realm and should disqualify him from the privilege of teaching law to our students and strip him of the honor of an endowed chair.

The letter added that when speech shades over into violence and insurrection, it is no longer permissible.

Eastman spouted lies about secret folders to fire up an angry crowd and stood next to Rudy Giuliani who called for trial by combat. These conspiratorial claims of a stolen election were the basis of the insurrection, and he was identified on television as a faculty member of our university, the letter states.

The letter adds that a lack of action in punishing Eastman will damage Chapmans future research by associating the university with extremism and fake news.

Mark Axelrod, an English professor at the university who signed the letter, told The Epoch Times he disagreed with Eastmans decision to speak, but said it was his prerogative.

I find Eastmans decision rather distasteful, but whatever the consequences of his decision, it was his choice, Axelrod said.

He said he thought the university should stick to its policy when considering its response.

If he followed policy, it shouldnt be any different than Congress following policy, Axelrod said. As for Chapman, one [professor] neither makes a faculty nor a university.

Chapman President Struppa earlier released two memos about the issue, saying Jan. 9 that university rules prohibit him from firing Eastman unless he is found guilty in court or disbarred.

The Manual does not allow me to decide on my own that any faculty is a criminal or that they should be disbarred and therefore fired, which is what I am being asked to do, Struppa wrote.

The reason for these clauses is not to make life difficult for administrators: rather it is to protect all of our community through a fair process.

Eastmans colleagues and other members of the Chapman community have spoken out against the professor previously.

When Eastman filed a brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in December asking that millions of votes be nullified in the presidential election, a statement signed by 159 faculty members referred to his brief as a disgraceful attack on American democracy.

A Change.org petition asking that he be fired was started in August, after he wrote a Newsweek article questioning whether then-Sen. Kamala Harris was eligible to be vice president because her parents were not natural-born citizens at the time of her birth. The petition has more than 1,900 signatures to date.

Eastman did not respond to a request for comment by press time.
AUSTIN, Minn.  The annual Paint the Town Pink cancer research fundraiser is underway.

The 2021 effort to raise money for The Hormel Institute began Tuesday night with the Austin Area Chamber of Commerces January Business After Hours event.

Despite this environment where businesses and people are still hurting from the effects of COVID-19, we want to celebrate the work that is being done thanks to PTTP and our generous community, says Gail Dennison, Director of Development and Public Relations. The past 11 years have raised over $2 million with every penny going to innovative studies to further understand and stop cancer. All who support this research through donations of any amount can know they are doing something important and making a difference  we all want to stop cancer so people can live longer, healthier lives.

The 2021 Paint the Town Pink ambassador was announced as Dr. Rebecca Morris, professor and leader of the Stem Cells and Cancer lab at The Hormel Institute. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 and Dr. Morris told the chamber membership about the importance of funding cancer research.

It is an honor for me to serve as an ambassador, knowing full well how important funding is so we researchers can do the work to further understand and aim to control cancer, and now my journey reflects an understanding from the survivor side, says Dr. Morris. My diagnosis and treatment has me more thankful than ever for the past progress in research leading to therapies and the early detection that saves and extends lives.

Some traditional Paint the Town Pink events have been cancelled for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Paint the Town Pink has raised over $2 million for cancer research at The Hormel Institute since 2011.
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Victoria recorded no new local cases of coronavirus on Wednesday, marking a full week of no community transmission, as health authorities expressed concern about the rollout of the AstraZenenca vaccine.

There were three new cases detected in hotel quarantine from more than 18,000 tests.

The cases come as the The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald published concerns held by the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology about the rollout of the AstraZenenca vaccine.

The society said the federal government should immediately pause the planned rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine because it may not be effective enough to generate herd immunity.
Two gray wolves (lower left) confront a pack of dire wolves over a bison carcass in Southwestern North America 15,000 years ago. Credit: Art by Mauricio Anton

The iconic, prehistoric dire wolf, which prowled through Los Angeles and elsewhere in the Americas over 11 millennia ago, was a distinct species from the slightly smaller gray wolf, an international team of scientists reports today in the journal Nature.

The study, which puts to bed a mystery that biologists have pondered for more than 100 years, was led by researchers from UCLA, along with colleagues from Durham University in the U.K., Australia's Adelaide University and Germany's Ludwig Maximilian University.

"The terrifying dire wolf, a legendary symbol of Los Angeles and the La Brea Tar Pits, has earned its place among the many large, unique species that went extinct at the end of the Pleistocene epoch," said UCLA's Robert Wayne, a distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the study's co-senior author. The Pleistocene, commonly called the Ice Age, ended roughly 11,700 years ago.

More than 4,000 dire wolves have been excavated from the La Brea Tar Pits, but scientists have known little about their evolution or the reasons for their ultimate disappearance. Gray wolves, also found in the fossil-rich pits, have survived until this day.

"Dire wolves have always been an iconic representation of the last ice age in the Americas, but what we know about their evolutionary history has been limited to what we can see from the size and shape of their bones," said co-lead author Angela Perri of Durham University.

Those bones are now revealing much more. Using cutting-edge molecular approaches to analyze five dire wolf genomes from fossil bones dating back 13,000 to 50,000 years ago, the researchers were able to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the long-extinct carnivore for the first time.

Significantly, they found no evidence for the flow of genes between dire wolves and either North American gray wolves or coyotes. The absence of any genetic transference indicates that dire wolves evolved in isolation from the Ice Age ancestors of these other species.

"We have found the dire wolf is not closely related to the gray wolf. Further, we've shown that the dire wolf never interbred with the gray wolf," said co-lead author Alice Mouton, who conducted the research as a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in ecology and evolutionary biology in Wayne's laboratory.

The ancestors of the gray wolf and the much smaller coyote evolved in Eurasia and are thought to have moved into North America less than 1.37 million years ago, relatively recently in evolutionary time. The dire wolf, on the other hand, based on its genetic difference from those species, is now believed to have originated in the Americas.

"When we first started this study, we thought that dire wolves were just beefed-up gray wolves, so we were surprised to learn how extremely genetically different they were, so much so that they likely could not have interbred," said the study's last author, Laurent Frantz, a professor at Ludwig Maximillian University and the U.K.'s Queen Mary University. "This must mean that dire wolves were isolated in North America for a very long time to become so genetically distinct."

"Dire wolves are sometimes portrayed as mythical creaturesgiant wolves prowling bleak frozen landscapesbut reality turns out to be even more interesting," said Kieren Mitchell of Adelaide University, a co-lead author.

The dire wolf was a 'lone wolf' when it came to breeding

Interbreeding is quite common among wolf lineages when their geographical ranges overlap. Modern gray wolves and coyotes, for example, frequently interbreed in North America. Yet the researchers, using a data set that included a Pleistocene dire wolf, 22 modern North American gray wolves and coyotes, and three ancient dogs, found that the dire wolf hadn't interbred with any of the otherslikely because it was genetically unable to reproduce with those species.

"Our finding of no evidence for gene flow between dire wolves and gray wolves or coyotes, despite the substantial range overlap during the Late Pleistocene, suggests that the common ancestor of gray wolves and coyotes probably evolved in geographical isolation from members of the dire wolf lineage," Wayne said. "This result is consistent with the hypothesis that dire wolves originated in the Americas."

Another hypothesis about the dire wolfone untested in the current studyconcerns its extinction. It is commonly thought that because of its body sizelarger than gray wolves and coyotesthe dire wolf was more specialized for hunting large prey and was unable to survive the extinction of its regular food sources. A lack of interbreeding may have hastened its demise, suggested Mouton, now a postdoctoral researcher at Belgium's University of Liege.

"Perhaps the dire wolf's inability to interbreed did not provide necessary new traits that might have allowed them to survive," she said.

Uncovering the mystery of the dire wolf's DNA

While the dire wolves sequenced in this study possessed no ancestry from gray wolves, coyotes or their recent North American ancestors, a comparison of the DNA of dire wolves with that of gray wolves, coyotes and a wide variety of other wolf-like species revealed a common but distant evolutionary relationship.

"The ancestors of dire wolves likely diverged from those of gray wolves more than 5 million years agoit was a great surprise to discover that this divergence occurred so early," Mouton said. "This finding highlights how special and unique the dire wolf was."

Based on their genomic analyses, the researchers also concluded that there are three primary lineages that descend from the shared ancestry: dire wolves, African jackals and a group comprising all other existing wolf-like species, including the gray wolf.

Gray wolves, which today live mostly in wilderness and remote regions of North America, are more closely related to African wild dogs and Ethiopian wolves than to dire wolves, Wayne noted.

The study is the first ever to report genome-wide data on dire wolves.

The genomic analysesconducted in a joint effort at UCLA, Durham University, the University of Oxford, the University of Adelaide, Ludwig Maximilian University and Queen Mary Universityfocused on both the nuclear genome and the mitochondrial genome, which is abundant in ancient remains.

"The decreased cost of sequencing analyses, in addition to state-of-the-art molecular biology methods for highly degraded materials, allows us to recover DNA from fossils," Mouton said. "Ancient DNA genomic analyses represent an incredible tool to better understand the evolutionary history of ancient and extinct species."

Explore further Wolves have been caring for the pack for at least 1.3 million years

More information: Dire wolves were the last of an ancient New World canid lineage, Nature (2021). www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-03082-x Journal information: Nature Dire wolves were the last of an ancient New World canid lineage,(2021). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-03082-x

INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumina Foundation has released the first grants from a $15 million Racial Justice and Equity Fund to national and Indianapolis-based organizations that focus on eradicating systemic racism in fields that align with or complement the foundation's work.

"In the wake of George Floyd's brutal death in police custody last year, Lumina reaffirmed our commitment to the Racial Justice and Equity Fund and pledged to support efforts to dismantle systemic racism," said Danette Howard, senior vice president and chief policy officer at Lumina. "Some projects are focused on post high-school education, but others will address different aspects of racial inequity."

Following racial violence at a "Unite the Right" rally in 2017 in Charlottesville, Virginia, and the deadly counterdemonstrations, Lumina's fund awarded more than $2.5 million to advance social justice initiatives. These projects were aimed primarily at improving the climate around race relations on college campuses.

Last July, Lumina announced an additional $15 million commitment during the next three years to fund a wider array of projects. The first of these projects include nearly $3.2 million to 11 organizations:

Prairie View A&M University ($500,000) To support its new Center for Race and Justice , which educates the campus community and the public on combatting racism and bias, provides support for governments and other organizations, and trains leaders who want to lead inclusively.

Report for America ($500,000) To elevate reporting on racial justice issues in local journalism. Recently featured on Morning Joe on MSNBC, Report for American will work with up to eight newsrooms in different states, including Indiana, to hire reporters who can effectively address structural racism through coverage they generate on a broad array of reporting beats.

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law ($325,000) To support postsecondary educational efforts within the Educational Opportunities Project (EOP). Through the project, the Lawyers' Committee the Education Opportunities Project (EOP) specifically works to defend race-conscious admissions policies, dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, promote school integration, and challenge discriminatory discipline practices.

Common Cause Education Fund ($200,000) To support the Student Action Alliance, student voter education, and civic education among students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Maryland.

Vote HBCU Initiative, a collaboration of The Collective Education Fund and Xceleader ($200,000) To organize a national voter registration and engagement project at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The Steve Fund ($200,000) To elevate the need for improved mental health services among college students of color.

National Congress of American Indians ($200,000) To support the Tribal Scholar/Leader Forum, to ensure that Native American scholars can do research across K-12 and higher education systems that document and elevate curricula and practices advancing Native American interests and priorities.

Pay Our Interns ($200,000) To support an expansion of the "Color of Congress" report and advocate for paid internships for students of color. Finding that congressional internships remain racially segregated and largely unpaid, Pay Our Interns advocates to ensure a more equitable internship economy across all work sectors.

Central Indiana Community Foundation ($500,000) To support the Central Indiana Racial Equity Fund , which aims to improve community-police interaction, reduce the disproportionate number of Black youth in the criminal justice system, and increase employment and wealth-building opportunities among people of color.

Center for Global Impact ($100,000) To support The Initiative: Advancing the Blue and Black Partnership. This new effort works to improve community-police relationships by broadening effective, race-conscious community policing and building partnerships.

Christian Theological Seminary's Faith & Action Project ($250,000) To support the initiative, which works with organizations in Marion County, Indiana, to break the cycle of poverty.

About Lumina Foundation

Lumina Foundation is an independent, private foundation in Indianapolis that is committed to making opportunities for learning beyond high school available to all. We envision a system that is easy to navigate, delivers fair results, and meets the nation's need for talent through a broad range of credentials. Our goal is to prepare people for informed citizenship and for success in a global economy.

Media contact: Tracy Chen, Lumina Foundation, [email protected]

SOURCE Lumina Foundation
Photo: The Canadian Press FILE - This undated file image provided by Attorneys for Lisa Montgomery shows Lisa Montgomery. Montgomery who In 2004, killed a pregnant woman, cut a baby from her womb and then passed off the newborn as her own is set to die for the crime. Lisa Montgomery would be the first woman executed by the federal government in some six decades if her execution happens as scheduled on Jan. 12, 2021, at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Ind. (Attorneys for Lisa Montgomery via AP)

The U.S. government's plans to carry out its first execution of a female inmate in nearly seven decades were on hold Tuesday amid a flurry of legal rulings, and two other executions set for later this week were halted because the inmates tested positive for COVID-19.

The three executions were to be the last before President-elect Joe Biden, an opponent of the federal death penalty, is sworn-in next week. Now it's unclear how many additional executions there will be under President Donald Trump, who resumed federal executions in July after 17-year pause. Ten federal inmates have since been put to death.

Lisa Montgomery faced execution Tuesday for killing 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore in 2004. She used a rope to strangle Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, and then cut the baby girl from the womb with a kitchen knife. Montgomery took the child with her and attempted to pass the girl off as her own.

But an appeals court granted a stay of execution Tuesday, shortly after another appeals court lifted an Indiana judge's ruling that found she was likely mentally ill and couldn't comprehend she would be put to death. If a higher court puts the execution back on, Montgomery, the only female on federal death row, would receive a lethal injection at a federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana. By Tuesday night, the Supreme Court lifted a separate injunction that was put in place by the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

Separately, a federal judge for the U.S. District of Columbia halted the scheduled executions later this week of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs in a ruling Tuesday. Johnson, convicted of killing seven people related to his drug trafficking in Virginia, and Higgs, convicted of ordering the murders of three women in Maryland, both tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

Delays of any of this week's scheduled executions beyond Bidens inauguration next Tuesday would likely mean they will not happen any time soon, or ever, since a Biden administration is expected to oppose carrying out federal death sentences.

One of Montgomerys lawyers, Kelley Henry, told The Associated Press Tuesday morning that her client arrived at the Terre Haute facility late Monday night from a Texas prison and that, because there are no facilities for female inmates, she was being kept in a cell in the execution-chamber building itself.

I dont believe she has any rational comprehension of whats going on at all, Henry said.

Montgomery has done needle-point in prison, making gloves, hats and other knitted items as gifts for her lawyers and others, Henry said. She hasnt been able to continue that hobby or read since her glasses were taken away from her out of concern she could kill herself.

All of her coping mechanisms were taken away from her when they locked her down in October when she was informed she had an execution date, Henry said.

Montgomerys legal team says she suffered sexual torture, including gang rapes, as a child, permanently scarring her emotionally and exacerbating mental-health issues that ran in her family.

At trial, prosecutors accused Montgomery of faking mental illness, noting that her killing of Stinnett was premeditated and included meticulous planning, including online research on how to perform a C-section.

Henry balked at that idea, citing extensive testing and brain scans that supported the diagnosis of mental illness.

You cant fake brain scans that show the brain damage, she said.

Henry said the issue at the core of the legal arguments are not whether she knew the killing was wrong in 2004 but whether she fully grasps why she is slated to be executed now.

In his ruling on a stay, U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon in Terre Haute cited defence experts who alleged Montgomery suffered from depression, borderline personality disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Montgomery, the judge wrote, also suffered around the time of the killing from an extremely rare condition called pseudocyesis in which a womans false belief she is pregnant triggers hormonal and physical changes as if she was actually pregnant.

Montgomery also experiences delusions and hallucinations, believing God spoke with her through connect-the-dot puzzles, the judge said, citing defence experts.

The record before the Court contains ample evidence that Ms. Montgomerys current mental state is so divorced from reality that she cannot rationally understand the governments rationale for her execution, the judge said.

The government has acknowledged Montgomerys mental issues but disputes that she cant comprehend that she is scheduled for execution for killing another person because of them.

Details of the crime at times left jurors in tears during her trial.

Prosecutors told the jury Montgomery drove about 170 miles (274 kilometres) from her Melvern, Kansas, farmhouse to the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore under the guise of adopting a rat terrier puppy from Stinnett. She strangled Stinnett performing a crude cesarean and fleeing with the baby.

Prosecutors said Stinnett regained consciousness and tried to defend herself as Montgomery used a kitchen knife to cut the baby girl from her womb. Later that day, Montgomery called her husband to pick her up in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in Topeka, Kansas, telling him she had delivered the baby earlier in the day at a nearby birthing centre.

Montgomery was arrested the next day after showing off the premature infant, Victoria Jo, who is now 16 years old and hasnt spoken publicly about the tragedy.

Prosecutors said the motive was that Montgomerys ex-husband knew she had undergone a tubal ligation that made her sterile and planned to reveal she was lying about being pregnant in an effort to get custody of two of their four children. Needing a baby before a fast-approaching court date, Montgomery turned her focus on Stinnett, whom she had met at dog shows.

Anti-death penalty groups said Trump was pushing for executions prior to the November election in a cynical bid to burnish a reputation as a law-and-order leader.

The last woman executed by the federal government was Bonnie Brown Heady on Dec. 18, 1953, for the kidnapping and murder of a 6-year-old boy in Missouri.

The last woman executed by a state was Kelly Gissendaner, 47, on Sept. 30, 2015, in Georgia. She was convicted of murder in the 1997 slaying of her husband after she conspired with her lover, who stabbed Douglas Gissendaner to death.
Photo: (Photo : pexels.com)

A dad hurries to buy formula milk for his newborn baby in Centurion, South Africa. However, on his way home, he was arrested for violating curfew.

According to reports, he was only 500m away from their house when the police stopped him.

ALSO READ: Important Tips for Parents With Newborn Babies This Winter





Dad hurries to buy formula milk

According to TimesLIVE, the father went to the pharmacy of Netcare Unitas Hospital last Friday. He went to the hospital at around 1 am. The dad hurries to buy formula milk for his newborn baby.

According to the dad's lawyer, Lily Rautenbach, the dad had to hurry because the mom was having a hard time breastfeeding the newborn baby.

The mom and the baby was just discharged from the hospital last January 7.

According to Rautenbach, "The baby didn't get enough nutrition, and therefore the father had to rush to hospital to buy formula."

ALSO READ: Young Boy Loses Both Mom and Dad to Covid-19 Months Apart





Dad got arrested for violating curfew.

As the dad hurries to buy formula milk for his newborn baby, he was stopped by police officers. His lawyer shared that the dad tried to show proof that he bought formula milk for his newborn baby.

Despite such proof, the dad was arrested for violating curfew.

He was released later in the morning but is also scheduled to appear in court soon.

The mom had to fetch the milk.

The lawyer also told news outlets that because the newborn baby had to be fed, the mom had no choice but to fetch the milk.

To get the milk, the mom had to leave her children at home. She also had to bring the newborn baby to the scene and got the formula milk and the car keys. The mom walked going to where her husband was.

ALSO READ: Married Teachers Die from COVID Together While Holding Children's Hands





Police will conduct an internal investigation.

Because the dad tried to show proof of buying the formula milk and was still arrested, the police are viewing the allegations very seriously. That was according to the spokesperson of Gauteng police, Brig Mathapelo Peters.

The provincial commissioner, Lt. Gen. Elias Mawela already ordered an urgent internal investigation.

South Africa implements lockdown regulations.

Because of the second way of infections caused by the new variant of COVID-19, South Africa had to implement lockdown regulations.

During the last week of December, South Africa president, Cyril Ramaphosa, announced the restrictions.

Aside from earlier curfews, a ban on alcohol sales, compulsory mask-wearing, and social gathering protocols were put into place again.

Also, areas like the beach, public parks, and public swimming pools will be closed in hot spot areas. Due to the new COVID-19 variant, several provinces in the country are again on the list of hotspots.

The Level 3 lockdown will be implemented until January 15, 2021.

ALSO READ: Good News to Pregnant Women: Coronavirus Does Not Pass to Newborn Babies During Pregnancy
Washington: Joe Bidens inauguration ceremony next Thursday (AEDT) was already going to be a dramatically scaled-back affair because of coronavirus concerns. The deadly assault on the US Capitol building last week, and fears of further violence in Washington, have only added to the complexities of staging what is usually a packed and pomp-filled event.

Democratic congressman James Clyburn, a close ally of Biden, has said that he expects 75 to 80 per cent of the event will be held virtually.

A two metre fence has been erected around the US Capitol ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration. Credit:Bloomberg

"If anybody saw the Democratic convention [in August] I think you saw a bit of what you will see for the inauguration," Clyburn told CNN recently.

Tickets to the swearing-in ceremony have been limited to members of the Senate and House of Representatives, who will be allowed to bring one guest each.
(Newser)  COVID-19 has killed more than 375,000 Americansbut it may have saved the lives of two federal inmates. A federal judge has halted the executions of Corey Johnson and Dustin Higgs because they have tested positive for the virus, the Hill reports. In what would have been the final executions of President Trump's time in office, Johnson was scheduled to die Thursday and Higgs was to be executed Friday. Johnson was convicted of seven gang-related murders in Virginia and Higgs was convicted of ordering the killings of three Maryland women. Late Monday, another judge halted the Tuesday execution of Lisa Montgomery, who would have been the first woman executed by the federal government in 67 years.

story continues below

President-elect Joe Biden opposes the federal death penalty, meaning the inmates are unlikely to be executed any time soon unless the rulings are overturned before he takes office next week, the AP reports. Higgs and Johnson tested positive for COVID-19 last month. "The court is deeply concerned that the government intends to execute two prisoners who are suffering from COVID-19 infection, particularly given that the disease impacts individuals in drastically different ways and can have particularly devastating long-term effects, even for those with mild symptoms," Judge Tanya Chutkan wrote in her ruling Tuesday, warning that witnesses and prison staff could be exposed to the virus. "The public interest is not served by executing individuals in this manner," she wrote. (Read more execution stories.)
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GovChat has told the Competition Tribunal that Facebook wants to kick them off WhatsApp so Facebook can deal directly with the government to offer similar services.

GovChat describes itself as a civic engagement platform. It offers various government-sanctioned communications services, including information relating to COVID-19 and connecting with government representatives.

As the official citizen engagement platform for the South African Government, GovChat acts as a centralised hub bringing all government and civic services together with cutting-edge conversational AI, intuitive design, and ease of access, the GovChat website states.

In its statements to the Competition Tribunal, GovChat said that Facebook South Africa advised government representatives that GovChat was going to be offboarded from the WhatsApp Business API.

This was because Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, wanted to deal directly with the government to the exclusion of GovChat, it told the Tribunal.

GovChat also argued that Facebook is advantaging companies like Praekelt Consulting Services, which build competing services to GovChat.

It said that Facebook  despite being expressly invited to do so  chose not to disclose the nature of its commercial relationship with Praekelt to the Tribunal.

Instead, it added, Facebook simply stated that there is no inappropriate commercial relationship between Facebook and Praekelt without addressing any of the allegations that GovChat raised.

GovChat contends that Facebook is engaging in discriminatory practices by looking to kick it off of Facebook, but allowing Praekelt to continue to operate along with Aviro Health, Internet Filing, and Telkom Pay.

This is because Facebook is accusing GovChat of violating its terms and conditions in specific ways, yet according to GovChat these other services all do similar things to what it is being accused of.

We do not believe there is a distinction to be made between the services offered by GovChat, Aviro Health, and Internet Filing.

According to Facebook, each government department must have its own WhatsApp Business API account as they must each be vetted separately.

GovChat is therefore not allowed to provide services for one government department using a WhatsApp Business account that was obtained on behalf of another department.

However, GovChat maintained that Praekelt does this and Facebook does not appear to take issue with how they use the WhatsApp Business API.

GovChat also noted to the Tribunal that its system is a successor to Praekelts. Praekelt was originally a partner of GovChat and helped onboard GovChats system to the WhatsApp Business API.

GovChat later moved away from Praekelt to handle the functions it provided internally.

When it was Praekelt doing it, Facebook had no problem, GovChat stated.

The Competition Tribunal asked GovChat what its business model is given that it offers its services for free to government. GovChat declined to answer the question in a public forum.

GovChat has brought an urgent application to the Competition Tribunal to interdict and restrain Facebook from removing it from the WhatsApp platform pending the outcome of a complaint which they submitted to the Competition Commission, or for a period of six months (whichever occurs first).

Heads of argument  GovChat and #LetsTalk

GovChats heads of argument filed with the Competition Tribunal are embedded below.

Head of argument  Facebook and WhatsApp

Facebooks heads of argument filed with the Competition Tribunal are embedded below.

Now read: WhatsApp compared to alternatives Telegram and Signal
When it comes to marijuana, the State of the State could hardly be more absurd.

The NJ Weedman is out there, selling right out in the open, across from Trentons City Hall. Yet the police are still arresting people. And the courts are still scheduling these pointless hearings.

Nobody seems to know if marijuana is legal right now in New Jersey. The voters overwhelmingly approved the Constitutional Amendment to legalize as of Jan. 1, but the governor and Legislature still cant agree on a law to put that into effect.

Voters were very clear: They want to legalize and regulate marijuana for adults, and end these unjust arrests. Its dysfunctional that our political leaders didnt have a plan ready to go.

Theres not that big of a gulf between the Legislature, Governor and advocates, on the substance. We need to legalize weed for adult use only, while keeping it away from the kids.

And rather than arresting kids for having weed, we should find other ways to keep them away from it, like fines, or community service if they cant afford to pay.

But theres a big contradiction in the bills now sitting on the governors desk. One section carries no penalties for kids, while another makes it a crime. That doesnt make a bit of sense. The Legislature screwed up, and now we need to fix it.

The governor also says he never intended to legalize marijuana for kids. Neither did voters: The ballot question was to legalize it for those age 21 and older.

One bill is too harsh, the other is too soft. So work it out.

The governor and the Legislature almost did. Under a tentative deal, those aged 18 to 20 would be fined or assigned community service, and those who are younger would get warnings or participate in drug education or treatment programs, but pay no fines.

Then Sen. Ron Rice, who heads the Black Caucus, objected. His concern is that cops could use the marijuana prohibition as the new excuse to stop and frisk Black youths. So the deal fell apart.

That concern is overblown. Yes, theres good reason to be wary about any police interactions with Black and brown children. But this reform doesnt give police new tools to interact with kids on the street. Cops have that ability now. What it would do is lessen the degree of that interaction, by ensuring that kids arent arrested.

Rice, a 75-year-old former Newark cop and a fierce opponent of legalization from the get-go, declined to discuss his concerns. But in earlier discussions, he memorably warned that legalization would lead to marijuana bodegas on every corner, and signal to our children that marijuana should be promoted.

It seems unlikely that he wants to effectively legalize marijuana for kids, either. At the end of the day, this reform was never meant to cure every injustice, to completely rid the criminal legal system or policing of bias.

What it does is stop the arrests, which will have a huge impact on the people whose lives are upended by unjust criminalization. That is, if the governor and the Legislature can finally get this done.

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Srinagar, Jan 13 : Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday visited the family of goldsmith Satpal Nischal, who was killed by terrorists at his shop at Saraibala on December 31, and expressed solidarity with the bereaved kin.

Strongly condemning the killing, Sinha conveyed his condolences and asserted that such despicable and cowardly acts would not go unpunished.

The Lt Governor said that a high-level investigation had already been initiated, while assured the family that the culprits would be brought to justice very soon.

The family told Sinha that they had been living in Kashmir for the last 50 years and had very cordial relations with the locals.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
A FATHER-of-three was arrested at a Dart station after he shouted drunken profanities and called security staff "dirty rats".

Shane McDonald (34) had "no memory" of the public order disturbance he caused at a station in north Dublin, a court heard.

Judge Bryan Smyth fined him 200 at Dublin District Court.

McDonald, of Woodavens, Clondalkin, admitted to public intoxication, as well as threatening, abusive and insulting behaviour.

The court heard gardai responded to a report of an aggressive man at Howth Dart station on the evening of last June 6.

Remorseful

When they arrived, they saw that the accused, who was being restrained by staff, was in an intoxicated state, roaring profanities, shouting threats at security and calling them "dirty rats".

He was told to stop and was arrested by gardai.

The accused had a number of previous convictions.

McDonald, who had a history of addiction, had no memory of the incident in the Dart station and was extremely remorseful, his lawyer said.

The accused was due to start a community employment scheme, he added.

Judge Smyth fined him on the breach of the peace charge and took the other count into consideration in view of the guilty plea he had entered.

He said McDonald could pay the fine either in one lump sum or in instalments.
A row has broken out over delays in offering the Covid-19 vaccine to GPs who are in the frontline of patient care as thousands of people test positive for the virus.

Worried GPs have warned they have been overlooked for access to the Covid-19 vaccine despite being at risk of contracting the virus.

It comes as a key tool in the HSE's Covid-19 vaccine plan has suffered a setback after a new online system to allow GPs to register to get the jab for themselves failed to get up and running yesterday.

Read More

Members of the public will be asked to use the same portal in a number of months when there is more vaccines for the wider population.

The plan was to launch the portal first for GPs most of whom are still without the first dose of the vaccine despite working in the frontline.

However, the failure of the portal to materialise has left family doctors angry and frustrated.

Drogheda GP Dr Ruairi Hanley said: "GPs and practice nurses must be immunised as soon as possible.

"This is not just for their sake and the sake of their patients but also because in a matter of weeks the AstraZeneca vaccine will arrive and GPs will be expected to immunise millions of people.

"How can they do that if many of them become infected?

The first people you should vaccinate are the vaccinators.

"It is a basic principle that the HSE is apparently struggling to grasp."

"Some GPs have managed to get vaccinated thanks to the generosity of local hospitals on an ad hoc basis.

"Basically they had some spare vaccines.

"Local GPs took some initiative and they got sorted out. Well done to all involved."

But while most welcome it, this spontaneous, haphazard approach is clearly not a coordinated plan.

Read More

"Other GPs in other parts of the country are still waiting for clarity as are their nurses.

"All hospitals should immediately be given the necessary supplies to vaccinate all GPs and their nurses in their respective areas as a matter of urgency."

There is also frustration at claims that some HSE backroom staff and retired doctors have received the vaccine in advance of frontline health workers.

Asked if backroom health staff and retired medics were vaccinated before frontline workers the HSE said it has no specific accounts of deviation from a reasonable approach to prioritisation.

But if any specific incidents of inappropriate prioritisation for vaccine are identified this will be addressed.

"The HSE is considering developing principles to guide prioritisation for the healthcare worker vaccination programmes," said a spokeswoman.

"These principles will form the basis for detailed guidance.

"Broadly speaking the principles will be that priority is based on the exposure risk in the context of the work done by the healthcare worker and will not be based on grade or work location."




Closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High 'impacts our entire town'

The Washington County Board of Education held a public hearing on the closing of Hancock Middle-Senior High School; the crowd pleaded against it.
ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jennifer Schulte has joined Prolific Banking Inc. as vice president of technology to lead the development team of this growing fintech now headquartered in a new Midtown Atlanta office.

Schulte brings 20 years of experience in Commercial Banking, Treasury Management, Payments and Financial Technology, and has managed cross-functional teams in the planning, development, delivery, and support of a world-class commercial services platform.

Her combined talent and experience provide the unique ability to be both strategic in her views of product management and technology, and, at the same time, detailed in every aspect of business analysis, systems architecture, quality assurance and project management.

"I am excited to have Jennifer join the executive team as she brings energy, experience, and an impressive array of skill sets to the organization," said Scott Graf, who leads Prolific Banking as Founder and President. "She is the ideal person to drive the design and development of a high quality, next generation technology platform to support commercial digital engagement and our new enrollment-as-a-service product known as On-Ramp."

Prolific Banking has located its headquarters at 1230 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 2520, Atlanta in the Promenade building. Promenade is a 691 feet tall skyscraper completed in 1990 with 40 stories of Class A+ office space and is currently the seventh-tallest skyscraper in Atlanta.

For additional information about Prolific Banking, or to learn more, please visit: www.prolificbanking.com or call us at: 470-481-1049

SOURCE Prolific Banking Inc.

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MASON CITY, Iowa - The pandemic has had an effect on calls for service for the Mason City Police Department.

Data shows that there were nearly a thousand fewer calls for service in 2020 (18,789, compared to 19,582 the year prior). Numbers for traffic citations (1,458 in 2019; 864 in 2020), written warnings (1,458 in 2019; 864 in 2020), crash reports (1,044 in 2019; 741 in 2020) and traffic stops (2,834 in 2019; 1,526 in 2020) were all down.

Chief Jeff Brinkley attributes the drop to more people staying inside, and has found this pattern at other departments.

"A lot of our night shift guys said they can roll up to the street at 9 o'clock, and there's not much going on after that. That was a pretty consistent theme from our local partners, local law enforcement agencies, talked to some troopers that said the same thing. Not a lot out there."

While numbers declined during the first three months of the pandemic, levels in all categories have since rebounded, and Brinkley feels it's likely that levels will go back to a normal average this year.

"We track stats like that at the state level in terms of annual fatalities and that sort of thing. There's a certain amount of...you congest the road of cars, we're going to have some accidents. People are distracted, not paying attention, there's weather. There are causes for those things."

As some departments and groups like Mothers Against Drunk Driving rely on revenue to come from traffic citations and tickets, Brinkley says that revenue is dealt with at the state level, with little to none of that revenue coming back to the local level, and that the department largely relies on other funding sources like property taxes.
Fears are growing that January will bring a grim death toll from coronavirus as 46 Covid-19 related fatalities were reported yesterday while hospitals struggled with a rising tide of patients struck by the disease.

Hospitals are having to convert more wards to provide temporary intensive-care beds as Covid-19 admissions reached another milestone of 1,692.

The number of patients in intensive care rose to 158, surpassing the peak of 155 in spring.

It comes as the number of people newly diagnosed with the virus fell to 3,098, sparking hopes that the surge is levelling off at last and that lockdown measures are having an impact.

All but two of the Covid-19 related deaths occurred in January with the others happening in December, highlighting the deadly impact the virus is having once again, predominantly in older age groups.

Chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said: "Unfortunately we are seeing the effect of the recent surge of infections reflected in the increased mortality we are reporting.

"Unfortunately, due to the unsustainably high level of Covid-19 infection we have experienced as a country over the past few weeks, sadly these figures are likely to continue for the next period of time.

"What we can do today, out of respect for those who have lost their lives and those currently in hospital or ICU - and those caring for them - is to hold firm and stay home."

Deputy chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn pointed out that "at least one in three patients admitted to hospital or critical care in January have been under the age of 65 years.

"This clearly demonstrates that Covid-19 affects us all, regardless of age or underlying condition.

"It highlights the need for us all to protect one another by staying at home.

"Not only will you keep yourself and your loved ones safe, but also help avoid more preventable Covid-19 admissions to our currently struggling healthcare system."

Of the new cases reported yesterday, 604 were in Galway, 574 in Dublin, 466 in Mayo, 187 in Cork and 138 in Limerick.

Dr Brian Kinirons, consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care at University Hospital Galway said: "We are seeing a diverse group in intensive care.

"Certainly there are younger patients. Initially many of our patients would be in their 60s, 70s or older. We have patients in their 80s.

"But we have patients who are a lot younger and in their 50s. The message is that youth does not necessarily protect you."

He said the more underlying illnesses a patient has the greater their risk of mortality.

"We are seeing a change in the profile of the patients and the transmissability of the virus is remarkable this time."

He said the hospital has effectively had to be given over to the medical care of Covid-19 patients.

"Six wards are now dedicated to Covid-19 patients," he added, paying tribute to his colleagues for their dedication.

The forecast is that there could be between 2,000 to 2,500 Covid-19 patients in hospital nationally in up to two weeks' time and 200 to 400 patients needing intensive care.

Hoping

Meanwhile, new figures show how congregated settings like nursing homes are bearing the brunt again of the surge in the virus.

There were 52 outbreaks in nursing homes last week, up from 30 the previous week.

Figures show 49 outbreaks in residential institutions, an increase of 39 from the previous week.

Many nursing homes are hoping vaccines will come in time before another dangerous spread.

It comes as six residents at Droimnin Nursing Home in Stradbally, Co Laois, died in the past week after contracting Covid-19, just days before they were due to receive their first dose of the vaccine.

The outbreak led to 52 of the 65 residents testing positive for the virus, with 33 of the 75 staff also contracting the disease.

The first doses of vaccine were due to be given to residents of Droimnin on January 19 but this has had to be postponed as a protective measure, given the latest surge in Covid cases.
ALTON  Simmons Hanly Conroy has announced the promotion of four attorneys to shareholder.

The firms new shareholders are Holly Nighbert, Brendan A. Smith, Gary DiMuzio and Sanford Sandy Smokler. Nighbert and Smith are based in the firms Alton office, while DiMuzio and Smokler work out of New York.

These four attorneys represent a wide range of our firms capabilities, seeking justice for those harmed by pharmaceutical and medical devices, mesothelioma and other environmental hazards, sexual abuse and more, said Simmons Hanly Conroy Chairman John Simmons. Their promotions are well-deserved, and I look forward to their future success for our clients.

Since joining the firm in 2012, Nighbert has helped recover millions of dollars on her clients behalf. Her practice focuses on complex and pharmaceutical litigation, representing individuals and communities affected by dangerous drugs or defective medical devices. Her representative cases include DePuy Pinnacle hip implants, Invokana, Lipitor, Propecia, transvaginal mesh and most recently prescription opioids.

She served on the trial team for all three bellwether trials in the DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant multidistrict litigation (MDL), which secured more than $1.7 billion in verdicts. Currently, she represents county and municipal governments from more than 18 states against the pharmaceutical companies in the National Prescription Opiates MDL. Nighbert earned her J.D. from the University of Dayton School of Law.

A member of the Complex Litigation Department, Smith focuses primarily on sexual abuse, pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. He litigates cases nationwide, representing thousands of clients who have been harmed by products such as Elmiron, testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), Essure, Zofran and Xarelto.

He recently served in a liaison counsel capacity in the TRT MDL and supported the Plaintiffs Steering Committee in executing the complex terms of the litigations four master settlement agreements. The federal and state litigation included 8,000 cases filed against more than 20 pharmaceutical defendants. Before joining the firm, Smith served as a law clerk for several judges and received his J.D. from the Saint Louis University School of Law.

DiMuzio joined the firm in 2019, bringing 25 years of litigation experience, most recently as of counsel at a Virginia firm while also managing his own Texas-based firm. During his career, he has successfully represented plaintiffs in a wide variety of cases involving mesothelioma, lung cancer, leukemia, liver cancer, silicosis, plant explosions and environmental contamination.

He recently served as lead trial attorney for one of the first in-person trials in Louisiana courts post-COVID. The case involved plaintiff Henry Pete who was diagnosed with mesothelioma after unloading raw asbestos from New Orleans docks in the late 1960s. The trial resulted in a $10 million jury verdict, one of the largest results for a single plaintiff in the history of the state. DiMuzio earned his J.D. at the University of Houston Law Center.

Smokler brings more than 24 years of experience to the Complex Litigation Department. Focusing his practice on mass torts including medical device, pharmaceutical and opioid litigation, Smoklers role centers on discovery, fact investigation and evidence development.

His strategic and clear thinking approach to breaking down complex topics during a trial has secured significant results, specifically the bellwether trials for both the DePuy Pinnacle and National Prescription Opiate MDLs, which resulted in billions of dollars awarded in verdicts and settlements. In addition, he was a member of the first Bextra personal injury trial team in the United States, a case that led to an $894 million settlement. Smokler received his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School.

Simmons Hanly Conroy is one of the nations largest mass tort law firms. Primary areas of litigation include asbestos and mesothelioma, pharmaceutical, consumer protection, environmental and personal injury. The firms attorneys have been appointed to leadership in numerous national multidistrict litigations, including Prescription Opiates, Vioxx, Toyota Unintended Acceleration, BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, DePuy Pinnacle and the Volkswagen Emission Scandal. Offices are located in Alton, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco and St. Louis.

For more details visit www.simmonsfirm.com.

## #
A police officer who sprayed his friend with 10 bullets at Nyari police station in Westlands, Nairobi was Tuesday charged with murder.

Through a virtual session, Police Constable Edgar Mokamba appeared before Justice Daniel Ogembo at Milimani High Court, where he denied the murder charge.

State prosecutors did not object to his release on bail They instead asked the judge to order a pre-bail report so that they know where the accused will be staying during the pendency of the trial.

The officers lawyer, Danstan Omari, told the court that due to the good gesture by the State not to object bail, Mokamba was willing to take a plea bargain.

The case will be mentioned this Friday to confirm if the pre-bail report will be ready before he is granted bail by the court.

RELATED: Miraa Chewing Cop Who Shot Friend 10 Times Says He Was Aiming At Suspected Terrorist
"The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the growth of 3D printing. 3D printing technology significantly reduces time of production and saves cost from demand on expensive modeling in manufacturing. We are happy to see our products were widely used in production of facial masks and breathing valves in Europe," says James Ouyang, Vice President of R&D at Anycubic. "Moving forward, Anycubic will continue to invest in R&D and diverse partnerships to launch 3D printing equipment and solutions that are reliable, easily deployed, and in line with actual production needs."

Committed to propelling 3D printing technology so as to enable people from all walks of life to unleash their imagination and turn creativity into reality, Anycubic has been in pursuit of product innovation. The Mega SE, a beginner-friendly fused deposition modeling (FDM) machine, adopts a patented, glass lattice structure, which prevents warping, ensures sticking when heated, and is easily handled when cooled. The blue Capricorn high-temperature Teflon tube enables smooth material insertion, while the TMC2208 silent drive ensures a quiet printing environment. The high-performance, dual-gear extruder realizes excellent printing results, offering incredible innovation in the entry-level segment. Moreover, as a modular printer, it can be assembled in five easy steps, while its large leveling nut reduces leveling difficulty, easing the process for beginners.

The Wash & Cure Plus, which inherits the series' signature features while offering a size upgrade, solves the post-processing needs faced by large-size, light curing models. It can be matched with Anycubic's high-speed, resin 3D printer Mono X to realize cleaning and curing in just one step, serving as an extremely cost-effective solution that saves time, effort, and money.

Anycubic also presents Mono X which is one of its most popular models of 2020. Revolutionizing its category, it offers a monochrome LCD screen that prints up to 4 times faster and is 3 times more durable than a regular LCD screen, at an extremely competitive price of around USD700. The product has been widely used in biomedicine, education, scientific research, jewelry and parts production, and more, with its contribution widely felt across industries.

About Anycubic

Shenzhen Anycubic Technology Co., Ltd, known as Anycubic, is a high-tech 3D printer brand that covers R&D, production, and sales. Established in 2015, it has gone from a dynamic start-up to a 500-strong team. In line with its slogan - For Freedom to Make, Anycubic continues to expand its product range, serving different fields such as education, industrial design, jewelry, medical care, animation, Garage kit and more.

For more information, please visit:

Official website: https://www.anycubic.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ANYCUBIC3dprinter/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anycubicofficial/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/anycubic3dprint

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ANYCUBIC3D

Or contact us at: [email protected]

SOURCE Anycubic

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One dead, three injured in retaining wall collapse

A 10-foot retaining wall under repair collapsed on Wednesday morning, killing one person and injuring three others, triggering an enormous emergency response from EMTs, firefighters and law officers and shutting down Spartanburg Highway in both directions for more than four hours.

Construction workers were pouring concrete at the base of wall in the parking lot at Hajoca Corp. at 1027 Spartanburg Highway when the wall collapsed around 9:30 a.m. Upon arrival, emergency responders assessed the scene and began rescue and recovery efforts. City spokeswoman Allison Justus said in an email that emergency personnel confirmed one fatality when they arrived. On Wednesday the city had not released the names of man who was killed and the others who were injured, pending notification of their family.

When firefighters arrived, one of the five men on the construction crew told the responders that four coworkers were trapped in the wall collapse, said Hendersonsonville Fire Chief James Miller.

"The first person that we had rapid access to" was rescued and transported by ambulance to Pardee Hospital and later transferred to the trauma unit at Mission Hospital. "The second patient was a critical trauma patient" who was also hospitalized. The emergency response team requested two helicopters. Mission's MAMA chopper was grounded by bad weather. Two others came from Greenville Regional Hospital and Spartanburg Region 1. The third patient was rescued 30 to 45 minutes later and airlifted by the Spartanburg air ambulance. The last one was deceased under the debris. "We spent numerous hours trying to lift the wall and get him out," Miller said. "We understood there was no possible survival so we worked on the other patients and waited until they were all removed" before recovering the body of the deceased worker.

The emergency activated the unified command, an organized and drilled response that brings responders from all over, including Buncombe County's emergency task force, the city of Hendersonville water and sewer department, the county Rescue Squad, numerous fire & rescue departments and others. City police officers watched security camera footage to make sure there were no more than five victims at the scene, Miller said.

The workers were employed by a contractor, not by Hajoca. "They were pouring concrete along the foundation between the asphalt and the wall," Miller said. "Law enforcement will continue to look into that further." The N.C. Department of Labor and OSHA were on the scene and had already opened an investigation, which is required in a workplace death.

The wall, 10 to 12 feet tall and 100 to 150 feet long, "basically fell over," Miller said. "There didn't appear to be any tiebacks of any sort. ... It appeared they were all working in one area when the wall came down. We were told they were working in the trench area (pouring concrete) just at the base of the wall between the asphalt parking lot and the block wall."

In a post-accident debriefing, the fire department will "talk about what went well and what didn't go well so we can make improvements and get better and better," Miller said. "Obviously something this significant and tragic, we want to meet with our members and make sure that they're not dealing with the after effects of dealing with death and trauma. Unfortunately, when people are injured this significantly, they're screaming out and there's not a whole lot we can do when a wall's on top of them, so that's pretty traumatic for some of the individuals. We want to make sure they understand that they did everything they could and sometimes getting people out from a trapped environment takes time."

Although a remaining partial wall was shored up by the Rescue Squad, it's expected that the wall will be taken down so it poses no risk.

The wall, on the western edge side of the Hajoca property near the high bridge on Spartanburg Highway, had been damaged by heavy rains a couple of weeks ago, said Chris Cormier, the owner of Carolina Specialties construction company, who had driven to the scene to see what was going on. Cormier said he looked at the job to consider doing the repair but did not end up taking on the project.

"I don't know who got it," he said. "When I heard about (the collapse) I didn't realize they were building it back."

A woman who answered the phone at Hajoca said the company had no additional information.

"No, we're dealing with it," she said. "That's all I've got for you."

One of the oldest businesss in the North Carolina mountains, Hajoca Corp., founded in 1858, bills itself as the premier plumbing supply and kitchen and bath showroom in Western North Carolina. The name Hajoca comes from the last names of the original founders, Haines, Jones and Cadbury.

"We pride ourselves on three key business principles: Service, Integrity and Reliability. These very principles have served our people and our customers very well for over 155 years," the company said on its website.

Before noon investigators had already notified the county building permit office of the collapse and asked whether a contractor had pulled a building permit for the work.

"We are checking into that now," said Denisa Lauffer, who heads the permitting office. "They are checking to see if that project was permitted."

Later, County Attorney Russ Burrell confirmed that the county had not issued a building a permit, though work on a wall that size would require a building permit and an engineering plan.

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY. RETURN TO THE LIGHTNING FOR UPDATES.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A Queens man with a history of arrests on Staten Island is now facing a weapons-related charge amid the ongoing U.S. Capitol investigation, according to a law enforcement source.

Police on Tuesday raided the home of Eduard Florea, 40, in Middle Village, Queens, where they arrested him on a charge of possessing ammunition while being a convicted felon, the source said.

Florea was due to appear virtually in Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday afternoon.

The defendant appeared on the FBIs radar after he allegedly posted online about mobilizing an armed caravan to D.C. around the time of last weeks siege on the Capitol, the Daily News reported.

He is not believed to have been at the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot, the News reported.

Five people died during the ordeal, including a police officer who clashed with rioters.

Florea was arrested in 2014 when police said they saw him transporting a cache of weapons from his Tottenville home into a vehicle.

SMALL ARSENAL ON STATEN ISLAND

In 2014, Florea was arrested after police observed him taking what appeared to be gun cases out of his former Tottenville home and placing them into the trunk of a silver Audi sedan, according to the criminal complaint in that case.

When officers pulled over the car a short distance from the home, they found 13 weapons, ranging from air pistols to a semiautomatic shotgun, the complaint alleged.

Upon returning to Floreas home, police found an additional firearm  a .50-caliber Colt AR-15  and 187 rounds of ammunition in the attic, according to the complaint. They found 175 more rounds of ammo inside an open safe and another 20 rounds on top of a computer server in the living room, the complaint alleged.

Florea who at the time was working as an information technology director at a firm in Charleston was not authorized to possess any of the assault weapons, rifles or ammunition that were recovered, police had said.

In a photo obtained in 2014 by the Advance/SILive.com, Florea is seen at a gun range wearing a T-shirt that read Sniper  if you run youll only die tired.

He pleaded guilty to felony gun charges in that case and was sentenced to a year in jail.

That same year, a judge granted Floreas wife a full stay-away order of protection amid allegations of domestic violence. However, the courts later agreed to dismiss that charge if Florea stayed out of trouble for about six months.

OTHER NYERS ARRESTED

Florea was the third person arrested in the New York City area on charges that were connected to the probe of the Jan. 6 riot, PIX 11 reported.

In Brooklyn, 34-year-old Aaron Mostofskythe son of a New York City judge was arrested at his home after being seen inside the U.S. Capitol. He was photographed wearing an animal pelt, police body armor and carrying a Capitol Police shield.

Authorities also arrested Metro-North worker Will Pepe, who was was expected to be arraigned Wednesday morning in White Plains, according to the report.

The MTA told reporters Friday that Pepe was suspended without pay after calling in sick to take part in the events at the Capitol building.
When asked why the society was changing its official position at the last moment, its president, Professor Gilda Tachedjian, said: Thats for us to know and you to find out. One reason is we dont want to undermine the confidence in the vaccine. And we dont have the full picture. We need to go with the most effective vaccine so we can have herd immunity. But we just dont have the full picture at the moment with the AstraZeneca vaccine." Professor Stephen Turner, president of the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology. Credit:Joe Armao Speaking before the virology society's position changed, vice-president and spokeswoman Professor Heidi Drummer said 62 per cent effectiveness was not enough to achieve herd immunity. We should wait to see what data AstraZeneca provides to demonstrate higher levels of efficacy can be achieved with their vaccine and opt to use vaccines that achieve the highest level of efficacy to achieve herd immunity, whichever they are," she said.

Loading If it is 62 per cent efficacy, and that comes out in their further trials, I think there is a really good argument to make for the federal government to invest in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and use that in the wider community. Professor Drummer later said she "had to stand by what the president says". "I dont oppose the rollout of the vaccine provided we can see more data that shows that 90 per cent efficacy can be achieved, she said. Herd immunity means that such a large portion of the population is immune that a virus can no longer circulate and is eliminated.

Associate Professor James Wood, a University of NSW vaccine modeller and member of the federal governments Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, said herd immunity was the long game, and providing a vaccine that could protect life immediately was much more important, particularly given Australia had so far only bought enough Pfizer vaccine for 5 million people. Phase three trial results from the AstraZeneca vaccine published in The Lancet this month show the vaccine was 62.1 per cent effective at preventing disease when given in standard doses. However, in a small group of volunteers who accidentally received a lower dose, that rate rose to 90 per cent, creating significant uncertainty over the vaccines true effectiveness. Not a single person given proper doses of the vaccine developed severe COVID-19. Vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer have achieved greater than 90 per cent effectiveness, probably high enough to force the virus out of circulation if widely administered, Professor Drummer said. The Australian government has secured 53.8 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with two injections required per person.

It remains unproven if any of the vaccines can prevent transmission of coronavirus. Professor Drummer said clinical data suggested the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were far more likely to do so than AstraZeneca's, but more studies needed to be conducted. Dr Andrew Miller, president of the Australian Medical Associations Western Australia branch, said a vaccine that did not provide herd immunity would not meet the publics expectations about returning to pre-COVID normal. We need it to be over 70 per cent effective  preferably over 80 per cent  to prevent significant transmission still continuing in the community, he said. We've got plenty of money, and we have got plenty of time because we have very good disease control. Why would we settle for the second-best option?

Professor Julian Rait, president of the AMAs Victorian branch, said judgment on the AstraZeneca vaccine should be reserved until more data was available. Burnet Institute director Professor Brendan Crabb said the federal government did a good job with limited information in choosing its vaccine candidates, but it should now review Australia's reliance on the AstraZeneca vaccine. Examine newsletter Science and health explained and analysed with a rigorous focus on the evidence. Examine is a weekly newsletter by science reporter Liam Mannix. Coming soon, sign up now. He said while AstraZeneca still might prove more effective in reality than clinical trials have suggested, at this stage the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were looking significantly better at stopping people from getting COVID-19. Personally, I'd much rather have AstraZeneca than nothing. I would have it tomorrow. It is a highly safe and effective vaccine, he said.

But would I have a more effective one if I could? Yes I would. Health Minister Greg Hunt denied on Tuesday the suggestion that administering AstraZenecas vaccine essentially meant the government was giving up on herd immunity. We are listening to the Australian government medical experts. They are the ones choosing the vaccines. They have chosen on the basis an mRNA vaccine has never ever been done before for anything. There is a very strong history of different types of conventional vaccine being rolled out with high effectiveness. Its important to note that the results also show up to 90 per cent effectiveness more generally, with final results to come. And up to 100 per cent in relation to severe illness. A spokesman for the Health Department said people should be cautious around making assessments of its efficacy until the full data is released and the [Therapeutic Goods Administration] approval process has been conducted.

Loading The government confirmed last year that people would be allowed to purchase vaccines privately. A spokeswoman for AstraZeneca said the company had always maintained that various vaccines would be needed to combat COVID-19. "More data will continue to accumulate, refining the efficacy reading and characterising vaccine efficacy over a longer period of time." The number of people who need to be vaccinated to achieve herd immunity is known as the "critical vaccination level". It is calculated based on how effectively a virus is transmitting in a population.

Loading The more infectious the virus, the higher the critical level. But our behaviour also plays a role. In places with better social distancing, we are already making it harder for the virus to spread, lowering the critical level. Evidence suggests on average around the world every person infected with COVID-19 will go on to infect between two and three other people. To achieve herd immunity and end the pandemic, vaccines need to lower that average to below one  so that, over time, the virus dies out. This may have been achievable in Australia using AstraZenecas vaccine, Professor Wood said.
Groupe Renault and Plug Power Inc. have signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) to launch a 50-50 joint-venture based in France by the end of the first half of 2021, targeting more than 30% share of the fuel cell-powered light commercial vehicle (LCV) market in Europe.

Bringing complementary and competitive strengths together, this joint venture will build on Groupe Renaults experience in new energies and strong position in electric light commercial vehicles and on Plug Powers 20 years of experience in fuel cell technologies and hydrogen solutions.

A global leader in hydrogen solutions, Plug Power has deployed more than 40,000 fuel cell systems, designed and built 110 refueling stations that dispense more than 40 tons of hydrogen daily, and is a technology leader in green hydrogen solutions via electrolysis.

The JV, which will start commercializing fuel cell LCVs in Europe starting in 2021 with pilot fleet deployments, intends to offer products and solutions designed around 3 key pillars:

R&D: Groupe Renault and Plug Power intend to establish an Innovation Center for the development of fuel cell technology and hydrogen fuel cell LCV vehicles based on existing and future Groupe Renault platforms. The initial focus will be on the heavy van segment utilizing the Trafic and Master vehicle platforms. This center will be unique in combining R&D efforts of fuel cell and vehicles with integrated engineering teams.

Manufacturing: the joint-venture will combine the vehicle manufacturing capabilities of Groupe Renault with the fuel cell and hydrogen system manufacturing knowledge of Plug Power, establishing a vertically integrated fuel cell stack and system manufacturing center in France for integration into LCV vehicle platforms. In addition, this manufacturing center will provide hydrogen refueling systems, a key part of the hydrogen ecosystem.

Sales: this partnership will create a hydrogen vehicle eco-system solution company that offers vehicles, hydrogen fueling stations, hydrogen fuel, and services to customers. This comprehensive solutions approach will accelerate adoption by commercial fleets.

Groupe Renault and Plug Power will provide the stand-alone joint-venture with the required resources to achieve its objectives. Finalization of this joint venture project is pending on the conditions normally applicable to this kind of operation, among which the presentation to employee representative bodies in accordance with applicable regulations and the potential clearance from the relevant competition authorities and should be completed by the end of the first half of 2021.
According to Minister of Information and Communication Nguyen Manh Hung, the second innovation is digital transformation. The Information and Communication Ministry has embarked on new missions, a new space and new energy.

Minister Nguyen Manh Hung. Photo: Trong Dat

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) yesterday held a conference to outline orientations for the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector ahead in 2021 and beyond.

In his opening speech, Minister Hung said that humans are living in both a fast changing and unpredictable world where they move from the real world to the digital world. In the move from the real world to the digital world, great challenges and great opportunities always go hand in hand. Digital technology, digital transformation and the media play a particularly important role in this transformation. This therefore requires the ICT sector to grasp opportunities and address challenges in an effective manner in order to meet the ambitions set out in the Make-in-Vietnam strategy.

The ICT sector has never had such a big mission as it has now. And this is also a rare opportunity for the ICT industry to reposition itself, to realize challenges and identify new living spaces that are decisive for development, he said.

Great achievements

The ICT sectors achievements in recent years made specific contributions to making Vietnam a powerful and prosperous country.

In the past 5 years, the postal sector has had unprecedented strong growth with an average rate of over 30% per year. In 2020, the total revenue of postal services reached over VND35 trillion, contributing to the state budget VND2.4 trillion. Vietnam currently has 555 postal businesses; 90% of communes have postal service points; 89% of postal service points have an Internet connection.

Vietnam can manufacture up to 90% of network safety and security products. Photo: Trong Dat

2020 was the year Vietnam started implementing the national digital transformation program. Based on digital platforms, online public services at level 4 increased dramatically in 2020, reaching over 30%, exceeding the set target. So far, 5 ministries and 28 provinces and cities have issued resolutions and plans to implement digital transformation.

One of the biggest successes of Vietnam in 2020 is the comprehensive universalization of awareness of digital transformation in society. This is reflected in the participation of the entire population against the Covid-19 epidemic.

In the past 5 years, Vietnam's telecommunications industry also developed spectacularly. The proportion of people using mobile phones increased sharply. Vietnam ranked 2nd in ASEAN, 4th in Asia and 10th in the world for the use of 6th generation (IPv6) Internet addresses on.

Telecommunication enterprises contributed to the State budget an average of over VND40 trillion a year. Vietnam's telecommunications ranking increased by 31 spots, from 108th in 2018 to 77th in 2020.

The rapid development of 5G is the most impressive feature of Vietnam's telecommunications industry in 2020. In December 2020, 5G commercial service was tested in Vietnam and this added Vietnam to the group of pioneers in the 5G race around the world.

Online public services have become popular in Vietnam. Photo: Trong Dat

2020 was the year Vietnam successfully hosted the online Digital World Exhibition and Conference 2020, with the participation of 150 countries and economies.

In 2020, campaigns to scan and remove malware on a large scale were effectively deployed. The country ranked second in Southeast Asia, after Singapore, for mobile malware control.

The MIC initially launched the Make-in-Vietnam strategy in 2019, with the primary goal of developing 100,000 digital technology enterprises which serve as the cornerstone for the Vietnamese digital transformation process.

At present, a total of 60,000 enterprises have been established, a rise of 28% compared to the pre-2019 period.

Global ranking increases in various subfields of the industry have been the proof of this contribution. The post rose from the 57th position to 49th, ICT from 108th to 77th, e-government from 89th to 86th, and cybersecurity from 100th to an impressive position of 50th.

With the introduction of the scheme Make in Vietnam, the number of businesses in the field has witnessed a development of 28 percent. Human resources in the ICT industry grew from 780,000 people to over 1 million. Remarkably, the post has maintained its average revenue growth of 30 percent per year.

More importantly, Vietnam now stands at the second position in the world for mobile phone and parts manufacturing, and tenth in electronic parts production. These two have helped ICT become the industry with the largest export surplus in the Vietnamese economy.

Most notably, 2019 alone saw an export surplus in the hardware and electronics industry at an estimated US$28 billion, and Vietnam ranked 13th in the world for digital technology services.

Throughout the 2016 to 2019 period, the country rose to become one of the worlds leading hardware and electronics producers in the telecommunications industry. It also ranked second in terms of manufacturing phones and components, and 10th in manufacturing electronics and components.

These groups of products represent two of the top 10 main Vietnamese export items, making the ICT sector the economys largest exporter.

Last year, MIC restructured the press system and focused on fighting fake news. The number of press agencies fell by 71, to 779 in total.

At the event, MIC introduced the Information Portal tingia.gov.vn as well as the Hotline 18008108 to receive reports on fake news related to state and private organizations, businesses, and individuals. The portal also acts as a bulletin board to announce proven fake news and its real counterpart.

The portal is under the management of Vietnam Anti-Fake News Center (VAFC), a member of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information. The center will receive, detect, and assess the authenticity of reported news, then label it as fake news when needed and post the real version for comparison. The center will regularly update methods to identify and handle fake news as well.

The Ministry of Information and Communications has established a center for handling fake news in Vietnam. Photo: Trong Dat

Also at the meeting, MIC announced its program, co-organized with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Vietnam Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, to support small and medium businesses in their digital transformation process, especially during the sensitive time of Covid-19 pandemic.

MIC has evaluated and selected these 12 Make-in-Vietnam platforms taking part in the program, namely MISA ASP, an accounting service platform, Novaon Onfluencer, an online advertising platform, Giga1, a product distribution platform, VnPay and Momo, two online payment platforms, StringeeX, a customer care platform, 1Office, a comprehensive business administration platform, BizFly, a platform for stores and restaurants, EZCloud, a platform for hotels and recreation spots, CyRadar, a cybersecurity platform, Consultant Anywhere, a consultation platform, and Vietnamworks, a recruitment platform.

These platforms plan to offer various incentive policies like free 3-month trial time, a discount of 50 percent for a 1-year contract, free training and consultation sessions. Further information is available at sme.mic.gov.vn and smedx.vn.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam

Addressing the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said that 2020 was a special year given the unexpected difficulties but with spectacular progress made. Vietnam managed to overcome major challenges while strengthening national pride and peoples confidence in the Party and administration.

More importantly, the trust of Vietnamese people inside and outside of the country in the path towards national development was reinforced, he said, attributing the result to the leadership of the Party, the management of the State, and the engagement of the business community and people, especially those working in the information-communications sector.

He called on all IT companies to become involved in programs initiated by the Ministry of Information and Communications by discussing and seeking open platforms based on the practical demands of citizens.

Opportunity to reposition the ICT industry

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) aims to basically complete the development of e-government in 2021, with the provision of online public services at level 4 and the completion of national databases on population and land, Minister Nguyen Manh Hung said.

The media sector will be developed this year to fully cover events in society, creating consensus and social confidence and driving peoples aspirations for a strong country. The ratio of local people in remote areas accessing at least one form of media is expected to reach 95 percent in 2021 and 100 percent by 2025, he said.

Each Vietnamese is hoped to read 4.5 books in 2021 and 5-5.5 books a year by 2025, while the convergent newsroom model is to be applied to 75 percent of all media agencies in 2021 and 90 percent by 2025.

The minister said that the ratio of people accessing mobile broadband is expected to be over 80 percent in 2021 and 100 percent by 2025.

Trong Dat

Information and Communications Ministry proposes solutions to develop VNs digital businesses The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) is developing a national strategy on development of Vietnamese digital firms to 2030.

Workforce

Labor Dept. official says religious exemption for some contractors won't allow discrimination

A Labor Department official defended a rule change that exempts some religious organizations from anti-discrimination policies when executing federal contracts, saying the rule won't allow religious organizations to discriminate on the basis of other protected statuses like sexual orientation, disability status or race.

"I'm strongly against discrimination based on LGBTQ-plus status," said Craig Leen, the head of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), said at a Jan. 12 event hosted by the Federalist Society.

"Our mission is to ensure nondiscrimination based on all protected classes," Leen said.

Civil rights groups opposed the rule change, which makes allows nonprofit and for profit religious entities to seek out employees from their own faith and exclude others from employment.

"By creating confusion about our nondiscrimination laws and by encouraging entities with a desire to discriminate to seek out federal contracts, the intentions of this administration to enable discrimination are clear," said Lindsey Kaley, a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) condemned the rule when it was finalized in December, and called on the incoming Biden-Harris administration to reverse the new rule, along with other Trump administration workforce policies.

The new rule was meant to clarify an existing exemption policy that was too vague, Leen said.

"The goal of the religious exception directive was to more fully include religious organizations in federal contracting," he said. "We have received feedback that a lot of religious organizations were not getting involved in contracting because they felt like they would be discriminated against by the agency based on their religious affiliation."

Leen said that the exemption still doesn't authorize discrimination against any of the other protected classes. If an exemption were to touch on a protected status, "we're going to be very concerned about that and looking at it closely," he said.

Exemptions will occur after a review by the solicitor's office, which will have to do analyses based on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to determine if the law necessitates an exemption, he said.

"I understand it's controversial, and I respect the different opinions on the rule," he said. The goal was to allow religious organizations to fully participate while simultaneously enforcing OFCCP's protections for other protected statuses.

Sarah Warbelow, the legal director for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ advocacy group, warned that the new rule allows religious organizations to ensure that their employees adhere to the an organization's religious tenets.

That essentially means that organizations can ask employees "to live and act as though they were a member of our faith," Warbelow said. "This becomes a serious problem for LGBTQ people."

Problems could materialize in various ways, Warbelow said. For example, an employee could be terminated after coming out as an LGBTQ person or discriminated against in the provision of benefits, such as not giving a trans person time off to pursue transition-related care, Warbelow said.

The rule has a special caveat specifying the exemption does not allow discrimination on the basis of race, even if it would allegedly be on religious grounds. The fact that that was included, but a similar caveat for other protected statuses like gender and sexual orientation was not, is concerning, Warbelow said.

About the Author Natalie Alms is a staff writer at FCW covering the federal workforce. She is a recent graduate of Wake Forest University and has written for the Salisbury (N.C.) Post. Connect with Natalie on Twitter at @AlmsNatalie.



"It's almost as if the rule is saying  we're not going to give you this pass on the basis of race, but we are going to give you this pass on these other bases where you tie it to your religious view," she said.
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[January 13, 2021] Advice Media Promotes Bryan McGowan to COO PARK CITY, Utah, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Advice Media, a leading provider of software-based marketing solutions for medical, dental, and law practices, announced today that it has promoted Bryan McGowan to COO, in addition to his responsibilities as CFO. Bryan will be working with the customer-facing and product delivery teams to improve quality, flexibility, and scalability across all of Advice Media's products and services. His goal is to build the company into a world-class SaaS organization. Shawn Miele, CEO of Advice Media, said, "Bryan brings a growth mindset to the role of COO. I am excited to watch what happens with the collaboration between Bryan and the rest of the Customer Success and Digital Product Implementation teams. I think this will be a powerful combination that will help us to deliver better and better results for our clients." Bryan earne his Electrical Engineering degree from Cornell and began his career at Intel. After returning to Cornell for an MBA in 2010, Bryan spent several years in the MIT/Harvard entrepreneurship community. This included tenure as CFO of Open Water Power, which was acquired by L-3 Systems in 2017.

Bryan and his family moved to Park City, UT, in 2015. Bryan has worked with Advice Media for three years now, first as a consultant, then as CFO. Over that period, he has added tremendous value across every department at Advice Media. "I've been thrilled and privileged to be a part of Advice Media's journey for the last three years. I'm excited to roll up my sleeves on the delivery side of the business and help get our team to the next levels of scale and quality," said Bryan McGowan, COO & CFO. About Advice Media, LLC Advice Media is a leading provider of software-based marketing solutions for medical, dental, and legal practices nationwide. Thousands of clients trust Advice Media's best-in-class, end-to-end platform to build, host, and manage websites, improve patient engagement, and optimize lead generation capability. Clients rely on Advice Media's expertise in critical aspects of digital marketing, including search engine optimization, content marketing, reputation management, social media marketing, and pay per click advertising. Advice Media works to deliver unparalleled value and unprecedented growth levels to each client it serves. The company has offices in Park City, UT, Melville, NY, & Lakewood, CO. For more information, visit https://www.advicemedia.com. View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/advice-media-promotes-bryan-mcgowan-to-coo-301207138.html SOURCE Advice Media

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Farmers protesting against the contentious farm laws at various points of Delhi border since 26 November last year burnt copies of the reforms on Wednesday to mark the harvest festival of Lohri.

The farmers also shouted slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government at the Singhu border, which has been the epicentre of the protests.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

Copies of the laws were also burnt at several places in Punjab and protests held at Amritsar. "We burnt the copies of the farm laws as a mark of protest against these legislations," said Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee's general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher in Amritsar.

On Wednesday, the agitation at Delhis four key borders - Singhu, Tikri, UP Gate, and Chilla - entered its day 49. The farmers are demanding a complete withdrawal of the farm laws that were passed by the central government in September 2020. They have also called for a legal guarantee for the Minimum Support Price (MSP) system for the procurement of their crops.

After eight rounds of talks between the protesting farmers' union and the central government remained inconclusive, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the new farm laws till further orders. A four-member committee was also set up to resolve the impasse between the Centre and farmers' unions.

Farmer unions said that they will continue their protest at Delhis borders till the laws are repealed and declined to appear before the court-appointed committee.

However, the farmers have rejected the offer of mediation.

Farmer unions said that they will continue their protest at Delhis borders till the laws are repealed and declined to appear before the court-appointed committee.

The constitution of the committee has also irked the protesters as all members have expressed their opinion in favour of the three farm laws in the recent past.

It is clear that the court is being misguided by various forces even in its constitution of a committee. These are people who are known for their support to the three Acts and have actively advocated for the same," the Samyukta Kisan Morcha, the coalition of farm unions which is leading the agitations, said in a statement.





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Market Highlights:

Liver biopsy is a diagnostic procedure for liver diseases, recommended when blood tests or diagnostic imaging might suggest a liver problem. It is of three major types namely percutaneous, transjugular, and laparoscopic. It is also used to monitor the liver condition during liver transplant and to determine complications if any. The healthcare provider may recommend liver biopsy if the patient is diagnosed with liver disease or identifies the presence of blood in the urine.

As per the Health Survey for England 2014, Hepatitis B is one of the worlds most common liver infection in the world, affecting huge population across the globe.

Increasing awareness about early diagnosis of liver diseases and upsurge in demand for technologically advanced medical devices for diagnosis and treatment of chronic diseases including liver failure drive the global liver biopsy market.

The global liver biopsy market is expected to grow at a CAGR of ~4.2% during the forecast period 2017-2023.

Regional Analysis:

Globally, the Americas is the largest market for liver biopsy due to increasing awareness about the importance of biopsy for the diagnosis of liver disease. In the Americas, North America is the largest market with the U.S. capturing major share followed by Canada. Additionally, extensive use of technologically advanced medical devices for diagnosis and treatment of chronic liver disease, support from the government for research & development, and high health care spending drives the market growth. Additionally, increasing patient population with liver disease, diabetes, and other risk factors for renal failure is fuelling the market growth.

Europe is the second largest market for liver biopsy whose growth is attributed to an increasing emphasis on the development of new diagnostic devices, favorable reimbursement policies, and investments in the development of new technologies for the treatment of chronic disease. Rising number of specialty services offered by various healthcare providers in Europe also accelerate the growth of the market. Additionally, rising government support for research & development, and availability of funds for research will fuel the market growth during the forecast period. As per the Lancet Liver Campaign report on liver diseases in the U.K., liver disease is the only major cause of death, which is expected to increase shortly. It also stated that use of alcohol is one of the major cause of various liver diseases among the adults. Furthermore, there is an increase in the hospital admissions for alcohol-related disease such as alcohol-related liver disease in various European nations also accelerates the market growth.

The Asia Pacific is the fastest growing liver biopsy market owing to the ever-increasing prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and rising number of liver biopsy procedures in the hospital and surgical centers.

The Middle East & Africa exhibit steady growth in the liver biopsy market due to lack of funds, unavailability of technologically advanced medical devices, and limited medical facilities. In the Middle East, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E) is the largest market owing to the progress of healthcare industry.

Access Report Details @ https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/liver-biopsy-market-5534

Segmentation:

The global liver biopsy market is segmented on the basis of type, indication, and end user.

On the basis of the diagnosis, it is segmented into percutaneous, transjugular, and laparoscopic biopsy.

On the basis of indication, it is segmented into nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic hepatitis B or C, autoimmune hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, and others.

Based on the end user, it is segmented into hospitals & clinics, tertiary care centers, urology centers, and others.

Key Players:

Some of key the players in the market are Becton, Dickinson and Company, MDxHealth, Veran medical, Medtronic, Argon Medical Devices, Inc., Mauna Kea Technologies, Boston Scientific Corporation, Intact Medical Corp., C. R. Bard, Inc., Leica Biosystems, Cook Medical, RI.MOS., Hologic, Inc., Sterylab, INRAD Inc., Fujifilm Medical Systems, and others.
(Boston)--Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provide a new genomics resource that details the small RNA transcriptomes (gene expression) of four bio-medically important mosquito species.

This is the first study to provide a platform for biologists to compare the characteristics of these small RNAs between these four mosquitoes as well as the most widely used insects for genetic experiments, the fruit fly, Drosophila. Although previous studies looked at each of the individual mosquito species separately, this study is the first to allow comparisons between all four species.

"Although mosquitoes are related to Drosophila, they have very different genomes. In addition, mosquitos bite humans for blood meals that allow them to reproduce and but unfortunately allows serious human pathogens like viruses to infect us and cause diseases like yellow fever virus, dengue fever virus, zika virus and eastern equine encephalitis virus," explained corresponding author Nelson Lau, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM).

The researchers obtained cell cultures and dissected samples of the mosquito species Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. They extracted and purified the small RNA molecules, created libraries for high-throughput sequencing, and then developed a special bioinformatics platform to provide thorough genomic analysis of these small RNAs. They provide all this analysis in a database website for the public to access at https:/ / laulab. bu. edu/ msrg/ .

The four mosquito species have global impacts on human health. Anopheles is the major vector for the parasite causing malaria, but is not known to transmit many viruses. In contrast, Culex and Aedes mosquitoes are well known to pass viruses between humans during mosquito bites, but it is still unknown why there is this difference between mosquito species for this capacity to spread viruses.

According to the researchers this study will allow for better biochemical studies in mosquito cells. "If we can find weaknesses in the small RNA pathways of mosquitoes to make them more intolerant of viruses, perhaps they won't be so able to pass the virus from biting one human to the next human victim."

###

This study was a collaboration between the Lau lab in the Department of Biochemistry and the John Connor and Tonya Colpitts labs of the BU National Emerging Infectious Disease Laboratory (NEIDL) as well as many other mosquito biologists in the USA and the United Kingdom.

The findings appear online in the journal Genome Research.

This work was supported by NIH 4 grants R01-AG052465, R21-HD088792 and R01-GM135215 to NCL; NIH grants R01-5 AI128201, R01-AI116636, and R01-AI150251 to JLR; Defense Advanced Research 6 Project Agency (DARPA) Safe Genes Program Grant (HR0011-17-2- 0047) and an NIH 7 New Innovator Award (1DP2AI152071-01) to OSA; NEIDL Pilot funds and NIH grant 8 R21AI129881 to TMC; NIH grants R21NS101151 and R21AI121933-01 to JHC; the 9 LSTM Director's Catalyst Fund award to EIP; NIH grants R21AI129507 and 10 R21AI138074), the BBSRC (BB/T001240/1), and a Royal Society Wolfson Fellowship 11 (RSWF\R1\180013) to GLH; grants from BBSRC Network Grant "ANTI-VeC" 12 (AV/PP0020/1) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to TN. DB was also supported 13 by the Cooperative Agreement Number U01CK000509, funded by the Centers for 14 Disease Control and Prevention.
[January 13, 2021] Hoymiles Launches S-Miles Cloud, New Powerful Real-time Solar Power Station Monitoring Platform on Mobile App and Browser

HANGZHOU, China, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoymiles Power Electronics Inc. ("Hoymiles"), a leading microinverter manufacturer, has recently unveiled the all-new S-Miles Cloud Platform for real-time visualized monitoring of solar power generating equipment. Key field equipment can be connected to the S-Miles Cloud Platform. With the IoT-supported data collection devices, the platform can track the output effectiveness of arrays, provide status updates on individual modules, and notify of any malfunctions. "Our new and improved version of the monitoring platform is in line with Hoymiles' mission to make electric energy 'smarter', improve cloud data processing capabilities and extend the data response time of edge computing gateways. Through providing a broad array of smart monitoring, operations-based, and maintenance functionality, we can provide more value for our customers, and that's our main focus," said Zhao Yi, Deputy General Manager and &D Center Director of Hoymiles.



Accessible as a mobile app or via a web browser, the S-Miles Cloud Platform offers a powerful and easy-to-use portal to effectively maintain solar power stations. Through the user-friendly installation process, integrating the Platform into an existing array can be quick and simple. The newly upgraded platform features a clean and simple dashboard interface which was designed with end-users in mind to allow for clearer visual data displays and additional options for in-depth analysis. The upgrade also includes a real-time progress tracking feature for hardware updates, which displays a progress bar and provides detailed explanations of any errors that occur. Supporting the improved end-user display is an optimized technical structure that collects, analyzes and distributes data. The upgraded S-Miles Cloud Platform now can offer synchronized data analysis, and in being a cloud-based application, data processing is completed through parallel computing architecture which allows for optimal usage of all CPUs within the cluster and supports an open application programming interface for cross-platform communications, data sharing, and remote operation via TCP socket connection. The Platform is also compatible with Hoymiles' newest and most advanced hardware offerings of the DTU-Pro, DTU-Lite and new Sub-1G version microinverters.

Through the standardization of data across a power station, operators can make more accurate data-driven decisions regarding onsite operations that enable optimized energy output. The new S-Miles Cloud Platform not only provides accurate and timely status reports but also includes new indicators to display self-generated energy inputs and output for the solar station, to more clearly map overall power generation status.

About Hoymiles Founded in 2012, Hoymiles is one of the leading microinverter manufacturers providing MLPE (Module-Level Power Electronics) solutions for solar investors and end-users. Hoymiles' microinverters (4 in 1 unit & 2 in 1 unit) are recognized for their technology, ranking as the top microinverter globally through CEC weighted efficiency test by CSA Group for three consecutive years. Currently, Hoymiles' microinverters are used in generous commercial and domestic rooftop installations in various countries and regions including America, Europe and Asia. Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419721/S_miles_Cloud.jpg

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Jerry Lara, Staff / San Antonio Express-News

Here are five things to know about President Donald Trumps return to Texas today. With just over a week left in his term in office, Trump is hoping to draw attention to what he sees as his key accomplishments while Democrats in Congress seek to impeach him for a second time.

BREAKING SILENCE: Trumps trip to Hidalgo County on the Texas border marks his first public appearance since the rally in Washington, D.C. that led to the storming of the U.S. Capitol and the deaths of five people, including a Capitol Hill police officer. Trump is expected to travel to a section of the border wall that has been erected since his election in 2016. The White House has been tight lipped about his itinerary, only confirming he is expected to visit the town of Alamo near the Texas border. Media access is being limited with no public details of when or to whom Trump is supposed to speak.
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Its almost 20 years since the State signed an agreement with religious orders that indemnified them from claims arising from decades of child abuse in Church-run institutions.



In return the 18 congregations said they would hand over 128m in cash, counselling services, and property transfers.



Further voluntary pledges were sought by the government in 2009 in the wake of the publication of the damning Ryan Report on abuse. Somewhat astonishingly the process of collecting the pledges made continues to this day.

The overall offers made by religious organisations come to less than a third of the 1.5bn cost of redress so far with just 240m  around 16pc  fully realised to date.



It is not surprising then that Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Children Minister Roderic OGorman declined to go into detail on how much they expect religious organisations to contribute to a new redress scheme for survivors of mother and baby homes.



The Commission of Investigation into the homes has recommended that redress be offered to some survivors of the institutions they probed. Its report blames the harsh treatment of unmarried mothers in Ireland on the fathers of their children and the womens own families. But it also says it was supported by, contributed to, and condoned by, the institutions of the State and the Churches.



The report cites the original Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (RIRS) as a model for possible compensation for the children in certain homes.



The more recent Magdalen Restorative Justice Scheme could be used as a basis of providing redress to mothers.

It suggested that children who lived at the infamous home in Tuam and those resident in other institutions without their mothers have a case to be considered for redress.



The Commission said that women that should be eligible include those who spent lengthy periods in the homes prior to the introduction of State supports for unmarried mothers in 1974; those who lived in the Tuam home; and others who did unpaid work in county homes and outside the institutions. Mr OGorman has written to the religious congregations involved seeking a meeting to discuss whether they will make a contribution to a proposed Restorative Recognition Scheme (RRS) to compensate survivors.



Asked if he would seek half of the cost of redress Mr OGorman would only go as far as to say he believes a significant contribution from religious organisations would be appropriate.



Mr Martin meanwhile, said they should make a financial contribution in principle but didnt want to get into the actual amounts.

The outlines of the RSS are to be presented to Cabinet by the end of April.



Mr Martin will be well aware of the difficulties in setting up redress schemes and getting contributions from religious congregations having been a member of Governments that presided over the arrangements made in 2002 and 2009.



He was forced to defend the 2002 Indemnity Agreement which has been widely criticised as a very bad deal for the State. Mr Martin said it had been a survivor first approach that meant the former residents of industrial schools would not spend years seeking redress through the courts.



He said the survivor first principle will be used on this occasion as well and he wants as rapid a process as possible in implementing the Commissions recommendations.



By the end of 2016 16,650 awards had been made under the original RIRS initiative. The average payment was 62,250 and the scheme cost 1.1bn. An organisation called Caranua was later set up to take applications from survivors for grants related to housing, health, well-being or educational services. It allocated around 97m to more than 6,100 people.



The Magdalen Restorative Justice ex-gratia scheme, set up in 2013 for women who worked in the laundries run by religious orders, has seen 31.95m paid to 803 applicants.



The vast majority of the costs of efforts to compensate and support the survivors of Church-run institutions has been borne by the State. The Department of Education was tasked with administering the contributions pledged by religious congregations.



Last night it confirmed that it is still finalising the full transfer of properties that had been offered to the State.

The slow progress in finishing this process has been criticised by members of the Dails Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in recent years. Religious organisations have previously said they have made every possible effort to complete the transfer of properties to the State.



The Department statement said that the 2002 Indemnity Agreement was legally binding and the offers made in 2009 were voluntary. In total 480.6m was initially pledged by congregations under the two arrangements.



In 2002, 18 congregations agreed to provide 128m in cash, property and counselling services.



The cash and counselling services have been paid in full and 58 out of 60 properties fully transferred.

The Department said the transfer of two properties encountered difficulties but are nearing completion. Both properties are in use by their intended recipients.



As of now 124.94m of the 128m pledged in 2002 has been realised.



In 2009 the 18 congregations made additional offers of cash and properties valued at the time at 352.61m.

Cash contributions of 107m have been completed. Fifteen of the 18 properties accepted by the State have been fully transferred. The Department said the transfer of a former primary school in Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan is expected to complete shortly.



The remaining two properties, the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dun Laoghaire, and Blaithin Childrens Home, Drumcondra, are to be transferred to the HSE. That process is said to be in train and both properties are currently in use by the HSE.



The State decided not to accept certain properties and there were differences between the valuations placed on properties by the congregations and their actual valuations upon transfer. As a result the department said the adjusted value of the offers made by the congregations in 2009 is 308.95m of which 115.2m has been realised to date. It said the figure will increase when the last three properties are transferred and more funds will come from half the proceeds of any future sales of playing fields that had been owned by the Christian Brothers.



The department said the total adjusted offers made by congregations in 2002 and 2009 amount to 436.95m, of which 239.93m has been realised so far. This is around 16pc of the total cost of redress to date of approximately 1.5bn. The Department referred to the shortfall between the offers made by the congregations in 2009, and the actual amounts realised noting that the agreement is not legally enforceable.



The long saga of religious organisations contributing to the compensation to survivors of the institutions they ran with the blessing of the State has not yet concluded.



Its about to enter a new chapter as the Government asks for them to share the costs of redress for those who suffered in Irelands mother and baby homes.
A virtual lesson in one Winnipeg classroom was abruptly interrupted last week, when participants entered the video call uninvited and started making misogynistic comments toward the female teacher.

A virtual lesson in one Winnipeg classroom was abruptly interrupted last week, when participants entered the video call uninvited and started making misogynistic comments toward the female teacher.

The privacy breach took place Jan. 4, the first day of the post-winter break remote-learning period mandated for grades 7-12 students in Manitoba, during a middle years lesson in the Pembina Trails School Division.

Alvaro Barrientos / The Associated Press The privacy breach took place Jan. 4, the first day of the post-winter break remote-learning period mandated for grades 7-12 students in Manitoba, during a middle years lesson in the Pembina Trails School Division.

"We have had literally thousands of daily online (Microsoft) Teams meetings between students and classroom teachers since March. Last week, we had a single incident where there were some students who got access to a class meeting on Teams and made some inappropriate and offensive comments," said Ted Fransen, superintendent at Pembina Trails.

While calling the video conferencing platform "robust and secure," Fransen said one of the students in the classroom in question shared a link with another student who attends school outside the division.

A tipster familiar with the incident said two interlopers spewed hateful comments, which prompted the teacher to cry in front of her class, and soon left the call.

The explicit sexist comments have had a lasting impact on the educators well-being, said the individual, who asked not to be identified to protect the identity of the teacher who was targeted at work.

The president of the Manitoba Teachers Society, James Bedford, called such incidents "a definite concern" when teachers and students are working remotely.

"Frankly, theres the risk of copycat incidents. We expect the division to thoroughly investigate what has happened to ensure that our members and their students are protected from incidents like this in the future," Bedford said in a statement to the Free Press.

Following the incident, the principal checked in with the teacher about how best to support her, and one of the divisions school resource officers was contacted to address the situation with all the students involved, Fransen said.

Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press A tipster familiar with the incident said two interlopers spewed hateful comments, which prompted the teacher to cry in front of her class, and soon left the call.

Winnipeg Police Service spokesman Const. Jay Murray said Tuesday the matter is not being investigated as a criminal act.

Whether an incident happens online or in-person, the disciplinary approach in Pembina Trails emphasizes individual conversations about respectful behaviour, Fransen said.

The superintendent added the school sent home a community update to parents about the incident that encouraged them to have conversations with their children about appropriate school conduct and the sharing of private weblinks.

He did not disclose what, if any, additional disciplinary action has been taken against the Pembina Trails student, citing privacy.

The event raises questions about digital citizenship and the security of online classrooms.

Jonathan Hayward / The Canadian Press Per Pembina Trails standard of behaviour, students are expected to show respect for the rights, property and safety of themselves and others.

Noting students prepare for crises such as fires in brick-and-mortar schools, a Manitoba advocate for gender-based violence prevention said divisions should have protocols in place for how-to address incidents that can happen in virtual classrooms.

"Its important that we recognize that whether its physical spaces or online spaces, we all deserve to be safe," said Mary Lobson, founder of virtual sexual violence reporting platform REES, who has worked in the field of technology and gender-based violence prevention in Manitoba for more than a decade.

Aine Dolin, co-director of Red Tent Winnipeg, which raises awareness about anti-oppression, safe spaces and consent culture, said the Jan. 4 incident highlights a broader need for consent education in schools.

All community members have a responsibility to establish safe spaces, she said, adding platform-specific policies can help clearly define individual and collective responsibilities.

Among her ideas for creating safe spaces online are providing adequate training for teachers, password-protected spaces and waiting rooms, and establishing clear expectations of response to violence.

Per Pembina Trails standard of behaviour, students are expected to show respect for the rights, property and safety of themselves and others.

The division is finalizing a new privacy policy that takes into account online learning. Given teachers are familiar with the protocol, Fransen said the "spirit" of it is already in place.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie

She has been showing off her flair for fashion in recent months.

And Ashley Roberts was at it again on Wednesday as she made yet another stylish exit from her Heart Radio Breakfast Show in London.

The Pussycat Dolls star, 39, looked effortlessly chic as she wrapped up against the cool weather in a shearling biker jacket.

Chic! Ashley Roberts was at it again on Wednesday as she made yet another stylish exit from her Heart Radio Breakfast Show in London

Ashley teamed the look with a brown linen shirt dress, which she layered with a fluffy lime green jumper.

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Adding some finishing stylish touches, the star opted for brown suede knee-high heel boots and a matching crossover handbag.

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Ashley styled her blonde locks into a blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of radiant make-up.

The performer appeared in good spirits as she sheltered from the rain with a black umbrella while making her way home.

Stylish: The Pussycat Dolls star, 39, looked effortlessly chic as she wrapped up against the cool weather in a shearling biker jacket

Details: Ashley teamed the look with a brown linen shirt dress, which she layered with a fluffy lime green jumper

Fashion babe: She has been showing off her flair for fashion in recent months

Ashley's outing comes after her PCD bandmate Kimberly Wyatt claimed she was told she is 'too professional' to be a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.

The Pussycat Dolls star, 38, is a trained dancer but bosses turned her down after her bandmate Ashley Roberts' appearance on the show in 2018 led to accusations of a 'fix' as she also had years of dance experience.

Speaking to The Sun, Kimberly said: 'From any chats that I've had, Strictly feel that I'm too professional to be a contestant.'

Accessories: Adding some finishing stylish touches, the star opted for brown suede knee-high heel boots and a matching crossover handbag

Glamorous: Ashley styled her blonde locks into a blow-dried hairdo, she added a slick of radiant make-up

Rainy: The performer appeared in good spirits as she sheltered from the rain with a black umbrella while making her way home

Work it: Ashley also took to Instagram to share a collection of snaps of her 'hum day' ensemble

She went on: 'I'd love to learn ballroom, my dancing experience holds me back as a contestant.'

Ashley was a clear front-runner during her series and made it to the final with Pasha Kovalev where she was beaten by Stacey Dooley and her partner Kevin Clifton.

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Kimberly began dancing in her teens and appeared as a dancer in Nick Lachey's music video for Shut Up.

Show: Ashley's outing comes after her Pussy Cat Dolls co-star Kimberly Wyatt (pictured in 2019) said she was told she is 'too professional' to be a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing
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She was severely ill with coronavirus just before Christmas and Sophie Rundle, star of Gentleman Jack and The Nest and her partner Matt Stokoe might have some better news to celebrate.

The couple headed out to walk their retriever, Buddy, in the park on Wednesday, with Sophie and Matt, both 32, flashing a gold 'wedding' band on his finger amid rumours they have tied the knot and are expecting a baby.

Sophie put her left hand in her pocket, covering her ring finger as she stepped out in the cold with her love, who she got engaged to in 2019, but over the weekend, she also had a golden band on show.

PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Gentleman Jack's Sophie Rundle and Matt Stokoe walked their retriever Buddy amid rumours they have got married and are expecting a baby a year after they got engaged to one another

Symbol: A high-spirited Matt flashed a gold 'wedding' band a year after engagement, but the couple have not yet confirmed the news and Sophie hid her ring finger in her pocket

The actress wore a black padded jacket for the outing, with light tracksuit bottoms and red Hunter wellies, keeping warm with a cosy looking knitted hat.

Matt, who kept hold of the dog's lead, wore a casual jacket with trousers tucked into wellies and a burgundy hat. The couple were engaged in conversation as they got some exercise amid the UK's third national lockdown.

Over the weekend, the Mail On Sunday reported that both Sophie and Matt have been sporting wedding bands but neither has confirmed their marriage.

Soon after their engagement in 2019, Sophie said: The whole wedding thing is weird. Everyone expects you to be desperate to be a princess for the day  thats not really my scene'

Wrapped up: The actress wore a black padded jacket for the outing, with light tracksuit bottoms and red Hunter wellies, keeping warm with a cosy looking knitted hat after revealing she fell severely ill with Covid before Christmas

'I also have a very festive bloodshot eye from all of the hardcore vomiting I was doing in hospital. I can taste nothing, I have a cough to rival a Dickensian workhouse orphan boy.

Soon after their engagement in 2019, Sophie said: The whole wedding thing is weird. Everyone expects you to be desperate to be a princess for the day  thats not really my scene.

Shortly before Christmas, the actress told her 250,000 Instagram followers that she had to go to hospital to be treated for Covid-19.

Sophie penned: Greetings from my sick bed. So for Christmas this year I got myself a juicy bout of Covid-19.

'I also have a very festive bloodshot eye from all of the hardcore vomiting I was doing in hospital. I can taste nothing, I have a cough to rival a Dickensian workhouse orphan boy.

All going on: She also told how she was suffering from a pain from a gnarly wisdom tooth, saying it all added up to quite the feast of festive ailments'

In demand: Before catching Covid, Sophie was filming the second series of Gentleman Jack with Suranne Jones, pictured

Down in the dumps: Sophie shared this update from her sickbed on Instagram just before Christmas but appears to be much better now

'You are not alone': She wrote a lengthy post alongside the picture, explaining how she was feeling

She also told how she was suffering from a pain from a gnarly wisdom tooth, saying it all added up to quite the feast of festive ailments.

Sophie and Matt, star of BBC period drama The Musketeers and Netflix series Cursed, have been together since 2016 after meeting on the set of Sky One drama Jamestown.

Since then, Sophie has barely been off our screens, with appearances in Bodyguard, Peaky Blinders and Skys Urban Myths, where she played Princess Diana and Line Of Duty.

She most recently starred alongside Matt in the claustrophobic horror film Rose: A Love Story, in which they played a couple living in a remote woodland cabin.

And before Covid laid her low, she was spotted filming the second series of Gentlemen Jack in West Yorkshire, alongside Suranne Jones.

Love: Sophie and Matt, star of BBC period drama The Musketeers and Netflix series Cursed, have been together since 2016 after meeting on the set of Sky One drama Jamestown

Busy bees: She most recently starred alongside Matt in the claustrophobic horror film Rose: A Love Story, in which they played a couple living in a remote woodland cabin
Scott Morrison's government has warned councils not to use the Covid as an excuse to cancel Australia Day celebrations to appease Invasion Day activists who want the date changed.

Campaigners want the national holiday moved from January 26 as it is the day the First Fleet arrived Australia to begin colonisation.

Local councils are required to hold citizenship ceremonies on January 26 and could have their citizenship powers revoked by the government if they fail to comply.

While most councils are still holding citizenship ceremonies on Australia Day, some have announced they have called them off in either solidarity with Indigenous people or the Covid pandemic.

A woman celebrates Australia Day at Sydney's Bondi Beach on January 26, 2019. Scott Morrison's government has warned councils to go ahead with Australia Day celebrations despite Invasion Day protests as the Prime Minister takes a holiday

Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said local councils should not divide Australians over the contested date after a tough year marred by the pandemic.

'For any council seeking to play politics with Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, our message is simple - don't,' Mr Hawke told The Australian.

'Australians need this sort of negative bickering less than ever at this challenging time.

'We know the vast majority of councils across the country will do the right thing when determining whether to hold online or physical citizenship ceremonies.'

Inner-city Melbourne councils Yarra and Darebin will not be holding citizenship ceremonies on January 26.

The two councils voted to stop referring to January 26 as Australia Day in 2017, which resulted in their citizenship powers being stripped.

Yarra and Darebin councils will also hold events commemorating Indigenous people in place of Australia Day events.

Protesters are seen during the Invasion Day rally in Melbourne on January 26, 2020. Immigration Minister Alex Hawke said local councils should not divide Australians over the contested date after a tough year marred by the pandemic

Protestors are seen crossing the Victoria Bridge during the Invasion Day rally in Brisbane, on January 26, 2020.

Perth's Fremantle, Byron Bay Shire in NSW, and Tasmania's Flinders Island will also replace Australia Day celebrations with events celebrating Aboriginals.

Melbourne's Moreland council postponed all of its citizenship ceremonies until further notice due to Covid-19 and will not be holding Australia Day celebrations.

Sydney's Inner West, Liverpool, North Sydney, Parramatta, and Canterbury-Bankstown will still hold citizenship ceremonies but canceled large gatherings due to the pandemic.
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Former prime minister Paul Keating has hit out at a federal government proposal to allow workers to put some of their superannuation into their take-home pay, lashing the idea as "ideological" and driven by "zealot" backbenchers.

The plan is one of several options in the early stages of discussion in the Morrison government and has not gone to cabinet. It could allow workers to choose whether to take additional payments over the 9.5 per cent guarantee as extra income rather than a superannuation contribution.

Former prime minister Paul Keating said the 'opt-in' super model being considered by the government has been "prompted by zealots in its back bench". Credit:Peter Braig

The super guarantee is currently set to rise to 12 per cent in 2025, rising 0.5 percentage points a year from July. Multiple government sources said the new scheme would either keep the current rate, or let one rise go through to 10 per cent as mandatory contributions while the remaining amount up to 12 per cent would be optional.

Mr Keating, the architect of the nation's superannuation system, has now criticised the idea as "designed only to break the principle of 'universality' in the retirement system" with the Liberals trying to "poke a hole in super".
Earlier this week, BBC released a three-part docuseries on late Bollywood actress Jiah Khan. Titled as Death In Bollywood, the series was released in the United Kingdom and attracted over 700k viewers on Monday night (January 11).

Jiah Khan passed away in 2013 at her Juhu residence in Mumbai. Her death is still considered a mystery and the British show attempts to follow the eight-year-old case. The makers had arrived in 2019 in Mumbai for conducting research and filming.

The official synopsis for episode one reads, "According to her family, various questions about the night of Jiah's death still remain unanswered. The police never found the tracksuit that Jiah was seen wearing on CCTV just 15 minutes before her death. They soon concluded that Jiah had been driven to suicide by her boyfriend. In Indian law, this is a crime, abetment of suicide, which carries a jail sentence of up to ten years. He denies the charge. Jiah's mother Rabia hires a private forensic investigator, who raises questions about the forensic evidence and suggests that the police may have been too quick to conclude this was suicide. She is determined to fight on for what she sees as justice for Jiah."

According to reports, Jiah's then-boyfriend Sooraj Pancholi was accused of abetting the suicide. Back in October 2013, on Bombay High Court's order the case was handed over to the CBI. The agency after the investigation, concluded that it was a case of suicide. In its charge sheet, they said Pancholi should be tried for abetting to the suicide under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code.

Netizens after watching the first episode were heartbroken and took to social media to share their response. Some Twitter users also slammed Pancholi for allegedly pushing Jiah to take the drastic step.

Very sad documentary #DeathInBollywood . Very conflicted on which version could be the truth. The mothers behaviour over the years is very strange, very pushy and her response to her daughters rape at 14, not for her to brush under the carpet!  Nuttytart (@chets14) January 12, 2021

The failings of the Mumbai Police & the CBI come as no surprise.



Missing tracksuit. Planted note.

No forensics. No data recovery from her mobile. Bruises on the body.

Rest of CCTV footage?#DeathInBollywood#JiahKhan #SushantSinghRajput#BollywoodMafia@BBCTwo @grainmedia pic.twitter.com/Mzw6FEENLD  BB Y (@ShafYarra) January 11, 2021

#DeathInBollywood @ObserverUK @BBCThisWorld Thank u 4 the telecast of this much needed documentary.Bullywood has become a cartel of Drugs, child sex trafficking,Mafia activities.SSRs/Jiahs murders have brought a revolution in India & there is a Mass Boycott of this institution. pic.twitter.com/2e7B6fIcxO  Roopa Dewan  (@Roopadewan_) January 12, 2021

BBC2s #DeathInBollywood was such an upsetting watch. I never realised the extent of it. Everything the showed which was not investigated... the tracksuit, phone history, the marks on her body. So, so sad. #justiceforjiah  Priya Mulji (@PriyaMulji) January 11, 2021

Watched 3-part BBC documentary series #DeathInBollywood about #JiahKhan death:

- It's heartbreaking

- Many parallels with #SushantSinghRajput death

- Poorly researched. Lots of key information about case & those involved missing

- Indian police & CBI not participating is telling  Asjad Nazir (@asjadnazir) January 12, 2021

Today I watch jiah khan's documentary in BBC iPlayer. #DeathInBollywood she didnt take her life.Her life was taken by those devils who brutally killed her. We want justice4that beautiful&innocent soul.We r with her&her family. #JusticeForJiahKhan @JiahKhanJustice @smitaparikh2 pic.twitter.com/d0zyWWf6PH  Roshni Gupta (@RoshniG19830581) January 12, 2021

My heart is so freaking heavy after that! Lets hope this year is the year for justice   #deathinbollywood  Sandi Hirani (@Sandi_H_xx) January 11, 2021

After watching the first episode of #DeathInBollywood - it prompts more Qs about #JiahKhan s passing away than closure. As a viewer, even Im asking the most basic Qs in the investigation, so wonder how Mumbai Police / CBI did such a shoddy job. Whatever! Rest in peace JK!   Raj Baddhan (@RajBaddhan) January 11, 2021

For those who don't know, Jiah was a British-American actress who appeared in films like Nishabd with Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan's Ghajini.

ALSO READ: Jiah Khan's Mom On Rhea Chakraborty's Arrest: She's A Small Catch In Hope Of Big Catch [Exclusive]



ALSO READ: Jiah Khan Case: I Was Put Behind Bars When I Was 21 For Something I Haven't Done - Sooraj Pancholi
Hundreds of returned Australians will be forced to quarantine for another two weeks after guests on the same floor of a Brisbane hotel mysteriously caught the virus.

Queensland health authorities are on high alert, despite the state recording another day of zero locally-acquired coronavirus cases.

Two new cases were diagnosed on Wednesday, both returned travellers in hotel quarantine.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said said held grave concerns about the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster, which has grown to six cases of the highly-contagious UK virus strain.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said said held grave concerns about the Hotel Grand Chancellor (pictured) cluster, which has grown to six cases of the highly-contagious UK virus strain

Guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be moved to other hotels in Brisbane after the coronavirus cluster grew to six cases. Pictured is two guests on their balcony at Hotel Grand Chancellor on Wednesday

Around 600 people have been forced into quarantine due to the Hotel Grand Chancellor cluster. Pictured are paramedics at the Brisbane hotel on Wednesday

Almost 130 returned travellers quarantined in the hotel will be transferred to alternative accommodation after two guests staying on the same floor mysteriously caught the virus strain.

Some 226 employees who have worked at the hotel since December 30 must also be quarantined and tested.

An additional 250 guests who have left quarantine since December 30 and remain in Queensland are being contacted as they must undergo another 14 days of hotel quarantine.

'We now are concerned about this cluster,' she said on Wednesday, apologising to those affected but stressing it was necessary.

'What we are dealing with here is something that we've never had to deal with before.

Queensland health authorities are concerned about the growing cluster as life slowly returns to normal in Brisbane after a three day lockdown. Pictured are Brisbane residents returning to their normal lives in the city's CBD on Tuesday

The Hotel Grand Chancellor cases  A man aged in his 30s who arrived from the UK on December 30.  His partner  a woman in her 30s who arrived from the UK on December 30.  A hotel cleaner in her 20s.  Her partner  a man in his 20s.  A man in his 40s who arrived from Lebanon on January 1.  His daughter  a woman in her 20s, who arrived on January 1. Advertisement

'This is a new highly infectious strain. We do not want to see this getting out into the community and that's why we have taken these precautionary steps today in the interests of the public safety.

'This is of concern, it is of national concern. Everybody needs to be on higher alert with this particular strain.'

The six cases from the hotel cluster were linked by genomic sequencing.

'That is new information  we received the results of the last test at 10.30pm last night  but it's information we must act on,' Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.

'This morning we are putting in place a range of extra measures for people associated with quarantine in this hotel to help reduce any risk of spread.'

Health authorities are still scrambling to work out how a hotel cleaner contracted the virus from a man in quarantine who had returned from Britain.

The woman's later movements in Brisbane triggered a citywide three-day lockdown, which ended Monday night.

Dr Young said all defence force, police and maritime safety staff who were posted at the hotel were being contacted, including those who may have left Australia.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (pictured on Wednesday) expressed concern about the hotel cluster, despite the state recording no new locally-acquired cases

Six cases of the highly-contagious UK virus strain have been detected at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane. Pictured is a quarantined guest at hotel on Wednesday

'We've immediately worked through the night to sort all that and have that process start first thing this morning, so it's in place,' she said.

'So we need to just find all those people and test them.'

She emphasised there was nothing to suggest that the hotel or any of its staff have done anything wrong.

No new guests have entered the Hotel Grand Chancellor since January 7.

'I want to compliment hotel management for their level of cooperation,' Dr Young said.

'It's important we understand the link. It's a mystery we need to solve.'

More than 20,615 tests were conducted across Queensland on Tuesday. Queensland has 26 active cases across the state.

According to Forbes Rich List of China in 2020, the total wealth of the 400 richest people in China soared from $1.29 trillion to $2.11 trillion last yearan increase overall of more than 60 percent. For those who made it to the list, almost two thirds saw an increase in their wealth. The entry criterion for last years Rich List was $1.55 billion, compared to the $1 billion threshold in 2019. Much of this was due to the rise and rise of share prices.

Nongfu Spring, which was publicly listed in last September in Hong Kong, had a 120 percent increase in its stocks by December 17. Zhong Shanshan, the companys founder, whose wealth rocketed from $2 billion to $69 billion, replaced Jack Ma as the richest person in China. Jack Ma only saw his wealth rise by 72 percent to reach $65.6 billion! In Chinas bottled water market, Nongfu Spring now occupies all market shelves and vending machines. With its control of some of the best natural water resources in China and an aggressive marketing strategy, the company has left its rivals far behind. Its profit on each bottle sold is a huge 60 percent.

Midea Group, the leading electrical appliance manufacturer in China, has also had a continuous rise in its stocksfrom 56 RMB [$US8.65] at the beginning of the year to 95 RMB or an increase of nearly 70 percent. In 2016, the company bought and merged with the home appliance sector of Toshiba and an industrial robot manufacturer called KUKA, diversifying its products. Midea Group is the first Chinese home appliance company to make it into the Fortune Global 500. Its founder, He Hengjian, has continued to hold fifth place on Chinas rich list.

Jack Ma [Wikimedia/World Economic Forum/Claran McCrickard; Ma Juateng [Wikimedia]; Zhong Shanshan [Nongfu Spring]

The restrictions on in-person activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted the rise of online e-commerce platforms. The share price of Pinduoduo, for example, shot up from $38 to $160. The company, which provides the means for purchasers to form or join teams of buyers to drive down prices, has quickly become the second largest e-commerce platform in China, ranking only after Taobao.

E-commerce is closely connected with the package delivery industry. As a result, the leading delivery company in China, SF Express, saw a rise in their stock prices as well, going from 37 RMB to 90 RMB. Huang Zheng, founder of Pinduoduo, and Wang Wei, founder of SF Express, both remain in the top ten of Chinas rich list.

In China, Alibaba and Tencent have long become the oligarchs of Chinas IT industry and their shares have continued to rise this year as well. However, very recently, Alibaba, Tencent, and SF Express were fined 500,000 RMB each by anti-monopoly agencies, or about $77,000, which amounts to little more than a slap on the wrist for these mega-corporations. Whatever the exact reasons behind the fines, these companies and their owners have retained their enormous wealth, as well as political clout.

Some of Chinas wealthiest capitalist entrepreneurs are members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), have been delegates to the National Peoples Congress, or are members of the associated People's Political Consultative Conference.

To cite just a few of the most glaring examples: Jack Ma is a CCP member; Wang Jianlin (founder of the Wanda Group) is a party member, a National Peoples Congress delegate, and a member of the Peoples Political Consultative Conference; Xu Jiayin (chairman of the Evergrande Group) is a member of the CCP and the Peoples Political Consultative Conference; Lei Jun (founder of Xiaomi) is a National Peoples Congress delegate; Pony Ma is a National Peoples Congress delegate; Tomson Dongsheng Li (chairman of TCL) is a CCP member and a National Peoples Congress delegate.

On December 6, during a CCP meeting on economic work, the state made token changes to its anti-monopoly drive supposedly to prevent the economic domination of a super-rich few. In reality that has already taken place with most industries dominated by one or a few oligarchs.

In an interview, Zhou Hongyi, founder of Qihoo 360 (an internet security company), explained that whenever a start-up company put out a new product, the existing monopolies moved to develop a similar one and crush the emergence of any rival. Any new IT development will be associated with the same last nameMa. In other words, either it will belong to Alibaba of Jack Ma or to Tencent of Pony Ma.

While the billionaire oligarchs accumulated staggering wealth last year, working people have borne the brunt of the countrys economic downturnwith millions losing their jobs in the first half of last year. A further indication of deteriorating living standards is a sharp decline in retail sales. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, from January to November this year, total sales in the retail industry dropped by 4.8 percent nominally, and 7.3 percent in fact as a result of growing unemployment and attacks on wages.

The wealth of the super-rich is directly related to the super-exploitation of the working class. The rapid development of e-commerce depends on the express delivery industry in China which in turn relies on cheap labour. The workers receive low pay depending on hours worked and are often not paid at all.

The CCPs propaganda continues to boast that absolute poverty has all but been eradicated in China, but its figures are based on a very low bar for absolute povertyan annual income less than 2,300 RMB, or $US352. Poverty is in fact very widespread as was, in effect, acknowledged by Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang, who last May pointed out that 600 million people in China have a monthly income below 1,000 RMB [$US155].

To eradicate poverty, there is no way out other than socializing the means of production. As long as production is subjugated to the profit-making of capitalists, as long as consumption is subjugated to the wages handed out by capitalists, this social system can never promise a life free of want to everyone. End the private ownership of the means of production! End the regime that defends this private ownership!
The fight over the future of gig economy work in California isn't over.

A labor union and a group of gig workers filed a lawsuit on Tuesday challenging Proposition 22, or Prop 22, the controversial California ballot measure passed by voters in November that exempts firms like Uber and Lyft from having to classify their drivers in the state as employees rather than independent contractors.

The lawsuit, filed in California's Supreme Court by Service Employees International Union (SEIU), three ridehail drivers and one ridehail customer, seeks to overturn Prop 22. They argue that it unconstitutionally limits the power of the State legislature to implement a worker's compensation program, or pass future legislation concerning certain workers' rights. The complaint also alleges that Prop 22 violates the State Constitution's requirement that ballot measures address a single subject.

Prop 22 was bankrolled by Uber, Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash, who spent more than $200 million combined on its passage, underscoring how important worker classification is to their future. The companies scaled their businesses with massive fleets of workers who are treated as independent contractors, and therefore not entitled to costly employee benefits such as a minimum wage, overtime, paid sick leave and unemployment insurance. Prop 22 allows them to continue to do so, with some benefit concessions.

Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the matter. Lyft, Instacart and DoorDash referred CNN Business to Protect App Based Jobs & Services, formerly called the Yes on 22 campaign, which provided a statement attributable to Jim Pyatt, a retiree who drives with Uber.

"Nearly 10 million California voters -- including the vast majority of app-based drivers -- passed Prop 22 to protect driver independence, while providing historic new protections," Pyatt said in the statement. "Voters across the political spectrum spoke loud and clear, passing Prop 22 in a landslide. Meritless lawsuits that seek to undermine the clear democratic will of the people do not stand up to scrutiny in the courts."

On a call with press on Tuesday, Bob Schoonover, the president of SEIU California State Council and SEIU Local 721, said, "If giant corporations are allowed to bankroll ballot initiatives that circumvent the California Constitution, it sets a precedent that any right can be rolled back just by spending enough money. The court must strike down Proposition 22 because it is unconstitutional."

Prop 22 came in reaction to a state labor law, Assembly Bill 5 or AB-5, that went into effect January 1, 2020 and codified an "ABC" test to determine if workers are employees who are entitled to labor protections and benefits.

Under Prop 22, the companies can continue to treat drivers as independent contractors while granting some drivers benefit concessions, but not the full suite of protections that workers would have gotten had the measure not passed.

Prop 22, and the legal dispute around it, could have ramifications beyond the state of California. After their Election Day victory, the companies were quick to signal they would pursue models similar to Prop 22 outside the state.

Schoonover called Prop 22 "an attack on California's rights that if left unchecked will grant permission to companies like Uber and Lyft to dismantle workers' rights across the country."
The ECE Shared Resources website, currently utilized in 32 states in their effort to provide access to high quality child care and create better outcomes for children, received six awards in recognition of the creative, intuitive approach to supporting professionals in the child care sector, with a newly released design and framework.

We couldnt be more honored to have our hard work recognized through these awards, stated Denise Sayer, Vice President, CCA For Social Good. The importance of creating innovative solutions in the child care sector to support the sustainability of these essential businesses across the country has always been our paramount focus. Now more than ever, the pandemic has revealed the vital role that high quality child care plays in the success of our children and its direct relationship to community economic stability. We see now more than ever that it is a critical piece of social infrastructure that supports parents employment. We are proud to have a leadership role in the strengthening of child care business operation and the child care sector at large.

Developed in 2009 in response to the child care sector needs for comprehensive, effective supports to strengthen business operations, the ECE Shared Resources website provides early childhood professionals access to over 2,000 tangible tools and resources. Each tool was created with one goal in mind, give ECE professionals more bandwidth, allowing business owners to spend less time focused on administrative tasks and more time focusing on the children and families they serve.

We are thrilled to be seeing the positive results, both anecdotally and quantitatively, the redesign has had on the community we work with, noted Erin Holt, Director, CCA For Social Good. ECE providers are reporting they are finding more resources that can be implemented to support the success of their businesses. User data is showing us that business tools and resources related to operating during COVID-19 are the most frequently downloaded assets. Further, the agility of the new design has allowed us to be responsive during the pandemic with the implementation of new toolkits and COVID-19 resources specifically created to support successful navigation through, and business survival during, this trying time.

The ECE Shared Resources website redesign, from concept to execution, was completed in collaboration with two technical partners, Diagram based in Naperville, Illinois and Alicia Shea, an independent contractor based in the northeast.

For more information about CCA For Social Good and ECE Shared Resources, please contact Erin Holt at (603) 626-2109.

About CCA For Social Good

CCA For Social Good is an operating division of CCA Global Partners, a privately held cooperative helping small businesses thrive for 30 years. CCA For Social Good provides web-based platforms to help thousands of nonprofit organizations and early childhood education (ECE) centers manage their businesses. The platforms (integrated password-protected websites) deliver a set of powerful tools and shared resources resulting in more efficient and successful operations. CCA For Social Good puts time and money back in the hands of directors and managers of ECE programs, allowing them to focus where it matters most: on their missions. To view a sample platform, please visit http://www.ecesharedresources.com.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn delivers a speech during a meeting of the German federal parliament, Bundestag, at the Reichstag building in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021 on the current developments of the new coronavirus pandemic in Germany. At left is German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)

Germany's health minister on Wednesday defended the government's decision to procure and approve vaccines against the coronavirus along with the rest of the European Union amid criticism that the rollout of shots in the country has been too slow.

Noting that Germany depends on the free movement of goods and people across EU borders, Jens Spahn told lawmakers that it was a "question of economic sense not to vaccinate countries individually, but all of Europe."

While large countries like France and Germany could have gone it alone, smaller nations would have struggled to compete for the doses they need, sparking acrimony among the bloc's 27 members, he said.

"It was right to act as Europeans," Spahn said in a speech to parliament. "We mustn't just invoke Europe in Sunday sermonswe have to let actions follow words when it counts."

Spahn didn't mention that Germany has also signed bilateral contracts with vaccine makers, highlighting only the overall figure of 140 million doses expected to be delivered by BioNTech-Pfizer and Moderna this year. Germany has also ordered 56 million doses from AstraZeneca and more than 100 million from manufacturers whose vaccines have yet to be approved in the EU.

The EU required the vaccines to get regular clearance rather than emergency use permission, a decision Spahn said would help boost acceptance for the shots. But this delayed the start of the vaccination campaign compared to other countries.

German Chancellor Angela Merke arrives for the plenary session on the current developments of the coronavirus pandemic in Germany, at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/dpa via AP)

Nurse gives an injection with the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine against Covid-19 disease to an employee at the Bethel Hospital in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. A total of 66 employees will be vaccinated at the hospital with the first the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Physiotherapist Christian Maass, left, gets an injection of the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine against the COVID-19 disease from doctor Marina Kremer, center, during the employee vaccination program, at the Bethel Hospital in Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. A total of 66 employees will be vaccinated at the hospital with the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)

Employee Niklas Grube pushes a coffin into a cooling chamber at the crematorium "Die Feuerbestattungen Celle", in Celle, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The crematorium in Celle has seen an increase in cremations of Corona deceased since November 2020. ( Julian Stratenschulte/dpa via AP)

Geriatric nurse Sindy Siegmund, center, tests a visitor at the entrance to the DRK nursing and care centre "Tor zur Altstadt" in Sangershausen, Germany, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Everyone who enters the nursing and care centre have to be tested on the coronavirus with a rapid test. (Hendrik Schmidt/dpa via AP)

Germany has so far administered shots to 750,000 of its 83 million residents, far fewer per capita than Israel, Britain or the United States.

Opposition lawmakers criticized that each of Germany's 16 states is organizing the vaccine appointments in a different way, with no centralized hotline or system to ensure that vulnerable groups are prioritized.

"I expect the federal government to be able to coordinate such an important matter with the states in a sensible way," said Left party lawmaker Amira Mohamed Ali.

Spahn said it was important to "remain realistic in the coming weeks," adding that Germans should expect to have to wear masks, practice social distancing and reduce their contacts for some time.

Senior government officials this week warned that Germany's lockdown measures may not be enough to reduce COVID infections before Easter, especially if the seemingly more contagious variants which have emerged in Britain and South Africa take hold.

The country's disease control agency reported 19,600 newly confirmed coronavirus infections in the past day, and 1,060 deaths.

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.
Credit: Eliot Lee HazelDeath Cab for Cutie's The Georgia EP covers collection is now out on all digital outlets.

The five-track effort was initially solely available for 24 hours in December on Bandcamp in an effort to raise money for Stacey Abrams' Fair Fight Action voter rights organization ahead of January's Georgia Senate runoff elections. After raising $100,000 from that exclusive premiere, Death Cab is giving the EP an official wide digital release.

The Georgia EP includes covers of five artists from the Peach State: R.E.M., TLC, Neutral Milk Hotel, Vic Chesnutt and Cat Power. In addition to the digital release, the EP will also be available on fittingly peach-colored vinyl.

"Fair Fight is grateful for the support of Death Cab for Cutie in our fight for free and fair elections in Georgia and nationwide," says Abrams in a statement. "The Georgia EP helps tell the story of Georgia just as their contributions have helped us write the next chapter."

Here's the track list for The Georgia EP:

"Waterfalls" (TLC)

"The King of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1" (Neutral Milk Hotel)

"Fall on Me" (R.E.M.)

"Flirted with You All My Life" (Vic Chesnutt)

"Metal Heart" (Cat Power)

By Josh Johnson

Copyright  2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Tyler Sizemore / Hearst Connecticut Media

WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Jim Himes has filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission declaring he is a candidate for Connecticuts 4th District House seat in the 2022 election.

Himess staff filed the statement on Monday designating a campaign committee for fundraising purposes.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is ready to engage in a dialogue with the opposition on constitutional amendments, but not with traitors, he said Tuesday.

"We are ready to talk to all honest people, including the opposition, but not with traitors. We are ready to conduct dialogue with any opposition, on any issues, from constitutional amendments to the future of our Belarus," Lukashenko said, according to BelTA.

Meanwhile, the president underscored that the authorities "will not bend their knees before anyone."

Previously, amid protests and political crisis in the country, Lukashenko stated the need to amend the constitution and expressed his readiness to redistribute authority among other branches of power. The opposition refused to discuss the constitutional amendments with the authorities, insisting on repeat presidential elections instead.
DUBLIN, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market Forecast to 2027 - COVID-19 Impact and Regional Analysis by Technology, Type, Frequency, and Application" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

According to this report the European defense drover antenna market is expected to reach US$ 223.33 million by 2027 from US$ 125.99 million in 2019. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.9 % from 2020 to 2027. The report provides trends prevailing in the Europe defense drone antenna market along with the drivers and restraints pertaining to the market growth. Increasing interest in circular omni directional antennas and rise in drone procurement by military forces due to higher defense budgets are the major factor driving the growth of the Europe defense drone antenna market.



However, problem of signal overlapping with linear antennas hinder the growth of Europe defense drone antenna market. In case of COVID-19, Europe is highly affected specially the UK. The European defense contractors enjoy a significant number of contracts year on year from customer (military forces/governments) across the globe. The UK, Germany, and France have the highest density of defense contractors in the region. The COVID-19 outbreak has interrupted the manufacturing process and supply chain in these countries. Due to the massive outbreak and governmental regulations, the manufacturers are forced to operate with very limited personnel, which resulted in limited production of drones and its related components like antennas. Several European defense contractors are heavily dependent on the US, China, and Indian defense forces. The international supply chain disruptions coupled with lower military spending has been adversely affecting these European defense contractors' businesses. The drone antenna manufacturers are also among the European defense equipment manufacturers to witness shock created by the COVID-19 crises.



The Europe market for defense drone antenna is segmented into technology, type, frequency, application, and country. Based on technology, the market is segmented into linear polarized directional antenna, linear polarized omni directional antenna, circular polarized directional antenna, and circular polarized omni directional antenna. In 2019, the linear polarized omni directional antenna segment held the largest share of market. Based on type, the market is divided into lightweight antenna, FPV antenna, telemetry antenna, NLOS antenna, and others. The lightweight antenna segment held the largest share of market in 2019. FPV antenna segment is expected to be the fastest growing segment over the forecast period. Based on frequency, market is segment into high frequency, very high frequency, and ultra-high frequency. The ultra-high frequency segment dominated the market in 2019. On the basis of application, the market is segmented into surveillance, navigation, communication, telemetry, and others. The communication segment contributed a substantial share in 2019 and surveillance segment is projected to be the fastest growing segment.



Alaris Holdings Limited; Antenna Research Associates, Inc.; Cobham Limited; PPM Systems; TE Connectivity; Trimble Inc. are among the leading companies in the Europe defense drone antenna market. The companies are focused on adopting organic growth strategies such as product launches and expansions to sustain their position in the dynamic market. For instance, in 2020, PPM announced the opening of 40 new offices in the UK to expand its engineering and design, sales and marketing, customer service, and accounts work.



Reasons to Buy

Save and reduce time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the growth, size, leading players and segments in the Europe defense drone antenna market.

defense drone antenna market. Highlights key business priorities in order to assist companies to realign their business strategies

The key findings and recommendations highlight crucial progressive industry trends in the Europe defense drone antenna market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies

defense drone antenna market, thereby allowing players across the value chain to develop effective long-term strategies Develop/modify business expansion plans by using substantial growth offering developed and emerging markets

Scrutinize in-depth Europe market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the defense drone antenna market, as well as those hindering it

market trends and outlook coupled with the factors driving the defense drone antenna market, as well as those hindering it Enhance the decision-making process by understanding the strategies that underpin commercial interest with respect to client products, segmentation, pricing and distribution



Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction

1.1 Study Scope

1.2 Research Report Guidance

1.3 Market Segmentation



2. Key Takeaways



3. Research Methodology

3.1 Coverage

3.2 Secondary Research

3.3 Primary Research



4. Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market Landscape

4.1 Market Overview

4.2 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.2.1 Bargaining Power of Buyers

4.2.2 Bargaining Power of Suppliers

4.2.3 Threat to New Entrants

4.2.4 Threat to Substitutes

4.2.5 Competitive Rivalry

4.3 Ecosystem Analysis



5. Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market - Key Market Dynamics

5.1 Key Market Driver

5.1.1 Rise in Drone Procurement by Military Forces due to Higher Defense Budgets

5.1.2 Increasing Interest in Circular Omni-Directional Antennas

5.2 Key Market Restraint

5.2.1 Problem of Signal Overlapping with Linear Antennas

5.3 Key Market Opportunity

5.3.1 Upsurge in R&D to Introduce Newer Variants such as Low-weight and 360 Multibeam Antenna

5.4 Future Trends

5.4.1 Continuous Upgradations in Drone Antenna

5.5 Impact Analysis of Drivers and Restraints



6. Defense Drone Antenna Market - Europe Analysis

6.1 Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market Overview

6.2 Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

6.3 Market Positioning - Market Players Ranking



7. Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market Analysis - by Technology

7.1 Overview

7.2 Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market, by Technology (2019 and 2027)

7.3 Linear Polarized Directional Antenna

7.3.1 Overview

7.3.2 Linear Polarized Directional Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

7.4 Linear Polarized Omni Directional Antenna

7.4.1 Overview

7.4.2 Linear Polarized Omni Directional Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

7.5 Circular Polarized Directional Antenna

7.5.1 Overview

7.5.2 Circular Polarized Directional Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

7.6 Circular Polarized Omni Directional Antenna

7.6.1 Overview

7.6.2 Circular Polarized Omni Directional Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



8. Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market Analysis - by Type

8.1 Overview

8.2 Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market, by Type (2019 and 2027)

8.3 Lightweight Antenna

8.3.1 Overview

8.3.2 Lightweight Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.4 FPV Antenna

8.4.1 Overview

8.4.2 FPV Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.5 Telemetry Antenna

8.5.1 Overview

8.5.2 Telemetry Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.6 NLOS Antenna

8.6.1 Overview

8.6.2 NLOS Antenna: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

8.7 Others

8.7.1 Overview

8.7.2 Others: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



9. Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market Analysis - by Frequency

9.1 Overview

9.2 Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market, by Frequency (2019 and 2027)

9.3 High Frequency

9.3.1 Overview

9.3.2 High Frequency: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

9.4 Very High Frequency

9.4.1 Overview

9.4.2 Very High Frequency: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

9.5 Ultra-High Frequency

9.5.1 Overview

9.5.2 Ultra-High Frequency: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



10. Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market Analysis - by Application

10.1 Overview

10.2 Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market, by Application (2019 and 2027)

10.3 Surveillance

10.3.1 Overview

10.3.2 Surveillance: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

10.4 Navigation

10.4.1 Overview

10.4.2 Navigation: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

10.5 Communication

10.5.1 Overview

10.5.2 Communication: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

10.6 Telemetry

10.6.1 Overview

10.6.2 Telemetry: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

10.7 Others

10.7.1 Overview

10.7.2 Others: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



11. Europe Defense Drone Antenna Market -Country Analysis

11.1 Overview

11.1.1 Europe: Defense Drone Antenna Market, by Country

11.1.1.1 Germany: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

11.1.1.2 France: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

11.1.1.3 Italy: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

11.1.1.4 UK: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

11.1.1.5 Spain: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

11.1.1.6 Switzerland: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)

11.1.1.7 Rest of Europe: Defense Drone Antenna Market - Revenue and Forecast to 2027 (US$ Million)



12. Impact of COVID-19 Outbreak

12.1 Europe: Impact Assessment of COVID-19 Pandemic



13. Industry Landscape

13.1 Market Initiative



14. Company Profiles

14.1 Antenna Research Associates, Inc.

14.1.1 Key Facts

14.1.2 Business Description

14.1.3 Products and Services

14.1.4 Financial Overview

14.1.5 SWOT Analysis

14.1.6 Key Developments

14.2 PPM Systems

14.2.1 Key Facts

14.2.2 Business Description

14.2.3 Products and Services

14.2.4 Financial Overview

14.2.5 SWOT Analysis

14.2.6 Key Developments

14.3 Trimble Inc.

14.3.1 Key Facts

14.3.2 Business Description

14.3.3 Products and Services

14.3.4 Financial Overview

14.3.5 SWOT Analysis

14.3.6 Key Developments

14.4 TE Connectivity

14.4.1 Key Facts

14.4.2 Business Description

14.4.3 Products and Services

14.4.4 Financial Overview

14.4.5 SWOT Analysis

14.4.6 Key Developments

14.5 Cobham Limited

14.5.1 Key Facts

14.5.2 Business Description

14.5.3 Products and Services

14.5.4 Financial Overview

14.5.5 SWOT Analysis

14.5.6 Key Developments

14.6 Alaris Holdings Limited

14.6.1 Key Facts

14.6.2 Business Description

14.6.3 Products and Services

14.6.4 Financial Overview

14.6.5 SWOT Analysis

14.6.6 Key Developments



15. Appendix

15.1 About the Publisher

15.2 Word Index



For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/kjp6fs

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.



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Australian shares shook off an uncertain start to close higher ahead of Joe Bidens long-anticipated stimulus response to the coronavirus pandemic.

A stellar session for tech stocks on Thursday helped the ASX 200 add 0.4 per cent to close at 6715.3.

President-elect Joe Biden is expected to reveal his stimulus agenda tonight or on Friday morning AEDT. Credit:AP

Afterpay shot up 9.7 per cent to $121 and rival Zip Co rose 5 per cent to $5.72 in a buy now, pay later rally, while the big banks also gained.

There were losses for the major mining firms after iron ore and gold prices slipped, while a red-hot energy sector also cooled off following a dip for oil.

US markets offered little direction at the open of trade as Donald Trumps impeachment trial played out.

As it transpired, a number of Trumps own Republican Party members voted against him as he became the first President in history to be impeached for a second time.

With little else happening on the corporate front, investor attention remained firmly in the US as President-elect Joe Biden announced he would be detailing his COVID spending plan on Thursday evening or Friday morning AEDT.

Trillions in new spending is expected to be unveiled, including heftier direct stimulus payments to Americans.

EY partner and investment banking veteran Duncan Hogg said the market had been anticipating Bidens announcement ever since his party swept the Georgia senate runoff last week

We then move into Bidens inauguration and Trump will have to step aside, and hopefully well see a bit more clarity as to whether the market will continue on its upward trend, Mr Hogg said.

Growth stocks were strong on Thursday.

The tech sector added a collective 4.7 per cent. Joining Afterpay in the black was the remainder of the so-called WAAAX contingent - Wisetech Global, Altium, Appen, and Xero - while Megaport, NEXTDC and Bravura Solutions also gained.

Health stocks were also strong, even with biotech giant CSL finishing flat.

Pro Medicus was the markets best performer on Thursday with a 15 per cent gain to $36.53 after it secured a $40 million deal with US firm Intermountain to roll out its imaging platform at 24 hospitals and 200 clinics.

Cochlear, Mesoblast, and Polynovo each rose more than 3 per cent.

Mr Hogg said for all the talk of a rotation in 2021 growth stocks would likely continue to shine in the short-term.

As we move further into 2021 the expectation is there will be more of the market moving towards value stocks as we see this additional cash and low interest rates playing through, Mr Hogg said.

That will drive up the value stocks as well, which are less volatile and will provide both a return and a better risk profile for investors.

So I do see the transition happening this year from growth to value, but in the near term it is still very much growth-focused.
HAMILTON, Bermuda, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Borr Drilling Limited (the "Company") (NYSE: BORR) and (OSE: BORR) refers to an article initially published in the Norwegian newspaper "Dagens Nringsliv" today, which refers to a potential alternative plan discussed by two creditors.

The Board and Management are highly confident that the Company can execute the liquidity improvement plan and equity raise as announced in a press release on 24 December 2020. The Company is working closely and constructively with all lenders to achieve the best possible solution for all stakeholders.

Forward looking statements

This announcement includes forward looking statements, which are statements that do not reflect historical facts and may be identified by words such as "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "intends", "may", "should", "will" and similar expressions and include the statement that the Board and management are highly confident that it can execute the liquidity improvement plan and equity raise announced on December 24, 2020 and other non-historical statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon various assumptions, many of which are based, in turn, upon further assumptions, which are, by their nature, uncertain and subject to significant known and unknown risks, contingencies and other factors which are difficult or impossible to predict and which are beyond our control. Such risks, uncertainties, contingencies and other factors could cause actual events to differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements included herein, including risks relating to the liquidity improvement plan including the risk that the Company is unable to reach final agreement and definitive documentation with the relevant creditors and risks relating to the final terms of such agreements, risks relating to meeting conditions to these agreements, including risks relating to the contemplated equity raise, risks relating to our liquidity including the risk that we may have insufficient liquidity to fund our operations; risks that the expected liquidity improvements do not materialize or are not sufficient to meet our liquidity requirements and other risks relating to our liquidity, the risk that our customers do not comply with their contractual obligations, including payment or approval of invoices for factoring, risks relating to industry conditions and tendering activity, risks relating to cash flows from operations, the risk that we may be unable to raise necessary funds through issuance of additional debt or equity or sale of assets; risks relating to our debt instruments including risks relating to our ability to comply with covenants and obtain any necessary waivers and the risk of cross defaults, risks relating to our ability to meet our debt obligations and obligations under rig purchase contracts and our other obligations as they fall due, risks relating to our liquidity requirements, risks relating to future financings including the risk that future financings may not be completed when required and future equity financings will dilute shareholders and the risk that the foregoing would result in insufficient liquidity to continue our operations or to operate as a going concern and other risks included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including those set forth under "Risk Factors" in our annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2019.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

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SOURCE Borr Drilling Limited
South Africa: Bribery case opened against three Pretoria Office of the Master officials

Three officials in the Office of the Master in Pretoria face arrest after they allegedly solicited a bribe from a citizen seeking a Letter of Authority.

This comes after the office received a tip-off by a member of the public on Tuesday. Subsequently, the office reported the incident to the South African Police Service (SAPS).

[This] will set in motion a criminal investigation into [the] three officials who are alleged to have solicited a bribe, said the Justice and Constitutional Development Ministry in a statement.

A letter of authority is a document issued by the Master of the High Court regarding the executorship of property.

The document dictates the terms of passing the estate of a deceased person to the rightful executor. This way, a letter of executorship is issued to the rightful executor, who thereby continues to manage the deceaseds estate. To acquire a letter of executorship and a letter of authority, one must report the death of a deceased person to the Master of the High Court within 14 days.

The Ministry in the statement reminded the public that the services of Master of the High Court are provided free of charge.

In this regard, we wish to emphasise that there are no circumstances that require a member of public to exchange cash with a member of the staff at the offices of the master, reads the statement.

The Ministry encouraged the public to report incidents of corruption to the National Anti-Corruption Hotline on 0800 701 701.  SAnews.gov.za

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Harris County Sheriff's Office

The Harris County Sheriff's Office is seeking help to find a 14-year-old girl who has been missing for more than a week.

Katelyn Fox was last seen Jan. 3 on the 13000 block of Echo Landing Drive in northwest Harris County, according to the agency.
Florida homeowners insurance specialists are reporting continued performance deterioration and a decline in capitalization levels, despite the most severe losses from the record 2020 hurricane season occurring outside of the Florida market, Fitch Ratings said in a recent report.

According to the rating agency, underwriting losses rose sharply for a group of 28 property/casualty (P/C) insurers focused on Florida homeowners insurance business, accounting for 60% of direct state market share for the $10 billion of direct premiums written in the state. The specialists had an aggregate combined ratio of 131% through 9M20 versus 111% at year-end 2019.

Florida homeowners insurance premium rates are rising in response to these poorer underlying loss trends and past catastrophe losses. Requested base rate increases in excess of 10% were common across Florida specialist carriers 2020 annual rate filings.

Fitch said carriers have cited rapid growth in litigation from non-catastrophe water damage claims as a driver of higher losses, as the pace of property damage claims that result in a lawsuit in Florida remains elevated relative to the broader U.S. market. Litigated claims tend to settle at values well in excess of those without a lawsuit, from both higher indemnity payments and defense costs.

Recovery in underwriting results from rate increases have been offset by higher reinsurance costs, with Florida-focused mid-year 2020 renewals showing a second year of sizable reinsurance rate increases, in some cases as much as 30%-35%.

Florida homeowners insurance specialists have business profiles characterized by limited scale and concentration in a volatile product segment, with further poor segment performance potentially leading to market exits and consolidation, Fitch said. Combined with less favorable risk-adjusted capital levels, high dependence on reinsurance and the recent poor profitability trends, the large majority of these companies would be rated below BBB by Fitch.

Source: Fitch Ratings

Topics Carriers Florida Homeowners
Syracuse, N.Y.  The Syracuse man who the FBI identified as a person of interest in last weeks insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building has been arrested on two federal misdemeanors, authorities told Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.

Albert Ciarpelli, 65, was arrested Wednesday for his role in the riot, based on a warrant out of the District of Columbia prosecutors office.

Ciarpelli was arraigned at 4 p.m. before a judge in Upstate New York and released, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick.

Ciarpelli is due back to court in Washington D.C. on 1 p.m. Jan. 25, Southwick said.

One misdemeanor charge is he knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.

The other charge accused him of violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, a Class B misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months in jail.

Its unclear whether Ciarpelli could face consecutive sentences, if convicted. But given both charges are misdemeanors, its unlikely hed face significant jail time.

Ciarpelli was captured in news photographs and surveillance photographs inside the Capitol during the takeover of the building. Photos of him were released by the FBI and DC police in their hunt for people.

Reached on the phone Friday by Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard, Ciarpelli was asked about his presence at the Capitol protests.

Yes, yes, he replied. Can you hold on?

The line went dead. About 30 seconds later, his lawyer, William Sullivan, called the reporter back.

Sullivan said at the time in an interview with Syracuse.com | The Post-Standard he was unaware of any warrants out for Ciarpellis arrest.

Sullivan confirmed that Ciarpelli was at the protest, but provided no specifics and maintained that his client had done nothing illegal.

Sullivan did not respond to phone calls after Ciarpellis arrest Wednesday.

One picture shows Ciarpelli with a group of others inside the Capitol across from police. Among the group was a man dressed in fur and horns who has since been identified by The Arizona Republic and federal authorities as Jake Angeli, 33.

The man who appears near Ciarpelli in a knit cap has been identified as Doug Jensen, a Des Moines man, by The Des Moines Register and federal authorities.

Angeli and Jensen each have been arrested and face federal charges.

The FBI asked that anyone with information or tips about the riot at the U.S. Capitol call 1-800-CALL-FBI or visit fbi.gov/USCapitol.

Syracuse resident Albert Ciarpelli (far left, with phone) during the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Do you know any Central New Yorkers who were inside the Capitol on Wednesday? Contact staff writer Douglass Dowty at ddowty@syracuse.com or 315-470-6070.

Ready to work with new US administration says Pak foreign minister

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US elections 2021: Russia meddled, Iran did too, China sat it out

Armed Guards, Fences: Capitol under heavy security amid Trump impeachment

International

oi-Deepika S

Washington, Jan 13: The Pentagon is deploying 20,000 National Guards with lethal weapons here, a week ahead of the inauguration, to prevent any violence as experienced on January 6, with intelligence agencies receiving information about move to create violence and chaos across the country.

As many as 15,000 have already been deployed in and around Capitol Hill and another 5,000 would be added around the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. This is now twice the number of American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq combined.

As US House of Representatives started the impeachment proceedings against Trump, security was tightened in and around Capitol Hill.

Not only metal detectors were installed, but also eight-feet high metal walls were erected overnight around Capitol Hill.

"There are significantly more US troops currently deployed on Capitol Hill than in Afghanistan and Iraq combined, a staggering statistic that underscores just how massive the security presence already is," CNN said reflecting on the gravity of the situation in the country.

"I think you can except to see somewhere upwards beyond 20,000 members of the National Guard that will be here in the footprint of the District of Columbia," acting DC police chief Robert J. Contee III told reporters at a news conference here.

Guardsmen, who are responsible for security around the Capitol building complex, were armed with lethal weapons, Politico reported.

'He must go': US House Speaker Pelosi calls Trump a 'clear and present danger'

Major news outlets on Wednesday flashed pictures of guardsman inside the US Capitol guarding the temple of democracy, a scenario that was undreamt of before January 6, when thousands of supporters of Trump stormed the building and disrupted the constitutional process of counting and certification of electoral college votes.

Officials are bracing for uncertainty and preparing for the potential of violence in the days ahead, The New York Times reported.

"About 16 groups have registered to stage protests and officials said that law enforcement agencies were preparing for the possibility of armed conflict," the daily reported.

National Guard Bureau Chief Gen. Daniel Hokanson told reporter that the troops "are authorized to do law enforcement if that's requested from the supporting agency."
Donald Trump will face a second trial in the United States Senate beginning on Tuesday, 9 February, having been impeached by the House of Representatives for incitement of insurrection. The single article of impeachment relates to his actions on and leading up to 6 January, when the US Capitol was stormed by his supporters, leaving five dead.

While Mr Trump was impeached while still in office, the Senates outgoing majority leader at the time, Mitch McConnell said that a fair or serious trial could not conclude before Joe Biden was sworn in as US president, and Mr Trumps successor, on 20 January.

Democrat House impeachment managers delivered the ratified article of impeachment to the Senate on 26 January. After which, senators were sworn in as jurors. An attempt to dismiss the impeachment trial brought by Senator Rand Paul failed, but only five Republicans joined Democrats in saying that the trial should go ahead, indicating that a conviction of the former president is unlikely as that requires a two-thirds Senate majority.

The trial is expected to take two weeks. If convicted Mr Trump may also face a second simple majority vote barring him from running for office again as well as other possible sanctions.

Read more: Follow live Trump impeachment updates

What is impeachment?

The founders of the United States feared presidents might abuse their powers, so they included in the Constitution a process for removing one from office.

Under the Constitution, the president can be removed from office for "Treason, Bribery, or other High Crimes and Misdemeanours".

Given the vague nature of the phrase, high crimes and misdemeanours have historically encompassed corruption and abuses of the public trust, as opposed to indictable violations of criminal statutes.

Former President Gerald Ford, while in Congress, famously said: "An impeachable offence is whatever a majority of the House of Representatives considers it to be at a given moment in history."

No president has ever been removed as a direct result of impeachment.

The three presidents who were impeached by the House  Andrew Johnson, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump  were not convicted by the Senate. It has only been a year since the Trump impeachment trial in the upper chamber of Congress.

How does it work?

Impeachment begins in the House, the lower chamber, which debates and votes on whether to bring charges against the president via approval of an impeachment resolution, or "articles of impeachment", by a simple majority of the body's members.

The Constitution gives House leaders wide latitude in deciding how to conduct impeachment proceedings, legal experts have said.

In the first Trump impeachment, the House Intelligence Committee conducted an investigation into whether Trump abused his power to pressure Ukraine to launch investigations that would benefit him politically. Weeks of closed-door testimony and televised hearings were held before a formal evidence report was issued.

Formal charges were then prepared based on the report and the full House impeachment vote was carried out. After approval, the action then moved to the Senate for trial, with House members acting as the prosecutors; the senators as jurors; and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts presiding. As we know, ultimately the president was not removed from office.

Proceedings were expedited this time around, with the articles of impeachment introduced on Monday, with the vote taking place on Wednesday afternoon.

What happens in the Senate?

There is debate about whether the Constitution requires a Senate trial, but Senate rules in effect do require one.

In such a trial, House members act as prosecutors, witnesses will be called, and senators will vote on any punishment requiring a two-thirds majority vote.

If a trial were to proceed and a conviction to be handed down, Mr Trump would be removed from office with only days left of his presidency. He could also be barred from seeking elected office again and may lose various benefits afforded to former presidents should other votes be scheduled specific to those punishments  which require a simple majority vote.

While Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell allowed the previous impeachment trial to proceed, it was initially unclear what he might do the second time around. Mr McConnell rejected a bid to enact an emergency session of the Senate to conduct a full trial before the transition of power to the Biden administration, instead saying the legislative body would consider the House resolution after the inauguration.

Mr McConnell has since been replaced as Senate Majority Leader by Democrat Chuck Schumer.

What about opening a trial and quickly ending it?

The Senate rules allow members to file, before the conclusion of the trial, motions to dismiss the charges against the president. If such a motion passes by a simple majority, the impeachment proceedings effectively end.

President Clinton's Senate impeachment trial, which did not end in a conviction, lasted five weeks. Halfway through the proceedings, a Democratic senator introduced a motion to dismiss, which was voted down.

What's the party breakdown in Congress?

Democrats control the House. The House comprises 433 members at present (there are two vacancies), 222 of whom are Democrats. As a result, the Democrats could have impeached Mr Trump with no Republican support. However, 10 House Republicans voted in favour of impeachment in January.

In 2020 the chamber voted largely along party lines to impeach the president. In 1998, the same was true when Republicans controlled the House and impeached Democrat President Clinton.

Prior to the 2020 election, the Senate had 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats. Conviction and removal of a president would require a two-thirds majority.

Following the election and the Georgia runoffs, the chamber now has a 50:50 party split, with Vice President Kamala Harris able to cast a tie-breaking vote when needed.

Democrats would need seventeen Republicans to vote for conviction, which given the results for the vote to dismiss on 27 January, when only five GOP senators voted with them, seems highly unlikely.

The move by Democrats and the few Republicans that joined them in the House and Senate is also symbolic and underlines that such actions cannot go unpunished.

Mr McConnell has not publicly said whether he will convict Mr Trump, instead saying he would look at the legal arguments. He has privately told confidants he supports the Houses impeachment, TheNew York Times has reported, and is reportedly leaving it to individual members of the Senate GOP to vote with their consciences on whether to vote to convict.

Could Trump have been removed before the end of his term?

Following Mr McConnell's decision not to recall the Senate for an emergency session, removing Mr Trump by impeachment was not going to happen while he was still in the White House.

While there are no set timelines for an impeachment, even though the article was pushed through the House in record time, it became clear very quickly that Senate consideration would have to wait until after he left office.

Some experts also argue about whether an impeachment trial can be pursued after an individual has left office, there is precedent at lower ranks in the government, but that debate continues. Without the potential punishment of being removed from office, other sanctions may be introduced in the Senate.

A separate resolution was passed calling on Vice President Mike Pence to convene the cabinet to discuss whether to invoke the 25th Amendment that would remove the president from office for not being able to carry out his duties. The vice president refused to consider the matter.

What would have happened if Trump had been removed?

Had Mr Trump been removed from office or resigned before the end of his term, Vice President Mike Pence would become president for the remainder of the administration  mere days  ending at midday on 20 January, 2021.

If that had happened, Mr Pence would hold the record for the shortest term in office ever by a US president, beating President William Henry Harrison who died on 4 April 1841, just 31 days into his term.

With additional reporting from Reuters
ATLANTA, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OncoLens, a pioneer in tumor board and cancer treatment planning solutions, announced today that it has raised a $7.25 million Series A investment from BIP Capital, Martin Ventures, and SeedToB Capital, a new healthcare artificial intelligence (AI) venture fund launched by former Jvion Co-founders Shantanu Nigam and Ritesh Sharma.

OncoLens brings collaborative and personalized treatment planning to the cancer patient through data integration and decision support. It helps cancer programs and their multidisciplinary teams of specialists collaborate effectively while easily aggregating patient-specific data in a HIPAA-compliant manner across different EMR/clinical/genetics information systems. Patient-specific clinical trials at a facility or its affiliates, NCCN/ASCO guidelines, and the latest research are also automatically identified for each case to support the care team in making the best decision for the patient.

"The new investment round will enable us to further capitalize on our position as a leader in the tumor board and cancer treatment planning software industry," said Anju Mathew, CEO of OncoLens. "We're excited to continue our work with BIP Capital and our new investors Martin Ventures and SeedToB Capital. Their combined deep expertise in healthcare and AI will help catalyze both our product development and market expansion efforts."

OncoLens is being used or implemented across several National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers and some of the largest U.S. healthcare delivery networks. The company has received significant market recognition, with studies showcased in the Association of Community Cancer Centers' Oncology Journal, Journal of Registry Management, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and others.

"We were an early investor in OncoLens and we're proud of its rapid growth and commitment to improving healthcare through technology," said Mark Buffington, co-founder and CEO of BIP Capital and lead investor of its growing portfolio of Healthcare IT investments. "We're confident OncoLens will increasingly become part of the new norm in terms of how care providers collaborate efficiently and effectively with one another."

"OncoLens is enabling better outcomes for cancer patients," said Devin Carty, CEO of Martin Ventures. "The need for new, cutting-edge technologies has never been more important to ultimately winning the fight against cancer. We are excited to partner with Anju and the rest of the OncoLens team to extend and expand clinical trials, precision medicine, and multidisciplinary care to cancer patients."

"Tumor boards and care collaboration are within a space needing much innovation," said Shantanu Nigam, managing partner of SeedToB Capital. "OncoLens is stepping up and leading this charge with a very innovative approach under stellar leadership. We're extremely excited to welcome OncoLens to our portfolio."

The funding announcement comes during a week when many healthcare investors and innovators are attending the 39th Annual J.P. Morgan Health Care Conference virtually (social media hashtag #JPM21). A focal area of the event is telemedicine and virtual collaboration tools to help healthcare providers better meet the needs of patients in a mobile and digitally connected world.

In 2020, OncoLens was named among the top 10 most innovative companies by the Technology Association of Georgia. OncoLens currently serves more than 8,000 cancer care providers across the country.

About BIP Capital

BIP Capital is recognized as one of the most active venture investors in the Southeast, serving entrepreneurs, investors, and operators to grow the emerging company ecosystem. It applies experience and process to make investment decisions and operational recommendations, allowing its portfolio companies to achieve and stay on a glide path of growth. Areas of focus include Enterprise SaaS, Healthcare IT, Digital Media, Dev Tools, and MarTech. For more information, visit www.bip-capital.com or follow BIP Capital on LinkedIn or Twitter @BIPCapital.

About Martin Ventures

Martin Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm based in Nashville, Tennessee. Martin Ventures was founded by healthcare operator, investor, and entrepreneur Charlie Martin. Martin Ventures focuses on both building and launching de novo companies and investing time, energy, and capital into world-class entrepreneurs' leading growth-stage companies. For more information, visit www.martinventures.com.

About SeedToB Capital

SeedToB Capital primarily focuses on artificial intelligence initiatives within healthcare. Most applications of AI in healthcare have results in pilot settings, but fail to scale successfully despite huge investments. SeedToB's unique approach is to help entrepreneurs navigate this complex space toward the most efficient path to Series B and ultimately, company success. It is led by Ritesh Sharma and Shantanu Nigam, serial entrepreneurs who founded Jvion and quickly grew it to be the nation's largest clinical AI company.

About OncoLens

OncoLens is a care treatment planning platform designed to help cancer programs collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams across their care networks and within the affiliates and communities they serve. Our solutions include virtual tumor board technology, workflow automation, survivorship care planning, and clinical decision support capabilities that lead to increased standardization across the network, higher quality of care, enhanced engagement with affiliates, and reduced costs through greater efficiencies. For more information on OncoLens, please visit www.oncolens.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Kathy Berardi

Carabiner Communications

[email protected]

678.644.4122

SOURCE OncoLens

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The Federal Council

Bern, 13.01.2021 - At its meeting on 13 January 2021 the Federal Council approved a strategy on Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time. The countries of North Africa are already covered by the MENA strategy adopted by the Federal Council on 14 October 2020. The new strategy recognises the great diversity of the African continent and the challenges and opportunities it presents. It sets out Switzerland's priorities and measures in the region for the 202124 period. In addition to peace, the core elements of the strategy are security and human rights, migration, prosperity, sustainability and digitalisation, areas in which the strategy builds on a tradition of partnership with the states of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The new strategy lists separate priorities for different regions to reflect the tremendous diversity of Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition to the three regions of the Sahel, the Greater Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes, Switzerland focuses on the lion economies and regional organisations. This takes account of the growing importance of multilateral organisations on the African continent. For each of these regions, the Federal Council has set out objectives and implementing measures. Migration is an issue that cuts across all thematic areas, with the strategy seeking to reduce migration pressures through the implementation of the four priorities.

Peace, security and human rights: In light of the many conflicts, Switzerland's work in this area includes good offices and civilian and military peacebuilding, as well as respect for human rights and international humanitarian law. Efforts to promote the rule of law and good governance will be stepped up in accordance with the International Cooperation Strategy 202124, as will the fight against impunity and equal involvement of women and young people in peace and reconstruction processes. Impartial humanitarian aid remains a key feature of Switzerland's work. Switzerland works to ensure adherence to humanitarian principles, access to persons in need, protection on the ground, and sustainable solutions for countries of first refuge. It also seeks to strengthen cooperation with African countries under migration agreements and partnerships.



Prosperity: Switzerland supports sustainable economic growth through innovative approaches to basic education and vocational training and by improving economic conditions locally. This creates more opportunities from which both local businesses and Swiss companies can benefit. Switzerland uses its trade diplomacy and bilateral agreements to this end. Switzerland also aims to ensure the development and implementation of global standards to combat illicit financial flows, including through the restitution of illicitly acquired assets (asset recovery).

Sustainability: In the context of the 2030 Agenda, Switzerland promotes sustainable development in the dimensions of the environment, economy and society. It supports the fight against climate change and its impacts and promotes efficient healthcare systems and access to clean water. In response to rapid urbanisation, Switzerland's efforts focus increasingly on energy and other basic services, and on urban planning. It also seeks to improve the management of displacement and migration caused by natural disasters and the consequences of climate change.

Digitalisation: In line with the Digital Foreign Policy Strategy 202124, Switzerland will assist countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with digital transformation, enabling them to harness new technologies for the benefit of the economy, society and administration. It will seek to enable the whole population to utilise the opportunities of digitalisation thanks to affordable internet access.

Harnessing opportunities

Despite facing major challenges, Sub-Saharan Africa is becoming increasingly important geopolitically and economically. With its Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy, the Federal Council is focusing on the region's potential and is seeking to build on the long-standing tradition of partnership with Sub-Saharan Africa. Switzerland's commitment is greatly appreciated and it will seek to further consolidate and diversify relations on this basis.

After the strategy for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the Sub-Saharan Africa Strategy is the second geographic follow-up strategy to Switzerland's Foreign Policy Strategy 202023. With this approach the Federal Council aims improve the coherence of its foreign policy and ensure that its activities are future-focused.

Address for enquiries

For further information:

FDFA Communication

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The first batch of Moderna vaccines arrived in Romania on Tuesday night, by land, entering the country through the western Nadlac II Border Crossing Point, the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations Arad reported.

The vaccines were brought in by truck, escorted by police, and border formalities lasted a few minutes, with the lane secured for passage.

The truck immediately left for Bucharest, escorted by Police and Gendarmerie crews.

The National Committee for the Coordination of Vaccination Activities against COVID-19 reported on Tuesday that the first batch of 14,000 doses of Moderna vaccine will arrive on Wednesday at the Cantacuzino National Institute for Medical-Military Research and Development.

Doses will be stored at the National Storage Centre and will be distributed in regional and vaccination centres in the coming period.
MANZINI - Traditional healers are operating as mobile clinics amid the threat posed by the second wave of COVID-19.

This was revealed by Witchdoctors Associations National Chairman Makhanya Makhanya, who said they were targeting saving lives of COVID-19 patients who were under home-based care.

He said since government would not give them the green light to treat COVID-19 patients until their concoctions had been scientifically tested and approved, especially by the World Health Organisation (WHO), they would not fold their arms and watch as the second wave of the coronavirus was sweeping the nation.

In that regard, he said COVID-19 patients who were recovering from home and the nation at large, should not hesitate to call them up and invite them to their isolation rooms at home to treat them.

Sicknesses

He claimed that their traditional remedies had saved many lives out there from different sicknesses, which western medicine had difficulties in treating, like cancer and asthma among others.

Makhanya claimed that one could recover from the virus within two days after taking their steaming and drinking mixtures as prescribed.

Again, the chairman said emaSwati should not worry that they would transmit the virus from one household to another as they did not have close contact with the patients. In fact, he said they practised all the laid down safety precautions and wore protective gear such as face masks and hand gloves when attending to patients.

On the same note, well-known traditional healer Elliot Black Cat Fakudze and the inyanga from the Democratic Republic of Congo (RDC), Dr Guensta Ikartachi, said as the COVID-19 pandemic cases were still on the rise, they had to prove that they loved the country and its citizens by saving their lives.

In that regard, they pleaded with the government to, in one way or the other, consider giving traditional doctors a chance to assist in the fight against the virus. They argued that every individual had a responsibility to stop the virus from spreading and claiming lives of emaSwati.

Yes, we are working out there and believe that we have assisted a number of people to recover from the virus, but if government can give us the green light to work openly, that can give the patients courage to try our traditional remedies, the traditional healers said.

They said they were prepared to work with government in fighting the virus and keeping the citizens safe.

Meanwhile, efforts to get a comment from the Director of Health Services, Dr Vusi Magagula, proved futile as his mobile phone rang unanswered for the better part of yesterday afternoon. The last call was made at 5:12pm.

It is worth noting that by end of business on Tuesday, the country had recorded a total of 11 919 cases of COVID-19 and 319 deaths. On Tuesday alone, the country reported 308 new cases and 21 deaths.

The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
As anyone who has attempted to recover their lost sunglasses after they fell off a boat can attest, even clean ocean water is impenetrable beyond a few inches. Over the past decades, dramatic improvements in our ability to explore the ocean depths have taken place and yet there is still so much to be learned about the ocean, whose well-being is critical to our global ecosystem.

More than 80 people were online Thursday evening to hear Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) scientist and engineer Andy Bowen discuss the increasing sophistication of ocean exploration for the first program in Chatham Marconi Maritime Center's 2021 Speaker Series.

Progress in underwater research often came as a result of significant human catastrophes in the water. The loss of the Navy submarine USS Thresher in 1963, with 129 crew members 220 miles off Boston, propelled research in this area.

"There were demands for advances in the technology to search and survey the deepest parts of the ocean," Bowen said. "The desire to understand and learn led to purposeful development of technology."

By the mid '80s legendary oceanographer Dr. Bob Ballard had begun to build a team of scientists at Woods Hole. In 1985 his team got a chance to test their new imaging vehicle Argo on its first deep-sea cruise, towed from the Research Vessel Knorr. Their mission was to locate the wreckage of the Titanic.

Argo could dive deeper and stay there longer than others, while exploring wider areas, as well as sending better pictures. In September of that year they located the SS Titanic in 12,000 feet of water. The discovery marked a turning point for public awareness of the ocean, according to WHOI, and for the development of new areas of science and technology.

The development of towed sled vehicles to image the seafloor was only the beginning. In addition to towed sleds, todays robotic vehicles include tethered remotely operated vehicles and completely autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).

In 1980 the British cargo ship MV Derbyshire was lost south of Japan in a typhoon, and 44 crew and family members perished. Called in by the British government to search for the wreckage in 1989, the WHOI team deployed Argo II, a high altitude towed imaging system, and the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Medea/Jason system to locate the wreck and debris field, conduct a detailed photographic survey of the site, and examine individual pieces of wreckage. Investigators were able to conclude that flooding was the cause of the sinking and help drive changes in regulation for better safety.

In 2009, Air France Flight 447 disappeared while on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris with 216 passengers and 12 crew. On April 4, 2011, a search team led by WHOI located the wreckage of the Airbus jet nearly 2.5 miles below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Key to this discovery were three REMUS 6000s, AUVs which detected the debris on the sea floor and mapped the data field. AUVs are highly efficient gravity powered programmable robotic vehicles that can come to the surface, require low upkeep and are capable of crossing oceans. "Their diversity provides researchers a great ability to explore," Bowen said.

Finding the data recorder from the container ship El Faro, lost in Hurricane Joaquin in 2015, en route from Jacksonville to Puerto Rico, was like finding a "needle in a haystack" according to Bowen. "The Navy located the wreckage but the data recorder was missing," Bowen said. WHOI's Sentry, a one-of-a-kind AUV funded by the National Science Foundation, was a key tool in finding it, doing precision mapping of the floor. Sentry towed a fiber optically-controlled robotic vehicle called Camper to collect video imagery around the site.

Over this period of time, Bowen wrote, "much has changed; we have gone from deep ocean survey tools behind simple towed vehicles, having the limited ability to 'snap pictures,' to todays tethered and untethered robots exhibiting ever-increasing capabilities to perform a range of complex tasks."

In response to a question from listeners about whether WHOI was involved in clearing the ocean of plastics, Bowen noted that even in the very deepest part of the ocean, there are plastics and garbage. WHOI has several efforts underway to understand the science of plastics in the ocean and to develop tools to identify where they originate and work on more degradable plastics.

The next program in the series is set for Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. Featured will be author Ira Brodsky on wireless technology. For more information go to www.chathammarconi.org.
Morena, MP, Jan 13 (UNI) The death toll owing to consumption of spurious liquor rose to 22 on Wednesday in Madhya Pradeshs Morena District even as 18 individuals are battling for life at infirmaries here and in Gwalior divisional headquarters.

The administration swung into action by transferring Collector Anurag Verma and Superintendent of Police Anurag Sujania  in compliance of directives from Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan subsequent to his chairing a high-level review meeting in the state capital. Mr Verma was reassigned as Deputy Secretary (Mantralaya) and Mr Sujania as Assistant Inspector General (Headquarters).



The incident occurred despite the fact that a campaign is underway against the scourge of adulteration. Launch a crusade against alcohol smuggling, the Chief Minister ordered.



Authorities  visibly tight-lipped over the situation  confirmed 20 fatalities though hospital sources disclosed the higher figure.



The dispensation constituted a three-member special team for investigating the episode. It is headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Rajesh Kumar Rajora and includes Additional Director General of Police A Sai Manohar plus Deputy Inspector General (Training) Mithilesh Shukla.



Divisional Commissioner (Chambal) Ashish Saxena and Inspector General (Chambal Range) Manoj Sharma met nine people undergoing treatment at the District Hospital and solicited inputs regarding purchase of the intoxicant. Both officers had a closed-door session with an accused who is also admitted there as he partook of the drink on Monday. Seven perpetrators are under arrest and five absconding. Rewards of Rs 5,000 each have been announced.



The booze was manufactured at dwellings in Chhera Manpur. The deceased hailed from Chhera Manpur, Pahawli and Bilaiyyapura villages.



The issue assumed political hues on Tuesday and oppositions response was rapid as an echo as erstwhile chief minister Kamal Nath alleged that the incident proves beyond reasonable doubt the domination of the liquor mafia.

Earlier, as many as 16 lives were similarly snuffed out in Ujjain District, the Congress state President pointed out.



On Tuesday, District Excise Officer Javed Ahmad and Bagchini Station House Officer Avinash Rathor were placed under suspension. In the afternoon, tempers ran high and villagers blocked the Morena-Sabalgarh road by placing victims corpses. The agitation ended after about an hour when senior administrative and police officers arrived on the scene and pacified the people.

UNI Team-AC
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Metal detectors were installed at the entrance of the U.S. House of Representatives floor at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, and some members are not happy with the change, according to reports.

The change was made in the wake of the mob entering the Capitol in a riot Jan. 6, including a stand-off in the chamber.

A memo from Acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett discussed the detectors being installed to ensure compliance with police regulations banning guns and incendiary devices in the chamber, CNN reported. Capitol Police set them up outside of the House floor Tuesday afternoon.

The decision was immediately met with resistance from some members, including Colorado Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert, who said she was legally allowed to carry a firearm within the building and called it a political stunt in a tweet.

I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex.



Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week  its just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.  Rep. Lauren Boebert (@RepBoebert) January 13, 2021

According to Fox News reporter Chad Pergram, Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy also decried the new detectors saying it is unnecessary, unconstitutional, and endangers members.

GOP TX Rep Chip Roy: The metal detector policy for the House floor is unnecessary, unconstitutional, and endangers members. I did not comply tonight. I will not comply in the future.  Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) January 13, 2021

Huffington Post reporter Matt Fuller, who was present at the Capitol on Tuesday night, shared that at least 10 Republican members either walked through without acknowledging that they went off or around the detectors before entering the floor, including Pa. Rep. Scott Perry.

Just watched about 10 Republicans walk around the magnetometer.



Didnt see them all, but among the group was Ralph Northham and Scott Perry.



Jeff Duncan bypassed the metal detector right before them.  Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 13, 2021

He also reported that some members pushed past security.

Another member  I believe it was Russ Fulcher  just pushed his way through. He went through the metal detector, set it off, ran into a cop, and then pushed his way past her.  Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 13, 2021

NBCNews reported that members have been told firearms are restricted to their offices.

Indiana Rep. Larry Bucshon said the new checkpoint was unconstitutional and said GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy should formally protest.

In addition, what @SpeakerPelosi is doing by forcing the Capitol Police to not allow Members onto the House floor without a security checkpoint is unconstitutional based on Article 1, Section 6. This should not stand. @GOPLeader with House Republicans must formally protest.  Larry Bucshon, MD (@RepLarryBucshon) January 13, 2021

There were no reports of any consequences or restrictions for lawmakers who ignored the metal detectors Tuesday night.

Read more on PennLive:
The UK on Wednesday hit a grim record of 1,564 daily death toll of people dying within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus, the worst figure since the pandemic hit last year, taking the country's death tally from the deadly virus to 84,767.

It comes as 47,525 more people tested positive for the virus, even as London registered the first fall in hospitalisations since early December.

The figures come as UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned there was a "very substantial" risk of intensive care capacity in hospitals being "overtopped".

Speaking to the House of Commons Liaison Committee, Johnson said the situation was "very, very tough" in the National Health Service (NHS) and the strain on staff was "colossal".

He once again appealed to the public to follow lockdown rules, which require people to stay at home and only go out for limited reasons.

He also revealed that steps were being taken to monitor a new variant of in Brazil, which is believed to be different from other variants found in the UK and South Africa.

"We already have tough measures... to protect this country from new infections coming in from abroad. We are taking steps to do that in respect of the Brazilian variant," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, during Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) in the House of Commons, he told Parliament that COVID vaccinations will be offered 24 hours a day, seven days a week as soon as supplies of the Pfizer/BioNtech and Oxford/AstraZeneca and eventually the Moderna vaccine allow.

The 24-7 service will be piloted in a small number of places first with NHS staff likely to be offered the option of overnight vaccinations first.

"They are going exceptionally fast," he said, in reference to the vaccination programme.

By the end of Monday, 2.4 million people had received their first of two vaccine doses. The government has promised all the over-70s, the extremely clinically vulnerable and front-line health and care workers about 15 million people will be offered a jab by mid-February.

(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.)
(Newser)  The Capitol looked a lot different Wednesday morning than it did a week earlier. As reporters arrived ahead of a House impeachment vote, they were met by hundreds of National Guard troops lined up in the Congressional Visitor Center, with some sleeping in nearby hallways. For CNN political reporter Rebecca Buck, the scene resembled the quartering of Union soldiers in the Capitol during the Civil War more than 150 years ago. "Many are cuddling their firearms, fatigues over their heads to block light, and riot gear in neat piles," tweeted reporter Nathaniel Reed, per the Week. The Pentagon announced Tuesday that troops assisting Capitol security ahead of Inauguration Day would be armed.

story continues below

A rep for the DC National Guard says federal authorities made the request, which was approved by Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, reports CNN. National Guard members have been arriving in Washington since last week's riot, and about 15,000 will be available in the lead-up to Joe Biden's inauguration amid a range of credible threats. Following claims that last week's rioters may have been assisted in accessing the Capitol, all members are being trained to report inappropriate behavior. Any activity that "involves violence, civil disobedience, or a breach of peace" may be punishable under state, federal, or military rules, according to an Army rep. (Read more U.S. Capitol stories.)
Rebel Wilson has revealed she was once kidnapped at gunpoint while travelling through Africa.

Speaking to army hardman Ant Middleton on his Sky One series Straight Talking, the Australian actress, 40, described the ordeal as 'petrifying'.

'There was one time in Africa where I got kidnapped. It was in rural Mozambique,' Rebel recalled.

'I was petrified': Rebel Wilson, 40, has revealed she was once kidnapped at gunpoint while travelling through Africa. Rebel pictured in Africa in 2014

'We were on this cattle truck and these men came on another truck with a lot of guns. [They pulled up beside us] with the big guns and they were like, 'Yeah, you've got to get off your truck'.

Fearing for their lives, Rebel and her fellow travellers obeyed, and were taken to a 'house in the middle of nowhere' and held overnight.

Luckily, Rebel quickly concocted a clever plan to keep her fellow prisoners safe.

Terrifying: The Australian actress spoke about the ordeal to army hardman Ant Middleton (left) on his Sky One series Straight Talking

'I felt like I was very good in the crisis. I was like a team leader,' the Pitch Pe4fect star explained.

'They sat us down, and I said, 'Everybody link arms,' because I was petrified in the night that they might want to take one of the girls or something.'

Luckily, Rebel and the other travellers were unharmed, and by morning were allowed to return to their truck.

Ordeal: 'We were on this cattle truck and these men came on another truck with a lot of guns,' the Pitch Perfect star recalled. Rebel pictured in Tanzania in 2014

They made a quick getaway and eventually managed to cross the South African border.

While Rebel still has no idea why she was held up, she does have a compelling theory.

'I think maybe those guys, maybe, used us to smuggle illegal things in the bottom of the truck,' she speculated.
Geojit's report on Agri Picks

Cotton production in Gujarat is likely to fall 14% to 7.4 mln bales in 2020-21 (Jul -Jun) due to a sharp decline in acreage, according to the state farm department's second advance estimate. Cotton acreage in Gujarat is at 2.28 mln ha in the current season against 2.65 mln ha last year. The decline in acreage is mainly due to the shift to other lucrative crops like groundnut. The initial price limit for cotton futures on the Intercontinental Exchange has been increased to 4 cents per pound from 3 cents earlier, the bourse said in a circular. MCX subsidiary MCX Clearing Corp has accredited facilities of Shree Shubham Logistics Ltd in Mahesana, Gujarat, as a warehouse for the storage and delivery of cotton bales from today, the exchange said in a circular. Government agencies had 53.0 mln tn food grain stocks at the start of the year, sharply higher than the 21.4 mln tn buffer required, officials said. The stocks were, however, down over 6% on year. Soymeal exports are expected to jump fivefold on year to around 300,000 tn in January due to strong demand from traditional buyers, the Soybean Processors Association of India said. The government appointed a central team to visit Maharashtra and Gujarat and monitor the epicentres of the avian influenza outbreak in these states, a government circular said. The National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India has bought around 11,288 tn of key pulses harvested in the 2020-21 (Jul-Jun) kharif season from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Haryana as of Saturday, an agency official said. Farmers associations will not engage with the expert panel created by the Supreme Court as the members of the committee have expressed their support to the recently enacted farm laws, Avik Saha, secretary of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee said.

For all commodities report, click here

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GOP congressman apologizes to Robert Jeffress for claiming he pushed 'stolen election' claim

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Congressman Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., has issued an apology to Dallas megachurch Pastor Robert Jeffress for falsely claiming that he was among the evangelical leaders who promoted the claim that the 2020 election was "stolen" from President Donald Trump.

Kinzinger, a Republican critic of President Donald Trump who said he would vote to impeach the president, took to Twitter on Tuesday to criticize prominent conservative Christian pastors who he believed promoted the presidents claims of targeted voter fraud impacting the 2020 election.

According to Newsweek, Kinzinger called on the leaders to "admit their mistakes and lead their flocks out of darkness to truth."

Jeffress, the pastor of First Baptist Dallas and one of the earliest prominent evangelical supporters of Trump going back to the 2016 Republican primary elections, responded to a now-deleted tweet from Kinzinger accusing him and others, such as Franklin Graham, of spreading the voter fraud claim.

Adam, you need to get your facts straight, Jeffress wrote on the platform. Ive never once claimed the election was stolen. If anyone needs to admit their mistake, its YOU. Will be awaiting your apology.

Kinzinger, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2011, responded by issuing an apology, an act that is not often done publicly by politicians.

You know sir? You are absolutely correct, Kinzinger admitted. You did act honorably, and while my point remains about the Church and the need for pastors to lead, you did not press those stolen election conspiracies. I am sorry for including you in that.

You know sir? You are absolutely correct. You did act honorably, and while my point remains about the Church and the need for pastors to lead, you did not press those stolen election conspiracies. I am sorry for including you in that. https://t.co/8mQaBuV1p9  Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) January 12, 2021

Jeffress said he appreciated his apology and accepted it.

We are praying for you and for all our elected officials, the pastor assured in a response.

Jeffress made headlines in November when he wrote a column published by Fox News headlined: Pastor Robert Jeffress: Biden is president-elect  how should Christians respond? The op-ed came at a time in which many conservatives were questioning the validity of Bidens election victory.

In the op-ed, Jeffress said it appeared Biden would become the 46th president of the United States unless Trump was successful in his legal challenges to the counting of votes in several states.

But at the time, Jeffress refuted reports claiming that he declared Biden the president-elect.

After deleting his original tweet, Kinzinger went on to post another directed at conservative Christian leaders who have backed the president.

I believe there is a huge burden now on Christian leaders, especially those who entertained the conspiracies, to lead the flock back into the truth, Kinzinger wrote later in the day.

The congressman, 42, has been vocal in his disgust at the Capitol riot last week, which temporarily delayed the counting of electoral votes and led to the deaths of five people. He accused the president of breaking his oath of office by inciting an insurrection.

Those who died include unarmed 35-year-old Air Force veteran Ashely Babbitt who was shot by Capitol police as she attempted to climb through a smashed door pane into the House chamber during the riot while three others died from health emergencies. Capitol police officer Brian D. Sicknick, 42, who had been on the force since 2008 and was an Iraq War veteran, died on Jan. 7 after he suffered injuries while responding to the breach. Another Capitol police officer who responded to the riot died by suicide on Saturday. It's unknown if the riot and the aftermath contributed to him taking his own life.

On Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence rejected the Houses request to enact the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

"I do not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with the Constitution," Pence wrote in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Tuesday.

"Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our nation.

Many have accused Trump of inciting the riot in Washington, D.C., with words he said at a peaceful rally attended by tens of thousands near the White House before hundreds of fringe supporters stormed the Capitol last Wednesday.

Although the president told supporters in the speech to fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore, he also told them in the same speech to go to the Capitol to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard.

In an interview with USA Today this week, Franklin Graham, the son of the late evangelist Billy Graham who prayed at Trumps inauguration in 2017, said he doesnt believe Trump had any understanding in that moment of what was going to take place.

"I don't think it was the president's finest moment," Graham, who heads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, reportedly said.

For his part, Jeffress called the storming of the Capitol a sin against God in an op-ed published by Fox News.

Every American can assemble to protest. This is a God-given right acknowledged and protected by the First Amendment. Peaceful protest is a vital part of our political tradition, and it has long served us well, he stressed. What happened on Wednesday when a mob infiltrated the Capitol building was not a protest. It was lawlessness.

Jeffress warned that too many Americans are succumbing to the heat of this political moment and have fallen into an all-consuming hatred for our fellow Americans and more importantly, fellow human beings made in Gods image.

This bitterness has clouded our vision, causing us to lose sight of Gods command to love and seek peace, he wrote.
Its range of products includes lip gloss, lipstick, lip balm, eye shadow, highlighter, contour powder, blush, eyeliner, mascara, nail polish and so on.

With its R&D department located in Shanghai, Ishine Cosmetics is able to stay on top of the latest beauty trends, concepts and events, giving them an added edge when it comes to discussing with their clients about new product developments.

The company's manufacturing facility spans over 30 acres and has over 300 skilled workers. It is equipped with modern production plants and first-class machinery. The staff are highly trained to provide reliable and professional services.

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About Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week

The first-ever edition of Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week has concluded successfully, creating copious business opportunities for the world's companies and operators looking for new business solutions in the Asia-Pacific region.

652 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions took part in the event. 8,953 visitors from 115 countries and regions registered on the platform in order to virtually network, learn about current and upcoming trends. Cosmoprof Asia Digital Week offered a vital virtual business arena for the whole beauty industry while we are all waiting to meet again in Hong Kong in November 2021 for Cosmoprof Asia. Stay tuned for updates!

SOURCE Cosmoprof Asia
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 18)  After months of negotiations, the Philippines can soon procure up to 20 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from American pharmaceutical company Moderna, the country's vaccine czar confirmed Monday.

During the hearing of the House Committee on Health, Sec. Carlito Galvez, Jr., upon the guidance of Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez, announced they will soon secure the vaccines that are to be equally divided between the government and the private sector.

"For Moderna, sinasabi ni Ambassador 'Babe' Romualdez, I can already announce na 20 million doses ang makukuha natin (Ambassador 'Babe' Romualdez said I can already announce that we will secure 20 million doses)," he said. "[That is] 10 million for the private sector and 10 million for the government."

Romualdez already made the announcement in a statement last week.

"The Philippine government is in the final stages of negotiating for the supply of a minimum of 10 million doses of mRNA-1273, the company's COVID-19 vaccine, with the option to purchase an additional 10 million doses," the statement read.

Once the deal is closed, the vaccines will be delivered by mid-year, Romualdez said.

Moderna is one of the vaccine brands now being used in the US, along with Pfizer. The Moderna vaccine has been found 94.1% effective in preventing coronavirus infection, while Pfizer's has an efficacy rate of 95%.

READ: Moderna thinks its vaccine will protect against the coronavirus for at least a year

Moderna's vaccine does not require ultra-cold storage and can be kept at about minus 20 degrees Celsius, unlike Pfizer's vaccine which has to be stored at minus 75 degrees Celsius.

Romualdez said the private sector, led by Enrique Razon, chairman and president of International Container Terminal Services, has pledged free shipping of the Moderna vaccines from the manufacturing facility in Spain.

Galvez said the national government has so far secured 30 million doses of Covovax from the Serum Institute of India and 25 million doses of Sinovac vaccines. That's on top of advance purchases of mostly AstraZeneca vaccines by local government units and private firms through tripartite agreements.

At a forum with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines and the Department of Health on Tuesday, Galvez said the vaccines would cost from $20 to $25.

The government expects 50,000 doses from Sinovac to be the first to arrive in the country in February, but Pfizer's vaccine could be rolled out earlier if the global COVAX facility would grant the Philippines' appeal, Galvez noted.
Foreign ministry's brochure to promote Italian excellence From fashion to food, yachting, tourism

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JANUARY 13 - Italy holds important leadership in areas that are not always valorized. The Italian interior ministry has thought about it by creating a brochure in English that is easy to consult. The brochure promotes abroad Italian excellence by highlighting not only traditional sectors of leadership, but also areas such as research, the cultural and creative industry and tourism. The publication, 'Excellence - Italian Main Industrial Sectors' examines sectors like mechanics, textile, fashion, food and beverages, the industry of tourism, universities, innovation and research.



The initiative is part of activities of information and training promoted by the foreign ministry in the framework of the Pact for Exports. The brochure starts by stating that Italy ''is not just a cultural superpower and the home of world-renowned fashion brands and exquisite food products'' but is also a world leader in many important sectors: from construction to infrastructure to instrumental goods, planning and pharmaceutical, biomedical and aerospace products.



''Italy is not just competitive on global markets - explained in the booklet undersecretary Manlio Di Stefano - but it is also the eighth world economy and the fourth largest in Europe. It ranks second for the manufacturing industry in Europe, after Germany''. And, he continued, ''our country is the second in the world for the wood industry and exports in this sector, with a commercial surplus of 10 billion, preceded only by China. It is the first European country for fashion exports. It produces added value worth 24.2 billion euros between textile, clothing and footwear. Another important Italian excellence is yachting.



Italy ranks first in the world for the production of superyachts (45.7% of world orders) with 268 boats in construction in 2019 out of a total of 621 at a global level. We are also the first European country for the production of medicines and there are 36 Italian universities among the world's top 1,000. According to the QS World University Rankings, Italy is the seventh country most represented in the world and the third in Europe. Italian universities are steadily rising in the ranking and Italy is the fifth country in the world for academic publications, the brochure said. It also said that 70% of the world's historic heritage is in Italy, the country with the record number of Unesco world heritage sites, or 55. In 2018, 123 million tourists arrived in Italy, with 426 million overnight stays. (ANSA).




Joe Biden is poised to tap Rufus Gifford, a former ambassador to Denmark and LGBTQ advocate, as chief of protocol at the State Department, according to people familiar with the consideration.

Why it matters: In selecting Gifford for the high-profile role, Biden is opting for a diplomat and fundraiser who achieved celebrity status overseas to help repair relationships across the globe by showcasing the best of America at home.

The chief of protocol oversees not only State Department functions but also Blair House, the presidential guest house across from the White House. He or she routinely travels with the president, ensuring all formalities are arranged with foreign governments.

The chief's hand also is usually the first shaken by a dignitary upon arriving in the United States.

Gifford will also act as a liaison between the foreign diplomatic corps in Washington and the Biden administration.

Tapping Gifford for those honors also rewards a loyal campaign official.

The Massachusetts native was supportive of 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg, a fellow openly gay political figure, but Gifford endorsed Biden at a crucial time, when his campaign was lagging in January 2020.

Gifford received a Danish television award for a documentary series  "I am the Ambassador from America"  that he participated in while serving as ambassador.

His selection adds to the diversity Biden has promised for his Cabinet and other significant administration positions.

The big picture: Biden is filling out his diplomatic apparatus with Obama administration veterans.

He's tapped Tony Blinken, who previously served as State Department deputy secretary, to now serve as secretary of state.

He will nominate Wendy Sherman, who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal, to serve as Blinken's deputy.

In addition, the president-elect is nominating Victoria Nuland, a longtime Foreign Service Officer and Obama-era veteran, to fill the State Department's powerful political affairs role.

The bottom line: Some congressional Democrats continue to call on Biden to nominate people of color in the upper ranks of the State Department.
This week, the winter edition of Birmingham Restaurant Week will return for its third year.

The event is organized by James Little (owner of FILTER coffee parlor), marketing agency Style Advertising and sponsored by a number of supporters including Spire Energy. It starts this Thursday and will run through Sunday, Jan. 31.

Organizers say the mission of the upcoming winter dining event is to further support the restaurant and bar industries during a time when it is more crucial than ever.

While Gov. Kay Ivey eased COVID-19 restrictions for dining establishments in November, permitting restaurants and bars with dividers to increase the number of patrons allowed inside, as long as they adhere to six-foot distancing and enforce the mask mandate, businesses are still operating under reduced capacity. The 6-foot table distance requirement means less room for patrons. And many businesses are still choosing to limit capacity inside in an effort to keep their staff and customers safe.

Others are still experiencing less traffic due to the pandemic.

They still have that same cost of rent (and) the perishable foods. And they still do have the employees on staff that they need to support. Operating the business is costing them so much more when they cannot operate at a normal capacity, said Audrey Pannell, vice president of public relations at Style Advertising.

Like the fall edition of Birmingham Restaurant Week, this seasons dining event will feature to-go and curbside pickup options, as well as traditional but limited dine-in selections. Over the next two weeks, patrons will be able to enjoy two and three-course breakfast, lunch and dinner prix-fixe menus from participating restaurants ranging from $5 to $50 per person.

The upcoming event will feature more than 50 restaurants, bars and food trucks from the Birmingham metro area. Applications are still open, and organizers expect more dining establishments to sign up as the events start date approaches.

Last years fall edition of Birmingham Restaurant Week boasted more than 60 participants in a culinary scene marked with social distancing guidelines and reduced indoor capacity.

Organizers adapted the event for the COVID-19 public health crisis. Little and Style Advertising limited participation to locally owned businesses. They also allowed bars and food trucks to apply to the lineup. For the first time in the events decade-long history, they extended the 10-day event to 18 days, offering more than two weeks for diners to partake and more opportunities for sales at participating businesses.

Other modifications include allowing customers to place takeout orders for restaurant week options and permitting restaurants to add family-style takeout meals, cocktail kits and bottles and cans of to-go alcohol to their restaurant week menus.

That way, if you are trying to stay safe at home, then those are great ways to do so while still supporting the amazing local businesses that have grown our culinary scene, said Pannell. I think that really kind of provides a one-stop shop for supporting businesses.

Birmingham Restaurant Weeks Winter Edition will keep the same format. The event also comes at a time when the citys culinary landscape looks vastly different from a year ago. More than 50 restaurants around Alabama closed last year, and at least 20 of those businesses were in the Birmingham area. Some shuttered due to the normal churn of the culinary industry. Others closed their doors due to the severe reduction in business because of the pandemic, as more people stayed home and less dined out.

The Winter Edition is equally, if not more, crucial during a season when restaurants normally tend to see a decline in revenue sales. And even with outdoor dining areas, the dip in temperatures means patrons may be less willing to dine outdoors.

To attract diners and keep guests warm if they opt for al fresco dining, many restaurants in the area are making special accommodations to safely serve diners during the winter by offering outdoor high-powered heaters as well as cabana tents, igloos and greenhouses to expand outdoor and patio seating.

Winter Edition aims to keep bellies full, restaurants cooking and jobs safe, Style Advertising said in a December press release.

In an effort to highlight the dire situation of Alabama restaurants amid the pandemic, the agency filled the release with statistics from the National Restaurant Association and the Independent Restaurant Coalition about the future of the states restaurant industry.

In Alabama, the leisure and hospitality industry has accounted for 49 percent of all jobs lost since March, said the release. Now, the states $9 billion restaurant economy is at a more severe risk as over 75 percent of Alabamas 8,620 eating and drinking locations are in danger of closing permanently amidst the ongoing pandemic.

The release also urged the Birmingham community to support the RESTAURANTS Act, a bill introduced in Congress last year that calls for the establishment of a $120 billion grant program that small and independent dining and drinking establishments can use to cover various operating costs including payroll, utilities, and certain types of equipment used for patron safety.

RELATED: Mounting debt, reduced capacity top indie restaurant concerns going into fall, survey says

Style Advertising also cited statistics from its post-fall Birmingham Restaurant Week survey, which the agency says showed a 54 percent average increase in sales for participants. Style also included a success story from Matt Viscaino, the owner of Tortugas Pizza. In the release, Viscaino reported a 125 percent increase in sales that week, calling it an amazing experience.

I made more cheesecake in the two weeks of BRW 2020 than I did all summer! Viscaino said in the statement.

The restaurants are struggling. Theyre anxious. They watch every dollar. So were very intentional about everything we do with restaurant week. And we want it to be worth it for them or else there is no point in restaurant week, Pannell explained to AL.com. And we really have found that with the past restaurant week in the fall, we completely redid that one and restaurants had an average increase of sales of 54 percent when compared to previous weeks.

Tortugas, said Pannell, wasnt the only big success story from that week.

Even like Spring Street, (the bar) that just opened like a month before. They saw over a 100 percent increase than on non BRW weeks. So, I think restaurants and bars and food trucks... they really are struggling and theyre anxious.

And as the Winter Edition of Birmingham Restaurant approaches, Pannell said organizers are hoping to have the same success as the citys culinary scene struggles to maintain its footing during the pandemic.

You can just feel it, Pannell continued, describing the feelings of anxiety in the Birmingham dining scene. Thats [how] you just know that what were doing here is really important.

The Louisiana Department of Health reported 1,754 more confirmed coronavirus cases and 46 more confirmed deaths in its noon update Wednesday.

The number of hospitalizations decreased by six, and the number of patients in need of ventilators decreased by nine.

There are also 38,499 total "probable" coronavirus cases in Louisiana, according to the agency's dashboard.

+5 How will Louisiana host mass vaccine sites? 'We're rehearsing for that,' John Bel Edwards says Louisiana city and state governments are planning for the next phases of coronavirus vaccine distribution for a broader population, a shift th

These are another few key statewide statistics as of Wednesday:

Total confirmed cases: 317,336

Total "probable" cases: 38,499

Total confirmed deaths: 7,582

Currently hospitalized: 2,029

Currently on ventilators: 235

Vaccine series initiated: 138,046 (updated twice weekly)

Vaccine series completed: 21,652

Presumed recovered: 298,614 as of Jan. 11 (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

John Bel Edwards extends Phase 2 coronavirus restrictions for another four weeks Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday extended his Phase 2 coronavirus restrictions for another 28 days, while urging businesses to have employees 

Here are some of the parishes with the highest single-day increase in confirmed coronavirus cases, based on the Wednesday report:

Jefferson: 302

Caddo: 206

Orleans: 188

St. Tammany: 130

East Baton Rouge: 102

Lafayette: 93

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.
My first CEO at my first credit union, John Normandeau, helped shape my career in many ways. He believed in me way more than I believed in myself. He identified my complimentary talents and encouraged me to be a part of his leadership team. He created space for me to explore and learn. He gave me space to fail. He truly cemented my commitment to our movement.

John had a tremendous sense of humor and often found lightness even in dark moments. Whenever someone was having a particularly hard time and a tear might be shed, he was famous for saying, theres no crying in credit unions. He had an incredibly kind heart, so this statement was not a lack of empathy. It was a gentle way to help make someone laugh to relieve a bit of the pain.

Ive thought about Johns words many times in the last year. As we reflect over the last eleven months, very few humans have been spared pain. Some have lost loved ones to the pandemic. Some have had negative economic impacts including lost jobs. Some have been isolated. Some have experienced anguish through racial unrest. Some have juggled the impossible, acting as full-time teachers, parents, and employees. Some have worried through the tumult of political uncertainty. While there may be varying levels of impact on each individual, nearly all human beings in our country have experienced loss, pain, fear, and uncertainty this past year.

Some people like me, raised by a dad who believed you simply show more toughness the more life throws at you, might be inclined to say, there IS no crying in credit unions. Our role at work is to stay focused on the members we serve. All the rest has a place outside the walls of our organizations. But, what if, we opened ourselves up to walking with our team members through this pain?

I hate to even type the word unprecedented as it feels so overused. Its overused for a reason. These last eleven months mark an extraordinary time for all of us. We have an important role to play in supporting all the human beings in our organizations. They are supporting one another and our members. Here are five ideas for helping your team members through this time:

Ask. Ask. Then Ask Again. You may be reading this and saying, John was right, Tansley. There isnt any crying in credit unions. My team is fine. I havent heard one of them talk about any of this. They are as tough as nails. They may be. They might also be nervous to share their emotions. They may worry that they will be viewed as weak. Even if everything seems okay, find quiet moments with individuals to ask how they are. They may not share the first time. Dont stop asking.

In response to the events of 2020, Canvas launched Around the Table with Todd. We invited six different individuals from across the organization each month to rotate spending two hours sharing their experiences with our CEO. We heard about their pain. We gained critical insights that helped us shape our approach. Most importantly, by asking people to join Todd and share, we reinforced how much we value hearing their voices and how much their unique experiences matter.

Share Your Pain. While I would not advocate sharing all your life struggles, sharing what you are feeling, and revealing a bit about your own challenges can help your team to feel safe in being open. Showing some vulnerabilities often invites others to do the same.

Create Opportunities for Sharing. Many organizations are creating employee resource groups to provide safe spaces for employees that share common experiences or demographic backgrounds. We launched our Canvas Connection Groups, in 2020 and the first group that we piloted was for caregivers. We heard through our listening posts that our caregivers were undergoing tremendous stress. Having a forum to share experiences, nurture ideas, and bring insights back to leaders can be very powerful. Listening to your team can be a great place to begin when shaping these groups.

Dont Go it Alone. While there is a lot you can do, there is a lot you should not do. While a few of you may be trained therapists, likely most of you are not. You are not expected to provide counseling for your employees. At Canvas, we not only offer an Employee Assistance Program, but we also partner with an organization called WorkLife Partnership. When we learn that a family member (what we call our employees) is facing a hardship, these resources help our leaders support next steps. Sharing these resources regularly is critical.

Invest in Well-Being. The well-being of our team members directly impacts their productivity and engagement. Supporting the overall well-being of your team can be a cushion for these challenging times. When you consider well-being, the dimensions that you might explore go beyond the physical. Overall well-being includes social as well as financial well-being. At Canvas, we invested in bringing on a Wellness Champion in 2020. This person will help support a broader wellness strategy for our family members. A wellness strategy not only signals to your team that you care for them as people, it also creates mechanisms and resources that can help their resilience during difficult times.

Despite the many obstacles and challenging hurdles, as we go through difficult times with our teams, we know that we create even stronger bonds. When our teams feel supported and know that their credit union truly cares, we build loyalty and even deeper commitments to our missions. I look forward to a time when there really is no crying in credit unions because we have found our way to a future with less tumult. Until then, I hope to follow closely in Johns footsteps and share empathy with all those around me. Now more than ever, people need one another, and people need credit unions.
The chair of the Hunterdon County Democratic Committee is pressing Republicans to demand the resignation of a county commissioner who attended the pro-Trump protests held in Washington, D.C. on Jan 6.

Susan Soloway, director of the Hunterdon County Board of Commissioners, attended last weeks pro-Trump rally with several other members of the Hunterdon County Federated Republican Women, it was previously reported.

In a message posted on the local partys website, Chairwoman Arlene Quinones Perez asked people to both call on the commissioners, all of whom are Republicans, to condemn the Presidents actions trying to overturn the election, and on Republicans to demand Soloways resignation.

When do Republican elected officials stand up and say, Donald Trump you do not represent me or my values, Perez wrote. When do the Republicans in Hunterdon County say those words? When do they ask Susan Soloway to resign after going to the U.S. Capitol as part of a group of people that certainly do not represent the citizens of the great county of Hunterdon?

Perez did not respond to a request for comment.

Soloway, in a statement provided NJ Advance Media last week, said she did not enter the grounds of the Capitol and condemned the attack, writing that the perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. She did not answer additional questions and did not respond to a request for comment on the calls for her resignation.

The Hunterdon County Anti-Racism Coalition has started a petition calling on Soloway to denounce white supremacy, as well as resign from the board of commissioners.

As of Wednesday afternoon, close to 1,500 people have signed the petition, which states, in part, she chose to attend the rally knowing that the President of the United States refused to accept the results of the election and to commit to a peaceful transfer of power.

A representative for the coalition did not respond to a request for comment.

Five people died during the violent protests, including a Capitol police officer originally from New Jersey. Rioters broke into the government building as Congress held a joint session to ratify the win of President-elect Joe Biden in the November election, forcing officials to evacuate or shelter in place.

The commissioners released a statement on Thursday saying they were as disappointed and saddened by the violence at the U.S. Capitol as they were by the violence and destruction that occurred in cities around the nation during the summer.

There are no good reasons for these acts that often end tragically, the statement reads. We must look to the belief in our democracy and remember that there is much that unites us as Americans.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Caroline Fassett may be reached at cfassett@njadvancemedia.com.
Internet search giant Google has admitted that it has been intermittently blocking some Australian news sites from search users.

In recent days internet users have reported Australian news sites disappearing from Google's search function, with old content and links being displayed.

ACCC chairman Rod Sims made the case at a Reuters conference on Tuesday night for a code to address the tech giants' power. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The multinational technology giant said on Wednesday it had been running "experiments on searches for newspaper websites including The Sydney Morning Herald that had affected only a tiny number of users.

"We're currently running a few experiments that will each reach about 1 per cent of Google Search users in Australia to measure the impacts of news businesses and Google Search on each other, a spokesman said.
To bring people to your website, your website needs to be discoverable. Most people use search engines to find websites. The higher your site appears in search engine results, the more likely it is that people will visit it. Optimizing your site, so it appears higher in search engine results is known as search engine optimization or SEO.

Google is the most popular search engine with over 70% market share. For this reason, we're going to focus this article on how to improve your search engine results with Google.

Google considers many factors to determine where a website will rank in its result pages. Among those factors is your server location. This article will examine how your host's server location affects your website's SEO performance.

Server Location and Speed

Your server location is where the physical server that hosts your site resides. There are thousands of data centers worldwide. In most cases, your hosting provider will use a data center in one location to hold a number of their servers.

The distance from your server to where your site is accessed affects your site's speed. Site speed is one of the factors Google considers when determining where to rank your website. The farther your users are from your server location, the slower their page load speed will be, and the lower you will rank. When you are closer to a data center, the server's data can be fetched faster because it doesn't have to travel as far. For example, if most of your users are in Canada, you should research web hosting in Canada to find providers with data centers in Canada. This will improve the speed of your site and help your search engine performance.

However, it's not always possible to choose a data center that's close to your users. You can't host your site on more than one server. Therefore if you have clients in multiple locations, what do you do?

When you can't select a server location close to your users, the alternative is to use a CDN. CDN stands for Content Delivery Network. A CDN is a network of linked servers that store cached web content that is used to serve this web content to website visitors. In general, CDN servers are spread out worldwide to provide the best coverage possible. CDNs help speed up your site by making it possible for your browser to load your site from a server that's closer to you. This means that instead of loading a website from a data center in the US, a CDN will allow you to load a site's cached content from a server in Canada, which is closer to you. As a result, your search engine ranking won't be affected by your servers' location since your content is served from various CDN servers around the globe.

Server Location and Location-Based Search Results

Google's goal is always to return the most relevant results to their users. To that end, they use your server location's IP address to determine whether your site's location is a relevant factor to a user's search. However, this isn't the only factor that Google takes into consideration when returning location-based search results. They know that people use CDNs, so they also look at any information about your location available in the website content. This includes things like contact information, structured data, content snippets, and so forth. They also look at backlinks to the page and any other information that's relevant to local SEO, including a TLD and the country target you've set in your webmaster tools. This means that if your website is hosted on a server in Europe and your website is designed for users in Canada, you need to set "Canada" in Google webmaster tools or other search engine webmaster tools.

Conclusion

Website speed is a crucial factor in your website's search engine performance. If your website loads slowly, you won't rank very high in search rankings. The closer your users are to your server, the faster your site will load for them. Therefore it's a good idea to choose a web host with data centers near your users. However, if you have users coming to your site from around the world, it's best to use a CDN. A CDN will allow users to access a cached version of your site content from a nearby CDN server with the result that their page will load faster.

Furthermore, Google takes server location into account when delivering location-based search results. Therefore, a server located in your target users' country will help you rank for those searches. However, you can still rank for location-based searches without having a server located in your target users' country by ensuring that the content of your site, the TLD, and your country target all point to your target location.
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Spot prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Asia have staged an impressive rally over the past two months and have now soared 18 times from April 2020 lowsand the surge is obliterating even the recent rally in Bitcoin prices, according to Bloomberg.

A perfect storm of unusually cold winter in north Asia, outages at major LNG exporters, and logistical and shipping constraints had driven the price of Asias LNG benchmark, the Japan-Korea Marker, to the highest on record, at $21.45 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) on Friday.

This week, the price shot further up to over $30/MMBtu to a new high since the assessment of the benchmark began in 2009.

LNG cargoes on the spot market have recently gone for six-figure sums. According to Bloomberg, ExxonMobil sold last week a cargo to Japan for a record $130 million, while Total sold an LNG cargo to commodity trader Trafigura for $126 million.

The record-high prices are not expected to last long, as cargoes for March delivery on the spot market are already half the price of those for February delivery. Nevertheless, the combination of several factors caught the market by surprise in late 2020 and early 2021, with LNG exporters on the spot market and the LNG tanker owners raking in insane profits.

At the start of 2021, a cold snap in Asia and Western Europe continued to drive natural gas and LNG prices higher, while unplanned supply issues at major exporters, including Qatar, Australia, Norway, and Malaysia, are also driving LNG prices higher.

In Spain, home of one of Europes biggest terminals, LNG prices also surged amid an unusual cold snap in the country, which brought a rare snowfall in Madrid.

Shell has recently restarted the production of LNG at its Prelude offshore project in Australia after almost a years suspension. The restart of the 3.6-million-ton facility comes at the best possible time. The cold spell in Asia has pushed LNG prices through the roof, erasing worry about an oversupplied market as Chinese buyers struggle to stock up on the fuel.

By OPC Markets

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
Last month, Disney revealed an enormous trove of new content for its streaming service, Disney+. That followed WarnerMedia's announcement that in the US, all 17 of its films this year would be available on HBO Max the same day they debuted in theatres.

And on Wednesday, Netflix  the biggest streaming service of them all, with 195 million subscribers worldwide  announced its 2021 film slate: 70 movies featuring Academy Award winners, box office stars and a reminder of its power in Hollywood that has been irrevocably changed during the pandemic.

The normally secretive company made the announcement with the help of a fast-paced trailer. Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson, the high-profile stars of Red Notice, Netflix's $US160 million ($206 million) entry into the PG-13 action world, kicked off the video, which highlighted comedies, dramas, horror, family films and foreign-language movies. (The company did not disclose most of the release dates.) It concluded with Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio, the leads of Adam McKay's Don't Look Up, walking out of an aircraft carrier, a not-so-subtle reminder that the company, once an also-ran when it came to luring prestige filmmakers and big stars, is now an industry behemoth.

"We have found our way into the business with some incredible, world-class filmmakers," Scott Stuber, the head of Netflix's film division, said in an interview. "People saying 'you'll never be able to do it' was, personally, the easiest way to make me go do it."
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Among the mob of extremists and Trump supporters that invaded the US Capitol last week in a deadly riot were former members of the very institution that is supposed to protect America from invasion: the US military.

They included 35-year-old Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran who'd become infatuated with the QAnon conspiracy theory and on Wednesday was fatally shot by US Capitol Police as the mob tried to force its way toward the House chamber.

They included Larry Rendell Brock -- a 53-year-old retired Air Force Reserve officer from Texas -- who could be seen roaming the Senate chamber sporting a military helmet, green tactical vest and black-and-camo jacket while clutching a white flex cuff, which is used by law enforcement to restrain or detain subjects. He's been charged with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct, according to the Justice Department.

And attending the demonstrations that day was Joshua Macias, 42, a six-year Navy veteran from Virginia and co-founder of the group Vets for Trump who had recently been released from jail. On January 5 -- the day before the siege -- Macias appeared in a Facebook live video with a Virginia state senator; he says he did not enter the building the next day.

"The enemy is here, it's not just at the gate," Macias said in the now-removed video, according to The Washington Post. "It's within, we see it everywhere."

The radicalization of military veterans has long worried experts who monitor extremism online and elsewhere. And though it isn't known whether soldiers and veterans are disproportionately vulnerable to radicalization, their association with extremist groups has been enough of a concern over the years for hate-group watchers to study the matter and lobby Congress to take action to counter it.

In February, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other groups urged the US House Armed Services Committee ensure the military branches vet enlistees for signs of white nationalistic beliefs, such as by reviewing their social media accounts, creating a tattoo database and performing psychological screenings.

"It was well-received, but nothing really changed," Lecia Brooks, chief of staff at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told CNN.

The US Army is now taking steps to detect extremism in its ranks ahead of the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. In a written statement to CNN on Tuesday, an Army spokesperson said the branch is working with the Secret Service to determine whether there are soldiers who will be part of the National Guard contingent providing security at the inauguration who require additional background screening.

"The D.C. National Guard is also providing additional training to service members as they arrive in D.C. that if they see or hear something that is not appropriate, they should report it to their chain of command," according to the statement.

Why extremists try to recruit veterans

From their tactical and organizational skills to their wide networks of friends with whom they served, veterans are an appealing group for extremists to recruit, experts say.

"The military is so beloved -- the American public polls at something close to 75 percent confidence in the armed forces," said Jim Golby, a University of Texas at Austin researcher who studies military and civilian relations. "And consider the way special ops are portrayed in popular culture, in movies. There is an identity that [extremist] groups want to have. They want to emulate the way military members dress, the way they carry weapons because that portrays an image of confidence and credibility."

Indeed, mixed in with the motley crew of protesters and rioters on Wednesday was a body-armored band of Oath Keepers, an anti-government militia group intent on stoking civil war that claims to include many law enforcement members and military veterans.

Extremist groups play on veterans and service members' deeply felt sense of patriotism to recruit them, said retired Army Lt. General David Barno, former head of Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan.

"For some of these groups, they clearly portray an idea of super patriotism -- waving the American flag, saying we believe in the flag," he said.

The groups, he said, also provide a sense of camaraderie and shared viewpoints.

"This connection ... that's one thing I know almost all veterans miss when they leave the military," Barno said.

And veterans and service members follow leaders. When they see members of Congress -- such as Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has embraced QAnon conspiracies, or Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley raising doubts about the legitimacy of the election -- they can be swayed, he said.

"The military services will have to take a hard look at this," said Barno, who is currently a visiting professor of strategic studies and senior fellow at the Merrill Center at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. "The fact that there were officers and enlisted and retirees [at the Capitol siege] is jarring and shocking and appalling. And even if that was a small number of people, the question [for top brass] is how much a tip of the iceberg is that? How prevalent is this kind of extremist activity among members and veterans?"

There is scant data available on why, how and how often veterans are radicalized to believe extreme views, Golby said. There are several reasons for that, he explained.

It's generally a challenge for researchers outside the military system to be allowed to survey active members. Active-duty members are always being surveyed about quality of life, their commanders and so on. "They [the Department of Defense] rightfully try to protect members from being overly surveyed," Golby said.

And there's also hesitation from active-duty members and veterans to be completely honest in surveys -- just as it sometimes is when they are polled about suicide. If a service member or veteran admits to subscribing or leaning toward extremist ideology, will that disclosure hurt their military career or legacy?

And determining whom to poll in a population of 1.3 million active-duty personnel and approximately 18 million veterans is also tricky. Do you target Gulf War veterans? Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans? "But there's no question that it should be done," Golby said.

Retired Gen. Flynn evokes bloody Civil War battle

While the scale of radicalization in the military remains unclear, there is at least one decorated general who has embraced extremist views: Michael T. Flynn.

In July, the retired general and former national security adviser posted a short video of himself taking an oath and uttering a phrase -- "Where we go one, we go all!" associated with QAnon, an online movement that subscribes to the delusional belief that Trump is battling a cabal of Democrats and elitists who are pedophiles and worship Satan.

In December, Flynn -- who was pardoned by Trump in November after his conviction of lying to the FBI about his conversations with a Russian diplomat -- tweeted a press release from an Ohio organization calling on Trump to "immediately declare a limited form of martial law, and temporarily suspend the Constitution and civilian control of these federal elections, for the sole purpose of having the military oversee a re-vote."

Martial law, which has been invoked only a handful of times in US history, essentially puts the military in charge of the government after a breakdown of civil order following a foreign attack or natural disaster.

On January 5 -- a day before the insurrection at the US Capitol -- Flynn gave a pep talk to Trump supporters laden with lies about a stolen election and violent imagery associated with war.

"In some of these states, we have more dead voters than are buried on the battlefields of Gettysburg," he said. "Those of you who are feeling weak tonight, those of you that don't have the moral fiber in your body, get some tonight because tomorrow, we the people are going to be here, and we want you to know that we will not stand for a lie."

Last week, Twitter permanently banned Flynn and other high-profile Trump allies who have promoted QAnon.

Brock -- the man in the green military helmet seen wandering the Senate floor clutching the zip-tie cuffs -- was arrested Sunday and charged with knowingly entering a restricted building without lawful authority, according to the Justice Department.

Family members told the New Yorker his views had grown more extreme over the years, and more informed by white supremacy. Brock denied he holds racist views in an interview with the magazine, and repeated Trump's groundless assertions of election fraud.

Macias -- the veteran who shot the Facebook video -- had been arrested on November 5 along with another man on suspicion of carrying unpermitted handguns in Philadelphia, where authorities say the men had traveled due to their concerns about "fake ballots." Macias was released on November 26 after posting $75,000 of his $750,000 bail. Philadelphia prosecutors accused Macias of trying "to interfere with the counting of lawfully cast votes."

Prosecutors now want Macias' bail revoked.

"My office is prepared to argue that this defendant's participation in the seditious, outrageous, and deadly invasion of the U.S. Capitol on [January 6] in order to help a criminal president remain in office unlawfully meets the definition of violating terms of bail," said Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner in a statement.

Macias, who says he has left the Vets for Trump group he co-founded, maintains that he did not enter the Capitol building, and so did not violate bail, his attorney, William J. Brennan, told the Washington Post.

Macias has a personal website that thanks supporters for raising $160,000 for his legal defense.

Another veteran, Emily Rainey, a former Army officer assigned to Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is under investigation by the US Army for her involvement in last week's events.

Rainey led about 100 people from North Carolina to the demonstration, though she told the Associated Press she did not breach the building. Rainey, who resigned her post before the siege for unrelated reasons, posted a video in May of herself ripping down caution tape at a playground that was closed because of North Carolina's coronavirus restrictions, according to CNN affiliate WRAL in Raleigh.

Brock, Macias and Rainey and their attorneys could not be reached for comment.

Capitol Hill officer killed also a veteran

Some experts caution that it is critical not to paint a broad brush when trying to learn why some veterans are drawn to Trump, extremist views or nationalist movements.

"I would challenge the premise that veterans are any more susceptible to propaganda than anyone else," said Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and former CEO of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. "We are a slice of the population."

He added: "Remember that the Capitol Hill cop who died was a veteran," referring to Brian Sicknick, who succumbed to injuries he suffered in the riot.

Consider the lawmakers who are veterans, trying to make their way to safety: Rep. Ruben Gallego, a former Marine; Rep. Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger; Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who suffered severe wounds in Iraq.

When it comes to the attack on the Capitol, those who perpetrated the siege who happen to be veterans are going to make more headlines because of their past service. It's a quick -- and sometimes too easy -- way to qualify them, Rieckhoff said.

"Ashli Babbitt was a veteran, but she was a lot of other things. There are a million factors in someone's life that leads them down the path she took," he said.

"It's dangerous waters right now because we (veterans) are fighting stereotypes," he noted. "When we talk about recruitment of veterans to these groups, I think what that says simply is that veterans are powerful, period."

Conspiracy theories abound

Thomas Speciale, who made an unsuccessful run for the Senate and says he served in the Army Reserve in Afghanistan, was at the Capitol on Wednesday, but said he stayed outside.

Speciale, who has served as the national spokesman for Vets for Trump, told CNN that he doubted Trump supporters started the assault on the building -- breaking windows and charging inside. That explanation is too simple for him. There must be something more sinister at work, he asserted.

"I believe there were professional instigators, professional agitators," he claimed. "The enemies of the Trump movement want us to fight with the cops."

Vlad Lemets, a US veteran from Florida and the director of Vets for Trump, said it had members of the organization at the Capitol. He stressed that he wasn't there.

The group has what he estimates are over a million members and its communication is run mostly through Facebook. Lemets had trouble a few years ago when Macedonian trolls hijacked the group's page and spread information intended to rile up posters. But, still, today, back in their American hands, the page includes posts that have been flagged by Facebook for falsehoods.

Lemets disagreed that Trump has been lying about the election results or anything else. Rather, he insisted, Trump has delivered on vows he made to Americans when he launched his campaign for the White House.

"Promises made, promises kept," said Lemets, a Florida sometime-real estate agent who was born in Russia and said he served in the Iraq War. He asserted that one of the big reasons his organization's followers like Trump is because Trump focused on border security.

"A lot of veterans retired from service -- we find ourselves in government jobs, police, and border patrol," he said. "In border patrol, they say they went to fight [in Iraq and Afghanistan] in what were civil wars. We were stuck in the middle of other people's civil war. They find that the same people they are trying to kill over there are coming across the border to kill them."

Lemets, echoing false claims from Trump in 2018, believes that Middle Easterners are sneaking across the border to commit violence.

Trump claimed that "unknown Middle Easterners" were coming into the US from Central America in a migrant caravan.

Pressed by CNN's Jim Acosta for proof of that, Trump answered, "there's no proof of anything, but they could very well be."

Veterans targeted by foreign trolls

Kristofer Goldsmith, the former chief investigator for the Vietnam Veterans of America, spent years researching how disinformation -- including Pro-Trump propaganda -- has targeted veterans.

That project began when he noticed a fake Facebook page for the VVA had been set up -- he would later learn by digital trolls in Bulgaria and other countries -- to post fake information targeting veterans with anti-democracy propaganda. The messages were intended, Goldsmith said, to provoke anger.

Goldsmith wrote a 200-page paper about his findings, including that foreign admins at one point controlled the Facebook page Vets for Trump

One of the most powerful and popular memes shared among veterans online during the last several years, Goldsmith said, was a doctored image of four female Democratic representatives -- known as the Squad -- posing in front of an ISIS flag, an "impeach Trump" sign and portrait of Osama bin Laden.

"I was shocked to see -- if you look at comments -- just how many people believed that was real," he said.

The Vets for Trump page is today filled with disinformation and falsehoods about the presidential election.

In 2018, Goldsmith tried to call national attention to the problem in a Wired op-ed and said the VVA asked the US Department of Veterans Affairs to take a more proactive role in helping veterans disseminate fact from fiction.

The VA has not done that, Goldsmith said.

Asked whether the VA has taken action to help veterans decipher propaganda online or to improve their media literacy, spokesperson Christina Noel emailed, "Policing or regulating online content is not part of the department's mission."

Goldsmith understands firsthand how easy it is to believe in what others might see as crazy.

When Goldsmith came home from fighting in Iraq, he was lost. He was 16 when 9/11 happened, inspiring him to enlist the first chance he got. He was soon deployed to Iraq.

"I turned 20 sitting on top of the Sheraton hotel in Baghdad watching car bombs," he said.

The trauma he experienced at war, especially one itself started by the misinformation floated by the US government about Saddam Hussein having weapons of mass destruction, made him want to find the "real" truth. Goldsmith was drawn in by a trilogy of films that present a myriad of government conspiracy theories. He spent what little money he had burning CDs of the films and putting them in random people's mailboxes.

"Next thing I know I'm out spray painting on my town's train station 'Ron Paul Revolution,'" he said, inspired by Paul's libertarian takes and the former politician's rejection of the Iraq war.

"I thought it was my duty to spread the truth and fight for what was right and just," Goldsmith said. "But I didn't have great media literacy. I didn't know how to weigh evidence. When I realized that the war I was fighting wasn't popularly supported, it made me feel like I'd lost my belief system."

Deeply concerned, his mother intervened and pushed him toward the VA, where he underwent helpful therapy sessions and was eventually able to direct his drive and intellectual curiosity toward becoming an investigator at the Vietnam Veterans of America.

"I was given access to mental health care that helped me let go of anger and regret," he said, "the emotions that can drive some of what we saw Wednesday."
Former TMC MP KD Singh, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case, has been sent to judicial custody till January 16 by Delhi's Rouse Avenue Court. Singh was arrested on Wednesday under sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), reported PTI.

Reacting to the arrest, TMC MP Saugata Roy told Hindustan Times, "I don't want to comment. Neither is KD Singh with the TMC anymore nor he is a MP now."

The case goes back to 2016 where Singh and a firm linked to him (Ms Alchemist Infra Realty Limited) when the ED filed a criminal case under the PMLA taking cognisance of a charge sheet filed against the company, its directors and others by SEBI.

Earlier in September 2019, ED had said that it has seized cash amounts of Rs 32 lakh and USD 10,000 after it raided the "official residence" of the TMC MP in Delhi and few other locations as part of a money-laundering probe against him and others.

"During searches, a number of documents reflecting the circular nature of transactions, digital evidences and property documents were seized at the official residence of Kanwar Deep Singh in Delhi and cash of Rs 32 lakh along with foreign exchange worth USD 10,000 was found and seized," the Enforcement Directorate had said in a statement in 2019.

The scam is stated to be about Rs 1,900 crore and the agency had attached assets worth Rs 239 crore of Alchemist Infra Realty Ltd early this year. It has been alleged by investigators that the company launched an illegal collective investment scheme, also called a ponzi or chit fund scheme, and mobilised funds of about Rs 1,916 crore from the public in the years preceding 2015.
Glen Carbon Police Chief Todd Link posted an open letter to the departments Facebook page this week opposing the amendment to House Bill 163.

Also known as the Pretrial Fairness Act, the legislation is made up of several provisions that touch all facets of the criminal justice system.

As chief of police, I always do my best to stay out of politics, he wrote on Jan. 9. I must now speak out, however, because our General Assembly has pushed forward this amendment to the bill, which would effectively end professional law enforcement throughout the state.

The bill legislation was an initiative of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and opposed by a coalition of law enforcement groups in Illinois.

Just before noon Wednesday, the Illinois House of Representatives voted 60-50 to approve House Bill 3563, formerly known as House Bill 163. The Senate met to debate the bill shortly after 4 a.m. Wednesday before the measure passed 32-to-23 just before 5 in the morning. The bill now goes to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Link listed many of the same concerns as Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keeven as well as others, such as elimination of charges for habitual criminals; enact multiple benefits for felons, including access to victims compensation; mandate those anonymous, unsubstantiated complaints be kept against officers forever, with no limitations on how they can be used against officers; defund any police department which does not submit to 100 percent and immediate compliance.

(See the attached letter in full)

Should this bill become law, there would be no need to defund the police because it would lead to mass retirements and resignations in police departments across Illinois like those happening in [other cities and states], he concluded.

Maryville Police Chief Rob Carpenter agreed.

I am completely against this bill as written, he said Wednesday. There is definitely room for a conversation on police reform in our state but this is not the correct way to accomplish that. The passing of this legislation would completely end proactive policing in our state and put our citizens and their property at risk. The job of the state lawmakers is to protect the public. This bill as written does the complete opposite.

Reach reporter Charles Bolinger at 618-659-5735
Qualys - 281,000 square feet

Veritas - 273,000 square feet

VMware - 189,000 square feet

The new anchor occupiers join leading companies like T-systems, Siemens, Fundtech, Thyssenkrupp, Nutanix, Redbrick and The Executive Centre, who have all leased space for their long-term requirements in Phase II of Panchshil Business Park which encompasses an area of 1.6 million square feet and is jointly developed and owned by Panchshil Realty and Blackstone Real Estate Partners.

Spread over 2.7 million square feet, Panchshil Business Park is strategically located just off the arterial Mumbai-Bengaluru highway. Phase I spread over 1.1 million square feet was developed by Panchshil Realty and sold to Cummins for its India headquarters.

Atul Chordia, Chairman, Panchshil Realty, said, "I am delighted to announce the commissioning of Phase II of Panchshil Business Park and am pleased to welcome our occupier-partners. The strong leasing success for our office spaces at Panchshil Business Park and the continued uptake of our projects by marquee corporate occupiers, coupled with the keen interest in our upcoming projects indicates the continued attractiveness and resilience of the Pune office market and the superior Panchshil offering. This trend pretty much mirrors the significant traction seen in the recent past in some key office markets in the country. We expect leasing activity and occupier-demand for our pipeline and current offerings to continue to remain buoyant and robust in the coming months too."

Key highlights of Panchshil Business Park include:

It has been awarded the pre-certification for LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) which is an internationally acclaimed green building sustainability rating.

The mission of LEED--the leading program for green buildings and communities worldwide- is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.

It is assessed, audited and certified by the British Safety Council as having implemented, proper and adequate policies, procedures and arrangements relating to control of COVID-19 within the workplace, in accordance with the Indian government and British Safety Council guidelines

Notably, Panchshil Realty was the first real estate group in India and in the entire Asia-Pacific Region to have benchmarked and independently validated its COVID-19 related control measures at its workplaces.

Business support amenities provided include an expansive 80,000 square feet multi-cuisine food court, auditoriums, a health club, a range of F&B and lifestyle outlets and multi-level parking space.

Qualys is a leading provider of information security and compliance cloud solutions, headquartered in Foster City, California. More than 15,700 global businesses in more than 130 countries trust Qualys to underpin digital transformation for greater agility, better business outcomes, and substantial cost savings.

Founded in 1999, Qualys has established strategic partnerships with leading managed service providers and consulting organizations including Accenture, BT, Cognizant Technology Solutions, Deutsche Telekom, Fujitsu, HCL, HP Enterprise, IBM, Infosys, Tata Communications, Verizon and Wipro. The company is also a founding member of the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA).

Veritas Technologies is a global leader in data protection, availability and insights. Veritas has been a steady partner of India's IT growth over the past 25 years and is helping customers in their data management strategy to reduce risk, optimize cost, strengthen ransomware resiliency, achieve digital compliance and manage multi-cloud environments at scale. Since its inception, the Veritas team in India has celebrated a culture of innovation, contributing to more than 500 patents and playing a key role in developing the technology behind Veritas's flagship products, which are used by 87% of the Fortune Global 500.

The new Veritas Center of Excellence (CoE) in Balewadi region of Pune, Maharashtra, underscores Veritas' continued commitment to deliver market-leading solutions to support both, local and global customers. The fully functional new CoE can both host customers and accommodate over 2,000 employees from cross-functional teams, including engineering, technical support, IT, sales operations, finance, HR, and legal, dedicated to serving customers across the globe. The Veritas Enterprise Data Services Platform has a reputation for reliability at scale and a deployment model to fit any need, supports more than 800 different data sources, over 100 different operating systems, more than 1,400 storage targets, and more than 60 different cloud platforms.

VMware software powers the world's complex digital infrastructure. The company's cloud, app modernization, networking, security, and digital workspace offerings help customers deliver any application on any cloud across any device. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, VMware is committed to being a force for good, from its breakthrough technology innovations to its global impact.

Panchshil Office Parks

Panchshil Realty's office portfolio in Pune comprises over 17.5 million square feet of landmark projects like EON Free Zone, World Trade Centre, Business Bay and the International Convention Centre and, its campuses are home to leading global corporations like Allianz, Citibank, Cognizant, Concentrix, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, MasterCard, Michelin, UBS and Vodafone among many others.

Panchshil's Businesses - Key Highlights

Panchshil Realty's total completed real estate portfolio is around 23 million square feet with another 20 million square feet under development.

Panchshil Realty's three main business verticals comprise commercial office spaces, hospitality and residential.

A significant chunk of Panchshil Realty's office portfolio is anchored by Blackstone Real Estate Private Equity Fund, sponsored and managed by Blackstone Group LP.

About Panchshil Realty

Established in 2002, Panchshil Realty is one of India's finest luxury real estate brands. Renowned for leadership and excellence in real estate development, the Group's approach is focused on planned development, creating value assets, and crafting lifestyle experiences through design and architecture. For more information, please visit www.panchshil.com

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419775/Panchshil_Office_Parks_Logo.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419784/Qualys_Logo.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419785/Veritas_Logo.jpg

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419786/VMware_Logo.jpg

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1419783/PBP.jpg

SOURCE Panchshil Realty

On Jan. 4 in Lahore, Pakistani police found the remains of two Christian women. The culprits are their Muslim supervisors, a report says, and the motive for killing is because the women refused to embrace the religion Islam.

The victims were sisters Sajida Mushtaq and Abida Qaiser, reports Morning Star News. They had been reported missing since Nov. 26.

They were found dumped in a drainage ditch, bound inside a sack.

In his interview with the police, Mushtaq Masih, Sajida's husband, said that his wife complained that she was being inconvenienced at work because of her Muslim supervisors.

"My wife often complained of harassment by her supervisors, but she used to tell me that she was handling the situation well," Masih said.

"After she went missing, one of my relatives shared with us that Sajida had confided in her that her supervisors, Muhammad Mumtaz and Naeem Butt, used to pressure her and Abida to convert to Islam and marry them," Masih told Morning News.

When the sisters did not return home from work, Masih immediately went to the police.

The police then questioned the two supervisors, Mumtaz and Butt, mentioned by Masih's wife prior to her death. They were also told that Mumtaz would always harass the two women, pressing them to marry him. The investigation for the case was led by Officer Iftikhar Hussain.

After the interrogation, Muhammad Mumtaz and Naeem Butt eventually confessed their crimes.

"During interrogation, Naeem confessed that they had abducted the sisters, and after keeping them hostage for a few days for satisfying their lust, had slit their throats and thrown their bodies into the drain," Hussain told Morning Star News.

When Masih was asked to identify the bodies, he said that he could not bear the sight of his wife's decomposed body.

"You can imagine the emotional and mental trauma our children and all other family members have been suffering since Sajida and Abida had gone missing. When police informed us that they had identified the two bodies as those of our loved ones, it seemed that our entire world had come crumbling down," Masih added.

Sajida left behind three sons and a daughter with the eldest at 11 years old and the youngest at age 5. Her sister Abida left a nine-year-old daughter.

Ejaz Alam Augustine, Punjab Province Minister for Minorities and Human Rights attended the sisters' funeral to comfort the bereaved family.

"No words are enough to condemn the barbarity meted out to the two innocent women," he said.

The minister added that with the rise of the number of Christian women and girls in Punjab being coerced to convert, officials are legislating laws that will punish perpetrators.

"We have sent a draft bill to the provincial law ministry for vetting. It will be introduced in the Punjab Assembly after evolving consensus of all political parties," assured the Punjab Province Minister for Minorities and Human Rights.

According to Open Doors' 2020 World Watch List, Pakistan ranks fifth of all countries where Christians get severely persecuted.
This is to the caller from Cressona who wanted some examples of how President Trump ruined the country, I will give you just one and that speaks volumes. President Trump said the election in the United States was rigged. Think about that and tell me what more do you need to know.

Frackville



I am happy that the restaurants are reopening. I just hope they all take it seriously and follow all the guidelines.

Schuylkill Haven



Someone received a bow and arrow for Christmas and shot their arrow across the creek and almost hit my car. I suggest you go up the Burma Road to do your practicing.

Saint Clair



There is no reason why there is any litigation regarding the money owed to the county and Shenandoah School District from the Shenandoah Borough. It should have been stated where did the money go and where was the accountability.

Shenandoah



I have been an Eagles fan for many, many years. I have seen the ups and downs of this team but never in my life did I see what is going on with this team right now. Its a bad situation. I hope next year they can work all this stuff out.

Mahanoy City



FYI, I pay every month to have garbage picked up in front of MY house. It is not an open garbage can for you. Just dont put any more bags of beer bottles or your dogs poop in my garbage can. When my can is not full, it is not an invitation for you to fill it up.

Shenandoah Heights



To the letter to the editor on the questions to legislators, dont people understand that they go on vacation for the holidays? We had Christmas and we had New Years. They werent in session. They are not on call 24/7.

Schuylkill Haven



Could the Republican Herald please print on the front page all the Republican representatives and senators who tried to overturn the election in Pennsylvania and other states by going against the electoral vote? We need to know so we can keep it and know who to vote out of office and put them on the unemployment line.

Girardville



The end of the United States started in Georgia and remember, within a year, Kamala Harris will be president. You heard it here first.

Frackville



After watching the fiasco in Washington, basically Trump riled everyone up to do this. I think he should be impeached immediately or sent to the nearest insane asylum.

Llewellyn



Watching the news last Wednesday, I hope Meuser had his running shoes on while the peaceful protesters defiled MY Capitol building. You put Trump ahead of the Constitution and look what you got. Shame on you.

Port Carbon



Thank God. Thank God Almighty. The Senate has gone blue. Get rid of Trump and his supporters. They are traitors.

Palo Alto



I am a Republican and I am disgusted to the world with the way these people act. It is disgusting to be a Republican and watch TV.

Schuylkill Haven



I was watching the news a day or two ago about Nancy Pelosis house being vandalized and I didnt see a wall around her house. For some reason, the man from Brockton said there was a wall around her house and that he does great research. He doesnt do great research. He says a lot of things that are wrong. I dont know what kind of research he does, but it is not great research.

Pottsville



I see Donald Trump sent his Storm Troopers on the Capitol. Isnt that wonderful? Isnt he just a great man?

Shenandoah



A mob of thugs took over our Capitol. They destroyed property, invaded offices and critically injured people. This mob was incited and encouraged by our lawless president. Those in Congress who enable Trump are to blame, too. This mob should be charged and prosecuted. Trump needs to be removed now and prevented from any future political office. If we dont take the steps to stop this insurrection and punish them, our democracy will fail. You Trumplicans, hang your heads in shame and dont listen to the rhetoric that you hear and the lies on state TV.

Ashland



After the protests in the Capitol building of the United States, the Trump supporters are exactly like him, useless pieces of trash. He needs to be imprisoned and locked up forever for inciting this. He has made us the laughing stock of the world.

Frackville



The damage this administration and Trump has done is going to take a long time to fix. America was always a place that people could come and pray, and eat and dance and welcome other cultures and not point fingers. About five years ago, here comes Trump and we start pointing fingers at foreigners and start xenophobia. That is really changed for the worst about America.

Pottsville



I would be willing to bet a $5 bill that they will blame all this nonsense on Trump when I bet you the Democrats had something to do with it. Look at how they did it for four years and they are going to continue to torment the poor man.

Schuylkill Haven
The Virginia Tech community is invited to join President Tim Sands virtually as he delivers his fifth State of the University Address on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 2 p.m. A link to the live video stream will be posted to this page and will be available from the Virginia Tech homepage.

During the address, President Sands will share the progress on the strategic priorities while responding to the pandemic with a solid mission and promise for the universitys future.
Paducah's MLK Celebration Virtual This Year

By Bill Hughes

PADUCAH - Paducah's celebration of the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., will be virtual this year.President J.W. Cleary of the Paducah-McCracken County NAACP told West Kentucky Star they didn't want to put anyone in harm's way with an in-person event.Cleary said, "We just didn't want to take a chance of anybody catching COVID or getting hurt or any of that nature, but with the Man Upstairs' help, that everything would be back to normal next year."Because of the change, there will only be two events, rather than several that are typically scheduled over the three-day weekend.Instead of Monday's luncheon at the Cherry Civic Center, an hour-long program will be aired on Zoom and Paducah Channel 2 at noon, and again at 7 pm. It will also be available for viewing at the local NAACP chapter's Facebook page. The event will include remarks by Mayor George Bray and County Judge-Executive Craig Clymer, presentation of awards for the MLK Essay Contest (sponsored by Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership), local scholarship winners, and keynote speaker Phyllis Young Nichols.Nichols is the President and CEO of the Knoxville Area Urban League. She joined the organization as a curriculum and education specialist in 1994 and has been CEO since 2000. She is a graduate of East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Recognized as a Senior Fellow by the National Urban League, Nichols' expertise in board and affiliate development has facilitated her work with the national league and other non-profit organizations across the country.The "I Am the Dream: Answering the Call," event at 7 pm Monday night will be streamed on the Facebook page of the W.C. Young Community Center. "I Am the Dream," honorees will be recognized, and an encouraging word will be delivered by Rev. Donna Hawkins of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.
NORWALK  Hours before Congress decided to proceed with the impeachment of President Donald Trump, Norwalk community leaders held a virtual vigil to discuss the violent protests at the U.S. Capitol last week and how the city can move forward.

The vigil was hosted through the joint efforts of state Sen. Bob Duff, Norwalk Democratic Town Committee Chair Eloisa Melendez and Mayor Harry Rilling.

U.S. Rep. Jim Himes also made an appearance while traveling on a train in Washington, D.C., to meet with his House of Representative constituents about potential impeachment proceedings.

The House will act tonight to demand the vice president remove the president that instigated the insurrection and has treated our democracy as a plaything now for four years, Himes said Tuesday night. The House will almost certainly tomorrow (Wednesday) or Thursday impeach the president for his role in inciting an insurrection against the government of the United States.

The first half of the vigil included statements from Duff, Rilling and The Rev. Elizabeth Abel from Cornerstone Community Church. Following the speeches, the virtual meeting opened for public comment.

When asked by a community member if the Republican Town Committee or Norwalk Republican leaders were asked to participate in the vigil, Melendez admitted no Republicans were contacted.

Based on what weve all seen, at least those of us who have contact with some RTC members, it was not the same tone thats in this meeting right now, unfortunately, Melendez said of her Republican counterparts.

The RTC did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

Among the Norwalk residents that spoke at the meeting was Mary Keane, 87, who is a lifelong Republican but said she can no longer reconcile with Trumps actions.

Keane, a Quaker, said local Quakers met to discuss the protest and crafted bumper stickers to be distributed that read love your neighbors, no exception.

But I had an exception, Keane said. I could not love Mr. Trump. I could not love the things hes done and the kind of things hes done to the party. It is time to heal and it is time to show our love to each other.

Nowalk NAACP branch President Brenda Penn-Williams voiced her disdain for the Republican congressmen that continued to support Trump following the protest.

Trump, from the beginning, has been preaching all this violence, all this rhetoric and it has got to stop, Penn-Williams said. I hope Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, that they get expelled from the Senate.

Norwalk resident and security analyst Justin Kelley, while not in attendance at the vigil, said Wednesday that Trumps actions are more than impeachable.

If you dont impeach for this, then what would you impeach for? Kelley, 36, said. This is the most serious offense, sedition and treason. I dont know why they havent been using the word treason.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- DNSFilter, a leading AI-driven startup providing DNS protection to enterprises, is walking into 2021 ready to take on cybersecurity challenges impacting businesses (https://www.dnsfilter.com/). Reflecting on 2020, DNSFilter celebrated several wins and company expansions despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

DNSFilter gave away 20 prizes during a live stream celebration in October, including an Xbox Series X and Apple watch to celebrate their fifth birthday. During a year of global financial distress, this celebration was particularly special in continuing to expand and service customers while disrupting the cybersecurity industry with state-of-the-art technology.

Team and User Growth Despite Uncertainty

Early in 2020, DNSFilter held its first official board meeting and barely a month later traveled to RSA in San Francisco, meeting customers face-to-face just before San Francisco entered a state of emergency. These trips kickstarted the team's rapid growth. By the end of the year, DNSFilter usage increased by 1,700% as the team added many new customers to the platform.

While many industries struggled with shifting to remote work, DNSFilter was already 90% remote and continued to expand its team through COVID-19. They also chose to share their work-from-home solution with the world. For three months, in the thick of lockdown measures, users could apply content filtering to their work-from-home setup without being charged.

The DNSFilter team nearly tripled in size, ending the year with 35 employees.

"2020 proved to be a year of tremendous growth for us," said Ken Carnesi, DNSFilter CEO and Co-Founder. "The fact that the majority of our company was already remote meant we didn't need to change the way we work, like many of our peers did. Instead, we could focus on our solution and how it could help usersparticularly during the pandemic. We've been able to attract top talent during the pandemic, allowing us to service more customers and expand our user base. I'm extremely proud of the team that we have and look forward to what we will accomplish in this new decade ahead."

New Releases, Partnerships and Celebrating 5 Years of Business

DNSFilter launched its Active Directory feature in June 2020. The integration allows customers to sync their Active Directory instances to DNSFilter, and apply filtering policies based on how their organization is set up.

Shortly following their Active Directory integration, Lenovo's LanSchool announced their partnership with DNSFilter to bring affordable content filtering and threat protection to schools. The solution also helps schools maintain compliance with the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

DNSFilter gave away 20 prizes during a live stream celebration in October, including an Xbox Series X and Apple watch to celebrate their fifth birthday. During a year of global financial distress, this celebration was particularly special in continuing to expand and service customers while disrupting the cybersecurity industry with state-of-the-art technology.

About DNSFilter

Founded in 2015, DNSFilter provides user-friendly DNS security to nearly 14,000 brands worldwide. DNSFilter protects entire organizations from online security threats and undesirable content using artificial intelligence. The company offers users a 14-day free trial for new users. For more information, visit https://www.dnsfilter.com/ .

Contact:

Jessica Rafaeil

4049360191

[email protected]

SOURCE DNSFilter

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Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calls out the South Korean government "truly weird group" during a significant conference.

The event took place while her brother, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed all-out efforts to improve his country's nuclear arsenal. He previously laid out plans to work towards salvaging the broken economy.

Separately, South Korea's military was blamed by Kim's influential sister for claiming it had seen an apparent military parade taking place in Pyongyang. In a statement Wednesday, Kim Yo Jong, who was identified as being in charge of inter-Korean relations last year, said that such close monitoring proved Seoul's "hostile approach" to its rival.

Kim Yo Jong is one of the country's most influential political figures, denounced the "idiot" authorities in South Korea after drawing attention to an apparent military parade held over the weekend in Pyongyang, the capital.

"We are only holding a military parade in the capital city, not military exercises targeting anybody nor launch of anything. Why do they take trouble craning their neck to follow what's happening in the north," Kim said in a statement published by North Korea's state-run news agency, KCNA.

"The southerners are a truly weird group (and) hard to understand."

Comments from Kim Yo Jong were released as the Eighth Workers' Party Congress, a significant week-long North Korean political affair, came to a close. The Congress is held for the rulers of North Korea to meet and reflect on past years' achievements and shortcomings and set a plan for the near future. Usually, they're held every five years or so, but after 1980, Kim's father and predecessor, Kim Jong Il, stopped keeping them. In 2016, Kim Jong Un revived the gatherings.

Experts had hypothesized that North Korea could mark the top of Congress with an army parade. Still, no pictures or video of such an occasion had been released by North Korean state media as of Wednesday afternoon on the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Yo Jong seemed to prove that a parade had taken place while criticizing the South for wasting its time, although these parades offer precious clues about the weapons programs of the famously hidden government. Kim also claimed that Seoul's espionage was reflective of its "hostile approach to fellow countrymen in the north."

Kim was thought to be one of the strongest and trusted confidants of her brother. Still, experts are uncertain what to make of her standing after the Party Congress, which noticed her being removed from the highly efficient political bureau of North Korea as an alternate and demoted from "first vice department director" to "vice department director.

The fate of Kim Yo Jong in North Korea's politics remains uncertain following the big political event in North Korea last week. In recent days, she did not even appear in the newly published lineup of Kim Jong Un for the country's influential Politburo.

Oh Gyeong Seob, an analyst at the Seoul Korea Institute for National Unification, said that according to the Associated Press report, Kim Yo Jong's rumors of being the heir of her brother could be dangerous because they "raise the issue of Kim's hold on power and health within North Korea." The North Korean leader is, therefore, slowing her rise to power, according to the analyst.

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

HOLYOKE  She said goodbye to her father for the last time on a Saturday morning.

It had been the longest of long hauls. Korean War veteran Dennis Thresher, 90, survived the deadly coronavirus outbreak at the Soldiers Home in Holyoke last spring as many of his comrades died in beds around him. He endured a bout with scabies and pressure ulcers in the months that followed, plus a long stretch of isolation as the state-run facility was locked down.

His daughter, Cheryl Turgeon, has emerged as one of the most vocal family members of the veterans, part of an active coalition advocating on the Soldiers Home behalf. She was elated and relieved when her father made it across a symbolic finish line and received his first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 29.

But, the relief was short-lived. He died 11 days later at Holyoke Medical Center. Thresher had developed pneumonia  a lingering complication of COVID, especially in the elderly.

Turgeon sat vigil by his hospital bed, willing him to live as she had for the past 10 months. She played his favorite polka music and her parents favorite song: My Melody of Love by Bobby Vinton.

I played it over and over and over. Its a beautiful song. My mother died in 1997 so my father and I have been together for a long, long time, said Turgeon, a college professor from East Longmeadow. He didnt want to go. He was fighting  he wanted to stay; I knew he did.

Thresher was buried Jan. 13 at St. Aldabert Cemetery in Enfield, Connecticut.

Cheryl Turgeon holds a sign with a picture of her father at a rally for more funding for the facility in June 2020. Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican

He was a fighter, Turgeon said. Both in B-26 bombers during the war in hostile skies, and during his final months at the Soldiers Home when he lost his ability to walk.

The inflammation in his lungs eventually overtook his will to live. But Turgeon remains a member of the Holyoke Soldiers Home Coalition  a grassroots network of former administrators at the facility, veterans, family members and advocates  but now finds herself in a different, unenviable category.

Im no longer a member as the daughter of a survivor; Im a member whos lost a loved one, she said.

Between March and June, at least 76 veterans contracted the virus and died. Dozens more were sickened along with 84 staff. Thresher was among the lucky ones, Turgeon said.

The coalition has emerged as a second family of sorts for Turgeon and other daughters and wives of veterans at the home. They have clung to each other in grief, in horror, in frustration and rage as the pandemic tore through the home and still lingers as the facility remains something of a fortress to keep the virus out.

Several coalition members were present at the military tribute Turgeon organized for her father outside the Soldiers Home on Jan. 10. They shivered in the mid-winter sun as a member of the Honor Guard played taps, and members of the Patriot Riders of Massachusetts formed a gauntlet around his casket.

Turgeon said she was touched by the people who came to the service on a Sunday morning: her fathers former doctor, his social worker from the home, her coalition friends, members of the VFW some of the staff who took time out of their shifts to attend. The Patriot Riders, a volunteer group of veteran motorcyclists, turned out in the dozens on a days notice. And of course, her family.

That tribute was really my goodbye to my father. The Polish Catholic funeral was his wish, but to me its sort of perfunctory. That was the special thing, she said.

At the service, Thresher, a retired engineer and owner of a Dairy Queen, was recalled for his quick wit, a strong will and a thoughtful ear for his fellow veterans. Turgeon thanked his nurses and other support staff for the tender care they took of her father.

They became his family when we werent allowed to be there, said Turgeon, who journaled endlessly throughout the pandemic, chronicling her fathers journey and that of her family.

Standing outside the Soldiers Home where she had visited her father for the four years he lived there, it occurred to her that many other families were deprived of the military tributes that were a tradition at the home when a resident died. Those were suspended as residents died en masse at the home. At least she had that.

Looking forward, Turgeon said she will not step back from the coalition and her advocacy for the home. The group has gotten behind plans for a new, $300 million home in the works for 2026, according to state officials.

Were never going to give up until this home is funded, and ready, and ground is broken, she said.

Related Content:
West Bengal BJP chief Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday mocked the state government for its handling of the Silicon Valley project, suggesting that "cows still graze in the land" allotted to corporates. Ghosh, while interacting with reporters at Khardaha in North 24 Parganas, said the project was touted to be the pride of Bengal, but it has barely taken off.

"Look at the Silicon Valley site. Even today, cows are grazing there. If this is the state of the Silicon Valley, then we don't require it," the BJP state president said. Out of a total of 200 acres in the Silicon Valley, 169 acres of land is allotable, officials said.

Companies who have already applied for land in earlier phases include Reliance Jio (40 acres), TCS (20 acres) and Capgemini (7 acres). The state government had in May offered 22 plots spread over 63.35 acres in the fifth phase.

To a question, Ghosh said there is a beeline of members of other political parties waiting to join the BJP, but "we will induct them gradually". He also said the saffron party is gaining popularity in the state, which has "irked" the ruling Trinamool Congress.
Now were in the throes of a third lockdown, once-simple tasks have become near-impossible challenges.

So here, AMELIA MURRAY offers a guide to navigating the various twists and turns of the money errands that should be straightforward...

Now were in the throes of a third lockdown, once-simple tasks have become challenges

ARE BANK BRANCHES REMAINING OPEN?

While there are some temporary closures, most branches are open for reduced hours, shutting between 2pm and 3pm. At HSBC, the majority of sites are open from 10am to 4pm, with some closing at 2pm.

Banks are urging customers to visit only if essential, for example to deposit cash. Otherwise you may be directed online or to telephone banking.

HOW DO I GET MY HANDS ON CASH?

If you cant leave the house, some banks allow other people to make cash withdrawals on your behalf. This may involve filling in a form or requesting a code via telephone or online banking.

Santander, Bank of Ireland, Virgin Money (Clydesdale/Yorkshire), Furness Building Society and Newcastle Building Society have all signed up to the Post Office Payout Now service.

This allows a trusted person to withdraw money on a customers behalf from a Post Office.

Barclays and NatWest offer free cash delivery services for vulnerable customers, and NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds and Santander also provide cards that allow a trusted individual restricted access to a persons money.

WHERE SHOULD I DEPOSIT A CHEQUE?

Some banks, such as HSBC, Lloyds and Barclays, allow you to pay in a cheque via mobile banking by submitting pictures of the front and back.

Santander customers can pay in cheques at almost 2,000 cash machines, or you can post them to your branch with a deposit slip. If you dont have a slip, write your account number and sort code on the reverse of the cheque.

You can also post cheques to branches of NatWest, with a paying- in slip, and Nationwide, but you must print out and fill in its paying-in form.

If you dont have a printer, write your account details and phone number on the back of the cheque, to the right. You can ask your bank for paying- in slips if you need them. Customers of the biggest banks can also deposit cheques at the Post Office.

CAN I STILL RETURN UNWANTED ITEMS?

Why is it so hard to pay in a blasted cheque! Frustrated: Amelia Murray Every Christmas my siblings and I receive generous sums of money from our mum, dad and grandparents. We like being able to put it towards what we want. This year I received one cheque from my mum and dad, and one from my grandparents. But then I started wondering how to actually pay them in. I am a customer of the Royal Bank of Scotland, but the two branches near the Mail offices have closed. Neither my mum nor granny uses online banking, and their branch in Eastbourne was axed years ago. We are told to avoid public transport, but walking five miles to my nearest branch in Croydon, South London, wasnt really an option  especially as I couldnt find out if it was open. The website said it was shut, but RBS assured me it was not. When I called the bank, I was told I could deposit cheques at the Post Office with a paying-in slip. But I cant recall my chequebooks whereabouts. I asked to order a new one and was told it would probably take up to five working days but might be longer. My closest Post Office is in a WHSmith store and in the window it says customers can deposit or withdraw cash or pay bills, but doesnt mention cheques. Yet my brother, a Lloyds customer, used his banking app to scan his Christmas cheques last week and the money appeared in his account within days. RBS doesnt offer this service. Maybe I need to find a bank that is moving with the times.

You will need to check with each retailer, but many offer free postal returns and have extended their returns windows. For example, New Look purchases made after October 15 may be returned until March 31 with a valid receipt, order number or dispatch note.

If you bought something from John Lewis, you have 35 days to return it from when its shops reopen. And Argos returns can be taken to its stores within Sainsburys supermarkets.

AM I ALLOWED TO MOVE HOUSE?

Yes, but people outside your household or support bubble should not help you unless its absolutely necessary. Estate agents and removals firms can continue to work and you are allowed to go to property viewings.

Many firms are offering virtual viewings at first, which may be preferable. If you are arranging for your own property to be viewed, you should open all internal doors and allow visitors to wash their hands.

WILL I BE ABLE TO GET FOOD DELIVERIES?

Those on the shielding list have priority for online delivery slots.

Morrisons says where availability is limited it offers a Doorstep Delivery service for those who are elderly or vulnerable.

Ther eis no minimum spend and delivery is free but customers can pay 1.50 as a voluntary contribution. Call 0345 611 6111 to make an order for next-day delivery. Payment is taken by card on your doorstep.

Elsewhere, Waitrose customers who are disabled, elderly or vulnerable can view slots 15 days in advance.

You can also buy a digital gift card at johnlewisgiftcard.com, or a Volunteer Shopping Card at cards.asda.com, and email it to someone to shop on your behalf.

WHAT IF I WANT TO MAKE A WILL?

If need be, you can go to a solicitors office or be visited at home. Alistair Spencer, associate at Lime Solicitors, says that most firms are prepared to take instructions for a will over the phone or by video call, provided they can ensure the identity of the person.

To be valid, the will has to be signed by whoever is making it in the presence of two independent witnesses, who also sign it. They can be two metres away but must have a clear view of the signing.

Alternatively, new legislation introduced last year means wills made up to January 31, 2022, can be witnessed over a video call.

All three individuals must sign the same document, however, so the will must be posted or taken to the witnesses to sign ideally within 24 hours.

If your will is simple, you could opt for an online service such as Farewill, but these are not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and do not carry the same safeguards.

Instructions for Lasting Power of Attorney can be taken virtually, but the witnessing must still be done in person, even if that means its done through a window or over a fence.

IS BUILDING & REPAIR WORK PERMITTED?

Under current rules in England, builders and repairmen are allowed to work inside homes, whether fixing a leaking pipe, installing a new kitchen or replacing windows. This includes cleaners, too. In Scotland, work carried out in peoples homes can continue, but is limited to essential or permitted services.

This includes utility engineers and telecoms workers, urgent repairs or maintenance and furniture deliveries. Workmen in Wales can visit customers homes as long as they are well and follow the social-distancing guidelines.

But suppliers may decide to stop providing certain services after conducting risk assessments. British Gas says it is suspending all non-essential services until at least mid-February to minimise the time spent in customers homes, following feedback.
GCSE and A-level students in England could be told to sit externally-set mini-exams in the coming months to help teachers come up with their final grades.

Gavin Williamson today raised the prospect of pupils being set written tasks to complete by an external body so teachers have 'broad evidence' on which to base their assessments.

The Education Secretary also ruled out using any sort of Government algorithm to help calculate grades after the exams debacle seen last summer.

Mr Williamson told MPs last week he wants to use a form of teacher-assessed grades to award results after GCSE, AS and A-level exams were cancelled because of disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis.

The Education Secretary has set out his expectations for how grades will be awarded this summer in a letter to Ofqual, England's exams regulator.

Pupils in England could be asked to complete externally-set tasks to help teachers come up with their grades after exams were cancelled

Gavin Williamson has written to exams regulator Ofqual to set out how grades should be awarded

He stressed teachers should make a final judgement on a student's grade 'as late as possible' to maximise teaching time and to keep pupils motivated as they deal with school closures.

A consultation on the options for exam alternatives is due to be published by Ofqual later this week. Mr Williamson said in his letter that external-set tasks could be among them.

He wrote: 'A breadth of evidence should inform teachers' judgments, and the provision of training and guidance will support teachers to reach their assessment of a student's deserved grade. This should be drawn out in the consultation.

'In addition, I would like to explore the possibility of providing externally set tasks or papers, in order that teachers can draw on this resource to support their assessments of students.

'We should seek views in the consultation on what broader evidence should determine a teacher's assessment of a student's grade and whether we should require or recommend the use of the externally set tasks or papers.'

It is thought the externally-set written tasks or tests would likely be an optional tool for teachers to make use of.

They would be set by exam boards but crucially they would be marked by teachers and used to inform the overall assessment of a pupil's performance.

The Government will be desperate to put in a place a bullet-proof exams replacement scheme after the chaos caused last year by a mutant algorithm.

Ministers tried to use computer modelling to help award grades after exams were cancelled.

But public outcry forced them to ditch the algorithm in favour of teacher predicted grades after thousands of students saw their A-level marks downgraded far below school estimates.

Mr Williamson said the Government has agreed not to use an algorithm this time around.

He said in his letter to Ofqual: 'We have agreed that we will not use an algorithm to set or automatically standardise anyone's grade.

'Schools and colleges should undertake quality assurance of their teachers' assessments and provide reassurance to the exam boards.

'We should provide training and guidance to support that, and there should also be external checks in place to support fairness and consistency between different institutions and to avoid schools and colleges proposing anomalous grades.'

But he added: 'Changes should only be made if those grades cannot be justified, rather than as a result of marginal differences of opinion.

'Any changes should be based on human decisions, not by an automatic process or algorithm.'

The decision to steer clear of an algorithm was welcomed by teaching unions.

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: 'We are relieved to see confirmation that no algorithm will be applied this year following last summer's grading debacle.

'One of the key issues, however, will be precisely how any system of externally set assessment would work and how this can be done in a way that ensures fairness for students who have been heavily disrupted by the pandemic.

'It is vital that the final plans not only provide fairness and consistency but that they are also workable for schools, colleges and teaching staff who will have to put them into practice.'
DUBLIN, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "World Furniture Outlook 2021" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Report World Furniture Outlook provides status and prospects of the world furniture sector.



This edition, World Furniture Outlook 2021, provides an overview of the global furniture sector through historical series of basic data (furniture production, consumption, imports, exports 2010-2019 and 2020 preliminary estimates) and prospects of the furniture market for the years 2021 and 2022 for 100 countries.



The publisher constantly monitors the international trade of furniture including unpredictable circumstances and uncertainties affecting the global market scenario. Furniture market forecasts for 100 countries included in this study reflect in-depth knowledge of the markets and its ongoing evaluation.



This market research report includes:

Growth of furniture imports worldwide and the role of furniture exporting countries in the marketplace

Market shares of the major furniture exporters by geographical region

Analysis of the openness of furniture markets that covers the past decade, with trade balance, imports/consumption and exports/production ratios.

Statistics and outlook data are also available in a country format:

Origin of furniture imports

Destination of furniture exports

Historical series on furniture production

Historical series on furniture market size

Historical series on furniture trade

Country rankings to place all statistics in a broader worldwide context

The 100 country summary tables also include:

Total household consumption expenditure

Total GNP at purchasing power parity

Per capita GNP at purchasing power parity

Key Topics Covered:



PART I: THE WORLD FURNITURE OUTLOOK



1. Summary

Basic data of the global furniture market up to 2020

World economy and furniture outlook 2021-2022 for 100 countries

2. The world furniture market

Overview of furniture production and trade, world geographic regions and trade areas

3. Market shares of the leading furniture exporting countries

The main furniture exporting countries and the opening of furniture markets. Historical series.

4. The international scenario

The world economy and prospects of the furniture sector up to 2022

PART II: WORLD FURNITURE INDICATORS



1. World Tables

Overview of the world furniture industry Production, Exports, Consumption and Imports

Furniture exports, 100 countries (alphabetical order and ranking)

Furniture imports, 100 countries (alphabetical order and ranking)

The opening of the furniture markets: 2011-2019 and 2020 preliminary estimates

Growth of exports, 40 major exporting countries

Growth of imports, 40 major importing countries

World furniture trade. Destination of exports and origin of imports

Furniture market outlook 2021-2022 (alphabetical order and ranking by level of furniture consumption)

2. Country Tables for 100 countries

For each country:

Furniture production, exports, imports, consumption for the time series 2010-2019 and 2020 preliminary estimates

Economic indicators (population, area, total and per capita GNP, household consumption expenditure, data at purchasing power parity)

Real growth of furniture consumption: 2021-2022 forecasts

Exchange rates

Furniture trading partners

Appendix: Methodology, notes, presentation conventions

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/b3uugz



Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

[email protected]



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630

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To rank within the top 20 large companies on Glassdoors Best Places to Work in 2021 list is a huge accomplishment. -Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4

KnowBe4, the provider of the worlds largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, today announced it has been honored with a Glassdoor Employees Choice Award, recognizing the Best Places to Work in 2021. The Employees Choice Award, now in its 13th year, is based solely on the input of employees, who elect to provide anonymous feedback by completing a company review about their job, work environment and employer on Glassdoor, the worldwide leader on insights about jobs and companies.

At KnowBe4, we place a huge emphasis on creating and maintaining a fun, positive corporate culture, and that really resonates with our employees, said Stu Sjouwerman, CEO, KnowBe4. To rank within the top 20 large companies on Glassdoors Best Places to Work in 2021 list is a huge accomplishment. Moving into the large category this year with over 1,000 employees ranks us amongst the likes of well-known global brands such as Google and Facebook, which is very exciting for us.

COVID-19 is in the drivers seat and every employer has been impacted. This years winning employers have proven, according to employees, that even during extraordinary times, theyll rise to the challenge to support their people, said Christian Sutherland-Wong, Glassdoor chief executive officer. A mission-driven culture, transparent leadership and career opportunities are always hallmarks of Best Places to Work winners. This year, we also see exceptional employers who have prioritized the health, safety and well-being of their employees. My congratulations go to all of this years outstanding Employees Choice Award winners.

On Glassdoor, current and former employees voluntarily and anonymously share insights and opinions about their work environments by sharing a company review, designed to capture a genuine and authentic inside look at what a specific job may be like at a particular company. When sharing a company review on Glassdoor, employees are asked to rate their satisfaction with the company overall, and key workplace factors like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management and work/life balance. In addition, employees are asked to describe the best reasons to work at their companies as well as any downsides.

Glassdoors Best Places to Work were determined using company reviews shared by U.S.-based employees between October 22, 2019 and October 19, 2020. During the year-long eligibility period, employers considered for the large list must have received at least 75 ratings for each of the eight workplace attributes (overall company rating, career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture and values, senior management, work-life balance, recommend to a friend and six-month business outlook) taken into account as part of the awards algorithm. The final list is compiled using Glassdoors proprietary algorithm, led by its Economic Research Team, and takes into account quantity, quality and consistency of reviews. Complete awards methodology can be found here: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/index.htm

For the complete list of the Glassdoor Best Places to Work winners in 2021, please visit: https://www.glassdoor.com/Award/Best-Places-to-Work-LST_KQ0,19.htm.

About KnowBe4

KnowBe4, the provider of the worlds largest security awareness training and simulated phishing platform, is used by more than 35,000 organizations around the globe. Founded by IT and data security specialist Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 helps organizations address the human element of security by raising awareness about ransomware, CEO fraud and other social engineering tactics through a new-school approach to awareness training on security. Kevin Mitnick, an internationally recognized cybersecurity specialist and KnowBe4's Chief Hacking Officer, helped design the KnowBe4 training based on his well-documented social engineering tactics. Tens of thousands of organizations rely on KnowBe4 to mobilize their end users as the last line of defense.

About Glassdoor

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They spent a cozy Christmas holiday together with her family.

And Delilah Belle Hamlin was seen sharing a tender moment with her boyfriend Eyal Booker on Tuesday, as the pair waited for food outside of a Chinese restaurant in the Beverly Glen market in Bel Air, California.

The famous daughter, 22, wore a white T-shirt underneath an open light blue mens dress shirt, which had the sleeves rolled up and hung off of her shoulders.

Cute and masked pair: Delilah Belle Hamlin was seen with her boyfriend Eyal Booker on Tuesday, as the pair got food at a Chinese restaurant in the Beverly Glen market in Bel Air

She also sported light blue denim jeans, along with white New Balance sneakers.

Hamlin wore her blonde hair straight and down, parted at the middle.

Her Love Island star beau, also 22, twinned Delilah in a white T-shirt of his own.

He paired this with black pants and white and black sneakers.

Momentary PDA: The couple were spotted engaging in a beautiful moment of intimacy as they waited for their meal

While the daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin donned a standard blue disposable face mask, her hunky England-born partner had on a pink face covering in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As the pair were waiting for their food, they pulled down their masks and leaned in for a sweet kiss.

When they left, Delilah held onto the food as well as her brown leather crosshatch satchel.

Protected: While the daughter of Lisa Rinna and Harry Hamlin donned a standard blue disposable face mask, her hunky England-born partner had on a pink face covering in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic

Eyal sipped on a Sprite while handling the car keys.

The pair reportedly drove off in a new-looking red 458 Ferrari Italia automobile.

The couple are clearly besotted with one another, appearing together in the car and in affectionate embraces on the beach in each other's social media feeds as recently as this week.

Love: The couple are clearly besotted with one another, appearing in an affectionate embrace on the beach in Eyal's social media feed as this week

Seen Tuesday on Delilah's Instagram story: The couple were also seen together in the car smiling and listening to music

Over the holiday, Eyal and Delilah posted several images to their respective Instagram accounts in Santa hats and other Christmas garb.

Delilahs mother Lisa, 57, included Booker in a Christmas photo with the whole family, including LA Law actor husband Harry Hamlin, 69, and younger daughter Amelia Gray, 19.

Rinna captioned it with the standard 'Merry Christmas from our family to yours'.

Delilah and Eyal have been an item since mid-2019, after she made the first move by apparently sliding into the reality star's DMs.

Over the holiday: Delilahs mother Lisa included Booker in a Christmas photo with the whole family, including LA Law actor husband Harry and younger daughter Amelia Gray
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The Supreme Court on January 12 stayed the implementation of the three contentious farm laws until further orders and set up a committee to resolve the impasse between the farmers and the government.

In the interim order, the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde said that the committee which will be a part of judicial proceedings will submit its report, after listening to both the parties, in two months.

Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian were the other two judges on the bench. The next hearing of the case is in eight weeks.

"We think that this extraordinary order of stay of implementation of the farm laws will be perceived as an achievement of the purpose of such protest at least for the present and will encourage farmers bodies to convince their members to get back to their livelihood," the court observed.

Follow our LIVE BLOG on Farmers' Protest here

The eleven-page judgement said that having heard different perspectives, it deems fit to pass the order, with the hope and expectation that both parties will take this in the right spirit and attempt to arrive at a fair, equitable and just solution to the problems

Some highlights from the operative part of the order are:

1) Three farm laws stand stayed until further orders

The implementation of the three farm laws 1) Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Act, 2020 2) Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 and 3) Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act 2020, shall stand stayed until further orders.

2) MSP before the enactment of laws applicable

As a consequence, the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in existence before the enactment of the farm laws shall be maintained until further orders.

3) Farmers land protected

In addition, the farmers land holdings shall be protected i.e., no farmer shall be dispossessed or deprived of his title of any action taken under the farm laws.

4) Committee of agri-experts to listen to grievances

A committee comprising i) Bhupinder Singh Mann, national president Bhartiya Kisan Union ii) Pramod Kumar Joshi, Director for South Asia, International Food Policy Research Institute iii) Ashok Gulati, Agricultural Economist and iv) Anil Ghanwant, president Shetkari Sangatana is constituted for the purpose of listening to the grievances of farmers relating to the farm laws and views of the government and to make recommendations. The Committee shall be provided a place at Delhi and Govt to bear its expenses and give it secretarial assistance.

5) Farmers opposing and supporting laws asked to participate

The representatives of all the farmers' bodies, whether they are holding a protest or not and whether they support or oppose the laws shall participate in the deliberations of the Committee and put forth their view points.

6) Report to be submitted within two months

The committee shall, upon hearing the government and the representatives of farmers bodies, and other stakeholders, submit a report before this court containing its recommendations. This shall be done within two months from date of its first sitting. The first sitting shall be held within ten days from today.

Read : Farmers' protest: 3 farmers' counsel miss SC hearing on farm laws
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State Rep. Scott Cepicky frequently asks a compelling question: Why cant Tennessee be the number one state in the nation for public education? Great question. Why cant we be number one in education in the nation?



So many education reformers cling to the industrial age model of education. We need to use our imagination and start thinking about out-of-the-box solutions. If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is that the speed and urgency we have used to fight this pandemic proves we can tackle even the most challenging issues when we focus as a society. There is never an easy solution for problems in education, but we have to get the fundamentals right. Albert Einstein said, Problems cant be solved with the same consciousness that created them.



Viable public education is critical for a strong economy. Educators are the frontline of those efforts. Educators are the ones who must enact education policies. Too many of our teachers suffer from top-down management structures and lack of reward, and many have reached an apparent career plateau and become susceptible to a loss of creativity and drive. We cannot allow that to happen.

Yet, according to most economists and policy wonks, we do not pay commensurate salaries to get and keep the best and brightest in our classrooms. Educators have to move up to administrative positions to get bigger salaries. Sometimes the skills that made them an excellent teacher fail to translate into an administrative role. So lets make Tennessee the number one state in America in which to TEACH. Governor Lee pledged to raise educator salaries. That was derailed last year due to the pandemic. We expect this year there will be at least a salary increase for all educators.

Some other ideas include investing in high-quality induction and mentoring programs for our younger teachers. We must examine this process carefully if we want to keep our new teachers. We could provide student loan reimbursements, prioritizing educators in high-poverty schools, or critical shortage areas. The state needs to better work with and leverage school districts and statewide teacher associations to develop ongoing professional learning for emerging and experienced school leaders to better support school staff and their work. If we can do those things, we can attract and retain high-quality educators. We also need to take care of our support staff and give them salary increases, opportunities, and training.

Educators are not the only ones stuck in a system that is slow to change; students and parents get trapped as well. We must get our parents engaged in the education of their children. It is the critical piece that is often missing. Education law and policies must be written simply, clearly, and concisely, with the required degree of precision, and as much as possible in ordinary language. We need to remove the often-incoherent education terminology. This will help policymakers and stakeholders alike as we move forward.

During the upcoming special session, the state is going to address the problem of too many kids falling through the cracks, and afterward pushed through the system, unprepared for the next grade or life. We have had a sudden awakening of learning loss which is not a new phenomenon. It is hard to define, and even harder to explain. Are students who are not making adequate progress losing learning? Yes indeed. Our state will take aggressive measures to stem that tide, but this is not a short-term, pandemic-driven issue---it is part of a long-term systemic problem. So, if we couch it in a vague term such as learning loss and provide tutoring, summer school, and other supports, then it is welcome.

It also identifies another challenge of how we engage parents. Parental involvement is not a clearly or consistently defined term. Parental engagement is a better phrase. All students need a supportive home learning environment, and we must focus on how families can build on what they are learning in the classroom. The state is going to require districts to submit a phonics-based literacy plan for students, as part of their literacy efforts. We would argue that getting the parents involved in the education of their children is critical and districts should also include how they plan to engage parents in this process. Better communication with parents is always a win-win for districts, teachers, parents, and students.

We must improve digital access statewide, in both our urban and rural communities. David Talbot writes in The Hole in the Digital Economy, the poorest people, who might benefit most from Internet access, are often the least likely to have it. Its not just an economic issue, it is an access issue in Tennessee. Integrating technology benefits education. However, all citizens need digital access for personal and business purposes.

These ideas and strategies are to help strengthen our public education system. In the span of one generation, South Korea moved from a nation that educated less than a quarter of its citizens through high school to one that now ranks third in the world in college-educated adults. Why cant Tennessee be the number one state in the nation for public education? We can! If it is important to us, we will find a way. If not, we will find an excuse.

JC Bowman

Executive Director of Professional Educators of Tennessee
SkyUp Airlines (Kyiv) from April 25, 2021 launches flights on the route Kyiv-Brno (the Czech Republic)-Kyiv.

The press service of the company said the flights will be operated twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays.

The cost of tickets from Kyiv to Brno without luggage starts from UAH 1,016, from Brno to Kyiv from UAH 966.

As reported, the commission of the State Aviation Administration of Ukraine decided to recommend to the head of the service to grant SkyUp the right to operate the Kyiv-London (UK) route for regular flights for an unlimited period from January 4, 2021.
ALEPPO, Syria  News spread recently among popular and military quarters in the city of al-Bab in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo about the Syrian regime and its Russian-backed allies launching a military attack in the area, stirring anxiety and controversy among residents of the city, which is controlled by the Turkish-backed armed opposition.

The regime has been mobilizing reinforcements in the areas near al-Bab since the beginning of January amid concerns among locals that they may be part of the military buildup that portends a future military operation aimed at controlling the strategic city of al-Bab.

Recent statements by Mustafa Sejari, director of the political bureau of the Mutasim Brigade, a Free Syrian Army (FSA) faction, further inflamed the concerns of al-Bab residents in a tweet on Jan. 2 when he said, We warn the international community and the Group of Friends of the Syrian People of possible Russian aggression against the Syrian city of al-Bab. We call on political forces and opposition institutions to take action to bring in military support for the [FSA].

He added, The [Bashar] al-Assad regime and its allies do not believe in the political solution and are preparing for military action and a new aggression.

The anticipated aggression over the city sparked debate among opposition ranks. Some warned of the dangers and repercussions of such military operations. Other FSA leaders refuted the likelihood of such aggression while underestimating the seriousness of the threats. In an attempt to allay the fears of the citys residents, they further denied the possibility of any military action planned by the regime and its allies against al-Bab.

The spokesman for the Turkish-backed FSA, Maj. Yusuf Hamoud, told Al-Monitor, We have not monitored any real military indications of an imminent battle that the Syrian regime might launch in the city of al-Bab, nor are there any new enemy troops mobilized on these fronts. The news circulating about the withdrawal of some factions from some deployment points on this front is not correct. The factions are in constant readiness for all possibilities, especially since our backstabbing enemy does not honor any pledge or agreement.

Al-Monitor also met with Sejari. The warnings we issued regarding the [expected] military operation by the regime and its allies on the city of al-Bab aim to draw the attention of the international community and political opposition institutions so that they assume their duties. They must exert efforts to protect the residents of this city and prevent the enemy from implementing its plans.

He warned that hiding information and news about the regime and Russia's plans regarding the city of al-Bab will be disastrous. The failure to take any action and insisting on denying these threats under the pretext of reassuring the city's residents will not help.

Sejari argued that al-Bab, from the Russian perspective, is outside the scope of any agreement with Turkey and is rather among the list of potential Russian military targets. The city, which has strategic importance, is also a major target for terrorist groups. At the domestic level, it is still subject to conflict between [opposition] factions forces, which caused a lack of centralized security and continuing chaos.

Al-Bab, the largest city in the Euphrates Shield region, is witnessing ongoing security chaos, with occasional assassinations and bombings. Large numbers of refugees and displaced persons from different Syrian regions had flocked to the city following Operation Euphrates Shield launched by the Turkish army against the Islamic State in August 2016 and after the Syrian opposition captured it in 2017.

The deputy head of the political bureau of the FSA-affiliated Al-Salam Brigade, Hisham Eskif, told Al-Monitor that threats to the city of al-Bab must be addressed seriously. He called for a military alert to counter and prevent any sudden movement by the regime.

The fact that the city of al-Bab is located on the M4 highway is one of the most important reasons why the regime and its allies are interested in it, Eskif said. Controlling it is part of the plan that Russia intends to implement, which is to control the main roads in Syria and keep the opposition away from them.

The M4 international road extends from Hasakah in northeastern Syria through Ain Issa in the north of Raqqa and Manbij in the northeast of Aleppo, all the way to the city of al-Bab until it reaches Aleppo and the city of Latakia on the Mediterranean coast.

The city thus holds strategic importance for Russia and the regime, just like other cities on the same road. They had made several attempts to seize Jericho and Jisr al-Shughour, south of Idlib, and Ain Issa, north of Raqqa, and to oust the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces from Ain Issa under the pretext of preventing the opposition and the Turkish army from controlling them.

Al-Farouk Abu Bakr, a military commander in the FSA-affiliated Mutasim Brigade, told Al-Monitor, Russia sees the city of al-Bab as an area outside the scope of its understandings and agreements concluded with Turkey. Thus, a military operation aimed to control it if necessary is not unlikely. I believe that the alleged threat should be taken seriously, not denied.

In this context, Al-Monitor met Mohamad Bukaie, a lecturer in political sciences at opposition universities in the countryside of Aleppo. I do not think the regime and its allies will launch any military operation against al-Bab at the present time. The city has a symbolic meaning for Turkey and is deemed one of the most important and largest cities in the Euphrates Shield area. Turkey has been providing the city with services and repairing schools. It will not easily abandon it.

For his part, Mohammed Adeeb, a researcher in Islamic groups based in the northern countryside of Aleppo, told Al-Monitor, The regime and Russia lack their typical excuses this time to launch a military operation against al-Bab, even if it is important to them as the city is not governed by militant organizations. It is controlled by moderate factions and is subject to Turkish administration. Therefore, the possibility of launching a military operation is unlikely, at least for the time being.
Items seized during a search at an apartment in the Mayfield Housing Authority North Project after an investigation into possible drug trafficking. PHOTO:Graves County Sheriff's Office

Three in Mayfield Charged With Meth Trafficking

By West Kentucky Star Staff

GRAVES COUNTY - A drug investigation in Mayfield led to charges of trafficking in methamphetamine for three people Tuesday.Graves County deputies and detectives searched an apartment in the Mayfield Housing Authority North Project and reportedly found 22 grams of crystal meth. They also found scales, syringes, baggies, and other items.Deputies said one suspect was found hiding in a bathroom where methamphetamine had been hidden in the toilet tank.Thirty-one year old Levon Whitt and 28-year old Krystal Mayrovitz, both of Mayfield, were arrested on charges of trafficking in methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia. Whitt also faces charges of tampering with physical evidence.Twenty-eight-year-old Nikki Blake of Mayfield was cited and released due to a medical condition. Blake is charged with trafficking in methamphetamine, possession of marijuana, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
WASHINGTON - Pentagon leaders must balance an array of threats on state capitols nationwide against the potential for renewed extremist violence in Washington, D.C., as they consider security plans ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, senior officials said Tuesday.

Intelligence suggesting the potential for armed riots or attacks on state capitols across the country came into focus as the Defense Department scrambled to ensure an adequate plan for providing National Guard aid for the Jan. 20 inauguration and avoid a repeat of last week's insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

Neighboring states may need to reserve National Guard to protect their own facilities and personnel, possibly limiting the ability of the Defense Department, which oversees the District of Columbia National Guard, to call on them for additional help.

"We're not going to pull too much out of their states and put them at risk, so a very delicate risk management process is underway," Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy said in an interview.

In response to the threat, guardsmen members in Washington will carry their firearms, two defense officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Capitol Police pleaded for help on Jan. 6 as pro-Trump rioters smashed their way into the Capitol building, while Pentagon officials said inadequate planning meant they were unable to immediately respond. As part of their attempt to ensure a more robust military response, officials plan to station up to 15,000 guardsmen - or potentially more - in and around the nation's capital.

McCarthy was to meet with senior officials from the FBI, Secret Service and other agencies to finalize plans Tuesday afternoon. Starting Wednesday, guardsmen will be taking part in security rehearsals, signifying the heightened stakes surrounding an inauguration already marked by concerns about the coronavirus pandemic and threats of violence by supporters of President Donald Trump.

The Pentagon's attempt to recalibrate its posture ahead of more planned protests underscores the balancing act it has attempted - sometimes unsuccessfully - in recent months. Defense officials have sought to steer clear of charged election politics and manage the uncomfortable reality that their commander in chief has employed increasingly aggressive tactics to subvert the 2020 election.

In an unusual public message Tuesday, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other top military leaders acknowledged Biden's imminent ascension to the presidency and called the riot "a direct assault on the U.S. Congress, the Capitol building and our Constitutional process."

"We support and defend the Constitution," the Joint Chiefs, which is composed of the military's highest-ranking officers from each service, said in a statement. "Any act to disrupt the constitutional process is not only against our traditions, values, and oath; it is against the law."

The Joint Chiefs also affirmed that Biden would take over as the 46th commander in chief and called upon service members to reflect the ideals of the nation. The message came after a number of the rioters turned out to have been military veterans.

Unlike in the summer, when the Pentagon was faulted for taking part in an overly aggressive response to protests over racial discrimination and police violence, the Pentagon last week was accused of failing to come to the aid of overwhelmed local officials when chaos engulfed Capitol Hill.

Officials from the Capitol Police and District government have said the Pentagon responded slowly to urgent requests for military assistance and initially denied help beyond a small force of guardsmen manning traffic stops. Pentagon officials, meanwhile, have blamed the Capitol Police and District Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, for not requesting adequate assistance ahead of time and then expecting part-time soldiers to immediately appear.

Even as recriminations continue, Pentagon officials have for the second time in a year adjusted decision-making for the District Guard in the hopes of ensuring a nimble response. Unlike on Jan. 6, when acting defense secretary Christopher Miller was required to sign off on activating additional District National Guard members, McCarthy now will have the ability to employ Guard personnel and equipment as he sees fit, without higher level sign-off.

Because Washington, D.C., is not a state, the president functions as the District Guard's commander in chief, as governors do elsewhere. Under a 1969 executive order, the president delegates that authority to the defense secretary, who then may delegate it further. In recent history, the Army secretary has acted as the Guard's commander.

That was the case in June, when District Guardsmen were on hand when uniformed federal personnel forcibly cleared crowds of demonstrators and a District Guard helicopter flew dangerously low over protesters.

After the June events, "we had to put much tighter left and right limits for these types of activities the next time around," McCarthy said, referring to limits that Congress put on the use of military forces beginning this month.

The Defense Department is leaning forward to provide everything it can, McCarthy said.

"The key for us is, if a request is made for a certain capability, and we can legally provide it," McCarthy said. "We will do whatever we have to do to support this inauguration."

As Trump, now stripped of his platform on Twitter, makes only indirect reference to his electoral loss, the FBI is warning of intelligence suggesting "armed protests" may occur in all 50 states as his supporters attempt to keep him in office.

Already, city authorities in Michigan have asked Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, to activate that state's National Guard ahead of planned protests at the Capitol. Conservative protests have rocked Michigan for months, culminating in a foiled far-right plot to kidnap Whitmer. "Michigan had the dress rehearsal already," Lansing City Council President Peter Spadafore said. "When folks tell you ahead of time they will be violent, we should take them at their word."

In Washington state, Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, has authorized 750 guardsmen to support law enforcement operations to defend the Capitol.

Pentagon officials suggested that additional Guard activations could follow in coming days. Already, as the District's relatively small Guard seeks to prepare for additional violence, it is being joined by counterparts from states including New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and Minnesota. They will probably stay in both hotels in Washington and on military installations.

Pentagon officials have said that before the Jan. 6 protest, which began with a rally at which Trump spoke near the White House and culminated in the Capitol breach, they received no intelligence indicating a major or violent protest would occur.

The Defense Department is prohibited doesn't carry out domestic surveillance or threat-tracking operations not involving the military, meaning it relies on federal law enforcement.

Pushing back at assertions from officials including Bowser and Steven Sund, who stepped down after the riot from his post as chief of the Capitol Police, McCarthy denied the Pentagon held back because of loyalty to Trump. He said the Pentagon was responding in keeping with requests from the city and Capitol Police, which explicitly asked for a limited, unarmed National Guard role.

That changed suddenly when rioters converged on the Capitol. "When the calls started coming in, it was all under duress; it was very challenging to understand," McCarthy said. "No one could articulate what was really going on."

When the alarming picture began to emerge, "we ran down the hallway at the Pentagon. We were trying to get a handle on this," McCarthy said. "And when we got moving, we moved as fast as we could from a cold start, not configured to take a reaction."

A second defense official emphasized that federal law enforcement was better placed to clear the Capitol building itself than members of the District Guard.

"It would have been a very bad employment to have the Guard try to clear those buildings," said the second official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "If you ever cleared buildings with people that don't do it for a living, you could have some very challenging types of things happen." Instead, the Guard later helped federal and local law enforcement reestablish the perimeter around the Capitol and its grounds.

Officials acknowledged a troubling current of right-wing ideology in the military. The second defense official said the military is trying to address the issue ahead of the inauguration preparations. But officials have also said they will not be able to screen all National Guard members involved for extremist affiliations, as some lawmakers have requested.

- - -

The Washington Post's Alex Horton contributed to this report.
FLINT, MI -- The water crisis that put Flint in the national spotlight years ago has taken a new turn with expected criminal charges against the states top leader at the time, Gov. Rick Snyder.

Its been nearly seven years since the public health scandal rocked the working-class city, leading to thousands lining up for bottled water and the later mass replacement of lead and galvanized steel service lines.

The Associated Press reported Tuesday, Jan. 12 that Snyder and others have been contacted by state prosecutors and told to expect indictments.

Besides Snyder, other names to surface were Rich Baird, a Flint native who worked as a top aide to Snyder during his administration; Nick Lyon, the former Health and Human Services director under Snyder; and Howard Croft, the head of Flints Public Works Department from 2011 to November 2015.

Bairds attorney, Randall Levine, confirmed Tuesday they were told that charges were forthcoming. He did not know the exact charges or how they related to Bairds former position in Snyders administration.

Crofts attorney, Jamie White, also confirmed they were told about upcoming charges. Again, he was not told a specific charge.

A spokesman for Lyon would not confirm whether Lyon had been told to expect an indictment, but he said they have every reason to believe this is likely to happen.

Related: Flint water crisis: Whos being charged and what were their roles

The water crisis erupted in 2014 when Flint was under guidance from state emergency managers and the public water feed was switched from Detroits public system to the Flint River. During the switch, corrosion inhibitors were not used, triggering a leaching of lead from old pipes.

Designed as a short-term, cost-cutting measure, the switch instead also caused elevated levels of bacteria and chlorination byproducts in tap water, and when residents complained about the smell and taste of their water, emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose did not make the move to switch back to pre-treated Lake Huron water supplied by the city of Detroit.

The Flint water system serves close to 100,000 people. Initially elevated lead levels in the water created ongoing concern about lasting impact on residents, particularly young children.

Flint connected back with the Detroit water system in October 2015 and now is under a 30-year contract with the Great Lakes Water Authority for water.

Former Attorney General Bill Schuette and an appointed special prosecutor, Todd Flood, brought charges against 15 people starting in 2016. Seven of those pleaded to misdemeanors and, in June 2019, current Attorney General Dana Nessels office dismissed the eight remaining cases over concerns about problems with the investigation.

At the time, Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud said she was starting the investigation anew and that charges could be refiled.

Tuesdays information that new charges were coming, including against Snyder, brought a sense of hope to some in the Flint community.

Related: Flint residents hopeful water crisis charges against Snyder, other officials will bring justice

Ariana Hawks son, Sincere Smith, appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 2016 when he was just 2. Hawk was concerned Sinceres rashes at the time were caused by the water.

Hawk, reached Tuesday, was optimistic that those responsible for the crisis would be held accountable.

It gives me hope again that theyll make Flint whole, that theyll try to do right by us, Hawk said. My only hope is that these charges go through.

Recently, a proposed $641 million settlement was negotiated between attorneys for city residents and the state.

A federal judge could decide Wednesday, Jan. 13 whether to give preliminary approval to the settlement.

Claire McClinton, a Flint water activist, called the expected charges a victory for the residents of Flint.

I feel relieved and I feel like its a victory for our residents because we have fought all these years for justice, McClinton said.

At least one of the attorneys who received notice about the charges, Jamie White, said he expected his client would need to make an initial appearance sometime within 24 to 48 hours.

More from MLive:

Attorney for Snyder calls Flint water charges smear campaign against former governor

Youngest Flint water crisis victims to get 80 percent of historic $600 million settlement

Federal judge says she will meet for days if necessary to hear from residents about Flint water settlement

Flint residents protest water crisis settlement with federal judges decision expected soon

Qatar Airways has resumed flights to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and will operate a daily service on wide-body aircraft, including the Airbus A350, Boeing 777-300 and Boeing 787-8, the airline said on its website.



QR1164 from Hamad International Airport in Doha to King Khalid International Airport took off at 13:45 local time on January 11 and landed safely at its destination at 15:10. The flight was operated by Qatar Airways Airbus A350-1000, it said.



Later this week, Qatar Airways will resume flights to Jeddah on January 15 (QR1188 departing DOH at 18:50) and to Dammam on January 16 (QR 1150 departing Doha at 17:10).



Passengers from KSA can once again enjoy the award-winning Qsuite, featuring sliding privacy doors and the option to use a Do Not Disturb (DND) indicator. The Qsuite seat layout is a 1-2-1 configuration, providing passengers with one of the most spacious, fully private, comfortable, and socially distanced products in the sky.



The national carrier of Qatar continues to rebuild its network, which currently stands at over 110 destinations with plans to increase to over 125 by the end of March 2021, it said.



Hamad International Airport (HIA), the airlines home and hub, was recently ranked Third Best Airport in the World, among 550 airports worldwide, by the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2020.  TradeArabia News Service
In this photo released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo, left, receives a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. Writings on the banner in the background read "Safe and Halal." (Agus Suparto/Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country.

After Widodo, top military, police and medical officials were vaccinated, as well as the secretary of the Indonesian Ulema Council, the clerical body that last week ruled the vaccine was halal and could be taken by Muslims. Others such as a health care worker, businesspeople and a social media influencer also received the shots to encourage people to get the vaccine when it is available to them.

"We need to do the vaccination to stop the chain spread of COVID-19 and give health protection to us and the safety to all Indonesian people. It will also help accelerate economic improvement," Widodo said.

"This vaccine is the instrument we can use to protect us. But more importantly, the vaccine is the instrument to protect our family, our neighbor, Indonesian people and the human civilization," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Wednesday.

"This vaccine is given to achieve herd immunity. All 70% of the world's people must be vaccinated for that to be achieved. The participation of all Indonesians will greatly determine the success of this program," he said.

In this image made from a video released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo receives a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

Conditional use of the Sinovac Biotech Ltd. vaccine is scheduled to be rolled out in the coming months with health care workers, civil servants and other at-risk populations prioritized. It will be free for all Indonesian citizens.

For Indonesia to vaccinate two-thirds of its population, 181.5 million people, Sadikin said the two-shot vaccine would require almost 427 million doses, including the estimate that 15% may be wasted.

Distribution will not be easy in the vast archipelago where transportation and infrastructure are limited in places. Health officials have cited concerns about keeping the vaccine refrigerated at the required 3646 degrees Fahrenheit to maintain its safety and effectiveness.

"We know that the cold-chain distribution is not complete. This is the obstacle," Sadikin said Tuesday. "The cold-chain facilities are not enough so we are still distributing some of the vaccines. We are worried."

In this image made from a video released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, a Health Ministry official shows a box of COVID-19 vaccine that will be given to President Joko Widodo at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

Workers unload COVID-19 vaccines to be stored at a warehouse in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority has green-lighted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd., with vaccinations of high-risk groups expected to start later this week. (AP Photo/Septian)

In this image made from a video released by Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo, center, prepare to receive a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

In this photo released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace, President Joko Widodo prepares to receive a shot of COVID-19 vaccine at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. Widodo on Wednesday received the first shot of a Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccine after Indonesia approved it for emergency use and began efforts to vaccine millions of people in the world's fourth most populated country. Writings on the banner in the background read "Vaccina, Safe and Halal." (Agus SupartoIndonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

Workers carry a box of COVID-19 vaccines to be stored at a warehouse in Bekasi, West Java, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority has green-lighted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd., with vaccinations of high-risk groups expected to start later this week. (AP Photo/Septian)

In this photo released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace, workers unload a container containing experimental coronavirus vaccines made by the Chinese company Sinovac from the cargo bay of a Garuda Indonesia plane at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan, 12, 2021. Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority has green-lighted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd., with vaccinations of high-risk groups expected to start later this week. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

In this photo released by the Indonesian Presidential Palace, workers unload a container containing experimental coronavirus vaccines made by the Chinese company Sinovac from the cargo bay of a Garuda Indonesia plane at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Indonesia, Tuesday, Jan, 12, 2021. Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority has green-lighted emergency use of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by China-based Sinovac Biotech Ltd., with vaccinations of high-risk groups expected to start later this week. (Indonesian Presidential Palace via AP)

Indonesia received its first shipment of the Sinovac vaccines on Dec. 6 and began distributing the doses around the country while awaiting emergency use authorization. It was cleared for emergency use based on clinical trial data and after the Indonesian Ulema Council declared the vaccine holy and halal.

Indonesia's vaccination program is the first large-scale use of the Sinovac vaccine outside of China.

Indonesia has recorded more than 846,000 cases of the virus, including over 24,600 deaths.

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.
Britain's pharmaceutical champions have stepped up their fight against the coronavirus as they revealed new treatments and pushed ahead with securing vaccine approvals.

On a day of major developments, Glaxosmithkline said it was joining an NHS study to test a breakthrough antibody treatment.

The drug  known as Vir-7832  could be a game changer because it may have 'vaccine-like' effects that could give patients lasting protection.

Britain's pharmaceutical champions have stepped up their fight against the coronavirus as they revealed new treatments and pushed ahead with securing vaccine approvals

Meanwhile, arch-rival Astrazeneca submitted its Covid-19 vaccine to European regulators for fast-track approval  and a decision could be made this month. The jab was approved in the UK last month.

The announcements came as the world approached almost 2 million Covid-related deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University, and the UK recorded its biggest number of annual excess deaths since the Second World War.

Scientists have long said that the only way out of restrictions imposed during the pandemic is to develop vaccines and treatments to beat the virus.

GSK is already developing a Covid-19 antibody treatment, where a patient is given an infusion of antibodies to bolster their body's immune system. Known as Vir-7831, the drug is a collaboration with Vir Biotechnology and is in late-stage trials.

But while results from those tests are expected before the end of March, it is also pressing ahead with trials of a second antibody treatment, Vir-7832.

The study will see NHS patients who have Covid-19 and show mild to moderate symptoms offered the experimental treatment, to see if it helps to clear the infection up.

Yesterday, shares in GSK  which is led by boss Emma Walmsley (pictured)  fell 2 per cent, or 28p, to 1367p, while Astra shares fell 2 per cent, or 151p, to 7405p

It is being done as part of the NHS's Agile programme, which is testing a variety of potential treatments, and will be carried out by five trusts, including one in Liverpool.

Ten blockbuster medicines to make billions for GSK The supremo revamping Glaxosmithklines drugs pipeline says the British company is developing blockbuster medicines that can raise huge profits. Hal Barron (inset), who was made research and development boss in 2018, said: We believe we have more than ten vaccines and medicines in the late-stage portfolio that could change medical practice and have annual sales potential in excess of $1 billion (730million). At a healthcare conference in San Francisco, Barron, 58, said that its projects include a potential antibody treatment for the Covid19 virus, drugs to treat patients with HIV, and cancer, blood disease and asthma treatments. The company thinks these could come to market by 2026. A vaccine for the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which can cause lung infections, also has multi-billion dollar potential. In the US, some 170,000 people aged 65 and above are hospitalised with RSV every year. GSK has undertaken a major overhaul of its drugs pipeline as it seeks to go back to its roots as a pharmaceuticals business.

GSK said Vir-7832 is particularly promising because, in early, non-human studies, it has an ability to stimulate the immune system's T-cells and provide added protection against Covid-19.

If this also occurs in humans, researchers believe it could result in a 'vaccinelike' effect that gives patients lasting protection after the initial therapy.

Dr Hal Barron, GSK's science and research chief, said: 'Current infection and hospitalisation rates show that multiple vaccines and therapeutic options will be needed to combat and ultimately end this pandemic.

'We are grateful to everyone involved in the Agile study for supporting this important research and expect initial results from the study to provide important insights into the use of Vir-7832 early in the course of infection.'

Elsewhere, Astra and Oxford University have applied for their vaccine to be licensed in the EU. The European Medicines Agency said it could be approved as soon as January 29 'provided that the data submitted on the quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine are sufficiently robust and complete'.

The vaccine is already rolling out across the UK. The agency has approved two vaccines, one made by US drugmaker Pfizer and Germany's Biontech, and another by Moderna.

But the Oxford-Astra vaccine is expected to be a key treatment because of its low cost, availability and ease of use.

Astra plans to make up to 3 billion doses by the end of 2021. Yesterday, shares in GSK  which is led by boss Emma Walmsley  fell 2 per cent, or 28p, to 1367p, while Astra shares fell 2 per cent, or 151p, to 7405p.
About 70% of freight movements received immediate clearance from customs at Dublin Port (Niall Carson/PA Wire)

Shelves in shops in Ireland will continue to empty post-Brexit because of the need to complete hours of customs paperwork, the Irish Parliament has heard.

Independent TD Verona Murphy said there has been utter disruption in the supply chain since the end of the transition period, with truck drivers being stuck in ports for up to five days.

The former head of the Irish Road Haulage Association warned businesses are being damaged and that further jobs will be lost in the coming weeks.

Around 30% of goods moving from Great Britain to Dublin are being held back over issues around documentation, with some requiring further checks, Irish officials have said.

Trade volumes continue to be low in comparison with trade levels in previous years.

Ms Murphy told the Dail: Utter disruption has ensued since January 1 at ports, in businesses, and in the supply chain.

Food is being destroyed, businesses are failing, jobs are and will be lost, she added.

The consumer will pay a hefty price in their shopping basket if this is to continue, particularly those on low incomes.

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She said last year customs dealt with two million declarations and now they expect to deal with 20 million declarations.

Thats 54,794, a day, she added. And if you add to that the ENS (Entry Summary Declaration) and the PBN (Pre-Boarding Notification) declarations that figure trebles to 164,382 computer entries daily.

There are only 500 customs and excise staff. Its currently taking four hours to do one declaration. And thats why the boats to the UK are empty. Thats why the shipping routes to Fishguard are cancelled. And thats why our shelves are emptying.

Ms Murphy claimed the Revenues system has failed twice, adding: That has seen foodstuffs going rotten in trailers, it has kept drivers away from their families sitting in ports for up to five days.

She described the Department of Agricultures sanitary and phytosanitary checks as another utter mess requiring 24-hour notice.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin said Brexit essentially meant that seamless trade between the European Union and Great Britain is a thing of the past.

That is a reality and there will be delays at ports because importing goods from Britain is now much more complex, he said.

Food is being destroyed, businesses are failing, jobs are and will be lost Verona Murphy, TD

The UK has left the single market and customs union and that creates additional burdens. Theres also some evidence emerging that many UK companies were not as prepared as they could have been to the realities of Brexit and the various additional checks and controls.

He said Irish agencies were working flat out to ensure checks and controls were carried out as efficiently as possible, with over 1,500 additional staff working on customs.

The Taoiseach said hundreds of containers were going through customs every day and the numbers were gradually increasing.

In response, Ms Murphy said the only reality people will face with Brexit is a 50% increase in the cost of their shopping basket.

She added more boats were needed and antigen testing was also required at the ports.

Thousands of trucks have passed through Dublin Port in the last two weeks under new trade rules following the end of the Brexit transition period.

On Tuesday, Tom Talbot, head of the Revenues customs operations for Dublin Port, said the difference in experience at ports for those who prepared for Brexit, compared with those who did not, is quite stark.

He added that they have not reached capacity, but that volumes have been rising steadily to around 600 movements a day.

About 70% of freight movements received immediate clearance from customs, with the rest being labelled as orange or red, which require further checks on documentation from hauliers.
Pentagon officials say they are deeply worried about protests that are planned for the inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr. next week. About 16 groups  some of them saying they will be armed and most of them made up of hard-line supporters of Mr. Trump  have registered to stage protests in Washington, officials said.

One Defense Department official said law enforcement agencies are planning for a range of outcomes, including a worse-case scenario in which people with firearms try to attack dignitaries, suicide-type aircraft try to fly into the capitals restricted airspace and even remote-controlled drones that could be used to attack the crowd.

While those scenarios are among the more extreme, the officials said they were particularly worried about the possibility of multiple, violent confrontations, including with firearms, simultaneously flaring up around the inaugural dignitaries.

Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington sent a letter to Mr. Trump on Sunday asking for an emergency declaration to obtain additional funding for inauguration security.

In light of the attack on the Capitol and intelligence suggesting further violence is likely during the inaugural period, my administration has re-evaluated our preparedness posture for the inauguration, including requesting the extension of D.C. National Guard support through Jan. 24, 2021, Ms. Bowser wrote.
Internet search giant Google has admitted that it has been intermittently blocking some Australian news sites from search users.

In recent days internet users have reported Australian news sites disappearing from Google's search function, with old content and links being displayed.

ACCC chairman Rod Sims made the case at a Reuters conference on Tuesday night for a code to address the tech giants' power. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

The multinational technology giant said on Wednesday it had been running "experiments on searches for newspaper websites including The Sydney Morning Herald that had affected only a tiny number of users.

"We're currently running a few experiments that will each reach about 1 per cent of Google Search users in Australia to measure the impacts of news businesses and Google Search on each other, a spokesman said.
GRANTS PASS, Ore.  A 30-year-old woman who died from an illness in November after testing positive for coronavirus will be counted among Josephine County's COVID-19 related deaths based on the Oregon Health Authority's standards, public health officials said on Wednesday.

Josephine County Public Health said that the woman tested positive for COVID-19 on November 17 and died ten days later at Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center. She was suffering from an acute illness "unrelated to COVID-19" and had elected comfort care.

"While the womans attending physician did not indicate that COVID-19 contributed to the womans death, OHAs procedures require this to be counted as a COVID-19 death for Josephine County," county officials said. "OHA follows national infectious disease reporting standards when reporting COVID-19-related deaths."

RELATED: Vaccinations for Oregon seniors and school staff will begin later this month, Gov. Brown says

According to Josephine County, anyone with a positive COVID-19 test result who dies within 14 days in the hospital or within 60 days following discharge from the hospital is considered a coronavirus death.

The reasoning for this policy stems from the wide-ranging impacts of coronavirus  many of which are still largely mysterious  which can have effects on an individual's health that can complicate their recovery from other diseases and conditions, indirectly contributing to their death. OHA uses this data to track the spread of the disease and hone steps for stopping its spread, Josephine County said.

We understand why the OHA has adopted this straightforward, objective approach to classifying COVID-19-related deaths, said Mike Weber, Josephine County Public Health director. Public health agencies look at health data on the population level, and this definition is logical for a statewide organization. However, at the local level we are able to provide a higher level of detail, and in the interest of transparency, Josephine County will now maintain two totals relating to COVID-19 patients who have died.

RELATED: Jackson, Josephine, Klamath counties remain on 'Extreme Risk' COVID-19 restrictions

Weber said that the first total will mirror OHA's definition of coronavirus-related deaths, including anyone who has died in close proximity to a positive COVID-19 test. The second total will include only deaths that Josephine County Public Health has judged to be immediately related to a COVID-19 infection.

According to those totals, this is the first such borderline case that Josephine County has logged. As of Wednesday, the county reported 30 coronavirus-related deaths, and 29 deaths resulting from a COVID-19 infection.
Australians are being promised a two-stage strategy to protect the population from COVID-19 under a federal commitment to pursue herd immunity while making vaccines available as soon as possible.

Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the ambition on herd immunity after scientists raised questions over the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine to achieve the objective when compared to alternatives from Pfizer and others.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia will pursue a herd immunity strategy as it waits to see how effective the COVID-19 vaccines are. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In another day of debate over vaccine options, health giant CSL shot down talk about Australian production of the potential Novavax vaccine by saying it could not make it and the AstraZeneca vaccine at the same time.

The developments cement the government plan for a widespread roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine to most of the population and a more limited roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine to up to five million people, subject to final test results for both.

In a key concern over the interim results for AstraZeneca, scientists this week told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the vaccines efficacy rate was not high enough so far to achieve herd immunity.

The concept of herd immunity describes the objective of eliminating an epidemic by building up a communitys resistance to disease to the point where so many are protected it no longer spreads.

A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the government view was to deliver protection and herd immunity but that results so far offered no guarantee about the longer-term objective.

Read more here.
[January 13, 2021] OMNICOMMANDER Celebrates Fourth Anniversary

MIRAMAR BEACH, Fla., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- OMNICOMMANDER , a website, hosting, and marketing startup, starts 2021 by celebrating four years in business. OMNICOMMANDER has grown from a single owner-operator shop to employing nearly 80 COMMANDOs. Based in Miramar Beach, FL, they have expanded to a second office in Nashville, TN, and have employees in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New York, and Texas. In 2017, CEO and Founder Eric Isham recognized a gap and decided to address it. "After spending nearly two decades in the financial technology industry, I had a pretty good lay of the land. No one in the entire industry was taking a "mobile-first" approach to website design and almost every website I looked at on my phone was terrible. Nobody was addressing the ADA compliance issues with web design either, and there were lawsuits popping up across the country. I was confident that I could address both these problems and leverage my network to bring on those first clients." Fast forward thre years and 2020 started off with a bang. OMNICOMMANDER had generated a lot of buzz after attending the Governmental Affairs Conference (GAC) in Washington D.C, and it appeared that it would be another record year. "I remember being really excited about all the momentum of the business at the end of February. Then, out of nowhere, Covid hit. We probably had 20 credit unions in a row tell us that they were ready to partner with us, but everything was on hold for the time being. We were in contract negotiations with several folks and everything just froze. Fortunately, and that's an understatement, we were able to find ourselves in the right place and the right time."



"Never before had there been such a demand for digital marketing and we were sitting right in the middle of it all. The account management team made thousands of updates to our clients' websites (at no charge), and we kept our lines of communication open even with several of our clients closing branches. Once we were able to demonstrate our ability to keep digital branches fully functional with up-to-date information available to the members, the flood gates opened up." The innovations of the web development and creativity of the marketing teams culminated with multiple award nominations and wins at national, state, and league levels. Most notable recognition being two Diamond Awards from the Credit Union National Association in 2020, the most prestigious award in the industry.

About OMNICOMMANDER OMNICOMMANDER is a veteran-owned and operated credit union website design and marketing firm. Focusing on member experience, the company ensures every touchpoint has a remarkable interface. 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 .

CONTACT: Melanie Tucciarone, 800.807.3109, melanie@omnicommander.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/omnicommander-celebrates-fourth-anniversary-301206157.html SOURCE OMNICOMMANDER

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The Red Sox have had a slow winter to this point, but that appears likely to change before the beginning of spring training.

According to ESPNs Buster Olney, the Red Sox are preparing for a series of moves before the start of camp, which is tentatively slated for mid-February. Olney reports that Boston has talked about a ton of possibilities and expects to upgrade its roster before Opening Day.

Re: industry sources, there is a sense that the Red Sox have talked about a ton of possibilities and are preparing for a series of moves before the start of spring training. They haven't done much yet, but the expectation is that they will in an effort to upgrade the '21 team.  Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) January 13, 2021

The Red Sox have made just two free-agent signings to this point -- outfielder Hunter Renfroe and pitcher Matt Andriese -- and have aggressively pursued others who signed elsewhere (including Charlie Morton, Ha-Seong Kim, Tommy Kahnle and Tomoyuki Sugano). With the vast majority of free agents still unsigned, Boston is known to be aggressively pursuing starting pitching help while also considering in the bullpen, outfield and at second base.

Boston has been linked to a handful of free-agent starters (including Jake Odorizzi, Corey Kluber, J.A. Happ, Rich Hill and Garrett Richards) while also reportedly showing interest in reliever Alex Colome. For second base options, Kike Hernandez is on the clubs radar and others (Kolten Wong, Jonathan Schoop, Tommy La Stella and possibly, D.J. LeMahieu and Marcus Semien) might be too. The Red Sox havent yet ruled out a reunion with Jackie Bradley Jr. and could look to acquire another outfielder if the veteran signs elsewhere.

In addition to their free-agent pursuits, the Red Sox are reportedly active in the trade market as well. Just this week, reports surfaced that the club -- somewhat surprisingly -- is shopping outfielder Andrew Benintendi, and a deal appears possible in the coming days. Other trade candidates on the big-league roster include Matt Barnes, Michael Chavis and Christian Vazquez and Bloom is likely open to creative deals as well.

At this point, with much of the roster unfinished, the possibilities are virtually limitless for the Red Sox. Last month, manager Alex Cora hinted that the club could become aggressive on the free-agent and trade markets.

Those conversations are going on and on. Its not on and off. Its on and on, Cora said on Dec. 17. Me and Chaim, weve been talking about it. Theyve been relentless as far as exploring the market and exploring everything. If you hear a rumor about the Red Sox (that) they are in on this guy, yeah, were doing our homework and were trying to get better. Its something that we have to wait and see. We have to be patient. Obviously the market right now, if you take a look at it, how many starters have signed? Not too many. And theres a lot out there that they can help.

Related links:

Boston Red Sox front office has been relentless exploring starting pitching market; Conversations are going on and on, Alex Cora says

Boston Red Sox trade rumors: Andrew Benintendi deal could happen soon; Rangers, Astros, Athletics have checked in (report)

Red Sox rumors: Boston inquired on D.J. LeMahieu early in winter, could have virtual meeting with him this week (report)

Afe Babalola, a senior lawyer and founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Ekitii State, Wednesday, advised the federal government against repeated or indefinite closure of Nigeria schools as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

While addressing a news conference in Ado Ekiti, Mr Babalola said waiting indefinitely for COVID-19 to go was dangerous as the pandemic might last for another one year globally.

He said mass closure of schools, especially universities, without consideration for schools known to be outstanding in the possession of best of facilities capable of putting the virus at bay was not good for intellectual growth and human capital development of the country.

He described such scenario as not only at variance with what obtained in the development world but also unconstitutional and disastrous.

Mr Babalola. was reacting to a statement credited to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, that the January 18, earlier set by the federal government for schools resumption might be reviewed.

Mr Adamu had said on Monday that the January 18 resumption date for schools was not sacrosanct because of the surging cases of COVID-19 in the country.

However, Mr Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), said such action could turn out to be counter-productive to the education sector, especially at the private school level.

He said government should not contemplate deferring resumption of schools any further after the earlier scheduled January 18, because of its grave consequences on the wellbeing of the nation.

He also urged the government to emulate other foreign countries by paying the salaries of lecturers in private universities shut down because of COVID-19.

According to him, these institutions are monthly incurring huge bills on their workers for jobs not done while their expensive equipment keep wasting away.

I am of the firm view that mass closure of schools is both unconstitutional, disastrous and counter productive.

It is certainly unjust to the parents, teachers, students and proprietors of schools and also violates the rule of natural justice.

All universities, particularly private ones that have the required world class health facilities like in our case and had complied with every of PTF regulations which will enable them to implement low-medium risk measures ought not and should not be shut down.

If the private universities which fall within the category of minimum risk have to wait for their counterparts in the public universities to resume, then no university will resume until the virus is completely eliminated, which is not feasible in the next one year, he said.

Mr Babalola disclosed that the U.S. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention supported this when it officially recommended that universities should be accorded preferential treatment under COVID-19 in terms of operations.

He said should the low-risk private universities remain shut down to wait for high-risk public universities, it would make the ivory towers remain comatose for long.

On whether his declaration that the schools closure was illegal meant that he would sue the government, Mr Babalola said he was not contemplating such a stand.

I am not going to court, because we have not exhausted the option of negotiation and local remedy.

I am a friend of the federal government and I know that the Attorney-General of the Federation will look into it.

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Meantime, some federal universities such as University of Benin, Edo State, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and University of Jos have already fixed their resumption dates.

The National Universities Commission(NUC) had directed all Nigerian universities to resume on January 18 after the Academic Staff Union of Universities(ASUU) called off its months-old strike demanding improved welfare package, improved earn allowance, among others, from the FG.

However, ASUU National President, Abidoun Ogunyemi, has advised the FG to review its stance on the January 18 resumption date.

Mr Ogunyemi said most of the schools do not have the wherewithal to enforce compliance with established safety protocol to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Nigeria is currently experiencing an upsurge in the number of active cases of the pandemic.

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The U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Donald J. Trump Wednesday, though it was opposed by U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Midland.

House Democrats charged Trump with "incitement of insurrection" for his role in a riot that targeted the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. A total of 10 Republicans in the U.S. House joined House Democrats to impeach Trump exactly one week after a mob of Trump supporters took over the Capitol.

Congressman John Moolenaar, R-Midland, voted against the impeachment proceedings.

"There is now less than a week left in President Trump's term," reads a statement from Moolenaar after voting had concluded. "The Constitution is very clear on that and President-elect Biden will take office on (January) 20th. Next week is an opportunity for the nation to move forward and we should do that without another impeachment."

Among the many voices within the Democratic party calling for the removal of Trump from office is Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Flint, whose district also includes some Midland residents.

"If inciting an insurrection does not warrant impeachment, nothing does," Kildee said before the vote on Wednesday. "I took an oath to uphold the constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic  today, I vote to uphold my oath."

The final result was 231 votes in favor of impeachment, opposed to 197 "nay" votes. All Democrats voted "yea," while all opposing votes were from Republicans.

As voting commenced on Wednesday afternoon, 10 Republicans pledged to vote to impeach Trump today, including Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, both of Michigan.

The U.S. Senate, which conducts impeachment trials, is currently out of session and is not scheduled to be back in session until Jan. 19.

"Our country cannot heal and move forward without accountability and justice," stated U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, following the House vote. "When the article of impeachment comes before the Senate, I intend to support removing Donald Trump from office.

Few Republicans know the GOP base better than House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy  which is why it was telling that the Bakersfield Republican started to distance himself from President Trump during Wednesdays impeachment of the president.

McCarthy, like nearly every House Republican, voted against impeachment. But he did so as he tiptoed away from Trump.

He is trying to split the difference, said Darry Sragow, publisher of the nonpartisan California Target Book, which tracks state political races. Hes making a bet not just on todays vote, but on his future and how this will all turn out.

Terry Moe, a political science professor at Stanford University, added: The Republican Party doesnt know where its going yet.

McCarthy, who is so tight with Trump that the president refers to him as my Kevin, barely defended the president during his House speech Wednesday. He said that most Americans want neither inaction nor retribution for the Jan. 6 attack by a pro-Trump mob on the U.S. Capitol. They want durable, bipartisan justice.

Then he added, That doesnt mean the president is free from fault. The president bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob rioters. He should have immediately denounced the mob when he saw what was unfolding.

And he did something that he hasnt done over the past four years: He told Trump to accept his share of responsibility.

Quell the brewing unrest. And ensure President-elect (Joe) Biden is able to successfully begin his term, McCarthy said.

It was a sign that McCarthy sees a path forward for the party in separating itself from Trumps increasingly toxic legacy  and a way to salvage his own reputation, which took a beating after the insurrection.

McCarthys speech was a whiplash-inducing turnaround from just days ago, when he was defending Trumps lies about the election being stolen.

McCarthy had already signed onto a lawsuit that sought to overturn results in four states that Trump lost to Biden. And even after the Trump-inspired mob attacked the Capitol, McCarthy led two-thirds of House Republicans in voting to block Bidens election.

Immediately after the attack, McCarthy couldnt shed his allegiance to the president long enough to acknowledge that the rioters, unmistakably wearing red MAGA caps and carrying Trump flags, were Trump supporters.

People came here to do some damage  I dont know who they were with, McCarthy told Fox News commentator Laura Ingraham.

When Ingraham said that we dont know if they were Antifa  a popular post-riot talking point among Trump supporters that has no basis in fact  McCarthy didnt rebut her.

Reaction to McCarthy was fierce. Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia was among the House Democrats who called on him to resign, saying he embraced and empowered the worst conspiracy theorists in his caucus. ... He stood shoulder to shoulder with Trump in trying to destroy our democracy.

Stories on the calls for his resignation appeared on the front page of McCarthys hometown newspaper, the Bakersfield Californian. Far more important, top GOP funders suspended their political contributions to lawmakers who supported Trumps lies about the election. Walmart, the nations largest retailer, said it was indefinitely suspending contributions to the 147 Republicans whom McCarthy led in opposing certifying the election.

McCarthy read the room.

On Wednesday he attempted to chart a new course for the party  and perhaps his own career.

McCarthy started by correcting one lie that he didnt beat back last week and that some Republicans continue to repeat.

Some say the riots were caused by Antifa. There is absolutely no evidence of that, McCarthy said. And conservatives should be the first to say so.

Trumps punishment shouldnt be impeachment, McCarthy said. He suggested something far more tepid: censure and a fact-finding commission into the attack.

But he also urged Republicans to abandon the continued rhetoric that Joe Biden is not the legitimate president.

Some Democrats were dubious about McCarthys 11th-hour metamorphosis and call for healing.

Never as a criminal defense attorney did I say, Judge, yeah, my guy completed the armed robbery. But lets heal now, said Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill. No, there was accountability then, there should be accountability now, and there should be impeachment now.

And if McCarthy is trying to chart a new course, its not clear whether many in his party are with him. Rep. David Valadao of Hanford (Kings County) was one of just 10 Republicans in the House, and the only one from California, who agreed with Quigley that Trump should go.

I have to go with my gut and vote my conscience, Valadao said. His inciting rhetoric was un-American, abhorrent and absolutely an impeachable offense. Its time to put country over politics.

Other California Republicans werent even going as far as McCarthy  they didnt move from Trump at all.

Rep. Tom McClintock of Elk Grove (Sacramento County) dismissed Trumps comments before the riot as little more than a fiery speech.

So what? McClintock said. If we impeached every politician who gave a fiery speech to a crowd of partisans, this Capitol would be deserted. Thats what the president did. That is all he did.

Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale (Butte County), said impeachment was really about the unbridled hatred of this president.

You hate him for not subscribing to shackling us with the religion of climate change and one-sided Paris accords, LaMalfa said. You hate him for Israel. You hate him for defending our borders. You hate him for letting families and small businesses keep what they earn and for trying to keep the agents of government off their back.

McCarthy may have started to distance himself from Trump, but for now, there arent a lot of Republicans in that parade.

Joe Garofoli is The San Francisco Chronicles senior political writer. Email: jgarofoli@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @joegarofoli
As UK parents prepare to homeschool again in lockdown, these US results suggest many parents were satisfied with their experience

The remote learning experience of parents who had their children at home in Spring 2020, as schools across the US closed during the United States' COVID-19 lockdown, was more positive than widely believed.

That is the suggestion from a new study published in the Journal of School Choice, which looked at the experience of a nationally representative sample of 1,700 parents stretching right across America.

On average only 44% of parents reported the online learning program required too much of parents, while 38% of parents said it was difficult for them to manage the online provisions.

However, worryingly, most parents (63%) believed remote learning caused their child to fall behind.

While the study focused on 3,414 children's parents' experiences, the results revealed to the experts from the University of Colorado, at Colorado Springs, a broad picture of the provision different types of schools offered too.

These findings show more than 80% of schools provided some type of remote learning after closing because of the pandemic. Parents generally rated the programs as effective and the resources as helpful, however most (67%) characterized their engagement as heavily involved daily.

Almost 30% of the time mothers and fathers managed the responsibility equally. Parents spent about 2.5 hours per day helping with schoolwork; children spent about an hour more each day in remote learning.

82% of participants reported their schools eventually developed some type of remote learning. 10% reported schools cancelled classes and provided no remote learning, with the remainder resuming or continuing classes until the end of the school year.

For families in schools cancelling classes and providing no resources, most students (49%) spent their time primarily watching TV and playing games. Only 28% engaged in a learning program created by parents. The remainder worked around the house, worked for pay, or pursued other interests.

Results were not, however, uniform across school type. According to parents, private schools frequently appeared to be the most responsive, engaged, and innovative, followed by charters and then traditional public schools.

Also contrary to predictions throughout summer 2020 about parents' school choices for Fall 2020, only a small percentage of survey respondents said they were going to homeschool in the new school year. However, more than a third planned to send their child to a virtual school. Of those who were not going to send their children to brick and mortar schools, concern about their child's health was the dominant and predictable motivation.

"This suggests if there was going to be a significant shift in the education sector, it would be to virtual schools rather than homeschooling," said the study's lead author, Dr Dick Carpenter, "and the shift would likely be temporary, assuming COVID-19 is mitigated."

The study results, although specific only to Spring 2020, provide important information about remote learning in the future.

"Schools rated as most effective were those that more often chose to communicate with students, create real-time, online programs, and set higher expectations," described Dr Carpenter.

The survey featured 44 mostly closed-ended questions about the resources families had during at-home schooling, how children spent their day, how much time was spent on schoolwork, communication with school, assessment of the experience, plans for the 2021 school year, and basic demographics.

Correspondents were spread across various schools - public (84%), private (10%), and charter (6%).

Hopefully, as remote learning continues in schools internationally, officials can apply these findings "to offer the most effective learning possible to students," report co-author, Dr Joshua Dunn, also a professor at UCCS, says.

"Despite the better-than-expected experience in the spring, many parents we surveyed were still concerned about their child's academic future because of school closures. Schools need to apply lessons learned from this study to provide the best and most equitable remote learning possible under circumstances like this," Dunn concluded.

The majority of survey correspondents were white females. More than 50% held at least a college degree. Slightly more than 60% reported household incomes of greater than $50,000. Additionally, respondents' mean age was 39 and the mean number of children per respondent was two.

Almost 76% of respondents were married. A little more than half of respondents were working full time when data were collected. The next largest percentage (18%) classified themselves as homemakers. A little more than 60% of their spouses were working full time. Equal percentages of respondents and spouses were working part-time.

With this in mind, the study therefore has a slight limitation with the sample "perhaps skewing more toward women and people who have higher education levels completing the survey," the authors state.

"Moreover, by necessity, parents were instructed to answer questions thinking of their youngest child in a certain school type. This may result in responses more representative of children in younger grade levels," they add.

###
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"Embrace's strong core values truly sets them apart and makes them a desirable company to work for and partner with."

"Our company's success in partnering with carriers, brokers and agents in the insurance space is undeniable," said Brian Macias, President of Embrace Pet Insurance. "In addition to our intuitive front-end quoting and binding technology, others in the insurance industry choose to put their trust in us due to our award-winning customer care and fast claims processing. We take that stewardship seriously. Kelly brings the tenacity to help Embrace step into 2021 with enthusiasm and will be integral in enabling us to continue to forge and nurture key relationships."

With an impressive track record in prospecting and partnership activation, Coffey's primary focus at Embrace will be to expand the company's overall reach while developing strategic co-branding initiatives with other leading organizations. Additionally, Coffey will lead the company's business development team focused on cultivating veterinary and affinity-based development channels and expanding into new territories.

"I'm ecstatic to join the Embrace team to contribute to the company's continued growth and success. We will succeed by expanding our existing relationships with a heavy focus on bringing in new growth partners. Pet insurance is a fast-growing industry with endless opportunities to market to both the B2C and B2B channels," Coffey said. "Embrace's strong core values truly sets them apart and makes them a desirable company to work for and partner with. I'm excited to leverage my extensive industry knowledge and partnership networks to cultivate our affinity and employee benefit channels and help take us to the next level."

For several consecutive years, Embrace has been named a Top Workplace by The Plain Dealer and other notable organizations for its unique culture and commitment to its Core Values to drive continued success, which include: Openness & Honesty, Giving Back, Personal Responsibility, Innovation, Passion and Customer Fixation.

To learn more about Embrace's innovative offerings, please visit EmbracePetInsurance.com.

About Embrace Pet Insurance

Embrace Pet Insurance, an NSM Insurance Group company, is a top-rated pet health insurance provider for dogs and cats in the United States. Embrace offers one simple yet comprehensive accident and illness insurance plan. In addition to insurance, Embrace offers Wellness Rewards, a non-insurance, optional preventative care product that is unique to the industry. Wellness Rewards reimburses for routine veterinary visits, grooming, vaccinations, training, and much more, with no itemized limitations. Embrace is a proud member of the North American Pet Health Insurance Association (NAPHIA) and continues to innovate and improve the pet insurance experience for pet parents across the country. For more information about Embrace Pet Insurance, visit EmbracePetInsurance.com or call (800) 660-3817.

SOURCE Embrace Pet Insurance
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76 persons died in 615 fire incidents recorded in Kaduna State in 2020, the Director of the State Fire Service, Paul Aboi, has said.

The director said this in Kaduna on Tuesday during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

He said 139 others were injured in the fire incidents, while 85 people were rescued.

The director said the state lost more than N2.5 billion to the fire outbreaks, while properties worth N5 billion were salvaged.

According to him, the number of fire incidents increased from 523 in 2019 to 615 in 2020 due to negligence of residents, in spite of series of enlightenment.

He said electricity was the major cause of the outbreaks and advised the people to be vigilant as any object could trigger a fire.

When there is fire, we want the people to call us in good time and motorists should give way for our fire engines to get to those emergencies in good time,  he said.

Mr Aboi attributed the delay in responding to distress calls on time to distance and inadequate manpower.

Distance is a challenge, as some roads are not friendly and fire will not wait till the firemen get there.

The director urged the state government to recruit more firemen to replace those that died or retired so as to bridge the manpower gap in the service.

READ ALSO:

I have 74 staff across the state and will need more to meet up to the challenges in the years.

The director also stressed the need for residents to switch off all electrical appliances when not in use and to keep inflammable materials away from their homes.

He said the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) was also working on a plan to sensitise the public on the importance of cooperating and supporting firefighters to carry out their duties without molestation.

(NAN)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 05:08:43|Editor: huaxia

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QUITO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador detected three more cases of the coronavirus variant first identified in the United Kingdom, bringing the total number of such cases in the South American country to four, Health Minister Juan Carlos Zevallos said on Wednesday.

All three cases involve relatives of patient zero, the first to test positive for the variant on Monday, Zevallos said at a virtual press conference.

"Three relatives have tested positive, that's to say we have community transmission, because the person who arrived (from the UK) is the one who infected the other three," said Zevallos.

Patient zero is a 50-year-old Ecuadorian who arrived in the country on Dec. 12 from London, with a transfer in Madrid of Spain.

Health authorities said this week that 2,560 people, including 14 who are part of the first patient's inner circle, are under medical observation.

According to preliminary analysis in the United Kingdom, the variant may be up to 70 percent more contagious, though there is no evidence that it is more lethal.

Ecuador's healthcare system is about to reach capacity, with a total of 222,567 cases of COVID-19 infection and 9,610 deaths from the disease in the past 10 months. Enditem




Buried deep into the miui.com source code, an XDA forum member found evidence that Xiaomi is working on the Mi Mix 4 and the Mi Note 11, both of which will run on MIUI 13. The first one was already officially confirmed by the company but the Mi Note 11 evidence is kind of new.

While we still don't have anything on the Mi Note 11, we do have some rumors going around regarding the Mi Mix 4 features. For instance, many suspect that this would be Xiaomi's first phone to boast an under-display selfie camera.

And this appears to be in line with the most recent report from a Chinese tipster about this kind of displays. He says that BOE and Huaxing have already kicked off mass production of OLED panels with under-display cameras and will reach the end consumer in the second half of this year, which coincides with the possible release date of the Mi Mix 4.

Of course, this is just us speculating and we still don't have any hard evidence so all we can do for now is wait and see how the story unravels.

Source  Source 2 (in Chinese)
Within a span of about 24 hours, three House Democrats announced they tested positive for COVID-19, prompting concern that last weeks insurrection at the Capitol also has turned into a super-spreader event threatening the health of lawmakers and their staffs.

Those who tested positive were among dozens of lawmakers who were whisked to a secure location Jan. 6 when pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the Capitol. Some members of Congress huddled for hours in the large room, while others were there for a shorter period.

Its not certain where and when lawmakers caught the illness, but the Capitols attending physician notified all House lawmakers of possible virus exposure and urged them to be tested. Dr. Brian Moynihan said members who were in protective isolation Jan. 6 may have been exposed to another occupant with coronavirus infection.

The three Democratic lawmakers directed their anger toward some House Republicans who also were in the secure room and declined opportunities to wear masks, despite their role in blocking the spread of COVID-19. Video surfaced of multiple Republican lawmakers refusing to wear a mask even when one was offered.

Today, I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wifes health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff, Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill., said Tuesday.

Schneiders comments came a few hours after similar remarks from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.

Too many Republicans have refused to take this pandemic and virus seriously, and in doing so, they endanger everyone around them, Jayapal said. Only hours after President Trump incited a deadly assault on our Capitol, our country, and our democracy, many Republicans still refused to take the bare minimum COVID-19 precaution and simply wear a mask in a crowded room.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey said Monday that she had tested positive for COVID-19.

All three lawmakers are isolating. Schneider said he was not feeling symptoms, while Watson Coleman said she was experience mild, cold-like symptoms. Jayapal did not elaborate on how she was feeling, but noted that she began to quarantine several days ago out of concern about conditions in the secured room.

Within hours of their announcements, Reps. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., and Anthony Brown, D-Md., introduced legislation that would impose a $1,000 fine on any member of Congress refusing to wear a mask on Capitol grounds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is not brave to refuse to wear a mask. It is selfish, stupid and shameful behavior that puts lives at risk, Dingell said.

Jayapal also called on the House sergeant at arms to remove any lawmaker from the House floor who declines to wear a mask.

This is not a joke, she said. Our lives and our livelihoods are at risk, and anyone who refuses to wear a mask should be fully held accountable for endangering our lives because of their selfish idiocy.

Schneider said he was in the crowded secure location for about four hours. He said he received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine a few days before that potential exposure. However, health experts note that it is possible for a person to get infected with the virus just after vaccination because the vaccine did not have enough time to provide protection.

I dont know from whom I got this virus, or even necessarily if I got it in that room, he said during a virtual news conference from his suburban Chicago home, where hes isolating. But I know that my exposure in that room was greater than at any other time through this entire pandemic.
Teton County Reporter

Previously the Scene editor, Billy Arnold made the switch to the county beat where he's interested in exploring Teton County as a model for the rest of the West. When he can, he still writes about art, music and whatever else suits his fancy.
Portland Public Schools is getting closer to finalizing which southeast neighborhood schools will feed students to Kellogg Middle School  Arleta, Marysville and Lent  and by default deciding which middle schools and high schools some other elementaries will inevitably feed.

The committee tasked with redrawing boundaries for several southeast schools will present its near-final proposal for those three buildings to the school board Tuesday night.

Should board members ask for revisions, the group will meet again Jan. 14 before the board votes on the final proposal Jan. 26.

The committee is proposing, with likely approval from the school board, that Arleta, Marysville and Lent jettison grades 6-8 and become elementary schools feeding into a newly rebuilt Kellogg Middle School starting this fall.

Mt. Tabor Middle School will lose its Spanish immersion program, part of the districts plans to consolidate those offerings across its southeast boundaries.

Bridger and Atkinson will continue their Spanish programs but only for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Their older Spanish immersion students will move to Kellogg, but Bridger students enrolled in the neighborhood program who reach grades 6-8 will not know where theyll begin the 2021-2022 school year until this spring.

Although Bridger is a K-8, its kindergartners are assigned to attend school off-site. Committee members say jettisoning the middle grades allows them to join the rest of the student body.

Those are the only changes up for an official board vote this month.

The committee will continue meeting to discuss boundary revisions and programming changes at other southeast neighborhood schools  including where Bridgers sixth, seventh and eighth graders will go  through the spring.

That decision will also include the conversion of Harrison Park from K-8 to middle school and Crestons transition into an elementary school.

District officials and some school board members argue the K-8 structure resulted in anemic elective offerings for students in the middle grades due to low student enrollments in those grades.

Officials say they strongly prefer having enough students for two classes in sixth, seventh and eighth grades whether theyre enrolled in a neighborhood or dual language immersion program.

That way, students dont have to spend the whole day with the same set of their peers and can have a wider array of electives to choose from.

During the 2019-20 school year, Arleta and Lent schools had about 160 students in grades 6-8, according to state enrollment data. Marysvilles enrollment in those grades fell just below 120.

Mt. Tabor Middle School, by contrast, had 724 students.

Once the school board locks in the feeder pattern for Kellogg, the committee proposing new southeast neighborhood boundaries will focus its attention on other schools in the area.

District officials have pushed for Chinese immersion programs to be exclusive to Bridger and Harrison Park. The committee must also decide on a neighborhood school for Harrison Parks youngest students.

Theyll either be spread out across nearby elementary schools or attend Clark, where the Creative Science program resides now. The latter would require the district to find another site for Creative Science.

--Eder Campuzano | 503-221-4344 | @edercampuzano | Eder on Facebook

Eder is The Oregonians education reporter. Do you have a tip about Portland Public Schools? Email ecampuzano@oregonian.com.
A top Democratic leader in the United States has demanded that all those who stormed Capitol Hill last week be put on the country's no-fly list.

"We cannot allow these same insurrectionists to get on a plane and cause more violence and more damage. These individuals are threat to the homeland as defined by the law allows this. And they should be placed on the no-fly list," Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer told reporters in New York.

Saying his party colleagues were calling on the authorities, the FBI, the TSA and the Department of Homeland Security for this, Schumer said he spoke to the FBI director twice in the last few days.

"The folks, the people, the insurrectionists who breached the Capitol fall under the definition of threats to the homeland and should be immediately added to the TSA no-fly list.

"We are calling on the authorities, the FBI and TSA (Transportation Security Administration). Any of those who were inside the Capitol should be placed on the no-fly list and not be allowed to fly," he added.

Observing that the attack on the Capitol remains under active investigation, Schumer said the situation has gotten many concerned about the possibility of another attack or attacks, and rightfully so.

If these "insurrectionists" are not prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, their pledges to disrupt and incite further violence could occur again, he asserted.

Many of the individuals who were part of the attack last week are at large and are wanted for questioning, Schumer said.

"The founding member of the Proud Boys Hawaii was arrested last Thursday, accused of unlawful entry into the Capitol building," he added.

Schumer's news conference in New York was disrupted by a protestor, who shouted, "You're nothing but a racist. I'm glad what the Trump protesters did."



The Senate minority leader asked the protestor be removed.

(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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Over the next five years, Heijmans is set to build around 400 to 500 rental houses in the Eindhoven region. This contract is part of the extraordinary standardised social rental homes (Gestandaardiseerde Sociale Huurwoningen - GSE) pilot project, in which a total of 13 housing corporations and nine municipalities in the Eindhoven Metropolitan Area (Stedelijk Gebied Eindhoven- SGE) have joined forces to tackle shortages in the housing market.

Efficient building process

The aim of the pilot is to make more affordable, sustainable and social rental housing available to tenants to reduce current shortages in the housing market, with lower construction costs and using an accelerated construction process. The Heijmans Huismerk concept homes will help make this possible thanks to the use of smart standardisation, which helps reduce construction costs and accelerate the construction process. The choice of the concept homes will enable the efficient annual realisation of a large number of homes in the Brainport region. If desired, Heijmans can build the homes in line with the 'zero on the meter' concept. This reduces the net energy consumption to zero by making smart use of energy-saving and energy-generating facilities.

Unique cooperation

This cooperation is unique in the Netherlands. The SGE parties want to realise a total of 200 to 250 standardised homes annually. In addition to Heijmans (for the family homes), BAM has also been contracted (for apartments for one or two-person households) for the project. The homes will be built in the nine municipalities of the SGE. The Heijmans Huismerk standardised social rental homes will be built in locations including Helmond, Geldrop-Mierlo, Veldhoven and Eindhoven.

Affordable rental homes

Bas Sievers, director of the Woonpartners housing corporation: "This special cooperation sets us up for the future of residential building. Together we can keep social rental housing affordable and we have the opportunity to expand our housing stock." Piet Machielsen, alderman in the Oirschot municipality and the sponsor of the project on behalf of the municipalities, is also pleased with the cooperation. "By joining forces, housing corporations and municipalities are working efficiently towards their common interest: providing tenants in our region with a pleasant, affordable place to live."

About Eindhoven Metropolitan Area (SGE)

The Eindhoven Metropolitan Area (Stedelijk Gebied Eindhoven - SGE) comprises the municipalities of Best, Eindhoven, Geldrop-Mierlo, Helmond, Nuenen, Oirschot, Son en Breugel, Veldhoven and Waalre.

Participating housing corporations

The housing corporations participating in the pilot project are Woonbedrijf, Woonpartners, Wocom, Trudo, Volksbelang, Compaen, Bergopwaarts, Woningbelang, Zaligheden, Goed Wonen, Thuis, Helpt Elkander and Wooninc.

About Heijmans

Everyone wants clean air, to live in a nice neighbourhood, to work in a good workplace and to be able to travel safely from A to B. By making things better, more sustainable and smarter, Heijmans is creating that healthy living environment. Jan Heijmans started as a road builder in 1923. Today, Heijmans is a stock exchange-listed company that combines activities in property development, building & technology and infrastructure. In addition to this, we work safely and we add value to the places where we are active. This is how we build the spatial contours of tomorrow together with our clients: www.heijmans.nl/en/

For more information / not for publication:





Media

Jeroen van den Berk

Spokesman

+31 73 543 52 17

jberk@heijmans.nl

Analysts

Guido Peters

Investor Relations

+ 31 73 543 52 17

gpeters@heijmans.nl

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Denton, TX (76205)

Today

Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 86F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy this evening with thunderstorms developing after midnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. S winds shifting to ENE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Leveljump Healthcare Corp. (TSXV: JUMP) ("Leveljump" or the "Company"), a Canadian leader in B2B telehealth solutions, is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Canadian Teleradiology Services, Inc. ("CTS") has selected RamSoft Inc. ("RamSoft"), a leading healthcare software provider, as its new PACS technology supplier for providing remote radiology IT services to client hospitals.

PACS (short for Picture Archiving Communication System) represents a key component to providing immediate radiology reads for critical care patients. It allows the real-time transfer of medical images from the hospital's medical imaging modalities, such as CT or MRI scanners, to CTS servers, where the Company's radiologists can then view the images and use a reporting worklist to perform a diagnosis and provide patient case reports for hospitals to proceed with the necessary patient care.

With the RamSoft cloud-based PACS system, the Company will be able to create favourable client workflows with increased efficiency in the delivery of radiologist reports to client hospitals. In addition, the RamSoft PACS software will allow CTS to reduce costs, particularly the initial client implementation costs for both hospitals and radiologists. As CTS transfers more clients to the new RamSoft PACS system, the Company will achieve higher cost savings based on increased patient volumes. The system will also minimize the Company's need for external storage and hosting servers, reducing more costs for the Company.

"We are excited to partner with CTS to deliver improved teleradiology solutions that will differentiate CTS from its competitors and enable it to expand rapidly," said Michael Cavuoto, Sales Manager at RamSoft. "With a wide array of products to meet the needs of any healthcare organization, our software is built for progressive companies like CTS that provide the best-in-class radiology services for hospitals."

"We are confident that this partnership will help CTS position itself for growth as a leading supplier of remote radiology solutions," said Mitchell Geisler, CEO of Leveljump Healthcare. "As part of our commitment to build a national brand of teleradiology services, CTS has chosen RamSoft to be its new supplying partner as their IT solutions allow easy integration, efficient workflow and better flexibility that meet the demands of new and existing clients."

CTS has commenced the implementation of the RamSoft PACS systems for its existing clients and expects to transfer all of its client hospitals to the new system in 2021.

About RamSoft



RamSoft offers the leading Cloud RIS, PACS, VNA, Zero-Footprint Viewer, DICOM Routing and Teleradiology software, enabling you to leverage the latest technology, while eliminating capital costs. Built using cutting-edge, single database technology, our radiology, mammography, and enterprise imaging software enables practices to optimize their workflow, cut costs, and overall, improve patient care.

About Leveljump Healthcare

Leveljump Healthcare Corp., (TSXV: JUMP) is building a national medical diagnostic imaging company and brand, primarily by providing teleradiology (remote radiology) services to its client hospitals and imaging centers. Additionally, JUMP plans to expand through the acquisition of independent healthcare facilities focused on diagnostic imaging as well as acquiring new disruptive imaging technologies.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF

LEVELJUMP HEALTHCARE CORP.

Mitchell Geisler, Chief Executive Officer

info@leveljumphealthcare.com

(877) 722-6965

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to the Company's business plans and the outlook of the Company's industry. Although the Company believes, in light of the experience of its officers and directors, current conditions and expected future developments and other factors that have been considered appropriate, that the expectations reflected in this forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on them because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release and the Company assumes no responsibility to update them or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances other than as required by applicable securities laws. The Company undertakes no obligation to comment on analyses, expectations or statements made by third parties in respect of the Company, Canadian Teleradiology Services, Inc., their securities, or their respective financial or operating results (as applicable).

Neither the 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.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES 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/71953
This news release provides results from 22 additional LP Fault drill holes over 1.2 kilometres of strike length on 13 drill sections . Great Bear has now published results from 220 LP Fault drill holes and anticipates up to 400 LP Fault drill holes will be completed by the end of 2021. Figure 1 and Table 1 .

The Company also provides new, detailed drill sections in this release, informed by higher-density drilling. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 .

Chris Taylor, President and CEO of Great Bear said, "We recently drilled a test panel of 15 densely spaced holes on 25  50 metre centres along 100 metres of strike length at the LP Fault to a depth of over 450 vertical metres. We were very pleased to observe the same continuity of high-grade and bulk tonnage gold mineralization at the finer scale as we had previously seen with more widely spaced drilling."

Shallow High-Grade Results

Great Bear continues to intersect significant widths of high-grade gold mineralization. New shallow high-grade drill results between bedrock surface and approximately 150 vertical metres' depth include:

16.56 g/t gold over 11.00 metres from 162.50 to 173.50 metres in drill hole BR-196 on drill section 21100.

from 162.50 to 173.50 metres in drill hole BR-196 on drill section 21100. This included a high-grade core of 32.90 g/t gold over 3.10 metres from 162.50 to 165.60 metres.

from 162.50 to 165.60 metres. 20.24 g/t gold over 7.35 metres from 163.50 to 170.85 metres in drill hole BR-201 on drill section 19950 (1,150 metres southeast of the previous section within the same zone).

from 163.50 to 170.85 metres in drill hole BR-201 on drill section 19950 (1,150 metres southeast of the previous section within the same zone). This included a high-grade core of 211.00 g/t gold over 0.50 metres from 165.00 to 165.50 metres.

from 165.00 to 165.50 metres. 25.36 g/t gold over 4.65 metres from 139.35 to 144.00 metres in drill hole BR-206 on drill section 20200 (900 metres southeast of the section 21100 within the same zone).

from 139.35 to 144.00 metres in drill hole BR-206 on drill section 20200 (900 metres southeast of the section 21100 within the same zone). This included a high-grade core of 151.00 g/t gold over 0.50 metres from 140.65 to 141.25 metres. The entire mineralized interval in BR-206 was 5.06 g/t gold over 25.10 metres from 129.40 to 154.50 metres.

from 140.65 to 141.25 metres. The entire mineralized interval in BR-206 was from 129.40 to 154.50 metres. 18.45 g/t gold over 4.90 metres from bedrock surface (27.10 to 32.00 metres) in drill hole BR-203 on drill section 20200 (also 900 metres southeast of section 21100 within the same zone).

from bedrock surface (27.10 to 32.00 metres) in drill hole BR-203 on drill section 20200 (also 900 metres southeast of section 21100 within the same zone). 17.11 g/t gold over 5.00 metres from 83.10 to 88.10 metres in drill hole BR-204 on drill section 20150 (950 metres southeast of section 21100 within the same zone).

An updated long section showing the number of drill holes completed within each segment along 4.2 kilometres of the central LP Fault gold zone is provided in Figure 1 . All 211 drill holes completed on this long section have successfully intersected gold mineralization.

High-Density Drill Panel 100 m x 450 m

Great Bear is completing systematic high-density drilling along the LP Fault, including ongoing step-downs which continue to expand the mineralized zone at depth. Fifteen closely spaced drill holes on sections located 25  50 metres apart were completed along 100 metres of strike length on drill sections 20100 to 20200 at depths from bedrock surface to approximately 450 vertical metres.

High-grade and bulk-tonnage style gold intercepts were intersected at all sections and depths and demonstrate excellent continuity of the mineralized zone on these tight drill spacings. Results include:

1.34 g/t gold over 29.45 metres from bedrock surface (18.00 to 47.45 metres) in drill hole BR-209 on drill section 20100.

from bedrock surface (18.00 to 47.45 metres) in drill hole BR-209 on drill section 20100. 1.31 g/t gold over 65.95 metres from 57.05 metres to 123.00 metres in drill hole BR-202 on drill section 20125 (25 metres from previous).

from 57.05 metres to 123.00 metres in drill hole BR-202 on drill section 20125 (25 metres from previous). This included a high-grade core of 8.48 g/t gold over 4.70 metres from 71.80 to 76.50 metres.

from 71.80 to 76.50 metres. 3.24 g/t gold over 19.00 metres from bedrock surface (23.00 to 42.00 metres) in drill hole BR-204 on drill section 20150 (25 metres from previous).

from bedrock surface (23.00 to 42.00 metres) in drill hole BR-204 on drill section 20150 (25 metres from previous). A separate shallow high-grade interval of 17.11 g/t gold over 5.00 metres was also intersected from 83.10 to 88.10 metres as disclosed in the "shallow high-grade results" at the start of this release.

shallow high-grade interval of was also intersected from 83.10 to 88.10 metres as disclosed in the "shallow high-grade results" at the start of this release. 1.19 g/t gold over 34.85 metres from bedrock surface (22.15 metres to 57.00 metres) in drill hole BR-208 on drill section 20150 (same section as previous).

from bedrock surface (22.15 metres to 57.00 metres) in drill hole BR-208 on drill section 20150 (same section as previous). This included a high-grade core of 10.67 g/t gold over 1.70 metres from 23.30 to 25.00 metres.

from 23.30 to 25.00 metres. 1.04 g/t gold over 46.60 metres from 417.00 to 463.60 metres in drill hole BR-221 on drill section 20150 (same section as previous).

from 417.00 to 463.60 metres in drill hole BR-221 on drill section 20150 (same section as previous). This included a moderate-grade core of 3.21 g/t gold over 7.80 metres from 443.00 to 450.80 metres.

from 443.00 to 450.80 metres. Drill hole BR-223 is a 50 metre (vertical) step-down hole, which expands the mineralized system on drill section 20150 (same section as previous) . It intersected multiple mineralized intervals including:

(same section as previous) 1.60 g/t gold over 21.90 metres from 474.00 to 495.90 metres. This included a high-grade core of 13.27 g/t gold over 1.90 metres from 491.00 to 492.90 metres.

from 474.00 to 495.90 metres. This included a high-grade core of from 491.00 to 492.90 metres.

A separate interval of 2.44 g/t gold over 34.10 metres from 515.00 to 549.10 metres.

of from 515.00 to 549.10 metres.

This included a high-grade core of 10.53 g/t gold over 6.00 metres from 524.50 to 530.50 metres. This is the deepest LP Fault zone gold intercept to date in this area.

from 524.50 to 530.50 metres. This is the to date in this area. 1.02 g/t gold over 21.30 metres from 47.40 to 68.70 metres in drill hole BR-206 on drill section 20200 (50 metres from previous).

from 47.40 to 68.70 metres in drill hole BR-206 on drill section 20200 (50 metres from previous). BR-206 also intersected a separate interval of 25.36 g/t gold over 4.65 metres from 139.35 to 144.00 metres as described in the "shallow high-grade results" at the start of this release.

of from 139.35 to 144.00 metres as described in the "shallow high-grade results" at the start of this release. 1.66 g/t gold over 13.00 metres from 223.00 to 236.00 metres in drill hole BR-220 on drill section 20200 (same section as previous).

Additional Drilling

Seven more widely-spaced drill holes were also completed along 500 metres of strike length on drill sections 20625 to 21150. This drilling is located 450 to 950 metres to the northwest of the holes listed for the previous drill panel. Results again demonstrate similar high-grade and bulk tonnage type gold mineralization on all sections, at depths from bedrock surface to approximately 420 vertical metres. Results Include:

BR-178 is a 50 metre step-down hole on drill section 20650 (450 metres from previous section) that expands gold mineralization at depth on this section. It intersected:

on drill section 20650 (450 metres from previous section) that expands gold mineralization at depth on this section. It intersected: 1.18 g/t gold over 22.20 metres from 446.20 to 468.40 metres in drill hole BR-178

from 446.20 to 468.40 metres in drill hole BR-178

This included a high-grade core of 36.40 g/t gold over 1.00 metres from 124.10 to 125.10 metres.

from 124.10 to 125.10 metres. 2.57 g/t gold over 22.50 metres from 170.00 to 192.50 metres in drill hole BR-213 on drill section 20700 (50 metres from previous).

from 170.00 to 192.50 metres in drill hole BR-213 on drill section 20700 (50 metres from previous). This included a high-grade core of 9.58 g/t gold over 4.00 metres from 174.50 to 178.50 metres.

from 174.50 to 178.50 metres.

A separate interval of 1.08 g/t gold over 25.40 metres was intersected from 219.60 to 245.00 metres.

of metres was intersected from 219.60 to 245.00 metres. Drill hole BR-196 on drill section 21100 (400 metres from previous) intersected 16.56 g/t gold over 11.00 metres from 162.50 to 173.50 metres and was reported in the "shallow high-grade results" at the start of this news release.

from 162.50 to 173.50 metres and was reported in the "shallow high-grade results" at the start of this news release. 1.08 g/t gold over 15.00 metres from bedrock surface (10.00 to 85.00 metres) in drill hole BR-197 on drill section 21100 (same section as previous).

from bedrock surface (10.00 to 85.00 metres) in drill hole BR-197 on drill section 21100 (same section as previous). This included a high-grade core of 13.60 g/t gold over 1.00 metre from 72.00 to 73.00 metres.

from 72.00 to 73.00 metres. 1.50 g/t gold over 49.30 metres from 190.80 to 240.10 metres in drill hole BR-198 on drill section 21150 (50 metres from previous).

from 190.80 to 240.10 metres in drill hole BR-198 on drill section 21150 (50 metres from previous). This included a high-grade core of 16.93 g/t gold over 2.20 metres from 196.00 to 198.20 metres.

from 196.00 to 198.20 metres. 1.48 g/t gold over 16.20 metres from 77.40 to 93.60 metres in drill hole BR-199 on drill section 21150 (same section as previous).

from 77.40 to 93.60 metres in drill hole BR-199 on drill section 21150 (same section as previous). This included a high-grade core of 13.30 g/t gold over 1.50 metres from 82.50 to 84.00 metres.

Great Bear completed 112,000 metres of drilling in 2020 at a total cost of $23 million. With a minimum 2021 budget of $25 million, the Company plans to drill over 130,000 additional metres before year end. The Company also plans to further expand its drill program upon easing of Provincial COVID-19 restrictions in Northern Ontario. Great Bear currently has approximately $39 million of cash on hand.

Table 1: Assay results from this news release.

Drill Hole

From (m) To (m) Width* (m) Gold (g/t) Section BR-189

31.75 39.00 7.25 1.33 19900

and 46.50 50.50 4.00 3.97



including 47.50 49.00 1.50 9.78



and 87.80 99.00 11.20 1.11



and 104.00 132.00 28.00 2.07



including 104.00 106.00 2.00 13.85



and including 126.20 129.75 3.55 5.79

BR-201

138.00 160.00 22.00 1.80 19950

including 142.30 150.35 8.05 4.25



and including 145.50 147.50 2.00 10.57



and 163.50 170.85 7.35 20.24



including 165.00 169.50 4.50 32.38



and including 165.00 165.50 0.50 211.00



and 352.90 355.50 2.60 2.66

BR-210

346.10 347.70 1.60 4.74 19950

and 386.75 391.30 4.55 1.43

BR-200

36.05 56.50 20.45 1.00 20100 BR-209

18.00 47.45 29.45 1.34 20100 BR-202

57.05 123.00 65.95 1.31 20125

including 71.80 76.50 4.70 8.48

BR-203

27.10 32.00 4.90 18.45 20150

including 27.10 28.45 1.35 60.33



and 73.05 103.65 30.60 1.51



including 73.70 76.60 2.90 11.49



and 124.10 125.10 1.00 36.40

BR-204

23.00 42.00 19.00 3.24 20150

including 30.30 33.90 3.60 11.34



and 82.30 94.35 12.05 7.74



and including 83.10 88.10 5.00 17.11



and including 83.60 86.60 3.00 26.22

BR-208

22.15 57.00 34.85 1.19 20150

including 23.30 25.00 1.70 10.67

BR-221

417.00 463.60 46.60 1.04 20150

including 436.50 450.80 14.30 2.39



and including 443.00 450.80 7.80 3.21

BR-223

474.00 495.90 21.90 1.60 20150

including 488.45 492.90 4.45 6.41



and including 491.00 492.90 1.90 13.27



and 515.00 549.10 34.10 2.44



including 524.50 533.50 9.00 7.58



and including 524.50 530.50 6.00 10.53

BR-205

31.00 81.00 50.00 0.50 20200

including 49.20 52.85 3.65 3.56



and 107.20 117.00 9.80 1.71



Table 1 Continued.

Drill Hole

From (m) To (m) Width* (m) Gold (g/t) Section BR-206

47.40 84.65 37.25 0.68 20200

including 47.40 68.70 21.30 1.02



and 129.40 154.50 25.10 5.06



including 139.35 144.00 4.65 25.36



and including 140.65 141.25 0.60 151.00

BR-215

110.30 159.70 49.40 0.48 20200

and 184.00 201.70 17.70 0.59



and 222.00 229.50 7.50 1.08

BR-220

223.00 236.00 13.00 1.66 20200

including 230.10 232.80 2.70 6.70



and including 231.30 231.80 0.50 24.80

BR-203

27.10 32.00 4.90 18.45 20150

including 27.10 28.45 1.35 60.33



and 73.05 103.65 30.60 1.51



including 73.70 76.60 2.90 11.49



and 124.10 125.10 1.00 36.40

BR-177

445.50 476.00 30.50 0.66 20625

including 459.00 464.00 5.00 2.67

BR-178

446.20 468.40 22.20 1.18 20650

including 457.00 458.00 1.00 14.90



and 446.20 510.00 63.80 0.62



and 620.10 625.50 5.40 0.70

BR-213

138.00 151.00 13.00 0.52 20700



170.00 192.50 22.50 2.57



including 174.50 178.50 4.00 9.58



and 219.60 245.00 25.40 1.08



and including 240.30 242.00 1.70 6.74

BR-196

72.30 73.00 0.70 78.20 21100

and 91.30 110.50 19.20 0.55



and 133.40 151.60 18.20 0.53



and 162.50 173.50 11.00 16.56



including 162.50 165.60 3.10 32.90



and including 162.50 163.00 0.50 91.70

BR-197

70.00 85.00 15.00 1.08 21100

including 72.00 73.00 1.00 13.60



and 104.85 106.80 1.95 4.75

BR-198

115.00 120.00 5.00 1.74 21150

and 190.80 240.10 49.30 1.50



including 196.00 198.20 2.20 16.93



and 222.00 240.10 18.10 1.03



including 225.00 228.00 3.00 4.57

BR-199

52.30 57.90 5.60 1.06 21150

and 77.40 93.60 16.20 1.48



and 82.50 84.00 1.50 13.30



* Widths are drill indicated core length, as insufficient drilling has been undertaken to determine true widths at this time. Average grades are calculated with un-capped gold assays, as insufficient drilling has been completed to determine capping levels for higher grade gold intercepts. Interval widths are calculated using a 0.10 g/t gold cut-off grade with up to 3 m of internal dilution of zero grade.

New Cross Sections

With many areas of the LP Fault now drilled on 25 to 75 metre centres, a more detailed understanding of gold zone geometries is emerging. Ongoing drill results demonstrate:

To date all drill holes on all drill sections completed into the LP Fault gold system within the approximately 4.2 kilometre long area of current higher density drilling have successfully intersected gold mineralization.

Drill section 20150 in Figure 3 provides an example of higher-density drill spacing and mineralized zone continuity. Limited additional drilling is expected to be required on this section for mineralized zone modeling to approximately 400 metres depth.

Cross section 19925 (located 225 metres to the southeast of section 20150) demonstrates how at some locations along the LP Fault, the main mineralized zone bifurcates into several parallel gold zones which typically extend to bedrock surface.

Conversely, cross section 21100 (located 1,175 metres northwest of section 19925 in the same zone), demonstrates how the gold mineralized system consolidates into a single mineralized zone in areas of the LP Fault.

Section 21100 also demonstrates how some sections of the LP Fault have yet to be drilled at higher densities. Similar gold zone characteristics are observed on these loosely drilled sections as at more densely drilled sections.

As shown in the Company's VRIFY model posted to Great Bear's web site at www.greatbearresources.ca, halos of low grade gold mineralization (0.10 g/t to 1.00 g/t gold) typically also occur adjacent to, and between, the highlight intervals published in news releases. All of the gold zones at the Dixie Project remain open to expansion.

A complete assay table for all LP Fault drill holes released to date is posted to the Company's web site at www.greatbearresources.ca.

Drill collar location, azimuth and dip for drill holes included in this release are provided in the table below (UTM zone 15N, NAD 83):

Hole ID Easting Northing Elevation Length Dip Azimuth BR-177 457065 5634399 357 975 -63 215 BR-178 457053 5634452 356 1065 -61 220 BR-189 457610 5633905 355 399 -53 202 BR-196 456551 5634428 358 420 -58 209 BR-197 456538 5634392 358 366 -50 212 BR-198 456527 5634489 359 564 -60 213 BR-199 456464 5634404 359 417 -59 216 BR-200 457610 5633905 355 267 -61 189 BR-201 457606 5633940 355 489 -56 207 BR-202 457398 5633960 353 444 -49 202 BR-203 457374 5633984 354 465 -50 204 BR-204 457374 5633984 354 450 -60 204 BR-205 457347 5634027 357 459 -50 203 BR-206 457347 5634028 357 549 -68 205 BR-208 457353 5633943 355 347 -48 205 BR-209 457383 5633926 354 381 -50 206 BR-210 457706 5634113 358 645 -56 207 BR-213 456940 5634282 356 780 -57 212 BR-215 457383 5634123 353 429 -53 199 BR-220 457435 5634149 356 576 -57 205 BR-221 457550 5634257 365 819 -59 206 BR-223 457569 5634319 369 867 -59 205

About the Dixie Project

The Dixie Project is 100% owned, comprised of 9,140 hectares of contiguous claims that extend over 22 kilometres, and is located approximately 25 kilometres southeast of the town of Red Lake, Ontario. The project is accessible year-round via a 15 minute drive on a paved highway which runs the length of the northern claim boundary and a network of well-maintained logging roads.

The Dixie Project hosts two principal styles of gold mineralization:

High-grade gold in quartz veins and silica-sulphide replacement zones ( Dixie Limb , Hinge and Arrow zones) . Hosted by mafic volcanic rocks and localized near regional-scale D2 fold axes. These mineralization styles are also typical of the significant mined deposits of the Red Lake district.

. Hosted by mafic volcanic rocks and localized near regional-scale D2 fold axes. These mineralization styles are also typical of the significant mined deposits of the district. High-grade disseminated gold with broad moderate to lower grade envelopes (LP Fault). The LP Fault is a significant gold-hosting structure which has been seismically imaged to extend to 14 kilometres depth (Zeng and Calvert , 2006), and has been interpreted by Great Bear to have up to 18 kilometres of strike length on the Dixie property. High-grade gold mineralization is controlled by structural and geological contacts, and moderate to lower-grade disseminated gold surrounds and flanks the high-grade intervals. The dominant gold-hosting stratigraphy consists of felsic sediments and volcanic units.

About Great Bear

Great Bear Resources Ltd. is a well-financed gold exploration company managed by a team with a track record of success in mineral exploration. Great Bear is focused in the prolific Red Lake gold district in northwest Ontario, where the company controls over 330 km2 of highly prospective tenure across 5 projects: the flagship Dixie Project (100% owned), the Pakwash Property (earning a 100% interest), the Dedee Property (earning a 100% interest), the Sobel Property (earning a 100% interest), and the Red Lake North Property (earning a 100% interest) all of which are accessible year-round through existing roads.

QA/QC and Core Sampling Protocols

Drill core is logged and sampled in a secure core storage facility located in Red Lake Ontario. Core samples from the program are cut in half, using a diamond cutting saw, and are sent to Activation Laboratories in Ontario, an accredited mineral analysis laboratory, for analysis. All samples are analysed for gold using standard Fire Assay-AA techniques. Samples returning over 10.0 g/t gold are analysed utilizing standard Fire Assay-Gravimetric methods. Pulps from approximately 5% of the gold mineralized samples are submitted for check analysis to a second lab. Selected samples are also chosen for duplicate assay from the coarse reject of the original sample. Selected samples with visible gold are also analyzed with a standard 1 kg metallic screen fire assay. Certified gold reference standards, blanks and field duplicates are routinely inserted into the sample stream, as part of Great Bear's quality control/quality assurance program (QAQC). No QAQC issues were noted with the results reported herein.

Qualified Person and NI 43-101 Disclosure

Mr. R. Bob Singh, P.Geo, VP Exploration, and Ms. Andrea Diakow P.Geo, Exploration Manager for Great Bear are the Qualified Persons as defined by National Instrument 43-101 responsible for the accuracy of technical information contained in this news release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Chris Taylor"

Chris Taylor, President and CEO

Cautionary note regarding forward-looking statements

This release contains certain "forward looking statements" and certain "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian and U.S. securities laws. Forward-looking statements and information can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "anticipate", "believe", "continue", "plans" or similar terminology. The forward-looking information contained herein is provided for the purpose of assisting readers in understanding management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that such information may not be appropriate for other purposes.

Forward-looking information are based on management of the parties' reasonable assumptions, estimates, expectations, analyses and opinions, which are based on such management's experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, and other factors that management believes are relevant and reasonable in the circumstances, but which may prove to be incorrect.

Such factors, among other things, include: impacts arising from the global disruption caused by the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, business integration risks; fluctuations in general macroeconomic conditions; fluctuations in securities markets; fluctuations in spot and forward prices of gold or certain other commodities; change in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations pressures, cave-ins and flooding); discrepancies between actual and estimated metallurgical recoveries; inability to obtain adequate insurance to cover risks and hazards; the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability of increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development (including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses, permits and approvals from government authorities); and title to properties.

Great Bear undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed and actual future results may vary materially. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

SOURCE Great Bear Resources Ltd.
China has unveiled the prototype of a super-fast bullet train that engineers say can reach 385 miles per hour.

Dubbed as the 'super bullet maglev train', the model rolled off the production line and made its debut at a ceremony in the south-western city of Chengdu on Wednesday.

It boasts more than twice the speed of the Eurostar fleet and could cover the distance between London and Paris in 47 minutes with its maximum speed.

Scroll down for video

A prototype of a high-temperature superconducting maglev train, dubbed as the 'super bullet maglev train', is pictured at its introduction ceremony in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday

The model is a 21-meter-long (69-foot-long) locomotive designed to travel at a top speed of 620 kilometres (385 miles) per hour. It has been developed solely by Chinese experts

The train is the first of its kind in the world and has been designed and manufactured solely by Chinese experts, according to its co-developer, Southwest Jiaotong University.

The university collaborated with two state-run companies, China Railway Group and CRRC Corporation, to develop the prototype in a 60million yuan (6.8million) transport innovation programme, reported Xinhua News Agency.

What are 'maglev' trains? Maglev trains use magnets to lift the carriages above the track. This eliminates the need for wheels and, therefore, any incidence of friction, providing faster and quieter service. Acceleration and deceleration far exceed that of conventional trains. And maglev also makes for much smoother journeys. Right now speeds are limited at up to 400 kilometres (250 miles) per hour due to the excessive air resistance encountered at these speeds. But vacuum tube designs could allow them to travel over seven times faster in the future. Advertisement

The homemade prototype is a 21-meter-long (69-foot-long) locomotive designed to travel at a top speed of 620 kilometres (385 miles) per hour.

It uses high-temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev technology, different from the low-temperature technology employed by Germany and Japan in their maglev trains, according to experts from Southwest Jiaotong University.

The team claims that the Chinese version is more lightweight with a simpler structure. It is also cheaper to manufacture and operate.

The engineers consider the HTS technology more suitable for the futuristic 'vacuum transportation', which could see ultra-high-speed maglev trains zipping in vacuum tubes in speeds over 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) per hour.

'The HTS technology can make the train float without electricity, and it can be moved with just one hand,' Deng Zigang, a professor from the university, told Xinhua.

Pictures and footage released by Chinese media outlets show the silver-and-black carbon-fibre locomotive pulling into its presentation at Southwest Jiaotong University.

The university also launched an experimental railway track on Wednesday. The line, measuring 541 feet (165 metres) long, will be used to test the prototype and related technologies.

The prototype uses high-temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev technology, different from the low-temperature technology used in maglev trains made by Germany and Japan

Engineers consider the HTS technology more suitable for the 'vacuum transportation', which could see maglev trains zipping in vacuum tubes at over 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) per hour

China has the world's largest high-speed railway network, which measures a staggering 35,000 kilometres (21,747 miles) as of 2019.

At present, the country's high-speed passenger trains operate at a maximum speed of 350 kilometres (217 miles) per hour. Residents can travel between Beijing and Shanghai, the nation's political and financial centres, in 4.5 hours.

China also has the world's first commercial maglev system.

The 18.6-mile (30-kilometre) stretch, opened in 2002 in Shanghai, connects Shanghai Pudong Airport and the city centre and reportedly cost more than 1billion to build.

Southwest Jiaotong University also launched an experimental railway track at the Wednesday ceremony. The line, measuring 541 feet (165 metres) long, will be used to test the prototype

The train is jointly developed by Southwest Jiaotong University, China Railway Group and CRRC Corporation in a 60million yuan (6.8million) transport innovation programme

The Shanghai maglev was jointly developed by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development and a German consortium consisting of Siemens AG, Thyssen Transrapid GMBH and Transrapid International GMBH.

It is the world's fastest commercial train system, with carriages running up to 431 kilometres (267 miles) per hour.

Japan built the fastest-ever train in the world to date, but has yet to put it into commercial use.

The maglev train, operated by Japan Railways Group, set the world record after reaching 603 kilometres (374 miles) per hour on an experimental track in 2016.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the highest decision-making body for security issues headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the purchase of 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets at a cost of Rs 48,000 crore, including infrastructure.

The CCS approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about Rs 48,000 crore to strengthen the Indian Air Force's fleet of homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas. "This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing," Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

The LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in the years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50 per cent in the Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60 per cent.

The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is indigenously designed by the Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The HAL has already set up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions. Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF.

"The decision taken today will considerably expand the current LCA ecosystem and help in creating new job opportunities," the minister said.

HAL follows a system integrator model in the LCA Mk1A programme and acts as an umbrella organisation, fostering manufacturing and design capabilities in private industry.

The first squadron of the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas was raised in 2016.

The manufacturing of 83 LCA Tejas jets will not only be a boost for 'Make in India' or self reliance but help in filling the gaps in the Indian Air Force as its current fleet is down to 30 squadrons, way below the sanctioned strength of 42.

Each squadron comprises 18 fighter jets. These 83 jets are in addition to the 40 Mark 1 already ordered by the IAF.

Last year in March, the Ministry of Defence gave the go-ahead for the purchase of 83 Tejas Mark 1A aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

This was a major breakthrough as after cost negotiations for over three years between the Ministry of Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the price for procurement of the advanced variant of the indigenously-made Light Combat Aircraft Tejas was slashed.

The IAF has 20 Mark-1 jets of the earlier variant while another 20 are to be delivered.
MASON CITY, Iowa - A Mason City man is accused of holding a handgun to a woman's head and demanding she writes him a check for $50,000 or he would kill her.

Anthony Moore, 27, is facing charges of felony extortion and domestic abuse in connection to an alleged incident in the 1600 block of 6th St. SW.

According to court documents, Moore became upset and took a handgun that belonged to the victim. He then allegedly put the gun to her head and demanded the money.

Moore admitted to the incident to officers, documents state.

This is the moment a member of a Colombian gang threw a bomb at an auto shop from the back of his motorbike.

Authorities in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla, Colombia, said 14 people, including a minor, were wounded in the attack Tuesday afternoon and were rushed to two local hospitals. None of the injuries were life threatening and no casualties were reported.

Barranquilla mayor Jaime Pumarejo said the attack seemed to be an 'extortion' attempt against local business owners along an avenue where many of the city's motorcycle repair shops are located.

'It apparently is an attempt to extort this important sector of motorcycle mechanic shops with a high influx of people,' Pumarejo said, according to Noticias Caracol. 'Some misfits dropped a grenade to send a message.'

Surveillance video shows two men aboard a motorcycle approaching a mechanic shop in Barranquilla, Colombia, on Tuesday before one of them dropped a grenade. At least 14 people, including a minor, were injured in the attack

The driver of a vehicle narrowly avoids a grenade explosion moments after it has been tossed on to a street in Barranquilla, Colombia, before it exploded

A man is tended to in Barranquilla on Tuesday moments after he was injured after a grenade was tossed from a motorcycle

A shop's security camera shows what appears to be two employees standing behind a counter when the attackers pull up to the front of the business.

Subsequently, one of the men drops the explosive device in the middle of the street as he and his accomplice take speed away.

Several seconds pass before a car drives by before the grenade went off right before motorcyclist approaches it.

Store employees seek cover moments after the grenade exploded on a busy sector in the Colombian port city of Barranquilla on Tuesday

Colombian Vice President Marta Lucia Ramirez visited the scene of Tuesday's grenade attack in the Caribbean port city of Barranquilla, where 14 people, including a minor were injured. The government offered a reward of $50 million Colombian pesos, or $14,000, for information leading to the arrest of the two individuals who launched the attack.

The Barranquilla Metropolitan Police said it has a person of interest, who leads a local gang and is currently in prison, but refused to publicly identify the suspect's or criminal group's name.

Shortly after the explosion, the government offered a reward of $50 million Colombian pesos, or $14,000, for information leading to the arrest of the two individuals who launched the attack.

'We are going to dismantle these organizations that are extorting merchants and that are affecting Barranquilla's production sector,' Vice President Marta Lucia Ramirez said after visiting the scene of the attack.
With total coronavirus cases in the UK now exceeding 3million and 3,500 patients on ventilators, hospitals across the country are stretched to their limits.

Now, a worrying new study reveals Covid-19 patients admitted to very full intensive care units are up to 19 per cent more likely to die than if the ICUs were less busy.

The researchers say that is an increase in risk equivalent to being up to 11 years older, according to the researchers.

The researchers hope the findings will underline the urgency of both vaccinating vulnerable groups as soon as possible and reducing Covid community transmission.

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A worrying new study has revealed that Covid-19 patients admitted to very full intensive care units are up to 19 per cent more likely to die than if the ICUs were less busy (file photo)

In the study, published on medRxiv, researchers from University College London (UCL) analysed data from 4,032 Covid-19 patients who were admitted to NHS Intensive Care Units (ICU) between April 2 and June 1.

The analysis revealed that when ICU reached 85 per cent capacity, 38.4 per cent of patients admitted died. This mortality rate is 19 per cent higher than the baseline figure for ICU capacity of between 45 and 85 per cent full.

Figures show that when ICU capacity was lower than 45 per cent, the risk of death decreased by 25 per cent.

Dr Bilal Mateen from UCL, and author of the study, said: 'To put into context as to why these results are so important - at the end of 2020, 37 of 123 recorded NHS trusts were experiencing over 85 per cent ICU bed occupancy; 11 of these were completely full and the situation has only got more extreme.

'Our results show the association between risk of death and bed occupancy is linear and as occupancy increases the worse patients' outcomes become.

'In the worst case scenario (when mechanical ventilator ICU occupancy goes from zero to 100 per cent) a patient's risk of death nearly doubles, which suggests that every per cent counts and hospital strain must be reduced.'

The analysis revealed that when ICU reached 85 per cent capacity, 38.4 per cent of patients admitted died. This mortality rate is 19 per cent higher than the baseline figure for ICU capacity of between 45 and 85 per cent full. Figures show that when ICU capacity was lower than 45 per cent, the risk of death decreased by 25 per cent (file photo)

Less than HALF of people who have developed Covid-19 symptoms have requested a test Just 43 per cent of people who develop Covid-19 symptoms are getting a test, according to shock new data. An ongoing UCL study has been tracking the social aspect of the pandemic and how the general public has been behaving and adhering to the ever-changing rules and guidance. It started in mid-March 2020 and regularly quizzes more than 70,000 Britons about their life in lockdown. Data released today shows a third of people requested a test every time they developed symptoms, one in ten got a test only on some of the occasions when they had symptoms and 57 per cent never requested a test despite having symptoms. Advertisement

Dr Harrison Wilde, first author of the study, said: 'What is unique about this study is that we've been able to put a number on the increased risk to patients for the first time in the context of surge capacity.

'For example, if a 40 year-old person is admitted to a full hospital, they effectively have the increased health risk of a 51 year-old.

'Unfortunately the association between occupancy and mortality risk is much larger than we ever suspected and with more people than ever being admitted to full hospitals we need to act with more urgency.'

The team hopes the findings will underline the urgency of vaccinating vulnerable groups, as well as reducing Covid transmission in the community.

Professor Christina Pagel, co-author of the study, added: 'We are often warned about the NHS being overwhelmed and we know that frontline staff, particularly those working in intensive care units, are being stretched and under a lot of stress.

'This paper highlights for the first time that putting such strain on ICUs during pandemic peaks does, sadly, mean that that chances of someone dying in intensive care are higher.

'Our work underlines the urgency of both vaccinating vulnerable groups as soon as possible and reducing Covid transmission in the community to relieve pressure on intensive care  both in England which is currently experiencing an awful second wave and in many other countries where cases and hospital admissions are rising steeply.'
Crane Renovation Group is planning for a significant growth period in the coming years. Of course the first step in this process is having the right people in place to lead us to our goals. Both Vennemeyer and Huyghe have demonstrated the leadership needed to take our company to new heights.

Crane Renovation Group has promoted Drew Vennemeyer to President of Contractors Inc, and Ryan Huyghe to President of Mr. Roof and Able Roof. In their roles as Presidents of the individual business units Crane Renovation Group comprises, Vennemeyer and Huyghe will secure long-term leadership for Crane Renovation Group in order for the company to grow beyond normal market rates. Jim Ziminski will continue in his role as President of Crane Renovation Group.

Crane Renovation Group is planning for a significant growth period in the coming years. Of course the first step in this process is having the right people in place to lead us to our goals. Both Vennemeyer and Huyghe have demonstrated the leadership needed to take our company to new heights, and ensure we maintain our core values while we grow. - Jim Ziminski, President of Crane Renovation Group

The advancements follow the 2020 restructuring of Crane Renovation Group, which merged multiple commercial units into one holistic business as Contractors Inc. This was done with the goal to grow the commercial footprint nationwide with an enhanced customer experience and consistent service model.

Drew Vennemeyer joined Crane Renovation Group in 2018 as Executive Vice President of Contractors Inc. He came to the company from Quandel Construction Group, where he served as President of their Ohio operation. In his time at Crane Renovation Group, Vennemeyer has led the strategic growth of the business by assimilating commercial teams across the companys footprint, including mitigation and emergency response services. Estimating and business development teams were formed to enhance work acquisition efforts, and a scalable operational platform was developed to drive long-term, sustainable growth.

As I look to the future, Im incredibly excited to leverage all the work thats been done since coming on board to drive the strategic growth of the company. We will provide our clients with an unparalleled customer experience and invest in our most valuable asset, our team members, by providing robust opportunities for professional growth and development. - Drew Vennemeyer, President of Contractors Inc

Ryan Huyghe joined the company as Executive Vice President of Mr. Roof and Able Roof in 2019, after four years serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Controlled Products Systems Groupthe largest wholesale distributor of vehicle access automation products in the country. At Crane Renovation Group, Huyghe has managed the transition to an elevated supply chain with Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. and a partnership with Owens Corning for our roofing system materials.

My new role challenges me to secure the brands ability to continue to develop talent in a way that successfully brings our people and partners consistent opportunity, fosters a collaborative and trusting environment through open and honest communication, and rewards a culture of values-driven performance. Generating excitement and alignment around our vision and goals is paramount. - Ryan Huyghe, President of Mr. Roof and Able Roof

Both Vennemeyer and Huyghe will have minority ownership in Crane Renovation Group to promote alignment of goals across the company.
A Cairo appeals court acquitted on Tuesday two well-known TikTok influencers, Haneen Hossam and Mawada Eladhm, who had been previously sentenced to two years in prison and received a hefty fine for violating family values and principles.

The court also acquitted three other defendants sentenced in the same case.

In late July, a Cairo court sentenced the five defendants to two years in prison and fined the two influencers EGP 300,000 (around $19,000).

The defendants were referred to the criminal court in June by the prosecution on charges of violating family values and principles and establishing and running online accounts to commit this crime.

Mawada Eladhm, who is in her early 20s, was arrested on 14 May after she fled her residence at an upscale New Cairo gated community, moving around between Cairo and the North Coast after an arrest warrant was issued against her.

Eladhm, who has 3.1 million followers on TikTok and 1.6 million followers on Instagram, gained fame for posting lip syncing and dance videos.

Haneen Hossam, a university student who has 1.2 million followers on TikTok, was arrested on 21 April on charges of inciting debauchery and human trafficking.

Her arrest came a few days after she posted a video on TikTok encouraging women to publish live videos and talk with strangers, via short video sharing platform Likee, in exchange for money.

The three other defendants were charged with helping one of the women evade arrest, concealing evidence of the crime, and publishing materials to influence public opinion about the case.

One of the three other defendants was also charged with possessing unauthorised and illegal software for the purpose of using it to facilitate committing these crimes.

Over the past months, Egyptian authorities have arrested numerous female TikTok users who are known for controversial content that authorities describe as violating family values and principles.

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MUSKEGON COUNTY, MI  About 12,000 people have signed up for COVID-19 vaccinations in Muskegon County, where the vaccine is extremely scarce.

The public health director updated Muskegon County commissioners Tuesday, Jan. 12, on the COVID-19 vaccination effort. The picture Kathy Moore painted was not exactly encouraging.

Muskegon County is in a very precarious position, Moore told commissioners during their regular board meeting.

Thats because the county has no vaccine, she said. Public Health Muskegon County has administered all 800 doses it received, she said.

Mercy Health has received 9,000 doses, of which it had administered 3,473 doses as of Sunday, and was reserving half for second doses, according to information provided by Moore.

Related: Michigan shifts strategy on vaccine program, with heightened focus on shots in arms

Muskegon County residents who fall in the 1A and 1B priority groups can express interest in receiving the vaccination by completing an online form, available by clicking here. Both the health department and Mercy are using the same online form.

As of Tuesday morning, there were 11,870 online requests for the vaccine, Moore said. Of those, 4,388 were individuals ages 75 and older, 7,482 between the ages of 65 and 74 and 1,811 who are younger than 65, and wont be eligible for vaccinations for several months, Moore said.

I feel really bad for our residents, Moore said. They feel disenfranchised. They hear all over the news that vaccine is available. Its just not here quite yet.

Related: Why Michigans senior residents are struggling to schedule COVID-19 vaccines

Already receiving vaccinations are front line healthcare workers and staff and residents of long-term care facilities. Pharmacies, which have received their own supply of vaccine, are vaccinating those in long-term care facilities.

Those now eligible, when does are available, are those ages 65 and older, essential frontline workers, teachers, childcare workers and those in congregate living facilities.

Moore has said the county intends to prioritize senior citizens based on age and health status. It started vaccinating teachers last week.

There was so much demand for vaccinations, that the health department had to expand its voicemail capabilities, Moore said.

As a result of her direct line being mistakenly published, the health director said she personally took 85 phone calls, saying it was easier for her to take down the callers information than pass them off to another employee.

Those who expressed interest in the vaccination, either via the online form or calling the health department at (231) 724-6246, will be contacted later to schedule an appointment.

Related: Latest on COVID-19 vaccination program: What you need to know

The federal government is overseeing distribution of vaccine to the state, which is then parceling them out to counties. A federal announcement Tuesday directing states to not hang onto doses for second shots could help free up some vaccine to get vaccinations moving more quickly.

That announcement also warned that states that are slow to get the vaccine into residents arms could lose their doses to states that are working more quickly.

As it stands, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is predicting that vaccinations for individuals without health conditions who are younger than 65 wont begin until late summer, according to a graphic shared by Moore.

Vaccination timeframes for various categories of individuals could change based on vaccine availability, the graphic states.

We see a bright light at the end of the tunnel, Moore told commissioners. We just cant tell how far away that end of the tunnel is right now.

Also on MLive:

New Muskegon County board chairs challenge is uniting Trump Republicans and Democrats

Muskegon Township library branch moves to new highly visible location

Republican party chair, Muskegon County commissioner under fire from Democrats for Capitol violence response
Paree, a homegrown sanitary pad brand has always strived to be ahead of the curve when it comes to feminine hygiene. By encouraging conversation around topics such as Heavy Flow and PMS through various campaigns and initiatives, Paree has become instrumental in empowering women to prioritize their health & hygiene. Taking their commitment to the cause, a step further, the brand has joined forces with MICA institute, Ahmedabad, as their Hygiene partner for MICANVAS. MICA is welcoming back its students after 7 months of Lockdown and the women on campus are being greeted with a #WelcomeBackParee campaign wherein the brand has pledged to provide menstrual hygiene essentials to girls coming back to college.

Women Hygiene is an issue that always takes the backseat in many conversations and Paree has made it goal for that to change. The present scenario is an apt canvas for such dialoguing and through this partnership with MICA and #WelcomeBackParee campaign initiative the focus of the brand is to better inform and equip young women to take care of their menstrual and personal hygiene. The thrust of the campaign is to boost open conversations on personal hygiene issues, coupled with trials of menstrual hygiene products.

Speaking on the idea of this association and the campaign, Sahil Dharia- CEO & Founder of Paree said, 

MICA has been the mecca for young minds that will shape the brands of future. Paree is the brand for a future forward woman and there is no better time to associate with student than this. In the pandemic times, this association underlines the intent of Paree and MICA that they prioritize feminine hygiene needs. The girls at MICA are returning to their hostels after a long gap and we at Paree wanted a good gesture to be waiting for them when they come back.

Paree has constantly been a driving force in highlighting the importance of menstrual hygiene. The brand believes that periods are much more than just mood swings and cramps, it is about understanding the latent needs and personal comfort issues of women and then prioritizing her well-being.

Paree believes in innovation and wants the women of India to have the best care needs that would not only help them but also meet their end needs in the time of their period. .The brand is committed to positively impact the hygiene and comfort needs of the modern Indian woman and introduce products that add value to her life. Paree with its 3-sec absorption technology has been a disruptor in the women hygiene space with its first-in-market HeavyFlowChampion pads and the introduction of varied products across women hygiene category. Paree has continually delivered on its brand promise and stands as an indigenous champion of women in the personal hygiene category.
Trump administration officials on Tuesday announced major changes to the federal COVID-19 vaccination playbook  while acknowledging that in eight days, they will lose control over a rollout that has been far slower and bumpier than they promised.

During a Tuesday news briefing, Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said that beginning in two weeks, vaccine allocations to states will be based on the number of doses already administered and the number of residents who are senior citizens. Azar urged states to vaccinate anyone age 65 or older and younger people with chronic health conditions, and blamed the lagging rollout in part on states that are being over-prescriptive and micro-managing the four-week-old immunization effort.

Most states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, are following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to prioritize the highest-risk groups for the initially limited vaccine supply.

Azar also said the government would be releasing its entire supply of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, rather than withhold enough for second doses, because ramped-up manufacturing can now keep pace with the required two-dose regimen. Pfizer says it is confident it can deliver 200 million doses to the United States by the end of July.

State and local officials, who have been tasked with carrying out the massive vaccination effort, reacted with caution, noting that systems for notifying people and getting shots in their arms are barely off the ground.

 READ MORE: How to sign up for a Philly COVID-19 vaccine alert that will tell you it's your turn

The reversal on withholding doses comes days after President-elect Joe Bidens promise to release nearly all of the vaccine stockpile after his Jan. 20 inauguration. He is expected to provide details of his vaccination plans later this week.

As of Tuesday, Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administrations initiative to accelerate vaccine development and distribution, apparently had not met with Bidens team.

We at Operation Warp Speed made the decision to change the playbook, Azar said. We will certainly brief the Biden team, but we operate with one government at a time.

I hope, Azar added, the Biden administration is able to carry forward these results.

The existing rollout plan, which federal and state health officials spent many months developing, has phases, based on occupational and personal risks and roles. The top-priority group  25 million frontline health workers and nursing home residents  is now getting shots. The next group includes essential workers outside health care and people age 75 and over, although states have discretion to deviate from or refine CDC guidance.

We clearly have enough vaccine at this point to begin to expand beyond the first priority group, CDC Director Robert Redfield said during the news conference.

 READ MORE: Who should and shouldnt get the COVID-19 vaccine

CDC data published Monday show that of 40 million doses bought by the government, 25 million doses had been delivered to the states, and almost nine million had been administered. Thats a far cry from the Trump administrations prediction that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by the end of December.

There have been many bottlenecks, but a big one, public health experts say, has been the lack of federal coordination and consistency. For example, Azar said the government is telling states to use pharmacies, community health centers, and mass vaccination sites to get the vaccines into arms. But the infrastructure to do that is only now being rolled out.

It should have been put in place while vaccine clinical trials were underway, said Paul Offit, a Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia pediatrician and vaccine expert who serves on a federal vaccine advisory panel. We should have had that ready and we didnt, he said.

Rite Aid, one of 19 pharmacy chains that have contracted with the government to administer vaccine, said that its current role is restricted.

During this phase 1 of the CDC rollout plan, Rite Aid can only administer vaccinations to those individuals who have been approved and scheduled by its state or jurisdiction partners, Jim Peters, Rite Aid chief operating officer, emailed Monday. In Phase 2, however, Rite Aid will both schedule and administer vaccinations more broadly throughout our communities. Like many Americans, we anxiously await this broader rollout period.

The latest top-down changes are not likely to smooth the way, state and local health officials said.

This is a wholesale change out of the blue, after months of planning, said James Garrow, spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. Its going to take a little bit to figure out how this impacts the multiple avenues of vaccine distribution and changes to our allocations and what administration looks like.

In Pennsylvania, officials said the changes may affect how many doses the state receives, but not necessarily who gets them.

Releasing those held-back second doses does not change the states planned approach, said Barry Ciccocioppo, a spokesperson for the states Department of Health. But it should help speed up the vaccination process.

 READ MORE: Could cutting or delaying doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to immunize more people make the pandemic last longer?

Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine said the state is open to considering vaccinating anyone 65 and over, but only after reviewing the new federal allocation plan.

New Jersey Department of Health spokesperson Dawn Thomas said the list of categories eligible for vaccination in the next phase is under consideration and more information will be forthcoming.

Staff reporters Jason Laughlin, Allison Steele, Frank Kummer, and Tom Avril contributed to this article.

Jim Clark, 86, receives a first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from UC Davis Health on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, Pool)

California has lifted a stay-at-home order for 13 northern counties with improving hospital conditions, but most of the state's population remains under tight restrictions in the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

The state on Tuesday lifted the order in the Sacramento regiona rare turn of good news as the state pushes through what Gov. Gavin Newsom called its "most intense surge" of the coronavirus.

The order imposed Dec. 10 banned gatherings outside a household and restricted many businesses. With virus cases and hospitalizations more stable, the region can resume outdoor dining and worship services, reopen hair and nail salons and other businesses, and increase capacity at retailers. Gatherings up to three households are allowed.

Newsom, a Democrat, made the announcement on social mediareminding people to wear masks and stay home as much as possible. He offered a hopeful promise: "There is a light at the end of this tunnel."

Three of five state regionsthe San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern Californiaremain under the stay-at-home order because their hospitals' intensive care capacity is severely limited.

California has seen an enormous surge of cases, hospitalizations and deaths since Thanksgiving.

Newly reported cases over the last seven days in the nation's most populous state have far outpaced others, such as Texas and Floridathe second- and third-most populated U.S. states. However, for the past seven days, California's average daily rate of new cases per 100,000 people lags behind Arizona and Rhode Island and ties with Oklahoma.

The state is averaging 42,000 newly reported virus cases a day and recorded 3,500 virus deaths in the last week. On Monday, the pandemic death toll topped 30,000.

Health officials have warned that hospitalization and death increases are likely to continue as people who contracted the virus during the holidays get sicker.

Pharmacist Brian Kiefer draws saline while preparing a dose of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine at UC Davis Health on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, Pool)

Trying to check the virus, California is moving more quickly to distribute vaccines. Newsom set a goal last week of delivering 1 million doses by Friday. A state advisory board met Tuesday to discuss new federal guidelines that urge immediately starting to vaccinate a wider group.

Newsom imposed the nation's first statewide stay-at-home order in March. It was lifted in the spring when cases fell but a summertime spike spurred more restrictions.

A huge, late fall surge prompted the Newsom administration to divide the state into five regions in December and impose a stay-at-home order in four when their ICU capacity dropped below 15%. Only rural Northern California remained outside the order.

The Sacramento region's ICU capacity sits at 9.4% but it is projected to rise above 15% over the next four weeks, prompting the state to lift the order. The region includes El Dorado County, home to Lake Tahoe, a tourism hot spot that drew large holiday crowds despite restrictions.

Newsom and Dr. Mark Ghaly, California's secretary of health and human services, have credited the state-at-home order with limiting the outbreak's severity but some experts question how much benefit was derived.

"What the stay-at-home orders were meant to do is keep families that don't live together separated. Instead, over the last few months, you've had people getting together. You've had small social gatherings indoors," said Dr. Brad Pollock, UC Davis School of Medicine associate dean for public health sciences. "I wouldn't say the stay-at-home orders have been futile, but they probably haven't had a huge impact on what's actually happened with the transmission patterns."

Supervisor Mike Ziegenmeyer of the Sacramento region's Sutter County acknowledged as much when reacting to lifting the order.

"It's exciting, but at the same time, who adheres to it?" he said.

Shon Harris, a city councilman in Yuba City, said he was surprised Newsom lifted the order, calling it "baby steps back to the old normal." But he encouraged people to "take COVID seriously, take the precautions seriously (and) abide by them."

COVID-19 vaccination tents are set up in the north of the Toy Story parking lot at the Disneyland Resort on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif. The parking lot is located off Katella Avenue and sits southeast of Disneyland. (Jeff Gritchen/The Orange County Register via AP)

"They've given us an inch. We don't want to take a mile and get greedy," he said.

Meanwhile, the state continued its drive to administer nearly 1.5 million vaccine doses by Friday, still a small portion of what's needed for herd immunity in the state of nearly 40 million people. Several counties announced they would open mass vaccination sites, including at Dodger Stadium, Disneyland and Cal Expo, an outdoor venue in Sacramento.

But quickly ramping up vaccinations, including through new rules by the federal government, further led to confusion and varying county approaches.

California has been focused on vaccinating health care workers and nursing home residents first, with people over 75 and those at risk of getting the virus at work, like teachers or agriculture workers, in the next tier.

But the federal government said vaccinations should be available to anyone older than 65 and younger people with certain health conditions. Orange County said it would swiftly move to vaccinate people 65 and up.

A meeting of the state's Community Vaccine Advisory Committee grew tense as groups debated expanding the vaccine pool beyond state guidelines.

"Moving millions of people farther ahead in line by definition means millions of others are farther back in line," said Mitch Steiger, California Labor Federation legislative advocate.

While he said the arguments make sense, he could not support bumping back essential workers, recognizing that for his members it means "more of you are going to get sick, more of you are going to die."

Dr. Michael Wasserman, California Association for Long Term Care Medicine president, worried that the state may be moving on without making sure workers and residents of nursing homes, assisted living and group homes are protected first, while others expressed similar fears that the rush to vaccinate the aging could leave behind workers who had been next or those in disadvantaged communities who are harder to reach.

"Sure you're hitting the gas pedal, but don't leave us behind," summarized Charles Bacchi with the California Association of Health Plans, even as he supported concentrating on the older population. "We just can't lose sight of that."

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.
We are honored to welcome Carlo Tortora Brayda into the community, said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Technology Council.

Gorilla Corporation, a leader in global partner marketing and strategy, today announced that its CEO, Carlo Tortora Brayda has been accepted into Forbes Technology Council, an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs, and technology executives.

Carlo Tortora Brayda was vetted and selected by a review committee based on the depth and diversity of his experience. Criteria for acceptance include a track record of successfully impacting business growth metrics, as well as personal and professional achievements and honors.

We are honored to welcome Carlo Tortora Brayda into the community, said Scott Gerber, founder of Forbes Councils, the collective that includes Forbes Technology Council. Our mission with Forbes Councils is to bring together proven leaders from every industry, creating a curated, social capital-driven network that helps every member grow professionally and make an even greater impact on the business world.

As an accepted member of the Council, Carlo will connect and collaborate with other respected local leaders in a private forum. Carlo will also be invited to work with a professional editorial team to share his expert insights in original business articles on Forbes.com, and to contribute to published Q&A panels alongside other experts.

Carlos profile on Forbes Council can be found here: https://profiles.forbes.com/members/tech/profile/Carlo-Brayda-CEO-Gorilla-Corporation/15e589e1-5251-4b45-a03c-1c662051d440

Forbes has an unparalleled reputation in business thought leadership, and to be admitted into its Technology Council is an outstanding privilege, said Carlo Tortora Brayda, CEO of Gorilla Corporation. The Forbes Technology Council will be instrumental in guiding forward our Think Tanks cyber security and artificial intelligence agenda, Tortora Brayda Partnership Excellence

About Forbes Councils

Forbes Councils is a collective of invitation-only communities created in partnership with Forbes and the expert community builders who founded Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC). In Forbes Councils, exceptional business owners and leaders come together with the people and resources that can help them thrive. For more information about Forbes Technology Council, visit forbestechcouncil.com. To learn more about Forbes Councils, visit forbescouncils.com.

About Gorilla Corporation

Gorilla Corporation is a leading provider of vendor partner marketing services and technologies for the IT channel. Gorilla enables next generation partnering and helps technology vendors to measure, grow, enable, and manage their partner channel. Gorillas headquarters are located in San Francisco, USA with local offices in Europe, Africa and APAC regions. To learn more about Gorilla Corporation, visit http://www.gorillaict.com.
Scientists have discovered a huge 'super Earth' planet near one of the oldest stars in the galaxy.

The planet, called TOI-561b, is about 50 per cent larger than Earth, but requires less than half a day to orbit its star.

This is partly due to the planet's close proximity to its star, which also results in blistering surface temperatures of over 1,700C (3,000F).

While it's likely too hot to host alien life, the planet's existence suggests that the universe has been forming rocky planets almost since its inception 14 billion years ago.

The planet, called TOI-561b, is about 50 per cent larger than Earth, but requires less than half a day to orbit its star (artist's impression)

WHAT IS PLANET TOI-561B? Planet TOI-561b is about 50 per cent larger than Earth, but requires less than half a day to orbit its star. This is partly due to the planet's close proximity to its star, which also results in blistering surface temperatures of over 1,700C. While the planet has roughly three times the mass of Earth, its density is actually the same as our planet, suggesting it's much older. Unfortunately, the scientists believe that the planet is likely too hot to host alien life, although they've not ruled out the possibility that life once thrived on TOI-561b. Advertisement

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, discovered TOI-561b using the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, and confirmed the findings with data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

An initial analysis suggests that, while the planet has roughly three times the mass of Earth, its density is actually the same as our planet.

Professor Stephen Kane, a planetary astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside, and team member on the study, said: 'This is surprising because you'd expect the density to be higher.

'This is consistent with the notion that the planet is extremely old.'

As planets age, they become less dense because not as many heavy elements are available as when they formed, Professor Kane added.

Heavy elements are produced by fusion reactions in stars as they age, eventually dispersing when the star explodes.

Lauren Weiss, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Hawaii, and team leader on the study, said: 'TOI-561b is one of the oldest rocky planets yet discovered.

'Its existence shows that the universe has been forming rocky planets almost since its inception 14 billion years ago.'

The planet orbits star TOI 561, which belongs to a rare population of stars called the galactic thick disk. Stars in the galactic thick disk are chemically distinct, with fewer heavy elements than other stars

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, discovered TOI-561b using the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, and confirmed the findings with data from Nasa's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (artist's impression pictured)

The planet orbits star TOI 561, which belongs to a rare population of stars called the galactic thick disk.

Stars in the galactic thick disk are chemically distinct, with fewer heavy elements than other stars.

The scientists believe that the planet is likely too hot to host alien life. However, they have not ruled out the possibility that life once thrived on TOI-561b.

'Information about a planet's interior gives us a sense of whether the surface of the planet is habitable by life as we know it,' Professor Kane said.

'Though this particular planet is unlikely to be inhabited today, it may be a harbinger of a many rocky worlds yet to be discovered around our galaxy's oldest stars.'

I was disappointed, but not surprised, on Tuesday, January 5th when Senator Mike Regan (PA-31) and his GOP colleagues followed in the shameful footsteps of our President Donald Trump by attempting to strong-arm their way into winning an election of which they did not like the results.

By refusing to seat duly-elected Sen. Jim Brewster and removing Lt. Governor John Fetterman from the rostrum, Sen. Jake Corman and the PA GOP took a page straight out of the Trump playbook.

I can only hope that the events in Washington last week may cause them to have a change of heart. We cannot stand idly by and watch as the PA GOP disenfranchises the residents of the Commonwealth whose legally cast ballots elected Senator Brewster to office.

Sen. Jake Corman must seat Senator Brewster immediately.

Leigh Ann Chow, Upper Allen Twp., Pa.
A court in Jordan Tuesday handed death sentence to a man who stabbed to death eight people including four foreigners in 2019 at an ancient tourist site in the kingdom, The New Arab reports.

Mustafa Abu Ruwais, 24, is sentenced to death by hanging for the terrorist knife attack on tourists according to the court statement.

Ruwais was arrested in 2019 right after the attack that occurred in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Jerash, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of the capital Amman, the London-based media notes.

The foreign victims were one Swiss and three Mexican tourists while the Jordanians included a tour guide and a security officer who tried to stop Mustafa.

North Augusta, SC (29841)

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Sunshine and clouds mixed. Hot. High near 95F. Winds WSW at 10 to 15 mph..

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Jefferson County Sheriff's Department / Jefferson County Sheriff's Department

A tip regarding the sending and receiving of child pornography through social media led to the Wednesday arrest of the Port Neches Fire Chief, according to information from the Jefferson County District Attorneys Office.

Paul Nelson, 54, was jailed Wednesday and charged with two counts of promotion of child pornography. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison for each second-degree felony charge in addition to fines that could total $20,000.
Mumbai, Jan 13 : Hollywood screenwriters Carey Hayes and Chad Hayes, known for their work on films like House Of Wax and The Conjuring, will consult on a screenplay penned by poet-songwriter Rozam. The film will be directed by Vikram Bhatt.

Rozam is the pen name of the poet and songwriter Turki Al-Sheikh from Saudi Arabia.

Talking about the film titled "The Cello", Bhatt said: "Turki Al-Sheikh and I bonded over our love for horror thrillers, and so, we decided to work together to make the best one to date. While Carey Hayes and Chad Hayes will be consulting on the screenplay based on a story written by Turki Al-Sheikh, I will be directing it." "We plan to shoot a big portion of the film in Saudi Arabia. I am particularly excited to explore the virgin location of AlUla," he added.

Carey and Chad Hayes jointly said: "After the success of 'The Conjuring', we have been given many opportunities to work with the best filmmakers and creative executives that Hollywood has to offer." "We are very excited to expand globally with Rozam and Vikram Bhatt, two incredibly creative and talented individuals who strive to make great, scary movies with heart and soul, which parallels our own mandate," Carey and Chad Hayes added.

"Filmmaking is a collaborative process, and to work with the best is an honour. We are excited about 'The Cello', as it not only 'plays' up to everything we love about these type of movies, but also promises a mind-blowing story with scares that will chill even the bravest to the bone," they said.

"The Cello" is slated to release later this year.

NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- GTIS Partners LP ("GTIS"), a real estate private equity firm headquartered in New York City, with offices in Sao Paulo, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Paris and Munich, today announced that the Palacio Tangara, a hotel it developed in Sao Paulo, Brazil through institutional private equity funds has been recognized as 2021's Best Hotel in Brazil on Conde Nast Traveller's annual Gold List.

Conde Nast Traveller reviewed hotels from all over the world based on their service, attitude and design, finding that the Palacio Tangara's contemporary art and aura of luxurious sophistication captivated the world's attention and outperformed its competition.

As one of the largest foreign real estate investors in Brazil, GTIS has committed more than $2.4 billion of equity to its Brazil platform. The firm has been actively investing in Brazil real estate since 2005, and has developed numerous leading properties across asset types in Sao Paulo. The Palacio Tangara opened its doors to the public in Summer of 2017 after GTIS acquired the site in 2013. The hotel was designed by architect Patricia Anastassiadis and is located in Burle Marx Park overlooking a 26-acre stretch of dense Atlantic rainforest 10 miles southwest to the center of Sao Paulo.

"We are extremely honored to receive this recognition from Conde Nast for the Palacio Tangara," said Josh Pristaw, Senior Managing Director, Head of Capital Markets and Co-head of Brazil. "GTIS has been dedicated to expanding its Brazillian Real Estate portfolio since 2005, and spent more than four years working to develop Palacio Tangara into the magnificent property it is today. We are optimistic about the future and hope many more can enjoy this amazing hotel in the years to come."

About GTIS Partners

GTIS Partners is a leading real asset investment and development firm headquartered in New York with offices in Sao Paulo, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Paris and Munich. The firm was founded in 2005 by Tom Shapiro and is managed by President Tom Shapiro and Senior Managing Directors Thomas Feldstein, Josh Pristaw, Joao Teixeira, Rob Vahradian and Amy Boyle. The firm manages over $4 billion in gross assets and is active across a wide range of real estate sectors including single family and multifamily housing, office, industrial/logistics and hospitality as well as renewable energy infrastructure and opportunity zone investments. The firm invests at various points in the capital structure including credit, common equity and structured equity. In the US, GTIS has invested in over 130 assets across 40 unique markets including growth areas such as Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Denver, Atlanta, Tampa and Charlotte. In Brazil, GTIS is among the largest real assets private equity firms with holdings including office, residential, logistics, hospitality and renewable energy investments. Marquee assets in Sao Paulo include the Infinity office building and Palacio Tangara, a five-star resort style hotel. For more information, please visit www.gtispartners.com.

Media Contacts

Steve Bruce / Mary Beth Grover

ASC Advisors

(203) 992-1230

[email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE GTIS Partners

Related Links

http://www.gtispartners.com


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I get, you know, people like, Death penaltys wrong, but at what point do you excuse something like this? he asked, several days before Ms. Montgomery was put to death. I think, you know, its not right always to say an eye for an eye, but I think the communitys hurt enough that it would definitely help with some closure.

Still, Ms. Montgomerys lawyers cited the repeated physical and sexual abuse she endured as a child in pleas for leniency, arguing that President Trump would affirm the experiences of abuse survivors by commuting her sentence to life imprisonment. Her mother forced her to pay the bills through sexual acts with various repairmen, and her stepfather regularly subjected her to sexual abuse, a clinical psychologist said in a court declaration filed by her defense team.

Women are scarce on death row in the United States. According to a quarterly report from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, just 2 percent of those inmates on death row are women. With Ms. Montgomerys execution, there are now no women on federal death row.

The last women to be executed by the federal government were Bonnie Brown Heady for kidnapping and murder and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage, both in 1953.

Ms. Montgomerys execution was originally scheduled for last month. But after two of her lawyers contracted the coronavirus, a judge delayed it, and the Justice Department rescheduled.

In her final days, Ms. Montgomery found some fleeting reprieve in the courts. Her lawyers had claimed that she was incompetent for execution, citing mental illness, neurological impairment and complex trauma. A federal judge in Indiana issued a stay on Monday night so that the court could conduct a hearing to determine her competency. But a panel on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals vacated that stay on Tuesday, writing that Ms. Montgomerys claim could have been brought earlier. The judges also cited Supreme Court precedent, which emphasizes that last-minute stays of execution should be the extreme exception, not the norm.

Still, other court orders continued to block her execution well after the Bureau of Prisons tentatively scheduled execution time of 6 p.m. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued a separate stay so that the court could hear her claim related to the Federal Death Penalty Act, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals issued its own stay.
Edutech platform Simplilearn is in talks to raise $100-150 million in a funding round from global investors to raise primary capital for business expansion and to allow early investors leeway for a partial exit.

The funding round is likely to be completed in a month and would value the startup at $700 million, sources told The Economic Times.

The company is looking to raise a larger round and will give some of its early backers a partial exit. This round will also help it raise fresh funds to expand its product offering, one source said.

Another source added that it is looking at the valuation of around $700 million and more.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

The company is banking on increased infusions from global and domestic investors in high-growth edutech companies amid the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown as interest in online education options boomed.

The space is worth $117 billion with around 360 million learners in India, as per a report by the Indian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (IVCA) and PGA Labs.

The report noted that in 2020 investments in the space jumped 300 percent compared to 2019, and 92 edutech startups attracted investments, including seed funding for 61 of these companies. Big winners were Byjus (raised $2.32 billion) and Unacademy ($354 million)

Simplilearn has earlier raised $28 million from Helion Venture Partners, Kalaari Capital and Mayfair Fund, and $3 million from InnoVen Capital.

Simplilearn, Mayfair, Kalaari and Helion did not respond to queries, as per the report.

Simplilearn is an online training platform in areas such as cloud computing, cybersecurity, data science, digital marketing, and project management. Founded in 2009, it shifted to the online model in 2015 and has since entered markets such as Australia, Singapore, and the United States.
Employees of software development platform GitHub are up in arms after the Microsoft-owned company fired a Jewish employee who warned colleagues in the Washington, DC, area that Nazis are about on the day of the Capitol riot.

Some 200 employees of GitHub wrote a letter last week demanding an explanation from management after the employee was fired for igniting a fierce debate over the term Nazi that was used to refer to the Trump mob.

On January 6, the United States Capitol was ransacked by a mob incited by President Trump, prompting near universal outrage. Many were shocked to see some of the rioters wear overtly anti-Semitic clothing and symbols.

Photographs captured a man in the crowd wearing a shirt emblazoned with 'Camp Auschwitz,' a reference to the Nazi concentration camp.

The man, Robert Keith Packer, was arrested on Wednesday by the FBI in Virginia.

Packer has been charged with knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building without lawful authority, and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

A GitHub employee was fired last week after warning of 'Nazis' in Washington, DC, during the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. Many were shocked to see some of the rioters wear overtly anti-Semitic clothing and symbols. Photographs captured a man, Robert Keith Packer (above), in the crowd wearing a shirt emblazoned with 'Camp Auschwitz,' a reference to the Nazi concentration camp. Packer (left) was arrested by the FBI in Virginia on Wednesday

Packer (left) was seen in footage taken from inside the Capitol building as it was stormed by pro-Trump rioters

Two white nationalists known for racist and anti-Semitic rhetoric livestreamed to their online followers after breaking into the Capitol during the deadly insurrection.

And video circulated on social media showed a man harassing an Israeli journalist who was trying to do a live report outside the building.

In response to the crisis, a Jewish GitHub employee posted a message on an internal Slack chat room addressed to co-workers living near the capital.

The message read: stay safe homies, Nazis are about.

That comment ignited a fury on the chat, with one co-worker taking issue with what was perceived as divisive language, according to Business Insider.

Other co-workers then joined the argument and a fierce debate ensued.

Later that day, GitHubs human resources department reprimanded the Jewish employee who initially made the Nazis are about warning. The department sent the employee a stern message via Slack.

The employee told Business Insider that two days after being reprimanded, he was informed that he would no longer be working at the company, which cited patterns of behavior as the reason for his dismissal.

The fired employee has insisted on anonymity for fear of being subject to harassment online if his identity becomes known.

DailyMail.com has sought comment from GitHub.

After angry employees sent a letter to management denouncing the firing, GitHub CEO Nat Friedman sent a response on Monday, telling his workers that he denounced the siege on the US Capitol.

According to Business Insider, Friedman vowed that the company would look into the circumstances surrounding the Jewish employees dismissal and will take any and all appropriate action following a thorough investigation.

I, GitHub, and everyone on our leadership team condemn the attack on the US Capitol last week and any and all belief systems that are discriminatory, Friedman wrote to the companys employees.

Antisemitism, neonazis, and white supremacy - along with all other forms of racism - are vile and have no place in the world, and especially no place in our community.

In a Slack group for Jewish employees, the fired worker wrote: I did not know that, as Jew, it would be so polarizing to say this word.

Shortly after sending that message, he was officially terminated from GitHub. The company then deactivated all of his corporate accounts.

We grew up saying [Nazi], he wrote in the message.

It was a story we told because we had to - the decimation of whole lines of ancestry were at the hands of people who went by that title.

A Jewish employee at the software development firm GitHub was fired by the company last week after he warned co-workers in the Washington, DC, area to beware of 'Nazis' during the riot at the United States Capitol on January 6

The fired employee, who says he had relatives who died in the Holocaust, said he was likely done with the tech industry due to its toxic culture.

He told Business Insider that his intent in sending the original message was to warn friends and co-workers in the Washington, DC, area to be careful of anti-Semites and neo-Nazis.

The fired employee said he was concerned for the safety of his Jewish relatives living near the nations capital.

I was scared for people who were there, the former employee said.

After that, there was confusion about my messaging on it.

Two days after sending the initial message, the employee was summoned for a meeting with his manager that was also attended by an HR representative.

The fired employee is asking GitHub management to provide a written explanation detailing the patterns of behavior cited as the reason for his dismissal.

As of Wednesday, he has yet to hear back.

Over the weekend, GitHub COO Erica Brescia informed employees that the company was actively looking into the situation and will take any appropriate action after running a thorough process.

GitHub does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or retaliation," Brescia wrote in the message.

In response to the crisis, a Jewish GitHub employee posted a message on an internal Slack chat room addressed to co-workers living near the capital. The message read: stay safe homies, Nazis are about. Two days later, the employee was fired

Period. This applies to both our everyday interactions with other Hubbers and any separation decisions.

If we learn of any actions inconsistent with our policies or values, we will always investigate those thoroughly and take appropriate action.

GitHub employees have in years past voiced their displeasure with the company as it relates to social and political issues.

In 2019, several GitHub employees resigned in protest of the companys partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

GitHub entered into a $200,000 contract with ICE, the federal agency in charge of rounding up and deporting undocumented immigrants.

Management, however, insisted that it keep doing business with ICE, though in an effort to quell employee unrest it pledged $500,000 to nonprofits that support migrant communities.
Washington: US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has named a Maryland Democrat grieving his son's recent death as leader of the nine House Democrats who would prosecute US President Donald Trump during his expected Senate impeachment trial.

The team includes three women, four people of colour and lawmakers from states stretching from Rhode Island to California. Rep. Jamie Raskin will be the lead manager. The 58-year-old has often been an energetic presence during floor debates and taught constitutional law for 25 years. His 25-year-old son died of suicide on New Year's Eve.

Other managers will be Reps. Diana DeGette of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Joaquin Castro of Texas, Eric Swalwell of California, Ted Lieu of California, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania and Stacey Plaskett, the Democratic delegate from the Virgin Islands.

Meanwhile, US Vice President Mike Pence has ruled out using the 25th Amendment to remove outgoing President Donald Trump.

According to reports, Pence told the House leaders on Tuesday that he does not support invoking the 25th Amendment process to remove Donald Trump, all but guaranteeing an imminent impeachment vote against the president.

"With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment," Pence wrote to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, referring to the process that would declare Trump unable to fulfill his duties and install Pence as acting president for the remainder of the term.

"I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution," he said, hours before the House was to vote on a measure calling on him to initiate the 25th Amendment process or risk an impeachment vote against Trump.

This came as the US House pressed forward toward impeaching President Donald Trump for the deadly Capitol attack, taking time only to try to persuade his vice president to push him out first. Trump, however, showed no remorse, blaming impeachment for the tremendous anger? in America.

Already scheduled to leave office next week, Trump is on the verge of becoming the only president in history to be twice impeached. His incendiary rhetoric at a rally ahead of the Capitol uprising is now in the impeachment charge against him, even as the falsehoods he spread about election fraud are still being championed by some Republicans.

As lawmakers reconvened at the Capitol for the first time on Tuesday since the bloody siege, they were also bracing for more violence ahead of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, January 20.

All of us have to do some soul searching, said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., during a House rules debate, pleading for a change of heart among colleagues still backing Trump.

Two Republicans, Reps. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and John Katko of New York became the first to announce they would vote to impeach Trump.

To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy, Katko said in a statement. Trump, meanwhile, warned the lawmakers off impeachment and suggested it was the drive to oust him that was dividing the country.

"To continue on this path, I think it's causing tremendous danger to our country, and it's causing tremendous anger," Trump said.

In his first remarks to reporters since last week's violence, the outgoing president offered no condolences for those dead or injured, only saying, I want no violence.

Trump is being charged with incitement of insurrection over the attack at the Capitol last week. Democrats plan to push an impeachment resolution through the House on Wednesday, with modest GOP support.

Live TV

She addressed the backlash for being in Barbados while the nation was in lockdown 3.0 earlier this week.

And Montana Brown continued to share a slew of sizzling snaps from her break on Instagram on Wednesday.

The Love Island star, 25, showcased her incredible figure in a strapless blue swimsuit from her own swimwear brand.

Beach babe: Montana Brown showcased her incredible physique in a strapless blue swimsuit during her Barbados break on Wednesday

The one-piece highlighted Montana's slender waist waist thanks to it's waist belt design.

Click here to resize this module

The high-rise cut accentuated the television personality's peachy derriere as she posed side on for the camera.

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Montana appeared in holiday mode as she donned a straw hat and accentuated her sun-kissed tan with a minimal make-up look.

Cheeky display: The high-rise cut accentuated the television personality's peachy derriere as she posed side on for the camera

Criticism: Her latest post comes after she hit back at backlash for travelling abroad to Barbados in the midst of the global pandemic

Montana recently responded to backlash for jetting off to Barbados over the Christmas period to spend time with her family.

She said she 'needed' to be around her loved ones as she explained her decision to stay in the tropical country for the foreseeable future.

The reality star wrote: 'Hey everyone, I've had a few messages regarding me being away.

'I know it's a really difficult time for everyone in the UK and I completely understand everyone's frustrations.

Controversy: On Monday, the bombshell said she 'needed' to be around her loved ones as she explained her decision to stay in the tropical country for the foreseeable future

'Just to clarify, I'm not in Dubai, I travelled to Barbados with my family before the UK lockdown (before Christmas) and made the decision to stay due to the new restrictions in the UK.

'I posted a Story when I first got out of quarantine to assess whether you guys felt comfortable with me posting (which I'll put on the next slide).

'If that's changed I do understand and I'll put a question box on this Story too as I want to hear from you and what your opinions are.'

Montana revealed she already had plans to travel and shoot content for her swimwear brand, Swim Society, this year. She also assured her Instagram followers that she valued their opinion.

She added: 'As a business, we did have a content trip planned for January for Swim Society and I knew I wouldn't be able to do that due to the restrictions, so that influenced my decision to stay [in Barbados].

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'I want to post uplifting content as I know it's a really awful and uncertain time however, I also don't want to be insensitive to what people are going through.

'It's a hard thing to manage and I really don't want to upset anyone or for people to think I don't care what's going on'. (sic)
The snowball effect activated by judges, politicians and media against Adria Carrasco, which forced him into exile in Belgium on April 10th, 2018 once he learned that he was accused of terrorism, sedition and public disorder, reached the end of its trajectory this Monday outside the Catalan High Court in Barcelona. The young man from Esplugues de Llobregat has returned from exile after a judge in Granollers, the last to hear his case, threw out the file. Nearly three years in exile, a very long time , for a case initiated by Spain's National Audience and Civil Guard which accused him of terrorism and of being the head of the CDRs - a case which, as time has gone by, has collapsed like a house of cards.

But in this case, as in others we have seen, the ultimate goal was to cause the maximum fear possible among the public and make it clear that the repression against the Catalan independence movement was still alive, and also, that it was indiscriminate. The case against Adria Carrasco did not stand up, and that was seen from the outset. But for more than thirty months, it was moved from court to court, a total of ten times. Yes, ten different judicial instances before it was finally closed. Strange and inexplicable as it may seem, this was the situation until the judge in Granollers argued that he was closing the case because there was no evidence to prove the crime. That is, it was all a frame-up.

The Spanish state has seen in recent days how the whole arsenal of fake news, inconsistent extradition orders and indiscriminate repression, is gradually being dismantled and heading towards a final result of nothing. The Belgian judiciary made a huge hole in the Supreme Court last week, following the refusal to extradite Catalan minister Lluis Puig, a circumstance that almost certainly will be repeated in a few months with Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Clara Ponsati. Time is not on the side of the Spanish state, although the damage that its victims have suffered - or are still suffering - is permanent and indelible. The longer it takes the Pedro Sanchez government to grant pardons to the political prisoners and the others persecuted for the October 1st referendum, the more it will be seen that all that exists is political calculation, when the point is not to be magnanimous, but to be just.

And it is imperative that the independence movement demands an amnesty law and finds a way to bend the will of the current Spanish government, comfortably sheltering in the fallacy that it is impossible. Parliamentary majorities are for this purpose and Pedro Sanchez and Pablo Iglesias must be made to understand that they will not be able to look at Catalan society face to face if there is no political move such as an amnesty. Speaking clar i catala as the saying goes - that is, putting it bluntly - the amnesty must not be negotiable, but rather must be the essential condition for any negotiation. Something that is radically different. Failure to insist on this implies that cases such as that of Adria Carrasco or the infamous October 1st referendum trial in the Supreme Court are accepted.
San Francisco, Jan 13 : Google-owned YouTube, which is yet to permanently ban the outgoing US President Donald Trump, has removed a new video from his account for violating the content policies. The company has also issued a "strike" against his account, meaning he cannot upload new videos or livestream content for at least a week.

"After careful review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J. Trump channel and issued a strike for violating our policies for inciting violence." YouTube says in a statement to The Verge.

"As a result, in accordance with our long-standing strikes system, the channel is now prevented from uploading new videos or live streams for a minimum of seven days -- which may be extended," it said on Tuesday.

YouTube has also indefinitely disabled comments on Trump's videos due to "ongoing concerns about violence".

Earlier, YouTube removed one of Trump's videos that addressed a mob attack on the Capitol.

Twitter has banned Trump from its platform, citing "risk of further incitement of violence". The Twitter ban came after a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol, hoping to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.

Facebook initially prevented Trump from posting to Facebook and Instagram for 24 hours, before CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced to indefinitely suspend his account till January 20.

On Twitter, Trump's handle is now almost empty white canvas, frozen at 51 followed accounts, 88.7 million followers and two words on the centre of screen, saying "Account suspended".

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
Colorado Politics senior political reporter

Joey Bunch is the senior correspondent and deputy managing editor of Colorado Politics. His 32-year career includes the last 16 in Colorado. He was part of the Denver Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2013 and he is a two-time finalist.
Thats the view from Penceworld. Trump sicced the mob on him. He may not have imagined Trump supporters were going to march through the Capitol chanting, Hang Mike Pence. But that was a foreseeable outcome of the incendiary language he used against not just his political opponents but his own vice president. It boggles the mind.

What kind of drama does the 25th Amendment resolution bring to this?

It puts Trump a little bit on his back legs. Yes, hes mad at Pence, but he has to realize Pence holds his fate in his hands. Pence has a vehicle, an instrument, to respond if Trump completely shoves him to the side.

Unlike with his ceremonial role certifying the election, the 25th Amendment for Pence is a subjective choice. What hes been telling people is that the mechanism is unwieldy and it might not work the way people want. You would have a situation where two people could be claiming to be president at the same time. There are factors there that go beyond personal loyalty.

What did last Wednesday represent in a Trump-Pence relationship typically marked by fealty?

Pence finally met a juncture that he couldnt finesse. He finally met a potential breaking point with Trump he couldnt get out of. For three years and 11 months he had managed to sidestep every possible blowup by saying things to make Trump just happy enough to manage Trumps red line. This was finally one he couldnt do that with.

What does it say about Trumps presidency that its ending in an impeachment so convulsive that itll carry over to the next presidents term?
Why did the hotel refund your brother but not you? The answer may lie in its current refund policy. It offers the ability to cancel on certain (more expensive) rates but not on all of them. Its possible that your brother had booked a different rate, which the resort considered refundable. I like your idea of a credit card dispute and am sorry that didnt work. A credit card dispute is typically the last resort for getting a refund. Id say you were there. (By the way, I think its time for you to find a new credit card. Your bank is definitely not on your side.)
Half Moon Bay, CA (94019)

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Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 58F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..

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Some clouds. Low 49F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Those needing PPP loans round two will not include Maine businesses, unfortunate. Many companies have been struck by the lockdowns that these loans are vital for these businesses to keep afloat.

Businesses in Portland, Maine, like other states in the country, should be able to apply for another road of

federal Paycheck Protection Program loans.

In 2020, Maine's commercial establishments got more than$2.2 billion in federal funds received last year. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Maine and other places in the US. Worrying business owners how to stay in operation reported News Center, Maine.

One feature the distribution of Paycheck Protection Program loans that will be different compared to the last distribution of such loans. A tighter criterion is implemented to make sure smaller businesses can avail of them. The previous rollout of such loans was criticized severely because most large corporations benefited more.

One Portland business owner, Damian Sansonetti, remarked that the loans helped a lot.

According to Sansonetti and his wife, their restaurant Chaval was a recipient of federal assistance last year. It kept them going and hoping that such a loan be given to the small business owner in succeeding months.

Paycheck Protection Program loans' last disbursal was not subject to control and regulation; smaller establish got less. This time small businesses will be given more priority in the next set of paycheck loans.

When applying, these rules should be noted for business owners availing of the Paycheck Protection Program loans. These will be strictly applied.

a) All businesses will have a limit of $ 2 million when availed.

b) Applicant for PPP Loans Round Two, Maine Businesses should have less than 300 people employed in the establishment.

Also read: Mortgage and Your Home: How to Pay During the Pandemic

c) Proof should be submitted by the applicant that a 25% drop in sales or services from the same period in 2019.

d) Most of the applicants should not be publicly traded companies. Smaller businesses like mom and pops in local communities are preferred.

e) The federal government has a total fund of $12 billion to support a business of minorities.

Maine Small Business Development Centers, state director Mark Delisle mentioned these changes in the second round of loans are gear for mostly Maine-based establishments. Some of these businesses are struggling hospitality and restaurant industry.

Delisle added that some sectors were struck hard by the pandemic; these establishments have the option of applying (x3.5) of their payroll. This a contrast to x2.5 of the monthly payroll, according to News Center Maine.

These loans will only be availed via small community lenders or Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) initially. Confirmation is not known when other financial institutions are ready for rollout.

According to Maine Community Bank CEO Jeanne Hulit, the paperwork is getting processed for dozens of customers, ready to avail of the business loans.

She used to be the acting administrator of the Small Business Administration in the Obama administration during 2013. She enables establishments in Maine to get $75 million federal loans in 2020.

Adding that it took two weeks to get the emergency funds to their customers. Hoping it can be done again in 2019 for the second round of loans.

These second road PPP loans for first-time applicants (Maine Businesses) can get it from a community lender starting Jan. 11. Those on their second will be on Jan. 13.

Related article: Be Smart: Stimulus Check Scams to Look out for in 2021

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
World leaders reacted with horror after a pro-Trump mob assaulted American democracy and the peaceful transfer of power by storming the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, as lawmakers were attempting to certify President-elect Biden's victory in November.

Why it matters: The U.S. government is typically a leading voice in condemning political violence all over the world.

What they're saying

German Chancellor Angela Merkel: "These images made me furious and also sad, and I'm quite sure I feel like most friends of the United States, like millions of people who admire America's democratic tradition. And I regret very much that President Trump since November has not conceded his defeat, and not yesterday either."

French President Emmanuel Macron: "When, in one of the world's oldest democracies, supporters of an outgoing president take up arms to challenge the legitimate results of an election, that one idea  that of 'one person, one vote'  is undermined."

"Today, France stands strongly, fervently and resolutely with the American people and will all the people who want to choose their leaders, determine their own destinies and their own lives through free and democratic elections. And we will not yield to the violence of a few individuals who want to challenge that."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: "The rampage of the Capitol building in Washington was a disgraceful act, and it must be condemned. I have no doubt that the American democracy will prevail."

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "Disgraceful scenes in U.S. Congress. The United States stands for democracy around the world and it is now vital that there should be a peaceful and orderly transfer of power."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: "Canadians are deeply disturbed and saddened by the attack on democracy in the United States, our closest ally and neighbour. Violence will never succeed in overruling the will of the people. Democracy in the US must be upheld - and it will be."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg: "Shocking scenes in Washington, D.C. The outcome of this democratic election must be respected."

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell Fontelles: "In the eyes of the world, American democracy tonight appears under siege. This is an unseen assault on US democracy, its institutions and the rule of law. This is not America. The election results of 3 November must be fully respected."

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi: Distressed to see news about rioting and violence in Washington DC. Orderly and peaceful transfer of power must continue. The democratic process cannot be allowed to be subverted through unlawful protests.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, translated: [The enemies of democracy will find out about these incredible images #WashingtonDC looking forward. Insurgent words turn into violent acts - on the steps of the Reichstag, and now in the #Capitol. The disdain for democratic institutions is devastating.]

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba: "Concerning scenes in Washington, D.C. Im confident American democracy will overcome this challenge. The rule of law & democratic procedures need to be restored as soon as possible. This is important not only for the U.S., but for Ukraine and the entire democratic world as well."

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte: "Horrible images from Washington D.C. Dear [Donald Trump], recognise [Joe Biden] as the next president today."

Irish Prime Minster Micheal Martin: "The Irish people have a deep connection with the United States of America, built up over many generations. I know that many, like me, will be watching the scenes unfolding in Washington DC with great concern and dismay."

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte: "I am following what is happening in #Washington with great concern. Violence is incompatible with the exercise of democratic rights and freedoms. I am confident in the strength and robustness of the institutions of the United States."

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon: "The scenes from the Capitol are utterly horrifying. Solidarity with those in [the United States] on the side of democracy and the peaceful and constitutional transfer of power. Shame on those who have incited this attack on democracy."

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg: "Unbelievable scenes from Washington D.C. This is a totally unacceptable attack on democracy. A heavy responsibility now rests on President Trump to put a stop to this."

Anadolu Agency, Turkish state media: "Turkey invites all parties in US to use moderation, common sense to overcome this domestic political crisis. Turkey concerned over developments in US, urges calm and lawful solution to problems, says parliament head."
BEIRUT - The death toll from air raids in northeastern Syria, at the border with Iraq, has risen to 57, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday.

The raids, attributed to Israel, killed Syrian government forces and pro-Iranian militants, the NGO said.

According to the new toll released by the monitoring group, 43 pro-Iranian militia members, including 16 Iraqis, were among the victims, in addition to 14 members of Syrian government forces and auxiliary militias.

The observatory said that it was the bloodiest air raid carried out by Israel against pro-Iranian positions in Syria since the start of the war 10 years ago.






Even before the start of the pandemic, the medical marijuana industry was already one of the fastest-growing sectors, statistics showing that 48% of Americans had used marijuana in their lifetime. But, with the pandemic, the industry grew even more, and telehealth has had a significant role to play. In the past months, virtual doctors visits have been critical in reducing the spread of the novel coronavirus, and federal governments and insurers have covered them financially. At the same time, over 20 states have approved the use of telehealth for medical marijuana prescriptions. Before the pandemic, it was relatively rare for states to allow the prescription of medical marijuana after conducting online virtual appointments, but that changed when many states classified dispensaries as essential businesses during the lockdown. According to the Marijuana Policy Project, most practitioners now allow telehealth services, but some still require in-person visits first.

As for patients, the feedback seems to be overwhelmingly positive, thanks to the advantages of telehealth. For example, they explain that they feel much better knowing that they dont have to go to the doctors office in person, and the appointment itself consists of just talking. At the doctors end, the telehealth model is more flexible because it allows them to provide personalized counseling for people who want to navigate getting a medical marijuana card in Missouri and other states.

Telehealth volume estimated to stay the same even after the pandemic

Digital transformation has taken by storm all industries in the past few months, medicine included, and advocates of virtual medical services say that the benefits of this model are too big to drop it after the pandemic ends. According to CDC data, the percentage of patients receiving telehealth services increased to 73% in the first months of the pandemic. Patients and healthcare providers alike had been asking for its widespread implementation for years, and now that we know it works, theres no reason to go back to outdated practices. Not only has telehealth met the demand for MMJ evaluations, but it also revealed other key benefits that could influence the way patients interact and receive healthcare services.

Companies can use Big Data and analytics to predict the demand for medical marijuana and adapt their offer accordingly. Likewise, they can stay up to date with consumer trends and discuss with retails to see how they can get ready for these trends.

The industry can become more transparent and trackable, thanks to Blockchain. Transparency is an ever-present concern in the cannabis industry, and telehealth can finally address it. For instance, Blockchain can create a standardized space where the source and quality of medical marijuana can be verified.

Last but not least, digitization in healthcare can allow for better doctor education. In order to prescribe medical marijuana, doctors need to gain a certification first. In states where the use of medical marijuana is on the rise, such as Missouri, Florida, and Maryland, the demand from healthcare professionals is on the rise. Gaining the certificate online is much safer and convenient, enabling doctors to meet the expectations of modern patients. Of course, medicinal marijuana is a dynamic industry, and things can evolve in the following months but, based on current trends, it appears that it is here to stay.


As overdose deaths soar throughout California, proposed state legislation would legalize a program that encourages people to curb their methamphetamine use with incentives like gift cards and cash.

The approach, called contingency management, is a controversial but effective practice. Researchers have found it helps people control their substance use, particularly for methamphetamine. Its yet another approach that San Francisco officials hope they can use to address the deadly drug epidemic that killed approximately two people a day in the city last year.

Theres an increasing urgency around ensuring we have all of the tools available to address overdoses and substance use disorder, said Laura Thomas, director of Harm Reduction Policy at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, which is supporting state legislation sponsored by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, to legalize the practice and allow Medi-Cal  the states insurance for low-income people  to pay for it.

We know there are more people out there who want and deserve these services, Thomas added.

Methamphetamine use has spiked dramatically in San Francisco over the past few years, and the pandemic has exacerbated the problem. According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, meth overdose deaths have increased by 500% since 2008. Meanwhile, according to city statistics, 50% of psychiatric emergency room admissions at San Francisco General Hospital are related to meth.

Contingency management is often used for meth addiction because no medication exists to help wean users off the stimulant. Those who use opioids like heroin and fentanyl can use FDA-approved medications, such as buprenorphine or methadone, to manage their addictions.

The way contingency management works is simple: Someone struggling with substance use voluntarily pees in a cup at least once a week. If no drugs are detected in their system, they get a small reward like a few dollars added into an account or a gift card. They dont get a reward if drugs are detected. But they are often encouraged to try again.

Critics of the practice are against the idea of essentially paying people not to use drugs, and say the state should focus on increasing other options like drug treatment and supportive housing. But those who support it say it is a cheaper and lower-barrier option for people who may not have had success with traditional rehab programs.

Even though researchers  like those at the National Institute of Health  say contingency management is an effective way to help people stay sober, its underutilized in California because Medi-Cal does not reimburse those who offer it. Thats because the treatment exists in a legal gray area in California, where theres no law that explicitly authorizes or bans it. The incentives can also be considered kickbacks under federal law.

However, organizations like the SF AIDS Foundation are able to offer contingency management programs because of local funding. The Department of Veterans Affairs also offers contingency management across its health care system around the country.

Wieners bill, the Recovery Incentives Act, which was introduced last week, would legalize the practice in California and authorize Medi-Cal to cover it.

If were serious about tackling meth addiction, we need to use every available tool, Wiener said. People are dying; its destroying peoples lives. Its impacting our health care system. And in particular, its having big impacts in the LGBTQ community.

Contingency management worked for Billy Lemon, who enrolled in the SF AIDS Foundation contingency management program when he was in rehab for his meth addiction a few years ago.

Every time he tested negative, he said he got a small little rush that he wanted to keep experiencing. By the end of the 12-week program, he said he tested negative every time and saved about $300. He said the program likely worked for him because he was able to couple it with the support he got from his rehab program.

Youre building up these really small wins that can seem really inconsequential, Lemon said. But for someone who has thrown their life aside and trying to make a change, it was really helpful.

Contingency management is most effective when paired with other services  like rehab, medication management, therapy and housing. But San Franciscos networks of drug treatment services are understaffed and overwhelmed, particularly as the pandemic has disrupted services like drop-in centers and in-person support groups.

If the law passes, Lauren Kahn, a spokeswoman for HealthRight 360  the citys largest provider of drug treatment services  said the nonprofit would absolutely offer the service.

While fentanyl  a deadly opioid that can be 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine  was the main driver behind the record overdose deaths in 2020, the skyrocketing use of meth has also wreaked havoc on San Franciscos streets.

According to a 2019 report by the citys Meth Task force, meth is contributing to violent encounters, property damage, thefts and hazardous waste. It can also lead to psychosis in some users, which has in turn exacerbated the citys mental health crisis.

Isaac Jackson said he tried contingency management a couple of years ago, and it helped him stay sober from meth for about a month. But, he said, it was hard to eventually stay away from the drug because he also struggles with depression.

While Jackson still uses meth regularly, he said hes able to keep his use under control because he stays busy with projects  like running the Urban Survivors Union, which advocates for drug users. He also has stable housing.

I think it could be an effective program if it is part of a range of things offered to people, he said. People have different pathways.

If the legislation passes, it could help expand San Franciscos drug treatment offerings. The city has been slow to add new addiction treatment programs and expand existing ones.

For example, a meth sobering center that was supposed to open last year was put on hold amid the pandemic. City leaders have also long called for a safe consumption site, but that effort is stalled until the state passes legislation  which Wiener has also proposed  authorizing it.

Meanwhile, the city is seeing a record number of fatal overdoses.

Thomas Wolf, a recovering drug user, has mixed feelings about contingency management. He worries that if it isnt coupled with comprehensive rehab, therapy and other services, people will use the money earned in the program to buy more drugs.

But, he said, given the gravity of the crisis, officials should try everything.

Im of the belief that we need to try anything and everything at this point, including safe consumption sites, he said. At this point, we need the kitchen sink.

Trisha Thadani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani
New Jersey cant wait any longer to begin vaccinating its teachers against the coronavirus and should expand eligibility as soon as possible, two Republican state lawmakers said Wednesday.

The state is already vaccinating health care workers, nursing home residents and police and firefighters. On Thursday, it will open eligibility to those 65 and older as well as younger people with medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe complications with COVID-19.

Teachers, however, are not yet eligible, even as thousands are already working in schools.

Other states, like New York, have prioritized educators and since the administration often follows lockstep with them, why arent we doing that here? said Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso, R-Monmouth.

The state is absolutely right to expand eligibility to older, vulnerable populations, said Sen. Declan OScanlon, R-Monmouth. But teachers should be included in the expansion, especially considering Gov. Phil Murphys stance that schools need to be open, OScanlon said.

They have acknowledged that prolonged, fully remote learning has impacts on our students, OScanlon said. The best, obvious way to ensure we can keep kids in school is by immediately expanding eligibility to our teachers.

The lawmakers call underscores both the heated national debate over who should be prioritized for vaccination and the complicated decisions state leaders face.

New Jersey educators are in Phase 1b of the states vaccination program, a group that also includes first responders, food service workers, day care employees and public transit workers. The state has already made police and fire personnel eligible.

Murphy announced Wednesday that anyone 65 or older and those between 16 and 64 with specific medical conditions can start making appointments Thursday for vaccines. That includes an estimated 4.47 million residents: 1.47 million who are 65 and older, 2 million smokers and up to 1 million others with chronic health conditions, said state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli.

New Jersey has received 654,900 doses of coronavirus vaccine, according to figures tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. State officials have reported 264,681 doses have been administered  including 236,503 first doses and 28,045 second doses.

New Jersey has more than 100,000 public school teachers, plus thousands of private school teachers and other critical school personnel. But many educators are working remotely because some schools have struggled to stay open, while others have yet to offer in-person classes this academic year.

Just 79 districts began this week offering full, in-person instruction, according to the state.

School leaders have said teacher vaccinations should give staff more confidence about returning to work in-person. However, they have also cautioned that teacher vaccinations alone wont be enough to safely reopen all schools.

There are also questions about how many teachers will decide to get vaccinated. Murphy said this week he will not require vaccinations for teachers and expects educators will come of their own free will.

Some districts have considered requiring vaccinations, but it remains unclear how pushback from teachers unions could affect those plans.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Adam Clark may be reached at aclark@njadvancemedia.com. Have a news tip or a story idea about New Jersey schools? Send it here.

As a rare ruling party congress came to a close after eight days of discussions regarding policies, Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un called for greater nuclear war deterrence and to push North Korea military capability at maximum according to the report state News agency KCNA on Wednesday.

The Eighth Party Congress came just more than a week before the United States president-elect Joe Biden will take his office and in the middle of a prolonged gridlock in talks aimed at ending the nuclear and missile program of North Korea in return for U.S. sanction relief.

According to Reuters, the state news agency quoted that the Supreme Leader said during the conclusion of the congress that they must do everything that they can in order to increase nuclear war deterrence even further as they are building the strongest North Korea military capability.

Last week, the leader of the Hermit state shared that he will be expanding military capabilities in order to defend the North and called for placing state defense capabilities on a much higher level.

The Supreme Leader has called for continued production of nuclear weapons for his arsenal, unveiled what would be the largest ICBM yet at a parade in October, and launched a series of smaller missiles, since the announcement of the self-declared moratorium on nuclear testing and intercontinental ballistic missile launches from 2018, The Straits Times reported.

The congress, which lasted for eight days in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, is the first since 2016, which was, in turn, the first time since 1980.

Read Also: Firearm Sales Increase Days After Riots at the US Capitol

The Hermit state leader shared to the party congress last week that the five-year economic plan of his had failed to meet its goals, as he blamed the international sanction as well as unanticipated crises which include the COVID-19 and natural disasters.

On the other hand, the sister of the Supreme Leader and also a member of the Party Central Committee, Kim Yo Jong, had criticized the military of South Korea for monitoring a parade in Pyongyang.

Kim Yo Jong also shared in a separate statement, which was carried by the state news agency, KCNA, that the said move was an expression of the hostile approach of the South.

On Monday, the military of South Korea mentioned that it had detected signs that North Korea is holding a military parade at night time on Sunday for its ruling Worker's party congress after the leader Kim Jong Un also announced to maximize North Korea Military Capability.

Kim Yo Jong, who is a key adviser to her brother, Kim Jong Un, also mentioned in a statement carried by KCNA that the southerners are truly a weird group and hard to understand, Bloomberg reported.

She also mentioned, which confirms the schedule of the parade that they are only holding a military parade in the capital city and not doing any military exercises and targeting anybody nor launch anything.

The sister of Kim Jong Un had appeared to suffer demotion at the meeting after not appearing on the lists of those who are appointed to the party central committee, after being an alternate member previously.

Related Article: Michigan Gun Ban on Open Carry Firearms, Following DC Capitol Riot

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People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has enlisted the help of Tony winner Beth Leavel and songwriters Lisa Lambert and Adam Overett to celebrate the achievement of Major Biden, the first rescue dog to live in the White House.

Tony-winning songwriter Lambert (The Drowsy Chaperone) and Adam Overett (Popesical) have penned the new song, Rescue Dog Major Biden's Tips for a Safe Playtime Experience, which Leavel has recorded as a new video. The song is about adoption and how to play safely with a rescued dog, and was written for PETA's drive-in inaugural eve party, which will salute Major as its guest of honor. Watch the song below:
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Where do you have to wear a face covering in England under law? Here is a list of where face masks must be worn in England. Some of the venues are closed under law: public transport (aeroplanes, trains, trams and buses)

taxis and private hire vehicles

transport hubs (airports, rail and tram stations and terminals, maritime ports and terminals, bus and coach stations and terminals)

shops and supermarkets (places which offer goods or services for retail sale or hire)

shopping centres (malls and indoor markets)

auction houses

premises providing hospitality (bars, pubs, restaurants, cafes), except when seated at a table to eat or drink (see exemptions)

post offices, banks, building societies, high-street solicitors and accountants, credit unions, short-term loan providers, savings clubs and money service businesses

estate and lettings agents

theatres

premises providing personal care and beauty treatments (hair salons, barbers, nail salons, massage centres, tattoo and piercing parlours)

premises providing veterinary services

visitor attractions and entertainment venues (museums, galleries, cinemas, theatres, concert halls, cultural and heritage sites, aquariums, indoor zoos and visitor farms, bingo halls, amusement arcades, adventure activity centres, indoor sports stadiums, funfairs, theme parks, casinos, skating rinks, bowling alleys, indoor play areas including soft-play areas)

libraries and public reading rooms

places of worship

funeral service providers (funeral homes, crematoria and burial ground chapels)

community centres, youth centres and social clubs

exhibition halls and conference centres

public areas in hotels and hostels

storage and distribution facilities Advertisement

Shoppers and commuters travelling through London during rush hour this morning have been pictured not wearing face masks hours after the Home Secretary backed a tougher police approach to lockdown rules.

Priti Patel said a minority of the public are 'putting the health of the nation at risk', adding that officers are moving more quickly to issuing fines where people are clearly breaching coronavirus regulations.

Some people don't have to wear a mask if they have a valid exemption, such as it causing them severe distress or because of a physical or mental illness, impairment or disability  and they do not have to carry proof.

But concerns are mounting that others are simply breaking the law because they don't want to wear one  and Ms Patel revealed that nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices have been issued in the UK since March.

National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt warned those caught not wearing a mask on a bus or train 'can expect a fine' unless they are exempt - and police would no longer 'waste time' trying to reason with people such as those who disagree with the rules.

He said: 'Not wearing a face covering on a bus or a train is dangerous. It risks the lives of other travellers including those critical workers who must continue to use public transport to do their important work.'

A string of supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons have now pledged to get tougher with customers who refuse to wear face coverings by denying them entry to their stores.

Britain's most senior police officer, Dame Cressida Dick, said Metropolitan Police officers would be prepared to assist shop staff if customers became 'obstructive and aggressive' when told they must wear a face covering.

One incident this morning at a Morrisons store in Peckham, South East London, saw a construction worker clash with a store security guard when he was refused entry to the store for not wearing a mask.

The shopper angrily told the guard that he did not have to wear because he had a medical condition. But the guard said he was not wearing a certificate exempting him around his neck and refused to allow him in.

During the stand-off, the shopper pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket, insisting it was a Government-issued exemption certificate. After examining it, the guard told the man that as he was not wearing it around his neck, he would not be allowed into the store.

The disgruntled construction worker, who was trying to buy some breakfast, told MailOnline: 'It's quite ridiculous. How am I supposed to wear this certificate around my neck every time I go into a shop?

'I've never had this problem before but clearly the supermarkets are getting a lot tougher about imposing the mask rule. I've got a medical reason for not wearing a mask and always make sure that I carry my exemption certificate with me.

Some commuters don't wear face masks on the Jubilee line in London today. It is not known whether they have an exemption

Two passengers sit on a London Overground train today while not wearing face masks. Some passengers have an exemption

A commuter on a Jubilee line train this morning. Some people don't have to wear a mask if they have a valid exemption

One woman sits on a London Overground train today with a mask pulled down. It is not known if the other woman is exempt

Commuters wearing face masks wait for an Overground train this morning at Canada Water station in East London

A woman goes to board a London Overground train this morning as the third lockdown continues for England

A London commuter is pictured not wearing a face mask on the Jubilee line today. It is not known if he has an exemption

A busy Circle or District line train on the London Underground this morning while stopped at Victoria station

'Now I have to have it on full public display around my neck and to be honest, I'm not happy about that because I want to keep my medical issues confidential.'

The security guard told MailOnline: 'We get people trying all kinds of tricks to explain why they are not wearing a mask. I've had to confront dozens of people so far and they come out with some many different excuses.

Speaker advises MPs to wear masks 'wherever possible' in the Commons MPs have been advised to wear face masks 'wherever possible' in the House of Commons chamber. Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle suggested yesterday that the exception should be when MPs are called to speak. People on the parliamentary estate have been encouraged to wear masks in recent months, although the Speaker's words go a step further in pressing MPs to wear a face covering in the chamber. The number of MPs on the floor of the House has been limited to 50 during the Covid-19 pandemic, with others contributing virtually via Zoom. Opening business, Sir Lindsay told the Commons: 'Can I just say to members, wherever possible please try and wear masks all the time, apart from obviously when we're speaking. So please bear that in mind.' Most MPs could be seen wearing masks during housing, communities and local government questions. Advertisement

'An exemption certificate has to be worn around your neck. You can't just pull it out of your pocket or show a copy of it on your mobile to me. If customers don't have a mask or proof for why they are exempt from wearing one, they will not be getting in.'

Speaking about enforcement, Metropolitan Police Federation chairman Ken Marsh told talkRADIO this morning: 'There are areas that are difficult for us. For instance, the wearing of masks and the people with exemption. I have asked over and over again for the onus of exemption to be on the individual.

'I know I've been criticised on social media etc. All I'm asking for is the fact that we carry on with the prosecution, and then you have an opportunity to show your exemption after.

'So you're not challenged in the street, you're not embarrassed, you're put on offer, you're not made to feel belittled or anything like that - you have an opportunity after. That hasn't been done. So it makes it far more difficult for my colleagues to act upon where they are.'

Mr Marsh continued: 'Supermarket individuals can't enforce law. It's down to the police. It's private property and they have the right to refuse whoever they want. But that is wholly unfair and there are people who do have very legitimate reasons why they can't wear one.

'But if we make the onus very much on the individual, people would think twice, and I would suggest, God forbid, that the only people then not wearing them are the individuals who do have an exemption, and that's absolutely fine because further down the road we can deal with it.'

In Wales, some supermarkets have been increasing measures to prevent the sale of non-essential retail in their stores, with goods in some aisles now wrapped up in plastic sheets to stop them being accessing.

Mr Hewitt said that more officers will be out on dedicated patrols to deal with rule breakers, while Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has also spoken to councils about enforcing the regulations.

Latest figures showed that as of yesterday, a further 1,243 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, which brings the UK total to 81,960.

A security guard watches as a shopper leaves a Morrisons supermarket in Peckham, South East London, without a face mask this morning. It is not known if they have an exemption, or had just taken off their mask after leaving the store

A security guard challenges a man for not wearing a mask at Morrisons in Peckham, South East London, this morning

The shopper angrily told the guard in Morrisons today that he did not have to wear because he had a medical condition

Security check to see if people are wearing face masks at Morrisons in Peckham, South East London, this morning

A security guard on patrol outside the Morrisons supermarket in Peckham, South East London, this morning

A Morrisons security guard speaks to a woman not wearing a mask at the store in St Albans, Hertfordshire, today

A security guard on the door at Morrisons in Leeds watches customers arrive today to ensure they are wearing masks

A customer at a Morrisons store in Leeds has his mask pulled down while shopping in the supermarket this morning

A supermarket worker walks through a Morrisons store in the Harehills area of Leeds with a mask pulled down today

A security guard checks shoppers are wearing masks at the Morrisons supermarket in Harehills, Leeds, this morning

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 99,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

The Government also said that, as of 9am yesterday, there had been a further 45,533 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,118,518.

Mr Hewitt told a briefing yesterday that officers will not 'linger' trying to encourage the public to obey lockdown rules. He said: 'It is very clear that we are now at the most dangerous stage of the pandemic.

'There is a real and present risk that our health service could be overwhelmed and people - our friends and family - could die needlessly from this virus. So, we must all play a part in stopping that from happening.

Security guards check if people are wearing masks before they enter a Sainsbury's in Dulwich, South London, this morning

Security monitor shoppers arriving at Sainsbury's in Dulwich, South London, this morning to check they are wearing masks

Security guard check if people are wearing face masks as they arrive at Sainsbury's in Dulwich, South London, this morning

A couple are confronted by a guard at a Sainsbury's in Cheltenham today and told they should not be shopping together

The man and woman still went into the Sainsbury's store in Cheltenham together today and later left with their shopping

People go shopping inside a Sainsbury's supermarket in South London today as they wear face masks around the store

Shoppers wear face masks as they leave a Tesco Extra store in Cradley Heath, Dudley, this afternoon

A shopper leaves a Tesco Extra store in Cradley Heath, Dudley, today. It is not known whether he has an exemption to wearing a face mask, or removed it after walking through the exit

'Ten months on, the rules are clear and I urge everyone to abide by them. With a virus spreading so rapidly through contact with others we should all be asking ourselves whether our reason to leave home is truly essential. Those personal decisions are critical.'

He gave examples of recent breaches including a boat party in Hertfordshire with more than 40 people who had each paid 30 each for a ticket, and a minibus full of people from different households travelling from Cheltenham into Wales for a walk.

Earlier, crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said officers would be adopting a new 'high-profile' approach to enforcing the rules that could include stopping members of the public to ask why they are not at home.

Dame Cressida also warned that officers in London will move swiftly to fine people who blatantly ignore the regulations.

Commuters sit and stand on board a Jubilee line train this morning as they travel through London

Commuters wear face coverings while travelling on the Jubilee line through the capital this morning

Passengers stand and sit as they travel on the Jubilee line through London on their commute this morning

Tube passengers stand on board a Jubilee line train travelling through London this morning

A man travels on the London Underground's Jubilee line this morning while wearing a face mask pulled below his nose

Commuters wait for the doors to close on board a Jubilee line this morning as the third lockdown continues

Commuters travel on an escalator at a London Underground station this morning as they continue to travel to work

Morning traffic coming into London over the Marylebone flyover in London today during England's third national lockdown

Traffic comes into London over the Marylebone flyover as England's third coronavirus national lockdown continues

The 18 London bus travels into Central London this morning over the Marylebone flyover during the third national lockdown

Their comments came amid confusion over the distance that members of the public are allowed to travel to exercise, with the Prime Minister sparking debate after going for a bike ride seven miles from Downing Street.

Police pull over two cars driving badly in Brighton to find nine occupants had driven from London Police pulled over two cars driving badly in Brighton to find the nine occupants had driven down there from London, breaching coronavirus rules. Every member of the group was handed a fixed penalty notice. Sussex Police stopped the cars as there were concerns for how they were being driven in the early hours of Sunday morning. Officers found the group had come from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton that weekend. One resident, who saw the nine rulebreakers being stopped and fined, described it as a 'national disgrace'. He said: 'Over 1000 people died yesterday and these filth didn't have a mask between them. 'It's a national disgrace, and the fine is clearly no deterrent whatsoever. It was freezing cold, driving conditions terrible, and I felt somewhat frustrated that our police have to put themselves at risk due to this dreadful behaviour when they have so much else to be getting on with.' The current fine for breaching lockdown rules is 200 but police have been told to get tougher on rule breakers, as more people continue to flout the rules. A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'Sussex Police attended Holland Road, Brighton, in the early hours of Sunday following concerns for how two vehicles were being driven. 'Officers engaged with the nine occupants in the vehicles and established the group were from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton without a reasonable excuse. Each of the occupants received a fixed penalty notice.' Advertisement

During the briefing Ms Patel herself incorrectly referred to 'outdoor recreation' being allowed under the rules, apparently having meant to say exercise.

Leaders of police groups called on the Government to clarify the 'incredibly vague' rules, which saw two women incorrectly fined for driving five miles from their Derbyshire homes to meet for a walk.

But Mr Hewitt rejected setting a specific distance that members of the public should be able to travel by law, because it would be too difficult to prove if they had broken the rules.

This came as:

The latest health service figures showed 2,347,461 people in Great Britain have received a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The Government faced calls to urgently roll out its national free school meal voucher scheme after one mother posted an image of a 30 parcel estimated to contain just more than 5 worth of food.

Data from the Office for National Statistics showed that more than 40,000 extra deaths have taken place in private homes in England and Wales since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

NHS Providers chief executive Chris Hopson told MPs the peak demand on the health service may not be reached until early to mid-February.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said ministers will consider whether key workers such as police, teachers and essential shop staff should be prioritised once the most vulnerable have received the coronavirus vaccine.

Police leaders are pushing for frontline officers to get the vaccine after the highest priority groups have received their jabs.

Meanwhile, police pulled over two cars driving badly in Brighton to find the nine occupants had driven down there from London, breaching coronavirus rules. Every member of the group was handed a fixed penalty notice.

Sussex Police stopped the cars as there were concerns for how they were being driven in the early hours of Sunday morning. Officers found the group had come from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton that weekend.

One resident, who saw the nine rule breakers being stopped and fined, described it as a 'national disgrace'. He said: 'Over 1000 people died yesterday and these filth didn't have a mask between them.

'It's a national disgrace, and the fine is clearly no deterrent whatsoever. It was freezing cold, driving conditions terrible, and I felt somewhat frustrated that our police have to put themselves at risk due to this dreadful behaviour when they have so much else to be getting on with.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel (left) and National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt (right) at yesterday's briefing

The current fine for breaching lockdown rules is 200 but police have been told to get tougher on rulebreakers, as more people continue to flout the rules.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'Sussex Police attended Holland Road, Brighton, in the early hours of Sunday following concerns for how two vehicles were being driven.

'Officers engaged with the nine occupants in the vehicles and established the group were from Croydon and had travelled to Brighton without a reasonable excuse. Each of the occupants received a fixed penalty notice.'

Across England and Wales, 32,329 fixed penalty notices have been recorded being given out between Friday, March 27, and Monday, December 21.

Data published by the National Police Chiefs' Council shows Northumbria Police have issued the most, with 3,034, followed by Greater Manchester Police at 2,183.

The Metropolitan Police in London have issued the third most fines for breaking Covid restrictions, at 1,761. There were 892 in Sussex.
A new year means opportunities to learn a skill or find a new hobby.

This weekend in Central New York, there will be classes teaching folks how to paint winter scenes, read Tarot cards, and make their own earrings.

There are also three more bonus chances to see Lights on the Lake between now and Friday. There will be discounted tickets and proceeds will go to a different local charity each night.

Know of an event you would like to see on this list? Email us at features@syracuse.com.

- Symphoria will stream its concerts virtually from its Inspiration Hall during the Covid-19 pandemic. Courtesy of SymphoriaCourtesy of Symphoria

Symphoria Casual: Your Favorite Things

Last season, you loved it when we played our favorite pieces, Symphoria announced ahead of this Sundays virtual Casual concert. This season, we wanted to perform yours! Works composed by Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven will be performed by ten Symphoria musicians starting at 3 p.m. Go to http://experiencesymphoria.org for more information.

Where: Virtual concert from Symphorias Inspiration Hall

When: Sunday, Jan. 17 from 3 p.m.

How much: $20 for individual stream, $35 for families

Santa's toy workshop at Lights on the Lake in Onondaga Lake Park on Friday, Nov. 15, 2019, at Onondaga Lake Park in Liverpool, N.Y.Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

Final last chance to see Lights on the Lake

Lights on the Lake has extended its 31st season to benefit local charities. The annual holiday light show will now through Friday, Jan. 15 and will have discounted admission of just $5 per vehicle. Today, proceeds will benefit the Hillside Foundation, on Thursday, Meals on Wheels of Syracuse and on Friday, Griffins Guardians. Tickets for these bonus nights must be purchased in advance from lightsonthelake.com.

Where: Onondaga Lake Park, Liverpool

When: Jan. 13-15, from 5-10 p.m.

How much: $5 per vehicle

Women of PEARLS virtual Vision Board Workshop

The theme of this 11th annual workshop is Becoming a Woman of Audacious Vision. Join the Women of PEARLS for four days of virtual workshops on finances, health & wellness, professional development, self-care, and political engagement. There will be several notable local women speaking, including Pamela Hunter and Jackie and Tasneem Grace. The four days of workshops begin on Friday, Jan. 15. Visit the organizations Facebook page for more information.

Where: Virtual workshop

When: January 15 at 5 pm, January 16 at 10 am, January 17 at 1 pm and January 18 at noon (4 separate workshops)

How much: Free

Great Horned Owl named Archimedes was shown to students at Jordan-Elbridge Middle School by the organization, Wild Wings.

Owl Prowl at Sterling Nature Center

With nesting season about to begin for the great horned owls, join naturalist Jim DAngelo at the Sterling Nature Center on Friday and Saturday for an introduction to these interesting birds. Guests will then go on an owl prowl. Participants must preregister by emailing snc@cayugacounty.us. Masks are mandatory and visitors are asked to dress for the weather. Snowshoes will be available.

Where: 15730 Jensvold Road, Sterling

When: Friday, Jan. 15 from 6-7:30 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 16 from 4-5:30 p.m.

How much: Free

Brews and Brushes

Interested in art? Join in painting a beautiful Taughannock Falls scene at the Artists Lounge in Seneca Falls on Friday evening. Artists will teach you step by step how to use acrylic paint. All materials will be provided. All guests that are 21 and over are welcome to bring their own beer, as long as you promise to drink responsibly. Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase. Space is limited so please register quickly at www.theartistslounge.org. The class costs $35

Where: 116 Fall Street, Seneca Falls

When: Friday, Jan. 15 from 6:30 p.m.

How much: $35

Roadhouse Prophets return to Average Joes

Promising the most fun you can have with a mask on, classic rock and country group the Roadside Prophets will be playing at Average Joes Beernasium on Friday, starting at 6 p.m. Make your reservation for this evening of live music by calling (315) 635-1563.

Where: 2119 Downer Street Road, Baldwinsville

When: Friday, Jan. 15, from 6 p.m.

How much: Free. You must call for a reservation.

Make your own jewelry

Join guest artist MaryAnne Carroll on Saturday morning at Syracuses Metal Morphosis Jewelry Studio to learn how to make gorgeous, enameled hoops earrings. Students will leave the $55 class, which covers the provided supplies, with a finished pair of hoop earrings and the satisfaction of making something yourself. Please brings our own face mask. Visit www.metalmorphstudio.com to learn more.

Where: 719 East Genesee Street, Syracuse

When: Saturday, Jan. 16, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

How much: $55

Plowshares Craftsfair and Peace Festival at Nottingham High School, Sat. Dec. 5, 2015. Susan Blanchard of DeWitt picks out cards designed by Christi Sobel. David Lassman | dlassman@syracuse.com

Plowshares Craftsfair

The Syracuse Peace Council annual Plowshares Craftsfair will be going virtual this year. Central New Yorks premier multicultural crafts fair, it celebrates a world where people enjoy their work and have control over it. Featuring 50 participating regional craftspeople and community groups, it is a marketplace of ideas and beautifully diverse, handmade items. For more information, go to plowsharescraftfair.org. It continues virtually until Jan. 31.

Where: Virtual crafts fair

When: Now through Jan. 31

How much: Free

They Came to Work

Immigrants from Poland began arriving in Utica in the 1880s and created a distinct Polish presence in the city which still exists. Learn more about this aspect of Central New York history on Saturday morning in a virtual talk by Patricia Bury Yocum. The Zoom presentation is free and open to all. Advanced registration is required and can be completed on www.oneidacountyhistory.org/programs.html

Where: Virtual history program

When: Saturday, Jan. 16 from 11:30 a.m.

How much: Free

Psychic medium Steven Albert

Serenity Wellness in Auburn will be hosting readings from psychic medium Steven Albert on Friday evening starting at 6 p.m. If you have a mystery around a death came let him look into it and tell you the real story. Albert will walk through the audience and channel messages from the other side using his psychic and mediumship skills. There will be questions and answers and he will accommodate as many readings as he can in the two hours. Visit serenitywellnesscny.com for more information. Tickets cost $35.

Where: 214 Seymour Street

When: Friday, Jan. 15, from 6-8 p.m.

How much: $35

Virtual Sunday Funday from the Everson

Warm up with fun for the whole family this winter with the Everson. Every Sunday, from Jan. 10 to March 28, enjoy a different art-making activity inspired by exhibitions from the Eversons collection. (This weeks subject is self-expression drawings using oil pastels.) You must preregister the Thursday before each Sunday to participate. Space is limited. Kits will be available to pick up at the Everson each week. Go to everson.org for more information.

Where: Virtual family art program

When: Sundays through March 28, from 2-3 p.m.

How much: $12 for members per child. $15 for non-members

Tarot cardsstaten island advance

Tarot 101

Have you have wanted to learn how to read Tarot? On Friday, the Magical Muse in Canastota is offering the fourth of a series of classes devoted to the practice at 6 p.m. If you have a deck, please bring it. The store will have a variety of decks for purchase. Please call or message the store on Facebook to register for your spot. The phone number is (315) 744-8322.

Where: 103 North Peterboro Street, Canastota

When: Friday, Jan. 16 from 6 p.m.

How much: $20
Washington: Joe Bidens inauguration ceremony next Thursday (AEDT) was already going to be a dramatically scaled-back affair because of coronavirus concerns. The deadly assault on the US Capitol building last week, and fears of further violence in Washington, have only added to the complexities of staging what is usually a packed and pomp-filled event.

Democratic congressman James Clyburn, a close ally of Biden, has said that he expects 75 to 80 per cent of the event will be held virtually.

A two metre fence has been erected around the US Capitol ahead of Joe Biden's inauguration. Credit:Bloomberg

"If anybody saw the Democratic convention [in August] I think you saw a bit of what you will see for the inauguration," Clyburn told CNN recently.

Tickets to the swearing-in ceremony have been limited to members of the Senate and House of Representatives, who will be allowed to bring one guest each.
Political commentator Glenn Beck has compared the clampdown on accounts of conservatives by social media platforms after last weeks Capitol Hill riots to the Holocaust and labelled the move as a digital ghetto during a guest appearance for Tucker Carlsons show on Fox News.

Mr Beck attempted to draw parallels between anti-Semitic violence that killed six million Jews and persecuted many others, and the lock on influential, conservative social media accounts following the 6 January insurrection, and said: This is like the Germans with the Jews behind the wall.

They would put them in the ghetto. This is the digital ghetto, he said.

You can talk all you want, Jews, do whatever you want behind the wall. Thats not meaningful, he continued. And thats where we are. Thats where millions of Americans will be.

He was quick to add that his statement does not intend to compare tech companies such as Twitter and Facebook to the Germans but to warn that if you dont stand up for free speech, you will be the one that loses it as well.

Mr Beck was called on Mr Carlsons show Tonight to discuss the risks posed by big tech giants on Tuesday after several conservatives complained of a drop in numbers of their followers amid the action taken by social media platforms.

Following last weeks insurrection, big tech companies took down the account of president Donald Trump and are reportedly conducting audits to ascertain users who have been violating their rules of misinformation and hate speech. Theyve taken down thousands of accounts in the process.

However, Mr Beck, in another strange comparison, talked about the Japanese internment during World War II, and said: We made one of the biggest mistakes of the 20th century by taking our own citizens and listen to this, confiscating their wealth, making sure they couldnt work, shutting them down, and then putting them in camps.

He told Mr Carlson, this is the road we are on again.

Ramping up his argument about free speech, he said: The only speech worth defending is the speech you despise. Everything else Nobody has a problem with, they are not trying to ban it.

Mr Becks flawed comparisons of human rights violations with rules of the social media platforms received no correction from the anchor. However, on this Mr Carlson weighed in and said that this is almost a daily feature of what liberals say.

Thats what we heard, everyday. Protect the weakest. Or the rights of weakest, are a measure of how free you are. I dont hear a single one who is saying that, said Mr Carlson.

Freedom of speech guaranteed to US citizens does not extend to private companies and their rules. The move by the social media platforms is seen as a way to contain misinformation and prevent incitement.

This article was amended on January 19 and 20, 2020. A previous version inaccurately cited a figure of 1.1 million Jews killed during the Holocaust, but that was the number of people who died in Auschwitz.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The director of intelligence for the U.S. Capitol Police warned Congress in July that rebellion against COVID-19 precautions had accelerated violence by right-wing revolutionary extremists, according to congressional testimony.

Four months before he joined the force, John K. Donohue, then a private security consultant, testified that the country desperately needed a sophisticated social media early-warning system, akin to the U.S. nuclear missile launch detection capability, to prevent a catastrophe.

America is at a crossroads, Donohue told the U.S. House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism during a July 16 hearing. The intersection of constitutional rights and legitimate law enforcement has never been more at risk by domestic actors as it is now as seditionists actively promote a revolution.

He added: The time for acknowledging this phenomenon and rapidly working to preserve civil society is upon us.

Donohues public warning, which has not been previously reported, came six months before a right-wing mob incited by false online conspiracies and President Donald Trump violently stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, died as a result of the riot.

Donohue was hired by the Capitol Police as intelligence director in November, four months after his testimony. Reached by Reuters on Tuesday, Donohue declined to comment.

At the time Donohue testified, he was a recently retired New York City Police Department (NYPD) chief, following a 32-year career. According to a resume posted on the House committees website, Donohues work for the NYPD included planning for presidential, papal and head-of-state visits to the United Nations.

Before joining the Capitol Police, Donohue worked for much of 2020 for a private security firm and as a fellow for Rutgers University.

During his July testimony before the House subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, Donohue cited a link between restrictions imposed to combat the coronavirus and exponential growth in participation in the cyber-social domain that has coalesced around revolutionary extremist themes.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, these ingredients - social isolation, vast unemployment, fear of changing social order, and the most powerful ingredient, a perceived martyr for the cause - existed to a much lesser degree, Donohue testified. During the pandemic, in contrast to any previous time in world history, those ingredients have dramatically come into alignment.

Donohue gave similar remarks to another House committee in September and this year co-authored a Rutgers research paper titled Covid-19, Conspiracy and Contagious Sedition: A Case Study on the Militia-Sphere. The paper explored how social media, including fringe chatrooms 4chan and Gab, helped fuel disinformation and foment violence.

The potential for violence is now palpable, Donohue co-wrote in the introduction. That potential is amplified by an emerging and uncharted network for opportunistic violence and propaganda.

Appearing before Congress in July, Donohue cited as harbingers of rebellion against the government last summers murders of federal building guard David Patrick Underwood and California sheriffs deputy Damon Gutzwiller by members of a loose affiliation of right-wing people who espouse violent anti-government sentiment. Donohue also cited the fire-bombing of an NYPD police car by civil rights protesters.

We need to learn from our past; we need to learn from our mistakes, Donohue testified. We need to move beyond that, and there is a path forward, but it is not through violent insurrection.

(Reporting by John Shiffman ; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

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Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

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Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

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Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

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Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

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Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

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Washington: Donald Trump's iron grip on his party is showing further signs of weakening with a group of six introducing a resolution that would censure the Republican US President for trying to overturn Democrat Joe Bidens victory in the presidential race and violating his oath of office during the Capitol riot on January 6.

The measure is not likely to see a vote in the Democratic-controlled House, but Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, one of the legislators leading the effort, said in a statement reported by The Washington Post, that the move was intended as an alternative to impeachment.

Earlier at least three Republicans, including a member of the House leadership, said they would vote to impeach him after his supporters stormed the Capitol on January 6.

Republican Liz Cheney - the No. 3 Republican in the House and highest-ranking woman in the party - said she would vote to impeach Trump, a major split within the party after his supporters "attacked the US Capitol to obstruct the process of our democracy and stop the counting of presidential electoral votes".
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A Pennsylvania man who injected himself with bath salts and fentanyl, got naked, then tried to kiss a colleague on his second day working at an Econo Lodge motel had his plea to overturn his conviction denied by a judge on Tuesday.

Carl Gamby, 32, of Harrisburg was convicted by a Dauphin County jury of indecent assault, indecent exposure and possession of drug paraphernalia in September 2019. But he quickly filed an appeal, alleging that 'the evidence was insufficient to sustain a conviction' of indecent assault.

In an opinion denying Gamby's appeal, Superior Court Judge Jacqueline O. Shogan noted that Gamby admitted to committing indecent exposure and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Shogan argued, citing previous court findings, that Gamby's argument that kissing his co-worker on the neck rightfully constituted a conviction of indecent assault.

Carl Gamby, 32, had his plea to overturn a conviction for indecent assault denied after he injected himself with fentanyl and chased a colleague while naked

'We previously have held that areas of the body other than the genitalia, buttocks, or breasts can be intimate parts of the body as contemplated by the indecent assault statute when touched for sexual gratification,' Shogan wrote.

Shogan also noted that 'indecent assault does not depend on the degree of success achieved by the attacker.'

In March 2018, Gamby was set to train with the victim, an experienced employee, during his second day working at an Econo Lodge in Swatara Township in Dauphin County.

Court records show that Gamby 'interacted professionally' with his victim from 4pm until 7.30pm as the two worked the night shift, until he excused himself to seemingly take a cigarette break.

Carl Gamby, a career criminal, is pictured in a mugshot

Gamby, who had injected himself with fentanyl and bath salts, stumbled out of the restroom and grabbed the victim from behind with his arm around her neck.

The new hire then kissed her neck and took off his shirt while the victim struggled to text her boss for help, documents show.

'You need to get away from me. Stop. Don't touch me,' the victim pleaded with Gamby, according to court records.

The victim was eventually able to flee the lobby area to her her while frantically dialing 911, which was caught on surveillance tape played for the court at his trial.

'Before you leave, I just want to show you something,' Gamby is reported to have said to the victim, while taking off his pants.

Gamby was training on his second day of work when he attacked and tried to kiss a coworker

Gamby pressed his naked body against the victim's car as she fled to a local police station

Cops found a syringe on the motel's bathroom sink and Gamby admitted in court that he had done drugs

Video footage of the incident, which has not been released, reportedly shows a 'totally naked' Gamby run after the victim and press himself against her car.

'You have to stay. You have to come out and talk to me,' Gamby demanded of his victim as she drove away to a nearby police station.

Police arrested Gamby and noted in court documents that he 'had an abrasion on his penis like a "road rash" and left drug paraphernalia including a syringe on the restroom sink.

'During his testimony, [Gamby] freely admitted to injecting himself with what he then thought was heroin, but now believes was fentanyl and bath salts,' the court document reads.

Gamby is currently housed in the State Correctional Institution Chester, inmate records show.

Gamby, who has a lengthy criminal record, is now stuck with the 11 - to 23-month county prison sentence, according to pennlive.com.
Ananya Panday has shared gorgeous pictures of herself from her recent Maldives vacation with Ishaan Khatter. The two were holidaying 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.

On Wednesday, the actress shared two dreamy pictures from the exotic vacation. "Is it too early to post a throwback?" Ananya joked in the caption.

Ishaan Khatter and Ananya Panday were spotted together at Mumbai airport some days ago and attended Deepika Padukone's birthday party last week. Earlier, Ishaan shared a montage of footage from the Maldives in which Ananya appears briefly and is also credited as "muse" in the caption.

Ishaan Khatter made his acting debut in Majid Majidi's Beyond The Clouds; his first Bollywood film was 2018's Dhadak. Ishaan and Ananya worked together in Khaali Peeli which released last year. Ishaan was also seen in Mira Nair's adaptation of A Suitable Boy in which he played the pivotal role of Maan Kapoor opposite Tabu as courtesan Saeeda Bai. Ishaan will next be seen in Phone Booth. On the other hand, Ananya is busy shooting for Shakun Batra's next which also has Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi.
A leaked cover of American Vogue got through the 24/7 news cycle over the weekend, facing disbelief, criticism and praise at the same time. American Vogue magazine is no stranger to the cover controversy, to the point of many in the press believing this is a way for the magazine to get free publicity. Numerous times the magazine has faced fierce backlash over their covers, from readers spotting tiny photoshop errors to the even controversy of the Gisele Bundchen and LeBron cover in 2008 starting a first massive discussion on race in fashion print.

Nevertheless, in the moment of pandemic and the election turmoil in the states, as we all could have guessed, the Vogue team has selected a far more casual image of the Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris for their cover. In a similar cover shoot by a Conde Nast publication Vanity Fair featuring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez the choice of clothing was widely blown out of proportion. Especially the price of the same, many ignorantly or purposely abusing the fact photo shoot clothes are samples simply borrowed from press rooms. Perhaps, Kamala team has stayed away from designer clothes in a photo shoot for a moment due to the massive backlash AOCs Vanity Fair cover has received. The AOC Vanity Fair shoot while far more produced and styled was also work of Tyler Mitchell. Ocasio-Cortez addressed the styling backlash in her response to a FOX newscaster: And I dont know if youve been in a photoshoot Laura, but you dont keep the clothes.

If we talk fashion magazine covers disappointment comes by default from people expecting the high fashion glamour from Vogue whatever the cover choice is. While on the other side the rumour circulating of Kamala team not having a say in the cover choice was hardly any help in the matter. Harris is wearing on the cover sneakers, a pair of converse and her own clothes.

In charge of the photography was Tyler Mitchell who is recognized by the Vogue team as one of the youngest talents on the scene. Mitchell has famously photographed Beyonce for American Vogue as a cover by the youngest ever photographer, who also happened to be African American. While the race might for many have no importance, Vogue has faced multiple accusation of working only with white cis male photographers, the accusations are circle around for years now. The Harris cover is meant to be one of Vogues proudest moments in years, and Wintour herself has talked about the shoot prior to the release with New York Times journalist Kara Swisher for her widely popular podcast SWAY. The podcast recorded days earlier premiered yesterday and Swisher talks about the process behind creating this shoot with Wintour. Swisher reached out to Wintour for a statement regarding the cover controversy, and got the following response: Obviously I heard and understood the reaction to the print cover. I just want to reiterate that it was absolutely not our intention to in any way diminish the importance of the Vice President Elects incredible victory. We want nothing but to celebrate Vice President Elect Harris amazing victory and the important moment this is in Americas history and particularly for women of colour all over the world.

President Trump is no longer relevant

Furthermore Anna Wintour also addressed the magazines choice of the cover, now accompanied by another digital cover expected to go to print in February 2021 issues second print run: There was no formal agreement about what the choice of the cover would be, and when the two images arrived at Vogue, all of us felt very very strongly that the less formal portrait of the Vice President elect really reflected the moment that we were living in. Which we are in the midst. As we still are of the most appalling pandemic that is taking lives by the minute and we felt to reflect this tragic moment in global history a much less formal picture something that was very accessible and approachable and real. Really reflected the hallmark of the Biden Harris campaign and everything that they are trying to and I am sure will achieve.

Swisher talks in length to Wintour about the cover shoot as well as the political situation in the states right now. Even addressing President Trumps tweets about Vogue not putting Melania on the cover, Wintour reacted only with: President Trump is no longer relevant.

Mid December Conde Nast has revealed its massive shake up, with editorial changes in Europe of their German and Spanish titles and the new roles for Edward Enninful and Anna Wintour. With the repositioning in Conde Nast Anna Wintour became worldwide chief content officer and global editorial director of Vogue. While Edward Enninful got additional roles as the head of Vogues editions in Britain (already in charge of), France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

I just want to reiterate that it was absolutely not our intention to in any way diminish the importance of the Vice President Elects incredible victory.

Earlier in 2020 Ms Wintour also had to address racism in Vogue offices, the headlines spearheaded by media but also by a piece from New York Times, quoting: Many of the people interviewed for this article said the racism they encountered was usually subtle, but sometimes blunt. Their main accusation was that Ms. Wintour created a work environment  and there is no facet of Vogue that she does not control  that sidelined and tokenized women of color, especially Black women.Many Black people who worked for her said they felt so out of place in Ms. Wintours domain that they created white alter egos  two used the term doppelganger  just to get through the workday, reconditioning their presentation and dress in a way that was mentally draining.

Wintour has nevertheless remained the force of change in the fashion industry as well, spearheading the quest for young black designers and talents and even calling for change among the positions in Conde Nast. Lindsay Peoples Wagner, the editor of Teen Vogue since 2018 shared in the same piece for the New York Times talking about Ms. Wintour: has given me opportunities in leadership, and Ive made inclusivity a deep part of the conversations were having.

Kara Swisher goes much deeper than the cover talk, she also addresses with Wintour the political situation talking beyond president Trump. Wintour shared with Swisher: So am I political? I am a concerned citizen, and I think that there is no way that you could not be involved in politics. Particularly during the last four years.

Wintour talks also British politics with Swisher, what was happening at Conde Nast in 2020 and much more, you can listen to the full Sway by Kara Swisher podcast on Spotify and NYT.
Khazaen, the newest integrated economic city of Oman, recently signed agreements with two firms who are setting up their operations at the new hub, an Oman Observer report said.

The lease agreement with First Axis Company was signed to develop logistics and warehousing storage facilities for furniture and other products. The group, which owns Muscat Furniture International, has its existing warehousing facilities in Barka Industrial Area besides branches across the sultanate.

First Axis aims to centralise its operations in the furniture sector and has selected Khazaen for consolidating its other businesses as well, which also include construction materials, mattress and seating upholstery, and electrical equipment.

At this stage, First Axis plans to build its own warehouses complex in Khazaen Economic City to meet the storage needs of its furniture and electrical appliances business, thus benefitting from the Khazaens strategic location and inter-connectivity to various markets. The agreement was signed by Khalid al Balushi, CEO of Khazaen Economic City and Ahmed bin Jumah al Ajmi, CEO of First Axis Co.

The second agreement was signed with Ishaq Freight & Trade Establishment Company to establish different storage and logistics facilities. Under this agreement, the company plans to build its main operational office in Khazaen Economic City with yards for its various transportation trucks. Additionally, it will also be moving part of its existing fleets from Misfah Industrial Area to Khazaen. The company is specialised in cargo and freight forwarding services industry and is already servicing several major clients across the GCC.TradeArabia News Service
At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, the Chinese government withheld crucial information from the public, under-reported cases, downplayed the severity of the infection, and dismissed the likelihood of transmission between humans, an international rights group said on Wednesday.



The ruling Chinese Communist Party detained people for rumor-mongering, censored online discussions of the outbreak, and curbed media reporting, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in its annual report on human rights in 2020, published on Jan. 13.



"In some areas under lockdown, they failed to ensure appropriate access to medical care, food, and other necessities," the report found.



"Beijing also pressured the World Health Organization (WHO) to delay declaring a global warning on the virus, and restricted international experts access to investigate its origins," it said.



The report came as police across China handed out administrative punishments to social media users for "spreading rumors and false information" linked to a resurgence of Covid-19 across a number of cities in northern and northeastern China.



Police in the northern city of Tangshan handed out an administrative punishment to a man they accused of changing the result of his COVID-19 test from negative to positive, and posting the results on social media, "having a negative impact."



"Chen has been administratively punished by Fengnan district police," a report on the state-approved Bohai News Network said on Tuesday.



A resident of Hebei's provincial capital Shijiazhuang, who gave only the surname Wang, said the government is particularly worried about people posting information about the pandemic independently.



"They are worried that people doing citizen journalism will disrupt their pandemic response, but basically they want a monopoly on public speech," Wang said. "If you report something true, they will shut you up."



"They insist on a unified message on pandemic reporting, and one that is in their own interest," he said.

'Disturbing public order'



Meanwhile, police in Hebei's Baoding city held three people -- surnamed Hao, Zhang, and Zhou -- under administrative detention for "spreading rumors, invasion of privacy, fabricating information, and disturbing public order," online reports said.



"People should not spread rumors about the pandemic that create dangerous situations, disrupt public order, and sow panic," the police said, without giving details of the information that the three detainees had posted.



And police in the eastern province of Jiangxi detained a man surnamed Wang in Fuzhou city after he posted a claim to social media that a man the authorities claimed was free of COVID-19 had died five days later.



Wang received a five-day administrative sentence for "fabricating information to disrupt public order," the police department said on their public WeChat account.



Police in China can hand down administrative jail sentences of up to 15 days to those regarded as troublemakers without the need for a trial.



Beijing-based rights activist Ni Yulan said the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) now insists that only information approved by the government can appear in public.



"I think the aim is to prevent anyone from speaking out, regardless of what is happening," Ni said. "They want everyone to keep quiet."



Fang Liang, an academic from the northern city of Taiyuan, said detentions had also been reported there on similar grounds.



"The reason is that there is a resurgence of the pandemic across the country, but this isn't being officially admitted to the public," Fang said.



"[This will only happen] when they can no longer hide it."

Control of public information



Police in Hebei's Hengshui city have also issued a warning against "rumor-mongering" linked to the pandemic after a local internet user surnamed Lu was "punished" and forced to make a public apology for "spreading rumors" on WeChat.



Last week, police in Hebei handed an administrative 10-day jail term to a man surnamed Han after he warned people on WeChat of new COVID-19 cases in Hebei's Donzhuchang village.



And in Changchun, capital of the northeastern province of Jilin, police handed a seven-day administrative sentence to a WeChat user, also surnamed Han, for "rumor-mongering" after he posted that there was an asymptomatic case of COVID-19 in his local district.



Academic Guo Baosheng said the CCP is intent on gaining total control of public information.



"The CCP insists on controlling all sources of information and clamps down on any information coming from different sources," Guo said.

"It then ruthlessly punishes, detains and sentences people using rumor-mongering as an excuse."



Meanwhile, Brazilian researchers said that a coronavirus vaccine developed by China's Sinovac was found to be 50.4 percent effective in clinical trials, significantly less effective than previous results have suggested.



However, researchers at the Butantan Institute said the vaccine was 78 percent effective against most cases of COVID-19 cases, but was less effective in patients who didn't require medical attention in the first place. They said it was 100 percent effective in staving off moderate to serious cases.



Last month researchers in Turkey said the Sinovac vaccine was 91.25 percent effective, while Indonesia found it to be 65.3 percent effective.



Reported by Qiao Long for RFA's Mandarin Service, and by Xiaoshan Huang and Chingman for the Cantonese Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.
ARLINGTON, Va.--The Department of Defense (DoD) recently awarded $50 million in grants to 150 university scientists--54 of whom are sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR)--via the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP).

Through DURIP, the DoD supports the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment and instrumentation to boost university research capabilities and accelerate defense-related basic research.

"DURIP funds support university research infrastructure that is essential to the development of high-quality, naval-relevant science and technology," said Chief of Naval Research Lorin C. Selby. "In this era of great power competition, it is critical to ensure our scientific partners have the tools they need to carry out cutting-edge basic research that secures our nation's technological advantage."

The highly competitive DURIP program is administered jointly by ONR, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Army Research Office. They seek specific proposals from universities conducting foundational science and engineering research relevant to national defense.

The three agencies oversee the DURIP program via the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, which is responsible for research, development and prototyping activities across the DoD.

The annual DURIP awards not only enable universities to perform research expanding U.S. technical prowess--they also bolster the nation's future science, technology, engineering and mathematics workforce.

The current DURIPs provide for equipment and instruments used in research areas that include quantum sciences; materials design, development and characterization; machine learning; hypersonics; and more.

"DURIP awards are extremely valuable in maintaining the research capabilities of America's academic institutions--allowing our most innovative thinkers to focus on expanding the limits of science and technology," said Dr. Joan S. Cleveland, director of ONR's University Research Initiatives. "The awards underscore the importance of basic research in driving scientific excellence for our military and cultivating a strong STEM workforce."

###
Spain is being plunged into a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, and the countrys hospitals are beginning to suffer as a result. There are currently more than 17,600 Covid-19 patients being treated, 64% up on the figure before Christmas, and the number of people in intensive care units (ICUs) has risen 39% since December 24. Epidemiologists are warning that the curve of infections will continue to rise, while some experts are calling for a home lockdown in order to stop the transmission of the virus and avoid hospitals becoming overwhelmed.

The relaxation of restrictions in December and the rise of social interaction over the Christmas period are behind this third wave, which comes hot on the heels of the second one, which was seen in the autumn. The Health Ministry reported 25,438 new infections and added 408 victims to the overall death toll on Tuesday, while the 14-day cumulative number of coronavirus cases per 100,000 inhabitants is currently at 454 for the whole of Spain.

The figures have yet to reflect the impact of Kings Day celebrations, which took place last week, but the pressure on the countrys hospitals is constantly rising. Were going to have worse figures than in the second wave, said Ricard Ferrer, the ICU chief at the Vall dHebron Hospital in Barcelona and the president of the Spanish Society of Intensive Medicine. The rise is more gradual in the ICUs and we have more time to prepare, but this is going to go further. We will see more of an impact than in the second wave.

Health Minister Salvador Illa at a news conference after the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday. Ballesteros / EFE

All of the countrys regions apart from Asturias and the Canary Islands have a cumulative number of cases above 250 per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days, which is the level considered high risk by the Health Ministry. Community transmission is rampant in the majority of territories, with an incidence of 1,021 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days in Extremadura, and in excess of 600 in the Balearic Islands and Madrid. Health Minister Salvador Illa called the data very worrying on Tuesday. Tough weeks are ahead, he added, saying that January will be very complicated.

Tuesdays report saw Spain close to the maximum number of infections notified in the second wave, with 25,595 reported on October 30. But the worst it still to come. The situation is very bad and is getting worse, said Daniel Lopez-Acuna, a former director of emergencies at the World Health Organization (WHO). But it was to be expected given the lax measures at Christmas. We have seen huge levels of transmission, the incidence has shot up and we will see this over a few more weeks, because what we are observing now is from New Year and we still have the effect of Kings Day to come. Between January 20 and 30 we will reach the peak, whether or not measures are taken from now.

The situation, according to the epidemiologists consulted, is critical  especially due to the pressure on hospitals and other healthcare centers. The starting point in terms of occupation of beds for Covid-19 cases is much higher and the time it takes to overwhelm a hospital will be much shorter, warned Alberto Infante, from the National Health School at the Carlos III Health Institute. In fact, there are already 17,645 people hospitalized due to the virus, 2,651 in intensive care.

The chosen strategy will be paid for with more deaths due to Covid and other diseases that could have been avoided and with the saturation of the hospitals Alberto Infante, National Health School at the Carlos III Health Institute

Nine regions currently have more than 25% of their ICU beds occupied by Covid patients, which is another indicator used by the Health Ministry to measure situations of extreme risk. We are light years away from that warning light, Lopez-Acuna insisted. We are exceeding everything. There are many cases in the street and transmission has intensified.

In the Valencia region, 27% of conventional beds and 43% of ICU beds are occupied by Covid patients, a situation that has forced the regional government to reorganize hospital activity. The Health Ministry has suspended all non-essential surgeries and tests and has ordered more ICU beds to be prepared as well as the preparation of field hospitals at three major healthcare centers.

The epidemiologists consulted by this newspaper have called for more drastic measures in order to flatten the curve and avoid the eventual breakdown of ICU units, as happened in many hospitals during the first wave last year. There is no other choice but to restrict social interaction and for there to be a confinement for at least two weeks in order to slam on the brakes, Infante said. We are not going to flatten the curve with timid measures, added Lopez-Acuna. The College of Physicians in Murcia has also called on the government to impose a home confinement in the region, which currently has a cumulative number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants of 279, well below the Spanish average.

Illa, however, said on Tuesday that this was not a current option being considered by the government, and that Spain would be able to flatten the curve as it did in October during the second wave.

Its possible that Illa is right and the curve can be slowed, responded Infante. But I doubt that it can be flattened. And of course the chosen strategy will be paid for with more deaths due to Covid and other diseases that could have been avoided and with the saturation of the hospitals. We will see if the current restrictions work, added Ferrer. But if the incidence continues to rise, more drastic measures will have to be taken.

English version by Simon Hunter.
PPG Launches Traffic Solutions Business Following Ennis-Flint Acquisition

PPG (NYSE: PPG) today announced that it has established a new business unit called Traffic Solutions, following the company's December 2020 acquisition of Ennis-Flint.

The business unit will manufacture and supply a broad, global portfolio of pavement-marking products, including paint, thermoplastics and other advanced technologies, to customers in government, military, contracting, commercial infrastructure, engineering and architecture. The newly-formed business unit will also partner with PPG's mobility team to identify opportunities to supply innovative coatings to help support infrastructure needs that enable autonomous driving and enhance future autonomous, connected, electric and shared vehicle solutions.

The Traffic Solutions business unit joins PPG's Architectural Coatings, Aerospace, Automotive efinish, and Protective and Marine Coatings strategic business units as part of PPG's Performance Coatings reportable segment.







"We are excited about the new capabilities and growth opportunities in Traffic Solutions and the business unit's complementary fit within PPG's portfolio," said Michael McGarry, PPG chairman and chief executive officer. "As we strive to enhance our existing mobility technologies, the Traffic Solutions business unit will expand our capability to support improved infrastructure for safer driver-assisted and autonomous driving systems."

Click here to learn more about PPG's mobility solutions.

PPG: WE PROTECT AND BEAUTIFY THE WORLD

At PPG (NYSE:PPG), we work every day to develop and deliver the paints, coatings and specialty materials that our customers have trusted for more than 135 years. Through dedication and creativity, we solve our customers' biggest challenges, collaborating closely to find the right path forward. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, we operate and innovate in more than 70 countries and reported net sales of $15.1 billion in 2019. We serve customers in construction, consumer products, industrial and transportation markets and aftermarkets. To learn more, visit www.ppg.com.

We protect and beautify the world is a trademark and the PPG Logo is a registered trademark of PPG Industries Ohio, Inc.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005190/en/
The regime has announced the seizure of assets belonging to people involved in the import and export of goods and ships involved in trade writes Sowt Al-Asima.

The Ministry of Finance in the government of the Syrian regime issued a decision requiring the preventive seizure of movable and immovable funds for nine persons and institutions working in the field of import and customs clearance.

The decision, issued on Jan. 7, 2021, which bore the signature of Finance Minister Kinan Yaghi, included the precautionary seizure of the movable and immovable funds of the Imad Hmisho Group, Mohammad Walid Hmisho, Ahmad Walid Hmisho, and Hiba Walid Hmisho, in addition to the customs broker, Iyad Wajih Skeif.

The precautionary seizure decision also affected the Golden Bay ship and its owner, the captain of the ship, Abdul Qadir Yaziji, and the shipping agent, Shadi al-Martini, the representative of The Eagle for Trade, Import and Export.

The ministry stated in its decision that a preventive seizure was placed on the aforementioned individuals and institutions, due to the import of smuggled goods worth 7 billion and 735 million Syrian pounds.

According to the decision, the fines owed by the aforementioned entities are estimated at 33 billion and 202 million Syrian pounds as a maximum.

Golden Bay is a general cargo company established in 1989, with a carrying capacity of 7,701 tons and a current draft of nine meters, sailing under the Togolese flag.

Golden Bay works with several Egyptian companies and transports various goods and industrial equipment and specializes in sea freight from Egypt to Syria and Lebanon, in addition to shipping from Turkey to Lebanon.

Imad Hamisho is the founder of the second car assembly plant in Syria, Chairman of the board of directors and a partner in Hamisho Minerals, of which he owns a 60 percent stake, worth about 52 million pounds, as well as being manager and sole owner of the al-Tameer Company for Import and Export. Mohammad Walid Hamisho is the Director of Emmar Motors and a founding partner in Asas Steel. He owns stakes in several companies along with his brothers Ahmad and Hiba, who are also subject to the precautionary seizure decision.

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.
Around half of farm tenants may be excluded from new agricultural schemes that replace the Common Agricultural Policy, the tenanted sector has warned.

Many farm tenants in England and Wales operate under Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs), characterised both by very short lengths of term and restrictive clauses.

The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has warned that they may be excluded from new schemes and access to developing markets for carbon and biodiversity offsets.

The new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) will see farmers paid for work that enhances the environment, such as tree or hedge planting, river management to mitigate flooding, or creating habitats.

Moving away from a system that pays farmers for the total amount of land farmed, the scheme will instead pay for public goods.

But in many cases, tenants are not allowed to enter schemes for the improvement of the environment without their landlords consent.

Some landlords reserve the right to take the benefit of new schemes themselves, while others often benefit from private arrangements for carbon and biodiversity offsetting, the TFA says.

We cannot support a situation where the funding is removed from tenant farmers and is received instead by their landlords," said George Dunn, TFA chief executive.

"Landlords are entitled to receive rent in return for granting exclusive occupation of their land to active farmers.

"They should not be able to capitalise directly through government schemes and other arrangements."

Despite lobbying efforts, the government decided not to include provisions within the Agriculture Act which would have protected access to new schemes for tenants occupying under FBTs.

"The government must now address these issues through the way it designs schemes to protect access for tenant farmers," Mr Dunn said.
The AAP government will provide coronavirus vaccine free to the people of Delhi if the Centre fails to do so, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Wednesday. He said he has already appealed to the Centre for ensuring free vaccination in the country since there are many people who may not afford the life-saving shot.

"We will see what the Centre does. If need be and the Centre does not provide the vaccine free of cost, we will make it available free of cost for the people of Delhi," he told reporters here. The Chief Minister also appealed for not spreading rumours about the vaccine.

"I understand that the Centre and our scientists have brought the vaccine following all the protocols and safeguards. So, there should not be any doubt and people should come forward for vaccination," he said. The Chief Minister said the coronavirus vaccine will be given first to healthcare and frontline workers, and he expressed hope it will provide relief to the people from the virus and the pain they suffered over the last one year.

The vaccination drive will begin in Delhi from Saturday at 89 centres.

.
To the editor:

Media outlets are using a variety of terms to describe the people who stormed, vandalized, and looted the Capitol building including conservatives, pro-Trump, mob, thugs and radicals. All of these terms are correct, but there is a term that can identify them much more precisely and accurately: Republicans. Among the rioters were at least seven Republican state legislators. (One of whom was so stupid he actually live-streamed himself breaking into the building.) The woman who organized several busloads of attendees from Michigan is the future co-chair of the Michigan Republican party. The rioters were enflamed by the repeated lies of Republican Senators Cruz and Hawley, and over 100 Republican Congressmen including Midlands John Moolenaar. The headline speaker at the rally, was the ultimate leader of the Republican Party himself  Donald Trump. The storming of the capitol and the attempted coup was, at its core, a Republican Party event  advertised, headlined, and attended by Republican Party leaders.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
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.

WASHINGTON - The siege on the U.S. Capitol played out as a QAnon fantasy made real: The faithful rose up in their thousands, summoned to Washington by their leader, President Donald Trump. They seized the people's house as politicians cowered under desks. Hordes wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the "Q" symbol and toting Trump flags closed in to deliver justice, armed with zip ties and rope and guns.

The "#Storm" envisioned on far-right message boards had arrived. And two women who had died in the rampage - both QAnon devotees - had become what some were calling the first martyrs of the cause.

The siege ended with police retaking the Capitol and Trump being rebuked and losing his Twitter account. But the failed insurrection marked a grim milestone in how the paranoid conspiracy theory QAnon has radicalized Americans, reshaped the Republican Party and gained a forceful grip on right-wing belief.

Born in the Internet's fever swamps, QAnon played an unmistakable role in energizing rioters during the real-world attack on Jan. 6. A man in a "Q" T-shirt led the breach of the Senate, while a shirtless, fur-clad believer known as the "Q Shaman" posed for photographers in the Senate chamber. Twitter later purged more than 70,000 accounts associated with the conspiracy theory, in an acknowledgment of the online potency of QAnon.

The baseless conspiracy theory, which imagines Trump in a battle with a cabal of deep-state saboteurs who worship Satan and traffic children for sex, helped drive the day's events and facilitate organized attacks. A pro-Trump mob overwhelmed Capitol Police officers, injuring dozens and one officer later died as a result. One woman was fatally shot by police inside the Capitol. Three others in the crowd died of medical emergencies.

QAnon devotees joined with militia members and white supremacists at the Capitol assault after finding one another on Internet sanctuaries: the conservative forums of TheDonald.win and Parler; the anonymous extremist channels of 8kun and Telegram; and the social media giants of Facebook and Twitter, which have scrambled in recent months to prevent devotees from organizing on their sites.

QAnon didn't fully account for the rampage, and the theory's namesake - a top-secret government messenger of pro-Trump prophecies - has largely vanished, posting nothing in the past 35 days and only five times since Trump's election loss.

But QAnon's prominence at the Capitol raid shows how powerful the conspiracy has become, and how quickly it has established a life of its own. QAnon activity has surged on fringe right-wing platforms and encrypted messaging apps in the past week, with believers offering increasingly outlandish theories and sharing ideas for how they can further work to overturn the results of the Nov. 3 contest - with violence, if necessary.

Even as Trump is set to exit the White House, QAnon's grip on the conservative psyche is growing. Two Republican members of Congress, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Lauren Boebert of Colorado, have voiced support for QAnon, while others have tweeted its slogans. State legislators across the country have further lent it credence while also backing Trump's claims of electoral theft despite a lack of evidence and dozens of swift rejections in court.

The QAnon movement's evolution,from an Internet hodgepodge to a hallmark of pro-Trump violence, is a signal of the danger it poses to security this weekend and going into next week's inauguration. It also presents long-term challenges for President-elect Joe Biden by fomenting resistance to democratic governance and to measures needed to corral the coronavirus pandemic, including mass vaccination.

"The takeaway from this is that disinformation is a threat to our democracy," said Joel Finkelstein, co-founder of the Network Contagion Research Institute, a research group that studies online disinformation. "And we're not nearly done."

As much of the nation - including leading Republicans - expressed horror at last week's events, a different narrative was playing out in the parallel online universe that has grown around Trump's presidency and helped sustain it through perpetual upheaval. The siege was justified, described on Twitter by one QAnon devotee as "the least we can do." Or it was staged as a false flag to discredit Trump supporters, with its participants as the true victims.

"You all know the attack on the Capitol was done by [the far-left political movement] antifa," Thomas McInerney, a retired lieutenant general in the Air Force, declared in remarks captured on video and peppered across Twitter by accounts participating in a frenzied effort to construct a different narrative of the Capitol riots.

Experts tracking the QAnon conspiracy movement believe a new president may only exacerbate feelings of resentment and victimhood that have nurtured the baseless philosophy. Against the backdrop of QAnon, Trump was able to position himself as an outsider, fending off secret enemies, even while in the Oval Office. Once he's really on the outside, that sense could grow.

"This will be a new cause," said Mary McCord, a Georgetown Law professor and former national security official at the Justice Department. "Democrats in the White House."

- - -

In 2017, a writer on the anonymous message board 4chan, styling themselves as Q, wrote posts spinning a dark and cryptic fantasy - detailing how Trump was working tactically to dismantle the "deep state" cabal that controls much of the world.

For years, QAnon spun a tale in the militant language of good against evil, promising that Trump, a soldier messiah, would strike down a global cabal of pedophile politicians and Satanist media elites in a day of reckoning called the "Storm." The siege, for some believers, was seen as that online theory coming to life.

As its online infrastructure expanded from a single message board to a network of aggregators, chat rooms and social-network bubbles, QAnon, which originally mimicked much of the debunked conspiracy theory Pizzagate, mushroomed into an umbrella conspiracy theory. It encapsulated all manners of disparate right-wing beliefs: vaccine skepticism, anti-Semitic ideas about government control and, most recently, the unsubstantiated belief that Biden's election win was a fraud.

In recent months, it has become challenging to know where QAnon's world ends and Trump's begins. QAnon T-shirts and banners are a constant presence at Trump's rallies, and pro-Trump figures are exalted by QAnon believers as heroes.

Trump has rarely explicitly acknowledged QAnon, which has been linked by law enforcement to intensifying real-world violence, although believers have often celebrated when he has retweeted the theory's best-known promoters. In August, when Trump was asked whether he believed QAnon's core claims that he was "secretly saving the world from this cult of pedophiles and cannibals," Trump replied, "If I can help save the world from problems, I am willing to do it. . . . We are actually, we're saving the world."

Q's relative quiet since the election has led some believers toward a crisis of faith on whether Q had abandoned the flock. But many still call on their fellow adherents to "trust the plan": "Do not mistake silence for inaction," says one site that sends alerts whenever Q posts a new "intelligence drop."

Much of QAnon devotees' energy has in recent months flooded to false allegations that Trump had been robbed of an election victory. The QAnon-boosting attorneys Sidney Powell and L. Lin Wood led a failing pro-Trump attempt to overturn the election.

The QAnon conversation online had pivoted from taking down a global cabal to targeting a more specific mission: "Stop the Steal." So when Trump invited supporters to Washington for mass demonstrations on Jan. 6, the day when Congress was set to certify Biden's victory, researchers said pro-Trump agitators and QAnon believers saw it as a demand for action.

"Be there," Trump tweeted last month. "Will be wild!"

- - -

Rosanne Boyland was prepared to take the president literally, traveling from Georgia to "keep the fight alive," as she wrote on Facebook this month.

She was in Washington when Trump addressed his supporters last week near the White House, urging them to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell."

The 34-year-old woman was among four participants in the pro-Trump action who died. Two of them, including Boyland, were QAnon devotees, according to family members and a review of their digital footprints. On Facebook, Boyland reposted content from popular QAnon personas and praised members of the Trump administration seen as working most avidly to bring about Q's promised salvation. Facebook in October removed QAnon pages and groups, citing links to real-world harm, but permitted individual QAnon posts so long as they didn't violate other policies, such as the ban on inciting violence.

The other was Ashli Babbitt, an Air Force veteran shot by police in the Capitol. Both women have been mourned as martyrs to QAnon, with Babbitt described on Twitter as a patriot whose "heart was pumping with fire and hope." Anonymous accounts have swarmed tweets by Republican politicians telling them to "show support for our fallen MAGA patriots."

Others involved in the Capitol breach proudly wore their devotion to QAnon. Douglas Jensen, the man who authorities say led a pack of rioters into the Senate, wore a shirt with a giant Q rendered in red, white and blue. He was arrested Saturday on federal charges, including trespassing and obstructing a law enforcement officer.

Jacob Anthony Chansley, the "Q Shaman" who was later charged for his involvement in the riots, told the FBI he had come as part of a group from Arizona "at the request of the President that all 'patriots' come to D.C." on Jan. 6.

Jo Rae Perkins, a QAnon adherent who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in Oregon last year, wrote on Twitter that she had been present at the Capitol for "over three hours." She added the rally cry, "#TheStormHasArrived," invoking the day of reckoning associated in the QAnon canon with the mass arrest of Democrats.

The fervent online organizing seen ahead of last week's assault has begun building again, despite an unprecedented crackdown against QAnon on Twitter and other mainstream services. A QAnon group on Gab has grown by more than 40,000 members since the failed insurrection. Thousands more have flocked to QAnon-affiliated spaces on Telegram. One 12,000-member channel was so overrun with new members that those behind the forum temporarily froze the chat feature.

QAnon, said Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, "is one major point in a constellation of right-wing terrorist movements that also includes Boogaloo, militia movements, white supremacists, neo-Nazis."

Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on and soon-to-be chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said QAnon's ability to "weave together - and thereby recruit from - a wide constellation of existing conspiracy theories and causes has brought these dangerous beliefs more into the mainstream."

QAnon believers, in videos and posts about the siege, said they felt invigorated by the starring role they had played in battling their hero's enemies. Tamara Towers Parry, a Seattle woman who goes by the name "Dr. Tammy," had voiced her devotion to QAnon with posts and videos on her since-suspended Twitter account in which she said Q would one day "be in every history book."

After the siege, she posted another video outside the Capitol, where she wore an American-flag cowboy hat and gripped a large "Q" flag.

"We just stormed the Congress, and I'm going to tell you right now, it was wild," she said. She narrated the action as she clambered past broken windows and dodged clouds of tear gas. "Our eyes are burning, but you know what, compared to what our Founding Fathers did, it's the least we can do." Parry did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment.

Then she voiced a signature QAnon belief - that Biden, among other Democrat leaders, would soon go to prison.

"God bless America," she said into the camera, flashing a big smile.

- - -

The next wave of mayhem is expected to arrive this weekend, possibly extending into Inauguration Day on Wednesday. One video circulating widely on YouTube and elsewhere offered a mash-up of Trump speeches that culminates in a call to Washington as Biden is sworn in, promising "PANIC IN DC."

This time, authorities are taking these warnings seriously, with heavy police presences and up to 15,000 National Guard members planned to help keep the peace.

In the siege's aftermath, when Trump acknowledged there would be a transfer of power on Jan. 20, some QAnon adherents saw a final betrayal - although others, trusting Q's plan, said they saw in it a coded message that Trump would not actually cede control.

At the same time, the fervor among QAnon supporters appears not to have ebbed, even as arrests mount. A mix of excitement and fear pushed QAnon believers further into their alternative digital reality. One QAnon-affiliated account with more than 11,000 subscribers on the private-messaging app Telegram posted a list of emergency resources the night of the failed insurrection, including survival guidebooks and documents detailing firearm and physical training in isolation.

QAnon believers doubled down on their worldview, offering contradictory and nonsensical theories for the week's events: The siege was instigated by undercover Black Lives Matter and antifa activists, they said, but pro-Trump operatives seized the opportunity to steal laptops they said would contain evidence of widespread sex trafficking among elites.

Another theory posited that Trump's comments on Thursday about a "smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power" were not about an incoming Biden administration but about imminent military rule led by Michael Flynn, Trump's first national security adviser, whose Twitter account was suspended last week as part of the platform's widening ban on QAnon content.

After the siege, the administrator of a smaller far-right Telegram channel promoted the use of untraceable 3-D-printed gun parts and posted the locations for the headquarters of Twitter, Facebook, Google and Apple.

The response by Republican leaders makes it unknown which direction the party will go. Even those no longer in office, and no longer subject to the will of pro-Trump voters, have not always been full-throated.

"A sad day," wrote Tom Graves, Greene's predecessor in Congress. "Not who we are to be." When invited to say more, he did not take the opportunity.

But while members of Congress have stayed silent about QAnon, its believers have pushed for more aggressive action. The raft of suspensions across social media targeting QAnon-related accounts - as well as the ban of Trump's Twitter account - led some to claim the U.S. military was launching a global media blackout, the first phase of a cryptic operation they believed would climax with thousands of arrests and live-streamed military tribunals exposing the crimes of the political elite.

"We are safe from the blackout here," wrote one user, "Digital Soldier," on Telegram.

Most theories converged on a key point for QAnon, which over years of missed deadlines for an impending conquest by Trump has hinged on promoting and anticipating some new blockbuster event: that Trump was going to drop reality-shifting intelligence in the days and weeks ahead.

"The reason we had to go through all this drama," one user posted on Telegram, "was for people to become aware, angry and ready to look at the evidence and demand justice."

- - -

The Washington Post's Julie Tate contributed to this report.

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Even in the teeth of the pandemic, South Leinster turned in a solid performance on land sales and prices last year.

Out of 23 auctions only four saw less than 11,000/ac paid, one sale passed the 2m mark and nine auctions saw over 1m paid for farmland. However, the number of auctions was down by 11 on 2019 and down 32 on the 2018 figure.

A total of 1,476ac was sold in the south-east in 2020, generating a total of 22.204m with an average per-acre price of 15,043/ac.

This was the highest per-acre price in the country, beating North Leinster by almost 5,000/ac.

However, like other regions, the acreage sold was well down on 2019, with 29pc less land changing hands at auction and the amount of money generated down 33pc.

The most expensive piece of land sold in the region was a 31ac residential farm at Laragh, Maynooth, Co Kildare that made 21,000/ac under the hammer of local auctioneers, Coonans.

This was closely followed by an 88ac residential tillage farm at Coolnahorna near Enniscorthy in Co Wexford, it made 20,080/ac when sold by David Quinn of Quinn Property.

Non-residential

The most expensive non-residential farm closed under the hammer in the region was a 76ac tillage farm at Dunbrin, Athy. It sold for 1,51m or 20,000/ac at an outdoor auction on the land conducted by Jordan auctioneers.

The only farm in the region to make more than 2m was a 188ac dispersed tillage farm at Maplestown, Ballyoliver and Coolmanagh in Co Carlow. It was sold by John Dawson of Tullow, making 2.46m in an executor sale.

Expand Close The home farm at Maplestown, Carlow was part of a dispersed 188ac holding sold for 2.46m / Facebook

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Whatsapp The home farm at Maplestown, Carlow was part of a dispersed 188ac holding sold for 2.46m

Another executor sale involving a dispersed farm also did the business for Dawsons when a 138ac holding at Ballykillane, Hacketsown and Constable Hill, Carlow made 1.79m or 12,943/ac.

Also breaking the 1m mark was an 86ac non-residential farm, adjacent to Punchestown racecourse, which sold for 1.71m or 19,884/ac in an auction conducted by Brian Farrell of REA Farrell Brophy Farrell.

1m plus sales

Five other farms in the south-east made over 1m at auction. These included an 86ac holding at Johnswell, Kilkenny that made 1.36m for Pat Gannon. Across the border in Laois, a 67ac residential holding at Clonboyne Portlaoise was sold by Joseph Coogan for 1.315m.

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In Kildare, a 90ac non-residential tillage farm at Swordlestown, Naas was sold by Paddy Jordan for 1.22m, while David Quinn sold a 77ac farm at Ballyorley, Ferns, Co Wexford for 1.12m.

Pat ONeill of ONeill Flanagan handled the 1.01m sale of a 113ac non-residential holding at Ballintombay, Rathdrum in Wicklow.

Expand Close This 113ac dairy farm at Ballintombay, Rathdrum, Co Wickow made over 1m at auction. It came with a range of good miking facilities / Facebook

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Whatsapp This 113ac dairy farm at Ballintombay, Rathdrum, Co Wickow made over 1m at auction. It came with a range of good miking facilities

Clive Kavanagh of Jordans describes 2020 as a goodish year, given the circumstances. There was strong farmer interest, but there was also the return to the market of the investor, he said. These investors were particularly interested in buying land for letting, attracted by the tax-free income and the long-term lease.

As an investment it is like gold, it wont disappear, he said of the rationale of paying up to 20,000/ac for land. He expects strong demand to continue in 2021.

Grazing ground

David Quinn described 2020 as a very good year for land sales even though it was stop-start due to Covid restrictions, Prices were good, land was scarce and we had a long list of buyers. Whatever land came on the market was met by strong demand. He adds that long-term leasing is having a noticeable impact on land supply.

Joseph Coogan also describes 2020 as a good year with a strong demand for land, particularly grazing ground. He said the bulk of customers were dairy farmers and investors looking for letting land, Land for lease is a good investment, the property will be well looked after as it is in the tenants interest to keep it like that. It is hassle-free compared to the letting of houses and buildings, he said.

Philip Byrne of Coonans describes 2020 as an unusual year. The first half was characterised by the lockdown and second half was really busy with strong demand and great prices paid, he said.

There is not enough land for sale, we have customers all over the greater Dublin area looking for farms of 30ac to 200ac. Much of this demand is investor-based, people who are being charged by the banks to hold their money and who are choosing to put it into land.

He expects a lively market in 2021 with strong demand and increased values.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijans anti-Armenian policy, which has been reflected by the Armenian massacres in Baku, Kirovabad and Sumgait over 30 years ago, continued also during the 2nd Artsakh War, Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said in a statement on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku.

In January 1990 the Armenian population in Baku has been subjected to a systematic massacre.

The massacres in Kirovabad, Sumgait and Baku became a part of the Azerbaijani state policy of Armenophobia and ethnic cleansing. This anti-Armenian policy continued also during the 2nd Artsakh War, accompanied by numerous terrible crimes committed against the peaceful civilians of Artsakh, Mirzoyan said.

The Speaker stated that despite the current difficult situation, Armenians around the globe are determined to continue living and creating in their homeland and stopping all attempts of committing another genocide against the Armenian people.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
The worlds two pre-eminent web giants, Facebook and Google, often get a lot of criticism from privacy advocates. Recently, however, the Australian government has been trying to get the two giants to stop using end-to-end encryption: and this has caused many people, who would not usually be friends to the web giants, to stand with them.

Last month the governments of the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and Japan issued a joint statement asking Facebook and other tech firms to stop using end-to-end encryption when handling their users communications. Australian Home Affairs departmental secretary Mike Pezzullo likened governments' attempts to deal with Facebook to the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars taking on the evil Empire.

"We are dealing with a galactic empire that has sought to basically disengage itself from the sovereign international society," he said.

There are those, of course, whod point out that the UK/US/Aus/Can/NZ alliance - aka the Five Eyes - is quite literally born out of an empire, albeit one that its former members have freed themselves from. India, though not traditionally part of the Five Eyes, was once a part of that empire too. Japan wasnt: on the other hand its head of state actually is an emperor. Maybe we could call this alliance the Seven Eyes.

Perhaps understandably there were those who saw the Seven Eyes as being more akin to the Galactic Empire than Facebook on this issue. Canberra in particular has faced a lot of flak over recent legislation which compels Aussie tech firms not only to spy on their customers whenever the government asks, but to keep secret the fact that they are doing so - on pain of going to prison. Its an issue for technology firms worldwide, as most major nations have similar rules on their books, but the wounds are still particularly raw Down Under.

AWD

Though they appear similar, these two have very little in common, unlike most hot hatchbacks. The GR Yaris is the most novel, a homologation special built by Toyota so that it could have this streamlined body in a motorsport format.Like many subcompacts, the hot Yaris is powered by a three-cylinder engine, though this is the most powerful one currently in production. The 1.6-liter turbo produces 257 hp (261 PS) and 360 Nm (266 lb-ft) in European spec. This is delivered to all four wheels via ansystem.The JCW GP used to have a 1.6-liter turbo as well, but this brand new incarnation uses a more potent 2.0-liter turbo. With the magic of BMW's TwinPower tech , this bad boy pushes out 301 hp (306 PS) and about 25% more torque than the Toyota. The only problem is that it's all going to the front wheels.Going in, we had certain expectations. Because of the AWD, we thought the GR Yaris stood a good chance of winning, and that's sort of what happens. At the beginning of the drag race, the Toyota shoots ahead, putting all its power down effectively. But by the 1/4-mile marker, the JCW GP just manages to pull ahead by a nose. This is despite the wet track conditions giving the Yaris an advantage.This just goes to show how powerful engines and automatic gearboxes have changed drag racing, even in this toy-sized segment. The decimation is even more brutal in the rolling race, where the AWD launch of the Yaris is eliminated as a factor. And the final surprise is the brake test, as the MINI loses, despite being lighter and sporting all those wings and spoilers.
Representative Liz Cheney of Wyoming, the No. 3 House Republican, said on Tuesday evening that she would vote to impeach, citing the presidents role in an insurrection that caused death and destruction in the most sacred space in our republic.

Representative Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, a frequent critic of Mr. Trump, joined his Republican colleagues on Tuesday evening, saying the nation was in uncharted waters. He said that Mr. Trump encouraged an angry mob to storm the United States Capitol to stop the counting of electoral votes.

Representative Fred Upton of Michigan said he would vote to impeach after Mr. Trump expressed no regrets for what had happened at the Capitol.

Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington State said, The presidents offenses, in my reading of the Constitution, were impeachable based on the indisputable evidence we already have. (An earlier version of this item incorrectly stated which state Ms. Herrera Beutler represents.)

Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington State announced that he was backing impeachment, attacking his partys core argument, that the process was being rushed. I will not use process as an excuse, he said during the impeachment debate, to cheers and applause from Democrats. Mr. Newhouse also offered a mea culpa, chiding himself and other Republicans for not speaking out sooner against the president.


North Korean leader vowed all-out efforts to bolster his country's nuclear deterrent during a major ruling party meeting where he earlier laid out plans to work toward salvaging the broken economy.

Separately, Kim's powerful sister criticized South Korea's military for saying it had seen an apparent military parade taking place in Pyongyang. Kim Yo Jong, who was described last year as being in charge of inter-Korean relations, said in a statement Wednesday that such close tracking proved Seoul's hostile approach toward its rival.

The eight-day Workers' Party congress that ended Tuesday came as faces what appears to be the toughest moment of his nine-year rule.

Pandemic-related border closures and floods and typhoons that wiped out summer crops further shocked an economy already devastated by mismanagement and US-led sanctions over his nuclear weapons program.

While further strengthening our nuclear war deterrent, we need to invest every effort to build the strongest military capabilities, Kim said during his closing remarks at the congress, which were published by Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency.

Kim also called for reasserting greater state control over the economy, boosting agricultural production and prioritizing the development of chemicals and metal industries in a five-year plan.

Outside experts say such sectors would be crucial to North Korean hopes to revitalise industrial production that has been decimated by sanctions and halted imports of factory materials amid the pandemic.

The economic setbacks have left Kim with nothing to show for his high-stakes summitry with President Donald Trump. Their diplomacy deteriorated after the collapse of their talks in Vietnam in February 2019, when the Americans rejected North Korea's demand for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.

During the congress, Kim doubled down on his ambitions to expand the North's military capabilities and announced plans to develop more sophisticated nuclear assets, including longer-range missiles that could potentially target the American homeland, spy satellites, new tactical nuclear weapons and nuclear-powered submarines.

In comments that were apparently aimed at pressuring the incoming Biden administration, Kim labelled the United States as the North's principal enemy and said the fate of bilateral relations would depend on whether Washington discards what Pyongyang perceives as hostile policies.

The statement from Kim's sister indicated she is still handling the North's relations with South Korea, but KCNA referred her as a vice department director of the ruling party's Central Committee, indicating she had been demoted from her previous status as first vice department director.

Seen as the most powerful woman in North Korea, Kim Yo Jong has come in and out of prominence under her brother's rule.

South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff had said Monday that it had obtained intelligence showing a North Korean military parade in Pyongyang on Sunday night and was checking whether it was an official event or a rehearsal.

We are only holding a military parade in the capital city, not military exercises targeting anybody nor launch of anything. Why do they take trouble craning their neck to follow what's happening in the (North)?, Kim Yo Jong said. The (South Koreans) are a truly weird group hard to understand. They are the idiot and top the world's list in misbehavior as they are only keen on things provoking world laughter.

North Korean state TV has not shown a military parade as of Wednesday morning. During its last military parade in October, the North unveiled a series of new strategic weapons, including what appeared to be its biggest-yet intercontinental ballistic missile.

(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 on Wednesday issued notice on the Centre's plea that a 2018 apex court judgment to decriminalise adultery under Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code should not be applicable to the armed forces.

A bench headed by Justice RF Nariman and comprising Justices Navin Sinha and KM Joseph also sent the case to the Chief Justice for listing it before a five-Judge bench that had decriminalised adultery. The top court had then noted that it can only be a ground for divorce.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, representing petitioner Defence Ministry, submitted that armed force personnel can be dismissed from service on ground of unbecoming conduct on account of adultery with brother officers' spouses.

The Centre argued that the top court verdict on adultery may cause instability within the armed forces, as defence personnel were expected to function in peculiar conditions.

The Centre emphasised that during the course of their service, defence personnel many times stayed away from their families for long durations, as a result of their posting on borders or other far-flung areas.

After a brief hearing, Justice Nariman said that the matter would be placed before a five-Judge Bench as deemed fit by the Chief Justice of India.

--IANS

ss/tsb

(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 New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
A New Jersey appellate court on Tuesday overruled a lower courts dismissal of a sexual abuse lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, allowing the case to proceed.

The lawsuit, filed last year in Atlantic County Superior Court, alleges that a now-former priest, Michael J. McCarthy, began sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy in 1971 at McCarthys Shore home in Margate when he was a priest at St. Bernadette Parish in Drexel Hill.

McCarthy took the boy overnight to the Margate home, where he plied him with alcohol, showed him pornography and sexually assaulted him, said David Inscho, a partner at Kline & Specter and the lead attorney for the victim. Afterward, McCarthy repeatedly sexually assaulted the teen at the boys Delaware County home over several months, Inscho said.

McCarthy, now 83, was defrocked in 2006, according to the BishopAccountability.org website, after the archdiocese learned that he had taken other teenage boys on overnight trips to the Margate house. That abuse was detailed in a 2005 Philadelphia grand jury report that uncovered years of sexual assaults against children by priests in the archdiocese.

McCarthy and his attorney, John Curtis Agner, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Efforts to reach the attorney for the archdiocese, Nicholas Centrella, were unsuccessful, as were efforts to reach its spokesperson.

The archdiocese had sought to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming a lack of jurisdiction and saying it was not responsible for McCarthys actions. In November, the New Jersey Superior Court agreed and dismissed the case.

After the victim appealed, the Appellate Division of the New Jersey Superior Court on Tuesday vacated the dismissal and sent the case back to the lower court for further discovery.

We are heartened by the Appellate Divisions decision, Inscho said.
The transport ministry officially stops licensing flights from countries and territories where new Covid-19 variant is reported.

The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) under the Ministry of Transport (MOT) has suspended inbound flights from the UK and South Africa, and countries and territories infected with a new variant of SARS-CoV-2.

Vietnam suspends inbound flights from UK and South Africa to prevent new coronavirus variant. Photo: Vietnam Airlines

Earlier, the ministry sent the dispatch to relevant units on the implementation of Prime Minister's Directive No. 01 on strengthening the prevention and control of Covid-19 pandemic.

The CAAV requests domestic and foreign airlines to strictly comply with regulations on pandemic prevention before, during and after flights such as: medical declaration, wearing a face mask, checking passenger body temperature before boarding, sterilizing surfaces and aircraft.

Local transport units are required to continue tightening and strengthening safe measures against the pandemic in passenger transport.

The maritime port authorities in coordination with border and medical quarantine agencies are tasked with strengthening management and control of seafarers, preventing them from going ashore. Shipping companies are requested to minimize the change of crew members.

The MOT requires all civil servants, officials and workers in the industry to fully implement anti-epidemic measures according to the message "5K" which means Khau trang" (face mask) - "Khu khuan" (disinfection) - "Khoang cach" (distance) - "Khong tu tap" (no gatherings) - "Khai bao y te" (health declaration).

Vietnam continues to stop unnecessary activities and events that gather large crowds for the prevention and control of the pandemic.

Earlier, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc also requested aviation sector to restrict the number of flights that bring stranded Vietnamese home until after the Lunar New Year holiday to prevent new Covid-19 variants from spreading around the world.

Under the prime ministers directive signed on January 5, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is tasked with working closely with the Ministries of Health and Transport to make a list of countries and territories where the directive is applicable. Hanoitimes

Nhat Minh

PM orders suspending flights from countries, territories with new SARS-CoV-2 variants Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered suspending flights carrying Vietnamese citizens home from countries and territories which report new variants of SARS-CoV-2 and see complicated pandemic developments, firstly the UK and South Africa.

Srinagar:

Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Mohammad Yasin Malik was detained in south Kashmir's Shopian district due to apprehension of breach of peace, police said.

Malik, along with Noor Muhammad Kalwal, the zonal president of his outfit, was detained by the security forces at Reban in Shopian this morning, a police official said.

ALSO READ: NIA probe: JKLF chief Yasin Malik detained; Geelani's residence sealed

A JKLF spokesman, while condemning their detention, said the outfit's chief had gone to Reban to meet the family of jailed leader Sarjan Barkati. The spokesman said the duo have been taken to some unknown location.

READ: J-K: Police arrest JKLF leader Yasin Malik, shift him to central jail

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President Donald Trump is greeted by Pastor Robert Jeffress during the Celebrate Freedom Rally at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington on July 1, 2017. (Olivier Douliery/Pool via Getty Images)

Pastor Says He Does Not Regret Supporting Trump After Capitol Breach

A pastor in Texas who is a prominent Christian supporter of President Donald Trump, said he doesnt regret backing Trump in light of the Jan. 6 Capitol breach.

Robert Jeffress said he spoke with both Trump and Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday.

When reporter asked if I regretted my support I said Absolutely not! Most pro-life and religious liberty President and VP in history!' the pastor wrote on social media.

Jeffress, the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, was accused by Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) on Monday of claiming the 2020 election was stolen.

Kinzinger, a harsh Trump critic, later backed down from the accusation.

You know sir? You are absolutely correct. You did act honorably, and while my point remains about the Church and the need for pastors to lead, you did not press those stolen election conspiracies. I am sorry for including you in that, Kinzinger wrote to Jeffress on Twitter.

Apology accepted and appreciated! We are praying for you and for all our elected officials, Jeffress said.

Trump won the 2016 election in part because of strong support from the Christian community.

Jeffress wrote in November 2020 that Democrat Joe Biden winning the election was a bitter pill to swallow for millions of Christians.

When Joe Biden becomes president, we should commend him for the things he does right. We should condemn the things he does wrong. And above all, we must pray fervently for our president, he added.

Jeffress wasnt the only pastor to keep supporting Trump after the Capitol breach. Franklin Graham, son of the late preacher Billy Graham, told USA Today that Trump didnt have any understanding in that moment of what was going to take place. Graham added, he regrets it.

Trump told reporters in Maryland on Tuesday that the speech he gave before the breach has been analyzed, and people thought that what I said was totally appropriate.

And if you look at what other people have saidpoliticians at a high levelabout the riots during the summer, the horrible riots in Portland and Seattle, in various otherother places, that was a real problemwhat they said, he added. But theyve analyzed my speech and words and my final paragraph, my final sentence, and everybody, to the T, thought it was totally appropriate.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
[January 13, 2021] Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Reminds Investors of Looming Deadline in the Class Action Lawsuit Against SolarWinds Corporation (SWI)

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") reminds investors of the upcoming March 5, 2021 deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in the class action filed on behalf of investors who purchased or otherwise acquired SolarWinds (News - Alert) Corporation ("SolarWinds" or the "Company") (NYSE: SWI) securities between February 24, 2020 and December 15, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"). If you suffered a loss on your SolarWinds investments or would like to inquire about potentially pursuing claims to recover your loss under the federal securities laws, you can submit your contact information at https://www.glancylaw.com/cases/solarwinds-corporation/. You can also contact Charles H. Linehan, of GPM at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, or via email at shareholders@glancylaw.com to learn more about your rights. On December 13, 2020, Reuters (News - Alert) reported hackers have been monitoring email traffic at the U.S. Treasury and Commerce departments. The hackers are believed to have breached the emails by deceptively interfering with updates released by SolarWinds, which services various government vendors in the executive branch, the military, and the intelligence services. On December 14, 2020, the Company disclosed that "a vulnerability [was inserted] within its Orion monitoring products which, if presen and activated, could potentially allow an attacker to compromise the server on which the Orion products run." The vulnerability was inserted in Orion products downloaded, as well as updates released, between March and June 2020.



On this news, the Company's stock price fell $3.93, or 17%, to close at $19.62 per share on December 14, 2020, thereby injuring investors. Then, on December 15, 2020, Reuters reported that Vinoth Kumar, a security researcher, alerted the Company last year that anyone could access SolarWinds' update server by using the password "solarwinds123." The article also reported that co-founder of cybersecurity company Huntress, Kyle Hanslovan, noticed the malicious updates were still available for download even days after SolarWinds was aware their software was compromised.

On this news, the Company's stock price fell $1.56, or 8%, to close at $18.06 per share on December 15, 2020, thereby injuring investors further. The complaint filed alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) since mid-2020, SolarWinds Orion monitoring products had a vulnerability that allowed hackers to compromise the server upon which the products ran; (2) SolarWinds' update server had an easily accessible password of 'solarwinds123'; (3) consequently, SolarWinds' customers, including, among others, the Federal Government, Microsoft, Cisco (News - Alert) , and Nvidia, would be vulnerable to hacks; (4) as a result, the Company would suffer significant reputational harm; and (5) as a result, Defendants' statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, Twitter, or Facebook. If you purchased or otherwise acquired SolarWinds securities during the Class Period, you may move the Court no later than March 5, 2021 to request appointment as lead plaintiff in this putative class action lawsuit. To be a member of the class action you need not take any action at this time; you may retain counsel of your choice or take no action and remain an absent member of the class action. If you wish to learn more about this class action, or if you have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to the pending class action lawsuit, please contact Charles Linehan, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles, California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to shareholders@glancylaw.com, or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased. This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005111/en/

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A dossier with more than 700 unsealed CIA reports on UFOs was published on The Black Vault last week

The documents revealed chilling accounts of hundreds of UFO sightings across the globe dating back to the 1950s - along with the international intelligence community's efforts to understand them

One report describes a 1952 meeting where top US officials discussed plans for Project Blue Book

The project was launched by the CIA and the Air Force in 1952 and reviewed thousands of UFO sightings at home and abroad to determine whether they posed a true threat to the US during the Cold War

Black Vault founder John Greenewald Jr spent two decades suing the CIA to release the records in his dossier

Findings from DailyMail.com's ongoing review of the documents are compiled in the story below

A treasure trove of newly-unsealed CIA records has revealed chilling accounts of hundreds of UFO sightings across the globe dating back to the 1950s - along with the international intelligence community's efforts to understand them.

A dossier with nearly 3,000 pages of documents about Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs) - the government's official term for what are commonly called UFOs - was published on The Black Vault website last week.

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Thousands of paranormal enthusiasts have already started poring through the collection of more than 700 individual documents, according to Black Vault's founder John Greenewald Jr, who has spent the past two decades suing the CIA to release the records and then scanning the pages into his database one by one.

The CIA purports that the files account for its 'entire' collection of declassified UAP intel, but Greenewald cautions that there's no way to verify that claim and has vowed to continue searching for further records.

The dossier was released ahead of a June deadline for US intelligence agencies to reveal everything they know about UFOs to Congress under a clause slipped into the $2.3trillion coronavirus relief bill signed into law by President Donald Trump in December.

An ongoing DailyMail.com review of the files has uncovered a bevy of perplexing accounts of mysterious disks tracking across the sky, spewing beams of light across small towns, causing explosions and even a few claims of military officers confronting aliens that come out of outlandish vehicles.

The documents also show correspondence about UFO sightings between CIA officers and members of the military. Sometimes the officials brush off observers' stories as purely superstitious, even when another explanation isn't clear. But in other instances the officers show genuine concern that perhaps something dangerous is at play.

One of the earliest records describes a 1952 meeting where top US intelligence and military officials discussed forming a coalition to study an alarming increase in UFO sightings. That coalition, led by the Air Force and dubbed Project Blue Book, would go on to review thousands of sightings at home and abroad to determine whether there was a reason to fear something other than America's Cold War enemies.

A treasure trove of newly-unsealed CIA records has revealed chilling accounts of hundreds of UFO sightings across the globe dating back to the 1950s - along with the international intelligence community's efforts to understand them. Pictured: A photo from the Project Blue Book archive shows lights misidentified as a group of UFOs over a Coast Guard air station in Salem, Massachusetts in 1952

US Military Branch Chiefs meet to discuss the CIA's 'Flying Saucers' project in 1952

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On August 11, 1952, a group of US military leaders got together to discuss the CIA's plans to launch a research project on 'flying saucers'.

Minutes from the meeting were included in a report the Black Vault dossier, describing how the CIA wanted to run the project through its Physics & Electronics Division after a sudden uptick in UFO sightings around the world.

The document was annotated by an unidentified individual who put brackets around different figures at the meeting and added a few notes in the margin.

On August 11, 1952, a group of US military leaders got together to discuss the CIA's plans to launch a research project on 'flying saucers'. Minutes from the meeting were included in a report the Black Vault dossier, describing how the CIA wanted to run the project through its Physics & Electronics Division after a sudden uptick in UFO sightings around the world. The document (pictured) was annotated by an unidentified individual who put brackets around different figures at the meeting and added a few notes in the margin

Under the meeting minutes there is a section for 'distribution'. A handwritten note states: 'Where so many "flying saucers" have been reported of late. Although Mr Strong knew many people there and tracked the area extensively, no unusual phenomena were ever mentioned or seen'

'Mr Sullivan opened the meeting by saying that a project is to be started in the P&E Division on "Flying Saucers. It was suggested by Dr Odarenko that this project be set up to maintain the file to establish outside contacts on such matters and to build up to date knowledge of the [illegible] to permit the Division and office to take a stand and formulate an opinion as might be required,' the document states.

Astronomer J Allen Hynek, Project Blue Book's scientific consultant, is seen at an observatory in the 1960s

It says that ATIC - which refers to the Air Technical Intelligence Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio - 'has the job of finding out about these "flying saucers" and keeping records. [Illegible] is responsible for getting information for the CIA. All members of the P&E Division are to look into this project and see what they can contribute to this problem. Each Branch appointed a representative.'

Under the meeting minutes, transcribed with a typewriter, there is a section for 'distribution'. A handwritten note states: 'Where so many "flying saucers" have been reported of late. Although Mr Strong knew many people there and tracked the area extensively, no unusual phenomena were ever mentioned or seen.'

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The venture discussed during that meeting would go on to be called 'Project Blue Book', according to Air Force archives. It was the third project of its kind, following behind others called Grudge and Sign.

There were two main goals to Project Blue Book: To determine if UFOs were a threat to national security; and to scientifically analyze UFO-related data.

The project was officially terminated in 1969 after the Condon Report, based on thousands of sightings compiled by the project, concluded that there was nothing abnormal about UFOs.

One of the thousands of UFO sightings studied under Project Blue Book are shown above

Another photo from Project Blue Book's Condon Report is shown above

Russian airliner crew describes coming within 50 kilometers of a yellow disk shooting beams of light in Belarus in 1985

Many of the documents included in the Black Vault archive describe UFO sightings in the former Soviet Union - but this one is particularly detailed.

An article from Moscow's Trud newspaper dated January 30, 1985, describes how an airline crew en route from Rostov, Russia, to Tallinn, Estonia, came upon what they perceived to be a UFO about 120 kilometers from Minsk, Belarus, at about 4am.

The article dramatically recounts the incident from the perspective of the crew. 'Glancing over his portion of the sky, the copilot noticed a large star that was not flickering on his upper right. But this is no star, this yellow speck the size of a 5-kopeck coin, stretched out along the edges.

'"No matter..,"' he told himself calmly, "refraction of light in the atmosphere or something else..." A very thin beam of light emerged from the speck and fell vertically down to the ground itself.'

The pilot nudged his three comrades in the cockpit and they watched as the 'beam of light suddenly opened up, turning into a luminous cone. ... A second cone emerged, wider, ... then a third one, broad and quite bright.'

The pilot recommended that they report the sight to the ground, but the commander stopped him, unsure of how they would even describe it.

The men estimated that the object was only about 40 to 50 kilometers away. The copilot pulled out a paper to draw it before 'the beam of the "projector" rose from the ground and focused on the aircraft.'

'The commander was still hesitating: should he report what is taking place or not? But something that put an end to his doubts happened here. The white spot flashed up, and a green cloud emerged in its place.'

The commander recalled seeing the object rush toward his plane, before it suddenly disappeared. 'Well, now they will say we weren't in our right minds.'

The article goes on to describe the crew's conversations with dubious ground controllers.

It concludes with a statement from N. A. Zheltukhin, deputy chairman of the Commission on Aerodynamic Phenomena, who said: 'The commission is conducting a systematic study of [UFO] sightings over the territory of the Soviet Union.

'However, we have to note that regrettably, all the accounts which we have at our disposal suffer from being one-sided or fragmentary to one degree or another.'

An article from Moscow's Trud newspaper dated January 30, 1985, describes how an airline crew en route from Rostov, Russia, to Tallinn, Estonia, came upon what they perceived to be a UFO about 120 kilometers from Minsk, Belarus

Swedish pilot and flight mechanic spot a 'completely unorthodox, metallic object' flying at 'the speed of sound' outside Stockholm in 1953

A CIA report from April 1954 includes three newspaper articles about a purported UFO sighting five months earlier in Sweden.

Captain Christiernsson and flight mechanic Olle Johansson were flying a Trasnair Airlines plane between Malmo and Stockholm on December 17, 1953, when the object appeared in the sky in front of them.

'I do not doubt for an instant that it was not a jet plane,' Christiernsson told the Dagens Nyheter newspaper. 'What I saw was a completely unorthodox, metallic, symmetric, round object which was unlike anything I have seen before.

'The silhouette was thin and it approached me at a very high velocity. Olle Johansson and I have discussed the matter of its speed, and we have estimated the speed to be about that of sound. The whole business took place fantastically quickly, but I believe that I was able to see the object for four to five seconds.'

Johansson said: 'What I saw was an ellipse with sharp outlines and something between silver and white in color. It was approaching from the north in a direction opposite to ours, at a speed of about 1,200 kilometers per hour. It was flying entirely above the clouds. Since we had the automatic pilot on, we had no chance to turn quickly enough to see where the object went.'

But two days after the alleged sighting, a Swedish official contacted the newspaper and said that the object viewed by Christiernsson and Johansson was likely just one of the 300 advertising balloons that had been released earlier that day.

'With all certainty, it is one of our balloons which the flyers saw,' Director Bertil Dahlstrom told Dagens Nyheter.

A CIA report from April 1954 includes three newspaper articles about a purported UFO sighting five months earlier in Sweden. Captain Christiernsson and flight mechanic Olle Johansson were flying a Trasnair Airlines plane between Malmo and Stockholm on December 17, 1953, when the object appeared in the sky in front of them

Nine UFOs spotted hundreds of kilometers apart in the span of four hours in the Soviet Union in 1989

Nine different UFO sightings were reported around Russia on the same night in March 1989, according to a CIA document based on various reports from the Rabochaya Tribuna newspaper.

The sightings all took place between 8pm and 12am on March 21, in the regions of Pereslavl-Zalesskiy, Novoselye, Zagorsk, Yakovlevo, Ploshevo, Dubki, Kablukovo, Fryazino and Kirzhach. Each of those regions are within about 600 kilometers of Moscow.

The sighting in Pereslavl-Zalesskiy came from a radar observation post, which said: 'A shining object with red lights at a range of about 40 kilometers, moving at a speed many times greater than that of an aircraft, appeared at 21.19. A shining object with white lights and the same parameters was following it.'

Four captains and one colonel were quoted in the report - describing oblong objects with flashing lights and beams emanating out of them.

The report states: 'In an editor's note, Rabochaya Tribuna assessed Colonel General Maltsev's documents as "substantial confirmation" that UFOs, piloted by intelligent beings of some sort, have been visiting the USSR. '

Nine different UFO sightings were reported around Russia on the same night in March 1989, according to a CIA document based on various reports from the Rabochaya Tribuna newspaper

Urgent UFO information is hand-delivered to the CIA's top scientist for review in 1976

Asked about which documents had piqued his interest, Greenewald highlighted a report about seemingly urgent UFO information being hand-delivered to an Assistant Deputy Director for Science & Technology at the CIA in April 1976.

Most details about the information were redacted in the document, but Greenewald said he is determine to uncover more through further FOIA requests.

The name of the deputy director was also redacted but records indicate that Carl Duckett served in that position at the time.

The document states: 'We contacted A/DDS&T (Dr [redacted]) to see if he knew of any UFO program and also to answer the questions posed by [redacted].

'Dr [redacted] exhibited interest in [redacted] which was handcarried to his office. After a short examination of its contents Dr [redacted] advised us that he would personally look into the matter and get back to us.'

A second document from June of 1976 appears to request an update on the review, but there is no record of the ordeal after that.

The heavily redacted report above describes seemingly urgent UFO information being hand-delivered to an Assistant Deputy Director for Science & Technology in April 1976

CIA officials discuss the possibility that UFOs were behind a 'mysterious blast' in the small Russian town of Sasovo in 1991

In another report, CIA officials discuss the possibility that UFOs were behind a 'mysterious blast' in the small Russian town of Sasovo - about 400 kilometers southwest of Moscow - in 1991.

Residents reported seeing a 'fiery sphere' descend from the sky before a shockwave tore through the town, leveling an entire block.

The report said investigators had failed to come to a conclusion about the cause of the explosion, leaving open the possibility of UFOs.

It states: 'Some people are talking about munitions left buried since the last war, while others claim that a powerful bomb fell. A third group blame it on a meteorite, and a fourth group blame UFOs... There are people who supposedly saw a moving "fiery sphere".'

Among the more than 700 files in the Black Vault database is this report, where CIA officials discuss the possibility that UFOs were behind a 'mysterious blast' in a small Russian town

UFO enthusiast hounds the CIA for information about a sighting at Ohio Air Force Base

Several of the files appeared to reference the same incident, in which a possible UFO was sighted at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in 1978.

The reports refer to someone named Dr Leon Davidson who made multiple requests for information about the matter and did not appear to be getting any response.

He is believed to be the same Dr Leon Davidson who studied UFOs for decades beginning in 1949, according to Columbia University, which was gifted a collection of the engineer's research on the subject after his death in 2007.

One report states: '[Redacted] received a letter from Davidson [redacted] in which Davidson asked if the [redacted] tape had been analyzed at Wright Field.

'[Redacted] replied that the tape was forwarded to proper authorities for evaluation and no information was available concerning results.

'[Redacted] then received a second letter dated 19 March from Davidson in which he said since [redacted] was not in a position to make enquires he would like the address of proper parties to make them to.

'[Redacted] replied that he understood the proper address for forwarding information on "flying saucers" is Air Technical Intelligence Center, Wright Patterson Air Force Base.

'Subsequently, [redacted] learned that Davidson made enquiries there. Apparently they stalled him.'

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In May of that year another report asks: 'What progress has been made? This correspondence is more than a month old. I am afraid the longer we procrastinate the more fuel we add to the fire. Also, the people at Wright Field are holding their breaths awaiting advice.'

A third report, for which the date is illegible, says: 'Davidson is on our backs again. He wants a verbatim translation of the "space" message and the identification of the transmitter from which it came.'

In a fourth report - which indicates that the case is 'closed' - the author states that Davidson was writing an article about the incident entitled: 'The Air Force and the Saucers, Part Three: The Central Intelligence Agency becomes involved with Saucers.'

It indicates that the CIA did provide Davidson with some information, but does not disclose what that information was.

In the final report on the matter, the author indicates that the CIA will no longer be responding to Davidson's correspondence.

Wright-Patterson AFB has long been linked to conspiracy theories about alien life, after serving as the headquarters of an Air Force program- dubbed 'Project Blue Book', which studied UFOs from 1947 to 1969.

Over the course of those two decades the project garnered more than 12,600 reports of UFO sightings - 701 of which were never 'identified', according to the Dayton Daily News.

Several of the files appeared to reference the same incident, in which a possible UFO was sighted at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio in 1978. The reports refer to someone named Dr Leon Davidson who made multiple requests for information about the matter and did not appear to be getting any response

In May of that year another report asks: 'What progress has been made?'

A third report, for which the date is illegible, says: 'Davidson is on our backs again. He wants a verbatim translation of the "space" message and the identification of the transmitter from which it came'

In a fourth report - which indicates that the case is 'closed' - the author states that Davidson was writing an article about the incident entitled: 'The Air Force and the Saucers, Part Three: The Central Intelligence Agency becomes involved with Saucers'

In the final report on the matter, the author indicates that the CIA will no longer be responding to Davidson's correspondence

UFO sighted in Morocco in 1976

One of the most heavily-redacted documents reviewed by DailyMail.com is dated September 23, 1976, and features the words: 'To immediate director - with personal request to investigate UFO sighted in Morocco.'

The full-page report is covered in 25 black lines that appeared to have been made directly with a pen.

The report was first approved for release in February of 2010, a footnote indicates.

One of the most heavily-redacted documents reviewed by DailyMail.com is dated September 23, 1976, and features the words: 'To immediate director - with personal request to investigate UFO sighted in Morocco'

Many of the files are similarly redacted to remove nearly every little detail beyond the word UFO.

Some in the mix merely mention the keywords 'UFO', 'UAP' or 'extraterrestrial' in the context of unrelated topics, offering little to no insight about the CIA's overall knowledge about those keywords.

For example, one document entitled 'Hypervelocity Test Techniques Discussed' describes a French study of a force which could be used to deflect UFOs - defined in the document as 'undesired flying objects' - not unidentified ones.

Another document joined the pile because it features a newspaper column about a Bosnian fugitive, in which the author mocks the Pentagon's failure to find the man despite 'communicating regularly with extraterrestrial beings'.

One document entitled 'Hypervelocity Test Techniques Discussed' describes a French study of a force which could be used to deflect UFOs - defined in the document as 'undesired flying objects' - not unidentified ones

Another document joined the pile because it features a newspaper column about a Bosnian fugitive, in which the author mocks the Pentagon's failure to find the man despite 'communicating regularly with extraterrestrial beings'

'It was like pulling teeth': Greenewald recounts the 20 years he's spent fighting for access to CIA records on UFOs

Black Vault's founder John Greenewald Jr (pictured) has spent the past two decades suing the CIA to release the records and then scanning the pages one by one

Greenewald began investigating the US government's research on UFOs when he was just 15 years old in 1996.

He described his painstaking efforts to Motherboard on Monday, saying he filed countless Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to unseal the records.

'Around 20 years ago, I had fought for years to get additional UFO records released from the CIA,' Greenewald said.

'It was like pulling teeth. I went around and around with them to try and do so, finally achieving it.

'I received a large box, of a couple thousand pages, and I had to scan them in one page at a time.'

The dossier contains both the records that Greenewald requested and others that the CIA had already released publicly and compiled into a CD, which Black Vault purchased last year.

In a blog post Greenewald noted that while the CIA claims it has released all of its UAP documents, there is no way to verify whether some documents may have been withheld.

In a Twitter thread on Tuesday he explained how the records available on the CIA's website are incomplete, despite the agency 'giving the illusion' that everything is there.

He posted screengrabs of a CIA site search which produced 415 results for UFO-related FOIA requests - compared to the 713 files on the Black Vault.

In a Twitter thread on Tuesday Greenewald explained how the records available on the CIA's website are incomplete, despite the agency 'giving the illusion' that everything is there

Greenewald also emphasized how the CIA releases its records in a format that is far from user-friendly.

'The CIA has made it incredibly difficult to use their records in a reasonable manner,' Greenewald told Motherboard.

'They offer a format that is very outdated (multi page .tif) and offer text file outputs, largely unusable, that I think they intend to have people use as a "search" tool.

'In my opinion, this outdated format makes it very difficult for people to see the documents, and use them, for any research purpose.

'Researchers and curious minds alike prefer simplicity and accessibility when they look at data dumps such as these.'

Despite the inconvenience, Greenewald said thousands of people had already downloaded the archive on the first day it was posted on the Black Vault.

He's offering the archive for free but set up a Patreon account for anyone who wants to donate money to support his past and future efforts to uncover CIA records.

'Plain and simple, the public has a right to know,' Greenewald said.

'When I began researching nearly 25 years ago at the age of 15, I knew there was something to this topic. Not because of viral internet hoaxes. Not because of back door meetings wherein I cant tell you who, but I promise it was mind-blowing information. No, none of that.

'It was simply because of the evidence that I got straight from the CIA. And the NSA. And the Air Force. And the DIA. I feel I am achieving what I set out to do. Easy access, to important material, for people to make up their own minds on what is going on.'

Greenewald (pictured) began investigating the US government's research on UFOs when he was just 15 years old in 1996. His Black Vault database is the result of countless different Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests

US intelligence faces six-month deadline to submit unclassified UFO report to Congress

UFO detectives like Greenewald may soon have even more intel to sift through, with the upcoming deadline for US intelligence agencies to submit an unclassified report about 'unidentified aerial phenomena' to congressional intelligence and armed services committees.

The director of National Intelligence and the secretary of defense have just under six months to do so, after a stipulation in the 'committee comment' section of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 was included in the huge bill, according to CNN.

The Senate intelligence committee's directive said that the report should be unclassified, but it can contain a classified annex. Therefore, it is unlikely to reveal the discovery of extra-terrestrial life reaching earth.

It does, however, state that the report must contain detailed analysis of UFO data and intelligence collected by the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force and the FBI.

Detail of 'an interagency process for ensuring timely data collection and centralized analysis of all unidentified aerial phenomena reporting for the Federal Government' must be included, and it should designate an official responsible for that process.

A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence confirmed the requirement for the report to the fact-checking website Snopes.

Navy pilots believe they spotted a UFO just off the coast in Jacksonville in 2015 (pictured)

In April last year, the Pentagon released three short videos - one from 2004 and two from 2015 - that showed 'unidentified aerial phenomena', which had earlier been confirmed to be real by the US Navy.

The videos, recorded by infrared cameras, showed what appeared to be unidentified flying objects quickly moving across the sky.

In the background of two of the videos, service members can be heard reacting as they watch the objects, with one speculating it could be a drone.

In August, the Pentagon announced that it was setting up a task force to investigate the objects, but it is still unclear what the objects are or where they came from.

Both Pentagon officials and members of Congress have been concerned about the appearance of unidentified objects flying over US military bases, with some suggesting the objects in the video could be drones collecting intelligence.

In June last year, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to have the Pentagon and intelligence community provide public analysis of such encounters.

This is not the first time the Pentagon has investigated aerial encounters with UFOs, having previously studied recordings of such incidents as part of a classified program launched by former Senator Harry Reid, that has since been shut down.

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That program was launched in 2007 and closed in 2012, the Pentagon says, after it decided there were higher priority areas that required funding.
For the House of Representatives' vote on impeachment today, Nancy Pelosi pulled an old favorite out of her closet: the exact same dress she wore for President Trump's first impeachment vote in 2019.

The 80-year-old Speaker of the House was photographed on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday wearing a knee-length black sheath dress with three-quarter sleeves and a mandarin college, which she paired with a gold beaded necklace and a floral mask.

The dress and necklace were both immediately familiar to Americans who had closely watched Trump's impeachment proceedings in December 2019, as Pelosi had dressed nearly identically for the historical occasion.

Impeachment dress: Nancy Pelosi was pictured at the Capitol today wearing a black dress with a beaded necklace

Flashback: She wore the same dress and necklace combo for Trump's first impeachment in December 2019 (pictured)

Twitter users were quick to notice that she wore a somber black dress for the occasion.

Today: This time, she paired the dress with a floral mask

'I KNOW this shouldnt be the focus but Nancy Pelosi in the same dress for both impeachments is the exact kind of trolling our grandmothers taught us and the exact kind of business I am here for,' wrote one.

'Its her funeral dress,' said another.

But other soon pointed out that she was re-wearing the dress she wore on December 18, 2019 for the first impeachment.

One said: '@SpeakerPelosi wearing her #GoodLuck Dress!

'How embarrassing @SpeakerPelosi didn't have time to get a second impeachment dress,' joked another.

Another called the look 'iconic,' while one more tweeted: 'Pelosi said new impeachment trial same dress!! Thats her little black impeachment dress.'

'You know your presidency is in trouble when the Speaker has an "impeachment outfit" just for the occasion,' said another.

One pointed out that her outfit 'has been worn at half of all impeachments in US history.'

In addition to Trump's two impeachments, former President Bill Clinton (in 1998) and Andrew Johnson (in 1868) were also impeached, once each.

Somber occasion: She was among several Congresswomen to wear black for the first impeachment (pictured today)

Outfit redux: Social media users are calling it her 'little black impeachment dress' (pictured in 2019)

Back then: In 2019 (pictured), she also wore a Mace of the United States House of Representatives pin

Pelosi even accessorized the same on both occasions, topping the dress' black collar with a gold necklace with colorful beads.

The only difference appears to be that she swapped the Mace of the United States House of Representatives pin  created by jewelry designer Ann Hand, for $125  with a floral face mask this time around.

Much was made of the Speaker's outfit in 2019, including the pin, which stands for strength and unity and is the symbol of authority of the Sergeant at Arms.

Pelosi was also one of several Democratic members of the House who wore black for the solemn occasion.

'Normally we wear red [on Wednesdays] and we said, "We can't do that today." So, many of the women are in darker colors because it is a somber day,' Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) said, according to The Hill.

Reaction: Social media users were quick to notice the repeat wear and applaud it on Twitter

IMPEACHMENT TIMETABLE Wednesday afternoon: House passed single Article What happens next? Nancy Pelosi decides when to transmit Article to Senate. When she does, it must begin trial on the next sitting day and sit six days a week until it concludes Tuesday January 19: Earliest date Mitch McConnell has said Senate can begin considering Article. Senate procedures may mean trial will not begin until the following day at 1pm Wednesday January 20, noon: Trump leaves office What happens next? If a trial is under way, it can continue. Most legal experts say if it has not begun, it can, but there is a minority who say impeachment cannot continue if the president is not in office Advertisement

Pelosi, who opened the formal impeachment articles debate today, said she wasn't pursuing the measure with glee.

'It gives me no pleasure to say this, it breaks my heart. It should break your heart. It should break all of our hearts,' she said.

'We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion against our common country. He must go.

She called Trump 'a clear and present danger to the nation we all love.'

'The president much be impeached and, I believe, the president must be convicted by the Senate, a constitutional remedy that will ensure that the republic will be safe from this man who is so resolutely determined to tear down the things that we hold so dear,' she said.

She also slammed those who engaged in the riot.

'Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed. They were domestic terrorists and justice must prevail,' the House speaker said.

This is not the first time the Speaker has a had a viral fashion moment.

On December 11, 2018, the then-78-year-old California Representative and her colleague Chuck Schumer met with the president at the White House for a conversation meant to head off a government shut down.

While they couldn't come to an agreement and the meeting grew quite contentious, one opinion was pretty unanimous on social media in the following days: Pelosi's chic, high-collar winter coat from Max Mara's 2013 collection was fabulous.

That coat: On December 11, 2018, the Speaker went viral for this bold Max Mara coat

Social media users called it 'on point,' 'exceptionally stylish,' and 'very nice'

She's had the coat for several years, having bought in it late 2012 on a shopping trip with her daughter, Christine. In January of 2013, she wore it to President Obama's second inauguration.

After the December 2018 wearing, social media users called it 'on point,' 'exceptionally stylish,' and 'very nice.'

The coat's designer, Max Mara, noticed too: Though the outerwear was originally released in late 2012 and hadn't been available to buy for some time, the brand re-released it in early 2019 due to the interest that Pelosi stirred up.

When asked by Elle.com if the coat was a 'deliberate' choice, Pelosi said no, and that she wasn't trying to say anything with it.

'No, contrary to what you might read,' she replied. 'It was cold and I needed a coat, so I went shopping in my closet.

'I had no plan or intention; it was just clean. Clean should be the first criteria,' she went on.
A jury trying a butcher accused of raping and murdering a student today watched the moment he 'intercepts' her in the street after he 'identified her as a target'.

Pawel Relowicz, 26, was captured on CCTV as he 'effectively stalks' 21-year-old Libby Squire before he 'darts' across the road to where she was, the court was told.

In the clip, some 'toing and froing' can be seen before Miss Squire eventually enters the vehicle, with a man identified as Relowicz standing by the passenger side door.

Her gold watch was later found with a damaged clasp on Haworth Street in Hull, near where the vehicle had been parked.

Richard Wright QC, prosecuting, told the jury that the defendant took Miss Squire to a remote playing field, where he raped and murdered her before putting her body in the River Hull.

A resident heard a woman's screams before seeing a young man running away from the area, the court heard.

Ms Squire's father, Russ, left the public gallery while the CCTV clip was played, while her mother, Lisa, held a tissue to her face as she watched.

The defendant had pleaded guilty to nine sexually motivated offences, committed in the months before Miss Squire death and including voyeurism, outraging public decency and burglary, the court heard today.

Pawel Relowicz (left), 26, is on trial over the alleged rape and murder of Libby Squire (right), 21

A court artist's sketch of Pawel Relowicz (in blue) sitting in Sheffield Crown Court yesterday

Defendant's previous offences The defendant had pleaded guilty to nine sexually motivated offences, committed in the months before Miss Squire death and including voyeurism, outraging public decency and burglary, the court heard today. Advertisement

Discussing the CCTV, Mr Wright said: 'Whether Libby was forced into the vehicle physically, an act that would, we suggest, not have been difficult given her condition at that point, or whether she was persuaded to enter it, on the promise of some assistance being rendered to her, may never be clear from the CCTV footage alone.'

Relowicz had been 'patrolling' the student area of Hull to find a young woman to sexually assault before opportunistically targeting Miss Squire, the prosecution allege.

Mr Wright said searches of Relowicz's phone showed that he had browsed an internet pornography site twice during the early hours of February 1 and said he 'appears to have been in a state of heightened sexual arousal that night'.

He said a search of his car found a pink holdall containing 'trophies... taken in a series of sexually motivated burglaries', including sex toys, photographs of young women and several pairs of women's knickers and thongs.

He said: 'Over more than a year preceding Libby's death, the defendant had been committing offences in which he would either expose himself to women in public, masturbate at them in the street, watch them through their windows as they changed or had sex or burgled their homes with the purpose of stealing their underwear, their sex toys or other objects.'

Mr Wright said Miss Squire - who was drunk and had been refused entry to a nightclub - was 'extremely vulnerable' and 'likely hypothermic' as she was not dressed for the freezing cold weather.

Libby Squire, 21, died in Hull two years ago

She had walked away from her house on Wellesley Avenue after being dropped off by a taxi and a number of people, some who saw her falling and lying on the floor in the snow, tried to help her, the court heard.

Mr Wright told the jury that father-of-two Relowicz had spent the evening of January 31, 2019, 'patrolling the streets' of the student area of Hull 'looking for an opportunity to present itself to him'.

The prosecutor said Miss Squire 'inadvertently' strayed into his path after he parked his silver Vauxhall Astra on Haworth Street.

Describing CCTV footage taken between 11.57pm on January 31 and 12.08am on February 1, 2019, Mr Wright said it showed Relowicz leaving his vehicle, walking past Miss Squire and crossing Beverley Road.

He said: 'We will invite you to conclude that he had in fact seen Libby and the obviously drunken and distressed condition she was in. He had identified her as a target and his crossing the road was a device, a fiction to make it look like he hadn't seen her and was just walking on past.'

The barrister told the court that the footage shows Relowicz 'effectively stalks' Miss Squire, 'tracking' her progress before he 'darts across the road and intercepts her'.

Ms Squire's father, Russ, left the public gallery while the CCTV clip was played, while her mother, Lisa, held a tissue to her face as she watched

In the clip, some 'toing and froing' can be seen before Miss Squire eventually enters the vehicle, with a man identified as Relowicz standing by the passenger side door

Prosecuting barrister Richard Wright QC (left) and Relowicz (in blue) at the court yesterday

Relowicz, of Raglan Street, Hull, sat in the dock with three prison officers as the footage was played to the silent courtroom.

The court later heard that Relowicz drove to Oak Road playing fields, where both he and Ms Squire got out of the car, before he returned alone around seven-and-a-half minutes later.

Mr Wright said a resident called Sam Alford, who lived in a house on the edge of the playing field, reported hearing a series of female screams before seeing a man running away.

Mr Wright said: 'They were distant screams but they were loud screams. Mr Alford recalled them as frantic screams that had urgency and had depth.

'There were gaps between them and there were several of them.'

Miss Squire was drunk and had been refused entry to a nightclub, the court was told today

He added: 'We will invite you to conclude that the screams were Libby's and that the man then seen running back after the screaming had stopped was the defendant.'

Mr Wright said Relowicz went home but returned to the playing fields around two hours later.

The prosecutor said he then continued 'cruising around the streets of the student area in his car' and was captured on CCTV footage appearing to masturbate in the street.

A used condom matching the defendant's DNA was later found on the pavement where he had been parked, the court heard.

Relowicz denies raping and murdering Ms Squire, who was originally from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire.

The trial continues.

Police cut back undergrowth while investigating the disappearance of Miss Squire in 2019
Capitol Police briefed House Democrats on Monday about three more potentially violent planned demonstrations in Washington, D.C., with at least one involving a plot to assassinate lawmakers as part of an insurrection, HuffPost first reported and Axios has confirmed.

Why it matters: The warnings underscore the severity of security threats lawmakers face as Washington prepares for the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, coming just days after a pro-Trump mob ransacked the U.S. Capitol.

Details: The most alarming of the warnings concerned an insurrection plot that would involve demonstrators surrounding the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court, and then blocking Democrats from entering the building  possibly by assassinating them  so that Republicans could take control of the government.

Of the other planned demonstrations, one has been referred to as the "largest armed protest ever to take place on American soil."

The other is a protest in honor of Ashli Babbitt, the Trump supporter who was killed by police inside the Capitol during last week's riot.

Capitol Police told lawmakers they have prepared for the plots, and that they may never materialize.

Capitol Police also said they are establishing rules of engagement as they prepare for thousands of armed protesters to arrive in Washington.

"In general, the military and police don't plan to shoot anyone until one of the rioters fires, but there could be exceptions," HuffPost writes.

The state of play: Federal authorities plan to lock down a massive area of downtown D.C. on Wednesday, six days earlier than originally planned.

Go deeper: Washington Monument closed over threats to disrupt Biden inauguration
Dublin, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "The Furniture Industry in Europe" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The first part of this study goes in-depth into the role of Europe in the world furniture context and provides historical series for furniture production, consumption and trade, the main factors affecting the competitiveness of European producers (labour cost, availability of raw materials and components, investments in technology and machinery, research and development, innovations and policy issues), imports penetration, export orientation, description of the main furniture manufacturing countries.



European furniture market potentials and development insights: insights concerning the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global and European furniture sector, future perspectives for the furniture sector in Europe, furniture market forecasts up to 2021.



Furniture manufacturing system and trends in furniture production by sub-segment (upholstered furniture, kitchen furniture, office furniture, other furniture).



Top furniture manufacturers in Europe: the competitive system analysis includes figures for the leading 100 European furniture companies (company name, country, website, activity, furniture specialization, total turnover and number of employees, share of furniture on total sales) ranked by their turnover.



Around 1300 short profiles of furniture manufacturers are also provided, with information on their activity, product portfolio, turnover range, employees range, email address and website.



COUNTRY ANALYSIS: 30 COUNTRY REPORTS.



For each considered country (Austria, Belgium-Lux, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom):

Outline of the market and macroeconomic trends

Production, consumption, imports and exports of furniture for the time series 2014-2019

Trading partners

Manufacturing system

Consumption by region (when available)

Short profiles of leading furniture manufacturers.

Key Topics Covered:

THE EUROPEAN FURNITURE SECTOR

Future perspectives for the European furniture sector

Furniture consumption forecasts to 2021

The role of Europe in the global furniture context

Europe and the rest of the world. Furniture production, consumption, exports, imports

The integration process within Europe

International furniture trade

Traditional and growing manufacturing countries within Europe and the integration of productive systems

Furniture production in Europe, 2014-2019. By area and by country.

A brief description of the main furniture manufacturing countries

Factors affecting competitiveness of European furniture producers

Labour cost and skilled labour availability

Availability of raw materials and components. The value chain

Investments in technology and machinery

Research and Design

Policy issues

The competitive system

Top 100 major European furniture manufacturers: company name, country, website, activity, furniture specialisation, total turnover and number of employees, share of furniture on total sales

The European furniture market development

Furniture consumption in Europe, 2014-2019. By area and by country.

Market sources: national production, European market integration and import flows

Trade balance

The growing degree of market openness

Import penetration

Export orientation

Trends in furniture sub-segments and specialization

Trends in furniture production by segment (upholstered furniture, kitchen furniture, office furniture, other furniture)

COUNTRY ANALYSIS:



Outline of the market, macroeconomic trends, production, consumption, imports and exports of furniture for the time series 2014-2019, trading partners, manufacturing productive system and consumption by region.

Companies Mentioned

Actona

ADOVA

Ahrend

Aramis Invest

B&B

Belfield Furnishings

Bo Concept

BRW Black Red White

Calligaris

Colombini

COM40 Comforty

Cotta Collection

DFS Furniture

Ekornes

Flokk SBS

Fournier

Friul Intagli

Howden Joinery

Hacker Kuchen

Huls

IKEA

Meubles Demeyere

Molteni

Natuzzi

Nobia

Nobilia

Nolte

Nowy Styl

Paged

Poltrona Frau

Roche Bobois

SALM

SBA Furniture

Segmuller

Senab

Tvilum

Vitra International

Welle Holding

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/gy6nw8

Research and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Republican opposition to impeaching President Donald Trump began crumbling at the partys upper echelons on Tuesday as the No. 3 House GOP leader said she would vote to impeach Trump.

There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., said in a statement that, while not unexpected, shook Congress as lawmakers prepared for a Wednesday House vote. With Democrats commanding that chamber, a vote impeaching Trump for an unprecedented second time seemed certain.

More ominously for a president clinging to his final week in office, The New York Times reported that influential Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell thinks Trump committed an impeachable offense and is glad Democrats are moving against him.

Citing unidentified people familiar with the influential Kentucky Republicans thinking, the Times reported McConnell believes moving against Trump will help the GOP forge a future independent of the divisive, chaotic president.

McConnell thinks Trumps behavior before last weeks assault on the Capitol by fuming Trump supporters cost Republicans their Senate majority in two Georgia runoff elections, the newspaper reported. Thats a sentiment shared by many Republicans about Trump, who rather than focusing on bolstering Georgias two sitting GOP senators spent the last weeks of their campaign reciting his false narrative that his own reelection was ruined by Democratic election fraud.

McConnell is said to be angry at the president over the insurrection at the Capitol and the twin defeats in Georgia that cost the party its Senate majority, according to a Republican granted anonymity to discuss the situation.

Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, has run afoul of Trump and far-right Republicans over the years on issues like wearing a facemask and withdrawing troops from Syria. Shes respected by mainstream conservatives and is one of the GOPs few House female stars.

Good for her for honoring her oath of office, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told reporters when asked about Cheneys decision. Would that more Republicans would honor their oaths of office.

Lawmakers oath includes a vow to defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

Reps. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., an Air Force veteran, and John Katko, R-N.Y., a former federal prosecutor, became the first rank-and-file GOP lawmakers to say they would vote to impeach Trump. Later joining the GOP faction was Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.

Washington Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, who represents parts of Vancouver near Portland, became the fifth House Republican to say she would vote to impeach the president, the Congresswoman announced late Tuesday.

The House will vote on an impeachment article charging Trump with incitement of insurrection over his goading of a pro-Trump crowd that poured past police lines into the Capitol last Wednesday, disrupting lawmakers ceremonial counting of the electoral votes that sealed Trumps defeat, leaving five dead and widespread damage.

There is no doubt in my mind that the President of the United States broke his oath of office and incited this insurrection, Kinzinger said in a statement about Trump, whom hes repeatedly criticized over the years.

In a statement, Upton said: Congress must hold President Trump to account and send a clear message that our country cannot and will not tolerate any effort by any President to impede the peaceful transfer of power from one President to the next.

To allow the president of the United States to incite this attack without consequence is a direct threat to the future of our democracy, Katko said in a statement. For that reason, I cannot sit by without taking action and backing impeachment.

In remarks to his supporters outside the White House before they streamed to the Capitol, Trump told them this is the time for strength, adding, We got to get rid of the weak Congress people, describing them as the Liz Cheneys of the world.

Republicans have said they expected perhaps 10 House GOP lawmakers to break ranks and vote with Democrats to impeach Trump, and a clear majority of Republicans seem likely to stand by him.

But Trump may not have helped himself Tuesday. In his first public appearance since the attack on the Capitol, he took no responsibility for his role in egging on his supporters and added falsely, People thought that what I said was totally appropriate.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has told his colleagues that he believes impeaching Trump would be wrong but has not ruled out censuring him or taking other steps. House GOP leaders say they wont press their colleagues on how they will vote Wednesday.

In its story, the Times did not say how McConnell would vote in a Senate trial to convict Trump. Such a finding would usually result in a presidents removal from office, but in this case it seems unlikely a trial could be held and concluded before Jan. 20, when Democrat Joe Biden will be inaugurated to replace him.

McConnell has been the engine that has driven Trumps Supreme Court appointees and scores of other federal judicial nominees through the chamber. While seldom criticizing Trump, he often resorts to silence when pressed by reporters on some of Trumps more outrageous statements and their relationship has never seemed warm.

One White House official said McConnell and Trump last spoke in in mid-December.

--The Associated Press
Ghana's Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has issued a Public Health Alert warning the general public against the patronage and use of any COVID-19 vaccine.



The FDA in a press release issued today said it had come to its attention that "some unscrupulous members of the business community are peddling information on the sale of COVID-19 vaccines to hospitals and other health facilities".



The release said the "peddling of such information contravenes Section 118 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 and constitutes a very serious offence".



"It has come to the attention of the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), that some unscrupulous members of the business community are peddling information on the sale of COVI D-19 vaccines to hospitals and other health facilities. The information is ostensibly to inform the general public of the availability of these vaccines from well known pharmaceutical brands indicating their price ranges," the release said.



"The general public is hereby cautioned against the patronage of such vaccines since the FDA has not yet approved any COVID-19 vaccine for use in Ghana.



In view of the above, the FDA wishes to inform all health facilities and the general public that, peddling of such information contravenes Section 118 of the Public Health Act 2012, Act 851 and constitutes a very serious offence".



The release further stressed that when the COVID-19 vaccine is approved by the FDA for use in Ghana, the Ministry of Health will issue a national policy on the use of COVID-19 vaccines throughout the health sector.



COVID-19 vaccine approvals



Currently, the United States (US) FDA has approved two vaccines; Moderna's vaccine on December 18, 2020, and the Pfizer vaccine on December 11. The vaccines are currently being distributed across the US to battle the pandemic.



The United Kingdom (UK) has also approved three vaccines; the Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca vaccines.



The Pfizer, Oxford and Moderna vaccines each require two doses and you are not fully vaccinated until a week after your second shot.



Meanwhile, Guinea late last year began vaccinating against COVID-19 with the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on an experimental basis, starting with government officials. It ordered only 55 doses of the Russian vaccine.









Source: graphiconline.com









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

Featured Video
Three people sustained minor injuries after a hot plate sparked a fire inside an Oakland townhouse Tuesday, fire officials said.

Oakland Battalion Chief James Bowron was driving near MacArthur Boulevard and Green Acre Road in the Redwood Heights neighborhood when he spotted smoke coming from a row of townhouses shortly before 5 p.m. Bowron called for backup and went to examine the source of the smoke, he told The Chronicle Tuesday evening.

Bowron found residents fleeing the building. Two adults and a young child sustained burns after flames broke out on the second floor of a townhouse, he said.

One adult was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

The fire appeared to have been sparked by a hot plate in a bedroom, Bowron said.

Responding firefighters ran a fire hose through the gate and up to the second floor, where heavy smoke and flames engulfed a bedroom. Fire crews extinguished the flames within 30 minutes.

Bowron alerted the Red Cross, which assisted the three burn victims who were displaced from their apartment following the fire.

Any type of cooking or heating element should be used in the kitchen on a hard surface away from combustible or flammable objects, he said.

Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com Twitter:@NMishanec

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.
Housebuilder Persimmon was down in the doldrums after flagging up that the coronavirus could still spell an uncertain few months.

That was the message from the FTSE 100 firm, which raked in 3.3 billion of revenues last year despite lockdown disruption.

Nevertheless, its trading update pointed to a relatively strong 2020. The 3.3 billion was down just slightly from 2019's 3.7 billion, and the average selling price of a house was up from 215,709 to 230,500.

Housebuilder Persimmon was down in the doldrums after flagging up that the coronavirus could still spell an uncertain few months

Persimmon put this down to pent-up demand for houses after the first lockdown, a surge in interest for larger houses, and the stamp duty holiday which is in place until March. But towards the end of the year, these factors began to wane. Weekly sales during the final quarter dipped, sparking caution among investors.

It also warned of the pandemic's effect on 'unemployment levels and consumer confidence', which could damage house-buying, the impact of an end to the stamp duty holiday, and increased customs duties on supplies imported from the EU due to Brexit.

It added: 'We recognise the elevated risk to the group's planned build programmes presented by the higher transmission rates of the new variant of the Covid-19 virus.'

Unease caused shares to dip 6.2 per cent, or 173p, to 2612p. Persimmon ended up as the biggest faller on the FTSE 100, which was near-flat at 6745.52 points. But while the large-cap index was treading water, there were some bigger swings at the smaller end of the market.

Shares in Synairgen , listed on junior stock market Aim, rose 9.7 per cent, or 15p, to 169p as the British drugs firm began late-stage tests of a coronavirus treatment

Shares in Synairgen, listed on junior stock market Aim, rose 9.7 per cent, or 15p, to 169p as the British drugs firm began late-stage tests of a coronavirus treatment.

The first person was dosed yesterday as part of a fast-track study looking at the impact of the inhaled drug, usually used to treat lung disease, on hospitalised Covid patients.

STOCK WATCH: Touchstar Technology business Touchstar was celebrating a year of profitability after demand for its products held up despite the pandemic. The tiddler, which uses gadgets to provide services such as proof of delivery, route planning and vehicle tracking for logistics firms, said it was 'profitable' in 2020, after it made 89,000 loss the year before. Chairman Ian Martin said he hoped that 2021 would be 'more straightforward'. Shares climbed by 17 per cent, or 8.5p, to 58.5p.

Testing will take place in 20 countries, Synairgen said, and is expected to involve 610 patients. Synairgen boss Richard Marsden explained: 'This trial presents an opportunity for a significant UK scientific breakthrough and, if given the right support, our drug could rapidly assist with the global crisis.'

The FTSE 250 was down 0.5 per cent, or 96.65 points, to 20616.31 points, amid rising fears that Britain's economy would take some time to recover from the virus even with vaccines.

Fund manager Liontrust was one bright spot, climbing 8 per cent, or 100p, to 1350p. It said investors had piled in 792 million more than they had pulled out between October and December, and 2.5 billion more over the entirety of 2020. It now looks after 29.4 billion of savers' money, up 83 per cent since January.

Howden Joinery was also on the rise. The company, which makes kitchen and joinery products, said that its sales had been stronger than expected towards the end of last year. Home improvement firms have been sustained by more households being at home and deciding to make changes.

Howdens now thinks its profits for 2020 will be 185 million  down from 260.7 million the year before, but higher than it initially thought Shares climbed 2.8 per cent, or 19.2p, to 713.2p.

Back among the smaller stocks, broadcaster STV rocketed after announcing profits for 2020 would be 'comfortably ahead of expectations' at a minimum of 18 million. The Scottish firm pulled in more money from advertising than the average of its rivals, and it saw a rise of 14 per cent in TV viewing and 68 per cent on its on-demand service. The shares leapt 14.6 per cent, or 43p, to 338p.
STAMFORD  Synchrony, the largest issuer of private-label credit cards in the U.S., announced Tuesday that Chief Executive Officer Margaret Keane will be succeeded as CEO by its president, Brian Doubles, as she becomes the firms executive chairwoman.

Keane, 61, led the formation of Stamford-based Synchrony when it held its initial public offering and spun off from GE in 2014. One of the few women to lead a Fortune 500 firm, Keane has overseen a number of major initiatives in the ensuing seven years as it grew into one of the largest companies in consumer financial-services.

Doubles, 45, a Westport resident, has served as president since 2019 and will continue to hold that title. He previously served several years as chief financial officer.

I am incredibly proud of the great business, culture and company we have built at Synchrony. We weathered a challenging operating environment this past year, which is a testament to our best-in-class team, Keane said in a statement. With Synchrony in a position of strength, now is the right time to begin this planned leadership transition. Brian has helped build this company every step of the way and is the natural successor to advance our progress and lead Synchrony through the next stage of our journey.

As part of the transition, Doubles will join the board of directors. Current board chairman, Richard Hartnack, 75, will retire after six years. In addition, Jeffrey Naylor, 62, a board member since 2014, will become its lead independent director.

I could not be more excited to succeed Margaret and become the next CEO of Synchrony, Doubles said in an interview. Im truly honored to lead the company into the next chapter. Were building off a strong foundation.

All the executive and board changes take effect April 1.

As executive chairwoman, Keane will lead the companys board and work closely with Doubles and the rest of Synchronys executive leadership team. She will also continue to represent the company and interact with key stakeholders to help advance its mission, according to company officials.

Before becoming Synchrony CEO, she worked 18 years at GE Capital, where she led its retail card platform.

As a close partner, Brian was integral in developing and executing our strategy, as well as building our values and culture, Keane said. It has been the privilege of my career to lead the 16,500 dedicated employees who have built Synchrony into an industry leader  and importantly, a uniquely diverse and caring company. I look forward to working with Brian through this transition and continuing to support Synchronys growth and future success as executive chair.

Synchrony ranked as the No. 170 company on the 2020 Fortune 500 list. It has more than 75 million active customer accounts and $65 billion in deposits.

The companys consumer-finance businesses encompass three sales platforms: retail cards; CareCredit for health and beauty-related transactions; and Payment Solutions, which offers promotional financing for major consumer purchases. In addition, its Synchrony Bank offers Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.-insured savings products.

It is headquartered at 777 Long Ridge Road, near the Merritt Parkway. It comprises one of the largest employers in Stamford, with about 700 locally based employees.

Keanes impact

Among Synchronys initiatives in the past few years, the company has increasingly focused on becoming a major digital-payments player.

In 2018, it closed on the $7 billion acquisition of online-payments giant PayPals consumer credit portfolio. With the deal, Synchrony and PayPal extended their 14-year co-branded credit card program agreement. It is the exclusive U.S issuer of PayPal Credits online consumer-financing program through 2028.

Synchrony further expanded its partnership with PayPal when it became the exclusive issuer of a Venmo co-branded credit card that launched last year. PayPal owns Venmo.

The investments weve made in digital and data analytics are paying off for us, Doubles said. Its what has helped us win new programs. Were partners with PayPal and Amazon. If youre not investing in digital, you cant compete in this space.

Among other major transactions in the past few years, the company sold its Walmart credit portfolio in 2019.

Earlier that year, Walmart dropped a lawsuit alleging that Synchrony had breached their agreement, following Walmarts 2018 decision to end Synchronys two-decade run as its credit-card provider. The companies maintained their ties by extending a separate 25-year partnership that provides co-branded and private-label credit card programs to Sams Club members.

Diversity-and-inclusion initiatives have also figured prominently during Keanes tenure, with the company earning a number of accolades for its programs in that area.

Keane is one of about 40 women to currently serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 firm and the only female chief executive of a Connecticut-headquartered Fortune 500 organization.

In response to nationwide protests against racial inequality and injustice, Synchrony last year committed $5 million for related initiatives and formed a senior-level committee to focus on diversity and equality issues.

Focus on COVID-19

In the past 10 months, the companys response to the coronavirus crisis has dominated Keanes agenda.

To help customers affected by the pandemic, Synchrony announced last spring that it would offer a number of forbearance options, including waiving late fees and interest charges and deferring certain accounts minimum payments for up to three months.

Third-quarter 2020 revenues for Synchrony dropped 21 percent to $3.5 billion, a decline mainly due to the impact of COVID-19 and the sale of the Walmart credit portfolio.

Synchronys employees have been working remotely since the start of the pandemic. Last October, it announced a new policy that would allow U.S. workers to do so permanently.

In related changes, the company disclosed last September that it will leave a number of its leased properties and apparently reduce its workforce.

Despite those shifts, Synchrony is keeping its Stamford headquarters. It plans to eventually implement a hybrid model where employees can again work in the companys offices alongside the remote-work options.

We did a lot of things really well in 2020 to position ourselves for future growth, Doubles said. I feel very confident in our long-term prospects.

pschott@stamfordadvocate.com; twitter: @paulschott
The UK-ASEAN Energy Efficiency Accelerator is supporting food and beverage companies in Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam to improve their energy efficiency and reduce energy costs under the ASEAN Low Carbon Energy Programme, funded by the UK Government's Prosperity Fund.

The Carbon Trust has today launched the UK-ASEAN Energy Efficiency Accelerator (the Accelerator) to support businesses across Southeast Asia scale up energy efficiency improvements. Set to run until March 2022 the Accelerator will primarily focus on the food and beverage sector in Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, supporting companies at different stages of their energy management journey to help them realise the importance of energy efficiency.

The food and beverage sector has been identified for this targeted support as it is one of the most energy consuming industrial sectors in the region, with the potential to save up to 4.5Mtoe in energy consumption (or 35% of total current energy consumption). Programme support is available to small, medium and large companies involved in processing and manufacturing of food and beverages.

Funded by the UK Government Prosperity Fund through the ASEAN Low Carbon Energy Programme, the Accelerator aims to promote improved energy efficiency target setting and performance through the adoption of energy management systems.

To help companies improve their understanding of where opportunities for energy efficiency exist, a series of open access energy savings guides covering seven of the most common processes in the food and beverage sector, including refrigeration, cooking, distillation and drying are now available. A guide on establishing an energy management system aligned to ISO50001 global best practice is also readily available.

In addition, the Accelerator will be delivering free to access capacity building workshops and technical assistance to companies of all sizes ranging from small to large multi-national companies. The aim of the support is to help companies to understand their current energy use, set energy efficiency targets, identify energy savings opportunities, take steps to set up new energy management systems or improve existing systems, and develop tailored internal capacity building workshops.

As part of the Accelerator, a series of online events related to energy efficiency in the food and beverage sector will be hosted. Together with knowledge partner Spirax Sarco, the Accelerator will deliver a virtual training session on optimising steam system generation, distribution, and end-user efficiencies in the food and beverage sector on the 26th January at 15:30 (GMT+8).

Jane Ellaway, Head of Prosperity Fund, Southeast Asia, said:

"The launch of the UK-ASEAN Energy Efficiency Accelerator provides a great opportunity for the food and beverage sector to kick start their journey towards better energy efficiency and management. This investment in Energy Efficiency is important, as part of a green and resilient economic recovery; as well as to meet the goals of the Paris agreement. The UK is pleased to be a partner in this effort and hopes that the Accelerator can be the platform to share the UK's knowledge and best practice in this area."

Chris Stephens, Director Asia, the Carbon Trust, commented:

"We are delighted to be able to draw on our extensive experience in energy efficiency to offer free support to local businesses to reduce their energy bills and cut emissions at the same time. We are seeing more companies around the world set ambitious energy efficiency targets as a central pillar of their sustainability strategies and we're excited to be supporting leading businesses to do the same in Southeast Asia. This is the right time for businesses to be implementing low cost energy efficiency measures it's a win for them and for the planet."

The UK-ASEAN Energy Efficiency Accelerator will run until the end of March 2022.

ENDS

About the Carbon Trust

Established in 2001, the Carbon Trust works with businesses, governments and institutions around the world, helping them contribute to, and benefit from, a more sustainable future through carbon reduction, resource efficiency strategies, and commercialising low carbon businesses, systems and technologies.

The Carbon Trust:

works with corporates and governments, helping them to align their strategies with climate science and meet the goals of the Paris Agreement

provides expert advice and assurance, giving investors and financial institutions the confidence that green finance will have genuinely green outcomes

supports the development of low carbon technologies and solutions, building the foundations for the energy system of the future.

Headquartered in London, the Carbon Trust has a global team of over 200 staff, representing over 30 nationalities based across five continents.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005747/en/

Contacts:

For more information please contact

Ainslie Macleod at the

Carbon Trust: +44 (0)207 170 7050

or press@carbontrust.com
(CNN) -- The House of Representatives voted Tuesday night to approve a resolution calling for President Donald Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment in the wake of the violent siege of the US Capitol last week.

The vote amounts to a symbolic rebuke after Vice President Mike Pence made clear earlier in the evening that he has no plans to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove the President in a letter released just hours ahead of the House vote.

It comes as House Democrats are now moving rapidly toward impeaching the President for a second time as a result of the insurrection, which Trump incited after repeatedly making false claims that the election had been stolen from him and calling for his supporters to fight back.

House Democrats plan to vote Wednesday to impeach Trump, setting up an impeachment vote one week after rioters overran Capitol police and breached some of the most secure areas of the Capitol.

The 25th Amendment resolution, brought forward by Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, calls on Pence "to immediately use his powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet to declare what is obvious to a horrified nation: That the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties of his office."

It further calls on Pence to assume "the powers and duties of the office as Acting President."

Ahead of the vote, however, Pence's office released a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi shutting down the idea.

"With just eight days left in the President's term, you and the Democratic caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment. I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution," Pence wrote.

In a sign that Democrats are moving quickly to impeach, Pelosi on Tuesday announced the names of the Democratic lawmakers who will serve as impeachment managers tasked with presenting a case to the Senate during an impeachment trial. The managers will be: Reps. Raskin, who will be the lead manager, Diana DeGette of Colorado, David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Eric Swalwell of California, Joaquin Castro of Texas, Ted Lieu of California, Stacey Plaskett of the US Virgin Islands, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

Rep. Liz Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, told colleagues on a conference call Monday evening that Wednesday's impeachment vote is a "vote of conscience," a source tells CNN. Cheney, who announced on Tuesday that she will vote to impeach, is one of the handful of outspoken critics of President Donald Trump's disinformation surrounding the November election results and Trump's attempts to overturn the election.

A senior House Democratic aide told CNN that the rule for the Raskin resolution Tuesday night would include language implementing a fine system -- similar to what Republicans implemented in 2017 for filming on the floor -- for noncompliance with the speaker's mask requirement on the House floor. Fines will be $500 for the first offense and $2,500 for the second offense and will be deducted from members' pay, not campaign funds or members' representational allowance.

Separately, the House Office Building Commission will immediately consider implementing a similar fine system for non-compliance in the House office buildings and House side of the US Capitol.

Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer called Pence a day after the Capitol attack to discuss the 25th Amendment -- but Pence never took the call after they were on hold for 25 minutes.

"At least. Of course, I was -- I was at home, so I was running the dishwasher, putting my clothes in the laundry. We're still waiting for him to return the call," she told CBS Sunday night.

In her statement on Monday, Pelosi said that as a "next step," House Democrats "will move forward with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor."

Earlier on Monday, Democrats attempted to take up the 25th Amendment resolution by unanimous consent, but it was blocked by Republicans.

Pelosi accused House Republicans of "enabling the President's unhinged, unstable and deranged acts of sedition to continue," adding, "Their complicity endangers America, erodes our Democracy, and it must end."

This story and headline have been updated with additional developments Tuesday.
The BJP, which has emerged as a potent force in the state, said the TMC's suggestion amounted to admission that it was not in a position to take on the saffron party on its own in the assembly polls in West Bengal due in April-May

The TMC on Wednesday said the Congress and the Left Front should rally behind Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her fight against the "communal and

divisive" BJP, a suggestion the two parties rejected outright.

The Congress proposed that the TMC should merge with it instead to put up a united fight against the BJP. The BJP, which has emerged as a potent force in the

state, said the TMC's suggestion amounted to admission that it was not in a position to take on the saffron party on its own in the assembly polls in West Bengal due in April-May.

"If the Left Front and the Congress are genuinely anti-BJP, they should rally behind Mamata Banerjee in her fight against the communal and divisive politics of the

saffron party," senior TMC MP Sougata Roy told reporters. TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is the "real face of secular politics against the BJP", he said.

Reacting to the TMC's proposal, state Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury blamed the West Bengal's ruling party for the growth of the BJP in the state.

"We are not interested in aligning with the TMC. Why is the TMC now interested in an alliance with us after poaching our MLAs over the last 10 years. If Mamata Banerjee is in keen on fighting the BJP, then she should join the Congress as it is the only pan-India platform to fight against communalism," he said.

Banerjee had floated the Trinamool Congress in 1999 after breaking away from the Congress. Senior CPI-M leader Sujan Chakraborty wondered why the TMC was trying to woo the Left parties and the Congress after branding them as "negligible" political force in the state. He also said the BJP was trying to woo Left voters.

"This only reflects that we are still a force to reckon with. The Left and Congress will defeat both the TMC and the BJP in the assembly elections," he said.

Reacting to the development, state BJP president and Lok Sabha MP Dilip Ghosh said it reflected the TMC's "desperation". "They (the TMC) can't fight us alone, and so they are seeking help of other parties. It also proves that the BJP is the only alternative to TMC," he said.

The Left and the Congress have come together to contest the assembly polls after the drubbing they got in the last Lok Sabha elections. The CPM-led Left Front had drawn a blank in the LS polls, while the Congress managed to win just two of the state's 42 seats. The BJP, on the other hand, clinched 18 seats, just four less than TMC's 22.

In the 2016 assembly polls, which the Left and Congress contested together, the combine had won 76 of the state's 294 seats, while the TMC bagged 211.
(Newser)  Now almost fully recovered from Novichok poisoning, Alexei Navalny is ready to head home. The Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist said Wednesday that he had purchased a plane ticket that would see him return to his home country from Germany, where he's been recovering since August, on Sunday. Russian authorities ordered Navalny to return to Russia in December to fulfill the terms of a suspended sentence, stemming from a 2014 fraud conviction, while touting new fraud accusations related to the alleged misuse of supporter donations, per CNN. And on Monday, the Federal Penitentiary Service officially requested that Navalny be jailed for violating the terms of his suspended sentence. Navalny argues all this is meant to prevent his return to Russia.

story continues below

"Putin, who gave the order to murder me, screeches all over his bunker and tells his servants to do everything so that I do not return  They are doing everything to scare me," Navalny said in an Instagram video shared Wednesday. "But what they are doing there is not of much interest to me. Russia is my country," said Navalny, who vowed to return before parliamentary elections this September. Navalny and his brother were previously accused of embezzling $540,000 from a Russian subsidiary of French beauty brand Yves Rocher. Navalny received a suspended sentence, while his brother was sent to prison. Navalny argues the case was politically motivated, just like new claims that Navalny improperly spent $4.8 million in supporter donations, per Deutsche Welle. (Read more Alexei Navalny stories.)
NORTH BILLERICA, Mass., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Curriculum Associates has named Krista Matrishon of Hillcrest Elementary in Turners Falls and Bobbi Voss of Miriam McCarthy School in Framingham to its 2021 class of Extraordinary Educators, an annual program that celebrates and connects exemplar teachers from around the country. Matrishon and Voss are among 44 teachers from 26 states and Washington, DC chosen for this honor that recognizes educators who exhibit best-in-class use of i-Ready and/or Ready, illustrate growth and achievement via formal assessments, demonstrate innovation and engagement practices for students, are evangelists for high standards and student achievement, and have been teaching for at least two years.

"It goes without saying that this has been an unprecedented school year that has challenged educators, students, and families alike," said Rob Waldron, CEO of Curriculum Associates. "However, this group of Extraordinary Educatorslike so many other educators across the countryhas more than risen to the occasion. We are proud to recognize Krista and Bobbi for their hard work, dedication, and innovative best practices that continue to positively impact the students they serve."

This year's Extraordinary Educators, who were chosen from among hundreds of nominations, will have access to a network of peers from around the country to collaborate, connect, and learn from throughout the year, as well as receive unique professional development opportunities from Curriculum Associates. They will also be invited to participate and present at the Extraordinary Educators Leadership Summit, as well as other professional learning events throughout the year.

"I am excited to be named an Extraordinary Educator as it will provide additional resources to me, my students, peers, and community," said Voss. "I am looking forward to the networking possibilities with a wider community of teachers, expanding my knowledge base, gaining a new perspective of the technologies available, and further enriching the i-Ready educational online experience."

Today, Curriculum Associates' programs are used in more than half of the state's school districts.

To learn more about Curriculum Associates and the 2021 Extraordinary Educators, visit CurriculumAssociates.com/Extraordinary-Educators/2021-Class.

About Curriculum Associates

Founded in 1969, Curriculum Associates, LLC designs research-based print and online instructional materials, screens and assessments, and data management tools. The company's products and outstanding customer service provide teachers and administrators with the resources necessary for teaching diverse student populations and fostering learning for all students.

Contact:

Kati Elliott

KEH Communications

(410) 975-9638

[email protected]

Charlotte Fixler

Curriculum Associates

(978) 901-6066

[email protected]

SOURCE Curriculum Associates, LLC

Related Links

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MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Avisen Legal is pleased to announce that attorneys David Peteler, Abigail Pettit, and Wade Wacholz have become shareholders, effective January 1, 2021.

"I am excited that Wade, David and Abby are joining us as Shareholders in 2021 and adding their experience in business law and estate planning," said Todd Taylor, Avisen Legal's CEO. "This continues our strong growth as a boutique business law firm, enabled by allowing experienced lawyers to provide excellent service to our clients. I am excited to see their positive impact on us and their clients in 2021 and beyond."

David Peteler brings more than thirty years of experience working with companies ranging from Silicon Valley tech start-ups, to local Minnesota businesses, to Fortune 500 companies. With over 200 private placements and several public offerings, Peteler has extensive experience in corporate finance, and is highly skilled in helping businesses grow through successful financings and planned acquisition strategy. Peteler works with a non-profit organization that raises money to support an orphanage for Tibetan refugee children in India.

Abigail Pettit counsels families, closely held businesses, and community banks on business, finance, and transition issues. Pettit's extensive experience in entity law, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, and estates and trusts allows her to work with her clients to find creative solutions to meet their needs. She also advises families with multi-generational wealth on how to achieve their estate planning goals.

Wade Wacholz works with business owners, farms, and families as a trusted legal counselor and advisor on business and transition issues. Wacholz's career includes several unique moments: he crafted the joint venture between the Blackhawks and the Bulls to construct the United Center in Chicago; he also helped shepherd the new Minnesota LLC Act through to adoption in 2015. Wacholz leads the Avisen Estate and Succession Planning practice group, and he is active in the Minnesota Bar Association Partnership/LLC Committee and Business Law Section Council.

Avisen Legal, P.A. is a boutique business law firm that provides its clients with direct access to partner-level attorneys. Avisen brings a team of highly capable transactional and C-suite lawyers who deliver high quality, efficiency, and value, with the breadth of experience to handle the most complex transactions, and the innovative approach to provide practical and efficient advice to meet the day-to-day legal needs of its clients. Additional information about Avisen Legal can be found at http://www.avisenlegal.com/.

CONTACT: Kim Lowe, [email protected].

SOURCE Avisen Legal, P.A.

Related Links

http://www.avisenlegal.com


On 29 December 2020, Mr. Guenole MBONGO KOUMOU, Director General of Customs of the Republic of Congo and Vice-chair of the WCA region of the World Customs Organization (WCO), in collaboration with the WCO Secretariat, organized an extraordinary conference for the Directors General of Customs of the region.

This virtual conference attended by 20 of the 23 Customs Administrations in the region, appointed by consensus Mr. Abdel Kader SANGHO, Principal Inspector of Mali Customs as Director of the ROCB in Abidjan. Thus Mr. SANGHO, accredited by the WCO as Customs Modernization Advisor (CMA) and Mercator Program Advisor (MPA), will succeed Mr. Ebenezer TAFILI who is leaving this function to become Deputy Director Capacity Building at the WCO Secretariat.

It also made it possible to confirm the Members and the mandate of the WCA Regions Finance Committee and the Audit Committee but also to initiate the annual budgeting of the regional structures activities, financed by contributions from WCA Customs to the Regional Fund.

Finally, it provided the WCO Secretariat with the opportunity to present the theme of the International Customs Day celebrated on 26 January 2021 (Customs bolstering Recovery, Renewal and Resilience for a sustainable supply chain) and the link of this theme with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
Many of us look forward to relaxing with a tipple in the evening.

But just one small glass of wine or a beer a day can increase the risk of a life-threatening irregular heartbeat, research suggests.

People who drank every day were 17 per cent more likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart condition that causes an abnormally fast pulse.

And the risk soared by 28 and 47 per cent for those who had up to two  or more than four drinks  respectively.

Just one small glass of wine or a beer a day can increase the risk of a life-threatening irregular heartbeat, research suggests (file image)

Symptoms of AF include chronic breathlessness, dizziness and the inability to carry out simple chores. It affects around one million in the UK and can trigger a stroke if left untreated. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, looked at the drinking habits of 108,000 people aged 24 to 97 over eight years. During a follow-up period of 14 years, almost 6,000 developed AF.

Lead author Professor Renate Schnabel said: In our study, we can now demonstrate that even very low regular alcohol consumption may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation. The research adds to growing evidence there is no safe level of drinking and could lead to a rethink on official advice.

Professor Schnabel, a consultant cardiologist at the University Heart and Vascular Centre Hamburg, said: The regular consumption of alcohol, the one glass of wine a day to protect the heart, is often recommended, for instance. It should probably no longer be suggested without balancing risks and possible benefits for all heart and blood vessel diseases, including atrial fibrillation.

One drink was equivalent to a small glass of wine (120ml), a small beer (330ml) or a shot of spirits (40ml). The association between AF and drink was similar for all types of alcohol  and for men and women. Heavy drinkers are known to be much more prone to heart failure, which can trigger AF.

Heavy drinkers are known to be much more prone to heart failure, which can trigger AF (file image)

Binge drinking can set off temporary rhythm problems  a phenomenon doctors have dubbed holiday heart syndrome as it often happens when people are off work.

Commenting on the study, Dr Jorge Wong and Professor David Conen, of the Population Health Research Institute, near Toronto, said: This data suggests lowering alcohol consumption may be important for both prevention and management of AF.

Importantly, any reduction in low-to-moderate alcohol consumption to potentially prevent AF needs to be balanced with the potentially beneficial association low amounts of alcohol may have with respect to other cardiovascular outcomes.

AF patients are at increased risk of stroke as it can trigger clots that cut off blood supply to the brain.

It comes the day after a study suggested choosing wine over beer or spirits is healthier and can reduce your risk of death. Drinkers of spirits had a 25 per cent increased risk of death and a 31 per cent higher risk of major cardiovascular events compared to those who mainly drank wine, Glasgow University researchers found.

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(Image: Twitter/@Boeing_In)

Vistara, a joint venture airline of the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, also joined the COVID-19 vaccine transportation drive in the country on Wednesday, carrying multiple shipments to various destinations including a flight to Varanasi from Mumbai.

Vistara is actively participating in transportation of COVID-19 vaccines and collaborating with the government approved suppliers, the Delhi-based airline said in a statement.

As part of this, the airline carried multiple shipments of the vaccines on various routes on Wednesday, it said.

According to Vistara, it airlifted four boxes (weighing 90.5 kg) of Covaxin, the indigenous coronavirus vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech, to Delhi from Hyderabad on its flight UK 860.

Vistara also operated a flight to Varanasi, which transported 16 boxes (weighing 512 kg) of Covishield from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport on Wednesday, it 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

Follow our LIVE blog for latest updates of the novel coronavirus pandemic

Covishield is developed by Oxford University and British-Swedish company AstraZeneca and manufactured by Pune-based pharma firm Serum Institute of India (SII).

Earlier in the day, budget carrier GoAir was the first airline to commence vaccine transportation from the city airport, a day after a massive pan-India inoculation drive against COVID-19 was set in process with more than 56 lakh doses of the Covishield vaccine leaving Pune for 13 cities across the country, four days before the vaccinations are scheduled to begin on January 16.

GoAir's first flight carrying 2,400 vials (24,000 doses) of Covishield vaccine took off at 5.20 am on Wednesday and reached Goa at 6.30 am.

The Wadia Group-owned no-frills airline has scheduled flights carrying a total of 69,600 vials of the vaccines to Lucknow, Cochin and Chandigarh, besides Goa, during the day, according to the airline.

Follow our full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic here
RTHK: UK registers record daily Covid death toll

The United Kingdom on Wednesday reported 1,564 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test from Covid-19, a record daily toll, with the number of cases also rising slightly on the day before.

The reported number of deaths far exceeds the 1,325 recorded on January 8 and comes as Britain battles a new more highly transmissible variant of the virus.

There were another 47,525 cases, up from 45,533 on Tuesday.

There have now been almost 85,000 deaths in Britain - the fifth highest figure globally - and 3.2 million have tested positive for Covid-19.

Although the death figure continues to rise, the number of reported cases over the last week has been falling from a record high of 68,053, also recorded on January 8, suggesting lockdown measures were beginning to take effect.

However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there are about 32,000 Covid patients in hospitals, about 70 percent more than during the peak of the first outbreak last April, and he said the risk of intensive care units being overwhelmed was substantial.

"(Health workers) now really are fighting very, very hard to contain this pandemic after months and months in which they've really been working flat out and I think the strain is colossal," he told lawmakers. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.

Instant messaging app Telegram has now clocked 500 million active users globally. While that is a significant milestone in itself, the bigger highlight perhaps is that 25 million new active users have joined the privacy focused Telegram in the past 72 hours, to push the user base beyond the 500 million mark. This sudden spike in users shouldnt come as a surprise, after the Facebook owned WhatsApp announced the new Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on January 7 with pop-up alerts for users in the WhatsApp app, something that did nothing to assuage the fears about user data tracking and sharing. At this time, Telegram is the second most popular app on the Apple App Store for iPhone users, behind Signal. WhatsApp has been pushed down to third, though the latest numbers suggest WhatsApp is still being downloaded in large numbers.

Telegram surpassed 500 million active users. 25 million new users joined in the last 72 hours: 38% came from Asia, 27% from Europe, 21% from Latin America and 8% from MENA, says Telegram in an official update shared on Pavel Durovs channel. Durov is the CEO of Telegram. With half a billion active users and accelerating growth, Telegram has become the largest refuge for those seeking a communication platform committed to privacy and security. We take this responsibility very seriously. We wont let you down, he adds.

While a lot of what is in the new terms has already been known, the clarity hasnt helped user confidence. WhatsApp is now spelling it out clearly that user data is and will continue to be shared with Facebook and other Facebook products as well as services. This will include tracking your usage behavior to personalize the app behavior and to serve personalized suggestions as well as advertisements targeted at you. WhatsApp also says that it tracks user location data at all times, and even if you are smart enough to turn off location access for WhatsApp on your Android phone or Apple iPhone, the app still collects and logs IP addresses and phone number codes to estimate your general locationWhatsApp says this is for diagnostics and troubleshooting. WhatsApp has been trying to clarify a lot of the doubts, but seems to be answering most of the wrong questions.
M ore than four in ten people aged over 80 have had the Covid-19 jab, Matt Hancock said today.

The Health Secretary said supplies of the vaccines were being delivered on track as the Government races to get just under 14 million people offered the jab by mid-February.

But he admitted that the roll-out could be speeded up if more supplies of the shots could be delivered.

We have now vaccinated over 40 per cent of all of the over 80s, he told BBC Radio 4s Today programme.

The roll-out is going very quickly.

We are miles ahead of anywhere in Europe.

But he declined to give any figures for weekly supplies of the jabs, which will inevitably raise questions over whether they will be delivered on schedule.

Mr Hancock told ITVs Good Morning Britain that the vaccine roll-out was being done on a just-in-time delivery system as supplies came in of the Oxford/AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech doses, of which the Government has ordered 100 million and 40 million shots respectively.

But some GPs are having to put on pause their vaccination work, having administered it to their at-high-risk patients, and Mr Hancock added that the roll-out would go faster if there were more supplies.

Latest figures show the Government still needs to significantly increase vaccinations to get to at least two million a week to be able to reach the mid-February target.

Supply of the vaccine is the rate limiting factor and we have to make sure that the vaccine is distributed to everybody in the first instance over the age of 80 and then it will be over the age of 70 by 15 of February, explained the Health Secretary.

We have the capacity to get that vaccine out, the challenge is that we need to get the supply in.

The supply will increase over the next couple of weeks and that means that the very rapid rate that we are going at at the moment will continue to accelerate over the next couple of weeks, that is why Im confident we are on track to hit the target.

The mid-February goal is to offer the jab to all aged 70 and over, care home residents and staff, frontline health and social care workers, as well as other individuals vulnerable to Covid.

Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, told Sky News that measures such as social distancing will be needed for a while yet, even among those who have received the jab.

We must be very clear that vaccination will prevent disease in individuals but it may not prevent those individuals from transmission to others, he said.

So, even though youve been vaccinated, you might not be completely protected yourself, you may be in risk of transmitting to others, so I think we will have to use extra precautions in terms of social distancing, wearing masks, for a while yet.

He added: There is light at the end of the tunnel and certainly by the beginning of March we should see a sharp drop off in hospitalisations and deaths.

The number of people in the UK to have been given a first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Tuesday is more than 2.4 million, according to Government figures, up from almost 2.3 million on Monday.

Some 84,187 first doses have been given in Northern Ireland, on top of the 2,080,280 in England, 91,239 in Wales and 175,942 in Scotland, to give a UK total of 2,431,648.

So far, 412,167 second doses have been administered in the UK, including 393,925 in England, 97 in Wales, 15,288 in Northern Ireland and 2,857 in Scotland.
Saif Ali Khan Opens Up On His Prep For Tandav; Reveals He Finds Grey Characters More Interesting

Ali Abbas Zafars Tandav is undoubtedly one of the most awaited web shows at the moment. The political drama marks his digital debut and also brings together an ensemble cast of talented actors such as Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover and Dino Morea amongst others. While the performances of the entire cast in the trailer blew us away, Saifs character Samar Pratap Singh left a deeper impact on fans. The actor is playing a shrewd politician, who has been described as manipulative and cunning.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ali Abbas Zafar (@aliabbaszafar)

In a recent chat with Spotboye, the actor revealed how he prepared for the role. He shared, There were various influences that come into how you do something and prepare for a particular character. My character is a politician who tends to talk a lot in public places and so there were a lot of Sanskrit-ized Hindi speeches that I had to prepare for Samars character. The fun fact here is  I absolutely love speaking Sanskrit. At times we have a heavy shooting day and there are times when we have a lighter day. In this show, I had to speak almost 4 Sanskrit speeches every day. So, I had to learn a lot of heavy-duty lines to perfect this role.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ali Abbas Zafar (@aliabbaszafar)

Saif went on to share that he has done quite a few roles with grey shaded characters in the past and has thoroughly enjoyed them. He explained, Rather than playing a milky-white character, I do find this more interesting and experimental. I am glad that I am able to play Samars character- vulnerable, fierce, authoritative and kind. It is like channelling a different part of your energy. The superstar further stated that he does not feel playing a politicians character is risky at all and added, Tandav is not a documentary, its a fictional account.

Tandav is all set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on 15th January. Other than the political drama, Saif has many other exciting projects in his kitty such as Adipurush with Prabhas, Bunty Aur Babli 2 and horror comedy Bhoot Police. We are quite excited to see the actor play such different roles!
Brussels: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has cancelled his Europe trip at the last minute on after Luxembourg's foreign minister and top European Union officials declined to meet him, European diplomats and other people familiar with the matter said.

The Europeans snubbed Washington's top envoy days after the storming of the US Capitol by thousands of supporters of President Donald Trump, an unprecedented attack on American democracy that stunned many world leaders.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the National Press Club, Tuesday, January 12, 2020 - he could not get a meeting in Luxemburg. Credit:AP

Pompeo, a close ally of Trump, had sought to meet Jean Asselborn in Luxembourg, a small but wealthy NATO ally, before meeting EU leaders and the bloc's top diplomat in Brussels, three people close to the planning told Reuters.

Pompeo had originally planned to go to Luxembourg, but that leg of the trip was scrapped, one diplomatic source said, after officials there showed reluctance to grant him appointments. The Brussels leg was still on until the last minute.
A Muslim headteacher and her father carried on teaching despite being convicted of running an illegal Islamic private school that failed to promote core British values, a court has heard.

Nadia Ali, 39, and Arshad Ali, 74, deny that the Ambassadors High School in Streatham, south London, is a full-time 'school' on the basis that it only offers 18 hours of education per week.

They allegedly charged annual fees of 2,500, with 45 children on the roll after setting up the institution in 2018.

The father and daughter were convicted nearly 18 months ago following one of the first prosecutions of its kind.

Magistrates heard the school failed to promote fundamental British values or carry out proper background checks on teachers.

After being handed non-custodial sentences in September 2019, they allegedly continued running the school up until March 2020, when an inspection revealed classes were still being held in the building.

Nadia Ali, 39 (pictured), and Arshad Ali, 74, deny that the Ambassadors High School in Streatham, south London, is a full-time 'school' on the basis that it only offers 18 hours of education per week

Despite Ofsted flagging almost 300 suspected unregistered schools since 2016, only a handful of cases have ever been brought to court because of the regulator's limited investigatory powers.

The pair were not required to attend the hearing today, which was told they will argue their organisation is not a school because it does not provide 'full-time education.'

Prosecutor Paul Jarvis said: 'It will come down to whether the institution was providing full-time education to the children, it is then it's very likely to be a school.'

Tahir Ali, defending, said: 'The issues are, number one, whether full-time education was being provided.

'In line with that the Crown's case is going to be that Ambassador High School Ltd was operating as a school.

'The observations by HMI officers deal with the fact that it feels like a school, looks like a school, has children in it, has classrooms and so on.

'What is going to be in dispute is the conclusions they come to.

'Then we move on to whether education was provided above the 18 hours.

'My friend indicated at a previous trial this was a contentious issue.

'The prosecution will submit it is a school and Ms Ali will explain why she thinks it isn't.

Nadia Ali has previously defended Ambassadors High in Streatham, south London, for its 'unique' approach to learning. Pictured is the exterior of the school as it appeared on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme

'There was inspection on March 2 where we say there was another organisation conducting Islamic classes.

'The crown would say that organisation was sacrosanct with Ambassadors Home School Ltd.

'The organisation was separate and distinct.

'So the two fundamental issues are full-time education and the inspection of March 2.'

Nadia Ali and Arshad Ali, both from Streatham, each deny breaching regulation provisions contrary to the Education and Skills Act 2008.

They remain on bail ahead of a two-day trial before magistrates on March 5 and 8.
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For its various businesses

Larsen & Toubro announced that it has secured orders from prestigious clients for various businesses.

Metallurgical & Material Handling Business: Metallurgical and Material Handling (MMH) business has received orders to construct a metallurgical plant in the domestic market, add on orders from an overseas package and product supply orders from various customers.

Power Transmission & Distribution Business: L&T's Power Transmission & Distribution Business has won an Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Commissioning (EPCC) Contract to construct a 500kV Transmission Line in Malaysia that comes at the heels of the successful completion of a similar 500kV project in West Malaysia.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Indian restaurant owner in UK's Bath tried to launch a samosa into space. It almost succeeded, before it crash landed in France.

Chai Walla, which is one of the most popular restaurants in Bath, managed to fire up the samosa into space in three tries.

The owner of the restaurant, Niraj Gadher, said that he just wanted to spread some cheer in gloomy times. He said that he had always joked about sending a samosa into space and he figured that everyone could do with a laugh, according to a report by Somserset Live.

Gadher and his friends tied the samosa to a helium balloon and then lauched it into space. The first time, the balloon slipped out of their hands. The second time, they ran out of helium. Turns out, it was third time lucky for the group.

Gadher also made a video of the incident. In a video that has been posted on YouTube, the group can be seen attaching the snack to the balloon along with a GPS tracker to track its location and a GoPro camera in order to record its journey.

The package did travel along the Bath skyline and even went up so high that an aeroplane flying past it was recorded on the camera.

However, the GPS malfunctioned when it went up in space and Gadher lost track of his samosa. Later, he found out that it had crashed into a field in France.

When Gadher lost track of the snack, he started messaging people on social media platform Instagram to see if they could help him locate it. One person accepted his request and later found the samosa in a field in Picardie.

This is actually not the first time food has been delivered into space.

In 2001, Pizza Hut became the first restaurant to deliver a pizza into space. The pizza chain had struck up a deal with Russian space agency Roscosmos in order to have pizza delivered to the International Space Station (ISS).

Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachov became the lucky recipient of the pizza and ate the pizza while in space. Of course, the delivery took a little longer than Pizza Hut's usual 30 minute promise. The pizza was aboard a Russian rocket that is used to resupply the ISS.

The promotional stunt by Pizza Hut cost $1 million back then and also include the astronaut flashing a thumps up once he finished eating the pizza.
Gardai are to send a file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) following an incident in Longford town last week involving a group of men who were suspected to be in breach of Covid travel restrictions and public health guidelines.

The Leader understands officers were called to Longford Shopping Centre by security personnel last Thursday evening after a male allegedly refused to wear a face mask upon entering the complex.

Its believed the man, after initially rejecting calls by staff to follow public health etiquette, began coughing at the self service checkout area of Tesco before attempting to leave.

During the course of those attempts, the man was approached for a second time by security who, in turn, contacted gardai.

Upon their arrival at the scene at Tesco Car Park after 7pm, three males were stopped and spoken to in a car.

Its believed two of those were spoken to on suspicion of being outside of their five kilometre travel restriction zone under the Governments Level 5 Covid-19 exclusion zones.

The third male, who allegedly refused to wear a face mask while inside the shopping centre was also addressed by officers.

A garda spokesperson confirmed the incident to the Leader on Monday and said a file was now being prepared for the DPP to decide if any formal charges can be brought against the trio.

Concerns surrounding the States powers in ensuring the universal wearing of face masks in public has, and continues to be the source of much debate.

Back in August, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said gardai would only be called as a last resort to deal with people who refuse to wear face masks in shops.

Face coverings became mandatory in all retail outlets and shopping centres from August 10 last.

Individuals who do receive a fixed penalty notice have 28 days to pay in order to avoid prosecution.

Last Thursdays incident is not the first time gardai have been forced to deal with suspected non compliance of public health guidelines.

Four months ago, the Leader revealed how officers arrested and detained a man after allegedly refusing to wear a face covering while also walking through Longford Shopping Centre.

The suspect, who was from eastern Europe, later gave a voluntary statement and was released without charge ahead of a file being sent to the DPPs office in Dublin.
China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

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UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

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ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

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ROSEVILLE, Calif. - A Placer County Sheriff's Deputy shot a man who drove off after a traffic stop, dragging the Deputy with him.

Sheriff's officials say it happened just before 1:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 11, in the east parking lot of the Thunder Valley Casino near Roseville.

They say the Deputy was leaning in the driver's side window when the driver took off, and the Deputy shot the unidentified driver in fear of being killed.

Investigators say the driver pulled over near the intersection of Fiddyment and Athens Avenue. Deputies ordered him to get out of his car, and he was treated at the scene before being taken to the hospital. Sheriff's Officials say he is expected to survive.

The Deputy received minor injuries.

The incident is under investigation by the Placer County Sheriff's Office, the District Attorney's Office, and the Professional Standards Unit.

The Deputy was placed on administrative leave.
Vice President Mike Pence has declined to invoke the 25th Amendment against President Donald Trump, saying that he doesnt believe such a course of action is in the best interest of the country or the Constitution.

BREAKING: In a letter to Speaker Pelosi, VP Pence says he will not invoke the 25th Amendment.



"I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution," he says. pic.twitter.com/pLRuKlLEHc  NBC News (@NBCNews) January 13, 2021

Pence said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the Trump administration must focus its energy on an orderly transition. He cited the work Congress did to come back together to certify the Electoral College vote just hours after Trumps supporters lay siege to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment, Pence wrote.

I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power.

The House was voting on Tuesday night on a resolution to urge Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment. Pences letter was released as the vote proceeded.

The U.S. House is continuing to move forward toward impeaching Trump. Trump would be the only president in the countrys history to be impeached twice.

To date, three Republicans have said they would vote to impeach. This includes Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, who said, There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution.

The Article of Impeachment introduced in the House on Monday levies Trump with an incitement to insurrection charge for his remarks at a rally on Jan. 6 before his supporters lay siege to the Capitol. Proceedings are expected to start Wednesday.

At his first public appearance since the Capitol attack, Trump scoffed at the impeachment proceedings.

Its really a continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics. Its ridiculous. Its absolutely ridiculous, he said.

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A SpaceX spacecraft would carry a case of Bordeaux wine back to Earth when it arrives this week. With this, the International Space Station bids goodbye to a French wine that was literally stored from beyond any country. Since aged in outer space for more than a year, it is no ordinary champagne.

As part of an experiment conducted by a Luxembourg-based start-up firm, experts sent the liquor to the International Space Station in November 2019.

Nicolas Gaume, the co-founder of Space Cargo Unlimited, told the Associated Press (AP), they aim to discuss how in the future, they will have organic and safe agriculture to feed humanity. He claimed that "space was the key."

Besides, Gaume said, with their space rations, potential moon or Mars explorers might like a little bit of Cabernet Sauvignon.

As a Frenchman, he explained that good food and good wine are a part of life.

How Climate and Environment Affects Wine and Other Farm Goods

Gaume said that farm goods such as grapes would have to adjust to harsh weather in the face of climate change.

Space Cargo Unlimited hopes to bring what has been observed by stimulating the plants in a gravity-free environment through a sequence of space tests to transform them into more robust and efficient plants on Earth.

Mr. Gaume also hopes potential moon and Mars colonists may like to taste some of the pleasures of Earth.

They will not open any of the bottles until the end of February. That is when some of France's best connoisseurs and specialists can drink a bottle or two for an out-of-this-world wine tasting event in Bordeaux.

It would follow months of chemical research. Researchers are keen to see if sedimentation and bubbles have altered space.

The main focus is agricultural science, emphasizes Gaume. However, he acknowledges that tasting the wine is going to be enjoyable. He's going to be among the fortunate few to take a drink.

Will The Bottle Wines Break Upon Its Splashdown?

To stop breakage, the 12 bottles were corked and tightly sealed into steel cylinders.

They are part of a wider load of freight containing 320 snippets of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vines sent into space in March and some rats.

Until at least next month, when one or two will be released for a sampling in Bordeaux, the bottled wine will stay sealed. The wine would undergo months of chemical tests to assess the effect of space on the expensive grape juice.

In November 2019, the wine hitched a trip on a Northrop Grumman delivery ship to the space station.

Last March, SpaceX introduced the 320 Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon vine snippets, named canes, in the grape-growing company.

SpaceX is the sole shipper willing to return tests from the space station and other things intact.

Other cargo modules tend to be affected by pollution and end burned-up when reentering the Earth's atmosphere.

ALSO READ: Avocado Global Demand: Shortage Alarms Hipsters & Foodies

Check out more news and information on Space on Science Times.
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Television actor Hina Khan, who is one of the highest-paid actors, is currently celebrating the completion of her 12 years in the industry. The actor took to Instagram to give her fans a sneak-peek of the celebration of this milestone. In the series of pictures that Hina Khan shared, she is seen cutting a huge artistic cake. Scroll to see the pictures.

Also read | Virat Kohli-Anushka Write To Paparazzi, 'need Your Help In Protecting Our Child's Privacy'

Also read | Hina Khan Commemorates 12 Years In Industry, Shares A Video Of Her Journey

Hina Khan completes 12 years in the industry

Hina Khan shared a string of photos on Instagram wherein she is seen cutting a huge cake as a part of the celebrations. The cake has a strawberry icing and is adorned with her initials 'HK'. A cut out of a woman is also decorated on the cake who is holing the number 12 in her hands. Hina captioned the post with the hashtag #HinaKeBemisaal12Saal. She also wrote 'thank you' in the caption. Hina is seen donning a simple and natural look in the pictures.

The celebratory post by Hina garnered a lot of love from her fans and followers. Hina Khan's photos received over 351K likes within two hours of uploading and are still counting. Kumkum Bhagya actor Pooja Banerjee also congratulated Hina by commenting using the applauding emojis. While several of her fans have commented on the pictures using the fire and the heart-eyed emojis. See their reactions here:

Hina has jetted off to Sula Vineyards to continue the celebrations. She took to her Instagram stories to share pictures and videos from her trip. Hina Khan's Instagram gives a sneak-peek into her life. Her Instagram feed is full of the actors pictures and videos from her personal and professional life. Hina Khan garnered over 10 million followers on the photo-sharing site faster than any television actor. She recently shared pictures from her trip to the Maldives.

Hina Khan's shows have been appreciated by the audiences and critics alike. Some of the most popular of Hina Khan's shows are Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai wherein she played the widely loved character of Akshara, Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi 8 and Naagin 5. She made her digital debut with the 2020 series Damaged 2 wherein she played the character of Gauri Batra. She is also going to star in the Bollywood film Hacked.

Also read | Shanaya Kapoor Grooves On 'Sangria Wine' In The Video Shared By Maheep Kapoor

Also read | Kangana Ranaut Recalls Memories Of Lohri Celebrations In Himachal, Shares Childhood Pics

Image courtesy- @realhinakhan Instagram

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Pattern Energy held a virtual groundbreaking Wednesday for its Western Spirit Wind Development project in central New Mexico  the largest single wind complex planned to date in North America.

Pattern is constructing four wind farms near Corona that will span Torrance, Lincoln and Guadalupe counties, plus a 155-mile transmission line to carry the electricity to a substation west of Albuquerque, and then onto California. The $2 billion endeavor will provide 1,050 megawatts of electricity when it comes online in late 2021, Pattern CEO Mike Garland told about 300 participants in the online ceremony.

Its a game changer, Garland said. At 1,000 MW, its like a large nuclear facility. Thats never been done before in North America.

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Larger wind complexes do operate in other states, but those are conglomerates of wind farms built over time. In contrast, Western Spirit facilities are being built all at the same time and all for delivery to a single point on the grid, said Pattern Vice President for North American Development Cary Kottler.

Its the largest single-phase project in the country until now, Kottler told the Journal. Were breaking new ground here.

Its a turning point for New Mexico, not just because of its massive size, but because it includes construction of the states first new major transmission line dedicated to renewable energy. Thats critical to tap into the states vast wind and solar resources, said Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

The missing link to open up New Mexicos full potential is building more transmission, Heinrich told event participants. It connects the dots between the best wind and solar resources available and the markets where its needed.

The transmission line is actually joint public-private project with New Mexicos Renewable Energy Transmission Authority, which owns the line. Once constructed, Public Service Co. of New Mexico will acquire it.

Western Spirit will supply electricity to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and to the City of San Jose in northern California.

It will bring reliable wind power from New Mexico to help power our city, said LADWP General Manager Martin Adams. 331 MW will go to Los Angeles consumers, representing 6% of our entire renewable portfolio.

Western Spirit will generate about $16 million in land lease payments for the State Land Office over the life of the project, and millions more for some 50 private landowners. It will employ about 1,000 people in construction this year, plus at least 60 permanent employees later.

Pattern has long-term plans to invest $6 billion more in another 3,000 MW of wind farms in central New Mexico, but that depends on more transmission being built.

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The New York City Department of Education (DOE) will administer its Gifted & Talented exam for the last time this spring, city officials announced.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday that the high-stakes exam, which is offered to students as young as 4 years old and decides entry to Gifted & Talented programs at elementary schools, has caused frustration for many families.

The Gifted & Talented test is the definition of a high-stakes test, a single test that determines so much, Mayor Bill de Blasio said during his Wednesday press conference. This approach to testing is not something I believe in, its not something the chancellor believes in...We will not be providing that test in the future.

Those applying for kindergarten for fall 2021 will still take the exam this year, de Blasio said, which will be given in-person beginning in April. But the test will not be provided in the future.

Parents previously told the Advance/SILive.com that students in Gifted & Talented programs learn the same curriculum, but it may move at a faster pace, include additional projects, use technology in the classroom and increase critical thinking. De Blasio said there is a need for a much better approach to serving kids who have a lot of capacity.

Some kids have a lot of talent, some kids are ready to learn faster. But thats a lot of kids. A lot more than are benefitting currently from the very small amount of Gifted & Talented programs that exist, de Blasio added.

The mayor explained there are about 65,000 New York City students in kindergarten, and about 15,000 take the Gifted & Talented test each year. Of those 15,000 students, 2,500 get a seat.

Do you really believe that of 65,000 kindergarteners in the city, only 2,500 are quote-unquote Gifted & Talented? de Blasio said. Thats ridiculous. Many, many more have all sorts of gifts and talents, and they deserve opportunities and we need to reenvision this system.

De Blasio said he and the chancellor are working toward a more individualized education approach for students, including new digital opportunities for teaching.

The mayor said there will be an intense public engagement process through the spring and summer to work with stakeholders, including parents, officials, community leaders and more, to think through whats the right approach for the future.

De Blasio said that approach wont be defined by a single test to ensure the city reaches more students.

There is no question what good instruction, good pedagogy looks like for enriching students and serving students that are academically exceptional, Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza said on Wednesday during the mayors press conference. The jurys not out. But this is a public school system, so as a public school system, we must engage the public in the decisions that will impact children in the public school system, and what the mayor and I are talking about is engaging the process to do just that.

The new approach will be announced by September.

Families of students who are taking the Gifted & Talented test in April will receive their scores early this summer, Carranza said. More information will be posted on the DOEs website and shared with school communities.

In a series of tweets, Assemblyman Michael Reilly (R-South Shore) said on Twitter that the proposal is misguided and irresponsible.

But this is yet another example of @NYCMayorsOffice and @NYCSchools eliminating a program that challenges students while lacking any vision for a robust alternative. Our public schools should be providing opportunities for all students so that they can feel confident in their effort to strive to be at the top of their class, he wrote on Twitter.

Gifted & Talented programs have been a topic of controversy for years.

A diversity advisory group made a recommendation in 2019 to eliminate Gifted & Talented programs and other selective enrollment schools and programs. The School Diversity Advisory Group, which is tasked with providing recommendations to reduce segregation in city schools, made the recommendation to de Blasio and Carranza.

The group recommended eliminating exclusionary programs like Gifted & Talented programs, and instead replacing them with pro-integrative programs used in other school districts across the country that attract students of all backgrounds, while making sure all students are challenged. The panel recommended discontinuing the use of the Gifted & Talented admissions test and phasing out existing programs.

Staten Island elected officials, parents and community leaders opposed the recommendation. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn), the assemblywoman at the time, said that the city should focus on adding more Gifted & Talented programs and schools to meet demand.

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roposals could force homeowners to cover the costs over a 30-year period

inisters set aside 1.6bn for repairs, but MPs estimate work could cost 15bn

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners could face bills of 40k each on average

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners could face bills of 40,000 each on average to replace dangerous cladding, similar to that found on Grenfell Tower (file photo)

Property values could be slashed by up to 30 per cent under plans to make leaseholders take out loans to pay for the building safety scandal.

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners could face bills of 40,000 each on average to replace dangerous cladding, similar to that found on Grenfell Tower.

Ministers have set aside 1.6 billion to fund repairs, but MPs estimate the work could cost 15 billion. It cannot begin in earnest until comprehensive funding is released.

The Mail is campaigning for all buildings to be fixed within 18 months and for leaseholders to be spared the financial burden.

But proposals by a Government adviser could force homeowners to cover the costs over a 30-year period.

Critics say outstanding debt will be deducted from the value of properties when they are sold.

Unless the Government subsidies the scheme or developers are forced to contribute - it means the average price of a UK flat would be cut by around 20 per cent, from 209,330 to 169,330.

It would slash 30 per cent off the average 136,261 home in the North East. But some leaseholders have already been sent bills of up to 115,000, meaning the value of their properties could be wiped almost entirely.

Only 202 out of an estimated 11,760 dangerous buildings have been fixed so far.

In July, the Government appointed Michael Wade, an insurance executive, to advise on how to protect leaseholders from unaffordable costs without further burdening the taxpayer.

Earlier in December, he told the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Leasehold Reform that he was examining long-term loans.

He said it would be for politicians to decide who pays for the loans, but added: The leaseholder has to pay, that is the law. Its not what you want to hear, but you have to start from that point in my view. You then have to focus on how that is paid and how is that burden paid for, who pays for it and whats the share?

Campaigners say the Government and developers must be forced to share the burden with blameless leaseholders.

Charity the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership (LKP) said that - in the form set out by Mr Wade to MPs - the plans were fundamentally unfair and would dump unlimited liability on homeowners.

It warned the idea would devastate values of less expensive properties and the market for flats for the foreseeable future.

Workers pictured removing cladding from the Whitebeam Court tower block in Salford, north west England, in June 2017 (file photo)

Property expert Henry Pryor compared it to buying a property with ball and chain attached. He added: They need a bigger solution than just putting a large annual cost on the property. It doesnt work.

James Chisnall, director of City Finance Brokers, said it could lead to a double whammy if it is taken into account during mortgage assessments.

He said if the loan is paid off via increased service charge, lenders may subtract that from a borrowers income and therefore reduce the size of the loan they can afford.

The LKP wants the Government to impose a levy on developers that would provide funds for buildings to be fixed quickly, similar to a model that was used in Australia.

In a proposal for the charity, former Bank of England economist Dean Buckner, said the taxpayer would match developer contributions, but this could be subsidised if developers and freeholders paid interest to the Government at a rate comparable to gilts.

But Lord Greenhalgh, the building safety minister, has previously warned that levies do not raise very much and had to be balanced with the need to build more homes.

Pressure is mounting on ministers to end the scandal after MPs from all parties, including 16 Tory backbenchers, backed the Mails campaign.

Clive Betts, chairman of the housing select committee, said: Hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in potentially unsafe homes. They are looking for a campaigning champion to argue their case. I have every expectation the Mail will provide that.

A Government spokesman said: We are considering a range of options to fund future remediation work and no final decisions have been made - any suggestion otherwise is purely speculative.

We continue to work with a range of stakeholders including leaseholders and the finance industry, we will set out further detail in due course.

Building safety is the responsibility of building owners and they should seek the costs of remediation work from developers and their warranty schemes, without passing them on to leaseholders.
Auburn Universitys faculty senate has rejected a no-confidence vote against the schools top academic officer over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic on campus.

The Opelika-Auburn News reported that a more than hourlong virtual meeting ended Tuesday with 71% of the members voting to scrap the move against Auburn Provost Bill Hardgrave, who was criticized for issues including his insistence on returning to primarily in-person classes in the spring. Some have questioned the sufficiency of coronavirus testing on campus.

The meeting came after more than 500 faculty members met in a virtual gathering in November to discuss their concerns about Hardgrave and his insistence on returning to primarily in-person classes in the spring despite the spread of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new virus.

President Jay Gogue acknowledged the pandemic had caused confusion and changes, but that Auburn has come through it without any furloughs or job cuts.

Im not implying we have done anything perfect, but were trying to make the best of a bad situation, Gogue said. Weve made mistakes  but when we made those mistakes, we tried to correct them.

Hardgrave said the vote flew in the face of the idea of shared governance of a campus, which administrators like Gogue have said give everyone a stake in decision making.

Im certainly very sad that we are here today, because of the topic, said Hardgrave. He called the move a very punitive action that was an attack against me personally and professionally.

The meeting was delayed briefly because the Zoom platform for online meetings could not handle 1,200 family members who attempted to join in.

Were going to be dealing at once again with border security, biosecurity, global public health and strengthening the resilience of our own democracy, she said in a brief interview. The last of those have grown more urgent.

Mr. Trump dismantled the National Security Councils pandemic preparedness office, and while he had an active cyberteam at the beginning of his term, it languished. Its disturbing to be in a transition moment when there really arent counterparts for that transition to be handed off, Ms. Sherwood-Randall said.

Ashton B. Carter, the former secretary of defense, who hired Ms. Sherwood-Randall during the Clinton administration, said the challenge will be rebooting this office.

He noted that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ms. Sherwood-Randall worked to establish relationships with former Soviet republics while also dismantling their nuclear legacies.

Mr. Biden also announced that Ms. Sherwood-Randalls deputy would be Russ Travers, a 42-year veteran of the intelligence community, where he focused on counterterrorism. The Trump administration abruptly replaced Mr. Travers as acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center in March during planned cutbacks by the acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell.

Mr. Travers twice postponed retirement to lead the National Counterterrorism Center on an interim basis. But he was so alarmed by what he viewed as the Trump administrations backsliding on counterterrorism priorities that he shared his concerns with the intelligence communitys inspector general last year in his final weeks on the job.

Over the summer, he predicted a rise in right-wing violence if Mr. Trump was re-elected.

Ms. Neuberger is the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, and her family came to Brooklyn after the failed Hungarian revolution in the 1950s. She began her career in the private sector, directing technology at the American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, until she became a White House fellow, a program that brings talented outsiders into government for a year. But she soon joined the National Security Agency, where she was the first chief risk officer and led the election security effort.
A coronavirus patient's gut bacteria may influence the length and severity of their infection and their immune response to it, a new study suggests.

Researchers found that patients with Covid-19 were depleted in gut bacteria known to modify a person's immune response, and that this depletion appeared to persist 30 days after the virus had gone.

Gut bacteria  or gut microbiome  help to digest food. But research increasingly shows that gut bacteria also affect our health.

A team of researchers at The Chinese University of Hong Kong examined whether the variety and quantity of microbiome played a role in Covid-19 infections.

Researchers analysed the blood, stool and medical records of 100 Covid-19 patients. They also took samples from 78 people who did not have the disease.

The study, published in the journal Gut, found that the composition of gut microbiome had changed in Covid-19 patients, compared to those who did not have the infection.

It said that gut microbiome could be involved in the "magnitude of Covid-19 severity possibly via modulating host immune responses".

Meanwhile, analysis of blood samples showed that the gut imbalance found in the Covid-19 patients was also associated with raised blood levels of some of the molecules that mediate inflammation.

This suggests, the researchers said, that the gut microbiome might influence the immune system response to Covid-19 infection and potentially affect disease severity and outcome.

Commenting on the study, Daniel Davis, professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, said: "Our knowledge of gut microbes has exploded in recent years.

"Variations have been associated with diseases as diverse as asthma, multiple sclerosis and cancer.

"So it's perhaps not so surprising that the severity of Covid-19 also correlates with the composition of a person's microbiome.

"But the details here are important. A particularly striking finding was that distinct characteristics in a person's gut microbes persisted after clearance of the virus.

"It is possible that these changes could contribute to the symptoms of so-called long Covid.

"At the moment this idea is still speculative but it demands further investigation.

"Overall, this new research doesn't yet lead to a clear public health message in terms of treatments or therapies, but does set the scene for a hugely important realm of new science."

Professor Neil Mabbott, personal chair of immunopathology at The Roslin Institute & Royal School of Veterinary Studies at the University of Edinburgh, said: "This is an interesting study but many important questions remain.

"Further studies are required to determine whether these changes to the gut microbiome directly affect the severity of Covid-19 in patients, or whether they are simply a consequence of the effects of the infection on the gut and the immune system.

"It is also not certain whether these differences were present in the Covid-19 patients before they succumbed to infection, and whether similar changes are observed in patients in other geographical regions."

Additional reporting by Press Association

WASHINGTON  No American president had been impeached twice  until the House voted Wednesday to seek Donald Trumps removal from office for the second time in 13 months. That means Democrats, including Rep. Eric Swalwell, also have an unprecedented second opportunity to try to convict him.

The East Bay Democrat will be one of the nine House impeachment managers when Trump is tried in the Senate on grounds of inciting an insurrection. The group was named by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and will be led by Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law professor.

Trump was impeached Wednesday by a vote of 232-197, with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats to hold the president responsible for the deadly riot by his supporters who attempted to take over the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Swalwell is one of the prosecutors who will try to persuade at least 17 Republicans in the Senate to join Democrats in a two-thirds vote needed to convict Trump. Its a different role from the one the former Alameda County deputy district attorney played in the first impeachment of Trump in 2019, when he sat on two committees that investigated the case against Trump for soliciting Ukrainian help in his campaign against Joe Biden.

That impeachment took four months before Trumps Senate trial ended in acquittal, with only one Republican, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, voting to convict. This one could end up taking two weeks.

Some Republicans, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, cited a rushed process as one reason they could not back impeachment  even though McCarthy said that the president bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob rioters.

But Democrats say speed is precisely what is called for.

For the safety of all of us, he just cannot remain in office, Swalwell told The Chronicle. I think the president has forfeited the right to have a lengthier process. Theres an urgency here to protect life and to have a peaceful transition, and hes forfeited that in a matter of minutes by calling on people to storm the Capitol and then seeing the Capitol attacked and not doing anything to stop it.

Swalwell and his colleagues say that in the first impeachment, on charges of obstruction of justice and abuse of power, laying out the evidence against Trump required months of seeking witness testimony, uncovering documents, holding hearings and connecting the dots.

This time, they say, everything happened in plain sight.

Now Playing: Video: Gabrielle Lurie

The evidence of the president inciting insurrection was clear and deliberate, said Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of San Mateo, who was also a key player in the first impeachment as a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

I believe that he knows full well the lethality of the groups he has associated with ... and he intentionally locked arms with them in an effort to overthrow this country and the democratic process, Speier said. He did it specifically on the day in which we were tabulating the votes of the electors. ... As more and more video comes forward, it is clear, they were intent on taking over the Capitol of the United States.

San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren was one of the last House Democrats to call for Trumps impeachment in 2019, then served as a prosecutor at his trial. She cited her experiences as a congressional staffer during the impeachment investigation into President Richard Nixon, and as a member of Congress during President Bill Clintons impeachment, as the reason she was hesitant  its a process that required careful fact-finding, she said.

She said this impeachment was different.

Theres nothing like this, certainly, Lofgren said. This is a president who has engaged in activity that threatens actually the continuance of constitutional government in a very urgent way, and theres no precedent for it, but we have to act.

In moving toward impeachment, Pelosi had faced calls to delay delivering the case to the Senate to avoid the distraction of a trial during Bidens first days in office. But she is expected to send the case over quickly, leaving it up to the Senate to determine timing.

Our country is divided, Pelosi said in a floor speech Wednesday. We all know that. There are lies abroad in the land, spread by a desperate president who feels his power slipping away. We know that, too. But I know this as well, that we here in this House have a sacred obligation to stand for truth, to stand up for the Constitution, to stand as guardians of the republic.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who controls the Senate until Bidens inauguration next Wednesday, has said the upper chamber will not come back into session in time to hear the trial before the new president is sworn in.

But Democrats say they will press on anyway. If two-thirds of the Senate votes to convict Trump, a simple majority can also disqualify him from holding future office.

Swalwell will be one of the Democrats trying to persuade them to take those votes. Trumps impending departure from the White House doesnt mean he should escape accountability, and we shouldnt discount the deterrent effect on what the president does next and what those around him do between now and inauguration, Swalwell said.

He said he has gone to the House managers in Trumps first impeachment to ask them for advice. But he said the case will require presenting much less evidence this time.

The senators were victims of the attack, Swalwell said. We dont have to tell the senators what it was like to be attacked, because they were attacked. Weve been attacked before as a country, but weve never seen an attack incited and inspired by our own president to our own citizens. And a person who does that cant lead and has to be held accountable.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
Commenting, Mr. Gunter said: "I am delighted that Pam will be joining AXA XL, where she will take her place on my Leadership Team and will serve as a valuable member as we look to further simplify our operations, empower our regions in our new structure and deliver our earnings target."

Ms. Rosado joins from MetLife, Inc., where she held the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Counsel Litigation & Special Investigations, responsible for all litigation and employment law matters in the U.S as well as the Corporate Special Investigations Unit.

Prior to this, Ms. Rosado served in several leadership roles within the AXA family of companies. Most recently, Ms. Rosado was Managing Director and Head of Litigation as well as Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit at AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company based in New York. She also held senior positions at AXA Group, namely Global Head of Litigation, and prior to this, General Counsel for AXA's Mediterranean and Latin American Region based in Madrid, Spain, and Head of Litigation at AXA Seguros based in Mexico City, Mexico.

Ms. Rosado is admitted to both the New York and California bars and is a member of the Litigation Committee of the Association of Life Insurance Counsel. Ms. Rosado is also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.

Follow AXA XL on Twitter and on LinkedIn.

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AXA XL, the property & casualty and specialty risk division of AXA, provides insurance and risk management products and services for mid-sized companies through to large multinationals, and reinsurance solutions to insurance companies globally. We partner with those who move the world forward. To learn more, visit www.axaxl.com

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Editor: Although I realize Republicans try to exhibit courtesy and restraint in dealing with colleagues across the aisle, to whom or what did they hold up their hands and swear to protect America from?

Was it all enemies foreign and domestic, or one man who ultimately will fade away into disgrace and ignominy? How dare they attempt to disenfranchise me and millions of other voters in the four states where they claim election fraud occurred without foundation or evidence.

Numerous courts have refused to even listen to them. But Republicans listen to a minor member and certifiable windbag like Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas? As for the seven Senate Republicans and 138 House members who continued to challenge the Pennsylvania election results even after the disgraceful Capitol riot, shame on all who went along with this charade and fantasy. I hope all are sincerely challenged by Democrats in their next elections and that they are soundly rejected and defeated.

Letters from disgruntled Republicans locally parrot the assertions of President Trump without proof. How about if every registered Pennsylvania Democrat files a class action suit against Sens. Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Ron Johnson and Josh Hawley, who opposed certification of the Electoral College vote? None of these seditionists represents me in any way.

Just remember, Trump lost the popular vote by 3 million votes in 2016 and by 7 million votes in 2020. What does that tell people? Lets not even bring up the proven participation of Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

Trump will be remembered as the greatest loser in American political history.

JAMES MICHAEL FITZPATRICK

DALTON

Editor: On this date 53 years ago I was half a world away doing my duty to oppose tyranny and communist aggression and to make the world safer for democracy to thrive.

Now, I see events occurring in my own country, which I swore a solemn oath to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that rival the shenanigans of any banana republic.

The United States has become the laughingstock of the world and is headed by an egomaniacal dictator wannabe. He has been aided and abetted by conspiracy kooks, right-wing antigovernment militias, other malcontents and rioters. He and other Republican traitors who hold office, all of whom swore the same oath to protect the Constitution of the United States, provided justification for an attempted coup to subvert a duly elected incoming administration.

Never in my wildest dreams would this former Republican believe this could happen here, especially led by a party that I supported for many decades.

When this coup fails, as it surely must, all the voters of this great country should see a published list of all the enemies of the Constitution, including their titles, so that citizens can remember them when the next election is held and banish them to the ash bin of history where all traitors belong.

EDWARD J. JOHNSTON

CLARKS SUMMIT

Editor: It should be painfully obvious that President Trump is an unstable, criminally inclined fascist.

His latest stunts, to stoke a riot at the Capitol and his attempt to tamper with certified election results, seem to be federal criminal offenses. The man, and his increasingly deranged circle of enablers, engaged in a coup attempt to overthrow the federal government and seize dictatorial power.

None of this is funny. The people who have said that, well, this is just Trump working through his loss, are as much in denial as he is. This is sedition. This is treason.

Elected officials who have joined with Trump in this effort have violated their oaths to uphold the Constitution. People involved in this attempted putsch should go to prison.

JEFFREY M. McHALE

OLYPHANT

Editor: I agree with the letter writer from Dec. 29 (Postal reclamation must be priority), with the debacle and disservice within our postal system.

I ordered a Christmas present for my husband online from a well-known moccasin maker out of Minnesota. I watched the tracking daily, as it took an extremely long time to be delivered. I saw that a parcel service handed it off to the Postal Service and then saw that a postal worker had delivered it to our mailbox at our mail pod.

Now, only we have the key to obtain our mail and packages, as well as a postal worker. After numerous phone calls to the shipper and our local postmaster, I was assured it had been delivered. After days of frustrating phone calls, I again called the postmaster, who replied, It must have been lost or stolen. She told me she had a conversation with the carrier and confirmed it had been put in our mailbox. Two people have the keys.

I then had to ship a package from Tafton to Westfield, New Jersey, by priority mail, a two-day delivery, at a steep price. I took it to the post office on Dec. 4. My receipt says it would be delivered by Dec. 7. I tracked it from that date. Why did it sit in Harrisburg for over a week and then finally get delivered on Dec. 24?

Someone has to revamp our postal system or well be right back to the Pony Express, which did about as well as our high-speed technology has done under Postmaster General Louis DeJoy. I am confident that under President-elect Joe Biden we will rejoin the 21st century and clean out some of our outlying swamps created by the current administration.

GEORGIA PERROTTI

TAFTON, PIKE COUNTY
JACKSON, Miss.  A Black Mississippi man convicted of killing a white woman and sentenced to death in 1994 has been exonerated after the evidence used to convict him was debunked.

Lowndes County District Attorney Scott Colom decided not to retry the case of 67-year-old Eddie Lee Howard Friday, months after the Mississippi Supreme Court overturned his conviction and vacated his sentence in late August. He was released from the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman in early December.

New DNA evidence and alibi testimony, as well as a new forensic opinion about the bite marks found on the woman killed, helped prove Howard's innocence.

In this May 19, 2010 photograph, traffic moves past the front of the Mississippi State Penitentiary in Parchman, Miss.

Howard was accused of sexually assaulting and murdering 84-year-old Georgie Kemp at her Columbus, Mississippi, home in 1992 before setting it on fire. During his 1994 trial, prosecutors relied heavily on bite-mark evidence found on Kemp's body to convict Howard. But that evidence was dismissed nearly 20 years later by the same expert who testified on its credibility during Howard's trial.

I no longer believe in bite-mark analysis, forensic odontologist Michael West of Hattiesburg said in a 2012 deposition. I dont think it should be used in court. I think you should use DNA. Throw bite marks out.

Previously in Opinion: Mississippi Supreme Court right to reject egregious bite mark evidence in death row case

In a statement, Howard said he was thankful to the Mississippi Innocence Project, who worked to overturn his conviction. Howard's attorneys said there are at least two other people on Mississippi's death row who were also placed there because of bite-mark evidence, but they believe this case will help the court overturn those convictions as well.

The Mississippi Supreme Court has taken a powerful stance in rejecting junk science as the basis on which to put a man to death, said M. Chris Fabricant, one of Howard's attorneys. We are thankful that the Court has identified this breakdown in Mr. Howards case, ruling that debunked science has no place in our justice system.

Follow reporter Keisha Rowe on Twitter: @KeishaRoweCL

Judge grants stay: First US execution of female inmate in 67 years halted

Security holes at state capitols: Many allow guns inside, lack metal detectors

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Eddie Lee Howard: Mississippi man exonerated after 1994 death sentence
The United Nation's World Food Programme used US-sanctioned Syrian airline Cham Wings to deliver aid to Libya, prompting outrage online reports Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

A US-sanctioned Syrian airline was used by the United Nations to deliver aid to war-torn Libya from the UAE, it has emerged.

Cham Wings, which had links to Syrian billionaire and cousin of Bashar Al-Assad, faced US sanctions in 2016 for transporting mercenaries and weapons on behalf on the regime.

In pictures shared by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on social media, Cham Wings was clearly seen being used to deliver aid to Libya, prompting outrage online.

WHO Libya, led by the long-time (now former) head of WHO Syria, Elizabeth Hoff, appears to be using the sanctioned Syrian airline Cham Wings to bring supplies from Dubai to Libya, Syria expert, Emma Beals said.

The tweet received a response from Libya expert Mary Fitzgerald.

Worth noting UN panel of experts on Libya last year identified 33 Cham Wings flights to Libya & asked Damascus about allegations the airline was being used to fly Syrian mercenaries to Libya to fight for Haftar under Wagner contracts, she wrote.

Panel said unconvinced by Damascus response, the tweet added.

Cham Wings was sanction by the US Treasury in 2016 for cooperating with Government of Syria officials to transport militants to Syria to fight on behalf of the Syrian regime and assisted the previously-designated Syrian Military Intelligence (SMI) in moving weapons and equipment for the Syrian regime.

Cham Wingss Damascus-to-Dubai flight was one of the main routes SMI used to launder money throughout the region, with SMI paying all parties involved to ensure they would continue to do business with the Assad regime, the Treasury said at the time.

The airline is not under United Nations sanctions.

The World Food Programme confirmed to media that the airline was used to deliver some 16 metric tonnes of aid to Libya.

Due to the situation on the ground, the options for air freight delivery into Libya are minimal, and in this case, the WHO medical cargo was transported by the air carrier Chams Wings, which is not subject to United Nations sanctions, the WFP spokesperson told TRT.

Libya has suffered internal fighting since the brutal suppression of protests against dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 led to a broader uprising and conflict.

Two authorities are vying for power in the country: the GNA in Tripoli, recognised by the UN and supported by Turkish military forces, and strongman Khalifa Haftar, supported by the UAE, Russia and Egypt.

In early December, the acting UN envoy to Libya, American Stephanie Williams, said about 20,000 foreign and mercenary forces were still in Libya.

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.
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The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
The United Arab Emirates and Cyprus signed a defense cooperation agreement yesterday in the latest partnership between the Gulf country and a Mediterranean country.

UAE Minister of State for Defense Affairs Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi signed the agreement during a videoconference with Cyprus Defense Minister Charalambos Petrides on Tuesday.

The agreement includes proposals for future joint training exercises and operational cooperation. Petrides lauded the deal as inaugurating a strategic relationship between the two countries militaries, according to The Associated Press.

Tuesdays deal is the latest sign the UAE is capitalizing on its common cause with Mediterranean nations opposed to Turkeys policies in the region.

Cyprus currently has close military ties with Israel, Jordan and Egypt. Amid tensions between Greece and Turkey last year, the UAE offered F-16s to partake in joint exercises off Crete with Cypriot, Greek and French military personnel.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed later penned a strategic partnership with Greeces Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in November, allowing the two countries to station forces on each others territory and share intelligence.

The two countries are also expected to eventually exchange technical and maintenance knowledge for their F-16s in the future. Both governments have also requested to buy the United States' highly advanced F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, a privilege Turkey lost, at least for the foreseeable future, by purchasing Russias S-400 air defense system.

The UAE also partook in the Medusa-10 joint exercises with French, Egyptian and Greek forces off the coast of Alexandria in late November.

The UAE has had covert ties with Israel for years but made those relations overt late last year amid a Trump administration initiative to convince Middle Eastern leaders to recognize the Jewish state.

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Registration Number: 130349 Registration Number: 130349
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Imaging Endpoints announced today Elliot K. Fishman, MD, the Elliot K. Fishman Professor in Radiology at Johns Hopkins, has been appointed to its prestigious Scientific Advisory Board.

Elliot Fishman is currently the Director of Diagnostic Imaging and Body Computed Tomography (CT) in the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, and Professor of Radiology, Surgery, Oncology and Urology at Johns Hopkins. Additionally, he serves as co-principal investigator of the Felix Project for Early Detection of Pancreatic Cancer, focused on using deep learning and artificial intelligence for medical imaging.

"Dr. Fishman is one of the preeminent thinkers in the field of imaging and body computed tomography," said Doug Burkett, PhD, Chief Executive Officer. "We are privileged to add his insight and influence to our advisory board. His expertise will assist us in our efforts to lead the field of 3-D imaging, and he will be a tremendous asset as we strengthen our position at the top of the global imaging CRO field."

The Scientific Advisory Board provides strategic insights for the Company's development of new imaging technologies, and provides expertise in the design and implementation of imaging in clinical trials. In addition to Fishman, the Scientific Advisory Board includes global leaders in imaging and oncology: Daniel Von Hoff, M.D., F.A.C.P.; David Sidransky, M.D.; Bruce Cheson, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.A.S.; and Manuel Hidalgo, M.D., PhD.

Dr. Fishman's career has focused on computer applications in radiology, advanced clinical applications of CT scanning, developing new techniques and technologies in visualization and post-processing, and medical education. He is a pioneer in the development of 3-D medical imaging and contributed to the 3-D imaging programs at Pixar, Apple, and Nvidia.

His work has resulted in more than 1,300 peer-reviewed publications and he has co-authored ten textbooks. Dr. Fishman has won numerous honors and awards, including the Best Educator Award from the Radiological Society of North America; the Aunt Minnie Educator Award; the Aunt Minnie Research Award; and the Aunt Minnie Award for best computer app. He was inducted into the Miller-Coulson Academy at Johns Hopkins for Clinical Excellence in Medicine. In addition, Dr. Fishman received the Best Consulting Physician Award at Johns Hopkins and was honored with an endowed fellowship in his name.

For more information on the Imaging Endpoints Scientific Advisory Board, visit https://imagingendpoints.com/meet-our-team/scientific-advisory-board/.

About Imaging Endpoints

Imaging Endpoints (IE) is an imaging research and core laboratory that provides comprehensive imaging CRO (iCRO) services and technology solutions throughout the clinical trial process. IE is one of the largest iCROs globally and is widely recognized for conducting the industry's most complex imaging trials.

IE's experience spans hundreds of successful trials across all phases of development, including many of the most high-profile, global registration trials in the industry. IE accelerates product development by integrating new, more powerful technologies into clinical trials such as radiomics and artificial intelligence where peer-reviewed publications have established the company as the industry leader.

Imaging Endpoints is based in Scottsdale, AZ, with offices in Waltham, MA, and Hyderabad, India as well as new offices opening soon in Basel, Switzerland; Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Shanghai, China. IE is an affiliate of HonorHealth, one of the largest healthcare systems nationally, and an affiliate of Southwest Medical Imaging, Ltd. (SMIL/RadPharm), part of the largest private radiology group in the U.S.

Ashley Rusing

[email protected]

tel: 480.605.1025

SOURCE Imaging Endpoints

Related Links

http://www.imagingendpoints.com


Centricity Inc., a startup that uses artificial intelligence to help companies predict consumer demand for specific products in particular communities, is expected to raise $10 million in new venture-capital money this year.

The New York City-based company, one of many enterprise technology startups that have gained traction during the pandemic, uses AI algorithms to analyze some 2.5 billion data points worth of internet traffic a day to predict demand for products so that retailers can stock their shelves accordingly.

About 10 undisclosed companies in Europe, Canada and the U.S. are using Centricitys software platform in sectors such as grocery, nonfood retail, apparel and consumer electronics, said Chief Executive Michael Brackett, who founded the company in late 2019.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

Centricity employs about 50, up from less than 10 last April, and its planned fundraise could bring total venture-capital investment to $12.5 million.

Startups such as Centricity, which build software and services aimed directly at large enterprise customers, have been capitalizing on the increased demand for their services during the coronavirus pandemic, as companies have been forced to accelerate their digital initiatives to remain competitive.

Companies use Centricitys AI-based insights to help predict what customers will want to buy in around one to three months, depending on the client, so they can stock their shelves accordingly.

Its technology can also be used by research and development divisions at companies interested in launching new products.

Mr. Brackett founded Centricity after spending more than 20 years working in the grocery sector, including managing a $600 million dairy portfolio for Netherlands-based grocery retailer Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV.

Planning inventory based on future consumer demand is tricky. Retailers attempt to do it by using data from sources that track consumer spending, said Brandon Purcell, a principal analyst at research company Forrester Research Inc.

Traditional players include global data analytics company Nielsen Holdings PLC and market research firm IRI, which say they use high-quality, timely consumer spending data to give enterprise clients critical information that allows them to plan inventory, promotions and pricing.

The pandemic laid bare the challenges of stocking inventory to meet consumer demand in the moment. As a result, there is likely to be growth in new startups attempting to use AI to forecast demand in real time for specific products, Mr. Purcell said.

Centricity intends to file one or more patents for its main technology, a pulse system" that uses AI to help predict how likely a group of people are to purchase a specific product, such as yeast for bread, in any particular area. The insights can be as granular as 1 kilometer, Mr. Brackett said.

The system, which uses a set of AI-based algorithms, currently analyzes about 2.5 billion points of internet traffic daily and 75 billion website page views a month, with the capacity to grow beyond that number, said Jason Nichols, Centricitys chief technology officer.

Mr. Nichols was formerly director of AI for Walmart Inc.s Intelligent Retail Lab, where he worked on understanding customer behavior and inventory management using technologies such as computer vision.

The AI system can analyze billions of data points worth of raw internet traffic in part because of partnerships between Centricity and online publishers, advertising agencies, content marketers and demand-side providers, which sell software to buyers of digital ads.

Data include information about the location of the user, the websites theyre visiting, search terms theyre using and specific pages theyre clicking on within the website. The algorithms analyze the data to locate the precise areas where groups of people are interested in a particular product, delivering a probability for that group of people buying the product, in a certain area.

Human analysts at Centricity also work with customers data science teams to put the AI models recommendations into context within each customers target market, Mr. Nichols said.

Mr. Brackett said he initially expected to sell the product to executives overseeing category management and merchandising, but realized the right buyers were chief information officers and chief technology officers.

Centricity is one of the fastest-growing startups in Bowery Capitals portfolio of over 50 companies, said Michael Brown, the early-stage venture capital firms co-founder and managing partner. Mr. Brown said Bowery Capital expects to also invest in its Series A round, for which Centricity is targeting $10 million in venture funding.

The New York-based firm led a $2.5 million seed funding round in Centricity in August 2019, in part because of its potential to displace incumbents, Mr. Brown said.

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

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The survey found that a quarter of Ryanair passengers were left frustrated by its initial policy of automatically issuing credit notes rather than cash refunds

RYANAIR has dismissed as fake news a survey that rated it and Virgin Atlantic the worst airlines for customer service by people who tried to get a refund after their flight was cancelled.

The two airlines scored abysmally low in a survey conducted by British consumer magazine Which? Travel.

Eight out of 10 customers said they were dissatisfied with the refund service they received after their flight was cancelled last year.

Ryanair was persistently criticised last year in this country for delays in paying refunds and giving people vouchers when they specifically requested their money back.

This was after their flights were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Read More

Huge numbers of flights were cancelled last year due to the virus crisis, leaving people fighting for refunds which they are entitled to receive within seven days of cancellation.

A European Union directive means the refunds should be paid within a week. However, this does not apply where travellers decide not to fly.

Last November, Ryanair confirmed that people in Ireland who booked tickets through travel agents, or so-called screenscraper websites, were being given refunds by cheques drawn on a German bank.

While the cheques will be honoured by Irish banks, consumers could incur significant costs lodging them to their accounts.

The UK survey found that a third of respondents who had a flight cancelled by Ryanair or Virgin Atlantic waited more than three months for their refund.

None of the Ryanair passengers surveyed received their refund within the legal time frame.

The survey found that a quarter of Ryanair passengers were left frustrated by its initial policy of automatically issuing credit notes rather than cash refunds.

Asked to comment on the Which? Travel survey, Ryanair said: This is just fake news (and more fake surveys) from Which?, who repeatedly make false claims about Ryanair.

The Commission for Aviation Regulation, which has a mandate to protect airline consumers, said it cannot comment on specific airlines, when asked about the survey that rated Ryanair poorly on paying refunds.

The commission reminded people that if a passenger does not receive a satisfactory response from the airline, or no response, within six weeks of making their complaint, they can escalate the matter to the Commission for Aviation Regulation on www.flightrights.ie  this covers flights that were meant to depart from Ireland.

The aviation regulator has repeatedly said that anyone whose flight was cancelled as a result of Covid-19 is entitled to a refund.

It said customers could accept a voucher when offered, but they are within their rights to opt for a refund.

Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has authorized National Guard members providing security around the U.S. Capitol to carry lethal weapons as Washington, D.C., braces for violence leading up to Inauguration Day.

As thousands of Guard troops arrive in the city, U.S. military officials have been reluctant to discuss the possible use of lethal force in case of violent incidents like the Jan. 6 riot that breached the Capitol and resulted in six deaths.

That changed Tuesday evening.

Read Next: SMA Reveals Timeline for Army's Independent Review of ACFT

"At approximately 6 p.m. January 12, 2021, National Guard members will be armed in support of the U.S. Capitol security," according to a D.C. National Guard statement. "This was requested by federal authorities and authorized by the Secretary of the Army."

The New York Times first reported this story.

The National Guard Bureau declined to specify what weapons troops would carry.

"National Guard members are postured to meet the requirements of the supported civil authorities, up to and including protective equipment and being armed if necessary," according to the statement. "The public's safety is our top priority."

Gen. Daniel R. Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters Monday that a force of up to 15,000 will deploy to D.C. with all their issued equipment, including their individual weapons. So if the need arises, "they are close by and they are readily accessible."

The order may have evolved as more Guard troops deployed since the first reinforcements were rushed in the evening of Jan. 6.

Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, commander of the Maryland Army National Guard, told Military.com that the 500 soldiers from her state's 175th Infantry and the 115th Military Police battalions who began arriving the morning after the breach of the Capitol have no lethal weapons but brought along riot shields and face protection.

The Pentagon initially authorized up to 6,200 Guard members from Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania to deploy to D.C. on federal status to maintain security through Inauguration Day after hundreds of Trump supporters pushed past police on Jan.6 and began smashing windows and destroying offices inside the Capitol.

About 10,000 Guard members are expected to arrive in D.C. by Saturday, but that number could grow to 15,000, Hokanson said.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.

Related: Pentagon Authorizes as Many as 15,000 Guardsmen to Support Inauguration

By Amanda Colombo

Energy production in the United States is the second-largest contributor to our countrys greenhouse gas emissions, and the effects of that pollution impact marginalized communities the most. Those same low- and moderate-income families contribute less to the problem, by using less energy, but pay twice as much on energy bills, in addition to bearing the negative health impacts. The evidence of environmental injustice in the United States goes on and on. But we have the ability to change the status quo.

The state of New Jersey can take a leadership role in changing these statistics for its residents by enacting policies that promote energy equity and ensuring that more affordable and cleaner energy is provided to communities that need it most. The state legislature is currently considering the Clean Energy Equity Act, (S-2484/A-4185).

Among the numerous provisions this act outlines, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) would be tasked with deploying solar, both on-site and community solar and storage, combined with existing energy efficiency programs to reduce the electricity bills of low- and moderate-income households in the state. According to the legislation, the programs are required to benefit 250,000 low-income households or 35% of the low-income households in the state, whichever is larger by 2030. By including storage, the bill increases energy resilience in these communities.

Given that a majority of New Jerseys low- and moderate-income families live in urban centers, community solar is a great solution to promote energy equity in the state. So, what is community solar? Community solar is a unique renewable energy model that anyone can take part in. That means you dont need to own a roof or have the means to pay upfront costs like traditional forms of local renewable energy requirements. Instead, with community solar, a large array of solar panels is built, often on underutilized land or a shared roof, to create what is called a solar farm. Once connected to the grid, the solar farm feeds clean energy that is locally produced onto the grid  reducing our use of fossil fuels and our carbon footprint. Fortunately, New Jersey enacted the Community Solar Pilot Program as part of the Clean Energy Act of 2018.

But, we have to make certain low-income families see meaningful benefits from clean energy, such as lower electric bills. While community solar and rooftop solar do that already, the Clean Energy Equity Act takes those benefits a step further. By combining solar with storage and energy efficiency, the Act will enable a system that is efficient and delivers maximum benefits for low-income customers.

At PowerMarket, we are strong believers in the power of community solar. We have seen great success with community solar projects in states throughout the northeast, especially for low- and moderate-income households. As one of the first community solar programs in the tri-state area to require low- and moderate-income participation, our team is excited to see what opportunities lay ahead for the state of New Jersey.

In addition, a true community-based, community solar project can create opportunities for local hire and economic revitalization. PowerMarket has four projects thatll be going online in Jersey City, North Bergen, Newark, and Secaucus. Overall, we are looking for 1,300 total subscribers to fill the projects, with 51% of subscribers being low- to moderate-income.. However, robust participation in community solar programs will not be possible without substantial financial support from the state. New Jerseys low-income families contribute to Clean Energy Funds through their energy bills. However, few have seen the financial benefits of the clean energy economy. As New Jersey finalizes its budget for the next fiscal year, we need substantial Clean Energy Funds to deliver on the promise of clean energy, especially for families and communities that need it the most.

As New Jersey works to recover from the economic crisis brought about by COVID-19, our legislators must ensure low-income families that are hit the worst are provided with meaningful recovery support. Reduced energy expenses can make a tremendous difference for a family struggling to pay their monthly bills. The Clean Energy Equity Act will create prosperity for our most vulnerable and underserved neighbors. We encourage our legislators to enable this vision.

Amanda Colombo is a business operations analyst at PowerMarket and New Jersey resident.

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WASHINGTON  The Trump administration on Wednesday removed more than 3 million acres of Pacific Northwest land from the protected habitat of the northern spotted owl, 15 times the amount it had previously proposed opening to the timber industry.

The plan, issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, grew out of a legal settlement with a lumber association that had sued the government in 2013 over 9.5 million acres that the agency designated as essential to the survival of the northern spotted owl. The federal protections restricted much of the land from timber harvesting, which companies claimed would lead to calamitous economic losses.

But rather than trim about 200,000 acres of critical habitat in Oregon, as the agency initially proposed in August, the new plan will eliminate protections from 3.4 million acres across Washington, California and Oregon. What is left will mostly be land that is protected for reasons beyond the spotted owl.

These common-sense revisions ensure we are continuing to recover the northern spotted owl while being a good neighbor to rural communities within the critical habitat, Aurelia Skipwith, the director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, said in a statement.
Gardai in close contact with a Covid case were told to return to work within five days if they were asymptomatic and tested negative  contrary to HSE guidelines.

An email was circulated to all members of a garda district in Meath this week following a confirmed Covid case in a station in the county.

A decision had earlier been made to test all gardai who had been in the station within the previous 48 hours of the positive test, whether they were a close contact or not.

On Monday, a senior officer informed members in the district via email that those who were asymptomatic for a period of five days since the close contact, and tested negative, will return to work.

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According to the email, this was to address the critical nature of the service provided and that there were provisions for same.

The advice is contrary to guidelines issued by the HSE, which state that a person in close contact with a confirmed case should stay at home and isolate. The HSE advises that this should be done for a period of 14 days, even if a person tests negative for coronavirus.

Earlier this month the health service also said it would no longer be testing close contacts due to capacity limits being exceeded.

They said that only people with Covid symptoms would be tested and that close contacts were advised to isolate for 14 days. A Garda spokesman said that a member attached to the garda station in Meath had tested positive and a decision was made, in consultation with the HSE, that all gardai who were in the station in the previous 48 hours would be tested.

All affected members self-isolated until Covid-19 test results were received.

Notwithstanding the email referred to, An Garda Siochana continues to comply with HSE guidelines in respect of staff based on the determination as to whether they are close contacts or casual contacts, the spokesman said.

HSE guidelines, supported by internal An Garda Siochana chief medical officer guidance, are routinely circulated to all staff members of An Garda Siochana. All members of An Garda Siochana are expected to fully comply with HSE guidelines.

Since the commencement of the Covid-19 pandemic, An Garda Siochana has not provided commentary on the individual status of members or individual Garda stations/sections.

An Garda Siochana maintains effective operational resilience. Covid-19 has not impacted on frontline Garda services, although the current impact of Covid-19 is more significant at this time, the spokesman added.

Gardai continue to deal with clusters of Covid cases across the country, which has led to members from other areas, including the Garda band, being redeployed to supplement frontline personnel.
Russia has never led the process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to just the return of seven provinces of the region to Azerbaijan and forgotten about the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. This is stated in the commentary of Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Special Assignments Ambassador at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Ambassador Igor Popov in regard to Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyans article entitled Origins of the 44-Day War.

The claim that Russia had offered to return the seven provinces for nothing in return, forget about the status and calm down doesnt correspond to reality, the diplomat said, adding that Russias proposals possibly imply a phased settlement plan, the last version of which was presented to the sides to the conflict by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group in June 2019.

The plan, which mainly coincides with the Kazan document, underlies the basic principles of the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including the return of five and then two regions to Azerbaijan, and I would like to emphasize that determination of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is included. Among the other elements of the first phase reflecting the interests of Yerevan are recognition of the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh, the participation of representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh in the meetings of the OSCE Minsk Group, etc. Thus, the claim that Russia offered to return the seven provinces for nothing in return, forget about the status and calm down, doesnt correspond to reality.

As far as the options for a solution to the issue of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh are concerned, the proposals that were on the negotiating table over the past few years were envisaged as the ultimate goal. I cite the following: Final determination of the legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh within a designated time limit, agreed upon by the sides and through a pan-national vote under the auspices of the UN or the OSCE. Neither the Armenian nor Azerbaijani side rejected the proposals, even though there was no success in fully reaching an agreement, but the important thing is that the negotiations were held on a regular basis until 2018 when Yerevan set forth new approaches.
In this special podcast ahead of the Union Budget 2021, Moneycontrol's Nitin Agrawal talks about how the automobile industry fared in the year 2020 and what the sector expects from the Budget.

In the last couple of Budgets the government has provided indirect support to auto companies through the Make in India initiative and focus on rural economy and infrastructure, and the sector expects this support to continue in 2021.

The sector hopes to see more incentives to widen the adoption of electric vehicles in the country, and some clarity on the scrappage policy.
The much awaited teaser of Parineeti Chopra's upcoming thriller, The Girl On The Train has been unveiled today (January 13, 2021). The murder mystery is an official Bollywood adaptation of Paula Hawkins' 2015 bestseller of the same name. The popular novel was earlier adapted in Hollywood in 2016 as the Emily Blunt starrer The Girl On The Film.

Speaking about the Bollywood version starring Parineeti Chopra, the film helmed by Ribhu Dasgupta, stars the actress as Meera, a voyeuristic divorcee who fixates on the lives of a perfect couple from afar, only to get embroiled in a murder mystery that unfolds some revealing truths about her own life.

Watch the teaser.

The teaser which was unveiled today, gives us a sneak-peek of some exciting 'thrills' from the film.

Speaking about the film, director Ribhu Dasgupta said, "I always wanted to explore this genre and loved this unique story. There is plenty to relate to both in terms of the emotions and mysteries that I was able to delve into in this thriller - rejection, loneliness, voyeurism, daily commutes on which we see and don't see things."

Earlier, Parineeti Chopra had described The Girl On The Train was her 'most difficult role to do.' " "We've started shooting for Girl On The Train in London. It's my most difficult role to date; I feel like I'm in a hostel, with no time (or headspace) for social media or chilling or doing anything else. It's a new experience for me - being cut off from everything and everyone else," the actress was quoted as saying.

Besides Parineeti Chopra, The Girl On The Train also stars Aditi Rao Hydari and Avinash Tewary of Bullbul fame in pivotal role. The film is slated to release on February 26, 2021 on Netflix.

ALSO READ: Parineeti Chopra On Coronavirus: Stop Calling It A 'Hype On Social Media'

ALSO READ: Parineeti Chopra Birthday Special: Her Flab To Fit Journey Is Inspiring In Every Way!
Agartala/Imphal/Guwahati, Jan 14 : After Assam and Meghalaya, three more northeastern states - Tripura, Manipur and Sikkim - on Wednesday saw Covid-19 vaccines reach them for the first round of immunisation, officials said.

While Assam received the second consignment of Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday after the first delivery on Tuesday, Tripura, Manipur and Sikkim received their first lot.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who received the 54,000 doses of Covishield vaccine at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal, told the media that the first phase of vaccination for frontline workers would begin on January 16 along with the rest of India.

In Manipur, in all 8,476 health workers would be administered the vaccine in the first phase at 10 places, including the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS), Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), and the district headquarters of Churachandpur, Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandel and Bishnupur.

Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in a tweet on Wednesday, announced that the vaccine consignment for Sikkim had been handed over to the state at West Bengal's Bagdogra Airport.

In Agartala, Tripura's National Health Mission Director Siddharth Shiv Jaiswal said that 56,500 doses of Covishield supplied by the Pune-based Serum Institute of India reached the state on Wednesday.

"In the first phase, the vaccine would be administered among 45,000 beneficiaries in 152 locations across eight districts," Jaiswal, a physician turned IAS officer, told IANS.

Assam received the second consignment of Covid-19 vaccine on Wednesday as a cargo flight carrying 12,000 doses of Covaxin landed at the Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati.

Airport Authority of India's Regional Executive Director (North East Region) M. Suresh said that the LGBI Airport has been designated as the nodal place of distribution of vaccines for all northeastern states, excluding Sikkim, and it is equipped to transport such medical consignments to the neighbouring states.

The first batch of 2.40 lakh vials of Covid-19 vaccine for Assam and Meghalaya had arrived on Tuesday.

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
(Natural News) Getting vaccinated for the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) could maybe, possibly, reduce some of the symptoms associated with infection, says Anthony Fauci, but recipients should not expect to be protected against actual infection.

Americas top government doctor told the media the other day that President Donald Trumps Operation Warp Speed jabs are wholly unable to protect recipients against catching the novel virus, especially during the first round of injections. They should still get penetrated for the China virus, however, because doing so is good, or something.

The primary thing you want to do is that if people get infected, prevent them from getting sick, and if you prevent them from getting sick, you will ultimately prevent them from getting seriously ill, Fauci proclaimed at Yahoo Finances recent All Markets Summit.

If the vaccine also allows you to prevent initial infection, that would be great. [But] what I would settle for, and all of my colleagues would settle for, is the primary endpoint to prevent clinically recognizable disease.

Other than spread more disease, it is unclear thus far in what way COVID-19 vaccines might be beneficial. Fauci agrees, which is why he is still pushing the vaccinated to remain socialistically distanced and masked at all times.

Fauci says Trump administration claim that natural herd immunity can be achieved without vaccination is total nonsense

Fauci has been having a lot of trouble lately keeping his story straight. Early on, he claimed that only about 60 percent of America would need a WuFlu vaccine in order to eradicate the virus, or maybe just the symptoms, or something. That figure later crept up to more than 85 percent.

When pressed, Fauci admitted that he makes up numbers on the fly based on public opinion polls. The more people that seem willing to get jabbed, the higher Faucis herd immunity threshold, he confessed.

It will take a little while for the production lines to churn out enough vaccines for everyone, however. There will not be enough vaccine doses for the entire country until around March, he says, which for the time being means that everyone needs to continue living in nonstop fear.

The Trump administration has suggested that perhaps herd immunity can be achieved naturally without the need for China virus jabs, but Fauci says this is total nonsense.

According to Fauci, getting vaccinated is the only way out of the pandemic, regardless of never having a vaccine end a pandemic before in human history, and the public need not worry because the vaccines are all safe and effective.

One of the things Im concerned about in the United States is that part of the anti-science translates maybe into anti-vaccine, Fauci mumbled and whined during another recent interview.

It would really be a shame if we have a safe and effective vaccine, but a substantial proportion of the people do not want to take the vaccine because they dont trust authority. That would really be unfortunate if thats the case.

When, and only when, a bulk of the population agrees to be injected with Big Pharma chemicals, the country can move towards some semblance of new normality, Fauci insists.

As for a second wave of the virus, Fauci thinks the world is still in the throes of the first one. Perhaps he is saying this because it was already shown that there is no second wave and the pandemic is over  and has been for quite some time.

No matter how you look at it, its not good news, Fauci threatened, pushing listeners to roll up their sleeves and get ready for injection during the first quarter of 2021.

Up-to-the-minute news about the Chinese virus can be found at Pandemic.news.

Sources for this article include:

DailyMail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com

NaturalNews.com
Listen to article

(FILE) A health worker wearing a Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) suit tests a swab sample for COVID-19 at a primary health centre on September 3, 2020. NOAH SEELAM / AFP

A team of Nigerian professors and scientists, named IVERCOVID Research Group, has investigated the effectiveness and roles that the Ivermectin drug can play in the treatment of coronavirus.

This was revealed in a statement on Tuesday by Mr Laolu Akande, the media aide to the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

He noted that the team, which comprised Nigerian scholars at home and abroad, has also submitted its report on the usefulness of the drug to the World Health Organisation (WHO) which has already appointed a Peer Review expert from the United Kingdom.

Akande disclosed that the health experts briefed Professor Osinbajo who welcomed the efforts by the team on Monday.

The group is led by a Principal Investigator, Professor Femi Babalola, and the Chief Medical Director of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Professor Chris Bode.

Its members are Chairman of the Medical Advisory Council at LUTH, Professor Lanre Adeyemo; a United State-based clinical pharmacologist, Professor Adesuyi Ajayi; two project virologists  Professor S.A Omilabu and Dr Olumuyiwa Salu; and the Project Coordinator, Dr Felix Alakaloko. FINDINGS

In its findings, the research revealed that the mechanism of action of Ivermectin includes inhibiting viral entry into cells' nucleus; and direct suppression of viral RNA load of SARS CoV 2, among others.

Ivermectin is orally absorbed with higher absorption as a solution better than tablets, and The Mean Residence Time (MRT) is 3.4 days. This informs the suggested frequency of dosing, i.e. twice a week.

The research's Null hypothesis noted that: Safe doses of Ivermectin are not useful in the treatment of patients with virology proven COVD-19 disease, does not lower viral load, and does not shorten time to negativity, neither does it cause improvement in clinical parameters when compared to Lopinavir/Ritonavir/Placebo.

But its Alternative Hypothesis revealed that Safe doses of Ivermectin are useful in the treatment of patients with virology proven COVID-19 disease, lowering the viral load, shortening time to negativity, and causing improvement in clinical parameters when compared with Lopinavir/Ritonavir/Placebo. RESULTS

In its results so far, the study noted that the randomisation was effective based on the distribution of age, sex, and some clinical presentation at baselines such as cough and fever.

The overall results showed that the Days-To-Negative (DTN) reduced by 3.8 days overall. While a few patients are negative by day two, 50 per cent are negative by day 5.

The study indicated that Clinical trials of Ivermectin have been carried out in at least 21 countries worldwide, including Nigeria. It referenced the Meta-analysis of clinical trials of Ivermectin to treat COVID-19 infection by Dr. Andrew Hill, Department of Pharmacology, University of Liverpool, UK.

Highlighting the practical applications, the Study proposed that Ivermectin should be considered for adoption into the uniform treatment guidelines of COVID- 19 in Nigeria, noting the potential use of ivermectin as prophylaxis Pending the rollout of vaccination programs or alongside it.

However, the Study emphasised that Ivermectin is not meant to replace other COVID-19 measures such as social distancing, face masking, and hygiene, or vaccinations, adding that, It is possibly an additional tool which can be deployed to fight the pandemic.

The group stated that it has forwarded a report of its findings, titled A randomised controlled trial for the repurposing of Ivermectin in the management of COVID-19, to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). A file photo of the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

In his remarks, the vice president was excited that Nigeria and Nigerians were at the cutting edge of scientific research into the COVID-19 treatment.

We have an opportunity here and I am so fascinated to hear this drug has been used in the treatment of River Blindness in this country, he was quoted as saying.

Professor Osinbajo believes that with the report, Nigeria is at an advantage both in knowledge and availability of the drug, especially since Ivermectin has been found useful not only in the treatment of COVID-19 but also as a preventive medication.

He stated that the Federal Government would further explore ways to support the research for the benefit of Nigerians and humanity generally, while also advancing the effective funding of scientific research in the country.

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PORTLAND, Ore., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled, "Gloves Market by Type (Disposable Sterile Gloves, Disposable examination and protective gloves, and Consumer gloves), and Industry (Medical, Horeca (food), Cleaning, Beauty, Food and Drinks, Pharmaceutical, Chemical, Automotive, Electronics, Construction, and Others): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast 20212025." According to the report, the global gloves industry was estimated at $11.46 billion in 2017, and is anticipated to hit $35.02 billion by 2025, registering a CAGR of 10.3% from 2021 to 2025.

Download Detailed COVID-19 Impact Sample Report at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-for-customization/9232?reqfor=covid

Drivers, restraints, and opportunities-

Increase in concerns regarding safety and hygiene, rise in rubber production, and surge in the number of end users fuel the growth of the global gloves market. On the other hand, toxic reaction to certain gloves and high price competition are projected to impede the growth to some extent. Nevertheless, developing economies and untapped markets are expected to pave the way for lucrative growth opportunities for the key players in the industry.

Covid-19 scenario-

The outbreak of the pandemic led to a steep increase in demand for hand gloves from the healthcare and food sector, as gloves play a major role in controlling the cross-transmission.

On the other hand, disrupted supply chain across the globe hampered the global gloves market to a certain extent. But, since the government bodies in different countries are easing off the existing regulations, the market is expected to recoup soon.

The disposable examination and protective gloves segment to dominate by 2025-

Based on type, the disposable examination and protective gloves segment contributed to more than half of the global gloves market share in 2017, and is expected to lead the trail by 2025. The same segment would also grow at the fastest CAGR of 11.8% throughout the forecast period. Increase in infectious and chronic disease across the globe such as COVID-19, swine flues, hepatitis propels the growth of the segment.

The medical segment to maintain the dominant share-

Based on industries, the medical segment accounted for more than one-fifth of the global gloves market revenue in 2017, and is anticipated to rule the roost by the end of 2025, due to extensive use of medical gloves in hospitals. The food and drinks segment, on the other hand, would exhibit the fastest CAGR of 11.8% during the forecast period. Developments in the food industry in accordance with various cultures across the globe drive the segment growth.

For Purchase Enquiry at: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/9232

Europe, followed by North America, garnered the major share in 2017-

Based on region, Europe, followed by North America, garnered the major share in 2017, garnering around one-third of the global gloves market, due to rise in medical tourism and presence of large key players in the continent. At the same time, the market across Asia-Pacific would showcase the fastest CAGR of 11.1% from 2021 to 2025, due to the increasing imports from the Asian markets.

Key players in the industry-

Ansell Ltd.

Cardinal Health, Inc.

Semperit AG Holding

Hartalega Holdings Berhad

Honeywell International Inc.

Top Glove Corp. Bhd.

3M Co.

Co. Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

rubberex corporation (m) berhad

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We have also published few syndicated market studies in the similar area that might be of your interest. Below are the report title for your reference, considering Impact of Covid-19 Over This Market which will help you to assess aftereffects of pandemic on short-term and long-term growth trends of this market.

Similar Reports:

Disposable Gloves Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20202027

Disposable Medical Gloves Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2027

Latex Medical Gloves Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2019-2027

Nitrile Medical Gloves Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192027

Sterile Gloves Market - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 20192027

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We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry.

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Samsung Galaxy S21 series launch is scheduled for January 14 at the Galaxy Unpacked 2021. Ahead of the launch, details of the three Galaxy S21 smartphones - Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy S21+, and Galaxy S21 - have leaked multiple times. Adding to the leaks is an update on the Samsung Galaxy S21 retail box. Images leaked by tipster Roland Quandt from WinFuture confirm that the Samsung Galaxy S21 series will not come with a charging adapter.

Rumours of Samsung not shipping a charging adapter with the Galaxy S21 series have been floating around for quite some time. The latest development from Quandt confirms these rumours. Leaked images reveal the compact size of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy S21 retail box.

The boxes are much smaller in size compared to the predecessor - The Galaxy S20 series - and do not come with the charging adapter. The tipster notes that Samsung will include a Quick Start guide, SIM ejector, and USB Type-C charging cable with the Galaxy S21 series. This also means that Samsung will not pack the AKG earphones inside the box.

Samsung is taking a page out of its arch-rival Apples playbook. Samsung is expected to play the "saving the environment" card as part of its cost-cutting measures -- the same as Apple. The South Korean giant also deleted a social media post that mocked Apple for removing the charging adapter from the iPhone 12 retail box.

Also check: Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2021: Galaxy S21 Ultra, Galaxy S21+, Galaxy S21 price, specifications, and everything we know

Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi also ditched the charging adapter with the Mi 11. However, unlike Apple, the company gave users an option to bundle the fast charger for free with the device. It is unknown if Samsung will opt for a similar move while playing the environment card.

Samsung Galaxy S21 series launch event will be live-streamed at the Galaxy Unpacked event on January 18. The Unpacked 2021 event live-stream is scheduled to start at 8 pm IST.
The Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), signed an agreement with Oman LNG Development Foundation to finance business incubator project at Sur Industrial City.

The signing of the agreement stems from a joint objective to strengthen strategic partnership and consequently enhance effective community partnership through supporting emerging startups and financing social investment projects, a statement said.

The agreement was signed by Hilal bin Hamad Al Hasani, Chief Executive Officer of Madayn, and Dr. Amor bin Nasser Al Matani, Chief Executive Officer of Oman LNG Development Foundation.

Through the establishment of the business incubator in Sur Industrial City, Madayn aims at expanding the services and facilities offered by the National Business Centre (NBC) which was launched in 2013 to present an ideal platform for the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Sultanate.

Madayns journey with similar initiatives began in 2004 when it introduced a business incubator programme which was known as The Knowledge Mine (TKM) in the Knowledge Oasis Muscat (KOM). TKM aimed at fostering start-ups and encouraging Omani entrepreneurs and emerging companies to invest in the ICT sector.

Following the success of this incubation programme, Madayn decided to turn TKM into an advanced and specialised centre for incubating and developing SMEs in various fields, which is known as the National Business Centre. Today, NBC offers the SMEs with a platform to develop their business ideas and turn them into growing ventures.

NBC provides technical, administrative, logistical and awareness support for emerging and innovative projects in order to have projects with economic benefit and inspire the Omani youths to explore their potentials and abilities to establish and lead businesses. The incubated businesses at NBC benefits from a variety of services including business development support and guidance, training and mentoring, access to markets and industry experts, and state-of-the-art and fully equipped office space, meeting rooms and presentation facilities.TradeArabia News Service
The Trump administration declassified its strategy to ensure continued dominance over China, which focuses on accelerating Indias rise as a counterweight to Beijing and the ability to defend Taiwan against an attack.

National Security Advisor Robert OBrien on Tuesday announced the publication of the document, titled United States Strategic Framework for the Indo-Pacific." Approved by President Donald Trump in February 2018, it provided the overarching strategic guidance" for US actions the past three years and was released to show the US commitment to keeping the Indo-Pacific region free and open long into the future," OBrien said in a statement.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

Beijing is increasingly pressuring Indo-Pacific nations to subordinate their freedom and sovereignty to a common destiny envisioned by the Chinese Communist Party," OBrien said in an expanded statement. The US approach is different. We seek to ensure that our allies and partners  all who share the values and aspirations of a free and open Indo-Pacific -- can preserve and protect their sovereignty."

The document lays out a vision for the region in which North Korea no longer poses a threat, India is predominant in South Asia and the US works with partners around the world to resist Chinese activities to undermine sovereignty through coercion. It assumed that China will take increasingly assertive" steps to compel unification with Taiwan and warns that its dominance of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence will pose profound challenges to free societies."

While the timing of the release just a week before President-elect Joe Biden takes office raises questions about the motive, the Trump administrations actions to counter China in Asia have largely enjoyed bipartisan support. Incoming Biden officials have talked about the need to work more with allies and partners against China, which also forms a key part of the strategy -- particularly in strengthening security ties with Australia, Japan and India.

Rory Medcalf, a professor and head of the National Security College at the Australian National University, said that the document shows US policy in Asia was driven by efforts to bolster allies and counter China." But he noted that the strategy was so ambitious that failure was almost assured" on issues such as disarming North Korea, sustaining primacy" in the region and finding international consensus against harmful Chinese economic practices.

The declassified framework will have enduring value as the beginning of a whole-of-government blueprint for handling strategic rivalry with China," Medcalf wrote in a post for the Australian Strategic Policy Institute research group. If the US is serious about that long-term contest, it will not be able to choose between getting its house in order domestically and projecting power in the Indo-Pacific. It will need to do both at once."

Key highlights of the report include:

China

 Assumes China aims to dissolve US alliances and partnerships in the region. China will exploit vacuums and opportunities created by these diminished bonds."

 China seeks to dominate cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence and bio-genetics, and harness them in the service of authoritarianism. Chinese dominance in these technologies would pose profound challenges to free societies."

 China will take increasingly assertive steps to compel unification with Taiwan."

 Act to counter Chinese predatory economic practices that freeze out foreign competition, undermine US economic competitiveness, and abet the Chinese Communist Partys aspiration to dominate the 21st century economy."

 Build an international consensus that Chinas industrial policies and unfair trading practices are damaging the global trading system."

 Work closely with allies and like-minded countries to prevent Chinese acquisition of military and strategic capabilities."

India

 Desired outcome: Indias preferred partner on security issues is the United States. The two cooperate to preserve maritime security and counter Chinese influence in South and Southeast Asia and other regions of mutual concern."

 India remains preeminent in South Asia and takes the leading role in maintaining Indian Ocean security."

 Accelerate Indias rise and capacity to serve as a net provider of security and Major Defense Partner; solidify an enduring strategic partnership with India underpinned by a strong Indian military."

 Strengthen the capacity of emerging partners in South Asia, including the Maldives, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, to contribute to a free and open order."

Taiwan

 Devise and implement a defense strategy capable of, but not limited to: (1) denying China sustained air and sea dominance inside the first island chain" in a conflict; (2) defending the first-island-chain nations, including Taiwan; and (3) dominating all domains outside the first island-chain."

 Enable Taiwan to develop an effective asymmetric defense strategy and capabilities that will help ensure its security, freedom from coercion, resilience, and ability to engage China on its own terms."

North Korea

 Objective: Convince the Kim regime that the only path to its survival is to relinquish its nuclear weapons."

 Maximize pressure on Pyongyang using economic, diplomatic, military, law enforcement, intelligence, and information tools to cripple North Koreas weapons of mass destruction programs, choke off currency flows, weaken the regime, and set the conditions for negotiations aimed at reversing its nuclear and missile programs, ultimately achieving the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Peninsula."

 Do this by: (1) helping South Korea and Japan acquire advanced, conventional military capabilities; (2) drawing south Korea and Japan closer to one another."

Southeast Asia

 Objective: Promote and reinforce Southeast Asia and Aseans central role in the regions security architecture, and encourage it to speak with one voice on key issues."

 Promote an integrated economic developmentmodel in the Indo-Pacific that provides a credible alternative to One Belt One Road; create a task force on how best to use public-private partnerships."

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New Delhi, Jan 13 : Leading edtech company BYJU'S is reportedly acquiring Delhi-based offline test preparatory services provider Aakash Educational Services for $ one billion (nearly Rs 7,300 crore), the media reported.

The deal may close in the next two-three months, reports Bloomberg.

An email sent to BYJU'S on Wednesday did not elicit any response.

BYJU'S last year acquired Mumbai-based live online coding provider WhiteHat Jr for roughly Rs 2,246 crore.

In September, barely a month later, the edtech platform raised $500 million (approximately Rs 3,689 crore) in a new funding round led by global technology investment firm Silver Lake.

Existing investors Tiger Global, General Atlantic and Owl Ventures also participated in the round, which put the edtech startup's valuation at $10.8 billion.

According to frest report, the founders of Aakash Educational Services would exit the company and its investor Blackstone will swap a portion of its 37.5 per cent stake for a stake in BYJU'S.

Aakash Educational Services provides test preparation services for medical and engineering entrance exams, school/board exams, and other exams via Aakash Centres.

BYJU'S informed in September that it saw over 20 million new students starting learning from its platform for free since the lockdown. The app then had over 64 million registered students and 4.2 million annual paid subscriptions.

The edtech platform doubled its revenue from Rs 1,430 crore to Rs 2,800 crore in the fiscal 2019-2020.

With a sudden spurt towards online education, the market size projections for Edtech in India by 2022 has seen a substantial increase.

As per a recent report, the Edtech market in India is projected to reach $3.5 billion by 2022 which was earlier projected to be in the range of $2.8 - $3.2 billion.

Edtech market size in 2019 stood at $735 million.

This growth is expected to be driven by K12, higher education, test preparation and upskilling.

"With more and more adoption towards Edtech and a different outlook for education in the post-Covid world, we can expect a bigger number than this," said Nasscom in its recent report.

Nearly five times growth in funding was observed in the first half of last year, compared to H12019.

Major portion of the funding is accounted by BYJU'S and Unacademy. Many new startups have also raised funding like iNurture, Masai, Campk12, Pedagogy, Lido and more.

Edtech firms like Udemy, BYJU'S, Coursera and Doubtnut saw a substantial rise in traffic share during the post-Covid world.

Sectors with Covid-19 tailwinds such as EdTech, BFSI, AgriTech, Gaming, etc., are witnessing a steady increase in the first time funding, up from 29 per cent in 2019 to 42 per cent in 2020, garnering a 14 per cent growth in absolute numbers.
US President Donald Trump, facing impeachment on a charge of "incitement of insurrection" on Tuesday denied responsibility for his supporters' violent invasion of the US Capitol last week and said his remarks before the siege were appropriate. The Republican president told reporters that his speech before Wednesday's assault - in which he urged supporters to march on the Capitol and fight - had been analyzed by unnamed others, who he said believed it was "totally appropriate."

"If you read my speech ... what I said was totally appropriate," he told reporters at Joint Base Andrews when asked about any personal responsibility he had regarding the Jan. 6 attack when his supporters stormed the Capitol with members of Congress and his own Vice President Mike Pence inside.

"They've analyzed my speech and my words and my final paragraph, my final sentence and everybody ... thought it was totally appropriate," he said before heading to Alamo, Texas to visit and sign his signature wall on the border with Mexico.

Democrats in the US House of Representatives plan to impeach Trump on Wednesday unless he steps down or is removed before then, which would make him the only US president ever to be impeached twice.

Trump's remarks on Tuesday were his first in public since Wednesday, although he released a video on Thursday in which he condemned the violence but did not concede the election. Democrats said Trump's defense of his words and actions underscored the urgency of removing him from office.

"Trump's lack of contrition today makes clear that the 25th Am must be invoked to remove him," Daniel Goldman, majority counsel in the first House impeachment inquiry, tweeted.

"Impeachment should proceed apace and every MOC must think hard about whether s/he supports Trump's efforts to overturn the election and incite an insurrection on the Capitol." Trump did not answer a shouted question before leaving the White House about whether he was responsible for the violence at the Capitol, which led to the deaths of six people. Instead, he blasted Democratic leaders for moving forward on impeachment, warning it posed "a tremendous danger" to the country.

Conservative former presidential candidate Evan McMullin said those remarks amounted to threats of further violence. "Trump's threats of more violence by warning of 'tremendous anger' and 'tremendous danger' in response to potential impeachment, a vital mechanism of our democracy, are further evidence of its justice and necessity," he said on Twitter.

Also read: Facebook has no plans to lift ban on Donald Trump's accounts, COO Sheryl Sandberg Says

Also read: Deutsche Bank won't do future business with Trump: report
Greater Manchester Police have launched a murder inquiry after a two-week-old baby died after being taken to hospital.

Police were called to reports of concern for the baby girl at 6.30pm last Friday when she was taken to hospital before she died on Monday.

Officers have since arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of murder before releasing him on bail pending further enquiries.

Police have said that a scene will remain in place at an address in Heywood, Rochdale for the coming days.

Police have said that a scene will remain in place at an address in Heywood, Rochdale

A post-mortem is due to take place this week.

Detective Chief Inspector Carl Jones, of GMP's Major Incident Team, said: 'This is a desperately sad incident where a baby girl has lost her life and we are doing what we can to support her loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.

'Our investigation is ongoing; as always, we are keeping an open mind and have specialist officers working at the scene and on the investigation to establish the full facts of this case.

'This is a heart-breaking time and we ask the public to refrain from speculation and respect the family's privacy at this time.

'Anyone with information should do the right thing and contact us with information so we can continue to try and ascertain the circumstances behind this tragedy.'

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 3400 quoting incident 1896 of 08/01/2021. Details can be passed anonymously to the independent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
In January 1838, 28-year-old Abraham Lincoln delivered an address in Springfield, Ill., condemning a series of vigilante attacks that had recently taken place across the young republic. Just weeks before, Elijah Parish Lovejoy, ardent abolitionist and editor of the St. Louis Observer, was shot to death outside his warehouse in Alton, Ill., by a pro-slavery mob.

Whenever the vicious portion of population shall be permitted to gather in bands of hundreds and thousands, Lincoln said, and burn churches, ravage and rob provision-stores, throw printing presses into rivers, shoot editors, and hang and burn obnoxious persons at pleasure, and with impunity; depend on it, this government cannot last.

Lincolns warning about the mobs threat to the nation is suddenly -- and unfortunately -- relevant again. In the last year weve witnessed months of rioting and looting sparked by Black Lives Matter protests over the deaths of George Floyd and others, the destruction of a federal courthouse in Portland, Ore., the illegal occupation of a portion of downtown Seattle, and finally the invasion of the U.S. Capitol last week by violent supporters of Donald Trump.

Its now all too common to read stories of activists showing up at the homes of elected officials at night, and either implicitly or explicitly threatening them and their families. It is still disturbing, but no longer surprising, to see videos clips of private citizens and innocent bystanders being bullied, and in some cases assaulted, by protesters in the streets of Americas cities.

Equally as unforgiving is the digital mob, which descends upon its prey with a vengeance for real or perceived transgressions, some current and some decades old. These keyboard warriors destroy careers, reputations, and livelihoods. It is capricious, devoid of grace or forgiveness, and responds only to submission.

Although our country is rife with tribalism, recognizing and condemning the mob should not be, cannot be, a partisan exercise. Peaceful protests are a foundational right of our democratic republic. Mob violence is the antithesis of it. It cannot be excused, whatever the underlying motivation, as a benign byproduct of protests that were -- as the media kept describing them last summer -- mostly peaceful. That phrase is an oxymoron, as this countrys moral leaders have always known.

Mobs are fueled by passions that arise out of a sense of grievance, and modern elected leaders from both parties and the media have spent years stoking those passions, not lowering them. Is it fair to judge rioters by their stated intentions, rather than the crimes they commit? Well, its human nature to give the benefit of the doubt to those we agree with. Americans who believe that many police officers in this country are too brutal, especially when operating in communities of color, were willing to overlook the excesses of last summers protests. Among those making excuses for violent behavior were the nations most prominent Democrats. Those who stormed the U.S. Capitol last week convinced themselves (against all available evidence) that they were righting some great wrong: i.e., the stealing of an election. In the end, it doesnt matter what they thought. What matters is what they did. Thats what Abraham Lincoln was telling his countrymen 183 years ago.

There is no grievance that is a fit object of redress by mob law, young Abe Lincoln said. Although he was still trying to reason with slaverys proponents in 1838, Lincolns own sympathies were with Elijah Lovejoy.

A native of Maine, Lovejoy had been radicalized on the slavery question. He was less diplomatic than Lincoln, and less cautious. After graduating first in his class at Waterville College, he headed to St. Louis where he opened a school and purchased an interest in a local newspaper, the St. Louis Times. By 1832, he was the editor, but his passions were caught up in a religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening. Lovejoy returned temporarily to the East where he attended the theological seminary at Princeton, emerging two years later as an ordained Presbyterian minister.

He returned to Missouri to pastor a small Presbyterian congregation while editing the St. Louis Observer. When his former newspaper endorsed mob action against a woman who ran a Sunday school for slaves, Lovejoy joined the fight. His initial essay sought a middle ground. But as Lovejoys anti-slavery writing escalated, so did the violent threats against him.

Three times his printing presses were destroyed by domestic terrorists. After a white mob broke into a local jail and burned a black man to death, a St. Louis judge with an apt name (Luke Lawless) directed a grand jury to indict no one in the lynching. In the kind of demagoguery that would be familiar to modern American ears, Lawless then embarked on a rant against the abolitionist press in general, and Elijah Lovejoy in particular. With mob rule essentially endorsed by Missouri courts, the pastor/publisher moved across the river to Illinois.

Lovejoy was now in a free state, but not in a safe city. And there, in the autumn of 1837, a fourth printing press was delivered to him. A mob congregated at the Alton warehouse to seize it. This time, Lovejoy stood his ground. But he and other armed men were overwhelmed. Two days short of his 35th birthday, this crusading newspaperman was felled by gunfire. The warehouse was torched, and his presses were thrown into the Mississippi.

At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? asked Lincoln. By what means shall we fortify against it? Shall we expect some trans-Atlantic military giant to step the ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the Earth (our own excepted) in the military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, would not by force take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

No, they couldnt, as Lincoln knew, but his point was that the danger lay within. On some days -- Jan. 6, 2021, was one of them -- it seems that way again. So how do we proceed, short of re-fighting the Civil War that subsumed Lincolns presidency and cost him, and nearly 700,000 other Americans, their lives? Lincolns answer to combat the rise of the mobocratic sprit was for the public to rededicate itself to reverence for the laws. Fidelity to the law, he insisted, must become the political religion of the nation.
Investigators searched the wreckage of the Sriwijaya Air that crashed into the Java Sea. They found the black box of flight 182 that records the final moments before the plane shattered in the ocean.

No one knows why the plane nosedived into the Java, a search and rescue operation conducted.

In Indonesia, Jakarta, members of the Indonesia navy diver conducted searches along the ocean floor. They were able to find the flight data recorder of the downed passenger airliner that took 62 lives on board, reported NTD.

The flight recorder's discovery will shed light and determine what caused the dreadful ocean crash of the 737-500 plane. Sources say the weather condition was heavy rain when it took off from Jakarta last Saturday.

Scenes showed by TV stations, divers on an inflatable vessel with a large white container with the black box. Authorities brought the recorder into a Jakarta port.

According to Military chief Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanton it was only one of two boxes. He added that the second black box has a recording of the pilot and his companions. Its beacon is still functional and transmitting its location in the same area as the Flight 182 wreck.

The device discovered buried under the seabed mud under the shattered airplane's twisted metal, says navy Chief Adm. Yudo Margono adding that as many as 160 navy divers searched in the Java Sea for the two black boxes.

It was an extensive effort with 3,600 rescue specialists, 13 helicopters, 54 large ships, and 20 small boats that conducted a search and rescue operation (SAR) north of Jakarta to look for the black box of Flight 182.

Also read: This Day In History: The Tragedy of the Pan Am Flight 103 Bombing at Lockerbie Scotland

Flight 182 went down headlong and broke up, with the plane's debris and body parts that could have belonged to any crew or passengers at 75 feet deep.

The passengers' search had the SAR personnel handing over 74 body bags of unidentified body parts found for police identification experts. One breakthrough is identifying a 29-year-old male flight attendant, Okky Bisma, who perished in the crash.

Alpha Refa, the wife of the deceased, is a flight attendant on the airliner. She posted her thoughts on the unlikely conditions of her husbands' death on social media.

To help identify those who perished the indistinct remains, family members gave samples to match what the police have. DNA sampling will take 4-8 days as the remains were in several states when found.

National Police spokesman Rusdi Hartono asked for more DNA samples. So far, only 53 are given to them. More is needed from the parents and children of the deceased passengers.

The Indonesia National Transportation Safety Committee said the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board would look into what caused the crash.

According to the NTSC chairman, Soerjanto Tjahjono, the plane got shattered when it dove into the sea. More investigation is needed to determine how everything happened, and it did not occur midair.

Sriwijaya Air had a few minor safety incidents way back; one was a problem with landing gear hydraulic systems. On

In 2018, a similar type Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet was owned by Lion Air with an automated flight-control system, but Flight 182 did not have it installed. The black box of Flight 182 holds the answers.

Related article: Flight MH370 Allegedly Disappeared Due to Pilot's Unstable Condition

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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We always knew that Donald Trump supporters wore masks. Many of them were too afraid  or ashamed  to let anyone know that they had fallen under the spell of a president who would try to take America down if he were kicked out the door.

A Minsk court has found an 89-year-old woman guilty of violating protests laws nearly a month after she was detained alongside dozens of others at a weekly rally of retirees calling on strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka to step down.



The Leninsky District Court on January 12 slapped Valeryya Smirnova with a fine of 870 Belarusian rubles ($337), or more than half the average monthly income in the country, for participating in an unauthorized protest.



Smirnova was one of more than 100 people detained by black-clad security forces in Minsk on December 14 during a regular Monday demonstration of pensioners backing the countrys pro-democracy movement.



Smirnovas daughter, 67-year-old Lyudmila Bystrenko, was also detained. The women spent more than six hours at the police station before being released.



According to Smirnova's great-granddaughter, Darya, the soon-to-be nonagenarian was punished for shouting "Long live Belarus!" alongside other retirees.



An anonymous witness--a police officer who spoke in court via video link--confirmed this account, the Belarusian news site Tut.by reported.

Crisis In Belarus Read our coverage as Belarusians continue to demand the resignation of Alyaksandr Lukashenka amid a brutal crackdown on protesters. The West refuses to recognize him as the country's legitimate leader after an August 9 election considered fraudulent.

Belarus has been roiled by regular protests since early August when Lukashenka was declared victor of a presidential election that opposition leaders said was rigged.



Police have violently cracked down, detaining nearly 30,000 people, according to the UN. There have also been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment, and several people have died.



The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote, and imposed sanctions on him and his allies, citing election rigging and the police crackdown.

With reporting by Current Time
A major fire broke out at a slum in Kolkata's Bagbazar area on Wednesday evening, officials said. At least 24 fire tenders were pressed into service as the blaze engulfed several houses in the slum on Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue beside the Bagbazar Women's College near the Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, they said.

Blasts were heard in the slum which police suspect to be of gas cylinders at the houses on fire, officials said. There were no reports of any casualty as most of the people were evacuated on time, they said.

The blaze also spread to the adjacent Sarada Mayer Bari as the firefighters escorted the saints out, an officer of the fire department said. "The reason for the fire is not yet known. The firemen are fighting it tooth and nail and hopefully, it will soon be under control. We have emptied the entire area. There were several blasts, which could be because of the gas cylinders," a senior officer of the Kolkata Police said.

Locals alleged that firefighters reached the spot at least an hour late, because of which the blaze went out of control. A couple of police vehicles were vandalised, following which a team of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to control the irate mob, the officer said.

Traffic movement on the Kshirode Vidyavinode Avenue as well as the Chitpore Lock Gate Bridge, the lifeline of the people living in the northern fringes of the city, was totally stopped, he said. "We have also snapped electricity supply in the entire area. There are at least 40 families whose houses have been gutted in the fire. A godown of books is also gutted," the police officer said.

Opinion Article

13 January 2021

We are in uncharted territory.

Job losses within the hospitality industry have been staggering, not only impacting every region of the globe but, more importantly, impacting each and every person who works within one of the largest employment industries.

Currently, the UK has seen job losses that total 600,600, in the US hospitality jobs losses surpass 3,200,000, and in Canada, this number sits at 350,000. According to a report from the U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Economics, unemployment in the hospitality and leisure industry stands at more than double the national average. The toll of the pandemic is publicized daily on every channel and outlet. We hear stories from friends and colleagues regarding the loss of another COVID-19 victim. The news is non-stop. People's lives have been turned upside down, and we, as a community, need to be there for each other.

Only a few months ago, in October, things were looking up. In Canada, we started the recovery as businesses reopened - but there were stark differences across sectors. Output in accommodation and food services in June was at 55% of its pre-pandemic level according to StatsCan. We were starting to breathe a sigh of relief - and then came the holidays. Most were trying their best to follow the rules, to do the right things. However, the draw to venture out to see loved ones during the holidays was overwhelming. The effect of holiday gatherings has resulted in a surge of cases worldwide and it now appears as if we are a long way off from any sense of normalcy.

Do not get me wrong. This is not a piece filled with doom and gloom, but it is good to understand the impact of past events and try to find a better path forward. We need to embrace the future with all its wonder and unknowns - and the best way to do this is with a strong mental health strategy. Those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic may feel a sense of longing for the way things used to be. Obviously, they will feel a sense of loss along with loneliness and all the other trappings of depression and anxiety. But there is a way to combat mental health associated with job loss and the current situation the world finds itself in. We need to become a community where we support each other, where we listen, where we embrace today with gratitude and look towards a brighter future.

Every person can institute positive behaviors into their daily routine that help to combat the feelings that creep into our minds when we are tempted to look only at the detrimental issues impacting our lives. The most important thing for me has become daily exercise. No, I am not a runner, nor do I like lifting weights, but an hour-long walk at any point within the day has helped immensely in keeping my life on an even keel. This is not hard. It just takes one step to lead to a block, which then leads to a mile, and so on.

The Mayo Clinic states that regular exercise releases feel-good endorphins, natural cannabis-like brain chemicals (endogenous cannabinoids), and other natural brain elements that can enhance your sense of well-being. It takes your mind off worries so you can get away from the cycle of negative thoughts that feed depression and anxiety. Doing 30 minutes or more of exercise a day for three to five days a week may significantly improve depression or anxiety symptoms.

Another coping mechanism focuses on breathing. I know, I get the exercise part, but what is he talking about when it comes to breathing? I do this all the time! Your physical and mental wellness get a boost from controlled breathing, sometimes known as yogic breath or mindful breathing. It can reduce chronic pain, lessen symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, and other concerns, and positively affect your immune system. Plus, it helps regulate emotions, diminish impulsivity, and keep your brain sharp.

Finally, I go back to our amazing hospitality industry community. Reaching out to others that are in the same situation and can relate is incredibly helpful. Also, talking about the future helps as well. After all, this too shall pass. Vaccines are being administered, and countries are ramping up the distribution. There are regions of the world that are getting a handle on managing the pandemic - and seeing this creates hope.

There is a direct correlation between job loss and one's mental health. Of this, there is no dispute. However, we all can lend a hand in ensuring those around us who have lost a position in our industry are supported by the greater community.

Be well and be safe.
The Nagol is Back! VTOs guide to this years Nagol, plus where to stay and play in south, central and north Pentecost.
We have created a great partnership with PCF that will empower our team to grow beyond the level of expectation that was previously set, said Lori Augustyniak, owner of Horizon Insurance.

PCF Insurance Services (PCF) is announcing a partnership with Horizon Insurance (Horizon) located in the west Florida region with locations in Bradenton and Port Charlotte. PCFs investment will provide Horizon Insurance with added infrastructure to promote growth and increased attention on customers relationships. This partnership creates a strategic industry and community tie for PCF to the west Florida region through Horizon founder Lori Augustyniak.

Horizon Insurance owner, Lori Augustyniak, will continue to lead all operations of Horizon Insurance while also becoming an owner and partner at PCF. Horizon Insurance will continue to operate under its brand with best-in-class insurance offerings and customer service.

We are proud to welcome Lori Augustyniak and her team at Horizon Insurance, said Peter Foy, chairman, CEO, and founder of PCF Insurance Services. We anticipate meaningful growth from Lori and the Horizon Insurance team.

Horizon Insurance will continue as a proud member of the local and regional business community, including writing business with each of its existing carriers and providing the personal touch that each its customers have come to know and trust. Augustyniak is recognized as an innovative entrepreneur who is achieving incredible success building Horizon Insurance into one of the largest and most successful insurance brokerages in the West Florida region.

Augustyniak is an active member of the Florida community and serves on the board for the Professional Insurance Agents of Florida. She has also been featured in several community and business publications including a nomination in 2019 and 2020 by the Tampa Bay Business Journal as Business Woman of the Year. In addition, Augustyniak is focused on giving back to the community that support Horizon Insurance through philanthropic efforts including participation as a member of the Sisterhood for Good and in the Safeco Liberty Mutual Independent Agent Giving initiatives. Augustyniak also makes donations to eight local charities through the Horizon Insurance Pay it Forward Program.

We have created a great partnership with PCF that will empower our team to grow beyond the level of expectation that was previously set, said Lori Augustyniak, owner of Horizon Insurance. We look forward to leveraging the excellent resources of PCF for our clients as we continue to provide premier services.

Through PCFs partnership program, Horizon will have access to the diverse and exclusive products available only to PCF partners, as well as the support of industry-leading sales and marketing systems. Horizon will also be able to streamline its business functions by utilizing PCFs extensive infrastructure in its Salt Lake City based Shared Services Center and accessing its platform of resources and services, including human resources, IT, compliance, communication, marketing, lead generation, and operational areas of support.

About PCF

Founded in 1987 and headquartered in Woodland Hills, CA, PCF is a full-service insurance brokerage firm which provides complete risk management solutions with a broad array of property & casualty, life and health, employee benefits and workers' compensation insurance products. Due to its scale and growth, PCF is a top 50 broker in the United States by revenue. Additional information can be found at http://www.pcfinsuranceservices.com.

About Horizon Insurance

Founded in 2004 by Lori Augustyniak, Horizon Insurance specializes in personal lines property and casualty insurance. Horizon is located in west Florida with locations in Bradenton and Port Charlotte. Additional information can be found at http://www.horizonins.net

San Antonio saw the second-highest number of new coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic as the number of hospital patients with severe COVID-19 marched upward, officials reported Tuesday.

Bexar County added 2,303 new COVID-19 cases  second only to Sundays count when San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported 3,002 cases reported in a single day.

That brings the total case load since March to 137,407. The seven-day average of daily new cases ticked up to 1,791.

Officials confirmed 11 more deaths from the virus Tuesday. The residents were four white women in their 70s; three Hispanic women in their 80s; and four Hispanic men in their 60s and 80s.

The local death toll now stands at 1,660.

We are losing far too many of our friends and family to this awful virus in San Antonio, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said at the daily city-county coronavirus briefing. So please keep them in your prayers tonight and be thankful for those who have healed.

On ExpressNews.com: Get the latest update on coronavirus and a tracking map of U.S. cases

The number of people hospitalized with the virus dipped slightly to 1,426 from 1,433 Monday. Bexar County hospitals admitted 165 new COVID-19 patients within the last 24 hours. Coronavirus patients account for 35 percent of all hospital patients in the county.

But those in intensive care climbed past 400 for the first time since the summer surge. Intensive care units held 403 COVID-19 patients Tuesday  up from 392 the previous day. As of Tuesday, 228 were hooked up to ventilators to help them breathe  one less than Mondays number, 229.

Theres a lot of flexibility in the hospital system given the size and volume, Nirenberg said. But again, theyre pulling triggers to create capacity every single day.

At some point, you run out of triggers, Nirenberg said. So we have to do what we can to slow down the spread of the virus.

Vaccines

Officials urged residents to be patient as the city and county administer doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at mass vaccination sites  and to keep in mind that vaccine manufacturers have only made a limited supply so far.

Its not enough, theres just not enough coming in, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said.

According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, more than 55,000 Bexar residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine  though local leaders cautioned that those numbers are a few days behind and dont include figures from two days worth of vaccinations at the Alamodome site.

Frontline health care workers have begun receiving the second dose of the vaccine, Wolff said.

Officials acknowledged residents complaints about troubles they encountered while scheduling appointments for the vaccine. The 9,000 slots at the Alamodome filled within minutes on Saturday. Residents have complained about crashed webpages and clogged phone lines when trying to book appointments.

Dr. Junda Woo, Metro Health medical director, said those problems should abate as the vaccine supply grows over the coming months.

As case numbers and hospitalizations climb, University Health System is putting tighter restrictions on who can visit patients at University Hospital, allowing only visitors deemed necessary to the patients care.

That includes parents or guardians of patients in pediatric or neonatal intensive care. It also includes support persons for patients giving birth or in postpartum care; with disabilities that merit assistance; in outpatient surgery or clinics; or on the verge of death.

Military members who are being deployed may also visit patients.

I know its a horrible, horrible thing not to be able to go in and see someone, Wolff said. But I can understand why hospitals are being extremely careful about that. Its a horrible thing to go through.
The most important thing to keep in mind when looking at these wines is that theyre from Austria and not Australia, mate.

People mishear it. Stores put the wines on the wrong racks. Once you can hear and keep Austria in mind, though, understanding the wines is easy.

Gruner veltliner is Austrias wonderful contribution to the white wine world. Lesser known, perhaps, are its red wines. While Austrian reds will never been as lauded or coveted as the Bordeaux, Burgundy or cult cabernets, some are unique standouts. They remind us how good lighter red wines are.

Austrian reds often manage to include the fruit character of a warm region and the acids of a cooler region. They are lighter on the palate, lower in alcohol and open up a whole new world of red wine pairings.

One outstanding combination hails from a world away  sashimi, raw fish, is a particularly good pairing. The cool, oily freshness meets the lightness and crispness of Austrian reds. It turns out that the pepper and spice of several Asian dishes, which I would typically pair with off-dry riesling or other aromatic whites, work well with light, spicy Austrian reds. The two big red grape varieties there are zweigelt and blaufrankisch (aka lemberger), both well-adapted to cooler temperatures. Both are best drunk when theyre young.

Zwiegelt gets knocked because it is most often one-dimensional. Blending it with something almost always will improve it. This zweigelt gets an assist from 20% merlot. Nastl 2018 Zweigelt-Merlot Klassik Cuvee is very bright up front with fresh berry and a hint of spice, with a medium to light body and pleasant acidity. $19. HHHH

Heinrich 2016 Blaufrankisch Burgenland most likely showed more fruit character in its younger years. It has taken a more earthy turn, with subtle blackberry, cherry and spice with a lightness and crispness. $18. HHH 1/2

Unafraid of unconventional closures, Austrian wines likely have the Stelvin twist cap closure or the glass cork you can remove by hand and save on a shelf somewhere.

Austria found a way to stand out on wine shelves and on your own wine rack. The capsule topping the wine bears the red and white bands of the Austrian flag. Find that to ensure you havent accidentally found the land Down Under.

GRADE: Exceptional HHHHH, Above average HHHH, Good HHH, Below average HH, Poor H

DAVID FALCHEK, executive director of the American Wine Society, reviews wines each week.
DUBLIN, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Prestige Beauty Market Analysis by Product (Skincare, Fragrance, Makeup, Haircare), Distribution Channel, Region and Country (2020 Edition): Market Insights, COVID-19 Impact, Competition and Forecast to 2025" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

This research report presents the analysis of the Global Prestige Beauty Market for the historical period of 2015-2019 and the forecast period of 2020-2025.

The Global Prestige Beauty Market was valued at USD 12.65 billion in the year 2019, backed by augmented number of tech-savvy customers, online and offline availability of branded products worldwide, changing lifestyle, inclination towards individualism, increase in number of middle-income groups, rising demand from Chinese millennials and Gen Z. These factors are driving the demand for Prestige Beauty products.

Also, people have started giving much attention to the beauty products and have been increasing their demand for organic or chemical free cosmetics and not to face the ill effects on consuming less quality and less priced skincare or other makeup products. Moreover, a fundamental and structural shift in consumer spending trends to purchasing goods online amid the pandemic. E-commerce is a unique opportunity to make more women and men discover various brands and products. In China and emerging economies, online is the favourite channel of choice for beauty browsing and shopping.

Under the Product segment, skincare segment is anticipated to increase as the premium skin care products addresses various skin care needs and include vast variety of moisturizers, toners, serums, body care, exfoliators, cleansers, acne care and oil correctors, facial masks, cleansing devices and sun care products as per the skin product and tone. In addition, the pandemic caused significant damage to the balance sheets of brands, retailers, and suppliers, and many companies would require to look for new sources of capital.

Also, the crisis is likely to accelerate trends that were already shaping the market, such as the rise in the use of e-commerce and the global middle class. Nonetheless, crisis has brought substantial shifts in demand and the pace of innovation has also been accelerated. Even before the pandemic, the brands were under pressure to update their product-innovation pipelines to meet the demand and needs of the consumer.

On the basis of Distribution Channel, a decent growth is estimated in online sales platform because of vast variety of diversified products, ease of shopping and possibility of availing offers and discount.

Among the regions, Asia Pacific is the largest market of prestige beauty products. Factors such as change in lifestyle, increasing purchasing power, rise in online platforms are factors escalating the market growth of Prestige Beauty Market in the region. Furthermore, Asia Pacific region is anticipated to witness the highest CAGR on the back of rising brand awareness and rise in demand for best quality cosmetics by millennial and youngsters.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Report Scope and Methodology

1.1 Research Methodology

1.2 Executive Summary



2. Strategic Recommendations



3. Global Prestige Beauty Market: Product Outlook



4. Global Prestige Beauty Market: Sizing and Forecast

4.1 Market Size, By Value, Year 2015-2025



5. Global Prestige Beauty Market Segmentation By Product (By Value)

5.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Prestige Beauty Market - By Product

5.2 By Skincare - Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

5.3 By Fragrance - Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

5.4 By Makeup - Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

5.5 By Haircare - Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)



6. Global Prestige Beauty Market Segmentation By Distribution Channel (By Value)

6.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Prestige Beauty Market - By Product

6.2 By Online - Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

6.3 By Offline - Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)



7. Global Prestige Beauty Market: Regional Analysis

7.1 Competitive Scenario of Global Prestige Beauty: By Region



8. North America Prestige Beauty Market: An Analysis (2020-2025)

8.1 North America Prestige Beauty Market: Size and Forecast, By Value (2020-2025)

8.2 North America Prestige Beauty Market - Prominent Companies

8.3 Market Segmentation By Product (Skincare, Fragrance, Makeup and Haircare)

8.4 Market Segmentation By Distribution Channel (Online and Offline)

8.5 North America Prestige Beauty Market: Country Analysis

8.6 Market Opportunity Chart of North America Prestige Beauty Market - By Country, By Value (Year-2025)

8.7 Competitive Scenario of North America Prestige Beauty: By Country

8.8 United States Prestige Beauty Market: Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

8.9 United States Prestige Beauty Market Segmentation By Product and Distribution Channel

8.10 Canada Prestige Beauty Market Size and Forecast (2020-2025)

8.11 Canada Prestige Beauty Market Segmentation By Product and Distribution Channel



9. Europe Prestige Beauty Market: An Analysis (2020-2025)



10. APAC Prestige Beauty Market: An Analysis (2020-2025)



11. Global Prestige Beauty Market Dynamics

11.1 Global Prestige Beauty Market Drivers

11.2 Global Prestige Beauty Market Restraints

11.3 Global Prestige Beauty Market Trends



12. Market Attractiveness

12.1 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Prestige Beauty Market - By Product (Year 2025)

12.2 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Prestige Beauty Market - By Distribution Channel (Year 2025)

12.3 Market Attractiveness Chart of Global Prestige Beauty Market - By Region, By Value, (Year-2025)



13. Competitive Landscape

13.1 Market Share Analysis



14. Company Profiles (Business Description, Financial Analysis, Business Strategy)

14.1 THG (The Hut Group)

14.2 Estee Lauder Companies Inc.

14.3 L'Oreal

14.4 Isabel Marant

14.5 Shiseido Company, Limited

14.6 Coty Inc.

14.7 Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH)

14.8 Chanel

14.9 Clarins

14.10 Unilever

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/h08uqi



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Twitter lit up on Wednesday with defence correspondents announcing that a a major Make in India project is going to be announced today. Many conjectured it could be the Tejas Mk1A contract for the IAF while some disbelievingly wondered whether the government had reached a decision on the short listing of the aircraft for the 114 fighter aircraft project. In the event, the CCS indeed cleared the long-awaited contract for 83 Tejas Mk1A. Is it a game changing occurrence, as some would like to believe, or is it an occasion that draws an exasperated cry of finally, its done? Lets examine.

First, the good part. The IAFs plan to partially make up its depleting squadron strength with the required number of Tejas would be met in the coming years. Second, that a major defence contract is going to an Indian entity is a welcome step; though it was in the works anyway, the fact remains that a number of second and third-tier industrial enterprises would now benefit from it, generating much needed employment too. Third, hopefully, Indian aviation R&D personnel would be enthused by the development and expedite the other projects in which the IAF has placed its full faith.

However, there is many a slip between the proverbial cup and the lip and HAL, as well as the Aeronautical Agency (ADA), have to pull out all stops to avoid repeating the torturous path of the Tejas project.

The Tejas saga is well known  the project being conceived in 1983 for a paltry Rs 560 crore, with the next two decades seeing its costs zoom up many times over. Despite the first flight of the prototype taking place on January 4, 2001, the first production Tejas Mk1 (that too with the Initial Operational Clearance) entered IAF service only on July 1, 2016; the first aircraft in the Final Operational Clearance configuration donned IAF colours later on May 27 last year. It needs to be emphasized that the capability desired by the IAF in its Tejas fleet is still elusive as the Mk1 aircraft (both IOC and FOC) that have been inducted are a stop gap arrangement since the version actually desired is the Mk1A that has many more desired features.

Lets get one fact straight  the Tejas Mk1A is yet to fly! Yes, you read it right, as the first flight is planned only by the end of 2022, if all goes as planned; having said that, since the additional individual systems have been proven in a standalone mode, it should be feasible.

The CCS approval states that induction would start within three years of contract signing, so one hopes to see Mk1A entering squadron service by 2024. Given the abysmal track record of HAL one can only hope that its management and workers realise that the IAF has put all its eggs in their basket. The Air Chief is on record to say that in the coming years the IAF will procure the Tejas Mk2 version and the futuristic Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), with the Director of ADA promising the first flight of Tejas Mk2 in 2026 and of AMCA by 2031. Old-timers in the acquisition and operational field, having dealt with our R&D and DPSUs through their service career, will only shrug their shoulders and say, We have grown immune to such pronouncements  let's see it happening this time please.

This resignation to reality, hopefully overcome to some extent now, is borne out by unhappy experiences, as brought out earlier. Additionally, the present Tejas production rate of HAL is only eight aircraft per year, with the induction of even the Mk1 never meeting promised timelines. Unless the production is accelerated to a minimum of 16 per year, it would take a minimum of seven to eight years for the 83 aircraft to enter the IAF. There are media reports of HAL having acquired land for a second production line, or the facility at Nasik to be utilised  but between land acquisition and an aircraft being towed out of a factory takes a few years.

Second, one wonders why there has been a delay in contract finalization. The fact that it took more than a year to bring down HALs quote of Rs 59,000 crore to Rs 48,000 crore speaks of unprofessionalism in pricing by a government agency when the buyer too is another government agency; this has only pushed back the induction of an urgently needed operational platform.

Third, even if production is accelerated, it needs to be remembered manufacturing is just one part of the operations matrix; keeping the machines flying, and flying for the next three decades at least, is an equally vital part. HALs product support, sadly, is nothing too rosy to talk about and has to improve by many orders of magnitude. Ask any IAF operations or maintenance person about his experience and he will cringe. Operational efficiency is dependent on serviceable aircraft available on the flight line and not on airframes parked in the hangar waiting for spares to arrive.

The flight line of a flying base is the heart and soul of the IAF. The shrill whine of aero engines mixes with the wonderfully pungent aroma of burnt aviation turbine fuel to generate a unique feeling. Nothing more pleases the blues than operating a flying machine carrying a Made in India tag  this writer fondly remembers the time he flew the Dhruv and the Light Combat Helicopter. Its time that all entities pull together to ensure that the mention of the Tejas evokes a feeling of pride four decades down the line.

(The author is Additional Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies, New Delhi. Views are personal.)
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack this week several times refused to condemn US President Donald Trump for inciting the fascistic coup attempt in Washington last week. McCormack also rejected calls for Trumps removal from office for openly seeking to overturn by force the result of last years presidential election.

When asked by a journalist on Tuesday, for the second time in two days, if he would condemn Trumps false claim that the election was stolen and his incitement of the Capitol siege, McCormack again refused. I will not criticise Donald Trump, for goodness sake, he said.

McCormack doubled down on this stance even as further evidence was emerging daily of a high-level conspiracy involving senior figures in the Republican Party and sections of the military and police forces to sweep aside the election result. The details revealed how close the insurgent mob summoned by Trump came to capturing members of Congress, and how far they were assisted by a systemic stand-down of security forces.

McCormack on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Q&A program (Credit: ABC)

Equally significantly, the acting prime ministers declaration also came amid growing reports of plans for further violent far-right insurrectionary mobilisations across the United States before the scheduled January 20 inauguration of Joe Biden.

In his initial remarks on Monday, McCormack voiced support for Trumps political agenda, saying it was unfortunate that the events of January 6 could overshadow Trumps supposed achievements.

McCormacks comments are not simply a personal opinion. The deputy prime minister, who heads the rural-based National Party, is in charge of the government while Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who leads the big business Liberal Party, takes a weeks leave. His stand reinforces that taken last week by Morrison, who also refused to denounce Trumps bid to establish a presidential dictatorship.

When reporters asked Morrison whether Trump bore some responsibility for undermining democracy, he insisted that Trump had urged people to go home peacefully. In fact, the president had told the insurgents we love you and repeated the lie that the election had been stolen from him.

While the governments of some US allies, such as Britain and Canada, have sought to distance themselves from Trumpafter collaborating with his domestic and foreign policies throughout his presidencythe Australian government has remained aligned with him.

The statements by Morrison and McCormack must be taken seriously. First, they point to their understanding that the Trump-instigated putsch is far from over, and indicate their readiness to embrace any resulting regime. Second, they reveal the ongoing cultivation of similar far-right and neo-Nazi elements who could likewise be mobilised to turn to authoritarian forms of rule in Australia under conditions of a deepening political, economic and social crisis.

On Monday, McCormack made a deliberate pitch to this alt-right constituency by equating the fascistic mob that stormed the US Congress building on January 6 with the mass anti-police violence demonstrations across the US and around the world last year, triggered by the brutal police killing of George Floyd. McCormack provocatively labelled them race riots, echoing white supremacists and attempting to obscure the multi-racial character of this political development.

In reality, last years overwhelmingly peaceful protests by millions of people worldwide were met by enormous police and military repression, orchestrated by the Trump administration, which sought to invoke the Insurrection Act to declare martial law. This is in stark contrast to last weeks insurrectionary violence, which was aided and abetted by the administration and permitted to continue for hours by the police, FBI and Pentagon.

On Tuesday, the acting prime minister went further, invoking the phrase all lives matter that has been adopted by white supremacist groups to attack the black lives matter slogan advanced during last years huge multi-racial marches.

There are a lot of people out there who are being a bit bleeding heart and who are confecting outrage, but they should know that those lives matter too, he declared. All lives matter.

This phrase has added symbolism because it was championed last year by the anti-immigrant, far-right One Nation Senator Pauline Hanson, who sought to have it endorsed by the Senate. Like Hanson, the Coalition is seeking to divert in right-wing nationalist and xenophobic directions the political alienation and hostility felt by broad layers of the population, especially in working class and rural areas, who have suffered decades of deteriorating economic and social conditions at the hands of the corporate elite and political establishment, now exacerbated by the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Both Morrison and McCormack have defended the supposed free speech rights of parliamentary representatives of their Liberal-National Coalition, including George Christensen and Craig Kelly, to publicly agitate in support of Trumps incendiary stolen election claims.

Christensen had taken to Facebook again last Thursday, even as the putsch was still underway in the US and Republican Congress members were continuing to refuse to certify the results of the presidential election. Essentially justifying the assault on the Capitol, he claimed the situation was a dumpster fire at the moment ... all because no one dared audit the vote. He also accused Twitter of pouring fuel on the fire by censoring the leader of the free world in locking Trumps account.

This is to insist on Trumps unfettered access to Twitter and social media so that he can mobilise and incite his fascistic followers throughout the country, when he should be arrested on charges of plotting to overthrow democratic rule, along with all his co-conspirators in the Republican Party and the police-military apparatus.

Leaders of the Labor Party and the Greens have condemned McCormack for equating the takeover of the Capitol to last years huge marches against police killings but said nothing about the political significance of the governments refusal to denounce Trumps incitement of the attempted coup.

How closely the Morrison government has aligned itself with Trump was highlighted on December 22, just weeks before the January 6 insurrection, when Trump awarded Morrison the Legion of Merit, a US military decoration, for leadership in addressing global challenges and strengthening the Australia and US military alliance.

Like Trump and his backers, sections of the Liberal-National Coalition have actively sought to develop an extreme right-wing movement, fomenting anti-immigrant racism and demonising China. It is competing with a plethora of far-right parties, such as Hansons, to try to establish a reactionary social base, above all via the promotion of divisive anti-Chinese, anti-Muslim and anti-refugee prejudice.

This was a key factor underlying the political coup against former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in August 2018, spearheaded by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton and the most right-wing sections of the Coalition. Turnbull was also regarded in Washington as insufficiently committed to the mounting US aggression toward China.

Since becoming prime minister as a result, Morrison has identified himself with Trump, who publicly welcomed his replacement of Turnbull. Trump further hailed Morrisons election victory in May 2019, tweeting: Congratulations to Scott on a GREAT WIN! Trump afforded Morrison a rare full ceremonial welcome on his US visit in September 2019. During that trip, Morrison attended a Trump rally in Ohio and praised Trump, saying the pair share a lot of the same views.

As in the US and Europe, Trump-style and alt right formations are only able to gain traction by exploiting the political disaffection of broad layers of the population by their treatment at the hands of the establishment partiesLabor, the Coalition and the Greens. These political, social and class tensions have been deepened by the acceleration of the corporate assault on jobs and working conditions in response to the pandemic.

Australia may not have yet suffered the catastrophe caused by the profit-driven official response to the pandemic across the US and Europe, but the social assault has been no less severe. While the share markets and wealth held by a tiny elite have soared, fed by massive government stimulus packages, nearly five million workers are unemployed or under-employed and many face impoverishment and mortgage or rental crises.

Responsibility for this lies above all with the Labor Party and the trade unions, which have overseen an unending offensive against the jobs, wages and social conditions of the working class over the past three decades, and formed a de facto coalition with the Morrison government via the national cabinet to deepen this attack since the outbreak of the pandemic.

Moreover, with the economy mired in the deepest recession since the 1930s, the corporate elite is demanding that the Coalition step up the onslaught on workers conditions and basic social services, which will inevitably trigger explosive working class struggles.

No less than in the US, the political establishment is fragile. Since the 200809 global financial crisis, one prime minister after anotherseven in allhas fallen victim either to inner-party intrigues or been voted out of office. As in the US, the cultivation of fascistic forces is the response in ruling circles to the rising threat of working class revolt. The aim is to create a political base hostile to socialism and prepared to use violence against opposition to war, austerity and authoritarianism. The development of a mass working class movement, informed by a socialist perspective, is the only means of defeating this fascist threat.
A male shopper allegedly stabbed another man and assaulted a security guard after a woman in his company was told to wear a face mask in a shopping centre.

The 25-year-old man, a woman and two children were in Windsor Riverview shopping centre on George Street in Windsor in Sydney's north-west when the woman was asked by a security guard to put a mask on at 8.20pm on Tuesday.

A short time later, the man allegedly approached the 59-year-old male security guard and pushed him before punching him multiple times.

Another customer, a 53-year-old man, then intervened and a fight allegedly broke out.

The 25-year-old man, a woman and two children were in Windsor Riverview shopping centre (pictured) in Sydney's north-west when the woman was asked by a security guard to put a mask on at 8.20pm on Tuesday

The 25-year-old allegedly produced a knife and stabbed the 53-year-old man in the leg during the confrontation.

Eventually, the customer and security guard managed to restrain the man before officers from Hawkesbury Police Area Command arrived.

Officers arrested the man after a short struggle and took him to Windsor Police Station, where he was charged with armed with intent to commit indictable offence, affray, and resist or hinder police officer in the execution of duty.

He appeared in Penrith Local Court on Wednesday where he was refused bail. He will reappear in the same court on January 25.

Officers arrived at George Street (pictured) and arrested the man after a short struggle. He was charged with armed with intent to commit indictable offence, affray, and resist or hinder police officer in the execution of duty (stock image)

Face masks are currently mandatory in shopping centres, supermarkets and retail shops in Greater Sydney, which includes Wollongong, Central Coast and Blue Mountains.

The security guard was within his right to request the woman wear a mask.

It is not suggested the woman refused to wear a mask.

Masks are also mandatory on public transport, in cinemas and theatres, places of worship, hair and beauty premises and aged care facilities.

Police can issue $200 on-the-spot fines for individuals who are caught not wearing a face covering in certain spaces.
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Trying to find a COVID-19 vaccination in Houston? Houstonians now have a new option for receiving the vaccine with the opening of a drive-thru clinic at NRG Park.

In partnership with Memorial Hermann, the NRG park clinic will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Jan. 14 to Jan. 17.

The drive-thru vaccination clinic is available to pre-registered individuals who have scheduled appointments during the four-day event. No walk-ins will be accepted at the clinic. Approximately 13,000 Texans 65 years or older in the state's Phase 1B category are expected to be vaccinated at the location, according to Memorial Hermann. If you want to schedule an appointment, those who qualify for Phase 1B guidelines can sign up now on Memorial Hermann's website.

Due to the limited number of vaccines, individuals without an appointment confirmation or photo ID with their name and date of birth will not be vaccinated. Those who have been invited to the event include members of the general community who are 65 years or older, active Memorial Hermann Medical Group patients 65 years of age and older, and individuals who have a relationship with Memorial Hermann and are 65 years of age and older.

"We also hope to host more events like this in the near future as we continue to make vaccination available to all those who are eligible, and eventually to all patients and members of the community," Memorial Hermann said in statement.

The NRG Park clinic is launching after an increasing demand for vaccines in Houston. Following the opening of Houston's free COVID-19 vaccination clinic, Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Peter Hotez voiced the necessity of having more clinics in Houston due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

"We just need extra bandwidth," Hotez told Chron. "The issue is that we need about ten of these clinics in Houston."

Amid the rising COVID-19 hospitalization rates in Texas, the state rolled out a list of 28 vaccination hubs Sunday which will receive the next shipments of vaccine, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

HIGH DEMAND: Houston's free COVID-19 vaccination clinic sees overwhelming public response

This week, the 28 vaccination hubs in Texas are slated to get 158,825 doses of vaccine. According to the TDHS, the amount of doses that each provider is receiving is based upon its own estimate of how many people can be vaccinated in a week. In addition to the vaccine doses, another 39,300 doses will be distributed to the other providers throughout Texas. Vaccine shipments will be distributed to 104 Texas counties this week.

Right now, the top priority for Phase 1A and Phase 1B are health care workers and those 65 and older with underlying health conditions. According to TDHS, you must contact providers by visiting the registration link of the hub nearest you to sign up.

These are the 28 Texas vaccination hubs, listed with the amount of doses each will get:

 Harris County Public Health, Harris: 8,000

 Houston Health Department, Harris: 8,000

 Houston Methodist Hospital, Harris: 10,725

 Dallas County Health and Human Services, Dallas: 6,000

 Parkland Hospital, Dallas: 6,825

 UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas: 10,000

 Denton County Public Health, Denton: 3,500

 El Paso Fire Department, El Paso: 5,000

 University Medical Center of El Paso, El Paso: 5,000

 Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, Hidalgo: 6,500

 Hidalgo County Health and Human Services, Hidalgo: 5,000

 City of Lubbock Health Department, Lubbock: 5,000

 Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, Maverick: 1,200

 Waco-McLennan County Public Health District, McLennan: 1,500

 Ascension Providence Hospital, McLennan: 1,500

 Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District, Nueces: 4,000

 Amarillo Public Health Department, Potter: 5,000

 Northeast Texas Public Health District, Smith: 1,500

 UT Health Science Center Tyler, Smith: 1,500

 Tarrant County Public Health, Tarrant: 9,000

 Texas Health Resources, Tarrant: 10,050

 Austin Public Health, Travis: 12,000

 City of Laredo Health Department, Webb: 1,200

 Bell County Public Health District, Bell: 3,900

 San Antonio Metro Health District, Bexar: 9,000

 University Health System, Bexar: 10,725

 CHI St. Joseph College Station Hospital, Brazos: 1,200

 Cameron County Public Health, Cameron: 6,000

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The police crackdown on Britons breaking lockdown rules has intensified with fines issued to a man travelling 14 miles to play Pokemon Go and a woman who drove 100 miles across three counties to get a McDonald's burger.

Another man was fined after travelling more than 110 miles from York to Leicester via Birmingham to visit a friend, while a group of 47 boy racers were penalised after gathering for a car meet in Castle Donington, Leicestershire.

A man and woman were fined 200 each after travelling from Essex to Ashford, Kent to pick up a toy remote-controlled car, while three men from Wolverhampton and a man from Cornwall were fined 200 each in two separate incidents after trying to travel abroad at the Port of Dover without a valid reason and then tried to use the Channel Tunnel.

And a group attempting to travel to Switzerland for a ski holiday were stopped from boarding a Eurostar train at London St Pancras French border police in breach of coronavirus restrictions.

The tougher approach to lockdown breaches comes as Home Secretary Priti Patel said a minority of the public are 'putting the health of the nation at risk' as they break rules aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus.

She said that officers are now moving more quickly to issuing fines where people are clearly breaching Covid-19 regulations, with nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices issued across the UK since March.

Here are some examples of Covid-related fines issued across England and Wales by police in recent days:

LEICESTERSHIRE

Another man was fined after travelling over 110 miles from York to Leicester, via Birmingham, just to visit a friend

Body-cam footage shows an officer reprimanding the man

In Leicestershire, police released footage of officers dealing with 'shocking and ridiculous' examples of lockdown breaches after fining 142 people for breaking coronavirus regulations in just a single weekend.

Leicestershire Police said a total of 57,800 penalty notices were dished out across their force area between last Friday and Sunday.

They included a group of 37 boy racers who gathered for a car meet in Castle Donington, with many travelling from outside the county, as well as a house party of more than 30 people in Leicester city centre.

Another person had travelled over 110 miles from York to Leicester, via Birmingham, just to visit a friend.

Body-cam footage shows an officer telling him: 'That's a bit of a kick in the teeth really after the year we've had so I'm going to give you a ticket. That's not reasonable is it? You've come way out.'

Police were also called to an address in Stretton where six men from different households claimed they were having a business meeting over beer and food.

A group of 37 boy racers were fined after gathering for a car meet in Castle Donington, Leicestershire

Three people caught in the same car together can be seen telling police they were 'just chilling' after work and pleaded: 'It's only been for five minutes.'

Another clip shows a motorist driving to a hotel to give his friend 10 just days after he received a fine for another Covid breach.

One officer revealed he has battled coronavirus as he shut down a party of ten people inside a Leicester house while the homeowner pleaded his innocence.

He can be heard saying: 'I still don't know anyone who's got it, don't know anyone that's died from it.'

One officer revealed he has battled coronavirus as he shut down a party of ten people inside a Leicester house

The officer tells him: 'I've had Covid, it's not very pleasant, believe me. You don't seem to appreciate the severity of the situation our country is in, sir. Because of things like this, people are dying.'

Assistant Chief Constable Kerry Smith said: 'Over the weekend we dealt with a number incidents where people had no excuse for their behaviour. Some of the reasons for being outside were ridiculous and this is what officers are having to deal with.

'We cannot be clearer about how this is the only way to stop the spread of the virus. Stay at home, protect the NHS. 'There really is no excuse this far into the pandemic for people to be taking these risks.'

Police confronted a homeowner who had a party in Leicester

A couple from Huddersfield were fined as they were stopped in their vehicle and stated they were visiting a cousin. A vehicle was stopped at McDonald's Wigston found to contain four males from different households.

A man was fined after police found he was still taking customers in his nail bar in Stockwell. Two women who were waiting to have their nails done were also spoken to.

A man and woman from Bradford were fined after their vehicle was stopped in Leicester, with no reasonable excuse given.

A man from Coalville was also fined after he said he didn't believe in the pandemic and that it was fine that his brother came to visit him from Manchester.

And officers attended an address in Leicester where a birthday party of around 11 people from different households had taken place. The household was fined.

In addition, a vehicle was stopped with two men inside, one of which had travelled from Coventry to spend the night with his cousin.

And officers attended Belgrave Gate after a group of 20 people were seen in several cars, hugging and dancing in the street on CCTV.

WEST MIDLANDS

Police stopped two friends on the A46 who were travelling to Coventry in this Toyota Yaris to look at a second-hard car

In the West Midlands, police stopped two friends on the A46 who were travelling to Coventry to look at a second-hard car.

The pair from Buckinghamshire, who were from different households, were in a Toyota Yaris that was stopped near Leamington yesterday. Both will now be facing a fine of 200 each.

Officers from Operational Patrol Unit Warwickshire wrote on Facebook: 'Yesterday afternoon we stopped this Toyota Yaris on the A46 northbound near Leamington Spa.

'The driver and passenger were friends who did not live together and had travelled up from Buckinghamshire to view a second hand car for sale in Coventry. This is not an essential journey.

'Both driver and passenger reported for breaching Covid-19 lockdown rules and will be fined 200 each.'

NORTH YORKSHIRE

A woman drove from Lincolnshire for a McDonald's meal with her sister in Scarborough, North Yorkshire (file picture)

A woman was fined by police after she drove 100 miles across three counties to get a burger.

North Yorkshire Police issued a fixed penalty notice to the motorist, who is in her 30s, on Saturday after she drove from Lincolnshire for a McDonald's meal with her sister in Scarborough in breach of Covid-19 regulations.

Chief Inspector Rachel Wood of North Yorkshire Police said: 'Driving through three counties to get a burger is not classed as essential travel.

'Most people in North Yorkshire are trying really hard to stop the spread of Covid in our communities and protect the vulnerable.

'When this pandemic is over, we know everyone's looking forward to going where they want, when they want.'

WARWICKSHIRE

Pokemon Go is a computer game which involves tracking and swapping colourful monsters on a smartphone

In Warwickshire, a man was fined 200 after travelling 14 miles from his home in Bedworth to play the computer game Pokemon Go in Kenilworth.

Police said he was fined for 'contravening the requirement to not leave or be outside the place they live without a reasonable excuse'.

A Warwickshire Police spokesman said: 'Everyone has a part to play in ensuring they slow the spread of the virus. We would like to remind people they must not leave or be outside their home unless they have a reasonable excuse.'

It comes after Essex Police clashed with a group of men, all aged over 30, who tried to argue that playing Pokemon Go, which involves tracking and swapping colourful monsters on a smartphone, was a form of exercise.

KENT

Thirty fines for breaching lockdown rules were issued by just one police force in the first weekend - including a woman who drove 60 miles to pick up a remote-controlled car.

Kent Police clocked up more than 7,500-worth of fixed penalty notices for breaches of the latest national lockdown restrictions, which came into force on January 5.

Over the weekend cops busted revellers at a house party caught hugging and kissing each other when they broke up a rave in Ramsgate.

Boris Johnson hails signs lockdown IS working as Covid cases begin to drop and hospital admissions ease in London - but refuses to rule out even TOUGHER rules in days Boris Johnson refused to rule out tightening lockdown further today as the UK suffered another 1,564 deaths - but he also hailed 'early' signs that the brutal restrictions are bringing coronavirus under control. The premier insisted the measures in England were being kept 'under constant review' as Keir Starmer demanded to know why they were looser than last spring despite cases being higher. Mr Johnson warned that the NHS was at 'substantial risk' of being swamped, and the 'only way' of protecting it was to follow the 'current rules'. But despite the latest huge death toll, Mr Johnson sounded a notably optimistic tone about the emerging impact of the restrictions. He said the country was 'now starting to see the beginnings of some signs' that the crackdown was having an effect in parts of the country, while stressing it was 'early days' and urged people to 'keep their discipline'. The daily case numbers were down nearly a quarter on last Wednesday at 47,525. MailOnline analysis suggests the outbreak in England could have started slowing before the imposition of the blanket lockdown on January 4, with infection numbers peaking in the worst-hit regions at the start of the year. The tide appears to have turned in parts of the country experiencing the worst outbreaks  London, the South East and the East of England  in the first week of 2021, with cases coming down since then. Coronavirus hospital admissions have also started to fall in London and the South East, although the numbers of patients are still rising as the level has been so high. The PM was grilled at PMQs and then by the cross-party Liaison Committee today as he faced another barrage of demands for the national clampdown to be tightened even further - something that Nicola Sturgeon has announced is happening in Scotland. Downing Street is considering options ranging from limiting takeaways and click and collect, to closing more workplaces and nurseries and banning people from exercising with friends. Matt Hancock said this morning that the 'next few days' would be key to understanding whether the lockdown is working, with the PM set to wait until the weekend to make a final decision on new measures. However, scientists have cautioned that critical capacity in the NHS will still be under enormous strain into March due to the lag between infection and people getting ill, with up to 250,000 people a day said to be catching the virus. London Councils and Mayor Sadiq Khan today appealed for Mr Johnson to bring in new measures such as closing places of worship immediately, or risk putting an 'unsustainable strain' on services. Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament this afternoon that from Saturday she is banning drinking outdoors and non-essential click-and-collect, as well as going inside eateries to pick up a takeaway. Earlier, Mr Hancock defied mounting Tory calls to guarantee that the draconian restrictions will be eased from March 8 - around three weeks after the government is due to have vaccinated the 14million most vulnerable. Advertisement

Officers heard loud music and raised voices on Saturday night, so went to investigate and ended up fining two rule-breakers 200 each.

That same day a patrol car stopped a woman and her partner in Ashford after they travelled from Essex to pick up a toy remote-controlled car she bought on Facebook. Both were fined 200, police said.

Also on Saturday, one man was fined twice in one day after being stopped by officers in Cliftonville, saying he travelled from Lancashire to Kent to visit a friend.

He was fined and sent home, but later found by cops to have gone back to still see his friend and slapped with another 200 fixed penalty.

Three men from Wolverhampton and a man from Cornwall were fined 200 each during two separate incidents after trying to travel abroad at the Port of Dover without a valid reason and, despite being turned away, then tried to cross via the Channel Tunnel.

Three people were then fined after being stopped in Ashford after being warned earlier about gathering in a large group.

Despite saying they understood the warning, within hours they were seen again and fined 200 each, Kent Police said.

Elsewhere in the county a man in Chatham who was supposed to be self-isolating but instead left his home to go to the Post Office after someone in his household tested positive for the virus was stopped by cops and fined 1,000.

A woman in Sittingbourne was fined 200 for leaving her home to visit someone outside of her bubble and household and another woman was fined the same amount for being at the train station outside without a valid reason.

Another man was stopped in Gravesend and fined 200 after attending a party with friends, police said.

One man was also fined 1,000 as he should have been isolating after a positive test, when officers found him sitting on a bench inside a shopping centre in Gillingham.

The next day, Sunday, a man was fine 200 for holding a small birthday party in Canterbury.

Five men travelling together in a vehicle from Leicester were all fined 200 for trying to go to France without a 'permitted reason' at the Port of Dover and despite being turned away, also later tried to travel through the Channel Tunnel instead.

Another man was also fined 200 for cleaning a vehicle at a car wash that should have been closed in Tunbridge Wells. A customer at the car wash was also fined 200 for having his car cleaned.

Two men in Folkestone were fined 200 each in separate incidents in which they both met up with a group of people not in their households.

Assistant Chief Constable of Kent Police Claire Nix said: 'The vast majority of Kent residents continue to do the right thing and are following the rules, helping to protect the NHS and ultimately save lives.

'Unfortunately, there are still some people who think it is acceptable to throw parties, gather outside in large numbers or commit other serious breaches of COVID-19 regulations.

'Holidays within the UK and abroad are also prohibited unless for permitted reasons and, despite this advice, seven people attempted to cross the Channel at the weekend without valid reasons and were fined as a result.

'The Government has been very clear that the best way to protect everyone is to stay at home as part of this third national lockdown and no one should be attempting holidays or breaching other rules, not just for their own protection but to prevent the spread of the virus.

'I am urging all Kent residents to visit the government website and know what is acceptable at this time.

'Anyone who is permitted to travel abroad should also obtain a negative COVID-19 test prior to departure. Anyone who turns up at the ports without one will also be turned away.

'It is also unacceptable that officers around the county are still finding some individuals organising or attending house parties with no regard for the seriousness of this pandemic.

'In these situations we will have no choice but to take enforcement action. People doing this are not only putting their own lives at risk but that of anyone they meet, some of whom will be extremely vulnerable.

'Anyone who flagrantly or repeatedly breaks the rules at a time when there is so much pressure on Kent's health services should be left in no doubt that action will be taken against them.'

Train manager Justin, who did not give his surname, posted on Twitter that French border police deployed at the station had turned the travellers away on Wednesday morning

LONDON

A group attempting to travel to Switzerland for a ski holiday were prevented from boarding a Eurostar train at London St Pancras in breach of coronavirus restrictions.

Train manager Justin, who did not give his surname, posted on Twitter that French border police deployed at the station had turned the travellers away on Wednesday morning.

A photograph shows the group was carrying at least one large bag of winter sports equipment.

Justin wrote that a ski trip 'does not count as essential travel' and there are 'very limited reasons for travel to France'.

He added: 'I really fancy a trip with my family to eat chips in Brussels but there's a global pandemic on right now.

'If we all do our bit and are patient for this final push, then hopefully we can get back to doing all of those things we love.'

Last week, a Eurostar passenger trying to travel to a yoga class in Paris was also turned away from London St Pancras.

France only permits a limited group of people to arrive from the UK, such as transport workers, people delivering goods or those who normally live in France.

CHESHIRE

In Cheshire, police handed out a total of 58 fines over the weekend  with most relating to parties and gatherings, while vehicles were also stopped carrying multiple people from different households or from another county.

Three fines were issued after a barbecue was held at a house in Crewe, a further eight were handed out in Chester to people at a house party and four were issued in Warrington at a children's birthday party.

Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said: 'We have been living with some form of restrictions for around 10 months now and we have had to make incredible sacrifices in order to keep the ones we love safe.

'The majority of people living in Cheshire have been sticking to the rules in place and I would like to thank them for doing so.

'However, there is a minority who continue to blatantly and repeatedly flout the rules in place. This is not acceptable.

'Our officers will continue to engage, explain and encourage but when they are met with these persistent rule breakers who have no regard for the safety of others, we must do what we can to protect the NHS and save lives.'

STAFFORDSHIRE

Officers stopped a vehicle on the M6 Hilton motorway service station in Staffordshire (file picture)

Two people were fined 200 each after being caught travelling from Staffordshire to Liverpool for a New Year party. Police stopped the car carrying multiple people on the M6 on New Year's Day.

It soon became clear they were from different households and were therefore breaching coronavirus rules. A 23-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man were fined.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: 'We have issued fines to two people from different households found travelling together from Tamworth and Birmingham to Liverpool for a party.

'Officers stopped a vehicle on the M6 Hilton services on Friday, January 1 and found people from multiple households travelling together in a vehicle. A 23-year-old woman from Tamworth and a 21-year-old man from Alum Rock in Birmingham were each issued with a 200 fine.'

Tamworth and Birmingham had both entered the strictest Tier 4 restrictions for coronavirus on New Year's Eve, meaning people must not leave their home unless you have a 'reasonable excuse' such as work, education, essential shopping or medical appointments.

Deputy Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police, Emma Barnett, said: 'It is critical that communities continue to work together to follow the rules, to help prevent the NHS becoming overwhelmed by the new strain of Covid-19 and to prevent more lives being lost.

'We recognise that the last ten months have been very challenging for people and will continue to be so over the coming weeks.

'I would like to thank the vast majority of people across our county for following the rules and adhering to the stricter guidelines.

'As throughout the pandemic, our officers will work with local communities to engage with people proportionately, fairly and using common sense, to encourage compliance with the regulations.

'Where people are determined to break these rules, which are in place to keep people safe, we will not hesitate to move to enforcement and issue a fine, targeting our resources towards those who commit the most serious breaches and put others at risk through their behaviour.

'Our experience so far is that the vast majority of people have taken personal responsibility for doing the right thing and I am confident that will continue so that we can bring the virus under control and start to think about a return to a more normal way of life.'

PRITI PATEL'S CRACKDOWN

Yesterday, Home Secretary Priti Patel said a minority of the public were 'putting the health of the nation at risk' as she backed a tougher police approach to lockdown rules.

Speaking at a Downing Street press briefing yesterday, she said that officers are moving more quickly to issuing fines where people are clearly breaching coronavirus regulations, with nearly 45,000 fixed penalty notices issued across the UK since March.

Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council Martin Hewitt said that more officers will be out on dedicated patrols to deal with rule breakers, while Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has also spoken to councils about enforcing the regulations.

Latest figures showed that as of yesterday, a further 1,243 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, which brings the UK total to 81,960.

Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 99,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

Some commuters don't wear face masks on the Jubilee line in London today. It is not known whether they have an exemption

Two passengers sit on a London Overground train today while not wearing face masks. Some passengers have an exemption

A commuter on a Jubilee line train this morning. Some people don't have to wear a mask if they have a valid exemption

One woman sits on a London Overground train today with a mask pulled down. It is not known if the other woman is exempt

The Government also said that, as of 9am yesterday, there had been a further 45,533 lab-confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK. It brings the total number of cases in the UK to 3,118,518.

Mr Hewitt told the briefing that officers will not 'linger' trying to encourage the public to obey lockdown rules.

He said: 'It is very clear that we are now at the most dangerous stage of the pandemic.

'There is a real and present risk that our health service could be overwhelmed and people - our friends and family - could die needlessly from this virus.

'So, we must all play a part in stopping that from happening. Ten months on, the rules are clear and I urge everyone to abide by them

'With a virus spreading so rapidly through contact with others we should all be asking ourselves whether our reason to leave home is truly essential. Those personal decisions are critical.'

A security guard watches as a shopper leaves a Morrisons supermarket in Peckham, South East London, without a face mask this morning. It is not known if they have an exemption, or had just taken off their mask after leaving the store

A Morrisons security guard speaks to a woman not wearing a mask at the store in St Albans, Hertfordshire, today

A supermarket worker walks through a Morrisons store in the Harehills area of Leeds with a mask pulled down today

Security guards check if people are wearing masks before they enter a Sainsbury's in Dulwich, South London, this morning

He gave examples of recent breaches including a boat party in Hertfordshire with more than 40 people who had each paid 30 each for a ticket, and a minibus full of people from different households travelling from Cheltenham into Wales for a walk.

Earlier, crime and policing minister Kit Malthouse said officers would be adopting a new 'high-profile' approach to enforcing the rules that could include stopping members of the public to ask why they are not at home.

Britain's most senior police officer, Dame Cressida Dick, also warned that officers in London will move swiftly to fine people who blatantly ignore the regulations.

Their comments came amid confusion over the distance that members of the public are allowed to travel to exercise, with the Prime Minister sparking debate after going for a bike ride seven miles from Downing Street.

During the briefing Ms Patel herself incorrectly referred to 'outdoor recreation' being allowed under the rules, apparently having meant to say exercise.

Home Secretary Priti Patel (left) and National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt (right) at yesterday's briefing

Leaders of police groups called on the Government to clarify the 'incredibly vague' rules, which saw two women incorrectly fined for driving five miles from their Derbyshire homes to meet for a walk.

But Mr Hewitt rejected setting a specific distance that members of the public should be able to travel by law, because it would be too difficult to prove if they had broken the rules.

As a string of supermarkets pledged to get tougher with customers who refuse to wear face coverings, Dame Cressida said her officers would be prepared to assist shop staff if customers became 'obstructive and aggressive' when told they must wear a face covering.

Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Sainsbury's and Morrisons have all outlined a stricter approach to masks in their stores.

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said ministers will consider whether key workers such as police, teachers and essential shop staff should be prioritised once the most vulnerable have received the coronavirus vaccine.

Police leaders are pushing for frontline officers to get the vaccine after the highest priority groups have received their jabs.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), the highest decision-making body for security issues headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved the purchase of 83 Tejas fighter jets for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 48,000 crore, including infrastructure.

The CCS approved the largest indigenous defence procurement deal worth about Rs 48,000 crore to strengthen the IAF's fleet of homegrown Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Tejas. "This deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing," Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said.

Giving out details about the Cabinet decision, the Defence Ministry in a statement said: "The Cabinet has approved procurement of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft at the cost of Rs 45,696 crore along with design and development of infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 1,202 crore." Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A variant is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art modern 4+ generation fighter aircraft. This aircraft is equipped with critical operational capabilities of Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite and Air to Air Refuelling (AAR) would be a potent platform to meet the operational requirements of Indian Air Force, IAF.

The LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in the years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50 per cent in the Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60 per cent.

The Light Combat Aircraft Tejas is indigenously designed by the Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The HAL has already set up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions. Equipped with the augmented infrastructure the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the IAF.

"The decision taken today will considerably expand the current LCA ecosystem and help in creating new job opportunities," the minister said.

HAL follows a system integrator model in the LCA Mk1A programme and acts as an umbrella organisation, fostering manufacturing and design capabilities in private industry.

The first squadron of the Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas was raised in 2016.

The manufacturing of 83 jets will not only be a boost for 'Make in India' or self reliance but help in filling the gaps in the Indian Air Force as its current fleet is down to 30 squadrons, way below the sanctioned strength of 42.

Each squadron comprises 18 fighter jets. These 73 Mark 1A jets are in addition to the 40 Mark 1 already ordered by the IAF.

Last year in March, the Ministry of Defence gave the go-ahead for the purchase of 73 Tejas Mark 1A aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

This was a major breakthrough as after cost negotiations for over three years between the Ministry of Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, the price for procurement of the advanced variant of the indigenously-made Light Combat Aircraft Tejas was slashed.

The IAF has 20 Mark-1 jets of the earlier variant while another 20 are to be delivered.
The body's immune system is the first line of defense against infections like bacteria, viruses, or cancers. Some cancers, however, have developed the art of molecular deception to avoid destruction by the body's immune system.

However, a University of Missouri researcher might have found a new way to help the body's immune system get past that deception and destroy cancer.

Normally, your body's immune cells are constantly on patrol to identify and destroy foreign entities in the body. Normal cells put up a 'don't-eat-me' molecular flag that is recognized by immune cells, thereby preventing the destruction of normal tissues. But some cancers have also developed the ability to mimic normal cells and produce this 'don't eat me' signal. As a consequence, the immune system fails to recognize cancer as a defective tissue and leaves it alone, which is bad news for the patient." Yves Chabu, Assistant Professor, Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri-Columbia

Immunotherapies are cancer drugs that essentially block the "don't-eat-me" signal coming from cancer and allow the immune system to kill it.

Chabu, whose appointment is in the College of Arts and Science, said while these immunotherapies work for certain types of cancers, prostate cancer is highly immunosuppressive, meaning cancer's physical and molecular environments simply overpower the body's immune system.

But Chabu might have unlocked a solution with help from a more than 50-year-old strain of bacteria.

"Cancers are different from one individual to the next, even when they affect the same tissue," Chabu said. "These interpersonal differences contribute to whether or not a particular therapy will effectively kill cancer and help the patient. The bacteria itself is genetically pliable, therefore it can be genetically modified to overcome patient-specific therapeutic limits. Imagine a patient whose cancer isn't responding to traditional therapies and has no other treatment options. One can envision genetically modifying the bacteria such that it can unload therapeutics that specifically exploit that cancer's unique vulnerabilities and kill it."

In a previous study, scientists at the Cancer Research Center and the University of Missouri developed a genetically distinct and non-toxic strain of salmonella called CRC2631 to select and kill cancer cells. CRC2631 was derived from another strain of salmonella that had been stored at room temperature for more than half a century.

Now, scientists like Chabu are demonstrating the ability for CRC2631, which enthusiastically targets cancerous tumors, to be used to unleash the body's immune system against prostate cancer.

"Because CRC2631 preferentially colonizes tumor cells, the effect is mainly localized to the tumor," Chabu said. "The use of CRC2631 to design and deliver patient-tailored therapeutics foretells potential in precision medicine, or the ability to tailor a treatment to a specific patient."

Highlighting the promise of personalized health care and the impact of large-scale interdisciplinary collaboration, the University of Missouri System's NextGen Precision Health initiative is bringing together innovators from across the system's four research universities in pursuit of life-changing precision health advancements.

It's a collaborative effort to leverage the strengths of Mizzou and the entire UM System toward a better future for Missouri's health. An important part of the initiative is the construction of the new NextGen Precision Health building, which will expand collaboration between researchers, clinicians, and industry leaders in a state-of-the-art research facility.

Toy Show favourite and aspiring CAPCOM from Cork, six-year-old Adam King is to speak at todays STEM South West Exhibition to promote careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) industries.

Thousands of students will attend todays free event, which takes place online this year, with the opportunity to engage in 1:1 sessions with experts from some of the regions most well-renowned global STEM-sector organisations such as Johnson and Johnson, Gilead, and Pepsi.

Todays expo will also feature demonstrations in virtual reality, robotics and astronomy, as well as talks from experts in the areas of construction, information technology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, electronics, weather-forecasting, agri-technology, environmental engineering, and cybersecurity.

Irelands favourite space enthusiast Adam King has been added to the line-up.

The event organisers say todays sessions will enable students to get to grips with their career path options, and with how exactly they can make their career goals and ambitions become a reality.

Speaking in advance of todays event Cliona Murphy, Vice President Global Quality Assurance, PepsiCo said she hopes students throughout the region, who are currently missing out on school, will take this as an opportunity to engage in some real-world learning.

The opportunity offered by this event is second to none  I only wish a resource like this existed when I was starting out.

Marguerite O Sullivan, Senior Engineering Strategy Leader and STEM South West Chairperson said there is a wealth of opportunities Irelands STEM sectors have to offer generations to come.

Read More Toy Show star Adam King shines on visit to National Space Centre

With demand for STEM professionals and associate professionals in the EU expected to grow by approximately 8% between now and 2025,much higher than the average 3% growth forecast for all occupations, the opportunity for young people to enjoy a successful career in the Irish STEM sector has never looked brighter.

Other speakers at the event include Laurence O'Rourke, European Space Agency Engineer Dr Niamh Shaw, Scientist, Engineer and acclaimed STEM education and space enthusiast, Ciara Sheehan founding member and Jillian ODonoghue committee member of the WiSTEMCIT-MTU - a student-led society that was set up in 2019 to enourage women across all STEM sectors to reach their ambitions and fulfil their career goals - and Madeline Murray co-founder of Kinsale-based sustainability consultancy Change by Degrees.

Marguerite O Sullivan, Senior Engineering Strategy Leader and STEM South West Chairperson emphasised the opportunities STEM industries present for young people

Speakers from global pharma and tech giants including Johnson and Johnson, Gilead, Plas, and Pepsico will also present to students.

STEM South West 2021 is being organised by the industry-led STEM South West cluster which was established in 2019 to nurture and promote the STEM Sector in the region.

The cluster executive comprises members from DePuy Synthes  Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences, Munster Technological University, University College Cork, Cork County Council, Enterprise Ireland, KerrySciTech, the Southern Regional Skills Forum and more.
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Last October, Air Force Lt. Ryan Kenney's household goods were destroyed when the truck moving them from California to Ohio caught fire.

It was the family's sixth move in 13 years, this time for a compassionate reassignment because of their son's medical needs. The truck and its contents were declared a complete loss, including the family's furniture, clothes and all the special keepsakes from their son's younger years.

Kenney and his wife Alyssa started a GoFundMe page to help recoup some of the cost of replacing their household goods because the moving company's insurance didn't cover everything.

Then, Maria Reed of the military lifestyle home makeover show "Moving with the Military" stepped in.

"When we heard the story, my heart just [sank]. That could happen to any of us! What really hit home was not losing the couch or beds, but the things that are not replaceable -- photos, scrapbooks, baby blankets," Reed said in an email.

"Moving with the Military" typically surprises a military family by using volunteers from the local community to redo one room or section of their house. In December, Reed and her volunteers decorated 10 front porches for the holidays.

This time, the show decided to redo the Kenneys' whole house.

Reed explained that one room just didn't seem like enough. "Only do one bedroom or the dining room? They didn't even have dishes or towels. We had to figure out a way to do the entire house, which is normally not in our budget. We reached out to all our partners, and they felt exactly the same way."

The Kenneys' complete home makeover will first go live in three segments starting Wednesday, Jan. 13, on Moving With the Militarys social media and YouTube channels. But you can catch the full thing later on Farm and Ranch TV, a streaming service available on Apple TV, ROKU, and Amazon Fire.

View the first segment online today.

You can also view past episodes of "Moving with the Military" on Farm and Ranch TVs website.

--Rebecca Alwine can be reached at rebecca.alwine@monster.com. Follow her on Twitter @rebecca_alwine.

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Omarosa, James Carville, Politico: 5 people who predicted that Biden would become president

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Former Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden was elected president last November, with Republican incumbent Donald Trump only recently conceding defeat.

Upon being sworn in next week, Biden will become the second Roman Catholic to serve as president and, at age 78, the oldest commander-in-chief in United States history.

His running mate, former U.S. Senator Kamala Harris, will become the first female, the first African American, and the first Indian American to serve as vice president of the United States.

In a year like 2020, when uncertainty abounded, some people predicted that Trump would be reelected while some predicted that Biden would unseat him.

Here, in no particular order, are five notable people who predicted that Biden would win the election. They include a former Trump staffer, an expert pollster, and a distinguished political strategist.

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TOI

Pune-based Serum Institute of India (SII) fixed the price for each dose of its Covid-19 vaccine Covishield at Rs 200 (Rs 210 with GST). The vaccine manufacturer dispatched the first doses of the vaccine on Monday. The government has placed an order for 1.1 crore doses of the vaccine while committing to procure 4.5 crore more by April of this year. Read more

Here are the other top stories of the day:

Deaf, Mute Girl Allegedly Gangraped, Eyes Damaged In Bihar

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In yet another gut-churning crime against women, a 15-year-old deaf and mute girl has been allegedly gangraped in Bihar's Madhubani district and her eyes were damaged with a sharp object so that she couldn't identify the perpetrators, police said on Wednesday. Three persons have been arrested in connection with the incident that took place in Kauwaha Barhi village in Harlakhi police station area on Tuesday when she took her goats for grazing. Read more

All Members On SC Committee Had Backed Farm Laws In The Past

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The four members of the Supreme Court-appointed committee to help resolve the ongoing farmers' protest, have taken pro-farm law stance in the recent past, news reports have suggested. The decision to form a committee came as Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of the farm laws and set up a four-member committee to break the logjam in negotiations between the Modi government and the farmers protesting against the legislations. Read more

6-Day Operation Ends With Army Officer's Body Found From Jodhpur Lake

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The body of an Army officer was finally found by divers from a lake in Jodhpur in the afternoon as a six-day-long search operation came to an end on Tuesday. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Neeraj Sharma said the body of Captain Ankit Gupta was recovered from the Kalyana lake at about 3 pm and was immediately taken to the Military Hospital. Read more



Leopard Attacks Woman, She Fights It Off With Her Hands

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A woman fought off a leopard with her bare hands in a tea garden in Jalpaiguri West Bengal, according to sources as per a report in PTI. Leela Oraon fought unarmed after the animal jumped on top of her as she worked in Bhatkhawa Tea Garden. After 10 minutes, the big cat made a run for it. Sources said that she was taken to Lilabari Grameen Hospital by the other workers. Read more
A fall fund raiser that got sidelined by fires and COVID-19 managed to finish strong as the St. Helena Rotary Club presented Julio Olguin on Tuesday with a $28,000 check for St. Helena Preschool For All.

Olguin, the nonprofits executive director, gave an informative presentation at Tuesdays virtual Rotary meeting.

The need to provide scholarships for 3- and 4-year-old children to attend preschool touched the hearts of the community, and again exemplified that St. Helena is a community that takes care of its own, said Rotary President Kathleen Patterson.

A few preschools have been open during the pandemic, accommodating households with two working parents who need a safe place for their children. Safety protocols with daily monitoring have resulted in safe environments and helped kids prepare for kindergarten.

To inquire about scholarship eligibility, call Olguin at 967-2800. Presently there are 23 students enrolled.
Glen Eaves is an award-winning filmmaker who has run a pay TV network, worked in senior government positions and completed three university degrees.

The onetime soldier was also the youngest bikie at the Milperra massacre 36 years ago and has seven counts of manslaughter recorded against his name.

No matter what Eaves does in life - he volunteers his time for disaster relief with a veterans' organisation - he is dragged back to the car park of the Viking Tavern in south-western Sydney where six bikies and a teenage girl were shot dead.

Eaves lives every day with the consequences of that infamous Father's Day 1984 battle between the Comanchero and Bandidos and its permanent place on his resume.

'I've been trying to outrun this business for 36 years and it just never lets me go,' the father-of-two told Daily Mail Australia.

'I've always been embarrassed by it - not ashamed, but embarrassed - and always kept it a secret.'

Glen Eaves (pictured) is an award-winning filmmaker who has run a pay TV network and completed three university degrees. The onetime soldier was also the youngest bikie at the Milperra massacre in 1984 and has seven counts of manslaughter recorded against his name

Eaves is constantly dragged back to September 1984 and the car park of the Viking Tavern where six bikies and a teenage girl were shot dead. He is pictured while on bail at Christmas in 1987 with his sister Vanessa who married Comanchero 'supreme commander' Jock Ross

One of the bikies killed at Milperra is pictured lying over his dead brother at the Viking Tavern. Glen Eaves did not hurt anybody that day but was convicted of seven manslaughters

The 58-year-old has lost jobs due to his presence at Milperra as a 22-year-old and, he believes, missed out on being hired for plenty more.

He no longer applies for the increasing number of roles which require a police check because he knows how those old manslaughter convictions will make him look.

'If you're mowing the lawns at Parliament House they want you to have a security clearance,' he said. 'It's just crazy. Absolutely crazy.'

Eaves, who joined the Comanchero just months before the massacre, did not kill or injure anyone at Milperra. He did not want to be there that day and tried to stop it.

'All I did was run out under fire and drag some wounded guys behind cars,' he said.

Before the two gangs met at the Viking Tavern Eaves tried to convince the Comanchero 'supreme commander' Jock Ross they would be out-numbered.

When the shooting started he used his military training to stay calm under fire and drag two wounded comrades to the safety of cover.

He was one of only two bikies arrested at the Viking Tavern, one of 30 convicted of murder or manslaughter, and one of the last to be released from prison.

He has barely received a parking ticket in 30 years but the shadow of Milperra hangs heavily over him, one Google search away from discovery.

Glen Eaves (pictured) has lost jobs due to his presence at Milperra as a 22-year-old and missed out on being hired for more. The 58-year-old no longer applies for the increasing number of roles which require a police check because of his criminal record

That spectre emerged again early last year when Eaves was arrested after a traffic incident allegedly got out of control and media learnt of his past.

'From the start, I've been hammered by this, that I'm a crazed bikie killer from 40 years ago who's on the rampage again,' he said.

That matter is still before the courts and Eaves is vigorously defending charges including predatory driving and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

For more than three decades Eaves tried to keep his past secret from prospective employers, friends - even his own son - but is now prepared to tell his story for the first time.

Eaves grew up in Parramatta, in Sydney's west. 'It was a pretty rough neighbourhood back in those days, back in the 70s,' he said. 'It was a pretty unhappy family.'

From age eight or nine wanted to join the army. Watching war movies gave him an appreciation of the bravery of soldiers.

'How they stuck together and how they would give their life up for what they believed in,' he said.

For more than three decades Eaves tried to keep his past secret from prospective employers, friends - even his own son - but is now prepared to tell his story. He is pictured with his sister Vanessa at Christmas in 1987

When Eaves turned 16 his father made him leave school, dashing his dream to attend the Royal Military College, Duntroon.

About that time his sister Vanessa started a relationship with Glasgow-born Jock Ross, former British soldier and founder of the Comanchero outlaw bikie club.

'He was about 20 years older than me, in the prime of his life, a very charismatic figure and I looked up to him,' Eaves said. 'He gave me the sort of attention that a father never gave me.'

When Eaves was 17 he joined the Army Reserve, then after several years he enlisted in the regular Army, serving in the Armoured Corps.

His mother died and his young girlfriend fell pregnant. 'It was just a very difficult time,' Eaves said.

'Jock invited me to hang around with the club. It was no gangster thing. To me they were just a bunch of blokes and Jock was a big brother figure to me.'

Jock Ross (pictured) was a father figure to Glen Eaves and encouraged him to join the army. He was one of six bikies originally sentenced to life for taking part in the Milperra massacre but served only a little more than five years. He is still married to Eaves's sister Vanessa

The Comanchero had recently split, with most members defecting to form the first Australian chapter of the US-based Bandidos. Eaves was just 21.

Ross was trying to rebuild the club and draw in as many new members as possible.

'And what it was drawing in those days was a lot of young, disenfranchised young guys that didn't have a father figure,' Eaves said.

There were ex-soldiers, tradesmen, council workers, even a serving policeman. 'There was no crime going on,' Eaves said. 'They were looking for family.'

Jock Ross (pictured) was the 'supreme commander' of the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle club he founded

Eaves had only been in the club for a few months before tensions between the Comanchero and Bandidos exploded in bloodshed.

On September 2, 1984 Comanchero members were planning to go to the Viking Tavern at Milperra for what was advertised as a motorcycle swap meet.

Eaves was not going but that Fathers Day morning a group of Bandidos rode past his home at Westmead.

The young soldier thought the Bandidos were likely headed to the Viking Tavern and so went down to the Comanchero clubhouse to warn them.

'Some of the guys were there, just a handful of them, and most of them were drunk,' he said. 'I said, "Don't go, there's a heap of them going down there".'

Eaves called Jock Ross and warned him that going to the swap meet was 'crazy'.

'Now, Jock was a strong leader,' he said. 'To this day I don't understand why he didn't say, "We're not going, we can't take these guys on".

'I didn't want to go. A lot of other blokes didn't want to go but Jock said, "OK, we'll go there for an hour, show ourselves".

'The notion was we'll put in an appearance and if they come and attack us we'll defend ourselves but we're not going there looking for them.

'As stupid and as naive as it sounds that's exactly what happened. So we went.'

Six bikies and a 15-year-old girl were killed in the Milperra massacre on Father's Day, 1984 (pictured). Comanchero Glen Eaves warned his fellow club members against going to the Viking Tavern that day and dragged two comrades to cover under fire

Comanchero Ten Commandments 1. The President is the Supreme Commander of the Comanchero. 2. Any member found guilty of cowardice will be thrown out of the Club. 3. Any member found guilty of stealing from a member of the Club itself will be thrown out of the Club. 4. Any member found guilty of screwing another member's Real Ol' Lady or taking advantage of a rift between them for future 'conning up' will be thrown out. 5. Any member found guilty of breeding dissension in the Club (ie Running down the President of the Club or Club policies in any way, shape of form - or bad s*** rumours) will be thrown out. 6. Any member found guilty of selling, distributing or using hard drugs will be thrown out. 7. Any member found guilty of using their superior ability to 'con' another member or nominated member out of their bikes, money or valuables will be severely dealt with. 8. Any member found guilty of not helping another member who is in genuine trouble, not bulls*** trouble, will be severely dealt with. 9. Any member found guilty of divulging Club business to anyone not a member, unless directed by the President, will be severely dealt with. 10. Any member found guilty of wearing his Colours on or around anything other than a British or American motorcycle of 500cc or more will be severely dealt with. Source: Document seized by police after the Father's Day Milperra massacre Advertisement

The Comanchero have been portrayed as having waited in ambush for the Bandidos but Eaves described the events of that day very differently.

'We went down to the back of the car park where there was a six foot fence and they weren't there,' he said.

'Then all of a sudden the Bandidos arrived and there was a f***ing heap of them. There was a couple of cars led them in and then a heap of bikes.'

There were only about 15 Comanchero at the Viking but about 40 Bandidos. 'I thought, "Oh my god," Eaves said.

'They rode in and saw us. Not only that, they'd sent scouts down to identify that we were there.

'We literally had our backs to the wall, nowhere to run, when they approached us.

'They've pulled up, got out of their cars, off their bikes, charged straight at us and then I just heard gunshots.'

The car park turned into a battlefield as leather and denim-clad civilians waged a suburban war.

'I've read books on what happens to soldiers in battle and what they say is that it's so overwhelming for your brain that you actually go dumb,' Eaves said.

The Comanchero were already at the Viking Tavern when the Bandidos arrived. 'They rode in and saw us,' Glen Eaves remembered. 'Not only that, they'd sent scouts down to identify that we were there. We literally had our backs to the wall, nowhere to run, when they approached'

'That's why the military trains you to act instinctively. But it was so confusing to me I couldn't tell who was who in this brawl that was going on.

'It went on for a few minutes. Most of our blokes were down or dead.

'Jock got shot in the head and the lungs. The vice president had been shot and killed, the sergeant-at-arms was killed.'

Eaves was shot dragging Ross and another wounded man to safety.

'I picked up a gun and I shot once into the air and once into the ground as they were coming down to attack and that scared them off,' he said.

'I never hurt anybody, was never accused of hurting anybody, killing anybody, shooting anybody, doing anything like that.'

Two Bandidos and four Comanchero were killed. Tragically, innocent 15-year-old bystander Leanne Walters was slain in the crossfire.

Most of the bikies were rounded up later but Eaves was immediately taken into custody and spent the next four years at Long Bay.

He would be one of 31 bikies to spend 14 months in front of a Supreme Court jury sitting at Penrith in what was then Australia's longest-running criminal trial.

Having served his sentence, Glen Eaves hoped he would be able to get on with his life. 'In those days, there was no internet so I could sort of hide a bit, you know,' he said. He worked as an insurance and investment agent for a few years before setting out to become a filmmaker

All the Comanchero and Bandidos were charged with murder under the principle of common purpose. No real attempt was made to work out who had killed whom.

Eaves believed police thought some of those charged would roll over and give evidence against their brothers but apart from one Bandido that did not happen - and not all of his testimony was believed.

'We didn't do it not just because we were tight but because we didn't have anything to give up, we didn't have anything to admit that we were guilty of,' he said.

Eaves was still just 24 when sentenced to life in jail in June 1987 after being convicted along with eight others of seven murder charges.

He did not believe the murder convictions would stand and they didn't. All were reduced to manslaughter on appeal.

Eaves was released in December 1988, returned to custody briefly during a High Court appeal and let go again in July 1989, hoping he could get on with his life.

'In those days, there was no internet so I could sort of hide a bit, you know,' he said.

Eaves went into business with the help of his solicitor Leigh Johnson and worked as an insurance and investment agent before deciding to study film-making.

During his trial Eaves had been unimpressed with some of the defence lawyers and realised university could not be that hard.

'I used to think that having a degree you're absolutely a genius and what struck me was that these guys weren't that smart.'

Eaves enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts Communication at the University of Technology, Sydney. Next, he received a First Class Honours degree at Murdoch University. He is pictured centre leaning against the bench in a short film about police corruption he shot in 1994

He enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts Communication at the University of Technology, Sydney. Next, he received a First Class Honours degree at Murdoch University.

An experimental film Eaves made at UTS won an award which was presented by acclaimed director Baz Luhrmann in the presence of then NSW premier Bob Carr.

Eaves undertook a Doctorate of Create Arts scholarship at Perth's Curtin University of Technology, which he did not quite complete due to problems with funding.

He continued making films and his work was accepted into international festivals.

Eaves directed a teenage Lucy Durack in the 1998 film Parlami d'Amore, a decade before she played Glinda in the Australian production of Wicked.

Moving into the corporate world, Eaves became head of programming at Sky Racing World and Sky Ringside, where he helped stage world title fights.

A career highlight was his three years as director of pay television at TransACT in Canberra, with responsibility for the operations and strategy of its 52 channels.

Eaves then gained a Graduate Certificate in Management, Change Leadership and Innovation from Flinders University.

An experimental film Eaves (right) made at UTS won an award which was presented by acclaimed director Baz Luhrmann in the presence of then NSW premier Bob Carr (left) in 1995

For most of this time Eaves' criminal history had not affected his job prospects but that changed after he took on a senior role at the National Film and Sound Archive.

Eaves had been brought in to 'shake the place up' but staff at the archive found out his background and complained.

From that point Eaves has been running from Milperra. He would try to establish himself in new jobs before criminal background checks were completed.

Sometimes the tactic worked, sometimes it didn't. Even the Uniting Church kicked him out of a job after two weeks.

'The criminal record came back, I thought they'd just have a bit of a chat to me about it but no. They said get out of the building immediately.'

'If you've robbed a bank, obviously they're not going to make you a teller,' he said. 'Or if you're a child molester you're not going to be a school teacher. I get that.

'But something from 36 years ago where I never hurt anybody, I'm not allowed to work in an IT department of a church.'

Eaves (pictured with ponytail) directed a teenage Lucy Durack (pictured in white dress) in Parlami d'Amore (Speak to Me of Love) in 1998, a decade before she played Glinda in the Australian production of Wicked

Being present at the worst bikie outrage in Australian history was hard to share with friends, and family. Eaves's son was 11 when he learnt of his history last year.

'He goes into high school this year and I was probably going to tell him but he looked it up and that freaked him out,' Eaves said.

'Sometimes I've known people for may many years and never told them. I used to have this habit that after I've known someone for some time and they know me I might disclose it to them.

'It hasn't cost me any friendships or anything like that. It's more difficult to try and tell a prospective employer up front.'

For the past few years Eaves has volunteered with an organisation of ex-military personnel called Team Rubicon which operates an emergency response team for events such as bushfires.

He was an uncredited consultant on the 2012 television mini-series Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms, which he did not watch beyond halfway through the first episode.

Eaves has no contact with any old Comanchero or Jock Ross and his sister Vanessa, who have been married about 40 years and live on the NSW Central Coast.

'I've been out of work for about a year, but it's like it just gets harder and harder and harder,' he said.

Former prisoners who had done their time needed to be given another chance.

'It's shocking,' Eaves said. 'How's someone not going to go back to crime if they can't get a job and they've got no money? You're destroying someone's life completely.'

The legacy of Milperra is not all bad for Eaves, who would likely not have gone to university if he had not been charged with murder and gone to trial.

'I often wondered would I have just got out of the army and been a mechanic at Parramatta,' he said.

'Whereas this opened up my eyes and since then I've gone on to make lemonade from lemons.

'I've gone on to meet premiers and movie stars and travel the world and do three degrees. It's driven me to achieve, maybe to prove that I wasn't that crook.

'And so I think that without that horror I probably wouldn't have achieved the things I've done on a global level and on a personal level.

Eaves was an uncredited consultant on the 2012 television mini-series Bikie Wars: Brothers in Arms, which he did not watch beyond halfway through the first episode. He is pictured in Hyde Park in December 1988 while on bail

'I guess I got to take that out of it. I've got to remind myself of that sometimes too when I'm feeling down.'

The army stuck with Eaves while he was in prison, re-signing him to three more years service while he was at Long Bay on remand.

'My heart and soul's with the army,' Eaves said. 'Still to this day I wish I was back there, right now.'

Seven people were killed on Father's Day in 1984 at Milperra and the massacre continues to damage other lives.

'The outcome of this for both sides is people have died early, people on both sides have committed suicide. My best friend committed suicide 20 years ago.

'It's caused a great toll on people's mental health at different levels. I think everyone involved has been scarred by it and continues to be scarred by it.'



Tata Motors shares rose 4% higher on Wednesday as the auto major released the Group's global wholesales numbers for the third quarter of Financial Year 2020-21

Rising for the ninth consecutive day, the stock price of Tata Motors opened with a gain of 2.31% today at Rs 243.30 and touched an intraday high of Rs 248.8, rising 4.63% against last close of Rs 237.80. The stock rose to a low of Rs 238.55 on BSE during the session.

Yesterday, shares of Tata Motors hit upper circuit of 10% to Rs 242.10 against the previous close of Rs 220.10 on BSE.

For the quarter that ended on December 31, 2020, Tata Motors Group's global wholesales witnessed a 37% sequential growth to 2,78,915 units (including Jaguar Land Rover) from 2,02,873 units for the quarter that ended on September 30, 2020, and a marginal 1% YoY growth as compared to 2,76,127 units sold during the October-December period in 2019.

Tata Motors stock is trading higher than 5, 20, 50, 100 and 200-day moving averages. The stock has risen 32% in the last 9 days of straight gains.

Tata Motors share price has gained 35% in a month. Year-to-date, the stock has given 32% returns to investors.

Market capitalisation of Tata Motors stood at Rs 74,907.62 crore today. The stock trades mere 2.89% away from 52 weeks high of Rs 249.5. Tata Motors has earlier hit a 52-week low of Rs 63.60 this year. Share of the auto major has risen 23% in one year.

The rise in stock can be attributed to the recovery of JLR sales in China.

In Q3, retail sales rose 13.1% to 128,469 vehicles against 113,569 vehicles sold in the preceding quarter. However, they were down 9 per cent when compared to same period last year.

The stock closed 1.98% higher at Rs 242.50 on BSE today.

Meanwhile, benchmark indices closed flat after hitting record highs in Wednesday's early trade, with Sensex nearing 50K mark for the first time. In today's session, Sensex and Nifty hit fresh lifetime highs of 49,260 and 14,474, respectively.

Oil prices rise as US crude gains for seventh day

Share Market News Live: Sensex hits new high, Nifty at 14, 640 for first time; M&M, Airtel, SBI top gainers

Stocks in news: SBI, Wipro, Tata Motors, Tata Elxsi, Airtel, Tech Mahindra, Hero MotoCorp
Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle are rumored to be moving to Florida along with Ivanka and Jared amid claims the family is scared to return to New York City where they would be 'tortured in the streets'.

The New York Post on Wednesday reported that Don. Jr. and Kimberly will be moving to Jupiter, not Palm Beach, where Jared and Ivanka have purchased a $30million lot.

Don. Jr. has floated between Palm Beach, at his father's estate, New York City and upstate New York over the last four years. He never took a White House position so never moved to DC like his sister.

Now though, he is reported to be following in her footsteps with a move to the Sunshine State once their father leaves office.

The Palm Beach Daily News also reports that Guilfoyle was spotted touring houses alone.

Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle are rumored to be moving to Florida. Don. Jr and girlfriend Kimberley Guilfoyle leave their New York City apartment on Tuesday

Don. Jr. has floated between Palm Beach, at his father's estate, New York City and upstate New York over the last four years. Kimberley waits to get a taxi on Tuesday

On the day his father is impeached, Don. Jr heads to work at Trump Tower in New York City

The New York Post on Wednesday reported that Don. Jr. and Kimberly will be moving to Jupiter, not Palm Beach, where Jared and Ivanka have purchased a $30million lot

Neither he or Kimberly has confirmed the move on-the-record. DailyMail.com has contacted a representative for comment.

'There is no way they can stay in New York. Theyd be tortured in the streets,' a source close to the family told The Post.

Their rumored move comes as more businesses cut ties with the Trump Organization over last week's attempted coup at the Capitol.

Jared and Ivanka bought a $30million lot near Miami last month

The riots led to five deaths and hundreds are expected to be arrested.

Less than two hours before the insurrection, Donald Trump Jr. spoke at a rally of his father's supporters.

He is among the loudest voices when it comes to questioning the election result and claiming mail-in voter fraud.

Jared and Ivanka have already bought a $31million lot in Indian Creek Village, also known as Billionaire Bunker, in Miami. Their move was reported last month.

Jared's brother, Joshua Kushner, and his model wife Karlie Kloss - who is expecting their first child - have also bought a home in Florida.

Part of the reason for their purchase, a source said, was that many of their well-heeled New York friends left the city because of the pandemic.

Florida has no state income tax, whereas New York's has one of the highest in the country.

Tiffany Trump and her boyfriend Michael (far right) are also reported to have toured properties in Florida

Page Six reported that Jared Kusher and Ivanka Trump purchased a plot of land in Indian Creek, an exclusive village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, that's known as 'Billionaire Bunker'

Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi reviewed with German Siemens CEO Joe Kaeser the final agreement on the establishment of an integrated system of a high-speed electric railway in Egypt, Presidential spokesman Bassam Radi said.

The system, set to be implemented by the German multinational company, will have a total of 1,000km of railway lines nationwide, Radi said, adding that it will cost EGP 360 billion.

The agreement includes the immediate establishment of a railway line linking the Suez governorates Ain Sokhna with the New Alamein city, passing through the New Administrative Capital, as well as 15 stations, Radi said.

This line will be 460km long and is set to be implemented within two years, Radi added.

Kaeser conveyed greetings from Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel to the Egyptian president and affirmed Siemens appreciation for the cooperation with Egypt in the development.

Kaeser highlighted the projects implemented by the German company over the past years in Egypt, especially in the fields of energy and electricity plants.

El-Sisi asked to deliver his greetings to the German chancellor, expressing appreciation for the cooperation path between Egypt and Siemens. He hailed the Egyptian industrial experience in general, saying that it is characterised by accuracy and commitment.

The president said the new electric train line will represent a significant addition to the countrys transport network, in terms of trade and passenger transport, as it will link the Red Sea and Mediterranean Sea coasts, passing through main cities.

Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Transport Minister Kamel El-Wazir, and Siemens's deputy CEO Roland Busch attended the meeting with El-Sisi.

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Residents in Northeastern Chinese City Decry Lockdown Extension

Shenyang city, the capital of Chinas northeastern Liaoning Province, remains one of Chinas hotspots of the CCP virus outbreak. Local officials have declared some residential areas to be low-risk, but community officials have extended the lockdown periodto many citizens dismay.

The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, commonly known as novel coronavirus, causes the COVID-19 disease.

On Jan. 11, local authorities declared that they had downgraded three residential compounds from medium-risk to low-risk, including the eastern section of Xianggong, phase 1of the Yihai Sunshine community, and Xishui Street No. 1 Building.

However, community officials are hesitant to lift restrictions and have extended the lockdown to seven days.

The decision has sparked outrage among residents, who have already self-quarantined at home for 14 days.

A resident surnamed Wang who lives in Tiexi district shared his frustration with The Epoch Times.

He believes that it is irresponsible for local authorities to allow large crowds to gather at COVID-19 testing sites because it could increase the risk of infection.

But, if you voice your concerns, youll be detained. In this country, youre unable to speak out. Theres no such a thing as the rule of law in China, Wang sighed.

The third round of mandated nucleic acid testing is now underway in three districts of Shenyang, including Huanggu, Tiexi, and Yuhong.

Stores Run Out of Food

Tiexi district is currently locked down. Wang said that all the government offices in Huanggu district are closed. Buses have stopped operating. Local authorities have urged residents to stay home.

Wang said that the stores in Tiexi district have run out of food supplies, except for milk. Many residents have to order food or meals online.

He is concerned about the elderly and disabled people who live on their own and dont have anyone to look after them at this time.

Woman Stranded in a Hotel Room

A local surnamed Liu complained on Chinese social media and posted a comment on Jan. 11 about the poor management at a quarantine facility in Shenyangs Huanggu district.

Liu has been staying at a hotel and she was not allowed to leave after she completed her quarantine. When she contacted her local community, officials couldnt give her an answer. According to Liu, the medical team at the quarantine facility did not assist her and told her that she had to wait to get clearance from upper management.

Then, Liu called Huanggus epidemic prevention command center and was told to contact the hotels medical staff to take three nucleic acid tests.

However, Liu found out that she couldnt get the tests done right away because she had to be placed on a waiting list, and the tests are administered once every two days.

Liu said she felt hopeless and didnt know what to do next.

Living Under Lockdown Is Costly

Wang believes that quarantine facilities can make a lot of money because people have to pay quarantine fees out of their own pockets.

According to a video released on Chinese social media on May 16, lodging fees for each quarantined person in Shenyang varies from hotel to hotel, ranging from 170 yuan (about $26) to 300 yuan (about $46) per day.

Hospitals that administer nucleic acid tests for the quarantined people charge additional fees, including 110 yuan (about $17) for registration, and 60 yuan (about $9) for lab tests, according to a document issued by Shenyangs health commission on April 23.
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A debate called in the British Parliament on Tuesday on persecution of minorities in India drew out some of the most obvious facts about India that much criticism inexplicably  or interestedly  ignores. MPs pointed out that the allegations swirling around must consider just how big India is, how many people it has, and what goes right amidst barbs aimed over what goes wrong.

The debate took place in Westminster Hall, not in the main chamber of the House of Commons. The main chamber saw another debate on China a few hours later where Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab spoke of Beijing torturing Muslims on an industrial scale. That was quite another story to Indias.

Raab did not hold back on the concentration camps in China where millions of Uyghur Muslims are reported detained. The nature and conditions of detention violate basic standards of human rights and, at their worst, amount to torture, he said. Internment camps, arbitrary detention, political re-education, forced labour, torture, forced sterilisation. All on an industrial scale. It is truly horrific. Barbarism we all hoped was lost to another era.

Jim Shannon from the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland, who moved the debate on India, acknowledged at the start that the allegations against India were nowhere near what was happening in China. India has a freely elected government and is not run by a nightmarish authoritarian regime such as Chinas, which arbitrarily imprisons millions from religious minorities and sponsors forced organ harvesting, he said. Shannon, too, spoke of violations in China on an industrial scale.

The position in India in relation to China was one obvious fact the debate brought out. But it did more than offer a comparative benefit that Indias record looks good in relation to Chinas. Some members who spoke at the debate - held physically and not virtually despite the pandemic  had their complaints about India. Shannon spoke of an increase in anti-minority rhetoric in India and increased incidents against members of the minorities.

Shannon acknowledged that even in the UK we have recently seen record highs for incidents of anti-semitism, Islamophobia and discrimination against Sikhs and other minority groups. But he found the scale and trajectory of the persecution currently being experienced in India by non-Hindus very worrying and disturbing.

Scale and trajectory

Barry Gardiner, Labour MP for Brent North, reminded the House of how the Indian government has been responding to such incidents. Over the murder of Christian missionary Graham Staines and of a Muslim trader, Gardiner said 21 years later Dara Singh is still in jail serving a life sentence for his crimes. Psychopaths and murderers exist in all countries, but when talking of persecution it is important to examine how the authorities in those countries respond to such atrocities, he said.

In another case, he reminded the House, When the Muslim trader Alimuddin Ansari was lynched by a Hindu mob for allegedly transporting beef, 11 people were sentenced to life imprisonment, including one local BJP worker. That justice, he said, was meted out by a fast-track court and was the first case ever successfully prosecuted against such religious extremists in India.

The incidents need to be seen in a contextual scale, Gardiner said. Allegations had been made of a thousand attacks on minorities over a long period. India has 200 million Muslims and 30 million Christians in a population of 1.4 billion, the House was reminded.

Conservative MP Theresa Villiers said India is now home to 16% of the worlds Muslim population. Members of minority faiths have played a prominent part in Indias history and they continue to hold leading roles in Indian politics and public life, in science and universities, in the law and other professions, in business and culture, and across the Indian economy, she said. A symbolic example was that in 2004, a Catholic, Sonia Gandhi, facilitated the handover of power to a Sikh, Manmohan Singh, enabling him to become Prime Minister, with his oath of office overseen by a Muslim President, APJ Abdul Kalam.

In a country as huge as India, she said, There will be lawbreakers who attack others, including members of minority communities and faiths. Sadly, no state can prevent all such crimes and tragedies, no matter how seriously they take policing and justice. Of course, there are hard-line individuals in India who promote hate speech and division, just as there are in this country. Again, no democracy that allows freedom of speech can shut that down either.

But Indias record on minority faiths stands up to scrutiny, she said even though no countrys record on law and order can be 100% perfect. I do not accept that there is evidence of systemic or state-sponsored persecution of religious minorities. When it comes to protection of freedom of religion and belief, the more important focus of this House should be on places such as Pakistan, where forced marriage and forced conversion of young Hindu and Christian women is a serious problem, and from where Asia Bibi had to flee for her life after years of imprisonment, and China, where incarceration and oppression of Uyghur Muslims is, quite frankly, a disgrace, she said.

Pandemic

Not the least of the obvious facts to surface over the debate was that it was held at all in the midst of a severe lockdown. MPs were required to travel to parliament to attend the debate in person. The holding of the debate seemed violative of the governments strict advisory to all citizens to observe a strict lockdown. Most recent parliamentary debates have been held virtually.

I resent having to come here this morning, Gardiner said. Scrutiny is very important, and the scrutiny we do in this Chamber is important, but we should be able to do it remotely and observe the guidance that the Government have given to others.

Minister of Asia Nigel Adams said he too is surprised to be here.

Responding to the debate, Adams spoke of India as a magnificent country and one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. But he said India does face challenges in enforcing its constitutional protections for freedom of religion or belief. The UK government has raised such issues with the Indian government, he said.

It was nobodys case that the record is perfect. But MPs argued for violations to be seen in context of scale. A parallel is the incidence of Covid in India - high in absolute terms, but amongst the lowest in relation to the population size. Many MPs pointed out to a need for proportionate consideration of allegations of persecution that is not dissimilar.

Nobody denied that even one case of violation is one too many. In any democracy, said Villiers, there is further work to be done to safeguard and protect human rights, and bring to justice those who commit crimes of violence against others, including religious minorities.
English French

PRESS RELEASE

Rueil Malmaison, 8 June 2020

VINCI Airports prepared for reopening of Portugals tourism

Passenger traffic resumes on June 15

New sanitary measures

VINCI Airports, concession holder of Portugals 10 airports, celebrated the reopening of the countrys tourism and airport business today at an event held at Lisbon airport in the presence of Antonio Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal, Pedro Siza Vieira, Minister of Economy, Pedro Nuno Santos, Minister of Infrastructure, and Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions and Chairman of VINCI Airports.

With lockdown ended on 4 May thanks to a safe, stable public health situation, there is growing demand on airlines rapidly as the summer season nears. Air travel is set to increase starting June 15 with air connexions resuming in Europe, notably with France: flights between Lisbon, Porto and Faro and Lyon-Saint Exupery and Nantes Atlantique airports, all members of the VINCI Airports network, will resume on 15 June. Flights into and out of Paris, which continued throughout lockdown, will also expand.

Public health safety, friendliness and innovations for the return of passengers

VINCI Airports has rolled out new health measures in compliance with national and European regulations. These measures focus mainly on passenger flow management and social distancing, providing individual personal protection equipment and cleaning/disinfecting passenger areas. These measures, which complement airline companies new safety protocols, effectively ensure the safety of passengers throughout their journey. An extensive information campaign has also been launched in all airports operated by VINCI Airports in Portugal and the rest of the world to facilitate passenger handling and explain the new measures.

In addition, Lisbon airport, a VINCI Airports Centre for Innovation Excellence, has developed new public health solutions over recent weeks. An autonomous robot that uses UV rays to disinfect surfaces has been deployed in the airport.

Lastly, the works at Lisbon Airport's rapid exit taxiways and Terminal 2 have been stepped up in recent weeks, to the benefit of airlines and passenger comfort.

Nicolas Notebaert, Chief Executive Officer of VINCI Concessions and Chairman of VINCI Airports, said: The partnership between Portugal and VINCI Airports is both solid and resilient. The Portuguese airport network already demonstrated in 2012 its fantastic capacity to bounce back. We are happy today to participate in the resumption of air travel and we are going to accelerate the growth dynamic in the future by continuing to invest in the countrys airports.

About VINCI Airports

VINCI Airports, as the worlds leading private operator of airports, manages the development and operation of 45 airports located in Brazil, Cambodia, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Japan, Portugal, Serbia, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States. Served by more than 250 airlines, VINCI Airports' network handled 255 million passengers in 2019. Through its expertise as a comprehensive integrator, VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and operates airports, leveraging its investment capability, international network and know-how to optimise the management and performance of existing airport infrastructure, facility extensions and new-build construction projects. In 2019, its annual revenue for managed activities amounted to 4.9 billion, for consolidated revenue of 2.6 billion. www.vinci-airports.com

PRESS CONTACT

VINCI Airports Press Department

Tel: +33 (0)1 47 16 48 82

communication@vinci-airports.com

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BJP legislators have expressed serious reservations about MLCs not elected by the people being made ministers and also on their 'seniority or sacrifice' not being considered

Resentment has erupted within the state BJP soon after Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced the list of seven ministers to be inducted into his

17-month old cabinet on Wednesday. The ruling party legislators have expressed serious reservations about MLCs not elected by the people being made ministers, lack of representation to certain regions, with most ministers still from Bengaluru and Belagavi districts and also on their "seniority or sacrifice" not being considered.

Yediyurappa earlier in the day announced that MLAs Umesh Katti, Arvind Limbavali, Murugesh Nirani, CP Yogeshwar, S Angara, and MLCs MTB Nagaraj and R Shankar will be sworn-in as Ministers, following which several BJP MLAs, who were aspirants, expressed their serious discontent.

Vijayapura City MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal,who has been critical of Yediyurappa, accused the Chief Minister of making appointments under blackmail, without considering seniority or honesty. Alleging that the CM and his family have 'hijacked' the BJP in Karnataka, he also requested the PM to end dynastic politics from Yediyurappa's family in the state. "CM is making those who are blackmailing him Ministers. Three people- one political secretary and two Ministers have

been blackmailing with some of Yediyurappa's CDs for three months. One who will become Minister today, along with CD blackmail, was also involved in payment of money to Vijayendra (CM's son)," the former union minister said.

Speaking to reporters in Vijayapura, Yatnal, who had stated that he did not want to become Minister under Yediyurappa, claimed three people who are blackmailing the CM had met him four months ago with a plan to depose Yediyurappa. "I challenge you (Yediyurappa) ahead of Makara Sankranti that from Uttarayana your (political) end will begin and a new period will start under PM Modi in Karnataka," he said, as he demanded Yediyurappa's resignation following High Court

dismissing his petition seeking quashing of FIRs against him in an illegal land denotification case.

His statement comes despite warnings by the BJP leadership against making statements in public on issues relating to the party and leaders. Also making a reference to blackmail,Ministerial aspirant and MLC A H Vishwanth, who was among MLAs from the Congress-JD(S) coalition to resign in 2019 and switched over to BJP,

hit out at Yediyurappa for not keeping his promise.

Demanding to know why Excise Minister H Nagesh was being dropped and RR Nagar MLA Munirathna was not inducted, he said, "it is because of their sacrifice you are CM today...instead, you are making Yogeshwar a Minister, who has fraud and cheating cases against him.

Why are you making him Minister, is he blackmailing you?", he asked. Honnali MLA and Chief Minister's Political Secretary MP Renukacharya, another ministerial aspirant, has expressed his displeasure, stating that the government was limited to two districts and that the CM and party leaders have to look into it.

"Injustice has happened to Hyderabad Karnataka, central and coastal Karnataka regions. It (government or cabinet) is limited to Bengaluru and Belagavi....I'm upset, to whom should I tell this," he told reporters, adding that he has never lobbied for a Ministerial post and cannot set aside his self-respect.

Considered a Yediyurappa loyalist, Renukacharya, who met party General Secretary in-charge of the state Arun Kumar on his arrival at the airport today, also expressed reservations about five MLCs in the cabinet. "We have been elected by the people (As MLAs), what's the use?"

Six time MLA G H Thippareddy, who represents Chitradurga constituency and has been sulking for some time now said he feels "let down" after being in politics for five decades and as legislator for 30 years, as he did not get an opportunity to serve the people as Minister.

Expressing surprise over MLC Yogeshwar being named as Minister, he said more than half the Ministers in the cabinet are either from Bengaluru or Belagavi and that some who worked against the interest of the party during elections have also been made ministers. With the induction of Limbavali, Yediyurappas Cabinet

will now have eight ministers representing Bengaluru, followed by Belgavi five, with the induction of Katti.

Bommanahalli MLA M Satish Reddy asked what yardstick Yediyurappa had adopted in selection of Ministers and said the absence of late Union Minister Ananthkumar, "who had an ear for our woes - is very clear." "...you (Yediurappa), state and central leaders can't see honest young workers?" he questioned.

Senior MLA from Krishnaraja constituency SA Ramadass said he has been serving the party for 28 years. "Injustice has happened to old Mysuru region. Any other

party MLA from the Mysuru could have been made Minister." From the beginning the cabinet expansion was being seen as a tightrope walk for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard to Congress- JD(S) rebels who are now BJP legislators.

The cabinet currently has 27 members and seven berths are vacant. With the induction of seven Ministers and dropping of H Nagesh from the Ministry there will be one berth that will be vacant in the state cabinet.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provide a new genomics resource that details the small RNA transcriptomes (gene expression) of four bio-medically important mosquito species.

This is the first study to provide a platform for biologists to compare the characteristics of these small RNAs between these four mosquitoes as well as the most widely used insects for genetic experiments, the fruit fly, Drosophila. Although previous studies looked at each of the individual mosquito species separately, this study is the first to allow comparisons between all four species.

"Although mosquitoes are related to Drosophila, they have very different genomes. In addition, mosquitos bite humans for blood meals that allow them to reproduce and but unfortunately allows serious human pathogens like viruses to infect us and cause diseases like yellow fever virus, dengue fever virus, zika virus and eastern equine encephalitis virus," explained corresponding author Nelson Lau, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM).

The researchers obtained cell cultures and dissected samples of the mosquito species Anopheles gambiae, Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. They extracted and purified the small RNA molecules, created libraries for high-throughput sequencing, and then developed a special bioinformatics platform to provide thorough genomic analysis of these small RNAs. They provide all this analysis in a database website for the public to access at laulab.bu.edu/msrg/.

The four mosquito species have global impacts on human health. Anopheles is the major vector for the parasite causing malaria, but is not known to transmit many viruses. In contrast, Culex and Aedes mosquitoes are well known to pass viruses between humans during mosquito bites, but it is still unknown why there is this difference between mosquito species for this capacity to spread viruses.

According to the researchers this study will allow for better biochemical studies in mosquito cells. "If we can find weaknesses in the small RNA pathways of mosquitoes to make them more intolerant of viruses, perhaps they won't be so able to pass the virus from biting one human to the next human victim."

The findings appear online in the journal Genome Research.

Explore further Greater mosquito susceptibility to Zika virus fueled the epidemic

More information: Qicheng Ma et al. A mosquito small RNA genomics resource reveals dynamic evolution and host responses to viruses and transposons, Genome Research (2021). Journal information: Genome Research Qicheng Ma et al. A mosquito small RNA genomics resource reveals dynamic evolution and host responses to viruses and transposons,(2021). DOI: 10.1101/gr.265157.120
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A man who pleaded guilty to his role in an incident that left an RCMP officer shot in the head has died in prison, according to the institution housing him.

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A man who pleaded guilty to his role in an incident that left an RCMP officer shot in the head has died in prison, according to the institution housing him.

Tommy Beaulieu died on Jan. 11, according to Stony Mountain Institution, who declined to share a cause of death other than to clarify it was not related to COVID-19.

Beaulieu was serving a sentence of more than 10 years after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a peace officer, breaking and entering to steal a firearm and robbery with violence.

The charges stem from an Aug. 29, 2018, incident in which Beaulieu, along with three other co-accused, broke into numerous Westman properties and stole a semi-automatic shotgun.

RCMP Cpl. Graeme Kingdon eventually confronted the group, at which point co-accused Therae Racette-Beaulieu fired a shot from a nearby hill with a stolen 12-gauge shotgun, hitting him in the back of the head.

Tommy Beaulieu was sentenced in May 2020.

The inmates next of kin, police and coroner have all been notified, according to a Correctional Service Canada Press release.

 The Brandon Sun
(Reuters) - Apple Inc on Wednesday said it was putting $60 million into a fresh round of projects aimed at challenging systemic racism, including its first foray into venture capital funding to back entrepreneurs of color.

Apple said it would invest $10 million in a fund with Harlem Capital, a New York-based early-stage venture firm, with the goal of helping fund 1,000 companies over 20 years. Apple will invest $25 million in Siebert Williams Shanks Clear Vision Impact Fund, which provides financing to small- and mid-sized businesses, with an emphasis on minority-owned firms.

Apple will become a limited partner in funds at both.

"There's a lack of diversity among venture capital and banking funders," Lisa Jackson, Apples vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, told Reuters. "We looked for where we thought there was opportunity for our resources to do good things."

The efforts are part of Apple's $100 million racial equality and justice initiative announced last year after the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, two Black people killed by police.

Apple is contributing $25 million to the Propel Center, a 50,000-square-foot facility in Atlanta where historically Black colleges and universities will collaborate on programs in entrepreneurship, app development and other topics. The iPhone maker is establishing two grant programs to help design curriculum in silicon and hardware engineering for historically Black schools.

Apple will also establish an app development academy in Detroit, its first in the United States. The academy provides a free 10-to-12-month course and will aim to teach 1,000 students a year skills in coding, design and marketing. The facility in Detroit will work with Michigan State University.

"We wanted to see more Black and brown developers," Jackson said, noting that Apple has long worked with historically Black schools. "They tend to be focusing on the southeastern part of the United States. But Detroit has over 50,000 small businesses that are owned by Black and brown people. And so it seemed to us that there was an entrepreneurial opportunity."

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler)
TMC accuses Sovan Chatterjee of chit fund scam links, demands arrest

India

oi-Briti Roy Barman

Kolkata, Jan 13: West Bengal ruling party TMC's spokesperson Kunal Ghosh on Tuesday demanded the arrest of former state minister who is now a BJP leader, Sovan Chatterjee for his alleged involvement with a chit fund company that allegedly "looted money from people".

Ghosh showed an old photograph of Chatterjee with owners of the chit fund company in thr press, saying, "He must first give answers to what was his connection with the chit fund company I-core. He is clearly seen in this photograph attending a function with owners of this chit fund company. He had endorsed the firm. So he should be arrested for promoting this firm which looted money from the people."

Ghosh further said he had written to the CBI and the Union Home Ministry in this regard nearly a month ago about the same.

He also alleged that Chatterjee was also involved in Saradha chit fund scam. "He took a bribe of Rs 1 crore from Saradha chit fund company owner. He did this while sitting on the chair of citt mayor. He should go to jail for that," he added.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

However, Chatterjee, refused all allegations levelled against him by Ghosh. "These are baseless allegations. He (Kunal Ghosh) was the main culprit in chit fund scams. He brought the TMC down with his scheming tactics. He should first give clarification on the allegations labelled against him," said Chatterjee.

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A FAMILY-RUN bakery in Henley is to shut on Saturday after 65 years in the town.

John Lawlor & Son, which is known as Lawlors, was started in Hampstead, London in 1948 and moved to Henley in 1956.

The business, which is now based at Henley Enterprise Park, off Greys Road, is to be wound up because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to the Henley Standard this week the team said: In the current climate of covid-19 and the lockdown of the pubs, which are the main source of our business, it has become simply not practical to continue.

It said it had been privileged to have had so many customers.

The team included founder John Lawlor Snrs son Mike who joined the business after completing his national service in 1956, the same year the business acquired a bakery at No 14 Reading Road.

The premises doubled as a retail outlet and the family acquired a second shop in Duke Street.

In the early Sixties, W H Smith bought the Duke Street premises, so the Lawlors shop moved to what is now the Loch Fyne restaurant in Market Place.

In 1972, Lawlors left Market Place and for about the next 10 years operated from only the Reading Road site. Then it acquired a property in Market Place Mews, where it stayed until 2003.

In the early Eighties the shop and bakery in Reading Road were closed.

The business is now based at the enterprise park, the former Empstead Works, and has been mainly wholesale since 2003.

For the full story, see this weeks Henley Standard.
OTTAWA - Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Ottawa will spend $1.2 billion in new funding to help Indigenous communities keep fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marc Miller, Minister of Indigenous Services, holds a news conference in Ottawa on December 2, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA - Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller says Ottawa will spend $1.2 billion in new funding to help Indigenous communities keep fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

That includes another $380 million for the Indigenous communities support fund to help First Nations deal with COVID-19, including providing support for elders, addressing food insecurity and supporting initiatives to help limit the spread of the coronavirus.

It also includes $630 million for Indigenous communities to hire more staff, buy personal protective equipment and adapt existing facilities to deal with the pandemic.

Miller says $186 million will go to providing more home-care services to protect elders and other vulnerable community members.

There are 4,384 active COVID-19 cases in First Nations communities on reserve and a total of 11,502 confirmed cases since March.

The government has announced more than $4.2 billion in COVID-19 support to Indigenous communities and organizations since the beginning of the pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 13, 2020



This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
A technician works in a lab at Sinovac Biotech, where the company is producing its potential COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac, during a media tour in Beijing on Sept. 24, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Chinese COVID-19 Vaccine Shows 50.4 Percent Efficacy in Brazil Trial

A leading Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate has been found to be 50.4 percent effective, according to the results of a late-stage trial in Brazil, a potential setback to the Chinese regime as it seeks to leverage the vaccine to boost its global image.

The results from Brazils state-funded Butantan Institute on Jan. 12 were just enough to pass the 50 percent threshold set by the World Health Organization for regulatory approval. It was far lower than initial claims announced last week that touted a 78 percent efficacy rate.

CoronaVac, a vaccine developed by Beijing-based drugmaker Sinovac Biotech, is one of Brazils two immunization candidates. The government last week made a deal to purchase up to 100 million doses of the Chinese vaccine.

The latest revelation has fueled skepticism about Chinese vaccines. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who in October vowed that Brazilian people will not be anyones guinea pig, said on Jan. 13 that he was right to question the credibility of vaccines from China.

This 50 percent is good, is it? All the [criticism] I got for my comments, and now they are seeing the truth. Four months of being lambasted because of the vaccine, Bolsonaro told supporters outside his residence.

Bolsonaro noted that he had no say in vaccine approval, as the health regulator Anvisa would make the final call.

Last week, Butantan Institute researchers celebrated a 78 percent efficacy rate of the CoronaVac vaccine against mild-to-severe virus cases, and 100 percent rate for very severe cases. The figure fell after accounting for a group of very mild cases among over 12,000 volunteers who didnt require clinical assistance, the institute said on Jan. 12.

Chinese state media made light of the trial results in the news coverage. A Jan. 13 headline from the state-affiliated tabloid Global Times emphasized that the Sinovac vaccine was 100% effective in preventing severe cases, could reduce hospitalizations by 80%, citing a Chinese doctor who claimed the vaccine is good enough. The Party-run Beijing Daily attached importance to the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine, without mentioning the numbers.

Syringes of the potential COVID-19 vaccine CoronaVac are seen on a table at Sinovac Biotech at a press conference in Beijing on Sept. 24, 2020. (Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

In the United States, vaccines developed by Pfizer and Moderna, both with about a 95 percent effectiveness, received FDA authorization in December and have began to be administered to the general public.

In China, authorities have rushed to vaccinate people since July under an emergency use policy that allowed the use of vaccines that hadnt completed clinical trials.

Yin Weidong, chairman of Sinovac Biotech, said in a Jan. 13 news conference that the company plans to double its production capacity to 1 billion doses by February. The Jan. 12 efficacy results have so far been the lowest for the vaccine. The company has also received orders from Turkey and Indonesia for CoronaVac, with interim data showing an efficacy rate of 91.25 percent and 65.3 percent respectively.

Asked about concerns around the vaccine, Yin said the phase 3 trials from Brazil and elsewhere have been sufficient to prove the safety and effectiveness of the CoronaVac vaccine around the world.

In a move to assure the public, Hong Kong, which has already placed orders for Sinovac vaccines, said on Jan. 13 that it would have a panel of experts review any vaccine based on clinical data before its rollout.

The Butantan Institute has faced criticism for transparency over CoronaVac trial data. It was initially scheduled to release the vaccine testing results in mid-December, but delayed the action multiple times, citing a need for Sinovac to collect additional data.
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Twitter says it suspended more than 70,000 accounts sharing QAnon content since Friday following the deadly siege on the U.S. Capitol.

It also limited accounts that engaged with them and has deployed technology to surface "potentially harmful tweets for urgent human review."

The moves are part of an urgent and growing crackdown by the nation's leading social media companies to prevent further violence.

The drive to prevent a repeat of last week's attack drove Twitter's decision to permanently suspend President Donald Trump's account after years in which Trump tested the boundaries of what he could say, violating the company's rules against election misinformation, glorifying violence and falsehoods about COVID-19.

"Since Friday, more than 70,000 accounts have been suspended as a result of our efforts, with many instances of a single individual operating numerous accounts," Twitter said in a blog post. "These accounts were engaged in sharing harmful QAnon-associated content at scale and were primarily dedicated to the propagation of this conspiracy theory across the service."

On the political left, the wave of takedowns wiping out accounts and shrinking follower counts earned praise. But conservatives and the president's allies are accusing Twitter and other social media companies of censorship.

The spread of QAnon extremism into the mainstream on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accelerated in recent months.

Observers say the 2016 presidential election spurred the rise of conspiracy theories once confined to the fringes. Swept up in the culture wars over immigration and race, rattled by economic upheaval and desperate for companionship in an age of social isolation, an untold number of Americans began succumbing to radicalization in the form of fringe or extremist ideologies rooted in baseless conspiracy theories.

QAnon promoted and capitalized on Trump's presidency, and received attention from him. With influential figures including the president using their social media megaphones to amplify the extremist ideology, QAnon reached millions.

Explore further YouTube will remove videos making harmful claims rooted in conspiracy theories

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Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport will see 227 boxes of vaccines being flown out to 22 destinations on January 13. These boxes contain about 2.72 lakh doses of the vaccine.

The first shipment departed from the airport at 5:20am, to Goa, with GoAir carrying 2 boxes of the vaccine. SpiceJet, IndiGo and Vistara are the other airlines who are flying with the vaccine boxes.

Though Serum Institute of India, which is making the Covishield vaccine, is based in Pune, over half of the doses will be transported from the Mumbai airport, which has a higher capacity. In an earlier interview with Moneycontrol, Rajeev Jain, CEO of Mumbai International Airport Ltd, which runs the airport, said it could handle 200 tons of vaccine a day.

The vaccines will fly out to about 20 cities on January 13. These include Bagdogra, Rajkot, Ranchi, Imphal, Agartala, Cochin, Bhopal, Kanpur and Jammu.

The airline added that it was following a SOP for vaccine movement, and that the terminal had processed the cargo in "just 7 minutes, right from goods acceptance to dispatch at ramp."

COVID-19 vaccine FAQs: Can you choose your vaccine, what will be the cost and other questions answered

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

Apart from setting up a task force to oversee the vaccine movement, the airport also has started a 24-hour call centre. Giving details about its infrastructure, the airport said it has "Asia's largest temperature-controlled Export Pharma Excellence Centre and Pharma-dedicated Import Cold Zone, a first-of-its-kind - 'Cooltainer' facility and the largest hub for Envirotainer movements with over 60 power outlets for processing pharma active containers."

Apart from the Mumbai airport, the Hyderabad airport is another hub for vaccine distribution as it is home to Bharat Biotech, which is making the Covaxin vaccine.
The US government executed convicted murderer Lisa Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row, on Wednesday, after the Supreme Court cleared the last hurdle by overturning a stay. Montgomery was the first female prisoner to be executed in by the US government since 1953. Challenges were fought across multiple federal courts on whether to allow the execution of Montgomery, 52, who was put to death by lethal injection of pentobarbital, a powerful barbiturate in the Justice Departments execution chamber at its prison in Terre Haute, Indiana. The US Supreme Court, with its ...
WASHINGTON  No American president had been impeached twice  until the House voted Wednesday to seek Donald Trumps removal from office for the second time in 13 months. That means Democrats, including Rep. Eric Swalwell, also have an unprecedented second opportunity to try to convict him.

The East Bay Democrat will be one of the nine House impeachment managers when Trump is tried in the Senate on grounds of inciting an insurrection. The group was named by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and will be led by Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, a constitutional law professor.

Trump was impeached Wednesday by a vote of 232-197, with 10 Republicans joining all Democrats to hold the president responsible for the deadly riot by his supporters who attempted to take over the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Swalwell is one of the prosecutors who will try to persuade at least 17 Republicans in the Senate to join Democrats in a two-thirds vote needed to convict Trump. Its a different role from the one the former Alameda County deputy district attorney played in the first impeachment of Trump in 2019, when he sat on two committees that investigated the case against Trump for soliciting Ukrainian help in his campaign against Joe Biden.

That impeachment took four months before Trumps Senate trial ended in acquittal, with only one Republican, Utah Sen. Mitt Romney, voting to convict. This one could end up taking two weeks.

Some Republicans, including House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield, cited a rushed process as one reason they could not back impeachment  even though McCarthy said that the president bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob rioters.

But Democrats say speed is precisely what is called for.

For the safety of all of us, he just cannot remain in office, Swalwell told The Chronicle. I think the president has forfeited the right to have a lengthier process. Theres an urgency here to protect life and to have a peaceful transition, and hes forfeited that in a matter of minutes by calling on people to storm the Capitol and then seeing the Capitol attacked and not doing anything to stop it.

Swalwell and his colleagues say that in the first impeachment, on charges of obstruction of justice and abuse of power, laying out the evidence against Trump required months of seeking witness testimony, uncovering documents, holding hearings and connecting the dots.

This time, they say, everything happened in plain sight.

The evidence of the president inciting insurrection was clear and deliberate, said Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier of San Mateo, who was also a key player in the first impeachment as a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

I believe that he knows full well the lethality of the groups he has associated with ... and he intentionally locked arms with them in an effort to overthrow this country and the democratic process, Speier said. He did it specifically on the day in which we were tabulating the votes of the electors. ... As more and more video comes forward, it is clear, they were intent on taking over the Capitol of the United States.

San Jose Rep. Zoe Lofgren was one of the last House Democrats to call for Trumps impeachment in 2019, then served as a prosecutor at his trial. She cited her experiences as a congressional staffer during the impeachment investigation into President Richard Nixon, and as a member of Congress during President Bill Clintons impeachment, as the reason she was hesitant  its a process that required careful fact-finding, she said.

She said this impeachment was different.

Theres nothing like this, certainly, Lofgren said. This is a president who has engaged in activity that threatens actually the continuance of constitutional government in a very urgent way, and theres no precedent for it, but we have to act.

In moving toward impeachment, Pelosi had faced calls to delay delivering the case to the Senate to avoid the distraction of a trial during Bidens first days in office. But she is expected to send the case over quickly, leaving it up to the Senate to determine timing.

Our country is divided, Pelosi said in a floor speech Wednesday. We all know that. There are lies abroad in the land, spread by a desperate president who feels his power slipping away. We know that, too. But I know this as well, that we here in this House have a sacred obligation to stand for truth, to stand up for the Constitution, to stand as guardians of the republic.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who controls the Senate until Bidens inauguration next Wednesday, has said the upper chamber will not come back into session in time to hear the trial before the new president is sworn in.

But Democrats say they will press on anyway. If two-thirds of the Senate votes to convict Trump, a simple majority can also disqualify him from holding future office.

Swalwell will be one of the Democrats trying to persuade them to take those votes. Trumps impending departure from the White House doesnt mean he should escape accountability, and we shouldnt discount the deterrent effect on what the president does next and what those around him do between now and inauguration, Swalwell said.

He said he has gone to the House managers in Trumps first impeachment to ask them for advice. But he said the case will require presenting much less evidence this time.

The senators were victims of the attack, Swalwell said. We dont have to tell the senators what it was like to be attacked, because they were attacked. Weve been attacked before as a country, but weve never seen an attack incited and inspired by our own president to our own citizens. And a person who does that cant lead and has to be held accountable.

Tal Kopan is The San Francisco Chronicles Washington correspondent. Email: tal.kopan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @talkopan
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Spains Morenoite Corriente Revolucionaria de Trabajadores y Trabajadoras (Workers Revolutionary Current, CRT), the Spanish affiliate of Argentinas Socialist Workers Party (PTS) and Left Voice in America, is denying President Donald Trumps fascist coup attempt on January 6.

Their complacent response to the storming of the US Capitol by a fascist mob led by Trump is directly linked to their silence on Spanish generals calls for a fascist coup in Spain. They are doing everything they can to politically block the development of an international political movement in the working class against the threat of fascism. Instead, they are seeking to subordinate workers and youth to the Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government and the Spanish union bureaucracy, as it proceeds with the murderous policies of austerity and herd immunity.

On January 6, Trump, working with high-level police, US military and Republican Party officials, launched a coup with the explicit aim to prevent the certification of the Electoral College results of Novembers national ballot. Their goal was to overturn the US presidential election.

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Thousands of his supporters swarmed the Capitol, armed with guns and zip ties, which would have been used to secure hostages, aimed at halting the congressional session at which Trumps defeat in the 2020 presidential election was being certified. Significantly, Pentagon officials initially refused desperate appeals from representatives and senators to deploy National Guard forces to take back the Capitol from Trumps mob.

Despite multiple violations of the US Constitution, dozens of arrested and five deadincluding one police officerTrump has been able to retain office because powerful forces on Wall Street and in the US military and intelligence agencies are debating whether to set up a fascistic dictatorship. The ruling class unanimously supports his murderous herd immunity policy on COVID-19.

The reaction of CRTs Izquierdadiario.es, however, was to republish material from its US and Argentinian affiliates denying a fascist coup attempt had occurred. In an article posted on January 7, titled The storming of the Capitol and the decadence of American imperialism, it wrote:

The storming of the Capitol building wasnt an insurrection or a coup as members of the bourgeois press insinuate, but it does show a Far Right that, far from accepting defeat after November 3, has in fact been emboldened during the transition.

Izquierdiario.es republished a Left Voice article by Scott Cooper, in which the author again downplayed the coup, accusing anyone calling it by its name of being in service of the ruling class:

The events at the Capitol last Wednesday strengthened the incoming Biden/Harris government by creating bourgeois unityfrom the liberal press to the Pentagon and including the twin parties of capitalismin response to the Trumpist threat and the defence of democracy. It is no accident that the big capitalist newspapers, including the New York Times and Washington Post, all use the rhetoric of attempted coup and insurrection and sedition to describe what happened. They do so in the service of strengthening the bourgeois front against instabilityembodied in Trump and his most ardent followersand to give as much legitimacy as they can to the new administration.

It republished another Left Voice article by Nathaniel Flakina member of the German affiliate, the Revolutionary International Organization (RIO)insisting it was far from a coup:

Perhaps we will now see a major crackdown on the Right. But it is unlikely to go beyond a couple of ringleaders. . This is not to say that the mob at the Capitol was a fascist coup attemptfar from it. The point is that the capitalist state is endlessly forgiving even for much more serious right-wing upheavals.

The fact is, what happened on January 6 was an attempted coup, which the WSWS has extensively covered since June 2019, when Trump threatened to deploy the army against mass multiracial protests against the police murder of George Floyd and against herd immunity policies. To say otherwise is to lull the working class to sleep as to the immense ongoing dangers it faces.

Calling things by their real name is not playing to the hands of factions of the ruling class. Biden and the Democrats are doing everything they can to downplay the fascist coup attempt. Their immediate response was to plead for unity with their Republican colleagues. At the same time, no calls have been raised from any section of the Democratic Party for a thoroughgoing, public investigation of the couplike the Watergate hearings into the attempted burglary of Democratic Party materials under Republican President Richard Nixon in the 1970s.

Downplaying the fascist coup attempt, like izquierdadiario.es does, serves the Democratic Party and the American ruling class as its moves to the right. In contrast, the Socialist Equality Party (US) is calling for a full, public and live-streamed investigation of the attempted fascist coup. The key task is to alert and politically mobilize the international working class.

CRT moves to downplay Trumps coup are directly bound up with its policy of lulling to sleep the working class in Spain, amid growing agitation in the ruling class for a fascist coup in Madrid. It has been over a month since the first of two letters, signed by hundreds of former top army officers, appealed to King Felipe VI to back a coup against the Socialist Party (PSOE)-Podemos government. This was followed by:

WhatsApp messages of retired officers calling to shoot 26 million people and imitate General Francisco Francos fascist coup, which launched the 19361939 Spanish Civil War;





A manifesto signed by 750 officers, including 70 generals, accusing the PSOE-Podemos government of posing a serious risk to the unity of Spain and the constitutional order;





WhatsApp chats by active-duty officers embracing the former officers fascistic calls.





The publication of videos of active-duty Spanish soldiers singing fascist and neo-Nazi songs and making the fascist salute.





Reports on a far-right plot, code-named Operation Albatross, aiming to install a military dictatorship under the guise of a PSOE-Popular Party-Vox national unity government.

For any newspaper or tendency claiming to be progressive, let alone socialist, these threats would be taken very seriously, especially in a country that has seen numerous coup attempts and successful coups. The most famous was led by General Francisco Franco in July 1936, which sparked a three-year civil war and ended in executions of hundreds of thousands of left-wing workers. Francos regime would last until 1978.

Yet the CRTs IzquierdaDiario.es has maintained a deafening silence on these coup threats, while it now downplays the fascist coup attempt targeting the Capitol in Washington.

The attempted coup in Washington had direct implications in Spain. The fascist Vox party, closely tied to the Spanish officers calling for a coup, waited until midnight Spanish time to condemn Trumps coup attemptthat is, until it was clear the coup would fail. On the same day, retired Lieutenant General Emilio Perez Alaman sent a letter to Spains defence minister, Margarita Robles, denouncing her tepid criticisms of fascist officers calls for a coup and demanding the PSOE-Podemos government change course.

In the past month, while the WSWS has posted eight articles on the mounting coup threats in Spain, IzquierdaDiario.es posted only one, brief article on December 4, titled The Army, the King and the Regime of 78. The article aims to prop up Podemos and its general secretary, Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias, in their efforts to downplay the significance of fascist coup threats in Spain.

The CRT tells its readers, The letters sent to the King and the disclosed chats reveal the high number of Francoite officers [in the army ...]. Given this fact, the different reactions to the letters and chats published are pretty much what could be expected. King Felipe VI, it continues, has not said anything, as could be expected since he is the representative of an institution imposed by the Franco regime, a direct heir to the dictatorship, and closely linked to the army.

Vox, the CRT asserts, distanced itself from the chats, while defending the content of the chats with the argument that its private. The CRT insisted that this is not surprising, considering that this political party relies on those reactionary sectors of the army. In fact, in parliament Vox openly endorsed fascist generals chat messages, with Vox lawmaker Macarena Olona declaring: Of course they are our people.

The fact that, given the European bourgeoisies history, a fascist coup is not at all inconceivable in Spain means that the threat of such a coup must be taken with deadly seriousness. The criminal character of the CRTs complacent response to calls for a fascist coup in Spain, calling it expected or not surprising, was exposed by Trumps coup attempt in Washington. Faced with a fascist coup taking place in real-time, the CRT went from insisting that fascist coups were unsurprising and even expected to insisting that there was no fascist coup at all.

Its one token piece on the coup threats in Spain was itself timed to match the Spanish states attempts to downplay the crisis. It came a day after Podemos leader and Deputy Prime Minister Pablo Iglesias was sent on prime-time state television to brazenly insist that the officers threats were unimportant. Iglesias declared: What these gentlemen say, at their age and already retired, in a chat with a few too many drinks, does not pose any threat.

Iglesias intervened as the coup threats and calls to kill millions became Twitters main trending topics in Spain. For broad masses of workersmany of whom were born in the Franco era or were brought up with stories of Francoite torture and murderthe threat of a fascist coup is not taken lightly. The CRT, which speaks for the same affluent middle-class milieu as Podemos, was instead serving as foot soldiers for Podemos campaigns to cover up the fascist coup threat.

IzquierdaDiario.es then claimed that the PSOE-Podemos governments fraudulent request to the Prosecutors Office to investigate the WhatsApp chat groups aims to struggle against fascism. It called the investigation An attempt to separate the reactionary ideology expressed by that group of soldiers from the army and brand this fact and its announcers as an exception. It is also a clear commitment to the administrative route as a strategy to confront the extreme right.

This is absurd. Even the pro-PSOE daily El Pais, which has worked day and night to downplay the significance of the coup threats, all but admitted the PSOE-Podemoss investigation was a charade, stating sources consulted by this newspaper said it is unlikely that the complaint will get very far, because the remarks were made in a private chat group.

Podemos, like the CRT, has no intention of confronting the far right. Both fear explosive anger brewing in the working class against the PSOE-Podemos government over its murderous herd immunity policy on COVID-19, imposing a return to work and school that has left over 70,000 dead and 2 million infected, to fund bank and corporate bailouts. They are far more afraid of a movement in the working class that would turn against the capitalist system than they are of fascism.

In the final analysis, the same fears that drive hundreds of top Spanish officers to threaten the mass murder of millions of left-wing workers also drive the CRTs efforts to downplay these threats.

The CRTs reaction is not a political oversight or mistake. Over the past month, the reports of fascist sentiment among active-duty soldiers and further letters and manifestos were widely followed by millions on social media and in the corporate press. Yet IzquierdaDiario.es kept silent.

Instead, in the month since the first coup revelations, they have posted dozens of articles on various topicsnotably the corruption scandal engulfing the Spanish monarchy. This is because the CRT seeks to channel rising anger at the PSOE-Podemos government behind a pro-capitalist perspective by issuing empty calls for a referendum giving workers the choice between a monarchy and a capitalist Republic.

The CRT epitomises a whole social layer of the affluent upper-middle class who are indifferent, if not hostile to the defence of democratic rights. They are organically hostile to the emergence of a mass, socialist movement that would threaten their incomes and privileges, based on the crumbs Podemos throws at them from atop the state machine.

Terrified by growing protests worldwide in the working class against the ruling classs herd immunity policy to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last thing they want is to mobilise this opposition. Instead, their function is to disorient and demobilize growing social opposition and prevent it from breaking free of the political stranglehold of Podemos.

To prevent the fascistic conspiracies from succeeding, the widespread working-class opposition to fascism must be transformed into a conscious political movement. The WSWS calls on European workers to support the demand of the Socialist Equality Party (US) for an open, public, live-streamed investigation of all aspects and all the allies of the January 6 fascist coup in Washington and the preparation of a political general strike against continuing coup threats in America.
Wits scientists artificially infect mosquitoes with human malaria to advance treatment

Wits scientists and local and global partners have artificially infected mosquitoes with human malaria and identified a new chemical compound to treat malaria.

Scientists at the Wits Research Institute for Malaria (WRIM) in partnership with the University of Pretoria and colleagues in the US, Spain and Switzerland have identified novel antiplasmodial lead compounds for mass drug administration and vector control to eliminate malaria.

A vector refers to an organism that carries and transmits an infectious disease, as mosquitoes do malaria.

Lead compounds are chemical compounds that show promise as treatment for a disease and may lead to the development of a new drug.

Antiplasmodial lead compounds are those that counter parasites of the genus Plasmodium, which is the parasite that infects mosquitoes and causes malaria in people.

The study findings were published in Nature Communications on 11 January 2021, at a time when malaria incidence generally peaks after the holiday season.

Mozzie infection experiment centre

Professor Lizette Koekemoer, co-director of the WRIM and the National Research Foundation SARChI Chair in Medical Entomology and Control, and an honorary member of the Centre for Emerging Zoonotic and Parasitic Diseases, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, co-authored the paper.

Koekemoer and her team at WRIM established a unique mosquito malaria infection centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Wits University, where the mosquito transmission blocking experiments took place.

The WRIM infection centre is the only facility in South Africa and in the southern African region that can artificially infect mosquitoes with the human malaria parasite, says Koekemoer. The infection centre provided the high level of expertise required to infect mosquitoes with the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, and allowed for this unique study to be done.

Curating chemicals to combat transmission

Drugs are used to control human malaria but resistance to these drugs develops rapidly. Furthermore, the drugs mainly target just one stage of the parasites life cycle and are not good candidates for blocking transmission.

To expand drug suitability for malaria elimination strategies, drugs need to be able to act as a chemotype [a chemically distinct entity in a plant or microorganism] that blocks both human-to-mosquito transmission and mosquito-to-human transmission.

Koekemoer, with WRIM colleagues and co-authors, Erica Erlank, Luisa Nardini, Nelius Venter, Sonja Lauterbach, Belinda Bezuidenhout, and Theresa Coetzer conducted specialised experiments to measure the reduction of infection in the mosquitoes as well as the killing effect [endectocide effect] in the vectors.

The scientists screened 400 chemical compounds available in the Pandemic Response Box, which is supplied by Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), to identify the compounds that are most effective across the life stages of the parasite that generally take place in the human host.

The Pandemic Response Box contains 400 diverse drug-like molecules active against bacteria, viruses or fungi. It is available free of charge provided that researchers share data resulting from research on the molecules in the box with the public within 2 years of its generation.

The compounds that showed a good effect on late-stage gametocytes (those circulating in the blood and being transferred to a mosquito when it feeds on an infected human) were evaluated for their transmission-blocking potential.

Mosquitoes were fed infected blood that was treated either with or without the compound. After eight to 10 days, the mosquito guts [stomach] were removed and the number of parasites (called oocysts) counted and compared against those mosquitoes that received only an infected blood meal without treatment.

Seeking the spark

Mass drug administration (MDA) is the administration of antimalarial drugs to target the parasite reservoir in humans, without necessarily testing whether those people are carrying the parasite that causes malaria.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends MDA for the elimination of the Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite. However, the effort and cost required to implement MDA on a large scale is prohibitive.

Identifying the potential compounds for MDA is amongst the greatest hurdles to overcome and is therefore an intense research pipeline of development.

By leveraging the scarce skills and expertise available in different research institutes such as the WRIM, this study published in Nature Communication established the first such pipeline screening in South Africa.

This opens the door for screening additional chemistry effectively and rapidly to contribute towards the elimination of malaria.

Towards zero transmission targets

Although there were still an estimated 229 million malaria cases in 2019 and 409 000 deaths during this period (compared to some 88 million Covid-19 cases reported), the successes of reducing malaria cases over the past two decades has inspired many countries to commit to eliminating transmission altogether.

To date, the WHO has certified 38 countries and territories malaria-free. In southern Africa, eight countries  including South Africa  have made the elimination of malaria a policy goal.

However, progress towards eliminating transmission has numerous challenges and new drugs and insecticides are urgently needed to combat the development of drug resistance in the parasite and the vector.

The WRIM and studies like these are pioneering novel approaches. However, it is still a long road between the laboratory and field operations. But the first steps have been taken.
The Texas oil and gas industry paid a total of $13.9 billion in state and local taxes and state royalties in fiscal year 2020, the Texas Oil & Gas Association (TXOGA) said in its annual Energy & Economic Impact Report this week.

The amount of taxes and royalties the state collected last year was lower than the record-high $16.3 billion in local taxes and state royalties in fiscal year 2019, when oil and natural gas production in the Lone Star State surged to records.

As challenging as last year was, the Texas oil and natural gas industry contributed tremendously to state and local tax coffers, Todd Staples, President Texas Oil & Gas Association, said in the foreword to the report for 2020.

This revenue from oil and natural gas production, pipelines, refineries and LNG facilities translates into about $38 million each day that pay for our schools, universities, roads, first responders and essential services, Staples noted.

Since 2007, when the association first started compiling this data, the Texas oil and natural gas industry has paid more than $162.9 billion in state and local taxes and state royalties, according to TXOGA.



Related: LNG Price Boom Obliterates Rally In Bitcoin

The industry employed 400,974 Texans during financial year 2020, the association said, noting that every direct job in the Texas oil and natural gas industry creates an additional 2.4 Texas jobs.

To compare, TXOGAs report for 2019 showed that the industry employed 428,234 Texans during FY 2019.

Texas, as the biggest oil-producing state in the United States, saw in 2020 the highest number of job losses in the industry as a result of the crash in oil prices and oil demand.

Although the Texas upstream oil and gas industry remained in contraction in the third quarter of 2020, signs started to emerge in employment and rig counts that the sector may have already seen the worst of the downturn and could be headed to recovery, the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers said in early November.

A Texas Alliance of Energy Producers survey carried out in November showed that 75 percent of more than 160 oil and gas professionals think 2021 would be better or about the same for the industry as 2020. Texas energy professionals, however, expressed concern about federal overreach with the Biden Administration.

Commenting on the survey, Jason Modglin, President of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, said:

Concerns about economic conditions and burdensome federal overreach are very real, but these results and comments demonstrate a determination to fight and persevere.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:

Several members of the media were delayed or denied access to a state House Republican news conference at the Pennsylvania Capitol on Tuesday by the Capitol Police.

A spokesman for the agency that oversees that police department said it was the result of a miscommunication.

But that miscommunication raised a high level of concern about First Amendment rights being abridged by Gov. Tom Wolfs administration.

No reporter should be turned away from Pennsylvanias seat of government. Doing so is a clear violation of our Constitution, House Majority Leader Kerry Benninghoff, R-Centre County, said in a statement.

While it is appropriate during this unique time in our history to have some limits on public access to the Capitol, the media plays an important constitutional function that keeps the public informed of what government is doing and holds us accountable, Benninghoff said. Whether todays events were deliberate or a mistake, the Wolf Administration should take every step necessary to ensure that todays denial of media access never happens again.

Pennsylvania Capital-Star reporter Stephen Caruso, a credentialed member of the media who has a Capitol access badge, said he showed up at the Ryan Office Building where House GOP members had gathered for a morning news conference to discuss their plans to prioritize the states economic recovery. Caruso said he knocked on the buildings locked front doors and a Capitol police officer approached him and said, The press isnt allowed in the building.

Im like, what? Caruso said and showed his Capitol access badge. He said I was just told by my sergeant.

Benninghoffs spokesman Jason Gottesman saw what was happening. He tried unsuccessfully to convince the officer to allow Caruso inside. Caruso decided not to force the issue with the officer and turned around and entered the building through an interior access that other reporters in attendance had used. Gottesman immediately reached out to General Services spokesman Troy Thompson for an explanation.

I was told by DGS that access to the Capitol is limited to members and staff and that press is not allowed in the building, Gottesman said. This is abhorrent. They refused to take corrective action and doubled-downed on their prohibition.

Thompson explained that typically General Services is alerted when news conferences are to be held inside and around the Capitol so space can be reserved. He said no one had contacted General Services about the House Republicans plans to hold a news conference until about 10 minutes before it was scheduled to start.

He issued a statement after speaking with PennLive that said the standard process of alerting General Services about planned news conferences is even more important to support media access during the pandemic when the building has been closed to visitors.

When Capitol Police informed the DGS press office that some reporters were asking to enter the building, we quickly looked into the situation, learned of the event and reporters were granted access within approximately 10 minutes, Thompson said. The Wolf Administration believes strongly in a free press and has never denied reporters access or prevented reporters from doing their jobs.

Representatives from one local television station were allowed in shortly after the event started while another was denied access entirely, Gottesman said.

It was just an issue of miscommunication, Thompson said. Hopefully, we can have better communication between the organizer of the event and DGS in the future to avoid mix-ups like this so we know who to let in and when.

Thompsons statement said, DGS will reach out to the caucuses to ensure that there is no confusion on the protocol that has been in place since the Capitol building was closed last spring to avoid similar delays in the future.

Melissa Melewsky, media law counsel for the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, called the miscommunication disappointing and concerning.

She said the medias role is to be the eyes and ears of the public so when the public cant because of the pandemic or whatever other reason attend a function or proceeding at the Capitol, there has to be press access. The media stands in the shoes of the general public and the First Amendment recognizes the importance of that role.

The fact there was a mix-up is unfortunate but its a good opportunity to learn and make sure it doesnt happen again, she said.

Melewsky said the incident highlights the need for better communication between General Services and those organizing events and proceedings at the Capitol.

Reporters shouldnt show up to do their job and be surprised by lack of access, she said.

Gottesman, a former Capitol reporter, said given the fact that the Capitol is closed to the public, it has not been necessary to reserve space for news conferences.

Besides, he said, Theres no reason why a co-equal branch of government needs to clear a press conference with the Wolf Administration. We dont need their sign-off to speak to the press and the press doesnt need their sign-off to gain access to the seat of government.

* This post was updated to include General Services spokesman Troy Thompsons statement provided subsequent to this story being published.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
Confronted with rampant community spread and rising coronavirus cases in its public schools, the St. John the Baptist Parish School System will revert to a "modified hybrid" system next week before going all virtual on Jan. 25, a spokesperson said.

The decision came after school leaders learned of a rash of new cases this week, spokesperson Jennifer Boquet said in an email.

"The St. John the Baptist Parish Public School District believes that the safety of our scholars, staff and families takes precedence over all," Boquet said.

For next week, the district's approximately 6,000 students will attend in person on a single day and learn online the rest of the week, Boquet said. All students will go to full-time online instruction on Jan. 25 until at least Feb. 19, she said.

Districts across the region have reported higher COVID-19 cases in the past week than they had ever reported before. The spike mirrors what is happening in communities across southeast Louisiana, as cases across age groups continue to rise quickly in the aftermath of the holidays.

In St. John, officials reported just three cases in the first week after winter break, which ended Jan. 8, and just one "close contact," or someone who was in proximity to a person who had the virus. Students were on a hybrid schedule, Boquet said.

But by Tuesday, the parish's public schools had reported seven additional cases, including one student, with 57 close contacts identified.

The news came the same day that school districts in New Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard reported the most new cases in any week since they first started publicly sharing data in September.

NOLA Public Schools, which has switched to remote learning for its 76 charter schools through at least next week, reported 96 new cases for the week ending Friday, including 41 students and 52 staff, district officials said Monday. That marks a 22% increase in the number of infected individuals compared to the week ending Dec. 17.

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

In Jefferson Parish, a spokeswoman said Tuesday there were 278 infections among students faculty and staff, and another 1,305 were quarantined. That is the highest number of cases -- though not the highest number of quarantines -- the district has reported in any single week.

Similarly, in St. Tammany public schools, cases have jumped by more than 400 since the week before Christmas, according to numbers provided by the school system.

Jefferson and St. Tammany have not announced changes their current formats. In Jefferson, pre-K to 8th graders attend school in person, while high school students follow a hybrid schedule. In St. Tammany, all students attend in person unless they have chosen a virtual option.

St. Bernard Parish Public Schools also saw a big jump in infections last week with 42 cases, according to spokesperson Alexandra Schneider. That's more than double the number of cases the district reported on Dec. 17, when there were 19 active cases. The district, however, plans to continue in-person instruction for students through 8th grade and hybrid learning at Chalmette High School.

In Plaquemines Parish, the school system reported 34 new cases over two weeks, with 262 quarantined, according to the district's nurse, Becky Amos.

Denis Rousselle, the superintendent for Plaquemines Parish schools, said the district isn't making changes right now to the schedule, which involves in-person learning for all schools except Belle Chasse High, where students are on a hybrid schedule.

But "we are monitoring everything," Rousselle said.

Officials with St. Charles Parish Public Schools didn't respond to requests for comment.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 23:51:49|Editor: huaxia

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DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities said on Wednesday they were on high alert after a warning by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on a new wave of locust swarms in neighboring Kenya.

FAO said in its latest update that new swarms of locusts spreading from northern Kenya have reached Taita-Taveta County and could reach Tanzania this month.

"We have deployed experts along Tanzania's northern border with Kenya to closely monitor the situation. The situation is so far so good," Adolf Mkenda, the Minister of Agriculture, told Xinhua by telephone.

Mkenda said experts from the ministry and other relevant bodies are at the border in order to fight off invasion of the destructive locusts.

According to FAO, the swarms of locusts from Kenya could also enter South Sudan and Uganda.

"All countries should maintain maximum efforts in conducting the necessary survey and control operations to reduce migration and breeding," said FAO. Enditem
BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua)  China is using a combination of measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 amid the latest resurgence of the virus in Beijing and provinces including Hebei, Liaoning and Heilongjiang.

The number of confirmed and asymptomatic infections of COVID-19 in north China's Hebei Province has continued to increase since the province reported a new locally transmitted confirmed case on Jan. 2. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday, a total of 326 locally transmitted confirmed cases and 234 asymptomatic cases had been reported, vice governor of Hebei Xu Jianpei said Tuesday.

The provincial capital Shijiazhuang, where more than 300 confirmed COVID-19 cases have been found since the beginning of this year, launched the second round of citywide nucleic acid testing on Tuesday, said Meng Xianghong, vice mayor of the city.

The testing is expected to take only two days, Ma Yujun, acting mayor of the city, told a press conference. There will be sufficient professional staff for sampling, information input and maintaining order at every sampling site to ensure that work is carried out in an orderly and efficient manner.

Residents register their personal information before the COVID-19 test at a community COVID-19 testing site in Qiaoxi District of Shijiazhuang, capital of north China's Hebei Province, Jan. 12, 2021. [Xinhua/Mu Yu]

On Jan. 8, a nucleic acid test laboratory named Huoyan, or Fire Eye, was built in only 10 hours and put into use in 21 hours in Shijiazhuang. It can test up to 1 million samples a day, significantly improving the city's testing capability.

"In the process of combating the epidemic, early and accurate detection is particularly important," said Du Yutao, board member of BGI Group, a Shenzhen-based biotech company which has established Huoyan labs in 16 cities across China and in 17 countries and regions across the world.

Du, together with an experienced working group sent by BGI Group, arrived in her hometown Shijiazhuang on Jan. 6.

"I don't know how to describe my feelings when I saw my hometown fall into silence," said Du. "But we have accumulated rich experience and improved testing capacity. I believe the city will surely succeed in fighting the epidemic."

Undated photo provided by Dalian Ocean University shows members of the university's anti-epidemic volunteer team delivering supplies to students' dormitory at the university in Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province. [Handout via Xinhua/Dalian Ocean University]

Elsewhere in China, the northeastern cities of Dalian and Shenyang in Liaoning Province have also conducted several rounds of citywide nucleic acid tests following a resurgence of COVID-19 cases since December last year.

"Through large-scale testing, infections can be detected at the earliest," said Zhao Lian, deputy director of the Dalian municipal health commission.

"We're carrying out scientific and accurate disinfection of the public environment in the city, including disinfection of areas which have seen resurgence of the virus and preventive disinfection of other areas," said Liang Chunbo, director of the Dalian City Administration Bureau, adding that sanitation facilities such as garbage stations shall be sterilized at least three times a day.

"After scientific research and accurate prevention and control, the epidemic situation in Dalian is currently under control," said Zhao. As of Monday, no new confirmed cases were reported in the city for six consecutive days.

The province has decided to further extend the health observation period to 28 days for all inbound travelers from abroad. In addition to the current 14-day centralized medical quarantine and seven-day home observation, the new "14+7+7" model will enforce another week of health monitoring, during which the quarantined individual must regularly report body temperature to the local community.

A medical worker inoculates a recipient with a COVID-19 vaccine at a temporary inoculation site in Haidian District in Beijing, capital of China, Jan. 11, 2021. [Xinhua/Ren Chao]

Similarly, Beijing has also extended the COVID-19 observation period for inbound travelers to 21 days following sporadic locally-transmitted cases. The capital has further laid out requirements for COVID-19 prevention and control in public transport services, including taxis and road passenger transportation.

Meanwhile, China is administering domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines to specific groups with high infection risks, including medical workers, airport staff and people handling cold-chain imported products.

Over 1 million people in Beijing had received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine as of 11 a.m. Monday. The city is expected to complete administering the first dose of the jab among specific groups by Friday.

Activities at city parks and squares have been suspended in Hebei as part of the province's efforts to tame the latest outbreak.

Upon the implementation of stricter COVID-19 prevention and control measures, Shijiazhuang has taken a raft of measures to ensure supply of staple food, as well as heating, gas and water supply, as all residents of the city have been told to stay home for two weeks since Jan. 6.

Authorities said they have arranged 59 supermarkets and over 300 convenience stores in Shijiazhuang to directly supply over 2,000 residential complexes.

About 25,000 couriers are returning to work to supply daily necessities to stay-at-home residents in the city after a second round of nucleic acid tests among couriers.

"I actually feel proud to be on the front line, to deliver the daily supplies to residents," said Yang Donghai, a 33-year-old courier. "All clients thanked me on receiving their parcels, which is more important than anything else."

(Source: Xinhua)
Police in Kisii arrested a high school student who is alleged to have stabbed two teachers on Tuesday morning.

The Form 3 student at Kisii High School is said to have arrived late to class when his teacher, Edwin Mokaya, questioned his lateness. The teacher took the student to the staff room and told him to kneel down as punishment.

Instead, the learner took a knife and attacked the teacher, stabbing him n the forehead, back, and legs.

A second teacher, Elvis Maoto, tried to stop the attack but he fell victim to the students wrath. Maoto sustained minor injuries in the wrist.

The teachers were rushed to Ram Hospital in Kisii for treatment. The facilitys administrator, Enock Abob, said one of the teachers sustained deep cuts and is in critical condition.

Police Commander Jebel Munene said the student is in custody at Kisii Police Station awaiting arraignment as investigations continue.


Actually, he was forced out and Democratic Party reps want him kicked out of the state house as well.



Read more . . .
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Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

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Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

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Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

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Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

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Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

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Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

Karabakh President receives multiple Guinness record setter Ashot Khanoyan

Opposition Prosperous Armenia Party submits electoral list to Central Electoral Commission

Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Springfield Museums present Voices of Resilience: The Intersection of Women on the Move through March 14. Voices of Resilience celebrates the intersecting lives of women in Massachusetts and beyond who have changed the course of history. Through highlights of diverse "hidden figures" and narratives, this exhibition explores the collaborative and interconnected stories of social, educational, and cultural change as defined by women, women of color, and others on the move to a more inclusive and just world. The exhibit was created by guest curator Janine Fondon, Bay Path Assistant Professor and Chair of Undergraduate Communication aided by project scholars, Dr. Demetria Shabazz, and Dr. Lucie K. Lewis.

"This exhibit takes an inclusive look at women's history through highlights from the experiences of women and particularly women of color," said Fondon.

The Springfield Museums partnered with Fondon as a natural progression in the Museums' ongoing mission to be relevant to all. "Bringing light to the many hidden histories of women who fought for change helps us all understand a more complete narrative of American history. The Museums value exploring these stories," said Kay Simpson, President and CEO of the Springfield Museums.

Visitors to the exhibit will see an inclusive timeline of women's diverse history unfold with highlights and photos that provide new context to our knowledge about both women's rights and civil rights.

Exhibition scholar Dr. Demetria Rougeaux Shabazz, who is a communication scholar and President of Amherst Media's Board of Directors, notes that the exhibit presents an opportunity to learn about the dynamic ways that women, especially women of color in Western Massachusetts, have pushed passed challenges and created enduring legacies: "From Elizabeth 'Mum Bett' Freeman to Dr. Ruth Loving, this exhibition invites us to see women on the move for freedom and justice."

"It is an honor to be a part of this powerful exhibit," said Dr. Lucie Lewis, project scholar. "Remembering the shoulders on which we stand and discovering the spirit that guided their journey emboldens each of us to embrace the work that remains yet to be done."

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The IceBot is just a concept right now, with some structural parts made of ice. Credit: GRASP Lab

Some of the most tantalizing targets in space exploration are frozen ice worlds. Take Jupiter's moon Europa, for instance. Its warm, salty subsurface ocean is buried under a moon-wide sheet of ice. What's the best way to explore it?

Maybe an ice robot could play a role.

Though the world's space agenciesespecially NASAare getting better and better at building robots to explore places like Mars, those robots have limitations. Perhaps chief among those limitations is the possibility of breakdown. Once a rover on Marsor somewhere even more distantbreaks down, it's game over. There's no feasible way to repair something like MSL Curiosity if it breaks down while exploring the Martian surface.

But what if the world being explored was a frozen one, and the robot was made of ice? Could icy robots perform self-repair, even in a limited fashion? Could they actually be manufactured and assembled there, even partly?

A recent paper titled "Robots Made From Ice: An Analysis of Manufacturing Techniques" explored that possibility. The paper was presented at the 2020 IEEE (Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers) International Conference on Robotics and Systems. Devin Carroll and Mark Yim wrote it. Carroll is a Ph.D. robotics student at the University of Pennsylvania, and Yim is the Director of the Grasp Lab and a professor of mechanical engineering at the same institution.

The entire robot wouldn't be made of ice, obviously. But some of the structure could be. The idea is centered around a modular design that could self-repair or even self-replicate and could be completed in-situ after deployment, once terrain obstacles and the details of the mission's tasks were better understood.

In their abstract, the two authors write, "The ice allows for increased flexibility in the system design, enabling the robotic structure to be designed and built post-deployment after tasks and terrain obstacles have been better identified and analyzed."

Obviously, there are a lot of problems and obstacles with this potential technology. But that's how they all begin.

The pair of authors make it clear that this is preliminary work. "The authors explore a structure-driven approach to examine compatible manufacturing processes with an emphasis on conserving process energies," they write. "A mobile robotic platform made from ice is presented as a proof of concept and first demonstration."

The idea is centered on a two-wheeled rover named Icebot. Icebot is based on the design for Antarctic rovers and has structural elements made of ice.

In their work, the pair of authors performed experiments to explore the whole idea. The work was based on two assumptions:

The robot will be operating in sub-zero temperatures, and all of their calculations are based on average yearly temperatures at McMurdo station in Antarctica.

Blocks of ice are readily available.

Their paper also presents three general design principles.

Components need to be designed to manage heat.

All electronics, actuators and power sources must be isolated from melting.

The ideal method to shape the ice components of the robot depends on the final volume of the part relative to the volume that must be removed from a raw slab of ice.

There's another overarching condition in all of this, too. For robots operating on other worlds, energy is a precious commodity. Each mission has an energy budget that is meticulously managed. Take the Voyager spacecraft, for example. Their impressive longevity is due at least in part to extremely scrupulous use of energy. So the amount of energy an ice robot uses to manufacture and build itself is critical.

With those conditions in mind, the researchers came up with some interesting ideas.

First of all, the entire scenario would likely involve not a single robot but a pair, operating in tandem. One unit would be the primary exploration vehicle, and the other would be kind of like a mother ship and would have the manufacturing and repair capabilities.

In an interview with the IEEE Spectrum, Devin Carroll explained what this might look like. "When I think of an arctic (or planetary) exploration robot that incorporates self-modification or repair capabilities I envision a system with two types of robotsthe first explores the environment and collects materials needed to perform self-augmentation or repair, and the second is some sort of manipulator/manufacturing system. We can envision the exploration class of robot returning to a centralized location with a request for a plow or some other augmentation and the manufacturing system will be able to attach the augmentation directly to the robot."

The researchers tested an open flame as a method to melt holes in the ice for the robots actuator to be put into. Left: A butane torch is used to melt a hole in the ice blank. Right: A heat map (in degrees C) of the butane torch and ice blank. Credit: Carroll and Yim, 2020

The pair of scientists performed some tests to flesh out their ideas. They looked at different ways of manipulating ice. For manufacturing, they looked at molding, where ice would first be melted then poured into a mold to be shaped. They also looked at 3-D printing, and machining. Each method has its pros and cons, and each one has different energy requirements.

They also looked at actuator integration. As explained, actuators themselves can't be made of ice. Actuators are exposed to different stresses, ice can't handle it. So the integration of the actuators with components made of ice is a critical operation.

They experimented with four different ways of integrating actuators:

Mechanical carving with something like a chisel.

Melting a hole for the actuator with open flame.

Creating a hole for the actuator with a heated metal rod.

Cutting, for example, with a hole saw.

Each of the methods has their strengths and weaknesses. Each one also has its own energy requirements. The table below presents the energy required for each method to create a mounting pocket for the actuator, and to freeze it into place.

Since this is preliminary work, the team didn't reach any permanent conclusions. But their experiments exposed some pitfalls that will need to be overcome if in-situ ice manufacturing and repair is ever going to be implemented effectively.

They found that the surface area of the attachment is critical for success, which isn't a surprise. In a nutshell, a larger surface area in the joint is better, and helps the ice resist stresses due to torque and other forces. Ice thickness was also an issue, which is also not surprising.

The authors sum up their work in the paper's conclusion. "This work is a step toward a lightweight, adaptable robotic system capable of operation in subzero environments. This system lends itself to self-reconfiguration, self-replication and self-repair," they write.

"To push toward the development of automated methods for creation and assembly of this system we plan to pursue a joint module that can be easily integrated with passive blocks of ice," they write. That would make the IceBot system simpler and more modular.

They also explained what the future holds for their IceBot concept: "Additional future work includes: determining a general class of surface on which this system can move, methods of using ice elements to interact with the environment, and further investigation into the strength limits of the connections between actuators and the ice."

In the Spectrum IEEE interview, Carroll also talked about what's next for their IceBot efforts and emphasized the need for modularity. "My immediate focus is on designing a modular joint we can use to easily and securely join actuators with blocks of ice as well as working to develop an end effector that will allow us to manipulate blocks of ice without permanently deforming them via screw holes or other, similar connection methods."

There's a lot of work to be done before any ice robotics technology can be implemented. But it's a tantalizing development, and Europa and Enceladus are waiting. Agencies like NASA are taking a close look at in-situ resources for their missions to the Moon and to Mars.

Ice is common in the solar system. Space is frigid, and many bodies are covered in ice. Could an in-situ IceBot be in the future?

Explore further Popcorn robotics: Cornell team explored heated kernels

More information: Robots Made From Ice: An Analysis of Manufacturing Techniques. 2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). Robots Made From Ice: An Analysis of Manufacturing Techniques. 2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). ras.papercept.net/images/temp/IROS/files/2114.pdf
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On a day Manitoba saw fewer than 100 new COVID-19 cases, the federal government announced it will receive an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the spring.

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On a day Manitoba saw fewer than 100 new COVID-19 cases, the federal government announced it will receive an additional 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in the spring.

"We were obviously very happy to hear about the increase in doses that will be available through the federal government," said Dr. Joss Reimer, a medical officer of health with Manitoba Health and Seniors Care and a member of Manitobas COVID-19 Vaccine Implementation Task Force.

"We will be increasing our roll up to meet whatever amount of doses are available to us. We will redo the numbers and be sure that we have estimates available once we have more clarification from the government about what allotment we can expect to receive from them."

Reimer said at the Tuesday briefing for the press the task force is working on the numbers, but she did not disclose those numbers.

Roughly 3,500 doses are being shipped to Brandon to launch the vaccination site at the Keystone Centre, set to open Jan. 18. Following that, portions of weekly shipments will be allocated to Brandon based on supply and demand.

A spokesperson for the province confirmed 67 new people have been hired to staff the site.

"We have projected the number of staff for the first few weeks of the super site in Brandon. Some staff will have been reassigned from the region and others will be new hires," the spokesperson stated by email.

"We expect to need 44 immunizers, 44 navigators, seven clinical leads, seven observers and two clinic managers by the end of March. This may be adjusted as people are placed in their new roles and on the volume of immunizations scheduled," a provincial spokesperson told The Brandon Sun late Monday.

When asked what lessons have been learned at Winnipegs super site that would make the Brandon site more effective, Reimer spoke of navigators.

"The team there has been incredibly successful in setting up a very efficient and safe clinic. Theres so many lessons learned that we could potentially share with Brandon. Some of the things that have worked particularly well are the navigators that they have set up to assist people to move through the clinic in a way that is safe and keeping them separate from other people attending the clinic," Reimer said.

"The storage has worked quite well for the vaccine on site. Weve had great supervision of our immunizers so that when they do have questions or concerns, theres always somebody available to provide them with that backup and that expertise to ensure that they are able to provide the vaccine in a safe mechanism for all of the people coming through the clinic."

Individuals hired to work in Brandon will train and work in Brandon. The in-person component of training is being delivered at Assiniboine Community College.

Immunizations at personal care homes in the Prairie Mountain Health region are set to begin later this week and will be done by existing regional staff or personal care home staff, the spokesperson stated.

"The sites medical director or nurse practitioner writes an order for the vaccine if appropriate, after considering the patients medical history. The (personal care home) is then responsible for obtaining consent from the resident or alternate decision-maker," they stated.

Reimer said the vaccine implementation task force is trying to use all the vaccine it has available, and not holding doses back for the required second shot.

The Sun will tour the Keystone Centre site today. Premier Brian Pallister and Minister of Health and Seniors Care Heather Stefanson are scheduled to attend the site.

 mletourneau@brandonsun.com

 Michele LeTourneau covers Indigenous matters for The Brandon Sun under the Local Journalism Initiative, a federally funded program that supports the creation of original civic journalism.

The COVID-19 update from the province on Tuesday saw eight additional deaths listed, including one patient from the Prairie Mountain Health region  a female in her 70s linked to the McCreary/Alonsa Health Centre outbreak.

The province reported 92 new cases. The new cases are as follows:

- nine cases in the InterlakeEastern health region;

- nine cases in the Northern health region;

- 22 in the Prairie Mountain Health region;

- eight cases in the Southern HealthSante Sud health region; and

- 44 cases in the Winnipeg health region.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate was 10.1 per cent in the province, and 8.4 per cent in Winnipeg.

Lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba total 26,540, with 748 deaths or 2.82 per cent. One death was removed yesterday due to a data error.

There are currently 3,100 active cases in the province, with 22,692 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.

The province also reported 138 people are in hospital with active COVID-19, as well as 164 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 302 hospitalizations.

Twenty-one people are in intensive care units with active COVID-19, as well as 14 people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care, for a total of 35 ICU patients.

In the Prairie Mountain Health region, there are 214 active cases, with 1,482 recovered. There are 14 people hospitalized, with no patients in ICU, and a total of 41 deaths.

Brandons active case count is 66, with 782 recovered and 19 deaths.

Sunday, 1,368 tests were completed, for a total of 441,905 since February.

 Source: Province of Manitoba

PRAIRIE MOUNTAIN HEALTH OUTBREAK NUMBERS

As of Jan. 11, the status of COVID-19 outbreaks in Prairie Mountain Health was as follows:

 Brandon Correctional Centre: 108 total cases, 18 staff infected, 90 non-staff infected, one active case, 107 recovered, zero death.

 McCreary/Alonsa Health Centre: 42 total cases, 14 staff infected, 28 non-staff infected, 40 active cases, zero recovered, two death.

 Fairview Personal Care Home: 109 total cases, 41 staff infected, 68 non-staff infected, 0 active cases, 92 recovered, 17 deaths.

 Gilbert Plains Personal Care Home: 42 total cases, 18 staff infected, 24 residents infected, one active case, 32 recovered, nine deaths.

 Grandview Personal Care Home: 37 total cases, 12 staff infected, 25 residents infected, one active cases, 31 recovered, five deaths.

Note: An outbreak is considered over one incubation period (14 days) after the final active case.

 Source: Province of Manitoba

COVID-19 ENFORCEMENT UPDATE

The province reported that between Jan. 4 and 10 a total of 249 warnings and 48 tickets were issued, including:

 33 $1,296 tickets to individuals for various offences;

 eight tickets to individuals for failure to wear a mask in indoor public places; and

 six $5,000 tickets to businesses.

Twenty-two of the 33 $1,296 tickets issued last week were in relation to gatherings in private residences that were reported through the COVID Tip Line.

Since enforcement efforts began in April, a total of 2,211 warnings and 720 tickets have been issued, resulting in more than $1 million in fines to businesses and individuals.

The province advised that as Manitoba continues to enjoy unseasonably warm January temperatures, enforcement will maintain an ongoing presence at outdoor recreational venues to ensure compliance with public health orders. People are reminded to practice the fundamentals. Do not gather in groups of more than five and maintain a separation of at least two metres unless you reside at the same residence.

 Source: Province of Manitoba

Congress and federal agencies have been slow or unwilling to address warnings about cybersecurity, shelving recommendations that are considered high priority while investing in programs that have fallen short.

The massive cyber-attack by suspected Russian hackers, disclosed in December, came after years of warnings from a watchdog group and cybersecurity experts. For instance, the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, which was created by Congress to come up with strategies to thwart sizable cyber-attacks, presented a set of recommendations to Congress in March that included additional safeguards to ensure more trusted supply chains.

By then, the alleged Russian hackers may have already breached the government's software supply chain, in a brazen attack that targeted federal agencies, technology giants including Microsoft Corp. and cybersecurity companies. U.S. officials said the attack, which was disclosed in December 2020, is ongoing; investigators haven't yet revealed the extent of the damage.

"The fact is that we have known for a long time that the government is vulnerable," said Cristina Chaplain, a former director at the Government Accountability Office, which has been harshly critical of U.S. government cybersecurity. "A lot of people had a sense that we were still vulnerable to something like this happening."

The GAO has studied government cybersecurity practices and issued approximately 3,000 recommendations in the last decade that agencies could implement to make their networks more secure. Of those, nearly 20% haven't been fully addressed, including 75 of the highest priority recommendations, according to a September report.

A more recent GAO report, in December, identified seven basic steps that agencies could take to manage risks specifically related to the digital supply chain -- such as developing a process for reviewing suppliers to avoid buying insecure software -- and found that these steps were barely practiced across 23 government agencies. In the recent attack, the suspected Russian hackers installed malicious code into software from Texas-based SolarWinds Corp., which is widely used by government agencies and private sector companies to manage computer networks.

It's hard to know whether the Solarium's recommendations -- some of which were approved by Congress on Jan. 1 as part of the National Defense Authorization Act -- would have thwarted such a sophisticated cyber-attack had they been put in place sooner. But Rep. Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin who co-chairs the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, said, "The federal government would have at least detected this sooner and been able to mitigate the damage much more quickly."

Cybersecurity in the U.S. government is divided among several agencies, but protection of computer networks in civilian agencies is largely left to the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, known as CISA, and the agencies themselves.

"Upon learning of this cyber campaign in mid-December, CISA immediately began working to understand the scope of the campaign, share information and detections and assist compromised entities with remediation," Brandon Wales, the acting director of CISA, said in a statement. "We released an emergency cyber directive to help federal agencies identify whether their networks were exposed to this activity, and within 72 hours of release, 100% of the identified affected devices were taken offline."

Wales added that agency heads are responsible for securing their systems, while CISA's role is to "understand enterprise-wide cybersecurity risk and ensure that technical information, detections and remediation guidance are shared swiftly and broadly."

The warnings about cybersecurity risks, and missed opportunities to improve defenses, date back to at least 2003.

That year, the U.S. government offered a free software update management system to civilian agencies to track software updates constantly peppering their networks -- and checking for vulnerabilities. Congress approved $11 million for the system, which was built by private contractors. But there were few takers, so the program, known as Patch Authentication and Dissemination Capability, eventually folded, according to Jim Jaeger, a former brigadier general in the U.S. Air Force who was then vice president of cybersecurity at Veridian Corp., one of two companies contracted to build PADC.

"The question is, if the PADC system still existed, how would it have evolved to keep up with today's threat environment?" Jaeger said. "That it died is indicative of a lack of focus on a problem that security experts have warned about for 15 to 20 years. We have been concerned that the patch update process could become a vector for large-scale attacks."

The same year, in response to a growing number of cyber-attacks, the Department of Homeland Security created the first iteration of a cybersecurity defense system known as Einstein to detect potential intrusions in government networks. Billions of dollars have been spent on Einstein, which the agency describes as the cyber equivalent to a surveillance and alarm system in a government facility.

But for years GAO has warned about problems with Einstein, foreshadowing its apparent failure to detect the SolarWinds hack. In a 2016 report, GAO found that the system was only "partially" meeting its objectives and made nine recommendations for improving Einstein. But two years later, GAO concluded that DHS had "not taken sufficient actions to ensure that it successfully mitigates cybersecurity risks on federal and private-sector computer systems and networks." In a December 2018 report, GAO found that eight of the recommendations hadn't been fully implemented.

A CISA official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Einstein's success depends on information sharing. Once indicators of the recent attack were shared by the private sector, Einstein was used to identify compromised government networks and notify agencies. The official added that, to the knowledge of CISA officials, no threat intrusion detection or prevention system in existence had found the attackers, who had been in systems since at least March.

In 2015, the federal government launched a "30-day cybersecurity sprint" after Chinese hackers pulled off an audacious cyber-attack, stealing detailed personal information on 22 million Americans from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

Tony Scott, who served as the U.S. chief information officer at the time and led the effort, said the cybersecurity flaws that were identified afterward were vast and included vulnerabilities in the digital supply chain. But Scott -- who currently leads a private sector security practice -- said that even some of the most basic protocols were missing, so his 2015 effort focused on such things as two-factor authentication, updating systems to include security patches and guarding who had privileged access to critical systems. "It was like patching a leaky roof. We plugged the holes on a temporary basis," he said in an interview.

For Scott's office, the sprint was intended as a first step to mitigate imminent danger, not a solution that could prevent cyber-attacks in the years to come. But, following the immediate aftermath of the Chinese hack, cybersecurity improvements lost their urgency in Congress and subsequent steps fell short, he said. For example, his office requested $3 billion in funding to replace old insecure government systems -- a "patchwork" system forming the "ultimate vulnerability" for U.S. cybersecurity -- but Congress has, to date, only appropriated a fraction of this amount, he said.

However, some improvements in cybersecurity in recent years have given members of the Solarium and GAO cause for cautious optimism. For example, CISA became its own agency within DHS in 2018 -- a reorganization that elevated the importance of cybersecurity within the U.S. government.

Another area of progress, officials and lawmakers say, is the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, which gave CISA additional authority to test government networks for weaknesses and called for the establishment of a National Cyber Director within the executive branch to coordinate security across the government. These were key priorities for the Solarium, according to Mark Montgomery, the Solarium's executive director, who is also a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

However, the 25 Solarium recommendations passed as part of the defense bill didn't include its major proposals for upgrading digital supply chain security.

"The Solarium wanted to be the 9/11 Commission without the 9/11," said Gallagher. "What SolarWinds reveals is that it's September 10th in cyberspace, and we are vulnerable."
Instead of rolling out the red carpet for visitors, Washington is rolling it up as threats of armed protests darken an inauguration that was already set to be severely curtailed by the pandemic.

The Washington Monument is closed for two weeks. A suspension on museum visits and indoor dining has been extended. And the mayor of Washington and the governors of Virginia and Maryland have joined forces in discouraging people from traveling to attend the inauguration.

Tourism officials are echoing those calls.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser and President-elect Biden's Presidential Inaugural Committee "have made it clear that it's for everyone's benefit to stay home and celebrate inauguration virtually in light of the unprecedented attack on American democracy last week and ongoing threat to our country as outlined by the FBI," said Elliott L. Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, in a statement.

Inaugural organizers have been discouraging travel to the event since December because of the raging pandemic, and last week's riot inside the US Capitol and the potential for additional violence have cemented the guidance that spectators are safer at home.

Bowser, Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia and Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland issued a joint advisory on Monday urging would-be attendees to stay home, citing the events at the Capitol and the pandemic.

"We are taking the extraordinary step of encouraging Americans not to come to Washington, D.C., and to instead participate virtually," the statement says.

Closures in DC

The National Park Service closed the Washington Monument to visitors on Monday through January 24, citing threats from the groups behind the Capitol riot to "disrupt the 59th presidential inauguration."

The Park Service said it also "may institute temporary closures of public access to roadways, parking areas and restrooms within the National Mall and Memorial Parks if conditions warrant, to protect public safety and park resources."

A Covid-related suspension on museum visits and indoor dining was extended by Bowser through January 22. This order was initially meant to expire on January 15.

Bowser told reporters on December 23 that she did not expect to extend that date, because the three-week period was meant to be an "intervention interval" to curb coronavirus cases over the holidays.

On Monday, Bowser told reporters that the public safety emergency was factoring into her decision.

A local push to limit lodging rentals

A campaign with the hashtag #DontRentDC has bubbled up on Twitter urging locals to forgo renting properties on sites such as Airbnb and VRBO to avoid housing people who might have violent intentions.

"There's no way to guarantee that your guests are not coming to incite violence," said newly elected DC councilmember Janeese Lewis George in a tweet on Monday. "The potential threats publicized by news outlets are very alarming. Please protect your neighbors and the District from more attacks. #DontRentDC"

Airbnb announced that it will try to ban Capitol rioters from inauguration stays as part of a Capitol Safety Plan. The company said it will review all Washington-area reservations, and anyone associated with a hate group will have their reservation canceled and be banned from Airbnb.

The Hotel Association of Washington, DC didn't respond to requests for comment about bookings for the upcoming inauguration, but presidential inaugurations typically bring a lot of business to the district.

According to data from hospitality analysis firm STR, hotel occupancy for President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017 was at 96.3% and occupancy for former President Barack Obama's first inauguration in 2009 was at 96.8%.

"Inauguration is typically a shot in the arm for the DC economy, when visitors come and stay in hotels, eat in restaurants and experience the city in addition to celebrating the incoming president," said Destination DC's Ferguson.

"Given the current pandemic and security threats, as well as indoor dining and museums and attractions closed, we don't expect inauguration to have the economic impact it normally would generate."
By David Morgan and Richard Cowan

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the U.S. House of Representatives moved on Wednesday toward a vote on impeaching President Donald Trump, Republican leaders in the Senate weighed whether to launch a trial on Friday on whether to remove him from office, a source familiar with the deliberations said, though no final decision was reached.

The internal Senate discussions were unfolding as the Democratic-controlled House sped toward impeaching the president for his role in last week's siege of the U.S. Capitol, when Trump supporters breached the building's security, sent lawmakers fleeing and left five dead in their wake, including a police officer.

The House was due to consider a single article of impeachment - a formal charge - of inciting an insurrection, who is due to leave office in one week. If the House approves it, Trump would become the first president impeached twice. National Guard troops and police provided security at the Capitol.

Under the U.S. Constitution, impeachment in the House would trigger a trial in the Senate on whether to oust the president. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell had previously suggested no trial could begin until the Senate was scheduled to be back in regular session on Jan. 19, only a day before Trump's term ends and Democratic President-elect Joe Biden is due to be sworn in.

Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, have pressured McConnell to agree to bring the Senate back under emergency circumstances to take up Trump's impeachment before he leaves office.

At least five Republicans have said they would join Democrats in supporting impeachment, although just seven days remain for a Senate trial to expel Trump from office. If the Democratic-led House approves it, Trump would become the first president impeached twice.

"The president of the United States instigated an attempted coup in this country," Democratic Representative Jim McGovern said on the House floor. "If this is not an impeachable offense, I don't know what the hell is."

Some Republicans made speeches urging the House not to impeach Trump in the interest in promoting national healing.

"Instead of moving forward as a unifying force, the majority in the House is choosing to divide us further," Oklahoma Republican Tom Cole said on the House floor. "... Let us look forward, not backward. Let us come together, not apart. Let us celebrate the peaceful transition of power to a new president rather than impeaching an old president," Cole added.

Cole was one of 139 House Republicans who voted against certifying the Nov. 3 presidential election results on Jan. 6, hours after the violence, after the Republican president repeated his false claims of widespread voting fraud.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, the No. 2 Democrat, said Democrats intended to send the impeachment charge, once approved, to the Senate "as soon as possible," and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi named nine impeachment managers who would present the House's case during a Senate trial.

The extraordinary swiftness with which Democrats were moving reflects the ongoing danger that Trump poses to national security, according to top Democrats. It also increases pressure on McConnell to consider holding an immediate trial.

If Trump is impeached, a two-thirds majority of the Republican-led Senate is needed to convict him, meaning at least 17 Republicans in the 100-member chamber would have to find him guilty.

Hoyer told reporters he expected between 10 and 20 House Republicans to vote for impeachment on Wednesday.

Washington is on high alert ahead of Biden's inauguration. Numerous National Guard troops were on hand and some service members wearing fatigues, with weapons at hand, could be seen sleeping inside the Capitol building on Wednesday ahead of the session.

The House convened just after 9 a.m. (1400 GMT) in the same chamber where lawmakers hid under chairs last Wednesday as rioters clashed with police in the halls of the Capitol, after a incendiary speech in which Trump urged supporters to march on the building.

House Republicans who opposed the impeachment drive argued Democrats were rushing to judgment for political reasons and argued for the creation of a commission to study the events surrounding the siege.

Republican Representative Jason Smith accused Democrats of acting recklessly and urged the House not to impeach Trump in order to help "heal the nation."

SOME REPUBLICAN SUPPORT

Democrats moved forward on an impeachment vote after Vice President Mike Pence rejected an effort to persuade him to invoke the 25th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution to remove Trump.

Trump's actions have weakened his iron grip on the party. At least five House Republicans, including Liz Cheney, a member of her party's leadership team, said they would vote for his second impeachment - a prospect no president before Trump has faced.

Republicans Jaime Herrera Beutler, John Katko, Adam Kinzinger and Fred Upton also said they supported impeachment.

In a break from standard procedure, Republican leaders in the House have refrained from urging their members to vote against impeaching Trump, saying it was a matter of individual conscience.

The New York Times reported that McConnell was said to be pleased about the impeachment push.

The House previously voted to impeach Trump in December 2019 on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress stemming from his request that Ukraine investigate Biden and his son Hunter ahead of the election, as Democrats accused him of soliciting foreign interference to smear a domestic political rival. The Republican-led Senate in February 2020 voted to keep Trump in office.

Wednesday's article of impeachment accused Trump of "incitement of insurrection," saying he provoked violence against the U.S. government in a speech to thousands of supporters near the White House shortly before the Capitol siege. The article also cited Trump's Jan. 2 phone call asking a Georgia official to "find" votes to overturn Biden's victory in the state.

In his first public appearance since last Wednesday's riot, Trump showed no contrition on Tuesday for his speech shortly before the siege.

"What I said was totally appropriate," Trump told reporters.

Democrats could also use an impeachment trial to push through a vote blocking Trump from running for office again.

Only a simple Senate majority is needed to disqualify Trump from future office, but there is disagreement among legal experts as to whether an impeachment conviction is required first.

(Reporting by David Morgan and Richard Cowan; Additional reporting by Susan Cornwell, Doina Chiacu and Susan Heavey; Writing by Joseph Ax and James Oliphant; Editing by Will Dunham, Scott Malone and Chizu Nomiyama)
Assistant Professor of Journalism Angela McClister, along with Registered Nursing program Instructors Ashely Thiers and Brittany Williams were named 2020-21 Faculty Chairs of Excellence by Chattanooga State Community College.



Ms. McClister is an assistant professor of journalism in the Business Divisions Digital Media Design and Production program. Her primary teaching duties include courses in journalism, social media and media law. In addition, she serves as faculty adviser to Chattanooga States student newspaper, The Communicator, while also serving as State Adviser for the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature (TISL) Media section.



Our partnership with Chattanooga State goes back several years in recognizing the wonderful educators at Chattanooga State with this First Horizon Business Chair of Excellence, states Jay Dale, market president of First Horizon Bank. On behalf of First Horizon, we congratulate Angela as the First Horizon Business Chair of Excellence for a second year in a row.



Chattanooga State is well known for its outstanding Registered Nursing program and the high quality of its graduates, notes Rachel Harris, interim senior vice president and chief nursing executive at Erlanger Health System, who adds that Erlanger is proud that Chattanooga State was recently recognized as the top nursing program in the state by Nursing Schools Almanac.



The recipient of the 2020-21 Erlanger Chair of Excellence for Adults was awarded to Ms. Thiers, while the 2020-21 Erlanger Chair of Excellence for Children was awarded to Ms. Williams.



Both of this years recipients of the Erlanger Nursing Chair of Excellence go above and beyond in their daily responsibilities while also focusing on patient safety and continuous quality improvement, and we are proud to be able to honor and support two outstanding nursing educators, shares Ms. Harris.



The Chattanooga State Foundation Chairs of Excellence program is designed to support and recognize outstanding educators who advance their respective field to their students, the community, and their profession.

We are incredibly grateful to Erlanger and First Horizon for continuing to support faculty excellence at Chattanooga State, adds Nancy Patterson, vice president of College Advancement and Public Relations.
President Donald Trump's Tuesday visit to Alamo, Texas, a border town, had a lot of people making a San Antonio connection, including the Texas Department of Transportation.

Speculation and social media swirled ahead of the outgoing president's visit to the Hidalgo County section of the border wall. Communication from Alamo officials saying they were never notified of the event intensified jokes that maybe Trump intended to go to the Alamo, the historic mission in downtown San Antonio. Some circled back to the questionable November Philadelphia press conference hosted by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal attorney, which took place at Four Seasons Total Landscaping. The rather random site led many to believe the Trump administration meant to book the Four Seasons hotel, but flubbed and got the wrong address.

RELATED: ICYMI: Twitter apparently needed a geography lesson ahead of President Trump's visit to Alamo

The debacle steamrolled into the Texas trip.

"If you mistakenly find yourself in San Antonio, TX when you were supposed to be in Alamo, TX. Not to worry, its just a straight 3-4 hour drive south," the government agency tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

TxDOT fleshed out the quip with a link to the website for residents to stay up-to-date on road conditions throughout the state and a gif of country music legend George Strait.

The department's zaniness is not uncommon. Drivers often see the jokes on full display via digital highway signs across the state which usually coincide with either holidays, large events or Texas pride, but always urge road safety.

Trump ended up arriving in Alamo, the town not the landmark, minutes after TxDOT's tweet. His remarks focused largely on his immigration crackdown efforts. He made a pandemic connection to the wall as well. He used racially charged comments, like the "China virus" in crediting the wall for keeping COVID-19 cases in Mexico from entering the U.S. The United States continues to lead the world in COVID-19 cases, with Texas as the No. 2 state in total cases.

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye
San Francisco City Administrator Naomi Kelly, the citys highest-ranking nonelected official, will resign Feb. 1, she told Mayor London Breed on Tuesday, weeks after federal prosecutors implicated her husband in an expanding City Hall corruption scandal.

Kelly started a six-week leave of absence last month to focus on her family after prosecutors charged her husband, former San Francisco Public Utilities Commission chief Harlan Kelly, with accepting bribes from a contractor.

Prosecutors have not charged Naomi Kelly with a crime. The criminal complaint against her husband alleges she attended a 2016 family vacation that federal investigators believe was intended as a bribe for Harlan Kelly.

In a letter Tuesday to Breed, Naomi Kelly said she was stepping down in light of the recent allegations, based on the false statements of an admitted liar.

The statement is a reference to Walter Wong, a construction company executive and permit consultant who has pleaded guilty to his role in a pay-to-play scheme and has since implicated Harlan Kelly, according to federal investigators.

Naomi Kelly said she was deeply saddened to resign while her office leads the citys logistical response efforts to the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, I know that this is the right decision for San Francisco, for my family, and especially for my two children who have been devastated by these allegations, she wrote.

First appointed in 2012 by then-Mayor Ed Lee, Naomi Kelly will become the fifth city department head to step down or resign amid an expanding City Hall corruption scandal.

Naomi Kelly oversees 25 departments, approximately 2,700 employees and an annual budget of nearly $750 million.

In her letter, she listed her accomplishments, recalling how she climbed the ranks from legislative analyst to city administrator and became the first African American and first woman to serve in the role.

Without specifically addressing her husbands case, Naomi Kelly suggested in her letter that she would deny any wrongdoing.

Public service is ... a sacred trust and a sacred task, a profound responsibility, she said. And make no mistake, I have held up my end of this covenant.

Harlan Kellys attorney has denied the allegations and vowed to take the case to trial.

Officials with Breeds office did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday evening.

Deputy City Administrator Ken Bukowski assumed the role as acting city administrator last month when Naomi Kelly took leave and will continue to head the department. Breed will later nominate a successor, who will then need to be confirmed by the Board of Supervisors.

Naomi Kelly is the latest person to fall in a multipronged bribery scheme that was first made public last year with the arrest of former San Francisco Public Works Director Mohammed Nuru. Nuru, who resigned in February, was charged with fraud in connection with an alleged attempt to bribe an airport commissioner.

The case touched off what has since been a dizzying web of allegations involving top-ranking city officials and contractors bidding for lucrative city work.

Harlan Kelly resigned as the general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission in November after the FBI raided his and Naomi Kellys home, and prosecutors charged him with accepting bribes.

Along with the Kellys and Nuru, the scandal has also prompted the departures of Tom Hui, former Department of Building Inspection director accused of accepting gifts and meals from Wong, and Sandra Zuniga, former Fix-It director charged with money laundering.

The case against Harlan Kelly centered around Wong, a construction company executive and permit consultant who ran or controlled multiple entities doing business with San Francisco.

Officials said Wong paid for an expensive family vacation to Hong Kong for the Kellys in 2016, a tab that included jewelry, meals, plane tickets and hotel rooms. At the same time, Wong was seeking a multimillion-dollar contract from the PUC to renovate city streetlights.

While prosecutors did not level allegations against Naomi Kelly in the complaint against her husband, officials suggested that she may have misled investigators who interviewed her about the trip.

Naomi Kelly told FBI agents that she paid Wong a lot of money for the trip, a claim not backed up by the Kellys bank records, the complaint states.

Harlan Kelly had also tapped Wong for renovation work on the couples Inner Sunset property. Brian Getz, Harlan Kellys attorney, previously told The Chronicle that his client paid fair market value for this work  if anything, he may have been overcharged by Mr. Wongs firm.

Wong has been cooperating with the federal government and has since pleaded guilty to conspiracies to commit honest services fraud and money laundering.

Harlan Kelly is free on a $200,000 bond while awaiting trial. His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 2.

Megan Cassidy and Dominic Fracassa are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: megan.cassidy@sfchronicle.com; dfracassa@sfchronicle.com
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
The Affiliate of the Year award is the highest form of recognition RAPV can bestow on an affiliate member, according to the group. It is given based on a member's activities within RAPV, community service outside the association and business activity. A RAPV member since 2016, Welch has served on the group's Community Service, Affiliate-Realtor  and Government Affairs committees.

"I'm delighted to be recognized with this award," Welch said. "RAPV is a great organization and I enjoy serving on its committees. In particular, I like working with the Community Service committee to help those in need in western Massachusetts."

"Michele has demonstrated a tremendous amount of support to the association with her community outreach. She has volunteered in RAPV's community service efforts through fundraising, shelter support, taking the lead in supporting the Shriners hospital blanket project, and has been heavily involved with Revitalize CDC," RAPV said in a statement on the award.

Welch volunteers with numerous organizations, including Revitalize CDC, which performs critical repairs, modifications and rehabilitations in Hampshire county on the homes and non-profit facilities of low-income families with children, the elderly, military veterans and people with special needs. Welch also volunteers for Habit for Humanity and is a member of the Women Business Owner's Alliance, the Breakfast Club Networking Group and a supporter of the Western Massachusetts Area Labor Federation.

In August of 2020, Welch worked with RAPV and the Massachusetts Association of Realtors to arrange for the donation of masks to Christina's House, an organization that provides transitional housing for homeless mothers and their children as well as education and emotional, spiritual and physical support. Welch also organized an "angel team" of volunteers to help repair, paint and clean a 10-bedroom home Christina's House had purchased in Springfield last summer before new families moved in. Last fall, Welch was interviewed by Channel WWLP, a local NBC affiliate, for her work with Christina's House.

"We're tremendously proud of Michele for winning this award," said Paul Laprade, Northeast regional manager for Embrace Home Loans. "Michele devotes countless hours to bettering the lives of those in need in her community. This award is certainly well-deserved."

Located in Springfield, RAPV has more than 1,800 members and covers 68 cities and towns in Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties. RAPV is one of 1,200 local chapters of the National Association of REALTORS.

About Embrace Home Loans

Founded in 1983, Embrace Home Loans is a prominent mortgage lender that provides borrowers and financial institutions with an exceptional mortgage experience. Licensed in 49 states and the District of Columbia, Embrace has been recognized seven times as one of the Best Medium-sized Companies to Work for in America by Fortune and five times as one of the Fastest Growing Companies in America by Inc. The company has also been recognized twelve times as one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island, as the Most Community Involved Company in Rhode Island, and with the Leadership Excellence Award by Providence Business News. The company is based in Middletown, Rhode Island. For more information, please visit www.embracehomeloans.com .

PRESS CONTACTS:

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National Guard member poses for a picture with a statue of the civil rights activist Rosa Parks on Jan. 13. Joshua Roberts/Reuters

National Guardsmen called up to defend the US Capitol paused for a photo with a statue of a civil rights icon only a week after a pro-Trump mob desecrated its halls.

The tribute to Rosa Parks, who famously refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger, is the first full-length statue of a Black American in the US Capitol.

Americans were shocked by the pro-Trump mob who sieged the Capitol in a deadly assault and who carried hate symbols like Confederate flags and Nazi-inspired ones  historical enemies US troops defeated in America's deadliest wars.

Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

National Guardsmen called up to defend the US Capitol paused for a photo with a statue of a civil rights icon a week after a pro-Trump mob desecrated its halls with symbols of hate.

A small group of Black service members gathered by the statue of Rosa Parks in the National Statuary Hall of the Capitol, a monument that portrays her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger who had just stepped onto the bus. Her courageous act drew national attention and inspired widespread civil disobedience to Jim Crow-era laws like segregation on buses, which eventually the Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional. The tribute to Parks is the first full-length statue of a Black American in the US Capitol, according to the architect of the Capitol.

Authorities are deploying 10,000 Guardsmen to the DC area by Saturday to support law enforcement as the FBI warns there could be days of armed people trying to disrupt or even threaten the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden.

On Jan. 6, a mob incited by President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol and overran police in a rampage that sent lawmakers running for cover and left five people dead. Members of the mob wore clothes calling for a 2nd Holocaust and the symbols of armed gangs and carried Confederate flags and Nazi-inspired ones - historical enemies US troops defeated in America's deadliest wars.

Story continues

Staffers of color who work on Capitol Hill told the New York Times it would be a long time before they felt safe at work again. And Black and Latino janitors at the Capitol told Insider that it was "degrading" to clean up after the white mob who shattered windows, scrawled threats and smeared feces on walls.

Lawmakers arriving in the Capitol Wednesday, when the House holds impeachment hearings over Trump's role in the riot, found echelons of Guardsmen around the Capitol, some resting alongside their weapons and riot shields. The National Guard are expected to be in the area through Biden's inauguration.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Former CEO of SYZYGY AG and Google Country Director takes helm of Incubeta as Alan Lipschitz steps down

Lars Lehne has been appointed Group CEO of Incubeta, the independent digital marketing services group. The former SYZYGY AG CEO will be taking over from the founder Alan Lipschitz, whose company Interface made the reverse acquisition of IncuBeta Holdings in 2011. Alan will be moving into the role of Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Incubeta.

Lars brings with him more than 30 years of industry experience. Prior to Incubeta Lars spent four years as Global CEO at SYZYGY, a publicly listed WPP company. Before that, he spent seven years at Google as Country Director Agency DACH, paving the way for the tech giant quadrupling revenues in Germany. He has also held various senior management positions in agencies including Maxus, GroupM, Carat and MEC.

In addition to his current role as new Group CEO of Incubeta, Lars is a member of the advisory board of Yext, and betterplace.org, a Berlin based NGO. He's also an Angel Investor in CLAIMINI GmbH. As Group CEO, Lars will be leading company positioning and growth, including its operations in North America, driving the business strategy and further uniting the group across the globe.

Incubeta operates across 14 countries with offices in cities including London, New York, Los Angeles, Madrid, Sydney and Cape Town. In 2013 the highly successful Net Media Planet (NMPi) was acquired, which established significant growth for Incubeta as it boosted its advertising offerings. The subsequent acquisition in 2016 of forward-thinking marketing technology specialist DQ&A, extended the company's geographical and product growth. This was followed by the acquisition of market leading creative specialist, Joystick, in 2018. Through these acquisitions, Incubeta offers clients a full suite of unrivalled services connecting Media, Technology and Creative.

In the last twelve months, Incubeta has launched several new innovative platforms. This has included the award-winning proprietary Seamless technology, including Seamless Search which measures the incrementality of paid and organic SEO keywords and Seamless Creative which unifies media activity and creative assembly at scale. The company has also made a series of new appointments including senior hire John Cawdery as US CEO.

Alan Lipschitz, Founder and Chairperson of the Board, comments: "Having started a small South African business many years ago, I am so very proud of how far the company has come. By building a fantastic team around me and adding inspirational businesses from around the world, Incubeta has grown into a leading player in digital marketing services. The company is in a great place, yet I believe in order to accelerate pace and to meet the challenges of the future we need a different type of leader.

"I have the utmost faith Lars is the leader the company needs to take Incubeta forward. He has the expertise to bring the team further together, drive clear strategy, and build on the fantastic foundation I have been able to create with my wonderful team. So it is with great pride and pleasure that I hand the mantle of Chief Executive Officer of the Incubeta Group to Lars Lehne."

Lars Lehne, Group CEO of Incubeta, comments: "I'm thrilled and honoured to be joining such a forward-thinking and innovative company. Incubeta has continued to grow during one of the most challenging years for the industry which is a testament to the quality and hard work of every team member across the globe. The company has flourished under Alan's leadership and it's a great privilege that he's trusting me to take his dream forward.

"As marketing continues to evolve at a rapid pace, it's harder now than ever before for brands to connect with their customers. By integrating Media, Technology, and Creative in a seamless way Incubeta has developed the right services and products to help clients grow in a digital world. Incubeta puts the ownership of the customer experience back into the hands of its clients. I can't wait to see what the next chapter for Incubeta looks like."

-ENDS-

About Incubeta:

Incubeta is the union of three market leading specialists in Technology, Media, and Creative DQ&A, NMPi, and Joystick respectively. By seamlessly integrating these three specialisms and rethinking the rules of marketing, Incubeta puts the ownership and control of the customer experience back in the hands of the advertiser, both brands and agencies.

As the largest and longest established GMP sales partner in EMEA and APAC, Incubeta has proven through working with top-tier brands that they are leading specialists in helping advertisers tackle complex projects such as in-housing, dynamic creative, data integration, real 1:1 marketing, and industry-specific segmentation modeling. Incubeta is primed to help advertisers deliver complex use cases across Google's Maturity Framework and Menu of Services.

Find out more at: incubeta.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005451/en/

Contacts:

For more information

Zoe Baptie, Account Director

Bluestripe Group

zoe.baptie@bluestripegroup.co.uk
Russian President Vladimir Putin informed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Moscow's trilateral meeting held with Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh during a phone call on Wednesday.

Putin said during the talk that one of the major outcomes of the meeting was the intention to normalize the relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Erdogan, on the other hand, expressed that Turkey desires to have circumstances in Nagorno-Karabakh that enable Azerbaijanis and Armenians to live together in harmony without the necessity of monitoring. According to a presidential statement released following the meeting, Erdogan said that when these circumstances are achieved, the whole world will see the constructive results of the Turkish-Russian partnership once again.

The two leaders also discussed the situation of the joint Turkish-Russian center in the region, Daily Sabah reported.

The leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia on Monday signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire Caucasus region on Jan.12.

Speaking in Moscow, alongside Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinian, Putin hailed the talks as "extremely important and useful." "We were able to come to an agreement ... on the development of the situation in the region," Putin told reporters four hours after trilateral talks.

The Russian leader also said the Nov. 9 agreement between the three countries, ending the 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, had generally been fulfilled. He added that Russian military units, who are temporarily in the region, are carrying out their duties.
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Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd has cut over half of its North American workforce, sources told the Reuters news agency. The COVID-19 pandemic and an ongoing legal tussle were cited as reasons.

Reuters' sources did not reveal the number of jobs lost at the business which had over 500 employees in early 2020, according to its website.

However, one source told the news agency "hundreds of workers" had been laid off since mid-2020 as part of a restructuring, and the cuts were as high as two-thirds of Mahindra Automotive North America's (MANA) total staffing.

Positions cut include engineering and manufacturing jobs at the Detroit plant which produces the Roxor off road vehicle. Sales executives have also been axed.

Reuters said the cuts came as Mahindra reviewed its businesses in a drive to conserve capital and retain only those that make money or have the potential to be profitable.

MANA said in a statement cited by the news agency it had furloughed some staff and laid off others due to the pandemic and an International Trade Commission lawsuit which led to an August "cease and desist" order for the Roxor business.

Reuters noted Mahindra and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) had been in a protracted legal battle over an intellectual property infringement case which had prevented the Indian automaker from selling the Roxor in the US.

"This forced us to halt production and furlough our manufacturing team and some additional people across several functions, including the Roxor sales team," the company said.

However, last month, the company won a favourable ruling in its lawsuit against FCA, paving the way for it to begin selling the Roxor again, the report added.

It now expects to recall a large group of employees, Mahindra said in the statement.

Reuters noted, as part of its review which began last year, Mahindra has ended its US electric scooter business GenZe, is in talks to sell its stake in Ssangyong Motor and called off a joint venture with Ford.

Mahindra shares have surged over 60% since it announced the review in June last year, valuing the company at over $12.6bn, the report said.

The automaker plans to focus on manufacturing large SUVs and electric models for its core India market where it has lost ground to competitors such as Tata Motors and Kia Motors, Reuters added.
[January 13, 2021] ZUUM Transportation Named Food Logistics' 2020 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Provider

IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ZUUM Transportation, a leading logistics technology company for manufacturers, freight brokers, and carriers, has been named 2020 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Provider by Food Logistics. Food Logistics magazine is covering software & technology, warehousing, transportation, safety & security, sustainability, and risk & compliance for global food supply chains. The FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers list honors leading software and technology providers that ensure a safe, efficient and reliable global food and beverage supply chain. Advanced Logistics Technology for Food Producers & Manufacturers ZUUM Transportation provides critically needed transportation capacity as well as advanced transportation management software (TMS) for efficiency, real-time visibility, and higher productivity. This helps companies better manage transportation during a pandemic and cope with volatile freight rates. ZUUM Capacity Pro provides supply chain leaders with dynamic smart pricing, instant capacity, excellent service levels, real-time track & trace, back-office automation, and secure universal integration. Better Service Levels AND Lower Freight Cost Since 2016, ZUUM Transportation has grown to deliver thousands of loads per month for mre than 235 shippers, including several Fortune 500 companies. Freight is booked online, matching shippers with pre-vetted carriers. ZUUM provides shippers with better service levels (96.3-98.7% SOTC), reduced transportation costs (12-15% per load) and faster load matching (35-45% faster).



Enhanced Operations to Mitigate Supply Chain Volatility & Risk "We are honored to be recognized as one of Food Logistics' 2020 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers" said Chris Lee, Vice President of Business Development of ZUUM Transportation. "We designed our ZUUM Capacity Pro to enhance our customers' operations and mitigate vulnerabilities within their supply chains. Our technology was made to help companies overcome unexpected challenges like the ones the food and beverage industry is currently facing."

"From fleet management to warehouse management to simply just track and trace along the cold food chain, these software and technology providers have definitely stepped it up to ensure cold food and beverage products continue moving along the line without incident," says Maina Mayer, editor-in-chief of Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive. "This pandemic has thrown the food industry a curveball, but many of these providers fast-tracked the development and deployment of their solutions to ensure food safety, traceability, visibility and quality assurance. So, to these winners and others working to make a difference, thank you!" Companies on this year's 2020 FL100+ Top Software and Technology Providers list are profiled in the November/December 2020 issue of Food Logistics, and online at www.foodlogistics.com. About ZUUM Transportation INC ZUUM Transportation, Inc. is a rapidly growing tech startup transforming the logistics industry globally with one efficient, automated, and easy-to-use super platform. ZUUM combines digital freight marketplace with shipper TMS, broker SaaS, carrier TMS, and mobile driver app. ZUUM - AUTOMATE YOUR FREIGHT For more information, please visit zuumapp.com Contact Information: ZUUM Transportation, Inc.

Jean-Claude Eenshuistra

marketing@zuumapp.com Media kit: Logos for web & print, leadership photos, and product screenshots. Related Images food-logistics-award.png

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A re-elected WA Labor government is hoping its proposed $19.8 million regional air flight subsidy could attract more city slickers out to the country.

The program would mean flights to and from the city for residents in towns within 1000 kilometres of Perth would be capped at $199 one-way and $299 one-way for regional airports outside of 1000 kilometres.

Labor has promised to spend $19 million over the next three years on subsidised flights to regional towns.

Real Estate Institute WA's regionally based vice president Joe White said the policy would help country towns retain population.

"One of the biggest problems with living in the regions is isolation from family in emergencies," he said.

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If past is prologue, Marty Walsh, the mayor of Boston and President-elect Joe Biden's nominee to be the next secretary of the Labor Department, will "usher in a new era of worker power," according to the Biden-Harris transition team.



If Walsh is confirmed, he will face a wide range of issues. His track record in public office and as a labor leader can provide insight on actions he might take at the Department of Labor.

Creative Approach

While mayor, Walsh has created tools for low-income workers, including a "learn and earn" job apprenticeship program and the Office of Financial Empowerment. He is the founding vice chair of the Cities of Opportunity Task Force at the United States Conference of Mayors and has elevated the national conversation on income inequality.

Walsh also served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives before becoming mayor. As a state representative, he was a leader on job creation and worker protections, preventing substance abuse, and defending mental health and civil rights. He played a key role defending Massachusetts' pioneering stand on marriage equality.

As head of the Building and Construction Trades Council from 2011 to 2013, he created a program called Building Pathways that has become a model for increasing diversity in the workplace and providing career opportunities for women and people of color.

Issues He May Tackle

In a comment retweeted by the Gig Workers Collective, Fordham University law professor Zephyr Teachout called for Walsh to create rules as labor secretary that require employers to treat gig workers more like employees. "Marty Walsh should immediately announce that he will pursue rulemaking that would make drivers eligible for minimum wages, overtime and workplace expense payments," she asserted.

Michael Lotito, an attorney with Littler in San Francisco, predicted that Walsh will tackle other issues that include:

The unemployment insurance crisis in state systems.

New stimulus suggestions, including renewing paid leave.

The possibility of an emergency temporary Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard on COVID-19.

Decisions about whether to keep various rules issued by the Trump administration.

Some recent final rules, like the one clarifying the definition of an independent contractor, might be put on hold, said Christopher Foster, an attorney with McDermott Will & Emery in San Francisco.

Lotito remarked that if confirmed by the Senate, Walsh should focus on making sure people who are unemployed get help. "Unemployment insurance is not enough," he said, adding that lifelong learning is needed in light of the transformation happening in the workforce due to robotics and artificial intelligence.

Robert Duston, an attorney with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr in Washington, D.C., noted, "It is likely that Congress will step in and extend the deadlines for both the Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act and the Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion Act. The pandemic is raging, and employees who are sick or exposed need to stay out of work. The new administration is going to be strongly supportive of this type of leave, and there has been no significant opposition from the business community."



Influence on PRO Act

Lawrence Lorber, an attorney with Seyfarth in Washington, D.C., said enacting the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act "appears quite doubtful in its current form."

The labor secretary can, however, suggest executive orders containing elements of the PRO Act for federal contractors.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka reacted to the announcement of Walsh's nomination by stating, "With Joe Biden and Marty Walsh, we are setting our sights high, starting with passage of the PRO Act, so the tens of millions of workers who want to form a union can do so freely and fairly."

Having a former union leader as head of the department could result in a pipeline of union lawyers and leaders in key staff and enforcement positions, noted Ron Holland, an attorney with McDermott Will & Emery in San Francisco.

Lotito said Walsh "is a consensus builder. Now is the time to build consensus to bring us together in a nonpartisan way."



PHOENIX, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- BeachFleischman PC, Arizona's largest locally-owned CPA firm, announces it has entered into an agreement with the Phoenix-based cybersecurity firm, Silent Sector, to sell and market Silent Sector's cybersecurity services to its clients throughout Arizona and nationwide. The agreement expands the existing collaboration between the two firms and combines the strengths of both to protect mid-market and emerging companies from cyber-attacks. The announcement is part of BeachFleischman's growth plans to provide businesses with expanded strategic and operational advisory solutions beyond traditional accounting, auditing, and tax services.

"Silent Sector has years of expertise building cybersecurity programs across multiple sectors to help businesses create a competitive advantage, protect their resources and reduce vulnerabilities," said Marc Fleischman, CPA, Chief Executive Officer of BeachFleischman. "We see how disruptive forces are accelerating digital transformation, ecommerce and remote working, and our collaboration with Silent Sector provides our clients with reliable guidance to support their cybersecurity strategy, implementation, and compliance. We look forward to working together."

"Silent Sector sees many mid-market and emerging companies struggle to build an effective cybersecurity program to protect their organizations while achieving compliance requirements," said Zach Fuller, Founding Partner of Silent Sector. "For companies without an in-house cybersecurity team, we provide the capabilities of a CISO, Security Engineer, and Security Architect for a fraction of the cost of hiring a single, full-time cybersecurity professional with experience. This makes proper cybersecurity accessible to companies that recognize the need for a formalized security program, but don't have limitless resources."

Complementing BeachFleischman's market reach and range of professional business services, Silent Sector provides cybersecurity services that both firms recognize as being critical to the success and longevity of mid-market and emerging organizations.

Disclaimer: BeachFleischman PC and Silent Sector, LLC are separate independent legal entities and are not joint ventures, partners or members of a formal business organization. Neither BeachFleischman PC nor Silent Sector, LLC has the authority to bind, act for or incur liability on behalf of the other.

About BeachFleischman PC: BeachFleischman PC is Arizona's largest locally-owned CPA firm and a Top 200 largest CPA firm in the United States. The firm has over 200 client service and administrative professionals, and provides advisory, accounting, assurance and tax services to businesses (U.S. and foreign-based), organizations and individuals. BeachFleischman serves clients doing business domestically and internationally and specializes in a variety of Industry-related practice areas, including cannabis, construction, financial & professional, healthcare, hospitality, real estate, manufacturing, not-for-profit and technology businesses. Offices are in Phoenix and Tucson, AZ. Visit www.beachfleischman.com for more information.

About Silent Sector: Silent Sector provides effective and accessible cybersecurity solutions to mid-market and emerging companies. Silent Sector helps businesses reduce costs and risks, while creating simplicity through a secured technology model that's backed by experienced and credentialed, US-based cybersecurity professionals. The firm serves a wide variety of organizations across many industries. Silent Sector has locations in Phoenix, AZ (Headquarters) and Boise, ID. Visit www.silentsector.com for more information.

Media Contact:

Eric Majchrzak, Chief Strategy Officer

BeachFleischman PC

[email protected]

SOURCE BeachFleischman PC

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Kieran Jones, 27, binged on spirits on Jet 2's flight from Manchester to Budapest

He leered at air hostess Beth Rose and fell on his face while getting off the plane

At a Manchester court Jones admitted being drunk on an aircraft but avoided jail

Kieran Jones, 27, binged on spirits, threw crisps across the plane and leered at flight attendant Beth Rose while she served drinks on a Jet 2 flight from Manchester to Budapest, Hungary, in September 2019

A 'loutish' Brit who brought misery to a holiday jet after he got drunk on gin and tonic, hurled crisps at other passengers and chatted up an air hostess on the flight has avoided jail.

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Kieran Jones, 27, binged on spirits and leered at flight attendant Beth Rose while she served drinks on a Jet 2 flight from Manchester to Budapest, Hungary.

During the three hour journey Jones, who was on a city break with a male friend, declared Miss Rose had 'a right a*** on her' and pleaded: 'Let me take you out.'

At one point he drunkenly told her she was his 'fiance', later adding: 'She'll do'.

Miss Rose ignored Jones' advances but he petulantly began throwing Pringles around the Boeing 737-800 aircraft before accidentally spilling drink all over himself.

He later passed out in a drunken stupor and was found asleep across three seats of the plane once it touched down in the Hungarian capital.

Miss Rose managed to rouse Jones and even helped get his luggage from the overhead locker but he tripped down five steps as he tried to leave the plane.

He fell flat on his face on the runway tarmac and had to be taken to hospital. He was arrested on his return to the UK.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Jones faced jail after he admitted being drunk on an aircraft.

But he escaped a prison sentence was told to carry out 220 hours of unpaid work after saying he was getting help for his heavy dinking.

He was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days as part of a two-year community order, and pay 1,200 in prosecution costs.

Jones was pictured celebrating outside court as he escaped a prison sentence for his 'loutish, boorish and drunken behaviour'.

Kieran Jones was congratulated outside Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court

Jones admitted being drunk on an aircraft in court

The incident occurred on September 12 2019 after the flight LS897 left Manchester at 11am.

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Prosecutor Wayne Jackson said: '[The defendant and his friend] were offered a drink from the bar and at that stage the defendant became flirtatious with Beth Rose and tried to chat her up.

'They were served the drinks and the stewardesses moved down the cabin, but Beth Rose didn't escape the defendant's attention.

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'As she moved down to serve the next passenger he said: "You have got a right arse." She ignored him and became professional.

'After the first service Beth Rose went to collect rubbish and he said: "Let me take you out." A short time after he said: "She'll do" to another cabin crew member.

'The defendant threw a plastic Pringles cap [in] the aircraft, and was laughing thinking what he was doing was entertaining.'

When cabin crew confronted him he denied that he had thrown anything. But Jones started again 15 minutes later. He then called her his 'fiance'.

During the three hour flight Jones, who was on a city break with a male friend, declared Miss Rose had 'a right arse on her' before pleading: 'Let me take you out.' He also drunkenly fell down the stairs while disembarking the aircraft, landing flat on his face on the tarmac

Mr Jackson added: 'It was clear this man was very, very drunk and was only served two Gin and Tonics on the flight.

'At one stage he spilt his drink all over himself and cabin crew had to clean it up.

'When the flight landed his friend apologised for his behaviour.

'When he left the aircraft, he was unsteady on his feet and fell face down the last few stairs onto the tarmac.

'He made 'no comment' replies when later interviewed by police. This was boorish and nuisance behaviour.'

Jones' lawyer claimed his actions were brought about by a 'major drink problem'.

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In mitigation for Jones defence lawyer Craig McGregor said: 'He had a major drink problem at the time and when he came round after the trip he had to deal with it, which he has done.

The incident occurred on September 12 2019 after the Jet 2 (pictured, stock image) flight LS897 left Manchester at 11am

'Whilst this behaviour was annoying and boorish, passengers were not too inconvenienced, and the flight was not diverted.'

Sentencing Judge Mark Savill told Jones: 'It is obvious that before you got on this flight you were very much worse for wear and had drunk much more than the two gin and tonics you were given on board.

'Cabin crew and fellow passengers should not be subject to loutish, boorish and drunken behaviour by people such as you because there is nowhere for them to go until the flight lands.

'Things can unravel quickly in a limited space when someone is in drink.

'It seems to me that you have identified your drink problem and are seeking counselling and help.

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'This was a period of your life which I hope you will look back at with regret and shame.'


The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company

With a vow to collaborate to move our state forward on solutions to its problems, State Rep. Cindy Harrison (R-69) took the oath of office in Hartford on Jan. 6.

During what her press office described as a brisk outdoor ceremony held overlooking Bushnell Park under partially cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid 30s, Rep. Harrison joined her new legislative colleagues and took the oath to serve the people of Bridgewater, Roxbury, Southbury (her hometown) and Washington of the 69th District.

It is an honor to serve the people of our community and I look forward to hearing from, and working with, the men and women of the 69th to help move our state forward, Rep. Harrison said. The best solutions to our states woes will come from collaboration and my door is always open to hear from the residents of Bridgewater, Roxbury, Southbury and Washington.

The press office said the outdoor ceremony was deemed necessary due to ongoing concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and the ability for members and staff to social distance in the House Chamber. Following the swearing in, legislators moved inside to their individual legislative offices to participate in online meetings and votes regarding the formal rules of the session and to handle other duties.

This session when the General Assembly meets, it will be, by most appearances, virtually, the press office continued. This means that committee hearings, floor votes, town halls, and office hours will be mostly conducted through Zoom, with lawmakers observing social distancing.

The press office noted that the ceremony kicked off the start of the legislatures long session, which runs through June 9. The long session is used to establish a state budget and introduce bills of a general nature.

In late December, the House Republican Caucus announced that Rep. Harrison will serve on the Appropriations, Environment, and Transportation committees. More information can be found on her official state website at: www.RepHarrison.com.
There was a time, much earlier in the pandemic, when we were quick to show our appreciation for those on the front lines of the health care system.

There were the blue light campaigns that illuminated our appreciation for all that doctors and nurses were doing. There were messages of thanks chalked on the streets, taped on windows or expressed with food and coffee delivered to hospitals.

But at this point in the pandemic, maybe we need to step up our game. If we really care about those who have been putting themselves at risk to care for those with COVID-19, maybe we need to find a way to get the vaccinations moving a little faster so that everyone is a little safer. Maybe we need to ensure health care workers arent forced to roll up their arms on their own time at the super-site immunization clinics. If we cant or wont deliver the vaccines where they work, maybe we need to compensate them for the after-hours effort to get the protection they deserve. Or maybe we need to look in the rear-view mirror to the lessons learned during the H1N1 pandemic of 2009 that delivered the vaccine to 451,000 Manitobans  37 per cent of the population.

At that time, Manitobas mass immunization plan had been developed and tested through staged exercises so that 200,000 vaccinations could be delivered on a weekly basis. Heres an important point of reference: as of Friday, the two COVID vaccines will have been in the province for a month. As of the last report from the province, only 10,353 doses have been administered.

A 2010 provincial review of Manitobas H1N1 response concluded its "plans worked well for the H1N1 flu and the experience will help improve plans for future emergency situations."

Granted, H1N1 was a different pandemic than COVID-19 and the vaccines deployed in 2009 dont have the same challenges as the two we are now counting upon to save lives.

However, if there ever is a provincial review of Manitobas response to COVID-19, Im willing to bet the conclusion isnt going to be near as favourable as the one that studied the deadly H1N1 crisis.

In the meantime, it might be best if the super-site immunization clinics stocked the waiting areas with back copies of Readers Digest. Leaving a few copies of the provincial review of Manitobas H1N1 response for nurses and doctors to thumb through might hurt more than the jab.

 Paul Samyn, Winnipeg Free Press editor

THE LATEST NUMBERS





Note: Manitoba and Canada figures may not match due to differences in data sources.

THE LATEST IN MANITOBA

 Provincial health officials announced 92 new cases of COVID-19 and eight more deaths in Manitoba Tuesday. There are 3,100 active cases in the province, with 302 people in hospital, 35 of them in intensive care. Of the new cases, 44 are in the Winnipeg health region; eight in Southern Health; nine in Interlake-Eastern; 22 in Prairie Mountain; and nine in the Northern Health region. The five-day test positivity rate is 10.1 in Manitoba, and 8.4 in Winnipeg.

 The provincial government has handed out 48 more tickets and issued 249 warnings for violations of COVID-19 public health restrictions. The province says 33 of the tickets were for $1,296 and were given to individuals, including 22 who violated gathering restrictions by hosting too many people from outside their households. Eight of the tickets were given to people who didn't wear a mask indoors in a public place, while six businesses were dinged with $5,000 fines.

 The province is expanding the Manitoba Bridge Grant to help small businesses survive extended critical-level pandemic restrictions. The code-red measures, which have been in place since November, were extended Saturday until Jan. 22. The financial support program's Dec. 31, 2020 application deadline has been pushed to Jan. 31, and eligibility is being expanded to include more small businesses. Hotels, resorts, lodges and outfitters, travel agencies, janitorial services companies and owner/operators of licensed passenger-transportation businesses that have seen demand for their services impacted by the public-health orders will be eligible to apply for the grants. Beginning today, new applicants who were ordered to close their premises will be entitled to a one-time payment of $10,000, whereas eligible home-based business applicants will receive a maximum payment of $10,000.

 For the latest information on current public health orders, restrictions, essential items and other guidance, visit the provincial government's website.

THE LATEST ELSEWHERE

 Canada's largest province declared a new state of emergency Tuesday and is invoking a stay-at-home order as COVID-19 threatens to overwhelm Ontario hospitals. New modelling in Ontario released Tuesday projected soaring cases and deaths if more isn't done to slow the spread of the virus. Hospitals in many regions are already overwhelmed with half the province's intensive-care units at capacity or with just one or two open beds at any given time. More than 1,700 people are being treated in Ontario hospitals for COVID-19, including 385 in intensive care and 262 on ventilators. Ontario reported 2,903 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, which was the first time in more than a week daily cases fell below 3,000, but another 41 people died since Monday and 138 more were admitted to hospital because of COVID-19.

 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada has secured another 20 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the virus that causes COVID-19. Along with doses of Moderna's vaccine, this means Canada has enough confirmed shipments to vaccinate every Canadian who wants it by the fall. The shipping schedule currently has three million Canadians on track to be vaccinated by the end of March, another 10 million by the end of June and a further 22 million by the end of September.

 Nunavut officials are urging residents to get immunized against COVID-19 as the vaccine starts to roll out across the territory. Chief public health officer, Dr. Michael Patterson, says about 400 people have so far received their first doses of the Moderna vaccine. Premier Joe Savikataaq encouraged residents not to hesitate being inoculated and reassured them that the Moderna product is safe and effective. Patterson said about 60 per cent of Nunavut's adult population needs to get vaccinated for the territory to have herd immunity.

 Two Canadian nurses who spoke at an anti-lockdown rally in Washington, D.C., on the day of the deadly storming of the Capitol are under investigation by their regulatory body. One of them, who is already suspended from her work in neonatal intensive care, is also facing an investigation by her hospital in London, Ont. In a statement, the College of Nurse of Ontario acknowledged the investigation against Sarah Choujounian and Kristen Nagle. The London Health Science Centre said it had suspended Nagle without pay in November for attending an anti-mask rally in the southwestern Ontario city. Nagle and Choujounian were both speakers at the Jan. 6 rally organized by a group called Global Frontline Nurses, which maintains "fraud is rampant" regarding the COVID-19 crisis inside and outside hospitals.

 Facing a slower-than-hoped coronavirus vaccine rollout, the U.S. federal government abruptly shifted gears Tuesday to speed the delivery of shots to more people. The move came as cases and deaths surged to alarming new highs. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced a series of major changes to increase supply of vaccines, extend eligibility to more seniors and provide more locations for people to get shots. Azar said going forward the federal government will base each state's allocation of vaccines partly on how successful states have been in administering those already provided. Additionally, Washington is urging states to immediately start vaccinating other groups lower down the priority scale, including people age 65 and older and younger people with certain health problems.

QUOTE, UNQUOTE

"We've kind of referred to her as the iron lady. She seems to pull through these things."

 Joy Moore, whose 108-year-old mother, Wilhelmina Klimpke, survived COVID-19

LOCAL NEWS

NATIONAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

COVID-19 BASICS
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 12)  An inactivated vaccine, like that of China firm Sinovacs, is much safer compared to live vaccines, an expert said.

Dr. Lulu Bravo, executive director of the Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, said inactivated vaccines are being used for a very long time now and are proven safe compared to vaccines that use live virus.

That has already been proven time and again. When it comes to safety, iyong inactivated medyo mas maganda ang [has better] record for safety instead of the live, she said in a briefing on Tuesday.

Inactivated vaccine is considered to be one of the oldest methods for vaccination, which uses batches of a virus that are killed and then made into a vaccine. On the other hand, live attenuated vaccine uses the weakened, live form of a virus for vaccine production.

READ: Here's a look at how the different coronavirus vaccines work

Bravo explained that the latter may be risky since it uses living virus that may possibly develop into an illness similar to the one they really cause.

What is actually going to be crucial here is gaano katagal iyong [the duration of the] immunity na makukuha sa [you can develop from the] inactivated, she added.

Sinovacs vaccine uses inactivated virus, while manufacturers like AstraZeneca use live virus. Meanwhile, Pfizer and BioNTech use a new approach through the use of messenger RNA that only needs the genetic sequence of the virus.

The country is set to receive 25 million doses of Sinovacs vaccine as early as February, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Monday, despite not yet having emergency use authorization in the country.

Meanwhile, Bravo told the public to trust the governments vaccine experts since they are the ones making sure that all vaccine to be distributed in the country are effective and safe.

The Food and Drug Administration is assigned in assessing safety and efficacy of medical drugs, including vaccines. It has so far approved clinical trial for the vaccine of Janssen Pharmaceuticals Company of Johnson and Johnson, while application for emergency use of other developers are still being studied.
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Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-12 21:36:49|Editor: huaxia

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A man wearing a face mask walks on a street in Blantyre, Malawi, on Jan. 11, 2021. The Malawi government through a special task force on COVID-19 has initiated newly gazetted laws on COVID-19 pandemic management following a rapid spread of the virus right after the festive season in the country. (Photo by Joseph Mizere/Xinhua)



BLANTYRE, Malawi, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Malawi government through a special task force on COVID-19 has initiated newly gazetted laws on COVID-19 pandemic management following a rapid spread of the virus right after the festive season in the country.

During a recent press briefing on COVID-19 update, Minister of Health Khumbize Chiponda expressed worry over the rising cases and deaths of COVID-19 which she said is putting pressure on health facilities in the country.

The minister emphasized that Malawians should not panic with the sudden rise of the cases because the government has enough testing equipment that can run up to three months.

Among many measures, the Malawi government has started enforcing the mandatory wearing of masks in public and a reduced passenger capacity in minibusses.

The development is a relief to many people in the Blantyre district where COVID-19 cases are rising fast. In an interview with Xinhua, Joseph Breya, 27, outlined some of the fears that people in his neighborhood have towards the pandemic.

"It's a relief that the government has decided to start enforcing preventive measures, this will awaken some people who have chosen to ignore preventive measures, this will make them proactive, hence reducing risks of spreading the virus further," he said.

Meanwhile, President Lazarus Chakwera has described the rising of COVID-19 cases and deaths as the price that Malawians are paying after relaxing in observing preventive measures.

According to Chakwera, during the festive season, many people in the country went back to their normal life which saw many ignoring wearing masks, keeping distance and washing hands.

The president has therefore encouraged Malawians to start taking further steps in trying to reverse the situation. He said, the government is trying to ensure that everyone is safe, but there is a need for each and every individual to take action. Enditem

PJSC United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), which manages Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (Dnipropetrovsk region) and Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (Zhytomyr region), is considering holding searches on Wednesday on the territory of the Vilnohirsk Plant, in the head office in Kyiv and in the premises of some of the company's employees as an attempt to disrupt privatization.

According to a Wednesday press release from the company, the investigative actions are taking place within the framework of criminal proceedings registered in August last year, "even before the allegedly illegal actions were committed."

At the same time, "this is not the first attempt to disrupt the privatization of JSC UMCC: in August 2020, attackers unsealed 10 hopper cars of the company with ilmenite concentrate, which was shipped under a contract with the U.S. holding Chemours, and earlier that they set the company's manager's car on fire."

"The process of putting JSC UMCC for a transparent auction is in the homestretch. It is expected to be held in the first quarter of 2021 and promises the wonders of the largest privatization in Ukraine since the sale of Kryvorizhstal. The privatization of this asset is also provided for in Ukraine's memorandum with the IMF. In particular, 16 leading foreign companies have expressed preliminary interest in the privatization auction. The starting price is expected to be several billion hryvnias," the company said in a statement.

UMCC management associates the attempt to disrupt privatization with the previous management. After the arrival of the new management, the company received a record profit of UAH 600 million in 2020 compared to UAH 100 million in 2019.

"It should also be noted that in December 2020 the company announced the discovery of twice as large reserves of titanium-bearing ore sands at Vilnohirsk Plant than expected, which significantly increased the company's investment attractiveness and its market price," the company said.
Brisbane will have to wait another eight days before the risk of an outbreak of a super-contagious COVID-19 strain subsides.

The city will remain on "heightened alert" until January 22, which will mark the end of one incubation period of the virus and the riskiest period the state has endured since the start of the pandemic.

Ambulances at the ready to transport hotel quarantine guests from the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane on Wednesday. Credit:Matt Dennien

More than 600 people have been forced into quarantine and thousands are being tested after a man unknowingly infected five others from inside a locked room in Brisbane's CBD.

The mysterious spread is of "national concern" and infection control inside Australia's hotel quarantine system has been thrown into question.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a living institution mandated by Congress to promote the peaceful resolution of conflict without recourse to violence, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) unequivocally denounces the abhorrent assault on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, when violent rioterssome brandishing racist and anti-Semitic slogans and symbolsdisrupted the certification of the United States presidential election.

"The assault on the U.S. Capitol was a dark, terrifying moment in our history," said Lise Grande, president and CEO, USIP. "Nothing is more sacred than our shared responsibility as Americans to promote democracy and build peace."

Over the course of three and a half decades, USIP's research on conflict resolution and direct work in some of the most complex, dangerous places in the world has underscored the central role that democracy and democratic principles play in preventing violence and building peace. The peaceful transition of power is a central tenet of stable democracies and one that the United States has modeled to other nations for more than two centuries. Evidence from countries around the world shows that disinformation, the discrediting of a free and independent media, exclusion, racial and ethnic injustice, and inequality in all its forms propel violence, foment hatred, and undermine and threaten peace.

"Russia, China, and Iran are already using the attack on the U.S. Capitol to undermine democratic principles and justify their own authoritarian practices," said Stephen J. Hadley, chair, USIP Board of Directors. "It is essential that we stand together and remind adversaries, allies, and all who have looked to the United States as a beacon of hope that while American democracy may have been tested, it has not been diminished."

At this fraught moment in U.S. history, with the threat of violence still looming, USIP will convene top foreign policy and national security leaders on January 29 for Passing the Baton: Securing America's Future Together to renew the U.S. commitment to the peaceful transition of power, help affirm the central tenets of American democracy, and assert the importance of standing united against threats to global peace and security.

Passing the Baton: Securing America's Future Together builds on USIP's tradition of convening national security advisors from outgoing and incoming presidential administrations to recommit to the United States' deeply held democratic norms and to reaffirm the importance of bipartisanship in U.S. foreign policy.

"Now more than ever, USIP approaches its mission with deep humility, but also with an even greater determination to promote inclusive, representative, and rules-based approaches to reducing violent conflict around the world," said George Moose, vice chair, USIP Board of Directors. "Passing the Baton will provide an important, nonpartisan platform for foreign policy and national security leaders to reaffirm our highest democratic ideals and to confront the challenges we face together."

More information on Passing the Baton: Securing America's Future Together is forthcoming to USIP's website: www.USIP.org

SOURCE United States Institute of Peace

Related Links

http://www.usip.org


Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 20:15:24|Editor: huaxia

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WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft's planned visit to China's Taiwan was cancelled on Tuesday, multiple media reported, citing a State Department statement released Tuesday.

Craft's scheduled visit to Taiwan from Wednesday to Friday, announced earlier in a statement by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has drawn strong opposition from Beijing.

"The United States will not succeed in its attempt to harm China's core interests through political manipulation on the Taiwan question," said the spokesperson of China's Permanent Mission to the United Nations. "We wish to remind the United States that whoever plays with fire will burn himself."

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying told a daily news briefing last week that Pompeo's statement seriously violated the basic norms of international relations, interfered with China's internal affairs and judicial sovereignty, and violated the one-China principle and the provisions of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques and that China firmly opposes and strongly condemns it.

Michael Swaine, director of East Asia program at Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, called Pompeo's recent moves on Taiwan "dangerous and reckless."

"They threaten to destroy the foundation of normalized relations with the People's Republic of China, thereby greatly increasing the chances of conflict with Beijing," the renowned China expert warned in an article.

The abrupt decision was reportedly part of a wider cancellation of all travel by the U.S. State Department this week following the recent storming of the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump's supporters as lawmakers met to certify President-elect Joe Biden's victory.

Earlier on Tuesday, Pompeo said that all travel this week had been canceled, including his final trip abroad to Europe, citing transition to the incoming Biden administration.

Meanwhile, multiple reports said that the cancellation was due to declination from European officials to meet with the outgoing top U.S. diplomat.

According to media reports, Pompeo originally planned to visit Luxembourg and Belgium. Reuters said that officials in Luxembourg "showed reluctance to grant him appointments," and Pompeo's stop in Brussels would not involve any meeting with the European Union or any public events at NATO.

CNN later confirmed that officials in Luxembourg cancelled planned meetings with Pompeo, citing sources from the State Department. Enditem
The First and Deputy First Ministers have led tributes to Norman Houston - Northern Ireland's former representative in Washington DC - after his death, describing the diplomat as a "true ambassador" for Northern Ireland.

Mr Houston had been Northern Ireland's main representative in the US before he stepped down from the role in 2019, following 12 years of service.

The former Larne High School pupil worked with US presidents Clinton, Bush, Obama and Trump during his tenure. He is survived by his children Chloe and Connor.

Arlene Foster said yesterday she was shocked and deeply saddened to hear the news.

"It is devastating for Norman's family and his many friends and colleagues both here in Northern Ireland and in the United States," she said.

Mr Houston was a "consummate professional", she added.

"Throughout his time as Director of the Washington Bureau he made an enormous contribution to promoting Northern Ireland on a global stage and I was privileged to work with him over many years.

"Norman's hard work, dedication and infectious personality helped to build many important relationships, which have benefited countless people. We will miss him greatly," she said. Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said Mr Houston's contribution to developing Northern Ireland's relationship with the United States was "immeasurable".

"He was an excellent diplomat. He had an unforgettable presence and his name was known far and wide throughout the city and beyond.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with Norman's family at this very sad time. We think especially of his daughter Chloe and son Connor. He will be sorely missed by all who knew him."

DUP MP Ian Paisley knew Mr Houston for more than two decades.

"As Junior Minister I appointed him to his role as NI representative in Washington DC. This was a role that was made for him. He served Northern Ireland with distinction for 15 years in that position.

"In reality he had access to the White House and the Hill that many national representative offices were jealous of.

"He was our man in America and he did more to promote Northern Ireland there than anyone else. His like will not be seen again," he said.

"Like many I am shocked by the sudden nature of his passing and I can only hope that his family find comfort in the very many happy memories they have."

Ulster Unionist leader Steve Aiken said news of Mr Houston's death was "incredibly sad".

"I knew Norman as Mr Northern Ireland in America. He was known, respected and very fondly thought of across the United States," he said.

"This is a great loss and we would like to pass on our condolences to his family and friends."

Staff at the NI Bureau, which is the diplomatic mission of the NI Executive in the United States and Canada, said they were heartbroken.

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood described Mr Houston as a "top class public servant".

Sean Farren, Chair of the John and Pat Hume Foundation said he "deeply regretted" Mr Houston's passing.

"Many members of the Hume Foundation Board, including myself, would have been warmly welcomed to DC by Norman. He was a well-liked and generous person who served with great distinction in the NI Bureau for 15 years.

"On behalf of the John and Pat Hume Foundation, I wish to send our sincere condolences to his children, wider family and friends."

Ulster Unionist peer Lord Empey said: "Norman was an unassuming but highly effective representative for Northern Ireland in Washington DC. He'll be sadly missed."

DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said he was "saddened" by the news.

Ulster Unionist MLA Mike Nesbitt said he was "devastated" to hear of Mr Houston's death after he acted as Northern Ireland's presence in Washington successfully for so many years.

"Norman was well known and well respected in Capitol Hill and the White House. He was the ultimate professional who could make you feel you were the most important person in the room."

CEO of the WAVE Trauma Centre Sandra Peake described Mr Houston as "a true friend" to the organisation, who was hugely supportive in his role in the US.

"He was highly regarded at every level of successive administrations in Washington and because of that was able to open doors to get access for victims and survivors to key players," said Ms Peake.

"As well as being a dedicated public servant, Norman was a man of real compassion and kindness, of constant good humour and was great company."

Viewpoint, Page 28
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company

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EDITORS NOTE: NJ Cannabis Insider is hosting a two-day business and networking conference March 9-10, featuring some of the states most prominent industry leaders. Early-bird registration is open. Tickets are limited.

Shaya Brodchandel is the CEO of Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus and chair of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association, which formed last year out of collaboration among the 12 licensed medical marijuana companies in New Jersey.

The association could grow this year, if the state issues new medical and legal marijuana licenses to growers, processors and dispensers of cannabis.

We spoke to Brodchandel about the new organization, legalization and its plans for 2021.

This interview first appeared in NJ Cannabis Insider. It has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Q: What is the mission of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association?

A: The mission and the purpose of the New Jersey Cannabis Trade Association is to form a collective effort of the operators in New Jersey to share our experience and help shape the program for various stakeholders and legislators and advocates.

We have a position that is shared with various groups and that comes from industry expertise. We have all different types of operators, from multi-state operators to just Jersey operators with different levels of expertise.

Q: What in the enabling legislation does NJCTA support, and what does it dislike?

A: There are no caps on social equity licenses, we were in support of that. Thats something that we saw as important. The industry as a whole supports the advocates for minorities and social equity licenses and groups, and were going to reach out and do a lot of collaboration with them.

The cultivation tax  we do agree on raising the funds and earmarking it to social justice and equity. We just are not in agreement on the mechanism. We support it being on the point of retail, not on the cultivation.

Adult use has taxes different than the medical products. If youre going to differentiate at the point of cultivation, youre going to create an issue at both markets.

Q: After nothing happening in 2020, 2021 is the year we expect new licenses from the 2019 RFA and legalization. These could become NJCTA members. Who can join and how will they benefit?

A: I think its important to include everyone that is operating in the state, that is licensed by the state. We would welcome the opportunity and extend an invitation to any licensed operator. Everyone brings different types of expertise to the table.

They would have to agree to the associations policies and viewpoints and have the normal membership dues. But aside from that, theres no special requirements. As soon as theyre licensed, we will invite them to join.

Q: What will the NJCTA be looking at in 2021?

A: The insurance reimbursement from private insurers and workers comp is something that wed like to put a focus on this year. We think we can do the maximum to assist medical patients to get reimbursed.

The decoupling of the 280e, its a tax code with the federal government. It was included in the original bill. It wasnt included there to decouple it at the end. Thats something that wed like to see, the state decoupling the 280e.

Theres another bill, S2875. That bill we see the investment to create a mutually beneficial partnership and fund where we can help minority businesses get up to a certain percentage in their business. We feel that [having] cannabis operators in their source of funding is great because it comes with not just funds, but experience and other expertise that we offer. I think its a great opportunity for minorities to benefit from a fund like this. ATCs are regulated, theyre businesses, theyre vetted. They have experience.

The legislators werent ready to put it and open the floodgates, but homegrown for medical patients up to a limited amount of plants. Seven, we think is a good thing for medical patients who depend on the medicine to have the ability to grow it.

Q: The ATCs received criticism for coming out pretty late before the referendum to give their support financially. Whats the response to that?

A: I can tell you that each ATC individually worked and helped shape what they could in the referendum. As a group, we organized at the end of the year. We began collaborating unofficially as we started working in response to COVID. As a group we organized later on in the year, but that didnt stop each ATC on an individual basis as they have done alongside to stand behind the bill and support it.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Amanda Hoover may be reached at ahoover@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @amandahoovernj.
Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday urged the Bombay High Court to dismiss actor Sonu Soods petition seeking to restrain the civic body from carrying out demolition at his property here. Sood suppressed the facts that demolition had been carried out at the building for illegal construction earlier too and he had no license to run a hotel there, the BMC said.

The actor moved the HC after the Dindoshi City Civil Court refused to restrain the civic body from taking action against alleged unauthorized alterations at the building which stands in Juhu area. Sood converted six floors of the residential building into a hotel without permission, the BMC has alleged.

Arguing before Justice P K Chavan, BMC lawyer and senior advocate Anil Sakhare said the demolition notice was issued in October 2020 after it came to light that he had made several alterations in breach of the sanctioned plans. The actor constructed 24 hotel rooms on six floors, numbered them, and guests were found to be staying in these rooms, Sakhare said.

Advocate Amogh Singh, Soods lawyer, contended that he carried out only beautification work for which the BMCs permission was not needed. Sood had applied for a change of user of the property in October but the application was pending, he said.

But the BMC lawyer pointed out that he had not submitted any proof of such an application. Parts of the property had been demolished by the BMC in November 2018 and again in February 2020 for unauthorized construction, Sakhare said.

He keeps restoring demolished portions every time without permission. He has no technical permission or a license to use the property as a hotel. Yet, he suppresses these facts in his appeal.the appellant has not come with clean hands," Sakhare said, demanding that the plea be dismissed.

The actors lawyer also told the court that he had mortgaged the property with a private bank and was using the funds for social causes". Last year, Sood had earned praise for helping migrant labourers who were returning to their native states after lockdown was enforced for coronavirus.

Justice Chavan, however, said this point was not relevant. The court said it was reserving its ruling which will be pronounced soon.
Two members of a Romanian organised crime gang made dozens of fake credit cards and used them in Dublin shops in the wake of a deep skim of UK bank customers' details, a court has heard.

Daniel Almajanu (aged 35) made fake cards using a card reader/writer machine while Albert Gimy Linul (aged 29) visited various shops buying things with the fake cards, including cartons of cigarettes which were then sold on.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard that during an extensive skimming operation in the UK a Romanian criminal gang based there used a deep insert skimmer to collect details of customers of the HSBC bank outlets.

Both Almajanu and Linul were considered to be members of that organised crime group, the court heard. The court heard that Almajanu made fake cards using this information and then gave the fake cards to Linul.

Linul of Prussia St, Dublin, used the cards to buy cartons of cigarettes on a number of occasions in several newsagents in Dublin and these cartons were sold on for profit.

Garda Ciaran Ronan of the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau told the court that Linul stole a total of 1,185 from the UK bank.

Linul pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing a total of 60 fraudulent bank cards at various locations in Dublin between February 13 and February 14, 2020. He also pleaded guilty to eight counts of using a fake HSBC bank card at a number of Dublin shops, 10 counts of theft and two counts of attempted theft from HSBC on dates between November 1, 2019 and February 4, 2020.

Almajanu, of North Circular Road, Dublin, pleaded guilty to two counts of having custody of 53 fake bank cards and one count of making 65 fake bank cards at various locations in Dublin between January 1 and February 13, 2020.

He also pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a laptop specifically designed to make false cards.

Both men were arrested when gardai noticed them acting suspiciously in Temple Bar in February last year. A number of fake cards were found on them and in Almajanu's car.

Gardai found more cards in the Prussia St flat, along with a Lenovo laptop and a card reader/writer machine used for making fake cards. A number of cartons of cigarettes were also discovered.

Judge Melanie Greally adjourned sentencing to February 3 next.

Previous convictions and pleas for the defence

Linul has two previous convictions in Ireland for dangerous driving and handling stolen property and 22 previous convictions abroad - including his native Romania - for theft, fraud and drug offences.

Almajanu, who is also originally from Romania, has no previous convictions here, but four convictions in Romania and the UK for similar fraud offences.

Olan Callanan, defending Linul, said his client was well educated and attended college before he dropped out and worked in construction and car washes. He moved to the UK to work in construction and got involved in low-level criminality over there, the court heard.

He was deported from the UK and moved to Ireland shortly afterwards, where he got involved in this operation. He has been in custody since last February, is doing well there and is the unofficial barber on his prison floor landing, Mr Callanan said.

Aidan McCarthy BL, defending Almajanu, said his client knows what he did was wrong and is remorseful for his actions. He has also been in custody since his arrest.
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Patricia Heaton tells Christians after US unrest: 'This world is temporary'

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Emmy Award-winning actress Patricia Heaton shared a Christian message with common sense Americans after violence unfolded on Capitol Hill last week when hundreds of Trump supporters broke through barricades and stormed the Capitol building.

A peaceful rally and protest were attended by tens of thousands of Trump supporters at the Ellipse on Jan. 6, but things escalated after some walked over to Capitol Hill and caused destruction to government property by forcefully entering the restricted Capitol building. Some even made their way to the House and Senate chambers and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office, leaving many Americans alarmed.

On Friday, Heaton decided to share some advice for Christians who were disturbed by what happened. She reminded believers that this world is not meant to be their final home.

If youre a common-sense person, you probably dont feel you have a home in this world right now, she tweeted. If youre a Christian, you know you were never meant to.

Following her message, someone replied and sternly disagreed with Heatons stance.

The world is our home. It is a wonderful creation that God said is GOOD. We are created beings and will be resurrected as created beings  like Jesus. It might not be your home, but it sure is mine and I love it and will do all I can to care for it, the rebuttal read.

Heaton respectfully defended her tweet and explained that "this world is only temporary."

I love many things here too, and yes, we are called to love our neighbor and be good stewards. But this aint it, the Everybody Loves Raymond star responded.

We are meant to serve Christ while we are here, she expounded.

Heaton, a devout Catholic who often publicly shares about her faith in Christ in Hollywood, has disassociated from both presidential candidates in the recent election. Back in February 2020, she denounced the Democratic Party for hosting a barbaric campaign against pro-life views.

I dont understand why pro-life people want to know if they are welcome to join the democrat party, Heaton said online. Why would any civilized person want to support a barbaric platform that champions abortion for any reason through all nine months funded by taxpayers?

P.S. I didnt vote in the last presidential cycle and will not be voting in this one. I am not a Trump supporter, she added.

When not acting and encouraging people on social media, the actress is committed to doing humanitarian work alongside the Christian aid organization World Vision.
The online registration system for the Covid-19 vaccine which will be open to the public in the coming months has been launched  but only GPs will use it first.

The new portal was supposed to be activated over the weekend for GPs but was delayed because of the need to make adjustments, doctors have been told.

GPs had been concerned that they were being overlooked for access to vaccinations for themselves, although they are frontline healthcare workers.

However, they may not all be vaccinated until the end of February prompting one doctor to remark that family doctors are left scrambling for crumbs".

A message to GPs from the Irish Medical Organisation and the Irish College of General Practitioners late on Tuesday night said the portal is now up and running and they can register to get the vaccine.

Around 1,500 GPs will get it through an arrangement with nursing homes when supplies arrive locally for residents and staff.

Read More

Another 1,800 GPs and their practice nurses will be vaccinated in three locations nationally at designated clinics. This will mean GPs and staff travelling to the clinic because the vaccine is fragile and cannot be transported across the country.

In the last week of January around 3,000 GPs and practice nurses will be given the vaccine in dedicated vaccine centres and acute settings.

From the end of January onwards, all remaining practice team members will be scheduled an appointment either in acute or community setting, depending on what kind of vaccines are available at the time.

A guaranteed supply of vaccines has been secured for GPs. The aim is to have them all vaccinated by the end of February.

The message says that GPs will be critical to the delivery of successful vaccination to the wider population building on your vast experience in previous vaccination campaigns and the long established relationship with patients.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
An team which reviewed the



health condition of Union minister Shripad Naik, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Goa following an accident, has advised to take him off the ventilator on Wednesday, an official from the team said.

Taking to reporters late Tuesday night, the official also said they are satisfied with Naik's breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters.

The team from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, arrived in Goa on Tuesday evening and visited Naik at the government-run Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) located in Porvorim.

They later held discussions with doctors of the GMCH over the line of treatment for the 68-year-old Union Minister of State for Defence and AYUSH, a senior official from the Goa-based hospital said.

State Chief Minister Pramod Sawant was also present along with the team at the GMCH.

Talking to reporters late Tuesday night at the GMCH, one of the members from the team said, "We are satisfied with his breathing, blood pressure and other health parameters. We have seen him and given advice to take him off the ventilator tomorrow (Wednesday)."



Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday visited Naik at the GMCH and later said his condition is stable and he is out of danger.

Naik received injuries, while his wife Vijaya and an aide died on Monday when their car met with the accident near Ankola in Uttar Kannada district, while he was returning to home state Goa from Dharmasthala in neighbouring Karnataka.

Naik was admitted to the GMCH late Monday night.

GMCH Dean Dr Shivanand Bandekar on Tuesday said when Naik was brought to the GMCH, he was critical but later he responded to treatment and is gaining consciousness.

Four major surgeries were performed on him, he said.

Bandekar said Naik will continue to be in the hospital for another 10 to 15 days after which it will take at least three to four months for him to recuperate completely.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 19:50:39|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has detected the new strain of the COVID-19 virus after a British national who recently arrived in capital Colombo tested positive for the new variant, Chief Epidemiologist of the Health Ministry's Epidemiology Unit Dr. Sudath Samaraweera told local reporters on Wednesday.

This is the first case of the new variant to be reported in the island country.

Samaraweera said the infected patient had arrived in the country a week or two ago and further investigations were underway.

Sri Lanka has to date detected over 49,000 positive COVID-19 patients as the country is in the midst of a second wave of the pandemic.

According to Health Ministry figures, out of 49,537 patients detected since March, 42,621 patients have recovered and been discharged from hospitals bringing down the active patient count to 6,627. It said 244 patients have died from the virus.

The island country has conducted over 1.3 million PCR tests, figures showed. Enditem

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WASHINGTON - The Justice Department and FBI have created a sedition and conspiracy task force to pursue charges against participants in the storming of the U.S. Capitol and are investigating any links to domestic or foreign instigators, officials said Tuesday.

The investigation, one of the largest ever undertaken by the department, includes counterterrorism and counterintelligence facets and has led to charges against more than 70 people and identified 170 suspects to date, acting U.S. attorney Michael Sherwin of the District of Columbia said. Those arrest figures are expected to increase into the hundreds, if not "exponentially."

But Sherwin and Steven D'Antuono, head of the FBI's Washington Field Office, said any impression that prosecutors have mostly charged misdemeanor Capitol trespassing and District curfew offenses is misleading. They said the cases are only the beginning and that U.S. authorities are investigating everything including the plundering of congressional offices and digital devices, assaults on law enforcement officers, and theft of national security and defense information, in addition to felony murder and excessive use of force.

"The gamut of cases is mind-blowing," Sherwin said.

Citing video footage and witness accounts that have not been made public, Sherwin added: "People are going to be shocked with egregious activity in the Capitol. No resources of the FBI or the U.S. attorney's office will be untapped to determine if there was command and control, how it operated and how it executed these activities."

Capitol and District police were in openhanded combat with rioters, tear gas was used against police, and destructive devices and semiautomatic weapons have been recovered, he said.

The Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump disrupted the electoral vote count of President-elect Joe Biden and led to the deaths of five people - including a rioter who was fatally shot and a police officer who died after suffering injuries at the scene.

Federal law makes conspiring to overthrow or oppose by force the authority of the U.S government punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Such seditious conspiracy includes using violence to prevent, hinder or the delay the execution of its laws. U.S. authorities have prosecuted such cases against Puerto Rican nationalists, white supremacists and Muslim extremists who plotted a 1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.

A new grand jury was empaneled Friday and met Monday to hear new Capitol breach cases. Prosecutors also condemned violence against the news media, saying they would investigate and hold accountable those who assault, threaten or damage the property of journalists.

Hours before officials spoke, the first public federal indictment in the Capitol breach was filed against an Alabama man who allegedly brought 11 molotov cocktails and five loaded weapons to the U.S. Capitol.

In an indictment dated Monday, Lonnie Coffman, 70, who was previously charged with two counts in a U.S. Capitol Police complaint, was charged with 16 counts of District firearms violations and one federal firearms count. He also possessed a crossbow, several machetes, a stun gun and smoke devices, prosecutors said.

Coffman allegedly formulated the incendiary devices to be particularly lethal, prosecutors asserted, and "appears to have been motivated to conduct violence against our elected representatives."

Coffman is accused of carrying 11 Mason jars with gasoline and melted Styrofoam - which an FBI affidavit said could produce a "napalm-like" explosion of sticky, flammable liquid. The affidavit also said he had a rifle, shotgun, two 9mm pistols, a .22-caliber pistol, five types of ammunition and a large-capacity magazine, all loaded and unregistered and unlicensed in the capital. Coffman had an apparent license to carry a pistol in Alabama, prosecutors said.

However, they asserted in court filings that the stockpile of weapons suggests "an intent [by Coffman] to provide them to others, as no one person could reasonably use so many at once."

Exhibits filed by prosecutors seeking to detain Coffman show he allegedly possessed handwritten notes, including one quoting Abraham Lincoln who once wrote in opposition to slavery, "We The People Are The Rightful Masters Of Both The Congress And The Courts, Not To Overthrow The Constitution But To Overthrow The Men Who Pervert The Constitution."

Prosecutors said the notes "raise alarm in the context of the Jan. 6 rioting and criminal infringement on our nation's democratic process." They showed others that contained purported contact information for "Conservative Talk Show Host Mark Levin," "Shaun [sic] Hannity," and "Senator Ted Cruz."

Coffman did not enter a plea, and was ordered held without bond by a U.S. magistrate. Defense lawyer Tony Miles argued Coffman has no criminal record, is retired after a history of work, has family ties in Alabama and 10 years' service in the U.S. Army.

Prosecutors previously said Coffman was investigated because he was the registered owner of a red GMC pickup truck with Alabama plates parked near the Capitol. Officers allegedly found the molotov cocktail devices while investigating reports of suspected pipe bombs near the Republican National Committee headquarters on Capitol Hill and its Democratic counterpart minutes before the assault on the Capitol began.

Coffman was not charged in relation to those possible devices.

On Tuesday, the FBI reiterated it is offering a $50,000 reward for information regarding the pipe bombs, which Sherwin said were "real devices," with igniters and timers.

"We don't know obviously exactly why they did not go off," Sherwin said, or whether there were "a diversionary type of a tactic used by some of these rioters."

Other charges made public Tuesday included ones against Aaron Mostofsky, 34, the son of a Brooklyn judge who was photographed inside the Capitol wearing what appear to be several fur pelts, a U.S. Capitol Police bulletproof vest and a riot shield.

Mostofsky made an initial appearance in New York City on four charges, including entering restricted grounds, violent or disorderly conduct at the Capitol, and theft of government property exceeding $1,000, a felony that carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Mostofsky was ordered released on a $100,000 bail bond Tuesday afternoon by U.S. Magistrate Sanket Bulsara in Brooklyn. He was given strict orders to remain in New York City and refrain from communicating with co-conspirators.

The New York Times reported that Mostofsky's father is Kings County Supreme Court Judge Shlomo Mostofsky.

Aaron Mostofsky told the New York Post in a video inside the Capitol last week: "We were cheated. I don't think 75 million people voted for Trump - I think it was close to 85 million. I think certain states that have been red for a long time turned blue and were stolen, like New York."

An FBI affidavit said Mostofsky also appeared to post on social media a self-taken video labeled, "DC bound stopthesteal," and exchanged messages and photographs on Instagram describing his presence in the Capitol.

"If we find each other look for a guy looking like a caveman," Mostofsky wrote a friend, the affidavit said, adding later, probably referring to the election, "Even a caveman knows it was stolen."

The FBI added that after the election, Mostofsky posted on Facebook: "Since the republicans lost the house I have the following questions 1 when and where are we protesting/rioting . . . "

In the video interview, FBI agent Michael Attard wrote, Mostofsky said he took the shield he found on the floor, and motioned to the vest, apparently indicated that he also found that item and took it. He said he returned a hat he found to a police officer "because that might be someone's personal item," the agent attested.

A new six-count indictment against previously charged Jacob Chansley, of Arizona, also added federal counts of civil disorder and disrupting an official proceeding. Chansley has been identified as the so-called "QAnon shaman," who was photographed in horns, fur-lined headdress and face paint on the Senate dais. The offenses upon conviction carry up to a 20 year statutory maximum penalty.

- - -

The Washington Post's Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Pinterest, Inc. ("Pinterest" or the "Company") (NYSE: PINS). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.

The investigation concerns whether Pinterest and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On October 31, 2019, Pinterest announced disappointing preliminary financial results for the third quarter 2019. Pinterest reported net revenue of only $279.7, versus the consensus projection of $282 million, indicating strong deceleration in the growth of its domestic user base. The Company also gave full year 2019 guidance, which it only marginally increased, indicating further deceleration in future quarters.

On this news, Pinterest's stock price fell $4.28 per share, or 17.02%, to close at $20.86 per share on November 1, 2019.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com.

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The man seen in video footage hanging from the Senate balcony and sitting in the chair of Vice President Mike Pence on the Senate floor has been identified, arrested and charged, according to court documents.

Josiah Colt was charged with two misdemeanors in Idaho District Court on Tuesday after authorities said he participated in storming the U.S. Capitol last week with insurrectionists.

Colt faces charges of knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds, according to court documents.

Both charges are misdemeanors.

The first count of entering a restricted building is the more serious of the two charges carrying a prison sentence of up to a year with a fine of up to $100,000 and up to five years probation.

Colt entered the U.S. Capitol between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., court documents said.

Photos of Josiah Colt show the man inside the U.S. Capitol sitting in chair of Vice President Mike Pence and hanging from the Senate Balcony.

In a video posted on Facebook, Colt claimed he was the first person to sit in the House Speaker Nancy Pelosis chair, authorities said. However, according to court documents, authorities believe Colt thought Pences chair was actually Pelosis.

In an interview with a CBS affiliate, Colt told the television station, I love America, I love the people, I didnt hurt anyone and I didnt cause any damage in the Chamber. I got caught up in the moment and when I saw the door to the Chamber open, I walked in, hopped down, and sat on the chair. I said my peace then I helped a gentlemen get to safety that was injured then left.

Photos of Josiah Colt show the man inside the U.S. Capitol sitting in chair of Vice President Mike Pence and hanging from the Senate Balcony.

FBI agents in the Washington Field Office identified Colt through a telephone interview with one of his relatives, court documents said.

The relative confirmed to the FBI that the individual in the photographs hanging from the balcony and sitting in the vice presidents seat was Colt.

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CATANZARO, JAN 13 - The biggest ever trial into Italy's most powerful mafia, the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta, got under way at Lamezia Terme on Wednesday. The trial delves into the activities of the 'Ndrangheta clans in Vibo Valentia and their links to the political, institutional, economic and rogue Masonic worlds controlling all aspects of local life in Calabria. It is the biggest mafia trial in Italy since the so-called 'maxi-trial' of Cosa Nostra in Sicily from 1986 to 1992. The trial, which is expected to last around three years, has over 300 defendants who are facing over 400 charges. It is taking place in a converted call centre that has been turned into a 'bunker' in the industrial area of Lamezia Terme. Reporters from major global news outlets including The Times, the BBC, the Associated press, and Agence France Press, as well as major broadcasters, have flocked to the trial. But the filming of the proceedings has been banned. The prosecution is being led by Catanzaro Chief Prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, one of Italy's best-known anti-mafia investigators. Gratteri, 62, has been living in round-the-clock police protection for over 30 years. Talking to AFP ahead of the trial, Gratteri said it would aim to ease the "asphyxiating" hold of 'Ndrangheta on Calabrian life. On Wednesday Gratteri said "succeeding in holding the trial here means that the Calabrians are not a people who leave things unfinished and that when we all sit at the same table it is possible to achieve complete works where a great efficiency is achieved. "It is important that the trial is taking place in Calabria. "It is a sign that people can trust us, that we can give answers. "This has also been proven by the increasing numbers of people who have reported ('Ndrangheta crimes". 'Ndrangheta has grown into Italy's most powerful and richest mafia thanks to its control of the European cocaine trade. Its tentacles have spread to the whole of Italy and all over the world. Italian police have gradually been digging behind the wall of silence or omerta' that for 'Ndrangheta is even more impenetrable than that of Sicily's Cosa Nostra. In January 2015 police arrested more than 160 people in the biggest-ever operation against a northern business arm of 'Ndrangheta. The op showed how far the one-time southern kidnapping gangs - long poor relations to Sicily's Cosa Nostra but now grown plump on cocaine cash - had infiltrated the economy of Italy's most affluent regions, especially the thriving economy of Reggio Emilia around Bologna. Other probes have shown 'Ndrangheta infiltration in the region around Milan, Lombardy, the region around Genoa, Liguria, and the region around Turin, Piedmont. In February 2014 a major Italian-FBI bust showed that 'Ndrangheta was muscling in on the drug operations of one of Cosa Nostra's historic five families in New York, the Gambinos. Before that, in July 2010, a massive police operation netted the head of the 'Ndrangheta and 300 others. Domenico Oppedisano, 80, anointed the equivalent of the 'boss of bosses' in Cosa Nostra at a Calabrian shrine to the Madonna a year previously, was caught along with their reputed head in Lombardy, Pino Neri. 'Ndrangheta is so secretive that the replacement for Oppedisano is still not known. 'Ndrangheta (from a Greek word meaning 'heroism' or 'virtue') once lived in the twin shadow of Cosa Nostra in Sicily and the Camorra in Naples. While those two syndicates, notably the Sicilians, were feeding off the transatlantic heroin trade through operations like the infamous 'French connection', 'Ndrangheta was only just emerging from its traditional stock-in-trade of kidnappings in the Calabrian highlands. It has since become a highly sophisticated global network with a chokehold on the European cocaine trade and control over swathes of its home turf where police fear to tread, Italian officials say. As well as being the richest, 'Ndrangheta is also regarded as the most impenetrable of Italy's mafias, with its close-knit family-based organisation outdoing the Sicilian mafia in its ability to defeat police efforts to turn members into State witnesses. The European law enforcement agency Europol has identified the 'Ndrangheta mafia as one of the "most threatening" organized crime groups on the global level, due to its "enormous financial might" and "immense corruptive power," with a presence in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, US, Colombia and Australia, where 'Ndrangheta turf wars have gained headlines. In Europe, 'Ndrangheta really only came into the public eye in 2007, when six clan members were gunned down on the midsummer Ferragosto holiday in the German city of Duisburg in a feud that began as a wedding spat in a small Calabrian coastal town, san Luca, in 1991. A string of 'Ndrangheta-linked businesses have been seized in the last few years all over northern Italy, and especially in the affluent Lombard belt around Milan, and a Lombardy regional councillor was placed under investigation for buying votes from transplanted clans. On the Italian Riviera, the town councils of Bordighera and Ventimiglia were dissolved for 'Ndrangheta infiltration in 2011 and 2012, the first non-Calabrian municipalities to be wound up because of such penetration. In Rome, the Calabrian Mob has laundered money in a string of plum properties, as attested to by recent seizures police say are only the tip of the iceberg. In November 2013 Grand Hotel Gianicolo, a former monastery converted into a four-star hotel for the Catholic Church's Jubilee in 2000, was seized from Calabrian businessmen linked to 'Ndrangheta. It is one of the swankiest properties on the hill, Gianicolo or Janiculum, that affords one of the most breathtaking views over Rome. Ten years ago a former Dolce Vita-era bar and restaurant on the storied Via Veneto, the Caffe' De Paris, turned out to be in the hands of the Calabrian Mob. More recently, gangsters involved in a hitherto-unknown Rome crime organisation that allegedly had fingers in a web of business and political operations were said to have links to other mafias including 'Ndrangheta. (ANSA).
Two people were killed Tuesday after a single-vehicle crash in Gloucester County, authorities said.

The crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. on Caulfield Avenue in Deptford, according to Gloucester County Prosecutors Office Chief of Detectives Thomas Gilbert. There were no other injuries.

The prosecutors office planned to release more information Wednesday, the chief said. In a social media post, township police said the 100 block of Caulfield Avenue was reopened around 4:30 p.m. after being closed for an investigation.

More details were not immediately available.

**** ROADWAY REOPENED (4:36 pm) **** *** Police Activity *** The 100 block of Caulfield Avenue is currently blocked... Posted by Deptford Township Police Department on Tuesday, January 12, 2021

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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 05:08:23|Editor: huaxia

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KHARTOUM, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's National Borders Commission on Wednesday accused Ethiopia of violating the historical border agreements signed between the two countries, official SUNA news agency reported.

Maaz Tango, head of the Commission, briefed the ambassadors, diplomats and representatives of regional and international organizations to Sudan on the dimensions of the border dispute between Sudan and Ethiopia, SUNA said.

"The Ethiopian encroachments upon the Sudanese territory have continued since 1957," SUNA quoted Tango as saying during the briefing.

Ethiopia also evaded its obligations in the border agreements which could be traced back to as early as 1903, he added.

Sudan has all the documents supporting its position and its sovereignty over the lands entered by the Sudanese Armed Forces, the Sudanese official noted.

Earlier in the day, the Sudanese foreign ministry said an Ethiopian military plane penetrated the Sudanese border in what it termed as "a serious and unjustified escalation."

Since September 2020, the Sudan-Ethiopia border has been witnessing rising tensions and skirmishes between the two sides.

The border area of Fashaga between Sudan and Ethiopia, one of the five localities of Sudan's Gadaref State, often witnesses deadly attacks by Ethiopian militias during the preparation for agricultural season. Enditem
Even with the COVID-19-related small dip in global carbon emissions due to limited travel and other activities, the ocean temperatures continued a trend of breaking records in 2020. A new study, authored by 20 scientists from 13 institutes around the world, reported the highest ocean temperatures since 1955 from surface level to a depth of 2,000 meters.

The report was published on January 13 in Advances in Atmospheric Sciences and concluded with a plea to the policymakers and others to consider the lasting damage warmer oceans can cause as they attempt to mitigate the effects of climate change.

"Over 90% of the excess heat due to global warming is absorbed by the oceans, so ocean warming is a direct indicator of global warming -- the warming we have measured paints a picture of long-term global warming," said Lijing Cheng, lead paper author and associate professor with the International Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Cheng is also affiliated with CAS's Center for Ocean Mega-Science. "However, due to the ocean's delayed response to global warming, the trends of ocean change will persist at least for several decades, so societies need to adapt to the now unavoidable consequences of our unabated warming. But there is still time to take action and reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases."

Using a method developed at IAP/CAS, the researchers calculated the ocean temperatures and salinity of the oceans down to 2,000 meters with data taking from all available observation from various measurement devices from the World Ocean Database, which is overseen by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the National Center for Environmental Information.

They found that, in 2020, the upper 2,000 meters of the world's oceans absorbed 20 more Zettajoules than in 2019. That amount of heat could boil 1.3 billion kettles, each containing 1.5 liters of water.

"Why is the ocean not boiling?" Cheng asked. "Because the ocean is vast. We can imagine how much energy the ocean can absorb and contain, and, when it's released slowly, how big the impact is."

The researchers reported other effects, such as ocean salinity pattern amplification and more stratification due to the upper layer warming quicker than the deeper sections. Both changes could cause harm to ocean ecosystems.

"The fresh gets fresher; the salty gets saltier," Cheng said. "The ocean takes a large amount of global warming heat, buffering global warming. However, the associated ocean changes also pose a severe risk to human and natural systems."

Cheng noted the 2020 wildfires that ravaged Australia, parts of the Amazon region, and the west coast of the United States.

"Warmer oceans and a warmer atmosphere and also promote more intense rainfalls in all storms, and especially hurricanes, increasing the risk of flooding," Cheng said. "Extreme fires like those witnessed in 2020 will become even more common in the future. Warmer oceans also make storms more powerful, particularly typhoons and hurricanes."

The researchers will continue to monitor the ocean temperatures and the impacts warming has on other oceanic characteristics, such as salinity and stratification.

"As more countries pledge to achieve 'carbon neutrality' or 'zero carbon' in the coming decades, special attention should be paid to the ocean," Cheng said. "Any activities or agreements to address global warming must be coupled with the understanding that the ocean has already absorbed an immense amount of heat and will continue to absorb excess energy in the Earth's system until atmospheric carbon levels are significantly lowered."

###

Other authors include John Abraham of the University of St. Thomas School of Engineering in Minnesota; Kevin E. Trenberth of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado; Jiang Zhu and Viktor Gouretski of the IAP CAS International Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences and the CAS Center for Ocean Mega Science; John Fasullo of the National Center for Atmospheric Research; Tim Boyer and Ricardo Locarnini from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Bin Zhang of the CAS Center for Ocean Mega-Science and the CAS Institute of Oceanology; Fujiang Yu, Liyang Wan and Xingrong Chen, all of whom are with the National Marine Environmental Forecasting Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China; Xiangzhou Song of Hohai University's College of Oceanography; Yulong Liu of the National Marine Data and Information Service; Michael E. Mann, with the Department of Meteorology & Atmospheric Science at The Pennsylvania State University; Franco Reseghetti of the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development in the S.Teresa Research Center; Simona Simoncelli of the Instituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia; and Gengxin Chen of the CAS South China Sea Institute of Oceanology.

This work was supported by National Key Research & Development Program of China, the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Key Deployment Project of Centre for Ocean Mega-Research of Science, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
TRINITY COUNTY, Calif.  Trinity County has moved into the states red tier after a recent decline in case and test positivity rates, according to Trinity County Public Health.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) conducts a weekly assessment of county case and test positivity trends. If the adjusted case rate and or test positivity fall within a less restrictive tier for two consecutive weekly periods, the county can revert to the less restrictive tier.

Trinity County is under the Northern California region for the state's Regional Stay-at-Home order. Currently, the Northern California region is not under this order. Click here to learn more about this order.

Click Here for a full list of guidelines from the state on what may open under the red tier. Or view the document below.
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Generally cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 72F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy with periods of rain. Low 47F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall may reach one inch.
A middle-aged father has won a 7,500 payout in an age and sex discrimination case after being rejected for an NHS job because he wouldn't fit in with the 'millennial' women who already worked at the trust.

Despite being the best-performing candidate in an interview and scoring highest on all the tests, Neil McClements, 50, was rejected for a project manager post after potential colleagues at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust in London were consulted on his application.

A hearing was told they thought the father-of-two was 'nothing like' the young woman he would be replacing and they felt he wouldn't fit in.

So, a much younger female candidate in her 20s was selected instead, even though she had performed less well in her interview.

The role - which paid around 40,000 a year - involved helping the health service adapt to new technology more quickly.

Members of the team were predominantly female and aged between 30 and 32, with one doctor describing herself as a millennial on social media. Others were known to support social justice causes including feminism and gender equality.

Compared to the other candidates, Mr McClements achieved the highest scores from the combined panel, which included Dr Charlotte Lee, who he would report to, and Jenny Thomas, programme director.

When Mr McClements was called to be informed he had not been successful, he was told it was because Dr Lee, his would-be-boss, felt uncomfortable giving instructions to someone who had an 11-year-old daughter.

She also told him: 'Better to employ someone at an early stage of their career as they would then progress to develop their career over a longer period elsewhere in the NHS.'

Neil McClements, 50, was rejected for the post after potential colleagues at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS trust in London were consulted on his application

Mr McClements achieved the highest scores from the combined panel, which included Dr Charlotte Lee (left), who he would report to, and programmer director Jenny Thomas (right)

The NHS trust was ordered to pay Mr McClements - who is now the Chief Executive at health charity Haemochromatosis UK - a total of 7,580.14 in compensation.

Now a tribunal headed by Judge Tony Hyams Paris, has ruled he was the victim of both age and sex discrimination.

The millennial NHS department who rejected a highly-qualified male candidate because he didn't 'fit in' with their early-30s, mostly-female team Neil Clements was rejected from an NHS job despite being the best performing candidate in all the tests. Colleagues thought he was 'nothing like' the young woman he would be replacing and felt he wouldn't fit in. His would-be-boss Dr Charlotte Lee, who sat on the panel deciding who got the job, told him she would be uncomfortable giving instructions to someone old enough to have an 11-year-old daughter. She also told him: 'Better to employ someone at an early stage of their career as they would then progress to develop their career over a longer period elsewhere in the NHS.' Dr Lee describes herself as a millennial on Twitter. The team was made of mostly women with the age ranging from 30 to 32. Comments made by the team included questioning whether Mr McClements was too experienced, whether he was too senior and how he was 'very different' to the woman he was replacing. Another member of the team who judged Mr Clements was a woman named Rose. As part of the evidence the tribunal were shown tweets from Rose's twitter account where she referred to herself as a feminist and described her interests as gender equality and social justice issues. One retweet read: 'London is the most diverse city in the UK but women are still paid less than men and there are too few of them in leadership roles.' Another read 'So this is how the world ends, just as I thought: with two men comparing penis sizes' Jenny Thomas, programme director, was also on the panel. She was previously named as one of the 'top women' in health tech. Advertisement

The hearing in Croydon, south London, was told Mr McClements - who attended business school at Cambridge University - was interviewed for the job as project manager at the NHS trust in July 2018.

The tribunal heard that during his presentation Mr McClements, who was 47 at the time, used visual aids including a Minion backpack featuring the yellow characters from the Despicable Me film series.

'He explained that Minions were playful, servile, cartoon film characters associated with a soundtrack of the song 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams,' the tribunal heard.

'During their questioning...we find that the panel sought to establish willingness to work for others that were younger than him and perform more menial tasks.

'To this end, (he) was asked during his presentation 'Will you be a minion?'

Mr McClements - who has a lengthy background in technology - claimed he was being asked if he would be willing to 'do mundane tasks' or be 'a servile follower or subordinate of a person in power'.

After the interview he and the other top ranked applicant - a woman in her 20s - were introduced to other members of the team, including a woman named Rose, the tribunal was told.

They were then asked what they thought of him as part of an exercise to see who would be the 'best fit'.

As part of the evidence the tribunal were shown tweets from Rose's twitter account.

'(She) described her interests as including 'social justice, inequality feminist',' the panel said. 'Many retweets shown to us were of a feminist or gender equality theme.

'One retweet read ''London is the most diverse city in the UK but women are still paid less than men and there are too few of them in leadership roles''.

'We were also shown (Dr Lee's) Twitter account where she described herself as a 'millennial'.'

Comments made by the team included questioning whether Mr McClements was too experienced, whether he was too senior and how he was 'very different' to the woman he was replacing.

The following day, after deciding to appoint the other candidate, Dr Lee called Mr McClements, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, to tell him his application had not been successful.

'(She) told him...that a main factor in the decision was that (she) was 'uncomfortable asking you to do things given you have an 11-year-old daughter',' the panel said.

'We concluded that the point (she) was making was that she would find it difficult to manage someone who was much older than her; the reference to the daughter was to illustrate the maturity point.'

Supporting Mr McClements' claims of age and sex discrimination, the panel concluded: 'We were concerned that both conscious and unconscious bias were at play and that their focus on finding a person who was the 'best fit' led them to take into account factors which were discriminatory.

When Mr McClements was rung to be informed he had not been successful, he was told it was because his would-be boss felt she would be uncomfortable giving instructions to someone old enough to have an 11-year-old daughter

'We did not think (they) fully appreciated that the danger in going down that path was that they would be more inclined to choose a candidate that was more like them.

'We find that the decision was ultimately made by Dr Lee and Mrs Thomas having been influenced by team members. We find this grouping to be predominantly female and with an average age of 30-32.'

Regarding the decision on sex discrimination, the tribunal noted 'the concentration on finding the 'best fit' when viewed against the gender make-up of the grouping of people who contributed to the decision.'

It also pointed to 'the unconventional process adopted...the fact that (Mr McClements) achieved the highest score, and the views retweeted by Rose, which we reasonably concluded that she supported and had an affinity with.'

An additional claim of failing to make a reasonable adjustment due to a disability was dismissed.
Belgium extends counter-Coronavirus measures until March 1 - Reports

Moscow, Jan 13 (Sputnik) Belgium has extended strict health measures imposed earlier to curb the COVID-19 epidemic until March 1, with a caveat that they could be relaxed sooner if the epidemiological situation improves, media reported.

According to the Belgian broadcaster RTBF citing a ministerial decree published Tuesday, the authorities decided on the lockdown extension until spring to prevent a possible surge in new COVID-19 infections likely to happen if the measures are eased.

Belgian Consultative Committee, responsible for coronavirus crisis management in Belgium, is scheduled to meet on January 22 to assess the epidemiological situation in the country.
Investors managing more than $2 trillion of assets are calling on world leaders to address the unfolding humanitarian crisis at sea where marine workers are stranded due to border closures and restrictions on movement imposed to contain Covid-19.

The 85-member investor group, which is led by Fidelity International and includes Lombard Odier Investment Management and MFS Investment Management, wants seafarers to be officially designated as key workers and requested the establishment of systematic processes to enable safe crew changes.

In an open letter to the United Nations, the investors called for efforts to ensure seafarers spend no more than the legal maximum of 11 months on board and to limit any unavoidable extensions of crew contracts.

As the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic spread in early 2020, country after country shut their borders and closed ports, a situation that left more than 400,000 seafarers stranded on ships and working for much longer than 11 months, with a similar number of marine workers stuck ashore with little prospect for work or pay.

In addition to the health and safety risks posed to seafarers from extended time at sea, its also a threat to the movement of goods in the global economy since 90% of world trade depends on ships.

We believe its imperative the industry collectively sounds the alarm on an overlooked global humanitarian issue and protect our global supply chains, said Jenn-Hui Tan, global head of stewardship and sustainable investing at London-based Fidelity International, in a statement. Together, as stewards of capital, we have a broader responsibility to the communities and societies in which we operate.

Route Requests

The investor group, which also includes Achmea Investment Management, Boston Common Asset Management and Domini Impact Investments, said those who frequently charter ships should be flexible with route deviation requests by shipping companies in order to enable crew change. They also should consider financial support for the costs of crew repatriation.

The signatories of the letter have agreed to engage relevant portfolio companies and communicate their expectations around these measures. Fidelity International, which is independent from Boston-based Fidelity Investments, wrote last year to more than 30 companies in the shipping and charter sectors asking them to address the problem.

Tan said the firm, which oversees more than $600 billion, is actively engaging with relevant companies across the shipping, cargo, airline and retail industries, encouraging them to lead the way in the international efforts to address this issue.

Seafarers, trapped by their jurisdiction and Covid-19 restrictions, are yet another group of essential workers facing a humanitarian crisis in this pandemic, said Corey Klemmer, director of engagement at Domini Impact Investments. We need companies and their industry groups to step up and address the issue for the sake of these workers and our global economy.

A Bloomberg investigation published in September found numerous violations of international maritime law designed to protect seafarers, including allegations of unpaid overtime and insufficient medical attention.

More than 120 countries or territories had stopped or limited access for ships to conduct seafarer changes in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. And while many shipping lines had managed piecemeal crew changes, the backlog of crew swaps has far outpaced relief efforts.

About the photo: The CMA CGM Musset container ship approaches the Port of Felixstowe Ltd., a subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd., in Felixstowe, U.K., on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Photographer: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.


Justin Wingerter, The Denver Post (TNS)

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert  who has vowed to carry her Glock across Washington, D.C., and was rebuked by the citys police chief for saying so  caused a minor incident at a security stop at the U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday night.

The Rifle Republican reportedly attempted to walk through newly installed metal detectors, which sounded as she did. She then refused to turn over her bag to Capitol Police, who in turn refused to let her enter House chambers, according to reporters on the scene.

Its not clear how the matter was resolved. Reporters saw Boebert enter the House to vote, but couldnt confirm if she was allowed through with her bag. Boeberts office did not respond to a request for comment answering that question.

Members of Congress are allowed to carry guns elsewhere in the Capitol complex, but not on the House and Senate floors. Boebert suggested on Twitter on Tuesday that she had a gun with her that evening.

I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C., and within the Capitol complex, Boebert said in a tweet about the incident. Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week  its just another political stunt by Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi.

FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2020, file photo Lauren Boebert, the Republican candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives seat in Colorado's vast 3rd Congressional District, during a freedom cruise staged by her supporters in Pueblo West, Colo. An aide to Boebert, a firearms-toting congresswoman-elect, says she has already asked Capitol Police about carrying her weapon on Capitol grounds once shes sworn into office.AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File

Boeberts polite confrontation with police came less than a week after rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, killing an officer. In the days since, the congresswoman has repeatedly offered her condolences and thanks to Capitol Police.

Thank you to the brave men and women of our law enforcement community, especially the U.S. Capitol Police, who keep us safe, she tweeted Tuesday afternoon, two hours before refusing to comply with officers orders.

According to reports, at least 10 Republican members also objected to the new magnetometer, either walking through without acknowledging that they went off or around the detectors before entering the floor.

Just watched about 10 Republicans walk around the magnetometer.



Didnt see them all, but among the group was Ralph Northham and Scott Perry.



Jeff Duncan bypassed the metal detector right before them.  Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) January 13, 2021
In new TN assembly DMK has most MLAs with pending criminal background, crorepatis

Tamil Nadu assembly elections 2021: MNM releases 'Agenda for Industry'

India

oi-Ajay Joseph Raj P

Chennai, Jan 13: Actor Kamal Haasan-led Makkal Needhi Maiam on Wednesday announced a seven-point "MNM Agenda for Industry" in the poll-bound Tamil Nadu, proposing a slew of measures to give a fillip to the sector.

A new business facilitation model and a "Ministry of Possibilities" are the key proposals made by the party. "A Ministry of Possibilities will be established to cater to science and technology, start-ups and innovation to give a fillip to the industrial revolution 4.0," a party release said.

West Bengal polls 2021: TMC appeals to Left, Congress in fight against BJP

Further, the proposed "New Business Facilitation Model" will be a new timeline based concept that will ensure strict compliance, from proposal to approval, it said.

Skill development 'Super Parks' in every district, strengthening unorganised labourers by bringing them under compulsory and comprehensive insurance, pension plans and job safety and security and development of less developed regions by incentivising big industries to set up back offices there are the other proposals in the "MNM Agenda for Industry."

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

Assembly elections are likely in Tamil Nadu in April-May this year and Haasan has already embarked on campaigning.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 14:39 [IST]
I swore an oath to uphold and defend the U.S. Constitution, and the President must be held accountable for his dangerous action. Only by sending the unequivocal message that any insurrectionist act will not be tolerated in our nation will we be able to begin the healing process and move forward to immediately address the great health, economic, and social challenges facing our nation. We must begin the work to promote a robust and rapid vaccination program, improve educational opportunities, advocate for our veterans, and restrengthen our economy to the benefit of everyone, the statement said.
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Three members of Congress who have tested positive for the coronavirus this week say they believe their infections are linked to their time spent in a secure location with colleagues who did not wear masks during the rampage last week in the U.S. Capitol.

Representative Brad Schneider, Democrat of Illinois, said he received a positive test result Tuesday morning after driving home to Illinois, and that he did not have symptoms. Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey and Pramila Jayapal of Washington announced positive tests on Monday.

The three lawmakers, all Democrats, directly blamed a group of House Republicans who refused to wear masks while sheltering in a secure location during the riot.

Today, I am now in strict isolation, worried that I have risked my wifes health and angry at the selfishness and arrogance of the anti-maskers who put their own contempt and disregard for decency ahead of the health and safety of their colleagues and our staff, Mr. Schneider said.
GRANTS PASS, Ore.  Investigators seized almost 16 pounds of crystal methamphetamine on Monday with the help of Grants Pass Department of Public Safety's K9 "Match."

According to the agency, detectives with the Rogue Area Drug Enforcement (RADE) team have been investigating a man named Migueal Angel Jauregui-Hernandez for several months, suspecting that he was part of a drug trafficking organization bringing "large quantities" of meth from California into Josephine County.

Around 3:15 p.m. on Monday, RADE detectives stopped Jauregui-Hernandez as he came into Oregon from California, according to GPDPS.

During the stop, GPDPS' narcotic detection K9, Match, alerted on the vehicle, signaling that there were drugs inside. Detectives searched the vehicle and found 15.9 pounds of crystal meth, the agency said.

Jauregui-Hernandez was taken into custody and lodged in the Jackson County Jail.

"[Drug trafficking organizations] are described as being complex organizations with highly defined command-and-control structures that produce, transport, and/or distribute large quantity of illegal controlled substances; in this case, methamphetamine," GPDPS said in a statement.

Anyone with more information or questions on the case can contact Det. Sgt. Doni Hamilton with RADE at 541-450-6370 or dhamilton@grantspassoregon.gov.
DALLAS, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes, III, social justice advocate and senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dr. George Mason, senior pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, and Mayor London Breed, the first African American woman to become mayor of San Francisco, are joining together to host a national "Teach-In" in celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The 4th Annual King Teach-In will be held virtually on Saturday, January 16, 2021 at 11 a.m. CST. The event will be streamed live on Friendship-West's online platforms including the church website , Facebook , Instagram and YouTube .

Dr. Frederick Douglass Haynes, III Friendship-West Baptist Church

The 4th Annual King Teach-In will be a transgenerational conversation to reclaim the identity, ministry, and witness of Dr. King and offer actionable ways for Americans to engage in the social justice movement and creation of public policy. The purpose is to reorient and reclaim the essence of who Dr. King was and what undergirded his public ministry. This year the theme is MLK: Theology, Policy, and Protest. The event will also include a youth and young adult panel.

Known nationally as "the drum major for justice," Dr. Frederick Haynes, III, modeled his ministry like Dr. King's on the intersections of faith and justice. Dr. Haynes works diligently to stand up for justice and to create positive change, nationally, and in the Dallas-Ft. Worth community. In Southern Dallas, which lacks many resources for its residents, his vision is for a "new" Dallas where housing, gainful employment, fresh produce, clean air, safe neighborhoods, quality healthcare and access to sustainable resources, are available for all Dallas residents.

Dr. George Mason is an advocate for community work beyond the pulpit and is a frequent op-ed contributor to media outlets on subjects of public interest that intersect religion, such as public education, race relations and predatory lending. He also writes a monthly column on public theology.

Mayor London Breed has an outstanding record of making meaningful change in the city of San Francisco. A native of San Francisco, who was raised in a housing project by her grandmother, Mayor Breed has made great progress in increasing housing and providing solutions for the city's homeless population. At the King Teach-In, Mayor Breed will share some of the tips and practical solutions she's used to move the city forward.

Friendship-West is widely known for its focus on social, economic, gender, food, and environmental justice for everyone and has worked continuously in the Dallas community, nationally, and globally. The 4th Annual King Teach-In is free and open to the public.

For more information, please visit https://www.friendshipwest.org.

INTERVIEW/PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

Dr. Frederick D. Haynes , senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church is available for interviews via Skype, Zoom, phone, etc.

, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church is available for interviews via Skype, Zoom, phone, etc. Dr. George Mason , is available for comment via Skype, Zoom, phone, etc.

, is available for comment via Skype, Zoom, phone, etc. Mayor London Breed, is available for comment via Skype, Zoom, phone, etc.

For media interviews or event media credentials, please contact Kayla Tucker Adams at [email protected] or 214-403-9852.

SOURCE Friendship-West Baptist Church

Related Links

https://www.friendshipwest.org/


NBC News- Lisa Montgomery, a convicted killer who strangled a pregnant woman in 2004 and then cut the unborn baby from her womb, was executed in a federal prison in Indiana early Wednesday. She was the first woman executed in the federal system in nearly seven decades.

Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 a.m. Wednesday after receiving a lethal injection at the federal prison complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Federal Bureau of Prisons said.

Earlier Wednesday, the Supreme Court lifted an appeals court stay that had blocked the execution, and it denied a request for a stay filed by Montgomery's attorneys that raised mental illness concerns.

"The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight," Kelley Henry, an attorney for Montgomery, said in a statement.

Henry has said that Montgomery suffered from severe mental illness that was "exacerbated by the lifetime of sexual torture she suffered at the hands of caretakers," and her lawyers sought a chance to prove her incompetence.

The execution comes in the waning days of the Trump administration, which in 2019 announced plans to carry out the first federal executions in 17 years. President-elect Joe Biden has suggested he would put a moratorium on the federal death penalty.

Montgomery was initially set to be executed in December, but the date was delayed after her attorneys, who are based in Nashville, Tennessee, contracted the coronavirus amid traveling to Texas and working on her case.

The spread of Covid-19 across prisons, including at the Indiana facility where all federal executions take place, contributed to increased criticism over the resumption of the federal death penalty last year, even as states put a halt to executions.

With Wednesday's lethal injection, the Trump administration has put 11 people to death over the past seven months, the most executions in a presidential lame-duck period in more than 130 years.

Montgomery's execution, which had been planned for Tuesday, was one of three scheduled by the Department of Justice this week.

In a ruling Tuesday, Judge Tanya S. Chutkan of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled to stay the two other federal executions, those of Dustin Higgs and Corey Johnson.

Chutkan wrote in her decision that it is not in the public interest to execute the two men.

In December 2004, Montgomery, then 36 and living in Kansas, crossed state lines to the Missouri home of Bobbie Jo Stinnett, whom she had met at a dog show, federal prosecutors said. Stinnett was eight months pregnant.

Montgomery strangled Stinnett with a rope and used a kitchen knife she had brought from home to remove the fetus, according to court documents. The baby girl survived. Montgomery tried to pass her off as her own, but was quickly arrested and later convicted by a jury and sentenced unanimously to death.

Montgomery had been incarcerated in an all-female federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, where staff is trained to deal with mental health issues. Her lawyers said that they weren't arguing that she didn't deserve to be punished, but rather that the jury never fully learned of her severe mental illnesses as diagnosed by doctors.

Johnson, convicted of killing seven people related to drug trafficking in Virginia, and Higgs, convicted of ordering the murders of three women in Maryland, both tested positive for Covid-19 last month.

In a nearly 7,000-page clemency petition filed this month, her lawyers say her mother's alcoholism caused her to be born brain-damaged and "resulted in incurable and significant psychiatric disabilities." They also detailed Montgomery's claims of physical abuse, rape and torture at the hands of her stepfather and others and being sex trafficked by her mother.

"Everything about this case is overwhelmingly sad," the petition says. "As human beings we want to turn away. It is easy to call Mrs. Montgomery evil and a monster, as the Government has. She is neither."

Diane Mattingly, an older sister of Montgomery, told reporters last week that she, too, suffered sexual abuse in the home before being placed in foster care. She has been vocal in recent months that her sister's life should be spared.

"I went into a place where I was loved and cared for and shown self-worth," Mattingly said. "I had a good foundation. Lisa did not, and she broke. She literally broke."

In October, the Justice Department described the case as an "especially heinous" murder. The Missouri community where her victim had lived gathered last month to remember Stinnett, with some expressing support for Montgomery's execution.

The U.S. government last executed a female inmate in 1953, when Bonnie Brown Heady of Missouri was put to death for the kidnapping and murder of a young boy in a ransom plot.
These remarks have prompted the House Democrats to draw up articles of impeachment, arguing that the President's words added up to "incitement of insurrection". Asked about the impeachment, Trump said it was a really terrible thing that theyre doing. To continue on this path, I think its causing tremendous danger to our country, and its causing tremendous anger," he said. "I want no violence." The President spoke as he left for Texas to survey the border wall with Mexico. In Alamo, Texas, the site of the 725th kilometre of the border wall his administration is building, Trump brushed off Democratic calls on his cabinet to declare him unfit from office and remove him from power using the 25th Amendment.

Loading The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me, but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration, Trump said. As the expression goes, be careful of what you wish for. YouTube has suspended US President Donald Trump from uploading new videos to his official account for at least a week, joining fellow social media giants Twitter and Facebook in shutting Trump out of his account because of concerns his posts will incite violence. YouTube, the streaming video service owned by Google, said it removed new content uploaded to the President's account for violating its policies and "in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence". Impeachment ahead, the House on Tuesday will first try to convince the Vice-President and cabinet to act even more quickly to remove Trump from office, warning he is a threat to democracy in the remaining days of his presidency.

House lawmakers reconvened at the Capitol for the first time since the deadly pro-Trump riot to approve a resolution calling on Vice-President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to declare the President unable to serve. Pence is not expected to take any such action. The House would next move swiftly to impeach Trump. Trump faces a single charge  incitement of insurrection  in the impeachment resolution that the House will begin debating on Wednesday, a week before Democrat Joe Biden is set to be inaugurated on January 20. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video The unprecedented events, only the first US president to be twice impeached, are unfolding in a nation bracing for more unrest. The FBI has warned ominously of potential armed protests in Washington and many states by Trump loyalists ahead of Bidens inauguration. In a dark foreshadowing, the Washington Monument was closed to the public and the inauguration ceremony on the west steps of the Capitol will be off limits to the public. It all added up to stunning final moments for Trumps presidency as Democrats and a growing number of Republicans declare he is unfit for office and could do more damage after inciting a mob that violently ransacked the US Capitol last Wednesday.

A Capitol police officer died from injuries suffered in the riot, and police shot a woman during the violence. Three others died in what authorities said were medical emergencies. We have to be very tough and very strong right now in defending the Constitution and democracy, said Representative Jamie Raskin, an author of both pieces of legislation, in an interview. Late on Monday, the entire Congressional Hispanic Caucus, all 34 members, unanimously agreed to support impeachment, calling for Trump's immediate removal. It is clear that every moment Trump remains in office, America is at risk, said a statement from the caucus, led by Representative Raul Ruiz. It said Trump "must be held accountable for his actions. Democrats aren't the only ones who say Trump needs to go.

Loading Republican Liz Cheney encouraged House Republican colleagues late on Monday to vote your conscience, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss the private call. She has spoken critically of Trump's actions but has not said publicly how she will vote. Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania joined Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska over the weekend in calling for Trump to go away as soon as possible. Pence and Trump met late on Monday for the first time since the Capitol attack, and had a good conversation pledging to continue working for the remainder of their terms, said a senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Pence has given no indication he would proceed with invoking the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. No member of the cabinet has publicly called for Trump to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment process.

As security tightened, Biden said on Monday that he was not afraid of taking the oath of office outside at the Capitol. As for the rioters, Biden said: It is critically important that therell be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable. Biden said hed had conversations with senators ahead of a possible impeachment trial, which some have worried would cloud the opening days of his administration. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer was exploring ways to immediately convene the Senate for the trial as soon as the House acts, though Republican leader Mitch McConnell would need to agree. The President-elect suggested splitting the Senate's time, perhaps go a half day on dealing with impeachment, a half day on getting my people nominated and confirmed in the Senate, as well as moving on the package" for more COVID relief. As Congress resumes, an uneasiness swept government. Another lawmaker, Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Democrat, announced on Tuesday that she had tested positive for COVID-19 after sheltering during the siege.

Many lawmakers may choose to vote by proxy rather than come to Washington, a process that was put in place last year to limit the health risks of travel. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has discouraged Republican lawmakers from using the proxy option. But during a call with them he loosened his strict opposition for this week's votes, according to a Republican granted anonymity to discuss the private call. Among Trump's closest allies in Congress, McCarthy said in a letter to colleagues that impeachment at this time would have the opposite effect of bringing our country together. He said he would review possible censure of the president. But House Republicans are split and a few may vote to impeach. Democrats say they have the votes for impeachment. The impeachment bill from Representatives David Cicilline of Rhode Island, Ted Lieu of California, Raskin of Maryland and Jerrold Nadler of New York draws from Trump's own false statements about his election defeat to Biden.

Loading Judges across the country, including some nominated by Trump, have repeatedly dismissed cases challenging the election results, and former Attorney-General William Barr, a Trump ally, has said there was no sign of widespread fraud. The impeachment legislation also details Trump's pressure on state officials in Georgia to find him more votes, as well as his White House rally ahead of the Capitol siege, in which he encouraged thousands of supporters last Wednesday to fight like hell and march to the building. The mob overpowered police, broke through security lines and windows and rampaged through the Capitol, forcing lawmakers to scatter as they were finalising Bidens victory over Trump in the Electoral College. While some have questioned impeaching the President so close to the end of his term, Democrats and others argue he must be prevented from holding future public office.
MUSKEGON, MI  A COVID-19 survivor says hes just happy to be alive after being hospitalized for nearly two months.

Admitted to Mercy Health Muskegon in mid-November, Rick Jones, 51, was intubated twice before recovering from COVID-19. On two different occasions, hospital officials suggested to his wife to say her goodbyes.

The Norton Shores man credits the team of healthcare workers for being able to walk out of the hospital on Monday, Jan. 11.

I owe my life to them, he said.

Jones was discharged from Mercy Health as doctors, nurses and rehabilitation staff lined a hallway and the front entryway to applaud his recovery.

You guys did it, he told them.

10 Patient survives months-long battle with COVID-19

Dr. MaryEllen Rosel, a hospitalist who helped treat Jones, gave him a hug on the way out.

Its really rewarding, Rosel said. It reinforces that we need to keep fighting the good fight.

Muskegon County experienced a surge of COVID-19 cases in mid-November, overwhelming Mercy Health to the point of local health officials deciding to open an overflow unit at recently closed Hackley Hospital.

We need to keep doing whats best for these patients and keep giving them all the best care we can give them, Rosel said. Because we do have situations like Rick whos now home with his children.

Related: COVID-19 survivor says he is happy to be alive after long hospital stay

Within a couple of days of Jones developing symptoms, he required hospitalized and went downhill fast, he said. Doctors intubated Jones on Nov. 23 and again on Dec. 12; both times his wife, Marie Jones, said goodbye to her husband of 27 years.

Its just emotionally numbing, she said.

By the end of December, Jones health had improved. With assistance from the Mary Free Bed rehabilitation unit, the 51-year-old started to walk again.

I just did what they told me to do, fought when they told me to fight, he said. Here I am, feeling good.

Jones said Monday he was looking forward to being back home, seeing his three daughters and exercising.

More on MLive:

Vaccinating Michigans long-term residents is high priority, but off to slow start

It takes the life out of you, says Burton councilman hospitalized with COVID-19

Thousands on vaccine waiting lists in West Michigan
Last week, a British judge ruled that Julian Assange could not be extradited to the United States, finding that he would likely be subjected to conditions of confinement so harsh hed be at grave risk of taking his own life. The judge also determined that the charges against Assange did not constitute an attack on press freedom, a move that riled journalists and free speech activists across the globe. We disagree with the judges assessment that this case is not politically motivated, that it is not about free speech, the international campaign director for Reporters Without Borders told the New York Times. Owen Jones, a columnist for The Guardian, wrote, This was the right decision, but for the wrong reason.

Mondays ruling did not establish a precedent for protecting whistleblowers. While thats important to highlight, the argument put forward by press freedom advocates presumes that the political nature of the charges is the only issue at stake. The conditions of confinement Assange would have likely faced once extradited, however, pose a threat to free speech in their own right.

Judge Vanessa Baraitser didnt rule as she did because of inhumane conditions in the federal prison system overall. Rather, her finding focused almost exclusively on how Assange might fare were he subjected to a specific set of restrictions known as Special Administrative Measures (sams). sams are gag orders placed on a very small number of federal prisoners or detainees, either pretrial, post-trial, or both. They are imposed at the discretion of the attorney general when he or she believes theres a substantial risk that the communications of an incarcerated person could pose a public threat.

The measures vary from person to person. Generally, though, sams prisoners are prohibited from communicating with anyone in the world except their immediate family members and their attorneys. They have minimal access to the news; books must be preapproved. Apart from letters and phone calls with family, sams prisoners can go months without human interaction. Sometimes the unit feels like a graveyard, one person said of the experience. There is no sound, and everyone is in his grave.

sams also pose a grave risk to free speech. Anyone in touch with a person subject to sams is likewise gagged, meaning an attorney, spouse, or sibling can be criminally prosecuted for passing along what a prisoner has said, whether thats something as insignificant as what the prisoner had for breakfast or as consequential as reports of force-feedings.

I know from experience that sams have a real and substantial impact on press freedom. In 2019, in partnership with Type Investigations, I published a cover story in The Nation about hunger strikes and force-feedings at a unit dedicated to housing sams prisoners post-conviction. Between 2005 and 2016, prisoners on the unit held hunger strikes almost continuously, and prison officials responded brutallyyet these protests had never been reported on in depth. (My piece relied on the testimony of someone since taken off sams.) In making it impossible for journalists to report on conditions in real time, sams create a black box in the federal prison system. Administrators and guards dont fear public accountability, because they know reporters will never get inside.

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From one point of view, sams provide de jure cover for the de facto censorship that occurs in every prison, jail, and detention center across the United States. Examined from another perspective, sams pose a particular and unique risk to the press. They are essentially imposed at will. There is no evidentiary standard the Department of Justice must meet to impose the measures. Nor does any meaningful oversight system keep the attorney general in check. And once subject to the measures, individuals can live under them for a decade or more.

Given the opacity with which sams are imposed, we cant know if those subject to the measures pose an actual threat to the public. What we do know is that many people on sams carry powerful truths, things theyve experienced or learned that, if disclosed, would embarrass US law enforcement and intelligence agencies or bring them under heightened scrutiny. I know, from my own reporting, that current and former sams prisoners were tortured at US black sites and abused at the hands of foreign governments with the alleged support of the US. When will we hear their stories?

At Guantanamo, attorneys can visit their clients, hand their interview notes to government censors, and get some version back that can be released. Not so for prisoners subject to sams. If Assange had been extradited and placed under sams, he would be silenced indefinitely. That is no small matter. These restrictions not only hinder reporters from investigating prison conditions, they also prevent us from holding intelligence and law enforcement agencies to account.

Thankfully, we may soon have an opportunity for reprieve. As president, Joe Biden could revamp the regulations that govern sams or simply instruct his attorney general not to impose them. We cant control the findings of the British judicial system. What we can do is influence when and whether sams are imposed. As journalists and press freedom advocates, we have a responsibility to do so.

THE MEDIA TODAY: Remember Trumps first impeachment while covering his second

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Aviva Stahl is an award-winning investigative journalist who has written about prisons and national security issues for a broad array of outlets, including The New York Times, The Nation, The Guardian, and Gothamist. Follow her on Twitter @stahlidarity.
BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's Health Ministry said on Wednesday that vaccination of the country's population against COVID-19 will begin with vaccines imported from China and India as soon as their emergency use has been approved by health regulator Anvisa, planned for Sunday.

Vaccination of the country's population will take 16 months at most, Deputy Health Minister Elcio Franco said at a news conference. Brazil is sending a plane to import 2 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford University vaccine made by India's Serum Institute and has already imported 6 million doses of the CoronVac vaccine made by China' Sinovac Biotech.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Leslie AdlerEditing by Leslie Adler)
By now, most of America probably remembers the Flint, Mich. water crisis as one of the biggest scandals of the Obama era. But nearly seven years after the impoverished citys drinking water was found to be contaminated, former GOP Gov. Rick Snyder (who was widely vilified in the press over his involvement in the decisions that led to the contamination) is reportedly about to face criminal charges.

The AP reports that Snyder, his health director Nick Lyon and other ex-officials from his administration have been told theyre being charged after a new investigation of the Flint water scandal. The citys water, which was mistakenly contaminated with lead due to an oversight by the state, caused an outbreak of Legionnaires disease in 2014-2015 and untold led poisoning.

Snyder has been out of office for two years, but he was governor when state-appointed managers in Flint switched the citys water source to the Flint River in 2014 as a cost-saving measure while a new pipeline was being built to Lake Huron. The water, however, was not treated to reduce corrosion, which turned out to be a disastrous decision, as lead leached from old pipes and found its way into the water drank by 100K residents. Meanwhile, bacteria in the water was blamed for legionnaires.

Progressive media latched on to the scandal and transformed Flint into a symbol of governmental mismanagement, as well as an example of how poorer communities of color are treated compared with wealthier, mostly white communities.

Snyder and Lyon announced the Legionnaires outbreak and the contamination issue in January 2016, although Lyon conceded that he knew that cases were being reported many months earlier. In 2018, Lyon was preparing to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges after a special prosecutor accused him of failing to timely inform the public about the outbreak in a timely manner. His attorneys argued there was not enough solid information to share earlier. But by June 2019, the prosecution had been thrown out as a new attorney general, Dana Nessel, and a new team of prosecutors said they would start the investigation anew.

The looming charges are apparently the result of this second investigation.
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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- App Annie , the mobile data and analytics company helping brands and publishers create winning experiences on mobile, today released The State of Mobile 2021 report. This annual appraisal provides insight into mobile's expansive impact across industries and the global economy.

2020 accelerated mobile adoption as consumers used their mobile devices to connect, work, learn, play and escape despite COVID-19 restricting their way of life. Consumers spent $143 billion on mobile apps in 2020, an increase of 20% from 2019. Top markets driving this spend included China, United States, Japan, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Select findings include:

Time spent on mobile surged: 4.2 hours were spent on Android which amounted to 3.5 trillion hours, up by 20% and 25% respectively from 2019

4.2 hours were spent on Android which amounted to 3.5 trillion hours, up by 20% and 25% respectively from 2019 Mobile gaming remains unrivaled: This sector is on track to surpass $120 billion in consumer spend in 2021 which will capture 1.5x of the overall gaming market

This sector is on track to surpass in consumer spend in 2021 which will capture 1.5x of the overall gaming market Time spent crossed generations: In the US, Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X/ Baby Boomers spent 16%, 18% and 30% more time per user YoY in their most-used apps

In the US, Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X/ Baby Boomers spent 16%, 18% and 30% more time per user YoY in their most-used apps Social networking apps take center stage: Time spent per user increased by up to 325% YoY. TikTok is on track to hit 1.2 billion monthly active users in 2021 as consumers look to stay connected as well as entertained

Time spent per user increased by up to 325% YoY. TikTok is on track to in 2021 as consumers look to stay connected as well as entertained Mobile fuels the ad industry: In 2020 ad spend grew to $240 billion up by 26% from 2019

In 2020 ad spend grew to up by 26% from 2019 Funding remained strong: $73 billion was invested in mobile companies up by 27% from 2019

The State of Mobile 2021 shows how to navigate macro trends and demographics which helps identify which leading brands and publishers are winning across gaming, fintech, retail, social, video, and others.

"The world has forever changed. While people stay at home across the world, we saw mobile habits accelerate by three years," said Theodore Krantz, Chief Executive Officer of App Annie.

According to James Cordery, Head of Performance Marketing Strategy, Deliveroo, "In 2020, we were able to focus on executing mobile strategies that really delivered incremental growth for Deliveroo. We were able to couple consumer insights with market context from App Annie to make decisions that have had a high impact on our performance."

This year, with a brand new interactive experience, the report provides an overview of key narratives in mobile across 11 industries and 30 countries. The analysis and estimates in this report are based on App Annie Intelligence.

Read the full The State of Mobile 2021 here .

About App Annie

App Annie is the industry's most trusted mobile data and analytics platform. App Annie's mission is to help customers create winning mobile experiences and achieve excellence.

SOURCE App Annie

Related Links

http://www.appannie.com


The National Guard joined state and federal law enforcement on Wednesday afternoon in attempting to curtail a pro-Trump protest that turned violent as rioters breached the U.S. Capitol and Senate chambers during the Electoral College vote count.

Driving the news: Vice President Mike Pence encouraged the Pentagon mid-afternoon to rapidly deploy the National Guard to the Capitol, sources briefed tell Axios' Jonathan Swan.

The big picture: The Pentagon said roughly 1,100 District of Columbia National Guard members were activated to help federal law enforcement respond to the mob per D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's request, AP reports.

President-elect Joe Biden incited President Trump to step up," on national television Wednesday afternoon.

In a live phone interview with CBS News, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the situation within the Capitol wasnt controlled and that: Help is needed.

The state of play: White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany wrote in a tweet around 3:30 p.m. ET  about an after the mob first stormed Capitol Hill  that the National Guard had been called in at Trump's direction.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said he would send members of the state National Guard and 200 members of the Virginia State Police to Washington. In a tweet at 3:29 p.m., he added the action came at Bowser's request.

The FBI has been deployed to assist our U.S. Capitol Police partners as requested in protection of federal property and public safety, FBI National press secretary Carol Cratty said in a statement to Axios.

The deployment of FBI agents "signaled the growing alarm among federal officials viewed the chaos swirling around the Capitol building on Wednesday," the New York Times writes.

The Department of Homeland Security deployed Federal Protective Service and Secret Service "to provide assistance to Capitol Hill Police," a DHS spokesperson told Axios.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan also announced plans around 3:45 p.m. to send troopers and call up a rapid response force to support law enforcement in D.C.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy joined Northam and Hogan at 4:57 p.m., tweeting that he will deploy New Jersey State Police to D.C. at the request of D.C. officials. The New Jersey National Guard is on standby, he noted.

At close to 5 p.m., Bowser said at a press conference that "the metropolitan police department has been deployed to assist the U.S. Capitol Police in restoring order to the capitol."

Capitol Police also issued safety guidance to staff in multiple federal buildings.

Of note: The District of Columbia Council issued a statement earlier Wednesday saying, "the Department of Defense denied a request by Mayor Muriel Bowser to expand the responsibilities of the District of Columbia National Guard..."

Go deeper: In photos: Protestors storm U.S. Capitol
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The Global Food Service Equipment Market is anticipated to reach USD 62 billion by 2026 according to a new research published by Polaris Market Research. In 2017, the cooking and food & beverage preparation equipment segments dominated the global market, in terms of revenue. North America is expected to be the leading contributor to the global market revenue during the forecast period.

The significant increase in food establishments, and the growing hospitality industry are the major factors driving the growth of the Food Service Equipment market. The changing lifestyles and increasing disposable incomes are leading to higher instances of dining at restaurants and living at hotels and resorts. The growing demand for affordable and energy efficient equipment supports the growth of the market.

Get sample copy of this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/food-service-equipment-market/request-for-sample

Hotels and restaurants are increasingly adopting technologically advanced food service equipment for performing kitchen activities efficiently and offering enhanced services to consumers. Restaurant businesses prefer compact and space efficient equipment, which encourages market players to launch new products in the global market. Increasing spending on the hospitality sector, and tourism activities encourage restaurant owners to improve their infrastructure and offer enhanced services. Moreover, the Food Service Equipment market is also driven by increasing need to use food service equipment that consume less energy and provide faster kitchen services. Growing concerns regarding environment and increasing adoption of energy efficient food service equipment are expected to offer numerous growth opportunities in the future. However, high costs associated with food service equipment, and high installation prices restrict the growth of the Food Service Equipment market.

The North America Food Service Equipment market generated the highest revenue in the market in 2017, and is expected to lead the global market during the forecast period. The high living standards along with high disposable income in the region drive the market growth. Other factors supporting market growth in North America include growth in tourism industry, increasing awareness regarding energy efficient equipment, and growing adoption of smart technologies. The Asia-Pacific Food Service Equipment market is expected to grow at a significant rate during the forecast period owing to the increasing population and improving living standards.

Complete Summary with TOC Available @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/food-service-equipment-market

The different end-users of food service equipment include hotels and clubs, full service restaurants, quick service restaurants, and others. In 2017, hotels and clubs accounted for the highest market share owing to increasing need to offer enhanced services to consumers. Hotels and clubs are increasingly adopting technologically advanced food service equipment to meet high storage demands and to offer fresh & high quality food. Food establishments are also inclined towards using energy efficient service equipment owing to growing environmental concerns.

The leading companies profiled in the Food Service Equipment market report include Dover Corporation, Haier Electronics Group Co., Ltd., Duke Manufacturing Co. Inc., Illinois Tool Works (ITW) Inc., Fujimak Corporation, Duke Manufacturing Co. Inc., Ali Group, Hoshizaki Corporation, Middleby Corporation, Manitowoc Company Inc, and AB Electrolux among others. These companies launch new products and collaborate with other market leaders to innovate and launch new products to meet the increasing needs and requirements of consumers.

Food Service Equipment Market Size and Forecast, 2017-2026 by Region

North America US. Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France Italy Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific China India Japan Rest of Asia-Pacific

Latin America Brazil Middle East & Africa



Avail discount on this report @ https://www.polarismarketresearch.com/industry-analysis/food-service-equipment-market/request-for-discount-pricing

About Polaris Market Research

Polaris Market Research is a global market research and consulting company. We provide unmatched quality of offerings to our clients present globally. The company specializes in providing exceptional market intelligence and in-depth business research services for our clientele spread across different enterprises. We at Polaris are obliged to serve our diverse customer base present across the industries of healthcare, technology, semi-conductors and chemicals among various other industries present around the world.

Contact us-

Polaris Market Research

Phone: 1-646-568-9980

Email: sales@polarismarketresearch.com

Web: www.polarismarketresearch.com
New study unravels long-standing climate mystery and provides insight into how our planet may change in the future

Scientists claim to have found the 'missing link' in the process that leads to an ice age on Earth.

Melting icebergs in the Antarctic are the key, say the team from Cardiff University, triggering a series of chain reactions that plunges Earth into a prolonged period of cold temperatures.

The findings have been published today in Nature from an international consortium of scientists from universities around the world.

It has long been known that ice age cycles are paced by periodic changes to Earth's orbit of the sun, which subsequently changes the amount of solar radiation that reaches the Earth's surface.

However, up until now it has been a mystery as to how small variations in solar energy can trigger such dramatic shifts in the climate on Earth.

In their study, the team propose that when the orbit of Earth around the sun is just right, Antarctic icebergs begin to melt further and further away from Antarctica, shifting huge volumes of freshwater away from the Southern Ocean and into the Atlantic Ocean.

As the Southern Ocean gets saltier and the North Atlantic gets fresher, large-scale ocean circulation patterns begin to dramatically change, pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere and reducing the so-called greenhouse effect.

This in turn pushes the Earth into ice age conditions.

As part of their study the scientists used multiple techniques to reconstruct past climate conditions, which included identifying tiny fragments of Antarctic rock dropped in the open ocean by melting icebergs.

The rock fragments were obtained from sediments recovered by the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 361, representing over 1.6 million years of history and one of the longest detailed archives of Antarctic icebergs.

The study found that these deposits, known as Ice-Rafted Debris, appeared to consistently lead to changes in deep ocean circulation, reconstructed from the chemistry of tiny deep-sea fossils called foraminifera.

The team also used new climate model simulations to test their hypothesis, finding that huge volumes of freshwater could be moved by the icebergs.

Lead author of the study Aidan Starr, from Cardiff University's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said: "We were astonished to find that this lead-lag relationship was present during the onset of every ice age for the last 1.6 million years. Such a leading role for the Southern Ocean and Antarctica in global climate has been speculated but seeing it so clearly in geological evidence was very exciting".

Professor Ian Hall, co-author of the study and co-chief scientist of the IODP Expedition, also from the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said: "Our results provide the missing link into how Antarctica and the Southern Ocean responded to the natural rhythms of the climate system associated with our orbit around the sun."

Over the past 3 million years the Earth has regularly plunged into ice age conditions, but at present is currently situated within an interglacial period where temperatures are warmer.

However, due to the increased global temperatures resulting from anthropogenic CO2 emissions, the researchers suggest the natural rhythm of ice age cycles may be disrupted as the Southern Ocean will likely become too warm for Antarctic icebergs to travel far enough to trigger the changes in ocean circulation required for an ice age to develop.

Professor Hall believes that the results can be used to understand how our climate may respond to anthropogenic climate change in the future.

"Likewise as we observe an increase in the mass loss from the Antarctic continent and iceberg activity in the Southern Ocean, resulting from warming associated with current human greenhouse-gas emissions, our study emphasises the importance of understanding iceberg trajectories and melt patterns in developing the most robust predictions of their future impact on ocean circulation and climate," he said.

Professor Grant Bigg, from the University of Sheffield's Department of Geography, who contributed to the iceberg model simulations, said: "The groundbreaking modelling of icebergs within the climate model is crucial for identifying and supporting the ice-rafted debris hypothesis of Antarctic iceberg meltwater impacts which are leading glacial cycle onsets."

###

The Cardiff University-led study was funded by NERC.

Notes to editors

1). For more information, please contact:

Michael Bishop

Cardiff University

02920 874499

Bishopm1@cardiff.ac.uk

2). Cardiff University is recognised in independent government assessments as one of Britain's leading teaching and research universities and is a member of the Russell Group of the UK's most research intensive universities. The 2014 Research Excellence Framework ranked the University 5th in the UK for research excellence. Among its academic staff are two Nobel Laureates, including the winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Professor Sir Martin Evans. Founded by Royal Charter in 1883, today the University combines impressive modern facilities and a dynamic approach to teaching and research. The University's breadth of expertise encompasses: the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences; the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences; and the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering, along with a longstanding commitment to lifelong learning.
The mother of a teenage girl who was doused in petrol and set alight by her then boyfriend has tearfully begged a judge to 'keep her daughter safe' and not release him from jail.

Brae Taylor Lewis was sentenced to 11 years in jail in 2018 after he was convicted of maiming his then-girlfriend by setting her on fire on May 27, 2016.

The couple, who were both 17 at the time and living together, had a volatile relationship marked by frequent verbal abuse and 'regular outbursts of aggression'.

But in the lead up to the 2016 attack, Lewis had grown increasingly aggressive and threatened to set his girlfriend alight on at least one other occasion.

She suffered deep dermal burns to 21 per cent of her body and has permanent scars across her arms, chest, abdomen, back and thighs following the Marsden attack, south of Brisbane.

Brae Taylor Lewis was sentenced to 11 years in jail in 2018 after he was convicted of maiming his then-girlfriend by setting her on fire on May 27, 2016

His girlfriend suffered deep dermal burns to 21 per cent of her body and has permanent scars across her arms, chest, abdomen, back and thighs following the attack

In 2019, 20-year-old Lewis argued he was simply trying to scare her and appealed his conviction of committing a malicious act intended to cause grievous bodily harm.

On Wednesday, judge Michael Burnett retired and is expected to deliver his verdict on Thursday.

The woman and her mother both read victim impact statements to the court on Wednesday.

The mother told the court how she feared for her daughter's safety during the relationship and begged her to leave him.

'His plea is for freedom, and mine is for him to stay incarcerated,' she tearfully told the judge.

'I feel he is a genuine danger to society, to other unsuspecting women and again to my daughter... Your Honour, you are the only person who can protect my daughter.'

The woman, who is now 22, told the court she still requires therapy for the 'brutal attack' and feels like she is 'living a life sentence' (burns left, boyfriend right)

The mother said she felt Lewis' last minute guilty plea was a last ditch bid for freedom rather than a reflection of his rehabilitation since his incarceration in 2016, and described it as a final insult to her daughter.

Prosecutors explained that the mother was made aware of a Facebook post made to Lewis' account just days ago which read: 'Plead guilty and get out in a few weeks... Who wouldn't? F*ck yeah.'

Lewis' barrister Andrew Hoare denied his client made the post, despite comments from both his mother and grandmother which 'suggested they were under the impression the statement had come from him'.

The victim, who is now 22, told the court she still requires therapy for the 'brutal attack' and feels like she is 'living a life sentence'.

'I can't put petrol in my car, I can't light a gas stove top, I struggle to do everyday things and I constantly feel self conscious about my scars and appearance.'

She struggles to trust people and still has nightmares about the ordeal.

'I woke up from that coma not knowing where I was and with tubes coming out of me... And then I found out what happened and was heartbroken to know the one that I loved did that to me.'

Mr Hoare acknowledged the severe consequences for his client's actions while also arguing for the sentence to be reduced.

'These acts occurred four years and seven months ago, when he was a child,' he said. 'He's been in custody for more than a quarter of his life.'

The court previously heard that the victim spent two days in an induced coma following the attack, and the burns were so severe they'd penetrated her skin.

She admitted that they would 'hit each other, kick, choke and throw things at each other,' but said that 'at certain points, he would take it that step further'.

In the months leading up to the attack, Lewis had already doused his then-girlfriend in petrol and threatened to set her alight.

Mr Hoare acknowledged the severe consequences for his client's actions while also arguing for the sentence to be reduced (her burns are pictured)

'I thought, yeah, he may have thrown it on me to scare me, but I never believed that he was ever going to go that extra step and actually set me on fire,' she told the court at his initial sentencing.

A week prior to the incident, he threw a screwdriver at her and it wound up lodged in her hip. She did not seek medical treatment over the incident and still has a scar.

But his pro bono barrister Andrew Hoare, in asking for an appeal, maintained that Lewis did not intend to set her alight, and instead was trying to scare her.

Mr Hoare said Lewis lit the fumes in the air and did not directly light her.

He also argued that Lewis showed immediate remorse by attempting to put out the flames.

On that matter, the victim said: 'After the fire was off me he started crying and screaming that he was sorry and that he would never intentionally mean to hurt me.'

'He was simply trying to cease an argument. He was simply trying to cause fear to her so she would retreat,' Mr Hoare said at the time.

Lewis was a daily user at the time of the incident and had been addicted to amphetamines since he was 15 years old

After neighbours arrived at the house and called emergency services, Lewis fled the scene. He called his family and asked whether he would be in trouble, but refused to offer his location. Police found him at an undisclosed address the next day.

The barrister argued the original 11-year sentence was a miscarriage of justice and said an eight to nine year sentence was more appropriate.

Two witnesses to the incident told the court they were under the influence of drugs at the time.

Lewis was a daily user at the time of the incident and had been addicted to amphetamines since he was 15 years old.

The court heard he had a difficult upbringing, was exposed to significant violence and sexually abused by an older associate. His lawyer also said his drug use increased after the death of his younger brother by suicide.

'His conduct was that of an addict with trauma that was unresolved and untreated, which culminated in an act that led to serious consequences to the young woman.

The court previously heard that the victim spent two days in an induced coma following the attack, and the burns were so severe they'd penetrated her skin
ROME, JAN 13 - The government is set to extend the COVID-19 State of Emergency until the end of April, Health Minister Roberto Speranza said Wednesday. "When all the (virus) parameters deteriorate at the same time, we are obliged to take new measures and the government considers extending the state of emergency until April 30 to be inevitable," Speranza told the Lower House. (ANSA).

Premium bicycle parts maker Spur Technologies on Wednesday announced setting up of a manufacturing unit at the upcoming Hero Industrial Parkat Ludhiana, in Punjab, that is expected to scale up its production capacity by 300 per cent.

To be managed by Hero Motors Ltd, Spur is eyeing a major share in the USD 250 million global business by 2023, through the facility, which will help India become a strong components hub and significantly reduce imports of premium components, Spur Technologies Pvt Ltd said.

Spur Technologies is a subsidiary of Hero Motors Company.

At present, Premium bicycle parts maker's product-line consists of the front suspension forks, double wall alloy rims, BB cartridges, alloy stems and freewheels (single-speed).

However, the new unit will enable it to increase suspension forks, alloy rims and alloy handlebars cumulative production to nearly six million units from existing two million unit capacity, it said.

Manufacturing hi-end aluminium components for both domestic and global markets will be a key focus of the new plant, it said, adding the production will also help Hero Cycles accomplish back-end integration and significantly reduce imports of premium components.

"The new venture is set to revolutionise the Indian bicycle components segment and will help Indian bicycle sector achieve greater self-reliance throughout the entire manufacturing chain.

"A key 'Make in India' initiative, the facility will enable Hero Cycles and the Indian bicycle industry at large to significantly reduce its imports of hi-end parts," said Pankaj M Munjal, Chairman and Managing Director, HMC.

The company looks forward to making India an exports hub for a wide array of hi-end bicycle components whose demand is surging globally, Munjal added.

Apart from helping existing vendors to gain from advanced technology development at Spur, the company will also support development of premium products and opening up of new markets, said the release.

Currently, some of the components are also exported to Sri Lanka, the UK as well as Germany, the company said.

Hero Industrial Park (HIP) is expected to boost Hero Cycles manufacturing capacity to eight million units in the first phase from the current six million units.

In phase one itself, HIP will add a production capacity of two million SKD (semi-knocked down)bikes, according to the release.

(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 Tower of London's 'Queen' raven has gone missing and is now feared dead, panicking staff at the royal fortress revealed today.

Merlina, the 14-year-old 'free-spirited' raven who arrived at the Tower as a chick in 2007, has not been seen at her home at the 11th Century castle for several weeks.

A 350-year-old legend states six ravens must be kept at the Tower or the kingdom will fall - though thankfully seven are still in residence by Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife even after 'much-loved' Merlina's departure.

But news of Merlina's disappearance has sparked an online frenzy, with Twitter users now forecasting doom and gloom for this year.

The Tower does not have any immediate plans to fill the new vacancy, but in the future hopes to breed another chick to 'continue Merlina's legacy'.

MailOnline understands that ravens have long explored beyond the Tower walls, though it is rare for them not to return at dusk. In 2011, one raven - Munin - reached as far as Greenwich before being returned a week later.

Merlina, the 14-year-old 'free-spirited' raven who arrived at the Tower as a chick in 2007, has not been seen at her home at the 11th Century castle for several weeks and is feared dead

Legend claims six ravens must be kept at the Tower or the kingdom of Britain will fall - though thankfully seven are still in residence by Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife

A spokesman for the Tower said: 'Our much-loved raven Merlina has not been seen at the Tower for several weeks, and her continued absence indicates to us that she may have sadly passed away.

'Though it isn't unusual for our ravens to roam outside the walls, free-spirited Merlina has previously always returned to the Tower and to the Ravenmaster and his team, with whom she shared a wonderfully close bond.

'We now have 7 ravens here at the Tower - one more than the required 6, so we don't have any immediate plans to fill Merlina's vacancy.

The legend of the Tower of London ravens Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the Tower ravens be protected It is not clear how long captive ravens have been held in the Tower for, though the intelligent birds, which are common in Britain, often nested in towns throughout history. However, according to local legend, the Tower's relationship with captive ravens could date back to King Charles II, who reigned in the mid-17th century. Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left. The King's order was given against the wishes of his astronomer, John Flamsteed, who complained the ravens impeded the business of his observatory. A common superstition now holds that 'if the Tower of London ravens are lost or fly away, the Crown will fall and Britain with it.' However others believe the legend is likely to be a Victorian 'flight of fantasy'. Advertisement

'However in time we hope that a new chick from our breeding programme will be up to the formidable challenge of continuing her legacy.'

Paying tribute to Merlina, the statement continued: 'Since joining us in 2007, Merlina was our undisputed ruler of the roost, Queen of the Tower Ravens. She will be greatly missed by her fellow ravens, the Ravenmaster, and all of us in the Tower community.'

Most of the current flock of ravens were brought to the Tower as chicks, although two - Poppy and Georgie - were born there as part of a new breeding programme. The other birds are called Jubilee, Harris, Gripp, Rocky and Erin.

Wild ravens usually live for 10 to 15 years, but the Tower's birds have been known to survive until the age of 40.

Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife, who cares for the flock, described Merlina's character in a book released in 2018.

Mr Skaife wrote: 'She likes playing with sticks while rolling on her back and doing forward-rolls. She is also adept at mimicking strange sounds to get what she wants.

'Much to the confusion of the local crows, Merlina is an expert at imitating their call to get them down from the trees to play with her. She also has a knack for impersonating gulls, but as far as I can tell, that's just to annoy them.

'Merlina is a bit of a loner. I think of her as the Tower Princess because she refuses to socialise with any other raven, or sleep with the others in the fox-proof enclosure I had built for them when I became Ravenmaster in 2011.'

And revealing one of her naughtier habits, he added: 'Merlina has a knack for spotting - from the other side of Tower Green - members of the public eating Pringles.

'Stealing the tube and popping off the lid to cram as many into her mouth as possible, she will even take them to the nearest water bowl and give them a wash if she doesn't like the taste.'

Charles II is thought to have been the first to insist that the ravens of the Tower be protected after he was warned that the crown and the Tower itself would fall if they left.

The King's order was given against the wishes of his astronomer, John Flamsteed, who complained the ravens impeded the business of his observatory.

Today the ravens are free to roam the Tower precincts during the day and preside over four different territories within the Tower's walls.

Visitors are warned not to feed the ravens as they can bite if they feel their territory is being threatened.

News of Merlina's departure has fuelled a panic on Twitter as social-media users cried: 'OMG we are all doomed!!!!!'

One Twitter account said: 'After 2020 what can go worse in 2021... and it starts with ravens leaving the Tower of London'.

Another tweeted: 'Well, I guess that's it for Britain and the monarchy' while one account posted: 'Now, I'm not superstitious in the slightest. But, we don't need this adding to 2021'.

The Tower of London was built on the demand of William the Conqueror after he defeated Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson in the Battle of Hastings in 1066

But news of Merlina's disappearance has sparked an online frenzy, with Twitter users now forecasting doom and gloom for this year

The Tower of London was built on the demand of William the Conqueror after he defeated Anglo-Saxon King Harold Godwinson in the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and then marched on to London.

The castle, which took almost 20 years to build, was designed to proclaim his power over London and stave off any potential rebellion.

It was expanded and later became a prison.

Henry VI was murdered at the Tower in 1471 and, later, the children of his great rival Edward IV  the Princes in the Tower - vanished within its walls in 1483.

The tower was guarded by the the famous Yeoman Warders, known as 'Beefeaters'.

Henry VII's personal guards were the first 'Beefeaters', so named as they were permitted to eat as much beef as they wanted from the King's table.

It was also the site of the beheading of Henry VIII's wife Anne Boleyn.

Today, alongside being a tourist attraction, it is home to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.
If the chill in the plains of northern India runs down your spine these days, travel to the hills in Himachal Pradesh where the sun is shining brightly. The reason is less humidity in the hills compared to the plains where the sun is largely fogged o Image Source: IANS News

If the chill in the plains of northern India runs down your spine these days, travel to the hills in Himachal Pradesh where the sun is shining brightly. The reason is less humidity in the hills compared to the plains where the sun is largely fogged o Image Source: IANS News

Shimla, Jan 13 : If the chill in the plains of northern India runs down your spine these days, travel to the hills in Himachal Pradesh where the sun is shining brightly. The reason is less humidity in the hills compared to the plains where the sun is largely fogged out.

Manmohan Singh, the Director of the India Meteorological Department here, told IANS on Wednesday that the hill stations in the state currently have more pleasant weather owing to longer duration of sunshine compared to the plains.

"The maximum and minimum temperatures in most of the places in Himachal Pradesh are high due to prevailing dry weather and no foggy conditions," he explained.

The humidity level of 70 per cent or more causes fog. In the plains, he said, it is close to 100 per cent. However, in the hills it's between 30 and 40 per cent.

According to him, Shimla's humidity level was 32 per cent whereas it was 86 per cent in Chandigarh, which is located in the plains.

He said the dry weather conditions in the hill state would continue at least for over a week.

In Shimla, which is located around 7,000 feet above sea level, the minimum temperature on Wednesday was 5.7-degree Celsius, while in Chandigarh, which is located in the foothills of the lower Shivaliks, it was also 5.7-degree Celsius.

The maximum temperature in Shimla and Chandigarh was 18.4-degree Celsius and 11.1-degree Celsius, respectively, meaning the plains were colder than the hills.

"What a pleasant sun in Shimla compared to the bone-chilling cold of Delhi where a dense layer of fog engulfs the city almost throughout the day," said Ankit Dubey, a tourist.

His wife Silky added: "In Delhi, the sun is a luxury these days. So it is better to be in the hills where the weather is dry and you can enjoy long sunny days." The minimum temperature in another hill destination, Dharamsala, the seat of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, was 3.6-degree Celsius, whereas the popular tourist spot of Manali, where nearby hills are wrapped up in a white blanket, saw a low of one degree Celsius.

In Punjab's Amritsar and Ludhiana, the minimum temperature was 3.5 and 3.8-degree Celsius, respectively, while it was 1.4-degree Celsius in Haryana's Narnaul, the coldest in both the states.

Delhi woke up to a bone-chilling cold of 3.2-degree Celsius on Wednesday as a dense layer of fog engulfed the national capital. Likewise, a thick blanket of fog enveloped many places of both Punjab and Haryana.

Hill stations like Kasauli, Chail, Kufri, Narkanda, Palampur and Manali are bright, sunny and perfect for a break from the dismal winter weather of the plains.

The weatherman attributed the rise in temperature in the hills to long, sunny days that kept the minimum and maximum temperatures up by several notches.

However, unusually rising mercury owing to long dry spells is not going down well for Shimla residents as they say there has been a noticeable change in the climatic conditions of the town in the past 20-25 years.

"Now the snow is going missing from Shimla's landscape," remarked Subhash Gupta, a former government employee settled in the town since 1960.

"Earlier, most of our family members preferred to migrate to the lower hills from December onwards owing to extreme cold conditions. Now, the locals have almost stopped migration. In fact, a chunk of tourists have started coming here in the winter months," he said.

Another resident, Prem Lal Negi, said that Shimla in recent years has hardly experienced heavy snow. "Earlier, you couldn't stay without a heating system in entire Shimla. Now, it is required only at the highest points of the town like Jakhu," he added.

Environmentalists blame deforestation and rise in vehicular pollution for the change in Shimla's extreme climatic conditions.

(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
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NEW YORK (AP) - Airbnb says it will be blocking and cancelling reservations in the Washington, D.C. area during the week of the presidential inauguration.

The decision, announced Wednesday, came two days after it said it was reviewing reservations in the area ahead of next weeks presidential inauguration and said it will bar any guests associated with hate groups or violent activity.

Airbnb has had a policy of removing guests who are confirmed to be members of hate groups since 2017, when it blocked guests who were headed to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Supplier News

13 January 2021

Chicago - Hotels are struggling to keep their doors open today, and many are unable to rehire full staff. Frontline employees fortunate enough to be working amidst the ongoing pandemic are wearing more hats and putting themselves at risk each day to deliver the highest levels of guest service in hopes of assuring travelers that their hotels are safe. To recognize these unsung heroes of hospitality, a new digital tipping solution has entered the hospitality scene to provide a contactless, cashless and "appless" enterprise system for digital gratuity with full reporting. Called youtip, the solution is simple and fast for tippers to use, as no app download is required.

"In today's economy  even before COVID-19  businesses are choosing to go cash-free, including hotels, with many encouraging credit-card and contactless payments," said Sarah Taveprungsenukul, youtip co-founder and CEO. "We've all been there. We want to tip service staff, such as the valet parking attendant, bellman or hotel housekeeper for jobs well done, but don't have enough cash on hand to do so. Taking the time to download a gratuity app is inconvenient, especially for travelers who often find themselves in a time crunch to run to the ATM or who want to limit their exposure to handling germ ridden cash. We developed youtip as the easiest digital tipping solution in the market. Tippers simply scan a QR code displayed anywhere that is visible and convenient, such as a valet stand, on the in-room TV or smart speakers with digital displays, or on an employee's badge/card. They can also click on links sent directly to them via text or email. This digital scan-and-tip system provides a quick and easy experience for guests and gives operators service feedback in seconds."

youtip is the brainchild of Doug Miles, co-founder and COO, and a 20-year fintech veteran who too frequently found himself without the cash to tip during business travel. Noticing the rapid adoption of QR codes in the U.S. and smartphone cameras now having QR code reading capability, Miles dusted off an old idea to pitch to Taveprungsenukul, his long-time friend in hospitality. The duo also brought tech-solution developer and friend Nicholas Okuley, youtip co-founder and CTO, to the table to help finetune the offering.

"To achieve mass adoption, the solution had to be faster than cash," Miles said. "youtip utilizes technology that already exists in your phone rather than requiring an app download. You just scan, tip and go. Our system routes the tip to the business's bank account along with transaction reporting and guest feedback. This appless solution is a 'first' in hospitality, and we anticipate that it will change the way tips are transacted for the foreseeable future."

Call for Integration Partners!

youtip can integrate with other critical business solutions, such as the property-management systems, point-of-sale systems, accounting/payroll solutions, service optimization systems, and voice/text technologies for hotels. Technology companies in the hospitality space who feel their solution, when tied to youtip, will further help hoteliers to recognize and reward today's unsung heroes are encouraged to contact youtip at [email protected].

"By approaching the software with a focus on flexibility, we are able to not only offer a scalable standalone product, but also one that can be tailored to specific customer needs  whether to express their brand and personality, or seamlessly tie into existing infrastructure thanks to our various partner integrations," Okuley said.

youtip is PCI compliant and utilizes the built-in security of Apple's Apple Pay and Google's G Pay. The company charges a convenience fee on every transaction to the person leaving the tip. QR codes can be leveraged to process both pooled and individual gratuities.

youtip is also ideal for charitable giving/fundraising campaigns. Businesses can use signage with a QR code tied to their charitable organization's bank account to raise money in the field. Quick digital donations at events and during street fundraising initiatives can be a great way to enhance a fundraising tool kit.

"We are waiving system subscription fees through the end of 2021 to help the hospitality industry recover as quickly as possible," Taveprungsenukul said, noting that charges may apply for design customizations and third-party integrations, such as PMS, payroll systems and branded mobile applications. "What we are most excited about through this technology launch is that youtip solves two key problems for the service industry: 1) Fewer people are carrying cash, and 2) increased demand for contactless services."

For more information on youtip, visit www.youtip.money. For questions about business customization, integration, or enterprise deployment, email [email protected].
The NHS is planning to discharge Covid patients into care homes without a negative test for the virus, it was claimed today  despite the virus ripping through homes and sparking thousands of deaths during the first wave.

Documents say the patients won't be swabbed but will need to have been isolating for 14 days and not be suffering symptoms of the virus. Care homes have already warned it would be a 'grave mistake' to use their empty beds as overflow for packed hospitals.

Trusts are also reportedly considering discharging Covid patients to hotels  under plans dubbed 'home and hotel'  after exhausting critical care capacity and facing barriers to utilising the Nightingales.

Patients suffering from the virus are already being transferred from King's College hospital, London, to a nearby Best Western hotel in Croydon, The Guardian claims.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today admitted No10 was looking at 'all options' to ease mounting pressure on the NHS, which is now treating 35,000 Covid patients  compared to 21,000 during the darkest spell of the first wave last spring.

'There are huge pressures on the NHS and we are looking to all different ways that we can relieve those pressures,' he told Sky News.

'We would only ever do that if it was clinically the right thing for somebody. In some cases, people need sit-down care, they don't actually need to be in a hospital bed.'

It comes amid fears hospitals could be overwhelmed by the surging admissions of Britons suffering from the virus, with health bosses warning the crisis won't peak until February. It can take infected patients several weeks to become severely ill, meaning any fall in cases won't be seen on NHS wards for at least a fortnight.

Care homes furiously warned last week it would be a 'grave mistake' to use their empty beds as overflow for packed hospitals.

The National Care Forum warned the homes are facing their own 'phenomenal' pressure and cannot cope with NHS patients too. It argued calls to protect the health service must not ignore the 'massive potential impact' on care homes.

Covid patients are already being moved to a Best Western-branded hotel in the Croydon area. There is no suggestion that it is the Best Western hotel pictured above

It comes amid fears hospitals could be overwhelmed. There were 35,000 Covid patients in Britain's hospitals on January 10, up 21.5 per cent on the same time the week before

HALF OF ICU STAFF ON COVID WARDS ARE SUFFERING SEVERE ANXIETY, PTSD OR DRINKING PROBLEMS Almost half of intensive care staff working on NHS Covid wards are suffering from severe anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or have a drinking problem, new research suggests. The study found poor mental health was common among intensive care unit (ICU) staff and more pronounced in nurses than in doctors. Over half (59 per cent) of staff said their wellbeing was good but 45 per cent were classified as having at least one mental health issue. For the study, 709 healthcare workers from nine ICUs in England completed anonymous web-based surveys in June and July 2020. Some 291 of the staff (41 per cent) were doctors, 344 (49 per cent) were nurses, and 74 (10 per cent) were other healthcare staff. PTSD, which is caused by stressful, frightening or distressing events and symptoms include repeated nightmares and flashbacks, accounted for 40 per cent of all mental health conditions affecting ICU staff. Advertisement

Uproar was sparked in the first wave after patients were discharged back to care homes to free up beds without a positive coronavirus test.

It was feared this triggered killer outbreaks, that led to thousands of deaths.

Ashgate Hospice, in Derbyshire, has already accepted a Covid patient from the nearby Royal Chesterfield Hospital.

The hospice said the patient is being isolated from the rest of the ward. They added that they have faced no outbreaks of coronavirus since the pandemic started.

'We are standing shoulder to shoulder with the NHS and are trying to free up as many beds as possible,' a spokesman for the hospice said. 'The majority of patients we have taken from the Royal Chesterfield are palliative non-Covid patients.'

The Department of Health wrote to care homes in October asking them to try and make space to accept non-resident patients being discharged from hospital.

It wanted to set up 500 of these designated areas, sectioned off from the main home and staffed by different workers, in case hospitals became overloaded in the second wave of the pandemic.

Patients are also being discharged early and sent to hotels, according to reports, with organisations including St John's Ambulance and the British Red Cross supporting the efforts.

They will also provide care for the patients when they get to the hotels, alongside military medical staff and some NHS workers, it is claimed.

Families will also be expected to play a 'key role' in monitoring and caring for their loved ones once they are moved to hotels.

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has admitted they will look at all options

The London Hotel Group, which owns the Best Western Chain, is reportedly in talks with 20 NHS Trusts about providing spare capacity. It says it can provide 5,000 beds.

The patients already being transferred to its hotel in the Croydon area are homeless, The Guardian says.

The Health Secretary said this morning proposals to use hotels were not 'concrete' but is 'something that we look at as we look at all contingencies'.

Asked if the NHS could end up overwhelmed, he told BBC Breakfast: 'Were going to do everything we possibly can to give the NHS the support, the resources it needs.

'That includes, for instance, opening the Nightingale hospitals and the London Nightingale hospital is now receiving patients for the first time since April.'

He said sending some patients to hotels was a 'further back-up plan' only done if appropriate for the patient but 'its not something we are actively putting in place'. He said it would be for 'step-down' patients only.

Ashgate hospice, in Derbyshire, has already accepted a Covid-19 patient. It is pictured above

It comes as figures show Britain's second wave of the pandemic may have peaked as lockdown was brought in, with the infection rate dipping for most areas since January 5

The news came after reports that the NHS is on 'a knife-edge' with hospitals close to the brink.

Medical students and receptionists will now be brought in to help cope with a huge surge in Covid-19 patients, say experts.

New figures show one in 20 patients are waiting more than 12 hours for beds  yet the worst of the crisis will not arrive until next month. Bosses say core staff face 'unsustainable workloads'.

NHS England's London regional director has written to all hospitals ordering a 'large redeployment effort' of students, receptionists and social care staff to help care for Covid patients.

Volunteers and social care staff will be moved to hospitals to take up roles such as fetching equipment and food for patients.

New roles have been created to help fill the desperate shortage of staff. Secretaries and students will act as 'medical ward scribes' to write down clinical decisions, patient histories and times of treatment.

Students are also helping with tasks such as 'proning' patients  turning them on to their fronts.

Meanwhile the Royal College of Emergency Medicine says that in the week to January 3 more than 2,500 patients waited for longer than 12 hours to be admitted to a bed at 32 NHS trusts.

Dr Katherine Henderson, RCEM president, said: 'It is a dire situation to be in. Our departments are crowded, with many places having no choice but to administer care in corridors.'

Jeremy Hunt, chairman of the Commons health committee and ex-health secretary, urged people to obey restrictions to cut infection rates. He told the BBC: 'I think the NHS will in the end find intensive care, critical care, beds for all those who need it. But it is on an absolute knife-edge.'

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said he expects pressure to spike in February. He warned a health and social care committee of MPs yesterday: 'It is pretty clear the infection rate is not going to go down as quickly as it did in the first phase.'

The rapid rise in cases was now spreading to the East of England into the Midlands, the North West and South West, he added.

'That's a particular worry because trusts in the Midlands and the North have got significant numbers of patients still in hospital from the second surge.'
The U.K. strain of COVID is here.

Two cases of a more virulent coronavirus mutation were identified in two New York City residents  one in Manhattan and the other in Queens, city officials said Wednesday.

The two cases represent the first documented evidence of the strain in the Big Apple and heighten concerns that the more contagious variant could overwhelm hospitals.

Mayor Bill de Blasio visits a vaccination site at Hillcrest High School, Queens. Monday, January 11, 2021.





Mayor Bill de Blasio visits a vaccination site at Hillcrest High School, Queens. Monday, January 11, 2021. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office/)

Im very concerned about this variant, Mayor de Blasio said. Were just at a point now where we have the opportunity to turn the corner because of the vaccine, and now we have this new challenge. I would absolutely urge people who are vulnerable to be very, very careful.

De Blasio said the citys Test and Trace Corps is now in contact with both of the people who tested positive. One of them recently traveled to the U.K., he noted.

The two COVID tests that led to identifying the strain were administered in late December, according to city Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi, who said evidence of the strain in those results was identified just hours before the city made the information public.

Mayor Bill de Blasio visits a vaccination site at Hillcrest High School, Queens. Monday, January 11, 2021.





Mayor Bill de Blasio visits a vaccination site at Hillcrest High School, Queens. Monday, January 11, 2021. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office/)

The two city residents are among 15 new cases throughout the state in which the U.K. strain was identified.

De Blasio pointed to the cases as even more reason for the federal government to shut down travel between Britain and the U.S.

There should be an immediate travel ban from the United Kingdom to the United States, he said. Heres proof positive  someone who was in the U.K. and has brought the variant back here. We need that stopped.

On Tuesday, the federal government instituted testing guidelines that require people traveling from outside the U.S. by air to test negative for the virus no more than three days before departure. De Blasio acknowledged the guidelines, but said stricter rules should now be applied to the U.K.

Were really in a race against this virus, said de Blasios senior public health adviser Dr. Jay Varma. We need to reduce the number of humans that are either infected with this virus, and in particular, those that are susceptible to it. Thats how viruses get a foothold and mutate.

Only one of the city residents who tested positive for the strain is confirmed to have traveled to the United Kingdom.

The sobering news comes as New Yorkers who are eligible to get the vaccine continued to report difficulties in registering for it and receiving it and as the city continues to ramp up vaccination efforts.

De Blasio said Wednesday his administration is in talks with the Yankees to open up a vaccination hub at Yankee Stadium, a day after he announced with Mets owner Steve Cohen that Citi Field would serve as a hub.

And he acknowledged his own concerns over frustrations New Yorkers have over their efforts to be vaccinated, but noted hes much more concerned with the supply of doses coming from the federal government.

If we dont get more vaccine, there literally will not be appointments available after the next couple of weeks, he said. We must get resupplied on a much higher level.

Gov. Cuomo offered similar concerns as the Jacob Javits Center, which previously served as a field hospital for COVID patients last spring, opened as a mass vaccination site on Wednesday.

We are making the vaccine available based on federal guidance and are continuing to push it out the door quickly and efficiently, but due to the federal governments limited allocation, appointments are filling up fast, Cuomo said. At the end of the day, this is a supply issue and we need the federal government to provide us with more vaccine as quickly as possible because there is simply not enough and this is the weapon that will win the war.

Cuomo added that of the 15 cases of the highly contagious U.K. strain discovered statewide, four cases in Saratoga County and two in Warren County have been identified as part of a cluster connected to a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs.

The discovery of more cases of the new variant comes as New York reported a record high 14,577 new coronavirus cases.

A total of 8,929 New Yorkers are currently hospitalized with COVID, including 1,501 being treated in intensive-care units. Another 165 people died of the virus on Tuesday.

With Denis Slattery
WASHINGTON - Federal officials will require all international travelers flying to the United States to show proof they have tested negative for the coronavirus, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials announced Tuesday.

The order, set to go into effect Jan. 26, would greatly expand a requirement put into place last month that mandated testing for American citizens and others flying to the U.S. from the United Kingdom. Officials say they hope expanding the mandatory testing could help to thwart the virus and a faster-spreading variant that surfaced there and is now circulating in the United States.

"Testing does not eliminate all risk," CDC director Robert Redfield said in a statement. "But when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports and at destinations."

More than 100 countries require visitors to show proof of a negative coronavirus test. CDC officials said about 100,000 travelers come to the U.S. daily.

Airlines long have pushed for a testing requirement in hopes that it could replace quarantine measures that many nations have used to stop the spread of the virus.

In a letter sent to the White House last week, the trade group Airlines for America endorsed testing for international travelers instead of restrictions in place for those from Europe, the United Kingdom and Brazil. Nicholas Calio, A4A's chief executive officer, wrote that a well-planned program could ensure the safety of the traveling public while also making room for "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," wrote Nicholas Calio, A4A's chief executive officer.

Calio asked that airlines be given 14 days to implement a testing program.

The order mirrors one issued Dec. 24 for travelers flying to the U.S. from the United Kingdom. Under those requirements, passengers are required to be tested within three days of their flight and must provide written documentation of the results. Both PRC and antigen tests will be acceptable.

However, the CDC does not support using testing as a substitute for quarantines, which some states and countries have put into place to slow the spread of the virus. The agency's updated guidance recommends testing in combination with quarantining, frequent hand washing, mask wearing and physical distancing.

It did not appear there were plans to drop travel restrictions the U.S. imposed in March on many foreign nationals who had been in the United Kingdom, several countries in Europe and Brazil in the previous 14 days. Most travelers from those nations are not permitted to enter the U.S.

Many airports around the world offer on-site testing with results in as little as 30 minutes. Airlines, too, have set up programs that allow customers to be tested for the virus before they board flights.

The aviation industry has pushed for countries to embrace testing in place of quarantines, while surveys show travelers are more reluctant to travel to destinations that require them to quarantine. Even so, countries have not rushed to do away with quarantine requirements as new waves of infections have swept the globe.

In the U.S., some states, including Hawaii, Connecticut and New York, are allowing visitors to reduce the amount of time they must quarantine or skip quarantines altogether if they can provide proof of a negative coronavirus test.

In a call with reporters Tuesday, Alexandre de Juniac, director general of the International Air Transport Association, expressed frustration that nations have continued to implement quarantines.

"A more balanced public policy approach is needed - one that is based on testing as a replacement for quarantines so that we can begin addressing the severe side effects of covid-19 policies," he said. "Science tells us that travelers will not be a significant factor in community transmission if testing is used effectively. But most governments have tunnel-vision on quarantine and are not at all focused on finding ways to safely reopen borders - or alleviate the self-imposed economic and mental health hardships of the lockdowns."

Though is it not part of the order issued by the CDC, the agency also previously recommended that people be tested three to five days after the return home.

China speaks on dark history of US intelligence in connection with Biden's order

Netanyahu slams hypocritical and deceitful moralizing statements of French FM

Turkish authorities issues new arrest warrant for mafia after his scandalous revelations of Erdogan's entourage

EU-Armenia Subcommittee on Justice, Freedom and Security holds 11th Meeting

Armenia acting PM deletes statement on Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers "being intertwined" from Facebook post

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Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

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Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

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Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

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Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

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Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

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Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

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Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

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Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

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Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

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Dr Samiu Kwadwo Nuamah, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso, has urged the incumbent MP for the area, Dr Kingsley Nyarko to work hard in the interest of the people.



He said Kwadaso Constituency was one of the strongholds of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), so Dr Nyarko should do everything possible to bring development and maintain the seat for the Party.



Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi, Dr Nuamah stressed the need for the incumbent MP to show greater respect and unite all the people in the area to promote development which was badly needed in the Constituency.



He charged the new MP to continue with the good work he had started to help bring more development to the people.



Dr Nuamah thanked the people of Kwadaso for their respect, love, and support they showed him, when he represented them in parliament for four years.



He pledged to continue to bring development to the Constituency.



Even though I am no more the MP for Kwadaso, I will continue to support Kwadaso to help bring development because this is where I was born and raised, he said.



I was given four years in Parliament to bring development into the Constituency, and I have been able to construct six classroom blocks, of which three have been completed and commissioned, he added.



He also called on MPs, ministers and individuals who were from Kwadaso to come home and help develop the Constituency.



We shouldnt wait till we are elected as MPs or appointed as ministers before we support our Constituency, I therefore call on former MPs and individuals to come back to support Kwadaso to make here a better place to live, he said.



Dr Nuamah therefore urged the people of Kwadaso to rally behind the Member of Parliament (MP), Dr Kingsley Nyarko, and give him the maximum respect, love and support for the benefit of the Constituency.

Source: GNA









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Developer Oxford Properties Group has purchased the Public Market complex in Emeryville with plans to convert part of the property into lab space.

Part of the Public Markets retail and office space will be converted for biotech use, adding 60,000 square feet to the existing 36,000 square feet of labs. Oxford also bought nearby land where new biotech buildings could rise.

The investment is another sign that biotech is one of the strongest Bay Area industries amid the coronavirus pandemic. Research space requires in-person facilities, leading to continued real estate demand, while the office market has cooled and retailers struggle under ongoing restrictions.

Oxford also bought three biotech properties in the Boston area. The four acquisitions total $276 million, and Oxford plans to invest another $500 million in development.

Chad Remis, North America executive vice president at Oxford, said in a statement that life sciences development was one of the companys top priorities, citing aging populations and technological advances.

The Public Markets food hall, which includes restaurants like C Casa, Shiba Ramen and Super Duper Burgers, wont be affected by the development.

The food hall is staying put, an Oxford spokesperson said, calling it a great amenity for the community and the future development project.

Emeryville already has a significant biotech cluster, with tenants including Lucira, which received FDA emergency authorization for the first at-home coronavirus test in November. Oxford said there is almost zero availability for lab space in the area.

Oxford, headquartered in Toronto, is owned by Ontario provinces municipal pension fund. Its other investments include Hudson Yards in New York, the largest U.S. private development in history, with the Related Cos.

Interactive Vaccine Tracker: Latest developments Detailed information about the coronavirus vaccines as it becomes available.

Developer City Center Realty Partners is partnering with Oxford Properties. City Center previously owned the Public Market with investment firm Angelo Gordon.

Other recent biotech deals include Vir Biotechnologys 133,896-square-foot sublease at Dropboxs San Francisco headquarters, which was the citys largest new lease last year. Investor Ventas bought three biotech buildings in South San Francisco for $1 billion in October.

Roland Li is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twiter: @rolandlisf
Sushant's Note

Soon after, fans of Sushant flooded the comments section of the post with love and support for the family, who is still grieving and waiting for the actor's death case to conclude. While many shared heart emojis, some wrote, "Sushant we miss you.." and others said "Stay strong ?".

Sushant Passed Away On June 14, 2020

Sushant Singh Rajput died on June 14, 2020, at his Bandra residence in Mumbai. Several complaints have been filed and three agencies including the CBI, ED and the NCB, are investigating the late actor's death case. In the recent update, Bombay High Court reserved its order in the application filed by Sushant's sisters Priyanka and Meetu, to quash an FIR filed by Rhea Chakraborty.

CBI Is Still Investigating SSR's Death Case: No Aspect Has Been Ruled Out

Rhea, who was Sushant's girlfriend, post her arrest by the NCB had claimed that the late actor's sisters had prescribed drugs to him without consultation. She also alleged that the sisters forged and prepared a "fake" prescription of medicines for his anxiety. While hearing the plea on January 7, 2021, the bench comprising of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik praised Sushant's work in MS Dhoni: The Untold Story. The court observed that the late actor was a sober, innocent and very good human being.
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Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is quoting at Rs 417, up 3.59% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The stock is down 11.9% in last one year as compared to a 17.79% spurt in NIFTY and a 8.82% spurt in the Nifty Energy.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd gained for a fifth straight session today. The stock is quoting at Rs 417, up 3.59% on the day as on 12:44 IST on the NSE. The benchmark NIFTY is down around 0.01% on the day, quoting at 14561.7. The Sensex is at 49508.38, down 0.02%. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd has risen around 2.85% in last one month.

Meanwhile, Nifty Energy index of which Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is a constituent, has risen around 0.68% in last one month and is currently quoting at 17329.6, up 0.8% on the day. The volume in the stock stood at 155.13 lakh shares today, compared to the daily average of 70.81 lakh shares in last one month.

The benchmark January futures contract for the stock is quoting at Rs 421.1, up 4.14% on the day. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd is down 11.9% in last one year as compared to a 17.79% spurt in NIFTY and a 8.82% spurt in the Nifty Energy index.

The PE of the stock is 16.2 based on TTM earnings ending September 20.

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 13)  The new coronavirus variant first detected in the United Kingdom, and which is believed to be more contagious, is now in the Philippines, the Department of Health reported on Wednesday.

The DOH, together with the Philippine Genome Center, confirmed that the B.1.1.7. SARS-CoV-2 variant, also known as the UK variant, has been detected after samples from a Filipino who returned home from the United Arab Emirates on Jan. 7 yielded positive genome sequencing results.

The said patient is a male resident of Quezon City who departed for Dubai on December 27, 2020 for business purposes and arrived in the Philippines last January 7, 2021 via Emirates Flight No. EK 332, the department said.

In a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and other government officials aired Wednesday night, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III also bared that the patient is a 29-year-old real estate agent from Brgy. Kamuning.

He was tested for COVID-19 and was quarantined in a hotel upon arrival, the DOH said. After testing positive for the virus a day after, he was referred to an isolation facility in Quezon City, while his samples were sent to PGC for whole genome sequencing. He also underwent x-ray and was found to have pneumonia.

The DOH said the patient was with his girlfriend during the trip, but she tested negative for COVID-19 upon arrival. She is currently under strict quarantine and monitoring.

Both of the returning Filipinos had no exposure to a confirmed case prior to their departure to Dubai nor had any travel activities outside Quezon City, the DOH said.

According to Duque, the patient attended a business meeting in Dubai with another individual on Dec. 30. He and his girlfriend also reportedly visited malls, groceries, and tourist sites while there.

Contact tracing was immediately done by authorities, and initially identified contacts are now under strict home quarantine. None of them are currently exhibiting symptoms, according to the DOH. Meanwhile, the other passengers who were with the patient during the flight are also being located. Those aboard Emirates Flight No. EK 332 are advised by the DOH to get in touch with their barangay health emergency response teams.

As an added precautionary measure, the QC government said the patients immediate household contacts have also been brought to an isolation facility where they were tested.

Following the development, the DOH said weekly genomic biosurveillance among incoming passengers, local cases, re-infected patients, and those with reported clustering of cases will be intensified. It added that it has already coordinated with the Department of Interior and Local Government for the expansion of contact tracing to include third-generation close contacts for known cases of the UK variant. All close contacts of these cases will be required to undergo strict 14-day facility-based quarantine.

The DOH also reiterated its call to the national and local governments, as well as the public, for the stricter implementation and observance of protocols against COVID-19.

An expert earlier warned that the new UK variant could result in a 15-fold increase in infections in just a month if it becomes the dominant variant in the country. This means that from over 30,000, new cases per month could surge to as high as nearly 300,000, he said.

READ: PH can see 15-fold increase in infections if new COVID-19 variant takes over  expert

In an interview with CNN Philippines' The Final Word on Wednesday, medical expert Dra. Lulu Bravo said she was already expecting the detection of the UK variant in the country due to the nature of viruses.

"Viruses have mutations as a form of defense for themselves. They have to mutate because they have to adapt in an environment," said Bravo. "The higher the incidence of the virus in a place, the more there can be mutations."

Bravo explained the UK variant is not as deadly as the old COVID-19 variants but is "highly more transmissible" according to initial scientific studies.

"We need really more preventive measures to try and reduce the transmissibility. It can be done by doing your (wearing of) face masks, washing hands, and distancing," the expert advised.

Earlier, Health spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH is also monitoring global developments on three other reported COVID-19 variants, including the ones found in South Africa and Sabah, and another supposedly detected in Nigeria.

The Philippines suspended all flights from the United Kingdom beginning Dec. 24, a ban that later included 31 other countries and territories, following reports of the new COVID-19 variants. To date, the country has recorded 492,700 cases, which include 9,699 deaths and 458,523 recoveries.
Australians are being promised a two-stage strategy to protect the population from COVID-19 under a federal commitment to pursue herd immunity while making vaccines available as soon as possible.

Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the ambition on herd immunity after scientists raised questions over the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine to achieve the objective when compared to alternatives from Pfizer and others.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia will pursue a herd immunity strategy as it waits to see how effective the COVID-19 vaccines are. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In another day of debate over vaccine options, health giant CSL shot down talk about Australian production of the potential Novavax vaccine by saying it could not make it and the AstraZeneca vaccine at the same time.

The developments cement the government plan for a widespread roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine to most of the population and a more limited roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine to up to five million people, subject to final test results for both.

In a key concern over the interim results for AstraZeneca, scientists this week told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the vaccines efficacy rate was not high enough so far to achieve herd immunity.

The concept of herd immunity describes the objective of eliminating an epidemic by building up a communitys resistance to disease to the point where so many are protected it no longer spreads.

A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the government view was to deliver protection and herd immunity but that results so far offered no guarantee about the longer-term objective.

Read more here.

It has a certain karma to it. This is, after all, how Mr. Trump has always treated everyone he has used and abused over the past 40 years. Use em up and throw em away.

Sandi Campbell

Siler City, N.C.

To the Editor:

On Monday, President Trump met with Vice President Mike Pence for over an hour. This was their first meeting since Mr. Trump sicced his mob of rioters to march on the Capitol while vilifying the vice president for his failure to shield him from electoral failure and disgrace. The mob obliged by chanting Mr. Pences name and constructing a makeshift gallows.

The meeting between these two men was described in the media as a good conversation. What might we all have sacrificed to have been a fly in the vice presidents hair so we might have garnered a much more authentic depiction of their interaction?

Gerald Amada

San Rafael, Calif.

To the Editor:

As a lifelong Democrat, I remember the times that Representative Liz Cheneys words struck me like fingernails on a chalkboard. But as I read her call for impeaching President Trump, I can only say that she said it best of all. I salute her.

Maribeth Sands

Concord, Calif.

To the Editor:

G.O.P.s 1776 Moment: How Lawmakers Fanned the Flames of the Riot (news article, Jan. 12) makes clear that several Republican representatives should join President Trump in the impeachment dock.

Representative Mo Brooks told the crowd before going to the Capitol that they should start kicking ass and urged them to fight for America. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, before the surging crowd, referred to the day as Republicans 1776 moment. All three were inciting the crowd to commit violence against the government, in violation of their oath of office.

What they did amounted to treason.

Ronald L. Hirsch

Great Barrington, Mass.

To the Editor:

Even though the pandemic has intensified, and millions of families and small business are suffering, the Democratic leadership seems ready to make punishing a defeated enemy its first priority. President Trump richly deserves impeachment, but if the Democrats take impeachment proceedings beyond Jan. 20, the media and the public will be forced to focus on Mr. Trump for weeks or even months. Nor is the outcome of an impeachment trial assured in advance.
Vice President Mike Pence presides over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 6, 2020. (Erin Schaff/The New York Times via Getty Images)

Pence Refuses to Invoke the 25th Amendment

Vice President Mike Pence said that he refuses to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office, saying that it would set a terrible precedent.

In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Pence said that he does not believe that invoking the 25th Amendment is in the best interest of the nation or consistent with the Constitution.

With just eight days left in the Presidents term, you and the Democratic Caucus are demanding that the Cabinet and I invoke the 25th Amendment, he wrote. I do not believe that such a course of action is in the best interest of our Nation or consistent with our Constitution.

Last week, I did not yield to pressure to exert power beyond my constitutional authority to determine the outcome of the election, and I will not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious in the life of our Nation.

Letter from Vice President Mike Pence to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Jan. 12, 2021.

The 25th Amendment, adopted in 1967, states that if a sitting vice president and a cabinet majority agree that the president is not fit to perform his duties, the president can be removed and the vice president can take over the presidency.

As you know full well, the 25th Amendment was designed to address Presidential incapacity or disability, Pence wrote in his letter, later adding, Under our Constitution, the 25th Amendment is not a means of punishment or usurpation. Invoking the 25th Amendment in such a manner would set a terrible precedent.

Pence said that the Trump administrations energy is now directed to ensuring an orderly transition.

In the midst of a global pandemic, economic hardship for millions of Americans, and the tragic events of January 6th, now is the time for us to come together, now is the time to heal, he wrote.

I urge you and every member of Congress to avoid actions that would further divide and inflame the passions of the moment, he added. Work with us to lower the temperature and unite our country as we prepare to inaugurate President-elect Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.

He concluded: I pledge to you that I will continue to do my part to work in good faith with the incoming administration to ensure an orderly transition of power. So help me God.

A Trump administration official close to Pence who chose to remain anonymous previously told The Epoch Times that there is no possibility of Pence invoking the 25th.

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) have both accused Trump of having incited violence, and both have called for his removal from office.

On Jan. 7, Pelosi said that Congress may move to impeach Trump if Pence and Trumps Cabinet do not take action. At the time, she said that Trump clearly has indicated that over and over again, including by allegedly inciting sedition, referring to the civil unrest that took place on U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6.

Trump has been repeatedly calling for peace and condemned the violence that took place at and near the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, when a group of protesters breached the Capitol as lawmakers gathered in the building to count and certify electoral votes for the now-President-elect Joe Biden.

The Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol building interrupted the lawmakers for several hours before proceedings resumed. One woman, Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, died that day after being shot by Capitol police inside the building.

It is unclear who instigated the breach of the building. A video of the event shows a left-wing activist encouraging and convincing Capitol police to let trespassers through at several points.

Separately, the civil unrest that broke out on Capitol grounds left at least four more people deadthree due to medical reasons, and a U.S. Capitol Police officer was confirmed dead by the department on Jan. 7, due to injuries sustained while on duty responding to riots.
DALLAS, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Jacobs (NYSE:J) has suspended all political contributions in the wake of last week's violence that took place at the United States Capitol.

In a statement from Chair and CEO Steve Demetriou, he said "The peaceful and respectful transition of power is fundamental to our democracy. The disturbing events at the U.S. Capitol put our elected leaders at risk and undermined the fundamental democratic principles of free speech, peaceful protest, and open and free elections. In light of these events, Jacobs' Good Government Fund is suspending all political contributions." Demetriou continued, "We have a long history of supporting the U.S. Government and urge Congress to work together to unify our great nation."

About Jacobs

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good. With approximately $14 billion in revenue and a talent force of more than 55,000, Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Visit jacobs.com and connect with Jacobs on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

For additional information contact:

Investors

Jonathan Doros, 817-239-3457

[email protected]

Media

Marietta Hannigan, 214-920-8035

[email protected]

SOURCE Jacobs

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Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 14)  The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines urged every Filipino to get vaccinated from COVID-19 once the vaccines arrive in the country.

The Filipino bishops group said in a pastoral statement that getting vaccinated will be a big step in ending the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

While they endorse the vaccination of everyone against the coronavirus which infected over 492,000 persons in the country, the CBCP emphasized they respect each individuals right of choice to get vaccinated.

We therefore recognize that each individual person should be left free to decide to choose to be vaccinated or not according to his or her conscience with full awareness of the obligation to protect oneself from being an instrument of contagion and the farther spread of the virus, the statement reads.

However, the CBCP raised one ethical concern on COVID-19 vaccines manufactured using cells from the remains of an aborted female fetus killed in 1973.

The bishops then appealed to the national government to distribute vaccines that were developed without the use of cell lines from an aborted childs remains.

The perennial teaching of the Church must be repeated: Deliberately procuring abortion, even if it is for the purpose of obtaining material for vaccines, is morally unacceptable. The end does not justify the means; otherwise, the most inhuman and inhumane acts would be permissible in order to attain supposedly worthwhile ends, the CBCP stated.

The Filipino bishops praised the national governments efforts in procuring the much-needed COVID-19 vaccines. They also stressed the poor, medical frontliners, and other vulnerable sectors of the society should be prioritized in the national vaccination program.

It would be a moral tragedy if young, healthy company employees who are at low risk for the disease are immunized before our doctors, nurses, and other frontliners, and before our senior citizens who are at higher risk for illness, the CBCP said.

The CBCP also thanked the scientists and medical frontliners who are risking their lives to protect the people and find cure from the coronavirus disease.

To date, the Philippines has recorded 492,700 cases, which include 9,699 deaths and 458,523 recoveries.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : Re-modelling your home is a strenuous task and can take months to complete, especially if you have a 9 to 6 job. But with ingenuity and without buying expensive things, your home can get a perfect makeover just by adding lights and mirrors to give it more sophisticated appearance.

Heena Jain, Head Design Consultant, WoodenStreet explains the ways and positions, where you can place the mirrors to give your space a luxury makeover.

Mirrors Lights & mirrors: A clutter-free home decor setup in budget

Mirrors can never be enough in a house if you want to create something fascinating in a low budget. There are various rooms in the house that can be changed with a tinge of mirrors and lights.

Living Room - Buy a mirror that is large in size and has bulky border line. Choose a bright colour or according to your home decor theme. A living room has many places to accommodate a large mirror but find a place where, the window is in the center. Position the mirror carefully and remove everything that is excess on the eyes. It will expand the symmetry of the room and will create an illusion of a hall.

Dining Room - Dining rooms generally do not entertain mirrors but if you have made your mind on it, then bring a square shaped designer mirror that goes well with the kitchen. If you have a dining table in or close to your kitchen, then it will be more appropriate to use a mirror on the side end of the table or a cabinet would be perfect. The mirror creates an effect of more people while you dine.

Bedroom - The bedroom is the most suited place for a hanging a mirror. Now, it depends on the room dimensions and space available to choose what type of mirror suits your bedroom. If the room is spacious then, you can opt for flowered shaped circular mirror on the back wall of your bed.

If your room size is small then bring an average sized mirror and place it near the window, which will scatter the light throughout the room.

Hallway - It is reasonable to hang a mirror in the hallway or lobby but in an artistic manner. Go for a small set of mirrors in symmetrical shapes and it will instantly compliment your hallway.

Lights The functionality of a light is far more crucial then we think, because whatever decor you decide to implement in your home, until there is alleviated lighting, your interiors will not be up to the mark. Therefore, lights play a major role in highlighting what's behind the door.

Living room - The usual ceiling lights in your home only highlight the furniture with a faded sparkle, while if you go for an ambient lighting, such as, a table lamp, wall mounted lamp or a hanging lamp then it acts like a spot light and highlights the perfections of your decor. The major reason behind choosing perfect lighting is that it doesn't light up every corner of the house rather it creates an effect of organised space for any outsider.

For living room choose some hanging lights like chandelier or fancy lamps, right around the corners of ceiling fan. It will reimburse the light on the furniture with yellow and orange shades, so your space look akin to a luxury boutique hotel.

Dining room - This is the place where the light is required the most, and people do quite the opposite, because they think it is an unnecessary expenditure. But it is not true at all, as light brighten up the entire dining area, and makes it convenient to relish the drinks and food. If you have a separate dining room area then go for wall mounted lights, which deliver an opulent vibe to the area. If you have interconnected kitchen and dining table then choose some floor lamps that compliment the kitchen cabinets and dining table. You will see for yourself, the difference in organisation before and after the makeover. It is the added advantage of proper and smart lighting, that percolates the lights through reflective surfaces and builds an apparition that classifies the space.

Bedroom - The lights in bedroom should be selected very carefully as it marks personal territory. Try and keep your bedroom organised so that lights will impose a kinetic effect on the decor of the space, which in turn demarcate organised and unorganised area. It is very important to keep the light source adjacent to the walls, in order for the light to scatter.

There is already a source of ambient lighting in your bedroom -- the side table lamp. But you have to bring in some hanging lights for low lighting and tidy space.

Hallway - The hallway is the most visited space of the home, as it connects every room in the house. Yet, we put the most terrible lighting in the hallway, because it is hardly occupied in terms of possessions, but it shouldn't be like that. Purchase some fancy and designer wall mounted lights that will transform the place.

Every house has its particulars, but it doesn't mean you have to remain unorganised and untidy all the time. The lights and mirrors do have the capacity to present your home in more chic way. Eventually, rooms need to be organised with various furniture like cabinets and chest of drawers or wardrobes as well.

(Puja Gupta can be contacted at puja.g@ians.in)

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Three judges assigned to oversee Italy's largest mafia trial in more than 30 years today asked to be recused on the first day - as hundreds of alleged members of the 'Ndrangheta mob prepared to face justice.

The trial, which is expected to take at least a year to complete, will involve 355 defendants, 400 lawyers and 900 witnesses alleging crimes from murder, drug trafficking and extortion, to money laundering and abuse of office.

Among the accused are suspected Mafia boss Luigi Mancuso, known as 'The Uncle', and his alleged accomplices who have a host of nicknames including 'The Wolf', 'Fatty', 'Sweetie', 'Blondie', 'Little Goat' and 'The Wringer'.

However, the initial hearing hit an immediate snag today after the three judges assigned to the case asked to be recused, saying they had been involved in earlier aspects of the investigation.

Their request will be reviewed by a separate court, which will delay proceedings for several days, lawyers said.

Italy's largest mafia trial in more than 30 years opened Wednesday as more than 350 suspects face a judge in a specially courtroom (pictured) in the southern Calabrian town of Lamezia Terme, in the heart of 'Ndrangheta territory

Anti-mob prosecutor Nicola Gratteri (centre) said it was an 'important day', telling reporters outside court that the trial would 'give the idea of what the Calabrian mafia is today - no longer a mafia of shepherds dedicated to kidnapping, but a major criminal corporation'

Mob's your Uncle: Among the accused is Mafia boss Luigi Mancuso, known as 'The Uncle'

Prosecutors claim the gang infiltrated almost every aspect of life in Italy's Calabria region, from city hall and hospitals, to cemeteries and even the courts  while their empire also spanned the globe from Australia to Canada, and Germany to the US where it did business with El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel.

An ex-senator from former premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, Giancarlo Pittelli, is also among the list of defendants after he was accused of being middleman between the 'Ndrangheta and the world of politics, banking, and other powerful institutions.

KEY PLAYERS IN THE TRIAL Luigi Mancuso - 'The Uncle' The current trial grew out of an investigation of 12 clans linked to convicted 'Ndrangheta boss, Luigi Mancuso. Mancuso, 66, served 19 years in an Italian prison for drug trafficking and his role in leading what investigators allege is one of the 'Ngrangheta's most powerful crime families, based in the town of Vibo Valentia. He allegedly continued to run drug trafficking operations whilst in prison. In 2019, Mancuso was one of 334 people arrested by Italian police in an operation targeting the 'Ndrangheta families based in the southern Italian city of Locri in the Calabria region. Emanuele Mancuso Emanuele, the son of mafia boss Luni Mancuso 'the Engineer', is a key figure in the trial as he will testify against his uncle Luigi Mancuso. He was given police protection after he said he would reveal the mafia clan's secrets. Former senator Giancarlo Pittelli Among the accused is former parliamentarian Giancarlo Pittelli, a renowned defence lawyer, Freemason and ex-senator from former premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. He denies accusations he acted as middleman between the 'Ndrangheta and the world of politics, banking, and other powerful institutions, including the courts. Advertisement

At the centre of it all is Nicola Gratteri, 62, Italy's top mafia prosecutor who defied threats that he is a 'dead man walking' as he strode into court on Wednesday.

Gratteri, who has spent the last 30 years living under police escort, said it was an 'important day', telling reporters outside court that the trial would 'give the idea of what the Calabrian mafia is today - no longer a mafia of shepherds dedicated to kidnapping, but a major criminal corporation'.

He added: 'Decades ago, people would tremble when talking about Cosa Nostra or when using the word 'Ndrangheta, something they would say only in a hidden room, around the fireplace, whispering.

'Today we are beginning to speak out in the open sunlight.'

'In the last two years, we can say we have been seeing a spike in complaints by businessmen, bullied citizens, victims of usury, people who for years have been subject to the pall of the 'Ndrangheta,' Graterri, who who has spent more than 30 years fighting the mob, added.

He later sat in the front row of the courtroom as Judge Tiziana Macri began reading out the names of the defendants, none of whom attended in person but who participated via video conference, their faces shown on dozens of televisions fitted over lines of grey desks.

The first three hours of the trial's opening day were consumed by the court's formal rollcall of the defendants and their lawyers.

Among the defendants are boss Luigi Mancuso 'The Uncle' and others with nicknames including 'The Wolf', 'Fatty', 'Sweetie', 'Blondie', 'Little Goat' and 'The Wringer'.

Defendants who are jailed, due to convictions in other cases, could follow the proceedings by a video conference.

The trial grew out of an investigation of 12 clans linked to a convicted 'Ndrangheta boss. That figure is Luigi Mancuso, who served 19 years in Italian prison for his role in leading what investigators allege is one of the 'Ndrangheta's most powerful crime families, based in the town of Vibo Valentia.

The trial, expected to last at least a year and likely longer, features 355 defendants, more than 900 prosecution witnesses, and an unprecedented number of collaborators, given the close family ties within the 'Ndrangheta that discourage turncoats.

Multiple television screens have been set up at the specially converted courtroom ahead of the trial

Judge Tiziana Macri began reading out the names of the defendants, none of whom attended in person but who participated via video conference, their faces shown on dozens of televisions fitted over lines of grey desks

The trial, expected to last at least a year and likely longer, features 355 defendants, more than 900 prosecution witnesses

In Italy, so-called 'maxi-trials,' which include scores of defendants and countless charges, are seen as the best judicial resource against the country's various organised crime groups, of which the 'Ndrangheta is now considered the most powerful, controlling the bulk of cocaine flowing into Europe.

The most famous 'maxi-trial' of 1986-7 dealt a major blow to Sicily's Cosa Nostra, resulting in 338 guilty verdicts, but prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were later assassinated by the mob.

The 'Ndrangheta has expanded well beyond its traditional domains of drug trafficking and loan sharking, the crime syndicate now uses shell companies and frontmen to reinvest illegal gains in the legitimate economy.

In many parts of Calabria, it has infiltrated practically all areas of public life, from city hall and hospitals, to cemeteries and even the courts, experts say.

Authorities believe there are some 150 'Ndrangheta families in Calabria and at least 6,000 members and affiliates in the region. That swells to thousands worldwide, although estimates are unreliable.

In Italy, so-called 'maxi-trials,' which include scores of defendants and countless charges, are seen as the best judicial resource against the country's various organised crime groups

The current trial, expected to last at least a year and likely longer, features 355 defendants, more than 900 prosecution witnesses, and an unprecedented number of collaborators. Pictured: A police officer walks inside the High Security Courtroom today ahead of the trial

Nicola Morra, President of the Italian Parliamentary Anti-Mafia Commission, arrives at the courthouse today for the Mafia trial

The organised crime group generates more than 50 billion euros ($61 billion) per year, according to Gratteri, who called it the world's richest such organisation.

In an interview with AFP before the trial opened, the prosecutor described the 'Ndrangheta as a network of families, each of which wield power over subordinates'.

'I have to start with the idea that there's an organisation, as in a business, as in a large multinational, with a boss and then down, like a pyramid, to all the other members,' he said, explaining the need for the 'maxi-trial'.

Gratteri had spent decades trying to bring the mafia to justice - and throughout the years he has faced scores of threats.

Italian police intercepted a phone conversation between two members of the mafia who described Gratteri as a 'dead man walking', the Wall Street Journal reported.

Authorities believe there are some 150 'Ndrangheta families in Calabria and at least 6,000 members and affiliates in the region. That swells to thousands worldwide, although estimates are unreliable. Pictured: The specially converted courtroom today

The prosecutor has been the subject of a series of assassination attempts - in 2005, police found explosives and assault rifles that were were to be used to kill him.

The current trial focuses on one family, the Mancuso group, and its network of associates who control the Vibo Valentia area of Calabria.

Although 355 defendants will be on trial, the number of accused swelled to more than 400 when those who opted for speedy trials are included.

Among the accused is former parliamentarian Giancarlo Pittelli, a renowned defence lawyer, Freemason and ex-senator from former premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party.

Among the accused is former parliamentarian and ex-senator Giancarlo Pittelli

He denies accusations he acted as middleman between the 'Ndrangheta and the world of politics, banking, and other powerful institutions, including the courts.

Most of the defendants were arrested in a series of pre-dawn raids in December 2019 which occured throughout Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Bulgaria.

Allegations include mafia association, murder and attempted murder, drug trafficking, extortion, loan sharking, disclosure of official secrets, abuse of office, possession of stolen goods and money laundering.

Among the multiple murders, some of which date back to 1996, is that of the 2002 disappearance of Filippo Gangitano, murdered by his cousin because of his homosexuality.

'These things can't exist inside the 'Ndrangheta,' the cousin, now a state witness, said he was told by the bosses.

Gangitano's body was buried in a spot where a road was later built, the witness said, according to news reports.

The town of Lamezia Terme, where the trial is taking place, was cited in a 2008 parliamentary organised crime report as a public safety emergency zone where the region's 'greatest increase in serious bloodshed has been recorded'.

Although 355 defendants will be on trial, the number of accused swelled to more than 400 when those who opted for speedy trials are included

Defendants include a high number of non-clan members, including an ex-parliamentarian, a high-ranking police official, mayors and other public servants and businessmen.

'The impressive thing is... the power the Mancuso gang has shown in rubbing shoulders with state apparatuses, which were literally at their disposal,' Gratteri said following a wave of arrests in December 2019 throughout Italy and Europe that led to the trial.

Criminologist Federico Varese of Oxford University said the trial reflects the wide reach of the 'Ndrangheta, who are embedded in the community and involved in every legal and illicit activity.

'The real strength of these mafia families is they have control of the territory and within the territory they do everything,' said Varese.

'If you want to open a shop, if you want to build anything, you have to go through them. They are the authority.'
Any poker expert knows the power of 'tells' - small actions that indicate a player is trying to deceive their opponent.

Now a new study suggests one of the best ways to tell if someone is lying to you is to see if they mimic your actions.

Dutch researchers from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam used motion capture to monitor the behaviour of liars as they told increasingly bigger lies to someone else.

We can imitate the behaviour of others unconsciously, and we become more likely to automatically mimic them if the brain is working hard, the researchers explained.

Because it's harder for the brain to be dishonest than to tell the truth, we tend to mimic our victims when we're being deceitful, they added.

Dutch researchers from Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam used motion capture to monitor the behaviour of liars as they told increasingly bigger lies to someone else

As part of the study, which included researchers from the UK and the Netherlands, volunteers were monitored as they told the truth and as they told progressive lies.

The first experiment examined the effect of telling a truth and easy, difficult and very difficult lies on nonverbal coordination - body language and movements.

Nonverbal coordination was measured automatically through motion-capture data.

In the second experiment interviewees also received instructions that influenced the attention they paid to either the nonverbal or verbal behaviour of the interviewer.

Results from both experiments found that interviewerinterviewee nonverbal coordination - mimicking body language - increased with lie difficulty.

This increase was not influenced by the degree to which interviewees paid attention to their nonverbal behaviour, nor by the degree of interviewers suspicion of lying.

'Our findings are consistent with the broader proposition that people rely on automated processes such as mimicry when under cognitive load,' the team wrote.

Nonverbal coordination is the tendency to imitate the behaviours of others, the team behind the study explained, adding this imitation takes place both on a conscious and a more unconscious - or automatic - level.

The amount someone coordinates nonverbal communications with someone they are interacting with depends on a number of factors - including common goals.

'There is some evidence that the coordination occurrence is also affected by cognitive load,' the team explained.

'A forensically relevant setting that is strongly associated with increased cognitive load is deception. Lying, especially when fabricating accounts, can be more cognitively demanding than truth telling,' they wrote.

They were able to demonstrate that 'interactional nonverbal coordination' increases as the amount of brain powered required for the communication increases.

Because it's harder for the brain to be dishonest than to tell the truth, we tend to mimic our victims when we're being deceitful, they added

This was particularly the case when someone was lying to a partner - particularly when they were telling a big lie. Under those circumstances the liar was more likely to mimic the movements and actions of their partner the bigger the whopper got.

'Nonverbal coordination is an especially interesting cue to deceit because its occurrence relies on automatic processes and is therefore more difficult to deliberately control,' according to the researchers.

'Our findings complement current deception research into the liars nonverbal behavior by explicitly considering the interaction with the interviewer.

'Our findings extent the current literature on increased reliance on automated processes by demonstrating that nonverbal coordination can be such an automated process that is affected by increased cognitive load.'

That is, the more your brain has to work to spin a web of untruths, the more your body automatically mimics the actions of the person you are lying to.

'The use of motion capture technology provides a novel, objective and efficient means of measurement,' the team explained.

The findings have been published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
A top New Jersey Republican lawmaker said Tuesday that Gov. Phil Murphy will no longer be able to galvanize support by criticizing President Donald Trump and declared its time the Democratic governor supports sane fiscal policies for the state.

State Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick responded to Murphys latest State of the State address, where the Democratic incumbent touted his accomplishments over three years as he runs for a second term.

But Bramnick, who mulled but ultimately didnt launch a gubernatorial challenge against Murphy, argued the governor has been wrong to support any tax increases and said hes emblematic of the overreach of Trenton and Democrats over the last 20 years.

(Hell) no longer have the opportunity to point at Donald Trump or to point at Chris Christie, Bramnick, R-Union, said during a Zoom news conference. No excuses from now until November.

It is time to enact sane, fiscal policies, he added.

Murphy, a progressive Democrat, is riding high approval numbers in the wake of the pandemic and used part of the speech to boast about things like raising the states minimum wage and passing earned sick leave, as well as expanding paid family leave and medical leave, and even getting his long-sought millionaires tax after failing twice to get the more moderate leaders of the Legislature to agree.

Republicans, meanwhile, have argued policies like those have driven people out of the state because its added to the cost of living.

And while Murphy highlighted his administrations response to the coronavirus, Bramnick put a spotlight on things he said were obvious shortcomings.

He talked about the massive lines outside of Motor Vehicle Commissions offices, which he said has been a nightmare for drivers, and how many had to wait weeks before they received unemployment benefits.

We watched how unemployment, completely failed, Bramnick said, They were unable to react to the crisis, he said.

Former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, whos running in the Republican primary to challenge Murphy, said small businesses have been disproportionally harmed by Murphys response to the pandemic.

This was no State of the State. This was a campaign speech, he said in a statement. No, the pandemic isnt easy, but your failed policies and gross incompetence have only made things worse.

Other Republicans called out Murphy over how his administration handled policies at nursing homes and other longterm care facilities.

The administrations disastrous mismanagement of the coronavirus in veterans homes and long-term care facilities claimed 7,500 lives, state Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Passaic, said in a statement.

Bramnick also criticized the way Murphy enacted many of the restrictions.

The entire state was run by executive order, he said. I can tell you that people were frustrated that they could not present their view to the governor.

Bramnick, however, emphasized his disagreements with Murphy were about policy and arent personal. He made the comments less than a week after Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol.

What we saw in Washington was a disgrace to our country, he said. Those who want to turn each other into enemies, in my judgment, do a disservice.

Meanwhile, the leaders of the state Assemblys Democratic majority praised Murphys speech for its optimistic tone and emphasis on successes we have achieved over the past three years but said we share his recognition of the real challenges we face.

2020 was a year unlike any other for all of us, but we are confident that we are well positioned for a bright future in the near and long term, they added.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com.
In UP villagers get cocktail vaccine dose: Covishield first, Covaxin next

ICMR to study effectiveness of Covishield, Covaxin in preventing progression of COVID into severe form

Coronavirus vaccine: First consignment Bharat Biotech's Covaxin arrives in Delhi

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Jan 13: The first consignment of Covaxin by Bharat Biotech, being brought from Hyderabad to Indira Gandhi International Airport , Delhi on an Air India flight AI559. Three boxes of Covaxin being taken to Kurukshetra in Haryana.

Bharat Biotech aims to dispatch around 55 lakh vaccines to 11 states in the initial phase, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Chennai and Jaipur.

Covaxin is being indigenously developed by Bharat Biotechin collaboration with the Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR) - National Institute of Virology(NIV).

Mumbai airport begins Covishield vaccine transportation; 2,400 vials airlifted to Goa

Theindigenous, inactivated vaccineis developed andmanufactured inBharatBiotech's BSL-3 (Bio-Safety Level 3) bio-containment facility, the firm had earlier said.

The government on Monday had placed orders in advanced commitments for over 6 crore doses of COVID vaccine from SII and Bharat Biotech for inoculating 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase of the vaccination drive scheduled to start from January 16.

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

The vaccine programme in the country has started andthe airports cargo division is gearing up to meet thedemands as the city is the vaccine hub of the world, the official added.
This is an opinion column.

Congress shall make no law.

Lets put a pin in it. Right here. Some of yall need a refresher on the First Amendmentthe free speech amendment to the United States Constitution. The amendment, as a journalist, I hold, respect, and dearly defend.

Some of yall hold it dearly, too. Though for different reasons. Wrong reasons.

You hold it because youre mad at Twitter, Facebook, Amazonanybody whos deleted, blocked or suspended your angry parlor patter, Donald Trump, and many of his sycophants for posting vile and inciteful foolishness before last weeks terroristic insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. An attack on our Constitution that put lives at risk. That caused five deaths and likely contributed to at least three members of the U.S. House of Representatives testing positive for COVID-19 after sheltering for cover with insipid mask-less Republican peers as the anarchistic mob surged towards them.

Youre mad because you believe Trump being sent to the social media woodshed, and Amazons decision to boot Parler, a sleazy playground for mis-everything, from its web-hosting platform, are free speech violations.

Youre mad and want to waive the Constitution as a shield for your havoc and heresy.

Well, youre wrong. Lets call this First Amendment 101: You cant use the Constitution to violate and desecrate the Constitution.

The First Amendment, the icebreaker of the 10 amendments to the original Constitution, is pretty clear about whom and what it protects.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The federal government is prohibited from taking adverse action against a person because they were exercising their right of free speech, Judge U.W. Clemon, the esteemed first Black federal judge shared with me. It is government action that is forbidden by the Constitution.

Not Twitter action (it has suspended at least 70,000 accounts dedicated to spreading far-right, conspiratorial QAnon nonsense). Not Facebook action (the platform is removing any content using the phrase stop the steal). Not Amazon action.

Not any action by a private business to control speech on its platform.

They have the absolute right to prohibit persons from using their facilities to convey certain messages, Clemon added, and that right of free enterprise is earned because theyre trying to prevent the dissemination of speech that will endanger human lives.

I can see how so many conservatives feel as if the First Amendment was their very own. In recent years, they successfully wielded it in court to advance their aims. On consecutive days in 2018, before a U.S. Supreme Court with five conservative justices, the First Amendment was used to cripple public unions and overturn a California law requiring religious crisis pregnancy centers to share information about abortion with women. Conservatives also used the First Amendment to discriminate against gay couples, support unlimited campaign spending and choke regulations on numerous industries, including guns.

No wonder Trump, and so many otherslike our own ringleader of ridiculous rants, Congressman Mo Brooksbelieved they could say anything. Without cost.

Though itll sting less than grandmas hand smack, Brooks faces censure by House colleagues for his own raucous words at the rally on the morning of the attack. Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley, who led the challenge against the Electoral College vote and voiced support for the riots prior to the attack, could face similar punishment in the Senate.

Even more of a rebuke than a censure, fellow Republican Sen. Ben Sasse called Hawleys actions really dumbass.

Other Republican lawmakers are dodging backlash from their own words and actions prior to the attack, but it was Trump who was the unquestioned provocateur of the attackdespite the tone-deaf protestations of Alabama Republican leaders. From tweets calling for supporters who descend on Washington, D.C. on the day Congress was to certify the Electoral College election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as President and Vice President ( will be wild, he posted) to frothy words at the rally on the morning of the attack (We are going to walk down Pennsylvania, he wailed. We are going to the Capitol.), Trump was the Instigator-in-Chief.

I have been in a state of shock since outlaws assaulted the Capitol, Clemon said. It is absolutely unprecedented in American history, and it was a direct assault on the federal government  an armed attempt to prevent Congress from doing the business the Constitution says it must do.

Trumps words could cost him, dearly. According to federal criminal code Title 18 Section 373, it is illegal to endeavor to persuade another person to commit a felony using threats of physical force.

Translation: Free speech aint free.

Five people died as a result of the attack, including Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. He was buried Tuesday in his South River, N.J. hometown. An investigation into the deaths could lead anywhere. To anyone.

This week, Montgomery mayor Stephen Reed blamed Trump for his role in the insurrection: I was told a long time ago that words have consequences.

Costly ones. Put a pin in that.

Unafraid to start uncomfortable conversations, Roy is a voice for whats right and wrong in Birmingham, Alabama (and beyond). His column and profiles of intriguing Alabamians, appear in The Birmingham News and AL.com, as well as in the Huntsville Times, the Mobile Register. Reach him at rjohnson@al.com and follow him at twitter.com/roysj
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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.
Every day at dawn, Polycarpe Fodjo gets up from a makeshift bed under his truck and waits. He should have delivered a load of rice from Cameroon to Central African Republic over three weeks ago, but a violent rebellion across the border has halted trade.

With checkpoints closed, he and about 830 other truck drivers line up for breakfast provided by the transport union, while some perishable goods rot in the tropical heat.

The bottleneck is being felt in the markets of Central African Republic's capital Bangui, where food is scarce and prices have risen, another blow to the impoverished nation wracked by unrest and corruption.

Central African Republic (CAR) has seen a wave of violence linked to a disputed Dec. 27 election won by President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Armed groups opposing Touadera have attacked towns and threatened to storm Bangui, sucking in CAR's army as well as French, Russian, Rwandan and UN forces.

"We were made to understand that after the elections the crisis could be resolved," said Fodjo, who is transporting rice for the World Food Programme.

The violence has forced over 30,000 people to flee to neighbouring countries, according to the UN Refugee Agency. Over 4,400 have gone to Cameroon, mostly to the border town of Garoua-Boulai, where Fodjo waits with his rice delivery.

CAR has had five coups and numerous rebellions since independence from France in 1960. It has been hit by militia violence since a 2013 rebellion ousted former president Francois Bozize.

Despite peace accords, arms embargoes and sanctions on militia leaders, peace has been elusive in the gold- and diamond-rich nation of 4.7 million.

In Bangui's PK5 district, a commercial hub, traders and customers are worried. Trucks are scarce, store fronts are emptying out and the price of goods is going up.

"Rice, peanuts, oil, everything is expensive. Even soap is getting expensive. Before it was 125 (CFA francs), now 200. I can't buy any more. Why are they doing this to us?" said market wholesaler Blandine Yeke.

For others, the disruption proved too much.

Benedicte Beika fled to Cameroon after a series of rebel offensives in the west. It is the second time the mother-of-five has fled violence in CAR since 2013.

"I have no intention of returning to the country ... because I'm sick, it is out of the question for me to go back and increase my suffering further," she said.

Short link:


The actor who played Saved by the Bells most famous nerd is reportedly in the hospital. TMZ reports Dustin Diamond, who played Screech on the late 80s and early 90s sitcom, went to a hospital in Florida over the weekend with pain all over his body.

TMZ says a representative of Diamond told the publication that doctors have been running a number of tests on the former child actor and have yet to determine whats wrong with him.

Diamond, who also reprised his role as Screech in Saved by the Bell: The College Years and The New Class, was not cast in Peacocks current reboot of the show.

He hasnt done much acting since his Saved by the Bell days, but had been active in stand-up comedy in recent years performing at comedy clubs across the country. We caught up with Diamond a few years ago at a comedy gig in Novi.

The Centre has pleaded in the Supreme Court that a 2018 apex court judgment to decriminalise adultery under the IPC should not be applicable to the armed forces. The apex court issued a notice on Wednesday in the matter.

A bench headed by Justice RF Nariman and Justices Navin Sinha and KM Joseph also sent the case to the Chief Justice for listing it before a five-judge bench that had decriminalised adultery. The top court had then noted it can only be a ground for divorce.

Attorney General KK Venugopal, representing petitioner Defence Ministry, submitted that armed force personnel can be dismissed from service on ground of unbecoming conduct on account of adultery with brother officers' spouses.

The Centre argued that the top court verdict on adultery may cause instability within the armed forces as defence personnel were expected to function in peculiar conditions.

The Centre emphasised that during the course of their service, defence personnel many times stayed away from their families for long durations, as a result of their posting on borders or other far-flung areas.

After a brief hearing, Justice Nariman said that the matter would be placed before a five-Judge Bench as deemed fit by the Chief Justice of India.
One man and two juveniles were arrested during a traffic stop Monday by Hazleton and West Hazleton police.

Police said Dashaun Malik Murray, 24, of Freeland and a 17-year-old male of Nanticoke were wanted for numerous felony and misdemeanor charges, including aggravated assault and robbery from a recent incident.

The second juvenile, a 14-year-old male of Scranton, was wanted by Juvenile Probation. Officials said he had a Tec-9 with an obliterated serial number and a large capacity magazine when the stop occurred. He faces gun charges and was taken to Northampton County Juvenile Detention Facility.

Murray faces gun charges and the 17-year-old faces drug counts; both were denied bail.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday asked Capitol Police officers to prevent Republican lawmakers from walking around the newly-installed metal detectors at the doors to the House floor.

As she walked through the magnetometer on her way to talk about the resolution to impeach President Donald Trump, Pelosi said to the cops: 'Can we move this closer to the door so they can't get through?'

Capitol Police officers later added tables the sides of the device to block Republicans from walking around it.

The move came after several House Republicans raged about the newly-installed metal detector they need to pass to get onto the chamber floor with many either walking around it or refusing to be searched by officers when they set it off.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi asked Capitol Police officers to prevent Republican lawmakers from walking around the newly-installed metal detectors

Capitol Police officers later added tables the sides of the device to block Republicans from walking around it - the tables can be seen in the lower right side of the above photo

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has bragged about her desire to carry her glock pistol into the Capitol, got into a standoff with police and wouldn't let them search her bag after she set off the security alarm.

Boebert, who supports QAnon theories and made a name for herself carrying her fire arm on the campaign trail, walked through the screening process with her bag, which set off the magnetometer. She refused to hand the bag over to be searched.

Capitol Police eventually let her in the House chamber and it appears her bag was not searched before they did so.

'I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, D.C. and within the Capitol complex,' Boebert tweeted after the incident. 'Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last week  its just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi.'

Rep. Lauren Boebert, who has bragged about her desire to carry her glock pistol into the Capitol, got into a standoff with Capitol Hill police and wouldn't let them search her bag after she set off the security alarm on Tuesday night before she entered the House floor

Congresswoman Debbie Lasko tweeted: For members of Congress to enter the floor of the U.S. House, we now have to go through intense security measures, on top of the security we already go through. These new provisions include searches and being wanded like criminals. We now live in Pelosis communist America!

Speaker Pelosi went through the metal detectors when she entered the House floor on Tuesday night. She, too, set them off but stopped for Capitol Police to wand her.

The new security procedures were announced Tuesday, coming after last week's riot on Capitol Hill that left five people dead and a trail of destruction through the building, including smashed windows, torn papers, and broken furniture.

'Effective immediately, all persons, including Members, are required undergo security screening when entering the House Chamber,' acting House Sergeant at Arms Timothy Blodgett wrote Tuesday in a memo to lawmakers obtained by DailyMail.com.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi went through the metal detectors when she entered the House floor

Speaker Pelosi stopped for Capitol Police to wand her

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene set off the detectors when she went through them Tuesday night and had to get wanded by U.S. Capitol Police

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene takes off her shoes as part of the screening process

Lawmakers were reminded that firearms are not permitted on the House floor but face masks are required to be worn.

Security will remove those who do not comply.

'Failure to complete screening or the carrying of prohibited items could result in denial of access to the Chamber,' Blodgett wrote. 'Members not wearing a mask will not be admitted to the Floor and Members who fail to wear a mask will be removed from the Floor.'

But many Republicans revolted against the new security measures as long lines of lawmakers waited to go through the screening so they could vote, causing delays for them to get onto the House floor.

Before Tuesday, lawmakers were allowed to skip security lines going into and out of the Capitol complex. They were able to walk around the mags simply by wearing the gold circular lapel pin that identified them as a member of Congress.

Republican lawmakers argued with Democratic leadership and even the Capitol Police officers running the security system.

'This is bull****,' Rep. Rodney Davis told House Democratic Leader Steny Hoyer, calling the new system 'horse****', adding that valuable resources were being diverted and complaining the Republicans weren't consulted on the matter.

Rep. Markwayne Mullin said police 'can't stop me' from going through them.

And Rep. Steve Womack yelled at officers as he went through the magnetometer: 'You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of.'

He said it is going to create chaos during votes with members steaming through.

'Get back,' he told them. 'Don't touch me.'

Other Republicans, about a dozen, simply walked around the metal detectors, refusing to go through them.

Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert was one of them.

'You can't stop me; I'm on my way to a vote,' he said as he bypassed police.

Congressman Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the House, said the situation is 'untenable' because it 'impedes the ability of members to come and vote.'

'This is our job,' he said.

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene set off the detectors when she went through them Tuesday night and had to go through additional screening.

Greene, who supports QAnon conspiracy theories, had to take off her shoes and was at the magnetometer for about two minutes total to get wanded by an officer.

Greene, who has objected to wearing a face mask in the past, was wearing one Tuesday night. It read Molon labe, which means 'come and take them' and is an ancient Greek expression that is a classical expression of defiance.

She praised the police officers and yelled at the reporters covering Tuesday night's vote.

'Y'all are the best, y'all are great - all the media and all the liars and them, they're not great,' she said.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has objected to wearing a face mask in the past, was wearing one Tuesday night. It read Molon labe, which means 'come and take them' and is an ancient Greek expression that is a classical expression of defiance

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, goes through a new metal detector as he walks to the floor of the House of Representatives

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, took the House floor during Tuesday night's debate, to complain about the metal detectors

There were long lines of lawmakers to get through security and onto the House floor

Additionally, lawmakers will face fines for not complying with the face mask rule if legislation on the matter is approved in Tuesday night's vote.

When the House votes later Tuesday on the rule for a resolution to encourage Vice President Mike Pence to use the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from office, it will include language to impose fines on lawmakers who don't wear masks on the House floor.

The fines include: $500 for the first offense and $2,500 for the second office.

The fines will be deducted directly from the lawmaker's paycheck, which is distributed by the House.

The legislation is expected to pass - although Pence is not expected to use the 25th amendment to remove Trump from office so House Democrats will hold a vote on impeaching the president on Wednesday afternoon.

At least three Democrats have tested positive for COVID after huddling in a small, poorly ventilated room with Republicans who refused to wear face masks last Wednesday, when Capitol Police put lawmakers on lock down for their safety.

Democratic Rep. Brad Schneider on Tuesday announced he had COVID and blamed Republicans for infecting himself and fellow Democratic Representatives Pramila Jayapal and Bonnie Watson Coleman, a 75-year-old cancer survivor.

Republican Congressman Jim Jordan, a staunch Trump ally, took the House floor during Tuesday night's debate, to complain about the metal detectors that lawmakers now have to walk through and the fines for not wearing a face mask.

Jordan, wearing a mask that covered his mouth but not his nose, called it part of the 'cancel culture mob out there.'

'I do not know where this ends,' he said.

Ahead of Tuesday's vote series, workers were seen installing the metal detectors outside the entrances to the House floor in the inner sanctum of the Capitol building. Wednesday's MAGA mob didn't penetrate the chamber but lawmakers fled for their lives as the insurgents banged at the doors, held off by stacks of furniture and U.S. Capitol Police, who had their guns drawn.

It's all part of the security crackdown taking place after last week's riot and ahead of January 20th - the day President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris take the oath of office.

The changes are visible. Street closures have been put into affect around the Capitol Hill complex. And a ring of steel - a seven foot high anti-climbing fence - circles the Capitol itself. And at least 10,000 National Guard troops arrived in Washington D.C. - taking up positions in and around the Capitol - with more expected in the next week.

The House, being opened into session by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is voting on a rule that will fine members of Congress for not wearing masks

Works on Capitol Hill installed the new magnetometer ahead of votes in the House of Representatives on Tuesday

All lawmakers must go through the magnetometer and be checked by U.S. Capitol Police before they can enter the House floor

The metal detector is part of the new security crack down in the Capitol; lawmakers were also reminded they cannot bring fire arms to the House floor

President-elect Biden said on Monday that he wasn't afraid of holding his inauguration ceremony outside even though the pro-Trump mob swarmed the stands built for his inauguration.

'I'm not afraid of taking the oath outside,' he said.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf, in one of his last acts before he resigned on Tuesday, gave the federal government an additional week to get the security crackdown in place.

'I have instructed the U.S. Secret Service to begin the National Special Security Event operations for the 2021 Inauguration effective Wednesday, January 13 instead of January 19. Our federal, state, and local partners will continue to coordinate their plans and position resources for this important event,' he announced.

A National Special Security Event means that multiple federal agencies are involved. The United States Secret Service serves as the lead agency, coordinating with local police, the Department of Defense, the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Additionally, the Washington Monument, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Washington D.C., has been closed.

A crowd control fence was put up around Capitol Hill, reaching seven feet high

Members of the New York National Guard form up on the East Front of the Capitol as at least 10,000 troops are deployed in Washington D.C.

U.S. National Guard members walk among the columns of the crypt beneath the U.S. Capitol rotunda

President-elect Joe Biden said he is not worried about holding his inauguration ceremony outside

Biden indicated Friday he was glad President Trump wasn't coming to his inauguration.

'One of the few things he and I have ever agreed on. It's a good thing him not showing up,' Biden said at a press conference about the president's snub.

Trump announced Friday that he will be a no-show Biden's inauguration ceremony, a break with historical tradition.

'To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th,' he declared the morning after he finally acknowledged publicly he will not have a second term in the White House.

There have been reports that Vice President Mike Pence will attend to show his support for a peaceful transfer of power.

Biden said of Pence: 'He's welcome. I'd be honored to have him.'

The last president not to attend his successor's swearing-in was President Andrew Johnson in 1869 - who had also been impeached. Both John Adams and John Quincy Adams snubbed their successors too.

The Biden team has announced a scaled back inauguration ceremony, with the theme of 'America United.' The traditional parade will now be a virtual event and a limited number of tickets will be given out for the ceremony.

The Biden team has encouraged supporters to stay home and celebrate there.

Additionally, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser on Monday asked all Americans to stay away from the inauguration. She had already extended the city's 6 p.m. curfew through Inauguration Day.
Renowned journalist Hopewell Chinono was arrested by police on 8 January after tweeting about a video allegedly showing a police officer hitting a woman carrying a baby - his third detention since July 2020. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) condemns the harassment of Chin'ono and other journalists and urges the authorities to release him immediately.

Zimbabwe journalist Hopewell Chin'ono with his mobile phone moments after an interview with the AFP at his home in Harare on November 21, 2020. Credit: Jekesai Njkizana / AFP

UPDATE / 27-01-2021: Hopewell Chin'ono was granted bail on January 27 by the country's High Court after nearly three weeks in pre-trial detention.

Chinono was sent to jail due to his tweets condemning the acts shown on a video circulated via Twitter four days before. The video allegedly shows a police officer hit a lady with a button stick, instantly killing the baby she was carrying on her back. The health situation of the lady and the baby are still unclear.

Many citizens expressed alarm about the police brutality but only Chinono and Zimbabwe's main opposition party spokeswoman, Fadzayi Mahere, were arrested for it.

Chinono was taken to the Law-and-Order section at the Central Police Station in Harare. He was only allowed to see his lawyers almost four hours after his arrest. After that, he spent the weekend at the dreaded maximum security Chikurubi prison, located outside Harare.

Chinono said that the latest charges against him fall under an "unconstitutional" law, while state prosecutors insisted that the case has a legal basis because the video "undermines public confidence in the police".

Journalist is being permanently harassed

Chinono was previously arrested in July and November 2020 following his tweets backing banned protests against state corruption and criticizing Zimbabwes political elites for their alleged involvement in a gold smuggling case.

The journalists' situation in Zimbabwe has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerson Mnangagwas government has used this crisis to put more pressure on independent journalists, government critics and human rights advocates, who are easily jailed and sometimes abducted by hit-men believed to be operating on behalf of the regime, according to media reports.

Chinono is one of the most renowned journalists in Zimbabwe, being awarded CNN African Journalist of The Year in 2008.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: We deplore the fact that despite the widespread international condemnation of the attacks on freedom of media and expression, the Zimbabwean government keeps harassing journalists and media workers. Hopewell Chinono is an example of the harassment and threats that Zimbabwean journalists have had to face since Emerson Mnangagwa took office in 2018. . We call on the authorities to release him immediately and stop targeting our colleagues on a groundless legal basis.
The president of Seattles rank and file police union says he will not step down, despite growing calls for his resignation after he blamed, in part, the far left and Black Lives Matter activists for the pro-Trump siege on the U.S. Capitol.

In a letter to Seattle Police Officers Guild members, Mike Solan expressed regret for commenting on national politics, but said his comments have been spun intentionally for political reasons to hurt the union and limit its influence, The Seattle Times reported.

Solan is under fire from a state police group, the citys mayor and other public figures for his comments on social media this week suggesting Black Lives Matter and other liberal activists are partly to blame for Wednesdays deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by a mob supporting President Donald Trump.

His recent tweets  including one Friday saying the far right and far left are responsible for that sad day  also are now the subject of an internal investigation, said the civilian director of the citys Office of Police Accountability.

We have received complaints about the tweets and will be opening an intake, OPA director Andrew Myerberg said in an email Saturday.

Solan, a Seattle police officer since 1999, did not respond to several messages left for him Friday and Saturday but sent a letter to union members this week.

A separate police group, the Washington State Fraternal Order of Police, criticized Solans social media comments in a statement Saturday, saying they undermine our efforts to rebuild the trust needed between law enforcement and our communities.

We believe that when peace officers allow their personal biases to influence their perceptions of events and behavior, it severely compromises our ability to fulfill our duty to protect and serve, added the statement from the nonprofit advocacy group, which represents 3,000 officers statewide.

Eight of nine Seattle City Council members called for Solans resignation Monday. Mayor Jenny Durkan said he should retract his words and apologize or resign.

He has not.

His statements do not reflect the values of the City of Seattle but instead echo the failed lies of a failed presidency, Stephanie Formas, Durkans chief of staff, said in an email. In fact, every officer at the Seattle Police Department has an obligation to not post speech that negatively impacts the Departments ability to serve the public.

Formas added that Solan should retract his statements and apologize or resign.

Scott Lindsay, a former city adviser on public safety issues and a onetime city attorney candidate, said Saturday that Solan should step down.

I think he needs to resign, Lindsay said. Its really important to me that rank and file police officers have a credible, trustworthy voice representing them. I dont think that Solan can play that role anymore.

The SPOG president has been a vocal commenter on social media since Wednesdays siege.

A day after the insurrection, Solan retweeted a tweet from Andy Ngo, a conservative Portland blogger critical of Black Lives Matter and leftist causes, which identified one of the participants among the Capitol mob as an extreme BLM activist. Solan added his own comment to the retweet, saying that as the mainstream media tells us who to blame for yesterdays #troubles, @MrAndyNgo continues to be reliable.

Solans comment drew a response from Lindsay, who called on the SPOG president to apologize or resign for spreading misinformation. Former Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best weighed in to support Lindsay, tweeting: BLM was not the cause of yesterdays insurrection. We have to tell the truth.

Solan later responded to Lindsay: It is a major stretch for you to claim that I blame BLM solely. Not true. Far right and far left are responsible for that sad day. We all can do better as a nation. Conversation is the remedy.

In an interview Saturday, Lindsay, who has been a vocal critic of liberal activists Defund the Police initiative in Seattle, said he initially tried to give Solan a chance to apologize for making a mistake.

Instead, he doubled-down, Lindsay said. He said both the left and right are responsible.

Suggesting that there was dual responsibility here, to me that kind of spread of misinformation becomes disqualifying for the head of an officers union facing so many critical issues, Lindsay added. That organization clearly has some serious housecleaning to do if its going to be a serious part of the policing dialogue for this year. You just cant have someone that politically toxic leading you at this crucial time.

After Wednesdays violence, some right-leaning activists and Republican politicians contentions that leftist Antifa activists largely orchestrated the insurrection have been debunked. The FBIs assistant director said at a press briefing Friday theres no evidence Antifa played any role.

Groups and individuals who organized Wednesdays so-called March to Save America have been identified in various news reports to include dark money campaign allies of Trump, including Women for America First and Stop the Steal.

For weeks, plans for the rally drew chatter across conservative social media platforms and eventually mobilized thousands of conservatives and far-right extremists to the Capitol, including members of the Proud Boys and QAnon conspiracy theorists.

After Trump gave a speech to protesters, calling on them to march to the Capitol, photos and videos of the insurrection widely captured participants to include armed militants decked in MAGA gear, people brandishing Confederate flags and others flashing the OK hand gesture  a symbol for white power.

The rally also attracted police officers from across the nation, including employees of the Seattle Police Department. Two Seattle officers who attended have been placed on paid leave while the OPA investigates what role they played in events and determines whether and to what extent any other Seattle officers participated in protests that spawned the violence.
Students and relatives stand at the main entrance of the school Athenee Leonie de Waha in Liege, Belgium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Fed up with the COVID-19 restrictions keeping them at home most of the time, students in the last two years of high school in the city of Liege launched an online petition asking for more in-person class time. The students' efforts paid off Tuesday following an online meeting with Mayor Willy Demeyer and education officials in the city. The officials pledged to revisit the current COVID-19 protocol in a bid to get the 16 to 18-year-olds in-person instruction at least half-time starting Monday. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi)

A late-stage side effect of the coronavirus pandemic has turned up in Belgium, where a group of teenagers is begging to go back to school.

Fed up with the COVID-19 restrictions keeping them at home most of the time, students in the last two years of a high school in the city of Liege launched an online petition asking for more in-person class time.

"It's been six months now that we have been going to class only once a week," the students enrolled at the Athenee Leonie de Waha wrote last week. "Get ready, and open your ears: We want to go to school more often. Yes, yes, you heard it right!"

The students' efforts paid off Tuesday following an online meeting with Mayor Willy Demeyer and education officials in the city, which is known for its universities. The officials pledged to revisit the current COVID-19 protocol in a bid to get the 16 to 18-year-olds in-person instruction at least half-time starting Monday.

Months of learning exclusively or mostly online took a toll on the school's more than 200 students, the petition writers said. Concerned that prolonged distance learning would eventually derail their academic progress, they complained about the lack of social interaction and a growing loss of motivation sitting alone in front of their computers.

The main facade of the school Athenee Leonie de Waha is seen in Liege, Belgium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Fed up with the COVID-19 restrictions keeping them at home most of the time, students in the last two years of high school in the city of Liege launched an online petition asking for more in-person class time. The students' efforts paid off Tuesday following an online meeting with Mayor Willy Demeyer and education officials in the city. The officials pledged to revisit the current COVID-19 protocol in a bid to get the 16 to 18-year-olds in-person instruction at least half-time starting Monday. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi)

"We could not take it anymore," student Lena Piazza told The Associated Press. "With the fatigue and the loss of concentration, many people were about to disengage."

Piazza said she felt like "an old person" with headaches, pain in her neck and a lot of stress.

Since the start of the pandemic, academic studies and accounts from parents and teachers in many countries have highlighted the global challenges of remote learning. But as confirmed coronavirus cases keep soaring across Europe and authorities face a more contagious virus variant and overwhelmed hospitals, a general return to regular schooling is not foreseen for months in many countries.

In Italy, students and parents have protested continued school closures, with some high schoolers declaring an online "strike" on Monday. Most Italian elementary and middle schools remained open for in-person learning throughout the fall, but high schools shifted back to remote learning at the end of October.

Students of the school Athenee Leonie de Waha and relatives leave at the end of their classes in Liege, Belgium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Fed up with the COVID-19 restrictions keeping them at home most of the time, students in the last two years of high school in the city of Liege launched an online petition asking for more in-person class time. The students' efforts paid off Tuesday following an online meeting with Mayor Willy Demeyer and education officials in the city. The officials pledged to revisit the current COVID-19 protocol in a bid to get the 16 to 18-year-olds in-person instruction at least half-time starting Monday. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi)

The Liege students had an advantage in getting officials to take their pleas seriously. They attend classes at a school that employs the alternative pedagogy developed by French educational reformer Celestin Freinet. His philosophy rejected the traditional lines of authority in schools, holding that children's views should be taken into account.

Athenee Leonie de Waha Director Rudi Creeten said the students had his support in their battle to attend school in person more often. He said they had shown patience and dedication to remote learning over the past months but started to "suffer" recently.

"Their struggles to go through the current situation have been heard," Creeten told the AP. The decision made Tuesday "opens a door. It says that we can trust the youth."

In Belgium, like in other countries, decisions whether to close or open schools vary greatly, depending on the course of the pandemic, on whether schools are public, private or church-run, and which grades are involved. At Leonie de Waha, only the oldest students were restricted to attending school once a week.

A woman and a child stand at the main entrance of the school Athenee Leonie de Waha in Liege, Belgium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Fed up with the COVID-19 restrictions keeping them at home most of the time, students in the last two years of high school in the city of Liege launched an online petition asking for more in-person class time. The students' efforts paid off Tuesday following an online meeting with Mayor Willy Demeyer and education officials in the city. The officials pledged to revisit the current COVID-19 protocol in a bid to get the 16 to 18-year-olds in-person instruction at least half-time starting Monday. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi)

Students of the school Athenee Leonie de Waha leave at the end of their classes in Liege, Belgium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Fed up with the COVID-19 restrictions keeping them at home most of the time, students in the last two years of high school in the city of Liege launched an online petition asking for more in-person class time. The students' efforts paid off Tuesday following an online meeting with Mayor Willy Demeyer and education officials in the city. The officials pledged to revisit the current COVID-19 protocol in a bid to get the 16 to 18-year-olds in-person instruction at least half-time starting Monday. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi)

Students of the school Athenee Leonie de Waha leave at the end of their classes in Liege, Belgium, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021. Fed up with the COVID-19 restrictions keeping them at home most of the time, students in the last two years of high school in the city of Liege launched an online petition asking for more in-person class time. The students' efforts paid off Tuesday following an online meeting with Mayor Willy Demeyer and education officials in the city. The officials pledged to revisit the current COVID-19 protocol in a bid to get the 16 to 18-year-olds in-person instruction at least half-time starting Monday. (AP Photo/Valentin Bianchi)

The virus has played havoc with education across the continent, with schools opening and reclosing often at short notice and the status of crucial student exams constantly in flux.

French schools went back full-time in September and have largely remained that way, even after new virus restrictions were imposed nationwide in October. Britain closed schools last week in response to surging numbers of new infections, although the children of essential workers still can attend in person.

In Spain, most students returned to school following the Christmas and New Year's holidays. But the unprecedented weekend blizzard that left 20 inches of snow in much of Spain has led many regions to cancel all classes at least until Wednesday.

And in Germany, where infections are also soaring, authorities in Berlin backtracked last week on plans to partially resume in-person teaching, following protests from parents, teachers and the federal government.

Explore further NYC again reopens schools to in-person learning

 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump, charging him with incitement of insurrection for his role in last weeks riots at the Capitol. Its expected the vote will easily pass the 50 percent threshold needed and that a number of Republicans will join their Democratic colleagues in sanctioning the president.

The Senate would then hold a trial on the article of impeachment. (This trial will not occur until after Joe Biden has been sworn in as president, as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will not reconvene this week. But constitutional experts believe there is no reason Congress cant convict a president after he has left officeand sanctions could include a ban on Trump running for president or holding public office again.) To convict Trump, the Senate would need a two-thirds majority. If every Democrat in the new Senate voted to convict, 17 Republicans would need to join. In Trumps first impeachment trial, only oneUtah Sen. Mitt Romneyvoted against the president.

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While it remains unlikely to happen, its no longer unthinkable. A number of Republicans in the HouseReps. John Katko, Adam Kinzinger, Fred Upton, and, most prominently, Liz Cheneyhave thrown their support behind the effort. (CNN reported that the White House is pressuring lawmakers and that they want to vote to impeach but they legitimately fear for their lives and their families lives.) Cheney, the No. 3 House Republican, said in a statement that there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who has floated the idea of asking Trump to resign, decided against whipping votes on impeachment, according to the New York Times.

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More importantly, the Times reported Tuesday that McConnell has privately supported the idea of impeachment. A Senate Republican aide told the Times that around 20 Republicans were open to convicting Trump. So who are the senators who might deliver the votes? And what have they said? Weve broken the list down, based on the likelihood of their support.

The Most Powerful Reported Supporter

Mitch McConnell, Kentucky

McConnell suddenly seems eager to move his party past Trumpism. According to Politico, McConnell associates blamed Trump, justifiably, for losing both Senate races in Georgia, and most senior Republicans saw the presidents attack on the elections integrity as at least partly responsible. The Times reported that McConnell told his colleagues that he believed Trump had committed impeachable offenses and that he was happy that the Democrats were pursuing impeachment. Later on Tuesday, CNN confirmed the Times reporting. McConnell wont face reelection for six more years, and his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, resigned from that position after the riots. If he came out for impeachment, its possible a domino effect would follow. But is the calculating politician really going to move that aggressively against Trump?

The Usual Suspects

Lisa Murkowski, Alaska

Murkowski became the first Republican senator to call on Trump to resign on Friday. I want him out, she told the Anchorage Daily News. He has caused enough damage. She told Alaska Public Media that Trump was responsible for the riot. She also told the Daily News that she questioned whether the Republican Party was the party for me if it has become nothing more than the party of Trump. Because of her states ranked-choice voting, she is in less danger of facing repercussions for breaking from Trump than most of her Republican colleagues.

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Susan Collins, Maine

Collins has also voiced outrage about Trumps actions, but she has been more vague as to what she thinks the outcome should be. Writing in an op-ed for the Bangor Daily News, she blamed Trump for inciting the riot and complained about his assault on the democratic process. She has not yet commented on impeachment.

Mitt Romney, Utah

In 2019, Romney was the only Republican to break ranks with his party and vote to convict Trump of abusing power. He has hinted that he may vote against Trump again, saying in a statement that when the president incites an attack against Congress, there must be a meaningful consequence. He has also described the riot as an insurrection incited by Trump.

The Trump Critics

Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania

Toomey has voiced doubts that impeachment would be the best path forward, but he feels no great loyalty to Trump. He was the second Republican senator to call for Trumps resignation. He told CNN on Saturday that Trump committed impeachable offenses and said on Sunday that Trump might face criminal liability for his role in stoking the violence. He also said that Trump had descended into a level of madness since the election. Toomey, a conservative who occasionally voted against his party and sometimes criticized Trump, has already said he will not seek reelection in 2022.

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Ben Sasse, Nebraska

A frequent Trump critic, Sasse told CBS News that he would definitely consider impeachment articles brought by the House. I believe the president has disregarded his oath of office. He swore an oath to the American people to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. He acted against that, Sasse, who was recently reelected to a second term, said. He added: What he did was wicked.

The Unlikely (but Possible)

Rob Portman, Ohio

Portman, a more moderate Republican, said in a statement that Trump bears some responsibility for the insurrection, both in his words before the attack on the Capitol and in his actions afterward. He also said that if Trump did not speak out unambiguously given the threats of armed protests, he would be responsible for any other violence in Washington or at state capitols. He avoided questions about impeachment. He will be up for reelection in two years, making it less likely he will take a political risk on an impeachment vote.

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Roy Blunt, Missouri

Blunt, the significantly less inflammatory senator from Missouri, is not likely to take a stand on impeachment, given he is up for reelection in 2022. He has also made it fairly clear from statements he gave on Friday: Its obviously just another political point trying to be made, he told KSHB-TV in Kansas City. Its disappointing. Itd be much more disappointing if people cant see through that. He has, however, suggested the president might need to think about his responsibility for the riot. When asked by reporters, he said, I think it was a tragic day, and he was part of it. When he was asked what he wanted to hear from Trump, he responded, I dont want to hear anything.

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Todd Young, Indiana*

Young, the chair of the GOPs campaign arm, campaigned hard for Trumps reelection. But when confronted by protesters earlier this month demanding he vote against the certification of the election, Young became visibly frustrated, telling them that opinions dont matter, the law matters. He has not addressed the question of impeachment, and he declined to comment on the topic of Pence invoking the 25th Amendment other than to affirm my confidence in the vice president of the United States and the patriotism of other Cabinet members.

The Reluctant Trump Critics

Shelley Moore Capito, West Virginia

I think the president does own this, Capito told reporters. I did support the president, and I did support the policies, and I think the policies were good for West Virginia. But this is inexcusable.  The president was convincing people all along that it was stolen, Capito said today. The facts didnt bear that out. He was using his power to convince them of a result that was never going to happen, which was to overturn the election and to force us into accepting that, into breaking our constitutional duties. She also said that on a personal level, the experience that day had been horrifying.

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Richard Burr, North Carolina

Today, Americas core principles were threatened by those seeking to forcibly stop our electoral process and overturn the results of a presidential election with which they disagreed, Burr said in a statement after the riot. The President bears responsibility for todays events by promoting the unfounded conspiracy theories that have led to this point. Burr will not seek reelection in 2022.

Mike Lee, Utah

Its unlike anything Ive seen in 10 years in the Senate, Lee said. He called the rioters an angry, lawless mob who should rot in prison for the rest of your lives. He also said he was not pleased by the presidents words.

The Wild Cards

Jerry Moran, Kansas

Moran opposed efforts to overturn the election.

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Mike Rounds, South Dakota

Rounds also disagreed with objections to the Electoral College vote.

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana

Cassidy said he felt anger after his experience in lockdown. Youre angry that people would assault our democracy, he said.

Thom Tillis, North Carolina

Its a national disgrace to have a mob attacking Capitol Police and engaging in anarchy, Tillis said. This is not what America stands for. Tillis may have more loyalty to McConnell, who recently helped him win reelection, than Trump.

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Chuck Grassley, Iowa

Right now, theres very little opportunity for him to lead the Republican Party, Grassley, the Senate president pro tempore, told reporters.

Joni Ernst, Iowa

Ernst said she thought it was time for the nation to move on and heal, but she also said, of Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and their efforts to block the certification of the Electoral College vote, I think history will not look kindly upon those that abdicated their constitutional authorities. She also recently won a six-year term and may feel more loyalty to McConnell.

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Tom Cotton, Arkansas

After the riot, Cotton called on Trump to stop misleading the American people. He also said that senators and representatives who fanned the flames by encouraging the president and misleading their constituents should withdraw their objections to the vote certification.

John Thune, South Dakota

Thune has no reason to try to appease Trump, who called Thune a RINO whose political career [is] over!!! He also urged Gov. Kristi Noem to run against Thune in the 2022 primaries. Thune, who dismissed Trumps efforts to overturn the election as nonsensical, isnt considered at risk of a competitive primary challenge; Noem has already spoken out in support of Thune and said she would not run against him.
Beeland Interests, Inc. (Beeland Interests), the owner and administrator of Jim Rogers' world-renowned Rogers International Commodity Index and RICI Enhanced indices, and Moorgate Benchmarks, the index company driving change, today announced an extensive partnership to further enhance RICI's European presence and to ensure its indices can continue to be used without interruption within Europe following the introduction of the EU and UK Benchmarks Regulation (BMR).

Beeland Interests, a third country index administrator that has been preparing for its BMR obligations, has partnered with Moorgate Benchmarks to submit its application to become a recognised benchmark administrator under UK BMR. Moorgate Benchmarks will become Beeland Interests' UK Legal Representative, providing the formal oversight required for authorisation, and has been appointed as a Member of the RICI Enhanced Committee.

In due course, Moorgate will submit the appropriate application to the EU regulators to allow uninterrupted usage of the RICI indices under the EU BMR. These actions will enable clients in both the UK and EU to continue to use the RICI and RICI Enhanced indices once the post-Brexit transition periods for both BMRs end.

Jim Rogers, CEO of Beeland Interests, Inc, said: "We are proud of RICI's global reputation as an effective measure of the price action of raw materials around the world. Our partnership with Moorgate Benchmarks allows the RICI team to continue to focus on the indices in the knowledge that they meet global standards of excellence in index governance."

Gareth Parker, Chief Indexing Officer at Moorgate Benchmarks, said: "Recognition of indices under UK and EU Benchmarks Regulation is a stamp of approval that gives index users confidence in the accuracy and governance of the indices they rely on. Moorgate Benchmarks is delighted to be working with Beeland Interests on the world-leading RICI and RICI Enhanced indices, to ensure investors and product providers can continue to use them as benchmarks within the UK and EU."

-Ends-

About Beeland Interests

Beeland Interests, Inc is the administrator of the Rogers International Commodity Index ("RICI"), a composite, U.S. dollar-based, total return index designed by James B. Rogers, Jr. The RICI was designed to meet the need for consistent investing in a broad based international vehicle; it represents the value of a basket of commodities consumed in the global economy, ranging from agricultural to energy to metals products. The RICI and RICI Enhanced indices aim to be an effective measure of the price action of raw materials not just in the United States but also around the world.

About Moorgate Benchmarks

Moorgate Benchmarks' mission is to enable index providers and product issuers to create new products that deliver true choice to all investors. Experts in designing, optimising, managing and calculating indices for clients; streamlining operations through leading-edge technology; and implementing governance systems to meet the requirements of best practice and regulations worldwide, the firm is driving change to challenge an industry ripe for disruption. For more information, please visit www.moorgatebenchmarks.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @MoorgateBenchm1.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005066/en/

Contacts:

Teresa Chick

PR for Moorgate Benchmarks

teresa@wordperfect.io
The Google and YouTube logos are seen at the entrance to the Google offices in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 21, 2019. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

YouTube Suspends Trump, Accuses Him of Violating Its Policies

YouTube has removed new content from President Donald Trumps account and suspended his channel for at least a week, saying that the channel violated its policies for inciting violence.

After careful review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J. Trump channel and issued a strike for violating our policies for inciting violence, a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

As a result, in accordance with our long-standing strikes system, the channel is now prevented from uploading new videos or livestreams for a minimum of seven dayswhich may be extended. We are also indefinitely disabling comments under videos on the channel, weve taken similar actions in the past for other cases involving safety concerns.

Google did not have any further comment when asked about what aspects of the content on Trumps channel had violated its policies.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Donald Trump tours a section of the border wall in Alamo, Texas, on Jan. 12, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Earlier in the day, a video showing Trumps speech in Alamo, Texas, was removed from the White House YouTube channel. In the speech, Trump expressed praise that 450 miles of border wall have been constructed.

Free speech is under assault like never before, he also said. The 25th Amendment is of zero risk to me but will come back to haunt Joe Biden and the Biden administration. As the expression goes: be careful what you wish for.

The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country, and it is causing tremendous anger and division and painfar greater than most people will ever understand, which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time, he continued.

Trump later said: Now is the time for our nation to heal, and its time for peace and for calm. Respect for law enforcement and the great people within law enforcementso many are hereis the foundation of the MAGA agenda.

And were a nation of law, and were a nation of order. That is why were here today, to talk about what we must do to uphold the rule of law in America and how we must continue to support our law enforcement heroes, which is exactly what you are.

YouTube is the latest big tech platform to have taken action against content posted by Trump. Last week, Twitter first placed restrictions on a video the president posted, before temporarily suspending his account, an action followed closely by Facebook.

Twitter two days later permanently suspended Trumps account over two Twitter posts it cited as having violated its policies.

The House voted late Tuesday to approve a resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office. The resolution text blames Trumps rhetoric for the U.S. Capitol breach last week where civil unrest and acts of violence took place amid otherwise peaceful protests in surrounding areas.

The Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol building interrupted lawmakers for several hours before proceedings resumed to debate over electoral college votes, count them, and certify them for the now-President-elect Joe Biden.

One woman, Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, died that day after being shot by Capitol Police inside the building.

It is unclear who instigated the breach of the building. A video of the event shows a left-wing activist encouraging and convincing Capitol Police to let trespassers through at several points.

Separately, the civil unrest that broke out on Capitol grounds left at least four more people deadthree due to medical reasons, and a U.S. Capitol Police officer was confirmed dead by the department on Jan. 7, due to injuries sustained while on duty responding to riots.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday it will require a negative Covid-19 test from all air passengers entering the United States -- a move it says may help slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Air passengers will be required to get a viral test within three days before their flight to the United States departs, and to provide written documentation of their lab results, or documentation of having recovered from Covid-19, the agency said in a statement to CNN.

CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield is expected to sign the order on Tuesday and it will go into effect on January 26.

'Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to emerge in countries around the world, and there is evidence of increased transmissibility of some of these variants,' the CDC said in a statement. 'With the US already in surge status, the testing requirement for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public.'



I

f a passenger does not provide documentation of a negative test or recovery, or chooses not to take a test, the airline must not allow the passenger to board, the CDC said.

'Testing does not eliminate all risk, but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations,' Redfield said in the statement.

The new variant of coronavirus, which appears to be more transmissible, has already been found in at least 10 states in samples dating back to mid-December.

An airline industry group has expressed support for the new measure.

'[We are] writing to express our support for a [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,' the industry group Airlines for America wrote to Vice President Mike Pence on January 4.

The new rule is similar to one put in place last month for passengers from the UK to the US, which requires that passengers have a negative test within three days of boarding their flight. For the UK requirement that went through last month, airlines can be subject to criminal penalties if they fail to comply, and passengers can be subject to criminal penalties if they willfully give false or misleading information.

The earlier requirement for UK travelers was a response to a new coronavirus variant that was identified in the UK. While the variant appears to spread more easily, there's no evidence that it's any more deadly or causes more severe disease, according to CDC.

At least 72 cases of a variant first identified in the UK have been found in 10 US states, according to data posted Monday by the CDC. That includes at least 32 cases in California, 22 cases in Florida, five cases in Minnesota, four cases in New York, three cases in Colorado, two cases in Connecticut, and one case each in Texas, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Georgia.

The variant has been identified in dozens of countries worldwide.
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NATIONAL

A picture caption with an article on Tuesday about infighting among Republicans over the future direction of their party misidentified the home state of Representative Mo Brooks. It is Alabama, not Arkansas.

BUSINESS

An article on Monday about business rules the Trump administration is trying to finish before Jan. 20 described incorrectly the risks of a new regulation to the Federal Deposit Insurance Fund. The fund is now at greater risk from having to cover failures of vulnerable banks that rely on hot money deposits. Its coverage of deposits has not been expanded.

An article on Tuesday about an accusation by the social media platform Parler that Amazon broke antitrust laws by suspending its service referred incorrectly to the practice of a lawyer representing the social media company Parler. David J. Groesbeck is a sole practitioner and does not specialize in intellectual property law.

METROPOLITAN

An article last weekend about how Dr. Stephanie Sterling, an infectious disease expert, spends her Sundays referred incorrectly to a coffee machine. It is the Moka Express, not the mocha express.
GODFREY  Amy Bamper, a member of 100+ Women Who Care from the 618, nominated Beverly Farm for the groups Impact Award and donation at their quarterly meeting in October.

While not selected for an Impact Award and its accompanying major donation, Bampers efforts raised $1,200 for Beverly Farm from the local chapter of 100+ Women Who Care and individual members of the group.
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 76F. Winds NW at 15 to 25 mph..

Tonight

Considerable cloudiness. Low near 45F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph.
As California scrambles to rectify its slow vaccine roll out, a number of potential mass vaccination sites have been offered up around the state  including Levis Stadium, the Oakland Coliseum, and  further afield  Disneyland in Anaheim and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

None have been announced in San Francisco, however  leaving at least one critic frustrated.

Let's make this happen in SF, tweeted Supervisor Matt Haney. It can be at Oracle, at Kezar, at many of the sites all over the city that have been used for testing. We can do this  it's time for mass, widespread distribution of this vaccine in SF and beyond, led by our Dept of Public Health.

The city is looking into mass vaccination sites and is identifying several sites that could serve as massive distribution points, according to Mayor London Breed and health director Dr. Grant Colfax. At a press conference Tuesday, neither she nor Colfax said which venue might take the role. They said there are not enough vaccine doses available yet to need a large-scale site.

Breed and Colfax also said setting up one massive site for vaccine distributions would not serve those who need the vaccine the most  homeless, uninsured or undocumented  in the first phases of a roll out.

It cant just be about one large, massive site, Breed said. One lesson we learned from our testing system was that we need to work with our community partners, and meet our most impacted communities where they are.

So far, the Health Department has distributed 22,150 doses of the vaccine to San Francisco General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital and small community clinics, a spokesperson said Tuesday. Of those, 9,259 have been administered.

Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle

The earliest people eligible for the vaccine under the state guidelines include those working in hospitals and people working or living in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Colfax said some San Franciscans under the next tier  people 65 and older  will be offered the vaccine sometime this week.

The city wants to first look toward localized community sites to vaccinate people who might fall through the citys health care cracks, Breed said. San Francisco is identifying several sites that could serve as massive distribution points, Breed said.

Colfax also said the city simply doesnt have enough vaccines at the moment to justify opening a massive site.

When we have a sufficient supply of vaccine to meet the need for a mass vaccination site, we expect to have that site up and running, Colfax said.

But Haney, reached by telephone on Tuesday, said it was incredibly inappropriate and just flat-out wrong for the department to task private providers with distribution. Instead, he said, they should take responsibility for widespread distribution in the city. He suggested the city should open a mass distribution site, like those being planned or considered in Oakland and Santa Clara.

Haney called for a hearing on the citys vaccine distribution plan at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. The supervisor himself  a frequent critic of the citys Department of Public Health  has no direct power to change the citys strategy in distributing the extremely limited vaccine supply, as that is ultimately up to the state and local Department of Public Health.

Still, he called for a more aggressive roll out in San Francisco, suggesting that there should be, for example, a massive site in the Mission, where Latino residents have been particularly hard hit by the virus.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health is explicitly deferring this responsibility in ways that other counties are not, he said. "They are going to have to change this. .. If people don't have a site, like they did with COVID testing, this is not going to work."

The Health Department declined to comment on Haneys criticisms Tuesday.

Michael Williams and Trisha Thadani are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: michael.williams@sfchronicle.com; tthadani@sfchronicle.com

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the status of the sites at the Oakland Coliseum and Levis Stadium. Talks to make them into mass vaccination sites are ongoing.
Michigans older residents are among the newly eligible groups for COVID-19 vaccination, though limited vaccine supplies and varying capabilities across the states 45 local health departments have made scheduling appointments difficult.

Some health departments have begun scheduling appointments and hosting clinics for residents 65 years and older, while others have announced they dont have the supplies or capacity to begin moving onto the next priority groups, as of Tuesday, Jan. 12.

Of those who have begun scheduling appointments, many departments already have closed sign-ups due to the influx of requests and insufficient vaccine supply.

People are anxious to get it and were anxious to give it, but we cant schedule clinics and get people scheduled to be vaccinated if we dont have the vaccine to give them, said Jeannine Taylor, public information officer for District Health Department #10, which encompasses 10 Michigan counties.

The feds distribute to the state and the state distributes doses to the health departments and hospitals. Were at the mercy of what they (the state) have and theyre at the mercy of what they receive from the feds.

In Oakland County, the health department reported 3,922 doses have been administered out of 5,850 received by the state. The remaining 1,928 vaccines have been scheduled for upcoming appointments, leaving no more available doses.

In Ingham County, the health department booked 11,000 appointments within the first day of accepting them, according to Health Officer Linda Vail. Appointments are booked through late February, based on expected future dose distribution.

Across the board, a majority of local health departments are asking residents 65 years and older to fill out an online survey, or to call in and report interest in a vaccine, as a means to forming a line for future appointments when more doses become available. In some cases the age eligibility is higher, like in Detroit (75) and Ingham County (70).

Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, said the state is urging local health departments to get their vaccine sign-up systems up-and-running as quickly as possible. She also asked for patience from residents.

To start the scheduling process, visit Michigan.gov/coronavirus, here, and scroll down to the lower half of the page where local health departments are listed.

Light grey boxes mean the health department has at least built up a system for scheduling appointments. You can click on the name of the health department to be directed to its website, or follow the associated contact instructions.

Dark grey boxes mean the health department is only scheduling vaccinations for the Phase 1A priority group (health care workers and long term care facilities) and not the Phase 1B priority group. The state recommends checking the site daily for updates.

Related: Spectrum Health facing astronomical demand as COVID-19 vaccine eligibility broadens

Last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that the next priority group would become eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine beginning Monday, Jan. 11. Included in the group were residents 65 and older, and essential workers including first responders and employees working in schools.

Marcus Cheatham, health officer for the Mid-Michigan District Health Department, followed Whitmers message with a video explainer in which he informed residents in his region that itll still be a while before all eligible residents can be vaccinated.

Now, I know the governor told you on her press conference on Wednesday that anyone can call their health department and sign up to get vaccinated, Cheatham said. And that was very unfortunate. All of the health departments are very mad at her because we hardly have any vaccine and mostly dont know when were going to get more. "

Some local health departments are still working their way through the 1A priority group, which includes front line healthcare workers and staff and residents of long-term care facilities. Those departments ask residents to keep checking back to their website to determine when theyll have a chance to schedule their first shot.

Of the health departments that have begun scheduling vaccinations, many have posted notes on their websites reporting that theyre booked, or that all of the doses theyve received are spoken for by residents.

Whats important for those 65 and olders to understand, is just because the government and state health department has opened up vaccinations for Phase 1B, it doesnt mean the health departments are capable of getting everyone in right away, Taylor said. Its still based on supply and our capacity to accommodate.

By establishing waitlists, health departments are determining who wants the vaccine and securing contact information to alert them when appointments are available to them. It also helps departments determine how many doses to request from the state.

However, not all requests are being filled.

District Health Department #10, which includes 10 counties in northwest Michigan, recently ordered 3,900 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines but received just 975. The inadequate quantity forced the department to close its scheduling portal, which had received 7,000 requests in the first 14 hours of being live.

Its not just us either, Taylor said. From what Im hearing from health officers elsewhere, there were over 200,000 doses requested from health departments and the state only received 60,000 from the federal government.

We can only schedule what we know well receive. Were trying to be careful not to schedule what we dont have.

Taylor said shell know on Fridays how many doses she can expect to receive for the next week. From there, the department will be able to schedule the next set of appointments.

Related: Vaccinating Michigans long-term residents is high priority, but off to slow start

As of Tuesday morning, there were at least 15 health departments not yet providing shots to senior citizens. They included District Health Department #2, District Health Department #4, and health departments in Bay, Branch, Hillsdale, St. Joseph, Dickinson, Iron, Genesee, Huron, Jackson, Lapeer, Marquette, Midland, Monroe, Shiawassee, Tuscola, and Wayne counties.

While Wayne, the states largest county, isnt ready to vaccinate the 1B priority group, that doesnt mean doses are unavailable. In the city of Detroit, the call center is working to schedule up to 4,000 appointments per day and up to 20,000 appointments at the TCF Center -- formerly Cobo Hall -- before Friday, Feb. 5.

Like other health departments, however, Detroit has been inundated with calls, including many from individuals who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. On Monday, the call center reported more than 100,000 calls.

Those who predicted that Detroiters would not be interested in receiving the vaccine were clearly incorrect, reads a statement from Detroit Chief Operating Officer Hakim Berry.

Detroit is limiting current vaccine eligibility to residents 75 and older, and essential workers in K-12 schools and child care workers. Residents 65 and older can also become eligible if they drive a 75-year old or older to the TCF Center for their appointment.

Senior citizens will be asked to provide their name, address and age. For greater efficiency and effectiveness, Detroits staff recommends eligible members of the same family or neighbors schedule jointly and arrive in the same vehicle.

The Detroit call center recently increased its staffing from 42 to 56 representatives, and call center hours have been increased by two hours and will operate 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Detroit residents can schedule an appointment by calling 313-230-0505. Callers will not be kept on hold if the expected wait time is longer than 30 minutes.

We thank Detroiters for their patience in this process and, most of all, for their commitment to being vaccinated so life can get back to normal as soon as possible, Berry said.

Appointments should last approximately one hour once the person enters the TCF garage. After receiving a shot, they will be required to remain in their vehicle in the garage for 15 minutes to make sure they are not experiencing any side effects from the vaccine.

Hospitals provide another opportunity for eligible residents to get in line.

Spectrum Health has filled up its appointments for this week and are waiting to learn how many doses itll have next week before scheduling more shots. In addition to the main site in Grand Rapids, the health system is opening vaccination clinics in Greenville, Hastings, and Zeeland and have plans for mobile clinics as well.

Residents dont have to be patients through Spectrum to participate. Visit the health systems website, here, for instructions on how to fill out a questionnaire and receive a notification when more doses are available.

People can actually click on a survey where it says their age, their occupations on a drop down list (to see if youre eligible for vaccine now), said Dr. Darryl Elmouchi, president of Spectrum Health West Michigan. As we have more vaccine and more clinical appointments available, they will send an electronic notification saying youre now free to schedule, you can essentially put it in queue and then people can schedule.

I just ask people to have patience because the demand is obviously incredibly high and were doing our best but not everyone will get their appointments today.

Spectrum serves a 16-county region. Elmouchi estimated that 300,000 to 400,000 residents in the region are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. Spectrum has vaccinated about 20,000 people through Sunday, and has another 20,000 doses on-hand.

Meanwhile, Sparrow Health System is finalizing an online registration system and will soon announce clinic dates and distribution locations. Pre-registration will be required, and eligibility will be for residents 70 and older, per the recommendation of the Ingham County Health Department.

Linda Vail, Ingham Countys health officer, said she chose to prioritize the older group because data shows mortality rates go up significantly at 70 years and older, and even more at 80 years and older. The decision more closely follows CDC guidance, which initially recommended individuals 75 and older be vaccinated in the 1B priority group.

We in the U.S. are not used to health care being rationed, Vail said. We have a scarce resource; this is the equivalent to a rationing process. Also in the U.S., we have a system that access to health care is usually privilege-based. This must be given in a vulnerability-based and high risk-based way, not whoever can get there first.

As of Monday, Jan. 12, Michigan has tallied 234,618 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including in 13,401 individuals who have died. Among the deaths, 74% were individuals 70 years or older.

The state has reported 233,085 vaccines have been administered out of the 829,200 doses shipped to the more than 1,200 providers around the state. Most Pfizer vaccines are going to health care workers and the 1B priority group, while the Moderna vaccine is largely going to long-term care facilities through a federal program with CVS and Walgreens.

Read more on MLive:

233K Michiganders vaccinated as governor requests more doses from feds

Call for in-person school, vaccine for teachers top priorities for Michigan schools now

Michigan Medicine blames low supply for COVID-19 vaccination delay

Next in line for vaccines, Michigan teachers are feeling optimistic
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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has said that many Congress members narrowly escaped death in a new video discussing the trauma that she experienced during the riot on the US Capitol.

During the riot last week, Trump supporters breached the Capitol as lawmakers were gathered to certify Joe Bidens win in the 2020 election and they were forced to evacuate.

The mob, who were demanding that the election result be overturned, vandalised Capitol property and looted the building, smashing windows and ransacking offices.

In an hour-long Instagram Live video on Wednesday, the Democratic congresswoman gave more insight into her experience during the pro-Trump storming of the Captiol on Wednesday.

It's not an exaggeration to say that many many members of the House were nearly assassinated. It's just not an exaggeration to say that at all, the New York representative said.

We were very lucky that things happened within certain minutes that allowed members to escape the House floor unharmed, but many of us nearly and narrowly escaped death.

Five people died as a result of the riot on 6 January, violence including one Capitol Police officer who was beaten as he tried to ward off the crowds.

AOC explained that she could not go into specific detail about her shocking time inside the Capitol while the insurrection unfolded due to security concerns.

However, she divulged that she had a close encounter during which she thought [she] was going to die.

I did not know If I was going to make it to the end of that day alive. Not just in a general sense but in a very very specific sense, she said.

The representative added that she felt unsafe during the evacuation to a secure location criticising a number of Republican supporters for refusing to wear masks.

Republican members of Congress didnt wear masks. They refused to wear marks in that secure location, she said.

Three Democratic House representatives have tested positive for Covid-19 after being forced to barricade themselves in offices to hide from the rioters with dozens of politicians and staff members.

The 31-year-old also noted that she did not even feel safe going to that extraction point with certain Republican representatives due to their ties to extremist beliefs.

She claimed that she thought certain members of the House may have disclosed her location and even allow her to be kidnapped by the mob.

There were QAnon and white supremacist sympathisers and frankly white supremacist members of Congress in that extraction point who I know and who I had felt would disclose my location and allow me to, who would create opportunities to allow me to be hurt, kidnapped, etcetera, she said.

Democrats will move forward with impeaching Mr Trump on Wednesday as the House considers an article of impeachment that accuses him of incitement to insurrection.

The rioters breached the building after attending a Save America rally, during which the president encouraged supporters to march on the Capitol.

And we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, he said during the speech.

Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong.

Rep Ocasio-Cortez, who was one of the first lawmakers to call for Mr Trumps impeachment following the siege, has said he should be impeached, removed from office, and barred from ever running for president again.

Every minute and every hour that he is in office represents a clear and present danger, not just to the United States Congress but frankly to the country, Rep Ocasio-Cortez said earlier this week.
The administration of Donald Trump began its term four years ago with a promise that it would restore what it had described as Americas lost global grandeur and win the respect of friends and foes.

It ended with a tiny nation about the size of Louisville, Kentucky or Sheffield brushing it off as an embarrassing nuisance.

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo abruptly announced that he was cancelling a planned trip to Europe, with stopovers at Nato headquarters in Belgium and in Luxembourg.

It came as word emerged that top officials in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, a landlocked European Union nation of 600,000 known primarily for its lax banking laws and overly rich cuisine, had effectively canceled the meeting by dissing his boss publicly.

It was diplomatic malpractice [by the US] to even suggest the trip, quipped one European Union official, among the many in the continents diplomatic corps eager to see the back of Mr Trump and his associates.

The humiliation was perhaps fitting end to four years of frustration, strained diplomacy and behind-the-scenes trash-talking between the Trump administration and longtime US allies in the European Union and Nato.

The Americans have burnt their bridges so badly that no one wants to associate with them, said one London-based diplomatic interlocutor who has spent time in Luxembourg.

The visits follow the devastating 6 January attack on the Capitol by pro-Trump operatives seemingly seeking to sabotage the confirmation of President-elect Joseph Bidens win.

Unlike other Trump acolytes, he has in recent weeks studiously sought to avoid the controversy over the departing presidents refusal to concede his landslide election loss, though he did famously quip days after the defeat that there would be a smooth transition to a second Trump administration.

Mr Pompeo announced the trip to Europe as part of his farewell tour during his final days in power. It has coincided with a days-long series of tweets in which he touts what he describes as his accomplishments. They include the administration's maximum pressure campaign against Iran, which even hardcore anti-Iran operatives in Washington have described as a failure, and peace deals between Israel and Arab nations that had never been at war with it.

The Department of State said Mr Pompeo canceled the trip so he could spend time paving the way for his successor, Anthony Blinken, who has been nominated by Mr Biden.

But sources at the Grand Duchy told Luxembourger media that Mr Pompeo canceled the visit after incendiary comments by Jean Asselborn, the foreiugn minister, who described Mr Trump in broadcast interviews as an arsonist of democracy who ignored his own Constitution, the court decisions and obviously the results of the elections".

Though Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg had said he was prepared to meet with Mr Pompeo, other European officials had signalled that they would not. Mr Pompeos breaches of diplomatic protocol have not endeared him to his counterparts. Late last year he visited Turkey, but declined to meet with Turkish officials in the capital, Ankara, insisting they travel to meet him in Istanbul. They refused.

Mr Pompeos seeming silence following the 6 January attack, which has been described by some as a coup attempt at least partly instigated by Mr Trump himself.

After the events in Washington, theres a general feeling its not really a smart thing to do something high-profile with the outgoing administration, said one senior Western diplomat. Theres a feeling that (the Trump administration is) pretty toxic. Better to politely decline and wait a week.

Some have described Luxembourgs 11th-hour rejection of Mr Pompeo as hypocritical. Under Trump, the US and Luxembourg increased military cooperation -- expanding a major US military site in the country nestled between France, Germany and Belgium.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the National Press Club in Washington (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Last-minute world tours by departing US officials are not uncommon. Former US Secretary of State John Kerry was warmly feted by officials in Europe and Asia during his final days in office in 2017.

But some in Washington say that the mercurial and boastful Mr Pompeo himself has been responsible for his own humiliation by turning the office into a platform for his rightwing views and personal ambitions.

What the hell was Pompeo doing planning to travel to Europe this week anway? said one former US official Pompeo has been personally responsible for turning the office of Secretary of State into a partisan political office, a partisan street warfare job. That has had substantial costs for the United States. It has now had a cost for Pompeo in being seen as a defeated partisan actor that no one is interested in meeting.
Cameron Signs Letter Condemning Capitol Attack

By West Kentucky Star Staff





FRANKFORT - Attorney General Daniel Cameron, along with attorneys general from all 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia, sent a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen condemning the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.Cameron's office says he also condemned the violence on the day of the attack, saying "What is happening on Capitol Hill today is despicable, and I condemn it. We are a country founded on the rule of law. Concerns and grievances are addressed through the political process and through peaceful protests, not violence and anarchy. This must stop."The letter reads:
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES, CANADA, JAPAN, NEW ZEALAND, SOUTH AFRICA OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD BE UNLAWFUL. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT AN OFFER OF SECURITIES IN ANY JURISDICTION.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS AN ADVERTISEMENT AND DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A PROSPECTUS OR PROSPECTUS EQUIVALENT DOCUMENT. NOTHING IN IT SHALL CONSTITUTE AN OFFERING OF ANY SECURITIES.

PLEASE SEE THE IMPORTANT NOTICE AT THE END OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

13January 2021 LSE: PDL

Petra Diamonds Limited

("Petra" or the "Company")

Results of Special General Meeting

Petra announces that at the Special General Meeting held earlier today, the resolution set out in the Notice of Special General Meeting (the "Resolution") contained in the combined circular and prospectus dated 22 December 2020 (the "Prospectus") was passed as an ordinary resolution by poll vote.

The defined terms set out in the Prospectus apply in this announcement, unless otherwise defined.

The full text of the Resolution is contained in the Notice of Special General Meeting which is set out in Part 17 of the Prospectus which is available on the Company's website at https://www.petradiamonds.com/investors/2020-financial-restructuring/.

At the record time for the Special General Meeting, the Company had 865,431,343 Ordinary Shares in issue, none of which were held in treasury. The total number of voting rights in the Company was therefore 865,431,343.

The total number of votes for and against the Resolution, and the number of votes withheld, are set out in the table below.

Resolution For Against Votes Cast Votes Withheld Votes for (incl. discretionary) % of Votes Cast Votes Against % of Votes Cast Total Votes Cast % of issued share capital No. of Votes 1. To:



1.1 approve the reduction to the authorised share capital of the Company by reducing the nominal value of all Ordinary Shares from 10 pence to 0.001 pence



1.2 approve the increase to the authorised share capital of the Company by the creation of 8,500,000,000 Ordinary Shares



1.3 authorise the Directors to allot Ordinary Shares up to an aggregate nominal amount of 88,447, being 8,844,700,000 Ordinary Shares (the "New Ordinary Shares")



1.4 approve the issue of the New Ordinary Shares pursuant to the Debt for Equity Conversion, including any discount to the Closing Price as at the Latest Practicable Date 229,798,483 95.13 11,756,155























4.87 241,554,638 27.91 149,823

Notes:

The Special General Meeting was quorate.

Votes "For" and "Against" are expressed as a percentage of votes received.

A "Vote Withheld" is not a vote in law and is not counted in the calculation of the votes "For" or "Against" the Resolution or the total numbers of votes validly cast.

A copy of this announcement confirming the voting figures will be displayed shortly on the Company's website at https://www.petradiamonds.com/investors/2020-financial-restructuring/.

In accordance with the Listing Rules of the Financial Conduct Authority, a copy of the Resolution will shortly be submitted to the National Storage Mechanism and will be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

8,844,657,929 Ordinary Shares are expected to be allotted to Noteholders, on or around the Proposed Restructuring Effective Date, under the authority granted today. The Proposed Restructuring Effective Date will occur following satisfaction of certain conditions to the Consensual Restructuring, including the obtaining of regulatory approval from the Financial Surveillance Department of the South African Reserve Bank to implement the Consensual Restructuring.

Applications will therefore be made in due course to the Financial Conduct Authority for 8,844,657,929 Ordinary Shares to be admitted to listing on the premium listing segment of the Official List of the FCA and to London Stock Exchange plc for 8,844,657,929 Ordinary Shares to be admitted to trading on the London Stock Exchange plc's main market for listed securities.

Further announcements regarding the Proposed Restructuring Effective Date and the proposed date for Admission will be made in due course.

~ Ends ~

For further information, please contact:

Petra Diamonds, London Telephone: +44 20 7494 8203

Cathy Malins investorrelations@petradiamonds.com

Des Kilalea

Marianna Bowes

Rothschild & Co

Giles Douglas giles.douglas@rothschildandco.com

Glen Cronin glen.cronin@rothschildandco.com

Mahir Quraishi mahir.quraishi@rothschildandco.com

BMO Capital Markets Limited

Thomas Rider thomas.rider@bmo.com

Neil Elliot neil.elliot@bmo.com

About Petra Diamonds Limited

Petra Diamonds is a leading independent diamond mining group and a consistent supplier of gem quality rough diamonds to the international market. The Company has a diversified portfolio incorporating interests in three underground producing mines in South Africa (Finsch, Cullinan and Koffiefontein) and one open pit mine in Tanzania (Williamson).

Petra's strategy is to focus on value rather than volume production by optimising recoveries from its high-quality asset base in order to maximise their efficiency and profitability. The Group has a significant resource base of ca. 243 million carats, which supports the potential for long-life operations.

Petra conducts all operations according to the highest ethical standards and will only operate in countries which are members of the Kimberley Process. The Company aims to generate tangible value for each of its stakeholders, thereby contributing to the socio-economic development of its host countries and supporting long-term sustainable operations to the benefit of its employees, partners and communities.

Petra is quoted with a premium listing on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker 'PDL' and is a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index. The Company's US$650 million loan notes due in 2022, currently subject to restructuring, are listed on the Global Exchange market of the Irish Stock Exchange. For more information, visit www.petradiamonds.com .

IMPORTANT NOTICES

This announcement contains statements about Petra that are or may be forward looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement may be forward looking statements. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "targets", "goals", "should", "would", "could", "continue", "plans", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "anticipates", "estimates", "hopes", "projects" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward looking statements.

Such forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results and are based on certain key assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward looking statements. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Petra disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking or other statements contained herein, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

A copy of the Prospectus is available from the registered office of Petra and on Petra's website at https://www.petradiamonds.com/investors/2020-financial-restructuring/, provided that, subject to certain exceptions, the Prospectus is not being made available to Shareholders or investors in the United States or any other Restricted Jurisdiction.

Neither the content of Petra's website (or any other website) nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on Petra's website (or any other website) is incorporated in, or forms part of, this announcement.

The information contained in this announcement is for background purposes only and does not purport to be full or complete. No reliance may be placed for any purpose on the information contained in this announcement or its accuracy or completeness. The information in this announcement is subject to change. Nothing in this announcement should be interpreted as a term or condition of the Consensual Restructuring, the Debt for Equity Conversion, the Capital Reduction or any other matter disclosed in the Prospectus.

Subject to certain exceptions, this announcement and/or the Prospectus should not be distributed, forwarded or transmitted in or into the United States or any other Restricted Jurisdiction. This announcement and/or the Prospectus does not constitute or form part of any offer to buy or any invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to buy or subscribe for, New Ordinary Shares in any jurisdiction.

Should the Debt for Equity Conversion proceed, New Ordinary Shares will only be issued to Noteholders situated outside Australia pursuant to the Debt for Equity Conversion. The New Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the applicable securities laws of Australia. The Prospectus is being provided to Shareholders with registered addresses in Australia solely for the purposes of the Special General Meeting convened pursuant to the Notice of Special General Meeting.

The New Ordinary Shares have not been and will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "US Securities Act") or under the securities laws of any state or other jurisdiction of the United States, or the relevant laws of any state, province or territory of any other Restricted Jurisdiction and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, resold, transferred, distributed or delivered, directly or indirectly, in, into or from the United States or any other Restricted Jurisdiction. This document does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy New Ordinary Shares in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. Subject to certain exceptions, this document will not be distributed in or into the United States or any of the other Restricted Jurisdictions. The New Ordinary Shares are being made available (i) outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the US Securities Act, and (ii) in the United States to a limited number of institutional accredited investors (as defined in Rule 501(a)(1), (2), (3), (7), (8), (9), (12) or (13) under the US Securities Act) in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the US Securities Act. There will be no public offer of the New Ordinary Shares in the United States.

Neither the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") nor any state securities commission in the United States has approved or disapproved of the New Ordinary Shares or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this document. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States.

The distribution of this announcement and/or the Prospectus and/or the transfer of New Ordinary Shares in jurisdictions outside the United Kingdom may be restricted by law and therefore persons into whose possession this announcement and/or the Prospectus come should inform themselves about and observe such restrictions. Any failure to comply with any of these restrictions may constitute a violation of the securities law of any such jurisdiction.

BMO Capital Markets Limited ("BMO"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the contents of this announcement and the Prospectus, the Debt for Equity Conversion, Admission or any other matters referred to in this announcement and/or the Prospectus and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this announcement and/or the Prospectus) as a client in relation to the Debt for Equity Conversion, Admission or any other matters referred to in this announcement and/or the Prospectus and will not be responsible for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for giving advice in relation to the contents of this announcement and/or the Prospectus, the Debt for Equity Conversion, Admission or any other matter or arrangement referred to in this announcement and/or the Prospectus.

N.M. Rothschild & Sons Limited ("Rothschild & Co"), which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the FCA, is acting exclusively for the Company and no one else in connection with the contents of this announcement and the Prospectus, the Debt for Equity Conversion or any other matters referred to in this announcement and/or the Prospectus and will not regard any other person (whether or not a recipient of this document) as a client in relation to the Debt for Equity Conversion or any other matters referred to in this announcement and/or the Prospectus and will not be responsible for providing the protections afforded to its clients nor for giving advice in relation to the contents of this announcement and/or the Prospectus, the Debt for Equity Conversion or any other matter or arrangement referred to in this announcement and/or the Prospectus.

Apart from the responsibilities and liabilities, if any, which may be imposed upon BMO and/or Rothschild & Co by FSMA or the regulatory regime established thereunder, BMO and/or Rothschild & Co do not accept any responsibility and disclaim any liability for the accuracy, completeness or verification, or concerning any other statement made or purported to be made by it, or on its behalf, in connection with the Company, the New Ordinary Shares, the Debt for Equity Conversion or Admission in this announcement and/or the Prospectus. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by BMO and/or Rothschild & Co as to the accuracy, completeness or verification of the information set forth in this announcement and/or the Prospectus and nothing in this announcement and/or the Prospectus is, or shall be relied upon as, a promise or representation in this respect, whether as to the past or future. Each of BMO and Rothschild & Co accordingly disclaims to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law all and any responsibility and liability whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise (save as referred to herein) which it might otherwise have in respect of this announcement and/or the Prospectus or any such statement.

None of the Company, the Directors, the Proposed Director, BMO and Rothschild & Co, nor any of their respective affiliates, directors, officers, employees or advisers, is making any representation to any acquirer of New Ordinary Shares regarding the legality of an investment in the Debt for Equity Conversion or the New Ordinary Shares by such acquirer under the laws applicable to such acquirer.

INFORMATION TO DISTRIBUTORS

Solely for the purposes of the product governance requirements contained within: (a) EU Directive 2014/65/EU on markets in financial instruments, as amended ("MiFID II"); (b) Articles 9 and 10 of Commission Delegated Directive (EU) 2017/593 supplementing MiFID II; and (c) local implementing measures (together, the "MiFID II Product Governance Requirements"), and disclaiming all and any liability, whether arising in tort, contract or otherwise, which any 'manufacturer' (for the purposes of the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements) may otherwise have with respect thereto, the New Ordinary Shares have been subject to a product approval process, which has determined that the New Ordinary Shares are: (i) compatible with an end target market of retail investors and investors who meet the criteria of professional clients and eligible counterparties, each as defined in MiFID II; and (ii) eligible for distribution through all distribution channels as are permitted by MiFID II (the "Target Market Assessment"). Notwithstanding the Target Market Assessment, distributors should note that: the price of the New Ordinary Shares may decline and investors could lose all or part of their investment; the New Ordinary Shares offer no guaranteed income and no capital protection; and an investment in the New Ordinary Shares is compatible only with investors who do not need a guaranteed income or capital protection, who (either alone or in conjunction with an appropriate financial or other adviser) are capable of evaluating the merits and risks of such an investment and who have sufficient resources to be able to bear any losses that may result therefrom. The Target Market Assessment is without prejudice to the requirements of any contractual, legal or regulatory selling restrictions in relation to the Debt for Equity Conversion.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Target Market Assessment does not constitute: (a) an assessment of suitability or appropriateness for the purposes of MiFID II; or (b) a recommendation to any investor or group of investors to invest in, or purchase, or take any other action whatsoever with respect to the New Ordinary Shares.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Company is not subject to MiFID II, has no obligations in relation to the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements and makes no representations regarding the MiFID II Product Governance Requirements falling on any authorised or regulated entity connected with the issuance.

A New Jersey appeals court has overturned the homicide conviction of a driver who authorities say drunkenly struck a college student because the investigating police officers did not get a search warrant for the blood they drew from his body.

Derrick Gilliam, 34, pleaded guilty in late 2018 to reckless vehicular homicide in the 2013 death of Matthew Uhl after a Gloucester County judge ruled against two motions his attorneys made: that police improperly drew his blood without a warrant, and they violated his Miranda rights prior to his interview with a detective.

An appeals court on Monday said the judge got the Miranda motion correct, and that police fully explained that right and Gilliam signed it away in front of a detective the night of the crash near Rowan University.

But the blood they drew from Gilliam after taking him to a local hospital needed a search warrant, the appeals court said.

Gilliam is currently serving a five-year prison term. The Gloucester County Prosecutors Office said Tuesday it will appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court.

Uhl was a 22-year-old Rowan senior from Little Egg Harbor when he was struck by a car at about 12:30 a.m. while walking with friends along State Street in Glassboro near his fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha. He was two weeks from graduation.

Gilliam was detained at the scene, which authorities said at trial, and prosecutors argued in the appeal, was chaotic: Uhl was mortally injured, first responders were everywhere and bystanders from a nearby party spilled out to watch.

Officers described Gilliam as belligerent and agitated, and he was taken to police headquarters after an officer smelled alcohol on his breath and saw a bottle of liquor in his vehicle, the decision says.

Gilliam, who had roots in Connecticut but was living in Gloucester County, refused to do field sobriety tests at police headquarters. Investigators, worried the alcohol in his system might dissipate, took him to a local hospital to have blood drawn, the decision says.

Once there, Gilliam refused to cooperate with the medical procedure to draw blood. He said he wanted to make a call, but did not say to whom, the decision says.

He finally relented, and allowed the blood to be drawn at 1:56 a.m.

Prosecutors argued, and the judge agreed, that exigent circumstances existed for the blood draw.

The officers were confronted with an emergency situation that justified the warrantless blood draw, Judge M. Christine Allen-Jackson said from the bench when she denied the motion about the blood. Consent to be tested was not required.

That was an error, the appeals decision says. The supposed urgency to get the blood did not exist.

Due to conflicting beliefs from police about if they even needed a warrant, then compounded by Gilliams belligerent behavior, the police created a situation that resulted in them thinking they needed to act with speed.

We are unpersuaded by the States reliance upon defendants uncooperative or argumentative behavior as creating exigent circumstances that gave rise to concern about dissipation, especially since they waited to take him to the hospital for some time after it became apparent that defendant was misbehaving, the appeals decision says.

And, to the extent the circumstances surrounding defendants blood draw necessitated urgency, that necessity existed solely due to the police officers self-created delay, the decision says. This police-created exigency did not excuse the officers obligation to obtain a warrant before drawing defendants blood.

Gilliam remained Tuesday in a federal prison in West Virginia, records show.

When he pleaded guilty and was sentenced in New Jersey, he was already serving a 10-year federal prison term for a 2014 armed robbery spree in Connecticut during which he and partners robbed a pharmacy, gas station, hotel and three banks.

The two sentences were to run consecutively, prosecutors said.

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Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com.

There has been a further 63 Covid-19 related deaths while 3,569 new cases of the virus confirmed by the Department of Health this evening.

This brings the Covid-19 death toll to 2,460 while the total number of confirmed cases in Ireland now stands at 159,144.

According to health chiefs, five of these newly confirmed deaths occurred in November 2020, one of these deaths occurred in December 2020, and the remaining 56 occurred in January 2021. The date of death for one reported death remains under investigation.

As of 2pm today, 1,770 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised, of which 172 are in ICU. 133 additional hospitalisations in the past 24 hours.

Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health said: We are seeing some early signs of progress with daily cases numbers and positivity rates.

"We can take some hope in them, but we have a long, long way to go. In the coming weeks ahead, we will need to draw upon our reserves of resilience from springtime as we can expect to see hospitalisations, admissions to ICU and mortality related to COVID-19 increase day on day.

The best way that we can all support one another now is to stay apart.

"Sadly, what we are seeing now is a result of the very high daily confirmed case numbers we experienced for successive weeks.

"To ensure our hospitals and loved ones remain protected, and stay alive to receive the vaccine, please continue to follow public health advice and stay home.

At this challenging time, it is important to remind those that need acute care that hospitals are there for those that need them. No one should ignore any worrying signs they may need medical attention, such as lumps, chest pain or other new symptoms.

"Phone your GP if you have any concerns, not just those related to COVID-19.

Earlier today, HSE chief operations officer Anne OConnor confirmed that asymptomatic close contacts are being brought back to work as a last resort.

The health system is under sustained pressure with the number of people in intensive care now higher than it was during the peak of the first wave.

Ms OConnor said health officials made the decision because of the shortage of healthcare workers.

#COVID19 cases in Ireland are still very high. It is important that we act like we have the virus by staying at home in order to prevent further spread. For families, for friends and for the frontline #StayHome #StaySafe https://t.co/7GZdJOwl2e pic.twitter.com/E3PDsi5cIr  HSE Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) (@hpscireland) January 13, 2021

She said staff who were close contacts are being tested before they return to work and are being closely monitored.

Ms OConnor told RTE Morning Ireland that the demand on the health system means the staff are needed to attend work.

At the weekend we had to put a call out to staff to come into work at Letterkenny because we were under such pressure. I would see that happening in other sites, she added.

Read More

The head of the HSE, Paul Reid, tweeted: Our hospitals are treating 1,750 people with Covid-19 and 158 critically ill in ICU. This is a level beyond comprehension.

But to assure everyone, our healthcare teams are taking emergency actions to sustain this within a level of control. We appreciate your support.

The number of patients with coronavirus in intensive care jumped to 160 after the figures were updated following Mr Reids tweet on Wednesday morning.

On Tuesday, the Government said all passengers arriving into Ireland from Saturday will have to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken before departure.

The check must be taken within 72 hours of arrival.

Arrivals from red and grey list countries (as defined by the EU traffic light system), and all other locations outside Europe, must continue to restrict their movements for 14 days.

Read More

However, this may be lifted on receipt of a negative/not detected result of a second PCR test taken no less than five days after arrival.

Arrivals from green and orange countries will not be required to restrict their movements on arrival but must adhere to local public health guidance.
A space heater likely sparked a fire Tuesday morning that left a 58-year-old Carbondale woman dead, state police at Dunmore said.

Lackawanna County Coroner Tim Rowland identified the victim as Rose Marie Boyles, who was pronounced dead at her Williams Avenue home shortly after 6 a.m.

Its a tragedy for sure, Carbondale Mayor Justin Taylor said.

Fire crews responded to 71-73 Williams Ave. at 5:17 a.m. and found heavy flames coming from the building, Taylor said. State police ruled the fire accidental.

An autopsy concluded that Boyles died as a result of inhaling toxic fire combustion byproducts, Rowland said.

Donna Parsons, who was soon to be Boyles daughter-in-law, lived in the 71 side of the duplex with her two children and fiance. She described how she woke to a neighbor banging on her window, warning them to get out. They tried the front door, but found a wall of flames before making their retreat out the back. The 73 side, where Boyles lived, was engulfed by fire.

Boyles would regularly drop by with new toys for her children, Parsons said. In December, when Parsons became ill with COVID-19 and had to quarantine, Boyles often left fresh food on the front porch. I dont even know what to feel right now, Parsons said. Were just numb.

Their neighbors outfitted the family in warm clothes Tuesday and, later in the day, bought them a pizza, Parsons said. The American Red Cross was dispatched to help, said spokesman A.J. Suero.

A GoFundMe campaign to support the family had raised $1,860 of its $2,000 goal as of 10:50 p.m. I dont know what well do without her, Parsons said.
SOPA Images/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Starbucks has faced backlash in the past for reportedly banning employees from wearing Black Lives Matter shirts and paraphernalia, and now they are attempting to make up for it in a major way.

The Seattle-based, global coffee giant has selected 12 cities to benefit from the Starbucks Community Resilience Fund, with Houston among the metros selected.
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenias Foreign Ministry has issued a statement over the 31st anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku.

Armenpress presents the statement:

31 years ago the international community witnessed another crime against the Armenian people in Azerbaijan: the massacres and mass deportations of the Armenian population, who were the core of Bakus multicultural image, have been implemented in the Azerbaijani capital with a special brutality for days. Hundreds have been killed, maimed and went missing, tens of thousands have become refugees. With the anti-Armenian massacres in Baku in January 1990 Azerbaijans policy of exterminating Armenians has been completed.

Not only the Armenian population, who have lived and created in Baku for centuries, but also the Armenian historical-cultural heritage in the city was under the target of the anti-Armenian policy of the Azerbaijani authorities.

As of now the organizers and perpetrators of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Baku, who are still glorified as heroes, have not been held accountable.

Moreover, till now Azerbaijan continues that policy of ethnic cleansing and extermination of Armenians towards Artsakh. The vivid evidence of this is the complete eviction of Armenians from the territories of Artsakh which have come under the Azerbaijani occupation, which has been carried out through mass war crimes and ethnic cleansings.

Today, by paying tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the Baku anti-Armenian massacres, we once again highlight the united commitment of Armenia, Artsakh and all Armenians to guarantee the Armenian peoples right to live freely, safely and in a dignified manner in their homeland.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan






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Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal discussed with President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu the implementation of a number of joint projects.

"Ukraine and Moldova have common European integration aspirations, in particular, the synchronization in 2023 of energy systems with the European continental network ENTSO-E. We also have common concerns of energy stability and independence of our countries in terms of balancing the energy market and gas supplies," said the Prime Minister, the Government portal informs.

As Shmyhal emphasized, it is of particular importance now to restore the positive dynamics of bilateral cooperation between Ukraine and Moldova. For her part, Maia Sandu stressed that she would promote close cooperation for the benefit of the citizens of both countries.

The Prime Minister noted that Ukraine is ready to resume the activities of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation as soon as possible.

"Following our meeting, the head of the Commission from the Ukrainian side, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Reznikov, will be commissioned to start preparations for the next meeting and prepare the agenda," the Head of Government stressed.

Shmyhal agreed that Ukraine and Moldova should intensify the process of preparation for the signing of the Protocol on Amendments to the Free Trade Agreement in terms of harmonization of rules of origin in accordance with the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean Preferential Rules of Origin. According to him, Ukraine expects that the negotiations of the delegations on the harmonization of the draft Protocol might begin as soon as possible.

The Prime Minister of Ukraine and the President of the Republic of Moldova also discussed the measures to counteract the spread of COVID-19. Denys Shmyhal noted that Ukraine is actively negotiating with international partners and the global COVAX facility to get doses of vaccines at the earliest possible date.

"There is also an opportunity to negotiate with our European partners obtaining the vaccine under the Eastern Partnership. We express readiness to continue working together with the European Union on procurement, supply and creation of appropriate infrastructure to ensure the vaccination of our citizens," the Prime Minister stressed.

Denys Shmyhal accentuated that Ukraine and Moldova have a joint trade turnover and business projects that need to be supported and developed, in particular, by launching new projects, including in the energy sector.

Denys Shmyhal and Maia Sandu also discussed joint infrastructure projects, in particular, the construction of a bridge over the Dniester River and further construction through the bridge of a modern European-standard highway, improving the quality of work of checkpoints and the proper functioning of the Dniester complex waterworks facility.

The Prime Minister thanked the President of Moldova for supporting Ukraines sovereignty and stressed that Ukraine has consistently supported Moldovas territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders.

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AG Nessel joins 50 State Attorneys General in Condemning Attack on U.S. Capitol

AG Nessel joins 50 Attorneys General in Condemning Attack on U.S. Capitol

Ryan Jarvi 517-599-2746 Attorney General

January 13, 2021

LANSING  Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel today joined a bipartisan coalition of 50 states, territories and the District of Columbia in sending a letter to Acting U.S. Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen condemning the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol and stating such actions cannot be allowed to go unchecked.

What transpired at the U.S. Capitol was an unprecedented attack on our democracy and a direct threat to the safety of our countrys leaders and other public servants, Nessel said. Acts of insurrection like we witnessed last week must be met with swift justice. I am committed to defending our Constitution and country from acts of sedition and terrorism, and I stand firmly with my colleagues to condemn this lawless violence.

The coalitions letter reads:

We, the undersigned state attorneys general, are committed to the protection of public safety, the rule of law, and the U.S. Constitution. We are appalled that on January 6, 2021, rioters invaded the U.S. Capitol, defaced the building, and engaged in a range of criminal conductincluding unlawful entry, theft, destruction of U.S. government property, and assault. Worst of all, the riot resulted in the deaths of individuals, including a U.S. Capitol Police officer, and others were physically injured. Beyond these harms, the rioters actions temporarily paused government business of the most sacred sort in our systemcertifying the result of a presidential election.

We all just witnessed a very dark day in America. The events of January 6 represent a direct, physical challenge to the rule of law and our democratic republic itself. Together, we will continue to do our part to repair the damage done to institutions and build a more perfect union. As Americans, and those charged with enforcing the law, we must come together to condemn lawless violence, making clear that such actions will not be allowed to go unchecked.

Thank you for your consideration of and work on this crucial priority.

Attorney General Nessel was joined by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials on Wednesday to begin mass coronavirus inoculations next week and to open up the vaccination programme to all Russians.

Russia, which has the worlds fourth highest number of COVID-19 cases, started large-scale vaccinations last month.

The RDIF sovereign wealth fund has said 1.5 million Russians have already been inoculated with the Sputnik V vaccine.

I ask you to start mass vaccinations of the entire population as early as next week, Putin told officials at a government meeting by video link that was broadcast on state television.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatiana Golikova said authorities would be ready to broaden the programme from Monday.

Russia has imposed no broad lockdown during the second wave of infections that began in September and officials have said that targeted restrictions are enough to curb the virus.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia reported 22,850 new COVID-19 cases in the previous 24 hours, pushing the national tally to almost 3.5 million since the pandemic began.
Northern Ireland - Supermarkets experiencing supply shortages

Major UK supermarkets have warned the country's government that post-Brexit food shortages experienced by grocers in Northern Ireland could get worse.

In a letter sent to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, chief executives of UK 'big four' supermarket groups Sainsbury's, Asda and Tesco warned that shortages would worsen when a Brexit 'grace period', which has exempted retailers from some bureaucratic changes, ends on 31 March.

Northern Ireland has remained a part of the EU's single market for goods while the rest of the UK has left, which means checks on many goods entering the province from Great Britain at new border control posts (BCPs) at Northern Ireland's ports.

There have been early hold-ups at customs in Northern Ireland because hauliers have not got the right post-Brexit paperwork to hand, although anecdotal evidence suggests that the empty supermarket shelves in the province are also being caused by some suppliers sitting back and waiting for customs teething problems to be sorted out before resuming deliveries there.

Marks & Spencer has dropped several hundred product lines from stores in the region while Sainsbury's is selling some Spar products sourced from Ireland to avoid gaps on shelves

But the supermarket bosses suggest things could get worse rather than better.

In their letter to the government they warn of "significant disruption to food supplies" to Northern Ireland because of "unworkable" post-Brexit border arrangements.

The supermarkets urged the government to take "a number of steps to work with us to ensure the long-term sustainability of the Northern Irish grocery market".

The retailers also called on the government to begin an "open discussion" with the EU to explain why implementing the Irish protocol - special trading arrangements to ensure there is no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland, an EU member - is "unworkable" in the current timeframe.

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The letter, also signed by the British Retail Consortium, said it is "essential we find a long-term solution, agreed with the EU," before the end of the grace period.

A UK government spokesperson, quoted in the UK's Financial Times newspaper said: "A new dedicated team in government has already been set up and will be working with supermarkets, the food industry and the Northern Ireland executive to develop ways to streamline the movement of goods."

The spokesperson added: "The grace period for supermarkets and their suppliers is working well, goods continue to flow effectively between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and we are working intensively with industry as new requirements come in."
 Two years after a detailed development plan for the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center was approved by the central government, the district has become a front-runner in attracting foreign investment and a highland clustering emerging industries.

 The district has made a preliminary review of over 600 major projects with a total investment of more than 800 billion yuan, covering infrastructure, public service, and industries, according to Zeng Zanrong, Party chief of Tongzhou District.

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua)  Despite the freezing cold, construction on a museum, a theater, and a library in eastern Beijing's Tongzhou District is progressing in full swing.

The projects are set to be the landmarks of the district, designated as the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. Two years after a detailed development plan for the administrative center was approved by the central government, the district has become a front-runner in attracting foreign investment and a highland clustering emerging industries.

Workers install the component of a shield tunneling machine at the road transformation site in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 25, 2020. [Xinhua/Ju Huanzong]

In 2020, 71 foreign-invested enterprises landed in the district with multiple industries such as finance, culture and tourism, and science and technology gathering in the area.

Open and International

The Universal Beijing Resort, a China-U.S. joint venture, is expected to start operation in Tongzhou in May this year.

Tom Mehrmann, president and general manager of the Universal Beijing Resort, said over 100,000 people have participated in the construction of the park, with the collaboration of more than 500 top international and Chinese designers and artists.

The resort is the epitome of the opening-up of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. More and more foreign companies are optimistic about the location advantages of the administrative center and choose it as the first stop to settle in China.

Landmark projects of Beijing's sub-center are under construction in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 25, 2020. [Xinhua/Ju Huanzong]

"We chose to settle in the administrative center because we have confidence in the governance ability and efficiency of the local government, as well as China's financial development," said Huang Hong, head of the preparatory team of Ueda Yagi Money Broking (China) Co., Ltd, the first wholly foreign-owned money brokerage company in the Chinese mainland. It was established in the administrative center on Nov. 26.

"We believe we will be successful here," Huang said.

"During the company's application for the establishment, the relevant authorities, despite COVID-19, completed the review of the company and approval of the establishment within a very short period of time, which was hailed by the Japanese parent company," Huang added.

Huang, who has worked in European and Asian financial markets for many years, said China has resolutely contained the COVID-19 epidemic and its economy has taken the lead in recovery, adding that the current openness and activity of China's financial market are unprecedented and attractive to foreign investors.

In the future, the company will take advantage of the incentives for innovation in the administrative center and continue to improve product lines and business systems to provide well-rounded services to both domestic and foreign customers.

In addition to Ueda Yagi, the Refinitiv Financial Technology Information Services (China) Group Co., Ltd. has also recently completed its registration, becoming the first China headquarters of a wholly foreign-owned financial technology company in the administrative center.

With its positioning as a national comprehensive demonstration zone of service industry opening-up and pilot free trade zone, the Beijing administrative center is increasingly attractive to overseas financial institutions.

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows the business district along the Grand Canal in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 20, 2020. [Xinhua/Ju Huanzong]

In the first 10 months of 2020, the actual utilization of foreign investment totaled 565 million U.S. dollars, exceeding the annual target in advance, statistics showed.

Cluster of Competitive Industries

Hit hard by the COVID-19 epidemic outbreak at the beginning of 2020, Terminus Group, a high-tech company engaged in the research on artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things, received timely help from local authorities of the administrative center where the company had moved in earlier 2019.

As stated in the district's preferential policies, companies will be rewarded with incentive payments in the early and later stages of their development since their settlement in the area.

Terminus was offered 6 million yuan (about 926,400 U.S. dollars) to tide over the difficulties, said Xie Chao, vice president of the company.

"What we value most are the opportunities in the administrative center. Especially under the backdrop of the digital economy, the district will become a pioneer in building a new-type digital eco-city," Xie said.

Photo taken on July 21, 2020 shows a park in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China. [Xinhua/Ju Huanzong]

Over the years, the district has phased out backward production capacity and undertaken some of the functions of the central urban area of Beijing to help address problems including traffic congestion and air pollution.

"Companies like ours will benefit from a string of policies that focus on expanding the opening up of the service industry and setting up a free trade pilot zone in Beijing," Xie added.

As one of Beijing's "two new wings" along with the Xiong'an New Area, the administrative center has become a model of quality-driven development by gathering a variety of superior resources.

People visit the Grand Canal Forest Park in Tongzhou District of Beijing, capital of China, July 20, 2020. [Xinhua/Ju Huanzong]

The district, which aims to accommodate 1.3 million permanent residents by 2035, has witnessed the settlement of headquarters of centrally-administered state-owned enterprises, branches of state-owned commercial banks, high-tech companies, a national cybersecurity industrial park, and a human resource service park.

The district has made a preliminary review of over 600 major projects with a total investment of more than 800 billion yuan, covering infrastructure, public service, and industries, according to Zeng Zanrong, Party chief of Tongzhou District.

"In the following five years, we aim to maintain an annual investment of over 100 billion yuan," Zeng said.

Video reporters: Sun Lei, Xia Zilin and Guan Guifeng; video editor: Zhang Xinyi

(Source: Xinhua)
Accommodation providers and businesses in the NSW South Coast holiday region of Jervis Bay have been swamped by hundreds of cancellations and attempted cancellations to bookings following confusion over coronavirus border restrictions.

A Shoalhaven City Council spokeswoman said "hundreds if not thousands" of people had been trying to cancel their bookings this week based on a misunderstanding that all of Jervis Bay was classified as the Jervis Bay Territory and governed by the ACT's Public Health Order, which had banned Sydneysiders.

"After bushfires decimated the January trade for the whole of the Shoalhaven in 2020, tourism operators in the Jervis Bay area are now facing another blow. Its important that visitors dont panic and cancel their bookings in Jervis Bay," the spokeswoman said.

She added that some of the holidaymakers had called the council to say they had cancelled their bookings.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Three American Masters Pictures documentaries will world premiere at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 28  February 3: Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, Ailey and Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir. These films will have their exclusive U.S. broadcast premieres on American Masters on PBS at a later date. Additionally, Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio: This is the Way We Rise, now streaming as part of American Masters and Firelight Media's documentary short film series In the Making, will screen in Sundance's Short Film program.

"Premiering a film at the Sundance Film Festival represents the pinnacle of achievement in independent film," said Michael Kantor, Executive Producer, American Masters Pictures. "Our mission is to empower filmmakers to tell compelling stories about the people who shape our culture: from emerging talents like Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio to icons like Rita Moreno, Alvin Ailey and Amy Tan."

"2021 marks five years since we launched American Masters Pictures to build on our commitment and connection to the independent film community," said Stephen Segaller, Vice President of Programming at The WNET Group, whose THIRTEEN unit produces American Masters for PBS. "We are ecstatic that these films will premiere at Sundance and can't wait to share them with our audiences on PBS."

Directed by Mariem Perez Riera, Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It follows the star's rich, decades-long career using verite footage of Moreno today, archival footage of her roles and appearances, reenactments of her childhood, animation and new interviews. Despite becoming the first Latina actress to win an Oscar, studios continued to offer Moreno only roles as stereotypical ethnic minorities, ignoring her proven talent. Throughout her career, Moreno paved the way for Hispanic American performers by refusing to be pigeonholed into one-dimensional stereotypes. Film interviewees include George Chakiris, Hector Elizondo, Gloria Estefan, Tom Fontana, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Norman Lear, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Karen Olivo and Tony Taccone. Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It is produced by Brent Miller, p.g.a., and is a production of American Masters Pictures and Act III Productions in association with Artemis Rising and Maramara Films.

Directed by the late James Redford, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir tells the story of the author whose first novel, "The Joy Luck Club," was published to great commercial and critical success. With the blockbuster film adaption that followed as well as additional best-selling novels, librettos, short stories and memoirs, Tan firmly established herself as one of the most prominent and respected American literary voices working today. Archival imagery, artful animation and live performances from Tan create a vivid, colorful journey through Tan's life and career. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is Redford's last completed film and a testament to his artistry and dedication to the craft. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is produced by Cassandra Jabola and Karen Pritzker, and is a KPJR Films production.

A visionary artist who found salvation through dance, Alvin Ailey confronted a world that refused to embrace him and was determined to build one that would. Directed by Jamila Wignot, Ailey is a feature-length portrait of the life and work of this brilliant, enigmatic and tenacious man. Ailey's commitment to searching for truth in movement resulted in pioneering and enduring choreography that centers on African American experiences. This resonant biography grants artful access to the extraordinary man who founded one of the world's most renowned dance companies: the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The documentary is an immersive portrait told in Ailey's own words through the creation of a new commission inspired by his life. Ailey is produced by Lauren DeFilippo, and is a production of Insignia Films in association with American Masters Pictures, ITVS, XTR, Impact Partners, and Black Public Media.

In This is the Way We Rise filmmaker Ciara Lacy documents Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, a Kanaka Maoli wahine poet, activist and academic, and her continued work towards justice for Hawaii's native population. The short is part of the In the Making series, which is a production of Firelight Media in association with THIRTEEN's American Masters for WNET.

About American Masters Pictures

Founded in 2016 by executive producer Michael Kantor, American Masters Pictures is WNET's theatrical imprint for documentaries co-produced by American Masters, the award-winning biography series that celebrates our arts and culture. American Masters Pictures partners with filmmakers, distributors and sales agents on non-broadcast releases including film festivals, theatrical, online, DVD, VOD and OTT, with PBS as the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of all films as part of the American Masters series. Films include Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, N. Scott Momaday: Words from a Bear, Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me, Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, Itzhak, Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You, Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise and Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable. Since 1986, American Masters has set the standard for documentary film profiles, accruing widespread critical acclaim: 28 Emmy Awards  including 10 for Outstanding Non-Fiction Series and five for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special  14 Peabodys, an Oscar, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards and many other honors. The series is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET. American Masters Pictures will be represented by three films at the Sundance Film Festival in 2021: Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, Ailey and Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir.

About WNET

WNET is America's flagship PBS station: parent company of New York's THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey and its news division, NJ SPOTLIGHT NEWS . Through its new ALL ARTS multi-platform initiative, its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN PBSKids, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each month. WNET produces and presents a wide range of acclaimed PBS series, including Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, and the nightly interview program Amanpour and Company. In addition, WNET produces numerous documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings, as well as multiplatform initiatives addressing poverty and climate. Through THIRTEEN Passport and WLIW Passport, station members can stream new and archival THIRTEEN, WLIW and PBS programming anytime, anywhere.

Websites:http://pbs.org/americanmasters, http://facebook.com/americanmasters, @PBSAmerMasters, http://youtube.com/AmericanMastersPBS, http://instagram.com/pbsamericanmasters #AmericanMastersPBS

SOURCE The WNET Group


The coronavirus pandemic has created a nearly $1 billion deficit in the Texas state budget as the nations energy hub remains hampered by a slow recovery and a half-million fewer jobs than a year ago.

The forecast by state officials is brighter than bleak projections last summer that warned of a spending deficit four times the size. Still, the shortfall could result in cuts.

Unfortunately, the economic damage done by the pandemic has created a hole that it will take some time to climb out of, Republican Comptroller Glenn Hegar said.

Hegar said the hospitality sector has been hardest-hit during the pandemic. He said a rebound in oil prices and production substantially improved the economic outlook in Texas from just a few months ago.

The GOP-controlled Legislature is scheduled to returned to work on Jan. 12 for the first time in two years, at a time when the spread of the virus has never been worse in the state. More than 13,000 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized and the seven-day rolling average for daily new cases in Texas is more than 23,000.

At least two Democratic lawmakers announced they would not attend the opening ceremonies due to the record high of infections, including Rep. Michelle Beckley, who described the gathering at the Capitol as a superspreader event.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who has come under sharp criticism from within his party over a statewide mask mandate and virus restrictions, has kept some limits on bars and restaurant capacity in place but ruled out more lockdowns.

Texas has billions of dollars in reserves and the projected $1 billion shortfall is a fraction of the state budget, making it likely manageable for lawmakers over the five-month session. Many other states have also slashed their budgets due to the impact of the virus on the U.S. economy. California made deep spending cuts last year, but last week Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, revealed the most expensive budget in the states history as wealthy peoples incomes have soared.

Many economists say that once coronavirus vaccines are more widely distributed, a broader recovery should take hold in the second half of the year.

Because the Texas Legislature meets only every other year  and only for 140 days  the virus and budget deficits are just some of the issues that have stacked up waiting for lawmakers since 2019. One includes calls for policing reforms in Texas following the death of George Floyd, who was raised in Houston, and widespread protests last summer over racial injustice.

It will also be the first time that Texas lawmakers have met since the August 2019 shooting at a Walmart in the border city of El Paso that killed 23 people. Authorities say the suspect, Patrick Crusius, told investigators that he targeted Mexicans during the attack. Abbott gave a new task force on domestic terrorism the charge of coming up with legislation to curb extremism.

The session is opening in Texas amid warnings from the FBI of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington, D.C., in the days leading up to President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration. Abbott deferred questions about security to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which last week closed the Capitol grounds as a deadly siege unfolded at the U.S. Capitol.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics COVID-19 Texas
Trump Celebrates Border Wall, Immigration Achievements in Texas Visit

President Donald Trump traveled to the southern U.S. border on Jan. 12 to tout the successful construction of 450 miles of border wall and a number of other immigration enforcement achievements from his administration.

The president delivered a brief speech in Alamo, Texas, amid a backdrop of construction equipment and a section of the border wall. The barrier is one of the most concrete landmarks of Trumps legacy. The president spent years bargaining and battling with Democrats to secure funding for the project amid a surge in illegal crossings over the border with Mexico.

We worked long and hard to get this done. They said it couldnt be done. And we got it done: one of the largest infrastructure projects in the history of our country, the president said.

Alamo officials hadnt received any notifications about the presidents trip, according to a statement from City Manager Bobby Salinas.

The remarks in Alamo marked Trumps first public statement since his permanent suspension from Twitter. The social media giant severed the presidents direct line of communication with tens of millions of his followers on Jan. 8, prompting criticism from world leaders in France, Germany, Australia, and Mexico.

The company asserted that the president had incited the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The president told reporters on Jan. 12 that there was nothing wrong with the speech he had given to a large crowd of supporters that day.

I think that Big Tech is doing a horrible thing for our country and to our country. And I believe its going to be a catastrophic mistake for them, Trump said before departing for Texas.

But theres always a counter-move when they do that. Ive never seen such anger as I see right now, and thats a terrible thing.

Speaking in Alamo, the president appeared entirely unphased by the hyper-partisan fallout from the breach of the Capitol. Democrats in the U.S. Congress and some Republicans have called on him to resign from office. Democrats led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) are seeking to impeach him, alleging that the president incited an insurrectionist mob. They are also urging Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Trump from office.

The impeachment hoax is a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of our country, and is causing tremendous anger and division and pain, far greater than most people will ever understand, Trump said in Alamo.

Now is the time for our nation to heal. And its time for peace and for calm.

At the end of September 2020, the Department of Homeland Security stated it was on track to complete the construction of 450 miles of new border wall by the end of the year. At the time, construction was churning at 10 miles per day. A large portion of the new wall replaced existing border structures that were inadequate or broken.

The wall, combined with a series of policies, court victories, and diplomatic deals, resulted in a dramatic decrease of illegal border crossings in fiscal year 2020. Total Customs and Border Protection enforcement actions soared to more than 1.14 million in 2019 from 526,901 in 2017. In 2020, the number dipped to 646,822.

A standoff with the Democrats over funding for the wall resulted in the longest government shutdown in modern U.S. history. Spanning 35 days from the end of 2018 into the first month of 2019, the shutdown resulted in either full or partial closures of nine executive agencies with some 800,000 employees.

Trump ended the shutdown by approving a temporary spending measure for three weeks and demanded that Congress come up with a bill to fund the wall in the meantime. When Congress failed to do so, the president bypassed it by declaring a state of emergency on the border.
Zac Efron never returning to LA and relocating to Australia permanently? This is what a source hinted, claiming Zac Efron and GF Vanessa Valladres are likely to settle down under.

According to People Magazine, Zac Efron might have already found what he's been looking for and he's never going to let them go. By them, meaning GF Vanessa Valladares and the peace he found in Australia.

After encountering and falling in love with Vanessa Valladares in June while she was working at the Byron Bay General Store in Australia, where the actor moved last year, Australia has became Zac Efron's second home.

Soon, it might not even be his "second home" anymore and would become his primary one, because as a source said, Efron absolutely loves the country.

After the two started dating, their relationship quickly escalated to the "settling down" kind. Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares recently spent Christmas and New Year's together in Australia, and this is quite telling of how serious they are with each other.

According to an insider, this is likely to be so much more permanent that the actor's fans realize. The actor, 33, already put his L.A. home on the market in December, and allegedly wants to lay down roots in Australia, the source told People magazine.

As of now, he has no plans to live permanently in L.A. again," the source reveals. "He loves Australia and considers it his home," the source added.

One more insider seconded the motion. "They are not engaged but seem very happy," the source explained.

An evidence that Zac Efron is truly serious about possibly moving to Australia is the fact that he "keeps looking at properties," as revealed by the second source.

As early as October, Zac Efron's birthday month, a source already revealed that he and his girlfriend are insperable.

"Zac and Vanessa are very happy. They celebrated Zac's birthday with friends before the weekend," the insider back then. "Their relationship is very serious. Vanessa lives with Zac in Byron Bay."

Meanwhile, even though Zac Efron is certainly showing that Vanessa Valladares is already his "the one," some Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens shippers refuse to give up on their hope that their idols would still reconcile.

Fans cannot be blamed - it does feel as if it was just yesterday when people thought Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens' relationship would last forever.

Hudgens and Efron met in 2005 while filming the first "High School Musical" movie. Right off the bat, their chemistry was already palpable - winning so many teenyboppers' hearts.

The castmates went public with offscreen romance on 2007 and fans were absolutely pleased.

"Right off the bat, we had a connection," Vanessa Hudgens told Glamour in 2010. "I think everybody could see it. When we had our audition, they paired us together. And he was adorable," she added.

Now that Zac Efron and Vanessa Valladares appear to be settling down in Australia however, these hopes have to be once and for all, dashed.

READ MORE:

See Now: Famous Actors Who Turned Down Iconic Movie Roles
Much of Spain struggled in the aftermath of a massive snowfall on Jan. 12 that hardened into ice amid a record cold snap that turned streets and roads into safety hazards in areas unaccustomed to extreme winters. Overnight temperatures were the coldest since at least 2001 and dropped in some places to the lowest since 1982, according to the Spanish weather agency AEMET.<br /><br />The old Madrid-Burgos railway is covered by snow in the area of Bustarviejo, outskirts of Madrid, Spain. (Image: AP)
A YOUNG man has been accused of carrying out a "brutal" attack on an elderly neighbour who was bound with cable ties in his home and struck with a hammer and shovel.

Michael Joyce (23) is alleged to have gone to the man's flat and demanded 10,000 from him before assaulting and injuring him.

He was granted bail despite garda objections and the case against him was adjourned for the direction of the DPP when he appeared in Dublin District Court.

Mr Joyce, with an address at Prussia Street, Dublin 7, is charged with assault causing harm to the man at another flat in the same building on January 9.

The prosecuting garda told Judge Treasa Kelly he was objecting to bail, citing the nature and seriousness of the allegations.

He said it was alleged the accused carried out a serious, unprovoked attack on the man, causing injuries to his head and hands. The alleged victim was taken to the Mater Hospital, where he was receiving treatment, the garda said.

Outlining the prosecution's case, he said it would be alleged Mr Joyce went to the man's flat and demanded 10,000 before assaulting him. He alleged weapons were used  a hammer and a shovel  and that the man was "tied up with cable ties".

He said the alleged victim was in "clear danger" of the accused at the time of the incident and they both resided in the same building.

It was also alleged Mr Joyce was "caught red-handed" because he was found hiding in his room upstairs.

Applying for bail, defence barrister John Griffin said gardai had no issue with the accused's identity and he could stay at another address  his mother's home at Bregagh, Hamlet Lane, Balbriggan.

This address was 40km from Prussia Street, Mr Griffin said.

Judge Kelly said the accused was presumed innocent and the threshold for a refusal of bail had not been reached. She granted bail in the accused's own bond of 200, with no cash lodgment required.

This is on condition he lives at his mother's address, sign on daily at Balbriggan Garda Station and stay out of the Dublin 7 area. He must have no contact directly or indirectly with any witnesses, to include electronic means and social media.

She adjourned the case to a date in March, for the directions of the DPP.

The accused has not yet entered a plea to the charge, which is under Section 3 of the Non Fatal Offences Against the Person Act.
Glenview police are still investigating with help from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Police have no information yet about possible charges, since the investigation is ongoing. More information will be released as it becomes available, officials said.
LONDON, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Argo Blockchain (LSE: ARB), the leading cryptocurrency miner based in the UK, is pleased to announce that it has received approval from the OTC Market Group Inc. to commence trading on the OTCQB Venture Market under the ticker symbol "ARBKF" at the opening of the trading day on 13 January 2021. Argo's shares will continue to trade on the London Stock Exchange.

The OTCQB offers transparent trading in entrepreneurial and development stage companies that have met a minimum bid price test, are current in their financial reporting and have undergone an annual verification and management certification process.

Trading on the US OTC market has no impact on existing Argo ordinary shares trading on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange and no new ordinary shares will be issued as part of the cross-trade. Argo will continue to rely on the announcements and disclosures it makes to the London Stock Exchange and will have no Sarbanes-Oxley or SEC reporting requirements.

Peter Wall, Chief Executive of Argo Blockchain, said: "Argo is delighted to begin trading on the OTCQB Venture Market. The cross-trading of the ordinary shares from London will provide the Company with increased access to US institutional and retail investors and a broader shareholder base. US investors will now have the opportunity to share in the Company's growth as the cryptocurrency market gains momentum. US investors can find real-time quotes and market information for Argo at www.otcmarkets.com and access current company news and developments."

Jonathan Dickson, VP of International Corporate Services at OTC Markets, said: "We are delighted to welcome Argo Blockchain plc to the OTCQB Market. The OTC Market supports international companies seeking to strengthen visibility and transparency in the US public market. Trading on the London Stock Exchange and on the OTCQB Market will enable Argo to efficiently build global investor awareness and provide US investors with a seamless trading facility, enabling them to more easily trade through the broker of their choice."

About Argo:

Argo Blockchain plc is a global leader in cryptocurrency mining with one of the largest and most efficient operations powered by clean energy. The Company is headquartered in London, UK and its shares are listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange under the ticker: ARB.

argoblockchain.com

See Argo's largest facility in Quebec:

https://youtu.be/LDWWaZ75Zbk

SOURCE Argo Blockchain

Related Links

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Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

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Showers and thundershowers likely. Low 58F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

Former Acting General Secretary of the Convention People's Party (CPP), James Kwabena Bomfeh has charged the Majority NPP in Parliament not to feel lost out on the election of the new Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin.



According to him, although Rt. Hon. Bagbin is an NDC member, his election as Speaker wouldn't have been possible without the involvement of the NPP MPs.



There was some misunderstanding over who becomes the next Speaker of Parliament in the second term of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.



The former Speaker Mike Oquaye and former Second Deputy Speaker, Alban Bagbin were suggested for election but some people believed Hon. Mike Oquaye was too feeble to be re-elected.



However, Hon. Alban Bagbin wasn't also a plausible choice for the NPP, hence it was a fierce election between the Minority and Majority.



At the end of the day, Hon. Bagbin was elected and named the Speaker of Parliament but not without opposition as Tema West MP, Carlos Ahenkorah demonstrated his dislike by attempting to whisk away with some ballots.



Speaking on Peace FM's "Kokrokoo" programme, James Kwabena Bomfeh, popularly called Kabila asked the NPP in Parliament not to be dismayed by the election of Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin but rather claim him because it wouldn't have been possible for him to become Speaker without their help.



"It baffles me that they feel lost out or they lost something. The true analysis of the situation there is if some NPP members on the side of Parliament hadnt voted, Bagbin could never have been Speaker. They must claim him. NPP must claim Bagbin!''



He also allayed the fears of the NPP that Rt. Hon. Bagbin would be biased towards them.



"Fortunately, he is a person we know to be fair-minded. He is not rigid rabid person like some of the NDC people to say he will always side with the NDC," he stated.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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

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Observed vs. real changes in urban air quality and concentrations of ozone and nitrogen dioxide during lockdowns in selected cities. Credit: University of Birmingham

The first COVID-19 lockdowns led to significant changes in urban air pollution levels around the world, but the changes were smaller than expecteda new study reveals.

After developing new corrections for the impact of weather and seasonal trends, such as reduced NO 2 emissions from winter to summer, the researchers evaluated changes in ambient NO 2 , O 3 and fine particle (PM2.5) concentrations arising from lockdown emission changes in 11 global cities: Beijing, Wuhan, Milan, Rome, Madrid, London, Paris, Berlin, New York, Los Angeles and Delhi.

Led by experts at the University of Birmingham, the international team of scientists discovered that the beneficial reductions in NO 2 due to the lockdowns were smaller than expected, after removing the effects of weather. In parallel, the lockdowns caused (weather-corrected) concentrations of ozone in cities to increase.

NO 2 is a key air pollutant from traffic emissions, associated with respiratory problems, while ozone is also harmful to health, and damages crops.

Publishing their findings today in Science Advances, the research team also reveals that concentrations of PM2.5, which can worsen medical conditions such as asthma and heart disease, decreased in all cities studied except London and Paris.

New research shows that early COVID-19 lockdowns had less benefit on urban air quality than first believed. Credit: University of Birmingham

Lead-author Zongbo Shi, Professor of Atmospheric Biogeochemistry at the University of Birmingham, commented: "Rapid, unprecedented reduction in economic activity provided a unique opportunity to study the impact of interventions on air quality. Emission changes associated with the early lockdown restrictions led to abrupt changes in air pollutant levels but their impacts on air quality were more complex than we thought, and smaller than we expected.

"Weather changes can mask changes in emissions on air quality. Importantly, our study has provided a new framework for assessing air pollution interventions, by separating the effects of weather and season from the effects of emission changes."

Roy Harrison, Queen Elizabeth II Birmingham Centenary Professor of Environmental Health, a co-author, commented: "The reduction in NO 2 will be beneficial for public healthrestrictions on activities, particularly traffic, brought an immediate decline in NO 2 in all cities. Had similar levels of restrictions remained in place, annual average NO 2 concentrations would have in most locations complied with WHO air quality guidelines.

William Bloss, Professor of Atmospheric Sciences, who is also a co-author, commented that "We found increases in ozone levels due to lockdown in all the cities studied. This is what we expect from the air chemistry, but this will counteract at least some of the health benefit from NO 2 reductions. The changes in PM2.5 differ from city to city. Future mitigation measures require a systematic air pollution control approach towards NO 2 , O 3 and PM2.5 which is tailored for specific cities, to maximize the overall benefits of air quality changes to human health."

Scientists at Birmingham used machine learning to strip out weather impacts and seasonal trends before analysing the datasite-specific hourly concentrations of key pollutants from December 2015 to May 2020.

Air pollution is the single largest environmental risk to human health globally, contributing to 6.7 million deaths each year. The World Bank estimated that air pollution costs the global economy $3 trillion.

Explore further Lockdown saw modest drop in China air pollution

More information: Z. Shi el al., "Abrupt but smaller than expected changes in surface air quality attributable to COVID-19 lockdowns," Science Advances (2021). Journal information: Science Advances Z. Shi el al., "Abrupt but smaller than expected changes in surface air quality attributable to COVID-19 lockdowns,"(2021). advances.sciencemag.org/lookup  .1126/sciadv.abd6696
Bengaluru: The much-awaited Karnataka Cabinet expansion would take place on Wednesday with the possible induction of 7-8 ministers as suggested by Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday.

The BJP veteran had also indicated one minister might be dropped in the Karnataka cabinet rejig, the third of the 17-month old ministry. "....New Ministers will take oath at the Raj Bhavan at around 3:30 pm tomorrow, the list of seven or eight ministers who will be inducted will be released in due course," he told reporters here.

Asked will anyone be dropped from the 27-member Ministry as there were only seven vacant berths, he said: "It is being discussed, we will see, we may have to drop someone, will think about it and make a decision... There is no confusion."

The announcement comes two days after Yediyurappa finalised the expansion at a meeting with top BJP leaders, including party chief J P Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi.

This would be the third expansion of the cabinet since Yediyurappa assumed charge in July 2019 after the collapse of the Congress-JDS government in the wake of revolt by 17 MLAs of the coalition partners.

A state Information Department release said Governor Vajubhai Vala will administer the oath of office and secrecy to the new members who will be inducted to the Cabinet at 3.50 pm at the Glass House of Raj Bhavan on Wednesday.

Yediyurappa, who had been planning the expansion for several months, had on Monday said Nadda and party General Secretary in-charge of state Arun Singh will be invited for the swearing-in.

However, there was no official word so far on their participation in the function. There are speculations within the BJP circles and also in a section of the media that a couple of Ministers are likely to be dropped in the exercise.

Excise Minister H Nagesh and Women and Child Development Minister Shashikala Jolle, whose names are doing the rounds, have maintained they had not heard from the Chief Minister or the party leadership in this regard.

According to party sources, keeping up the promise, Congress-JD(S) rebels-turned BJP legislators like RR Nagar MLA Munirathna, and MLCs R Shankar and M T B Nagaraj, who helped the saffron party come to power, are most likely to be inducted by Yediyurappa.

Names of senior BJP MLAs including Umesh Katti, S Angara and Murugesh Nirani are also doing rounds in the party circles along with Mahadevapura MLA Arvind Limbavali and MLC C P Yogeshwar as possible inductees.

Eight-time MLA from Hukkeri Katti said he had received a call from the Chief Minister asking him to come to the state capital. "My trip to Bengaluru was already planned as there is a committee meeting tomorrow. Also, the Chief Minister last night asked me to come to Bengaluru, so I'm going. If CM and party leadership bless me, I will take the oath and work for the state," he said as he left Belagavi.

Six-time MLA Angara too said he was coming here for a committee meeting and will leave it to God about becoming Minister. "I have never lobbied for a Minister post and will never do it. If given an opportunity will work honestly," he said.

Yediyurappa was waiting for some time to carry out the cabinet expansion after he was asked by Nadda in November to wait for the clearance from the central leadership.

The expansion or reshuffle is likely to be a tough task for the Chief Minister, considering that there are too many aspirants, from the party old guard like G H Thippareddy, M P Renukacharya and the new entrants from Congress and JDS.

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In a shift away from fossil fuels, Norway is planning to deep dive for metals as part of its plan for a greener future. Having gained most of the countrys wealth from its successful oil industry, Norway is now looking to get ahead of the curve in metals by mining copper, zinc and other metals found on the seabed.

The deep-sea mining project, expected to commence in late 2023, will see metals mined for use in electric vehicle batteries, wind turbines and solar farms.

However, environmentalists worry that disturbing the seabed could wreak environmental havoc. Huge polymetallic nodules - manganese, nickel, copper and cobalt - on the seabed are attractive to those trying to adapt to new technologies and move away from traditional energies such as oil and coal. But ocean experts are concerned about the environmental impact of deep-sea mining as it has not been done before, and the potential repercussions are still unknown.

Reducing worldwide reliance on fossil fuels will require alternatives to be developed. Ditching oil and gas would mean using billions of kilograms of metal to fuel wind turbines and electric car batteries. For example, a wind turbine requires around a metric tonne of copper to work.

At present, many of these metals come from terrestrial mines, which has led to deforestation and water pollution. Mining from the sea-bed, around 3 kilometres underwater, could provide a less harmful extraction option as global demand for these metals increases.

Related: Saudis Prop Up Oil Prices, Cut Shipments To Asia And Europe



While the UNs International Seabed Authority (ISA), established in 1994, has deemed deep-sea resources common heritage of mankind in recent years it has allotted 30 exploration contracts across an area of 1.4 million square kilometres. These contracts have been delivered to both private companies and governments, with the aim of developing these metallic resources.

In response to environmental concerns, the Norwegian government plans to carry out an environmental impact assessment, after which the matter will go to vote in parliament in 2023.

Norway presents an exception to ISA regulations as its metals are not in international waters. According to recent studies, Norways waters contain large quantities of these valuable metals. Higher estimates suggest the Norwegian continental shelf could provide as much as 21.7 million tonnes of copper and 22.7 million tonnes of zinc; figures well over the worlds annual output.

If estimates are correct, Norway could see an annual revenue of up to $20 billion in metal mining within the next 30 years. While the countrys oil and gas industries contributed $61 billion in revenue in 2019, this is not insignificant as Norway adapts to greener energy practices.

This week, Oil and Energy Minister Tina Bru told Reuters We are moving forward on this, and the momentum is high, explaining This is an industry with great potential..

Cyprus-based Seabird Exploration plans to develop a deep-sea mining subsidiary, to be registered with the Euronext Growth Oslo small-cap stock exchange this year. The company aims to use existing oil and gas sector techniques to extract metals from the seabed by the late 2020s. Nordic Mining is also expected to request mining licenses if the plans go ahead.

Several other countries already hold contracts for seabed exploration including Germany, China, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, and Japan. And others are highly interested in getting involved as regulators call for greener energy practices. Some of the countries that have so far shown interest include Poland, India, France, the UK, Belgian, Singapore, and the Pacific islands of Kiribati, Cook Islands, Tonga, and Nauru.

However, many of these countries must rely on the ISA to grant permissions for exploration following a full environmental impact assessment of the area in question. This could significantly delay hopes of mining, as well as hinder development plans if the assessment deems the potential impact too high.

Following recent interest in metal extraction from the worlds seabeds by several countries across the globe, as well as the increase in contracts issued by the ISA, it seems inevitable that mining will go ahead. The question now is when will this mining take place and what the environmental impact of the extraction will be in practice as we move into a greener future.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
The Association of Gas Producers of Ukraine addressed to Director of Energy Community Secretariat Janez Kopac with a request to give an objective assessment of the situation with tariffs for gas distribution in the country and to prevent interference with the work of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC) as an independent energy regulator aimed at revising and reducing tariffs, the association said in a press release on Wednesday.

According to the press release, for this purpose, since January 2021, an organized political campaign has been carried out in Ukraine with the involvement of some MPs and street actions.

The association said that the impetus for increasing pressure was draft resolution No. 4522, registered in the Verkhovna Rada on December 18, 2020, on the revision and reduction of tariffs for the distribution of natural gas, approved in December of the same year.

At the same time, the Association of Gas Producers of Ukraine drew attention to the fact that the draft resolution was registered even before the final approval of tariffs.

At the same time, the association said that there is no reason to reduce tariffs, noting that even the approved tariffs do not cover all the costs of operators of gas distribution networks.

In particular, it is noted that the gas price approved at the level of EUR 15.934 per MWh to cover technological losses did not give gas distribution networks' operators the opportunity to purchase gas at UEEX on December 30, 2020 for these purposes in January 2021, since the resource price that day reached EUR 18.99 per MWh.

"In the future, market prices for gas have increased: in the second decade of January 2021, they amount to about EUR 20.20 per MWh. Thus, the current tariffs are no longer sufficient to finance all justified costs of gas distribution networks' operators," the press release said.

The Association of Gas Producers said that the tariffs were approved by NEURC in compliance with the procedure for their open public discussions, taking into account the arguments and proposals of all interested parties, and the decision itself was a continuation of the process of improving the gas industry and Ukraine's fulfillment of its obligations to the Energy Community and the IMF.

At the same time, according to the association, calls for non-payments, confiscation of property in favor of other enterprises, unjustified reduction of tariffs are illegal and lead to a deepening of the gas crisis.


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Series D financing to be used to expand company's global fintech and payments platform and enable strategic acquisitions

LONDON and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Rapyd , a global Fintech as a Service company, today announced a $300 million Series D financing round led by Coatue. Several new investors participated in the financing, including Spark Capital, Avid Ventures, FJ Labs, and Latitude, along with further investment from current investors General Catalyst, Oak FT, Tiger Global, Target Global, Durable Capital, Tal Capital, and Entree Capital.

Rapyd's platform embeds fintech services into any application and simplifies the complexity of offering local payment methods through an easy-to-use API while managing diverse compliance and regulatory requirements. Businesses can accept and send payments without having to build their own infrastructure through the Rapyd Global Payments Network which supports hundreds of local payment methods including cards, bank transfers, ewallets, and cash.

2020 experienced a massive acceleration in the adoption of local and cross-border digital payments, which has fueled tremendous global growth for Rapyd. As noted in a recent Mckinsey report , one of the primary impacts of COVID-19 has been the acceleration of changes in areas that are typically much more gradual - namely consumer behavior - with five years of change compressed into less than one. The change in purchasing habits has propelled consumers and businesses in both mature and emerging markets online and with that the need to accept and send payments using cards and alternative payment methods en masse.

"The demand for online payments has skyrocketed following the restrictions due to the effects of COVID, and as a company, we are well placed to provide businesses across the globe with the solutions they need and to get them up and running fast," said Arik Shtilman, co-founder and CEO of Rapyd. "To kick off 2021 with this substantial round of funding to further invest in our platform is a tremendous vote of confidence both in the growing need for local payment solutions that can be deployed at scale globally, and more specifically in our vision and company."

"The payment landscape varies dramatically across countries. A company doing business globally might need to accept hundreds of local payment methods. Rapyd's API, which abstracts away this complexity, is currently powering what we think are many of the world's most exciting companies," said Kris Fredrickson, Managing Partner at Coatue. "We are honored to partner with Arik and team for the next phase of the Rapyd journey."

The new financing will be used to double the engineering and product teams, as well as expand the "Self-Service" element of Rapyd's platform, empowering businesses globally to onboard and begin utilizing any of Rapyd's financial capabilities in the shortest possible time frame. The company will continue its focus on core markets that serve B2C and B2B eCommerce payments, marketplace, and financial services businesses. Following the successful acquisition and integration of European card acquirer Korta in early 2020, Rapyd is also exploring additional strategic acquisitions in the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, Middle East and Africa.

About Rapyd

Rapyd is the fastest way to power local payments anywhere in the world, enabling companies across the globe to access markets quicker than ever before. By utilizing Rapyd's unparalleled payments network and Fintech-as-a-Service platform, businesses and consumers can engage in local and cross-border transactions in any market. The Rapyd platform is unifying fragmented payment systems worldwide by bringing together 900-plus payment methods in over 100 countries. Rapyd's investors include Stripe, General Catalyst, Oak FT, Coatue, Tiger Global, Durable Capital, Target Global, and TaL Capital. To learn more about the company that is accelerating the Fintech-as-a-Service revolution, visit www.rapyd.net , read our blog , or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter .

Media Contacts:

Headline Media

Raanan Loew

raanan@headline.media

1-347-897-9276

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1418494/Rapyd_Photo.jpg

Early morning on January 13, Air India flew the first consignment of COVID-19 vaccine from Bharat Biotech called Covaxin from Hyderabad to Delhi.

Sources said that the flight AI 559 took off at 6.40am, with the Covaxin vaccine. The consignment included three boxes, weighing 80.5 kg.

This is the second day of vaccines being flown out to different parts of the country. On Monday, January 12, Air India and its peers - SpiceJet, IndiGo and GoAir - flew vaccines from Pune, home to Serum Institute of India, which is making the Covishield vaccine.

The two vaccines from Serum Institute and Bharat Biotech have got the emergency clearance from the Indian government. The first vaccines will be administered from January 16.

COVID-19 Vaccine Frequently Asked Questions View more How does a vaccine work? A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine. How many types of vaccines are there? There are broadly four types of vaccine  one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine. What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind? Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time. View more Show

While Serum Institute is based in Pune, Bharat Biotech is headquartered in Hyderabad.

Five million doses of vaccines were flown to different parts of India, on January 12. Low-cost airline SpiceJet carried a total of 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine on the first day of the rollout. This included the countrys first consignment of the vaccine, from Pune to Delhi.

Bharat Biotech vaccines reach Delhi on January 13

Over the two days, vaccines will reach over 41 locations across the country, with the first doses to be given from January 16.

To know more about how the vaccines will travel to different parts of the country: This is how COVID-19 vaccines will travel from Pune, to across India.

Executives from the industry said SpiceJet will also be flying vaccines from Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Vaccine transportation also began from the Mumbai airport from January 13. GoAir has scheduled flights carrying vaccines to Lucknow, Cochin and Chandigarh as well, besides Goa, during the day, a GoAir spokesperson told PTI.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Assured Healthcare Partners (AHP), a leading healthcare services investor, today announced a partnership with Allied Digestive Health (ADH), the largest independent provider of gastroenterology services in New Jersey. The partnership will support ADH's continued growth in New Jersey and select northeast markets.

ADH is a physician-led organization with more than 65 doctors across 35 locations. ADH provides high quality clinical care including a full suite of ancillary services from pathology and anesthesia to clinical research. ADH is supported by a sophisticated management services organization of more than 200 employees who provide complete back office services from managed care contracting, revenue cycle management, and electronic medical records support to data analytics, finance, accounting, human resources and compliance.

"We're excited to partner with AHP to accelerate the next phase of our growth in New Jersey and beyond," said Dr. Bob Gialanella, President and CEO of ADH. "We will continue to strive to be the most attractive option for independent-minded, high quality gastroenterologists. With that in mind, we chose AHP due to their deep healthcare experience combined with their impressive track record in scaling physician practice platforms in a quality manner."

"Dr. Gialanella and his colleagues have built the leading independent physician practice in New Jersey," said Matt Jameson, Managing Director at AHP. "We believe that their commitment to clinical excellence, physician autonomy and a first-rate patient experience will serve as the bedrock for ADH's continued growth."

Nexus Health Capital acted as the exclusive investment banking advisor to ADH. McGuireWoods and Katten Muchin Rosenman served as legal counsel to AHP and ADH, respectively.

About Allied Digestive Health (ADH)

ADH, the largest independent provider of gastroenterology services in New Jersey, is a multi-specialty group of more than 100 gastroenterologists, pathologists, anesthesiologists, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who work together to uphold the highest standards of care for their patients. All ADH doctors are board-certified in gastroenterology and hepatology. Several serve as chief of gastroenterology at nearby hospitals, and a number have been recognized as top-quality physicians in publications, including: Best Doctors in America; Top Doctors New Jersey; and US News Health  US News & World Report. For more information about ADH, please visit: www.allieddigestivehealth.com

About Assured Healthcare Partners

Assured Healthcare Partners (AHP) provides capital solutions supporting growth, consolidation, and repositioning opportunities in the healthcare services industry. AHP combines its flexible capital with company and sector-specific research, as well as an extensive industry network and internal team of specialized healthcare resources, to unlock value for portfolio companies and investors. For more information about AHP, please visit www.ahpartners.com .

AHP Media Contact:

Tom Vogel

Dukas Linden Public Relations

[email protected]

+1 646.808.3663

SOURCE Assured Healthcare Partners

Related Links

http://www.ahpartners.com


RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. has announced three strategic focus areas as part of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy: Promoting Climate Resilience; Closing the Protection Gap; and Inducing Positive Societal Change.

More information can be found on RenaissanceRes new ESG website, which provides insight into key sustainability activities for RenaissanceRe, such as understanding and modeling the impact of climate change, promoting diversity equity and inclusion (DEI), and fostering a collaborative and entrepreneurial culture that empowers employees.

At RenaissanceRe, we are committed to helping solve the worlds most complex challenges and being a positive force for change, said President & CEO Kevin ODonnell. This new website provides our stakeholders with a deeper understanding of our ESG activities and demonstrates our commitment to acting with integrity and upholding the highest standards of service and responsibility. It is through these values that we build employee engagement and maintain the trust of our clients, brokers and investors.

Group chief risk officer and head of Corporate Strategy, Ian Branagan, commented: Our commitment to good corporate citizenship has always been a central part of our culture and strategy at RenaissanceRe and is firmly embedded in our values. Our new website outlines how we will focus our core business strengths to make a meaningful impact on society.

About RenaissanceRe

A global provider of reinsurance and insurance, RenaissanceRe provides property, casualty and specialty reinsurance and certain insurance solutions to customers, principally through intermediaries. Established in 1993, the Company has offices in Bermuda, Australia, Ireland, Singapore, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Source: RenaissanceRe

Topics Pollution
SENS ANNOUNCEMENT

(the "Notice" or "Announcement")

ISSUER

ZCCM INVESTMENTS HOLDINGS PLC ("ZCCM-IH")

[Incorporated in the Republic of Zambia]

Company registration number: 119540000771

Share Code: ZCCM-IH

ISIN: ZM0000000037

Authorised by: Chabby Chabala - Company Secretary

SPONSOR

Stockbrokers Zambia Limited

[Founder Member of the Lusaka Securities Exchange]

[Regulated and licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zambia]

Contact Person: Natasha Nelson

Contact Number: +260-211-232456

Website: www.sbz.com.zm

APPROVAL

The captioned Notice or Announcement has been approved by:

the Lusaka Securities Exchange ("LuSE") the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") Stockbrokers Zambia Limited ("SBZ")

RISK WARNING

The Notice or Announcement contained herein contains information that may be of a price sensitive nature.

Investors are advised to seek the advice of their investment advisor, stockbroker, or any professional duly licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zambia to provide securities advice.

ISSUED: 07 January 2021

ZCCM INVESTMENTS HOLDINGS PLC

[Incorporated in the Republic of Zambia]

Company registration number: 771

Share Code: ZCCM-IH

ISIN: ZM0000000037

["ZCCM-IH" or "the Company"]

FURTHER CAUTIONARY ANNOUNCEMENT

Shareholders of ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc ("ZCCM-IH") are referred to the announcement dated 23 May 2019, concerning the filing by ZCCM-IH of a petition in the High Court of Zambia for the winding up of Konkola Copper Mines PLC ("KCM") on 21 May 2019 (the "Petition"), the appointment by the Court of Mr Milingo Lungu as provisional liquidator of KCM (the "Provisional Liquidator") and the legal proceedings commenced in the High Court of South Africa and applications made to the Zambian High Court by Vedanta Resources Limited and Vedanta Resources Holdings Limited (together "Vedanta").

Shareholders are informed that Vedanta appealed against the decision of the High Court which denied them their application to stay the liquidation proceedings and refer the matter to arbitration. The Court of Appeal on 20 November 2020 ruled in favour of Vedanta and stayed the liquidation proceedings and referred the matter to arbitration.

ZCCM-IH intends to appeal against the decision of the Court of Appeal and to stay the judgment.

ZCCM-IH will provide details on this matter, as it progresses, in due course.

In the meantime, Shareholders of ZCCM-IH are advised to exercise caution when dealing in securities of the Company until further information is published.

By Order of the Board

Chabby Chabala

Company Secretary

Issued in Lusaka, Zambia on 07 January 2021

Lusaka Securities Exchange Sponsoring Broker T | +260-211-232456



E | advisory@sbz.com.zm



W | www.sbz.com.zm



Stockbrokers Zambia Limited (SBZ) is a member of the Lusaka Securities

Exchange and is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Zambia

First Issued on 23 May 2019

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Wang Jing, veteran artist from China Pingju Opera Theater, performs a part of the classic piece, A Fairy Maiden Scatters Flowers , during a New Year countdown show on popular video site, Bilibili, on Dec 31, 2020. [For China Daily]

Wang Jing is among a dedicated group of theater performers determined to help the Pingju Opera art form thrive in the modern era.

Wearing heavy pink, black and white makeup, Wang Jing, a veteran Pingju Opera artist, dressed in a long, pink traditional Chinese robe, as she sings, resembles a beautiful fairy. Spinning around onstage among the pink flower petals cascading from the ceiling, she performs an excerpt from A Fairy Maiden Scatters Flowers, which is adapted from a classic Peking Opera piece once performed by master of the art form, Mei Lanfang (1894-1961).

Wang's performance was part of a 9-minute-long showcase led by Qiu Jirong, a crossover Peking Opera artist, who combined contemporary dance with six classic pieces from six traditional Chinese operas, including Kunqu Opera, Qinqiang Opera and Pingju Opera.

The performance received warm feedback from the audience, especially from young people, who watched it as part of a New Year countdown show on popular video site, Bilibili, on Dec 31, 2020. So far, the performance has been viewed over 1.5 million times on Bilibili.

Wang is working hard on further polishing the piece, which she hopes to present as an independent program this year.

"For people who are not familiar with Pingju Opera, they get their first glimpse of the art form through the performance. If they can experience more Pingju Opera shows in theaters, they will learn more about the beauty of the old art," says Wang, 39, who has been performing with China Pingju Opera Theater since 2002.

Pingju Opera originated in Tangshan, Hebei Province, during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and is popular in northern China.

Cheng Zhaocai (1874-1929), who is considered as the father of Pingju Opera, was born in a village in Luanxian County, Tangshan. A Pingju Opera performer and a playwright, Cheng wrote over 100 plays, many of which have been passed down as classic Pingju pieces, such as Flowers as Matchmakers, Du Shiniang and Yang Sanjie Goes to Court.

A scene from Dye House , a new production by the theater, which features five of the company's women performers, including Wang. [For China Daily]

Actresses of China Pingju Opera Theater, Wang Jing (R) and Han Lijiao, play a wife and husband in Dye House , a new production of the theater that tells the story of a young couple and their relationship with their parents. The show will go on a nationwide tour this year. [For China Daily]

Some Pingju Opera artists, such as Li Zaiwen (1922-1967), better known by her stage name Xiao Bai Yushuang, and Yang Shumin (1927-1998), better known by her stage name Xin Fengxia, were household names in the country and developed their own performing styles, which are still studied by each new generation of Pingju Opera performers today.

Unlike Peking Opera, which often portrays grand battles and tells heroic stories, Pingju Opera is deeply rooted in the lives of common people in northern China, and often portraying their everyday life, household affairs and meandering romantic stories.

Wang, who was born and grew up in Dezhou, Shandong Province, fell in love with Peking Opera as a child when her grandfather played Peking Opera excerpts at home.

When she was 15 years old, Wang came to Beijing to study at Beijing Opera and Arts College. Though her first interest was Peking Opera, she decided to learn to perform Pingju Opera because she was drawn to the sounds and melody of its pieces.

"It is an art form full of joy and charm because many of the stories told in Pingju Opera pieces are very humorous and romantic. However, it is a very demanding art, which combines singing, dancing and dialogue," Wang says.

"My teacher spent the first three years teaching me to sing three operas, which meant repetitively practicing my skills of singing and working with the band," recalls Wang. Like other traditional Chinese opera performers, Wang also received training in performing splits and somersaults.

After graduating in 2002, she started working with China Pingju Opera Theater.

"At that time, traditional Chinese operas were facing great challenges and were losing audiences. I made about 400 yuan a month and there were very few people coming to watch. I felt lost as a Pingju Opera performer," Wang says. "But I didn't want to give up. I worked so hard to master the skills of the art form, and I love it very much.

A scene from Dye House , a new production by the theater, which features five of the company's women performers, including Wang. [For China Daily]

A scene from Dye House , a new production by the theater, which features five of the company's women performers, including Wang. [For China Daily]

"My colleagues and teachers also worked together to stage old classic pieces and create new original pieces," she adds. "The only way to keep the old art alive is to be creative with and loyal to it."

In 2006, she won the "best new artist "award at the 16th Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Awards, a national award for Chinese theater performers. Later Wang furthered her study of Pingju Opera at National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2011.

According to Hou Hong, vice-president of China Pingju Opera Theater, to make the old art feel young, the company has mapped out a plan to train young Pingju Opera performers and offer them more opportunities to perform onstage. She adds that 70 percent of the company's performers are under 40 years old.

In November 2020, the company premiered its first production tailored for small theaters. Titled Dye House, the production, written by scriptwriter Bai Ailian and featuring five of the company's women performers, including Wang, tells the story of a young couple and their relationship with their parents against the backdrop of a dye house, which their family has run for generations. In 2021, the production will launch a nationwide tour.

"Relationships in a family, such as husband and wife, the wife and her mother-in-law, are topics that exist in every generation. The feedback from the audience was very warm, beyond our expectation," says Hou.

In 2020, the company celebrated its 65th birthday. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the company canceled all of its shows in the first half of 2020. From July to December, the company put on over 350 shows in the capital.

To get in touch with the audience, the company launched channels on various social media platforms, such as Douyin, sharing videos of the performers rehearsing, training and performing from their living rooms.

"Now we have over 300,000 followers on Douyin, which has expanded our fan base. It's very rewarding to see young people start to get interested in Pingju Opera," Hou says.

(Source: China Daily)

Against a backdrop of unprecedented security, the U.S. House voted to make Donald Trump the first U.S. president ever to be impeached twice on Wednesday  a week after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol over his false claims of a stolen election.

The vote was 232-197 with every House Democrat voting yes, including all 10 from New Jersey. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12th District, who was recovering at home after being treated for the coronavirus, voted by proxy.

The articles of impeachment now go to the Senate, which will decide whether to acquit or convict Trump.

We know that the president of the United States incited this insurrection, this armed rebellion, against our common country, said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., beginning the floor debate. He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love.

Both of New Jerseys House Republicans  2nd District Rep. Jeff Van Drew and 4th District Rep. Chris Smith  again opposed impeaching Trump, even as 10 other GOP lawmakers, including House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming, voted with the Democratic majority.

Van Drew was one of only two House Democrats who voted in December 2019 not to impeach Trump the first time. He then switched parties and was re-elected as a Republican. The other Democrat, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, lost his re-election bid in November.

We have done this before, Van Drew said on the House floor during the debate. This has failed before. We fractured our nation using the same process before.

If we want unity, this is not the way, he said.

Smith bemoaned what he said was a highly partisan rush to impeach the president.

Impeachment of President Trump  without a thorough analysis of the facts which takes time, effort and serious scrutiny to establish  will not in any way help to heal a divided America, Smith said in a statement to NJ Advance Media.

Some Republicans questioned the need to impeach Trump since he will be leaving the presidency a week from now no matter what.

They know that it is impossible for the Senate to remove him before his term expires. So what is the point? said Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Ariz., said on the floor.

Rep. Donald Norcross, D-1st Dist., said it didnt matter when it was time for Trump to leave.

No one is above the law, Norcross said during the floor debate. If he has four years or four days, we must do the right thing for all Americans because he must be held accountable.

This president will go down in history as the worst one America has ever had, Rep. Donald Payne Jr., D-10th Dist., said after the vote. Once he is removed, we can work to restore America as one nation again with liberty and justice for all.

The House action came only a week before Trumps term expired and Joe Biden sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. Trump has claimed repeatedly without evidence that he actually won a second term by a landslide and Biden and the Democrats stole the election.

That rhetoric from Trump at a Washington rally preceded the violent demonstration.

We must stop the steal and then we must ensure that such outrageous election fraud never happens again, he said, urging supporters to go to the Capitol. And we fight. We fight like hell and if you dont fight like hell, youre not going to have a country anymore.

Trump on Tuesday defended his address, telling reporters at the White House that people thought that what I said was totally appropriate.

The violence that stunned the nation and led to Trumps second impeachment also brought increased security to the Capitol, with National Guard troops inside the building and armored vehicles outside. Huge steel fences and Jersey barriers surrounded what had been park-like grounds open to the public. Members were told to go through metal detectors before entering the House chamber.

The Speaker of the House thanks the men and women of the National Guard for protecting the U.S. Capitol. pic.twitter.com/QwZlpeAWPp  Drew Hammill (@Drew_Hammill) January 13, 2021

A little more than a year ago, House Democratic leaders resisted impeachment demands for months and only moved ahead after Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11th Dist., and other military veterans supported them.

They reversed course following allegations that Trump held up congressionally approved aid and trying to pressure Ukraine into announcing an investigation of Biden.

This time around, lawmakers quickly coalesced behind punishing Trump following the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.

They held no hearings and almost every House Democrat quickly signed onto the impeachment resolution.

Trump sowed insurrection with the intention of overthrowing our democracy and he came too close to succeeding, said Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. D-9th Dist., after the vote. Trump engaged in treason. The blood of the dead are on his hands.

The pro-Trump protesters entered the building, vandalized offices, broke into the House chamber and forced the evacuation of lawmakers certifying the electoral vote count that would make Joe Biden the next president.

What was supposed to be a day to symbolize an over 230-year tradition of a peaceful transition of power turned into a day our nation will never forget, said Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-5th Dist., on a Facebook Live event Wednesday.

The violence, insurrection and obstruction against our democracy was incited by false statements made repeatedly about the 2020 presidential election by the president of the United States and parroted by thousands of others, including elected lawmakers.

After the building was cleared of rioters, Congress resumed the count, with a majority of House Republicans, including Van Drew and House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, voting to reject the certified state totals and overturn the election in favor of Trump.

McCarthy in his floor speech acknowledged that Biden had won the election, while also refuting other House Republicans who blamed the violence on Antifa, the loose confederation of anti-fascist protesters that wasnt even mentioned by the Department of Homeland Security in its most recent domestic threat assessment.

Some say the riots were caused by Antifa, McCarthy said. There is absolutely no evidence of that. And conservatives should be the first to say so.

Gov. Phil Murphy, at his coronavirus press briefing on Wednesday, called on the Senate to begin its trial as soon as possible.

I would hope the Senate would take up the matter with all speed so that President Trumps actions become a cautionary example for future leaders that our Constitution is larger than they are  otherwise our democracy, already shaken, will crumble, Murphy said.

The day before the impeachment vote, the entire House Democratic caucus and one Republican voted to call on Vice President Mike Pence to take steps under the 25th Amendment to take control of the government from Trump.

But Pence said that he did not believe such a course of action is in the best interest of our nation or consistent with our Constitution and would not now yield to efforts in the House of Representatives to play political games at a time so serious.

Jonathan D. Salant may be reached at jsalant@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JDSalant.

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Cebu City (CNN Philippines, January 13) - Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella wants residents to have the option on what brand of coronavirus vaccine they want to be injected with.

Labella on Wednesday said he will create a 'Vaccine Board' that would determine those who are willing to receive vaccines from China, or wait for other brands from other countries.

"We will give them the opportunity to choose because after all, these are people's money, taxpayers' money. That is why I do not agree with those who said we cannot choose," he said in a press conference.

"If there is a way that we can choose where you are comfortable, then so be it. They should be given the chance," Labella added.

The board will include health experts like the City Health Office chief and local epidemiology experts.

The mayor said he already raised the matter to Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez on Tuesday.

Cebu City has allocated 400 million to procure vaccines for its residents.

The national government has already secured 25 million doses from China's Sinovac, with an initial 50,000 expected to be available next month. However, critics have raised concerns as Sinovac only has 50% efficacy compared to the other brands.

Labella earlier said Cebu City is eyeing to close a deal with either Pfizer or Moderna.

Pfizer boasts a 95% efficacy rate while Moderna has 94.5% efficacy rate.

Labella said Cebu City is capable of storing Pfizer and other deep-freeze vaccines because of the Cebu facilities of FE Zuellig -- an affiliate of Pfizer. The Zuellig facilities can store the vaccine at -70 degrees Celsius.
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
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Boris Johnson confirmed the Government was planning to roll out the vaccine 24/7 'as soon as we can' at Prime Minister's Questions today

Boris Johnson has confirmed Britain will start dishing out Covid-19 vaccines 24 hours a day 'as soon as we can' after bowing to immense pressure to ramp up the immunisation drive.

Speaking at Prime Minister's Questions, the PM said: 'We'll be going to 24/7 as soon as we can. And Matt Hancock will be setting out more about that in due course.'

No10 will run a pilot of round-the-clock vaccinations to gauge whether there is enough demand to keep jab hubs open through the night, according to senior Government sources.

But there are serious doubts over whether ministers can deliver the 24-hour scheme amid growing concerns over vaccine supply.

Mr Johnson admitted in the Commons today: 'At the moment the limit is on supply.' Mr Hancock hinted this morning that problems in the supply chain were also behind the decision to slow down the roll-out of jabs in parts of the country.

GP practices that have already inoculated every patient over the age of 80 and are now looking to dish the jabs out to the over-70s have had their deliveries cancelled because minsters want to avoid a postcode lottery, according to The Telegraph.

The decision to adopt the 24/7 scheme marks another U-turn for the Government, after Boris Johnson sparked fury when he claimed this week there was 'no clamour' for appointments after 8pm. Mr Hancock also claimed today 'most people want to get vaccinated in the daytime'.

It comes after it emerged an Asda store in Birmingham is set to become the first supermarket in the country to dish out the jabs this month - after being recruited to the scheme.

The branch is transforming its clothing section to host the centre, which will be run out of its in-store pharmacy and be able to administer 250 jabs a day. The centre will open on January 25, but supermarket bosses are yet to say which of their stores in Birmingham was chosen for the roll out.

Meanwhile, easyJet cabin crew staff have also been drafted in to administer Covid-19 vaccines across the country, to bolster the nationwide effort.

No10 is also offering vaccine passports to thousands of Brits who have already received their coronavirus jab in a trial taking place this month after ministers flip-flopped over the controversial policy.

The companies behind the project said if the controversial scheme proves successful it could be rolled out to millions of people across the country. There are concerns about vaccine passports because they are viewed by some as a way of forcing people into getting the jabs.

Kelly Heney receives her coronavirus vaccination at the Depaul homeless shelter in Oldham, Greater Manchester, today

Boris Johnson revealed the Government was preparing to roll out the vaccine 24 hours a day 'as soon as we can' at Prime Ministers Questions (pictured). The House of Commons appears empty as MPs have been asked to stay away due to the coronavirus pandemic

An Asda store in Birmingham will become the first in Britain to host a Covid vaccination centre. The supermarket is yet to be named. Pictured: An Asda in Birmingham

Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed on Tuesday that 2.43million people have now had their first dose, up from 2.29m yesterday. Another 20,000 second doses were also added onto the cumulative total

How the Government's vaccine plan breaks down PHASE 1 (FEB 15 TARGET) CARE HOME RESIDENTS - 300,000 CARE HOME WORKERS - 500,000 AGE 80+ - 3,300,000 HEALTHCARE WORKERS - 2,400,000 SOCIAL CARE WORKERS - 1,400,000 AGE 75-79 - 2,300,000 AGE 70-74 - 3,200,000 CLINICALLY EXTREMELY VULNERABLE (UNDER 70) - 1,200,000 PHASE 2 (SPRING) 65-69 2,900,000 AT-RISK UNDER 65 7,300,000 60-64 1,800,000 55-59 2,400,000 50-54 2,800,000 PHASE 3 (AUTUMN) REST OF ADULT POPULATION 21,000,000 Advertisement

In other coronavirus news:

Ministers warn Britons could face tougher restrictions by the weekend with offices forced to shut, joint exercise banned and nurseries shuttered if Covid-19 cases don't keep falling;

Covid marshal is filmed stopping a jogger for 'breathing heavily' on a run in west London;

Jonathan Van-Tam shoots down calls for social distancing to be extended to three metres because mutant strain 'does not travel further than regular Covid';

Hospitals plan to discharge Covid-19 patients to care homes without testing them, say reports;

Results from Brazil study show China's Covid vaccine is only 50 per cent effective - far lower than the 78 per cent originally touted;

More than 600,000 people died in England and Wales in 2020... the highest annual total since the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic;

The Prime Minister revealed they were planning to ramp up the roll out in response to a question from the opposition leader.

'I welcome news that has come out this morning about a pilot of 24/7 vaccine centres - I anticipate there is going to be huge clamour for this,' he said.

'So, can the Prime Minister tell us when will the 24/7 vaccine centres be open to the public, because I understand they are not at the moment, and when will they be rolled out across the country?'

At the session of PMQs, the Prime Minister added he would 'not hesitate' to impose tighter coronavirus restrictions if necessary.

'We keep things under constant review and we will continue to do so,' he said.

'And certainly, if there is any need to toughen up restrictions, which I don't rule out, we will of course come to this House.'

The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has admitted they will look at all options

Mr Hancock said today the NHS was 'absolutely up for' giving out the jab 24/7, but added 'most people want to get vaccinated in the daytime, and also most people who are doing the vaccinations want to give them in the daytime, but there may be circumstances in which that would help'.

Quizzed over reports that GPs are having to pause vaccinations to let other practices catch up, the Health Secretary told BBC Radio's 4 Today Programme: 'The rate-limiting step on the rollout is the supply of the vaccine itself.

'We are now managing to get that supply more than we have done before and it will increase over the next few weeks.

'We have the capacity to get that vaccine out. The challenge is that we need to get the vaccine in.

'What I know is that the supply will increase over the next few weeks and that means the very rapid rate that we are going at at the moment will continue to accelerate over the next couple of weeks.'

It comes after Asda revealed it was selected by NHS England to operate a vaccination site, with qualified staff administering the vaccine to priority groups.

Asda bosses said it is the first Asda pharmacy to be approved to support the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine programme, and the chain is continuing to work with Public Health England and NHS England to assess other sites within its estate.

The in-store vaccination centre will be open from 8am to 8pm seven days a week, and will dish out its first dose on January 25.

Asda said in a statement: 'Individuals in priority groups will receive their appointment from the NHS and have the option to select the Asda store as a convenient location to receive their vaccination. They should not contact the store directly.

'Asda has also offered NHS England the full use of its 238 in-store pharmacies and qualified pharmacists to support the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine programme which has just begun. As this variant of the vaccine is easier to transport and store, it could be administered from Asda's full network of in-store pharmacies throughout the country.'

Minister have promised o dish out 2million jabs a week by the end of January through 2,700 centres dotted across the country. The map shows the sites that are currently up and running, including seven mass centres (green), more than 100 hospitals (blue), as well as GP practices and pharmacies (purple)

Roger Burnley, Asda CEO and president, said: 'We are incredibly proud to provide this service and are keen to do all we can to help the NHS and Government accelerate the rollout of the vaccination programme.

'We have an extensive nationwide logistics network that could support the storage and distribution of the vaccine and our highly-trained pharmacy colleagues are experienced in delivering large vaccination programmes, having recently provided nearly 200,000 flu jabs to members of the public.

'We are on hand to provide the NHS with any practical support required so that more people can quickly receive the vaccine.'

Thousands of Britons who have received their Covid jab 'will be offered a vaccine passport' in trial taking place this month Thousands of Britons who have already received their coronavirus jab will be offered a vaccine passport in a trial taking place this month after ministers flip-flopped over the controversial policy. The passport, created by biometrics firm iProov and cybersecurity firm Mvine, will be issued as a free app and will allow users to prove digitally if they have had their first or second jab - or no jab at all. Though the Department of Health said there were 'no plans' to introduce vaccine passports, the Government's own science and research funding agency Innovate UK has already pumped 75,000 into the project. Mvine director Frank Joshi said the company, which had started working on the passports to demonstrate test results, later acquired more funding to switch into vaccination passporting. The Government-backed trial will be overseen by two directors of public health in local authorities and is expected to last until March - right through the third national lockdown. However, the locations have yet to be agreed, according to the Telegraph. The trial is expected to show how the passports can be used to help the NHS keep track of the number of people that have received their first or second jab. iProov boss Andrew Bud told the paper: 'We're talking about a piece of remarkable technology that can be brought to bear and can be readily integrated with the NHS.' Both companies added that if the vaccine passports prove successful, the project could be rolled out to millions of people across the country. A spokesman for the Department of Health said: 'As large numbers of people from at risk groups are vaccinated, we will be able to gather the evidence to prove the impact on infection rates, hospitalisation and reduced deaths. If successful, this should in time lead to a reassessment of current restrictions.' The Government has contradicted itself on the implementation of vaccine passports, with Michael Gove saying they were 'not the plan' while Boris Johnson's vaccine tsar Nadhim Zahawi said they were 'looking at the technology'. Mr Zahawi later told a Westminster Hall debate on Covid-19 inoculation there were 'absolutely no plans for vaccine passporting' and said 'mandating vaccinations is discriminatory and completely wrong'. Health Secretary Matt Hancock last week also denied plans to implement passporting, telling the Spectator: 'It's not an area that we're looking at.' The policy has sparked concern that the passports could discriminate against people who must not be vaccinated, such as pregnant women. Others fear it could keep non-vaccinated Britons under house arrest until they have a jab. The idea of introducing vaccination certifications has already been floated in Europe, with Greek ministers suggesting that EU countries adopt a 'standardised' vaccine passport in order to promote travel and boost the industry. In a letter to EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis suggested: 'Persons who have been vaccinated should be free to travel. 'It is urgent to adopt a common understanding on how a vaccination certificate should be structured so as to be accepted in all member states'. The governments of Estonia, Hungary, Iceland, Spain, Denmark and Belgium have all hinted that they would support such a scheme - although the idea is already raising concerns about privacy and data-sharing. Advertisement

'We have the capacity to get that vaccine out. The challenge is that we need to get the vaccine in.

'What I know is that the supply will increase over the next few weeks and that means the very rapid rate that we are going at at the moment will continue to accelerate over the next couple of weeks.'

Britain's vaccine drive has started to pick up pace following the approval of the Oxford vaccine but has still only seen 2.43million people immunised against the disease since launching at the beginning of December.

Another 20,000 second doses were also added onto the cumulative total, with 2.8million shots administered in total.

But the daily vaccination figure needs to double if the Prime Minister has any chance of delivering on his pledge to vaccinate all 13.9million Britons in the top four priority groups by February 15.

With just 34 days left to deliver on his lockdown-ending promise, around 11.5million over-70s, NHS workers, care home residents and workers, and adults with underlying conditions still need to be vaccinated  the equivalent of around 340,000 a day.

In a bid to speed up the sluggish programme, it emerged today that easyJet cabin crew are being recruited by the NHS as vaccinators to bolster the rollout.

The airline wrote to the PM in November to offer 3,000 crew who are first aid trained, security cleared and based in every major UK city.

Crew who apply will be fast-tracked to become trained vaccinators at NHS vaccination centres across the country and will undergo online training and onsite immunisation training to become fully-qualified in administering the vaccine.

EasyJet said: 'As easyJet continues to operate a reduced schedule as a result of the pandemic, our furloughed crew has an ideal skill set to be able to assist in the effort to provide much needed inoculation support to the NHS in rolling out the Covid-19 vaccine.'

Katy Bryant who has been cabin crew for easyJet since 2005 and is based at Luton, added: 'Like everyone, I'm incredibly grateful to our NHS and all frontline healthcare workers for all they continue to do for the country with the continued pressure they are facing from the virus, so when the opportunity came for cabin crew to assist the NHS as vaccinators I knew I wanted to apply.

'As cabin crew we are in a great position to support the vaccination effort because of the first aid and safety-focused training we receive for our job, so I am sure I will be joined by many of my fellow cabin crew at easyJet who will want to support the NHS in the vital roll-out of the vaccine across the country.'

But amid reports of supply chain issues, Brigadier Phil Prosser, the head of military support to the coronavirus vaccination programme, warned of the huge logistical challenges involved in scaling up the rollout.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast, he summarised the challenge: 'It's an untested supply chain, brand new vaccines, the largest vaccination programme this country has ever delivered.

'The amount of sites we've set up and the amount of vaccine we have to distribute  it's complex by its very scale.'

Brigadier Prosser said the military were bringing 'operational planning excellence' and working 'hand in glove' alongside the NHS.

He said planning included ensuring the vaccine was distributed across the country, including 'the hardest-to-reach cohorts, as well as those most at risk'.

He added: 'This isn't about keeping vaccine in the warehouse, it's about getting it in the arms as quickly as possible.'

He said the majority of clinical roles were being done by the NHS, but 21 quick reaction forces could 'plug any gaps at short notice' and could be deployed to hospitals, local vaccination services and large mass vaccination centres.

Pressure to adopt a 24/7 vaccination scheme peaked yesterday as Nicola Sturgeon today hinted Scotland was considering the tactic.

She said: 'We will look at anything and everything that allows us to get this vaccination programme done as quickly as possible'.

Ms Sturgeon said supplies of the vaccine were still 'relatively limited', and that with the focus currently on getting jabs to care home residents and those aged over 80, these groups did 'not lend themselves to out-of-hours vaccination'.

Meanwhile, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace told the Commons that military personnel can 'do more to assist', as he suggested that the hold-up was due to a lack of stock and problems in the supply chain.

He added: 'I could deploy all 100,000 soldiers tomorrow ready to vaccinate but if the stock isn't there then we'll have people not... we could employ them better off.

'We are very, very clear that we can do more to assist, the Prime Minister knows that and the Prime Minister has indicated that we will be called on as the NHS requires it.'

Staff prepare to dish out jabs at a homeless centre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, today

Lee Ullha receives an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine at the Depaul homeless centre in Oldham, Greater Manchester, today

It comes after Boris clashed with NHS chiefs over the pace of Britain's mass vaccination programme as he blamed the 'excessive bureaucracy' for slowing down the national roll-out.

Officials have said the PM read NHS England chief Sir Simon Stevens the riot act in a series of 'tough' exchanges last week as the Government comes under pressure to halt the cycle of lockdowns.

Downing Street and the NHS said relations had since improved as the No10 now tries to accelerate the roll-out by approving 24/7 vaccine centres.

Tensions between Sir Simon and Mr Johnson had been simmering since before Christmas when the PM was concerned that some non-frontline NHS staff had been vaccinated before people aged 80 and over.

One person briefed on the clash claimed Mr Johnson had invited Brigadier Phil Prosser, who is leading the Army's vaccine taskforce, to a Downing Street press conference last week to warn Sir Simon that the military would be given a bigger role in the programme unless the roll-out was sped up.

But NHS insiders told the Financial Times that Sir Simon had proposed Brig Prosser's attendance at the conference and rejected claims of tension with the PM. No10 called reports of tension 'completely untrue', adding: 'It's a really good relationship.'

Meanwhile, England's deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said coronavirus was unlikely to be eradicated and regular vaccinations may be needed.

He told LBC Radio it was unlikely a new variant would 'outwit' the current vaccines and his 'hunch' was that they would remain effective for months.

'We know that the vaccines make what we call a polyclonal response. They make lots of different antibodies to different types, basically.

'Therefore, the idea that a mutation of the virus would in one go out with the whole of the vaccine is pretty low.

'So if we were to see an effect, it would be a small degradation rather than going off a cliff.'

Asked whether, in time, an annual jab would be required against a different strain, as happens with flu, Prof Van-Tam said: 'I can't say it will be every year yet but I can say that I don't think we will ever eradicate coronavirus.'

Giving his best estimate on how long the current vaccine would be effective against mutations, he said 'how long is a piece of string' but 'I would say it's going to be many months that the vaccine is going to work for, but I'm not basing that on data, I'm basing it on a hunch'.

Professor Van-Tam also defended the decision to prioritise giving a first vaccine jab to as many people as possible rather than keeping doses to deliver booster shots after three weeks.

He told LBC Radio 'we are in a constrained supply situation' because of the time it takes to supply vaccine doses.

'We have all got older loved ones and if we want to protect as many as we can as quickly as possible, with a meaningful amount of protection, then the right strategy for us is to give the initial first dose and come back for the second when we have given more people the initial first dose,' he said.

'If you have got two grandparents and you have got two vaccines, what do you do  do you give two doses to one and leave the other one with nothing?'

With a delay of 10-12 weeks before people will now be given a second shot, Prof Van-Tam admitted there was no data available on what protection would be given by the initial shot at that stage, although he was 'absolutely comfortable' with the decision.

'If you take an extremely purist answer and say 'where do the data end?', the data end at 42 days,' he said.

'But if you take an expert science viewpoint, it's just not plausible that the protective effectiveness is going to disappear after that point and we are very confident that there will be plenty of protection on board right up until the second dose is given.'
(Natural News) Chinese soldiers stationed in Tibet will be donning a newly developed suicide helmet equipped with a self-destruct button that can be pressed at will by the soldiers or their commander. The button initiates the explosion of an embedded bomb, effectively killing the soldier.

At a battalion or brigade level command center, a commander monitors a soldier who is far away by using the navigation system. The commander can activate the self-destruct function of the soldiers helmet if he cant get in contact with him, wrote last December by the state-run media outlet China Observer in a now-deleted post.

Soldiers can also hit the button themselves. If a soldier is seriously wounded and doesnt want to be captured, he can activate the self-destruct function himself. This can maintain his dignity, as well as prevent the enemy from obtaining this system, the report read.

The new military gear comes as more members of the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), Chinas regular armed forces, are deserting their posts or disobeying their commander. Experts see the new helmet as a stringent measure to keep Chinese soldiers in line.

New weapon developed to kill enemies, control Chinese soldiers

The newly developed helmet is part of an individual soldier digital combat system developed to ensure that the Chinese side would win any potential conflict with the Indian army. Troops from both sides have been engaged in numerous skirmishes at the Sino-Indian border due to territorial disputes over the Ladakh region.

The system includes an antenna and bomb, multifunctional night goggles, camera modules and a digital control terminal that can be worn on the arm. Soldiers outfitted with this system can communicate with the battalion commander at the command center via radio. They can also commit suicide attacks by detonating the bomb when they approach Indian forces.

Meanwhile, commanders can order the firing of artillery through the camera embedded within soldiers jackets, besides having the power to hit the self-destruct button. Soldiers in special forces units and the squad infantry, as well as the artillery, aviation and armor divisions, will be equipped with this system. (Related: Chinese agents arrested for stalking and attempting to coerce Chinese dissidents into returning to China.)

After the report was released, numerous critics denounced the system. U.S.-based China affairs commentator Tang Jingyuan said that the suicide helmets are proof of the PLAs struggle to control its troops, noting that the Chinese military had to use extreme methods just to ensure soldiers do not abandon their posts or disobey their commanders.

Now PLA soldiers are forced to fight after wearing the helmets. Otherwise, they will be killed by their commander, Tang said.

Chinese military issuing severe punishments to deserters

The rollout of the self-destruct gear is among the many stringent measures employed by the PLA to better control their troops. Over the last few years, the Chinese military meted out punishments like banning deserters from public transportation, attending school, operating a business, working in government posts and applying for passports.

Though these punishments are concerning from a human rights standpoint, the PLA is intent on using them to scare its soldiers. In 2019, it launched a public shaming campaign against a Chinese university student named Zhang Moukang who told the PLA he was planning to leave.

The PLA posted Zhangs story on its website to make an example out of it, according to Adam Ni, a China affairs researcher at the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University in Australia.

Ni noted that the PLA wanted to publicize Zangs case in a way that that reaches a broader society. Zhang, after leaving the Chinese military, faced a total of eight penalties including a two-year ban on foreign travel, buying real estate, getting loans or insurance, opening a business and studying in college or secondary school.

The Chinese national was also fined $4,000 in addition to the $3,750 that he was required to reimburse the military for costs incurred during his short stint as a soldier.

Zhangs case is only one of the many cases of abuse committed by China in a bid to suppress dissent. Read more about them at Evil.news.

Sources include:

TheEpochTimes.com

TimesNowNews.com

Edition.CNN.com
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Aerial photo taken on May 23, 2018 shows the Luohu District of Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province.(Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

-- A tall tree grows from deep roots. It is self-reliance that has enabled China to stand firmly among nations of the world.

-- China has the confidence and capability to realize a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement.

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- As the world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, China is committed to realizing a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement, defined by the leadership as the most essential characteristic of China's new development paradigm.

It is a major strategic task for China's overall development to establish at a faster pace the new development pattern featuring "dual circulation," in which domestic and overseas markets reinforce each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay.

A tall tree grows from deep roots. It is self-reliance that has enabled China to stand firmly among nations of the world. China has learned from its experience that a country cannot ask, buy or beg for core technologies in key fields from other countries. Only by holding these technologies in its own hands can the country ensure economic security, national security and security in other areas.

The country has thus underscored independent innovations and the establishment of mechanisms that facilitate innovations and technological breakthroughs.

A high-speed train runs along the railway linking Yinchuan and Xi'an, in Huanxian County, northwest China's Gansu Province, Dec. 26, 2020. (Photo by Zhang Yongxin/Xinhua)

China has the confidence and capability to realize a high level of self-reliance and self-improvement. It has laid a solid foundation thanks to the unremitting endeavors in the past decades, especially since the reform and opening up.

According to the Munich-headquartered European Patent Office, China has the highest average growth rate in patents of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) technologies, which concern smart connected objects, the Internet of Things, big data, 5G communication and artificial intelligence.

China's pursuit of self-reliance under its new development pattern, however, is not to close its doors but to be more involved in international cooperation. It will more actively integrate into the global innovation network and implement a strategy of international cooperation that is more open, inclusive and mutually beneficial.
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SALINE, MI - Families seeking other education options this fall have resulted in an enrollment decline of 222 students in Saline Area Schools.

Superintendent Scot Graden gave an overview of the districts enrollment figures at a Tuesday, Jan. 12 school board meeting, noting that while the number of students exiting the district this fall is similar to the past couple of years, the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more students leaving in favor of non-public or home schooling options.

Saline has seen the number of students leaving the district in favor of these particular options increase from 19 students in 2018-19 to 44 students in 2019-20, Graden said That figure increased to 114 students this fall.

Overall, the district reported an enrollment of 4,932 this fall, down from 5,154 in 2019-20. In 2018-19 the district enrolled 5,233.

Clearly the impact this year was related to COVID-19 and this idea of home schooling and enrolling in non-public (schools), Graden said. The other aspect that has come into play is that with the 225 students we lost, we did not see the influx of move-ins. The assumption is some of that is related to the limitations of COVID-19.

The student exits figure, Graden said, does not take into consideration the departing senior class or size of the incoming kindergarten class. Instead, the figure refers to the number of students who were enrolled in K-11 the previous year that were not enrolled this fall.

While the top reason given for those exits was related to uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and whether the district would be offering in-person classes, Graden said a number of families expressed they left the district because its curriculum had become too progressive.

We did have a sizable number that indicated theyre unhappy with our curriculum, Graden said. Ill be very frank here that several indicated our curriculum was becoming what they thought was too progressive for their students and for their families. They were choosing options that were better for their families.

Of the 66 families that responded to a district survey regarding why they chose to leave the district, 11 indicated they planned to return at some point, while 23 said they did not plan to return and another 32 said their decision was to be determined.

Graden, who is retiring at the end of the month, suggested the board consider opening up more spots for its school of choice program next year as a way to mitigate enrollment loss. He also said a safe opening of in-person classes next fall could help steady enrollment figures.

Theres not a better revenue enhancer in the current environment for public schools than school of choice, Graden said. I think we need to be thoughtful about that and I would encourage the board to consider some options related to that.

Board members expressed some hesitancy to open up school of choice to more families, particularly if it is done without considering why the district is losing students in the first place.

Board member Aramide Boatswain said she wanted to see more follow-up with families about why they chose to leave the district, pointing out that the district has lost a greater number of students in grades K-5, rather than more common losses of students at the high school level as they prepare for college.

A lot of parents are pulling their kids out in elementary, which has been a bone of contention and a lot of discussion, she said. School of choice, while I dont necessarily disagree, I need more evidence to support it. We need to really understand why theyre leaving. Having more students here and not addressing what is causing the symptom of the move does not help us in the long run

Board member Jenny Miller urged caution in opening up too many spots for school of choice candidates, due to potential unforeseen consequences it could have on other districts in the area.

Schools of choice, while it might be benefiting the recipients, might really decimate another district and could leave districts who are already struggling with even fewer resources, she said.

To help you navigate this complicated school year, 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:

Saline Area Schools appoints longtime admin as interim superintendent

Saline superintendent retiring in January

Saline superintendent reveals next career move, reflects on 25 years with district
What came first, the artwork or the furnishings? At the home of Emily and Mario Madero in Algiers Point, the flawless melding of the two makes it impossible to say.

I've been collecting and trading art for decades, so it was my natural instinct to start hanging art whether there was furniture there or not, Mario Madero said. We started with white walls and everything developed organically.

The couple  plus daughters Elia, 9, and Devi, 8  have lived in the Delaronde Street house near the Algiers Courthouse for five years and gradually have made it their own.

We completely redid the kitchen and added the glass-fronted cabinets against the inner wall, said Emily Madero, whom her husband credits with providing the home's design sense.

We opened up the rear of the house with a double-glass door that lead into the backyard, so that theres a visual connection to it," she said. "Upstairs, we turned a narrow space next to our bedroom into an office with built-in bookcases that reach up to the ceiling.

"Outside, we did a complete makeover of the shed and turned it into a guest cottage. And after we added the swimming pool about two years ago, the cottage also serves as the pool house.

Neither is a Crescent City native, but their passion for all things New Orleans manifests itself in their lines of work, as well as in their home.

Emily Madero, from Maine, came here in 1998 to attend Tulane Universitys Freeman School of Business. She worked with local wallpaper company Flavor Paper before it moved operations to Brooklyn, New York, and ran the Idea Village before joining French Quarter Festivals Inc. in 2017 as CEO and president.

Mario Madero, from upstate New York, was drawn to the city in 1999 by the vibrant music culture and almost immediately began collecting art by local and regional artists. Before that, his collection had skewed toward photography and one-of-a-kind works by internationally known glass artists.

Their home decor expresses both of the partners interests, which include historic architecture, design, music, paintings, photography  and parakeets.

We started with just two, but it turns out they were a boy and a girl," said Emily Madero. Now we have six.

The house adheres to the floor plan of a double gallery home, with an entry and stair on the left and a double parlor, separated by pocket doors, on the right. Architectural details include mantels, tall baseboards, high ceilings, and intricately carved newell posts on the stair. Tall windows in the front parlor downstairs and in the couples bedroom upstairs allow access to the galleries

The front parlor features boldly striped black-and-white upholstered chairs; a leather sofa and chairs; and a bird cage for Rainbow and Snowflake, the parakeet parents. The second parlor is the disco room.

Its a name that just stuck, said Emily Madero. It's where the girls take piano lessons, and it's meant to be a fun space.

And it is. A curved, mustard-color sofa with bright fuchsia pillows gives it pizazz.

The family room features a large sectional sofa, and a long dining table in the adjacent room serves as a place for gatherings of friends and family, as well as a spot to do schoolwork during the pandemic.

And art is everywhere: An absurdist painting by Miranda Lake shows two zebras in a boxing ring in the middle of the sea; a painting by Piki Mendizabal depicts a crumbling masonry building in the water outside the flood wall; large scale photos by Michelle Elmore show mouths full of gold teeth. The piece de resistance is an immense canvas by B-Mike, Lionel Milton and Rontherin Ratliff, that supplies an undeniably edgy vibe to the Maderos' home.

Furnishings range in character from a vintage to midcentury modern and contemporary. All have been curated by Emily Madero just as carefully as the art collection has been curated by Mario Madero.

His focus is on Black artists who either started out in New Orleans or still paint here. The point of the collection is to highlight the works of these artists, who deserve to be recognized.

+16 It took a lot of searching, but Old Metairie home offers couple 'everything we wanted' It took combing through at least 100 listings online and visiting 40-plus prospects in person before Marc and Peggy Whitener found the one 

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue creating trouble for the leather-footwear sector in Europe and the US  its key markets for export, in 2021, the Sai Gon Giai phong newspaper reported, citing experts opinions.

In 2020, the sector shipped overseas 19.5 billion USD worth of products, an annual decrease of 11.5 percent.

As the pandemic has basically been placed under control in Vietnam, long-term orders have returned. However, experts said the difficult situation will prolong throughout 2021.

To counter COVID-19 negative impact, Phan Thi Thanh Xuan, a consultant for USAID's Linkages for Small and Medium Enterprises Programme, said the only solution for leather-footwear enterprises is to overhaul their production by investing in automation, productivity promotion, and building closed production chains.

There is a rising trend of customers preferring long-lasting products over "fast fashion" goods, she noted.

Insiders said leather-footwear production is mostly limited to Cut, Make, Trim activities, and exports were mostly done via intermediaries rather than directly with importing brands. Companies involved often lack human resources for information updates on markets and customers. Most of them produce goods following orders. Their reliance on imported materials also hinders them from meeting origin rules set by new-generation free trade agreements.

Cao Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, affirmed a series of measures are deploying to sustainably develop the sector via building domestic material supply sources, forming domestic leather-footwear value chains, and fostering a workforce that can meet firms requirement for management, design, technique, market development, and R&D.

Ensuring environmental protection and labour safety are also key to helping the sector clear technical barriers and integrate deeper in the global market, he noted./.
UN Human Rights Council (File Image)

The 2021 presidency of United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is expected to be decided by a vote, as the Fijian candidate, Nazhat Shameem Khan, has met with opposition from Russia and China, and India is poised to play a key role.

Russia and China have backed Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri, the Ambassador of Bahrain who was declared as a candidate last month after being supported by the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC), Hindustan Times reported on January 13.

The 47-member Human Rights Council has to elect a president from Asia-Pacific region this year. A total of 13-member states represent the grouping, with China, Russia and India being the major countries.

With Russia and China opposing the Fijian candidate, India is poised to play a key role in the election of the next UNHRC chief.

However, it's going to be a tough choice for India as the country shares cordial ties with both Fiji and Bahrain. While the latter is home to nearly 350,000 expats, the one-third population of Fiji is comprised by individuals of Indian-origin.

Before the entry of Bahraini candidate in the fray, former Fiji judge Khan was expected to takeover the UNHRC presidency from outgoing Austrian lawyer Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger.

Tichy-Fisslberger's tenure had expired on December 31, but was continued for an interim period as the Fijian candidate was met with opposition.

Bucheeri, the nominee of Bahrain, has drawn flak from a number of rights' groups who had written to the UNHRC last month to mark their apprehensions.

"We contend that Bahrain's ongoing suppression of fundamental civil liberties, systematic violations of human rights, routine use of reprisals against activists, journalists, and human rights defenders and the government's steadfast refusal to cooperate with UN human rights mechanisms renders it an unsuitable candidate for President of the HRC," the letter signed by over 20 NGOs had claimed.

"For these reasons, we strongly recommend that states of the Asian Pacific Group vote against Bahrain's bid for the Presidency," they further added.
Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville has been selected as the preferred location for the Space Command headquarters, according to Air Force spokesperson Sarah Fiocco.

According to the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, this would bring 1,400 jobs that are a combination of uniformed and civilian positions.

The other sites being considered were Kirtland Air Force Base (New Mexico), Offutt Air Force Base (Nebraska), Port San Antonio (Texas), Peterson Air Force Base (Colorado), and Patrick Air Force Base (Florida).

Read the official announcement below:

The Secretary of the Air Force, on behalf of the Office of Secretary of Defense, selected Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, as the preferred location for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.

The Department of the Air Force conducted both virtual and on-site visits to assess which of six candidate locations would be best suited to host the U.S. Space Command Headquarters based on factors related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support and costs to the Department of Defense.

Huntsville compared favorably across more of these factors than any other community, providing a large, qualified workforce, quality schools, superior infrastructure capacity, and low initial and recurring costs. Additionally, Redstone Arsenal offered a facility to support the headquarters, at no cost, while the permanent facility is being constructed.

Albuquerque, New Mexico; Bellevue, Nebraska; Cape Canaveral, Florida; Colorado Springs, Colorado; and San Antonio, Texas, will remain reasonable alternative locations for the U.S. Space Command Headquarters.

The preferred and reasonable alternative locations were chosen from amongst twenty-four states that were evaluated as potential locations for hosting the headquarters.

The Department of the Air Force anticipates making a final decision for the location of U.S. Space Command Headquarters in spring 2023, pending the results from the required environmental impact analysis.

Colorado Springs, Colorado, remains the provisional headquarters until the permanent location is ready to support the mission.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle issued this statement:

"The City of Huntsville, Alabama is honored that Redstone Arsenal has been named as the site for the United States Space Command.

"We are grateful to Senator Richard Shelby for his confidence in Huntsville. Senator Shelby has been front and center of this space effort from its inception. As one of our nations strongest defense advocates and most knowledgeable leaders in defense matters, Senator Shelby recognized the value of a program that would focus on space assets and threats. It is his vision to protect our country in space with a dedicated command.

"We thank the U.S. Air Force site selection team for choosing Redstone Arsenal from its final six candidate cities. This group was meticulous in its review and assessment of potential sites, and they put us through the paces in their research these past two years. We will make you proud of your decision.

"The site selection team recognized what we know to be true - Huntsville is a natural choice. We are space. We do space. From the Redstone Arsenal installation to the Space and Missile defense assets that are here, Huntsville has been the leader in all thing space since day one. From the 1950s when Explorer I went into space to the birthplace of NASA, space is in our DNA. We have built the space infrastructure and technical expertise to lead this effort.

"The site team learned about the Redstone regions proven track record in relocating military commands to our community. Army Aviation moved here in 1995 and Army Materiel Command moved here in 2011. Our low cost of living and doing business means the countrys tax paying dollar will stretch much farther, providing more valuable resources for our space effort and warfighter.

"We look forward to the partnership with U.S. Space Command and pledge to make them a success from day one."

Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong issued this statement:

Once again, the selection of Redstone Arsenal for US Space Command demonstrates what regional partnerships can do when we collectively work together to reach our goals.

This objective process by the Department of Defense, and in the best interest of national security, thoroughly and objectively reviewed workforce, transportation, force protection, and quality of life. I congratulate all of our local, state, and federal leaders from Alabama, particularly United States Senator for Alabama Richard Shelby for his leadership and work to bring Space Command to Alabama, along with our neighbors in Tennessee that have worked together to prove Redstone Arsenal is the true and best choice for the United States Space Command Headquarters.

Alabama Gov. Kay released this statement:

I couldnt be more pleased to learn that Alabama will be the new home to the United States Space Command!

Our state has long provided exceptional support for our military and their families as well as a rich and storied history when it comes to space exploration. This combination only enhances the outstanding relationships we have with the 65 diverse federal agencies on Redstone Arsenal, not to mention the growing presence of the FBI and other federal installations. The bottom line is simple, the Redstone Region is the most natural choice to become home to such an important mission for our country.

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby issued this statement:

Redstone Arsenal will be the new home to U.S. Space Command. This is outstanding news, not only for our state but also for the Air Force. This long-awaited decision by the Air Force is a true testament to all that Alabama has to offer. Huntsville is the right pick for a host of reasons  our skilled workforce, proximity to supporting space entities, cost-effectiveness, and quality of life, among other things. I am thrilled that the Air Force has chosen Redstone and look forward to the vast economic impact this will have on Alabama and the benefits this will bring to the Air Force,

U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt released the following statement:

This decision is not only a good one for North Alabama, but also good for America. Locating the United States Space Command in Huntsville is smart, because its already the center of much of our nations space, military and strategic command capabilities. Its also located near Washington; just one hour and 15 minutes by plane. The area also has a high quality, low cost of living for those who will be stationed here as part of the Command.

Our space program was born, raised and came to greatness from Alabama soil. So, its only fitting that the next great incarnation on our leadership in space would be firmly planted here as well.
(Newser)  Airports, courthouses, and now the US House of Representatives: Metal detectors were on Tuesday installed outside the House floor by Capitol Police, with CNN reporting that all House members and their guests, including staffers and aides, will need to pass through them to access the floor. Per a memo from Acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett, the measure was taken as a way to verify that no guns and incendiary devices are brought into the chamber in keeping with regulations. As for the "why now," CNN says it spoke with a number of House Democrats who expressed concern that some lawmakers, particularly new ones, aren't abiding by the rules.

One quote to that end: The detectors are "to keep the jackasses from carrying guns into the chamber," an unnamed Democratic lawmaker told the Hill. "We've already got one member who's announced she wants to bring one in there." That would be GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, who has stated she planned to bring her Glock pistol to Congress. The House's youngest member in centuries, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, said in an interview he was armed during the Capitol riot.

story continues below

GOP lawmakers' reaction: In two words, extreme displeasure. The Hill reports Republican representatives say the detectors went up without their input being solicited, and it shares some of what reporters overheard as lawmakers were made to go through the detectors. From Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, per NPR: "Horses---." From Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack: "You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of," who told police to "get back" and "dont touch me."

In two words, extreme displeasure. The Hill reports Republican representatives say the detectors went up without their input being solicited, and it shares some of what reporters overheard as lawmakers were made to go through the detectors. From Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis, per NPR: "Horses---." From Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack: "You are creating a problem you do not understand the ramifications of," who told police to "get back" and "dont touch me." Logjam: GOP Rep. Steve Scalise framed the new process for entry as "untenable" because it "impedes the ability of members to come and vote. This is our job." CNN's report suggests he was somewhat correct, at least at the outset: It observed long lines and saw Capitol Police let "approximately eight lawmakers" go around them.

GOP Rep. Steve Scalise framed the new process for entry as "untenable" because it "impedes the ability of members to come and vote. This is our job." CNN's report suggests he was somewhat correct, at least at the outset: It observed long lines and saw Capitol Police let "approximately eight lawmakers" go around them. Outright refusal: Fox News reports some refused to go through them, with the Daily Caller reporting Rep. Louie Gohmert simply walked around them, telling police they couldn't stop him. Texas Rep. Chip Roy indicated he wouldn't vote as long as he was forced to walk through one: "The metal detector policy for the House floor is unnecessary, unconstitutional, and endangers members. I did not comply tonight. I will not comply in the future."

Fox News reports some refused to go through them, with the Daily Caller reporting Rep. Louie Gohmert simply walked around them, telling police they couldn't stop him. Texas Rep. Chip Roy indicated he wouldn't vote as long as he was forced to walk through one: "The metal detector policy for the House floor is unnecessary, unconstitutional, and endangers members. I did not comply tonight. I will not comply in the future." Boebert's entry: The Washington Post reports something in Boebert's bag set off the detector, and what happened next was covered in tweets from Ryan Nobles of CNN: He wrote that she was "respectful but defiant" in refusing to show police the contents of her bag. She was ultimately let in, with Nobles writing "it was unclear from my vantage point."

The Washington Post reports something in Boebert's bag set off the detector, and what happened next was covered in tweets from Ryan Nobles of CNN: He wrote that she was "respectful but defiant" in refusing to show police the contents of her bag. She was ultimately let in, with Nobles writing "it was unclear from my vantage point." Boebert's reaction: What was made clear was Boebert's perspective. She tweeted, "I am legally permitted to carry my firearm in Washington, DC and within the Capitol complex. Metal detectors outside of the House would not have stopped the violence we saw last weekits just another political stunt by Speaker Pelosi." Per Blodgett's memo, "firearms are restricted to a Member's Office."

(Read more House of Representatives stories.)
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 23:33:44|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The following are the updates on the global fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN -- Brunei reported 15 more recoveries from the COVID-19 pandemic on Wednesday, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 168.

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SINGAPORE -- Singapore's Ministry of Health reported 38 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the total confirmed cases in the country to 58,984.

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SHIJIAZHUANG -- North China's Hebei Province reported 90 locally transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases and 15 local asymptomatic cases on Tuesday, the provincial health commission said on Wednesday.

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LONDON -- Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday announced that restrictions will be further tightened in the region to curb surging coronavirus infections.

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BERLIN -- German Health Minister Jens Spahn called for international solidarity to overcome the COVID-19 crisis. "No country, no party, no government can defeat the virus alone. It can only be done together," Spahn said in a speech to the German parliament on Wednesday.

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COLOMBO -- Sri Lanka has detected the new strain of the COVID-19 virus after a British national who recently arrived in capital Colombo tested positive for the new variant, Chief Epidemiologist of the Health Ministry's Epidemiology Unit Dr. Sudath Samaraweera told local reporters on Wednesday.

This is the first case of the new variant to be reported in the island country.

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KABUL -- Afghanistan on Wednesday reported 84 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases after health authorities conducted 2,109 tests within a day, bringing the number of total cases to 53,774, the country's Ministry of Public Health said.

Meanwhile, 199 people recovered during the past 42 hours, taking the overall number of recoveries to 44,810, while six deaths were reported, raising the death toll to 2,314, according to a ministry's statement.

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KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysia recorded 2,985 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the health ministry said, bringing the national total to 144,518.

Health Ministry Director-General Noor Hisham Abdullah said in a press briefing that two of the new cases were imported and the 2,983 others were local transmissions.

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BEIJING -- China will expand the target population for COVID-19 vaccination to include elderly people aged over 60 years old, a health official said Wednesday.

The expansion is due to increasing data from clinical research on vaccines, a growing supply of vaccines, and the need to better control the outbreak, said Wang Bin, an official with the National Health Commission, at a press conference.

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MOSCOW -- Russia recorded 22,850 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, slightly down from 22,934 a day earlier, the country's COVID-19 response center said Wednesday.

The national tally has thus increased to 3,471,053 with 63,370 deaths and 2,854,088 recoveries, the center said.

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BISHKEK -- Kyrgyzstan reported 92 more COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, bringing the national tally to 82,587, health authorities said.

With 177 more recoveries reported, the nationwide count amounted to 78,358 with 810 hospitalizations, according to data of the Republican Headquarters for Combating COVID-19. Enditem
Syiria: death toll climbs to 40 after air raids in east, NGO Raids at the border with Iraq attributed to Israel

(ANSAmed) - BEIRUT, JANUARY 13 - The death toll from air raids in southeastern Syria, at the border with Iraq, attributed to Israel has climbed to 40, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday. The monitoring group said that 31 pro-Iranian militants were killed in bombings together with nine Syrian government soldiers. According to the Observatory, it is the deadliest air raid carried our in the area against pro-Iranian positions over the last two years and a half. In June 2018, 55 pro-Iranian militiamen and Syrian government troops died in air raids in the area. Syrian government news agency Sana confirmed the air raids, attributing them to the ''Israeli enemy'', without providing further details. (ANSAmed) (ANSA).





THE one place I did not want to work was the neo-natal ward, simply because babies arent able to tell you whats wrong with them.

So recalls Margaret ODriscoll, who in fact ended up spending 40 years in the very same place, where she could read the little ones in her care like a book.

Margaret is hanging up her observation chart this year, and retiring after spending 27 years in the neo-natal unit in the Erinville, and 13 years in CUMH. In both hospitals she earned a special place in the hearts of the thousands of parents whose babies she cared so lovingly for.

Sarah OKeeffe of Ballyvolane, Cork, with her baby son Aaron Cotter pictured with Dr. Brendan Murphy (Consultant Neonatologist) and Margaret ODriscoll (Clinical Midwife Manager 2) at the Neonatal Unit at CUMH (Cork University Maternity Hospital). Picture: Gerard McCarthy

She began her career in what is now Waterford University Hospital back in 1975, before training as a midwife in a hospital near Scotland and returning to her native Cork to embark on her career proper.

Initially I didnt want to work with babies at all  I felt that at least adults could tell you whats wrong. But you learn very quickly that babies can too, in their subtle, or not so subtle ways!

"They really do have lots of little ways to show us what they like and dont like. Theyre well able to scream when they have a wet nappy or an empty belly.

After an initial year or two, Margaret found her stride, and quickly realised that she never wanted to leave neo-natal: I can honestly say that there was never a day I didnt want to come to work, she said.

A mother of five children, ranging in ages from 36 to 27 (four of whom she had in four and a half years!), Margaret, lives in Kilbrittain in West Cork, and is married to Willie, a farmer.

Margaret ODriscoll began her career in Waterford University Hospital back in 1975.

After her third child, the option to job share became available, which she availed of.

I used to work nights which meant that youd do one week on, and have three weeks off. It was hard, but I had a most fantastic mother-in-law and I really couldnt have kept up the job without her, said Margaret.

The immense job satisfaction, despite the exhaustion, motivated her to always go that extra mile for the babies in her care. That sees her routinely give her phone number to parents when their babies are being discharged, and even offering to babysit for them on days off.

But in her typically modest way she says: Its just what Id hope someone would do for one of my own. And Im a great believer in what goes around, comes around.

Among those forever indebted to Margaret are Elizabeth Nagle and her partner Denis Buckley. There were complications during the birth of their daughter Eve last September, and they said Margaret was amazing, brilliant, absolutely phenomenal.

She continually reassured us that wed be fine. And then last Christmas, when Denis was best man at a wedding, she came and minded Eve for us for a weekend so we could go, when she was only three months, said Elizabeth.

She trained to be a midwife in a hospital near Scotland, before returning to Cork to work.

The couple are so grateful for what Margaret and the entire neo-natal team have done, that theyve fundraised over 8,000 so far through various events, with an ultimate target of 10,000.

Another couple were so grateful to her for minding their boy while they too attended a wedding that they nominated Margaret for a Little Big Things award with Skibbereen and Bandon Credit Union and not surprisingly she was successful.

Margaret naturally admits that some days are harder than others in the unit that can cater for 55 babies at its busiest, but more usually treats around 37. Not every story has a happy ending there.

But the positives far outweigh the negatives. You see traumatic situations bringing out the best in people and the tiny babies are so brilliant. They struggle to survive and they mainly do survive.

Parents are naturally so distracted when they meet us here, its generally the last place they expect to be, and its a place they usually never even knew existed, so we have to look after them as well as the babies.

Thats been the case even more since Covid when just one parent at a time can be with a baby.

We are literally going non-stop. We might have 10 babies going home one day, and wed welcome in another seven or eight. But thats our job, says Margaret.

Margaret ODriscoll with baby Eve.

Not surprisingly, she says you can become attached to some babies given the duration of their stay.

They had one baby who was born in a November, and who didnt go home until June.

We became part of their family, and vice versa. Lots of parents are great to keep in touch and we love to see how the babies are progressing as it makes our bad days more bearable. My phone is jam-packed with all my babies!, she said.

Since Margaret embarked on her career, technology has come on in leaps and bounds.

I rarely get excited, except perhaps if we had a baby as young as 23 weeks, because the technology is there to bring them along, she said.

Two years ago, Margaret faced her own health challenge when she was diagnosed with breast cancer during a routine mammogram, which she describes as a really frightening time.

I hadnt felt anything myself and I had been feeling fine. Then, when the lump was found to be cancerous, I was really nervous.

Margaret underwent radiotherapy and was off work for a period for six months.

My consultant said that Id never have found that lump myself. Someone must have been praying for me, she said, urging all women to attend their routine mammograms.

Margaret will turn 64 this month and her illness has played a role in her decision to retire this year.

My eldest daughter said to me that maybe it was time to go. And after my radiotherapy I have found myself more tired at the end of a shift, she said.

Working 12 hour shifts, and 36 -hours a week, its certainly a demanding role for anyone. Taking into account her travel time, its more like a 15-hour day for Margaret.

She says shell miss her work and her colleagues terribly: Theyre a really great bunch.

"Theres not a single nurse who doesnt want to work here, and weve a great group of consultants. Theres a great sense of camaraderie here.

Her advice to any parent who finds themselves in the neo-natal unit is not to think too far ahead.

Take it day by day and dont look too far head. Some days will be good, and some wont but theyll balance out, and dont be afraid to ask questions.

As she reflects on her career, she says with confidence that if she had her time back, she wouldnt change a thing.

Nursing is very different now compared to when I started. Its very hard work, youd really want to love what you do. But Im lucky as I can honestly say there was never a day I didnt want to come to work.

Sarah OKeeffe of Ballyvolane, Cork, (centre) with her baby son Aaron Cotter pictured with Dr. Brendan Murphy (Consultant Neonatologist) and Margaret ODriscoll (Clinical Midwife Manager 2) at the Neonatal Unit at CUMH (Cork University Maternity Hospital). Picture: Gerard McCarthy

TRIBUTES POUR IN

A TRULY exceptional, compassionate and caring midwife who was instrumental in setting up the Neonatal Unit in CUMH.

Thats how Lucille Bradfield, Clinical Midwife Manager 3, NNU CUMH, describes Margaret.

Margaret has touched so many people over the years. She looks after parents and sometimes grandparents, along with the premature babies in her care, fully appreciating their trauma.

"Her humanity and emotional intelligence is second to none and her caring touch lasts long after they leave the Neonatal Unit, as she keeps in touch with so many, visiting homes and being invited to special occasions as one of the family, said Lucille.

While much of her compassion and caring approach goes under the radar, she is not afraid to speak up and be vocal to ensure the interests of babies and their parents are properly represented.

"She remains a memorable figure in the documentary From Here to Maternity in 2012, which led her to being regularly recognised in public afterwards.

Margaret not only leaves her unforgettable stamp on parents, medical professionals too will fondly recall her teaching. She regularly took junior doctors under her wing to instil the values of neonatal care and share her vast experience on the right way to do things.

"Many of these junior doctors are now leading professors and consultants in their field, and all will remember Margaret ODriscoll, the exceptional and knowledgeable neonatal nurse.

Lucille said that Margaret will also be remembered by many as the nurse who sings to babies.

She loves to sing and understands that parents go home a little happier knowing that someone talks and sings to their baby, as they are fed and cared for.

"Margaret has a wonderful pair of hands, that not only expertly put IV drips into tiny veins, but also can design and create wedding dresses, christening outfits and knit Aran jumpers and more. Her baking skills are also renowned, with her famous apple pie winning awards and always sought after in hospital cake sales.

"She is truly selfless, compassionate and courageous  the one in a million that I have had the pleasure to work with and learn from. We wish Margaret a long and happy retirement.

Dr Brendan Murphy, Clinical Lead Neonatology CUMH added: Margaret is an exceptional Neonatal Nurse and her interest in the families in her care lasts long after they leave the Neonatal Unit. We wish her the very best in the next phase of her life.

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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba has said that he is against the use of Russian COVID-19 vaccine 'Sputnik V' due to Moscow's "propaganda factor. While speaking to Ukraine's 1+1 TV channel, Kuleba said that the propaganda capabilities of Sputnik V surpass by far its actual capabilities and effectiveness.

This comes after Ukrainian Health Ministry last week said that it is impossible to the vaccine in the country before the end of Phase Three of clinical trials. Meanwhile, Head of the Political Council of the Opposition Platform, Viktor Medvedchuk backed Kuleba's assertions and said that the vaccine has nothing to do with medicine or with the interests of Ukrainian citizens.

According to the Russian news agency Tass, Kuleba said was against the use of Sputnik V in Ukraine. Further, he accused Russia of not caring about the health of Ukrainians and said that Russia cares about imposing its ideology.

Read: Ukraine And Moldova Presidents Support Joining European Union

Read: Village Doctor In Ukraine Faces Coronavirus Challenge

Ukraine turns to EU

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmygal informed that Kiev is holding talks with all vaccine manufacturers except for the Russian ones. Thanking China for the vaccine supplies, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that the country will be launching a large-scale inoculation.

Kiev, in the month of December, concluded a contract of obtaining over 1.9 million doses of the preparation produced by Chinese Sinovac Biotech. The first batch of 70,000 doses is also expected to reach by the month of February.

Zelenskiy also asked European Union countries for more help in obtaining COVID-19 vaccines. During the month of November, President Vladimir Zelensky tested positive for the virus and took to Twitter to reveal his COVID-19 diagnosis. The president worked from home after going into self-isolation but was taken to the hospital later. After this, Zelenskiy's cabinet voted in favour of imposing a national lockdown at weekends to curb the rapid spread of the infection.

Read: Ukraine: Far-right Activists March Through Kyiv

Also Read: Four Russian Soldiers Die, Over 40 Injured In Road Crash

(Image Credits: AP/RepresentativeImage)
ALBANY - Washington Avenue was closed Tuesday evening after a car struck and seriously injured a pedestrian, Albany police said.

The crash took place at about 5:15 p.m. near the corner of Washington Avenue and Ontario Street. Police said the man who was struck by the vehicle traveling on Washington Avenue had traumatic injuries. He was treated at the scene and sent to Albany Medical Center where he is listed in critical condition, police said.
To commemorate the frontline



workers who died in the battle against the and document how lives have changed amid the pandemic, doctors are planning to set up a museum in

The museum will showcase items like PPE kits, masks, gloves and sanitisers, besides several other materials that became essential in the fight against the virus, West Bengal Doctors' Forum (WBDF) office-bearer Dr Rajiv Pandey said on Wednesday.

A proposal has been sent to the state government and a final nod is awaited, Dr Pandey said.

"This pandemic has come after more than 100 years, even our grandparents have never seen something that we are witnessing," he told PTI.

"We have already lost around 90 doctors in our state to the pandemic. Like so many other things, this time and these people will be forgotten. Future generations should not be allowed to forget the sacrifices made. That's the reason we have planned this museum," he said.

The museum will also tell stories of the people who lost their lives in the fight against the virus, he said.

Even ambulances used to ferry patients will also be featured in the museum, Dr Pandey said.

The museum will also have a memorial for the doctors who have succumbed to the disease.

"We will document how this pandemic unfolded -- how vaccines were invented and the fight of the entire mankind against the pandemic. Also, how different countries tried to fight it out will be depicted," said Dr Arjun Dasgupta, who mooted the idea of the museum.

Pandey said a written request has been sent to the state government to provide a piece of land at a subsidised rate at a suitable location.

"We want the government to provide a piece of land, the rest we will arrange," he said.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bloomberg Law today announced the availability of its 2021 Outlook on Labor & Employment, a compendium of news, analysis, practitioner insights, and Practical Guidance that looks at the issues legal professionals will have to navigate over the next 12 months as the nation continues to deal with the impacts of Covid-19 on the workplace. The report, which is available for complimentary download at http://onb-law.com/ugpD50D2GKP, focuses on issues such as employer-mandated vaccinations, office reopenings, and guidance surrounding Family & Medical Leave Act (FMLA) issues that have arisen due to the pandemic.

The 2021 Outlook on Labor & Employment includes:

A collection of articles from Bloomberg Law's labor & employment news desk that looks at vaccination-related mandates, telemedicine and the FMLA, and how a Biden administration will approach longstanding concerns about H1-B visas.

from labor & employment news desk that looks at vaccination-related mandates, telemedicine and the FMLA, and how a Biden administration will approach longstanding concerns about H1-B visas. Analysis pieces focusing on how Covid-19 will impact in-house counsel in 2021 as they grapple with a flood of new requirements and changes to the workplace environment in the wake of seismic changes resulting from the pandemic, recession, and growing social justice movement.

focusing on how Covid-19 will impact in-house counsel in 2021 as they grapple with a flood of new requirements and changes to the workplace environment in the wake of seismic changes resulting from the pandemic, recession, and growing social justice movement. A step-by-step checklist to reference in preparing workplaces for reopening, with guidance on deciding to reopen, preparing offices and work areas, reviewing policies and procedures, and getting employees ready to return.

to reference in preparing workplaces for reopening, with guidance on deciding to reopen, preparing offices and work areas, reviewing policies and procedures, and getting employees ready to return. Practitioner insights on how to conduct virtual arbitration hearings, the legal risks associated with new technologies designed to protect employees from Covid-19, and the most common questions employers should be prepared to answer in considering Covid-19 vaccination programs.

"Since the onset of the pandemic nearly a year ago, Bloomberg Law has been legal professionals' go-to resource when it comes to everything they need to know related to Covid-19 and its wide-ranging implications," said Joe Breda, President, Bloomberg Law. "This collection of resources is just the tip of the iceberg: Bloomberg Law has an extensive array of news, analysis, and content that is being continually updated."

About Bloomberg Law

Bloomberg Law helps legal professionals provide world-class counsel with access to actionable legal intelligence in a business context. Bloomberg Law delivers a unique combination of comprehensive primary and secondary source material, real-time news, expert analysis, time-saving practice tools including Practical Guidance, market data, and business intelligence. For more information, visit pro.bloomberglaw.com.

SOURCE Bloomberg Law

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FBI agent Clarice Starling was first portrayed on screen by Jodie Foster in the 1991 psychological horror film, The Silence of the Lambs.

And now, the compelling character is set to return to screens in Stan's new crime series, Clarice, starring Australian actress Rebecca Breeds in the lead role.

The trailer, which dropped on Thursday, sees Clarice return to the police force in 1993, one year after her terrifying interview with serial killer Hannibal Lecter.

Sequel: The Silence of The Lambs character Clarice Starling will return to screens in February on Stan in new crime series, Clarice. The FBI agent will be played by Australian actress and former Home and away star Rebecca Breeds (pictured)

The teaser starts off by showing Clarice surrounded by press as a voice over says: 'You are a woman with a very public reputation for hunting monsters.'

It then cuts to Attorney General Ruth Martin (Jane Atkinson), who tells Clarice: 'It's time you own that reputation. It's time to come out of hiding, Starling.'

Clarice is then lured back to work in her old stomping ground of Appalachia, where 'old ghosts' and family secrets are set to come back to haunt her.

Classic: FBI agent Clarice Starling was first portrayed on screen by Jodie Foster in the 1991 psychological horror film, The Silence of the Lambs. Pictured with Anthony Hopkins who played Hannibal Lecter

Once back home, she must also grapple with her abrasive male colleagues as they investigate crimes.

But it could prove dangerous for Clarice, with the trailer featuring a montage of images including a burning barrel being pushed down the stairs and someone being punched in the shadows.

'I'll never be safe and neither will you,' says a mysterious voice over.

Past: Clarice is lured back to work in her old stomping ground of Appalachia in the series, where 'old ghosts' and family secrets are set to come back to haunt her

Executive producer of the series, Alex Kurtzman, said in a statement: 'Hannibal is an incredible character, as is [FBI Agent] Will Graham.'

'But Clarice Starling has a truly unique amazing psychology, and part of why Silence of the Lambs was so wonderful is the film put you so squarely in her shoes.'

Clarice is set to premiere on Stan from February 12
PORT CARBON  The man charged with starting a fire in Norwegian Township on Dec. 2 that destroyed four homes and damaged a fire company building will remain in prison and has been ordered by a judge to undergo drug, alcohol and mental health evaluations.

John Jefferson, 59, of 312 Main St., Seltzer, appeared Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge David A. Plachko to answer to multiple charges, including three felony counts of arson-danger of death or bodily injury; and one felony count of arson-inhabited buildings or structures.

The other charges he faces are four felony counts each of arson endangering property-reckless endangerment of inhabited buildings and criminal mischief; two felony counts of aggravated cruelty to animals; and three misdemeanor counts of recklessly endangering another person.

After conferring with his attorney  Assistant Public Defender Ashley Yagielniskie  Jefferson chose to waive the hearing and have the charges against him heard in Schuylkill County Court.

Assistant District Attorney David Noon asked Plachko to continue Jeffersons $100,000 straight cash bail set at the time of arraignment. Yagielniskie requested the evaluations. Plachko agreed with both requests, and Jefferson remains in Schuylkill County Prison, unable to post bail.

State police Trooper Matthew Tonitis of the Schuylkill Haven station said earlier that on the day of the blaze Jefferson admitted to his neighbor, John Pretti, that he started the fire.

Pretti said that when he asked Jefferson what happened and said, Your house is on fire, Jefferson responded, I know, Im the one who lit it on fire, Tonitis said.

Tonitis said Jefferson was taken into custody at the scene. Jefferson said he was trying to get his roommate, Christopher Terway, to move out, and that he asked him to leave three times in the hours prior to the fire. When he didnt leave, Jefferson got a roll of toilet paper, dumped gasoline on it and lit it on the back porch, according to Tonitis.

Gusty winds helped the fire spread quickly.

In addition to Jeffersons house, the fire also destroyed a home at 314 Main St. occupied by Theresa Ernst; a home at 316 Main St. owned by Robert McDonald and occupied by Angelo Antonucci; and a home at 318 Main St. owned and occupied by McDonald.

One side of the Seltzer Fire Company was also damaged by heat.

Firefighters from Seltzer, Pottsville and numerous neighboring communities battled the fire for about two hours before bringing it under control.
All travel from Brazil will be banned today to stop the spread of a new virus strain.

Boris Johnson yesterday admitted being 'concerned' about the mutant Brazilian variant  which the Government has known about for at least four days  and raised fears it could be resistant to vaccines.

Experts fear it is similar to the highly contagious Kent and South African strains which emerged late last year.

It is understood ministers will today consider imposing a complete ban on flights and visitors for the whole of South America to tackle the Brazil variant. This would mirror beefed-up restrictions brought in for South Africa due to its mutant strain.

The Brazilian variant could pose a massive setback to attempts to return the UK to normality, though it is unknown at present whether the strain has reached Britain.

Amid a row over the Government's response to the latest strain, the Prime Minister was yesterday accused by MPs of failing to immediately tighten the borders.

MPs also questioned why new rules requiring all travellers to test negative before they enter the UK are being brought in ten months after the pandemic began. Other countries have had similar rules in place for months.

Home affairs committee chairman Yvette Cooper savaged ministers for failing to act fast enough.

The Prime Minister revealed ministers were looking at ways to stop a variant of the variant found in Brazil  but dodged questions about whether Britain would adopt a travel ban

Pictured: A gravedigger works at the Parque Taruma cemetery amid the coronavirus outbreak in Manaus, Brazil in December

Questioning Mr Johnson at a hearing on Wednesday, she demanded to know why UK borders were not immediately shut to Brazil travellers after warnings of the new strain.

She asked him: 'Why aren't you taking immediate action on a precautionary basis?'

Miss Cooper also criticised the quarantine system for being 'so much weaker' than measures in dozens of other countries which include rigorous border testing.

'She said it meant arrivals being allowed to board public transport to get to where they will self-isolate after landing, with few checks to see if people are quarantining.

Miss Cooper added: 'You give the impression each time that you just delay all of the difficult and uncomfortable decisions until the last possible minute and when so many lives are at stake, Prime Minister, is this the leadership we really need?'

Mr Johnson claimed 'huge quantities of checks' are being carried out to see if people are self-isolating.

As of Friday, all international passengers coming to the UK will have to show a negative Covid-19 test before they enter.

Passengers  including homecoming Britons  will have to get a test up to 72 hours before they travel. Border Force guards will carry out spot checks and anyone flouting the rules will be fined 500.

It is understood ministers will today consider imposing a complete ban on flights and visitors for the whole of South America to tackle the Brazil variant. Pictured: Guarulhos, Sao Paulo

All three of the mutated versions of the coronavirus found in recent weeks  the ones from Kent, South Africa and Brazil  have had a change on the spike protein of the virus called N501Y, which scientists say makes it better able to latch onto the body and spread

Speaking in this afternoon's Liaison Committee meeting, the Prime Minister said: 'We are concerned about the new Brazilian variant.

'We already have tough measures to protect this country from new infections coming in from abroad. We are taking steps to do that in respect of the Brazilian variant.'

He added: 'There are lots of questions we still have about that variant, we don't know for instance, any more than we know whether the South African variant is vaccine resistant.'

Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's chief scientific adviser, told ITV's Peston show there was no evidence any of the variants led to more severe disease.

It is not yet known if the Brazilian strain is present in the UK. Brazil has had one of the world's highest Covid death tolls  205,000.

The SAGE sub-group NERVTAG discussed the issue on Tuesday.

Brazil has already banned flights from the UK amid the pandemic, so the new move would be a reciprocal one.

In 2019, there were around 290,000 visits to the UK from people travelling from Brazil, but there are currently no direct flights running from Brazil to the UK, according to Skyscanner.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi told the Commons a new jab could be manufactured in 30 to 40 days if a variant of the virus is found to be less responsive to those available.

The Department for Transport published small print of the rules requiring all passengers entering the UK to show a negative test only late last night  shortly before they are due to kick in.

But they won't be enforced until Monday due to a 'grace period' brought in after a backlash from the travel industry. Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, chairman of the Airport Operators Association, said: 'It's horrendous.

'We need to support travellers who are facing the issue of needing to get home.

'The industry wants to deliver the safest way to get home, but it needs that guidance and the detail in good time.'

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE BRAZIL VARIANT? Name: B.1.1.248 or P.1 Date: Discovered in Tokyo, Japan, in four travellers arriving from Manaus, Brazil, on January 2. Is it in the UK? Public health officials and scientists randomly sample around 1 in 10 coronavirus cases in the UK and they have not yet reported any cases of B.1.1.248, but this doesn't rule it out completely. Why should we care? The variant has the same spike protein mutation as the highly transmissible versions found in Kent and South Africa  named N501Y  which makes the spike better able to bind to receptors inside the body. It has a third, less well-studied mutation called K417T, and the ramifications of this are still being researched. What do the mutations do? The N501Y mutation makes the spike protein better at binding to receptors in people's bodies and therefore makes the virus more infectious. Exactly how much more infectious it is remains to be seen, but scientists estimate the similar-looking variant in the UK is around 56 per cent more transmissible than its predecessor. Even if the virus doesn't appear to be more dangerous, its ability to spread faster and cause more infections will inevitably lead to a higher death rate. Another key mutation in the variant, named E484K, is also on the spike protein and is present in the South African variant. E484K may be associated with an ability to evade parts of the immune system called antibodies, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said in a scientific paper published online. However, there are multiple immune cells and substances involved in the destruction of coronavirus when it gets into the body so this may not translate to a difference in how people get infected or recover. Will our vaccines still protect us? There is no reason to believe that already-developed Covid vaccines will not protect against the variant. The main and most concerning change to this version of the virus is its N501Y mutation. Pfizer, the company that made the first vaccine to get approval for public use in the UK, has specifically tested its jab on viruses carrying this mutation in a lab after the variants emerged in the UK and South Africa. They found that the vaccine worked just as well as it did on other variants and was able to ignore the change. And, as the South African variant carries another of the major mutations on the Brazilian strain (E484K) and the Pfizer jab worked against that, too, it is likely that the new mutation would not affect vaccines. The immunity developed by different types of vaccine is broadly similar, so if one of them is able to work against it, the others should as well. Professor Ravi Gupta, a microbiologist at the University of Cambridge, said: 'Vaccines are still likely to be effective as a control measure if coverage rates are high and transmission is limited as far as possible.' Advertisement

Paul Charles, the chief executive of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: 'There is not enough clarity around the type of tests allowed, leaving consumers panicking about whether they will be let into the country without a fine, because they have the wrong documentation. Policy on the hoof never works.'

Up to 100,000 Britons are estimated to be abroad. Many went in mid-December before the third lockdown.

Experts last night questioned about why Britain had not brought in testing at the border, despite dozens of countries around the world having had it in place for months.

Professor Lawrence Young, a molecular oncologist at the University of Warwick, said: 'You could argue it's too little, too late. We should have been doing this ages ago.

'If you look at where successful lockdowns, in terms of returning back to normality, have happened, that's where people have closed their borders. The horse has bolted.

'It is hard to understand why we haven't been more stringent about international travel and why we're doing testing now and didn't pay as much attention to it last March. Testing has to be a really important part of this.'

A Department for Transport spokesperson told MailOnline: 'As the Prime Minister said, we are aware of this new variant and are considering urgent measures to reduce the spread to the UK.

'Arrivals from Brazil are already required to self-isolate for ten days or face a fine starting at 500.'

It is normal for viruses to mutate and early signs don't suggest that any of the new variants of coronavirus are more deadly than others, but in some places it is evolving to be able to spread faster.

If the virus is faster spreading it will inevitably lead to more cases which will in turn lead to a higher death count, even if the strain itself isn't more dangerous.

The variant that emerged in Kent, now estimated to be around 56 per cent more transmissible than its predecessor, has quickly become the dominant form of the virus in England and has led to the country's longest and toughest lockdown since March 2020.

There is no evidence to suggest vaccines will be any less effective against this variant. Pfizer, maker of the first jab to be approved, tested theirs on the similar UK and South Africa variants and said it still worked just as well.

The mutated variant of coronavirus was discovered in Japan last week in four people who had arrived on a flight from Brazil. It was first detected in Brazil in October.

Scientists said it had similarities to that of the highly contagious variants in Britain and South Africa.

Namely, it has a genetic mutation called N501Y, which changes the shape of the spike proteins found on the outside of the virus.

This mutation makes the virus more able to latch onto the receptors inside the body that it targets, essentially meaning it successfully makes it past the body's natural defences more often.

Therefore people who are exposed to the virus become infected more often than they would if the other person was infected with an older, less contagious strain.

A World Health Organization report on the variant last week said: 'The variant was identified when whole-genome sequencing was conducted on samples from 4 travellers from Brazil who were tested at the airport...

'Through our regional offices, we are working with both Japanese and Brazilian authorities to evaluate the significance of these findings.

'We are also working with our Viral Evolution Working Group to assess the significance of this, and if this variant as well as others identified in recent months result in changes in transmissibility, clinical presentation or severity, or if they impact on countermeasures, including diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.'

It added: 'The same comprehensive approach to controlling Covid-19 works against these variants.

'At an individual level, protective measures work for all identified variants: physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning hands, and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue.'

It is too early on in the variant's discovery for politicians or scientists to be confident about how the changes to the virus will affect outbreaks.

Lab testing suggests its N501Y mutation could make it more transmissible  the UK variant with the same change is estimated to be around 56 per cent more infectious, but other changes to the virus may affect this, too.

And another key mutation in the variant, named E484K, which is also on the spike protein, may be associated with an ability to evade parts of the immune system called antibodies, researchers from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro said in a scientific paper published online.

However, there are multiple immune cells and substances involved in the destruction of coronavirus when it gets into the body so this may not translate to a difference in how people get infected or recover.

There is no reason to believe that already-developed Covid vaccines will not protect against the variant.

The main and most concerning change to this version of the virus is its N501Y mutation, which has been linked to faster transmission.

Pfizer, the company that made the first vaccine to get approval for public use in the UK, has specifically tested its jab on viruses carrying this mutation in a lab after the variants emerged in the UK and South Africa.

They found that the vaccine worked just as well as it did on other variants and was able to ignore the change.

And, as the South African variant carries another of the major mutations on the Brazilian strain (E484K) and the Pfizer jab worked against that, too, it is likely that the new mutation would not affect vaccines.

This new variant (shown in light green) was first spotted in Brazil in October and accounted for a growing share of infections there in November

The immunity developed by different types of vaccine is broadly similar, so if one of them is able to work against it, the others should as well.

Professor Ravi Gupta, a microbiologist at the University of Cambridge, said: 'The Brazilian variant has three key mutations in the spike receptor binding domain (RBD) that largely mirror some of the mutations we are worried about it in the South African variant, hence the concern.

'The SARS-CoV-2 RBD is one of the main targets for our immune defences and also the region targeted by vaccines and changes within this region are therefore worrisome.

'Vaccines are still likely to be effective as a control measure if coverage rates are high and transmission is limited as far as possible.'

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan said in its report that the people infected with the variant were found in airport screening in Tokyo on January 2.

They had travelled from Amazonas, a state in the north of Brazil which contains the city Manaus, home to two million people and the first place the variant was found.

The disease institute (NIID) said: 'Information on the variant isolate is limited to viral genome sequence data.

'Further investigation is necessary to assess infectivity, pathogenicity, and impact on laboratory diagnosis and vaccine efficacy of this variant strain.

'NIID recommends that persons infected with the variant isolate should be monitored in an isolated room and active epidemiological investigation should be initiated including contact tracing (with source investigation) and monitoring of the clinical course.'

Ministers and experts have said the repeated emergence of new variants is a warning sign that the coronavirus is evolving frequently and that some of the evolutions make significant changes to how the virus works.

Although the variants spotted already don't seem to make the virus more deadly or have the ability to get past a vaccine, the more different variants there are, the more likely it is than one will have a mutation that spells disaster.

Professor Tulio de Oliveira, a virologist at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, in Durban, South Africa, told The Telegraph: 'This variant is a wake up call that we should try to really decrease transmission of SARS-CoV-2 [coronavirus].

'It is clear that if you leave it circulating, the virus has the ability to outsmart us and become better at transmission and evasion of the antibody response.'
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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Premise Data today announced $85 million in Series E financing to expand its platform capabilities and global network. Led by Laurence Tosi's WestCap Group with participation from Dave DeWalt's NightDragon, as well as Winslow Capital, DRW, and Vista Credit Partners, the credit-lending arm of Vista Equity Partners, the latest funding will enable the company to accelerate development of its best-in-class technology. Existing investors Valor Equity Partners, 8VC, Tao Capital, Hanover Technology Investment Management, and Atreides Management also participated. Premise has now raised more than $150 million from experienced investors.

Premise owns the broadest and most sophisticated cyber-physical market intelligence platform that blends machine learning with human intelligence, making it possible to gather and analyze real-time data from a curated and trusted global network. The mass adoption of smartphones worldwide has opened an entirely new market for capturing data at scale. The unlocking of new decentralized crypto payment capabilities, such as Bitcoin, attracts millions of contributors globally by providing more payment options. Further, advancements in deep tech enable Premise to learn from and autotask its network, and rapidly decipher the most salient data. This has resulted in 600% revenue growth over the past 36 months and the company's recognition as one of Deloitte's Fast 500 for 2020.

"Premise is rapidly transforming the ways organizations collect data, measure programs and provide decision makers with real time insights that are critical to success. This new funding provides the company with even more resources to continue to disrupt this marketplace," said Maury Blackman, Premise CEO. "We are able to task contributors to capture the ground-truth data that organizations need to measure, understand and leverage at scale. We can do this work anywhere in the world, without utilizing high-priced consultants, while changing the landscape of market intelligence."

The funding round was led by WestCap , whose Founder and Managing Partner Laurence Tosi previously served as the long-time CFO of Merrill, Blackstone and Airbnb and will join Premise's board of directors. "Premise is disrupting and democratizing the way large organizations capture market intelligence. Management has proven the business model can quickly scale and generate significant margin - all while providing decision makers with better results," said Mr. Tosi.

Dave DeWalt and Alex Moore will also join the Premise board. DeWalt is the former CEO of Documentum, McAfee, and FireEye and also a board member of Delta Air Lines and Five9; Moore is a partner at 8VC and serves on the Palantir board.

Current Board members Antonio J. Gracias and Vivek Pattipati will remain on the Premise board. Mr. Gracias, who is the founder and CEO of Valor Equity and serves on the Tesla and SpaceX boards, stated, "We're very excited that the big vision for Premise is being realized and operating at scale. We're thrilled to increase our investment in the company and support the development of the next generation of deep technology requirements for this category-defining platform."

During COVID-19, Premise played a critical role for a variety of public and private organizations and has so far collected over 150M data points related to the pandemic, as illustrated by this dashboard. Further, the Premise Global Index , which monitors five key quality-of- life factors (including Consumer Habits, Economy, Institutions, Basic Services and Social Issues) helps our customers detect small changes in socio-economic conditions on the ground, often serving as a leading indicator of broader sustained changes. Together they demonstrate the company's ability to gather insights from around the world.

To learn more about Premise, please visit www.premise.com .

Rothschild & Co served as the exclusive financial advisor to Premise Data in the transaction.

About Premise

Premise is a sophisticated market intelligence platform that blends machine learning with human intelligence, making it possible to gather and analyze real-time data from a curated and trusted global network. Premise empowers decision makers with the high-quality, trustworthy data they need. Premise has offices in San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Seattle.

About WestCap

The WestCap Group ("WestCap") is a growth equity firm founded by Laurence A. Tosi, who, together with the WestCap team, have founded, capitalized, and operated tech-enabled, asset-light marketplaces for over 20 years. With over $2 billion of assets under management, WestCap has made notable investments in technology businesses such as StubHub , Addepar , Bolt,Hopper,iCapital,Skillz, andSonder. To learn more about WestCap, please visit WestCap.com.

SOURCE Premise Data
Law enforcement agencies from multiple countries have teamed up to take down what Europol is calling the world's largest illegal marketplace on the dark web. DarkMarket had almost 500,000 users when it was taken offline. It had over 2,400 sellers and hosted 320,000 transactions wherein US$171 million worth of cryptocurrency had changed hands. According to Europols announcement, vendors mainly used the marketplace to sell drugs, counterfeit money and credit card details, malware and anonymous SIM cards.

In addition to Europol, law enforcement agencies from Germany, Australia, Denmark, Moldova, Ukraine, the United Kingdom (the National Crime Agency) and the USA (DEA, FBI, and IRS) participated in the operation. Over the weekend, German authorities arrested an Australian citizen whos allegedly the operator behind the marketplace near the German-Danish border. A German cybercrime units findings also made it possible to shut down DarkMarket and to seize its servers (more than 20 of them) in Moldova and Ukraine. Authorities are expecting the data stored in those servers to lead them to the marketplaces moderators, sellers and buyers.

The Telegraph reports that authorities stumbled upon DarkMarket while investigating Germany-based web-hosting service Cyberbunker. DarkMarket is but the latest dark web marketplace taken offline since the Silk Road bust back in 2015  over the past few years, international law enforcement operations had also taken down AlphaBay and Wall Street Market, which were also used to sell drugs and other illicit goods.


Nathalie MacDermott, from Cardiff, is only able to walk unaided about 200m

Neurologists believe the virus has damaged her spinal cord and has also affected her bladder and bowel, causing urinary tract infections

Is among three NHS frontline workers in their thirties now battling Long Covid

A doctor who previously treated dozens of Ebola patients in West Africa now fears she may need a wheelchair after coronavirus 'damaged her spinal cord'.

Nathalie MacDermott, 38, originally from Cardiff but now based in south London, has Long Covid and is only able to walk about 200 metres without some form of assistance.

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She told how neurologists believe the virus, which she contracted while working in a children's ward, has damaged her spinal cord. It's has also affected her bladder and bowel, causing urinary tract infections.

Speaking at the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Coronavirus, Dr MacDermott said in addition she experiences pain in her arms and has weakness in her grip.

While rehabilitation clinics have been established across England to treat thousands of patients with Long Covid, they represent a tiny portion with only one per cent of patients still ill six months later. The proportion is likely a lot lower when everyone who never tested positive or realised they had the illness is taken into account.

Nathalie MacDermott, 38, from Cardiff, has Long Covid and only walk about 200 metres without some form of assistance

Dr MacDermott, a clinical doctor sub-specialising in paediatric infectious diseases in the NHS, told MPs there needs to be 'better recognition' from employers that long Covid is a 'genuine condition' and that people may need to be off work for a significant period of time.

She added: 'I think we need better recognition in the public, particularly the younger public who think that they're invincible.

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'I'm 38 and I wonder if I'll ever be able to walk properly without crutches again. Will this continue to get worse? Will I end up in a wheelchair?'

Dr MacDermott said she has been able to work from home in her academic research role but does not know how she will return to clinical work.

Dr MacDermott, pictured in September, said she has been able to work from home in her academic role but does not know how she will return to clinical work

Dr MacDermott, pictured in 2014, said she has been able to work from home in her academic role but does not know how she will return to clinical work

'There will need to be quite significant modifications in place for me to be able to be on the wards,' she explained.

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In 2014 Dr MacDermott spent a fortnight in Liberia with relief organisation Samaritan's Purse, treating victims of the Ebola epidemic. During that time she watched as two colleagues, Americans Dr Kent Brantly and aid worker Nancy Writebol fell ill with the deadly virus.

Just three out of the 100 patients she helped that fortnight survived, and she described it as 'one of the most traumatic experiences of my life'. On her return, she confined herself to her flat for three weeks before being given the all-clear.

Painful palpitations, chronic diarrhoea, brain fog and only being able to walk very short distances were among the symptoms described to MPs this week by three Long Covid patients in their thirties.

Dr MacDermott previously spent a fortnight in Liberia with relief organisation Samaritan's Purse, treating victims of the Ebola epidemic

Dr Linn Jarte, a 33-year-old anaesthetist, said even just taking a couple of steps would make her feel 'absolutely horrendous' at the start of her experience with Long Covid.

'I felt as if my whole body was just filled with lead, but at the same time I had this sort of painful burning situation, and it also made my heart rate just shoot through the roof,' she said, adding that she had painful pins and needles.

Dr Jarte was affected by brain fog, describing it as a 'thick cloud that just fills the brain', adding: 'I just stopped being able to think.'

She said she could not tolerate stimulation, with even soft music being too much for her.

Dr Linn Jarte, a 33-year-old anaesthetist, said even just taking a couple of steps would make her feel 'absolutely horrendous' at the start of her experience with long Covid

'I spent a lot of time during those first few months when I was the sickest just sort of staring into thin air,' she said.

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Dr Jarte said that before this happened to her, she was very fit and active.

Geraint Jones, 30, an advanced pharmacist specialising in HIV and homecare, described 'crying on the floor' of his living room after medics were unable to figure out what was wrong with him.

He told MPs that he suffered from chronic diarrhoea and abdominal pain for seven or eight hours per day at one point - a symptom which went on for 14 or 15 weeks.

Geraint Jones, 30, an advanced pharmacist specialising in HIV and homecare, described 'crying on the floor' of his living room after medics were unable to figure out what was wrong with him

Mr Jones said this continues to be an ongoing issue, adding that he has also been left with brain fog where he is unable to recall the most basic of words or phrases.

He said he also has tinnitus in one ear and painful palpitations.

Who's most likely to have long Covid? Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College London is leader of the Covid Symptoms Study, published in July. He said in a BMJ panel discussion that Long Covid is about twice as common in women as in men, according to data. He added the average age of someone presenting with it was about four years older than people who had what might be termed as 'short covid.'

Dr Jarte said she has been unable to work at all since she became ill, due to physically not being able to and also the brain fog, while Mr Jones said he worked from home from July to September 'just out of stubbornness' and a desire to keep going.

He added: 'I woke up one morning in September and I just thought, "How long can I live like this? How long can I sustain this for?"'

He said he has been off work since undergoing a number of investigations, but medics seem unable to determine the cause of his multiple and ongoing symptoms.

Mr Jones said he does not know if he has the physical and mental capacity to be safe to practice as a pharmacist at the moment.

'Which is unfortunate because I love my job and I want to get back to helping my colleagues during these difficult times really, but I just physically can't do it at the moment,' he said.

Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, told MPs Britain probably has more than 300,000 cases of Long Covid.

He said it is a case of 'Russian roulette' because people do not know whether they are going to be one of the people who is better in two weeks or one of the people who is going to be on crutches or in a wheelchair 'for months or years or forever'.

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Prof Altmann added: 'How many of us want to take that risk?'
Courtesy photo /Laredo Police Department

Laredo police need the communitys assistance to locate the person or people behind the case of a stolen bed.

Authorities said the case was reported in mid-December as a burglary of a building in the downtown area.

Police in Turkana arrested one of their own officers for gunning down a civilian in cold blood on Tuesday.

According to eyewitnesses, Wilfred Too, an officer stationed at the Kaakong police station, shot and killed Susan Nashiru, a teacher from Kaputir Secondary School.

The teacher, who also runs a pub in Kaakong, had approached the AP officer, demanding that he settles a debt he owed.

In a fit of rage, the officer who appeared agitated dashed for his gun, cocked it, and shot the woman six times in the head.

The body of the deceased was moved to the Lodwar Hospital Mortuary while the police officer was detained at Kaakong police station pending his arraignment in court.
Boss Carlo Ancelotti praised Everton's flexibility after the Toffees' win at Wolves continued their Champions League challenge.

Michael Keane's second-half header secured a 2-1 victory at Molineux to send the visitors fourth in the Premier League.

Alex Iwobi's first Premier League goal since September 2019 had earlier been cancelled out by Ruben Neves.

Carlo Ancelotti praised Everton's adaptability following their 2-1 victory away to Wolves

It was a fifth win in six top-flight games for Everton and came without injured 14-goal top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, out with a hamstring issue, to leave Ancelotti pleased with their response.

He said: 'The players adapted really well. The position of James Rodriguez and Gylfi Sigurdsson created problems for them. We adapted well to the characteristics of our players and at the back we were focused. All the back four were fantastic.

'We had a different approach without Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin. We played more to attack the flanks with Iwobi and (Lucas) Digne and it worked well because the first goal was a fantastic combination.

Michael Keane (centre) scored as Everton overcame Wolves to move into the top four

Everton managed to prevail against Wolves despite the absence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin

'Without Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin it is more difficult to score but I think to be focussed defensively enabled us to have a good game.'

Wolves have won just once in eight league games since November.

And boss Boss Nuno Espirito Santo said: 'I'm very worried (about the form). It is something we know we need to improve but at the same time be aware of what is happening and what we have to do for the future.

'We played a good game, there were not too many chances for both teams in the second half. It was a game decided on set pieces, we are frustrated and on small details games are getting away from us.

'Everton defended well, were tight and organised and made our job difficult but in the second half we should have done better. We need all the players in the squad healthy so we can improve.

'We have a strong team spirit which, in moments which are not so good, require more unity. Soon we will be better.'

She is currently running her businesses from the sun-soaked shores of Dubai.

And Yazmin Oukhellou appeared to be enjoying some downtime from all of the hard work on Wednesday, as she shared a sizzling poolside snap to Instagram.

The TOWIE star, 26, showcased her incredibly toned physique in a pretty striped bikini, which she teamed with a matching sarong.

Wow! Yazmin Oukhellou appeared to be enjoying some downtime from all of the hard work on Wednesday, as she shared a sizzling poolside snap to Instagram

The skimpy string bikini top flaunted Yazmin's surgically-enhanced assets, while also highlighting her toned and tanned midriff as she posed for the snap.

The reality personality kept her look typically glam as she styled her highlighted locks in a sleek, loose style, while sporting soft touches of make-up.

Yazmin accessorised with a chunky gold watch and bangle, while carrying her essentials in a white tweed Chanel bag, complete with gold chain strap.

She captioned the image: 'Become what they thought you couldn't'

Live Like Yaz: Elsewhere on her Instagram Stories, Yaz encouraged her followers to join her conference call where she would later be discussing a business opportunity

She captioned the image: 'Become what they thought you couldn't'.

Elsewhere on her Instagram Stories, Yaz encouraged her followers to join her conference call where she would later be discussing a business opportunity.

During their getaway, Yaz and her beau James Lock looked happier than ever as they posed for a recent snap while lapping up the sunshine last week.

She showcased her toned figure in a tiny black bikini, while James displayed his rippling six-pack in black board shorts.

Smitten: During their getaway, Yaz and her beau James Lock looked happier than ever as they posed for a recent snap while lapping up the sunshine last week

The couple beamed at one another in the photo, with Yazmin captioning the shot: 'Thankful and grateful'.

Yazmin flaunted her cleavage and toned abs in the halterneck top while the high-rise thong bottoms highlighted her tanned legs.

She teamed the look with a black robe and Dior sliders.

Sizzling display: Yazmin flaunted her cleavage and toned abs in the halterneck top while the high-rise thong bottoms highlighted her tanned legs

Styling her brunette hair in soft waves, Yaz accentuated her bronzed tan with a full face of make-up.

Their Dubai holiday comes amid an increasing amount of fury over many influencers and reality stars 'bending rules' to jet abroad, which has only been heightened after Boris Johnson announced the nation would enter a third lockdown.

Yazmin had previously faced criticism from fans when she had jetted out to the city with boyfriend James for 'business purposes'.

Taking time out: The star panned down to show off her stomach after she managed to squeeze in a spot of sunbathing during her busy 'work' trip

She later hit back at the backlash, explaining that she is launching a new business in Dubai in the future.

'Just so you know, me and James have come to Dubai because I am launching something very exciting here in the New Year.

'I've had to come now to get everything set up and we will be keeping you posted,' she said in a video shared to her Instagram story.

'So we are here for work purposes, for business. Obviously we'll make the most of it while we're here as well. But we are here for business purposes.'

Under the latest national lockdown rules, which is now in effect, holidays are banned as international travel is only permitted for a strict number of reasons such as for work.

UK residents currently abroad do not need to return home immediately. However, they should check with your airline or travel operator on arrangements for returning.

Within the UK, domestic holidays are also banned as you must stay at home at all times except for a limited number of 'reasonable excuses' such as shopping for essentials or work.

The Government has said 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.
Sultan Haitham Bin Tarek Al-Said of Oman issued two royal decrees on Monday setting up a new legislative council for the country and establishing mechanisms to appoint a crown-prince and guarantee the stability and transfer of power.



Last year, Sultan Haitham was chosen to replace late sultan Qaboos Bin Said in a smooth transfer of power despite the fact that there had been no appointed heir. Today, the new sultan is planning political and economic reforms in the Sultanate after many years of stalemate.



One of the royal decrees issued on Monday sets up mechanisms for determining the countrys crown-prince and defining his powers, while highlighting the principle of the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary as a basis of governance in the country.



The decree emphasises the states role in the rights and freedoms of citizens, most notably equality between men and women and the welfare of children, disabled people and youth. It also stresses compulsory basic education, encourages the establishment of universities, promotes scientific research and emphasises the need to attract and retain talented and creative people. It outlines a new system of a local administration.



The other decree on the Council of Oman is meant to emphasise the valuable contributions this makes to development in the country. It is responsible for endorsing or amending laws referred to it by the government, discussing development plans, and debating the states general budget.



It is a sort of parliament adding to the State Financial Supervision and Administration Authority to support its role in effective governance. A section of the decree deals with following up and monitoring government performance by establishing a committee reporting directly to Sultan Haitham. The committee will evaluate the performance of ministers, deputy ministers and others in positions of authority.



One Omani source said that the decrees were not the last of those likely to be introduced. The new sultan came with a new vision for the country, and he is gradually introducing it, he said. The changes have been focused on internal issues so far, while foreign policy is staying on the same course as that set out by the late sultan Qaboos.



Sultan Tarek has kept to Omans longstanding tradition of skipping Gulf summits, and he sent his deputy prime minister to lead the Omani delegation at the summit last week in Saudi Arabia that ended the boycott of Qatar by its neighbours.



Though Oman, like the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, welcomed the reconciliation with Qatar, it did not celebrate it in the way that Kuwait did, as the latter was involved in last-minute mediation even though it is understood that American pressure was the main factor in ending the Qatar crisis.



Oman kept up its ties with Qatar during the boycott and tried to mediate at the beginning of the crisis in 2017. When it felt that its efforts were going nowhere, it quickly retired. Some analysts at the time floated the idea that Oman could lose its role as the so-called Switzerland of the Middle East, renowned for keeping good relations with all and using discreet diplomacy to mediate conflicts.



Though relations between Muscat and Riyadh have not always been warm, they have always been at least cordial. Oman has not always been pleased with GCC accords pushed through by Saudi Arabia or the UAE, but it has never taken a sharply oppositional position. Oman opposed Gulf monetary union, for example, which in the end did not take place.



When it was agreed to introduce a value-added tax (VAT) in the GCC countries, Oman did not advance as quickly as the UAE and other countries. But this week it announced the introduction of the VAT from next April. Kuwait is still to announce when it will apply the VAT. Muscat took the step in line with its domestic requirements.



Unlike the rest of the GCC countries, Oman has kept up good relations with Iran, and the secret negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal with the West in 2015 were conducted through Muscat.



Kuwait also keeps up close-to-normal relations with Iran, but that is mainly because of internal Kuwaiti calculations rather than of its being at odds with the Saudis. Though Qatar has moved closer to Iran over the last few years, and is keeping up relations with Iran and Turkey after the end of the crisis with the other GCC members, this has largely been out of necessity.



By contrast, Omani-Iranian relations are deep-rooted. Last week, the Iranian English-language newspaper the Tehran Times wrote that despite the US re-imposition of sanctions against Iran, Oman is getting closer to the Islamic Republic both politically and economically. There is also the same approach adopted by Iran, as Iranian companies now prefer to conduct trade with Oman rather than the UAE, given that the UAE is complying with the sanctions. Iran is replacing some of its previous strategic trading partners such as the UAE with Oman, considering the Sultanate as an economic and trading hub.



As a new US administration takes office next week, there is a strong possibility of resuming American-Iranian contacts. Incoming US President Joe Biden has nominated William Burns to head the CIA. Burns led the American team negotiating with Iran via Muscat.



It is thought that 2021 could also be the year for a settlement of the conflict in Yemen, with the Biden administration pressuring Riyadh to stop the war. Oman has interests in Yemen, including with regard to its national security. The Al-Mahra region is on the border of Oman and Saudi Arabia, and there were implicit accusations from Riyadh and Abu Dhabi a couple of years ago to the effect that Oman was acting as a route for Iranian assistance to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.



The new administration in Washington will want to see an inclusive settlement in Yemen that includes the Houthis and takes into account Omani and Gulf concerns as well as those of Saudi Arabia.



Omans new sultan might be changing the country internally in a measured and gradual way, but externally Oman is trying to keep up its peculiar position in the Gulf, the region and beyond.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

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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?

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New Delhi, Jan 13 : After acquiring Covishield, Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital (RGSSH) would now receive 20,000 doses of Bharat Biotech's Covid vaccine from a consignment which landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here on Wednesday morning, officials told IANS.

The doses are expected to reach the hospital by 1 pm, which will double-up as the national capital's only vaccine storage facility, they added.

"We are told that we would receive 20,000 doses from the consignment," confirmed BL Sherwal, Director, RGSSH.

The first consignment of the Bharat Biotech's Covaxin was carried to the IGIA Avia Air India flight AI559 which operated from Hyderabad. It landed in Delhi at around 9 am, officials from IGIA informed.

Bharat Biotech aims to dispatch around 55 lakh vaccines to 11 states in the initial phase, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Chennai and Jaipur.

The RGSSH has already received 2.64 lakh doses of Covid vaccine on Tuesday. The hospital has received 22 boxes consisting of 26,400 vials of Covishield, the Covid vaccine by the Serum Institute of India (SII).

"Total 22 boxes of vaccines have been received here. Each box contains 1200 vials and each vial has 10 doses," Chhavi Gupta, spokesperson of the hospital told IANS

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)

-- The story has been published from a wire feed without any modifications to the text
About Wedding Plans

When asked about their wedding plans, Mohit Hiranandani said, "Hopefully, by the end of this year. But I can't confirm because we have to go back to Kolkata, we have to meet our parents, we'll have a pandit and proper discussion hoga and get the dates. We will wait till then. We will have to wait for Steffi's family to be ready as well. Then yes."

A Yacht Proposal

Mohits fiancee Steffi Kingham is a cabin crew, the actor had decided to propose her at a theatre. However, he kept changing his plans due to Steffi's constant changes in shifts. "Finally, I planned that we all will go for a yacht party. If Steffi is there, I will propose, else I would have partied with my friends," Mohit said.

Parents Reaction To The Proposal

While speaking about parents' reaction to the proposal, Mohit Hiranandani said, "My family's side knew about it. I couldn't tell Steffi's parents because I was worried that they might get excited and tell Steffi about it. But I did drop a hint to her mom. She had messaged me on Christmas to wish and I asked her what gift she wants. She said, I want you two to be happy, to be together and love her for the rest of your life'. So I said alright, I am going to gift you on 31st.'"

Mohit & Steffis Love Story

Explaining their love story in short, the Pavitra Bhagya actor shared, "We met at a mutual friend's party. We just hit it off. We were not looking for a relationship back then. We didn't exchange numbers for good six months. We would talk to each other on social media and we exchanged a lot of conversation. One fine day, she asked me out and I wasn't ready. She said, I am.' I told her that I want to focus on my career and I had just come out of a relationship. They get very toxic and taxing at times. I wasn't ready. She agreed and said, I love you and if you are scared of the tag, then it's fine. If you find someone, you can leave.' She told me later that she knew I love her and was just scared of the tag. That surprised me. I think that was the best decision of my life."

About Mohit Hiranandani

Mohit was the semi-finalist of Splitsvilla 10. He has featured in popular shows like Patiala Babes and Pavitra Bhagya.
Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks, coming under fire for his speech at a pro-Trump rally last week that preceded Trump supporters storming the U.S. Capitol, defended himself Tuesday in a lengthy statement in which he quotes Bible verses and Martin Luther King Jr., while describing himself as a straight arrow or square.

Brooks, a Republican from Huntsville, focused his statement on New Jersey Congressman Tom Malinowski of New Jersey  who co-sponsored a resolution Monday calling for Brooks to be censured by the U.S. House of Representatives.

I defend my honor and reputation. Read my statement: https://t.co/UukqxhoiMG  Mo Brooks (@RepMoBrooks) January 12, 2021

Brooks also defended the statements he made in the speech, including Today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass, Brooks said.

Socialist Democrats and their Fake News Media Allies wont get an apology from me because my remarks were not wrong, Brooks said near the end of the 2,800-word statement. Conversely, the Socialist Democrats and their Fake News Media Allies should be apologizing to the public for the egregiously and manipulative way they have deceived the public on this issue.

Rest assured; I will never apologize for fighting to win our causes at the ballot box. That is the American way!

Related: Huntsville mayor offers no support to Mo Brooks: Words have meaning

He also criticized the Trump supporters who resorted to violence in briefly taking control of the Capitol and temporarily stopping Congress as it finalized the presidential election results, saying in part, Those who engaged in the illegal breach of the U.S. Capitol could not have done more damage if they had followed any script written by the Democrat National Committee.

The statement is a continuation of Brooks stance of standing by his actions. The congressman told AL.com last week that he would make no apology for those comments even as he was accused of helping incite the crowd that stormed the Capitol.

I was not encouraging anyone to engage in violence, Brooks said in the statement. I was encouraging people to begin a 2022 and 2024 election fight!

Brooks described the censure resolution as being of a reckless, defamatory, deceitful nature.

The statement swerves from condemning the violence at the Capitol to background information in which Brooks said he has never smoked or used illegal drugs or gotten a speeding ticket or had an at-fault traffic accident while confessing he once deservedly got a citation when he misjudged a traffic light to pointing out three flaws in the censure resolution.

You can imagine my dismay upon learning that Socialist Democrats, without ever even bothering to first discuss this matter with me to discern the truth, and without any substantive and connective evidence, so viciously besmirch my good name and character that took 66 years to build, Brooks said in the statement.

Brooks said he was invited to speak the day before the rally by White House political director Brian Jack. Given the late notice, Brooks said his speech was taken in part from my often-used America is Great political speeches that I have given dozens of times, perhaps hundreds of times throughout his 34-year political career.

The fact that Brooks was the first speaker at the rally  about two hours before Trump addressed the audience from the same stage  distances the congressman and his speech from the violence, he said.

There was music, there was my speech, there was more music, then there was some number of speakers, then a couple hours or so later, President Trump began speaking, Brooks said in the statement. I ask this question: If my remarks were as inspirational as the Socialist Democrats and their Fake News Media allies want the public to believe, why didnt the Trump rally participants, after my remarks, immediately get up and storm the Capitol?

Why not indeed! The answer is simple. No one at the rally interpreted my remarks to be anything other than what they were: A pep talk after the derriere kicking conservatives suffered in the dismal 2020 elections.

And finding more success at the polls in 2022 and 2024 is what Brooks said he was referring while invoking the kicking ass phrase that has come to identify the speech.

While I did utter those words, what is deceitfully omitted is the immediately preceding sentence, that begins with, But lets be clear, regardless of todays outcome, the 2022 and the 2024 elections are right around the corner, Brooks said in the statement.

This preceding sentence, clearly and unambiguously confirms that my take names and kicking derrieres remarks refers to fighting to win elections in 2022 and 2024 and had absolutely nothing to do with the illegal breach of the Capitol that occurred later in the day.

Brooks objected to the censure resolution because it deceitfully attributes to me things that are absolutely false. It asserts, with no credible evidence, a linkage between my words and the illegal breach of the Capitol.

Updated today, Jan. 12, 2021, at 3:06 p.m. with more information on Brooks statement.

Ayodhya, Jan 13 : A dead nurse has been registered here as a frontline worker who will receive a shot of the Covid vaccine in the first phase of inoculation.

The list, which has been prepared by the state Health Department for Ayodhya's Dufferin Hospital, mentions the names of three nurses, one of whom is dead, the other one has retired and the third nurse has resigned. All of them are part of the list of the persons who will get the vaccine.

Uttar Pradesh Health Minister Jai Pratap Singh has now ordered a probe in the matter and assured that action will be taken against the responsible officials.

According to the local officials, the names were mistakenly included in the list, which was prepared three months ago and was yet to be updated.

Essential workers in Uttar Pradesh will be vaccinated at 852 centres across the state on January 16, when the national Covid vaccination drive begins.

On Monday, a second dry run for Covid-19 vaccination was conducted at 1,500 centres in Uttar Pradesh.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inspected the dry run at the Civil Hospital in Lucknow.
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Lake Tahoe can now reopen outdoor dining, wineries, barbershops and salons, after officials received word from the state Tuesday afternoon that the Greater Sacramento region was being moved out of the states regional stay-at-home order.

The news comes just days before the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend  typically one of the ski destinations most popular vacation times. Ski resorts have remained open throughout lockdown and hotels, which had only been allowed to serve essential workers, are available to reopen to tourists.

The states four-week projection for intensive-care unit capacity across the 13-county region put the area at 19.1%, well above the states 15% threshold for lifting its stay-at-home order. The region now reverts to the states tiered system of COVID restrictions. The Tahoe area remains in the most-restrictive purple tier, which limits outdoor gatherings to a maximum of three households and comes with a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew.

The purple tier also comes with minor restrictions on hotels and lodging providers, according to the states COVID information website. Hotels can reopen to recreational travelers, but amenities like spas and gyms remain closed. A travel advisory from the California Department of Public Health implores people not to travel more than 120 miles from their home, which technically puts the Tahoe region out of reach for Bay Area residents.

This is a huge relief, predominantly for our restaurant industry, said Dave Polivy, a Truckee town council member. This will give people an opportunity to, at the very least, get back to outdoor dining and get some respite from what has been a really overwhelming past six weeks.

Stay-at-home orders began for the Greater Sacramento region on Dec. 11. In spite of the order, tourists have been traveling to the Tahoe region, staying in short-term rentals listed on Airbnb and Vrbo and visiting ski areas, locals say.

This is by no means a return to normal, said Chris Fiore, communications manager for the city of South Lake Tahoe. But it is a step in the right direction.

Lifting the order before the holiday weekend could be a substantial boon to local businesses that have been struggling since the shutdowns began last spring. However, it also opens the possibility of attracting outsiders from areas still under stay-at-home orders to the remote region.

This means visitors can come to Tahoe and support our local businesses, Fiore said. But we have to remember how we got here. He emphasized that anyone going out or coming to Tahoe should wear facial coverings, wash their hands frequently and social-distance.

If its going to be busy this weekend, people need to make sure they pack their respect for the people who call this place home, Fiore said.

This story has been amended since it was first posted to reflect a state policy change on Tuesday evening. Under the states purple tier, hotels can reopen to tourists with some modifications.

Gregory Thomas is The San Francisco Chronicles editor of lifestyle and outdoors. Email: gthomas@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @GregRThomas

Photo: BC gov. Flickr Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix.

Roughly 70,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to British Columbians so far, and the province is now waiting on more supply from the federal government.

During a briefing Wednesday, Health Minister Adrian Dix said they're expecting more doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be delivered to B.C later today or Thursday, while more Moderna vaccines are expected Friday.

Despite waiting on the federal government to deliver more doses of the vaccines, Dix said they are happy with the federal government's efforts.

"We're going to move ... to millions of doses in a matter of time, it's going to be a massive effort," Dix said. "We are not critical of them, they are working very hard to get more doses and as many doses as they can to Canadians as quickly as they can."

Set to be the largest vaccination initiative in the province's history, Dix said they plan on having 4.3 million adults vaccinated in B.C. by the fall. But this will require a significant ramp up of the current pace of vaccination.

Dix said they expect to receive 792,000 doses of vaccine from the federal government in February and March, which will be given to B.C.'s most vulnerable. Widespread general vaccination is expected to begin in April.

In April, May and June, B.C. expects to receive 2.64 million doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine, but these figures don't take into account the 20 million doses the federal government announced Tuesday, or any additional vaccines that may be approved in the future.

On Wednesday, Dr. Henry said the province is working out the details on how to significantly ramp up the delivery of millions of vaccines in the spring, and she'll have more details on the plan next week.

Minister Dix said they are working to publish an online dashboard that will show the number of vaccine doses administered broken down by health authority.

Dr. Penny Ballem, the current chair of Vancouver Coastal Health, will be leading the province's vaccination rollout.

She said all of Vancouver Coastal Health's urban long-term care home residents have now been vaccinated, and the rest of the more rural care home residents are expected to be vaccinated by the end of the week. Dr. Henry noted it can take longer to roll out the vaccines in the Northern Health and Interior Health authorities as care homes are more spaced apart geographically.

Dix and Dr. Henry also addressed concerns about reports that some health officials have received the vaccine before those on the frontlines. Dix said in some cases, people have received the vaccine out of line because the six-hour expiration time limit for the doses was set to expire, and the doses would have otherwise gone to waste.
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A small but growing number of Republican lawmakers is signaling support for impeaching President Donald Trump after his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday to try to upend his reelection defeat, leaving five people dead.

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming, a member of the Republican Partys House leadership team, said Tuesday that she would vote to impeach Trump in his final days as president.

There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution, Cheney said.

Also on Tuesday, New York representative John Katko and Illinois representative Adam Kinzinger, both Republicans, said they would vote to impeach the president.

Third House Republican to vote for #impeachment https://t.co/HxQPJ9VVtV  Katherine Gypson (@kgyp) January 12, 2021

While Republicans voted lockstep against impeaching Trump last year for pressuring Ukraine to investigate Democrat Joe Biden, who is now president-elect, House Republican leaders are indicating they do not intend to pressure their members to vote against impeachment this time around.

A total of 218 Democrats have signed on to the impeachment resolution, ensuring a majority in the 435-member House with or without any Republican votes against the outgoing Republican president.



While an impeachment resolution would be almost certain to pass, conviction by the Senate and removal from office is far from certain.



It is unclear whether House leaders would immediately send the impeachment resolution to the Senate for a trial on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office, given that his term ends next week.

The House is set to vote Tuesday on a resolution calling for Vice President Mike Pence and members of Trumps Cabinet to use their constitutional authority to remove Trump from office as unfit to serve.

The measure, which is expected to pass, sets a 24-hour deadline for Pence to respond, but he has given no indication he supports the removal of Trump. That would set the stage for a House vote Wednesday on impeachment.

The President represents an imminent threat to our Constitution, our Country and the American people, and he must be removed from office immediately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a written statement on Monday.

Aside from Pence, no Cabinet member has given any public indication of supporting Trumps ouster in the waning days of his presidency through use of the 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which allows for the vice president and a majority of the Cabinet to declare a president unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.

Trump and Pence met late Monday at the White House for the first time since last week. Pence had angered Trump by rebuffing his entreaties to reject the Electoral College votes from several states Biden narrowly won, giving him the presidency.

A senior administration official said Trump and Pence reiterated that those who broke the law and stormed the Capitol last week do not represent the America First movement backed by 75 million Americans [who voted for Trump] and pledged to continue the work on behalf of the country for the remainder of their term.

Even though Trumps four-year term expires at noon Jan. 20, the four-page proposed House impeachment resolution said Trump has demonstrated that he will remain a threat to national security, democracy, and the Constitution if allowed to remain in office, and has acted in a manner grossly incompatible with self-governance and the rule of law.

The impeachment resolution cites Trumps unfounded accusations that he was cheated out of a second term by voting and vote-counting irregularities, his pressure on election officials in the southern state of Georgia to find him more than 11,000 votes to overtake Bidens margin of victory in the state, and his statements at a rally last Wednesday urging thousands of supporters to march to the Capitol to pressure lawmakers to overturn the election outcome.

Biden said it is his hope and expectation that the Senate could simultaneously hold an impeachment trial and confirm his Cabinet appointments after he takes office, while also approving more aid for the flagging U.S. economy weakened by the soaring coronavirus pandemic.

He said Monday of the rioters, It is critically important that therell be a real serious focus on holding those folks who engaged in sedition and threatening the lives, defacing public property, caused great damage  that they be held accountable.

Biden also told reporters, Im not afraid of taking the oath outside," referring to next weeks swearing-in ceremony, which traditionally takes place at the U.S. Capitol's west steps, one of the areas where people stormed the building.

Even if Trump has already left office, a Senate impeachment conviction after his term ends would bar him from holding federal office again.

Republican Congressman Tom Reed said in a New York Times opinion piece that he would join an unspecified number of House colleagues in introducing a censure resolution against Trump on Tuesday as an alternative to a hasty impeachment.

If our leaders make the wrong decision in how to hold him accountable, it could damage the integrity of our system of justice, further fan the flames of division, and disillusion millions of Americans  all while failing to accomplish anything, Reed wrote.

If he is impeached again, Trump would hold a singular distinction among 45 U.S. presidents in the 245-year history of the United States, by becoming the only chief executive to be impeached twice.

Katherine Gypson contributed to this report.
NSW Health have issued urgent alert for residents who were at Brisbane hotel

Returned travellers at the Hotel Grand Chancellor must get tested, self-isolate

Comes after six cases of UK strain of coronavirus were detected at the hotel

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said contact tracers have been working overnight

The UK coronavirus mutant strain may have slipped into New South Wales from returned travellers who have already quarantined in Queensland, health bosses fear.

Contact tracers have been working tirelessly overnight to speak with returned travellers who were quarantined in the Brisbane hotel where a cleaner tested positive to the UK mutant strain of coronavirus.

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The scramble comes as the hotel was shut for deep cleaning after six people - four quarantining guests, a cleaner and her partner - contracted the highly contagious UK strain of coronavirus.

Anyone in NSW who had been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane since December 30, either as a returned traveller or staff, must get tested and isolate for 14 days after they were last there.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian begged locals to go into immediate isolation if they had been at the hotel, and urged people to pressure friends and family to do the same.

NSW Health are urging any residents in their state who have been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane (pictured) to get tested and self-isolate for 14-days

'If anybody does know of a friend or relative who was there please make sure they have had the test and are isolating for 14 days,' she told Today on Thursday.

'I have every confidence we will capture every person in that situation.'

The premier said it was important to note that Australia would not be able to stop the UK strain from entering our shores as it is now in more than 30 countries.

'A lot of those countries have Australians waiting to come home,' she said.

'This virus strain is in all likelihood likely to become one of the dominant strains.

Click here to resize this module

'That's why I'm strongly supportive of the fact that NSW is halving welcoming people home in the next month. We are going from 3,000 a week to 1,500 a week to give ourselves a chance to understand what the new strains are doing.'

New South Wales recorded zero new local cases of coronavirus as clusters in western Sydney and the Northern Beaches appear to be contained.

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There were two cases recorded in hotel quarantine after 20,437 tests across the state.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said all ten New South Wales residents who had been in Queensland's Grand Chancellor Hotel where an outbreak emerged have been contacted and told to self isolate.

Health authorities in Victoria have issued the same alert while also applying it to anyone who has arrived in the state from the Greater Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan and Ipswich local government areas since December 30.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said NSW Health have been working overnight to track down the travellers who jumped the border to return home following their hotel quarantine

Explained: UK's mutant Covid strain The highly infectious mutant strain of Covid now has 27 variations after it was first identified in Kent County, England, on September 21. It now represents more than 50 per cent of new cases diagnosed between October and Dec, making it the most common strain of Covid in England presently. The deadly strain is believed to be more contagious and affects children worse than the original, prompting the government to plunge England back into its third nationwide lockdown. The new variant is between 50 per cent and 74 per cent more contagious than the last, but is not necessarily any more deadly.

NSW Health said residents who stayed at the hotel must remain in isolation for the full two weeks regardless of their test results.

This is because people who test positive to the more contagious strain can still be infectious beyond the two week period.

'We are finding that with these more contagious strains on the 14th day some people are still too contagious to be allowed out into the community,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'As long as we are able to contain the virus in quarantine we have been doing our jobs as best we can.'

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NSW Health said the Queensland Government advised them that guests who were at the hotel have since returned to NSW.

'NSW Health is working with Queensland Health to identify these people so our contact tracers can provide public health advice and updated information as it becomes available,' a statement read.

Victorian health authorities are also imploring released travellers from the hotel to self-isolate and get tested.

Late on Wednesday, Victoria's health department told anyone in Victoria who has completed mandatory hotel quarantine at the hotel since December 30 to get tested and quarantine at home until they receive a negative result.

They should contact its coronavirus hotline immediately.

'The Local Government Areas of Greater Brisbane, Moreton Bay, Redlands, Logan, Ipswich will continue to remain in the in the red zone and travel to Victoria will not be permitted without an exemption, exception or permitted worker permit,' Victoria's Department of Health and Human services added in a statement.

Guests are seen on their balconies at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane on January 13

On Wednesday it was announced that all 129 guests at the Hotel Grand Chancellor would be moved to restart their 14-day isolation.

The urgent response was initiated after genomic sequencing of six previously identified COVID-19 cases indicated they were linked.

The cases include a man and his partner who arrived from the UK on December 30, a hotel cleaner and her partner and a man and his daughter who arrived from Lebanon on January 1.

'The genomic sequencing suggests there is a common source of the virus for all six of these patients,' Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said.

The 226 people who worked at the hotel and 250 who have quarantined there since December 30 will also be isolated and tested.

'There is no evidence at this stage that the hotel or any of its staff have done anything wrong,' Dr Young said.

'It's important we understand the link, it's a mystery we need to solve.'

The investigation into how the virus breached quarantine protocols is being led by Queensland Police.

A number of actions have been taken at the hotel since a cleaner tested positive to the UK strain on January 6.

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No guests have entered since January 7, a review of infection control measures occurred on January 8, and there have been increased cleaning measures including a deep clean of communal areas on January 12.

URGENT ALERT FOR AREAS THE INFECTED CLEANER VISITED Anyone who has been to the following locations  regardless of whether they have symptoms or not  should get tested and isolate until they receive their result. Saturday January 2: Train from Altandi to Roma Street at 7am Saturday January 2: Train from Central station to Altandi station at 4pm Sunday January 3: Woolworths Calamvale North from 11am to noon Tuesday January 5: Coles Sunnybank Hills from 7.30am to 8am Tuesday January 5: Nextra newsagent at Sunnybank Hills Shoppingtown from 8am to 8.15am Anyone who had been at the Hotel Grand Chancellor in Brisbane since December 30, either as a returned traveller or staff, must get tested and isolate for 14 days after they were last there



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The woman told police she and Welch had broken up and she was there to pick up some of her belongings, the report said. The two had a verbal argument during which she said she was no longer in a relationship with him and called him a loser, according to the report.

Participants who take part in public activities at the Ollie Liner Center will now be required to sign a risk waiver.

The Hale County Commissioners voted unanimously on Monday to enact use of the waiver starting at this weekends Hale County Stock Show.

The waiver, which was read for the record by Hale County Judge Jim Mull, states that the signee agrees that the county is not responsible for any liabilities regarding any damages or health issues that result from participation in any third-party activities at the Ollie Liner Center.

When we agreed to have a stock show, this is something that Jim (Tirey, county attorney) had talked to me about, Mull said. I would say this form would be used for any activities.

This is the first known waiver of its kind to be enacted.

Following that vote, the court approved the nomination of Phyllis Wall as the president of the Hale County Historical Commission. The past president, Rodney Watson, gave up the position when he retired from Wayland Baptist University, noted Melinda Brown, who attended as a representative for the commission to present the item to the court.

Walls nomination was approved unanimously. There were no other nominations. The court also approved the appointment of the Precinct 2 commissioner  currently Kenny Kernell  as the liaison for the commission moving forward.

Mondays meeting was short lasting just 16 minutes. Here are other items approved unanimously by the court:
Sao Paulo: It's the news Indonesian President Joko Widodo probably didn't want to hear when he lined up on Wednesday to be the first person to receive the Chinese CoronaVac vaccine kicking off a massive immunisation program.

The COVID-19 vaccine developed by China's Sinovac Biotech was just 50.4 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic infections in a Brazilian trial, researchers said on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT) barely enough for regulatory approval and well below the rate announced last week.

The latest results are a major disappointment for Brazil, as the Chinese vaccine is one of two that the federal government has lined up to begin immunisation during the second wave of the world's second-deadliest COVID-19 outbreak.

Workers wearing protective gear bury the casket of a COVID-19 victim in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday. The country has lost more than 200,000 people to the new coronavirus. Credit:Bloomberg

Several scientists and observers blasted the Butantan biomedical centre for releasing partial data just days ago that generated unrealistic expectations. The confusion may add to scepticism in Brazil about the Chinese vaccine, which President Jair Bolsonaro has criticised, questioning its "origins".
With just seven days before the inauguration of the 46th President of the United States, the GOP Senate Majority Mitch McConnell is reportedly pleased the House of Representatives will impeach President Trump for the second time. This time he faces conviction by the U.S. Senate.

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has stuck with President Trump as if he was super glued to him the past four years. Now reports by The New York Times and Washington Post indicate McConnell has had enough and is viewing Trumps second impeachment as an opportunity to purge him from the Republican Party. By doing so, banning him from running for any other public office.

Senator McConnell has refused to take President Trumps phone calls since he recognized President-elect Joe Bidens victory on the Senate floor on December 15, 2020. The historic January 6, 2021 insurrection, the loss of the two Georgia senate seats that renders McConnell, the incoming minority leader, have infuriated the long time Kentucky lawmaker.

Several Republicans in The House of Representatives led by Adam Daniel Kinzinger (R-IL) and Liz Cheney (R-WY), former Vice President Dick Cheneys daughter, have let it be known they intend to vote for impeachment. There are now indications as many as 30 members of the House GOP caucus will vote to impeach President Donald J. Trump.

CNNs White House correspondent Jim Acosta reported last night just how serious the impeachment threat is becoming

I talked to a Trump advisor this evening who said, listen, Trump is in serious trouble tonight, Republicans in the House and the Senate may decide that now is the time to quote tear the Band-Aid off.

Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, did today in the Senate, essentially sending a signal to his caucus that they can go ahead and vote however they want, in all of this, that the presidents days could be numbered, and by that, I dont mean the number eight as in how many days he has left in office. It could be fewer than that.

Acosta went on to say

I did talk to a senior Trump campaign advisor that said some of the presidents advisors are trying in vain to warn and threaten and intimidate fellow Republicans not to vote to impeach the president and remove him from office.

Jim Acosta says White House fears GOP is ready to get rid of Trump for good

Meanwhile the White House appears like a deer caught in oncoming headlights. While the debate over impeaching President Donald Trump for his role in inciting the violent insurrection that saw thousands of Trump supporters invade, loot and damage the U.S. Capitol Building.

And according to multiple news sources, White House officials arent even trying to reach out to Republican House and Senate members to urge them to oppose both the Presidents impeachment and his conviction.

The right-wing media appears to be taking the position expressed by Fox & Friends Brian Kilmeade that insurrection on January 6, 2021, was no worse than violent clashes in Portland, Oregon, over the summer. However, there are cracks in that position that were expressed to Kilmeade by his fellow co-host Steve Doocy, who strongly expressed his disagreement and said

I dont think what they were doing in Portland was trying to overthrow the democracy.

Fox political analyst Brit Hume detailed the other argument being used by Trumps remaining supporters. Hume has said and has been confirmed by other reporters in the news media like Jonathan Swan that theres no sign the Presidents lost his base. In recent polling, Trump is showing he remains popular with over 70% of Republicans. This, however, is tempered by a nationwide approval rating of just 34%.

A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll shows Trumps approval at just 34 percent, the lowest in four years of tracking opinions of the presidents job performance. More than six in 10 voters  63 percent  disapprove.

The Politico poll is very consistent with other polls conducted over the past week showing Trumps approval rating sliding roughly 10 points following the Capitol riots  which Democrats and some Republicans say Trump incited with his false and bellicose rhetoric about the 2020 presidential election.

FiveThirtyEight rates the unpopularity of Donald Trump at 1,455 days as:

Disapproval Rating of the President

There are reports of some Congress members led by Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) are attempting to negotiate a censure instead of impeachment, but that compromise doesnt seem likely.
Egypt will be watching closely as South Africa hands over the presidency of the African Union (AU) to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) during the second week of February, hoping that the move will push forward the long, and so far inconclusive, negotiations over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).It is hardly a secret that Egypts confidence in South Africas handling of the talks has waned. Traditionally more allied with Ethiopia than with either Sudan or Egypt, Egyptian officials say South Africa has not invested as much energy as it might in pushing for a deal.For close to a decade Egypt and Sudan, with the help of various sponsors, have engaged in on-off negotiations with Ethiopia over GERD. Yet Ethiopia embarked on an initial filling of the dams reservoir last summer in the absence of an agreement. And now South Africa is set to end its presidency of the AU with Ethiopia poised for a second filling and the possible initial operation of GERD this summer, again with no deal signed.In the words of one informed Egyptian official: We have engaged in rounds and rounds of negotiations and Ethiopia has continued to do whatever it wants on the ground without any real intervention from South Africa in its capacity as chair of the AU and sponsor of the negotiations. South Africa should have spoken out against any filling prior to a comprehensive deal between Ethiopia, Sudan, and Egypt.Cairo is aware that the handover from South Africa to DRC holds no guarantees that negotiations will progress. What it is hoping for is a more engaged AU chair, committed to getting the parties to work on an equal footing in order to secure a deal  even if elementary  before the second filling which is expected in mid-July.This week, after the latest round of GERD negotiations stuttered to a halt, Egypt underlined its commitment to continuing talks towards a comprehensive and legally binding agreement. Though under no illusions about the pressure the DRC can apply in the face of Ethiopias reluctance to reach a deal, Egyptian officials still hope the AUs new chair will be able to end the so-far open-ended nature of the talks.We are not planning to walk away from the table even though we can see Ethiopia is not serious. We are determined to work closely with the DRC on this, said one government official.He added that one key demand that Egypt will put to DRC is to work on securing a zero draft of a possible agreement that manages to marry the contradicting views and expectations of the three countries.Egypt also hopes the DRC will be able to resolve the debate over the methodology of negotiations that has been brought up recently by Sudan.Sudan has expressed a wish for the technical experts of the AU to propose their own. But we did not go to the AU to be handed over a document. We resorted to the AU, upon the mandate of the UN Security Council, to facilitate direct negotiations that could deliver a document, said the official.We are hoping the DRC will assume this role and make the best use of the few months before the next rainy season, he added.DRC is not Egypts only hope when it comes to saving the negotiations. Cairo is also engaged in strenuous diplomatic efforts to secure support for its defence of its share of Nile water.It is not an easy time at all, says another government official who notes that the incoming US administration may not immediately sympathise with Egypts legitimate concerns over water. Meanwhile, he adds, the European Union has done little to push Ethiopia into taking the negotiations seriously.Cairo, officials say, is fully aware that it will take the Biden administration time to get round to examining the issue. In the meantime, Egypt must do what it can to get the US, the EU and other international players to want to help.To this end, say officials, Cairo agreed, despite its concerns, to back reconciliation with Qatar and end three years of boycott.Egypt has also been working with Jordan, Germany, and France to restart direct Palestinian-Israeli negotiations, hopefully as soon as a new Israeli government is in place by the end of March or early April.This week Egypts foreign minister spoke with both his Palestinian and Israeli counterparts ahead of hosting a meeting between the foreign ministers of Jordan, Germany, and France which will discuss what needs to be done in order to bring the Israeli and Palestinian foreign ministers together in Cairo sometime soon.By working with its European allies to re-open the long-closed door to the Middle East peace process Cairo hopes to secure the support not only of the EU but also the Biden administration.In tandem with this strategy, Cairo is investing enormous energy in facilitating an agreement to bridge the rifts that have divided Palestinian factions for over a decade. Egypt has already managed to consolidate its relations with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and is now considering options to strengthen ties with the leaders of Hamas and other Palestinian factions.Egypt has also opened up towards the internationally recognised government in Libya, tilting away from five years of support for the leaders of the self-styled Libyan National Army.According to government officials, this springs announcement of diplomatic postings is expected to include an ambassador to Libya, stationed in Tripoli and accredited by the government of Fayez Al-Sarraj, and a new ambassador to Qatar.Ayman Abdel-Wahab, a senior analyst at Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, stresses that Egypt really needs strong international support, not just a few gestures here and there, to get Ethiopia to stop going round in circles without ever reaching a deal.Ethiopia has never faced serious pressure to work towards a deal and this has resulted in the lurch from one deadlock to another, he says.Abdel-Wahab argues Cairos most realistic option now is to attempt to secure sufficient international support to push Ethiopia into working for a fair deal. Time is not on our side. Ethiopia is not only poised for a second filling and a start to the operation of GERD but is about to start building a second dam, he says.According to Abdel-Wahab, it is a total waste of time to begin to consider, as some parties have suggested, unfeasible projects like diverting the River Congo, or using the Jonglei Canal to divert water through vast wetlands of South Sudan, to deliver more water to Sudan and Egypt.These are projects with enormous technical challenges and would require the agreement of several Nile Basin states. They will also be eye-wateringly expensive. We need to stay focused. We need a fair and legally binding deal with Ethiopia and we need to secure international support for this. The more we make ourselves seen and heard the more likely we will get the backing we need.

*A version of this article appears in print in the 14 January, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.

Short link:


Earth's ability to absorb nearly a third of human-caused carbon emissions through plants could be halved within the next two decades at the current rate of warming, according to a new study in Science Advances by researchers at Northern Arizona University, the Woodwell Climate Research Center and the University of Waikato, New Zealand. Using more than two decades of data from measurement towers in every major biome across the globe, the team identified a critical temperature tipping point beyond which plants' ability to capture and store atmospheric carbon--a cumulative effect referred to as the "land carbon sink"--decreases as temperatures continue to rise.

The terrestrial biosphere--the activity of land plants and soil microbes--does much of Earth's "breathing," exchanging carbon dioxide and oxygen. Ecosystems across the globe pull in carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and release it back to the atmosphere via the respiration of microbes and plants. Over the past few decades, the biosphere has generally taken in more carbon than it has released, mitigating climate change.

But as record-breaking temperatures continue to spread across the globe, this may not continue; the NAU, Woodwell Climate and Waikato researchers have detected a temperature threshold beyond which plant carbon uptake slows and carbon release accelerates.

Lead author Katharyn Duffy, a postdoctoral researcher at NAU, noticed sharp declines in photosynthesis above this temperature threshold in nearly every biome across the globe, even after removing other effects such as water and sunlight.

"The Earth has a steadily growing fever, and much like the human body, we know every biological process has a range of temperatures at which it performs optimally, and ones above which function deteriorates," Duffy said. "So, we wanted to ask, how much can plants withstand?"

This study is the first to detect a temperature threshold for photosynthesis from observational data at a global scale. While temperature thresholds for photosynthesis and respiration have been studied in the lab, the Fluxnet data provide a window into what ecosystems across Earth are actually experiencing and how they are responding.

"We know that the temperature optima for humans lie around 37 degrees Celsius (98 degrees Fahrenheit), but we in the scientific community didn't know what those optima were for the terrestrial biosphere," Duffy said.

She teamed up with researchers at Woodwell Climate and the University of Waikato who recently developed a new approach to answer that question: MacroMolecular Rate Theory (MMRT). With its basis in the principles of thermodynamics, MMRT allowed the researchers to generate temperature curves for every major biome and the globe.

The results were alarming.

The researchers found that temperature "peaks" for carbon uptake--18 degrees C for the more widespread C3 plants and 28 degrees C for C4 plants--are already being exceeded in nature, but saw no temperature check on respiration. This means that in many biomes, continued warming will cause photosynthesis to decline while respiration rates rise exponentially, tipping the balance of ecosystems from carbon sink to carbon source and accelerating climate change.

"Different types of plants vary in the details of their temperature responses, but all show declines in photosynthesis when it gets too warm," said NAU co-author George Koch.

Right now, less than 10 percent of the terrestrial biosphere experiences temperatures beyond this photosynthetic maximum. But at the current rate of emissions, up to half the terrestrial biosphere could experience temperatures beyond that productivity threshold by mid-century--and some of the most carbon-rich biomes in the world, including tropical rainforests in the Amazon and Southeast Asia and the Taiga in Russia and Canada, will be among the first to hit that tipping point.

"The most striking thing our analysis showed is that the temperature optima for photosynthesis in all ecosystems were so low," said Vic Arcus, a biologist at the University of Waikato and co-author of the study. "Combined with the increased rate of ecosystem respiration across the temperatures we observed, our findings suggest that any temperature increase above 18 degrees C is potentially detrimental to the terrestrial carbon sink. Without curbing warming to remain at or below the levels established in the Paris Climate Accord, the land carbon sink will not continue to offset our emissions and buy us time."

###

Funding for this research was provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (grant NNX12AK12G), National Science Foundation (NSF) East-Asia Pacific Summer Institute Fellowship (1614404), the Royal Society of New Zealand Foreign Partnership Programme (EAP- UOW1601) and the New Zealand Marsden Fund (grant 16-UOW-027). This work used eddy covariance data acquired and shared by the FLUXNET community, including AmeriFlux, AfriFlux, AsiaFlux, CarboAfrica, CarboEuropeIP, CarboItaly, CarboMont, ChinaFlux, Fluxnet-Canada, GreenGrass, ICOS, KoFlux, LBA, NECC, OzFlux-TERN, TCOS-Siberia and USCCC networks.
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Press Release

13 January 2021

Aimbridge Hospitality, the leading, global, third-party hotel management company, has been awarded management of the 584-room Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort, located just 20 minutes from downtown Phoenix. Boxer Resorts, a company of Boxer Property Management Corporation, will continue to asset manage the property. Aligned with concentrated focus, agility, and expertise to operate each hotel vertical, Aimbridge is the largest third-party operator of full-service and resort properties, including top franchised branded hotels and independent properties. Rob Smith, executive vice president of full-service hotels and resorts at Aimbridge Hospitality, said, "We are incredibly pleased to be assuming management of the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Aimbridge has deep experience in the luxury and resort vertical, and we look forward to leveraging our operating acumen and vast resources to achieve continued success for the property and its ownership." Surrounded by mountain views, the property's Water Falls Village boasts two pools, waterfalls, a water slide, and private cabanas. Additionally, the property includes another six swimming pools throughout the grounds. The award-winning golf course, designed by Bill Johnston and Forrest Richardson, is an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, features a golf shop, and offers private or group lessons in partner ship with Troon. After a day of golf or at the spa, guests can refuel at award-winning restaurant Different Pointe of View for American classics with a modern twist. For a more casual dining experience, guests can visit Pointe in Thyme, Cascades Cafe, or grab a cocktail from one of two on-site bars. With 39,018 square feet of meeting and event space, the property can create events of any size for various needs. Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort is located at 11111 North 7th Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85020. For more information or to book a stay, please click here.

Aimbridge Hospitality

Aimbridge Hospitality is a leading, multinational hospitality company offering best in class hotel management services across a broad spectrum of franchised branded full and select service properties, luxury hotels, destination resorts, convention centers, and lifestyle hotels. Aimbridge's premium portfolio, inclusive of pipeline, represents over 1,550 properties in 49 states and 22 countries, with 70 lodging brands under management. As the world's largest third-party operator, Aimbridge is dedicated to its mission to be the best hospitality operator by leveraging its scale to add value for owners and opportunities for associates. Aligned with a concentrated focus, agility, and expertise for each vertical, or hotel product category, Aimbridge drives market success for hotels and optimizes investment returns for owners. Aimbridge Hospitality is based in Plano, Texas, with additional corporate offices in Atlanta, Calgary, Fargo, Puerto Rico, Toronto, and Washington D.C. Evolution Hospitality, Aimbridge's Lifestyle Division, is based in San Clemente, Calif. Aimbridge's International Division, Interstate Hotels & Resorts, has supporting offices across Europe in Amsterdam, Birmingham, Glasgow, and Moscow.

For more information on Aimbridge Hospitality, please visit www.aimbridgehospitality.com and connect with Aimbridge on LinkedIn.
(TNS)  American businesses and government agencies could be spending upward of $100 billion over many months to contain and fix the damage from the Russian hack against the SolarWinds software used by so many Fortune 500 companies and U.S. government departments.Unlike good wine, this case continues to get worse with age, said Frank Cilluffo, director of Auburn Universitys McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. For a lot of folks, the more they dig, the worse the picture looks.Not only were at least four government departments targeted by the Kremlin hack  Commerce, Treasury, Homeland Security and Justice  but also thousands of top global corporations who were customers of SolarWinds, Cilluffo said. While government agencies appeared to be primary targets, it doesnt mean the private sector isnt affected as well, he said.The SolarWinds attack exposed 18,000 clients of the software management company after they downloaded and installed a tainted software update that was infected with malware. The breach occurred sometime between March and June of 2020 and wasnt discovered until cybersecurity research firm FireEye, which was attacked separately, revealed the SolarWinds breach in early December.After weeks of suggestions from former U.S. officials that the hack was the work of Russian intelligence services, the FBI, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency in a joint statement confirmed that it was indeed Moscow that was behind the attack.The agencies said that the hack appeared to be an intelligence gathering effort. A much smaller number than the original 18,000 SolarWinds clients has been compromised by follow-on activity on their systems, the statement said.Fewer than 10 U.S. agencies were potentially compromised by follow-on activity and the FBI and the intelligence agencies are working to identify the non-government entities who also may be impacted, the statement said.While the initial intent of the attackers may primarily have been espionage, they could change their motive, Cilluffo said. If the attackers are not fully eliminated from government and private company networks, they could choose to use their presence for more destructive purposes, Cilluffo said.Finding and eliminating the adversaries presence on networks is likely to be a costly affair, one expert said.The reality is everybody is spending resources right now on trying to figure out how far the hackers penetrated computer networks and how to get rid of them, said Jake Williams, a former National Security Agency hacker who is now the founder of Rendition Infosec LLC, a cybersecurity firm.The true cost could be hundreds of billions of dollars, Williams said, when one considers the incident response cost for each breach multiplied by the 18,000 entities that fell victim.Government agencies and private companies also have to figure out if the network breach led to any loss of data and whether they have to alert Congress and customers as required by law, Williams said.Many private companies are discussing internally whether they should go public about being breached if theres no evidence of any data being manipulated or stolen, Williams said. Theres a lot of hand-wringing going on in the background, and companies dont know what the next step is.Austin, Texas-based SolarWinds developed and supplied network management software that top U.S. government agencies and Fortune 500 companies used to monitor their own networks. On its now deleted customer list page, SolarWinds claimed that its clients included 425 of the Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Lockheed Martin and Ford Motor Co., as well as all five branches of the U.S. military, the Pentagon, Justice Department, State Department, and the Office of the President of the United States.Large companies with enough resources are rebuilding their computer systems to ensure that any undetected presence of the attackers does not create future problems, but not every company has the wherewithal to do that, Williams said.The challenges of detecting and removing the hackers presence is complicated by how long the attackers managed to remain undetected, said Steve Grobman, the chief technology officer at McAfee, a cybersecurity company.Since the attack went undetected for months, it could have created lots of opportunities (for the adversary) to go in many different directions, Grobman said.Its like knowing a burglar has been in your house, but you dont really know what they took, so you have to go into every room, and inventory everything of value everywhere before you have confidence of knowing what the impact was, Grobman said. Its far worse in the digital environment because there are so many places for an adversary to hide.For government entities whose networks may contain software code that is decades old, finding malware poses additional challenges because people dont necessarily know all of nuanced technical details of the older code, Grobman said.All the experts said that even the most sophisticated company or government agency has little idea of the vast global network of vendors that supplies parts, components and bits of software code that go into computer systems, making it even more challenging to find which broken window the adversary may have used to gain access.on Wednesday reported that a Czech tech company called JetBrains, founded by Russian engineers, may have provided the backdoor for the Kremlin to access SolarWinds, a client of JetBrains. U.S. intelligence agencies are probing the role JetBrains may have played in the hack, the Times said.Finding places on a network where hackers may have left bugs and trying to do damage control could by themselves be subject to eavesdropping by the adversaries, said Blake Moore, vice president of strategy and operations at Wickr Inc., maker of a fully encrypted messaging platform.If the attackers goal was espionage, then that could include attempts to figure out how top U.S. federal agencies and American companies respond to a hack, and trying to use that knowledge to attack with more sophistication in the future, said Moore, who previously was the deputy director of intelligence at the U.S. Cyber Command. The companys clients, including government agencies, are using the Wickr platform to avoid exposing their moves to adversaries, he said.Theyre attempting to understand exactly how incident response works, whos communicating with whom, and who is critical, Moore said.Its like being on a battlefield and watching one side mount defensive actions, trying to eject an adversary and the adversary using that knowledge to evade capture, and be one step ahead of the network defenders, Moore said.Theyre essentially learning how we defend ourselves and learning how our radars work, so to speak, Moore said. That, to me, is a huge problem.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : Nvidia has announced their GeForce RTX 30 series flagship graphics processors for laptops at the CES 2021.

The new series includes the RTX 3060, RTX 3070, and the RTX 3080, all backed by a new Max-Q design to deliver optimal power and performance for notebooks.

Each of the cards brings a performance upgrade, and the 3080 is the fastest.

Nvidia said these will be the world's fastest laptops, promising over 100 frames per second at 1440p with RTX on for "popular graphics-intensive games".

The new GeForce RTX 3060 is claimed to deliver 90fps on the latest games with ultra settings at 1080p resolution on laptops that will have a starting price of $999.

According to Nvidia, the new RTX 3070 laptops should be up to 50 per cent faster than the RTX 2070 and deliver around 90 frames per second at Ultra settings and 1440p, starting from $1,299.

For desktop users, the company also revealed the GeForce RTX 3060 for desktop PCs, bringing the latest technologies from Nvidia's more expensive cards down to a $329 price point.

The RTX 3060 naturally supports RTX, DLSS, and AI-powered features like Nvidia Broadcast.

Nvidia also announced new monitors and mice with Nvidia Reflex Latency Analyzer from brands such as ASUS, Acer, AOC, Corsair, and more.

CLEVELAND, Ohio  The Cuyahoga County Board of Health, which until now has given all coronavirus inoculations at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, fire stations or aboard a mobile unit, will administer the vaccine Saturday at Euclids E-Check office at 1750 Metro Drive.

Anyone in the so-called Phase 1A group designated to receive the inoculations can register at http://www.ccbh.net/vax/ to receive the vaccine in Euclid on Saturday or otherwise at the fairgrounds today, well as on Jan. 20 and Jan. 27.

And board spokesman Kevin Brennan told The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com that the board wants to establish more vaccination sides on both the west and east sides of the county, including near Cleveland Heights and in the Westlake-Bay Village area.

But for now, with the limited number of doses made available to the county by the state, the board considers the fairgrounds at 19201 East Bagley Road in Middleburg Heights to be adequate.

Brennan said the fairgrounds are somewhat centrally located for a good portion of the county, offer drive-through accessibility and shelter, so those administering the vaccine and recipients arent exposed to the winter weather.

When we get a steadier supply, well be able to guarantee more of a robust scheduleand will confirm the stand-up of more sites, Brennan said. But he said the board does not know when the supply will be steady enough to establish more sites.

The Phase 1A group includes health-care workers, first responders and residents and staff at congregate living facilities.

The mobile unit has been traveling to nursing homes and other group homes multiple days a week to vaccinate workers and residents. And two weeks ago, the board held three vaccination clinics at fire stations to vaccinate EMS workers and firefighters.

Those clinics resulted in the vaccination of most eligible (and willing) EMS workers in the county, Brennan said.

But county Health Commissioner Terry Allan expects it could be well into February before Cuyahoga County concludes the 1A portion of the vaccine rollout. Contributing factors are the countys large population, and 20% of the countys workers in the health-care field.


A private jet has arrived in Barbados 12 hours after a sonic boom was heard by millions of people in England when two RAF fighters were scrambled to intercept it.

Witnesses described a noise like a bomb or doors slamming as the Typhoons raced to the plane, which took off in Germany before losing contact with air traffic control.

People in London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Kent said houses shook and windows rattled, with one saying a window smashed from the shock wave.

Two RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert jets were scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and broke the sound barrier at around 700mph over Peterborough.

The Bombardier Global Express was escorted to Stansted Airport shortly after 1pm yesterday - then took off again at 3pm and landed at Birmingham half an hour later.

It then left Birmingham at 4.36pm for an eight-hour flight to Bridgetown Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados where it landed at 8.58pm local time, or 0.58am UK time.

The jet is owned by FAI Aviation Rent-A-Jet, a Nuremberg-based division of a German charter airline, which has the countrys largest Bombardier fleet among its 28 jets.

The interior of the plane was refurbished in a multi-million-pound project which took 10,000 man hours, involved top designer Tim Callies and was completed last June.

The group's founder and chairman is entrepreneur Siegfried Axtmann and his firm is also known for providing business jets for McLaren drivers and management.

The Bombardier jet is pictured at Stansted Airport yesterday after being escorted there

The jet is seen at Stansted Airport yesterday, where it stayed before taking off for Birmingham

The RAF jets escorted the plane to Stansted Airport yesterday after it lost communications

1) The Bombardier jet left Nuremberg Airport yesterday before being escorted to London Stansted Airport shortly after 1pm yesterday by two RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert jets

2) The jet left Stansted at 3.05pm yesterday before landing at Birmingham Airport at 3.31pm

3) The jet left Birmingham at 4.36pm for an eight-hour flight to Bridgetown Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados where it landed at 8.58pm local time, or 0.58am this morning UK time

The 48ft custom-painted plane, D-AFAL, is available for VIP hire and can carry up to 12 passengers and two pilots, or three for long-haul flights, plus one cabin attendant.

The plane, which boasts three single beds, two double beds and ultra-fast Wifi in its luxury cabins, has Rolls Royce engines and can reach speeds of 560mph.

What is a Quick Reaction Alert? Quick Reaction Alert QRA is a routine part of the RAF's air defence role to protect UK airspace. The RAF's (QRA) aircraft are held at immediate readiness to protect the United Kingdom and can take off within minutes. QRA are launched to intercept unidentified aircraft because the aircraft cannot be identified by any other means. i.e. the aircraft is not talking to civilian or military Air Traffic Control, has not filed a flight plan and / or is not transmitting a recognisable secondary surveillance radar code. Multi-role Typhoon fighter squadrons are completing QRA duties from RAF Coningsby (Lincolnshire), RAF Lossiemouth (Scotland) and in the Falkland Islands. In the UK, under the direction of Air Battlespace Controllers at RAF Boulmer (Northumberland) and RAF Scampton (Lincolnshire), fighters can be scrambled to intercept, identify and, if required, intervene aircraft approaching our shores. Source: RAF Advertisement

The explosion rang out yesterday after the Typhoons took off, clocking speeds of 1,150mph above Ickleton, just south of Cambridge.

They intercepted the Bombardier Global Express flying from Nuremberg after its radio went silent temporarily and escorted it to Stansted.

Officials at Stansted said the aircraft, with three crew on board, landed without incident at 1.39pm.

Two hours later, Essex Police reported 'all was found to be in order' and the plane was allowed to continue its journey.

Among those commenting on the sound as the fighters broke the sound barrier was Cambridgeshire resident John Walsh.

He said on social media: 'Sonic boom just now over Cambridge! Blew my window off its casement stay and scared the bloomin' life out of me.'

In Deptford, South East London, Jenny Hao commented: 'Has there been some sort of explosion?'

And an East Londoner said: 'Just heard a loud boom in E12 - windows rattled, sounded like an explosion.'

TV presenter Rylan Clark-Neal tweeted: 'Thought a plane fell onto my roof.'

He later added: 'Wish I'd checked Twitter before I decided to single-handedly, automatic wine opener in hand, inspect upstairs thinking a flying burglar had broken into my loft.'

Sam Harrison captured the sonic boom on a Ring doorbell camera in Hornchurch, East London, saying: 'At first I thought it was either an explosion or an earthquake ... I ran outside expecting to see a lot of smoke.'

Local authorities and police calmed nerves by tweeting the sound had come from a military jet, rather than an explosion.

The interior of the plane, a Bombardier Global Express D-AFAL, which is available for VIP hire

The 48-ft custom-painted plane is said to offer 'VIP transportation' and has three single beds

The Bombardier jet also has two double beds and ultra-fast Wifi in its 'spacious cabins'

It is not known who had hired the Bombardier jet which lost contact with air traffic control

The private jet can carry up to 12 passengers and two pilots - or three for long-haul flights

The RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert jet was launched from Coningsby in Linconlnshire

Cann Hall Police in Walham Forest wrote: 'Some reports have come through of the sounds of a large explosion in NE London in the last hour. Please don't be alarmed, these have been confirmed as a sonic boom.'

An RAF spokesman said: 'The RAF can confirm Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon aircraft were launched this afternoon from RAF Coningsby to intercept a civilian aircraft that had lost communications.

'Subsequently, communications were re-established, the aircraft was intercepted and safely escorted to Stansted.

'The Typhoon aircraft were authorised to transit at supersonic speed for operational reasons.'

Residents across Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Cambridge, north and south London reported hearing an 'explosion' shortly after 1pm yesterday

The RAF's (QRA) aircraft are held at immediate readiness to protect the UK and can take off within minutes

A sonic boom is a continuous noise generated by the cone-shaped shock wave that follows an object travelling faster than the speed of sound.

Supersonic speed, or Mach 1 for aircraft, is around 767mph at sea level, depending on air temperature.

The jets are often deployed to escort aircraft that lose contact with air traffic control or don't respond to communications.

They are authorised to go supersonic 'if necessary', which is why the boom was heard.
The Trump administration has declassified a report which lays out its Indo-Pacific strategy, including accelerating Indias rise, blocking China from establishing illiberal spheres of influence, and maintaining U.S. strategic primacy in the region, according to a copy viewed by Axios.

Why it matters: The strategy laid out in the ten-page report, written in early 2018, has guided the U.S. approach to China, India, North Korea and other nations in the Indo-Pacific region for the past three years. Its release sheds light on the geopolitical and security challenges soon to be inherited by the Biden administration.

China is the primary state actor of concern outlined in the document, followed by North Korea. The strategy emphasizes countering China's growing influence abroad by seeking strategic alignment with allies and partners, upholding a "liberal economic order" in the region, and working to "inoculate" the U.S. and its partners against China's intelligence activities.

The strategy also outlines a major expansion of military, intelligence, and diplomatic support to India as the primary regional counterweight to China  an approach which is likely to raise eyebrows in Beijing and Islamabad.

What they're saying: "The declassification of the Framework today demonstrates, with transparency, Americas strategic commitments to the Indo-Pacific and to our allies and partners in the region," wrote National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien in a memo dated Jan. 5, 2021 and included with the strategy document.

Breaking it down: The Trump administration has hewed closely to several of its stated objectives regarding China over the last three years, including:

Building an "international consensus that China's industrial policies and unfair trading practices are damaging the global trading system"

Expanding U.S. counterintelligence and law enforcement to counter China's intelligence activities in the U.S., and expanding intelligence sharing with allies to help them do the same.

Developing military and asymmetric warfare strategies to help Taiwan in its long-standing, tense relationship with China.

Strengthening national security reviews of Chinese investments into sensitive U.S. sectors

Working with allies and partners to try to "prevent Chinese acquisition of military and strategic capabilities."

Yes, but: Some objectives faced headwinds.

The strategy repeatedly calls for greater U.S. engagement with countries in the region, in particular the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In some cases the U.S. actually pulled back from the region, including through Trump's withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and snubbing of ASEAN summits.

The goal of showcasing the benefits of American democratic values as a counterbalance to China in the region also suffered a major blow with the recent armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Those events prompted the resignation of one of the strategy's main authors, former deputy national security Matt Pottinger.

Of note: India forms an important cornerstone of the aptly-named Indo-Pacific strategy.

The document states that enhanced U.S. assistance and intelligence sharing should aid India in key areas of conflict with China, including over border disputes and water rights in the Himalayas. In 2020, India and China had their deadliest military skirmish along the border since 1967.

But the U.S.-India relationship is complex. During the cold war, India refused to squarely place itself in the Western camp, instead opting for leadership in the non-aligned movement. The U.S., meanwhile, often tilted towards Pakistan, India's historic arch-rival in South Asia.

Background: The Trump administration ushered in a new official framework for viewing China and India as part of the same strategic region, the "Indo-Pacific," beginning with its National Security Strategy in 2017.

The U.S. Pacific Command was renamed the Indo-Pacific Command in 2018, in a move widely viewed as a response to China's rise.

Between the lines: Australia's experience with China strongly influenced the drafting of the 2018 Indo-Pacific strategy.

"In many ways they were ahead of the curve in understanding influence operations and interference in domestic systems," one senior U.S. official told me. "They were pioneers and we have to give a lot of credit to Australia."

The official singled out former Australian senior intelligence advisor John Garnaut for praise, and said a 2017 report on Chinese influence operations by New Zealand-based scholar Anne-Marie Brady had also influenced the U.S. strategy.

Go deeper: State Department releases blueprint for countering China.

Businesses yesterday called for tougher lockdown measures, with some going as far as proposing a long curfew spanning from 6 p.m to 6 a.m.

The curfew now starts at 9 p.m. and goes till 5 a.m. Businesses also called on the Government to free up the importation of Covid-19 vaccines to allow private sector participation and to allow people to travel overseas to get vaccinated.
A group of scientists led by the American Museum of Natural History and Bat Conservation International have discovered a new species of a striking orange and black bat in a mountain range in West Africa. The species, which the researchers expect is likely critically endangered, underscores the importance of sub-Saharan "sky islands" to bat diversity. The species is described today in the journal American Museum Novitates.

"In an age of extinction, a discovery like this offers a glimmer of hope," said Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International and an associate research professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. "It's a spectacular animal. It has this bright-orange fur, and because it was so distinct, that led us to realize it was not described before. Discovering a new mammal is rare. It has been a dream of mine since I was a child."

In 2018, Frick and her colleagues at Bat Conservation International and the University of Maroua in Cameroon were in the Nimba Mountains in Guinea conducting field surveys in natural caves and mining tunnels, known as adits, that were built in the 1970s and 1980s and have since been colonized by bats. In collaboration with the local mining company, Societe des Mines de Fer de Guinee (SMFG), the scientists are trying to understand which bat species use which adits and at what times of the year. Of particular interest is Lamotte's roundleaf bat, Hipposideros lamottei, which is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as critically endangered and has only ever been recorded in the Nimba Mountains. Much of its known population lives in the adits, which are in different states of collapse and will disappear in time. While surveying for this bat, the researchers found something peculiar--a bat that looked nothing like Lamotte's roundleaf bat and did not match the descriptions of any other species that they knew occurred in the area. Later that night, they called on American Museum of Natural History Curator Nancy Simmons, a bat expert and chair of the Museum's Department of Mammalogy, for help.

"As soon as I looked at it, I agreed that it was something new," said Simmons, the lead author of the paper and Bat Conservation International Board member. "Then began the long path of documentation and gathering all the data needed to show that it's indeed unlike any other known species."

Through morphological, morphometric, echolocation, and genetic data, including comparative data from collections at the Museum, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and the British Museum, the scientists described the new species, which they named Myotis nimbaensis ("from Nimba") in recognition of the mountain range in which it is found. A chain of "African sky islands," the Nimba Mountains have peaks rising between 1,600-1,750 meters (about 1 mile) above sea level and are surrounded by drastically different lowland habitats. As such, they are home to exceptional biodiversity, including bats.

"In addition to the Lamotte's roundleaf bat, it's possible Myotis nimbaensis could be the second bat species found only in this particular mountain range," said Jon Flanders, Bat Conservation International's director of endangered species interventions.

This study is part of an ongoing effort critical in helping the Nimba Mountain bats survive. Bat Conservation International and SMFG have already started working together to build new tunnels, reinforced to last for centuries and in habitat away from the mining project, for the Lamotte's roundleaf bat. And although little is known yet about the population and range of Myotis nimbaensis, efforts like this will likely help it as well.

###

Other authors on the study include Eric Moise Bakwo Fils from the University of Maroua; Guy Parker, Jamison Suter, and Seinan Bamba from SMFG; Mory Douno from the Ministry of the Environment, Water, and Forests in Guinea; Mamady Kobele Keita from Guinee Ecologie; and Ariadna Morales from the American Museum of Natural History and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany.

Link to study: http://digitallibrary. amnh. org/ handle/ 2246/ 7249

ABOUT THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (AMNH)

The American Museum of Natural History, founded in 1869 and currently celebrating its 150th anniversary, is one of the world's preeminent scientific, educational, and cultural institutions. The Museum encompasses more than 40 permanent exhibition halls, including those in the Rose Center for Earth and Space, as well as galleries for temporary exhibitions. The Museum's approximately 200 scientists draw on a world-class research collection of more than 34 million artifacts and specimens, some of which are billions of years old, and on one of the largest natural history libraries in the world. Through its Richard Gilder Graduate School, the Museum grants the Ph.D. degree in Comparative Biology and the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) degree, the only such free-standing, degree-granting programs at any museum in the United States. The Museum's website, digital videos, and apps for mobile devices bring its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs to millions around the world. Visit amnh.org for more information.

About Bat Conservation International

Founded in 1982, Bat Conservation International has grown into a global conservation organization dedicated to ending bat extinctions. Working together, our goal is to redefine what is possible in global conservation, through the utilization of cutting-edge tools, technology, and training to create a real, measurable impact. For more information, visit batcon.org.
You know what? Ive had enough of the Trump-bashing in the paper day after day. Im no particular fan of his, but between the COVID crisis and Trump/Biden crisis there is little to nothing in the paper to read. Makes me wonder after the presidential crisis fades, and it will down the line, what your columnists will have to write about. You can only trash the Republican Party for so long before it becomes really, really old. We know the News Sun is a thoroughly Democratic paper. Ive never counted on it for fair and equal reporting, so quit with the rabid day-after-day rants. Lets see if Biden lives up to the hero status that has been bestowed upon him before he even takes office. I dont suppose there will be anything negative to say about him from your paper, no matter how he botches things up. Talk is cheap as he heads into office.
The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company

The first phase of the renovation of Ismailia Culture Palace included modernising the attached theatre to host various cultural activities soon and receive the Ismailia International Film Festival for documentaries and short films.

Minister of Culture Ines Abdel-Dayem and Ismailia Governor Sherif Bishara inaugurated the completion of the first phase of the renovation of Ismailia Culture Palace on Tuesday, where all renovation work on the attached theatre was completed.

The inauguration was attended by head of the General Organisation of Culture Palaces (GOCP) Ahmed Awwad, his deputy artist Hisham Atwa, and a number of executive officials in the governorate.

The opening ceremony included a presentation of the stages of the theatre renovation, showing the work that was implemented.

Ismailia Culture Palace is one of the largest cultural palaces in Egypt, covering fiveacres. The administrative part of the palace was opened in 1995, while the theatre was established in 1997, and had not been renovated since its establishment.

Abdel-Dayem said that the Ministry of Culture continues to implement a strategy to modernise and develop cultural services. She praised the process of upgrading the theatre, which has been equipped with modern technologies, stressing that the cultural and artistic activities in the theatre will be resumed immediately after the implementation of a set of creative programmes and preparation to host the activities of the 22nd edition of Ismailia International Film Festival for Documentary and Short Films.

Bishara hailed the efforts of the Ministry of Culture in various parts of Egypt, expressing appreciation for its role in reshaping awareness with activities and events presented at various cultural sites. He also praised the renewal and development of the cultural facilities in the governorate.

Awwad explained that the theatre has a capacity of 838 viewers, and its renovation works began in February 2020. The works included the renewal of the central air conditioning system, the ceiling of the theatre, the seats, lighting and sound equipment, the civil defence system, and stage maintenance. This is in addition to equipping the theatre with a cinema screen, a video projector, and maintaining the paintings decorating the facade of the palace.

"The renovation work is underway to complete the second phase in order to raise the palaces efficiency, including the rest of the building and its annexes," added Awwad.

Short link:


Government of India will sell up to 10 per cent stake in Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL) through an offer for sale (OFS), which could fetch over Rs 2,600 crore for the exchequer. The floor price of offer has been fixed at Rs 64 per share, at a discount of 14.32 per cent as compared to Wednesday's closing price of Rs 74.70.

SAIL OFS for non-retail investors will open on January 14, while for retail investors it will start on January 15. A minimum of 12.5 per cent of offer shares will be reserved for retail investors, and 25 per cent for mutual funds and insurance companies.

The government, which held 75 per cent stake in SAIL as of September quarter, will divest 5 per cent equity stake in the company with a 5 per cent greenshoe option, an option to sell further equity in case of over-subscription. The government had last sold 5 per cent stake in the state-owned steel maker in December 2014.

Also Read: Gas leakage at SAIL's Rourkela plant kills 4, exposes lax safety record

As per an exchange filing, the OFS size is 20.65 crore equity shares of the face value of Rs 10 each, with an option to additionally sell up to 20.65 crore equity shares of the firm (over-subscription option). Based on this, the total OFS size is calculated to be 41.30 crore shares for Rs 2,664 crore.

Incorporated in 1973, SAIL is a large cap company with a market cap of Rs 30,851.79 crore, operating in metals-ferrous sector. It is country's largest steel maker having a total installed capacity of about 21 million tonnes per annum (MTPA).

Also Read: SAIL crude steel output grows 9%to 4.37 MT in Oct-Dec

Ahead of the announcement, shares of SAIL India ended Wednesday's trade at Rs 74.70, down 1.58 per cent, against previous closing price of Rs 75.90 on the BSE.

By Chitranjan Kumar
The owner of a Maine boat carrying four fishermen that sank off Cape Cod last fall has asked a court to declare it is not at fault.

The owner of the 82-foot Emmy Rose wants a Maine federal court judge to declare that it is not liable for damages in the sinking.

The owner, Boat Aaron and Melissa Inc., said there was no problem with the boat when it headed out to sea, calling the vessel seaworthy, tight, staunch, strong, and fit.

The boat sank off Provincetown in November when it was en route to Gloucester, Massachusetts. The four men lost at sea were Robert Blethen; Jeff Matthews; Michael Porper and Ethan Ward.

No lawsuits have yet been filed against the owner over the sinking.

Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Maine
The Government plans to have 700,000 people vaccinated against Covid-19 by the end of March, the Health Minister has told the Dail.

Stephen Donnelly told TDs that the updated figures would see those at most risk of the virus fully vaccinated by the summer.

This would mean that those in long-term residential care, both staff and residents, all frontline healthcare workers and those over 70 would be vaccinated. A further 1.5 million would be vaccinated in the second quarter of the year.

However, Mr Donnelly called the figures "highly provisional" and said that they hinge on the availability of vaccines.

"We are planning on receiving enough vaccines to be able to vaccinate 700,000 people by the end of March. Critically, this will vaccinate the top three groups on the prioritisation list, that is, those in long-term residential care, namely, staff and residents, frontline healthcare workers and our population of people over 70 years of age.

"We are further planning to be able to vaccinate more than 1.5 million people in quarter two and more than that again in quarter three.

At these levels, people most at risk of Covid-19 will be fully vaccinated by the summer.

"I want to stress, however, I am providing this information to colleagues in an effort to give some sense of where we are moving and at what speed but these numbers are highly provisional."

The minister said that this number represented people receiving both doses of the vaccine for the most part, but for those who receive their first dose in the first three weeks of March, it would spill into April.

Read More Covid-19: Minister signs order authorising rollout of Moderna vaccine

He said the number was built on the assumption that the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine would be approved on January 29. He said that Ireland's third tranche of Pfizer vaccines would arrive in quarter two of the year.

Fianna Fail TD for Sligo Marc MacSharry criticised the Government's preparation for the vaccination rollout. He said the responsibility did not lie with healthcare workers, but rather the Government.

We didnt prepare, that is where we are. The vaccine wasn't sprung on us, but we weren't ready."

Sinn Fein's David Cullinane said the vaccine programme needs to be transparent and clear.

Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked that a "spreadsheet or visible representation" of the vaccine rollout be made available.

Mr Donnelly said that there is "nothing he would like to do more" than give certainty on when different people will be vaccinated. However, he said this is not possible to answer accurately due to a number of factors.

During the debate, Sinn Fein's TD for Cork North Central Thomas Gould drew attention to what he called the rise in "harmful alcohol abuse" during the pandemic.

He said 2.4% of the country is affected, but there is "no specific funding" for treatment plans.

"Despite calls to the Justice Minister, dial-a-drink services still operate seven days a week, delivering alcohol to vulnerable people. Alcohol harms lives, we've seen it harm our families and communities and we need action now."

WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Jacobs' (J) Good Government Fund is suspending all political contributions due to last week's violence that took place at the United States Capitol. The company said it has a long history of supporting the U.S. Government and urged Congress to work together to unify the nation. CEO Steve Demetriou said 'The disturbing events at the U.S. Capitol put our elected leaders at risk and undermined the fundamental democratic principles of free speech, peaceful protest, and open and free elections.' Jacobs provides a full spectrum of professional services including consulting, technical, scientific and project delivery for the government and private sector. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Britain's coronavirus vaccine minister on Wednesday said it was his 'instinct' that police officers, teachers and shop workers should be next in line for a jab after the most vulnerable are immunised.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that the 13million most vulnerable people in England, which includes those aged over 80 and others with pre-existing medical conditions, will be immunised by mid-February.

The current priority list drawn up by the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisations is based largely on age and while social care and hospital staff are near the top, police officers, teachers and shop workers are not yet mentioned.

The JCVI has been told by the Government to come up with a plan for who to vaccinate next by the middle of February.

In December, the body did suggest that key workers and those who have a lot of interaction with the public should be prioritised once over all over-50s have been vaccinated, but said the decision was an 'issue of policy'.

Nadhim Zahawi, the Government's minister for Covid-19 Vaccine Deployment, told MPs on Wednesday that it was his 'instinct' that the 'focus' for who should be next in line should be on teachers, police officers and shop workers.

Britain's coronavirus vaccine minister Nadhim Zahawi on Wednesday said it was his 'instinct' that police officers, teachers and shop workers should be next in line for a jab after the most vulnerable are immunised

But he added that the Government would be guided by the view of the experts on the JCVI.

Speaking to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, Mr Zahawi referred to the existing priority list, which has nine categories.

At the top of the list are elderly care home residents and their carers, followed by all those aged 80 and over and frontline health and social care workers.

Thousands of Britons who have received their Covid jab 'will be offered a vaccine passport' Thousands of Britons who have already received their coronavirus jab will be offered a vaccine passport in a trial taking place this month after ministers flip-flopped over the controversial policy. The passport, created by biometrics firm iProov and cybersecurity firm Mvine, will be issued as a free app and will allow users to prove digitally if they have had their first or second jab - or no jab at all. Though the Department of Health said there were 'no plans' to introduce vaccine passports, the Government's own science and research funding agency Innovate UK has already pumped 75,000 into the project. Mvine director Frank Joshi said the company, which had started working on the passports to demonstrate test results, later acquired more funding to switch into vaccination passporting. Advertisement

They are followed by all those aged 75 and over; all those 70 and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals; all those aged 65; everyone aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions; everyone aged 60 and over; all aged 55 and over and finally everyone aged 50 and over.

Mr Zahawi said: 'I think it's only right and wise to listen to the JCVI because they will look at this in great detail.'

'The reason they've given us the priority list, the nine categories, is because actually the thing you want to do is to cut mortality - people dying from the virus.

'And we don't know what impact the vaccines have on transmission

'The JCVI are best-placed to look at this in terms of looking at where do we go next.

'Now, my instinct is to say, rightly so that those who are most likely to come into contact with a viral load: teachers, shop workers police men and women would be the highest risk of getting the virus, and therefore they're the ones we should focus on, but I would very much be guided by the JCVI.'

His comments came after Health Secretary Matt Hancock said last week that teachers have a 'very strong case' to be next in line once those most at risk have been vaccinated.

He said: 'Of course we are considering, once we have vaccinated those who are clinically vulnerable, of course we are considering who then should be the next priority for vaccination and teachers of course have got a very strong case, as have those who work in nurseries and many colleagues across the House have made that point.

'We will consider that.'

Last week, Home Secretary Priti Patel hinted that police officers and others on the emergency front line could soon get a jab.

The Home Secretary told Good Morning Britain: 'I want to see everyone receive the vaccine that's the imperative of the work that we're doing.

'There's work taking place on those individuals who have occupational exposure to infection. That's people on the frontline, our nurses, but also teaching professions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged that the 13million most vulnerable people in England, which includes those aged over 80 and others with pre-existing medical conditions, will be immunised by mid-February

'I feel very strongly on our police officers fire officers, people on the front line. The joint committee for vaccination and immunisation are looking at all of that right now and they are working on a programme to ensure that those professionals are given the vaccine.

Mr Zahawi was also branded 'very annoying' by MPs on Wednesday for refusing to say how many doses of coronavirus vaccine the UK has available and will get in the next week as the immunisation programme ramps up.

He was speaking alongside AstraZeneca's UK president Tom Keith-Roach.

Both men said they were unable to talk about any numbers with regards to deliveries of the vaccine, with Mr Zahawi saying it was because of 'national security'.

Mr Keith-Roach said AstraZeneca  which is manufacturing Oxford University's jab  had delivered 1.1million doses to the NHS so far and would hit 2million per week 'imminently'.

Elderly Brits needing second dose of Pfizer's Covid vaccine may wait even longer than 12 weeks between jabs The gap between first and second doses of coronavirus vaccines could be stretched beyond the 12-week target, health chiefs said today. When the Pfizer Covid jab was approved it was on the condition that people would get a second dose three weeks after their first one, as was done in clinical trials. But UK regulators claimed there was enough data to prove it could be stretched out to three months, allowing No10 to deliver first doses to twice as many people before bigger deliveries of the jabs arrive in spring. Pfizer hit back and said there was no proof the vaccine worked when the two doses were given so far apart. Now, however, elderly people who have already had their first jabs could face even longer and potentially open-ended gaps between the two doses. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has given approval for the second jab to be given any time after 21 days after the first one, with no outer limit. And Public Health England's head of immunisation, Dr Mary Ramsey, today said: 'It may well be that we can afford to be more relaxed.' But regulators will only allow the gap to be stretched even further if data shows that protection from the first dose lasts longer than expected. Advertisement

He said he was 'confident' that there would be more than a million doses given out next week but refused to be any more specific.

Labour MP Graham Stringer told Mr Zahawi 'these answers are very annoying' as he refused to put numbers to the progress of the vaccine roll-out.

The chair of the science committee, Conservative MP Greg Clark, urged him to 'be more forthcoming' in future.

The secrecy around how fast the vaccine doses are being produced means it's impossible to tell whether Britain is delivering on its pledge to dish out jabs as quickly as it gets them or whether supply issues are truly to blame for the slow start to the huge NHS drive, as ministers have claimed.

Figures suggest more than 150,000 people are now getting vaccinated each day.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said on Tuesday that around 2.43million people have now had their first dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech jab or the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.

In the week between Sunday, January 3, and Sunday, January 11, the total number of people vaccinated across the UK doubled from 1,296,432 to 2,431,648, suggesting they were given out at an average rate of 162,174 per day.

Ministers have repeatedly said the manufacturing and quality-testing process, which takes around three months per batch, is the 'rate-limiting factor' that is slowing down the process.

They insist the NHS is equipped to give out vaccinations as fast as it can get its hands on them.

And one member of the Government has taken a hands-on approach to making sure this happens  deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam was pictured working at the vaccine clinic in Nottingham at the weekend.

When asked by members of the science committee to explain how many doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine were being delivered in Britain, Mr Zahawi tried to deflect the question before saying it was a national security issue.

He said: 'The NHS plan has built a deployment infrastructure that can handle the volume that the manufacturers can deliver, that's the assurance I can give you.'

Mr Zadhawi explained that batches of vaccines must be tested both by the manufacturer and then the MHRA before they can be used.

On why he wouldn't give a weekly number he said: 'Batches could move week by week because a batch may fail, so it would be, I think, misleading to say to this committee and the house "this is what we're getting" because the batches do move around and this is part of the supply chain challenge that we have...'

He added: 'It's not about wanting to withhold information from a committee, although there is a consideration here because the whole world is looking to acquire vaccines at the moment and the more we say or, dare I say, show off about how many vaccines [or] batches we're receiving, the more difficult life becomes for the manufacturers.'

Chair of the meeting Greg Clark laughed and said: 'They're not going to zoom into the country and confiscate them from us'.

At the end of the meeting, during which Mr Zahawi had repeatedly refused to put numbers on the roll-out, Mr Clark added: 'We do think that, in keeping with the scientific tradition, that openness and transparency to allow people to be treated as adults and to understand the ups and downs of processes, I think has served us well so far...

'I hope when it comes to some of these figures, and some of these schedules, that you will find the confidence to perhaps be a little more forthcoming in terms of what's in store in the future  if we ask questions about it it's because we have the same interest as you do in making it work.'

Home Secretary Priti Patel revealed on Tuesday that 2.43million people have now had their first dose, up from 2.29m yesterday. Another 20,000 second doses were also added onto the cumulative total

Despite the frosty exchanges, the PM on Wednesday hailed some 'early' signs that the brutal national lockdown could be bringing coronavirus under control.

However, he also refused to rule out tightening rules further.

The premier insisted the measures in England were being kept 'under constant review' as Keir Starmer demanded to know why they were looser than last spring despite cases being higher.

But Mr Johnson sounded a notably optimistic tone about the emerging impact of the restrictions.

Although he said the situation was 'troubling' and accepted the NHS was under huge pressure, the PM said that the country was 'now starting to see the beginnings of some signs' that the crackdown was having an effect in parts of the country. He stressed it was 'early days' and urged people to 'keep their discipline'.

MailOnline analysis suggests the outbreak in England could have started slowing before the imposition of the blanket lockdown on January 4, with infection numbers peaking in the worst-hit regions at the start of the year.

The tide appears to have turned in parts of the country experiencing the worst outbreaks  London, the South East and the East of England  in the first week of 2021, with cases coming down since then.

Coronavirus hospital admissions have also started to fall in London and the South East, although the numbers of patients are still rising as the level has been so high.
Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia:

Healthcare-focused private equity firm Avista Capital Partners has sold a passive minority stake to the alternative asset manager Capital Constellation.

Capital Constellation was launched in 2018 and is a joint venture of five sovereign wealth funds that intend to invest a total of $1.5 billion in new private equity and alternative investment funds by 2023.

Wafra Group, which is owned by the more than $100 billion Public Institution for Social Security of Kuwait, is the investment manager of Capital Constellation. Along with the Kuwait entity, the four sovereign wealth funds are the $550 billion Kuwait Investment Authority; $67.9 billion Alaska Permanent Fund Corp., Juneau; 386 billion Swedish kronor ($46.8 billion) AP3, Stockholm; and RPMI, the manager of the 30 billion ($40.7 billion) Railways Pension Scheme, London.

New York-based Avista Capital Partners has over $6 billion in assets under management. It focuses on investments related to health-care, primarily in consumer-driven health care, health-care information technology and distribution, medical devices and technologies, pharmaceuticals, and pharmaceutical outsourcing.

According to a joint press release, Constellation acquired a minority ownership interest in Avista, providing significant investment capital to support the continued growth of Avista's healthcare-focused investment business and enabling Avista to increase its commitment to its funds under management.

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Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack had a point describing the unemployed as 'lounge lizards' with job vacancies soaring by 23 per cent in just three months to record-high levels.

The Nationals leader, who is running Australia for a week, was panned on Tuesday when he stood by his polarising remarks about the jobless, despite the economy only recently emerging from the Covid recession.

'I say to those people, who have perhaps done reasonably well off JobSeeker - given the fact they might have been earning more than what they could have ever have dreamt of - it's time to turn Stan and Netflix off and come out to regions,' the former newspaper editor told Nine's Today show.

'You can have a better life. You don't actually have to stick in congested traffic in the capital cities. You can get out to regional Australia.'

Acting Prime Minister Michael McCormack's had a point describing the unemployed as 'lounge lizards' with job vacancies soaring by 23 per cent in just three months to be at pre-pandemic levels

Mr McCormack's point about more employment being available is valid with new Australian Bureau of Statistics data, released on Wednesday, showing a 23.4 per cent surge in national job vacancies during the November quarter alone.

Job vacancies soar November quarter: up 23.4 per cent Private sector jobs in three months: up 24 per cent Food and accommodation: up 65.9 per cent Retail sales: up 38.9 per cent Health care: up 32.7 per cent Mining: up 12.5 per cent Advertisement

In just three months, 48,000 more jobs became available, following a 77,000 rise in the August quarter as Covid restrictions were lifted and Australia was no longer in recession.

Private sector job vacancies soared by 24 per cent during the three months to November 30 compared with 17 per cent in the public sector.

Available jobs in private enterprise were 13 per cent above February 2020, when the stock market peaked and before the World Health Organisation declared a Covid pandemic.

In November, a record 254,400 jobs were available across Australia, a level that was 12.1 per cent higher than the 227,000 positions advertised in November 2019 before the first case of Covid came to Australia.

'Labour market conditions across Australia continue to improve, despite Covid-19 restrictions,' CommSec economists Craig James and Ryan Felsman said.

When it came to specific industries, a surge in the iron ore price saw mining jobs soar by 12.5 per cent in the November quarter, jumping to 6,300 from 5,600.

Mr McCormack's point about more employment being available is valid with new Australian Bureau of Statistics data, released on Wednesday, showing a 23.4 per cent surge in national job vacancies during the November quarter alone. Food and accommodation job vacancies surged 65.9 per cent. Pictured is a Sydney cafe worker in early January

Most of those six-figure salary jobs are in regional areas, covering the iron ore-rich Pilbara in Western Australia and coal dependent New South Wales Hunter Valley.

The previously embattled food and accommodation sector saw its advertised job number surge by 65.9 per cent to 22,400 from 13,500.

The wholesale trade sector enjoyed a 35.3 per cent rise in job vacancies as advertised positions surged to 13,400 from 9,900 as health care saw a 32.7 per cent increase to 37,700 from 28,400.

Retail sales vacancies climbed 38.9 per cent to 25,700 from 18,500.

When it came to specific industries, a surge in the iron ore price saw mining jobs surge by 12.5 per cent in the November quarter, jumping to 6,300 from 5,600. Pictured are Pilbara iron ore miners

House prices in most of regional area last year rose, with record high prices in 39 out of Australia's 88 statistical regions, CoreLogic data showed, as more people left Sydney and Melbourne to live in the country.

Since the New Year, JobSeeker recipients have had their fortnightly coronavirus supplement reduced to $150 from $250.

From April 27 and September 24, the federal government effectively doubled the dole with a $550 boost to the usual dole payment of $565.70 a fortnight.

Australia's unemployment rate dropped to 6.8 per cent in November from seven per cent.
One day before Samsungs big Unpacked event, HTC has announced a new phone, the Desire 21 Pro 5G. Yes, the company that was once a powerhouse in the Android space is still alive and kicking, and releasing new devices no less.

All things considered, the Desire 21 Pro 5G looks like a decent device. It comes with a 6.7-inch Full HD display with an IPS panel and 90Hz refresh rate, which, as Android Police points out, is a first for HTC. Its also worth a mention that HTC has somehow managed to source a high refresh rate panel for one of its phones before Apple.

Internally, the handset features a Snapdragon 690 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage, which you can add to with a microSD card. Four cameras adorn the rear, a 48-megapixel main, 8-megapixel ultrawide, 2-megapixel macro and 2-megapixel depth sensor. Powering everything is a 5,000mAh battery. And in case you couldnt tell from the name, it comes with support for 5G. If we had to hold anything against the Desire 21 Pro 5G, its that itll ship with Android 10 instead of Android 11. HTC will sell the Desire 21 Pro 5G for 11,990 TWD in Taiwan. That puts it in the ballpark of about $428.

While its safe to say the company that released drool-worthy phones like the HTC One X has become a shadow of its former self, the people who worked on those devices continue to leave their mark on the industry. Almost half of HTCs then 4,000-person strong R&D team joined Google in 2017 when the company sold its Powered by HTC unit to the search giant for $1.1 billion. Its that team that designed the Pixel 3a, one of Googles most financially successful phones to date.
Kieran Jones, 27, binged on spirits, threw crisps across the plane and leered at flight attendant Beth Rose while she served drinks on a Jet 2 flight from Manchester to Budapest, Hungary, in September 2019

A 'loutish' Brit who brought misery to a holiday jet after he got drunk on gin and tonic, hurled crisps at other passengers and chatted up an air hostess on the flight has avoided jail.

Kieran Jones, 27, binged on spirits and leered at flight attendant Beth Rose while she served drinks on a Jet 2 flight from Manchester to Budapest, Hungary.

During the three hour journey Jones, who was on a city break with a male friend, declared Miss Rose had 'a right a*** on her' and pleaded: 'Let me take you out.'

At one point he drunkenly told her she was his 'fiance', later adding: 'She'll do'.

Miss Rose ignored Jones' advances but he petulantly began throwing Pringles around the Boeing 737-800 aircraft before accidentally spilling drink all over himself.

He later passed out in a drunken stupor and was found asleep across three seats of the plane once it touched down in the Hungarian capital.

Miss Rose managed to rouse Jones and even helped get his luggage from the overhead locker but he tripped down five steps as he tried to leave the plane.

He fell flat on his face on the runway tarmac and had to be taken to hospital. He was arrested on his return to the UK.

At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, Jones faced jail after he admitted being drunk on an aircraft.

But he escaped a prison sentence was told to carry out 220 hours of unpaid work after saying he was getting help for his heavy dinking.

He was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation days as part of a two-year community order, and pay 1,200 in prosecution costs.

Jones was pictured celebrating outside court as he escaped a prison sentence for his 'loutish, boorish and drunken behaviour'.

Jones celebrated avoiding jail outside Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court after he was ordered to carry out 220 hours of unpaid work and pay 1,200 in prosecution costs

The incident occurred on September 12 2019 after the flight LS897 left Manchester at 11am.

Prosecutor Wayne Jackson said: '[The defendant and his friend] were offered a drink from the bar and at that stage the defendant became flirtatious with Beth Rose and tried to chat her up.

'They were served the drinks and the stewardesses moved down the cabin, but Beth Rose didn't escape the defendant's attention.

'As she moved down to serve the next passenger he said: "You have got a right arse." She ignored him and became professional.

'After the first service Beth Rose went to collect rubbish and he said: "Let me take you out." A short time after he said: "She'll do" to another cabin crew member.

'The defendant threw a plastic Pringles cap [in] the aircraft, and was laughing thinking what he was doing was entertaining.'

When cabin crew confronted him he denied that he had thrown anything. But Jones started again 15 minutes later. He then called her his 'fiance'.

During the three hour flight Jones, who was on a city break with a male friend, declared Miss Rose had 'a right arse on her' before pleading: 'Let me take you out.' He also drunkenly fell down the stairs while disembarking the aircraft, landing flat on his face on the tarmac

Mr Jackson added: 'It was clear this man was very, very drunk and was only served two Gin and Tonics on the flight.

'At one stage he spilt his drink all over himself and cabin crew had to clean it up.

'When the flight landed his friend apologised for his behaviour.

'When he left the aircraft, he was unsteady on his feet and fell face down the last few stairs onto the tarmac.

'He made 'no comment' replies when later interviewed by police. This was boorish and nuisance behaviour.'

Jones' lawyer claimed his actions were brought about by a 'major drink problem'.

In mitigation for Jones defence lawyer Craig McGregor said: 'He had a major drink problem at the time and when he came round after the trip he had to deal with it, which he has done.

The incident occurred on September 12 2019 after the Jet 2 (pictured, stock image) flight LS897 left Manchester at 11am

'Whilst this behaviour was annoying and boorish, passengers were not too inconvenienced, and the flight was not diverted.'

Sentencing Judge Mark Savill told Jones: 'It is obvious that before you got on this flight you were very much worse for wear and had drunk much more than the two gin and tonics you were given on board.

'Cabin crew and fellow passengers should not be subject to loutish, boorish and drunken behaviour by people such as you because there is nowhere for them to go until the flight lands.

'Things can unravel quickly in a limited space when someone is in drink.

'It seems to me that you have identified your drink problem and are seeking counselling and help.

'This was a period of your life which I hope you will look back at with regret and shame.'

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  More than 150,000 Americans have now received the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine in the United States. So, can they all take their masks off and hug their neighbors?

Or can vaccinated people still catch and spread the virus?

The shortest answer is we really dont know yet,' said Dr. Eric Cioe-Pena, director of Global Health for the Northwell Health System, which operates Staten Island University Hospital. Theres a possibility that, just like the flu vaccine, we are going to see people who are still about to get infected. Were not going to see people with major medical issues, but there will be some with a fever or cold symptoms.'

Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines appear to be remarkably effective, based on the data currently available. The Pfizer vaccine is 95% effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 seven days after the second booster dose, while the Moderna vaccine is 94% effective 14 days after the second dose. Both shots require two doses, spaced at least 21 days apart, to provide full immunity.

That is the best news in the world,' Cioe-Pena said. That is amazing. But, that doesnt necessarily mean thats going to bear out. Were all hoping that six to eight months into this were going to be able to say, yeah, take the masks off, were safe.'

For now, vaccinated people should continue to mask up and stay at least six feet apart from others, doctors say, as there will still be a small percentage -- but a large number -- of vaccinated Americans vulnerable to infection and the possibility of becoming silent spreaders.

Across the whole country, 5% is still an enormous amount of people, Cioe-Pena said. Thats the reason we cant take off the mask and run around screaming in the streets,' he explained.

Yet, vaccination will definitely reduce the amount of virus in your system, which helps reduce spread, said Dr. Azza Elemam, an attending physician at Richmond University Medical Center (RUMC), who has 10 years of experience treating infectious disease.

The amount of virus in your system matters in terms of how contagious you are,' she said, explaining that research continues on transmission rates and case counts, and protocol will be revised as more is learned.

Before the emergency authorizations by the FDA of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the agency was most concerned that the vaccines safely and effectively protect people from COVIDS-19 symptoms. They didnt study whether people whove been vaccinated can still spread the virus to others, the doctors explained.

And, while much is known about the way the body produces antibodies, which it does differently in people who are vaccinated compared with those who produce them after catching the virus, there is still a lot to be learned about how the body reacts to COVID, Elemam said.

Scientist know that the nose is the main port of entry for most respiratory infections, such as COVID-19, and if the virus is introduced there, antibodies specific to the mucus in that part of the body will be produced, blocking the virus entry the next time a person is exposed.

But, when a person is vaccinated, different antibodies are produced deep within the muscles. Though some of those antibodies will circulate in the blood all over the body, including to the mucus in the nose, its still not clear exactly how much is mobilized by the COVID vaccine, or how quickly that occurs, Elemam said.

Some of this data is not there,' she said. Theres been no specific research about that. Its more theoretical, based on the way the immune system works. Its a rapidly evolving situation, and we get more information, literally, every day.'

Yet, if a vaccinated person does contract the virus, the symptoms will be far less serious, maybe even unnoticeable, the doctors both said.

Instead of four days in the hospital, the person has a fever for a day,' Cioe-Pena said.

Elemam, who herself just received the vaccine, said she plans to continue social distancing and mask wearing when shes near people from other households.

The fact that I have antibodies is not going to prevent me from being exposed to virus,' said Elemam, who treats COVID patients daily at RUMC. When exposed, some of the virus may survive in her body and reproduce, she said. And we dont know how much virus it takes to spread the virus to someone else.'

Cioe-Pena agreed, urging caution when visiting vulnerable people, like the elderly or those with underlying health conditions, even if theyve been vaccinated.

If youre visiting Grandma, youre probably going to treat her with some level of social distancing,' Cioe-Pena said. If youre just going to see her and youre not going to quarantine before, then, yeah, I would still wear a mask. Theres still a chance you could pass COVID on to Grandma.'

The vaccine does not take masks out of the equation just yet, he said: But, it does put them on the chopping block, which is nice.

As the vaccine continues to be distributed, and more is learned about containing the spread, Elemam, too, urged patience and continued compliance.

I know people are tired,' Elemam said. Believe me, Im tired, too. I want to go out and see my friends. But if people dont adhere to all these precautions, it will just be dragged out that much longer.

She urged Staten Islanders to look at the bright side: The vaccines prevent COVID deaths and serious illness. So, all should get vaccinated when the vaccine becomes available to them, she said.

Yes, Im not going to be able to stop wearing my mask, but thats not the only thing to be concerned about,' Elemam said. Im only 40, and Im seeing people younger than myself dying. Ive seen so many people hospitalized for a week, two weeks, going home on oxygen. Im seeing what happens when people get COVID. Now, theres a light at the end of the tunnel.'
What just happened? The dark web has a deserved reputation for being home to criminal activities, but what is reported to have been its largest illegal marketplace has now been taken offline following an operation involving several countries and Europol.

The European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol) writes that DarkMarket had almost 500,000 users, more than 2,400 sellers, and over 320,000 transactions. It had also seen over 4,65 Bitcoin and 12,800 Monero transferred, equal to around $170 million.

As with the infamous Silk Road, DarkMarket users mainly traded drugs, counterfeit money, credit card details, SIM cards, and malware.

German authorities headed the investigation that led to the arrest of a 34-year Australian citizen alleged to be the market operator near the German-Danish border. The suspect was brought before a judge but refused to speak, reports The Guardian. He is now in pre-trial detention.

Officers have closed the marketplace and plan to use the 20 servers in Moldova and the Ukraine to investigate moderators, buyers, and sellers.

DarkMarket came to German authorities' attention during an investigation against the web-hosting service Cyberbunkerlocated in former NATO bunkers in Germany and Hollandwhich hosted sites including The Pirate Bay and WikiLeaks.

"A shared commitment across the law enforcement community worldwide and a coordinated approach by law enforcement agencies have once again proved their effectiveness," Europol said. "The scale of the operation at Europol demonstrates the global commitment to tackling the use of the dark web as a means to commit crime."

The dark web isn't the safe haven for criminals that it once was. Another international law enforcement operation last September that targeted opioid traffickers led to over 170 arrests across the US and Europe. Weapons, drugs, and over $6.5 million in both cash and virtual currencies were seized.

In 2019, the Wall Street Market takedown saw the site's administrators charged with running an illegal market that served 1.15 million customers and stealing all of the money held in its escrow and user accounts.
ROSEVILLE, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- As a top skin rejuvenation specialist in the greater Sacramento area, Dr. Luis Lee offers patients only the best of the best skin rejuvenation treatments. Supporting his reputation for offering area patients superior anti-aging therapies, the Aesthetics, by Dr. Lee medical spa recently introduced the highly effective Sofwave treatment. Sofwave is an FDA-cleared, ultrasound energy-based medical device featuring the newest technology to improve facial lines and wrinkles on the face and neck with no downtime.

"Starting in our mid-20s, collagen and elastin starts to break down causing our skin to wrinkle," stated Dr. Lee. "Sofwave is a new, clinically-proven, non-invasive approach to safely rebuilding collagen, thereby improving facial lines and wrinkles."

Sofwave uses proprietary Synchronous Ultrasound Parallel Beam Technology (SUPERB), in which energy precisely passes through the skin's surface, heating the mid-dermal tissue at just the right depth and temperature to rejuvenate collagen fibers and improve the overall appearance of aging skin. As ultrasound energy is delivered patients may feel warmness on their skin, but the treatment is safe. "I apply a topical anesthetic cream just prior to the treatment, and the Sofwave device maintains efficient contact cooling during the procedure," explained Dr. Lee.

Another reason why Dr. Lee is offering Sofwave to his patients: Some wrinkle reduction treatments come with noticeable downtime and can be more painful for patients, "But Sofwave is a superior treatment with zero downtime and zero side effects," said Dr. Lee.

About Aesthetics, by Dr. Lee

Aesthetics By Dr. Lee specializes in Botox, Juvederm and other dermal fillers, skin rejuvenation, laser hair removal, PRP injections, microneedling, and various anti-aging procedures in its Roseville, CA, clinic. Dr. Luis Lee received his Bachelor of Science at the University of Notre Dame, and then moved to Puerto Rico and obtained his Medical Degree at the Ponce School of Medicine in 2008, followed by General Surgery training at various hospitals, such as the University of Florida, Jacksonville and the University of Colorado in Denver. In addition to his work as an aesthetic physician, Dr. Lee has become well-known in Northern California as a wound care specialist in local and regional nursing homes.

About Sofwave Medical Ltd.

Sofwave Medical Ltd. implements a novel approach to wrinkle reduction using proprietary Synchronous Ultrasound Parallel Beam Technology (SUPERB). Sofwave Medical's breakthrough technology brings a new option to non-invasive aesthetic treatments, providing physicians with smart yet simple, effective and safe aesthetic solutions for their patients.

SOURCE Sofwave

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CLEVELAND, Ohio  Advocates for consumers and for good government told a Cleveland City Council panel Tuesday it was important to fully expose FirstEnergy Corp.s use of dark money contributions in a campaign against Cleveland Public Power.

The public deserves to know who is funding organizations such as Consumers Against Excessive Fees so it knows who is really lobbying them.

We all should be able to follow the money, Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, told councils Utilities Committee.

You can urge the state legislature to act, Turcer said. More importantly, you can update your own campaign finance law to ensure the transparency of the funding of political advertisements surrounding the mayoral and city council races.

Turcer urged the city to consider requiring disclosures on lobbying and campaign materials that list who is distributing the message and the top donors.

That would immediately inform residents who is behind the distribution of pamphlets and fliers, such as those Consumers Against Excessive Fees distributed in Cleveland.

Similar efforts have been made in New York City and San Francisco, she said.

Tax filings and federal court documents indicate that FirstEnergy funneled money through a nonprofit to Consumers Against Deceptive Fees, which billed itself as an advocate for Cleveland utility customers by questioning rates.

FirstEnergy competes with city-owned Cleveland Public Power for customers. FirstEnergy has about 60,000 customers in the city. Cleveland Public Power has about 70,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers.

Tax records show that the nonprofit Partners for Progress contributed $200,000 to Consumers Against Deceptive Fees in 2019. In tax records, Partners for Progress stated its sole source of funding was FirstEnergy.

Preserving public electric utilities such as CPP is important, said Tom Bullock, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board of Ohio. The organization, formed last July, advocates for lower utility bills, reliable service and clean power.

Public utilities  CPP is the largest in Ohio  have the ability to drive policy by promoting new and efficient technology such as smart thermostats and promoting green energy.

Investor-owned utilities in Ohio have been slow to embrace those causes, Bullock said.

More from Cleveland City Hall

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson warns more COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine is needed or inoculation plans will stall

Justin Bibb declares candidacy for Cleveland mayor

Cleveland confirms 236 new COVID-19 coronavirus cases, four new deaths: Monday update

Cleveland City Council members might subpoena FirstEnergy, citing efforts to undermine CPP
The agreement with Nathalie Fontanez was finalized last month

A former Boston firefighter who said she was sexually harassed by male colleagues while on the job, then denied a better position as retaliation for reporting the harassment, has received a $3.2 million settlement from the city, her attorneys said Tuesday.

The agreement with Nathalie Fontanez was finalized last month, said her attorneys, who include Gloria Allred.

During a news conference with Allred, Fontanez named former firefighter David Sanchez as the person who assaulted her inside a Jamaica Plain firehouse in January 2018.

Sanchez was convicted in January 2020 of one count of indecent assault and battery and one count of assault and battery for the he assault. He was sentenced to two years probation, the Boston Globe reports.

A message seeking comment was left with the city.

'This result was obtained because of Nathalie's courage in pursuing this case and her refusal to allow the city of Boston to get away with denying her legal rights to enjoy equal employment opportunity and be free of sexual harassment in the workplace, and retaliation against her for protesting it,' Allred said during an online news conference.

During a news conference with Allred, Fontanez named former firefighter David Sanchez as the person who assaulted her inside a Jamaica Plain firehouse in January 2018

She said that the other firefighters turned on her when she came forward about the assault

Fontanez joined the Boston Fire Department in November 2011 because she wanted to help people and, as a single mother, wanted to end her reliance on minimum wage jobs and welfare, she said.

'I wanted to be one of Boston's bravest. I wanted my daughter to be proud. I wanted to be the woman I never saw driving fire trucks through my neighborhood,' she said.

She said she was harassed and ostracized when she complained to her superiors about the hazing she endured, made to feel 'like a second-class citizen amongst my colleagues.'

'The guys that I once relied on for my life safety now turned against me,' she said. 'I felt as though everyone was my enemy'

'I felt that I had to tolerate anything that came my way, because I was lucky to be there,' she said. 'I was often reminded by some of my colleagues that I had taken a job from a man who could have been providing for his family, even though I was a single parent providing for mine.'

Fontanez joined the Boston Fire Department in November 2011

Fontanez said that the other firefighters turned on her when she came forward about the assault.

'The guys that I once relied on for my life safety now turned against me,' she said. 'I felt as though everyone was my enemy.'

She later added: 'I'm breaking my silence, because I believe that women firefighters deserve equal treatment in the Boston Fire Department.'

When Fontanez expressed interest in joining the Boston Fire Investigation Unit, following Sanchez's conviction, she was told that the position was available only to firefighters with greater seniority. But she later learned the job went to a white male who joined the department on the same day as her.

'I felt forced to surrender my career as a firefighter, because I did not feel that I would be safe from some of my brother firefighters if I returned,' she said.

Allred added: 'This denial of equal employment opportunity served as yet another example of the discrimination suffered by Nathalie based on her gender.'
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Former health minister Simon Harris has criticised communications around the Governments Covid-19 vaccination plan, saying the public do not know enough about it.

Mr Harris was among a number of Fine Gael TDs to raise criticism and, at a parliamentary party meeting today, said that communications needed to be improved.

Sources at the meeting said there was widespread criticism of communications, and while Health Minister Stephen Donnelly was not named, contributions from several members implied criticism of his handling of the matter.

Meanwhile, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar also told the meeting the situation of people flying into Belfast from Britain without having to provide a negative test for Covid-19 from the previous 72 hours  as is now required in the Republic  presented a very big back door to the south.

He said this was an issue that would have to be dealt with by engaging with the Governments Northern counterparts in the coming weeks.

Sources at the meeting said Mr Harris, the Minister for Higher Education, stated that the public are not satisfied they know enough about the rollout of the vaccine programme and suggested Fine Gael needed to try and fill that gap.

Read More

Sources said the minister was not complimentary about communications around the plan.

Mr Harris told colleagues he saw no reason why the HSE could not brief the parliamentary party on the vaccine rollout and suggested that, if the Covid tracker app had vaccine figures, it would encourage people to use it more.

Breakout groups of parliamentary party members heard concerns around the vaccine plan, with party chair Richard Bruton telling the meeting of frustration among TDs and senators at the lack of proper liaison with the Department of Health.

He told the meeting people were not getting the information they needed to know and were being told to send queries to a generic ministerial email address.

MEP Frances Fitzgerald said those in charge of the vaccination programme are not leading effectively at the moment and that the communication around it is not being dealt with on a political level.

She said the vaccination programme is crying out for leadership as well as information around the rollout to GPs and pharmacies.

She said there was too much uncertainty that was not reassuring for the public, despite the availability of vaccine supply.

Minister of State Patrick ODonovan said the communications around the plan needed to be addressed and that giving daily vaccination figures was just as important as daily deaths statistics.

He suggested the HSE reach out to the IDA to seek the help of private companies and their logistics expertise.

Junior health minister Frank Feighan told the meeting more than 2,000 people have completed a vaccine training programme.

He said there were issues with the Department of Health getting up-to-date information from the HSE.

Mr Varadkar told the meeting between 50,000 and 55,000 people will be vaccinated this week and in the weeks going forward.

He said it is hoped everyone in a nursing home or long-term residential care centre will be vaccinated by Sunday week.

The Tanaiste added that the vaccine programme was going well and better than people think. However, he acknowledged the need for better communications around the plan. He said the HSE would hold a weekly press conference and give out weekly numbers.

He said once GPs and pharmacists are allowed to dispense vaccines, they can do it quickly, noting that they can administer a combined total 75,000 flu vaccines per week.

Mr Varadkar said, at present, vaccines would not be administered by GPs until March. However, he added that this could change if the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not require storage at ultra-low temperatures, is approved at the end of this month.

He said the sharp rise in positive Covid cases was twice as bad as the worst-case projections. Mr Varadkar identified a combination of factors including house gatherings, hospitality settings, travelling around the country, mixing of homes over Christmas, international travel with people not isolating for 14 days, and illegal gatherings at shebeens.

Mr Varadkar said the situation in hospitals was going to be very difficult for the next few weeks due to the high case numbers. He suggested that the numbers of those hospitalised would remain at four figures for the rest of this month and said it would take some time before hospitals recover.
WASHINGTON - A group of 11 suburban Northern Virginia police departments said Tuesday it has launched a Critical Incident Response Team to handle the investigations of police shootings, in-custody deaths and officer suicides in one another's departments, allowing a group of detectives unrelated to the involved department to look independently at each case.

But three of the area's largest law enforcement departments - Fairfax County police, the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and Alexandria police - declined to join the new response team. Fairfax said it had confidence in its detectives' ability to be fair and transparent, and Loudoun and Alexandria said they work with the Virginia State Police when a deputy or officer is involved in a serious use-of-force incident.

When a police officer shoots someone, resulting in injury or death, that officer's own department typically handles both the criminal investigation, to see whether the officer should be arrested, and the internal investigation, to see whether the officer broke any department rules. Many experts and activists say that a department's investigating its own officer is potentially unfair: The investigator may know the officer involved and be biased for or against the officer, or may want to keep the department's reputation clean.

Last month, the President's Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Justice recommended that every state require its police departments to have an independent agency investigate all fatal shootings and other serious use-of-force incidents by officers as a way of restoring and supporting public faith in policing.

The new response team will provide "a high degree of impartiality and separation over these large cases," Manassas City Police Chief Douglas Keen said, because its detectives will "not be reviewing their own agency or peers. This will promote public confidence within each of our communities."

Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, head of the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, said: "The outcries for police reform have been ringing really loudly across the nation over the last 10 months. In Virginia, we have eagerly embraced it."

DeBoard noted that the Northern Virginia Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Committee began working on the idea in December 2019, at the suggestion of Keen and then-Arlington County Police Chief M. Jay Farr. "One of the most difficult things for a police officer to do is to investigate one of their own," DeBoard said. She said the experience can be traumatizing for the investigators as well as the officer.

The agencies that have committed to the response team are Arlington County, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Herndon, Leesburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, Prince William County, Purcellville, Vienna, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police. Each police chief will have the option of calling in the response team, which will use experienced detectives from other jurisdictions to handle the investigation. Those detectives will then file a report with the commonwealth's attorney in the jurisdiction where the event occurred, and that prosecutor will decide whether charges should be filed. Internal investigations still will be handled by the original department.

"The important part of this is I don't have control of that investigation," DeBoard said. "I have control over the information I release to the community." The original department will still handle public news releases, she said.

Though some have argued that prosecutors should recuse themselves from handling police cases in their own jurisdictions because they regularly work with the officers there, no such agreement was reached with the commonwealth's attorneys in Northern Virginia. Kean said the local prosecutors were "engaged in the process" of creating the response team but will retain their own jurisdiction.

The commonwealth's attorneys in Fairfax and Alexandria declined to comment Tuesday. Arlington Commonwealth's Attorney Parisa Deghani-Tafti said in an email, "I think as prosecutors we should be willing to be transparent, just as we demand of the police." Prosecutors are publicly elected every four years, unlike police chiefs, and have long argued that they are elected to make decisions on whether to charge officers.

Fairfax, with more than 1,450 sworn officers, is twice the size of any other department in Northern Virginia. Fairfax Police Chief Edwin Roessler Jr. said in a statement that he supported the goals of the response team and that Fairfax would provide technical assistance as requested. But he did not say why Fairfax was not a full participant.

The last controversial fatal shooting by a Fairfax police officer was investigated by Fairfax homicide detectives beginning in 2013 and resulted in an involuntary manslaughter conviction of the officer. Adam Torres was convicted of killing unarmed Springfield resident John Geer. After the Geer case, a civilian review panel and independent auditor post were created, and Roessler has begun promptly releasing information about shootings, including the names of officers involved.

Fairfax homicide detectives also joined the investigation of the 2017 U.S. Park Police killing of unarmed motorist Bijan Ghaisar in Fairfax, leading to manslaughter charges against the officers. Roessler released video of the shooting over federal objections. In cases where officers from one jurisdiction are involved in a shooting in another jurisdiction, decisions about whether to launch the response team will be made at the time, Keen said.

In Alexandria, the city "already voluntarily uses the Virginia State Police to conduct independent investigations of any officer-involved shooting and any accusation of a criminal offense by an officer," city spokesman Craig Fifer said. He said the city council was to discuss participating in the response team as well as in a civilian review board for the police at a meeting Tuesday night.

A spokesman for Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman said the sheriff uses three options for a deputy-involved shooting: have Loudoun's detectives investigate it themselves; conduct a joint investigation with the Virginia State Police; or have the state police perform the entire investigation. Spokesman Kraig Troxell said Chapman decides which option to use on the basis of the circumstances and complexity of a case. Loudoun has about 560 sworn deputies.

But many of the departments that joined the response team Tuesday are smaller, with fewer resources. Purcellville has about 15 sworn officers, Manassas Park and Falls Church have about 30 each. "Especially for small departments," said Falls Church Police Chief Mary Gavin, "it's hard to sustain the manpower" needed for an extensive investigation. "And because we're so small, we don't have all the expertise we may need in these cases. The CIRT is an exceptional resource for us."

Gavin noted that state police "don't have the resources to do all the officer-involved shootings throughout the commonwealth. This was the way for Northern Virginia to ensure they would get a thorough, complete and neutral investigation."

Gavin said she hoped Fairfax, Loudoun and Alexandria "will join as [the response team] gains experience. I respect the fact they don't want to right now, but let's see how things play out and the group gets more experience."

- - -

The Washington Post's Dan Morse contributed to this report.
Gov. Kate Brown on Tuesday announced new coronavirus risk levels for counties across the state, shifting three additional counties on the coast and in eastern Oregon to the highest concern level.

Twenty-six of Oregons 36 counties are now classified as at extreme risk of COVID-19 spread, the highest possible level.

Baker, Clatsop, Coos and Morrow counties were elevated to the highest risk level, joining the Portland area and all counties in the Willamette Valley. Effective Jan. 15, they will face bans on or closures of indoor dining, gyms and theaters, among other businesses. The highest risk level also puts a cap on religious service attendance and other restrictions. The attendance limits are recommendations but churches are required to meet specific cleaning thresholds, maintain social distancing and mask use.

We are reminded that health and safety measures continue to be of utmost importance, even when we slow the spread of COVID-19, Brown said in a statement. I want to remind all Oregonians to continue to do their part by abiding by the health and safety guidelines in place. Until vaccines are widely available with high participation rates, the surest way to open our communities is to continue practicing the measures we know are effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19  wear your mask, keep physical distance from others, avoid gatherings, wash your hands often, and stay home when you are sick.

Curry County was downgraded from extreme risk to moderate risk, while Lake County was elevated from lower to moderate risk levels. Baker was originally listed as extreme two weeks ago, then removed, now it is officially added.

Counties are classified based on their size and certain COVID-19 factors such as percent positive test rate over a two-week period. The risk levels remain in place until Jan. 28.

UPDATE: This story was updated to reflect the church attendance limits are recommendations and not mandatory.

-- Andrew Theen; atheen@oregonian.com; 503-294-4026; @andrewtheen
Press Release

January 13, 2021 Villanueva calls on IATF: Start drawing up guidelines on priority list to avoid overlaps in vaccine roll out While negotiations are ongoing between the government and pharmaceutical firms who intend to supply COVID-19 vaccine for the country's inoculation program, Senator Joel Villanueva called on the Inter-Agency Task Force to begin drawing up a clear-cut master list of beneficiaries to ensure no overlaps in the selection given the limited resources. Villanueva, chair of the Senate labor committee, emphasized the importance of the precise targeting of beneficiaries because based on the initial priority list of the government, a person can fall under multiple categories. "The IATF should start drawing up guidelines as early as now so that we can maximize the distribution of the vaccines given the limited supply. A person could easily fall under two and more categories, so there must be a clear set of guidelines on this," Villanueva said in a statement. "We should already be anticipating the kinds of issues we would encounter once the roll-out begins. The lawmaker welcomed the expansion of the IATF's priority list, which increased to about 35 million to include essential workers, seafarers, and overseas Filipino workers. In December, Villanueva appealed to the government for the inclusion of essential workers, saying that public utility drivers, market attendants, food manufacturing workers, garbage collectors and street sweepers, other workers in the food industry, delivery riders, logistics personnel, among others, provide important services to ensure the economy keeps going. The IATF's initial priority list is composed of frontline health workers (1.76 million), indigent senior citizens (3.78 million), remaining senior citizens (5.67 million), remaining indigent Filipinos (12.9 million), and uniformed personnel (about 525,523), which is roughly 24.6 million. Villanueva explained that IATF would need to precisely identify the 10.4 million additional beneficiaries considering that about 25% or about 10 million of the country's 39.8 million employed workers as of the October 2020 Labor Force Survey are in "elementary occupations." The Philippine Statistics Authority says that among those involved in elementary occupations are unskilled labor such as "street vendors, cleaners, domestic helpers and farm hands." PSA data also shows that about seven million workers are in sales or service occupations. "We do not want overlaps in the priority list. Given the limited supply, we must ensure that each dose goes to the rightful beneficiary," Villanueva pointed out. "While unemployment eased in October to 8.7% or about 3.8 million jobless workers, we must understand that the people also stopped looking for work. The slump is getting into the heads of our workers, and the vaccination program will help boost both the confidence of workers and our businesses as well." "We cannot afford to drop the ball on this. The stakes are too high. Our country's economic recovery depends largely on this," Villanueva added.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is reportedly supporting an impeachment proceeding against U.S. President Donald Trump. One source familiar with the matter said that McConnell is done and furious with Trump.

However, it is still unclear how McConnell would vote in an impeachment trial, if the House Democrats vote to impeach Trump, according to a Fox News report.

A source familiar with the issue said that McConnell has not made up his mind about the impeachment, and does not look at the proceedings as a partisan exercise like the previous impeachment move against Trump.

Another source claimed that McConnell told his fellow GOP members that impeaching Trump would help the party get rid of the president and his movement.

The House is scheduled to vote on Wednesday to formally sue Trump with inciting violence against the country, according to the New York Times report.

McCarthy said last Wednesday that the U.S. and the Congress have met much greater threats than the unhinged crowd that breached the Capitol on the day.

"We have never been deterred before and we will not be deterred today. They tried to disrupt our democracy," McConnell was quoted on a HuffPost report.

The Republican lawmaker added that the riot suspects have failed.

Meanwhile, McConnell's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Related story: Pelosi Calls for Trump Impeachment in Fear He'll Pardon Capitol Rioters

House Impeachment Plans

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy has asked other Republicans whether he should implore on Trump to resign following the riot that took place at the U.S. Capitol, according to three Republican officials familiar with the matter.

McCarthy is one of Trump's most loyal allies in Congress.

The California representative has said that he is opposed to impeachment. However, he and other party leaders have decided not to formally lobby Republicans to vote no.

A McCarthy aide said that the official is open to a measure censuring Trump for his actions.

McCarthy also reached out to a House Democrat official to see if the party would be willing to push through a censure vote.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ruled it out of the options.

Meanwhile, Trump commented on the impeachment proceedings being prepared against him.

The president said that it's a continuation of the greatest witch hunt in the history of politics, according to a New York Magazine report.

"This impeachment is causing tremendous anger, and you're doing it, and it's really a terrible thing that they're doing," Trump was quoted on a report.

Known Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said that Trump simply needs to get out.

Pelosi said that she had discussed the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley the available precautions of preventing "an unstable president" starting military hostilities or accessing the launch codes for a nuclear war.

Pelosi said Milley assured her longstanding safeguards are in place to prevent that from happening.

The president has the only authority to order the launch of a nuclear weapon. However, a military commander could refuse the order if it were identified as illegal, according to a Time report.

Related story: Sen. Roy Blunt Says Trump Should Finish Presidency, Doubts Impeachment Would Happen Before Trump Leaves Office

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag-off the COVID-19 vaccination drive on January 16 which is expected to be the world's largest vaccination programme. Preparations for this have been going in full swing across in the country.

PM Modi will virtually launch the pan-India COVID-19 vaccination drive on Saturday. On the same day, PM Modi will also officially launch the Co-WIN app, according to India Today TV.

So far, the country's drug regulators have given their nod to two COVID-19 vaccines for emergency use. These are - Covishield and Covaxin. Oxford University and AstraZeneca have developed the Covishield vaccine and it is being produced in India by domestic pharmaceutical giant Serum Institute of India (SII). While Bharat Biotech has indigenously developed the Covaxin vaccine.

The government has already stated that in the first phase of the vaccination program, the vaccine will be administered to around 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers. After this group, priority will be given to those individuals who are above the age of 50 and the under-50 population with co-morbidities. The size of this group of people is around 27 crore.

The decision to launch India's vaccination drive on January 16 was taken by the Prime Minister after reviewing the COVID-19 situation in the country and the status of vaccine development programs.

"After the detailed review, it was decided that in view of the forthcoming festivals including Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Magh Bihu, etc, the Covid-19 vaccination will start from January 16, 2021," a government statement earlier said. Lohri is being celebrated today i.e January 13.

"Emergency Use Authorisation or Accelerated Approval has been granted by the National Regulator for two vaccines (Covishield and Covaxin) which have established safety and immunogenicity," the government added.

Earlier, 476 boxes filled with lakhs of Covishield vaccine doses were transported to 13 locations across India from the Pune Airport for the vaccination drive scheduled on January 16.

Also read: COVID-19 vaccine rollout: Adar Poonawalla says vaccine will be sold to private players at Rs 1,000 per dose

Also read: No option to choose preferred coronavirus vaccine, says Health Ministry
London: Mathias Cormann has defied critics who hoped the Coalition's climate change policies would quickly sink his bid to lead a key global economic body, with the former senator emerging as a frontrunner following a cull of candidates.

Cormann, a Liberal Party powerbroker and Australia's longest-serving finance minister, left the Senate last year to campaign for the position of secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

Former finance minister Mathias Cormann is running to become the OECD secretary-general. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Sources at the Paris-based OECD told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the 10 candidates vying for the job had been put into three groups based on soundings from the OECD's 38 member countries.

Cormann has been listed in the group with the strongest level of support, alongside Sweden's candidate Cecilia Malmstrom and the Swiss nominee Philipp Hildebrand.
The International Criminal Court in The Hague took note of the report entitled "Russian War Crimes in Ukraine in 2014" which was submitted by Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm Magorzata Gosiewska.

The issue of launching an investigation into Russia's crimes in Ukraine is likely to be addressed soon by the successor to the incumbent prosecutor of the ICC, Ukrinform reports with reference to Gosiewska's post on Facebook.

"This report was submitted to the ICC in The Hague in 2016. I would like to inform you that the preliminary study of this case was completed by ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda at the end of 2020. The prosecutor acknowledged that there is a reasonable likelihood that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in the territory of Ukraine during the period covered by the report," Gosiewska wrote.

She reminded that those crimes were divided into three categories: committed during armed hostilities, committed during detentions and arrests, as well as committed in Crimea.

The Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm noted that the ICC in The Hague made such a decision given that the relevant investigations are already underway in Ukraine and Russia.

As Gosiewska noted, ICC prosecutor Bensouda, speaking about her arguments in favor of launching a trial on the crimes of the Russian Federation in Ukraine in December last year, still did not announce a final decision. According to the Polish politician, this is probably linked with the end of Bensouda's tenure as the ICC prosecutor in June 2021. So she probably decided to leave her successor to make a final decision.

"I will continue to monitor the progress of this case and inform about it," the Deputy Speaker of the Polish Sejm summed up.

The report "Russian War Crimes in Ukraine in 2014" was prepared on the basis of more than 60 interviews conducted by Polish and Ukrainian volunteers with prisoners. The former prisoners told, among other things, about physical and mental torture, murders in which Russians were involved.

In the first half of 2016, the document was presented in the European Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Sejm of Poland, and at the OSCE meeting. In April 2016, Gosiewska personally submitted the report to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

On December 11, 2020, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda stated that there was sufficient basis to believe that a wide range of acts committed in the context of the situation in Ukraine constituted war crimes and crimes against humanity within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. The ICC completed its review of case files it had received from Ukraine, including from the Prosecutor Generals Office and non-governmental organizations that documented the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Russian-occupied territories. Now the ICC is expected to adopt a decision to initiate the investigation.

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Delhi government on Wednesday asked residents not to be scared of the bird flu. It asked people not to panic and to follow a set of dos and don'ts. It asked Delhi residents not to consume half-cooked chicken, half-boiled or half-fried eggs. "Eat only completely cooked eggs and poultry products cooked at 70 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes. Do not consume half-cooked chicken or bird or half-boiled and half-fried eggs," the advisory said.

"H5N8 is highly pathogenic in birds but the pathogenicity in humans as well as the likelihood of human infection with avian influenza (AH5N8) virus is low," stated the advisory issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of Delhi.

Delhi health department asked people to avoid contact and prevent exposure from 'sick-looking sluggish chicken'. "Avoid contact and prevent exposure from sick-looking sluggish chicken. Avoid direct contact with bird secretions and droppings," the advisory stated. It said that bowls used for feeding birds, and their cages should be washed properly with soap or detergent. All slaughter waste must be disposed of properly, the DGHS authorities said.

The advisory also cautioned people to not touch dead birds with naked hands. If any bird is found dead, one should contact the control room at phone number 23890318, the advisory said.

It cautioned people from keeping poultry meat near cooked meat. "Wash hands frequently at the time of handling raw poultry products. Take due care of personal hygiene and maintain cleanliness in the surrounding," stated the advisory.

Several ducks at Sanjay Lake and a large number of crows across various city parks have been found dead in the last one week. Reports of over 50 bird deaths were received on a helpline of the Delhi government's animal husbandry unit. The revenue department has deployed teams of volunteers at the city's borders to prevent unauthorised entry of livestock, and canned and processed chicken from outside. The Ghazipur poultry market has been closed by authorities.

Also read: Bird flu: Sale of poultry products down 70-80%; prices of chicken crash 50%

Also read: Bird flu: BMC issues guidelines in Mumbai; sets up rapid response team
(Natural News) One of the Trump supporters who was spotted at the Capitol on Jan. 6 turned out to not actually be a Trump supporter at all, but rather a radical left-wing activist who was there to frame the president and his supporters.

John Sullivan was seen in a photo wearing a President Trump 2020: Keep America Great hat in the hallway of a hotel, which was enough proof for the mainstream media to declare him a Trump supporter. As it turns out, however, Sullivan is the founder of a far-left domestic terrorist group known as Insurgence USA.

Sullivan also just so happened to be present at the time Air Force veteran Ashli Babbit was shot to death by police inside the Capitol building. Sullivan actually filmed the shooting as it happened.

Just before the siege, Sullivan snapped the photo of himself wearing the Trump hat along with the caption: counter-intel. In other words, Sullivan admitted before the incident that he was planning to pose as a Trump supporter to fulfill the false flag narrative that Trump supporters committed insurrection against our nation.

Were there real investigative journalists working at fake news outlets like CNN and MSNBC, Sullivans name, photo, and information would have been plastered all over the television as a far-left infiltrator who tried to frame Trump and his supporters as the culprits. Instead, they all capitulated to the lie that Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building and knocked over a few things  oh, the horror!

Liberals committed insurrection by sieging the Capitol

By the time Sullivan made it inside the Capitol building, he had already stripped himself of all Trump regalia. At that point, he was just an uncover Black Lives Matter (BLM) terrorist who was up to no good.

John Sullivan witnessed the lady get shot as they were one of the first trying to get into the Capitol through a door, tweeted someone named Brian Murphy, along with a clip of Sullivans appearance on CNN.

Why was the founder of Insurgence USA among the leaders of those insurging? Doesnt sound like a Trump supporter

According to the Insurgence USA website, the purpose of the groups existence is to fight police brutality. It also exists to empower and [uplift] black and indigenous voices. This does not sound like a Trump supporter.

Hilariously, Sullivan was not wearing a mask during his Capitol invasion, which some probably assumed automatically made him a Trump supporter. In reality, he is a leftist hypocrite, seeing as how the left worships the almighty mask while denigrating all who refuse to wear it.

Activist John storming the Capitol maskless and standing over a woman and recording her bleed to death is weirdly unsurprising, tweeted another user named Dublin.

As it turns out, Sullivan also had violent intent. He is quoted as saying that he wanted to rip the president out of office on Jan. 6, even though the president was not actually inside the building. Later, Sullivan changed his story to claim that he was present at the insurrection solely to document it.

Sullivan also told Fox News that he regularly attends protests, including BLM protests, supposedly to keep an eye on everything that takes place in order to show it to the world.

Its just recording, solely, and not being active in it, Sullivan insists about his constant presence at violent events spearheaded by leftists.

This man (Sullivan) is guilty of murder unless he was let in [by] Capitol Police who assisted in essentially a false flag,' wrote one commenter at an independent news site that reported on the incident.

More of the latest news about the fraudulent 2020 election can be found at Trump.news.

Sources for this article include:

WeLoveTrump.com

NaturalNews.com
(Photo : Screenshot From Pxhere Official Website) Attorney Mocks North Dakota Bill that Could Sue Facebook and Twitter Over Censorship Calling it Incredibly Stupid

The lawmakers over in North Dakota want both Facebook and Twitter to face lawsuits coming from users that have reportedly been "censored." The official bill was submitted by six different legislators just last week titling it an Act aimed to permit civil actions directly against social media sites for them censoring user speech.

New Bill aims to sue websites for 'censorship'

According to an article by arsTechnica, It states that the social media websites along with over 1 million users could be liable in a certain civil action for the damages towards a person who has had their speech restricted, censored, or even oppressed. It was also said that this is directed to any person who reasonably otherwise should have received the speech, writing, or even publication.

The payouts for the "censored" users would also include treble damages made for compensatory, consequential, and other incidental damages. Even if this would be passed by the official North Dakota legislator, this particular bill will still most likely have no effect due to its conflict with official federal law. The proposed law is said to immediately be deemed void as it is preempted by the Section 230 of the official Communications Decency Act.

Bill would have no effect due to Section 230

According to attorney Akiva Cohen in his statement in a Twitter thread regarding this particular bill, this would have no effect because federal law is considered supreme in comparison to state law where these two clash. This would then create an express conflict.

It is known that Section 230 is a particular US law that was enacted back in 1996 saying that providers as well as users of interactive computer services should not actually be liable for any particular action voluntary taken in good faith in order to restrict access to or even availability of material that either the provider or the user could consider as obscene, lascivious, lewd, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or even otherwise objectionable. This is true whether or not this material is officially constitutionally protected.

Read Also: White House Bans Use of Alipay, WeChat Pay and 6 Other China Apps Deemed 'Risky'

Attorney Coney comments on bill

The particular North Dakota bill text also says that it would apply only in certain cases when a company is said to be immune from "civil liability under federal law." This actually means that the proposed North Decota law would eventually no longer apply if Section 230 is then repealed by the official federal government. However, the proposed law will most likely not be enforced while the federal law Section 230 is currently in place either.

Cohen then wrote that there is actually no question that this would then target conduct immune under the federal law. It was also stated that in fact, if Section 230 were then repealed, nobody could then be liable under this particular law and this is because it only reaches immune conduct. He then called the this proposed North Dakota bill that hasn't been approved "incredibly stupid."

Related Article: Gab Parler Alternative App Sees 753% Users Surge: How to Download and Use

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Urian Buenconsejo

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
From Porsha Williams and Monique Samuels to Cynthia Bailey and Gizelle Bryant, the women of The Real Housewives of Potomac and The Real Housewives of Atlanta have always had friendships. For franchise newcomer Wendy Osefo, does she happen to be friends with the Atlanta queen, Kenya Moore?

Wendy Osefo | Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Wendy Osefos first season on The Real Housewives of Potomac just aired

Osefo, the only new housewife on The Real Housewives of Potomac in two seasons, was both a figure of admiration and polarization for viewers. During her first season, she was most known for referencing her many degrees, which was polarizing to some of her fellow cast members, as well as fans.

In an interview with Verizons In the Know, Osefo insinuated that she didnt realize how polarizing the degree talk would be.

RELATED: RHOP Star Candiace Dillard Bassett Says Karen Huger Is No Ones Friend, Also Slams Ashley Darby

I am very proud of my degrees, and I am proud of my accomplishments, but I feel like as a new Housewife, one of the elements is for people to get to know you  something that is a distinguishing factor about you outside of the group. she said. It just so happened that one of my distinguishing factors was the fact that I have four degrees. In addition to the fact that I am the first Nigerian Housewife, so you guys got to see my daughters sip and see, and we did it Nigerian style. But I just found it so interesting that it became so polarizing, in a way.

Wendy Osefo looked up to Kenya Moore?

While we are unsure if Osefo and Moore have a friendship, in a recent interview with The Jasmine Brand, Osefo revealed that Moore, the former Miss USA, was an idol for her growing up.

She told the publication that there werent any darker-skinned woman on television that she saw that looked like her. Im a brown skin girl right? I are up in the era where music videos were big, like music videos were very big. And I remember always watching BET and stuff like that. And I was like Man none of these girls look like me. I remember DMXs video he was talking about There was Keisha, Don, LaShwawn all the names he was naming and I was like, Well who looks like Wendy?

However, when she saw Moore on television, long before her The Real Housewives of Atlanta days, she saw herself represented on television. [I] will never forget I saw this beautiful brown skin girl, and I was like Who is that? she explained. And she always stuck in my head. Fast forward [and] Kenya Moore joined Real Housewives of Atlanta.

Wendy Osefo says Kenya Moore been cashing checks

Though Moore is probably most-known now for being on the Bravo reality show, that is not her reference point for Osefo. I think that for some people Kenya Moore is associate[d] with Real Housewives of Atlanta but for me, she represented what I felt like I looked like on TV, she explained. So before the show Kenya Moore was that girl, and to me she is still that girl. Love you Kenya. Yall can say Oh are you team Kenya? It dont matter what team youre on because Kenya Moore been cashing checks. Shes been that girl so lets put some respect on her name.

The Real Housewives of Potomac is expected to begin filming for the new season soon with a premiere date set for later this year on Bravo. Meanwhile, The Real Housewives of Atlanta is airing its current season on the network.


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For the American Puritans, the wealth of material is overwhelming. Here is an attempt to make the overwhelming manageable; the focus is on Puritanism from 1630 to 1730.

Two of the most accessible overviews complement each other nicely. Francis Bremer, in The Puritan Experiment: New England Society from Bradford to Edwards (St. Martins, 1976), covers key events in an engaging narrative. Leland Rykens Worldly Saints: The Puritans As They Really Were (Zondervan, 1986) discusses topically who Puritans were and what they believed.

Puritanism as an intellectual movement is covered magisterially by Perry Miller in The New England Mind: The Seventeenth Century (1939) and The New England Mind: From Colony to Province (1953)essential but not for the faint-hearted. A more accessible treatment is J. I. Packers Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life (Crossway, 1990).

Puritan Faith

How did the Puritans live out their faith? Harry S. Stout studied the key role of preaching in The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in Colonial New England (Oxford, 1977), while Horton Davies, in The Worship of the American Puritans, 16291730 (Peter Lang, 1990), shows why and how Puritans worshiped.

Getting more personal, David D. Hall looks at relationships between pastors and parishioners in The Faithful Shepherd: A History of the New England Ministry in the Seventeenth Century (North Carolina, 1972). Charles E. Hambrick-Stowes The Practice of Piety: Puritan Devotional Disciplines in Seventeenth Century New England (North Carolina, 1982) reveals how Puritans improved their spiritual lives.

Edmund S. Morgan wrote The Puritan Family: Religion and Domestic Relations in Seventeenth Century New England (Greenwood, 1944, ...
She turns 99-years-old this Sunday.

And national sweetheart Betty White shared that she is still feeling in fine fettle with her birthday around the corner.

'I am blessed with good health so turning 99 is no different than turning 98,' she told People, noting the importance of 'a sense of humor.'

Ray of sunshine: National sweetheart Betty White shared that she is still feeling in fine fettle with her birthday around the corner; pictured in 2015

The Golden Girls icon said wisely: 'Don't take yourself too seriously. You can lie to others - not that I would - but you cannot lie to yourself.'

She also likes to retain a sunny outlook on life as 'I don't like the other side. The positive side is a lot more fun.'

Betty is eagerly anticipating life after lockdown when 'visiting with close friends and bringing food to my animal friends' will become feasible.

Her tips for longevity and happiness are 'Again, having a sense of humor. Just looking at the positive side and not dwelling on the downside.'

Looking fab: 'I am blessed with good health so turning 99 is no different than turning 98,' she told People , noting the importance of 'A sense of humor'; pictured in 1957

She pointed out: 'Takes up too much energy being negative. Also having a good agent who keeps me busy all the time.'

Last spring a friend of hers dished that Betty will still indulge in a cocktail every once in awhile as she hunkers down at home amid the pandemic.

The Hot In Cleveland star's tipple of choice is a 'vodka martini' with 'hot dogs and french fries,' a pal of hers told Closer Weekly.

Titan: Betty has spent eight decades working in television and has racked up the longest career in the history of the medium; pictured in 1957

Throwback: She has been on a slew of hit programs including The Mary Tyler Moore Show; she is pictured on that series with Mary in 1975

Legend: However Betty is most famous for starring on The Golden Girls from 1985 to 1992 with Rue McClanahan (top left), Bea Arthur (top right) and Estelle Getty (bottom left)

This friend shared: 'Betty loves to joke that vodka keeps her young. She loves the image of her sitting at home in a rocking chair, drinking a martini and watching game shows, but she's not really a big drinker. That's not her. She'll only take a few sips of a cocktail if the occasion calls for it.'

Betty lives in Carmel, California and last year her representative told Today she 'has beautiful backyard with a number of wild animals visiting.'

She 'Has helpers who are great' with her and 'wild animals visiting' her backyard, said the rep, dishing: 'The virus is afraid of Betty!'

Iconic: Betty starred on the show from 1985 to 1992 as Rose Nylund, a kindhearted bottle blonde ditz from St. Olaf, Minnesota

'No one permitted in except those who must,' but she still has multiple phone calls with her publicist within a week during which 'we always have laughs.'

Betty has spent eight decades working in television and has racked up the longest career in the history of the medium.

Although she has been on a slew of hit programs including The Mary Tyler Moore Show she is most beloved for The Golden Girls.

Breakaway: The Golden Girls ended because Bea Arthur (right) did not want to do it anymore, so Betty joined Rue and Estelle in a follow-up sequel series

Brief: Entitled The Golden Palace (pictured), the spin-off show lasted only one season in 1993 and saw the three remaining leads start a hotel together

Betty starred on the show from 1985 to 1992 as Rose Nylund, a kindhearted bottle blonde ditz from St. Olaf, Minnesota.

She was part of the main cast with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, all three of whom were younger than she but have predeceased her.

The Golden Girls ended because Bea did not want to do it anymore, so Betty joined Rue and Estelle in a follow-up sequel series.

Entitled The Golden Palace, the spin-off show lasted only one season in 1993 and saw the three remaining leads start a hotel together.

The original Golden Girls is available to stream on Stan in Australia
We also know that this industry has an important journey ahead to decarbonize. The surest road to zero-emissions goods movement, and a 1.5 C future, is with battery-powered vehicles.

RMI and NACFE are announcing the third in their bi-annual Run on Less trucking demonstration run series. This years Run on Less will focus on electric trucking, with 10 dedicated trucks and their drivers reporting real-time data to show the current state of electric trucking technology in the freight industry.

Supported by title sponsors including Dana, Meritor, and Shell, the Run on LessElectric (RoL-E) demonstration vehicles will include electric vans, medium-duty box trucks, and heavy-duty trucks moving freight in a variety of conditions and geographic areas. In order to increase electric truck adoption and deployment, RoL-E will help fleets, charging infrastructure companies, utility companies, and policymakers better understand the current benefits and challenges of hauling freight with electric trucks.

Supply chain disruptions during the pandemic have shown all of us how essential freight movement is to our daily lives. We also know that this industry has an important journey ahead to decarbonize. The surest road to zero-emissions goods movement, and a 1.5 C future, is with battery-powered vehicles, said RMI CEO Jules Kortenhorst.

To complement the RoL-E demonstration and data collection components, RMI and NACFE will also host a series of virtual educational events (E-series) to convene industry stakeholders to discuss the why and how of electric truck deployments. An opportunity to learn from leaders in fleet electrification beyond the formal Run participants, the public E-series will include discussions with fleet managers, charging providers, utilities, engineering firms, policymakers, and more.

Rather than a typical webinar where experts teach what they already know, the E-series will bring together stakeholders from across the industry to support innovation, collaboration, and the acceleration of zero-emissions goods movement, says NACFE Board Chair and Schneider EVP & Chief Administrative Officer Rob Reich.

RMI and NACFE are currently seeking applications from fleets interested in participating in the Run. Sponsorship opportunities are also available for the event.

Learn more about Run on Less and apply to participate or support RoL-E at: http://www.runonless.com

Media Inquiries please contact:

Alexandra Chin, Media Relations Associate, T: +1 646-883-1733, E: achin@rmi.org

Note to Editors:

RMI & NACFE will hold a virtual press conference on Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 11 a.m. EST. Join the press conference at: https://rmi-org.zoom.us/j/6552523260

About the North American Council for Freight Efficiency

The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) works to drive the development and adoption of efficiency enhancing, environmentally beneficial, and cost-effective technologies, services, and operational practices in the movement of goods across North America. NACFE provides independent, unbiased research, including Confidence Reports on available technologies and Guidance Reports on emerging ones, which highlight the benefits and consequences of each, and deliver decision-making tools for fleets, manufacturers, and others. NACFE partners with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) on a variety of projects including the Run on Less fuel efficiency demonstration series, electric trucks, emissions reductions, and low-carbon supply chains. Learn more at http://www.nacfe.org and follow NACFE on Twitter @NACFE_Freight.

About Rocky Mountain Institute

Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI)an independent nonprofit founded in 1982transforms global energy use to create a clean, prosperous, and secure low-carbon future. It engages businesses, communities, institutions, and entrepreneurs to accelerate the adoption of market-based solutions that cost-effectively shift from fossil fuels to efficiency and renewables. RMI [i1] has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.

More information on RMI can be found at http://www.rmi.org or follow us on Twitter @RockyMtnInst.
DP Worlds port-centric logistics arm Smart Solution Logistics FZE (SSL) has signed an agreement with Israel-based Allalouf Logistics to explore new growth opportunities for the logistics and general freight forwarding business in the UAE and Israel.

The agreement, which will foster trade between key trade hubs in both countries and beyond, was signed by Albert Kraak, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of SSL, and Gil Miller, Managing Director, Allalouf Logistics, said a Wam news agency report.

Strategically located in Dubais Jebel Ali Port with excellent connectivity to terminals at the port, DP Worlds SSL offers an extensive range of containerised logistics solutions. Using its worldwide network of ports and terminals overseas, SSL helps companies to link their supply chain to any part of the world using high-end IT platforms and variety of transportation modes. Through its collaboration with Allalouf Logistics that is part of the Allalouf Group, one of the largest and longest established shipping agencies in Israel, the company aims to reinforce the logistics sector, in the UAE, Israel and other prime markets, a statement said.

The freight and logistics market in the UAE has grown steadily over the years, surpassing other major industries. It is recognised as a crucial enabler in the UAEs economic diversification efforts. According to the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Authority, the logistics sector's gross output amounted to AED219 billion in 2018. Additionally, the sector's contribution to the UAE's GDP is projected to increase by 8 per cent in 2021.

Albert Kraak, Chief Operating Officer, SSL, said: "We take pride in the fact that we have been able to consistently contribute to the growth of the economy and we will continue doing so. Despite the Covid-19 crisis, we achieved a 30 per cent year-on-year jump in revenue. The normalisation of trade ties between the UAE and Israel has further opened up growth opportunities for us. We firmly support the leaderships vision for the countrys future development and are confident that this new venture will aid the economic prosperity of the nation, while also cementing the leading status of the logistics industry in the region."

He added: "Through our collaboration with Allalouf Logistics, our primary goal is to expand our network and reach markets that were inaccessible in the past."

Gil Miller, Managing Director, Allalouf Logistics, explained: "The onset of the global pandemic has underpinned the importance of the logistics sector. Collaborations like these are essential to tackle the challenges in the supply chain and keep economies running."

As part of the agreement, both entities will deploy all efforts to establish and maintain suitable freight stations required for the operational receiving, consolidating, loading, shipping, unloading and orderly release of cargo, and full container load. - TradeArabia News Service
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The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Bwari, Abuja, on Wednesday, halted the criminal complaints case instituted by a lawyer against 50 activists and celebrities at a Chief Magistrates Court in the aftermath of the violence that erupted during last years #EndSARS protests.

The judge, Bello Kawu, made the order stopping the case in a ruling on an application filed by the 50 defendants to challenge the criminal complaints pending before the Chief Magistrates Court in Wuse Zone 6, Abuja.

A lawyer, Kenechukwu Okeke, in the complaints filed at Chief Magistrates Court, asked that the 50 defendants be brought to justice for allegedly promoting the #EndSARS protests which he claimed led to riots that caused destruction of lives and property in different parts of the country.

The anti-police brutality protest tagged #EndSARS had started peacefully in October 2020 until it was later hijacked by hoodlums who hid under the cover of the genuine protesters to loot and unleash violence in major cities of the country.

Suit

Those sued by Mr Okeke in the suit pending at the magistrates court include activists, musicians, comedians, among other celebrities, who posted solidarity messages on social media in support of the genuine #EndSARS protesters at the time.

They include: Deji Adeyanju, Damini Ogulu, also known as Burna Boy, David Adeleke (Davido), Folarin Falana (Falz), Debo Adebayo (Mr Macaroni), and Maryam Akpaokagi (Taoma).

Others are, Peter and Paul Okoye (formerly P-Square), Innocent Idibia (Tuface), Bankole Wellington (Banky W), Tiwa Savage, Michael Ajereh (Don Jazzy) and Yemi Alade.

The defendants had proceeded to the FCT High Court to challenge the criminal complaints, with Mr Okeke, along with the Nigeria Police Force and the FCT Police Command, joined as the defendants.

They argued that the case pending before the lower court was meant to gag the applicants and other celebrities from exercising their rights under section 40 and 44 and other enabling sections of the constitution.

They added that allegation that they allegedly committed the offences of conspiracy and misdemeanour of lending voice to an unlawful assembly cannot and do not exist in law whatsoever and no provision of a penal codification/penalty exists for same.

Ruling

Granting the prayers of the plaintiffs on Wednesday, Mr Kawu issued an order of stay of all proceedings of the direct criminal complaint pending before the chief magistrate, Omolola Tolulope O. Akindele sitting at Chief Magistrate Court II, Wuse Zone 6 in the suit, Kenechukwu Okeke vs Deji Adeyanu and 49 others in suit CR/49/2020.

The judge also granted an order restraining the Nigeria Police Force and the FCT Police Command sued as the second and third defendants in the suit from taking any further steps, arresting and or taking any unconstitutional/illegal steps in the form of any guise as it concerns the subject matters whatsoever before this court herein as it concerns all parties in the proceedings.
PHOENIX, Ore.--- The Phoenix-Talent School District has welcomed students in elementary through 8th grade back into the building.

Each building has different hybrid models in place, but Superintendent Brent Barry says only about half of students are in the building at any given time making social distancing easier.

Barry says they have been planning this for months. The school district was exempted from the metrics early due to the impact the Almeda fire had on the community.

"There was some anxiety. There was maybe some apprehension," Barry said. "But once kids got into the building, that's what we know and that's what we do."

He says seeing students back in the building yesterday made all the planning and hard work well worth it.

"We had a couple kids that were walkers," Barry said. "They showed up a bit early and we said, 'yeah, you're a bit early,' and they basically shared that they couldn't sleep the night before because they were so excited to get back in school."

He says the school district has safety protocols in place to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, this includes parents screening their children before they come to school. Teacher are also trained for visual screening. The schools also use different doors when entering or exiting a building.

The high school students are expecting to attend their new campus come February, Barry says he hopes to announce an exact date soon.
ALBANY -- The perennial push to allow direct sales of electric vehicles like Tesla and the new Rivian truck should get some traction this year as a major green energy group has joined the effort.

Tesla Motors and traditional auto dealers have for several years now battled over whether vehicles can be sold directly to consumers, similar to how Apple computers operates its Apple stores.

The dealers, who are typically franchisees and agree to purchase and retail cars ranging from Chevrolets and Fords to BMWs, oppose that idea because it cuts them out of the equation. They have since 2014 successfully fended off bills in the state Legislature that would allow Tesla to operate a fleet of statewide direct-to-consumer stores. Tesla currently has only five stores in the New York City metropolitan area.

This year, however, New Yorks burgeoning solar and wind energy industries are backing the effort for direct sales, since electric vehicles or EVs like Tesla, run on electricity rather than fossil fuels.

The legislature passed this super-ambitious climate law two years ago. Renewable energy is not that easy but there is a pathway to get there, said Anne Reynolds, executive director of the Alliance for Clean Energy, which represents solar, wind and other renewable energy producers.

We really need some policies to jump start deployment, she explained, adding that her organization is supporting the push to let Tesla, as well as other electric vehicle makers including Rivian and Lucid, open their own direct-sales stores.

While Tesla is well-established as the nations leading all-electric plug-in car, Rivian is building electric pickup trucks which people can order on-line with June or July delivery dates.

Lucid Motors is also taking orders for their sedans. But with no direct stores or showrooms, consumers cant easily test drive the Rivian or Lucid offerings.

More for you News Tesla, seeking more stores, launches road trip in Albany

Traditional auto dealers oppose the direct-sale model. By being in communities across the state, dealers say fill the servicing and repair needs of consumers once a vehicle is sold. Many dealerships also are locally-owned small businesses, in contrast to big publicly traded firms like Tesla.

They put the sweat equity and brick-and-mortar facilities that are there for the public, Chris Neuber, president of the Eastern New York Coalition of Auto Dealers, said of his members.

They are machines and they are going to break down, he said of cars and trucks. If you dont have a facility where you can bring the vehicle, what do you do? Flatbed it back to the factory?

Those pushing for more Tesla and other EV stores say they are willing to work with local auto dealers.

I want to protect the franchises, Albany Democratic Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy, who has co-sponsored the Tesla bills, said. The original push began in 2014 with a measure sponsored by Rochester Assemblyman Joe Morelle, who is now in Congress. He noted that people in western New York had to travel to the New York City area to see a Tesla showroom. That is still the case.

Fahy noted that New York State isnt even in the top 10 nationally for sales of electric vehicles. If the state is to meet its ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals, more consumers need to embrace plug-in cars and trucks. Weve got to up our game, she said.

Fahy also supports provisions that would prevent other car makers from selling their EVs alongside and in competition with franchises.

For instance, the law they will likely disallow companies like Nissan Motors, which makes the Leaf EV, or Chevrolet with the Bolt EV, from selling outside of the franchise system.

And helping Tesla expand its offerings should only spur interest in electric vehicles in general  which should benefit legacy car makers like Chevrolet and Nissan.

The dealers will do well to because there is more of a market for them, said Rich Schrader, state legislative director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Transportation, he added, is the biggest source of both pollution and greenhouse gas in New York State.

A troubled private school graduate who went on a destructive rampage at his father's $5.5million terrace just a month after allegedly being stabbed by his own mother is now in rehab, a court heard.

Two days after Christmas, Hugo Ball, 22, was arrested and charged with 'recklessly or intentionally' damaging the plantation shutters of former CEO Ian Ball's stately five-bedroom inner Sydney terrace.

Police said the destruction occurred between 9.30 and 9.53am.

Officers granted Hugo bail after banning him from going near his father's $5.5million Paddington home via a restraining order.

Hugo had been living with his dad after his mum, Samantha Palmer, allegedly stabbed him at their Bellevue Hill mansion in mid-November.

But he now has a different residence, solicitor Alicia Catron told the Downing Centre Local Court on Wednesday.

Martial arts aficionado and labourer Hugo Ball, 22, was seen enjoying a six pack of Sol beer with friends weeks after he was allegedly stabbed by his mother, Samantha Palmer

Ball had been living at his father Ian's $5.5 million terrace, which actress Toni Colette reportedly once bid on, when the shutters (pictured) were damaged. He pleaded guilty via a lawyer on Wednesday

The troubled young man is seen above with his his British-born father, corporate high flyer and former Cardno CEO Ian Ball

'He's not (here) Your Honour, he's in rehab,' Ms Catron told the Downing Centre Local Court.

Ms Catron entered a guilty plea for Hugo to the charge of destroy or damage property with a value of less than $2000.

His stint in rehab will last for six weeks, she told the court. Meanwhile, the defence and the prosecution will negotiate over the facts he will be sentenced upon.

The lawyer did not say why Hugo was in rehab. A previous court hearing was told he has suffered addictions to drugs including to ice, heroin and Valium.

Hugo's father successfully sought to remove restraining order conditions that banned Hugo from going near his home or workplace.

Mr Ball senior told Deputy Chief Magistrate Jane Mottley that his relationship with his son was 'generally, good'.

Hugo's charge will return to court in February.

The labourer had been recovering at his dad's house after Palmer, 55, allegedly stabbed him in the back with a 12-inch kitchen knife.

The alleged attack - the talk of affluent Bellevue Hill - resulted in Hugo losing two litres of blood, paramedics said.

Mr Ball told Downing Centre Local Court that his relationship with his son was 'generally, good'

The family's 2019 Christmas celebrations (above) were no doubt very different in 2020 - with Palmer only recently released from prison on bail and Ball recovering from his injuries

Ball is seen being stretchered out of his mother and stepfather's $3.1 million home in mid-November. He lost two litres of blood, paramedics said

Palmer is seen in a floral dress upon her release from Silverwater Women's Prison just before Christmas. It was her first time ever in custody, a court heard

Palmer's case remains before the courts. She was recently bailed after spending more than a month on remand at Silverwater Women's Prison.

Palmer's lawyers have previously told a court that Ball had arrived home shortly after 1am on the Saturday morning that she allegedly stabbed him.

He was hours late for his curfew, was apparently 'incoherent' and said something to his mother about being involved in a murder.

Palmer is then alleged to have attacked her son.

At last month's bail hearing for Palmer, police prosecutor Kerry-Ann McKinnon said there was a 'strong prosecution case' against her.

Sgt McKinnon said Ball was stabbed from behind to his back, shoulders and rear of his neck.

'We say this is an unprovoked attack on her own son,' Sgt McKinnon told the court, adding that alcohol was a factor.

An injured but still standing Ball at his father's house, shortly after being discharged from hospital and prior to the alleged incident two days after Christmas

But Ms Palmer's lawyer Justin Wong said the case against Palmer was 'not strong.'

Ball has refused to give NSW Police a formal statement about the events of that night, Mr Wong noted.

Palmer was granted bail after offering up $200,000 of the equity of her home as surety, and agreeing to conditions which barred her from drinking or using drugs.

A separate Palmer bail hearing in November heard that Ball has struggled with drug abuse since graduating from his $33,000-a-year school.
The State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine will allow the import of books from the Russian Federation to Ukrainian territory, referring to the law adopted by the Verkhovna Rada in 2016, the press service of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting reported.

"The issuance of permits for the import of books from the Russian Federation into the territory of Ukraine is carried out in accordance with the law that was adopted by the Verkhovna Rada at the end of 2016. This law provides that import permits are not granted exclusively to books of anti-Ukrainian content, as well as those containing propaganda in favor of the aggressor state," the message said.

The department said that over the entire period of the law and, accordingly, the functioning of the licensing system, not a single book of anti-Ukrainian content has entered Ukraine legally, and the volume of books brought from the Russian Federation has decreased 12 times compared to 2011. It is reported that during 2017-2020 the law of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting made it possible to import into Ukraine 31,000 titles of books from Russia. Most of the books allowed for import are works of world classics, children's and popular science literature. Part of the permits were issued for the import into Ukraine of Ukrainian-language books by Ukrainian publishing houses, printed in the Russian Federation.

In addition, during 2017-2020, the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting provided 4,274 refusals to importers to import book products from the Russian Federation. Most of the refusals related to the submission of an incomplete package of documents by the applicants, and in 274 cases - anti-Ukrainian content found in publications.

Almost 1.5 million copies of anti-Ukrainian publications were not allowed to be imported into Ukraine. At the same time, the department reported that a complete cessation or restriction of the import of Russian books into the territory of Ukraine is possible only through the adoption of an appropriate law, which would provide for an embargo on their import.
Scottish fisherman Peter Bruce hoped Brexit would allow him to catch more cod, one of Britain's favorite fish dishes. Instead, he's worried he'll end up with less.

While Prime Minister Boris Johnson claimed last month's trade deal will let the U.K. regain control of its fishing waters by taking back 25% of the European Union's rights over five years, many fishermen feel let down. They're upset that the share fell far below original demands and may even mean smaller amounts of some key catches.

"One of the species we are most worried about is cod," said Bruce, who has fished the waters off northeast Scotland for decades. "We were hoping to get more quota. I'm sorry to say it's looking like we'll have less."

Although a tiny part of the economy, fishing was a key issue that held up trade talks and became symbolic after membership of Europe's single market precipitated its demise. The government says the deal will let Britain catch an extra 146 million pounds ($199 million) of fish, aiding an industry that saw a big decline since the 1970s.

The accord will allow fleets to catch more mackerel and herring, but some fisherman could be left with smaller amounts of cod and haddock -- favored in the U.K.'s iconic fish and chips dish.

The U.K. landed almost 1 billion pounds of fish in 2019. Johnson originally demanded an 80% cut to EU rights in British waters, before giving up ground to get an agreement done. Britain has some of Europe's most fertile fishing areas, though has had to share them with other nations.

The accord also means quota swapping -- where rights to species are swapped between boats -- may no longer be possible for U.K. fleets. That means the amount of cod they can catch in the North Sea will fall to 57%, from 63.5%, the Scottish government said. Much of the mackerel and herring caught by U.K. boats gets sold to the continent.

While quota swapping between individual countries will no longer be allowed, the U.K. and EU will hold separate talks over developing a new mechanism. In response to concerns about key fishing stocks, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said on its website the deal will allow the U.K. to prioritize the needs of fishermen and pointed to quota transfers as part of annual negotiations.

It's still unclear what the outcome will be, and that means more uncertainty for the industry.

"They've given away far too much," said Bruce, who works from Peterhead, Britain's biggest fishing port. "It's taking back control in name only."

The industry wanted Brexit to compensate for losses suffered over the past five decades, after the country traded its expansive fishing grounds for access to the common market, but that hasn't happened, said Scottish fisherman-turned-seafood entrepreneur Jimmy Buchan. There's also disappointment that foreign boats will still be able to catch within 12 miles of British shores.

"One of the gold nuggets we've just given away was not keeping foreign vessels outside of 12 miles," said Rob Wing, who runs the Cornish Fishmonger, a wholesale merchant based in southwest England. "The bulk of our industry could have been helped so significantly."

Merchants are also worried about sales to the continent, their top export market. New red tape is causing shipment delays, leaving perishable goods at risk of rotting at customs stations. Many hauliers are no longer taking mixed loads of seafood because of the complex paperwork involved.

"You need a PhD in exporting to fit in with this," said Victoria Leigh-Pearson, sales director at salmon company John Ross Jr., which had a shipment to Europe delayed for six days due to customs holdups. "Food is being wasted because of this."

Some British vessels have even resorted to landing their catch in Denmark to make the process easier, cutting out business for British processors, said James Withers, chief executive officer of industry group Scotland Food & Drink. He estimates seafood merchants are currently losing 1 million pounds of exports a day because of the customs chaos.

The increased paperwork also means added costs, which risks making U.K. businesses less competitive, especially smaller companies, said Buchan, who's also CEO of the Scottish Seafood Association.

The deal obviously brings benefits too. It will let U.K. fleets land more overall, with those extra volumes should benefit processors -- the middlemen between fishermen and retailers -- going forward, Wing said. The government has pledged a 100-million pound package to help rebuild fleets, aging infrastructure and expand the processing sector's capacity to handle the extra catch.

Many are also happy to do away with some of the restrictive regulations in the EU, such as having to bring all fish caught into land.

The key questions going forward are how quickly the industry can build new vessels and upgrade ports to take advantage of the new deal, and what the future holds in 5 1/2 years' time.

Johnson has suggested that better terms can be sought in annual negotiations once the phasing-in period is over, though both the U.K. and EU would be able to use retaliatory tariffs if they disagree. Many in the industry doubt that the government will address the fishing industry's concerns when new negotiations start, instead focusing on sectors with a bigger economic impact.

"Despite that high political profile, we didn't succeed to move anything like the distance we should have moved," said Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations. "There is a great deal of skepticism now within the industry that 2025 or 2026 will be any different."
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- We have decidedly short memories when it comes to political discourse. Over time, the election cycles and incessant television ads seemingly blend together. Moments that sear the mind can also fall victim to the media blur. Such is the case with the events which took place on Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol.

Social media harnesses the destructive force of distorting reality. However, Ohio voters should  must  remember what they saw. In the midst and aftermath of that assault on democracy, which left four civilians and a Capitol Police officer dead, we witnessed the motives of a dangerous regime and their enablers in stunning clarity.

A majority of Ohio Republicans in Congress, including Sen. Rob Portman, who gave a moving Senate floor speech hours after the violent attack, opposed efforts to object to the Electoral College. They put country before party.

History will judge the objectors harshly.

Republicans must urgently address the root causes of the violence and call out those within our ranks who are actively sowing disinformation. Our institutions remain under threat.

A Jan. 11 bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation now warns of plans for armed protests at all 50 state capitals and in Washington ahead of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration. It was widely reported the same day that an armed march is planned to take place on the Ohio Statehouse this weekend.

Real leaders do not hide behind admonishing both sides and they dont obscure facts. They put faith in their constituents ability to hear the truth.

One of the more profusely obtuse responses to the mayhem came from Jim Renacci, a former congressman who harbors ambitions of running for Ohio governor. Renacci routinely touts his business acumen and aspiration to steer the ship of state, yet he remains silent on whether Donald Trump bears responsibility for his efforts to invite, address, incite and direct a mob toward the Peoples House.

On Jan. 6 via Facebook, Ohioans were afforded insight into Renaccis perspective, when he wrote: We are a Country of Laws and we must uphold the law. I take solace in the fact these individuals who stormed the capitol were not Democrats, Republicans, Trump supporters, or even Biden supporters.

Solace?

As a former member of Congress, Jim Renacci had friends and colleagues inside those chambers, sequestered in nondescript rooms donning oxygen hoods, texting loved ones, pleading with the administration to send in the National Guard. Instead of speaking out, he timidly condemned rioting and absolved Donald Trump of fault.

Christopher Maloney is a former communications director for the Ohio GOP.

As a former communications director for the Ohio GOP and a presidential campaign spokesman, I can tell you what Republican leaders like Renacci desire: Time. They hope months will pass without having to answer questions about their fealty to Donald Trump. On social media, theyll embrace the blur, parse reality and cater to others who incited the mob  the likes of Donald Trump Jr. and Rudy Giuliani  to curry favor for future endorsements. They hope, with time, that well forget.

Moments outside of the public eye reveal true character. Renacci and his ilk are opportunists trying to have things both ways and every which way. They dont embrace the mob. They wont defy them, either. Whats worse, they dangerously distort what actually happened.

The insurrection came from around the country. Its members have different affiliations  QAnon, Proud Boys, white supremacists  but allegiance to only one man. They sought to retire the American flag atop the citadel of U.S. democracy and replace it with a Trump flag. Those were MAGA hats storming the marble stairs. Why is it so hard to say that?

If we become desensitized to these actors, if we fail to denounce those who aided and abetted them, then violence will beget more violence and we will have only ourselves to blame.

Christopher Maloney is a former communications director for the Ohio Republican Party and is currently a candidate for his masters degree in public administration at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Have something to say about this topic?

* Send a letter to the editor, which will be considered for print publication.

* Email general questions, comments or corrections on this opinion column to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com.
Research into the neuronal basis of emotion processing has so far mostly taken place in the laboratory, i.e. in unrealistic conditions. Bochum-based biopsychologists have now studied couples in more natural conditions. Using electroencephalography (EEG), they recorded the brain activity of romantic couples at home while they cuddled, kissed or talked about happy memories together. The results confirmed the theory that positive emotions are mainly processed in the left half of the brain.

A group led by Dr. Julian Packheiser, Gesa Berretz, Celine Bahr, Lynn Schockenhoff and Professor Sebastian Ocklenburg from the Department of Biopsychology at Ruhr-Universitat Bochum describes the results in the journal Scientific Reports, published online on 13 January 2021.

In previous studies on the neuronal correlates of emotion processing, feelings were usually triggered in subjects by presenting certain images or videos in the laboratory. "It was unclear whether that really reflects how people experience and act out feelings," says Julian Packheiser. "Ultimately, emotions comprise not only the perception of feelings but also their expression."

Mobile EEG equipment enables measurements at home

This is why, in the current study, the researchers measured the brain waves of 16 couples in positive emotional situations in their own homes. A measurement of this kind would not be possible using conventional EEG systems as the movements created during kissing, cuddling or gesticulation produce artifacts in the data. "We have used a mobile EEG system that records not only brain waves but also the movement patterns of the subjects," explains Julian Packheiser. This allowed the team to control the artifacts in the data.

Positive situations, above all emotional situations involving kissing and talking, were associated with greater activity in the frontal areas of the left half of the brain. The study thus confirmed the results from laboratory investigations and what is known as the valence model of emotional lateralisation, which states that positive emotions tend to be processed in the left half of the brain and negative emotions in the right.

During the study, the researchers evaluated the EEG data in a certain frequency range, the alpha frequency band between 8 and 13 Hz and the beta frequency band between 13 and 30 Hz.

###
Akhil Gogoi first in Assam to win election from jail

Who will be the next CM of Assam? Sarbananda Sonowal or Himanta Biswa Sarma?

Only 1 minister has declared pending criminal case in Assam

Assam elections 2021: Nadda holds meetings with BJP leaders

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Guwahati, Jan 13: BJP president J P Nadda held a series of meetings with senior party leaders of Assam on the upcoming assembly election, the saffron party''s state unit Ranjeet Kumar Dass said on Tuesday.

Discussions were held on wide-ranging issues related to the polls, including the strengthening of the party''s organisational structure, he told reporters here.

Nadda conducted three meetings with the members of the core committee, election committee and other office-bearers of the party''s state unit till late Monday night, Dass said.

PM Modi, Shah solved 50 year old Bodo problem: J P Nadda

He said that Nadda''s visit will inspire the party''s grassroot-level workers before the assembly elections due in March-April.

"I, on behalf of all party workers, express my gratefulness to him for his valuable guidance which will motivate all members to work hard during the polls," he said.

The meetings were attended by Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, senior minister and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) Convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP''s Assam in-charge Baijayant J Panda and others.

The NEDA is the NDA''s version in the northeast.

Nadda had officially launched the party''s campaign for the assembly polls in the state by addressing the ''Vijay Sankalp'' Rally at Silchar on Monday.

He arrived in Guwahati on Monday night and held party meetings. He did not have any public engagement.

Is attaching adjectives to my name Bengals culture asks Nadda

Let Adultery in Armed Forces remain a crime: Centre | Oneindia News

Nadda, along with Sonowal and Sarma, offered tributes to Swami Vivekananda on the occasion of his birth anniversary on Tuesday.

Accompanied by Dass and Panda, the BJP president also visited the Kamakhya Temple to offer prayers, before leaving for New Delhi.

For Breaking News and Instant Updates Allow Notifications

Story first published: Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 9:12 [IST]
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 13:17:03|Editor: huaxia

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KAMPALA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said late Tuesday the government has blocked social media in the country because of the unfair practice by Facebook and Twitter.

The tech giants have continued to block the accounts of some of the supporters of the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party despite a protest from the government, Museveni said in a televised address.

Their failure to comply with the government request to unblock the accounts prompted the country to also decide to block Facebook and Twitter access, the president said.

The social media giants over the weekend blocked some of the accounts, calling them fake and duplicate.

"We cannot tolerate this arrogance of anybody coming to decide for us who is good and who is bad," said Museveni. "If you are going to operate in Uganda, it should be used equitably by everybody who wants to use it."

Ugandans will go to the polls on Thursday to elect a new president and members of parliament.

Politicians and their supporters resorted to social media to campaign after the government restricted large gatherings to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Enditem
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Restaurants close. Schools open and close again. Life in the pandemic is irrevocably changed.

But The Real Housewives of New Jersey keeps chugging along, like an oversized, gas-guzzling sport utility vehicle with unlimited fuel. Just watch out when that thing changes lanes.

The long-running Bravo reality series, now in its 11th season, is back Wednesday, Feb. 17, the network announced Wednesday.

A trailer for the new season (see embed below; beware of semi-naked body parts) shows the return of RHONJ stalwart Teresa Giudice as well as her sister-in-law Melissa Gorga, longtime friend Dolores Catania, Margaret Josephs, Jackie Goldschneider and Jennifer Aydin.

Teresa, grieving her father, who died in April, and moving on after her split from husband Joe, puts her home on the market. But of course, we already knew that, to the tune of 10,000 square feet and $2.5 million in the Towaco section of Montville. She also meets someone new. Margaret, meanwhile, starts writing a book.

Dolores has David drama (but also a tummy tuck!). Melissa has Joe drama. Jennifer has Melissa drama, plus parental drama (triggered by her father moving in)! But wait ... what about the fact that she tested positive for COVID-19 in April? Seems relevant.

Finally, Jackie battles rumors of infidelity. What pandemic?

The Real Housewives of New Jersey season 11 premieres 9 p.m. ET/PT Wednesday, Feb. 17 on Bravo.

Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.

Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter.

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.
Law enforcement has been given the names of House Republicans over claims they helped MAGA rioters with 'reconnaissance,' a senior Democrat revealed Wednesday.

Tim Ryan, who chairs the subcommittee which oversees Capitol Police, said that the names were given to authorities on the day of the riot, but declined to name them.

'I'm going to wait to make sure we get verification,' Ryan said.

He said it appeared the Republicans had shown groups of around the Capitol before the riots and there were fears that the visitors had been 'casing the joint,' saying the groups involved 'handfuls' of people and were not 'one-on-one or small family' tours.

Ryan spoke after mounting claims from Democrats of the MAGA rioters having assistance from inside the House, with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saying she feared for her left, and Mikie Sherrill saying she witnessed GOP members giving 'tours.'

And it was also revealed that a pro-Trump activist, Ali Alexander, claimed he was assisted by three GOP representatives to help organize the January 6 assault on the Capitol.

Alexander told his followers on Periscope late last month that Republican Representatives Paul Gosar and Andy Biggs of Arizona and Representative Mo Brooks of Alabama were planning something big.

Alexander helped organize one of the demonstrations that converged on the Capitol last Wednesday  since then, his Facebook and Twitter accounts have been locked and he is banned from the social media platforms.

Representative Tim Ryan said Wednesday that law enforcement have been given the names of some members of Congress who were seen by fellow Democratic Representative Mikie Sherrill showing groups around the Capitol in what she described as a 'reconnaissance' tour

Pro-Trump activist Ali Alexander revealed in a video on Periscope that three GOP lawmakers helped in organizing the disruption of Congress certifying the election for Joe Biden on January 6

Alexander said Representatives Paul Gosar (center), Andy Biggs (left) and Mo Brooks (right) were planning something big. 'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,' Alexander said

He said in a since-deleted video: 'I want to let you guys know how we're responding because I was the person who came up with the January 6 idea with Congressman Gosar, Congressman Mo Brooks and then Congressman Andy Biggs.'

All three lawmakers are hard-line Trump supporters.

'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting so that who we couldn't lobby, we could change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body hearing our loud roar from outside,' Alexander detailed.

In the video posted on Periscope, he said the purpose of the rally was 'to build momentum and pressure' on the day Congress moved to certify the election for Joe Biden. He also vowed that his group 'Stop the Steal' would find rooms in the nation's capital if hotels shut down in the midst of the unrest.

Of the three he named, Biggs' office denied involvement, telling the Washington Post: 'Congressman Biggs is not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point - let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest.'

Gosar has made no public statement but his twitter account tagged Alexander repeatedly.

And Brooks has not addressed Alexander's claims but issued a lengthy statement Tuesday defending his speech to the rally at the Ellipse before the mob rioted, at which he shouted: 'Today is the day patriots start taking down names and kicking ass.'

Brooks, 66, said he was there at the request of Trump's office and said: 'My message is not violence, it is words,' adding: 'My parents raised me to be a good, self-supporting citizen and I have strived to be just that.'

Another senior Democrat, Jason Crow, told CNN that House members were drawing up plans to censure or expel multiple members of the Republican caucus over their MAGA riot links.

'We're looking at our options within the House as to how we stop this,' Crow said.

'And whether this is an expulsion proceeding, a censure, we can't let this stand because this is exactly my point. Donald Trump is one thing, he's shown us time and time again who he is. But he doesn't do this without support.'

Among the GOP members he highlighted were Marjorie Taylor-Greene, a QAnon follower who has repeatedly posted 'stop the steal' conspiracies on her Twitter account.

He described her as one of a group of 'morally bankrupt, depraved, frankly dangerous individuals,' in the Republican caucus.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live video Tuesday night that she feared her GOP colleagues would disclose her location to the mob during the riot last week  she did not name who she thought would do so

Sherrill, who represents New Jersey's 11th district, said during a Facebook Live video Tuesday night that she wants members of Congress who 'abetted' President Donald Trump and the violent crowd who descended on the Capitol to be held accountable and prevented from running for office in the future.

But she did not name the Republicans she says abated the insurrectionists.

Her accusation came as more details emerged over the attack indicating three Republican lawmakers may have helped protesters get inside. Sherrill is a Navy veteran and former federal prosecutor who sits on the House Armed Services Committee.

'We can't have a democracy if members of Congress are actively helping the president overturn the elections results,' Sherrill said of her colleagues she claims assisted Trump in inciting a crowd to storm the Capitol last Wednesday, January 6.

'Not only do I intend to see that the president is removed and never runs for office again and doesn't have access to classified material,' she continued in her straight-to-camera remarks.

'I also intend to see that those members of Congress who abetted him; those members of Congress who had groups coming through the Capitol that I saw on Jan. 5  a reconnaissance for the next day; those members of Congress that incited this violent crowd; those members of Congress that attempted to help our president undermine our democracy  I'm going to see they are held accountable, and if necessary, ensure that they don't serve in Congress.'

Ocasio-Cortez said in an Instagram Live video Tuesday night that she feared for her life during the riots, specifically expressing her concerns that some GOP lawmakers would give away her location to the mob.

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn walks past members of the National Guard Wednesday morning as they try to get some sleep inside the U.S. Capitol

'I did not know if I was going to make it to the end of that day alive, and not just in a general sense but also in a very, very specific sense,' the progressive lawmaker said during the hour-long live stream.

She called the close encounter 'traumatizing' and claimed her 'near assassination' is 'not an exaggeration'.

'There were QAnon and white supremacist sympathizers, and frankly white supremacist members of Congress, in that extraction point who I have felt would disclose my location and would create opportunities to allow me to be hurt, kidnapped, etc.,' Ocasio-Cortez said.

She did not name any of the lawmakers she felt could have jeopardized her situation.

WHO IS ALI ALEXANDER? Ali Abdul-Razaq Ali, 35, is a far-right activist who who goes by Ali Alexander. He identifies as black and Arab, according to Politico. He helped organize 'Stop the Steal' movement, which oppose Joe Biden's election win and is pushing to prove that President Donald Trump won reelection on November 3. Ali also takes responsibility for organizing the January 6 rally that convened outside the Capitol before it was stormed by thousands of pro-Trump protesters. He said in a live-streamed video that GOP Representatives Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs and Mo Brooks assisted with the effort to disrupt the join session of Congress moving to certify the Electoral College results for Biden. 'I want to let you guys know how we're responding because I was the person who came up with the January 6 idea with Congressman Gosar, Congressman Mo Brooks and then Congressman Andy Biggs,' Ali said in the now-deleted video. 'We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting so that who we couldn't lobby, we could change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body hearing our loud roar from outside,' he continued. Alexander, pictured here with conspiracy theorist Alex Jones during a demonstration in Georgia in November, helped organize the 'Stop the Steal' protesters who gathered near the Capitol before the chaos broke out last Wednesday Ali Alexander pleaded guilty to two separate felony charges in 2007 and 2008 in Forth Worth Texas The activist runs with with Trump's circle. In the summer of 2019 he gathered at the White House for the president's 'social media summit' to bash platforms for their supposed anti-conservative and anti-Trump bias. This week, following reports of his involvement in the storming of the Capitol, Ali was banned from Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and his accounts were removed. Ali Abdul-Razaq Ali, 35, who goes by Ali Alexander, is a far-right activist from Fort Worth, Texas Ali raised questions during the Democratic primary race over then-candidate Kamal Harris's 'black-ness', sparking speculation he was waging a 'birther'-like campaign against her. The now vice president-elect is half Indian and half Jamaican. 'Kamala Harris is implying she is descended from American Black Slaves,' he wrote on Twitter in June 2019. 'She's not. She comes from Jamaican Slave Owners. That's fine. She's not an American Black. Period.' Trump's eldest son Donald Trump Jr. retweeted and then deleted the post, asking if it was true, and helping it go viral. Ali resides in Forth Worth, Texas. In 2007 he pleaded guilty to felony property theft in the Lone Star state and the next year also pleaded guilty to to a credit card abuse felony  also in Texas. Advertisement

Alexander did not specifically call for violence and instead claimed the left is 'trying to push us to war.'

Biggs' office sent out a statement claiming the congressman has not met or spoken with Alexander.

Biggs' office responded to CNN, claiming he has not met or spoken with Alexander.

'Congressman Biggs is not aware of hearing of or meeting Mr. Alexander at any point -- let alone working with him to organize some part of a planned protest,' the representative's spokesperson said.

'He did not have any contact with protestors or rioters, nor did he ever encourage or foster the rally or protests,' they continued. 'He was focused on his research and arguments to work within the confines of the law and established precedent to restore integrity to our elections, and to ensure that all Americans -- regardless of party affiliation -- can again have complete trust in our elections systems.'

Biggs, Gosar and Brooks all came under fire after going forward with objecting to the election results even after the violent Capitol riot forced them to evacuate the chamber and delayed proceedings for hours.

Sherrill, in her thirteen-and-a-half minute video posted to Facebook Tuesday, did not reveal which lawmakers she saw showing constituents around the Capitol last week  but she did make the shocking claim that the January 5 tours were part of some effort to get protesters familiar with the building before storming it the next day.

While some GOP lawmakers have come under fire for inciting the riots  whether directly or indirectly  or standing idly by as they unfolded, this is the most serious charge yet against sitting members of Congress regarding the unprecedented attack last week.

The six-hour riot resulted in hundreds of injuries and five deaths, including one Capitol Police officer and a female Trump supporter.

The House voted Tuesday evening on a non-binding resolution calling on Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment to get Trump out of office now. The vote passed 223-205, with Sherrill voting in favor of it, even though Pence notified House Speaker Nancy Pelosi earlier Tuesday that he would not comply with the measure.

With the 25th Amendment off the table, and no hope of Trump resigning before his last seven days are up, House Democrats are likely to move forward Wednesday on impeaching the president for the second time.

Sherrill said in her video that she intends to support the effort.

She also voiced the sharp divide, which is widening in Congress, claiming those who do not agree with Democratic ideals of democracy are 'now on different sides of this line.'
A tractor-trailer exiting Tuesday from Interstate 78 West to Route 33 North rolled onto its drivers side, right in front of a Honda CR-V exiting onto Route 33 North from I-78 East, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

As the 2012 Freightliners trailer broke apart in the crash, the Honda was driven inside, where it came to rest, police said.

Both drivers had their seat belts on and escaped with suspected minor injuries, state police at Belfast said in a news release Wednesday. Neither had any passengers.

The crash about 1 p.m. in Lower Saucon Township closed both ramps from I-78 to Route 33 North until about 6:45 p.m.

Police identified the driver of the tractor-trailer as a 30-year-old man from Loris, South Carolina. He faces two traffic citations, police said.

The Honda driver was a 73-year-old Allentown woman, according to police.

Neither was taken to the hospital, police said.

Fast Lane Towing removed both vehicles.

State police said troopers were assisted by the Steel City, Lower Saucon Township, Nancy Run, Bethlehem Township and Williams Township fire departments and Bethlehem Township Volunteer Fire Co. EMS.

Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to lehighvalleylive.com.

Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
An Ohio man charged with murder in the deadly shooting of his wife in November while their children were at home was arrested Friday morning by U.S. Marshals in Alabama.

Tremayne Burdine was wanted in the death of 30-year-old Tenisha Burdine. He was charged with two counts of murder, two counts of felonious assault and one count of tampering with evidence, according to Dayton Municipal Court records.

Police were notified of the shooting after Tremayne Burdine dropped off his children at a relatives home in Harrison Twp. The children were crying and said that their father shot their mother, a woman said in a 911 call.

The woman then went to the Burdine familys home in the 1100 block of Vernon Drive in Dayton and discovered her cousin deceased at the back door, the woman told dispatchers.

Family members told police that Tremayne Burdine likely fled to Chicago, according to court records.

Dayton police and multiple U.S. Marshals task forces, including the Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team, Great Lakes Regional Task Force in Illinois and Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force in Alabama, worked together to find Burdine after he fled Ohio.

Marshals investigators found Burdine in the 3000 block of Rosa Parks Avenue in Montgomery and arrested him Friday without incident.

We want to thank our partners @USMarshalsHQ for their help in finding & arresting Mr. Burdine, Dayton police shared on Twitter. He is charged with murdering his wife Tenisha on Vernon Dr. last November.

Tremayne Burdine is being held in the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office jail in Alabama awaiting extradition to Dayton.

___

(c)2021 the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio)

Visit the Dayton Daily News (Dayton, Ohio) at www.daytondailynews.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Monday that he is not jumping ahead in the COVID-19 vaccine line.

The 43-year-old mayor said he has been asked if he's been inoculated. He shared some transparency on his social media channels Monday night.

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"When my age/health group is called, I'll be there with bells on," he said. "My focus right now is ensuring that we get enough doses for our region, especially as we work to vaccinate our vulnerable & priority populations."

Scarce supply of the coveted COVID-19 vaccine appointments has left thousands of San Antonians trying and trying and trying again to get a chance to roll up their sleeves. Over the weekend, 9,000 spots at the mass vaccination center at the Alamodome filled up six minutes after registration opened. States throughout the country are figuring out which communities to prioritize in the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history, but the struggle of jammed phone lines and demand are shared throughout.

In Texas, healthcare workers, residents of long-term facilities, people 65 and older, pregnant women and those 16 or older with pre-existing chronic conditions are able to sign up for the vaccine, per the state's phase 1A and 1B guidelines.

Assistant City Manager Colleen Bridger, who oversees the Metro Health Department, told the San Antonio Express-News they're pushing the state for more doses.

Were putting in our request for as many as possible, she said, according to the article. We will be asking for at least 30,000, split between the three major providers  University Health, city of San Antonio and WellMed  each getting approximately 10,000 doses.

Nirenberg toured the Alamodome vaccination site with Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff on Monday, as San Antonio began mass vaccinations. Wolff, who qualified due to his age, allowed local media to be present on Dec. 30 as he got his first dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at University Health.

Also on Monday, Governor Greg Abbott provided an update for the state's vaccine rollout from Arlington, where one of Texas' 28 vaccination hubs is located. The state expects to receive about 310,000 each week.

The tumultuous rollout coincides with another COVID-19 surge in Texas. The city and county reported 3,002 cases  the highest in a single day since the pandemic began  on Sunday.

Madalyn Mendoza covers news and puro pop culture for MySA.com | mmendoza@mysa.com | @maddyskye


By Gwynne Dyer





Triage is always crude and messy, and there are always mistakes, but the goal is to save as many lives as possible in an emergency when there are not enough medical resources to save everybody. That certainly applies to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there is certainly rough-and-ready triage going on right now in hospitals across the world.



But there is also something approximating to triage happening with regard to vaccines in the United Kingdom now. The estimable Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for almost half his life, was denouncing it on the media only the other day. But just this once, he may be wrong.



Britain was one of the first countries to start vaccinating people last month when the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine became available Dec. 8, and it now has been the first to administer the AstraZeneca vaccine, but both require a second shot three weeks after the first.



At the same time, however, the U.K. has been ground zero for the new strain of the COVID-19 virus, romantically named VUI/202012/01 (or B.1.1.7 for short). More than half the world's reported infections are there, and the reason it's spreading so fast is that it's far more infectious than the older variant.



Daily infections in the U.K. tripled in three weeks, and now regularly exceed 60,000. Deaths from COVID-19 are now well over 1,000 a day, and may stay up there until a sufficient number of the population has been vaccinated. Therefore the faster the vaccinations can be done, the fewer people will die or suffer "long COVID" symptoms.



So the chief medical officer of England, prof. Chris Whitty, and his counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland took a brave and potentially momentous decision. They announced that the scheduled second shot of the vaccine would be postponed to twelve weeks after the first for everybody who hadn't already had it  effectively, for almost everybody in the country.



The advantage of doing it that way is obvious. Whatever speed the vaccinations are being done at, you will be processing twice as many people in the same time if you don't have to devote half your resources to giving second shots at the same time.



In England, under Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government, that may be no better than Donald Trump's pathetic "warp speed" vaccination program in the United States, which promised 12 million inoculations by the end of December and managed about four million.



From foolishly delayed lockdowns to a shambolic test-and-trace program that still doesn't work, the British government has failed every test it was set. The U.K. still leads the U.S. by a hair in the race for the coveted world title of Second-Worst COVID Death Rate for a Large Developed Country. (Italy still leads the field.) But all the more reason to speed up the vaccinations.



Now, the obvious drawback with this one shot now, one shot 12 weeks later approach is that nobody is getting the full protection that would come with a booster shot after only three weeks. Or at least that's the consensus, although you can find researchers who argue that later is better.



Prof. Andrew Pollard of the U.K.'s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization is one of them. "If you have a longer gap between that first and second dose," he told the Guardian, "then the strength of the booster tends to be stronger....That's what we see with almost every other vaccine that's ever been tested."



There certainly is an element of triage in this. A few people who don't get their second shot on the original schedule may contract the virus and die while waiting twelve weeks for the booster. However, a lot more people will avoid dying from COVID-19, because twice as many will have received that single shot in the same time.



There is now a steady stream of spokespersons for the pharmaceutical firms that produced these vaccines publicly warning that there is "no evidence" that a single shot gives protection for more than three weeks. Of course there isn't. All the tests were done with a second shot after just three weeks, so how could there be?



However, it's just as true to say that there is no evidence that the vaccine's protection fails after three weeks, and a lot more relevant. The lawyers told those spokespersons to say what they said in order to protect the firms from possible lawsuits, but it would be almost unprecedented in the history of vaccines if the single shot's protection were to fail so quickly. That's not how vaccines work.



Short-term efficacy from the first dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is around 90 percent; for the AstraZeneca jab, it's 70 percent. As prof. Pollard said, "From three weeks after the first dose, we're not seeing anyone who's vaccinated admitted to the hospital or developing severe disease."



In a pandemic, this radical measure is just common sense, and others should take heed.



Gwynne Dyer (gwynne763121476@aol.com) has worked as a freelance journalist, columnist, broadcaster and lecturer on international affairs for more than 20 years. He is the author of "Growing Pains: The Future of Democracy (and Work)."




Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka made a strong start to her 2021 season with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 win over Veronika Kudermetova of Russia to clinch the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and extend her winning streak to 15 matches.

After finishing 2020 with season-ending trophies at Ostrava and Linz, the strongly built Sabalenka started her new campaign in the same vein in Abu Dhabi and will rise to world number seven when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.

It was the ninth title overall for the fourth-seeded Sabalenka, 22. She now heads to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open next month.

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
HIGHLIGHTS

Re-processing of FLEM identified a large conductor in the footwall of the existing resource at A Zone (376,000oz at 7.9gpt gold)

Last DHEM survey of historical hole in 2020 identified off-hole conductors 200m in the footwall of A Zone confirming FLEM modelled plate

These conductors represent a potential 3rd trend to be tested in upcoming drill programs

Exploration expected to restart in January with 50,000m drill program and additional EM surveys to identify further targets across other trends with VTEM anomalies

Results from 2020 drill program expected shortly

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Benz Mining Corp. (TSXV: BZ) (ASX: BNZ) (the Company or Benz) is pleased to announce the discovery of a third conductive trend, parallel to and 200m in the footwall of the existing Eastmain resource envelope. This trend was confirmed by the last down hole electromagnetic (DHEM) survey of the 2020 field campaign, the results of which have now been interpreted.





Figure 1: Third potentially mineralized trend at Eastmain with 2020 drilling and all 2020 EM conductors (FLEM-Green and DHEM-Blue)

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/71937_figure1.jpg

Third Parallel Conductive Trend identified

Second pass processing of fixed loop electromagnetic (FLEM) data in late 2020 identified a conductor in the footwall of the A Zone. The final DHEM survey for the 2020 season probed a deep historical stratigraphic hole drilled well into the footwall of the Eastmain deposit. Strong off-hole conductors confirmed the structural position of the modelled FLEM conductor and the existence of a strongly conductive trend with an EM response comparable with the existing know Eastmain mineralization. The modelled conductor and off hole DHEM have not been previously drilled and the trend seems to continue to the NW of Zone A.





Figure 2: FLEM modelled conductors from 2nd pass FLEM processing

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/71937_figure2.jpg

CEO, Xavier Braud, commented:

"The last of the EM data for 2020 brought us a nice surprise. Historically, mineralization had been identified along the mine series trend over a strike length of 10km. When we began assessing the Eastmain Project in early 2020 it became evident that there was the potential for multiple repeats of this mine series within our extensive tenement package. Since commencing exploration in July 2020, our exploration strategy has identified that there is now the potential for 3 mineralized trends. We look forward to further ground geophysical programs in 2021 to further test VTEM anomalies which already highlight the potential for multiple additional trends. The Eastmain Gold Project is shaping up to become a very large system and we look forward to testing these targets in 2021."



Figure 3: Schematic cross section with all EM conductors and 2020 drilling highlighting the new footwall conductors, potentially third newly identified trend



To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://orders.newsfilecorp.com/files/1818/71937_0e7c8e9ef47eaa49_007full.jpg

The Eastmain Gold Project, situated on the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada, currently hosts a NI 43-101 and JORC (2012) compliant resource of 376,000oz at 7.9gpt gold (Indicated: 236,500oz at 8.2gtp gold, Inferred: 139,300oz at 7.5gtp gold). The existing gold mineralization is associated with 15-20% semi-massive to massive pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite in highly deformed and altered rocks making it amenable to detection using electromagnetic techniques. Multiple gold occurrences have been identified by previous explorers over a 10km long zone along strike from the Eastmain Mine with very limited but highly encouraging testing outside the existing resource area.

This press release was prepared under supervision and approved by Dr. Danielle Giovenazzo, P.Geo, acting as Benz's qualified person under National Instrument 43-101.

About Benz Mining Corp.

Benz Mining Corp. brings together an experienced team of geoscientists and finance professionals with a focused strategy to acquire and develop mineral projects with an emphasis on safe, low risk jurisdictions favourable to mining development. Benz is earning a 100% interest in the former producing high grade Eastmain gold mine, Ruby Hill West and Ruby Hill East projects in Quebec.

The Eastmain Gold Project is situated within the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt in Quebec, Canada and currently hosts a NI 43-101 and JORC (2012) compliant resource of 376,000oz at 7.9gpt gold. The existing gold mineralization is associated with 15-20% semi-massive to massive pyrrhotite, pyrite and chalcopyrite making it amenable to detection by electromagnetics. Several gold mineralization occurrences have been identified by previous explorers over a 10km long zone along strike from the Eastmain Mine with very limited testing outside the existing resource area.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Benz Mining Corp.

Xavier Braud, CEO

For more information please contact:

Paul Fowler

Head of Corporate Development (Canada)

Benz Mining Corp.

Telephone: +1 416 356 8165

Email: info@benzmining.com

Xavier Braud

CEO, Head of Corporate Development (Aus)

Benz Mining Corp.

Telephone +61 423 237 659

Email: info@benzmining.com

Forward-Looking Information: Certain statements contained in this news release may constitute "forward-looking information" as such term is used in applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking information is based on plans, expectations and estimates of management at the date the information is provided and is subject to certain factors and assumptions, including, that the Company's financial condition and development plans do not change as a result of unforeseen events and that the Company obtains regulatory approval. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause plans, estimates and actual results to vary materially from those projected in such forward-looking information. Factors that could cause the forward-looking information in this news release to change or to be inaccurate include, but are not limited to, the risk that any of the assumptions referred to prove not to be valid or reliable, that occurrences such as those referred to above are realized and result in delays, or cessation in planned work, that the Company's financial condition and development plans change, and delays in regulatory approval, as well as the other risks and uncertainties applicable to the Company as set forth in the Company's continuous disclosure filings filed under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

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 ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF THIS RELEASE.

Competent Person's Statements: The information in this report that relates to Exploration Results is based on and fairly represents information and supporting information compiled by Mr Xavier Braud, who is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists (AIG membership ID:6963). Mr Braud is a consultant to the Company and has sufficient experience in the style of mineralization and type of deposits under consideration and qualifies as a Competent Person as defined in the 2012 edition of the "Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves". Mr Braud holds securities in Benz Mining Corp and consents to the inclusion of all technical statements based on his information in the form and context in which they appear.

The information in this announcement that relates to the Inferred Mineral Resource was first reported under the JORC Code by the Company in its prospectus released to the ASX on 21 December 2020. The Company confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in the original market announcement and confirms that all material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning the estimate continue to apply and have not materially changed. The Company confirms that the form and context in which the Competent Person's findings are presented have not been materially modified from the original market announcement.

Appendix 1: JORC Tables

Section 1 Sampling Techniques and Data

(Criteria in this section apply to all succeeding sections.)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Sampling techniques Nature and quality of sampling (eg cut channels, random chips, or specific specialised industry standard measurement tools appropriate to the minerals under investigation, such as down hole gamma sondes, or handheld XRF instruments, etc). These examples should not be taken as limiting the broad meaning of sampling.

Include reference to measures taken to ensure sample representivity and the appropriate calibration of any measurement tools or systems used.

Aspects of the determination of mineralisation that are Material to the Public Report.

In cases where 'industry standard' work has been done this would be relatively simple (eg 'reverse circulation drilling was used to obtain 1 m samples from which 3 kg was pulverised to produce a 30 g charge for fire assay'). In other cases more explanation may be required, such as where there is coarse gold that has inherent sampling problems. Unusual commodities or mineralisation types (eg submarine nodules) may warrant disclosure of detailed information. FLEM (TDEM) Survey: A 109.03 line km fixed loop survey was commissioned by Benz Mining to Abitibi Geophysics at the Company's Eastmain Property in Quebec. The survey was conducted using a conventional ARMIT- TDEM Fixed conventional loop with ARMIT sensor and SmartEM 24 by EMIT receiver. DHEM/BHEM Survey, 3480 metres from Abitibi Geophysics, EMIT DigiAtlantis probe Downhole/Borehole Electromagnetics was conducted by TMC geophysics using a Crone Deep EM system. This release does not contain any sampling results. Drilling techniques Drill type (eg core, reverse circulation, open-hole hammer, rotary air blast, auger, Bangka, sonic, etc) and details (eg core diameter, triple or standard tube, depth of diamond tails, face-sampling bit or other type, whether core is oriented and if so, by what method, etc). This release does not include drill results Drill sample recovery Method of recording and assessing core and chip sample recoveries and results assessed.

Measures taken to maximise sample recovery and ensure representative nature of the samples.

Whether a relationship exists between sample recovery and grade and whether sample bias may have occurred due to preferential loss/gain of fine/coarse material. This release does not include drill results Logging Whether core and chip samples have been geologically and geotechnically logged to a level of detail to support appropriate Mineral Resource estimation, mining studies and metallurgical studies.

Whether logging is qualitative or quantitative in nature. Core (or costean, channel, etc) photography.

The total length and percentage of the relevant intersections logged. This release does not include drill results Sub-sampling techniques and sample preparation If core, whether cut or sawn and whether quarter, half or all core taken.

If non-core, whether riffled, tube sampled, rotary split, etc and whether sampled wet or dry.

For all sample types, the nature, quality and appropriateness of the sample preparation technique.

Quality control procedures adopted for all sub-sampling stages to maximise representivity of samples.

Measures taken to ensure that the sampling is representative of the in situ material collected, including for instance results for field duplicate/second-half sampling.

Whether sample sizes are appropriate to the grain size of the material being sampled. This release does not include drill results Quality of assay data and laboratory tests The nature, quality and appropriateness of the assaying and laboratory procedures used and whether the technique is considered partial or total.

For geophysical tools, spectrometers, handheld XRF instruments, etc, the parameters used in determining the analysis including instrument make and model, reading times, calibrations factors applied and their derivation, etc.

Nature of quality control procedures adopted (eg standards, blanks, duplicates, external laboratory checks) and whether acceptable levels of accuracy (ie lack of bias) and precision have been established. This release does not include drill results Verification of sampling and assaying The verification of significant intersections by either independent or alternative company personnel.

The use of twinned holes.

Documentation of primary data, data entry procedures, data verification, data storage (physical and electronic) protocols.

Discuss any adjustment to assay data. This release does not include drill results Location of data points Accuracy and quality of surveys used to locate drill holes (collar and down-hole surveys), trenches, mine workings and other locations used in Mineral Resource estimation.

Specification of the grid system used.

Quality and adequacy of topographic control. This release does not include drill results Grid: UTM NAD83 Zone 18N Topographic control is cross-checked with a 2013 LIDAR survey Data spacing and distribution Data spacing for reporting of Exploration Results.

Whether the data spacing and distribution is sufficient to establish the degree of geological and grade continuity appropriate for the Mineral Resource and Ore Reserve estimation procedure(s) and classifications applied.

Whether sample compositing has been applied. This release does not include drill results Orientation of data in relation to geological structure Whether the orientation of sampling achieves unbiased sampling of possible structures and the extent to which this is known, considering the deposit type.

If the relationship between the drilling orientation and the orientation of key mineralised structures is considered to have introduced a sampling bias, this should be assessed and reported if material. This release does not include drill results Sample security The measures taken to ensure sample security. This release does not include drill results Audits or reviews The results of any audits or reviews of sampling techniques and data. This release does not include drill results

Section 2 Reporting of Exploration Results

(Criteria listed in the preceding section also apply to this section.)

Criteria JORC Code explanation Commentary Mineral tenement and land tenure status Type, reference name/number, location and ownership including agreements or material issues with third parties such as joint ventures, partnerships, overriding royalties, native title interests, historical sites, wilderness or national park and environmental settings.

The security of the tenure held at the time of reporting along with any known impediments to obtaining a licence to operate in the area. The Eastmain Mine Project comprises 152 contiguous mining claims each with an area of approximately 52.7 ha covering a total of 8,014.36 ha plus one industrial lease permit that are owned by Eastmain Mines Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fury Gold Mines. The claims are numbered 1133433 to 1133583 consecutively plus claim 104458 (Figure 4.2). All of the claims are located within NTS sheet 33A 08.

The former Mine Lease BM 817 was issued on January 10, 1995 and expired in 2015 after a 20-year term. This former Mine Lease was converted to Industrial Lease 00184710000 on September 1, 2015 and contains all normal surface rights. The former mineral rights for BM 817 are now included in the expanded Claims 1133523, 1133524, 1133525, 1133505, 1133506 and 1133507.

The claims are 100% held by Fury Gold Mines subject to certain net smelter royalties ("NSR").

On August 9, 2019, Benz Mining Corp. announced that it has entered into an option agreement with Eastmain Resources Inc. (now Fury Gold Mines) to acquire a 100% interest in the former producing Eastmain Gold Project located in James Bay District, Quebec, for CAD $5,000,000.

Eastmain Resources would retain a 2% Net Smelter Return royalty in respect of the Project. Benz may, at any time, purchase one half of the NSR Royalty, thereby reducing the NSR Royalty to a 1% net smelter returns royalty, for $1,500,000.

The Eastmain Mine, as defined by the perimeter of a historic mining lease, is subject to a production royalty net smelter return ("NSR") of 2.3% through production of the next 250,000 oz produced and 2% thereafter. A package of claims surrounding the mine precinct is subject to a production royalty (NSR) of 2% in favour of Goldcorp as a result of their succession to Placer Dome in an agreement dated December 30, 1988 between Placer Dome, MSV Resources Inc. and Northgate Exploration Limited.

The 152 claims that form the Eastmain Mine Property are all in good standing with an active status. Exploration done by other parties Acknowledgment and appraisal of exploration by other parties. 1930s & 1940s - Prospecting of gossans 1950s & 1960s - Riocanex - Exploration of the Upper Eastmain Greenstone Belt Mid 1960s - Fort George - Diamond drilling of a gossan zone 1696 - Canex Aerial Exploration Ltd & Placer Dvelopment Ltd - Airborne magnetic and EM surveys with ground geophysics follow up. 1970 - Placer Development Ltd - Seven holes testing an EM anomaly. Discovery of A Zone with 1.5m @ 13.71g/t Au 1974 - Nordore - Aerodat airborne AEM survey and Ground geophysics. 3 holes returned anomalous gold values adjacent to B Zone 1974 - Inco Uranerz - Airborne geophysical survey over the whole greenstone belt. 1981 & 1982 - Placer - Airborne and ground EM, ground magnetics. Drilling of EM anomalies discovered B zone and C zone. 1983 to 1985 - Placer - Airborne and ground EM, downhole PEM, 91 holes over A B and C zones. 1986 - Placer - 25 holes into A B and C zones 1987 &1988 - Placer Dome / MSV JV - Drilling of A, B and C zones 1988 to 1994 - MSV Resources - Drilling, surface sampling, trenching, regional exploration, Seismic refraction over ABC Zones, 1994 & 1995 - MSV Resources - Mining of 118,356t at 10.58g/t Au and 0.3%Cu, processed at Copper Rand plant in Chibougamau, 40,000oz recovered 1997 - MSV Resources- Exploration, mapping, prospecting, trenching. 2004 - Campbell Resources - M&I resource calculation for Eastmain Mine. 2005-2007 - Eastmain Resources - Purchase of the project from Campbell Resources, VTEM, Prospecting, regional exploration. 2007-2019 - Eastmain Resources - Sporadic drilling, regional exploration, mapping, sampling, trenching. Surface geochemistry (soils) Geology Deposit type, geological setting and style of mineralisation. In the Eastmain Gold Deposit, gold mineralization occurs in quartz veins with associated massive to semi-massive sulphide lenses/ veins and silicified zones associated with a deformation corridor.

The mineralized zones are 3 m to 10 m thick and contained in a strongly deformed and altered assemblage (Mine series) consisting of felsic, mafic and ultramafic rocks.

Mineralized quartz veins and lenses show a variable thickness between 10 cm and 13 m, and sulphide contents average 15% to 20% in the mineralized quartz veins and sulphide lenses. In order of decreasing abundance, sulphides consist of pyrrhotite, pyrite, and chalcopyrite, with minor sphalerite, magnetite and molybdenite. Visible gold occurs in the mineralized quartz veins as small (<1 mm) grains associated with quartz and (or) sulphides in the A, B and C Zones. Drill hole Information A summary of all information material to the understanding of the exploration results including a tabulation of the following information for all Material drill holes: easting and northing of the drill hole collar elevation or RL (Reduced Level - elevation above sea level in metres) of the drill hole collar dip and azimuth of the hole down hole length and interception depth hole length.

If the exclusion of this information is justified on the basis that the information is not Material and this exclusion does not detract from the understanding of the report, the Competent Person should clearly explain why this is the case. This release does not include drill results Data aggregation methods In reporting Exploration Results, weighting averaging techniques, maximum and/or minimum grade truncations (eg cutting of high grades) and cut-off grades are usually Material and should be stated.

Where aggregate intercepts incorporate short lengths of high grade results and longer lengths of low grade results, the procedure used for such aggregation should be stated and some typical examples of such aggregations should be shown in detail.

The assumptions used for any reporting of metal equivalent values should be clearly stated. No quantitative results reported. Relationship between mineralisation widths and intercept lengths These relationships are particularly important in the reporting of Exploration Results.

If the geometry of the mineralisation with respect to the drill hole angle is known, its nature should be reported.

If it is not known and only the down hole lengths are reported, there should be a clear statement to this effect (eg 'down hole length, true width not known'). No downhole intervals reported. Diagrams Appropriate maps and sections (with scales) and tabulations of intercepts should be included for any significant discovery being reported These should include, but not be limited to a plan view of drill hole collar locations and appropriate sectional views. See figures in the body of text Balanced reporting Where comprehensive reporting of all Exploration Results is not practicable, representative reporting of both low and high grades and/or widths should be practiced to avoid misleading reporting of Exploration Results. Benz Mining is not yet in possession of quantitative exploration results.

It is the Company's intention to report all exploration results together when they become available. Other substantive exploration data Other exploration data, if meaningful and material, should be reported including (but not limited to): geological observations; geophysical survey results; geochemical survey results; bulk samples - size and method of treatment; metallurgical test results; bulk density, groundwater, geotechnical and rock characteristics; potential deleterious or contaminating substances. Benz Mining Corp conducted a 109 line km Fixed Loop Time-Domain Electromagnetics survey on the Eastmain Property.

The FLEM (TDEM) survey identified 12 first order conductors modelled as thin plates through Maxwell modelling.

Benz conducted systematic BHEM of each hole drilled as well as BHEM surveying of historical holes.

BHEM identified numerous in-hole and off-hole conductors coincident or not with drilled mineralization. Further work The nature and scale of planned further work (eg tests for lateral extensions or depth extensions or large-scale step-out drilling).

Diagrams clearly highlighting the areas of possible extensions, including the main geological interpretations and future drilling areas, provided this information is not commercially sensitive. Benz Mining is currently designing a 50,000m drilling campaign starting in January 2021

This drilling campaign will be conducted alongside regional Moving Loop Electromagnetic (MLEM) and FLEM surveys

All new holes will be surveyed by BHEM as well as a selection of historical holes.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71937
Renowned Yoga-wear company Lululemon has teamed up with high-end outdoors brand Huckberry to launch a collaborative line. Confused? Us too.

Huckberry's brand leans heavily on the rustic and outdoorsy, while Lululemon is more cutesie and infinitely more at home on a yoga mat that on the mountainside. According to Huckberrys consistently charming marketing copy, theyve started working with Lululemon because, the innovators up there in Vancouver, CA are absolute fabric wizardsdelivering perfectly dialed fits and scientifically engineered materials that would make Iron Mans suit blush. The flagship item from this line appears to be the Huckberry Navigation Down Jacket, which sells for $248 and is already sold out in every size except small and medium.
The presidents of Ukraine and Moldova supported their respective aspirations in joining the European Union during talks in Kyiv on Tuesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine and Moldova shared a common vision for their countries as full members of EU.

On her first official visit to Ukraine since winning presidential elections in November, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said Ukraine was a strategic partner for her country.

Ever since gaining independence a year after the Soviet collapse in 1991, Moldova has been divided between those favouring closer relations with Europe and those who prefer stronger links with Moscow.

Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe with nearly 1.2 million of its people estimated to be living abroad.

It relies heavily on remittances, and closer ties with the EU are generally seen as more likely than those with Moscow to lead to a long-elusive political stability and economic recovery.

(Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed; only the image & headline may have been reworked by www.republicworld.com)

Manx Telecom support secures Samaritans' helpline

Manx Telecom will support for the Isle of Man Samaritans and its lifesaving telephone helpline over the next three years.

The announcement comes as Manx Telecom prepares to celebrate Brew Monday next Monday.



The third Monday in January is often known as Blue Monday however Samaritans are turning this day into something positive by encouraging people to get together over a warming virtual cuppa. Iarla Hughes, Manx Telecom Chief Financial Officer, will kick off the virtual event for Manx Telecom staff with a short chat on the importance of reaching out, checking in and staying connected.



Samaritans provides a free listening service for anyone struggling to cope and is dedicated to helping prevent death by suicide.#



As a charity, Samaritans usually relies on fundraising to cover the cost of the telephone service but Manx Telecom has now stepped in to provide a grant which will cover the cost of the telephone line rental until 2023.



Gary Leeming, Branch Director of Isle of Man Samaritans, said: Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy, and Samaritans' vision is that fewer people die by suicide. Our research shows that the pandemic and the lockdown have particularly impacted three groups of people at an already high risk of suicide: less well-off middle-aged men, young people who self-harm, and people with pre-existing mental health conditions.



Isle of Man Samaritans is extremely grateful to Manx Telecom for its generous financial support which will secure the telephone service for the next three years. The reliability of our telecoms service and priority assistance in the event of any technical issues are fundamental requirements for a listening service that needs to be available to our callers at any time of the day or night.



The Isle of Man branch is part of the UK network and we have nearly 70 local volunteers who help man the helpline on a regular basis. Nationally, we answer a call every seven seconds on average and its these moments of connection between people that can save lives.



If youre finding life difficult and need to talk to someone confidentially you can ring the Samaritans free on 116 123.
New Delhi, Jan 13 : Domestic airlines on Wednesday provided the logistical support to pharma major Bharat Biotech for shipping out anti-Covid-19 'Covaxin' vaccines to 11 cities.

Accordingly, Air India transported the first consignment of vaccine from Hyderabad to Delhi.

Besides, the operation comes a day after the Serum Institute of India's Covishield vaccine was transported across the country.

"After having received the government purchase order for 55 lakh doses, Bharat Biotech shipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses) to Ganavaram, Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bangalore, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai and Lucknow. While some shipments have arrived in the respective cities, others will be delivered later this evening," the pharma major said in a statement.

"Covaxin' is a highly purified and inactivated two dose SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, manufactured in a 'Vero cell' manufacturing platform with an excellent safety track record of more than 300 million doses," the statement said.

The vaccine has been indigenously developed in India.

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A law student who is homeschooling three of her children who have autism while also studying for her own college exams says she now has to carry out seven different roles because of the supports which have been taken away from them by Covid-19 restrictions.

Carol Lennon says as well as being a carer for her children, she is now a physiotherapist, speech therapist, occupational therapist, counsellor, psychologist and, since Monday, a teacher  and all without any qualifications.

Ms Lennon described it as ironic that she is studying human rights while her children, she believes, have been robbed of theirs in education.

On Monday, the mother of five began homeschooling Junior Certificate student Tiegan, Leaving Certificate student Logan and 13-year-old Xylan at her home in Mornington, Co Meath.

In order to keep the teenagers motivated during their free periods, she has designed visual instructions to teach them how to use the washing machine, tumble dryer and dishwasher.

"If I don't keep the kids motivated, they'll disappear back to their rooms and it will be a nightmare to get them back down, she said.

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"So far Xylan, who suffers from anxiety, is loving it  you should see the amount of washing he is getting through.

"Homeschooling is hard for parents anyway but when you have three children with autism, there is the added meltdowns, anxiety and everything else to deal with.

"You always have to be one step ahead to be able to anticipate any problems that might crop up. I'm timetabled to teach from 8.30am to 3.30pm with a short break, while trying to get my study done for an exam in a few weeks.

Ms Lennons eldest child Tristan (18), who was told he was unlikely to ever sit a state exam, was recently offered a place in the UCD genetics course after she fought to get the additional resources he needed in school to have the same chance as any other pupil.

"How ironic is that  while the State trample all over all of our human rights, I'm studying the actual law that protects them, she said.

"I'm a carer, a physiotherapist, a speech therapist, occupational therapist, counsellor, psychologist and now a teacher because of Covid-19 regulations and get this  I'm not a professional, I have zero qualifications and none of my experience counts for one thing.

"These are the additional supports that my children normally get which have been stopped temporarily because of Covid.

"I am now following the schedules of teachers whose main focus is my child and their educational development. These teachers will not know the dynamics in my household nor could I expect them to.

"I am one person. If my home was a school setting, it would be receiving financial resources for the printer and heating and a staff of one qualified teacher and two special needs assistants as well as other supports.

"I'm not part of the equation but I'm yet the only current solution."
Conservatives Call for Liz Cheneys Ouster From GOP Leadership for Supporting Impeachment

A growing number of Republicans are pushing to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from the House GOP leadership team because she supports impeaching President Donald Trump.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told reporters in Washington that the conference should vote on whether to remove Cheney as Republican Conference chair in light of the support.

I think shes totally wrong, Jordan said. We ought to have a second vote.

Reps. Matt Rosendale (R-Mont.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) on Tuesday said in a joint statement that Cheney failed to consult with fellow Republicans before announcing publicly her support for impeachment.

In doing so, she failed to abide by the spirit of the rules of the Republican Conference, and ignored the preferences of Republican voters, they said, adding: She is weakening our conference at a key moment for personal political gain and is unfit to lead. She must step down as Conference Chair.

Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) also called for Cheney to resign.

Cheney said in response, according to a spokesman: Im not going anywhere. This is a vote of conscience. Its one where there are different views in our conference.

But our nation is facing an unprecedented, since the civil war, constitutional crisis. Thats what we need to be focused on. Thats where our efforts and attention need to be, she added.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) didnt respond to request for comment.

The vast majority of Republican voters voted for Trump and his support inside the party remains strong. But Democrats have found a handful of Republicans willing to side with them to impeach Trump a second time.

No Republicans voted for impeaching Trump last year.

Cheney said Tuesday that Trump summoned the protesters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.

Everything that followed was his doing. None of this would have happened without the President. The President could have immediately and forcefully intervened to stop the violence. He did not. There has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution. I will vote to impeach the President, she said.

Democrats spoke favorably of the statement on the House floor Wednesday.

Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) called it powerful while House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) named her seven times during a speech calling for support for the impeachment.

This is not, as Liz Cheney said, just some action, Hoyer said. She characterized it as the biggest betrayal of any president of the United States in our history.

Correction: A previous version of this article inaccurately stated the composition of the House. The Epoch Times regrets the error.
NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Unit4, a leader in enterprise cloud applications for mid-market services organizations, today announced that Americares is the first global non-profit to select Unit4 ERPx, delivering a new standard of efficiency and effectiveness.

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches 90 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid. Since it was established more than 40 years ago, U.S.-based Americares has provided over $19 billion in aid to 164 countries.

Announced in October, Unit4 ERPx delivers fully integrated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Human Capital Management (HCM) and Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), on a unified architecture, with rapid deployment and industry-specific innovations out-of-the-box. Americares requires a flexible, future-proof system to support the strategic and operational needs of a global non-profit. Its aim is to better understand, plan, and optimize across the organization to improve efficiencies and reduce manual processes.

Working with Unit4 to implement its Non-profit Model for Cloud ERP, Americares seeks to benefit from Unit4's unique combination of industry expertise and use of the latest tech innovations to improve workflow.

Unit4's non-profit implementation model is designed to ensure rapid time-to-value, and delivers pre-configured processes developed specifically for the needs of project-based non-profits.

Industry-specific capabilities and extensibility provides the most scalable and adaptive ERP on the market, allowing the system to connect all the organization's data and easily adapt to any changes clients need to make, now or in the future.

Intuitive functionality empowers all users to complete administrative tasks, from time entry and expenses to procurement approvals and grant reports, quickly and efficiently through automated workflows and natural language interactions on the platforms they already use, like Teams, Slack, Outlook.

Easy access to data across multiple devices for the people and volunteers working in the field.

Comments on the news:

"We have a deeply ingrained culture of resourcefulness and efficiency that promotes quick action and getting more done with less," said Americares Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Senior Vice President of Gift-in-Kind Operations Richard Trowbridge. "With ERPx we aim to reduce manual operations and improve reporting capabilities while keeping costs under control. Unit4 also expressed a willingness to work with us to expand system functionality, which would allow the system to grow with us."

"ERPx is designed to deliver exactly what organizations need to succeed," said Claus Jepsen, CTO at Unit4. "New to the market this year, Americares will be the first customer to benefit from our new approach to ERP, which combines our mid-market experience, with a focus on people, and an industry-leading cloud platform designed to be 'right for your business'. Americares prides itself on efficiency, which is why it is trusted by donors and consistently receives high marks from charity evaluators. We're proud to deliver the systems Americares and non-profits around the world need to deploy aid to those communities most in need."

Related Resources:

Learn more about ERPx

Learn more about Unit4's work with Nonprofits around the world

Read about the Unit4 non-profit industry model for ERP

To keep up to date with the latest content and information from Unit4, subscribe to our blogs

About Unit4

Unit4's next-generation enterprise solutions power many of the world's most people-focused mid-market services organizations. Our cloud ERP, HCM and FP&A applications transform work to be more meaningful and inspiring through software that's self-driving, adaptive and intuitive, intelligently automating administrative tasks while providing easy access to the answers people need. Unit4 serves more than 6,000 customers in industries including professional services, public sector, nonprofit, and education.

For more information please visit https://www.unit4.com/, follow us on Twitter @Unit4global , or visit our LinkedIn page

Media Contact:

Unit4:

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215-478-4815

[email protected]



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Tech Mahindra rose 0.90% to Rs 1073.75 after the company said that it has agreed to acquire 100% shareholding of Payments Technology Services for a cash consideration of $9 million.

Headquartered in Hong Kong, Payments Technology Services entity is a stepdown subsidiary of Fidelity Information Services (FIS). The company is a payments solutions provider with a banking and financial services (BFS) focus. Turnover of the company for the financial year ended 31 December 2019, was $5.4 million.

Tech Mahindra said that the acquired capabilities in the payments space will give the company access to IPs and licenses for two products viz. Open Payment Framework (OPF) and Multi-Bank System (MBS), which is consistent with its strategy of pivoting the business towards product and platform implementations and participating in the banking transformation programs.

"This acquisition will open up other opportunities for Tech Mahindra as a larger partner with FIS across a number of areas," the IT firm said in a BSE filing made after market hours yesterday.

The transaction is expected to close by 31 March 2021, it added.

Tech Mahindra is engaged in the business of computer programming, consultancy and related services. It's consolidated net profit jumped 11.24% to Rs 1,063.10 crore on 2.91% rise in revenues to Rs 9,371.80 crore in Q2 September 2020 over Q1 June 2020.

In the past one year, the stock has added 36.48% while the benchmark S&P BSE Sensex has added 18.80% during the same period.

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Plant&Co. eyes U.S. expansion with Chalmers' guidance and support

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Plant&Co. Brands Ltd. (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTC Pink: VGANF) ("Plant&Co." or the "Company"), is pleased to announce the welcomed addition to its advisory board with the immediate appointment of Mr. Robert Chalmers.

Mr. Chalmers has worked in the Canadian capital markets for over 20 years primarily in investment banking. He started his career in investment banking at Sprott Securities Inc. and spent time at Canaccord and Macquarie before venturing out on his own. Mr. Chalmers has significant experience advising emerging and mid-market companies navigating their way through the public markets for the first time. His expertise is in constructing syndicates, structuring capital raises and advising companies on creative M&A transactions.

"Robert is an important addition to our talented and entrepreneurial team as we focus on establishing a beachhead position in the US plant-based food sector," said Shawn Moniz, CEO of Plant&Co. "Robert has an impressive track record in the capital markets and M&A space, and most recently forged into the plant-based food industry in the US-based markets. We welcome Robert into the Plant&Co. family and look forward to leveraging his expertise as we grow the Company and achieve our milestones of growth. It is an exciting time at Plant&Co. and we strive to continue building up an industry-recognized and capital markets-enabled advisory team."



About Plant&Co. Brands Ltd.

Plant&Co. Brands (CSE: VEGN) (FSE: VGP) (OTC Pink: VGANF) is modern health and wellness company curating delicious plant-based foods.

For additional information, please contact: ir@eurolifebrands.com or visit EuroLifeBrands.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward-looking information" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to delays or uncertainties with regulatory approvals, including that of the CSE. There are uncertainties inherent in forward-looking information, including factors beyond the Company's control. There are no assurances that the business plans for Plant&Co. Brands described in this news release will come into effect on the terms or time frame described herein. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking information if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change except as required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. For a description of the risks and uncertainties facing the Company and its business and affairs, readers should refer to the Company's Management's Discussion and Analysis and other disclosure filings with Canadian securities regulators, which are posted on www.sedar.com.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71897
The Delhi High Court Wednesday sought response of the AAP government on a plea by a 1984 anti-Sikh riots victim claiming she has not been paid the compensation announced in 2006 and 2014. Justice Prathiba M Singh issued notice to the Delhi government and sought its stand on the petition by the woman whose husband had died in the riots.

Balbir Kaur has claimed that she was initially paid a compensation of Rs 3.3 lakh in 1997. Subsequently, the Delhi government announced compensation of Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, in 2006 and 2014, respectively, for the 1984 riots victims.

However, she was not paid any such compensation as was declared by the Delhi government, her petition has said. She has sought directions to the Delhi government to pay her the compensations declared by it in 2006 and 2014.
Published on 2021/01/12 | Source

The poster of JTBC's "Beyond Evil" is out.

JTBC released teaser posters of Shin Ha-kyun and Yeo Jin-goo's "Beyond Evil" on the 12th.

"Beyond Evil" is the story of two men who break down the law and principals to catch a serial killer. It throws the questions, "Who is the monster? You? Me? Or us?" and closely follows the multifaceted nature of the human beings.

The drama is expected to increase completion with director Sim Na-yeon and wirtter Kim Soo-jin-V.

Shin Ha-kyun takes on the role of Lee Dong-sik, a former homicide detective who is now doing all kinds of chores at a police station on the outskirts of the city.

Yeo Jin-goo plays Han Joo-won, an elite detective. He heads down to a small police station and meets Lee Dong-sik who is more "Monster" than a real monster.

The production team said, "Harmony is more important than anything else in this work, as it closely pursues the multifaceted nature of humans behind the incident. The synergy of the two actors will showcase the essence of psychological tracking thrillers".

Meanwhile, "Beyond Evil" premieres next month.
Phuket readies for local municipal elections

PHUKET: The Phuket office of the Election Commission of Thailand (PEC) has been told to prepare to hold local municipal elections, which have been tentatively set for Mar 21.

politics

By The Phuket News

Wednesday 13 January 2021, 05:18PM

Passakon Siripakayapon, Director of the Phuket office of the Election Commission (PEC), says he is just waiting for the date of the elections to be formally confirmed. Photo: PR Phuket / file

The local municipal elections will be the first held on the island, and throughout the country, since the National Council for Peace Order (NCPO), headed by Army General Prayut Chan-o-cha, took control of the country in May 2014. The news follows the Cabinet yesterday (Jan 12) passing a resolution allowing municipal elections to be held at all levels nationwide following a proposal by the Election Commission of Thailand (ECT), with polling tentatively scheduled for March 21. ECT Secretary-General Pol Col Jarungvith Phumma informed the Cabinet of the agencys preparedness to hold elections for the mayors and councillors of municipalities of all levels  tambon (subdistrict), muang (town) and nakhon (city)  throughout the country. PEC Director Passakon Siripakayapon told The Phuket News today (Jan 13), Municipal elections will be held for sure, but the Election Commission has not yet formally announced the date for the elections to be held. Although the Cabinet passed a resolution allowing the elections to be held, I still have to wait for the Election Commission to officially announce the date before we can move ahead, he said.
Put on your sunglasses, folks. Its a shiny new year out there.

Say what you will about 2020, it was a great year for books. Hows 2021 looking? Here are some titles we are looking forward to in the first four months.

The Great Gatsby: A Graphic Novel Adaptation, by K. Woodman- Maynard (Candlewick, Jan. 5) Woodman-Maynard, a Minnesota graphic designer, has woven excerpts from F. Scott Fitzgeralds famous novel throughout mystical and haunting watercolors.

That Old Country Music, by Kevin Barry (Doubleday, Jan. 12) Irish writer Barry, winner of the Dublin Literary Award and the Goldsmiths Prize, returns with his third collection of stories that blend humor and pathos, beauty and sorrow.

Aftershocks, by Nadia Owusu (Simon & Schuster, Jan. 12) Whiting Award-winner Owusu writes about her peripatetic childhood, following her father  a United Nations official  from Africa to Europe to America and back again, while her Armenian mother disrupts her life by abandoning her and then returning.

Reel Bay: A Cinematic Essay, by Jana Larson (Coffee House Press, Jan. 19)Inspired by a news story in the Star Tribune, Minneapolis filmmaker and writer Larson set out to plumb the mystery of a Japanese woman who was found dead in rural North Dakota.

How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House, by Cherie Jones (Little, Brown, Feb. 2) The story of interconnected lives  rich, poor, workers, criminals  in a Barbados beach town.

As You Were, by David Tromblay (Dzanc Books, Feb. 16) This tough and painful coming-of-age memoir by Tromblay tells of growing up on the Fond du Lac Reservation outside of Duluth with an abusive, alcoholic father.

Radiant, by Liz Heinecke (Grand Central, Feb. 16) Minnesota writer Heinecke delves into the lives and friendship of Madame Marie Curie and dancer Loie Fuller. Three Ordinary Girls, by Tim Brady (Kensington Books, Feb. 23) The subtitle of this exciting book of nonfiction by St. Paul writer Brady says it all: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins and WWII Heroes.

The Committed, by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Grove Press, March 2) The long-awaited sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Sympathizer takes place in Paris, where the Sympathizer and his brother Bon turn to drug-dealing and fall in with a group of left-wing intellectuals.

Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Alfred A. Knopf, March 2) In his first book since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2017, Ishiguro brings readers to a futuristic world where Klara, a solar-powered robot, awaits a human friend.

The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson (Milkweed Editions, March 9) A multigenerational novel by Dakota writer Wilson, telling the story of women forced to leave their traditional way of life and then returning.

How Beautiful We Were, by Imbolo Mbue (Random House, March 9) Set in a fictional African village, the new book by the author of the award-winning Behold the Dreamers is the story of an American oil company and the poisonous damage it is wreaking on the village.

Northern Light, by Kazim Ali (Milkweed Editions, March 9) As a child, Ali lived in a small Canadian town while his father worked on the construction of a hydroelectric dam. But when he returns to Manitoba as a grown man, Ali sees the damage his fathers work inflicted on the Native community nearby.

The Wild Silence, by Raynor Winn (Penguin, April 6) The sequel to the bestselling memoir The Salt Path tells the story of what happened to Raynor and her ailing husband, Moth, after their long walk was over.

The Youngest Boy, stories by Jim Heynen (Holy Cow! Press, April 13) These parables by St. Paul writer Heynen dovetail with his previous boy stories but focus on the very youngest.

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

View Results
The Ministry of Information and Communications on January 11 announced the completion of the scheme on the digitisation of the transmission of terrestrial television broadcasting in line with the prime ministers Decision No.2451-QD-TTg.

Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications, chairing the press conference on the digitisation of terrestrial broadcasting

Addressing the event on the scheme on the digitisation of terrestrial broadcasting, Nguyen Manh Hung, Minister of Information and Communications, said that after nine years of implementation, the targets set out in the scheme had all been fulfilled and even surpassed, contributing to performing the ASEAN commitment on ceasing analogue terrestrial television broadcasting by 2020.

Among ASEAN member countries, Vietnam is the fifth country in the region and the 78th globally to complete the plan.

Started in 2011 when 80 per cent of households in Vietnam had yet to have digital receivers, with other difficulties related to geographic characteristics, the country completed the scheme with appropriate approach.

The scheme was first piloted in the central city of Danang and then in other cities and provinces. After nine years of work, four key targets of the scheme have been fulfilled.

First, completing the digitisation of the transmission of terrestrial television broadcasting nationwide, covering nearly 100 million people in 26 million households.

Second, significantly expanding the coverage of digital terrestrial TV from 40 cities and provinces in 2011 to 63 ones currently.

Third, attracting resources in the coverage of digital terrestrial TV. In 2011, the country only had VTC as a 100 per cent state-owned digital terrestrial TV broadcaster. Since then, the number has quintupled, with the presence of AVG, SDTV, and DTV. Also in this nine-year period, investment in the coverage of digital terrestrial TV rose by VND2 trillion ($86.95 million), 50 per cent of which was made up by private investment.

Fourth, 100 per cent of local TV broadcasters have been restructured and organised in a more professional manner. VIR

Bich Thuy
Posted Tuesday, January 12, 2021 4:27 pm

The United States and Canada have extended the closure of the border to non-essential travel between the two countries until Feb. 21 in an continuing effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, according to tweets Tuesday from both sides of the border.

All essential travel, such as that for trade between the nations, will continue as usual.

The closure was set to expire Jan. 21 before Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Bill Blair announced the extension of the closure in a Jan. 12 tweet.

"Our Government will continue to ensure the safety of Canadians against #COVID19 and base our decisions on the best public health advice available," Blair wrote in the tweet.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced the decision to keep the border closed on Tuesday, telling media the extension is "an important decision, and one that will keep people on both sides of the border safe," according to a story posted by Global News.

Approximately an hour later, a tweet from U.S. Homeland Security echoed the announcement, adding that the U.S. border closure with Mexico also has been extended another month to Feb. 21.

"We are working closely with Mexico and Canada to keep essential trade & travel open while also protecting our citizens from the virus," the Homeland Security tweet read.

The U.S. and Canada first agreed to close the border to non-essential travel beginning March 21, and have extended that restriction on a month-by-month basis. Tuesday's announcement officially marks the 10th such extension, as the closure is now nearing a full year.

COVID numbers update

The numbers on both sides of the border do not signal a reopening coming anytime soon, as both the U.S. and Canada are seeing big increases this fall.

As of Tuesday morning, the United States remained the hardest-hit country in the world during the pandemic with more than 22.6 million confirmed cases and 377,000 related deaths, according to the John Hopkins University COVID-19 dashboard. Canada, meanwhile, was 23rd overall with more than 676,000 cases and 17,000 related deaths.

The U.S. is the third-most populated country in the world with 331,002,651 residents, according to worlometers.info, while Canada is No. 39 with 37,742,154 residents.

According to the British Columbia COVID-19 dashboard as of Monday, Jan. 11, the province has seen 58,107 total cases during the pandemic and 1,010 confirmed deaths  an increase of 18,047 cases and 423 deaths since the last border extension was announced Dec. 11. With a population of approximately 5.1 million, British Columbia has seen an infection rate of 353.9 cases and 8.4 deaths per 100,000 residents in the past month.

The Washington State Department of Health, meanwhile, reported 265,312 confirmed cases and 3,699 related deaths on Monday  an increase of 72,899 cases and 849 deaths since Dec. 11. With a population of approximately 7.5 million, the state has averaged 972.0 cases and 11.32 deaths per 100,000 residents in the past month.

Closure economic impact

Whatcom County is certainly feeling the economic impact of the border closure, which now prepares to enter its eighth month.

The Western Washington University Border Policy Research Institute found before the pandemic that Canadians comprise approximately 75% of cross-border travelers to and from Whatcom County, depending on the exchange rate when the border is open, according to information Director Laurie Trautman emailed to The Bellingham Herald for an earlier story.

In 2018, that would have represented approximately 10.5 million southbound Canadian travelers through the Blaine, Lynden, Sumas and Point Roberts points of entry.

Those Canadians represent a large portion of consumers in Whatcom County  anywhere from 2% to 46% of the weekend customer base Whatcom County retailers see, Trautman reported, adding that the average is about 17%.

Essential travel between the two countries is still allowed, though, and that includes transportation of freight.

Bureau of Transportation statistics show that freight shipments across the border are continuing to recover from early pandemic lows.

The statistics show freight crossing the border between the U.S. and Canada in October was 1.1% above what was seen in September. It is still down 10.0% compared to October of 2019, though.

Approximately $29.0 billion worth of freight crossed the U.S.-Canada border in trucks, the Bureau of Transportation reported, which was up 2.2% over August, but down 3.4% from last year. Rail freight over the border was valued at $7.6 billion  up. 2.0% from September, but down 3.6% from October of 2019.

CBP asked to study closure

U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and U.S. Sen. John Corny, both of Texas, have asked the U.S. Customs and Border Protection to make a report on the financial impact of border crossings being closed to non-essential travel, according to a story by the Rio Grande Guardian.

Cuellar and Corny reportedly want to learn how big of an impact the closure of U.S. borders to Canada and Mexico is having on shoppers, tourists and those who want to travel to see family in other countries.

"Sen. Cornyn and I added language to have Homeland (Security) look at the financial impact of keeping the border closed to communities, to businesses, to families on the border. I am talking about the border restrictions," Cuellar said, on a conference call last week, the Guardian reported.

Travel testing

While the land border is closed to non-essential travel, Canada last week began requiring all travelers flying into Canada to have a negative COVID-19 test prior to being allowed to enter.

The requirement, which began Jan. 7, required all passengers aged 5 and older to show a negative polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, test result before being allowed to board a flight to Canada, according to a story by Travel and Leisure.

Travelers flying to Canada still must follow the country's mandatory 14-day quarantine and are subject to jail time and a potential $750,000 fine for violating that rule.

"The COVID-19 situation continues to show its unpredictable and rapidly changing nature. We, therefore, need to implement additional quick and effective actions to protect the health and safety of all Canadians," Francois-Philippe Champagne, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, told Travel and Leisure in a statement.

Champagne also advised against any non-essential travel outside of Canada.

Canadian Minister of Transport Marc Garneau also told Travel and Leisure that the new testing requirements "will provide another layer of protection for Canadians as we continue to assess public health risks and work to limit the spread of COVID-19 in Canada."

The International Air Transport Association has expressed frustration with the requirement, according to a story by Government Technology and Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today.

In a statement, the air transport association stated that it had been calling for testing to re-open borders without quarantine measures for months, but those requests had been ignored, according to Homeland Security Today.

It called Canada's new measures "both callous and impractical to impose this new requirement on travelers at such short notice," according to the story, adding that "it is completely unrealistic to mandate that airlines check passengers' compliance with the new rule, as it cannot be the airline's role to determine if a passenger tried their utmost to get tested or not."

New Zealand has instituted similar requirements on Jan. 4 for travelers flying to that country from the United States or the United Kingdom to have proof of a negative test result no more than 72 hours before departing, according to a story by airlineratings.com.

___

(c)2021 The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)

Visit The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.) at www.bellinghamherald.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A 67-year-old black man who spent 26 years on death row after being wrongfully convicted of killing an elderly white woman in Columbus, Mississippi based on an outdated bite-mark comparison technique, has had his murder conviction vacated.

Eddie Lee Howard had been convicted multiple times for the 1992 killing of 84-year-old Georgia Kemp and was first sentenced to death in 1994 when he represented himself at trial.

Howard's conviction was overturned in 1997 when the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that a comparison of a bite mark on Kemp's right breast with a dental impression taken from Howard was "unreliable and inadmissible." He was convicted again in 2000.

The Mississippi Supreme Court vacated that conviction and death sentence for the former prisoner in August, ruling that an 'individual perpetrator cannot be reliably identified through bite mark comparison' and ordering a new trial.

Eddie Lee Howard spent 26 years on death row before he was exonerated for a 1992 murder

In December, Howard was released from the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections on his personal recognizance, according to a report in the Clarion Ledger.

Howard was finally exonerated on Monday when District Attorney Scott Colom confirmed prosecutors dropped the murder charge against Howard because there was not enough evidence to convict him 'beyond a reasonable doubt,' CBS News reported.

'My ethical and legal responsibility requires that I dismiss the case,' he said.

Howard has since walked free and was photographed happily throwing his hands in the air while leaving prison.

'I want to say many thanks to the many people who are responsible for helping to make my dream of freedom a reality,' Howard said, according to the Innocence Project  which represented him.

The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled his conviction be overturned and ordered a new trial

'I thank you with all my heart, because without your hard work on my behalf, I would still be confined in that terrible place called the Mississippi Department of Corrections, on death row, waiting to be executed.'

M. Chris Fabricant, one of Mr. Howard's Innocence Project attorneys, lauded the Mississippi Supreme Court for taking 'a powerful stance in rejecting junk science.'

'We are thankful that the Court has identified this breakdown in Mr. Howard's case, ruling that debunked science has no place in our justice system,' Fabricant said.

According to a press release from the organization, 'Howard's case marks the 28th exoneration in the United States based on bite mark comparison.'

The organization said it is currently working on proving the innocence of two additional death penalty convictions.

Daily Mail has reached out to the Innocence Project for additional information.

New DNA evidence and alibi testimony was also used to prove Howard's innocence, according to the Clarion Ledger.

The saga began on February 2, 1992 when one of Kemp's neighbors noticed smoke coming from her home, according to the Supreme Court ruling.

Firefighters who responded found a small fire in Kemp's living room and her bloody, partially exposed body on her bedroom floor. First responders also found a bloody knife and noticed that the telephone line had been cut.

Dr. Steven Hayne, who performed the autopsy the next day, found injuries consistent with forced vaginal intercourse and strangulation, as well as the two stab wounds on her left side that killed her.

Several days later, Hayne ordered Kemp's body be exhumed for an additional study and dental impressions were taken from Howard.

Howard, who lived with his mother just a couple blocks away from Kemp, visited Kayfen Fulgham -- his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, court documents show.

Fulgham later testified that Howard smelled of smoke, not cigarette smoke, but "like burnt clothes or something, you know, wood, like smoke" and claimed Howard liked to bite her on her neck and breasts during intercourse.

Columbus police detained Howard as a suspect on February 6, 1992 and took him to a dentist's office, "where he was forced to allow impressions to be made of his mouth," court documents show.

Dr. Michael West, a forensic odontologist, examined Kemp's body on February 7, 1992 and determined that there were human bite marks which were 'consistent with' Howard's teeth.
Mary Catherine (Mary Kay) Mason died peacefully on January 12, 2021, following her beloved husband Steve four and one-half months after his death. Although the death certificate may list something else, we know that Mom died of a broken heart. After all, 70 years of marriage had made them pretty inseparable, and we know that her face must have lit up in pure joy upon their reunion.

Mary Kay was the only child of Jack and Mary Vanica, born in Bellefontaine, Ohio on the memorable day of Oct. 20, 1930, making it easy to always remember her birthday. She graduated from Bellefontaine High School in 1948, and attended Bowling Green State University for two years where she met and fell in love with a handsome young sailor, also from Bellefontaine, who had returned from serving in World War II. They married in 1950, and spent their early married life in Bellefontaine, where they were blessed with three daughters. In 1967 the family moved to Chattanooga, Tn., and quickly fell in love with the region. Mary Kay was a homemaker who loved to bake, cook, and sew, and enjoyed making dresses for her girls. She also loved to watch airplanes, especially from the old observation deck at Lovell Field, and was always ready to travel. The Masons were active members of Trinity Lutheran Church in Hixson, Tn., singing in the choir for over four decades. Mom accompanied Dad in visiting new members and she loved being a part of Annes Girls, a womens group well known for their crochet work and their laughter. Mary Kay was also an active volunteer, welcoming new families to Chattanooga through Welcome Wagon and collecting donations for the March of Dimes.

Mary Kay is survived by her three daughters, Claudia Bargiel (Pete), Susan Gilbert (Ron), and Jenny Mason (Jodi Barry); as well as grandchildren Josh Freeman, Jennifer Freeman Rodriguez, Shae Bargiel Luke, and Chandler Gilbert; and 10 great-grandchildren, one great-great granddaughter, nieces and nephews. In addition, she would count as family the attentive staff at The Terrace at Mountain Creek, where they lived for the last six years and were well-loved by all.

The funeral will be held at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hixson on Friday, Jan. 15, at 10 a.m. Due to high COVID-19 risks, those worshipping in person at the church will be limited to family. Any others wishing to be a part of the service are invited to join us via Facebook Live at Trinity Lutheran-Worship Central!

Arrangements are by Hamilton Funeral Home & Cremation Services; 4506 Hixson Pike; (423) 531-3975.
South Australia will open its border to regional NSW from midnight Wednesday

Victoria announced a similar easing of its coronavirus border rules on Monday

Border rules still apply for residents from Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane

From midnight on Wednesday South Australia will open its border to regional New South Wales following on from a similar easing of border restrictions in Victoria.

Rules will not change for Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane areas despite only a handful of locally acquired cases reported in each city in recent days.

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Premier Daniel Andrews previously declared on Monday Victoria's borders will reopen to regional NSW, while announcing a new traffic light system aimed to keep Victoria safe when travellers cross the border.

South Australia will reopen their border to regional NSW from midnight on Wednesday following a similar decision in Victoria. Pictured: A Victoria Police officer gestures to colleagues at a border checkpoint

A drive-through testing centre in Victoria Park, Adelaide recently. South Australia has 12 active Covid cases who are all in hotel quarantine

NSW reported one local coronavirus case on Wednesday linked to the Berala bottle shop cluster in Sydney.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshall announced on Wednesday afternoon the easing of restrictions for those NSW residents in regional areas.

'We will be opening up for people coming in from regional NSW outside the high community transmission zones of Greater Sydney, Wollongong, Central Coast, and the Blue Mountains,' Mr Marshall said.

'The only requirement is that you are tested [for Covid] on day one, day five, and day twelve,' he said.

Dr Nicola Spurrier speaking on Wednesday

SA premier Steven Marshall speaking on Wednesday

Residents from Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane would still be required to quarantine for 14 days upon travelling to South Australia.

SA reported two new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, both men in their 30s who recently returned from overseas.

There are now 12 active infections in South Australia, all returned travellers in quarantine.

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In Queensland, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called for a review of the hotel quarantine system after six people were confirmed to have caught the UK strain of Covid.

The cases were four people in quarantine at the Hotel Grand Chancellor, a hotel cleaner, and her partner.

Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it was crucial everyone linked to the hotel isolate over the next 14-days.

'If we find out what's happened on that floor seven and that's a reason for how it's moved, transmitted, then that might change but at this point in time it's 14 days because I don't know how that transmission has occurred,' she said.

The premier said the state will pay the bill for the existing 129 guests, who restart the entire quarantine period on Wednesday.

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'It's going to be very tough on these particular guests that they now have to do an additional 14 days, however, it is necessary,' she said.

Under Victoria's eased border rules, anyone wanting to enter the state must apply for a permit which will be coloured red, orange or green, based on the Covid risk in the area they've arriving from.

Anyone wanting to cross the Victoria border from 6pm Monday must have a permit or be fined $5,000 (pictured: Melbourne locals in St Kilda recently)

This applies to every arrival in the state, even those from Covid-safe states and territories which have experienced no virus outbreaks in months.

Victoria has gone one week without a locally acquired coronavirus case after the New South Wales outbreak jumped the border.

Meanwhile Tasmania is standing firm with their border restrictions for Greater Sydney and Greater Brisbane areas.

'Don't come to Tasmania, that's effectively what a high-risk classification is,' Premier Peter Gutwein said on Wednesday.

'Given the circumstances around the UK strain ... we are going to leave our settings in place as they currently stand.'

No one is allowed to enter Tasmania from Greater Brisbane unless they have special permission as an essential traveller.

Tasmania has forced all arrivals from Greater Brisbane since January 8 to quarantine.

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Tasmania will maintain a medium risk declaration for Greater Sydney, meaning all arrivals have to quarantine for two weeks.
Australians are being promised a two-stage strategy to protect the population from COVID-19 under a federal commitment to pursue herd immunity while making vaccines available as soon as possible.

Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed the ambition on herd immunity after scientists raised questions over the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine to achieve the objective when compared to alternatives from Pfizer and others.

Health Minister Greg Hunt says Australia will pursue a herd immunity strategy as it waits to see how effective the COVID-19 vaccines are. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

In another day of debate over vaccine options, health giant CSL shot down talk about Australian production of the potential Novavax vaccine by saying it could not make it and the AstraZeneca vaccine at the same time.

The developments cement the government plan for a widespread roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine to most of the population and a more limited roll-out of the Pfizer vaccine to up to five million people, subject to final test results for both.

In a key concern over the interim results for AstraZeneca, scientists this week told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age the vaccines efficacy rate was not high enough so far to achieve herd immunity.

The concept of herd immunity describes the objective of eliminating an epidemic by building up a communitys resistance to disease to the point where so many are protected it no longer spreads.

A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the government view was to deliver protection and herd immunity but that results so far offered no guarantee about the longer-term objective.

Read more here.
Lisa Montgomery became on Wednesday the first female inmate to be executed since 1953, per AP.

The big picture: The 52-year-old Kansas woman was declared dead at 1:31am after having a lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, following a Supreme Court ruling late Tuesday.

The court sided with the Trump administration in the 6-3 ruling, one day after a federal judge granted Montgomery a stay of execution hours before she was originally scheduled to die.

The Supreme Court's three liberal justices dissented.

Of note: Montgomery's attorneys had argued that the Eighth Amendment prohibits the execution of people like Montgomery who, "due to their severe mental illness or brain damage, do not understand the basis for their executions."

For the record: Federal executions had been stalled for 16 years, until the Trump administration resumed federal capital punishment last July, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez notes.

Montgomery was one of three inmates the Department of Justice scheduled to be executed this week  days before the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who's against the federal death penalty.

Background: Montgomery was convicted in 2004 for the murder of 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, who was eight months pregnant, cutting her baby from her stomach and kidnapping the child.

The baby survived the 2004 attack in the northwest Missouri town of Skidmore.

Go deeper: Trump's last word on executions

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.
Chandigarh, Jan 13 : Taking up the cause of the farmers who are protesting against the three contentious agricultural laws, Congress leader and former Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Wednesday that in a democracy, laws are framed by elected representatives, and not by the courts.

"In a democracy, laws are made by elected representatives of the people, not by the honourable courts or committees... Any mediation, debate or discussion should have happened among the farmers and the Parliament," Sidhu said in a tweet.

In another tweet, he said: "Justice? -- you get justice in the next world, in this world you have the laws! The more laws the less justice." Sidhu's assertions came a day after the farmers' unions in a joint statement said the Supreme Court has stayed the implementation of the three Central farm laws as an interim measure, which is a welcome step, but not a solution.

The statement was issued by Darshan Pal on behalf of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella organisation of the farmers' unions spearheading the protest against the three farm laws passed by the Parliament in September last year.

The apex court on Tuesday stayed the implementation of all the three farm laws and also formed a committee comprising mostly agriculturists to hear the grievances of the farmers' unions against the farm laws.

"The farmers' unions did not ask for this solution, given the fact that the implementation of the farm laws can be reinstated anytime. The government must repeal the laws and it must understand that the farmers and the people of India are opposed to the laws," the statement said.
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The Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), the world's first graduate-level, research-based artificial intelligence university, has officially welcomed its first student cohort. The event saw students from across the world beginning their studies in Abu Dhabi this week.

Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and Chairman of the MBZUAI Board of Trustees, delivered a welcome speech emphasising the critical importance of AI, especially during the pandemic, as well as in transforming industries to achieve greater outcomes.

He was joined by Professor Dr. Eric Xing, President of MBZUAI, as well as the student body, faculty, and staff from the University.

The event welcomed 78 students who have joined the University from 29 countries, including the UAE, Canada, China, Egypt, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United States, and others. MBZUAI's first students were selected from thousands of applications received by the University from nearly 100 countries. The first cohort includes 13 PhD students and 65 MSc students, who have enrolled in MBZUAI's Machine Learning and Computer Vision programmes.

Dr Al Jaber said: "The first MBZUAI cohort represents a milestone in delivering on our promise to establish a centre for AI development and research, at a critical time as the world looks to technology to help power the post-Covid-19 recovery. With global expertise and a truly international student body hailing from 29 countries, the University will empower the UAE to become a leader in the field of AI, in alignment with the wise vision of the country's leadership."

In addition to delivering world-class education, MBZUAI will focus its research and development on four pillars: Services and Quality of Life, to improve services offered by the public and private sectors; Industrial and Manufacturing Technologies, to enhance efficiencies and improve productivity; Future Game Changers, to nurture the growth of new and emerging high value sectors, and Sustainability of Vital Resources and Environment, using AI to optimize the consumption of water and energy to protect the environment.

Dr Xing, set out his vision for the University, noting: "AI is one of the most transformational technologies of the modern age, providing tremendous opportunities for humankind. The vision for MBZUAI is to nurture a new generation of leaders in science, engineering, policy and business with the necessary understanding to unlock the potential of AI through their academic research and industrial applications. We will deliver excellence in the field of AI education, research and development, through a world-class curriculum and collaborative projects with industry leaders. I welcome our first students, and look forward to working alongside them as we explore the future of AI."

As the first academic year commences, MBZUAI is already accepting applications for the Fall 2021 start in Computer Vision and Machine Learning MSc and PhD programmes.-- Tradearabia News Service
This East Pacific ruby octopus, Octopus rubescens. Credit: Photographed by Kirt L. Onthank near Whidbey Island, Washington, United States

With the impact of climate change increasing by the day, scientists are studying the ways in which human behavior contributes to the damage. A recent study at Walla Walla University, by a collaboration of researchers from Walla Walla University and La Sierra University, examined the effects of acidic water on octopuses, potentially bringing new insight into both how our activities impact the world around us, and the way that world is adapting in response.

The study, "Impact of Short- and Long-Term Exposure to Elevated Seawater PCO 2 on Metabolic Rate and Hypoxia Tolerance in Octopus rubescens," focused on the metabolic rate of octopuses exposed to water acidified by carbon dioxide, and the changes it made to the animals. CO 2 is a key indicator of the growing acidity of our oceans because much of the gas released into the air by humans is dissolving into the seawater.

Initial work in the field focused on the negative effects of ocean acidity: the impaired growth of affected species such as hermit crabs, for example, or reduced survival rates of certain types of fish over time. Adaptability, however, has not received as much attention, particularly when it comes to octopuses and other cephalopods. What studies have been conducted showed conflicting results, particularly when it comes to short-term vs. long-term exposure to increased ocean acidity (OA).

For instance, studies on cuttlefish show no significant change in their metabolism after exposure to increased OA, while squid subjected to the same conditions showed a reduction in aerobic metabolism, indicating reduced oxygen circulation in the subjects.

For purposes of this experiment, researchers used octopus rubescens a small and easily maintained species of octopus common to the west coast of North America. The subjects were exposed to increased CO 2 -created acidity for a period of 5 weeks. Researchers measured their routine metabolic rate (RMR) with no prior acclimation to the acidic water, and then again at 1 week and at 5 weeks. The subjects' critical oxygen pressure was measured at 5 weeks as well.

Metabolic rates are very telling in such circumstances because most significant physiological changessuch as smaller organs or reduced growthare reflected in the shift in metabolism. (Changes in physiology are essentially changes in energy use, which can be observed by monitoring metabolism.)

The results demonstrated a surprising amount of adaptability in the subjects, as well as possible causes for data variation in other experiments. The subjects experienced high levels of metabolic change within the first 24 hours of exposure to increased acidity: a departure from earlier studies on different cephalopods, which showed a decrease in metabolic change.

However, when the same subjects were evaluated after one week, their RMR had returned to normal. The normal readings remained after 5 weeks as well, though their ability to function in low oxygen levels suffered in response to the increased acidity.

The results suggest that octopuses may be better able to withstand changes in ocean-acidity levels, which may have long-term bearings on our understanding of climate change. It also marks the first study to compare long-term and short-term effects of increased acid exposure. Further research is needed to clarify the mechanism driving the change in RMR, but the experimental parametersand the use of octopus rubescens as test subjectsprovide an excellent model system for studying the effects of OA on cephalopods.

More information: Kirt L. Onthank et al, Impact of Short- and Long-Term Exposure to Elevated Seawater Pco2 on Metabolic Rate and Hypoxia Tolerance in Octopus rubescens, Physiological and Biochemical Zoology (2020). Kirt L. Onthank et al, Impact of Short- and Long-Term Exposure to Elevated Seawater Pco2 on Metabolic Rate and Hypoxia Tolerance in Octopus rubescens,(2020). DOI: 10.1086/712207
New Rochelle, NY, January 13, 2021--Aggressive video games are not a risk factor for mental health problems, according to a new study of more than 3,000 youth. This study is part of a special issue on the effects of violent video games published in the peer-reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Click here to read the issue now.

Christopher Ferguson, PhD, Stetson University, and C.K. John Wang, PhD, Nanyang Technological University, examined whether early exposure to aggressive games was predictive of anxiety depression, somatic symptoms, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder 2 years later.

In an editorial entitled, "Effects of Violent Video Games: 50 Years On, Where Are We Now?" Guest Editors of the special issue, Simon Goodson, PhD and Kirstie Turner, PhD, University of Huddersfield, state: "The aim of this special issue is to present empirical findings based upon meticulous research in order to provide a more informed resource for the debate of the effects of playing violent video games."

Manuel Ibanez, , PhD, Universitat Jaume I, and coauthors examined the role of violent video game exposure, personality, and deviant peers in aggressive behaviors among adolescents. They found that aggressive behavior was predicted by having deviant peers and specific personality traits, especially low agreeableness. Violent video game exposure had no long-term effects on aggressive behaviors.

"Video games have been criticized from the moment they came into being and, like with most other new technologies, we've discovered there are benefits as well as shortcomings to consider. My hope is that by publishing this special issue, highlighting cutting-edge research with objective data, we may come to better understand both the promise and peril of videogames," says Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCB, BCN, Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium.

###

About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly online with Open Access options and in print that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies. Complete tables of contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm's 90 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
If you're tired of poor Wi-Fi reception in the driveway and the rec room, we've got what you need for cheap. Amazon is selling a three-pack of the 2020 model of the Google Wifi mesh system for $175Remove non-product link, good for $25 off the MSRP and matching an all-time low.

The Google Wifi mesh system features 802.11ac Wi-Fi and three access points to cover 4,500 square feet. Each access point also has two Ethernet ports and will also work with other Google networking gear including Nest Wifi. We haven't reviewed the newest version of Google Wifi, but we liked the original's easy set-up and decent speeds. This version fixes our biggest complaint with the model we reviewed by bringing MU-MIMO support for greater throughput.

Google Wifi also has parental controls if you need to kick your kids off the Internet around bedtime, and you can also block explicit content. Finally, if you don't want visitors getting your long, complicated network password you can create a guest network.

[Today's deal: 2020 Google Wifi three-pack for $175 at AmazonRemove non-product link]
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To Trump, one advisor said, the vice-president had entered 'Sessions territory', referring to Jeff Sessions, the attorney-general who was tortured by the president before being fired

Washington: For Vice-President Mike Pence, the moment of truth had arrived. After three years and 11 months of navigating the treacherous waters of President Donald Trumps ego, after all the tongue-biting, pride-swallowing moments where he employed strategic silence or florid flattery to stay in his boss good graces, there he was being cursed by the president.

Trump was enraged that Pence was refusing to try to overturn the election. In a series of meetings, the president had pressed relentlessly, alternately cajoling and browbeating him. Finally, just before Pence headed to the Capitol to oversee the electoral vote count last Wednesday, Trump called the vice-presidents residence to push one last time.

You can either go down in history as a patriot, Trump told him, according to two people briefed on the conversation, or you can go down in history as a pussy.

The blowup between the nations two highest elected officials then played out in dramatic fashion as the president publicly excoriated the vice-president at an incendiary rally and sent agitated supporters to the Capitol, where they stormed the building  some of them chanting Hang Mike Pence.

Evacuated to the basement, Pence huddled for hours while Trump tweeted out an attack on him rather than call to check on his safety.

It was an extraordinary rupture of a partnership that had survived too many challenges to count.

The loyal lieutenant who had almost never diverged from the president, who had finessed every other possible fracture, finally came to a decision point he could not avoid. He would uphold the election despite the president and despite the mob. And he would pay the price with the political base he once hoped to harness for his own run for the White House.

Pence had a choice between his constitutional duty and his political future, and he did the right thing, said John Yoo, a legal scholar consulted by Pences office. I think he was the man of the hour in many ways  for both Democrats and Republicans. He did his duty even though he must have known, when he did it, that that probably meant he could never become president.

Former senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, one of Trumps most outspoken Republican critics and a long-time friend of Pence before they drifted apart over the president, said he was relieved the vice-president had finally taken a stand.

There were many points where I wished he would have separated, spoke out, but Im glad he did it when he did, Flake said. I wish he would have done it earlier, but Im sure grateful he did it now. And I knew he would.

Not everyone gave Pence much credit, arguing that he should hardly be lionized for following the Constitution and maintaining that his deference to the president for nearly four years enabled Trumps assault on democracy in the first place.

Im glad he didnt break the law, but its kind of hard to call somebody courageous for choosing not to help overthrow our democratic system of government, said Representative Tom Malinowski, D-NJ, Hes got to understand that the man hes been working for and defending loyally is almost single-handedly responsible for creating a movement in this country that wants to hang Mike Pence.

The rift between Trump and Pence has dominated their final days in office  not least because the vice-president has the power under the 25th Amendment to remove the president from office with support of the Cabinet. The House planned to vote on Wednesday demanding that Pence take such action or else it would impeach Trump.

Pence has signalled that he has no intention to. But Trump has been nervous enough about it that he finally broke five days of the cold shoulder to invite his vice-president to the Oval Office on Monday night to smooth over their split. The official description of the hourlong conversation was good; the unofficial description was non-substantive and stilted.

The clash is the third time in 20 years that a departing president and vice-president came to conflict in their last days. After former vice-president Al Gore lost his presidential campaign in 2000, he had a bitter fight with former president Bill Clinton in the Oval Office over who was to blame.

Eight years later, just days before leaving office, former vice-president Dick Cheney castigated former president George W Bush for refusing to pardon I Lewis Libby Jr, the vice-presidents former chief of staff, for perjury in the CIA leak case.

Trump came into office with no real understanding of how his predecessors had handled relationships with their running mates. In the early days, when it became clear that there would be no organisational chart or formal decision-making process, Pence made himself a regular presence in the Oval Office, simply showing up with no agenda, often walking into a policy discussion for which he had received no briefing materials.

He arrived in the West Wing each morning, received an update about when the president was coming down from the residence and then simply stationed himself in the Oval Office for most of the day. He was almost never formally invited to anything and his name was rarely on official meeting manifests. But he was almost always around.

Calm and unflappable, Pence took on the role of confidant for Cabinet secretaries and other officials fearing Trumps ire, advising how to broach uncomfortable topics with the president without triggering him.

Not angering Trump was a key objective of his, observed David J Shulkin, the former secretary of veterans affairs. He tried very hard to straddle a very tough line.

But that meant Pences own views were often opaque.

Were the policies and the statements being put out, were they ones that he completely agreed with? Shulkin asked. Or was it his strategy that it is better to be in the room, it is better to be a trusted party to help moderate some of those strategies and the way to do that is not to publicly disagree? I think that was a really hard one to figure out, exactly where he stood.

Pence ultimately discovered that loyalty to Trump only matters until it does not. Tension between the two had grown in recent months as the president railed privately about Pence. The vice-presidents allies believed Trump was stirred up in part by Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff, who told him that Pence aides were leaking to reporters. That helped create a toxic atmosphere between the two offices even before Election Day.

When Trumps efforts to overturn the election results were rejected at every turn by state officials and judges, Trump was told, incorrectly, that the vice president could stop the final validation of the election of President-elect Joe Biden in his role as president of the Senate presiding over the Electoral College count.

Pences counsel, Greg Jacob, researched the matter and concluded the vice president had no such authority. Prodded by Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, two of his lawyers, Trump kept pressing.

Pences office solicited more constitutional opinions, including from Yoo, a prominent conservative at the University of California at Berkeley who served in Bushs administration.

In the Oval Office last week, the day before the vote, Trump pushed Pence in a string of encounters, including one meeting that lasted at least an hour. John Eastman, a conservative constitutional scholar at Chapman University, was in the office and argued to Pence that he did have the power to act.

The next morning, hours before the vote, Richard Cullen, Pences personal lawyer, called J.Michael Luttig, a former appeals court judge revered by conservatives  and for whom Eastman had once clerked. Luttig agreed to quickly write up his opinion that the vice-president had no power to change the outcome, then posted it on Twitter.

Within minutes, Pences staff incorporated Luttigs reasoning, citing him by name, into a letter announcing the vice-presidents decision not to try to block electors. Reached on Tuesday, Luttig said it was the highest honour of my life to play a role in preserving the Constitution.

After the angry call cursing Pence, Trump riled up supporters at the rally against his own vice-president, saying, I hope he doesnt listen to the RINOs and the stupid people that hes listening to.

He set Mike Pence up that day by putting it on his shoulders, said Ryan Streeter, an advisor to Pence when he was the governor of Indiana. Thats a pretty unprecedented thing in American politics. For a president to throw his own vice-president under the bus like that and to encourage his supporters to take him on is something just unconscionable in my mind.

Pence was already in his motorcade to the Capitol by that point. When the mob burst into the building, Secret Service agents evacuated him and his wife and children, first to his office off the floor and later to the basement. His agents urged him to leave the building, but he refused to abandon the Capitol. From there, he spoke with congressional leaders, the defence secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff  but not the president.

A Republican senator later said he had never seen Pence so angry, feeling betrayed by a president for whom he had done so much.

To Trump, one advisor said, the vice-president had entered Sessions territory, referring to Jeff Sessions, the attorney-general who was tortured by the president before being fired. (A vice-president cannot be dismissed by a president.)

On Thursday, the day after the siege, Pence stayed away from the White House, avoiding Trump. The next day, he went in, but spent most of the day at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next door, where he held a farewell party for his staff.

But aides said Pence did not want to become a long-term nemesis of a vindictive president, and by Monday he was back in the West Wing.

Unlike Trump, Pence plans to attend Bidens inauguration, then expects to divide time between Washington and Indiana, possibly starting a leadership political committee, writing a book and campaigning for congressional Republicans.

But no matter what comes next, he will always be remembered for one moment.

Were very lucky that the vice-president isnt a maniac, said Joe Grogan, Trumps domestic policy advisor until last year. In many ways, I think it vindicates the decision of Mike Pence to hang in there this long.

Peter Baker, Maggie Haberman and Annie Karni c.2021 The New York Times Company

(TNS)  One of the state's top bullet train contractors has sent a scorching 36-page letter to California high-speed rail officials, contradicting state claims that the line's construction pace is on target and warning the project could miss a key 2022 federal deadline.The letter, obtained by, alleges that a multitude of problems have remained unresolved for years, including rapid turnover of state officials, continuing delays in obtaining land for the rail and the state's failure to secure agreements with outside parties, including utilities and freight railroads. The delays will result in idled work sites and layoffs of field workers, says the letter, by construction giant Tutor Perini.As of mid-November, construction teams can not build on more than 500 parcels in the Fresno area because the California High Speed Rail Authority still lacks possession or proper documentation, according to the Jan. 4 letter. The company has completed all the work that could be done efficiently and as a result is now operating at other sites at a slower pace."It is beyond comprehension that as of this day, more than two thousand and six hundred calendar days after [official approval to start construction] that the authority has not obtained all of the right of way" wrote Tutor Perini Vice President of Operations Ghassan Ariqat to Garth Fernandez, the contracting chief at the state rail authority. Ariqat said his company "anticipates that it will have to lay off a significant number of its field workers in the very near future" and that it has already let 73 field workers go in recent weeks.The conditions described by the letter jeopardize the project's long-range goals, because it is already struggling to complete even a portion of its original vision of a Los Angeles-to- San Francisco bullet train. The letter indicates that delays and cost overruns are poised to grow worse.In response, rail authority Chief Executive Brian Kelly essentially dismissed the letter, saying in a statement that it "attempts to set out why project challenges are everybody else's fault.""As we do with all contractor claims, our commercial and legal teams will evaluate the letter and provide a full response, including an articulation of where the contractor's claims are mistaken or otherwise in error."Kelly said the authority has worked with Tutor Perini over the last 18 months to achieve a number of benchmarks, including having an average of 344 workers on job sites as of the end of October and completing 92 percent of the design work for the Fresno segment.Authority spokeswoman Annie Parker said, "There is little in this letter that we agree with." In response to questions, she said over the last 18 months the number of workers on the overall job is increasing and "we expect job growth to continue."The authority has been insisting for several years that the project's setbacks were created years ago under prior management and that it was on a path to operating more effectively, but reports of continued problems have never stopped.Tutor Perini, along with the rail authority's consultants, share some of the responsibility. Last year,revealed that the company had installed steel cables to support a major bridge under construction, and those cables had rusted and snapped, requiring installation of temporary supports to prevent a collapse.The letter makes no mention of such setbacks and instead focusing on the state's role. It asserts that the delays caused by the state rail authority will push completion of the 31-mile segment around Fresno to at least November 2023, nearly a year past a federal deadline under a grant agreement and some six years behind the original deadline. The delays inevitably drive up costs.And the company is only building about half of what is necessary to achieve completion by November 2023, based on its rate of expenditures, the letter said, and it "is anticipated that the monthly billings will diminish further in the months to come."The implication is that additional delays on the Fresno segment will be measured in years, according to a project official who is not authorized to speak to the news media. The other two construction segments in the project are also facing delays.The letter lists 318 prior communications between the contractor and the state that have sought to highlight or resolve problems. In December, Ariqat called on the state in a brief letter, whichobtained, to address structural glitches, saying, "Absent of the authority's commitment to resolve conflicts and change orders, followed by action, the project will come to a standstill in the very near future."The company, which leads the contractor team Tutor Perini Zachry Parsons, did not respond to a request for comment.The letter clearly presents a different picture of the project than state officials have offered in recent weeks. At its December finance and audit committee meeting, authority officials said the project was making good progress."We keep increasing the number of workers on site, which is a good indication of the amount of real work that is taking place," said Chief Operating Officer Joe Hedges. "It just keeps increasing."In addition, Hedges said utility relocations and work on structures were increasing, which was "very, very good news."Despite years of troubles, political support for the project remains largely steadfast, state courts have rejected suits seeking to stop the project, and many supporters of a statewide bullet train system are undeterred by the operational setbacks.Ariqat said the rail authority had issued unreliable reports forecasting when land would become available, making it difficult for the company to plan construction. "The authority's answer to its unsuccessful efforts to deliver right of way in a timely manner was stop transmitting" the forecasts. The last forecasting report was sent in October 2019, it said.Tutor Perini won its initial contract in 2013 to build rail structures through Fresno, California's fifth-largest city and the nation's most prodigious agricultural county, with a bid of just under $1 billion and later won a small addition for an extension north to Madera. But it could not start building anything for about two years, because the rail authority did not own a single parcel. Equipment was parked at storage lots, while Tutor Perini's billing meter was running.Since then, authority executives have acknowledged the mistake and said they would not issue any future contracts for construction until all of the land is obtained beforehand.Today, the contract amount has jumped to $2.2 billion, mostly because of delay claims and change orders. The current total does not include more than $500 million in change orders that Tutor Perini submitted last year to cover its costs for alleged state-caused problems, according to a senior project official not authorized to speak to the news media.Parker said the authority does not "comment on contractors' claims until we have reviewed them on their merits and approved them, at which point they're also posted publicly on our website."The Ariqat letter notes that less than 50 percent of the 31-mile construction segment under Tutor Perini's contract has been completed. The original contract anticipated completion by 2017.The letter notes that the firm has completed 14 bridges, viaducts and other structures and has begun work on six more. But it has not even begun work on 32 structures, mainly because the state has not provided the land.The 32 structures include 10 major bridges, trenches and viaducts in urban Fresno that would carry east/west vehicle traffic on major city highways over the bullet train tracks. The structures must be built sequentially, because they will shut down the highways and doing them all at once would strangle movement in the city, according to the official.The letter details how project snags have cascaded. The state, for example, has failed to acquire a piece of land from Smart & Final, a grocery chain, at a city corner, delaying relocation of a gas line. The removal of the gas line in turn has delayed construction of temporary freight track, called a shoofly, for Union Pacific Railroad. The shoofly is necessary to allow construction of underpasses and bridges at three major streets near downtown, the letter said.The state decided to begin the rail line in the Central Valley, because the flat geography and open farming plots would make it the easiest part to build. But after seven years of work, what was considered the easiest possible launch has turned into an administrative nightmare.Along the north-to-south bullet train route in Fresno, isolated bridges soar above the city, separated by stretches with no visible construction activity. Graffiti is sprayed on long expanses of the structures. Vacant land on the ground has attracted vagrants. Empty buildings have been vandalized and burned.President-elect Joe Biden can relieve some of the pressure the Trump administration placed on the project, such as amending the 2022 deadline for building structures.And Biden could release $927 million in grant money that Trump terminated. But the project would still face the consequences of the delays.The delays threaten Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2018 plan to revamp the bullet train, in which he would build a 171-mile partial high speed rail system from Bakersfield to Merced by 2028 for $20.4 billion. Newsom has seldom, if ever, publicly discussed his rail plan since 2018.Senior engineers and construction executives say that any partial operating system is unlikely until the 2030s, and the costs are likely to grow by billions of dollars above the current $20.4 billion.The Ariqat letter spends considerable time detailing the problems of working with Union Pacific, whose tracks parallel the bullet train route through much of Fresno. It alleges that the railroad has made "preferential and unreasonable demands" in reviewing and approving work plans for sites adjacent to its property. The authority, the letter said, has failed to enforce a 2014 working agreement and failed to establish a coordinating committee that would meet monthly as required by the agreement.Union Pacific did not respond to a request for comment.
Today marks Naya Rivera's 34th birthday, which was never forgotten by other cast members of the "Glee." The late actress' co-stars paid tribute to her, with Heather Morris leading among their former co-stars.

Naya Rivera tragically died during a boating trip in July. She was survived by her son, who was with her when the accident took place.

Heather Morris posted a black-and-white photo of them on Instagram. Morris played as Naya Rivera's love interest in the musical comedy series "Glee."

Morris captioned the post saying, "Happy Birthday my angel. I can't write a sappy monologue because it's just too hard," People reported. Morris added that she loves Rivera and cannot describe how much she misses her.

Amber Riley also shared a photo of herself from her August performance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," which she offered as a tribute for Rivera.

Chris Colfer also shared a cast photo of himself and Rivera on Instagram, captioning it with his happy birthday greeting, adding that he misses Rivera.

Related story: Naya Rivera's Death Certificate Says She Died Within Minutes

Naya Rivera's Death

Naya Rivera's body was found in Lake Piru, California on July 13 last year. According to a Billboard report, an autopsy from the Ventura County Medical Examiner revealed that the actress' cause of death was drowning, and the manner was an accident.

Divers found her body after a long search. She was first reported missing on July 8 last year after renting a pontoon boat with her four-year-old son at Lake Piru.

According to an earlier BBC report, Rivera's son told police that his mother pushed him back into the boat before she disappeared under the surface of the water.

Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said the lake's current at the time could have made it difficult for Naya Rivera to get back on the boat. Ayub suggested that perhaps the boat started drifting, and it was unanchored.

He added that Rivera must only have enough strength to get her son back onto the boat, but not enough to save herself.

Rivera's son was found alone and sleeping on the boat by a leasing agent after she did not return it. Her body was found on the same day, exactly seven years after her "Glee" co-star, Cory Monteith, was found dead in a Vancouver hotel room due to heroin and alcohol overdose.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit filed in Naya Rivera's drowning

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed over Rivera's drowning. It was filed against the Ventura County and managers of Lake Piru.

Ryan Dorsey filed the lawsuit on behalf of her son. Dorsey was the father of Rivera's son and her ex-husband. The suit was also filed on behalf of her estate, according to The Guardian report.

The late star was said to be a good swimmer. An autopsy report listed her death as an accident. However, the lawsuit claims that negligence was involved.

The pontoon boat allegedly lacked other safety necessities to keep the boat from being separated from the swimmers, such as the ladder, rope, or anchor.

Naya Rivera reportedly declined a life vest. But the man whom she rented the boat at said to have put one aboard anyway.

Related story: 'Glee' Star Naya Rivera Found Dead at 33: What We Know About Her Tragic Disappearance and Death




Stop the Steal organizer Ali Alexander says three Republican lawmakers helped him put together the protest in Washington, D.C., that turned into a Capitol riot.

The Washington Post reports Alexander, a right-wing activist that has repeated President Donald Trumps baseless claims of widespread election fraud, said in a since-deleted video on Periscope that Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, and Paul A. Gosar of Arizona helped organize the Jan. 6 event during Congress vote to certify the Electoral College votes in favor of President-elect Joe Biden.

We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting, Alexander said, adding that they planned to change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body, hearing our loud roar from outside.

The roar turned into a riot as pro-Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building, leaving five people dead and forcing members of Congress to take refuge during the chaos.

Brooks denied knowing Alexander in a statement to the Washington Post, and refused to accept responsibility. Biggs and Gosar did not comment, but social media evidence and videos online suggest all three have links to Alexander: Gosar called Alexander a true patriot on Twitter and Trump retweeted a video by Alexander on Dec. 26 that included a message from Biggs referencing Brooks.

All three GOP lawmakers supported objecting to the Electoral College vote late last Wednesday, shortly after the siege ended.

Politico reports Alexander has been banned from Twitter and Facebook after allegedly helping incite violence.

One of our organizers in one state said, Were nice patriots, we dont throw bricks. I leaned over and I said, Not yet. Not yet! Havent you read about a little tar-and-feathering? Those were second-degree burns! Alexander said at a rally in December. Were going to convince them to not certify the vote on January 6 by marching hundreds of thousands, if not millions of patriots, to sit their butts in D.C. and close that city down, right? And if we have to explore options after that... yet. Yet!

We will not go quietly. Well shut down this country if we have to, he also said, later leading them in a chant of 1776.

Alexander, also known as Ali Akbar, told Politico that hes received death threats and said the Capitol riot was entirely separate from the vent he organized: I fight for civil rights. I believe this election was stolen. I petitioned my government. Im being punished for organizing millions of people.

Alexander has a history of legal troubles, including previously pleading guilty to felony property theft n 2007 and felony credit card abuse in 2008, both in Texas. He worked for John McCains 2008 presidential campaign and various political action committees, but has rose in recent years through his support of Trump. Donald Trump Jr. retweeted claims by Alexander that Vice President-elect is not an American Black since her father is from Jamaica and a month later he was invited to a social media summit at the White House.
The assault on the US Capitol by President Donald Trumps supporters, incited by Trump himself, was the predictable outcome of his four-year-long assault on democratic institutions, aided and abetted by so many in the Republican Party. And no one can say that Trump had not warned us: he was not committed to a peaceful transition of power.

Many who benefited as he slashed taxes for corporations and the rich, rolled back environmental regulations, and appointed business-friendly judges knew they were making a pact with the devil. Either they believed they could control the extremist forces he unleashed, or they didnt care.

Where does America go from here? Is Trump an aberration, or a symptom of a deeper national malady? Can the United States be trusted? In four years, will the forces that gave rise to Trump, and the party that overwhelmingly supported him, triumph again? What can be done to prevent that outcome?

Trump is the product of multiple forces. For at least a quarter-century, the Republican Party has understood that it could represent the interests of business elites only by embracing anti-democratic measures (including voter suppression and gerrymandering) and allies, including the religious fundamentalists, white supremacists and nationalist populists.

Of course, populism implied policies that were antithetical to business elites. But many business leaders spent decades mastering the ability to deceive the public. Big Tobacco spent lavishly on lawyers and bogus science to deny their products adverse health effects. Big Oil did likewise to deny fossil fuels contribution to the climate crisis. They recognised Trump as one of their own.

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Then, advances in technology provided a tool for rapid dissemination of dis/misinformation and Americas political system, where money reigns supreme, allowed the emerging tech companies freedom from accountability.

This political system did one other thing: it generated a set of policies (sometimes referred to as neoliberalism) that delivered massive income and wealth gains to those at the top, but near-stagnation everywhere else. Soon, a country on the cutting edge of scientific progress was marked by declining life expectancy and increasing health disparities.

The neoliberal promise that wealth gains would trickle down to those at the bottom was fundamentally spurious. As massive structural changes deindustrialised large parts of the country, those left behind were left to fend largely for themselves. This toxic mix provided an inviting opportunity for a would-be demagogue.

Americans entrepreneurial spirit, combined with an absence of moral constraints, provides an ample supply of charlatans, exploiters and would-be demagogues. Trump, a mendacious, narcissistic sociopath, with no understanding of economics or appreciation of democracy, was the man of the moment.

The immediate task is to remove the threat Trump still poses. The House of Representatives should impeach him now, and the Senate should try him some time later, to bar him from holding federal office again. It should be in the interest of the Republicans, no less than the Democrats, to show that no one is above the law. Everyone must understand the imperative of honouring elections and ensuring the peaceful transition of power.

But we should not sleep comfortably until the underlying problems are addressed. Many involve great challenges. We must reconcile freedom of expression with accountability for the enormous harm that social media can, and has, caused, from inciting violence and promoting racial and religious hatred to political manipulation.

The US has long imposed restrictions on other forms of expression to reflect broader societal concerns: one may not shout fire in a crowded theatre, engage in child pornography or commit slander and libel. True, some authoritarian regimes abuse these constraints and compromise basic freedoms, but authoritarian regimes will always find justifications for doing what they will, regardless of what democratic governments do.

We Americans must reform our political system, both to ensure the basic right to vote and democratic representation. We need a new voting rights act. The old one, adopted in 1965, was aimed at the South, where disenfranchisement of African-Americans had enabled white elites to remain in power since the end of Reconstruction following the civil war. But now anti-democratic practices are found throughout the country.

We also need to decrease the influence of money in our politics: no system of checks and balances can be effective in a society with as much inequality as the US. And any system based on one dollar, one vote rather than one person, one vote will be vulnerable to populist demagogy. After all, how can such a system serve the interests of the country as a whole?

Finally, we must address the multiple dimensions of inequality. The striking difference between the treatment of the white insurrectionists who invaded the Capitol and the peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters this summer once again showed to those around the world the magnitude of Americas racial injustice.

Joseph E. Stiglitz is a Nobel laureate in economics, professor at Columbia University, Roosevelt Institute chief economist and a former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank.
Washington, Jan 13 : An upgraded SpaceX cargo Dragon spacecraft has successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), heading for splashdown on Earth on Thursday morning with key science experiments, including mice.

It is the first undocking of a US commercial cargo craft from the International Docking Adapter on the station's space-facing port of the Harmony module.

Previous cargo Dragon spacecraft were attached and removed from the space station using the station's robotic Canadarm2.

"Dragon will fire its thrusters to move a safe distance from the space station during the next 36 hours. Dragon will conduct a deorbit burn at 7:37 p.m. EST to begin its re-entry sequence into Earth's atmosphere," NASA said in a statement.

"Dragon was expected to splash down west of Tampa off the Florida coast about 8:27 p.m. EST (around 7 am India time on Thursday).

The upgraded cargo Dragon capsule used for this mission contains double the powered locker availability of previous capsules, allowing for a significant increase in the research that can be carried back to Earth.

Dragon was launched on December 6 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, arriving at the station just over 24 hours later and achieving the first autonomous docking of a US commercial cargo resupply spacecraft.

The spacecraft delivered more than 6,400 pounds of hardware, research investigations and crew supplies.

The space experiments include 'Cardinal Heart', which studies how changes in gravity affect cardiovascular cells at the cellular and tissue level using 3D engineered heart tissues, a type of tissue chip.

'Rodent Research-23' involves the return of live mice. This experiment studies the function of arteries, veins, and lymphatic structures in the eye and changes in the retina before and after spaceflight.

The aim is to clarify whether these changes impair visual function.
The human population is set to reach 10 billion by 2050. Credit: Shutterstock

Anyone with even a passing interest in the global environment knows all is not well. But just how bad is the situation? Our new paper shows the outlook for life on Earth is more dire than is generally understood.

The research published today reviews more than 150 studies to produce a stark summary of the state of the natural world. We outline the likely future trends in biodiversity decline, mass extinction, climate disruption and planetary toxification. We clarify the gravity of the human predicament and provide a timely snapshot of the crises that must be addressed now.

The problems, all tied to human consumption and population growth, will almost certainly worsen over coming decades. The damage will be felt for centuries and threatens the survival of all species, including our own.

Our paper was authored by 17 leading scientists, including those from Flinders University, Stanford University and the University of California, Los Angeles. Our message might not be popular, and indeed is frightening. But scientists must be candid and accurate if humanity is to understand the enormity of the challenges we face.

Getting to grips with the problem

First, we reviewed the extent to which experts grasp the scale of the threats to the biosphere and its lifeforms, including humanity. Alarmingly, the research shows future environmental conditions will be far more dangerous than experts currently believe.

This is largely because academics tend to specialize in one discipline, which means they're in many cases unfamiliar with the complex system in which planetary-scale problemsand their potential solutionsexist.

What's more, positive change can be impeded by governments rejecting or ignoring scientific advice, and ignorance of human behavior by both technical experts and policymakers.

More broadly, the human optimism bias  thinking bad things are more likely to befall others than yourselfmeans many people underestimate the environmental crisis.

Numbers don't lie

Our research also reviewed the current state of the global environment. While the problems are too numerous to cover in full here, they include:

A bad situation only getting worse

The human population has reached 7.8 billion  double what it was in 1970and is set to reach about 10 billion by 2050. More people equals more food insecurity, soil degradation, plastic pollution and biodiversity loss.

Major environmental-change categories expressed as a percentage relative to intact baseline. Red indicates percentage of category damaged, lost or otherwise affected; blue indicates percentage intact, remaining or unaffected. Credit: Frontiers in Conservation Science

High population densities make pandemics more likely. They also drive overcrowding, unemployment, housing shortages and deteriorating infrastructure, and can spark conflicts leading to insurrections, terrorism, and war.

Essentially, humans have created an ecological Ponzi scheme. Consumption, as a percentage of Earth's capacity to regenerate itself, has grown from 73% in 1960 to more than 170% today.

High-consuming countries like Australia, Canada and the US use multiple units of fossil-fuel energy to produce one energy unit of food. Energy consumption will therefore increase in the near future, especially as the global middle class grows.

Then there's climate change. Humanity has already exceeded global warming of 1C this century, and will almost assuredly exceed 1.5 C between 2030 and 2052. Even if all nations party to the Paris Agreement ratify their commitments, warming would still reach between 2.6C and 3.1C by 2100.

The danger of political impotence

Our paper found global policymaking falls far short of addressing these existential threats. Securing Earth's future requires prudent, long-term decisions. However this is impeded by short-term interests, and an economic system that concentrates wealth among a few individuals.

Right-wing populist leaders with anti-environment agendas are on the rise, and in many countries, environmental protest groups have been labeled "terrorists." Environmentalism has become weaponised as a political ideology, rather than properly viewed as a universal mode of self-preservation.

Financed disinformation campaigns against climate action and forest protection, for example, protect short-term profits and claim meaningful environmental action is too costlywhile ignoring the broader cost of not acting. By and large, it appears unlikely business investments will shift at sufficient scale to avoid environmental catastrophe.

Changing course

Fundamental change is required to avoid this ghastly future. Specifically, we and many others suggest:

Abolishing the goal of perpetual economic growth

Revealing the true cost of products and activities by forcing those who damage the environment to pay for its restoration, such as through carbon pricing

Rapidly eliminating fossil fuels

Regulating markets by curtailing monopolisation and limiting undue corporate influence on policy

Reining in corporate lobbying of political representatives

Educating and empowering women around the globe, including giving them control over family planning.

Don't look away

Many organizations and individuals are devoted to achieving these aims. However their messages have not sufficiently penetrated the policy, economic, political and academic realms to make much difference.

Failing to acknowledge the magnitude and gravity of problems facing humanity is not just naive, it's dangerous. And science has a big role to play here.

Scientists must not sugarcoat the overwhelming challenges ahead. Instead, they should tell it like it is. Anything else is at best misleading, and at worst potentially lethal for the human enterprise.

Explore further Expert prognosis for the planetwe're on track for a ghastly future

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Head of the Ukrainian President's Office Andriy Yermak took part in a meeting of political advisors to the leaders of the Normandy format member states in Berlin on Tuesday and discussed the fulfillment of the agreements reached at the Paris summit in December 2019, the Ukrainian President's Office press service said in a statement.

"In particular, the parties touched upon all issues on the agenda - from security to humanitarian ones. The discussion was complicated yet constructive. All parties noted the importance of adhering to the ceasefire regime in Donbas," the statement said.

The Ukrainian delegation accentuated the need to strengthen the security component of the agreements, it said.

Yermak thanked the German delegation for organizing the meeting and partners from Germany and France for supporting Ukraine on the path to peace in Donbas.

The meeting was also attended by Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office in the Trilateral Contact Group on settlement of the military conflict in Donbas Heidi Grau.

"A break has now been announced, the meeting at the level of political advisors will be continued on Friday, January 22," the statement said.


The New York Times

For 27 years, Bill Gates has entrusted the management of his enormous wealth and the endowment of his giant foundation to a single man: Michael Larson. Larson has invested the Microsoft co-founders money in farmland, hotels, stocks, bonds, even a bowling alley. Thanks in part to Larson and the soaring value of Microsofts shares, Gates fortune has gone from less than $10 billion to about $130 billion. But Larson, 61, also engaged in a pattern of workplace misconduct at Gates money-management firm, Cascade Investment, according to 10 former employees as well as others familiar with the firm. Sign up for The Morning newsletter from the New York Times He openly judged female employees on their attractiveness, showed colleagues nude photos of women on the internet and on several occasions made sexually inappropriate comments. He made a racist remark to a Black employee. He bullied others. When an employee said she was leaving Cascade, Larson retaliated by trying to hurt the stock price of the company she planned to join. Over the years, at least six people  including four Cascade employees  complained to Gates about Larson, according to former employees and others with direct knowledge of the complaints. (Several of them also complained to his wife, Melinda French Gates.) Cascade made payments to at least seven people who witnessed or knew about Larsons behavior; in exchange, they agreed to never speak about their time at the firm. Even as Cascade grew to more than 100 employees and to manage more money than most Wall Street hedge funds, the perception that Larson had Gates unflinching support allowed him to maintain a culture of fear inside the companys lakeside offices, the former employees said. Larson still runs Cascade. Gates reluctance to take decisive action at Cascade adds to an emerging portrait of the billionaire philanthropist that is at odds with his image as a roving global do-gooder and champion of womens empowerment. As The New York Times has reported, Gates for years regularly spent time with Jeffrey Epstein, who faced accusations of sex trafficking of girls  a relationship that was among the factors precipitating French Gates recent decision to seek a divorce. And on at least a few occasions, Gates pursued women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2019, Microsofts board investigated one of those cases, in which Gates acknowledged he had an affair with an employee. Gates stepped down from the board last year. Larson and Chris Giglio, his spokesman, denied some but not all instances of Larsons misconduct. During his tenure, Mr. Larson has managed over 380 people, and there have been fewer than five complaints related to him in total, Giglio said. He added, Any complaint was investigated and treated seriously and fully examined, and none merited Mr. Larsons dismissal. Giglio and Bridgitt Arnold, a spokesperson for Gates, said that Bill and Melinda Gates Investments, whose name is sometimes used interchangeably with Cascades, has robust policies to deal with employee complaints about wrongdoing. BMGI takes all complaints seriously and seeks to address them effectively to guarantee a safe and respectful workplace, Giglio said. Arnold said, BMGI does not tolerate inappropriate behavior. She added that any issue raised over the companys history has been taken seriously and resolved appropriately. Larson said, Calling BMGI a toxic work environment is unfair to the 160 professionals who make up our team and our culture. Courtney Wade, a spokeswoman for French Gates, said, Melinda unequivocally condemns disrespectful and inappropriate conduct in the workplace. She was unaware of most of these allegations given her lack of ownership of and control over BMGI. Some former Cascade employees declined to comment because of nondisclosure agreements that prohibit them from discussing their time at the company. Others spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution. Years after they left Cascade, a few found talking about Larson so upsetting that they could hardly speak. A Generic Name Before Larson, Gates financial consigliere was Andrew L. Evans, a longtime friend who had previously served a six-month prison sentence for bank fraud. (Gates visited him in jail.) But when Evans criminal record was spotlighted in a front-page Wall Street Journal article in 1993, Gates sought out a new money manager. The next year, he hired Larson, who previously was a fund manager at Putnam Investments. In 1995, Cascade was incorporated in Washington state. The generic-sounding name with no reference to Gates allowed Larson to run a vast investment operation with a low public profile. From the start, Cascade, whose sole function was to manage the Gateses money, was deeply entwined with the wider Gates universe, including Microsoft. The firm is in the same office park in Kirkland, Washington, as Gates personal office, Gates Ventures, and across the street from French Gatess own group, Pivotal Ventures. Over the years, employees have moved among Cascade, the Gates Foundation, Microsoft, the two Gates ventures and K&L Gates, the law firm where Gates father had been a named partner. In 2005, when Cascade needed a new human resources executive, the company hired a Microsoft veteran. Larson regularly hired people fresh out of college or in the early stages of their careers. Graduates of Claremont McKenna College, his alma mater, were a particular favorite. The college has several scholarships endowed by Larson. Some employees saw working at Cascade as a way to make the world a better place. Because Cascade also oversees the Gates Foundations $50 billion endowment, helping it do well meant more money for things like fighting malaria and funding education. Others said they were star-struck by the idea of working for Gates, who founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen. Throughout his tenure, Larson earned steady returns for Gates. He invested largely in undervalued, old-fashioned stocks, eschewing hot tech companies. When the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, the strategy paid off. Larson also shielded Gates assets from the steepest declines of the recession in 2008 and 2009. Larson branched out into real estate and high-end hotels. He bought a 47.5% stake in the Four Seasons chain. He acquired vast tracts of land that by some estimates make Gates the largest private owner of farmland in the United States. Chasing the highest returns was not the main goal. The mandate, according to one former employee, was: We dont want Bills name in the headlines. You Live in the Ghetto In the spring of 2004, Stacy Ybarra decided to quit her job at Cascade to join the internet company InfoSpace. Ybarra, then 30, had joined Cascade three years earlier as an investor relations analyst. After she announced her planned departure, Larson became so angry that he shorted the stock of InfoSpace, according to three people familiar with the episode. (Short selling involves placing bearish bets on the companys shares, which sometimes causes the stock to fall.) Two of the people said they saw Larsons trades on their computer terminals. Larson told Ybarra and others that he had shorted InfoSpaces stock out of spite, according to the three people, who heard about his remarks at the time. Giglio confirmed that Cascade shorted the stock but denied that Larson did it to spite Ybarra. At the same time, Larson repeatedly pressured Ybarra to remain at Cascade. She ultimately agreed to stay. On Election Day that November, Larson asked some Cascade employees in the office about the best time to go vote. Ybarra, who is Black, replied that she had voted that morning without having to wait in line. Larson responded: But you live in the ghetto, and everybody knows that Black people dont vote. The scene was described by two people who heard the comment and a third who was told about it later. Giglio denied that Larson made the remark. At least one employee at Cascade complained to human resources about Larsons remark. The complaint made its way to Gates and French Gates, who later spoke to Ybarra as part of an internal investigation, according to people familiar with the matter. In January 2005, she quit Cascade, received a small payout and agreed to not speak about the firm in the future. When these allegations were made more than 15 years ago, BMGI took them very seriously and hired an independent lawyer to investigate, Giglio said. He added that it is standard procedure at Cascade to have employees sign confidentiality agreements when they get severance packages. Potential to Embarrass In November 2006, Gates and French Gates were sent another complaint about Larson. This one was from Robert E. Sydow, a California fund manager who had been close friends with Larson and whose firm, Grandview Capital Management, had been hired by Larson to manage a $1.6 billion slice of the foundations endowment. Sydow wrote a six-page letter to the Gateses accusing Larson of abruptly severing Cascades ties with Grandview after a dispute. (The dispute, Sydow wrote, came after Sydow warned Larson that he needed to stop using his power to hurt others in anger.) The letter, reviewed by The Times, said Larson had harmed Grandviews reputation in part by spreading false and defamatory lies about it in the market. Sydow, the godfather to one of Larsons children, went on to describe multiple instances of Larson seeking to punish employees who left Cascade and retaliating against those who cooperated with the investigation into his treatment of Ybarra, among other things. Larson has the potential to greatly embarrass both you and the foundation, Sydow wrote. We exit agreements with third-party investment managers for a variety of reasons, Larson said in a statement sent by Giglio. After Ybarras departure, Cascade hired a new head of human resources, Kathy Berman. She had once worked at Microsoft, most recently as the head of executive recruiting. Around then, there were also efforts to create physical distance between Larson and some Cascade employees, including moving a number of people onto a different floor from Larsons office, according to three former employees. Giglio said employee morale was high. Cascade employees including Larson were required to undergo sexual harassment and sensitivity training. Larson didnt seem to take it seriously, one former employee said. We dont need this, the former employee recalled Larson saying. Giglio denied that. Larsons conduct did not improve, former employees said. In emails, he sometimes castigated colleagues as stupid or called their work garbage, according to several people who saw the emails. (The missives came to be known as Larson bombs.) At meetings, he would sometimes dismiss employees presentations with comments like, Thats the dumbest idea Ive ever heard. Years ago, earlier in my career, I used harsh language that I would not use today, Larson said in the statement. I regret this greatly but have done a lot of work to change. At a work Christmas party in the mid-2000s, Larson was seated outdoors with a small group of male employees after dinner, according to one of the men. Three female colleagues were standing about 20 feet away. Which one of them do you wanna have sex with? Larson asked the men, using a profane verb. When a female employee was on a Weight Watchers program, Larson asked her, Are you losing weight for me? according to someone who heard the remark. Another former employee said Larson would ask male employees whether certain women at Cascade were single. On at least one occasion in recent years, with employees looking on, Larson displayed photographs of naked women on his phone and compared them to Berman, the human resources executive, according to a former employee who witnessed the incident and another person who was told about it. (Berman left Cascade in 2015.) Another woman who worked at Cascade said Larson asked her if she would strip for a certain amount of money. Larson denied making any of those comments. This is not true, he said. A Canceled Contract About three years ago, Megan Scott, Larsons chief of staff, complained to the Gateses about Larson, according to three people with knowledge of the matter. Among her concerns was that Larson was preparing to sign a five-year contract with a recruiting firm that a Cascade employee, Pamela Harrington, was starting, two of the people said. (The proposed contract would pay Harringtons firm an annual retainer that started at less than $1.5 million and over time decreased to $400,000, said Mitchell Langberg, a lawyer for Harrington.) Scott and another employee complained to the Gateses about what they saw as the close personal relationship between Larson and Harrington, the people said. This allegation unfairly emanates from a former disgruntled employee who has tried hard to undermine the reputation of Mrs. Harrington, a highly accomplished and successful individual in her own right, Giglio said. Gates told Larson to cancel the proposed contract with Harringtons firm, the people said. Giglio said the decision was part of a broader move not to outsource many internal functions, including recruiting. By 2019, that had apparently changed. Langberg said that BMGI entered into an executive recruiting contract with Harringtons firm that December. Mrs. Harrington has been providing service under that contract since that time, he said. Around the time of the complaints involving Harrington, Larson was repeatedly propositioning, and being rebuffed by, the manager of a local bicycle store that was mostly owned by a firm, Rally Capital, that Cascade had invested in. In 2017, the manager hired a lawyer, who sent a letter to Gates and French Gates warning them that if Larson did not stop harassing her, she would sue them. The letter said Larson had told the manager that he wanted to have sex with her and another woman, according to someone who read the letter. Gates agreed to settle the matter by having a payment made to the bike store manager. French Gates insisted that an outside investigator review the incident and Cascades culture, people familiar with the matter previously told The Times. In 2018, Larson went on paid leave while the investigation took place. At the time, Gates told a Cascade employee that he doubted that Larson would ever return, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation. Jessie L. Harris, a lawyer for a Seattle law firm, Williams Kastner, conducted the investigation. He concluded that the bike shop managers complaint could not be substantiated. You should know that Michael wanted to contest the allegations throughout the investigation, Giglio said. But he, obviously, was not the ultimate decision-maker. Larson returned from leave in 2019. Cascades chief operating officer had departed during Larsons absence, and Scott left shortly after his return. To curb Larsons influence over Cascade, Gates told him to hire a new chief operating officer, a former Cascade employee said. Giglio said the process included a committee and an outside search firm. The pick was Larsons college and business school classmate. This article originally appeared in The New York Times.  2021 The New York Times Company
The first television advertisements of the 2022 campaign cycle are on the air in Wisconsin, targeting a Republican senator and connecting him to last weeks violent riot at the U.S. Capitol.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin on Wednesday morning began a weeks worth of ads criticizing Senator Ron Johnson for his role in fomenting doubts about President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.s victory in the presidential election and linking him to the siege at the Capitol.

With gruesome images of a Capitol Police officer being crushed by rioters supporting President Trump, the ads narrator cites an editorial published last week in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that called Mr. Johnson a leading member of the Senates Sedition Caucus and called for his resignation.

The state party is spending more than $100,000 to air the ad in five Wisconsin TV markets and Washington, D.C., according to Ben Wikler, the Wisconsin Democratic chairman. It plans to keep the spot on television through Mr. Bidens inauguration next week.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Ohio school board member Kirsten Hill sent out a statement on Wednesday, explaining her participation in a Jan. 6 protest that preceded riots inside the U.S. Capitol.

Hill is an elected school board member, with her term expiring in 2022. She represents the area including Fulton, Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Erie, Huron and Lorain counties. The Ohio Education Association called on Hill to give more information about her participation in the protests and to denounce the mob that broke into the U.S. Capitol a week ago, interrupting the certification of electoral votes to confirm Joe Biden as the U.S. president-elect.

Hills statement, which included the false narrative that there was significant voter fraud in the election, said she participated in the protests outside the U.S. Capitol. She was listed as an organizer of a bus from Lorain County to Washington D.C. to participate in the protests.

In the statement, Hill says she listened to President Donald Trump give a speech, walked to the Capitol, waved a American flag and prayed at a street corner along the National Mall.

Hills full statement, as e-mailed:

I traveled to Washington D.C on January 6th as a private citizen with a group of like-minded people to express our concerns that there was significant voter fraud in the November 3rd presidential election. As you are no doubt aware, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution affords citizens the right to petition our government for redress of our grievances while exercising our freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble.

Unfortunately, there was a small minority of individuals who appear to have broken the law by vandalizing the Capitol Building and personal property. I condemn any acts of violence or damage that may have been done by any individuals or groups regardless of their motives or deeply held convictions. It is, of course, best to wait for official investigations to be completed before assigning absolute responsibility for any lawlessness.

My participation at the event consisted of listening to President Trumps speech, walking to the Capitol, praying at a street corner along the National Mall, and waving my American flag in support of our great country.
After chaos engulfed the US Capitol last week, some Chinese intellectuals found themselves searching for copies of an out-of-print book to make sense of events. America Against America" forecast the USs decline due to domestic conflicts more than 30 years ago.

Among the things driving demand was the author: Wang Huning, the Communist Partys No. 5 leader and top political theorist to three Chinese presidents. Some copies have surged to more than 16,600 yuan ($2,500) on Kungfuzi, an online marketplace for antiques. Thats more than 3,000 times its original asking price in 1991, when Japan was more widely seen as Americas big economic rival.

Also Read | What's got Indians excited about Covid shot

The interest in the book is the result of a renewed desire to understand a US that is in the midst of a civil cold war," said Wang Wen, executive dean of Renmin Universitys Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies. Chinas doubts about the US will certainly increase in light of recent events."

The Capitol Hill turmoil is being read in Beijing as the most powerful sign yet that societal fissures in the US are behind increasingly erratic foreign policy shifts. Thats feeding Chinese apprehension about reaching agreements on trade or other politically charged disputes with President-elect Joe Biden.

The instability of a negotiation partner means that its public credibility is on the decline and the risk of breaking contracts or promises is greater," Wang Wen said Tuesday.

Such skepticism illustrates how Washingtons political strife is compounding Bidens challenge of stabilizing US relationships around the world after four years of shocks and surprises under President Donald Trump. Among his most difficult tasks will be convincing Chinas Xi Jinping to make concessions that go beyond the phase one" trade deal announced by Trump a year ago this Friday.

Not only did that agreement fail to address most of the Trump administrations biggest trade grievances, including government support for strategic industries and stronger action on state-run enterprises, but China has purchased little more than half of the $172 billion worth of US goods it agreed to buy last year under the deal. Disputes between the two countries have since spiraled into everything from microchips to Taiwan, as Trump increasingly sought to blame China for his election year difficulties.

Meanwhile, Xi appears to have moved on, buoyed by early success against the coronavirus and a resilient economy. Xi has lately emphasized self-sufficiency" and girded for a prolonged struggle, urging local officials earlier this week to not only dare to fight, but also be good at fighting," according to the official Xinhua News Agency. State media accuses the US of abandoning four decades of engagement in favour of containment.

As Washington was gripped by one of the most divisive presidential transitions ever, Xi finalized a long-sought investment deal with the European Union that touches on many of the issues left out of the US pact. The agreement had been championed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a key American ally who early in the Trump presidency declared that Europe could no longer rely on others.

While both sides have paid a price for the trade war, the US will suffer more in the long run because it damaged its position and reputation as the central pillar of global trade and commerce," said Mei Xinyu, who is with a research group under the Ministry of Commerce in Beijing.

Wang Hunings book, which was written during an academic visit to the U.S. in 1988, predicted that Americas emphasis on individualism, hedonism and democracy" would eventually cause rifts that sapped its competitive drive. Countries like Japan -- built on collectivism, selflessness and authoritarianism" -- had the upper hand, said Wang Huning, whos now one of seven people on the Politburos supreme Standing Committee.

Failed state

That thesis hasnt stood up so well over the past three decades: of the USs two main rivals of that era -- Japan and the Soviet Union -- one collapsed and the other saw its economy stagnate. That left the U.S. as the worlds undisputed superpower, and today it still boasts the worlds most powerful military and biggest economy, powered by waves of successive innovation-driven technology booms.

But confidence is growing in China that the balance may be shifting. Besides the transition chaos, the USs struggles against the coronavirus, racial justice protests and gun violence -- subjects featured prominently in Chinas state-run media -- have fed the narrative of American decline.

The world is undergoing profound changes unseen in a century, but time and the situation are in our favor," Xi told the gathering of local officials Monday, adding that he saw opportunities in general outweighing challenges."

State media was more direct about the source of Chinas confidence, with a Xinhua editorial arguing Tuesday that the fall" of Capitol Hill had proved Western-style democracy no longer works." The U.S. has become a failed state in the eyes of its allies," Xinhua said.

Biden questions

Bidens approach to China remains unclear. The 78-year-old former vice president has expressed a desire to rebuild a consensus among U.S. allies before opening big negotiations with Beijing. He told New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman last month that he wouldnt immediately rescind the phase one" deal or repeal Trumps tariffs on China.

While Chinese officials might be eager to engage Bidens experienced team of Beltway operators on trade and other disputes, the whiplash of Trumps one-term presidency has diminished hopes for deals that last. Some of the top contenders for the Republican nomination in 2024, including Senator Marco Rubio, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo or even Trump himself are among Washingtons most strident China hawks.

If Trump wins in 2024, hell spare no efforts to crack down on Chinese companies," read a post by Chairman Rabbit, a popular nationalist WeChat account run by Ren Yi, the grandson of a former top Communist Party official. Therefore, in the next four years, Chinese companies listed in the U.S. should consider listing in Hong Kong or returning to the mainland."

For his own part, Wang Wen, of the Chongyang Institute, said he doesnt think the US is headed for a collapse in the near term. But in a commentary published about the sudden interest in America Against America," he argued the Capitol Hill incident showed many in China that the US was badly in need of reform.

Most Chinese now have a composite perception of the United States, believing both that it will remain the strongest country for a considerable period of time and that it is no longer the respectable America it once was," Wang Wen said.

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Hanjin Transportation Vice President Emily Lee Cho, left, and HYK Partners CEO Hahn Woo-jae



HYK Partners joins hands with minority shareholders



By Park Jae-hyuk



HYK Partners, an activist fund that is Hanjin Transportation's second-largest shareholder with a 9.79 percent stake, has joined hands with minority shareholders to exert a stronger influence over the management of the logistics arm of Hanjin Group.



The move comes as an apparent countermeasure against Hanjin Transportation Vice President Emily Lee Cho's ongoing attempts to tighten her control over the company.



The private equity firm (PEF) recently opened an official website as a follow-up to a proposal sent to the Hanjin Group's logistics arm last month to demand a board seat and the separation of ownership and management. According to industry sources, Hanjin Transportation sent a reply to the HYK's proposal, although both sides declined to disclose the specifics.



HYK is attempting to entice domestic and foreign investors, given its site has a webpage that enables shareholders to offer their personal information, such as their names and shares. It has another webpage for Hanjin Transportation employees and customers to make suggestions to the company.



The PEF plans to open an English site soon for foreign investors.



"As the second-largest shareholder of Hanjin Transportation, we would like to disclose our suggestions and share various opinions with other shareholders to reform the company's governance structure and increase shareholder value," HYK wrote on the website.



Some of Hanjin Transportation's minority shareholders have already entrusted their voting rights to HYK, saying they support an entity that can raise the value of their shares.



The activist shareholders are expected to intensify pressure on the Hanjin Transportation vice president, also known as Cho Hyun-min, the younger sister of Korean Air owner Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Won-tae.



The heiress, who once faced severe criticism for allegedly throwing water in the face of a manager of Korean Air's advertising agency in 2018, was promoted to the logistics firm's vice president in late December.



This came a month after the Korea Development Bank (KDB) forced her to stay out of Hanjin Group's aviation business, when the state-run lender announced its plan to help Korean Air take over Asiana Airlines.



Following her resignation as an executive of the group's holding company, Hanjin KAL, and Topas, the group's travel information provider, Hanjin Transportation reinforced departments under her supervision in its latest reshuffle this month.



Market observers expect Cho will make an attempt to join Hanjin Transportation's board of directors during the regular general meeting of shareholders scheduled for March, although the company said nothing has been decided about this.



Minority shareholders have urged HYK to prevent her from participating in management.



They are also paying attention to the next step of the National Pension Service (NPS) owning a 6.2 percent stake in Hanjin Transportation because the pension fund stood against Hanjin's owner family this month by voting against Korean Air's capital increase for its Asiana Airlines acquisition.



If HYK wins support from other shareholders, such as the NPS, GS Home Shopping and more minority shareholders, the Hanjin Group owner family will likely be forced to give a board seat to the PEF.



This means a larger influence for textile company Kyungbang, the virtual owner of HYK which invested 70 billion won ($64 million) in the PEF when it was established earlier last year, over Hanjin Transportation. Kyungbang is seen as the de facto second-largest shareholder of Hanjin Transportation because its entire stake in the logistics firm was sold to HYK in October.


Ukrainians ready to support legalization of medical cannabis to save thousands of people

MPs have again begun to talk about the need to legalize medical cannabis, and it seems that this time, they are ready to move from words to deeds. The head of the parliamentary faction of the Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia, said at the end of last year that the decision to legalize cannabis in Ukraine for medical purposes was in its final stages.

Ukrinform found out what changes can be expected in the near future.

"Law for Sofiika!" or what is the effect of cannabis?

In fact, cannabis has accompanied mankind for almost its entire history - from the most important technical crop to physical evidence in cases of drug distribution and use. In fact, not everything is so simple.

Hemp (a variety of the Cannabis sativa plant species) contains two psychoactive components (called cannabinoids) - tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD). Recreational cannabis has a higher content of THC, which has a psychotropic effect and stimulates the nervous system, causing euphoria. But in the medical "variant" there is more CBD, which does not create such an effect, but instead it has analgesic, sedative and anti-inflammatory properties. Because of this, its legalization in Ukraine is especially needed by severe patients: cancer patients (to alleviate suffering), epileptics (medical cannabis reduces the frequency of seizures), and patients with Alzheimer's disease (cannabis slows the progression of this disease).

Yanina Sokolova

TV presenter Yanina Sokolova openly said that it was medical cannabis that helped her fight cancer when the pain became unbearable. "There comes a stage when all your joints, all your limbs are twisted, you can't get to the toilet normally," Sokolova said, adding that she bought a cannabis e-cigarette in the United States for $25. One such cigarette was enough for her to undergo four chemotherapy phases, and she used only 40% of its contents, so she transferred the rest to other cancer patients.

Sofiika, a young patient from Kyiv who suffers from drug-resistant epilepsy, is also waiting for the legalization of medical marijuana. She undergoes treatment at the Department of Mobile Palliative Care for Children in Kyiv. The Holos (Voice) party decided to dedicate the bill on legalization of cannabis, which was registered in the Verkhovna Rada late in December, by giving it an alternative name "Law for Sofiika."

"She has severe and long attacks of extremely painful seizures, which are almost impossible to treat with traditional drugs. Her parents have been fighting for her life for three years. They bring the necessary medicine from abroad. Sofiika needs medicines based on medical cannabis, and she will become a symbol of the adoption of this law. Therefore, the alternative name of this law is 'Law for Sofiyka'," MP Olha Stefanyshyna said.

But in addition to the said conditions, medical cannabis is used for chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (50% of patients with Crohn's disease have fully recovered, and 90% have experienced significant improvement), multiple sclerosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, etc. In total, more than two million seriously ill patients in Ukraine are waiting for the adoption of this law. It should be noted that medical cannabis can have side effects - dizziness, memory impairment and addiction, effects on cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, so it is the doctor who must weigh all the risks and decide on the appointment of such drugs.

A few more words about the price. Here is just one figure. From the beginning of 2019, medical marijuana could be purchased on prescription in Poland. The price of the medicine is about 65 zlotys per gram or about 500 hryvnias. Meanwhile, German doctors have calculated that one person with a serious condition needs an average of 1.8 grams of cannabis per day. However, the disease in question is not reported. The duration of treatment is not reported too. In general, it seems that the treatment is not cheap, but you can't call it unaffordable either.

What does the government plan to change?

Currently, the use of medical cannabis is banned in Ukraine. However, in medicine, heavier drugs of the opium group - morphine, tramadol - have long been legalized. According to Servant of the People MP David Arakhamia, government officials are working to make decisions in favor of patients as soon as possible. First, they plan to allow the use of cannabis for medical purposes without a bill  through an act of the Cabinet of Ministers. This can be done quickly and will initially allow the use of imported drugs. According to Arakhamia, in this way, it will be possible to test the use of medical cannabis for three to four months.

The development and adoption of the law takes longer.

Dmytro Sherembey

Dmytro Sherembey, chairman of the coordination council of the 100% Life charity organization, who initiated the petition to legalize medical cannabis in 2019, told Ukrinform that the relevant resolution had already been submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers.

"But the adoption of the resolution does not cancel the adoption of the law. The resolution makes it possible to obtain a corridor of time in which it becomes clear that the use of drugs works for the benefit of patients and doctors. But we need a broader normative document - the law of Ukraine, which will allow the industry to develop properly, as it happens in the civilized world," Sherembey said. He added that with the adoption of the law, pharmaceutical companies and farmers will get new markets - not only for Ukrainian consumers, but also for the EU, because the production of medical cannabis in Ukraine will be cheaper than abroad. "Ukraine will be able to offer its historical product - hemp, which it has always been grown. And the law solves this task," he said.

Stefanyshyna, one of the authors of bill No. 4553, said that it provides for strict regulation of the process of growing medical cannabis. "This area will be strictly regulated. We allow the cultivation of medical cannabis in Ukraine, but we introduce additional regulations  the licensing of the process, the creation of special premises and their control, the marking of batches that will be grown, and the tracking of electronic prescriptions," the MP said.

It seems that there has been no greater support than now in the initiative to legalize medical cannabis in Ukraine - deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, ministers and also the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius, support this decision. The legalization of medical marijuana was one of the items in the "Zelensky poll" during the local elections, according to which more than 64% of Ukrainians supported such an initiative. According to Stefanyshyna, a significant role was played by the fact that explanatory work in this area lasted for many years, so it seems that responsible decisions will finally be made.

Yulia Horban, Kyiv
President Klaus Iohannis sent today to Justice Minister Stelian Ion the request for the start of the criminal investigation of former Prime Minister and former Senate Chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu.

"President Klaus Iohannis sent on Wednesday to Justice Minister the request for the criminal prosecution of Calin Constantin Anton Popescu-Tariceanu, former Prime Minister between December 29, 2004 - December 22, 2008, for the deeds that are the subject to criminal case No. 668/P/2019 of the Prosecutor's Office attached to the High Court of Cassation and Justice - National Anti-corruption Directorate - Section for the combat of crimes classified as corruption crimes, for bribe-taking, a crime provided for by Article 28. (1) of the Criminal Code in connection to Article 6 and Article 7 letter a) of Law No. 78/2000 on the prevention, tracking and sanctioning of corruption deeds, with the enforcement of Article 5 of the Criminal Code. Proceedings shall be initiated as per law requirements, having regard to the request of the Prosecutor General, pursuant to the provisions of Article 109 paragraph (2) of the Constitution of Romania, republished, of Law No. 115/1999 on ministerial accountability, republished, with subsequent amendments and additions, and taking into account the Constitutional Court's ruling No. 270/2008," the Presidential Administration informs.

The National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) asked on Monday the General Prosecutor's Office to notify President Klaus Iohannis for the start of the criminal investigation of Calin Popescu-Tariceanu for bribe taking during his term as Prime Minister.

According to DNA, the request takes into account that, at this moment, there are aspects supporting the reasonable suspicion that the person whose criminal investigation is requested would have received, indirectly, between 2007 - 2008, from the representatives of an Austrian company benefits worth 800,000 US dollars as payment for consulting services.

"In exchange, he has allegedly exercised his duties so that a series of government decisions would be adopted in favor of the company. The amount of 800,000 US dollars representing a commission from the value of the payments made by the Romanian government to the company would have been used to the benefit of the dignitary in order to cover expenses of his electoral campaign, being wired on fictitious contracts concluded with several offshore companies," the investigators claim.

DNA said the case was built in 2018 by joining three criminal cases, one of which was taken over at the request of Austrian judicial authorities. Subsequently, criminal probes were carried out into facts and other persons, including a businessman sent to court.

Calin Popescu-Tariceanu rejects all the accusations of the anti-corruption prosecutors, stating that the Romanian government made no payments to the respective company during the time he served as Prime Minister.

Reuters

Lebanon's central bank said on Thursday that a system for importing subsidised medical goods could not be sustained without using its mandatory reserves and asked the relevant authorities to find a solution to the problem. Lebanon, which in the throes of a financial crisis that is threatening its stability, has been subsidising fuel, wheat, medicine and other basic goods since last year. In a statement issued after caretaker health minister Hamad Hasan said he had visited the bank asking for the release of funds for essential medicines to no avail, the central bank said it would not dip into its mandatory reserves to cover the $1.3 billion cost of the subsidised medical supplies.
Parler, an online app, was banned and censored by a big tech allegedly fostering violence on its platform. Before this, platforms like Twitter and Facebook weren't editing leftist posts; only conservatives were affected.

The free-speech platform got shut down last Monday after several big media companies that include Amazon, Apple, Google saying the app violated their rules.

When Twitter decided to cut conservatives off their platform, Matze's online app saw a huge jump right after blocking the app from Google, Apple, and Amazon on their servers right after. This was when the app became inaccessible for users, reported NTD.

On Sunday, the Parler app CEO, John Matze, in an interview on Fox's "Sunday Morning Futures," said tech firms joined together to ensure that users could not access the apps. He added that servers were going down and off the internet.

He added other companies and a law firm that represented his firm, stopped the retainer. Most of these businesses are in concert after the ban.

They attempted to kill the apps and to annihilate the company he made. It was not just those three companies; others offered vital services halted on the same day. He added that most of the firms aligned against them were framing them falsely.

Matze told The Epoch Times that the unilateral action against his firm last weekend would have legal action to follow against Apple, Google, and Amazon. His app Parler got censored by Big Tech that is a bad precedent in Section 230.

Also read: Trump Supporters Feel the President Was Undone by Media and Big Tech

Man critics point out the Parler app is encouraging violence according to their censors. One of the more profound claims is the platform used by those intending to disrupt the capitol on Jan.6. But, there was no way to do that said Matze. The violence is posted on Apple and Google, but the app was removed from online stores.

The free speech platform is trying to get back online in the soonest time. The Parler CEO cited that the ban has affected even their vendors who are afraid of these tech monopolies. If Google or Apple gives a thumbs down, no one wants that. These firm hold needs to be regulated.

At the time of Reporting, both Apple and Google evaded any comments to clarify their position.

Parler's Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff interviewed "Fox & Friends," she said that work is done to settle the issue and mentioned it might take time to get back online.

After removing the parler app on Google, and later Amazon was concerted in removing the app. For example, Amazon demanded that data be migrated in 24-hours from notice. The CEO commented it was unreasonable and impossible.

Later, Amazon said there was no collusion with Google and Apple to boot out the app from their servers. Apple stood by its policies and said the abandoned app had violent content and violated terms. But critics if the tech firms say otherwise.

Matze mention these firms action intended to shut down his will do to the same others. He now calls for the withdrawal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for tech companies to be rescinded. After Parler got censored by the big tech, they may not stop there, especially in the US.

Related article: Parler Banned by Apple, Google: Rep. Nunes Wants to Investigate Big Tech Companies Criminal Racketeering

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

An arrest has been made in connection with the shooting death of a store clerk during an armed robbery in Hazleton.

The Luzerne County District Attorneys Office on Tuesday announced that they have filed charges that include homicide against Jafet Rodriguez, 40, of Hazleton, WNEP is reporting.

He has been charged in connection with the death of 50-year-old Ashokkumar Patel, who was gunned down while working at Craigs Food Mart Dec. 12.

Investigators say they identified Rodriguez as the man spotted on security cameras in the store.

According to reports, Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavatnis said Rodriguez frequently gambled on the machines in the store and knew Patel. During the robbery, reports indicate Rodriguez took Patel into a back room and shot him in the head and neck so Rodriguez could steal $14,000 from behind the counter and leave no witnesses.

Patel managed to crawl to his phone and call 911 before succumbing to his injuries.

Patel was originally a grain farmer who came to the United States from India nine years ago to provide a better life and a brighter future for his family, reports indicate. Before his recent move to Hazleton, Patel had worked at other convenience stores and suffered another gunshot wound in a robbery months earlier in Maryland.

All murders are senseless acts of violence, but in all of my years as district attorney, the murder of Mr. Patel struck a chord with myself, my staff, the police, and the community, like few others have, Salavantis said during Tuesdays announcement, according to WNEP. On the night he was killed, Mr. Patel did not even have time to resist or call for help before he was shot and left for dead. In his last few moments, he fought for his life the only way he could, crawling for his cell phone and dialing 911, which was sadly a futile effort.

Rodriguez had been behind bars since Dec. 19 on drug charges and is now facing charges of homicide, robbery, burglary and theft, according to reports.
Supplier News

13 January 2021

Munich - Hotel Tech Report has announced the winners in the 2021 HotelTechAwards, based on more than 10,000 hotel software product reviews from verified hoteliers during the competition. The HotelTechAwards are often referred to as "the Grammys of Hotel Tech" and finalists are selected from more than 1,000 of the top technology products around the world.

dailypoint ended up in the top three in two categories, in the category "Best CRM & E-Mail Marketing" and in the category "Integration Providers"!

Photo: dailypoint

The HotelTechAwards is one of leading hotel industry's awards platform with winners determined by a global community comprised of thousands of verified hotel technology users across more than 120 countries.

"The results are a big motivation and confirm our leading position especially within the EU," says Dr. Michael Toedt, CEO and founder of dailypoint. Since Europe's top court stopped the EU-US data flows arrangement in summer 2020, called Privacy Shield, it is highly recommended to keep data within the boundaries of the EU.

dailypoint is not only a German based company, the dailypoint platform is also hosted in a secure private cloud environment located in Germany. "Many of our clients are amongst the most prestigiuos hotels in the world and the privacy of their guests is a top priority. The transfer of guest data to a country where the data access is not controllable, is for them a complete no-go. This circumstance makes us stick out from the international competition in this run for the 2021 Awards."

"The results also confirm the path we have taken in recent years with the further development of dailypoint to a modern data management platform including modular CRM solutions. The satisfaction of our customers is also well reflected in our final ranking," Toedt continues.

dailypoint is far more than a CRM/E-mailing tool. It is the leading data management platform and the heart of modern hotel IT, with the central guest profile at its core.

"With the 15 integrated modules in dailypoint and over 150 solutions on our own Marketplace, we offer users a wide range of integrations for genuine and comprehensive customer relationship management," Michael Toedt continues.


TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI)  After a more than 7 hour legal delay, the federal government executed Lisa Montgomery, making her the only woman to be federally executed in nearly 70 years.

The death sentence was carried out inside the execution chamber at the United State Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana. Montgomery, 52, was pronounced dead at 1:31 Wednesday morning. Her execution had been scheduled for six oclock Tuesday evening.

Media witnesses entered the Death House at 1:14 a.m. The curtains lifted just moments later as Lisa Montgomery glanced into the rooms in front of her. She tapped the fingers of her left hand on the gurney, a heart tattoo just at the crease of her thumb.

Montgomery was asked if she had any last words before a female prison official gently removed her face mask, her arms already strapped down with IVs in both hands. Montgomery responded with a simple no.

At 1:17 a.m. the execution proceeded with the administering of a lethal dose of pentobarbital. Montgomery faced slightly to her left. She blinked a few times behind red rimmed glasses. Moments later her chest and stomach heaved. Eventually, she was still. An official with a stethoscope came into the room to check Montgomery at 1:30 a.m. At 1:31 a.m., an announcement was made that death had occurred.

Lisa Montgomery was sentenced to death for murdering Bobbie Jo Stinnett and cutting the pregnant womans baby from her stomach. Stinnetts family declined to speak with the press or provide a written statement following Montgomerys execution.

Montgomerys legal team fought the execution with a series of legal cases that reached the Supreme Court. In a statement, Attorney Kelley Henry said, The craven bloodlust of a failed administration was on full display tonight. Everyone who participated in the execution of Lisa Montgomery should feel shame. Henry says society failed Montgomery who suffered years of abuse and from mental illness and brain damage.

More federal executions are planned for this week.
Ministers faced fury today as travellers are left in limbo with the new rules on coronavirus tests before arriving in the UK still not published - less than 48 hours to go until the system comes into force.

From 4am on Friday those arriving by boat, train or plane - including UK nationals - must have tested negative in the previous 72 hours.

But despite Transport Secretary Grant Shapps promising more detailed guidance the UK Government has not yet confirmed what type of Covid-19 tests they will accept.

A written statement from ministers yesterday merely referred to how lateral flow tests might be allowed 'in some cases'.

Travel experts slammed the situation as 'horrendous' and accused the government of 'policy on the hoof'.

Lateral flow tests are cheaper and give results in 30 minutes, while the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests are more difficult to obtain in many countries and can take up to three days to identify positive cases.

The confusion has left many Britons scrambling to get back to the UK before the new requirements come into force, while Tory MPs have criticised the delays in clarifying the details.

From 4am on Friday those arriving by boat, train or plane - including UK nationals - must have tested negative in the previous 72 hours. Pictured, Heathrow Airport

Despite Transport Secretary Grant Shapps (pictured) promising more detailed guidance, the UK Government has not yet confirmed what type of Covid-19 tests they will accept

Kathrin Schuler, of London, pictured with partner Roger Kuhn, is stranded in the Maldives having already spent 14 days in isolation after getting infected with Covid-19 on a diving safari

Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith, chair of the Airport Operators Association, said: Its horrendous. We need to support those travellers who are facing the issue of needing to get home.

Theyve got to have a better grace period for all of this.

The industry wants to deliver the safest way to get home, but it needs that guidance and the detail in good time.

Paul Charles, CEO of travel consultancy The PC Agency, said: There is not enough clarity around the type of tests allowed, leaving consumers panicking about whether they will be let into the country without a fine, because they have the wrong documentation.

Policy on the hoof never works.

And Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, in a letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps, raised concerns.

He wrote: Whilst I welcome the requirement for passengers to provide a negative Covid-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before travel, there are no details yet of the type/standard of test.

Mr Khan said he believes the measures also do not go far enough, warning some travellers may be willing to risk a 500 fine.

Yesterday it emerged airlines as well as travellers could be fined if passengers are allowed to board without a test which meets certain standards.

But due to the delayed publication these standards remained unclear, including measures as part of the check-in process.

How to get a Covid test in five of the most popular destinations with UK tourists SPAIN Spain has banned British tourists from flying there but those already in the country can fly back home. If they test positive they will have to quarantine at their hotel or holiday accommodation for 14 days. The country has embarked on a large increase in its PRC and antigen testing, which now stand at 180,000 a week. A (Transcription-Mediated Amplification (TMA) test takes two hours to show results and costs about 60  compared to 100 for a PCR. FRANCE France banned British tourists on December 20 following the emergency of the new strain of coronavirus. French citizens and truck drivers can enter but only with a negative PCR test from the last 72 hours. People in France can search through a map at sante.gouv.fr site to find a test centre near them, including whether they offer PCR or antigen tests. The tests cost 54 but are reimbursed for those on the French health system. ITALY Entry into Italy is only allowed for residents or those with 'absolute necessity', declared in writing. The country offers PCR tests (called 'un tampone' in Italian, or a 'swab') and antigen tests (called 'tampone rapido' in Italian, or a 'fast swab'). Italy is thought to have encouraged Britain to adopt the rapid tests after becoming the first country to hugely invest in them last year. Those looking to get an urgent PCR test can call the 1500 number for help and the tests are free because they are considered emergency procedures. USA British nationals cannot enter the US if they have been in the UK, Ireland, Schengen zone, Iran, Brazil or China within the previous 14 days The test of choice in the US is a PCR, which can be turned around in 12 hours - although there are concerns that these are not accurate enough. There are calls for more rapid antigen tests, which can be turned around in 15 minutes and cost $5 each, compared to PCRs which are about $100 each. IRELAND Anyone arriving in Ireland from Great Britain must have a negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to arrival. In Ireland, normal tests are carried out at drive-in centres and take 15 minutes, while private tests are also available. One firm offers a PCR test costing 129 with results in up to two working days, while a LAMP test costs up to 199 for a five-hour turnaround. In Northern Ireland, there is a walk-in testing facility at Belfast International Airport providing 99 PCR tests - with results available the following day. MALDIVES Resorts in the Maldives can arrange for guests to have a PCR test for a fee, but this costs up to $150. People are advised to book it at least four days before departure, although this would then be out of date by the time they arrive back in the UK. Visitors can also have a antigen test called a BinaxNOW Ag Card which can deliver results within 15 minutes. Advertisement

Kathrin Schuler, a software engineer for Google in London, is among the Britons abroad facing a race to get home before rules requiring international travellers to test negative for coronavirus prior to arriving in England come into force.

Ms Schuler had travelled to the Maldives before tier four restrictions began in the UK. But due to a positive Covid-19 case on a diving safari, the group all got infected with Covid-19 and had to spend a mandatory 14-day quarantine in a government facility.

Resorts in the Maldives arrange for guests to have a PCR test for a fee, but this costs up to $150 - and people are advised to book it at least four days before departure, although this would then be out of date by the time they arrive back in the UK.

Visitors can also have a lateral flow test called an Ag Card which can deliver results within 15 minutes, but it is not clear if this would be accepted by UK authorities.

Ms Schuler, who is originally from Switzerland but now lives in Canary Wharf, told MailOnline: 'After completing our 14 days, in line with Maldivian restrictions, we will be allowed to leave and go home.

'However, it is very unlikely that we will test negative in a new PCR test since Covid-19 cases can test positive for a long time despite no longer being infectious.

'There is no guidance published yet if our quarantine release paper will be enough to get us home - it is, for example to get back into Dubai, after testing positive so currently, it looks like we will be stuck indefinitely, or until all of us test negative.

'We are weighing our options. The statutory instrument has not been published yet so we are hoping there will be something in the fine print to allow people who have tested positive and have completed their mandatory quarantine back into the country without a negative PCR test.

'If that is not the case we are, for better or for worse stuck here until we test negative, which can be months in the worst case. We have reached out to the Department for Transport in the UK but have not heard back as of yet.'

She said one option she was considering was flying to another European country that does not currently require a negative test or lets people in with quarantine letters  and stay there until she tests negative.

Ms Schuler added: 'This could be an option, considering it might be cheaper than the Maldives and have better infrastructure.

'However, none of us have packed any warm clothes, plus we would then be subject to that country's regulations/border closures/quarantine measures/etc.'

Personal trainers Max Price and Kiera Afton said they discovered they would face 10-day self-isolation after friends in the UK texted them shortly before leaving Dubai.

Arriving at Heathrow Terminal 5 on a British Airways flight the couple said they would be inconvenienced by having to stay home or risk being fined.

Kiera said:' We do most of our work online, but it means we can't go out and it just makes things difficult.

'We have been following all the news and we expected the PCR test rule to come in sometime. We knew about the self-isolation and when we laned the crew mentioned it to all the flight.'

Her partner Max added:' This does make things difficult for us, but we just have to get on with it.'

The couple, from Doncaster, south Yorkshire, had considered taking part in the test to release scheme but were too tired after an eight-hour flight to queue up for a swab test on the ground floor of Terminal 5.

Under the scheme travellers who test negative after five days can end the self-isolation.

'We went to Dubai as the gyms are still open and means we could train. I do competitions and it meant I could continue with my training.' said Kiera.

Two police officers who were also on the afternoon flight from Dubai said they faced losing 10 days pay due to the imposed self-isolation rule.

The WPC, who asked not to be named, said when they left for their six-day break in the UAE they had been cleared by their bosses as the country was on the safe list drawn up by the Government.

Now it has been taken off the air corridor list they will have to self-isolate and face having to take unpaid leave.

'It is pretty rough and is going to impact us,' said the policewoman.

'We will do the test to release scheme, but even that means taking 5 days off. I am hoping our bosses will be sympathetic.'

Other passengers said they had paid 100 for a PCR test before leaving Dubai and were disappointed to learn it did not exclude them from having to self-isolate for 10 days.

'I did the test for my own assurance,' said a woman who gave her name as Jennifer.

'Dubai was very safe and everyone complied with wearing masks. I felt very safe over there but not so much here. There were no checks. No one asked to see my locator form and I thought there would at least be someone taking temperatures. '

Not all the travellers on the BA flight planned to self-isolate.

One Spanish man insisted he was exempt from the ruling as he had not been in Dubai for more than a week.

He insisted that the rules imposed by the Government did not apply and he had no intention of self-isolating.

'I am exempt. I do not have to do any self-isolation, ' he said.

The visitor was met by a taxi driver and refused to reveal his destination or name as he left the Terminal.

An afternoon flight operated by Emirates to Terminal Two was cancelled due to lack of booked passengers.

One MP complained today that it was 'taking an extremely long time to pin down something that a lot of other countries have been doing for many months now'.

Britons will need to present proof of a negative test result to their carrier on boarding while the UK Border Force will conduct spot checks on arrivals.

Conservative MP Henry Smith, chair of the all-party parliamentary group on aviation, said he welcomed the test requirement for every passenger coming into the UK, pointing out that he had suggested it in the Commons as long ago as last January.

But the MP, whose constituency includes Gatwick Airport, told MailOnline: 'It has been a long time in the gestation and it is not completely clear as to how it all works.

'It does seem to be taking an extremely long time to pin down something that a lot of other countries have been doing for many months now.

'This shouldn't take as long as it has. All of this is complex, but it is relatively straightforward in terms of asking people to take certain types of test. I don't see what the delay is in terms of being clear about that is.'

How rapid lateral flow tests are different to lab-based PCR swabs Lateral flow tests are an alternative to the gold standard PCR test - known scientifically as polymerase chain reaction testing - which is more expensive and more labour-intensive but more accurate. PCR tests also use a swab but this is then processed using high-tech laboratory equipment to analyse the genetic sequence of the sample to see if any of it matches the genes of coronavirus. This is a much more long-winded and expensive process, involving multiple types of trained staff, and the analysis process can take hours, with the whole process from swab to someone receiving their result taking days. It is significantly more accurate, however. In ideal conditions the tests are almost 100 per cent accurate at spotting the virus, although this may be more like 70 per cent in the real world. Advertisement

The latest guidance released by the Department for Transport yesterday stated: 'We will establish the standards that tests must meet in regulations.

'This will include that the test must be of a diagnostic-standard test such as a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, and could in some cases include LAMP and lateral flow tests within set limits.

'We will provide clear guidance and advice to passengers regarding testing standards and capacity.'

New arrivals who flout the rules will face a minimum 500 fine, while the operator who transported them will also be fined.

Passengers will still have to quarantine for 10 days regardless of their test results, transport minister Robert Courts said in a statement.

British nationals attempting to return home who test positive must not travel and must follow the local guidance in their host country, and contact the nearest consulate if they need support.

'If a passenger arrives in England without a pre-departure negative test result they will be fined,' Mr Courts said.

'We will amend the International Travel Regulations so that fines, starting at 500, can be levied on non-compliant passengers.'

Travellers must take an internationally approved test, and Mr Courts said guidance on what was acceptable would be made available to passengers and carriers.

'We will keep test standards and innovative testing technologies under review,' he said.

The new rules apply to almost every country in the world, including those on England's travel corridor list, and further compliance checks are due to be conducted by Border Force staff.

Passengers travelling to England from other UK countries, as well as the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, will not be covered by the new regulations.

Children under 11 travelling from any country are also exempt from pre-departure testing.

The DfT said there would also be a limited number of exemptions for people like hauliers, air, international rail and maritime crew to allow the free flow of freight.

Travellers from three overseas territories - St Helena, Ascension Island and the Falklands - will be exempt due to lack of testing infrastructure.

Passengers from Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Barbados will be exempt until 4am on January 21, again due to lack of testing infrastructure in those countries.

The international arrivals board at London Heathrow Airport's Terminal Two this morning

Mr Courts said: 'Measures are likely to be in place until the end of the current lockdown, although a review will take place before the end of that period.'

He added: 'With the addition of pre-departure testing requirements, our already robust system to protect against imported cases of coronavirus is further strengthened and will provide the greatest overall protection against the risk of transmission during travel to England and after arrival.'

Other countries in the UK are expected to announce their own plans for pre-arrival testing in the coming days.

Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham and lead of the Cochrane Review of Covid-19 diagnostic tests, told Sky News the messaging about the lateral flow tests has 'not been done well'.

Which countries are exceptions to the negative test rule? Travellers from three overseas territories - St Helena, Ascension Island and the Falklands - will be exempt due to lack of testing infrastructure. Passengers from Antigua and Barbuda, St Lucia and Barbados will be exempt until 4am on January 21, again due to lack of testing infrastructure in those countries. Advertisement

He said: 'Just before Christmas schools were given a template letter, which had the wording in it, and it went to parents saying 'This test is as good at detecting cases as the PCR'.

'Now, frankly, that is completely incorrect, and that is the sort of wrong messaging which we have to make sure the Government doesn't continue to put forward.

'This weekend the Business Minister was quoted as saying 'This will make workplaces completely safe'. It's not the right way to tell people about this.'

He added: 'I think there's an anxiety that if we tell people the truth as to how bad this test is people won't bother getting it.

'But we have to do the truth - we can't tell people that the test is better than it is.'

In Britain, the country's most senior police officer has warned coronavirus rule-breakers they are 'increasingly likely' to face fines as forces move 'more quickly' to enforce lockdown restrictions.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said it was 'preposterous' that anyone could be unaware of the need to follow the stringent measures designed to curb Covid-19 cases.

Writing in The Times, she said: 'It is preposterous to me that anyone could be unaware of our duty to do all we can to stop the spread of the virus.

Passengers arrive at London Heathrow Airport this morning on international flights into the UK

'We have been clear that those who breach Covid-19 legislation are increasingly likely to face fines.'

Biostatistics expert criticises messaging on lateral flow tests Jon Deeks, professor of biostatistics at the University of Birmingham and lead of the Cochrane Review of Covid-19 diagnostic tests, told Sky News the messaging about the lateral flow tests has 'not been done well'. He said: 'Just before Christmas schools were given a template letter, which had the wording in it, and it went to parents saying 'This test is as good at detecting cases as the PCR'. 'Now, frankly, that is completely incorrect, and that is the sort of wrong messaging which we have to make sure the Government doesn't continue to put forward. 'This weekend the Business Minister was quoted as saying 'This will make workplaces completely safe'. It's not the right way to tell people about this.' He added: 'I think there's an anxiety that if we tell people the truth as to how bad this test is people won't bother getting it. But we have to do the truth - we can't tell people that the test is better than it is.' Advertisement

However, her comments came as law enforcement sources told the Guardian that police officers would not enforce mask-wearing in supermarkets - despite a Government crackdown on compliance.

Supermarket chain Morrisons said yesterday that customers who refuse to wear a mask without a medical exemption will be told to leave stores, while Sainsbury's also said its security staff would 'challenge' shoppers who were not wearing masks or entering stores in groups.

Meanwhile, ministers are reported to be mulling over introducing tougher measures in England, with the wearing of face masks outdoors and banning exercise with people not in their household bubble said to be under consideration.

Tory former health minister Steve Brine led calls for an end to non-essential takeaway sales, including coffee, telling BBC Two's Newsnight: 'There are so many things that we are doing, which are allowed in the rules... but I just don't think they are wise right now.'

Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned on Monday that the NHS is under 'very significant pressure' and told the public to reduce all social contact that is 'not absolutely strictly necessary' in a bid to cut cases.

His warning came as NHS England data showed there were 32,070 Covid-19 patients in English hospitals as of 8am on Monday. The figure is up 20 per cent compared to last week, and up 81 per cent since Christmas Day.

A further 529 people died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus as of Monday, bringing the UK total to 81,960 - though separate figures show there have now been 97,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

** Are you a British tourist abroad, trying to work out what test you need? Please email: tips@dailymail.com **

Outrage has erupted over a over a racist memo berating staff at restaurant chain Ribs & Burgers for speaking languages other than English and threatening disciplinary action.

A senior New South Wales company representative sent the message to managers in a discussion group in November after receiving numerous reports of staff speaking their native tongues in stores across the state.

'Once again I have the unfortunate task of raising this issue with everyone in NSW,' the memo begins, SBS Arabic 24 reports.

'I have received four reports of late of people talking in languages other than English. This is being done when there are other people around who cannot understand them.

Restaurant chain Ribs & Burgers (pictured) has sparked outrage over a 'racist' memo berating staff for speaking languages other than English

'This is disgusting, disrespectful and speaks completely against our Seagrass culture of #togetherness. Be warned: Native language speaking will not be tolerated anymore.'

The fast food chain, which is operated by South African-owned Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group, boasts 17 branches across Australia, including 12 in New South Wales.

Managers were instructed to 'stamp this out of their businesses' and to 'treat occurrences of this with immediate disciplinary action'.

The memo (pictured), sent by a senior NSW company representative, instructed managers to 'stamp out' the 'disgusting' behaviour

A veteran Ribs & Burgers employee told SBS staff were from diverse backgrounds and found the memo shocking.

'How does banning staff from speaking their native languages with each other fit in with the culture of #togetherness,' he asked.

He added that while workers may speak to one another in their native languages, customers were always spoken to in English.

'We thought the memo was weird but there's nothing we could do about it for fear of repercussions,' he said.

Angry customers have since flocked to Ribs & Burger's Facebook page to accuse the restaurant of racism.

One customer said: 'This type of discrimination is extremely dangerous and shows a lack of respect for multicultural Australia.'

'Oh my God, I'm not familiar with this chain but I'm appalled,' wrote another.

A spokesperson from Seagrass said the memo was being investigated.

'While we are investigating this as a matter of urgency, we can immediately confirm that this communication does not in any way reflect our culture or our equitable employment policies and practices,' they said.

A spokesperson from the chain's parent company Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group said the memo was under investigation

Angry customers flocked to Ribs & Burgers social media pages to accuse the company of racism

'We are very proud of our company culture and in particular our multicultural, diverse and inclusive workplace.'

Unlawful work discrimination occurs when an employer 'takes adverse action' against an employee based on social criteria such as race, colour, national extraction, religion, or social origin, according to Fair Work Australia.

While the memo does not detail what 'disciplinary action' would be taken, 'adverse action' is defined by Fair Work as dismissing an employee and discriminating between one employee and other employees, among others.

It is not the first time the company has landed in hot water over allegations of racism.

In 2018, Ribs & Burgers launched an advertising campaign for wagyu burgers that featured geishas and samurai swords.

The commercial was blasted for 'stereotyping' and using 'yellowface' for laughs.

The fast food company was slammed for racial 'stereotyping in 2018 over a wagyu burger advertisement (pictured)

A Seagrass spokesperson addressed the complaints in a statement online, apologising for any offense caused and claiming the advert was meant in 'tongue and cheek'.

'We appreciate your feedback and are truly sorry you find this offensive,' they wrote.

'This was never our intention and this advertisement is a tongue in cheek representation of the "Wagyu beef range at ribs and burgers" and not a representation in the slightest of Japanese culture.

'The main actor is Japanese, and himself and others of Japanese descent were consulted vigorously before the production of this advertisement and did not believe it was racist at all.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Seagrass for comment.
[January 13, 2021] Zuora Appoints Former Cisco, Microsoft Executive As Chief Product and Engineering Officer

Zuora, Inc. (NYSE: ZUO), the leading cloud-based subscription management platform provider, today announced the appointment of Sri Srinivasan as Chief Product and Engineering Officer. He joins Zuora with more than 25 years of engineering and product development experience, having played a key role in the SaaS (News - Alert) transformations of multi-billion dollar companies including Cisco and Microsoft. Srinivasan will report to Zuora founder and CEO Tien Tzuo and oversee the product and engineering organizations. "As companies shift their business models from selling products to providing services that their customers can subscribe to, a different set of applications are needed. With his background running Microsoft's (News - Alert) ERP and Webex's collaboration business, I cannot think of a better person than Sri to join Zuora and deliver the technologies needed in the Subscription Economy," said Tzuo. Srinivasan was most recently the Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Cisco Collaboration Group, a multi-billion dollar business unit including WebEx Meetings, Calling, Teams and Meeting Devices. During his three years at Cisco Srinivasan drove the company's next generation cloud-enabled collaboration offerings through a unified application strategy culminating in the hyperscale efforts to support the unprecedented 2020 work-from-home needs.



"I've witnessed first-hand the transformation of the high tech industry through the power of subscription business models," said Srinivasan. "I'm thrilled to join Zuora (News - Alert) on its mission to help companies win in this new era by powering the digital experiences and continuous value our customers provide to their subscribers." Prior to joining Cisco, Srinivasan held executive roles at Microsoft in the Dynamics division, in his 12 year tenure. As a GM in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 division, he drove the creation of a SaaS offering on Azure, spanning ERP, SCM, HCM and retail, and the transformation of on-premises Microsoft Dynamics AX to what it is today: cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Finance & Operations. Srinivasan joined Microsoft in 2005 as an architect working on scaling, grew through the ranks to Director of Cloud engineering, to the GM of the ERP business, and eventually rose to CTO of Dynamics 365 in early 2018. Before joining Microsoft in 2005, Srinivasan worked at Peoplesoft (acquired by Oracle (News - Alert) ) as one of their Distinguished Principal Engineers with focus on enterprise architecture, performance and scaling.

About Zuora, Inc. Zuora provides the leading cloud-based subscription management platform that functions as a system of record for subscription businesses across all industries. Powering the Subscription Economy, the Zuora platform was architected specifically for dynamic, recurring subscription business models and acts as an intelligent subscription management hub that automates and orchestrates the entire subscription order-to-revenue process seamlessly across billing and revenue recognition. Zuora serves more than 1,000 companies around the world, including Box, Ford, Penske Media Corporation, Schneider Electric (News - Alert) , Siemens, Xplornet, and Zoom. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Zuora also operates offices around the world in the U.S., EMEA and APAC. To learn more about the Zuora platform, please visit www.zuora.com.  2021 Zuora, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Zuora, Subscribed, Subscription Economy, Powering the Subscription Economy, and Subscription Economy Index are trademarks or registered trademarks of Zuora, Inc. Third-party trademarks mentioned above are owned by their respective companies. Nothing in this press release should be construed to the contrary, or as an approval, endorsement or sponsorship by any third parties of Zuora, Inc. or any aspect of this press release. SOURCE: Zuora Financial View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005906/en/

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Panic buttons installed in Ayanna Pressleys congressional office were torn out before rioters stormed the Capitol last week, her staff have said.

Sarah Groh, who serves as Ms Pressleys chief of staff, was with the congresswoman when president Donald Trumps supporters stormed the US Capitol building last Wednesday.

She told the Boston Globe that she had reached for the panic buttons installed in Ms Pressleys office as they tried to barricade themselves in.

But, when they went to press panic buttons, Ms Pressleys staff saw that they werent there, and appeared to have been ripped out.

Every panic button in my office had been torn out - the whole unit, Ms Groh told the paper.

She added that she could not believe why the panic buttons were removed, and that Ms Pressleys staff had used the panic buttons in the past, including during drills.

Nor had Ms Pressley and her staff moved offices, said Ms Groh.

She went on to say that the panic buttons were installed because Ms Pressley, a member of the progressive group of House Democrats dubbed the Squad, had been on the receiving end of racist attacks by the US president and his supporters.

Bennie Thompson, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, asked Capitol Police to heighten the security surrounding Ms Pressley and other Democratic congresswoman in 2019, after the president wrote a series of racist tweets attacking members of the Squad.

Mr Trump, who was rebuked for the remarks, told the congresswomen to go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.

Ms Pressley had warned in response that the presidents cruel efforts to rile up his base have serious consequences on our collective safety and well-being."

Ms Groh added that she was deeply concerned about arriving at the Capitol Building last Wednesday, aware that Mr Trump was addressing his supporters, who were told to march on Congress with strength.

She added: It felt like the heat was being turned up in terms of the rhetoric and Trumps aims to incite violence.

Social media users have since expressed outrage at reports the panic buttons were removed from Ms Pressleys office, with a senior adviser to incoming US Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg saying what happened and is happening - but its very bad. The Democratic women, especially women of colour, are in my head and heart today.

Authorities announced on Tuesday that around 70 arrests had been made in relation to last weeks attack, and that hundreds were being investigated.

Among those arrested were rioters who carried plastic restraints and ammunition into the Capitol, and one person who was said to have wanted to shoot House speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The attack led to the resignations of the head of the US Capitol police, amid criticism at the agencys planning and response to the rioters.

According to CNN, two US Capitol Police officers have since been suspended and at least 10 more are under investigation for playing potential roles in the riot.

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DALLAS  A Dallas County man accused of beating two homeless men to death with a sledgehammer last year has been charged with two counts of murder.

Adelaido Amaya Esparza, 58, was indicted in late December in the deaths of Fredrick Billmeier Jr. and Daniel Slusser, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Billmeier was found bludgeoned to death at a bus stop in West Dallas on Oct. 20. Police said in an affidavit that surveillance video from a nearby business showed someone strike the man several times with an object but that the camera was too far away to identify the assailant.

Slusser was found unconscious and bleeding with serious head injuries at a strip mall in Oak Cliff Nov. 20. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said surveillance footage showed someone approaching Slusser while he was sleeping then hitting him several times with a full size sledgehammer.

Police believed there was a high possibility both crimes were committed by the same person because of the similarities between the attacks and their close proximity.

Additional surveillance footage showed a man put the bloody sledgehammer, which had duct tape wrapped around its handle, in an older black Honda SUV and drive away.

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After locating the SUV on a vehicle database, a detective found the SUV parked outside Esparzas home. Officers surveilling the home saw Esparza leave in the SUV. When police pulled him over, a sledgehammer with duct tape and blood was found in the back of the vehicle.

Esparza denied any involvement in the killings. Investigators performed forensic analysis on his SUV and found Billmeiers DNA in the trunk and the backseat, according to the affidavit. They discovered found DNA belonging to Billmeier and Slusser on the sledgehammer, the affidavit says.

Police have not said if he is a suspect in other slayings of homeless men in the area.

Esparza remained in the Dallas County jail Monday, with bail set at $1 million. A judge has ordered that he undergo a mental-competency exam to determine whether he is fit to stand trial.

Esparzas attorney declined to comment on the case.
SPRINGFIELD  Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday ordered the activation of about 200 Illinois National Guard members in support of the 59th Presidential Inauguration.

Supporting the presidential inauguration is a great opportunity for the Illinois National Guard to be part of history and represent the state of Illinois, said Maj. Gen. Richard Neely, the Adjutant General of Illinois and Commander of the Illinois National Guard. Our Soldiers and Airmen are highly trained and I have full confidence in their abilities to support local and federal agencies as needed.
A 58-year-old French woman has been fight to get her life back, after being wrongfully declared dead by a court, during a long-running dispute with a former employee.

Jeanne Pouchain has been trying to prove she is alive and well for three years, ever since a labor court declared her dead, allegedly acting on information provided by one of her former employees, who she was in a legal dispute with. The verdict not only ended a decade-long lawsuit between Pouchain and her ex-employee, it also ruined her life as a citizen. Her name was wiped from official records, she lost her ID card, her drivers license, medical insurance, bank account, everything. It was like she didnt exist anymore.

Photo: Venita Oberholster/Pixabay

I went to see a lawyer who told me it would be quickly resolved as I had been to my doctor who certified that I was very much still alive, Ms. Pouchain recently told AFP. But because there had been a legal ruling this wasnt enough.

The resident of Rive-de-Gier in Frances Loire region lost her legal existence and the rights which result from it, when the court declared her dead, in 2017. Today, she is even afraid to go out unless she really has to, afraid of might happen to her if she winds up in a situation where she needs to prove her identity. And all because a court ended her life on paper, without even checking if she had actually died.

Jeanne and her lawyer blame one of the womans former employees for the nightmare she has been experiencing for the last three years. In 2000, Pouchains cleaning company had to let some of its employees go when it lost a big contract, and one of them sued the company. But that was only the beginning .

In 2004, a court ordered Pouchains company to pay the terminated employee 14,000 euros in damages, but because had been taken against her company and not Pouchain herself the ruling was never enforced. Five years later, the ex-employee tried to go after Pouchain herself, but the case was thrown out. In 2016, it was filed again in an appeals court, which believing Jeanne dead, ordered her successors  her husband and son  to pay damages.

But why would the court declare her dead? Well, the ex-employee and her lawyer claim that Pouchain herself is to blame, by refusing to answer correspondence and generally trying to avoid litigation. Still, for the court to simply believe the ex-employees version, that her letters to her former boss had gone unanswered, and that she had died, is very to believe.

Its a crazy story. I couldnt believe it. I never thought that a judge would declare someone dead without a certificate, Pouchains lawyer, Sylvain Cormier, said. But the plaintiff claimed Mrs Pouchain was dead, without providing any proof and everyone believed her. Nobody checked.

Crazier still is the difficulty of reversing the courts decision. Even though Jeanne Pouchain has stood in front of several judges over the last three years, her legal status is in limbo. She is no longer deceased, but she isnt alive either. She is somewhere in between.

Neither Jeanne or her lawyer know how long their battle to legally resuscitate her will last, of if shell ever go back to her normal life, but all they can do at this point is continue to fight.
Beyond the expansion into credit cards, Walgreens has been evolving its business model by offering more options for customers to pick up or receive their purchases. It has also sought to boost store traffic by shifting its retail focus to emphasize its beauty products.
Oils red-hot rally took a breather as a stronger dollar and rising refined products supplies offset shrinking U.S. crude inventories, capping the price under a key technical indicator.

Futures in New York ended a sixth-day winning streak with a 0.6% decline on Wednesday, holding beneath their upper Bollinger band. Crude settled the previous session above the technical indicator, a sign the rally was due for a pullback. While an Energy Information Administration report showed U.S. crude inventories fell by over 3 million barrels last week for a fifth drop in a row, the report also showed builds across gasoline and distillate stockpiles.

Adding further pressure, the Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index strengthened as much as 0.3% on Wednesday, reducing the appeal for commodities priced in the greenback.

Its good to see another crude draw and the remainder of the year should continue to have drawdowns in overall inventories, especially if OPEC compliance remains pretty strong, said Brian Kessens, a portfolio manager at Tortoise, a firm that manages roughly $8 billion in energy-related assets. Still, the refined products side was a little bit disappointing for those people who wanted to be more bullish.

PREVIOUSLY: Oil extends gains on expectations for shrinking U.S. supplies

Prices are gaining some support as cold weather is seen increasing consumption at a time when the supply outlook has already been tightening. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. sees demand getting a boost of at least 1 million barrels a day, while in Japan, power generators have been buying cargoes of low-sulfur fuel oil for the purpose of direct burning, according to traders. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia trimmed February supplies to at least 11 refiners in Asia and Europe after announcing surprise production curbs last week.

Still, the market faces a precarious demand picture in the near term as the world tries to emerge from the pandemic. U.K. road vehicle use was down 42% on pre-Covid levels last week, while aircraft tracking in early 2021 shows little sign of any meaningful rebound in flight numbers.

Reimposed public health measures in a number of countries constitute a warning that downside impacts on demand are not entirely behind us, Michael Hsueh, a strategist at Deutsche Bank AG, said in a note. However, it is exactly this risk thatSaudi Arabia has seen fit to guard against, with the announced cuts serving as an insurance policy against inevitable demand weakness, buying time for global vaccination programs to take effect by the end of the year.

A trading executive at Total SE said Wednesday that by the northern hemispheres summer, oil-product demand should be back at 2019 levels, excluding jet fuel. Use of aviation fuel is unlikely to recover until the third quarter, Mike Muller, Vitols head of Asia, said Wednesday.

We have a positive outlook, Russell Hardy, chief executive officer of trading house Vitol Group, said in a Bloomberg Television interview. The market as usual is racing ahead and factoring in that positive news of a vaccine and the expectation of a better summer and a better second half of 2021.

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

Over the past two years, Donald Trump and the Republican Party have lost control of the presidency, the House of Representatives, and the Senate. But nothing has damaged their political standing as much as last weeks violent occupation of the Capitol by pro-Trump protesters:

 The presidents approval rating has fallen to its lowest-ever level, 37 percent, in Morning Consults polling. (His disapproval rating in the poll is at an all-time high of 60 percent.) He has also tied his lowest-ever mark, 33 percent, in Quinnipiacs poll. In a Data for ProgressVox poll released Tuesday, 67 percent of independent voters said they blamed Trump for inciting last weeks attack.

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 Airbnb, Amazon, American Express, AT&T, Comcast, Deutsche Bank, Dow Chemical, Marriott, the PGA of America, and Verizon have said they are cutting business ties to Trump or suspending donations to the Republican members of Congress who voted against certifying his election loss. Harvards Institute of Politics, which is well-known for its willingness to offer prestigious roles to controversial right-wing figures, removed prominent Trumpist New York Rep. Elise Stefanik from an advisory position.

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 The two Georgia Senate seats that Trump appears to have helped his party lose by turning both races into referendums on overturning the presidential election in a state that voted for Joe Biden remain lost.

 The New York Times reported late Tuesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pleased that Democrats are moving to impeach, and soon after, Syracuse.com reported that New York Rep. John Katko was adding the first Republican vote to the impeachment effort.

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The possibility of becoming a party whose members cant win elections or find high-six-figure salaries in the government relations field after they lose has created some tension. GOP leaders in the House of Representatives are reportedly declining to whip (i.e., pressure) members of their caucus to vote against impeachment if its brought to the floor on Wednesday as expected, and Politico reports that at least 10 Republicans are considering yes votes. On Tuesday, Texas Sen. Ted Cruzs communications director quit and leaked to Punchbowl News (Punchbowl News? Sure, why not) that she did so because she was uncomfortable with his efforts to challenge the election. A senior Republican staffer on the House Armed Services Committee resigned in a letter attacking GOP members of the committee for voting against certification even after the riot.

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Some Republicans, in other words, are trying to distance themselves from themselves. Those whove chosen other paths have limited options. Figures like House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who are looking for a middle way that will please both Wall Street and Brad From Missouri Who Has a Hitler Tattoo and a Number of Assault Rifles, are trying to circulate the idea that Joe Biden needs to unify the country by preventing an impeachment trial. The most hard-line position, though, is that the idea of accountability is itself radical PC police aggression of the sort that made the members of Facebook.com/MAGAMissouriGrenadePatriots so angry in the first place. Heres Texas Rep. Kevin Brady:

Those calling for impeachment or invoking the 25th Amendment in response to President Trumps rhetoric this week are themselves engaging in intemperate and inflammatory language and calling for action that is equally irresponsible and could well incite further violence.  Rep. Kevin Brady (@RepKevinBrady) January 10, 2021

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Trump made similar remarks Tuesday, telling reporters that for Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to continue on this path, I think its causing tremendous danger to our country, and its causing tremendous anger. Stefanik attacked Harvard in a statement for purportedly choosing to cower and cave to the Woke left and demonstrate sneering disdain for everyday Americans. Cruz is trying to make a thing out of Biden having compared Trumps stolen-election claim to the concept of the big lie credited to Nazi minister Joseph Goebbels, writing on Twitter in his characteristic tone of transparently fake concern that the president-elects choice to call his political opponents literal Nazis does nothing to bring us together or promote healing. Most other Republicans appear to lack both the motivation and the means to join Cruz in this effort to turn the news cycle back against Democrats, that cycle still being occupied by developments related to the actual, verifiable Nazis who briefly overran the seat of government. Theres nothing lonelier than a failed revolutionary, especially when that revolutionary was already Ted Cruz.
The award has gone in this thirteenth edition to Neil Adger, Ian Burton and Karen O'Brien for changing the paradigm of climate change action by incorporating the concept of adaptation to unavoidable impacts

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award in Climate Change has gone in this thirteenth edition to Neil Adger, Ian Burton and Karen O'Brien for changing the paradigm of climate change action, previously confined to mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions, by folding in the concept of adaptation to unavoidable impacts.

While earlier editions of the Frontiers of Knowledge Awards have distinguished contributions to climate change science from the realms of modelling, physics or economics, this year's prize recognizes the contribution of the social sciences. Specifically, the committee has selected three researchers who have pioneered the study of "how social conditions and culture shape our vulnerability to climate change and our ability to adapt," in the words of the award citation.

In recent decades, scientific evidence has consistently shown that climate change is advancing at a faster-than-expected rate. This knowledge has also served to design future scenarios that help predict the effects of climate change in different regions of the planet, and how it might impact their populations.

Geographer Ian Burton (Derby, United Kingdom, 1935), Emeritus Professor at the University of Toronto, came to the issue of climate change through his research on natural disasters, and was the first to promote the "adaptation" concept to address climate change effects that, in the light of forecasts, are already unavoidable. From the first international climate meetings, he pushed this new area of research onto the agenda, seeking to define the best adaptation strategies in infrastructures, town planning, agriculture and architecture, among other domains; strategies, it was clear, that would run in parallel with mitigation efforts aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions.

By the mid-1990s, the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) already numbered adaptation among the focus areas of one of its Working Groups, with Burton, alongside Adger and O'Brien, among its longstanding and most influential members. Subsequently, in 2013, the European Commission developed its own Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, which EU Member States, including Spain, have transposed at the national level.

Adger, Burton and O'Brien emphasize "the importance of interactions between environmental change and globalization," and the need to "incorporate the cultural dimension" to the work of adaptation to climate change impacts that by now cannot be stopped. Research by the three laureates, who have collaborated on numerous occasions, has been instrumental in transferring knowledge to decision making, using analytical perspectives drawn from the social sciences.

For Miquel Canals, Director of the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics at the University of Barcelona (Spain) and a member of the committee "the awardees document the human dimension of climate change in all its magnitude, ranging across health, well-being, inequality, the vulnerability of whole nations, demographic changes, migrations... all major issues of our time whose connection to climate change we habitually ignore. Their contributions are also a window onto the future, one where the global effects of climate change will undoubtedly be worse. In other words, they put us, as a society and as individuals, in front of the mirror. Observing what that mirror reflects, and acting accordingly, is the responsibility of each and every one of us."

Yet the concept of adaptation was not immediately or universally embraced. As Burton explained yesterday in a video conference after hearing of the award, those calling most urgently for mitigation measures - for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions - thought it counterproductive to talk of adaptation: "They argued that if you could mitigate there would be no need to adapt. But what I advocated, and was finding evidence for in my research, was that you need both adaptation and mitigation, because you wouldn't be able to mitigate fast enough to avoid all need for adaptation."

Burton alludes here to evidence in the latest IPCC reports to the effect that climate change is advancing at very different rates from those initially projected, "when climate scientists talked about a gradual process."

Climate-induced migration

Neil Adger (Ballymena, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, 1964), who acknowledges Burton among his own inspirations, has centered his research on human migration, one of the key social effects of climate change. Much of the work of this Professor of Human Geography at the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) has involved data gathering on the ground, with surveys of local communities in countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh. His conclusions state that a population's vulnerability to climate change depends not only on climate as such, but also, very directly, on social and political measures.

Speaking after the award decision, he stressed that although migrants rarely point explicitly to climate change as among the reasons for their move, they do cite the deterioration of traditional livelihoods like agriculture, often with a strong climate link.

Adger believes that a well as acting on natural spaces, adaptation strategies should focus on cities: "The most dominant flow of migrants is from rural areas to cities. And it is these flows that are being amplified by climate change, because it's making rural areas less attractive. Cities are the crucibles for climate change adaptation; we need to make cities plan and prepare for climate change, so they become more resilient."

Karen O'Brien (Aachen, Germany, 1963), Professor of Human Geography at the University of Oslo, is likewise concerned about impacts on vulnerable populations which, her research finds, suffer a double exposure to climate change and globalization. As she explains, "in the same way that double exposure in photography refers to two images that are overlain and create a blurry image, with this concept we express how the processes of globalization and climate change create uneven outcomes, in other words winners and losers. The two processes not only overlap but also create feedback that can accelerate or diminish them."

Carlos Duarte, holder of the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Thuwal, Saudi Arabia) and committee secretary, considers the contributions of the three laureates to be "fundamental at a time when the green stimulus to reactivate the economy post-Brexit promises a rapid energy transition. It is vital that this transformation is accomplished without harming the vulnerable, not only in the world's most disadvantaged regions but also in the developed countries, where the term energy poverty has become common currency now many governments have embedded the costs of transition to renewables as a fixed charge in electricity bills, affecting mainly households with unemployed parents, single-parent households and households of people with disabilities. Social justice must be a touchstone in climate change solutions, whether of adaptation or mitigation."

O'Brien's research also addresses the adaptation concept coined by Burton from a psychosocial and cultural standpoint. She talks of three spheres of adaptation to complete the transformation that climate change demands: "Climate change is an issue that goes beyond the environment; it is also a social and cultural challenge. Adaptation to the effects of climate change requires a profound transformation in three spheres - practical, political and personal - that also act upon each other. With the practical sphere referring to the technical and behavioral changes, the political sphere to the systems and the structures that shape our capacity to respond, and the personal sphere to our values and worldviews, both individually and collectively."

For O'Brien, some of the most powerful levers for this transformation come from education, and from the media acting as disseminators of evidence-based knowledge on climate change.

A matter of "urgency"

The three laureates agree on the urgency of actions aimed at both adaptation and mitigation. As Burton remarks, "we should never underestimate the importance and the urgency of climate change." In his view, "we are not doing enough in either mitigation or sustainable adaptation of a kind that doesn't cause an even graver impact."

Even so, he declares himself "cautiously" hopeful: "The youth movement is strong and there is a growing population awareness as people suffer or hear about others suffering wildfires, extreme storms and droughts in other parts of the world. But I also think that the private sector, which has long avoided expressing concern about climate change, is coming round to the idea, and I speak particularly of the large investors who are beginning to see that they have to start investing more in renewable energy."

Laureate bio notes

Neil Adger (Ballymena, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom, 1964) holds an MA in Economics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in Agricultural Economics from the University of London. He completed his PhD in the School of Environmental Sciences at the University of East Anglia, where he would later serve as Lecturer and Reader (1996-2006) then Professor (2006-2012) of Environmental Economics. In 2012 he took up his present position as Professor of Human Geography in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Exeter.

He is a founding member of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and the Centre for Environmental Decision-Making, both at the University of East Anglia, and has participated as senior author in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, among other global projects. Author of more than 180 scholarly articles, among them the widely cited "Vulnerability" in Global Environmental Change, he has also published books and over 100 book chapters, is listed as a Highly Cited Researcher by the Web of Science and has served as scientific advisor to diverse organizations, including the Basque Centre for Climate Change.

Ian Burton (Derby, United Kingdom, 1935) is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Geography at the University of Toronto (Canada), where he has spent his academic career after earning a PhD in Geography (Resource Management and Natural Hazards) from the University of Chicago (United States). Author of ten books - outstandingly Environment as Hazard (1978), whose conclusions are every bit as relevant today - and more than 200 articles in scientific journals and reports, his research work has led him to participate in numerous national and international organizations.

In Canada, he has served as Director of the Impacts and Adaptation Research Group of Environment Canada, and Director of the University of Toronto's Institute for Environmental Studies, among other appointments. Internationally, he has worked on three Assessment Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, as well as on the IPCC's Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters, and taken on consulting assignments for the World Bank, OECD, WHO and UNESCO. He currently serves on the Expert Advisory Committee of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's Global Risk Assessment Framework.

Karen O'Brien (Aachen, Germany, 1963) has a BA in International Relations from the College of William and Mary (Virginia, United States) and an MS in Land Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States). She later earned a PhD in Geography from Pennsylvania State University (United States) with a dissertation titled "Deforestation and Climate Change in the Selva Lacandona of Chiapas, Mexico." After teaching at Pennsylvania State University, she went on to hold research positions with the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (Montreal, Canada) and at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, CICERO (Oslo, Norway).

O'Brien explores the connections between globalization and climate change in her book Double Exposure: Global Environmental Change in an Era of Globalization, published in 2008, and more recently in Responding to Climate Change: The Three Spheres of Transformation (2018) and Climate and Society: Transforming the Future (2019). She has also authored over 150 specialist publications and ten books, as well as writing on various IPCC reports. Since 2001 she has worked at the University of Oslo, where she is currently Professor of Human Geography.

Climate Change committee and evaluation support panel

The committee in this category was chaired by Bjorn Stevens, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Meteorology (Hamburg, Germany), with Carlos M. Duarte, holder of the Tarek Ahmed Juffali Research Chair in Red Sea Ecology at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (Thuwal, Saudi Arabia), acting as secretary. Remaining members were Sandrine Bony, Director of Research with the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique at Sorbonne University (Paris, France); Miquel Canals, Director of the Department of Earth and Ocean Dynamics at the University of Barcelona (Spain); Martin Heimann, Director Emeritus in the Department of Biogeochemical Systems at the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (Jena, Germany); Edward Rubin, Alumni Chair Professor of Environmental Engineering and Science at Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, United States); and Julie Winkler, Professor of Geography in the Department of Geography, Environment and Spatial Sciences of Michigan State University (United States).

The evaluation support panel of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) was coordinated by M. Victoria Moreno, the Council's Deputy Vice President for Scientific and Technical Areas, and formed by: Santiago Begueria Portugues, tenured scientist at the Aula Dei Experimental School (EEAD); Josep Maria Gasol Pique, research professor at the Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM); Francisca Martinez Ruiz, research scientist at the Andalusian Earth Sciences Institute (IACT); Angel Ruiz Mantecon, Deputy Coordinator of the Global Life Area and research professor at the Mountain Stockbreeding Institute (IGM); and Blas Valero Garces, Deputy Coordinator of the Global Life Area and research professor at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE).

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About the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards

The BBVA Foundation centers its activity on the promotion of world-class scientific research and cultural creation, and the encouragement of talent.

The BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards, funded with 400,000 euros in each of their eight categories, recognize and reward contributions of singular impact in science, technology, social sciences and the humanities, privileging those that significantly expand the frontiers of the known world, open up new fields, or emerge from the interaction of various disciplinary areas. The goal of the awards, established in 2008, is to celebrate and promote the value of knowledge as a public good without frontiers, the best instrument at our command to take on the great global challenges of our time for the benefit of all humanity. Their eight categories reflect the knowledge map of the 21st century, ranging from basic science to key challenges for the natural environment by way of domains characterized by the overlap of disciplines - Biology and Medicine; Economics, Finance and Management - or the supremely creative realms of music and the opera.

The BBVA Foundation has been aided in the evaluation of the 73 nominees for the Frontiers Award in Climate Change by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), the country's premier public research organization. CSIC appoints evaluation support panels made up of leading experts in the corresponding knowledge area, who are charged with undertaking an initial assessment of the candidates proposed by numerous institutions across the world, and drawing up a reasoned shortlist for the consideration of the award committees. CSIC is also responsible for designating each committee's chair and participates in the selection of its members, thus helping to guarantee objectivity in the recognition of innovation and scientific excellence.
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TYSONS, Va., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- PenFed Credit Union, the nation's second largest federal credit union, today released financials highlighting the strongest year in the institution's 85-year history. In 2020, PenFed set records for membership growth, mortgage loan volume and consumer loan volume, while helping more members through the global pandemic.

"At PenFed we measure success by how many people we've helped. In 2020, PenFed helped more than 2.1 million members do better financially," said PenFed President & CEO James Schenck. "PenFed's record results are a combination of organic growth and a focused merger strategy paying huge dividends. Partnering with other credit unions over the last five years allowed us to rebuild infrastructure, upgrade technology systems and hire some of the industry's best leaders while building a strong capital position. In combination with our merger partners, we've built an engine that will provide PenFed a long-term strategic competitive advantage."

Among PenFed's highlights in 2020:

PenFed welcomed 389,000 new members, up 159% over 2019. Members benefited from some of the nation's lowest loan rates and highest deposit rates across the nation.

PenFed increased its charitable contributions to help those in need and gave back nearly $3 million to veterans, first responders and many other community heroes. The credit union supported nearly 100 charitable organizations in communities where its 2,700 employees and volunteers live and serve.

to veterans, first responders and many other community heroes. The credit union supported nearly 100 charitable organizations in communities where its 2,700 employees and volunteers live and serve. Total loan originations exceeded $16.6 billion , up 67% over 2019.

, up 67% over 2019. The mortgage division originated over $8.2 billion , up 302% from 2019.

, up 302% from 2019. The consumer lending division originated over $8.4 billion , up 16% from 2019.

, up 16% from 2019. PenFed sold and participated $5.3 billion worth of loans to other credit unions, up 288% over 2019, to maintain a steady asset growth rate near PenFed's long-term target of 5%.

worth of loans to other credit unions, up 288% over 2019, to maintain a steady asset growth rate near PenFed's long-term target of 5%. PenFed earnings (adjusted for one-time COVID-19 reserves) exceeded more than $200 million , up 40% percent over 2019.

, up 40% percent over 2019. Members who experienced financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 were able to skip payments and apply for other special assistance.

Members who needed in-person access had sanitized lobbies or drive-throughs available at 44 branches throughout the pandemic.

PenFed closed 2020 with more than $2.8 billion in capital and a net worth ratio exceeding 10.5%. PenFed's capital cushion is almost $1 billion above the federal requirement to be well capitalized.

in capital and a net worth ratio exceeding 10.5%. PenFed's capital cushion is almost above the federal requirement to be well capitalized. The PenFed Foundation became the first Veteran Service Organization to offer a COVID-19 Relief Program, helping thousands of active duty military and veterans survive the pandemic.

The PenFed Foundation's Veteran Entrepreneur Investment Fund created a Master's Program empowering veteran-owned businesses to grow while other businesses were shutting down.

"We couldn't have made all of this positive impact without our dedicated employees and loyal members," Schenck concluded. "During a time when many consumers found new ways to conduct their financial business, we are honored that more members chose PenFed's combination of digital access backed by world-class personal service. We hope PenFed members are proud of how their credit union fulfilled urgent needs in their communities during this most challenging year."

PenFed released this video to show how PenFed employees and members overcame the challenges of 2020 together.

About PenFed Credit Union

Established in 1935, Pentagon Federal Credit Union (PenFed) is America's second-largest federal credit union, serving over 2.1 million members worldwide with over $26 billion in assets. PenFed Credit Union offers market-leading certificates, checking, credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, auto loans, student loans, and a wide range of other financial services. Our mission is to empower members of our community to achieve their financial well-being. PenFed Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA and is an Equal Housing Lender. To learn more about PenFed Credit Union, visit PenFed.org, like us on Facebook and follow us @PenFed on Twitter. Interested in working for PenFed? Check us out on LinkedIn. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer.

SOURCE PenFed Credit Union

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http://www.PenFed.org



The husband of 50-year-old woman who was gangraped, brutalised and left to die, has not recovered from the tragedy. After his condition worsened, the husband Tuesday was referred to a mental hospital in Bareilly.

On Monday afternoon, he was asleep in his room. He woke with a start, screaming and asking for his wife. He went around looking for her, from room to room. When he couldnt find her, he picked up a pan with charcoal embers and ran outside. We managed to bring him inside but he started banging his head against the wall, his son-in-law told Times of India.

The victim had gone to a temple, was found dead under mysterious circumstances last Sunday. Her family members had accused the temple priest and his aides of raping and murdering her. Based on this, a case was registered against the accused.

The husband was leaned on her completely since their marriage. While the husband was ill, she was responsible for providing the family, bringing up the children and looking after him. After the rape, Police arrested a temple priest who is the main accused in the alleged gang rape of an Anganwadi worker in Badaun district. The son-in-law adds that the husband was in a shock since he saw her blood-soaked body.

The family had to call the police and ask for help. We sent an ambulance with a police team. He was taken to the district hospital and then taken to Bareilly as there was no psychiatrist there, Badaun SSP Sankalp Sharma reportedly said.

The son-in-law adds that the doctors at the mental hospital said that he was in post-traumatic shock and he needs medication for 15 days.
The House of Representatives is looking to impeach President Donald Trump for inciting insurrection on his own Capitol. But some are asking, what does that actually mean for Trump?

Social media users have been sharing information regarding the impeachment such as it preventing Trump to run again in 2024 and that he loses his 200k+ pension for the rest of his life. But those are not necessarily true.

For those wondering if its worth impeaching him this time, it means he:



1) Loses his 200k+ pension for the rest of his life.



2) Loses his 1 million dollar/year travel allowance.



3) Loses lifetime full secret service.



4) Loses his ability to run in 2024. #ImpeachTrumpAgain       (@theupstategay) January 9, 2021

Democrats and at least a handful of Republicans this week say Trump encouraged an insurrection on the Capitol Wednesday after repeating baseless claims that the White House was stolen from him. After calling on followers to march on the Capitol and fight like hell, hundreds of his loyalists breached the building in an attack that left five dead and sparked almost 100 arrests.

On Wednesday, the House began debates on the impeachment.

But much of what was in the viral tweet, depends on the U.S. Senate.

If both the House votes to impeach Trump and the Senate votes by a two-thirds majority to remove him from office, then Trump would lose his pension, according to CNN. The Senate would also have to separately vote to prohibit him from running again in 2024, the news station reported.

The House has previously impeached Trump after he pressed the Ukrainian government to dig up dirt on Joe Biden while withholding military aid to the country. The Senate later acquitted him.

Legal experts told Factcheck.org that it is unlikely that Trump would lose Secret Service protection.

If President Trump were to be impeached and then convicted and removed from office before January 20, 2021, he would almost certainly not automatically lose the Secret Service protection which he would otherwise expect to receive after January 20, 2021, Cary Coglianese, a University of Pennsylvania professor of law and political science, told the website.

The website also states that the law does not provide former presidents with both lifetime Secret Service protection and the $1 million travel and security allowance.

So, what are the consequences?

Trump would go down in history as the first president to be impeached twice.

Further consequences still depends on the Senate.

If the Senate convicts him before he leaves office, hed be removed, according to The Washington Post. They could then take another vote to bar him from ever holding office again.

Experts are unsure about what it means if the Senate votes after Trump has left office.

Still, a conviction from the Senate is required before they can vote to bar Trump from ever running for office again, which can be seen as the more consequential vote, Josh Chafetz, a constitutional law expert at Georgetown Law, told the Post.

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Controversies surrounding Turkeys sovereign wealth fund have only grown since its creation four years ago amid swirling questions about its jumbled legal status, dubious purposes and exemption from public auditing.

The fund  created hastily in 2016  was back in the spotlight in the first days of 2021 as 75 million liras (some $10 million) in prizes from the New Years Eve lottery, won by unsold tickets, were transferred to the fund, which holds the license rights of the national lottery. The transfer triggered a social media campaign, backed by celebrities and opposition leaders, urging Ankara to use the money for the ultra-expensive treatment of infants with a deadly neuromuscular disease. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who chairs the fund, reacted angrily, slamming the campaign as immoral for portraying the governments health care measures as insufficient.

Only a few weeks earlier, the fund was under fire for selling 10% of the Borsa Istanbul stock exchange, a company in its portfolio, to its Qatari counterpart as part of a series of deals with the wealthy Gulf emirate, Erdogans prime regional ally. And the funds exemption from public auditing remains a heated topic in parliament.

The funds portfolio contains 20 public enterprises, some licenses and an array of immovable public properties. But in reality, it hardly possesses any wealth. Most of the entities in its portfolio remain attached to the Treasury and Finance Ministry or other ministries, and any revenues they generate go to the central government budget. Similarly, any capital decreases or losses they incur are covered from the same budget. Even more intriguingly, the fund, which has a company status, is beyond the auditing authority of the Court of Accounts, Turkeys top public auditor, unlike the enterprises and banks whose shares it holds.

Turkeys wealth fund is similar only in name to sovereign wealth funds created typically by oil-rich countries to turn their current account surpluses into investments. Turkey has a chronic current account deficit, and its economy relies on foreign capital to grow.

The fund rests on a flawed institutional design, which jurists describe as a legal oddity. Besides the legal confusions it creates, the fund and its dubious operations have fueled various conspiracy theories and futile debates, creating one problem after another.

The public enterprises handed over to the fund, including pipeline operator BOTAS, oil exploration company TPAO, the Turkish Maritime Organization and mining enterprise Eti Maden, rest on a special legal framework, which prevents the fund from making decisions on their management and operations. Their budgets, for instance, are drawn up by the Treasury and Finance Ministry, which is also where their profits go.

According to its establishment statute, the fund aims to finance itself through licensing, profit and rent revenues from the assets it holds, and to provide capital support to visionary projects in Turkey. Yet the revenues of the said companies go to the central government budget and not the fund. In the first nine months of 2020, for instance, 2.3 billion liras (some $309 million) in revenues from public enterprises went to the budget rather than the fund. Similarly, it was the treasury that injected capital to the public Ziraat Bank and Halkbank when they needed propping up in April 2019.

Also, many of the companies in the funds portfolio, including the Borsa Istanbul, the postal service PTT, satellite operator TURKSAT, Ziraat Bank and Halkbank, have their own legal statutes, which is another reason preventing them from becoming the wealth of the fund. Each entity is attached to a ministry. The law regulating Ziraat Bank and Halkbank, for instance, says that their publicly owned shares are represented and managed by the relevant minister. In other words, the fund cannot use any shareholder rights regarding the banks.

Given all those limitations, critics have charged that the fund is in fact an alternative borrowing tool for the government. Back in 2017, Selin Sayek Boke, a professor of economy and senior member of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party, argued that the fund, in its existing shape, could only take over public assets and put them up as collaterals in order to borrow  and with little accountability. It lacks the means to convert resources into investment, she said, calling it a borrowing fund rather than a wealth fund.

Indeed, the fund has used public assets as collaterals to borrow, but all it has managed to get thus far is a loan of 1 billion euros ($1.2 billion), guaranteed by the treasury. The loan, issued in 2019 by a consortium led by Citibank NA/London and Chinas ICBC, was used to rescue troubled construction companies, as Al-Monitor reported at the time. The fund paid some $300 million for a stake, including outstanding liabilities, in the Istanbul Finance Center, a sprawling project where construction had stalled amid financial snags. The companies rescued through the purchase were Agaoglu Insaat  one of Turkeys largest construction firms that saw its heyday under Erdogans government  and Intas and YDA.

The lack of any public auditing of the fund, even though it uses public assets for certain transactions, remains one of the most controversial aspects of the body. Critics say it has become a tool for unaccountable governance and cronyism. Boke has slammed the fund as an unchecked parallel treasury, while Meral Aksener, leader of the opposition Good Party, has called it a highly dangerous parallel treasury that should be abolished.
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Pebblebrook staff members are tested regularly, and all residents were tested once after the facility entered phase 2. Since then, residents are tested only when there is a positive case among staff. Any resident who has a temperature is isolated, even if the infection is known not to be the coronavirus. If there's any question about the cause and a COVID-19 rapid test or lab test were to come back positive, that resident would be moved immediately to an isolation area, Williams says.



Staff members wear masks throughout their shifts and full personal protective equipment (PPE)  shields, gowns and gloves  when necessary, such as if they're working with newly admitted short-term rehab residents who are awaiting COVID-19 test results. All those steps have addressed the crucial measures needed to battle the coronavirus and, for that matter, future viruses.

Visits from family members in the building remain off-limits in phase 2, so the staff erected a square tent with three clear plastic walls next to the building's entrance. A resident can sit in a comfortable chair inside the tent while family members gather on the other side of the plastic. Microphones and speakers on each side of the tent help facilitate conversations for those who are hard of hearing or soft-spoken. The residents are overjoyed, Williams says. It just fills my heart because they are able to still connect with their families in the height of the pandemic."

Within the walls of Pebblebrook, as has always been the case, residents are divided into households of 18 people. These smaller contained communities, by design, bolster relationships and control the spread of infection, Moore says. While residents don't have to wear masks, they are kept at a safe social distance, sitting at least 6 feet apart during activities like arts and crafts. And for the resident who wants to see a friend who lives in a different household, meals shared from opposite sides of a long table are arranged.

The bonds created during the 75-day lock-in remain strong and motivate compliance with rules. We built a forever bond, Williams says. You cannot hurt someone you care about. You cannot take a shortcut with someone you care about. We are family."

But Moore knows that they must stay vigilant and that their story could have unfolded differently. They planned well, but sheer luck may have helped spare them, too. Also, if not for the ample space and the support of owners who fed everyone and paid overtime and a bonus stipend to workers during the lock-in, they couldn't have pulled this off.

Because Park Springs is a private organization, Moore cannot share financial information, but says: I can tell you that we were not focused on the cost throughout the lock-in. When it comes to ordering supplies or equipment to keep everyone safe, we are going to do the right thing regardless of cost."

Her heart aches for facilities that were hit with COVID-19 outbreaks. They love their residents, too, she says. It's like a wave that knocks you over in the ocean, and you never saw it coming."

Doing everything possible to keep the virus from returning



David Ross sobbed as he drove home from work. It was mid-July, and the 300-bed nursing home that he runs in New Hampshire, the one that once registered 30 new cases of coronavirus per week, had just reached an important milestone: a week of no new positives.

These tears were driven as much from relief and joy as they were from the accumulation of two months of sadness, pain and frustration.

Ross, the administrator of the nursing home, remembers that state representatives wanted to know how a major outbreak could have happened at Hillsborough County Nursing Home, a nonprofit facility in Goffstown. In May, when the first residents came down with symptoms, the staff administered coronavirus tests to all residents in one 50-bed unit and rushed samples to the state lab. About half the residents in the unit were positive, most of the rest soon joined them, and the virus later spread to three more units, infecting 209 people in all, including 57 staff members. Forty-two residents died, but no staff members did.

Employees and residents were being tested each week, although because of an increase in cases in the community, the facility was gearing up for the possibility of twice-weekly tests. When the nursing home is in outbreak status, meaning at least one positive case in the building, about 20 members of the National Guard come in weekly to test everyone, Dubois says. She and other nurses scramble to take over the testing of residents who are war veterans, not wanting the military uniforms to trigger PTSD.
Goa's tourism department has decided to impose a fine of Rs 10,000 for drinking on beaches. This was decided after several areas were found littered with liquor bottles and other waste after New Year.

Goa Tourism director Menino D'Souza said that boards have been installed to warn people against drinking on beaches. D'Souza added, "The tourism department will enforce the amended Act through police. Once we have our Tourist Police Force, we will be able to do it on our own." He added the litter left behind was cleared the next day. Although the waste on beaches is cleared three times a day, the state tourism minister said it is a mammoth task for workers to spot every small shard of glass under the sand.

D'Souza also told Herald Goa, "The notifications were issued two years ago and the responsibility for enforcing this is with the police. They are a government body and can issue challans. No one else can. A proposal is in place to set up a force for the tourism industry. It will happen, of that there is no doubt."

These signboards state that if any visitor is found drinking on Goan beaches, they will have to pay a fine of Rs 2,000 while a group of tourists found doing this will be slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000. Some tourists have also reported foot injuries after accidently stepping on broken glass shards.

Also read: Happy Lohri 2021: Check out Lohri Wishes, Facebook Messages, Whatsapp Status, Images, Greetings

Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Wednesday received the COVID-19 vaccine shot developed by China's biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech. The president, widely known as Jokowi, is the first Indonesian vaccinated to show that the vaccine is safe.

After the president, the Indonesian military chief, the national police chief and the Health Minister, among others, were also vaccinated.

Indonesia, through its Food & Drug Control Agency, on Monday approved Sinovac Biotech's COVID-19 vaccine for use. The agency issued an emergency use authorization for the vaccine after interim results of its late-stage trials in the country which showed an efficacy rate of 65.3 percent.

The Muslim-majority nation's top religious body also approved the vaccine as halal (meng permissible under Islam) in a move that could help convince wary citizens.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Indonesia had updated a total of 846,765 COVID-19 infections, according to the Health Ministry. The virus has claimed more than 24,000 lives across the country, the ministry said. As per Sputnik, live footage of the vaccination was broadcast on Indonesian television channels.

Indonesian divers find parts of plane wreckage in Java Sea

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Indonesia gets 1.8 mln additional doses of Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine
D-Link's IEC 62443-4-1 standard certification by TUV Nord validates D-Link's secure product development and quality assurance

TAIPEI, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- D-Link today announced their official implementation of the IEC 62443-4-1 industry security standard, which was certified by internationally recognized certification organization TUV NORD. From design and development to testing and implementation, D-Link develops all products with strict security processes integrated into the product life cycle. In order to further enhance product security, D-Link has adopted the IEC 62443-4-1 standard, Product Security Development Life-Cycle Requirements, which specifies process requirements for the secure development of products used in industrial automation and control systems, including the development environment, supply chain, and delivery process. The life-cycle includes the security requirements definition, design, implementation, verification and validation, management, and product end-of-life.

"The networking industry has seen an exponential increase in the number of cyberattacks over the last decade," explained Mark Chen, President, D-Link. "This certification marks an important milestone in D-Link's ongoing commitment to data privacy and user security."

Jack Yeh, VP of Greater China and General Manager of Taiwan, TUV NORD, personally conducted the certification ceremony alongside attendees, the President and the Compliance Solutions Director of Onward Security. Onward Security is a leading security assessment solutions provider and D-Link's security consulting partner who has supported D-Link since 2015 with product security testing, establishing product safety development systems, as well as the IEC standard implementation.

About D-Link

D-Link is a global leader in connecting people, businesses, and cities with our computer networking solutions and technology. Our innovative products and services meet the needs of digital home consumers, small to medium sized businesses, enterprise environments, and service providers. D-Link implements and supports unified network solutions that integrate capabilities in switching, wireless, broadband, IP surveillance, and cloud-based network management. An award-winning designer, developer, and manufacturer for over 30 years, D-Link has grown from a group of friends in Taiwan into a global brand with over 2,000 employees in 60 countries.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal

COVID-19 vaccines would be administered to the residents of the national capital free of cost, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on January 13.

The cost would be borne by the Delhi government if the Centre decides to levy a charge, he claimed.

Kejriwal, while confirming that the inoculation programme would be free in Delhi, also warned the residents against rumours and fake news related to the vaccine.

"I request everyone to not spread misinformation about COVID-19 vaccine. I had appealed to Central government that COVID-19 vaccination should be provided free of cost to all. If Centre does not do it and a need arises, the vaccine will be provided for free to people of Delhi," ANI quoted Kejriwal as saying.

The Union Health Ministry on January 12 confirmed that each dose of Bharat Biotech's Covaxin would cost Rs 206. The price, excluding taxes, would be levied for the first 55 lakh doses which the company is supplying to the government.

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

Covishield, the Indian variant of Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine, is priced at Rs 200 per dose for the first 1.1 crore doses. The Pune-based drug manufacturer expects to later sell the vaccine at a price of Rs 1,000 per dose in the private market.

The nationwide inoculation programme in India is set to kick off from January 16. A total of three crore front-line workers, including one crore healthcare staff, would be vaccinated in the initial phase.

The government expects to immunise a population of around 30 crore by July. The priority group includes those aged above 50 and persons with comorbidities.

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PFAS investigation in Pellston completes second round of samples

Officials discovered polyfluoroalkyls in Pellston residential water sources in late 2019. The airport is believed to be the source of the substances.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi implored House Democrats and Republicans to search their souls as they prepare to decide whether to impeach Donald Trump for fomenting a deadly insurrection at the Capitol.

He must go, the speaker said of a president she has accused of inciting an armed rebellion against our common country."

He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love, Ms Pelosi said.

The speaker began her speech in favour of Wednesdays House impeachment resolution by invoking the words of President Abraham Lincoln as well as a passage from the Bible. She later quoted a prepared speech that former President John F Kennedy was to deliver in November 1963 before he was assassinated.

Fellow citizens, Ms Pelosi said, quoting Lincolns 1862 State of the Union address, we cannot escape history. We will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No personal significance or insignificance can spare one or another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honour or dishonour, to the latest generation.

Members of Congress hold the power and bear the responsibility to condemn Mr Trump for his actions inciting last weeks riot, the speaker said.

Ms Pelosis speech kicked off two hours of debate on the impeachment resolution on the House floor on Wednesday, which officially accuses Mr Trump of incitement to insurrection.

A small handful of Republicans, including House GOP Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney, have announced they plan to vote for it later on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr Trumps first impeachment in December 2019 for upending US national security policy in Ukraine in an attempt to smear Joe Biden did not garner any bipartisan support.

Ms Pelosi urged more Republicans to join Ms Cheney and her small cohort of GOP dissenters, arguing that the president must be impeached and convicted in the Senate to ensure that the republic will be safe from this man who was so resolutely determined to tear down the things that we hold here and that hold us together.

The speaker also decried the violent pro-Trump rioters and his attempts last Wednesday to cast them in a positive light: Those insurrectionists were not patriots. They were not part of a political base to be catered to and managed. They were domestic terrorists. And justice must prevail.

Mr Trump has since denounced the violence at the Capitol last week, although at the time he told the rioters he loves them.

Five people have died as a direct result of last weeks riot, including a US Capitol Police officer bludgeoned to death by the mob and a woman who was shot by a policeman just outside the House chamber.

That death toll doesnt include at least two other people who have reportedly died by suicide since the mayhem on 6 January: a USCP officer who had been protecting the Senate during the insurrection and a pro-Trump rioter who was subsequently arrested  and then released  in Georgia.

Led by Vice President Mike Pence, Congress was in the middle of certifying Mr Bidens electoral victory when the pro-Trump throngs breached security at the Capitol and ran roughshod through the legislature, forcing lawmakers to halt the proceedings and scramble for their lives.

The impeachment article, and Ms Pelosi on Wednesday, have framed Mr Trumps speech to his supporters shortly before they marched to the Capitol  along with his subsequent actions during the riot  as a ham-handed coup attempt.

The Democratic staff of the House Judiciary Committee has compiled 76 pages of materials and evidence to support the prosecution of their case before the Senate.

That evidentiary report concludes that Mr Trump committed a high Crime and Misdemeanor against the Nation by inciting an insurrection at the Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential Election.
BEIRUT - Dhi Yazan, the eldest son of sultan Haytham of Oman, has been named over the past hours the crown prince of Oman under a new State law that provides for the transfer of power ''from the sultan to his eldest son'', local media reported, quoting the government's office. The unprecedented decision in the history of the Arab country of the Gulf puts in place mechanisms of succession that are already present in neighboring Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Sultan Haytham over the past few days had announced, with a decree, the historic decision with the objective of ensuring a more ''stable'' system of transmission of power. The current sultan succeeded his cousin Qabus, who died in January 2020 after half a century in power. The fact that the elderly sultan, without a son or a brother, did not have a designated successor sparked concern on the stability of the political system of a country at a crossroads of global energy interests, between the Indian Ocean and the Gulf. Oman's current constitution states that the royal family needs to choose a successor within three days of the power void. In case of internal disagreement, the successor should be the one indicated by the sultan before his death. The mechanism now in place assures the succession between father and son. According to article 5 of the new law, ''the sultan's power is transferred to his eldest sons, then to the latter's oldest son and so forth''. The eldest son of the sultan, Dhi Yazan, is currently a minister of culture, sport and youth. According to article 5, ''if the sultan's eldest son dies before succeeding him in power, this goes to his oldest son, even if the deceased had brothers''. If the deceased sultan doesn't have sons, power is transferred to his oldest brother. According to another article of the law, ''in case of a temporary impediment concerning the sultan, the crown prince undertakes his tasks''.
One of the most important things to make sure of while dealing with cryptocurrency is securing your wallet.

A computer programmer in the US now finds himself locked out of a digital wallet containing an estimated $220 million (Rs 1,175 Cr) worth of Bitcoin.

The fact that he's locked out of his wallet is the most painful part.

It's also worth pointing out that he's left with only two chances left to figure out his password before its contents are encrypted.

If he fails to get it right then he'll never be able to reach his wallet and all those Bitcoins are gone.

 Unsplash

German-born Stefan Thomas, who now lives in San Francisco, told New York Times that he was gifted 7,002 Bitcoins by an early cryptocurrency fanatic.



This was back in 2011 apparently when Bitcoins weren't as huge as they are right now. Can we have more people like that Crypto fanatic in our lives, please?

Unfortunately, Thomas lost the password to his digital wallet the same year and he's been locked out of it ever since. Of course, it's more painful now because of how much the Bitcoins have increased in value.

"I would just lay in bed and think about it," Thomas told NYT. "Then I would go to the computer with some new strategy, and it wouldn't work, and I would be desperate again."

 Unsplash

Lucky for him, it wasn't the only wallet he kept his Bitcoins in. He says he kept hold of Bitcoin in other wallets too that has made him rich.



But the fact that he lost his password and is now locked out of a huge chunk of Cryptocurrency is just sad.

Source: The Guardian
 Flash

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced on Tuesday a new requirement for a negative COVID-19 test to all air passengers entering the United States.



The new order, signed by CDC Director Robert Redfield Tuesday, will become effective on Jan. 26.

"Testing before and after travel is a critical layer to slow the introduction and spread of COVID-19. This strategy is consistent with the current phase of the pandemic and more efficiently protects the health of Americans," said a statement of the CDC.

Air passengers are required to get a viral test within the three days before their flight to the United States, and provide written documentation of their laboratory test result to the airline or provide documentation of having recovered from COVID-19.

Airlines must confirm the negative test result for all passengers or documentation of recovery before they board, the new order requires.

Before departure to the United States, a required test, combined with the CDC recommendations to get tested again 3-5 days after arrival and stay home for 7 days post-travel, will help slow the spread of COVID-19 within U.S. communities from travel-related infections, said the CDC.

Pre-departure testing with results known and acted upon before travel begins will help identify infected travelers before they board airplanes, said the agency.

The new order comes as variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus continue to emerge in countries around the world, and there is evidence of increased transmissibility of some of these variants.

"With the U.S. already in surge status, the testing requirement for air passengers will help slow the spread of the virus as we work to vaccinate the American public," said the CDC.

Last month, the CDC announced that all air travelers arriving in the United States from the United Kingdom would be required to test negative for COVID-19 before departure.

"Testing does not eliminate all risk," said Redfield, "but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations."

The United States has recorded more than 22.7 million COVID-19 cases with over 379,500 related deaths as of Tuesday evening, according to the real-time count kept by Johns Hopkins University.
In September 2018, the apex court had declared Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code, which makes adultery a punishable offence for men, as unconstitutional and struck it down

New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court that its 2018 verdict decriminalising colonial-era offence of adultery under the Indian Penal Code be not made applicable to armed forces.

A bench comprising Justices RF Nariman, Navin Sinha and KM Joseph, after issuing the notice to the PIL petitioner one Joseph Shine and others on the Centre's plea, referred the matter to Chief Justice SA Bobde for setting up of a five-judge Constitution Bench which can clarify the position.

Issue notice. Since the clarification is on a Constitution Bench decision, it is appropriate that the Chief Justice issues orders to post this matter before a bench of five Judges. The Registry is directed to place the matter before the Chief Justice for appropriate orders, the bench said in its order.

During the hearing, Attorney General KK Venugopal said that under the relevant rules of armed forces, adultery is a ground for court-martial for unbecoming conduct and therefore armed forces should be exempted from the purview of 2018 judgement of the Constitution Bench.

He said that a clarification is needed in this regard from the top court on the applicability of the verdict in armed forces.

In a path-breaking verdict, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by the then CJI Dipak Misra unanimously struck down Section 497 (adultery) of the Indian Penal Code and declared that adultery is not a crime and the penal provision was unconstitutional as it dented the individuality of women and treated them as "chattel of husbands".

The apex court, in a September 2018 judgment, however, had said that adultery would continue to be a ground for seeking a divorce in matrimonial disputes.

The Centre, in its interim plea filed in a disposed of PIL of Joseph Shine, has sought clarification and a direction that the judgement is not made applicable on special statutes and rules governing the armed forces which take actions on its personnel for indulging in adulterous relationships to ensure discipline in forces.

It has been said when jawans and officers are posted in forward inhospitable areas, their families are taken care of at base camp by other officers and the laws and rules, providing actions for indulging in adulterous or promiscuous activity, help in maintaining discipline.

An armed forces personnel can be cashiered from service on grounds of unbecoming conduct for committing adultery with a colleague's wife, it said.

Section 497 of the IPC says: "Whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery."

Adultery was punishable by a maximum of five years in jail or fine or both.

Striking down the law, the apex court had said that section 497 of the IPC was manifestly arbitrary, archaic law which is violative of the rights to equality and equal opportunity to women.
NEW DELHI : Indias drive against COVID-19 gathered momentum on Wednesday with planes carrying vaccines flying into airports across the country from where the precious cargo was dispatched to small cities and towns in readiness for the inoculation exercise beginning January 16.

From Assam to Goa and from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, the vaccines were carefully and swiftly transported to far corners of the country, a day after the first consignment of the Covishield vaccine from the Oxford/AstraZeneca stable rolled out of the Serum Institute of India manufacturing facility in Pune.

While SII moved about 56 lakh doses of Covishield to 13 cities, Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech said it had successfully transported the indigenous Covaxin, developed in collaboration with the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology, to 11 cities. It said it has donated 16.5 lakh doses to the Centre.

"After having received the government purchase order for 55 lakh doses, the company shipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses)," Bharat Biotech said in a statement on Wednesday.

It added that the vaccine was sent to Ganavaram, Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bengaluru, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai and Lucknow.

As the vials began reaching their destinations, in readiness for the pan-India vaccination drive that will be launched on Saturday, states firmed up their plans and fine-tuned logistical details.

In Delhi, where the drive will begin in 89 centres, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said his AAP government will provide the vaccine free if the Centre fails to do so.

He said he has already appealed to the Centre as there are many people in the country who cant afford the life-saving jab.

In accordance with the national priority list, the vaccine will be first given to healthcare and frontline workers

The first consignment of about 94,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine reached the Madhya Pradesh capital on scheduled flight from Mumbai, a state government official said.

From the airport, insulated vans of the health department transported the boxes -- that signal India entering a decisive phase in its fight against the pandemic -- to the State Vaccine Centre where Medical Education Minister Visvas Sarang inspected the arrangements. The doses will be dispatched to eight districts from Bhopal. Officials said about five lakh health and frontline workers will be administered the shots in the first phase of the inoculation drive

Kerala, too, received its first Covishield vaccine consignment on Wednesday morning on a Go Air flight that landed at Kochi. Another flight was expected to land in Thiruvananthapuram later in the day. Sources in the National Health Mission sources said of the 4.33 lakh doses of the vaccine, 1,100 will be sent to Mahe, an enclave of Puducherry.

The vaccine will be stored in the regional vaccine centres at Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode from where it will be distributed to 133 centres.

So far, 3,62,870 people have registered themselves for a shot.

Giving details of the vaccination plans for Maharashtra, Health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state had already received 9.83 lakh doses of the total requirement of 17.5 lakh for the first phase. Of these, 9.63 vials were from SII and 20,000 from Bharat Biotech, the state minister told reporters.

"We have to give the doses twice to a person in a gap of four weeks, hence 55 per cent of the around eight lakh registered health workers will undergo vaccination as of now," he said.

The Centre, he said, has asked the state to reduce the number of inoculation centres from 511 to 350, saying the government should focus on other emergencies as well.

State capital Mumbai, which will have 72 centres, received over 1.39 lakh Covishield vaccine doses, said civic body Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

Health department staffers of the BMC brought the vaccines from neighbouring Pune under the security with the security of two police vehicles, it said. The civic body has created a centralised cold storage facility for vaccines in Kanjurmarg.

The towns of Aurangabad and Thane in the state got their share of the first doses too.

From Mumbai, 23,500 doses of Covishield vaccine were sent to Goa Goa Health Services Director Jose D'Sa told PTI that two boxes comprising 23,500 doses of the Covishield vaccine were received in the morning.

"The first lot of COVID-19 vaccine for Goa has reached today early morning at 0622 hrs. The two boxes received were expeditiously cleared by TEAM GOA and handed over to Health Services officials," Goa Airport said in a tweet.

Around 18,000 health workers in the coastal state will be covered during the initial phase, another health official said.

The northeast state of Assam received its second consignment of COVID-19 vaccines on a cargo flight of a private airline carrying 12,000 doses of Covaxin.

The freighter ferried three boxes, weighing around 78.5 kg, of the COVID vaccine from Hyderabad to Guwahati.

"The consignment was shipped by Bharat Biotech and handed over to state government officials within six minutes of its arrival," said an Airports Authority of India spokesperson.

The first batch of 2.40 lakh vials of COVID-19 vaccine for Assam and Meghalaya had landed on Tuesday.

Guwahatis LGBI Airport has been marked as the nodal point of distribution of vaccines for the northeast.

While a consignment for Manipur is also expected to arrive at the airport during the day, Tripura welcomed its first lot of 56,500 Covishield doses in a cargo flight of a private carrier, an official said.

"The vaccine containers were transported to a National Health Mission (NHM) storage facility at Gorkhabasti area," State Immunization Officer Kallol Roy told reporters in Agartala.

SpiceJet said it had transported 3.5 tonnes of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities.

"On January 13, 2021, SpiceJet shipped 111 boxes of Covid-19 vaccine, weighing 3.5 tonnes from Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad to 11 cities including Bagdogra, Dehradun, Srinagar, Jammu, Kanpur, Gorakhpur, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Rajkot, Delhi and Bengaluru," the airline said in a statement.

GoAir said it will airlift a total of 69,600 vials of the vaccine. The budget carrier also moved 2,400 vials (24,000 doses) of Covishield to Goa from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).

The no-frills airline has scheduled flights carrying vaccines to Lucknow, Cochin and Chandigarh as well, besides Goa, during the day, a GoAir spokesperson told PTI.

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A new study by researchers at the University of Chicago and the City College of New York (CCNY) has identified a unique, genetic "mimicry switch" that determines whether or not male and female Elymnias hypermnestra palmflies mimic the same or different species of butterflies. The results indicate that sexual dimorphism has repeatedly emerged in different palmfly populations, and linked the trait to a gene associated with melanin localization and regulation.

Published on Jan. 13 in the journal Royal Proceedings of the Academy B, these results can help scientists start to better understand the genetics underlying phenotypic differences between males and females in the animal kingdom, investigators say.

"Many animal species show sexual dimorphism, while others aren't very sexually dimorphic," said co-senior author Marcus Kronforst, PhD, a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at UChicago. "In Elymnias hypermnestra, we have a weird situation within one species where nearby populations show different patterns. This is a special opportunity to get at the underlying genetics of sexual dimorphism."

Elymnias hypermnestra, native to southeast Asia, represent an ideal model for this study due to their unusual mimicry patterns. In some populations, male and female butterflies are sexually monomorphic, meaning they resemble one another; in this case, both males and females mimic species in another genus of butterfly, Euploea, with dark-colored wings with light spots. In other populations, males and females are sexually dimorphic, and mimic two different species of butterfly -- while males still mimic Euploea species, females instead mimic species of Danaus, with orange-patterned wings.

In the study, the researchers collected and sequenced the genomes of 48 individual butterflies from locations across southeast Asia, from Thailand to the Spice Islands in Indonesia; some were from sexually dimorphic populations, while others were from sexually monomorphic populations.

To their surprise, genetic analysis revealed that rather than splitting neatly into two groups, sexual dimorphism arose repeatedly in different populations. "This is a really neat case of never-before-seen repeated traits; this sexual dimorphism has appeared repeatedly in these butterflies," said first author Dee Ruttenberg, now a graduate student at Princeton University. "What's more, when we look at these individual groups of sexually dimorphic butterflies, we found that one gene popped up repeatedly, and predicted if a butterfly would be monomorphic or dimorphic almost perfectly -- that's WntA."

Important in a wide range of similar butterfly species and associated with melanin localization and regulation, the research team called WntA a "smoking gun" -- the gene is well known for being involved in pigmentation in butterflies, and now appears to be regulating the transition between sexual dimorphism and monomorphism. The benefit is that individual populations of the butterfly can rapidly and easily "flip the switch" based on local pressures.

"We identified two key base pairs in a region of DNA that seems to be associated with regulating the activity of WntA," said co-senior author David Lohman, PhD, an associate professor of biology at CCNY. "It seems like there are a fairly small number of genetic changes that contribute to this difference in female form, and it's likely that this represents an example of gene reuse. The genetic machinery to make an orange wing or black wing didn't evolve de novo but rather those sets of genes are turned on and off depending on the population. It really is like a mimicry switch."

Because this butterfly is relatively understudied, the research is the first to clarify the distribution of this trait and the underlying genetics, but what is less clear is why. "We can go into the field and document these population patterns and then go in and find the genetic mechanism, but what we don't know is, why is it that some populations have orange females and others don't?" said Lohman. "Is it because the orange species that the females might mimic are rare or absent? Or that they're not particularly toxic, so mimicking an orange species wouldn't be very beneficial to the females?"

The other major remaining question is how the WntA gene is regulated in a sexually dimorphic way. "How is it that this gene that, up to this point, we have had no reason to think might be associated with sexual dimorphism, is now being regulated in that way?" said Ruttenberg. "Is there a pathway by which sexually dimorphic expression could be created in any gene?"

In future research, the investigators hope to dig more into how exactly WntA regulates the monomorphic and dimorphic color patterns.

###

The study, "The evolution and genetics of sexually dimorphic 'dual' mimicry in the butterfly Elymmnias hypermnestra", was supported by the Committee for Exploration and Research of the National Geographic Society Fieldwork (9285-13 and WW-227R-17), NSF grants DEB-1120380 and DEB-1541557, MOST grant 108-2621-B-110-004-MY3, and NIH grant GM131828. Additional authors include Nicholas W. VanKuren and Sumitha Nallu of UChicago, Shen-Horn Yen of National Sun Yat-Sen University, and Djunijanti Peggie of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI).

About the University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences

The University of Chicago Medicine, with a history dating back to 1927, is one of the nation's leading academic health systems. It unites the missions of the University of Chicago Medical Center, Pritzker School of Medicine and the Biological Sciences Division. Twelve Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the University of Chicago Medicine. Its main Hyde Park campus is home to the Center for Care and Discovery, Bernard Mitchell Hospital, Comer Children's Hospital and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine. It also has ambulatory facilities in Orland Park, South Loop and River East as well as affiliations and partnerships that create a regional network of care. UChicago Medicine offers a full range of specialty-care services for adults and children through more than 40 institutes and centers including an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Together with Harvey-based Ingalls Memorial, UChicago Medicine has 1,296 licensed beds, nearly 1,300 attending physicians, over 2,800 nurses and about 970 residents and fellows.

Visit UChicago Medicine's health and science news blog at http://www. uchicagomedicine. org/ forefront .

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Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton is the only state attorney general to decline to join letters over the past week condemning the Capitol riot.

In a Jan. 12 letter, 50 state and territorial attorneys general who belong to the National Association of Attorneys General denounced the lawless violence. The three remaining state attorneys general not included in that letter wrote their own Wednesday, leaving Paxton as the only holdout.

Paxton is a staunch Trump supporter who co-chaired the re-election group Lawyers for Trump. He spoke at the Save America rally at the Capitol in the hours prior to the riot last week, telling the crowds we will not quit fighting to overturn the election results.

The events of January 6 represent a direct, physical challenge to the rule of law and our democratic republic itself, the Jan. 12 letter read. Together, we will continue to do our part to repair the damage done to institutions and build a more perfect union. As Americans, and those charged with enforcing the law, we must come together to condemn lawless violence, making clear that such actions will not be allowed to go unchecked.

TEXAS TAKE: Get political headlines from across the state sent directly to your inbox

In a statement Wednesday, Paxton said hes made his position on the matter clear in previous comments to the media and on social media.

Paxton did join a statement from Republican Attorneys General Association last week that condemned the the violence, destruction, and rampant lawlessness at the Capitol.

I call on protesters in our state and our nations Capital to practice their constitutional right in a peaceful manner. I stand for election integrity and the democratic process, Paxton said. I will not tolerate violence and civil disorder.

In a separate letter Wednesday, the Republican attorneys general of Indiana, Montana and Louisiana wrote: In all forms and all instances, violent acts carried out in the name of political ideology have no place in any of our United States.

Their letter seemed to imply a falsehood  that Antifa was behind the riot  despite no evidence to support that.

When Antifa or like-minded rioters stoked violence on our college campuses, we did not have the strength to unify, the letter read. Now they stoke violence in our streets as we wonder where all this chaos started. And truly, regardless of where or when it started, its time for it to end.

Paxton was one of the first to perpetuate the idea that Antifa was to blame.

Those who stormed the capitol yesterday were not Trump supporters. They have been confirmed to be Antifa, Paxton wrote Jan. 7 on Facebook, which flagged the post as false information per independent fact-checks. Violence is not the answer.

He also shared an uncorroborated rumor that at least 1 bus load of antifa thugs infiltrated peaceful Trump demonstrators. The rumor originated from a conservative writer who cited an anonymous former FBI agent and no other evidence.

Some Democrats in Texas blame Paxton for inciting the riot and have called for his resignation.

Texas Democratic Party chair Abhi Rahman in a statement repeated a theory that many others have suggested, including Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska: that Paxton is hoping his loyalty to Trump will pay off in the form of a presidential pardon.

MORE ON THAT: Democrats seek to punish Texas AG Ken Paxton for inciting Capitol mob

Paxtons campaign spokesman Ian Prior, in comments to the Texas Tribune last week, called that an absurdly laughable conspiracy theory.

Paxton is under criminal indictment on felony securities fraud charges but has yet to go to trial. The FBI is also investigating accusations by seven of his former top aides that he abused his office and took a bribe to help a campaign donor.

After inciting the violence we saw last week and wasting Texas taxpayer dollars on baseless lawsuits that never see any results, Paxton is an embarrassment to this state and a traitor to this country. The best Paxton can hope for is that pardon, Rahman said.

taylor.goldenstein@chron.com


Site Reliability Engineer San Diego , California , United States Software and Services Summary

Posted: Jan 12, 2021 Weekly Hours: 40 Role Number: 200206925 Software Delivery Services & Infrastructure is focused on ensuring engineers at Apple can do amazing things and we are looking for a talented application Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) to join us in this mission. You'll play a critical role in the day-to-day operations of services relied upon across Apple. You'll partner with engineering teams to ensure they're successful. You'll look for opportunities to innovate all while driving for rock-solid operations. Responsibilities will include - Adopt and apply SRE best practices to services you support - Keep users, key stakeholders, and leadership informed through regular reporting and communications - Identify areas of automation for manual tasks/toil - Develop playbooks related to actionable alerts - Foster strong relationships with cross-functional teams - Participating in on-call rotations Key Qualifications A positive and respectful attitude

A passion for providing reliable services at scale, on bare metal as well as in cloud environments

A deep understanding of CI/CD technologies such as Jenkins

Strong working knowledge of Git and code-review systems such as Gerrit, Bitbucket, and Github

Good understanding of administration of Linux services

Experience using Prometheus, Grafana, and Splunk

Superb collaboration skills with excellent written and verbal communication Description As part of Software Delivery Services & Infrastructure SRE, you will be responsible for delivering reliable services and driving projects to a successful outcome. This role will focus on operating and supporting a distributed development workflow used by teams in Software Engineering. You will monitor SLOs, respond to incidents, troubleshoot issues, and ensure the service is up-to-date and secure. You will collaborate with engineering teams to implement best practices and shape technical decisions. To ensure your success, this job will provide you with: - Passionate and talented coworkers around the global that are ready to collaborate, mentor, and learn from you - Ownership to drive meaningful improvements to the operational reliability of the services you manage - Opportunities to contribute to the best practices used by SRE teams within Software Delivery Education & Experience Additional Requirements - Prior experience as an SRE, software engineer, or system administrator

- Proven ability to self-manage large projects and meet deadlines






Capitol's police chief claims that he called for help six times during the attack on Capitol Hill and yet his calls for help had been unanswered.

One America News Network reported that outgoing Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund claimed to have called for the National Guard even before the attack on Capitol Hill happened. He kept on calling while the attack was happening only to have all six of his calls unanswered.

In a Sunday interview following the attack on Wednesday, Sund said that he requested for the National Guard to be on standby, but that his request had been denied by his own security officials. Sund went on to say that Paul Irving, House Sergeant at Arms, did not support his opinion for back up or even declare an emergency.

In the 15 minutes that protesters broke through the perimeter of Capitol Hill, the Capitol police chief's call for reinforcements were all denied leaving the place in total chaos. It was not until two hours later that troops from the National Guard arrived after receiving an authorization from Pentagon.

However, four out of the five reported deaths have already occurred when the troops arrived.

Terrance Gainer, Capitol Hill Police's former chief, came in defense of Sund, saying that aside from questions that needed to be asked, people who did not do their jobs of depending the place must be persecuted.

"There'll be plenty of time to examine and persecute the people who mis-defended that place. I used to do that, I know these people. We are responsible. Something got screwed up and someone will be held accountable."

In another report by OANN, House Majority Whip James Clyburn believes that protesters might have inside intel in Capitol Hill given that protesters easily got inside the building.

According to Clyburn, side doors at the Capitol were opened making it easy for protesters to enter in. The incident further indicates that someone from the inside has knowledge of the protest that is about to happen.

The South Carolina representative noted that demonstrators were able to enter the office where he works most of the time, but not the office marked with his name.

"That office is where I do most of my work and for some reason, these people showed up at that office," Clyburn stated. "But the office where my name is above the door... and my position above the door was not disturbed."

After the incident at Capitol Hill, Police Chief Steven Sund turned in his resignation a day later following demands from Democrats to resign his position.

During the attack on Capitol Hill, five people died including three civilians and one police officer who were part of the response team following the riots.

Lawmakers who were undergoing the process of certifying and confirming the victory of Joe Biden were put to a stop as the riot got worse. The Congress reconvened early the next day on Thursday to continue his confirmation.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-12 21:05:06|Editor: huaxia

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People wearing face masks shop at a street market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jan. 12, 2021. Malaysia reported 3,309 new COVID-19 infections in the highest daily spike since the outbreak, bringing the national total to 141,533, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)

HONG KONG, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Malaysia has decided to declare a state of emergency after reporting the highest daily spike of 3,309 new cases on Tuesday, while Japan is set to expand virus emergency to the western prefectures.

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah has consented to declare a state of emergency in the country to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

The country's newly reported cases have brought the national total to 141,533, the Health Ministry said. Six of the new cases are imported and 3,303 are local transmissions.

Chinese pharmaceutical company Sinovac is partnering with Malaysian pharmaceutical company Pharmaniaga for the supply of 14 million doses of its inactivated COVID-19 vaccines to Malaysia after the two companies signed an agreement.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is set to expand a state of emergency declared over the COVID-19 pandemic for the Greater Tokyo area to include Osaka, Kyoto and Hyogo prefectures as the virus is also continuing to surge in western Japan, sources close to the matter said.

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health confirmed 106 daily COVID-19 cases, bringing the national tally to 53,690, including 8,216 active cases. Seven patients died during the past 24 hours, taking the death toll to 2,308 since February, the ministry said in a statement.

The COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 10,047 within one day to 846,765, with the death toll adding by 302 to 24,645, the Health Ministry said. According to the ministry, 7,068 more people were discharged from hospitals, bringing the total number of recovered patients to 695,807.

A total of 15 million doses of raw materials of COVID-19 vaccine from the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech arrived at Indonesia's Soekarno-Hatta Airport, the National Disaster Management Agency said.

The Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines reported 1,524 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the country to 491,258. The death toll climbed to 9,554 after 139 more patients died from the viral disease, the DOH said.

Thailand confirmed 287 new COVID-19 cases, according to the Center for the COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA). Of the new cases, 278 were local infections and nine others were those recently returning from abroad and testing positive in Thailand, CCSA spokesman Taweesin Visanuyothin said.

Bangladesh reported 718 new COVID-19 cases and 16 new deaths, making the tally at 524,020 and the death toll at 7,819, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said.

Vaccinations against COVID-19 will begin in Bangladesh in the first week of February, professor ABM Khurshid Alam, director general for Health Services in Bangladesh under the Ministry of Health, made the announcement at a press briefing Monday.

He said they are expecting to get the first installment of the Oxford-AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine from Serum Institute of India (SII) by Jan. 25.

South Korea reported 537 more cases of COVID-19 as of midnight compared to 24 hours ago, raising the total number of infections to 69,651. The daily caseload stayed below 1,000 for eight straight days, but it hovered above 100 for 65 days since Nov. 8 owing to small cluster infections in Seoul and its surrounding Gyeonggi province as well as imported cases.

India's COVID-19 tally rose to 10,479,179 as 12,584 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 151,327 with 167 more deaths. This is the second consecutive day when the number of deaths is below 200.

The New Zealand government is putting in place a suite of additional actions to protect New Zealand from COVID-19, including new emerging variants, COVID-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said.
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The federal government on Tuesday changed its recommendations on vaccines and asked states to start vaccinating people age 65 and over as well as younger people who have underlying conditions that put them at higher risk for a negative outcome should they get the virus.

The government also said it would speed up vaccine delivery by sending more doses and not holding back doses in reserve for second shots.

We now believe that our manufacturing is predictable enough that we can ensure second doses are available for people from ongoing production, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told ABCs Good Morning America. So everything is now available to our states and our health care providers.

But its not yet clear what this will mean for the millions who are waiting for vaccines in New Jersey.

It is under consideration and more information will be forthcoming, said Health Department spokeswoman Donna Leusner. A full list of categories eligible under 1b will be forthcoming.

So far, the state has only given vaccines to those in the 1a category  health care workers, nursing home residents and staff  and to police and fire personnel, who are part of Phase 1b.

The states current plans say some or all groups in 1b would be next. That includes adults who are over age 75, other first responders, food service workers, educators, support staff and daycare workers, public transit workers and workers who support radio, print, internet and television news and media services, according to the states updated 188-page vaccination plan released in December. Other critical and essential workers are also included in 1b, the plan said.

The states Phase 1c would come next, including people between the ages of 16 and 64 with high-risk conditions and other adults aged 65 to 75. It was unclear if those people would be moved to the 1b category or if this category would open up at the same time.

The state said last week there are ongoing discussions to see who would get the vaccinations next.

Thats something that still needs to be discussed, said Dr. Eddy Bresnitz, medical advisor to the New Jersey COVID-19 response team and chairman of the states COVID Professional Advisory Committee (PAC), last week.

On Monday, New York state opened up eligibility ahead of the federal guidelines for those 65 and older and for others with underlying health conditions.

Please subscribe now and support the local journalism YOU rely on and trust.

Karin Price Mueller may be reached at KPriceMueller@NJAdvanceMedia.com.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-14 00:27:04|Editor: huaxia

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ADDIS ABABA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- The Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) on Wednesday afternoon announced the death of former Ethiopian foreign minister, Seyoum Mesfin during a battle in the country's northern Tigray regional state.

Brigadier General Tesfaye Ayalew, Head of the ENDF Deployment Department, said Seyoum Mesfin was killed alongside Asmelash Woldeselassie, former Ethiopia parliament Chief Whip and Abay Tsehaye, former Ethiopia Minister of Federal Affairs during a battle earlier on Wednesday.

Ayalew said five other civilian officials and army officers were captured in the military operation, reported state media outlet Ethiopia News Agency.

Ethiopia's federal government has been undertaking military operations in the country's northernmost Tigray regional state since November 4 against the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule over the region, following the TPLF's apparent attack on the Northern Command of the ENDF.

The Ethiopian government has been blaming the TPLF, which was one of the four coalition fronts of Ethiopia's former ruling party the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), for masterminding various treasonous acts across different parts of the country with an overarching goal of destabilizing the East African country.

Three of the former four EPRDF coalition members had last year joined other regional parties in establishing the Prosperity Party, while the TPLF refused to join.

The mounting differences between the federal government and TPLF exacerbated in September last year when the Tigray regional government decided to go with its planned regional elections, which the Ethiopian parliament had previously postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Enditem


YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The YouTube video sharing platform has removed US President Donald Trumps latest video and suspended him from uploading content for seven days, TASS reports citing the Axios news website.

After careful review, and in light of concerns about the ongoing potential for violence, we removed new content uploaded to the Donald J. Trump channel and issued a strike for violating our policies for inciting violence, YouTubes statement reads. As a result, in accordance with our long-standing strikes system, the channel is now prevented from uploading new videos or livestreams for a minimum of seven days - which may be extended, YouTube added.

Twitter earlier permanently suspended Trumps account due to the risk of further incitement of violence. In addition, Trump was banned from posting on his Facebook and Instagram accounts at least until the end of his presidential term.

On January 6, Trump supporters stormed the Capitol Building in Washington DC to stop lawmakers from officially certifying the results of the November presidential election in a last-ditch attempt to prevent Democrat Joe Biden from becoming the new president.

Bidens inauguration is scheduled for January 20.






The panic buttons in Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressleys office at U.S. Capitol had been torn out prior to last Wednesday.

Every panic button in my office had been torn out  the whole unit, Sarah Groh, Pressleys chief of staff, told The Boston Globe.

Groh told the newspaper that the buttons were there previously and that they had been used in the past. She said she has also not switched offices since last using them.

The Capitol was put on lockdown Wednesday. The Globe reported that Pressley had originally planned to come in later that afternoon but changed plans after the House sergeant-at-arms advised legislators to arrive earlier to avoid growing crowds.

In videos and photos, people can be seen smashing doors and storming the building. Some at the Capitol beat police with pipes, had makeshift gallows, complete with sturdy wooden steps and the noose, and guns and pipe bombs were stashed nearby, The Associated Press reported.

It also left five dead, including a police officer.

I saw this crowd of people banging on that glass screaming, Democrat Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts told the AP. Looking at their faces, it occurred to me, these arent protesters. These are people who want to do harm.

Soon after, Pressley began arguing Trump should immediately be impeached by the House and removed from office by the Senate as soon as Congress reconvenes.

This is dangerous & unacceptable, she tweeted.

Our democracy is literally under assault, Pressley wrote in another tweet.

Related Content:
Thousands of firms are hoping for a swift return to health after a gruelling 2020.

And experts say the Brexit deal, vaccine roll-out and a new president in the White House will hopefully spark life back into the UK and global economies. But not all businesses will recover quickly.

So how can investors spot the difference between a cheap stock set to soar, or one that is unlikely to gain value any time soon?

Experts say companies affected negatively by the spread of the virus fall into two camps  boomerangs and zombies. Boomerangs are well positioned to bounce back quickly. Yet zombie companies, which are by no means doomed, are not expected to make such a speedy recovery.

Thousands of firms are hoping for a swift return to health after a gruelling 2020. But not all businesses will recover quickly

READY TO REBOUND

Hospitality, travel and leisure were among the hardest hit industries during the pandemic. But John Moore, senior investment manager at wealth management firm Brewin Dolphin, says several firms in the sector should make a solid recovery.

SSP Group and Diageo are on his boomerang list. SSP is a food and beverage company that owns chains in train stations and airports, nationally and abroad. Its brands include Upper Crust, Millie's Cookies, Caffe Ritazza and Camden Food Co.

Although its share price is more than 50 per cent lower than its February peak, it has risen by 75 per cent since November to 326.6 pence. And if, and when, passenger numbers increase, its recovery should continue.

Catering company Compass Group is in a similar position. The purchase of digital food platform Feedr in March has given the firm space to grow in a new direction but its core business is dependent on a return to sports, events and offices.

Diageo, which has brands such as Guinness, Baileys and Gordon's gin, has benefited from our thirst for a stay-at home tipple, but has lost out on duty-free sales and the sale of premium spirits to restaurants and bars.

Experts have also flagged IHG, owners of Intercontinental Hotels and Holiday Inn, as a boomerang stock. The firm had started expanding into Asia and the U.S. before the pandemic, and bookings are already strong as Chinese and American families are forced to holiday on home soil.

But investors should be careful not to assume all leisure business will bounce back quickly.

Diageo, which has brands such as Guinness, Baileys and Gordon's gin, has benefited from our thirst for a stay-at home tipple, but has lost out on duty-free sales and the sale of premium spirits to restaurants and bars

ZOMBIE FIRMS

Unlike boomerangs, 'zombie' companies are less likely to bounce back at the moment their industry is up and running again. These firms might have complicated business models, carry a lot of debt, or have a history of mistakes.

Mr Moore says Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds Banking Group, BT, and Royal Dutch Shell could all be zombie stocks. He says after a series of setbacks since the last financial crisis, the big banks still need to better reduce costs and strengthen online security before they'd be a safe bet.

Meanwhile, BT made a series of U-turns recently over mergers and expansion, and oil firm Shell is being challenged by the world's move to renewable energy sources. Mr Moore says: 'I'm not saying these firms cannot turn things around, but investors need to see evidence improvements have been made before they are persuaded to invest.'

Ryan Hughes, from investment broker AJ Bell, says retail and property were both zombie sectors. Firms such as Debenhams and Arcadia did not survive the pandemic. Property company Intu, owners of shopping centres, was also a casualty.

BACK A BOOMERANG

Mr Hughes recommends Fundsmith Equity, managed by Terry Smith, for investors who want exposure to Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG). The fund invests in stocks that have strong brands. A 10,000 investment made five years ago would now be worth 23,905.

Brewin Dolphin suggests Ninety One UK Alpha, managed by Simon Brazier, for investors who want to back a host of boomerang companies such as Diageo, easyJet, Ryanair, IHG and Booking.com.

The fund, which has turned 10,000 into 12,310 over the past five years, does hold BT and Shell stocks, because while they are not expected to recover quickly like a boomerang, the long-term prospects are still good.

Teodor Dilov, fund analyst at Interactive Investor, likes R&M UK Recovery. It specialises in recovery stocks which it says are good businesses currently experiencing below-normal profits that have driven down the share price. A 10,000 investment made five years ago would now be worth 15,000.
UTICA, N.Y.  New York State expanded vaccine eligibility to those 65 and older Tuesday, adding millions to the population of people looking to schedule an appointment.

Oneida County and Mohawk Valley Health System both say due to the rise in demand, they are fully booked through at least Jan. 15. But, MVHS says all of their doses were used by Jan. 12.

NEWSChannel 2 viewers have also reached out saying they were notified that appointments Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday would be canceled.

Read the full MVHS statement below:

MVHS, along with other area hospitals, has used its current allotment of vaccines. We know that our community members are eagerly awaiting appointments for the COVID-19 vaccination. In the Mohawk Valley region, which includes Oneida, Otsego, Herkimer, Montgomery, Fulton, and Schoharie Counties, we are waiting for the delivery of more vaccines to administer to our communities.

It is difficult to schedule appointments without knowing when vaccines will arrive. Were asking our community members to be patient with the new and evolving vaccination process. If you have questions or would like further information, please call the State vaccination hotline at 1-833-697-4829. We remain committed to keeping our community informed through regular updates.

Oneida County set up a vaccination site at Mohawk Valley Community College in Utica, while MVHS has two locations, one at St. Elizabeths and one at St. Lukes.

It is unclear when MVHS will receive more doses and resume vaccination appointments.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is asking people to be patient.

With todays announcement that eligibility has been expanded to those 65 and older, the demand for the vaccine is higher than ever and we have a limited supply available from New York State, said Picente. We will continue to deliver every dose in our possession to our residents as quickly and efficiently as possible as we await further shipments. I urge patience as we move through this process together.

The links to schedule an appointment online can be found here, but you may not be able to reserve a spot until next week unless there is a cancellation.
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Copyright  2021 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  Fences were erected Wednesday on the east side of the Roundhouse in Santa Fe, one of the more visible measures local officials are taking to protect against possibly violent protests in Santa Fe over the next several days.

A recent FBI memo warns of possible armed protests at all 50 state capitols after the armed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week.

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New Mexico Legislative Council Services Director Raul Burciaga said Wednesday that more fencing would be added around the Roundhouse in coming days, but he declined to say where exactly.

He also said security will be increased at the Roundhouse during the 60-day legislative session, which begins Tuesday, the eve of President-elect Joe Bidens inauguration.

But the full extent of security operations remains unknown. Burciaga said that given the threats of armed protests, it was best to keep some information under wraps, although he said more details would be released on Friday.

The FBI alert came days after a violent mob of President Donald Trumps supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol to keep Congress from certifying the November election, which Trump claims, without proof, was stolen from him. The FBI warning said that the protests may start as early as this week and could extend through Bidens inauguration on Wednesday.

Investigators believe some protesters could be members of extremist groups, The Associated Press reported.

Members of the Proud Boys, the only group in New Mexico labeled a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, attended a pro-Trump demonstration at the Roundhouse the day of the insurrection in Washington. A man wearing a New Mexico Civil Guard T-shirt and several people donning QAnon apparel were also present.

New Mexico-based Cowboys for Trump were also on hand. Cowboys for Trump leader Couy Griffin attended the demonstration in Washington. He later posted a video of himself on Facebook, saying, Theres going to be blood running out of that building, in reference to the possibility of holding a 2nd Amendment rally at the U.S. Capitol. The video has since been removed.

In a video released Wednesday, President Trump addressed reports of planned violent protests around the country and called for calm. He urged no violence, no lawbreaking and no vandalism of any kind.

Frank Fisher, a spokesman for the FBI field office in Albuquerque, said the agency was working to identify any potential threats of violence resulting from demonstrations in New Mexico.

Our focus is not on peaceful protesters, but on those threatening their safety and the safety of other citizens with violence and destruction of property, Fisher said in a statement to the Journal.

While authorities said they were preparing for possible threats, none specified what threats have been identified.

National authorities are hoping to prevent a repeat of last weeks riots by deploying about 20,000 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., including some from New Mexico. The New Mexico National Guard announced late Wednesday that Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham authorized sending Guard members to Washington next week, but a spokesperson declined to say how many. Its unclear whether any National Guard members will be deployed to Santa Fe.

During a meeting with reporters Monday, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said his office was working with various law enforcement agencies, as well as the Governors Office, to prepare for any eventuality. He, too, declined to provide specifics.

The Santa Fe Police Department said it is working with other law enforcement agencies to ensure theyre prepared to assist New Mexico State Police, if necessary.

A spokesman with the Santa Fe County Sheriffs Office said the department holds regular intelligence briefings with other law enforcement agencies to be prepared for any civil unrest that might arise.

State Police said it continually monitors potential large-scale demonstrations and is working with other law enforcement agencies to prepare a coordinated response if protests arent peaceful.

Given the current climate in our country, we will not rule out such events taking place during the upcoming legislative session, or on Inauguration Day; or in the days and weeks surrounding either event, State Police said in an emailed statement.
With Honda leaving Formula 1 at the end of this year, Red Bull Racing has to find an alternative power source. Mercedes will not be supplying it, neither will Ferrari, so Renault is the only one left. Since that did not work out in the past, the team is focusing on a takeover of the Honda engine and things seem to be moving in that direction now.

Deal is close

The Race reports that Red Bull Racing and Honda are close to a deal to take over the Honda engine starting in 2022. Red Bull Racing initially wanted clarity in November 2020, which then became December 2020 and now in January it is still not finalised. However, the two sides were due to meet again this week, with the two confident that a solution is close at hand.

The primary reason the deal has not been finalised is because of the complexity involved. Several manufacturers agree with Red Bull Racing on freezing engine development in general, but clash on fundamental positions. The ideal scenario for Red Bull Racing is a complete freeze from 2022 on engine development, but not everyone wants to go along with that.

Ferrari lags behind

Ferrari, for example, would only agree to the new engine regulations coming into force a year earlier (2025 instead of 2026) and they also have to deal with the fact that they are still behind the rest. With a complete freeze, they would be shooting themselves in the foot and from that perspective, it is not wise to go along with Red Bull's proposal.

The whole discussion around freezing engine development is obviously much more complex, but that is what The Race believes is the main obstacle to getting the deal done. However, the talks between Honda and Red Bull Racing are on good terms and going in a positive direction, also because it is supported by Honda Japan.

Once the deal is done, Red Bull Racing will take over Honda's operations at the Milton Keynes plant and expand their own Red Bull Technologies campus. A deal also means that the existing Honda staff will be taken over. It is also highly likely that Honda will continue to provide long term support, albeit in a scaled-down form.
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
TAIPEI, Jan. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Launched in 2013, VoiceTube successfully created the biggest English language learning platform in Asia with over four million registered users. Users can not only find English videos with subtitles but can also engage themselves in a specially designed learning system for targeting learnings. Through research and technology innovation, VoiceTube found the most efficient method to learn English, and they are now ready to expand the learning platform to a wider part of the world.

A data-driven education startup

Closely observing their users' learning habits, combined with the research on the most effective learning patterns. VoiceTube carefully curated "Guided Learning Method", which hopes to make the language learning process more efficient and engageable for their users. Keeping their purpose in mind, "Guided Learning Method" is a natural learning process. Started with steps of Input, Imitation then Output, VoiceTube offers authentic English keyword selections, continues with repeated practice to improve on language comprehension, follows with interactive practices with corrections to achieve the users' English learning goals.

VoiceTube's innovative learning method also focuses on sentence patterns and vocabulary. On top of the learning method model, VoiceTube also created two functions to guide their users on targeted learning. From the editorial team selected featured videos, it provides highlighted sentences and key points to learn English through native language conversations.

Additionally, through "fill in the blank" practices, VoiceTube creates repeated listening opportunities to help their users to memorize vocabulary in the most efficient way. Throughout the learning process, users are able to collect achievement points by completing the designated tasks. The personal ranking chart is a great way to visualize learning progress, it is also a great method to boost the interaction rate with their users for continuous engagement during their English learning journey.

A good experience is an important part of learning

VoiceTube continues to innovate throughout the years, they launched "VoiceTube Dictionary": an offline English-Chinese dictionary with pronunciation assistance and word form explanations. AI data analysis technology was implemented in the learning module, working together with VocieTube's exclusive "video example sentence" design by professional editors, users are not only able to strengthen their memory on the vocabularies they have learned but also to extend their knowledge through AI technology generated vocabularies for a broader realm of the learning experience. Through "VoiceTube Dictionary", users are able to start with daily keywords that were selected, which came with video examples to showcase the vocabulary's authentic usage. Then AI data analysis would recommend related words to the user to expand their vocabulary count and understanding.

Professionally curated for an individual's English learning goals

In order for their users to easily navigate to their preferred contents, videos are categorized in various channels and levels, such as CNN, TOEIC, or TOEFL exams. VoiceTube also delivers three types of products targeting various levels of language learners: VoiceTube, VoiceTube Hero and VoiceTube Vclass. VoiceTube is a daily continuous learning solution. For example, it hosts daily pronunciation challenges, which users are able to upload their recordings of daily challenge content. Compared to VoiceTube, the Hero version focuses on short term learning improvement. It is based on internationally popular videos, along with practice tests on listening, reading, writing and speaking. AI technology could recommend learning levels and continue to review programs based on the user's learning outcome. VoiceTube Vclass recruits educational celebrities to jointly develop original English courses and teaching materials. A full range of learning needs can be met from beginner to advanced levels.Educational experts were invited to create materials that focus on common learning mistakes and the method to deliver effective ways of learning.

VoiceTube is aiming to become the largest technology based language learning platform in Asia.

Started with self-learning English during post-working hours, Zenn, Lai and Tsai co-founded VoiceTube. VoiceTube has now won numerous awards throughout the years, it was selected by Facebook as 2016 App Of The Year, QS Stars Reimagine Education Awards "Bronze Award" in Educational App, Venturap 2015 AP-OIP Summit Silver Award. Moreover, Voicetube is being selected by Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) as one of the 100 featured Taiwanese startups to showcase at CES 2021.

Currently working together with Taiwan Tech Arena, and recently attracted their A round fund with a value of 350 million US dollars led by Digital Economy Fund and Golden Asia Fund II. VoiceTube is working on its expansion to Japan and SouthEast Asia markets, elevating the product's user experiences, they also started a new wave of recruitment to gather professionals from big data, AI technology and data science industries to innovate the language learning platform.

In the coming years, VoiceTube looks forward to increasing their registered users to more than 500 million with more diverse markets of audience. VoiceTube is ready to initiate the innovation in language learning platform, and continue to build bonds between users to create the strongest language learning community across the world.

CES 2021 TTA-VR Pavilion: https://pse.is/3b86hf

SOURCE VoiceTube Learning English
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FORT HOOD  The skepticism in the rooms was palpable when U.S. Army leaders met with soldiers at Fort Hood in recent days, to check in on the embattled base, which has been stricken with violence and eroded morale over the past year.

There were nervous looks, shakily raised hands and questions about whether any changes for the good might just disappear in a few months.

I feel like leaders are just checking off boxes, one male soldier said Thursday, as Army Sgt. Maj. Michael Grinston, the top enlisted officer, visited the base on a listening tour. Another soldier told him: I have no idea what your true intentions are.

For Grinston, the distrust was the most discouraging part of his daylong effort to meet with a range of soldiers, from new recruits to senior leaders.

I think weve lost some trust. And, you know, were trying to rebuild that trust, he said in an interview with the Associated Press, as he was heading back to Washington, D.C.

More than two dozen Fort Hood soldiers died in 2020, including multiple homicides and suicides. The death of Vanessa Guillen, whose remains were found in July, triggered a social media movement of former and current military service people speaking out about sexual assault and harassment on the base. Investigators say Guillen was slain by a fellow soldier her family says harassed her.

Guillens death and other violence and problems at the base prompted a series of reviews, culminating in an independent report released in December that highlighted high rates of assault, harassment, leadership problems and issues with Fort Hoods criminal investigation division. Fourteen people were fired or suspended in connection to the findings. And leaders have begun to implement changes to improve morale and commanders relationships with soldiers there.

Grinstons visit was aimed at checking in on the progress.

What bothered me the most, he said, is, I think weve gained their trust. But they said, are we going to keep up the momentum? Are we going to do this? And they were skeptical.

The AP was allowed to have a reporter in the room for several of Grinstons meetings with the soldiers, under an agreement that the soldiers would not be identified by name. The Army said that request was made due to concerns of retaliation.

Grinston, along with other Army leaders, met with dozens of soldiers. Most said the communication with their leaders has improved, more time and attention has been given to training, and exercises to build trust among teams are helping improve the mood.

But the distrust remained. At least half of the soldiers present during two sessions that the AP observed agreed that the push for improvement was a reaction to public outcry over high-profile deaths.

They said there is still not enough follow-up with counseling, and they are worried that things will go back to the way they were after public attention shifts.

The whole world is looking at Fort Hood, so they want to see you come here, one female soldier said. Obviously it is the right thing to do, but they want to see that.

Grinston said he was encouraged that soldiers believed things were heading in the right direction now, and that many were positive about their jobs and their fellow soldiers and commanders.

According to Grinston, the soldiers he met with told him: Dont stop getting to know your soldiers. Dont stop calling the families. Dont stop doing small unit physical fitness. Do those team building events. We want to do more.

He said he delivered those sentiments to the leaders and officers he met with.

Grinston added that he wants soldiers to trust that the Army is going to keep up this momentum.

Weve got to maintain the momentum and keep their trust that we actually are going to keep doing this, he said.

Sgt. Maj. Shane Munday, who assumed command of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in December, said he recognizes the degree of distrust that remains and is working to meet with soldiers to show them that I am here to take care of them.

In October, Army officials announced a corps-wide initiative that aims to regain trust and address cultural problems. Sgt. Maj. Julie Guerra, an Army G-2 sergeant major at the Pentagon and one of the tri-chairs of the People First Task Force, which aims to make recommendations for improvement, was also present during the listening sessions. She said she was disgusted and very discouraged by the findings in the December report.

I was discouraged that we had gotten to a point in our Army that there was a persistent and pervasive culture that soldiers did not feel safe inside their formations, Guerra said.

Guerra said the task force will be taking a critical look at the Armys Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program and a missing soldier policy has already been approved by the secretary of the Army.

A congressional investigation, which was initiated days after the Sgt. Elder Fernandes was found dead after being reported missing in August, is still pending. The investigation into Guillens death is ongoing.
WASHINGTON: Corporations and industry groups have donated at least $170 million in recent years to Republicans who rejected President-elect Joe Bidens victory over President Donald Trump, according to a new report by a government watchdog group.

The report by Public Citizen examines corporate and trade association contributions made since the 2016 election cycle to the 147 members of Congress who, at Trumps behest, last week objected to the certification of Novembers election.

Giving by such trade groups and corporate PACs has come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the deadly insurrection by Trump supporters, who stormed the Capitol to stop the vote. Many companies have since said they will avoid making donations to members of the House and Senate who voted to overturn Bidens win.

Other companies have temporarily postponed political giving to both political parties.

The amount of giving by corporate PACs and trade groups to individual candidates is limited to $5,000 per candidate each year, thus making up a small portion of each candidates overall cash haul. But data reviewed by Public Citizen, which was provided to The Associated Press before the reports release later Wednesday, shows that when looked at more broadly, corporate giving still accounts for a significant stream of campaign cash, particularly to the Republicans in the House.

If (corporations and industry groups) decided to actually get together and stop contributing to these people, it will have an effect, said Mike Tanglis, Public Citizens research director, who co-authored the report. Tanglis said, however, that hes very skeptical that they will stop contributing to these people forever.

The top corporate and industry givers to the 147 Republicans detailed in the report include:

$2 million by the National Association of Realtors. In an email, the group said it is temporarily pausing all federal contributions and will closely monitor events in Washington in the days and weeks ahead in order to ensure our political participation most closely represents the will of our REALTOR members.

$2 million by the National Bankers Association. The group says its reviewing its practices, but hasnt made any decisions on how it will move forward.

$1.8 million by the National Beer Wholesalers Association. The group did not respond to a request for comment.

Others prolific givers featured in the report include AT&T, Comcast, Exxon Mobil, Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

AT&T and Comcast both suspended contributions to those who voted to overturn the election. Exxon Mobil says its reviewing its political giving. Spokesmen for Lockheed Martin and Boeing declined to comment.

Nineteen of the PACs listed in the report each contributed at least $1 million over the past three cycles to congressional Republicans who voted to overturn the election. Meanwhile, 46 of the PACs gave to at least half of the Republican objectors, the report found.

Tanglis, the reports co-author, and other campaign finance experts say the big question about the donations is whether companies and trade groups will stick by their pledges.

You have to wonder if in three months they will start to back up, Tanglis said. For the most part, were not really into the next election cycle. They could very easily take six months or the whole year off and start up again in 2022.

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Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size On November 7 Philadelphia time, at the exact moment the US election was called for Joe Biden, President Donald Trumps lawyer Rudy Giuliani was giving a press conference at the Four Seasons  the landscaping store, not the luxury hotel. He had his own version of history too: Trump had won, not Biden. And, on fringe corners of the internet, this alternative reality has been playing out ever since, fuelled by baseless and now thoroughly debunked claims of voter fraud as well as Trump's own false claims of victory. Then, on January 6, the online mob broke out into real-world violence, storming the Capitol building to stop lawmakers from certifying Biden's win in a historic occupation that lasted four hours and left five people dead. Whipped up by Trump and Giuliani at a rally in Washington, rioters live-streamed and narrated their rampage on the very platforms on which they had organised, including alt-right favourites Parler, DLive and Gab. Prominent Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were top of online "hit lists" as users debated how best to get into offices, smash through windows and even which weapons to bring. During the riot, when Trump tweeted that Vice-President Mike Pence lacked courage for refusing to overturn the verified results of the election, chants of "Hang Mike Pence" broke out. A gallows was swiftly erected. Masked men in full tactical gear carried cable ties onto the Senate floor. Police would later find explosive devices at nearby Republican and Democrat headquarters. But this self-styled revolution failed. Once the rioters had been arrested or expelled, lawmakers emerged from hiding to finish certifying Biden's win. Trump has now become the only President in US history to be impeached for a second time and banned from almost all the big social media platforms, from his beloved Twitter to Facebook, for his part in inciting the riot. Parler itself has gone dark after Amazon pulled its hosting services and it was dropped from Android and Apple app stores. For experts who saw the mob coming online, January 6 raises serious questions not only of Capitol security, but of the long unregulated "Wild West" of social media. To others, including some politicians in Australia, Trump's "deplatforming" by the tech giants carries its own threat: censorship. So, can these platforms simply turf people out and should they be able to? Do we need new laws to protect us on social media? And will fringe sites and Trump's accounts  survive?

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Late on January 6, when the riot was mostly over, Trump released a video telling his supporters to go home even as he told them 'we love you'. It was removed from many platforms, but stayed up on Parler, pictured here on a Team Trump campaign account. Trump himself does not have a personal account on Parler. Credit:Parler What is Parler and what did it have to do with the US riot? In the months leading up to the storming of the Capitol, researchers of online extremism, such as Griffith University's Audrey Courty, were spending more and more time on Parler and Gab. The big platforms Facebook and Twitter, long criticised for being too passive in policing dangerous content, had become more aggressive about fact-checking and shutting down radical groups. That meant some users were migrating to these smaller sites, which look similar enough but bill themselves as "free speech havens" with very little moderation.By early January, Parler was Apple's most downloaded free app. But Courty says it wasn't just getting more popular, it was becoming more extreme. "Suddenly there were posts calling for the death of politicians and journalists, you didn't see that a couple of months ago," she says. "They were taking things to the next level, it was very concerning." Parler is like a clunkier hybrid of Twitter and Instagram, only with less photos of brunch and more conspiracy theories. Instead of tweets, you can post "parleys" of up to 1000 characters each and share other users' posts in "echoes" rather than retweets. With a much smaller user base of almost exclusively conservative voices, Courty says it feels more like an echo chamber than the "bipartisan town square" it claims to be  almost like an online Trump rally. On signing up, she was immediately prompted to follow high-profile, right-wing personalities such as Fox News host Sean Hannity. "But that might be because they are the main people on Parler. There's a lot of virtual fist-bumping going on, but not a whole lot of conversation. It's not a serious replacement to Twitter or Facebook." The site does have some rules  nothing illegal, no spam or porn and, very specifically, no images of fecal matter. Content reported as problematic may face a "jury" of random volunteer users to decide if it breaks the community's standards or not and, buried in its user terms and conditions, is the caveat that Parler still reserves the right to "remove any content or terminate your access  at any time and for any reason or no reason".

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"Free speech doesn't mean no moderation, not even it seems to Parler,"Courty says. Likewise, while Parler promises not to sell user data to advertisers, in the fine print of its privacy policy she notes that it still admits to harvesting it ("but they don't say why"). In the days since the riot, activists have been scraping this data, like "a bunch of people running into a burning building trying to grab as many things as we can" and the FBI are also combing through related images, videos and posts. In June, Parler chief executive John Matze said he wanted more diverse debate on the platform, even offering a "progressive bounty" of $US20,000 ($25,750) to a prominent left-wing influencer who signed up, but by the time Parler had been unplugged by Amazon on January 9, the reward still appeared unclaimed. Matze has sworn the site will return soon. The Wall Street Journal recently revealed Parler is bankrolled by some deep-pocket conservatives, most notably Rebekah Mercer, a former Trump adviser and daughter of the billionaire investor behind the now disgraced political consulting company Cambridge Analytica. Courty says it's unclear whether the site's executives really want to further the cause of the right or if they are simply capitalising on a frustrated demographic to grow users fast. However, she says the strategy will likely harm Parler in the long term, keeping its user base (and so its influence) narrow and its advertiser and investor pool shallow. "It's tainted now." Parler is just the tip of the iceberg. Dr Olga Boichak To survive, Parler needs to find a new host or invest in its own servers and infrastructure  no small feat, says digital cultures expert at the University of Sydney Dr Olga Boichak. Gab, itself a notorious hotbed for white supremacy and conspiracy theories, managed to find a new home with controversial hosting company Epik within a week when it was unplugged in 2018 following revelations a shooter who murdered 11 people at a US synagogue had first posted his plans to Gab. The notorious messageboard 8chan, which helped radicalise the Christchurch shooter with alt-right ideology, was reborn as 8kun. Parler has already moved its domain name registration to Epik. In a statement, the host company said it had not yet discussed the shift with Parler, even as it hit out against big tech "deplatforming" and ostracising the right.

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With Parler down, Gab now claims to be clocking up its own surge in new users. But when the big platforms close their doors to such groups, they inevitably limit their reach, pushing them further to the fringes of the internet. Boichak says we shouldn't get too sidetracked by any one platform. Groups will migrate where they need to. "Parler is just the tip of the iceberg." Members of alt-right groups such as the Proud Boys as well as the cult conspiracy Qanon descended on the US Capitol on January 6. Credit:AP Why was Trump banned from social media? On January 8, after dozens of warnings (and more than a few international incidents), Twitter finally banned one of its most famous and prolific Tweeters  for good. Trump had just Tweeted that his followers were "great American patriots" who "will not be disrespected, or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form" and then announced that he would not attend Biden's inauguration. Twitter said this could be a signal to Trumps base that he was disavowing the (begrudging) election concession and promise of an "orderly transition" he had made a day earlier  it could even be interpreted by those already threatening more violence that the inauguration was now a "safe target" for a second attack. Previously, Twitter had erred on the side of keeping Trump's tweets up, as matters of public interest given their use as official statements by the leader of the free world. His removal is now sure to cause headaches for those in charge of the administration's record-keeping. Reflecting on the ban in a tweetstorm of his own on January 14, Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey said he took no pride in the decision, seeing it ultimately as a "failure" to create a service that could sustain civil discourse and healthy conversations. He stood by the move as the right one for public safety but worried it now set a dangerous precedent.

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Indeed, Facebook and other big social networks soon followed Twitter with bans and suspensions of their own against the President, though Dorsey rejected suggestions by Matze and others that the bans were coordinated. Some such as Snapchat are permanent but most are temporary. In a series of fiery (and since removed) Tweets sent from his little-used official POTUS account, Trump lashed the ban and said he is now considering creating his own platform. Loading "Trump and co could even team up with Parler to develop something new," Courty says. "Trump, it's a brand right? It's like the Kardashians. If he comes out with his own, or joins with Parler that would be something to watch." So could he sue over the ban? At the Australian National University's College of Law, Dr Jelena Gligorijevic says no  while the US has explicit free speech protections under its First Amendment, these are designed to stop censorship from governments, not private companies. If you signed the terms and conditions that say Twitter can kick you off, then there's no legal remedy, including in Australia, where the right to free expression is implied, rather than explicitly codified, in law. 'Social media doesnt radicalise in a vacuum. Theres always other factors at play.' Audrey Courty But in Italy, it's a different story, Gligorijevic says. Facebook was forced by the courts in 2019 to unblock a fascist political party spouting the beliefs of former dictator Mussolini and restore its content, even though the company had deemed them to be dangerous. "So, if Facebook were to ban the Italian President  it would likely be actually breaking the law," she says. In the case of a figure as influential as Trump, still in the White House and likely to remain in headlines even after he leaves it, the social media blackout won't actually silence him.

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GPS tracking data obtained through a hack of the suspended Parler shows that many users of the social media app stormed into the US Capitol Building and posted about it during the riot.

Many of the thousands of supporters of President Trump who stormed the Capitol in last week's riots have since have been identified as users of the app which had billed itself as a 'free speech' alternative to Twitter.

The app has since been blocked by Google and Apple, and vanished from the web on Monday when Amazon pulled its web hosting services because Parler did not do enough to stop 'incitements to violence'.

Using the data, technology news website Gizmodo mapped almost 70,000 geo-located Parler video posts, finding hundreds published on January 6 from near or even inside the Capitol. Researcher Kyle Mcdonald also created a map of the posts nationwide.

Hailed by Donald Trump supporters as a conservative-friendly alternative to Twitter - which permanently suspended the president on Friday - the site was a magnet for die-hard Trump supporters who believe discredited claims that the election was 'stolen' through fraud.

Before it was removed, a hacker archived all of Parler's deleted posts, saying they provide 'very incriminating' evidence in the wake of the attack at the US Capitol.

GPS tracking data obtained through a hack of the suspended Parler app shows that many users of the social media app stormed into the US Capitol Building. Pictured: Dots in and around the US Capitol building representing Parlor video posts during the Capitol riots last week. This map was created by coding artist Kyle McDonald

Pictured: When MacDonald's data map is superimposed over the Capitol, it shows many of the posts were made from inside the building

Pictured: A user on Parler posts a photo from inside the Capitol building, with the caption 'The Deep State cannot stop us. They learned that today when we stormed the Capitol and took it. The word is we're all coming back armed for war.'

GPS tracking data obtained through a hack of the suspended Parler shows that many users of the social media app stormed into the US Capitol Building, reports say. Pictured: Supporters of US President Donald J. Trump fill the Capitol's rotunda on January 6

MAGA rioters stormed the Capitol where lawmakers were scheduled to confirm Biden's presidential victory. GPS coordinates show that posts made by Parler users on January 6 came from inside and around the Capitol

The GPS metadata legally obtained by the hacker, who asked Gizmodo to use her Twitter handle @donk_enby, shows that some Parler users reached as far as both chambers of Congress as well as the offices of key politicians.

Pictures from inside the building showed large crowds of MAGA supporters roaming the halls of the Capitol, inside the Senate and House chambers, and inside offices.

Twitter user @donk_enby says she has obtained files from the site complete with GPS metadata to show exactly where they were taken

The precise location of Parler users inside the building itself can be hard to pinpoint, (such as which floor a person is on), and the data only includes users who posted videos taken on January 6.

The coordinates are also only accurate up to a distance of approximately 12 yards.

Gizmodo reported that one red dot at the centre of the Capitol's rotunda has been traced to a video that shows rioters in red MAGA hats shouting obscenities about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose office was raided on the day.

Other dots nearby indicate videos were taken in nearby offices, stairwells and hallways leading toward the House and Senate chambers, Gizmodo said.

Other coordinates taken from the app show users were near the north side of the building near the Senate chamber and other leader's offices.

Another map of a wider area, including the National Mall and the White House, showed more dots representing Parler posts made by people within the flood of protesters that made their way from the the White House to the Capitol.

Outside the White House, President Trump had held a 'Save America' rally in the hours before the riots, where he urged them to march down to Congress as lawmakers worked to certify the Electoral College votes and Joe Biden's election win.

Pictured: A map showing posts on Parler on January 6 as the Capitol riots were taking place. On the left, dots are shown outside the White House. Posts were also made on the National Mall (the road running diagonally down the centre of the map) and around the Capitol (right)

Pictured: Supporters of President Donald Trump participate in a rally in Washington hours before the Capitol building was stormed at the other end of the National Mall. GPS coordinates of Parler posts show a number of users were in the crowd outside the White House

Supporters of US President Donald J. Trump arrive on the National Mall ahead of the 'Stop the Steal' rally Washington DC, USA, 06 January 2021

A supporter of US President Donald Trump holds a Confederate flag outside the Senate Chamber during the raid of the Capitol on January 6. GPS data from Parler shows posts were made from outside the chamber during the riots

'After this, we're going to walk down, and I'll be there with you. We're going to walk down. We're going to walk down any one you want, but I think right here. We're going to walk down to the Capitol, and we're going to cheer on our brave senators, and congressmen and women,' the president said during the event.

'We're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them, because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength, and you have to be strong.'

The map shows that people were posting to Parler outside the White House, down the National Mall, and in and around the Capitol building as the events unfolded.

Pictured: Another user on Parlor posts in support of the Capitol riots

Parlor is seen as a magnet for the far right and was accused by Apple, Google and Amazon of continuing to allow messages inciting violence after Wednesday's riot

The hacker told Gizmodo how she started with the aim of archiving every post since the Capitol riot on January 6. But when it emerged the site would be scrubbed she worked to pull 99 per cent of the content on the site.

Some of the clips 'may include things' from deleted and private posts, @donk_enby said. The data is also said to contain information about the site admins.

@donk_enby said: 'I want this to be a big middle finger to those who say hacking shouldnt be political.'

'I am now crawling URLs of all videos uploaded to Parler. Sequentially from latest to oldest. These are the original, unprocessed, raw files as uploaded to Parler with all associated metadata,' she wrote Sunday.

She later added on Twitter Monday: 'only things that were available publicly via the web were archived. i don't have you e-mail address, phone or credit card number. unless you posted it yourself on parler.'

Speaking to Vice, she clarified further, saying: 'Everything we grabbed was publicly available on the web, we just made a permanent public snapshot of it.'

Gizmodo says it took GPS coordinates from 618 Parler videos, adding that the data has already been sought after by the FBI as part of a sweeping national investigation into the suspects involved in the riots.

Pictured: A view from inside the Capitol as police hold back supporters of US President Donald Trump as they gather outside the US Capitol's Rotunda on January 6, 2021

Supporters of US President Donald Trump walk around in the Rotunda after breaching the US Capitol in Washington, DC, January 6, 2021

At least 20 people are already in custody, and one female Trump supporter, US Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead by Capitol Police as she tried to climb through a window.

Three other Trump supporters died after 'medical emergencies' related to the breach and Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday from injuries sustained in the attack after the thug allegedly hit him over the head with a fire extinguisher.

Two pipe bombs were also found near the Capitol, with one being placed at both the Republican and Democratic national committee offices in DC.

The mob included white nationalists, neo-Nazis and QAnon conspiracy theorists, coming from states as far-flung as Arizona and Oregon, while photographs from the riot have shown people wearing clothes with a range of antisemitic messages.

Parler on Monday announced it will sue Amazon for antitrust violations after the site was scrubbed from the web overnight.

Hailed by Donald Trump supporters as a conservative-friendly alternative to Twitter, Parler is seen as a magnet for the far right and was accused by Apple, Google and Amazon of continuing to allow messages inciting violence after Wednesday's attack at the Capitol

CEO John Matze said Monday morning he was doing more than Facebook and Twitter to try and remove violent content from his app. In a statement the self declared libertarian said: 'Evaluated objectively, our system worked as well or better than the methods used by our competitors, while adhering to our principles.'

The site then announced it will sue Amazon and ask a federal judge to order the tech giant to reinstate the platform, The Hill first reported.

The 18-page suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle against Amazon Web Services (AWS). It claims: 'AWS's decision to effectively terminate Parler's account is apparently motivated by political animus. It is also apparently designed to reduce competition in the microblogging services market to the benefit of Twitter.'

Parler CEO John Matze warned in his final post before the 3am deadline that 'we will likely be down longer than expected' as tech firms distance themselves from the site.

It notes: 'Friday night one of the top trending tweets on Twitter was "Hang Mike Pence." But AWS has no plans nor has it made any threats to suspend Twitter's account.'

Parler are thought to have targeted AWS, rather than Apple and Google, as 'both the apps and the website are written to work with AWS's technology'. 'Without AWS, Parler is finished as it has no way to get online', the suit adds.

Losing access to the app stores of Google and Apple severely limits Parler's reach to millions of smartphones. Losing Amazon Web Services means Parler needs to find another web host to be accessed on a browser.

Matze argued 'up until Friday afternoon it seemed Apple, Amazon and Google agreed' the app had been effective in their efforts to remove 'objectionable content', adding: 'You can expect the war on competition and free speech to continue, but don't count us out.'

Matze had initially said that Parler might be unavailable for 'up to a week as we rebuild from scratch', but now says it might be offline for longer. Google and Apple both booted Trump friendly Gab from their app stores in 2017 and it was left internet-homeless for a time. It now hosts through its own servers.

Critics have continued to slammed the big tech giants for purging free speech in the wake of Donald Trump's Twitter ban.

Fox New host Jeanine Pirro later argued Parler's deplatforming 'is akin to a Kristallnacht'. In 1938, Nazis in Germany and Austria vandalized Jewish homes, schools and businesses during an attack that became known as Kristallnacht.

What are Parler's options now? Losing access to the app stores of Google and Apple  whose operating systems power hundreds of millions of smartphones  severely limits Parler's reach, though it had continued to be accessible via web browser. The decision by Amazon Web Services to remove Parler means it now needs to scramble to find another web host in addition to 'rebuilding the site from scratch'. Google and Apple both booted Gab from their app stores in 2017 and it was left internet-homeless for a time the following year due to anti-Semitic posts attributed to the man accused of killing 11 people at a Pittsburgh synagogue. Microsoft also terminated a web-hosting contract. It now hosts through its own servers, so that is an option. Or it can find another server willing to host the site. Max Aliapoulios, a computer science Ph. D candidate told Business Insider: 'It is realistic to expect that Parler will find another provider to host their services like AWS. 'That being said, now the precedent is set and Parler will likely always have an uphill battle with finding a home to host them on the internet.' Advertisement

She said: 'They gave us a taste of this pre-election when they suppressed the Hunter Biden story. And now that they've won, what we're seeing is a kind of censorship that is akin to a Kristallnacht, where they decide what we can communicate about.'

Pirro later clarified her comments in a tweet: 'Although book burning started earlier, Kristallnacht included the destruction of Jewish stores, homes & synagogues containing rare Jewish books & Torahs. My reference was in context of books. The Holocaust was the greatest hate crime the world ever tolerated. I abhor all violence.'

Journalist Glenn Greenwald on Sunday accused the tech giants of 'feigning offense to destroy' to Parler. He claimed 'far more violence' has been planned on Facebook.

He tweeted Monday to pan liberals as 'overwhelmingly supportive' of big tech using 'brute force 3 times in 3 months to manipulate US politics'

Greenwald wrote: 'Tech monopolies -- FB, Google, Apple, Amazon -- have more concentrated wealth & power than any in history. They have used brute force 3 times in 3 months to manipulate US politics: censoring NY Post, banning Trump, destroying Parler. And liberals are overwhelmingly supportive.

'That these Silicon Valley monopolies are grave menaces to political freedom & economic well-being is *not* a right-wing view.

'Authoritarians never believe they're authoritarians, no matter how much censorship, surveillance, jingoism, & imprisonment they demand. They tell themselves their enemies are so uniquely evil and dangerous - terrorists - that anything done in the name of fighting them is noble.'
Forteath shouted from dock: 'Next time I come here it will be for a citizen's arrest'

A conwoman who is refusing to pay back any of the 250,000 she defrauded from two dead people's estates ranted that the judge is a 'wicked racist' as she vowed to have him arrested.

Georgia Forteath, 41, and her husband Harvil Connally, 49, were both previously jailed for swindling the money by claiming they were legitimate beneficiaries.

They have refused to pay back the money to the families of Frederick Lewis and Doreen Kimber and blame racist courts for their convictions.

Forteath's representative, Caul Grant, spent over an hour claiming Judge Simon Davis was prejudiced against black people.

Forteath then shouted from the dock: 'The next time I come here it will be for a citizen's arrest!'

Georgia Forteath (pictured left), 41, and her husband Harvil Connally (right), 49, were both jailed for swindling the money by claiming they were legitimate beneficiaries

Judge Davis replied: 'Are you personally threatening me, Ms Forteath? I will stop you here.'

Forteath said: 'The public want to know the truth! How long can this blackmail go on, how long?'

She was planning to fund a property empire in Jamaica with the help of Connally and targeted the estates of the two families.

She was convicted of a string of charges including obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception, 15 counts of fraud, perjury and making a false representation on oath after a trial at Inner London Crown Court in 2011.

Forteath was jailed for eight years and nine months while Connally was sentenced to three years for fraud and acquiring criminal property.

Her Lewisham property, bought for just 240,000 originally, is now subject to a restraint order, but she is yet to sell it to compensate the families a decade later.

She claims she cannot pay anything back during ongoing confiscation proceedings because she only earns 300 per month.

Forteath insists her children bought her the house and it should not be taken away from her.

The couple also face civil proceedings from the family of the victims.

Judge Davis, who sentenced Forteath in 2011, tried to conduct proceedings despite repeated interruptions from Forteath and her supporters.

Forteath (pictured left) was jailed for eight years and nine months while Connally (right) was sentenced to three years for fraud and acquiring criminal property

Mr Grant is an activist for legal group Campaign for Truth and Justice.

He said: 'Article 6 of the Human Rights Act 1998 grants the right to be heard in a court of law. The level of wickedness that you have all perpetrated is in total disregard for the rule of law.

'You all thought, "They're only a couple of black people". This is just making an absolute mockery of what justice is intended to be.'

After listening to him for an hour Judge Davis finally said: 'I'm going to guillotine you and stop you from making any more oral submissions.'

Mark Paltenghi, prosecuting, said: 'Nothing I have heard from Mr Grant compels me to submit anything in response, as I would be repeating myself.'

Mr Grant said: 'We consider that an insult. This system is damn corrupt and it is an insult to all those who sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of justice.

'I wish I could say that it is only because we are black, but it seems that your corruption knows no bounds.

'All you care about is money, they had money in their accounts, Forteath's children, but you took it. For some the truth is an offence and I know the truth is in our submissions.'

Forteath alleges her prosecution was 'unlawful' and 'in bad faith'. She claims she had a 'valid probate and will' certified by the High Court for the deceased pensioners she was convicted of defrauding.

Forteath and Connally, pictured above. Forteath's Lewisham property, bought for 240,000 originally, is subject to a restraint order, but she is yet to sell it to compensate the families

Forteath was a South Bank University nursing student when she bought her home in Lewisham, where she still lives with her husband and adult children.

The property is now thought to be worth 600,000 but the mother mother-of-two cannot be evicted until March 2021 due to Covid-19 regulations.

Forteath claimed she was a friend and carer of the deceased pensioners at her arrest. In 2011, Judge Davis said the student nurse told 'lie upon lie upon lie' to the jury.

'The lies tripped off her tongue as easily as I've heard in 35 years of sitting in a court in criminal cases,' he said.

Jurors had heard Forteath drained 233,952 from Mr Lewis' two Santander bank accounts then transferred 180,000 to a joint account she held with her husband.

During the police investigation into the Lewis estate, officers contacted the Land Registry about Ms Kimber, who they discovered was a retired secretary who died on December 27 in 2008, aged 78.

The pensioner had not made a will, telling her few friends she wanted to leave her 250,000 estate 'to the animals'.

This helped Forteath who used a faked will to take over the property in Malvern Road, also Thornton Heath, in July 2010.

The couple then attempted to transfer the title deeds to Forteath.

Forteath took 13,900 from Ms Kimber's account and went on a shopping spree with her bank card.

She posed as Ms Kimber to ordered a washing machine, a fridge freezer, a laptop and a tumble dryer from Argos.

Connally tried to help her dispose of Ms Kimber's property, telling an estate agent to sell it for 250,000.

Police had discovered Forteath was illegally living in this country after she travelled from Jamaica in April 2000 on a visitor's visa, and was later refused a student visa.

She took part in a sham marriage to remain in the UK, paying her landlord, recovering heroin addict Stephen Forteath, to wed her in December 2003.

As a spouse of a British citizen she was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2006.

She later married Connally, enabling him to be gain discretionary leave to remain here until September 2012.

Connally was a stonemason in Jamaica and joined the building trade when he came to this country.

Forteath, of Lewisham, denied obtaining a pecuniary advantage by deception, obtaining leave to remain in the UK by deception, 15 counts of fraud, perjury, making a false representation on oath, removing criminal property from England and Wales, possessing criminal property, acquiring criminal property, two counts of doing an act tending or intended to pervert the course of public justice.

She was cleared of the first charge and found guilty of all the others. Connally was found guilty of fraud and acquiring criminal property.

The confiscation hearing was adjourned until 4 May 2021.
New York:

President Donald Trump surprisingly refrained from tweeting during James Comey's testimony. Donald Trump Jr, not surprisingly, did not.

The president's eldest son, whose Twitter feed can at times be as inflammatory as his father's, was a one-man rapid-response team as the fired FBI director testified before a Senate panel on Thursday.



He delivered denunciations with the same force that made him an effective, if controversial, campaign surrogate and could signal his own political ambitions. Donald Trump Jr tweeted more than 80 times Thursday, defending his father and attacking Comey.



Trump Jr's Twitter barrage was all the more striking when compared to his father's silence, which the president broke with Friday morning tweet accusing Comey of lying under oath.



Trump Jr declined to comment on Friday about his tweets, leaving unanswered questions as to whether they were urged by the White House, which outsourced its Comey response to the Republican National Committee and the president's personal lawyer.

ALSO READ: Donald Trump accuses James Comey of lying, says hes willing to testify



Trump Jr has certainly been willing to go on the attack for his father before. He crisscrossed the United States during last year's election, doing hundreds of interviews on Fox News and local conservative outlets. He attacked "Crooked Hillary," his father's derogatory nickname for opponent Hillary Clinton, and delivered a well-received speech at the Republican National Convention.



That moment sparked speculation about his political future. But while Trump Jr told The Associated Press this spring that he would not, as had been rumored, be a candidate for governor of New York, he left the door open for a political run down the road.



"Maybe someday," Trump said then. "It's not something I'm doing now. But you never know, it's fascinating stuff." He's done a number of Republican campaign events since then, including fundraisers in Texas and Indiana and campaigning for a congressional candidate in Montana.



But Trump Jr, who along with his brother Eric is running their father's former company, has said he does not discuss the details of politics or their business with the president. He outpaced the national Republican Party with his Twitter defense Thursday. In particular, he seized on Comey's assertion that he interpreted the president's statement that he "hoped" the FBI would drop its probe into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn as an instruction.



"Knowing my father for 39 years when he 'orders or tells' you to do something there is no ambiguity, you will know exactly what he means," Trump Jr wrote.

ALSO READ: Ex-FBI chief James Comey blames White House of defaming him

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Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., the convenience-store giant that owns the Circle K chain, said its exploring a transaction with French grocer Carrefour SA, a deal that would represent a major strategy shift for the Canadian firm.

Couche-Tard said Tuesday it has started exploratory discussions" on a friendly deal with Carrefour, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. Theres no certainty the talks will lead to a transaction, the Quebec-based company said.

Shares of Carrefour have risen 10% in Paris trading this year, giving the company a market capitalization of 12.6 billion euros ($15.4 billion) at Tuesdays close. Couche-Tard shares slipped 2.2% after the initial Bloomberg report, closing at C$41.31 in Toronto to value the company at almost C$46 billion ($36 billion). The French retailer confirmed the talks in a statement.

Couche-Tards focus has been convenience stores and gas stations, not supermarkets. It has built an empire by methodically acquiring smaller rivals, first at home in Canada before entering the U.S. in 2001 and Europe in 2012. Lately its focus had been on the U.S. and Asia Pacific regions, where it tried to buy Caltex Australia Ltd. before deciding against a revised offer during the pandemic.

A deal with Carrefour would expand its presence in Europe, where its potential target operates more than 2,800 supermarkets and 703 larger-format hypermarkets, and in Latin America, where it has stores in Argentina and Brazil.

Carrefour, which has about 320,000 workers globally, is the biggest private employer in France. The retailer generates about half its sales from the domestic market, where foreign takeovers of key companies are politically sensitive.

International Deals

Couche-Tard, which started from a single store in a Montreal suburb in 1980, has a no-frills reputation, with top management known for visiting scores of stores before making acquisitions to spot the weaknesses. It agreed in 2016 to buy U.S. gas-station operator CST Brands Inc. for around $4 billion, and gained a foothold in Scandinavia and the Baltic region through its 2012 purchase of Statoil Fuel & Retail ASA.

Last year, it was among potential suitors competing to acquire U.S. gas station operator Speedway, which was eventually sold to Seven & i Holdings Co. for $21 billion.

Couche-Tard has a network of more than 9,000 convenience stores in North America, most of which also offer fuel retail, according to its website. It also had about 2,700 locations in Europe as of October last year.

Any transaction would add to the $182 billion of deals announced in the retail industry over the past 12 months, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Convenience-store operators have been expanding into the supermarket industry, including in the U.K., where TDR Capital teamed up with the gas-station entrepreneurs behind EG Group in October to acquire a majority stake in grocer Asda from Walmart Inc.

Cost Cuts

A pioneer of the hypermarket format, Carrefour lost ground in recent years to Leclerc SA and German discounters in France, while forays into overseas markets such as Latin America and China have produced mixed results. Carrefour two years ago sold an 80% stake in its China unit to local retailer Suning.com Co. It had about 5.2 billion euros in net financial debt as of June last year, down from almost 6 billion euros a year earlier, partly due to proceeds from the China deal.

Under Chief Executive Officer Alexandre Bompard, Carrefour has cut costs by scaling back the companys giant stores, which sell everything from produce to clothing and housewares, while expanding in e-commerce and organic food. The companys key investors include Bernard Arnault, the billionaire chairman of luxury giant LVMH.

France has been one of Europes toughest retail markets, with subdued economic growth curbing consumer spending while intense competition among grocers has squeezed pricing and margins. In 2018, Carrefour struck a purchasing alliance with the U.K.s Tesco Plc to increase their clout with suppliers.

Carrefour has held up fairly well during the pandemic. It posted its strongest revenue growth in at least two decades during the third quarter, as an increase in the number of people working from home boosted demand for groceries.

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

2021 Bloomberg L.P.

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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[January 13, 2021] Vdoo Reveals an Extension Funding Round with Qumra Capital and Verizon Ventures Joining as Investors

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 13, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Vdoo, a leader in product security for embedded software, today revealed it had extended its Series B funding to $57M, in an additional round led by Qumra Capital, Verizon Ventures, and others.

The round was completed in the third quarter of last year, and the new funding was leveraged to expand Vdoos offering to the telco and smart utility space, at the backdrop of the connectivity surge induced by COVID-19. The round increased the total capital raised by Vdoo to $70M. Qumra Capital and Verizon Ventures joined existing investors 83North, GGV Capital, WRVI Capital, Dell Technologies Capital, NTT DOCOMO Ventures, MS&AD Ventures, and prominent private investors in the extension round. According to Netanel Davidi, Co-Founder and CEO of Vdoo, Over the last year, weve experienced huge market demand from device deployers such as telcos and utilities. These companies are responsible for the security of the millions of devices such as routers, connected home appliances, and smart meters that they deploy to their end-user and customer environment. With Vdoos new offering, they can now quickly and easily vet the security and standard compliance of these devices and continue to monitor and protect the devices over the lifecycle of the product. As a result, our newest customers include top U.S. and global telcos and additional utilities players globally. We are happy to announce this round after receiving strong market validation, and we are thankful we were able to grow significantly in these challenging times. The connected product security market continues to expand; research firm Markets and Markets predicts the global device security market to grow from $12.5 billion in 2020 to $36.6 billion by 202. COVID-19 and the shift to working from home (WFH) have dramatically increased the number of remotely connected devices, accelerating the demand for securing connected products.



Vdoo delivers the industrys leading automated product security platform for device manufacturers and deployers. Vdoos platform performs a complete security assessment in minutes, providing a comprehensive report identifying zero-day vulnerabilities, CVEs, configuration and hardening issues, standard incompliances, and other security exposures with suggested prioritization and remediation mechanisms. The worlds top device manufacturers and deployers choose to work with Vdoo because they recognize the importance of securing their products, said Davidi. Theyre leveraging the Vdoo platform to analyze their security and standards posture before deployment, and then continue to protect their devices through the end of product life. Our customers include dozens of Fortune 500 companies across every industry, geography, and type of connected product, such as automotive, industrial, medical, smart buildings, and now also telcos and utilities.

"The number of connected IoT devices is rapidly growing, creating greater opportunities for security breaches," said Boaz Dinte, Managing Partner of Qumra Capital that led the round. "Vdoo's unique device-centric, deep technology automated approach has already brought immediate value to vendors in a very short period of time. We believe the market opportunity is huge, and with newly infused growth capital, Vdoo is well-positioned to become the leading global player for securing connected devices." With the expansion of 5G networks and mobile edge compute, theres a need for an end-to-end, device-centric security approach to IoT, said Verizon Ventures Managing Director Tammy Mahn. "As the venture arm of a leading telco, Verizon Ventures is proud to invest in Vdoo and its world-class team on their journey to solve this global need, while ushering in a new era of security by design in our increasingly connected world. About Vdoo Vdoos automated approach to securing connected products has helped Fortune 500 manufacturers and service providers to scale up their product security capabilities across multiple lines of business, enabling them to significantly shorten their time-to-market, reduce resource requirements, increase sales and lower overall risk profiles. Founded by a team of serial entrepreneurs with deep expertise in endpoint and embedded system security, Vdoo is a global company with offices in the U.S., Germany, Israel and Japan. For more information, visit www.vdoo.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/902fa4be-00ff-4ca9-bb3c-31b6fa9817d8

Contact: Paula Brici Eskenzi PR +1 949 677 6527 paula@eskenzipr.com

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Joe Biden, like any president, is a man of great ambition. This is a guy who started developing a detailed plan for a presidential campaign when he was in college. Actually, trace it back even further: Biden once visited his old Catholic school, and a student asked whether he'd always wanted to become president. Biden demurred, but a nun who'd taught him years before stepped in with a reminder - it turned out young Joey had written a paper about his desire to be chief executive.

Biden, unlike some of his predecessors, is also a politician of striking empathy. To the frustration of his handlers through the years, he regularly blew out his schedule by hanging back at rope lines to clasp the shoulders of parents who'd lost children, or kept donors waiting while he spent time with a kid who stuttered, just as he once did.

The 46th president of the United States, the oldest ever elected, has a decades-long history of determination and drive, and at least in later years, of a humility not so commonly associated with his profession.

It is a rare and frankly odd combination of character traits. What are Americans to make of the man they have chosen to lead them at a time of severe division, in a moment of shaken confidence in the country's political system and basic institutions?

"A lot of politicians are very self-centered and their ambition comes from some sort of hole in their psyche," said David Wilhelm, who ran Biden's presidential campaign in Iowa in 1987 and later was Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign manager and chairman of the Democratic National Committee. "Often, there's this yawning emotional void that needs to be filled, like with Trump.

"With Biden, the driver of his ambition is his empathy," Wilhelm said. "The American people often go with the opposite of what they've just had in a leader. Could there be a more opposite person to Donald Trump than Joe Biden?"

5 1 of 5 Washington Post photo by Melina Mara Show More Show Less 2 of 5 Washington Post photo by Jabin Botsford Show More Show Less 3 of 5 4 of 5 Washington Post photo by Melina Mara Show More Show Less 5 of 5









How Biden got here is a well-told tale. He fought through searing, heart-rending pain and tragedy - the deaths of his first wife Neilia and baby daughter Naomi in a horrific truck crash in 1972, his own two brain aneurysms in 1988, the loss of his son Beau to brain cancer in 2015. He became a rock of the Senate even as he could never seem to break through in the quest for a lease on the White House.

In a field where the drive to win now is often more readily rewarded than the patience to rise through the ranks, Biden played the ultimate long game - almost comically long. Biden considered running for president - or actually launched campaigns - in the 1980, 1984, 1988, 2004, 2008, 2016 and 2020 elections.

"Biden is obviously deeply ambitious and he's smart enough to guard his ambition skillfully," said Tommy Vallely, an Asia specialist at Harvard who worked with Biden on the 1987 campaign.

Biden obviously never intended to wait so long to win the ultimate prize, but when he hit roadblocks, his instinct was not to push back against them but to use them in service of his long-term ambition. He already was sinking in the Democratic primary sweepstakes in 1987 when word arrived that President Ronald Reagan had nominated arch-conservative Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. It would be Biden's task, as chair of the Judiciary Committee, to lead the effort to kill the nomination.

"Biden immediately sees this as an opportunity to advance his political career even though he's losing his bid for the presidency," Vallely said. "He could use the Bork battle to build his standing."

He would not be the next president, but he could step off the national stage, study up on the legal issues that might sink Bork, and start slowly building toward another run.

In "What It Takes," Richard Ben Cramer's epic book on the 1988 presidential campaign, which remains the most influential account of Biden's life and character, Biden comes off as an eternal climber, yet also a man who was anchored in a humility and realism forged by his upbringing and by the lessons learned in a series of devastating personal trials.

"What does it take? It takes a long time," Vallely said.

- - -

Biden's brand in politics has always been the everyman from Scranton, the kid who had to scramble to make it. He is, he has often said, his parents' son.

His father, Joseph Biden Sr., started a crop-dusting business, and after it flopped, cleaned boilers and sold cars.

The father was hyperalert to matters of status, according to Evan Osnos's recent biography, "Joe Biden." He liked to be seen as a success, a man of honor, a guy you could trust.

Biden's mother, Jean Finnegan, sought to instill in her children a basic empathy. "Nobody is better than you and you're no better than anybody else," she'd say.

The recipe produced a kid who was at once charming and determined, a stutterer who got bullied and worked like a mule to overcome his speech impediment. He could be daring, a bit of a showoff, yet friends were eager to be near him. He could be a lot of fun.

At age 10, Joey invented a game at a construction site where a local college was erecting an arts center. He'd climb atop six-story-high steel beams, edge out onto 18-inch-wide girders, grab a rope and swing out into the open sky.

"Joe Biden had balls. Lots of times, more balls than sense," Cramer wrote.

But as impulsive - and dumb - as that bit of kid's play may have been, it was hardly a spur-of-the-moment stunt. Joey had spent weeks staring at those ropes on the construction site, watching the workers, assessing the possibilities.

He developed patience early on. When other kids laughed at his inability to speak smoothly, he became keenly aware of, as he put it in his memoir, "the dread, the shame, the absolute rage" he felt at being the butt of the joke.

For a time, he practiced speaking with rocks in his mouth, an anti-stuttering tactic he picked up from Demosthenes, the ancient Greek orator. Like many stutterers, he found ways to express himself beyond speaking. A look, a touch, a nod - he developed a physical vocabulary that let him win over strangers (although sometimes, some have said, Biden came too close.)

Daring and gumption propelled him into an audaciously quick start to his political career. At 29 years old, serving as a county councilman, he took on a sitting U.S. senator - and won.

But despite his lengthy career in the Senate, the top prize eluded him until tragedy, defeat and pain pressed him toward a more public expression of his mother's credo.

- - -

For a very long time, Biden kept his deepest suffering inside. For years after the accident, which came 41 days after he was elected to the Senate, Biden barely spoke about it in public.

In 1984, in his Senate reelection campaign, Biden nixed a TV ad his consultants had made because he was afraid his young daughter might see the part about Neilia's death.

To be sure, Biden came off as a fighter who'd seen adversity.

"I trust people who start with their gut," he said at a campaign event last year. "People who arrive at it purely from an intellectual standpoint, they're not always ones that can be counted on to stay through at the very end when it gets really tough."

But for many years, he spoke of tragedy mainly when talking about others - and especially in the eulogies he gave at the funerals of fellow politicians, whether they'd been on his side or not.

"He's at his most eloquent in his eulogies," said Mark Gitenstein, Biden's speechwriter during the 1988 election cycle and an adviser for 44 years. "He does them himself. They're a window into him. They come from his profound faith, part of his religious upbringing. His ability to communicate with people in pain is maybe his most powerful strength."

Biden used his tributes to the dead to build and cement bridges across the partisan divide, whether he was eulogizing friends such as Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) or notorious leaders such as Sen. Strom Thurmond (S.C.), an avowed segregationist.

Biden "sees the essential goodness of everybody," Wilhelm said, "in his friends but also in his rivals. He really believes somebody can disagree with you on almost everything and still be a good person. He'd see a Trump fanatic and say, 'Where does that come from?' "

For a long time, Biden struggled to find the right voice in his speeches. He got himself in trouble for borrowing the words of others whose poetry and passion he admired.

In a campaign speech in 1987, he strangely referred to "my ancestors who worked in the coal mines of northeast Pennsylvania" as part of a riff about clawing his way up from a blue-collar background.

But there had never been any ancestors in the coal mines. That bit was lifted from a rousing speech by British politician Neil Kinnock that Biden had seen and admired.

Biden had quoted from the speech before, giving Kinnock credit. But this time, in Iowa, there was no credit. He was caught out, pilloried in the media. There was a piling on, reports of incidents in which Biden had used a Robert F. Kennedy line without attribution.

At his news conference withdrawing from the race, Biden looked gloomy as he prepared to do the hardest thing for most any politician - admit failure.

"The place was of course packed and it was very hot from the TV lights, which were really bright," recalled Tom Oliphant, then a reporter at the Boston Globe. "From right in front of him, I asked him before he started speaking, half-joking, if he was okay with the lights."

That is, can you take it?

"Just you watch, Tom," Biden replied. "And then, in the middle of his oration, he looked straight at me and said, 'I'll be back, Oliphant, I'll be back.' "

Twenty years later, looking back on the incident, Biden said that the plagiarism "was born out of my arrogance. I didn't deserve to be president."

Soon after the debacle, his aides saw a shift in Biden, a more evident humility.

"There was a flaw in himself and he admitted it," Vallely said. "He reflected: 'Who am I?' "

The Rev. Jesse Jackson once said that to run for president, you don't need a fire in your belly; you need a volcano.

"Where does the volcano come from?" Wilhelm asked. "For Trump, it comes from ego. For Joe Biden, in '87, I would have said it came from his absolute sense of commonality with working-class people. But now, it's more personal, more intimate."

Biden became more comfortable with his grief and with using it to connect to others in pain. Two things got him there: time and the death of his son Beau.

The line that explains the change comes up again and again in conversations with those who have known Biden for decades: "The memory of pain falls drop by drop upon our heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God." The quotation is from Aeschylus, the ancient Greek playwright, as cited by Robert F. Kennedy upon the death of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Biden passed on running for president in 2016 - Beau's death was too raw and Hillary Clinton's candidacy seemed inevitable - but when Trump responded to the neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville in 2017 by saying there were "some very fine people on both sides," Biden said that "in that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime."

He would run in 2020. At the risk of seeming sanctimonious in an era of primitive political tribalism, he would stake a claim on the moral high ground. He still had the ambition and, with age, he was comfortable showing his vulnerability.

"This man has lived a lot of life," Gitenstein said. "One of Beau's 'parting gifts' was that in his passing and the public reaction to it and how Biden handled it . . . the rest of the world got to see this aspect of Biden - his decency, his strength."

- - -

Through the years, the ambition and the empathy blended with Biden's regular-guy demeanor to create a political persona that struck many voters as right down the middle - reasonable, honorable, neither a revolutionary nor a reactionary.

The Vietnam War had presented Biden with his first big confrontation between left and center, between antiwar activists and process-oriented politicians who opposed the war but never were comfortable with the rough-and-tumble of street protests.

Biden never felt drawn to the antiwar movement, to marches and demonstrations. "I'm not a joiner," he told Cramer. "I was married, I was in law school. I wore sport coats."

For decades, he gravitated toward the center, arguing that Washington was neglecting the middle class, which he often described as "getting clobbered." Early in his career, he opposed court-ordered busing to integrate public schools, preferring to use housing policy to encourage integrated neighborhoods. In the Senate, he avoided being tagged as a liberal.

In those years, Biden had a stock speech in which he derided the Reagan presidency as a turn toward selfishness. "The cry of the Reagan years has been 'Got mine! Go get yours! What's in it for me?' " Biden said. "Ladies and gentlemen, something is wrong."

"He's always searching for how to get to the vital center," Vallely said. "He loves making the deal, getting it done. He's never going to be the 'woke' guy."

That practicality was evident in Biden's decision in 2008 to accept Barack Obama's invitation to join his ticket.

Biden "did not want to be vice president of the United States," said former senator Ted Kaufman, D-Del., for many years Biden's chief of staff in the Senate. "Joe Biden's never worked for anybody in his life . . . When Obama first called him, he said no."

But Obama asked again and Biden gathered his family and close friends, including Kaufman, and Biden's "mother said, 'Let me get this straight - the first African American man has a chance to be president and he's come to you and you said no?' Game, set, match over."

Biden and Obama complemented each other, reflecting different aspects of the American character - the cerebral Obama, professorial, cool; and Biden, flashing his car-salesman smile, serving as the great comforter - vice presidents have to attend a lot of funerals - alternately warning about his Irish temper and embracing any stranger in pain.

The empathy was most evident then, but the ambition never left him.

In 2020, Biden ran as the steady alternative to the chaos and clamor on the American extremes, rejecting both the reactionary nostalgia of the Trump movement and the left's denunciations of the country's history.

If he won the race, Biden promised early in the campaign, "nothing would fundamentally change."

Yet as 2020 wore on, through the pandemic and protests, he altered his riff. Now he was saying that the country craved "revolutionary, institutional change" - that the answer to the disinformation and division that led to the frightening assault on the Capitol is making Washington work again, delivering on changes that make life better for regular folks.

Biden's friends say he's right for this moment - a politician driven not by a cause, but by his desire to assure a fair shot, stability and the two most intimate of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Four Freedoms: freedom from want and from fear.

"In another life," Gitenstein said, "Biden could well have been a priest or a cop who walks the beat and knows everybody. Helping people deal with their pain is what he does."

Some time after Biden's 1988 campaign collapsed, Gitenstein asked Cramer whether he thought Biden had a future in politics.

"Someday, they will come to him," the biographer replied.

"By that, he meant the party and the country will come to him," Gitenstein recalled. "The moment will be just right for him. We're at that moment."
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Researchers from University of Hawaii and University of Florida published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that argues that a biological account of human behavior, especially undesirable behavior, will benefit human welfare. This biological perspective can complement traditional psychological, anthropological, and economic perspectives on consumption, particularly with respect to the vital topic of self-control.

The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled "Consumer Self-Control and the Biological Sciences: Implications for Marketing Stakeholders" and is authored by Yanmei Zheng and Joe Alba.

Society's understanding of human ills is constantly evolving. Many ill-advised consumer behaviors are conventionally viewed through a non-biological lens, with the underlying biological causation of such behaviors often neglected. This research considers two biological domains that have produced a tsunami of findings in very recent years: neuroscience and genetics. A review of the biological literature shows that many undesirable consumer behaviors are biologically rooted in the brain and the genes. These biological insights bear important implications for public policy, marketing practice, and consumer well-being.

The researchers argue, however, that biological insights will not translate directly into improved welfare if those insights fail to make an impression on marketing's many stakeholders. They further argue that the road to welfare-enhancing policies will be rocky if the lay public is resistant to the implications of biology. They sought to understand laypeople's existing beliefs about biological causation and gauge how those beliefs can be shaped by findings from the biological sciences.

To do so, the researchers conducted 10 studies to examine lay beliefs about--and lay reactions to--biological causation. Zheng explains that "Overall, we find a sizable amount of resistance to biological causation, in part due to the entrenched lay belief in mind-body dualism. Moreover, the studies show that acceptance of biology as a causal explanation of human behavior varies as a function of the portrayal of biological causation, the nature of the behavior, the amount of deliberation by the actor, and individual differences of the external observer. On an optimistic note, the studies also suggest that acceptance of biological causation can be influenced by marketing scholarship and marketing practice."

Biological causation has multiple implications. First, if biological causation becomes more widely accepted by the general public, policymakers' effort to regulate certain products and protect certain consumers will garner more public support. Moreover, policies that focus on prevention (e.g., investment in high-quality childhood education, social and family support programs, etc.) will gain more traction. Second, biological causation may raise more public scrutiny for some firms (e.g., unhealthy food and weight-loss programs) and alter the business models for others (e.g., healthcare and insurance industries). Biological causation may also open new opportunities for companies that provide welfare services and self-enhancement offerings. Third, biological causation will enhance consumers' self-understanding, which can translate into an improved state of well-being; it will also enhance understanding of others, which can translate into greater empathy and mutual respect.

Alba says "We believe that a biological account of human behavior can benefit human welfare. In addition, we believe marketing can play a critical role in facilitating public understanding and acceptance of biological causation. A truer understanding of the biological underpinnings of behavior should reduce moral scolding and enhance empathy toward those who exhibit poor self-control and other "failings"--including depression, irresoluteness, social awkwardness, infidelity, and even a lack of empathy--for which the biological and psychological causes are mistakenly dissociated. As the understanding of biological causation increases, so too should comity, mutual understanding, and societal well-being."

###

Full article and author contact information available at: https:/ / doi. org/ 10. 1177/ 0022242920983271

About the Journal of Marketing

The Journal of Marketing develops and disseminates knowledge about real-world marketing questions useful to scholars, educators, managers, policy makers, consumers, and other societal stakeholders around the world. Published by the American Marketing Association since its founding in 1936, JM has played a significant role in shaping the content and boundaries of the marketing discipline. Christine Moorman (T. Austin Finch, Sr. Professor of Business Administration at the Fuqua School of Business, Duke University) serves as the current Editor in Chief.

https:/ / www. ama. org/ jm

About the American Marketing Association (AMA)
FRANKFORT, Ky., Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ambassador Ned L. Siegel joined U.S. Medical Glove Co., as a co-founder today, citing the company's critical role in securing U.S. manufacturing of PPE.

"U.S. Medical Glove Company's commitment to provide our front-line warriors, health care workers, essential personnel and our citizens is paramount in the production of personal protective equipment that will be manufactured in our state-of-the-art facility. Providing economic development where our area veterans will be employed is a patriotic commitment to those that have served our Country. It is with great honor that I join Major General Davidson and his team in this endeavor," Ambassador Siegel stated.

U.S. Medical Glove will begin production of Nitrile Gloves for use by front line workers next month at its factory in Paris, Kentucky. Production is expected to reach 1.8 billion gloves per month by the end of 2021.

"Ambassador Siegel understands how essential it is that we bring high tech manufacturing back to the United States and we are proud to welcome him as a co- founder and partner," said CEO and co-founder Major General Michael Davidson, Viet Nam War veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Demand for U.S.-based PPE far outstrips the United States ability to meet demand, leaving first-responders dependent on unreliable foreign sources prone to price-gouging, child labor and fraud.

U.S. Medical Glove's roll-out of next generation technology, including sensors used to make gloves, remote monitoring and tracking for just in time delivery are critical in bringing next generation manufacturing to the U.S.

U.S. Medical Glove is investing in applications for bioplastics that can be used to make gloves, or as a wrapping in food service or for components in automotive and marine manufacturing and reduce the global plastic problem.

Plastic pollution has increased in the medical products sector and Nitrile Gloves are well-suited for conversion to biopolymers that can serve as a springboard to broader applications of the biopolymer across many industries.

"As former Ambassador to the Bahamas, I have confronted first-hand the consequences plastic pollution is having on our oceans and sea life," Ambassador Siegel said. "To bring production of essential supplies home and advance our transition to bioplastics has me inspired to join this project."

For more information on U.S. Medical Glove Co., visit www.usmedicalglove.com

SOURCE U.S. Medical Glove Company

Related Links

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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.

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Latest report on Christian persecution finds 3 in 4 martyrs are in Nigeria, ranked among 10 worst persecutors for first time.

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The 50 Countries Where Its Most Dangerous to Follow Jesus in ...

Every day, 13 Christians worldwide are killed because of their faith.

Every day, 12 churches or Christian buildings are attacked.

And every day, 12 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, and another 5 are abducted.

So reports the 2021 World Watch List (WWL), the latest annual accounting from Open Doors of the top 50 countries where Christians are the most persecuted for following Jesus.

You might think the [list] is all about oppression.  But the [list] is really all about resilience, stated David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, introducing the report released today.

The numbers of Gods people who are suffering should mean the Church is dyingthat Christians are keeping quiet, losing their faith, and turning away from one another, he stated. But thats not whats happening. Instead, in living color, we see the words of God recorded in the prophet Isaiah: I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert (Isa. 43:19, ESV).

The listed nations contain 309 million Christians living in places with very high or extreme levels of persecution, up from 260 million in last years list.

Another 31 million could be added from the 24 nations that fall just outside the top 50such as Cuba, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)for a ratio of 1 in 8 Christians worldwide facing persecution. This includes 1 in 6 believers in Africa and 2 out of 5 in Asia.

Last year, 45 nations scored high enough to register very high persecution levels on Open Doorss 84-question matrix. This year, for the first time in 29 years of tracking, all 50 qualifiedas did 4 more nations that fell just outside the cutoff.

Open Doors identified three main trends driving last years increase:

COVID-19 acted as a catalyst for religious persecution through relief discrimination, forced conversion, and as justification for increasing surveillance and censorship.

Extremist attacks opportunistically spread further throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, from Nigeria and Cameroon to Burkina Faso, Mali, and beyond.

Chinese censorship systems continue to propagate and spread to emerging surveillance states.

Open Doors has monitored Christian persecution worldwide since 1992. North Korea has ranked No. 1 for 20 years, since 2002 when the watch list began.

The 2021 version tracks the time period from November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020, and is compiled from grassroots reports by Open Doors workers in more than 60 countries.

We are not just talking to religious leaders, said Curry, at the livestream launch of this years list. Were hearing firsthand from those experiencing persecution, and we only report what we can document.

The purpose of the annual WWL rankingswhich have chronicled how North Korea now has competition as persecution gets worse and worseis to guide prayers and to aim for more effective anger while showing persecuted believers that they are not forgotten.

Where are Christians most persecuted today?

This year the top 10 worst persecutors are relatively unchanged. After North Korea is Afghanistan, followed by Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, and India.

Nigeria entered the top 10 for the first time, after maxing out Open Doorss metric for violence. The nation, with Africas largest Christian population, ranks No. 9 overall but is second behind only Pakistan in terms of violence, and ranks No. 1 in the number of Christians killed for reasons related to their faith.

Sudan left the top 10 for the first time in six years, after abolishing the death penalty for apostasy and guaranteeingon paper at leastfreedom of religion in its new constitution after three decades of Islamic law. Yet it remains No. 13 on the list, as Open Doors researchers noted Christians from Muslim backgrounds still face attacks, ostracization, and discrimination from their families and communities, while Christian women face sexual violence.

(This switch among the top 10 echoes the decision of the US State Department in December to add Nigeria and remove Sudan from its Countries of Particular Concern list, which names and shames governments which have engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom.)

Where Its Hardest to Follow Jesus:



1. North Korea

2. Afghanistan

3. Somalia

4. Libya

5. Pakistan

6. Eritrea

7. Yemen

8. Iran

9. Nigeria

10. India

India remains in the top 10 for the third year in a row because it continues to see an increase in violence against religious minorities due to government-sanctioned Hindu extremism.

Meanwhile, China joined the top 20 for the first time in a decade, due to ongoing and increasing surveillance and censorship of Christians and other religious minorities.

Of the top 50 nations:

12 have extreme levels of persecution and 38 have very high levels. Another 4 nations outside the top 50 also qualify as very high: Cuba, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, and Niger.

19 are in Africa (6 in North Africa), 14 are in Asia, 10 are in the Middle East, 5 are in Central Asia, and 2 are in Latin America.

34 have Islam as a main religion, 4 have Buddhism, 2 have Hinduism, 1 has atheism, 1 has agnosticismand 10 have Christianity.

The 2021 list added four new countries: Mexico (No. 37), Democratic Republic of Congo (No. 40), Mozambique (No. 45), and Comoros (No. 50).

Mozambique rose 21 spots (up from No. 66) due to extremist Islamic violence in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. The Democratic Republic of Congo rose 17 spots (up from No. 57) mainly due to attacks on Christians by the Islamist group ADF. Mexico rose 15 spots (up from No. 52) due to rising violence and discrimination against Christians from drug traffickers, gangs, and indigenous communities.

Four countries dropped off the list: Sri Lanka (formerly No. 30), Russia (formerly No. 46), United Arab Emirates (formerly No. 47), and Niger (formerly No. 50).

Where Christians Face the Most Violence:



1. Pakistan

2. Nigeria

3. Democratic Republic of Congo

4. Mozambique

5. Cameroon

6. Central African Republic

7. India

8. Mali

9. South Sudan

10. Ethiopia



Open Doors reporting period: November 2019 to October 2020

Other big changes in rankings: Colombia rose 11 spots from No. 41 to No. 30 due to violence from guerrillas, criminal groups, and indigenous communities and growing secular intolerance. Turkey rose 11 spots from No. 36 to No. 25 due to an increase in violence against Christians. And Bangladesh rose seven spots from No. 38 to No. 31 due to attacks on Christian converts among its Rohingya refugees.

However, other types of persecution can outweigh violence [as explained below]. For example, the Central African Republic fell 10 spots from No. 25 to No. 35, yet violence against Christians there remains extreme. And Kenya fell six spots from No. 43 to No. 49 though attacks there increased significantly.

Meanwhile, South Sudan ranks among the top 10 most violent nations tracked by Open Doors (at No. 9), yet doesnt even make the top 50 watch list (at No. 69).

For the lists 25th anniversary in 2017, Open Doors released an analysis of persecution trends over the past quarter-century. The top 10 nations over the 25-year span were: North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan, Maldives, Yemen, Sudan, Vietnam, and China.

Five countries appear on both the 25-year and 2021 top 10 listsa concerning sign of the stability of persecution, noted Open Doors.

How are Christians persecuted in these countries?

Open Doors tracks persecution across six categoriesincluding both social and governmental pressure on individuals, families, and congregationsand has a special focus on women.

But when violence is isolated as a category, the top 10 persecutors shift dramaticallyonly Pakistan, Nigeria, and India remain. In fact, 20 nations are now deadlier for Christians than North Korea.

Worldwide registered martyrdoms rose to 4,761 in the 2021 report, up 60 percent from the 2,983 tallied the year before and surpassing the 4,305 deaths noted in the 2019 report. (Open Doors is known for favoring a more conservative estimate than other groups, who often tally martyrdoms at 100,000 a year.)

Where Christians Were Martyred Most:



1. Nigeria: 3,530

2. Democratic Republic of Congo: 460

3. Pakistan: 307

4. Mozambique: 100*

5. Cameroon: 53

6. Burkina Faso: 38

7. [name withheld]: 36

8. Central African Republic: 35

9. Mali: 33

10. [name withheld]: 20



*Estimate | Open Doors reporting period: November 2019 to October 2020

Nine in 10 Christians killed for their faith were in Africa, the rest in Asia. Nigeria led the world with 3,530 martyrs confirmed by Open Doors for its 2021 list.

During the launch event, Curry interviewed Afordia, a Nigerian Christian health care worker whose husband was executed by Boko Haram. After cutting off communication networks in the couples village, the extremists rounded up the men and asked each one if they were a Muslim or an infidel.

No, I am not an infidel or a Muslim, I am a Christian, my husband told them, she said. Then he knelt down on the side of the road, and prayed.

Abduction of Christians rose to 1,710, up 63 percent from the 1,052 tallied the year before, the first time the category was tracked by Open Doors. Nigeria tops the list, with 990.

Pakistan led the world in forced marriages, a new category tracked last year, with about 1,000 Christians married to non-Christians against their will. Asia accounted for 72 percent of the forced marriages tallied by Open Doors, with Africaled by Nigeriathe remaining 28 percent.

Where Churches Were Attacked or Closed Most:



1. China: 3,088

2. Nigeria: 270

3. Angola: 100*

4. Democratic Republic of Congo: 100*

5. Ethiopia: 100*

6. Rwanda: 100*

7. Bangladesh: 90

8. India: 76

9. Pakistan: 68

10. Mexico: 61



*Estimate | Open Doors reporting period: November 2019 to October 2020

China arrested, jailed, or detained without charge 1,147 Christians for faith-related reasons, out of a total of 4,277 worldwide. This tally by Open Doors rose from 3,711 last year and 3,150 in 2019.

Meanwhile, attacks and forced closures of churches numbered 4,488 worldwide, with the vast majority recorded in China, followed by Nigeria. In last years report, the tally had skyrocketed from 1,847 to 9,488, with China accounting for 5,576 alone.

Open Doors cautioned that in several nations, the above violations are very difficult to document precisely. In these cases, round numbers are presented, always leaning towards conservative estimates.

Its research is certified and audited by the International Institute for Religious Freedom, a World Evangelical Alliance-backed network based in Germany.

Why are Christians persecuted in these countries?

The main motivation varies by country, and better understanding the differences can help Christians in other nations pray and advocate more effectively for their beleaguered brothers and sisters in Christ.

For example, though Afghanistan is the worlds No. 2 worst persecutor and an officially Muslim nation, the main motivation of persecution thereaccording to Open Doors researchis not Islamic extremism but ethnic antagonism, or what the report calls clan oppression.

Open Doors categorizes the primary sources of Christian persecution into eight groups:

Islamic oppression (29 countries): This is the main source of persecution that Christians face in more than half of the watchlist countries, including 5 of the 12 where Christian face extreme levels: Libya (No. 4), Pakistan (No. 5), Yemen (No. 7), Iran (No. 8), and Syria (No. 12). Most of the 29 are officially Muslim nations or have Muslim majorities; however, 7 actually have Christian majorities: Nigeria (No. 9), Central African Republic (No. 35), Ethiopia (No. 36), Democratic Republic of Congo (No. 40), Cameroon (No. 42), Mozambique (No. 45), and Kenya (No. 49).

Clan oppression (6 countries): This is the main source of persecution that Christians face in Afghanistan (No. 2), Somalia (No. 3), Laos (No. 22), Qatar (No 29), Nepal (No. 34), and Oman (No. 44).

Dictatorial paranoia (5 countries): This is the main source of persecution that Christians face in five countries, mostly in Central Asia with Muslim majorities: Uzbekistan (No. 21), Turkmenistan (No. 23), Tajikistan (No. 33), Brunei (No. 39), and Kazakhstan (No. 41).

Religious nationalism (3 countries): This is the main source of persecution that Christians face in three Asian nations. Christians are primarily targeted by Hindu nationalists in India (No. 10), and by Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar (No. 18) and Bhutan (No. 43).

Communist and post-communist oppression (3 countries): This is the main source of persecution that Christians face in three countries, all in Asia: North Korea (No. 1), China (No. 17), and Vietnam (No. 19).

Christian denominational protectionism (2 countries): This is the main source of persecution that Christians face in Eritrea (No. 6) and Ethiopia (No. 36).

Organized crime and corruption (2 countries): This is the main source of persecution that Christians face in Colombia (No. 30) and Mexico (No. 37).

Secular intolerance (0 countries): Open Doors tracks this source of persecution faced by Christians, but it is not the main source in any of the 50 countries studied.

What are the main trends in the persecution of Christians?

Open Doors identified four new or continuing trends in why and how Christians were persecuted for their faith last year.

First, the pandemic offered a new avenue for persecution, as Open Doors documented discrimination against Christians receiving COVID-19 relief in Ethiopia, Malaysia, Nigeria, Vietnam, and the Middle East.

In India, where more than 100,000 Christians received aid from Open Doors partners, 80 percent reported being previously dismissed from food distribution points. Some walked miles and hid their Christian identity to get food elsewhere, noted researchers. Open Doors also collected reports of Christians in rural areas being denied aid in Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Central Asia, Malaysia, North Africa, Yemen, and Sudan. Sometimes, this denial was at the hands of government officials, but more often, it was from village heads, committees or other local leaders.

Open Doors noted:

The global pandemic made persecution more obvious than eversimply because so many people needed help. The clear discrimination and oppression suffered by Christians in 2020 must not be forgotten, even after the COVID-19 crisis fades into our collective memory.

Public health lockdowns also increased the vulnerability of many believers. Christians who abandon a majority faith to follow Christ know they risk losing all support from spouses, families, tribes, and communities, as well as local and national authorities, noted researchers. If they lose income due to COVID-19, they cant fall back on customary networks for survival. Meanwhile, church leaders from Egypt to Latin America told Open Doors that bans on church services caused donations to drop by about 40 percent, reducing their own income and the ability of their congregations to offer assistance to the wider community.

Weve been fighting a virus we cannot see with the naked eye, said Curry. Less known, but equally as viral, is the discrimination, isolation, and violence against Christians using COVID-19 as leverage and justification.

The Open Doors report noted:

Most converts from majority faiths said confinement due to a COVID-19 quarantine locked them in with those most antagonistic to their faith in Jesus. This especially affected minority women and children. For millions of Christians, work, education, and other outside interests provide a brief time of calm from regular persecution. So when the lockdowns occurred, it meant this respite was no longer available. We have also received reports that the kidnapping, forcible conversion, and forced marriage of women and girls increased during the pandemic because of increased vulnerability. Additionally, places in Latin America that are vulnerable to drug gangs have become even more dangerous for Christians, since the pandemic has decreased the presence of official authorities who try to maintain order.

Second, increasing video and digital surveillance of religious groups and improvements in and proliferation of surveillance technology was another key trend.

China maintains it moved decisively to contain COVID-19 after the virus took flight in Wuhan, noted Open Doors researchers. But for its 97 million Christians, the cost in heavy restrictionsas surveillance reached into their homes, online and off-line interactions were tracked, and their faces were scanned into the Public Security databaseis high.

According to the report:

Reports from counties in Henan and Jiangxi provinces say cameras with facial recognition software are now in all state-approved religious venues. Many of these cameras are reported to be installed next to standard CCTV cameras, but they link to the Public Security Bureau, meaning artificial intelligence can instantly connect with other government databases. The facial recognition software is linked to the Social Credit System in China, which monitors the loyalty of citizens with regards to the tenets of communism.

Chinas war on faitha return to government as godis back, said Curry, who interviewed a Muslim Uighur about government detainment centers during the livestream. She warned against the export of these technologies.

Likewise in India, Open Doors researchers noted, religious minorities fear contact-tracing apps will have function creep and will be used to keep an eye on them and their movements.

Third, the trend of citizenship tied to faith continued to spread. In countries like India and Turkey, religious identity is increasingly tied to national identitymeaning, to be a real Indian or a good Turk, you must be a Hindu or a Muslim, respectively, noted researchers. This is often implicitlyif not explicitly encouraged by the ruling government.

Open Doors noted:

Amidst a surge of Hindu nationalism, Indian Christians are constantly pressured by strident propaganda. The message to be Indian, you must be Hindu means mobs continue to attack and harass Christians, as well as Muslims. The belief that Christians are not truly Indian means widespread discrimination and persecution is often conducted with impunity. India also continues to block the flow of foreign funds to many Christian-run hospitals, schools and church organizations, all under the guise of protecting the Indian national identity. In Turkey, the Turkish government has also assumed the role of nationalist protector of Islam. The Hagia Sophia was originally a cathedral and then a mosque, until modern Turkey decided it should be a museum. But in July 2020, the Turkish president persuaded a court to make it a mosque again, strengthening Turkish nationalism.  Turkish influence and nationalist aims extend beyond its borders, most notably in its backing of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia.

Fourth, attacks by mostly Muslim extremists increased despite lockdowns to contain the coronavirus. In much of the world, violence against Christians actually decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, noted researchers, but Christians in sub-Saharan Africa faced up to 30 percent higher levels of violence than the previous year.

Open Doors noted:

Several hundred mostly Christian villages in Nigeria were either occupied or ransacked by armed Hausa-Fulani Muslim militant herdsmen; sometimes, fields and crops were destroyed as well. Boko Haramand splinter group Islamic State of West Africa Province , an ISIS affiliate continue to plague Nigeria and northern Cameroon. In the Sahel region just south of the Sahara Desert, Islamic extremism is fuelled by injustice and poverty. These extremist groups exploit governmental failures, and armed jihadists spread propaganda, push recruitment and conduct regular attacks. This year, some groups pledged to wage war against infidels like Christiansthey claim Allah punishes us all with the pandemic because of the infidels. In Burkina Faso, until recently known for its inter-religious harmony between Muslims and Christians, 1 million people1 in 20 of the populationare displaced (and millions more are hungry) as a result of drought and violence. Last year, Burkina Faso dramatically entered the [WWL] for the first time. This year, Islamic extremists continue to target churches (14 killed in one attack, 24 in another).

How does the WWL compare to other top reports on religious persecution?

Open Doors believes it is reasonable to call Christianity the worlds most severely persecuted religion. At the same time, it notes there is no comparable documentation for the worlds Muslim population.

Other assessments of religious freedom worldwide corroborate many of Open Doorss findings. For example, the latest Pew Research Center analysis of governmental and societal hostilities toward religion found that Christians were harassed in 145 countries in 2018, more than any other religious group. Muslims were harassed in 139 countries, followed by Jews in 88 countries.

When examining only hostility by governments, Muslims were harassed in 126 countries and Christians in 124 countries, according to Pew. When examining only hostility within society, Christians were harassed in 104 countries and Muslims in 103 countries.

All nations of the world are monitored by Open Doors researchers and field staff, but in-depth attention is given to 100 nations and special focus on the 74 which record high levels of persecution (scores of more than 40 on Open Doorss 100-point scale).

Sam Brownback, US ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom, commended the World Watch List.

The day will come when people are able to practice their faith freely, and governments will protect this right, he said during the livestream. This day is getting nearer, and Open Doors helps with this effort.

Correction: In its first release of the report, Open Doors miscategorized the primary source of persecution in Colombia (No. 30) as clan oppression. The correct primary source is organized crime and corruption.

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Image: Open Doors World Watch List

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Armenia Armed Forces' General Staff deputy chief explains difficulties with settlement of border with Azerbaijan

UN: Israeli forces may have committed war crimes during 11-day war with Hamas

Nikol Pashinyan presents plan for resolving border situation

Dollar gains value in Armenia

Opposition party leader: Armenia Security Council to convene session with heads of parliamentary factions this evening

His Holiness Karekin II receives newly appointed UK Ambassador to Armenia

Greece and Turkey FMs to meet in Athens

Armenia acting PM says he will present plan for peaceful solution to border situation very soon

Armenia Parliament Speaker sends letters to counterparts of partnering legislatures

Zarif: Iran welcomes willingness of leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to ease tension

Armenia acting Deputy MOD on news about soldiers being ordered to not open fire

ANCA calls on US Congress to block financing of Azerbaijani Armed Forces

Armenia to allocate lands in Syunik Province to Russian border guards

Armenia Armed Forces General Staff deputy chief: We can destroy all Azerbaijani soldiers who invaded territory

Armenian advocates file lawsuit against Nikol Pashinyan

Army general staff deputy chief: About 1,000 Azerbaijan soldiers are illegally in Armenia

Army general staff: Armed forces can capture Azerbaijani soldiers who marched into Armenia

Armenia legislature approves several amendments to laws

Armenian opposition MP: Villages mentioned by ruling bloc's deputy are Armenia's buffer zone

Armenia Gegharkunik Province villager to acting PM: Over 50% of our pastures are now under Azerbaijan control

Armenia Kotayk Province has new governor

Armenia parliament majority leader meets with US ambassador, discusses border situation

NEWS.AM BREAKING: 6 Armenian soldiers are captured by Azerbaijan military in early morning

European Council head says process of implementing sanctions against Belarus is launched

Armenia acting MOD leaves for Moscow

Armenia President, Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces discuss current situation on border

Armenia acting PM to residents of borderline village: If we cede our border, Azerbaijanis will get more excited

Armenia MOD not confirming reports about Azerbaijan firing shots at Tavush Province

Ex-President Kocharyan meets with Yerevan residents, "Armenia" bloc members (PHOTOS)

Armenia petitions to European Court to ensure fundamental human rights of 6 soldiers captured by Azerbaijan

Armenia acting premier: We need to unite in this situation

Serj Tankian makes statement on Azerbaijans displayed horrific racism

Man detained in US for intending to commit attempt on Biden

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Erdogan to visit Baku and Shushi

Two Armenia legislature committees to hold closed joint meeting regarding tense situation on Azerbaijan border

Holy Etchmiadzin on capture of Armenia soldiers: Such behavior of Azerbaijan authorities is strongly condemnable

Gegharkunik Province village border area situation very tense, says Armenia enlarged community leader

Armenia opposition MP: Shots are heard Gegharkunik Province

Armenian National Congress party electoral list is announced

Armenia MFA: Azerbaijan leadership bears responsibility for consequences of actions by its armed forces

Opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament demands convening Security Council special session

140 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia

Acting premier: Our servicemen were abducted from Armenia territory

Armenia MOD announces names of 6 Armenian servicemen captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

Armenia parliament majority leader to CSTO: Our international partners do not call it like it is

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MOD: 6 Armenia soldiers are surrounded, captured by Azerbaijan military early morning

William Shakespeare, 1st man in world to get approved coronavirus vaccine, dies aged 81

Spain Congress of Deputies committee accepts pro-Armenian motion

Ex-PM comments on double-digit growth in Armenia economy

Facebook calls Russia, Iran leading purveyors of disinformation

Erdogan says meeting with Biden will mark 'start of new era' in relations with Washington

Armenia acting Deputy PM on creation of third high-voltage electric communication line with Iran

Vladimir Zaynetdinov: CSTO has taken note of application submitted by Armenia acting PM

Armenia's Pashinyan says addressing UN Security Council not ruled out

Armenia acting FM: International pressure on Azerbaijan is growing

Netanyahu tells Blinken that Israel is against reopening US consulate for Palestinians

23 political parties and 4 alliances apply to Armenia Central Electoral Commission ahead of snap parliamentary elections

Instagram launches ability to hide likes

Iran FM on solutions to problems in the region, territorial integrity

Bloomberg: Support for Erdogan's ruling party hits record low

Inter-agency commission sums up reports on implementation of roadmap for EU-Armenia CEPA

Armenian acting PM on CSTO and Russia and their duties as Armenia's allies

Slovakia allows use of Russian vaccine Sputnik V

Armenia acting PM on situation in Syunik Province: CSTO still hasn't clearly expressed its position

Armenia's Pashinyan: It's very rarely that Baku made provocations in Syunik and Gegharkunik Provinces on its own

Armenia acting PM: There will be no demarcation of borders until Azerbaijani troops are pulled out of territory

Record-setting number of political parties register to run in snap parliamentary elections in Armenia

Blinken describes Egypt as a "real and effective partner"

Armenia's Pashinyan slams opposition again

Yerevan court ends trial over Armenia 3rd President's nephew Hayk Sargsyan

Armenia President expresses condolences on passing away of Catholicos-Patriarch Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan

Armenia President hosts Iran FM-led delegation

Armenia acting PM doesn't see need to declare martial law in the country

Iran to send delegation of intellectual companies to Armenia

EU demands to fine AstraZeneca for not fulfilling contract

Zakharova: Russia is closely participating in settling Armenia-Azerbaijan border incident

Armenian soldier killed by Azerbaijan, electoral lists for snap elections submitted, May 26 digest

Armenia 1st President Levon Ter-Petrosyan heads Armenian National Congress Party's electoral list

Armenia acting PM: Acting defense minister to visit Moscow soon

Taliban oppose establishment of US bases in region after withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan

Two new videos showing incidents between Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers

Central Bank to raise Armenia economic growth forecast for 2021

Acting minister: Armenia MOD, Russian peacekeepers dismiss Azerbaijan statements

Armenia Ambassador presents Letters of Credence to Tunisia President

Dollar goes up in Armenia

Newly appointed Ambassador of Jordan presents Letters of Credence to Armenia President

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Laurence des Cars to become Louvre director

LONDON, UK / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals plc (LSE:HEMO), the biopharmaceutical group developing new therapies and treatments for blood diseases, is pleased to announce that it has successfully completed the development of its CDX antibody with a leading global pharmaceutical company ("GlobalCo"). As a result of the Company's successful collaboration with GlobalCo, the Company has chosen a clone of its CDX antibody that is ready for investigational new drug ("IND") application-enabling studies, a significant step toward clinical trials.

On 14 May 2018, the Company announced a collaboration with GlobalCo to work on its CDX antibody. Under the Agreement, which stipulated that GlobalCo's identity remain anonymous for the time being, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals received, free of charge, technical support, access to advanced methods of discovering, developing and engineering antibodies, and certain intellectual property necessary for the successful preclinical development of the Company's lead candidate bi-specific CDX antibody for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia ("AML"). This work complemented the Company's own development work that was being undertaken.

With the phase of the Agreement relating to the development of the antibody completed, under the Agreement, as of 11 January 2021, GlobalCo has three months to exercise an option to license the Company's intellectual property necessary to exploit the CDX antibody on an exclusive worldwide basis ("Option"). In the event GlobalCo and Company are unable to reach an exclusive licensing agreement within six months of GlobalCo's exercise of the Option, if any, or if GlobalCo does not exercise the Option, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals will have three months to exercise an option to license the GlobalCo's intellectual property necessary to exploit the CDX antibody on an exclusive worldwide basis, followed by six months to reach an exclusive licensing agreement.

In either scenario, the Directors are confident that a successful outcome will be achieved to take the development of the CDX antibody forward toward clinical trials. In the meantime, the Company and GlobalCo will continue developing the CDX antibody asset.

Dr Vladislav Sandler, CEO & Co-Founder of Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals, commented:

"We are extremely pleased with the outcome of our collaboration with GlobalCo, which has resulted in a CDX antibody that is ready to be developed for clinical trials. I am very proud of the Company's team of scientists who, without a doubt, have proven that Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals is capable of performing cutting edge research and development of the highest calibre. The completion of the development of the CDX antibody with GlobalCo is a key milestone on our path to creating an effective treatment for patients suffering from AML, and we look forward to entering into the next phase of negotiations with GlobalCo."

About AML

AML, the most common type of acute leukemia in adults, has poor survival rates (a five-year survival rate of less than 30% in adults) and is currently treated using chemotherapy, rather than the potentially more benign and effective form of therapy being developed by Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals. The successful development of the new therapy for AML would have a major impact on treatment and survival rates for the disease.



Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

Certain information contained in this announcement would have been deemed inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation No 596/2014 until the release of this announcement.

Enquiries:

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals plc https://hemogenyx.com Dr Vladislav Sandler, Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder headquarters@hemogenyx.com Peter Redmond, Director peter.redmond@hemogenyx.com SP Angel Corporate Finance LLP Tel: +44 (0)20 3470 0470 Matthew Johnson, Vadim Alexandre, Adam Cowl Peterhouse Capital Limited Tel: +44 (0)20 7469 0930 Lucy Williams, Duncan Vasey, Charles Goodfellow

About Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals plc

Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals plc is a publicly traded company (LSE:HEMO) headquartered in London, with its US operating subsidiaries, Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals LLC and Immugenyx LLC, located in New York City at its state-of-the-art research facility.

The Company is a pre-clinical stage biopharmaceutical group developing new medicines and treatments to treat blood and autoimmune disease and to bring the curative power of bone marrow transplantation to a greater number of patients suffering from otherwise incurable life-threatening diseases. Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals is developing several distinct and complementary product candidates, as well as a platform technology that it uses as an engine for novel product development.

For more than 50 years, bone marrow transplantation has been used to save the lives of patients suffering from blood diseases. The risks of toxicity and death that are associated with bone marrow transplantation, however, have meant that the procedure is restricted to use only as a last resort. The Company's technology has the potential to enable many more patients suffering from devastating blood diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma, as well as severe autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, aplastic anemia and systemic lupus erythematosus (Lupus), to benefit from bone marrow transplantation.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

SOURCE: Hemogenyx Pharmaceuticals PLC

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/624100/Hemogenyx-Pharmaceuticals-PLC-Announces-Update-on-CDX-Antibody-Development
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Welcome to Wine of the Week, a new series in which Chronicle wine critic Esther Mobley recommends a delicious bottle that you should be drinking right now. Last week, she highlighted an electrifying Oregon Riesling. Check online for a new installment every Wednesday.

The wine in my glass smells like winter on the West Coast. The flavors and aromas are of pine needle, rained-on soil, tree bark, citrus peel. Its got that irresistible quality that I associate with the air during a January hike through the redwoods or a walk along a foggy Pacific beach: freshness.

This is Lang & Reeds 2017 North Coast Cabernet Franc, and its a beautiful example of a Cabernet Franc that stays true to its varietal signature while also expressing a distinctive NorCal spirit. It has a lot of the same herbal, floral qualities found in the Cabernet Francs from Chinon, in France's Loire Valley, widely considered a benchmark for this wine type. But as much as the Lang & Reed feels inspired by France, it also oozes California.

Lang & Reed has long been one of Napa Valleys iconoclastic producers, the rare winery focused on Cabernet Franc rather than Napas cash cow, Cabernet Sauvignon. As their names might suggest, the two grape varieties are kin: Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc are Cabernet Sauvignons genetic parents. But where Cabernet Sauvignon, especially when grown in Napa, can be full-bodied, opulent and fruity, Cabernet Franc is lighter, subtler and rougher-hewn. It tends to be savory rather than sweet, herbal rather than fruity, rustic rather than polished.

Jason Henry / Special To The Chronicle 2016

Tracey and John Skupny, the couple behind Lang & Reed, are veterans of Napas wine industry. They started off as somms, worked for well-known wineries including Spottswoode and Niebaum-Coppola (now Inglenook) and in 1993 began making wines that stood in defiance of the Cabernet Sauvignons that surrounded them. (The winery is named for the Skupny sons, Lang and Reed.) Since then, theyve consistently made excellent Cab Franc that stays true to their own unique style. They make just two types of wine: Cab Franc and Chenin Blanc, the predominant red and white grape of the Loire Valley.

At $29 (the price varies by a few dollars depending on the store), the North Coast Cab Franc is Lang & Reeds entry-level red, the gateway to its other Cabernet Francs that are more geographically specific. About two-thirds of the North Coast is composed of grapes grown in Lake County, with the rest from Sonoma Countys Alexander Valley and a pinch of Napa Valley. Lang & Reed also makes a Cab Franc called Two-Fourteen thats entirely from Napas Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard ($85), and recently has released some library wines ($125) to showcase how gracefully Cab Francs can age.

But this 2017 North Coast bottling is a fine place to start, especially for Cabernet Franc newbies. The grapes hallmark green bell pepper note is present, mingling with lavender. Its got the tannin and structure to stand up to a chilly winter night, but still has nimble energy and zippy acidity. I drank it alongside flank steak with chimichurri, and the combination of grilled meat with bright, tangy, green-herb-packed sauce proved to be a pleasant echo of the wines own flavors.

Jason Henry / Special To The Chronicle 2016

Buy the wine from Lang & Reeds website or at the following Bay Area shops: Bacchus & Venus, Back Room Wines, Bottle Barn, Browns Valley Market, Calistoga Wine Shop, Canyon Market, Draegers (San Mateo), Garys Wine, Legit Provisions, Mill Valley Market, Nielsen Brothers, Oakville Grocery, Olivers (Stony Point), PlumpJack, Prima, Roberts of Woodside, Sunshine Foods, United Market (San Anselmo and San Rafael locations), Vintage Wine Merchants and Weimax.

Food Guide Top 25 Restaurants Where to eat in the Bay Area. Find spots near you, create a dining wishlist, and more.

Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc North Coast 2017 ($29, 13.5%)

Esther Mobley is The San Francisco Chronicles wine critic. Email: emobley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Esther_mobley

Correction: An earlier version of this article misidentified the price of the Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc North Coast 2017. The winery's suggested retail price is $29, though the actual price varies from store to store.
Drug maker Eli Lilly on Monday announced promising results from a small study of an experimental Alzheimer's disease drug called donanemab.

The two-year, phase 2 clinical trial included 272 patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease symptoms. The company said that patients who received the drug by infusion every four weeks had a 32 percent slower rate of mental decline than those who were given a placebo, The New York Times reported. After six to 12 months of treatment with the drug, patients no longer had amyloid protein plaques that are hallmarks of Alzheimer disease, according to Daniel Skovronsky, M.D., the company's chief scientific officer.

However, the findings have not been reviewed by other researchers and have not been published in any form, The Times reported. The main side effect was one often seen in patients who take experimental monoclonal antibodies to treat Alzheimer's disease: an accumulation of fluid in the brain. It occurred in close to 30 percent of patients, Skovronsky said, but most had no symptoms. The effect was seen on brain imaging.

The trial findings need to be replicated, Michael Weiner, M.D., a leading Alzheimer's disease researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, told The Times. Even so, "this is big news" and "holds out hope for patients and their families," Weiner added.

Explore further Alzheimer's drug targeting soluble amyloid falls short in a large clinical trial

More information: The New York Times Article

Copyright  2020 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
The United States Capitol complex is a series of buildings connected by open space. Anyone can walk west down East Capitol Street, past the Supreme Court to their right, and onto the plaza above the Capitol Visitor Center all the way up to the front steps of the building. In non-pandemic times, tourists can join a tour through the working seat of government in the middle of the day, or they can enter an office building to visit their member of Congress or senator. Credentialed media can enter through a metal detector at the entrance of the Capitol itself, walk up to any person they need to seefrom a backbencher to Mitch McConnelland badger them with questions about an environmental policy bill theyre working on or a tweet from the president of the United States calling his porn star ex-mistress horseface. It is an egalitarian, democratic space.

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Or so it was until last week, when a mob of violent maniacs took advantage of poor public safety preparation ahead of a constitutionally mandated joint session of Congress and overran the building in a siege that led to five deaths, a number that could have been much higher.

I went to the Capitol on Tuesday for the first time since Wednesdays insurrection to get a coronavirus test after being locked down in tight quarters with other media members. It is no longer an open space. The perimeter of the complex was sealed by barriers, in most spaces 7-foot nonscalable fencing and Jersey walls. The poor soul who inevitably has to remind me to flip around my ID badge when I try to enter is no longer a U.S. Capitol Police officer, but a member of the National Guard. Theyre stationed every so many feet along the perimeter with others on patrol. Once inside the Capitolgranted, it was a slow morningyou were just as likely to see a police officer or member of the National Guard walking through the hallways as you were a staffer. Members will have to go through metal detectors to get on the House floor when they return for votes on Tuesday. (Expect significant griping.)

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This level of security is appropriate, and were it in place last week, it would have protected the transfer-of-power ritual much more effectively than a minuscule number of cops overlooking a Maginot line of 4-foot-high bicycle racks did. But were not out of the woods yet. Law enforcement is tracking additional calls to arms from now through the inauguration, and who knows how far beyond. Capitol Police briefed Democrats on Monday about a slew of potential plots in the coming days including one, as HuffPost reported, that would involve insurrectionists forming a perimeter around the Capitol, the White House and the Supreme Court, and then blocking Democrats from entering the Capitolperhaps even killing themso that Republicans could take control of the government. Members are more concerned than ever about their personal safety. For Republicans, specifically, its becoming less that they fear voting against Trump because of the threat of a primary challenger than because of the threat of physical harm.

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Up to 15,000 National Guard members could be deployed for inauguration.

The new security perimeter is expected to be in place for at least 30 days. If, by the grace of God, the country is able to get through the inaugural and its immediate aftermath without any further political violence, sedition, or conspiracy, will the Capitol return to normal?

Thats a question that will track with the countrys ability to return to something within the same ballpark as normal. It will depend on whether those who resorted to violence and ransacking against the constitutional process are properly punished and disgraced, or whether they embolden new waves of people to substitute force for politicking. Restoring whats become Fortress Capitol to the open, democratic peoples grounds will depend on the countrys own ability to defend democratic ideals.
Many hotels deliberately skip the "13th floor" because it is considered unlucky, but for the Hotel Grand Chancellor, it's the usually lucky number seven that has authorities scrambling.

The seventh floor of the Brisbane hotel has generated six cases of the B.1.1.7 strain of COVID-19, which was first discovered in the UK and is much more infectious than many other strains of the virus.

Returned travellers in hotel quarantine on Wednesday chat before being moved. Credit:Attila Csaszar

Genomic testing has confirmed the cases are all linked, almost certainly to a returned traveller who arrived from the UK on December 30 before later testing positive.

He passed it to his wife, who was in the same room as him, but also to a hotel cleaner who serviced the room once they had been moved to hospital. That sparked a three-day lockdown of Greater Brisbane after the cleaner visited a number of locations while infectious.
Mr. Lindell continued to back the protesters in the hours after Mr. Trumps violent supporters broke into the Capitol. Appearing on Wednesday as a guest on Newsmax, the right-wing cable network, Mr. Lindell described the events of the day as very peaceful.

There was probably some undercover antifa that dressed as Trump people and did some damage to windows and got in there, he added. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said there is no indication of any antifa involvement. In the same interview Mr. Lindell claimed that Donald Trump will be our president for the next four years.

MyPillow is a major supporter of conservative media. The brand appeared on 16 TV networks from Wednesday through Friday, with 44 percent of its spending going to Fox News, Fox Business and Fox Sports, according to data from MediaRadar. From the day of the Washington riots until Monday, MyPillow spent tens of thousands of ad dollars on Newsmax, according to estimates from iSpot.TV. In the first three quarters of 2020, MyPillow spent more than $62 million on television ads, nearly 99 percent of it going to cable channels such as Fox News, according to Nielsen Ad Intel.

MyPillow did not respond to requests for comment.

Even as his company has advertised heavily on Fox News, Mr. Lindell has followed Mr. Trumps lead in criticizing the network, which declared Joseph R. Biden Jr. the president-elect on Nov. 7. In a Jan. 5 Twitter post, Mr. Lindell said that Fox News keeps suppressing the evidence and election fraud!

In the days after the siege, Mr. Lindell promoted debunked conspiracy theories on social media, urging fans in a since-deleted tweet to keep the faith as evidence of the biggest election fraud in history gets revealed. He also complained that his follower count on Twitter was dropping as the platform cracked down on harmful content and removed users who expressed support for theories associated with the fringe movement QAnon.
Sheldon Adelson, the chairman and CEO of Las Vegas Sands and a major donor to Republican politicians, died late Monday following complications related to his cancer treatment, his company said. He was 87.

Adelson took a leave of absence from Sands last week to resume treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which his aides first disclosed in late February 2019.

He rose from a hardscrabble childhood in Boston to become one of the world's richest men as founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp He was Sands' first employee, which has since grown to 50,000 employees.

"His impact on the industry will be everlasting," the company said.

Adelson's funeral will be held in Israel, the birthplace of his wife, Dr. Miriam Adelson. Plans for a memorial in Las Vegas, where he ran the Venetian and Palazzo casinos, will be held at a later date.

GOP donor

Adelson spent his fortune -- pegged at $35 billion by Forbes -- to become an influential behind-the-scenes-player in Washington, working to shape US policy toward Israel, help guide Republican Party strategy and lobby against threats posed to his business interests.

He donated hundreds of millions of dollars to medical research and Jewish causes. He owned Israel's largest daily newspaper by circulation; donated to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance center in Jerusalem; and helped underwrite Birthright Israel, which pays for educational trips to Israel for young Jewish adults.

But he was perhaps best known in the United States as a Republican mega-donor whose millions helped shape the course of presidential and congressional elections in the post-Citizens United era.

Adelson and his wife, Miriam, donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Republican-aligned super PACs. They plowed more than $215 million into federal super PACs in the last two years, making them largest publicly disclosed donors of the 2020 elections, according to a tally by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Adelson did not always support the front-runner in GOP intraparty fights.

In the 2012 Republican presidential primary, for instance, Adelson invested heavily in a super PAC that helped extend former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's presidential run.

Gingrich eventually lost the nomination to Mitt Romney, but Adelson's spending underscored his loyalty to Gingrich, with whom he shared a hawkish stance on Israel.

Trump patron

In 2016, Adelson emerged as a powerful voice backing then-candidate Donald Trump at a time when many GOP traditional donors were reluctant to support the brash real estate developer.

In May 2016, as Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination, Adelson penned a Washington Post opinion piece, urging the party's financial benefactors to unite behind Trump after a bruising primary.

Adelson called Trump a "CEO success story."

"You may not like Trump's style or what he says on Twitter, but this country needs strong executive leadership more today than at almost any point in its history," Adelson wrote.

Later that year, the Adelsons donated $20 million to a super PAC supporting Trump's candidacy. Adelson became the largest individual contributor to the President's inaugural committee, donating $5 million.

The Adelsons were rewarded for their generosity.

They attended Trump's inauguration, dined at the White House and had front-row seats in 2018 as US officials opened a US Embassy in Jerusalem -- a long-standing Adelson objective.

In a White House ceremony in 2018, Trump awarded Israeli-born Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. The White House cited her work to support medical research and Jewish causes.

Rags to riches

Adelson was born August 4, 1933, in Boston. His father, an immigrant from Lithuania, drove a cab, and his mother, whose family came from Wales, ran a small knitting service. He and his siblings slept on the floor of the family's tenement apartment.

Adelson often touted his rags-to-riches story and his determination to claw his way out of poverty.

At age 12, he was selling newspapers on street corners in Boston. By 16, he had invested in candy machines. After a stint in the Army, he continued to run businesses, selling condominiums, working as a mortgage broker, taking a turn as a venture capitalist.

"Despite being the grandson of a Welsh coal miner and the son of a Boston cab driver, I've had the remarkable experience of being part of almost 50 different businesses in my more than 70-year business career," he wrote in the Washington Post piece touting Trump.

His big break came in the late 1970s, when he launched a computer trade show known as Comdex. He sold it in 1995 for nearly $900 million, parlaying that convention business into a casino empire that comprises the properties in Asia, the upscale Venetian and Palazzo resorts in Las Vegas and Sands Bethelem, a casino hotel in Pennsylvania. His venture became the world's largest casino company.

His properties ranged from the opulent Venetian casino resort in Las Vegas, where visitors can ride in gondolas, to a string of lucrative casinos in the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau.

In person, Adelson was instantly recognizable for his thinning patch of bright red hair and the electric scooter he rode everywhere. He suffered from peripheral neuropathy, a condition that made walking difficult.

He generally shied away from media interviews.

His family's 2015 purchase of one of his hometown newspapers, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was cloaked in secrecy, forcing journalists at the paper to do their own digging to determine the identity of their new bosses.

During his cancer battle, Adelson had curtailed his office hours at the company he founded, although the company said in a statement that Adelson continued to perform his duties as its chairman and CEO.

Calling his achievements in the hospitality industry "well-documented," the company said that Adelson's vision "transformed the industry, changed the trajectory of the company he founded, and reimagined tourism" in Las Vegas, Macau and Singapore.
Sally Rooney has been called JD Salinger for the Snapchat generation, but theres certainly a case to be made for describing her as the Beyonce of books.

What other writer can you think of who would break the internet with the simple news that she is set to publish her third novel?

From Entertainment Weekly and Vogue to the New York Times, the breathless announcement of Beautiful World, Where Are You?, due for release later this year, could barely be missed.

Even the announcement itself seemed so very Sally: after the Books of 2021 lists had been done and dusted, with little fanfare (yet still managed to break the internet all the same).

Rooneys first two novels, Conversations With Friends and Normal People  both recipients of the big-screen treatment, thanks to Element Pictures  have scarcely been out of the best-seller charts for the last two years.

The hype surrounding Rooney, who turns 30 next month, has been a thing to behold. Even the Kardashians themselves say they are fans. Not that the hype has sat easily with the Mayo-born writer.

Maybe I am one of those people who writes two novels in their 20s, then never writes anything else again, she told this newspaper in 2018.

Read More

Rooneys next book certainly sounds familiar. It follows four young characters in Ireland as they navigate the pressures of work and relationships against the backdrop of political turmoil and fears about their economic futures.

Her American publisher told the New York Times: [The characters are] contemplating a world in which the future is very uncertain for them  whats the world of work going to look like, whats going to happen to the planet, what are the politics we are all living through.

They desire each other, they delude each other, they get together, they break apart, Faber has written as a teaser. Clearly, Rooney is a fan of the if it aint broke, dont fix it approach. What, were you expecting a sci-fi novel?

In spite of her seismic success, there is something about Rooneys name that seems to spark a sort of secondary-school meanness in other, less successful writers (lets face it, almost all of them are less successful).

One critic, Martin Ebel, wrote that the hype around her was helped by promising photographs where she looks like a startled deer with sensuous lips.

Why We Cant Make Up Our Minds About Sally Rooney, a headline on ElectricLiterature.com shrieks, as though she is a mystery that demands to be deconstructed.

In light of this weeks announcement, several online commentators cut through the air of jubilation with their own take on the news.

I just dont like her. There, I said it, they fumed, thinking that they were somehow being radical and giving basic b*tches everywhere one in the eye.

Heres the thing. Snarking on Sally Rooney is predictable, yet completely, embarrassingly dull. And it probably says a lot more about your attitude to young women, and in particular successful, attractive young women, than it does your literary predilections.

Even if she writes about a bunch of twenty-something Trinity graduates a hundred times over, Rooneys astute, humanising perceptions, deceptive simplicity and oft-imitated literary voice cant really be disputed.

Theres an intimacy and a vulnerability in Rooneys writing, and if you dont like it, thats fine. But hating on a writer for doing exactly what a writer is meant to do is daft.

Perhaps Rooneys tender years make her a target for this type of dismissal. People mention her rickety similes or her solipsistic characters, and how she might be a precocious and overindulged talent.

All of it smacks of weapons-grade envy. Her books have earned her well in excess of 8m. Its safe to assume she is doing something right, whether you like it or not.

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Laura Whitmore is one in a million

Laura Whitmore is certainly hitting a purple patch in life: in addition to recently getting married and announcing her pregnancy, her career appears to be in rude health these days too.

After hosting Love Island  one of TVs most lucrative gigs  at the beginning of the year, the Bray native has been her bankability soar in the last 12 months. As of this week, it appears she is officially a millionaire.

Yer Wan Limited has 1,383,135 (1.55m) in current assets, including 983,764 (1.1m) in cash. The new accounts also show that the firm accumulated profits of 1,191,318 (1.335m) last year.

All told, its not bad for a woman who kickstarted her broadcasting career as the winner of an MTV competition, which saw her read bulletins on the music channel.

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Its easy to see just how Whitmore (35) has cut loose from the typical MTV-babe pack and reached a fairly exalted position within TVs pecking order. She appears to be a natural and canny broadcaster.

When her friend Caroline Flack died last year, Whitmore also showed a very human side when she delivered an emotional tribute on her BBC Radio 5 show. And so it goes on social media, where her relatability has seen her rack up 1.3 million followers on Instagram alone.

Professionalism and simply being herself: a combo that will see Whitmore go a long way.

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Marian Keyes has the write stuff

Thousands of would-be writers tuned into the masterclass offered by novelist Marian Keyes this week. The bestselling writer is offering a free novel writing class on Instagram live, in which she goes over topics like plot, character, motivation and The Fear.

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Its another instance of a celebrity using their privilege in a brilliant way during the pandemic. If youre going to take the plunge and try your hand at becoming the next Sally Rooney  and really, who doesnt want that?  learn the ropes from one of the best in the field.
(Alliance News) - Hospital intensive care units in the UK face being overwhelmed unless coronavirus rates are brought under control, Prime Minister Boris Johnson admitted.

The prime minister said there was a "very substantial" risk that ICUs would be unable to cope if numbers kept increasing.

Johnson's stark warning came as the daily reported death toll reached a new high, with 1,564 fatalities recorded within 28 days of a positive test.

The latest figures mean the grim milestone of more than 100,000 deaths involving coronavirus has now been passed in the UK, according to official data.

The prime minister told MPs: "If you ask me when do we think that the ICU capacity is likely to be overtopped, I can't give you a prediction for that.

"But all I can say is that the risk is very substantial and we have to keep the pressure off the NHS and the only way to do that is to follow the current lockdown."

The latest official figures on the coronavirus dashboard show more than 36,000 people are in hospital with coronavirus, including almost 3,500 on ventilation.

Johnson told the Commons Liaison Committee that "the situation is very, very tough indeed in the NHS" and "the strain is colossal" on staff.

The prime minister also acknowledged concerns about a new Brazilian variant of coronavirus, although he did not announce a ban on travel from the South American country.

"We already have tough measures...to protect this country from new infections coming in from abroad," he said.

"We are taking steps to do that in respect of the Brazilian variant."

Earlier, at Prime Minister's Questions Johnson said vaccinations would take place 24/7 as soon as possible, although supply of doses remained the main barrier.

He said the process of protecting people from coronavirus is already going "exceptionally fast" but "at the moment the limit is on supply" of the vaccine.

"We will be going to 24/7 as soon as we can," he told MPs.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will set out further details "in due course", Johnson said.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said he understood that pilot 24-hour centres were not yet open to the public but there would be a "huge clamour".

Hancock earlier questioned whether there would be demand for a round-the-clock vaccination operation as "most people want to get vaccinated in the daytime, and also most people who are doing the vaccinations want to give them in the daytime".

More than 2.6 million people across the UK have so far received a first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

In Scotland, vaccinations could begin on a 24-hour schedule when mass centres open in late February or early March, the country's Health Secretary, Jeane Freeman, said.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca PLC vaccine provides the most straightforward route to protect around 15 million of the most vulnerable people by mid-February because it is logistically less complicated than the Pfizer Inc jab, which needs to be kept deep-frozen.

Tom Keith-Roach, president at AstraZeneca UK, said: "We are scaling up very rapidly and this will happen imminently to releasing two million doses a week."

The race to vaccinate millions of people a week comes with deaths and hospital admissions continuing to rise and pressure for a tougher lockdown increasing.

Starmer said the current restrictions are "not strong enough" and accused the prime minister of being "slow to act".

Johnson said he would not rule out imposing tougher measures if required.

Along with the record death toll, Wednesday's figures showed a further 47,525 cases being confirmed by labs.

But Johnson told MPs that a although it is early days a lockdown measures and the Tier 4 restrictions which preceded them "are starting to show signs of some effect".

Analysis by the PA news agency suggests it is still too soon to say whether the tighter restrictions introduced across England after Christmas have had an impact on the spread of the virus.

Covid-19 case rates are continuing to rise in most regions, with sharp increases across northern England and the Midlands.

The picture in the South and East is less certain, and, while rates may have peaked in some areas it will be several days before a clear trend a either up or down a becomes evident.

By David Hughes, Jane Kirby and Gavin Cordon, PA

source: PA

Copyright 2021 Alliance News Limited. All Rights Reserved.
That thought crossed my mind as I read that Mexico will get and start producing Sputnik V. That triggered my thinking as many Americans go cross border into Mexico and get healthcare and dental care to boot, much cheaper and actually many times better than in the USA. Especially when considering the cost factor and care factor involved

Will Americans cross and or be allowed to cross into Mexico and get a decent vaccine for Covid-19?

MEXICO CITY, January 13. /TASS/. The Mexican Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk may approve the emergency use of Russias Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine this week, the countrys Deputy Minister of Health Hugo Lopez-Gatell said during a press conference on Tuesday. It is likely to happen this week, he said. Earlier, the deputy minister informed that Mexico had acquired access to all research and technical documents on the Russian vaccine, including the results of the third phase of clinical trials, with the aid of Argentina. On Monday, Lopez-Gatell said that the republics government may use up to 24 mln doses of the Russian vaccine. On December 24, Mexico launched vaccination of medical personnel against COVID-19. So far, nearly 93,000 people have been vaccinated. Source: Mexico may approve use of Russias Sputnik V vaccine this week  World  TASS

So, I suspect that in due time, Americans will be able to go to Mexico and pay to get a much better vaccine than what will be forced down their throats by the US GOV

Good for Mexico.now will the people be stopped from getting to that Sputnik V Vaccine? Interesting to see if that happens

Will the USA play with your lives to keep you from getting/accepting a Russian made vaccine against Covid-19?

Sputnik V

WtR
An off-duty police officer charged with assaulting a woman at the Jersey Shore during a domestic incident in September could see his charges dismissed if he completes intervention programs intended to address alcohol and violence issues, a judge said.

Deptford Police Lt. David Grogan appeared in municipal court Tuesday afternoon to face charges of simple assault and resisting arrest following the incident outside of the Exit 6 bar in North Wildwood on Sept. 26.

The hearing was held virtually because of coronavirus safety measures.

Video released by police of the incident shows Grogan running after a woman who had just left the bar and pushing her to the ground.

North Wildwood police officers on duty nearby ran over to intervene. The woman suffered a minor cut to the hand, police said.

Deptford Police Patrol Lt. David Grogan was honored for his response to a May apartment fire.(Deptford Police Department)

Grogan, 35, allegedly pulled away from an officer while being placed in handcuffs, prompting the resisting charge.

During the hearing, attorneys for the city and Grogan met with Judge Louis J. Belasco, Jr. They emerged from that discussion with a plan that Grogans attorney will submit a motion to the court regarding steps his client has taken and will continue to take in addressing a few matters.

Hes going to represent that Mr. Grogan has taken steps already to address an alcohol issue and, furthermore, moving forward will comply with New Jerseys Alcohol Treatment and Rehabilitation Act and enroll and complete a batterers intervention program, Belasco explained.

The case will be scheduled for a future hearing date to address the defense motion after its reviewed by the municipal prosecutor.

If I do grant it, I will hold off the prosecution of the case and if all of the steps are completed it would lead to dismissal, Belasco said.

The woman involved in the incident attended the hearing and confirmed she understood the steps being taken.

Police body camera footage of the scene shows the woman identifying herself as Grogans girlfriend and refusing to cooperate with the arresting officers.

He did nothing. Leave him alone, she tells the North Wildwood cops.

She did not seek a domestic violence restraining order and remains in a relationship with Grogan, municipal prosecutor Ronald Gelzunas confirmed during the hearing, adding that she has requested multiple times that the prosecution not proceed.

Ive certainly taken that into account, Gelzunas said.

No one else was charged in the September incident, but several of Grogans friends, some of whom identified themselves as police officers, gathered around as he was taken into custody and berated the arresting officers, footage shows.

Hes an officer of the law. He did nothing wrong, one of them says of Grogan.

Hes a good dude, another says repeatedly.

Youre creating a scene, a North Wildwood officer tells one of them.

As a police officer, I know what is creating a scene, the man shouts in response. Im standing here not causing an issue.

Grogan remained calm during the chaos and assured the North Wildwood officers that he wasnt going to cause problems.

Officials with the Deptford Township Police Department, where Grogan has served for 13 years, have not responded to requests for information about his status.

In response to an Open Public Records Act request, a township official stated in December that Grogan had been placed on transitional duty, but did not elaborate on what that entailed.

Deptford Police Lt. David P. Grogan is taken into custody by North Wildwood Police.(North Wildwood Police Department)

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Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com.
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Jammu, Jan 13 : The BSF have detected a tunnel at the international border in the Samba sector in Jammu foiling Pakistan's designs for infiltration, officials said on Wednesday.

"Alert BSF troops detected a tunnel in the Samba Sector of Jammu; thwarting the nefarious designs of Pakistan," BSF said.

This is not the first time a trans border tunnel has been detected by the BSF at the international border in Jammu.

Last year on November 22, a joint team of BSF and police detected a tunnel originating within Pakistan side of international border and exiting on the Indian side in the area of Border Outpost Regal in the Samba district.

On August 29, 2020, the BSF detected a 20-feet long trans border tunnel in Basantar at the international border in the Samba district of Jammu.

With the detection of the tunnels, the alert BSF troops foiled the nefarious design of Pakistan to infiltrate terrorists into the Indian territory.

Sources said that there have been regular inputs about the presence of terrorists in the Pakistan border villages desperately looking for infiltration into the Indian territory, and ever vigilant BSF troops have foiled desperate attempts of anti national elements to infiltrate into India.

In view of the security scenario on the international border of Jammu region, the BSF has taken various innovative measures to ensure full proof security after the assessment of various threats from the Pakistan side.

In this process, all along the international border, anti-tunneling exercises have been carried out regularly by the BSF.


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Witnesses described a noise like a bomb as Typhoons raced to jet yesterday

Bombardier jet took off in Germany before losing contact with air traffic control

Two RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert jets scrambled from RAF Coningsby

It was escorted to Stansted before taking off again and landing at Birmingham

Private jet then went on eight-hour flight to Bridgetown Airport in Barbados

A private jet has arrived in Barbados 12 hours after a sonic boom was heard by millions of people in England when two RAF fighters were scrambled to intercept it.

Witnesses described a noise like a bomb or doors slamming as the Typhoons raced to the plane, which took off in Germany before losing contact with air traffic control.

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People in London, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Kent said houses shook and windows rattled, with one saying a window smashed from the shock wave.

Two RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert jets were scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire and broke the sound barrier at around 700mph over Peterborough.

The Bombardier Global Express was escorted to Stansted Airport shortly after 1pm yesterday - then took off again at 3pm and landed at Birmingham half an hour later.

It then left Birmingham at 4.36pm for an eight-hour flight to Bridgetown Grantley Adams Airport in Barbados where it landed at 8.58pm local time, or 0.58am UK time.

The jet is owned by FAI Aviation Rent-A-Jet, a Nuremberg-based division of a German charter airline, which has the countrys largest Bombardier fleet among its 28 jets.

The interior of the plane was refurbished in a multi-million-pound project which took 10,000 man hours, involved top designer Tim Callies and was completed last June.

The group's founder and chairman is entrepreneur Siegfried Axtmann and his firm is also known for providing business jets for McLaren drivers and management.

The Bombardier jet is pictured at Stansted Airport yesterday after being escorted there

The jet is seen at Stansted Airport yesterday, where it stayed before taking off for Birmingham

The RAF jets escorted the plane to Stansted Airport yesterday after it lost communications

1) The Bombardier jet left Nuremberg Airport yesterday before being escorted to London Stansted Airport shortly after 1pm yesterday by two RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert jets

2) The jet left Stansted at 3.05pm yesterday before landing at Birmingham Airport at 3.31pm

3) The jet left Birmingham at 4.36pm Bridgetown in Barbados where it landed at 8.58pm local time (0.58am this morning UK time)

The 48ft custom-painted plane, D-AFAL, is available for VIP hire and can carry up to 12 passengers and two pilots, or three for long-haul flights, plus one cabin attendant.

Click here to resize this module

The plane, which boasts three single beds, two double beds and ultra-fast Wifi in its luxury cabins, has Rolls Royce engines and can reach speeds of 560mph.

What is a Quick Reaction Alert? Quick Reaction Alert QRA is a routine part of the RAF's air defence role to protect UK airspace. The RAF's (QRA) aircraft are held at immediate readiness to protect the United Kingdom and can take off within minutes. QRA are launched to intercept unidentified aircraft because the aircraft cannot be identified by any other means. i.e. the aircraft is not talking to civilian or military Air Traffic Control, has not filed a flight plan and / or is not transmitting a recognisable secondary surveillance radar code. Multi-role Typhoon fighter squadrons are completing QRA duties from RAF Coningsby (Lincolnshire), RAF Lossiemouth (Scotland) and in the Falkland Islands. In the UK, under the direction of Air Battlespace Controllers at RAF Boulmer (Northumberland) and RAF Scampton (Lincolnshire), fighters can be scrambled to intercept, identify and, if required, intervene aircraft approaching our shores. Source: RAF

The explosion rang out yesterday after the Typhoons took off, clocking speeds of 1,150mph above Ickleton, just south of Cambridge.

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They intercepted the Bombardier Global Express flying from Nuremberg after its radio went silent temporarily and escorted it to Stansted.

Officials at Stansted said the aircraft, with three crew on board, landed without incident at 1.39pm.

Two hours later, Essex Police reported 'all was found to be in order' and the plane was allowed to continue its journey.

Among those commenting on the sound as the fighters broke the sound barrier was Cambridgeshire resident John Walsh.

He said on social media: 'Sonic boom just now over Cambridge! Blew my window off its casement stay and scared the bloomin' life out of me.'

In Deptford, South East London, Jenny Hao commented: 'Has there been some sort of explosion?'

And an East Londoner said: 'Just heard a loud boom in E12 - windows rattled, sounded like an explosion.'

TV presenter Rylan Clark-Neal tweeted: 'Thought a plane fell onto my roof.'

He later added: 'Wish I'd checked Twitter before I decided to single-handedly, automatic wine opener in hand, inspect upstairs thinking a flying burglar had broken into my loft.'

Sam Harrison captured the sonic boom on a Ring doorbell camera in Hornchurch, East London, saying: 'At first I thought it was either an explosion or an earthquake ... I ran outside expecting to see a lot of smoke.'

Local authorities and police calmed nerves by tweeting the sound had come from a military jet, rather than an explosion.

The interior of the plane, a Bombardier Global Express D-AFAL, which is available for VIP hire

The 48-ft custom-painted plane is said to offer 'VIP transportation' and has three single beds

The Bombardier jet also has two double beds and ultra-fast Wifi in its 'spacious cabins'

It is not known who had hired the Bombardier jet which lost contact with air traffic control

The private jet can carry up to 12 passengers and two pilots - or three for long-haul flights

The RAF Typhoon Quick Reaction Alert jet was launched from Coningsby in Linconlnshire

Cann Hall Police in Walham Forest wrote: 'Some reports have come through of the sounds of a large explosion in NE London in the last hour. Please don't be alarmed, these have been confirmed as a sonic boom.'

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An RAF spokesman said: 'The RAF can confirm Quick Reaction Alert Typhoon aircraft were launched this afternoon from RAF Coningsby to intercept a civilian aircraft that had lost communications.

'Subsequently, communications were re-established, the aircraft was intercepted and safely escorted to Stansted.

'The Typhoon aircraft were authorised to transit at supersonic speed for operational reasons.'

Residents across Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Cambridge, north and south London reported hearing an 'explosion' shortly after 1pm yesterday

The RAF's (QRA) aircraft are held at immediate readiness to protect the UK and can take off within minutes

A sonic boom is a continuous noise generated by the cone-shaped shock wave that follows an object travelling faster than the speed of sound.

Supersonic speed, or Mach 1 for aircraft, is around 767mph at sea level, depending on air temperature.

The jets are often deployed to escort aircraft that lose contact with air traffic control or don't respond to communications.

They are authorised to go supersonic 'if necessary', which is why the boom was heard.
Elected officials are coming under increasing pressure to speed up the vaccination of Californians against the coronavirus, but few seem to agree on how to solve the problem.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is taking heat from all sides over Californias program, which is among the slowest in the nation. The governor has promised to deliver 1 million new doses by this weekend, but its not clear how that will happen.

The federal government on Tuesday directed states to begin administering shots to anyone over 65, untethering it in part from a tier system blamed for widespread delays. California officials quickly said they would move as soon as Wednesday to implement the new guidance.

He said hed vaccinate 1 million people in 10 days, so well see, said Joe Rodota, a political consultant and cabinet secretary to former Gov. Pete Wilson. If he doesnt make his million mark on Sunday night, Monday is going to be extremely ugly.

In San Francisco, a skirmish broke out over whether and how to open mass vaccination sites at sporting venues and other locations. Supervisor Matt Haney criticized Mayor London Breed for not prioritizing such an effort. Officials in Oakland and San Jose are considering using professional sports facilities to ramp up vaccinations.

Lets make this happen in SF, Haney tweeted late Monday. It can be at Oracle, at Kezar, at many of the sites all over the city that have been used for testing. We can do this  its time for mass, widespread distribution of this vaccine in SF and beyond, led by our Dept of Public Health.

San Francisco is considering mass vaccination options but has not named a specific site. Breed and health director Dr. Grant Colfax said one massive site would not serve those who need the vaccine the most  homeless, uninsured or undocumented  in the first phases of a rollout. The vast majority of San Franciscans, about 95% of residents, will be able to get vaccinated through their private or public health provider, and the city will cover the remaining 5% who are homeless or uninsured.

So far, the Health Department has distributed 22,150 doses of the vaccine to San Francisco General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital and small community clinics, a spokesperson said Tuesday. Of those, 9,259 have been administered.

Thats a higher percentage than the state overall, where 816,673 doses out of about 2.5 million doses shipped have been administered. The slower-than-expected rollout is due to a number of issues, including some health care workers declining the vaccine, unpredictable and sporadic vaccine supply and, according to the Los Angeles Times, technical problems with a software program used by the state to coordinate vaccine distribution.

The pace of giving shots at nursing homes, which in California mostly goes through a federal program with CVS and Walgreens to vaccinate residents, is particularly frustrating, said Dr. Michael Wasserman, past president of the California Association of Long-Term Care Medicine.

Theres nothing that should slow this down, Wasserman said. There are no excuses for not vaccinating the people who live in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, group homes and the poor women of color who care for them there. That is a top priority. There should be no excuses.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly said Tuesday he would announce within the next day how the new federal guidelines for people 65 and up will work here. Californias vaccine rollout prioritizes health care workers and nursing home residents but has left many health care providers scrambling to find people outside of that group to take extra doses of the perishable vaccine.

The hope is we can begin to implement (the guidance) statewide, not county by county but statewide, Ghaly said. The first step is to have our thoughtful expert teams go through the new guidance, understand how itll cause some changes, and put those out there to you as soon as we can.

The change could complicate vaccination efforts under way in various counties and hospital systems. But it also could accelerate vaccinations to seniors, who are at higher risk of dying from the virus.

California has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data that tracks every state. California is vaccinating residents at a rate of 2,066 per 100,000 people  much lower than West Virginia and South Dakota, which are vaccinating residents at rates of 5,766 and 5,505 per 100,000 people.

Many of the faster-moving states have relaxed their tier-based systems, said Dr. Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease physician at UCSF.

Federal health officials in December recommended that states vaccinate people by tier, based on risk. This meant that frontline health care workers and residents of nursing homes got first priority.

Some observers think California has tried to adhere too closely to its tier-based system. But loosening the rules too much could lead to chaos. Florida, for instance, opened up vaccinations to virtually everyone 65 and older, leading to long lines outside clinics. And age is not the only factor when considering ones risk of contracting or dying from the virus.

It sure seems like from media reports things are pretty chaotic in Florida and I dont think we need any more chaos, said Janet Coffman, a professor of health policy at UCSF. And to say were going to do everyone over 65, first come, first serve, is not the best way to prioritize. You can have two 65-year-olds, one whos very physically fit with few chronic conditions, who really is truly at lower risk than someone else whos 65 and has multiple chronic conditions ... Thats going too broad.

Shifting messages are complicating the process, said Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, vaccine officer for Santa Clara County.

Constantly changing state and federal guidance has been a major issue, Fenstersheib said. Every other day we seem to get a different message from the state or the federal government, and then trying to figure out what it even means and how we can pivot or shift to that particular guidance.

When asked what other, faster states are doing differently, Ghaly said California, in seeking to be really thoughtful, trying to focus on risk and exposure and equity have led to some delays in getting vaccine out into our communities.

Certain states I know have put a great deal of effort into coming up with priority groups, watching how we keep a keen eye on equity, have been sort of in the same place where California is, he said. We look forward with additional vaccine to accelerating and doing more in this space than weve done already.

California is poised to receive more doses from the federal government soon, as the Trump administration Tuesday also announced it will no longer hold back second doses of the vaccines and instead release nearly all available doses to states.

The state is opening mass vaccination sites in anticipation of scaling up vaccinations to the broader public in the next several weeks. In the Bay Area, the San Mateo County Event Center opened Monday to vaccinate health care workers, and will expand to other members of the public when more vaccines are available. Dodger Stadium, Petco Park, Disneyland and Cal Expo have either opened or will open soon. The Oakland Coliseum and Levis Stadium in Santa Clara also could be used.

Staff writers Erin Allday, Trisha Thadani and Michael Williams contributed to this report.

Catherine Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Cat_Ho
Though most Philadelphia schools have made academic strides in recent years, six in 10 city children still attend a low-performing school, and the picture is much starker for Black and Latino children and kids living in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

The patterns are not new, but the persistent inequities are notable as the Philadelphia School District prepares to face significant budget challenges and a planning process that could result in school closings and other upheavals.

The data come from a report, released Wednesday by the Philadelphia School Partnership, which analyzed three years of enrollment, student achievement, and growth at schools serving about 140,000 children in kindergarten through eighth grade in traditional public schools and city charters. The children account for 70% of the 200,000 students enrolled in traditional public and charter schools combined. (The report did not include high schools in its research, or compare district to charter school performance.)

The analysis comes while school buildings are still closed amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with leaders stating unequivocally that systemwide changes will be necessary going forward, for reasons financial and educational.

Despite the steady progress Philadelphia public district and charter schools have made in improving school quality over the last few years, stubborn inequity remains in how students are enrolled in schools, David Saenz, spokesperson for the Philadelphia School Partnership, a nonprofit that aims to expand the number of students in high-quality schools, said in a statement.

PSP has raised and donated $80 million to charter, private, and district schools since 2011, but is viewed in some educational circles with skepticism as being opposed to traditional public schooling, in part because it supports expanding certain charter school options.

The nonprofits analysis found that nearly 60% of city elementary school children attend a low-performing district or charter school, defined by PSP as those below the average achievement for Philadelphia schools. Black and Latino students are overrepresented in those schools, while white and Asian children are overrepresented in those deemed high-performing  meeting or outstripping Pennsylvania state averages.

By the reports metric, no elementary school serving a school population thats more than 85% economically disadvantaged is high achieving. Less than 10% of Black and Hispanic students are enrolled in high-achieving schools; 45% of white students attend schools in the high-achieving tier.

The citys best schools are mostly located in the Northeast, in Center City and in South Philadelphia; its lowest performers are in North Philadelphia, Southwest Philadelphia, and Northwest Philadelphia.

The neighborhood-to-neighborhood comparisons are stark.

In Southwest Philadelphia, for instance, where most residents are poor and Black, there are no high-achieving schools, one average-achieving school and 12 low-achieving schools. In Fox Chase, with its higher concentration of white and middle-class residents, there are seven high-achieving schools, 12 average-achieving schools, and one low-achieving school.

Schools of high or average achievement tend to be overcrowded or have no open seats available (some even hold lotteries for kindergarten seats), the report found. By contrast, many struggling schools have abundant open seats. By the reports count, there are 29,000 open seats in schools it rates as low achieving.

 READ MORE: Why Philly parents lined up at 4 a.m. to get their kids into kindergarten

While an alarming number of schools struggle, many have demonstrated growth over the last three years. Most schools, low and high achievers, outperform Pennsylvania averages for student progress. In North Philadelphia, two-thirds of all students attend high growth schools.

Still, the report concluded, in most instances the growth is not translating into meaningful achievement gains.

The goal of the analysis, PSP said, is to provide parents and decision makers with information as they consider schools for their children, school admissions and enrollment policies, and expansions, renovations or closures of school buildings.

Inquirer staff writer Maddie Hanna contributed to this article.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is one of more than 20 news organizations producing Broke in Philly, a collaborative reporting project on solutions to poverty and the citys push toward economic justice. See all of our reporting at brokeinphilly.org.
Leatherback turtle nest found on Phukets Mai Khao Beach

PHUKET: Marine wildlife officers have left a leatherback turtle nest found on Mai Khao Beach yesterday (Jan 12) undisturbed to allow the eggs to hatch naturally.

marineanimalsenvironmentnatural-resources

By Eakkapop Thongtub

Wednesday 13 January 2021, 06:08PM

The area around the nest has been sectioned off to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: Sirinath National Park

The area around the nest has been sectioned off to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: DMCR

The area around the nest has been sectioned off to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: DMCR

The area around the nest has been sectioned off to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: DMCR

The area around the nest has been sectioned off to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: DMCR

Officers found the nest, but covered it back up to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: Sirinath National Park

Officers found the nest, but covered it back up to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: Sirinath National Park

Officers found the nest, but covered it back up to leave the eggs to hatch undisturbed. Photo: Sirinath National Park

Officials at Sirinath National Park were called to Mai Khao Beach at 4pm yesterday when Mai Khao Moo 4 Village Head Winai Sae-iew reported that turtle tracks had been found on the beach by a local resident.

Sirinath National Park officers soon arrived at the beach, along with fellow park officers from Khao Lampi Hat Thai Mueang National Park in Phang Nga and marine life experts from the Phuket Marine Biological Centre (PMBC) at Cape Panwa.

Chief of Sirinat National Park, Natthawat Nuisriram, told The Phuket News that the tracks in the sand indicated that the turtle was about 160cm long and about 100cm wide.

The nest was soon found, buried some 55cm deep in the sand, he said.

Marine life experts also estimated that the nest was laid approximately two days earlier, Chief Natthawat said.

PMBC staff did not count or move the eggs. They covered the nest properly to allow the eggs to hatch naturally, he said.

Wildlife officers have now sectioned off the area where the nest remains and have officers assigned to ensure it remains undisturbed, he added.

Turtles returning to Phuket beaches to lay eggs have been much welcomed after years of deciding to not lay nests on beaches that were until recently constantly disturbed by tourists.

For the first time in decades, a large leatherback turtle came ashore at Kata Beach in Phuket to lay eggs in the early hours on Jan 1.

Some of the 60 laptops donated to Larkin Community College

The head teacher of an inner-city Dublin school has said he is delighted after generous well-wishers donated 60 laptop computers so disadvantaged students can attend classes remotely during lockdown.

Sixty students at the Larkin Community College in Cathal Brugha Street will now be able to tune in along with their 340 classmates as online classes at the DEIS secondary school resume following the Christmas break.

It is all thanks to an initiative by college patron and Dublin businessman Paul Brereton, who put out an appeal on social media and through his own personal network.

Mr Brereton, president of the Irish Antique Dealers Association and boss of Core Bullion Traders, issued the call late last week on the Instagram account of the Vintage Hub, a page dedicated to vintage furniture dealers, and the response he got was overwhelming.

"I put up the alert at 9pm and it just went off. I'm in the thick of it. I've been at it since 4.30am," he said of ordering the Chrome Book laptops.

The donations came in thick and fast and by Sunday night, the target was reached.

College head teacher Thomas Usher said he is delighted with the response and hopes the initiative can be replicated in other schools where students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and cannot afford laptops.

"It's been amazing," he said of the response.

Mr Usher added that they got the first delivery of the devices on Monday and said they were to be delivered to pupils yesterday.

The donations will make a "significant difference" to the students, who had been either doing their remote learning via a smart phone or sharing a single computer with siblings or were simply not able to take part in online teaching.

"We did a survey of students and if they do have a device they're sharing it," Mr Usher said.

Many of the college's student population are from immigrant backgrounds.

Some are living in emergency accommodation in the area due to the ongoing homelessness crisis or come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Despite this, the school has a 93pc progression rate for graduates to go on to third-level education, "which is phenomenal for a DEIS inner city school", Mr Usher said.

Struggling

The laptops will make a huge difference for the parents of students who are struggling to make ends meet.

"The value of education is high, especially for new Irish who will go into debt to pay for their children's education," Mr Usher said.

"At a time when all we're hearing is bad news, this has really turned it on its head."

Father-of-three Mr Brereton has been a patron of the school for the past three years after he got involved in a fundraiser for his children's school in Clontarf and realised how the need for funds was much greater in less well-off neighbourhoods.

He approached Mr Usher and has been offering his support ever since.

"I just wanted to help out," he said."These kids need to have the top equipment so they can have a chance."

However, he said it is the donors who are the real heroes.

"I just directed traffic a bit. This really strikes a chord with everyone," Mr Brereton said, adding that one donor is based in Cork.

"Education is the most important thing you can give to someone."

Mr Usher and Mr Brereton hope they can keep the momentum going and would be delighted if other schools got involved.

Anyone interested in helping out can contact Mr Brereton at paul@corebullion.ie
The United States on Wednesday blacklisted two Iranian foundations controlled by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and their subsidies, saying the institutions enabled Irans elite to sustain a corrupt system of ownership over large parts of the economy. The designations announced by the US Treasury Department target Execution of Imam Khomeinis Order (EIKO) and Astan Quds Razavi (AQR), their leaders and subsidies. They are the latest action to reinforce the maximum pressure campaign on Iran pursued by President Donald Trumps ...

Circus legend Gerry Cottle has died at 75 after contracting Covid  just a week before he was due to be vaccinated.

He found fame in the 1970s when his Gerry Cottle Circus toured the country. He also presented the Moscow State Circus and the Chinese State Circus.

The son of a stockbroker, he was born in Carshalton, Surrey, but ran away to join the circus at 14 after being impressed by a show he had seen at Earl's Court, west London.

He died at a hospital in Bath yesterday afternoon after earlier showing signs of improvement.

His friend John Haze said: 'It only happened two hours ago, it's a real shock.

Circus legend Gerry Cottle has died at 75 after contracting Covid  just a week before he was due to be vaccinated. Pictured at his funfair at Smuggler's Way, Wandsworth

Gerry Cottle waves a top hat while displaying some of the circus fancy dress costumes which are to be auctioned at Bonhams, in London during 1994

'I spoke to him last week and he didn't sound good and then he rang me on Monday and he seemed miles better. Then he just died.

'It was a complete shock. It's so fresh. He was going for the vaccine next week I believe.

'How tragic is that? Just two weeks away and you get all these idiots saying don't get the vaccine and ignore Covid, it's driving me mad.

'It's just horrible. I wish people would just take it seriously.'

Mr Haze told how Mr Cottle's love of the circus began at an early age, adding: 'Every time the circus came round he would go and see them. Eventually he ran away and joined the circus against his parents' wishes.

'They accepted it afterwards, but at the time they didn't think it was a good career move.

Gerry Cottle on his 72nd birthday in April 2017 with his WOW Circus troupe

'He learned to juggle and perform a bit and continued to do that right up until yesterday. He really was the greatest showman. There's no doubt about it.'

Cottle's circus career began as 'Gerry Melville the Teenage Juggler', but by the mid-1970s his Gerry Cottle Circus was touring Britain with three shows.

Later he married Betty Fossett who came from one of the oldest circus families in the UK going back two centuries.

The circus legend, who previously suffered from prostate cancer and had an earlier addiction to cocaine, was able to see most of his family in hospital before passing away and spoke to his son Gerry Jnr who lives in the US.

In 2003 he auctioned off much of his circus paraphernalia in order to concentrate on running Wookey Hole Caves, a tourist attraction he bought in Somerset.

Cottle leaves four children, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-12 22:09:02|Editor: huaxia

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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a press briefing in Washington D.C., the United States, on March 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

Stigmatizing and blaming China will never make America great again, nor will it make the United States' unilateral bullying legitimate, Zhao said, adding that the wrong acts will do no good to the image and global reputation of the United States.

BEIJING, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday rebutted U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's slanderous comments about the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying that blaming and stigmatizing China will never "make America great again."

Spokesperson Zhao Lijian made the remarks at a daily press briefing when asked to comment on Pompeo's recent tweet, in which he claimed that the CPC is the biggest threat to the United Nations (UN).

"Pompeo has taken great pains to spread political viruses and is really good at telling lies and calling white black," the spokesperson said in response.

Stigmatizing and blaming China will never make America great again, nor will it make the United States' unilateral bullying legitimate, Zhao said, adding that the wrong acts will do no good to the image and global reputation of the United States.

Photo taken on Sept. 14, 2020 shows the outside view of the United Nations headquarters in New York, the United States. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

China has always been a contributor to world peace and a defender of the international order, Zhao said, citing the country's recent actions in supporting multilateralism, including providing 50 million U.S. dollars to the UN's COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan and establishing a third-phase South-South Cooperation Trust Fund with the Food and Agriculture Organization totaling 50 million dollars.

On the contrary, as the biggest destabilizing factor for global peace and security, the United States undermined multilateral cooperation, pursued unilateralism, wantonly pulled out of treaties and organizations, and arbitrarily resorted to the use or threat of sanctions, Zhao said.

To date, it has withdrawn from a dozen international treaties and organizations, which seriously weakened joint cooperation in many fields of the international community, undermined the existing international order and mechanisms, and harmed world peace, stability and security, he said.

Pompeo's "lying diplomacy" once again shows how the United States uses double standards, Zhao said, calling on the international community to distinguish right from wrong to protect the unity and cooperation of the international community from being harmed. 
J.R. Romano, chairman of the Republican state central committee, resigned Tuesday evening, months before his term was set to expire.

He announced the decision in an email to the 72 committee members.

After much personal reflection I am officially resigning my chairmanship, the email read. This decision is whats best for the organization to move forward.

Romano did not immediately respond to a voicemail seeking comment Tuesday evening and did not say in the email why he was leaving the post, a full-time job.

It is time for a new voice to be heard from the Connecticut Republicans. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to lead the Party. Thank you, he said in the email.

Romano made in the range in of $80,000 a year, an amount that depended on fundraising or election targets.

Connecticut Republicans overwhelmingly reelected Romano to a third term as chairman of the state party in 2019, over two opponents.

Some members of the party urged him to resign last August after the arrest of a candidate for Congress in the 2nd district. Thomas Gilmer was charged in an alleged domestic assault immediately before the Aug. 11 primary, and Romano was criticized because he knew of the allegations in the spring.

Party leaders including then-Rep. Themis Klarides, who was the state House Republican leader, said he should step aside over the incident but Romano held his position, saying he had acted correctly.

In October he announced he would not seek another term as chairman. This had nothing to do with the 2nd Congressional District, he told Hearst Connecticut Media at the time, noting he had told others before that controversy that he would not seek a fourth term.

Republicans lost seats in both the state House and Senate in the November election, and were not close in any of the five races for Congress.

Four of the states most prominent Republicans all said Tuesday they did not know why Romano chose to resign.

All I can say is that I appreciate anyone who steps into the fray to do any of these jobs, Klarides said. They are not easy.

Romano, hard-nosed and quick-thinking, has been a solid supporter of President Donald Trump, arguing even in recent days that election fraud might have been rampant. During the lead-up to the November presidential election, he sent an email to party members asking for volunteers to watch for voter fraud, Hearst Connecticut Media reported.

Being a Republican in Connecticut is never easy, said Senate Minority Leader Kevin Kelly, R-Stratford. He put his heart and soul in the job. And its not an easy job. Its a lot of sacrifice. We wish him well in all his endeavors.

The resignation comes as Democrats in Congress have introduced articles of impeachment against Trump for a second time.

Two ranking Republicans Tuesday night said they didnt think the Trump impeachment and Romanos resignation were related.

I dont really see a connection between the two, said Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford, the House GOP leader.

If youre not going to complete another term, I think it makes more sense to do it at the beginning of the legislative session, he added, calling the timing of Romanos decision appropriate.

He said he had known Romano for a long time but had not yet spoken to him since the announcement. I certainly wish him well in his future endeavors, Candelora said.

John Frey, a member of the Republican National Committee and former state representative from Ridgefields 111th district, also said he believed Romanos resignation was unrelated to events in Washington.

First of all J.R. isnt the type of person to be intimidated out of something, said Frey. Also thats Washington, this is Connecticut.

He said he has known Romano for around 20 years.

He breathes, lives this stuff, I mean hes a good guy, and I certainly wish him the best, Frey said.

Staff writer Ken Dixon contributed reporting.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to host a virtual meeting of Group of Seven leaders next month as he starts his presidency of the wealthy nations forum at a pivotal moment for the U.K. and the global economy.

According to two people familiar with the matter, Johnsons proposed meeting of leaders would be in addition to the regular G-7 Summit, which is expected to take place in mid-June, in person, one of the people said.

British officials aim to schedule next months virtual gathering for the end of February, after the inauguration of incoming U.S. President Joe Biden, Bloomberg reported.

This years program of events, which the U.K. is hosting, will be an opportunity to revive the forum after Donald Trump was often seen to undermine it, most notably in Canada in 2018 when he refused to sign the end-of-summit communique. The 2020 G-7, which the U.S. was meant to host, didnt take place at all, in part because of the pandemic disruption but also because Trump tried repeatedly to arrange it in person.

Februarys virtual meeting will allow Johnson to present his priorities and policy agenda for this years summit program, which the people said will focus on promoting democratic values through the G-7. The U.K. could push for a more united front on countries at odds with democratic values and human rights, such as China.

The teleconference call will center primarily on the immediate response to the coronavirus pandemic crisis, one of the people said.

New Delhi:

The Mahatma Gandhis grandson Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Saturday said that Gandhi laughed at cartoons of himself and he would have chuckled at the chatur baniya description also, but for its utter tastelessness and the hidden mischief in it.

Historian Ramachandra Guha said the remark made by Amit Shah was crude and unworthy of the president of BJP, the countrys ruling party.

Gandhi laughed at cartoons of himself. He would have laughed at this one also but for its utter tastelessness and the hidden mischief in it, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, former West Bengal Governor, told PTI.

When contacted, Guha, the author of India After Gandhi, strongly reacted to the comment made by Shah at an event in Raipur yesterday.

The comment was crude and ill-informed, unworthy of the president of Indias ruling party, Guha told PTI.

The BJP chief had yesterday referred to Mahatma Gandhi as a chatur baniya (a clever Baniya - the trading caste) while addressing a gathering in Raipur.

Shahs also said the Congress had never been a party based on principles and it was merely a special purpose vehicle to secure freedom.

Also read: Congress demands apology from Shah for his remarks on Mahatma Gandhi; says it is insult to father of the nation

Also read: BJP president Amit Shah calls Mahatma Gandhi bahut chatur baniya, says Congress has no ideology



For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Christopher Biggins says its 'ridiculous' to claim only gay actors should play gay characters in film and television.

Earlier this week, critically-acclaimed screenwriter Russell T Davies said every gay character in his upcoming Channel 4 drama It's A Sin will be played by gay actors, because it is the only way to ensure an authentic portrayal.

Speaking from his home in Hackney, East London, actor Biggins, 72, appeared with journalist Benjamin Butterworth to debate the issue, saying that the point of acting is 'taking on a character'.

Viewers agreed with Biggens, who has been in a civil partnership with his partner Neil Sinclair since 2006, arguing such divisive statements could cause 'more harm than good' in terms of equality, and that great actors can make 'any role believable'.

It comes after James Cordon came under fire for his portrayal of a gay character in his new movie The Prom. Pictured, Cordon and Meryl Streep in the Netflix film

It comes after James Cordon came under fire for his portrayal of a gay character in his latest movie The Prom, with social media users arguing that the character relies on 'gay stereotypes', despite James himself being straight.

Responding to the critics, Biggins said: 'Ridiculous, acting is acting acting, its taking on a character and becoming that character. I don't understand why?'

Davies' series follows the stories of three gay 18-year-olds who arrive in London in 1981, at the beginning of the HIV epidemic, and its star-studded cast includes Olly Alexander, Neil Patrick Harris, and Stephen Fry.

Butterworth agreed there is an 'authenticity' an actor who has lived through the HIV epidemic can bring to the series, which enhances their performance.

Christopher Biggins says its 'ridiculous' to claim only gay actors should play gay characters in film and television on Good Morning Britain today

Viewers agreed with Biggens, arguing such divisive statements could cause 'more harm than good' in terms of equality, and that great actors can make 'any role believable'

'There is an authenticity a gay person can bring to that role,' he said, 'A rawness and reality, an extra dimension that improves their performance.'

He argued that gay actors are under represented on film and TV: 'When gay actors are under represented in those roles, the idea that straight people should be playing all the gay characters is wrong.'

Host Piers Morgan argued that films such as 1993 drama Philadelphia - which sees Tom Hanks plays a gay lawyer battling AIDS and keeping his homosexuality hidden from his employers - would have had less of an impact with a lesser known star.

'I think we've moved beyond that,' argued Butterworth. 'Of course at that stage having that story of that nature told on the silver screen was of course a radical act.

Tom Hanks in Philadelphia (pictured) played gay lawyer battling AIDS and keeping his homosexuality hidden from his employers

Rami Malek is pictured as Freddie Mercury Bohemian Rhapsody, which Butteworth said 'skipped over' the fact the musician had HIV

'But now [there are] gay actors who have this lived experience and the lived experience of having been through it. Some of those actors would have been around to know what that is like, and I think that's what makes it so powerful.'

He went on to argue that it was a misstep casting straight actor Rami Malek in Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, because the film 'skipped over' the fact the musician died after contracting HIV.

'That argument seems curious,' said Piers. 'It would have been the same movie with a straight or gay actor.'

Biggins added: 'He was only following what the writers and producers were telling him to do.'

Concluding their arguments, Butterworth said: 'What I'm saying is, there is a reason gay actors are under represented - which is why they should get these roles.'

Host Piers Morgan (top left) argued that films about homosexuality could benefit from having a well known actor to draw attention to the movie

Concluding their arguments, Butterworth said: 'What i'm saying is, there is a reason gay actors are under represented - which is why they should get these roles'

Biggins argued: 'Acting is about taking on a character and becoming a character, it doesn't matter what sexuality you are. That doesn't mean anything.'

Viewers quickly took to Twitter to comment on with debate, with several agreeing with Biggins and saying a 'good actor can take on any role'.

One wrote: 'I have ENORMOUS respect for RTD, but as a gay actor, I can't agree with him on this. I think such statements do more harm to the cause of equality than good. Acting is acting and has nothing to do with what goes on in your personal life, gay, straight or other.

Another said: 'I thought the whole point of acting was to play someone else! If only gay actors play gay characters, then only women should play pantomime Dames! I think great actors can step into any role and make the role believable.'

A third commented: 'A good actor is a good actor period. The argument is already null and void when it is only a one way street. Acting is adopting a different character.'
Technical Officer (Health Expenditure Tracking), Geneva, Switzerland

Organization: World Health Organization (WHO)

Country: Switzerland

City: Geneva, Switzerland

Office: WHO Geneva, Switzerland

Grade: P-3

Closing date: Friday, 29 January 2021

Technical Officer (Health Expenditure Tracking)

( 2004933 )

Grade : P3

Contractual Arrangement : Temporary appointment under Staff Rule 420.4

Contract Duration (Years, Months, Days) : 24 months

Job Posting: Jan 8, 2021, 3:56:55 PM

The objective of the Health Financing (HEF) programme is to foster the development of equitable and efficient forms of health financing that enable countries to sustain progress towards Universal Health Coverage. This will be achieved through policy support to countries in concert with WHO Regional and Country Offices, the development and application of tools and approaches, the production of related knowledge products to feed into national policy and implementation processes, collaborating with and guiding partner agencies, the production and analysis of health expenditure, and capacity building in health financing for Universal Health Coverage.

DESCRIPTION OF DUTIES

The incumbent will, under the guidance and supervision of the supervisors:1-Update the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database, through the preparation, review, and analysis of data, in technical collaboration with country authorities, WHO country and regional offices, and with partners and experts globally;2- Undertake in-depth health financing data analysis, and support related report publications, using information prepared for the Global Health Expenditure Database; 3- Contribute to country capacity building through technical support to countries teams and workshops in collaboration with WHO regional and country offices; 4- Develop inputto the development of technical notes, guidelines and methodologies in health expenditure tracking to support standard and quality production of policy-relevant health expenditure information;5- Contribute to the teams general project management work, including Global Expenditure Database Publication, organizing global meetings, drafting grant proposals and reporting to grantors.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Education

Essential: First level university degree in economics, health economics, public health or health policy.

Desirable: A Masters level in any of the above would be an asset.

Experience

Essential: Five years of progressively responsible professional experience in the field of health economics, health system financing, or overall health system policy with at least 2 years working experience in developing countries on health policy support or development.

Desirable: Experience relating to resource tracking.Project management experienceHealth costing experience a plus

Skills

Knowledge of health expenditure information, including understanding health expenditure data production and data quality challenges, and ability to analyze and present data tailored to policy issues; Understand the concepts and issues relating to health systems financing and overall health system operation; Knowledge of System Health Accounts 2011 framework.; Quantitative analytical skills and knowledge of statistical software such as STATA Desirable: Understand the concepts and issues relating of public finance

WHO Competencies

Teamwork

Respecting and promoting individual and cultural differences

Communication

Producing results

Knowing and managing yourself

Use of Language Skills

Essential: Expert knowledge of English.

Desirable: Beginners knowledge of UN language.

REMUNERATION

WHO salaries for staff in the Professional category are calculated in US dollars. The remuneration for the above position comprises an annual base salary starting at USD 60,962 (subject to mandatory deductions for pension contributions and health insurance, as applicable), a variable post adjustment, which reflects the cost of living in a particular duty station, and currently amounts to USD 4547 per month for the duty station indicated above. Other benefits include 30 days of annual leave, allowances for dependent family members, home leave, and an education grant for dependent children.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This vacancy notice may be used to fill other similar positions at the same grade level

Only candidates under serious consideration will be contacted.

Tags data analysis data quality global health health economics health financing health policy health systems knowledge products project management public finance universal health coverage

A written test may be used as a form of screening.

In the event that your candidature is retained for an interview, you will be required to provide, in advance, a scanned copy of the degree(s)/diploma(s)/certificate(s) required for this position. WHO only considers higher educational qualifications obtained from an institution accredited/recognized in the World Higher Education Database (WHED), a list updated by the International Association of Universities (IAU)/United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The list can be accessed through the link: http://www.whed.net/. Some professional certificates may not appear in the WHED and will require individual review.

Any appointment/extension of appointment is subject to WHO Staff Regulations, Staff Rules and Manual.

Staff members in other duty stations are encouraged to apply.

For information on WHOs operations please visit: http://www.who.int.

WHO is committed to workforce diversity.

WHOs workforce adheres to the WHO Values Charter and is committed to put the WHO Values into practice.

WHO has a smoke-free environment and does not recruit smokers or users of any form of tobacco.

WHO has a mobility policy which can be found at the following link: http://www.who.int/employment/en/. Candidates appointed to an international post with WHO are subject to mobility and may be assigned to any activity or duty station of the Organization throughout the world.

Applications from women and from nationals of non and underrepresented Member States are particularly encouraged.

*For WHO General Service staff who do not meet the minimum educational qualifications, please see e-Manual III.4.1, para 220.
Page Content

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Natasha Sim rarely stayed still. In her work as a water and sanitation engineer and consultant with Dorsch International Consultants, she often traveled between her home in Cairo, the main regional office in Amman, Jordan, and project sites in Egypt, Palestine and other locations in the Middle East. Her company was about to begin a project in Kabul, Afghanistan, when the pandemic swiftly made international travel impossible.

"All of our consultants were stuck in different parts of the world, either on project sites or stuck at their home base and were not able to get to project sites," Sim said. "That was challenging at first because a lot of our relationships with clients and a lot of our relationships on projects is very much based on human interaction."

New Possibilities for Flexible Work Arrangements



As offices tentatively open, companies and governments throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are trying to adapt to remote work. While some countries are mostly back to normal, the months of telecommuting have opened new possibilities for flexible work arrangements in countries where that was previously untested.

According to a survey conducted in June 2020 by Bayt.com, a leading job site in the MENA region, 74 percent of professionals in the region prefer jobs that allow remote work and 90 percent expect the prevalence of telecommuting to increase over the next few years.

But increased access to remote work is not a guarantee. "The concept of remote working is relatively new to the UAE [United Arab Emirates], and that's largely because it's always been envisaged that employees' normal place of work will be the registered premises of their employer, which is tied to your residence visa," said Victoria Smylie, an attorney with Al Tamimi & Co. in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Since 2017, the UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation has encouraged remote work for UAE nationals, but no comparable work arrangement was available to the country's expat workers. Nonetheless, the pandemic changed the work landscape out of necessity.



Benefits and Drawbacks of Remote Work

For Marie Kunimatsu, who works at UNICEF in Cairo, said the benefits of telecommuting became apparent as she adjusted to suddenly working from home. "I felt like I'm utilizing the time of the day [more] efficiently than before," she noted.

Sim has had to navigate the drawbacks and benefits of remote work. On one hand, it's been harder to collaborate with her colleagues and communicate with clients over the Internet rather than in person. On the other hand, telecommuting suits her.

"I love working from home," Sim said. "I was getting very tired of traveling every week. I haven't spent this much time in one country probably since school."

Smylie noted that there are benefits for everyone. "From an employee's point of view, it just provides more flexibility. It takes away, for some, an onerous commute, especially those that were traveling from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, for example, every day. You get to manage your own time more if you have children," she said. "And from an employer's point of view, [there's] employee satisfaction. Effectively there is a decrease in overheads, which is certainly important at the moment for businesses that may be struggling and have been taking a particular hit during the global recession."



Looking Forward

Going forward, it seems most likely that elements of flexible work arrangements will remain, even as offices go back to full capacity.

"The online things will be more normal for our administration and also all the office procedures, so I hope with this blended style, it will be more efficient and easier," Kunimatsu said.

In the UAE, visa quotas are derived from office square footage, which could complicate future flexibility with atypical work arrangements. "It will be interesting to see whether the arrangement for any visa quotas will change as these are linked to the office space rented by the employer, because even if you had an employee working full time from home, they would still count toward an employer's visa quota," Smylie said.

She thinks the UAE government will move to accommodate remote work more permanently. "There's nothing permanent within the laws in the UAE that permits remote working," Smylie said, but "given everything that's happened in the last couple of months, it's certainly an area that's likely on the horizon for change."



Sim believes that remote working will never completely replace in-person work situations. "We forget how much we rely on the human nuances and subliminal signals that we get from human interaction," she said. "Especially in the engineering field, we try not to rely on our intuition so much. We like to think we're all practical thinkers. And so, I think we forget sometimes how important that actually is.



"I think that no matter how tech-savvy we are, we're all still human," she added.



Katie Nadworny is a freelance writer in Istanbul.
LANSING, MI - Whether its Rick Snyder or Gretchen Whitmer, a Michigan House Republican wants whistleblower protections for state workers who have allegations against governors or their appointees.

Rep. Annette Glenn, R-Midland, will introduce a bill for the legislative session starting Wednesday that would create an office to receive and investigate allegations from state employees against state departments and agencies. These complaints to the Office of the State Employee Ombudsman in the Legislative Council would be confidential.

The legislation will mirror House Bill 5981, which passed in the House 99-2 last October, but never made it to a vote on the Senate floor. The Ombudsman would have been able to take complaints to law enforcement to take action against a state agency or official.

Tuesdays news of expected charges against the former governor and some of his appointees in connection with the Flint water crisis justifies another attempt to approve the legislation, Glenn said.

If state employees had felt protected by law to talk to legislators about their concerns early on, free of fear of retaliation, we might have avoided the Flint water crisis altogether, she said in a Jan. 13 statement. (This would have saved) state taxpayers a billion dollars in cleanup and recovery costs, but most importantly, (it would have saved) lives.

Read more: Flint water crisis: All we know about expected charges against Snyder and others

The Associated Press reported Jan. 12 that Snyder and others have been contacted by state prosecutors and told to expect indictments. The Flint water system, which serves close to 100,000 people, suffered elevated levels of bacteria, lead and chlorination byproducts in tap water due to a short-term, cost-cutting measure by emergency managers appointed by Snyder.

Besides Snyder, other names to surface were Rich Baird, a Flint native who worked as a top aide to Snyder during his administration; Nick Lyon, the former Health and Human Services director under Snyder; and Howard Croft, the head of Flints Public Works Department from 2011 to November 2015.

Glenn emphasized that the fear of retaliation by employees with allegations may have existed in the Snyder administration, and protections should be extended to employees of all administrations, including Whitmers.

In the Flint water crisis, this legislation would have protected state employees from retaliation under a Republican administration, and state employees should be equally protected in their right to communicate with the Legislature now without fear of retaliation from a Democratic administration, Glenn said in the statement.

Whistleblower protection and government transparency pushes have seen success in the Michigan House the last two legislative sessions, but have either died in the Senate or on the Governors desk. Most recently, Whitmer vetoed a Senate bill last July that would have prohibited disciplinary action against non-criminal whistleblowers within state government.

Senate Bill 686, sponsored by Sen. Tom Barrett, R-Charlotte, would have banned a state department, senate or house supervisor from punishing state employees for communicating with certain individuals in the legislative branch.

Senate Democrats initially supported the bill unanimously before blocking a veto override on partisan lines later that month.

Last session, pushes to allow Freedom of Information Act requests to the Legislature and the Governors offices collected dust in the Republican-led Senate Oversight Committee. In March 2019, the House voted unanimously to approve House Bills 4007-4016. House Bills 4007 and 4008 would subject the governor, lieutenant governor and executive staff to FOIA, and House Bills 4009 through 4016 would create a new Legislative Open Records Act for lawmakers and their offices.

As proposed, the Legislative Open Records Act, or LORA, contains several exemptions, including for legislative negotiations, caucusing, active investigations and a sweeping exemption for constituent communications. At the governors request, lawmakers added a similar exemption to FOIA for executive branch constituent communications, as well as exemptions for security plans and executive residence functions.

The bill never made it out of committee, the same fate as Glenns whistleblower bill last fall.

Read more from MLive:

D.C. riots inspire six-foot fence around Michigan Capitol before possible armed protests

Lansing mayor wants National Guard at Michigan Capitol for possible armed protests

Full firearms ban at Capitol would come with $1.5 million price tag for new security measures

A Capitol Police officer stands with members of the National Guard behind a crowd control fence surrounding Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

Airbnb Cancels, Blocks DC Reservations During the Inauguration Week

Airbnb announced Wednesday that it will cancel reservations in the District of Columbia metro area during Inauguration week, citing travel advisories from various local, state, and federal officials.

The online rental company said in a press release that reservations made during the time period will be canceled and that any future booking attempts will be blocked. Reservations made through HotelTonight, a hotel reservation site owned by Airbnb, are also being canceled.

Guests will receive full refunds, and Airbnb will pay hosts what they would have earned from those canceled reservations.

Airbnbs work continues to be informed by inputs from our local host community as well as Washington, D.C. officials, Metro Police, and Members of Congress throughout this week, a Wednesday press release reads. In particular, Mayor [Muriel] Bowser, Governor [Larry] Hogan, and Governor [Ralph] Northam have been clear that visitors should not travel to the D.C. Metro area for the Inauguration.

Airbnb added that it is aware of recent reports about armed militias and known hate groups planning to travel to the nations capital and disrupt the Jan. 20 presidential inauguration. The company previously said it has found the accounts of individuals who were involved in the breach of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and promptly banned them from the platform.

The announcement comes as authorities seek to enhance security in Washington ahead of the Inauguration Day. Gen. Daniel Hokanson, the chief of the National Guard Bureau, told reporters that there will be at least 10,000 troops deployed to the city to support local and federal agencies.

Right now we have 10,000 inbound and were authorized to go to [15,000], Hokanson said, adding that the troops are authorized to do law enforcement if thats requested from the supporting agency.

Even with military forces in place, the mayor of Washington and the governors of Maryland and Virginia issued a joint statement, advising against Americans coming to the city for the celebrations.

On January 20, there will be a transition of power, and we will work together, and with our partners in the federal government, to ensure the safety of the National Capital Region, the statement reads. Due to the unique circumstances surrounding the 59th Presidential Inauguration, including last weeks violent insurrection as well as the ongoing and deadly COVID-19 pandemic, we are taking the extraordinary step of encouraging Americans not to come to Washington, D.C. and to instead participate virtually.

In this very trying time, January 6 was a dark moment for our nation. But we know that we will get through this period because American ideals are stronger than one extreme ideology. Together, we will overcome extremism and get back to the work of our residents, the trio said.


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Wednesday, President-elect Joe Biden announced the United States' former Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power as his nominee for Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). He also elevated the position to become a member of the National Security Council.



Announcing her nomination, Biden said Power has been a leader in marshaling the world to resolve long-running conflicts, respond to humanitarian emergencies, defend human dignity, and strengthen the rule of law and democracy.



Ambassador Samantha Power served in the Obama Administration Cabinet from 2013 to 2017 as the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations. During her time at the UN, Power rallied countries to combat the Ebola epidemic, ratify the Paris climate agreement, and develop new international law to cripple Islamic State's financial networks.



She worked to negotiate and implement the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, and helped catalyze international commitments to care for refugees. She advocated to secure the release of political prisoners, defend civil society from growing repression, and protect the rights of women and girls.



Prior to this role, from 2009 to 2013, Power had served on the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights. She was a key part of the Obama government's national security team.



An immigrant from Ireland, the 50-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winning author began her career as a war correspondent in Bosnia. Before serving the government, she was the founding executive director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Currently, she is a Professor of the Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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A drunk passenger who gave a Nazi salute and spouted a tirade of racist abuse on a plane in front of the family of a Holocaust victim today walked free from court.

Louis Mann, 28, landed at John Lennon Airport, Merseyside, from Poland when he ignored seatbelt signs, stood up in the aisle and made vile salutes, Liverpool Crown Court was told.

Zillah Williams, prosecuting, said during the Wizz Air flight from Warsaw on October 19, 2019, Mann was clearly drunk and repeatedly asked to sit down.

Louis Mann, pictured outside Liverpool Crown Court today, stood up as the plane landed and gave Nazi salutes as well as a tirade of racism

Mann had been a medical student in Poland and in recent week his family noticed a deterioration in his mental health

Mann, 28, had been 'clearly drunk' on the Wizz Air flight from Poland to Liverpool in October 2019

She said: He was standing in the aisle of the flight making a Nazi salute and was shouting Anglo-Saxon race, we are superior, know your place, dont answer back, youre a Slavic race traitor n***** lover.

The flight was full and passengers reported that during the flight Mr Mann had to be repeatedly asked to sit down, to fasten his seatbelt and to refrain from making rude and offensive gestures.

Among the passengers was VWlodzimier Tych, a Polish national, who lost family members during the Holocaust.

He wrote in a victim impact statement: Prior to this I have always felt very welcome in this country.

I have lived in this country for 31 years, I have never experienced this sort of behaviour.

I am of Jewish origin, this made me feel very shaken and upset, I also felt angry, disgusted and upset as he continued his behaviour regardless of other peoples feelings.

A passenger onboard the flight had lost family in the Holocaust during the Second World War

David Traynor, defending, said the behaviour was disgraceful, adding no one should have to observe it.

He explained Mann was a medical student in Poland and in the weeks leading up to the incident his family noticed a deterioration in his mental health.

Mr Traynor said Mann had told him when he was in Poland he had been groomed by far right extremist groups which is where those views come from and said thats where he got the terminology from.

Mann, of Euston Grove, Morecambe, admitted being drunk on the plane but after denying racially aggravated harassment that charge was ordered to lie on file.

Mann was handed an eight-month sentence, suspended for two years, and 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirements.

Judge Anil Murray, sentencing, said: You got out of your seat and shouted vile racist abuse including Nazi salutes which seriously affected other passengers, including someone who had lost family in the Holocaust.

I can only imagine the effect of your behaviour on him.

It seems you have entrenched racist views.

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Facebook Inc., Google and Microsoft Corp. said they will pause political contributions after a deadly pro-Trump riot in the U.S. Capitol last week that aimed to disrupt the certification of President-elect Joe Biden.

Airbnb Inc. and Intel Corp., meanwhile, instituted new policies of not donating to U.S. candidates who voted against the election certification.

While companies in an array of industries made similar adjustments to their political giving this week, there's heightened attention on moves in the tech industry after the removal of Donald Trump's social media accounts and the app Parler, which is popular among the president's supporters.

Software giant Microsoft said its political action committee decided Friday that it will not make any political donations "until after it assesses the implications of last week's events." The company's PAC regularly pauses donations in the first quarter of a new Congress, but it will "take additional steps this year to consider these recent events and consult with employees."

Microsoft has come under renewed pressure from some employees on social media to disband MSPAC after several years of complaints that the group's bipartisan giving involves donations to politicians who vote contrary to Microsoft's stated positions on issues like immigration and LGBT rights. Some legislators that Microsoft backs voted against certifying Biden.

Facebook spokesman Andy Stone said the social networking company is pausing all of its PAC contributions "for at least the current quarter while we review our policies." A spokesman for Alphabet Inc.'s Google said it was doing the same.

In a statement, Intel said the congressional votes against election certification ran counter to the company's values. Airbnb made a similar statement. Of the contributions Airbnb's PAC made in the last election cycle, almost half went to Republicans, according to data from Open Secrets.

Beyond the tech industry, banking giants such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are also planning to pause political contributions. Marriott International Inc. and Dow Inc. said they would suspend donations to lawmakers who voted against certifying Biden.

Microsoft's MSPAC, made contributions to Sens. Roger Marshall and Cynthia Lummis, as well as representatives such as Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise in the most recent election cycle, according to a spreadsheet shared by the Pinboard Twitter account, run by tech entrepreneur and activist Maciej Ceglowski. All four lawmakers voted to oppose Biden's certification as president.

Microsoft's PAC made a total of 820,500 in donations to federal candidates in the 2019-20 election cycle, 57% of that to Republicans and 43% to Democrats, according to Open Secrets, which tracks contributions.

In October, Bloomberg reported that Microsoft makes more U.S. political donations to climate obstructionists in the Senate and Congress than to politicians that support climate causes, despite the company's aggressive goals to reduce carbon emissions.

Microsoft already suspended donations from MSPAC in 2019 in response to employee concerns and said it was implementing changes based on questions about transparency and how it makes decisions around donations but the PAC quietly restarted giving later that year with few apparent alterations.

Axios and CNBC reported Facebook and Microsoft's decisions to halt donations earlier.

Explore further Google policy will limit ads for election as it does for disasters

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New York, Jan 13 : This was coming for a long time in a country that accounts for the world's highest coronavirus caseload and deaths. A CNN reporter broke down on live television earlier this week while reporting from Los Angeles about a woman who lost both her parents to Covid-19 and had to hold her mother's funeral in a parking lot because there's no place for the dead.

"What moved me to tears was, at first, simply rage. Rage at those who won't take our ills seriously and those who are actively fighting against the truth. They are putting people's lives in danger," Sara Sidner wrote in a first person account from the latest epicentre of the pandemic: California.

The coronavirus has killed more than 30,000 people in California alone since the pandemic began. More than 2.6 million people have been infected in the state.

Echoing the zeitgeist, Sidner tweeted, "Here is what I have learned during the pandemic. Heroes don't wear capes. They wear scrubs." While on air, Sidner was recounting the story of Juliana Jimenez Sesma who left her real estate job to take care of her mother, who was dealing with a lung condition and was at high risk if she contracted the virus.

Despite Sesma's efforts to protect her loved ones, the whole family ended up getting infected and Sesma lost her stepfather and mother in the space of less than a fortnight.

The CNN reporter met Sesma at her mother's funeral. "It was a most disturbing scene," she writes. "An open casket in the corner of a parking lot -- the only place available and safe for people to gather -- with flowers perched on the asphalt below." Sidner signed off on her blog with this: "So when you saw me cry, you witnessed my rage. I care about my country. I worry about the new and old ills facing us. And I feel like my country is on life support."

A spokesperson for the National Democratic Congress (NDCs) Election Petition to the Supreme Court, lawyer Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe says those accusing the largest opposition party of making similar mistakes to that of the Electoral Commission in their petition are missing the point.



According to him, it is wrong for some NPP members and some section of Ghanaians to equate the mistakes made in the petition of the NDC to the Supreme Court to that of the Electoral Commission (EC) going contrary to the constitutional provision under article 63.



Speaking on Okay FMs Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, the private legal practitioner argued that the EC's work is not a divine instruction like the 10 commandments given to Moses by God Almighty, but rather by a constitution that spells out the mandate of the Commission.



He stressed that the Electoral Commission (EC) going contrary to the article 63 in the 1992 Constitution should not be taken as a mere mistake as seen in the petition of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the Supreme Court.



I have heard the commentary that we should admit that people make mistakes and so it was a mere mistake on the part of the EC with the figures, and so is with our petition to the Supreme Court. The work of the EC is not a divine instruction like the 10 Commandments given to Moses by God Almighty, but in Ghana we are all guided by the Constitution in running the affairs of the country, and the article 63 of the constitution empowers the EC to work. So, if the EC makes a move contrary to the constitution, no one should say that anybody can make mistakes," he said.



Touching on the amendment that the opposition NDC seeks to do in its petition to the Supreme Court, Lawyer Edudzi Tamakloe said that his party has the power to amend its petition in accordance with the establishment of the CI91, rule 66(7).



We have established a law, what we call CI91 and it has what we call rule 66(7) and the rule 66 talks about a bit of an amendment. It is such that the amendment you are doing cannot alter or add to the grounds that you file your case.



My understanding of the reason for this is that, in 2012 around December 27, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Bawumia and the late Obetsebi Lamptey filed a petition and the first petition they filed was empty and many legal scholars said that the petition should have been dismissed immediately but for good judicial reasons it was not, he justified.



He explained that the amendment helps the petitioners to correct and beef up the petition which was earlier filed to lock the 21 days period.



He added that before the CI47, one cannot amend a petition to the court but now with the permission of the court, a petitioner can even file an amendment, providing a judgement has not been given already.



If you look at the process we have filed at the Supreme Court which they have given us January 14 to appear, it is just to effect a correction, instead of 1st and 2nd respondents that we interchanged. That is basically what it is. It is not about amending the crowned or adding additional information to the crowned, he indicated.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com









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

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W.H.O. Finally Lands in China to Begin Tracing the Coronavirus A glimmer of hope from one California region emerging from lockdown. More people have moved toward the front of the U.S. vaccination line, but that raises its own complications.

A W.H.O. team is in China to investigate the virus. Its already meeting obstacles. Experts from the World Health Organization at the airport in Wuhan, China, on Thursday. Credit... Ng Han Guan/Associated Press More than a year after a new coronavirus first emerged in China, a team of experts from the World Health Organization arrived on Thursday in the central city of Wuhan to begin hunting for its source. But in a sign of Beijings continuing efforts to control the investigation, the team of scientists and W.H.O. employees almost immediately ran into obstacles. Two scientists were unable to enter China at the last minute and remained in Singapore because they had tested positive for coronavirus antibodies, the W.H.O. said on Twitter. The Chinese authorities required the remaining 13 experts to undergo two weeks of quarantine in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged in late 2019. The investigation, which aims to gain an understanding into how the virus jumped to humans from animals, is a critical step so that another pandemic can be avoided. But getting answers is likely to be difficult. Heres what to know about the investigation. China set up hurdles and pushed for control. Apparently worried about drawing renewed attention to the countrys early mistakes in handling the pandemic, Chinese officials have used a variety of tactics over the past year to hinder the W.H.O. investigation. After resisting demands from other countries that it allow independent investigators onto its soil to study the origin of the pathogen, China let two W.H.O. experts visit in July to lay the groundwork. They were not allowed to visit Wuhan, where the virus first emerged. For months, China delayed approving a visit by a full team of experts, frustrating the health agencys leaders. When the visit seemed to be finalized this month, it fell apart when Beijing declined to provide visas for the visitors, according to the health agency. Now that the investigators have arrived, critics say Beijings desire for control means the inquiry will probably be more political than scientific. Tracing the virus will be a painstaking task. The team that has come to Wuhan will face a city radically transformed from when the virus first emerged, in late 2019. The city, which went into lockdown on Jan. 23 last year and became a symbol of the viruss devastation, has since been held up by Chinese officials as a success story in vanquishing the virus. The W.H.O. experts have decades of experience plumbing the depths of viruses, animal health and disease control. But tracing the source of the virus that as of Thursday had killed almost two million people worldwide and infected more than 92 million will be painstaking. While experts believe the virus originated naturally in animals, possibly bats, little else is known. How much access the team gets in China will be critical, public health experts say. The team will have to sidestep attempts to politicize its inquiry. The pandemic has hurt Chinas reputation, with many foreign governments still angry that Beijing did not do more to contain the crisis in its earliest stages. So Chinese propagandists are trying to use the W.H.O. inquiry to help shore up Chinas image and portray the country as a mature superpower. Complicating that effort could be new virus flare-ups in recent weeks that have prompted fresh lockdowns in China. In all, more than 22 million people have been ordered to remain inside their homes  double the number affected a year ago in Wuhan. On Thursday, Chinas National Health Commission reported a coronavirus death in the mainland for the first time since May. The major concern here is the origin of the outbreak has been so politicized, said Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. That has really narrowed the space for the W.H.O. to have an independent, objective and scientific investigation.

There are some good things to report: One California region is emerging from lockdown. Waiting in line for coronavirus testing in Los Angeles this week. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times The overwhelming Covid-19 surge in California is as deadly now as it has ever been, and hospitals in much of the state are still full to bursting. But officials see signs that the situation may soon stop getting worse. There are some good things to report, Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a video message posted late Tuesday night. Were starting to see some stabilization both in I.C.U.s as well as in our positivity rate. One region of the state, the area around Sacramento, has improved enough to lift a strict stay-at-home order and allow some businesses to reopen at partial capacity, including restaurants offering outdoor dining and hair salons. Three other large regions, home to tens of millions of people, remain under the most stringent tier of restrictions, which shut down nearly all nonessential businesses and ban residents from gathering with anyone they do not live with. Dr. Mark Ghaly, the states secretary of health and human services, said Tuesday that the number of Covid-19 patients being admitted to hospitals each day was dropping. He called that the biggest signal to me that things are beginning to flatten and potentially improve. Nationwide, the numbers largely remained grim, though in the Northern Plains, cases this week were about a quarter of their peak in mid-November, when the region was among the hardest hit in the country. A day after the U.S. recorded yet another daily record for deaths  more than 4,400  reported deaths remained high on Wednesday. And even as the pressure eased in some parts of California, hospitals across Southern California and the Central Valley were full, and the state reported a record total of more than 720 virus-related deaths on Tuesday, according to a New York Times database. California has struggled to get its vaccination program into high gear, and had only used one-quarter of its available doses by Tuesday. Governor Newsom said Wednesday that the state would start a new system to alert residents when theyre eligible. There is no higher priority than efficiently and equitably distributing these vaccines as quickly as possible to those who face the gravest consequences, he said in a statement. To those not yet eligible for vaccines, your turn is coming. We are doing everything we can to bring more vaccine into the state. Dr. David Lubarsky, the chief executive of U.C. Davis Health, said Tuesday that the top priority should be getting shots into arms, rather than spending resources to ensure that people dont cut the line. If you are so hellbent on making sure Patient A should come before Patient B, before Citizen C, you cant get people in the door in a sufficient manner, he said. Dr. Lubarsky said that as of Tuesday, roughly 12,000 of U.C. Davis Healths 13,000 employees had received at least a first vaccine dose. New Covid cases among the staff plummeted to about 20 in the last week, from a recent average of 135 a week. Setting up mass vaccination centers and opening up eligibility are positive steps for the state, he said. I think they are moving 100 percent in the right direction, Dr. Lubarsky said.

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Results are expected soon with Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine, though production lags. Despite manufacturing delays, health experts are optimistic about Johnson & Johnsons one-shot vaccine. Credit... Mark Ralston/Agence France-Presse  Getty Images Johnson & Johnson expects to release critical results from its coronavirus vaccine trial in as little as two weeks but probably wont be able to provide as many doses this spring as it promised the federal government because of manufacturing delays. If the vaccine can strongly protect people, as some outside scientists expect, it will offer big advantages over the two vaccines authorized in the United States. Unlike those, which require two doses, Johnson & Johnsons could need just one, greatly simplifying logistics for local health departments and clinics struggling to get shots in arms. Its vaccine can also stay stable in a refrigerator for months, whereas the others have to be frozen. But the encouraging prospect of a third effective vaccine is tempered by apparent lags in the companys production. In the companys $1 billion contract signed with the federal government in August, Johnson & Johnson pledged to have 12 million doses ready by the end of February, ramping up to a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. Federal officials have been told that the company has fallen as much as two months behind the original production schedule and wont catch up until the end of April, when it was supposed to have delivered more than 60 million doses, according to two people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. Dr. Paul Stoffels, Johnson & Johnsons chief scientific officer, said he expected to see clinical trial data showing whether the companys vaccine is safe and effective in late January or early February. He declined to provide details about the companys production capacity. Carl Zimmer, Sharon LaFraniere and Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker A look at all the vaccines that have reached trials in humans.

Which Americans can get a vaccine now? Heres a look at the new guidance. A vaccination center in Teaneck, N.J., on Wednesday. Credit... James Estrin/The New York Times The federal government, faced with an unrelenting surge in Covid-19 cases, issued a new appeal on Tuesday regarding which Americans should be vaccinated first. Here is what it might mean. Who is now eligible to be vaccinated, according to federal guidance? On Tuesday, Alex M. Azar II, the health secretary, urged all states to open up eligibility to everyone 65 and older and to adults of any age with medical conditions that put them at high risk of becoming seriously ill or dying from Covid-19. In all, that is more than 150 million people  almost half the population. They now join millions of health care workers and residents of long-term care facilities who had previously qualified. Mr. Azar did not specify which conditions would make someone eligible for vaccination now; presumably it will be up to governors to decide, as will the question of what documentation to require. But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a list of particularly high-risk conditions, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. How does eligibility vary by state, and why? Although the C.D.C. issued recommendations last month for which groups states should vaccinate initially, while the vaccine supply is still relatively low, the priorities are not binding and each state has come up with its own groupings. Nor can the federal government require states to change the prioritization plans they have already announced, although the new pressure from Mr. Azar, and growing public impatience as deaths from the virus keep hitting new peaks, may sway many to do so. In coming up with priority groups, state officials considered criteria like who is most likely to die if they contract Covid-19  including people of color as well as the elderly and the sick  and which professions are critical to helping the economy fully reopen. Each states unique demographics also played a role. I qualify now. How do I sign up? This depends very much on what state or even what county you live in. Some local public health departments have set up portals where people can make appointments; others are holding mass vaccination events and inoculating people on a first-come, first-served basis. Generally, doctors offices and pharmacies have asked that patients and customers not call them seeking vaccine appointments just yet, and instead wait to be contacted. Most pharmacies are not yet offering the vaccine, but CVS, Walgreens and a number of other chain pharmacies, including some in grocery and big-box stores, will soon start doing so through a partnership with the federal government. With the federal government saying that older people and those with underlying medical conditions should get vaccinated next, what happens to essential workers whose jobs require them to come face to face with other people? Are they eligible now, too? In some states, yes. Health care workers in every state were the first to be offered the vaccine. And before Mr. Azars directive this week, several states had already opened vaccination to certain categories of frontline essential workers, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, child-care workers and public transit employees. But other states that had planned to start offering the vaccine to some essential workers in the coming weeks may reprioritize now, based on Mr. Azars new guidance. There is nothing stopping states from opening vaccination to a new priority group before they have reached everyone in an earlier group, but supply is an important consideration. How many vaccine doses does the United States have access to? So far, Pfizer and Moderna, the only two companies whose vaccines have been approved for emergency use here, together have pledged to provide 400 million doses over the next seven months. Both vaccines require two doses, so that will be enough for 200 million people, out of roughly 260 million who are eligible at this point to be vaccinated. Children younger than 16 are not yet eligible for Pfizers vaccine, and those younger than 18 cannot yet take Modernas. Johnson & Johnson, which has a single-dose vaccine candidate in late-stage clinical trials, has a contract with the federal government to provide 12 million doses by the end of February, and a total of 100 million doses by the end of June. But the company has fallen behind on its production schedule. How many people have been vaccinated so far? The publicly available data lags by at least a few days, so it is hard to know for sure. But the C.D.C. reported on Wednesday that about 10.3 million people had received an initial dose, out of a total 29.4 million doses distributed around the country so far. That includes nearly 1.1 million doses that have been given to residents and staff members in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities.

Infections remain comparatively rare among children but are rising, the C.D.C. says. Students in Murphy, Texas. Young children are less likely to be infected by the coronavirus, new research confirmed. Credit... LM Otero/Associated Press After falling over the summer, coronavirus infections among children, teens and young adults rose steadily from September through mid-December, paralleling the viruss trajectory among older adults in the U.S. population, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Wednesday. Of 2.8 million coronavirus infections diagnosed in children and young adults under the age of 25 between March 1 and Dec. 12, 2020, the incidence was lowest among children ages 10 and younger, who accounted for 18 percent of the cases. The majority of infections in those under 25  nearly 60 percent  were among young adults aged 18 to 24, the study found. The authors said the findings lend support to the argument that child- care centers and elementary schools can operate safely when community transmission rates are low and mitigation measures are followed. Were recommending that child care centers and schools, especially elementary schools, be the last settings to close after all other mitigation measures are deployed, and the first to reopen, said Erin K. Sauber-Schatz, an epidemiologist at the C.D.C. and team lead of the agencys community interventions and critical populations task force. The study was one of two published this week that also looked at how often children have been hospitalized. In the C.D.C. study, which drew data from 44 states, the District of Columbia, two territories and an associated state, 2.5 percent of infected children and adolescents under 25 were hospitalized, compared with 16.6 percent of sick adults, and just 0.8 percent were transferred to intensive care. The largest percentage of hospitalizations in this group occurred among children under 5 years old. Some 654 patients under the age of 25 died, about 0.1 percent. But another study of children, adolescents and young adults, published in JAMA Pediatrics on Monday, has come to a very different conclusion. Researchers at the University of Minnesota found a troubling increase in hospitalizations among infected children and adolescents. The study was based on data from 5,364 patients aged 19 and under who were hospitalized in 22 states between May 15, 2020, and Nov. 15, 2020. The cumulative average rate rose to 17.2 hospitalizations per 100,000 children in November from 2 per 100,000 children in May. The increase was not surprising in itself, simply because more children were becoming infected over time. But the percentage uptick was more than double the rise in adult hospitalization rates over the same period, said Pinar Karaca-Mandic, an expert in health economics at the University of Minnesota and the senior author of the research report. This demonstrates that Covid still has the potential to cause serious illness in children, said Dr. Karaca-Mandic, who also is co-lead of the universitys Covid-19 Hospitalization Project. Its not like children are immune. Its not like children are not at risk. While older adults continue to be at the greatest risk, some hospitals may not be properly equipped to care for the youngest patients, she added. Sometimes I feel like the message of lower risk in children may have been misinterpreted as no risk by many, she added. Our study is showing that is not the case.

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More than 10 percent of the U.S. Congress has tested positive. Representative Pramila Jayapal tested positive after the siege on the Capitol. Credit... Pool photo by Graeme Jennings At least 60 sitting members of Congress  more than one in 10  have tested positive for the coronavirus or are believed to have had Covid-19 at some point since the pandemic began. The list includes 44 Republicans and 16 Democrats. Thats a higher proportion than the general population. As of Wednesday, a bit fewer than one in 14 Americans were known to have had the virus, according to a New York Times database, though many more cases have probably gone undetected. Five House members have reported positive tests since the attack on the Capitol last week, when many lawmakers were holed up in a secure location together and some refused to wear masks  a situation that angered several Democrats, including Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington, one of those who has since tested positive. And on Wednesday, Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts said that her husband, Conan Harris, who was at the Capitol to see her sworn in, has also tested positive. In a statement, Ms. Pressley said that Republican colleagues who had refused to wear masks while in a confined space had displayed an arrogant disregard for the lives of others. Congresss attending physician warned members afterward that it was possible they were exposed while sheltering and recommended that they be tested. Congress has struggled to stem the spread within its ranks in recent weeks. Most members who have tested positive have done so since the election in November, as cases have surged across the country. Representative Jake LaTurner, Republican of Kansas, said he received word just after the attack on the Capitol last Wednesday that he had tested positive. He did not return to the House floor for a vote early on Thursday. Representative Gus Bilirakis of Florida and Representative Michelle Steel of California, both Republicans, were absent from the House floor when the mob entered the Capitol because each had received positive test results earlier that morning. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, Republican of Tennessee, said on Sunday that he had tested positive after exposure to Mr. Bilirakis, with whom he shares a residence. Which Members of Congress Have Tested Positive for the Coronavirus At least 66 members of the 117th Congress have reported positive coronavirus tests, many of them in recent weeks.

N.Y.C. works with the Yankees on a vaccine site, and more virus variant cases are found statewide. Video transcript Back bars 0:00 / 1:41 - 0:00 transcript Yankee Stadium to Become Mass Coronavirus Vaccination Site Mayor Bill de Blasio said the New York Yankees were working with the city to turn Yankee Stadium into a mass Covid-19 vaccination site. No opening date has been set. Were speeding up the process of giving vaccines all the time. Yesterday, 28,599 doses given. We are opening up mega-sites, 24/7 mega-sites. We talked yesterday about CitiField, and again, thanks to the New York Mets for stepping up. Thats fantastic. Thats going to serve a lot of people. Well, weve heard back from the New York Yankees. And we welcome them into the fold too. Were working with them now to work out a plan to use Yankee Stadium as well. And thats got to be great for the people of the Bronx. So that plan is in motion, well announce it when the details have been worked through. But theres going to be more and more sites, not just stadiums, but more sites of all kinds, more hours reaching more people. And now anyone 65 years old or over does qualify. So if youre 65 or over, regardless of your health situation  obviously, youre vulnerable, weve talked about this before  you have the right to be vaccinated. You can sign up now. We have sites, as I said, 24/7 sites, and sites with other hours, extended hours, all over the five boroughs. On the 24/7 sites, yesterday, we opened a site at 125 Worth Street, right here, in the City Hall area, Lower Manhattan. Today, Staten Island, the Vanderbilt Clinic on Staten Island open 24/7 from this point on. And again, more sites coming in Staten Island. Saturday, the Health and Hospitals Corona Clinic in Queens will go to 24/7. And obviously, CitiField will be right behind that. Were going to just keep building and building out capacity. Mayor Bill de Blasio said the New York Yankees were working with the city to turn Yankee Stadium into a mass Covid-19 vaccination site. No opening date has been set. Credit Credit... Corey Sipkin/Associated Press An additional three cases of a variant of the coronavirus, which has been surging in the United Kingdom, have now been identified in New York, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 15, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday. State officials have narrowed down the new cases of the more contagious variant to two clusters, one on Long Island and another stemming from a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs, where the first case of the variant was discovered on Jan. 4. Amid mounting evidence that the variant is continuing to spread in New York, hospitalizations statewide continued to climb  more than 8,920 people reported Wednesday  and state and city officials scrambled to accelerate a sluggish rollout of the vaccine. Were locked in a footrace between its quick distribution and the spread of new cases, Mr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat, said in a statement. Both New York City and the state have added large vaccination sites in recent days. On Wednesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city was working with the New York Yankees to use their home stadium, in the Bronx, though there is no opening date yet. The announcement followed the mayors reveal on Tuesday that Citi Field, the Mets stadium in Queens, would become a mass vaccination site starting the week of Jan. 25. The site at Citi Field will operate seven days a week and is expected to have the capacity to vaccinate 5,000 to 7,000 people a day. The stadiums are the latest large sports venues across the country to be converted into vaccination sites, including the home stadiums of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres baseball teams, the Arizona Cardinals of the N.F.L., the San Antonio Spurs of the N.B.A., and the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. New York State also opened its first three state-run vaccination sites on Wednesday morning: in the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan, in the Westchester County Center and at the New York State Fair Expo Center, where eligible New Yorkers can get a shot after booking an appointment online. The list of eligible New Yorkers was expanded to include people 65 and older on Tuesday; individuals in those groups could immediately schedule appointments on the states website. So far, demand has far outpaced supply, with state officials warning people to be prepared to receive an appointment weeks in the future. On Tuesday, New York City administered 28,599 doses, Mr. de Blasio said. He added that the city plans to reach its goal of administering one million doses by the end of the month. But the mayor also warned on Wednesday that unless the city gets a major resupply of the vaccine soon, it will run out of doses at some point next week. In New Jersey, residents 65 and older and people ages 16 to 64 with certain medical conditions will be eligible to the vaccine as of Thursday, Gov. Philip D. Murphy at a news conference on Wednesday. Luis Ferre-Sadurni and

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KEY DATA OF THE DAY Oklahoma, with no statewide mask mandate, grapples with a surging caseload. Paramedics taking a patient to an emergency room in Shawnee, Okla., last month. Many Oklahoma hospitals are inundated with Covid-19 patients. Credit... Nick Oxford/Reuters Oklahoma is in the grip of a frightening surge of the coronavirus, the worst it has yet seen and one of the worst in Americas winter. Mercy Hospital Ardmore, in rural Oklahoma, has so many Covid-19 patients that some people are being cared for in curtained-off areas of hallways and the emergency departments waiting room. It has been this way for weeks. The people coming in are very, very sick, and they dont quickly get better, said Paula Pfau, the hospitals nursing director. Oklahoma is averaging nearly 4,000 new cases each day, an increase of almost 50 percent from two weeks ago. Rural counties in the southern part of the state, including around Ardmore, are now among the hardest hit in the country relative to their populations. Family gatherings and parties over the holidays are at least partly to blame, according to hospital officials and the Oklahoma State Department of Health. Nationally, the country is facing its worst days of the pandemic: There were over 4,400 Covid-19 deaths reported in the United States on Tuesday, a record, according to a New York Times database. Hospitalizations are at a near-record high of 131,326, according to the Covid Tracking Project. And more than 380,000 people in the United States have died from Covid-19. Oklahoma is experiencing the third worst outbreak in the country, behind Arizona, which is enduring a surge even worse than its summer peak, and California, where a weekslong flood of cases is wearing hospitals and their workers thin. There is no statewide mask mandate in Oklahoma, although the city of Ardmore has had one since November. A crush of new Covid-19 patients emerged seven to 10 days after Thanksgiving, and another after Christmas and New Years Eve. In rural Oklahoma, we didnt get our first case for a long time, Ms. Pfau said. We kind of decided the surge couldnt happen here. We dont have public transportation. We dont have Uber. Were in the middle of the country, with all this space. So we kept on with business as usual. And now its just a full-force hit. Coronavirus cases were relatively low in Oklahoma until the summer, when the daily number of new cases spiked in June, then surpassed 1,000 each day in September. An indoor rally in July held by President Trump in Tulsa was linked to a spike in cases there by the director of the Tulsa Health Department, Dr. Bruce Dart, who had pleaded with attendees to wear face masks, which were not worn by most at Mr. Trumps rally. Now, pretty much everyone in the state knows someone who has been sick, said Dr. Jennifer Clark, a physician and former hospital administrator who is helping lead an effort by Oklahoma State University to keep rural health care providers updated on the pandemic. Theres a heavy sense of grief, she said. Patricia Mazzei and

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Researchers in Ohio find preliminary evidence of two virus variants that may be more contagious. A pharmacist administers the Covid-19 vaccine to a health care workers last month in Columbus, Ohio. Credit... Brian Kaiser for The New York Times Two new variants of the coronavirus that may be more contagious have been detected in Ohio, researchers announced on Wednesday. Evidence for both variants is still preliminary, other experts cautioned, and warrants further study. As we sequence more, we will find more variants and we will see more mutations, said Emma Hodcroft, a molecular epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland. But very few mutations we are looking at today have never appeared before. One of the variants was spotted in an elderly woman during routine genetic surveillance by scientists at Ohio State University. The variant carries a mutation called N501Y, which has been linked to greater contagiousness; it is present in variants discovered in Britain, South Africa and Japan. But the variant in Ohio is distinct from those others, and appears to have emerged from a version of the coronavirus that has been circulating in Columbus since September, said Daniel Jones, a molecular biologist at Ohio State University, who led the research. The research has been submitted to the preprint server bioRxiv, where it is expected to appear on Wednesday, but has not yet been reviewed carefully by other experts. The fact that its occurring in that background suggests an independent arising in the U.S., Dr. Jones said. Now obviously, that has consequences for travel restrictions and all that, if were now seeing the same mutation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that starting on Jan. 26, the United States will require all international travelers arriving in the country to show proof of a negative coronavirus test or recent recovery from Covid-19. Some experts urged caution in interpreting the impact of the variants discovery in Ohio. The worrisome mutations at N501 have appeared and disappeared multiple times, so Im not sure finding isolated cases of 501 mutations on their own is worth getting too excited about, Dr. Hodcroft said. A second virus variant, also in Ohio, first cropped up around Christmas during routine surveillance. The numbers of known infections are small, because the team analyzes only about 10 samples per week. Among those samples, the variant was detected in one case the first week, about 30 percent of cases the following week, and 60 percent last week, Dr. Jones said. The variant contains three alterations in the spike protein on the surface of virus, which it uses to enter human cells. One of those mutations may increase contagiousness, but theres not been a lot of biology on it at this point to know what it does, he said. Dr. Hodcroft said the emergence of this second variant is potentially more significant, because it may be the same as a version reported in Massachusetts and West Virginia. It would be great to know if other states are reporting increases as well, she said. Surveillance of the virus in the U.S. has been limited, with labs sequencing only a tiny fraction of samples. But the C.D.C. has said it will sequence more samples to gain a clearer idea of variants that are emerging. The Ohio team has sequenced a total of 222 samples of the virus since April, but stepped up their efforts about six weeks ago, following reports of the more contagious variant in Britain. The scientists now plan to ramp up the numbers to as many 50 samples per week to assess how widely the variants might have spread.

Elders Covid deaths create a cultural crisis for Native Americans. On the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota, four Lakota elders from one family have died in the pandemic, including the parents of Jessie Taken Alive-Rencountre, right, and her sister Nola Taken Alive, who placed a bundle of sage in their mothers coffin. Credit... Victor J. Blue for The New York Times Native Americans, who are dying of Covid-19 at nearly twice the rate of white people, are also facing a cultural crisis: The coronavirus is tearing through the ranks of tribal elders, inflicting an incalculable toll on bonds of language and tradition that flow from older generations to the young. Its like were having a cultural book-burning, said Jason Salsman, a spokesman for the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in eastern Oklahoma whose grandparents contracted the virus but survived. Were losing a historical record, encyclopedias. One day soon, there wont be anybody to pass this knowledge down. Native Americans and volunteer groups are trying to protect the elders as a mission of cultural survival, and putting elders and fluent Indigenous language speakers at the head of the line for vaccinations. But the efforts face huge obstacles. Elders who live in remote locations often have no means to get to the clinics and hospitals where vaccinations are administered. And there is deep mistrust of the government in a generation that was used as medical guinea pigs, shipped off to boarding schools and punished for speaking their own languages. Activists say there is still is no reliable death toll of Native elders. They say the deaths are often overlooked or miscounted, especially off reservations and in urban areas, where about 70 percent of Indigenous people live. Adding to the problem, tribal health officials say their sickest members can essentially vanish once they are transferred out of small reservation health systems to larger hospitals with intensive-care units. We dont know what happens to them until we see a funeral announcement, said Abigail Echo-Hawk, the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute. The virus has claimed fluent Choctaw speakers and dressmakers from the Mississippi band of Choctaws. It took a Tulalip family matriarch in Washington State, then her sister and brother-in-law. It killed a former chairman of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation in California who had spent decades fighting to preserve Native arts and culture. Remote meetings of the Dine Hataaii Association, a group of Navajo medicine men and women, now regularly include updates on members who have died. When they pass on, all that knowledge is gone forever, never to be retained, said Avery Denny a member of the association and professor at Dine College. Its just lost.

The death of a Miami doctor who received a coronavirus vaccine is being investigated. Dr. Gregory Michael in a photo posted to Facebook by his wife. Credit... via Facebook Health authorities are investigating the case of a Florida doctor who died from an unusually severe blood disorder 16 days after receiving the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine. Dr. Gregory Michael, a 56-year-old obstetrician and gynecologist in Miami Beach, received the vaccine at Mount Sinai Medical Center on Dec. 18 and died 16 days later from a brain hemorrhage, his wife, Heidi Neckelmann, wrote in a Facebook post. Shortly after receiving the vaccine, Dr. Michael developed an extremely serious form of a condition known as acute immune thrombocytopenia, which prevented his blood from clotting properly. Pfizer said in a statement that it was actively investigating the case, but we dont believe at this time that there is any direct connection to the vaccine. There have been no related safety signals identified in our clinical trials, the post-marketing experience thus far, or with the technology used to make the vaccine, the company said. Our immediate thoughts are with the bereaved family. About nine million people in the United States have received at least one shot of either the Pfizer or Moderna coronavirus vaccine, the two authorized in the United States. Serious reported problems have included 29 cases of anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, though none were reported as fatal. Many people have had side effects like sore arms, fatigue, headache and fever, which are usually transient. Local and federal agencies are investigating Dr. Michaels death. Several experts said the case was highly unusual but could have been a severe reaction to the vaccine. The Florida Department of Health referred Dr. Michaels death to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for investigation. Kristen Nordlund, a C.D.C. spokeswoman, said in a statement that the agency would evaluate the situation as more information becomes available and provide timely updates on what is known and any necessary actions. Denise Grady and

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With expanded rosters and no fans in the stands, the N.H.L. season is about to begin. Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals, foreground, at a practice in Arlington, Va., on Tuesday. Credit... Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post, via Associated Press The N.H.L. season will begin on Wednesday with some drastic modifications to its format and at least one delayed opener because of the coronavirus. The myriad challenges of the pandemic will keep fans out of the stands at most arenas, expand rosters in the event of outbreaks and force the league to maintain flexibility. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said Monday that he did not expect the league to have access to vaccines for players, staff members and other personnel this season. Commissioner Gary Bettman said that he expected losses from a lack of attendance to exceed $1 billion, but that he believed the league would have lost less money if it had canceled the season. One player agent, Allan Walsh, dismissed that claim, calling it a deliberate and intentionally misleading statement. For hockey players and fans, there may not be a sense of normalcy until the playoffs, which are set to return to their usual format of 16 teams and four rounds of best-of-seven series. And although there will be no traditional January Winter Classic, there will be outdoor hockey in Nevada. Bettman said Lake Tahoe would host the league for the first time, with two games against a backdrop of snowy mountains and the lake, but no spectators. The Vegas Golden Knights will face the Colorado Avalanche there on Feb. 20, and the Philadelphia Flyers will play the Boston Bruins on Feb. 21. All 31 franchises will have to navigate an abbreviated season with long odds of being completed smoothly. Rather than the traditional 82-game schedule, each team will play 56 games. And each will carry three goalies and a four-to-six-player taxi squad in case of injury or a coronavirus-related absence. There will not be any cross-border travel because of restrictions between the United States and Canada.

Facing new outbreaks, China puts more than 22 million under lockdown. Coronavirus testing in Shijiazhuang, China, on Tuesday. The city has been locked down amid a resurgence in cases. Credit... China Daily/Reuters When a handful of new coronavirus cases materialized this month in a province surrounding Beijing  apparently spread at a village wedding party  the Chinese authorities bolted into action. They locked down two cities with more than 17 million people, Shijiazhuang and Xingtai. They ordered a testing regime of nearly every resident there, which was completed in a matter of days. They shut down transportation and canceled weddings, funerals and, most significantly, a provincial Communist Party conference. By this week, the lockdowns had expanded to include another city on the edge of Beijing, Langfang, as well as a county in Heilongjiang, a northeastern province. Districts in Beijing itself, the Chinese capital, also shut down. More than 22 million people in all have been ordered to remain inside their homes  double the number affected last January when Chinas central government locked down Wuhan, the central city where the virus was first reported, in a move that was then seen as extraordinary. The flare-ups remain small compared with the devastation facing other countries, but still threaten to undercut the success that the countrys Communist Party has had in subduing the virus, allowing its economy to surge back after last years slump and its people to return to something close to normal lives. The urgency of the governments current response stands in contrast to that of officials in Wuhan last year who feared a backlash if they disclosed the mysterious new illnesses then emerging. Local officials there had gone ahead with a Communist Party conference like the one now canceled in Hebei, despite knowing the risk of the disease spreading among people. Since Wuhan, the authorities have created a playbook that mobilizes party cadres to quickly respond to new outbreaks by sealing off neighborhoods, conducting widespread testing and quarantining large groups. China, a country of 1.4 billion people, has reported an average of 109 new cases a day over the past week, according to a New York Times database. Those would be welcome numbers in countries experiencing far worse  including the United States, which is averaging more than 250,000 new cases a day  but they are the worst in China since last summer.

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The state of the pandemic in America. Medical tents outside a hospital in Los Angeles on Monday. Credit... Alex Welsh for The New York Times In todays edition of the Morning newsletter, David Leonhardt writes: Last weeks attack on the Capitol has understandably dominated the news. But I want to take a few minutes to focus on the other vital story right now  the pandemic. Below is a three-point summary of where we are, with help from my colleagues covering the story and from a couple of charts. Ill warn you up front: The situation is not good. 1. The new variants are scary. Scientists are still learning about new versions of the coronavirus, including variants that emerged in Britain, South Africa and Brazil. The evidence so far indicates that they are much more infectious than the Italian strain, which has been circulating here since February, my colleague Donald G. McNeil Jr. told me. Thats a game changer. Behavior that may once have been only moderately risky  say, airplane travel  may now be more so. The variants seem to be one reason cases worldwide are spiking: Image Credit... By The New York Times | Sources: Governments and health agencies 2. The mass vaccination campaign in the U.S. is off to a terrible start. The Trump administration promised that 20 million Americans would be vaccinated by Jan. 1. Instead, fewer than three million were  and only about nine million have now had their shots. The Deep South has the countrys lowest vaccination rates. But this isnt just a Republican failure: California, Virginia and some other Democratic-run states have also been slow. (Heres data for every state.) Vaccinations will probably accelerate in coming weeks, especially because President-elect Joe Biden and his team seem much more focused on the problem than President Trump has been. Goldman Sachs forecasts that about one-quarter of Americans will have received their first shot by April 1, half by June 1 and three-quarters by mid-autumn. The coming vaccination speedup is the one good piece of good news right now. 3. Things are likely to get worse before they get better. The virus is spreading so rapidly that hospitals are struggling to keep up. About 130,000 Americans are hospitalized with Covid symptoms, more than double the number two months ago. The strain on hospitals raises the possibility that many people will not receive the best available treatments. Los Angeles has recently had to ration oxygen. And Esteban Trejo, an executive at a company in El Paso, Texas, that provides oxygen to temporary hospitals, told Kaiser Health News, Its been nuts, absolutely nuts. The recent data on cases and deaths is noisy, because diagnoses artificially slowed during the holidays, says Mitch Smith, a Times reporter who follows the numbers. Still, deaths have already hit a record this week  more than 3,000 a day, on average  and the recent explosion of cases suggests they may be heading to above 3,500 and perhaps to 4,000. Image Credit... By The New York Times The bottom line: Biden will be taking office next week during the nadir of the coronavirus crisis. His administration will need to both accelerate vaccine distribution and persuade more people to change their behavior  and the second goal is even more urgent than the first. Unless Americans start wearing masks more often and spending less time together in cramped spaces, many more people are going to die.

Indonesias president receives a Chinese-made vaccine that produced disappointing trial results. President Joko Widodo of Indonesia, left, received a coronavirus vaccine on Wednesday. Credit... Agus Suparto/Indonesian Presidential Palace, via Associated Press Indonesias president, Joko Widodo, received an injection of a Chinese-made vaccine on live television on Wednesday as health officials prepared for a nationwide rollout. Human trials in Indonesia have found that the vaccine, CoronaVac, was safe and has a 65.3 percent efficacy rate. But scientists in Brazil said on Tuesday that it had an efficacy rate there of just over 50 percent  far lower than the 78 percent efficacy rate announced last week. Mr. Joko was the first in Indonesia to receive the inoculation, health officials said, because he wanted to assure the public that it was safe, effective and halal, meaning that it is approved under Islamic law. Behind him as he received his injection was a red sign with white lettering proclaiming the vaccine to be safe and halal. Covid vaccination is important for us to break the chain of transmission of this coronavirus and provide health protection for all of us, the people of Indonesia, and help accelerate the process of economic recovery, Mr. Joko said after getting his shot. Indonesia, which authorized emergency use of the Sinovac vaccine on Monday, had previously ordered 125.5 million doses from the company and smaller amounts from several others. Indonesia, the worlds fourth-largest country with 270 million people, hopes to achieve herd immunity by vaccinating two-thirds of the population within 15 months. But there are still questions around the Sinovac vaccine, which China began administering last year before human trials were completed. The company has yet to release data publicly on the results of its trials. And the vaccines efficacy rate, as measured in Brazil and Indonesia, is still far below the 90-plus-percent rates achieved by the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that have been approved in the United States and other countries. Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University in Australia, said the relatively low efficacy rate for CoronaVac should prompt Indonesia to look for alternatives. He also questioned the transparency of the various trials and the data being released. At least Indonesia has one vaccine as a tool to protect its health care workers and prevent staff shortages, he said. Of course, the government should do its best in getting other vaccines. Indonesia plans to give the vaccine first to medical staff, police officers and soldiers. It also has begun a national promotion campaign to persuade members of the public to get the vaccine, which will be free. Following Mr. Joko to be vaccinated in front of the cameras were the head of the army, the national police chief and the newly appointed health minister, along with other dignitaries and so-called influencers. Indonesia has reported nearly 850,000 coronavirus cases and nearly 25,000 deaths, Southeast Asias highest tallies in both categories. Richard C. Paddock and

A South Korea church leader receives a suspended prison term after virus fallout. Lee Man-hee, a leader of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, leaving a detention center in Suwon, South Korea, in November. Credit... Hong Ki-Won/YONHAP, via Associated Press The leader of a secretive religious sect that was at the center of a coronavirus outbreak in South Korea last year received a three-year prison term on Wednesday on charges of embezzling church money. But Lee Man-hee, 89, the founder of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, was acquitted on a charge of conspiring to impede the health authorities efforts to fight the coronavirus. Mr. Lees prison term was suspended for four years, which means that he will remain free unless he commits a crime within that time. The rapid spread of the virus among the churchs worshipers in Daegu, a city in the countrys southeast, in February and early March last year briefly made South Korea home to the worlds largest coronavirus outbreak outside China. A total of 5,213 cases have been found among church members and their contacts, according to government data. Prosecutors arrested Mr. Lee in August on charges that he and other church officials had obstructed the governments efforts to fight the epidemic by not fully disclosing the number of worshipers and their gathering places. Mr. Lee was also accused of embezzling 5.6 billion won, or $5.1 million, from church funds to build a luxurious peace palace north of Seoul, the capital. He was also accused of using public facilities for religious activities without permission from the local authorities. Mr. Lee was released on bail in November. On Wednesday, a judge in the district court of Suwon, south of Seoul, ruled that a failure to provide a full list of worshipers and church facilities did not amount to impeding the governments disease-control efforts. Mr. Lees church welcomed the acquittal and said he would appeal to a higher court to try to reverse his conviction on embezzlement and other charges.

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Press Release

January 13, 2021 Pangilinan: Letting LGUs, private firms buy vaccines will enable PH to reach inoculation targets STRESSING the need for a swift and efficient whole-of-nation approach in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Wednesday said that the key solution to a more efficient vaccine roll-out is to involve the local government units (LGUs) and the private sector. "Bakit ayaw nilang bigyan ng authority ang private sector at LGU na bumili ng vaccine at magkaroon ng mas efficient at mas masigasig na vaccine roll-out? I think that is a key solution. If we will just let the Department of Health (DOH) bureaucracy be the primary and sole vaccine roll-out bureaucracy, I doubt that we will be able to reach our targets," Pangilinan said. In a media interview, Pangilinan, who is the main proponent to convene the Senate Committee of the Whole to probe the country's vaccine roll-out program, stressed that the bureaucracy needs a sense of urgency to be able to effectively deliver. "Kung aasa lang si Galvez sa DOH bureaucracy, he might as well be a general without an army... I have no doubt Gen. Galvez has what it takes to make this work, but he needs the DOH [to have his] sense of urgency. The lack of sense of urgency is clearly displayed in the last 11 months," Pangilinan said, referring to Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., who is pandemic national action plan chief implementer and the so-called vaccine czar. "How do you get the bureaucracy to have a sense of urgency? You get the LGUs involved, you get the private sector involved. Let the LGUs and the private sector be the gas pedal to the roll-out," he added. Pangilinan, who was Presidential Assistant on Food Security and Agriculture Modernization, said that at the time he was able to tap the bureaucracy under his command -- the National Food Authority and the Philippine Coconut Authority -- when he needed to address the issues of fake plastic rice and "cocolisap" or coconut infestation. He said that absent this bureaucracy in Galvez's Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF), stakeholders with organizations on the ground should be tapped. "You have to infuse the bureaucracy with the new blood, different and fresh pillars. That would be the LGUs who have shown their response to be very relevant in many of these different localities, as well as the private sector," Pangilinan said. Asked about how the Senate will be able to help allow the LGUs to directly purchase the vaccines, the senator said that it could be done by ensuring proper safeguards. "Provided that there are enough safeguards in terms of coordination, reporting. For example, the government could focus on the 24.6 million most vulnerable, then the remaining 50 million pwedeng private sector and the LGUs. It's a matter of being able to orchestrate things properly. And that requires matinding timon," Pangilinan said. The senator said the DOH can enable these stakeholders by deputizing the LGUs and the private sector. "In the end, it's really the DOH's call. Kasi sabi nga nila they can deputize. Ibig sabihin, it's now up to the DOH to let go of some of its powers and enable the stakeholders. Enable the local governments. Enable the private sector. And get more involved in the roll-out," Pangilinan said. "This is a mass vaccination. DOH and the government cannot do it alone. Again, you have to have LGUs involved. You have to have private sectors involved," he added. Pangilinan earlier expressed alarm over the different timelines and deliverables of the DOH and the IATF regarding the vaccine roll-out, stressing the importance of transparency to help ensure public confidence in the program. The Senate Committee of the Whole is scheduled to convene again on Friday, January 15, to further discuss the country's vaccination program.
REPORT: Number of Christians Murdered for Faith Rose Sixty Percent in 2020

COVID-19 and Technology Drive Rise in Anti-Religious Bigotry, According to Leading Watchdog Group



NEWS PROVIDED BY

Open Doors USA

Jan. 13, 2021



SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 13, 2021 /Christian Newswire/ -- Levels of Christian persecution are at a record high globally, according to watchdog organization Open Doors, who announced the 2021 World Watch List today via press conference. A comprehensive research-based report, the annual World Watch List ranks the top 50 countries where it is most dangerous to be Christian  and exposes startling shifts in the landscape of global religious persecution.



This year's report reveals that more than 340 million Christians now suffer high levels of persecution for their faith, representing 1-in-8 Christians worldwide.



"The COVID-19 pandemic has turned a bad situation into an unbearable one," said David Curry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA. "This public health crisis created an opportunity to expand faith-based discrimination and violence in regions where religious persecution had already reached alarming rates."



Due to ongoing and increasing surveillance and censorship of religious minorities, China re-entered the top 20 for the first time in a decade. New data show China's surveillance state is used to persecute Christians and other religious minorities, such as Uighur Muslims. The Chinese Communist Party is not only normalizing these technologies within their borders, but exporting them to authoritarian regimes around the world.



"This goes beyond where you're going to church or where you're going to temple, to what it is you're writing about on your phone," said Dr. Chris Meserole, Director of Research and Policy of the Brookings Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative. "There's no country that can match the sheer scale of surveillance technologies that China has developed and also deployed."



For the first time in the 29-year history of the World Watch List, every country in the top 50 is ranked as experiencing very high or extreme levels of persecution.



In 2020, extremist attacks spread further throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, from Nigeria and Cameroon to Burkina Faso, Mali, and beyond. In Nigeria alone, 10 Christians a day are murdered on average due to their religious beliefs. As the total number of Christians killed for their faith rose 60 percent for the yearfrom 2,983 registered cases (WWL 2020) to 4,761 (WWL 2021)91 percent of the violent killings for religious reasons occurred in Africa. The report reveals that 1-in-6 Christians in Africa endure faith-based discrimination and violence.



2021 World Watch List Top 10

North Korea

Afghanistan

Somalia

Libya

Pakistan

Eritrea

Yemen

Iran

Nigeria

India

To view the complete 2021 World Watch List report, visit ODUSA.org/WWL. For immediate access to the World Watch List press kit, including country-specific data, expert interviews, firsthand accounts, and images, visit opendoorsusa.org/newsroom.



To schedule interviews, please email opendoors@iconmediagroup.com.



About Open Doors USA

For more than 60 years, Open Doors USA has worked in the world's most oppressive and restrictive countries for Christians. Open Doors works to equip and encourage Christians living in dangerous circumstances with the threat of persecution and to mobilize the Western church to pray and advocate for the persecuted. Christians are one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world and are oppressed in at least 60 countries. For more information, visit OpenDoorsUSA.org.



SOURCE Open Doors USA



CONTACT: Paige Collins, Icon Media Group, 615-934-4162, opendoors@iconmediagroup.com



LUHLEKO  The high death rate brought about by the second wave of the coronavirus, which has resulted in funeral homes being overstretched, has resulted in a mix-up in corpses.

As it is, residents of Luhleko are reeling from shock after a Simelane family buried a woman they believed was their loved one, only to find that it was a total stranger.

The incident occurred on Tuesday morning, when the family buried a corpse thinking it was their mother at the family burial site.

It is alleged that the family of Make Gabsile Simelane learned of the news yesterday morning, when another family visited Dups Funeral Home to collect the remains of their loved one for burial purposes.

Collected

Upon the other familys arrival at Dups, they were informed that the body of their loved one had in fact been collected by the Simelane family, who at that time, had already buried it, oblivious of the fact that it was not Make Gabsile.

It was gathered that when collecting the corpse, the Simelane family did not view it within the funeral home as the COVID-19 regulations discourage such.

According to impeccable sources, the body was collected on Monday and the burial was held on Tuesday morning.

Sources close to the matter alleged that when Dups realised that the bodies had been swapped, the funeral home immediately called the Simelane family and informed them that the woman that they believed to be their mother, was in fact, the body of another woman.

Indeed when the Simelane family went to Dups, they found the body of their family member.

After this was communicated, the sources disclosed that Dups management approached the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to request permission to exhume the body which had been buried by the Simelane family.

This was confirmed by Dups Holdings General Manager Kyle De Sousa. He said what happened at the funeral home early this week when a corpse was released to a wrong family and buried, was an honest human error.

This happened at the peak of death figures due to COVID-19-related ailments. The funeral parlour has been a hive of activity in recent weeks as COVID-19-related deaths are daily reported in double digits.

It was a human error that occurred as a result of breach of our strict identification procedures. The error occurred when a corpse was released to another family. The high numbers of corpses that our staff handle per day and night has resulted in excessive physical and mental fatigue brought about by long hours of work, De Sousa said.

He said the error was, however, quickly rectified. De Sousa extended an apology to all concerned parties and the distress this has caused. He said after it was brought to the funeral parlours attention that a mistake had happened, action was immediately taken.

The general manager said the funeral parlour had engaged both families and the police on the matter. He said they came forward with the information to both families and shared it with the police.

Identify

Notwithstanding the strict COVID-19 body burials, he said, it would assist to have the families identify the bodies properly.

When this reporter visited the Simelane home yesterday, the women found at the home informed this reporter that they were not in a position to discuss the details of the matter with the media, as the elders of the home had left to resolve the issue.

One of the family members informed this reporter that they could not give any additional information as their elders were not present, and had left to deal with the matter.

When this reporter requested for the elders numbers, the women proceeded to request the reporter and the driver to leave the premises immediately.

On the other hand, Luhleko Headman Muzi Maseko said he received a phone call from the family in the early hours of yesterday morning, where they informed him that they had unknowingly buried the body of another woman, thinking that it was that of their mother.

He shared that he was still in a state of shock after he was informed about this, as there had been a large number of COVID-19 deaths in the area this week alone.

Maseko said community members had converged at the family burial site after hearing the news to assist the family, however, they were advised to wait for more information from the authorities. A pained Maseko relayed that such an incident had never been reported in the community before, but stated that such incidents were bound to happen, citing that this was as a result of the COVID-19 regulations, which stated that the viewing of bodies was barred.

Guidelines

It is worth mentioning that according to the Guidelines for Safe Management of Dead Bodies in the context of COVID-19, the viewing of a body is only by limited family members, preferably 20, while the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE) and rituals may be performed without touching the body in the mortuary or at home.

Maseko commented that if it werent for the regulations, this unfortunate incident would not have happened.

There will be more cases like this, because if the families cannot view their loved ones, how are they to know that it is their family member? I urge government to revisit the regulations because this will not be the last case we hear of, he said. He further encouraged the family to stay strong, in the hope that this unfortunate incident would be resolved appropriately, and timeously.

This matter comes five months after the body of Gladness Edje was taken by unknown people from the National TB Referral Hospital morgue, after she succumbed to a COVID-19-related illness at Manzini Clinic last August. The family of Edje has since taken the government, TB Hospital and The Manzini Clinic to court over the mysterious disappearance of their mother. Similarly, in that matter, the challenge was that when the corpse was brought to the government morgue, it was only wrapped in plastic  which is a norm for people who had died after falling sick due to the virus.
Simbal Camp in Jammu is a fertile ground for Khalistan movement and anti-India propaganda

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Jan 13: The traction on the ground has not been up to expectations, but the pro-Khalistan groups such as the Sikhs For Justice have been pushing their agenda hard through various platforms with the help of the Pakistan's ISI.

In this connection one would have to look at the Simbal Camp in Jammu, where the head of the Sikhs For Justice, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun had said that he would launch the voter registration for Punjab Independence Referendum 2020. He had said that he would do so with Ardaas ceremonies from Gurudwara Chhati Patshahi in Srinagar and Gurudwara Simbal Camp in Jammu.

The Simbal Camp gained notoriety when it became a fertile ground for terror activities during the height of terrorism in Punjab. This is also the birthplace of Rajeet Singh Neeta, the founder of Khalistan Zindabad Force. Neeta, who lives in Lahore is India's top 20 most wanted.

Arrested Khalistani sympathiser was tasked by ISI to oversee killing of RSS leaders

Since long, activities relating to the KZF have been reported in the Simbal Camp. Right from the early 2000s scores of arrests of the KZF activists have taken place from this camp.

In the Simbal Camp there is a perception that no outsider is welcome in the area. Back in 2015, a violent incident took place when the police pulled down the poster of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale which was installed by the Sikh Naujawan Sabha, Simbal Camp. The SNS has been putting up such hoardings asking the Sikhs to observe the anniversary of Operation Bluestar since many years. The SNS however blamed the RSS to create issues in this regard.

Intelligence agencies have for long flagged these issues and say that the Simbal Camp has been home to several anti-national elements. The SJS deciding to launch its Referrendum 2020 from the Simbal Camp only shows that its members have either infiltrated in large numbers or are part of the camp, which is close to the border with Pakistan.

Looking at the manner in which the SJF has been functioning of late, it is clear that the proscribed outfit wants to fan sentiments in the form of form of protests. The SJF wants a separatist mindset instilled in the people. It also operates on the international forum by staging anti India protests in front of Indian embassies in the UK, US and Canada. An Intelligence Bureau officials tells OneIndia that the SJF has been looking to infiltrate protests in India as well. It is trying to provide the people with a platform and trying to bring about a separatist mindset in a bid to promote the Khalistan case. The extent of which the SJF has staged, infiltrated or funded protests against the democratically elected Indian government is being assessed, the official cited above said.

The SJF said that with the help the residents at the Simbal Camp, they planned to get the support of 3 lakh Sikhs residing across Jammu and Kashmir. The SJF has been using the locals of Kashmir as well and had planned violence and protests. The outfit said that an independent Khalistan will pave the way for the freedom of Kashmir.

Pro Khalistan SJF instigating Sikhs in Army, youth to rise in mutiny against India: NIA

The activities that were planned in the Simbal Camp were to be replicated by the SJF in Delhi and Punjab through Canadian portals to propagate anti-India activity.


He said he had been briefed by intelligence services about planned protests, acknowledged people had rights but said "there must be no violence". He said he had instructed forces to maintain order and called on Americans to unite as one people. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a speech before the vote, said: "He must go. He is a clear and present danger to the nation we all love." US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, speaks before signing articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump. Credit:Bloomberg After the vote and before signing the advancement article of impeachment, she spoke from behind the lectern that was taken by a Trump supporter at the riot last week. A staffer said it hadn't been damaged. Today, in a bipartisan way, the House demonstrated that no one is above the law, not even the president of the United States, that Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to our country and that, once again, we honour that oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, so help us God, Pelosi said.

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell announced before the House vote that a Senate trial would not be held until after Biden's inauguration, meaning Trump will serve out the remainder of his term. The Senate could still act to ban Trump from seeking political office again if a two-thirds majority votes to convict him of "high crimes and misdemeanours". This could require a second vote if impeachment were successful. This would require at least 17 Republican Senators to vote to convict Trump. Members of the National Guard rest under a bust of Abraham Lincoln in a hallway of the US Capitol building in Washington ahead of Donald Trump's second impeachment vote. Credit:Bloomberg Republican congressman Anthony Gonzalez, who voted to impeach Trump, said in a statement: "The President of the United States helped organise and incite a mob that attacked the United States Congress in an attempt to prevent us from completing our solemn duties as prescribed by the constitution." His Republican colleague Peter Meijer said he had voted with a "heavy heart" to impeach Trump.

"President Trump betrayed his oath of office by seeking to undermine our constitutional process, and he bears responsibility for inciting the insurrection we suffered last week," he said in a statement. The vast majority of House Republicans voted against impeaching Trump, arguing that it was pointless to impeach him so close to the end of his presidency and that Democrats had rushed the process. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican House leader, said: "The President bears responsibility for Wednesdays attack on Congress by mob violence." He added: "What we saw last week was not the American way. Neither is the continued rhetoric that Joe Biden is not the legitimate president."

Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video But McCarthy said impeachment was unnecessarily divisive and that he preferred a symbolic censure of Trump as well as a bipartisan fact-finding commission to examine how the Capitol riot occurred. Andy Biggs, a Republican congressman from Arizona, said: "Instead of stopping the Trump train, his movement will grow stronger for you will have made him a martyr." Some Republicans said that Trump had been using political hyperbole when he urged his supporters to "fight like hell" against the certification of Biden's victory. In her short speech before the vote, Democratic congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard said "This President has blood on his hands."

Democratic congressman Hakeem Jeffries described Trump as a "living, breathing impeachable offence". Loading In a statement before the vote, Trump said: "I urge that there must be NO violence, NO lawbreaking and NO vandalism of any kind ... I call on ALL Americans to help ease tensions and calm tempers." The Democrats' article of impeachment said that Trump had "gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government". "He threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperilled a co-equal branch of government," the impeachment resolution continued.

"He thereby betrayed his trust as President, to the manifest injury of the United States." Liz Cheney, the third most senior Republican in the House, said that she supported impeachment because Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack". "Everything that followed was his doing," she said in a statement the night before the vote. "There has never been a greater betrayal by a president of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution." - with agencies
WASHINGTON  U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro will serve on a team overseeing the impeachment of President Donald Trump, a spot in history for the San Antonio Democrat as the House moves this week to make Trump the first president to be impeached twice.

The House is moving swiftly to impeach the president, who Democrats and some Republicans blame for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol last week, where five people were killed. A vote is expected Wednesday.

For the first time in our nations history, the transfer of power has not been peaceful, Castro said. To protect the American people and as a consequence for these deadly actions, President Donald J. Trump must be removed from office immediately and prevented from ever occupying the presidency again.

TREMENDOUSLY SUCCESSFUL: Trump touts immigration crackdown in visit to South Texas border wall

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Tuesday night that Castro will be among nine House Democrats serving as impeachment managers through the process.

It is their constitutional and patriotic duty to present the case for the Presidents impeachment and removal, Pelosi said in a statement. They will do so guided by their great love of country, determination to protect our democracy and loyalty to our oath to the Constitution. Our Managers will honor their duty to defend democracy For The People with great solemnity, prayerfulness and urgency.

Castro, a former chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, will be the second Texan to help impeach Trump.

U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Houston Democrat, served on the team prosecuting the case in the House last year. Democrats argued that the president should be removed from office for abusing his power by withholding military aide to pressure Ukraine into investigating President-elect Joe Biden, and for obstructing congressional inquiries into the matter.

The responsibility to serve as an impeachment manager is a solemn duty  one that arises from my oath to protect the Constitution and safeguard our democracy for future generations, Castro said.

Its another high-profile appointment for the 46-year-old lawmaker, who has seen his influence grow in the House.

It comes just a month after Castro came up short in a bid to lead the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, but nonetheless drew sizable support as the five-term congressman sought to buck the longstanding tradition of handing chairmanships based on seniority.

Castro also serves on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Texas Take: Get the latest news on Texas politics sent directly to your inbox every weekday

The impeachment team led by U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland includes: U.S. Reps. Diana DeGette and Joe Neguse of Colorado; David Cicilline of Rhode Island; Eric Swalwell and Ted Lieu of California; Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands; and Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania.

The House voted along party lines Tuesday night to pass a resolution calling on Pence to strip Trump of power by invoking the 25th Amendment, which allows the administration to remove a president unfit for office. Pence said he would not do so, and the House is expected to impeach the president Wednesday.

During a trip to South Texas to visit a segment of the border wall, Trump called impeachment proceedings a continuation of the greatest and most vicious witch hunt in the history of politics that is causing tremendous anger and division.

Which is very dangerous for the USA, especially at this very tender time, Trump said. Now is the time for our nation to heal, and its time for peace and calm.

ben.wermund@chron.com
[January 13, 2021] Global Ecommerce Consumer Survey Compares Shopping Habits, Fraud Worries, Customer Experience Expectations

International fraud protection leader ClearSale (https://www.clear.sale) is pleased to release an extensive analysis of its five-country study on consumer attitudes commissioned from Sapio Research titled, 2021 Global Ecommerce Consumer Behavior Analysis. The analysis shows merchants how online shoppers in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Mexico and Australia decide which ecommerce stores to buy from and which to avoid. "With so much growth in online shopping worldwide this year, we want to help merchants understand customer attitudes so they can meet the expectations of their ideal customers, whether those are American Baby Boomers, Mexican millennials or Gen Z Australians," said Rafael Lourenco, ClearSale Executive Vice President. The study was conducted in early March 2020 and surveyed more than 1,000 frequent online shoppers in each country. The survey asked shoppers for their opinions about online security and data privacy, their concerns about online fraud and where they prefer to shop, among other topics. Among the survey findings, 52% of all consumers order from overseas merchants as well as in-country retailers and 50% are most likely to shop on a phone or tablet. "These numbers show that merchants that don't accept cross-border orders and provide a good mobile experience are missing out on half of their potential customers," Lourenco said. The survey also found that consumers worry about fraud but don't have patience with merchants who reject their orders by mistake. 78% of ll consumers say they feel as safe or safer shopping online than in stores, even though 42% have been victims of online fraud.

39% of all consumers say they'll never shop again with a merchant that declines their order.



The survey also found differences in consumer behavior between countries. For example:

72% of Mexican online shoppers and 60% of Australian online shoppers order from both overseas and in-country merchants, compared to only 37% of U.S. and U.K. shoppers.

64% of Mexican shoppers read merchant reviews before making an online purchase, but only 34% of U.K. shoppers do.

Australian and U.S. shoppers are the most likely to abandon a purchase if asked to create a customer account. "Any merchant who wants to understand their customers' behavior can use this information to improve their customer experience and reach cross-border customers more effectively," Lourenco said. The full analysis of the ecommerce customer survey is available at https://offer.clear.sale/global-ecommerce-consumer-behavior. About ClearSale ClearSale offers the most complete ecommerce fraud protection, combining cutting-edge statistical technology with the world's largest team of specialized fraud analysts for a balanced, comprehensive, real-world approach. Trusted by over 3,000 customers worldwide and touting a 99% retention rate, ClearSale is the first company to offer chargeback guarantees and the largest company focused on global card-not-present fraud prevention. ClearSale helps businesses prevent fraudulent chargebacks without interfering with the online shopping experience. As a result, clients can sell more, safely, even in dynamic or challenging international markets. More information at https://clear.sale or follow on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter (News - Alert) @ClearSaleUS. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210113005093/en/

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A man who pleaded guilty to his role in an incident that left an RCMP officer shot in the head has died in prison, according to the institution housing him.

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A man who pleaded guilty to his role in an incident that left an RCMP officer shot in the head has died in prison, according to the institution housing him.

Tommy Beaulieu died on Jan. 11, according to Stony Mountain Institution, who declined to share a cause of death other than to clarify it was not related to COVID-19.

Tommy Beaulieu died on Jan. 11, according to Stony Mountain Institution, who declined to share a cause of death other than to clarify it was not related to COVID-19. (Facebook)

"At this time the incident is still under investigation and the coroner has yet to determine the cause of death," said Laura Kirby, manager of assessment and intervention at the prison.

Beaulieu was serving a sentence of more than 10 years after he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of a peace officer, breaking and entering to steal a firearm and robbery with violence.

Beaulieu and a co-offender, Therae Racette-Beaulieu, set things in motion when they broke into a property near Portage la Prairie, confronting the property owner in his own garage and hitting him with a rake three times, causing an injury to the mans face and a laceration to his elbow.

Beaulieu fled on a stolen all-terrain vehicle and Racette-Beaulieu jumped into the mans truck and sped off  almost running the man over in the process.

The two reconvened and picked up two other co-accused, Shane Beaulieu and Delaney Houle, moving on as a group to break into two more properties near Onanole.

In one residence, the group found and stole four secured firearms and ammunition, including a camouflaged semi-automatic shotgun that was later used in the shooting of Cpl. Graeme Kingdon.

After loading the truck with stolen items, the group headed down the road where they were met by RCMP  Kingdon in one cruiser and Const. Mitch Thompson in another  responding to the report of a break-and-enter in progress.

Kingdon forced the truck off the road and into a ditch where it became stuck, and three of the accused, including Beaulieu, jumped out of the vehicle and fled with Thompson in pursuit.

When Kingdon approached the vehicle to clear it for officer safety, Racette-Beaulieu shot him from a nearby hill with a stolen 12-gauge shotgun, hitting him in the back of the head.

Upon hearing the shot, Thompson returned and tried to secure his injured partner. Racette-Beaulieu repositioned himself and fired another two rounds at the officers, hitting the front of the truck and narrowly missing them.

Tommy Beaulieu was sentenced to 13 years in prison in May 2020. At the time, Judge Shauna Hewitt-Michta said the court had to impose a sentence that would "strike fear in the hearts of offenders who might contemplate shooting police officers."

The inmates next of kin, police and coroner have all been notified, according to a Correctional Service Canada Press release.

Stonewall RCMP are also investigating the death, according to an RCMP press release. Foul play is not suspected.

Houle is still at large after failing to appear for his scheduled sentencing in November 2020. Shane Beaulieu is scheduled to be sentenced in Minnedosa in February.

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_

The primary election will only be held in jurisdictions where the parties elected to have a primary election or the number of filed candidates triggered a primary election. The primary election will occur only for certain township contests in Aurora Township, Dundee Township and Elgin Township and for certain municipal contests in Campton Hills, according to the release.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the AAP government will provide coronavirus vaccine free to the people of Delhi if the Centre fails to do so

Kerala and Uttarakhand were among the states that received their first batches of COVID-19 vaccines on Wednesday as more doses were shipped across India in preparation for a countrywide COVID-19 vaccination drive slated to begin on 16 January.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said the AAP government will provide coronavirus vaccine free to the people of Delhi if the Centre fails to do so.

The Delhi government has allowed schools outside COVID-19 containment zones to reopen for classes 10 and 12 from 18 January in view of board exams, following all COVID-19 protocols.

India reports 15,968 new cases

Total COVID-19 cases in India rose to 1,04,95,147 with 15,968 infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries surged to 1,01,29,111, pushing the national recovery rate to 96.51 percent, said the Union health ministry in its morning update.

The toll mounted to 1,51,529 with 202 more deaths and the case fatality rate stands at 1.44 percent, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The ministry said the active caseload has fallen to 2,14, 507 which is the lowest after 197 days, and its share in the total cases has further shrunk to 2.04 percent. The total active cases were 2,15,125 on 30 June, 2020.

Of the 17,817 new recoveries , 81.83 percent were reported from 10 states andUTs. At 4,270,Kerala has reported the maximum number of single day recoveries, followed by Maharashtra with 3,282 new recoveries. Chhattisgarh recorded another 1,207 daily recoveries.

The ministry said that 74.82 percent of the new cases are concentrated in seven states and UTs. Kerala reported the maximum daily new cases numbering 5,507 in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra recorded 2,936 new cases while Karnataka reported 751 new cases yesterday.

Seven states and UTs account for 70.30 percent of the deaths reported in a span of 24 hours. Maharashtra reported 50 deaths. Kerala and West Bengal follow with 25 and 18 new deaths, respectively.

Separately, the health ministry said the number of people in India who have tested positive for the new UK variant of coronavirus has climbed to 102. Till 11 January, the number of people affected by this strain of the coronavirus was 96.

On Wednesday, the ministry said, "The total number of persons found to be positive with the new UK variant genome stands at 102 today."

Vaccine transportation speeds up

A day after the first consignment of Oxford//AstraZeneca's Covishield vaccine rolled out of the Serum Institute of India manufacturing facility in Pune, anti- Coronavirus vaccines were carefully and swiftly transported to far corners of the country: from Assam to Goa and from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala.

Ninety-five percent of the 1.1 crore doses of Covishield vaccine purchased by the government have been shipped and delivered to nearly 60 consignee points across India in two days, sources involved in the transportation arrangements told news agency PTI. "Over one lakh remaining doses will be delivered shortly," the sources added.

On Tuesday, consignments were sent from Pune to 13 cities including Delhi.

On Wednesday, vaccine consignments were flown to Agra, Meerut,Bareily, Puducherry, Port Blair and Leh, said Sandip Bhosale, MD of SB Logistics which is handling the delivery of vaccine consignments by air.

Of the 55 lakh doses of indigenously developed Covaxin of Bharat Biotech ordered by the Centre, the first tranche of 2.4 lakh doses have been dispatched to 12 states, as per the news agency. Covaxin has been sent to 12 sites, one each in Ganavaram, Guwahati, Patna, Delhi, Kurukshetra, Bengaluru, Pune, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Chennai, Lucknow and Hyderabad, official sources told PTI.

"After having received the government purchase order for 55 lakh doses, the company shipped the first batch of vaccines (each vial containing 20 doses)," the Hyderabad-based company said earlier in the day, adding that it has donated 16.5 lakh doses to the Government of India.

A moment of pride and accomplishment as the first consignment of COVAXIN is dispatched from Bharat Biotech today at 1:00 AM, IST. The indigenous vaccine is all set to vaccinate the nation against the dreadful #SARS_CoV_2 #BharatBiotech #COVAXIN #MakeInIndia #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/yqFSSXTl0A  BharatBiotech (@BharatBiotech) January 13, 2021

The Mumbai airport authorities said it has facilitated the delivery of about 2,72,400 doses of the Covishield vaccine to 22 domestic destinations on Wednesday, starting with low-cost carrier GoAir's first flight to Goa with 23,500 doses of Covishield vaccine.

These shipments were carried out by SpiceJet, IndiGo, GoAir and Vistara to Bagdogra, Rajkot, Ranchi, Imphal, Agartala, Cochin, Bhopal, Kanpur, Jammu, Srinagar, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Gorakhpur, Raipur, Dehradun, Varanasi, Indore, Trivandrum and Jabalpur, it said.

While Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand and Union territories of Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir were among those to receive the first consignment of the vaccines on Wednesday, others like Maharashtra and West Bengal began transporting the vaccine doses to various districts.

A state government official said the first consignment of about 94,000 doses of the Covishield vaccine reached Madhya Pradesh's capital Bhopal on a scheduled flight from Mumbai. From the airport, insulated vans of the health department transported the boxes to the State Vaccine Centre where Medical Education Minister Visvas Sarang inspected the arrangements. The doses will be dispatched to eight districts from Bhopal.

Kerala, too, received its first Covishield vaccine consignment on Wednesday morning on at Kochi and another flight was expected to land in Thiruvananthapuram later in the day. Sources in the National Health Mission told PTI that of the 4.33 lakh doses of the vaccine, 1,100 will be sent to Mahe, an enclave of Puducherry.

The vaccine will be stored in the regional vaccine centres at Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode from where it will be distributed to 133 centres. So far, 3,62,870 people have registered themselves for a shot.

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh received the Covishield vaccine at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal, shortly after a plane carrying 54,000 doses reached the northeastern state.

Goa Health Services Director Jose D'Sa told PTI that two boxes containing 23,500 doses of the Covishield vaccine were received in the morning. Around 18,000 health workers in the coastal state will be covered during the initial phase, another health official said.

COVID-19 The northeast state of Assam received its second consignment ofvaccines when a cargo flight of a private airline carried 12,000 doses of Covaxin weighing around 78.5 kg, from Hyderabad to Guwahati.

In Maharashtra, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said, Mumbai, which will have 72 centres, received over 1.39 lakh Covishield vaccine doses. BMC health department staffers brought the vaccines from neighbouring Pune under police security, it said. The civic body has created a centralised cold storage facility for vaccines in Kanjurmarg.

The towns of Aurangabad and Thane in the state got their share of the first doses too.

Maharashtra received 9.83 lakh doses, says Tope

Maharashtra health Minister Rajesh Tope said the state had received 9.83 lakh doses of the total requirement of 17.5 lakh for the first phase. Of these, 9.63 were from SII and 20,000 from Bharat Biotech, the state minister told reporters.

"We have to give the doses twice to a person in a gap of four weeks, hence 55 percent of the around eight lakh registered health workers will undergo vaccination as of now," he said.

The Centre, he said, has asked the state to reduce the number of inoculation centres from 511 to 350, saying the government should focus on other emergencies as well.

"If we go ahead with 350 centres and 100 people are inoculated at each centre, the state will be able to vaccinate 35,000 health workers on the first day of the vaccination on 16 January," the minister said.

Tagging a media report with Tope's remarks, the Union health ministry said that the full initial procurement amount of 1.65 cr doses both the vaccines has been proportionately allocated to all states and Union territories as per the health care workers database and hence there is no question of discrimination against any state in this regard.

"This is the initial lot of supply of vaccine doses and would be continuously replenished in the weeks to come. Therefore, any apprehension being expressed on account of deficient supply is totally baseless and unfounded," the ministry said in a series of tweets.

Each vaccination session will cater to a maximum of 100 beneficiaries per day and the Union health ministry said it has advised the states not to organise "unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day".

"States have been advised to organise vaccination sessions taking into account 10 percent reserve/wastage doses and an average of 100 vaccinations per session each day. Therefore, any undue haste on the part of states to organise unreasonable numbers of vaccination per site per day is not advised," it said.

The ministry further said that states and UTs have also been advised to increase the number of vaccination session sites that would be operational every day in a progressive manner as the vaccination process stabilises and moves forward.

'Delhi govt will make vaccine free if Centre doesn't'

In Delhi, where the drive will begin in 89 centres from Saturday, Kejriwal said he has already appealed to the Centre for ensuring free vaccination in the country since there are many people who may not afford the life-saving jab.

"We will see what the Centre does. If need be and the Centre does not provide the vaccine free of cost, we will make it available free of cost for the people of Delhi," he said.

The chief minister also appealed to people to not spread rumours about the vaccine. "I understand that the Centre and our scientists have brought the vaccine following all the protocols and safeguards. So, there should not be any doubt and people should come forward for vaccination," he said

Around 51 lakh people, including health workers, frontline workers, those aged50years or above, and those with co-morbidities, will be covered under the first phase of vaccination in the National Capital.

Delhi schools for classes 10, 12 to re-open from 18 Jan

The Delhi government has allowed all schools outside COVID-19 containment zones to reopen for classes 10 and 12 from 18 January 18 in view of board exams, said officials of the Directorate of Education, adding that students, teachers and staffers living in these zones will not be allowed to attend school.

  CBSE       10  12     18   , ,            .          .         .  Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) January 13, 2021

However, it made clear that physical attendance is not compulsory and students will attend schools only with consent of parents. An official said that records of children coming to school will be maintained and the same should not be used for attendance purposes as "sending a child to school is completely optional for parents".

The Union education ministry has already announced that board exams for classes 10 and 12 will be conducted from 4 May to 10 June.

The Delhi government had suggested that schools conduct pre-board exams for Class 12 from 20 March to 15 April and Class 10 pre-board exams from 1 to 15 April.

"Schools should provide proper guidance to students and required support for examination-related activities. Though most of the syllabus has been covered in online classes, the same may be revised and doubts of students be cleared by teachers. This will impact positively on well being of students," he said.

The DoE has also directed schools not to hold assemblies and physical outdoor activities. Principals have been asked to guide children not to share books and stationary items, the officials said.

"On-campus orientation of students and teachers to be conducted to give emotional and trauma support for their readiness with new normal of stringent physical distancing, face mask guidelines and hygiene guidelines. Handouts detailing guidelines for COVID-19 -appropriate behaviour should be given to students or parents," it said. COVID-19 protocols include social distancing, staggered timings and hygiene, the DoE said.

Cinema theatres reopened in Kerala with 50 percent capacity after remaining shut for over 10 months, with the screening of Tamil movie "Master" starring Vijay.

The film has been released in over 500 screens across the state, Film Exhibitors United Organisations of Kerala (FEUOK) said. In Tamil Nadu, police booked a case against a theatre in Chennai for allegedly violating the state government order on permitting only 50 percent occupancy during screening of films due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The incident came to light when videos of the crowds went viral on social media. The MGR Nagar police, who registered a case against the theatre management, said a penalty of Rs 5,000 was levied.

The theatre reportedly allowed more viewers and visuals, purportedly from inside the theatre, showed people occupying almost all the seats in clear violation of COVID-19 regulation like physical distancing. Many of the viewers in the videos were found not wearing masks.

US records 4,327 deaths on Tuesday

In news on the international front, coronavirus deaths in the US hit another one-day high at over 4,300, reported news agency AP. The country's overall toll from COVID-19 has eclipsed 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University, and is closing in fast on the number of Americans killed in World War II, or about 407,000. Confirmed infections have crossed 22.8 million.

The US recorded 4,327 deaths on Tuesday by Johns Hopkins' count. Arizona and California have been among the hardest-hit states.

The daily figure is subject to revision, but deaths have been rising sharply over the past two and a half months, and the country is now in the most lethal phase of the outbreak yet, even as the vaccine is being rolled out. New cases are running at nearly a quarter-million per day on average.

UK begins major trial for new inhaler-based COVID-19 treatment

In the UK, a new potentially life-saving inhaler-based treatment which is hoped will protect COVID-19 patients from developing severe illness has begun a major trial, reported news agency PTI.

It involves inhaling a protein called interferon beta-1a (SNG001), which the body produces when it gets a viral infection, and the hope is it will stimulate the body's immune system and prime cells to be ready to fight off viruses.

Synairgen's SG018 trial is a randomised placebo-controlled study being conducted in approximately 20 countries enrolling a total of 610 COVID-19 patients who require supplemental oxygen.

Synairgen is a clinical-stage respiratory drug discovery and development company founded by University of Southampton Professors Sir Stephen Holgate, Donna Davies and Ratko Djukanovic.

It has appointed Parexel Biotech, a division of the leading global clinical research organisation Parexel to help conduct the Phase III trial and several UK sites have now been initiated, with further sites in the US and the European Union (EU) expected to follow.

Early findings suggested the treatment cut the odds of a COVID-19 patient in hospital developing severe disease, such as requiring ventilation, by almost 80 percent.

The results of a smaller, phase two clinical trial of the treatment conducted last year suggested the chances of a COVID-19 patient in the hospital getting the severe disease requiring ventilation, for example were reduced. Patients were two to three times more likely to recover to the point where everyday activities were not compromised by their illness, Synairgen claimed.

The large-scale trial is deemed an Urgent Public Health study by the UK's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). In the US, SNG001 has been granted fast-Track status from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

With inputs from agencies


The infants graveyard at Sean Ross Abbey in Roscrea, Tipperary, which was a mother and baby home (Niall Carson/PA)

Northern Irelands Deputy First Minister has vowed to do whatever is required to secure justice for survivors of mother and baby homes.

The Stormont Executive is expected to receive a report around institutions run north of the border in the coming weeks.

Michelle ONeill said she is determined to do whatever is required to make sure that these women are no longer denied access to justice.

Expand Close First Minister Arlene Foster (right) and Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill (Liam McBurney/PA) PA / Facebook

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Whatsapp First Minister Arlene Foster (right) and Deputy First Minister Michelle ONeill (Liam McBurney/PA)

First Minister Arlene Foster said she looks forward to seeing the report and hearing recommendations on the way forward.

The pair will meet with Irish childrens minister Roderic OGorman next week to consider any issues which have a cross-border dimension.

Earlier in Dublin, Taoiseach Micheal Martin apologised to the survivors of the homes saying they had been failed by the state.

He was speaking after a report by the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes found appalling levels of death.

The final Mother and Baby Homes report describes a dark, shameful chapter of recent Irish history.

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The survivors showed great bravery in sharing their stories.

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The Government is now focused on a comprehensive implementation of the recommendations in this report. pic.twitter.com/zF904LrvIE  MicheAl Martin (@MichealMartinTD) January 12, 2021

In Northern Ireland, former assistant chief constable Judith Gillespie chairs an inter-departmental working group on mother and baby homes, Magdalen Laundries and historical clerical abuse.

Academics from Queens University in Belfast and Ulster University have been examining the operation of institutions between 1922 and 1999.

Ms ONeill told Stormonts Executive Committee on Wednesday that the report is complete and a paper is expected to be brought to ministers shortly for consideration.

She said, subject to the Executives approval, it will be published before the end of January.

Alongside the publication of the research report, the Executive will also be asked to consider and agree recommendations on the way forward, she said.

The chair of the group has established a reference group, and that includes victims and survivors, and also their representatives, and they clearly have to play an important role in terms of this work programme.

She said she looked forward to receiving the report and turning around a response very, very quickly to provide a next step for victims and survivors.

I think what happened in the south yesterday was appalling, that the report was leaked to the public before the victims and survivors had sight of it, I think that was a further slap in the face. We need to make sure that that doesnt happen again here, she said.

May they rest in peace pic.twitter.com/yytrKc7GJ6  Michelle OaNeill (@moneillsf) January 12, 2021

Committee chairman Colin McGrath asked the ministers about a perception of a delay around the report, and whether an apology will be issued to survivors.

Ms ONeill said whatever is recommended in the report, whether that be a full public inquiry, an independent investigation, a statutory investigation, she is prepared to do whatever is required to make sure that these women are no longer denied access to justice.

Whether that be an apology, investigations, whatever is required, I am determined to do that, she said.

Mrs Foster paid tribute to the work of Ms Gillespie, saying she has made great progress.

Both Michelle and I were very taken when we met her recently by her energy and determination to get to the truth so I very much look forward to her report, she said.

And whilst I totally understand that some people will call for a public inquiry, I think its also recognised by others that because this is such a personal issue and such a private issue that others may not want that to take place, so well listen to all those arguments and hear what Judith has to say to us in relation to what is the way forward.

As Michelle says, we will want to take that forward, whatever that is.

Independent MLA Trevor Lunn said there is no border when it comes to the homes, adding only a full public inquiry will be sufficient.

DUP MLA Christopher Stalford described the report in the Republic as stark, and the death rate of children as scandalous, adding he believes the figures will be similar in Northern Ireland.

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Irish beef exports declined by 2pc to 1.9bn in 2020 caused by pandemic-related disruption in core destination markets  plus, continued challenges in access to mainland China, it has emerged.

However, in the UK  which represented 44pc of primary Irish beef exports last year  extensive retail demand is said to have somewhat counteracted the significant decline in foodservice.

These are some of the results outlined in Bord Bias Irish Food and Drink Export Performance and Prospects Report 2020/2021. Overall, it details that total exports dropped by just 2pc to 13bn last year despite enduring what it described as the largest disruption to normal market operation since the end of World War II in 1945.

Citing its decade-long diversification strategy, the Irish Food Board said increases were recorded in the value of Irish dairy, pigmeat and sheepmeat exports, alongside significant increases in the value of exports to Africa and the Middle East as new international markets come to the fore.

On the report, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said the marginal dip of 2pc was in stark contrast to the towering pandemic challenges faced by producers over the last 12 months.

"Despite the closure of foodservice, increases in shipping costs, and dramatic consumer behaviour changes as people migrated to working from home, producers found a new level of resilience that saw them hold global exports at 13bn.

As we look to 2021, my Department, along with Bord Bia, are resolutely focused on supporting our primary producers and manufacturers as they trade through continued uncertainty to support jobs and deliver much needed economic progress.

Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy described 2020 as a pivotal year of learning adding that this year will be even more significant in terms of driving growth in new and emerging markets.

The success of the industrys transition to doing business virtually  from participation at online trade fairs to the development pioneering virtual trade missions  show that we can, and we will, rise to the challenge of doing business in new and inventive ways.

This resourceful approach, coupled with the sectors focus on geographic and customer diversification over the past decade has now paid dividends and is integral to safeguarding our exports, she said.

Africa n market surge

Since the UK voted to leave the EU in 2016, Bord Bia says Irelands global exports grew by over 1.9bn - a 16pc increase in value. Exporters are said to be targeting high-growth, high-potential priority markets, largely identified in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

The majority of growth since 2016 (1.9bn) comes from the EU27 (46pc or 871m) and international markets (43pc or 817m); while the UK accounted for just 10pc of growth (195m) since 2016, the report states.

It the same period the value of exports to Asia has increased 14pc to 1.4bn; the value of exports to Africa has increased 86pc to 883m, while continental Europe grew by 25pc to 4.4bn.

In 2020, 33pc of Irelands total food and drink exports were destined for international markets outside the UK and EU, while 34pc were destined to the EU27 and 33pc to the UK, the report outlines.

Ms McCarthy continued: For Irish food and drink producers, the global supply demand dynamic for their produce remains positive in 2021, despite global challenges and continued uncertainty as we navigate Brexit and our fragile exit from the pandemic.

Exporters are reporting solid order volumes which is a direct result of the strength of trading relationships nurtured over many years. That said, the extra costs and complexities of trade with our largest destination market, as new customs procedures interrupt the smooth flow of produce, will cause significant challenges and should not be underestimated.

With a return to global economic growth forecast for 2021, we anticipate continued strong global demand for Irish dairy. We expect the global meat supply balance to favour producers, particularly in Asia which has been at the centre of much Irish export growth.

All around the world consumers and customers are increasingly demanding credentials around sustainability that Ireland is well-placed to meet as we seek to differentiate ourselves from competitor exporting nations and to navigate gastro-nationalism in key markets.

Mixed year for meat and livestock

The report outlined that the meat and livestock sector delivered a 2pc increase in total value to 3.4bn. While 2020 was a significantly challenging year for beef exports, the report says the impact was offset by strong growth in pigmeat and sheep exports, while the live export sector also experienced a return to growth in 2020, it says.

As mentioned above, the value of primary beef exports was held to a 2pc decline to 1.9bn in 2020. This decline was due to the well-documented Covid-19 disruption in core destination markets for beef, alongside the continued suspension of access to the China market.

In the UK  which represented 44pc of primary Irish beef exports  extensive retail channel demand somewhat counteracted the significant decline in foodservice.

It is outlined that beef consumption in the EU declined by 2pc in 2020 due to the closure of the foodservice channel for the majority of the year and changing consumer habits.

Having gained market access in 2018, Irish beef exports to China were disrupted from May 2020 due to an import suspension. However, it is noted that in the first five months of 2020, Irelands beef exports to China were 23 million, representing a 134pc increase on same period 2019.

"The trajectory had been very positive prior to the import suspension in May 2020, the report says.

Sheepmeat values increased 12pc to 356m in 2020. it is said that tighter supplies of sheepmeat globally, and an improvement in demand in key EU markets, drove this increase. A decline in UK sheepmeat exports to EU27 markets also created an opportunity for Irish produce during 2020.

Primary pigmeat exports increased by a significant 14pc to 586m in 2020. 41pc of all Irish primary pigmeat exports are now destined for Asia, with China accounting for the majority. Increases in the value of pigmeat export to Japan and Vietnam occurred also, as demand for Irish pigmeat outstripped supply.

Following a year of growth in 2019, poultry exports declined by 2pc in value in 2020 to 152m but volume increased by 4pc. Covid-19 is said to have brought significant headwinds for poultry export prices and the sector was impacted by a 14pc decline in exports to the UK which was offset somewhat by a 16pc increase in international markets to 43m.

Dairy lifts again

According to the report, Irish dairy continued its growth trajectory into 2020 delivering a 3pc uplift in the value of exports to 5.2bn  achieved despite commodity price reductions for key elements of the export mix, including butter.

Almost 50pc of all dairy exports are destined for markets outside the UK or the EU27. In terms of product categories, very strong growth was reported in specialised nutritional powders and other key powders (including SMP, WMP and casein).

Despite significant commodity price decline and the impact of a 25pc tariff in the US, butter exports were worth 961m in 2020; while cheese exports increased slightly (+1pc) to 961m. Cheese exports to Asia, North Africa and to the EU27 accounted for the largest portions of growth. SMP prices and demand globally delivered value growth on the same export volume as 2019; while specialised nutritional powders exports were worth 956m.

Cereal exports hike

Horticulture and cereals exports increased by 8pc to 221m in 2020, with the UK being the core market. The primary constituents of this export mix are mushrooms, primary cereals and amenity horticulture. The value of mushroom exports rose by 14pc to 115m.

Meanwhile, prepared consumer foods exports in 2020 were worth 2.5bn, representing a 4pc reduction year-on-year due to channel disruption brought on by the pandemic. This category includes meal solutions, confectionary, non-alcoholic beverages, ingredients and value-added meat, seafood, and horticulture.

The largest part of this category, and the source of the largest decline, is value-added meats. These products are supplied almost entirely to the foodservice channel. These exports were worth 648m in 2020, a 14pc decline on 2019. 68pc of all prepared consumer food exports are destined for the UK market, making this sector one of the most Brexit exposed.

Alcohol exports fall

Covid-19 has had a significant impact on alcohol exports. Alcohol exports overall were down 19pc in 2020 to 1.3bn.

Notwithstanding that decline, the report concludes that the value of alcohol exports remains 12pc higher than they were pre-Brexit in 2016, which is says underscores the scale of the growth trajectory in this category in recent years. The majority of the decline can be accounted for by declines in the value of exports of whiskey (-205m), cream liqueurs (-53m) and beer (-51m).

Seafood hit

Last year saw a decline in the value of primary Irish seafood exports of 10pc to 443m. This was due to the disruption of exports in the shellfish category normally destined for the foodservice channel in key EU27 markets and in Asia. However, there was a significant increase in seafood exports to Africa in 2020 representing a success story for the pelagic category.

The Trade and Cooperation Agreement struck between the EU and UK at the end of 2020 will reduce Irish and other European fishing vessels access to UK waters. Over a five year period to June 2026 the quota available in those waters will reduce 25pc. This will likely have notable effects for the Irish fleet on pelagic and prawn catches, a significant proportion of which are currently sourced in UK waters.

Filipino activists and relatives of people killed in the countrys war on drugs hold a rally in observance of Human Rights Day, in Manila, Dec. 10, 2019.

Free speech was curtailed in many countries in South and Southeast Asia as governments moved to silence critics in the year of a global pandemic, Human Rights Watch said in its annual report for 2020 released Wednesday.

Freedom of the press in particular took a hit in the BenarNews target countries of Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, as they and other nations reeled from the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, New York-based HRW said.

In addition, Thailand increased its repression of basic rights by cracking down violently on a pro-democracy movement, and the Philippine government used the pandemic as a pretext to expand its bloody war on drugs, the watchdog said.

In Bangladesh, authorities arrested journalists, artists, students, doctors, political opposition members and activists who spoke out against the governments response to the pandemic, or otherwise criticized the ruling party, Human Rights Watch reported in its annual review of human rights practices worldwide.

The ruling Awami League showed in 2020 that it will stop at almost nothing to maintain its grip on authoritarian control, even in the face of a global pandemic, Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that accompanied the release of its World Report 2020.

Bangladeshs government needs to stop worrying about cartoonists and kids criticizing the Prime Minister on Facebook, and start worrying about abuses by its own authorities amid the pandemic, Adams added.

Environmental journalists targeted

In Indonesia, four news media organizations were subject to hacking and other digital attacks after publishing critical stories about military involvement in pushing a COVID-19 vaccine, Human Rights Watch said.

Journalists and environmental activists were also targeted by the government and police in the archipelago-nation, the report said.

For instance, HRW noted that journalist Diananta Sumedi spent three months in jail last year for writing articles about a land dispute between indigenous people and an oil company, and police arrested three student-journalists after they joined a protest by fishermen against sand mining.

In Malaysia, freedom of expression came under attack immediately after the change in government, when authorities opened a sedition investigation into activist Fadiah Nadwa Fikri for organizing a protest against the method by which the new government came to power, HRW said.

The report was referring to an unelected coalition that came to power last March after an elected administration fell in the wake of a power struggle.

Since then, authorities have opened investigations into numerous activists and opposition politicians for speech critical of the government. The police had opened 262 investigations into the spread of false and seditious news as of May 11, and 264 investigations into false news on COVID-19, HRWs report said.

The government also sought to hold online news portals responsible for comments posted by their readers, the rights watchdog noted.

It was referring to contempt of court proceedings against Steven Gan, editor-in-chief of the news organization Malaysiakini, after some readers had posted online comments critical of the countrys judiciary on an article published by the news site.

A verdict in this case is expected on Friday.

Prosecutions under sedition

In the Philippines, the media also came under renewed attack, HRWs report said.

The June conviction of crusading Philippine journalist Maria Ressa on politically motivated charges of cyber libel stemming from Rapplers persistent reporting on the drug war, was one such attack, HRW said.

A month later, the Philippine Congress voted not to extend the franchise of ABS-CBN, the countrys largest broadcast network, which had often criticized the governments drug war, forcing the networks closure, the report added.

Meanwhile, in Thailand, the government the government routinely enforced censorship, including on social media platforms, blocking and punishing opinions the authorities deemed critical of the monarchy, amid huge pro-democracy protests that began last July, HRW said.

As of December, at least 35 people, including a 16-year-old boy, were charged under article 112 of the penal code [insulting the monarchy] for demanding reform of the monarchy, or saying or writing or doing anything the authorities considered offensive to the monarchy, the report said.

Critics of the monarchy were also prosecuted under sedition, cybercrime, and other legal provisions, it added.

Last month, the teenager and a fellow activist were charged in Bangkok for allegedly violating Thailands strict royal defamation law by performing in a satirical street show that poked fun at the monarchy during a pro-democracy protest.

The Thai authorities have prosecuted dissenters, violently dispersed peaceful protests, censored news and social media, and punished critical political speech, Adams, HRWs Asia director, said.

Thailands foreign friends should stop ignoring the rapidly deteriorating human rights situation in the country.

Thai crackdown on pro-democracy activists

In 2020, the Thai government also escalated its repression of basic rights in the face of a growing, youth-led democracy movement demanding political and constitutional reforms, Human Rights Watch said.

Protests that started on July 18 spread across the country. They called for the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the drafting of a new constitution, and curbs on the kings powers.

In October, Thai riot police turned water cannons mixed with a chemical dye that can irritate skin at pro-democracy demonstrators, after thousands gathered in Bangkok to defy a state of emergency in the city at the time.

The next month, dozens of people were injured, including some with bullet injuries from shots fired by unidentified gunmen, after thousands of pro-democracy protesters clashed with police and royalists in Bangkok near parliament.

The Thai government has responded to peaceful demands from youth for sweeping political reforms by making Thailands human rights crisis go from bad to worse, Adams said.

Philippine drug war

Killings related to the anti-drug campaign in the Philippines increased dramatically soon after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered general COVID-19 quarantines for many densely populated areas, Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for HRW, said in September.

Police killed 50 percent more people between April and July 2020 than they did in the previous four-month period, he said on HRWs website.

The Duterte administration appeared to take advantage of COVID-19 curfews in 2020 to expand its gruesome and bloody war on drugs, Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

On top of this, the government is red-baiting leftist activists, rights defenders, and others have put them at greater risk of deadly attack, Robertson said.

He was referring to the Philippine military and police labelling groups or individuals as being supporters of communist rebels, or as insurgents themselves involved with alleged legal fronts for the New Peoples Army  the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party.

Last month, a city health officer, who was targeted on a list allegedly circulated by an anti-communist group, was gunned down with her husband on the central Philippine island of Negros.

Four other people on the list were slain in the months leading up to the killings of the health officer and her spouse.

As respect for human rights in the Philippines spirals downwards, concerned governments, and U.N. agencies will need to press the Duterte government harder to halt its atrocities and hold those responsible to account, Robertson said.
A Sydney father whose naked body was found in a vacant lot had been stabbed through the heart after arguing with three men over a quantity of pilfered methylamphetamine, a court has been told.

Jamie Phillips, 46, was involved in an altercation in a bedroom during a gathering in a home in the south-western Sydney suburb of Ambarvale, near Campbelltown, in the early hours of October 25, 2018, after two men  Sean O'Keefe and Barry Cavanagh  stole his drugs.

Jamie Phillips was found dead in a vacant lot in Rosemeadow in October, 2018. Credit:NSW Police

It's alleged Mr O'Keefe and Mr Cavanagh were joined by Nathan McIvor in the bedroom, where the trio bashed Mr Phillips and one of the men inflicted a fatal 14-centimetre stab wound to the heart.

Mr O'Keefe, Mr Cavanagh, and Mr McIvor are on trial together in the NSW Supreme Court for Mr Phillips' murder. Mr Cavanagh and Mr McIvor deny involvement in the killing, while Mr O'Keefe will argue, contrary to the Crown case, that he carried out the stabbing in self-defence.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said there was no other option but to continue hotel quarantine in Australia after Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk called for an immediate review of the country's hotel quarantine and international arrival arrangements. "I just think we need to assume that these variant strains are going to become the dominant strain," Ms Berejiklian said. "And whilst we have outstanding quarantine systems in Australia throughout most of the states, we can't be assured that strain won't seep out into the community." The 129 guests currently staying at the Hotel Grand Chancellor will be moved to other hotels on Thursday, while 226 staff and 250 overseas arrivals who had been at the hotel since December 30 will be moved back into quarantine to be tested. The concerns come as Victoria prepares to house 1200 international arrivals in quarantine ahead of the Australian Open. Players and staff will begin arriving in Melbourne on Thursday. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian on Wednesday. Credit:James Brickwood

The number of overseas arrivals into Australia has already been halved until February 15, following the initial discovery of the Brisbane infection last week. Loading Ms Berejiklian said she supported the reduction, but Australia did need to continue its hotel quarantine program. "There's no other option," she said, as her state announced six new cases in overseas travellers bringing the week's total to 46. NSW reported just one new local coronavirus case in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday, a child who is a close contact of existing cases in the Berala cluster in Sydney's western suburbs. NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said the state would be "mopping up" local cases for "three to four weeks".

Asked when she might recommend eased restrictions, Dr Chant said there were "multiple factors" that influence health advice  including testing rates  but it would be about the same timeframe. "As an epidemiologist, we like to see around two [14-day] incubation periods before we assess that we are free of the disease," she said. Loading Replay Replay video Play video Play video Testing numbers were up in NSW on Wednesday: the state reported 20,664 tests compared to 14,738 in the previous 24 hours. The federal government removed Sydney's northern beaches from its list of hotspot locations on Wednesday, despite two cases in the area reported earlier this week remaining unlinked to the Avalon cluster.

Australia's chief medical officer, Professor Paul Kelly, said the decision had come following "fantastic work" by the community in abiding by public health measures, as well as from NSW Health. Loading Northern Beaches Local Government Area had not met the national cabinet trigger point for a hotspot  a three-day rolling average of three cases a day  for more than a fortnight. Greater Brisbane is now the only place in Australia the federal government considers a hotspot, despite never having met this trigger point. The city was added when it entered lockdown due to the presence of the B117 strain. Victoria, which has not reported a local coronavirus case in a week, said they would not change their border policy on the back of the northern beaches decision, keeping Greater Sydney locked out.

At present, quarantine-free interstate travel for Greater Sydney residents is restricted to the ACT and the Northern Territory, and even then only for residents of certain Local Government Areas. "I would love to be able to rely on the health advice for the [definition] of a hotspot, but unfortunately some states weren't willing to accept that advice," Ms Berejiklian said, noting it was "unfortunate" there was no national agreement. "I would like, in due course, to see a national approach." Speaking to A Current Affair on Wednesday evening, Ms Berejiklian said returned international travellers with a more infectious strain of COVID-19 could be quarantined in NSW for more than 14 days, as the state looks for ways to strengthen its hotel quarantine system. The 14-day timer will start once they have an onset of symptoms.

"So we're actually going to be requiring people to potentially stay longer than the 14 days, if we find towards the end of that period they're still too contagious to be allowed in the community," Ms Berejiklian said. "We took that decision a few days ago, but obviously what's happened in Queensland has exacerbated, has really highlighted why we took that decision." Continuing a war of words with Ms Berejiklian, Western Australian Premier Mark McGowan criticised her for claiming Sydney had kept the nation's economy afloat by keeping its borders open. "I wish the NSW government would understand that that the measures WA put in place that protected the [mining] industry and therefore protected jobs in Sydney," he said. with Rachael Dexter, Lydia Lynch and Georgina Mitchell
The first-of-its kind global headquarters is designed to provide innovative curriculum, technology support, career opportunities, and resources across the HBCU community to support their work in preparing the next generation of leaders who work to advance equity and justice. Curriculum options will include app development, augmented reality, machine learning, agricultural technologies, social justice, entertainment arts, design and creativity, career preparation, and entrepreneurship tracks.

Propel Center will support the entire HBCU community through a robust virtual platform, a physical campus in Atlanta, as well as on-campus activations at partner institutions that will bring labs and technology to participating schools. Construction of the Propel Center's physical campus  a 50,000 square-foot campus equipped with state-of-the-art lecture halls, learning labs, and on-site living for a scholars-in-residence program  is planned to begin in the winter of 2021.

As the program's technology partner, Apple will provide ongoing support for Propel Center's curriculum development, technology for in-person and virtual learning spaces, and mentorship and internship opportunities for students across the HBCU community.

"The HBCU community is a tremendous engine of Black creativity, entrepreneurship, and inclusive opportunity," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. "We are thrilled to join with partners and community stakeholders to support the Propel Center and be part of this groundbreaking new global hub for HBCU innovation and learning, devoted to helping faculty create best-in-class curriculum and ensuring students have access to cutting-edge skills."

For Southern Company and its subsidiaries, this commitment is part of a $50 million multi-year initiative announced in January 2020 to provide scholarships, internships, leadership development, access to technology and innovation to support career readiness for students attending HBCUs within the Southern Company system's service footprint in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

"Learning is most valuable when it is connected to application. Southern Company is committed to giving students who emerge from Propel Center a place to apply their skills and leadership. Our world is changing, so we must do what we can to change the way our students develop as leaders. Along with Apple our investment will yield a return that makes the world a stronger and more equitable place," said Thomas A. Fanning, chairman, president and CEO, Southern Company.

Southern Company believes the $25 million investment from its charitable foundation will help grow Black entrepreneurship and provide much-needed technology resources to the workforce of the future.

"These investments are critical as we begin to truly scale Black innovation ecosystems," said Anthony Oni, chairman, Ed Farm, and vice president, Southern Company Gas. "By leveraging technology and partnerships to connect students with unique learning opportunities, we can lift up the talent that already exists at these institutions of higher learning and accelerate their development. In doing so, we will have a hand in shaping the workforce of the future  and the leaders of tomorrow."

The board of directors at Ed Farm and the founding members of Propel Center will use the first quarter of 2021 to assemble Propel's leadership team. Engagement is underway with academic and institutional partners.

"Propel represents the most inclusive, game changing and collaborative partnership that I have witnessed within my 17 years as both college and university president," said CAU President and Chair of the Atlanta University Center Consortium Council of Presidents George T. French Jr. "Propel will provide HBCU student-scholars across the country access to cutting-edge technology, resources, and programming to be globally competitive across multidisciplinary disciplines and career trajectories. Additionally, Propel will serve HBCUs across the country in an unprecedented collaborative. This multi-million-dollar public-private partnership will serve as exemplar, with reverberations affecting generations."

For updates, and to register your interest in participating, visit PropelCenter.org [propelcenter.org] .

About Ed Farm

Ed Farm equips educators in schools and communities with innovative tools and strategies that support active learning for all students. Through Propel Center, that support extends to more than 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). We envision an inventive world where all people have access to everything they need to fill or create the jobs of the future. For more information visit edfarm.org.

SOURCE Ed Farm

Related Links

https://propelcenter.org/


British Airways Plc faces the largest privacy class-action lawsuit in U.K. history over its 2018 customer data breach.

More than 16,000 victims have now joined a case seeking compensation from the airline. They could claim 2,000 pounds ($2,724) each, according to PGMBM, the law firm representing the claimants.

We trust companies like British Airways with our personal information and they have a duty to all of their customers and the public at large to take every possible step to keep it safe, Tom Goodhead, a partner at PGMBM, said in an email. In this instance, they presided over a monumental failure.

IAG SA-owned BA revealed in September 2018 that a violation of its security systems compromised the personal and financial details of more than 400,000 customers. The carrier was fined 20 million pounds by the U.K. data protection watchdog last year, a fraction of a much heftier fine initially planned by the regulator.

The suit was filed in 2018, with a March 2021 deadline for more victims to join. The claimants lawyers say that if every victim of the cyberattack joined the claim, BAs overall potential liability would be around 800 million pounds.

The U.K. Information Commissioners Office said its investigation into the cyberattack found that the airline was processing a significant amount of personal data without adequate security measures in place, exposing peoples data unnecessarily. The fine is the ICOs biggest to date.

BA said in an emailed statement that it continues to vigorously defend the litigation in respect of the claims brought arising out of the 2018 cyberattack. It said it doesnt recognize the damages figures put forward, and they have not appeared in the claims.

At a case management hearing in November, BA told the court it was open to the possibility of entering into settlement discussions with the claimants, according to Goodhead. However, they havent yet received any proposals, he said. The next hearing is in February.

With assistance from Siddharth Philip.

Copyright 2021 Bloomberg.
A judge ruled on Tuesday against the release of a North Alabama man who was allegedly found with a "small armory" in his car near the U.S. Capitol last week.

Lonnie Coffman from Falkville was arrested on charges related to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol and now faces a 17-count indictment from a federal grand jury.

Image from the U.S. Department of Justice's legal documents dealing with Lonnie Coffman Image from the U.S. Department of Justice's legal documents dealing with Lonnie Coffman

He was arrested after Molotov Cocktails were found in the cooler of a truck, according to Washington, DC Metropolitan Police. (Read more about Coffman HERE)

The indictment released Tuesday from the Department of Justice says Coffman faces:

Six charges of possession of an unregistered firearm;

Three charges of carrying a pistol without a license;

Two charges of carrying a rifle or shotgun;

One charge of possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding devices and;

Five charges of unlawful possession of ammunition.

The U.S. Department of Justice released documents showing evidence used to indict Coffman. See the evidence here.

In court documents, prosecutors argued Coffman has a "concerning history" and poses a danger to the community if released.

Coffman was living at a home in Falkville. Neighbors said he moved there about a year ago.

His ex-wife, from Cullman, told WAAY31 he is a trump supporter.

According to court documents, Coffman drove his truck to the DC area about a week before the 'Stop the Steal' rally.



On January 6, metropolitan police said Coffman was walking back to his red GMC pick up truck, parked a few blocks away. Officers approached the truck he was sitting in.

According to an affidavit filed by a capitol police officer, he asked officers whether they had "located the bombs". Officers arrested Coffman and a search of his pick up truck revealed a plethora of weapons.

This includes a rifle, shotgun, handguns, a cross bow, several machetes, camouflage smoke devices, a stun gun, and ammunitions for weapons.

The search would also reveal 11 Molotov cocktail explosive devices and handwritten messages. Prosecutors said these messages suggested his weapons were intended to be used to violently attack elected representatives.

Investigators have said Coffman is not the suspect who is behind the alleged pipe bombs found outside the RNC and DNC.
In a joint press conference Tuesday, officials from the FBI and the Department of Justice emphasized the seriousness of the riot at the Capitol last week, saying that they expected the unprecedented volume of criminal activity to lead to hundreds of arrests.

According to Steven DAntuono, the assistant director in charge of the Washington field office of the FBI, the agency had already opened more than 160 cases into potential suspects and thats just the tip of the iceberg. Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherman said they had already charged 70 people but he expected they would charge hundreds more in the coming weeks. I think the scope and scale of this investigation in these cases are really unprecedented, not only in FBI history, but probably in DOJ history, he said.

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Thousands of Trump supporters attended Wednesdays events, during which five people died, including a rioter shot by police and a police officer bludgeoned by rioters. The arrests over the weekend swept up several of the more notorious figures seen in images and videos from the riot, whose faces and antics gained national attentionsuch as the chillingly serious zip-tie guys, the buffoonish Q Shaman, the man in the Camp Auschwitz sweatshirt, the smiling lectern thief. Many were charged only with misdemeanors, but Sherman said some rioters were handed smaller charges, such as trespassing, to start in order to get them into the system as officials build the cases for more serious charges related to civil disorder and the possession of destructive devices and semiautomatic weapons. These misdemeanors are only the beginning, he said. What the public isnt familiar with is that the FBI, working with the U.S. Attorneys offices across the country, [is] looking at significant felony cases tied to sedition and conspiracy. 

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According to Sherman, the Justice Department had organized a strike force to build sedition and conspiracy charges related to the most heinous acts committed in the Capitol. Such charges carry up to 20 years in prison. The investigators working for that task force are examining travel records, communications, and the movements of the suspects. (DAntuono also said that the FBI was actively looking at the possibility of placing people on the no-fly list.) Were looking at and treating this just like a significant international counter-terrorism or counter-intelligence operation, Sherman said.

A separate investigation is looking into the pipe bombs found outside the Capitol. Sherman acknowledged that the bombs were real devices set with timers, but he admitted that they did not know why the devices never went off. He also said authorities did not yet know the purpose of the bombs, suggesting they may have been planned as a diversion.

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Otherwise, authorities are prioritizing any cases involving assaults on police officers and the violent targeting of reporters. Sherman once again emphasized that Wednesdays events were more serious than was sometimes reflected in the celebratory antics shown on TV. He reiterated that rioters were in open-handed combat with police and that some used tear gas against the police. People will be shocked with the egregious contact that happened in the Capitol, he said.

The sheer volume of leads to followthere were, after all, thousands of witnesses, many of whom took videos and photos, plus the more than 100,000 pieces of digital media submitted by the publicmeans the investigations will not wrap for many months, Sherman said.

Sherman warned that the extreme actions of some of the rioters did not mean the less violent participants would escape scrutiny. Regardless of if it was just a trespass in the Capitol or if someone planted a pipe bomb, you will be charged, and you will be found, he said.
SPRINGFIELD  State Rep. Amy Elik, R-Fosterburg, was officially sworn into office Wednesday as the new state representative for the 111th Legislative District.

Elik was sworn in during a ceremony of the 102nd Illinois General Assembly held at BOS Center in Springfield. She thanked the residents of Madison and Jersey counties for electing her.

I ran for office to represent the forgotten voices of a border district, she said.

I am tired of seeing families flee Illinois to neighboring states for more favorable policies and better opportunity for the middle class, Elik said. Our state is in crisis. I will work to advance the needs and priorities of the district and will take those forgotten voices with me to Springfield every day.

Following the inauguration ceremony, Eliks first act as a state representative was to nominate state Rep. Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, for Speaker of the House, keeping her campaign promise to support someone other than former House Speaker other than Mike Madigan, D-Chicago.

Madigan had been speaker for all but two years since 1983. Rep. Emanuel Chris Welch, D-Hillside, was selected as the next speaker, becoming the states first Black speaker.

Elik said she looks forward to working for the people of the 111th District.

This General Assembly has a lot of work to do to address our most pressing problems, including earning back the trust of our residents, Elik said. Ghost payrolling, pay-to-play, investigations, indictments, arrests, and even the cover-up of alleged crimes have all made headlines.

We must stop corruption, get Illinois fiscal house in order, and realize more taxes is not the solution to Illinois spending problem, she said.

The 111th district contains all or part of Alton, Bethalto, East Alton, Edwardsville, Elsah, Godfrey, Granite City, Hartford, Madison, Pontoon Beach, Roxana, South Roxana, and Wood River.

Elik said she plans to release more details about her district office contact information in the near future. Currently people can contact her by visiting RepElik.com or e-mailing elik@ilhousegop.org.
Covid: Slovenia, restrictions until late spring Priority to healthcare operators, over-70 for vaccine

(ANSAmed) - LJUBLJANA, JANUARY 13 - In Slovenia restrictive measures to contain the spread of coronavirus will remain in force at least until late in the spring, when a good percentage of the population will be vaccinated, said Prime Minister Janez Jansa. The premier was speaking during an interview broadcast by the first channel of State television, after presenting the vaccination plan as interim health minister. The government's objective is to provide coverage to 70% of the population by the spring with priority given to healthcare operators and people over 70 in the first trimester and then to continue with the most vulnerable categories. Over the past 24 hours Slovenia has registered 2,092 new cases and 17 deaths. (ANSAmed). (ANSA).




Several Below Deck fans wondered if Isabelle Izzy Wouters had COVID-19 (coronavirus) when she became ill while on charter. Although she had some of the hallmark symptoms, Captain Lee Rosbach shared she did not have the virus.

Captain Lee Rosbach |Ralph Bavaro/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Wouters pushed through during the charter, working the majority of her normal hours but resting when bosun Eddie Lucas suggested she return to her bunk. However, Wouters condition didnt improve so Lucas put her into quarantine so she could avoid getting the rest of the crew sick.

No Eddie!!! I never want to hear the words QUARANTINE! Again! one person tweeted during the episode. Rosbach and Lucas discussed the possibility that Wouters could have contracted COVID. But only one case was in the vicinity during filming so they ruled it out.

A fan asked why Rosbach didnt worry that Wouters had COVID. It wasnt an issue at that time. We were just getting bits and pieces at that time. So we did what we thought was good at the time, Rosbach tweeted.

Previews show that the crew begins to feel sick

While Rosbach shared on Twitter that Wouters didnt have COVID, the rest of the crew becomes ill, which worries Rosbach. Sorry Im semi-dying, Ashling Lorger is seen telling chief stew Francesca Rubi in the previews for an upcoming episode. Lorger sits by a window sipping water as Rubi worries about her getting sick.

But then Elizabeth Frankini tells Rubi she has a urinary tract infection. Meanwhile, chef Rachel Hargrove shares with Rubi that her stomach is really messed up.

Come back next Monday for more day off shenanigans! #BelowDeck pic.twitter.com/QK0vN0rlwk  51 Minds (@51Minds) January 12, 2021

RELATED: Below Deck: Did the Crew Worry that Izzy Wouters Had COVID?

Oh my God, what the hell is going on, Rubi says in a confessional. I cant have the crew dropping like flies. Shes then seen telling Rosbach a crew member needs a doctor. Lorger is then seen feeling sick in her cabin.

The crew were beginning to worry about COVID

Lucas and Lorger were filmed discussing the virus. Lucas talked to the crew about bits of news he retrieved online. Meanwhile, Lorgers mother seemed concerned, telling her to get a mask before she flew home.

Chef Rachel Hargrove had a totally different perspective on the virus. She and her boyfriend were living in Italy, which experienced the first wave of COVID before the U.S. I was actually in the know [about COVID], she told Showbiz Cheat Sheet. She said Italy was way ahead of the U.S. in terms of the threat level. So I dont think the American public realized the actual progression and how fast it was and how big it was, she said. Because it came to light in February. And then it took down all of Europe like straight away.

It wasn't an issue at that time. We were just getting bits and pieces at that time. So we did what we thought was good at the time. https://t.co/sCmEzAMFx5  Captain Lee (@capthlr) January 12, 2021

RELATED: Below Deck: Chef Rachel Shares Her Nacho Recipe That Would Definitely Pass Captain Sandys Test

I was actually furious that it took that long for America [to take action], she continued. Im very upset about it. She was also shocked by how Americans were reacting to the virus. Oh yeah, [theyd say] it was influenza, she recalled. It really hurt me to actually say something. Like I was gobsmacked.
[January 13, 2021] Surface Technology Company Silver Defender Now Available On Amazon Via Partnership With Pharmapacks

NEW YORK, Jan. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Silver Defender, a surface technology company made to keep everyday surfaces clean, today announced its partnership with Pharmapacks -- a leading ecommerce enablement platform and retail seller for brands across major ecommerce marketplaces -- to offer its products on Amazon. As the country continues to navigate best practices for cleaning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Silver Defender's patent-pending antimicrobial protective films cover everything from door handles, elevator buttons and handrails to credit card machines, bathroom faucets and shopping carts. Through its partnership with Pharmapacks  which connects consumers with their favorite health and wellness brands through popular online marketplaces including Amazon - consumers can readily order these necessary items to ensure general safety and health. "Given the current climate, there is no better time to partner with Pharmapacks to make our products more easily accessible to consumers nationally," said Zeynep "Z" Ekemen, managing partner of Silver Defender. "As we are now in the second wave of this global pandemic, our products are more helpful and needed than ever. Selling them through Amazon, an iconic brand providing countless consumers access to everyday cleaning, medical and safety products, is fast, easy and provides peace of mind at a time we need it most." The only product of its kind to have initiated EPA pesticide registration, Silver Defender's technology is activated by light, air pressure and touch. The proprietary designs contain an antimicrobial agent that protects the film from bacteria, mold, mildew and fungi. Silver ions react with and affect multiple sites in bacterial cells on the exterior, keeping it clean. The antimcrobial tapes, available in various different sizes, have the ability to cover any surface.



Recently, Silver Defender added touch screen tapes to protect items like tablets and phones. The stretchable film can be cut to fit any screen size. In addition to Silver Defender's coveted films, touch screen tapes are also now available on Amazon as a result of this partnership. "We are thrilled to be partnering with Silver Defender as we do our part in keeping surfaces clean during this unprecedented time," said Andrew Vagenas, CEO of Pharmapacks. "As a product that is a necessity for everyone, we look forward to supporting the Silver Defender brand in every way we can."

Silver Defender officially launched in 2018, but when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the country earlier this year, demand unsurprisingly skyrocketed. Silver Defender's adhesive films can be found in public, nonprofit and private entities across the nation including airports, public transportation, retail locations, cruise lines, schools, hotels, government buildings and more. Notable clients include Long Island MacArthur Airport, the World Trade Center buildings and the San Diego Zoo. About Silver Defender Silver Defender aims to keep surfaces in the community clean. The patent pending stretchable films were developed to cover anything. Antimicrobial protection is built in to protect the films. The propriety designs have been engineered with the customers in mind, to ensure quick and easy application and removal. When applied to a shared surface, Silver Defender is the most convenient and effective way to keep that exterior continuously clean. For more information visit: https://www.silverdefender.com. About Pharmapacks Pharmapacks, LLC is a leading ecommerce enablement platform and retail seller for brands across major ecommerce marketplaces with proprietary technology that empowers brands with a complete and cost-effective logistics, fulfillment, marketing and sales solution. Pharmapacks has a premier team of ecommerce experts with over 10 years' experience and 850 employees connecting consumers to their favorite brands on online marketplaces such as Amazon, Walmart, Target, Google, eBay and Facebook, becoming one of the largest marketplace sellers in North America. Pharmapacks serves as a "launch pad" for emerging brands by giving a select amount of lesser-known brands access to the Pharmapacks' e-commerce platform and consumer base. This enables brands to focus on product research and development, while Pharmapacks strategically sets competitive price points and builds a connection between the consumer and the brand. Contact:

Breanna Metcalf-Oshinsky

breanna@relevanceinternational.com

+1-212-257-1500 View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/surface-technology-company-silver-defender-now-available-on-amazon-via-partnership-with-pharmapacks-301207779.html SOURCE Silver Defender

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RTHK: Brazil trial shows CoronaVac 50 percent effective

Brazilian authorities say the mainland-made CoronaVac vaccine has a 50 percent efficacy rate in late-stage trials.

While it reaches the minimum target set by the World Health Organisation, it's well behind other vaccines produced by Moderna, at 94 percent, and Pfizer/BioNTech at 95 percent.

Coronavac has been given to frontline health care workers in close contact with coronavirus patients.

The organisation in charge of its production in the South American country, the Butantan Institute, repeated its claim from last week that the vaccine is 78 percent effective in preventing mild cases that needed treatment and showed 100 percent efficacy in staving off moderate to serious cases.

Overall, it is 50 percent effective in preventing patients from contracting the disease, including very mild cases, although not asymptomatic ones.

"It's a safe, effective vaccine that ticks all the boxes to justify its use in an emergency," said Butantan director Dimas Covas.

The trial, which was used on 12,500 volunteers, did not produce any adverse effects or significant allergic reactions.

The Brazilian authorities said if the vaccine resisted this test, it was going to work infinitely better on a community level.

Brazil has recorded more than 203,000 deaths from Covid-19 and over eight million cases among its 212 million population.

Sao Paulo state is due to begin immunizing its 12 million citizens from January 25.

Beijing has already sent 10.7 million Coronavac doses and the supplies needed to make another 40 million doses. (With AFP and Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2021-01-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Check out the news you should not miss today:

Society

 The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has decided to support workers who have been affected by COVID-19 and natural disasters in 2020 with VND1-2 million (US$43-86) each on the occasion of Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, which begins on February 12.

 Police in the Central Highlands province of Dak Laks Buon Ma Thuot City on Tuesday arrested Nguyen Thanh Luan, who was a suspect in dozens of theft cases in Dak Lak and neighboring Dak Nong, and confiscated many valuable assets along with four guns and weapons of various types.

 Residents in Hue City in central Thua Thien-Hue Province have flocked to buy heaters in recent times as temperature there has dropped to as low as 10 to 11 degrees Celsius. The norm is 30 degrees Celsius in tropical Vietnam.

 Children's Hospital 2 in Ho Chi Minh City on Tuesday afternoon said they had successfully removed a big hair ball from the intestine of an eight-year-old girl in District 7 who suffered intestinal obstruction due to her Rapunzel syndrome.

 A period of severe saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta due to lower upstream water levels is expected from February 8 to 16 as Vietnam celebrates Tet, the Vietnam News Agency reported on Tuesday, citing a recent dispatch from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Developments Directorate of Water Resources.

Business

 Vietnam received 3.7 million international tourists and 56 million domestic tourists in 2020, a respective reduction of 80 and 34.1 percent in comparison with the same period in the previous year, according to statistics from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism.

 Vietnam earned $3.26 billion from exporting fruit and vegetables last year, a year-on-year decline of 13 percent, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has reported.

Lifestyle

 Ho Chi Minh City is working on its 2021 Nguyen Hue Flower Street, an annual activity to celebrate Tet, with a focus on organic design and architecture to deliver the message of an eco-friendly lifestyle.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 20:50:38|Editor: huaxia

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HAIKOU, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- With free trade port policies helping woo investors, China's southern island province of Hainan reported strong foreign investment growth last year.

Preliminary statistics showed that the actual use of foreign investment in Hainan totaled about 3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020, doubling the figure of 1.5 billion U.S. dollars for 2019, according to the provincial department of commerce on Wednesday.

After the province started building itself into a free trade port, more foreign investment is going into the modern services sector.

A total of 909 newly established foreign-funded enterprises, or 90 percent of all new foreign-funded companies, are in the services sector. They used 2.65 billion U.S. dollars of foreign investment, accounting for 87 percent of all.

Eighty countries and regions invested here, doubling the figure from 2019, said the department.

China released a master plan for the Hainan free trade port on June 1 last year, aiming to build the province into a globally influential, high-level, free trade port by the middle of the century. Enditem

We are in the midst of extraordinary times. Not just the past few days but the past year have forced Americans to take stock of both their countrys history and their place in it. Chris Skinner, Eugenes police chief since 2018, has done just that.

In the wake of the deadly insurrectionist violence at the U.S. Capitol last week, and in the run-up to Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the presidential inauguration, Skinner on Wednesday released a powerful statement calling for a nationwide and local awakening that embraces social justice and efforts to end racism. The Eugene Police Department faced criticism last summer for its response to protests that followed the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Six protesters filed a federal lawsuit in July claiming Eugene officers violated their constitutional rights through various actions, including using chemical and impact munitions against them.

In his statement this week, Skinner says he is working with the community to reform local policies and practices. His thoughts, in full, are below:

This years Martin Luther King, Jr. Day observance will look and feel different than in years past, and it should. Last year we experienced a nationwide and local awakening. It was the start of a reckoning and a ground-sweeping movement toward social justice and ending racism. This is a year of opportunity to make change happen and to move forward with potent awareness of the investments we can make as individuals, police department, and government. There are things that should have been done years ago to ensure everyones lives were better and to be more inclusive of those who have been marginalized. There is more support for this now than in any time I can remember. Our City, and we as its police department, has collectively condemned hate, racism and white supremacy. We are actively working with our community to review and reform local policies and practices to ensure civil and human rights to all individuals. We are in agreement and alignment with this important work and the men and women of the Eugene Police Department will be held to the highest standards of moral and ethical character without compromise.

There is community tension and anxiety after we all watched, in devastation and alarm, the events that unfolded at the nations capitol on January 6. This was an invasion of our collective house and an affront to our national government and constitution. On Monday, January 11, the Federal Bureau of Investigation sent information out regarding the potential for armed protests that could occur at state and federal sites prior to the presidential inauguration day on January 20. The Eugene Police department is committed to looking at pending events and connecting our intelligence with protest organizers so we can provide an atmosphere of safety and security for everyone. I have personally been in contact with our local Supervisory Special Agent of the FBI to identify any potential threats to our Eugene Community. In addition, we continue to work closely with federal resources to follow up on any community tips that suggest any organized effort to undermine our safety.

We are absolutely committed to being an apolitical organization. When we staff a protest or gathering where people exercise their constitutional right to free speech, we will focus specifically on the behavior that is occurring. If it is criminal behavior and would pose a safety issue, we are going to insert ourselves. We take a victim-centered approach, and do our very best with the information we have at the time, to serve that victim whether it be an individual, group, business or this community. The Eugene Police Department is going to be prepared to protect this community. Promises made, promises kept.

Finally, MLK Jr. day is not a day off. It is a day for all of us to be present and active in our community and to show up for each other. Its a day that we recognize our amazing and beautiful differences. Its a day where we truly see each other and recognize the content of our character as Dr. King would have wanted.

-- Chris Skinner, Eugene police chief
Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images, John Shearer/Getty Images for MTVThird time's the charm! After two delays due to COVID-19, the Verzuz battle between Keyshia Cole and Ashanti has set a new date -- Thursday, January 21.

"RAIN, SLEET, HAIL, SNOW LET'S GO... Join us Thursday, January 21st as we kick off the first #VERZUZ of 2021 with @Ashanti and @KeyshiaCole," the official Verzuz account announced in an Instagram post on Tuesday evening. "Thank you everyone for being patient with us. We can't wait for this magical night with Keyshia and Ashanti!"

The songstress' were originally supposed to face-off in an in-person battle on December 12 but it was postponed after Ashanti tested positive for COVID-19. The second scheduled date of January 9 was also pushed back, with Verzuz announcing that they would revert to having the artists perform from separate locations, like they did at the start of lockdown.

"...as COVID-19 numbers continue to increase, safety is a top priority for us," they shared at the time. "As much as we enjoy having everyone together in the same room, to protect the artists and everyone who works with us in putting the show together, we'll be going back to separate locations for a bit."

Fans can watch Cole and Ashanti go song-for-song on the Verzuz Instagram and on Apple Music at 8 p.m. ET. on January 21.
Champaign, IL (61820)

Today

Partly cloudy with a slight chance of thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds S at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Showers and thundershowers likely. Low 58F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%.

Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - January 13, 2021) - Los Andes Copper Ltd. (TSXV: LA) ("Los Andes" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that as a part of the ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study ("PFS") at the Vizcachitas Project in Chile ("Vizcachitas" or the "Project"), it has received improved flotation rougher recoveries resulting from further metallurgical testwork. Through optimizing the rougher flotation conditions, the Company will be able to increase copper and molybdenum recoveries.

During 2019, as part of initial testwork for the PFS, a sample from previous testwork that represents the upper zone of the orebody was sent to SGS Minerals facilities for a rougher flotation assessment. The results of this assessment show that copper and molybdenum rougher recoveries, as compared to the 2019 Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") formula, were improved by 3% and 6% respectively. This improvement was achieved by refining the flotation formula: decreasing pH, lowering the solids percentage of the slurry and adding a stronger frother.

The ongoing PFS metallurgical testwork in 2020 has confirmed these improvements. A new composite sample from the first 12 years of the mine plan was tested using both the PEA and PFS flotation formulas. The PFS formula shows an improved rougher recovery of 2.8% for copper and 7.8% for molybdenum over the PEA formulas.

Fernando Porcile, Executive Chairman of Los Andes, commented:

"I am pleased that the improved formula results from the current PFS testwork further enhance the project economics of an already robust project."

"The ongoing Pre-Feasibility Study for the Vizcachitas Project has confirmed the use of HPGR technology and validated the use of dry-stacked tailings. These technologies put the Vizcachitas Project at the forefront of the environmentally responsible practices being adopted for the future of sustainable mining globally."

About Los Andes Copper Ltd.

Los Andes Copper Ltd. is a development company with a 100% interest in the Vizcachitas project in Chile ("Vizcachitas" or the "Project"). The Company is focused on progressing the Project, which is located along Chile's most prolific copper belt, into production.

Vizcachitas is a copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit, located 120 km north of Santiago, in an area of good infrastructure. The N.I. 43-101 compliant Preliminary Economic Assessment , delivered in June 2019, highlights that the Project has a post-tax NPV of USD$1.8 billion and an IRR of 20.77%, based on a USD$3 per pound copper price. The Project has a Measured Resource of 254.4 million tonnes at a grade of 0.439% copper and an Indicated Resource of approximately 1.03 billion tonnes at a grade of 0.385% copper. Please refer to the technical report dated June 13, 2019, titled "Preliminary Economic Assessment of the Vizcachitas Project", prepared by Tetra Tech.

The PEA is preliminary in nature, it includes inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves, and there is no certainty that the PEA will be realized.

The Company is currently advancing the Pre-Feasibility Study of the Project. With the incorporation of a highly experienced management team, the Project is incorporating changes to position itself on the forefront of global environmental trends for mining. The conversion to dry-stacked filtered tailings will result in a substantial reduction in water consumption and will discard the use of tailings dams, thus reducing the Project's footprint, environmental impact and seismic risks.

Additionally, there is significant exploration upside at Vizcachitas with the potential to increase the resource base beyond the initial 45-year mine life modelled in the PEA. Part of this upside has been further delineated in the geological mapping and geophysics work program completed during the 2020 Chilean winter season.

Los Andes Copper Ltd. is listed on the TSX-V under the ticker: LA.

Qualified Persons

Antony Amberg CGeol FGS, the Company's President and CEO, and Magin Torres, the Company's Senior Metallurgist who is a Qualified Person in Extractive Metallurgy under the Chilean Mining Commission, QP Registration No. 0409, are the qualified persons under N.I 43-101 who have reviewed and approved the scientific and technical information contained in this news release.

For more information please contact:

Fernando Porcile, Executive Chairman

Tel: +56 2 2954-0450

Antony J. Amberg, President & CEO

Tel: +56 2 2954-0450

Blytheweigh, Financial PR

Megan Ray

Rachael Brooks

Tel: +44 207 138 3203

E-Mail: info@losandescopper.com or visit our website at: www.losandescopper.com

Follow us on twitter @LosAndesCopper

Follow us on LinkedIn Los Andes Copper Ltd

Certain of the information and statements contained herein that are not historical facts, constitute "forward-looking information" within the meaning of the Securities Act (British Columbia), Securities Act (Ontario) and the Securities Act (Alberta) ("Forward-Looking Information"). Forward-Looking Information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect" and "intend"; statements that an event or result is "due" on or "may", "will", "should", "could", or might" occur or be achieved; and, other similar expressions. More specifically, Forward-Looking Information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such Forward-Looking Information; including, without limitation, Spinnaker's ability to raise capital, target and attract institutional and retail investors and focus on developing and expanding the network of investors, analysts and financial intermediaries who are interested in Los Andes. Such Forward-Looking Information is based upon the Company's assumptions regarding global and Chilean economic, political and market conditions and the price of metals and energy, and the Company's production. Among the factors that have a direct bearing on the Company's future results of operations and financial conditions are changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, a change in government policies, competition, currency fluctuations and restrictions and technological changes, among other things. Should one or more of any of the aforementioned risks and uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from any conclusions, forecasts or projections described in the Forward-Looking Information. Accordingly, readers are advised not to place undue reliance on Forward-Looking Information. Except as required under applicable securities legislation, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise Forward-Looking Information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/71865
The death of a United States doctor from Florida is being investigated after he died from an unusually severe blood disorder 16 days after being administered the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

Doctor Dies After Receiving COVID-19 Vaccine

Dr. Gregory Michael, 56, was an obstetrician and gynecologist in Miami Beach who received the novel coronavirus vaccine at Mount Sinai Medical Center on December 18.

He died 16 days later due to a brain hemorrhage, according to his wife, Heidi Neckelmann, in a Facebook post.

Questions linger regarding the Miami Beach doctor's death. It is not clear if the 56-year-old's death was associated with the shot, but probing is underway.

Michael died after experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke reportedly resulting from a shortage of platelets.

According to communications director Jason Mahon of the Florida Department of Health, "The CDC and FDA are responsible for reviewing COVID-19 vaccine safety data and presenting that information for federal recommendations on vaccine administration. The state will continue to provide all available information to the CDC as they lead this investigation."

The Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner is probing into the doctor's death weeks after receiving a coronavirus vaccine, stated Darren Caprara, director of operations at the medical examiner's office.

Caprara said that his office is coordinating with the Florida Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate Dr. Michael's demise, reported CNN.

Michael died on January 3, 2021.

Although there is currently no supporting medical or scientific data to suggest that the COVID-19 vaccine prompted his death, the CDC is initiating a routine investigation into the incident due to the brief timeline between the two events.

Also Read: Georgia Department of Health Launches COVID-19 Vaccine Providers' Locator

Michael's wife, Heidi Neckelmann, remarked in a Facebook post that he was going to the emergency room three days following his shot due to dots he found on his skin. Michael thought the dots indicated internal bleeding.

Pfizer issued a statement indicating it was aware of the death, but it did not believe there was a direct connection to the vaccine.

Samples from an autopsy initiated on Wednesday have been transmitted to the CDC, according to Caprara.

Caprara stated that the cause of death is "pending the completion of studies" by the medical examiner and the CDC.

According to a spokesperson for Pfizer, the doctor's death was "a highly unusual clinical case of severe thrombocytopenia, a condition that decreases the body's ability to clot blood and stop internal bleeding," reported CBS 12.

Meanwhile, according to Neckelmann, Dr. Michael's platelet count plunged significantly merely days after taking the vaccine's initial dose, and weeks later, he died of a stroke.

The CDC confirmed it "is aware of a reported death in Florida of an individual who received the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine about two weeks before passing away," stated a spokesperson as reported by WRCBtv.

His wife said he had been practicing at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach for 15 years.

Related Article: Connecticut Reaches Milestone of Completing First Series of COVID-19 Vaccinations in Nursing Homes

@ 2021 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Alec Baldwin looked to be taking things in stride as his classic BMW broke down in the Hamptons neighborhood of Amagansett, New York on Tuesday.

The 62-year-old star kept warm in his native Long Island in a navy blue coat with a black short, dark blue jeans and black loafers.

The 30 Rock star's grey locks were neatly parted to the side on the weekday outing as his vintage luxury vehicle broke down.

The latest: Alec Baldwin, 62, looked to be taking things in stride as his classic BMW broke down in the Hamptons neighborhood of Amagansett, New York on Tuesday

The Academy Award nominee eventually got a hand from a mechanic he's friendly with, as they popped open the hood of the car and broke out jumper cables for the occasion.

Alec, who won an Emmy for his Saturday Night Live impression of President Donald Trump, has been renting a home in the neighborhood to quarantine from wife Hilaria and their five kids amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a source told Page Six.

Baldwin has been commuting to work between Long Island and New York City amid a project he's involved with, a source told the outlet.

The Glengarry Glen Ross actor said last month in an Instagram post that the grind has not been 'a lot of fun' as he racks up miles working amid the ongoing pandemic.

The Academy Award nominee eventually got a hand from a friend

Working: Baldwin popped open the hood of the car and broke out jumper cables for the occasion

Relaxed: Baldwin appeared to be in a calm mood as he waited to the repair process to unfold

Focused: Baldwin has been commuting to work between Long Island and New York City amid a project he's involved with

'I'm here in this guesthouse that's near our house, that I'm staying in when I'm quarantining,' he said. 'I go into New York and work a little bit and come back and have to quarantine here for a few days.'

Baldwin and Hilaria are parents to five children - daughter Carmen, seven, and sons Rafael, five, Leonardo, four, Romeo, two, and Eduardo, four months.

Baldwin was spotted out amid the ongoing scandal surrounding his wife's Spanish heritage after a social media threat pointed out inconsistencies in stories Hilaria had told the media about her upbringing.

Busy: Alec has been renting a home in the Hamptons neighborhood of Amagansett to quarantine from wife Hilaria and their five kids amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Warm for the winter: The star kept warm in his native Long Island in a navy blue coat with a black short, dark blue jeans and black loafers

A number of her childhood peers said she grew up in Boston under the name Hillary Hayward-Thomas, and did not speak with a Spanish accent in those years. She was seen in a 2015 Today show clip seemingly forgetting the world 'cucumber' in a cooking segment, which became a social media focal point as the scandal contained to make headlines.

She told the New York Times of the scandal, 'There is not something I'm doing wrong, and I think there is a difference between hiding and creating a boundary.

'I was born in Boston. I spent time in Boston and in Spain. My family now lives in Spain. I moved to New York when I was 19 years old and I have lived here ever since,' she told the paper. 'For me, I feel like I have spent 10 years sharing that story over and over again. And now it seems like its not enough.'

The 30 Rock star's grey locks were neatly parted to the side on the weekday outing as his vintage luxury vehicle broke down
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / January 13, 2021 / Black Tusk Resources Inc. ("Black Tusk" or the "Company) (CSE:TUSK)(OTC PINK:BTKRF)(FSE:0NB) is pleased to announce that the company have begun preparing drill pads on the McKenzie East gold property located north of Val d'Or, Quebec.

Black Tusk has contracted Debroussaillage F Aarie Inc for clearing brush and preparing drill pads on the McKenzie East Gold Property. A total of 9 sites will be prepared using a Volvo EC 140 excavator-mounted mechanized brush cutting machine. This method of brush clearing and access preparation is the most environmentally efficient and provides a good base for mobilizing and positioning the diamond drill.

Perry Grunenberg, P.Geo, a "Qualified Person" as that term is defined under NI 43-101, has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this news release. Mr. Grunenberg is also a Director of the Company.

Cautionary Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on assumptions as of that date. These statements reflect management's current estimates, beliefs, intentions and expectations; they are not guarantees of future performance. The Company cautions that all forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain and that actual performance may be affected by a number of material factors, many of which are beyond the Company's control. Such factors include, among other things: risks and uncertainties relating to exploration and development; the ability of the Company to obtain additional financing; the Company's limited operating history; the need to comply with environmental and governmental regulations; fluctuations in the prices of commodities; operating hazards and risks; competition and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Prospectus dated September 8, 2017 available on www.sedar.com. 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.

On behalf of the Board of Directors

Richard Penn, CEO

(778) 384-8923

SOURCE: Black Tusk Resources Inc

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/624078/Black-Tusk-Resources-Prepares-Drill-Pads-for-Diamond-Drilling-on-the-McKenzie-East-Gold-Project-Val-dOr-Quebec
PUNE, India, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Global Renewable Energy Market Share, Trends, Analysis and Forecasts, 2020-2030 provides insights on key developments, business strategies, research & development activities, supply chain analysis, competitive landscape, and market composition analysis.



The Global Renewable Energy Market size was estimated at US$ 750 billion and is expected to reach US$ 1,370 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 5.5% through 2030. Renewable energy is expanding its reach across the globe with increased adoption of renewable energy generation as an alternative to conventionally operated electricity generation plants. Across major pasts of the world, renewable energy has outpaced the electricity generation compared to traditional coal fired, nuclear and hydroelectric power plants. The increased investment in the development of renewable energy generation plants has witness a steady growth during past decade with major growth exhibited during the past couple of years. Additionally, the cost associated with renewable energy generation is declining across the globe with intense competition amongst regional and global players to grab their share of the pie.

View This Report With Table of Contents : https://www.insightslice.com/renewable-energy-market

The global renewable energy market is anticipated to witness swift growth during the forecast period. The cost of technologies auxiliary to the renewable energy generation such as storage or battery modules has witnessed steady decline over past couple of years and is expected to contribute towards the growth of global renewable energy market. Government initiatives to promote clean energy generation is anticipated to hamper the investment in expanding the capacity of conventionally fired power plants. Consequently, the utility departments across the globe are expected to turn towards renewable energy for future energy requirements, thereby fueling the growth of the global renewable energy market in coming years.

Access The Sample Pages of This Report : https://www.insightslice.com/request-sample/431

Declining cost of components and increased adoption to fuel the growth of solar energy in coming years

The global renewable energy market is segmented on the basis of type, end use, and geography. Based on type, the global renewable energy market is segmented into hydroelectric power, wind power energy, bioenergy, solar energy, geothermal energy, and others. The hydroelectric power contributed the largest share to the global renewable energy market in 2019 and is anticipated to witness steady growth during forecast period. Extensive hydroelectric power generation infrastructure across the globe has resulted in strong growth during the past decade. However, with shifting preference towards other renewable energy sources is anticipated to impact the growth of hydroelectric power generation. The solar energy is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period owing to rising adoption fueled by increased investment in solar energy development coupled with declining cost of solar panels and batteries. Solar energy is anticipated to outpace other renewable energy sources to emerge as a dominating segment during the forecast period.

Related report :

Global Mining Chemicals Market : https://www.insightslice.com/mining-chemicals-market

Global Gas Turbines Market : https://www.insightslice.com/gas-turbines-market

Global Diesel Generator Market : https://www.insightslice.com/diesel-generator-market

Increased demand from commercial end users to drive the market growth

Based on end use, the global renewable energy market is segmented into residential, commercial, and industrial. The industrial use of renewable energy contributed a significant share to the global renewable energy market in 2019 and is anticipated to witness prominent growth during forecast period. The commercial applications of renewable energy are anticipated to grow significantly during the forecast period.

Based on geography, the global renewable energy market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and South America. Asia Pacific contributed the largest share to the global renewable energy market in 2019 and is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment during the forecast period owing to strong demand and increasing investment in development of renewable energy generation facilities across major countries. Asia accounts for largest solar and wind generation and is anticipated to emerge as a global leader during the forecast period. North America is anticipated to witness prominent growth during the forecast period owing to increasing investment in development of renewable energy generation facilities across the region.

Major players active in the global renewable energy market include ABB, Acciona, S.A., EDF Energy, Enel S.p.A., General Electric Company, Geronimo Energy, LLC, Innergex, Invenergy LLC, THE TATA POWER COMPANY LIMITED, and Xcel Energy Inc.

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insightSLICE is a market intelligence and strategy consulting company. The company provides tailor-made and off the shelf market research studies. The prime focus of the company is on strategy consulting to provide end-to-end solutions. For more details please contact our research and consulting team at info@insightslice.com.

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DISCUS is the premier national trade association for spirits distillers and marketers and serves as the industry's top advocate in Washington and U.S. state capitols. The new partnership alignment will allow both organizations to share resources, expertise, and advocacy on critical matters that impact the spirits industry.

"As we continue to expand our portfolio and grow our business in the U.S., it's crucial that we're united with our industry partners to have our voices heard in Washington and state legislatures on issues that impact us all," says Bill Corbett, CEO of Zamora Company USA. "We're honored to be the newest member of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, an organization that for almost 50 years has proudly represented the interests of the U.S. spirits industry."

Zamora Company USA, the U.S. division of Madrid-based Zamora Company, is a fully integrated luxury wine and spirits supplier. The company's iconic spirits brands, including Licor 43, Martin Miller's Gin, Double Cross Vodka, Yellow Rose Whiskey, Don Papa Rum, and Villa Massa Limoncello, are distributed nationally through an alignment with Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits and other top wholesalers such as Horizon Beverage Group in the Northeast.

"We're thrilled to have Zamora Company USA join the Distilled Spirits Council," adds Chris Swonger, president and CEO of DISCUS and Responsibility.org. "Together, our members are stronger and more effective in advancing policies that benefit adult spirits consumers and responsibility initiatives that benefit our society at large. We are proud to have their participation, support and commitment to responsibility."

About Zamora Company USA:

Zamora Company USA, based in Dallas, Texas, has recently brought together their collection of unique luxury brands along with an experienced, passionate and dedicated team of over 30 people. The organization manages sales, distribution, execution and marketing for: Licor 43, Double Cross Vodka, Yellow Rose Whiskey, Don Papa Rum, Martin Miller's Gin, Lolea Sangria, Villa Massa Limoncello, plus Spanish wines Ramon Bilbao, Cruz De Alba, and Mar de Frades. For more information: Zamoracompany.com/usa.

SOURCE Zamora Company USA
Lord of the Rings fans, get excited. The first synopsis of Amazons Lord of the Rings series is here. The series had previously confirmed the show will take place long before the setting of the Peter Jackson films. Most of the other details have been kept under tight lock and key, until now.

The cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | YouTube

When is Amazons Lord of the Rings show set?

The highly anticipated series, which Amazon is reportedly hoping will be the next Game of Thrones, is supposedly coming out in 2021. But production was halted in 2020 because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The series was, however, able to resume filming in New Zealand in November.

J.R.R. Tolkiens estate only allowed Amazons upcoming series to cover the Second Age of Middle-earth so that Peter Jacksons two trilogies will remain unaffected. Fans of the novels will recall that the various Ages of Middle-earth span thousands of years, so there is a wealth of stories to be told from the Second Age that has never been covered on TV/film.

There were, of course, flashbacks to the Second Age in Jacksons Lord of the Rings trilogy, as that was the time period in which Sauron, the ultimate evil of the entire series, came to power and was eventually defeated.

Ian McKellan and Elijah Wood | New Line/WireImage

RELATED: The Lord of the Rings: The One Ring Used for Filming Was Actually Massive

What is Amazons Lord of the Rings series about?

The first synopsis of the upcoming series was shared by a Lord of the Rings fan site, TheOneRing.net, on Jan. 12. The sites Twitter account is followed by the official Twitter account for the Amazon series, and some of its tweets have been retweeted by the verified account, indicating that reports from the fan site carry weight.

The site shared the reported synopsis, saying it has verified the authenticity & accuracy of this show description. Amazons LOTR Twitter account did not acknowledge The One Rings claims.

What the synopsis did confirm is that Amazons series will take place thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It also promises to feature the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkiens pen, which likely means Sauron. It said:

Amazon Studios forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earths history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and the greatest villain that ever flowed from Tolkiens pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | WingNut Films

RELATED: Game of Thrones: What Was Sean Bean Thinking While Filming Ned Starks Death Scene?

Amazons Lord of the Rings could feature familiar characters

Another exciting part of the synopsis is the mention of familiar characters. As the synopsis said:

Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Numenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Given that elves in Middle-earth can lives for thousands of years, Lord Elrond could possibly be a character. Whether or not he would be played by Hugo Weaving, however, might not be likely, as the actor expressed complete disinterest in reprising the role. (The Captain America actor played Lord Elrond in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.)

No way. Absolutely no, he said in an interview with Variety. Matrix might have happened. But Lord of the Rings, no, I would never  Im not interested in that at all. Look, I loved being in New Zealand with all those great people, and it was like going back to a family but actually, to be honest, I think everyone had more than enough of it.

According to The One Ring, the two-part pilot of the series is already complete and is in post-production. An official release date has not yet been announced.
The teachers union in Holmdel Township is voicing concerns over the districts return to five-day-a-week, in-person instruction at its elementary schools amid a surging number of coronavirus cases across New Jersey.

The district, which was previously on a hybrid schedule, went back to full in-person learning in mid-December. Students at its two elementary schools report five times a week, while middle and high schoolers are following a half-day schedule, but parents can choose to continue entirely remote instruction for their children.

Holmdel Teachers Education Association President Denise King criticized the learning environment for elementary students, saying children sit at desks surrounded by plexiglass and cannot move around their room. She also said keeping students six feet away from each other has become difficult in some cases.

When you go back full capacity, you cant social distance anymore, King said. Its tough. Youre making the kids sit in their classrooms in seats all day. Its not a regular environment. Normally kids would play, interact, do centers, move around the room.

Last month, the union took a vote of no confidence in the districts Interim Superintendent Lee Seitz, citing his response to the COVID-19 spike this winter and communication issues. King said the union wanted the district to continue remote instruction until at least Jan. 15.

In a letter, the board of education argued that in-person learning is the best educational environment for children and noted that safety protocols are in place.

The Holmdel School District spent more than one million dollars to establish a safe teaching environment for students and staff, including installation of cutting edge technologies, careful compliance with CDC and NJ guidelines, and implementation of aggressive cleaning standards, the letter states.

The Board views the unions insistence for a shutdown to be an unacceptable option based on the preparations the District has made to provide a safe working and learning environment. We do believe the ultimate success of our schools lies in all of us complying with health guidelines to blunt the spread of the disease, although the union argues that community members are not doing enough, it continues.

More than 65% of elementary school students are participating in full, in-person instruction, according to the letter. About 40% of students on the secondary level are taking part in half-day, in-person learning, Seitz said. The board says those numbers show that parents want in-person learning.

But King says there has been a substantial strain on staff, who are spending an additional 20 to 30 hours a week, depending on their subject area, creating lesson plans for virtual learning on top of in-person learning. She also said keeping six feet of distance between desks is difficult, and kids are eating lunch in close proximity to each other without masks on.

She said she has heard some teachers go to their cars during lunch, while lunch aides supervise the classrooms because they fear eating inside their buildings.

No one is objecting to working at all. Thats not the goal. The goal is making sure youre working in an environment you feel safe in, King said. Id like for the teaching staff to be part of the plans. If youre the ones doing it, if youre implementing it, dont you think you should have a say in it?

At the boards Jan. 6 meeting, Seitz said throughout the district, more than 25 staff and administrators are self-quarantining due to either having coronavirus symptoms, testing positive, being exposed to COVID-19 or travel to areas with a high number of cases.

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Avalon Zoppo may be reached at azoppo2@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AvalonZoppo.
A religious film producer who allegedly shot his wife dead during a domestic dispute has been arrested for her murder.

The Ventura County Sheriff's Office said that Tim Gautier, 55, was arrested and booked with one count of murder on Monday evening.

Tim's wife Gina was shot on Monday morning during a domestic dispute at an apartment in Thousand Oaks, California, police said.

Religious film producer Tim Gautier, 55, (pictured) has been arrested by police in Thousand Oaks, California, and booked on one count of murder after his wife was shot dead on Monday

A police report from January 11 states that the domestic dispute was called in at 6.57am.

After the shooting she was taken to Los Robles Regional Medical Center where she later died from her injuries.

The incident involving Gina Gautier is the second homicide of 2021 in Ventura County.

The writer and producer behind Eternal Salvation is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

Police said that Tim was detained by officers at his apartment and that a handgun was found.

The writer and producer behind Eternal Salvation is expected to appear in court on Wednesday. Police said that officers found a handgun at the Gautier's apartment

Speaking on Monday, Capt. Eric Buschow, a spokesperson for the sheriffs office, said: 'There was some kind of domestic dispute between a husband and wife.

'During that dispute, the husband shot his wife.'

His bail is currently set at $500,000 and he is being held at the Ventura Pre-Trial Detention Facility.

Gautier has worked in the film industry for more than 15 years and worked as a producer Gautier has worked on 2016's Eternal Salvation and 2003's A Fight for Glory.
A perfect storm of problems besetting the school system saw 88.3million of free meal funding vanish a year  while some is split off to pay staff wages and water bills.

The government provides 2.34 for each eligible pupil per day, which has been increased in the third lockdown by 3.50 a week, or an extra 50p per day.

But in the past 48 hours the country has been shocked by the quality of the meals offered to pupils, with sparse hampers featuring little more than the bare essentials.

MailOnline can reveal the huge disparity between the funding sent and the final product is down to soft government guidance, business demands, a system designed to reduce the stigma of free meals and a shortage of money in schools.

That system puts an allowance on a smartcard for pupils to buy meals at the school canteen, which was then replaced by the controversial food parcels in lockdown periods.

Tory MPs are putting huge pressure on Boris Johnson to reform the system, as it was revealed cash meant to feed children is being skimmed off by private companies to boost profits. Headteachers are also using some of the taxpayers money to pay wages and energy bills.

Influential Conservative backbencher Steve Baker told MailOnline: I know the Government is fully seized on this issue and working hard for change  furious Conservative MPs are insisting on it.

This is what is supposed to be in one child's school lunch parcel for a week during lockdown

Keir Starmer circulated showing the Government guidance on what meal packs should have

Breakdown of grant for some schools: Headteacher admits that after 'overheads' like utility bills and staff wages, cash for pupil meals can be as little as 1 per day.

The government's rules on the universal infant free school meals grant has detailed term and conditions tied up with red tape for education providers.

But the small print on the funding reveals a loophole many have been able to take advantage of to cover a lack of money elsewhere.

As long as the school fulfills its legal requirement to offer free school meals it can use the remainder for other purposes.

It means if they can feed pupils for 1 a head, it frees up 1.34 for other areas.

The guidance reads: 'The grant supports schools in delivering the legal requirement to offer free school meals, meeting the school food standards, to all their reception, year 1 and year 2 pupils.

'Subject to meeting this legal duty, schools may spend the grant for the purposes of the school; that is to say for the educational benefit of pupils registered at that school, or for the benefit of pupils registered at other schools.

Over 90 per cent of schools receive funding for free school meals for some of their pupils

Baroness Boycott and the Feeding Britain charity say 88million a year vanishes from funding

How much should the free school meals really be worth? Free school meal allowances are usually 2.34 per pupil per day, an additional 3.50 per seven days has been added in lockdown, equalling 15.20 a week. The Government has told schools to work with their school catering team or provider to make up the food parcels, especially if kitchens are open. Unlike in the first lockdown, vouchers are considered only after every effort to provide the supply boxes have been exhausted. The government guidance suggests 'you can consider other local arrangements, which might include vouchers for local shops and supermarkets'. School costs of providing the vouchers can then be reimbursed by the government to the amount of 15 per week. A school catering source told MailOnline: 'Staff haven't experienced anything like this before. They are working through a pandemic to make the food boxes for the parents some don't even collect them. 'For those in school staff were expecting 120 children from the key worker parents and vulnerable children for free school meals still, 40 turned up.' Advertisement

'They may also spend it on community facilities, for example services whose provision furthers any charitable purpose for the benefit of pupils at the school or their families, or people who live or work in the schools locality. Schools do not have to spend the entire grant in the financial year beginning 1 April 2020; they may carry forward some or all the grant.'

The use of the funding in this way has been confirmed by some schools already in the UK.

Katie Barry, a headteacher at St George's Church of England Community Primary School in Gainsborough, told Newscast: 'Obviously we're meant to feed all the children that are still in school - the vulnerable children and the key worker children - so they get a hot lunch as normal.

'But then we're obliged to also make sure all the children that are on home learning that are eligible for free school meals have a food parcel.

'Schools with their own kitchen are strongly advised to offer food hampers rather than exploring the voucher route.

'I think it may be so we know that the children are getting healthy food because we have to meet the national food standards but also I think there's an economical reason behind it.

'Well all we're given extra is an extra 3.50 a week, which was announced yesterday. So obviously the money we normally get for free school meals we have a lot of overheads so it's 2.30 a meal but I only have about 1 to spend on food because we have obviously all the wages and the electricity and the water and everything.

'So our food parcels, really we only have about 5 a week to spend on food then we got the extra 3.50 yesterday and so it's significantly less than 15 given out to families in vouchers.

'It's not a lot to get five healthy meals for a growing child who's expected to be doing home learning and they need to be well nourished in order to be able to engage well with their learning.'

This food parcel is supposed to feed a child for a week every school day for lunchtime

This sparse selection was given to a child going to a primary school in Bingley, West Yorks

Free school meals have existed for more than 100 years The origin of free school meals (FSM) stretches back to the Education (Provision of Meals) Act 1906 when local authorities were granted powers to provide food to the poorest children through local taxes. This system remained until the Second World War when in 1941 nutritional standards were drawn up, followed three years later with the 1944 Education Act mandating local authorities to hand out FSM to the poorest pupils. In 1986, during Margaret Thatcher's premiership, the Social Security Act required local authorities to outsource the supply to private companies. In 2013, a new, more rigorous set of foods standards was implemented. Advertisement

Food supply businesses also have to survive by making some profit on the services they provide.

It means using one of the hundreds of possible suppliers eats away at the already small amount offered to children.

But the largest black hole in free meal funding is bizarrely caused by a system designed to make taking the no-cost dishes less embarrassing for older children.

In secondary schools smart cards were introduced to all pupils to load up with money, or in the case of students getting free meals, have the amount credited each day. They use it to buy lunch at the school and has been running for the past ten years.

However a quirk in the system means if the amount is not used, or completely spent, the daily allowance is wiped and not carried over to the next day.

In lockdown times these free amounts have been replaced by the parcels.

It was exposed by the Feeding Britain network and Professor Greta Defeyte in a report last year.

It said it found 88 million was disappearing from free school meal cards.

The report said neither the Department for Education nor the National Audit Office were able to track down where that money went.

Value of free school meals claimed but not taken by region in the UK

Baroness Boycott, chair of the Feeding Britain charity, said: 'Schools overall are doing an amazing job and have stepped up fantastically.

'I think most contractors as well have done a very good job. You have to remember that for the contractors on the whole because we only have one day of school and they were expecting a whole term, many of them had indeed delivered all their food, which would have been things like carrots and pasta.

'They've done it before, so for them they've faced a lot of problems because of this but clearly this is the really bad situation.

'I think the government has not on the whole done too badly but I do think there are a lot of problems going down the pipe, so to speak.

At Feeding Britain we did a big investigation into what happened to the money.

'We found that actually 88million a year was disappearing as a combination of money that didn't get rolled over.

Also the awful truth is that food is always seen as the bit of the sandwich that you can squeeze in this time of incredible cuts to councils, cuts to schools' budgets, bits of the food budget were being taken off.'

Children's Minister Vicky Ford MP said the government was dedicated to making sure pupils had good school meals.

She said: 'Government will be demanding that caterers urgently improve the quality of lunches they provide to eligible children  this will make sure every one of them receives a healthy, nutritious lunch that will give them the fuel they need to focus on learning at home.

'The photos being shared on social media last night and today are completely unacceptable and do not reflect the high standard of free school meals we expect to be sent to children.'

The police in Adamawa State said they have arrested two officials of the Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), Ebenezer Otinjele and Juliana Daniel, for alleged extra-marital affairs.

The two are clerics heading two new generation churches.

Mr Otinjele is a pastor with the Liberty International Gospel Centre, Yola in Adamawa, while Mrs Daniel is also a female pastor at the Encouragement Fellowship International.

The two suspects are currently being held in police custody at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Yola.

Mrs Daniel is the wife of Eli Daniel, who is an official of the Federal Ministry of Power, Abuja.

Allegations

It was alleged that Mrs Daniel worked directly under Mr Otinjele when he was the business manager of the Electricity Distribution Company Yola, where they started a sexual relationship.

Mr Daniel told our reporter that they got married on April 6, 2002 at the Lutheran Church of Christ in Nigeria (LCCN) headquarters in Numan and had five children including the two she had with Ebenezer whom she made him to believe they are his children.

After our marriage, I secured a job for her in early 2016 where she was posted to Yola Business unit and later deployed to work in the office of the then business manager, Pastor Ebenezer. This is where they started their extra marital relationship.

After her deployment to the office of Ebenezer, they stated having sexual intercourse to the extent of committing such act in our matrimonial home at Mbamba.

They go to the house when the children have gone to school, and that they sometimes send the children to buy something outside if they were at home so as to have space of time, said the husband in a telephone interview.

He also claimed Mr Otinjele took his wife to Jalingo for weekend on 15th September, 2016 where she left her male child she had with a 12-year-old house maid and that the child later fell sick and died suddenly in her absence.

Mrs Daniel allegedly had two children for Mr Otinjele despite being married to Mr Daniel.

Mr Otinjele and Mrs Daniel are in police custody so PREMIUM TIMES is unable to get their reactions. It is also not clear how the police, which is legally empowered to handle criminal matters, is handling the civil issue.

Invited not arrested

Mr Otinjele and Mrs Daniel have been arrested following a petition to the Commissioner of Police, Adamawa State Police Command by the irate husband, through his counsel, Sule Abul.

The petition alleged, acts of abatement conspiracy, causing abortion, criminal trespass, adultery and threat to life contrary to sections 49,61,203,339, 374 and 383 (2) of Adamawa state Penal Code Law perpetrated by Ebenezer Otueke and Juliana Eli Daniel.

Police spokesman in the state, Suleiman Nguroje, confirmed the arrests.

Its true that Adamawa police command had received complain written by one Barr. Sule J. Abul to the commissioner of police on behalf of his client alleging extra-marital affairs had ensued between one Mr Ebenezer a staff of YEDC and a married woman Juliana also a staff of YEDC.

Immediately such complaint was received, the commissioner of police immediately directed that investigation be conducted and in the course of the investigation the two suspects were invited and as Im talking to you investigation still on going and as soon as its finished, the command will not hesitate to ensure that law take its course through prosecution, he said.

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Investigators seek to extend restraining order against ex-Ivanovo Regions Governor Men

 The press service of Moscow's Basmanny District Court

16:59 13/01/2021

MOSCOW, January 13 (RAPSI)  Moscows Basmanny District Court has received an investigators motion to extend restrictive measure imposed on the former Governor of Russias Ivanovo Region and auditor of the Account Chamber Mikhail Men charged with embezzling 700 million rubles (over $9 million), the courts press service told RAPSI.

It will be considered on January 14.

In November, the Basmanny District Court of Moscow chose a restrictive order as a measure of restraint for Men. The court banned him from leaving home, excluding daily 2-hour walks, and using Internet.

Investigators believe that in 2011 Men acting as Governor of the Ivanovo Region organized a criminal group to embezzle the budget funds allocated as a loan for the regions support.

Other defendants are ex-first deputy chairman of the Ivanovo Regions government Pavel Konkov and Managing Director of the Ivanovo Broiler enterprise Dmitry Grishin.
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

In three recent publications in Molecular Psychiatry, Brain and JAMA Neurology researchers from the University of Gothenburg provide convincing evidence that an in-house developed blood test for Alzheimer's disease can detect the disease early and track its course, which has major implications for a potential use in clinical practice and treatment trials.

"This is an extremely dynamic research field right now, thanks to the technological development and seminal scientific progress in the past years. The dream scenario is to have a blood test for the early detection and screening of Alzheimer's disease up and running. That would give significantly more people in the world access to testing and future treatments," says Michael Scholl, associate professor and one of the senior authors.

After decades of research, we now know that Alzheimer's disease-related memory problems are just the tip of the iceberg of underlying degenerative processes in the brain that have been silently developing over years or even decades.

These processes result from abnormal aggregation of amyloid and tau proteins in the brain, with these aggregates being the defining pathological features of Alzheimer's disease. Until recently, it was only possible to detect these protein aggregates in the brains of deceased patients at autopsy.

Recent research advances, however, have enabled the accurate detection of amyloid and tau pathology in the brain with imaging methods and in the cerebrospinal fluid of living individuals. These current so-called biomarker methods are either expensive, invasive, or only available at specialized centers; thus, only a fraction of patients suffering from the disease currently benefit from these advances.

An accessible, affordable, and minimally invasive biomarker for Alzheimer's disease would revolutionize care of patients worldwide, as well as boost the development of novel drugs for this presently still incurable disease.

In 2020, researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, have discovered such a biomarker: a cheap blood test capable to detect the presence of phosphorylated tau protein (p-tau181), a principal, defining hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. Three recent scientific articles from the same study group now focus on the diagnostic performance of this blood marker and how it changes over time during healthy aging and during disease.

The authors demonstrated great potential for the blood test to predict and monitor Alzheimer's disease progression in an unprecedently large study comprising more than 1100 subjects from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimage Initiative (ADNI), followed up over several years.

First authors are Thomas Karikari (the article in Molecular Psychiatry) and Alexis Moscoso (Brain and JAMA Neurology).

"The recent development of blood tests sensitive to Alzheimer's disease pathology is likely to provide a solution and has the potential to significantly change the way this disease can be managed in the near future," Moscoso says.

In the publication in Brain the researchers analyzed participants' blood samples acquired at different ages to construct the temporal trajectory of p-tau181 levels in blood across the long course of Alzheimer's disease.

Importantly, they found that the novel blood test could detect abnormalities in p-tau181 levels several years before the onset of memory loss, suggesting enormous potential for early disease detection.

This potential was further confirmed in another publication in Molecular Psychiatry, with first author Thomas Karikari, in which the investigators demonstrated the high clinical utility of p-tau181 in blood for predicting future Alzheimer's disease dementia, even among individuals who had not experienced any memory impairment in the moment of the blood test.

Finally, in the third and most recent publication in JAMA Neurology, the scientists demonstrated that annual increases of p-tau181 in blood were strongly coupled to the loss of nerve cells in Alzheimer's disease as well as to cognitive decline, suggesting not only potential for prediction but also for monitoring and identifying rapidly progressive forms of the disease in an affordable yet effective way. Professor Henrik Zetterberg:

"Our findings have clear and novel implications for the use of these tests, both as diagnostic tools, but also as outcome measures in clinical trials, as we showed that the levels of phosphorylated p-tau181 and Neurofilament light, NfL, in standard blood samples, are reliable biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease, specifically p-tau181, and for neurodegenerative diseases in general, NfL."

Together, these studies represent a crucial step towards the widespread use of biomarkers in clinical routine, making effective blood biomarker testing for Alzheimer's disease a reality for most clinical settings, including primary care. Professor Kaj Blennow concludes, "This is a major step forward showing that blood tests for tau pathology and neurodegeneration have clinical value to track disease progression in patients with Alzheimer's disease," he says.

Explore further New blood test for Alzheimer's developed

More information: Alexis Moscoso et al. Time course of phosphorylated-tau181 in blood across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum, Brain (2020). Alexis Moscoso et al. Time course of phosphorylated-tau181 in blood across the Alzheimer's disease spectrum,(2020). DOI: 10.1093/brain/awaa399 undefined undefined et al. Diagnostic performance and prediction of clinical progression of plasma phospho-tau181 in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, Molecular Psychiatry (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00923-z Alexis Moscoso et al. Longitudinal Associations of Blood Phosphorylated Tau181 and Neurofilament Light Chain With Neurodegeneration in Alzheimer Disease JAMA Neurol. Published online January 11, 2021. DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2020.4986 Journal information: Archives of Neurology , Brain , Molecular Psychiatry
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New York, Jan. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- What is InfinitiKloud Wireless?

No household or business can do without a computer in this day and age. Millions of people need to protect their important data from access by third parties. A sudden crash of the hard disk can cause all data to be deleted. IT experts always advise regular backups, but this is often forgotten. With InfinitiKloud Wireless, backing up business and private data should be easier. With just one mouse click, you can back up your data storage. The system is easy to use and is therefore also suitable for computer novices.

What are the InfinitiKloud Wireless quality features?

The InfinitiKloud Wireless stick has some very positive reports and reviews online. According to the manufacturer, you can save a lot of time and nerves with the InfinitiKloud Wireless WLAN stick if you want to secure and protect private data. With just one click, you can protect private data, photos or videos from loss, theft or a sudden hard drive failure.

The InfinitiKloud Wireless USB stick can be ordered by customers at any time via the manufacturer's website. A big advantage is that you can use InfinitiKloud Wireless for several devices. It doesn't matter whether it's a mobile phone, PC or tablet. Many other data storage devices can only be used for one end device. According to the manufacturer, you can use the WLAN device more individually. You can use it to back up Mac, Apple iPhone, Android and PC devices. With the InfinitiKloud Wireless you can use all Micro SD / TF memory cards. You can use as many memory cards as you like. You get up to one TB.

--- Visit the official website here! ---

InfinitiKloud Wireless rating and recommendation

To use the WLAN stick, you only need to install the InfinitiKloud Wireless app on the device on which you want to back up your data. Then simply press the button on your cloud and it will automatically start backing up your data. According to the manufacturer, the device is a high-quality smart USB stick that can protect business and private data from file corruption, hard drive failure or viruses. A simple setup is supported. Registration is not possible in advance. No software needs to be installed for use. According to the manufacturer, simple handling is available to all customers. The device is automatically recognised by any smartphone or computer. It is compatible with all Macs and computers. All important data can be stored quickly and easily. A simple file search is available so that the data can be found more quickly.

Easy handling

Mobile and fast

Automatic storage of mobile data

Optimal data storage (protects against loss or theft)

Consists of first class components

Can be used for different end devices

Information on the topic of data storage

With a data memory, it is possible to store a wide variety of information. It can be read out again at any time. In computers, information is always stored in a digital form. Different storage media and technologies are used to store the data. Electronic, optical or magnetic memories are often used. Depending on the need, volatile or non-volatile solutions are available. The synonyms data storage, data carrier or storage medium are often used. Many data memories can be permanently installed in a device. However, there are also storage media that are exchangeable or can be realised externally.

The important performance characteristics of a data storage device include access time, storage capacity, rewritability, data transfer rate and service life. The lifespan describes how long the data can be stored. Data storage devices can be used for a wide variety of applications. They are often used as buffer memory, primary memory, for the transport of data, secondary memory or for archiving data volumes.

An electronic memory always works on the basis of semiconductors. These storage media are non-volatile or volatile. Accordingly, the data can be retained when an operating voltage is switched off. This is particularly guaranteed with the non-volatile systems. With volatile systems, it can happen that data is lost when the power is switched off. DRAM, EPROM, Flash or EEPROM belong to the classic electronic memories. With a magnetic storage medium, the information is stored in magnetic or non-magnetic form. Storage media and data memories such as floppy disks, hard disks or magnetic tapes work with a magnetic operating principle. The writing or reading of the data is done by a read/write head. It magnetises the materials with the respective data patterns. The magnetisation can also be easily read out again with the head.

A frequently used variant is optical data storage. This special technique uses materials and lasers with optical properties. The laser is used to change the optical properties such as the reflection or diffraction of a certain part of the storage medium. In this way, the data is stored. It is possible to read out the data using an optical sensor or laser beam. Optical storage media can often be written to several times. This is only not possible with simple media. In this case, they can only be written to once. Frequently used optical storage media are DVDs, CDs or Blu-rays. Further info and a discount can be found here on the official website!

InfinitiKloud Wireless reviews

The InfinitiKloud Wireless is needed by all households that work a lot on a tablet or computer. You can use the WLAN device to protect yourself from losing unsaved data due to a system crash. In addition, other files can also be stored on the stick. Since the device is very easy to handle. This means that it can also be used by laypersons who have no experience with data storage.

The handling of the stick is very simple. It is simply plugged into the USB port of the terminal device. Then a backup program starts automatically. The red button should be pressed. The button says "Start". The system now saves everything automatically. You do not have to intervene any further. As soon as the unit has completed the backup, it can be removed again. It can always go back to the backup if you want to restore your data.

Many users are very satisfied with the device. They especially praise the easy handling and reliability. But many testers have also already used the InfinitiKloud Wireless. If there is no storage on the stick, you can't fall back on it afterwards if the system suddenly crashes. A classic backup often takes a long time until all data has been saved. With the stick, this is possible within a very short time. Some tests can be found on the Internet. All of them are very positive. Negative reports, on the other hand, are not to be found. Many testers and customers recommend the stick.

Why do I need this data store?

A data storage device is always needed if data is to be backed up in the event of a server crash. The unit operates at a speed of up to 100 MB / second. It can store up to 64 GB. This corresponds approximately to a size of 45,000 photos. With the InfinitiKloud Wireless, a customized backup is possible at any time. A big advantage is that the stick can compress the data so that it is stored much smaller on the WLAN stick. This means you can also save larger amounts of data. The stick is made of high-quality plastic. It is very robust and will not break even if bumped or knocked. The manufacturer promises that the data on the stick is optimally secured.

Hardly any PC or tablet can be protected from a total failure or crash. If the data is not backed up in advance, it is irrevocably lost. According to the manufacturer, you are well equipped with the InfinitiKloud Wireless WLAN stick. You can simply plug the stick into your new PC or your repaired laptop and upload all your data again. A stick offers you the advantage that you can relieve the memory of your PC. You don't need all the data on your computer for your everyday life. The data stick is therefore a great relief for your PC. You can use it as a backup for a wide variety of end devices. The wireless connection ensures mobile and fast use. You can use the stick at any time for private or business purposes.

--- Buy this product now with a special discount! ---

Well-known FAQ about this product

Q : What are the advantages of InfinitiKloud Wireless?

: What are the advantages of InfinitiKloud Wireless? A: According to the manufacturer, InfinitiKloud Wireless easily stores large amounts of data in small formats. This makes a larger data storage available. The stick can be used via WLAN and is easy to handle. It enables easy backup at any time and offers a simple search function. Stored data can thus be found more quickly. The data is stored at high speed.

According to the manufacturer, InfinitiKloud Wireless easily stores large amounts of data in small formats. This makes a larger data storage available. The stick can be used via WLAN and is easy to handle. It enables easy backup at any time and offers a simple search function. Stored data can thus be found more quickly. The data is stored at high speed. Q: Why should you choose InfinitiKloud Wireless?

Why should you choose InfinitiKloud Wireless? A: You can be sure with your stick that it will not fall into the wrong hands. In addition, you save yourself the trouble of using cloud services. In the past, hackers have been able to gain access to data via cloud services. If you keep your stick safe, your system will always be optimally protected from hackers. You always have an effective data backup available. The stick is always useful if your tablet or laptop is broken or lost.

You can be sure with your stick that it will not fall into the wrong hands. In addition, you save yourself the trouble of using cloud services. In the past, hackers have been able to gain access to data via cloud services. If you keep your stick safe, your system will always be optimally protected from hackers. You always have an effective data backup available. The stick is always useful if your tablet or laptop is broken or lost. Q: Where should you buy the stick?

Where should you buy the stick? A: You should always buy your InfinitiKloud Wireless Stick directly from the manufacturer. This way you can be sure that you are getting the original wireless device. If you buy from various foreign shops, you may be sent a cheap product. Many of these shops advertise original devices, but send out plagiarised products that are not of the same quality. The manufacturer is able to give you a good discount. You will also find a lot of important information about the product.

You should always buy your InfinitiKloud Wireless Stick directly from the manufacturer. This way you can be sure that you are getting the original wireless device. If you buy from various foreign shops, you may be sent a cheap product. Many of these shops advertise original devices, but send out plagiarised products that are not of the same quality. The manufacturer is able to give you a good discount. You will also find a lot of important information about the product. Q: What warranty does the manufacturer offer?

What warranty does the manufacturer offer? A: If you are not satisfied with the product, you can return it to the manufacturer within 30 days without giving a reason. You will get your money back within a few working days. The InfinitiKloud Wireless is made of first-class components. The manufacturer not only offers you a hassle-free return of the stick if you are not satisfied, but also a fast delivery when you order it.

--- Get the Best Price Right Here ---

Where can I buy InfinitiKloud Wireless?

To ensure that the original InfinitiKloud Wireless USB stick is sent to you, you should only place your order online directly via the manufacturer's website. The provider not only offers you sufficient information about the product, but also a good discount promotion. The InfinitiKloud Wireless Stick is always available from the manufacturer. The delivery time takes only a few days. Another advantage is that you can order the stick using a wide range of payment options. The WLAN memory is delivered to the desired delivery address. If you are not satisfied with the InfinitiKloud Wireless data storage, you can make use of the 30-day return guarantee. This means that you do not take any risks when buying the InfinitiKloud Wireless.

Currently, the data storage manufacturer of InfinitiKloud Wireless is offering you a good discount of 50%. The discount increases when you increase the number of InfinitiKloud Wireless products. Before placing an order, you should therefore ask friends or colleagues at work whether they also need a secure data storage device. By placing a larger order, you can reduce the individual price even further. Several InfinitiKloud Wireless USB sticks are also useful in a household if there are several computers at the same time. Each stick can store a large amount of private data. However, the USB stick can also be used as a data storage device for the office. Ordering does not take much time. Visit the official website here to find a discounted price!

InfinitiKloud Wireless technical facts

Data storage for up to 64 GB

Stores up to 45,000 photos

one-click data storage

customised backup

speed of up to 100 MB / second

compresses data quickly and easily

robust plastic USB stick

Who is the provider of the product?

You can contact the data storage manufacturer in many different ways. The following information was found on the manufacturer's website.

Address:

Think Tech Sales Limited

Rm 709B, 7 / F, Opulent Building

402-406 Hennessy Road

WAN CHAI, Hong Kong

Website of the manufacturer: https://www.getmyInfinitiKloud.com/

Support Site: https://support.infinitikloud.com/hc/en-us

About

Rick Finn is a blogger from a bigger enthusiastic team which loves to review products based on personal research. His contact E-Mail is rfinn-revs@gmail.com. Feel free to contact him every time you like.

Disclosure by content creator

This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute advice or an offer to buy.

Any purchase done from this story is done on your own risk. Consult an expert advisor / health professional before any such purchase. Any purchase done from this link is subject to final terms and conditions of the website that is selling the product. The content on this release does not take any responsibility directly or indirectly. Contact the vendor of the product directly.





This news has been published for the above source. Rick Finn [ID=16392]

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Attachment
Democrats and their media complex have sought to remove President Trump from office since the day he became president. The day before yesterday the pretext was the Russia hoax. It was a day that lasted three long years, but put that to one side. Yesterday it was the Ukraine piffle (as Michael Goodwin calls it) and impeachment, round 1.

Today, as Trumps term in office comes to a close, it is the Capitol Hill riots and impeachment, round 2. I would prefer not to take lessons in constitutional order or good government from Nancy Pelosi, Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Jerry Nadler, and their partisan colleagues.

The circumstances give them a veneer of plausibility. That is to be acknowledged and regretted. To borrow a phrase that is meant to ring a bell for those of us of a certain age, I nevertheless fail to see how they can be taken seriously at this point in time.
Humans in the military rely on doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to take care of them while theyre on the job. Military working dogs need someone to look after them, too. That job falls to military veterinarians. Military veterinarians provide medical and surgical care to all kinds of military working animals, but their responsibilities go far beyond that of a normal veterinarian.

What the job entails

The primary role of Army veterinarians is to provide care for animals- both for working animals and for military family pets. While on active duty, however, their responsibilities vary from mission to mission. They are highly involved in supporting public health and humanitarian projects, like creating vaccines and developing strategies to prevent the spread of animal-borne diseases.

Theyre also in charge of inspecting food sold to service members to make sure its safe for consumption. They may even perform audits of major manufacturing plants to confirm that theyre following food safety protocols; think Coca-Cola and Ben & Jerrys.

Army Capt. (Dr.) Cassandra Kerwin, officer in charge at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Veterinary Treatment Facility, checks the heart rate of Quinn, an Australian shepherd. Assisting is Army Sgt. Erikka Johnson, animal care specialist. (Skywrighter photo/Amy Rollins)

Things to know before you try it

1. After education, its basically an eight-year commitment.

Most military veterinarians go through the Health Professionals Scholarship Program. The HPSP contract stipulates a minimum three year commitment to active duty, plus five years of reserve duty. While vets are rarely called upon during the five years on inactive duty, its always a possibility.

2. Veterinarians typically enlist as officers, not soldiers.

When you become an Army veterinarian, youre not signing up to fight. Instead of Basic Training, you attend a Basic Officer Leadership Course for a few months. Its not as physically tough as the boot camp designed for soldiers, but you still have to be in decent shape. New veterinarian officers also attend a one-year internship program which doesnt count toward your active-duty requirement.

3. Being involved in combat is always a possibility.

While your job description is to care for animals and assist with humanitarian efforts, danger isnt off the table. Most Army vets never see combat, but it has happened. If youre sent to a combat zone, you will carry a weapon and should be prepared to fire it. Most missions are fairly low-risk, but veterinarians HAVE been wounded or killed on the job. Veterinarians are never assigned combat-related tasks, but if youre in the vicinity of an unexpected attack, anything can happen. In other words, if you want a risk-free gig, this isnt it.

4. Travel is part of the job description.

Military veterinarians can be assigned to missions anywhere in the world. This is a pro and con in one. You get the opportunity to see amazing places. If you become a Special Forces vet, you can work on serious international animal health projects. The Navys marine mammal program is another option.

Regardless, youre going to be moving around while on active duty. Family members and pets may be able to join you on some missions, but thats not always an option. If you do have pets or children with you, youll need to make arrangements for their care while youre working long shifts or overnight. If youre on a combat mission, its important to have a network of friends and family to care for your pets while youre away.

5. The options for advancement are appealing.

If youre considering a long-term career in the military, theres a program for that. The Long-Term Health Education & Training program will cover the cost of veterinarians to continue their education in a number of specialties, like pathology, emergency/critical care, radiology, and surgery. After retiring from the military, veterinarians often start their own private practice or transition into teaching- all while receiving a hefty pension!

6. The pay is nothing to laugh at.

The pay and benefits are very good compared to our civilian veterinary colleagues. When I started out four years ago at an assignment in the U.S., I was making about $75,000 a year. Now while assigned in Europe I am making about $100,000 a year. It can be kind of tough to calculate the exact salary because of all the different types of special pay, housing/living allowances, etc, and that stuff changes depending on where you are located.

7. Youre a veterinarian, but youre also a military professional.

This one bears repeating. While military veterinarians are there to care for animals, theyre also committing to serving the US Army. During your years of service, the army will decide where you work, when you work, and what your job entails. That might mean getting deployed to a combat zone even though youd prefer to work on the home front. If youre a leader who likes to carve your own path, youll probably be disappointed. If youre passionate about animals and interested in serving your country, becoming an Army veterinarian is probably a great fit. The benefits dont hurt, either!

Steps to becoming a military vet

The U.S. Armys Health Professions Scholarship Program is usually the first step to becoming a military veterinarian. Youll have to convince the military that youre worth the investment, but if you get the scholarship, the program covers your tuition while you earn your D.V.M. Alternatively, the Health Professions Loan Repayment Program can help those who have already completed school.

Your military commitment doesnt begin until youre done with school. At that point, you complete Basic Officer Training and an internship before beginning active duty. After three years of service, you can join the Army Reserve. There, youre welcome to run your own practice. To get started, learn more about the process here or contact a recruiter. If you want to hear a first account of what its like becoming an Army Veterinarian, Elliot Garber can tell you all about it.

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Americas rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations has not prioritized educators even under government mandates that schools stay open amid pandemic surges, a nationwide panel that included San Antonio Independent School District Superintendent Pedro Martinez said Wednesday.

Martinez and four other superintendents from across the country made a plea for federal officials to accelerate vaccine supplies and urged states to include teachers and school staffers at the front of the line.

We cannot emphasize enough how important it is that all of our school staffs are prioritized across the country for vaccine distribution so that our schools can be open and so our children can get the academic support they need, Martinez said during the virtual panel.

Required Reading: Get San Antonio education news sent directly to your inbox

It was hosted by Chiefs for Change, a bipartisan network of superintendents and state education officials that advocates for education policies. Martinez chairs its board. The other superintendents on the call were: Robert Runcie, Broward County Public Schools in Florida, Susan Enfield of Highline Public Schools in Washington, Sharon Contreras of Guilford County Schools inNorth Carolina, and Millard House II of the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Tennessee.

Almost all SAISD employees  99 percent  are working on campuses and 30 percent of students have returned for on-campus learning. With parent cooperation, SAISD has been able to control its in-person population by gradually phasing in students with the greatest needs.

Martinez praised his districts partnership with Community Labs, which has allowed it to conduct weekly coronavirus tests, up to 30,000 of them so far, and identify asymptomatic carriers and quarantine them. The districts posititvity rate has been less than 1 percent.

On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio ISD still limiting students as classes resume next week, will provide vaccine for employees

Martinez has been part of local movements to pressure Gov. Greg Abbott to categorize teachers as essential workers. Abbott has publicly supported the idea of ranking teachers as front-line workers and providing them early access to vaccines, but educators were not included in the groups that currently get priority.

SAISD is in the process of surveying employees so that when vaccines are available to the district, they can have a line of educators who fit other early-access criteria ready to receive them.

Martinez said he has offered the districts facilities as distribution sites to local health authorities when more vaccines arrive. His nurses  almost all of whom have received the vaccine  would be able to work weekends to help facilitate, he said.

We, as school districts, are ready to be part of the solution, he said.

krista.torralva@express-news.net
Epigamia has launched the Step-Up Program with a mission to provide food & water to communities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Driven by a purpose to improve food & food systems within the country, Epigamia has set up many initiatives under this program, right from providing food to migrant workers, to improving access to water in villages around the country. Danone Manifesto Ventures, one of the investors in Epigamia, is supporting the Step-Up program through its global COVID-19 Relief Fund, which helps its investee companies across the world by supporting the latters community outreach programs to improve the lives of those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, among other initiatives.

Rohan Mirchandani, Co-Founder, and CEO, Epigamia, said, The pandemic & subsequent impact on migrant workers in the cities got us going. We launched the Step-Up program in May 2020 and have donated and distributed over 7.5 lacs cups & bottles of yogurts. We have partnered with Danone Manifesto Ventures, who supported us for this initiative and provided some guidance on planning & execution. The Step-Up initiative is now a rallying cry in the organization with active participation from employees and our supply chain partners. Over 215 members of Epigamias team also stepped-up and donated a portion of their salary towards the distribution of cups".

The first phase of the Step-Up program was completed in September through partners such as Robin Hood Army, Zomato Feeding India, Annapurna Movement, Rise Against Hunger, Akshaya Patra, and Goonj, to name a few. For the second phase, Epigamia is focusing on supporting rural communities across the country. Epigamia has partnered with Habitat for Humanity India to help improve access to safe drinking water, and help the communities through training and support for livelihood options including agricultural productivity.

"Since Day 1, Epigamia has been a very generous donor supporting Annapurna Movement's on-ground food relief efforts. Through their Step-Up program, we could reach out to thousands of homeless children across Mumbai. These children who were only surviving on rice & dal meals finally had a chance to taste the extremely delicious & nutritional products from Epigamia! The smile on their faces has been priceless!" added Shievani Upadhyay Co-founder, Annapurna Movement.

Laurent Marcel, CEO of Danone Manifesto Ventures, said, In 2020, we witnessed parts of the world suffer irrecoverable losses to their lives and livelihoods, and decided to support our portfolio companies initiatives to tackle unprecedented challenges through a dedicated COVID-19 Relief Fund. This led us to support Epigamias team and the frontline workers who fought the toughest of daily battles by aiding their financial, health, and safety initiatives. We are proud to assist Epigamia to fulfill their responsibility as a Corporate Citizen of the country in these challenging times.

Danone Manifesto Ventures has also supported other projects led by Epigamia in the areas of People, Health, and Safety (focused on employment preservation by providing financial security and personal protective equipment) and Food Supply Continuity (ensuring frontline workers received hardship allowances). For this exceptional impact investment of approx. INR 5.23 crores in Epigamia made through its COVID-19 Relief Fund, which is outside of its usual investment activities, Danone Manifesto Ventures will be issued a special class of shares.

Launched in June 2015, Epigamia is currently available in 30 SKUs under Greek Yogurt, Artisanal Curd, Snack Pack, Mishti Doi, Smoothies, and Spreads - made with Ghee, Plant-based Coconut Milk Yogurt and Almond Milk. The brand retails across approximately 12,000 touchpoints in 25 towns, including modern trade chains like Reliance Fresh, Godrej Natures Basket, Future Group, Foodhall, Big Bazaar, and Hypercity; e-commerce platforms including Big Basket and Amazon; and numerous general trade retailers. Additionally, the brand recently launched its Direct-to-Consumer online platform available in Tier 1 and 2 cities in the country.
Two Longford men, Tom O'Brien and Eamon O Ceallaigh, are celebrating this week after their song Whatcha gonna do when you leave School, stormed to number one on the Irish iTunes charts last Friday and there it remained until Monday.

Tom and Eamon succeeded in keeping chart trailblazers like Dermot Kennedy, Ed Sheeran, Little Mix and Taylor Swift off the top spot, but more importantly, the duo have to-date raised 44,000 for the Irish Cancer Society.

They are now hoping that via Tom O Brien's Fight against Cancer gofundme page that they can reach their new fundraising target of 50,000.

The initial target was to raise 10,000 and get Whatcha gonna do when you leave School to number one, and Eamon thanked everyone in Longford and beyond for their generosity and massive support of the campaign.

"Thanks to everyone for their time, patience and every contribution received, both from the purchase of Whatcha gonna do when you leave School and the donations made via Tom O Brien's Fight against Cancer gofundme page," outlined Eamon.

He added, "We never expected such generosity, and will always remember and be grateful for this. The speed of the contributions coming in completely overwhelmed us."

In a post on Facebook, Tom O'Brien thanked people 'from the bottom of his heart' for their amazing support, and his brother Benny was similarly taken aback by the support.

"So proud of the Big Bro. 44,000 raised for The Irish Cancer Society. What he and Eamon OCeallaigh have achieved is nothing short of incredible. The support out there for Toms cause is very humbling. Lets blow this out of the water, are yee wide shams!"

Eamon described well known postman and entertainer, 58-year-old Tom, who is married to Kathleen and theyve three children Darragh, Niamh and Diarmuid, as a Longford legend.

Tom has cancer but a cancer sufferer he is not. Tom is a cancer fighter and that defines the man, stated Eamon.

Four decades ago, when Tom and Eamon were in their late teens, Eamon says he wrote a song, with Tom in mind and about six months ago, a suggestion was made that the song Whatcha gonna do when you leave School should be recorded and the past weekend represented the realisation of a dream as the song reached number one Irish iTunes charts and in the process raised precious funds for the Irish Cancer Society.

You can continue to support the cause by downloading the song or by making donations to Tom O Brien's Fight against Cancer gofundme page. You can also download Whatcha gonna do when you leave School on itunes and on Amazon.
Airport staff at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila put on protective gloves amid the COVID-19 pandemic, May 13, 2020.

The Philippines on Wednesday said that it had detected the presence of the new, highly contagious so-called U.K.-variant of the coronavirus in the country.

The new strain, which is said to be 70 percent more transmissible than the old variant, was detected in an infected Filipino man who had arrived in the country from the Middle East last week, the Department of Health said in an advisory.

The patient was swabbed and quarantined in a hotel upon arrival. The positive test result [for the variant] was released the following day and the patient was referred to a quarantine facility in Quezon City while his samples were sent to PGC for whole genome sequencing, the health department said, referring to the Philippine Genome Center.

The infected Filipino man, whose female partner tested negative, flew back to Manila on Jan. 7 from the United Arab Emirates. Health and quarantine officials are now racing against time to locate the other passengers of the airplane they were on, the health department said.

Both of the returning Filipinos had no exposure to a confirmed case prior to their departure to Dubai nor had any travel activities outside Quezon City, the department said, referring to a northern suburb of Metropolitan Manila.

The Filipino mans companion was not infected, but she is also under strict quarantine. Relatives and friends of the two had initially been identified as asymptomatic and are currently under strict home quarantine, the department said.

The DOH has also secured the flight manifest of the flight in question, and contact tracing of other passengers is now underway, it said.

The announcement about the new variant detected in the country came a day after the government added five countries to a list of nations and territories whose citizens it temporarily banned from entering the Philippines.

China, Pakistan, Jamaica, Luxemburg and Oman were added to the list of 21 nations and territories whose citizens are not allowed to enter the Philippines.

Overseas Filipinos returning from the proscribed countries will be let in but required to undergo a 14-day quarantine, labor secretary Silvestre Bello III had said late last month when announcing the earlier bans.

The country recorded 1,453 new COVID-19 infections and 146 new virus-related deaths, taking the total number of cases to 492,700 and total fatalities to 9,699.

Philippines has the second highest number of coronavirus cases in East Asia after neighbor Indonesia, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University in the United States.

Vaccine preparedness

Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday defended his decision to buy COVID-19 vaccines from Chinas Sinovac, after researchers in Brazil said a day earlier that clinical trials there showed they were only 50.4 percent effective against the novel coronavirus.

The [Chinese] vaccines are as good as any vaccine invented by Americans and Europeans. The Chinese dont lack intellect. Theyre bright, and they would not venture [into producing vaccines] if it is not safe, sure, and secure, Duterte said, according to a translation of his televised address in a report from the state-run Philippine News Agency.

I wont buy a vaccine thats not safe. Sinopharm and Sinovac have vaccinated almost all their peopleIf you dont like the vaccine, it is fine. No problem. If it turns out to be a mistake at the end of the day, it will be my responsibility, Duterte added, referring to two Chinese COVID-19 vaccines.

The Philippines hopes to get its first official COVID-19 vaccines from Chinas Sinovac by February, but the initial number of doses made available would be only 50,000, the government said earlier this week.

About a million doses each month are expected to follow until May, and two million doses are likely to arrive in June, the government said.

Negotiations with several vaccine makers from various others countries are also underway, even as their products were still in clinical trials, the government said.

The government maintains a list of vaccines. This contains all the brand names and manufacturers of vaccines that are under development, Carlito Galvez Jr., the cabinet official in charge of procuring the vaccine, said on Wednesday.

From this list, the government identifies the companies it will negotiate with.

Only vaccines approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration, regardless of their brand, will be used to inoculate Filipinos.

[W]e want to assure our countrymen that all vaccines to be purchased by the government will undergo the stringent evaluation and stringent process of the Food and Drug Administration to ensure their safety and efficacy, Galvez said.

The Philippine FDA had not approved the COVID-19 vaccine used earlier to inoculate some cabinet members and an undisclosed number of soldiers.

Duterte quashed attempts by the Senate to investigate how these people received shots of a Chinese-developed coronavirus vaccine in September and October, when no vaccine had been approved or officially procured in the country.
Its been nearly three years since a young Jefferson County man was killed in Birmingham, and investigators are asking for the publics help in solving his murder.

Richard Stephen Roberts, 23, was killed March 28, 2018. He was working on a vehicle parked in the 1800 block of Francis Avenue when, police say, someone drove by shortly before 9 p.m. and opened fire on Roberts.

Police at the time said Roberts tried to flee from the shooter but was unsuccessful. He collapsed and was then taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead within the hour.

Birmingham police said the deadly shots were fired from a burgundy Buick.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
A nurse from East Cork has developed a paperless nursing management system which reduces documentation and audit time for nurses, allowing for more patient contact time.

Ali-Rose Sisk from Rostellan in East Cork, started working in healthcare at the tender age of 15.

I always maintain we were all fired out the door to work in our house, she laughs.

Ms Sisk ended up in the nursing home sector and fell in love with it.

I was working in the kitchen, I was playing music for residents, I was doing a bit of everything, she said.

Sisk went on to do her four-year nursing undergrad in UCC and until recently, was based in London, where she was working on a Marie Curie PhD scholarship to develop NHS palliative care services for people with early-onset dementia.

She flew back in March to help on the frontline of the pandemic at home.

They needed us at that stage and we thought it would be a very short period so I came home...and I'm still here.

Despite being just 25-years-old, Ms Sisk has worked in the healthcare sector for almost a decade and says, throughout her career, she has struggled with the amount of time being given over to paperwork at the expense of contact time with patients.

It's a problem in many sectors, but in nursing it was really taking from the patient contact time and I found that very conflicting internally. Especially now, we have no people coming in to see residents and residents can be quite unwell. They need our time.

I came up with the idea of SafeCare which simply digitises what we were doing on paper, but reduces the time spent on the task, making our lives easier and returning time to care.

And it saves the nursing home about 100,000 each year.

Ms Sisk says a survey of over 170,000 nurses suggested paperwork occupies more time than any other task in the sector, accounting for over 50% of nurses time in some instances.

We recently piloted our latest software in a nursing home down in East Cork where I'm based myself, and they were averaging around three to four hours a day on paperwork. We intend to reduce that by up to 70%.

Our SafeCare Nursing Software director Ali-Rose Sisk on site at Oaklodge Nursing home with HIHI clinical nurse manager Noreen Lynch.

SafeCare, returning time to care.

Diarmuid O Dalaigh#safecare #nursing #enterpriseireland #safecarenursingsoftware #rn #nurse #uccalumni pic.twitter.com/gBY4ZxAcrc  SafeCare Nursing Software (@SafecareNS) November 6, 2020

Ms Sisk says the private health and the public health services are quite slow to transition to digital health but her background in code development, artificial intelligence and machine learning made it easy for her to see the possibilities.

What our software does is very simple. It provides us with the least amount of information needed to do the best job and have the best outcome.

But, by the user putting in information in a very simple manner, for example, Mary had fluids, John had half a dinner, Alice's mobility isn't great today, we can do huge amounts with the back end of the software where the information is stored.

Using algorithms we can say to a nursing home owner, Alice is at higher risk. She's not mobilizing great today and she didn't eat or drink much yesterday.

For us, it's about making the software simple for the user, but using the back end to spit out information that makes us work better as clinicians, improve care quality and audit the nursing home without paper and pen.

There are 580 private care homes in Ireland and the sector is growing "at a ferocious rate," she said, adding that 70% of us will need a nursing home at one point in our lives.

"That gives an idea of the number of care homes that we need and the huge demand for these types of products, and they're really not on the market, Sisk explained.

Ali-Rose Sisk came home in March to help on the frontline of the pandemic in Cork.

Ms Sisk piloted her software with Oaklodge Nursing Home in Cloyne, during the lockdown with the aid of Health Innovation Hub Ireland (HIHI), which was established by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and the Department of Health, supported by Enterprise Ireland (EI) and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to drive collaboration between the health service and enterprise by offering companies the opportunity for pilot and clinical validation studies and the HSE access to innovative products and services.

Ms Sisk said everything ran smoothly and the feedback from the nursing home and its staff was fantastic."

It proved to us how desperate the sector needs very basic software like this.

SafeCare Nursing Software is supported by New Frontiers, Enterprise Irelands national entrepreneur development programme for early-stage startups and Ms Sisk is hoping to raise 250,000 in a funding round in April to move forward with the innovative idea.

It's all very swift moving and I have had to look at it from a business perspective, but at the end of the day, I'm scrubbing up at the weekends I am going in on my night shifts, I'm in the hospital and in the care home - I am living the problem.

I've been told the best products are those that come from people that face the problem day to day and I am.
High Commissioner Filippo Grandi visiting the refugee reception centre managed by the Refugee Portuguese Council.  CPR/Fabio Pinto

Concluding his first visit to Portugal, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi commended the countrys exemplary refugee policies over the years. Portugal has consistently been a champion of the refugee cause.

The countrys efforts to uphold refugee protection principles and processes were particularly remarkable during the challenging time of the coronavirus pandemic.

While some countries shut their doors and imposed restrictions hindering access to territory and asylum for people fleeing violence and persecution, Portugal took exemplary steps to safeguard the rights of refugees early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, said Grandi.

Best practices put in place by Portuguese authorities include exemption of asylum-seekers from border restrictions to ensure access to territory, extending the validity of documents and providing access to healthcare, employment, social benefits and financial services.

The High Commissioners visit included meetings with senior government officials, refugees and members of civil society. The High Commissioner also visited the National Immigration Support Center (CNAI) managed by Portugals High Commission for Migration.

During the visit, Grandi also praised Portugals active engagement in international solidarity programmes.

We are impressed by Portugals engagement in responsibility-sharing mechanisms, including resettlement, relocation of unaccompanied children and other, bilateral arrangements, as well as its continued advocacy to find a permanent and predicable approach to solutions at the EU level, Grandi said.

In addition, Portugal makes available  through a Global Platform  academic assistance to Syrian university students. Since 2013, Syrian students benefited from some 650 scholarships through this scheme.

In recent years, the number of asylum applications in Portugal has increased, adding pressure to the countrys reception capacity and integration structures. Grandi reiterated the importance of adequate reception and longer-term integration of refugees in the country.

He discussed the countrys pledges made at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva in December 2019. One year on, significant progress has been achieved with nearly half of the pledges already implemented. These include the adoption of a comprehensive and accessible language training programme to facilitate refugee integration and the creation of a single coordination mechanism encompassing all refugee issues.

UNHCR is also working closely with non-government organizations, including the Portuguese Refugee Council (CPR). The Council plays a key role in the reception of refugees, running several reception centres for asylum-seekers, unaccompanied and separated children, and resettled refugees.

The High Commissioner visited the CPR refugee reception centre in Loures, north of Lisbon, where he met with some 50 recently arrived resettled refugees and refugee staff who thanked Portugal for the hospitality. The High Commissioner wished them a successful integration in their new home.

Grandi welcomed the start of the Portuguese rotating EU Presidency and expressed his full support to the Portugueses efforts to advance the negotiations and reach an agreement on the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.

The High Commissioner encouraged Portugal to also promote Europes strategic engagement, through humanitarian and development aid, with major refugee hosting and transit countries, and to step up its own humanitarian contributions to aid programmes.

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Pope Francis formalizes women's roles at mass, maintains men-only priesthood

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Pope Francis has officially changed Catholic Church law to allow women to be permanently installed as lectors or acolytes during mass, while maintaining that only men can be ordained as priests.

Although many Catholic congregations already allowed for women to serve as Bible readers or altar servers during mass, Francis' decree merely formalizes the ability of women to permanently serve in those roles as full-time positions and prevents "bishops from choosing to restrict women from those ministries," according to The Jesuit Review.

Pope Francis wanted to formalize and institutionalize the presence of women at the altar, explained Vatican News regarding the new law.

Francis, therefore, establishes that women can have access to these ministries and that this be recognized through a liturgical act formally instituting them as such.

Despite expanding the role of women in the mass, Francis reaffirmed the Catholic Church's position against female ordination, quoting an earlier papal document stating that it does not consider herself authorized to admit women to priestly ordination.

On Monday, in an official letter by the pontiff to the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Francis formally recognized the Catholic worship service roles for women.

I considered it appropriate to establish that not only men but also women can be instituted as Lectors or Acolytes, in whom, through the discernment of the pastors and after adequate preparation, the Church recognizes the firm will to serve God and the Christian people faithfully, stated the letter.

The decision to confer these offices on women as well, entailing stability, public recognition and a mandate from the bishop, makes the participation of all in the work of evangelization more effective in the Church.

Francis explained that he believed opening those roles to women will increase the recognition, also through a liturgical act (institution), of the valuable contribution that a great number of lay persons, including women, have offered to the life and mission of the Church for a very long time.

It will be the task of the Episcopal Conferences to establish adequate criteria for the discernment and preparation of candidates for the ministries of the Lectorate or Acolytate, or other ministries which they deem to be instituted, he continued.

Since becoming leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Francis has been noted for his expanding of the role of women in the institutions of the global religious body.

For example, in August 2020, Francis appointed six women to the Council for the Economy, a high-level financial issues body in the Catholic Church that was created in 2014.

In addition to the six women, the membership of the Council will include one male lay leader and eight cardinals, which include Cardinal Joseph Tobin of New Jersey.

I see their nomination as an effort by Pope Francis to ensure greater opportunities for women to offer their gifts in service to the church, said Tobin to the National Catholic Reporter last year.

He clearly considers the academic formation and vast experience of these colleagues as crucial contributions to one of his cherished priorities, the ongoing reform of the financial administration of the Holy See.
WASHINGTON - The Secret Service and federal law enforcement agencies are spending the final days of the Trump administration bracing for a possible violent assault against the Jan. 20 inauguration, launching a security mobilization that will be unlike any in modern U.S. history.

On Wednesday, the Secret Service will take command of security preparations at the U.S. Capitol and other federal buildings, backed by as many as 15,000 National Guard troops, thousands of police and tactical officers, and layers of eight-foot steel fencing.

The high-alert security posture is starting six days earlier than planned to coordinate roles for the FBI, National Guard, U.S. Marshals Service and a host of other federal agencies that will fall under Secret Service command.

"Everyone can just rest assured they are throwing the kitchen sink at this event," said one Secret Service official involved in protective planning who was not authorized to speak to reporters.

The accelerated timetable has also allowed authorities to fortify the city and deploy officers in anticipation of potential violence on Sunday, when pro-Trump groups are calling for armed marches in Washington and the 50 state capitals.

Veteran Secret Service and Homeland Security officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share their worries described a level of concern unlike anything in their careers. Threats they fear include a plot by armed groups to encircle the White House or the U.S. Capitol and the inauguration event, as well as the possibility that gunmen could stage coordinated attacks against less-fortified targets in the city.

House Democrats were briefed by the new Capitol Police leadership Monday night about threats to the inauguration from groups supporting President Donald Trump, and the new security measures they are putting in place to avoid a repeat of last Wednesday's riot.

According to members who were on the briefing call, the threats included promises to execute members of Congress, with the most dangerous coming from a handful of extremist groups. They are surfacing amid calls for a million "MAGA" devotees to flood Washington.

On Tuesday, police in the Chicago suburbs arrested 45-year-old Louis Capriotti, charging him with making threats to lawmakers last year in which authorities say he promised to kill any Democrat who attempted to enter the White House on Inauguration Day.

If people "think that Joe Biden is going to put his hand on the Bible and walk into that . . . White House on January 20th, they're sadly . . . mistaken," he told one member of Congress in an expletive-laden phone message, according to a criminal complaint. "We will surround the . . . White House and we will kill any . . . Democrat that steps on the . . . lawn."

Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said in an interview that the threats are real but will not stop the transfer of power.

"We're not talking about a 90-person ISIS cell. . . . We're talking mainly about a bunch of yahoos who, yes, are very dangerous. People could wind up dead," Himes said. "But there's no danger that they're going to overthrow the United States government."

The sweep of the heightened security was illustrated by the decision of the House sergeant at arms to use metal detectors to screen everyone entering the House chamber, including members.

The siege at the Capitol has put Secret Service planners and their federal partners in feverish reassessment mode to consider all the ways they can mitigate anything like a repeat of Jan. 6 - or something worse.

Starting Wednesday, the nerve center for coordinating inauguration security and locking down the District will be the Secret Service's Washington field office. Known as the MACC, the Multi-Agency Command Center will bring together representatives from 50 to 60 agencies or private companies for the next eight days, everyone from heavyweight players like the FBI and the Defense Department to the gas company, rail company CSX and Amtrak. Most personnel will work in 12-hour shifts.

"Unlike Jan. 6, nobody has to ask for the National Guard anymore," said one former Secret Service official who helped coordinate past inaugurations. "Nobody has to send out an emergency call for the FBI SWAT team. They're all there, pre-positioned and ready."

"It's no longer game planning," the former official added. "Radiation protection. Bomb detectors. Amtrak sweeps. All the security personnel - they're all now in place."

The Secret Service will coordinate all security decisions, including how to seal the Capitol, how to control the flow of demonstrations, which Metro stations are shuttered and which roads are blocked. But the Secret Service, a relatively tiny agency in the federal government, will rely heavily on the muscle and expertise of its partners. It will look to the FBI, for instance, for intelligence-gathering, and the National Guard, Park Police and D.C. police, as well as many other local police departments, to set up roadblocks, patrol security perimeters along the inauguration route and help shield the Capitol and White House.

Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J., who participated in the security briefing for lawmakers, said that if the extensive measures planned for the inauguration had been in place on Jan. 6, "a fly could not have gotten into the Capitol."

"Last week was a wake-up call," Malinowski said in an interview, adding that rioters are not going to be allowed to stage a repeat because police at the Capitol are "not just playing defense, we're playing offense."

The Secret Service has overseen all national security special events since President Bill Clinton signed a presidential declaration in 1998 putting the agency in charge of all major gatherings that might be a target for terrorists. These have included Super Bowls, summits of world leaders, meetings of international organizations, presidential conventions and, of course, inaugurations.

While the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the Secret Service, is lacking key leadership following the resignation of acting secretary Chad Wolf on Monday, officials say they can rely on the experience of some the major players involved in inauguration security planning. They include Matt Miller, the head of the Secret Service Washington field office, who is widely admired by his subordinates and was promoted in the wake of the seamless security planning he crafted for the Republican National Convention in Tampa in 2012; and District of Columbia police Inspector Robert Glover, an incident commander who rushed to the rescue of Capitol Police on Jan. 6 and commanded the joint force to eject rioters from the grounds.

The Secret Service has sent out a call to all of its field offices around the country to send agents to Washington for the week.

"It's really, truly all hands on deck right now," said one person familiar with the request.

Secret Service spokeswoman Justine Whelan said the service began preliminary planning for the inauguration a year ago, working more intensely in recent months. But several officials said the Capitol siege has forced the agency to reexamine its previous work.

"The events of Jan. 6 serve as a stark reminder of the criticality of comprehensive security planning," Whelan said in a statement. "As is always the case, security during a National Special Security Event (NSSE) is a layered network of operations, seen and unseen, that run in tandem with federal, state and local law enforcement, military, and public safety entities."

A law enforcement official briefed on inauguration planning said extensive fencing is being erected throughout the District, including the area surrounding the White House. Those planning to attend the inauguration can also expect to barely be able to see the White House, as the perimeter will be expanded farther out than during past inaugurations.

Lamont Ruffin, the chief deputy U.S. marshal for the District of Columbia, said his office is planning to deputize between 3,000 and 4,000 local law enforcement officers from across the country who - at the request of the District police department - will come into Washington to help with security.

Ruffin said he has been asked to prepare to also possibly deputize members of the National Guard to give them law enforcement authority, though those plans have not been finalized. Guard members in Washington will carry their firearms, two defense officials said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Ruffin said the officers coming into District hail from all over the country - "all 50 states" - and will have to fill out a form attesting that they meet certain requirements, including that they not are not under active internal affairs investigation and that their departments are up to date with their certifications on using deadly and nonlethal force.

He said he was unaware of any additional requirements being imposed this year. Some law enforcement officers who participated in the rally that precipitated last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol have found themselves under investigation by their own departments, and the FBI has been investigating whether any military or law enforcement members broke the law.

Inside the Secret Service, senior supervisors have long been worried about the ability of an armed or organized group to pierce the White House fortress.

An unwelcome reminder of that risk came on May 29. Protective detail agents rushed Trump to the White House's underground bunker that night, as crowds of demonstrators protesting the killing of George Floyd converged on the White House's north side and many pushed over temporary barricades meant to keep them farther away from the fence.

One male protester made it over the heightened fence line and into the complex near the Treasury building, and others got into an enclosed Treasury courtyard nearby. That's when the Secret Service raised the threat level on the campus to "Condition Yellow" and spirited Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron to the subterranean shelter. After that night, the Secret Service pushed out the perimeter much farther and called in reinforcements from other federal law enforcement agencies to hold the line.

"They know that that's a huge vulnerability," said one Secret Service official. "There's one silver lining from the whole Capitol insurrection: I still believe the White House is a softer target than others, but you better believe it's going to get a really beefed-up security plan for the next couple of weeks."

Another worry is that pro-Trump groups seeking permits for protests downtown include people who joined the riot on Jan. 6 at the Capitol and conducted some of their planning on encrypted apps.

Researchers are finding that right-wing extremists of all stripes have migrated to the encrypted messaging app Telegram, especially since social media site Parler was forced off the Internet when its cloud provider, Amazon, dropped it Monday. They're sharing diagrams on how to mount an ambush, talking about mobilizing on the days leading up to Inauguration Day and are posting messages exhorting people to "descend on DC" and "stick to your guns," said Chris Sampson, chief of research at the Terror Asymmetrics Project on Strategy, Tactics and Radical Ideologies, a defense research institute. Sampson said he has flagged some of these posts to intermediaries who get them to the FBI. The migration to Telegram was first reported by NBC.

One pro-Trump group has applied to the National Park Service for a permit to protest in front of the White House. The Park Service, working with the Secret Service, will need to decide whether to reject those permit applications or determine a way for those protesters to be corralled and blocked from threatening the Capitol or White House.

City officials in Washington continued to erect an inauguration perimeter throughout downtown on Tuesday, putting up barriers around the White House, the Mall and the Capitol. People looking to travel inside the perimeter will have to provide proof of essential purpose to be within the inaugural grounds.

"This is similar to previous inaugurations - except the inauguration perimeter will be established and operational for several days," Susana Castillo, a spokesperson for Mayor Muriel E. Bowser's office, said in a text message.

Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesman for the Fairfax County police, said the agency planned to deploy extra officers at Metro stations that would be a primary conduit into the city, and was also beefing up security at courthouses and the county government center out of an abundance of caution.

Guglielmi said that civil disturbance units and helicopter and boat teams would be on alert to provide support to police and the National Guard in the District, and that the department was reviewing how to quickly get into the city in the event roads were blocked.

"You are going to see the entire Northern Virginia region [having] much more communication with D.C. police," Guglielmi said.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, said the District of Columbia could be subject to lockdowns and Metro shutdowns during the days surrounding the presidential inauguration.

The state, he said, will double the number of Maryland National Guard members in the District from 500 to 1,000. Greg Shipley, a spokesman for the Maryland State Police, said the agency has a team of specially trained troopers on standby.

"There are ongoing discussions about securing the nation's capital," Hogan said Tuesday at a news conference in Annapolis, "not just the immediate site around the Capitol itself, but the entire city."

- - -

The Washington Post's Erin Cox, Matt Zapotosky, Dan Morse, Emily Davies and Rachel Weiner contributed to this report.

DETROIT  Federal prosecutors in Detroit have charged three men with a slew of crimes after they allegedly schemed to export United States goods to Iran.

All three men are accused of conspiring to export nine electrical discharge boards, one CPU board, two servo motors, and two railroad crankshafts from the United States to Iran in violation of economic sanctions under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR).

Those charged include:

Arash Yousefi Jam, also known as Arash Yousefijam, 32, an Iranian national living in Ontario who was arrested by U.S. authorities on Dec. 23, 2020;

Amin Yousefi Jam, also known as Amin Yousefijam, 33, an Iranian national living in Ontario

Abdollah Momeni Roustani, also known as Abdollah Momeni, Ab Momeni, and Amir Amiri, 44, an Iranian national believed to be living in Iran.

Since 1979, in order to protect the freedom and security of the American people, the United States has made it illegal to export goods to Iran, said U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider for the Eastern District of Michigan.

The deeply disturbing allegations in this case are that the defendants conspired to export highly sophisticated American manufacturing equipment and other American-made items into the arms of the Iranians. We will follow every single lead in this case as we pursue justice against the defendants, and we will continue to help American businesses protect themselves from criminal schemes like this.

According to the indictment, the crimes occurred between January 2015 and February of 2017.

The indictment further alleges that as part of the conspiracy, the defendants and their coconspirators planned and acted outside of the United States  in Iran and Canada, among other places  to purchase goods inside the United States to send to Iran.

It also alleges that the group used third parties to arrange for payment and transportation of the goods and that they intentionally concealed from U.S. companies the identities of the end users of the goods by providing false and misleading information.

Finally, the indictment alleges that the defendants caused the goods to be exported from the United States to individuals and entities located in Iran through the United Arab Emirates, without obtaining the necessary licenses, in violation of U.S. law.

If convicted, the defendants face a statutory maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on the export and smuggling violations, and twenty years in federal prison and a $500,000 fine on the money laundering violation.

The defendants deceived U.S. companies, illegally obtained sensitive U.S. items, and transshipped those items through the UAE to Iran in violation of U.S. law, said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers.

Such actions dilute the effectiveness of sanctions against Iran. The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing U.S. sanctions and to successfully countering the Iranian regimes destabilizing activity.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hank Moon from the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Adam Barry from the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section of the National Security Division.

Source: Xinhua| 2021-01-13 22:43:18|Editor: huaxia

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COLOMBO, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Civil Aviation Authority (CAASL) said all incoming passengers would have to obtain prior approval from the Foreign Affairs Ministry or the Sri Lankan missions of the respective countries to enter into the island country in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported on Wednesday.

The CAASL said such approvals would be sent directly to them after which they would direct the respective airlines to issue tickets for approved passengers.

Sri Lanka is all set to re-open its international airports on Jan. 23 while adhering to strict health guidelines after it was shut since March last year after the detection of the first local COVID-19 patient.

Sri Lanka's tourism sector, which has gained international fame, has been one of the worst affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, affecting over 4 million people who depend on the industry, officials said.

The country has to date detected over 49,000 positive COVID-19 patients as it is in the midst of a second wave of the pandemic. Enditem
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Our team has pulled together in ways that I could not have imagined to ensure continuous access to safe dental care for patients, a safe work environment for our employees and providers, and a supportive, safe space to provide care.

Smile Brands Inc., one of the nations leading providers of business support services to dental groups in the United States, is thrilled to be have been recognized on Real Leaders newly selected 2021 Top Impact Companies from around the world. The 2021 award winners include game-changers such as Tesla, Beyond Meat, Patagonia, and 147 other well-respected impact brands of all sizes and from a variety of industries. Browse the Top Impact Companies list below:

#1 Tesla

#2 Natura

#3 Danone

#4 Patagonia

#5 Beyond Meat

#6 Etsy

#7 Ben & Jerrys

#8 Smile Brands

#9 Seventh Generation

#10 Vital Farms

#11 Unilver

#12 Ecolabssee full list

Since 2010, Real Leaders has been the premier source for recognizing leaders and organizations that are making a positive social or environmental impact around the globe. Smile Brands and its Smiles for Everyone Foundation share the mission of delivering Smiles for Everyone around the world through an ongoing focus on the positive impact the organization can have on patients, communities, and employees.

The company has been honored for the past three years as a Glassdoor Best Places to Work and has been named a Best Company for Diversity, Women, Professional Development and Happiness by the employer rating site, Comparably. Through the Smiles for Everyone Foundation, Smile Brands has provided over 20 million dollars in donated dental care to individuals in need both in the US and across its seven international outposts since 2011. In response to the unique challenges of 2020, Smile Brands launched its Safe.Smile.Space. initiative to promote both physical and emotional safety within all of its 650 dental offices.

We are honored to have been recognized for our Social Impact by Real Leaders, said Smile Brands CEO, Steve Bilt. Our long-term focus on delivering Smiles for Everyone was put to the test over the past 12 months by both the pandemic and increased social divisiveness. Our team has pulled together in ways that I could not have imagined to ensure continuous access to safe dental care for patients, a safe work environment for our employees and providers, and a supportive, safe space to provide care. All the while, weve continued to provide free dental care to individuals in need at all of our international outposts throughout the crisis.

A special ceremony will be held on January 27th, 2021 to honor the winners and will include key impact speakers featuring Seth Goldman, Chairman of Beyond Meat, and a musical performance from Michael Franti, a world-renowned musician, and activist.

ABOUT SMILE BRANDS INC.

Based in Irvine California, Smile Brands Inc. is one of the largest providers of support services to dental groups in the United States. The organizations award-winning culture has made it the only dental support organization on Glassdoors Best Places to Work list for the past three years. Smile Brands affiliated dentists leverage industry-leading business support services so that they can spend more time caring for patients and less time on the administrative, marketing, and financial aspects of operating a dental practice. The organization was founded in 1998 and supports 650 affiliated practices and 60 brands across 30 states. Smile Brands is a portfolio company of Gryphon Investors, a leading middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, CA. For more information, visit http://www.smilebrands.com.

ABOUT REAL LEADERS

Real Leaders is the worlds first business and sustainable leadership magazine and serves a community of visionaries, collaborating to regenerate our world. Its mission is to inspire better leaders for a better world. Real Leaders is a Certified B-Corp and signatory in the United Nations Global Compact (an advocate for achieving the global goals for sustainable development). Real Leaders positions leaders to thrive in the new economy and to inspire the future. Visit http://www.real-leaders.com for more information.
Austin, the second-longest serving alderman, once was a top City Council leader and ally to former Mayors Richard M. Daley and Rahm Emanuel. But Mayor Lori Lightfoot stripped Austin of her Budget Committee chairmanship after taking office, instead creating the new Committee on Contracting Oversight and Equity, and naming Austin to its helm.
Viscountess Emma Weymouth says she feels a 'responsibility to stay well' after a rare brain condition meant she nearly lost her life during birth of her first child.

The socialite, 34, who is married to Ceawlin, Viscount Weymouth, had an emergency C-section after being diagnosed with hypophysitis - which causes swelling in the pituitary gland - while pregnant with son John, now five.

She has since had a second son, Henry, three, through surrogacy after doctors told her that her life would be at risk if she were to have another child naturally.

Appearing on Loose Women today, she told how grateful she is to have both her sons, and that she frequently has MRI scans to ensure that she does her best to remain healthy for her family.

Viscountess Emma Weymouth (pictured with children John, now five and Henry, now three) says she feels a 'responsibility to stay well' after a rare brain condition meant she nearly lost her life during birth of her first child

Appearing on Loose Women today, she told how grateful she is to have both her sons, and that she frequently has MRI scans

She said: 'Having a baby is one of the most important things you'll ever do in your life and something I never take for granted, not for a single moment, that I've been able to have my two sons.

'I have MRI scans quite frequently to make sure I'm all good. My responsibility is for them, I need to make sure I try and stay well for my family.'

Emma first visited her GP after experiencing intense headaches during her pregnancy, which left her bed bound and struggling to breathe due to the pain.

'I started suffering from very, very severe headaches,' she told. 'I went to the doctors who tested blood pressure to check everything was okay. They put it down to hormones and sent me home with pain killers.

Viscountess Emma, pictured with her husband Ceawlin Thynn, Viscount Weymouth, in 2019, has has since had a second son, Henry, three, through surrogacy after doctors told her she could not have another child naturally

'The headache got to such a severe level I couldn't leave bed, I couldn't breathe because the pain was so intense.'

Her pain was being caused by a swelling in the pituitary gland which had bled, meaning doctors had to rush to deliver John while trying to reduce inflammation in her own body.

'They sped into action to deliver the baby as soon as possible without him needing extra medical care, and trying to scramble as much as they could to reduce the inflammation in my body.

'It was a very frightening experience, it's emotional to talk about it still.'

After doctors told her she would not be able to have another child naturally, she began considering surrogacy, and was able to confide in close family friends who had also chosen the same route.

Emma told on the show she first visited her GP after experiencing intense headaches, which left her bed bound and struggling to breathe due to the pain

She told host Jane Moore (pictured left) how 'grateful' she is to have been able to have a second child

WHAT IS HYPOPHYSITIS? Hypophysitis is a rare condition which causes acute or chronic inflammation of the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is a small gland located at the base of your brain that plays a major role in regulating vital body functions. The most common form is lymphocytic hypophysitis which is believed to be an autoimmune disorder. It was originally thought to mostly affect women during or after pregnancy, but now is recognised to affect both men and women over a large age range. Symptoms of Hypophysitis include: Headaches

Blurred vision, double vision or loss of vision

Nausea and vomiting

Extreme thirst

High levels of prolactin in the blood Advertisement

'Fortunately two very close family friends had done it, so it was something I was aware of and could research, she said.

'It's something you have to come to terms with it before. It's such a massive decision. However you have a baby, it's never simple.'

She told how 'grateful' she is to have been able to have a second child, and said that the response she had from other women was 'quite extraordinary'.

'In my experience I have found it therapeutic being this honest,' she said. 'Once women open up to each other, it's quite extraordinary what stories women share and return.'

Emma, pictured with Ceawlin Thynn in 2017, used an American surrogacy agency recommended to her by a friend, but advised there are many other options depending on individual circumstances

'I had friends who had done it and it is actually quite a common thing to do and I am so lucky, and very grateful we could go down that route, and now we have our baby boy, Henry.'

Emma used an American surrogacy agency recommended to her by a friend, but advised there are many other options depending on individual circumstances.

'In America, the way its set up legally and medically is a very secure way of doing it and my friend had used this agency,' she explained. 'But there are many ways to do it in may different places. People's reasons for doing it are so varied.

'It's so wonderful there is this incredible science and these incredible people who will help each other.'
E-commerce is the leading development trend amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and those who know how to take advantage of it, including small- and medium-sized enterprises (SME), will achieve more success than through traditional channels.

The potential of Vietnams e-commerce is not limited to the domestic market if they only step through the technology door, with cross-border e-commerce sites like Amazon helping many startups to succeed and grow rapidly.

Currently, Amazon lists thousands of Vietnamese sellers who participate in the online market around the world. Many Vietnamese businesspeople with big dreams have already achieved significant successes as they dared to stand on the shoulders of e-commerce giants.

After graduating from college with a degree in pharmacy, Thu Trangs biggest dream was to bring her paper petals to the world. Through her active marketing on social networking sites, Trangs Camellia Bees brand attracted prospective customers globally, enticed by the artful image of her paper folding techniques that created her products with passion and enthusiasm.

Two years ago, Trang hit one of her biggest milestones so far when she began selling her products on Amazon. Trang said that thanks to Amazon Global Selling, her business boomed with steady monthly sales growth, reaching remarkable revenue increases of 100-200 per cent throughout the peak season.

Vietnamese businesses can succeed through cross-border e-commerce

Amazon Global Selling is truly supporting SMEs like Camellia Bees with their customer service, the review and customer care options, as well as the well-designed order system. I learnt more about how to run my business professionally through feedback from my customers. As their numbers grew steadily, my brand reputation and sales increased, and I was able to sell my products to people around the world, Trang recalls.

Ngan Le, founder and CEO of Paper Color  another Vietnamese business selling on Amazon  said that global sales helped her company reach a large number of customers, as well as save on costs for distribution and marketing. With only two original members in the company, Paper Color is now exported to more than 30 countries.

Ngan Le shared that her secret for success, besides her creativity and ambition to spread love through her products, is good management and effective data analysis. Amazon has helped me and my partner to better understand our performance and come up with more practical long-term plans that fit our target market, Ngan Le explained.

Mary Nguyen, the founder of Mary Craft, an enterprise specialising in providing garments and fine arts jewellery from horns and wood, initially faced difficulties in bringing her locally-made products to the world. However, Amazon became the answer to that problem.

The biggest benefit is the Fulfillment by Amazon toolkit, which enabled us to deliver within 1-2 days. The toolkit is extremely effective for small businesses like ours, especially when struggling with operations like logistics, said Mary.

Since Mary Craft started selling on Amazon in 2015, the companys sales went up more than 150 per cent from previous years. As a result, Mary Craft has grown rapidly from just one workshop to three, thereby creating jobs for about 100 employees.

The company founder excitedly explained that she is only waiting for Mary Craft to be strong enough before bringing her brand to many other large markets such as the UK, Canada, or Australia.

Meanwhile, after a quarter of a century of development, Trung Nguyen Legend has become one of the leading brands in the domestic coffee industry with important contributions to the growth of Vietnamese brands in the international market.

Trung Nguyen Legends coffee has been exported to more than 80 countries and territories and has been selected as diplomatic ambassadors on many occasions.

Trung Nguyens success in conquering international markets comes from its export strategy through official distributors in different markets. This year, the group has officially launched a new form of distribution by opening brand booths on international e-commerce floors, such as on Amazon.

Amazon is one of the leading technology companies, so Trung Nguyens strategic cooperation with the e-commerce platform is more than suitable. Collaborating with e-commerce services like Amazon will continue to help Trung Nguyens products to reach farther, faster, a Trung Nguyen representative concluded.

Between 2019 and 2020, Amazon invested more than $30 billion in logistics, tools, services, programmes, and human resources to drive the growth of its sales partners globally. At the same time, in 2020 alone, the company released more than 135 free tools and services intending to help sellers on Amazon increase sales.

Through these and similar efforts, Amazon has not only been serving large corporations but also become a bridge between Vietnamese SMEs and the world, helping them to grow their businesses easily and access more than 300 million globally, including more than 150 million Prime customers and millions of institutional buyers from the US, Europe, and Japan.

Britain is targeting a 24-hour, seven-day a week vaccination programme as soon as possible, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, as he bids to step up the pace of the rollout and give shots to at-risk groups by mid-February.

AstraZeneca executives said the company was on track to deliver 2 million doses a week before mid-February, and Johnson said the availability of more shots would be crucial to scaling up to a round-the-clock service.

Well be going to 24/7 as soon as we can," Johnson told parliament. At the moment the limit is on supply."

Johnson hopes that giving protection to the elderly, the vulnerable and frontline workers by mid-February will provide a route out of a new national lockdown which began in England last week. Scotland, which locked down at the same time, said on Wednesday it would tighten its measures further.

Across the United Kingdom, there are 15 million people in the highest priority groups. Only 2.4 million have been vaccinated so far, so the government needs more than 2 million vaccinations a week to hit its target. Britain is rolling out two vaccines, one made by AstraZeneca and one by Pfizer.

Earlier, health minister Matt Hancock said Britain was on track to meet the target, and manufacturers were delivering vaccine on schedule, but the process would become smoother as it moves along.

AstraZeneca UK President Tom Keith-Roach said he hoped to be able to expand supply beyond 2 million doses a week as processes were optimised, but couldnt promise it would be possible. We cant commit to a number above 2 million, but obviously it may be possible," he told lawmakers.

Britain is prioritising giving as many people as possible first doses of the vaccine, allowing up to 12 weeks before a second dose.

AstraZeneca research chief Mene Pangalos supported the move, saying data showed an 8-12 week gap was a sweet spot" for efficacy.

Pfizer has been more cautious, warning that there is no data to support delaying the second dose of its shot beyond 21 days, and other industry voices echoed that wariness.

The biopharmaceutical industry supports adhering to the dosing that has been assessed in clinical trials," a group of industry bodies including Vaccines Europe and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations said in a statement.

It said any changes should follow the science and be based on a transparent deliberation of the available data".


Press Release

January 13, 2021 Pangilinan: DOH should reconsider Sinovac purchases given latest findings and cost FOLLOWING the results of a new study in Brazil showing a 50.4-percent efficacy rate of China's Sinovac vaccine, Senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan on Wednesday called on the Department of Health to reconsider its order to purchase these vaccines. "Sinovac, with just over 50 percent efficacy, is six times more expensive than AstraZeneca, which in contrast shows a 70-percent efficacy. Sinovac is more expensive yet it has the lowest efficacy. Given these latest findings, we call on the DOH to cancel the purchase of said vaccines," Pangilinan said in a tweet. "Bakit tayo gagastos sa mas mahal na pinakamababa ang bisa? Why will we pay for a more expensive vaccine that has lowest efficacy?" he added. According to news reports, the Brazil trial results were barely enough for regulatory approval and well below the 78-percent efficacy rate announced last week. At Monday's Senate Committee of the Whole hearing regarding the vaccine roll-out, Pangilinan said the country should procure vaccines on the bases of both higher efficacy and lower cost. The efficacy rate for the other vaccines are: Moderna 95 percent, Pfizer and BioNTech 95 percent, Gamaleya 92 percent, and AstraZeneca 70 percent. The efficacy rate measures the reduction in the risk rate of infection of the individual inoculated with the vaccine, not the entire population. According to data shared during the interpellation on the bicameral report on the 2021 national budget, the cost of Sinovac is P3,629.50, Moderna at P3,904-P4,504, Pfizer P2,379, Gamaleya P1,220, via Covax facility P854, AstraZeneca P610, and Novavax P366. The Philippines has secured 25 million doses from China's Sinovac Biotech, with the first 50,000 expected to arrive in February. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said the rest of the Sinovac vaccines will arrive in batches from March until December and that Filipinos will not be able to choose their vaccine. "Bakit natin bibigyan ng kaduda-dudang bakuna ang ating mga mamamayan? Nagsasayang lamang tayo ng pondo sa pagbili ng Sinovac dahil marami pang bakuna na pagpipiliian. Malinaw naman na ito ang pinakamahal at hindi pinaka-epektibo. Ano ba ang gustong gawin ng pamahalaan?" said Pangilinan. In Metro Manila, local government units have allocated funds to procure doses from AstraZeneca while the Ayala Group has pledged 450,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines as its contribution to the national vaccine program. As of January 13, the Philippines has reported 491,258 Covid-19 cases, with 23,532 active cases and 9,554 deaths. On December 14, Pangilinan filed Senate Resolution 594 asking the Senate Committee of the Whole to look into the government national Covid-19 vaccination program. The Senate Committee of the Whole is scheduled to convene again on Friday, January 15, to further discuss the country's vaccination program.
Changes to the rates were notified in June 2018. (Representative Image)

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will keep unchanged the rates for floor area ration (FAR) and land-use conversion (for residential, commercial, mixed-use, and cooperative group housing society properties or CGHS) till June 30, 2021.

In a statement on January 12, the DDA said that implementation of the changes was extended periodically due to procedural aspects, The Economic Times reported. Changes to the rates were notified in June 2018.

Due to impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, the existing rates are being further retained for another six months up to June 30, 2021, to provide relief to the lessees/owners of these properties, it added.

The DDA approved multiple proposals at a meeting on January 12, the report said.

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

Further, the authoritys city Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) policy, which was also approved during the meet will be sent to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) for consideration and final notification.

The Delhi TOD policy proposes development along with the influence of metro corridors as incorporated in various chapters of the MPD-2021 and notified by the MoHUA in 2015. The TOD policy for Delhi was earlier revised and notified in 2019 to allow development along selective, identified nodes of metro and railway stations.

This was done considering the carrying capacity of Delhi in terms of infrastructure requirement, the DDA said. The same was also incorporated as a separate chapter in the citys master plan development (MPD) 2021.

The revisions however still required certain rectifications in the corresponding chapters to enable the revised TOD policy to be implemented on ground and the DDAs current approval comes after incorporating suggestions from the general public in February 2020.
A hotel quarantine guest staying on the Gold Coast has claimed staff didn't wear face masks when delivering food and laundry - as police investigate how a Brisbane cleaner caught the UK mutant strain of coronavirus.

The woman, who did not wish to be identified, said she was concerned by what she saw at the hotel while being confined to her room for 15 days in December 2020.

Her comments come after Brisbane was released from a harsh three-day lockdown following the positive test result of a hotel quarantine cleaner.

Queensland Health are investigating how the cleaner became infected by the mutant strain, with police searching through four days of CCTV footage.

A hotel quarantine guest staying on the Gold Coast has claimed staff didn't wear face masks when delivering food and laundry (stock image)

The woman in hotel quarantine was particularly uneasy about her hotel's protocols after a passenger on her flight tested positive to coronavirus.

'The protocol seemed quite good [on the plane], getting off at the airport everyone was in masks, standard procedure,' she told the ABC.

'But we did notice during our stay there, because there's a little peep hole in the door, that the people delivering our food and the cleaners who were cleaning opposite us, once quarantine people were leaving, nobody was wearing masks.

'And you can't guarantee that people who quarantine will have their door closed, you open it to receive laundry, to receive meals, you can order anything from outside and have it delivered by hotel staff.'

The woman said she phoned hotel management about her concerns numerous times during her stay and then raised her queries with Queensland Health via email.

She was advised by email that her mandatory 14-day stay would be extended by 24 hours after a passenger from her flight tested positive.

The woman said she replied to the email and questioned the risk posed to hotel guests. She said she was advised there was low to zero risk of workers at the hotel contracting Covid from quarantining guests.

The hotel quarantine guest said she doesn't think there were sensible precautions in place to stop the transmission, adding she doesn't feel like she was 'listened to' when raising her concerns.

The woman's comments come after Brisbane was released from a harsh three-day lockdown following the positive test result of a hotel quarantine cleaner. Pictured: Residents wear face masks in Brisbane on January 8

No new local Covid-19 cases have been reported in Queensland since Monday night, when the partner of the quarantine hotel cleaner was identified as a case.



The man is the only known case since his partner tested positive on January 7, but Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said it's too early relax restrictions.

She said wearing face masks in public indoors and social distancing will be mandatory until at least January 22.

'Just remember the incubation period is 14 days, and there is no evidence that the incubation period for this new variant is any different,' Dr Young said.

'So we just have to wait, and we need to maintain all of the systems and processes we've all got in place as individuals to protect ourselves if this were to spread.

'So we just have to do what Queenslanders have done so brilliantly right from the start, in terms of following all the advice, and minimising the risk for everyone.'

Masks are mandatory in supermarkets, shops, indoor markets, places of worship, libraries, gyms and indoor recreational facilities such as cinemas and art galleries.

Masks are mandatory in supermarkets, shops, indoor markets, places of worship, libraries, gyms and indoor recreational facilities such as cinemas and art galleries following the positive Covid-19 infection of a hotel quarantine cleaner

They also must be worn on public transport, in taxis and rideshare vehicles and should be carried at all times.

Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said while officers would enforce mask-wearing they may also offer people masks if they don't have one.

'We will always give people the opportunity to comply with the directions,' he said.

'However, if people choose not to do that, there are strict penalties that apply and up to a $1300 fine could be imposed.'

Gatherings in private homes have been capped at 20 people and capacity is restricted at pubs, restaurants and cafes.

Dr Young also said an ongoing investigation into how the hotel cleaner became infected may not be conclusive.

Police are trying to recreate the entire timeline to pinpoint any specific breach.

'It still may be that we will never get to the bottom of whatever actually happened because it could be something quite incidental to do with how infectious disease is,' Commissioner Gollschewski said.

'But we will absolutely look at everything in the whole process.'
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) has issued the following statement on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the Armenian pogroms in Baku:

"January 13, 1990 is one of the most tragic dates in the history of the Armenian people. On this day, mass pogroms of Armenians began in the capital city of Azerbaijan, Baku, which became the apogee of the targeted policy of the Azerbaijani authorities on exterminating the Armenian population of the former Azerbaijan SSR and expelling it from its historical lands and places of permanent residence, which began with the massacre of Armenians in Sumgait in February 1988.

The Baku pogroms continued for more than a week, during which, under the slogans "Glory to the heroes of Sumgait!", "Long live Baku without Armenians!", large mobs of rioters broke into the homes of Armenians, robbing, maiming and killing people. There are numerous documented accounts of atrocities committed with exceptional brutality. Those who managed to escape death were subjected to forced deportation, which was organized and systematic.

The Baku pogroms became one of the bloodiest mass crimes against the Armenian population in a series of pogroms, deportations, ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity committed in Azerbaijan. In the period between 1988 and 1991, the Armenian population of the former Azerbaijan SSR was completely deported, and Northern Artsakh, Gandzak and some other territories lost their autochthonous population. As a result, about half a million Armenians became refugees, and thousands of them killed.

The man-hating and genocidal policy of Baku towards the Armenian people continued after the collapse of the USSR, in 1992-1994, in particular, during the occupation of Artsakh Republics Shahumyan and Martakert regions and in the village of Maragha, the majority of the inhabitants of which were brutally exterminated.

The long-term and consistent denial by the Azerbaijani authorities of the committed genocidal actions on the one hand, and the encouragement of such crimes through the glorification of their perpetrators on the other hand, have become the main driving force in the policy of Azerbaijan, aimed at the extermination of Armenians in their historical homeland and all the traces of the existence of the Armenian people in the ancestral territory of their residence.This policy ultimately predetermined the large-scale 44-day war against Artsakh unleashed on September 27, 2020 by Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey and with the participation of international terrorists. The armed aggression was accompanied by numerous and systematic war crimes, including targeted attacks on civilians and shelling of vital civilian infrastructure, with the employment of weapons prohibited by international conventions, cruel killing of prisoners of war and detained civilians and inhuman and derogatory treatment towards them. Moreover, the Azerbaijani side deliberately posts video materials of such atrocities at social networks.

It is difficult to imagine the path to peace as long as the misanthropic ideology and values, imposed by the authorities for many years, continue to dominate in the Azerbaijani society. An important step in the process of healing the wounds inflicted by the bloody conflict unleashed by Azerbaijan would be the recognition by the Baku authorities of their direct responsibility for the mass crimes committed against the Armenian population, including the January 1990 pogroms in Baku, which would make it possible to eradicate the negative phenomena caused by Armenophobia and create preconditions for establishing sustainable and lasting peace in the region."
A man who allegedly obtained and used the credit card of Sydney grandfather and retired solicitor Peter McCarthy has been charged with fraud-related offences.

On December 20, four days after Mr McCarthy, 77, was last seen on CCTV, police found his body, with severe facial and head injuries during a welfare check at his apartment in South Coogee last month.

Peter McCarthy was found dead in his South Coogee apartment last month.

Police have described his death as a "robbery that's turned into a brutal and severe bashing".

Just before 7am on Wednesday, police executed a search warrant at a unit at Summer Hill, where they arrested a 44-year-old man. During the search, officers seized a number of items allegedly relevant to the investigation.
Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka made a strong start to her 2021 season with a comfortable 6-2 6-2 victory over Veronika Kudermetova of Russia to clinch the WTA 500 event in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and extend her winning streak to 15 matches.

After finishing 2020 with trophies at Ostrava and Linz, the strongly built Sabalenka started her new campaign in the same vein in Abu Dhabi and will rise three spots to a career-best world number seven when the WTA rankings are updated on Monday.

I am really proud of the fact that I was fighting no matter what," the 22-year-old told reporters.

Some matches I did not feel my serve, some matches backhand, forehand. But I was like just keep fighting. Thats why I am really proud of and happy with this title."

It was the ninth title overall for the fourth-seeded Sabalenka, who now heads to Melbourne for the first Grand Slam of the year at the Australian Open next month.

She will now head to Melbourne for a mandatory 14-day quarantine before the warmup events start from Jan. 31 ahead of the Australian Open.

With her powerful groundstrokes and all-round game, Sabalenka will be considered a dark horse at the Feb. 8-21 Grand Slam at Melbourne Park.

I will keep improving my game, keep working on some things," Sabalenka said.

Its not about just staying in shape, theres always something to work on and to improve. As soon as you stop working on improving your game, you will start losing."

Sabalenka broke her opponents serve six times during Wednesdays final and was particularly pleased with her return game during the tournament.

My biggest dream is to win a Grand Slam. I think we all have the same dream, so nothing really special," Sabalenka said with a smile.

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